A/N: Well, what do you know – this had to be the fastest update I've written so far!

So, this fic was originally supposed to be about six chapters, and finished by the end of September. Then the Once muse turned up, just when I thought I could get back to doing some actual work, like I'm supposed to. Stuff happened, characters appeared from nowhere, people started speaking out of turn and clamouring to be heard, and here I am with no end in sight just yet (although I think I know how I'm getting there). I told my Once muse to go sit in the corner and think about what she did, but that didn't work, so I'd better just get on with it.

Coming up: Henry wakes up, Tamara and Greg spill their secrets, Gold wants to let the prisoners go, and Spencer crashes the council meeting.

All sounds relatively innocent, right…?

Mwahahahahaaaa!

Henry woke with a start, banging his head on the earth roof above him as he sat up. Rubbing the top of his head, he looked around himself. He had taken the opportunity the unknown girl had presented when she tried to steal from Greg and Tamara, and had run as far from the camp as he could. He could hear shouts behind him as he dodged around trees, but didn't look back, and within fifteen minutes he was out of earshot and headed towards the sea. He had been looking over his shoulder as he ran, and he therefore had not seen the tree root that his foot caught on, pitching him head first to the ground. His head must have struck something hard, because the next thing he remembered was waking up in a tiny hollow beneath a tree, pungent earth around him and the tendrils of roots stroking against him. He felt a lump the size of an egg at the front of his skull, and tried to remember what Regina had told him about concussions. He didn't think he was supposed to fall asleep with one, but it was a bit late for that. He had found a skin of water and fruit set on a piece of bark to the side of him, and he had eaten and drunk before settling back down. However he had gotten there, someone was clearly caring for him. The thought made him calmer, and he had lain back with a sigh. Now he was awake, with no idea how long he'd been there. His bladder was increasingly uncomfortable, so he slithered out from his little cave to relieve himself. Looking around, his head still thumping a little, he saw thick forest and a glimpse of ocean through the ranks of whispering trees. He decided to take a look around, dodging from tree to tree in case Greg and Tamara were around. He could hear the trickle of water nearby, and ducked back to the cave to pick up the empty waterskin.

"So, you're awake." He heard a sweet, female voice, and turned to see a young woman, sitting cross-legged on a tree stump. She was slender, with short blond hair sticking up in unruly spikes and falling over her face. Her clothes were a little ragged, with soft trousers falling just below her knees and a tunic over the top, both the colours of the trees around them. She wore no shoes, and was very pretty, with pale skin and small features, although there was a sadness in her eyes. Henry returned her smile.

"I'm Henry," he said. "Thank you for taking care of me."

She shrugged, as though it was nothing. "I'm Kerby," she said. "Are you hungry, Henry?"

Henry found that he was, and took the fruit she held out with enthusiasm. Kerby watched as he munched on the apples and pears. While he ate, she explained that she had found him lying unconscious, and that she had taken care of him since then. Henry explained how he had come to be in Neverland, and that his family would be searching for him. She said that she was trying to get to the Lost Boys' camp, as she had something to deliver to them, and asked whether he wanted to come with her.

"If your family manages to get here, that's where they'll end up," she said. "Not much goes on here without the Lost Ones finding out about it. My guess is they already know you're here, so you may as well wait for your family in some comfort." She smiled at him as she said it, and Henry agreed.

Gold slept briefly, and awoke when he heard the others pass the cabin he was using. He pushed himself upright, stretching with a creak of leather, and followed the others to Hook's quarters, slipping into a chair as Emma dished out plates and David placed the familiar dishes of dried meat, biscuits and fruit on the captain's table.

"One of you could make yourself useful and catch us some fish while I sleep," grumbled Hook, looking bleary-eyed as he poked at the biscuits unenthusiastically.

"I'll do it," offered Lily, popping a piece of meat into her mouth. Hook grunted.

"First order of business has to be Henry," said Emma firmly. "I take it we still haven't gotten anything out of the two downstairs?" She looked expectantly from left to right.

"Well, we could find out whether they're more talkative this morning," offered Gold, tearing a piece of meat into long, thin strips. "I understand Mr Mendell was a little on the hungry side after his – encounter – with Regina yesterday."

"We could just rip his heart out and make him tell us," offered Regina bluntly, and held up her hands as Emma, David and Mary Margaret turned matching glares on her. "Keep your shirts on! I didn't say I was going to do it, I'm just throwing it out there as an option."

"Why don't we see how they're feeling?" suggested Gold calmly, before one of the Charmings could respond.

David pushed his chair back and picked up a plate of food. "Let's do that," he said grimly. Gold, Regina, Mary Margaret and Emma followed him out, Hook and Lily remaining at the table. David unlocked the door to the storeroom and strode in, the others crowding behind him. Greg and Tamara jerked awake, casting frightened glances at those that had entered. David passed the plate of food to Mary Margaret, and folded his arms across his chest.

"Good morning," he said, sounding as though he didn't mean it. "Are we feeling more cooperative?"

Gold sidled past him to lean against the wall of shelves opposite Tamara, tapping his fingertips together. She and Greg shot him nervous looks, then returned their eyes to David. Tamara nodded slowly.

"We'll talk," she said abruptly, biting off the words. Greg nodded vigorous agreement. Gold raised his eyebrows as he glanced at the others.

"Congratulations, Miss Blanchard," he said pleasantly. "It appears that hunger trumps fanaticism."

If the Charmings were surprised by this sudden turn of events, they didn't show it, and the way the prisoners' eyes followed the plate of food gave enough reason for their change of heart. Emma shouldered in next to her father.

"Where's Henry?" she said urgently, and Tamara shrugged.

"We don't know," she said. "We had him, but he escaped. He could be anywhere."

"Why did you come here?" asked Mary Margaret, and Tamara hesitated.

"We were told to," she said reluctantly. "The people we work for – they were feeding us instructions in Storybrooke. When we told them about the beans, they told us what to do."

"How?" Regina asked coldly.

"By email," explained Greg, his voice a little hoarse. "They sent us instructions, and we sent back photos, video footage and email descriptions of what was going on in Storybrooke. When we sent them footage of Henry, they were very interested in getting him here. We don't know why they want him, we were just told to bring him."

"Which brings us to the big question," said Gold mildly. "Who do you work for?"

Tamara and Greg shared a look, then turned back to their captors.

"The Home Office," said Tamara, her mouth working as though she'd bitten something sour. Gold sighed, letting his head fall back against the shelves behind him.

"Come, come, dearie, we don't have all day," he drawled. "Now is the time to spill your guts." He gave her a sudden, toothy smile. "Metaphorically speaking, of course."

Tamara swallowed hard. "We think they're based in England," she said. "They seek out magic in our world and destroy it. Greg and I are field agents. We each receive instructions and send back data."

"And who commands you?"

"We don't have any names," she said quickly. "All communication was by email. I can tell you the names of other agents we've met on training sessions, and the others we've had contact with, but that's it. We don't know the identities of anyone higher than the field agents."

"So you're taking orders from someone, and you have no clue who it is?" said Emma incredulously. "Does that seem wise to you?"

"We don't need to question anything!" spat Tamara, her eyes furious, burning with hate as she looked at her captors. "We know our mission is pure. Our belief is strong, and we are doing holy work by ridding the worlds of magic. That's why we're here in Neverland. This place is brimming with magic. Obviously the Home Office brought us here to destroy it!"

"With what, exactly?" scoffed Regina. "Righteous indignation will only take you so far, dear. To destroy magic – I can't even begin to think how you'd do that. You have no trigger anymore, and that would have only worked where the magic was brought by a curse. It wouldn't work here." She smirked, folding her arms beneath her breasts.

"They don't have any plans," said Gold, watching the prisoners. Greg shook a little under his gaze. "They were waiting for instructions, and my guess is they'll be waiting a long time." He put his head to the side, smiling slightly. "You clearly have nothing with which to communicate with your – masters. But I'm guessing you have an idea where Henry could be." His eyes gleamed as he watched Greg's face twitch slightly. "So that would be my next question."

"We don't know!" said Tamara quickly, looking desperately from David to Mary Margaret to Emma. "We had phones with maps on, but we lost them when you captured us. You can search us if you like – you won't find them!"

"We were taking him to a camp we were given directions to, but the location was on our phones," added Greg. "We've told you everything we know! We can give you the names we know of the others at the Home Office, but other than that we have no information. Certainly nothing on Henry." His expression was desperate. "You have to believe us!"

David sighed, and nodded to Regina. Curling her lip, she undid the prisoners' magical bonds with a flick of her wrist and watched as they fell upon the food Emma was holding out to them. David beckoned to the others and they made their way back to the captain's quarters, leaving Regina to watch over the prisoners as they ate.

"I think they're telling the truth," said Mary Margaret. Gold nodded.

"I agree," he said quietly. "They're pawns, nothing more. It's as I suspected. I have a feeling anyone working for the 'Home Office' back in our world may suddenly begin feeling rather isolated. They've got what they wanted. They wanted Henry. The question is, why?" The last sentence was said in a whisper, almost to himself.

"So, we get the names and any other info from them, and then what?" said Emma, frustrated. Gold shrugged.

"Then we let them go," he suggested. "They can't cause any trouble here now that they've already served their purpose. Does anyone have any objections to leaving them in Neverland when you return?"

Emma noticed his use of the word 'you', rather than 'we', and frowned slightly. "No."

David and Mary Margaret shook their heads grimly.

"I thought you'd want to kill them," said Mary Margaret, eyeing Gold curiously. "Tamara killed your son."

"I don't need a reminder, thank you dearie," he said sharply. "I can certainly kill them if you prefer, but I felt that you'd want them to live. If your opinion's changed – well – I'd be more than happy to…"

"That won't be necessary," she said hastily. "I just – you've changed. For the better."

Gold's answering smile was bitter, more of a grimace.

"I'll get the info," said David. "We can use the Mirror to get in contact with Storybrooke and pass it along, just in case."

Gold nodded. "Belle said the cloaking spell had been cast, but I always feel it's better to have more information rather than less. We should share anything we find with them. We don't know whether these two left any more surprises for the town before they jumped through the portal."

"Then that's another question to add to the list," remarked David, pushing himself to his feet. "I'd better check Regina hasn't beaten them up again."

Ruby bounced out of Granny's with a smile on her face. It was her day off, and she was looking forward to spending some time with Belle and later on…well, she'd wait and see if Alex came to visit. She had enjoyed their date; she'd kissed him three times. The first time, he was so surprised she had to do most of the work herself, but the second time was far better and the third…she remembered the feel of his lips on hers and his fingers in her hair outside Granny's. She had not thought about Peter once, which made her feel both guilty and a little sad, as though she was closing a door on a chapter of her life. Ruby had tried to tell herself that moving on had to occur at some point, and was feeling optimistic. She tried the library, then, finding the door locked, headed to Gold's shop. Pushing open the door, she found Belle in the back room, surrounded by books and with dark shadows beneath her eyes, looking pale and drawn. Ruby's good mood dropped a little as she grew concerned for her friend.

"Hey," she said gently. "Didn't you sleep?"

Belle shrugged, pushing the heavy book in her arms onto one of the shelves. "Not much. Nightmares." She bit her lip. "Ruby, I'm so worried he thinks he's got nothing to lose. I'm scared he's going to do something ridiculously brave and self-sacrificing, that he won't come back to me."

Ruby hugged her, and Belle rested her head on her shoulder with a sigh for a moment, before pulling back. She was so tired her head was spinning.

"What's with the suicide mission, anyway?" asked Ruby, confused, and Belle sighed again.

"He lost Baelfire," she explained. "Maybe he thinks that dying to save Henry is the best way to honour his memory."

"Baelfire was shot," nodded Ruby, thinking. "He fell through a portal. What if he didn't die?"

Belle looked up, sharply. "You think he might still be alive?"

"It's possible," Ruby shrugged. "We don't know where he ended up. He probably landed in some hell-hole of an alternate world and bled out, but we don't know that."

Belle winced at Ruby's bluntness, but had to admit that she had a point.

"I'll look into it," she decided. "I'll ask Mother Superior. She knows about travel between worlds, doesn't she?"

"There's a Council meeting at midday," Ruby reminded her, and Belle nodded.

"I'll speak to her afterwards," she said, and turned a watery smile on Ruby. "So, come on, how was your date?"

Ruby grinned. "We kissed. Three times, actually. I'm hoping he'll ask me out again tonight."

Belle smiled fondly at her excitement. "I'm happy for you, Ruby. Just be careful."

Ruby frowned. "What do you mean? He's nice."

"He's an outsider," said Belle gently. "That's not to say that he's a bad person. It just means you could have a lot of explaining to do."

Ruby looked irritated, but a part of her secretly agreed with Belle's caution. "Well, tonight'll be the last time I can take advantage of him for a few days. It's almost wolf's time."

"I'd forgotten," said Belle slowly. "But, you have your cloak. You don't change now, do you?"

"Only if I want to," Ruby confirmed, with a grin. "But I like running in the woods. He can wait a few days." Her grin widened. "The anticipation will heighten the senses."

Belle rolled her eyes. "You truly are a hedonist, Miss Lucas."

"I'm a physical being, Miss French," said Ruby pertly, flicking her hair.

At the Council meeting, Belle explained that she had been in touch with Rumple and described the Mirror that he had. The Council members shared excited looks; there was a way to communicate with those now in Neverland.

"I've been trying to keep a mirror near me at all times," said Belle. "I think you all should too. That way, if they try to contact any one of us, we'll be ready."

The others nodded in agreement.

"The town is secure," Leroy said. "No strange folks at the borders, nothing weird going on. My guess is we can carry on as normal until they get back to us."

"Unacceptable!" Spencer's loud bark rang around the room, making them all jump. He was looming in the doorway, chin raised pugnaciously and arms folded across his chest. Mother Superior got to her feet.

"This is a Council meeting, a closed session," she began. "Any business you have to bring to us can wait until the town hall meeting on Monday."

"Do you expect me to stand by while our town is put in danger?" he snapped. "There's a stranger amongst us, a man who shouldn't be here. We all know the consequences of outsiders coming to Storybrooke. He needs to be dealt with!"

Ruby bounced up out of her chair. "He's done no-one any harm!" she said hotly. "He's a young man who can't get home. He deserves our help, not threats from the likes of you!"

Spencer looked down his nose at her. "Well, I might have guessed the town harlot would take his side," he sneered. "Just how long did it take you to spread those long legs for him, my dear?"

Ruby went white with shock. Belle let out a snarl of anger and Granny leapt to her feet.

"How dare you talk that way about my Ruby!" she shouted. "You take that back, you jumped-up pile of ogre-crap!" She was enraged, her ample chest heaving and her eyes flashing fiercely as she looked around. "Where's my damn crossbow!"

Leroy had already skirted the table and was standing in front of Spencer with a look of disgust on his face.

"Get the hell out of here before I throw you out," he snarled, and Spencer's lip curled.

"I should have executed you when I had the chance, dwarf," he said coldly.

"King George!" Archie's voice, firm but loud, cut across everyone else, and he leant on the table towards the bristling D.A. "We appreciate the warning, Your Majesty, and we will discuss the possible danger to this town with the utmost urgency and then consult with the people when a decision has been reached."

Spencer opened and closed his mouth, but there seemed little he could say in the face of such calm reasonableness. He nodded curtly.

"At least one of you displays a little sense and respect," he said grudgingly. "Just don't take too long about it, or I take matters into my own hands!" He swept from the room, leaving a palpable wave of indignation in his wake.

"That guy is a total – a total – asswipe!" spluttered Leroy, fuming. They all took their seats again, grumbling. Belle squeezed Ruby's arm comfortingly, but her friend was looking worried rather than angry.

"They'll hurt Alex." It was a statement, not a question, and Archie sighed.

"I fear so," he said gently. "We can try to reassure the townsfolk, but once Spencer gets his teeth into something, he can be rather tenacious."

"But it's not fair!" blurted Ruby, looking from one to the other, visibly upset. "He hasn't done anything wrong! It's not his fault he was inside the town limits when we cast the spell."

"We could always take him somewhere safe," suggested Mother Superior. "We could hide him. I must confess having a stranger in town again makes me nervous, but I dislike the idea of him being harmed as much as you do."

Belle sat forward suddenly. "I think I know just the place," she said, with a smile.

"So…I'm being taken out to some cabin in the back of beyond…why, exactly?" asked Alex, trudging along behind Ruby and Belle with a bag containing the few clothes he had bought in his hands and a rucksack that Ruby had packed slung over his shoulders. Belle looked over her shoulder at him, blue eyes shining innocently.

"We feel you'd be more comfortable there," she said brightly. "It's out of the way of the rest of the town, and you have all the woods to relax in. There's internet. I made Mr Gold put a connection in a few months back." She turned back around as they marched on. Confused, but deciding to wait until he was alone, hopefully with Ruby, he followed. They came across the cabin after half an hour or so, Belle unlocking the door and handing Ruby the key as she pushed the door open.

"Home sweet home," she said cheerfully, and proceeded to give him a tour of the cabin, which didn't take long. "There's clean bedding in the closet, and plenty of food in the cupboards. Log pile's out front on the porch, and there's more in the crawl-space beneath. Look, there's the internet connection."

Alex put his bundles down slowly, looking at Ruby, and Belle grinned widely.

"I'll just go and – check outside," she said, and Ruby rolled her eyes at Belle's lack of subtlety. She turned to Alex as the door banged behind her friend.

"It's only for a few days, until we can get you out of here," she said soothingly. He shrugged uncomfortably.

"I don't know, Ruby – you say I could be in danger, and you bring me out to a cabin in the woods?" He looked around uneasily. "Sounds like a horror movie in the making."

"If pitchfork-wielding mobs come to the door, you're not at home," said Ruby, with a grin, and kissed him, making his eyebrows climb into his hair. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to her lips pressing against his, but he certainly enjoyed it. His arms went around her as the kiss deepened, before she pulled away and held up the rucksack.

"I packed you some things," she announced. "Bread, milk, cheese, and some hamburger patties. There's a hotplate for cooking. You won't starve." She grinned at him. "I'll be back in a few days."

"A few days?" he said, alarmed, and her smile became coy.

"Time of the month," she whispered, and flounced out of the door, leaving Alex perplexed. He looked around the cabin, and fished his phone from his bag, intending to use the internet connection to make contact with the Home Office. He had received no response to his emails that day, and wanted to inform them of his change in situation while he waited for further instructions.

"When do we let them go?" David strode back into the captain's dining-room, Regina following, looking a little put out. Gold shrugged.

"I suggest we take them to shore and release them, so we can get on with the rescue mission," he said calmly. "I'll take them myself. It won't slow us down. I'd rather make sure they're running in the opposite direction when we set off."

David and Mary Margaret exchanged glances, then brief nods.

"Okay," said David. "Gold, you can take them to the shore and let them go. Take Emma with you." He turned to his wife. "We need to prepare."

She nodded. "I've been thinking about what we should take…" Their conversation faded as they moved along the corridor out of earshot. Gold sat down in the captain's chair, lounging with his feet up on the table, a tiny smirk on his face. Emma watched him closely. Regina was leaning against the doorframe, frowning slightly.

"You're a lot calmer than I thought you'd be," said Emma abruptly, leaning on the table and eyeing him suspiciously. "You're a hell of a lot calmer than me. What gives, Gold?"

He shrugged, tenting his fingers in front of his chest. "As I said, they're pawns. They're just following orders."

"And the Nuremburg defence – that's a runner, as far as you're concerned?" She straightened up and folded her arms across her chest, glaring at him. He pulled a face.

"I didn't say I was happy about what they've done," he admitted. "But I really feel that we have bigger problems out there."

Emma grumbled something incomprehensible. "I guess I'm still waiting for you to do whatever it is I won't approve of, but have to let slide," she admitted grudgingly. He smiled briefly, drumming his fingertips together rhythmically, and leant towards her.

"Are you really so eager for me to do something reprehensible, Miss Swan?" he asked softly, and she gave him a flat look.

"Just promise me you won't kill them," she said bluntly, and he showed his teeth.

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

She frowned, but turned to walk out of the room and along to the upper deck. Smirking, he swung his legs to the floor and made to follow her at a distance, turning his body to pass by Regina, who was flinging scowls between him and Emma.

"This was you," hissed Regina, as he passed. Gold stopped and turned slowly on his heel to face her. Her eyes were bright, a slight, knowing smile on her face.

"What do you mean?" he asked mildly, and her smile widened.

"First they tell us they'd rather die than tell us anything, and then all of a sudden they're falling over themselves to talk to us," she said. "You did something, didn't you?"

Gold's mouth twitched, the ghost of a smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Your Majesty," he said quietly, and Regina nodded, her gaze calculating.

"What are you planning?" she asked curiously. "You're planning something, Gold, I can tell. And my guess is it doesn't involve the Charmings."

He bared his teeth at her, white and gold shining in the light of the lanterns. "My plans are exactly that," he said softly. "Mine. We have to get Henry back. That's all that matters."

Regina sniffed. "Finally we agree on something," she said. "Very well, keep your secrets. As long as I get results, I couldn't give a damn what you're up to."

He pondered her words. "Then why don't you come with me when I free the prisoners?" he suggested. Her brow wrinkled in curiosity, and she nodded.

Greg and Tamara staggered a little as they were led to the small rowing boat that would take them to shore. Regina had bound them with magic once more, and she and Gold sat opposite them in the boat like sentinels as Emma rowed them to the distant beach. Once ashore, Emma dragged the boat up and looked for a place to tie off the rope, while Gold and Regina led the prisoners up into the jungle, out of sight of the ship. Out of sight of Emma. Regina waved her hand and made them sit down on the fragrant mulch beneath tall, gnarled tree trunks. Greg and Tamara pushed themselves up against the trees, looking nervously from left to right as though they were hoping for a way out. Gold squatted in front of them, his boots shining in the sunlight filtering through the trees, his leather coat pristine. Tamara wondered how he managed to look immaculate in a jungle after several days in the cramped confines of the ship. Magic, she supposed, with disdain. He noticed the curl of her lip, and smiled.

"Now," he said softly. "I'll take the information I wanted, and be on my way." He looked at them expectantly, and Tamara suddenly barked out a broken laugh.

"You don't seriously think I'm gonna tell you anything else after what you did?" she said scornfully.

"No," he admitted. "And while I could simply rip out your heart and make you tell me…" His hand twisted in an approximation of the necessary movement, and the prisoners flinched, "I have a more interesting solution in mind."

"We told you," said Tamara urgently. "We lost our phones, we don't know…"

"I know, I know, you have, apparently, no recollection whatsoever of the maps you had leading to the camp where you were taking Henry." Gold's voice was dismissive. "But I can sense that you've seen this camp, that you know the route to follow. I don't need you to talk." He sat back a little, pausing, drawing out the moment. "I'll just take your eyes."

Tamara gasped, the heels of her feet and hands trying uselessly to scrabble backwards, the tree trunk stopping her from moving.

"What?" she squeaked, terrified, as he reached forwards. Gold tutted impatiently.

"Your eyes, dearie. I can enchant them to let me see what you've seen – it'll lead me right to the camp." He reached forward and Tamara wrenched at her bonds, desperate.

"No!" she shouted. "I haven't seen it! I don't know anything! Please!"

"Liar." Gold's fingers closed over her left eye, his left hand holding her jaw still.

"NO!" she shrieked, rolling her eyes as though that would somehow make his threat meaningless. "It wasn't me! It was Greg! He knows! Take his, not mine! Take his!"

"Tamara!" Greg's eyes were almost starting from his head, a shocked expression of utter devastation on his face, his jaw slack with horror. Gold released Tamara's head and sat back, a small smile spreading across his face.

"Your loyalty is to be commended," he said dryly. "What say you, Mr Mendell?" He turned to Greg, whose face was white with fear. Tamara was blubbering, equal parts relief and terror. The noise was irritating. Mendell, at least, was relatively stoic.

"Y–you don't want to do this," he stammered, trying to get as far from Gold as his ropes would allow. "I – I can show you! Yes! I'll show you the camp! Please!"

"Oh, but I do want to do this," breathed Gold. "And I'm not in the mood for a pointless waste of my time as you lead us on a merry dance across this island."

"Time's up," said Regina flatly. "Time was up for you a long time ago, Mendell."

"No!" Greg was panting, eyes searching desperately from left to right, for a means of escape, for Emma to save him. They could hear her, calling through the trees, searching for them. "No! No!"

"Yes." Gold gripped his head, closing his fingertips over the right eye. There was a burst of purple fire and a scream from Greg. He repeated the process with the left eye and settled back on his heels with two bluish-white orbs sitting in the palm of his hand. Greg shrieked as the light of the world disappeared and left him in thick, oppressive darkness. Tamara was crying, her face pushed into her knees as she tried to block out the noise.

"Enough of this!" snapped Regina, and waved her hand, silencing the man.

"Thank you," said Gold softly, looking over the enchanted eyeballs. He made the connection with them, pushing his thoughts into them, seeking for the memory of the image he wanted. The eyeballs suddenly quivered on his palm and rotated swiftly to the right, ahead through the jungle. He smiled.

"Does it work?" asked Regina urgently, and he nodded in satisfaction.

"Well now, dearie," he said pleasantly, and Tamara lifted her ragged, tear-stained face to his. "I imagine you're wondering whether I'll let you go now you've served your purpose."

She stopped crying, her face suddenly cautious, and he smiled slightly.

"I am going to let you go," he confirmed, smiling briefly as she seemed to sag with relief, the shadows beneath her eyes pronounced. "I want you to remember how you betrayed your lover and let go of everything you held so dear to save yourself."

"Whatever," she said flatly. "You've had your fun, you got what you wanted, now release me."

"Hmm." He sat for a moment, watching her, fingers tapping on the handle of his cane, as though debating something in his mind. "Do you know why we all ended up in Storybrooke?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "Neal said…"

"Ah, Neal said," he interrupted, his voice a soft hiss. "Yes. My son. Baelfire. Three hundred years I was searching for him, for a way to get back to him. Three hundred years of scheming and plotting and bringing together the hundreds of threads I needed to get to that place, so that I could find him. So that I could tell him how much I loved him." She looked truly scared now, her eyes wide, her breath coming in tiny gasps. Gold leant forward, his eyes almost black. "And then you killed him," he whispered. "You shot my boy, my Baelfire. You took him from me. Did you really think I was just going to let that go?"

He carefully put his cane to the side, and shifted forwards onto his knees before her. Straightening up, he took her face in his hands. Tamara could smell the leather of his jacket, the spicy musk of his own scent beneath it as his hands curled around her cheeks, little fingers hooking under her jawline. She was too terrified to move, hyperventilating as she stared into the dark pits of his eyes. She gasped as the black irises seemed to grow larger, expanding until there was barely any white left surrounding them. Gold slowly leant forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before sitting back on his heels. Regina gasped as she saw the small, black circle left behind by the impression of his lips. The circle seemed to spin counter-clockwise, shrinking in on itself as though it were drilling down into Tamara's skull, before disappearing beneath the skin. Tamara shook her head clumsily, as if she were trying to dislodge something. Gold smiled.

"The Dark One's kiss," he explained pleasantly. "That is only the second time in over three centuries that I've used it. The first was on the Duke of the Frontlands." He picked up his cane again, shifting his position slightly as he made himself more comfortable. "You see, before I became the Dark One, the Duke hid in his castle while he made men go and fight the ogres. It was a slaughter of course, a pointless slaughter. Thousands of men killed, countless numbers wounded so they could no longer fight." He tapped his lame leg as an example, and heard Regina gasp behind him. "The worst of it was, it could all have been avoided. The Duke was controlling the Dark One, and it would have been the easiest thing in the world to free him and let him stop the ogre wars. But the Duke just couldn't give up that power. Power corrupts, I'm told. Wouldn't know anything about that myself, mind you." He grinned, his expression almost self-deprecating. He was watching Tamara closely, her eyes still wide, her breathing still fast. He could hear Regina behind him, moving closer, curious as to what he had done.

"Eventually, of course, the Duke ran out of soldiers from the peasants in his villages," he continued. "So he moved on to their children. Boys and girls, as young as fourteen, sent away to certain death. When they came to take Baelfire, I was desperate enough to make a deal with anyone. And that's how I became the Dark One." Tamara was jerking slightly in her bonds, her eyes flicking anxiously from right to left. "When I'd stopped the war and led the children to safety, I went to visit the Duke, and gave him the same gift I've just given you." He put one long finger under Tamara's chin, and raised her head to face him.

"A piece of the darkness," he breathed. "A taste of the madness. You'll feel it growing inside you, but, unlike me, you won't be able to control it. The paranoia will grow. You'll trust no-one. Your closest friends will become feared enemies. On the rare occasion that you manage to sleep, you will be haunted by nightmares so real, so terrifying, that you won't ever want to sleep again. Of course, that'll just make the madness worse." He leant towards her, put his mouth next to her ear. "The Duke murdered his own wife and son because he was convinced they were trying to poison him," he whispered, making her shiver. "They say that when he realised what he'd done, his screams shook the walls of the fortress." He sat back, smiling at her. "That's the best thing about my little gift, the moments of lucidity. Moments when you will be perfectly aware of what you've done, aware that you're going mad. Eventually the Duke threw himself off the tallest tower in the keep. I was there for that. He'd lasted three months." He put his head to the side, looking at her curiously. "Perhaps you'll manage six." He heaved himself to his feet with the use of his cane, and turned to Regina. To his surprise, Emma stood next to her. Her face was set, her breathing heavy. He slipped the eyeballs into his pocket, out of her line of sight.

"Let them go," he said to Regina. She looked astounded.

"Gold…"

"Let them go, we don't need to kill them, Your Majesty." She gestured almost unthinkingly, releasing the magical ropes, not meeting his gaze. Tamara scrambled to her feet when she was free, her eyes darting from side to side. She grasped Greg's hand and pulled him with her into the undergrowth. When they were out of sight, a wordless, despairing cry drifted back to hang in the air. He turned back to Emma and raised a questioning eyebrow at her, his stance nonchalant, self-assured.

"Could you undo it?" she asked bluntly, and his lips twitched with a half-smile.

"Yes," he said softly.

Emma took a deep breath. "And will you?"

"No." His voice was quiet, but determined. He lifted one eyebrow and swept his hand to the left, palm down. To his surprise, she met his eyes fiercely and nodded, just once. A slow smile spread across his face.

"I believe we have somewhere to be," he said mildly, and began picking his way back through the trees towards the beach.

A/N: So that's where the title of this fic comes from…I personally thought Gold would want Tamara's fate to be more drawn-out than a quick heart-crushing.

Hope you enjoyed. I may be late updating next time, as I'm going away for a couple of weeks, but I will do my best.

Please let me know what you thought xxx