Beautiful Lily

Growig up

"Rumple?" Belle called out. He didn't respond. She rounded the corner to the living room where a fire blazed intensely in the fireplace. Gold stood close to the fireplace with an arm resting on the mantle. He stared brooding into the flames, thinking of his options.

"Rumple," Belle called again softly. She leaned against the door frame to the living room and watched her husband from afar stew over the fireplace. "You know, don't you?"

"Know what?" he murmured back softly.

"Know what's going to happen to Neal. Is that why you keep distancing yourself from him? Is that what your visions keep showing you?"

"My visions, as you know, are complicated. They're all jumbled at the moment and it's not been helpful. No," Gold said decidedly, as he turned away from the fireplace, "I should go and do what I should have done as soon as Bae walked in through my door."

Gold attempted to get to the front door, but Belle placed herself in the middle of the exit to block his escape.

"Stop!" she said, placing a gentle hand at his chest to prevent him from moving any further, "I know what you are going to do. I may not have the power of foresight, but I do know you."

"And what exactly do you think I'm going to do?"

"You're going to go after Hercules yourself to finish out Henry's deal."

"Bae may not want Henry's hands to get dirty, but mine already are so I have no problem doing what I must to keep Bae here."

"Don't do it, you'll be giving Hades exactly what he wants."

"Yeah well, for once, another dealmaker has what I want. I believe we can come to an arrangement."

"Are you seriously going to challenge a god? Do you even think that's wise? According to the books I've read, gods have existed way before you even knew of magic... before magic even existed for that matter. You may have lived for a really long time, but Hades is much, much older than you. There's a reason why he still exists. And you of all people should know not to make deals without knowing the price, especially if he deals using ill-defined verbal contracts. It's dangerous."

Gold stared at her in stunned silence. She was right.

"Belle... I... I..." Gold stammered out of nervous fright, "I don't know what to do."

"I know," she said coming over to him as they fell into a comforting embrace.

"Hades is in Storybrooke," Emma said as she entered the living room. Gold and Belle parted from their hug as Henry and Neal followed after Emma into the room. As Emma found a place on the couch as she continued her explanation, "Regina just called. She said that Hades let loose another monster in town and that we should keep tight until Elsa and Hercules dispose of it. Hades needs to be stopped. Otherwise he'll just keep creating monsters to destroy Hercules, destroying this town in the process."

"How do you stop a god?" asked Belle.

"You remove his power," said Gold simply.

"How?" asked Neal.

"Deities get their power from the belief of their followers. There's only one person who sought after Hades, believing that he could bring back his father," Gold said looking at his grandson, "and you're the only one with the heart of the truest believer."

"Me?" Henry said innocently, unsure as to how he was going to save them all. "How can I stop Hades?"

"You need to stop believing in his power and his existence," said his grandfather.

"That's a lot to ask of anybody, especially a fourteen year old," said Emma defensively.

"He can do it," said Neal confidently.

"I've no doubt of it, but son," Gold said placing a hand on Neal's shoulder. Neal turned to face his father. Gold had a look of pained sadness has he said, "that means... you'll be gone as well."

Neal took his father hands within his own and held them close to his chest, "It's ok Papa. I understand. I knew it from the moment I came back that this wasn't going to be forever. I love you Papa. Don't ever forget that. And we will be reunited again. I promise. But until then, I'll just be waiting for you. This isn't goodbye. I'll just be seeing you later. Promise me one thing..."

"Anything..." Rumple said, tears forming in his eyes.

"Promise me, you'll live to raise my younger sibling as the father you were meant to be... as the man I know you are."

"I will. Baelfire, I promise. I love you," promised Rumple, kissing his son on the cheek and hugging him tightly. Rumple squeezed just a little bit harder, soaking up the seconds and pretending they were hours. Reveling in the short exchange he knew was coming quickly to a close.

"I'll be ok. I love you, Papa," said Baelfire, signaling to his father to let go of him. Rumple reluctantly took his son's cue and let go, but before he allowed Bae to go to Henry, he kissed the top of his son's hand just as he did before letting him go the last time. Baelfire turned away from Rumple and knelt down beside Henry who was sitting next to his mother on the couch. A small tear was escaping from the corner of Emma's eye as Neal approached them. "Henry... this isn't going to be easy-"

"Dad... I don't want you to go," begged Henry with tears in his eyes.

"Henry, you're going to be fine. Thanks to your mom, you are growing up beautifully and that's all any father could ever ask. And you know... it's ok to change your beliefs. Beliefs are just strings of thoughts and ideas that harden and take shape in our minds to be what we think of as the truth. And these truths are so hard to change because that means changing yourself; it means growing up and accepting new thoughts that alter your perception of the world. And this world, or any world that you find yourself in, moves and constantly changes. Just like you. We all must move on as this world does. And we all must have an open mind to accept all sorts of ideas, otherwise you'll never grow. I want you to grow and to continue growing as you have been. I want you to live and grow and find love. And if you happen to do all that, and fall in love with someday a child of your own, it'll be the greatest gift you could ever get. But... I'm hoping that part comes much later for you. Look, I know what I'm asking of you seems impossible, but I know with you... anything is possible. I do love you Henry... and as I said to your grandfather, this isn't goodbye. I'll just be seeing you later."

Henry nodded compliantly as he looked at his father. Henry sprung forward from his seat and wrapped his arms around his father. "I love you Dad," whimpered Henry.

"I love you too, Buddy."

When father and son departed from their embrace, Henry sat back down on the couch next to his mother. He gazed lovingly at his father one last time and closed his eyes. Henry thought about the words his father had said to him. He thought about ideas and the idea of growing up and moving on. In those few moments, he thought about the direction of his life. He thought about when he was happy. He thought of his fake memories of when he was in New York. He remembered his classmates and became jealous on how they didn't have to deal with these kinds of issues. He thought of how simple his life was then. He thought of how his father wanted him to find love. He needed to grow up.

Neal was kneeling beside Henry as he faded away into nothing. At the disappearance, Emma wrapped an arm around Henry's shoulders. Emma tried to comfort Henry, but it didn't stop the tear that fell out of his face onto the floor.