…Present Day…

"So you see," carried on Arthur, "I might have lied to Henry when I didn't reveal my true identity but to tell him the truth would have prevented him from fulfilling his destiny. Not that he would have understood anyways. Arthur isn't my true name, it's my pen name. Though I think 'Arthur' and 'Author' make for quite the witty alliteration, wouldn't you agree? Anyways, for each new 'body of work' I inhabit I assume a different pen name. This hat," he said while pointing at the hat on his head, "is what I'm using to control him right now. Henry's body is just the host. I… am actually the Author to this story. Somewhere out in the universe I am typing out this very story, writing out each word we say as we speak at this very moment. In all reality, I'm really just a huge fan of this story… and this place! I wrote the Sorcerer's hat to be this powerful so that I could interact with you guys. This is really a dream come true for me. And oh! In case you were wondering," Arthur said as he brandished the pen from inside his jacket pocket, "this pen chooses my next host and this hat… is how I control my host."

"Great," replied Emma dryly, "We're dealing with a fan-fiction writer." Arthur turned and scowled at Emma for her comment. "You're insane," Emma said fearlessly.

"Am I?" Arthur began walking around the group confidently, making everyone in the circle nervous. "I needed Henry to retrieve this pen for me. As you may or may not know, my last host was trapped for a very long time by Cora. She was the one who stole that pen from me. When she came to Storybrooke, she must have tossed the item into the water cementing it to stone to make sure no one saw it again."

"So what happens now? What will happen to Henry?" said Regina getting straight to the point.

"Don't worry. I won't be using Henry for long. His body is only temporary. As I said, I only needed him to bring the pen to me. That's why he was chosen. No, the actual person this hat is intended for," Arthur said as he walked right up to Mr. Gold, "is Rumplestiltskin."

"No," denied Mr. Gold.

"No?" scoffed Arthur. "You can't refuse it. It's your destiny. Besides, I know you want it. No matter what world, what universe we find ourselves in, you always choose this hat because as your Author I know you always choose power."

"That's not true!" exclaimed Belle. "He gave up his quest for power when he chose to leave this world of magic."

"Yeah, you would think that wouldn't you?" contradicted Arthur. "Rumplestiltskin is quite the clever deceiver. I mean, he has certainly led you to believe that, hasn't he?"

"Rumple? Is that true?" Belle asked, turning to Gold. Gold was speechless. He couldn't even look into Belle's eyes, which only confirmed to Belle that it was.

"The only reason why he left Storybrooke was because he couldn't find the hat in time. He left because it was your happy ending. Not his. He doesn't believe in his happy ending because for centuries he's never experienced happiness. Believe me, time lived in misery can change a person and he was very reluctant to leave his magic behind. Even the thought of his grandson having control over him, over his magic, well… he just couldn't stand it."

"That's a lie!" spat Mr. Gold at Arthur as he set Lily on the ground. Arthur gave Gold a guile smile. As soon as Lily's feet touched the ground she moved quickly over towards her mother, wrapping her arms around her mother's waist.

"Is it?" said Arthur slyly. "I know you, ALL of you, better than you know yourselves. Take for example, your hearts. I know that you share each other's hearts because you wanted to ensure Belle's survival for when she gave birth to Lily," he said while looking over at Belle, Rumplestiltskin and Lily. At eye contact, Lily shrunk deeper behind her mother. Arthur turned back to Gold and said, "Your one saving grace has been Belle's other half-heart which is currently beating in your chest. Her strength has been what's helped you resist temptation before, but not anymore." Arthur raised the Author's pen in the air in front of Belle's and Gold's chest like an orchestra conductor and swiftly crossed them, making a switching gesture.

At the sudden movement, Belle and Gold gasped and clutched at their chests. The impact knocked both of Lily's parents to their knees. "Mama! Papa!" Lily cried out.

"There… I just did you two a favor. Now both of your hearts have been restored to your original bodies," said Arthur proudly.

Lily did her best to help both of her struggling parents to their feet. David and Mary-Margaret came closer together to protect Neal. Regina gritted her teeth and gave Arthur a vicious scowl. Emma's knuckles cracked as she clenched both her fists. Arthur noticed Regina's malicious look and Emma's white knuckles. "Ooh! You two really want to hurt me, don't you? Oh, but you can't because I'm using dear ol' Henry's body," taunted Arthur excitedly. He continued to mock as he smirked, "If you are going to beat me up though, please… just mind the face."

"I don't understand. Why Rumplestiltskin?" asked Regina as she tried to calmly withdraw her threatening stance. She looked over at the fallen couple who were finally standing on their own two feet again. She looked back at Arthur and said, "Seems like a lot of work to get him to wear the hat."

"When you work with time travel it can get a bit complicated. No need to fret your little head over it. Just know that his participation in the wearing of the hat is not only essential, it's inevitable."

"After everything you just told us," said Gold between struggled breaths, "what makes you so sure I'll put that damn thing on my head?"

"It's true. The hat is never forced upon one's head, but now that your heart is whole again the Dark One Curse is even more potent. Without Belle's untainted heart you won't be able to resist temptation like you had before."

"So there are limits," pointed out Regina. "No one can be that omnipotent."

"How very astute…," smiled Arthur turning to Regina, "and cunning, just like your mother. Yes, there are 'limits' to my power. Sure I can travel through time but that's only because it's through stories that time travel is possible. And although writing time travel stories can be exciting, seldom do I utilize that writing genre because writing time travel can get very complicated. And true, I cannot make a character change or do something that would be out of that person's character to do it. However, I could write circumstances in the story that would inevitably lead the character into making the small but necessary changes that would undoubtedly lead up to the dramatic character change. The real trick is making it seem like it all occurred seamlessly and not be at the expense of the overall story. I do take certain liberties, as most writers do of course, but they are all based on the construct and confines of previous stories written before me. Those stories are my parameters and my limits."

"But why all of this? Why kidnap Lily?" Belle wondered as she and Rumple got back up to their feet.

"Because there are readers out there, right now, reading this from the comfort of their homes wanting to read a good story. Believe it or not, I'm actually here for Henry's happy ending."

"Really?" said Regina dryly as she raised her eye-brow in disbelief.

"Really," confirmed Arthur. "And it's not just me, my readers want it too."

"And what exactly, may I ask, is Henry's happy ending?" Emma asked skeptically.

"You all are his happy ending; having his family together," sighed Arthur with satisfaction.

"So that's why you took Lily," understood Rumplestiltskin.

Henry tapped his nose at Rumplestiltskin, acknowledging and confirming his reply. "Had to get the plot started somehow and it's such a good story, isn't it? All of the great fairy tale characters working together to defeat a formidable foe. And what a joy it is for me to have such lovely, juicy characters to write for too! That's why I exist. Henry's goal in bringing everyone's happy endings, it's inherently what I want to do too. And since his goals just so happen to coincide with my own, it's one of the many reasons why he's one of my destined hosts. It's poetic, really." Arthur carried on, waving his hands this way and that as if marveling at his own genius."I would like to think that I'm more of a benevolent author. Believe me, there are worse writers out there. Though it would appear…," he said while looking slowly around at Henry's family and realizing his role in the story, "that since all of you are basically the protagonists to this story that would make me… the antagonist… Oh well," he said, shirking off the negative actualization blithely, "Sacrifices must be made for the sake of art and I will gladly play the villain if that means having a great story. You can't have a great story without a great villain."

"You're such a martyr," said Regina sarcastically.

Arthur ignored Regina's quip as he slapped his hands together excitedly and proclaimed, "And now… on to the climax!"

Arthur turned his head slowly towards Lily who was cowering besides her mother. "Poor, poor Lily," said Arthur as he moved closer to Belle and Lily shaking his head. "I had such high hopes for you, but unfortunately you're just not real."

"Step away from my daughter!" snapped Gold fiercely, as he bravely placed his body protectively between Arthur and his family. "And what do you mean she's not real?"

"She only exists in this story, because I created her. Well," Arthur said as he rolled his eyes to correct himself, "Yes, you both created her but only because I wrote it to be so. She's a construct of my mind. My readers and I wanted her to exist."

Arthur looked directly at Lily making direct eye-contact with her. Lily was frozen in place and felt like she was in a trance. For some reason she couldn't look away from Arthur's cold eyes.

"I don't care if you're using my grandson's body. Nobody threatens my family," growled Gold as he formed a fireball the size of a bowling ball in his hands.

"Rumple!" shouted Belle, gripping Lily tightly. She could tell that he was losing control.

"Gold!" cried out everyone in the family.

"What are you doing?" shouted David.

"See Lily?!" exclaimed Arthur, while looking at Lily. "Didn't I tell you?! The stories are true. Your father is the Beast!"

Lily couldn't believe her own eyes. Arthur was right. Her father is the Beast and her mother is Beauty. And Neal was right about her father being the Dark Sorcerer that everyone feared. In that brief moment, she saw in her father's eyes the fire's intense reflection and just behind that an evil darkness that could have only formed after witnessing hundreds of years of death and destruction. It was incredibly frightening and profound for the seven year old to handle and it paralyzed her. Was this a nightmare? She had never seen this side of her father in all of her life. This was the same man who just a day ago hugged, kissed and played with her. She knew him to be friendly, safe, gentle and loving, but was suddenly frightened by what she saw. Out of fear, Lily closed her eyes and tried to imagine the safest place in the world. She didn't want to believe in Arthur, but her eyes knew it to be true. Suddenly, she disappeared from the gathering and everything became suddenly silent.

… …

"Lily!" cried out Belle who felt nothing but air as she patted and waved around at the vacant area that used to be her daughter's body. She looked up and with a menacing look she directed her hysterics towards Arthur. In no time at all she stormed right up to Arthur coming face to face without hesitation, blocking her husband's fireball as she exuded her wrath upon the Author. Although Arthur was much taller than Belle, it didn't matter to her. As soon as she was within an inch of his face, she grabbed him by the collar and forcefully brought his smug face down to her level as she accused fiercely, "Where did she go?! What did you do?!"

Frightened and shocked by Belle's unexpected maternal reaction, he replied more timidly, "I did nothing to your daughter! She's still alive, if that's your concern!" After hearing his response, Belle released her vice-grip on his collar and backed away from him. Arthur straightened his tie and nervously cleared his throat before saying, "Your daughter is more special than you realize."

Gold extinguished the fireball that was meant for Arthur and instead pointed a furious finger at him, "You wanted me to frighten her! You wanted her to see this side of me!"

"Perhaps I did," said Arthur confirming Gold's accusations. He turned to Belle and responded in kind, "And it wasn't me who did anything to her." He coolly clasped his hands together as if to pretend he had complete control over the situation again. "She magicked herself away from here completely on her own. I told you she was special. Neal knows what I'm talking about. He, too, has the answers you seek."

Everyone turned to look at Neal who was being shrouded and protected by his own parents. The Charmings looked down at their son. "Neal," said David as he got to his knees to look at his son in the eyes at his level. "Do you know where Lily went?"

Belle kept looking back and forth from Arthur to Neal and asked, "And does she know how to use magic?"

Why was Arthur putting him front and center? Neal didn't know whether or not she was magical, he only knew what she revealed about herself in the brief interaction they had together on the walk back to Storybrooke. He thought hard about the conversation they had before being reunited with their parents. Was she magical? She never said that she was. What did he know about her? He knew that she didn't have a jacket and that she was cold. They shared a jacket. They talked about Storybrooke, New York and magic… his magic. Then he realized that he did describe what using magic to disappear was like and that he did unintentionally teach her how it was done. How was he supposed to know that she was magical?

Neal didn't like how his family suddenly surrounded him. It was practically suffocating. He felt uncomfortable and with everyone's eyes staring at him he didn't like it. It made him want to run away to his favorite hiding spot at the library. Then suddenly he remembered the conversation they had about what she liked. She liked libraries. He didn't want to defy his parents, so it took all the courage he had to do what he was about to do next. He shook his father's grasp and backed away from his family. They all stared at him as if he was guilty of doing something wrong. In Neal's mind he did nothing wrong. All he did was befriend a girl who needed help, so it upset him to be viewed with such consternation. "Lily went to the safest place she could think of and I might have taught her how to disappear, ok?" Neal said anxiously, getting more upset as the moments went on.

Mary-Margaret's jaw hung open in awe, "Neal! How could you have taught her? You don't know magic."

This was the moment that Neal never wanted to face. He never wanted to tell his parents about the magic he possessed because he was afraid of the responsibility and notoriety that came with it. He didn't want to be different. He wanted to be normal and non-magical like his parents. He didn't want to stand out and be like his sister Emma. Neal also didn't want to lie to his parents, which put him in a precarious position. So Neal took a breath and said to his mother with tears of shame in his eyes, "I do, Mom."

At Neal's final words, he disappeared from the group too. Both David and Mary-Margaret were shocked over the surprise. Every adult in the party looked around wildly when Emma pointed out over their shoulders, "He's over there! He's heading back to town."

The party looked over in the direction Emma was pointing at and saw Neal disappear. David, Mary-Margaret and Emma ran after their missing family member, leaving Regina, Belle, and Gold to tend to Arthur.

"He keeps reappearing at shorter distances, which means," observed Regina, "he's learning the ability to vanish. That's why he keeps reappearing at shorter distances. No novice learns to master that technique right away."

"Well apparently," Arthur notes, "Lily has. And thanks to her parents, she's inherited quite the magical gift from both of her parents."

"Both of her parents?" Regina wondered, thinking she misunderstood Arthur. Regina turned to Belle and questioned, "You're magical? How are you magical?"

"Safest place…" repeated Belle, ignoring Regina's questions. Suddenly it occurred to Belle that she knew exactly where her daughter was. "I know where she is!" exclaimed Belle out loud to her husband.

"Before you go, I do have one parting gift for you," said Arthur, stopping Belle in her tracks. What was he going to do next? She needed to know his next move. "As an act of good faith and because I know the outcome to this story anyways I'm going to take off the hat and offer it to you. That's how confident I am because I know in the end," he turned looking at Rumplestiltskin, "you will be wearing this hat."

"You've been so verbal before with your gloating and explanations. Why stop now?" goaded Regina.

"Because, Regina, that wouldn't be interesting. Not only would explaining be too easy, it's just bad storytelling. Just the idea of free will is enough to intrigue the readers and keep them reading. Make your choice. I know that it'll be you," said Arthur as he lifted the enchanted hat from off of his head and placed it on the ground. As soon as the hat parted from his fingers, Henry collapsed to the ground and became unconscious.

"Henry!" cried out Regina as she ran over to cradle her son's head.

Gold saw the exposed hat and felt drawn by its power. He wanted it. He needed it.

"Rumple! Don't!" cried out Belle as she ran towards her husband. His hands were within arms' reach when suddenly it disappeared before their very eyes.

"Where did it go?!" he exclaimed out loud. Belle collided into her husband and scolded, "Rumple, what were you going to do with that hat?"

"I… I…" stammered Gold. Suddenly he held his chest and turned to Belle shamefully, "…I have to go."

"Go? Go where?!" Belle questioned.

"The dagger…" he muttered when suddenly her husband disappeared from her too.

Belle looked up, stunned and bewildered. She saw Regina try to resuscitate Henry, but to no success. Belle was conflicted. She wanted to help Regina, but she knew she needed to find her daughter. Regina looked up and saw the confliction on Belle's face. "Go! Go find your daughter. Henry and I will be fine here."

Belle gave Regina a grateful nod and turned away to run into town. She went to the only place in this town that had always been her sanctuary; the library. She just never thought that it would be Lily's sanctuary too. As she ran into town, she thought about everything she had learned. Even the events that had unfolded before her seemed to blur together.

…Arthur restoring her and Rumple's hearts… His full heart affecting him more so than usual… Lily disappearing... Arthur willingly giving up the Sorcerer's hat to Rumplestiltskin… Henry collapsing and leaving the hat exposed… Rumple being tempted by the hat's power… Rumple being commanded by the dagger to go elsewhere… the dagger that was not in Henry's possession…

The dagger was never in his possession. But if it was never in Henry's possession, then who has it? Who has been using it?

Out of breath, she trotted but still kept in motion. Without a car or magic it was quite the jog to Storybrooke's library from the forest's edge. She stared at the magnificent clock-tower as she approached the building and hoped beyond hope that the doors were open. Belle grabbed the door's handle and thankfully the doors opened for her. When she entered the building she once thought to be her second home, she called out into the peaceful library, "Lily! Lily, honey, it's me. It's Mummy! I'm not upset…"

Suddenly she saw her husband and gasped at the sight of him. He stood there before her relaxed and composed, rotating the Dark One dagger slowly in his hands. Is this where he had disappeared off to? How did he get the dagger?

"Belle," said Rumple calmly to her. It wasn't right. Why was he upset one moment and then calm the next? It didn't make sense.

"Rumple… you-you found the dagger? Where… Where's Lily? Have you seen her?"

"I have," he said as he came closer to his wife, handing off the Dark One dagger to her. She hesitantly accepted the dagger from him, but stared at him suspiciously. His cool exterior made no sense. She looked at the dagger with incredible confusion and then set the weapon back on top of the circulation desk. The dagger was the least of her concerns. She wanted her daughter safely back in her arms.

"Well then where is she?" Belle asked anxiously, frustration ebbing at her voice.

"She's upstairs. In your old apartment," he answered with a gentle smile.

"Then why are you down here?" she demanded.

"I'm here, so that I don't ever have to make the same mistake again," he said as he brought Belle's vulnerable hand up to his lips to kiss. Just as Rumplestiltskin kissed the top of Belle's hand, another Rumplestiltskin burst through the library doors and shouted furiously at his doppelganger, "Step away from my wife!"

The angry Rumplestiltskin by the door magically flung his twin up against the wall and upon impact the twin grimaced with pain as the wind became suddenly knocked out of his lungs. Seeing the two identical individuals suddenly interact with each other was an unbelievable sight to see and Belle felt helpless as she stood by watching with awe. The angry Rumplestiltskin came within an inch of his double's face, gripping threateningly at his suit's jacket and said while growling through his teeth, "Now reveal yourself, charlatan!"

The angry Rumple waved his hand over the injured Rumple and the injured Rumple's facial hair instantly grew out. Not only did his hair grow out, it grew white revealing himself to be…

"No! You're Merlin?!" Rumple said shocked.

"We…," corrected Merlin between struggled breaths, "We are Merlin… I'm you from the future. Merlin is the pen name the Author gives to us when he occupies our body."

However stunned Belle was by what was happening, she somehow managed to ask, "What?! How?"…

… …

Phew! What an exciting chapter! So much dialogue and action happening. And sorry to leave you guys on a cliff-hanger. The next following chapters will be like telling another story within a story, but starting from the perspective of Rumple/Merlin when Henry puts on the Sorcerer's hat at the Dark Castle. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as you did the last chapter. I was so relieved to read from your reviews that most of you got what was happening between Henry and Merlin. Hopefully this chapter answered a few more of your questions along the way too.

Thank you to Grace5231973, Imusicluver23, ladybugsmomma, BreathingintheSun, Montreat11 and NatalieMosherRumbelle for your reviews. You guys are way too cool. Looking forward to hearing from you all soon. See you next chapter!