Far Longer Than Forever

15

STORYBROOKE - PRESENT DAY - GRANNY'S DINER

Granny opened the door and said, "If you want privacy, talk fast. We open in twenty and no one gets between Leroy and his bacon."

"Is there any sign of our quarry?" Hook asked.

"I went all over that farmhouse and the land around it," Emma replied. "Nothing."

"Well, now that the sun's up, we should hit every place Gold might go. His house, shop, his cabin," David suggested.

"'Cause dead men love vacation homes. Can someone explain to me how this is even possible? We all saw Gold, he..."

"Disappeared into nothingness, I know," Mary Margaret finished.

"I might have an inkling," Hook said. "When we went back to the Enchanted Forest, Neal was talking about the possibility of getting his father back."

"What? How?" David wondered.

Odette shook her head. "He didn't know how. He just... He missed his family. He was desperate to find a way to return to this world. He believed that bringing his father back was the key."

"Well, if that was his plan, then obviously something went wrong," Emma answered. "Because, while Gold might be alive and kicking, Neal is... He is... We don't know what he is. We don't even know, if he made it back to Storybrooke. No one's seen him since this new curse."

"He's out there somewhere," David said.

"With all due respect, we have bigger issues right now, than who brought Gold back," Regina told them. "The fact that he was in the Wicked Witch's basement for one. I wanna know what the hell she was cooking up with him."

"Well, the best way to find that out, would be to ask Gold, right?" Mary Margaret asked.

"He tells who the witch is, maybe how to track her down," David replied.

"I'm gonna head back to that farmhouse," Regina said. "It's possible this witch left behind some trace of potion or special ingredient.

"Try about it. Just be careful," Emma warned.

"Well, she's the one who needs to be careful. She invaded my space. When I return the favor, I'm not pulling any punches."

---

Holding the Dark One's Dagger in one hand, Zelena stood in the woods.

"I summon the Dark One," Zelena said. Nothing happened. Frowning, Zelena tried again. "Rumpelstiltskin!" she sighed. "It's not working. The Dark One's broken free and he knows far too much." A flying monkey approached Zelena. "Find him, beautiful one. Find him, now." Shrieking, the monkey took wing.

---

Mr. Gold ran through the woods.

MR. GOLD'S PAWNBROKER & ANTIQUITIES

"So,... So, Rumple is alive?" Belle asked. "I mean, how is that even possible?"

"We were hoping you might be able to tell us that," Derek replied with a light shrug. "You know him and the shop better than anyone. If he's in Storybrooke, there has to be a clue in here about how he got back and how we can find him, now that he is. I'm sorry about Alise."

"Yeah, I'll... I'll start looking right away. Oh, that's all right. She's a sweetheart."

"Keep your eyes out for him, too. If he comes into town..." David trailed.

"He'll come to me. Yeah, I know."

"Jacqueline and I will stay here with you," Hook offered. "I'm surprisingly good at research. She's quite the reader."