Chapter Six: Enter Villains

Ruby groaned as she came to and tried to get her eyes to focus. Where ever she was, it was dark and it took a little more time for her wolf vision to kick in. She shook her head to get her mind back in order. Her hands were bound together behind her back and her legs were tied together at the ankles which did not help her calm her wolf senses. She blinked a few times and saw corners of furniture and felt the soft edge of a mattress under her body. She tried to roll over only to hit against another soft object, which immediately groaned.

"Belle?" Ruby whispered and scooted herself into a seated position before she looked back at her friend, "Belle, are you okay?"

"Ruby?" Belle asked in a speaking voice.

"Shh," Ruby hissed and took a better look around the room. It was ornate and screamed about the ego of the man that had captured them. Carved heavy wood in overly decorative styles surrounded the equally over stuffed bed they were on. Gold pieces hung around them and she was sure that nearly every fabric was either velvet or silk. She frowned and pushed at her friend, "We need to get out of here."

"I know him," Belle whispered this time and tried to roll over to look up at Ruby, "He tried to get me to help him to kill Rumple before- when I was under Regina's control."

"Then he will try to use you again," Ruby nodded and kept her ears open for anything that may signal an incoming prison guard, or their captor, "Do you remember anything else about him?"

"He's a liar and a bad one at that," Belle scoffed.

"You wound me."

Ruby narrowed her eyes and before she could focus on the dark corner a light erupted from it. It was the same man with the same wardrobe from earlier and he carried a small lantern on the hook that she remembered well. Ruby backed up against her friend, still willing to protect her.

"Who are you?" she growled.

"I am sorry, where are my manners?" he put the lantern down and bowed toward them both, "I am known as Captain Hook. The pleasure is mine, I am sure."

"Why are we here, Captain?" Ruby snarled, "I don't recall accepting an invitation to a pirate ship."

"You are just the bonus," he smiled suavely at Ruby and then moved his eyes to Belle, "I was after your friend there. She's the key to bringing the old crocodile to me."

"Crocodile?" Belle frowned and looked up at Ruby and then back at Hook, "What are you talking about?"

"The Dark One," Hook explained in an exasperated sigh, "The one who took my hand… and my true love."

"How did he…" Belle frowned and then shook her head in complete refusal, "I won't let you hurt him."

"You don't have much of a choice," he pointed at her, "I already sent out the ransom demands and he will come for you."

"What are demanding of him?"

"A duel," he said with a small smile and turned to Ruby. He ran a hand down the side of her face and then twirled pieces of her hair around his finger. He brought it up to his nose and took a sniff before he leaned back, "You remind me of someone. Someone from long ago."

"And you remind me of a slime bag," Ruby snapped back and jerked her head back to make him let go of her hair, "Let Belle and I go. You have no idea who you are dealing with here."

"Don't I?" Hook let his hook glitter in the light of the lantern. Then they all heard foot falls on the hardwood over their heads, "Seems like I have a visitor to deal with. I will be sure to let the crocodile see you one last time before I dispatch him. Maybe I should give you a few cuts in front of him to let him know just what I can do."

"Leave him alone!" Belle threw herself up and tried to wriggle herself toward the pirate, but he only chuckled and left the room down a separate corridor. Belle struggled against the rope around her wrists and tried to get free, "We have to stop him! He can't!"

"Belle, Belle, don't worry," Ruby tried to calm her down and pushed against her shoulder, "Settle down. We will get out of this. Gold has his ways and now that he has magic… he won't let anything happen to you."

"I don't like how this is going," Belle admitted.

"Neither do I," Ruby said and shifted her weight. She heard a second set of foot falls join the other set above their heads. It sounded like the captain met his visitor, "Let me see if I can get to your wrists and get you untied. When we are free of the ropes maybe we can find our way out and free of the ship."

"Ship?" Belle asked as she felt Ruby's hands on hers.

"I assumed since we are dealing with a captain here, that these are his quarters," Ruby explained and motioned her head around the room even though Belle couldn't see it.

"Good assumption. I didn't feel the motion of the waves under us until you said something."

"Now, stay still," Ruby struggled and groaned in exasperation as her fingers kept slipping, "I can't get a grip on the rope."

"Let me try."

As her friend repositioned her hands she heard the foot falls above their heads stall. Ruby shushed her and her eyes focused not on the ceiling, but on the doorway at their side. Ruby grazed her fingertips with Belle's.


"It's been a while, clever crocodile," Hook greeted as he reached the poop deck. He put his good hand over the hilt of his sword and looked down at the man who now moved to the main deck.

"Indeed," Gold greeted back, his cane under both his hands and his posture straight, "Tell me… just how did you keep your good looks over these hundreds of years?"

"Want to know the secret?" Hook smirked and walked closer to the man, "Neverland."

"That bean did work then?" Gold nodded in answer to his own question, "Well, now that the mystery is solved… give me Belle back."

"Your woman?" Hook asked with a wider smirk, "So she was a better pawn piece than I thought. The queen was right. It was a good thing that she stopped me from killing her. At least until now."

"I only ask once," Gold reminded him.

"This is another land, you have no magic. I have waited so long for this," Hook smiled brightly and rushed at him, his hook held high. As he was about to bring the hook down on him, Gold lifted his hand and froze the hook in mid swing, along with the man attached to it.

"Never assume anything, dearie," Gold grinned and took hold of his cane. He looked at it longingly and then reared back and hit Hook with the heavy end, sending the pirate reeling backwards and to the deck. Gold huffed and stood straight to adjust his tie and jacket.

Emma came up on the deck and looked from Hook to Gold, "Did you have to use your cane?"

"I could have just killed him," Gold lifted his hand which glowed purple. His eyes shifted to the unconscious pirate and his mouth moved to shape into a snarl, "I still can."

"I think that we need him to know what Cora has in store for us," she held up a hand toward him which stopped him from continuing, "It wouldn't be smart to kill off a good source of information."

"That reminds me," he waved his hand as if to wave off the magic, "Where is that vile excuse of a woman? And where are they hiding Belle?"

"Let's find out after we get him under some kind of restraint," Emma nodded toward Hook. Hook then began to float in the air, until he was thrown against the mast and a dozen ropes wrapped themselves around him. Emma looked at Gold, "That should do."

"Now, let's find Belle."


"Show yourself!" Ruby barked at the door as it began to open, thinking that it was the captain once again. The door fell open at her command and Archie nearly fell in after it.

"Jiminy!" Ruby cried out without pause with a large smile, though the name confused Belle a little.

Archie made a beeline for Ruby and held her face in his hands, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, just tied up," he shrugged her shoulders to elaborate. He nodded and began to work on her hands before he yelled over his shoulder, "They're in here!"

David came through the same doorway and made his way over to Belle to help with her ropes, "Gold is facing off against Hook at the moment. Serves as a great distraction."

"Is he okay?" Belle asked hurriedly, "Is Rum okay?"

"I would worry more about Hook."

Ruby's hand bindings finally fell and she immediately wound her arms around Archie's neck and hugged him close. He returned the gesture as one arm went around her waist and the other hand went into her hair. His nose became buried in her hair and he took a deep breath in. He released it in a rush of relief now that he knew she was safe.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I was not expecting you on the rescue team," Ruby murmured into his shirt collar.

"Neither did some of the others," he smiled even though she couldn't see it, "But it was you, and I couldn't just sit by and wait. Not this time."

She leaned back from the hug and looked up at his face. For once she was stopped. She didn't have anything to say and she couldn't find any words. Instead she smiled and quickly kissed him on the cheek. His back straightened and he was startled a little from the small action.

"You wanna get my legs undone so we can get out of here, hero?" Ruby asked when he hesitated.

"Of course," he nodded and began at the ropes around her ankles. He was glad the captain kept his quarters so dark even with the bright morning outside. His face was probably redder than his hair at this point.

"Where is Rumple?" Belle asked as she hopped off the bed.

"Probably about to kill Hook," David nodded and began to walk out the door, "Hopefully Emma will convince him otherwise. Come on."

The team of four made their way to the top deck where they saw Emma and Gold starting their way toward them and a tied up Hook on the mast. Belle was the first to break free of the group and ran all the way to Gold. As soon as he saw her, he opened his arms and she jumped into them. He held her tight and ran a hand through her hair. He threw a look toward David once she was back in his arms that read as a thank you without any words. Emma walked the rest of the way to the others and turned to look back.

"It still kind of boggles the noggin, you know?" Emma shrugged and looked at the two of them.

"You get used to it," David explained and took a step forward to look at the knocked out captain on the mast, "What to do with him?"

"We need to know where Cora went," Emma said immediately, "He's the only one who may know where she might have gone."

"Then we need to keep an eye on him. Lock him up," David nodded and tossed Emma the keys to the station, "Lock him up in a cell. He's your responsibility until we find out what to do with him."

"My responsibility?!"

"You are still the sheriff," David shrugged, "I only took your place until you got back."

"Listen here, Dad…"

"This is going to take a while," Ruby muttered and curved her arm into the nook of Archie's, "You want to walk me home and make sure that Granny isn't having a coronary? I know she must have found the place a mess and is worrying about me. I know her heart isn't in the best of shape, either."

"It would be my pleasure," Archie said with a nod and tossed a look to the others before he turned and walked with her down the gang plank and toward town. He held her arm in his and soaked up the feeling of her head against his shoulder. If he didn't know any better, he could have guessed that they were a couple walking down the street from an outsider's perspective. He rolled his eyes at himself. She didn't think that way and the kiss on the cheek was merely a thank you for getting her out of the ship.

"How'd you guys know to find us on the ship?" Ruby asked, still glued to his side.

"Hook wanted Gold, so he sent him a letter and demands for Belle's release. He didn't count on you."

"Yeah, he called me a bonus," Ruby spat and frowned before she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, "Probably thought that I would swoon for his pretty boy looks."

"You were never one to swoon," Archie nodded and looked down at her.

"I've never had a reason to as of yet," she said back with a smile. She felt her own face flush a little and she thought another course of conversation should stop it from continuing, "Where is Snow? She is never one to miss a good fight."

"Watching Henry," he smiled, "At least she knows how to keep him in one place. Not many of us do."

"This is true. I remember when I tried to watch him when David-"

"Ruby!" Granny rushed out from the diner and toward her granddaughter. Ruby let go of Archie's arm and braced herself for Granny's impact. The woman scooped up Ruby in a bear hug and then began to check her over. When she was satisfied she looked over at Archie, "Thank you and the others for finding her and bringing her back."

"It wasn't a-" Archie tried to placate the situation until he was scooped up in one of her hugs as well.

"Where are the others?" Granny asked and looked behind him.

"Gold is reacquainting himself with Belle and will probably have her super glued to his side for the next week," Ruby said with a smile, "Will you let the poor guy breath, Granny?"

Granny let go of Archie and he straightened himself, "David and Emma are… conversing on what to do with Hook. It seems like he is our only link to Cora."

"Well, this has been a full morning," Granny swiped her hands together and waved at both of them, "Come on in and get some breakfast. The others will probably be along soon enough."

Granny climbed the stairs and left the door open for them to follow. Ruby took Archie by the hand and led him inside before he could refuse.

"Come on, hero," she smirked at his new nickname, "We will get you set up with your favorite and some warm coffee."

"Are you going to join me?" he asked with a small smile.

"Of course," she nodded and pulled him into the diner.


Cora walked the streets of the town and smiled at how quaint they all seemed. She followed a faint magic trail down the street that surprised her. For one, that there was any magic in this world to begin with; and two that it reeked of her daughter. She turned down the last street and saw the large house surrounded by large hedges.

"This world's equivalent to a castle," Cora thought out loud and tilted her head in a passing judgment, "I suppose it will do."

She made her way up the sidewalk and took a breath as she reached the door. She patted down her dress and looked at the ancient, dried rose in her hands. She closed her eyes and then knocked on the door. She heard some shuffling of feet inside and then the door opened slowly.

"Gold, I am not in the mood-" Regina began, but was cut short by the picture of her mother standing in the doorway. She paused and the look of absolute terror washed over her features, "Mother?"

"Hello, Regina," Cora greeted her with a smile and walked through the door only to close it behind her, "I have missed you."

"But the well, only Emma and Snow White came through," she mumbled and backed herself into one of the walls.

"There are other ways," Cora assured her and put a hand to the side of her face at which Regina flinched at. Cora frowned and brought her hand way, "Are you afraid of me?"

"Shouldn't I be?" Regina asked and kept a hesitant eye on her mother.

"No, you shouldn't," Cora brought the rose up between them and looked at Regina meaningfully, "I kept it."

"The rose…" Regina frowned in concentration. Then it dawned on her, "That was the rose I buried you with."

"Would have, if I was really dead," Cora corrected her and then took one of Regina's hands in hers, "I came here to help you. To help you win."

"Mother, I-"

"Because that is what you deserve."

Regina paused and took in her mother's words. She took the time to process them and Cora stood still to let her. She narrowed her eyes slightly, "You aren't angry that I tried to kill you?"

"If you call Hook's sad attempt at being an assassin a try," Cora scoffed and shook her head, "I was at first, but then what you said when you were saying goodbye to me. I never knew that I meant that much to you."

"You are and will always be my mother," Regina said in a way that made it sound natural, "And as much as I may hate your actions, I will always love you."

"As I will always love you," Cora put a hand on her cheek again and this time Regina did not flinch, "Now, to take care of this Charming problem."