Chapter Ten: The Light in Your Shadow

"How is he?"

Emma dropped a large coffee in front of Neal, then slid into the bench across from him, cradling her hot chocolate.

Neal looked tired. Dark circles like bruises ringed his eyes, and he was sporting two or three days worth of stubble. His shirt looked rumpled and slept in, and his hair was mussed and greasy.

Neal grimaced and took a large gulp of coffee, wincing at the heat. "Still the same, pretty much."

Emma matched his expression. "Still?"

Two days had passed since the spells had been broken. Henry had been released from the hospital the day before, completely recovered from his curse and full of his usual energy.

Gold had locked himself inside his house, refusing to see anyone besides his son and Belle. And, from what Neal had relayed over short phone conversations, barely talking to them.

Between them, Belle and Neal had managed to force him to eat and clean up, and his magic had apparently healed his injuries. Physically, he was almost completely recovered, except for the weight he'd lost and the shadows under his eyes. But he was a ghost, quiet and broken, flinching and ducking away from any form of contact or conversation.

Emma sipped her hot chocolate. "Did you tell him about Henry?"

"Told him the kid made a full recovery. Didn't seem to make much difference." Neal blew across the top of his cup, then took another, slower sip. "He just flinched, the way he does whenever we try to talk to him." He sighed and dropped his cup, his head hanging. "I don't know what to do. I mean, I spent so long wishing that he'd realize what the curse made him, how wrong it was. And now he has, and I just wish he'd go back to being the way he was."

"Yeah. I think I understand. I keep remembering what it was like, watching him while he was in that trance." She'd had nightmares the night before of herself in Gold's position, of reliving her regrets and mistakes.

Neal's fingers toyed with the rim of his coffee cup. "Kinda makes me think about all the things I regret, the things I'm sorry for. You know?" He looked up at her. "Like leaving you the way I did."

"Yeah. We'll have to talk about that sometime." Emma shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't sure she was ready to have that kind of conversation.

Neal didn't appear to notice. He just kept talking in that soft, even tone of his. "He told me you'd have a good life. August, I mean. He said that you'd get out and forget me and go on to have a good life. That he'd take care of you, look out for you." Neal swallowed hard. "I...I left you the car and all the money I had...and I tried to believe he was telling me the truth. Truth is, I was running from my past and I didn't want to get caught up in the whole destiny thing." A sad smile crossed his face. "Guess I'm a little more like my dad than I wanted to admit in New York."

Emma considered her options. She was mad about how he'd abandoned her and left her in jail. But she also knew how persuasive August/Pinocchio could be. And she could understand, especially after reading Henry's book, why Neal might have wanted to run from the Enchanted Forest and any reminders of his past or his family. She'd had the same urges herself often enough.

More than that, the last few days had left her too drained for being angry or defensive. She swirled her hot chocolate in her cup, then looked up at him. "You planning on running now?"

Neal shook his head. "Nah. I've got too much here. I need to help my pop, even if it's just so I can settle things with him. And I wanna get to know Henry. He is my kid, after all." He looked up at her, brown eyes wide and guileless. "I'd like to get to know you again too."

He wasn't asking for a renewed romantic relationship. She could handle 'getting to know'. "I think I'd like that." He matched her tentative smile with one of his own. Then she returned her attention to their original topic of discussion. "So...about your dad..."

Neal grimaced. "I don't know."

She stirred the dregs of the cooling chocolate. "You know...Henry said we just needed to show him that we forgive him, and remind him of all the good he's done."

"Easier said than done. It's hard enough getting him not to disappear." Neal sighed. "I'm not sure he'd listen anyway. When I was a kid...that was the thing about him. He was always so defeated, so ashamed. It didn't matter how much I supported him, or thanked him, or told him I loved him. And then..." His fingers fiddled with a sugar packet before he tossed it across the table. "When he was the Dark One, it was the opposite. You couldn't get him to admit he'd done anything wrong. There's got to be a middle ground, but I don't know how to get him there."

Emma reached across to lace her fingers in his. "Yeah, well, good news. You don't have to figure it out alone. So..." She shook his hand, making him look at her from where he'd dropped his gaze. "Think you can chance leaving him for a couple hours?"

"He said he wouldn't leave. And he barely notices that we're there now." Neal swallowed hard, pain in his eyes.

"Then why don't you and Belle come over to my parent's place tonight? We'll get together, maybe call Archie, and figure out a plan. Then we can work together on helping him." She squeezed his hand gently.

Neal allowed himself a weak half smile. "Didn't know he meant so much to you guys. I figured, given his reputation..."

"He's family. That means something, no matter how much of a bastard he is. Even Regina admitted that." She offered him a smile in return, and was rewarded with a slight relaxing of his shoulders. "We'll figure it out."

"Okay. I'll tell Belle, and we'll come. Unless something happens." He looked up at the clock on the wall, then knocked back the rest of his coffee and stood. "I promised to bring breakfast."

"Yeah. I gotta get to work. And make sure Henry gets to school." She drained the rest of her hot chocolate. "See you tonight."

"Yeah." he smiled, then went to the counter to place an order. Emma watched him a moment, then left to collect her son and make her way to the sheriff's office.

Maybe it would be a slow day, and she could stop by Dr. Hopper's office sometime on her rounds for a consultation.

***SM***

Night had fallen.

He had a vague memory of Bae coming to him, saying that he and Belle were going out. Asking him to stay in the house, to not leave. He had promised to stay, he remembered that.

Now the house was empty, dark and quiet and cold. Fitting for him, for the monster he was.

Perhaps Bae and Belle had finally left him, as he'd known they would. As they should. They shouldn't be trapped with him, not after he'd flung them both away and refused to listen, scorned their help and their love for power and darkness and empty promises.

The memories flowed, causing him to bury his head in his hands and weep.

Alone in the dark, Rumplestiltskin surrendered once more to his guilt, and his grief.

***SM***

Neal escorted Belle to the Charming's loft. It was a little crowded with seven people, but there were enough chairs for everyone to take a seat. Emma and David had picked up Granny's for everyone, and Snow had made tea for the adults and juice for Henry.

Dinner was eaten in relative quiet, passing plates and trying to ignore the awkwardness. Regina was still noticeably cold to Snow, Snow still seemed abashed and a little ashamed around the former queen and mayor. Belle was uneasy in such a large group of relative strangers, and Neal didn't feel much better.

Henry, in contrast, was restless, and seemed determined to wolf down his food as fast as possible in order to get to the rest of the evening. Regina chided him once for manners, and Emma warned him not to choke, but it didn't seem to slow him down much.

Finally, the wrappers and disposable dishes were cleared away. Adults collected their after-dinner drinks, and Snow made hot chocolate for Henry.

Neal was the first one to break the silence. "So...I guess we all know why we're here. My dad. He's…he's not doing so good." He laced his fingers together. "What he did..."

"The Shattered Masks spell can only be completed if the person under the spell acknowledges what they see and accepts it. I imagine that three hundred years of being the Dark One is a heavy burden." Regina folded her arms.

"Yeah. And it's killing him." Neal winced. "I've tried to talk to him, but..." He shrugged and dropped his head, the slump of his shoulders revealing more than words ever could.

"But it isn't enough." Belle finished the sentence quietly.

"You just need to make sure he knows all the good he's done. And you have to forgive him." Henry piped up. "We just need a way to show him."

David sighed. "I'm not sure that's enough. I mean, if you two can't get through…."

"Henry's right." Emma interrupted her father as Henry started to slump. "I stopped to talk to Archie earlier. I couldn't tell him the specifics, of course, because of the deal, but I kind of...asked around it, I guess. I asked him what he would do, if he had a patient or a friend who'd done something and was suffering from guilt or remorse. He said to reaffirm positive things. And to try and help them find ways to make amends."

"With his kind of power? I can think of a few things." David drummed his fingers on the table.

"First we gotta get him out of this depression he's in. And that's not gonna be easy. My dad's good at feeling guilty." Neal grimaced.

"I've got an idea." Henry bounced in his seat. "I was trying to think of things we could do, so I checked in the library and online. You know...after school."

"Really?" Emma cocked an eyebrow at her son. "So...what did you come up with?"

Henry's face lit up. He bounced out of the chair and over to his backpack, then pulled out the Once Upon a Time storybook and a sheaf of printouts. "I was thinking of some stuff Archie wanted me to do, when I was in therapy before...well, you know, before the curse broke. And after, when we talked about my mom. So I did some research. See..." he spread out the papers. "You write down all the bad stuff someone did, and then you destroy it, sort of like saying that you forgive them, and it's done with. And then you write down all the good stuff that person did, and you keep that notebook, or you give it to them. To remind yourself and them of all the good stuff they did, so that if someone forgets, you can go back and look at it again."

"Interesting..." Snow looked at the papers.

"Yeah. And it kind of works." Henry shifted. "I kind of...started a notebook after the curse was broken." He looked at Regina. "I wanted to forgive you for all the bad stuff you did as the Evil Queen. So I could focus on helping you become good and stay that way." He blushed.

Regina softened, a sad smile on her lips. She stood and went around the table to hug her adopted son. "Thank you, Henry."

David flicked his eyes over the papers. "I guess it's worth a shot. We can pick up a couple notebooks at the store."

"Or do this." Regina flicked her wrist and two thick college ruled notebooks appeared. Snow rose and collected several pens.

Belle frowned. "But...how can we possibly know everything?"

Emma shrugged. "We don't have to know everything he's done. Just enough to make the point."

Neal shrugged too. "I know some stuff."

Henry grinned. "And we have this." He held up the Book. "Rumplestiltskin is in practically every story here. We just read through the book, and write down everything he does, in the good or the bad notebook."

David tapped a finger. "I can add some stuff, especially to the bad notebook." Neal glared at him, and the former prince shrugged. "Your dad asked my help to find someone once. When I was asking around town, I ran into a lot of people with grievances against him. I got an earful from...well, everyone." He looked at Henry. "More stuff for us to burn."

Regina frowned. "You know..." She looked around the table. "At least three of us used to be royalty back in the Enchanted Forest. And I suppose Miss Swan technically counts." She tilted her head to Neal. "I get the impression Rumplestiltskin wasn't nobility."

"He was a spinner. The best in the region." Neal's eyes were hard.

"Then he would understand the meaning of a full royal pardon. If Henry's idea needs a little extra...official sanction."

Neal sat up. "He would." He met Regina's eyes. "Would you give it to him?"

"To the man who made me the Evil Queen? I'm not inclined to, no. To the man who taught me to think for myself, trained me? As repayment to the man whose love I destroyed, simply out of spite? Yes. I think I could."

Snow and David exchanged a glance. Then Snow spoke. "I think...we did imprison him. And he didn't even really commit a crime when we did. Between that and everything he did for us, even if his motives were a little selfish...we could issue him a pardon."

Emma shrugged. "I'm not really anyone's idea of a princess. But if I have a vote...I don't like him, but I think he's paid enough."

"Add that to the to-do list."

"This is going to take a lot of work." Emma eyed the book and the notebooks. "I think that's enough. If this doesn't work..."

"If this doesn't work, I'm going to fudge on the deal and bring that psychiatrist dude to him." Neal shrugged. "Pop can live with it. I'd rather try this first, but still..."

"Great. Let's get to it then." Emma thumped her hand on the table. "Who does what?"

"I think I should work on the drafts of the pardon." Regina tapped one nail. "I did have more experience with that aspect of ruling."

Neal reached out for a notebook. "I wanna start the good notebook."

David nodded. "We can start the bad, I guess." He reached for the other notebook.

Belle moved. "I can...I can help read, or take notes." She paused. "And I...I have some stuff to add to the good notebook, from the hospital."

Henry moved to sit between her and Emma. "You and Emma can help me mark stuff in the book."

Emma got up and disappeared into another room, to reappear with a handful of post it notes. She flopped down beside her son. "All right. Let's get to it."

Henry flipped open the book. The rest of them took their cue from him and settled in.

There was a lot to be done, and the sooner they were done, the better.

***SM***

The work took two days. Neal and Belle had to take breaks to return to the house and make sure Rumplestiltskin was all right, or at least still there and still alive. They both returned disheartened. Neal reported that his father was worse, rapidly sliding into what seemed a near-catatonic state.

The rest of them took breaks for work, rest and food. Snow and Henry both called in sick to the school, knowing it would be believable since Henry had been cursed, but David and Emma had to split shifts at the sheriff's station, and Regina had work in the town, managing property and businesses that she owned. She finished the pardons within half a day, then spent the rest of the time managing them, making sure everyone got rest and got work done. She also had a great deal to contribute to the notebooks, personal moments that hadn't made it into Henry's book.

The work was almost as soul-scraping and revealing as Rumplestiltskin's trance had been, each of them remembering different things.

Neal remembered the father he had loved, before he'd become the Dark One, and the man who had lost his fight against the curse in those last two years. Looking back, he could see the moments where his father had obviously been fighting his cursed nature, and he wished he'd understood then what was happening.

Belle read and wrote the accounts, good and bad. She read the story of her relationship to the Dark One. And she reflected on the complicated nature of the man who knew and loved her, had loved her through so much. A man she'd once loved, and had come to care for again over the past several days.

Regina remembered an imp, a teacher. She thought of the man who had once loved her mother enough to alter a deal for her, a man her mother had loved enough to rip her own heart out of her chest to avoid caring about. The man who'd been teacher, adviser, friend, enemy, opponent and rival since she was sixteen.

David remembered the man who'd taken him from his home setting him on the path to meeting his True Love. Who had mocked him and driven him mad, and yet also helped him keep and save Snow. And he looked into his wife's eyes, and saw that she remembered the same.

Emma thought of the infuriating man she'd first met at Granny's Inn. And the man she'd gotten to know while going to New York. A man who was, at the heart of it all, a father who'd spent three centuries looking for his son, and done whatever he had to do to find him.

Henry studied the life of the man who was his grandfather. The Dark One, even more dangerous than the Evil Queen. The simple spinner, who had once broken his own leg to be a father. The man he'd been afraid of while living in Storybrooke. The man he'd gotten to know while going to New York. The man who was suffering to save him.

Finally, they were ready.

***SM***

Neal paused, then knocked softly on the door to his father's room. "Papa? Hey, can I come in?"

No answer. But then, he hadn't expected one. Rumplestiltskin rarely answered him, and hadn't at all in the last two days, in the brief moments he'd come to check on the man.

Everyone else was downstairs waiting. He took a deep breath, then pushed the door open.

The room was dark. After a moment, he found Rumplestiltskin, crouched in the corner, hands over his face, trembling. The sight broke his heart, reminding him all too much of the way his father had cowered before other men when he was a boy.

He moved forward and crouched in front of his father. "Hey."

Rumplestiltskin jerked. "Bae..."

"Yeah. Hey...there's food downstairs. You should come eat." He doubted his father had eaten in two days. He certainly hadn't when either he or Belle had been home.

"I...I thought you left." The older man's voice was cracked and broken.

"Nah. I had something to do, but I didn't leave. Not forever, anyway." He reached out and touched his father's shoulder, hating how Rumplestiltskin flinched under his hand. "Come on. Let's go downstairs and eat."

"You should leave. I...I'm a monster. The things I've done..."

"I know. You've said that. But I'm not leaving." Neal sighed, then fastened one hand on his father's shoulder in a firm but gentle grip. "Look, can we talk about this over food? Please Papa? You need to eat something." Rumplestiltskin looked at him with wide, tortured eyes. Neal pulled in a breath, then played the card he figured was most likely to work. "Come on. Come downstairs. For me. You'll make me feel better if you come down and eat something."

There was no response, but after a moment, the tense body under his hand relaxed a little. Neal took that as permission and levered himself to his feet, dragging his father up after him. Rumplestiltskin shivered, but didn't fight him as he gently guided him to the door and out into the hall.

In the brighter light, Rumplestiltskin looked terrible. Two days of stubble dusted his face, and he'd clearly done nothing to maintain his appearance. His hair was lank, his clothing creased and messy. Neal considered telling him to clean up, then decided it didn't matter. Everyone who'd come knew his father was in a bad state, and everyone but Henry had seen him look much worse.

He led his father down the stairs, guiding him to the kitchen. They'd chosen to congregate there, both for eating, and for the ease of access to the back yard, to implement the ceremonial part of Henry's plan. He and Belle had already built a fire pit. He just hoped they'd get to use it.

Rumplestiltskin followed him as far as the door, then froze, wide-eyed and shocked, at the sight of the people gathered there. "Bae...what..."

"Some people came to talk to you." He faced his father. "Come on."

"I can't...I can't." Rumplestiltskin was white-faced, shaking. He looked as if he could barely stand upright. "Bae...I can't..."

Neal held him fast, preventing him from running. "I know." He kept his voice gentle. "But you need to. You owe it to them."

Rumplestiltskin flinched. "I can't..." His expression was broken, terrified in a way it hadn't been since that night by the portal. "Please...I can't..."

Henry stood and walked over, dark-eyed and solemn. "Hey Grandpa."

Rumplestiltskin's attention snapped to him so fast it was a wonder he didn't get whiplash. Dark, bloodshot eyes widened. "Henry..." He stopped struggling, frozen by shock. "What are you…?"

"I came to say thank you. For saving me." Brown eyes, exactly like his father and grandfather's, held his grandfather's gaze. "My parents told me what you did for me. How you cursed yourself for me."

Rumplestiltskin flinched. "I..."

"The Shattered Masks spell." Regina interrupted him. "A spell meant to reform criminals by making them acknowledge and repent of their failings and crimes. Quite a serious spell." Gold looked at her, and she held his gaze. "Honestly, if I hadn't verified it myself, I wouldn't have believed you could cast it. Let alone complete it."

Rumplestiltskin shuddered. "I..." The shocked mask shattered into one of pain. "What I did..."

"We know." Snow came forward. "We know."

"You should kill me for what I've done." The words were whispered.

"Maybe." David moved forward to stand beside his wife. "But that's not what we're here to do."

"I don't understand." The haunted gaze flicked from one person to the other.

Emma stepped forward. She studied Rumplestiltskin's wrinkled attire. "Regina..."

Regina gestured. Rumplestiltskin stiffened as purple smoke billowed up around him, then blinked as it cleared, leaving behind clothes that were clean and straight and a face that was clean-shaven and surrounded by hair that looked washed and neatly combed. "What...why..."

Emma took another step forward and took the shoulder Neal wasn't holding. "We need you to come outside with us."

She felt him tense. Then Henry reached out and took Gold's hand. "Come on. We need to do this."

Rumplestiltskin allowed himself to be pulled forward by his grandson. "What are we doing?" His voice was still wrecked, but it was the most normal he'd sounded since he'd cast the spell on himself.

"You'll see." Henry dragged him out of the back door into the garden, with Neal and Emma steadying him and the rest of them following along behind.

Rumplestiltskin blinked in the light, frowning as he saw the makeshift fire pit. "What..."

"It's a ceremony." Henry turned to look at him. "A Forgiveness Ceremony."

Rumplestiltskin froze, going rigid. "You...you can't mean that..."

"Well, we do." Neal held his father as Emma let go and crossed to Regina's side. Belle had come up with an idea the night before that they'd all agreed was worth pursuing. She'd pointed out that Rumplestiltskin had never shown much faith in the spoken word, requiring contracts. She'd also reminded them of what Neal had said, about how his father had never been able to accept his own value, or that anyone could love or forgive him. She'd then asked if there was some form of magic that could add weight to the whole ceremony.

Given that it was practically a ritual already, Regina had agreed that it was possible. She'd hammered out the basic requirements, then enlisted Emma's assistance, to bind the ritual with the savior's light magic as well as her own. Emma was still uncomfortable with the whole idea but she'd agreed to do it, accepting Regina's instructions for casting the required elements.

She and Emma built up the wood for the fire, adding small bundles of herbs. Lavender for peace. Rosemary and Sage for cleansing, plus a few others. Regina looked up. "Mr. Cassidy."

Neal shifted one hand and yanked a strand of hair from his father. Rumplestiltskin jumped, eyes wide as he handed it to Henry. Henry darted over and gave it to Emma, who held it gingerly across her palms, anchored by her thumbs. "For healing."

She crouched, mirrored by Regina, setting her hands on the wood and herbs. Regina's hand's supported hers.

Energy crackled in the air. In Emma's hands, the strand of hair began to glow. Then the wood snapped and burst into flame, sending the sweet scent of the herbs washing over all of them. Rumplestiltskin jerked as it hit him, shock on his face. He looked like he wanted to run.

Belle stepped up and took his free hand, providing another anchor to keep him from leaving as Regina fished in her pocket for a vial full of glowing potion. A truth potion, containing a strand of hair from each person. Rumplestiltskin sucked in a shocked gasp when he saw it, his expression saying clearly that he recognized the potion.

Regina studied it a moment, and the glow increased. Then she bent to suspend it above the fire. "For healing." Then she dropped it in. A second pulse of magic rolled over the group. Neal knew his dad could tell what it meant. The magic would bind everyone to honesty, ensuring that there would be no deception in this ceremony.

Rumplestiltskin began to tremble. Neal squeezed his father's shoulder gently, reassuringly. "It's okay papa. It's okay."

Rumplestiltskin swallowed hard. "But...what are you doing..."

Neal leaned forward to whisper. "Forgiving you."

Regina rose. "I believe we're ready to begin." She turned. "Henry."

Henry nodded and pulled the backpack he'd been carrying off his shoulder. He opened it and carefully extracted two notebooks and two rolls of parchment. He handed the parchment to his adoptive mother and his grandparents, then turned around to face his paternal grandfather, holding the notebooks in his hands.

Rumplestiltskin stared at him. "Henry?"

Henry squared his shoulders. "We agreed that we're going to help you, by forgiving you." He held up the notebooks. One had the word 'Good' written on the cover. The other had the word 'Evil'. "These notebooks have everything you've done, bad and good. Well, everything we could find or remember. So...this notebook is for you." He held out the 'Good' notebook.

His grandfather hesitated, then reached out and took the book with trembling hands. "What..."

"I told you. It's all the good stuff you've done. For everyone. So when you think you're just evil, you can remember that you can be good too. And when you want to do something bad, you can look at it, to remind yourself why you shouldn't do things like that. I know you're cursed, and that makes it harder, but I think you can still be good. After all...you saved me."

Tears welled up in Rumplestiltskin's eyes. "I've done...so much evil..."

"I know. That's what this notebook is for." Henry held up the notebook with 'Evil' written on it. "This is all the bad stuff you did. All the stuff we're forgiving you for. This notebook...we're burning this one." He turned and strode to the fire, then crouched and shoved the notebook into it.

The fire whooshed, the flame turning a myriad of colors as it devoured the ink. The smell of herbs intensified, mingling with the scent of burning paper, as if the cleansing herbs were burning away the sins that had been written on the pages.

The tears spilled over Rumplestiltskin's face. "I don't know what to say."

Henry stood up and came back to him. "You don't have to say anything. Just listen to us...please."

His grandfather managed a short nod, tears still tracking down his cheeks.

Henry took a deep breath. "When I was a kid...you kind of scared me. Especially when I found out who you were in the book, and that you were the one who got me adopted here. And you...you kind of did a lot of bad stuff, back in the Enchanted Forest. But...if you hadn't done what you did, I wouldn't exist. And you helped me meet my dad. You helped my mom become the Savior. And...you saved me. You cursed yourself to save me. That's...important. More important than the other stuff you did, because it proves that you're still fighting your curse. You can still love, even when it's hard. So..." He darted forward and wrapped his arms around Rumplestiltskin's waist, hugging him tightly. "I forgive you, for all the bad stuff you did. Thank you Grandpa."

Rumplestiltskin stood frozen for a moment, his hands full of the notebook. Tears trickled down his face. Then he let go of the notebook, leaving it to thump on the ground. Belle retrieved it and put it on the small table by the door as he wrapped his arms around his grandson. His voice was shaking when he finally replied. "Thank you, Henry."

Henry squeezed, hard enough to make the older man's ribs creak. Then he stepped back.

Emma stepped forward. "My turn."

Henry's forgiveness and kindness had steadied the older man somewhat, restoring some of his usual composure. Still, he visibly braced himself as he faced Emma. "Miss Swan."

She studied his face a moment. Then she huffed. "I'm still not sure I like you. Or trust you."

Rumplestiltskin nodded. "Fair enough."

Emma shrugged. "Maybe. But the fact is...you did help me some. And you got me and Neal back together. Whatever else happens...Henry gets to know both his parents now. You helped Henry with the after-effects of the Sleeping Curse too. And you've taught me some pretty useful stuff. Especially about myself. And we're family now. So...thank you. And I forgive you. Even if I still think you're a bit of a bastard."

A small, tired smile creased his face. "Thank you, Miss Swan."

Emma hesitated, then seized him for a brief, awkward hug. She pulled back before Rumplestiltskin could respond.

Snow and David moved forward, standing side by side. Snow was holding the parchment Henry had given them, the fingers of her other hand laced with David's.

David spoke first. "You took me from my mother, sentenced me to life as King George's son. That wasn't the kind of life I wanted."

"You taught Regina. Not just magic, but how to really hate, how to hurt people. Things might have been different if you hadn't. You manipulated so many people, hurt so many people. You created the curse that brought us all here, destroyed so many lives." Snow picked up where her husband had left off.

Rumplestiltskin flinched. His own voice was quiet, carrying the echoes of shame and remorse. "I know."

David nodded. "Still...if you hadn't interfered, I would never have met Snow. We never would have gotten to be together. And we wouldn't have Emma, or Henry. And you helped us a lot, even if you had a price."

"And...when we imprisoned you...I know I disagreed with the deal you made with Ella, but it really wasn't fair, what we did to you." Snow winced. "All you did was make a deal. She could have lived up to her end, or tried to amend it. Like Emma did."

"I made that deal for my own reasons."

"I know. But still...you didn't commit a crime, and we didn't have the right to trick you and imprison you. We certainly didn't have the right to treat you worse than we treated Regina when we captured her."

Rumplestiltskin shrugged. "I'm a monster, Your Highness."

"Snow's right." David drew himself up. "You've still done far more good than harm for my family. That's true, no matter what your motives were. So..."

"We forgive you." Snow held out the parchment. "And we wanted to give you this."

Rumplestiltskin took it from her and unrolled it. Neal felt the shudder that went through him as he read it. "A royal pardon?"

"Yes. For all crimes committed prior to this date." Rumplestiltskin's hand loosened in shock. Neal rescued the parchment and set it with the notebook Belle had rescued before. David took the opportunity to take Rumplestiltskin's hand. "Don't make us regret it. And..." A small smile creased the prince's face. "Welcome to the family."

Snow moved forward and planted a quick kiss, a blessing, on his cheek. "Welcome to the family."

Rumplestiltskin's eyes were bright. "I...thank you. I can't tell you...family is..."

Snow smiled. "We've read the book." She put a hand on his arm. "We know what family means to you." She pressed his arm, then she and David stepped back.

Regina stepped forward.

Author's Note: So...what do you think of Henry's idea?