As soon as they crossed the town line, they were hit with a blast of cold air, like walking into a freezer on a summer's afternoon. Even in the car, the shift was sudden. Everyone shivered in their seats, although they all pretended they didn't.
Instead of instantly returning home, Caroline watched as they drove right by their pristine white house, heading straight for the diner. The girl truly had no idea what to expect from the next few days- ever since Walsh made his true self known, her world was caving in right before her eyes.
"Are you sure we shouldn't drop the kids off first?" Regina asked, looking back nervously as they passed the house.
"We're all in it now," Robin voiced, saying what all of them wanted to say. Caroline's life was at stake. "Whatever happens, we do it together."
Ruby and Granny were waiting for them at the entrance once they arrived, seeming relieved to see everyone again. Granny's look of relief quickly darkened when she caught a glimpse of Zelena, who was slowly strolling into her diner.
"Hold it right there," the older woman demanded, a coldness to her voice, "who let you back into this town after what you did?"
An awkward silence washed over the room, no one sure who would speak up first.
"She's here to help," Will proposed, giving Ruby a look that was desperate for backup. "We're all on the same page- all that matters is putting a stop to this… rouge flying monkey. Whatever you want to call him."
"And I have this for extra reassurance," Regina added, pulling out the emerald pendant from her pocket. "She's powerless unless I say otherwise."
Granny still appeared skeptical, but took a seat back down anyways, everyone else doing the same. "Let's get to it then- I don't believe our culprit is still in Storybrooke. Ruby and I searched the perimeters before you arrived, and we couldn't catch his scent anywhere."
"By the way," Ruby asked, "how exactly can he use magic outside of the town lines?"
Regina shook her head, irritated that they had absolutely no answers. "All we know is that he has Cora's wand, and that he… used it on Caroline. Whatever dark magic is in her is lowering her temperature- just like what's happening in this town."
The sound of her voice became increasingly panicked, the events still fresh on her mind.
"It doesn't hurt that bad, honest," Caroline chimed in, trying to give some peace of mind to her mother. What she said was partly true, for the most part she felt fine. But, every now and then, a sharp chill would run through her veins, and for a few seconds her energy seemed to be wiped completely from her. As quickly as it happened, though, it would disappear, and things would go back to normal.
"Someone in this town has to know what spell was used on her," Zelena added, not believing the girl for a second. "Where's Rumplestiltskin? Isn't he living in this town?"
The mention of his name caused tension to spike between the members of the group. "He's not going to be much help," Ruby began, hesitantly, "he hasn't been doing well lately."
Zelena wasn't sure she heard the woman correctly- it didn't sound like the Rumplestiltskin she used to know.
"We'll figure it out," Robin reassured, putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "In the meantime, let's get search parties out in the forest beyond the town line- if you two are positive that he's not somewhere in town."
Granny gave him a look. "Of course I'm- we're- positive. These wolf tracking instincts kept us alive during the worst of the Ogre Wars."
"What a coward, enacting a spell that could wipe out this entire town and then running away," Ruby muttered, crossing her arms. "Granny and I will find him, I promise you that."
"You two can both lead search parties south of here while Will and Emma take the north- bring anyone else who is willing to help." Robin instructed, feeling a sudden wave of loss over his Merry Men. Although it had been over a decade, he mourned the loss of those people who gave his life purpose when nothing else did. He wished Little John was still fearlessly by his side.
"I suppose that leaves you and I to figure out how to reverse this spell on Caroline?" Regina asked, facing her husband with concerned eyes. "How are we supposed to do anything with the town freezing over too? Someone needs to make sure that everyone is safe, has heat-"
"Someone will gladly be in charge of that," Emma reassured, "you just focus on being a mom- the whole town is here for you."
Giving her friend's arm a comforting squeeze, the blonde leaned over to give Caroline a soft smile before standing up. "Let's get the search parties organized and out there before the sun goes down."
With that, almost everyone got up and filed out of the door, leaving Caroline with her parents and Zelena. The girl interchanged glances between the three adults, wondering what was going through their minds.
"I'll need to see every book of spells you have," Zelena began, breaking the silence, "and don't even think of sticking me in a prison somewhere, because you need me to help find-"
"Relax, we already took your magic from you," Regina began, feeling the heaviness of the emerald necklace in her pocket. "However, help is an interesting word choice. After all, it is your little friend who did this to her in the first place."
"I didn't know he was the one who stole the wand! How could I have known?" Zelena shot back, her eyes narrowing in anger.
"That's the cost of being around you it seems," Regina continued, her voice scathing with raw emotion, "wherever you go, chaos follows. Because of you, my daughter is suffering!"
"Enough!" Robin interrupted, loud enough to pierce through the rising fury between them. "We need to find a way to save Caroline- that is our only priority here. Zelena, you can choose to help, I don't care."
He gently helped the ten year old to her feet, leading her to the exit. Releasing a heavy sigh, Regina followed, refusing to give the redhead another glance. After a pause, Zelena followed them to the car.
The next few hours passed by slower than anyone thought possible. Zelena secluded herself to the corner, eyes tearing across every single page, book after book. All of the spell books had been freshly picked through during the panic of Regina's curse of bodily prison, and never got the chance to be put back.
Caroline instantly hated being the center of attention- her dad wouldn't leave her alone. He asked her every thirty seconds if she needed anything, and kept bringing things over to her anyways. Within minutes, the girl was surrounded by blankets, food, and every stuffed animal she owned. It was obvious he just didn't know what to do in the situation, especially with her mother upstairs in an argument with Roland that seemed to last a lifetime. Robin's high level of stress transferred onto Caroline every time he brought her something new- soon, she was worried the anxiety would end her faster than the ice growing in her chest.
The worst part of it was the fact that Caroline still felt normal. Aside from the flashes of cold running through her system, everything seemed fine. She was terrified to know what was going to happen to her, and how long it would take to set in. Did she have a few days or a few hours?
"Dad, I don't need anything else," she began, trying to not sound too annoyed by the piles of blankets surrounding her, "I want to help."
"What you need is to rest," Robin countered. "Let us figure things out. You need to conserve your energy."
"For God's sake, if she wants to help, let her help," Zelena muttered, still concentrating on the page she was reading. "I can't be the only one doing any research around here."
Their conversation was quickly cut short due to more yelling from upstairs. Caroline attempted to listen to the conversation, but she was only able to catch bits and pieces. "What are they…?"
"I'll go see," Robin answered, sounding less than thrilled about the idea. As he ventured upstairs, more of the conversation became clear to him. He could tell already that he wouldn't like what he was walking into.
"I don't get to be a part of anything, Mom! Just let me do this for Caroline!"
"I won't have you wandering through the forest while an insane man with a powerful magic weapon is out there- there are plenty of things you can do here to help."
"I've already done the research and the waiting around when you were gone. These past few months I've been on the sidelines- I want to be out there helping everyone catch this guy before-"
"If I have to lock down this entire house, that's what I'll do. You're staying, and that's final."
The teenager turned around in furious defeat, slamming the door behind his parents. Regina and Robin exchanged looks, not sure where to go from there. As quietness began to replace the residual anger, Regina leaned into Robin's embrace, fighting against the sadness she knew was inevitable. Feeling a buzz in his pocket, Robin adjusted his hold on her to fish out his phone.
"Looks like Henry's back in town," he remarked softly, returning back to her embrace. Despite the never ending conflict, by his side, she felt like home.