Emma was quiet for the next few days. She was in mourning after Neal, severely injured by a gunshot wound by Tamara, disappeared into a portal born from a stolen magic bean. She was certain that no matter what world he landed in, he was certainly going to die.

To make matters worse, Tamara and Greg had stolen what Regina called a "switch" that would destroy Storybrooke and wipe it right off the map just as quickly as it had appeared on the Earth. The explanation for doing this? Magic was unholy and needed to be destroyed. Yes, those two were certainly a danger to everyone.

The next day, Erik received a phone call. He looked down at the cell phone screen. "Meg Giry" it read. Strange; what could she have possibly needed from him?

"Hello?" He said with a hint of confusion.

"Erik?" Meg said, "Is Christine with you?"

"No. She's supposed to spend the day with you, isn't she?"

"Yes, but she's not here. I've waited for about fifteen minutes. I tried calling her, but there was no answer. Oh, I hope everything's all right."

"Hm… Do you happen to have the viscount's number?"

"I was just about to call Raoul and ask him the same thing."

"I have an idea: as much as I hate to do this, if the viscount doesn't know where she is, tell him that you and him will meet me at Gold's shop. I have a feeling that magic may prove to be quite helpful."

OoOoOo

About a half an hour later, Erik, Raoul, and Meg made their way to Mr. Gold's pawnshop. As the bell jingled, Gold and Lacey looked towards their direction. In their hands were champagne glass with the sparkling golden beverage, the clear bottle sitting adjacent to them.

"Mr. Specter, Miss Giry, and Viscount Chagney," he said, "What a pleasant surprise. Miss Giry, you are looking as lovely as always. Viscount Chagney, I hope everything has been well. And Erik, I can barely see that horrible welt on your face."

"Shut it, Gold," Erik snapped, "I need your help." Rumplestiltskin gave his glass to Lacey.

"Lacey, dearie," he said, "take this for me, please; I won't be a moment." Lacey smiled and walked into Gold's office. "So you've come to strike a deal, have you? What is it that you need?"

"It's Christine; I have no idea where she is and I'm beginning to worry."

"How strange; from what I remember, you stalked her just about every day until you completely frightened her."

"Will you just shut up and help me?!" Erik shouted has he pounded the desk.

"All right, all right; you've haven't a sense of humor anywhere in you, have you dearie? Anyway, I'm going to need to see your heart. 'But,' you say, 'I'm immune to magic'. Well many advantages come with being the Dark One, including being able to rip out anyone's heart. And I do mean anyone." Erik gave him an icy stare. "I'm going to give it back to you. And I'm not going to squish it either."

"And what do you want in return?"

"Two seats in your private box for me and Lacey for one performance, may it be in Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest." Erik couldn't help but give a perplexed look.

"That's… all?"

"Contrary to what you believe, I am a very cultured man and have a great appreciation for the theatre arts."

"You have a deal."

"Splendid. Now hold still for just a minute." Mr. Gold reached his hand into Erik's chest and quickly pulled out a glowing red heart that was big enough to fit in his hand. Erik gave a slight gasp as his heart was pulled out.

"And what does this mean?" Raoul asked.

"The heart is a powerful thing," Gold said as he examined the heart, "you see, when somebody a person loves dearly is in distress, one person's heart can feel the other person's heart pain and can even be used to find the one in distress. It isn't a simple process, though; one must hold their heart in the palm of their hand and focus on that person and feel the pain whatever sense they feel for themselves." Gold handed Erik his heart. "And you must be the one to do so."

Erik took in the texture of his heart. The pulsating light gave off a sort of warmth that he had not expected. He focused on Christine…. Christine… Christine… There was nothing he could feel except the pulse.

"I can't feel a thing," he said.

"You're doing it wrong, dearie," Gold said, "Think hard; what does Christine mean to you? Why do you want to find her? What would you be without her?"

Erik closed his eyes and thought about those questions. Christine was his muse, the one who gave him meaning to his life. She brought out whatever goodness may be inside him, even when was too blind to see it for himself. Without her, he probably would have died from his own madness, alone, unloved.

Then he felt something. He opened his eyes and could see darkness, with only a few lanterns that showed the features of some strange people. There were speaking to her, but he couldn't quite decipher what they were saying. There was a chilly draft and the air smelled of dust, clay, and earth. It felt like his arms and legs were constricted and all seemed as though it were on the brink of despair. Still, he could feel a glimmer of hope, like an ember in a dying fire that refused to extinguish. The fuel of that hope was no other than love.

"What is it, Erik?" Meg asked.

"The mines," he said, "she's at the mines with… people. But I don't know who."

"Congratulations," Gold said, "you harnessed a very special kind of magic: love. It is so powerful that even you can use it." Erik slowly pressed his heart back into his chest. He felt shaken, yet relieved; he had not known how important his heart was until it was missing and then replaced. "Now then, if that will be all, good day to you."

OoOoOo

The Charmings had been kind enough to lend the three guns in case the need should arise while they were in the mines. They also equipped flashlights to navigate in the dark. When they arrived, there were several passageways that greeted them.

"We should split up," Erik said, "Miss Giry, viscount: you two should take one path."

"Will you be all right by yourself?" Meg asked. Erik gave a slight grin.

"I'm quite sure I can." With that, they were on their way.

It had been about fifteen minutes since they entered the mines. There was nothing Erik could hear except his own footsteps, the dripping of water, and the occasional sound of a tiny rock that was brushed by his feet. Still, there wasn't even so much as a hint of evidence of where Christine was.

Then he heard another set of footsteps even though he was completely stationary. He could see a dull glow of a flashlight inching closer towards him. Slowly, he hid behind a corner and pulled his gun out of his jacket, ready to attack. One… two… three!

Erik jumped out of his hiding spot and aimed his gun right at… Meg and Raoul with their guns prepared to shoot.

"Well that's a bit embarrassing," Raoul said putting his gun away, "I don't suppose you've had any luck."

"I'm afraid not." That was when a shrill scream echoed through the mines. The three immediately recognized the voice and without hesitation, they ran towards the direction of the voice.

"Christine!" Erik shouted as they ran, "Christine! I'm here!"

Then they reached the location of the screams; Greg, Tamara, and Hook stood in a circle-like formation around Christine, tied to a chair, a few electric lanterns scattered around the area, flashlights in their hands.

"Who the hell are you?!" Raoul shouted with his gun ready to shoot.

"Is this him?" Hook asked. "Is this the phantom you spoke of and showed me?"

"What, the mask didn't give it away?" Tamara remarked.

"Let her go!" Erik demanded.

"Not until you tell me about the crocodile," Hook replied.

"Crocodile? I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken; there are no crocodiles in Maine."

"You know very well what I'm talking about."

"I assure you I have no idea what you're talking about."

"He's talking about Rumplestiltskin," Tamara said.

"Ah, Mr. Gold. Hm… nope I'm afraid I've haven't seen him for quite some time."

"You liar, you wouldn't have made it here without him!" Hook said.

While the group was bickering, Meg sneaked through the darkness over to Christine. When she was about to say something, Meg put her index finger to her lips before working away the ropes.

"I assure you I'm a normal man, just like you Mr. Mendel; there is nothing unique about me."

"Then what about this?" Greg pulled out his cell phone and showed him the video of Erik transforming at Granny's Café. The video was small and a bit blurry, but the evidence was still there. Erik, however, merely gave a slight grin.

"I suppose you haven't heard that I was an illusionist. I would have hoped that you have at least done your research."

"And you expect me to believe that was all just a magic trick?"

"Illusions are remarkable, aren't they?" Raoul added.

"Look, if you're just going to play games with us, we're not afraid to kill her," Hook looked over his shoulder, but Christine wasn't there. As he looked confused, Meg snuck up behind him and struck him in the back of the head with one of her ballet shoes. He passed out cold as she stuffed it back into her bag.

"Let's go!" Erik said taking Christine by the hand and running in the direction of the exit. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Christine replied as she panted, "I was a little scared, but nothing more than that. But why are you here, Raoul?"

"It doesn't matter what happened in the past," he replied, "you're still the girl I knew those years ago whose scarf I rescued."

"Look, we're almost there, we're going to make it!" Meg cried pointing to the light at the end of the tunnel. Then Tamara stood in front of them, obstructing their path. "Oh no…"

"Look, Erik," Tamara said, "you could be really helpful to us. I mean, you're immune to magic and can help us kill these impure magical creatures, especially in that form you have."

"And what happens when I outlive my usefulness?" Erik asked, "That form is still very much a type of magic inside of me. I'm still a magical creature in my own respect."

"But you wouldn't have to outlive your usefulness; you'd never be of no use with us."

"And I suppose you expect me to believe you? Don't think I'm so foolish. I'm sure you'd kill me right when you decided that you didn't need me anymore." Tamara let out a sigh and pulled out a plastic mug.

"I'm sorry, Erik; I really I didn't want to do this. But you leave me no choice." Tamara removed the lid and splashed the contents in his face. Erik let out a scream as the liquid hit his face. His eyes burned and whatever little light there was made them sting even more. He tried to wipe away the fiery contents off his face, but it only made the palms of his hands burn as well.

Then Tamara pulled out her taser and put it against Erik's chest.

"No!" Christine cried. She used all of her strength to knock the taser out of her hands and several feet away from Tamara.

"We have to get him to the hospital," Raoul said taking one of Erik's arms and swinging it over his shoulder, running with all the speed he could force himself.

OoOoOo

Erik sat in the emergency room, his veiled fedora over his eyes, bandages wrapped tightly over his eyes as well. They had quickly arrived there after he was splashed with a mugful of pepper spray.

"Wow," Dr. Whale said as he examined the wounds, "I know pepper spray is bad, but a mugful? It's a good thing you came here quickly before you suffered any permanent damage. Now let's have a better look at your eyes…" He reached for Erik's mask, but his hand got pushed away.

"I'd rather you didn't, if you please."

"But, I really need to-"

"Dr. Whale, I'm sure you can just examine him without removing the mask," Christine insisted.

"But I… oh all right. Let me just have a look at your left eye." Dr. Whale peeled open his eye and examined it with a light. Where the eye was once white was now almost completely bloodshot, a bloody backdrop to the yellow iris. Erik's eye twitched as it was exposed to the light. "Well, with time and good care those rashes should disappear on their own. As for your eyes, it would be wise to use these drops for the next few weeks and keep them rested with these bandages. Although I don't think I can tie this over your mask."

"I can go home and get your hat," Christine suggested.

"Yes," Erik replied, "I would greatly appreciate that."

And that's how the two ended up this way at the hospital. Meg and Raoul had to depart, so only Erik and Christine were left.

"Incidentally," Erik asked, "what did they want with you?"

"I was walking to Granny's," Christine explained, "and then all of a sudden, everything went dark. I woke up with a massive headache and tied to a chair. They asked me what I knew about you. They said you'd be useful to them for their cause. I refused to speak."

"Christine, they could have killed you!"

"I wasn't going to let them use you as a tool! That's all they wanted. They didn't care about you, not as a person." He took his hand and put it against her cheek.

"I could've protected myself, my dear; I am the phantom after all."

"But look what they did to just now! It could have been so much worse."

"But it isn't. And I am very grateful for that. What about you?"

"…Yes. You're right, and I am. And I can hardly wait for our new life together."