David and Mary-Margaret parked in front of Granny's diner and got out of the truck.

"Should we let people know that Gold and Belle are back in town?" David asked his wife.

"No. We shouldn't set panic to the town unless there's a definitive reason for people to be concerned. They're only here to find their daughter."

"I don't know. Gold looked pretty comfortable back at his home, almost like they never left."

"I can't even think about that right now. We need to find our son. We can figure out their living situation later."

They ran into the diner looking about the establishment and saw only Ruby serving coffee to one of the usual customers. Mary-Margaret immediately ran up to Ruby at the counter and in a panicked voice asked, "Ruby! Where's Granny?"

"She's at the shooting range practicing with her crossbow. Why?" Ruby said looking to her friends to see if she could be of any assistance.

"Have you seen Neal?" David asked.

"Did you see him leave with Henry?" Mary-Margaret added.

"Only from when you dropped him off here this morning. He left the diner at the usual time for school, but I didn't see him leave with anyone. I just assumed the bus came and he left with it. Is everything alright?"

"I hope so. Thank you Ruby," said David.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ruby asked, noticing their worried faces.

"If you see Neal and he comes back to the diner, could you give us a call?" asked Mary-Margaret.

"Of course," nodded Ruby.

David looked over at his wife with a perplexed look on his face. "Could it be possible that he actually went to school today?" Mary-Margaret rolled her eyes and turned to her husband with an incredulous look. David sighed. It was pointless believing that their children were anything but typical or well-behaved. "Well then, where do you think he is?"

"With Henry out there…" Mary-Margaret answered. "I just can't believe Henry would do something like this? He would never harm his own family. He's never harmed Neal. They're practically siblings."

"I trust Emma's instincts. If she suspects something…" David paused for a moment and debated revealing his honest opinion. But the truth was, he honestly didn't know what to think about the whole situation. The only thing he could think of was finding their son. He quickly changed his tone from worry to encouragement, "We shouldn't lose hope. One thing's for certain, Henry's in trouble. For all we know he could be cursed."

"David… Henry has Cogsworth. He could have taken Neal back to the Enchanted Forest."

"No… we mustn't think that way. If Henry kidnapped Lily and his only ransom was to bring Gold and Belle back to Storybrooke, then he and Neal are still here."

"Well, where could Henry have possibly taken Neal?" Mary-Margaret said looking to her husband for hope.

"The shop?"

The two parents quickly left the diner and jogged over to the Pawn shop and discovered to their disappointment that the shop was closed and locked. David tried to turn the doorknob, but was unsuccessful. "Well, where to now?" David asked his wife.

Mary-Margaret gave out a frustrated sigh, "We should have listened to Emma and bought Neal a cell phone."

"We also agreed and thought that eight years old was way too young for a cell phone," countered David.

"I know. I know…" said Mary-Margaret out loud. They ransacked their brains until Mary-Margaret thought of something and said, "Doesn't Henry's apartment complex have a community playground close by to it? You know… the one by the woods?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Whenever Neal is with Henry that's where they go to hang out sometimes. We could start looking for him there."

David and Mary-Margaret left the shop's stoop and got back into the vehicle. They drove all the way down the town's Main Street and parked in the parking lot in front of the playground. They got out of the truck and were greeted by a cloud of dark purple smoke. The smoke cleared and the Charmings found themselves suddenly next to Belle and Gold.

"Belle! Gold!" exclaimed Mary-Margaret who was taken by surprise.

"What are you two doing here?" David asked.

Belle parted from her husband and looked about her environment slightly disoriented. She saw the Charmings and answered, "The dagger. We were summoned here."

"Why?" David wondered out loud.

"I'd like to know the answer to that as well," Gold replied wearily, still holding his daughter's jacket. He looked around the area expecting to see his master finally reveal himself. Suddenly, they heard twigs snap in the woods nearby.

… …

Neal's fingers were getting cold so he stuck them inside his jean pockets. A cold breeze kept blowing as they continued walking silently through the woods. Lily looked over at the little boy who appeared to be shivering but was doing his best to hide it from her.

"Here," Lily said as she took off his jacket and handed it back to him. "You're cold."

"But you were cold."

"I'm warmer now. Thank you." Neal took his jacket back and slipped it back on. "Oh, and um… thank you for that other thing."

"What other thing?"

"For saving me."

"You saved yourself. I saw you knock out my nephew. That was pretty awesome."

Lily giggled and looked away bashfully. "That was pretty cool, huh? I didn't even know I had it in me." Neal smirked and they continued walking in silence. Lily continued, "Storybrooke… this place is so unreal."

"That's because this place isn't real. It doesn't exist."

"What do you mean? How does it not exist when you and I are walking in it?"

"Magic," Neal said simply as he led the way. His response left her stunned. He was accustomed to it as if it was as natural and normal as breathing. Is that why this place felt so different?

"How…," Lily hesitantly began to ask, "how do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Magic. That disappearing thing."

"Oh! Well, uh, it's kind of hard to explain. You, um… think of the place you want to go… like, picture it in your head. Then you close your eyes and pretend you're already there."

"You're right. That is hard."

"Told ya."

"What else do you know how to do?"

"Nothing else really. I'm kind of learning how to make stuff appear in my hands, but that's harder."

"Oh," replied Lily.

They walked a bit further. As they walked, Neal would glance at the little girl curiously. Lily hadn't noticed his gawking until she looked up from the ground and caught him glaring at her. "What?" she asked. "You keep looking at me funny."

"Oh! Uh…" Neal said combing his fingers awkwardly through his short hair, "it's just that, no one from out there has ever come to visit Storybrooke. What's it like out there, beyond the border?"

"Well for starters, there isn't any magic in New York."

"Do you go to school? Are there even schools out there?"

"Of course I go to school. Don't be silly."

"Well other than your name, I really don't know anything about you. What do you like to do when you're not at school?"

"Read. I love books!" Lily said enthusiastically.

"We do have a library here in Storybrooke!" Neal said trying to match her enthusiasm, but then quickly lowered his excitement, "But… they're probably not as great as the ones in New York."

"I love libraries! All of them! Big and small. I think libraries are the happiest and safest places in the world. I like to go to my mom's library sometimes and hide in different corners to read. I find that the smaller ones have the best corners," remarked Lily beaming.

"There's a big building in the middle of town. You can't miss it. It has a clock tower and everything. It's the town's library. Maybe, when we get closer, we can go."

"That would be wonderful, but… I think I just want to be with my parents."

"I understand."

They continued on in silence when suddenly they could hear adult voices in the distance. The woods began to clear and from what Lily could see there were four adults, two of which she recognized immediately.

Lily gasped with relief and cried out, "Papa! Mama!"

"Lily!" exclaimed Gold and Belle as they ran towards their daughter.

"Mom? Dad?!" shouted Neal, surprised to see his own parents at the forest's edge too.

"Neal?!" said both the Charmings in shock as they too followed after Belle and Gold running into the woods. Neal ran to his parents and they all fell into a loving embrace.

Belle ran to her daughter and fell to her knees. Lily ran into her mother's arms first and was embraced with a thousand motherly kisses. Belle cooed and cried at her daughter, "My baby! Oh honey! My love! Are you ok?"

"Mama! I'm ok Mama!" cried Lily. Lily looked up to her father and rejoiced as she reached for him. "Papa!"

He quickly plucked her from the ground and lifted her up effortlessly. As soon as he picked her up he held her close, cupping his hand protectively over her head. Lily wrapped her legs around her father and hugged him tightly. Belle began to cry as she got up from the ground and got closer to her daughter in her husband's arms, leaning her head against her daughter's body. He closed his eyes and exhaled a sigh of relief as he held both of his loved ones in his arms. He buried his face in his daughter's hair and kissed her head. "You're safe now, sweetheart. Papa's here."

"Papa," Lily said while looking down. As she looked at the ground, she couldn't help but notice her father standing without assistance. Never in all her life had she ever seen her father walk stoically on his own two feet, so it was an odd sight for her to see. "Papa, your cane! Where's your cane, Papa?" she asked out of concern.

"Oh that," he remarked while looking down at his own two feet. "I don't need it here."

Rumple kissed his daughter's cheek before setting her down. With his daughter's jacket still in hand he quickly wrapped it around her.

"But… why?" Lily asked innocently.

Belle looked over at Rumple and they both knelt down in front of Lily. He looked at his daughter, but couldn't muster up the courage to tell her the truth about them just yet. "That's not important right now. You don't have to worry about that. I'm here now and I'll protect you," he replied as he brought Lily in for another hug. "I'm just glad you're alright."

Suddenly Regina and Emma appeared in a magical cloud of their own. To Rumplestiltskin their timing was perfect and a welcomed distraction.

"What are you guys doing here?" Emma asked, but as soon as she looked around she saw the family reunion for herself. "Oh. Hey Neal," Emma said to her younger brother.

"Hey Emma," Neal called to his sister back timidly.

Regina strode over toward Neal and asked seriously, "Neal, where's Henry? Have you seen him?"

Neal bit his lip and became suddenly shy, doing his best to sink deeper into his mother's arms. David looked down at his son expectantly and prodded, "Son, Regina asked you a question."

Neal shrugged his shoulders. Rumple knew he was hiding something, but instead of interrogating someone else's child he figured it wiser and more productive to ask his own, "Darling, do you remember where you were? Where you just came from?"

Lily nodded incessantly, having no reservation in telling her own father the truth. "I was in a house in the woods. Neal found me and brought me here."

"Neal! What were you doing out there in the woods by yourself?!" scolded Mary-Margaret to her son.

Belle reached for her daughter's arms holding them dearly in her hands and asked, "Do you know who took you?"

Lily nodded and when she looked up her eyes widened with fear. Behind her parents shoulders and Neal's family stood her kidnapper. Lily screamed in horror as she jumped into her father's arms. Gold quickly scooped up his daughter and both he and Belle turned along with everyone else in the group to see who it was that frightened Lily so.

"Henry!" said both the Charmings, who was just as startled by the sudden sight of him as they were.

"Mother," Henry said boastfully as he walked passed both his mothers. As he strode through his family toward Rumplestiltskin he glanced at each person greeting them with a cocky smile. "Grandfather," said Henry as he looked at David. Henry finished his strut and stopped right in front of Rumplestiltskin, "Grandfather."

"You're no grandson of mine," rejected Rumplestiltskin.

"Oh! I'm hurt," feigned Henry as he placed a dejected hand on his chest, pretending to be insulted. "But… I suppose there is some truth to that. I'm only using Henry's body. I… am Arthur."

"What have you done to Henry?" demanded Regina who was frozen in place, unsure how to approach her own son.

"I'm only trying to give him his happy ending," Arthur reasoned as he looked about Henry's confused family. "I'm sorry, gosh, Henry was confused when he found out about this too…" Arthur took his hand and waved it above his head. A translucent wizard's cap with embroidered stars and moons magically revealed itself above his head.

"The Sorcerer's hat," remarked Rumplestiltskin. "You have it? How?"

"That's right. You've been searching for this item for quite some time. Haven't you? You know what this hat does, don't you?" egged Arthur to Rumplestiltskin.

"It has the power to travel through time and realms," answered Rumplestiltskin.

"It can do so much more than that," said Arthur shaking his head.

Emma shouted at Arthur, "If you're Arthur, then where is Merlin?"

"Excellent observation Emma. I've always liked writing you, Savior. It's like you're limitless and can do no wrong. You see, you're not like these other characters here in Storybrooke, you are an original. There's no book out there that has your happy ending already written down, which makes you so rich in potential. It's so great for writing. Your character is very convenient to have around when writing resolutions to conflicts."

"What on Earth are you rambling on about?" Regina asked sarcastically.

Arthur turned to Regina and with widened excited eyes he moved closer to her. "Regina…" He said to her playfully. He even appeared thrilled to hear Regina's snarky comment. "Forgive me. When I get excited I tend to be a bit verbose. I'm just so ecstatic to be here amongst you all. Come, come, gather around. Let me tell you a story. Henry's story. I personally believe it's the best way if I'm to explain all of this to you guys. Seven years ago…"

I'm sorry to leave you on another cliff-hanger, cut-off chapter. The answers are coming! I promise! These next few chapters will be like reading another story within a story, explaining what happened to Storybrooke during the last seven years through the perspective of Henry. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading my rendition on how Henry grows up, what happens in Storybrooke, how he discovers the hat, and why. So I think you'll find it interesting, entertaining and hopefully informative.

Thank you so very much Imusicluver23, Grace5231973, CrypticCobra, ladybugsmomma, and NatalieMosherRumbelle for reading and reviewing Chapter 6. All of your reviews are like little presents in my inbox and I am forever grateful for them. See you next chapter!