Twice Upon A Time {reader x once upon a time}

The Return

Sunday, March 29

August was sleeping when his leg started shaking, waking him up. He tried to hold it down, but his whole body was shaking, making him fall off the bed. When his body calmed down, he hobbled over to the phone and dialed Angie's room number

"Hello?" Angie answered her phone

"Hey, it's me" August replied "This is taking too long. We need to accelerate the plan"

"Okay, I'll get Henry. Where do we meet you?" she asked

A few minutes later, Angie was leaving to pick up Henry. After bringing him up to speed to the situation, they went to meet August at the corner across from Mr. Gold's shop

"It's almost nine" August told them, keeping watch of the shop "You all set? You know what to do?"

"Operation Cobra is always ready" Henry said "I just..." he trailed off

"You just what?" August asked

"I don't understand what this has to do with getting Emma to believe" the kid said

"Sometimes other priorities asset themselves" August told him

"He's right, Henry" Angie said "Sometimes you have to change the path to get to the destination"

"Now, can you two handle a little improvisation?" August asked

"Can you?" Angie and Henry asked back at the same time, causing them to smile at each other and high-five

August chucked at that, then checked the shop again "We are a go" he said when he saw the Open sign was on

Angie and Henry crossed the street and entered the shop while August sneaked in through the back door.

"Good morning Mr. Gold" Angie greeted the man

"Hi Mr. Gold" said Henry

"Good morning, Henry, Miss Swan" Mr. Gold replied "What can I do for you?"

"Well, Henry wants to get a gift for Miss Blanchard" Angie explained

"Oh, I see" Mr. Gold said

"Since she didn't kill that woman" Henry added

"Good thinking. Did you have anything in mind?" the older man asked

"Not really" Henry admitted "Are these bells?" he asked, looking through one of the shelves and ringing them "Cool"

"See anything you fancy?" asked Mr. Gold

"It should be something special, like pretty-sounding, but with authority" Henry said, making her aunt chuckle "I think you're asking a lot from a bell, kid" she told him

"I like the first one, the best so far" Henry said as he continued ringing other bells

"Sometimes it's best to go with one's first instinct" Mr. Gold told him

Henry grabbed a new bell "This one's good. How much is it?" he asked

"The price is marked" Mr. Gold replied

"Wow. I was thinking more like five dollars" Henry commented after reading the price

"Uh, what do you think I'm here for?" Angie asked her nephew "You choose, I'll pay, okay?"

"Okay" the kid replied "Then I'll take this one" he said showing it to Mr. Gold

"Excuse me" he said, instead of taking the bell, and went to the back-room, finding August looking through the shelves in there. Mr. Gold made him leave, through the front door, before going back to sell the bell to Henry. On his way out, August, Angie and Henry managed to pretend they didn't know what the other was doing there.