Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

It was a sunny fall day in Storybrook. Despite the cold, the citizens of the town were enjoying the weather, all bundled up against the cold. Mr. Gold sat in his shop going over his financial books, waiting for 11:30 when his Belle would hand over the library to one of the volunteers and join him for lunch.

Although he hated not having her living with him anymore, he had to admit that his love was thriving in her new independence. She had a new confidence about her that made the blue in her eyes shine like the ocean, and they were starting to build a solid foundation for their relationship. Belle was happy and Mr. Gold could not find it in himself to be upset about that.

Looking at the clock he noticed that it was only 11:02. Reminding himself that the lease he got distracted the faster the books would get balanced, he shook his head and went back to work.

The sensation started small enough. So small in fact that he didn't really notice it. It has been so long since he had felt that particular sensation that even as it grew he still did not place it. But stronger and stronger it got until finally Rumpelstiltskin recognized it for what it was. He was being summoned. Someone wanted to make a deal.

Putting down his pen, Rumpelstiltskin concentrated on the sensation. Despite the many deals that he had brokered in his lifetime, the sensation was not a common occurrence for him. Oh many people had summoned him in the past. He would hear his name spoken into a distant mirror or receive a letter from some far off kingdom, but this was different. To be summoned like this; through the sheer will of an individual; that was unique. That took someone who was beyond desperate. That took someone who only had one last hope left. Him.

The call was strong; one of the strongest he has ever felt. And so with great regret, the imp called his Belle to cancel their lunch date and left to find this soul in need.


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah lay in her hospital bed staring at the stains on the ceiling. Outside she could hear the nurses and doctors making their rounds and somewhere nearby a man was coughing nonstop.

_Don't think. _She kept telling herself. _Just focus on the noises._

She knew how this was going to play out; how it always played out. It was no use telling the truth. It was better just to go along with whatever story was going to be concocted. She couldn't even refuse to say anything at all, that was just as bad as telling the truth.

Everything hurt from where she had fallen. Her wrist, her head, her arm, her ankle, her teeth; actually it would be shorter to list the places that didn't hurt. Her left thumb was feeling ok and she wasn't hungry, that was a bonus.

Sarah felt hot tears start to roll down her cheeks.

_No! Don't think. _She tried again to tell herself, but it was so hard and she was just so tired. It was not the kind of tired that would go away with a good night's sleep.

As she lay there, trying to concentrate on the noises in the hallway, an idea popped into her head. Since the curse had been broken the kids at school would often tell stories, stories about a Dark One. She often overheard the stories about how The Dark One was an evil, but powerful sorcerer. "More monster than man," they would say to each other in hushed tones. The stories they told all revolved around people asking The Dark One for magic to help solve their problems, but the magic always came with a price. The monster would grant any wish, for a price, and the price was always high. Then again, what did Sarah really have to lose? What possible price would be worst then the price she was currently paying just for the privilege of being alive?

Grabbing the side of the bed, Sarah lowered herself slowly to the floor. She winced when she put pressure on her sore ankle, but with determination she limped her way over to the bathroom. Keeping the lights off, she closed the door, took a deep breath, and looked into the mirror.

The kids at school were very clear about how to summon The Dark One. You went into a dark room with a lit candle. Sarah didn't have a candle, but there was enough light coming in from around the door that she was sure would work just as well. You looked into the mirror and called The Dark One's name three times. Remembering that little fact, the child's face fell.

What was monster's name? Surely he had one? It couldn't be "The Dark One", that would just be dumb. So what was his name?

Thinking through all the conversations about him she had overheard, Sarah thought desperately for any mention of a name, but none came.

_Of course,_ she thought to herself, _they all act so smart, like they know some great big secret. How could they summon The Dark One if they don't even know his name? This is dumb._

Looking at her silhouette in the mirror, she decided that since she was already here she might as well try something.

"Dark One I summon thee." She tried in quiet voice.

"Dark One I summon thee." She said with a little more confidence.

"Dark One I summon th_ee." Her voice broke at the last word and she quickly closed her eyes.

Opening her eyes slowly, she looked around the room. Nothing had changed. No monster had jumped out of the mirror.

_I knew this was a stupid idea._ She told herself, but deep down that little bit of hope she had held started to wither and die. Its death was more painful than Sarah would ever let anyone know, including herself.

With a heavy heart Sarah opened the door to go crawl back into bed. The site before her, however, stopped her in her tracks.

There in her room, sitting on the chair next to her bed was a man in a suit, holding a cane. Noticing the child before him the man smiled.

"You summoned me Dearie?"


	3. Chapter 3

Rumpelstiltskin was not surprised when the summons led him to Storybrook Hospital. Hospitals were notoriously full of desperate souls.

No one stopped him as he entered the building, proceeded to the emergency room, and passed the nurse's station. His quest led him to one of the few private rooms in the ER, and with a flourish he flung open the door in a fashion to intimidate the poor soul within.

Only there was no one there; the room was completely empty. The bed was unmade and the tray that once held the meal the hospital provided for the occupant sat empty on the side table. This raised the question: "Who eats hospital food; other than just the jello?" A soul would have to be desperate just to accomplish that task. Was his caller a homeless person, looking for shelter and food at any opportunity? Or was it some young adult, who was desperate to be thin and beautiful and who had tried to accomplish this by starving themselves? The empty tray was not enough of a clue to discern who his summoner was.

No other clue to the person's identity could be gleaned from the barren room and no clue to their current location could be detected either. Mr. Gold looked around the room puzzled. Thought it was true that magic was different in this world, it should not be this off… this wrong about a summons. What was going on?

Just as he took one last look around the room before deciding to give up on this fools errand, a little voice could be heard from behind the door of the dark bathroom.

"Dark One I summon th_ee."

Out of all the surprises Rumpel had had today, that voice was the real shocker.

A child! It was a child that had summoned him?

Sure, many children had tried to summon The Dark One. Either as a playful dare to prove their bravery to friends; or because Daddy would not get them that pet/toy/dessert that they simply had to have or else the world was just going to end. As a rule Rumpelstiltskin did not make deals with children. They had nothing to offer in trade; their demands were petty; and in truth, children were never truly desperate. Their innocent minds often could not really understand the desperate situations some found themselves in, or that little grain of hope, that belief that the world was truly a wonderful place deep down, still clung to them.

A desperate child was not hard to find, but a desperate soul within a child, what was something Rumpel had yet to see.

Although the imp knew he was not going to be making a deal with the child behind the door, curiosity got the better of him and he took a seat in the only chair in the room and waited for the bathroom door to open.


	4. Chapter 4

Sarah could not help but stare at the man seated in front of her. Was this The Dark One the kids back in at school talked about? No way; this was a man, not a monster. Ok, Sarah would admit that the man was intimidating with his suit and cane, but weren't monster supposed to be… you know… monstrous? Where was the third eye, or big teeth? Where were the black fingernails, or the snakes for hair?

Maybe this was not The Dark One, but someone from social services. She had had a visit from one of them the last time she had ended up in the hospital. The last time the man from social services was different. He smiled a lot and asked her question like she was a baby. This man was different, he was… well… scarier.

Ok the man was a little scary, and he had said that she had summoned him. The more Sarah stared at the man, and more he stared back at her, the more she was convinced that this was The Dark One.

The Dark One eyes narrowed and she could tell he was starting to get impatient with her lack of action. She had summoned him; she supposed she should ask him the question that was on her mind.

"What's your name?"

Wrong question; and apparently he thought so too.

"Is that why you summoned me here dearie; to ask my name?" Yea, the man was scary when he was angry.

"No…" she hesitated. She needed to think of something fast. If he thought her too immature, too childish, would he still make a deal with her? Most likely not.

"But I think I should know the name of the monster…" his eyes narrowed again, "person…" she corrected, "that I am going to make deals with."

Why was she pursuing this? Why had knowing his name become so important? She should just ask for her deal and let him go.

A time passed and Sarah was starting to give up hope that he would answer, but she was also too nervous to break the silence. So she just looked down that the floor, hoping she hadn't messed up this one chance she had.

"Rumpelstiltskin," her eyes returned to his, "My name is Rumpelstiltskin."

"Sarah," she returned, as her eyes again refused to hold his.

Sarah knew the time was now; she had to ask for her deal now. It seemed, however, like her courage had fled her again. Maybe if he had been the monster that the stories had promised, this would have been easier. Maybe it would not have seemed so real, so serious. HE had told her time and time again what would happen she ever told another person. HE had said that she could go to jail too. What if Rumpelstiltskin didn't help her? What if he went to the cops? What if he couldn't help her? After all they were in this new world now, maybe things were different here? She couldn't do this. It was a mistake to summon him. It was mistake to even dream that things could get better.

It was The Dark One's voice that broke through her panicked thoughts. What he said, however, turned her panic to anger.

"Sarah, my time is valuable. So what can I do for you? Do you want a pony, a puppy, the newest Barbie doll? Tell me what little dream your little heart desires so much that you would risk the wrath of The Dark One to get it? This is a very dangerous game you are playing child."

He was annoyed, she could tell from his voice, but how dare he assume her wishes were so petty and dumb. She fought the angry tears that built in her eyes, but lost as they ran unimpeded down her cheeks.

Rising from his chair, Rumpelstiltskin loomed over Sarah unaffected by the tear soaked face before him.

"I am sorry little one, but whatever it is, the answer is no. Go tell your little friends that you met the big bad monster, but also tell them I don't make deals with children and do not bother me again."

At this he turned to leave the room angry at the waste of the time this trip had been, when her voice stopped him.

"What friends?" He turned to look back at her and Sarah raised her head to meet his gaze. She was beyond angry now. She was frustrated at herself for not being able to voice what she wanted, and she was furious at the man in front of her for the way he spoke down to her.

"I am not allowed to have friends." She cried.

"I don't want a pony, or a puppy, or a doll. I don't want pretty dresses, or candy, or any other stupid thing like that. I want to be safe… just safe."

Sarah curled in on herself, scared by what she had just admitted to the man. It didn't matter anyway; The Dark One didn't make deals with children. It was over.

"Get out."

She wanted to be alone. She wanted to stop feeling and thinking. When he didn't move, she got even angrier.

"GET OUT!"

She saw Rumpelstiltskin shake his head and leave. At least he closed the door behind him when he left. Now she could cry in peace.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: Hello everyone and thank you so much for the support you have all given me as a new writer. I just wanted to clarify my timeline a little bit. This timeline is a little non-cannon. (Spoiler Alert!… kinda) You see I got the idea for this story after I had watched a clip of the Neverland gang returning to Storybrook. I didn't see the episode/scenes before about what was really happening. This story take place after the group returns from Neverland, but with the idea that Pan did not 'return' with them… Henry is fine, Rumpel is fine and they continue on with their lives. I hope that does not give too much away for those who have not seen those episodes yet.**

Rumpelstiltskin quietly walked through the hospital towards the exit. This entire trip had been a waste of time. Why had he even stayed? He knew from the minute that he heard that voice through the door that there was no deal to be made. He didn't make deals with children.

One: their demands were petty.

But this child had asked for safety. Safety from what? Was someone hurting this child? Why not ask for happiness, or a family that loved her, or friends? Why safety, and only safety? Truth be told, that demand was not petty.

Two: children were never truly desperate.

But this child had called to him. She didn't even know his name or the proper way to summon him; she had done it through her own sheer will for a deal. Only someone who was truly desperate could do that.

Three: they had nothing to offer in trade.

There you go! The child had nothing to trade and therefore a deal could not be made.

As Rumpel continue out of the hospital and toward his parked car, the image of the girls tear soaked eyes came to him. Those eyes were so full of pain and sadness; but that anger is what really worried him. Whatever pain she was living with that had caused her to call for him, she was fighting it. The anger was proof that she was still fighting; but if she was summoning him, then how much longer could that fight last before she gave up. Anger could only hold you for so long.

Leaning against his car, he raised his face to the sky, and shut his eyes tightly. This was a bad idea. There were reasons for his rules. They kept him out of danger, and they kept him from making deals he could not follow through with.

This is a really bad idea.

Taking his phone out of his breast pocket, he called the first contact on his list.

"Hey Rumpel." The beautiful voice of his Belle greeted him. "Are you done with your deal? If you hurry we could still spend some time together."

Oh how he wished he could, it was very tempting to just drive back to the pawnshop and spend what time he had left for lunch with her, but the image of that tear soaked face refused to leave him.

"Belle…" how was he going to tell her, "my dearest; I am about to do something very foolish, and I could really use your support."

Belle sounded hesitant when she answered him.

"You know I will be there for you no matter what Rumpel, but just how foolish is this something going to be? Is anyone going to get hurt?"

Well wasn't that just like Belle? She could tell he was not ready to tell her the details and so she didn't ask him, but she knew The Dark One's nature and worried still.

"I don't know." He admitted to her. "I don't know what is going to have to be done, but I really think this is the right thing to do. How do you know when breaking your own rule is the right thing? I put these rules in place to protect myself, but now…" He trailed off at this point, hoping she understood what he was asking.

"Well I guess you have to ask yourself if you are willing to risk getting hurt for whatever deal this is. Is your protection worth letting the deal fall through, or is the deal worth the risk."

When put like that, it made the decision very simple for him.

Rumpel had to admit to himself that there was one more reason he didn't make deals with children. Although no one would believe it, although he hid the fact from everyone, The Dark One had a soft spot for children. Back in the days when he was just a poor spinner, he would smile as he watched Bae and his friends playing in the village streets. Even before Bae was born, before he destroyed his own leg to be a father, he used to be out there with the local children playing; much to Milah's embarrassment.

His deals were self-serving. The magic he used was dark and the price to be paid was often high. Why would he subject an innocent child to that?

Things were different now. Baelfire was back in his life; he had achieved his goal. Maybe he could make deals what help others more then they helped him. Maybe he could change? Belle certainly thought he could.

Thanking Belle for her advice, he hung up the phone, turned around, and walked back into the hospital.


	6. Chapter 6

"Tell me everything."

The child before him was curled up in a sitting position; her arms around her legs and her head tucked into her chest. The small tremors that shook her frame were the only indication that she was crying, for no sound escaped the tiny bundle of a girl. It made Rumpel think back to the years he spend raising his son. He remembered the days when Bae used to cry for his mother after she left. When children cried, they cried to be heard. You had to teach a child to cry silently; it was unnatural.

"Why?" She raised her red puffy eyes to look at him; curiosity and anger written in her posture. "You don't make deals with children."

She looked at him with distrust in her eyes and Rumpel realized he would have to play this one carefully. He decided that since she had been expecting The Dark One when she summoned him, the mischievous imp of legend, the imp he would give her.

"As a rule, dearie, no I don't. But hey, aren't rules supposed to be broken?" He popped his cane up in his hand and opened in his arms in a flourish to ask the question. He didn't need the cane anymore, but he had brought it out of habit. As a prop for The Dark One, it would do.

He was no longer used to the flamboyant gestures of his pre-Storybrook days and he found the movements unnatural to his new persona. Despite his discomfort at the gestures, they seemed to work and he saw the hint of a smile tugging at Sarah's lips.

"Now I am not saying that a deal can be struck." He wiggled a finger over the child's nose, but quickly removed it and smiled when she gashed her teeth together as if she wanted to bite the offending digit.

Oh yes, she still had spirit, and he was enjoying that more then he should.

"But I digress…" she got that confused look on her face again. The one that told him she didn't understand the word he was using. It was rather cute the way her eyebrows would draw together, and she would cock her head to one side, it kind of reminded him of a puppy. "I concede…" her head cocked to the other side, "I am allowing for the possibility that a deal could maybe be made." She seemed to understand that.

"But first I need you to tell me everything."

He pulled the chair he had previously used away from the wall and turned it to face the bed. Just as he sat down she responded in a quiet voice.

"No."

No? What did she mean 'No'? Did she no longer want to make a deal? What did 'No' mean?

"I can't tell you everything. I…" She seemed to be searching for a way to explain, but no ideas were coming to her and in defeat she ended. "I just can't."

Well this was not going to be easy, but then again Rumpel didn't expect it would be. After all, this was a really bad idea to start with, so why should any part of this be simple?

Sarah didn't seem to be inclined to offer anything up, and so it was up to him to move the deal onward.

"How about this child; I ask you questions and you answer them? If you can't answer a question just tell me, and I will move on."

She looked at him, and seemed to be contemplating what he had proposed. Finding no fault in the idea she nodded her head 'yes'.

"Alright Sarah, first question: I assume you have a last name?"

She nodded her head again.

_Oh dear!_ He rolled his eyes in exasperation. _This is going to be like pulling teeth._

"Care to tell me what it is?"

"Smith. My name is Sarah Smith."

There was no way that was her real name, but as he peeked at the chart at the end of her bed it was the name that was listed.

"How old are you?"

She told him and he whistled in shock. She was very mature for age, and her vocabulary was highly developed. Her looks and the way she spoke did not match up, and he had assumed she looked younger then she was, but to find out that her looks revealed her true age was a surprise.

"Where are your parents?"

She hesitated at this question, and he was afraid she was going to choose not to answer. It was an important question. By the notes on her chart he could see that she had been at the hospital for several hours now, and yet she was still alone in the ER. Where was the worried mother fussing over her scrapes and bumps; or where was the nervous father making the nurses life a living hell with his questions? Why was she still alone?

When she finally did answer, it only intensified the worry he had for the little girl.

"I haven't seen my mom in a long time, and I am a bastard… sorry I know that's a bad word and I shouldn't use it, but that's what I am… I don't know where my other dad is. I guess he will come." She gave a little shrug of her shoulders like it didn't really matter, but her rushed tone belied her gesture.

_Ok which part of THAT story do I want to delve into first?_

"You have not seen your mother in a while?" She nodded. "Do you know where she is?"

Sarah shook her head, "I don't want to answer that question."

_Interesting_. He thought.

"Your father…"

"Why do they matter?" She asked him, frustrated at the turn the questions had taken. "If we are going to make a deal, they don't matter."

"Alright, then let's get to why you call me here." His accent got thicker at his annoyance at being interrupted.

"You said you wanted to be safe." She nodded. "Safe from what?"

"Safe from everything."

"Impossible. No one can be safe from everything… unless they are dead. You can catch colds, or slip on ice when walking down the sidewalk. It would be impossible to keep you safe from everything. You are going to have to be more specific."

Rumpel could tell Sarah was not happy about what he had just said, but the child was going to have to be more realistic. No one was every safe from EVERYTHING.

"I guess…" she started, "I just want to feel safe. I don't want to be afraid about when I am going to get to eat next, or scared that police are going to show up and take me away. I want the nightmares to go away, and I want to…" She stopped at this and looked at Rumpel with wide frightened eyes.

"You can't tell anyone this. If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell the police or anyone else? Please?"

Even though it was a promise he was very reluctant to make, Rumpel felt that it was the only way he was going to get her to keep opening up and so he agreed.

"I want to get away from my dad. I don't like living with him. He makes me steal money and stuff from people; people who are really nice to me. I don't know what to do. If I try to runaway he said he would send the police after me because I'm a thief. And then everyone will know I stole from them, and everyone will hate me. I don't want to steal, but if we don't have enough money he gets mad and…"

She didn't finish as the tears started again.

People may accuse The Dark One of being heartless, but if they could have seen the sadness on his face at this child's story, they would not doubt that his heart was intact and beating in his chest.

"How did you get hurt dearie?" If that man had laid one finger on this child, then Rumpel would not hold the monster in him back if he met him.

"The roof was leaking. I had to fix it, but the ladder broke. I fell."

This was extraordinary. Who would let a child up on a roof without supervision? Well, obviously the same person who scared that child into stealing for them.

Rumpelstiltskin knew what he had to do, but it was not a task to be accomplished with magic… well not entirely. He also needed to get other people involved, which would mean he would have to get Sarah to let him out of his agreement to not tell anyone her story.

Her sad cries broke him and he reached out and took her hand. She looked at their joined hands, surprised at such a simple act of compassion. It was obviously not something she was used to.

"Sarah," she looked up at him, "I can help you." A glorious smile broke though the tears. "But…" the smile went away. "My payment is going to be that you let me out of my promise not to tell anyone what you just told me."

"No." She was shaking her head back and forth in disbelief.

"It is the only way dearie."

"But I'll go to jail." She sounded so lost.

"No Sarah, I promise. You will not go to jail. But the only way I can get you a new family is to go through the proper channels to remove you from the care of your father."

Sarah's eyes clearly told him that this was not what she was expecting. Had he misunderstood what she wanted?

"You do want to leave your father, right?" He asked, not understanding why she seemed surprised at his suggestion.

"Yes, yes I do." She had finally uncurled herself from the ball she had been in this entire time and scooted to the side of the bed to lean closer to him.

"But a new family? That is not what I asked for."

He was so confused. She didn't make any sense to him. A new family would be the perfect solution. Why would she not want a family? He removed his hand from hers and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Why did she have to make this so difficult, so confusing, so… headache inducing?

"I don't understand. A new family would give you safety."

Then something really scary happened: Sarah's face completely shut down. There was no happiness, no curiosity, no sadness, not even any desperation. Her face was just blank.

"A family," she said in a monotone voice, "are people who love you. Some people get love, others don't... I don't."

The monster inside him raged. She believed it; she believed she was one of those who didn't get to have someone love them. The beast wanted to tear the flesh from the one that had made her feel so unworthy. No child should feel this way; NO child.

But he also knew that he didn't have time at that moment to convince her that she was wrong; and why should she listen to him, someone she had only met less than an hour ago.

"When I said family," he lied, "I meant new legal guardians. People who will raise you well until you are old enough to live on your own."

"If I let you tell people, you can get me safe?"

He was not sure that was a real sentence, but he understood what she was trying to say, so he nodded his head.

"And you promise I won't go to jail."

Again he nodded his head.

"You might have to talk to some police officers," he clarified, "but you won't go to jail. I promise. If you let me tell other people, and if you promise to allow me to do what needs to be done, I will get you somewhere where you will be safe."

She was silent for a long time, her face as blank as it was when she had declared herself unworthy of love. She was thinking of her options, of the deal, of her life so far, of everything and anything that could throw a wrench into this opportunity. Then a tinge a fear crept into her eyes and she looked back him.

"Ok. It's a deal."

Inside Rumpel heaved a heavy sigh, but on the outside he just gave her his best imp smile. Reaching out he offered her his hand, and without hesitation she shook it.

"Excellent! The deal is struck."

Wiping out his phone, he called a number he knew by heart.

"Sheriff Swan. Good Day. I'm afraid your presence is required at the hospital."


	7. Chapter 7

Rumpel paced back and forth along the hospital corridor; agitated that he was not in the room with the child and the others. It was his deal after all, why was he not in the room? The closed door seemed to mock him with its little window. The window offered the hope of seeing what was happening inside, but the pattern of the glass allowed only light to be visible through it. What was the point of a window you could not see through?

After calling the Sheriff, he had placed a call the town's best… well only… psychiatrist, Dr. Hopper. Currently the two were in with Sarah talking about who-knows-what and it was taking forever.

He had told the little one to be honest; to trust the truth, and the adults in the room. He had decided to leave her alone with them, so he could not be accused of influencing her story. Not knowing what was happening, however, was driving him nuts.

Sarah was afraid. He had seen it in her eyes as he closed the door behind him. Would she be too afraid to speak to the other adults? Would she lie and say everything was fine? He could not help her without the help of those two. But what if they didn't want to help? Damn it! He needed them, and he had no influence on what was happening behind that stubbornly closed door.

His pacing continued up the corridor off the ER, then down to the nurse's station, up the corridor again, then down to the nurse's station once more. Each time he passed that door, he paused to give it his best evil glare. The door didn't seem to care and remained shut.

_Stupid, stubborn door_

It was about the twelfth time he had walked up the corridor; he turned to walk back and saw Belle standing talking to a nurse. She looked really concerned, and it wasn't till she saw him that a smiled finally graced her lips. She rushed up to him, and threw her arms around his neck, only to pull back, and plant a kiss on his lips. Not that he minded the show of affection, but it was clear she had thought something had happened to him.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" He looked down into her eyes, happy to have a distraction from that damned door.

"A couple of women came into the library, and I overheard them saying that they had seen you at the hospital. I got worried, so I handed asked Clover to mind the library, and came to check to make sure you were ok."

"Why didn't you just call me?" He asked confused.

She gave him that look. It was the look he had first seen when he had told her that Robin Hood's bow had missed its target.

"If you were here because you were hurt, would you have really told me?"

She had a point. He still hated to admit weakness, even to her. So he just smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked him. "Does this have something to do with the deal you asked me about earlier?" She was a very perceptive woman. Before he could answer her, however, Dr. Hopper and Sheriff Swan emerged from Sarah's room.

The two looked grim. It was obvious that what they had heard had affected them greatly. Gone was Archie's constant twitching movement, and Emma seemed lost in her own thoughts.

_Most likely lost in her own memories._ Was Rumpelstiltskin's guess.

They approached the couple slowly, as if the weight of the little girls story rested on this shoulders now. In a way, it did.

"The child cannot stay where she is." Came Dr. Hopper's, surprisingly, firm verdict. "She must be removed from her father's care immediately."

"But where can she go?" Sheriff Swan asked. "Would the hospital let her stay here? Even then that would not be permanent solution."

Dr. Hopper shook his head. Rumpel heaved a sigh of relief; they were going to help him. Now he just needed to wait for the right moment to play the ace up his sleeve.

"The hospital staff cannot accommodate the full time care of a child. She needs a home."

Emma looked at Archie expectantly. "Then let's find her a home. I am sure there is someone in this town who would happily adopt a child like her"

As she spoke Archie continue to shake his head. "It's not that simple Emma." He seemed distressed by the ideas in his head. "These things take time. We need a court order to take her away permanently from her guardian, then we need to locate her parents. If her parents can be found, then only a court can take away their parental rights… IF we can prove negligence on their part. Only then can she be placed for adoption. It is going to take time."

Emma rolled her eyes frustrated. "And where is she going to stay until then? It is not like there is a foster care system in Storybrook, and we can't take her to Boston or anywhere beyond the town line."

Rumpel knew his moment had arrived.

"Actually, strictly speaking that is not entirely true." At this statement the three others looked at him in surprise.

"When I… procured… Henry for Regina, I was required to register as a foster parent to facilitate the adoption. While the proper procedures are taking place, young Sarah can live with me."

Now the others were looking at him really shocked. They were most likely wondering what on earth had possessed him to make such an offer. In truth he was wondering what on earth had possessed him to make the offer, but then again it was the only solution he could currently think of to keep his side of the deal. Dr. Hopper was right; the process of finding Miss. Sarah a new family was going to take time. Until then he still had to keep his word to keep her safe.

"Why did you never mention this before?" Emma asked, suspicious of the Dark One

"It has never come up before." He replied flippantly.

"Yes it has." Now Emma was looking at Rumpel, annoyed at what she perceived to be his lie. "When I was looking for Ava and Nicholas' father, I came to you for help. You never mentioned that you were a foster parent; I almost had to take them to Boston."

"I am sorry Miss Swan, but as I recall you came to me asking about a compass. You never mentioned the two children at that time."

Strictly speaking that was true, but Emma was sure that Mr. Gold had probably known why she was asking for the identity of the owner of the compass. It grated on her nerves that she could not dispute what he was saying, even though she knew he was lying through omission. He could see her frustration, and smirked. He always enjoyed this game he played with the Sheriff.

"It would offer us the time we need," Archie stated in a worried voice, "but I wonder if the town will go for it, knowing… well… you know… who you really are."

Well yes that was an issue. One that Rumpel was worried about, but was hoping that no one else would really pick up on until it was too late. He really should have expected the good Doctor to think of it. Throughout the years The Dark One had watched the cricket grow from an insecure rash youth, who was dominated by his parents, into the level headed, intelligent man he was today. He respected the Doctor; and if the man could just get over his annoying stuttering and shyness he could even see himself enjoying the man's company. Not that he would ever tell the man that.

"He's right," the Sheriff interjected, "there might be concerns."

"What if I move in and help?" Now it was Rumpel's turn to look surprised as Belle's beautiful voice stopped the group in their arguments.

Their relationship had been progressing well, but was it really at the point where Belle would be willing to move back in with him? Even if it was temporary, that raised another set of issues; Like could he let her go again at the end? She had been coming over to stay a night or two during the weekends, but this would be different. Having her in his home day in and day out, baking, singing to herself in the shower, cuddled next to him watching TV, it would heaven. How do you give heaven up? The others, however, were nodding their heads in agreement to this solution, and so he realized that he didn't have a choice in this decision. If he was going to foster Sarah, then Belle would have to move in too.

Though the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he might actually benefit from this deal.

"Then that is our plan… IF … Miss Sarah is in agreement. She will come live with Belle and I as we go through the legal procedures to remove her from her guardian's and parents' care. After that, we will search for a suitable home for the child. Agreed?" The Doctor and Sheriff nodded. "In order to begin the legal proceedings I will need full reports of your interview with the child as soon as possible."

Dr. Hopper and Sheriff Swan said their goodbyes and promptly left; the doctor to go write his report, and the Sheriff to speak to the hospital staff about Miss Smith's new legal status. Rumpelstiltskin started to move toward Sarah's door, when Belle's hand griping his arm stopped him.

"All right Rumpel. You are now going to explain to me exactly what I have gotten myself into."


	8. Chapter 8

Sarah rubbed her red rimmed eyes as she tiredly hulled her little duffle bag out of the car. It was very late, and dark out. The bright light from the open car was hurting her eyes. She stood quietly as Belle and Rumpelstiltskin removed several shopping bags from the trunk; then followed them up the stairs of the beautiful, Victorian house.

Today had not really gone as she had planned. First she had fallen off that stupid ladder and had ended up in hospital. Then she had called The Dark One and made a deal with him. She had hoped the deal would solve all her worries and stress, but life was never the simple for her.

After talking to the Sheriff and Dr. Hopper, Rumpel had returned with a friend to ask her if she was ok with their plan to have her move into his home while they looked for a family for her. It was actually really neat that he had asked her for her thoughts on the solution; normally adults didn't ask, they just assumed that because you were a kid that they could just make you do whatever they said. He also introduced her to Belle, his friend. She wondered if Belle was really just a friend, or if she was his 'friend'. She suspected it was the latter by the way the two looked at each other. Belle was really pretty and super nice… if you didn't get on her bad side, as Sarah now knew. It was odd to think of her and the imp as a couple, and yet the more time she spent with the two the more she could see that the two made a strange sort of sense.

After meeting Belle and hearing the adults' plans for her, Sarah was feeling happy and hopeful for the future. Then she had heard the raised voices in the hallway. She would have recognized her father's voice anywhere. She could hear the nurses trying to stop him from entering her room; the longer they blocked his way into her room, the louder and angrier his voice got.

Belle had held Sarah in her arms as the little girl curled into herself, frightened by the anger in the voice outside. Rumpel seeing her fear had left the room to try and talk to the voice, but apparently her father had not liked whatever it was The Dark One had said to him.

"You cannot stop me from seeing my daughter."

_Yes they can, yes they can. The Sheriff had promised me I didn't have to see him yet._ She reminded herself.

The Dark One's voice was quiet and calm; too quiet for the people inside the hospital room to hear his reply.

"And you believe her? The child had always been a liar, making up stories to get her herself out of trouble."

_I am not lying. Believe me, I am not lying._

"I don't care what the little bitch has said, she is coming home now."

He has used the B word, he only called her the B word when she was in trouble; and he had said it in public. He was angry, she was in trouble; she could not go home with him, she was already in so much pain, she couldn't take any more.

Sarah shut her eyes tightly and covered her ears against the voice that continued to spew such hateful words about her.

She felt the arms that surrounded her leave. Looking up at Belle, she saw a look of pure rage on the face of the woman beside her.

She couldn't believe it; the pretty lady was mad. She was leaving her, heading to the door. She believed her father. Sarah felt her heart sink as the door closed.

Then the most amazing thing happened. That voice of the beauty that had been so kind and comforting before was now raised in something more than anger.

"How dare you!"

All of the other voices behind the door were silent as that once sweet voice lashed into the man who called himself her father. She ripped into him, calling the child an amazing girl and saying so many of the things that Sarah had always wanted to say to her father, but had always been too afraid to. The voices got further away, as Sarah could imagine the petite woman forcing the six foot man back with the sheer force of her voice.

Then they were back. Belle took the child in her arms once more and Rumpel sat in the chair beside the bed, explaining the plan for the rest of the day. She didn't really hear him.

_They fought for me!_ Was the surprising thought that went through her mind. _They care… but no one cares. They don't even know me._ And that was the crux of the matter, wasn't it? Would they still care when they knew who/what she really was?

After the incident with her father, the Doctor has come to sign her out of hospital. He had given her a cane to help her walk on her injured ankle, and medicine to take for the pain. The cane was an ugly thing with a cold metal shaft and flesh coloured padding on the handle and foot. Sarah hated it, but if it helped her walk then should she really complain? She looked at the Rumpel's elegant, simple cane with envy.

Their first stop was Sarah's home… well old home now. Sheriff Swan was already there with a tall, traditionally attractive man. She assured them that Mr. Smith was not home, and that they had permission to enter the place in his absence.

_Probably went to the bar after getting kicked out of the hospital_. She thought, uncharitably.

Stepping into her home, she heard a gasp from Belle. She looked around at the mould growing on the walls, the dishes in the sink, and the threadbare carpet, and hid her face in shame. She used to try to keep the house clean, but there was only so much one person could do. Eventually even she had given up, and this was the result.

She led the adults to her room, and smiled a little in pride that her room was clean. The smile didn't last long as Belle started to look though her clothing, but finally gave up. Everything she owned was stained, ripped, or too big for her. She always bought stuff that was too big, because only the gods knew when she would get to the store again.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a look pass between the adults before The Dark One started to talk.

"Do you have a bag to pack some stuff in?"

Without saying anything, she nodded her head, went under her bed, and pulled out a pretty brown and blue patterned duffle bag. It was one of her pride and joys, she had found it at the thrift store for only one dollar, so she was able to pay for it herself… with money she had found, but that still counted.

"Do not bother packing any clothing; just take anything that is sentimental to you." When she cocked her head at him, he knew she didn't quite understand. "Anything that is important to you. Anything you would miss if you left it behind."

"I would miss not having clothes to wear." She said petulantly. The Dark One laughed, then picked up one of her shirts off the bed, and sneered at it.

"These are not clothes dearie; these are rags. We will buy you proper stuff to wear."

Sarah supposed she should be happy about that, but all she could hear was the children in the school yard making fun of her for what she wore. She knew her clothes were not the best, or the prettiest, but she had always tried her best.

Not letting the sting of his comment show, she moved around the room gathering the few things she considered her treasures: the Eeyore doll she had had since before she could remember, the book of old stories she liked to read, a picture frame she was very proud of making in school, and some knickknacks she had picked up over the years. It was not much, but it was hers.

True to his word, they had taken her shopping to buy clothes and other essentials. She liked her new clothes just fine, but she was starting to worry about how much money they were spending on her. New clothes were expensive, and she had no idea how she was ever going to pay them back for it all.

Earlier today when she had first called The Dark One in the mirror, it had seemed like a fantasy that was not really real. Even when she had made the deal with the imp, all she had felt of an odd hope for a better future; a future she didn't really believe she could have. Now standing in front of this large house, waiting for the owner to let her in, she began to wonder if she had traded the hell she knew for one she didn't.

Her deal was for Rumpelstiltskin to find her a safe home, not to buys her clothes, defend her against her family, and let her stay with him.

What was all of this going to cost her? What did The Dark One want in return for all this?


	9. Chapter 9

Belle looked into the living room and saw Rumpel slouched on the couch, with a glass of whiskey in one hand, while the other was trying to massage the tension from his neck.

Sarah was finally in bed, although she doubled that the child was asleep yet. Both of the girls were unpacked, although not quite settled. Belle had offered to make dinner, but no one was hungry; maybe because of the tension and melancholy that hung in the air.

Walking behind her love, Belle gently removed his hand from his neck, and began to knead the muscles.

"We are both unpacked, and the little one is in bed. I left a snack for her in case she gets hungry later. I hope that is ok?"

The man just sighed, and nodded his head in response.

"I thought she would be happier to be away from her old life."

Belle was speaking just to fill the silence, just saying what was on her mind. However, she felt the shoulders stiffen beneath her, and his hand came up to guide her around the couch beside him. He didn't let go of her hand when she sat down.

"It's not that simple." He told her quietly. "It is hard to have hope when it has been lost for so long. It is hard to trust when those that you should be able to trust have betrayed you. She is happy… I think… but she is also waiting for the other shoe to drop."

The way he spoke about hope and betrayal made it sound like he knew what Sarah was going through; and not just theoretically. It had been a trying day, but this was the type of opening Belle was always waiting for. The type of opening when he might answer her questions.

"You know you never really talked to me about what happened in Neverland. The others, they said that Peter Pan was your father. How can that be? What happened?"

He tried to pull his hand from her, but she held on tight. She held his hand so he could not leave, and she looked into his eyes so he knew she was there for him.

Rumpel's entire demeanor was still. It was a stillness born of emotional and physical exhaustion. For a few moments Belle thought he was going to close himself off again, but apparently he was changing since he had walked away from him… well more like snuck away. He pulled her close, so she was resting in his arms, half reclined on the couch, and told her his story.

"… he left me." He started to conclude. "After all we had been through after my mother abandoned us, after I had found a way for us to escape, he chose himself over his own son. Worst of all he never regretted it. When I let Bae fall through the portal, I saw so much of my father in myself; it sickened me. I hated myself so much then."

She could not help herself; at that moment her love seemed so small, so unhappy, so full of self-loathing, that she flung her arms around him, and dragged him back so he was lying with his head cradled just above her stomach.

"You are not your father, no matter your actions. You regretted what happened; you spent so many years looking for a way to get back to your son. You are nothing like your father." She whispered to him.

The two stayed rapped in each others' arms for a long time; both lost in their own thoughts.

Maybe this deal had been a bad idea; Belle could not help but think. What was it going to cost Rumpel in the end? He was still healing from Neverland, and working so hard on rebuilding his relationships with her and his son. Was this child going to set his progress back?

She knew that The Dark One never broke a deal, but it looked like this deal might cost her love more than he expected.

She didn't blame Sarah; after all, the child was in pain too. But they needed to find her a loving family soon; for all of their sakes.


	10. Chapter 10

The morning dawned too early for Rumpelstiltskin. With the sun beating on his face, he refused to open his eyes in defiance of the dawn. The only reason the bloody curtains would be open was if Belle was staying over, and the reason Belle was staying over on a weekday was…

_Right the child_

Trying to put off the inevitability of having to actually get up, he rolled over only to find the other half of the bed empty.

Waking up a little more, he could hear the sound of her laughter downstairs and decided that since she was not there with him, there was really no point in languishing in bed any longer.

After performing his morning absolutions and getting dress in one of his signature designer suits, he headed down to what he hoped was breakfast. What he came upon, however, was a disaster.

Upon the kitchen table was a tall tower of beautifully made pancakes. They were not uniform in size, but they were perfectly golden brown, and smelled beyond delicious. Some of the pancakes had blueberries, others bananas, but the majority of them were plain; just the way he liked them. They appeared to have been made by a very skilled hand; if you didn't look at the rest of the kitchen.

The sink was full of dirty and burnt pans. The burnt disks that had once hoped to be pancakes were piled in a heap in the corner. The counter and island were covered with egg shells, batter, and flour. There was also a thin fog of smoke in the air, which made Rumpel wonder how it had not set off the smoke detectors; until he looked up and saw the thing open with its battery missing. In the middle of all that was two ladies who should have been much messier if the state of his kitchen was anything to go by.

"We made breakfast." Sarah said proudly when she noticed him standing in the living room. She hobbled over to stand beside the tower of perfection.

He didn't know what to say. The kitchen looked like it would never be clean again. How could making pancakes cause such an explosion of mess? It was only when he noticed the little one's face began to lose its smile that he decided to let the mess go, and smiled himself.

"They look wonderful." The smile returned to her face and he looked over to Belle with a questioning glance, but she was too busy trying to hide her laughter to be any help to him.

"Well since this is your first official meal here in my humble home, why don't we take this to the formal dining room and make something special of it?"

"Ok!" Sarah smile brightened even more and she took off with some plates to set the table.

Once she was out of the room Belle finally let her laughter loose, moved out of the kitchen, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"We were up early, and she really wanted to learn to cook 'properly'. The cane caused some issues. I'll clean everything up, I promise."

"Don't bother; the cleaning lady is due in today. I will just have to make sure to give her an extra bonus as a thank you. Do I want to know what cooking 'properly' means?"

The conversation stopped for a moment as Sarah limped back in to grab the syrup and butter before rushing out again.

"She told me she used to have to make her own food at home, and the only thing she knows how to make comes out of can."

There was sadness in Belle's features, until Sarah came back into the room, tried to grab the tower of pancake, lose her balance, and almost dropped the entire thing.

"Hold on." Belle saved the tower. "You go sit down. I will take this heavy thing in."

Sarah's face was become pale, and it was clear that even her excitement over the morning's cooking lesson was not covering the pain in her leg. So she sat at the table, while the adults continued to get breakfast set up.

Finally everything was ready: the table was set, flowers were placed in the middle, wine glasses were filled with apple juice, and Rumpel lit two candles as the ladies started to serve out the food.

As they began eating, Rumpel looked over at Sarah only to see her staring blankly at nothing in the distance.

"Does your leg still hurt Dearie? Do you need us to get your pills?" He asked her worried.

She startled a little, but smiled at him. "No thank you. I just took some."

_Ok, should have maybe taken the drugs off the child last night. _He thought to himself. _What a perfect way to start this guardianship. Let the child have free reign of some powerful pain killers._

"So," Belle interjected. "What would you like to do today?" She asked.

Sarah seemed confused by the question as she cocked her head like a puppy.

"Don't I have to go to school?"

"Not for the first week." Rumpel told her. "Dr. Hopper wants to meet with you a few times before you go back, and we want to keep a watch on you after your stay in the hospital… although you seem to be recovering well."

Sarah looked very happy at that news.

"But we will be getting you homework, so you will not fall behind." Rumpel was quick to clarify.

The child's happiness did not diminish.

"That's ok, I like school work. But…" She hesitated, suddenly unsure. "Don't you have to go to work?"

It occurred to Rumpel then that Belle and he had not really talked about the details of what was to happen this week; let alone what was going to happen until they found the child a home. Yesterday had been such a whirlwind of dealing with the immediate needs in front of them that the long term goals had never entered any of their minds.

He exchanged a glance with Belle and realized that she had had the same thought.

"Well I own my own shop, so I can open whenever I feel like it, I suppose."

"And I," Belle cut in, "might have to go in for a little while, but I am sure I can find someone to fill in for me. I have an idea why don't you guys come with me to the library. We can find you a book to entertain you. Do you like to read?"

Sarah nodded her head enthusiastically.

"I love reading."

So it was decided. They would head to the library, then to Dr. Hopper's office, after that lunch at Granny's. It seemed like a good plan.

After that conversation was easier as they ate the rest of breakfast; leaving the dirty dishes for the cleaning lady. Since he was already going to have to pay her extra to today's services he might as well get his money's worth.

The library was success, and also an eye opener for the adults. Apparently Belle was not the only book lover in town. Sarah seemed so upset when she was told she could only take out five books at a time, and instead of going to the children's section like they expected, she headed straight for the YA books, taking thee from there, then on to the adults books. The fantasy book she picked from the adult section passed their approval, but when she tried to take out a horror novel it was time to put their foot down.

Both Belle and Rumpel were worried that the books were going to be too difficult for her, but they decided it was not the time to voice their doubts to the child. She was so happy to have something 'mature' to read that they didn't want to hurt her confidence.

Belle had to stay a little longer at work, so it was just Sarah and Mr. Gold who made their way to Dr. Hopper's office. The man and child walking together along the town streets was apparently a sight to behold, as people constantly stopped to watch them walk by.

Gold was used to the stares of the town folks, but looking down at his young charge he could tell that the attention was bothering her.

"We are getting stared at my dear." He whispered to her in a conspiratorial way.

"I noticed." She responded, casting nervous looks around her; never meeting anyone eyes.

Pulling forward a little of his old impish mannerism, Rumpel allowed his voice to ring clear for all nearby to hear.

"I think it is wonderful that everyone notices how amazing you look in your new clothes. You look the vision of beauty and class. How could they help but stare?"

That earned him a giggle and joking look.

"Well as you said, it is only natural. I do look very good today." She preened with her head held high.

"And I must say," he continued his an overly dramatic haughty tone, "I always look quite handsome in my suits."

"Oh yes," she responded in kind, "quite the gentleman. How often would they get to see a Lady and Gentleman walk down these poor streets?"

The two of them started giggling at their own dramatics and he didn't notice when she moved to stand on the other side of him, so her cane was no longer between them. He only noticed when he felt a little hand slip into his.


	11. Chapter 11

Rumpel sat in Dr. Hopper's waiting room, leafing through some tripe of a magazine. He had started by picking out a travel magazine, but the knowledge that he could not leave Storybrook (at least not for any practical space of time) had only made the magazine depressing to read. His options for reading material were slim, and he started to regret not taking a book out of the library while they were there.

That was why he was sitting on an uncomfortable chair reading a teen magazine, featuring the latest TV hunk on the cover. The fashion pages where at least interesting for a few seconds, but it was the article on 'How to keep your man' that really caught his attention.

As he read the article he could not help but wonder if the vapidness of today's youth was, perhaps, not their fault, but the fault of the bad advice they were being given by magazine such as this. Sure Belle cooked for him, and dressed in cute clothing; but he cooked for her too, and he always felt that her clothing choices were a reflection of her own personality, and not worn to please him.

_Though, in truth, they do. _He admitted to himself.

"Sarah, why don't you go read your new books while I have a word with Mr. Gold?" Dr. Hopper smiled at the young girl as he held opened the door for her, and Rumpel quickly hid the magazine among the others on the side table.

She gave Rumpel a small smile as she sat in the chair next to him. Making sure the magazine was well hidden among its peers; he stood, and followed the doctor into the office.

"I…" the doctor started, "…um… have the report you asked for." He stumbled over his words, and oddly did not attempt to hand the manila envelope to Rumpel. "But… I… ah… first wanted to talk to you about Sarah and the… um… the abuse she has suffered."

The doctor looked worries, and this in turn worried Rumpel. He could feel his stomach tighten like a giant hand had a grip on it (actually exactly like a giant hand had a grip on it, but that was not a memory to ponder upon at his time).

"How bad was it?" He asked, fearful of the answer. "Was she…? Did he…?" He couldn't say it. The idea was too horrid, even for him.

At first Hopper looked at him in confusion, until it dawn on him what Mr. Gold was asking.

"NO! Oh god no. At least she does not show any of the warning signs for… that." Even he could not say it. "But she has been hurt, and I believe it is going to take a lot of time for her to begin to trust enough to start healing."

Rumpel was relieved, but he was also sure the doctor was trying to tell him something, and for the life of him he could not figure out what that was.

"What I am trying to get at Mr. Gold." He finally stated after the other man just continued to look at him quietly. "Is that her insurance will only cover so many sessions, and it may take more than that to even begin to help her. If I was to make the recommendation for more hours, it may be denied due to a conflict of interest."

Finally realizing where the doctor was going, Rumpel was confused about why he was being consulted about this problem.

Dr. Hopper was always beyond reproach in his dealing with his patients; everyone who knew him, knew that. He was Jiminy Cricket after all; the conscience of Snow White's court. The insurance companies, however, did not know him. They were in this world, and they had to work within this world's rules.

"I know you left the town once before; could you do it again? With her? I have the name of some doctors in Boston…" The doctor still seemed nervous.

_More work to do._

"Thank you." Rumpel interrupted him. "If you could give me those names, I will think on a solution."

The names were quickly jotted down, and with a farewell handshake the two parted.

_Why can no one in this town find solutions to their own problems? _Rumpel wondered, irritably.

He knew it was uncharitable to be irritated at the cricket. The man was only trying to help; but now he had one more thing added to the list (more like lists) of things he had to work on. Everyone hated magic and hated him, yet it was always him they called upon to help them when the going got tough.

_Hypocritical, lazy, idiots. It's not like I don't have my own… issues… to deal with. _

Issues? Yes that was the right word; he had 'issues' with his son to resolve, 'issues' with Belle that needed to be dealt with to move their relationship forward, he most definitely had 'issues' with his own emotions, and 'issues' with his temper.

He tried to school his face into a smile as he approached Sarah, but the minute she looked up from her book he knew that he had failed. She picked up on his irritation right away, and as her eyes got wider, her body seemed to shrink a little into the chair.

Closing his eyes, he gave up all pretense at good humour, and spoke to her quietly.

"Time for lunch."

Without another word, the two walked across the street to the diner.


	12. Chapter 12

Belle was weary as she opened the front door of Rumpel's home. Today had started so well with breakfast, and the trip to the library, but by the time she had joined Rumpel and Sarah for lunch something had changed.

They didn't speak of it, and she didn't ask, but the light mood from earlier was gone. After leaving Granny's, Belle had hoped to rekindle Sarah's joy from this morning by taking her to the park. This had not been such a good idea; all the children were at school, so there was no one to play with, and the cane had made playing on the jungle gym impossible. Instead they had taken a walk along the sea. The child had seemed to enjoy watching the ocean, but even that enjoyment was reserved.

Rumpel was no help. He was just was as quiet and as reserved as the child. He would smile when he expected she wanted him to, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

_What happened? _Her mind screamed.

Entering the house, Sarah took off right away to her room, Rumpel to his study, and Belle was left in the living room on her own. She thought that maybe she could go and read, but her mind was too occupied. Wandering around the house she mindlessly straightened, and dusted trinkets that didn't need to be straightened, or dusted. She eventually ended up in the kitchen, and decided to make everyone a snack.

Baking helped waste some time and soon enough Belle walked to Sarah's room, balancing the plate on one hand and a drink in the other. Leaning against the door, she attempted to move all the dishes onto one arm so she could knock. That is when she heard it. A little catch of breath that sounded all too familiar to her ears.

Placing the snack on a console table in the hallway, she opened the door slightly to peek in to confirm her suspicions.

There sitting on her bed was Sarah, her head bowed, but Belle could see the river of tears running down her cheeks as she cried silently.

_Enough!_ She thought angrily as she silently closed the door, and stormed back downstairs.

Heading to the study, she flung open the door, and stalked to the surprised man behind the desk.

"I have no idea what happened at Dr. Hoppers;" she spoke quietly, but clearly, "I have no idea why the two of you are barely speaking; but you will go upstairs right now and fix it."

Rumpel looked at her wearily over his glass of scotch.

"Nothing happened… well… no… nothing; and I doubt she wants to talk right now."

Belle could tell that he was keeping something back, and it only served to fuel her frustration.

"It doesn't matter what she wants, this is about what she needs. Something did happen, or else why is she upstairs right now crying?"

That seemed to get his attention: he gave her a quizative looked, jumped from the chair, and hurried out the door. She quickly followed behind, but stayed outside Sarah's room when Rumpel went in.

Watching, hidden from the doorway, Belle saw him kneel in front of the crying child, and take her hands in his.

"Hey, little one." His voice was kind. "I am so sorry if I scared you. I was angry earlier, but not with you. I am sorry if you thought I was angry with you, I should have explained this to you earlier."

Sarah didn't stop crying, and just shook he head from side to side, her long hair hiding her face from view.

"Sometimes I have a temper." He tried again, worry etched into his eyes. "I know it's something I need to work on, but I swear I was not angry at you. You don't have to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid." Came her defiant, but quiet reply.

"When what is the matter my sweet?"

The only response he got was another shake of the head. Confused about what was going on, Rumpel looked to the doorway, and Belle for advice. She silently encouraged him to keep at it.

Deciding he needed to get the little one to look at him, he moved her legs out of the way so he could scoot closer, and that is when he saw it: she flinched.

Something was off, even from the doorway Belle could see it. Sarah's breathing got more laboured, and for the first time Belle noticed the sweat on the child's neck. She had flinched in pain, not fear.

Rumpel must have notice the same thing. He sunk lower to the ground to try and remove the little one's sock, but this time she cried out. Ignoring her yelp of pain he removed the sock; it was easy to see that the ankle was more discoloured then it had been yesterday, and it was swelling extensively.

"It hurts!" She still spoke quietly. Her voice was catching like she was going to be sick, and the sobs started to come stronger now that she was no longer trying to hold them back. Belle rushed into the room, staring at the battered ankle.

"Get her pills!" Rumpel ordered, as mesmerized by the bruised flesh as she was. They were both panicking, but trying to keep it together.

"We can't." She responded, "She had her last dose less than an hour ago."

"Then get the keys." He ordered as he swung Sarah into his arms, being careful to not jostle her injured leg too much. "We have to go back to the hospital."

The next few seconds were a whirl wind of activity. Belle couldn't even remember if they had locked the house, but sitting in the back seat holding the crying child close, she didn't really care either. Even at the hospital things happened quickly. The nurse at the check in station recognized Sarah right away, and put them threw to a private room like the one she had stayed in before. An IV was administered, an X-ray was taken, and soon the child was again resting comfortably in Belle's arms.

With the rush and worry over with, the fatigue the three felt was starting to show. Rumpel went to deal with some administrative details, and Belle stayed with Sarah; whispering stories into her ear as she began to nod off. Things were finally quieting down; until they heard the yelling start outside the hospital room door.


	13. Chapter 13

It was the second time in two days that she had been to the hospital, and in all honesty she was sick of this place. Nothing good ever happened in a hospital… well at least not this hospital. One day… 24 hours… that was how long they had had her.

She spotted him as he was leaving the nurse's desk. Walking quickly she finally intercepted him as he was walking down the hallway. Reaching out his hand, she caught his arm as he went to open one of the hospital room doors.

He seemed annoyed, but not surprised she was here.

"Sheriff Swan, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"24 hours Gold."

"What?" Oh, he knew what she was saying; he was just going to force her to say it out loud.

"24 hours and she is already back in the hospital. Do you want to explain that?" Her tone was very accusatory, but at this stage she didn't care. It was Gold's job to protect Sarah, and he had obviously failed.

Memories of her own time in the foster care system kept crashing through her mind; memories she had kept buried for years. She was not happy that they were resurfacing.

His response of "Not really" did not help matters.

"Well too damn bad, as the sheriff I am demanding an answer. What happened?"

"Nothing much." He all but growled. "We went to the library, then to Dr. Hopper's, we took a stroll along the beach; just normal everyday things." The sarcastic way he said 'normal' grated on her nerves.

"So she got injured by doing normal everyday things?" She could be sarcastic to.

"She didn't tell us she was in pain." His voice was rising.

"You expected her to tell you?" So was hers.

"Yes I expected her to tell me. That is what a normal person would do."

"Well thanks to that man, she is not normal. I thought you understood that." Forget raised voices they were yelling now.

"How was I supposed to understand that? It's not like the child came with a manual."

"Oh I don't know, maybe by being a parent."

"Like I am going to take criticism from a mother who gave up her child."

"At least I didn't drop him down a portal alone into an alien world."

Both stopped at this point; each breathing heavily in their anger. They knew a line had been crossed. Things had been said that, maybe, should not have been said. They had both let their anger consume them, and had lost control. Emma was not going to apologise for what was already done, and she knew… and was glad for it… that Mr. Gold was not going to apologise either. Neither was that kind of person, and it was kind of nice not to have to feel guilty over it.

"Are you going to take her away? Have her sleep in one of the jail cells?" Although he was being sarcastic again, Emma could tell there was genuine worry in the question.

"I'll talk to her first. Then make a decision." She opened the door, entered the room, leaving Mr. Gold behind in the hallway.

In the room she saw Belle with her arms wrapped around Sarah. It was a nice scene, one she had often hoped to experience as a child.

"Hey Belle." She greeted the lady kindly. Except for her odd choice in men, Belle had always seemed a decent, kind person. "I need to speak to Sarah alone."

Rising from the bed, Belle gave the child an encouraging smile before leaving the room.

The talk with Sarah went better then Emma had expected. The child had told her all about their special breakfast, and expressed real guilt at having caused so much trouble by not telling anyone about her pain. Emma had to admit that despite their one lack of judgment in taking a child with a hurt leg out on the town, everything seemed to be going well at the Gold house with Sarah. It didn't make her feel better about her blow up with the pawnbroker in the hallway. If she was honest with herself… which she didn't want to be… it made her feel worst.

Reminding the little one that she could call her anytime, Emma left the hospital room.

In the hallway Mr. Gold and Belle where waiting; Belle clinging to Gold with a worried air around her. They looked up when she exited, and a slight nod of her head was all Belle needed before to rushed back into the room and the child within; Mr. Gold following a little more slowly.

Before he entered the room, Emma stopped him.

"Gold?" He turned to her. "Henry has been asking after you. He… actually we… Neil included… would like to invite you over for dinner one day… you know… after Sarah is healed up and settled a little more."

He stared at her for a minute, like he could not quite believe what she had just said; but finally he shook his head, and gave her a tight smile.

"Tell Henry I would love to."

She might never apologise for losing her temper, but she could at least give him that.


	14. Chapter 14

The week was passing slowly. Sarah's leg was getting better, but everyone was so paranoid after their hospital visit that no one was pushing it. The medication had caused the little one to sleep for most of the first few days. Not only was there always someone home with her, but meals were even brought to her room, so she didn't have to walk the stairs. Someone carried her to the bathroom when she had to use it… or shower…, someone carried her to the chair in the corner to change, someone brought her drinks, or someone brought her books to read when she was awake. For days she didn't walk anywhere and barely left her bed. After four days of this she finally put an end to it, when she decided that if she didn't leave her room at least for meals, she was going to go stark raving mad.

Finally the day came where the adults could not ignore their work obligations any longer. Although Mr. Gold owned his own shop, it had become a sort of emergency room for the town… not like a hospital, but more like a war room. If anything weird and/or mysterious happened in Storybrook, the first port of call was always the pawnshop. Normally first to accuse the Dark One of causing the problem, but then they always stayed to beg (or order) him to find a solution. Nothing catastrophic had happened so far, but little things had had the pawnbroker desperately calling Belle to return home so he could run out.

Rent had to be collected, loan interest had to be calculated, and trinkets had to be repaired. Then there was the politics of the town to manipulate, and a sheriff (plus her family) to keep tabs on. All of these tasks had been put on the backburner while Sarah was being looked after, but they could not be ignored any longer. A solution had to be found.

"I don't want a babysitter." Sarah declared one night at the dinner table, where they were discussing the plans for the next week.

The main course was done and dessert was served, but she just poked at the slice of cake without enthusiasm. Since their announcement, her stomach was feeling funny, and she didn't feel like eating anymore.

"We cannot leave you here on your own Sarah." Rumble was annoyed. Not at the child, but at himself for failing to be able to take more time off. "First of all you are not old enough. Second, we need to still be careful with your recovery. So it does not matter if you want a babysitter, you need one."

Sarah's mouth tightened as she continued to poke at her cake.

"I could always go back to school. They are basically only babysitter." She muttered loud enough for the adults to hear.

Belle's mouth tightened. No one liked the solution, they didn't want to leave Sarah with a stranger, but what choice was did they have?

"You are supposed to learn at school." Belle admonished her. "Anyway, Dr. Hopper and Dr. Whale don't want you going back just yet."

The silence was heavy as everyone brooded. Then Sarah raised her head looking curiously at the other two.

"Why can't I just go with Belle to the library? It's quiet there."

Belle shook her head at the question. "The office is really small and there would be nowhere for you to sleep. You know how your meds affect you." Then she paused for a moment, and started biting her lip in the way she always did when an idea was coming to her. "The pawnshop has a daybed." She added slowly.

"The shop is not a place for a child. People are in and out all the time." Rumpel objected.

"The bed is in the back. No one goes to the back room unless you invite them." Belle countered.

"My potions are in the back, plus any number of dangerous magical objects."

"Which you keep locked up when you are not using them." Now the eyebrow was raised, daring him to continue to argue.

He could rise to that challenge. "What if someone needs my help and I have to leave. How many times did I get called away from the house this week?"

"Most of the time you were called away from home it was to go to the shop to get some magic you needed. Anyway, in the rare case you have to leave, we could have some people on call to drop by. Archie would help, as would Ruby, Emma, Snow."

Rumpel had to admit, this idea was doable, and he didn't relish having a stranger, even a stranger he knew, in his home. Looking at Sarah, he saw that sparkle of hope in her eyes. He felt like he was being manipulated, and wanted to continue to argue out of principle. But if life had taught him one thing, it was that arguing with Belle was simply prolonging the inevitable. How could he say 'no' to those eyes?

"Alright! We will give it a try."

Sarah danced in her seat and promptly stuck a huge piece of cake in her mouth, only to choke.

"Chew child!" Rumpel demanded, handing her a glass of water. "We will give it a try," he continued, "but if I find you playing with my potions, or touching anything I didn't give you express permission to touch, then I hire a babysitter. Understood?"

"Understood." Sarah stood from her seat, limped to the head of the table, and threw her arms around Rumpel.

"Thank you." She whispered, before wandering out to the living room.

He was dazed by the warm feeling that swept through him. The only person who took any joy in hugging him was Belle. He remembered when Bea used to hug him as a child. The open affection of that time was something that was still missing for their relationship. In fact, it was something he doubted would ever come back to them.

He was brought out of his memories when he noticed Belle giving him her knowing smile. "Eat your cake." He snapped, as he too left the dinner table.


	15. Chapter 15

"What ch'ya doing?"

Rumpel looked up from his work; his face demonstrating that he was miffed with her butchering of the English language.

"Sorry." She sighed. "What are you doing?"

"I am fixing this clock."

"Why?"

The first day of Sarah's invasion of the pawnshop had been quiet. The child had been content to read or look around when she was not sleeping. It appeared that the second day ennui had set it, and she was not going to remain quiet.

"Because, it's broken." He was trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice, but this type of work required a lot of concentration, and the little imp was set on asking a million questions today.

"No." She was clearly not happy with his answer. "I mean why fix it? Why not just buy a new one?"

The question was so bizzar to him, that he didn't answer her straight away. Of course you fixed things when they were broken. What was her logic behind that question? He really didn't know how to explain it to a child. Bea always understood, even when he was young. Of course back then they had been too poor to buy new things, but that was another time in another place. Things were different in this world.

"Things have lost their value." He started, trying to piece together his thoughts. "When things are made cheaply, with no skill, or time… or craft… they are easy to throw away. When something is built with time, with attention to detail, with love, then it has a beauty to it. It has a value beyond the mere materials that was used to construct it. You can't just throw something like that away. You fix it, you build on what others have created, and you take the time… the attention it needs. Then it is ready for someone else to love. If something has value, if it is precious, you don't just throw it away. Only a fool would do that."

Sarah was quiet after his speech; her eyes big, and if he wasn't mistaken her lower lip was trembling. Why she was getting so emotional about a clock was beyond him. Turning back to his work, he continued to fiddle. So wrapped up in this work he didn't hear her leave her little nest, didn't hear her bear feet move across the office. He didn't notice her until he felt the child pull up a stool to sit beside him.

"Can you show me?" She was looking intently at the gears and springs that littered his work table. "Can you teach me how to fix the clock?"

He had to smile a little at the absurdity of the question. "A clock is a little advanced for a little one, such as you." She looked so disappointed in that statement that he quickly continued. "But maybe we can work our way up to that. There are many things in this shop that need care."

"OK." Her smile was bright, and her eyes danced around the room at the trinkets that surrounded them. Reaching under the table he retrieved a box, and from the shelves behind them a container of liquid and a bag of Q-tips. Opening the box he turned it towards her so she could see in.

"This is what we call Costume Jewellery, but don't let the name fool you. What we call an 'outfit' now, they used to call 'a costume' in the past. This jewellery can be intricately made, and be worth a pretty penny. Before the goes on display to be sold we have to clean them, so they look their best. First thing you want to do is take a cloth…"


	16. Chapter 16

Dr. Archie Hopper stood in front of the pawnshop, pondering if he should enter. His brain was telling him to turn around and forget this crazy, stupid plan; but his heart was telling him it was worth the risk this time. The last deal he had made with Rumpelstiltskin had gone spectacularly wrong, an innocent child had suffered... good people had died. He was just not sure if he could go through that pain and guilt again.

Things were different now. The Dark One was in love. He had a heart, and someone to keep him in line. The madness that had consumed him so many years ago was gone now… or at least buried. On the other hand; the Dark One's love had moved out of his house. The only reason Belle was back was because of Sarah. What did any of them really know about their relationship? What if she had left because she could not control the darkness that was in him? What will happen when she moves out again? Will Rumpelstiltskin revert to his old ways? Was it really worth the risk?

Lord! He wished his heart and his brain would agree for once in his life. Since that day, so many years ago, when the Blue Fairy had offered him salvation, he had strived to always do the right thing. This time, however, the right thing was not obvious. He didn't know what to do. If only the fairies could help… they had caused this problem, why wouldn't they fix it? But their answer was final; they would not undo what they had done. A gift was a gift. When one was given a gift by a fairy it could not be returned.

Gathering up his courage, he gripped the handle of the shop door, and entered.

No one was there when he walked in. The shop was quiet, except for the little bells that had announced his entrance. He had had the courage to walk through the door, but that was where it ended.

"Dr. Hopper." The curtain to the back room parted, and in walked Rumpelstiltskin. "What can I help you with today?"

The question struck Archie as odd. Sure it was a phrase any normal shop owner would use when greeting a guest, but Gold was not a normal shop owner. Did he know he wanted to make a deal? Could he still hear the calls of a desperate soul in this world? No, he could not do this. Not again.

"I came to check on Sarah." He lied. "If it is not an inconvenient time?"

The other man… yes he was still a man, no matter how powerful he was… gave him an appraising look. He started to feel like one of the trinkets that adorned the walls around him. There was a time when that was all people were to the Dark One; trinkets to be played with, and broken for amusement. When had things changed? Or had they changed?

_Enough! _He told himself. He was not ready to make a deal; to ask for a favour. Not yet. Maybe he was a coward, but others would not suffer because of him. Not again. He still needed to think things through.

"Of course." Rumpelstiltskin smiled at him. "She is this way."

What he expected to see was: Sarah, laying on the daybed, reading one of her books. What he did see was: Sarah, sitting at the work table, fully focused on cleaning a bracelet. She was very focused on the piece of jewelry before her, but she did glance up quickly to offer the Doctor a smile.

"Well," started Archie, coming to stand beside the girl, "I didn't know Gold had hired an assistant."

Sarah giggled at this. "I am an app… appren… ummm." She struggled to find the word, and had to look to Gold for help.

"Apprentice, dearie." Gold corrected her.

"Right. 'Apprentice'. That's like a student."

Archie was happy to see that Sarah was taking an interest in a new hobby. From their sessions, he could tell she was a curious child; intelligent beyond any her age; but she had so few, healthy, outlets for that curiosity. She didn't seem to like school; she didn't have any friends that she talked about; nor did she do anything creative. Reading was the only activity she seemed to actively take part in.

There was a piece of herself that Sarah was keeping back. A part of her story she refused to talk to Archie about. It worried him. Maybe this new hobby was the beginning of a change for the child.

"So you like working with Mr. Gold?" He smiled at her so she would know the question was not meant to be a criticism.

"Yea." She answered with enthusiasm. "He's going to teach me to fix broken things."

He smiled at the child as she got back to work. Patting her on the back, he noticed, but ignored the way her shoulders tensed at this touch, and motioned for Gold to follow him into the store's showroom.

"She seems to be doing very well." He commented to the pawnbroker.

"Yes." The other man agreed. "As long as she stays off the leg…" He hesitated, pondering something, before coming to a conclusion. "Dr. Hopper. Three weeks ago I was invited to dinner with my son and grandson. I have delayed until Sarah was better. Do you believe she is ready for such an excursion?"

Dr. Hopper really had to think about that question for a moment. The child was always polite and courteous during their sessions, but she was not open about her past… or her present really. True their sessions had been halted due to her exasperated injuries, but there was still something about Sarah. Something Archie could not put his finger on.

"How is Sarah at home?" He asked.

"Quiet." Gold answered. "She tends to keep to herself, reading, or watching tv. The meds make her sleepy, so she often goes to bed soon after supper."

"Has she had any friends call; from school or her old home?"

This question seemed to bring Gold up short.

"No. I never thought of that, but no one has contacted us about her at all."

He had thought not.

"Then I think it would be a wonderful idea for her to meet more people. I say go ahead."

Gold didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded his assent anyway.

Just as Archie started to make his way to the door, Gold's voice stopped him.

"Are you sure Sarah is the only reason you came today? You looked… troubled earlier."

Yea. The man… imp… could still smell a desperate soul.

"No. Just Sarah." He tried to smile, but it felt fake upon his lips.

Rumpelstiltskin just smiled as he made his way quickly out of the door, and back into the light of day.


	17. Chapter 17

Sarah sat sullenly in her room looking at the pages of her book, but not reading.

It was so unfair. She had been having a good time until Dr. Hopper had visited. Then Mr. Gold had come in to tell her that they would be visiting his family on Friday night. She didn't want to visit his family. She didn't want to go anywhere on Friday. Why couldn't she stay home with a babysitter?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

"Hey Sarah. Can I come in?" Belle stood in the doorway, waiting for permission to enter.

"Fine." She responded, rolling her eyes.

Belle saw her attitude and grew concerned. "Is everything ok?" She asked as she sat beside the child on the window seat.

Sarah shrugged in response, never taking her eyes off the book in her lap.

Not one to let that kind of behaviour stand, Belle knelt down in front of the child, removed the book from her grip, and grasped both of the child's hands.

"What's going on?" She spoke softly.

Sarah didn't really know what was wrong. She was angry. She didn't want to go visit Bea. She wanted to stay at home. But Mr. Gold seemed really happy about the upcoming dinner at his son's house. She didn't want to ruin that.

"I don't feel well." She lied.

Belle bought the lie. "Oh child!" She cooed as she scooped the little one onto her lap. "Is it your leg again? Does it hurt a lot? Do you need more medication?"

Sarah felt really bad for lying, especially with how kind Belle was being; so she just shook her head, and cuddled into the warm arms around her.

Belle tightened her arms around the child. "Would you like me to stay with you until you sleep?"

Again without speaking she nodded her head 'yes'.

Belle brought Sarah over to her bed, and placed her under the covers. She then turned off the lights, before returning to resume cuddling the sullen child.

Sleep was not going to come easy that night, as Sarah fought to keep the tears from rolling down her cheek.


	18. Chapter 18

**2 months earlier**

The day was cloudless, the sun was shining, and even though it was hardly what anyone would call warm, people were out on this rare bright day.

Archie smiled at the children who petted Pongo during his daily stroll through the park. Pongo lapped up the attention, so he unhooked him from the leash, allowing the canine to run with the kids.

Watching the dog run and play with the children, Archie could not help but think back on their time together. For all the pain and suffering Regina had caused, he could not help but thank her for giving him Pongo. Pongo was a great companion; he was loyal, friendly, and always knew how to make Archie smile when he was down. He was also amazing with the patients. Pongo was almost as good as Archie at calming anxious patients down. There was nothing more in this world Archie could ask for.

Well, almost nothing more.

The contented smile slipped from his face as he observed Ashley and her Sean walking arm in arm; a rare romantic moment for the two, without their lovely little girl. The sight made a longing stir deep within Archie's heart. For so long he put off the hope of finding his own lover. How could he think of brining someone into his life when he was under the thumb of his parents; and then there was his debt to Gepetto to pay. Now in this world, he could almost believe his life was normal enough for love. But then again, he was still the same old Jiminy, so maybe not so much. His friends and Pongo would have to do, to fill the void he was noticing more and more.

The sun was still shinning bright, but the day had gotten a little darker in Archie's eyes. Calling Pongo back, he reattached the leash, and started to make his way out of the park.

Well, apparently, the dog had other ideas.

In an act that was so uncharacteristic of the canine; Pongo decided to head further into the park, pulling his struggling master along for the ride.

Normally Archie could control Pongo, but today the fates conspired against him. Pongo's initial tug so surprised the therapist that he lost his footing, stumbling along trying to keep from falling painfully on his face. Just when he began to catch himself, a child's toy car logged itself under his foot, making it easier for the dog to pull him around. His heart dropped in his chest when he noticed that Pongo was headed straight for the park's fountain. Using his other foot to brace/stop himself; he managed to deter the dog's direction, only to lose his balance again. He managed to grab an object to steady himself, but Pongo's leash wrapped around his leg, tying him to the object, and causing both to crash to the ground.

"Pongo, you great big mutt." He spoke in a rare display of annoyance. His scarf was completely wrapped around his face, and the leash was wrapped around his legs. He was struggling to unwrap himself. "The point of these walks is to keep myself from getting tied up in knots at work. This really defeats that point."

Finally managing to get the scarf off his face, he suddenly realised that he was hearing the most beautiful sound in the world. It was not an object he had grabbed to break his fall, it was a woman. He was tied to the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and she was laughing. The softest, loveliest laugh he had ever heard.

Realising how close the two of them were, he suddenly got very flustered. "I am so sorry miss. My dog… he is not normally… well his is normally very…" as he spoke he tried to stand, forgetting about the leash tied around both their legs; which resulted in him crashing again to the ground. He wanted to feel embarrassed, but the renewed laughter from the lady, only served to make him smile as well.

"Right." He stated, "I guess I should untangle us."

As he made to work on unwrapping the two of them, he noticed that there was two set of leashes tying them together. Sure enough, nose to nose with Pongo was a lady Dalmatian, staring lovely into his companion's eyes.

Finally free, Archie helped the lady up from the ground. This was a definite improvement as he could now see her beauty fully. She was shorter than him; her chin only came up to his shoulder. She had reddish brown hair that was wild around her, but had probably fallen in loose curls before their accident. When she shyly looked up and him through her lashes, he could see her eyes were hazel, but her irises were ringed in a bright green; reminding him of a picture he had once seen of the galaxy. They were breathtaking; she was breathtaking.

"Is she yours?" He asked, pointing to the other Dalmatian. The two dogs were still solely focused on each other.

She nodded her head in an affirmative.

"What's her name?"

The question made the woman nervous. Her smile disappeared, and she started to fidget with her dog's leash.

"Well I was hoping I would ask her name, and then maybe if that went well I could find out yours?" He asked hurriedly in his least intimidating manner.

She seemed to want to say something, but was struggling to get it out. Then she just gave up, and started to walk away pulling a reluctant Dalmatian after her.

"Sorry!" He spoke after her, "I didn't mean…"

Looking down at Pongo, he found two very disappointed eyes staring back at him.

"Sorry boy. I guess even in this world I'm…"

Then his wrist was grabbed. Turning, he saw it was the lady. She had returned, and was writing something on his hand. Finished with her task she smiled at him, then hurried off again. She turned once to look back at him. Seeing the stunned expression on his face had her giggling again, before she disappeared down the path.

He stared down the path in stunned silence. Not quite knowing what to make of that strange, beautiful creature he had just encountered. Remembering his hand he finally read what she had written.

'She is Perdita. I am Linnea.'

"Linnea." He whispered to the Universe.

* * *

><p>Notes: It is actually spelled Linnéa, and is therefore pronounced "Lin-ai-a". But I have to switch keyboards to write accents, or do number key codes (which I never remember), so I hope you will forgive me if I just continue to spell it without the accent. Thanks!<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

_AN: I just realized I might have been spelling "Neal" and "Bae" wrong. Sorry, and I will endeavour not to do so the rest of the story… no promises though… habits die hard painful deaths._

* * *

><p>"Henry! They are going to be here soon and you still haven't set the table."<p>

It sounded like a herd of elephants descending the stares in the little apartment Emma shared with her mother and father. Now with Henry staying over many nights, and Neal's near constant visits, the little home was starting to feel cosy…

Ok. It actually felt stifling, but each time she tried to discuss the possibility of moving out, her parents shot down the idea quickly. The joy Snow and Charming felt at having their daughter in their lives was so much stronger then the inconvenience of having three (almost four) adults and one child living in a small two bedroom home. If Emma was honest with herself… which she sometimes hated being… the lost little girl in her was happy to have her parents so close, and under the same roof. She just kind of whished that the roof was a little larger…

Neal was living at Granny's Bed and Breakfast. This was why they had commandeered the use of the apartment for the evening; which suited Snow and Charming, as they chose to make a date night out of the exile from their home.

"Sorry mom. I'll do the table right away." As Henry rushed by, something was off to Emma. She, therefore, allowed her eyes to follow him to the dinner area to watch him set the table. That is when she saw it.

"Henry?" She asked in astonishment. "Are you wearing a tie?"

Henry looked a little nervously at her.

"Ummm… Yea. I just thought… I mean Grandpa Gold always wears a suit and Belle is always dressed so nice. I just thought I would try it."

Outwardly Emma rolled her eyes at the child's desire to impress his father's father, but inside she smiled. She understood, and thought it was really sweet how eager Henry was trying to bond with his newly discovered family. He did look like a little gentleman with the tie, but something was missing.

"I'll set the table. You run upstairs and put on that charcoal jacket Regina got you." She said as she took the plates from his hands.

"Why?" He asked confused.

"Trust me. Go… the dark grey jacket." She shooed him out of the room.

She could not help the smile plastered on her lips as the herd of elephants hurried back up the stairs.

Just then the door opened and in came Neal, back from placing the recycling outside.

"I thought Henry was setting the table?" He questioned when he saw the plates in her hands.

"There was a wardrobe emergency." She answered.

Things had been going well with Neal since his entrance into Henry's life. He had forgiven her for never telling him about his son, and she had forgiven him for the deplorable way he had broken up with her. Things were not easy between them, nor was she sure they were going to end up back together, but they were there for each other… and… more importantly… for Henry.

As she continued to set the table, she looked over to the kitchen to see Neal checking on the chicken again.

"Stop it!" She admonished him. "The things are never going to cook if you keep opening the oven door, and letting all the heat out."

"Sorry." He quickly closed the door.

She was finished setting the table, so she returned to the kitchen to collect the cutlery. Grabbing them, she turned to face her old flam.

"It's only a dinner. There is no need to be nervous." Although her words were kind, she crossed her arms in front of her, uncomfortable with the emotions in the room.

"I'm not nervous."

Before she could contradict him, Henry, and his herd of elephants, came back down the stairs.

"Looking good Henry." Neal turned his attention to his son. "I especially love the jacket."

The boy looked to his mother, but she simply raised her arms in a manner to say: 'I told you so.' Smiling the boy took the cutlery to finish his job, leaving his mom and dad in the kitchen.

"So, Papa said they were bringing that foster child." Neal spoke, not looking at Emma.

"Sarah?" She spoke it as a question, but it was clear she wanted him to use her name, and not refer to her as 'that child' or 'that foster child'.

"Yea, Sarah. I was surprised to hear he and Belle had taken on a child. I didn't think they were even living together."

"She moved in for Sarah." Emma said distractedly, as she checked the side dishes on the stove top. "She still has her apartment."

"So what is she like?" He asked.

"Who?" She responded, looking through the spices in the cupboard.

"Sarah." This finally seemed to get her attention. She gave him an enquiring look. The question was innocent enough, but she sense something deeper in it. She decided, however, to answer him anyway.

"She's quiet, and tough, but then she has had to be. I think she is lonely."

Neal was saved from having to respond, by Henry returning to the kitchen island. Emma smiled at her child. She was grateful every day that this brave, intelligent, stubborn, and careless child that was her boy. She might have to share him with Regina, but even that was starting to not to be too much of a hardship since almost losing the boy in Neverland. There might not be much that the two women saw eye to eye on… and Regina had tried to kill her… but one thing both woman agreed on; if anyone tried to hurt Henry again, there would be no world for them to hide in, no realm that would be safe for them.

Henry had the family he always wanted, and because of that Emma had a family too. The more she thought of it, the more she realized that this was also true for Gold and Regina. It was one weird, mixed up, broken family… but it was theirs.

A knock came from the door to the apartment, but before the adults could react; Henry was running with all enthusiasm to answer it. With a big smile, he greeted their dinner guess.

"Grandfather, Belle!" He smiled. "I'm really happy you could finally come for dinner." If anyone else had said that, it would have sounded like an admonishment, but from Henry it just sounded sincere.

"We do wish we could have come sooner, but life got a little crazy." Belle spoke as the three entered.

"Yea." Henry agreed. "Mom told me."

"Indeed?" Gold looked at Emma, who only shrugged her shoulders.

"Henry," He continued, turning back to his Grandson, "this is Sarah. She is staying with us for a little while. Sarah, this is my grandson Henry; my son Bae, although he goes by Neal in this world; and of course you know Sheriff Swan."

Each one shook the child's hand, as she gave each one of them a shy, almost fearful, smile.

"You can call me Emma." She said; trying to make the child more comfortable.

Sarah looks a million times better then she had when Emma had last seen her in the hospital. In the hospital she had looked a mess. Her eyes had been puffed up from crying, her hair had been windblown, and the bruises that had covered her body had been vivid in colour. Today the bruises where mostly gone. Her eyes were not only bright, but also sparkled in a way that they had not before. Her hair was done in smooth loose ringlets (most likely thanks to Belle), and she was wearing a simple black, long sleeved dress with the most beautiful necklace Emma had ever seen. If it wasn't for the way the child clutched her hands in front of her, or the way she kept her eyes adverted and down, Emma would have thought this was a different little girl all together.

No one really knew what to do next, except for the one who brought them all together.

"Why don't we sit down?" Henry suggested. "Dinner's almost ready."

It was a little funny to watch everyone try to choose their seats. It was clear, Gold wanted to sit next to his son, probably hoping to this would help them talk… or ignore each other… during the evening. Neal wanted to sit next to Emma. The children, however, had their own ideas; they somehow manager to make Gold sit at the head of the table with each of them on either side of him. At the same time Sarah made sure Belle was sat next to her. Neal looked at the head of the table, but Henry made a gesture for him to take the seat beside him, so that is where he sat. This left the other head of the table for Emma. It all happened so quickly, and subtlety, that Emma was sure she was the only adult to realize that the children had arranged everything to their liking. She had seen this kind of gentle manipulation from Henry before, but it seemed that little Sarah was just was good at this game as her own son was.

_Well isn't that interesting_. Emma watched Sarah closely as she sat down.

Conversation flowed somewhat easily as they ate; Neal talked to Belle about the book club she wanted to start at the library; Henry talked to his Grandfather about his project on geography for school; Emma talked to Gold about some of the town's old bylaws that needed to be updated; Everyone seemed to find topics to mutual interest to share. Everyone, that is, except Sarah. Everyone tried to engage her in their conversations, but it just got awkward.

"Looking forward to going back to school?" Neal had asked her.

"No." Was her quick reply. She never even looked up from her plate.

"Why not?" Henry asked, confused and curious about the only other child at dinner.

Still not looking up from her plate, she shrugged her shoulders before saying, "It's boring, I guess."

No one knew what to say to that, so they all just continued their conversations together.

Dinner was over and desert was served by a proud Henry.

"I made it." He announced proudly. "Well Grandma Snow made it, but I helped... a lot, and I decided on the recipe. So I hope you like it." That was her boy, honest to a fault.

_Really?_ Emma wondered._ What normal teenage boy is this honest?_

"It looks delicious." Gold stated, amused by the enthusiasm of his grandson.

"He is just full of hidden talent." Neal chimed in.

"Yes." Gold agreed. "I didn't realize that Henry was such a snappy dresser."

Belle smiled at Henry proud, but embarrassed look, and decided to join in. "Indeed. The tie and jacket combo is very debonair. Is this a new look or did you just decide to try something new for today?"

"Yea." The red faced boy admitted. "Mom/Regina… got it for me. But," he hurried to divert attention from himself, "the tie is nothing to Sarah's necklace. It's really pretty."

He said the last part directly to Sarah, and for the first time that evening a genuine excited smile brightened the girl's features.

"I know." She enthused. She was finally sounding and looking like a normal child. "It's an art deco necklace. It was made by… Lalick… no wait… Laluck…. No…" Turning to Gold she sought his help. "The French guy you were talking about? The one who worked with glass all the time?"

"Lalique." He supplied.

"Yea! That guy! Lalique!" She continued. "I saw it at the store, and fell in love with it. I like bugs." She admitted. "These are dragonflies, but I also like butterflies, and spiders… well not real spiders, but jewelry spiders."

"A Lalique?" Questioned Neal. There was a tone in his voice when he asked that that Emma didn't like. "That is quite a nice gift." He continued slowly.

"Oh it wasn't a gift." Sarah corrected him. "I earned it."

The bang of a water glass shattering on the table made everyone jump. They all looked over to see Neal, with a puddle of water and glass in front of him, still holding on to the base of the broken glass with a bleeding hand.

"Sorry." He grabbed a napkin to catch the blood. "The glass dropped. I guess I shouldn't have tried to catch it. Papa, can you help me with my hand."

It was one thing to know when someone was lying. It was another to figure out why they were lying. Neal was acting very odd, but until she understood why, Emma could do nothing to help him. Instead she went to gather some supplies to clean up the mess while father and son disappeared down the hall to the bathroom.

While in the kitchen area she could still overhear the conversation in the dining area. Henry really was a curious kid.

"You earned it? How? I would love to earn something that nice. Not a necklace, though." He laughed.

"I found it." Sarah told him. "It was in a box with other jewelry. I liked the dragonflies, so Mr. Gold let me clean it up. He also taught me how to fix the chain. This chain was broken, here and here." Emma had come back to the table by now as Sarah excitingly showed her where she had repaired the chain. "It took me a really long time to learn how to fix the chain properly, but Mr. Gold let me practice on other necklaces until I got it right. It took me a really long time to repair it, and cleaning it took forever too, but when it was done, Mr. Gold let me keep it." Now the child started to look worried. "Is Mr. Neal right? He seems to think it is worth a lot of money or something. Is it?"

Emma could tell how proud Sarah was by her accomplishment. This jewelry meant so much to her, and not because of how much it was worth. Sarah had worked hard at something, and for the first time in maybe her whole life, she was being recognized for her work. For all his faults, Gold had done something right with Sarah. He was giving her a sense of accomplishment and value. Now she seemed worried. The child was perceptive; she seemed to be reading Neal's odd behaviour as well as Emma was.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Emma tried to comfort her. "If Gold let you keep the necklace then I am sure you did earn it."

"Yea." Henry chimed in. "You worked hard fixing it. "

"Indeed." Belle smiled at the little girl. "We talked about this before. Remember. It only has value now because you spent all that time fixing it. Rumpel wants you to have it."

The child seemed satisfied. With three people telling her it was ok to keep the necklace, she relaxed again, and the conversation soon turned to the library's potential book club. Emma too would have relaxed if she was not aware of how long Neal and Gold had been gone.

"Henry. Why don't you show Sarah your room? I am sure she would like to see THE book." Emma suggested.

Henry looked puzzled for a moment until he caught her meaning. "Sure. You will love it Sarah. It's the book that showed me that everyone was under a curse…"

Once the children were out of sight she turned to Belle, but it was the other woman who spoke first.

"This dinner is not going well, is it?"

"No I think it is;" Emma replied "for everyone except Neal."

Both women shared the look that all women share when the men in their lives are being idiots.

"If Bae is unhappy then Rumpel is not far behind. In all honesty, I think he knows something is off with his son, but has been ignoring it for Henry's sake."

"Who knew Gold could be subtle." She had to roll her eyes at the idea.

"Oh he can be;" Belle gave her a conspiring smirk "When he wants to be; Which is rarely ever. He prefers to hide his feeling behind anger and condemnation."

Boy that was true, but even Emma could admit that that was changing; most likely thanks to the woman sharing her table.

"Don't tell him I said this;" She whispered to Belle "But Neal is so much like his father." Belle looked curious, so she explained. "For example: He can hold onto a grudge like no one else… except for Gold."

The two laughed at the truth of this and continued to talk until everyone came back to the table.

Belle had been right though. The evening had not gone as planned, and only three people left that night glad they had come.


	20. Chapter 20

_AN: _

_1) So someone pointed out to me that Henry calls Rumpel Grandfather in my story, but said that he calls him Grandpa in the show. I only remember him calling Charming Grandpa and that is why I thought he would call Rumpel something different. Am I mistaken? Does he call Rumpel Grandpa in the show? If anyone knows (and knows which episode it is in) I would love to know... and watch the scene over and over again.  
><em>

_2) Yes Linnea is a fairy tale character, but not a Disney one (as far as I know)._

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><p><strong>Several days ago<strong>

For the fourth day in a row Archie sat at the park bench near the fountain and scanned the crowds. It was of no use; she was not there again. For the fourth day in a row he had come to the park whenever he had a spare moment, in the hopes of seeing Linnea again. Even Pongo seemed excited every time the leash came out.

Archie would have attributed Pongo's excitement to the increase in attention and exercise, except for the forlorn look in the dog's eyes every time they returned home not having seen Perdita and her lovely owner.

He had tried to surreptitiously ask around, but no one seemed to know her. All he had was a name, and he was pretty sure that it was her name from the Enchanted Forest, not her name here. How was he supposed to find her? Did she even really exist?

Maybe she didn't. Maybe she was just a figment of his imagination; a beautiful, sweet, lovely figment. That's what it must be. No one that lovely could exist in real life; he must have imagined her.

It was not a happy thought, and not one he really believed anyway. He had the bruises on his legs to prove she was real. So, with a heavy heart he made his way out of the park, and back towards his office. Pongo followed behind with his tail between his legs, and that forlorn look in his eyes.

As they made their way out of the park and down the road, Archie smiled at the people who passed, but the smile never reached his eyes. It was busy in the park, but quiet in the town. It was not, however, quiet in his mind; he was busy trying to figure out what his next step should be, if there should even be a next step. Maybe she was avoiding him by staying away from the park. Maybe she thought he was a creep and didn't want to see him again. But then why did she smile at him? Or maybe she was laughing at him. He was a bumbling klutz that day. But then why did she give him her name? But she didn't give him her phone number.

With these thoughts circulating through his head, he failed to notice when Pongo's ears perked up. His instincts, however, must have remembered the chaos that had happened four days ago, because this time when Pongo took off, Archie didn't even try to hold onto the leash. Instead he ran after the darn mutt, until a site stopped him dead in his tracks.

There, outside of Game of Thorns, was Pongo saying hello to a very familiar female Dalmatian. And if she was there, then that meant that her owner must be inside.

Without a second thought to Pongo or the city's bylaws that required him to tie the dog up, he raced inside the flower shop.

There she was. Not a figment of his imagination, but a real physical, beautiful woman. She was just as he remembered her.

She was at the cash paying for about twelve vases, which Moe was carefully wrapping, and placing in a box. Both were busy, so neither paid attention to him as he stood in the doorway and just stared at her. He kept thinking he should move, say something, do something, anything other than stare at her like some creepy stalker; but his mind was not supplying him any options.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, she turned around and saw him. The smile that first greeted him was radiant, but then dimmed as a worried look overcame her.

"Hey… hi." He rolled his eyes at himself.

_Real elegant Archie_.

"I mean: Hello."

She game him her amused smile. He could get used to that smile.

"So…" _Think of something to say Archie… anything._ "Are you talking a flower arranging class?"

Now she just looked confused.

_Brilliant, way to go._

"The vases…" He pointed to the box in her arms. Feeling line an idiot. "You are buying a lot of vases, I was just wondering why."

Understanding showed, and she smiled again, but didn't answer him.

"You don't have to tell me. I was just curious."

Her only response was to shrug her shoulders.

Gods! It was no wonder she wasn't talking to him. Again he had messed this up. Why couldn't he be smooth like Gold? Or charming like… well… Charming? No Archie was simply Archie, and he was making a fool of himself.

"I'm sorry." He tried to smile at Linnea. "I just wanted to say 'Hello'. I won't keep you any longer."

Before he could leave, however, a box of vases was shoved into his arms. Linnea crooked her finger at him to follow her as she walked out of the door.

_Oh! O.K.!_

She grabbed both of the of the dogs' leashes, before making her way down the street.

"I'm confused." He admitted as he followed her. "You want to spend time with me."

She nodded

"But you won't talk to me?"

At this she stopped, and gave him a hurt look.

"What?" He was really confused.

She then pointed to her neck, and shook her head.

"I don't understand."

She then open and closed her hand in a mouth movement, while shaking her head some more.

"You can't speak? What?"

At his question she gave him a sad smile, nodded her head, and shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh! You can't speak!"

_Well that explains a lot. She's a mute. Wait… is she?_

"But I heard you laugh at the park?"

To this she only gave another shoulder shrug.

"Let me guess: It's complicated."

Her answer was another sad smile, and another nodding of her head.

By this point they had stopped in front of a little cottage behind the towns downtown stores.

"This is your place?"

She indicated 'yes', and took the box of vases, while giving him Pongo's leash.

_Don't let it end here._ He warned himself. _She wants to spend time with you._

"Look. I would really like to see you again, if that's ok?"

She looked a little worried about that.

"I don't care if you can't talk. I mean I listen to people talk all day… it's my job. But maybe we can meet at the park… tomorrow, by the fountain? Then we could let Pongo and Perdita play, if you want."

She thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

"Great!" He could not contain his happiness, which made her giggle. "I'll see you tomorrow."

As he left her at her home, he retraced his steps back into downtown.

That was one mystery solved, but another one uncovered. He was happy to have a chance to spend time with her, but worried as well.

After all: What would prevent a woman who had a voice from speaking?


	21. Chapter 21

Belle entered the office quietly. The night had ended with tension in the air, and she was determined to find out why. Truthfully it had started off bumpy too; everyone trying to figure out what was going on with who, and who would react badly to what. But then the conversation had flowed. People found common interests, or interesting topics. Their guards came down, and connections were made. Only little Sarah was left out of the easy conversation, but eventually even that changed. Sarah became engaged, her personality shone through, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Then something had changed in Neal. Belle was not an idiot… far from it… she knew that Neal was the reason for Rumpel's bad humour. The question was: what had upset Sarah?

Belle hated that she was the only one in the household who had had a successful evening. Emma was tough, but kind. She was brave, and stubborn. Emma was a woman Belle could see making friends with. After over 28 years as Regina's prisoner, Belle could use some friends; Friends who were not afraid of her past, or her lover.

Then there was Henry. That boy was observant, and smart as a whip. It was a miracle that he didn't notice the tension that had developed towards the end of the night. Maybe the boy was just too happy to be connecting to more of his family? Maybe the adults had managed to hide the discontent from the child? Either way, the night was a success for the boy, and that was what mattered.

Just as she had predicted, Rumpel was sitting in the dark, a glass of some kind of 'comfort' in his hand. Without a word she knelt in front him, placed her hand on his knee, seeking to comfort him during his obvious sadness.

"What happened?" There were a million questions she wanted to ask, but she decided it would be better to start simply.

"Nothing." He spoke to his glass, not to her.

"Don't lie to me." She admonished gently. He still wouldn't look at her. "You can tell me you don't want to talk about it, or that it is too painful, but don't lie to me."

He was quiet for the longest time, but she waited patiently, never taking her hand from his knee. Finally he reached down to take her hand in his own.

"He hates me." He finally choked out. The pain so prevalent in this voice, it broke Belle's heart. Her instinct was to deny what Rumpel was telling her, but she knew she needed to hear him out.

He finally looked at her, the pain in his voice was reflected in his eyes.

"I don't think he will ever forgive me. I don't think there is anything I can do to make it up to him. He hates me." He repeated. Then in a voice almost too quiet for her to hear he ended with. "I'll always be a monster to him."

It was too much for Belle, so she removed the glass from his hand before climbing onto his lap. She held him to her chest ignoring his less then half-hearted protests.

"Tell me what happened." She insisted.

"He hates me." He repeated again.

"No." She told him firmly. "Don't tell me what you think happened. What you think he thinks. Tell me what happened."

She started to stoke his hair as he spoke.

"We went to get the first aid kit. I knew he was upset about something, but I just thought he was jealous of Sarah or something. I know I have been spending a lot of time with her, but he has been spending a lot of time with Emma and Henry, so I was not worried."

He paused.

"I was wrong."

He stopped then to gather his thoughts, and Belle felt his arms tighten around her for a second.

"He wasn't jealous of Sarah, he was worried about her… because of me."

"What do you mean?" She asked, suspecting his answer, but worried none the less.

"He worried I was trying to buy her off… that I was paying her to be good. He said that children like Sarah need attention and love and understanding; not trinkets and treasures. He was implying that I couldn't give that to her."

Belle pulled away at that point so she was looking him in the eyes.

"Rumpel. You are doing an amazing job with Sarah. She is doing so well, because of you… because of the time you are spending with her here, and at the shop. Sarah adores you."

The pain in his eyes didn't go away.

"I knew how much that necklace was worth when I let her work on it. I knew its true value when I gave it to her. Maybe Bea is right."

"No." She was emphatic. "He is not."

He just gave her a sad smile. A smile that told her he didn't believe her.

"It will be nice when we can find a family for her." There was a wistful tone to his voice now. "Once she is in a stable home, she can really begin to heal."

Belle didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to make things better. Rumpel had always held onto the hope that he could reconcile with his son. That one day Bea would forgive him, then the two could build their relationship again. It now seemed that Rumpel was losing that hope.

With determination Rumpel removed Belle from his lap, stood, and finished his liquor.

"Tomorrow I will call Dr. Hopper and maybe we can get the ball rolling on finding Sarah a family. The longer she has to get to know them, the easier the transition will be."

With a nod of his head, he headed out the door toward the kitchen.

Belle could only stare in disbelief at him as he walked out.

Were all men this clueless, or was it just the men she knew?

She just hoped he figured it out before it was too late.


	22. Chapter 22

_AN: So Archie and Linnea's story actually started as a separate fic I was going to write, when low and behold the two stories connected. I didn't even realize they were in the same universe, but there you go. I was truly shocked. Now I am trying to catch the timelines up. Sorry for that BTW._

_So I am going to write two Archie Linnea chapters in a row. Hope everyone is cool with that. _

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><p>Archie straightened his bow tie, fidgeted with his jacket, and rung his hands nervously. The door before him, was one he had seen many times over the last few weeks, but tonight knocking on it seemed so difficult.<p>

Archie was taking Linnea on a date; their first real date. They were not meeting up at the park to let the dogs play; they were going to dinner, no dogs, just the two of them. Archie kind of wished Pongo was there with him; he could use the support.

The past few weeks had passed as in a dream. Archie never considered himself lonely, he always had friends, Pongo, people who relied on him, and his patients. But Linnea made him realize that maybe his life was not as full as he thought it had been. Their friendship had been easy. Their romance had been steady. It felt like they had been friends forever; yet at the same time he sometimes felt he knew nothing about her.

Once a day, the two of them would meet at the park. They would walk and 'talk', while the dogs played. On the days when one of them could not make it, the hours just seemed to drag on; he would miss her, and the sun just never shone that bright on those rare days. After two of those days happened in a row, he had decided that enough was enough. He had finally gathered up his courage, and had asked her out on a proper date. Without hesitation she had kissed his cheek, which he took to mean 'I would love to'.

Taking one more deep breath, he knocked.

Nothing happened.

He waited, became a little afraid that she had changed her mind, and then knocked again. This time, Linnea flung open the door. The first thing he noticed was her beautiful hair… in roller; and her lovely figure… covered in a bath robe.

"Oh! Sorry." He stuttered; thinking he had the wrong date, or that she had decided to cancel.

But with that cute little smile of hers, she grabbed his arm, and dragged him into her home. She gave him a kiss on his cheek, then pointed to her wrist. She pointed to area where one would normally wear a watch; or so Archie guest.

"You're running late?"

She smiled, kissed him again on the cheek, then ran into a room at the back.

Left to his own devises, with no idea what to do with himself, Archie wandered into what he quickly observed was a living room. It was nice room, in what only could be described as an Arts & Crafts influenced style. The one odd thing about the room was the number of vases of flowers scattered around. One would expect one or two vases in a room of this size; though three vases would start to look a little much. This room, however, had at least twenty. Twenty vases, filled with the most beautiful flowers Archie had ever seen. He had worried about whether to bring flowers for their date, and now he was glade he had decided against it.

He could hear her puttering around in the back of the home, so he sat down to wait. He thought about calling out to her, but then remembered that she couldn't answer him, so there was really no point. He fidgeted with his hands, then started to look around the room. He noticed some trinkets on the table, so he picked them up to examine them. There was an antique ivory elephant, three paper decorated eggs on wooden stands, and an old pocket watch he was sure he had once seen at Gold's Pawnshop. The trinkets were neat, but didn't hold his attention for very long. Then on the side table, half hidden behind a bouquet of flowers, he noticed a medium size ornate wooden box. Picking it up, he was surprised to find it heaver then he expected. When he tipped it, something rattled inside. He knew he should not look; that what was in the box might be private; but he was board; and curiosity got the better of him.

Opening it up, he peeked inside, then quickly shut it again. Looking around the room to make sure no one was there, he slowly opened the box again. He could not believe what he was seeing. The box was full of precious stones. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls; and they all looked flawless. There must have been thousands of dollars' worth of jewels in the box. Looking around the room he started to notice other similar boxes; all half hidden around the room. Not sure what to make of this information, Archie carefully placed the box back where he found it.

The more he learned about Linnea, the more of mystery she was. During their many 'talks', Archie was starting to piece bits and pieces of her life together. He knew that she had been given Perdita during the curse, as he had been given Pongo. He knew her father had passed away, but she had mother, and sister. He also guested that she wasn't really on speaking terms with either of them. She worked in this world as an accountant. She had her own business and worked out of her home. He had also noticed that she seemed to have friends during the curse, but had pulled away from them after the curse was broken. He supposed he could understand that. The curse had turned them all into different people; people who were weaker, meaner, more scared then they had been in the Enchanted Forest. It would make sense that the new cursed relationships would fall away as the real relationships of the past were re-established. Only Linnea didn't seem to have old friends from the Enchanted Forest.

Why didn't she speak? Why wasn't she close to her family? Where were her old friends? These were all questions he already had about her. Now he could add: Where had she gotten all these jewels? And for that matter: Why was she keeping/hiding them in her home?

He was so confused. He liked her… he liked her a LOT, but it frustrated him not knowing.

All thoughts of mysterious boxes filled with jewels were wiped from his mind when Linnea finally made her entrance. The curlers were gone, leaving her hair in the loveliest loose curls; the housecoat had been replaced with a backless purple dress with a dangerously low neckline… which was nowhere near her neck…; and to make sure your eyes wandered to where the dress wanted you too, a topaz pendent hung between her breast.

It was a sight to take ones breath away; which was most likely why Archie turned a lovely shade of red to match his hair. The temptress before him was so different then the demurely dressed lady he was used to. Yet, when he thought back to their time together, the look fitted her personality. Linnea was shy and reserved, but never with him. With him… with this thing they had, she took charge. She wanted this relationship, she wanted him, and he had no idea why; but he was thankful for it.

"Wow." Was all he could say at first; Which made her blush and shyly look away.

"Um…" He tried to remember why he was at her house. "Right…" The date. "Shall we."

Taking his hand she led him out of her house, then hooked her arms through his, and let him guide her to their first destination for the night.

Everything was perfect. They ate at Tony's. The candle lit table, the cozy atmosphere, and the owner inexplicably singing in the alley behind the restaurant made the dinner romantic. Then the coup-de-grace for the evening; Archie had organized with Grumpy the use of his boat for a starlight cruise.

Standing on the deck of the boat, surrounded by stars, with Linnea in his arms, Archie came to a life altering realization… he was in love. This wasn't just lust, or infatuation, or companionship; it was full blown, I-would-die-for-this-lady love.

The thought hit him like a ton of bricks; leaving him breathless for the second (or third, maybe fourth) time that night. Looking down at the petite woman in his arms, he could only see the top of her head, but even that seemed to glow like magic was coursing through her. Everything had just changed… no, that wasn't right… nothing had changed, everything was the same; He was seeing it differently.

She must have felt a change in him, because Linnea turned and looked at him curiously.

He just smiled, and kissed her.

After the kiss, she shivered from the cold, so he wrapped her back up in his arms, and the two cuddled while looking out over the water at the stars.

The night was over, and for their first 'official' date, Archie thought it had gone so very well. So well, in fact, that he didn't want it to end.

She must have felt the same because the walk back to her place took three times longer to walk then it ever had before.

Reaching her door, he waited for her to unlock, and open it.

"I had an amazing time." He spoke quietly, not wanted to break the spell the night had spun. She smiled in agreement.

Leaning down he gave her a deep kiss, which she must have enjoyed because she tried to prolong it by following him when he pulled away.

"I will see you tomorrow." He turned to leave, but she didn't let go of his hand. Instead she gave it a little tug so he crossed her threshold.

"You want me to stay? For coffee or something?" He asked.

She shook her head 'no'. Going to the black board she had hung near the front door, she began to write.

BREAKFAST?

"Isn't it a little early for breakfast?"

At his comment she silently laughed. He was confused.

Then she gave him the most wicked smile, stepped away from the board, slipped out of her dress, and let it pool at her feet.

"Breakfast?... Oh!" He finally got it. "Breakfast! Ok! That sounds wonderful."

Closing the door behind him, Archie thanked the stars for the second time that night for this amazing woman.


	23. Chapter 23

Archie felt like he was flying as he walked to the store from his office. Not only was he in love, but he was loved in return. At least he thought he was… he was pretty sure he was… he was like 70% sure he was. Linnea had never actually said or written the words, but then again, neither had he said them to her. Either way, it was the most amazing feeling in the realms.

Except for work, there was rarely a time when the two of them were not together. Pongo now accompanied him whenever he went to Linnea's, and Perdita accompanied her when she came to his. If Archie was reading the situation correctly, then he believed that Pongo might be in the same predicament he was in: totally head over heels in love. It was a normal sight to see Pongo and Perdita cuddled on their doggy bed, while Archie and Linnea were cuddled up together on their people bed. The four of them spent so much time together that they should really just move in together.

Now that thought had him stopping in his tracks.

They should move in together. They should do more than that. They should get married. He should ask her to marry him.

No wait, it was too soon.

But they were 'together' together, so it would be the honourable thing to do.

But this was about more than honour, he loved her; he wanted to be her husband.

But there were still so many things he still didn't know about her.

But would those secrets really change the way he felt about her?

He didn't know. All he knew for sure was that he loved her here and now. He just didn't know yet if that was enough to sustain a marriage.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Pongo started to whine. Looking down the street he saw Perdita tied to a bike rack. This was not an unusual sight, nor normally a cause for alarm; except today Perdita was in obvious distress: barking, whining, twisting, and trying to get her collar off.

"Hey girl." He approached the distressed dog cautiously, not wanted to spook her further. "Where is Linnea?"

Looking around he could not see her anywhere.

Perdita, knowing that a friend was here, stopped trying to remove her collar; but continued to whine. Undoing the leash from the bike rack, he gave the dog a reassuring pat.

"Where's Linnea girl?" He asked the dog again. "Take me to Linnea." It was like she understood when she started to pull him forward, so he followed. She led him to an alley, then towards the back of the building.

He was just about to go around a couple of dumpsters when he heard a female voice, which made him stop.

"It's not going to happen." The voice sounded angry. "So just take what is on the ground now and LEAVE ME ALONE!"

At the raised voice the dogs started to growl.

"Shhh." He tried to calm them. He didn't want to the dogs to give away their position before he had time to assess the situation.

Peeking around the corner, he saw a sight that made his blood go cold in fear then red hot in anger. A man had Linnea pinned against the wall with a hand to her throat. His brave, amazing, girl stared at the man defiantly, not giving him an inch. Behind the two was four other men watching her and their leader. She may have been staring the man down, but Archie had become accustomed to reading her body language, and he could tell she was scared.

"It took me a long time to find you Princess," the way he said 'princess' made it sound like an insult, "you are not escaping me again."

Archie's heart was telling him to jump in and save his girl, but his head was reminding him of the fact that he was one man against five, and he had never been a fighter to start with.

"Come on," the man holding Linnea teased, "speak for us darling." As he said this he grabbed her chin, forcing her head up, but she remained silent.

"Speak." He laughed again. "Your fiancé commands it." He did something at this point which made her wince in pain.

"Go to Hell!" She said slowly, and that is when the real shock hit Archie. As she spoke a flower and an object fell from Linnea's lips. The man caught the object, and held it up for his friends to see. When the sun hit it, Archie could see the object was a large diamond. Then he noticed what he hadn't noticed before: all down the alley way, flowers and jewels lay on the ground.

The boxes in her house; the copious number of bouquets scattered around her home; it all made sense now.

He had had enough. Forgetting his head, his heart took over. Grabbing his umbrella like a weapon, he dropped the dogs' rein, and stepped into view of the group.

"Let her go." He ordered in his most menacing voice; which was not really that menacing, which would explain why the men chose to laugh rather than take him seriously.

"Ah! If it isn't the lover boy." The leader cooed. The men moved to approach Archie, when Pongo and Perdita placed themselves at his side. Each had their hackle raised, their ears pinned back, and their teeth out. The growl that emanated from the two would have scared the Dark One himself.

Upon seeing the dogs the bravado of the men visibly drained from them. They didn't turn; they wouldn't turn their backs to dogs. Nor did they run; they wouldn't risk being chased. Instead they slowly back away until they came to another alley, then they disappeared down it.

Realizing that he was alone against two people and two very pissed off dogs, the leader slammed Linnea against the wall so she crumbled to the ground, and took off running.

Although he was the leader of the group, he was clearly not the brains; for the minute he turned his back and ran Pongo and Perdita pursued.

Running to his fallen love, Archie dropped to the ground and gathered his crying girl in his arms.

"It's ok, I've got you." He was so happy she appeared not badly injured, and that she was safe again. He just wanted to take her home, wrap her in blankets, hold her tight, and never let her go. So he was shocked when she shoved him away from her.

"So you know my secret now." She sounded angry; at him. Archie had no idea why.

"Your gift?" He asked, not sure where this was going. "Yes I saw; it's amazing." A woman who had flowers and jewels fall from her lips when she spoke; it was beautiful.

"Gift?" Yes, she was angry. "This is not a gift. The damn fairy gave me a curse in a pretty package."

"I don't understand." And he didn't. To never worry about money; to be able to fill your home with bouquets for lovely flowers; it was an amazing gift. Why would she think it a curse?

"Now that you know, how can I ever trust you?" She asked him sadly. Her body sagged into itself, and her head dropped to her chest. Her breathing became uneven, like she was struggling not to start sobbing.

"Because I love you." It was probably not the most romantic time to say the words for the 1st time, but he hopped she could hear his sincerity.

At his words, she looked up at him. There was no joy in her eyes. She then looked down the alley to where the man had disappeared running.

"That's what he told me once too."

Refusing his help, she got up, and left a stunned Archie kneeling alone in a dirty alley, strewn with flowers and jewels. He was left alone to wonder how everything had been ripped away from him once again in his life.


	24. Chapter 24

Rumpel walked around his shop for the fifth time in an hour.

Something was bothering him; something was off, but he didn't know what it was, and he didn't like it. He had been feeling this way since Monday. The feeling had only gotten worst as the week had progressed.

He had started for feel uneasy on Monday, but the feeling had gone away when he was at home at night. Cooking dinner with Belle, helping Sarah with her homework, watching TV before bed; all of these helped him ignore his unease.

He sat down to work on the antique metal of an old desk. He worked getting the rust off for two minutes before the feeling got too much and he got up again. He did another tour of the shop before sitting down again.

What was bothering him so?

He sat, looked at the desk in front of him, but didn't touch it. Something was off.

Then he notice how quiet the office was.

That was it, he needed noise. The only problem was that he didn't have a radio in the shop.

He started to search the shelves. Surely he must have an old radio lying around somewhere? Finding none on the shelves, he began tearing though some of the boxes of antiques he had yet to sort. Throwing things right and left, he tore through box after box. He didn't hear when the bell above the shop's door jingled.

"Rumpel?" Came the amused voice of Belle.

Looking up from his position on the floor, he couldn't help but give her an amused yet embarrassed grin.

"Hey." He answered, "I was looking for a radio." He offered as an explanation.

"Ah." She responded. "I thought you might like some lunch." She motioned to the counter just outside the back door where he could make out a picnic basket she must have brought with her.

"Sounds lovely."

She got the basket, while he cleared the table in the back room.

The lunch was simple, but delicious. They ate, they talked; all in all they had a relaxing time.

They were just packing up when Dr. Hopper arrived.

"Archie!" Belle smiled happily. "What can we do for you?" Ever since Rumpel had left for Neverland, Belle had found a good friend in Archie. Not only was he good listener (which one would expect from his job), but he also gave good advice, and was as avid a reader as she was. Well maybe not 'as' avid a reader, but really close. For that past few month, he had not been around as much as he normally was, and Rumpel knew that Belle was starting to miss her friend.

"Hey." He smiled sheepishly at Belle. "Mr. Gold asked he me stop by." She looked at her lover questionably. "I have the files of the prospective adoptive parents." He finished.

If the Dark One noticed the reproachful look in his love's eyes, he ignored it. Instead he held out his hands to take the files. Only Belle grabbed them before he could.

"Is there anything else?" She asked a little peeved.

"Actually…" Before Archie could finish, the shop phone rang.

While Gold answered, Belle leafed through the papers. She avoided looking at Archie, but he didn't notice because he was too busy thinking about something else. Gold watched both of them, curious, and confused; which was why he almost missed what the voice on the other side of the phone said.

"Is she ok?" He asked panicked. Belle finally stopped ruffling through the papers; she looked worried as well.

He hung up the phone and turned to two worried store occupants.

"It was the secretary from Sarah's school. Her teacher and the principal want to see us." His mind was turning.

"Is Sarah ok?" Belle asked the same question he had.

"They said she is fine, but they want to see us right away."

They said their goodbyes to Archie, apologized for the abrupt departure, and quickly made their way out the door.

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><p><em>Not totally happy with this chapter, but I have been so blocked with it. I know where I am going with the story, but some of the chapters in between are a little iffy. I hope it gets better after this. Sorry again for the delay and the less then good chapter... although it you feel differently about it: cool!<em>


	25. Chapter 25

Sarah sat in the secretary's office; waiting for Belle and Mr. Gold to arrive.

How could she have so careless? Sure a lot had changed, but some things never do. She should have been more careful.

_Stupid, stupid girl!_ She kept repeating over and over again in her mind.

She noticed the secretary, sitting behind her desk, giving her distrustful looks. Well, to hell with her. She didn't care about what the bitch thought anyway.

Just then the office door opened, and out came her teacher Mrs. Lyne. Sitting in the chair beside her, Mrs. Lyne angled her body to face the child, only for Sarah to angle her body so she was facing away from her.

"Sarah," she started in her most caring voice, the one Sarah hated, "I know things have been tough for you lately. I know there have been big changes in your life. It can't be easy living with the Dark One." The last part was said in disbelief, but it was Sarah who was disbelieving. Her teacher thought Mr. Gold was difficult to live with? Clearly she was as dumb as Sarah always suspected. "But I thought we were passed all this." She continued.

Sarah remained stubbornly silent; refusing to acknowledge that she even heard the woman.

"You know this is an automatic suspension. This is serious." Oh she had that concerned act down pat. She probably loved the idea of her getting suspended; loved the idea of not having to deal with the weirdo anymore.

She wanted to say all these things: she wanted to challenge the teacher; she wanted to call out the secretary; she wanted to scream that they had no idea, that life was not fair. Instead she stayed silent. She had learned her lesson early on; there was no point in arguing with adults.

"Sarah." Mrs. Lyne tried again. "We can help you, you know."

She still didn't move.

"Fine." Clearly Mrs. Lyne had giving up the pretense. "But remember this girl;" Now she sounded nasty, "No one steals from the Dark One."

Pushing herself up from the chair, she made her way over to the secretary. The two stood gossiping, while they waited; every once in a while, shooting glances over at the child in the chair. The child who refused to be intimidated by the two women, so just stared back mockingly at them.

This standoff between adults and child only ended when young Henry entered.

"Mr. Mills." The secretary was all sugar and spice. "What can I do for you?"

Henry only spared her enough of a glance to smile politely. "Nothing Mrs. Sloan. Thank you. I am here to keep Sarah company." With that he sat next to girl, then took her hand in his.

Sarah was shocked by this. What the hell was Henry playing at? Clearly the women were thinking the same thing.

"Mr. Mills," Mrs. Lyne tried, "Sarah is in trouble."

"I'm aware of the situation." Was his only response; which seemed to take the teacher by surprise. Sarah had the pleasure of watching her teacher open and close her mouth several times… like a fish.

Finally she thought of something to say: "Well I am sure you have a class you must be getting back to?"

"No." Henry responded with his ever polite smile. "I have permission to be here. But thank you for your concern."

Not knowing what else to say, the two women went back to gossiping at the far end of the room.

"What ARE you doing here?" Sarah had to ask.

"I heard you were in trouble. I wanted to make sure you were ok." He gave her hand a squeeze when he said it.

Getting right up so they were face to face, Sarah searched his eyes. For what? Even she wasn't sure. In the end she didn't find anything sinister or mocking, so she pulled away.

"You are an odd boy Henry Mills." She told him.

"You're not the first person to say so." He responded with a laugh.

"Ok then." She settled back into her seat. The weight of his hand around hers, more of a comfort then she would ever admit.

They waited in silence until Mr. Gold and Belle arrived; which, unfortunately, didn't take long.

"Sarah!" It was Belle as she rushed towards the child; instead of reaching out to the woman, the child curled into a ball in her chair; refusing to look at the adults. She knew what was going to happen.

Mrs. Lyne saw the two guardians arrived, and came over to greet the pair.

"Mrs. Lyne is everything ok?" Belle asked worried. She hadn't liked how closed off Sarah was being with them.

"Unfortunately, no." She sounded so upset. "We are just waiting for the sheriff, and then we can proceed."

"Sheriff?" Belle was getting more worried with every minute that passed. Rumpel was silent, waiting, sizing everything up.

"Is Henry involved in this?" He asked cautiously.

"No Grandfather." Henry spoke for himself before anyone else could. "I just wanted to make sure Sarah was ok."

The two adults smiled at the young man. They were never more grateful for his kind and caring personality.

"Thank you Henry." Rumpel shook the young man's hand. "We'll take it from here."

Taking one last look at Sarah, Henry left. He tried not to be too upset when she didn't acknowledge his leaving.

While they waited, both adults tried to get Sarah's attention, but she resolutely stayed curled up in her chair.

Finally Sheriff Swan arrived, with a quick apology and excuse for being late. The principle must have been watching for her, because as soon as she arrived they were ushered into the office.

"Please have a seat everyone." The principle started. "I have asked everyone here to deal with a very serious situation." Turning to Belle and Rumple he addressed them directly. "I know that you are new to the situation, how much of Sarah's history at the school are you aware of."

The two looked at each other, but it was Belle who answered. "We did not receive a lot of information. Her former guardian was not very communicative with us as you can imagine."

"As you can imagine," explained the principle, "Sarah has had some difficulty in the past. She had been caught on several occasions stealing from other students, and even from teachers." At this point Belle looked at the child, not believing what she was hearing. The child continued to look down at her crossed arms. "We understand that Sarah's home life was difficult before, and we had hoped that things would improve now that she is with you. This, however, does not appear to be the case. In fact, the situation appears to have gotten worst."

"What do you mean by worst?" Belle asked. She didn't notice the looks that passed between Rumpel and Emma.

"Sarah has been accused of stealing some of the other students stuff, since her return. She has also added cheating to her delinquencies."

Belle turned to Sarah about to ask for an explanation, but Rumpel spoke before her.

"Accused?"

"Ah yes." The principle got a little uncomfortable at this point. "We have been unable to locate the objects that were reported stolen."

Belle did not like the look in Rumpel's eyes. It was the look he got when someone broke a deal with him. It didn't bode well for the person involved.

"And why were we not informed of the cheating before today?" He again asked.

This time it was her teacher who answered. "To be honest," she started, but was interrupted when Rumpel said in a low tone: "Please do."

"Ah yes." She tried again. "We have been unable to figure out how she has been cheating. Every time we have tried to get to the bottom of the situation, Sarah has been less than co-operative. She has been downright rude."

Now even Belle could see what Rumpel had seen before.

"So let me get this straight." He started. "You are accusing Sarah of stealing, but you have not located the missing items. Therefore you have no evidence that she took them, let alone that they have simply been lost. You are also claiming she has cheated on a test, or several tests, but have no evidence that she didn't just study really really hard. You have questioned her, without a guardian present, with the intent of having her incriminate herself. Since she has not done so, you have deemed her un-cooperative, and you are surprised that she is unhappy with the situation?"

Everyone looked at the man in surprise.

"That is not quite correct." The principle tried to interject, she looked at Mrs. Lyne for assistance, but the teacher was just staring at Mr. Gold like he had grown a second head.

"Then please continue." Mr. Gold invited sceptically.

"She has a history here." The principle stated.

"And of course people can't change even when their circumstances do." The principle looked between Gold and Belle. He had never met the woman or the Dark One before now, but he had heard their story. Or at least he had heard the story of their romance as told through the gossip mills of the town.

Deciding that this topic was a little too volatile, the principle changed tact.

"Her marks have skyrocketed since her return to school. We could see if her marks had improved in one or two subjects, but not all of them, and not so dramatically."

Handing over a stack a paper work to the guardians, everyone was quiet while the two looked through her old report cards.

After a few minutes he continued. "As you can see the child held steady in the low to mid 70% range. Now she is getting 90%- 100% on all her tests and projects. It just doesn't make sense."

Looking at the years of report cards, Rumpel had to agree; it didn't make sense, but not for the reason they were insinuating.

"We can prove she has been stealing." Mrs. Lyne interjected. "We can prove she stole from you." The teacher actually sounded proud.

Reaching into her pocket, the teacher pulled out Sarah's Lalique necklace.

"Sarah!" Belle admonished the child. "You know you are not supposed to bring the necklace to school. We talked about it."

"Please!" Now Mrs. Lyne was sounding not only displeased, but dismissive. "If the necklace really belonged to Sarah, then why was she going to run away with it?"

With that the teacher threw on the table a knapsack, from the bag a bunch of Sarah's old clothes and a few supplied (like food and toiletries) spilled across the desk. She was so happy and proud that she had made the two guardians speechless. They both looked disbelieving at the child. That was until Sheriff Swan spoke up.

"Enough." She sounded calm, but it was a forced calm. "We thank you for your concern." She stood up, motioning for Sarah, Belle, and Gold to do the same.

"Sheriff Swan," Mrs. Lyne addressed her, "this is why I asked for you to be here. Even if Mr. Gold and Miss. French are not prepared to admit to Sarah's delinquency, you must be aware of it, and act accordingly."

Emma said nothing as the three others gathered Sarah's possessions, and left the room. Before leaving she turned back to the two educators.

"You people are idiots." Was all she said, before she too left; leaving them to wonder what had gone so wrong during the meeting.


	26. Chapter 26

_AN: Sorry, sorry, sorry for not publishing for a while. I swear I have not forgotten you guys. I work a seasonal job, and I have been living with a family that has children, so I have been focused on that. But I am still going to write, I will not abandon a story before it is done. That is my promise to myself and to you._

_ - Lilly Dolittle_

* * *

><p>The minute they arrived back at Mr. Gold's house, Sarah dropped all her things, ran up the stairs, and slammed her door; making it clear that she wanted to be alone. Belle made to follow the child, but was stopped by the Sheriff knocking lightly on the door they had just entered.<p>

"Do you mind if I come in?" She asked, though she entered before anyone invited her. The silence was awkward as they stood around, everyone too emotionally exhausted, or just not really knowing what to say.

"I think we should talk about what happened today." Emma finally broke the silence.

At her statement, Belle could see Rumpel's shoulders pull back. It was a subtle sign that he was getting defensive; and a defensive Rumpelstiltskin never bode well for… well anyone.

"Please." Belle said simply, motioning for Emma to follow them down to the living room.

Once there, no one took a seat. Rumpel went to the window, allowing the light coming through to cast him in shadows. Emma leaned against the fireplace, while Belle hovered uncertainly near the kitchen.

"Believe it or not, this is a good thing." Emma addressed Rumple. Belle had noticed that Emma always felt the need to be abrupt when it came to the man/beast/monster. Although Rumple normally liked that about Emma, today it only seemed to anger him.

"A good thing? It's a good thing that Sarah wants to run away? That she wants to leave us?" He would never admit to, and the women would choose to ignore, the way his voice broke at the end. He was trying to hide the pain he was feeling, but it was obvious to the two women in the room.

"She doesn't want to run away." Now Emma's voice was calming; so unlike how it had started.

Belle looked over at Rumple surprised. Even though he was in shadow, she could tell by his body language that he was surprised as well.

"What do you mean?" Belle ventured. "She had a bag packed with clothing and personal things. Wasn't that to run away?"

Emma couldn't help but see the care and concern in the couple before her. It brought up a lot of painful memories, but she would push through those memories to tell them what they needed to hear.

"Children in the system often have what they call 'a go bag'. They don't feel like anything is permanent, so they want the option of being able to leave… to save themselves at a moment's notice. I always had one."

That revelation finally broke the tension. Belle moved forward and sat on the couch; Emma joined her taking the chair, but Rumple stubbornly remained by the window.

Leaning forward Emma decided to address Belle; the other adult she could at least see.

"This isn't about you guys. You need to understand that. This is about the situation Sarah has found herself in." At Belle's nod of comprehension, she continued. "Sarah has not been in the system before, but her family circumstances have been far from stable. How many times do you think she thought of running away? How many times did she fear that she would be taken by child services? How many times did she wish her mother would come back? How many nights did she pray that she wouldn't? It does not surprise me at all that she has a Go Bag."

She stopped for a minute allowing the information to be processed.

"You said 'this is a good thing'?" It was Rumple. He didn't sound angry, or dismissive; he actually sounded curious.

"Well in my Go Bag I always kept clothing, a tooth brush, a hair brush, some money, and anything I felt attached to. Once it was a doll an older girl at the home had given me, another time it was a friendship bracelet from a friend at school."

"The necklace." The words came unbidden from the man by the window; he was looking off in the distance, and didn't even seem to realize he had spoken.

Looking to Belle, she could see the dawning comprehension light her eyes.

"You are doing well." She addressed Belle, but was speaking to both of them. "Keep it up."

Smiling, Belle leaned forward and grasped the other woman's hand.

"Thank you Emma." Her voice was almost a whisper. "Thank you for sharing your past with us. Thank you helping us understand."

"When she returns to school…" Emma started, but was interrupted when Gold seem to come back to himself.

"She won't be going back to that school." He stated firmly.

"What?!" Belle was shocked, where was this coming from?

"I don't think she should go back to that school." He repeated calmly.

"Rumple!" Belle was getting ready to talk some sense into her love, when he started to explain.

"Remember her marks?"

The women nodded.

"I had noticed when she worked with me in the shop that Sarah seemed to pick things up quickly. She was grasping concepts that, now that I think of it, are way beyond what children her age should understand. Her grads only confirmed a suspicion I have had for a while. I think Sarah has been hiding her intelligence."

"She has been reading books beyond her age group." Belle confirmed. "But we can't pull her from school." She added.

"Maybe that is a decision to make after you talk to Sarah." Emma reasoned. "Right now, might not be the best time. Take a few days."

The others nodded. The day was still young, but the emotional toll had worn everyone out.

"If you need me, you know my number."

With that Emma stood, shook Belle's hand, nodded to Mr. Gold, and left the little family in the making to rest.


	27. Chapter 27

Darkness was falling fast across the sky, and the town was settling in for a relaxing evening. Only a few people were still working: the waiters at Ganny's, the nurses in the hospital, and one lonely psychologist.

What was the point of going home? Home didn't bring comfort anymore, it only left him time to think; and if had time to think, he would think of her. He missed Linnea; he missed her smile, her rare giggle, the way she would double blink when asking a question; so he worked. He came in early, stayed late, and worked through his lunch.

Oh who was he kidding? Working wasn't getting his mind off her at all. Too many times he would find himself staring in the distance, lost in thought when he was supposed to be listening to his clients. Thank the gods that no one had noticed. They paid him to listen, not to day dream. So for the last hour… maybe two… he had been sitting in the darken office, pretending to work; but really staring off into the distance.

With an angry sigh, he put down his pen, wheeled his chair to the window, and just stared out into the night. Maybe he hoped he could catch a glimpse of her, maybe he hoped that something outside would distract him from his thoughts; he was not even sure what he hoped for. Which was better: to forget the happiness he had for a short while, or to live with a broken heart? Was it better to have love and lost, or never to have loved at all…. Where the hell did that come from?

Now he was waxing poetics? No it was worst that that… Now he was waxing bad poetics. He was getting more and more pathetic the longer this went on. It was time to stop. It was time to be a grown up. It was time to… do… something… anything… maybe?!

If she didn't want to see him, then what could he do? He was no stalker, but he was in love. Then there was Pongo to think about. He was not the only one heartbroken. Poor Pongo was hardly eating, or sleeping. He would just sit by the window of the office or home, looking out at the world. Just like Archie was doing now. It wasn't fair, why should Pongo suffer because of a mistake Archie had made. Wait, had he made a mistake? Well Linnea didn't want to see him anymore, so clearly he had. He just didn't know what that mistake was; and Pongo was suffering for it.

Pongo was suffering for it.

Pongo was suffering…

Pongo…

Pongo!

Archie jumped from his seat, startling the poor pooch.

Pongo was the answer. If Pongo was sad, then maybe Perdita was too. Maybe Perdita was his way back in. There was not much he wouldn't do for his dog, and Linnea was the same.

With a smile, Archie grabbed his coat and headed out the door.

With a deep sign, Pongo laboriously got up from his bed, grabbed his leash, than sat in front of the door. It was 10 minutes before a contrite looking Archie returned, this time taking his friend with him when he left.

_Humans_


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Family, Hurt-Comfort