Chapter Six: Into Dreams

He hadn't meant to hit him - or, at least, he hadn't given himself permission to hit him - but now that he had it felt good. August reeled back, wooden hands going to his nose and the door to the trailer swung open as he stumbled. Bae stood there, his glare steady and lips thinned as the younger man tried to balance himself. He seemed to try to move his nose, checking to see if it might be broken, but not even enchanted wood had quite that much give. He finally gave up and turned blue eyes on the man that had laid the blow. "Neal," he said slowly, hand still hovering by his face. "Guess I deserved that."

"And more. Not sure which that one was for: stealing my money that was meant to get to Emma or impersonating me."

August went a little pale, if it were possible, at the second statement. "You've been to see Rumplestiltskin? I thought you hated him."

"Things change. We need to talk."

He moved back and Bae took that as an invitation to enter and did. There wasn't much to the little trailer that August currently called home, but the writer had made his way so far. He moved stiffly towards the other end of the trailer and his irritable guest took a seat on what might have once been a couch. "You're lucky that no termites have found you out here."

"You're hilarious, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know."

"What do you want, Neal? Emma's in town."

"No, Emma is in the Enchanted Forest." Bae watched the other man's expression slowly change and a thought occurred to him. August had known Emma was there, meaning he'd spent time with her. Meaning he knew that Henry was his son. Well, there was another reason behind that punch. "You could have told me I had a kid, you asshole."

August took a step back, like he thought Bae might stand and take another swing. If he hadn't needed his help, he might have. Slowly, the wooden man raised his hands. "Emma had to break the curse. I told you that."

"I could have helped her, you know. If I'd known about Henry I never would have-"

"There's your answer." He sighed, leaning against a counter. "Is that what you're here for? To point out every crappy thing I've done to you? I warned you I was bad at saying no to temptation."

"I need your help."

"What?"

"You know someone that I need information about. At least, you know her in ways I don't. Tamara Grey."

August froze at the name. "What about her?"

"I'm asking you."

He seemed to think on it a moment and Bae could see the calculation in those wooden eyes. He'd been around deal making long enough to know what was coming next. "You and your dad are on good terms again?"

Bae only narrowed his eyes in response.

"Get him to change me back. I'll tell you everything I know about her."

"I'll talk to him."

"Convince him."

"I can't promise that, August. Pop does things his own way."

"He'll listen to you. Maybe you just haven't seen what I saw when he thought I was you. He really does love you."

"I know he does. I'll do my best."

"Good enough." August reached a wooden hand out and Bae took it, feeling the stiff fingers in his own and some of the anger at the younger man melted away. He'd done some pretty terrible things to Bae specifically, but this was an equally terrible fate in the end. Most people didn't wear the evidence of their sins for all the world to see.

"So how do you know her?"

"Let's start a little earlier. Before the Evil Queen cast her curse your father made a prophecy about Emma."

"That she'd be the savior, I know."

"Right. On her twenty-eighth birthday, she needed to go to Storybrooke. I was supposed to be the one to get her there, but... Well, I didn't live up to my end, I guess." He sighed, closing his eyes. "On her birthday, when I was supposed to be there to help her, I started turning to wood again. I started looking for help anywhere I could get it."

"Never occurred to you to just go help her?"

August snorted, but continued. "I went to this man that they called the Dragon. He was supposed to be able to heal anything. That's where I ran into Tamara. She said she had some rare form of cancer, but some stuff happened, I ended up going back a few days later for something and the Dragon was dead."

"You think she killed him?"

"Why? Do you? How do you know her?"

"Long story," Bae said as he stood. August hadn't been nearly as helpful as he'd hoped, but he'd provided some information at least. Tamara's affinity for attacking those with magic seemed to be a long running trend.

"C'mon," August said with a smile. "I told you my story, so-"

Bae stood. "So I'll talk to my papa. Maybe you'll even be able to work up the courage to see your own. Marco's looking for you."

That struck a nerve. "I can't let him see me like this."

"You'd be surprised what fathers are willing to overlook."

He looked down, the floor suddenly very interesting. "Yeah."

"Listen, I have somewhere to be, so I'll let you know what he says. You did some serious damage when you showed up pretending to be me."

"I know."

Bae paused at the door, his chest tightening. "What'd he say?"

"What?" August asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"My dad, when he thought you were me."

The wooden man grimaced as best he could. "He poured his soul into the apology," he said quietly.

Slowly, Bae nodded and handed him a spare cellphone. "Thanks. I'll do what I can for you, August. I'll be in touch."

He'd been torn when Belle had asked if he wanted to have lunch. Bae may have had time to spend with him, but Rumplestiltskin hadn't experienced that yet and he had a difficult time letting his son out of his sight. He had said that he was simply worried about delayed side effects of the spell that had sent him there, but they both knew that wasn't all if it, even if neither said so. Belle may have known that too when she'd invited Baelfire along as well, but he'd smiled and said he had a few things he needed to do that day and he'd drop by the shop later.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

Rumple startled at Belle's soft voice and he found her smiling at him. She reached forward and took his hand in her own. "Yes, I am," he admitted softly. "I'm sorry."

She laughed, the sound pleasant and it warmed him. "Don't apologize. He's your son. He's been good for you, Rumple, even if it's just been a few days."

He felt himself echoing her smile and tightened his grip on her hands across the table. "How so, my dear?"

"Well, you went out of your way to help Ruby last night without anything in return."

"I told all of you: I can't stand George. He's irritating. It was enough to see him lose, even if not entirely."

"Really, Rumple?"

He offered her a smile. "Don't go thinking I've turned into some sort of philanthropist now. I shouldn't want to disappoint you any more than I already do."

"Rumple," she said softly. "You don't disappoint me. It's just... I know that you are better than what your curse makes you. Sometimes you just need others to help you see it too."

Granny appeared with two plates in her hands and offered a half hearted glare at Rumplestiltskin. "I don't know how you got them all to go away last night, but you may have saved Ruby's life."

"Hardly. She saved her own."

"I think Granny is trying to say thank you, Rumple," Belle whispered.

"Thank you," Granny ground out as she set the plates down. "I left off the extra charge for the pickles this time."

He could tell Belle was trying not to laugh and she did a fair job of holding it in until Granny had left. A giggle escaped her once the innkeeper was out of earshot and Rumple found himself smiling as well. "We have a complicated relationship," he explained. "As I do with most people."

Belle's smile didn't fade. "It took me a while to get to know you. They will too." She squeezed his fingers before letting go, eying the burger in front of her.

It was amazing, but without any cursed memories Belle was learning about the Land Without Magic one step at a time. Had she been any less clever, any less willing to learn she would have been entirely lost. But this was Belle. Brave, beautiful, inquisitive Belle. She viewed each experience as a story to be told and never forgot that others came with their own.

Rumple saw her eyeing the condiments as if she weren't entirely sure and he'd reached for the ketchup as a familiar presence made itself very well known in the diner. He resisted the urge to growl at her, but instead forced a thin smile as he turned.

"Gold, we need to talk," Regina said stiffly.

"Do we? Unless this has to do with Henry, I doubt that."

Regina blinked. "In a way it does."

Rumplestiltskin's dark eyes narrowed. He was going to have a tough time not snapping her neck if she was using his grandson - if she knew it or not - to try to manipulate him. "How so?"

"The necklace you gave Henry let him control the dream. He met someone in that Netherworld and she said that Emma and Snow are with her."

"Lovely. Your point?"

"My point is the person that is after them. Cora."

Rumple felt his world shift just a little. Cora. He hadn't heard the name in years, nor had he had reason to. "She was dead. You said you saw the body."

"Apparently you taught her well." She glanced past her former mentor and Belle stiffened at the brief gaze before it turned back. "She's on her way here. To Storybrooke. I don't think I need to remind you how most unpleasant that would be for both of us."

The Dark One sneered. "For you. I can handle Cora."

"That's not how she tells it."

Memories bubbled up in his mind. Magic and hatred and pain and betrayal swirled together in more than one spatting match between mentor and former student, but he knew the one she was referring to. There'd only been one time that they hadn't sidestepped each other in their particularly nasty game of chess and it had come to actual blows. A woman without her heart could land some deep and bloody hits to a man that had never been inclined to remove his own. That battle had made him think about it however briefly before Bae's face had drifted through his mind and he'd clung to the image like a drowning man to a raft. If he'd been anything less than what he was, it would have cost him his life.

Rumplestiltskin's dark eyes flickered to meet Regina's and his voice was low and controlled. "I won in the end."

"Maybe, but are you willing to risk it with people you care about being so close?" She was channeling her own fears, he could hear it in her voice. "Your son is in Storybrooke. Could you imagine what she'd do to him if she got her hands on-"

"Who is this woman?" Belle asked from her place.

"Someone you'll never have to meet," Rumplestiltskin answered immediately.

"Rumple..."

"Belle, it truly is best I keep you as far away from this as possible. I'll handle it." He didn't give her time to argue as he turned back to Regina. "How were you thinking about dealing with your dear mother?"

"If Henry can communicate a way to stop her..."

"I may have an idea. Belle, I'm sorry-"

"Don't. Go. We'll have our date when you're not saving Storybrooke."

Rumple snorted. "Hardly."

She smiled and slipped out of the booth, circling it and placed a kiss on his cheek. "You're a better man than it makes you," she whispered in his ear and for a moment he thought he might be able to believe it.

Regina couldn't help but be a little disgusted by Rumplestiltskin's so-called True Love. She hardly thought it was possible. After all, she'd sent the little bookworm to kiss him and steal his powers away and it hadn't worked. She'd certainly been head over heels enough that if he'd felt even half as strongly about her he would have been human again in no time. Instead he'd thrown her out and while the pretty little thing might think that something like True Love had reunited them, the Evil Queen knew better. All that had reunited them had been an angry portal jumper that felt owed where he wasn't. Foolish, really.

She'd grown up on stories about Rumple, even if she hadn't quite known it at the time. She knew that there was something between he and her mother with the way that she'd woven the most frightening of tales together about a man that could get anything he wanted and do anything that pleased him. He had power, Cora had told her daughter, and he wasn't afraid to use it. She hadn't been sure how true most of the stories were - Rumplestiltskin was never one to remind people of anything that made him seem anything less unless it suited him to be so - and that's why she'd been secretly relieved when he'd known exactly what she was referring to about the fight with Cora.

As far as Regina knew her mother and the teacher that they shared had only come to actual blows once and it had left them both beaten down. The fact that Cora was strong enough to injure the Dark One had been proof enough of her power and she'd kept a bit of his blood she had caught on a dagger - not his, she'd been reluctant to say - as her own reward. It was tinged with magic and she kept it in a vial on her person at all times as a reminder, she'd said, of what she was capable of.

Cora may not have frightened the Dark One, but she made him uneasy. Only an idiot would have thought otherwise. When they'd left the diner and started towards his shop where David would bring Henry he was silent. He'd convinced Belle to go back to her library and to stay away from it, but if Cora came through, there would be no place safe from her. They had to find a way to keep her out of Storybrooke for all of their sakes. More importantly, for the sakes of those that they loved.

"What do you have in mind?" Regina asked as she felt the vaguest tingle of blood magic as the lock clicked open for him.

"If Cora is standing in Emma and Snow's way of returning home they'll need to stun her and her magic."

"Squid ink? Rumple, your castle would have been destroyed with the curse. Any stores you had will be gone, even if they could get to it."

"I'm not sending them to my castle." He stopped then, dark eyes searching. "Bae?"

There was a rustling sound from the back and the curtain was pulled away as a young man entered from the back office. She had seen him very briefly before, but really hadn't had any interaction with him. She had been so fixated in finding a way to get Rumplestiltskin to help Henry with his nightmares that she hadn't given Baelfire the time of day.

Regina had never known her former mentor's son, nor really had an idea if what to expect, but now she couldn't imagine him any differently. He was a little broader than Rumple, though that was hardly difficult. He was perhaps an inch or two taller, but the eyes were where the resemblance couldn't be ignored. He grinned as he walked out, the same mischief dancing there. "Hey, Pop. Didn't hear you come in."

Rumplestiltskin's tense expression softened. "I suppose you know what is going on then."

"David said that you'd all be meeting here if you were willing to help. I knew you would."

Regina watched their interaction. He'd never said much about Baelfire. She wouldn't have even known about him save for one time that she'd dropped by his castle unannounced and found him in mourning over some old rag and a few trinkets. She'd been young and unsure of herself. She hadn't been a threat to him yet. Now, though, she wasn't sure what they were, but she watched her former mentor's protective walls seem to bend a little under his son's easy smile and they spoke lowly for a moment, just out of earshot. It certainly wasn't what she'd expected.

Though neither was the tinge of magic she felt from the younger - older? - man. It was faint, suppressed, and a bit strange, but she thought it could be very powerful given the right circumstances or the right training. She'd never been as inclined to see the threads of magic that Rumplestiltskin was convinced made up everything in their world, but she could feel it, and as she approached the two men she thought she might even be able to touch it it was so strong. Surely Rumple had noticed.

"Regina," Baelfire greeted, though it might have been a question as well.

"Yes. That is my name. Is there a reason you're here?"

The question seemed to catch him off his guard a little. "I... Uh... Just wanted to help. Am I going to be in the way?"

"Of course not, Bae," Rumplestiltskin said quickly, but Regina snorted.

"I hardly see how you're going to help. You may have a bit of power swirling around you, but it's hardly trained for something like this."

He gaped at her and Rumple turned a glare in her direction. "What?" she asked with feigned innocence.

"That's a discussion for another time," her former teacher said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

The door opened behind them, promptly putting any discussion that might have happened to rest and Henry came bounding through the door. "You got him to help!" he cheered, and it took Regina a moment to realize his gratitude was directed at her.

A soft, hesitant smile stretched painted lips. "I told you I would, sweetie."

"So what's the plan? Tell me you guys have a plan."

"Mary Margaret and your mother are hardly helpless," Rumple said, his voice much gentler with Henry than it was with most anyone else. "We'll just need to lead them to the best tools to handle the problem at hand."

"Cora's pretty powerful, huh?"

The Dark One smiled. "Not as powerful as I am."

"Debatable," Regina snapped without thinking and she thought he might have rolled his eyes.

"Actually, it's not."

"We won't let anything happen to you, buddy," Baelfire said. "I promise."

Regina's adopted son grinned widely. "I was born to do this. I'm done reading about heroes. I want to be one."

"Let's get you settled," Regina cut in, picking up a blanket she'd brought in with her. It was one that had been on his bed at home longer than it hadn't. He was much too old for a security blanket - at least that's what he'd told her, at any rate - but she liked to think she could do something to comfort him. He'd run to her for comfort, but that seemed like so very long ago now.

"Thanks," he said with a forced smile as they moved towards the back room.

Rumplestiltskin got him settled onto the cot in the back - something she'd always wondered about, but had never bothered asking - and she watched carefully as her son settled in. She didn't like the idea of him going under any deeper than he would naturally, but Rumple had assured her that he'd be safe. As terrible as he could be, she didn't think he'd hurt Henry. He'd always been fond of him.

"You nervous?"

Regina turned, finding Baelfire standing next to her. "Should I be?"

"Probably not, but that doesn't mean you aren't." His eyes were fixated on Henry, unwavering.

"He's taken quite a shine to you."

His dark eyes turned to her now and a smile tilted his lips. "He's a special kid."

The words struck something and Regina's voice lowered to a whisper for privacy more than allowing Rumple his room to work. "You two aren't... Why are you so interested in him?"

A million scenarios swirled in her mind and she wondered if Rumple's fondness for the boy was only there until he could make use of him. Maybe they'd made a terrible mistake letting the Dark One send Henry into this Netherworld. Fear took hold and she was ready to demand everything be put on hold when Baelfire reached out to her, physically stopping her. "Hey, don't worry. I can't explain everything right now, but both Papa and I would protect Henry with our lives. You don't have to worry about either of us doing anything to hurt him."

"He's under," Rumplestiltskin said from his place.

"What now?" David asked.

The Dark One stood slowly. "Now we wait."

Bae thought he might slowly go mad if he had to wait any longer. He'd assured Regina that his papa knew what he was doing and Henry was safe, but that didn't mean that questions didn't creep into his mind and take hold. What if Henry became lost in this world? What if he never woke up?

Rumplestiltskin must have sensed his son's growing nervousness because he limped his way to him and put a reassuring hand against his arm. "Henry will be just fine, Bae. You know I wouldn't let anything hurt him, don't you?"

"You can't protect him from everything, Pop. Neither can I. It's just..." His father offered him a knowing smile and all the fights and frustrations over how he'd coddled Bae as a boy came rushing forward. "I get it now, you know?"

"I know," his papa answered softly.

Henry woke suddenly with a sharp intake of breath, pulling on the attentions of everyone in the little back office. David was nearby and he knelt down. "What happened?"

"I couldn't tell her. Something stopped me. S-something was wrong."

Something was still wrong and Bae could see that even as Regina cut him off to get to her adopted son. "Henry?" she called and sat on the bed with him. She reached for the arm he was cradling to him and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a nasty burn that caused the boy to groan.

"Gold, do you have-"

"Yes yes," Rumplestiltskin answered quickly, pulling a box down from a shelf. "Bae, grab a cloth from that drawer there."

His son did as he was told immediately, finding a clean cloth and handed it over, watching his papa soak it in the various ointments and it glowed faintly when he was done. Bae was surprised, though, when he handed it back. "Put that over the burn."

"I'll do it," Regina argued, but Rumplestiltskin shot her a glare.

"No. He will."

Bae could feel all eyes turn on him and he froze. "Papa, I'm not-"

"Well Regina certainly can't cast a healing spell, so I hardly see what more she thinks she can do."

"I'm his mother."

"Are you, dearie?" He turned his gaze on Bae. "Go on, son."

His papa was working at something, but what it was Baelfire couldn't possibly know. Instead of questioning it again he moved to sit on the edge of the cot, displacing Regina, and he could feel all eyes on him. Henry's were the only ones that mattered at that moment, though, and he offered a small smile. "Hey, kid. Looks like it hurts."

"A little,"

"Well then you're tougher than me. It looks like it would hurt a lot. You mind?"

"It's okay," Henry agreed and carefully extended his arm.

It was blistered and red, making Bae grimace as he draped the potion-soaked cloth over his son's skin and gently pressed one hand against it. It didn't begin to glow right away, but after a moment it shimmered and Bae could feel it tingle through his own hand and up his own arm. The relief showed almost instantly then on Henry's face and when the cloth was peeled away the boy's skin was smooth and healed.

"That was cool," Henry said softly. "Didn't know you could do that, did you?"

Bae glanced back to see his papa standing with his cane posed in front of him, leaning against it as he watched the scene play out. "No, I didn't," he admitted softly and Rumplestiltskin turned to leave the room without a word.

TBC

Notes: Well, apparently everyone is happy that August received a punch to the face lol! I think every review said something about it. Thanks for the fantastic reviews! I hope that the follow up conversation didn't disappoint.

Next time - Chapter Seven: Best Laid Plans, in which Rumplestiltskin tries to decide his own feelings on the fact that his son can use magic, David is sent to the Netherworld, and they make preparations for someone to come through the wishing well from their world.