We're now entering the important part of the story. Pay very careful attention. There are hints of Parker, Eliot and Hardison's stories on the way. Enjoy!
David was happily watching his grandson reading up on Robin and Marian. It was just as Henry started to show signs of working on his sword fighting when the phone call came. All Sophie had to say was trouble and he was moving towards his vehicle as fast as lightning. He shouted out to Henry.
"Henry, I'm dropping you off at your mother's. I'm heading towards Gold's shop."
"Why?" Henry ran towards the vehicle even as he spoke. He was used to these sudden occurrences now so he was more than prepared to leave. He already had his seat belt buckled when David decided on an answer.
"Trouble," he replied.
That was enough to get them both where they belonged in minutes flat. Regina didn't even look fazed when her son entered through the front door. Of course, the fear on her face was as clear as day when she heard who called him for help. It took another few minutes of negotiating before he talked her out of coming with. Reluctantly, she allowed him to do his job with the promise of contact should anything go horribly wrong. Then the real fun began.
The very moment he stepped foot on the sidewalk outside of Gold's Pawnshop, he knew what trouble brewed. He could practically taste the magic in the air. Lights of color were dancing throughout the buildings. Yellows, blues, greens, and reds; colors of every variety seemed to shimmer through the grimy window panes of the store. A small crowd was starting to develop, interested in the next course of action.
"Everybody clear out," David yelled, taking on his princely voice once again, "I'll take care of this just get back!"
The crowd complied, obliging him by leaving instead of inching back. The township trusted him to take care of the magical menace. They all seemed mostly interested in what the non-magical people would do. Eliot's truck was sitting on the edge of the pavement not too far away. It's freshly purchased mirror looked out of place compared to the rest of the rust on it. But its red paint still glimmered with the bursts of light coming from the store.
David pulled out his gun, missing his sword all over again. He rushed forward with purpose and need. He had to protect the town at all costs. Eliot, Parker, and Hardison were in over their heads this time around. They needed his help.
He burst through the door with every expectation of carnage. Instead, he only found Gold rummaging through his inventory. The flashing colors were coming from the jewelry section. Necklaces and watches were bright with boisterous voices. Rumpelstilskin seemed to be casting an enchantment to make them quiet. Each one had a lot to say because the enchantment certainly was taking its sweet time.
"Gold!" David shouted.
The pawnbroker didn't even flinch at the sound of his voice. He didn't even bother to turn around. He just waved his hand and continued to chant. That was all the acknowledgement David needed.
"Which way did they go?" He asked.
Gold tilted his head to the left and gasped in great pain. He quickly grabbed some silver liquid and began sprinkling it all over.
"They headed out the back," he said, "Jefferson used an old spell to set all of these off. I don't know what he came here for but if I find him I'll kill him. Each of these trinkets are very powerful and if I don't talk them down they will go off like an atomic bomb! Find him! The others won't be prepared for his magic."
David nodded his head and rushed through the store. He found Hardison in the alleyway, typing frantically on his laptop. The young man looked winded and out of energy. He even had a slight bulge growing on the side of his face. There were black and purple colors already developing on it.
"Dude got the jump on me," the hacker explained, "I don't know how. He was behind Parker and then he suddenly got behind me. Eliot and Parker went on pursuit, but it doesn't sound like they were successful."
"Which way?" David asked, ignoring his curiosity as to how he could know the progress of the chase already. The hacker held up two fingers and gestured towards the next street over.
Two blocks over, that's what he meant. The prince didn't even stop to react. He just started running down the street at top speed. He was certain that with luck he could get the hatter cornered. Then they could all ask their questions and figure out what was going on.
He ran past one street and had only just made it to the second. He was on his back and looking at the sky before he even knew he was hit. The small pressure currently curled up in his side slowly began to rise. He was met with a face full of blonde hair. The woman this hair belonged to was staring at him with sharp blue eyes. A pang of familiarity shot through him as she stared at him in confusion.
"You're not him," she said matter-of-factly, "Why are you here?"
"Parker, he's our back-up!" Eliot growled, appearing out of the alley. The hitter then looked at the prince and a scowl appeared. He clapped the thief on the shoulder and pointed to him menacingly. "You're supposed to help people to their feet when you knock them over, Parker!" He said.
The thief just shrugged her shoulders and walked away with purpose. It was the long-haired hitter who ended up helping him to his feet. Eliot extended his hand and muttered several apologies for the thief's actions. The hitter even brushed him off to be courteous. Then he pointed to the direction the thief went to before she disappeared. Together they raced as far as they could. But the thief was shaking her head and looking thoroughly confused.
"He made me lose the bad guy," she said, sounding petulant like a child who didn't get their way. "You were supposed to be the bad guy I was running into."
"Dammit, he can outrun Parker," Eliot cursed.
David's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. That seemed to be enough for the hitter to elaborate.
"Nobody can outrun Parker," he said, "The girl races cars in her free time and wins."
"Only up to forty-five miles per hour," the blonde reported proudly, "Sophie won't let me race them at any faster pace."
"She lets you race cars at forty-five?" David couldn't believe Marian would allow anything that dangerous. Marian had a fit whenever Snow brought the horse up to anything faster than a trot. Regina's curse definitely created the opposite in her.
"It was a lot of negotiating to get that low, trust me." The hitter made it sound like the discussion took days, not hours. Judging by the thief's crazy grin, weeks sounded more accurate.
"What happened?" Prince Charming demanded, hoping they could get back to business while the trail was still fresh.
"Jefferson called Sophie and scared her so she told Eliot, Hardison and I to help Mr. Gold out even though I'm pretty sure Mr. Gold could kill him." Parker was reporting this with glee in her eyes. She didn't even take a breath she was so excited. "You should have seen his face when we arrived. He already had a few scratched on him from whatever he did to the light show in the store. Mr. Gold actually was threatening him with his cane and he looked downright terrified. I don't understand how he could be a friend of Sophie's though. He's too scared to be her friend."
The prince could see the hitter's stress levels rise and his patience fall. The man looked on the verge of throwing the thief through a window. Yet, when David stepped in between them to prevent such an outcome, he only raised an eyebrow in amusement. Then his blue-grey eyes connected with his and seriousness returned to their bizarre conversation.
"I don't know how he disappeared," he said, "but the man came out of nowhere and punched Hardison in the face. Gold says he didn't steal anything but the guy had a very pleased expression on his face."
"It's a very distinctive face," Parker said, smiling like she got away with murder.
Eliot's eyes did a squishy roll before they glared daggers into the theif's head. The hitter gave her another pointed look before he returned his sight to the temporary sheriff before him.
"Anyway, you and Gold should go through his inventory. Jefferson definitely took something of value. He even had a gun on Gold when we got there. I thought I knocked it away when he appeared out of nowhere and punched Hardison in the face. I haven't seen the gun since. Parker chased him away but, well, we found you instead of him."
"And I was hot on his trail!" Parker sounded outraged at the fact that she was outraced. In fact, she looked downright disgraced.
"I didn't see him when I was running this way," David admitted in disappointment, "Which means he's gone."
"And we can't leave until we catch him," Eliot confirmed. He looked deadly determined and his voice sounded like a command. Then a scowl reappeared on his face, slowly turning a shade of purple all the while. "I don't care, Nate! We have to stop him now before he goes after somebody else. Parker and Hardison will question Gold while Nolan and I review the crime scene. Is that okay with you?"
David was about to ask him a series of questions when Parker grabbed his arm. She shook her blonde waves and whispered, "coms." She seemed to expect that to be answer enough because she didn't elaborate. She only tilted her head to the left slightly as if listening to a device.
"Ooh, Sophie sounds very mad, Nate," she said, "You should probably not tell her about the bit where Jefferson fired some bullets at me and shot Eliot in the leg."
"Dammit, Parker!" The hitter looked ready to kill the girl for her statement. David smiled in amusement and took heed to the blonde's words. He noticed a tiny divot in the hitter's trousers. He was favoring his left leg but there was barely any blood to tell. Eliot gave him a look of sympathy.
"It barely even grazed me," he said, an apologetic tone to his voice. David felt sorry for him. He knew who the man was talking to now.
"Parker," he nodded to his right in the direction of Gold's shop, "Why don't you go question Gold while everything's still fresh in his mind. Eliot and I will figure out Jefferson's escape plan."
The thief looked surprised at his orders. She looked confused for a minutes. Then a spot of anger shot through her familiar blue eyes. She opened her mouth to argue and once again tilted her head to the left. She stepped forward with suspicion in her eyes. Then she was gone within the blink of an eye.
Eliot laughed. "Yeah," he said, "She tends to do that. Still haven't quite figured out how she does that. Hardison is determined though. He has cameras set to go off during all of our meetings in hopes of capturing it. He has no idea she replaces the tapes every day."
David felt the smile crack his face and sighed. He was hoping he would have a better resolve against criminals in this world. He should have known Marian and Robin would find a way to redeem this world's criminals the way they had in theirs. It was a painful reminder about the pair.
"No, I didn't forget, Parker." Eliot growled, "Nolan and I are doing it right now. Dammit, Hardison, not you too. We're getting to it. It's not like this guy's a professional or anything. Sophie, what are you doing on coms? I thought we agreed you weren't... Dammit Nate, I told you no!"
David shook his head as he and the hitter began their shirt. This day just kept getting longer and longer.
%%%%%
Rumpelstilskin had been minding his own business when Jefferson decided to attack. He didn't know how or what. It was one of his old spells he was sure. He just remembered hearing the bell and responding with his usual business greeting. Then a bang went off and fear pierced his heart.
He was almost relieved when he realized it was the Mad Hatter. For one blinding moment of fear he thought it was Marian, memory back and revenge in her pores. He was almost disappointed it was Jefferson though. There was no reason for Regina's pet to be there. He hadn't even done anything to destroy their little truce.
He was all set to ask the questions when Jefferson shot at him. He actually had to use some energy to deflect the bullet. He was a bit rusty after not using his magic for a few months. The bullet was just the distraction though because the very next moment the jewelry began to glow and flash, their voices ringing loud and clear in his mind. The only one that was silent just so happened to be the one that only recently awakened. There was something wrong with that locket he would have to investigate later.
"What have you done?" He shouted panic vibrating as he realized just how much the little trinkets were screaming.
He was about to blow the younger man to smithereens when a fierce pain developed in his head. He fell to the ground and groaned as his cane tumbled away on the floor. He cried out in pain as he went to retrieve it. Whatever Jefferson was up to, it was going to stop. He grabbed his cane and used magic to climb back to his feet.
He turned around with every intention of beating the boy to death. Unfortunately the man had managed to call for help. Eliot Spencer, or whatever his name was, burst through the door hell-bent on destroying something. The blonde thief known as Parker popped in directly behind him. She skittered towards the back of the room, effectively blocking Jefferson's escape. Then her black boyfriend completed the circle around the mad hatter.
Gold smiled sadistically at the increased chances of killing his prey. But a bright yellow light filled the room and his heart sank. He spun around, ready for anything. It was only the locket that had been dormant, once again making a noise like never before. He tried to ignore that, focusing on the current situation first. He was too late. Jefferson had escaped and the hacker was stumbling towards the back alley with his hand pressed upon his cheek. It was too late to chase after the hatter and find out what he was after. Now he had to stop the magic of the other trinkets. At least the locket stopped its incessant cries and behaved itself.
He wasn't surprised that he was half-way through his enchantments when Prince Charming finally showed up. The man was nothing compared to his powerful daughter, but his was just as reliable as always. He answered the questions quickly, more intent on figuring what the hatter was after and stopping the trinkets from exploding the town into oblivion. He barely had time to finish before Alec Hardison and the woman called 'Parker' entered the room.
"We have questions," Hardison began, sounding far more confident than he should have been. Parker had her head tilted to the right like she was listening to very careful instructions. Neither one of them looked in any mood for his usual handlings of these situations.
"Ask away my dear fellow." He smiled and gestured for them to meet him in the back to have a little chat. He was also hoping to avoid their curiosity at the only glowing object left. That damn locket was going to lead to his demise sooner rather than later. He was sure of it.
"Why was he here and what did he steal?" Parker demanded. But she and Hardison made no move to leave. In fact, they took a few steps more into the room. The thief's blue eyes were darting towards the locket, getting closer and closer with every motion.
He stepped in the thief's way to avoid that conversation. He could hear the locket's outrage and slowly wondered what he was missing. He was a brilliant man, had to be considering the amount of centuries he lived. Why was the locket glowing so brightly and what connection did it have to the young blonde woman before him?
"He didn't steal anything," Rumpelstilskin replied, "At least nothing of any value. I haven't really taken stock of everything that's missing. I promise I will let you know as soon as I find out though. What's your progress on catching him? I assume he got away because your friend and David Nolan are not present, dragging him in chains behind them."
"They're looking into it," Hardison replied.
Parker wasn't as easily sidetracked though. Her eyebrows created a very deep V in her forehead. Her blue eyes sparkled with intelligence and her lips pursed as she thought. For a fleeting moment he was back in his castle in the Enchanted Forest, watching Robin ponder over a difficult decision that had to be made.
Thankfully her boyfriend decided to continue before he could really focus on his own thoughts. "Do you have any idea what he could possibly want or who he would be working for?" He asked.
"Working for?" yes, he did have an idea for whom Jefferson was working. He just needed to be sure these two would not interfere with his plans for her. The Evil Queen needed to be taught another lesson on how to act towards her elders, especially the one who went through the trouble of ridding her of her dreadful mother.
"Yeah," Parker said, her eyes finding home on the glowing locket that was working against him, "Has he ever done something for somebody else? Something of less than legal means?"
"I don't know," he said. He could tell there was curiosity in those blue eyes of hers. He was counting the seconds before she finally asked the question on the tip of her tongue. He could sense the turmoil her brain was going through. "I'm not exactly that familiar with Jefferson and his dealings in Storybrooke. I only know of his daughter and his recent reunion with her. Perhaps he was simply looking for something expensive to hock off for money."
"At a pawnshop?" Hardison sounded scandalized by the very idea of it.
"Eliot said he didn't seem like a very experienced thief," Parker nodded, "He did only graze him when he fired his gun. It took him three shots to do it too. Maybe he really is that dumb."
"Desperate measures usually lead to desperate means," Gold added helpfully. He knew how to turn a tale in his favor. He was smart after all. "Ask your dear Ms. Devereaux to learn more about that one."
The glare he received from both parties was almost predictable. He could tell simply by looking at the blonde that she had enough. His remark about their grifter must have been her final straw. Oh well, they were destined for this moment the day they came to town.
"How much for that locket?" She asked, surprising more than him if the hacker's expression meant anything.
Gold turned towards the glowing piece and glared. It was orange, vibrating with laughter at the thief's curiosity. It maintained that color until he touched it. The locket began to blink with a greenish yellow, acting as if it was one of this world's intriguing toys. He moved his finger and it flashed red out of impatience. He got the message loud and clear.
"This trinket has been in my possession for a very long time," he said, "Judging by your appearance I'd say throughout your lifetime. Frankly, I'm amazed nobody has shown any interest before."
"Do you replace the batteries regularly?" The hacker asked, suddenly intrigued with the thing as well. His intent to buy the thief something that held her interest was almost too obvious. Unfortunately he chose the only oblivious girl in existence to court. No better match in his opinion.
"It's solar powered," he lied. He noticed the thief narrow her eyes again but she didn't say anything. She must have something similar to Ms. Swan's lie detecting abilities. She had to belong to this town. "Lately, I've been letting in more sunlight. It must be feeding off of the energy."
The locket glowed red with impatience again. Then it turned to a vibrant yellow when the theif's hand came in contact with it. I'll be safe with her, it said.
"I'll give it to you free of charge," he said, "but you'll owe me a favor later on."
"I knew it," Parker growled. She turned Hardison with a conspiratorial grin. "Nothing is ever really free."
The young man gulped, his amber eyes flashing with uncontrolled anger. Then it was gone just as suddenly as it appeared.
"I don't think that's acceptable," he said, "How much do you want for it?"
"You haven't heard my offer yet." Gold smiled at the surprise registering on the boy's face. The girl looked very worried all of a sudden. "I want you to catch Jefferson and when you do, bring him to me."
Parker's head did a sharp and sudden tilt left. Her eyes grew wide as she listened to whatever device resided in her ear. Then her head straightened and nod bowed her head.
"Nate says deal," she said, "but there are conditions."
Gold waited. He knew Robin would negotiate. He always had before. Why stop now? Besides this could be a fun one to work his magic around.
"He wants him alive. He wants to ask Jefferson his own set of questions."
Gold smiled in satisfaction. Apparently this new and improved Robin Hood had a vindictive streak he could get used to. It was fine by him if the mastermind wanted to question the hatter. Jefferson knew things about Sophie that would make his head spin.
And I believe I just found my revenge.
"We have a deal," he said. And they shook at it with smiles all around.
The locket glowed happily as it found its way on the woman's neck. It fell silent as if that was its plan all along.
You know it was, it said. It was me the hatter was after. Why else would he dare to steal so little of your hair? Regina wants me for the power I contain. Isn't it better to put me in her sister's reach?
Who was he to argue with that?
%%%%%
"No, no, no!" Jefferson hissed, his voice frantic with panic.
"What's wrong, Papa?" Grace asked. Her tiny face was flushed with fear. She looked so young in that moment. It was almost like it had been before.
Jefferson paced in pain. He should have realized sooner. He should have looked at his stash but he was distracted by Marian's friends. He wasn't expecting her to betray him, even if she didn't remember who she was. They had been friends in this world. He spent most of his time trying to bring back her memory. With her by his side, he would be invincible. Unfortunately he could never find the right trigger. He was close though. It was her hair he used on his last hat. But that was before.
"Papa?" Grace sounded panicked now as well. Her little hands were pulling on the lapels of his jacket and she looked far more worried than he had ever seen her before.
"What's wrong?" She asked again.
He silently cursed for doing this to his own child. He should have been more careful. Twenty-nine years without his daughter made him forget everything about being a good father.
"It's not enough," he explained. He gently placed his hands on her arms and forced himself to calm down. It had the desired effect. Grace's breath immediately eased. "His hair is too short. That's why I used to use Marian's strands for travel. There is only enough portal jumping magic in there for one person."
Grace's eyes grew wide in understanding. "Can't we just leave our bags here?"
"It doesn't work that way." He shook his head. "It can only be you."
"But I don't want to go without you, Papa."
"I know." He pulled his little girl into his arms and hated the fact that he was about to lose her all over again. "But your safety is more important than anything else in all of the worlds. You have to go. I promise I will return to you as soon as I can."
"But what if we don't end up in the same land?" She sounded so frightened of that concept.
He smiled charmingly at her and winked. "I will always find you," he patted her on the head and bumped her nose, "I found you this time didn't I?"
"Papa," she whimpered. Grace knew defeat when she saw it. That was something she gained from her mother. It was a shame she couldn't see what kind of woman their daughter was growing into.
"Now," he handed her the hat and tried not to think of this as a permanent good-bye, "You know what to do."
The girl nodded her head. She grabbed her bunny and held on tight. Then she closed her eyes and threw the hat. Jefferson watched as his daughter spun away. He couldn't help the impulse to jump after her. The magic wasn't strong enough to bring him with her. He knew that from the very beginning but he still had to try. He stared at his crushed hat for a long time before he knew what needed to be done.
He was going to find Marian.