"Jefferson? The Mad Hatter?" Belle asked Bae. She didn't know much about him from what Rumple had told her. All she knew of him was that he had an ability with portals and he helped her escape the asylum to reunite with Rumple. She never did get the chance to thank him.
"Yes. Someone heard a scream from their house and went to look. By the time they arrived, the perp was already gone." Neal explained.
"Are they okay?" She asked.
When Neal remained silent, it was clear to them both that who ever attacked Jefferson and Gracie wouldn't let them identify their attacker. Belle knew that she could never thanked the man you saved her, the man who helped her reunite with her true love. If he never saved her, her and Rumple might not be where they are right now. However, right now there was someone attacking their daughter.
"Bae?" Rumple asked, noticing the look of fear on his son's face. "What do you know?"
"I can't tell you who it is but I can tell you that I need your help. Both of your help." He said. His face went from fear to pleading. Anything to save Amber.
"What are you saying?" Belle asked. "The person who attacked Jefferson and Gracie is the same person after Amber?" The first moment that she set eyes on Amber knowing she was her daughter, Belle could feel her motherly love. Now her mother's fear and protection was taking over and if the two attackers were the same, she knew that this person would resort to killing and he or she just might want to kill Amber.
"Yes." Neal sighed.
"Who is it?" Rumple asked. Belle could hear his voice rise with anger.
"I can't te-"
"I DON'T CARE!" He yelled. "I don't care what you can or can't tell us. Someone is after our daughter and I intended to stop them. With or without your help." Rumple turned away.
"Where are you going?" Belle asked.
"Where's Amber? I'm going to put protection spells on her."
"She's upstairs watching tv."
The three walked upstairs. Rumple was furious with the whole situation, Belle was worried and upset at Neal for hiding a critical detail, and Bae never felt more lost and scared before in his life. Except for when he had to take-
He was interrupted by Belle yelling Amber. Neal looked around. She was gone.
At the sheriff's station Emma and Regina was hunched over the table examining a piece of evidence Emma had found at the Hatter's house. She's only been a sheriff in Storybrooke, she had only really seen dead bodies when her and Snow arrived in the Enchanted Forest, and only truly experience someone dying when Neal died in her arms. What she saw at the house was nothing like she's seen before. Whoever killed them was lost. Lost in control and emotion and every other way a person, or monster, could be lost.
"I've never felt this kind of magic before."
Emma looked up at Regina who was staring at the piece of cloth covered in blood. The queen was right. Emma didn't have much experience in magic but even she could tell that the energy level of the magic that was radiating off the blood was off the charts.
Just then the door to the office slammed open and she was met face to face with the one person she never wanted to see in a very ticked off mood.
"Where is she?!" Gold yelled.
"Rumple," Belle said quietly next to him, hoping to calm him down.
"I've already told you dad, Amber knows when to run."
"I don't care son."
"Emma, Regina, you two haven't happened to seen Amber very recently, have you?" Belle asked.
"No. Why?" Regina said. Before Belle could answer her, Rumple beat her to it.
"Apparently, Neal here forgot to mention that the person who is after Amber is willing to kill. Also, the attacker who killed Jefferson and his daughter and the bastard who is after Amber are the same person." Rumple snarled.
When he heard his father say Neal instead of Bae, he knew he messed up and only wished he could go back to that day where it all went wrong. He wanted to fall down again and cry. He was lost. This was the second time that all he wanted was his mother to comfort him, but she was gone.
"I'll inform my father and get him to help. He can gather others to look for her." Emma said, already dialing the phone.
"I'll get Robin and his men to help too." Regina said. "Also, I was hoping to talk to you about something we found Gold."
"Very well. You can talk while we look."
Gold and Regina headed out to begin their own search while Emma talked to her father. Neal told Belle that they should look for all the places Amber might go on her own, if she was, in the town. He figured it would help for her to see someone she knew and have her mother. With that they left and began to search their first stop, the library.
They were stuck. All three of them were stuck in the past. It didn't matter how screwed up the time line and history just got, by killing the mad man, he was able to secure them all in one place. It was easier to catch prey when they were trap.
I have to find her, he thought, I have to stop the voices. I don't care if I have to kill her. I just want the voices to stop and for her to go away. Go away. Go away. Please, just go away. Stop haunting me!
The man fell down to his knees again. He grabbed his head, hoping that by squeezing it, it would make her go away. Just then, he heard a voice. Singing?
No, humming. It was coming from the river. He headed in that direction. It couldn't be her. It's not the same voice. She always had a beautiful voice. Just like her.
When the river came into view, he saw a woman. It was her friend. The same one that helped him once to deliver a message to her. Perhaps she can send another message to me, he thought.
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