In Storybrooke, Mr. Gold strives to be the man Bae used to love--until Belle is kidnapped to Neverland. If he resumes his Dark One powers to save her, can he control them? In the Enchanted Forest, Emma battles ogres, zombies and her ex to get back h...
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Rumplestiltskin (Mr. Gold): The only thing I've got is my boy. And they're going to take him away from me. If they take him away, I would truly, truly become dust. (Desperate Souls)
Emma, the five other adults and all thirteen of the remaining Lost Boys landed safely within the outer walls of the Dark Castle. When the younger ones grumbled about undoing the belts and ropes that had kept the passengers secure, Emma whispered the homily she'd heard from a foster parent when she was their age: An ounce of prevention is a dose of cure. She was just starting to appreciate those words herself.
When everyone was standing on their own two feet, Neal gestured to them to follow him and Tink up the long granite path to the massive front door. Why they couldn't just land on the porch, Emma didn't know, but he'd insisted a slower approach was necessary to avoid the previous owner's traps.
Mary-Margaret smiled at her. "Can you and Mulan handle the rear?"
Emma nodded. It's not like any of the boys had the energy to lose themselves in the castle's extensive grounds. Curly was so droopy that when she hoisted him over her shoulder, he fell asleep.
They trudged the path in silence. Whatever spell the absent wizard had placed on his enormous gardens was still working. Despite the late autumn weather in the rest of the Enchanted Forest, here acres upon acres of overgrown bushes blossomed with roses. When the thick perfume tickled her nose, Emma sneezed. I just hope the old guy planted something useful. She could do with a crisp apple-not to mention a big bowl of vegetable stew.
Up ahead, Neal stopped at the castle's entrance, a bright dot zigzagging around his head. Emma was amazed at how quickly Tink's aerial gymnastics worked their magic. When Neal pushed the handle, the heavy door swung wide, welcoming the travelers after their long, adventurous night.
* * * * *
David scanned the Sheriff's Department parking lot. The ragtag posse gathered to search for Henry was larger than he'd intended. Already, he was finding it impossible to keep them in line.
"Hey, guys!" Ruby shouted above the hubbub "Pipe down."
"Thanks." David took a deep breath. "As I was saying, my guess is when Smee stole the cruiser, he didn't know he had a passenger. Now that he's in over his head, no telling what he might do."
Moe frowned. "Smee's crooked, sure, but more in a following orders kind of way." He shifted his weight. "What I'm saying is, someone must have put him up to it."
"Rumplestiltskin." Granny hitched her crossbow higher on her back. "Whether here or back home, if something sneaky's going on, he's behind it."
"You're wrong." Biting her lip, Red glanced sidelong at her grandmother and jammed her hands in the pockets of the oversized denim jacket she'd borrowed from August.
