A/N: Well I've finally got around to writing this chapter, but I made up for it by having it be really long, my longest chapter yet. As I said in my note earlier I did some serious thinking and planning on where to take my story. I'm actually rather pleased with it for now. But yeah, here it is...finally. I really hope you enjoy it. Review if you'd like, I love reading them, and really appreciate it :)
As Gold made his way onto the Jolly Roger he quickly scanned the upper deck, immediately noticing Emma's absence. Since Hook was ambling his way, Gold decided Emma's whereabouts were not of immediate concern.
"So, you done trying to kill me?" Gold snarled at Hook.
"I believe so," Hook replied, though he was still giving Gold a cautionary look.
"Good, then you can live."
Gold then limped over to a barrel and waved his arm, a puff of purple smoke appearing. When it faded away an odd looking globe emerged. It was blank, a foggy white color covering it.
Emma reappeared from below just as Gold pricked his finger on the needle atop the globe. She gave an involuntary wince as she watched the needle puncture his skin.
Gold then squeezed his bleeding finger over the globe, a single droplet of blood hitting its surface. The drop of blood was absorbed by the globe and began to diffuse across, forming odd shapes here and there. It was clear to Emma that it was forming a map, though she could already distinguish that whatever place the globe was displaying was not this world.
As the blood stopped moving and the shapes ceased to continue forming, it was evident the globe was completed. Regina made her way over to get a closer look.
"Where is that? Where did they take Henry?" She asked.
"Neverland," Hook replied somewhat grimly, exchanging a furtive glance with Gold. Regina and Mary Margaret looked at one another, mirroring the glance between Hook and Gold. It seemed to Emma that they all were concerned about that fact, though she had no idea why.
"Is that bad?" Emma asked tentatively, getting the feeling that that was a stupid question to be asking.
"Yes," Gold replied. "Tamara and Greg appear to just be pawns in a much larger game. The have no idea who they're really working for."
"And who is that then?" Emma asked.
"I have a theory or two, but I do know that it's someone who we all should fear."
That made Emma exceptionally concerned. So far, she hadn't seen Gold be afraid of anything. If there was someone out there in Neverland that Gold was fearful of, it chilled her bones to think what such a person could possibly want with Henry.
"Don't worry Emma," David said, giving her a pat on the back. "We will find him, and we will save him." He then shot a reassuring glance over at Regina, after all Henry was her son too.
"Once we're out of the harbor, I'll open the portal for us to go through, Hook announced, making his way to the helm.
As Hook steered the ship out of the harbor, the other four all gathered together. Gold was left standing alone looking over the side of the ship watching the sun go down. Even as he stood there contemplating his future and the grim nature of it, he couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the scene.
It was spectacular to behold. The sun was just dipping below the horizon. It made the water shimmer and shine, brighter and more beautiful than the most expensive jewels and diamonds. The sky was a unique mixture of red and purple. The beauty of it seemed to be mocking them all.
Or perhaps it, Mother Nature, or whatever powers were at work was giving them all a proper send off; making sure it was beautiful and memorable as they left to face the dangers that Neverland held.
As Emma theorized with the others, she kept glancing over at Gold as he looked out onto the waters. He looked so alone and not just physically as he was, in fact, standing by himself, but emotionally. She tried to fight the urge to go over to him, her jealousy and insecurity battling with her gut and her heart. Her efforts, however, were in vain.
Could she really fault a man for having found his "true love", or at least a version of it he was content with? Regardless of her feelings for him and the touching goodbye she had witnessed, she knew she couldn't ignore him. Not only because despite her best efforts she was drawn to him, but also because he was alone.
He still needed her; was still hurting from the loss of his son, and now his grandson. Emma was in a unique position of being the only one on board who could wholly understand and relate to what Gold was going through and vice versa. So, as Mary Margaret, David and Regina went to assist Hook with steering, Emma strolled over to Gold.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Emma asked, surveying the view before them as she came up beside him, placing her hands on the rail of the ship.
Gold turned his head to look at her. She was staring steadfastly ahead, the intensity of her gaze suggesting it was more to avoid Gold's eye than to admire the scene. He watcher her for a short moment before replying, admiring another favorable view.
"Indeed," he answered softly, not taking his eyes off her, a small smile gracing his lips. As he looked at her, he could practically see her fighting the urge to turn her eyes to meet his.
"We'll find him, you know," Gold reassured her.
She finally turned to face him.
"I feel like I should be the one telling you that," she replied with a light chuckle.
"Why's that? He's your son."
"Yeah, and he's your grandson. I don't know, I guess it's just because he's all the family you have left, really." She gave him a sad smile.
Before he could say anything in return, Hook and the others were calling to them for help. They were finally out of the harbor and Hook was preparing to open the portal. He needed everyone's help steering the vessel through it.
Belle watched from the docks as the Jolly Roger disappeared through the portal. She stood there for a moment longer, absently wiping away her tears as they fell.
Once she regained as much composure as she could muster, she straightened her back and stood tall, vowing to be the brave woman she'd always dreamt of being. She also vowed not to let Rumplestiltskin's departure shake her too much. She took one last, deep, steadying breath and turned to walk back into town.
Ruby was the first to see her as she was standing outside of the diner. The closer Belle got, the more Ruby suspected that it was Belle walking her way and not Lacey. It was something about the way she walked. Belle had always walked in a more dignified manner than what she had ever seen of Lacey.
When Belle finally noticed Ruby watching her, she gave her a faint smile. Ruby could tell instantly that something was wrong.
"Belle?" Ruby questioned once Belle had gotten close enough to hear her.
"Yes, it's me," she replied, Australian accent as thick as ever.
"Oh thank God!" Ruby exclaimed, running the rest of the way to her and throwing her arms around her in a fierce hug. "I wasn't sure if I was ever going to see you again."
"Well, it's really me, I'm back. For better or worse," she added as an afterthought.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm myself again finally, but now Rumplestiltskin is gone," she replied morosely.
"What!? Come inside here, everyone's in there, you can tell us all what's happened."
Belle simply nodded her head and followed Ruby into the diner. Ruby wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder as they walked in. Ruby nodded slightly at Granny once inside, answering her silent question as to whether it was Belle or not.
Granny rushed around the bar to greet Belle. She too gave Belle a fierce hug.
"Have a seat, dear," she said, patting Belle on the back and pointing to the last open stool at the bar.
"So, what happened? How come the town didn't blow up or whatever was supposed to happen?" Ruby questioned Belle.
"Emma and Regina managed to stop the trigger."
"So we're safe?" Leroy called from behind her.
"Yes. For now at least."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Leroy hollered again.
"Rumplestiltskin thinks others will try and come to Storybrooke, same as Tamara and Greg did."
"Well where is he now, Belle? What are we going to do to stop people from coming here?" ruby asked.
"He's gone, but he gave me this," she replied, pulling out the little piece of parchment Gold had given her before leaving. "It's a cloaking spell. He said it would hide the town like it was when it was cursed. I'll have to take it to the fairies so they can cast it."
"Ok, we'll get to that in a minute," Ruby said. "But what do you mean Mr. Gold is gone. And what about the others, Regina, Emma, Snow, David and Henry?"
"They're with him, along with Hook on his ship." A collective buzz of whispering started up at her words. Apparently they were all surprised to hear that Gold and Hook were working together. "They've gone off through a portal to find Henry."
"Find Henry?!" Granny exclaimed. "Where's Henry?!"
"I don't know," she answered with a shrug. "Tamara and Greg took him through a portal. Rumple told me I had to stay behind and help protect the town from outsiders."
"Do you have any idea how long they'll be gone for?" Granny asked, calming back down.
"Not a clue," Belle said frowning. "They might not ever come back. They used the last magic bean to get there and traveling through worlds isn't easy."
"And we can't grow anymore, we have no more seeds," Leroy added. "Thanks to Regina!" He snarled.
"Hey! Regina just saved us all from imminent death," Ruby shouted at Leroy. "Cut her some slack."
"We wouldn't have needed saving at all if not for her. She's the one who made the trigger to being with."
There were a few "yeahs" shouted in agreement from the crowd.
"That may be, but she risked her life trying to give us all time to make it out of Storybrooke alive. Regina may not always make the best choices, but when it comes down to it, she saved us. We owe her a little respect for that," Granny announced, giving Leroy a pointed look.
Leroy just scowled and shrugged his shoulders.
"Fine, but I don't have to be happy about it," he replied.
"I wouldn't expect you to, Grumpy," said Granny, narrowing her eyes at him and giving him a bit of a smirk.
"So what do we do now?" Ruby asked, looking to Belle for an answer.
"Well first we should get the Blue Fairy to cast the cloaking spell."
"And then?"
"I don't know. I suppose we just go about life as normal. Take it easy for a bit. I think it would do us all some good to take a break from all this chaos. What we all need now is some sense of normalcy. Then, when the time is right, maybe we'll start looking for another way back to the Enchanted Forest for anyone who wishes to go back."
"Well said, Belle," piped up Leroy. "Even I think we should all relax for a bit. After the kind of day we've all had today, I'm in no hurry to rush back to an Ogre infested forest. I just want a stiff drink." And then he made his way back to the bar and had Granny fix him something strong.
When they arrived on the other side of the portal, night had already fallen. They came out into the open water. None of them could even see a hint of land thorugh the darkness.
"So, this is Neverland?" Emma pondered aloud.
"Indeed. Though I assure you the view is much more spectacular in the day time." As Emma turned her back on him, looking up at the stars above her, he added, "Though I can't really seem to find much to complain about with this view either."
Emma rounded on him, noticing that he had been staring unabashedly at her backside. What she didn't notice was the slight movement coming from where Mr. Gold stood.
Gold had been about to hit Hook or at the very least threaten him to stop acting like a horny teenager in the midst of such dire circumstances, but thought better of it. Not only did he not want to arouse any suspicions from the others, but also he had a sneaky suspicion that Emma could handle Hook quite well on her own. That fire of hers was what he admired most about her.
"What did I tell you about making passes at me like that?" She asked, getting right up in Hook's face.
"I'm not sure I remember you saying anything at all about it. I was probably distracted, you're quite sexy when you're all fired up," he said with a wink.
"All right, that's enough of that," David chimed in. "Let's not forget we're on a rescue mission here."
For once, Gold was glad of David's interruption. His resolve had been crumbling. If he'd had to listen to Hook prattle on any longer; watch him be all smug thinking Emma wanted anything to do with him, he might not have been able to control himself.
Though he did start to wonder if Emma did want anything to do with Hook. She was awfully close to him, looking him straight in the eyes. And even as her words portrayed anger, the playfulness in her eyes said something else. That's how Emma used to look at him.
He suspected that that's how it started; when Emma Swan started having feelings for someone. That playful spark in her eyes, that cunning smirk, the in-your-face banter; it was a wonder Gold hadn't noticed sooner.
But now it was different. Something in their relationship had shifted since her admission. Perhaps she regretted saying it at all, felt ashamed and foolish to feel it. And now, now she was withdrawing into herself and away from him. No doubt she felt a sense of rejection since they still hadn't talked about what she said and likely wouldn't find an appropriate time to do so anytime soon.
He really wanted to talk to her though. The timing, however, was terrible. They had to find Henry; he'd just lost his son and just ended things with Belle. It certainly wasn't the time or the place to start a relationship or even think about one or anything even close to that if that's what they both wanted. That wouldn't stop him from feeling things for her and he wanted her to know that, if only for her peace of mind that it wasn't one-sided.
"We'll be safe on the boat for tonight. We'll get some much needed rest and figure out a plan in the morning," Hook announced, shaking Gold from his thoughts.
They all then headed below decks. There was enough separate living quarters for all of them, though Mary Margaret and David shared one. Emma point blankly refused Hook's offer for her to share his cabin.
Hook took the captain's cabin, Emma took the room next to her parents and Regina took the one across from her. Gold, however, took the room at the end of the ship, farthest away from the others. He just felt more comfortable that way.
Emma tossed and turned in her bed, falling in and out of sleep. Her mind was running on overdrive, so many thoughts and feelings invading her mind; fear, worry, hurt, confusion and determination. She knew she would do whatever it took to find and get Henry back. She was determined not to let her other feelings get in the way of what had to be done. That was the true "Emma Swan" way.
Eventually she couldn't take it any more, she had to get up and walk around for a bit. She wandered the lower decks for a while, not the least bit surprised to find herself in the store room where the liquor was held. It took her a moment to locate a glass but when she did, she poured herself a generous amount and made her way up to the upper deck, taking the rest of the bottle with her, just in case.
Emma wasn't sure how long she had been standing there leaning against the rail of the ship before Gold came up from below. He'd foregone the glass completely, choosing instead to drink straight from the bottle.
"I couldn't sleep either" he stated nonchalantly. His words were slurred slightly, letting Emma know he'd had a decent amount to drink before he'd come up.
Emma made a non-committal noise of agreement then took a large sip from her glass.
"So, you said you've got a theory or two about who we're up against," Emma said, filling the silence; she wanted to be the one to control the conversation.
There was nothing to be gained from discussing her earlier admission and she planned to steer clear of it for as long as possible. She could tell he wanted to talk about it, but she wasn't ready to yet, maybe not ever. So, for as long as he'd let her, she'd ask the questions.
"I did," he agreed.
"And?" she questioned.
"And I'm in no state to go into all the details just yet. Suffice it to say that either way, we're up against someone with a lot of power."
Rumplestiltskin sat in a corner booth at a dingy pub, nursing a tall mug of ale. The other patrons were giving him a wide berth, not wanting to incur the wrath of the Dark One. None of them dared look in his direction. Even the barmaid avoided his eye when she came by to refill his mug.
Only one person did he see ever look at him. A larger woman seated at the bar couldn't seem to stop herself from looking his direction every few minutes. She was heavier, but had a certain beauty about her, though admittedly it was a dark beauty.
She had long dark hair and even darker eyes. Her eyebrows were thin yet shaped in such a way it made her look permanently angry. He wasn't surprised when she got up from the bar and made her way to him.
"You're him, aren't you? She asked, coming to stop beside him.
He just looked back up at her, brow raised in question.
"The Dark One?" she amended.
"Oh, him," he said with a demented giggle. "Yes, I am the Dark One."
"I want you to teach me magic," she said, sliding into the seat across from him.
It was spoken in more of a demand than a request. Inwardly, Rumplestiltskin admired the woman's spirit.
"I hear you've got it in for a pirate," she added.
"How do you know that?" He asked narrowing his eyes at her in warning.
The woman remained unfazed under his piercing glare. "I have eyes and ears in many places. He's in a far off land, a land I intend to rule with magic. I could have him killed for you. Or if you would rather do the deed yourself, I can send word to you when he returns to this land."
"Oooh," he giggled once more, doing a little jig in his seat. "You know how to play the game." He then flashed her his best impish grin, accompanied by another giggle.
"That I do," she replied. "So, do we have a deal?"
"Why yes, I think we do."
He then held out his hand across the table for her to shake. She took his hand firmly, giving it a single shake.
"We'll start tomorrow," Rumplestiltskin declared.
"Excellent," and the woman got up from the table to leave.
"I didn't catch your name, dearie," he called after her.
Without turning back to face him, she waved a hand back at him as she walked away and said, "It's Ursula."
S/O to Twyla Mercedes for your input :)