"Do you think something went wrong ?", Henry asked.
Belle, who had sat down, looked up at the little boy. He was still standing as the exact same spot where his mother hold his enchanted coat out to him. As she was doing with Rumple's, he was holding it tight close to him, like it was a shield.
"Why do you think that ?"
"I don't know", he said, shrugging, "But Emma has been gone for a while and there's still no sign of Regina and Mr. Gold."
"It is a pretty big place, Henry. I'm sure they are fine".
The young woman was not actually really sure of that but saying those words out loud was pacifying her, as it seemed to have pacified her young companion. They remained silent for a while. Belle was playing absent-mindedly with the zipper of the coat while Henry was scanning the horizon, hoping to see someone coming. He was about to give up when he caught sight of three shadows in the distance.
"Belle !", he exclaimed, "Belle ! Look ! They're coming back ! They're coming back !"
She jumped on her feet, looking in the direction the boy was pointing at. Although she was screwing up her eyes the best she could, she could not see anything. It could only meant two things : either she needed glasses or Henry was having an hallucination. She didn't know which option was the best.
"I can't see anything, Henry", she admitted.
By way of answer, Henry searched frenziedly in the pockets of his coat and dragged binoculars.
"You has those all along !?", Belle exclaimed.
"I forgot.", he apologized.
With the help of the binoculars, Belle realized that three people were indeed coming their way. However, she wasn't as excited as Henry was. Of course, it was more likely Emma, Regina and Rumple, but maybe it was somebody else. Back in Storybrooke, when Rumple told her the story of the curse, he admitted not to be sure that everybody followed them into the world. When she asked why, he replied it was because he didn't recall seeing everybody he knew as his new neighbors. He added that some people were powerful enough to protect themselves from the curse but refused to say something else when she wondered who could be more powerful than him and Regina. Now that she was witnessing those shadows coming closer, all those worries were reappearing but she decided not to share them with Henry. She did not want to frighten him. A moment passed before they could see precisely the comers' faces.
"Oh no.", Henry whispered.
"What is it ?", she asked, trying to hide the worry in her voice.
"It is Regina and Mr. Gold. But the third person is not Emma."
Relieved that her beloved was safe and sound, Belle did not understand right away that Emma was not with them.
"Then who is accompanying them ?"
"A woman. But I don't know her. She is not in my book".
He turned around Belle, worried, and resumed :
"Not many people are not in my book. It is never a good thing."
"Give me the binoculars. Maybe I know her."
Unfortunately, she did. She had never met the woman but it made sense the she was...
"Regina's mother.", she whispered.
"What ?", Henry exclaimed.
"A woman powerful enough to protect herself from the curse... And she does look like your mum."
"What is she doing here ? What does this mean ?"
"As you said... Nothing good."
They were lost in their thoughts when Rumplestiltskin's coat started glowing. Belle looked at it. The fabric had become blue. As much as she had hoped this would happened when Emma enchanted Henry's coat, she was not sure that it was a good thing anymore. However, Henry was over the moon when his own coat started glowing, shortly after Mr. Gold's.
"Emma is coming back too !", he yelled happily.
He seized the binoculars and looked around, trying to spot his mother. But when he did, his joy vanished.
"It is not possible !", he despaired, "She is also with someone else. And this time, I don't need you to tell me it means nothing good."
"Why ?", Belle worried, "Who is it ?"
"Captain Hook."
"What ?", she screamed, louder than she wanted.
"You know him ?"
"He wants to hurt Rumple in any way he can, for some reason I don't know about. He once asked me to help him kill Rumple but when he understood it was the last thing I would do, he decided to have me killed instead."
"So let me sum this up. Hook wants to kill you and Mr. Gold, who, I believe, wants to kill him for that. Then, there's my grandmother, who is very powerful. And my mums, who hate each other and don't care much for Gold."
"You have it, kid.", she said with bitterness, "And now what ?"
"Now more trouble.", he cringed, "You see that spot over there ? They can't see it now but their paths will cross at the point."
"If they stumble upon each other, it is not going to be pretty.", Belle deplored.
"No", he confirmed, "and this is why we are going to meet them. If we are already there, maybe they will hesitate before killing each other."
Before she could have a chance to tell him his plan was dangerous, Henry was already running, forcing Belle to follow him.