Part 2

The motorbike comes to a halt in the middle of the long stretch of road, its driver kicking out the sidestand and leaning back in the seat to observe what lies ahead through the dark visor of her black helmet. A soft hooting from above has her flipping the visor up and reaching out to the snowy owl, providing her arm as a perch. Thé strokes the owl with the back of her gloved hand before unstrapping the lightened load of weapons and reflexively attaching them to herself and the bike beneath her.

"Can you see it too?" she croons to the bird turning her attention on what brought her to a halt. "I almost didn't even catch it until I felt the repelling need to turn away. But there it is all shiny and glittery gold. It's a powerful cloaking spell," she frowns, her hazel eyes slightly twinkling silver as they skim over the shield surrounding the town ahead, the red line spray painted across the tarmac of the road and the wooden 'Welcome to Storybrooke' sign. "I'm not chancing you being able to get through it. You stay on my shoulder and don't let go, okay?" she tells the bird before taking a deep breath, shutting her visor, kicking the sidestand back into place and calmly driving straight through the barrier that would repel any mortal's mind. "You go hunt," she shouts to the owl over the rumbling roar of the turbo engine thrumming between her thighs. "There's someone here I need to speak with first before I get to Killian."

The owl remains perched on Thé's shoulder, cocking his head at the dark tone his friend is speaking in. But the sound of the other owls as they drive alongside the edge of the forest takes his attention and with only a momentary bite from his claws gripping her shoulder to launch himself, he flies off into the cloudy afternoon sky.

Thé keeps an eye on her animal friend for a few moments but then she remembers the power of the cloaking spell and her hazel eyes begin to glisten and glow. There's only one man in town she knows that could do such a spell and he's the same one that took Killian's life. She spared Rumplestiltskin once before, but not this time.

David's attention on his daughter's blank stare is pulled away by the bell tinkling over the door. Robin, carrying his pink-swaddled daughter and followed by several Merry Men and Roland, storms into Granny's looking around frantically. Upon spotting the Charmings and Regina sitting stoically in one of the booths he rushes straight towards them. Mary Margaret's gaze flickers between Robin and Emma, who still remains frozen staring down at the untouched meal in front of her. Her green eyes barely blink at the arrival of the outlaw. She shows no reaction of even realising he's there, not even when Regina loudly sighs in complaint.

"What now?"

"The birds are acting strangely," Robin tells the group, his expression pained because he knows that they need time to grieve and not have to concern themselves with yet another crisis.

"What do you mean they're acting strangely?" queries David, frowning up at the blonde man before flickering a glance at Emma to see she still hasn't reacted.

"The owls are flitting about. Something's up. I hate to come and bring this to you or ask for your assistance at this time, but something is wrong."

"Kil," Emma's voice breaks and a tear escapes down her cheek as she glares at the shiny tabletop, "Killian hasn't even been...he hasn't...it has only been a day. Not even. And you want me to get right back to work," she grits out, turning her watery glare to Robin.

"Mom," murmurs Henry, reaching out to try to comfort Emma in some way.

"No! I can't do it. I won't do it!" she screams. "It's just some birds acting differently. You don't need me. You all need to just stop relying on me because I can't do any of it," Emma cries before trying to get to her feet and leave, but she's in the seat against the wall with Henry and Regina in the way of her exit.

At that moment the bell rings once more, the door heaved open by Grumpy and Happy. The two of them take a moment to pant for breath. Once Leroy has enough air in his lungs again he starts shouting, quickly gaining the attention of all the quiet and stoic patrons of the diner.

"There's someone new in town. She just came flying up the road on a motorbike and nearly ran us down. When we shouted after her she threw on the brakes swung her head around and lifted the visor of her helmet. Her eyes were freaking twinkling, like stars!" he exclaims. "I don't know what kind of weird she is but it's not good. Sister, you gotta do something," he tells Snow, his hazel eyes ever so slightly sliding to look to Emma and then looking away.

"There has to be something wrong with the cloaking spell," worries Happy. "How else could she have gotten in?"

"Perhaps it was someone who has been here all along, we've just never met her," suggests Mary Margaret optimistically.

"No such...achoo...luck," replies Sneezy as he too comes into the diner with Sleepy following close behind, his eyes frantic and fearful. "I was just at the town...town...line. There's...achoo...skid marks from a...a...a...motor...achoo...a motorbike."

"The tracks go from beyond the red line leading into the town," Walter adds. "She's definitely a stranger. What do we do? If the cloaking spell isn't working then just about anybody could come in and then what?"

Sleepy's words immediately causes panic to become rife in the small diner. Everyone begins talking over each other. Arguments ensue on what the next course of action is. Snow and Charming try to calm the crowd. Regina wraps an arm around Henry and reaches out to caress Robin's arm. Her eyes dart from her son, to her love, to his son and beautiful baby girl. Movement beside Henry causes Regina to drag her eyes away and look at Emma who has dropped back into her seat. Regina frowns, pained by the look on Emma's face as the young woman clutches at her blonde hair and rocks gently back and forth. The queen watches on as the saviour tries to pull herself together and push back the tears and pain that just wants to swallow her. Regina releases her hold on Henry to reach out to his other mother, trying to give her any comfort she can. Emma freezes under Regina's touch before her eyes meet the dark brown ones watching her with concern and understanding. She sighs when she sees no pity in the other woman's gaze and with a minute nod she pushes herself to her feet, letting loose a loud piercing whistle to gain everyone's attention.

"None of you panic," Emma tells the crowd staring at her, her voice hoarse from the crying and disuse. "This doesn't mean the spell surrounding the town is down. Leroy you said she looked weird. Perhaps she's able to see past such a spell. Whatever is going on we will find a way through it. But you cannot panic."

"What do we do then?" asks Happy.

"Gold," says Regina succinctly, mouthing Sorry to Emma when the blonde flinches at the reminder the name brings. "He should know if the cloaking spell is down or how someone got past it."

"Alright. Mary Margaret, Regina, Robin and I will go see Gold and see what information we can get from him. The rest of you just try to stay calm but remain vigilant. Alert us to any new information," commands David in a reassuring voice.

"I'm coming too," Emma tells her parents once the rest of the diner's occupants return to trying to eat and calm.

"Emma," sighs Mary Margaret, staring at her daughter and wishing that she could take away all of her pain.

"Nothing is going to make me feel better. Let's get this issue put to bed and then we can...grieve," Emma trips over the last word, clenching her hands into fists so as to hold back the tears.

"If you're sure," murmurs David before turning to his wife. "I'd prefer it if you were armed. Just in case," he whispers so that only their immediate circle can hear.

"You may borrow one of my men's bows if you wish, my lady," offers Robin courteously.

"Miss Swan," stutters Rumplestiltskin, his eyes remaining on the young woman and uncaring of the others that entered his shop with her.

"There's a stranger in town," David tells him, getting straight to the point.

"That's impossible. The cloaking spell would repel anyone who came close."

"Well it didn't work. And now there's some strange woman driving into our town on a motorbike with apparently 'weird twinkling eyes'," Regina fumes, rolling her eyes at the description the dwarves had given.

Gold frowns at the description. "It's not much to go on. Miss Swan, I'd like to apologise again. I didn't-"

"Save your breath Gold. I neither want nor need your apologies," snaps Emma.

"Emma!" chides Snow.

"The owls are also acting strangely," pipes up Robin, defusing the situation that feels ready to erupt. "They're hunting and soaring around."

"You think it's related?" asks Regina.

"Well owls are notoriously nocturnal animals, especially when it comes to hunting. It feels like it's too coincidental for it not to be connected."

"The outlaw has the right of it," sighs Rumplestiltskin, his hands trembling on the glass counter and his skin turning pale.

"You know who she is," comments Regina, her eyes flaring at the obvious fear emanating from the once mighty warlock.

"I do believe so. But it won't do well for us to meet. Especially under these circumstances…" Rumplestiltskin drifts off, his eyes widening in realisation. "That's why she's here."

"Why? And who is she?" asks David.

Before Gold can answer him the wooden door to the shop flies open with such force it almost hits the wall and the window panes in the door shatter. Dressed in skinny dark red jeans, six inch heels, a sheer black top and biker jacket, Thé stands silhouetted in the open doorway. Her lips, painted the same crimson as her heels and jeans, sneer at the greying man stood frozen behind his counter. She takes one step closer causing David to draw his gun, Snow and Robin to raise their bows primed each with an arrow, and Regina to stand in a stance ready to call a fireball to life. Emma remains still, only her eyes moving to gaze from the pawnbroker to the purple and green haired stranger who has yet to remove her own eyes from Gold's.

"Not another step," warns Snow.

Thé flickers a glance over them all and smirks. With a roll of her eyes at the display of force and weaponry she twists her hand. Only Emma notices at first as a portal appears behind Gold. Her eyes widen in disbelief but then she notices it isn't sucking Rumplestiltskin inside it. The purple portal continues to swirl until a flash of lightning lights up inside of it and a speck of white can be seen growing larger and larger. The others also turn their attention to the portal, though continue to also keep a careful watch on Thé. Suddenly a tawny owl stretches her wings and flies calmly out of the portal before scratching and biting at Gold. The man makes attempts to bat off the animal but it darts away too swiftly for him to stop it fighting and hurting him.

"Enough!" shouts Emma. "Call it off," she glares at the newcomer.

Thé stares at Emma for a second, observing her before making a low pitched whistle. The owl swoops away from Gold and outside using the open exit behind Thé. The tall woman grins at the mess of cuts now on his face and hands, as well as the tears in his expensive-looking suit. His fear suddenly soars as the group hear the quick paced sound of heels on pavement racing towards the shop just before Belle appears behind Thé.

"Rumple?" she calls out, worry and fear clear in her voice.

"Please, don't hurt her," he begs.

Thé raises an eyebrow at his plea and turns to smirk at Belle, "Perhaps hurting you how you really deserve to be hurt will be much easier than I thought after all."

"Not another step," cautions David, echoing his wife's earlier warning.

"Or what? You going to shoot me?" pouts Thé before laughing. "Alright how about we get the boring stuff out of the way first? Shoot me dearies. Go ahead," she smirks. "You know you want to. Come on, shoot me. If you don't shoot me I'll hurt this lovely little mortal behind me. And you know I will, don't you Crocodile?"

Emma recoils at what Killian had dubbed as Gold's nickname. But the threat against Belle makes David aim his gun at her leg as the stranger slowly swivels to reach out to Belle. Emma and Regina watch on as Snow and Robin also aim their bows at the woman.

"Please, she will hurt and kill Belle," Rumplestiltskin tells them just as Thé touches Belle and the pretty copper-haired woman cries out and drops to her knees in pain from the single touch.

David squeezes the trigger of his gun but nothing happens. Again and again he tries but the gun appears to be jammed. Snow and Robin release their arrows but instead of finding their mark in the woman's arm and leg both arrows suddenly lose speed and trajectory, dropping out of the air not long after they're loosed. The clatter of the wooden weapons resounds through the shop as Thé releases Belle.

"Now that you can see I can't be touched, let alone harmed, by your weapons why don't we get down to business."

"We haven't tried everything," remarks Regina before sending a fireball at her.

Thé throws up one hand and a thin golden shimmering barrier appears between her and the oncoming fireball. Belle squeaks and throws her arms over her head, peeking through her hair to see the fire fizzle out upon contact.

"That was quite dangerous Regina. You could have hurt Belle, or my shop," complains Rumplestiltskin. "Belle, are you alright?" he asks, moving from behind the counter and closer to Thé causing the woman to frown in confusion.

"They got the twinkling right," mumbles Emma as Thé's eyes turn and the young woman gasps in shock as she looks from Gold to Belle and back again.

"You actually truly fell in love," comments Thé in total disbelief, shutting her eyes in pain at the sight before opening them to glare at Rumplestiltskin. "You do not deserve this."

Without explanation she reaches down to Belle. Regina readies herself to throw another fireball should Belle cry out in pain again. But the group is shocked when Belle looks down at her chest and then up at Gold, tears pooling in her eyes.

"What is this?" she asks, turning to the woman touching her forearm.

"Your love line. Pulsating white that gives off a prism of colour. The purest and truest kind of love you can have," she replies stiffly before releasing the librarian and pulling her to her feet. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I wanted to hurt him."

"'Wanted'," quotes Rumplestiltskin, his gaze flickering between Belle and Thé.

"Don't think I don't still want to hurt you Crocodile, because I saw what you did to him. All I want to do right now is stab you. So do not test me Imp!" she growls in reply.

"Who are you and why are you in Storybrooke?" asks David.

"And why are you calling Gold by...Killian's nickname for him?" adds Emma, her voice slightly trembling.

Thé smiles sadly at Emma and gives a courtly bow to the group, "I am Thé, short for Athena. I knew Killian a very long time ago."

"Athena, the Greek goddess?" snorts Regina disbelievingly.

"Technically. I got kicked out of Olympus long ago. As to the why I'm here," from her pocket she pulls out one of the coins from her money bag and tosses it to Emma. "I'm going to get the soul of a certain dashing Captain back from the Underworld. I trust you do still have his body?"

A/N: I didn't think I'd be able to write again so soon but I had a good-ish day. There probably won't be another chapter up before Sunday's episode. Really big thankyou to all the people that are now following my little fic and to those that favourited and reviewed it too.

Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!

Due to my illness I do sometimes have issues being able to write on a regular basis. I don't know when I'll get this next updated but I just ask for your patience. Many thanks!

~Anna-Margaret

xx