𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼

Operation Mongoose Prt . One

Brooklyn sighed, closing the book with a small huff, before sliding it to the end of the table. It had been a few hours since they found, Lily. Maleficent having calmed her down a bit, before she reluctantly agreed to stay for the week.

Once they had returned to the Loft, Regina, Jackson and Robin had joined them, the woman explaining how she lost her power of the Author and that he was back with, Gold.

Everyone was now at the Sorcerers Mansion, looking through every book they could find for any clues.

"Nothing." Regina threw the book behind her, onto the floor with an annoyed look. "They're all still blank. Whatever the Authors writing, it's not appearing in the books."

"Maybe, he got a new book?" Brooklyn suggested, earning a harsh look from her friend. "It was just a suggestion."

"This is useless." Regina sighed, throwing another book onto the floor, as, Robin joined her.

"Easy. This is not your fault."

"Even so..tomorrow, thanks to Gold and the Author, I could wake up a talking frog." She spat, throwing her fifth book down, annoyed.

Brooklyn closed her second one, doing the same as, Regina. "I like throwing books, it makes me happy." She sassed, earning another not so pleased look from the woman.

"At least you'll wake up." They all turned to, Hook, who had been sat away from them, not looking through anything. "I doubt, whatever the Dark One has in store for me, is a far worse fate."

"Perhaps." Brooklyn spoke, looking to the man, with a small smile. "But, at least you won't wake up the most evil of them all." Jackson sighed, wrapping his arm around the girls waist, letting her head drip onto her shoulder. "Just a hunch." She spoke, her tone sarcastic.

"Well, there's no use speculating what he wants, we just need to stop it." David spoke, giving the three a knowing look. "And, if there's nothing useful here, we need to move on."

"That's easy for you to say. You won't be ripping people's hearts out, every two seconds." David sighed, giving his daughter a small look, his head tilted. "What? It could happen."

Jackson looked around at everyone. "He's right, we need to find something else that could help."

"I might know just the thing." They turned to see, August standing behind them, smiling around at his friends.

"Pinocchio." Brooklyn smiled, the man laughing.

"And, here I thought my dad only calls me that."

"Well, you're still Pinocchio to me." She laughed, the man wrapping his arm around her, with a smile. Jackson stood behind his girlfriend, his eyes narrowed.

"I thought you didn't know anything more about the Author?" He asked, keeping his shoulders straight. Brooklyn sighed, rolling her eyes at the man's clear jealousy.

Emma gave them a knowing look. "He doesn't, but he knows someone who does. That's why I called him here."

"Who?" Mary Margaret asked, looking up at the man.

"The man who gave him his power. The Apprentice. I met him once, when I was living in, Phuket." August turned to look at the boy, smiling. "He was the one who told me about the Storybook, and, that I should learn everything about it."

"If he was in, StoryBrooke, could you find him?" David asked.

"Well, I haven't seen him. But.." he pulled out a small piece of paper, showing them the drawing. "That's what he looks like."

Hook stared at the picture, his eyes wide. "I know this man."

"You do?"

"More importantly, I know exactly where to find him."