[center][i]*~*Collaboration between Ghost Shadow as Henry Carlyle, and YoshiSkittlez as Mr. Gold*~*[/i][/center]

The front door of the pawnshop creaked open; the little bell attached to the door signaling Henry's entrance as he stepped through the threshold. 

"Rumpelstiltskin..." Henry called out as he entered, eyes alert for the old man. His sights landed on a half-empty glass of scotch on the counter - its drinker nowhere in sight. 

"Oh, for Christ's sake..." Henry muttered under his breath as he made his way around the counter. The curtain opened up just as Henry reached it, however, and a very confused looking Mr. Gold practically came face to face with him, both parties having to stop abruptly from bumping into the other.

Mr. Gold tilted his head to the side, resting both hands on the top of his cane and looked at Henry quizzically.

"Henry..." He greeted civilly with a curt nod and adjusted his grip on the cane. Although the stench of alcohol radiated off of him like being sprayed by a skunk, Mr. Gold showed no other signs of drinking if but his brown eyes looking a little less bright.

"Gold..." Henry greeted in kind, tilting his head subtly to the side as he took in the (former) Dark One's state. "There's been a problem...and I [i]know[/i] Regina's behind it. Faye, she--" Henry stopped himself for a moment to let out a deep breath before speaking once again. 

"She took a bite from a poison apple...she's...under a Sleeping Curse, I think - maybe even dead." He finished, fresh sadness in his voice; but his expression remained neutral, if not slightly embittered. 

A light snicker came from the older gentleman as he side-stepped around Henry, using his cane to support his entire right side. He was staggering a bit more than normal, but that could just as easily been passed off as a 'bad leg day' as easily as it could be his drinking.

"Oh, well, you know what they say here in this land without magic..." Mr. Gold chided as he made his way back around the counter where his drink had been abandoned and picked it up once more, tipping it towards Henry like some sort of unspoken toast with a grin pulling at his thin lips. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"Oh, that's...that's funny." Henry replied, though his tone said the exact opposite of his words. 

"Bet you had time to think that one up, eh?" Henry asked cruelly, but continued to speak before Mr. Gold could answer. "How'd [i]she[/i] get a poisoned apple?" Henry asked in an almost demanding tone, obviously speaking about Regina. 

Mr. Gold shrugged theatrically, letting the bitter taste of his drink linger in his mouth for a short duration before swallowing and set the empty glass back down.

"You ever think that Her Majesty had better things to do today than to give out handouts? If I were her, I'd be checking all the locks on my doors and windows today." He said as casually as if he were asked about the weather.

"You're evading..." Henry observed soberly, placing both hands in his coat pockets. "There's no way she could have magic here, it's...it's [i]impossible[/i]!" Henry finished stubbornly, trying to think of some explanation for the poison apple that took Heather away from him. 

"And yet, it isn't." Mr. Gold replied pointing a finger at Henry for a moment, the smirk never leaving his face since Henry had walked in. "Regina managed to bring over a handful of little items from our world to this one...as have I. Mind you, my objects are a bit...harder to come by than Regina's; she's used up everything she had left to keep you from breaking the curse anyway. And it just so happens...I [i]might[/i] have something to counteract Regina's last-stitched attempt to make you fail." His voice remained plesant, all the while speaking though he had his back to Henry and was rummaging through a dusty old cabinet until he found another bottle of scotch, and poured himself another drink, coughing a few times as the brown liquid filled the crystal glass once again.

"I'll take all the help you can give me...things are falling apart and Regina knows it; she's cornered, making her [i]far[/i] more dangerous. I [i]will[/i] finish this - then I'll make her suffer for it." Henry promised darkly, clenching his fists instinctively, as if in emphasis. 

"Oho! Get in line dearie!" Mr. Gold chuckled, swirling the contents of the glass around in his hand out of habit. "Once this curse breaks, the line for Regina's blood will take you right up to the boundries of Storybrooke." He snickered and took another drink, letting his words sink in before starting again.

"I have a potion; hidden and out of reach from Regina's claws. Before she enacted the curse, I managed to bottle up true love in it's purest form and hide it from her. If I'm right, and most times I am, it should have been brought over with the curse. There's not a lot of it, but it should do."

Henry nodded seriousy, listening carefully to Mr. Gold's words as he spoke. 

"Where is this potion, then? Time is of the essence..." Henry stated simply, cupping his chin in his hand. 

With a wry, knowing smile, all Mr. Gold did was tap his finger on the bottle of scotch. Nothing about the bottle seemed out of place, the label was sleek and black looking with the name of the brand in elaborate cursive; a high-end looking bottle that only someone like Mr. Gold could probably afford here in Storybrooke. But taking a second look at the name printed on the bottle would tell Henry more than he would ever probably want to know...

Jabberwocky.

Henry looked perplexed at first before letting his eyes look down at the bottle Mr. Gold was tapping almost rhythmically. 

His eyes widened considerably as the name seemed to ring out in his head. "The Jabberwocky? She brought that....that creature [i]here[/i]?!" Henry nearly demanded in a slightly panicked tone. The Jabberwock was a fierce creature in Wonderland, enough that tales and songs of its fearsome might were spread out through the realm - and it was here. 

"Why do you think Mayor Mills was so keen on paving over the mines so quickly?" Mr. Gold pointed out with a flutter of his eye that could be considered a lightning-quick wink. 

Still smirking, Mr. Gold finished up what was left of his drink (again) before walking back out from behind the counter, the dull thud of his cane the only sound in the shop aside from the creaking floorboards under his unbalanced weight. He didn't stop until he reached the opposite side of the shop and ran his hand over a handsome leather case about a foot in width and five feet long. He let his cane rest against the glass casing that the leather case sat on top of and unhooked the brass clasps that kept the case closed, but did not open it and instead turned to face Henry.

Henry's expression turned, perhaps, even more grim as he realized that Regina had kept the Jabberwocky in the mines *all* this time. Since the very beginning it had been hiding under the people's noses. 

Henry let his eyes divert over to the case that Mr. Gold wandered over to a finely-made leather case. "A present?" Henry asked with a raised eyebrow, unable to keep a bit of humor from the conversation. 

"You know me so well." Mr. Gold scoffed. Did Rumpelstiltskin even know the [i]meaning[/i] of present? Everything always came at a price with him, nothing ever given.

Mr. Gold stepped to the side, keeping his hand on the case and pulled the lid open to reveal what looked like a normal [url=http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120403063057/aliceinwonderland/images/d/db/Vorpalsword11.png]sword[/url], though as the dim lighting from Mr. Gold's shop hit the steel, an almost magical type of glow seemed to resonate from it, if but for a moment.

Henry tilted his head to the side, a small, thin smile crossing his lips before forming a line once again. 

"A sword? Well, that's all well and good - but I need not remind you that I [i]don't[/i] have magic....I can't fight the Jabberwocky without my magic!" He objected, though not rude or ill-mannered...instead frightened. 

This gave Mr. Gold a reason to chuckle, letting his fingers drum the top lid of the sword case.

"There are very few things I understand about Wonderland, it's a particularly annoying little world that I have little use for. So useless, in fact, I gave away the very looking glass that established a portal between our land and it..." Mr. Gold began to explain. "However, I wasn't about to let Regina keep a pet that I couldn't very well destroy on a whim, so I procured this." He said gesturing towards the sword, and as if on cue the light seemed to hit the steel just right in making it glow. "The magic it wields now is weak, but once you're down in the mines it will react to the beast. Cut it open, and bring me the potion."

Henry felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked at the blade with a newfound reverence.

"Is this...a Vorpal Blade? [i]The[/i] Vorpal Blade?" Henry asked, sounding almost astounded as he let his fingers curl around the cool silver of the hilt that seemed to intertwine around a green crystal that helped make up the grip. 

"So you [i]are[/i] familiar with it. Good." Mr. Gold said as he watched Henry familiarize himself with the blade.

He lifted it up, out of the case; letting his hand get adjusted to the weight. He'd held very few weapons in his lifetime, magical ones especially. 

"The song...about the Jabberwocky mentioned such a sword." Henry said solemnly, though his eyes never left the blade itself. 

Finally looking back up at Mr. Gold, Henry cleared his throat before spaking. "Now comes the next part - how in hell am I going to get into the mines now that they've been sealed up?" He asked, a slight hint of concern to his voice. 

A smile spread across Mr. Gold's thin lips that reached his eyes.

"Can you not think of a way?" He asked letting the lid of the case close now that it was empty before picking up his cane and heading back to his usual post behind his desk. "Anything strike you as curious here in Storybrooke? Aside from the obvious of course. Can you not think of a single location that might be treated differently than the rest of the town, a place that Regina wouldn't want just anyone to venture through?"

Henry pondered for a few moments, recalling every building in Storybrooke; internally searching for anything that would fit Mr. Gold's hints. 

A wide smile crossed his lips as he finally figured out the answer he was looking for. 

"The clock tower!" Henry exclaimed while keeping his voice at a level volume. 

"Now you're thinking." Mr. Gold commended.

"So, Regina has her own little transportation system that takes her down to the mines...question is; is it as simple as walking up and hitting the 'down' button?" Henry asked, slightly cynical, though there was a small air of confidence to his tone now that he felt somewhat more empowered with information. 

"Inside you will find an elevator, it's a two-man job so I suggest you make a friend and have them go along with you."

"Very well." Henry replied curtly, looking once again at the sword he had let lean against the counter-top. "Mind if I have that case for a bit? It wouldn't be good for inconspicuousness were I to wander around Storybrooke with a sword out for all to see." Henry requested with a small smirk at his own words, imagining the look on the townsfolk's faces if they caught a glance of him with the Vorpal Blade in hand. Mr. Gold just nodded and gestured for Henry to help himself to the case.

Henry did so wordlessly, gently placing the sword back in the case with deft fingers before closing and clasping it audibly. 

"I'll return with the potion when able." Henry assured Mr. Gold as he turned to leave the shop, "If I don't come back - guess I wasn't the Savior." He added with a small chuckle, masking an ample amount of fear that welled in his chest before leaving the shop, not waiting for the pawnbroker's reply.