~ New Kids In Town ~
A few weeks later everyone was on their way back to Storybrooke. Regina called ahead to let everyone know there were going to be some new additions to the town's population and she ordered they be treated with respect or face her wrath. No one wanted to face the wrath of the former Evil Queen or Rumple since she gave them a warning from him as well that anyone caught mistreating the new arrivals would join the snail population. The townspeople were curious about the new arrivals, one being a family and the others were the real Dearly family from 101 Dalmatians, soon to be Archie's in-laws since he proposed to Selene while they were still in Florida.
Sapphira was less than pleased when she found out she was getting another set of neighbors, these ones two children and their parents from another state…outsiders! It was appalling to her. She wondered what would roll into town next…bicycle gangs? The mayor was an idiot and so was that demon Rumplestiltskin for allowing outsiders to invade their domain.
Melanie knew there was little hope her daughter would be able to make friends with the new neighbors if they were already told of her misdeeds. She preached to Sapphira about the damage a person's misdeeds can cause to a reputation but the girl closed her mind and her ears to her mother's words of wisdom. She would follow her own path and damn anyone who got in her way.
Rumple had the library apartment remodeled for Selene to live in until she and Archie got married. His wedding gift to the couple would be having Archie's apartment redone and gave the Dearlys an excellent price on a farmhouse where they could continue to raise their Dalmatians. His wedding gift for Robin and Regina was an all expenses paid honeymoon cruise and offering to watch Roland while the couple was gone. Roland loved the idea of staying behind with Killian, Aria and the Carlyles so that they could start having their own adventures as the new Nevengers.
Emma was enjoying the idea of having a more experienced law enforcement official working with her and taking charge while she spent precious time with her family. She once joked to her mother that being the Savior meant she didn't get a day off. Now she had months of it and she would enjoy every minute. Also the people in town would have a much more difficult time trying to get away with anything around Nick Carlyle. The man was as sharp as a tack.
Bae was also adjusting to being Archie's new assistant counselor as his credentials and license had finally been approved by the state and he was now a full-fledged child counselor specializing in abused children. It made for a long work day but at the end of it he knew Emma was waiting at home with his kids and he was content with his family . . .even if they did occasionally make him tear his hair out.
Archie said Bae would soon be as highly regarded as he was, since the young man had a knack for getting kids to actually talk to him, especially those who were normally reticent and belligerent. Bae said it came from his years on Neverland and also growing up with Rumple . . who was also quiet and reticent about things that bothered him.
'If you feel comfortable with it Bae, I'd like to have some of my adult patients have a session or two with you while I'm on my honeymoon so that you have experience with them too."
Archie knew from his own experience that adults could be as traumatized by abuse as children.
"I can. I just need to see the case files of the ones you'd like me to have sessions with," his junior partner replied.
"I'll have them ready for you before we leave so you have time to review them. They're women mostly. And...to start...I am going to be your first patient."
Bae blinked. "You are?"
The therapist nodded. "I know haven't told you much about my childhood...I don't like to talk about it...but I think it's time I did."
Bae nodded. "Well then, Archie, make yourself comfortable . . ." he gestured to the gray plush divan and nudged the office door shut with his foot. Their secretary would know not to disturb them then.
Archie took a deep breath. "My parents rarely struck me...words were their weapons of choice..." he began.
Bae nodded. "And sometimes words hurt more than a smack. My mama did the same to me and my papa . . .especially him." He relaxed in his chair.
"They were con artists...taught me the tricks of the trade and when I couldn't deliver the goods...I was useless to them."
He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, fighting back tears. "I hated them. I hated them so much I was willing to do anything to get them the hell out of my life!"
"What did they make you do?" Bae asked, knowing that besides the mental abuse there had to be something tangible as well.
"Pick pockets...pretend I had every exotic illness you can imagine if they were trying to sell one of their cure alls…just about every con game you can imagine they played."
"And if you objected, what did they do?" he queried. "Was there one particular incident that stands out in your mind?"
He nodded. "I was twelve...we were at some festival...not quite sure what it was and I was making my rounds while my parents held their puppet show to distract everyone. I cut a hole in my pocket so half of what I took fell out. My father was furious...and he locked me in the wagon overnight..."
He could still hear himself screaming to be let out.
"Did they berate you for not being a good son?" Bae asked shrewdly. "For not being like them and enjoying the game?"
"Constantly. When I was younger they made it sound like we were helping people. Helping people!" He laughed harshly.
"So they conned you too." Bae said sympathetically.
"I was still living with them in my twenties because my father always told me that if I tried to run off they would turn me in...turn ME in when they were doing the worst of it!"
"Blackmail and coercion . . .did you ever wish you could get rid of them? Even though you knew they were your parents whom you were supposed to respect and love?" Bae knew that belief was a common one in their land as well as in this one. "And did those thoughts ever make you feel guilty?"
"Yes...and then when I did try to do something...it backfired on me and Geppetto's family was destroyed in the process!"
"Hmm . . .and that led you to becoming a cricket. Did you ever ask Blue why she couldn't change them back? Or ask my papa to do so?"
"I thought there was nothing that could be done. Blue told me there wasn't and...I was afraid of your father and what he would ask of me if I made another deal."
"So you let your guilt drive you into making a worse one with the fairy," Bae conjectured. "Let me ask you something else. Did Geppetto ever forgive you for doing what you did?"
"Yes."
"But you never forgave yourself. I think that's a big part of your problem," his partner said. "You haven't let the guilt and anger and shame go. You've carried it like a millstone about your neck for years."
"It's not easy..."
"No . . .I know that. I've carried my own guilt, for being the cause of my papa taking the Dark One curse. But perhaps you can start by doing something you didn't before . . .ask Papa about removing the curse over Geppetto's parents."
"Now? After all this time? How would it...? They won't know him!"
"A parent always knows his child," Bae laughed. "My papa did. And they will too."
"I...I can try..."
"Do it . . and Papa will tell you if he can free them without lasting harm . . .and then without that reminder perhaps you can start letting the guilt die," he encouraged.
"I'm too nervous to go over there alone. I mean...I know Rumple is different now but what if he can't...?"
"I'll go with you," Bae soothed. "And if he can't he'll tell you why and we'll go from there. But if he can, so much the better for everyone," Bae said.
"You know...Selene said the same thing..." Archie smiled. "Well Bae, that is how you handle an adult case...you gave me a solution I was too afraid to think of myself."
He called Selene. She was over at the library with Belle helping her categorize and shelve some new books she'd ordered and they had to send back a few suggested titles by the book company that were explicit in nature.
"If I get one more copy of 50 Shades of Grey I am going to order more and have myself a good book burning," raged Belle.
"Or the sequels. 50 Shades Darker and 50 Shades Freed," Selene added.
Belle cringed. "How does anyone find what those people do sexy? It's disgusting!"
"Who knows? And if they want to read it, let them order copies online and have it shipped directly to their house. I wouldn't put these anywhere kids and teenagers could read them."
"Good...now what was that man of yours telling you that has you smiling?"
As soon as Selene had gotten the call Belle went to shelve some of the books so that the two could talk privately.
She wasn't the type to listen in on someone's intimate conversations though she was curious.
"Well, Archie had a long talk with Bae about his guilt over what happened with Geppetto and his parents. And Bae said to go and ask Rumple to change them back . .. "
"That's a wonderful idea! I know Rumple will be more than happy to help."
And she had every confidence that her husband could change them back unlike a certain sanctimonious former fairy.
"Good because Archie has been living with this so long...and I don't want him beating himself up over it anymore."
"Nor does he need to. I'm still working on Rumple with his issues. The important thing is to never give up on him...be there for him. It means so much."
"He says he rarely talks about his past with anyone."
"You're not just anyone honey. You're his true love, soon to be his wife. Rumple tells me things he hasn't even told Bae because he feels comfortable enough to."
"I told him to call me and let me know how it goes. He's taking Bae with him."
"Good for him."
"Belle, where is your craft section? I'm trying to come up with new ideas for my shop," Peri Carlyle asked as she approached the circulation desk.
Moe French was furious that there was now another floral and gift shop open for business right across from Game of Thorns and its owner was an outsider who seemed to be doing well.
She even sold some woven items Rumple made and Elsa's ice sculptures.
Moe called the Gold house several times leaving nasty messages for his son-in-law, accusing him of trying to put him out of business.
"I'll help you find it, Peri," Selene offered.
Over at one of the tables, a certain former fairy was not pleased with this sudden turn of events. How dare the Dark One try to cheat her out of seeing the everlasting punishment she'd placed on that former cricket or try to undo his own evil!
It would happen over her dead body!
No, they both deserved to pay for what they'd done and pay they would...
An idea formed in her mind.
She owed that upstart Rumple for the many times he'd humiliated her in her new form. No one would call her the Blue Butthole again when she was finished!
Getting the dolls out of Gold's shop required a bit of magic but there was plenty at the convent she had access to since Nova that foolish tart that had taken her place wasn't even smart enough to secure a doorknob.
The Cloak of Shadows was what she needed. It was a cloak that made the wearer invisible for a short period of time, meant to be used only in dire need.
And the Box of Nothing would serve as a receptacle for the dolls once she retrieved them-she refused to think of it as stealing from that imp in human clothing-and hide them from all prying eyes even magical ones.
She closed the book she was reading and threw it at the circulation desk, knocking over a copy of Rumple and Belle's wedding photo, spiderweb like cracks forming in the glass of the frame.
Soon the imp like the glass would be broken. She would always be there to remind him he was evil to the core and belonged in Hell.
Him, his whore of a wife, and his demonspawn offspring.
While Sapphira was putting her plan for revenge into action, Bae and Archie drove over to the Victorian to speak to Rumple. He was babysitting Aria, Killian, Bobby and Annie for their parents.
Emma was at the station with Nick getting him settled in before she went on leave.
The little kids were playing outside in the famed Nevengers clubhouse while Rumple was playing with Aria on the thick quilt, using a hand puppet with five little pigs to sing "This Little Piggy Went To Market" to his granddaughter and play with her tiny feet, tickling her.
"Too bad we don't have a venture to go on yet," Killian grumbled.
"Where can we find one?" Annie asked, examining the quilts on the beds.
"We gotta look for it I guess."
"Dad always says you don't need to go lookin' for trouble, it finds you," Bobby recited.
"Yeah an' we found plenty. Word of advice. Don't touch anything in Grandpa's shop specially the bottles. There's nasty genies hidin in em."
"There are? Like mean ones?" Annie cried. "Like Jafar?"
"Yeah and this one was called Desdemonia but she was a crab infested ho."
"Gross!" Bobby made a face. "What'd she do?"
"Wrecked Grandpa's shop, made me not talk an tried to hit on Grampa an give him her crabs."
"Eew! Nasty! Hope you stuffed her back in the bottle," Annie said.
"Yup!" He frowned. "I hadta get a spanking though."
"From your dad?" Bobby guessed.
"Nah. Grandpa since I didn't do as I was told an not touch."
Annie winced. "I bet you were sorry then, huh? I always am when Daddy spanks us."
"Yeah, but he don't do it much," Bobby said.
"Yeah cause that mean crab lady woulda made him havta do bad stuff to keep me safe."
"Mr. Gold is a cool grandpa. We never knew ours. My mom's daddy died before I was born and Grandpa Joe died when I was two," Annie recited.
"That really sucks. I had grandparents before but I never knew em. S'why I like this time as a kid better."
Bobby nodded. "You mean you didn't like when you was a pirate? Didja make anyone walk the plank n' stuff?"
"Was your real parents pirates?" Annie wanted to know.
"Yeah did all that stuff and my first dad was a mean ole pirate."
"Was your mom too?"
"No but she wasn't really happy..."
"So you don't miss it? Your old life?" queried Bobby curiously.
"Never I was a mean ole jerk who almost roasted in Lucifie's stew pot with Pukin and the hag."
"Then it's better you're little again," Annie stated firmly.
"Yep cause now I can learn to be good an have a better family."
He glared at the house next door. "You met the blue fart yet?"
"No. What's she like?" asked Annie warily. "She seems stuck up. Gave me a nasty look when we was moving in."
"She's a mean ex fairy. Hates everybody but usta put on an act like she was holier n thou. Ya know?"
The two Carlyles nodded. "Like this girl in my class at school. Acted all nice round the teacher but when Miss Prentice wasn't looking she pushed people and called them names and everything," Annie said. "But then I got mad when she pushed my best friend and hurt her, so I punched her one and asked how she liked it."
"Yeah we kicked Blue's butt a few times. She still tries to pull her crap...can't learn to be nice."
"Dad says some people can't learn . . cause they don't wanna. That's the ones you gotta put away for good . . cause if ya don't they just keep hurting people." Bobby told him.
"Or ya send em to Hell for Lucifie to eat."
"Yeah. Wonder if bad kids go there?" Annie mused.
"Ummm...I dunno...maybe," Killian shrugged.
"Annie, what's it matter? None of us is gonna know till we die," Bobby said philosophically. "So don't worry about it. That's God's job." He went and got a juice box from the fridge and said, "Let's play Candy Land."
"Cool. Did I ever tell ya bout the time me an Grandpa got caught playing Grand Theft Auto?"
Bobby's jaw dropped. "You played THAT? Dad says that game's really bad and it oughta be banned!"
"Only he wouldn't tell us how bad. He said we didn't need to know," Annie sighed.
"It is bad...had naked people doing the nasty...swearin, shootin an stealing stuff. Dad was reaallly mad."
The Carlyle kids' eyes bugged out. "Umm didja get spanked for playin' it? How'd you get it anyway?"
"Henry got it from a kid at school. And Dad put us in the corner an we had to stay in the house."
"What did you do with the game?" Bobby wanted to know.
"Dad threw it away."
The two looked relieved. Then they heard a car pull up. "Let's see who's here," Killian said and ran out the door to the side of the fence.
Archie was trying to maintain his composure, hoping Rumple wouldn't be angry with him for bringing up a part of their past that should be buried.
"Bae..maybe we should...forget the whole thing..."
"You're not getting cold feet now, are you?" Bae said. "C'mon. He won't turn you into a snail." He waved at the kids watching by the fence. "Hey, rugrats!"
"Hey Dad! Hey Archie, wassup?" asked Killian.
"The sky," Bae smirked. "You behaving for your grandpa, imp?"
"Yep. Business is slow so we're playing Candy Land."
"Candy Land used to be your favorite game when you played with Regina, Belle, and Papa," Bae recalled. "Have fun. We gotta go and talk with Papa."
"We will!"
Archie swallowed the lump in his throat. So many times he walked into the shop and saw the evidence of his foolishness...and had been too afraid to ask if it could be undone.
Bae put a hand on his shoulder as he opened the door and went inside. He heard the soft sound of Rumple singing a lullaby and put a finger to his lips.
"Hush pretty baby, don't say a word, yer granpa's gonna buy you a mocking bird . . . .. "
They peered into the living room and saw Rumple cuddling his grandbaby on his shoulder and singing while he walked up and down, patting her back.
The baby's eyes were almost shut and she was yawning.
Archie backed away thinking it was not a good time.
Bae grabbed his arm and shook his head, mouthing "Wait."
The sound of his father's soft mellow voice brought him right back to when he was a child and Rumple sang him to sleep in the trundle bed.
Aria whimpered and stuffed her hand in her mouth.
"Shh, my wee lass, dinna fight the sandman . . .just shut yer eyes by and by . . ." Rumple hummed and rocked and soon the baby had drifted off. When he was sure she was asleep, he put her in the Pac N Play and covered her with a light crocheted blanket with her name on it.
Then he walked to the foyer and said, "She's asleep, now what's the matter, Bae?" He looked at his son.
"Maybe we should...forget it..." Archie insisted nervously.
Rumple eyed him. "Come on . . .we can talk in the kitchen. I'll make some tea and the kids need some lunch and you can tell me what's going on."
"Bae, I still think this is not a good idea now..." Archie stammered.
"What isn't a good idea?" Rumple asked. "Have you gotten in some kind of trouble?"
"No trouble, Papa, just . . .we need to know if you can remove a curse," Bae interjected.
"That depends, dearie. What is it and who was it cast upon?"
"Two dolls in your shop..." Archie blurted.
"Geppetto's parents?" Rumple clarified.
"Yes..."
"You want to know if I can change them back?" Rumple queried as he made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chicken soup for the kids for lunch, along with chocolate chip bars.
"I know I should have asked long ago but...I...I was told it was impossible..."
Rumple waved a hand and the plates of food were transported to the clubhouse. Then he called, "Lunch is ready, dearies! In the clubhouse." He returned inside and sat down at the table. "Who told you that?"
"Blue."
Rumple rolled his eyes. "Maybe for her. She's not half the mage she thinks she is. Besides, she lied. What magic does magic can undo."
"It can? But will they be all right... Will they remember...?"
"Well . . .they'll remember who they were and what they were before they were transformed. Everything else will have to be explained to them, they'll be confused but they should be okay."
"And they'll hate me ... I ruined their lives..."
"You didn't switch the potion . . . your parents did. I'll tell them it was an accidental ingestion and they've been in a suspended state for years."
"But you'll be lying to them!"
"No . . .because you weren't intending to hurt them. You wanted your parents to drink that tea . . .and they switched it. It was a con gone wrong, not a deliberate murder attempt. You can explain what happened later."
He sighed. "I hope they can forgive me...I looked after Geppetto the best I could..."
"I'm sure they will once they speak with their son . . .now I need a few things for the potion to bring them back-I need a drop of blood from you and a hair from Geppetto. That will form the base of the elixir."
Archie held out his arm. "Take whatever you need."
Rumple summoned a small glass vial and a thin long needle. He lit up the tip of a finger with fire and passed the needle through it. "You'll feel a prick and a small pinch," he said.
He pricked the outer edge of Archie's wrist, then withdrew the needle and took the drop of blood and put it in the vial.
"We need to talk to Geppetto."
"Take my arm. We'll travel there," Rumple instructed.
Blue raced over to the convent to locate the cloak and the box. Fortunately Nova was far too busy with that silly dwarf she was dating to pay attention to the cabinet where the keys to the vault containing the fairies most powerful magical objects.
While she ruled, no one was allowed access to that vault except her. She didn't want any of her underlings to use the objects against her.
The Cloak of Shadows' other handy use was that it allowed the wearer to be able to enter a warded building without its defenses activating.
She also found the Box of Nothing-a simple lacquered black box with a rune for eternity and another for hidden in the language of her people
She tucked the box under her arm and swirled the cloak around her and disappeared from view, shutting the vault as she did so. She put the keys back in the cabinet and locked it then was off to the shop to collect the dolls.
There was no need to open the door with the cloak on her. It allowed her to walk through the door with little effort.
She spotted the dolls on the shelf and recited the spell too open the box.
"Hidden for all eternity. As I will it, so shall it be!" she chanted.
The box opened and the dolls were sucked inside. Then it closed and glowed briefly before going dark, all except the single rune for a hidden object.
Sapphira laughed. "Perfect! Who says you can't commit the perfect crime. Ta ta demonspawn!"
Now she just needed to find the perfect hiding place for the box and the cloak. They would come in handy again if she had to deal with that imp and his brainless followers.
Sapphira went to the woods, where she knew no one usually hung out, and she found a lightning blasted oak tree with half its trunk sheared off. The other half was still intact and could hold the items. She shoved them inside and covered them with some leaves. Then she dusted her hands off and crept back the way she had come, a pleased smile lighting her face.
After speaking with Geppetto and getting a hair from him, Rumple brewed the potion in his lab and then he drove with Archie and Geppetto to his shop to get the dolls and restore them. He unlocked the shop door, disabled the alarm and the wards and stepped inside.
To his horror there was an empty space on the shelf where the dolls once sat.
"They...they're gone! My parents...gone!" Geppetto gasped.
"Rumple where are they?" Archie demanded fearfully.
The sorcerer looked flummoxed. "They were here yesterday when I closed the shop. Right here where they always are," he pointed to the space where they had rested since coming to this world, on a shelf above some games next to a red rubber ball of Bae's. But now they were missing, the space blank.
Rumple peered about, trying to see if they had toppled from the shelf, but they were nowhere. "There's no signs of a break in. My alarm is still intact and my wards didn't alert me," he muttered.
"Then how did they just vanish!" Geppetto cried.
"I don't know," Gold said, scowling. He waved a hand and chanted a spell that would show him the past hour or two.
He saw the dolls on the shelf in the shop, same as always. Then he saw a . . .clot of shadows and then a glowing green light envelop the dolls and they vanished. After that he saw nothing.
"What was that?" Archie asked.
"A shadow . . .something magical came and stole the dolls away," Rumple said, rubbing his head. It ached a little.
"Why?" cried Geppetto. "Why would anyone take those dolls out of everything in this shop?"
"If I knew that, dearie, I'd know who stole them," Gold sighed. "Let's call Emma and Nick down at the station and tell them."
"We have to get them back. We have to!" Archie raked a hand through his hair.
"Yes, of course." Rumple sighed. He was upset also, because he couldn't figure out how anyone had been able to get past both sets of alarms, mundane and magical.
Archie called Selene back distraught over the turn of events. The women were back at the house with Bae and the kids.
"Honey, that is awful! Do you have any idea who did it?"
"No but we'll find out!"
"What's happened?" Bae asked.
"Someone stole the dolls from the shop, Bae," Belle explained
"Holy crap!" Bae cried. "Does Papa know who might've done it?"
"No..."
"Betcha it was the butthole," Killian spoke up.
Bae looked at his son. "Killian, I know you don't like her . . and I don't either, but you shouldn't just accuse people of bad things without proof. Besides, how would she get inside Papa's shop when he's got magic wards and she has none?"
"She's not dumb. She'd find a way! "
"Yeah but what reason would she have to take them?" Bae frowned. He considered asking Melanie about the whereabouts of her daughter.
"Cause she hates Grandpa."
Bae sighed. "Kid, we can't go around accusing people of crimes without proof." He looked at Selene. "Did my papa say how the shop got broken into?"
"A shadow of some sort."
"Magic then," he surmised. "And that puts Sapphira out since she has none. Maybe we need to talk to Regina and ask her if she noticed anything from her vault's been released or something. Like a wraith or whatever."
"It was the butthole I tell ya. She stole magic before!"
"Hey! Now that's enough," Bae said softly, but with steel in his tone. "I don't want you involved in this, young man. This is a job for the adults."
It's a job for the Nevengers, Killian thought defiantly.
Before Bae could say anything else, Aria stated wailing. "Uh oh. Looks like Sleeping Beauty has awakened," he chuckled and went to get his daughter.
Killian motioned to Bobby and Annie.
"We gotta vestigate...an my brother can help!"
Bobby looked around. "How we gonna do that?"
"Without the grownups seeing?" asked Annie.
"We can do it. Just gotta have a straction!"
As if on cue, Aria began crying loudly.
Killian grinned. "An there ya have it."
"Hey, baby girl, what's wrong?" asked her father. "You hungry?"
"C'mon! Fore he notices!"
Aria suddenly projectile vomited .. all over Bae and the kitchen floor.
"Ewww!" Annie squealed and ran outside.
I owe ya big time sis, Killian thought.
"Gross! Baby puke!" he moaned.
"Let's go outside!" Bobby said and followed his sister.
"Umm . . anybody got a mop?" Bae groaned. "I hope she's not sick." Then he grimaced at his shirt and rocked his crying baby.
"I'll get it," Belle said and filled up a bucket with soap and water to mop the mess off the floor.
"And you both need new clothes," Selene said and went to get Aria an outfit from the diaper bag.
Aria had stopped crying so much now and was cooing at Bae and trying to grab his nose.
"Yeah, you think it's funny, huh? Making your dad look like something the cat puked up," he shook his head.
As if that were a signal, Mistshadow came into the kitchen and meowed for some treats.
Aria smiled.
She squealed and held out her hands when the cat jumped on the counter beside her food bowls.
"Man, you and cats-you're like Cat Baby!" Bae snickered.
Even though she was a baby, she saw the cat as her familiar.
Mistshadow, who usually avoided screaming babies like water, went and rubbed up against Aria's leg, purring loudly.
"Keee!"
"Ooh she's trying to say kitty!" Selene exclaimed
"Yeah,. that's my girl!" Bae cried proudly. "Oh boy! Wai till I tell Emma."
Belle had finished mopping the floor and then she took her granddaughter to get changed while the cat surveyed her from the couch seat and Bae also changed into a new shirt he'd brought, since getting spit up on was a regular occurrence at his house.
"Not even two months and you're ready to talk..." she murmured.
"Kee!" Aria squealed, having learned the new sound seemed to make everyone happy.
Belle took her temperature with the Cool Touch thermometer just in case. "She's not running a fever, Bae." she told her anxious son. "I think she probably had gas and when you bounced her . . ."
He looked chagrined. "Papa did warn me about that . . ."
"It's a learning process honey. I'll have to go through it myself."
She was hoping that soon she would be able to announce she was expecting.
She was still nervous about making mistakes caring for her grandchild but Rumple assured her she was doing fine.
Aria seemed happier when she was dressed in a dry onesie with the words Grammy's Little Princess on it. She burbled and held out her arms for her father.
"You're daddy's girl, huh?" Bae crooned.
He kissed the baby on the head. Sometimes he was still amazed that this little miracle had come from him.
With his father as a teacher, he was learning how to be the kind of papa his children, deserved, one who would always be there for them even when the spit up on him, woke him at all hours of the night, tried his patience to its breaking point or when someone tried to harm them.
He lost so many years with Henry but now he was doing it over again with Aria and Killian. Second chances were not always given in this world but when you got one, it was wiser to learn from your past mistakes, not repeat them.
He sat down on the sofa and held his little girl in his arms. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, wanting to be nowhere else at that moment than with her daddy.
Henry rode up on his bicycle while the new Nevengers were sitting outside trying to decide how and where to start their investigation.
"What's going on, guys?"
Killian told him.
"You could be right, buddy. Stealing Geppetto's parents would be Blue's revenge against Grandpa and Archie but she's not stupid enough to hide them in the house. And she stole some sort of magic from the convent to get in the shop without Grandpa's wards going off. Let me get some of the books he gave me on magic and see if we can find anything."
"Kay but we gotta hurry up! They're real upset an Dad doesn't believe me."
"I'm glad we never met this kid in person. She sounds mean," Bobby mumbled.
"Yeah well she's gonna have a sore butt if we find out she did this," vowed Annie.
Henry grinned and took out his phone, punching in his mother's number.
"Mom, can you pop over here for a little bit..."
The Carlyles gazed in wonder as Regina appeared in the yard in a puff of purple smoke.
"What's going on Henry?"
Henry filled his mother in on the details of the incident. Regina scowled.
"I have to agree with you Killian. This sounds like something that jellyfish would pull but I know how your father gets when we go off on our adventures."
"Awww, c'mon Gina! You gotta help us vestigate! You gotta!"
Four pairs of eyes gave her the puppy dog look. "Oh all right...but if we're investigating, you need your whole team so let me go fetch Roland."
"Cool!" the little pirate clapped.
"Your moms are so awesome!" Annie praised Henry.
He beamed. "They certainly are."
Regina reappeared a few minutes later with a very excited Roland.
"I've already briefed him so he's ready to go," she explained with a grin.
"What are you going to do, Mom...get small for a bit?" Henry asked.
"No...while Bae is busy with the baby you need someone to watch you...right?"
"Belle's in there an so is Selene," Bobby reminded her.
"Yes, but both of their men are a bit upset and could use some support right...?"
All the kids were grinning now.
"Come along...and just let me do the talking."
The children marched behind Regina putting on their best faces. She found everyone in the living room. "Killian told me what happened. I'm sorry ladies. I know how much undoing that spell means to Rumple and Archie."
"Archie is devastated. He feels terrible for his part in it and all he wants is to make it right!" Selene wept.
"So does Rumple," Belle added sadly.
"Why don't you go over to the shop with them? Being there will bring them some comfort until we get to the bottom of this. Bae, you're a bit busy with Aria so why don't I take the kids to the park to distract them for a while?"
"Thanks Regina...that'll be a big help."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. We'll be fine, won't we?" she asked the children. They all nodded enthusiastically.
"I'll call Peri and Nick and let them know the kids are with you," Belle offered.
"Thanks Belle. I'll take them home when their parents are ready for them."
Aria opened her eyes briefly, gave a small smile to her brothers and fell back to sleep.
"We'll leave you two alone," Regina whispered and placed a finger over her lips to warn the children to be silent. They walked out of the house on tiptoes.
Back at the shop Emma was listening to Rumple describe what he saw while Nick had the crime scene techs testing for evidence. Though the sorcerer claimed the theft occurred with magic Nick knew from experience that criminals often left some traces behind that indicated their guilt. They all thought they could commit the perfect crime but not around him. He always got his perps.
Belle and Selene had arrived by then, Selene comforting Archie and Geppetto. Both men were understandably upset, Geppetto more because though his parents were dolls, he still got a chance to see them when he came into the shop, he just never thought of asking Rumple to remove the curse before word got out the sorcerer was no longer a man to be feared.
"It'll be odd…if we find them…seeing me as an old man."
"I had the same fears when I saw my parents again Geppetto but it won't matter to them. You're their son, no matter how old you are," Selene assured him.
"It never should've happened!" Archie cried.
"Old friend, we've been over this….your parents were the ones who did this, not you. Forgive me but I wished they hadn't switched that bottle because THEY deserved it, not Mama and Papa!" Geppetto said angrily. "And when I find out who took them…they are going to regret it!"
"Why don't we go to Mum and Dad's while we wait?" Selene suggested. The two men nodded. The trio spent a great deal of time at the Dearly farm, most of it helping them with the animals. They raised both dogs and horses much to Regina's delight. She sometimes went over to the farm to ride the horses.
"Rumple, Belle, we're going to Mum and Dad's. Can you ring us if there's any news?" Selene asked him.
"Go on. I'll call you," Belle said. The three of them left the shop and drove out to Roger and Anita's.
"Deputy Carlyle! I think I got something!" one of the techs exclaimed, pointing to the door. They looked closer and saw a piece of cloth stuck on one of the hinges.
Rumple smirked. "Well, well dearie….you could hide…but not good enough…" he giggled wickedly.
The tech carefully pulled the piece of cloth off the hinge and held it up. It vanished in the light.
"What the hell? It was right there a minute ago!"
"Hmmmm…a garment that renders the wearer invisible…I've heard of such things…I may even have one here in the shop. Just a moment."
He found a cloak he'd gotten in one of his deals and draped it over him then walked out to the front of the shop, brushing against Belle as he did so.
"What...Rumple? Was that you?"
"It was me, dearie."
"Well where are you? We can't see you!" Emma demanded.
"That's the point, dearie."
"So our perp was wearing something that made them invisible," Nick mused aloud.
"Exactly." Rumple removed the cloak and appeared before the group. "Our suspect had one of these...and I thought I held the only one in existence."
"What is it, Rumple?"
"The Cloak of Shadows. It makes the wearer invisible, even to a fellow mage and gives them the ability to pass through wards undetected. That's why my wards were not activated. However, when the wearer was traveling through my door a piece of that cloak got caught on the hinge. If the cloak is damaged, its functionality is limited. If the person attempts to wear it again they will only remain invisible for a short time. Look."
The torn piece reappeared on the tweezers holding it.
The tech placed it in a plastic evidence bag and sealed it.
"Find any prints yet?" Nick asked the techs.
"Still lookin."
"In the meantime we're going to have some chats with the other mages in this town," Emma said. "All of them are suspects are far as I'm concerned."
The only person they could safely eliminate was Regina. They would begin their search at the convent since the fairies were the the second most powerful mages in the town and also had access to as many magical items as Rumple. Nova insisted no one at the convent had anything to do with the theft, however, she did admit that they had a vault of magical items in the convent bssement that was carried over when the curse struck. She led the group into the office where a set of keys hung. Rumple's eyes boggled. "Keys?! You secure a vault of magical items with nothing more than a set of keys? Why are there no wards on it?"
"Errr...we would have...but every ward we set up didn't hold," Nova said nervously. She was still trying to learn to be as powerful as Blue but it was difficult. Along with studying the ancient fae texts, she was also taking lessons from Melanie. She knew she woudn't become a powerful fairy overnight but she had to be prepared if her former mentor was destined to become the next Dark One. The group entered the vault, Nova holding a list of what the vault contained that she discovered in Blue's office. She and Rumle inventoried the items and were able to account for all of them except for two: a Cloak of Shadows and the Box of Nothing.
Emma sighed. "It looks like we're going to have to have a talk with Melanie again."
Meanwhile Regina and the Nevengers were conducting an investgation of their own. With the books Rumple had given Henry, they also found out that a Cloak of Shadows could have been used to get past Rumple's wards. They heard a car and saw Melanie and Sapphira get out of a car across the fence and go into the house. The kids wanted to search it but Regina knew Melanie would have the house warded.
"She wouldn't hide the stuff in the house cause Melanie would find it," Annie said. "Where else do you think she could hide it?"
"What if she threw em in the ocean?" Bobby suggested.
Henry and Regina cringed at that thought. Blue was malicious but her malice was aimed more at them, at least she hoped so or the girl had become the Dark One much sooner than they thought. They all got into her Mercedes and drove down to the beach to start their search.
At the beach, the kids started digging in the sand with shovels and little buckets they picked up at the store along the way while Regina and Henry cast locator spells on the location.
"Don't think she threw em in the ocean. That's too easy. She prolly buried em somewhere so's she can dig em up if she hasta." Killian mused.
"You ever think about bein a cop?" Annie asked him. "You're gettin as good as Dad at figurin out stuff."
"Cause I had real good teachers. Mom, Dad, Henry, Gina, Gram and Grandpa are really smart."
"If they're not here, maybe they're in the woods," Bobby suggested.
They got up and ran to find Regina and Henry. Henry was exhausted after casting his spells and in need of a rest. He took a brief nap in the car while Regina drove out into the woods to conduct their search. She picked up two more buckets and shovels at the hardware store and cast another locator spell as soon as they entered the woods. Several sets of footprints appeared on the ground. They all sighed.
"Those could belong to anybody. We're gonna havta dig everywhere!" Bobby moaned.
"Well, let's get started," Annie said and picked up her bucket and shovel and following the first set of tracks with the others at her heels. Henry looked through Rumple's books, hoping they would be able to find something to help make their search easier otherwise they would be digging in there for days or even weeks.
They were unable to find anything at the end of the first trail and moved on to the second. Regina decided to search the third trail herself, asking Henry to stay with the children and cast a protection charm on them. Having recovered some of his energy during his nap, Henry animated the shovels so that the younger children wouldn't be so tired and sore from digging so much. Killian didn't mind the digging, it reminded him of searching for buried treasure though those days were far behind him. The more he thought about it, the more being a police officer like his mother appealed to him. That way he could work cases without getting into trouble.
Back at the house Bae had fallen asleep with Aria and both were awakened when Rumple, Nick and Emma returned to the house. Aria screamed loudly.
"Come on babydoll...it's all right...look...it's Mommy..." he said softly and held her up as he stood at the door. When the baby saw her mother she started cooing and held out her arms.
"Hi sweetie!" Emma cried and took their daughter into her arms. "Did you miss me?"
Aria buried her face in her mother's shoulder.
"Nick and I will go talk to Melanie dearie. You spend some time with my granddaughter."
Emma wasn't going to argue with that. She'd missed her daughter terribly and now that she was home with her, she didn't want to leave.
"Killian and Henry are with Regina and the Carlyles. Regina said she'd bring the kids home later but I'm sure Killian is talking her ear off about how he thinks Blue stole the dolls."
"He may be right, Bae. An invisibility cloak and a magic box were stolen from the convent and Blue had access to them when she was Mother Superior. I hate having to keep going to Melanie about Blue's involvement in situations in this town but the theft of those dolls is not above her. She had a motive. She told Archie the curse on Geppetto's parents couldn't be broken to punish him for what happened even if he wasn't the one who gave it to them. And we both know how she feels about your dad."
Bae scowled. "I've been trying so hard to give her the benefit of the doubt. To not label the kid because she was a horrible sanctimonious prig in her previous life. But dammit, Emma, what's it gonna take to make her see what she's doing is wrong? I've talked to her about her behavior, Papa and I have both punished her, and so had Melanie. What else can we do?"
At Bae's angry tone, Aria started crying.
"Shh, sweetie. Daddy's not mad at you," Emma crooned to her daughter and snuggled with her. "He's mad at the blue bug next door." She kissed and rocked her baby until she calmed down.
"Sorry, sweet thing," Bae apologized to his baby girl. "Didn't mean to upset you. Forgot she doesn't like people shouting."
"Neither did you at that age . . or any other age for that matter," Rumple sighed. "But your mama did plenty of it, usually at me." He had always tried to not yell back at Milah when she got on his back, because he didn't want to upset Bae even more, but sometimes he actually had snapped at her . . .then regretted it because Bae got scared.
"The wee ones are very sensitive to emotions around them," Nick said. "Both of mine are."
"Hopefully that girl will be sensible and tell us where she hid them." Emma said though she doubted it.
Rumple snorted. "That'll be the day." He frowned. "Well, Detective, best get this over with. Then we can finally solve this case and I can help Archie and Geppetto right a wrong done long ago."
Melanie was uneasy when she glanced out the kitchen window and saw Rumple and the new deputy crossing the yard and approaching her front porch. She'd assumed Sapphira was at the library while she did her grocery shopping and didn't want to be wrong.
Now it seemed she may have been.
Rumple came up on the porch and knocked on the door before recalling he should have let Nick do so, since this was a police investigation. He stepped back and muttered, "Sorry. I should have waited. This is your case."
Nick laughed. "You know the people in this town better than me."
"You'll get to know them soon enough," Rumple said with a sardonic smirk. "Probably more than you'd want." He leaned on his cane waiting for Melanie to open the door.
"Rumple, what brings you by?" she asked nervously.
"Melanie, this is Detective Nick Carlyle, he's acting sheriff while Emma's on maternity leave. We'd like you ask you a few questions about Sapphira."
"What do you think she's done?"
"Let's go inside, dearie. Don't want the whole town to know," the old sorcerer suggested.
"Thank you." She escorted the two men into the dining room. "Would you like some coffee or tea?"
"You know I never refuse tea," Rumple said, trying to put her at ease. Plus he knew that the fae set great store by hospitality to guests and he didn't want to insult her.
She poured them each a cup of tea and sat down, her hands shaking while she held her cup. Things had been going so well with Sapphira that her confidence that she was being a good mother was given an enormous boost. Now that confidence was shaken.
Rumple sipped his then said, "Recently, Archie and Geppetto came to me and wished me to undo a curse . . .on the dolls in my shop," he knew Melanie would understand which dolls they were. "But when we got there the dolls were missing . . .and my shop wa still locked, with the alarm on, and my wards were undisturbed. Yet someone broke in and stole them." He gestured for Nick to take over.
"We found evidence that two magical items your daughter was familiar with have been stolen from the convent and one of them was used in the theft." He set the evidence bag with the torn piece from the Cloak of Shadows on the table before her.
"Does this piece of cloth look familiar to you Miss Magestrix?"
Melanie picked up the bag with the piece of cloak. She looked at it for only a few moments before saying heavily, "Yes. It's a fae product, woven by our weaver mages thousands of years ago. Only ten were made . . and of those ten . . only two now remain. The others were lost or destroyed in various ways."
"This was discovered in the hinge on Mr. Gold's door. It is not from the cloak Mr. Gold has in his possession so we can safely assume it is from the one stolen from the convent."
Melanie groaned. "And what proof do you have that Sapphira stole it?"
"She, along with the other fairies were the only ones who knew where it was kept and we've questioned all of them."
"And she also knew the exact contents of the vault and where the keys were that opened it," Rumple pointed out.
Nick sighed. "I'm sorry Miss Magestrix but I would like to conduct a search of your home."
He would get a warrant if needed but he hoped it wouldn't come to that.
Melanie nodded. "Go ahead, Detective." She dreaded what they might discover. "But Sapphira was at the library this afternoon while I was shopping. I was happy she wanted to spend time there so I dropped her off."
"Are you certain she was?"
He already had an officer at the library questioning everyone. The officer would call him after he finished his interviews and then see what the girl's story was.
"I watched her go inside," Melanie said. "You could ask Belle if she saw her there."
"We are already questioning the staff and patrons and I would like to ask your daughter to give her account...after I conduct my search."
"Yes, of course." Melanie agreed.
"Along with the cloak we are looking for an item called the Box of Nothing. We believe it was being used to transport the dolls."
"I know about that also. One of my ancestors created that box. To hide his valuables."
Nick finished his tea and stood up. "I'll get started. Could you ask your daughter to come downstairs please?"
"Yes. Sapphira! Come down here, please!" she called.
The girl appeared at the top of the stairs, looking sleepy and rather cross. "What's the matter? I was taking a nap."
"Sapphira, come here. Detective Carlyle and Mr. Gold are here and they are going to search this house for some missing magical objects form the convent."
"What? Why?" she asked frantically.
"Because we have reason to believe they're here, dearie," Rumple replied calmly. His eyes narrowed. "You seem nervous. Guilty conscience?"
"That would be you, demonspawn!" she snarled. "Search HIS house or even his shop and you'll find a treasure trove of stolen items!"
"Sapphira!" Melanie cried, aghast. "Apologize to Mr. Gold, young lady."
"Why should I? It's the truth."
"Any items I have, miss, were not stolen, they were obtained in fair trades and deals. I'm not a cheat or a thief," Gold objected. "And trying to point fingers at me isn't going to lift suspicion off of you . . .nor is being a rude brat." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Well? I'm waiting."
"Don't hold your breath old man. You'll suffocate."
Melanie facepalmed herself in embarrassment.
Gold's eyes narrowed further. "You really don't want to go there, young lady." He gave her one of his Looks.
Nick frowned. The girl was a rude little snot . . .but he had an investigation to conduct, so he went upstairs to do so.
"Ooh the look of doom! I'm so scared..." Sapphira laughed.
That cop could search all he wanted. He was never going to find those dolls.
"You will be soon," Gold said warningly. "Because you're trying to distract me. It won't work. I know when someone's hiding something from me. Or lying. And YOU . . .are doing both."
"You'll never find them!" she sneered.
Rumple smirked. "So . . you admit you hid what we're searching for?"
She smirked. "Did you honestly think I would allow you or that cricket to stop paying for your sins? Think again!"
"Sapphira, what HAVE you done?" Melanie cried.
"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Rumple said softly. "Before you point out others sins, dearie, think more on your own!"
"I didn't take a child away from his parents...or abandon one!"
"That's not the issue here, Sapphira. What I did was unintentional, and so was what Archie did. But here's something I'd like to know-who died and made you the Mother Goddess?"
"No one else was willing to maintain order!"
"As far as I recall, no one asked YOU to stick your nose into others' business . . .the gods in their wisdom gave us free will and freedom of choice," Rumple lectured. "Or as they say in this world-judge not, lest ye be judged."
"The choices you've made make you a candidate for Hell!"
"As do yours, dearie," he snapped. "Where were you, you sanctimonious winged twit, when I needed you when I was a poor spinner trying to save my only child from being thrown into a war and killed? Was that not a "worthy" cause?"
"You never called for me."
"Funny, I never called for Zoso either . . yet HE came. Or don't you watch and see what needs your attention?"
"I only went to those who summoned me."
"And therin lies your folly . . for there were those who didn't even consider themselves a candidate for any kind of magical intervention . . .and those needed your help the most, if not more than those who summoned you. You missed many opportunities by only responding to those who called you . . .those most desperate never reached you . . but the Dark One knew of them."
"And you sold your soul...for power, not love for once you had it, you ruined as many lives as those wars did!"
She glared at him. "You abandoned your child to keep that power!"
"Just like your father did with you!"
"Keep telling yourself that. Because you're wrong. And you always will be. I am nothing like my father. Yes, I've made mistakes. Everyone has, child, even you. But there is one difference between us. I don't lie to myself about what I've done . . .nor pretend I'm better than those I help. I've faced my demons, Sapphira. And THIS is my reward." He drew his star pendant from beneath his shirt. "I am the Master of All Magic. Or have you forgotten that? I am the Dark One redeemed by love. Unlike you, who grow closer and closer to darkness with each crime you commit."
"One day I will bring you to your knees!" she growled.
His finger came up. "Beware the sin of hubris . . .it will drag you down and destroy you."
"And you...since you are as guilty of it!" She spun on her heel and left the room.
Nick came back downstairs with a scowl on his face. "Nothing."
"Have you heard from your officers?" Rumple asked. He hadn't expected to find anything here. It was too obvious
"Yes and they said Sapphira did leave the library and return just before her mother picked her up. She was seen heading for the woods."
Rumple looked thoughtful. "You can hide many things in those woods." He ought to know, as he had hid his dagger there and he knew Regina had also hid things there.
"We should go there now."
"We'lll see you later, Melanie. Keep your daughter at home," Rumple said.
"I will," she said firmly.
They exited the house and made their way back to where Nick had parked his patrol car. "Let's go, dearie. We have some digging to do, or my name's not Rumplestiltskin."
Out in the woods the new Nevengers reached the last trail and were digging in the spot where the small tracks ended. The others were frustrated when they couldn't find anything in their holes. Annie nearly jumped for joy when her shovel struck something. "I think I found em!" she cried.
"X marks the spot!" Killlian crowed. "Good going, Annie!" He ran over to where she was digging.
"It looks like a magic box," she said as she lifted it out of the hole.
"Careful," Henry said, and took the black box from her. "Mom, we found something!"
"Are those people in there?" Roland asked her when she returned to them.
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Regina said, taking the box from her son. "But I think we need to wait and show Rumple and Detective Carlyle first." She looked about. "Have you found the cloak yet?"
"Right here an look...it got a hole in it!" Bobby held up the torn cloak.
Killian laughed. "Ha ha...the butthole prolly left it at the shop. Now they know she did it!"
"Good job!" Regina praised. "Now we need to-" before she finished her sentence Nick pulled up with Rumple in the patrol car.
Annie and Bobby ran to the car. "We got em Dad! We found em!" Bobby yelled.
"What?" Nick hugged his children. "What are you talking about?"
"Those people that were dolls. We found em...she hid em in a box an buried em!"
"You found the magic box?" the detective gasped. "Where?"
"Regina has it...it was right here in the woods," said Annie.
"As I thought," Rumple said. "Looks like you taught them early, Nick." He got out of the car, a little stiffly.
"Grandpa why you walkin funny? Old Arthur bugging ya?" Killian asked.
"Aye, lad. I'm a wee bit stiff," Gold nodded.
"Arthur Itis. ..he's a real douche to ya!"
"Killian Gold! Mind that mouth, lad, before I conjure up the Ivory," Gold coughed, trying not to laugh at his grandson's wit.
"Awww..okay! Are you happy Grandpa.. we did our first vestigation?"
Gold ruffled his hair. "You did very well . . .and saved us a lot of trouble. Though your papa isna gonna be too happy with ye, I'm afraid."
"He'll get over it...right?"
Rumple smirked wryly. "Oh, I'd say so . . .once he sees the good that came of it. Now, let's see what we have here."
"They gotta be in there!" Roland cried.
"Relax, son," Rumple ordered. 'Regina, let me see that box. Nick, please film this on your phone."
As the detective began recording, Rumple took his star pendant and touched it to the Box of Nothing, murmuring, "By the power I weild, show me what you hide."
The pendant glowed briefly and the runes on the box went out. The box opened . . .and the two dolls popped out.
The kids cheered. "We did it!"
"You did." Nick praised. "Rumple, I need to dust this for prints."
"Uh oh...we didn't wear gloves!" Bobby groaned.
Rumple waved a hand. "There! All of our prints are removed."
Nick sprinkled the fingerprint powder on the box revealing a small set of prints. They had a copy of Sapphira's back at the station that they would need to compare them with but it didn't matter. The girl had already confessed her guilt and he would leave it up to Melanie and Rumple to decide what the proper punishment would be. He knew what he would do if he ever caught his children stealing.
Rumple called Archie and Geppetto at the Dearly farm before they returned to the shop, both men relieved that Geppetto's parents were unharmed and would soon be reunited with their son. They were also grateful to Regina and the new Nevengers for recovering them so quickly.
"Those children will make great detectives someday like Holmes," Geppetto praised.
"Yes they will, Archie agreed, thinking that they had great teachers in Nick, Rumple, Belle, Regina and Bae and Emma. He knew Bae would be upset with Killian for disobeying him but it was for a good cause.
Rumple set the dolls on his sofa in the backroom of his shop and slowly poured the elixir over them as he chanted.
"Archie, I need you to chant this with me."
"All right."
"To right the wrong I have done, I implore, let this curse be no more!" they chanted in unison.
A bright white light surrounded the dolls, slowly transforming them back into the young couple Archie and his parents encountered years ago in the Enchanted Forest. Geppetto stared at them, his eyes filled with tears.
"Mama? Papa?" he sobbed.
The young couple seemed terrified and clung to each other. Rumple placed a hand on the father's shoulder. "You're in shock dearies, but don't be afraid. No harm will come to you."
"W...Where...where are we?" Geppetto's mother asked fearfully, clinging to her husband.
"Allow me to explain," the sorcerer said gently and began his tale. Donna and Stephen were shocked by what they were hearing. They'd been frozen...for centuries while their son grew up without them...while everyone had been taken out of their world and cast into a strange new one. Archie's fears that the couple would blame him for their predicament were put to rest as Rumple stressed that he had not been the one to give them the cursed potion, it had been his parents and Geppetto explained how Archie had cared for him over the years as a cricket and now they were best friends in this world.
"Our boy...all grown up," Stephen choked back a sob.
"I know how you feel. It was how we felt seeing out daughter again after she'd been taken from us," Roger said sympathetically.
"And we have a grandson...when can we see him?" inquired Donna.
"He is back at my house waiting for us, Mama."
The couple embraced their adult son in tears, wishing they could take back those missing years but time travel was not possible and if it was, there was a chance things could have been worse instead of better. All they could do now was try to make a new start in this strange world they found themselves in.
Nick volunteered to drive the reunited family home so that they could spend time together.
They felt strange being younger than their son but through his Sight Rumple assured them they would have plenty of time to become a family again. It brought them some comfort.
Archie hugged his friend and said goodbye to Geppetto's parents, stunned when they invited him and his future in laws to visit them in a few days. Selene was relieved that the burden her fiancé carried for so many years was now lifted and he could move on.
Bae, Emma and Aria were waiting for their group on the porch when they pulled in. Bae gave his son a Disappointed Look.
"Dad, I know you're mad but...we had to do it...and we did it! We got the dolls back an now Geppetto's parents are people again!"
"We're going to be grounded, aren't we?" Henry asked sadly.
"For three days for disobeying me, yes. I would have made it week but something good did come out of this. You found the dolls in time and Papa was able to change them back. And no more going off on adventures behind our backs again," he scolded gently.
Rumple laughed. "And how many times did I give you that speech Baelfire?"
"Ummm...errr..."
"That's what I thought. Finding trouble is a given in this family. We may not always be able to stop them from getting into it but they'll certainly learn lessons from it, won't you lads?"
His grandsons nodded.
"They gonna toss the butthole in jail?" Bobby asked.
"She's a minor son. We can't."
"One thing is for certain, she will never be able to touch any of the magical items in the convent again. I have set up wards on it preventing that," Melanie said from her porch. The fae was exhausted both physically and emotionally. She never enjoyed spanking her daughter yet it had to be done and she placed powerful wards on the house preventing the child from leaving without her knowing it. Sapphira also wore s bracelet on her wrist with a twin on Melanie's arm that would alert her to the child's location at all times. Sapphira screamed at her, accusing her of making her a prisoner in her own home.
"This is what you have brought upon yourself with your misdeeds Sapphira. Never again will you deceive me. This behavior will stop, do you understand. You will not walk the dark path to your own destruction. I forbid it!"
"Melanie, I do not envy you...your task will be difficult," Rumple said sadly.
"I will bring her back to the light and force the darkness to choose another, Rumple. She is my child and I cannot give up on her. I just can't!"
"Nor should you. Hopefully some day she will cone to realize how much you do love her and that will be her salvation."
Until then his family would have to be on guard. Sapphira was a clever one and there was no doubt in Rumple's mind she would find some way to escape Melanie's wards.
"Hopefully now everything will settle down for a bit. Two of us have to get married yet," Regina joked that evening as they all had dinner at the Victorian.
Emma laughed. "In this town? Are you kidding me, Gina? There's always some mishaps going on and now we have a whole new crew ready to cause some."
The new Nevengers winked at each other and smiled. They had a lot to live up to but solving their first case had been an excellent start.
The former Nevengers were looking forward to their retirement into adult life once again but they had so many of their adventures preserved forever on film. Later on that evening everyone gathered in the living room to watch all the movies Henry made of their adventures. The Magic Kingdom would never be the same for the staff remembered well a group of precocious young children that made them look at the fairy tales they represented in a whole new light.
Sometimes villains did get happy endings...if they were willing to show remorse for their crimes...and princes weren't the only ones to get the girl. So did beasts...and crickets.
Author Notes: We have come to the end of another Mishap tale and for those of you who inquired about the weddings, those will take place in a new one shot called Matrimonial Mishaps coming soon dearies! Once again thank you for reading
Snapegirlkmf and CJ Moliere