Rumpelstiltskin walked through the doors of the hospital and walked to the waiting room where Jefferson was sitting with the baby and Grace. Without a thought for the girl, he stormed into the room, "Where is she?"

Grace looked up and then lowered her eyes and trembled slightly in fear. Rumpelstiltskin ignored her fear and looked at the hatter who held his daughter. Getting a little too close there for Rumpelstiltskin's liking….

"She's being stitched up," Jefferson told him, "They wouldn't let me in there. The cut is deep…it hurt for her to move but other than some bruising, she's going to be fine."

"How did this happen?" he demanded

"Can we talk about this outside?"

"No," Rumpelstiltskin snapped, "My former wife was attacked and you will tell me now."

"Or what?" Jefferson challenged, "You'll force me to?"

Rumpelstiltskin almost did but stopped himself. Jefferson had made the call for him to come down. He'd said that Dagian had been attacked but refused to offer details over the phone. He owed him at least that much.

"No," he looked back down at the frightened girl, "Of course not."

"Grace, watch Lily," Jefferson said.

"Papa-," Grace whispered.

"I'll be right outside the door," Jefferson promised her with a smile; "I promise that you'll see me the whole time."

Rumpelstiltskin turned his head away slightly. He realized how harsh he was sounding and he had to remember that these two had been separated…much like he and Bae and they'd been reunited. It was understandable that Grace was terrified of losing him again because of someone else's agenda.

"Don't worry, Grace," Rumpelstiltskin said gently, "I'm not going to hurt or separate you from your papa. I just need some information."

He gave her a curt nod to the quiet pale girl and followed Jefferson out the door.

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Dagian stared at the wall as the nurse finished bandaging her back. The stitches made her feel stiff. She was dreading when the drugs wore off because she was just guessing the pain that she would feel would be incredible.

And Charming's voice was making it worse…

"I told you," she said, "I never saw his face."

"He was in the house with you," Charming said, "He chased you all the way to your daughter's room and stabbed you in the back…you knocked him down the stairs and you're telling me that you never saw his face."

Dagian sighed, "Everything happened so fast."

"Well, we can take you into protective custody until your attacker is found."

With the Charming clan as protectors? Dagian couldn't say that she felt too eager to be protected by them. She was still trying to figure out how exactly Regina was walking free after her several attempts to murder them and why exactly they allowed the ten year old that nearly died because of her near her.

She'd wait for Rumpelstiltskin, she trusted him to get things done a lot better than they could. Besides, this was their family's battle. Not the Charming's.

The curtain was moved back and Rumpelstiltskin walked in with Lily. Charming rolled his eyes, "I'm taking a statement."

"Sounded like you were nearly done, deputy," Rumpelstiltskin said with a dismissive hand, "I'll watch over her."

Charming narrowed his eyes, but when Dagian nodded he jotted down a phone number, "If you remember anything, then let us know….don't take action without us."

He knew that she was lying. He was warning her that the consequences of her trusting Rumpelstiltskin instead of them wouldn't be good for her.

He hardly paid him any attention though. Charming didn't know Hook and he certainly didn't know what Hook had cost her.

Lily babbled in her father's arms. Rumpelstiltskin's gaze softened when he looked down at her and gave her a gentle kiss. They both waited until the nurse was done and gone before they both reacted. Dagian started crying and Rumpelstiltskin gently put his arm around her, careful not to hurt her, "Did he hurt you anywhere else?"

"No," Dagian whispered, "He was going after the baby…I didn't know what else to do…so I fought him"

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes darkened dangerously, "He what?"

Dagian told him the whole story and grabbed his hand, "What's he doing here, Rumpelstiltskin? I thought the portal was supposed to be destroyed."

"It was…he must've found another way," Rumpelstiltskin said, "I'm sorry Dagian."

"This isn't your fault," she told him.

"In several ways it is," Rumpelstiltskin muttered, "He took a deep breath and told her what he'd done all those years ago after Bae had fallen into the portal and she'd taken the sleeping curse to get away from him. She listened without expression as he told her how he'd taken Hook's family because Hook had taken his. It looked like he here to continue the cycle.

"I'm going to kill him," Rumpelstiltskin finished and put his daughter on the bed next to her mother.

"Belle won't like that," Dagian said but she hardly stepped in morally to tell him it was wrong.

"I'll handle her," He said.

Dagian knew that she was acting emotionally. She would regret gleefully giving him the go ahead to murder Killian Jones later but he'd attacked her and he threatened to kill her daughter. Regret would probably not be for a long long time.

"You and I need to get this taken care of before we leave," Rumpelstiltskin told her, "I don't want Hook following Belle around Storybrooke without my being here."

Dagian's eyes widened as she processed this, "We can…we can leave?"

"The experiment was successful," he smiled excitedly, "There's potion enough for two…we'll use Bae's shawl. I used magic to divide it so that we both can use it and…we'll be reunited with our son soon."

Her hand found his and her eyes filled with tears, "We'll handle this Hook dilemma…"

"And I'll get Emma to cash in the favor we share and we'll find him."

Dagian kissed his cheek and wrapped his neck again. They were doing it; they were going to find Bae.

She felt a shiver against her wound and pulled back, "What are you doing?"

He gave her a confused look, "Healing you."

She gently pulled his arms away from her. When she was creating the sleeping potion, she'd learned that when a Dark One healed someone the magic left a mark on their soul. Rumpelstiltskin did what he thought was helping her but she shook her head, "No magic."

He gave her a disappointed and annoyed look but put his hand away, "As you wish. The trip is going to be painful though."

"I've been fatally wounded before," Dagian said, "Luckily, now we have painkillers."

"I imagine you'll be singing a different tune when you wake up in the morning and it's all out of your system"

"I don't care. I'll endure it. This is my son too and I'm going."

"I make no attempt to stop you," Rumpelstiltskin said. Neither one spoke it but they knew that Dagian and Bae had been building up their relationship before he'd fallen into the vortex. The last thing Bae would remember of his father was his father letting him go. If Dagian was there then perhaps Bae would listen…maybe he'd soften more towards coming with them if he saw his baby sister.

"Do you have anywhere to go after this?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"A few options," Dagian told him, "Charming is pushing Whale into letting me stay tonight until my assailant is caught…he claims it's for observational purposes but I think they just want to keep me in a public place…after that…it's either the inn or a guest room at Jefferson's."

"You hardly sound thrilled at that last prospect."

"I don't want him involved in any more of this than he is," Dagian said, "He's being noble but he doesn't want any part of all this drama. Especially with Grace in his custody again. Using his home is a last resort."

"Well you can't go back to that house."

"I know," Dagian muttered, "It won't feel safe anymore."

He didn't suggest that she move back in with him, but only as friends trying to raise their daughter. To do so would test the limits of the respect that they shared and it would open up the risk of falling into the same codependent mentality that both were struggling to break away from.

"Perhaps the hunt for our little pirate won't take long," he told her. However he doubted that she'd feel secure. No matter, he still owned the land; he'd help her find a secure place to live.

His phone rang and he saw that it was Belle, "Hey, Belle."

"Rumpelstiltskin, there's a man here…"

She started to break up. He felt his heart start to speed up in his chest as he quickly put the pieces together, "Belle, you're breaking up…who's in the library? Belle?"

Dagian paled as they both put together what was happening, "Go."

The line cut out, he hung up the phone, "Stay here and let me know if you move"

"I will." She promised and nodded, "Go."

He waved his hand and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. There was no time to get to the car.

The pirate had distracted him with Dagian so that he could get to Belle.

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It had all been a large gambit done by the pirate. Rumpelstiltskin was surprised he could even focus long enough to come up with it. He'd attacked Dagian and threatened to kill their daughter so that he could distract Rumpelstiltskin from seeing Belle. He slipped into the library and attacked Belle so that he could get Rumpelstiltskin to deal with her and then smash up his shop and steal the cloak.

It had made Rumpelstiltskin practically dance for his amusement, steal his hope at being reunited with his son and let him know that his family was not safe. Dagian was hurt, Lily was threatened, Belle had nearly been killed and now his only chance of seeing his son again was gone.

Rumpelstiltskin was going to kill him. He was going to rip his heart out and force the pirate to watch as he crushed it in his palm for what he did. He was going to torture him first. In all kinds of delicious ways that would serve as an example.

The pirate had to come from somewhere and being the drama queen that he was…would hole up on his ship. But his ship wasn't here, there'd been no reports…oh, unless it'd been enchanted.

Rumpelstiltskin's hand clenched on his cane. He had to get to the docks…there was a chance that the shawl was still intact and he was going to end the pirate's threat over his family permanently.

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Night came to the hospital. Jefferson had taken the baby so that Dagian could sleep. The child fussed and Grace was bored but he refused to let her go to her adopted family. He wasn't sure how much of his existence the pirate knew about…he didn't want his daughter out of his sight in case he was targeted next.

Dagian had turned down the offer to come stay in one of his guest rooms. Nothing romantic, he wasn't interested in going that far right now. He had Grace to focus on and Grace was still getting used to her.

Besides, what were any other options? The Inn? Yes, because that was safe! Moving back in with Rumpelstiltskin? She would never accept that option.

Dagian couldn't go back to that house though…the memories it would bring…

"Papa," Grace called. She had spent the last hour or so playing with the baby but now Lily was getting tired.

Jefferson picked up the little girl and rubbed her back to ease her to sleep, "Grace, what do you think of Dagian?"

"She's nice," Grace said and started putting her school things away.

"Are you alright with the fact that I'm dating her?"

Grace shrugged, "I just wish you hadn't waited so long."

"I know," he put a hand on her head, "I just wanted to protect you."

"I know," Grace said and looked up at him, "I'm alright if she makes you happy."

"Well, I want you to be happy too Grace…I want to make sure you have a good stepmother too…you're getting to an age where…I can't talk to you about some of the things that you'll go through…not like a woman can and while I care about Dagian I Need to make sure that she'll be a good influence on you too."

Grace nodded and hugged his neck; Jefferson returned the embrace and held his daughter to his chest as tightly as he could. He just didn't want to lose her again.

There was a commotion out in the hall as they pulled away. Jefferson immediately stood and gestured for his daughter to get behind him.

He saw two men being wheeled in…Belle was walked in after them and he put together a bit of what was happening.

One of the men had been dressed like them…could that be the pirate.

"Grace, get your things," he grabbed his coat, "And follow me."

He bypassed the screaming in the hall and went to the room that Dagian was sleeping in. They had no time, they had to move now, "Dagian?"

"Hm?" She muttered, and he could hear that she was pretty much asleep.

"Wake up," he tossed his coat on her and opened the desk drawer where he'd hidden his gun, "We have to leave?"

Dagian struggled to sit up, "What's going on?"

He grabbed her and she paled at the frantic look in his eyes.

"It's not safe here anymore."