Belle left the Flower shop alone. There was quite a bit of distance between her father's shop and her husband's, but it still wasn't enough trek to flatten out the wallop of information that had just been thrown at her. She needed to find her daughter but in order to do that she needed to remember and understand her magic. She also needed to work with her husband, whom she was still upset with, and combine their strengths. Belle reflected on the story her father had just recently shared. The willow tree. Books. Magic. Dreamcatcher. Somehow they were all connected and she needed to figure out what it all meant in time before it was too late.

Belle felt conflicted. She wanted time to understand the mayhem that seemed to swarm around her, but unfortunately time was not on her side. By being with Zelena, every minute that passed was another minute her daughter was spending in danger. She walked quickly down Main Street, but not so fast that she couldn't catch up with her own thoughts. As she thought back to the story her father told, she couldn't help but realize that her Rumplestiltskin had encountered her before. Why hadn't he told her about their previous encounter? But then again, why was he hiding magic from her? Not like she could have done anything about it or take it away from him again. He had managed to find a way to keep it and despite her best attempts at ridding Storybrooke of it's magic, her whole family still has it. This whole situation frustrated her to no end. Between her mother and her husband not being forthcoming, she couldn't tell who she was more upset with.

She finally arrived at the Pawn Shop and opened the door. The front door bell jingled but nobody was around to greet her. "Hello?" called out Belle into the eerily empty shop. "Rumple? Henry? Is anybody here?"

Belle took another cautious step into the shop to search for them when suddenly a whirlwind of light and magical smoke appeared before her. When the magical cloud dissipated she saw standing before her both Rumplestiltskin and Henry. "Belle!" called back Henry and Rumple in unison.

Henry ran forward and hugged Belle. "Thank goodness your safe!" Henry immediately pulled away and explained his concern, "Zelena's alive and she's on the loose here in Storybrooke."

Henry gave some space for his grandfather to hug Belle, but immediately saw Belle's restraint. It was obvious to Rumple that she was still upset with him. Rumple saw her reluctance to be welcoming so he settled with a less than loving hug from her. As they briefly embraced Belle forced herself to not cave to her weak constitution by enjoying their embrace like she usually did whenever Rumple returned home from a business trip. She did her best to remain rigid. The truth was he hadn't just come home from a business trip, he was off gallivanting and doing things he knew she wouldn't have liked, so Belle stood her ground. "I know," she replied coldly.

"You know?" Rumple asked as he stepped back from Belle to get a better look at her. It was obvious from her standoffish position that she was still in distress.

Belle explained, "Regina called Emma while we were at my father's flower shop. Apparently Zelena is holding our daughter hostage and using her for her magic."

"That's not all. Grandpa has his dagger again," blurted out Henry interrupting their conversation. Much to the displeasure of his grandfather, Henry didn't want to hold anything back from Belle. Not anymore. He didn't want to hurt her like he did before and felt badly for having kept a secret from her in the first place. "He used the dagger to absorb the magic from Dorothy's silver slippers so now he can transport anywhere. It was how we got back home."

"Oh, really?" said Belle sarcastically and without surprise. She turned to Rumple and stared at him with a fierceness he had never seen from her before. Without blinking or removing her gaze from her husband she ordered, "Henry, your grandfather and I need to talk… privately."

Silence fell in the room and upon seeing that a quarrel was about to begin, Henry knew to give them plenty of space. He backed away slowly to the back room of the shop and said hesitantly, "I'll uh- I'll just um… call my moms… in the back room. Let them know we're ok..." Rumple nodded with a small glance over to his grandson, but remained silent and cool in his disposition. He could tell that Belle was upset, but was unsure as to what she was going to do next.

"For now…" added Belle threateningly as she waited for Henry to leave them alone in the room. Rumplestiltskin continued to stare at his wife in silence and waited for her to make the first move. Belle squared her jaw and asked with the look of upmost seriousness, "So, I can see that you found Cogsworth and that you officially have magic back… again."

"Actually, Zelena has the watch now."

"Great," replied Belle cynically. "And uh, how long have you had magic?"

Rumple replied softly and truthfully, "Since we destroyed the Author last year."

"And… uh, when were you planning on telling me? Or were you just going to let me find out when everybody else did?"

Rumple could tell that Belle was looking to fight, a fight in which he didn't want to have but was reluctantly having. "Oh, like how you neglected to tell me that your mother was Mary Poppins."

"No, you don't get to be angry here! I do! You are deflecting because you know that for whatever reason you have for your deviousness, I'm not going to like the answer."

"You're right. You weren't going to like the answer because no matter what I would have said you have immediately dismissed them as controversial and closed up any opportunity to better ourselves. You wouldn't have understood my intentions."

"Better ourselves?! Rumple…," huffed Belle in frustration as she shook her head in disgust. Suddenly, Belle changed her tone and chuckled facetiously. While over-exaggerating her clarity, she said, "Oh, ok. I see. So that's the truth. Now I'm really beginning to see things more clearly."

"Are you? Because based off of our last conversation in regards to magic, you still don't understand your powers. While I, on the other hand, understand mine all too well."

"Oh yeah, and what is that?"

"That magic is part of who we are."

"And who decides that? The Author?!"

"Well certainly not you."

"Rumple, we are not fairy tale characters! We are real people!"

"And that, my dear, is where you are sorely mistaken. How else do you explain why there are dozens of stories about us in this world? Or why magic is so real for us?" Belle didn't have an answer for him so he answered for her, "It's because magic is part of who we are and if you can't accept that then you are truly lost. It's why you're struggling with your magic. You don't want to even believe in it which is why your mother's Impossible Possible spell fell through."

"Not completely. It did work. Well, sort of…" stumbled Belle as she poorly tried to justify her faulty magic. "My mother's mortal now, but she still retains her god-like powers of intuition and yes, the fate of Storybrooke's magic is now… well it's uncertain." Belle took a step back from Rumple and sighed in defeat. Everything he was saying was right. In a calmer voice she admitted dishearteningly, "Even with my best attempt, both you and Lily somehow have magic."

"As do you," Rumple added. "And I would hardly categorize your casting the Impossible Possible spell your best attempt at magic. I, personally think you can do better."

"And speaking of my magic, how long have you known this about me? I mean, we've known each other for quite some time now."

"What are you talking about now?"

"We've met before… when I was a little girl…" she waited a beat for him to react. She could see the wheels turning in his head as he reflected and tried to remember. She knew that Rumple's memory was incredibly impeccable, so naturally it only took him a second to respond. After a quick blink, he admitted briefly, "Yes. We have."

"So all this time you've known about me and my magic and never once told me about… any of this?"

Rumplestiltskin took a step back from Belle and began to pace the shop. He was still carrying Lily's book bag around his arm and placed it down on the counter before them. He kept his distance at arm's length from Belle and continued, "I've had premonitions of you, yes, but as I've told you before my visions don't tell me everything."

"And what exactly did your premonitions say of me all those years ago?"

Rumple looked hesitant to reply as he gazed at her curiously, wondering where the source of this sudden inquiry was coming from. He could sense that she was still looking to start a fight. Finally, after a confident breath, he replied, "If you're asking whether or not I knew that you as that little girl would someday be my wife, no. No I did not know. I did, however, know that you were special. That, by my assisting you during that hour of need, you would somehow someday help me find my son. Of course, as you already know about my visions they never reveal how. All I knew at the time was that your family would be needing me again and that it was crucial to help you at that very moment."

"And your quest for power? Are you saying that you never once thought about taking my magic?"

"It's true, you possess magic that's unique to me, but what you have to understand is that everything I've done up to the point of Baelfire's death has been to be reunited with him again. If I had known now what you were capable of doing then… trust me, you would have seen a lot more of me as opposed to ten years later." Belle still looked suspicious and Rumple felt it appropriate to ease her concerns. "Belle, you've always complemented me. Time and time again, you've always managed to replace the darkness in my life with your goodness."

Goodness? Belle felt it wrong of Rumple to place her on this saintly pedestal and for some inexplicable she knew in her heart that she wasn't completely good. Angrily, she warped his heartfelt sentiment toward her and sourly interpreted it by restating, "You mean… I just contribute to the magic you don't already have."

"I didn't say that," he replied hurtfully.

"But that's what you were implying, isn't it?" she accused scathingly.

"Belle…" he could tell that this wasn't going anywhere. No matter what he was going to say nothing would be satisfactory to her. He shook his head. "What do you want from me? What do you want me to say? It's like you want me to admit to things that aren't true."

"I want you to be honest with me! I want you to stop keeping secrets! I want you to be diff-" Belle couldn't finish the thought. It wasn't true. She truly loved him and all of his flaws, but for some reason she couldn't help but be angry with him and how he accomplished his goals.

"-Go on! Finish the sentence. You want me to be different, don't you?" He couldn't help but raise his voice at her out of frustration. "You want me to be this man that is satisfied without magic and without power. Well, guess what, dearie? I am different. I have changed, quite so actually. I've changed for you and for Lily. We've survived by each other outside of Storybrooke for seven years! Isn't that proof enough?" After realizing how much his voice had escalated he stopped to calm himself. Rumple lowered his voice and after an exasperated breath, he finished, "If you want me to be this other man that you speak of… then I'm sorry. That's not who I am."

"If you expect me to believe or trust…" started Belle as she stepped forward to her husband. In reaction to her approach he stepped backwards to keep his distance.

"Belle…"

"…that your intentions are honorable…"

"Belle…!" Rumple looked down to find that he couldn't move. Belle still moved forward.

"…or that you can simply run away from your problems-"

"-BELLE!" he exclaimed, cutting her off. He pointed down at his feet and as they both looked down they discovered his feet literally planted to the ground. Belle had somehow magically warped the wood of the floorboards beneath them and the wood wrapped conveniently and almost naturally around Rumplestiltskin's feet. Belle was shocked to see what had become of him. She knew that he wouldn't have done this to himself, which left her to conclude that it was her magic that did this to him.

"This… this is your magic," Rumple pointed out. "You did this."

"I-I know," acknowledged Belle as she backed away from her husband.

"You're starting to believe again. This is good!"

"How is this good?!" asked Belle fearfully.

"Because you're finally accepting who you are!" With a simple wave of his hand he removed the floor boards that had once engulfed his feet and the wooden floors returned to their original state. Belle continued to back away from him, but he approached her unafraid. "The difference… between the man I was then and the man I am now, is my perspective of what makes a rich and powerful man. Who knew that a chipped cup would be my most prized possession? Or that a sweet, beautiful young woman could be a beast's true love? You've made me a rich man, Belle Gold. I may not be the man of your dreams, but you are certainly the woman of mine."

It had been a long time since she had heard him refer to himself as a beast, and it broke her heart to hear him say it again. "You are… Oh, Rumple," she said as she caressed the side of his face. "It's just… I can't stand not knowing. I loathe being kept in the dark. I despise how you're never forward with me or how naïve you think I am."

"You're not," confirmed Rumple.

"Ok, then. Then I need you to be unafraid to tell me the truth. If you can do that, then I'll-I'll try to be less judgmental." Belle backed away from him and leaned up against one of the display cases. Silence filled the room. As he approached her, the only thing they heard were his footsteps hitting the hardwood floor.

"Do you remember the procedure we had eight years ago? It was undetermined as to whether or not you'd survive Lily's birth and so we decided to split our hearts and share each other's half. Ever since that experience I have quite literally not been the same."

"I remember." She too was changed by that experience as well.

Another tender moment was shared between them as they both recalled the splitting and sharing of each other's hearts. Eight years ago Rumple had a vision telling him about the coming birth of Lily and the possible death of Belle as a result of it. Since he was still the Dark One at the time of Lily's inception they knew that Lily would also carry on the Dark One curse and all its abilities, but at the cost of a life - Belle's life. To protect herself, Belle took on Rumple's enchanted immortal dark heart.

Rumple wondered, perhaps my dark heart was what has been causing her to feel this way? She was constantly skeptical and suspicious. As Rumple thought about it some more, he realized that ever since the magical procedure she had displayed nothing but contempt for both him as well as her mother. She always seemed angry and never satisfied. Rumple had never noticed these symptoms before, but then again, for the past eight years they had been living in a world without magic, where neither one of them had to suffer from its side effects. After a breath, Rumple declared exhaustively, "We have to find Lily. What did your mother have to say when you spoke to her?"

Belle wondered what he was alluding to with that memory, but then snapped back to reality to answer him. "Uh, she-um said that Lily is a product of both of our magic and that in order to find her… we need to combine our magic. We need to work together."

"Then that is what we shall do."

"Why are you so confident in my magic?"

"I've never doubted your abilities."

"You know what I mean."

"Belle… I'm not the person standing in the way of your own belief, you are."

"But what if we fail?"

"We won't."

"What if I can't do this!"

"Then Lily cannot be stopped and we lose our daughter to Zelena," claimed Rumple. Belle looked at him despairingly. "There are, however, options."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"I suppose it depends on your perspective. Henry and I just got back from my castle in the Enchanted Forest."

"To retrieve magic. Yeah, so I've gathered."

"That's not the full story. Before defeating the Author last year, I had a premonition that showed me how protect my magic. I had contained it in a pendent. I threw that pendent across the border, similar to what happened with Cogsworth, which protected it from the Impossible Possible spell you had casted. The pendent was never meant to retain or gather magic, so whenever I used it a little bit of its power drained from it. However, I knew of an item specifically designed to do that task. My Dark One dagger, but it was still in my castle in the Enchanted Forest. That's why I had been spending all my time here in the shop. I've been working with Henry in attempts to get there legally, but the M.T.A. bi-laws made it nearly impossible for me to do so. Then when Lily discovered her magic and then ran away, it forced me to expedite my plans. Henry and I successfully retrieved my dagger, and yes, I absorbed the power of the enchanted shoes, but now I can use that power to help Neal."

"How?"

"I have Zelena's necklace," stated Rumple as he withdrew the Emerald necklace from Lily's bookbag and placed it on the countertop next to them. "Do you recall the mark that scarred Neal's hand all those years ago."

"Yes," recalled Belle slowly.

"It was the Transference Seal, a life-for-a-life conduit. All I need to do is create the seal, like so…" said Rumple as he demonstrated with his magic. He withdrew his Dark One dagger from within his overcoat jacket and tapped the tip of the blade over the emerald. A slight snap erupted from the rock and the triangular shaped Transference Seal etched itself magically onto the stone. "…and hand it back to her. Now this pendent used to host Zelena, meaning that etched inside this stone are her enchanted markings bearing her life force's signature as well as her magic. The moment she holds the emerald with the seal in her grasp, the transference will be complete and Neal will no longer be burdened by the curse. Of course this requires your magical touch as well since we're all still under the Impossible Possible spell here."

"You make my mother's spell sound like a curse," noted Belle, to which Rumple replied, "It's as I've said to you before, dark and light magic all depend on your point of view." Belle stared down at the rock uncomfortably not knowing exactly where to begin. She looked back to her husband and asked, "What-what exactly do you want me to do? Where do I even begin?"

"Well, like all of my students, I tell them that magic derives from emotions and to feel through their power. However, you and I both know that's not going to work because of who you are, or I should say, what you are."

Belle stared back down at the stone again and closed her eyes. She imagined her mother's spell and how it felt when she had casted that spell for the first time on her own. She remembered the conviction in herself to do it. She remembered the belief she had of others as well as herself. It felt like breathing. The moment she thought about her own breath her breathing felt forced. She needed to not think about it too critically and let her mind go. She just needed to believe that it would work and allow her belief to flow through her naturally, like breathing in and out. All she needed to do was relax.

Belle extended her hand out over the jewelry and attempted to relax. She thought about what made her happy and she instantly thought of her library. She thought of sitting down at her desk and reading. Even in the nearly silent library she felt empowered. "Belle…" whispered Rumple through Belle's meditation. Belle opened her eyes slightly and saw the remnants of the Transference Seal's symbol glow in a brilliant yellow light, marking the successful use of her magic.

A smile flickered on Belle's face as well as his. Was it really that easy? She watched as Rumple slid the enchanted necklace back into his pocket and inquired, "And what about that other option you spoke of?"

"Neal also carries with him, the Author's pen," he mentioned as he carefully placed his dagger back inside his overcoat jacket and Zelena's necklace inside his outer pocket.

"Neal has the pen?! Does he not know what it is or what it does?!" exclaimed Belle.

"No. So while the element of surprise is still on my side, I intend on taking the pen, absorbing the Author's magic and finally stopping Zelena once and for all. Like you have requested, I've told you of my intentions and have been forthright about them. But since I know how you disapprove of my methods, I see no other choice. I must do this alone."

With a wave of his hand, Rumple disappeared abruptly from the shop in a cloud of purple smoke. Upset by his sudden exit, Belle huffed out, "Ugh! Rumple!" He had moved so quickly that he didn't even give her a chance to respond.

She had to do something. She needed to follow him. She needed to find him and quickly. The quickest means of doing that was by magic and that meant believing quickly. Belle thought back to her father's story and closed her eyes. The willow tree. Books. Magic. Dreamcatcher. She knew her elemental deity powers, unlike her mother's, were more Earth-related. In her mind's eye, Belle focused on a Willow tree and without giving a moment to doubt she waved her hand over her body and disappeared from the shop in a cloud of grey smoke. When she opened her eyes, she was amazed to find her herself next to one of Storybrooke's very own willow trees.

She looked around her and found herself alone. What now?

Magic. She needed to find her husband with magic, but how? How can she quickly summon him? Every second that passed was a potential second towards unforeseen chaos. She stared down at her hands in awe. She was doing it. She had performed magic on herself. What else could she do? All this time he was explaining to her how much he had changed, but couldn't the same be said for her? If anything, her disappearing and then reappearing in another place was proof of that. He had changed her as much as she had changed him.

She thought about one of the last things he mentioned to her before disappearing, that he was physically different as a result of their hearts. That was it! Belle needed to pull out her heart which shared his half and command him to be by her side. Belle knew that what she was about to do was dastardly, but he left her with no choice. She remembered how it felt when he plunged his hand inside her chest to pull out her heart. Odd, sharp, painful, wrenching, swift.

Bravely, she took a breath and quickly plunged her own hand inside her chest and pulled out her heart. Half of it glowed ruby red, while the other half looked dark and sickly with speckles of red. Belle brought her heart to her lips and called gently to the darkened half, "Rumplestiltskin, return to me."

Belle looked wildly around where she stood and waited. Right when she was beginning to doubt whether or not she had been successful, Rumplestiltskin appeared before her in a magical cloud of purple smoke. "I'm surprised," he said coolly. "But I suppose I should have seen this coming when I asked if you'd remembered about our split hearts."

"Before rudely leaving me behind, I had wanted to correct an egregious assumption you had made earlier," said Belle as she walked right up to her husband. She shook her head and assured kindly, "you don't have to do this alone. Now that I have certain… abilities, we can continue helping each other like we always have." Belle looked bashfully down at the ground and then humbly back up at her husband. "I think we both could learn to have a little more faith in each other."

Rumple let on a small smile of his own as he nodded in concurrence. "I confess. I am both impressed and shocked to see how you had contacted me. I believe a phone call would have sufficed."

"You and I both know that you would have ignored it. I just wanted to make sure you didn't go after the Author's pen. And now there's no need for it. I-I'm slowly… getting accustomed to my magic and we can save Lily together. But first," she said as she lifted her heart to show it to Rumple, "I think the reason why I haven't been myself is because I haven't been completely myself. I think we should return our hearts to their original state."

"No," disagreed Rumple as he shook his head and clasped his hands in front of him.

"No?"

"Belle," he began as he stepped forward toward her. He gently took her hand that cradled her heart and held it within his own. "I don't want your magic. I've never wanted your magic. I just want you because it is you, not your magic, that makes me stronger. I realize this now. And having part of you in me is reminder of that. Because of you, I am already a better person." Belle was taken back by his comment and had no words to reply with. He continued, "I accept you for you as I hope that you would for me and that includes this." By 'this', Belle knew he was referring to magic. "Even with half of my heart you're still you, and I love you for it. Being magical is just a wonderful addition to who you already are."

His words echoed similarly to what her mother had been trying to convey to her earlier, but now she finally understood what she meant by it. A few tears fell out of the corner of Belle's eyes over the heartfelt moment and she couldn't help but smile. "Really?"

He nodded in reply and glanced down at her heart. "May I?" He wanted to put her heart back where it belonged. Belle nodded as she wiped away the tears from her face and handed over her heart to him. He stared down at her heart for a moment and then glanced upwards at her with a loving smile. In a swift but not sudden move he pushed her heart as gently as he could back into her body. As soon as the deed was done, she kissed his face sweetly and then wrapped her arms lovingly around his body. After a few moments of their warm embrace, Rumple reminded Belle, "Darling… our daughter."

"Oh, right," agreed Belle as she broke away from her husband. There was still the matter of Zelena being loose in Storybrooke. "I'm, I'm sorry… for everything. For not trusting you more."

"It's ok."

"Change is hard."

"Tell me about it, and I've had a few centuries of being stubbornly set in my ways."

Suddenly a bunch of twigs snapped behind Rumple and the couple turned at the sound. Pocahontas hesitantly stepped out from behind a tree to greet them. She couldn't tell whether Rumple and Belle were friends or foes and gambled by imploring, "Please. I need your help."

Curious as to what the strange woman was doing in their town, they followed after the Native American to see how they could help her. Both Rumple and Belle found themselves getting closer to the river, walking past tall bushes and younger tree-sprouts to get there. Pocahontas stopped at another willow tree and at the base of the tree's trunk laid an unconscious young boy.

"It's Neal Nolan!" claimed Belle as she rushed forward to help him. She fell to her knees and leaned over his body, checking for signs of breathing. Rumple followed quickly after Belle and crouched down beside Neal's body. While Rumple inspected him visually, Pocahontas stood back and watched helplessly as she leaned against the willow tree. "What happened to him?" Belle wondered out loud as she felt the boy's face and head. Apart from looking very pale, he appeared to just be sleeping.

"He drank the witch's poison," said Pocahontas.

"Why would he drink poison?" asked Rumplestiltskin.

"He tried to save Demon-spirit Lily from the witch who threatened to use it on her. He drank it to protect her."

"He's not dead," observed Belle.

"It appears to be a sleeping draught of some kind," said Rumple as he took the bottle that was still in Neal's hand. He uncorked it and smelt the contents within. He remarked, "A crude but still dangerous form of Regina's sleeping curse."

Suddenly she noticed a newly made dreamcatcher next to his head leaning against the tree's trunk. "What's this?" Belle asked as she leaned forward picking up the object.

"It's a dreamcatcher. When the spirit is lost, my people use this to cleanse the mind of bad thoughts. With a clean mind, the spirit is better able to find the body again."

Belle inspected the dreamcatcher for herself and noticed the intricate designs. Suddenly a memory flashed in her mind and she could recall the dreamcatcher she used to rid herself of the memories of magic. Belle never took her eyes away from the item as she stood up in place. She leaned against the willow tree for support when her hand's skin camouflaged with the rest of the tree's bark.

"Belle!" called out Rumple with concern as he pointed at her hand. Belle gasped as she realized what he was pointing at and quickly withdrew her hand. Her skin quickly morphed back to its original complexion and the willow tree started to move. The limbs of the branches began to move and the trunk of the tree shifted. Belle stepped back as the tree took to a familiar shape. The knots and indentations within the trees bark formed into a kind elderly woman's face and in a soft voice it spoke.

Oh, hello there. The last time we spoke you were but a young sprout.

Belle stared blankly at the tree, stunned by what she was seeing. Rumple came to her side to support her or gather her quickly should he need to whisk her away to a safe distance. The tree looked down at its base and questioned,

And what is this at my root?

"Grandmother Willow! The young boy has been poisoned. Is there anything you can do?" asked Pocahontas of the tree.

"Grandmother Willow?" Belle echoed back softly to herself. Rumple turned to Belle and asked, "Do you remember this tree?"

"I… I don't…wait…" began Belle as she reflected. As she did so she caught herself gazing downward at the dreamcatcher in her hand. She stared at it intensely and felt the inner webbing with her fingertips. In her head she could hear the whispers of a distant memory.

…what you ask involves matters of the heart… …you are a child of the forest. Grounded, planted, firm. With the wisdom of trees… …knowledge is your source of power…

Belle remembered. She could remember the scent the bluebell flowers gave off from the field where her magic woke. She remembered feeling fear when she used her magic and frightened her grandfather to death. She remembered the trip she took with her father and meeting Rumplestiltskin for the first time. She remembered walking along a river very similar to the one she was standing next to in Storybrooke's forest and meeting Grandmother Willow.

As much as she knew of how she forgot about her magic through her father's story, it wasn't the same as reliving the moments through her own senses. The recollection happened in a flash to which Belle replied changing her answer mid-sentence, "…I… remember."

Her mouth fell open with amazement. She turned to her husband and said more excitedly, "I remember!"

While Belle gained her memories back, Grandmother Willow continued on and answered Pocahontas's question.

I am sorry, my dear. There isn't anything I can do for the youngling, but… I believe Belle might be able to help.

"Me?"

Your child wields great magic… both light and dark… deity and fairy tale… but with that power comes a great cost. She cannot be allowed to remember any of it.

"Why must she be prohibited from remembering her magic?" Rumple asked feeling affronted.

If she continues down this path, her power as the new Dark One will only compound and Storybrooke as we know it will cease to exist. By taking away her memories of magic, she will save this boy along with everybody else.

"But wait, when you and I last had a conversation you said that having magic was a gift and that something so beautiful shouldn't be disposed of," pointed out Belle.

Do it, don't do it. It is your choice. Not that I can stop you. I am only a tree and what I share is the prophecy that has been foretold by the Trees of Old. I warn you… if she keeps her memories, she will seek out the Author. The fate she and the Author share are tied by magic and it is through those means that she will bring about everyone's end.

The tree looked around and saw how her news made everyone feel. The tree slowly shook its face in regret, but since the face was placed in the center of the trunk the branches shook along and moss fell to their feet where they stood. Grandmother Willow apologized,

I am so sorry for being the bearer of bad news, but it is my obligation to share with you what I know as a fellow enchanted creature. For the sake of all of us, I hope you make the right choice. Pocahontas…

"Yes Grandmother?" asked Pocahontas as she stepped forward toward the tree.

You once asked me on my opinions of love? You will find it in abundance here. Once you understand what it is to have true love, will you then have achieved your destiny.

At Grandmother Willow's final words, she twisted back to her original shape and resumed stillness. With the Dreamcatcher still in her hands Belle placed it down by Neal's head and turned to Pocahontas. "Could you please continue watching over Neal? I'll contact his parents and they'll be here with him shortly."

Pocahontas gave an agreeing nod and sat down by Neal's body. She sat and meditated as Belle turned to her husband and they left the willow tree to speak privately. Once she and Rumple were beyond ear-shot, he asked almost indignantly, "You're not seriously considering this."

"You heard the prophecy. If Lily continues to learn and use her magic she'll destroy Storybrooke."

He tugged at Belle's shoulder, preventing her from moving forward and forced her to face him. "Look, as many times as I've tried to destroy this town, I've never been able to do it. There are just way too many damn heroes here. I doubt that our own daughter would ever be able to accomplish such a feat."

"I believe you grossly underestimate the capabilities of our daughter. Besides I cannot, in my good conscience, risk even the possibility. We must nip this in the bud before it's too late." Belle lowered herself to the forest floor and began picking up stray twigs and loose vines.

"I could teach her. I happen to be an excellent teacher of magic," claimed Rumplestiltskin proudly. His voiced even seemed excited over the prospective notion.

"No offense, Rumple, but having Cora, Zelena and Regina as your top protégés, doesn't exactly make your resume appealing. This is our daughter we're talking about here, along with the lives of everyone else in town. We can't be selfish about this. It'll be hard, but we must do what's right." She gathered the materials in a pile on the ground and after a hesitant breath, Belle closed her eyes and waved her hand over the pile. In a cloud of gray smoke, the pile transformed into a dreamcatcher. Belle lifted up the completed product proudly and showed it to her husband. She directed him, "I need you to use your magic on the dreamcatcher."

"Why should I? Why should I believe a single word the old tinder had to say?"

"Because this is what our family wants. I'll admit, I was reluctant to live here at first, but now that we're here I can see the allure you and Lily both share. Our family is here and I want to continue living in Storybrooke with you and Lily, and although Lily can never know about magic, you'll still have yours. We'll still have everything. We'll still have our happy ending, but not magic, not around Lily. That's the price." Disgruntled and reluctant, Rumple stepped forward and waved his hand over the dreamcatcher, putting forth his own magic to the object to combine with Belle's. The item glowed a brilliant shade of gold and then returned to its natural earth-tones.

"Ok, so now what?" he asked bitterly.

"Now, we find David and Mary-Margaret, bring them to their son, we find our daughter and then, we save Baelfire… together."

I'm so glad you all enjoyed my last chapter. What did you guys think about this one? As you can tell, there's some major growth happening between our characters which means that we're getting that much closer to the end! And speaking of the end, I've finally finished the last chapter to this story! I'll try and post another chapter this Wednesday. Thank you again to Actress10, Grace5231973 and ladybugsmomma for reading and reviewing the last chapter. I look forward to hearing all of you again soon!