Chapter Fourteen.

When Rumplestiltskin had first met the seer he'd been young and naive. He'd put away all thoughts of dark magic - or any magic, really - for more practical solutions to life. After all, those in the Frontlands had real problems that required real results, not flights of fancy such as jumping through a portal to another world where one could eat cake all day. That would just bring about more trouble than it was worth.

He'd never been ambitious, really, but he'd been willing to do what needed to be done to support his family, both Milah then and the children that they'd wanted to have. That had been why he was so excited for the commission. The money from it would support them, or that had been the plan anyway. Meeting the seer had changed everything and he'd found just how far he was willing to go to help raise his own child.

The seer hadn't been there when he'd shattered his own ankle, nor had she been there in the weeks that followed when he'd waited to know if he would be released in shame or put down like a stray dog. In the end, they didn't have the manpower to put him down, and they certainly didn't have the supplies to properly handle his injury. That's what they'd told him and it really hadn't mattered if he believed it or not. Once he was able to hobble his way away from the camp, he was sent on his way and was half-starved by the time he made it home to a wife that couldn't stand the sight of him.

Rumplestiltskin didn't spend an extraordinary amount of time thinking about those moments, because even after he'd placed a more permanent fix on the mangled limb while in Neverland - he would have been more useless than the Charmings if he'd tried to limp his way around the jungles - it could still bring a ghost of a pain if he thought too long or hard about it. Now, though, it was the pain that dredged up the memories, but he wasn't sure it was just his ankle hurting. Everything hurt, and as he broke through yet another layer of unconsciousness, he seemed to remember something had happened.

They'd been tricked and he'd fallen for it. Fool that he was, he'd fallen for it, and now he was paying the price. Bae and Henry were his priorities - though he wouldn't mind getting out of it all relatively intact himself - and he knew Henry was safe. Bae had been standing there like waiting on him could have saved his papa. Rumple couldn't pull from his scattered memories an image that proved Baelfire had found cover in time and he could feel the fear take hold as the only image readily available to him was the one of the seers should-have-been from his dream with Bae lying dead. As he neared closer and closer to the surface that would allow him to break through to wakefulness, his son's name fell from his lips.

"Papa?" he thought he heard, but opening his eyes would clear that final layer and the pain would come crashing down in full. He had to know though.

Rumplestiltskin forced his eyes open and felt his breath leave him. His vision blurred immediately and a terrible sound met his ears. After a moment, he became aware enough to know it had come from him. He couldn't move and he didn't dare try. It felt like half the ceiling had come looking for him as it fell and a good part of it had found him. He couldn't pinpoint the pain, but it jabbed and poked with every shallow breath and he blinked hard to try to focus his fading vision.

"Papa?" That was Bae's voice. He'd know his son's voice anywhere. He could feel trembling hands against his face and smoothing back hair. When Baelfire finally did come into focus he his face lit up. "Hey," he greeted in a breath.

"Hey," Rumple choked out. It was almost impossible to breathe, and when he did finally try to shift the pain shot through him and a cry left his throat.

"Easy, Papa," Bae urged. "Lie still. You're pinned pretty good."

The sorcerer stilled at his son's pleas and he focused on the different bursts of pain, trying to get a feel for how bad the injuries were. He was lying face down on the floor with debris piled on top of him. It felt layered, with big and little pieces fit just so to make it impossible to simple wiggle out. The way it was pressing against his back and ribs made taking anything more than a shallow breath near to impossible. Pain shot in so many different directions that he couldn't be sure where it originated from.

He could hear shuffling behind him, but at his angle he couldn't turn well to see, but thankfully David had never been slow to speak. "We could do more harm than good trying to shift this stuff off of him."

"It's not going to do anyone any good if that roof comes in on us," Bae pointed out. "Papa, we're going to try to get you free. You okay?"

"Yeah," he managed, shutting his eyes briefly against the pain he knew was about to come.

"Stay with me, Papa," Bae murmured and he felt his son's hand on his shoulder that was just barely free of the wreckage.

There was no count, no warning, just a sudden shift and then relief of pressure and Rumplestiltskin found himself coughing and choking against the dust that tossing it aside picked up. There was pain, but not nearly as much as he expected from it and once the coughing subsided he could finally drag a deeper breath into his lungs. He lay there for a moment panting and revelling in the fact that he could breathe again before someone touched something that sent pulsing pain through him. "No no no no!" he howled against it and he heard the damn dwarf grousing as he shuffled back.

"Papa, it's got to come off. We've got to get out of here."

"Can't he just magick it off?" Grumpy asked, still sounding put off.

"No, I've hit my limit," Rumple gasped out through the fog that the pain brought on.

"Then we'll get it off and we'll walk out, but that roof is coming in. We have to go," David said sternly, like believing it could happen would make it so. But Rumple knew - he knew - that he wasn't walking anywhere. He knew what shattered bones felt like and when they pulled the wreckage off his leg it would be just as mangled as the day he'd taken a mallet to it, possibly worse. He hadn't been able to pinpoint the pain until he got his breath back, but now he didn't know how he missed it.

"I'm not going to be able to walk," he managed to voice.

"Then leave him," George growled.

"You've lost your say in this," Philip snapped out. Apparently the kind hearted prince had finally hit his limit for the day as well. Rumplestiltskin wouldn't forget either remark.

"We'll carry you out then, Pop, but we have to go," Bae murmured, his voice soft but rushed. He took hold of his father's hand and looked back. "Go."

Rumple realized what they were doing just before it happened and he gripped his son's hand with everything in him. Bae squeezed back and pain shot through his leg as debris lifted off of and scraped against it. His breaths were coming in gasps now with breathless screams interwoven in them. He shook terribly, but there was no time for that and Bae was already coaxing him back to coherency. He didn't want to come back. It hurt too badly.

"Come on, Papa."

An image broke through his safeguards, crashing through just like the ceiling was about to crash down. They weren't going to make it. Even if they left him, even if they weren't carrying him, he didn't know if they'd make it. The knowledge must have been written on his face because Bae grimaced and looked up only to be rewarded with a terrible and dangerous creaking from above. They only had moments.

Rumplestiltskin forced himself up on trembling arms. There had been many times he'd dragged himself from place to place after he'd broken his ankle and before they'd finally sent him on his way. If he could do that, he could do more. He had it in him, he knew. He had it in him for Bae. "There's no time," he rasped. "Come closer. Everyone come closer."

"I thought you said that your magic was depleted," Charming murmured.

"It is, but would you rather have me give it a try or resign yourself to letting another child grow up without you all over again?" the sorcerer demanded. He'd known that he had struck the right nerve when the look that flashed across the prince's face and he nodded, motioning everyone in closer.

"Not you," Rumple growled, even as his strained magic began to swirl around them, leaving George from it.

"You can't just leave me here to die!" the dethroned king shouted.

"Can't I?" And then they were gone as the roof came crashing down.

He'd known it would be a rough go, he knew that it would take reaching beyond his limits to bring them all through safely, but it was the only option he'd had, and he'd let George pay the price. Still, even with that, his magic tugged and pulled on him, demanding more than he thought he had left to give, but somehow he brought them through and they tumbled out, slamming hard into the floor in a hallway back in the tower in which they'd left to save those they loved. Groans could be heard all around, but Rumple felt the world pulse dangerously, his right leg the cause of it. Same damn leg, he thought angrily as he just barely managed to cling to consciousness.

Hands were on his face before moving to carefully ease him up so that he was leaned up against the person pulling him. "Hey, Papa, take it easy," Bae said calmly in his ear. "Take it easy."

His breathing was erratic and Baelfire wrapped one arm around him, taking hold of his hand with the free one. "I've got you," he promised and very slowly Rumple started to try to control it.

"I'll send for a healer," Thomas said, but Rumplestiltskin was focusing on his son's quiet words in his ear. It helped adjust his concentration, pulling it back to himself so that he could make his mind work. There was something there, past the pain and exhaustion. He held onto Bae and tried to reach for it, the pieces of the puzzle slipping through his fingers.

"It's okay, Papa. We're safe now. Everyone's safe," Bae murmured, tightening his grip.

Then he caught it. It was just a flash, but the blood ties helped pull it forward. Henry. Zelena was after Henry. Or Pan was, it really didn't matter, Zelena would be with him shortly if she wasn't already, and they'd all been a marvelous distraction. Rumple's eyes snapped open and the warning bubbled in his throat before he shoved it immediately back down as soon as his eyes met his son's. Bae would go after Henry and Zelena would have her chance. He'd just barely managed to save him. What could he possibly do for him now? But if he didn't say anything then Zelena could harm Henry. The boy had grown on Rumple more than he'd care to admit - more than he'd ever thought possible - and he knew in that moment that the fear that he felt for Bae was the same fear Bae would feel for Henry.

"It's okay. The healers are on their way. They'll have something for the pain," Bae promised him and his father shook his head and the words tumbled out in fits and starts.

"That's not… Oh, Bae, I had a vision that she's going to kill you. That's why I've been… That's why I've been so worried. Please, Bae, I can't lose you," he whispered desperately, his words coming out between gasping sobs. He forced himself to look at his son. He couldn't take this choice away from him. No matter how much he wanted to hold onto him, to protect him with everything he had, he couldn't. He'd promised to try harder, and with that in mind, he scraped up just enough courage that the next words left him. "Zelena's after Henry."

"She's what?" David demanded, dropping to a knee next to the father and son on the floor.

"I don't know… That's all I can see. That's all…"

Bae tensed and let out a shaky breath. "You know I have to go after him, don't you?"

"I know," Rumple acknowledged brokenly. "I know and I can't-"

"I'm coming back. I swear to you, Pop. I'm not leaving you. She's not taking me or Henry away from you, I promise. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Bae."

His son squeezed his hand and pressed a kiss to his temple. "I've got to save my son, but it's not either or, Papa. I promise. I'm coming back. Where is he? Where did you send him?"

"With Ella."

"Thank you, Papa."

The healers were coming down the way now and they knelt around him as Baelfire stood, speaking to David and Thomas in rushed tones. "Take care of him," he told the healers and Rumple watched him leave down the hall through tear-blurred vision, praying to anyone that would listen that his boy would come back to him.

Belle stared at the barely standing sorceress. Her own rebounded powers had thrown her back, and Maleficent seemed more than a little intrigued as she moved forward, circling at a distance, but never quite stepping closer, a curious expression etched into her features. "That's Rumplestiltskin's magic."

"It is."

"Well, well. It does appear someone came prepared," she purred, the smile returning even as she glanced over at Regina. "Unlike some. Tell me, what did you pay for that pretty little trinket?"

Belle blinked, her fingers going to the locket that Rumple had given her. He'd said it would protect her, and now she knew how true that was. Briefly, she wondered just how far it would go. If she'd fallen on their way up, would it have caught her?

She didn't have time to think on it too long as Maleficent circled just a little closer, eyes somehow catching the light from the setting sun that was streaming through a high window. "It feels...different from his usual magic." She glanced back to Regina. "What is your former mentor up to?"

Regina was still brushing herself off. To her credit she hadn't turned the outburst into an all-out witch fight, but from what she'd said on their way there, Belle thought she might hold at least a smidge of remorse for locking her friend up the way she had. Perhaps she was just paying her dues in her own mind. "Rumple is the reason we're here," Regina said after a moment.

"Playing messenger? That's unlike you."

"There's a lot at stake, and would you have allowed anyone else in?"

"Honestly, I expected you weeks ago," Maleficent answered with a shrug. She gave no warning as her magic swirled around them, depositing them into a sort of large throne room where a small, dark unicorn approached her. "Hello, Diaval," she greeted and patted the pony's head before taking a seat on her throne and offering a smile. "So what in all the realms does Rumplestiltskin want from me that wouldn't bring him here himself?"

"Rumple is taking care of an issue elsewhere," Belle answered, regaining the blonde's attention.

"Rumple is, is he?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Focus, Maleficent. Have you been approached by anyone recently? Anyone that would have been asking questions or was trying to pull you to their side?"

Maleficent's playful expression evened out. "I think it's time to put away the games Regina."

Belle watched the two women participate in what must have been a silent conversation before Regina nodded, Maleficent stood, and they both walked towards the door and out of it without a word to either Emma or Belle.

Emma stared at the door. "We should have gone with Neal and Gold," she grumbled, and Belle couldn't find it in herself to disagree.

Henry had been all but tossed into Ella's chambers, startling the princess and Henry alike. One moment he'd been standing with his father holding tightly to his shoulder, answer his grandfather's questions that had seemed absurd at the time, and then the next he was falling off balance with little Alexandra toddling over to make sure he was okay.

His first mistake was to tell Ella what had happened. He hadn't known her well in Storybrooke, but she was more determined that most people gave her credit for. She'd called a guard to stand at the door in case Henry tried to make a run for it, and sent another two to find out what was happening. She'd then turned and informed him that she owed Emma more than she could ever repay and the least she could do was keep him safe.

He'd felt the chill when the wave of dark magic had come for them in the war room and he was sure that that was what he felt ghosting over the section of the castle he now resided in. Green smoke passed harmlessly around the spirals of the castle, aimed for the tower that remained under construction from the damage done by the Dark Curse. He crossed the space between where he'd been and the window, hands pressed against the windowpanes and dread setting deep. "They must have teleported over there to keep us safe."

Ella held Alexandra in her arms, the little blonde girl burying her face in her mother's shoulder. She was too young to understand what was happening, but Ella wasn't as much of a fool as Henry's Grandpa Gold said she was. It hadn't taken a great deal of explanation for her to understand what was happening.

They stood together, helpless as the magic slammed into the tower, wrecking it as it went and taking large chunks of it to the ground. The princess clung to her child as she watched what was surely her husband's death playing out before their eyes.

As the magic dissipated, having done what it had come to do, Henry felt like he was waking from a dream and he darted to the door without warning, his name called out after him. "I can't just stand here! What if they're trapped? Grandpa Gold was with them. He wouldn't let anything happen to Dad, so the others will be safe too. We have to-" The door was halfway open, but it didn't open to an empty hallway, or even the guards that were posted to keep him inside.

Zelena smiled down at him. "Hello, little one," she greeted.

Henry pulled back, but he wasn't quick enough as magic wrapped around him, holding him in the air like a puppet pulled by strings. He struggled against it, only bringing a short giggle from the green-skinned woman in front of him.

"Let him go!" Ella demanded.

"Precious, aren't you?" Zelena sighed and in a burst of magic the princess was thrown back, slamming hard into the opposite wall and collapsing fully to the floor.

"Ella!" Henry cried out when she didn't get back up and Alexandra started crying. He started fighting again, this time harder than before. "They didn't do anything! Why'd you have to hurt them?"

The Wicked Witch moved into the room, her blue eyes focused on the boy that was held suspended with his feet dangling off the ground. He'd heard bits and pieces about her, though no one seemed to want to say too much. He'd heard about half a conversation, from what he could tell, between Regina and his grandpa saying that the woman was his mom's elder half-sister - Cora's daughter born several years before she'd even met Regina's father - and Rumplestiltskin had briefly taught her. She was exceptionally talented, though his Grandpa Gold had confessed that he did not question his choice that he made on which sister should cast his curse.

"Rumple's grandson and my sister's adopted son. How quaint," Zelena said as she looked him up and down like she was expecting to find something. "Are you really everything that your darling great-grandfather thinks you are?"

"You can't trust Pan," Henry said, finally ceasing his struggle. "All he does is lie."

"Most children do."

"He's not really a kid, he's-"

"I'm well aware of what he is," she snapped. "But he does seem to be right on some things. You, in particular."

She stepped closer and Henry kept himself from flinching. He was the grandson of Prince Charming, Snow White, and Rumplestiltskin. One of his mother's was the savior of Storybrooke and, in reality, the whole Enchanted Forest. His other mother was the former Evil Queen, trying desperately to find the good that had once been in her for his sake. His father was Baelfire, the boy that had traveled through worlds and had always pulled himself out of every situation a little stronger than before, no matter the dangers. He was not afraid of her. He wouldn't be, even as he felt tendrils of magic wrapping around him in their search, but for what, he couldn't be sure.

"So much courage," the witch purred. "And quite a clever mind. Just like your grandfather." She leaned in even more so that she was in his face, her magic pulling him up so that they were on eye level with each other and her voice was barely more than a whisper. "And the Heart of the Truest Believer. Maybe this can work."

"I'm not doing anything for you," Henry said firmly. "Nothing you can do can make me."

There was a terrible crashing sound outside and instantly he knew the tower that had been hit had finally collapsed. Pain shot through him as he thought of his father and grandfathers that could be trapped, and Zelena's painted lips pulled into a smile. It was terrible, though, and full of evil and wicked ideas. "That, my young friend, is simply a failure of imagination on your part. I suppose you have to have a flaw somewhere. No wonder your great-grandfather isn't ready to just scoop you up."

"Pan wants me for my heart. He's using you."

"No, dear, I'm using him. Now come along, there are plans to be made."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"I beg to differ," she said, but as she reached out to him and touched his wrist as if to pull him through along, Henry could feel a warmth building inside of him, fueled by the love he had for his family that so desperately needed his help in that moment. They could still be alive, simply trapped and needing help. He needed to get to them and he needed to do it fast.

The feelings built, and as Zelena's green hand moved to take hold of his own wrist, power shot out from him and threw her back as hard as she'd thrown Ella a few minutes before. She screamed, her skin boiling and steaming and she turned wild blue eyes on him, but even as she gasped against it a twitching smile made its way to her face. "You're the product of True Love," she whispered, her voice rough. "I don't have to wait for Snow White's baby after all."

The door burst open behind her and Henry's dad was the first face he saw, followed immediately by Gramps and Prince Thomas. Zelena smirked at them and disappeared in a swirl of green smoke, even as Gramp's sword was flung forward and buried itself deeply into the wall behind where she'd been standing.

Thomas moved to gather Alexandra up and check on Ella even as Neal wrapped his arms around his own child, pulling Henry into a crushing hug. "You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah," he breathed. "I think so. Is Ella…?"

"She's okay," Thomas murmured. "She's coming around."

"What happened, Henry?" his gramps asked, and Henry looked over at them. They were covered in dirt and grime and blood. They'd been in the collapsing tower when the magic had hit. He wouldn't expect Thomas' father or King George to have come rushing to his aid, but Grandpa Gold certainly would have, and probably even Prince Philip. A fear built in him and he refused to let go of his father.

"Where're the others?" he asked, voice trembling slightly. "Where's Grandpa Gold?"

Neal loosed a shaky breath. "He's hurt, Henry. He'll be okay though. I left him in good hands with Philip. We'll go see him, okay?"

Henry nodded, not quite sure if that was the whole truth or not. His grandpa was alive, at least, and that was a start. Zelena hadn't been able to kill his family.

Gramps was kneeling down next to he and his father now, looking up at him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "What was she after, Henry? Do you know?"

"Me. She was after me," the boy whispered. "I don't know why. She said something about my courage and my mind and… and my heart. What does it mean?"

David looked up to Neal who shook his head. "I don't know, but I bet my dad will. He's been looking for information to put together what Zelena's looking for, and that's probably it. Is that all, Henry?"

Henry chewed on his bottom lip. That had been magic that had driven Zelena back. His grandpa had said he had an aptitude for it from his mother's line, but Neal hadn't seemed happy to hear that. It might be better, at least until he understood what was going on, to hold off on that part of what had happened. It had been magic, after all, that had driven his dad and his grandpa apart. He could risk losing his dad now that he finally had him in his life, and he could ask Grandpa Gold about it when they went to see him. Once he had answers, once he knew what really happened, he could tell Neal. "It all happened so fast," he murmured, dodging the question.

"Don't worry about it, kid," Neal answered with another hug. "I'm just glad you're not hurt."

"Can we go see Grandpa Gold now? I want to make sure he's okay."

"Sure thing."

"Henry!" Alexandra called as they moved towards the door. Her father had finally set her down and the waterworks had stopped. She flashed him that bright smile of hers and pointed up into the air. "Pretty lights!"

Both his father and gramps shot him a questioning look and the almost-teen shrugged.

The fact that Henry was acting a little bit off really didn't phase Bae. He had an arm wrapped around his son's shoulders and wouldn't let go as they followed Thomas' instructions on the best way to get to the wing of the castle that the healers would have taken Rumplestiltskin to. The castle was in an uproar, but that was to be expected. The king had been duped - well, that was the middle ground that Bae had found in his own mind, because he leaned more towards purposeful ignorance while others might have called King George crafty - and was trying to do damage control. David had slipped off to finalize deals that had been delayed, leaving Bae and Henry to check on Baelfire's injured father.

Philip looked worn as they approached, still covered in dirt and grime from the tower collapse just as Bae was. He stood straight from his slouched position against the wall and tried to offer a smile. "Good to see you, young sir," he greeted Henry.

"You too," the boy answered.

"How's he doing?" Bae asked, looking towards the closed door he was sure his papa was behind. It'd been hellish trying to leave him when he did, and he was certain that anything short of Henry's life and wellbeing couldn't have made him do it. Now that his son was safe, he needed to get to his own father and prove that he'd made it back without any additional injuries past what he'd already endured.

"In and out," Philip murmured noncommittally and Bae nodded as he pushed the door open.

Bae had never had a great deal of experience when it came to medical attention in the Enchanted Forest. Growing up in the Frontlands they'd had a midwife that helped women through their pregnancies and best he remembered she sold elixirs that did next to nothing on the side. Anyone that was trained as a healer in the Frontlands was almost immediately snatched up by the wars and the people learned to care for themselves to a great degree.

The room where his papa lay now reminded him of some sort of cross between this world and the Land Without Magic. The bedsheets were impossibly white and they made him look pale with his dark, grey-streaked hair plastered against the pillow and back away from his face. A woman, also dressed in white, looked up at Bae and Henry's entrance, but didn't seem too started. "As I told the prince-" she began, but was quickly cut off.

"I'm sure you did, but I'm his son. I… I need to know that he's okay."

The woman's expression softened and she stepped back, letting Bae move closer and around the other side of the bed. He finally released his hold on Henry to do so and the boy stayed back, watching his father carefully.

Philip had said he was in and out, but he appeared to be more out at that moment. His brows were drawn together and his face taut with pain, but those dark eyes were closed against the outside world.

"The debris shattered the bones in his ankle and into his leg. There's only so much to be done for a bad break such as this," the healer said. Rumplestiltskin's leg was propped up, bruising already beginning to show and Bae winced just looking at it. In one spot he could see the stitches that she'd just finished and he was certain that the break had been worse than he'd realized, the damage partially hidden by his boots that now lay tattered in the corner of the room. His papa had spent all of his younger years limping about from place to place, but his magic had put an end to that. He thought it had, at any rate. He'd done a fair amount of limping around Storybrooke as well, from what he'd seen, but he'd finally braced the old injury enough that he could walk on it without the help of a cane. He had no idea what a second bad break would do to it.

"I've set it, braced it, and cleaned it to stave off infection," she continued as if she wasn't sure if he were listening or not. "Now he needs rest. Someone should stay with him to call if he needs anything between the times I come to check on him."

"I'll be here," Bae promised.

"Me too," Henry offered.

She might have said something else, but he barely heard it as he sank to his father's bedside, taking his hand in his own and pressing it to his forehead. The elder man didn't stir as his son tightened his grip and felt the weight of the day barreling in on them. Rumplestiltskin's confession surfaced above the rush of emotions and Bae pulled in a shaking breath. "I'm here, Papa," he promised, his voice rough, and the hand in his twitched a little.

Bae opened his eyes, finding a pair the same shade staring up at him blearily. "Bae," his father rasped and his fingers tightened a little more. "You're alright? Henry?"

"He's fine, Papa. David tried to make Zelena into a shish kabob and she ran."

Rumplestiltskin chuckled, wincing even as he did. "You're alright though?"

"Told you I would be."

His papa smiled tiredly. "I'll take those told-you-so's as long as you'll give them," he murmured.

Henry had come up to the other side of the bed and sat very carefully on the edge, making sure not to jolt his grandfather. "Glad you're okay."

"You too, lad," Rumple answered him, reaching his free hand up to the side of the boy's face affectionately. "You too."

Bae felt at least some of the weight lift at that and he squeezed his papa's hand. "Get some sleep, Pop. We're not going anywhere. Promise."

Rumplestiltskin nodded and Bae settled in to the chair next to the bed, gripping his hand even has his papa slipped back into sleep. The lines were a little more eased now, and he couldn't be sure if it were something the healer had given him finally working or if it was the hold his son had on him, but he didn't want to risk letting go.

TBC

Notes: If you haven't noticed, I tend to like father-son relationships in my stories, especially the complicated ones like Rumple and Bae's. I'm a fan of the show Fringe that was on a few years ago, which has a similar dynamic between the father and son in the show (Walter and Peter) and there was this fantastic scene in maybe the third season or so where someone that could see the future tells Walter that he will need to 'give him the keys and save the girl'. What that turned out to mean was that to save a life that they were trying to save, Walter (the father) would have to take a leap of faith and possibly sacrifice his son in order to save the girl's life. While I was writing this chapter I realized that I'd inadvertently given Rumple and Bae a 'give him the keys and save the girl' (or in this case, the boy) moment. I find it very interesting to watch Rumple grow, both through the show itself and through various stories that I read and ones that I write. He's a complicated character, to say the very least, and to him, his son is the ultimate sacrifice he can make. Not entire sure there was a point to this little note, other than just an interesting observation. Feel free to let me know your thoughts :)

Next time - Regina and Maleficent make amends, Henry seeks his grandpa's advice, and Zelena discovers Belle.