Darkness is a Funny Thing… It Creeps Up in You

Chapter Seven

Meanwhile…

Cruella's Panther De Ville roadster was speeding towards Storybrooke, Maine with its owner behind the wheel, and with Rumplestiltskin and Ursula as its passengers. The three villains barely spoke to one another for most of their drive except for when the Dark One finished explaining the rest of his plan as much as he was willing to, to the two women he was now depending on to help him not only get back into Storybrooke, but also to help him get his revenge on those who wronged him. Mainly Hook and Emma for thwarting his plans, as well as for turning his wife against him.

At last, after Cruella drove over a pothole in the road that caused Gold to become even more uneasy in the backseat of the car than he already was, he spoke to her with ridicule saying curtly, "You know… I would really prefer to survive this road trip of ours. Given that you drive like a mad woman every time you get behind the wheel of this fancy roadster of yours, it's amazing you're still alive."

The woman with white and black hair glanced back at the villain through her rearview mirror while she continued to drive at the same reckless pace as she retorted scornfully, "If you don't like the way I drive, the door is to your left or to your right. Feel free to jump out at any time. Just don't expect me to stop, or even slow down at all."

"Well… you might want to slow down," he curtly replied to her. "Because I believe that Storybrooke… is just ahead. I just need to find where it is that I left my tie."

"You could have just said so without the ridicule," Ursula uttered from the passenger's seat, then reached down to grab hold of the handle on the door when the other villainess beside her suddenly slammed on the car's breaks to stop like Gold advised her to do.

Once she did so, the Dark One finally got out of the car and stepped over to the trees within the woods to his left, then he walked a few paces forward until he came up on one of the tree's branches where he had previously tied his necktie to it in order to mark where the town line was to the Land With Magic.

After she and Cruella followed the Dark One with their eyes as they watched him step away from them, Ursula then looked out at their surroundings and finally questioned the villain who planned their revenge, "So… this is where Storybrooke is? There's nothing here, but trees and more road leading to God knows where."

Once Gold pulled his tie from the tree after he untied the knot keeping it tied to the branch, he turned his head to look back at the Sea Witch as he responded, "It's like I've told you… Storybrooke is invisible to the outside world. And right now, that includes us. You know my plan. All of it. And if the heroes have used my spell to free the fairies from the hat by now like I suspect they have, it won't be long before they will agree to let you both across the town line into Storybrooke, in exchange for you telling them what they must do to defeat the Chernabog that has also been freed."

"Fine," Cruella brusquely retorted, then she looked at him suspiciously when she got the sense that the Dark One wasn't telling them everything, as Ursula sensed from him as well. "Tell us, darling… Is there something more we ought to know? Just who else should we expect to come up against once we walk inside this town of yours?"

"Other than Captain Hook, Regina, Snow White, and Prince Charming, that is?" Ursula sternly added. "Is Hook's so called Savior, really as big of a threat like you've told us she is?"

Gold looked over at the villainess with darkness in his eyes while he answered her bitterly, "She's worse. I wouldn't underestimate her, dearie. However, if we succeed in our plans for her, then the rest of the heroes will most certainly fall after her. Especially Hook. You would like that… wouldn't you?"

The Sea Witch smiled cruelly as she replied, "You have no idea. What's our first step now that we're finally here?"

"The number's all cued up," he responded once he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and held it out for her to take. "All you have to do is press the 'call' button."

"I know how a phone works," she curtly retorted as she swiftly snatched the phone from his hand, then stared down at the screen before raising her head again to glare at him. "I just don't know if I can trust the man whose phone it is."

Gold looked between Ursula, as well as Cruella too while he questioned, "And why is that? I mean… you have my phone, my entire plan. And tonight… if you decide not to come back for me and stay in Storybrooke and abandon me, I couldn't blame you. That's why this time is different. Because this time, my entire salvation depends not on you trusting me, but on me trusting you. Now… Are we in this together?"

Ursula finally turned her head towards Cruella once more seeking confirmation from her partner, who looked at her in return with a suspicious smile, before she answered, "I guess you'll find out tonight, won't you?"

She then turned her eyes back on the phone and pushed the 'send' button so she could at last make the call to Regina, as Gold had set up for her. And once she did so, the villainess who hated dogs quickly walked over to stand beside the Sea Witch, and together all three villains waited for the former Evil Queen to pick up her phone, provided she wasn't too busy still dealing with the monster that had once nearly killed them some time ago within the Enchanted Forest.