The door to the sheriff's office slammed shut behind him as Mr. Gold started back towards his shop. He didn't bother to slow his quick pace when Regina fell into step beside him, nor did he pay her any attention whatsoever.
"I saw your daughter," she said after a moment.
"And I'm sure that went quite well," he spat back at her, quickening his pace even further.
"It's nice to see this side of you. The protective father, chasing after a rebellious child who hates you. It's a familiar story," she responded, the faintest hint of sympathy in her voice. Mr. Gold stopped suddenly as Regina jolted to a stop next to him, waiting as he spun to face her.
"One, if I recall, you warned me about. Isn't that right, Your Majesty?" The silence was deafening as they both heard her words in their heads.
"I'm not here to gloat. You've tried to help me with Henry, and I owe you for that. And you know how I hate being in your debt."
"I don't recall striking any deals with you, but since you're offering…" he trailed off, unsure of what she might know that could possibly help him.
"She's in the park, wandering around like a lost puppy." As he turned to head towards the park, she grabbed his arm. "But a word of advice that you should follow this time? Let her be. Chasing after her will only push her further away. Trust me."
"One difference between you and me, Dearie," he said, pulling his arm out of her grasp. "My child has no one else to run to. I made sure of that."
But regardless of his words, the confidence in his voice did not reach his eyes, and Mr. Gold turned back around and started in the direction of his shop, knowing that as much as he hated to admit it, Regina was right.
Rapunzel stood alone, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks, and threw open the door to her tower.
"I'll show him that I can handle myself out there," she said, her eyes bright with the possibility of proving her father wrong.
She flew down the steps and ripped a map of the kingdom off of the wall, but stopped dead in her tracks the moment that she opened the door. Taking a deep breath, she stepped outside. The moment that her bare foot touched the grass, she gasped, looked down, and smiled.
Suddenly, she was running, the wind blowing her hair out behind her, as she disappeared into the forest. Just then, Rumplestiltskin came walking back out of the forest from the opposite direction. He walked through the front door and immediately took the stairs to Rapunzel's tower.
"Rapunzel, Darling?" he asked, his voice calm and composed…almost apologetic. When he heard no answer, he threw the door open and upon discovering that the tower was empty, he reached up and tore down the curtain on the wall, staring up at Rapunzel's painting with both overwhelming fear and absolute fury in his eyes.