A/N: Thank you so much to everyone for all the encouragement! Please continue to review, follow, and favorite. :)
Also, if you haven't seen a recap of the OUAT panel at SDCC today, you should check it out. It was pretty great, especially the part where they said that Mr. Gold's first name was Barbara. ;)
Belle looked up at Mr. Gold for confirmation. Mr. Gold, however, fixed his gaze on Emma to watch her eyes widen with familiarity at the name.
"I met him," Mr. Gold said quickly, getting a word in before Emma spoke. "In the Enchanted Forest. I made a deal with him concerning the location of a mirror that allowed for travel in between worlds. In this story," he continued, gesturing to Belle, "it tells of where Will Scarlet came from and how he stole a magic mirror in order to travel to Wonderland. It fits with my end of the story, especially since I recommended Wonderland." He flashed an impish grin without even thinking, recalling the days when all he did was made deals and watch people's lives swirl out of control. "He lived in Storybrooke for a little while before you arrived, but he never talked about where he had come from."
"I met him. Today. At Granny's," Emma said, her hands visibly clutching the glass case tighter.
That couldn't be a coincidence. "Did he say where he was going? What he was doing?"
She set her chin in her hands, brow furrowed in concentration. "He was going to his room at Granny's."
"He said he was just going to pick up a few things," Henry chimed in, "because he had to leave quickly when he left before."
"He didn't stay, then?" Belle asked.
"It didn't sound like it." Emma sighed. "I wish we would have known about this earlier."
"When did Regina acquire the genie?" Mr. Gold inquired, realizing it was an important part of the equation.
Emma and Henry looked at each other.
"I only heard her talking to him earlier today, but it sounded like the genie was going over the basic rules."
"Could Will have come to look for the genie?" Emma looked at Belle and quirked an eyebrow.
Belle shook her head. "I don't think so. Jafar's bottle vanished, so it could have landed anywhere. He wouldn't have known where it was."
Mr. Gold looked at Belle. "What's most important is finding out what Regina would need to break the laws of magic like the genie did."
He could see that Belle was reading him. Her eyes were searching his, wondering if he wanted the knowledge for himself, not only to help them figure out what Regina was up to.
He hated himself for lying to her, (again, he reminded himself) but if there was a chance of bringing Baelfire back, he wasn't going to pass it up. He couldn't.
So he buried the desire deep down, where no one would be able to see it.
Seemingly satisfied, Belle rolled her eyes upward, thinking. "He needed the three genies, a spellbook, and another sorcerer."
"Where are the other genies?"
"There aren't any more, now. Jafar's the only one." Her words slowed toward the end of her sentence and her eyes grew wide.
"So she only needs him."
"She's probably already wished for the spell," Henry chimed in, suddenly not so chipper.
It all added up in Mr. Gold's mind. He couldn't deny that he felt a tiny twinge of fear in his gut. He had never been afraid of Regina because he was more powerful than her. But now…
"All she needs is another sorcerer." He gave Emma a meaningful look.
"And the only other people with magic in the town are…" She swallowed, subdued panic welling up in her eyes. "Us."