The Enchanted Forest

Goldilocks strolled through the harbor market place with a canvas bag slung over her shoulder. No one in the place seemed to notice that her load grew as she passed by, except a member of the Jolly Roger who followed a short distance behind. The man followed her all the way to a tavern and sat down across the room from her in a corner. After ordering a drink he looked back over to see the girl had disappeared from her table. Scanning the room he found her taking a seat across from him.

"Who are you?"

"Smee, my name is Smee."

Goldilocks studied him, "You're a pirate." She concluded" Tell me Mr. Smee what does a pirate need from a thief?"

"My captain needs you to steal something"

"Has your captain suddenly developed a moral code? Why can't he steal it? Or you?" Goldilocks turned her knife slowly in the wooden table.

"Come with me and he can tell you himself."

A silent moment passed between them as Goldilocks considered it. "Who is your Captain?"

"Captain Hook"

…

Goldilocks hated dealing with pirates. After she had angered Blackbeard by refusing a job she had vowed to avoid them. But now she was beginning to consider that having a partnership with at least one Captain wasn't a bad idea especially if she wanted to continue working the docks. It could prove useful to be on the side of someone as terrible as Captain Hook. Ascending the gangplank to the Jolly Roger Goldilocks quickly spotted its Captain. He was a fine looking man but Goldilocks noted a murderous glint in his eye and decided to steer clear of the gleaming hook that took the place of his left hand.

Smee showed her to the Captain's cabin where Hook soon joined her. He stood across from her, pulled out a flask and poured himself a rather unhealthy amount of rum then poured her some. Goldilocks eyed the rum with an air of disgust.

Hook took a drink of the rum and got straight to the point "I need you to steal a bag of magic beans."

"And why do you need me for that? You're a pirate captain. You have a ship of thieves at your disposal."

"True, but my men aren't exactly subtle. I need someone who will be a ghost. And from what I've heard you are the perfect thief."

"My reputation precedes me."

"Aye it does."

Goldilocks nodded "These beans…I've heard they're portals to other worlds. Is that true?"

"You've heard correctly." He answered

"I want some of the beans as payment."

"That I cannot do." He waved his hook "However I can offer you a handsome sum and safe passage to wherever you want to go."

Goldilocks turned to walk out but stopped at his words "I hear the Evil Queen has increased her search for you after you stole from one of her shipments. If you steal these magic beans for me I'll take you away from here, wherever you want to go."

She turned to find him face to face with her, "I can evade the Queen."

He moved closer to her and she glanced nervously at his hook, the cruel thing terrified her, "Perhaps you can evade her men for a while, but eventually they'll catch you. I can keep that from happening"

Her back hit the wall, she felt him press against her, "Alright" she breathed. "We have a deal."

…..

Goldilocks slid quietly through the window of the cabin and glanced around the room. A pie had been cooling on the windowsill and she began enjoying it with a spoon that had been handy. Pacing the room her quick eyes studied it. While enjoying the pie she sat in front of a dying fire and continued to scan the room. She determined the thing she was seeking was not there. Casting away the pie pan she made her way up into the loft and sat on the smallest bed. With complete disregard to the furniture she stood and hopped from bed to bed until she was at the biggest one. Kneeling she shook the pillowcase until a bag the size of her fist rolled out. Once open she discovered the bag was stuffed full of magic beans. A thunderous voice, a voice of a giant boomed downstairs complaining that her pie was eaten and her carpet stained. Snatching the purse Goldilocks slipped out the window like the ghost that she was. In the distance she heard the roar of an angry giant who found a golden flower in place of his precious beans.

….

Hook caught the small bag Goldilocks tossed to him and clutched it pleased that it was in his possession.

"Well done, my lady. Where do you wish to go?"

"I'll take the money now and save the trip" Goldilocks bargained.

"The Jolly Roger is at the disposal of no one. You take the trip now or it's out of the deal." His dark eyes searched her.

Goldilocks felt Hook's suspicion growing as he continued to weigh the bag in his hand. He circled the dim cabin till he was between her and the door.

"Then I'll just take my leave." She tried to slip by him but the hook captured her arm.

"You'll accept my apology, my lady. But I never completely trust a thief." He whispered in her ear. His hand ventured into a hidden pocket of her cloak and grasped several magic beans. "Never steal from a pirate. Everyone who has crossed me is dead now" the glint in his eye grew.

She started to back away. "Let me go, I'll never speak of what happened and I promise you'll never see me again."

"I told you, my lady, I don't trust thieves." He shoved her against a beam and held her there. "Did you really think you could steal from a pirate?"

"Obviously." She tried to put on a brave front, "Think of it Hook. Imagine everything you could have with me on your crew. We could be partners." Her breath tickled his ear and he inhaled her scent.

"Oh I do have plans for you my dear." He stroked her cheek with the curve of his hook and moved it under her chin and lifted her face to the light "You're far to pretty to kill." He felt her shiver with fear as he pushed his body flush to hers.

Story Brooke

Hook had a distant look in his eye.

"I kept her on my ship for over a year. The last night I had her I was full of rum and wasn't carful. She fought back. We were at port and somehow she made it off the ship. I never heard from her again until today at the diner." He confessed.

Emma walked out of the room and went over to Chrysta's cell where Emma found her pacing like a wild animal. Chrysta stopped when Emma came up to the bars.

"How did you get here? Were you brought over with the curse?"

Chrysta stared at her and began pacing again.

"Will, do you know how she got here?"

Scarlett shook his head and refused to tell her anything. "It ain't none of my business to share about her life."

"I had a bean." Chrysta smirked. "I took some after my first attempt to kill Hook…Did he tell you what he did to me? Did he tell you he kept me in a hole? Did he tell you I was kept there for his pleasure? And whenever he wanted me.."

"Stop!" Emma didn't want to hear anymore. "Stop it….I've heard enough."

Chrysta taunted her "You love a pirate. You love a pirate who murdered and pillaged for over a century."

"He's not that man anymore." Emma retorted

"He can't just kill off his old self." Chrysta laughed, "No matter how much he tells you he's changed he's still a pirate." Killian appeared in the doorway "Tell me Captain Hook, did you pay for all the lives you destroyed? I may deserve to be in this cell but you Captain…you deserve to rot in one."

"That's enough!" Emma shouted

She refused to stop, "You see his rings? He took them as trophies off some of the men he's killed. And that necklace he wears; on the chain is my ring."

"Killian?"

"Aye, love. It's true. The rings used to be trophies, now they serve as reminders" he looked to Chrysta. "Especially yours."

"I want it back." She gritted her teeth

Killian approached the bars and produced a delicate silver ring with intricate Celtic knots on it. "I know I can never atone for what I did to you…but please know I am truly sorry."

Chrysta slipped the ring on her left hand and walked to the cot in the cell clutching her hand to her heart.

…..

The townhall looked rather large given that the meeting was small. The dwarves milled about and Emma scanned the room for anyone missing from the meeting. "I called this town meeting because as leaders of this town we have to make a decision about Goldilocks."

Everyone sat silently looking about.

Hook broke the silence, "I'd like to say something. Let's not waste any time on this…my vote is to let her go. We aren't giving justice to anyone for what they did in the Enchanted Forest.."

"We still can have justice for what happens here." Emma interrupted, "She tried to kill you.

"Well you'll have to put me in jail too then. I went after the crocodile, I harmed innocent people."

"Killian…"

"Me too" Snow interjected "I killed Cora."

"Cora was trying to hurt the town."

"It doesn't matter. I killed Cora. Emma, we aren't saying what she did is right. We're just saying we can't put her in jail and let ourselves walk."

"Then what do we do with her? We can't make her cross the town line, she doesn't know this world."

"We could send her back to the Enchanted Forest." Stated David

"How?"

"Well she said she got here with a magic bean. Maybe she has some left."

Grumpy interjected "Well in that case let's just all get on the Jolly Roger and go back."

"First we find out her timeline…Hook when did she escape the Jolly Roger?"

"A few months before Regina's curse, love."

"Was she brought over with the first curse?" Emma wondered looking to Regina.

Regina shook her head, "I don't recall ever seeing her."

Everyone else shook their heads confirming that no one had seen her.

"If everyone wants to release her fine. But I want to find out more about her."

Emma left the small meeting determined to get information.

…..

"You want a timeline? How far back, Emma? Would you like to hear more about me and Hook?"

"That isn't necessary. I want to know where you've been since the Jolly Roger."

"What is in this for me?"

"Absolutely nothing." Replied Emma

"Then no dice, lady. I don't know why you care but I'm not going to help you find out anything about me."

"Fine how about just how you got here?"

"I told you I had a bean."

"Do you have any left over?"

"That's my business. I haven't been here long if that's what you're wondering. About a week or so."

"Where'd you get the clothes?"

Goldilocks looked at Emma as if she was the dumbest creature she'd ever encountered. "Put two and two together Emma. I'm a thief that likes to blend in. If I'm in a castle I find a ball gown, if a village I find rags. I bet your next question will be how I found Hook. Well it isn't hard to find a man with a hook for a hand. Especially when he's made enemies."

"Like who?"

Goldilocks laughed "Keep up Emma. Someone's past doesn't just disappear. I'm not the only person the Captain has angered."

"You think you're pretty smart don't you? You got caught."

Goldilocks leaned forward, "Not by you."

"What do you want?"

"What do I want? I want to see Killian Jones with his own hook in his heart. I want to see his body hanging from the yardarm, blowing lifeless in the wind. "

"That's not going to happen. If you tell me where you've been since you've been here. I'll let you go."

Goldilocks' eyes narrowed "And the catch?"

"No catch."

Goldilocks contemplated, "Fine. The portal opened in the woods and I eventually found the town."

"Why'd you come to Story Brooke?"

"Rumors were this is where Hook was."

"Who did these rumors come from?"

"Spread around the castle at Arndell. I was in the market and people were saying Elsa and Anna were in a town called Story Brooke and Hook's name came up so I took a chance on it. When I reached the skirts of the forest I laid low and watched till nightfall. In the middle of the night I went and found these clothes and ran into Will. I hid out with him for a while and during that time I asked around to find out what I could about Hook."

"Did Will tell you where to find him?"

"No. Will is a friend and I didn't want him involved. I got all my information from a tavern. Place called the Rabbit Hole."

"How do you know Will?"

"I thought this was just supposed to be a run down of this week.."

"It is. But I want to know how you know Will Scarlett."

Goldilocks swallowed her anger "I spent some time in Wonderland. We did a job together…I was there when Regina cast her curse on the land."

"If you were in Wonderland for over thirty years why didn't you age? You don't look a day over twenty."

"Time is strange in Wonderland. You could live there a hundred years and only a year would pass anywhere else. Now are we done, Emma? Or do I need to tell you my life's story?"

"Yes now here is the catch. Right now you're free to go. Free to roam Story Brooke free to go back to the Enchanted Forest. But…"

"Oh I knew there would be a but."

"But if you lay a hand on Killian Jones. …I'll kill you myself. Understand?"

"You really want to go against me?" Goldilocks' quick eyes examined Emma's face.

"I've gone against the Dark One." Boasted Emma

Goldilocks smirked "Even the Dark One is bound to a set of rules. I'm not. Don't worry about Hook, mate. He lasted quite a while without you. I'm sure he'll be fine… even with me in town."