Manhattan

“Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make -- bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake -- if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble. Making assumptions simply means believing things are a certain way with little or no evidence that shows you are correct, and you can see at once how this can lead to terrible trouble..." Lemony Snicket, The Austere Academy "

** All photos posted here are chosen for a reason **


There are no facts only interpretations

I think if the writers stumbled upon my little site here, I fear they would find me crazy or worse.  After years of watching LOST I tend to read between the lines and question everything. That's not always a good thing. After all, that may not be the writers intention with ONCE Upon A Time, although we are given reason to be cautious of what we see. I love the writers and I thank them constantly for making me "think."

Why, oh, why does it bother me so, that in the episode Desperate Souls the original Dark One referred to Baelfire as Rumple's bastard child. The original Dark One tells Rumple- "You don't control them- You control me. Have you ever wondered...was he really your child at all? Unlike you he's not a coward and yearns to fight and die in glory. What a poor bargain that would be, to lay down your soul to save your bastard son..."
Now, did the Dark One say that just to piss off and confuse Rumple, or is there any truth to that statement?  Let's note that Neal just met his "bastard son." Interesting, it's like a circle or a cycle. Hmmm...
In this episode the Seer tells Rumple about Milah already being "with child." Is it possible Milah cheated on Rumple (let's say with the real love of her life, Hook or someone else) and Bae isn't Rumple's.

Of course I may be making more out of this than I should, but... Just to play devil's advocate, Milah, nor Rumple hint that she's with child before he leaves for his time in the Army. If anything, Milah only encourages him to fight brave, "And when you return we can start living the life we've always dreamed of- we can have a family."  So, doesn't the possibility exist that Milah wasn't with child during the opening conversation?

Rumple was excited at the possibility of escaping his father's shadow. Although Rumple's father was a coward, he deeply pained Rumple by abandoning him. I was pissed to see Milah harping upon Rumple's return, about Rumple's father being a coward and making him think he was as well, even after Rumple sacrificed his leg to be home with his wife and son and not be guilty of abandoning his child. But Milah twisted the whole thing around to make Rumple look wrong, weak and cowardly, instead of seeing any positive in his sacrifice. Therefore Rumple's only "fear" was being afraid to leave Bae fatherless- not afraid of the fight itself. But Rumple is guilty of listening to a Seer.

They are all guilty of holding on to the ghosts of their pasts.

Went to a Fortune Teller- Had my Fortune Read

"It's a tricky beast," Rumple is warned. But Rumple was taken by the tricky child Seer, who gives him, just vague enough information combined with a bit of valid Intel, to put doubt and fear into his head. She could have heard those facts from the gossiping soldiers in the camp and front line. The Seer implied Rumple's destiny is "something" that he perceives as death. But he's unaware that the future puzzle isn't a complete picture; it's jumbled and the pieces need to be sorted.  Now with a poisoned mind, poisoned by the tricky monster, fearful Rumple takes action- the very action that causes his own future suffering and leaves Bae without a father.  The child Seer never said he was going to die, that's a notion he put into his own head, she only said "your actions on the battlefield tomorrow will leave him fatherless."  He didn't even let events unfold naturally. As a matter of fact, the night before he was to go into battle the soldier was happy because things may have been looking up- "Fortune favors us! Fresh supplies have arrived from the Duke. Today we will not be marching into battle, we'll be riding."  If Rumple would have let the puzzle pieces fall into place, who knows... maybe he would have left a hero or maybe not. But he did fulfill the Seer's vision, in that he made it happen.


When will my reflection show... who I am inside

Call it what you want... Reflection, Mirror Moment or even a Flash, they are moments when we reflect back on the things that cause us pain, make us who we are, show us what to direction to take on the path and change who we are.  But we can only be in control of so much- there are variables.

Again, I'll bring up the tricky child Seer who states Rumple is scared to turn out like his father, but the newly drafted Rumple we saw was brave enough to try and dispel that fear, even though he lost his way for a while. He realized quickly that letting Bae go was the wrong decision and he's been working hard to fix that. He still may not know all the right moves to make, but he's trying to change for the better. Henry just might be the person who is Rumple's undoing... in that, he may help him turn over a new leaf; although Rumple currently perceives him as a threat, as per the Seer's prediction and Rumple now assuming she meant Henry.

Whether you realize it or not, even though Rumple is trying to improve his life, he seems to be helping others out too. He just has to look at the bigger picture and not think selfishly.  It's been my experience that people don't think with their head, they think with their heart and then they con their mind into justifying their decision.

I wonder if August is manipulating the story at all. His hands are in things somehow. There may be some trickery and conning going on. 

Many can assume and even hope that Bae is Peter Pan based on a few tid-bits given in episodes and it may be true, but there may be another way to look at things.  August is a big player in all of this as storytelling Pinocchio.  In Disney's Pinocchio, the liar and storyteller is conned by Honest John and Gideon, who convince him that he's sick and the cure is to go to Pleasure Island. There Pinocchio makes friends with other trouble making boys that gamble, smoke, get drunk and destroy Pleasure Island. The island has a crazy curse that turns the bad boys who make jackasses of themselves into actual donkeys; then they are sold to work in the (salt) mines and circuses. Neal wasn't an honest young man; he was a liar and a thief on the run.  Let's just see how all this plays out.

Things to Note...Questions to Ask... 

๑ Puzzle. Missing pieces.
๑ 407 is the area code for Orlando- home of Walt Disney World
- Ontario Highway 407
๑ August.
๑ Bae left Fairy Tale land before Regina cast the curse, so how did he come to know about the curse?
๑ A nice bit of text that August shows Neal in the episode Tallahassee,when he tells August "... I'm gonna tell you a story..."  Here in the episode Manhattan, August tells Neal  "When you see what I have in here you're gonna listen. You're gonna believe every word I say."
๑ Book. Written out. Draft. Stories. Report. Dewey-Decimal System. Read. Library.
In the Pilot episode Emma's door had  this-

๑ Both Neal and Mary Margaret's apartments have green doors. A green door leads you into Oz
๑ Regina said the curse was about Magic and not memories- yet in addition to Storybrooke being a land without magic, the residents have lost their memories.
๑ Fly
๑ Is Gold's ring a Mood Ring of sorts?
๑ Teach. Training. Learn
๑ Weave. Sew
๑ Honor (Although here it's not spelled how a New Yorker would spell it).  Nobel.
๑ Island = Manhattan. Bar. Key.
๑ In Child of the Moon, Quinn wears a ring with an "eye" motif on it.
๑ When the magic globe glowed the whereabouts of Bae, Rumple's blood did not settle on the New York area.

Vocabulary and Research... 

๑ "The Hedley Kow" is a Northumbrian English fairy tale. Abou a mischievous shapeshifting creature.
- Cow- adult female cattle
- Cows are sacred
- Cell on Wheels
- The Circle of Willis
- COW- Computer Originated World
- Cowes- the main township on Phillip Island in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia.
- Cowes- is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight.
๑ The Flat Iron Building: The Fuller Building is located at 175 5th Ave. It sits on the block of 23rd 5th Ave and Broadway, anchoring the south Downtown end of Madison Square.
๑ Pan's Labyrinth- The film interweaves this real world with a fantasy world centered around an overgrown abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with which the main character, Ofelia, interacts.
๑ The Kris or Keris is a prized asymmetrical dagger most strongly associated with the culture of Indonesia, but also indigenous to Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei.  The Kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, but in the past, most had straight blades.  A Kris can be divided into three parts: bilah (blade), hulu (hilt), and warangka (sheath).  These parts of the Kris are objects of art, often carved in meticulous detail and made from various materials; metal, precious or rare types of wood, or gold or ivory.  Both a weapon and spiritual object, Kris are often considered to have an essence or presence, considered to possess magical powers, with some blades possessing good luck and others possessing bad. Kris are used for display, as talismans with magical powers, weapons, a sanctified heirloom, auxiliary equipment for court soldiers, an accessory for ceremonial dress, an indicator of social status, a symbol of heroism, etc. Legendary Kris that possess supernatural power and extraordinary ability were mentioned in traditional folktales, such as those of Mpu Gandring, Taming Sari, and Setan Kober.

✔ Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale

✈ And... Manhattan is an island.
✈  8 (August), 23
✈  Bar- Christian Shephard, Jack Shephard
✈ Circle.
✈ I was always amazed that the Castaways were always following crudely drawn maps on the island, as if a child drew them.
✈ "The universe has a way of course correcting" Flashes Before Your Eyes
✈ Missing Pieces
✈ Desmond "sees" the future
✈  Three minutes
✈  "It doesn't work like that"- Desmond in Tricia Tanaka is Dead,
✈  "It doesn't work like that/that way"
       - Locke in This Place is Death
       -What Kate Did
✈ Kate broke Jack's heart
✈ About his visions of the future, Desmond tries to explain to Hurley "...it was sorta like a jigsaw puzzle, only I don't have the picture on the box, so I don't know how the pieces fit together exactly- but if one of the pieces..."  In Catch 22
✈ Manhattan: Michael lives in Manhattan, N.Y. - Meet Kevin Johnson
- The Flat Iron building is mentioned by Michael to Walt in episode "...In Translation"
- Jeremy Bentham/Locke pays a visit to Walt in Manhattan
✈  The Dharma Initiative recruits members (not drafts).  Some of its members are former military soldiers; Desmond, Kelvin, Mikhail, etc.
✈ Recruit
✈ Three Minutes
✈ The recruitment poster Desmond passes in Flashes Before Your Eyes doesn't represent the military or wording of the Military of England.
✈ Coincidence and Fate is a theme.  "Don't mistake coincidence for fate": The Cost of Living
✈ Christian tells Locke that the wheel slipped off its axis and all he needs to do is give it a little push it. This Place is Death


Enough of my rambling... Here's your episode recap! Enjoy!

Milah seems happy and feels Rumple is a good teacher (sewing). She asks what brings Rumple home so early.  He's happy his weaving days are behind them and he's happy to be called to the front to fight in the Ogre Wars; he reports for training the morning. Milah's heard stories about the front being a brutal place. But this doesn't deter Rumple. He may be frightened, but this is the chance he's been waiting for all his life.  "I've lived under the shadow of my father's actions for too long now."  Milah encourages him, "Just because your father was a coward doesn't mean you are." Rumple knows that as does she, but to the world, fighting in that war finally gets him the chance to prove it to everyone else. So understanding Milah tells him to go and be brave, "Fight honorably."
Rumple smiles and tells her I love you, and she loves him too. "And when you return we can start living the life we've always dreamed of- we can have a family."  They are happy.

SOHO, N.Y.C.
Rumple/Gold, Emma and Henry arrive at their NYC destination. Emma guesses Rumple's son isn't expecting him.

Cora sits with Regina on her bed. Regina is worried about Henry because Emma left town with Gold and took him with her. She didn't stop them because she didn't know until after they'd gone. Cora is sure he's safe, "And as soon as Gold's done, Henry will be back."   "But not with me," claims sad Regina.
"Back- from where? Where's Rumpelstiltskin gone?" asks angry Hook, who appears in the doorway from out of nowhere.

Hook realizes if Rumple's left town then he's powerless and can be killed. Cora shares "The moment either of us leave we lose our magic- and our advantage."
"Your memories?" Hook wonders.  
Regina- "None of us were victims of the curse, it's not about memories- it's about magic."
Hook doesn't need magic and will go after Rumple alone. Regina feels that he can't just walk up to Rumple and stab him with his sword; although Hook prefers his hook. But hook isn't going anywhere. Hook is getting fired up, as he deserves his vengeance.  Cora feels he's right, "With the Dark One gone we can search for the one magical item that can actually kill him here... his dagger."

Henry checks out the apartment resident directory/bells but doesn't see Baelfire.  Emma feels "Yeah, that probably wouldn't fly as an alias. Your magic globe didn't give you an apartment number?" 
Rumple- "It doesn't work that way."
Henry checks out the resident mailboxes and asks Rumple if any of those names mean anything to him.
Rumple- "Well, names are what I traffic in, but sadly, no."
Emma decides she's found the boy, noting apartment 407. Rumple thinks not; maybe it's just vacant.
Emma- "You may traffic in names and magic, but I traffic in finding people who don't wanna be found, and those sort of folks don't like to advertise their whereabouts." She pushes the button to ring 407 and when the line connects she announces "UPS package for 407."  The line disconnects and Emma determines "He's running."  She hurry outside!
They see a man running down the fire escape when Rumple wants to cash in the favor Emma owes him. "This is it. Get him to talk to me. I can't run."  Emma tells Rumple to watch Henry and she takes off after Bae.

Emma chases the hooded man through an obstacle course and maze of streets- past the Flat Iron building, and then cuts him off, tackling him. They recognize each other. Emma freaks out; she won't answer anything until Neal tells her the truth.  "Are you Gold's son?" Emma asks. Neal doesn't know what she's talking about, "Who's Gold?"
"You played me." Emma states. "You're from there. You played me- And he played me- you both played me... You and Gold..."  Neal wants her to slow down, again asking who Gold is.  Emma blurts out "Your father. Rumplestiltskin!"  Neal is confused.  "He's here?"  Why else would Emma be in New York.   "You brought him to me?! Why would you do that?!"  Neal yells, but is cut off by upset Emma yelling back claiming to be the only one who is allowed to be angry here. "Did you know who I was, where I was from the whole time?! Was this just some sort of sick twisted plan- Did, did you even care about me at all?! I wanna know. I want the truth! ALL OF IT!"  Neal concedes, but feels they gotta get off the street. They can't do out here- out in the open.  "I spent a lifetime running from that man, I'm not gonna let him catch me. There's a bar down the street, we can talk there."  But Emma isn't drinking with him, she wants him to tell her everything now. Neal feels the bar is better and he gives Emma permission to keep yelling at him when they get there. Frustrated, she follows him.

Henry assures Gold not to worry because Emma's really good at catching people. Gold feels his son is good at running away; as he's been at it a long time. Henry notes the positive, "At least we found him, right?"  Gold agrees. Henry thanks him for the hot dog and Gold thanks Henry for bringing Emma to Storybrooke. After all, if he didn't, none of this would have come to pass. "You are a remarkable young man."   Henry shares "You know, I forgave her. Emma. For giving me up. She thought it was the best for me then, that's why she did it. I'm sure your son will get it too."
"Alas, the circumstances surrounding our separation weren't quite so noble."
"But you're here now, and you want him back, right?" Henry asks. Indeed Gold does, more than anything.  Henry knows that's all that matters.

"Well, what do you wanna know, Emma, the truth? Ask away."  Neal is sitting at the bar with two beers at the ready.  Emma doesn't sit and she doesn't hesitate to start the questioning. "Did you know who I was when we met?"
"If I had I wouldn't have gone near you," replies Neal.

Emma thinks he's holding out, but Neal reveals he was in hiding and "came here to get, awa, away from... (waves his hand) all that crap."  Emma surmises if he didn't know her then he was just using her because he needed somebody to take the fall for all the watches that he stole."I wasn't using you," says Neal.  "When we met I didn't know. I found out."  Emma sits and asks him how.
"When I went to sell the watches... I ran into a friend of yours... August."
FLASH to the night August purposely finds Bae and shows him what is in the box on the back of his motorcycle.
August- "When you see what I have in here, you're gonna listen- you're gonna believe every word I say."  {Note: Tiki torches.}
Neal- "Yeah, right." 
August makes the big reveal...

Emma is very emotional. "You left me... and let me go to prison because Pinocchio told you to. I loved you. "  Stumbling over his words, Neal claims he was trying to help her.
Emma- "By letting me go to jail."
Neal- "By getting you home."
Emma- "Are you telling me... that us meeting was a coincidence? Because how the hell did that happen, if it wasn't in your plan or your father's?"
Neal- "Think about it... He wanted you to break the curse. Us meeting- that could have stopped it. Maybe it was fate."
Emma- "You believe in that?"
Neal- "You know there's not a ton about my father that I remember that doesn't suck... But he used to tell me that there are no coincidences. Everything that happens happens by design and there's nothing we can do about it- forces greater than us conspire to make it happen. Fate. Destiny. Whatever you wanna call it, the point is... maybe we met for a reason.  Maybe something good came from us being together."
Emma takes a moment to reply "No. Not that I can think of. I just went to jail. That's it. Doesn't matter now. I'm over it... and you." {Talk about holding out!}
Neal notices she wears the (Swan) Keychain he got her and asks her why. Emma rips it off her neck and places it on the bar. "To remind myself never to trust someone again."  She tells him to come, sharing that she made a deal with his father she'd bring him to him.  Neal is bothered that she made a deal with Rumple.  Yep, and she's upholding her end. Neal tries to make it easy for her "Tell him that you lost me, tell him that you can't find me. You do that- you never have to see me again."


Rumple walks across the cold and snowy army camp when he's called over by a soldier, "I'm needed at the front. You guard this crate with your life."  The crate is covered over like a birdcage covered at night for a sleeping bird. Curious, Rumple asks what's under there. The soldier reveals it's a prisoner who could help them turn the tide against the Ogres. He warns Rumple to be careful, "It's a tricky beast."

Soldier Rumple stands guard of the tricky beast, when a small voice says his name from under the cover. He lifts up the cover to see it's a red haired child.  The child points, "Please. I haven't had a sip in days." {Of what, alcohol?!} The child knows his name because she's a "Seer. I see all." The child's eyes are not in her head where they should be, as those are stitched up with ugly black stitches, but her eyes are in the palms of her hands.

Rumple feels that's impossible and assumes the child must have overheard someone speak it.
"Rumpelstiltskin, child of a coward, raised by spinsters, scared of ending up like his father. Did I overhear that?" says the child. "I told you, I see all. Even what has yet to pass." The child claims to see the future, including his. Rumple refuses to indulge this dark magic. The tricky child wonders, "Even if what I see concerns your wife, Milah?"  The child demands water and Rumple, concerned that something's happened to Milah, obliges. "Here, slake your thirst, Witch, then speak of which you know of my wife."
The child Seer claims Milah is already with child. This makes Rumple happy, "I'm to be a father?"  The child witch adds "You wife will bear you a son, but your actions on the battlefield tomorrow will leave him fatherless."
"I'm gonna die?" asks Rumple. He wants her to tell him how so he can stop it from happening. The child claims he can't.  Frustrated Rumple is done helping the child, but the tricky witch knows, "For now. Someday you'll help me again."
"I bet Milah isn't even pregnant. You just said that so I would give you water- And now you're trying to trick me into deserting."
"You shall see... tomorrow, when you see the army rides cows into battle you will know I speak the truth."
Amused Rumple wonders "Cows? And who's going to mind the catapults, Milk Maids? I have had enough of your fiendish lies." The child raises her eye hand and claims "There's no escaping it. You will have a son and your actions will leave him fatherless."  Rumple quickly covers up the tricky beast.

Freaked out Emma is on the phone from N.Y.C. to her mother in Storybrooke, explaining how Gold's son is  Henry's father.  Although they each have a million questions, that doesn't matter right now because Emma doesn't know what to do.
"Henry thinks his father is dead,I told him that for a reason. I want to protect him," Emma tells her mother. But Mary Margaret doesn't want her to keep the news from Henry; she of all people should know how important the truth about your parents is.  Panicked Emma doesn't want Henry to get hurt and she just wants to protect him.
"Are you sure this is about protecting Henry and not yourself?" asks her mother.

Henry asks the obviously nervous Mr. Gold why he's so nervous. Gold's been fiddling with the ring on his hand. When Henry found his mom, he was excited.

Mr. Gold shares "Because I have the benefit of a little more... life experience. I know that things don't always happen... the way we want them to."
"Sure, but in my book it says you can see the future. Can't you just look and see what's gonna happen?" asks Henry.   Gold explains that ability is complicated and that he didn't always have it. "And then when I did... well, it's maybe not the gift one would expect. Seeing the enviable... can be a terrible price."
Henry feels then he would have to worry about stuff- you'd just know.
Gold enlightens the boy. "But that's the great trap... The future... is like a puzzle with missing pieces, difficult to read and never, never what you think."
Emma joins them in the lobby and tells Gold his son got away.

Regina pays a visit to Belle in the hospital.  "Who are you?" asks Belle.  Regina's pleased to see it is true that Belle doesn't remember anything.
Belle wonders "We're we friends?"  Regina only admits to spending some time together.  She's there because she believes Belle can help her find something that belongs to Rumple/Mr. Gold. Of course, Belle doesn't know him.  Regina casts a sleeping spell on Belle and goes through the things in Belle's bag via levitating them and picks a floating card out of the air.

At the library, Regina, Cora and Hook use the clue found on the index card to point them in the direction of Rumple's dagger.  Regina feels Gold wouldn't risk crossing the town line and losing his memory without entrusting the dagger's location to someone; and not hide it in an obvious spot.  Regina guesses Belle hid it in one of her beloved books.  Cora makes like she's impressed with Regina's detective work.

Regina's disappointed when the slot she believes should contain the clue isn't there.  Hook's impatient. But Cora is the one who fishes a little deeper into the space and pulls out a crude map.
"To the untrained eye, child scribbles, but to a Pirate... it's a map." Lucky for the ladies, he can read it and he's quite adept at finding buried treasure.

Puzzled David is trying to follow along and process that Rumple is Henry's grandfather. Yes, Henry has more than one grandfather. The family tree is strange.
Regina, the Evil Queen is Henry's Step- Grandmother- Mary Margaret corrects him "Actually, his Step Great Grandmother- and she's also his adoptive mother." David feels it's a good thing they don't have Thanksgiving in their land because that dinner would suck. Mary Margaret thinks maybe this will mellow everyone out.

Mr. Gold is pressing all the buttons in the apartment building and he gets buzzed in. "I'm finding my son," he tells Emma and Henry. He may be gone but he lives here, "He'll be back and I'll be waiting."

Mr. Gold is quite adept at breaking in. He tells Emma "Finding people is what you do, Miss Swan. I'm simply going to assist you, " as he picks the lock.  "There may be information in here- who he is, what he does- who he loves."  Emma warns Gold about laws. Henry decides to be lookout.  Gold isn't concerned about being arrested because that would mean his son would have to testify against him, hence reuniting them. Gold unlocks the door.

Rumple watches as the injured soldiers are brought back into camp. Another soldier considers them "Lucky bastards," They're not dead, but they can't fight, which means they get sent home; which means that's the only way out of there alive.  "When the Ogre's rip you limb from limb, pray that they're quick."
Another soldier announces "Fortune favors us! Fresh supplies have arrived from the Duke. Today we will not be marching into battle, we'll be riding."
Rumple asks "Riding? Riding what?"  "What kind of question is that- a horse of course. Now grab yourself a cow and get ready!" says the soldier.
The cow - the saddles made from the finest leather, they call them cows. At least their ride into doom will be a soft one on their backside.  Now, Rumple is really afraid, so he hurries over to chat with the covered tricky child.
"So, it's true. I'm gonna have a son. And I'm gonna die. Answer me!"  The seer isn't there and this angers Rumple. Desperate, he takes the huge hammer that is right there waiting for him and he purposely inflicts injury and pain upon himself.

The three enter Neal's tiny apartment. Emma notices a familiar dream catcher hanging in the window.

"You find something, Dearie?" Gold asks Emma.  Nonchalant, Emma just says it looks like a dream catcher. Gold wonders if it's nothing, then why she's still holding it. "You're lying to me."  Emma puts it back on the window and tells him to keep looking.

Pissed off Gold knows she's lying. Emma demands Henry wait in the bathroom while she talks to Gold. {Watch that look Henry gives Gold on the way out of the room.}

Emma claims "There's nothing here. The guys a ghost."  Gold isn't a fool, he wants to know what and why she's holding back. "Did he tell you something?!" yells Gold.
"No. He didn't say anything."
Gold now knows Emma knows more than she's saying, so he threatens her. Even though there's no magic there he doesn't need magic to do it.  They both don't want to be pushed. Gold flips out "We had a deal! No one breaks deals with me!"
Just then Neal barges in "Leave her alone."  Gold is floored.

The gimp imp returns home to Milah. He enters to find her holding a sleeping baby in her arms- she is surprised at his return. Rumple immediately wants to know "What's his name?"  Milah smiles, "Baelfire."
Rumple is happy with the strong name choice and falls from his pained injury. 
"Something he'll need if he's to live with the shame of being your son," Milah says.  She wants to know if it's true- did he injure himself on purpose. Apparently everyone told her that. Rumple admits he did do this to himself, explaining that a Seer told him he was going to die in the battle.  Milah's upset he did it because a Seer told him to do it. But Rumple says the Seer was right about everything else."I left the front to be with you- you and... Baelfire."
Milah feels he left because he was afraid. "You became what everyone thought you were- a coward just like your father!"
Rumple jumps to his feet "I'm nothing like my father! He tried to abandon me. I will never ever do that to my son. That's why I did this- for him. All for the boy. To save him from the same fate I suffered- growing up without a father."
Milah feels Rumple sentenced him to a fate much worse "Growing up as your son." She'd rather Rumple fought, "You could've died."   Rumple is hurt. Milah hands him the infant and walks out with her water bucket.  Rumple looks into Bae's eyes, telling him it will be alright.  "Your papa's here. And I promise... I will never ever leave you."

In Neal's apartment Gold sees Bae for the first time and says "You came back for me."  Bae says "No. I came back to make sure you didn't hurt her. I've seen what you do to people who break deals."  Rumple begs, he just wants to talk to Bae, but Bae has no interest in talking to him and tells him to go. Rumple isn't going anywhere and when Emma tries to calm "Neal", Rumple realizes the two know each other and demands to know how. Henry hears the commotion and asks his mother what's going on. {Yes, he calls her "mom."}
Neal asks "Who's this?"  It doesn't take long for a few of the pieces to fall into place.  Neal asks the boy "How old are you, kid?!"  Henry yells back "11!"  Neal asks Emma if this is his son, it's Henry who shares "No. My dad was a Fireman, he, he died."  Now Henry realized Emma has lied... lied to all of them.  Emma finally says "yes" to the shocked family. Upset, Henry steps out on to the fire escape. Neal is focused on the news he just received, wanting to go to his son and Gold wants to talk to his son. "All I want is a chance to be heard."   Neal wants him to leave, but Rumple won't because Emma deal isn't fulfilled. The deal included Bae talking to Rumple. Neal gives him three minutes.

Greg makes a call on his cell before leaving the hospital. He tells "Her" that he's going to stay there for a while and sends her video proof of Regina using magic in Belle's hospital room.

Cora rips the map out from under Hook, who has just given them the location of the dagger. "We'll take it from here."  Hook is pissed and goes after her. Cora simply uses magic to toss him back. "The Kris Dagger is much too powerful to be wasted on you."   Regina has a revelation "So, is this what it was all about? Getting Rumple's dagger so you could obtain his dark powers?"
"If we possess the dagger we control the Dark One, and when he returns to Storybrooke we can command him to kill Snow White, Prince Charming and Emma. Our enemies will be vanquished and you will be blameless in the eyes of the only person who matters."
"Henry."

Out on the fire escape, overlooking the cities buildings with their water towers perched on top of them, Henry asks Emma "So, that's him."  Emma admits it is and admits lying because she never thought she'd ever see him again and she never wanted to; because he was a thief, a liar, a bad guy who broke her heart.  Henry lets her know he could have taken the truth and Emma knows that. It's just that was a part of Emma's life she wanted to forget. "I was thinking of me- not you."
"I thought you were different, but you're just like her, Regina, she always lied to me too," Hurt Henry shares with his mother.  This in turn hurts Emma and she apologizes. Henry wants to meet his dad.

Neal tells Rumple the clock's ticking, so Rumple talks. "I know I've made mistakes, but you must believe me... I wanna make up for it. There's no greater pain than regret."
Neal quietly chuckles, "Try abandonment."
"Please, let me make it up to you."
Neal wonders how he's going to do that. He grew up alone, without a father- "You can make up for that?"    Rumple can. Neal updates "Two minutes."
Rumple invites him to go to Storybrooke with him. "There's magic there. I can turn the clock back... make you 14 again. We can start over."
Neal moves uneasy on his feet and appears antsy. He doesn't want to be 14 again, "Are you insane?" Rumple can't make up for the lost time but he can take away the memories.
"Take away who I am, no thanks. One minute."
Rumple whispers, begging, "Give me a chance. You once loved me."
Neal feels Rumple was once a good man and Rumple feels he can be that man again. "I've changed. Look, I came here... to this City... without magic."  Neal accuses him of trying to use it to make up for his mistakes and make it all better- it can't. "You have no idea what I've lived with... You're so worried about you, you know what I've dealt with?  Every night- for more years than you know... the last thing I see before sleep... is the imagery of you. You and me... over that pit, your hand... wrapped around mine... and then... you open your grip... and as I fall away all I can see is your face... choosing all ... this (waves his hands indicating everything)... crap, over me. Letting me go... Now it's my turn. Now I'm lettin' you go."
Even though the replay of those events break Rumple's heart all over again, Neal doesn't care because he didn't get closure so Rumple doesn't either.  Time's up.

The Dark One approaches a fire pit in the forest and is met by an older version of the red headed Seer. She's been expecting him. "What I foretold to you during the Ogre's War has finally come to pass."
Amused, Rumple replies, "Well, in a matter of speaking. I, uh, hobbled myself on the battlefield, was branded a coward, my wife run away and left me. Then my son was called to the front. Oh! And then I became the Dark One. Then- Bae left me. So, yes, my actions on the battlefield left my son fatherless. But... would have been nice to know about all the pesky details."
"Knowing... would not have made a difference, you still would have been powerless to escape your fate," The Seer informs him.
Rumple giggles his impish laugh, "Just - like - you."  He puts the old Darth Vader choke hold on her and wants to know how to find his son. The Seer gets herself into a dramatic pose to conjure the images she's to share with him, whispering "You will find him."
"How? And this time don't leave out a single detail," Rumple warns.  The tricky creature, still in her  "altered" state of summoning the future, tells him "His will not be an easy path- it will take many years and require a curse - a curse powerful enough to rip everyone from this land..."
"Yes! Yes! There's more I know it, tell me!" Rumple needs to know as he waits through this dramatic display of fortune telling.
"You will not cast the curse, someone else will. And you will not break the curse- someone else will," as the Seer seems to stop seeing.
"Tell me!" demands Rumple. But she says she doesn't know, "Even my powers have limits."
Rumple waves his finger in disapproval toward her, "Ah, ah, ah! Not good enough, Dearie."  Rumple again Darth Vader choke holds her again, and with her straining voice she tells him "If you want to see the path you must take there is only one way... (She holds her hands in front of him) Take this burden from me."  Gladly, he does, while she screams.

Emma climbs back into the apartment to tell Neal his son wants to meet him. She warns him not to break his heart.
"Trust me, I'm not gonna do to him what he (Rumple) did to me," Neal referring to Rumple.
"And what you did to me?" Emma replies.  Neal gets it, they're all messed up and they should try to avoid that with Henry.

Neal climbs out the window onto the fire escape to meet Henry, but it's Henry who speaks first. "So, you're my dad.... I'm Henry."
"It's nice to meet you, Henry. I'm sorry it took so long."  Henry says it's okay, "You didn't know."
Rumple takes a peek at the pleasant reunion on the fire escape of father and son. {Note: Rumple's reflection.}

The Seer is still screaming during the transfer of "seeing the future" power into the Dark One.
"I can't see anything- It's too much. It's nothing but a jumble!" Rumple states.
The Seer tells him the future is a jumble with many pieces to be sorted, "In time you will learn to separate what can be from what will be."  Rumple breaks their hand holding vision transfer and the Seer falls to the ground. Rumple feels this is why she wanted to give him her power, "To free yourself from this torment!"  The Seer assures him in time he will work it all out. "Wait. As gratitude I offer you one piece of the puzzle... You will be reunited with your son and it will come in a most unexpected way..."
"How?!" demands Rumple.
"A boy... A young boy will lead you to him. But beware, Rumpelstiltskin, for that boy is more than he appears. He will lead you to what you seek... But there will be a price... The boy... will be your undoing." And out she goes.
Rumple is certain, "Then I'll just have to kill him."

We see Emma and Gold looking through Neal's apartment window at the lovely reunion.