A/N: Welcome to a brand new story from The Modern Fairy Tale Town series I've been working on for a while now on this account. Not much else to say, but welcome back to returning readers and newer readers alike for this series I cooked up for two of my favorite franchises in the 2020s decade so far because of personal reasons. Also, you're probably wondering who that blonde girl is on the story cover, but that will be explained later as you read into this new chapter. Enjoy, so Read & Review!
Evie was soon on her way back home, looking around the familiar landmarks just to make sure before she smiled and nodded at herself before gasping a bit as she suddenly had to come to a stop as a certain someone stood right in front of her.
"Oh. Hello, my dear~" Cora grinned at the sight of Evie. "My, how you've grown."
"Erm... Hello there, Grandmother... Or should I call you Cora?" Evie greeted nervously once she was face-to-face with her maternal grandmother who was also The Queen of Hearts.
"Call me 'Nana', I think that has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" Cora suggested before she tilted her head with a friendly smile.
"Uh... Yeah... Nana sounds nice..." Evie said as she looked down, a bit nervously as she looked down at her hands, avoiding direct eye contact with her grandmother since this was the first time they had interacted in a big portion of the teenage girl's life. "I was just hoping that I'd-"
"Look up, speak nicely, and don't twiddle your fingers!" Cora said suddenly and firmly.
Evie was startled as she looked up into her grandmother's eyes and had her hands behind her back suddenly, feeling like a soldier who had to report for duty.
"Turn out your toes. Curtsey. Open your mouth a little wider..." Cora soon continued to tell her granddaughter as Evie slowly began to do as the older woman told her to. "And always say-"
"Yes, Your Majesty?" Evie guessed as she lifted the ends of her skirt to curtsy properly for her grandmother.
"Oh... That does sound very tempting, my dear... I've always wanted my own perfect little Princess of Hearts after your mother and I had a falling out together," Cora remarked with a smirk. "That won't be necessary though... I want you to answer 'Yes, Nana' and 'No, Nana' in the future. Understand?" she then asked, though sounded stern at that last part.
"Yes, Nana." Evie soon answered as she curtsied lowly to her grandmother respectively.
"That's a good little princess... I knew that I would like you," Cora smiled sweetly as she gently patted her granddaughter on the head. "Now, um, where did you come from, and where were you going?"
"Oh, I was just with my friends who needed help and I was thinking-" Evie began to say.
"Curtsy while you're thinking, it saves time~" Cora advised her granddaughter.
"Yes, Nana," Evie said before she soon did that. "I was just with my friends and I thought I would come visit my mother dearest."
"That sounds like an excellent idea, my dear," Cora nodded before she smiled and soon walked with Evie down the path over to the Mills family mansion. "Do you play croquet, my dear?" she then asked, seemingly out of the blue.
"I don't think I'm very good, Nana." Evie said softly.
"Nonsense! I'll teach you, my dear," Cora smiled as they walked together over to the front door as Evie took out her key to let them inside. "I'm rather good myself too and I can teach you the way I learned back when you were small and Nana had to go away for a while."
"You mean with flamingos and hedgehogs?" Evie asked since her grandmother was The Queen of Hearts and she knew all she knew about Wonderland from the animated movie she used to show Henry.
"Ah! I see you do know quite a bit about Wonderland, my dear~" Cora chuckled on the way inside before they went to head upstairs right away as Evie had a feeling she knew where her mother was.
The front door soon closed behind them as Regina was sitting alone in her room. However, when they got to the mansion, it wasn't just going to be the three generations of women in the house. Regina was shown to be trying to hide some tears until she saw her mother and daughter coming to speak to her.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" Cora asked softly.
"Hi, Mom..." Evie greeted softly.
"Evie... Hello..." Regina smiled, or at least tried to as she sniffled a little. "Mother..." she then said to the older woman.
Evie soon walked over and sat down on her mother's bed beside her. "Mom, are you okay? I don't think I've seen you this emotional in a long time." she then said softly.
"It's Henry," Regina then explained lightly. "Emma left town with Gold, and she took him with her."
"And you didn't stop them?" Cora asked as she decided to sit down on the other side while Evie gave a sympathetic smile to her mother.
"I didn't know until after they had gone." Regina explained lightly.
"I'm sorry, Mom, but Henry will be safe with Emma and Mr. Gold," Evie replied gently. "It's going to be okay."
"Your daughter is right, Regina," Cora nodded at that. "And as soon as Gold's done, Henry will be back."
"But not with me." Regina pouted, sincerely devastated.
Cora came over and stroked Regina's hair.
"Back? From where?" Hook asked as he suddenly came into the scene. "Where's Rumplestiltskin gone?"
"Captain Hook..." Evie whispered with a pout.
"I don't know." Regina frowned.
"Well, if he's left town, then he's powerless," Hook stated. "He can be killed."
"Well, crossing the town line does things to people unless they find a way to cross without losing their memories," Evie reminded. "I heard that Mr. Gold used a special potion though so he would remember being Rumplestiltskin and Mr. Gold so that he could find Ben's brother we never heard about until now."
"It's not just that, my dear," Cora cooed to her granddaughter. "The moment either of us leave, we lose our magic, and our advantage."
"Your memories?" Harry asked as he joined his father's side before he looked over at Evie with a grin.
Evie just grimaced and rolled her eyes at the sight of Harry.
"None of us were victims of the curse," Regina explained. "It's not about memories, it's about magic, and we still don't know how it could affect our descendants."
"Well, I don't need magic," Hook narrowed his eyes. "I'll go after him alone and Harry will do what he has to do against his teenage spawn in this town."
"You will not touch my friend Ben if you know what's good for you." Evie warned Harry firmly.
Harry just stuck his tongue out at her in response.
"Even if you could find Gold, do you really think you could just walk to him and stab him in the heart with your sword?" Regina scoffed at the adult pirate.
"Well, I'd prefer my hook, but I can't seem to find that now." Hook retorted.
"You're not going anywhere." Cora said then as she stood up.
"I deserve my vengeance and a legacy for my son to live by!" Hook snapped.
"You're right. You do, and with The Dark One gone, we can search for the one magical item that could actually kill him here; his dagger." Cora replied patiently to the adult pirate.
"Where do we start looking?" Harry asked.
"Simple. A very easy place to get to, especially since its usual occupant is a little under the weather nowadays." Cora remarked with a smirk.
"...Uh." Harry paused thoughtfully, looking a little confused and curious.
"Not the brightest bulb in the box, is he?" Regina snarked about Harry.
"Mom..." Evie murmured as that sounded a little rude.
"What?" Regina shrugged in defense.
"Just follow us and try to keep up, boys." Cora suggested.
"Aye-Aye, Your Highness." Hook replied as he put his arm around his son's shoulder.
Harry looked around before shrugging at himself.
"Oh, Mom, what are we gonna do about Xianniang?" Evie soon asked her mother urgently before biting her lip. "I mean... She tried to be me and tricked my friends... She made me look like a playgirl around Doug and he's one of my friends."
"Don't worry about her, Evie." Regina replied.
"And she's even after The Treasure of Qin, whatever that is..." Evie continued before frowning. "Are you sure we should leave her alone?"
"She won't be able to do any more damage as long as she wears that cuff on her wrist," Regina told her daughter in reassurance. "We'll figure out what to do with her as soon as we can. Now come along. There's a brand new adventure with our names on it, my dear."
Cora soon smirked in approval to what her daughter just said.
"Well, all right, Mom," Evie said softly before sighing. "As long as you're sure."
"Of course she is, mi'lady," Harry said before he put his arm around the girl suddenly with a grin. "And besides, if anything happens to you with that witch around, I'll be there to protect ye. Especially since I might be going to school with you someday."
"Ugh... Why?" Evie rolled her eyes.
"Now come along, let's get out of here and shove off," Hook suggested. "We can't waste any more time."
Evie sighed before she nodded in response. "Aye-Aye, Captain." she then replied before they left the mansion to head down to the library as soon as possible.
Soon, they left for Storybrooke's library and soon they began to search in the library to get what else they needed.
"Shouldn't we be pillaging his shop or ransacking his home?" Hook suggested to the two women while Harry looked interested in a book that was known as Treasure Island. "That place wasn't worth it, son. Don't waste your time with a second rate pirate like Long John Silver when you've got your old man right here with you."
Harry pouted before he nodded in response and put the book back.
"That would be the obvious choice, yes, but Gold wouldn't risk crossing the town line and losing his memory without entrusting the dagger's location to someone and to keep his teenage son in town safe." Regina replied as she looked among the many books as she had a card with a number on it.
"Belle." Harry guessed.
"My guess is she hid it in one of her beloved books." Regina nodded in response as she continued to look around.
"Impressive, Regina." Cora smiled proudly.
"Thank you, Mother." Regina smiled back.
"I'll be impressed when I'm holding the dagger in my hand." Hook remarked to himself.
Evie looked very unsure about this, but was trying to be supportive for her mother's sake. "Did you find it, Mom?" she soon asked.
"No," Regina frowned as she pointed to an empty space in the book shelf. "It should be here."
While Evie felt upset for her mother, she also felt relieved that Ben's father wouldn't be in grave danger as well.
"Well, it's not, is it?" Harry soon concluded impatiently. "May we go now?"
"Hold on," Cora said as she found something before she soon pulled a folded sheet of paper out from the space where the book should have been and unfolded it. "What's this?"
"Well, it's not a book." Harry noted.
"No kidding." Evie rolled her eyes cynically.
Regina soon took a look until Hook stepped over to see if he could figure out anything.
"Oh, yes. Crude. To the untrained eye, a child's scribbles, but to a pirate... It's a map. In fact, it almost reminds me of the first treasure map that Harry tried to make with chalk and my best shirt and using my golden cuff-links to be dobloons." Hook replied as he took a look at the paper up close.
Harry blushed a little in response while Evie hid a sly smirk to the pirate boy.
"Gold may not have hidden the dagger here, but I believe he's left us the next best thing. Its location." Hook soon told all of them.
"Can you read it?" Cora asked the adult pirate.
"Well, lucky for you ladies, I'm quite adept at finding buried treasure." Hook soon replied with a smirk.
"Oh, no..." Evie whispered and frowned while everyone else looked victorious.
Hook soon stepped over and set the map down. "Harry, would you like to see how it's done?" he then asked.
"Always, Captain!" Harry nodded before chuckling. "Oh. Uh, I mean Dad."
"Come over here then." Hook chuckled as his son dashed over to his side suddenly.
"Looks like the poisoned apple doesn't fall too far from the tree when it comes to those two." Cora remarked to her granddaughter.
"No. No, it doesn't... Harry looks happy to be spending time with his father though." Evie had to admit.
"Yes, he does my dear," Cora cooed as she looked at her granddaughter. "Just like you should spend some time with your grandmother since never had a chance to properly bond with each other lately."
"Erm... Right..." Evie replied. "I guess having a grandmother won't be so bad."
"That's the spirit," Cora smiled. "Three generations of Queens living together."
"Aren't I too young to be a queen though?" Evie asked.
"You'll grow into the title soon," Cora replied before smiling fondly. "I'll give you a special surprise later if you play along nicely. You got that, Princess Evie?"
"Princess Evie..." Evie whispered and repeated before chuckling. "Reminds me of Ben's 6th birthday cotillion."
"Birthday cotillion, huh?" Cora asked Regina.
"Yes, Mr. Gold thought it would be a nice treat and even gave his son Ben an ice statue," Regina explained. "It melted though and it nearly flooded downtown Storybrooke."
Cora chuckled, putting her hand to her mouth as that amused her a little bit.
"Aha!" Harry soon called out.
The girls looked at each other and soon came to join Harry and Hook's sides to see what was going on.
"Good eye, my son," Hook smiled proudly as he gently patted him on the back. "Looks like being a great pirate on The Seven Seas just runs in the family."
"What can I say? I had a great teacher." Harry grinned in response.
"Oh, you~" Hook chuckled before looking over to see Cora, Regina, and Evie as he showed them the map. " I give you the location of the dagger.
"Well done, Hook Jr," Cora said as she suddenly snatched the map from the table. "We'll take it from here."
"What?" Harry frowned firmly.
"No." Hook glared as he grabbed a letter opener and pointed it at them as threatening as he could. "You promised us!"
Cora then threw Hook and his son across the room and into a bookshelf using magic, knocking them both unconscious.
"Grandmother?!" Evie gasped and pouted at that.
"Oh, please... I did them a favor, my dear," Cora told Evie as softly as she could as she continued to spoil and dote on her granddaughter. "The Kris dagger's much too powerful to be wasted on those two." she then added as she suddenly grabbed Regina's arm and they headed toward the door as Evie followed behind.
Regina soon stopped walking and turned toward Cora. "So... Is... This what it was all about? Getting Rumple's dagger so you could obtain his dark powers?" she then demanded.
"If we possess the dagger, we control The Dark One and when he returns to Storybrooke, we can command him to kill Snow White, Prince Charming, and Emma," Cora defended to her daughter as she soon began to stroke her hair. "Our enemies will be vanquished and you will be blameless in the eyes of the only people who matter."
"Henry," Regina replied softly. "Evie too of course."
Regina and Cora soon walked off together as Cora smiled wickedly. Evie stayed put however as she appeared to look worried about Hook and Harry, even if she didn't exactly like how flirty Harry was around her and how vengeful his father appeared to be. Though those two weren't the only ones she was currently worried about once she was alone with her thoughts.
"Evie, dear, aren't you coming along?" Cora soon called.
"Uh... Yes... I'll be right there!" Evie nodded before looking over at the pirate father and son before she sighed to herself before following behind her mother and grandmother. "Oh, Henry... I hope you're doing okay wherever you are right now. Just be safe and have a nice new adventure... I'll miss you very much though." she then quietly said to herself before she took a deep breath, wiping her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek on the way back over to her mother and grandmother.
In New York, the group there soon came out of a taxi as they finally made it to where they had to go to and right now, they were looking at a list of names on the apartments, trying to decipher which one Baelfire would be in.
Dee Dee took a look around. "...I guess there's no Baelfire here?" she then shrugged.
"Yeah, that wouldn't fly as an alias," Emma said. "Your magic globe didn't give you an apartment number?" she then asked the older man.
"It doesn't work that way." Rumple told her.
"Do any of these names mean anything to you?" Henry soon asked the older man.
"Well, names are what I traffic in, but sadly, no." Rumple told Henry.
Emma pointed to apartment number 407, the only apartment that didn't have the name of the person living there. "Here's your boy." she said.
"No. Or it could just be vacant." Rumple denied.
Emma looked to him. "You may traffic in names and magic, but I traffic in finding people that don't want to be found, and those sort of folks don't like to advertise their whereabouts," she told him, then pressed the button. "UPS package for 407." she said once the 'call' seemed to be answered. She blinked as the call then disconnected.
"Maybe you should have said FedEx." Henry shrugged.
Dee Dee giggled from that. A crash and a clank were then heard in the distance as a hooded man was trying to make a break for it.
"He's running." Emma said. She, Henry, Dee Dee, and Mr. Gold go out the door, only to see a man climbing down the fire escape, then running through the streets.
"That favor you owe me. This is it. Get him to talk to me. I can't run." Rumple told Emma.
"Watch Henry and Dee Dee. I'll be back." Emma said before chasing the man all over New York.
Dee Dee soon tried to sneak her hand into Mr. Gold's free hand, looking a bit bashful. Rumple glanced to Dee Dee, not gripping it back, but not pushing her away. Dee Dee smiled bashfully and innocently.
"I think we could use some food." Henry suggested.
"Hmm..." Dee Dee paused thoughtfully.
"I've heard that New York have famous hot dogs." Rumple smirked a little.
"Let's go get some then." Henry smiled as they walked off.
"I could eat." Dee Dee nodded.
Rumple walked off with them to find a hot dog vendor.
The remaining three stayed behind as Emma continued to chase the man down that she needed to talk to for Mr. Gold and eventually, she eventually caught him by tackling him over. "No... Neal?" she gasped as she recognized the man.
"...Emma?" The man asked, taken aback once he saw who the woman who chased him was.
"Neal?" Emma gasped as she stood up.
"I don't understand," Neal said as he stood up next to her. "What are you doing here?"
"What am 'I' doing here?" Emma retorted.
"Yeah." Neal nodded at her.
"I'm not answering anything until you tell me the truth. Are you Gold's son?" Emma asked.
"What are you talking about?" Neal asked her out of confusion. "Who's Gold?"
"You played me. You're from there. You played me. And he played me. You both played me! You and Gold!" Emma gasped out.
"Whoa, Emma, slow down!" Neal spoke up suddenly. "What are you talking about? Who's Gold?"
"Your father! Rumplestiltskin." Emma told him.
"He's here?" Neal's eyes widened at that name.
"Why else would I be in New York?" Emma asked.
"You brought him to me!" Neal suddenly sounded panicked and angry. "Why would you do that?!"
"Hey! I am the only one allowed to be angry here!" Emma shouted, angrily. "Did you know who I was, where I was from, the whole time? Was this just some sort of sick twisted plan? Did... Did you even care about me at all?" she asked.
"Emma, do not-" Neal tried to tell her.
"I wanna know! I want the truth, all of it!" Emma interrupted.
"Fine! W-We gotta get off the street," Neal then gave in. "We can't do it out in the open. I spent a lifetime running from the man. I'm not gonna let him catch me," he then said before deciding to relocate. "There's a bar down the street. We can talk there."
"I am not drinking with you!" Emma told him firmly. "Whatever you're gonna tell me, tell me now!"
"No, bar's better," Neal argued as he began to lead the way. "Don't worry, you can keep yelling at me when we get there."
Emma reluctantly followed after him. Neal soon brought Emma over to a quiet bar to talk things over.
Meanwhile, Henry and Dee Dee were getting hot dogs with Mr. Gold.
"Don't worry, Emma's really good at catching people." Henry reassured the old man.
"Well, my son's been running away for a very long time now," Rumple told him. "And I have a feeling he's equally adept at it."
Dee Dee tilted her head.
"Well, at least we found him, right?" Henry then piped up.
"Indeed." Rumple said.
"Oh, and thanks for the hot dogs." Dee Dee then said.
"Yeah, we forgot." Henry added.
"You are quite welcome," Rumple told them both. "And thank you." he said specifically to Henry.
"For what?" Henry asked as they walked away from the hot dog cart.
"Well, if it wasn't for you bringing Emma to Storybrooke, none of this would have come to pass," Rumple told Henry. "You... Are a remarkable young man."
"Aww~..." Dee Dee smiled.
"You know... I forgave her. Emma... For giving me up," Henry soon said softly. "She thought it was the best for me then. That's why she did it. I'm sure your son will get it too."
"Alas, the circumstances surrounding our separation weren't quite so noble." Rumple told him.
"But you're here now," Dee Dee spoke up before she took another bite. "And you want him back, right?"
"More than anything." Rumple admitted quietly.
"Then that's all that matters." Henry smiled sincerely.
"You're a good man, Mr. Gold." Dee Dee added as her eyes twinkled a bit.
Rumple looked to him at that then to Dee Dee.
Neal soon brought Emma over to the bar to talk with her, luckily it was quiet and more or less isolated, so they could talk. "Well, what do you want to know, Emma? You want the truth? Ask away." he then said to the blonde woman.
"Did you know who I was when we met?" Emma asked him.
"If I had, I wouldn't have gone near you." Neal sighed.
"Come on." Emma scoffed.
"'Come on'?" Neal repeated in reply. "Come on, what? I was in hiding. I came here to get... A-Away from... All that crap."
"So if you didn't know, then you were just using me," Emma glared. "You just needed someone to take the fall for all the watches that you stole."
"I wasn't using you," Neal promised. "When we met, I didn't know. I found out."
"How?" Emma asked.
"When I went to sell the watches... I ran into a friend of yours: August." Neal explained as he remembered it well.
"You left me... And let me go to prison because Pinocchio told you to?" Emma asked, upset and angrier than before.
"Emma-" Neal frowned.
"I loved you." Emma told him.
"I-I was, um, I was tr... I was trying to help you." Neal stammered.
"By letting me go to jail." Emma scoffed.
"By getting you home." Neal insisted softly.
"Are you telling me... That us meeting was a coincidence?" Emma asked him. "How the hell did that happen if it wasn't in your plan or your father's?"
"Think about it. He wanted you to break the curse," Neal clarified. "Us meeting, that could've stopped it. Maybe it was fate."
"You believe in that?" Emma asked him.
"You know, there's not a ton I remember about my father that doesn't suck, but he used to tell me that there are no coincidences," Neal explained. "Everything that happens happens by design, and there's nothing we can do about it. Forces greater than us conspire to make it happen. Fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it, the point is, maybe we met for a reason. Maybe something good came from us being together."
"No. Not that I can think of. I just went to jail. That's it," Emma said as she stood up. "Doesn't matter now, I'm over it. And you."
"Why do you wear the keychain I got you?" Neal asked, suddenly stopping her as he noticed something about her.
"To remind myself to never trust someone again. Come on. I made a deal with your father I'd bring you to him." Emma told him, pausing before pulling the keychain necklace off her neck and handed it to him.
"You made a deal with him?" Neal asked Emma.
"Yeah, and I'm upholding my end." Emma told him.
"No, no you don't have to," Neal said softly. "You know that."
"I know," Emma said. She then shook her head. "Find yourself a new damsel in distress."
"Damsel in distress..." Neal then murmured as Emma stepped away to go and talk on her phone to have a word with her mother.
Emma then decided to keep walking while Neal decided to leave the bar as well, though as he left, he thought he heard a scream for help that concerned him a little. He then looked curious and decided to go after the source of the scream to see what was going on, where it came from, and why.
After a lot had gone on today, Neal was on his way back home as it was getting dark. The big city could be pretty dangerous at night, especially if you weren't too careful, but Neal often was due to his experience around here. He kept his head down low after a crazy adventure he had today with Emma, Dee Dee, Henry, and Mr. Gold before he flinched instantly and heard some screaming rather suddenly. He then looked around and tucked down as he came to a nearby building and poked his head out after hearing the scream and looked around. If this were his own fairy tale adventure, he probably would've heard a damsel in distress. Regardless if he was in an adventure or not, he did and soon looked out to the source of the scream. Once he got there, he saw a young blonde woman being stalked and harrassed by a man with wild hair and a scruffy looking beard who laughed wickedly at her as he chased her and made her fall on the ground.
"Not so fast, sweetheart. I usually prefer a brunette, but with you, I can make an exception~" The man cackled as he stalked after the blonde girl who backed away from him before he quickly grabbed her and picked her up by her jacket suddenly.
"I swear, Trae. Put me down or I'll-" The blonde girl grunted and glared, trying to be as brave as she could.
"Whoo! I like 'em fiery!" The man named Trae grinned and chuckled darkly as he took a hold of her. "You know how you make my wives jealous~" he then said before he took out a blade, intending to harm her deeply with it.
Behind the building, Neal was soon getting angry at the innocent blonde girl about to get seriously hurt. He then took a deep breath as he tried to muster as much courage as he could before he soon stormed over as the man taunted this harmless and clearly innocent girl.
"You don't know what you're-" The blonde girl glared as she grunted and struggled.
"Halt!" Neal called out as he came into the scene suddenly.
"Step aside, Hero Boy." Trae scoffed at the sight of Neal.
"Pardon me, my good, uh, uh... Sir," Neal glared as bravely as he could. "I'll have to ask you to release that young-"
"Keep movin', buddy." The blonde girl told Neal as she continued to struggle a bit.
"...Lady," Neal then added. "I won't let you take this poor damsel in distress."
Trae just laughed in his face.
"Aren't you a damsel in distress?" Neal then asked the struggling girl.
"I am a damsel, I am in distress. I can handle this," The blonde girl replied before she flashed Neal a grin even if she was in a dangerous situation right now. "Have a nice day~"
"Uh-*ahem* Ma'am, I'm afraid you may be too close to the situation to realize-" Neal soon said, trying to be brave as he felt compelled to help this woman somehow, but wasn't sure what it was about her as he tried to stay brave and tough like a folk hero in her eyes.
The bigger and stronger guy Trae snarled and immediately hit Neal so hard that he ended up flying away and into a trashcan. "You should step off, City Boy," the foe grinned darkly as he took out quite a handful of knives. "This Golden Girl is mine even though she makes my wives jealous~"
"Your wives?" Neal asked with a grunt before looking over to see that Trae had quite a handful of knives. "Oh... I gotcha... I see this guy doesn't scare too easily.
"Naughty little girl~" Trae grinned as he spun the blonde girl around, forcinng one arm behind her back as he held onto her while Neal suffered in the trash.
"Blondes have more fun!" The blonde girl glared as she tried to fight back though it was clear that Trae was a lot stronger and tougher than she was, though she managed to get a punch against the man's cheek hard enough that it bruised him.
Trae then shoved the blonde girl up against the wall before he checked to see if he was bleeding or not as Neal began to get out of the trashcan as he kept trying to help the blonde girl who was in danger.
"No one's ever hit me before... You must be special~" Trae grinned darkly at the blonde girl as he began to put on a black leather glove. "I'm gonna take my time~"
The blonde girl felt nervous before she tried to grin confidentally. "Better hurry up then," she then suggested. "I knew I only had one shot to land a hit. So I made it count."
"Say good night, Golden Girl~" Trae grinned as he found one of his knives and raised it up before he looked like he was about to hack the blonde girl instantly before she braced herself for impact.
"Hold it!" Neal suddenly said as he had stopped Trae's knife with a fish. Yes, not the most effective weapon in the world, but he had an idea for it.
"Stand aside... You're about as useful as that cold and stinky fish, which is what this Golden Girl is gonna sleep with if you don't get outta my way, but maybe you'd like to join her~" Trae scoffed and laughed at Neal while the blonde girl began to look bored.
"Then how about you take some of this?!" Neal then glared before he suddenly whacked Trae in the face with the fish, making the blonde girl grow wide-eyed.
Trae groaned and hissed as he suddenly dropped his current knife and when he was just about to get back up, Neal suddenly punched Trae in the face as hard as he could that it seemed to knock Trae out and he suddenly fell over, dropping the rest of his knives in the process.
"Oh, gee, Miss, I'm... I'm really sorry," Neal said as he approached the blonde girl as she looked at him, looking slightly impressed, but only slightly. "That was dumb."
"Yeah." The blonde girl replied.
"So, uh, are you all right, Miss? It looks like you have quite a history with this guy," Neal said as he soon took the blonde girl's hand, trying to help her up and sort her out after having to deal with a dangerous stranger like Trae. "Miss... Uh..."
"Gilda Locksley, but my friends call me Goldie," The blonde girl soon suddenly said once she got him off of her and she dusted herself clean. "At least they would if I had any friends. So, did they give you a name along with adventurous streak of yours?"
"Uh, I'm, um, uh-" Neal stammered a bit as he looked at her in kind of a funny way.
"Are you always that articulate?" Goldie then asked Neal before she turned to leave.
"Neal Cassidy," Neal quickly said his name, looking and sounding a bit nervous. "My name is Neal Cassidy."
"Neal Cassidy, huh?" Goldie replied. "I think I prefer Super Guy."
"So, uh, h-h-how'd you get mixed up with the, uh-" Neal soon began to ask nervously.
"Pinhead with knives? Well, you know how men are," Goldie shrugged before she leaned in against Neal with a snarky smirk. "They think that 'no' means 'yes' and 'get lost' means 'take me, I'm yours'. Well, thanks for everything, Neal. It's been a real slice." she then added before she began to walk away.
"Wait! Um... Would you like a walk back home or something?" Neal offered nervously.
"I'll be all right. I'm a big, tough girl. I tie my own boots and everything," Goldie said before she decided to leave suddenly. "Bye-Bye, Super Guy."
Neal watched her go before looking at Trae who was still in a daze and he soon took out his cell phone and decided to place a quick call to the police before he would get back home. This was probably a crazy day for him for running into Emma of all people and then meeting this new "Golden Girl" and wondered how crazier could it possibly get.
Meanwhile, back in Storybrooke, Mary Margaret and David were talking about what Emma had told the short-haired woman about on the phone after talking with Neal for the first time in at least 10 years.
"So Rumplestiltskin is Henry's grandfather?" David soon asked his wife.
"Apparently." Mary Margaret replied.
"But I'm his grandfather." David then defended.
"You can have more than one," Mary Margaret clarified. "This would also make Ben his uncle."
David sighed as he soon tried to process what she was saying. "So his... Step-grandmother is Regina, The Evil Queen and Evie is his step-aunt, The Evil Princess?" he then tried to add.
Mary Margaret looked thoughtful about that. "Actually, his step-great-grandmother and his step-grandaunt... And they're also his adoptive mother and adoptive sister." she then added.
David sighed again in a bit of defeat. "It's a good thing we don't have Thanksgiving in our land, 'cuz that dinner would suck." he then said to which she chuckled at, finding it to be a bit cute.
"Or... Maybe this will mellow everyone out." Mary Margaret offered a supportive smile.
David smiled back, though he felt deeply unsure about that himself.
Amalie was soon on her way to finding Ben, feeling like he could use some comfort and cheering up as she had a very good feeling that he could use it and she also made a self-discovery for herself that she wanted to share with someone, deciding not to go to Magda and Scarlet since they were both busy with something else they viewed as more important than hanging out with her. She had two heart shards in her pockets as she continued to look for the brunette boy, but he was currently hiding away.
"Feel better after deep breathing, Ben?" Archie soon asked his newest patient.
"Yeah, I guess so, but what does breathing have to do with this?" Ben replied, sounding a bit weary. "It's my heart that hurts, not my lungs."
"Yes, I know, but I just wanted to let you help let things go," Archie explained. "Sometimes you just need to keep the past in the past and let it go in the future. After all, the present is a precious gift for all of us and that's why they call it the present."
"Yeah, yeah... 'Let it go'... That's what Elwin always says." Ben remarked.
"I'm sure he does," Archie nodded. "Look, Ben, there's no easy way for me to say this and I know that you miss Mal a lot right now-" he then began to say.
"But I have to let go of her and just move on?" Ben finished with a huffy pout.
"Well, yes, but that's not exactly a nice way of putting it." Archie replied.
"No kidding." Ben pouted as he rolled his hazel eyes.
"Let me try to put it this way for you," Archie said as he sat up, trying to remain calm and soothe the troubled boy. "Ben, I know you're sad over Mal's leaving, but sometimes we have to let those we love go, and if they're meant to be they will return to us... But you shouldn't let it hold you back from getting on with your love life as she will be living her life too whether she returns or stays out there."
Ben looked a bit soft before he thought long and hard about what Archie just said to him.
"I know it's hard letting go of someone you once deeply loved and cared about go away... Trust me... I do know," Archie said softly as he thought about his own heartbreak. "But we can get through this and you definitely can. You are a very kind, thoughtful, strong, and brave boy. Besides, who knows? Maybe Mal will come back to you and you two can live happily ever after or maybe you'll find a new princess of your heart and you two will live happily ever after instead and she can help you feel free and spread your wings without holding you back."
"So... I should get over it and go out with somebody else?" Ben asked, trying to understand what Archie just said to him.
"Just try not to let it bother you," Archie advised. "It isn't healthy to hold onto feelings like that forever and you should know and believe that things will get better."
Ben sighed a little as he took a breath before giving a sad smile to Storybrooke's best and only therapist. "Okay... I'll try to see what I can do." he soon said.
"I appreciate you taking my advice and letting your conscience be your guide, Ben," Archie nodded before he looked over at his clock. "Well, it's been an hour, so do you feel good enough to get going?" he then asked.
"It's been an hour already?" Ben asked in surprise as he looked at the time to see that, indeed, an hour had passed. "But it feels like I just started talking."
"Time flies when you're having fun." Archie chuckled warmly.
"Yeah... I guess it does..." Ben replied as he looked thoughtful. "I guess I should get going. Thank you for this talk."
"Of course, Ben," Archie smiled warmly. "Feel free to come visit any time, but call first and maybe we'll talk to each other again if you have something to get off your chest."
"I appreciate that, Archie," Ben said as he stood up and got ready to leave. "I just wonder what I should do to cope with losing Mal?"
"Well, you could probably visit the animal shelter, I hear Carlos has done that a lot and sometimes that girl Jane Felton is with him, or you could read a new book or two, take a walk after dinner, go explore our town?" Archie suggested. "Just don't stay stuck inside your room all day and night even though your parents are both occupied right now."
"All right... I'll try to see what I can do..." Ben nodded as he opened the door. "Thanks again, Archie."
"No problem, Ben. Just please make sure you close the door behind you." Archie replied.
"Yes, sir. Talk to you later." Ben nodded on his way out.
"Talk to you later and have a good day and good mental health," Archie nodded before chuckling at the last thing he said as Ben felt confused briefly. "Ah, that's from a TV Show called Frasier, you should probably watch it. It's all about a therapist and his wacky family and their misadventures."
"Uh... Okay then..." Ben shrugged bashfully before he continued out the door and began to close it. "See ya."
"See you later." Archie nodded as the door closed and he checked to see that it was almost 5:00 which would be time for him to finish up and walk Pongo in the park as he always did for their time together outside of work.
Ben smiled as he closed the door and was about to walk off until he gasped and ran into a certain someone right away, startling both of them suddenly.
"Ben!" Amalie gasped.
"Amalie! Oh... Uh... Hi..." Ben blinked and gasped. "What a surprise."
"Oh, Ben, good to see you," Amalie smiled at Ben once she got over her scare. "Surprised to see you around here. I thought you'd be with Mal."
"Mal... Right..." Ben said softly as he looked away suddenly.
"I must say everything is going just peachy between the two of you and I know you two will be great together," Amalie smiled warmly and oblivious briefly. "I knew you had it in you whenever you two meet up together again."
"I'm letting her go." Ben soon told Amalie in a very sad tone of voice.
"Ha ha ha, yes. Splend-" Amalie giggled until she stopped in the middle of her sentence and realized what he just said. "You what? How could you do that?" she then asked, sounding devastated since she knew that Ben and Mal were made for each other.
"I had to." Ben replied as he began to walk out of Archie's office to get some fresh air.
"Yes... But why?" Amalie then asked, still amazed at his decision. "You did what?"
"Because, I love her," Ben said before looking into Amalie's eyes truthfully. "I just feel like I'm afraid that that's the right thing to do while Mal goes away and see what happens in the near future."
Amalie pouted once she finally put two and two together. "...After all this time, you've finally learned to love."
"And I'll have to see if she'll love me in return if she ever comes back." Ben said softly and distantly before he looked back at her.
"I see..." Amalie said softly.
Ben nodded before he looked at her again. "...What are you up to?" he then asked.
"Oh, uh, I was wandering around a bit... I was probably gonna visit the animal shelter while my aunt takes Marie, Toulouse, and Berlioz off to the pet spa." Amalie then said with a small shrug.
"Storybrooke has a pet spa?" Ben asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"Apparently!" Amalie grinned bashfully before tilting her head. "Maybe you'd like to come with me?"
"Well... I guess if Carlos can get over his fear of dogs around one of the shelter pets, I could try to find a new furry friend, right?" Ben replied.
"Of course," Amalie smiled back. "You might find something you like a lot while you head out."
"Okay, Amalie. I think I'll do that." Ben nodded.
Amalie smiled before she decided to link her arm with Ben's suddenly before leading him away. Ben blinked at how sudden that was before he then followed her as they made their way to the animal shelter. As they went off, Archie looked out the window before seeing the two teenagers walking away together as he smiled hopefully to himself before he continued to do what he would do before going to check on Pongo.