In the Woods

Jefferson and a woman Emma didn't recognize walked into the shop just as Emma was about to leave. "Is Mr. Gold in today?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, he's in the back office," Emma replied, pointing behind her.

"Thank you."

"Emma." She held her hand out to the woman.

"Belle," the woman replied, shaking the hand offered her. Emma nodded and walked past them.

Jefferson and Belle walked up to the door frame, and Belle knocked on it. "It's me," she said.

"Come in," Gold replied from within. They walked inside. She hugged the pawn shop owner the second she got the chance, and he returned the gesture. When she pulled away, Gold nodded to Jefferson, who nodded in kind. "Please, have a seat." Jefferson and Belle sat in the two chairs facing Gold's desk. Gold sat down, folded his hands, and leaned forward. "Jefferson, I assume you know why I contacted you."

"To check up on your girlfriend," Jefferson replied.

"And there's something else. Someone else, I should say."

"Is this the son that you mentioned?" Belle asked.

"Yes, it is. I believe I know how and where to find him, but once I do, I will trust him to your care."

"What does he look like?" Jefferson asked.

"I've been told somewhat like me."

He nodded. "Makes sense. How old is he?"

"Sixteen."

"So, when he's found, you want us to look after him?" Belle asked.

"Shelter him, look after him, make sure Regina doesn't suspect a thing. I'm sure you've been doing that well enough?"

"She doesn't know anything. And we're still sticking to the plan, right?"

Gold nodded and leaned back, crossing his legs. "Does he keep you comfortable enough?" he asked Belle.

"It beats the mental institution," she replied.

He smiled and nodded again, and then he looked at Jefferson. As they got up to leave, he stood with the help of his cane and walked around the desk. Gold pulled him closer via his collar and said, "I'm trusting you with my two greatest treasures, which means that if you fail me, I'll do a lot more than cut off your head." Jefferson nodded, and with a flick of his wrist, Gold sent him back into the chair, toppling it.

Belle looked from Jefferson to Gold and back again. She helped Jefferson to his feet. "We should go," she said. "She might've noticed where we've been."

"Right. I'll see you soon." Gold and Belle hugged again, and Jefferson led her out of the office.

He checked the windows for anyone who could be or be working for Regina. Once he determined that the coast was clear, he nodded to her, and they walked out of the shop, down the block, and into an alley. She climbed into the passenger seat of Jefferson's car, and he got behind the wheel and started the car. He drove down the street to a house on the outskirts of Storybrooke, where he parked around back and led her into the house through the back door. She went to the guest bedroom she occupied, and he took the gun out of his room and took a seat at the end of the second floor hallway, next to the stairs facing the door.

OUAT

Bae and Morraine returned to camp with two small rabbits. Morraine dropped the one she carried when she noticed something near the fire pit. "What is it?" Bae asked, setting his rabbit down next to hers.

"Here," she said, pointing to the tracks. "Two women. They seem to have come from the forest, in the direction of the town, and then gone off back into the woods."

"Who do you think they are?"

"Not sure."

"Where in the forest did they go?"

"Let's find out." She followed the tracks into the woods, and Bae followed her. The tracks wove through the forest to one hill and then another. On the second hill, several small mounds of dirt lay next to a hole the likes of which would be used to bury a box or other small object. Bae walked up and studied the hole. It was longer than it was wide, and it reminded him of the dimensions of a knife. A very specific knife.

Morraine knelt next to him. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Are you thinking of a knife?" Bae asked.

"As a matter of fact, I am."

She nodded, and they stood and faced each other. Bae looked down at the tracks. They seemed to lead back to the town, so they followed them until they stopped at the bridge. "They would've gone into the town, but we can't track them there."

"Bae, we still have to find the survivors."

"That knife is dangerous, Morraine. If anyone kills my father with it, they become the Dark One, and we all know how dangerous the Dark One is."

"That's the reason you stopped earlier. That was your father." Bae nodded. "Let's get those rabbits and move our camp."

"Good plan."

OUAT

Emma opened Henry's book and flipped through it until she found a picture of the knife, with Rumpelstiltskin's name replaced by Zoso's. She removed the knife, in its plastic bag, from the box on her desk and lay it on the book opposite the illustration. With the exception of the name, the knives were identical.

But what crime was this knife evidence for? Was it evidence for anything in the first place? Was it only buried to protect it or hide it for future use? Before she took any course of action, she had to figure out whether anything had happened in the first place.

She put the knife back in the box, closed the book, and slipped it back in her drawer. Too many questions, so few answers.

OUAT

Gold walked into Granny's Diner and asked to see Ruby. "Yeah? Can I help you?" Ruby asked when she walked out of the kitchen.

"Yes, I believe you can. Emma Swan recommended you," Gold replied.

"For what?"

"I've got a special job for you."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "What job are we talking about?"

"I need you to help me find someone."

"Oookay."

"It shouldn't be too difficult."

"Well, who're we looking for?"

"Someone. Apparently he likes to hide out in the woods, or he feels the need to, at least."

"Explains why you're asking me." She glanced down at the counter and said, "Well, I'll see what I find, and you'll be the first to know."

"Thank you."

OUAT

Morraine and Bae had just finished preparing their rabbits when they heard a rustling sound to their left. Bae stuffed the rabbits in his pack, and they both armed their bows and waited.

A woman in a red shirt stepped out into view, but the rustling continued. "Get behind us," Bae whispered harshly. The woman turned to the woods and then all but ran to a point closer to the fire. The rustling came again, and Bae and Morraine took aim.

A brown-haired man in yellow stepped out of the forest, and the kids fired, their arrows landing in each of his wrists. He winced, but he managed to pull them out and lunge for them. Bae had managed to ready another arrow by the time the prince smacked Morraine out of the way, and he stepped back to give himself the necessary shooting space. But the prince reached him and grabbed his wrist before he could fire. Bae tossed the bow and arrow into a bush and turned toward the woman. "Run," he mouthed as the man jerked his arm into an awkward and extremely painful position.

Bae looked at Morraine, who got to her feet and readied another arrow. He nodded to her and twisted to the side. She fired just as he turned.

The prince screamed in agony and released his grip just enough for Bae to pull free. "Nice work," he breathed to Morraine as he picked up his weapon and helped her to her feet. Her arrow had landed in the prince's shoulder, and Bae noticed that his eye was milky. That must've been how he was so seriously injured that the curse broke.

The prince tore the arrow from his shoulder and said, "You think you can kill me."

"Maybe I can," the woman said, scratching at him. Her nails (or were they claws?) tore at the skin of his face, in some spots exposing his jaw bone. He stumbled back, and the woman snarled very much like a wolf.

Bae and Morraine watched with mixtures of shock, awe, and some degree of terror as the prince straightened and purple mist surrounded his wounds. The arrow disintegrated into a blend of the mist and a black, powdery substance. The woman stepped back and shot a look toward the kids. "What's going on?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Bae stepped between Morraine and the prince and began guiding her toward the woman. Both kids armed their bows, but the price didn't move until the smoke cleared. When he did, he shot toward the woman before the kids could get to her.

The woman threw her hands up to stop his arms and shot for his throat. Morraine grabbed Bae's arm and shot him an anxious look. When Bae looked back at the woman, he saw what had his companion so worried. The woman had, in a matter of moments, transformed into the wolf she'd behaved like such a short time prior. "Bae, we should go," Morraine whispered.

"No, we can't leave her," Bae replied.

"It's not like we can kill him."

"Who says we need to kill him?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He made a deal. Power and immortality. I can't be sure the price, which likely means he hasn't paid it."

The kids faced each other. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, M, but I'm afraid so. The only trouble is that we are three, counting the wolf. One of us will be alone."

"You should go." Morraine lowered her voice and added, "No matter the outcome, it may be our best bet."

Bae nodded reluctantly. "But I hate to leave you in such a dangerous position."

She put her hands on his shoulders. "I'll be fine."

With a reluctant nod, he said, "I'll hurry," and with his bow and arrow in hand, he ran across the bridge to the town.