Mr. Gold walked into the sheriff's office, a look of pure annoyance written on his face, as Emma followed behind him. David, who was leaning back in his chair, his feet propped upon the desk, leaned forward and touched back down to the ground as they entered, but neither Emma nor Mr. Gold paid him any attention. The second the door snapped shut, Mr. Gold spun around to face Emma, their faces almost touching.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with, Sheriff. She's confused, and you just let her go because you assume that I'm the villain," he said through gritted teeth.

"And after your track record, I'm just supposed to assume that you're not?" Emma replied, just as defiant. David, sensing the tension, stood up and walked over to stand between them.

"What's going on?"

"Did you know that he has a daughter?" Emma asked, her eyes never leaving Gold's. David tilted his head, obviously confused.

"A daughter? No, I've never seen him with anyone other than Belle."

"Well, apparently he does. A daughter who claims that he kidnapped her at birth in order to keep some sort of power for himself."

"What did you do?" David asked slowly, his voice low.

"A long time ago, I took the girl in and raised her. She was given a magical gift shortly after she was born, and I ensured that no one in our world ever took advantage of her because of that gift. All magic comes with a price, as you know, and if I had left her where she was, she would never have survived. Someone else would have found her and used her for their own purposes," Mr. Gold said, looking past them, as if drawing the memory of that time to the forefront of his mind.

"So instead you chose to use her for yours?" Emma said bitterly.

"I never used her gift for myself, and I never forced her to use it for anyone else. It was always her choice. Magic only works if you believe in it."

"If you expect me to believe that you too this girl from her family for her own good—"

"Believe what you want, Dearie. If you'll excuse me, I have to find my daughter," Mr. Gold interrupted as he pushed past Emma and David and left the station, slamming the door behind him.

Emma turned to David, his hands resting on his hips as he stared intently at the floor.

"Do you have the same feeling I do?" Emma asked.

"That there's more to this than Gold is telling us? Of course. That's how he operates."

"You're right," Emma agreed, sighing. "I'll keep an eye on him…and her. I just hope that for her sake, whatever Gold is up to doesn't end—well, the way most of his stories seem to."

David looked up, leaving his thoughts behind, and nodded.

Just down the street from the sheriff's station, Rapunzel stood alone, stopping every few steps to glance behind her, when she passed by a group of townspeople setting up picnic tables and hanging streamers. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw someone approaching, but she didn't turn to look at who it might be.

"It's going to be quite a celebration tonight," Regina said, following Rapunzel's gaze to the set-up.

"What celebration?" Rapunzel asked without looking at Regina.

"You'll find out soon enough," she replied with a dark smile. Rapunzel finally turned to look at her, immediately taking a step back when she realized who was speaking.

"I know you. I used to watch you come to and from the castle," she said as Regina turned to meet her shocked gaze.

"I'm Regina Mills, mayor of Storybrooke, but I'm sure you know me by a different name. I believe your father referred to me affectionately as—"

"—the Evil Queen," Rapunzel interrupted as Regina let out a humorless chuckle.

"I thought so. Funny, being called evil by the very person who helped make you that way."

"I believe that everyone has a choice in their own destiny," Rapunzel replied without hesitation, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Like you had a choice when your…father…kept you trapped in two different worlds? I haven't ever seen you before, but you were affected by the curse, which means he must have been keeping you somewhere here in town all this time," Regina said as Rapunzel looked away, back towards the set-up for the celebration.

"He's not my father," she hissed. "And how do you know about me?"

"Your story is not one that remained a secret, Rapunzel. I also know that you're not going to find what you're looking for in Storybrooke." Rapunzel's head spun back around as her gaze met Regina's once more, her blue eyes almost desperate…pleading.

"How could you know what I'm looking for?"

"Because it's the same thing everyone is looking for. You lost someone. Someone you cared about. But I enacted the curse, dear, and I can promise you that it doesn't bring back the dead." Regina was the one to look away this time as Rapunzel's eyes filled with tears.

"But how can this be it for me? How can I have no one left?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"That is a question for your father."