Finding You Always

Desperate Souls, Pt 2

Chapter 113: Desperate Souls, Pt 2

While the battle raged, after their marks had been removed, the dwarves came to check on the town line. As the wave of rainbow colored true love's magic swept over the town, the dwarves witnessed the tree that was Dopey slowly wilt away until he was returned to normal. The dwarf smiled and waved excitedly to his brothers. They welcomed him back with hugs and pats on the back.

"Look...there's still a barrier," Bashful said, as they cautiously approached. Leroy winced, but reached out to touch it. Rainbow waves ripped through it, as he touched it and nothing bad befell him.

"It's a shield...but not a bad one," Doc said.

"Maybe it was created by the Chalice since Snow and Charming broke the curse," Happy surmised.

"Yeah...we should probably go tell them about it," Leroy decided, as they headed back to town.

Jasper wandered along the road. One minute he was being turned into a tree and then the next he was back to normal. He was doubly surprised to find that he happened to be on the inside of the town line, for behind him was a "Leaving Storybrooke" sign. He was too afraid to approach the town line out of fear that he might be magically turned into something again. Finding out magic was, in fact, real was hard enough to wrap his mind around and he had no desire to repeat such an experience.

He also found that his cell phone was dead and so he decided the only course of action was to walk to town. He hoped he could blend in here and naturally found himself curious about this town full of magic and supposedly fairytale characters, if Cecily Clayton's stories were true.

When he finally reached the town proper, he looked around curiously. It all seemed quite ordinary and quaint, though he wasn't sure exactly what he was expecting. The clock tower seemed to be a landmark of sorts and he found himself wandering along Main street until he found an electronics store. After buying a charger, he continued on until he came to a diner. Come to think of it, he was a bit hungry and noticed that it was attached to an inn. He knew he had to be careful, but he would need somewhere to stay since it was clear he couldn't leave town until he knew he could do so without harm.

Cautiously, he walked to the inn side and up to the desk, where an elderly woman stood.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes...I need a room," Jasper replied. She looked up.

"You're in luck, there's only a few left. You must be from the apartment building on Misthaven Rd. That portal nearly split that building in half," Granny mentioned.

Portal? He wondered in disbelief, but realized that it was probably the perfect ruse.

"Um...yes, cracked right through my place," he lied.

"Here's your key. Fortunately your building is owned by Mr. Gold and I'm sure he'll get around to fixing the damage in a few days," she mentioned. He nodded and went up to the room. He put his phone on the charger and dialed Horace.

"Horace...it's me, Jasper!" he said.

"Bloody hell...you're not a tree anymore," Horace exclaimed.

"I know...and you'll never believe where I am. I'm in the town," Jasper said.

"Inside the town? How did that happen?" Horace asked.

"No idea...but there was another barrier at the town line and I'd rather not find out again what happens when you cross it," he replied.

"Are they on to you?" Horace asked.