Chapter Two

"Papa!" Bae exclaimed sharply from behind, and Rumple didn't miss Belle's angry intake of breath either. He could feel both sets of angry eyes burning into his back, but it was Snow who took a furious step toward him. "Killing isn't the answer!" she said hotly.

Rumple smirked. "Isn't it, dearie? Well," he appeared to reconsider. "Perhaps it's not the answer, but it's certainly an answer. One which Regina herself often used to her advantage. As have I."

"We aren't you," David informed him. "Good doesn't act that way."

"Oh, I believe that there's a dragon or two would beg to differ," Rumple replied.

"That's not the same thing!" Emma snapped. "Dragons aren't people!"

"Um… Emma," David murmured, "that's… not exactly true."

Emma whirled on her father. "Wh-what?"

"We'll explain later," Snow said in a low tone. She looked at Rumple. "I won't execute her," she said firmly. "So, what other options do we have?"

"There's an asylum under the hospital," Belle spoke up. "You might try confining her there."

Snow blinked. "I-I'm sorry. You're…?"

"Belle," Belle said with a small smile. "And if you're wondering how I know about that place, it's because I've spent the last twenty-eight years there. Before that, Regina had me locked a cell in one of her castle towers for about a year, so while I do agree that an execution is a bit much, I don't imagine I'll weep too long or too hard at the thought of her a prisoner." She frowned. "You're certain she has no magic now?"

"We had to take her into custody for her own protection," David confirmed. "After she tried to cast a spell on the mob at her front door."

Rumple looked up sharply at that. "A mob, dearie?" he repeated, his eyes glinting dangerously. "A pity I missed it, though I'd hardly call it surprising." He looked warmly at Belle. "Unfortunately, as I was saying, the queen's infirmity will pass. Once that happens, I'm afraid that there won't be a cell that'll hold her reliably, neither at the sheriff station, nor at the asylum." His voice turned chilly. "In light of what you've just related, Belle, I truly do wish it might be otherwise," he added, taking her hand gently.

The tenderness of his gesture wasn't lost on his visitors. "You've got magic," David pointed out, a bit less belligerently. "Couldn't you do something to hold her?"

Rumple shook his head. "Alas, all magic comes with a price. It's one thing to create a short-term barricade. The magical cost of maintaining such a field indefinitely? Let's just say it would cost more than I'm willing to pay and more than you lot could manage to scrape up anyway."

"There has to be something we can do," Emma said. "What about… banishing her over the town line?"

Rumple smiled. "Now we're getting somewhere. But I must point out that even under the Dark Curse, Regina was able to come and go as she chose. True, as far as I know, she only chose to leave once, over a decade ago, to finalize her adoption of young Henry, but unless you're prepared to maintain a patrol to guard against her slipping back in one day, I'm afraid that won't be nearly enough. A protection spell would restore the barrier that fell when the Curse lifted and keep those born to this land from stumbling into town."

"But Regina wasn't born to this land," Belle said.

"No."

"And putting a barrier around the whole town would be a lot more expensive than just around one jail cell, I'm betting," Neal said heavily.

Rumple nodded. "There might be a way to reduce that cost, but it would still be greater than I'd be willing to pay."

"There must be some other alternative," Snow exclaimed.

Rumple affected a shrug. "Well, when you've come up with one, dearie, I'm sure I'll see you lot back here."

"That's it?" David asked. "You don't have any ideas?"

"Oh, I've many," Rumple smiled. "But I think we all know you won't trust anything I'd come up with."

"For good reason," David said.

"I'm not denying it, dearie," Rumple chortled. "All the same," he continued, serious once more, "I've no desire to put forth well-reasoned proposals, only to see you dismiss them out of hand because you suspect they'll also grant me some advantage you'd never intended me to possess. So, I do believe I'll recuse myself from any further discussion for the time being and let you lot talk it over amongst yourselves. When you think you've come up with a game plan and set the parameters you believe will hem me in sufficiently, I'll look forward to your return. So, unless you've reconsidered and you'd care for some refreshment after all, I'd assume we're done here?"

Emma looked at Neal. "So, you're siding with him, now?"

"Looks to me like we're all on the same side," Neal said with a puzzled frown. "We all want Regina neutralized. Personally, I don't want her killed any more than you do, but we can't just sit around waiting for her power to come back. We have to come up with something." He hesitated. "And I'd like to talk. About this, if you want, or…"

Emma shook her head. "I can't. Not yet, anyway. But soon." Suddenly, the years dropped away and he saw the same frightened, bewildered teen that'd been wrenched away from him that night in a Portland parking garage. "Okay?" she asked, with an uncharacteristically plaintive note in her voice.

Neal smiled reassuringly and tamped down his disappointment. "Sure."

Regina sat in her cell at the sheriff station and desperately tried to set a tissue alight. She wasn't worried about being spotted: she'd created this town and she knew where the security camera blind spots were. For a moment, she frowned. It was just barely possible that Emma Swan had moved the cameras or installed other ones. Then she gave a mental shrug. It didn't matter. Once she had her magic back, this cell certainly wasn't going to hold her.

Unfortunately, her magic wasn't coming back. She could feel it in the air, whispering like the half-heard lyrics to a song that she had known long ago, but now couldn't quite remember all the words. The more she tried to recall them, the more they eluded her.

She waved her hand at the tissue again and the motion made it flutter, but there was no flame, no spark, not even a flicker. She tried again, directing all her fury and frustration at the thin piece of white cellulose. It lay innocently on the low iron rail at the foot of her cot. Angrily, Regina lifted the mattress, not really expecting that the skeleton key she'd stashed for Mary Margaret to find would still be there, but she still muttered a profanity under her breath when it wasn't. She waved her hand at the tissue again and her fury blazed hotter when this attempt failed as well.

She tried again. And again. And then, she sank to the cot, defeated. She'd try again later, when she was calmer and better rested and it would work. Of that, she had no doubt. She couldn't afford to have doubt.

For if she did, then her magic would be well and truly lost to her.

So, no, there was no doubt at all in her mind that her magic would return. It would just take a little more time.

She hoped.

Belle waited until she was certain that their visitors had gone and would not be doubling back before turning angrily to Rumple. "I told you I didn't want you to kill Regina," she said in a low voice. "That doesn't mean you can have others do your dirty work!"

Rumple regarded her for a moment. Then he began collecting the unused cups on the counter, two at a time, and placing them in a cabinet behind him. "Perhaps you weren't paying attention," he remarked gently. "They rejected the idea out of hand, as I knew they would."

Belle blinked. "You… knew?" she repeated, confused. "B-but then why…?"

The cups were in the cabinet. Now Rumple gathered the saucers into a neat stack. "Had I made a more reasonable suggestion, while it would have been better received, I've no doubt that they would have sought to temper that as well. By my adopting a more extreme position now, I think it likely that whatever penalty they do mete out to Regina in the end, it will be a compromise I can more readily accept."

"Wait." Neal's eyes were alight with comprehension as a faint smile tugged at his lips. "This is like when you used to sell wool in the marketplace, isn't it?"

Rumple smiled back. "Very astute, Bae. Very astute…"

Bae had thought that market day was going to be a lot more exciting than this. He'd thought it must be like the district fair, held once a year in Longbourne, with its masques and puppet shows in the central field and jugglers and tumblers on the edges of the laneways. This is… just the village square, with a few wooden carts and ramshackle stalls set up in the centre, facing the regular businesses. The same faces he sees every day, and a lot of talk about bad crops and high taxes and other things that don't sound very interesting to a nine-year-old.

Papa has a stall here now, and he's told Bae to stay within sight of it. As long as Bae does that—and doesn't interrupt if a customer stops to talk—Papa has promised that Bae can come back with him next time, too. Last night, that had seemed like a great deal, but today, Bae isn't so sure he wouldn't be happier staying home and drawing, like he has every other market day until now, with Widow Awlren stopping to look in on him from time to time—even if he doesn't think she needs to.

"Hello, Baelfire!" a friendly voice calls, and he grins and walks over to chat with Morraine, until her parents call for her to come help them lay out their wares before she 'goes to play with her friends'. Bae waves off her apology; he'd helped Papa set up earlier after all, and it doesn't look as though it will take Morraine very long to finish the task.

Meanwhile, he goes back to Papa's stall and sees a well-dressed man examining a skein of wool. Bae hasn't seen him in their village before, but he knows that there are a few other settlements scattered in the Frontlands, the closest over two hours' walk from here. Perhaps the stranger has come from one of these. Bae edges closer, until he can hear what the man is saying.

"Of course, this is sheep's wool," the man sniffs. "Well-made, but not nearly as soft as lamb's, nor as durable as mohair."

Papa nods apologetically, but there's no servility or reticence in his voice, when he replies, "You're quite right, of course. A man's craft is only as good as his materials, and there've been few lambs born in the village this year. As for mohair, I'm afraid you'll find that the goats that provide it are rather hard to come by in these parts. Perhaps, you'll have better luck in Longbourne or one of the other larger towns."

The man frowns. "Well, it's more than a half-day's ride to Longbourne, and there's no guarantee that they'll have such stock either." He runs a finger over the skein. "And for my needs, I suppose that this is serviceable enough. What are you asking the skein?"

Papa shrugs in a self-deprecating manner. "What can I say, Milord? Times are hard and we all must eat. My neighbors bargain harder when they sell me their wool to spin, and I've no choice but to pass that cost on to the customer. Six copper."

Bae stifles a gasp. Six copper? He's barely ever seen that many coins together at one time! And hadn't Papa told him last night that the asking price was three? What is Papa thinking?"

The man chuckles. "Times are, indeed, hard, my friend, but while I'm sympathetic, that sympathy only extends so far. By rights, I should be paying no more than one for wool this rough, but I'm not completely hard-hearted. I'll give you two. And I'll purchase a dozen skeins at that price."

Papa shakes his head. "Alas, Milord, while I'm happy enough for noble custom, it's my fellow villagers who form the bulk of my clients. And if they find out that nobility will only pay two coppers, they'll expect to pay even less, and I'll come out the worse for it. Perhaps, I might do five, if you'll take a score."

"A score?" the man repeats. "Well, I suppose it would save me the trouble of returning for more in a hurry, but five is still far too much. Suppose I were to make a larger purchase. Instead of skeins, I might do a stone's-weight, and I would pay a silver and five for it."

"Two-and-a-half copper a skein, then?" Papa asks. "I'm afraid that price is still far lower than I'll agree to. But look, there's another market in Scatter Crossing. Perhaps you'll have better luck there. Or I might do two silver and eight…"

Bae listens as the bargaining goes on, for what feels like hours. In the end, though, the nobleman purchases three stone's weight—forty-two pounds' worth. And for nearly four copper the skein!

After the noble leaves, Bae approaches Papa. "Does that happen all the time?" he asks.

Papa smiles. "I don't get many noble customers—not even minor nobility as that gentleman was—if that's what you're asking, son, but I did get the price I wanted. Even a bit better," he adds.

"Papa?" Bae asks. "Why did you ask six copper in the first place, when you knew it was only worth three? Was it because he was rich and could pay more?"

Papa shakes his head. "No, Bae. While that might be true, it's also true that, had I asked for three at the outset, he would have still countered by offering one… but he would never have paid more than two, for it. I asked a higher price than he would be willing to pay at the outset, so that when the bargaining was over, I would end with the price I'd wanted all along."

"It seems sort of… dishonest," Bae said dubiously. "No, not dishonest!" he amends hurriedly. "But it almost feels like cheating. Even if it's not."

Papa smiles. "It's not, though I understand why it might look that way to you. The thing to remember, Bae, is that while I want to sell my goods at a high price, my customers want to buy them at a low price. The haggling and the bargaining is simply each of us trying to take advantage of the other, and in that way, we arrive at a price that's fair to both of us. Do you understand?"

Bae doesn't, not now, but he nods anyway. Morraine is waving impatiently to him that she's free now, and playing at Knights-and-Ogres is a great deal simpler than the grown-up world any day.

"You want to make sure she doesn't get off with a slap on the wrist, so you're starting off asking something you know you won't get, hoping that they'll be harder on her than they would be otherwise," Neal said, and was rewarded by an appreciative nod.

Belle frowned. "You're sure they won't execute her," she said.

"That lot?" Rumple snorted. "They didn't save her from an angry mob just so they could chop her head off themselves. If they wanted her dead, it would have been far easier to hurry slowly to her rescue," he shrugged, "and arrive too late."

"So, what would you suggest?" Neal asked. "I mean, whatever it is, even if I'm in the doghouse with Emma right now, I think they'll take the idea more seriously if it comes from me or Belle."

Rumple shrugged. "Sooner or later, it will occur to them that sending her to another realm will be a great deal easier than forever guarding the town boundaries against her return. But that idea must come from them. And before it does, I believe that there's one person here with both the means and motive to assist in creating such a…" he paused before uttering his next word meaningfully, "…portal?"

"Jefferson!" Belle exclaimed. Both men turned to look at her, one with curiosity, and the other with trepidation. "The… the portal-jumper who used to work for you, Rumple. It was he who let me out of the asylum. Now that there's magic here, he can take Regina to another realm and… leave her there!"

"Jefferson?" Neal repeated. "He's the guy who kidnapped Mary Margaret when she ran away from the sheriff station and tried holding me, too." Seeing his father's face harden at that, he continued, "He was using us both as bait for Emma. He thought that she could… get his hat to work." He winced. "And suddenly, that sounds a whole lot less crazy than it did at this time last week," he added ruefully.

Rumple shook his head. "She wouldn't know where to start with that," he scoffed. A slow smile spread his lips. "Ah, but I do…"

There was nobody at the cemetery when Jefferson led Rumpelstiltskin, Belle, and Neal to Regina's vault. "Down here," the portal-jumper said. "Unless she moved it, it should be right…" He stooped down and picked up a somewhat-battered top hat. "…here."

Rumple took it from him and held it up critically. "This isn't something you crafted here in the last twenty-eight years," he said. "This is the original artefact, isn't it?"

Jefferson nodded. "Regina took it from me a couple of years before the Curse and left me stranded in Wonderland. When she cast it, she brought me here, just like she did Dr. Frankenstein and a handful of others." He grimaced. "I could've born it better if she hadn't taken my Grace from me."

"You have her back now," Belle said with a gentle smile.

Jefferson shook his head. "I abandoned her," he said heavily. "Left her to grow up with strangers. How can I expect her to want to see me after that?"

Neal took a step forward. "I… Maybe I'm overstepping, but I think you might be pleasantly surprised."

"What would you know about it anyway?" Jefferson asked.

"More than you think," Neal said quietly. "I've been in similar circumstances."

"And you're back with your child now?"

"I…" He glanced at his father, who was examining the hat carefully, his shoulders hunched, his face nearly buried in the hat's lining, as the fingers of one hand traced the exterior. He swallowed. As much as he wanted to reassure Jefferson that his fears were likely unfounded, Neal wouldn't—couldn't—discuss it now with Papa standing right here. "I was the child. Talk to me later, if you want me to go into more detail. But for now…?" He glanced at his father.

Rumpelstiltskin lowered the hat and looked up with a relieved expression. "Well," he said slowly, "it would require some minor modifications, but I do believe that this may solve our Regina problem rather nicely. If the current administration agrees, of course."

Jefferson looked up. "Wait. You want to use the hat on Regina?"

Rumple frowned. "Let's just say, it's a compromise I can live with."

"You want to exile her," Jefferson said slowly.

"I do. Always assuming that something can be done to alter that mandate about the number of people going on the outbound journey equaling the number on the inbound."

There was a vicious gleam in the portal jumper's eye when he said fervently, "If that's what you're after, count me in."

It was a serious group who met around a table in Granny's back room to discuss Regina's disposition.

"Exile," Mary Margaret said. "We banished her once and she cast the Dark Curse. Is that really our only option?

David covered her hand with his. "Back then, she had her magic. Without it, I'd say her ability to come back and cause misery would be somewhat limited."

"So… what?" Emma said. "Do we just… drive her over the town line?"

"Yeah and then have her waltz right back here?" Leroy snorted. He looked at Mary Margaret. "Sister, if you want us to patrol the main road, we can do that. But with the curse broken, there's nothing to stop anyone from taking a boat up the coast or coming in through the forest. Or hang-gliding in," he added, and everyone looked up at the ceiling instinctively.

"Somehow," David mused, "I can't picture Regina doing the last two."

"What if," Archie spoke up nervously, "what if she can convince enough people out there that her cause is the just one?"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "It's not like she can rally an army and storm this place. I mean, maybe it was like that in… Fairy Tale Land, but it's different here."

"I didn't mean it that way," Archie said. "When she adopted Henry, there would have been paperwork. If she were to take that to law enforcement… out there, mightn't they come to investigate?"

"When we took her into custody," David said, "she wouldn't have had time to take that paperwork with her. Without proof—"

"There's proof," Emma said. "The records would have been computerized. And even if it was a black market adoption, Henry's been living with her for almost eleven years. During that time, Henry was fed, clothed, cared for… A judge isn't just going to turn around and overturn the adoption without good reason. And yeah. We know: she tried to make him think he was crazy and put him in therapy, but how do you think the judge would react to, 'He realized that everyone in town was a fairy tale character who just didn't know it and when he told people, they thought he was… troubled, but it turned out to be true'? I mean, the judge would award custody to Regina and probably bar us from getting within a mile of Henry if we went before them with a story like that!"

Ruby spoke next. "What if we just… sent her back to the Enchanted Forest? I mean, she brought everyone from there here, right? So it wouldn't be like last time, when we discussed exile to another realm."

David's eyebrows shot up. "Back then, there were two reasons we decided against it. It wouldn't have been right to push our problem off on that other realm, and with her magic, she would have become their problem. I have to admit," he smiled slightly, "sending her back to the land we came from with no magic and no subjects to rule over… It has possibilities."

"But what if she gets her magic back?" Happy asked.

"She still won't have anyone to use it on. Except maybe the trolls and ogres," David said.

Granny snorted. "If she wants to do anything to them, I think I could live with that on my conscience. And if they do anything to her? Same thing."

Snow winced at that. She looked around the table, taking note, not just of facial expressions, but body language. Her eyes found David's last and what she read in his eyes told her that while he would support whatever she decided, for the first time in twenty-eight years, he knew his own mind and she could tell where he stood. She pressed her lips together firmly for a moment, steeling herself. Then she took a breath. "All right. At the moment, Rumpelstiltskin seems to be the only person here who has magic." She smiled faintly. "And he also seems to want Regina gone." She heaved a reluctant sigh. "We don't know the price he'll ask for his help, and we don't know if there's a way to send Regina back home. But if there is a way, and if that price is something we can all agree to, all in favor of exiling Regina to the Enchanted Forest?"

Every hand in the room, including David's shot up.

"You're sending her away?" Henry exclaimed, his eyes wide. His face was a few shades paler, though Emma tried to tell herself that it was just the result of his recent ordeal.

"We have to, kid," Neal said. He and Emma might not be together at the moment, but on this matter, at least, they had no difficulty presenting a united front. "She's not going to stop gunning for your grandparents, and that turnover you ate was meant for Emma. With or without her magic, she's too dangerous to keep around."

Emma put a hand on her son's shoulder. "It's for her safety, too. Without her magic, she's vulnerable. People are angry. Mary Margaret, David and I were able to talk down one mob—a small one," she added. "We might not be so lucky if there's another one. Or if someone… torches her house or tampers with her brakes or…" She took a breath. "Really, it's for the best."

Henry shook his head. "But she's still my mother," he protested.

"I know."

The boy drew a shuddering breath. "So, how…?"

Neal spoke up. "There's someone here with a hat that lets him travel between magical realms. Now that Storybrooke has magic, it qualifies. Papa thinks he can modify the hat so that when it opens the portal, we can send Regina through it alone, instead of Jefferson having to go with her."

"Apparently," Emma elaborated, "the same number of people going on the outbound journey need to be on the return journey. And since everyone from the Enchanted Forest came here, if Jefferson takes her through the portal, he'll be trapped there with her."

"With the hat staying here in Storybrooke, Regina won't be able to come back," Neal said.

Henry absorbed that. "I'll never see her again," he whispered.

Emma shook her head. "Unless you want to go with her," she said seriously.

"No." Henry said. "No, I know why you guys are doing it, and I understand. It's just that I… I knew you had to come here to break the Curse, and I hoped that once you did, we'd be a family. I just never thought about how that would mean…" His voice trailed off. "I guess I should have realized."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Neal asked.

"Or do you want to be alone to process things?" This from Emma.

Henry shook his head. "Can I see her?" he asked.

Emma and Neal exchanged a look. "She's at the sheriff station in one of the holding cells now," Emma said. "Rumpelstiltskin is putting protections up there as we speak, so that that when the portal opens, it'll be under control and not suck everyone else in the room back with her. He said we shouldn't disturb him until he's done. But once he is, I'll do everything I can to make sure you get a chance to say goodbye."

Henry nodded.

Regina watched the preparations with a cold smile. Inside, she might be shrinking, but she would never allow her despair to show. She knew that Rumple and most of the others wanted a spectacle: the Evil Queen humbled, humiliated, and pleading for mercy. Even Snow probably did, if only so that she could prove, yet again, that Good could be gracious in victory or some other sanctimonious claptrap.

She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her beg. Instead, she would face her fate with the dignity and grace of the queen she was.

Now, she looked on as Rumple and Jefferson stepped out of the inner office. Rumple kneeled down on the floor before the holding cell, his back to Regina, as he held the finger of his right hand curved, his thumb not quite closing the circle, as he held the hand several inches from the ground.

"Invisible chalk?" Regina called dryly. "Make sure you remember where you put it down."

Rumple didn't bother looking up. "Never you mind, dearie," he remarked. "I've several other pieces about, if anything should happen to this one."

David appeared at the door. "How much longer do you need?" he asked.

"Not long," Jefferson replied. "Once Rumpelstiltskin is finished with the protections, we just need to get Regina into the circle. The hat will do the rest." He glanced at Rumple. "About fifteen minutes, would you say?"

Rumple glanced up. "Let's say a half hour. Some of the symbols in the warding are somewhat intricate."

"Okay," David said, pulling out his phone. "I'll let the others know."

Regina snorted. "Of course. The spectators. Will you be distributing souvenir videocassettes to commemorate the event afterwards, for those who can't crowd in here?"

David shook his head. "We're not opening this up to spectators. Too much risk of someone coming in who thinks exile's too good for you. And the last thing we need is a bigger mob than the one you faced yesterday storming the sheriff station."

Regina hoped her relief didn't show. "Well, then," she remarked brightly, "who are you informing of my impending departure?"

David regarded her for a moment, obviously deciding whether to answer her question. Finally, he sighed. "Henry wants to say goodbye."

That got him the first genuine smile he'd seen from her since the curse had broken.

It vanished entirely some ten minutes later, when Rumple cleared his throat. "I believe I've nearly finished my part." He turned to Jefferson. "Magic is still a bit stiff here, I'm afraid. And while that will change as it settles in, perhaps it would be best if you… threw your hat in the ring now, as it will take a bit of time for it to charge." He nodded to David. "And if her majesty would enter the ring as well, I'll close the wards once she has."

"Wait," David said. "Shouldn't we wait for Henry to get here?"

Rumple frowned. "While magic is still a bit stiff here," he said with a meaningful look at Regina, "that will change as it settles in." David took his meaning. He moved at once to the holding cell and turned his key in the lock.

"My son?" Regina protested. "You said—"

There was a strange gentleness in Rumple's eyes and voice as he spoke again. "Worry not, dearie. It will still be a few minutes before the hat will be able to open the portal. Time enough for your boy to arrive."

"Unless I get my magic back before he does," Regina said slowly.

"Even if you do, dearie," Rumple said, "the wards will contain it long enough to do what we must."

The opening of the hat began to glow as David took Regina's arm and led her to where he knew the circle must be, though he couldn't see its lines. For a moment, it looked as though she might resist, but then, Rumple raised his hand and a small puff of purple smoke materialized warningly in his palm. Regina sniffed, pursed her lips together, and stepped into the boundary. Rumple bent down once more and set to work, frowning a bit.

"What's wrong?" Jefferson asked.

"The sigils," Rumple muttered. "They needed to be drawn within the double ring. I can't be certain that they didn't bleed over."

"Will it matter?"

Rumple hesitated. "Well. If we meant to keep the queen here for more than a few minutes, I'd be more concerned. The circle's borders are secure enough. She can't step outside now. And once the wards are fully activated, nobody outside will be able to come in."

"Then what are we waiting for?" David asked.

"When the wards are raised, communication between those within and those without will be impossible. Given that this is the last time that Regina and Henry are likely to lay eyes on one another, I think we can give them one final conversation."

Regina looked over sharply at that. "Thank you," she said, with only the faintest catch in her voice.

Hurried footsteps slapped down the hallway and Henry burst into the room, Neal and Emma a step behind. "Mom!"

"Henry!" Regina exclaimed, as he rushed toward her. "Henry, thank you for coming to see me off."

"I'm sorry it has to be like this," Henry's voice quavered, as he stopped halfway into the room. "I wish…"

Regina shook her head. "Well. Perhaps one day." She held her arms out wide and Henry sprang toward her, just as the hat seemed to expand and a swirling violet vortex suddenly appeared within.

"No, DON—!" Rumple cried, but it was too late. Henry had run forward to embrace her, and although, of course, nobody could see it, Rumple knew when the boy's foot rubbed out two of the sigils in the double-ring. With a savage glint in her eye, Regina pulled Henry into the circle as the vortex intensified.

"HENRY!" Neal grabbed hold of Henry's coat sleeve before the boy fully crossed the circle's boundary. He could feel the winds lashing at him as the hat's pull grew stronger. He wouldn't let go. He was going to pull his son back, or he was going to go with him! And then he felt a tug on the bottom of his jacket and glanced over his shoulder to see Papa on his knees, clinging to it with one hand, while his other held fast to the leg of one of the desks in the outer office.

David lunged forward and grabbed hold of Neal's sleeve.

"Neal!" Emma exclaimed. "Henry!" She would have hurried forward to join her father, but Rumple stopped her.

"Get the hat!" he exclaimed. "Pull it out of the circle and the spell will fall!" And now, Emma could see that the other man—Jefferson—had reached into the circle to take hold of the hat and was desperately trying to pull it out, but whether it was the winds or the vortex or some other force, something was jerking him inexorably into the circle.

Regina laughed triumphantly.

Jaw set, Emma hurried to Jefferson. Nobody else seemed to be stepping inside the circle, she noticed. Probably, she guessed, it was better if she didn't either. Instead, she stretched her hand in and caught the brim of the top hat.

Jefferson smiled at her. "Don't let go," he said, shouting to be heard over the winds. "Pull back together on three. One… t—"

The winds shrieked their fury and the hat was suddenly the size of a wading pool. The vortex within expanded to fill the circle with a column of violet smoke that reached to the ceiling.

And then, the vortex vanished!

The winds that had been drawing them into the circle silently, explosively thrust them back.

For a moment, nobody spoke. Then, Emma, Jefferson, David, and Rumple looked slowly around the room.

David held most of Neal's jacket.

Rumple held the torn scrap of fabric that had come away from it.

Emma and Jefferson each held part of the ragged brim of a top hat.

Papers, folders, and office supplies were strewn over every available surface.

Regina, Henry, and Neal had vanished.