…Flashback… six years ago… Storybrooke… same day…

Lily's head still had remnants of the headache from earlier and she noticed as they were getting closer to the library that they were starting up again. She thought about the intensity of the library's fluorescent lights and didn't want to be subjected to them, thinking they would only exacerbate her headache. Lily turned and looked to her mother to stop her. "Mum, can we just go home instead? My head hurts and I'm pretty tired."

Surprised by the sudden change of plans, Belle conceded and agreed. "Alright sweetheart. Meet me in the car while I close the library. I'll be out in about ten minutes."

Belle quickly kissed Lily on the head and they parted ways. Lily found her mother's car and immediately got into the front passenger's seat. The way her mother's car was parked she had a clear view of the Pawn Shop. She wondered where her brother was. She knew that the shop had originally belonged to her father, but she had secretly wished he was still there running. Deep down, it was times like these that she wanted her father instead of her mother. If he had been there he would have known exactly the right thing to say to her to soothe her nerves, but instead he was off on another business trip. Thinking about her father being away made her upset again so she tried to think of happier things as she waited for her mother to close the library. She thought about Roland's suggestion and thought it was a brilliant idea.

Lily reclined the backside of the passenger's seat and rested her eyes. She thought about where she would go if she were given the opportunity to leave Storybrooke at that very moment. Thanks to her parents, she had seen the world and besides Storybrooke the only place she had ever felt at home was back in New York. New York…

She knew that her family still owned property in the city and knew of the universities there through her mother's prior occupation. It was perfect! She would live in their old home in New York while she attended one of the universities there. As wonderful as the thought was there was still the relocation program that her father had mentioned to her not so long ago. She wondered if that would still impede on her plans. She would need to talk to him…

Lily found herself walking around the streets of her New York home. She was following the path her father used to take when he would make his way home from work each day. She climbed the usual steps to their condominium and entered through the door. She expected to see all of the furniture and objects of their home in their usual spots but instead entered a void of nothingness. The door behind her slammed shut. She looked around the space and saw no other windows or doors or any means of escape. She looked down at her body. She could clearly see herself, but nothing else.

"Hello?" questioned Lily as she called out into the void. Her voice didn't ring or echo. It was as if sound itself held no resonation here in the mysterious dark room. She waited. She looked around the space expecting for something to appear or jump out at her. Nothing.

Suddenly she heard whispers. Among the whispers, she heard her own voice of a distant memory spring up distinctly. She was younger and she could tell due to her voice's pitch being much higher. "Mummy, who writes these books?"

Lily recalled this memory from one of the many reading times she shared with her mother. She heard her mother reply in kind, "Authors write these beautifully complex and wonderful tales. Do you want to be writer when you grow up?"

The younger Lily replied innocently, "No. I want to be an author."

…LIIIIIILLLYYYY…

"Lily?"

Lily opened her eyes and realized that she had fallen asleep. Lily was still inside her mother's vehicle and she turned to her mother who was looking back at her with concern. Belle was already in the driver's seat ready to go when she asked, "Are you ready to go home?"

Without saying a word, Lily nodded her head and lifted the back of her seat to the upright position. Belle's disposition hadn't changed as she turned the car on and they left main street for home. As she drove, she kept looking to Lily, worried. Lily had gone slightly pale and her cheeks were beginning to gain color again. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Mmhmm," was all Lily managed to say, but her response didn't quelch Belle's worry. Belle pressed, "What happened at school that caused you to run away?"

When Lily didn't say anything right away it only compounded Belle's worry for her so she continued, "Honey, I'm not upset with you and you're not in trouble. I just want to know what's going on."

At first Lily felt reluctant to confess her issues because she felt that there was nothing she could do to fix them. However, Lily realized that she had just run away to see her psychiatrist. She didn't have many people to talk to about her problems so she confessed, "I was teased at school."

Belle's eyes furrowed as she tried to understand. "So you're still being bullied?"

"Everyone in town thinks I killed Emma's husband and a witch! I'm being painted as some dark villain from all the books I've ever read. I'm not evil!"

"You're not evil!" agreed Belle.

"Maybe I should start dressing like a comic book villain. Everyone already thinks that I am. It's the role I was meant to play being the daughter of the most powerful businessman in Storybrooke. It was Papa who convinced the lawyers that I wasn't the murderer, wasn't it?"

"Woah! First of all, you are not a villain!" exclaimed Belle as a matter-of-fact. She felt affronted on many accounts over how untrue and unfair everyone was treating her. Angry, Belle wanted to set the record straight on what she thought and said, "Second, rumors should not define who you are because no one defines who you are. You do that! And you do that through your actions! Lily, rumors are only words!"

"Yeah? Well these words hurt."

"Only because you are allowing them to hurt you. Let me make myself clear. Your father and I did everything we could to help you through that traumatic day. You did not kill anybody and your father certainly did not have to convince anybody of that fact. Ok?"

"Ok," replied Lily timidly. She wanted to assure her mother that she had understood, but it still didn't change how awful she felt. "When will Papa be home?" Lily wondered to her mother. She wanted to question him on their home in New York. This whole day was awful but the one good thing was that she had a worthwhile dream for potential happiness.

"The same time he comes home every evening," Belle answered much softly. "Why?" Belle waited for her daughter to respond, but she knew why. Lily was scared. She could tell by the pale look on Lily's face that something wasn't right and Lily always ran to her father for protection when something frightened her. This wasn't usual for Lily after having been bullied at school. All Lily could say to her mother was a muffled, "Nothing" when it was obviously not nothing. When Belle wasn't satisfied with Lily's response she declared, "I'm going to have a talk with your teachers tomorrow."

"No! Mama, please don't! Everyone's going to think I'm a nark," begged Lily.

"Well then, what do you want me to do? Because I will not stand idly by while my daughter is being relentlessly harassed at school. It is simply unacceptable."

"I want to talk to Papa first."

"Well, my dear, then that is what you're going to get because I promise you, when your father hears about what happened today you will not like what he has to say."

… …

…Meanwhile, in the Enchanted Forest…

Rumplestiltskin withdrew his dagger and dragged it along an older man's reluctant palm. The peasant was short in stature and was tied helplessly to a tree. Unless someone was passing by, nobody heard his cries that resonated against the trees in the forest. A ruby red slit bearing his blood trickled forth from the cut Rumple made. The old man questioned hysterically, "Why are you doing this?!" The peasant's voice shrilled.

"We had a deal and you owed me. Moving back to the Enchanted Forest does not qualify as forbearance to your debts," Rumple reminded calmly, as if performing a boring business transaction. Since he had rid himself of the Dark One Curse two years ago, his skin and attire no longer resembled what it had once looked like in the Enchanted Forest. He appeared normal, like he had just stepped out of Storybrooke and was suddenly in the Enchanted Forest. He still wore his Armani suit which still intimidated anyone who crossed him no matter the realm he was in.

Rumple waved his dagger over the wound and collected what appeared to be magic from the man's cut. The surprising thing about the transaction, was that as magic vacated the man's hand the hand slowly turned into stone.

"Henry will hear about this!" threatened the older man.

"Oh ho! Will he, now? Have you ever stopped to wonder why Henry hasn't stopped me before?" Rumple replied rhetorically. However, the intent of Rumple's reply was meant to feel like more of a threat. The older man's eyes widened with fear. He knew what that meant. It meant that Rumple had either removed the memories of his past debtors or worse, he had killed them. The nameless man struggled to figure a way to stall Rumplestiltskin. "Please!" begged the man slowly turning into stone. "This fairy magic is all I've got to keep me human."

"Well then, I suppose I'm in luck because fairy magic is just what I need."

"Why do you need more power? You're already the most powerful sorcerer in all the realms?!"

"That's my business," answered Rumple coldly.

"You know, you may not be cursed as the Dark One anymore, but you're still cursed!"

"And what would you know about curses?" wondered Rumple, skeptical yet curious over what he had to say.

"I know that Rumplestiltskin is not your true name! I know that if someone says your true name three times it will destroy you forever! You have no identity and without that knowledge you're powerless. That is your curse. That is why you go around collecting power!"

"Even if that were true, I'm still collecting your magic." Rumple scanned the man up and down. He knew the man was desperate and out of that desperation would say anything. Still, Rumple was curious. "Where did you hear about this?" Rumple started to grow concern over the new threat. He never understood his lust for power only that he had always felt drawn to it and it was the connection about himself which piqued his interest.

"You should talk to your wife! She was the one who started Storybrooke's book club years ago. Not only did we do research on ourselves, we read and discussed others."

"Huh… apparently, you're worth more to me with your lips still moving," remarked Rumplestiltskin to himself as he halted the old man's stone transformation. "And what do you know of my… Author?"

The old man was relieved to see that his stalling tactic was working and that the majority of his human form remained intact. He continued his explanation. "Well, that's the thing, isn't it? We all had follow up questions afterwards about our own authors and wondered the same thing only to discover that they're all dead! All the authors for all of us fairytale characters are deceased in Storybrooke's world. And when the Author came to Storybrooke two years ago, taking over yours and Henry's bodies, it opened up so many possibilities. I went to the Blue Fairy to make sense of it all and she said that the Author's power is made of inspiration and with his ability to shapeshift into different people or pennames, or whatever... he could still be out there." The old man took a breath and spoke more bravely as he pointed out, "So if you're looking to rid yourself of this curse then it's the Author's power you seek, not mine! Now please, I told you what you wanted. Let me go!"

"First thing's first..." Rumple approached the man and raised his bloodied dagger close to the man's face. The old man widened his eyes with fear and protested, "But I told you everything you would need to know to save yourself. You don't need me anymore!"

Rumple smirked and remarked slyly, "It's funny that you mention my grandson, because I'm going to show you why nobody has told him." Rumple raised his hand threateningly and right before he casted, the old man shouted angrily at him, "That's not the only curse, Rumplestiltskin! And you know it! You, your whole family… everyone in Storybrooke… are all still cursed! That's the real reason why you're going after everyone's magic here. You, me, along with everybody else, know full-well that the town is still cursed. That's why half the town has already left! You're gathering magic to counter this curse!"

"Curses! Curses! Curses!" he giggled mockingly toward the old man. "You seem to know an awful lot about curses for a garden gnome and I just don't have the time to deal with petty threats, especially ones against my family." With very limited patience, Rumple's upbeat demeanor quickly warped to intense anger and he magically throat-choked the man. He felt the old man's life in his grasp, but his curiosity prevented him from squeezing another centimeter. Anger flushed his face as Rumple hissed menacingly toward the man, "What could you possibly know of curses that hold any value to me?"

The older man gasped for air. Since he couldn't physically speak, he desperately mouthed the words he wanted to say and Rumple released his hold. After a few raspy breaths he explained, "I know… that your child… will be the cause… for Storybrooke's destruction."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Storybrooke's a small town… If it wasn't for Henry's good leadership, transparency and fair-mindedness, all of Storybrooke would have been a ghost town already." It didn't surprise Rumple to hear about Henry's honesty, but it did disappoint him to learn about his inability to be discreet. It burned him a little inside to have his family matters exposed to the public, but knowing Henry's other side of his family it didn't surprise him that everyone knew of their family matters. Even if it meant sharing curses from past blood-feuds with everyone they knew. Rumple felt slightly betrayed, but that was another issue he would need to resolve for when he returned to Storybrooke.

"I'm right, aren't I?" the garden gnome egged. The comment left Rumple both speechless and concerned and he seemed to waiver in his constitution. The old man took advantage of Rumple's silence and continued almost sympathetically, "I know that you are going at great lengths to protect your daughter from that fate. All that magic you're collecting, it's to keep her in that illusion. I get that, but it has its cost too and its affecting Storybrooke. You'll see. Mark my words, people will find out what you're doing and when they do they will leave Storybrooke just I have. Now tell me, what good is a kingdom when there's nobody left to rule over?"

The exposure of his plans left Rumple feeling vulnerable and Rumple never liked the feeling of powerlessness. He had learned all that he needed from the gnome but what he needed the most at the moment was time. Time to reflect on all of the comments the gnome had mentioned. Rumple responded in his usual superior voice, "That's awfully brave of you to be so mouthy for a person who's tied up."

Rumple magically throat-choked the man again to which the old man gasped out, "No! Noo! Don't kill me! Please, I swear! I won't tell anybody!"

"No… you won't," ensured Rumplestiltskin and with a wave of his hand the old man magically passed out while still tied to the tree. With the recent blood still fresh on the blade, Rumple took the tip of his dagger and leaned it delicately by the man's temple. As if pulling string from a spindle, Rumple gently pulled away what appeared to be whispers of memories from his mind. A soft glowing string he had withdrawn from the man's mind floated in the air. When Rumple saw that he had withdrawn enough memory he cut away from the string leaving the remaining behind. He tossed up the strain of thought and diced at the memory destroying the thought.

The old man remained unconscious and Rumple stared at him curiously. He knew about Lily and the prophecy. He knew about the magic he was gathering to protect Lily. Rumple wondered how many other people about this. It certainly explained why there was a mass exodus happening in Storybrooke. The interaction did leave Rumple wondering. Was the new 'curse' Storybrooke was experiencing a result of his protecting his daughter from the prophecy?

As powerful and enigmatic as he was, he didn't realize that there were stories written about him in Storybrooke's world; stories that had left clues leading to his undoing. Surely Belle had known about this? Perhaps the reason why he hadn't had any issues up until now was due to her intervention at the library. As wonderful as the thought was, he realized that she had no control over who researched what on the internet so it was a moot point as to how people discovered his secret. People knew and he had to believe that this was the case. The realization suddenly left Rumple feeling vulnerable.

His encounter with the debtor reminded him of his original intention for finding the Author's pen. By finding the Author's pen and taking its power he could once again regain control over his own destiny and save his daughter by rewriting hers. He remembered being unsuccessful in taking the Author's pen from his son last year and speculated its location ever since. He also remembered being tricked by his son and grandson into finding a false pen. He needed the Author's power to gain his true name.

He recalled that day in his mind and reviewed every detail. He remembered Neal being invited to take ownership of the shop and departing with Henry. He remembered being able to follow them all the way to the library where he waited for them to come out… the library. The gnome's mention of Belle's book club. The missing Author's pen. Everything was pointing towards his wife. He needed to get back to Storybrooke. He needed to talk to Belle and get answers.

Taking the handkerchief from his front suit pocket, he wiped the blood from off his blade and then placed the cloth back inside its pocket. "There's no place like home," called out Rumple to his blade and he tapped the blade against the palm of his hand three times. In a flash, he disappeared from the Enchanted Forest and reappeared in Storybrooke next to his Cadillac which was parked in an abandoned lot by the docks.

The sun was setting as he drove home. Throughout the short trip home he couldn't help but wonder about his true name. He pondered upon the connection between what he wanted to know and how Belle had the answers. He trusted his intuition and for some reason his intuition was saying that Belle knew about the true location of the Author's pen.

Things are starting to heat up here, especially in the second half of the chapter. In case some of you were wondering what Rumple did all day in other realms, this hopefully gave you an idea through this pivotal scene. Obviously I'm taking a lot of liberty with the Rumplestiltskin lore, but hopefully its not too out of canon. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I look forward to hearing from you guys soon. Until then, see you next chapter!