Snow felt her whole world crumbling around her as Rumpelstiltskin told her the truth about everything. About his father, and Milah, and Baelfire, and Hook….and how he'd thought that if he ruined these lives…if he played then them he could get his son back.

Snow had always thought- always believed that her curse was because of Regina. That Regina had ripped them all from their homes and their culture and forced them into a life of emotional mediocrity…to almost achieve happiness but not ever achieve it.

But it was him? He did this? He forced them into this life and into this existence to atone for something he did 300 years ago to his own son.

"So….," Snow whispered, "You took away my relationship with my daughter so you could atone for Bae."

"I'm sorry."

"28 years, Rumpelstiltskin! 28 years and she grew up alone because of you! Because of Regina! She grew up neglected and alone! People hurt her, and they didn't have to. She was my daughter, she was my baby and I missed everything with her! It was all because of you!"

He was quiet and so Snow continued.

"I can forgive you for a lot," Snow told him, "But not this. Never this."

"Snow-."

"Don't," She snapped and stood, "I trusted you! You and I were supposed to work together, we were friends and you do this!? Why would you even tell me something like this?"

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not, you don't know what 'sorry' is," Snow grabbed her keys and the clothes that she had laid out for the next day, "Why should you care what you've done to us? We're the expendable ones, right?"

"Snow, stop."

"Don't you come near me," she snapped and threw open the door.

"You know what one has to do to protect your family; you did it with Kathryn-."

"No," Snow walked forward, "Don't you dare justify it like that! Don't you dare justify tearing apart families for centuries and taking my daughter to be your little savior and compare it to what I thought I had to do just to keep Regina from hurting my family? That was a lie too, wasn't it? Kathryn probably didn't even need to get kidnapped. That was another one of your sick manipulating mind games."

"Oh trust me love, Regina needs to be put away."

"So do you."

He didn't argue. There was regret in his eyes and Snow shook her head angrily.

The door down the hall opened. Emma stuck her head out, her hair was a mess of tangles, "WHAT is going on?!"

"Emma, get some clothes for tomorrow. We're going to the inn."

"What, why?"

"Just do it."

"Snow, what are you going to tell her?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

Snow gave him a deadly glare, "Don't you come near my daughter again."

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"Was it an affair?"

Snow closed her eyes and tried to muffle a sob, "No."

Emma looked at the Inn in front of them, "Granny isn't going to like being awakened."

Snow didn't care. She didn't care if Regina found out; she didn't care about any of it. She just couldn't be in his house anymore.

"Did he hurt you?"

More than Emma could understand.

"No," Snow lied.

"Then why-."

"Just….," Snow opened the door, "I'll pay for the rooms, Emma. Let's just get inside."

First order of business was to install new locks on the rooms so that Regina couldn't get in when she suspected something.

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Snow didn't want to admit that some of Rumpelstiltskin's manipulation had rubbed off on her, but she couldn't deny it either once she called August in to have him put locks on both their doors. She wanted to see this man, this man that had broken Rumpelstiltskin for a night. She wanted to know how he knew all this and she CERTAINLY wanted to see him around her daughter.

Whether or not August knew that she knew, he didn't give anything away as he built the locks and then tested them out. Snow watched as Emma looked impressed.

""No one… Is getting through that."

"Wow," Emma poked it with her finger, "When are you installing the torture chamber?"

"You don't like it? I call it Medieval Chic," he flirted.

Snow made sure to walk right between them, "I don't care what it looks like, as long as it keeps Regina and her skeleton keys out."

Emma continued to look impressed, "This is pretty handy for a writer. Where'd you learn how to do all this?"

"Wood shop. Eighth grade."

Now there was a lie if she ever saw one.

What time was it anyway? Oh gods, if she was late for her first day back…

"Oh, speaking of school, have to get going," she packed a lunch.

"Um," Emma walked over to her, "Are you sure you're ready to go back?"

"After a stint behind bars, how tough can a room full of fourth graders be?" She half joked. Really sometimes those kids made Regina's guards look good by comparison, "Besides, aren't you the one we need to be worried about?"

"Me? Why?"

Snow looked at her daughter. She had briefly talked it over with Emma late last night but it certainly wasn't enough for her to get the full story. The plan had failed, Regina wasn't knocked off her throne but…maybe it could still be salvaged, "Well… You did threaten to take Henry away from Regina."

"Oh, that wasn't a threat. I'm hiring Mr. Gold to help build a case against her."

Snow looked up sharply, "You what?"

She wanted Rumpelstiltskin AWAY from Emma; she didn't want Emma seeking him out!

"What?" Emma asked, "She tried to frame you for murder."

She couldn't protest though, it was for Henry. NO matter what she said, Emma would pay whatever price that Rumpelstiltskin set, "But, you do know what happens if you win?"

Emma nodded, "Yeah."

"And you're ready? To be his mom?"

Conflict crossed Emma's face but she nodded, "Yeah."

Snow smiled, the whole plan failed because Regina played Sidney to take the fall, but at the very least, they could get Henry for Emma.

"Code red. Code red," Henry said over the walkie

Emma looked alarmed, "Hey, Henry. What's going on?"

"Meet me at Granny's. It's an Operation Cobra emergency."

Emma really looked alarmed, "I'm on my way."

She began to walk away. Snow reached out and grabbed August before you could follow, "I know what you did last night."

He looked worried, "You're awake."

"Yeah. I'm awake," Snow snapped, "And I don't know how you escaped the curse when everyone else didn't but I'm not going to let you manipulate my daughter like you did Rumpelstiltskin."

"I'm just trying to make her believe."

"You're not doing a very good job," she whispered and let him go; "Don't you hurt my daughter for your own means."

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Snow didn't realize how good it was to be back until she saw the kids playing in the schoolyard before class started. To hear their oblivious innocent laughter to everything going on around them…Snow really missed that after her week of being locked up.

Her phone buzzed. Rumpelstiltskin was trying to call her but she ignored it. She didn't need him.

"Mrs. Gold. I see you're back," Regina said in a clipped tone.

"Yes. Isn't it wonderful?" she smiled because she knew it made Regina bristle, "Everything worked out."

Regina nearly sneered and she held up a lunchbox, "Henry forgot his lunch. Have you seen him?"

Snow nodded, "He's with his mother."

Regina flinched, "Mrs. Gold is there a problem?"

Snow shook her head, "Not any more. Though, someone did go to a lot of trouble to make it look like I had done something horrible. But they failed."

"Yes, Sidney Glass. Who's safely incarcerated."

Snow smiled knowingly, "If, it was Sidney."

"Well, ask your roommate," Regina said quickly, "He confessed."

Snow held Regina's gaze, "Of course he did."

Regina narrowed her eyes, "Are you insinuating something?"

"Yes, I am. But I forgive you," Snow told her. And truthfully, she did. She wasn't going to forget what Regina had done but she wasn't going to let her life be better like Regina's was, "Even if you can't admit what you did, I forgive you anyway. Your life must be filled with such incredible loneliness, if your only joy comes from destroying everyone else's happiness. It's so sad, Mayor Mills, because, despite what you think, it won't make you happy. It's only going to leave a giant hole in your heart."

Regina looked furious and Snow kept her smile, "There's Henry now."

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The answer was so clear that Rumpelstiltskin couldn't believe it didn't occur to him sooner. All he had to do was put in basic math and look around at who he HADN'T seen in 28 years before he realized who he was messing with. Then it all made sense…his knowledge about what was going on, his sickness…

It was the little wooden boy.

Rumpelstiltskin did not want to deal with that. Puppets shouldn't move, it was unnatural.

But now that he knew, he called in Geppetto over a clock that had been broken for years before August and he made contact. He wanted it confirmed first. If this little boy didn't make contact with his father before he pretended to be another man's son well…that was just sad.

Marco was looking over the clock by the time August finally got in the shop.

"Ah, Mr. Booth," he greeted, "I'll be with you in a moment. On second thought, tell me – as one admirer of antiquities to another – do you think it's worth my while having this clock repaired?"

Geppetto turned around. Rumpelstiltskin watched with unabashed glee as horror crossed August's face and then longing for his father.

Well, now he knew how that felt!

"I'll take your silence as a yes, then," he whispered.

Geppetto looked at him, "You know, I'm very busy right now. And, uh, I'm just a one-man shop. But, uh, I'll get to the clock as fast as I can."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded He didn't really care about that clock, it was sort of tacky anyway, "I wouldn't ask for anything more."

He watched as Geppetto lifted up the clock and walked towards the exit with it, "Good day."

"H-how are you?" August stuttered.

Oh, this was too much! It was too good! "First time seeing dear old dad since you arrived at Storybrooke?"

"I'm so-sor…"

"You know, what surprises me is, why a man who claims to be at death's door can't even bring himself to say hello to his father," he mocked, "What are you afraid of?"

"That's, uh… That's my business."

"Oh. Fair enough," He didn't care about that anyway; he just wanted to rub salt on this man's emotional wounds after what he did, "Let's talk about ours. You claim to be the only person who can make Miss Swan believe. That you could get her to do exactly what she was brought here to do. And yet, for a man who's running out of time, you don't seem to be in much of a hurry."

"It's not me slowing us down. It's her," August almost pouted, "All she can think about right now is getting custody of her kid."

Well gods forbid that she wants her child from that psychopath's house, "Sounds like Sheriff Swan needs a course correction."

August smirked, "She's coming to you for legal advice."

"And you want me to steer her toward you?"

"I can get her there. To believing. Trust me."

Rumpelstiltskin couldn't handle that and just burst out laughing. August had the nerve to look offended and he cleared his throat, "Ah. I'm sorry. It's just that, knowing who you are and your nature, trust is a big ask."

He grabbed the book he kept for inventory, "Fear not. A gentle nudge I shall provide."

Hopefully in a way that didn't make Snow more furious at him than she already was.

He wasn't worried. She'd come to him when she needed something, they always did.

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There was something about how Emma pleaded with him that honestly made him want to help her but he knew that for his own agenda he couldn't. He had to get her to focus and if August thought he could make her do that then who was he to argue?

And if August failed then Rumpelstiltskin had something to mock him about before he died. IT was a win/win.

"I have to save him," Emma finished, "I have to get Henry away from Regina."

"I must admit, your intentions are admirable," Rumpelstiltskin started, "However, I won't be taking your case."

"What?" Emma followed him, "You know what Regina did."

"Yes, but we can't prove it," he told her for what felt like the hundredth time, "And, given the Mayor's sway in this town, any proceedings against her would be long and drawn out and futile. The only certainty is, Henry would suffer. You can't do that to your boy."

"So, we leave him in the same house with that sociopath?"

"I'm sorry, Sheriff. My mind's made up."

"Well, then change it. The only person I've ever seen go head-to-head with Regina and win is you."

"That's because I know how to pick my battles," he told her simply.

"Then, pick this one."

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm just simply not the man to help you beat Mayor Mills."

He watched as Emma's eyes darkened and he felt a little bit of shame in the pit of his stomach, "No. You're not."

She turned to leave and he watched her go.

And he hoped that August was somewhat useful.

But he doubted it.