The Author

The call

"Damn!" cursed Rumplestiltskin as he snapped his cell phone shut. He ended the call as Belle cried out, "Will no one pick up?"

Rumple shook his head as he resumed his focus on the road. A flurry of dreaded thoughts swarmed their minds. The silence was deafening and their bodies ached from all the tension. Before she could allow her mind to set off another panic attack she spoke to break the silence. "Rumple..."

Rumple temporarily broke his trance from the road to quickly glance at her.

"Rumple... there's still magic in Storybrooke..." Belle remarked looking over at her husband from the passenger seat of the Cadillac. Magic was something they hadn't had to worry about in years and the mere thought brought about an unsettling form of anxiety. The sun was slowly rising as they made their way across the interstate towards Maine. Rumple casted Belle a nervous look and replied with great trepidation, "... I know."

"I don't understand. Everyone knows that we're done with that life. Most of them were probably relieved to see us go."

"Well, evidently, someone wants us back."

"But why?" questioned Belle anxiously. She sighed heavily staring out the windshield. "What could they possibly want from us?" Silence filled the space between them and it left Belle realizing that he was withholding information. His reluctance was foreboding. "Rumple, our daughter's life is on the line. What do you know that you're not telling me?"

Rumple let out an anxious sigh, twisting and stretching his shoulders as if suddenly becoming uncomfortable in his seat. "Belle, during that summer... before we left Storybrooke and moved to New York... I had discovered one of Henry's traveling spells..."

"Yes, I remember... and you mentioned that you had been traveling back to your castle..." Castle. It felt strange as the words left her mouth. In this world that they had already assimilated to, the mere thought of magic and castles seemed foreign, fantastical and downright ludicrous. It was another life. This... was supposed to be their happy ending. "...to collect dark magic..."

Rumple nodded, "One of those dark items that I sought after was the Sorcerer's hat... and this Sorcerer went by the name of 'Merlin'."

"Merlin? As in, Camelot and... Arthur..." That was the connection. "This doesn't make sense. Why would Arthur come after us? How could Arthur have come after us in New York when he's from our land?"

"If... he existed."

"If?"

"So during that summer while you were pregnant with Lily, I went to the Enchanted Forest and heard from a man that Merlin was nearby. Now legends say that Merlin has the power to travel through time and realms and if that's true... then Belle he's more powerful than me! All of his magic comes from a hat and I wanted it. I wanted it because that power would have been enough to break me from the Dark One dagger and let me keep my magic outside of Storybrooke."

"Oh Rumple..." Belle commented while shaking her head in disapproval.

"But that was then! Obviously I didn't get it," he said defensively, doing his best to look at her and drive at the same time. "Hey..." he said softly, waiting to make eye contact with her. She turned to face him and saw him looking seriously at her. "I'm glad I didn't," he said with sincerity.

"I know," she replied more sympathetically.

He continued, "So, I had collected items and clues to his whereabouts, but every time I had gotten close to meeting him he would disappear and evade my grasp. The last remaining clue I had that hadn't checked out was a cryptic note I had acquired from him a long, long time ago saying, 'We cannot meet until we meet Arthur.' So for months, that summer, I scoured the land in search for Arthur, but found nothing. Then Henry had gone off to see Hercules and I was never able to resume my search."