For what felt like a decade, the entire fete became silent as everyone realised who had joined the party.

"Get away from my wife!" Rumple screamed as he rushed towards Zelena, brandishing his dagger like a mad man, his eyes bright red in shock.

At the scream, it seemed as if someone had pressed play on the scene and the children started to scream and ran away in all directions. Their parents could only do their best to catch up with their children or pull the ones in between Rumple and Belle away for their protection.

"No!" Emma cried and she flew her arms out, forcing the Dark One to stop still, frozen to the spot. He was rigid where he stood, his eyes glaring at Emma for stopping before going back to Belle. Even with the reductions to her magic by giving Zelena some of her own, Emma was still more than strong enough to go up against the Dark One and win easily.

By now, everyone in the clearing had gone. The fairies had ushered the children whose parents were not in attendance back towards the school until only the ones involved remained. Zelena was standing in front of Belle in a protective stance with one palm lit with a fireball, ready to launch it at a moment's notice. Emma's arms were still outstretched keeping Rumple still and Regina was on the alert to help in case it was needed but she knew that Emma had it under control.

"Grandpa?" Henry slowly walked towards his other grandfather who was still on his own as Charming and Maleficent had taken a step back so that the Dark One didn't harm Neal. "What are you doing here?"

"The teacup," Rumple muttered quietly.

Henry's eyebrow raised in confusion. He glanced between his mothers, but neither had an answer before he turned back to his grandfather. "Teacup? What teacup?"

"The teacup!" Rumple repeated angrily. "She repaired the teacup. Our teacup. Our story!"

Emma was so baffled at how Rumple had managed to appear in town after being gone for almost two months all because of a teacup that her hands fell and the Dark One unfroze. However, he didn't move, only his dagger fell to the floor, but he didn't notice as his eyes were still only on Belle.

Acting quickly, Regina flicked her wrist and the dagger flew into her hands so that Rumple couldn't get to it and control it.

"Rumple."

At the sound of his name, Rumple blinked slowly as Belle moved to the side of Zelena. The witch looked reluctant to allow her to move but accepted it, knowing that Belle was capable of fighting her own battles. However, the redhead did not put out the fireball that was slowly, but surely, growing larger by the second. Zelena trusted Belle's instinct and if she felt safe approaching the Dark One, she wouldn't stop her.

Belle then slowly made her way towards Rumple but stayed a few steps away from him, wanting to keep at least a little physical distance. She knew that it wouldn't be safer being away from him as his magic would be able to reach her no matter what, but she knew the gap would prove to him that she wasn't rushing back into his arms.

"How are you here?" She asked him instead of asking what he was doing there. "I banished you."

Rumple laughed humourlessly. "You fixed the teacup. It pulled me back."

"How?" Henry asked. Emma was glad he'd asked the question. He was the only one that Rumple would never harm in the group because he was family. While Belle was still technically his wife, he had hurt her, albeit emotionally rather than physically, in the past.

"I put a trigger on it," Rumple revealed. "I could be okay being away from here without Belle, but I knew if the teacup was fixed it would mean she had moved on and I couldn't allow that. Belle is my wife."

"Belle is her own person!" Emma snapped walking forward, cutting off Zelena's path towards the Dark One. Regina had jumped forward to stop her sister from charging at the imp. "You lied to her and wronged her for years and years. She had every right to cut you off and move on and she's happy with Zelena in a way that she never was with you!"

Rumple let out a strangled noise but again he didn't move. It was then that Emma realised that her spell was still working on Rumple's feet and ankles so that he couldn't move even though she thought the spell had stopped. She really was more powerful than she thought she was, but now was not the time to think about that.

The Dark One tried to take one step forward in an attempt to lunge towards Zelena but he then realised that he was stuck. He turned to where Regina was standing, holding his dagger and glared at her.

"Will you let me go!" He cried, presuming that she was keeping control of his position with the dagger despite not commanding him aloud.

Regina raised her eyebrow and turned the dagger in her hands before smirking. "I'm not the one holding you back, Rumple," she revealed slowly. "Emma is."

"You?" Rumple gasped in shock as she looked at Emma. She was still standing as she had been since her arms had dropped to his side, showing no sign that she was using magic. "You're not powerful enough to stop the Dark One without the use of the dagger. Only the Fairest of Them All can do so."

Emma shrugged. "You're looking at her."

Rumple shook his head. "No, that's not possible. You're the Saviour, that's all you'll ever be."

Again, Emma shrugged as if it was no big deal. "You've been gone a long time, Gold. A lot has happened. You just said yourself that no one else can hold you aside from the Fairest and that is me. Not that that is the point. I'm not letting you free until you promise to leave Belle alone."

"She is my wife!" Rumple repeated passionately, deciding that he couldn't deny Emma's point. He had said himself that only the Fairest or the dagger could hold him. As he couldn't feel the pull of the dagger forcing his feet to stay put, the only other explanation was that Emma truly was the Fairest of Them All and the thought of that was far too irritating. Even worse, Emma was right, her new power was not the point of the confrontation. It was Belle and Zelena.

"I'm not saying that what you shared wasn't real," Emma said instead of commenting on Rumple's ownership when he didn't expand, "but you're not together anymore and you have to move on."

"I can't!" Rumple snapped adamantly.

"You can."

It was now Belle who was speaking again but her voice was soft as it always was when she spoke to Rumple and she thought he was wrong. She walked around Emma and gently took hold of Rumple's hand.

"Emma's right," Belle said. "What we had was real, but it was never going to last because even after all these years, you don't trust me. No, you don't," she added a bit more firmly when Rumple went to argue. "I don't think you ever did. The only person you've ever trusted aside from yourself is Neal. You don't need me the way you think you do."

She took a deep breath before letting go of Rumple's hand and putting the distance between them again by walking over to Zelena, who was still slightly being restrained by her sister, and taking hold of her hand gently. Regina let go of Zelena and stepped aside to allow Belle to continue with her point.

"I love Zelena more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone," Belle continued.

At Zelena's sharp intake of breath, Emma realised that it must have been the first time the librarian had said the words out loud, but the witch knew that now wasn't the time to interrupt to say it back.

"I loved you, Rumple, but that's my past," Belle said, pushing through Zelena's gasp. She had wanted to say the words directly to the witch so many times but Zelena had always wanted to repair the teacup before they shared the words to each other. "Zee is my present and my future. Look, I don't have an issue with you staying in Storybrooke anymore as long as you don't have your dagger and don't try to come for my family and friends. Regina."

Belle turned to Regina and held out her hand expectantly. Regina looked a little cautious before passing the dagger over to Belle who held it sideways in her palm so that the blade flashing his name was staring Rumple in the face. She took a deep breath before staring Rumple directly in the eye.

"Rumplestiltskin, I command you that while you stay in Storybrooke, you do not have any possession of your dagger and you cannot look for it, nor ask anyone to retrieve it for you. You may not find any loopholes which would ensure the dagger is returned to you in any way or form. Should you leave, you can take it with you, but it will be removed from you if you ever return. All this is said until a cure of for the darkness can be found. Now leave."

Rumple looked like he had many choice words he wanted to say but he couldn't deny the commands of the dagger. Reluctantly, he bowed his head and flicked his wrist, disappearing in a deep burgundy cloud of smoke.

As soon as the plume of smoke had vanished, Belle released the breath she had been holding.

"I didn't think that would work," she muttered honestly as she turned back to the others. However, her view was blocked by a mane of curly red hair as Zelena threw her arms, flames now extinguished, around her partner, hugging her tightly. She only pulled back momentarily to kiss her.

"I love you too," Zelena breathed when they finally pulled apart.

She had wanted to say the words before they started to discuss what had just happened. She needed Belle to hear the words. In truth, she'd wanted to say it for a month but had stupidly said she didn't want to hear the words while the teacup was still chipped as it was a physical reminder of Belle's past relationship. Despite the fact it brought Rumple back, Zelena didn't regret it. She'd heard the words and said the words she'd wanted to. They could face Rumple later, if it was required.

Belle grinned and kissed Zelena back before she turned, surprising everyone, to Emma and held out the dagger.

"If there is anyone who can protect this, it's you," Belle said. "And if there's anyone who can expel the darkness in him, it's also you. I'll help you but I think you're the only one who can do this. No more Apprentice's Hat but goodness and love. That's the only way he will recover."

Regina bit her lip before announcing what everyone was thinking. "Belle, there may not be anything left of him afterwards if we did find a cure. He's been the Dark One for hundreds of years."

"There's a chance," Belle said. "I know there is."

oOoOo

"You know, I half thought that Grandpa was going to be one of the escapees from the Apprentice's hat," Henry said an hour later as the family made their way into the foyer of the Mayoral Mansion. "He just appeared out of nowhere."

After Rumple's appearance, the fete was clearly over so Emma, Regina, Maleficent and Zelena with her powers now restored, magically set everything down and returned them back to where they needed to be. Zelena was beaming ecstatically the entire time despite the fact she hated putting things away, always wanting to be setting events up. However, she flung her arms around, causing things to pack away nicely with every gesture. She even started making coloured sparks fly around to land in different shapes in the sky from dragons, to Mal and Henry's approval, to birds for Belle and a lion for Charming, to entertain everyone. She even created the brightest sun which made Neal giggle happily from his stroller.

It took them just under an hour for everything to be completed before they all, apart from Belle and Zelena who had mysteriously disappearing in a cloud of green ten minutes prior, made their way back towards the Mayoral Mansion. They had already ordered pizza to arrive, much to Regina's dismay who was convinced they were going to turn into the greasy delight at the rate they were eating it, and were making their way into the kitchen to pass out drinks.

"I know what you mean," Mal said as she opened the fridge to pull out the root beers and colas that Regina had stocked. "If someone else had been with him, I'd have been sure too, but he was alone and Emma said there were two escapees."

Henry let out a noise of agreement and a murmur of thanks when his grandmother passed him a can of cola. "True. I still don't know how there could be any escapees when no one saw them leave the hat as it disappeared and no one has seen or reported any newcomers in town."

"They'll come out of the woodwork eventually," Emma sighed as she took a seat at the breakfast bar, accepting her root beer from her mother. "They always do. Although, I know for a fact that it wasn't Rumple, for one, how would he even have gotten trapped in it? We saw him ordered to leave town, not get sucked into a hat that never left the boundaries of Storybrooke."

"I just don't get why Belle wants you to get rid of the darkness in Gold," Charming piped up after a sip of his own root beer. "That's not your job."

Emma shrugged. "I don't mind really if it makes the town more comfortable. I'd say it's part of the job as sheriff to manage everyone too." She twisted the dagger in her hands. "I just don't know what to do with this."

"We can put it in my vault if you want?" Regina offered as she leant against her girlfriend. "Belle banned Rumple from doing anything to get it. It'll be safe."

"I guess," Emma said slowly. "But she wanted me to look after it."

She glanced at the dagger in her hand, twisting it in the light to see if it would spark any ideas how she could help Rumple. In honesty, she felt she owed it to Neal to help his father see the light. Rumple had wanted to change for his son but hadn't had the chance. Neal's death was the only thing that had united the Fairest and the Dark One in one moment. Plus, she knew Henry would be happier to have both his grandfathers. She had to help him.

"I'll just keep it at work for now," Emma said nonchalantly when she realised all eyes were on her. With a flick of her wrist, the dagger disappeared in a cloud of white and arrived safely in the top drawer of her desk in the sheriff's office.

Fortunately, before anyone could say anything, the doorbell rung and the moment was broken.

"I'll get these," Charming said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket as he followed Regina to the door.

Henry set to getting plates and cutlery out of the cupboards and taking them to the dining room as if on autopilot. Now alone, bar the baby, Mal took the opportunity to speak to her daughter.

"You don't have to help Rumple, you know," she murmured softly as she picked up Neal. He beamed at the embrace before leaning into Mal's shoulder.

Emma shook her head. "No, I do. I owe Neal." Mal looked at the baby in confusion but Emma shook her head again. "Not this Neal. The other Neal."

The look of realisation hit Maleficent's pale features. "Oh."

Emma nodded. "Yeah. Rumple did all he could to save his son for the better and I truly believe he would have succeeded if it wasn't for the darkness. I know we'll never have Neal back and I'm okay with that, but I think it'll honour his memory. I'll help Gold if I can."

Mal reached out and squeezed Emma's arm. "You're a good one, honey."

"Ma! Grandma!" Henry bellowed, ruining the moment as he usually did. "Hurry up or Grandpa will eat everything!" If it wasn't the truth, Emma would have thought he was exaggerating.

Chuckling, the two blondes pulled apart and walked into the dining room to join their family.

oOoOo

The next morning, Emma found herself spending most of her time in the sheriff's office staring at the Dark One dagger. She hated working Saturdays and tried to get out of them as much as possible. There was never anything going on on Sundays so the office was left unmanned but she tried to have someone in the office every other Saturday morning for the books and to stop Regina's comments that they needed to run the town officially.

So, since she arrived just after nine, always having a lie-in when she went in on a Saturday, she had been turning the dagger over and over in her hands. She was trying, but failing, to find anything hidden within the blade but it just looked the same, jagged, pointed and the current Dark One's name scribbled down the centre in black.

She was on her own as Charming had the day off and Ruby had been begged to come back to the diner for the afternoon to help whip the new waitresses into shape. They were slowly getting better, but Granny still wasn't too happy with them.

Regina and Henry were spending the day with the Apprentice so that Regina could hear all everything that the role of the Author would entail. She had wanted Emma to be present, but Emma knew that Regina was more than capable handling it herself. Plus, Emma was rather reluctant to be in the same room as the Apprentice with everything that had happened recently. She'd have chosen to work every Sunday for a year, if that meant that she would not have to see him again anytime soon.

Charming and Mal were going to spend the day with Aurora and Mulan so that Neal and Philip Jnr could get to know each other, and the blondes could catch up with each other and get to know their partners. It niggled Emma that Mal had someone out there that was like a daughter to her, but she understood that everyone had a past.

Therefore, Emma was quite confused to hear footsteps approaching. It wasn't the signature click of Regina's heels nor the stomps of her father's. However, her curiosity was soon solved when Ursula walked through the office door.

"Afternoon, Fairest," she greeted with a wink and a mischievous grin.

Emma put the dagger down and rolled her eyes. "Hey, Godmother."

Ursula beamed as she crossed the room, perching on the side of Emma's desk beside her as she usually did which made Emma raise her eyebrow.

"You know there are plenty of chairs to sit on?" Emma reminded her again.

"I know," Ursula replied, still grinning. "I just prefer perching rather than sitting."

With another eyeroll, Emma sighed. She couldn't argue with that. Instead, she pushed her chair back so that she could look at her godmother better.

"So, what can I do for you?" She asked.

"I thought I'd check in," Ursula replied. "I've not spoken to you in a while with everything going on. How are you feeling?"

"Good," Emma said honestly. "Really good. Everything seems to be falling into place now. I was actually going to come find you after my shift. Belle found a spell for me to give some of my magic away."

"Why would you give it away?" Ursula asked in surprised, matching Zelena's tone the day before. "I'd love to have mine back. I miss my tentacles so much."

Emma chuckled and stood up. "I'm not giving it all away." She held out her arm. "Do you trust me?"

Ursula eyed up arm in front of her for a moment before taking it slowly and standing up in front of her goddaughter. "I do."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Emma assured her as she tightened her grip. "Impartio."

Just as it did with Zelena, white wisps started to surround their hands. Ursula's grip tightened further but Emma ignored it as she concentrated. However, unlike with Zelena, the wisps didn't turn emerald, instead a small tentacle started to curl around their wrists before unravelling and wrapping around Ursula's body.

Realisation hit Ursula like a ton of bricks and she pulled away from Emma, their hands parting.

"My tentacles!" Ursula cried as two slipped out from her sides and raised up, caressing her face as if they had missed her just as much as she had them. "My babies!"

Emma's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't known what Ursula's magic had been, but she had not expected this. She had just presumed it would have been similar to Maleficent's but much more water based than fire.

Ursula stretched her tentacles out and made them caress Emma's face softly before sweeping them under her arms to tickle her. The blonde giggled before jumping out of reach.

"You're happy then?" Emma asked despite knowing the answer.

"I can't thank you enough," Ursula replied as her tentacles slid back to their owner.

"You don't have to thank me," Emma said, just as she had to Zelena. "You're my godmother and you helped me find out the truth in the best way you could. I owe you."

At that, Ursula pulled Emma in tightly and hugged her. "You owe me nothing, sweetie. Nothing."

Emma pulled back and smiled at her godmother. "Then we're completely even."

"Agreed," Ursula said before she saw the glint of something in the corner of her eyes. Her smile suddenly faded and fear and confusion replaced them. "Why on earth do you have the Dark One dagger and how?"

"Oh, that," Emma murmured. "He's back." She then went onto tell her godmother what had happened the afternoon before with Rumple returning and Belle's request. "I've been staring at it all morning trying to find out how to do as she said but I've no idea honestly."

Ursula started at the dagger herself before motioning for Emma to pass it over. Slowly, Emma did so as the blade, despite being old, was very sharp and even a tiny nick could inject you with some form of darkness. The Sea Witch turned the dagger over just as Emma had, inspecting it in any way she could but leant back and placed the dagger back on the table.

"I've got nothing," she revealed with a sigh. "I don't know what I'm looking for either. I've only ever seen it once before today."

Emma chuckled and picked up the dagger before placing it back in the top drawer. With a wave of her hand, she sealed it with blood magic so that no one, well aside from her mother, would be able to steal it.

"I'll figure it out another day," Emma said. "I just thought that I'd have a look today while the office was dead. Nothing ever happens on a Saturday."

However, as typical to Storybrooke, just as Emma finished her sentence, the office phone started to ring.

Trying not to roll her eyes for a third time since her godmother's arrival, Emma reached over and answered the phone. "Storybrooke Sheriff's station. Sheriff Swan speaking."

"Swan, there are two new arrivals in town," Leroy's voice answered her. "Just crossed the town line. An old bat and a younger muscular man. Both look quite confused about how they arrived here in the first place."

"Have you spoken to them?" Emma asked as she noted down what the dwarf, who now refused to go by Grumpy, had said. "Got their names or asked where they've come from?"

"Oh, we've got their names," Leroy replied. "Strange names they are too, at that. Yzma and Kronk and they're rabbiting on about some hat."

Emma swallowed. "We'll be right there!" She slammed the phone down and looked up at her godmother. "The two that escaped from the hat, I know where they are and more importantly who they are."