Crash Landing

"Oh, that's just great," Morraine snapped, throwing up her hands and turning away from the crowd. "Who the hell are you, and what right do you have to show up here at a time like this?"

"It looks to me like you need a little help," the wizard replied.

"No," Bae and Morraine said at the same time.

"All magic comes with a price," Bae said. "Don't you dare convince me otherwise."

"Not trying to," the wizard said, "but I won't ask anything for this."

"You mean you can get us out of here?" Alan asked.

"Can Merlin? He's trapped in a crystal deep in the earth under our feet, and any desperate, half-baked scheme to free him," he looked pointedly at Robin, "is destined to fail. Now do you want my help or not?"

"Do we have any other options?" Will asked the party at large, but he looked at Gisborne, who had recovered himself and was working on regaining his energy for another attack.

"Scarlet's right," John said. "We either trust the wizard or we die out here today, where no one will ever find our bodies."

"Alright," Morraine said. Bae stepped between them and Gisborne and kept his magic from touching them. The wizard and the other members of the party began to form a knot, and he stepped back so that he could join them, desperately hoping this time it would go right.

He felt the tip of an arrow on the back of his neck. "I suggest you stay where you are," Robin said.

"You knew," Bae replied. "You knew eventually we'd walk into a trap, and you led us here for that very reason."

"Little John was right, after all. You die out here, no one will ever find your bodies." Morraine unsheathed the sword and pressed the blade to Robin's neck. "Oh, how sweet, you're going to protect your lover. I think I heard a minstrel sing about this once, but I'm afraid you've got it backwards."

"No, I don't," Morraine said coldly. "Here are your options: put down your weapon, leave us your second quiver, and run, or stay here and face death. And I'll have you know I'm not in the mood for the womanly virtue of patience, so don't take forever making up your mind."

"How about a third option?" Robin turned to the party, took aim, and fired.

John ducked and drew his dagger. "If you're going to go, do it now," he said as Robin lunged for him and he sank into a defensive stance.

Morraine pulled Bae back toward the party and turned to the wizard. "If you're going to do anything, now's the time," she said. "We can't stand here all day and let them kill us."

"Hold tight to your skirts, lass," the wizard said, "because it's going to be a wild ride." He held out his arms, and the wind picked up. Bae gasped and gripped Morraine's shoulder. He stood again and looked at Will and Alan.

"Come with us," he said. "You're not safe here." They looked at each other but were otherwise motionless. He looked at John, who'd managed to wound Robin and was inching toward them.

"Get ready to leave," John said. This set Will and Alan moving toward them. Morraine supported Bae as he turned to face a confused and enraged Robin and a Gisborne who was wont to assess the situation. They dropped through the ground shortly thereafter, and Bae was beginning to lose himself to a magic haze, but not before he sensed Robin and Gisborne diving in after them.

OUAT

Zoso now had to make a snap decision, because this situation had, in his mind, just gone from bad to worse. The traitor and his true master were following them, hell-bent on getting what they wanted, which he was sure was all of their heads in baskets before the headsman and his assistant at their block, and he knew at once that Storybrooke had enough problems of its own. It didn't need these two, and he couldn't let them get there, besides. The town was full of the Enchanted Forest's innocents, and some other colorful characters.

He had a strong impression the young sensitive was going to hate him for what he did next, but he did it anyway. He re-routed.

OUAT

August pulled over on the side of the road and removed the helmet to wipe his forehead with his sleeve, an action D realized was reflexive. She dismounted, handed him the helmet, and continued some ways up the road, drawn by the Barrier and the magic it contained. It was enough to make any sensitive claustrophobic.

Someone stood on the side of the road, leaning on a green metal sign that read, "Welcome to Storybrooke," and listed the population and elevation. "Who're you?" she asked. His hook glinted in the moonlight, and she felt stupid for asking the question. "What're you doing here? Tryin' to hitch a ride?"

"Waiting for someone," he replied. She noticed that in his hand, he had a gun.

"Vendetta?"

"Yes."

"Don't waist your time. I knew a couple of witches who had a vendetta against each other and that got them both killed."

"Oh, I think this will do me good."

"That's what they said." D shrugged. "Anyway, learn your lesson on your own time. I think I'll-" A car pulled up, and a man and woman climbed out. The man at the sign tensed, and D looked at all three of them. The man with the cane was old enough to be his companion's father, but that wasn't her business. Her business was that she knew of a plot to kill the former, and it was her moral and civic obligation to stop it.

She slipped off her jacket, tossed it into the bushes, and just as the man she was certain was Captain Hook approached the couple, she grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him toward her, and planted one on him. Startled, he dropped the gun, and she pushed him back. "You're a weird son of a bitch," she said, "but not a bad kisser."

"Rumpel, what's going on?" the woman asked.

"I don't know, but I'm about to find out," the older man replied. D released Hook so he could face the new threat of an old man trying to stand over him, his hands starting to glow. It was weird, but impressive.

Headlights attracted D's attention. "Hold off," she said. "Here comes the witch hunter." The older man released Hook and turned to the car, his arm raised and a fireball at the ready. "I said hold off," D shouted, tackling him just as the car reached the line. The car struck her left leg and sent her rolling a couple of times before she came to a rest, but the impact sent the car spinning out of control. It struck the older man's car and a shrub before coming to rest.

The woman ran over to D and the man she called Rumpel and asked, "Are you two alright?"

"I'm fine, Belle," Rumpelstiltskin replied. Belle looked at D, who nodded and tried to get to her feet. Her left leg crumpled under her, and she cried out.

"Here, let me help you." Belle slipped D's arm over her shoulders and helped her to her feet.

"Thanks," she replied, and they turned to check on the car and driver.

Hook scrambled to his feet and plucked the gun off the asphalt. He aimed squarely at Belle and pulled the trigger, but before Rumpelstiltskin could react, he saw the woman who rescued him push Belle aside and hold up her free arm. Purple mist flowed down it and straight for the bullet, turning it around and sending it shooting back to the would-be assassin. Hook turned away, but the bullet embedded itself near his left collarbone.

As he dropped to the ground and tossed the gun away to tend to his wound, the sirens sounded.