It was the sun that woke her that morning, streaming in through their bedroom window, playing against the backs of her eyelids. And for a moment it was nice, a beautiful way to wake up until she realized…she hadn't awoken to sun like that since the first curse had broken and he'd left her for town, there in the bed to wake up alone. Her eyes popped open and she lifted a hand to shield the blinding sun away only to look around the room, the spot next to her where he should be sleeping only to find him…

Gone.

Gone? Gone again?! No! No, he wouldn't just leave her here alone another morning, would he? She'd been tired last night when they'd gone to bed, she'd told him so herself but surly he didn't think that she was so tired he couldn't wake her up for work again? Did he? She pushed the blankets off of her and quickly raced out the door. "Rumple?" she called. But there was no sound in the house. Nothing but ticking clocks and the sound her voice made as it echoed off the walls. Empty. She knew what the house felt like empty and this was it! Still, she refused to believe it because leaving her there alone was just not something he did every day. Downstairs, a glance out the window told her that the car was still parked in the driveway, though that meant little to her because as he'd point out he could go places with magical assistance. And it wasn't like he took a briefcase to work every day that was missing and would tell her he left. If anything there would be a note! Unless he was…

The basement!

Quickly she spun around, removed her keys, unlocked the door, though she knew that was a bad sign that he wasn't there, let the knob cool at her touch and descended the stairs. Gone. Missing. Just like before…just like Anna was missing, like when he'd gone to Neverland, or when Zelena had him and she hadn't known it. Gone like…

No. That was silly. The most ridiculous thought she'd ever had in her life. She was jumping to conclusions again. He was fine. He'd misinterpreted her exhaustion last night for being too tired to get up and go into town early and so he'd left her there to join him in town when she got up. It was the most logical answer. She just…after all this time she just really didn't like waking up alone in this house and she thought he understood that. Clearly they needed to have a talk about their mornings because she wanted them to go into town together in the mornings, like always, like before-

A sound? Music?

It was dull at first, a light little melody that she thought was just playing in her head, proof that she was going crazy, but when she really stopped to listen she knew exactly what it was. Her cell phone was ringing. Rumple! Up she ran, into the hallway where she'd placed her bag yesterday, so she could start shifting through brushes and combs, wallet, dagger, mints, and-

Cell phone. Only it wasn't Rumple's name on the front begging her to answer.

"Emma?" she questioned into the thing. A call from Emma this early could never be a good thing.

"Yeah, hey. Listen…I need a favor." A favor was a lot better than someone being dead. And if it pertained to the Snow Queen or Anna…even better.

"Anything," she responded eagerly.

"We found something new on the Snow Queen," Emma muttered. "We're going to have a meeting at the jailhouse in an hour as soon as Regina can get here. We're gonna need all the help or...brainpower we can get on this one."

Regina. They needed Regina too? She hadn't seen her since…well not since the night of the naming ceremony and after all Ruby had told her about Robin Hood and Marian she knew it was for good reason! Was this bad enough that Regina had to be pulled away from her own emergency to help them?

"Sure, I'll um…I'll just get dressed and come by-"

"Actually you coming is only half the favor," Emma drawled awkwardly. Apparently her coming had also been the easy part of the favor as well. "We need Gold," Emma said quickly. "There's something I want to ask him about and after last time, you know with the…dagger and all…it might be better if-"

"I talked him into coming for you," she assumed.

"Yeah, something like that. I just don't get the feeling he'd come if I asked. Henry's grandfather or not I don't exactly think we're seeing eye to eye at the moment. He's ignoring my calls."

She sighed. Rumple wasn't going to be easy to convince but it wasn't because of Emma. No the questioning hadn't helped her cause but that had been her fault, though she supposed Rumple didn't know that. If she'd just said something, if she'd been honest and confessed she was the one that knew Anna, she could have spared them both! In the end she should be the one to ask because of that, but also because she knew that what Emma was sensing from Rumple wasn't because of the questioning, it was because of the new "leaf" he'd told her about. He genuinely wanted to stay far away from it. But if this helped the others, if it was truly an emergency as she suggested, not to mention if it helped her save Anna…she'd get him there.

"I'll bring him," she declared confidently. "We'll both be there in an hour." She just had to find him first. But that wouldn't be hard. She knew her husband well and if he had left early for work as she suspected there was only one place that he could be. So as quickly as possible she got ready for the day, throwing on what she could find that would be comfortable for running around in as life so often required of her over the last year or so and finally tied her hair up in a simple bun behind her so that it would be out of the way and left.

She parked the car alongside of the pawnshop. They were running late and if this took longer than she expected they could always drive to the jail house in about a minute. The back door was open, a good sign he was there, but where?

"Rumple?" she called when she came in. She didn't see him in the back, she didn't hear whispers out front. What could he possibility have to do out there if no one was here?

She went into the front room, but it looked empty too. Why on earth would he leave the shop un-

"Belle!" she glanced over and finally found him, there behind the counter, swinging the picture in front of the safe shut. That was it. He'd placed something in there, no doubt. But why? What on earth did he have to protect so desperately he couldn't wake her up first, or that he had to leave without an explanation. Two days in a row now…

"Hey, I've been looking all over the house for you, didn't even hear you leave."

"Well, I didn't want to wake you."

She reeled at that statement. She'd been right but she hadn't expected she'd be right! Watching her sleep was one of his pastimes. That's what he'd told her only days ago! So why would he just leave her there? More nightmares or…

"Just a few things to take care of before we open," he added casually as if understanding that she would have asked that eventually.

A few things like what? She never had to…then again she hadn't been here the last couple of days, what did she know of what needed taken care of in the shop anymore? She knew all too well how quickly things could change in a couple of days. She couldn't wait for this to be over, to hire someone to help at the library, and spend some time here again with him! She really did love this place just as much as her library and being away from it, away from him...she couldn't let mornings like this continue. But that was irrelevant at the moment. It was a conversation to be had some other time, when Emma and Anna didn't need her help so desperately.

"Well, whatever it is it'll have to wait," she insisted picking up his hand and holding it in her own. She knew he didn't want to get involved…but she wasn't sure they could afford that anymore. They'd end up in it one way or another. Technically they already were she supposed. "Emma called she needs to see us right away."

He gave an unhappy sigh at the pronouncement and pulled his hand out of hers and hunching over the counter already stubborn. He knew what it meant before she could even say it. "Belle-"

"Please Rumple, it's something to do with the Snow Queen."

"And what concern is she to us?!" he argued. "We've done everything to stay out of this and so far she hasn't come knocking on our doors, maybe it's for the better if we stay out of it."

Where had she heard an argument like that before? From herself. From Neal. The time they'd spent together during the year in the forest when they'd been so wrapped up in their own problems that they refused to give into anyone else's. He hadn't been there for that, but she had and she knew the damage that could come from thoughts like that. It wasn't pretty.

"But staying out of it won't help them," she whispered walking over and hooking her arm through his stiffened elbow. He stared straight ahead and pretended not to notice, but she knew that he always did notice in the end. "Staying out of it won't help Henry. He's caught up in the thick of it and I made a promise to Neal to keep him safe. If that means that we have to unhappily throw ourselves into every disaster that strikes this town then I'm going to do it! And I want you to do it with me. Please…it's what Neal would ask of you too."

Henry. Neal. The only words that caught his attention in her entire tirade. He glanced sideways at her looking stunned. "You made that promise to Neal?" She nodded. Yes. Yes she had. He didn't need to know that it was in the car while he'd been at his son's grave he just needed to know she'd made the vow. It didn't matter where or how. "Well…" he sighed and looked straight ahead again, the muscles in his hand tightening there on the glass. "I suppose looking into what they believe they'd found won't harm anything," he resigned.

She smiled, tightened her grip on his arm and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered. After this, they could talk about him not being there in the mornings some other time.


Alright, so we've made it to that episode. But, never fear because, if I've done my job right, I've been building up to this so that nothing here seems nearly as random as it did when the episode first aired. Though I do have to apologize because the chapters for 4x06 are just so short. Most are much shorter than I like to have a Moments chapter be but that is due in part to the episode just not breaking up well. Sorry.

Thank you to Meredith Pechta, Marshall, Ladybugsmomma, PaigeJillian, Raizen Yusuke, Deweymay, Skitzoeinhoven, and Kagi-chan2 for your reviews on the last chapter. I'm so happy that you liked the baby talk! It was a chapter that I hoped everyone would like and I tried really hard to get just right and hearing that I nailed it is the best feeling in the world! Thank you, friends! You are awesome! Peace and Happy Reading!