The sun had disappeared past the horizon. Rumpel and Belle were scrambling about their room tossing their belongings into a trunk. They were going to leave for their true home tomorrow morning. After they were done with their room they were going to move onto Annabelle's room to help her pack up her toys and clothes. Suddenly Rumpel heard it, or more or less felt it.

He heard her tiny shrill scream in his ears that made his blood turn cold, "papa!"

"Annabelle..." Rumpel whispered and ran out of their room and headed towards Annabelle's room.

Belle was calling from behind him, wondering what was going on. Rumpel called out his daughters name as he raced to her door. He flung it open calling out her name and started to tear through the room in all her usual hiding spots.

"Rumpel! Rumpel whats going on?" Belle asked desperately. Rumpel was frightening her.

"Find Annabelle!" Rumpel demanded and left the room knowing she wasnt in there.

He and Belle scrambled through all parts of the castle calling of for her. Rumpel tried to find her by trying to sense her in the castle but he couldn't find her. His heart was beating viciously and with each passing minute he didn't find her it got worse. He refused to believe that she wasn't in the castle, it wasn't possible. Then he remembered, the west wing where she loved to play. He ran to the west wing and when he found the large wooden door hanging wide open it made his heart drop. How was that door open? It was hidden in a way that only another magic could open...magic that was far beyond Annabelle's skill...right?

From behind Rumpel, Belle raced up behind him and when she noticed that the door was wide open her heart also dropped. Together they raced down the stairs past the bar cells to the room where Rumpel locked away all his most dangerous items.

"Rumpel..." Belle whispered out of fear pointing to a shelf.

Rumpel looked, the stand that held up the dark one's dagger, his dagger was gone and so was Regina's locket. He looked to the other side as well. Cora's coffin, which Regina had asked him to lock away, was wide open and there was nothing in it but a note.

Rumpelstiltskin,

You have quiet a delightful little girl. She's got a great talent buried deep in her, did you know she can return people from the dead? Not even you and I can do that. Looking forward to seeing you again.

Yours Truley,

Queen Cora

Rumpel didn't know how he didn't collapse right then and there like Belle did. When she read the note over Rumpel's shoulder she broke down crying out Annabelle's name. She grabbed her stuff bunny nearby and cried into it. Rumpel on the other hand felt a wave of calmness wash over him, the same wave that turned him cold and numb. He knew that Cora had his dagger, the dagger that could kill him for good. He also knew that Cora loved making deals just as much as he did. He knew what he had to do.

"Belle," Rumpel said grabbing her arm and pulling her up, "Hold onto me."

Belle did as he commanded and saw a cloud of smoke cover them. She closed her eyes and when she reopened them they were back at home. Back at Bae and Emma's castle, they were in the court yard and from there they could see the town. It always had this warm glow through out the streets even at night but now it looked much darker and more run down than usual. The lack of money was truly hitting the town hard.

"Come," Rumpel said darkly sprinting off towards the castle.

They entered the castle heading towards the main hall, he could sense everyone was there and he knew why. They approached the grand doors and slammed them open. Six heads flipped to the door to see who was entering.

Baelfire, Emma, Snow, Charming, Regina, and Robin hood were all gathered around in a circle. Their jaws dropped when they saw Rumpel and Belle striding in. Rumpel went pass them all and looked down at what they were looking at, Henry. He had aged over the last 5 years and grown into a young man, he no longer appeared as an awkward teenager. He was a man, a dead man. He was laying in an elaborate open coffin surrounded in white roses and candles. A large gash through his chest proved to be his death.

Rumpel knew that if he were here he could have healed it with a snap of his fingers. He had lost a part of his family, his grandson. He could feel the gaping hole in his darkened heart growing bigger from loosing Annabelle and Henry.

"What are you doing here?" Baelfire asked.

Rumpel moved his gaze to look at his son, he looked tired and teary. Instead of an answer Rumpel pulled his son into a hug while Bae broke down into his shoulder.

Snow also went to Belle noticing that she was crying as well. She also noticed something else was wrong, "Where is she?"

"She took her..." Belle sobbed, "she's gone."

"Gone where?" Snow asked shocked.

"Cora took her," Rumpel growled.

"My mother?" Regina asked equally shocked, "She's dead!"

"It's Annabelle," Rumpel said stepping away from the group frustrated, "She has powers that you, me and your mother could never do. She can return people from the dead."

"What?" Regina yelled, "How?"

"She wasn't created the same way that you and I were dearie," Rumpel answered, "she was born this way. She brought Belle back to life after she had given birth to her, she's different from us."

"So we go after her," Bae said boldly, "this family isn't loosing another child, we'll all go after her."

"It's not you that she wants it's me," Rumpel said holding back threatening tears, now wasn't the time for that.

"No!" Charming declared and went to Rumpel placing his hand on Rumpel's shoulder, "We'll do this together."

"You can't she's too strong, this isn't like fighting a dragon or an ogre," Rumpel replied.

"Give me my locket, I'll go with you," Regina declared stepping forward.

"That's part of the problem, Cora took my dagger and your locket with her she's probably using it either on herself or on Annabelle," Rumpel said leaning on a ledge.

"But if she gives my magic to your daughter-" Regina started to say.

"I know! It'll turn her heart dark...I know..." Rumpel stated.

Belle was prepared to break down again but now she had to be bold, "then use your magic... your dark magic."

The room got quiet as everyone now just stared.

"Belle I can't-" Rumpel started.

"Yes you can. You're the dark one, I know it's in you. I can see it, I could always see it," Belle said holding the tears back, "you used magic to come after me when I was kidnapped. You tore through an entire band of pirates to get me back. I know you want to do it again, I can see it in your eyes."

"There's always a price to pay for using that kind of magic," Rumpel said and he knew that but this time he was willing to pay the price more than anything but it was still hard to surrender to. He always felt like if he used his real magic again that he would loose Belle, now he could see that he was going to lose Belle and Annabelle, "I'm going to get her back. Whatever I have to do I will."

Bae and Charming helped Rumpel prepare for the journey. After talking with Regina Rumpel knew where Cora would have gone. Back to Regina's dark castle, it was like Rumpel's far away from anyone else. If they weren't there he would start circling the globe of their world to find her. He wasn't going to stop like he did with Bae, he was either going to return with Annabelle or not at all.

That was the promise that he made to Belle. She was the hardest good-bye. Rumpel knew that his honour, her love all rested in finding their daughter. Rumpel secretly wondered if this was the last time they would ever see each other. With one last kiss, he pulled his cloak over his head and stepped away looking at his family. All of them lined up to say good-bye to him to what might be the last time they saw him.

"I know you're going to find her," Bae said to him, "the same way you found me. We will see you again."

Rumpel gave a small nod and closed his eyes letting his magic consume him and disappeared. He reappeared deep in the dark woods hidden in the trees. Off in the distance was a vast lake and in the center of it was Regina's castle. It's intimidating structure had its dark spikes reaching for the sky. It was mostly dark except for the light in the tallest room, a room that Rumpel knew well.

However he wasn't ready to go face Cora yet. He had to dig a part of him out from deep within himself. From living in Storybrook for so long he had learned that living without magic was a possibility. He also kept his promise to Belle to never use his magic except for the purpose of protecting her, and now Annabelle. Over the years he never needed his magic because he was happy as it was. He didn't need it until now.

He remembered it well though. He could feel the magic coursing through him bringing him back to what he once was. All his old dark spells came back to him in a flash and he suddenly felt like his old self again from long would taste a lie to say he didn't sometimes miss this, this power at the tips of his fingers. Only last time it was empty and meaningless. Now he had a purpose to be his old self again.