Mary Margaret Blanchard set down her book and got up from her couch when she heard the knock at the door. At the door she found Emma Swann with a few others waiting behind her.
"Emma, what's going on?" Mary Margaret asked worriedly.
"It's Beatrice, she's missing." Mary Margaret didn't hesitate. Grabbing her coat and keys, she locked her door and walked with Emma and the crowd down to the Gold's house.
"How long has she been missing?" Mary Margaret inquired.
"Mr. Gold says she didn't come back home last night, but I feel like there's more too it." Emma explained. "There's something he's not telling me."
When they reached the crowd on the corner, Mr. Gold looked at everyone that had come together to help find his daughter.
"I'd like to thank you all for coming to help find my daughter, Beatrice Rose Gold. She didn't come home last night, and I fear the worst for her." Mr. Gold remained composed. "Today we are searching the woods, as they are a good place to stay hidden. I wish us all the best in our searches." As he stepped down from his stairs many handed out flashlights and whistles. The sky was grey and overcast, threatening to rain. Ponchos were passed out as well. Emma approached Mr. Gold amidst the crowd, the last person he wanted to talk too.
"Mr. Gold I want you to know we're doing everything we can to help find your daughter." Emma said. Mr. Gold nodded but Emma pressed further. "But it would help us find her faster if you just told me everything you knew."
"And what else is there to tell?" Mr. Gold asked. "She didn't come home, and now she's missing." He restated.
"If you want to play games with me, that's fine Mr. Gold. But let's not put your daughter in the middle of it. She actually came to your defense on several occasions I've heard. This is a crappy way of paying her back." Emma stalked off with the others to start scouring the woods. Mr. Gold spied at the front of a group Clark Wells, the man who was going to steal away his daughter. Mr. Gold strode back up his steps to wait for any sort of news.
Clark Wells had confided in Emma all that he knew about last night before he was forced to leave.
"And you didn't see anything after you left?" Emma asked again. Clark nodded.
"I'm sorry. I would have stayed but Bee would have been so mad." Clark was scouring the entire forest, even looking up in the trees.
"You really love her don't you?" Emma asked.
"I do. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I have a past, and even though you're the sheriff I'm trusting that you won't use it against me." Emma nodded understandingly.
"I'm sure we all have things we'd like to bury."
"But there are some who would try to exploit it." Clark said hardly.
"Mr. Gold?" Emma asked.
"He threatened me with it, said he'd ruin my career. And it's not even about me, but that doesn't matter. Any black mark is still a black mark." Emma suddenly stopped Clark when she saw something in the distance.
"What is it?" Clark asked.
"Is that a-" Emma couldn't even say it. "A horse?" Clark looked up and saw the horse running towards them.
"That's Samson!" Clark exclaimed. "He's mine, but I have no idea how he got out." Clark ran up to the horse, and Samson slowed down. Clark soothed the beast and Emma looked at the massive thing.
"You didn't know he got out? How could you miss that?" Emma asked.
"I've been too preoccupied with Beatrice being gone." In the rut of the saddle a piece of red fabric, he pulled it out and looked at it.
"This is Beatrice's." Clark said. "She was wearing this dress last night. She must have found Samson and rode on him but, where is she now?" Emma looked around with him.
"Well, she might have fallen off from dehydration or she could have hit her head and fallen off. And it's not like the horse can just pick her back up. But maybe she's close by." Samson continued to tug on the reigns in Clark's hands.
"I think he knows where she is." Clark said.
"What? He's a horse." Emma clarified.
"But he's loyal. If she's hurt, Samson might be able to lead us to her." Clark said hoisting himself into the saddle. Clark held out his hand for Emma.
"You want me to get on with you?" Emma asked.
"There's enough room, and if she is hurt, I'll need you to ride back and get help." Emma agreed and hopped on behind Clark. He lightly kicked Samson three times and the horse bounded off into a gallop, leading the way.
They continued to follow the river when they both spotted a blonde and red mass aimlessly still on the riverbank.
"Beatrice!" Clark yelled. Emma and Clark both dismounted quickly and ran to her aide. "Help me get her out of the water." Clark instructed as he lifted beneath her arms and Emma grabbed her legs. The blue woman with the red dress seemed dead already, with no chance of survival. They laid her on the grassy bank and Clark went into medical mode.
"She has an extremely low pulse. Her core temperature is probably below normal. Hand me your survival kit." Clark asked and Emma hand him her pack. Inside it he found a foil blanket which he wrapped around her, using his jacket as a pillow to keep her head up.
"Ride Samson back to town and send help. I'll stay with her." Emma looked at the horse.
"I'm not sure I can ride that thing-"
"You can. You have too." Clark pleaded. Emma couldn't ignore his pleading look. Mustering her courage she mounted the horse again and took off. Clark looked at his barely living fiancée. What would he do if she didn't survive?