"Hey, watch it, buddy!" he snarled at the man prodding him. "Watch where you stick that thing."
The TSA agent just shook his head. "Stand still, sir."
"It's fine, Gold," Emma said from behind him.
"But this man keeps waving a plastic stick in place in places I do not want a plastic stick to go."
"Sir, if you do not stand still, we will have a problem," the TSA agent said, holding Mr. Gold's arms up. Mr. Gold felt exposed. He didn't understand the airport, and felt naked without his cane. He had his cane tucked away in his bag- Emma had said that the security wouldn't let him use it.
Mr. Gold stopped fighting the TSA agent and said, "Sorry."
The agent finished checking Mr. Gold for concealed weapons, and Mr. Gold went to the conveyor belt to pick up his belongings. He put on his shoes, but without his cane to help him stand, he slipped in his attempt to stand back up again.
"Hey, careful. We can't have you injured before our big journey, now can we?" asked Emma, catching him and standing him up again.
He nodded and Emma added, "Right, well. Need anything before we get on the plane?"
He looked around. "There's a book shop over there. Could we pop in?"
"Sure, though you've already got like six heavy books in that bag of yours."
"These are to help us track Bae."
"They're guide books."
"And?" Mr. Gold looked annoyed. "Are you questioning my plan?"
"No, I just don't think you need all that. It's just going to weigh you down. We can use the maps on our phones."
Mr. Gold rolled his eyes. "I don't trust those gadgets. Too unpredictable. What I trust is a good book."
They walked to the book shop, where Emma thumbed through the candy selection as Mr. Gold headed straight for the fantasy novels. He picked up a book called "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
"Emma," he called. "Have you heard of this one?"
Emma laughed, "Are you joking? Everyone's heard of "Harry Potter." He's the wizard boy with the scar. You haven't?"
"Don't mock me, Ms. Swan. I've been stuck in the same small town for 28 years. Forgive me if my popular culture knowledge is a little stilted."
"Sorry, but, it's a good book. It's got a lot of magic in it. Hey, maybe Harry even exists in Fairytale Land or something."
"Haven't heard of him, so I doubt it."
He went up to the counter to pay for the book. Before the charges were rung up, Emma threw a couple of magazines down on the counter.
"You read that trash?" Mr. Gold asked.
"Look, I haven't seen a new copy of Vogue since I came to Storybrooke."
"Fine, whatever you want. Fill your mind with trash."
They left the book shop and went to the gate. Emma patted Mr. Gold on the back. "You look nervous. Don't be. I'm sure Baelfire will be happy to see you."
"That's not what I'm worried about," Mr. Gold said. He looked out of the window and stared at the airplanes. "I've never been on one of these things before."
"Oh," Emma laughed. "An airplane? It's fine. It's like riding a big bus, or something."
"But how do I trust it to stay in the air?"
"Science," Emma said.
"Right, well the last 'scientist' I ever met was Dr. Frankenstein. Forgive me if I'm a little wary of scientific advancements."
Emma smiled, "It's fine. They give you little drinks and you can watch stupid TV shows or read your book. The flight will be over in no time. It's only an hour anyway."
Mr. Gold took a deep breath. The lady at the gate announced that the flight was about to begin boarding. "You'll be fine," Emma said.
