They'd gone to bed last night and slept. Belle had needed the rest, but his head…his head probably could have used the distraction that came with lovemaking. His mind was busy as a beehive. Earlier that day, he'd decided to make Belle more of a priority. Now that he had, his brain seemed set on balancing out the two. The more his own mind tried focusing on Belle the more the Dark Ones wouldn't let him forget that he still had a plan that was yet unfinished.

Yes, he planned on using the fairies to boost his power next. But no, he still had no plan to get that done so it wouldn't cause a stir that pointed back to him. True, if Belle had the dagger, he had some kind of alibi, but he was smart enough to know that wouldn't hold forever. Especially not with Hook in the know. In the meantime, he wondered if the hat might take a magical object for power as well as people.

Yes, he could summon the magic from the hat with his dagger, summon that power to his command, but he had yet to figure out what to use as a guide to channel the spell to do as he wanted, especially when he'd have to eventually set the dagger aside and concentrate on his own abilities. Zoso's notes featured failed magical proof after failed magical proof. He was missing something to run the spell. He had to figure out what.

If that was the only thing he had to worry about, just the hat and Belle, he might have been fine. But unfortunately, there was also Ingrid and what she was planning, her own little game with the Savior and Elsa. Unless he was mistaken, there hadn't been much movement on that in a few days. And yet he was almost certain that Ingrid hadn't changed her plans and come forward with the truth.

There was something appealing about that. If she was still in the background of all this, making a nuisance of herself, then it might be feasible that he would take the Fairies and their magic and stage it to look like Ingrid had done it.

But if he wasn't careful enough, if he didn't watch himself, then it was entirely possible that this house of cards he'd built for himself would come tumbling down.

And something about Ingrid's words from their first discussions was bothering him, more so now than it had in the beginning.

"My goals haven't changed…"

"They'll see it."

"I'll come to you when I'm ready to make a deal."

She'd been eluding to something. Something he wasn't quite grasping. If he went after the fairies and attempted to frame Ingrid for it, that was likely a decision he'd come to regret. If he waited too long, however…

In the early morning hours, he cast a spell over Belle to ensure she wouldn't wake until she was well rested, for her own sake. Then he used his magic and took himself to the shop. A deal…Ingrid had mentioned a deal. And something was itching at him. In the back of his mind, scraping in his skull. He kept trying to produce it, kept prodding the Dark Ones to summon it forward for him…but alas, they all agreed it wasn't their territory and continued to work through the riddle of the hat, leaving him feeling as though he was one teammate down.

The Seer. It was her territory, or it had been once, a long time ago. It was her job to know the unknowable, to keep him a step ahead of friends and foes alike. And now…

Now, without her, he was on his own to figure out how to stay a step ahead with nothing but the help of his memory. He was trying. But it was something he couldn't quite get to, but he knew…he knew it had to do with something he kept in his shop. Something that he'd been saving for a long time. And he was tempted, so tempted to create once more the memory-enhancing potion, to send himself back in time and retrieve what he could, but before he gave into that temptation, he had one other idea, one other thought.

He wanted to evoke the memory on his own, before he had to use the potion.

In the back of the shop, on a dusty shelf, was a long, thin box he'd never touched. He'd never really had to touch it, given what he and Mr. Gold knew was in it. So, it had always been there, just sitting. And waiting. And now…

Now he blew the dust off the box and carried it out into the main shop, where he unlatched the lid, lifted, and-

Magic washed over him. Magic that was unique right down to the smell, size, and shape of the items before him. Oh, he'd been right…he didn't need a memory enhancer. He just needed to smell it, to feel the strange symbolic magic wafting off of these three cream-colored ribbons to remember…

He'd had a vision once. When the three Arendelle princesses had visited him, they'd been wearing these ribbons and their magic had struck him immediately; him and the Seer who had begun to scream at him in words and in visions.

A wall of ice. A mirror imbued with magic. Villian. Victim. Curse. A feeling of death, murder. "You shall try. Kill the spares. Spare your family. Try you shall." Sisters. But not the three with the ribbons tied on their wrists. But rather a new set of sisters acting through a bond preserved…through the ribbons he had upstairs. "Only when the time is right."

It worked. And the results were…chilling, pun unintended.

He understood some of it now. Some of the visions he'd had were nothing more than history now.

The wall of ice was what surrounded Storybrooke now.

The mirror imbued with magic he'd never actually seen, but he knew the Curse of Shattered Sight well enough to know from his last vision quest that was what Ingrid had used to trick Anna into capturing her sister with.

Sisters, but not the three with the ribbons on their wrists…not Helga, Ingrid, and Gerta.

A new set of sisters through a bond preserved…he glanced down at the ribbons before him, the ribbons that had once graced the wrists of the Arendelle Princesses that he'd exchanged for some gloves and an urn.

Perhaps they'd be worth more than just helping him recall a vision…

This was it. Ingrid's deal. The one that she was going to want to make. It would be for these ribbons. He'd explained their importance in front of Ingrid before he'd taken them; she should have easily put two and two together by now. Placing these ribbons on Emma and Elsa's wrists would be like combining their powers. It would open a channel between the three individuals who wore them, allowing anyone unguarded use of the other's power. She should have put it together by now.

But then, why hadn't she done it yet?!

He could put these ribbons on them in the blink of an eye! They'd never even need to be truly bonded for it to work. Why was she waiting? Why was she stalling? What was he missing?

He sighed as he closed the box and locked it once more before sliding it under the cabinet and turning back to the hatbox. Gingerly, he placed it back in the safe and put the dagger with it. It was time to have another talk with the Ice Queen. It was time to get to the bottom of her plan. His own plan might depend on it.

"Kill the spares, spare your family…"

That certainly made it sound like it was going to be a plan worth knowing.

His internal alarm suddenly flared to life at the sound of the back door opening and closing.

"Rumple?"

Belle.

Quickly, he closed and locked the safe before turning to glance out his front door and finding that not only had the sun risen, but there was activity on the streets. He'd intended to work through the morning, and now it seemed he had. It was simply a shame that he felt like he still hadn't accomplished anything.

"Belle!" he exclaimed when she finally came into the main room. A narrow mistake he wouldn't make again any time soon.

"Hey, I've been looking all over the house for you, didn't even hear you leave…" she stated a hint of accusation in her voice.

"Well, I didn't want to wake you. Just a few things to take care of before we open."

"Well, whatever it is, it'll have to wait," she insisted reaching forward and holding his hands in her own. He knew, before she said another word, that it didn't bode well for the rest of his morning. "Emma called she needs to see us right away."

And there it was.

"Belle-"

"Please, Rumple," she begged as he pulled her hands from his and leaned against the glass case. "It's something to do with the Snow Queen."

"And what concern is she to us?! We've done everything to stay out of this and so far, she hasn't come knocking on our doors, maybe it's for the better if we stay out of it."

"But staying out of it won't help them…" she argued, closing the distance and putting her arm through the crook his own made.

He tried not to let himself be swayed. They'd had a conversation on this very topic at the dock the other day. He'd made his feelings about it perfectly clear. So far, she'd followed them, but now…now she was begging?!

"Staying out of it won't help Henry," she added shamelessly, tugging on his heartstrings. "He's caught up in the thick of it, and I made a promise to Neal to keep him safe. If that means that we have to unhappily throw ourselves into every disaster that strikes this town, then I'm going to do it! And I want you to do it with me. Please…it's what Neal would ask of you, too."

He felt the Dark Ones in his head hiss at her in irritation at the using his son's name in vain. The only trouble was, he wasn't necessarily sure it was in vain. Low-hanging fruit, perhaps. But it would have always had to be untrue for it to be in vain and he wasn't entirely sure it was.

"You made that promise to Neal?" he questioned.

She nodded. And dammit, he couldn't let her break that promise. He didn't know his son, not the way that Belle did. But even with the little that he had of him, he knew that what she was saying about wanting him to protect Henry was true. Wasn't that why he'd hired him and was expecting him tomorrow morning despite the risk of snooping in the first place? Because he recognized that his grandson was going to need some assistance in growing up? And without Neal and now Ruby in town, it meant there was no one to look after him as the Charming Clan did their heroing. Fuck, as much as it killed him to admit it, she was right. Someone had to make sure Henry was safe. If this was how he had to do it, then so be it.

"Well…" he sighed. "I supposed looking into what they believe they've found won't harm anything."

The grip she had on his arm tightened suddenly, and he felt her lips on his cheek a second later. "Thank you," she whispered happily. At least he'd win points for his balancing act once more by keeping Belle happy.

Welcome to 4x06. Unfortunately, we're starting off with a Filler Chapter. Sorry about that. There were just a bunch of things that needed to be reviewed before we could get to this episode, and giving Rumple the morning to review it seemed a good way to go, especially since we had that lovely little filler scene in this episode of Belle finding him in the shop after leaving her at home. It all just sort of worked together, though I'm sorry it's nothing terribly exciting.

Thank you, Rsbeall12 and Grace5231973, for the reviews you've been leaving. I know that 4x06 is certainly not everyone's favorite episode, certainly not Rumbelle in their best light. But I actually ended up really enjoying writing this episode up. It was interesting from Rumple's perspective. He had to do a lot of quick thinking in this episode to maintain his innocence and it was exciting to write, even if it did break my heart a little bit. Peace and Happy Reading!