She landed on her bed and immediately went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She couldn't hold back the tears anymore, but she wasn't going to let her son hear her fall apart. She slid down the bathroom wall and sat on the floor shaking and crying.


Belle jumped into action the minute she heard the door close behind Rumple. He'd gone to find the pirate. Said he was supposed to be taking care of something for him. She had to find that gauntlet. She immediately began searching through the shop. Where would the gauntlet be? Maybe Regina was wrong. Maybe she'd been right about Rumple and he had traded it for her. She'd almost given up the search when she saw it. Sitting half hidden behind a birdcage on a top shelf. She quickly pulled out a ladder and climbed up to retrieve it.

She pushed back her emotions as she held the gauntlet. Step one completed. Now she just needed to find the dagger.


"Can we take the flowers to Regina? Please, Will?" Roland pleaded.

"You need to stay here with your papa. And remember it's our secret that we picked flowers for Regina. You can't tell your papa."

"Why is papa mad at Regina?"

"Your papa forgot some things and it's making him grumpy," Will answered. "Don't worry. We'll help your papa get back to himself. But until then, we can't talk about Regina okay?"

Roland nodded. "I miss Regina."

"I know," Will said ruffling Roland's hair.

"She reads me stories when I'm sad. Do you think she's sad 'cause papa's mad at her?"

"Are you sad, Roland?"

Roland nodded. "I'm sad 'cause Papa yelled at me."

"Regina's probably sad too." Will acknowledged.

"Will you take her the flowers to cheer her up?" Roland asked.

Will smiled. "Yes, I will take her majesty your flowers."

Roland grinned.


The doorbell to Regina's mansion sounded loudly in the quiet house.

"Mom!" Henry yelled. He could hear the shower water still running. She'd been in the shower a long time. The doorbell rang again. He sighed and ran down the stairs to answer it.

Will stood outside with a handful of wilting flowers in his hand. Henry frowned.

"Is your mum around?" Will asked.

"She's in the shower." Henry answered. Will nodded. She was hiding. John had told him how her visit had ended. She was likely licking her wounds. He held out the flowers.

"Would you mind passing these on to her when she comes down? Roland picked them for her. Thought it might brighten her spirits."

Henry nodded and took the flowers. "Did something happen? I didn't even hear mom come home. Just heard the shower all of a sudden."

"Oh, she just came by the camp this morning. Probably got some dirt on her or something and wanted to clean up. You know how prissy women can be. I best get back now." Will said and hurried back down the stairs before Henry could ask any more questions.


The shower had stopped, but Regina still hadn't come down. He'd knocked on her door at noon to see if she was coming down for lunch. She'd called out that she had a headache and could he manage a sandwich on his own. Maybe he should have told her about the flowers. It was almost dinner and she still hadn't left her room. He was getting worried. Something must have happened. Will had been in an awful hurry to leave the second Henry started asking questions. Mary Margaret had called several times, but Regina wasn't answering the phone so Henry was left to make excuses about Regina having a headache and taking a nap and such. Elsa had gone out before lunch; she was still searching for her sister, so he was left alone to worry about his mom. Normally, he'd call Emma, but she was gone too. He felt completely alone.


Regina rolled over on the bed. Her eyes were burning from crying. She was sure she looked a mess. It was dinnertime. She needed to check on Henry. She was failing him too. Emma was trapped in a hat and instead of getting her out, or even comforting Henry, Regina was lying in bed moping. She really was selfish. That stupid fairy was right.


The silly pirate had tried to hide, but Rumple simply used his heart to call him back. After packing up a suitcase for Belle which he made Hook load into his car (along with several other suitcases with his things) Rumple was now ready for the last step in his plan. He'd spent the day preparing; Storybrooke had been oddly quiet today. No one had come to bother him or interrupt his plans. He was suspicious after how persistent Charming had been yesterday, but it didn't matter what they were planning. He was about to complete his plan and then nothing they did would matter.

Rumple followed Hook up the stairs into the clock tower. He was so close. Now they just had to wait for the stars to align.


Elsa had been walking around town aimlessly hoping to stumble upon something that would lead her to Anna when she caught sight of Gold and the pirate heading into the clock tower. That was suspicious. What could they possibly be doing in the clock tower this late? It was nearly dark.

She headed into the building and started up the stairs.


Gold held Hook's heart in one hand as he set the hat down and gave it a little spin. The stars on the hat projected outward and lined up with the stars in the sky.

"Time to finally end this duel to the death, old friend." Gold said as he tightened his grip on Hook's heart.

"No!" Elsa cried as she rushed to the staircase. She started to throw her arms out to cast a spell, but Gold was faster. He froze her in place.

"Ah, did you think you could out magic me, popsicle princess?" Gold spat at her. "It's too late, dearie. No one can stop me now. I have everything I need and soon I'll have everything I want."

"I don't think so." Belle's voice rang out as she stepped into the room standing next to Elsa.

"Belle! What are you doing here?"

"Stopping you."

"I'm doing this for us. So we can finally be happy. Don't worry, love. I have it all planned. I just have to get rid of this-"

"Stop." Belle said forcefully and held the dagger out in front of her. "Stop squeezing and put his heart back."

"Belle, what are you doing?"

"Now."

Gold thrust the heart back into Hook's chest and Hook gasped and hunched over in pain.

"Hook, take the hat and bring it to me." Belle instructed. Hook complied, but he was still panting slightly as he made his way down the steps to Belle. Belle took the hat in her other hand. "Now take us all to Regina's."

"Love, I,"

"I command it." Belle said and with a wave of Gold's hand they disappeared in a cloud of red.


"You should have just taken us inside." Elsa said as she rang the bell again.

"How was I to know whether she had a spell in place to block it or not." Gold complained.

The door opened in a crack and Henry peered out. "Elsa? Belle? Is everything-"

"Where's your mother? I brought her what she wanted." Belle hissed.

"Belle, I know you're hurt, but it's not Henry's fault." Elsa said softly.

Belle sighed. "I'm sorry, Henry. May we please come in? I need to speak with Regina."

Henry nodded and stepped back allowing them all inside. "She has a headache. She hasn't been out all day…" Henry trailed off.

"Why don't you go try again, Henry? I think she'll come down for this." Elsa said. Henry nodded and went to retrieve Regina while Elsa, Belle, Gold, and Hook made themselves comfortable.


Henry knocked gently on Regina's door. He didn't see any light coming from the room. Maybe she really did have a headache.

"Mom?"

"Henry, I'm really not feeling well. Please send whoever it is home. I don't feel well enough for company." Regina answered immediately having heard the doorbell ring multiple times.

Henry turned the knob on the door.

Regina jerked and covered her eyes as the light invaded her room. Henry stepped inside and moved toward the bed.

"Mom, I-"

Regina turned away from Henry. "Henry, please. Send them home."

Henry continued his approach and sat down on the bed next to Regina. "Mom, I need you to come downstairs." His voice shook slightly as he made the request.

It was enough. Regina could hear the pain and fear in Henry's voice. She turned to face him.

"What's wrong, Henry?"

Henry tried not to react to the puffy red face that greeted him when he looked at Regina. She blinked her eyes. This was not a headache. Something happened. Henry threw his arms around her. "I love you, mom."

Regina was surprised, but quickly returned his embrace. She was failing him. He was upset. She was supposed to be comforting him, not the other way around.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." She kissed him on the forehead. "What's wrong? I'll take care of it. We'll fix it whatever it is."

Henry pulled back. "Belle is downstairs. She wants to see you. She said she got what you wanted. Mr. Gold, Hook, and Elsa are with her."

"Mr. Gold?" Regina jumped out of bed. She must look a mess, but she didn't have time for that now. Rumple was dangerous. She needed to get down there. She was hurrying down the stairs when she realized Henry was following her. She turned back. "You stay up here."

"What? No. I'm coming with you."

"Henry, I don't know if it's safe. I need to know you are safe. Stay up here. Please don't argue with me on this." Regina met his eyes.

Henry sighed. "I'll wait at the top of the stairs, but if I think you need help I'm coming down."

Regina couldn't help but feel a small smile creep out. Her little prince. "Stay here, until I call for you." She kissed him again on his head before hurrying down the rest of the stairs.


"Trouble in paradise, dearie?" Gold taunted as he noticed Regina enter the room before the others.

Elsa and Hook turned to look at Regina. Her clothes were wrinkled and her eyes were red and puffy. Even while camping in the jungle looking for Henry Regina had taken better care of herself.

Regina looked toward Belle who was holding the dagger.

"Maybe you should be more concerned with the trouble sitting next to you." Regina shot back. Her voice sounded hoarse and throaty from the crying.

"Regina, are you alright? Did something happen?" Elsa asked.

"Do you have the hat?" Regina asked ignoring the question.

Belle held up the hat, but pulled it back the second Regina reached for it.

"I want to know what your plan is. I don't trust you anymore than I trust him." Belle said.

Regina sighed. She didn't have the energy for this. "I don't have a plan, Belle. I told you that. I have no idea what to do. My plan is to make Rumple help us."

Rumple laughed. "And that my dear is why you are so painfully easy to manipulate."

Regina narrowed her eyes at Gold. "Shut up."

"Ah ah. Play nice, dearie. You need me." Gold responded.

"Can we get them out or not, crocodile?" Hook asked. Gold showed no intention of answering. "Belle, make him answer."

"Can we get them out?" Belle asked again.

"You and the pirate certainly can't." He answered.

"But Regina and Elsa could?" Belle asked.

"Possibly."

"What do we have to do?" Regina asked.

"The hat is a vacuum. It will need to be neutralized and then the captives will be free to leave." Gold said.

"I don't understand." Elsa began. "How would we neutralize it?"

"It works as a magnet for magic. You have to turn the magnet off." Gold answered.

"How?" Elsa questioned.

"How do you neutralize anything?" Gold asked.

"With an opposite reaction." Elsa answered. "North to south. Fire and ice."

"Light and dark" Regina finished.

"You always did get the answer eventually," Gold taunted.

"But once we activate the hat, it sucks all magic. How do you neutralize it with magic when it's capturing the magic?" Hook asked.

"The magic has to be applied before the hat is opened. So it's already being neutralized when it opens?" Regina suggested, raising her eyebrow questioningly at Gold.

Gold nodded. "Granted, this is all theoretical. No one has ever tried it before."

"Is it safe?" Elsa questioned.

"It doesn't matter. We don't have a choice if we're going to free Emma. But if we neutralize it, it will allow all the trapped magic users to escape, not just Emma, correct?" Regina said turning to Gold.

"Now you're catching on."

"We'll just have to hope Emma gets out quickly before we release too many of the others." Elsa said.

"Henry!" Regina called.

Henry immediately came running down the stairs. "You have the hat! Are you going to get Emma out now?"

"Yes." Regina nodded. "But first I'm sending you to your grandparents. You stay with them until Emma or I come and get you. Do you understand?"

"Why can't I stay here with you?" Henry asked. "Is this dangerous?"

"No. It's just going to require a lot of magic and Elsa and I are just going to need some space to do this. We need to know that everyone is out of the way so the magic doesn't accidentally hurt someone, okay?"

"So Hook and Belle are going too?" Henry asked.

"No. We need Belle to make sure Mr. Gold cooperates. And Hook can take care of himself. But I need to know that you are safe so I can concentrate." Regina said.

"You promise you'll be okay?" Henry asked.

Regina turned all her attention to Henry and looked into his eyes. "I promised you that I would get Emma back. You're not losing a mom today. I promise." Regina said.

Henry nodded and gave her a big hug. "Thank you, mom."

Regina nodded. "Now I'm sending you to Mary Margaret. Help out with Neal and don't cause trouble." She gave him one more tight hug and then she was simply hugging the air. She looked at the empty space in front of her and felt more alone than ever.

Elsa gently touched Regina's shoulder and Regina stood. "Okay. Let's get this show on the road."

"What do I do?" Elsa asked.

Regina turned to Rumple. "So we throw the magic at the hat, equal parts light and dark, and Hook opens the hat. Then Emma will be able to get out?"

"They'll all be able to get out, dearie."

"And I don't suppose you'll be providing any magic?" Regina asked.

"I think you're dark enough to handle it, dearie. Don't you?" Gold said.

Regina's hand shook. She turned to Belle. "Elsa and I are going to be distracted, you're going to have to make him take care of any magic users who escape that might want to hurt us."

Belle nodded. Regina turned to Elsa. "Just focus on your sister and your love for her and funnel your magic at the hat." Regina instructed. "Hook? You know what to do?"

"Yes, love. You'll let me know when?" He asked. Regina nodded and took a deep breath.

"Okay, Elsa. Now." Regina held out her arms and purple light flowed from her to the hat. Elsa followed suit and a bright white light radiated from her hands to the hat. Regina watched as their magic combined in the hat. "Now, Captain." Hook reached in and spun the hat and the hat appeared, but the yellow light that normally flowed out of it was missing. Regina and Elsa were both staring hard at the hat. It began to shake.

Suddenly the Blue Fairy materialized in front of them, followed quickly by Tinkerbelle and several other fairies. Blue immediately realized what was happening.

Elsa's hands were shaking violently. She swayed on her feet.

"Careful there. Lose the balance and you'll all be sucked back in." Gold taunted.

"Shut up." Belle said angrily.

Bo Peep came out next.

Elsa's eyes fluttered. Blue pushed Elsa out of the way and let the magic flow from her wand toward Regina's magic in Elsa's place. Hook stepped in and caught Elsa as she collapsed in his arms.

Regina stumbled back as the momentary loss of Elsa's magic caused the hat to pull on hers. She focused and steadied herself as her magic mixed with Blue's. The Snow Queen appeared.

"Bringing out the villains there, are we Regina?" Gold taunted again.

"Come on, Emma." Hook pleaded.

Regina was beginning to sweat with the effort. She wasn't sure how much longer she could sustain this flow of magic. "Damn it, Swan, get out here already," she muttered.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ingrid raise her arms toward her, but Regina kept her focus on the hat.

"Don't!" Elsa said. "She's trying to save Emma. You want Emma back, right?" She pleaded with her aunt.

"Rumple. Keep Regina safe." Belle instructed. Gold immediately responded with a spell binding the Snow Queen's hands. She spun around to face Gold just as Emma emerged from the hat.

Regina looked up and met Blue's eyes. "Hook," Regina panted, "Get ready to close it. As soon as we let go." Hook bent down near the hat. "Now." Blue and Regina simultaneously dropped their magic and Hook snatched up the hat safely closing it.

Regina fell to her knees, exhausted. She leaned back against the wall and looked at the room which was now filled with people. Tinkerbelle hurried to her side.

"Are you okay, Regina?" Tink asked.

"Bo Peep's staff…" Regina trailed off resting her head against the wall and shutting her eyes.

"The staff?" Tink asked, but Blue had understood and with a wave of her wand, the staff was in her hands instead of Bo Peep's.

"Go home and stay out of trouble," the fairy advised Bo Peep who frowned deeply, but left.

Ingrid was fighting the bindings that Rumple had placed on her. She narrowed her eyes. "This isn't over. You will pay for what you did to me," she said and disappeared.

"Regina, where's Henry?" Emma said fearfully.

Regina opened her eyes. "With your parents. You should go make sure he's safe from Ingrid. Keep him with you."

Emma nodded. "Thank you, Regina." And with that she quickly left.

"This isn't a hotel. You can all go now." Regina said in an aggravated tone.

"I thought you had other things you needed Rumple for." Belle said. "Or are you done using him?"

Regina narrowed her eyes. "I don't like your tone, dear. I don't believe I've been the one doing the using for 30 some years. He owes me, so don't act like I'm some evil villain taking advantage of poor Rumplestiltskin."

"Isn't that exactly what you are? Elsa was the light magic. Yours was the dark. I think your true colors just came through loud and clear." Belle answered.

Regina sighed. She was too tired for this. She felt light headed. She needed to sleep. "Marian and Robin are going to have to wait. I've had enough of this hero business for one day. If you want to return his dagger and let him go back to his evil ways, trapping innocent fairies-"

"They're hardly innocent, dearie. I would think you would know that." Gold interrupted.

"-be my guest." Regina continued. "I'm going to sleep. So you all can leave now."

The fairies began filing out with the exception of Tinkerbell who stayed by Regina's side.

"What about the Snow Queen?" Elsa questioned.

"We'll have to track her down tomorrow. I think it's pretty clear that neither you nor I have the strength to take her on today." Regina answered.

"Belle, please, we still need Rumple. Regina and I can keep the dagger if you don't want to."

Belle frowned. She didn't want the dagger. She didn't like it or the power it gave her. She handed it to Elsa and turned to Rumple. "You and I need to go home and talk."

She led him toward the door.

Hook stood up, "Do your majesties need my assistance or may I take leave to find Emma?"

"Go find your girlfriend." Regina said bracing herself against the wall and using it to stand. Tinkerbell instantly put her arm under Regina's to provide support.

"I'm going to stay with the two of you." Tink stated. "You both look like you're ready to collapse. To bed with you. I'll bring you some tea and dinner."

Regina didn't argue, she just used the staircase bannister as a crutch as she pulled herself up the stairs and towards her bedroom.