There were several entrances to the mines around town, but fortunately, David explained that the dwarves had been mining for Fairy Dust again, and he knew of all but one that was being used. When they pulled up, he knew immediately that they had the right one because of the beat-up pickup truck sitting outside of it. Moe said he'd hired someone to carry out his wishes, and the truck belonged to that individual.

He wanted to search it. He wanted to find a wallet or license or insurance card with a name on it, someone he could go after later and teach never again to do such a wretched thing, at least not without being in his employ. But there was no time for searching. The car was empty. A hand on the hood revealed it still retained some heat from being run but not by much. They were already in the mines.

"Care to tell us where to look first?" David asked, dragging Moe along by his jacket collar.

"Doesn't matter," Ruby stated before Moe had the chance to answer. "I can smell her!"

The woman took off at the pace of urgency he'd wanted David to have earlier. Once again, they followed after Ruby. He had to used magic to stabilize his leg to keep up with her, and Moe stumbled along several times, but otherwise he was pleased to observe that no one took their time as they headed down the long black and brown corridors beneath the earth.

"Oof!"

Ruby shrieked as someone ran into her and then ran away from them before they could question it. The accomplice. Running away from the scene of the crime. Alone.

Belle.

Though the Dark Ones urged him to tear after the man, he kept his eyes forward as Ruby regrouped and kept moving. He'd seen the car, caught a small glimpse of his height and weight, the stubble he sported for a beard, he'd find him later, after he had Belle back home safe and sound, after he'd told her about Baelfire, after he finally brought her into town, got her that job at the library, and this was all just a bad memory; a memory she would have because she wasn't going over that line!

"Wait, wait! Ruby, wait!" David suddenly called, reaching out to grab her around the arm as she'd been about to turn.

"She's down there! The trail keeps going!"

"Down there" and yet he saw nothing but mine and track for a mine cart. She was gone. Whatever plan had been put in place for her had already taken place. But how was she on her way over without the goon they'd seen? And why wasn't David letting Ruby go further?

"'Down there' is where the town ends, and it's not marked with a line down here. I can't be sure you'd come back as you. What, did you have her put her in a train and send her over?" David assumed, looking back at Moe.

Still, the pathetic giant of a man said nothing.

"I'm going to risk it!" Ruby muttered shaking her head and shrugging off David's grasp. "Someone's got to help her!"

"No risk required!" he roared, stepping around them. He held his breath as he sent his magic down the corridor. If she was already over the line, in the other world, this wouldn't work. But he assumed that if she were over the line, they'd hear screams of confusion, cries for help. He extended his senses down the corridor but heard nothing. Nothing but a train on its track still moving. He let his magic find that cart, find that train, the one thing moving in the space. He let out a breath when he latched on to it and tried not to let out a sob of relief as he halted the movement and then pulled it back toward him with his magic. The cart responded, he couldn't see it, but in his mind's eye he pictured it. With every second, he felt the magic he'd sent out draw closer to him, and then…suddenly, it was real. It was in front of him. He saw it. Movement.

He remained concentrated as something rounded the corner back into the corridor they were staring down. It was a minecart. Belle was sitting inside of it, looking around wildly at the unseen force that pulled her back. Behind him, Ruby muttered something, but he kept his focus on her, on drawing her closer, on the object binding her to that cart. Handcuffs. She'd been held prisoner by Regina for years, and the flunky her father had hired had handcuffed her to the cart. Aside from the trauma that would have caused, how in the hell had he expected her to get free on the other side?!

He stopped the cart in front of them, and with another jolt of magic, he overpowered the worthless lock and sent it flying from her wrist. He moved to the cart, but David was quicker. He reached inside to help her out and set her on her feet. Her heart was racing, she stunk of fear, and she was still looking around wildly as if she didn't understand where she was or what had happened. His own heart hitched. That was because of the trauma, wasn't it?

"Belle, are you all right?" he asked gently, trying to get her to focus on him, to show recognition in her eyes, to prove they hadn't been too late.

"I, uh…I think so," she breathed, looking herself over. He let out a breath. Belle…she'd recognized her name.

"You remember who I am?" he clarified.

Finally, she stopped moving to look at him, and he saw what he'd wanted to. Identification. A smile passed over her face as she nodded. "I do, Rumpelstiltskin, I remember."

Oh, he didn't think he'd ever felt so relieved in his life. He stepped forward to hold her, to wrap his arms around her and assure her that all was well now, that they were going to fix everything that had happened today.

But as soon as he did, he felt a small push against his chest. She was backing away, taking slow steps out of his grasp as she shook her head.

"What's wrong?"

She swallowed and stood tall before him. And then she looked him in the eye, and he knew just by that look exactly what was wrong before she said it. This was fine, she was fine, but their earlier argument remained.

"Thank you for what you just did. But that doesn't change that you are too cowardly to be honest with me."

"Belle, that's not-"

"I tried to tell you, Belle," her father called out behind them. "Come with me, darling-"

"After what you just tried to do to me?! You're no better, father! You don't get to decide what I do or how I feel. I do!" she shrieked before he could get a word in. Worried and rejected as he felt, it made him feel remarkably proud of her, even as she looked between the pair of them, and he knew what she was going to say before she said it. "If either of you cared about me, you would have listened."

Belle moved away then, keeping a wide berth as she moved around all of them and to the turn in the cavern where they'd just appeared before she stopped and looked back between him and her father once more.

"I don't want to see either of you again. Ever."

Her final word to them echoed off the walls of the mine and within the caverns of his own mind. The Dark Ones mocked him. They hissed and scorned him. What did he expect? Did he think he could so blatantly lie to her all these weeks, have her learn the truth the hard way, and think they'd go back to playing house again? That all would be well? That he could have a happy ending where he found Baelfire and introduced her to Belle, where they could get married, have kids, settle down, and grow old together? There was never any chance of that happening. He'd fooled himself by thinking it would, by hoping it would. His ending was never destined to be easy. For her sake, maybe it was better this way. Especially if the Seer's prophecy rang true.

She ran off down the tunnel, and Ruby quickly followed after her. After the wolf had been so protective of her earlier, he had the feeling that she'd somehow managed to make a friend who could help her in this world, someone who didn't have to go off to meet his son and then find their life "undone" by a puppet. Yes, for her, maybe it was better this way. It was better for her to be without him. But it didn't stop the ache in his chest that he was positive didn't come from his Curse.

He shifted his weight a step as he looked out to where she'd disappeared and found something uncharacteristic in his way. Instead of rocky and hard, he felt something soft and squishy beneath his foot and glanced down to inspect it.

He felt his lips part in surprise at what he found. Timidly, he swallowed and leaned down to collect it, hoping it wasn't what his twisting gut assumed it was. But the fabric felt familiar, or rather the yarn that had been made from felt familiar. It was a hat, one that he'd seen before, a long, long time ago. A hat that belonged to a man that shouldn't be alive except-

He remembered the man who had run past them on their way in, the man that he'd let go because saving Belle had been the priority. Short, stalky, stubble for a beard…with a hat knit together by a grandmother who had once summoned him and placed an untraceable spell on him much like what he'd done to Belle…the man fit the description of William Smee. The last time he'd seen the man…it had been when they'd made their deal, a deal he hadn't delivered on because Milah and the pirate had captured him. Captured him, just before they'd escaped to Neverland. If they'd taken Smee with them, that would certainly explain why he was still alive. His mouth went dry as he considered the implications of that. He'd never seen Hook in town, but if Smee were here…where was Hook?

"Gold," he glanced up from the hat to David, who stood with Moe quietly gesturing toward the exit. He glanced at Moe, then to the place Belle had left with Ruby, but instead of following the Prince out, he let his magic take him away, back to his shop.

Insert ominous music here. Because Belle is gone and Maurice might be protected by David at the moment, but Smee most certainly isn't. I'm not going to lie, I actually really loved the placement of Smee here. I loved it so much more writing it than I ever did watching it because it allowed for a great introduction to the rest of the season. I suppose you'll have to see for yourself as we go on.

Thank you Grace5231973 and Alarda for your reviews of the last chapter! I'm really excited to hear what you have to say about this one. Again, it was a short scene that we saw in the mines so there was a lot of framing that had to take place but I'm hoping that you'll appreciate how it all came together. And I'm especially excited to show you what's coming next. We all know where this episode ends but it's in the journey from here to there that I had a little bit of fun. Peace and Happy Reading!