...Flashback continued… seven years ago… Gold residence…

Neal woke the following morning to some loud knocks at the front door to the pink Victorian home. He was mostly surprised by how he wasn't disturbed, but then realized that he was staying in a magical home. It wouldn't have surprised him in the slightest if the house itself had a few tricks up its sleeve. He sat up on the couch and discovered quickly that the evidence of their drinking from last night had completely disappeared. His father, Neal speculated. The blanket he couldn't remember sleeping with fell from his shoulder as he tossed it towards the foot of the couch to get up and investigate the knocking.

As he ventured toward the kitchen he discovered the rest of the family already awake. Both Lily and Belle sat at the dining table together and looked up to see him. With identical smiles on their faces, both greeted simultaneously, "Morning!"

He was surprised that the knock from the front door was what woke him up and not the smell or sound of breakfast being made. He chaulked it up to one of the houses strange abilities. As she finished her tea with a sip, Belle offered, "Please, sit! Your timing couldn't have been more perfect. Breakfast is ready. Would you like some tea?"

Neal combed his fingers through his ruffled bedhead hair and grumbled half-awake, "Uh-um, coffee if you have it?"

"I should have known," judged Belle happily. "You're just like your father."

Belle got up from the table just as Neal sat down to his plate full of scrambled eggs, toast and strawberries. He caught a glimpse at Lily who was giggling at him from her chair across from him and found her musings odd. "What's so funny?" he asked with a gruff.

"Not much of a morning person, are you?" Lily remarked.

"No," he said as Belle handed him his cup of joe. "But after this magical brew, I will be." Neal slurped his coffee to feel the temperature before taking an actual gulp. Belle sat down again at the table just as Neal inquired, "Hey, where's Pa-?"

But before he could finish his question he was soon interrupted by Henry, who walked into the dining room followed by Gold. "-Hey Dad."

"Henry!" exclaimed Neal jovially. A smile beamed across his face. "Come have a seat!" Neal made the chair next to him available as he offered it to his son. "Want some coffee?" offered Neal as he lifted his mug.

"No thanks," declined Henry as he sat down next to his father. "But uh, some tea would be nice."

Henry looked around the table for another empty cup to which Belle immediately got up and said with surprise, "Of course. I'll uh… just get you another cup."

Neal glanced at Lily and murmured to her on the side, "I guess he gets the tea drinking from his mother's side." Lily giggled again as Gold took his seat at the head of the table. "What brings you by, Henry? How is your mom by the way?"

"Grandma and grandpa are with her right now. They're… doing their best to console her, but… I think she just needs some time and space. You know?"

Neal softened his happiness to match the somber news. "Yeah, I know. She didn't seem to want to see anybody at the hospital when I was there. Is there… anything I can do to help?"

"Well, maybe not for her right now, but there is something you can do for me."

"Me?" Neal's ears perked up, surprised as he sensed an interesting proposition about to take place. At first Neal was incredulous that there was something Henry wanted specifically from him, but then again, he welcomed any opportunity in this universe to feel useful. So instead, he felt eager to take up whatever task Henry placed before him. "Name it. What is it?"

Belle handed Henry his tea and sat back down with the rest of the family. Henry appeared hesitant as he looked nervously from his grandfather to his father. "Well, since Grandpa's retired… I was hoping you'd be interested in taking over the Pawn Shop for me."

"Oh!" Neal didn't see that one coming. Neal glanced quickly over at his father, who appeared unsurprised and not thrilled.

Henry explained further, "Between my… M.T.A. obligations, my personal life and running the shop, I'm struggling to balance it all by myself."

"M.T.A. ... I'm sorry, what is that?" wondered Neal with genuine curiosity, but judging from Belle's expression he speculated had something to deal with magic. Belle looked up nervously and creatively answered, "M-Mah-Magestic Transport Authority."

Neal could tell from Belle's stuttering what the 'M' actually stood for, so he nodded and took it with stride. Neal turned to his father, wondering what his reaction would be, but when he saw the offer go unchallenged he turned back to Henry and questioned, "Wow. Well, I'm curious…" Neal scratched his head before proceeding, "doesn't the shop technically belong to, um,… your grandfather?"

Neal pointed to his father at the table to which Gold replied, "I actually gave Henry the title to the shop when Belle, Lily and I moved to New York eight years ago. Technically, the deed to the shop belongs to Henry now."

Neal turned to his father in shock and stated, "I'm actually quite surprised by how calm you are in all of this."

Belle and Lily watched and listened. After that spur of the moment question relating to magic, Belle leaned in closer to the conversation to filter out any other 'magical' topics. Hiding magic from Lily was going to be a lot harder than Belle thought and it only made the need to figure out how to protect Lily from magical-related conversations that much more pressing, but that was a conversation for her and Rumple later.

Simultaneously, Belle was also curious as to why Gold wasn't offended about the offer not being given to him. Perhaps Rumple truly has changed, Belle thought. The dialogue went on as she pondered and Gold countered, "Why would I be upset? Henry's right. I'm retired and I still have a daughter to raise. So don't you worry about me, I'll have plenty to do around here. You will not get any quarrel from me. Besides, I think it's you who really needs the employment right now and nothing would please me more than to see the shop stay within the family. I'd rather have that than to have the property fall in anybody else's hands."

Surprised by the sudden turn of events, Neal turned to Henry with pleased befuddlement, "So… when do I start?"

"Whenever you're ready."

"Well, in that case, let me finish breakfast and I'll go grab my coat."

The Gold family continued with breakfast silently thinking to themselves about one another. Belle continued, albeit slowly, eating her breakfast as she looked to her husband. She eyed him suspiciously. Rumple appeared calm, but Belle knew that beneath the cool exterior were thousands of different gears all turning to push out what she could only suspect as something nefarious. Lily watched in amazement as her older brother scarfed down breakfast in a matter of seconds and soon enough both Neal and Henry were walking out the front door.

Gold looked up at the two men with shrewd curiosity as they both left the home. The moment the front door slammed shut, Gold immediately took the napkin from the table and wiped the corners of his mouth signaling his completed meal and departed from the table as well.

"And where are you going?" Belle wondered skeptically as he rounded the corner to living the dining room. Gold paused in his steps and turned slowly. Belle saw the slick smile quickly fade as he turned to face the rest of the family as he replied nonchalantly, "I'll just be tinkering on a few items down in the basement. Why? Did you have any plans for the day?"

Belle was baffled by the sudden comeback and stuttered back, "Oh, well... I-uh, would imagine that after such a traumatic event yesterday that you would want to be with your family."

The comment was well-received by Gold, but the way he interpreted it was that she knew he was scheming something and that she was onto him. Truth was, he wanted to be honest about his intentions with Belle, but with it involving the one thing they were forbidden to talk about in front of Lily, he slyly responded back by saying, "I just… need some space to think… about what happened yesterday. It was just as traumatic for me as well. Perhaps some time spent at the spinning wheel will help me relax."

At the end of his statement his spun on his heels and left, leaving both Belle and Lily behind to finish their breakfast. Belle immediately jumped up from her seat to follow after her husband. There was one problem that had been plaguing her all morning that she wanted resolved and she couldn't speak about it in front of Lily.

"Rumple!" called out Belle. He was already past the threshold to the basement door and had taken his first step towards his descent. He turned and faced her. "What are we going to do about Lily?"

"What do you mean? She's fine," he replied coyly.

"That's not what I meant. How are we to protect her from... you-know-what, when everyone around her is aware of it except for her?" clarified Belle with deep concern.

"I'll take care of it."

"How?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Belle contemplated on his question. Part of her knew that the answer wasn't going to be something she liked and his rhetoical question didn't give her any comfort. The whole ordeal with Lily no longer remembering magic wasn't planned thoroughly and it left them struggling to find any means to resolve the issue. They were desperate to protect her. For the time being, Belle decided to restrain her curiosity. She needed to trust him to do what was best for their family. So she did just that.

After seeing that she wasn't interested in knowing, Rumple turned back around and proceeded further down the stairs into the basement. Belle left him to his own devices and returned to Lily who was still in the dining room finishing up breakfast. When Belle entered the room, Lily turned to her mother and said as she let the contents from her spoon slop messily into her cereal bowl, "Mum, I was wondering."

"Hmm?"

"I'm trying to remember… doesn't Papa go to his wheel when he's trying to forget something? Papa is going to his wheel to think about something he can't say in front of me, isn't he?"

Belle always knew her daughter to be brilliant but she never knew her to be this perceptive and it startled her slightly. To avoid confirming her daughter's suspicions she sighed and said, "Your father can be quite the puzzle but most times… I think he just likes to keep to himself."

Belle squinted at Gold's empty chair at the table and noticed a regular black pen next to his abandoned newspaper. She immediately thought of Neal and realized that he still had the Author's Pen. It could very well be the reason for Gold's suspicious behavior and she needed to talk to Neal in a safe place. "Come on, finish your breakfast," ordered Belle to Lily. "We're going to the library."

… …

"Thank you for coming out to the shop here to do this," thanked Henry as he went to the wall-safe to pull out the deed to the shop.

"Of course," said Neal as he gawked around at the shop. He couldn't help but marvel at everything and felt the need to share in his observations, "You know, despite my being from a parallel universe all the items here are still the same."

Henry looked up to Neal with recognition as he walked around the counter to get to the back wall. "I suppose you carry a lot of memories from when you were over there." The thought made Henry wonder about this Neal's experience. It made him wonder what it had been like to know that your entire family had died. Henry supposed that experiencing his own father's death was just a sample insight into the kind of grief Neal was going through. Henry thought about what little family Neal had from his universe and it led him to think about his other grandfather still over there. Henry questioned, "Curious, when you and grandpa were sharing a body, you didn't happen to share his memories as well?"

"Sort of. His thoughts would occasionally bleed over from time to time, but that was when I knew the potion I was taking was wearing off. Why?"

"Oh, I just thought that part of the reason why you recognized everything here was because you still carried his memories from that shared experience." Henry turned around and pulled open the faux-picture to gain access to the lock.

"Not really. Though, last night… well, I didn't sleep too well. I think it's because for the first time in years my thoughts were my own, but my dreams… not so much. I can still hear his thoughts despite our separation. I suppose that'll go away in time."

"Perhaps you can use that to your advantage," said Henry as he unlocked the safe and sifted through the other documents there to search for the deed. Neal looked to his son more curiously and wondered what he alluding to. Henry paused briefly, realizing what he just said as he found the document. He turned around to face his doppelganger father and continued with a little more fortitude, "Grandpa's changed and for the most part he's gotten better, but, you still shouldn't trust him."

"You don't think that as his son I don't already know that? You forget that centuries ago I grew up with the man as my father." The insinuation by Henry that he didn't know his own father was slightly insulting, but at the same time he was existing in an alternate universe and there could be some variations.

Henry raised his hands to show that he was coming clean and said, "I know, it's just that, you should still be guarded around him. That's all. I meant no offense by what I said."

"I understand and none offense taken." Neal looked down at the deed Henry had placed before him and perused the document thoroughly. As he read, he continued the dialogue between them and said, "Now… explain to me how you think I can use his memories to my advantage."

Henry paused at Neal's comment. Neal knew exactly what Henry was alluding to with all the questioning and it comforted Henry to know that they were on the same page. "Well, first of all, I'm glad that you are able to recognize everything here."

"In my defense, that's only because I spent many years here. I mean, since you and your mother's deaths in my world."

Henry grieved briefly as he sympathized with the pain his father had to endure in his world. "Well, on top of identifying items only grandpa would know, you can get an insight into his thought processes… like what he's planning to do next and such."

Neal couldn't believe what he was hearing and clarified, "You mean, spy on him?"

"No, not spy… more like anticipate his next move."

Neal's face had fallen and in his father's defense he stated, "Look, I get that your grandfather isn't the most virtuous person in Storybrooke, but I can tell you for a fact that after spending all that time sharing his headspace that all of his motivations weren't always sinister. Sure, his actions have been questionable, but everything he's ever done has either been to better himself or his family. He would never do anything to harm his family."

Henry bowed his head slightly in shame and smirked. He was being scolded by his father and it was a rare and unique situation he was experiencing. Henry thought about it and decided it best to not argue with him and nodded, "You're right." Neal did have a point and as Henry thought about it Henry immediately thought about his shared adventure with his grandfather in retrieving the Author's Pen. He remembered how sore he was when he was tricked by him into giving him the powerful pen. In the end, his trust was redeemed when they vanquished the Author the year prior together. Henry realized his own fault over his assumption with his grandfather and added with a cough, "I'll, uh, try to be less judgmental."

Neal could see that he placed Henry in an awkward position and smiled to lighten up the mood. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll keep an eye on him. He is still my father after all." It wasn't in Neal's intention to cut down his own son, but at the same time perhaps having been stuck sharing the same body and mind influenced his own opinion about his father as well. He recognized the possibility and reached out to touch Henry's shoulder and thanked him, "I appreciate the heads up though. I'm sure whatever your grandfather is cooking up we'll be able to figure it out together." When all on the deed seemed to check out Neal pointed at a blank spot on the page and asked, "Should I sign here as the co-owner?"

"Yep. That way I can still have access to the store if need be."

Neal nodded and started to reach for his lucky pen when suddenly the phone rang in the shop. The ring surprised both Henry and Neal. It seemed early to be rushed so quickly into business, but then again stranger things have happened in Storybrooke. Henry walked over to the one rotary phone in the shop and picked up the receiver. He answered the phone, "Hello, this is Gold's Pawn Shop… Belle?"

"Belle?" Neal wondered out loud. Henry raised a finger to silence him and Neal murmured softly to himself, "I wonder what's so important she couldn't say at the house."

"Uh-huh… yeah?... Yeah, ok. We'll be over in just a moment." Henry hung up the phone with a confused look on his face and explained, "Belle wants us to come over to the library. Apparently, it's urgent and she didn't want grandpa to know."

Neal stuffed the deed inside his vest pocket and said, "Sure, let's go now."

The two stepped out of the Pawn Shop and as soon as Henry locked the shop they crossed the street and headed to the library. Henry was the first to reach the library doors when suddenly he felt like somebody was watching them. He paused to look around the town's main street to confirm his intuition. Neal looked at Henry and was equally curious. He looked around to see anything odd, but when nothing stuck out to him he asked, "What is it? Expecting anybody?"

Henry glanced one more time around the area and then turned to his father. He seemed a bit on edge. When his suspicions weren't confirmed he shrugged off the feeling and replied, "No, uh-it's… it's nothing. I just thought somebody was following us, is all."

Henry pulled open the library doors and they both proceeded inside. They were soon greeted by Belle who immediately came to the entrance. She looked beyond the two men to ensure nobody was following them and then quickly locked the front doors.

"So what's so urgent that you couldn't say over breakfast?" asked Henry right away, but his question was usurped by Neal's who asked almost simultaneously, "Where's Lily?"

Belle answered Neal's question first and said, "Lily's in the children's section reading." Seeing that the coast was clear she closed her eyes to focus and she lifted her hands. With an exhale of her breath, a delicate shimmer of light expelled from her hands and a sound proof bubble was instantly created surrounding the three individuals in the library's entrance way. Belle opened her eyes and with a sigh of relief she explained, "Now we can talk. I can't risk Lily or anybody else in town eavesdropping on this conversation. Hence, these precautions."

Belle's sudden use of magic startled both Henry and Neal and indicated the level of seriousness in the conversation. Neal still wasn't accustomed to seeing Belle use magic, but then again, he never knew she was magical to begin with so it was a bit more shocking to him than he would have liked to admit. Belle got straight to the point, "Neal, do you still have the Author's Pen?"

"What's an Author's Pen?" asked Neal who was clearly confused.

"You have the Author's Pen?!" exclaimed Henry, who knew exactly what she was talking about as he turned suddenly to his father. Henry quickly turned back to Belle and asked, "How did you know that he has the pen?"

"Rumple saw that you had it when you first arrived to our Storybrooke and he spoke about using it on Lily to control her magic when we were searching for her yesterday."

Neal's face grew grave with concern as he felt for his front pocket. "The only pen I have on me…" he began as he withdrew the old dipping pen "… is my 'Lucky Pen'."

Henry questioned his name for the powerful pen, "Lucky Pen?"

"Well, yeah. It works without any ink, which for a dipping pen is pretty unique, right? It only works for me though. And for some reason, it has followed me everywhere and has managed to survive even my laundry. I mean I knew that it was enchanted, but I've never known it to hurt anybody."

Both Belle and Henry stared at the pen in Neal's hand as if afraid to touch it themselves. Henry and Belle looked to each other nervously when Belle asked Neal hesitantly, "And does it still work for you?"

"Well, I dunno, really. I was about to use it to sign the deed to the shop when you called and told us to come over." Without asking permission, Neal took it as his cue to give the pen a shot. He took the pen and walked over to the circulation desk. Henry and Belle followed closely behind and they observed anxiously as Neal took the deed that was still in his vest pocket and flattened it out on the counter. Neal looked for his spot to sign and proceeded to sign the parchment with difficulty. Ink refused to escape the tip of the pen. "Well, I'll be damned. It doesn't work anymore."

"Perhaps… it didn't work because you're no longer in your universe," theorized Belle.

"Maybe. I mean, it would make sense. Lily did mention that magic was different in my world," Neal seemed to concur.

"Or maybe," Henry speculated, "you aren't the intended host."

"Host? Ok, now I'm really confused," Neal stated out loud. Henry explained, "The Author is the most powerful being known to Storybrooke. Your lucky pen is actually a conduit for the Author's power and uses anybody who wields it."

"I don't understand. How is this pen so dangerous? It's just a pen," justified Neal ignorantly.

"On behalf of the Author, the pen chooses the Author's next host to possess. That pen's magic, when possessed by the Author, has the power to change anybody's fate. You lose absolute control over your body as the Author uses you to interact with us, or his 'so-called' characters in his story," continued Henry as he shuddered in reflection from his own traumatic experience being possessed by the Author.

"He? You mean, you know for a fact that the Author is in fact, a guy?" questioned Neal.

"Yes, well… Your father fell victim to the Author last year and, according to Lily's dream journal, Henry had also succumbed to the Author in another universe," mentioned Belle.

"Well, how were you able to vanquish him in this world?" wondered Neal justifiably. Belle blushed to which Henry answered for her. "When grandpa was under control of the Author, Belle used True Love's Kiss and it broke the Author's hold over him."

Neal continued holding the pen in his hand and stared at it as he ran his fingers of his other hand through his hair. He had the look of contemplation when suddenly he had an idea. He offered the pen to Henry and suggested, "Here. You take it."

"Me? No way! Why would you offer that to me?" asked Henry with alarm.

"You said that the pen chooses on behalf of the Author. We just tested the pen on me and so far we know that it isn't me. We need to find out who the next intended Author is," reasoned Neal as he still held the pen in front of Henry.

Henry timidly took the pen and walked over to the counter. He grabbed a scrap sheet of paper from off of the desk and attempted to write his name on it to no success either. Henry exhaled a sigh of relief as he said, "Looks like it isn't me either. Maybe the Author doesn't want somebody who's power is limited. Perhaps he wants somebody who's powerful. Somebody with magic."

Henry turned to Belle with the pen. Belle's eyes widened with fear as she realized Henry's implication. She gulped as she took the pen from Henry and attempted to write her name on the same scrap paper. Not a drop of ink fell and the sharp tip tore a piece of the parchment instead. Neal looked to Henry confused. "If it's not you, who else could it be?"

Belle thought about it some more and realized that what Henry had said was valid. "You're right Henry, about the host needing somebody who's powerful, but it isn't me. The Author's ego was certainly large enough, and I would imagine that he wouldn't accept anything less than the most powerful host."

"Well, if not you then who?" asked Henry.

"There are only two other people in town who currently have magic," Belle said with great trepidation. "Rumplestiltskin and Lily. They are both equally powerful enough and neither one of them should ever touch this pen."

"There's still another matter. The enchanted paper. My book," added Henry.

"Your book? What does that have to deal with anything?" inquired Neal.

"In order for the Author to be fully resurrected, the pen's magic must be validated on Enchanted paper and the only paper like that in town resides in Henry's Once Upon a Time book," informed Belle.

"Yeah, but now that grandpa can travel to other worlds he can easily return to the Enchanted Forest. That's where the Enchanted pages from my book originated from. He could still retrieve the paper himself," added Henry.

"So… what are we going to do?" Neal asked to the collective. An idea brewed in Belle's head and she told both Henry and Neal what to do.

… …

Just outside the library around the corner of the library's entrance Rumple hid from view. He waited patiently and told himself that he wouldn't move until he saw his son and grandson leave the library. As if on cue, both Neal and Henry stepped out of the library. They were both within ear shot as he heard Henry say to his enchanted pocket-watch, "Cogsworth, take my father and I to the Enchanted Forest."

In an orange glow, the two men disappeared from the library's outdoor entrance. Rumple smirked to himself as he withdrew his dagger from his overcoat's inside pocket. He stared down at the knife that's brought him so much power and abilities. One of those abilities he had absorbed fairly recently from the enchanted silver slippers from Kansas was the ability to transport between worlds. "Take me to see my son and grandson in the Enchanted Forest."

Rumple tapped the flat side of his blade against the palm of his hand three times and in a blur he disappeared from Storybrooke and appeared in the Enchanted Forest. Hearing that he was incredibly close to Henry and Neal, he rendered a temporary camouflaging spell upon himself and proceeded forward into the forest.

Neal led Henry further into the forest until finally he found a worthy spot to stop. Neal looked around the area and proclaimed, "This looks good. Nobody will know to find the pen out here and with all of these pieces of twig and wood on the ground it'll blend in really well."

"I hope you're right, Dad," said Henry doubtfully. "Should we even consider remembering this spot should we need to check back on it again?"

"No. The more random the spot the better. No one should have this," stated Neal as he lowered himself to the ground and started digging with his bare hands. Henry, despite wearing his sharp blue suit, lowered himself next to his father and started digging as well. It only took a few moments for the two to bury the pen and with great finality Neal stood up first and dusted off the dirt from his hands. "Well, that's that I guess."

Henry did the same and stood up. He continued staring back down at the ground with uncertainty as he finished wiping away the rest of the dirt from his hands. Henry looked to his father and asked, "Are you ready to head back?"

Neal sighed and said with certainty, "Yep. Let's go before I change my mind."

Henry nodded and then placed a caring hand on his father's shoulders. He pulled out Cogsworth from within his coat pocket and requested, "Cogsworth, take my father and I back home to Storybrooke."

A brief brilliant orange light covered the individuals and in a quick second both Neal and Henry were gone. Once Rumple saw that the coast was clear he revealed himself to the open forest. He couldn't believe his luck as he stepped forward to the spot where they had buried the pen. It was obvious where they last stood, based off the freshly disturbed dirt, and he eagerly lowered himself to the ground. Having no shame, he too used his bare hands to push through the dirt only to discover that the pen he unearthed wasn't the Author's Pen, but an ordinary Bic pen from Storybrooke's realm. He had been deliberately tricked.

Rumple bellowed in frustrated anger which frightened away any neighboring critter that was loitering by. He took his frustrations out on the plastic pen and attempted to bend it in half when he thought of something. He stared down at the pen as he heaved a frustrated sigh. Somehow, both Neal and Henry knew he would follow after them. Meaning that they knew that he wanted the Author's pen. But how could they know that he was after the pen, or know that it was Neal he would be following? The only person he had shared his intentions of the pen with… was with Belle.

…

The moment Henry and Neal left her library Belle turned to her magical sound proof shield and waved it away. She took the dangerous Author's Pen with her and quickly went to the fantasy section of the library. Along the way, she passed by the children's section and saw Lily flipping innocently through a couple of books. Seeing that she was still preoccupied, Belle continued forward. She came to the section in hope to find a book thick enough yet memorable for her to remember for later. Poetically, she withdrew Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table from the shelf and brought it back with her to her office by the front circulation desk.

She placed the novel on the desk and flipped open the book. After about a few hundred pages she placed the Author's Pen inside the book to measure and draw out a box surrounding the pen to fit inside. She then took a box cutter and began cutting away pages inside the book. Soon enough, she had cut away the perfectly sized hole and placed the Author's Pen inside. It pained Belle to have to deface a book like this, but she knew that it would pain her even more to have either one of her family members to find it. It was for their own good, she justified. She walked back to the fantasy section and placed the book properly back into its spot. She hoped to never have to retrieve it again.

Sorry for the posting delay! I've been a very busy bee. Between a fair I was participating in and now a move to my new apartment I barely had any time for myself to dedicate to this story. So here it is finally. I hope to post more regularly once I'm settled into my new place. Thank you for being patient with me. And I look forward to reading your reviews soon! Till then, see you next chapter.