The Dark Power was not native to the Enchanted Forest. It had crossed over through a portal some time ago with the host that carried it. The power had been to many lands throughout the millennia; it destroyed many lives to survive…a parasite some of his hosts called it but it didn't bother with names. A being too old and powerful such as it cared little for what its hosts called it when they were struggling to overcome its power. It let the name calling occupy them until they surrendered fully.

And like most parasites, it had claimed its home both in its host and in the land that host occupied itself in. It had convinced Rumpelstiltskin to keep track of every being that crossed through the portals. This was his world now; he could build it up or destroy it at the wave of a hand, and with that kind of power came an even bigger downfall. Therefore, it was best that he use his magic to know what kind of beings came into the world, who left and how.

A human would never be able to understand how it all worked but for Rumpelstiltskin, it was as easy as just looking out a window. When one was going to destroy worlds to enter others, every other thing the magic could do seemed to pale in comparison.

And it wasn't too bad, he didn't feel a shock whenever someone crossed over, or a tingling at the back of his neck…he just knew. The time that the Dark Power had spent in other worlds taught it….scents if that was the best word for it. Today; 800 people from Wonderland. (They'd practically made a mass exodus when Cora began gaining control. Jefferson could've retired for the rest of his life if he'd been able to somehow overpass the hat's one rule but he couldn't find a way around the 'same number go in, come out rule' that didn't involve digging up the dead. They'd had to use other portals and Jefferson pouted for a week over the missed opportunity. Oh, the greed of the youth.) 62 went to Neverland today, (They'd be killed immediately by Hook's men), and 12 from Oz. (He hated Oz; the talking trees unnerved him)

The only beings he didn't know the constant location of were the fairies. That was because they'd learned to block him after he started slaughtering them for their part in losing Bae. He usually hated distractions from his work and they needed to pay. But some days, He supposed it was alright; it provided him a nice game when he was waiting for parts of his plan to fall in place.

But then one day…two beings entered his world. Two that he didn't know about and who he knew were familiar but unfamiliar at the same time. He believed the term for what he felt was somewhere between the recently named déjà vu and seeing someone that you knew but couldn't place.

It was nothing to travel to where they were. He'd been to Lake Nostos many times before and he was curious to see who they were before that cursed guardian got her claws into them. It'd been awhile since he didn't know the answer to something; the possibilities both frustrated and excited him.

Two women lay in front of him in the strangest apparel that he'd ever seen. His magic told him that they were related…the dark headed one being the mother.

He studied the dark headed one closely, she had slammed her head on a rock and was just barely alive…if he wanted answers then he was going to have to do something about that. His magic also told him that while she stank of a new world that neither he nor the dark power had seen yet, she was still very much a being from this world. The power didn't know who though.

Her hand clutched the brown coat of the blond woman who was obviously the daughter. Now she was far more fascinating, there wasn't a strong link between her and this world…but she was just…radiating an untapped magic that he could almost feel without touching her.

So much potential.

But no one had that sort of magic without him knowing about it…

"They're mine!"

He heard the Guardian snarl behind him and he rolled his eyes when he'd seen that she had taken the form of Milah.

"Sorry dearie," he waved his hands and they disappeared to his castle in a puff of smoke. He'd attend the mother first; gain the daughter's favor that way. She'd owe him a favor then. And over time, he would be more than happy to come collect, "But I found them first."