He had to think, and he had to think quickly.

The good news in all this? Regina had just confirmed, finally, that she had magic just as he'd suspected she did. However, in the same breath, she'd also confessed that she'd just used the last of it. Fine. No use crying over spilled milk. And given the way things were going, that at least put them on an even playing field.

The bad news was that there was still a Sleeping Curse walking around Storybrooke! That could potentially be very damaging and damning! Was that what she had needed Jefferson for? How could he have helped her get her hands on a Sleeping Curse? The one and only attempt she'd ever had was a failure! Snow White had woken. And the apple she'd used…the apple…fuck!

Suddenly he remembered something he hadn't thought of in years, something that had seemed odd at the time but he hadn't worried about because he'd had too many other things to worry about at the time. And once everything was said and done, things had worked out so well he'd never seen reason to look back on it. Maybe that was a mistake.

The day that Snow White had taken the apple, he'd watched it as it rolled out of her hand, planning on fetching it to make sure it stayed out of the wrong hands, but then he'd seen something remarkable…it had been swallowed up into the ground, into a portal. Portals, Jefferson's specialty. But…he'd never known a portal that could move through space and time like that! Time travel was only theoretical; it had never been accomplished. Then again, this wasn't really traveling…that portal had been big enough for the apple and nothing else. And Jefferson's Hat…in all his years, he'd never encountered anything like it. The only thing more powerful than it was the Dark Curse. Could it have been responsible? Could he have pulled the apple through for Regina? He hated to admit it, but it was possible. And at the moment, it didn't matter...

What mattered was that it was here, in this world! And Regina…oh, she just loved to bake, didn't she? The container Emma had left her home with, he'd bet his dagger that whatever was in that container had something apple flavored. And that was a problem, a very big problem, but one with an easy solution.

He could fix it all right that moment by going over and taking whatever she'd given the Savior, removing it from her care! It had to happen. Emma Swan couldn't take that Sleeping Curse! A Sleeping Curse had one fatal flaw, and that was True Love's Kiss. So far, his understanding of the Savior was that was a bad thing. This wasn't like Snow White taking the Sleeping Curse. Her True Love had been a grown man, a very resourceful and determined man. So far, the only person who loved Emma truly enough was a little boy under the sway of the Queen, and Regina would know that. No doubt, once Emma was asleep, Regina would do everything in her power to keep Henry from her. He had no doubt Henry might actually achieve what was necessary, but that could take years. And the belief of a little boy could ebb and-

He had been about to leave the shop for Mary Margaret's apartment when a new thought crossed his mind. It was a plan. A new plan so perfectly formed that if he didn't know any better, he'd think the Seer or past Dark Ones had put it together. More evidence of the weakening of the Curse? He shut the door to his shop and stilled as he thought the plan through, trying to analyze it quickly as he could for flaws or weaknesses. It had both. Risky plans had that. But risky plans also had the potential for a big reward, and the reward at the end of this plan…it was big.

The belief of a little boy…

The Savior didn't believe in magic. Not one bit. But she did love her son. He understood that even if she didn't. And Henry loved her, he was confident in that. The love between a child and parent was sacred; it was a form of True Love on its own. If she slept…what good would it do? She'd probably believe that Regina poisoned her, and years later if Henry woke her with a kiss, she'd probably still believe it to be a coincidence.

But if it was reversed…if Henry took the potion, if he took the Curse and she woke him with a kiss, specifically True Love's Kiss…that could be life-changing. That could get them to the kind of belief they needed for her to break the Curse. And Henry…

He'd do it. He'd take on the Sleeping Curse for Emma. He'd do it without being asked because he was a brave little boy who truly believed in his mother and the Curse and her ability to free them. It was a risky plan. But genius. The question was how to get him to do it.

He didn't have a goon on Henry, so he didn't know his current location, kidnapping him was out of the question, telling him was even further out of the question because he didn't want anyone else to know that he was aware of who he was until it was necessary.

But, technically, he didn't need to tell the boy. He just needed to get him there. Henry had all the information he needed and all the belief in the world. He'd recognize something from his own kitchen, he'd suspect Regina, he'd put two and two together, he'd take it on willingly to save Storybrooke, just as Snow had done it to save David. So the question wasn't how to get him to take it; he just had to get him to that apartment and fast.

He looked around his room, searching for ideas. He spotted Baelfire's ball in the place that he had moved it after Booth had come in. Booth and Henry-

And then he knew.

He left the shop without even bothering to lock the door. He had a suspicion about that day, one that he hadn't bothered to confirm because he hadn't really believed it, but now he suddenly found himself giving it new life. He wasn't angry. He didn't have time to be angry, he just had to get this done. He didn't have eyes on Booth, but he knew where to start looking for him. Granny's Bed and Breakfast. He stormed into the room without even bothering to knock, taking the unlocked door as a good sign, and spun around searching the place until he found…

There he was. August Booth. He was lying on the bed like some kind of invalid might, only he was smiling up at him with a grin that made him want to slap the man.

"Nice of you to drop by," he commented, not even bothering to get up for him.

"That day you came into the shop…Henry was working with you, wasn't he? To distract me," he accused. If he wouldn't get out of bed, that was just fine by him. They didn't have time for niceties; he needed answers! "Wasn't he?!"

"Fine, you caught us?" Booth admitted with a bored sigh. "What are you gonna do about it?"

He smiled. That was perfect, just perfect. "I'm not gonna do anything. You, on the other hand, are going to call Henry and tell him to go to Emma. She needs to see him now, this instant."

"Why?"

"It's a matter of life or death," he explained.

Booth shook his head side to side, sneering at him in disgust. "I won't put the kid in danger."

"He won't be in danger!" he stressed. "Not as long as Emma is here, not as long as we can get her to believe."

"That's the problem she doesn't believe!" Booth blurt out. "She's leaving, going back to Boston. We've failed."

"This won't fail. This will get her there. You just need to make a call!"

He pointed to the phone on the table but watched Booth as his eyes slid to the table and then back again to him. He didn't move a muscle. That was odd. In fact, he was suddenly beginning to realize that he hadn't moved at all on the bed. He hadn't jumped when he'd come in, hadn't moved his neck to follow him, hadn't even raised his hand to scratch an itch. Out of curiosity, he moved again, coming closer to Booth. The puppet swallowed nervously but otherwise stayed where he was, his eyes following him.

His illness…what could cause a man to go so still? To go so lifeless? Booth had said he needed Emma to heal him. Magic could do a number on physical ailments, but humans were also creatures of habit, prone to addiction and comfort. When something worked once, they were likely to go back and do it again. After years of living in the real world with modern medicine, he claimed he was dying despite appearing to be healthy. But there was one ailment Pinocchio had once suffered from that magic had "fixed." Living in a world without magic…that particular ailment could be fatal.

His suspicion led him to approach the side of his bed. Without asking permission, he reached over to yank a bit of his pant leg up away from his skin. But it wasn't skin or ankle he found beneath.

"Wood," he concluded, looking over at him. "You're turning back into a puppet. This is the sickness you want cured? The wish you want granted?"

"When the Blue Fairy granted my father's wish and turned me, she told me the magic would only continue to work if I remained selfless, brave, and true. Before the Curse struck, she found a magical tree that could be carved into a wardrobe that could take people to this land, powerful enough to get two people here. It was meant for the Charmings, but my father struck a deal. He'd carve the wardrobe if I could have that second ticket. But then Snow White gave birth before she could be taken to the wardrobe. My father put me in before the Curse struck, and I was charged with watching over Emma in this world, to tell her about her destiny, to help her save everyone. She arrived after me, and for a while, I did my best but…the temptations of this world were too much."

He'd been right. Right about the wardrobe, about how he and Emma had gotten here. But he could never have guessed the second part. "You were just a child yourself."

"But I'm afraid I haven't been very selfless, brave, or true. One night I woke up to pain in my leg, and I realized after all those years I was turning back to wood. Best I can figure, it first happened when Emma arrived in Storybrooke, and the Curse first started to break."

"Your leg turned to wood in the world outside Storybrooke?"

"Yeah, but no one can see it. Not unless they believe. This isn't so much a Land Without Magic as it is a Land Without Belief. There is magic, but it's weak. Belief is very powerful out there. It can activate magic in this world for good or bad…trouble is most adults have trouble with the believing part. I, on the other hand, had a head start."

Smart man. It was painful, no doubt to turn into wood, and it was probably because of that he'd come to the correct conclusion. Without magic in the world, once the process was complete, he'd be a full-grown puppet. Here in Storybrooke, if the Curse broke, whether or not Emma had the power to fix this, at least he'd be alive, a walking talking puppet just as he had been in the Enchanted Forest. But only if they could get this to work. Belief. That was what Henry wanted from Emma.

Fortunately, he was a smart man too, and after centuries of practice, he knew the strategy he has to use to see this through; the strategy to get the man to do this. "Call Henry," he ordered, pulling his own phone out of his pocket. "Tell him he needs to go to see Emma right away."

"Why? She's leaving, told me so herself."

"Which is why it's very important she see her son."

"He already knows. What's happening?"

"The Evil Queen has resurrected a favorite curse of hers, the Sleeping Curse. She's realized that she can't kill the Savior because the Curse would be broken, but if she puts her to sleep, in a coma, like David was-"

"Then she'll be stuck here forever."

"She's hidden the potion in something she took to Emma earlier, probably a tart or a pie, something with apples in it-"

"And what, you expect Henry to stop her from eating it." In a manner of speaking. But before he could respond, he saw Booth's eyes go dark, and he pulled his head back, reeling a bit as he knew he'd discovered the plan himself. "No…you expect Henry to sacrifice himself. You expect him to take it!"

"It's magic, Mr. Booth. Magic can do very powerful things even when people don't believe in it. If Henry takes the curse himself, if he falls into the Sleep meant for Emma-"

"She might believe. But…then Henry-"

"There are all kinds of love in this world; all kinds of True Love. If she won't believe for a man or her parents, maybe she can get there for her child."

"But he'll be cursed."

Yes. Yes, he would. And if-when he woke up, there would be side effects to that. But they could be managed. He could help with it. After all, he had no animosity toward the boy whatsoever, at least not until he knew whether or not he was the boy that would lead him back to his son. At the moment, he had no wish to see harm come to him. But he needed August to do this.

"This is the part where you have to be brave, Mr. Booth. This is the part where you have to trust the Dark One."

Still…sometimes people required a bit more. Booth looked as though he was coming around to the idea, but he didn't appear to be there yet. The good news was that when all else failed, he was the Dark One. He knew how to play the game.

"Mr. Booth…you know, more than anyone in this world, that what I want above all else is for the Curse to break, to get magic back into the world. You know why, and not just in an intellectual sense. You don't just know about my son…you know him...don't you?"

He did. He could see it on his face as he sucked his lips in a bit as if trying to hide the truth from him. But then his nostrils flared, and he held his head up a little higher and managed a single nod.

"I do."

So there it was. The truth. Baelfire was here. He was out there. And before him was the man who potentially could lead him right to him. Not exactly a boy physically, but age-wise…it was possible he was the one, not Henry. He might have been closer than he'd ever been. He just had to get this accomplished before Emma decided she was hungry!

"This means we both have something the other wants," he pointed out to Booth. "You know how hard I've worked over the years to get myself back to my son. It's driven me. So let it drive me now. Make the call to Henry. I'll get Emma to believe, break the Curse, bring Henry back, and bring back magic…in return, you tell me where to find my son. Your part in this is very simple, Mr. Booth. It's just one call."

He offered the phone to him. He watched as his chest rose and fell with heavy breathes. He knew he was contemplating, but if he didn't have an answer in a few moments, then he was prepared to go over the apartment himself and-

Slowly, Booth managed to grab the phone out of his hand with stiff fingers. He watched as he dialed the number with all the speed of a turtle, but late was better than never as he put the gadget to his ear.

"Henry…listen, I need you to check on your mom for me," he explained to Henry as he stared him down. "I'm worried about her, but I'm busy with my father and…I don't think she wants to see me and…I don't think I can get to her. Just call her…talk to her…check on her for me." He grimaced as Booth went quiet. "Call her" was not part of the plan. Nonetheless, Booth smiled and before he whispered, "Thanks, buddy."

I freakin loved this chapter so much! It took me forever to figure out how to get Rumple from 1x20 to 1x21 when I realized that this was really in character for both Rumple and Booth. After Regina's declaration in the last chapter, Rumple isn't just going to sit there and let his hard work go down the drain because of Regina. He's going to fight. But of course, we all know it's not Rumple that shows up at the apartment to take the tart; it's Henry. How does Henry know to go there when he already knows Emma is leaving? Why would he go over at that moment? August was the connection, and Rumple and August suddenly working together was the plot point it needed, at least in my opinion. It was so much fun to get to write this chapter to have them work together and have Rumple put everything together. This chapter connects us to the past fiction (Rumple seeing the apple vanish, learning how August got there, and the plan with the wardrobe) and the next fiction. In true Rumple fashion, I love that he can manipulate August here into getting a two-for-one deal. Did you catch that? He's literally saying, "you, August, are going to make this call for me. In return, I'll get Emma to believe. And in return, you tell me where my son is." You better believe that is going to play into the next fiction. Rumple does one thing, admittedly a big thing, but August does two. I love it.

Thank you, Grace5231973, for your reviews on the last chapter. It's very much appreciated and now I'm looking forward to what you have to say about this one. I'm hoping that you will love it as much as I do. I can't believe we're down to the last five chapters of this fiction. They've got some great stuff in them so if you are ready, then let's move on to the finale! Peace and Happy Reading!