*The Next Day*
Gold knocked on the door to Mary Margaret's apartment with the shawl around his neck. Emma opened the door, looking like she was ready to leave. "Ready to go, Ms. Swan?" Gold asked, stepping inside as Emma moved to grab the last of her things. "Almost..." Emma sighed, bending down to finish zipping her back.
"Do you think we'll be cold where we're going? Or warm?" Henry asked, holding his coat and backpack.
"I think layers are always a good idea," Emma said, glancing up at her son. "I thought the terms of our agreement were quite clear. You owe me a favor. You alone." Gold said as Emma stood up, throwing her bag's strap on her shoulder. "I'm not leaving Henry here with Cora lurking about. So, either we both go, or we both stay." Emma said to Gold, who hesitated before looking at the ten-year-old.
"Then we'll have to purchase another plane ticket, won't we?" Gold said, looking at Henry, who was throwing his jacket on.
"Wait, we're flying?" Emma asked him while Mary Margaret walked over by Henry. "Don't worry; I'm covering expenses, even the new ones." Gold said, looking back at Emma, while Mary Margaret moved to help Henry with his coat.
"You're a real gentleman, aren't you?" David scoffed, coming down the steps and handing Emma a brown duffle bag. "All right, Gold, you're going out there with my family, just know if anything happens to them, I'll--" David went to say to Gold.
"Then you'll what? Cross the town line, and David Nolan will hunt me down in his animal rescue van?" Gold asked sarcastically, looking at the prince. "I'll be devastated. This isn't a threat. It's a request. I promised to watch over your family... Take care of them." David said when Gold sighed, thinking about his daughter, who only saw him as a monster. "I promise no harm will come to your family. After all, we have a deal." Gold said when David nodded before Gold headed to his car.
"So, where are we going?" Henry asked, sitting in the back seat of Gold's car as they drove towards the town line.
"Logan International Airport." Gold said, staring ahead.
"I think he meant after that..." Emma sighed, looking at the road ahead. "Let's just take things one step at a time, shall we?" Gold said when Emma noticed that he sounded on edge.
Emma turned to look at him, glancing at the shawl that was a struggle to get back from Hook. "You really think that shawl's gonna work?" Emma asked him when Gold glanced at the brown shawl, then back to the road. "Well, if it doesn't, and I revert to my cursed self, we're all going to have some problems..." Gold said, making Henry and Emma look nervous. "It will work... And if not... Check the glove compartment." Gold said when Emma opened the glove box, seeing a doll.
"A doll?" Emma asked, looking at Gold, holding up the doll.
"That's Dream's doll... Apple." Henry smiled, remembering the doll that Dream lost when she was little.
"You spelled Dream's old doll?" Emma asked when Gold sighed to himself, still looking at the road. "An item from both of my children... Just in case." Gold said when he continued to drive.
The car went quiet when they saw the Storybrooke sign, "Now leaving Storybrooke." They passed the orange line when Henry and Emma looked over at Gold, hoping that the shawl and the doll worked. "So?" Emma asked when Gold let out a breath of relief.
"My name is Rumpelstiltskin... And we're going to find my son." He said that Emma kind of felt relieved that the spell worked when she moved to put the doll back into the glove box.
*Meanwhile*
"You like the holster, huh?" Mary Margaret asked, making David turn around to look at her while she was making tea.
"I miss carrying a sword." David chuckled, looking at his wife.
"Well, it looks good on you." She smiled at him as he walked around the loft. "Come on. Leroy has the dwarves on Cora watch. They've got eyes everywhere. But they could use our help." David said, walking over to get his coat and hers. "Really? How hard can it be to find a powerful sorceress in a small town?" Mary Margaret asked as David helped her put on her coat when she went to open the door.
The couple looked shocked when they saw Dream and Regina when it looked like Regina was about to knock. "Uh, apparently, not very hard..." David said to his wife, leaning his hand on the door frame. "Regina? You're back..." Mary Margaret started to say, weary about seeing Regina since it did not go well the last time.
"I know you think I'm responsible for poor Dr. Hopper's death..." Regina started to say.
"Dream, didn't tell you? He's alive." David said when Dream sighed, putting her hands in her coat pockets. "I tried..." Dream sighed when she looked at the Charmings. "What?" Regina asked, looking at the Charmings, then to her daughter.
"I tried to tell you that you were framed, Mom." Dream said as Mary Margaret and David glanced at each other.
"When did you try to tell me? When I picked you up from the hospital?" Regina asked when Dream sighed, looking at the Charmings. It had been a long morning. "Who would do that?" Regina asked, turning to the Charmings.
"Your mother. She's here." Mary Margaret said when Regina looked confused. "But that's not possible..." Regina denied it, pretending like she did not already know.
"When we found a way back, so did she." Mary Margaret said when Regina sighed, looking at the ground. "We were wrong. And we're so sorry." Mary Margaret sighed when Regina looked up at her, giving her a small smile.
"I know. But if Cora's here, then we're all in danger. Please, you have to let me see my son. I can protect him." Regina said as David sighed to himself, while Mary Margaret just kept her smile. "He's not here." She said, causing Regina's smile to turn into a frown.
"What?"
"Where is he?" Dream asked when she looked at them. "Mr. Gold asked Emma to help him find his son... They left town about an hour ago with Henry." David explained, sighing to himself.
"And no one told me?" Regina asked them, making Mary Margaret sigh.
"We didn't know where you were. And to be honest, Regina, I don't think Emma has to run anything by you." Mary Margaret said, making Dream scoff out loud at her comment. "Legally? Yes, she does. Emma has no rights to him--" Dream started to say, but Regina cleared her throat, giving Dream a look, telling her to stop. "No..." Regina said, turning back to the Charmings. "I suppose she doesn't," Regina said, making Dream look confused.
"Mom?" Dream asked when Regina turned to Dream.
"Come on... Let's go, Dreamy." Regina said, leading her daughter down the stairs to her car.
Once they started to leave, Mary Margaret closed the door, sighing aloud. "That went well..." She sighed, looking at David. "With her, it doesn't get much better. Come on, let's go find Cora." David said, turning to grab Mary Margaret's bow and quiver of arrows. "Where?" She asked her husband.
"No idea... But I know who to ask." David said, grabbing his coat as they headed out.
~season 2, episode 13: "Tiny"~
~1220 words~