The magic in Snow's necklace was working, but there was a problem. As far as the rest of Storybrooke was concerned, magic was a fairy tale…at least for now. Still, it meant that he couldn't very well open the door and let the magical flying necklace out into the World Without Magic. Regina was out there, he didn't know how much of this she was aware of, but he wanted to remain as anonymous in the situation as possible. So he pocketed the necklace, locked the shop, and hobbled into his car.

His car. The car he knew how to drive despite never being taught.

The Dark Curse was so much more amazing than he'd ever imagined.

But he couldn't allow himself to be distracted.

As he turned the key, he let the necklace out of his pocket. It floated up into the air and knocked against his back window. It wasn't ideal, but at least it would be contained and not as obvious to those he drove by. He drove off the lot angling his car to face whatever direction the necklace wanted to go was a challenge, especially once the necklace led him out of the main town. He was nervous. They were close to the town line, and it only made him feel like he was running out of time. And then, just before he could get on the road out of town, the necklace turned back into the forest. It was something of a relief, but not by much. Snow and David weren't playing around. If they could get the magic in that flower to work, to form a portal to their daughter, they'd be gone in a heartbeat.

This was going to be difficult. Finding them was only half of the fight. After he found them, he had to convince them to take the potion. If they were back in the Enchanted Forest, he could overpower them or erase their memories, but he didn't have those abilities here. He'd have to get them to take the potion willingly. He tried to control his breathing as he drove on. He knew Snow White and Prince Charming well. He'd watched them both nearly their entire lives. He knew how to make deals with them. He'd make them see, leave them with a very clear choice. They could be heroes, or they could help Regina and actively participate in leaving the town, and all their friends, trapped in a terrible curse for the rest of eternity. He couldn't force them to do anything; he just had to trust it would be as it was supposed to be.

The Locator Potion led him to a farmhouse just on the edge of town. Mr. Gold knew that no one lived there or had for years. Oh, he hated not having magic. The Seer, in the back of his head, he could feel her there, taking up space, but he couldn't hear what she was trying to say, what she wanted to warn him about! He couldn't even make out the voices of the Dark Ones; they were but shadows to him now. And the voices. It was like they were trying to call to him through a thick sheet of ice. He could feel them and their desire to scream…but he heard nothing but white noise. Still, the Locator Potion indicated the royal couple he sought was close. Warning or not, he couldn't lose this opportunity.

So he got out of the car, checked the jewel in his hand, and went in the back door. If the voices he heard coming from the front room were any indication, he'd come just in time.

"Regina's onto us. It won't be long before she finds out," Snow was muttering quickly.

"Did you bring it?" David asked. There was a pause and some heavy breathing before he heard David continue. "Rumple said its magic is strong enough to lead us to Emma."

"Let's go find our daughter," Snow whispered. Just in time, as he'd feared…

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he explained, sauntering into the room.

The couple looked shocked to see him. Their hands were joined, and in David's other hand, he held a flower that he recognized all too easily. It was the pixie. That was the source of trouble. He hoped that whatever had occurred to make it grow didn't happen again. They couldn't do this over and over again until the girl came of age. He understood that. But now he had to explain it to her parents. He doubted they'd take it as well.

"It appears we've only been cursed for ten years. She's still years shy of her 28th birthday, the day she's destined to become the Savior."

"No, she doesn't have to be the Savior anymore. We're awake," Snow argued.

"Well, Snow White and Prince Charming may be awake, but the rest of this town is very much asleep. Find Emma now, and she will never fulfill her destiny, the Curse will never be broken, and everyone will be trapped here forever."

"What do you expect us to do...just leave her out there?"

He took a breath and reached into his pocket. "Drink this, like I'm going to," he explained. "It'll put you back under, and then, when the time is right, Emma will find us."

"That's easy for you to say. You don't have a child who's out there by herself."

"You have no idea what's out there for me," he growled. If he had his magic, he would have choked him to get his point across or even make him back up. David stepped up to him so close that they were nearly toe to toe. "You can't stop us. You don't have magic in this world. Here, you're just a man," he proclaimed.

"I don't need magic to stop you," he commented as David moved around him. And he hoped those words were true. He couldn't appear to be an antagonist to them now. He had to be a friend, someone who appealed to their lighter side. David was hot-headed and always would be. But his wife, the lovely Snow White…there were tears gathering in her eyes at this moment. She was the weaker of the two. She'd understand. She'd sent their daughter here to save everyone…they'd already done what he was asking them to do once. They could do it again. David would just need the convincing of his wife. His potion was going to make it easier. For all of them.

"You see," he muttered, stepping up to Snow. Was she the weaker of the two…or was she the stronger? This would give him that answer. "This potion...is the only way forward…for everyone. That flower in your hand, the dust will open a portal. It'll allow you to see your daughter and get to her if you choose. You and your husband and your daughter, you will live happily ever after. But the rest of us, everyone else in this town…we'll all be doomed. No happy endings. Just the same day over and over again, just as it's been for the last ten years."

Snow's face was iron, a mixture of every possible emotion frozen on her face. The eyes were angry but also still wet with tears. Her mouth was puckered with frustration, but the corners were turned down in sorrow. And her breathing...it was calm, but too even to suggest true peace; it was as if she were counting her breaths out. Oh, she wanted to say something to him, but she didn't know what. She was conflicted to the very marrow of her bones. A seed was planted. With her, that was all it would take.

He heard heavy footfalls on the floor behind him, and suddenly he felt David over his shoulder. "And who's to say you don't deserve that?" he asked. "Everything you've done, who's to say you don't deserve to stay in this town and rot?!"

"Perhaps I do," he answered, keeping his gaze firmly on Snow White. "But you can't say the same about your friend Red, or her dear old Granny. You can't say the same thing about the dwarves you've known and loved so well."

"We'll come back for them."

"For everyone? All the children in your classes, the mechanic, your next-door neighbor? Or just your friends. Even if you did, they don't even know who or what they are right now. Only that something is missing and they can't find it. Taking them out of town won't change that. Only a Savior will. The only one with the power to stop it is Emma."

"We'll bring her ourselves." Suddenly David moved around him and pushed himself between him and Snow, breaking their contact. It didn't matter. Before he'd been shoved aside, he'd seen her face. It was already done. "Snow, we can bring her back ourselves when the time is right. We can come when she turns twenty-eight."

"Are you sure about that?" he interjected before Snow could reply. "You've been asleep for the last ten years. You know nothing of this world or how difficult it is for young people to take vacations and get away from their lives. Who's to say she'll want to come? Or that she'll stay once she's here? Or that she'll be strong enough? It's a difficult path she has to trod ahead of her and a delicate one. But Emma is our best chance and her best chance at besting Regina…it's not with the two of you."

David whipped around so quickly that he had to bite his cheek to keep from reacting. "That's enough! We know what's best for our daughter! She needs her parents. And now we're leaving. Snow, let's go." He grabbed his wife's hand and pulled her around him so that they only locked eyes one more time for a brief second. His heart raced as David pulled her away. The potion was still in his hand.

"You're not leaving with something that belongs to me, dearie!" he called after him.

"What?!" David inquired, pausing in the doorframe.

"That sword."

"What about it, it's mine?!"

"In another world, maybe. But in this world, I have the paperwork that says it belongs to me. I have the appraisal for what it's worth and the bills from the insurance company. That's a lot of money there. I'm sure Mary Margaret would be happy to explain what happens to people in this world who steal such precious objects. I'm sure she'd also be happy to explain my reputation for protecting what's mine."

"David…" Snow breathed, tugging on his arm. "He's right. It's not worth it."

"Here…an exchange, not that I'm owed one as it belongs to me, but I'm willing. The sword for this potion…do we have a deal?"

David squared his eyes at him, and his nostrils flared in anger. He didn't mind. It wasn't really him he was making this deal with. It was his wife.

"David, let's just…let's just take it and leave. We can toss it in the flower bed on the way out," she sighed. Then she stepped forward in an attempt to take the potion from him, but he quickly pulled it away.

"The sword…" Snow White turned around to look at her husband, and after a few seconds of staring at one another, he tossed it onto the floor with a huff. "Excellent choice. Just remember…do this my way, and you may wait a while longer to see your daughter, but the town will be saved, and Emma will fulfill her destiny."

Snow made another reach for it, but he pulled it away again and took her hand in his own.

"Do this your way, and…well…let's just say…it would be an awful thing to deprive a Savior the opportunity to save," he muttered, placing the bottle in her hands and folding her fingers around it. They locked eyes for a second longer, then David grabbed her hand, pulled her free, and the pair wandered out through another door.

This chapter had some fun goals that it had to accomplish. First, I had to get Rumple into the scene, which was a task all on its own. We talked about the Locator Potion in the last chapter, but I couldn't very well have him walking down the street with it. The car was the best solution I had. Then I had to get him into the room. This is what irritates me about these later seasons. A&E start going for shock value rather than logical thinking. Which, in their own defense, works fine when their characters have magic at their fingertips. But here...tell me, Rumple has no magic, Snow is keeping watch for David at the front window, the house is in the middle of nowhere with one road in...how in the hell does Rumple manage to sneak up on them? Am I supposed to believe he hiked through the woods? With a bad ankle? In the end, there was one small moment where David comes into the house and has a conversation with Snow that draws her away from the window, and I decided that must have been where Rumple pulled up. It was luck. But still...it was a stupid thing to fret over. Oh, and then, of course, I had to get the sword back. We didn't see David turn it over to Gold in this episode, but when he goes out into the woods, he doesn't have it with him anymore. And we know later that the sword is, in fact, in Gold's shop waiting for Emma. I couldn't see Regina returning it. And we also never really saw Snowing take the potion, so...I worked with what I had on this chapter. There were many little holes that needed to be filled in, but I promise I gave it my best shot. Hopefully, you'll agree.

Thank you, Jennifer Baratta, Alarda, and Fox24, for your reviews on the last chapter! They are very much appreciated! I hope you won't mind this one. Despite the holes, I think it actually turned out sort of well, at least. But the next chapter...the next chapter really made up for that. I had a lot of fun with the next chapter, and I can't wait for you to read it. So, without further ado...let's continue on! Peace and Happy Reading!