~ A Lot of Tough Love, Thrilling Adventures and Frightening Encounters ~
Not wanting a scolding from their friends and in-laws for sleeping in, Archie and Marie made certain they were awake at 6 AM the following morning but Archie noticed immediately that his wife seemed bothered by something. She stirred her coffee constantly and had forgotten she'd already put too many spoonfuls of sugar in it than normal.
"There something you want to talk to me about?" he asked her.
"I'm fine," she said quickly and continued stirring her coffee. Archie took the cup and saucer out of her hands and set them down on the table.
"No, my goddess, you're not and you haven't been since we came back from the movies last night. I didn't say anything because you can't go to sleep angry any more than I can but you're not doing this again...shutting me out!" he said, his voice rising as he remembered the pain they both endured while they were dating and she hadn't told him about Gaston terrorizing her.
Are you honestly going to do this now, Marie? You've had five wonderful years of marriage with this man because you finally got your head on straight and stopped screwing things up by not being open with him.
"You're going to think it's silly...that I'm silly...!"
"Just tell me," he pleaded.
"I hate making you put the hat on," she sobbed, referring to something he said before they even started dating that it was sometimes difficult for him to take his therapist't hat off when someone came to him with an issue."
He set his own cup down and pulled her into his arms. "Darling, what is it?"
"Papa and Penelope have been pratically joined at the hip since we arrived...and it bothers me!" she confessed. "He always told me how much he loved my mother...and somewhat loved Belle's mother but now...now he's starting to treat her like that...and it's as if Mama and Collette never existed. Oh God...Archie...I would die if you left me for someone else!" She buried her face in his shoulder. "And when I saw them sitting together sofa last night...that's what went through my mind!"
"Marie...darling..." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tear streaked cheeks. "You are my first and my only love," he murmured. "Oh there have been women who've tried their tricks on me as you know but I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours; heart, body, and soul. We're bonded, my goddess. That means that not even death is going to part us. Maurice didn't have that with your mother or Belle's...and it's been a long time since he's had someone in his life. Do you believe either one of them would want him to spend the rest of his life alone? What does Belle think?"
"She...she's happy about it...thinks it will be good for Papa...and I want to be happy for him, I do..."
"Darling, your support would mean a lot to him if he's considering a serious relationship with her. I'm not sure how it will work with them living in two different countries...but true love always wins in the end." He gazed at her intently as he caressed her cheek. "Are you sure that's all that's bothering you? You're not feeling overwhelmed with the kids...?"
He was concerned that she was showing signs of post partum depression, signs that normally developed shortly after childbirth and she admitted to having it after Gisella's birth and hadn't experienced it all after Jonny's because he kept a close eye on her and made sure that he was doing as much as he could to help her take care of their children. Though Mary Poppins spent a great deal of time at their house, it was mostly to clean and babysit once in a while.
"No because I have you and that's a luxury some new mothers aren't given," she said softly.
"Even when I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open?"
"As long as you're not too tired to cuddle at the end of the day, my Adonis."
He laughed and kissed her. "All joking aside Marie, all I'm asking is that you try to accept your father's new relationship for his sake. I don't think Penelope is the wicked stepmother type."
"I'll try," she promised. "You seemed a little tense last night yourself, especially after you talked to Geppetto. August drinking again?"
He nodded. "He was hungover yesterday. Ruby tried keeping an eye on him but he slipped away the first chance he got and went to other bars. They want to hold an intervention and they've asked me to come over to help them. Will you be okay with the kids this morning?"
"I'll be fine. We're just going to do some more sightseeing around Athens and maybe a little shopping but Gisella wants to spend at least a day in the National Gardens with all of us."
"She will. I'll join you as soon as I can.
The Hatters were in the middle of breakfast when Snow called her daughter on her cell. "Emma, what are you all planning on doing today?"
"Oh heck, I dunno Mom. You know before we got here, I thought we could plan it all out so that we didn't miss everything but now that we're actually here, I kinda like the idea of playing it by ear. Why? What do you guys have planned?"
Her mother laughed. "We haven't the faintest idea either..but...I was thinking we could have a family day...just our family."
"Just us? What about the others?"
"Honey, we have plenty of time to spend with the rest of the group but I want us to have our time too."
"Okay I'm in but I doubt you'll want to be doing too much walking since you'll be ready to pop soon."
"I can handle it."
"Hey Emma! They have these places in the city where we can go into rooms and have an adventure!" Grace exclaimed and showed her stepmother a site she pulled up on her laptop featuring several sites around Athens that housed adventure rooms with games lasting 45-60 minutes long requiring the cooperation of an entire group to solve the puzzles within and make their escape...if they could before time ran out.
"Mom, Dad, can we go, please?" Henry begged, always the adventurer.
"Hold the phone a minute gang and let me put my mother on speaker," Emma chuckled. "You hear all that, Mom?"
"It sounds like fun. Are there any age restrictions?"
"Just that kids under fourteen should have an adult with them so Mags and Neal can come along."
"You think they'll have a jail, Daddy?" Maggie asked her father.
"Yeah. The Black Queen one sounds like it. Whaddya say?"
"I wanna go!"
"All right, we'll see if we can book one of the rooms. Which one do you want to go to? There are three different sites around Athens we can go to...but they seem to be booking up fast. Maybe we better call," David suggested when he found the link to the site using his tablet.
"Even if we don't get in today, we can still go later this week."
"Granpa I wanna play the Black Queen one!"
The Black Queen was a game where her murderers had the players arrested and with her ghost as an ally, she communicates to them the clues they could use to escape using only their senses or meet the same fate.
"The Mad Scientist one sounds really cool!" Neal spoke up.
Referred to as the Original Game; the premise was that a scientist discovered the formula to seperate good from evil, his personal test of the experiement a dismal failure. With his good nature as a guide, the participants had to escape the room with his formula to destroy the world within one hour or the darker side of his nature would take control and turn the group into his future test subjects.
"How about you guys play that one, we'll play the Black Queen one and we can have lunch togther when we're done?" Jeff suggested.
"Great! Oh I hope we can get in today!"
"Let me give them a call and see if one is available."
The rest of the family waited anxiously while David put in calls to all three sites in Athens asking if there were time slots available for his large family to have their own adventures in the rooms. The site at Monastriaki unfortunately was booked for the day but was relieved when he called Chalandri and was informed that they had open slots due to cancellations and would be happy to book the families into the those time slots.
"Hey maybe we oughta the others in case they wanna go?' Jeff suggested when David called them back.
"We could but it's going to be hard for the Golds and Hoppers with the babies..." Snow pointed out.
"Mommy, it's only an hour. They can sleep through it," Neal piped up. "That's what they do most of the time anyway. Can't wait til they're older and can do stuff besides cry, poop an sleep."
Emma giggled on the other end of the line. "They forget what they were like when they were babies! But that's why we're here to remind them with the embarrassing videos and pictures of course."
"Awww cut it out, Em!"
"Hey Nealio, I still got that picture of you shakin your booty in Pull Ups to You Should Be Dancing. Wanna see it?" Emma teased.
"Noooooo! Why'd ya havta take that stupid thing anyway?"
"Because you're my little brother and you looked cute. Don't worry. Gonna get plenty of blackmail material on our little sister when she's born."
"Yeah, yeah I hear ya."
"Love you too Neal. See ya later."
Though they would spend the rest of the afternoon with her parents, Emma knew the adventure rooms would appeal to the Hoods as well and called Regina immediately after speaking to her father. Regina was also playing their vacation by ear; she had enough organization and planning to do back in Storybrooke and as a special surprise for Ellie, they would wear matching outfits for the day.
"These rooms sound like a lot of fun. I can break in and out of places but solving puzzles...won't be much help there, honey," Robin confessed.
"It's okay Daddy...we can do it!" Roland indicated himself and his brother.
"I can burn us outta there," Ellie offered.
"No you can't honey because you have your bracelet on and even if you didn't what did I say about using magic around the outsiders?" Regina inquired.
The little girl stared at her shoes. "Not to."
"We can beat it without it Ellie," Jason said. "Cause we're all really smart 'bout stuff like that."
She beamed.
"Let me give them a call to see if they have any more open slots today."
They called Chalandri where the Nolans and Hatters were having their game and was told there were only two more slots left. Regina immediately booked her family for the earliest time slot and the children could barely contain their excitement that they were actually going to be solving a mystery. It would also allow the family to work together as a team, something they tried to do as often as they could at home but it was difficult with Regina and Robin's work schedules. When she called Emma and David back, they both suggested that if they all enjoyed the adventures, they would go back several more times and change up family members for an even more exciting challenge. If there was one thing the former queen enjoyed as much as her family, it was a challenge. The groups would meet up outside the building where the games would be held half an hour before the Nolans' adventure began. Each family was booked into a different time slot even though they would be playing two different games. Regina's team decided to try the Black Queen adventure as well. Everyone got dressed, eager to start another adventure filled day.
"...Dearie, Marie's on the phone!" Rumple called out, walking into the bathroom as Belle opened the clear glass shower door, giggling to herself when she noticed her husband staring.
"Doesn't this take us back," she purred.
"Aye..." he grinned wickedly as the memory returned.
During the curse he'd referred to the women he knew as the schoolteacher Belle French as his 'least favorite pain in the ass'. She'd call him every morning at 6 AM to complain about something in her apartment that needed fixing and she had the most issues with her apartment out of all of his tenants. Most of the time it was her air conditioning that she had an issue with but on that particular day she was demanding that he fix her broken shower door.
"Well, if it isn't my least favorite pain in the ass," he drawled. "What can I do for you, Miss French?"
"You can come over here and fix this goddam shower door that's what!"
"A little testy are we?" he chuckled.
"Oh you bet, you slumlord...I can't even open it now and I am NOT using the sink to take a bath!"
"Now, now, dearie, no need to get insulting," he clicked at her. "I'll see what I can do . . .later. I do have a child to look after, you know."
"Yes I know but you'd better come over and look at it otherwise I am calling the sheriff and reporting you for being a slumlord," she threatened.
Take that you arrogant ass! she thought.
"Well...when can I expect you?" she pressured.
Gold sighed. "Very well, dearie. I'll send someone over as soon as I can."
"What's the matter Gold, afraid to face little ole me yourself?"
"Hardly. But I need to get my son ready for school . . .and he doesn't always get up when I call him."
"All right but I want this door fixed...immediately!"
"I'll be sending Mr. Dove within the hour."
"Good!"
Unfortunately for him, Dove was having surgery that day and he'd been forced to go over to Belle's house himself. They'd never met in person because of the curses, only spoke on the phone and his image of her was a pock marked, grey haired spinster, not the beauty that had learned to love a beast...
"...Ummm...nice try, dearie, but putting yourself on display won't get me to replace your shower door."
She glared at him and pointed at it. "Well, you're going to have to now, won't you?" she asked sarcastically.
Flushing, he went and grabbed a towel from the closet and tossed it to her. "Godsake, will you cover yourself?" Then he turned away and punched in the number to Leroy the handiman. "Hello, Leroy? This is Mr. Gold . . ."
He told Leroy the problem and gave him the address and told him to charge it to his account. "And I need this fixed now!" he ordered.
"Finally!" Belle grumbled. "And you can add the air conditioning to that too while you're at it!"
"Whatever, dearie! Now if you're through putting on a show, I have to be going. Have a nice day!" he snapped.
"Asshole!" Belle hissed and retreated to her bedroom to dress.
"...He-llooooo!" they heard Marie's voice call out impatiently. "Do NOT I repeat, do NOT start doing anything with ME on the phone!"
"Calm down, dearie. And don't ye be tellin' me ye wouldnae be starin if it was YOUR husband comin' outta the shower?"
"I would...before I dragged him back in it and had my wicked way with him."
"Marie! TMI!" Belle exclaimed.
"Tell you what, sis. Remember my birthday? You DO owe your husband for that, don't you?"
Rumple smirked at his wife. "And you haven't quite paid me back in full for that, have you, mo chori?"
"No..."
"Let's make a deal, sweetheart?"
"Marie, can you call me back?"
Her sister was laughing on the other end of the line. "You've got three hours..." she teased.
"Long enough. Talk to you later!" Belle said quickly and hung up the phone then pulled her husband into her arms for a kiss. "I think three hours is plenty of time for me to repay my debt, don't you?" she cooed, as she began unbuttoning his pajama top.
"And...once we get back home, ye have to make me some of your Golden Delight cake," he propositioned as he led her into the bedroom pulled her down onto the bed with him.
"Deal!"
"Now then...ye need to finish unbuttoning the Gold One...and repay a wee bit of your debt," he murmured as he pushed the straps of her nightgown down and kissed her ardently.
"Oh I can do that," she sighed softly.
And for the next three hours the beauty happily repaid part of her debt to her gentle beast.
Geppetto paced the floor of their suite nervously while they waited for Archie to arrive. He became more convinced that his son's behavior was out of control when they returned home from the cinema and discovered him lying on the sofa in the sitting room passed out, a bottle of whiskey on the floor by his outstretched hand, claiming he'd only been celebrating his father's upcoming nuptials.
"You could have found another way!" Geppetto cried. "This must stop, Pinocchio. It must!"
He and Ruby put the young man to bed but Geppetto found sleep difficult that night and Granny, concerned for her fiance, stayed awake with him, offering him as much comfort as she could. She remembered spending many sleepless nights wondering what else she could do to curb her own granddaughter's wild ways but unlike August, Ruby made the decision to become a more responsible adult on her own and she couldn't have been more proud.
"I'm sorry Beverly. We should be talking about the wedding too but..."
She reached out and clasped his hand in hers. "This has to be settled first," she said softly.
Geppetto breathed a sigh of relief when Archie arrived and hugged him.
"I want this to work."
"It will."
"I'll go get August up," Ruby offered.
The moment the young writer walked into the room and saw his father, Granny and Archie all of them holding stacks of notecards in their hands, he glared at them. "Papa!"
"August, would you sit down please?" Archie inquired softly. Ruby took her place on the sofa beside her grandmother.
"This is crazy!"
"Son, sit down." Geppetto pleaded.
He sank down into the chair. "You guys are making too much of a big deal outta this! I got drunk last night, so what?"
It was much more than that and all of them knew it. Before they returned home from the theater, Geppetto pulled Jeff and Emma aside to ask them if there had been any legal incidents involving his son. They hadn't had any problems with him recently but when she called the station and asked Arthur to run his name through the system it came back with a recent citation for a DUI that he was still making payments on and hadn't told anyone about. There had also been an incident in a bar in Boston where he'd almost gotten in a brawl.
"I love you, Pinocchio but you don't understand what you're doing to yourself, to us, every time you do this!" Geppetto wept. He looked into his son's eyes as he continued to speak. "We used to spend so much time togther; going fishing at the lake, tinkering with my old clocks, making puppets...we never do this anymore. When you come home it's late in the morning and you have no idea where you are or who we are. And it hurts me to see my boy looking at me, talking to me like a complete stranger."
"Papa, I don't..."
"You do...and you've been hiding things from me...you're paying a fine for drunk driving. Do you not understand what you risk when you get behind the wheel drunk? You risk harming yourself...and someone else! The bar in Boston? What do you think it would have done to me to get the call that my son was in the hospital...or dead?"
"Papa..."
"I want my son back but I can't have him as long as this holds you in it's grip." He held up the whiskey bottle.
"Papa, I've wanted to stop...but when I try...I just can't. I keep thinking about all those rejection letters I keep getting and I just want to forget..." August lowered his head in shame, his father's words starting to sink in.
"Don't you think your drinking isn't affecting your writing? It is. I see you so many times sitting at your typewriter with that bottle beside you. It doesn't make you write better. It keeps you from writing. Your wastebasket is overflowing with blank pages. When you aren't drinking, you can spend hours typing away...I've read some of what you've written and it's wonderful Pinocchio!"
"If it's so damn great why do they keep rejecting me, Papa?"
"Because they don't know good writing when they read it. I believe in you. You can be the great writer you want to be but you cannot give up on yourself and drink to forget. You have to keep trying!"
Archie watched his best friend with pride. This was one of the most difficult moments of Geppetto's life but he was handling it beautifully and he finally seemed to be reaching his stubborn son.
"Papa, I don't know what to do...I can't stop on my own," August sobbed.
"Then let us help you! This is why we're all here! We want to!" Ruby spoke up.
"But...Granny...you and Papa want to get married. This...will just delay everything!"
"August, right now getting you better is our main concern," Granny told him. "We'll wait as long as it takes."
"Okay...I'll do it...whatever it takes. I'll do it. Papa, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" August threw his arms around his father and sobbed into his shoulder.
"It's going to be all right, son. We'll fix it together..."
"How?"
"You've taken the first step by admitting that you have a problem and are willing to resolve it," Archie said. "You have many options open to you; counseling, medication, support groups..."
"Can't you be my counselor?"
"I would August but I'm not a licensed addiction counselor, at least not yet. I have contacted a Doctor Edgar Boyar in Portland and he would like to take your case."
"I don't know...an outsider...?"
"We have to try, Pinocchio. Let the man help you," his father pleaded.
"Okay."
"I've already called Neverland and they're going to fly us back home today."
"Papa! You've been looking forward to this vacation!"
"Did you not hear what we said? Getting you better is our main concern right now because the next vacation we go on, we want to do it as a family...a healthy, happy, family." Granny argued.
He buried his face in his hands. "Our vacation is ruined because of me!"
"Please stop thinking like that, son! It won't help you!"
He sighed resignedly. "All right Papa."
The next thing he knew he was being pulled into his father's arms with Ruby and Granny joining him. All the years he lived with his father it had just been the two of them..and Archie when he wasn't being called to other people across the realms. They were a family, strange as it was and it was only now that he realized how much he wanted that back again.
As August was packing his things, the others searched the room, discovering bottles of whiskey hidden in several places, including the inside of the commode much to his father's horror. They dumped the contents out in the sink and threw them in the trash, praying it would be the last time they would be forced to do so.
While they were doing so, there came a knock at the door, and Rumple's voice called, "Archie, do you have a minute? I need to ask you something about places to . . .err . . .renew wedding vows and such."
"Ummm...yes...come on in."
"Might as well tell him Archie. He's gonna find out soon enough," August said when he emerged from his room carrying his luggage.
"Tell me what?" asked the sorcerer, entering the room. His eyes widened as he saw the luggage. "Are ye going somewhere, August?"
"Home...we're going home. I...I'm going into rehab."
Archie hadn't intended to discuss August's problem with his brother-in-law, feeling that if the family wanted the others to know, it was their choice to tell them.
Ruby pulled the bag of empty bottles of the trashcan and tried to tie it up before Rumple saw it but she was too late.
Rumple digested this information calmly. Since he was friends with Emma and Jeff, he had known of some of August's nocturnal activities. "That will kill you quicker than any curse, dearie. And Greece really is not the place for a recovering alcoholic. I'm glad you made the decision to get help. It's not an easy one. Many alcoholics never have the courage to do so. My papa didn't."
"Your father...?"
"Aye. He was addicted to the bottle and to gambling. Put my mama and me when I was a little lad, no older than Roland, through hell," Rumple said, his eyes darkening with remembered sorrow.
Archie knew talking about his father was difficult for Rumple. They'd had many secret sessions about it, most of them where Rumple recalled the pain of dealing with an alcoholic relative.
"Did he...beat you?" August asked nervously.
They sat back down on the sofa, Geppetto relieved that Rumple was willing to share his own experience, hoping it would give his son more confidence that he was making the best decision to get help.
"Oh yes. With anything he could lay his bloody hands on when he was drunk," the other man said bitterly. "A belt, a switch, a rope, the spoke from my mama's spinning wheel . . .a porridge stirrer . . ." He sat down at the table, feeling a shudder run through him. "Once he dragged me outta bed when he came home from the tavern and whipped me for not having a light in the window for him to see his way home by . . .the lamp had gone out while I was sleeping. But it really didna matter, when he was drunk he was as mean as the devil, and any excuse was enough for him to hurt me . . ."
"I...I could never do that!" August cried though he had come close in Boston.
"What he's trying to say son is that there may come a time when you could." Geppetto said softly.
"Could you not?" Rumple hissed. "For some the drink makes one giddy and silly, but others . . .others it brings out the beast within them, and sets it free . . .and when it rampages . . .people around him suffer. My papa didn't just beat me . . .many times he beat my mama too, especially when she tried to protect me from him."
"Please, listen to him, August!" Ruby pleaded.
"That night in Boston...I got in a fight...and I hit a man...and I didn't remember doing it!"
Rumple closed his eyes, recalling a time when he was five and had hidden in the wool shed and Malcolm had beaten his mama instead because she wouldn't tell him where Rumple was hiding. "I could hear her screaming, she fought him, kept him from getting to me," he whispered. "And then . . .there was silence. I was petrified, but I crept out to see . . .he was passed out in the bed, and she was lying on the floor . . .her face all bloody. I thought she was dead at first, but when I put a wet cloth to her she came around . . . he'd broken her nose and cut her lip. . ."
Rumple nodded grimly. "My papa sometimes said he never remembered hitting me or my mama too, the morning after. And he'd plead with us to forgive him and promise to never do it again . . .But the next day or the day after he'd be back at the tavern, playing cards and drinking . . .and it would begin again. It never stopped."
"I don't want to end up like that, Papa...I don't...I'm NOT going to drink again. I'm NOT!"
Rumple clasped his hand. "You say that now, boy, but can you resist the temptation when it sits in front of you? This is what you need to ask yourself. Because drinking destroys not only you, but those around you. My mama died still praying for my papa to quit . . .died along with my baby sister of a fever, because he was so drunk we couldn't afford to pay an apothecary to buy medicine . . .he drank away all the money he made . . .oh and he cried and was all self-pitying later but he wouldna give up the bottle even then . . .not even then . . ."
"Aye, you can do what I could not. My papa made me all kinds of promises, on her grave he swore he would quit, but he broke every single one, until finally he left me with some spinsters and ran away from his creditors and never came back. And I was both sorry and not sorry to see him go."
"We're going to be leaving today. Would you and Archie be able to say goodbye for us?" Geppetto asked.
"Yes. And I'll keep quiet about the real reason you're leaving. Until you choose to speak of it."
"The only other person who knows is Marie and my wife won't say anything," Archie said.
As his assistant, Marie logged all of his handwritten notes into his laptop every evening, knowing how important it was to her husband to maintain doctor-patient confidentiality.
"I know it's not the main reason you stopped by and...it wasn't easy for you to tell us what you...went through...but we appreciate it, Rumple," Granny said.
He smiled at her. "What I lived through during my childhood with that bastard . . . it affected me for years . . .half of the reasons why I became the Dark One had to do with what he did to me .. .and the wounds he left here-" he put a hand on his heart-" were worse than the ones that had been left on the outside. It took me years to trust anyone again, cursed or not. And it's also why I don't drink much, and I will never countenance abusing women or children. Ever."
He eyed August sharply. "And while you are in rehab, I would like you to think about this. Your drinking carries a price . . .but it's not one only you pay. Your nearest and dearest pay too . . .every time you lift a glass. And while you may feel like going to hell in a handbasket, remember that does not give you the right to drag your family down with you."
"No..." He lowered his head.
"And should ye break your word to them . . .and I find out . . .ye'll deal with ME." He warned. "And ye willna like the consequences, dearie. I may be a white mage now, but I'm no pansy arse. And there are worse punishments than having yer heart crushed, d' ye ken?" As often happened when he grew passionate, his old accent came out.
"Yes.. I'm not going to break my word."
"Don't. Because nowhere does evil enter so readily as with the broken promise. And I won't like punishing ye, son, anymore than I do my own kids, but rest assured I will do so rather than let ye destroy the lives of the folks around ye. Ask Bae if ye don't believe me."
"I don't want to risk your wrath, believe me."
The door opened and Adriana came in. "Papa, Brave's over, now can you teach me to spin?"
She ran over to where Rumple was sitting, and hugged him. "Aye, mo astor, I promised ye."
Archie laughed. "We can talk about the rest later...if you want."
"And you never break your promises," she said.
"No," he agreed. "Yes, later would be good."
"Well I'll see you later. Marie's with Moe and Penelope and I want to make sure everything went well."
Adriana turned to August then, and in one of her periodically eerie flashes of insight, said, "I found this on the beach. It's a sea stone . . .something with a bit of magic in it. It'll help you if you hold it and whisper your troubles to it. You're gonna need it." She pressed it into the writer's hand. "To help keep the frownies away."
"Thank you honey..."
It was a shimmering agate of striated colors-aqua, ivory, gold and green mingled.
Rumple put an arm about her. "The lass is a Healer born, and the gifts o' the spirit call to her."
Archie hugged his friend, Granny, Ruby and August. "Dr. Boyar is going to be keeping in touch with me regarding your progress. I'll set up my own sessions with you about...your other issue."
"Thanks, Archie."
They knew the little Healer couldn't take away years of alcohol abuse with magic but she'd given him a way to heal his mind and soul.
"Are they goin' home, Papa?" Adriana asked curiously.
"Yes, we're going home, little one," Geppetto answered softly.
"Why?"
"Well...ahhh...I'm not feeling well...and..." August trailed off.
"So you need to go home and get better?" she clarified.
How did one explain his condition to a child so young?
"Ummm..yeah..."
"Okay. You listen to the doctor an' get well. My mama says you're suppost to do that. And remember to rub the sea glass everyday. It has the heart of the ocean in it and will make you happy."
For some reason she knew the rock was important. In the same way she knew that the rock was meant for her to give away to someone who needed it.
August kneeled down and hugged the little girl. "You know, you're a really special little girl...and I really think this can help me."
She nodded. "It can. It's full of love. I felt it here," she cupped her hand over her heart. "It's why I picked it up. But it's not meant to stay with me. It told me I would know who needs it. And when I saw you-I knew it's for you, Auggie." She kissed him gently. "Have a safe trip."
"Thanks kid."
He understood now why Rumple's nickname for her was "my treasure" in Gaelic. And he hoped one day to meet an adult just like her.
Then she pulled free of him and scrambled onto her father's lap, all impatient toddler again, and implored, "Papa, can we spin NOW?"
"Better get going Rum...at least she won't rain hail down on you if she doesn't get her way!" Archie joked.
"No . . .but she'll make me feel guilty as anything," his brother-in-law giggled. "Right, minx?"
"Uh-huh...and can I have a happy face wheel? Please?"
"Yes . . .now how the heck am I gonna manage that?" he muttered, picking her up.
"I can do it..."
"Perhaps we can put 'em along the outside rim?" he mused.
"And I want to make happy stuff for the people in the market since a lot of 'em have frownies now."
"Aye, we shall do so, dearie," her father agreed.
When they returned to the room, Adriana hopped onto the bench. "I'm ready!"
Rumple tapped the wheel, shrinking it so she could use it. He picked up some raw carded wool out of a basket. "Now, dearie, ye start like this-and feed the wool onto the wheel by twisting it, while ye pump the treadle with yer foot . . ." He gave her the wool.
He could recall showing Bae how to do this also, but Bae had been older, about six, since back then the only wheels small enough for a child to use were too big for younger children.
"Papa, that treacle thing is too far away for my foot to reach it."
"Aye, I see." he muttered, and adjusted the wheel so she could reach it, thinking that his daughter had inherited his small frame.
"Umm...I think I got it stuck," she said sheepishly, indicating the wool.
"That happens a lot your first time," he said. "Ye untangle it like this, by spinning backwards." He showed her how to reverse the tension on the wheel to free the trapped wool.
"I wanna try again."
"Aye, but dinna go too fast. Remember, slow and steady."
She slammed her foot down on the treadle, forgetting in her excitement her father's warning and the wheel began spinning rapidly.
"Lookit, I'm spinning!"
"No! It's too fast!" he cried, and sure enough the thread became tangled halfway through because she couldn't maintain the tension.
"I broke it!" she wailed.
"Now don't cry, dearie. This happens all the time with new spinners," he said patiently, and helped her untangle the thread. "Start again, remember to twist the wool and spin slowly this time, Adriana, you willna be able to go fast like I do because you aren't used to it . . . "
"But I wanna be good like you."
"I've been a spinner for hundreds of years, lass. And when you do something that long . . .it becomes like second nature to you. I don't even have to think about it anymore. Unless I'm teaching. And practice makes perfect."
"Okay," she started spinning again more slowly this time, not forgetting to twist the wool as she spun.
"Good! D' you see how different it feels?"
"Uh-huh. But this wool looks so..dull...are we gonna color it like you do with Easter eggs?"
"Yes, I can show you how to dye it properly at home, but for now . . .I can do so with magic."
"Why cause we need a lot of stuff to do it?"
"Yes, we do," he replied. "And a place to let the thread dry and so forth. Even modern dying techniques take time we don't have here. So . . .what color do you want?"
"Ummmm...black...and we need yellow for the happy faces."
She grinned. "I wanna make a flag that says Keep Calm and Be Happy."
He changed the colors of wool in the basket with a flick of his hand. "Then you best start spinning, dearie. Because after this, you must sew what you've spun."
"I can?"
"Yes, I shall mark the cloth for your flag and show you," he said. "Tis a lot of work to make something, isn't it?"
"Yeah. No wonder you spend so much time in there mama gets worried you're gonna turn into Rip Van Winkle."
Rumple laughed. "Were we back in the Enchanted Forest, you'd be learning to sew a sampler like all the lasses did back then-be you peasant or queen, all ladies could sew . . .and so could some men too. In my village, all the men could knit, and did so to pass time when watchin' the sheep. I taught Bae to knit when he was a little older than you."
"Why doesn't he do it now?"
"He could, if he has not forgot, but he likes to draw better and . . .some people here think only girls knit."
"Girls and boys can do anything they want to, right Papa?"
"Yes, they can. But some people have silly notions and try and say that only boys can do something-like be a soldier and girls are only good to knit and take care of children."
"Hmph," she snorted. "You do girly stuff like wash clothes, do dishes, cook and change diapers."
"I do, and there's no shame in that. I was also a soldier once. You do what you must to make your life better. Work is work, no matter who does it."
"Well I hope Neal's gonna be like that and not a lazy butt."
Rumple chuckled. "Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that, dearie. His papa does chores around the house just like I do."
"Yeah but Neal says he sucks at laundry cause he bleached one of the minions after it got dirty and I had to fix it."
"Everyone does something like that when they first learn. You ask your brother about the time he put a red kerchief in with our white underclothes and turned everything pink! Only he tried to make me blame your mama for it because he was being a scamp!"
Adriana giggled. "Didja run around wearing pink underwear?"
"Your mama bleached it back, though once I found out what he'd done, I made HIM wear pink underwear for three days!"
"Good!"
"Hope Mama's having a good time with Pappy and chases away Aunt Marie's frownies."
"I think she is. Now let me see you spin some more, mo astor."
"Okay."
He was glad his daughter wished to learn the family trade, so to speak, recalling how he had tried to teach Milah to sew and spin when they first were married, but she had soon grown bored with the repetition involved and had he not sewn several smocks and blankets for the baby and knitted caps and booties, poor Bae would have been naked. Milah had barely the patience to mend a blouse or hem a skirt and her spinning had been abysmal, because she refused to concentrate. She had been one of the laziest women ever, accustomed as she was the daughter of a well-off smith to having servants to do for her while growing up.
"Mama can't spin at all, can she?"
"She knows how, but she prefers to let me do it since I'm better at it than she is."
"Maybe we can make something for her too."
"We could. Perhaps a pretty scarf or kerchief," he suggested.
"Yeah… she gets cold in the winter."
In her mind she was already planning to make something for her father and Bae too.
Maurice was overjoyed when Belle invited him and Penelope to spend the day with her, Marie and their children. He'd noticed that Marie wasn't happy he was spending so much time with the history professor and it pained him. He'd loved her mother and Belle's but from the moment he met Penelope Palakas, he started thinking about finally settling down again. He was hoping this day with his daughters would help ease some of the tension and it had been quite a while since he'd had a day with them.
They met up with his daughters in the National Gardens, the largest park in the city with Mary in tow to help them with the children.
"Where are Rum and Archie?"
"Rumple's doing some spinning with Adriana for the flea market...Bae and his friends are with the others. They're going to those adventure rooms Grace heard about on the internet," Belle replied.
"Oh those are exciting but I couldn't escape any of them!" Penelope confessed.
"And Archie?" he inquired of Marie.
"He's taking a conference call."
"On his vacation?"
"You know my husband, Papa. He always makes time for his patients," she said.
"That's sweet of him, dear. Not many doctors will do that," Penelope said. "They pass them off to the on call doctors."
"We do have Mina Harker and Jack Seward but there are some patients who are more comfortable with Archie." She lifted AJ out of the stroller and set him down on the blanket she set up and put Maureen down beside him. As soon as the triplets were put down, AJ and Maureen wanted to be closer to little Bobby and AJ kept trying to grab at the grass.
"We stopped by several delis and picked up lunch for all of us. I hope you like it," Penelope said nervously.
"That's so sweet of you Penelope," Belle said cheerfully.
"Yes, thank you," Marie added distractedly, wishing her husband were with her for moral support. The moment she'd seen her father approach them holding Penelope's hand it made her uneasy.
"Mommy, can we go play hide and seek?" Jonny asked, pointing at Gisella and Kyria.
"Yes, but you stay where I can see you."
"These gardens are so beautiful!" Belle began snapping pictures on her phone. "Papa you stand over there with Penelope and I'll get a picture!"
"Umm..all right."
She had the couple pose in front of a gazebo surrounded by flowerbeds, his arm around Penelope's waist. Though it was still very early in their relationship, she could feel the bond growing between them, a bond as strong as the one she had with Rumple and her sister had with Archie. She recalled her husband telling her years before that she'd been able to sense it between Marie and Archie before they did because anyone who knew true love recognized it when they saw it.
"You look wonderful. Let me take another one!"
"Belle, please!"
"Come on, Papa!"
"Oh, all right."
"Now let me take one of you and your girls Maurice," Penelope offered.
He was more than happy to pose for a picture with his two daughters, his pride and joy. Both of them had been limited on what they could do back in their world but in this one they had so many more opportunities open to them. Now they were both successful career women with the best husbands he could ask for and they'd given him beautiful grandchildren to spoil, then send home.
Maurice took the camera from her. "Now it's your turn."
Penelope was nervous about posing for a family photograph, especially with Marie, who did not seem pleased that she was there at all. Maurice wanted to talk with his daughter about it. Now she believed it was time to do so. "Marie, may I have a few moments alone?" she said after their picture was taken.
"I...all right," she sighed when Belle gave her a Look.
"Come on, Papa. Your grandchildren want to play," she said as she led her father away. He sat on the blanket beside her and picked up Victoria and Valora. "Hello, my little poppets. Pappy's here."
Both babies snuggled into his shoulder, blowing bubbles at him and little Bobby kept poking at his arm from his mother's embrace. "You know this is one of the times when I had arms like a spider so I could hold all my grandchildren," he joked.
"Don't tempt my husband. He would do that," Belle laughed.
"That he would."
"...Marie, I know this is difficult for you...seeing me with your father..." Penelope began.
"How much did he tell you about my mother?" the younger woman demanded.
"That they were childhood sweethearts but he married Belle's mother to please his family."
"He did, but he still saw my mother. Collette knew but she did as most women did then when their husbands strayed..turned a blind eye...even when she found out Maman was carrying me while she was pregnant with Belle."
Marie looked away with tears in her eyes. "Until the day she died, Maman thought there would come a day when Papa would divorce Collette, set her up comfortably, marry Maman and legitimize me."
"He did legitimize you."
"It didn't matter. People still called me a bastard and for so long I was angry with him because he gave Maman false hope...but he told me he loved her the most and no one could ever replace her in his heart..." Marie sobbed.
"I'm not trying to make him forget her, Marie. There is a place in his heart that will always belong to Jeannette and Collette."
"What about you? Does a part of your heart belong to Sandro's father?"
Penelope snorted in disgust. "No, honey. I don't know if Sandro told you but Vasili was no father at all."
"He briefly mentioned him...that you were divorced and he died when Sandro was twelve."
"He was a possessive, abusive bastard who died in a cheap hotel room in bed with a prosititute after overdosing on cocaine!"
"Oh my God...I am so sorry."
"I was a stupid sixteen year old who thought she was in love and let him sweet talk me into bed...and got pregnant with Sandro because he didn't use anything. But, Sandro was the only good thing that came out of that fiasco. I've been...careful since my divorce about who I date."
Marie nodded sympathetically. "It was hard for me to love anyone after my fiance was poisoned...but Archie...he never gave up on me even when I gave him so many reasons to want to."
"I don't know how all of this will work out Marie but all I'm asking is that you give us chance? Will you do that?"
"I can. I'm sorry I've been such a bitch and having been in a similar situation...I wouldn't begrudge anyone wanting to find a good man."
Penelope embraced her. "You certainly found one in Doctor Hopper."
Marie smiled. "I can't wait to renew our vows."
"I'm looking forward to seeing it, the pictures I saw were beautiful."
Moe breathed a sigh of relief when they returned, both of them smiling and even laughing together. Belle squeezed her father's hand. "You see, Papa. I told you everything would work out."
He was grateful for that and suspected to help break the tension Penelope had told Marie about her horrible marriage and how eerily similar it was to Marie's situation with Gaston. When they returned to the picnic spot, AJ and Maureen were eager to see their mother.
"I wish I'd been able to bake my Golden Delight cake," Belle said as she served everyone slices of chocolate cake her father bought at a bakery in the Plaka.
"Well you can when we get to Italy, poppet because we're staying in a villa but I have a feeling you and Rumple will be fighting over the kitchen soon..."
"He does let me cook but God, Papa, I could take the broom to him sometimes when he gets upset if I move something," Belle giggled. "For example, he has his cooking spoons in a certain order on the pegs and I switched a few of them after I washed them and he stood there and put them back...even put up labels for what went where!"
"Surely you were used to that from being his chatelaine?"
"Oh I was...which was why I tried to avoid the kitchen like the plague but now..." She smirked. "He even threatened to make a his and hers kitchen space!"
"And he would too!"
"Thankfully Archie isn't that bad!" Marie exclaimed.
"Did I hear my name mentioned?"
Marie turned around to see her husband standing there holding Jonny with Gisella and Kyria beside him. Penelope snapped a picture with her phone.
"When did you sneak in?" Marie inquired softly.
"Daddy gave away my hiding place!" Gisella pouted.
"I didn't mean to Princess but you didn't hide well enough."
"Yup. Woulda found ya anyway," Jonny agreed. Gisella blew a raspberry at him. Marie handed her children to Penelope and Moe to hold and Archie set his son back on his feet. Archie wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her gently.
"How did it go?" he whispered.
"Everything's fine," she assured him with a smile.
"MAMA, MAMA, LOOK. I MADE SOMETHING!" they heard Adriana yelling as she ran toward them while her father struggled to keep up.
"Dearie, will ye please slow down 'fore ye make me keel over!" Rumple panted.
When the triplets started walking, he thought, gasping, he might need a wheelchair to keep up!
"C'mon Papa ,shake a leg," she demanded impatiently.
"Never ye mind, minx!" he puffed. Damn, he hated getting old!
"What did you make, honey?" Belle asked softly.
"I made a happy flag!" she boasted and held it out for her mother. "And I spun the wool all by myself and Papa colored it for me!"
Rumple set his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "She takes to spinning like a duck t'water, Belle."
"And you're surprised, Rumple?" Moe teased.
"No, not at all."
"You think that'll help stop all the frownies here?" Adriana asked her.
"We can hope it will help, dearie."
Little did they know that unrest was brewing in the streets and later on that evening some of them would find themselves directly in its path.
In Chalandri, the Hoods, Hatters, Nolans and the Scorpions were having a fabulous time in the adventure rooms. The game masters were pleased to see so many enthusiastic people eager to try their hand at escaping their complex puzzles.
"We only have a thirty percent escape rate," one said before they began.
"Well...those statistics might have to go up a bit," Emma said with a smirk. "Right, guys?"
"Oh yeah. We've gotten out of crazier places than this, eh Wraith?" Bae asked.
"You bet, Fire!"
"C'mon! I wanna get started!" Henry grouched.
The Nolans and Hatters headed for the Black Queen and Original Game rooms while the Hoods and the Scorpions waited patiently for their turn, the mages taking a solemn vow that they would not use their abilities in the rooms no matter how difficult the puzzles were. However, in their training with Rumple they'd been taught various techniques to solve them without magic. There were many puzzles in each room and everyone became stumped on a few of them, even when they were working together as a team.
"Would you like a hint?" the game master asked when Neal was becoming frustrated with his puzzle.
"Yes please."
"Okay. Listen carefully." The game master gave the toddler a small clue to help him locate the object he needed to complete his puzzle. "Good luck."
"Thank you!"
"David...we only have ten minutes left!" Snow cried, all of them excited that they'd made it that far. They finally located the evil scientist's potion and the exit, or at least they believed they did.
"Daddy, hurry. I don't wanna be a lab rat!"
"I'm tryin, I'm tryin!" David huffed.
"Daddy, I got it...I know what to do!"
"Two minute warning, buddy!"
"I got it!" he insisted.
"Thirty seconds!" Snow called out.
"I got it! C'mon let's goooooo!" the toddler cheered and the family happily raced for the exit. The game master awaited them at the exit. "Congratulations! You all did an excellent job and look at that...two seconds to spare!"
"Close call!" David joked while they posed for a picture and wrote a small message on the red wall behind them: We had a wonderful time and would love to come back soon. Mary, David and Neal Nolan!
In the Black Queen room, the Hatters were making the most of their sixty minutes. They started out in a makeshift jail cell but had been able to find the clues to move on to the next portion of the game quickly but their current puzzles left them scratching their heads, wondering how they were relevant.
"It's a red herring hon," Jeff said.
"Well it's an annoying one!" she complained. They'd been working on the puzzle for ten minutes and she was about to give up when Grace and Henry finally solved it and it allowed them to go on to the next portion.
"Thanks, kids."
"No sweat, Mom!" Henry said with a grin.
They had fifteen minutes left when they reached the final portion of the game and while the rest of her family was still working on another puzzle, little Maggie worked on finding the exit. "Hey, c'mon! We can get out now!" she called out.
"All right! Great job, Mags!" Grace hi-fived her.
The game master stood dumbfounded as the group emerged from the room. "That is one of the fastest escapes I've ever seen in that room!" she exclaimed.
"Umm...well...me and my husband, we're cops back home," Emma said. "And solving crimes is what we do but you had us stumped on a few things in there!" she said while they posed for their picture and immortalized their visit with their own personal message on the red wall.
"Hah! Betcha we can get out faster!" Robin bragged when they approached.
"You're on. How much?" Jeff demanded. Emma swatted at him.
"Hatter...!"
"Ummm...the losers have to buy our dinner for two nights?" Robin wagered.
"And we get to pick the place," Regina supplied.
"You're on Queenie but you're not gonna make it," Emma teased.
"We'll see about that Sheriff. Never underestimate the Queen."
"You think you're gonna get away from the mad scientist?" Neal asked Bae.
"Dunno but we're gonna try."
The Hoods and the Scorpions marched off to their rooms, knowing they had a tough task ahead of them. Bae and his friends surveyed their surroundings. Though all of them were good at breaking in and out of places, many of the puzzles in their room required a lot more brainpower than muscle power.
"It's not like free climbing out of the school with a kid on your back, eh Fire?" Ewan asked.
"I still can't believe you guys did that. It was awesome!" Bobby crowed.
"Yeah but those idiots Eti and Savannah should've smoked their weed somewhere else!" Kat muttered.
"This guy reminds me of Whale on crack!" Bae joked.
"Yo...bro...time's wastin!" Bobby gave him a small punch on his arm and pointed at the clock. Bae had been too busy talking instead of focusing on his puzzle and it cost the group six minutes.
"Lock picking! Now this I can do...damn...I don't have my picks!" Kat whined.
"Gotta improvise sister," Becky said and the two of them got to work on the lock.
"God this feels like Saw," Andi groaned.
"Do you wanna play a game?" Bae teased in Jigsaw's voice.
"Quit it! Breakin my concentration here!"
"YO! Ten minutes guys!" Bobby shouted.
The group searched frantically for the final clue that would help them escape the room, hearing the mad scientist taunting them. When they looked up at the clock again time had run out.
"Awww sheeeeittttt!" Bae groaned.
"Great. Now we're lab rats," Ewan muttered.
The group walked out of the room with their heads hung low, their triumphant friends snickering.
"Squeak squeak!" Neal and Maggie mocked.
They still managed a smile when they posed for a picture and wrote their names on the wall. "We're comin back again!" Bae said determinedly.
"How bout some cheese, rats?" Maggie giggled.
"Awww shuddup!" they groaned.
In the Black Queen room Regina's team had an equally difficult task ahead of them if they wanted to beat Emma and Jeff's time. Normally impatient when they couldn't get anything to go their way, Regina and Ellie managed to maintain their composure for most of the puzzles and had even solved a few of them together. They'd placed the boys on lock and key detail, knowing Robin and Roland had the most experience at both.
"One time when we was breakin in to this castle Daddy had me crawl in a window an steal a key off some guy's table while he was sleepin. He snored really loud...and he farted too!" Roland said.
"Gross!" Jason held his nose.
"Did he light it on fire like some stupid guy did once?" Ellie asked him.
"Nah."
"Robin have you been watching those stupid You Tube videos with our daughter around?" Regina demanded.
"Ummm...yeah...but I swear I thought I put my screen down before she saw it!"
"Don't do it again or I am making you sleep in the yard...without a tent mister!"
"Mommy, I'm ready for the next puzzle!" Ellie called out.
"I'm coming sweetie. Roland, time check!"
"Twenty minutes, Mommy!"
"Damn, five minutes, let's hustle!"
"Coming up on fifteen, Mommy!"
Robin was scrambling to find the last clue that would help them escape. As it came closer to their time limit the family started searching the room together and finally the door opened at fifteen minutes and thirty seconds.
"Aww crap, we lost!" Jason groaned.
"Nuh uh we got out!" Ellie reminded him.
"Yeah but we still gotta buy them dinner."
"Ahh so what...least we got out!"
That's the spirit honey, Regina thought proudly.
"That was close, Mom!" Henry exclaimed when the others exited the room beaming with pride that their efforts had proven successful. The group posed for their own pictures and wrote their names on the wall beside the Hatters.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Jason asked the disappointed Scorpions.
"They didn't get out!" Maggie bragged. "They're lab rats."
"Yeah, yeah rub it in half-pint!" Ewan grumbled.
"We're gonna try again before we leave," Bae said firmly.
Regina was smiling.
"All right Queenie, I know that look. You're plotting something. Now out with it!" Emma demanded.
"I'm thinking we should have something like this back in Storybrooke and even make it part of the summer festival."
"Oh cool! Can we Auntie Gina?" Maggie pleaded, giving her a puppy dog look.
"We certainly can honey. I'm going to have them get started when we get back."
"Yay!" the kids cheered.
Their hosts were amazed by this group. They'd never seen a more intelligent group of toddlers and adults and were looking forward to having them return.
When they were all walking back from the restaurant they saw a large crowd of people marching down Syntagma Square carrying banners and signs and chanting in Greek. The crowd was concentrated around Parliament.
"What's going on, Mommy?" Ellie asked.
"We should get back to the hotel...right now!" David said worriedly.
"I was afraid this was going to happen as soon as the vote was held," Snow added.
"I don't think we should panic yet. They're matching peacefully," Emma pointed out.
"For now...but protests can turn violent awful fast," Jeff muttered. He'd seen a few of them when he was in Miami.
"They wanna solve their problem their own way. That's why they're upset," Maggie said.
"I'm not taking any chances. Let's go!" Regina said firmly and cast a protection spell on the group.
Another large crowd came marching in their direction. In the commotion, the Scorpions had gotten separated from the others and they were curious as to what was going on, finding themselves among a group of teenagers, all of them holding signs and shouting.
Suddenly there was an explosion.
"Holy shit! Somebody threw a Molotov!" Becky exclaimed.
"What!? C'mon guys, let's get the fuck outta here!" Bae cried.
The six teenagers looked at each other in fear. There were thousands of people surrounding them. Several more explosions were heard and fire erupted in the square followed by voices now raised in anger.
Page~*~*~*~Break
"...RUMPLE...RUMPLE! They're exploding bombs and OUR SON IS OUT THERE!" Belle screamed.
"Papa, Bae's gonna get hurt!" Adriana sobbed.
"Oh God...oh God...it's just like in Avonlea!" Her frantic mother sank to her knees on the living room floor, sobbing in terror. "Please God, don't let them hurt my son...please!"
The door to the room flew open and Archie ran in followed by his wife and their children. Marie ran to her sister and threw her arms around her. "Belle...oh God! Bae..."
"Alessandro's locked down the hotel. Where's Bae! Regina said he didn't come back with them!" Archie cried.
"He's down there an' I'm going after him!" Rumple said firmly.
"You're not going down there alone! This isn't a small town mob we're dealing with Rumple, it's over a thousand very angry people!"
"Aye and I'm not going to let an angry mob stop me from finding my son!"
They heard another explosion. The older children ran into Adriana's room and hid under the bed and Marie and Belle were trying to calm their terrified babies who started screaming while coping with their own terror.
The next noises they heard were the police sirens as the riot police moved in and began launching canisters of tear gas into the crowd. Most of them began to disperse while a group of anarchists, undeterred, continued throwing cocktails.
"Rumple, if you're thinking about going down there to find Bae, we'll go with you," Jeff offered, indicating himself, David, and Robin.
"I am...and they'd better be praying my boy's unharmed," Rumple said, his eyes blazing with rage. He picked up his cane and limped over to where his wife was standing. "I'm gonna find him, Belle," he vowed.
"Be careful, my heart," she sobbed.
"I will." He embraced her and kissed her.
After the husbands bid farewell to their wives, they got in the elevator and went downstairs to the lobby, all of them armed.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Alessandro demanded and had several of his bellhops block the door.
"Back off, Sandro. My nephew is out there!" Archie said angrily.
"Ye don't want to get in my way, lad," Rumple hissed.
And to save his son he would risk exposing his true nature to the entire world.
"You want out, you have to get through us. It's too damned dangerous. The square is full of tear gas!"
Rumple laughed harshly and froze them. "It's gonna take a lot more than you and tear gas to keep from my boy, dearies!" He waved his hand and cast a protection spell over his brother-in-law and his friends. "Let's go!"
The group vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Penny? Are you all right?" Moe asked worriedly, putting his arm around Penelope's shoulders. She turned around and buried her face into his shoulder, sobbing brokenly.
"No...no...oh God...what is happening to us!"
"I wish I knew," he said solemnly, being taken back many years to the tax riot in Avonlea that had endangered the lives of his two precious daughters. At least one hundred people had been killed including the girls' nurse in a clash with the Duke's guards. And now that he knew his grandson was out there among the protestors along with his sons-in-law he was even more terrified.
The group of men appeared on the street outside the hotel, the smoke from the tear gas so thick it made sight difficult but the protective charms Rumple cast on them would allow them to navigate through the crowd with no difficulty.
"I knew this was gonna get ugly," Jeff muttered.
"Rumple, can you use some kind of locator spell to find Bae?" Robin asked.
"Working on it," he murmured, his eyes closed in concentration.
His concentration was broken when he heard his cellphone ringing.
"Please let it be Bae," he begged.
"Hello?"
"Papa, Papa it's me!"
"BAE! Thank the gods! Are you all right. Are the others all right?"
"We're okay...but we've...we've been arrested."
"WHAT?!"
"They...they think we were with those people who threw the Molotovs but I swear to God we didn't do it."
"I know, I know," his father sobbed with joy. "Sit tight lad. We're comin' to get ye!"
"How? They have it blocked off where you are, don't they?"
"Ye think that's gonna keep me out, lad? No. Don't you worry. I'm on my way."
In an Athens police station the six terrified teenagers breathed a sigh of relief. These people were going to learn quickly that hell hath no fury like Rumplestiltskin Gold!