Laurel woke gradually, enjoying the warm glow of the sun through her closed eyelids. She stretched lazily, feeling more relaxed than she'd felt in a long time. She had slept soundly for the remainder of the night, experiencing no more dreams, only blissful sleep.

After her conversation with Will she'd had a lot to think about, but she'd chosen to put off any more thinking and just enjoy the feeling of his fingers intertwined with hers. She'd savored that feeling, and his closeness, until the heaviness of sleep overtook her. But now morning was here, and their midnight talk made its way back to the front of Laurel's mind.

She opened her eyes to see the charming country bedroom in full, golden daylight. It had to be late morning, if not early afternoon; she and Will had slept in quite late.

And then Laurel realized that Will was no longer holding her hand. In fact, Will was no longer in the bed.

Laurel sat up, looking around the room, listening for any sign of him. For a moment, she felt a pang of loss in the pit if her stomach. Then she saw it: a scrap of paper on the bedside table, a pencil laid across it. She snatched it up, and quickly read the brief, hastily-written note:

Gone to Granny's. Didn't want to wake you. Be back with breakfast soon.

- Will

Laurel read the note at least three times before she fully absorbed it. He was gone, but he was coming back.

With sudden purpose, she threw back the blankets and hurriedly climbed from the bed.


Laurel had worried she'd still be in the bathroom when Will returned, but she'd had plenty of time to shower and dress and head downstairs. She now waited anxiously in the living room, busying herself with finger-combing her damp curls.

Had he gotten lost? When did he even leave? Did he run into that snow monster again, or the Snow Queen? Surely he should be back by now.

And then Laurel heard the sound of boots on the front steps, followed shortly by Will opening the front door, and she was relieved of her worrying.

"Good mornin', sunshine." He smiled when he saw her. He held two cups in a holder in one hand and a large brown paper bag in the other. "I come bearin' gifts," He said, holding up the cups and bag.

Laurel stood to greet him, feeling lightened by the sight of him.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming back." She told him, moving to take the food from him. As he handed her the bag, she caught a whiff of whiskey on his breath.

"I would 'ave been back sooner, but I ran into me old friend Robin Hood at the diner." He said, a sardonic tone in his voice, as he took one of the lidded cups and offered the other to Laurel. From the warmth and aroma, she discerned the cups' contents to be coffee.

"I'm guessing it wasn't the most pleasant encounter." Laurel remarked.

Will gave half a laugh, "Well, for starters he threw a bloody dart at me 'ead."

"Did you deserve it?" Laurel teased, removing the lid from her coffee to allow it to cool.

"Probably," Will replied, and he took a swig of his own coffee. "But he bought me a drink and we 'ad sort of a heart-to-heart, so it turned out alright," He shrugged.

So that explained the whiskey on his breath, and why he'd been gone for a while.

"Well, why don't we take this in the kitchen and you can tell me all about it?" Laurel asked, and she started toward the doorway with the bag of food and her coffee in-hand.

"Right then," Will agreed, and he followed close behind.


Half an hour later, Laurel and Will still sat at the kitchen table, only scraps of eggs, bacon, and waffles left on the table between them. What remained of Laurel's coffee was now cold, and she idly swirled it around the bottom of her cup.

"He sounds like he's having a hard time. To have the wife back that he lost only to lose her again." She said, considering all Will had told her about his conversation with Robin Hood.

"She's only frozen, not lost." Will corrected, a small frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Mmm." Laurel responded, finishing the last sip of her coffee. "Still must be hard," She added, placing her empty cup on the table, "He must have spent so much time wishing he could have her back, and now he can't do anything... to save her..." She trailed off seeing Will's expression.

He was thinking of her. The one he'd lost. She could tell by the glassy look in his eyes that her words had hit him too close to home.

"I'm sorry." She said gently. Will shook his head, bringing himself back to the moment.

"Don't be." He replied, leaning back in his chair. "You're right. He is 'avin' a time of it. But I told 'im what I thought, and I think it 'elped. He left quite determined, anyway."

"What did you say?" As always, Laurel was curious.

"I jus' told 'im to follow 'is 'eart." Will shrugged. "Said it may ruin 'is life, but it's always worth it."

Laurel chewed on her bottom lip.

"You believe that?" She asked.

Will leveled his gaze on her, and she lifted her eyes to meet his across the table. The moment felt suddenly intimate, and her throat tightened in response.

"Yes." Will answered. "I do."

Laurel blinked, but Will continued to look at her intently.

"I spent a long time without me heart," He continued, with a kind of calm conviction. "I know the difference between feelin' too much, and not enough. And I choose to feel. As much as I can. Good and bad."

Laurel tucked a loose curl behind her ear. She could tell he felt things - deeply, quickly, and unreservedly.

"You're brave." She told him.

"I'm a fool." He replied, the corner of his mouth lifting. "But I do 'ave some redeemin' qualities. Speakin' of - did I mention that Robin weren't the only person I ran into today?"

"Oh?" Laurel raised an eyebrow. She knew he was just trying to change the subject, but she thought it best to play along.

"The mayor lady and 'er sheriff 'usband." Will gave a cheeky smile. "And thanks to 'em, I come bearin' good news as well as the gift that was breakfast."

"Do tell." Laurel matched his smile.

"Well, let's jus' say I worked me magic," Will said, his voice full of pride, "And bargained a pardon for the notorious outlaw... Little Miss Goldilocks."

Laurel was stunned. For a moment, she said nothing, only looked at Will with widened eyes.

"You're welcome?" Will suggested, seeing Laurel's surprise.

She was full of gratitude. She wanted to say thank you. She wanted to ask him how he managed such a feat. She wanted to tell him how this made her feel.

"You did that for me?" Was what came out instead.

Though he maintained his playful demeanor, sincerety colored Will's voice.

"Haven't I told you?" He said. "The best thieves never work alone."

Laurel's chest filled with warmth. She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around his neck, just as she had the night before. But somehow, uninfluenced by the haze that follows a dream and in the bright light of the farmhouse kitchen, she just didn't feel she could act so impulsively.

But Will wasn't done.

"And now seein' that you're a free thief," He continued, interrupting Laurel's thoughts, "I think it jus' might be time ya rejoin the rest of the world."

Laurel gave him a curious look.

"What do you mean?" She asked, and Will reached inside his jacket in response.

Pulling out a piece of paper, he unfolded it and smoothed it out on the table, then slid it across to her. Laurel looked down at it: an old-fashioned logo that read "Granny's Diner" was at the top. Under the logo, in bold, capital letters, were the words:

HELP WANTED