Honesty was the cricket's suggestion. Be truthful, be honest, be blunt, and he'd "know what to do"? He had opinions about "honesty" and his ability to "know what to do." Strong opinions. But before he could open his mouth to give them to the cricket, he heard his cell phone chime in his pocket. The only people who ever called him on his cell phone were Dove or his cousins, and even then, only if something was wrong. He didn't say a word to excuse his behavior to Archie, Mr. Gold wouldn't, instead he just pulled out the phone, looked at the little screen to identify the caller, and furrowed his brow. That was odd…

"I thought I told you to take some time for vacation," he commented to Dove.

"Yeah, thanks for that, I'm grateful," Dove answered, sounding uncertain. He let out a long sigh. "It's just…do you have anyone else staying up here at the cabins? Besides me?"

"No. Is there a reason you asked that?"

"Yeah…just happened to look out the window across the lake. There's a guy on your property, over by your private cabin."

His chest felt tight, and his mouth went dry. "A man?"

"Yes. Tall, black clothes-"

"Dark hair?"

"Yes."

He swallowed, trying hard not to glance at Archie lest he give something too important away. "The stranger in town?"

Dove groaned as if he was looking out the window, trying to identify who he was seeing. "Could be," was his answer. "Little too far to see, but it could be him. I don't see a motorcycle, but I don't see a car either. He had to get up here somehow. No one could walk from town."

And from the angle of Dove's cabin to his own, it was unlikely he'd see the long driveway. That wasn't helpful. He wanted something more substantial than that to base his suspicions on, even if he felt like he already knew what was going on.

"What's he doing?" he asked quietly.

"Just…walking. Not pacing, but definitely walking back and forth on the lake. It's like he's…I don't know…searching for something."

Fuck. That couldn't be permitted because the honest truth was that whether this was Booth or Baelfire or some random stranger who'd gotten lost in the woods, he'd hidden the dagger up near the cabin after Emma came to town. Whoever was out there was searching for something, and the most precious thing in the world was within their grasp. He couldn't just sit here and do nothing about it. But if it was Baelfire…

"You need me to get him to go, boss?"

"No, I'm on my way. I'll handle it," he muttered before closing the phone and gathering his cane. "Thank you for your help doctor, I'm afraid I have to cut this short," he explained, getting to his feet and turning toward the door. "Feel free to take an hour of your time out of next month's rent."

On the drive up to the cabin, he made sure to keep himself calm; eyes on the road and two hands on the wheel at all times. He figured that he managed to do a good job at looking calm, even if he felt anything but calm on the inside. Booth, potentially Baelfire, potentially a stranger up at the cabin. He didn't know which one he wanted it to be. One second he found himself hoping it would be a stranger, that he could scream and yell and wave his cane in the air before calling Emma to arrest him for trespassing. The next moment he hoped it was Booth, that he could finally have a chance to get some answers from him. And in the next moment, he hoped those answers would be the end to a centuries-long mission to find his son. He hoped they might reconcile. He hoped…

It wasn't a stranger wandering around his cabin. It was the stranger.

Booth was there, just like Dove said he would be. He'd driven up to the cabin with the car lights off to catch him unaware, and as he crept closer to the man, he noted the way that he was kicking at some of the loose dirt and larger rocks around the property, just like he was looking for something, as Dove had said. Looking for something…the dagger? That was the only thought that forced him to accept he couldn't stay in his car forever or drive away and pretend like he hadn't seen it. He was going to have to confront the man. His son?

Finally, he worked up the nerve to get out of the car and paced to the other side of the cabin. He hadn't meant to be seen, not yet, but…his son always had been a sharp one. He noticed him immediately. He'd been caught. Now what? Booth? Or Baelfire? He swallowed hard. There was a way to test his theory.

"I know who you are," he lied, searching his face for any hint of recognition. It was there. The boy moved closer to him as he pressed, "And I know what you're looking for."

"Well, then…I guess all the lying can stop…Papa."

His heart stopped. And then it swelled. It drummed back to life with an ominous boom he felt in every nook and cranny of his body. He began to sweat as the world around him tunneled, the edges of his vision blurred until the only crystal clear image in front of him was...

Papa.

Only one person had ever called him that in all his life.

Baelfire.

His Baelfire.

Here now, before him! After everything he'd done to get to him, he had come to him. He should want to run to him, to fall into his arms, to beg forgiveness. So why did he want to run away?

Archie had said that when they met, he'd know what to say. But as he stared at him in utter disbelief, he wasn't sure he knew what he was supposed to say. To his son?! It would have been easier if the ghost of Belle suddenly snuck up on him! Except…what was it that Archie had said? Tell him what he'd told him. What was it he'd told him? That he was sorry? That he missed him. No.

He knew what he'd said. He knew what to say. He knew what he needed to say. He'd come all this way to see him again. He'd come all this way to deliver a message and tell him one essential thing. He was sorry. It wasn't Baelfire who needed forgiveness. It was him. Maybe…without being too complicated, without making excuses, without holding back…he might get it out. So he took a breath and dared to step closer.

"You were right, Bae," he choked out.

Bae turned his head away to look out over the lake. Looking away, how many times had he seen him do that in his youth when he wasn't ready to hear what he had to say? But he had to hear it. Because his father had to say it, or else his heart would hurt like this for the rest of his life.

"You were always right. I was a coward, and I never should've let you go. I know it's little consolation, but…I just want you to know that ever since you left, ever since you crossed the barriers of time and space, in every waking moment…I've been looking for you."

His voice cracked. The back of his throat swelled with the tears he'd been holding back. Especially when he saw Bae's face begin to twist up as well. Tears. Tears could be good. For them both. He took a timid step forward. Baelfire didn't come closer, but he didn't back away as he moved toward him either.

"And now that I've finally found you… I know I can't make up for the past, for the lost time. All I can do is to ask you to do what you've always done. And that's to be the bigger man…and forgive me. I'm so sorry, son. I'm so sorry, Bae."

It was a surprise, a true shock to him when Bae's face contorted beyond recognition. He launched himself at him, and in the time it took him to consider what was about to happen, he felt arms around him, pressure pushing around his body. He hardly recognized what it was to be embraced as Baelfire cried onto his shoulder, and he wept. "Oh, my boy. My beautiful boy!"

His heart…oh, his heart felt like it might shatter. Belle had the ability to break his Curse, and in this moment, he wished he had magic because he knew that if he dared to kiss his son's cheek or his forehead that Curse would leave him again, and he wouldn't fight it off this time. This feeling inside of him, warmth and happiness and excitement…it would overpower any instinct to claw into him that the Dark Curse had ever had, and he'd be just a normal, ordinary man again. He'd be just a father. A father to his son. They could erase the years apart. They could break the Curse together and leave or stay here in Storybrooke; Curse be damned. So long as all was well. Was all well, wasn't it?

"Can you truly, truly forgive me?"

"I forgive you, Papa," he muttered into his ear.

He squeezed tighter at the words. Forgiveness. Reconciliation. Completion. He'd done it. He'd done what he'd set out to do. He'd crossed into a Land Without Magic, and his son had found him. He told him he was sorry, and now all was well. Truly, truly well. Except…the picture he'd drawn of the dagger, the one in his room at Granny's flashed in front of his eyes. Why? Why that dagger?

"You were looking for the knife."

"I thought that if you still had it, it would mean that you hadn't changed."

Was that all? He wanted to know if he'd changed? He had. Or at least he could! If that dagger was what he needed to prove it, then he could take it, and they'd cast it into the bottom of the ocean. What did he care?! In the Land Without Magic, it was useless anyway; just a pointy scrap of metal. The world would be better off without it, without his Curse. He had Baelfire. He had what he'd come for, the most important thing to him left on this earth. If getting rid of it was the key…well then…

"Well, let's go and find it and see."

So, fun fact, in my mind, I like to think that the drawing Rumple found in the room is a drawing that Neal, not August, did. When I wrote this chapter, and even now, as I read it back for its final edit, it always hits me how easily Rumple falls for this, how little Booth actually has to say to get him to believe. But, the little he does say would suggest that he has some knowledge of their past. He knows to call him "Papa," he has the drawing of the dagger, and he is able to play on the "I hoped you'd changed" sort of storyline that Bae was always on about. Even though we really never saw it, what I like about this chapter, and the next, is that it really suggests that Neal and August didn't just meet once or twice and part ways. It suggests to me that they sat down with each other, that they planned and plotted, and maybe even about more than just Emma. Personally, I like to think of the pair of them in a diner or something, exchanging stories, explaining who they are. I like to think about August coming up with this plan in front of Baelfire and Bae perhaps even drawing the image of the dagger right there and saying, "if you're going to pull this off, you need a few details or else he's going to know it's not me." No, it doesn't speak highly of their relationship, but at that point in Neal's life, I feel like doing something like that, betraying his Dad in that one small way, would probably be in character for him. Not canon, just what I picture.

Thank you, Alarda and Grace5231973, for your reviews on the last chapter. I'm interested to hear what you'll think of this chapter. It was painful to write, but only because I knew how it came out at the end of it. And by "the end of it," I mean the next chapter. Still, I'm interested to hear what you think. There were a few breaks in the scenes here where I had to fill in the blanks, and I hope that I made everything make sense (including how Rumple goes from Archie's office to mysteriously find Booth on the lakeshore). Peace and Happy Reading!