Regina could count on one hand how many hours it had been since David Nolan dropped her son off. She knew the exact moment Henry's fear for safety ended up with him passing out from exhaustion on the couch. She had to carry him up the stairs all by herself. Usually she would just use her magic to help him up. But she promised him and Emma was actually trying to meet her in the middle too. Then Gold had to enact that spell and get them into a whole other mess altogether. Now Henry was being torn even further than he was when Swan first appeared.

That was why she had sent for Sophie to begin with. She knew her sister would be best for the boy and Charming wouldn't try to interfere with that either. Sure it was a risk considering her and her sister's past, but Henry needed her. Now everything seemed to be spinning out of control.

"Why did Jefferson have to pick this moment of all moments to go rogue?" She sputtered, loathing how her plans were falling apart once again. "He could make her remember."

"And why exactly would that be a bad thing?"

Regina had to use all of her energy to stop herself from jumping at his voice. She turned to her right slowly and her worst fears were realized. Rumpelstilskin was standing there, arms crossed and a devilish look on his features. Just because he looked like a regular man did not mean he looked any less impeding. In fact, it only served to make him more horrifying.

"You're…" He paused to search for the right word, the devil. "Hiding something."

"Hiding something?" Regina asked, "Please! Have you met me? There are secrets in my head nobody knows about. Not even you."

"Don't be too quick to judge, dearie. That's in poor taste. Tell me what you did."

Regina paused, somehow considering relieving herself of that particular burden. But he would only use that information against her. Marian needed to be protected at all costs. She would not lose her sister again.

"In reference to what?" She asked, "I've been taking care of Henry while your store was attacked."

"Ah," Rumpelstilskin smiled sinisterly. He held up his hand and did a wave. He snarled when Regina made no action to hide. "But Jefferson, your pet hatter, was the one who broke in. What were you looking for and why didn't you just ask?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said.

He slammed a vial on the table. Regina didn't have to look to know what it was. She gave Jefferson that potion when he was her ally against Snow White. Things have since changed quite considerably.

"Care to explain how this particular potion, something I gave specifically to you, fell into Mr. Jefferson's hands?" Rumpelstilskin sounded more annoyed than anything else. What could have happened to make him suddenly paranoid?

"It was part of a prior arrangement," she said, "It's not my fault if he used it against you. We have since cut off all ties with each other."

"Have you?" He asked, "Then why did he steal a hair from me?"

"A hair?"

"A hair," Rumpelstilskin looked at her as if she had all the answers. "It wasn't exactly a big one. Just enough to move to our world or move an object from it. Marian was usually the source of his hat's power. Portal jumpers tend to stick together and all. Why would he steal that?"

"No idea." And she really didn't know. She hadn't asked Jefferson to get anything. Marian couldn't remember their world to ask for something. Snow and Emma were still there… well there you go.

"Maybe he was after the precious savior," she said, "Maybe my sister's reappearance has him looking for a way to bring her back. I can't tell you for sure. As I said before, we are no longer on speaking terms."

"You're lying," he accused, "You need his hat for something particular. What is it?"

Regina sighed. Of course he wouldn't believe her. "Nothing," she said, "I've already told you. I have no plans in development. Whatever Jefferson is planning, he is on his own."

Rumpelstilskin stared at her with measured movements. He was calculating her honesty. He was trying to decide if it was worth his efforts or not. She had other plans.

"Look, all I can do is offer my services to help your investigation," she said, "You're doing this behind Mr. Nolan's back, I presume?"

He gave no reply. He simply inclined his head and said nothing. It could have meant anything the way he was staring at her, coldly calculating.

"I swear I won't say anything but please leave. Henry's sleeping and I would very much appreciate it if you left before you disturbed him."

Still, the dark one remained silent. It was very unsettling. He was staring at her, seemingly staring into her soul. Then he was suddenly right in front of her, a scowl of hatred marring his features.

"What exactly happened…?" He asked, "With that little nephew of yours… Icarus I believe his name was."

Regina swallowed and stepped back.

"What could you possibly be hiding about him?" He finished.

He continued to stare at her for a few moments longer. Then, just as suddenly, he disappeared without a trace. Regina had to fight every emotion she could just to stop the overflow. Fear filled her very soul and her heart froze. He knew. He knew and he was hell-bent against her.

%%%%

Nate stormed out of the hotel room with a steady stream of bad words exploding from his mouth. He could feel his blood pressure rise with every step he took. How dare she question him on this? How dare she push him to explain himself? He was the mastermind this was his job. He had to see every angle and figure out exactly what to do. Why couldn't she understand that?

"We are not giving Jefferson to Mr. Gold!" She said, fists on her hips and a pout on her lips, "He'll kill him."

"Why do you think I made him promise not to?" He asked, being the cheeky bastard he always was.

She shook her head and sent an impressive scowl his way. The others had long since abandoned them to their duel. Parker had to be dragged out because Eliot couldn't take the chance of her getting caught in the crossfire. They had fights before. But never quite this bad.

It was a testament to just how emotionally caught up the grifter was. It was why he was so adamant to get her out of there. The very moment Storybrooke came onto their radar, Sophie Devereaux immediately started acting different. She was wound too tightly and her emotions were playing with her skills. He wanted her out of there for fear the memories would be too much. The mastermind was even starting to consider taking her advice when it came to emotional attachment. He hated watching her go through this. He could only imagine what it was like for her.

"Mr. Gold is not a man who enjoys keeping his promises," Sophie said, "He usually finds a way of working around them. Jefferson stole something from him. He isn't going to take that lightly. If we give him what he wants he's just going to kill him!"

"Sophie, I've got everything under control!" He could feel his blood boiling. He was trying to be the white knight he used to be and she wasn't having any of it. She wasn't even giving him the benefit of the doubt. She was too emotionally attached and had no idea it was going on.

"You don't know them like I do!" She screamed.

"That's exactly the problem," he hissed. He was at his whit's end. She couldn't see past her own friendships and prior knowledge. She was too close to this case. She couldn't see anything but her old friend in trouble. She wasn't focusing on the con, only the people she used to know.

"You're too close, Soph," he said, "You're seeing your old friends and enemies. You're not weighing the backgrounds or looking for the con. You're looking for the innocence of your friend."

"Jefferson has a good reason for being in there," Sophie nodded, "Gold probably stole something from him or he was ordered to do so. He could have blackmailed into it!"

"Exactly," Nate sighed, "You're making excuses for the bad guy. You're not seeing what he did. You're only seeing your friend in danger."

Sophie walked towards him, her eyes pleading. Her hands found home on the lapels of his jacket and she clung to him like never before. Her chocolate eyes were as big as saucers. She'd never looked so young before.

"Nate," she breathed out, "I'm right. There's more to this than meets the eye. You have to promise me you will do everything to see that."

He grabbed her hands and looked directly into those chocolate eyes. Then he brought those hands to his lips and tried to keep his voice steady. She still knew how to get him to do what she wanted. He had to fight her every step of the way in order to succeed.

"I can't promise that unless you swear you're going to stay out of play," he said, "I'll guarantee Jefferson's safety but only if you agree to sit this one out."

Her reply was less than pleasant. They got into another war of words. At some point his insecurities about their relationship had become a topic. He, naturally, had to bring up the fact that she wasn't a saint either. She responded by offering to tell Maggie when she found out about his dead son, Sam's passing. It only escalated from there.

Blackpoole came up several times. He mentioned William once. Then the language began to change. By the end of it they both were constantly switching between Italian and French, breathing heavily. She called him a cold-hearted bastard and explained he wouldn't be going anywhere near the bed for a very long time. He said a few naughty choices of his own and slammed the door closed.

The sound of something breaking almost had him turning around. He could have explained that he wouldn't be paying for that, but she wouldn't care about chump change. Besides, that would only serve to make her break more things and probably something important of his as well. No, it was best to just let her vent her rage until she was ready to think things through.

"Wow," Hardison's voice came out of nowhere, "She didn't even realize you were wearing your com. There's something wrong with that, man."

"Sophie always knows when you're using coms," Parker sounded, "She never not knows."

"She's more invested than I originally thought," Eliot said.

Too be fair, Nate forgot about the coms as well.

"Where are we in tracking Jefferson down?" He asked, switching the subject for his own sanity.

"I found his mansion," Hardison replied, "It's over on the other side of town. Do you want us to check it out?"

He actually paused before he answered. The grifter did have a tiny point. They needed more information before they started tracking down the guy who broke into the loan shark's shop. Mr. Gold wasn't exactly innocent either. They needed far too much information and they had too little to go on.

"Sophie has a point," he said, "We don't know what Jefferson was after or why he was there."

"His shot were horrid to say the least," Eliot agreed, "He was very unfamiliar with a gun. I think he brought it in case Gold tried something. Whatever he was after, it was important enough for him to think he was risking his life."

"Right," Nate nodded, "Hardison, look into possible merchandise he could have been after. Eliot, check out the town's thoughts and see if this is unusual behavior. Parker, I'm going to need you to do what you do best."

"Snoop at the bad guy's house?" She asked, sounding way too enthused for the given situation. She was apparently very upset over the grifter's current distress. Which meant she was very interested in getting the bad guy, no matter the cost.

"Snoop at the bad guy's house," Nate agreed, "Hardison, stay with her. We'll meet back in the diner at Granny's to discuss our findings."

"What about you?" Eliot asked. He sounded like he actually had a clue.

Nate sighed, resigned to accept his fate.

"I'm going to go find some flowers."

%%%%

Jefferson scrambled around his new home. He was grabbing anything incriminating and packing them away. Sure his new hat couldn't take him to his daughter. But it could make travel in Storybrooke a heck of a lot easier. He had only just finished getting rid of evidence when a knock vibrated his door.

He raced towards it and peeked out the window. It was David Nolan. He opened the door quickly and prayed this was all some big misunderstanding.

"What did you steal from Gold?" David began.

"I didn't steal anything from him," Jefferson explained, "What I was after he couldn't get me."

"Or maybe he did and you just don't want me to show you what we do to thieves," Nolan replied.

"If it's anything like how you treat Marian I'm all for it," Jefferson said.

David gave him a look that could have silenced rooms. Instead it only served to make the hatter more defiant. They both had common interests after all. It was time to share.

"It was hair from his head," he said.

"And why would you need that?" David asked, confusion deeply written all over his features, "You a portal jumper without a portal."

"Making a hat requires a hair from a portal jumper who doesn't need an object to jump through dimensions," Jefferson explained, "I was only getting that from Rumpelstilskin to ensure the safety of my daughter."

"If you really wanted to make her safe why didn't you go with her?" David asked, anger now marring his once charming features.

"Rumpelstilskin's hair is short," he said, "My usual source has hair long enough to last me a lifetime."

"Marian," David whispered. He looked distraught by this news. It was almost as if he had forgotten his old friend entirely. Well, Jefferson didn't. He knew Marian better than anyone. He knew what would happen the moment she remembered. He knew what war would wage.

"Do you have any idea what would happen if Marian remembers who she really is?" Jefferson asked, getting his point across finally. "She'd destroy the world because of it."

"What happened?" David asked, all business and fighting prince once again. "What can't she remember?"

"I've only heard rumors," Jefferson shrugged, "I was the only one who remembered who I was during the twenty-eight years without your daughter. I heard things about why Regina forced her sister and brother-in-law out. It was the first time I believed her capable of guilt. Each time the rumors were the same… something happened to-"

"Icarus," David replied.

%%%%

Sophie was busy working on the daily crossword puzzle in her room at Granny's Inn. She was bored from the utter lack of work she had to do for the day. Every other member of the team was working on cleaning up the town and she was free to do whatever she pleased. So, the grifter decided she was going to catch up on her crosswords so that one day she may have the ability to defeat Nathan Ford at his own game.

"I see you still fancy puzzles," a familiar voice reported from the door.

Sophie blinked at the voice and immediately looked towards the source in surprise. Sure enough, Mr. Gold was standing in the doorway with a trademark smile on his face. He was wearing his usual black suit but this time with an apple red undershirt. He was tossing an apple in the air.

"Mr. Gold," Sophie gasped, "What are you doing here?"

"Just appeared," he grinned, "How are you doing with everything that's happened?"

"I'm fine," she said, "Regina's going to be alright and the others are working on bringing Jefferson down. Eliot still has no idea how he was able to get out of there so quickly. I tried to explain to him that the man was crazy but they actually think there's some truth to his tale."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Gold asked quietly, "You have every right to investigate Jefferson's accusations just like the rest of this town. He attacked your sister. He even almost managed to kill her. Clearly the others could trust you to help."

"And that is exactly why I can't," Sophie shook her head, "I can't be objective. I'm too attached."

"How can you be so attached when you left?" Gold demanded softly.

Sophie allowed those words to settle into the room and breathed in deeply. She allowed for a silence to come along as she carefully worked on gathering her thoughts in a powerful truth. In total honesty she didn't really know how to answer that question. It was too insightful for it not to be meant to have impact. He was fishing.

"Why are you here, Mr. Gold?" she asked her voice only slightly on edge.

"I came to thank you," he said, "For saving my life. There aren't very many people in this town who would do that."

"It wasn't me," she explained, "It was Eliot."

"But you told him where to go," Gold nodded, "That very well could have been the difference between my life and death. I thank you very much for that and I've come to inform you that you may come to my shop anytime to claim your prize. Whatever you want that is there, you may have free of charge."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Gold," Sophie nodded, "but what's with the apple?"

"It's for you," Gold replied, "Your sister wanted me to give it to you in gratitude for what you did with young Henry. She seemed very adamant that you should have it."

Sophie took the apple and stared at it in confusion. She looked towards Mr. Gold with a happy smile on her features. Then she whispered a silent sign of her gratitude. She returned to her puzzle and didn't even notice the loan shark hovering above her.

"Fourteen down is Icarus," he winked. Then he left through the door as if he never appeared at all.

The grifter watched the man leave in pure and utter confusion. She took a quick puzzled look at the crossword she was working on and was amazed to see that Gold was indeed correct. Sophie smiled at that little fact and immediately withdrew her pencil. She etched in the word and finished the crossword without a problem.

"Icarus," she said, "I should have known."

She took a delicate bite of the apple and allowed the name to swirl around her mind and embed itself in her thoughts. Her jaw immediately stopped chewing as soon as that name penetrated. Her eyes contracted into wide black saucers and fear slowly crept into her heart. Her hand released the juicy red apple and it slipped to the floor with a loud thud. The momentum of the fall pushed the apple forward and gave it speed. It rolled all the way through the door and down the winding staircase. It had made it all the way to Granny's desk before its owner even thought of a reply. The entire Inn shook with the woman's wretched scream.

Marian remembered.