AN/ What the hell is Rumple doing there? In a state of instability, how are they going to help Emma?

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. This story is not written for commercial purposes and means no copyright infringement. Please do not publish this story without my knowledge and explicit authorization.

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It had been a busy couple of months for Rumplesilskin. He had done his best to understand how magic worked in this world.

One thing only was keeping him sane, or rather one person: Belle. That was ironic because she was the one who had been stuck in a crack house for years. Her father wasn't making things easier but at least she had somewhat forgiven him for what he had done to the man.

Belle. He needed to protect her. And most of all, he needed to make Regina pay for what she had done to her. And what better way to do that than making sure that Snow White and her family were reunited back in the Enchanted Forest? That plan suited him. After all, there was only one thing he had come to this land for and for that he needed Emma's help. It all fit perfectly.

And now was the perfect moment to put his plan in action. The Royal family needed someone to help them get Emma back and it was the perfect way for him to get them to grand him a wish.

How did he know that Emma was missing and who had her? Oh yes…

Flashback

"Do we have a deal?" Regina asked.

"It seems a little unfair, don't you think?" He answered.

"Taking over the sheriff position once I get rid of Miss Swan in exchange for the information about how to get my mirror to work. That seems unfair? What do you want more."

"Why do I need to be sheriff? Oh no, I have something else in mind. You owe me dearie. Big time."

"Oh, you are referring to your maid." She said and she looked at the woman's scarf on the counter. "Frankly, I did you a favor. She was distracting you from working on the curse and because of her you would have probably lost your powers."

"Nevertheless, you made me pretty angry. And we both know I'm not very nice when I'm angry." Rumple knew that there was only one way to punish her. "However, I might be able to cut you a deal. There might be something that you can do for me."

"What would that be?"

"Give me the object that allowed you to get your hands on that apple."

"Out of the question."

"Then feel free to leave." And he looked at her with a glare that reminded her what he as capable of. And she remembered. "But I can't promise that you will be safe."

"I give you Jefferson's hat and you leave me alone." Oh yes. He would leave her alone but he would make sure others didn't.

"I won't approach your house closer than a mile."

"I won't have to worry about you anymore."

"I always honor my deals, dearie. You know that."

"All right. I'll give you the hat. Now tell me how to get my mirror to work."

End of Flashack

Now that Rumplestiltskin knew Regina's plan, he only needed to know where Emma was hidden to continue with his plan. How was he going to do that? She would not trust even her men with Emma's location. Following her wasn't an option either. She would know he was after her.

He started to think. He would have to play his cards very carefully. Pointing the Royal family toward the right direction wasn't enough to get what he wanted. He had to have leverage. Connecting them with Jefferson was out of the question. The man could double cross them at any time. And then he thought of it. The only creature that appeared to know where Regina kept her secrets. The wolf of the hunter. The animal was probably going to go to them anyway. He just needed to get it first to have leverage.

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"I may be able to help with that." They all turned toward the door where they saw Rumpletilskin. August's heart skipped a beat. What if it wasn't Regina who was holding Emma but Rumple. That imp was more unpredictable than magic itself.

"Don't look so scared. I'm not going to attack anyone. I'm just here to help."

"Last time you "helped", the magic that you brought back to Storybrooke almost killed us all." Charming snapped.

"Now, now. No need to be hostile. After all, the intrusion of magic in this realm wasn't only destructive. It saved some people, did it not?" He turned to August and smiled. The former puppet not like that smile.

"Why would you help us?" August asked.

"Because, I might not be a good friend but I am a good enemy and right now you could use as many of Regina's enemies as you can get. Especially those who know her as well as me."

"Are you confirming that Regina has Emma?" Snow asked.

"I am neither confirming nor denying anything before…"

"You are not getting a deal." Charming said on the defensive. August had to admit he agreed with the King. Rumple couldn't be trusted when it came to deals.

"Well then, you will never find out what happened to Miss Swan."

"If we agreed to a deal, and I emphasize on the if, what would it include?" Snow asked. August didn't like where that was going. He knew that Snow was more prone to make deals with Rumple than James. But then again James was sometimes too proud for his own good.

"Well, I help you get back miss Swan and when we get back to the Enchanted Forest, you will leave me and my family alone. And you will make sure that everyone does." Rumple said.

"Are you going mad? Why would they agree to that?" Red asked. "How would we know that you won't hurt Emma yourself?"

"For the same reason I know that the Evil Queen will not kill her. Because, without miss her, there is no going back to the Enchanted Forest." Rumple said. "It's a win-win situation, dearie."

"There are no win-win situations with you." Charming said.

All of them assembled to talk the situation through. And it hurt August that he couldn't have a say. He whose heart was going to explode from worry. But they didn't trust him. And for a good reason. It hurt a lot but he knew that he deserved their mistrust. He saw Snow White glance at him. Was it possible that she was taking a pity on him?

Before he could continue those disturbing thoughts he felt a sudden pain in his chest. It was as if someone was trying to stab him in the heart and strangle him in the same time. He felt his knees hit the ground. He was hardly aware of the people around him. All he could see and hear was Emma screaming. Suddenly the pain disappeared as quickly as it had hit. He looked around and realized that he was on the floor. Red was supporting his shoulders and Granny was trying to put water on his face. Snow White was looking at him pale as a ghost obviously understanding what that pain meant. Regina was torturing Emma. There was no time to lose.

"I'm fine."

"What happened?" Red asked concern in her eyes.

Before he could answer, a new wave of pain hit him. This time Emma's voice sounded clearer. He wasn't sure what ripped his heart more: the pain or the screams.

"What is that?" Red repeated that question.

"She's hurting her. Regina is hurting her." Was all he could say before the final wave of pain hit him. The pain was excruciating. He seriously thought he was dying. It appeard that the intensity of the pain also increased the intensity of the connection he seemed to share with Emma. He could almost see through her eyes. He recognized a room similar to a basement. There was a shelf like the ones containing library cards. Then he heard Regina's evil laugh and the pain stopped. Whether it was because Regina stopped it or because Emma was unconscious he didn't know. He tried to stand up but he couldn't.

"Take it easy, boy." He heard Granny say.

"What the hell happened?" Grumpy asked.

"It seems that someone has a rather strong connection with miss Swan. By the looks of it, she is not having the time of her life." Rumple answered. And August did not like the light in his eyes.

"We need to act. Fast!" August intervened determined more than ever that he would participate in the rescue mission.

"What do we do?" Red asked.

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"It's simple." Henry had obviously heard at least part of the conversation.

"Henry, I thought you were upstairs." Snow said.

"I was and then I decided to come back down. This concerns me as well." He explained calmly. "The solution is simple. I have to go back to her. It's the only way my mom will be safe."

"No." Snow said. "This is not a solution, Henry."

"It is. Say what you want but the Evil Queen has taken care of me for years. She will let Emma go if I ask her. And she won't hurt me. I'll be fine."

"Henry. You can't do that." August approached him, knelt in front of him and started talking in a calm voice. "Emma wants nothing more than for you to be safe from Regina. If you go, all of her efforts will have been for nothing. Everyone's efforts will have been for nothing. If there is one thing that I'm certain of is that she wouldn't want to return to a house where she is not with you any more."

"But she would be alive." Henry tried to argue.

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"Henry, you are the most important person in Emma's life. You are family. And family should be together. We'll figure out a way to get Emma back that would not include you going to the Evil Queen. I promise you that." Henry felt reassured by the words of the former puppet. The man was looking at him with such compassion. It was like he suddenly had one more person, beside Emma, who could understand him. If he had a father, Henry would have wanted him to be like August. He believed in the man. "I know that a promise from me doesn't mean a lot to you and I understand. But I'd like to prove to all of you that I have changed. I am willing to take on my responsibilities. And I will not strand by in a situation like this. There is too much at stake." Henry knew August meant those words and that he would actually keep this promise. Henry had long ago noticed that there was something between August and his mom and the glare in the man's eyes confirmed that feeling. And Henry was totally cool with it. Well maybe not totally. He still wanted to get to know his mom better before a man stole her from him. But he understood enough to support them.

"Very moving dearie." Rumplestiltskin spoke and put him out of his thoughts. "But that won't get you Emma back."

"Let me guess, magic will?" Charming said.

"Not exactly. But he will." Rumple went to the door and opened it. A wolf, that Henry recognized to be Graham's old friend, entered. "He will lead you to Emma."

"A wolf? Our faith rests on a wolf?" Grumpy said.

"Hey." Red said.

"Sorry." They all smiled.

"This is not any wolf." Rumple explained.

"This is Graham's wolf." Henry said. "He tried to guide him to his heart." And then the boy remembered what the wolf had shown Graham. The crypt where the Evil Queen's father had been buried. They did not need to make this deal. Henry knew where Emma was. But how was he going to let them know. Making Rumple's deal fail was kind of suicide especially when the man was looking at him with suspicion. He had to do something. But what? "But shouldn't we wait and see what the Evil Queen wants from us?"

"And wait for her to torture Emma?" Snow said.

"Emma will be fine. The Queen won't kill her. She still thinks she can go back to the Enchanted Forest and she needs Emma for that." Henry noticed that neither Snow nor Charming were about to believe them. Then he looked at August, the man who obviously had a very special connection with Emma. He looked the man right in the eyes "Trust me."

"Henry is right." August said at everyone's surprise and Henry's relief. "We should wait for Regina's move. For all we know this can be in our disadvantage.

"I can't believe I am listening to this." Snow snapped. "You, who claim that you would do anything to help us save her."

"And I will. But we don't know Regina as well as Henry does. Not the Regina that lived in Storybrooke for 30 years. But Henry knows better how she might act here. We have to believe in him. After all, it is thanks to him that the curse was broken."

"Please, grandma, grandpa, I know what I am doing." Henry looked at them intensely. "And we will probably need your services anyway. We know where to find you." August added obviously understanding that Henry did not want to dismiss the deal.

"What makes you think that the deal will still be up for discussion later?"

"You want to go back and you want to live a peaceful life. As long as we have something we need from you, we can talk." Charming said. Henry did not like the expression on Rumple's face.

"Very well then. But don't forget that Miss Swan owes me a favor." Rumplestiltskin said obviously pissed that the deal he would end up making would not benefit him as much as he wanted and left.

"What the hell was that?" Charming asked.

"I know where Emma is." Henry said.

AN/

I know that Rumple's story might appear rushed but I don't have the time to develop right now. I hope you loved the rest.

I find myself in a situation where I won't have much time to write. As you have already noticed. In conclusion, I might skip the rescue (I'll try to write parts of it though) and I won't have time for a sequel. Sorry about that.

The next chapters will be full of emotions for everyone. It will be very Emma/August centered with bits of Henry. I hope to be able to publish it before the week-end.

Anyway, what do you think about this chapter? Let me know.