Author's note: Hey y'all! Sorry for the long wait! Summer's busier than I expected, with getting ready for college and all. Anyway, hope this ch makes up for it!

Chapter 9

Gold rifles through his shop, overturning boxes and smashing bottles in his haste to find it. To find the one thing that can help him find her. Finally, he sees it. Spots it lying innocuously on top of a large pile of precariously stacked books. He breathes a sigh of relief and limps over, grabbing it with both hands and placing it on the glass counter. The one object that can help her. The magic globe that helped him to find his son. The globe that will now enable him to find her.

He has no idea where she could've ended up. Where everyone else is. For all he knows, it could be Neverland, somewhere he'd rather not travel to. Not that it matters, for he has no means of traveling there anyway. But, he reminds himself, for Belle, anything is worth it. He will do whatever it takes to get her back.

It occurs to him that he could've used magic to find the globe, that it would've been a lot faster, but he doesn't dwell on this. He pricks his finger on the needle and watches as it drips down. His heart beats with excitement as shapes begin to swirl on the globe's surface. Yes. He thinks as the shapes slowly come into focus. He places both hands on the counter, focused intently on the swirly details, breathing heavily, praying that wherever she is, it's somewhere in this land. Somewhere he can go to.

And then the swirls settle. Settle into what is unmistakably a large, dense, and very familiar forest. Instantly, Gold's heart drops to his feet as rage and grief courses through him once more.

No. He thinks frantically as he shakes the globe, rubs his eyes, does anything and everything he can think of to change what he sees. But the globe's answer remains unchanged, staring up at him, mocking him. The Enchanted Forest. Somewhere that he has no means of traveling to. He has nothing. No way to cross worlds.

No! Gold hurls the globe across the room, where it shatters into a thousand pieces. But that is nothing compared to what he is feeling.

Suddenly, his fury overpowers him. He smashes his cane into the nearest object, the glass display case full of priceless artifacts.

Nothing escapes his warpath as he sinks his cane repeatedly into any solid object. Books are torn viciously apart, glass is shattered,

With every smash and shatter, the same thoughts repeat themselves in his mind.

How could he have been so stupid?

How did this happen?

Was this some sort of punishment?

Why did he always end up losing everyone important to him?

The soul crushing, heart squeezing knowledge that this is all his fault doesn't help. If he hadn't been so eager to retrieve her memories, he would've thought over the consequences of that spell. Granted, he's been practicing magic for so long that he knows all of his spells inside and out, backwards and forwards, but still. He of all people should know that magic is unpredictable, especially in the Land Without Magic, and that it could've reacted badly with something else.

Obviously it did. Gold deduces that his spell must've had a bad reaction with some other magical substance or object. He has no idea what his memory retrieval spell, designed to affect one, could've clashed with that would cause everyone to disappear.

Above all, he has no idea how to get her back. There is the very imminent possibility that he will never see Belle (and Baelfire again). That he will forever and always be alone.

Gold sinks down, his head in his hands. No matter how hard he tries, he always fails. Maybe he is just destined to live out the rest of his life in misery. Alone.

Nothing kills him more than not knowing. Not knowing what happened. He has rarely, if ever, been in the dark. He prides himself on knowing everything there is to know about magic. Being so helpless is one of the worst feelings in the world. This is so similar to what happened with Baelfire. He'd thought had had a second chance at happiness, but he'd been wrong. So, so wrong.

For what feels like an eternity, he just sits there, amidst the victims of his rage. The wreckage that constitutes his store. He feels numb and heavy. He vaguely realizes that he has a cut on the back of his hand, but he cannot feel it. Cannot feel anything anymore. What is the point?

He wishes he is dead. Why did he have to be the only person left here?

Something flashes out of the corner of his eye. He briefly looks up, but sees nothing. Probably just a rat. But then he sees it again. Something that's moving outside. A striped scarf, a black coat. A small figure. Curious, Gold pushes himself up, leaning heavily on his cane and limps towards the window. Could there be someone else here? Maybe he wasn't the only one who had been unaffected by the mysterious spell.

Gold presses his nose to the glass, keeping his eyes peeled. All is quiet and still outside. But he knows what he saw. He pushes open the door, the tinkle of the bell loud in his ears, and steps outside. He looks from side to side. Narrows his eyes.

He hears something. The scrape of sneakers against pavement. Someone panting. Unless he is hallucinating, he is not alone. Gold squints down the street; he can see someone running. A small figure, probably a scared child, running down the street.

He is not alone.

Gold begins step-thumping down the street, back into his shop. He is in no mood to deal with a crying, sniveling child. To be frank, he does not care. This child is none of his concern. But then something occurs to him. The child is very familiar. Cherubic cheeks, striped scarf, brown hair.

No. It can't be.

And then another sound catches his attention. The scrape of tires against pavement, coming from the direction of the figure. Gold whips around.

The shock written on Henry's face mirrors his own as both pairs of eyes simultaneously register the other's appearance and take in the unfamiliar red minivan slowly rolling down the street.

Straight into the heart of Storybrooke.

Author's note: Ooohhh I wonder who they are! Looks like Gold and Henry will have to *gasp* work together?!