The next morning soon came in Storybrooke. Evie soon woke up and came out of her room, lifting up her sleepmask as she opened the door, wondering what to do for breakfast until she ran into Ben as he was just coming out of the bathroom.
"Oh. Morning, Evie." Ben greeted softly since it was morning.
"Morning, Ben," Evie said with a small smile to her childhood best friend. "Did you sleep well? Sorry we can't sleep in the same room anymore."
"Yeah, I slept alright, and don't worry about that," Ben nodded in reply. "You and I both know I wouldn't do anything like that to you."
"I know, but Mom says we aren't kids anymore." Evie reminded him.
"Yeah... we're growing up..." Ben nodded. "Just like Henry."
"Yeah..." Evie sighed before pouting. "I miss the old Henry."
"Yeah, I can understand how you feel," Ben replied as he put his arm around her before he took a look at the time. "Say, why don't we go out to Granny's for breakfast today? My treat." he then offered.
"You sure?" Evie asked.
"Yeah, I don't mind," Ben smiled. "After all, you're my best friend and we've been that way since before I can even remember."
"All right, but... maybe you should call your mom first in case she comes to pick you up and take you home," Evie suggested. "She knows you spent the night here, right?"
"Yeah, I called her before I went to bed last night," Ben reassured her with a nod. "But yeah, let's get ready for the day and I'll call her real quick."
"Okay, Ben," Evie nodded before she smirked. "Now move, I need to powder my nose."
"Alright, alright." Ben chuckled and smirked back as he got out of the way, then went to the guest room which was Henry's old bedroom to go and get dressed.
Evie smirked before she went to use the restroom next as Ben went to get dressed and called his mother.
"Hey, Mom? It's Ben," Ben said on the phone as he got a hold of his mother. "Evie and I are gonna go out to Granny's for breakfast, but don't worry. I have some money. I'll come see you after we eat, okay?"
"All right, Ben dear," Belle answered on her way to the pawnshop for the day. "I'll be in your father's shop if you're looking for me."
"Okay, Mom, I'll see you later then." Ben nodded.
"See you later, dear," Belle smiled. "Have fun with your friend."
"Thanks, Mom. Talk to you later." Ben smiled back.
"Bye."
"Bye."
Belle then hung up first as she opened the pawnshop with the key she was given, deciding to keep it in business after Mr. Gold's disappearance as she sighed sadly to herself. However, she didn't know that a certain redheaded woman was watching her and was waiting for the right time to go and see the brunette woman.
After a little while, Ben and Evie were both dressed and ready for the day and once they were, they came over to Granny's Diner to have a nice breakfast together as friends.
"I'm sorry your meeting with the other descendants didn't go so well, Ben." Evie told her best friend as they sat in a booth across from each other.
"It's okay, Evie," Ben reassured. "I was trying to think about what my dad would do. I mean, people always listened to him whenever he talked to them."
"Well, yeah, your dad kinda scared the crap out of a lot of people back in the day when we were all cursed," Evie remarked and reminded him. "No offense of course."
"None taken, he was always trying to make me study day and night when not working in the shop, but I guess he didn't wanna make the same mistakes that happened when Neal was young," Ben replied calmly. "Your mom was pretty scary too and I hate that some people think that she's responsible for the weird things happening in town."
"But it wasn't Aunt Regina; it's The Wicked Witch and we don't know who she is around here," Ben replied. "We probably met her once, but I don't remember who she was or who she could have been."
"I know what you mean," Evie nodded. "I have this dream where a bunch of flying monkeys are chasing me and carrying me off to see her, but I can't remember what she looked like aside from having green skin."
"Dang, green skin would be a good way to narrow down the search, but everyone in Storybrooke has a normal life and identity," Ben complained as he sank in his seat. "Like Cinderella's mouse friend was turned into a human mechanic."
"Yeah, I remember him... Billy." Evie nodded.
Kiara soon came by with their drinks of ice tea and ice water. "Here you go, guys." she then told them.
"Thanks, Kiki." Evie smiled.
"Yeah, thanks, Kiara." Ben added.
"Do you guys know what you wanna eat?" Kiara then asked them.
"I'll just have some plain eggs and toast." Ben decided.
"And I'll have blueberry waffles with eggs and bacon." Evie added.
"Nice choices," Kiara nodded as she wrote down those orders and took their menus away. "See you later."
Ben and Evie told her bye for now as Kiara went to take their orders back to the kitchen.
"So, what can we do?" Evie wondered. "I know looking for The Wicked Witch won't be easy, especially for the grown-ups."
"Hmm..." Ben pondered thoughtfully as he took a sip of his drink. "The best plan I have is that maybe we could team up as well as maybe some others who aren't so narrow-minded like Chad to help the adults find out the true mastermind behind this curse."
"That sounds doable, or at least find out the memory problem like when my mom took that medicine when Henry was a baby." Evie nodded.
"Uh, medicine?" Ben wondered.
"Oh, Mom told me she was taking medicine when she decided to keep Henry home with us when he was a baby," Evie explained. "It was actually a potion, but she told me it was medicine back when we all didn't know that magic and Fairy Tales were real."
"I guess that makes a lot of sense in hindsight." Ben remarked.
"Yeah, in a way it kind of does," Evie nodded. "So is that our plan? We'll gather some of the others to go scope things out in town to see what could be going on with this wicked curse?" she then asked.
"Yeah, that's the best I got for now," Ben replied. "And don't worry, Evie. I know that your mom wouldn't do this to us."
"Thanks, Ben," Evie smiled. "I knew you'd believe in Mom."
"Of course I do." Ben smiled back.
The two best friends then looked over as Kiara soon came by with their food and they began to eat while planning their next moves and to get who they would need to get to help.
After a while, Ben and Evie gathered who they could to get to help find out the mystery of The Wicked Witch loose in Storybrooke. They gathered Carlos, Jay, Carla, Enid, Harry, and even Lonnie along with Elwin. Melody and Piper had also volunteered. Ben tried to persuade Audrey into helping out, but the girl wouldn't budge and suggested to Ben not to get involved, but he was too stubborn and determined to give up now.
"I just don't want him to get hurt, Mrs. Gold," Audrey said as she was helping out in the pawnshop with her boyfriend's mother. "I mean he already tried to trust the daughter of Maleficent and she ended up shattering his heart into millions of pieces."
"I understand, Audrey, but Ben is a very smart young man," Belle replied calmly. "My Rumple raised him very well in this town. I mean, you love him, don't you?"
"Well, yes, I do love Ben, but I think he should worry more about the heroes than the villains among us," Audrey advised before she gave a boastful smile. "Like me since I'm the daughter of Sleeping Beauty."
"Yes, yes, we all know that story," Belle replied patiently as Audrey seemed boastful about who her parents were. "Just be patient with him and I'm sure he'll come back to you soon enough."
"Hmm... Maybe I guess..." Audrey shrugged.
Soon, the door bell's suddenly jingled, indicating that someone was on their way into the shop.
"Uh, hi. Can I, uh... Can I help you?" Belle greeted.
"Oh, you must be Mrs. Gold." Zelena replied as she came inside.
"No, I'm uh... not." Belle stammered a bit.
Audrey raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Is Mr. Gold around?" Zelena asked as she looked around the shop curiously.
"Uh, he... No, he isn't. He... He died." Belle explained a bit wearily.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss..." Zelena replied before giving the woman a questioning look.
"Belle." The brunette woman gave her name.
"Belle." Zelena smiled.
"And I'm Audrey." Audrey spoke up with a friendly enough smile.
"Audrey. Those are such pretty names," Zelena remarked. "Oh, look, I-I'm so sorry to bother you, but I was hoping to buy a baby gift for a lovely woman that I met at Granny's Diner," she then added, stating her business. "Maybe you know her. She goes by Mary Margaret here. See, I'm helping her with her pregnancy and... Today's my first day on the job. You know, curse or no curse a girl's got to work."
"Mary Margaret? Why didn't you say so?" Belle replied thoughtfully. "I think I may have just the thing."
"Bless you." Zelena nodded.
"Just a second." Belle nodded as she turned around.
Audrey looked over and gasped as she thought she saw something strange. Zelena's hands glowed a bright green color as Belle turned around, causing the redheaded woman to stun both her and Audrey with magic. Then, Zelena quickly walked up to a safe hidden behind a painting. Opening the safe's blood lock, Zelena took out a certain root before she would take her leave.
Meanwhile, at Town Hall, Killian, David, Emma, and Goldie were looking for evidence.
"I think I have a partial footprint," David pointed out, seeing something red on the floor. "You guys see anything?"
"Other than an austere sense of design? Nothing." Killian replied.
Crouching down, David examined the red smudge closely.
"Is that blood?" Emma wondered as she and Goldie joined him.
David put his finger in the red substance before sniffing it. "It's berry." he then told them.
"You mean like a strawberry or something?" Goldie asked.
"No, like holly berry," David explained. "They grow on bushes."
"Are you some sort of botanist in this life, mate?" Killian asked.
"I've worked in an animal shelter. Saw dogs track them all the time," David explained. "The bushes grow in the woods."
"Okay, we have a lead," Goldie nodded. "Where can we find these bushes?" she then asked.
"In the northwest corner, not far from the toll bridge." David explained until his cell phone vibrated. He then read the message with a sigh.
"Everything okay?" Emma asked her father out of concern.
"Mary Margaret needs me to come back to the loft," David explained. "We're getting a midwife and she wants to meet the both of us."
"A bit demanding, isn't she?" Killian smirked as he tried to make a joke.
Emma gave the pirate a look at that, thinking that he was talking about her mother.
"I meant the midwife." Killian then explained.
"Ouch." Goldie smirked.
"It's fine. Go." Emma soon told her father.
"No, we just got on track here." David pried.
"And I've got it covered. She needs you," Emma reassured him and insisted. "Just meet us when you get done." she then added.
David sighed in defeat and then nodded. "Alright." he then said before leaving the room as now it was just down to Emma, Killian, and Goldie.
"Smooth, Captain Hook." Goldie spoke up.
"What did I do?" Killian asked, facing her.
"You made things awkward," Goldie smirked. "I think you were trying to impress someone."
"Yeah, well, I'm doing a lot more than you are." Killian retorted firmly.
Goldie gave him a bit of a weird look for that.
"I'm sorry," Killian sighed. "I just miss Harry."
"What exactly happened to him anyway?" Emma asked. "Your son I mean. I mean, he wasn't in New York City with you when you whisked me away."
"Ooh, what a romantic fairy tale." Goldie smirked.
"Quiet, you." Emma retorted.
"Hmph. Spoilsport." Goldie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, Harry and I had a bit of a disagreement before I came to you, Swan," Killian explained to Emma with a sigh. "I know he's in town, but we haven't spoken ever since. I just hope he doesn't stay mad at me too long."
"You guys had a fight before, didn't you?" Emma then asked as she seemed to remember that.
"Aye. When he was very young, he ran away from home and ended up in Neverland because a certain boy tried to convince him that he didn't need me anymore until I had to come save him." Killian nodded and recollected.
"Stupid flying green Shitweasel." Goldie murmured.
Killian and Emma then gave Goldie a look.
"What? We were all thinking it." Goldie shrugged in defense.
"Well, don't worry, okay?" Emma advised Killian. "Your son seems to look up to you and really needs you. He'll turn around eventually and you guys will be friends again."
"I know, Swan, I know, it's just so hard sometimes when we get in a spat like this," Killian nodded. "Harry and I only have each other and I'd even trade The Jolly Roger just to keep him safe and happy."
Emma smiled softly as that sounded pretty sweet, especially coming from a pirate like Captain Hook of all people.
"So, uh, if I could interrupt this moment?" Goldie spoke up as she came between the two suddenly. "What's our next move supposed to be?"
"We go into the woods," Killian replied. "You heard the man."
"All right then, let's go." Goldie nodded.
And at that, they left Town Hall and went straight into the woods after following David's instructions on where to find the berry.
Meanwhile, Regina was taking Henry for a stroll as Elwin waved them off after they had gotten some ice cream. "The ice cream good?" she asked the boy beside her.
"Delicious," Henry replied as he held onto his ice cream cone. "My mom used to take me for gelato in Little Italy, but this is just as good."
"Well, Storybrooke's got his own charm," Regina advised. "Though, I know, it must seem quaint compared to the big city."
"It's nice, actually. New York's great, but there's so many people that can make you feel..." Henry nodded and trailed off a little.
"Alone?" Regina guessed.
"Yeah." Henry nodded.
"Yeah. That's the best part of a small town," Regina said with a small smile. "Everybody knows everybody. It's like... It's like a big family."
Henry smiled back before he seemed to have something on his mind. "Can I tell you something?" he then asked the woman.
"Sure." Regina nodded.
"I don't think it was just the case, that brought my mom to Storybrooke." Henry began to admit to her.
"What do you mean?" Regina wondered innocently.
"I think she wanted to get out of New York for a while." Henry explained.
"What?" Regina asked. "Why do you think that?"
"My mom's boyfriend. His name is Walsh," Henry explained. "He proposed to her."
"Oh." Regina said with a small nod.
"And two days later she's taking me out of school for some job in Maine," Henry continued. "She wouldn't take a job in Queens, if it meant, I'd miss school."
"What do you think happened?" Regina asked.
"I don't know," Henry shrugged. "But I doubt, we'd be here, if she'd said yes."
"And, how do you feel about it?" Regina then asked. "Did you like him, this Walsh?"
"I liked how happy he'd made her," Henry admitted calmly. "Plus, it might be nice having more than two place settings during holidays."
Regina smiled warmly. "I think, one day you'll have more family than you'll know what to do with." she then said.
"You think so?" Henry wondered.
"I really do." Regina replied with a small smile.
Henry smiled back at that before he looked over her shoulder a bit. Regina looked curious to see where he was looking before she looked in his direction. Dee Dee was shown to be further away from them, practicing some ballet dancing with a boombox on the bench as it played classical music.
"It's that girl..." Henry whispered to himself. "I have to go talk to her."
"Did you say something?" Regina asked him curiously.
"Oh, um, nothing." Henry covered up bashfully as he continued to watch Dee Dee as she felt less mysterious at the moment and she now looked like the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life.
Dee Dee continued to dance, seeming to be unaware that she was being watched by Regina and Henry as she was watching the ducks in the pond closely, seeming to study their movements and habits for her dance.
Later, Ben and Evie met up with their friends after doing a bit of a search in town.
"All right, people, what do we got?" Ben asked as they met up in Granny's Diner again after their thorough search. "Have we made any progress?"
"My bet is Mrs. Monocolao." Jay replied.
"Simon's mom and the school librarian?" Evie asked out of disbelief.
"She's always so uptight and always wants things to be done right." Jay nodded.
"That doesn't make her evil, that just makes you impulsive." Carla retorted as Carlos was playing with Dude.
Carlos chuckled a bit at that.
"Yeah. You're impulsive." Harry added.
"Do you even know what that word means?" Evie asked the pirate teen.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." Harry retorted smugly.
"That probably means no." Jay whispered to Carlos.
"You probably don't know what it means either." Carlos retorted.
"Shut up." Jay firmly pouted.
"I don't think it would be Miss Lotus," Ben suggested. "She works with my grandfather and he seems to trust her a lot. Jay, you stay with her these days. Is Miss Lotus wicked?" he then added.
"No way!" Jay shook his head. "She might yell at me if I try to take something that isn't mine, but she seems really nice and cool."
"I didn't think so." Ben nodded.
"I still think it's Simon's mom!" Jay then said before shrugging. "I don't like the way she shushes."
"What about Nurse Spratt?" Ben pondered. "She's not the nicest woman in the world. One time I had a stomach ache and she just sent me back to class and said 'Stop whining'."
"This is going to take longer than I thought." Evie grumbled as she rubbed her head a little.
"Well, we gotta figure out the answer one way or another," Ben said. "I just feel like we're overlooking the situation somehow."
Gabrielle glanced over as she overheard the others, though she didn't get involved of course.
IN THE WOODS...
Killian, Goldie, and Emma passed by a holly berry bush as Killian used his hook to shake some berries off the bush.
"You'll look for any excuse to use that thing, won't you?" Goldie snarked.
Killian gave her a slight look. "At least we know we're in the right place. What now?" he then wondered.
"Now, we start searching." Emma suggested.
"Right." Goldie nodded at that.
"You know something, Swan? Whenever you're around, I inevitably find myself trekking through some manner of woods or forest, courting danger." Killian spoke up to Emma.
"Here I thought you weren't afraid of anything," Emma scoffed. "Always looking for the next adventure."
"Oh, is that, what this is?" Killian replied.
"Isn't it? What the hell were you doing the last year on that ship?" Emma retorted. "I'm guessing it was one swashbuckling tale after another. 'Til you decided to come back and save me."
"Exactly." Killian nodded.
"Aw, true love." Goldie whispered to herself.
"Be quiet," Emma firmly told Goldie before turning around to face Killian. "You're lying." she then huffed to him.
"Excuse me?" Killian asked.
"What happened back there?" Emma demanded. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing. It's my tale," Killian defended. "I'm sticking to it."
"Still don't believe you." Emma scoffed again.
"Well, let's leave it at that and you can just say thank you." Killian suggested.
"For my memories? I already did." Emma replied.
"Well, from saving you from a loveless marriage." Killian countered.
"You think that's what you were doing?" Emma rolled her eyes.
"He was a flying monkey." Killian reminded her.
"I didn't know that." Emma replied.
"Were you considering it?" Killian asked. "His proposal?"
"Does it matter?" Emma retorted.
"Humor me." Killian replied as Goldie walked on ahead of them.
"Yes. Okay? I was in love, so of course, I was considering it," Emma explained. "As usual, he wasn't who he said he was and I got my heart broken. Enough humor for you?" she then asked.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad to hear that." Killian replied softly.
"You're glad to hear I had my heart broken?" Emma asked with a firm pout.
"If it can be broken, it means it still works." Killian told her softly.
"Guys! I found something!" Goldie soon called out.
Emma and Killian looked at each other before Emma turned around and walked on. Killian waited a few moments and then followed her. Climbing up a hill, the two stopped in front of a farmhouse that Goldie had discovered.
"A farmhouse. You have to appreciate the irony." Emma remarked.
"Great. Our suspect must be Old MacDonald." Goldie snarked.
"Can you cool it with the jokes today already?" Emma complained.
"Hey, at least I didn't say Little Bo Peep, right?" Goldie shrugged.
"Don't you dare joke about Little Bo Peep." Killian warned her as they approached the farmhouse.
"You guys just have no sense of humor." Goldie complained as she followed Emma and Killian to the farmhouse, walking across the snow.
The trio soon carefully approached the house looking through the windows. In the kitchen, there was a teakettle standing on the table.
"There's definitely someone living here," Emma whispered. "Looks empty right now, though."
"Why are we whispering?" Killian asked as he whispered back to her.
"Because good hide-outs always look empty. Trust me. I've spent a lot of time tracking down people who don't want to be found," Emma explained quietly. "I know about hiding out. "
"Me too, especially to get food and water." Goldie replied.
"Who? From The Three Bears?" Killian smirked.
"Well, look who's got jokes now." Goldie smirked back.
"Focus, guys," Emma reminded them as they continued to sneak around the house and then saw a bicycle standing there before noticing a storm cellar located in the garden. "A storm cellar?" she then wondered.
Killian, Goldie, and Emma then approached the cellar as the door was locked. Emma drew out her pistol only to be stopped by the pirate beside her.
"Whoa, wait. Wait," Killian said suddenly. "It's one thing walking around a deserted farmhouse, it's quite another descending into a one-way cellar with no way out." he then added, gesturing to the lock.
"Scared?" Emma teased him.
"There's a difference between fear and strategy. We know she's got flying monstrosities," Killian retorted with a sigh. "Who knows what's down there?"
"I don't think there will be any flying crocodiles down there." Goldie smirked.
"Watch it," Killian told her firmly. "I'm just saying, if this witch is as powerful as we think, we could use some magical back-up. Unless you've been practicing in New York City." he then added, more so toward Emma.
"Okay, I'll call Regina," Emma said before she took out her phone. "Have her drop Henry at Granny's. I'd like to see those flying monstrosities trying to get past her crossbow."
"And her lunch special." Killian added as Goldie snickered.
"David?" Emma wondered, discovering that she had a message from David.
"Emma, it's David. I'm at the trailhead. And, I think I've found her. The Wicked Witch. I'm going after her." David said on Emma's voicemail.
The three soon went straight into the woods as this sounded very important and urgent as Emma drove them there. David appeared to be being strangled by someone who had power over him until the person seemed to disappear out of thin air just as the car pulled up. David tried to reach for a broken sword until it disappeared before he could grab it and the car doors opened, showing the ones who had come to rescue David.
"David, you okay?" Emma called as she and the others rushed over along with Regina.
David nodded in response.
"Well, where is she?" Regina asked, looking around for The Wicked Witch who clearly wasn't around.
"It wasn't her." David explained.
"Then, who was it?" Killian asked before looking concerned about David. "You look whiter than a fresh sail."
"Myself." David simply stated.
"You were fighting yourself?" Goldie asked out of confusion.
"It's the witch. She's toying with us." Regina realized.
"Did you guys find where she might be hiding?" David asked them.
"A farmhouse," Goldie explained to him. "We think it's hers."
David nodded at that. "Then let's end this. Let's send this witch back to Oz." he then suggested.
"Yeah, maybe we could talk about what just happened to you," Goldie then said. "I mean... Why would The Wicked Witch send you a demon that looks just like you?" she then wondered.
"That's what I'd like to know." Killian agreed.
"No idea," David replied. "It was just there wearing my face, harping on my deepest fears."
"It knew your deepest fears?" Regina wondered.
"Yeah, things I never told anyone, even Mary Margaret," David admitted and explained. "It wasn't until I'd admitted them that I was able to defeat it by stabbing it with the hilt of my sword."
"Where is it? Your sword?" Regina then asked.
"Well, that's the strange part," David replied. "After I killed it, the hilt... it disappeared."
"Weird." Goldie remarked.
"What's that mean, then?" Killian wondered.
"When we face our deepest fears, our true courage comes out," Regina educated them. "When you used the hilt of your sword to vanquish your fears, your courage transferred into it."
"Why did it disappear?" David then asked.
"It didn't disappear. She took it." Regina clarified.
"Hang on. The Wicked Witch stole his courage?" Emma wondered out of confusion.
"Well, a symbol of it, at least, and symbols can be powerful totems." Regina explained.
Goldie nodded as that sounded very good to keep in mind.
David, Killian, Regina, Goldie, and Emma soon approached the storm cellar once they returned to the farmhouse.
"That lock. It wasn't busted before." Emma noticed the lock once they made it over before she reached for her gun.
Killian then pulled out his sword while Goldie took out her own pistol which was as gold as her golden locks that earned her the nickname "Goldilocks".
"Ready?" Emma asked.
"Ready as we'll ever be." Goldie nodded bravely.
David then opened the cellar's door as all seemed to be okay so far with nothing to worry about.
"So far, so good." Killian noted.
"Everyone, stay alert. Come on." Emma told the others as she carefully walked down the stairs as David, Regina, Killian, and Goldie followed her into the cellar too.
"There's definitely dark magic here," Regina observed before facing Emma. "Can you feel it?"
"I don't know. Maybe," Emma replied. "Whatever I feel, it's not good."
"Definitely not good," Goldie said before she noticed a cage that was in the room and it also had a broken lock. "What would The Wicked Witch keep in a cage?"
"Monkeys?" Emma guessed.
"No, no monkeys," David said before turning on the lights, showing them all a wheel standing inside the cage. He then crouched down and picked up a solid piece of straw from the ground that appeared to be solid gold. "How many people do we know who can spin straw into gold?" he then rhetorically asked the others.
"Rumplestiltskin." Emma and Goldie both realized in shock.
Regina seemed to hide a small smirk, knowing that this had to mean that Mr. Gold was alive.
Meanwhile, the descendants were still discussing and resting around, pondering what to do next as Audrey was on her way to the diner, looking a bit frantic and alert.
"All right, you guys, we rested long enough," Ben told the others as he took charge of them. "We gotta figure out about this Wicked Witch case."
Gabrielle looked guilty about something and she was about to step over and speak up.
"The search is over!" Audrey alerted as she burst into the diner, making everyone look over at her. "I know what's going on."
Gabrielle looked wide-eyed at that while everyone else looked curious and confused.
"Audrey, what are you talking about?" Ben asked his girlfriend. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I know who The Wicked Witch is." Audrey said with a smug smile.