Notes: This story directly follows my last OUAT story Home (so if you haven't read it, you're going to be super confused). Welcome back to all my awesome readers and welcome new readers. There's going to be a considerable amount of Rumple whump going on in this one (not that he didn't get it a couple times in the last one...), so fair warning. Enjoy!

Chapter One.

There was shouting. Screaming. It filled his ears and swelled around him, threatening to overtake him. He'd never heard anything like it. There was a rawness to the sound, as if it had been going on for some time and, somehow, it made his own throat burn just to hear it. He hadn't felt this kind of fear in a long, long time and he tried to crush it down, to remind himself: He was immortal. Nothing could harm him. Nothing.

The sound ripped through the darkness again, sending a chill through his body. An ache spread through his shoulders. He was chained, wrists held firmly by manacles over his head, the wall not giving way. His first impulse was to reach for his magic, but something was blocking it. The fear swelled again and he tugged hard, wrists already bruised from a previous struggle he couldn't quite remember.

"Don't make this more difficult for yourself, Dark One," a voice hissed through the shadows and he found himself scurrying away from it, back pressed against the wall. He couldn't seem to control the movements, the fear that he thought he'd banished when he took on the curse driving him to find the nearest corner to huddle in.

He felt hands clamp down on him and a magic that he didn't recognized raced through him, burning and ripping at his insides. It was in that moment that he realized the screams were his own and his throat burned because it was raw from it. They didn't relent, fingers digging into skin that must have been blistered and he felt a jolt run through his thin frame, slamming him back and the cry was cut short, dying into a moan of utter misery.

"Rumplestiltskin!"

His name broke through the haze, sharp and frightened and someone was shaking him. Dark eyes flew open and their owner jolted up, nearly slamming into the young woman that was bent over him. Blue eyes were wide, meeting his, and Belle let out a sigh of relief as she threw her arms around his neck. "You wouldn't come out of it," she managed, face buried in the crook of his neck.

Rumplestiltskin wrapped a careful arm around her. It had been nearly three weeks since they'd returned to the Land Without Magic and she hadn't bothered with her apartment over the library since being placed there upon their re-arrival. In fact, she'd barely left his side since their return, as if she feared that to do so would snap her out of the illusion that he'd survived their latest near-death experience. So he held her there, letting her cling to him as long as she liked and didn't let go until she settled back so she was sitting on the bed next to him, worry still shining in her clear eyes.

"I'm alright, sweetheart," he promised, his voice coming out a bit more strained than he would have liked. The nightmare danced at the edge of his consciousness, the pain still settled deeply there so that it almost wrapped into his physical being. He could almost feel the hands on him still, the burning and the pain. He cleared his throat, pushing it aside, and offered her a true smile he reserved for very few. "I promise."

"What were you dreaming about? It sounded terrible."

"It was," he admitted softly and reached up to touch the side of her face, "but it's nothing you should worry yourself about."

"Rumple," she admonished softly as he pulled her in for a kiss. They lingered there for a moment and she reached up to lay her hand flat against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart there. It was a bit quicker, still reacting to whatever he had seen, and she felt the want to help him with his pain wash over her so that it was almost an overwhelming need. "Please talk to me about it."

"It was just an old nightmare. I've had it for… many years. It doesn't mean anything anymore." He sighed, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "It's not that I don't trust you with it, Belle. It would simply be better to put it from my mind. I'd rather not relive it the next time I sleep as well."

"Okay," she accepted slowly.

When she made no move to leave her perch he sighed, letting his eyes drift to the mostly closed curtains. There was enough light making its way into that western-most window of the house to know that the sun was struggling its way up in the early autumn sky and the day had begun. He'd opened his shop back up about a week and a half ago, but he'd never kept specific hours before and no one expected him to now. If they decided to curl back up for a few more minutes and eat a late breakfast before he headed over, he wouldn't likely miss a soul. After all, most people were still too busy in near panic over the what-ifs to return back to what had once been their day-to-day.

The people of Storybrooke knew just enough to make them uneasy. There had been a woman - a witch - that had tried to take over their kingdoms through gathering power to herself. The rumours varied and as far as Rumple had heard, none of them had included his dagger. He had a wide range of roles in the stories, ranging from being her co-conspirator to having vanquished her in the end. Neither of which were true, of course, but that never seemed to matter.

"Snow called a bit ago."

"Oh joy."

Belle shot him a look and he nodded at her to keep going. "She wanted to know if we're coming by the town hall today for the meeting."

"They're holding another one?"

"People are worried. It helps them to hear their leaders speak." She offered a shrug. They both knew that while Snow White and her Charming knew more than the average person in Storybrooke that had not been in their inner circle in the Enchanted Forest, by this point everything that could have been shared would have been. "She thinks it'd be good if people saw you there."

Rumplestiltskin snorted. "I highly doubt that."

She leaned back into him, her head resting against his shoulder in a comfortable manner. He wondered when they'd become so relaxed in one another's presence. Perhaps she had long before he'd allowed himself to. "It's true. Snow wants to talk to you about the magic here."

"There is no magic here. It was ripped from the town when Regina tore up the curse and all of you were taken back."

"She says people are asking. Regina doesn't want to explain it."

"Of course she doesn't."

"Snow thinks it's best if she doesn't as well. If word got out that an oversight in the price of reversing the curse was what tore everyone back here…"

"I see your point," he sighed in response. "Let Blue handle it then. She likes to stand up on a pedestal and tell the world how it should behave."

Belle shifted in his arms so that she could look up to see his expression as she spoke. "That's something else Snow wanted to talk to you about…."

Rumplestiltskin quirked an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

"The Blue Fairy pulled her support from Snow White and David just before we all came back to Storybrooke."

This caught his attention. "Why? She's always supported Snow White in any endeavour."

"I don't know the specifics. Snow wouldn't say. I think she was trying to be cryptic about it."

"But Blue is out completely? Even now?"

"Apparently."

Rumple let his head fall back against the headboard, a light thump sounding from the contact. If Blue had pulled out, that meant she was pulling every fairy she could take with her, which - though he was loath to say it - was quite a bit of magical power should magic ever be brought back to Storybrooke. Quite a bit of magical knowledge as well. That left Regina, Tinker Bell, and potentially Emma if she could manage it, though she hardly had the knowledge that the others had.

"No rest, is there?" he asked Belle at last.

She straightened up and pressed a kiss to his lips. "We've had three weeks of rest, Rumple. Now it's time to help our family."

Those were the words he needed and she knew it. She always knew what he needed to hear to motivate him. "Fine, fine," he grumbled, throwing back the sheets and nearly taking her with them. Belle laughed as she moved quickly to avoid it and he reached for his cane.

"Baelfire left early to meet Emma and Henry at Granny's before the meeting, so it's just us. I'll make breakfast while you're getting dressed. That should get us down there with enough time to get caught up before the actual meeting," she said on her way out the door.

"Don't forget to close the fridge!" he called after her only to be met by another laugh. He shook his head and unfolded himself from the bed. When had the Dark One become so damned domesticated?

People were already beginning to mull around outside the little courthouse that seconded as a town hall by the time they reached it. Belle waved happily at people that Rumplestiltskin hardly recognized and he wondered, in her very limited time here, how she'd gotten to know so many people. He shook his head, laughing to himself. Because she was Belle and everyone loved her as much as she loved everyone. She was a light in any dark room that she might walk into.

"You came!" Henry called as he raced down the front steps and nearly tackled both his grandpa and Belle.

Rumplestiltskin ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. They hadn't been overly close even when they'd learned of the blood connection, but perhaps it was the fact that Rumple had been directly involved in saving him from Pan or even the newest near-death experience that Henry had witnessed first-hand, but in the three weeks since they'd been reunited the lad had decided to make it one of his goals to make sure that he had just as strong of a bond with his father's father as he did with his mother's. "Needed to stretch my legs."

"Uhuh," Henry said, not fooled for an instant. "I think you secretly like helping. It's okay, I won't tell anyone."

"Now let's not get ahead of ourselves, lad," his grandfather teased him. "Where's your grandmother? I hear I've been summoned and all that."

Henry laughed at the flare in his voice and motioned for them to follow him inside. He hopped up with the steps with all the energy of a young teenager. Rumplestiltskin followed at a considerably slower speed, his ankle aching in the cool, damp air and he leaned heavily on his cane because of it. The inside was almost as crowded with people as the outside was with early-comers. Snow White and David stood at the front with their daughter by their side, talking to a group of mostly royals. Prince Philip and his young wife Aurora stood with him, Prince Thomas and his father listening intently just a step away, though princess Ella appeared to be chasing a toddler around in a corner. Regina and Robin were towards the front and Roland took off to greet Henry as soon as he saw him, eyes bright with excitement. One of the few credits Rumple had to give to the young king and queen was that they didn't limit themselves to royal company. Bae stood close to Emma, and Ruby and Granny were there, alongside Archie and Marco. Pinocchio took off after Roland.

Henry scooped up Roland as best he could and motioned for Pinocchio to follow him. "C'mon, let's go get Alexandra so Ella can listen in."

"Thank you, Henry!" Snow called.

"Just tell me what I miss. I want to help," the boy answered back with a grin that looked just like Bae's had at that age.

The queen turned back to the newcomers and she seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for coming."

"Well, when there's panic in Storybrooke my shop's the first to get looted, so might as well stop it before it starts," Rumple answered with a shrug.

"Pretty sure that's not why it gets looted," Emma popped back from her place.

"Good to see you too, Miss Swann."

Rumple and Belle moved to stand between Bae and Ruby, receiving both greetings and wary looks combined from all there. David picked up where he seemed to have left off: some dull droll abound the safety and security of all and how they would achieve that. It went on for long enough for Rumple to begin to lean heavily on his cane, mind drifting until Baelfire nudged him none too gingerly in the ribs. "That question was for you, Pop," he murmured.

Dark eyes blinked and found all attentions on him.

David, to his credit, looked a bit worried. The exact details of what had really happened weren't wide spread, but it was certain that if anyone were called family through Henry that they probably knew the dangerous details. "If you're still not feeling up to it-"

"I'm quite alright, I just can only take so much when it comes to one of your long-winded speeches."

Where Bae had nudged, Belle used an elbow. "Rumple."

"Alright," he conceded, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. "You were saying?"

"I just want to make sure everyone's on the same page here, with the whole magic… thing."

Dark eyes surveyed the crowd. Some looked interested, some uneasy, and the others were downright hostile in their expressions. The latter was mostly Granny and Grumpy. "The whole magic thing-" he said, unable to keep the mockery entirely out of his tone- "is that there is none. Likely it was stripped from here when everyone left and the curse was broken. Us coming back would not necessarily bring magic back. It didn't the first time, there's no reason to believe that it would this time."

"But we have our memories," Archie offered from where he stood.

Rumplestiltskin shrugged. "Our memories aren't linked to magic. To bring it back, someone would have to do something. By someone I do mean me." He glanced back to Regina and cut off her argument. "Sorry, dearie, I didn't see you dropping an unmixable potion down the wishing well last time."

"Oh shut up, Rumple."

He flashed her a grin. "You and I still need to have a discussion about those damn keys of yours." He turned his attention back to everyone else, one hand dancing as he explained. "The Witch relies entirely on her magic and, even if she found a way to follow us, she'd find herself just like the rest of us when she arrived: perfectly normal. In the end, until we find a way to defeat her, this is the safest route for everyone."

"David, are we going to take Rumplestiltskin's word on this?" Thomas demanded, jabbing a finger in the elder man's direction. "There are plenty of people that say he's working with the Witch, and I wouldn't put it past him."

"Peace, Thomas," Charming urged. "You forget that Snow and I traveled with him to find the plants that brought Emma and Henry back. We were along for ninety percent of that trip. Trust me, Rumplestiltskin is not working for the Witch."

The accused Dark One blinked at the young king. "Thank you," he offered tightly.

"But does she have that dagger of yours?" Grumpy asked, eyeing him carefully.

Rumple straightened, pulling his shoulders back from where they'd begun to slump forward the longer he stood. All eyes were on him, those that knew what the Dwarf meant and those that didn't. He felt Belle's hand on his arm, encouraging trust. "It's a choice you'll have to make," she had told him some days before. "When the time comes and you really decide that you want to help, you'll have to trust them if you want their trust in return."

"Yes," he managed after a moment. He cleared his throat, speaking a bit stronger. "Hence the reason that the entire community is safer without magic in our midst right now. No magic, no power to control the Dark One."

"But what if she finds a way to bring magic back?" Ella asked shakily.

"We're jumping ahead of ourselves now," Snow said, a winning smile gracing her lips. "The Witch hasn't followed us, nor do we have any inclinations that she even can. Rumplestiltskin's right on this. No one knows more about his own curse than he does and he's earned David's and my trust through his actions."

A consenting murmur flowed through the small crowd as the doors flew open and Tinker Bell walked in, accompanied by Astrid, the fairy-nun out of her usual nunnery frock and dressed in pale pink instead. "Sorry we're late," Tink offered, nearly skipping in. She winked at Grumpy as his face lit at the sight of her companion. "One more for our ranks, Snow."

"I… didn't think Blue was right to pull support from you, Snow White. I don't know how much help I can be, but whatever I can do, it's yours."

"Thank you, Astrid," the young queen answered graciously.

"What exactly is the story about the Blue Fairy pulling her support?" Rumple asked, dark gaze finding Snow's and hazel eyes immediately darted away.

"She didn't feel like she could stand with us this time. It's her choice. We'll stand strong against any enemy though. Together."

He started to press the subject, but a chill hit him and Rumplestiltskin looked back towards the still-open doors. Outside, amongst the people mulling about, was a man he had not seen in centuries. He couldn't be entirely sure until the man turned his piercing blue gaze on him and Rumple felt like he'd been stabbed again, the breath leaving him all at once. He hadn't seen him, but he'd heard his voice in his nightmares just that morning.

Don't make this more difficult for yourself, Dark One.

"Rumple?"

He blinked, realizing he'd actually stumbled and he waved Belle's worry off. "I've just been standing too long. You'll excuse me if I don't stay for the meeting itself? I have some things to do in the shop."

"The council didn't disperse when we came back, and you were made part of it," David argued. "The people are worried and they need all of us here. You're the foremost expert on magic that we have with Blue gone."

"That means you don't get to pop in and out as you choose." That time it was Granny. He was sure she'd been biting her tongue until then.

"Fine," he snapped, looking back to the door. He was gone, the space he'd been standing in taken by some other person that has probably been a villager in some little town or another that Snow and her prince ruled over.

"Papa?"

Rumple's expression softened and he knew that those closest to him hadn't bought his quickly spun lie. "Later," he promised, reminding himself that he'd have to make good on it. For now, all he could do was hope that Mallicade hadn't recognized the pale, dark eyed man with a limp that seemed to have found company with more heroes than villains these days.

TBC

Notes: So, how do you like it so far? Oh, and kudos if anyone can tell me where the refrigerator comment comes from :D