"Henry said that this was a council meeting?" Regina asked despairingly, watching as first Red and Henry, and then Grumpy, Archie, and Mulan went into the mayor's office. "Please tell me that's not the council."
"Did Grumpy have a baby?" Snow asked in astonishment.
"Maybe Nova decided that she didn't want to be a nun anymore?" Hook suggested with a smirk.
"Shut up," Regina muttered. "Where is Henry? Isn't he or Ruby going to come get us? I want to know who it is that thinks they're running my town."
"You know…" David said hesitantly. "From what I saw of the town, nothing was in shambles."
Bae asked, "And am I the only one who saw that a fence had been erected around the town border? That's a good idea, right?"
"A great one," Rumple agreed, thinking of his stint with "Lacey" and the reasons behind it.
Hook must have been thinking the same thing because he remarked, "I'm sure Mrs. Gold would approve."
Henry grinned at Belle as he said two very small but apparently very important words – "They're back."
It took Belle's overworked brain a second before she understood who he meant, and when it clicked, her hand flew up to stop a scream that would've woken the sleeping Alana. "Where are they?" she breathed, realizing that everyone in the room was looking to her for… something.
"Just out of hearing range outside your office door."
"How much do they know?"
"Basically nothing; we didn't even tell them you're mayor."
"They know Jefferson's sheriff, though," Ruby added.
Archie asked. "How about my now being married?"
Henry shook his head.
"Lana?" Belle asked faintly.
Again, the teenager indicated to the negative.
"Perfect," Belle sighed warily, slouching over in her chair and putting her elbows on her desk, head in her hands.
"On a bright note," Ruby said helpfully, "It sounds like Emma wants her old job back. And Gold's here to take the pawn shop responsibilities back over."
"And to be here for Lanie," Henry added pointedly. He rounded her desk and laid a hand on her shoulder, soothing, "Come on, Belle, it'll all be okay, you'll see. Rumple loves kids – especially his own kids."
"No one even knew I was pregnant when they left!"
"But he'll be ecstatic to learn he's got another kid now!" Henry promised. "Please, Belle, just let me bring them in here. He's really impatient to see you."
"So is Regina, I bet," Belle deadpanned. Henry laughed nervously, and Belle just sighed again before she agreed, "Alright."
"Thank you," Henry smiled before sliding back out the office door and trying to ignore the fact that Belle instantly slid from behind her desk and into hiding in the room with Alana.
"Are we allowed in now?" Regina asked dryly when Henry walked back to them.
"Yeah, but really, Mom, please be nice; Madame La Maire is under extreme stress right now."
The French words caught Rumple's attention, and his eyebrows drew together as he silently translated them and started putting the pieces together… and a slow, as of yet unnoticed, smile started forming at the edges of his mouth.
"I'll behave," Regina promised Henry with a roll of her eyes.
As they walked towards the mayor's office, Snow White asked, "Did I see a wedding ring on Archie's hand when he went by?"
"I don't think he'd mind me telling you he's been married for, oh… five months now."
"To who?"
"You'll have to ask him that," Henry answered cryptically, opening the door to the mayor's office.
"What are we asking someone?" Grumpy asked as the recently returned trooped into the office.
David answered, "We're asking Archie who he married."
Grumpy laughed, "Yeah, Charming, you do that."
"He's not going to have a problem with it," Mulan objected, glaring at the dwarf.
"Excuse me?" David asked, looking as confused as everyone else.
Archie cleared his throat before saying while watching the Charmings carefully, "Kathryn... It's Kathryn Hopper now."
"Ah," David said, smiling easily at the other man as he rocked back on his heels. "Well, congratulations to you both, Archie; you've got a good girl there."
Archie smiled with relief as he nodded. "Yeah… yeah, I do; thanks."
"Yes, yes, congratulations on getting a wife," Rumple said impatiently. "Now, speaking of wife – where's mine?"
There was a moment of silence and then Mulan asked smoothly, "Why would you think that she's here?"
"This is a mayor-council plan that you're running the town on now," Regina spoke up. "That requires at least five council members, one of which acts as mayor and head of the council. Right now I see only four adults, so that means that there's at least a fifth somewhere."
"Besides, Madame La Maire is a French term," Rumple added. "And my wife is French. That's got to mean something. Where is she?"
"Who says Henry's not the fifth member?" Grumpy asked.
"I love my kid," Emma said with a soft laugh. "And he's very bright, but he's not old enough to be a part of any government body."
"Wait," Regina said, turning to Rumple with a soft laugh. "You think that Belle's the mayor? Belle Gold as mayor? Really?"
"Really," Henry said, carefully looking at his adopted mother.
"So, if this is a council meeting, she's here somewhere, right?" Rumple asked, peering around the room.
"Henry, you said she's stressed," Bae pointed out. "Why?"
Henry took a very deep breath and let it out slowly as he turned to look at Rumple, searching his face silently.
"What is it?" Rumple asked. "Is she okay?"
"Yeah… mostly. Just… nervous."
"Nervous about what?"
"About… Mom… by which I mean Regina."
"You're lying, kid," Emma said swiftly. "How come?"
Henry got a panicked look in his eye, casting his gaze around to Archie, Grumpy, Mulan, and Red.
"You just sat there and told her that she'd be okay," Red told Henry. "Why are you backing out of that now?"
"I've… seen this go down before," Henry answered slowly.
"Seen what 'go down before'?" Rumple asked, getting increasingly agitated without any straight answers concerning his wife.
Henry swallowed nervously, looking him in the eye as he answered nervously, "Manhattan."
"Manhattan," Rumple repeated thoughtfully. "Where you met Bae… where …" he realized, suddenly feeling a little faint as he continued, "Where a father… saw his child for the first time." Bae darted to his father's side, supporting him so that he would stay upright as Rumple tried to ask, "Is that why… is that… is Belle… did she… a child?"