He spent the night at the shop again. He would say that it was becoming a very bad habit, only this time there was no sleeping involved, and he was certain that meant there was no "habit" forming. Oh, he'd tried. At least half a dozen times, he'd grown weary enough to lay down on his cot and closed his eyes only to have his own curiosity and anxiety keep him awake. He spent his time trying to sleep, sitting on the edge of the cot, bouncing his cane up and down nervously, and taking time at his wheel to spin when he realized there would be no sleeping.

He hated this part. There was a lot about this process he disliked but this, leaving Jefferson to his own devices while his doves all took the afternoon off…this was like torture. He hated not having eyes, and he hated not having ears. At one point in the night, out of desperation, he'd retrieved his black bag and taken a look inside. He hadn't gone through the potions inside this bag since David had awakened him early. He'd gotten lucky then. He'd needed a potion that was strong enough to overcome the effects of the Curse weighing it down but weak enough that the Curse wouldn't want to absorb whatever magic it produced. He'd looked through all the potions he had, analyzed each of them. There was nothing that would work in this situation. To watch what was going on, he'd need his crystal ball, and he hadn't seen it since he'd left the Dark Castle. He hadn't any idea where it was in this world. He could use a mirror, but he didn't have the proper spells or options for that, and even if he did, he was certain the magic was too strong to make it work. The Curse would swallow whatever magic it generated up to help itself. He was trying to break the Curse, not provide more power for it. It could backfire too easily.

So he spun. And he paced. And he lay down. Then got up and paced some more. Today faded into Tomorrow. Late night became early morning. He received no calls. No messages. Nothing from any of his birds, not even the one watching Emma. Was that because he'd lost her and was too scared to tell him? Had Emma left town and her spy had followed and was now lying in a ditch somewhere? Was Jefferson just that good?

Finally!

He lunged for the phone on the table when it finally chimed. He uncharacteristically tripped over his own wheel and stubbed his toe but didn't think to care as he examined the unfamiliar number. Not Emma Swan, not Regina, not one of his employees, so then who-"

"It's done," Jefferson's voice spat before he could even utter a single word. He sighed in relief. Done. Jefferson had done his job. Now he just had to do his own. "Our deal?"

"Will be honored," he answered. "You'll not see my face at your door again."

"And my daughter?"

He tilted his head. A second request. A second favor. Jefferson had made damn sure the last time they'd talked that he hadn't wanted a second deal and yet…what was it the Seer always said. He'll do you a favor? He couldn't imagine what that favor might be, couldn't think of how he'd ever accomplish it without him being able to see him but…

If the Seer had said it, repeated it as she did over and over, then there was something to it. Who was he to resist?

"I'm working on it," he answered honestly. It was just as he'd said before. This was a long game, and it was going to take time. But he could do it. He could. He had to.

"Get it done," his old accomplice ordered. "I'm not going to wait forever, and the things I know about you, Mr. Gold…they could turn stomachs," he threatened before hanging up.

A threat. He didn't like threats. But considering the amount of curiosity he had regarding this issue and the amount of work he had to do to break the Curse, he was willing to let it slide. For now.

Like clockwork, almost as soon as he hung up with Jefferson, he received a message from the person watching after Emma. He reported that she'd spent the night at a strange house and was now leaving with Mary Margaret. They were going in the direction of the Sheriff's Station. Well…that answered one question. Why hadn't Emma's tail contacted him? Because it hadn't appeared that anything was wrong. Emma had left the station, she'd run into a man, she'd taken him home, and hadn't emerged until this morning. She'd gone into his house on her own, and she'd come out on her own. The only strange thing to him had been that she'd returned with Mary Margaret.

He beat the women back to the Sheriff's Station. He would have let himself in with his keys, but he knew that before she'd left, Emma had left the door open. He took a seat on the couch by the cell, the same seat Regina had used when she spoke to him. And then he waited. And waited. It was almost as bad as when he'd been in his shop. Almost. This time he knew all was well, that the women were well on their way, but he was getting tired of waiting. He was getting tired of being patient.

Finally, he heard the door open, and footsteps came down the hall. Mary Margaret appeared, and soon after, so did Emma. It was just after seven. Her arraignment was at eight. They'd need to leave soon, and he did not doubt that Regina would be here to see her off. He didn't want Regina to walk into this.

"Miss Swan-"

"Don't ask!" Emma snapped as Mary Margaret returned to her cell, and Emma locked her in again.

"Here!" Mary Margaret ran to her cot and pulled out a piece of metal. He had a feeling he knew what it was as she passed it to Emma.

The Sheriff looked it over. "Looks like one of Regina's skeleton keys."

"I'm sorry?" he questioned with false shock. In reality, he was pleased to hear her make the connection. It was exactly what he wanted her to conclude.

"Evidence to use against Regina. We'll worry about it later. Mary Margaret is back now. You can talk to her about what you wanted to now."

"Actually…I recommend we all leave."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, except for Miss Blanchard, of course. The best thing you can do is rest before your arraignment."

"We have…thirty minutes until we have to leave again!" Emma argued. "What's the point?"

"The point is not to make Regina suspicious that anything out of the ordinary happened. I haven't changed since yesterday, Miss Swan you smell as though you've been running about in a forest, and we're all here even earlier than Regina is. I think if she finds us in this state, then she'll suspect something. And correct me if I'm wrong Miss Swan, but it's you who wants to draw attention to Regina and not your friend, am I right?"

Emma's shoulders rose before dropping with her sigh. "Fine."

And then with a final, "Miss Blanchard, stay right where you are" the pair of them left the jailhouse. He understood Emma's frustration at his suggestion, because he felt it. Magic made life easier. It made life better. He couldn't wait for the day that he could simply snap his fingers and feel fresh and clean in a new perfectly pressed suit. Instead he found himself racing home, muddling through a quick shower, pulling on new clothes, and then racing right back to the station to find…

Exactly what he'd wanted to find.

Emma's car wasn't in the lot, but there was another one. It was Regina's. And it was empty, which could only mean one thing…Regina was here, just as Emma predicted, just as he wanted. She was inside, probably seeing by now that the plan hadn't worked, that Mary Margaret was right where she was supposed to be, that Emma couldn't be fired for "sleeping on the job". With any luck she'd be feeling a bit of her victory slip through her fingers. But he wasn't done playing with her, not yet. Right now, she'd be upset with Mary Margaret, either for not finding the key or not running. In a few moments, she'd likely me upset with him. Neither of those were the goal. He wanted her furious with Emma and that…that was another plan altogether.

Inside, when he turned the corner, he found Regina staring at Mary Margaret in her cell who, it seemed, hadn't moved since Emma had returned her. Perfect.

"Excuse me, but my client is not having any visitors," he informed Regina, stepping in front of her.

For a moment, fire ignited in her eyes as she looked him over and recognized betrayal. With that kind of anger, it was hard to believe this was the same girl who'd once struggled to make fire.

"Of course not," she muttered as her mind began to put it all together.

"I'll see you out," he said in a low tone, trying to convey comfort to her. This was where things were going to get tricky.

"What is she doing here?" the Mayor growled when they were away from Mary Margaret.

"She came back."

"You said this was going to work. That she'd take the key, that she'd go!"

"And she did," he explained. "But, it seems that Miss Swan is rather more resourceful than we thought. Fear not, Your Majesty. Miss Blanchard is still guilty of murder. You may yet get what you want."

"Oh, I better. The only reason I made a deal with you, Gold, is because I wanted results."

"And results you shall have. See you at the arraignment," he snapped. Regina glared at him before turning to leave. He took a breath.

Tricky, indeed…but perfect.

So really, the framing in this scene exists mostly to explain why we find everyone where we do when Regina arrives at the station. Stupid, I know, but it's one of those "this is cool for TV but not in real life" moments that had to be explained. Emma returns Mary Margaret in the wee hours of the morning, literally just before Regina steps in, and yet, in the shot when Regina pulls up, the bug is nowhere to be found, nor is Mr. Gold or his car. Emma doesn't appear to be in the station despite just dropping Mary Margaret off, and neither does Gold, but a second later, Gold is there. I had to figure out a way to get them there and then get Emma and Gold out so Regina could get in, and then they could get in...it's like I said. It's cool for a tv script, but in real life, there are challenges to it. Sending them home for a shower and fresh clothes worked well enough, even if I feel like I probably would have said, "screw that, I'm not going home just to come back, I'm staying here."

Thank you dearly, Grace5231973 and Alarda, for your reviews. This is yet another short chapter but never fear; the next one is one of average size. It's also the start of the 1x18 chapters, so we really get to see Rumple finally dig into his manipulation of the situation. No more watching and waiting; up next, he is front and center and pulling the strings! Let's dive in! Peace and Happy Reading!