Rumple and Bae sat across from each other, the fire cascaded the library in a bright orange glow. Rumple looked at his son, whose attention seems to be fixed on the roaring flames.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about, son?"

Bae said nothing; it was if he was in another world.

"I haven't seen you in a while. I was hoping you would have come to the wedding," Rumple added.

"You can still use magic?" he interrupted.

Rumple let out a frustrated sigh; it seemed to him that his son was a very hard man to please.

"That's what you wanted to talk about? Not about the adventurers your mother and I have been on? The far off lands, the daring sword fights, none of that?"

"You're changing the subject," said Bae sternly.

"Look, son…. Then need someone on their side with magical capabilities."

"How convenient for you," said Bae coldly.

"Okay….. I don't have to explain myself to you, but I will tell you this….. I couldn't get rid of this magic if I tried. It's part of me now. It's etched into my very soul… I'm sorry, son… but at least I'm finally using my powers for good, just like I originally wanted," said Rumple.

They were suddenly interrupted when the doors flew open , and Lumiere come bursting in with Veronica, drunkenly tugging at her clothes, and laughing at a joke that probably wasn't as funny as it seemed to them, but then again, if anyone was as drunk as they were they would probably find anything funny. He kissed her neck hungrily.

"Lumiere?" It didn't take Rumple long to get his attention.

"Oh….. Your majesty…. We were just….uh…. " Lumiere stumbled over his words.

"It's quite alright. Go about your business, but not in Belle's library….. Go to your quarters," said Rumple, waving them along.

"Of course, so sorry to interrupt, my Lord," he said.

Lumiere finally noticed Baelfire for the first time, and he seemed to have lost all words; it was obvious to Bae that this strange drunk man knew exactly who he was.

"Is this? Oh my…. My apologies…. I…I didn't know it was you, Prince Baelfire. I am sure this is not the state you want to see me in on our first meeting," Lumiere stammered, as he crashed to his knees.

"It's alright. No need to worry. Who are you?"

"Lumiere is one of our butlers. He takes care of the castle while your mother and I are away," explained Rumple.

"Oh… Well, it's nice to meet you, Lumiere."

"The honor is mine, my young Prince…. Oh I almost forgot, your mother wants to see you in the trophy room," said Lumiere, he bowed and left with a giggling Veronica.

Bae turned to face his father again. Rumple smiled warmly at him.

"Go on, son. Go see what your mother wants."

Bae didn't say a word, he merely nodded, and followed Lumiere and Veronica out the door. He closed behind him with a loud clank; Rumple sat back down in his chair. He began to fiddle with one of Belle's books that sat on the table next to him. He flipped violently through the pages, not actual reading them, but using it to take his frustration out on. He closed the book shut with a loud thud, and gently put it aside. He turned his gaze into the orange flames in the rather large fireplace; perhaps in there he could finally see the answer to fixing his relationship with Bae, but all he could see were flames flickering back at him.

Bae opened the trophy room doors; Belle was sitting at the head of the table, her back to him. She turned around in her seat, and smiled at him, as he sat down next to her.

"So, how have you been, son?" she asked with a wide smile.

"Fine, I guess… I miss you."

Belle blushed and looked down at her twiddling thumbs.

"Can I ask you a question?" Bae chimed in.

"Of course."

"How do you do it? Stay with my father even though he still uses magic? You and I wanted him to drop magic more than anyone."

"Honestly… I accepted it a long time ago. Magic is who he is."

"Magic is evil, Mom."

"What I discovered with your father is, it all depends on how you use it…. You're father has decided to turn it towards good; for the sake of all of us, and for the sake of our child's future," she said, as she rubbed her belly.

Belle could tell he still wasn't convinced; Bae had grown up with magic that had destroyed him, and that was his only perspective.

"Bae your father is trying. Give him chance…. Please," she said.

Bae looked at her, and nodded in agreement.

"Good…. On another matter….. your father and uncle are going on a trip to Neverland tomorrow morning….. I would like you to accompany them."

"Mom, I…"

"I know how you feel about that place, but they won't stay long, I promise. They're just investigating a small matter," explained Belle.

Bae just stared into her eyes; she was clearly begging him, even though her words did not give that impression. He breathed a sigh of frustration and rubbed his temple.

"Alright."

Belle jumped up, grabbed his face, and kissed him on the forehead. Bae tried not to seem taken aback by the sudden display of affection.

"Thank you, son."

"Sure."

She turned around in her seat.

"Cogsworth!" she called.

Cogsworth waddled in, then stood there in a military like stance. Bae could barely hold his laughter in.

"You called, your majesty?"

"Could you please show Baelfire to his room?"

Cogsworth gave Bae a similar look to Lumiere's; he immediately dropped to one knee. Bae turned to Belle, not really knowing what to say.

"You get use to that," she said smiling back at him.

"Of course, your majesty….. I will get to it right away….. Are you ready, my prince?" asked Cogsworth.

Bae kissed his step-mother goodnight, and followed Cogsworth out of the room, and up the grand staircase.

Belle quietly entered their bedroom, she spotted Rumple sitting alone in the chair next to their bed. The room was dimly lit; various candles shined brightly around the room. He was staring off into space, which was why he jumped when she gently touched his shoulder.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing….. just…. It's Bae. I don't k now how to get close to him. He doesn't love me anymore… What I did to him was unforgivable, but I wish I could do something…. Anything to get close to him again."

Belle took his hand in hers; she kissed it, and smiled up at him.

"What?"

"You're the best father I've ever known, and our children so blessed to have you in their life."

Rumple nodded; he pulled her closer, and placed a hard kiss on her soft lips. He felt her arms wrap around his neck, as she nestled into his lap.

"Our baby is lucky to have both of us. Truly lucky," he said.

"Yes…. Alright…. Bed time. You have to get up early."

"Really? Because I had something else in mind," he said seductively, as he gave her that hungry look that she loved so much.

His hand crept further and further up her dress; she stopped him, and took his hand in hers, gently massaging his knuckles, and stroking his arm.

"Yeah? Show me what you had in mind."

They giggled, as they both collapsed on the bed; Rumple slowly crawled on top of her. A soft moan escaped her quivering lips, as he grinded their hips together. He leaned down, and kissed her passionately, their tongues battling for dominance.

Neverland…..

Ariel sat calmly on her bed, her flipper tucked underneath her chin. She occasionally glanced out her window at the busy merpeople down below. She looked over at the shadow clock in the center of the room; it was that time again. She swam over to the door, and peered out the small window; the guard was asleep, he fell asleep around the same time every day, giving her ample time to sneak out, and sneak back in. She quietly swam out the window, over the reef, and up towards the surface. Flounder met her halfway, voicing his concern for her well-being.

"Ariel….."

"Not now, Flounder."

"But…."

"Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen, I promise."

She jumped out with a splash like an overgrown whale, and landed back in the sea with another big splash that seemed to echo across the water. She baked in the warm sun, tucking a strand of her rose red hair behind her ear. She spotted her friend Scuttle, the seagull, hunting for fish next to a cluster of rocks along the shore. She happily swam towards him; he spotted her and squawked with delight at the sight of his closest, if not only friend.

"Ariel, so good to see you, my dear," said his cheery voice in her head.

It was a gift all merpeople possessed, to be able to talk to animals, sea and land animals alike.

"How are you, Scuttle?"

"Oh, can't complain. Say…. I heard you were confined."

"Yes… I'm supposed to be. Please don't tell anyone."

"Don't worry, my dear. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you. Have you got anything new?"

"Yes…. I took this from the lost boys," he said holding up a pair of glasses.

"These are…..ummmmm…. doohickies," Scuttle sounded so confident.

Ariel took them from his wing, and gazed at them as if they were forbidden treasure.

"Wow….. doohickies. Thanks, Scuttle."

"Of course, Ariel. Anything for you."

Back in Fairytale Land…..

Rumple stood shirtless next to the foot of the bed, he seemed to be focused on tying the lace on his leather pants. Belle sat on the bed, watching him, and glancing down at the black vest she held in her hands. He grabbed his black silk shirt, and put his arm in; he looked at her, and finally noticed her sad demeanor.

"What?" he asked as he pulled the shirt over his head, and tucked the hem into his trousers.

"Nothing….. It's just that…. I'm going to miss you," as she made her way over to him.

He grabbed her face in his soft hands, and smiled warmly, as he gazed into her beautiful blue eyes. He kissed her; their lips gently caressed one another, a few moments went by and the kiss started to turn heated, their ears were pounding. The sounds of their hungry breaths filled the room; she grabbed his head, and buried her hand into his hair. He caressed her cheek before he broke away.

"There is no need to worry. It's just a simple routine investigation."

"If it's so simple, why not just have Al handle it? He already said he could go alone," said Belle.

Rumple chose to stay silent; he turned around, as Belle held the vest up, he slipped an arm into each hole. Belle pushed it the rest the way, and smoothed it out on his broad shoulders. He fastened it shut; Belle looked down at the floor, she knew what his silence meant.

"Unless it's not as routine as you say."

"Belle, it's Ursula…. I'm the only one who can handle her. Please try to understand."

"I hate always staying home and worrying whether I'll ever see you again, while you are on some crazy mission. More importantly, I worry that our baby boy will never meet his Papa."

Rumple wrapped his arms around her, she instantly melted; it was always within his arms that he felt the most safe. He kissed the top of her head, and took in the lovely scent of her hair. He pushed a strand of hair out of her face, and pressed his forehead against hers.

"You worry too much, love. We will be home in three days, and we will return without a scratch on us. I promise….. I have to do this, Belle… I have to make amends for all the pain I've caused. My youngest son has to see me in a different light, because if I lose him too…. It's over for me….. I will see you again, Belle. We will always see each other again."

Belle smiled up at him, she gave him a quick peck on the lips, and she grabbed his hand, leading him out the door and down the stairs.

Outside they ran into Alaek, who was saddling his horse, Shadow; they watched him take a brush out, and gently but firmly brush Shadow's mane. It was cold, winter was clearly approaching fast, and the clouds above gave everyone the sign that rain would soon soak the land. Rumple held Belle close, as the cold wind caused her to shiver.

'Your majesty," called Lumiere.

Rumple turned to see Lumiere tugging Phillipe and his own horse by the reigns.

"I took the liberty of preparing your horse for you."

"Thank you, Lumiere."

Rumple turned to Belle; he kissed her hand, then caressed her soft cheek, as the tears began to clearly form in her eyes.

"I'll see you again soon, sweetheart," he whispered.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him hard, passionately. She broke away, and ran her fingers through his long hair.

"You'd better," she whispered.

He laughed.

"Get a room, guys," said Bae.

Rumple turned to look at Bae, who was pulling to horses on both sides of him, Emma stood next to him; they were both dressed in brown leather, and both look like they were ready for battle. Rumple could not hide the confusion on his face.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"We're coming with you," said Bae happily.

"What?" Rumple could hardly believe it, just last night his son barely wanted anything to do with him, now here he was ready to go with him.

"Mom asked me too."

And there it was, the real reason he was coming; everyone knew Bae would do anything for Belle, they had grown that close. Rumple looked over at his wife; she wore a sly smile, and seemed to be distracted by some imaginary thing in the sky. He shook his head, then looked at Emma; his face obviously asked the question of why she was here. He and Emma didn't really get along well, too much history between them, but he would risk his life for her in a heartbeat because she was his daughter in-law, and his son's true love.

"Neal asked me to come," she said.

"It will be dangerous," said Rumple.

"It's fine. Just a routing thing, right?"

Rumple nodded, and climbed onto his horse; Bae and Emma did the same.

"Ready everyone?" asked Alaek.

"Let's go."

Belle blew a kiss after them, and shouted at Emma:

"Emma, take care of my boys!"

"Sure thing, Belle!"

Rumple led the small group out the village and into the enchanted forest. Belle watched them disappear into the trees, but she could not shake the feeling of dread that something terrible was coming.