Dear Belle,

I have sinned. I hope you can forgive me. I know how much you disapprove of magic, particularly the uses I have for it, so I hope when you read my words, you will try to understand it truly was a hundred percent for Henry.

We pinpointed his location. A miracle, you would say, however it is only thanks to nabbing Greg Mandel, or Owen, or whatever he calls himself. Apparently, the woman he was working with betrayed him and left him to fend for himself in this wretched place.

You can imagine everyone wanted to race to Henry as quickly as possible, but I reminded them that until we had an exit strategy, no one would be going anywhere and we would be at the mercy of the Lost Ones and, if Peter Pan should return sooner than later, an army of shadows. I don't worry about the latter too much since it appears I am the only one who realizes just how easy it will be to defeat them if certain parties on this ship would just stop to think. But the damage they could do in a short amount of time would be substantial.

For all of Neverland's natural beauty, its caverns hold the grandest sight—fairy dust. A happy thought, a light sprinkling, and instant flight. Neverland is only a star to us, but a land to those who have magic. At the risk of sounding stupid, which is a risk I only take with you, I have to wonder if the stories of adults not being able to fly are true. Therefore, we must pilfer enough of it for the ship itself to fly, I told the others.

We anchored and waited until dawn, when the fairies depart the caverns like bats and go about their nature duties. They divide the dew here, keep eggs from falling out of nests and the like. I led the expedition this time, finally. This was not a race against time, simply one requiring numbers and precision, which we had. The ground in the cavern was covered in golden dust, like sand on a beach. I'd spent considerable hours calculating just how much we would need. A little bit can go a long way, but I had never dealt with something as large as a ship before. Again, luck was on our side as we also had several empty sacks in addition to numbers and precision. We spent the morning loading dust into the sacks, hauling them to the ship, storing them as far from our prisoner as possible, and then trekking back to do it all again. Chitchat was thankfully at a minimum, although banter and trading barbs, oh, sweet Belle, did you really think all of us could always resist that temptation every time? So yes, I stole magic, worse than simply using it. Fairy dust and spells, well, it's a common requirement. Imagine having to fill a pantry with essentials, brown sugar or baking powder.

I was the last back aboard the ship, everyone ready to steer towards the main island. It was when I took my sack below decks to the hull that, if you think I did wrong by stealing from the fairies, I made up for it.

Regina stood staring down at Greg, who was asleep. She twisted her wrist around and around until she'd summoned a fireball.

"Well, well, well, providing him a reading light?" I asked. I still enjoy watching the woman jump.

"We know where we're going. We don't need him anymore."

"I thought we'd all had this conversation with Emma not too long ago, dearie."

"She wasn't electrocuted by him," she growled.

"And just what do you think our nobler companions would say when they come down here next and find him burned to a crisp?"

"Oh, don't act high and mighty around me!" she barked. "My son is the one who is missing. He's to blame, and if you hadn't brought the magic back in the first place none of this would have happened." With that, she tossed the fireball in my direction.

I caught the fireball, just a perk to being the Dark One, and absorbed it.

"Get out of my way."

"Do you have no concept of leverage, your Majesty? We have a hostage. They have a hostage." Even though it really hadn't, I could feel that fireball clawing up into my face, my ears and cheeks hot from her accusation, having the sensation of flames in my eyes.

"His girlfriend rejected him. No one's going to want him. Hostages are only good when they're wanted."

"You would know," I snapped, thinking of you. "Consider him a retired mole then. He can tell us the best ways to enter the island, where to go, who will be where. For once, I'm in agreement with the heroes, dearie. Or do you still always need your son around to make sure you'll do the right thing?"

I walked into that one. I realize that now.

"You mean like you?" she spat, stomping back up the deck.

So I did make sure a man's life was spared. That's enough about Neverland. How fares Storybrooke? You know I do miss the shop a little. Rare and hard-to-procure items have always interested me. I will no doubt have to ransack the place when and if we return, just because these shadows have already shown they can travel between worlds without much difficulty. If even the fairy dust cannot get us to Storybrooke, then my only hope of seeing you again is in the Enchanted Forest, provided we find our way there and your lot continues to grow the magic beans. And I must see you again, if for no other reason than to give you my log of this rescue, so you can know just one more time how you mean the world to me.

Rumpelstiltskin

A/N: Again, because the letters are short, two chapters this time around.