It had been nine long months since he and his apprentice had been sucked into the portal that Emma had created. He was lucky that the portal had pulled most of the shop with them, only destroying a few of his possessions, most of them unimportant. Being sent back to the Enchanted Forest had caused his powers to return to full strength, and he knew when it was time to go back to Storybrooke, it would diminish a bit again, so the nine months had been spent preparing what magic be taken and what course of action they would take against the Charmings and the pirate.

It sickened him to the core that Emma could love that piece of filth they called a man. Upon leaving Neverland the first time, he'd done nothing worthy of being loved by anyone in Gold's eyes. If there was anyone who didn't deserve a happy ending, it was the pirate. He knew separating Hook from Emma would be the best way to torture him, to know that she'd chosen a better version of him instead. But then she'd gone and returned to her life in their universe.

What he never expected was getting the other Emma when he'd sent her away. He assumed she'd be wiped from existence, but then there she was, crumpled on the floor of his shop as soon as the spell was cast. At first he thought he'd killed Emma—and he wish he had—but soon found it to be another Emma altogether. Most of her memory had been obliterated, and that opened up an opportunity for him—a backup plan in case Emma decided to return to that wretched scoundrel. And she had. But he knew he hadn't lost. He had his weapon ready to attack, and then they'd been sucked into the portal.

It proved to work to his advantage. It brought a chance to bring out the magic that he knew was in her. He'd already shown Emma the ropes and knew of the abilities she would have no matter what universe she came from. Her parents were still True Loves. She would still be the product of True Love. She would still be magic. It was just a matter of getting it out of her after growing up for so long in a land without it.

That's how the first few months had been used—getting this Emma used to magic and building up her power. That's what Gold loved about this Emma. She was almost immediately open to the magic that had welled up inside her for her entire life, waiting to be tapped into and used. She had picked it up rather quickly as well. Having been lying in waiting for so long, the energy behind it was massive, and now that they were in the Enchanted Forest, it was even stronger. She'd grown so much since they'd arrived through the portal, and that was what brought them to this day—the day they'd return to Storybrooke to finish what Gold had started.

Emma placed the last few bottles of potions in one of the satchels Gold had handed her. "When we return, are we going to lay low before we strike? Or do I get to have some fun?" she asked, smirking.

Gold limped over to her, securing the satchel tightly on her shoulders so it could survive the trip back. "I don't think that will be possible. I'm sure our return will be quite…noisy." Once he was satisfied that the satchel wouldn't go anywhere, he looked at her proudly. "You on the other hand, we may try to keep hidden for a bit. Don't want to show our hand do early, do we, dearie?"

"But why not strike fear in their hearts as soon as possible?" She wanted nothing more than to see them tremble in her presence, to smell their fear on the air. From what Gold had told her, she knew she was more powerful than her counterpart and craved to make sure they knew it.

"You're as eager to destroy as you were eager to learn to do it, but do not let it go to your head." He knew they had everything they needed to make the trip now, so he directed her toward the opening of the castle. "I may have trained you, dearie, but you are not me. But you can destroy them. It will be such fine justice. Destroyed by someone they'll care about, no matter what you do."

Emma gave him another evil smirk. "I can't wait to make them squirm."

They approached the site that they'd been preparing for a few months. Gold knew that if the other Emma could open a portal with her power, so could this Emma. They'd found a place with high magical content, and he was sure combining their powers, just in case hers didn't work on its own.

They stepped up to the site, one of them on either side of it. Gold signaled her to begin concentrating. Emma let the anger rise within her, as Gold had taught her, and so did he. He thought of how he could kill the pirate in slow, torturing ways, making sure he stayed alive as long as possible to see his life crumble. Though, his main goal no longer involved killing the pirate in revenge. Emma was still the key making him suffer, and he would use that to his full advantage.

The whirring sound of the portal filled the air, and the green light swirled in front of them. They exchanged an evil smile across the portal, before taking a step and falling through. The fall wasn't long before they were both face down in dirt. Emma sat up quickly, checking the satchel to make sure nothing had broken. She let out a heavy sigh upon discovering that everything had made it in her pack. She pulled herself from the ground and walked over to Gold, pulling him to his feet as well.

Emma took a long look at the forest surrounding them. "Have we made it? Is this it?"

Gold closed his eyes, letting the feel of the realm wash over him before letting his eyes go to the well behind him. He let a small smile creep up his face at the sight of the wilting flowers on it, before motioning her to begin walking with him. They made their way through the forest, not taking long to reach the road. The sign there confirmed that their trip had been successful. His eyes fell back to Emma. "We made it, dearie. Welcome to Storybrooke."