Ambush

Peter lay on the bed, hands folded under his head, and tapped his foot out to a tune he whistled to himself. The Blue Fairy had sensed his presence, he was sure of it, and she was drifting over to him. She was intrigued, possibly a little worried, and somehow, her interest worried Peter greatly and excited Pan.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on his whistling. If he could do that and not think about anything else, he would be fine. All he had to do was watch the apartment. Nothing else. Everything would take care of itself.

OUAT

"So who's Greg?" August asked, emptying the gas can into the tank, replacing the lid, and shoving it back into his saddlebag.

"Greg," D replied, leaning back as August mounted again, "is a lunatic. He's a civ, but he's married to one of us, and that's how he knows. Ever since he learned magic existed and there were other worlds, he's been obsessed with proving it to the world. He says he's gonna make us all rich, but I think he's just in it for himself. I think if he finds the proof he wants, he'll freak out and crash or something."

"If he does?"

"Then I'm gonna sit there and laugh my ass off, or I'm gonna hunt his grave down and laugh my ass off there. That son of a bitch is in dire need of an I-told-you-so." She had to raise her voice to be heard, as they were on the road again.

"Wow, you really do hate that guy."

"He's a threat, and even if he wasn't, he's a douchebag."

"So what do we do if he gets to town?"

"Tell Jefferson to get the word out. All of us have to be on high alert. Does Storybrooke have a sheriff, someone we can talk to and explain the situation to?"

"Emma Swan and her parents, Snow White and Prince Charming. I'm pretty sure they'll understand, maybe be grateful for the help."

"It's the least I can do for inadvertently causing trouble."

"Let's hope it doesn't get very far, then." August turned a corner and started to head north. "Maine, here we come."

OUAT

By the second day of the journey, Robin was walking under his own power, allowing Bae and Morraine to trail behind and check to see if anyone was following the party. He had his suspicions by midday, but he was absolutely sure by mid afternoon. He slid an arrow out of one of the quivers on his hip, nocked it, and nodded to Morraine, who unsheathed her sword. "Trouble afoot?" John asked.

"I think so," Bae replied. The party stopped. Bae turned to face the path they just trod, but before any action could be taken, he had to shield his face from the onrushing black cloud. Oh, not again, he thought, struggling to gather his thoughts enough to push the cloud away enough for them to breathe. Finally he succeeded.

He drew the arrow back and began searching the cloud for its source and center. "What is this?" he asked.

"Gisborne," John said.

"Careful with that arrow, boy," Robin added. "Wrong shot and we're all dead."

"It would help if I knew where to aim," Bae replied, starting to relax his draw.

"Oh, look," the cloud said. "You can't be bothered." Gisborne stepped out of the shadows and approached them. Robin stepped back, but Bae stood fast. "It looks like you're stupid, too. A village boy. Poor, can't read or write, perhaps forced to work the fields for a liege lord. No wonder you're on the run with these outlaws and..." His eyes drifted to Morraine. "Well, well, well, it seems even the likes of you can still manage to find a fair lass."

"That's it," Morraine growled, lunging at him. He disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared a few feet away.

"You have spirit. I may have a use for you." Bae aimed again and loosed. Again, Gisborne disappeared in a puff of smoke, but this time, once he was clear of the arrow, he reappeared where he stood. "Some nerve you have. Do you know what happens to peasants who have nerve?"

"Stand down now, boy," Robin said.

"He's right." Gisborne raised a hand flicked his wrist at Bae. Robin pulled Bae back by the collar, and the tendrils of smoke curling from Gisborne's wrist snaked around them.

"On three, we push him back," Bae whispered to Robin.

"Are you sure about this?" Robin replied. Bae nodded. "Alright, let's do it."

"Three." Together, Bae and Robin summoned their energy and with everything in them rejected Gisborne's magic. The smoke swirled at the edge of an ever-expanding bubble around them, and they straightened and stepped back. Gisborne had stumbled back and was watching them both, mouthing, "How?" Bae glanced over his shoulder to find that Alan and Will had both split, headed west. John was clearly tempted to follow. Bae and Robin nodded, and he, too, was off. Bae pushed Robin after him and looked at Gisborne before taking off with him, Gisborne in hot pursuit.

"Well, this is just great," Will said to Alan.

"Just shut up and run," Alan said.

Bae started to turn to face Gisborne when Robin stopped him. "Keep going," he said. "We can't stop, not now. We have to keep running."

"Does it much matter?" Bae replied. "He's following us, anyway."

"If we stop we give him an opportunity. Don't give the enemy an opportunity you can't afford." Bae nodded, but he kept tabs on Gisborne as they ran. "Not much farther now, boy."

"Call me Bae."

Robin nodded. "Well, then. Bae."

The smoke came again.