The knock comes sometime toward the middle of the afternoon. It's a Sunday and while Rumplestiltskin is dressed immaculately as always, it's also his day off and he expects to not be disturbed. Belle is quietly reading while he spins.

He studiously ignores the knock.

"Are you going to get that?" His wife is not one to ignore the townspeople. He wishes would, but it's not something she's good at. She's nice to a fault, his complete opposite in so many ways.

"It's Sunday, sweetheart," he points out. The knock comes again and it's more insistent this time. And then he hears his name shouted. And groans. "Charming," he mutters.

"You really should go see what he needs. He sounds out of sorts," Belle points out.

"He's always out of sorts."

"They do have a lot of emergencies, don't they?" He hears the amusement in her voice. She knows a Charming emergency is usually not a real emergency. And this is part of why they work so well together. They might be nearly complete opposites in some ways, but in others their thinking is completely in sync.

The knock comes again, followed by his name, followed by some sort of insistent yet garbled yelling. "Fine. I'll get it. But if this is not an emergency, I'm going to turn him into a snail."

Belle keeps her eyes on her book. "As long as you don't step on him, dear," she says and he can see the slight smirk on her face.

When he opens the door, Charming's face is red and his eyes are dark. Rumplestiltskin leans against the door frame. "It's Sunday, dearie."

"They've gone missing again," Charming says by way of introduction.

Rumplestiltskin's eyebrows shoot up. "And they might be…"

"Octavia's sheep."

"Little Bo Peep?" Rumplestiltskin smirks.

"She does really hate when you call her that," Charming grumbles back at him.

"Yes but the rhyme is so appropriate. Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep and it takes a damned sorcerer to find them." He says the last with a flourish of his hand.

"Will you just come help already?" Charming runs his fingers through his hair and gives him that look. Desperate. He needs Rumplestiltskin's help and he knows he's backed into a corner.

"Well, dearie, it's going to cost you…"

"No."

"No?" Rumplestiltskin's voice clearly expresses the surprise he feels.

"No."

"Well, then dearie, it appears we're done here." Rumplestiltskin steps back, starts to shut the door, but Charming sticks a hand out and stops the door from closing in his face.

"Fine then. What do you want?"

Rumplestiltskin grins, feral, and watches as Charming winces. "I don't know yet."

"Fine, another favor it is." Charming steps back and waves Rumplestiltskin toward his truck. "Will you just get in?"

"In that?"

"Just get in already," Charming mutters and with a smirk, Rumplestiltskin climbs up into the truck. As Charming hops in on the other side, he tries to stop the pang of jealousy at seeing the easy way the other man climbs into the car. He doesn't begrudge him his height. Rumplestiltskin grew up fairly malnourished and so he's small, always has been. It's never bothered him, not really, but every once in awhile he wonders what it would be like to be Charming's height.

"So where is she this time?" Rumplestiltskin asks when Charming starts up the truck.

"Outskirts of town, same as before."

"Doesn't she have a pen for those things?" It wasn't all that long ago that he had to help the woman retrieve her sheep. A little magic in exchange for a bit of wool to spin and the sheep had been returned to the woman.

"She does. But it seems she forgot to close it last night and…" Charming waves a hand in the air.

"Of course," Rumplestiltskin grumbles.

They arrive at the field to find Octavia wringing her hands and staring out over the empty field. She points off into the distance and turns to the two men as they approach, her lower lip quivering. "They're gone." It's all she can get out before she's too choked up to say anything else. Charming puts an arm around the distraught young woman and Rumplestiltskin just rolls his eyes.

"Yes well. I can get them back. Easy enough." He raises his hand, the beginning of a magical flourish.

"No," Octavia says suddenly. "No magic."

"I…what?" Rumplestiltskin says.

"Last time the sheep were traumatized for days."

Rumplestiltskin rolls his eyes "They're fine now aren't they?"

"I don't know!" the woman exclaims and breaks down into tears again.

"Well, it seems I'm no good here then. Little Bo Peep doesn't want help from the sorcerer this time around."

"Don't call me that!" And she falls back into crying.

He throws his hands up in the air and turns to walk away. He can magic himself back to his house, maybe to his bedroom. Maybe he'll magic Belle to their bedroom. Yes, yes. That seems like a good idea. The perfect Sunday…well, the perfect any day, really.

"Wait," he hears coming from behind him and for some reason he hesitates. Charming catches up to him easily enough.

"That's it? You're just going to up and leave?"

"That does appear to be what I'm doing." He shrugs him off and continues walking.

"You have to help."

"I don't have to do anything," Rumplestiltskin points out.

"Fine. I'll owe you two favors," Charming says.

"Two? Well, that does sweeten the pot a bit, doesn't it?" Rumplestiltskin taps one finger on his cheek. "And just how do you propose getting them back then, dearie?"

Charming shakes his head at that. "We can go out and find them, herd them back? They're sheep. We should be able to handle them. I did it a lot back before all of this after all."

"Ah yes, David the shepherd. A most excellent idea. Meet me back here in…" He pulls out his pocket watch and glances down at it. "One hour." And then he disappears. Charming is left standing at the edge of the field, gaping like a fish.

When Rumplestiltskin shows up at the field, a few minutes before the appointed hour, he finds Charming already there. The man is standing in the middle of the field, staring off in the same direction as the woman who lost her sheep. He has a shepherd's crook, and it looks like a rather sturdy one, which Rumplestiltskin will give him points for. But that's all he has.

"What exactly are you doing?" Rumplestiltskin asks as Charming turns back toward him.

"Trying to figure out which way they went."

Obtuse. "It's been hours since they disappeared, Mr. Nolan," he points out. "And it's rather windy. They won't have left any tracks."

"Then we'll just have to head out and find them." Charming turns to leave and Rumplestiltskin does nothing more than clear his throat.

The other man looks back at him and finally really sees him standing there. Rumplestiltskin is holding a shepherd's crook too, though it's a fair bit more beaten up than the one Charming has, a testament to the many years he spent in the presence of the sometimes ornery animals.

"What the hell is that?" Charming finally asks.

"Ah, yes. I see you've finally noticed. This is Kip." He waves a hand at the dog at his side. Kip is a bit small for his breed, but agile and sleek. Even now he's leaning forward, desperate to be off, nose quivering and legs slightly bent. If Rumplestiltskin gives the command he will be off like shot, over the field and out of sight until he finds his quarry.

"You think that dog can find them?" Charming sounds incredulous.

"Have you never seen a sheepdog work?" Rumplestiltskin's voice clearly displays his own incredulity. "And here I was thinking you were once a shepherd."

"I didn't need dogs. I herded them myself." Charming sounds proud at that admission.

"Oh yes, I can well imagine how that went. Young Charming dashing away after the sheep, cursing and using his crook to try to get them to come back. Yes, yes, that must have been amazing to watch."

"It worked," Charming mutters.

Rumplestiltskin smirks. "A shepherd and his dog, Mr. Nolan. It's like watching a carefully choreographed dance. The dog moves with an effortless grace around the herd, always keeping them driving toward the shepherd, moving them with efficiency but at no great speed. For the dog knows if he moves too fast, the herd will fall apart and he will spend more time trying to gather up the strays than he will in herding them back to his master. A properly trained sheepdog is a thing of beauty." Here his voice turns slightly mocking. "Certainly much more so than some clumsy youth thrusting his crook in their faces and swearing at them. The beasts, Mr. Nolan, may be stupid, but they are smarter than you might give them credit for."

"I don't need a dog," Charming mumbles and grips his crook a little bit tighter.

"Of course you don't."

"What does that mean?" Charming has always been just a bit obtuse, but still there's something eminently likeable about the other man, though Rumplestiltskin is loath to admit it.

"I'll make you a deal," Rumplestiltskin finally says.

"Oh no, I know your deals."

He smirks. "You get all those sheep back with nothing more than your crook and you'll owe me no favors for wasting my time out here."

Charming suddenly seems interested, eyebrows slightly raised in response to Rumplestiltskin's offer, before he realizes there's likely a catch. "But…"

"You don't do it and Kip retrieves them and you'll owe me four favors." The last is said with an almost feral grin.

"Four?" Charming responds with.

"Four."

Such is the man's confidence in his own abilities that he ends up agreeing to the deal. Rumplestiltskin can well remember watching the youth back in their world. His family had had a small flock, just as Rumplestiltskin had, but with no dog to tend them, Charming himself had been forced to go out after the handful of sheep. Charming had obviously enjoyed the job, but Rumplestiltskin found it entirely unnecessary. As a crippled man back a few hundred years ago, he would not have been able to do such a thing even if he had wanted to. A good working sheepdog was a blessing.

"Fine then," Charming says and sets off immediately, crook held aloft almost like a spear. This ought to go well.

Rumplestiltskin leans against the truck and watches him until he can't see him anymore. It's a fool's errand really. There's no way Charming will return with all of the sheep. He wonders what he'll do with all those favors. He could have anything. Maybe he'd have Charming issue a warning for everyone to stay inside and he and Belle could have the whole town to themselves. They could do whatever they wanted. Whatever. Or he could ask to be left alone…forever…though the idea appealed less these days than it did some time ago, thanks to young Henry…

"Rumple?" He turns and sees Belle has arrived, Snow in tow. She's been getting used to his car, driving it whenever she has a chance. He's not entirely surprised to see her approaching.

"Sweetheart." He pushes away from the car and goes to greet her, kiss deep enough that it causes Snow to clear her throat and look away with a red face. "What are you doing here?"

"We thought we'd come see how you were doing," Snow answers and Belle simply grins.

One glance around should really tell them all they need to know. Charming is missing. Octavia, the little shepherdess, is still looking distraught. Rumplestiltskin is there doing nothing more than staring at the field and grinning.

"Charming has gone to fetch the sheep," he says.

Belle gives him a somewhat confused look. "But the dog is still here."

"He doesn't need a dog, apparently," Rumplestiltskin says with a shrug.

Belle narrows her eyes at him. "You made a deal with him, didn't you?"

His answering smirk says it all.

Snow groans. "It's always about a deal with you, isn't it?"

"Likely so," he answers.

Belle and Snow glance at each other. "Do I want to know what the deal was?" Snow asks.

"Probably not," Belle answers for him. She knows him so well and he cannot help but smile at her response.

"Favors, dearie," he says to Snow.

"Oh God," Snow responds with.

"Exactly." He grins and turns back to the field. Belle comes alongside him and wraps an arm around his waist. For a little while, they watch the field in silence punctuated occasionally by a choked sob from Octavia.

"Should I comfort her?" Belle whispers to Rumplestiltskin.

"Shh," he responds with. "Charming's returning." He can see him across the field, several white spots moving in front of him, and Charming running back and forth wielding his crook to keep them in line. It's comical to say the least.

"He's going to do it!" Snow exclaims as Rumplestiltskin just shakes his head. It does almost look like he's going to do it, but as he gets closer, Rumplestiltskin realizes there's a slight problem.

A slight problem that works in his favor.

"Exactly how many sheep do you have, anyway?" Rumplestiltskin asks as Charming comes closer.

"Twenty-six," Octavia responds with, voice choked up.

Snow groans. Belle grips Rumplestiltskin's arm harder. Everyone can clearly see there are significantly less sheep coming back than twenty-six. "I count nine," he says and they all watch one break off from the group and go running back toward the woods. "Oops. Eight."

Belle elbows him in the ribs.

Charming finally arrives. "There," he says and the look on his face is clearly one of pride. Snow shakes her head. Belle bites her lip. And Rumplestiltskin simply points behind him, ever present smirk in place. "Dammit," Charming mutters.

"Doesn't matter, dearie. There are twenty-six of them."

Charming curses again and turns to head back out. Already the eight sheep that he brought back are drifting off, picking up speed as they head back to where the rest of the flock likely is. "Oh no!" Octavia exclaims.

Rumplestiltskin clears his throat, steps forward. Kip, who has been sitting quietly at his side, jumps into action, trotting along at his side. "Excuse me, dearie."

Charming turns back toward him. "What?"

"I believe it's my turn," he points out.

"Have at it," Charming waves a hand at him.

"Of course." Rumplestiltskin takes a few more steps forward, giving a hand signal to Kip to come to his left. Charming watches, skeptical. Rumplestiltskin cannot understand how a shepherd seems so skeptical of a sheepdog, but nothing should really surprise him about Charming. He leans on the shepherd's crook and leans down slightly. "Come-bye." The words are quiet but that's all he has to say.

Kip takes off, rushing out to his left and across the field. It's not long before he's completely gone from view.

"He ran off!" Snow exclaims.

"You really know nothing about sheepdogs, do you?" Rumplestiltskin says, one eyebrow raised. "Just wait."

And they do. They wait. And wait some more. "Is he coming back?" Belle whispers.

"Just wait," he repeats.

It's another few minutes before the first of the sheep appear, followed by several more. Kip is behind them, to the side of them. The dog seems to be almost everywhere at once, keeping the sheep together while driving them forward. Rumplestiltskin steps forward, puts his fingers to his lips and whistles. Belle jumps. Snow turns to stare at him.

"Impressive," Charming says.

They all watch as the dog brings the sheep right back to Rumplestiltskin. Octavia runs over and almost hugs him, but the sorcerer sidesteps away from her. "You're welcome," he says.

"Oh great," Charming mutters.

"Oh no," Snow says.

"There's one missing," Octavia points out.

"What?" Rumplestiltskin and Charming both say at once. They both turn and quickly count the sheep. Twenty-five.

"Damn," Rumplestiltskin says and counts them again. The number is the same. They're missing one. "Look back," he says to Kip and Kip does exactly that. He turns, races off, but comes back a short while later without the missing sheep.

"This doesn't bode well," Charming says.

"No it doesn't," Rumplestiltskin responds with. "Come on." He puts a hand on Charming's shoulder. The other man turns to look at him in shock and a mere second later they're standing in the woods, Snow and Belle nowhere to be seen.

"What did you do?"

"Did you think I was going walk out here? There are advantages to being a sorcerer, dearie." Rumplestiltskin sets off into the woods.

Charming races after him. "Where are you going?"

"Don't you hear it?"

Charming stops moving and listens for a moment. "Hear what?"

Rumplestiltskin just rolls his eyes and continues walking through the forest. "The bleating, Mr. Nolan," he finally says. "Up ahead."

It's another few moments before Charming hears it and pushes ahead of the smaller man. They arrive at the edge of the ravine at almost the same time.

"Down there," Rumplestiltskin says. They can both see the bit of wool hidden at the bottom of the ravine.

"Damn," Charming mutters again. "Now I see why your dog didn't bring this one back."

"So you admit Kip was helpful?" Rumplestiltskin glances over at his companion.

"Pretty impressive work," Charming says.

"Better than you and your crook."

"Probably." Rumplestiltskin glances at him from out of the corner of his eye. "Ok ok, definitely. We couldn't afford a dog when I was a shepherd."

Rumplestiltskin makes a small scoffing noise. "We were far from wealthy, if you're wondering. Our dog was abandoned by his breeder. Too small. Didn't think he'd work. So he dumped him off in the middle of the woods. Somehow he found Bae and Bae brought him home to me. We made something of that dog." His voice is soft as he speaks and Charming doesn't interrupt. It's obvious he's far back in his history and it's probably a story he's told no one.

"We weren't that lucky," Charming finally says. Rumplestiltskin does nothing more than nod. For a moment they're both quiet as they contemplate the panicked sheep far below them. "So how do we get it up here?"

"Magic."

"You know what she…"

"Yes. Little Bo Peep doesn't want me to use magic. So do you want to attempt to climb down there and retrieve it then?"

Charming leans over the ravine, eyes the distance between him and the sheep, contemplates how panicked the animal is. "No," he admits.

"Then magic it is. One out of sorts sheep will hardly be noticed amongst the herd." He waves his hand and the animal disappears from the ravine and appears at their side. Charming immediately picks up his crook and starts to herd it back toward the field and the rest of its herd.

Rumplestiltskin follows somewhat behind the man and sheep. They're not far from the edge of the woods when he suddenly picks up his own crook and takes a swing at Charming. The man goes down like a felled tree.

Well, an angry felled tree. Within seconds he's back on his feet and turning on the smaller man. Rumplestiltskin is standing near the sheep with a smirk on his face. "Well, we can't tell her I used magic, can we?"

Charming suddenly stops and stares at him.

"Oh do stop gaping, dearie. The heroic Prince Charming, climbing down the ravine to rescue the lost sheep. Seems to be a good story, does it not?"

"I…guess?" Charming manages to get out. "So that…"

"Was because you'd have to come out looking like this if you climbed down there."

"And you expect me to lie?"

"A little white one, surely," he points out.

Charming nods slowly. "Alright."

"Good then." They're almost out of the woods when Rumplestiltskin speaks again. "And Charming?"

"Yes."

"Let's just call it even, shall we?"

He swears the man's eyes bug out of his head and with a sly smirk, he steps out into the clearing.

Later that evening as he curls up in bed next to Belle, she questions him. "How did that sheep really get out of the ravine?"

"Charming, sweetheart…"

"Oh come on. You can't fool me. The man didn't have a scratch on him. Besides, that sheep reeked of magic"

He leans over and kisses the tip of her nose. "That's my girl." He wraps an arm around her and settles into the pillows. Belle's too smart for her own good. Luckily for him, Snow and Octavia bought into it and Charming was declared the savior of the day.

"You really did enjoy that, didn't you?"

"Lying to Little Bo Peep?"

"No silly. The whole thing. The sheep, the dog, getting a chance to do a bit of herding. You miss it." It isn't a statement and he knows she knows the truth.

"I do," he admits. It was thrilling getting to see a dog do its work again, to command it and know that it would work perfectly in concert with him. It was everything he had loved about being a wool spinner and keeping a small flock of sheep.

Belle rolls them both over so her head is resting on his chest, one arm draped across him. Just when he thinks she's fallen asleep, she speaks again. "Maybe we can get some sheep."

"And a dog?"

"And a dog."

He falls asleep dreaming of sheepdogs and sheep and spinning wool instead of straw, the first peaceful dreams he's had in a long time.