A/N: Once is deliciously dark this season…
Coming up, Ruby gives in to her wild nature, Hook creates a diversion, and Gold gets Lily to pull out some hair.
Don't worry, it'll all make perfect sense soon.
David lurched after Mary Margaret and Hook, the howls of the remaining hellhound behind them making his flesh crawl. He risked a glance over his shoulder, even though he knew that to trip on the uneven ground would mean certain death. The hound was loping after them, gaining slowly. He thanked whatever slice of Hell had spat them out that they didn't appear to run too fast. Faster than the three humans, however.
"It's gaining on us!" he yelled, and Hook glanced back, eyes widening.
"Trees!" he shouted, gesturing from left to right with a desperate hand. "Get yourselves up a tree out of their way!"
This seemed as good a plan as any to David, given that they were being caught by their pursuer with no running water in sight. He flicked his gaze over the trees surrounding them, and hurled himself at the nearest one that looked as though it would be easy to climb.
"Mary Margaret!" he yelled. "This one!"
His wife turned, but shook her head and patted the trunk of another. "I'm smaller than you – you take that one!" she called. Her eyes were even wider than usual with anxiety and adrenaline, and his heart clenched with fear. If anything should happen to her…
Pushing that evil thought aside, he pulled himself up into the tree, fingers scrabbling above him for the next branch. His feet found easy purchase on the rough bark, and he swung himself up off the ground, hooking his leg over the branch above and using the momentum to pull himself up. Looking around desperately as he climbed, he could see that Hook had already climbed twice as high as himself, his hook making tree-climbing an easy occupation. Mary Margaret was shimmying up the trunk of a more slender, younger tree. She had been right; its branches would not have borne his weight, but they would have no difficulty with hers. He could see the hellhound bounding towards them, and struggled up another ten feet or so, well out of its reach. The creature flung itself at the trunk of his tree with a snarl, making it shake, and raked the bark with its claws, leaving deep gouges that gave off a heady smell of sap. David gazed down at it worriedly, his breath coming in heavy gasps. It was standing on its back legs, forelegs scratching the trunk as it reached up to its full height. Flame dripped from its mouth, and David hoped that the wood was damp enough in this humid jungle climate not to burn. The flames were extinguished with small hissing sounds as they fell against the bark of the tree and the leaf-litter beneath. The three humans watched warily as the hound went from tree to tree, trying to scramble up after them but falling back each time, its bulk pulling it down. Its growls intensified as its frustration grew, and it savaged the trees in a frenzy of rage, bark and wood chips flying. Hook leant his head against the trunk of his tree with a sigh and looked across at David and Mary Margaret.
"Not a bad plan," admitted David. Hook scowled.
"It's a temporary measure, mate," he called. "We can't stay here for long, that's for sure. We've no food, no bloody water…" He felt in his pocket, and perked up a little. "I've still got some rum, so it's not all bad news." He eyed them both, and shrugged. "Well, not for me, anyway."
"How are we supposed to get rid of this thing?" asked Mary Margaret. The hellhound was beneath her tree at that point, growling, its eyes clearly wishing her death. More out of frustration than any real hope it would be effective, she ripped off a small branch next to her and threw it down at the creature. It snapped at the branch, breaking it in two, and snarled up at her, flames rippling beneath the flesh of its massive shoulders.
"My guess is, we sit here and wait for one of our magical mates to save us," said Hook cheerfully, taking a swig of rum. "I just hope it's not the crocodile. I'd never be able to live that down."
Mary Margaret looked around, frowning. "Which way's north?" she asked, and Hook transferred his rum to his pocket so that he could dig out his compass.
"That way," he said, pointing. "What's on your mind, love?"
She stood up on the branch she was sitting on, clinging to the one above.
"I'm just wondering if I can reach that tree," she said thoughtfully, jerking her head in the direction of the one next to her. "If I can head north, where the others went, maybe I can get one of them to come back here with a – spell – something – to get rid of it."
"Assuming you can find them," drawled Hook, "and assuming they're not already the latest flavour of hellhound kibbles-and-bits, how do you propose to get back? What if it follows you?"
She grinned then. "If it follows me, so much the better! You two can get down and run after the others."
David shook his head. "Okay, Snow, so far I am not loving this plan."
"I climbed tree to tree all the time when I was on the run from Regina," she protested, warming to the idea. "I can do this!"
"I don't think we should separate," he warned, and Hook shrugged.
"I'm inclined to agree with your husband, love," he said lazily. "Especially if it means I'm stuck with him instead of your lovely self."
"Would you stop hitting on members of my family for two seconds and come up with something useful!" snapped David, his patience with the pirate at an end. Hook donned an affronted expression, and shifted his position.
"Just trying to lighten the mood," he said easily, gesturing with his open rum bottle. Liquid sloshed inside, droplets springing from the top as though eager to be free, and David's eyes widened as he realised what was about to occur.
"NO!" he shouted, but it was too late. The raw alcohol splashed down the trunk towards the slavering hellhound, and immediately caught alight from the flames dripping from its fiery maw. Hook yelped with shock, scrambling to his feet, and almost fell out of the tree. His arms pinwheeled, his hook flailing at the branches for purchase, and he dropped the rum bottle entirely. Spirit sloshed down the bark in a fragrant stream. A sheet of fire immediately flowed up the trunk of the tree and Hook scrambled higher, pulling himself out of the way. The hellhound appeared unfazed by the addition of flames; in fact, it seemed to draw strength from them. David stared in horror as it seemed to grow in stature, until it was another few feet taller than before.
"Nice job!" he snarled, pulling himself further up his tree. The creature howled and chewed at the trunk of Hook's tree, causing the fire to spread around the trunk. Hook was clearly frightened, casting his eyes about for an escape route.
"Over here!" called Mary Margaret, gesturing to her side, but he shook his head.
"I jump on there with you, love, and the lot goes down!" he shouted. His boots were getting uncomfortably warm; the fire was spreading further. He raised his eyes to the sky and sighed regretfully.
"Nothing for it," he muttered, then raised his voice. "It's your lucky day, lovebirds! I'm going to provide a distraction." He slipped around the trunk of the tree, on the opposite side to the hellhound, which was still preoccupied with chewing on the trunk and spreading its fire. Hook climbed down to one of the lower branches.
"No!" shouted Mary Margaret, realising his intention. "Just – find another tree!"
"Oh, I will," he assured her, showing his teeth in a wide, confident smile. "Assuming I'm still alive two minutes from now," he added under his breath. Steeling himself, he lowered himself as gently as he could to the ground, and started running as fast as his legs could carry him. David and Mary Margaret watched anxiously, but for a few minutes the hellhound did not seem to notice. When it finally spotted that one of its prey was missing, it raised its muzzle in a furious howl and set off in pursuit. David and Mary Margaret climbed down, coughing with the smoke, and hugged fiercely, bodies sagging with relief. They turned their heads to look after the direction Hook had gone in.
"Brave," admitted Mary Margaret, and David chuckled.
"Some would say 'stupid'," he said, hugging her again. After a moment they broke apart, and started to head north, holding hands as they walked along.
"Let's try to find some running water," suggested David, and his wife nodded assent.
"Who would have thought a few dogs would be so much trouble?" he added, and she chuckled.
"I'd rather deal with wolves, any day."
Ruby snarled at the men facing her, now backing away from her with fear in their eyes. They reeked of terror, and that was all to the good. If she could simply scare them away from the cabin, no-one needed to get hurt. It had been a long time since she had killed a man, and she didn't particularly want to if she didn't have to.
"It's only a wolf!" shouted Spencer, waving a torch menacingly. "One of you idiots must have a gun! Shoot it!"
Ruby curled her lip, which was all the more impressive in her wolf-form. It showed her huge fangs, glistening with saliva. She growled low in her throat, crouching to spring, and the men's nerve broke. They ran from her, tossing their weapons at Spencer, who faced down the huge wolf in front of him. He didn't lack for guts, Ruby had to give him that. He picked up one of the dropped guns and pointed it at her, and if wolves could laugh, she would have roared with mirth. Unless that gun carried silver bullets, he was in serious trouble. He fired at her, and a shot hit her chest with a hefty thump that stung more than really hurt her. In that instant she leapt at his chest, pushing him back hard against a tree. Spencer's head smacked against the trunk and Ruby drew back, trying to suppress the urge to bite out his throat. He slumped to the ground, unconscious, and she growled, nudging him with her nose. His head was bleeding, his breathing shallow, and she felt that he was likely to be out for some time. She lifted her muzzle, sniffing for the scent of the others with him, and picked up their trail, heading back towards the town. Satisfied that she was unlikely to be followed, she loped off in the direction of the cabin, the rain soaking her fur.
Emma and Regina pounded through the forest, looking over their shoulders every now and again for a sight of the creatures pursuing them, or for their comrades. The magically-summoned hedges had pushed them in one direction for the past fifteen minutes, but they had also blocked pursuit by the hellhounds, for which Emma was grateful. They had been running on adrenaline, but that could only last so long, and both women were getting tired.
"Running water," she panted, looking back at Regina. "We need to find a stream, a river, anything."
Regina nodded wearily, and at that moment the hedges on either side of them disappeared, leaving them in open jungle once more. Emma looked around frantically, trying to get her bearings, trying to see if danger was following them. They both slowed to a stop, and Regina rested her hands on her knees, gasping for air.
"Where the hell are we?" asked Emma, and the older woman sighed, straightening up. She held out her hand and a small arrow, gleaming with the purple fire of magic, appeared on her palm, swivelling until it pointed off to their left.
"North is that way," she said confidently, and they set off at a brisk walk, although their legs were wobbling with their previous efforts. They had been walking for perhaps five minutes when they heard a blood-curdling howl from behind them, and stared at one another in terror. Looking over their shoulders, they could see a dark and flaming shape pounding down the hill towards them.
"We need to find water!" said Emma desperately, and Regina quickly cast another spell, pointing with her finger.
"That way!" she shouted. "It's close, just behind those trees."
They ran in the direction she had pointed, rounding the trees as the hellhound gained on them, and Emma's heart shrivelled in her chest. There was water, alright, but it was a large pond, not a river. Not even a stream. The surface of the pond was as still as glass.
"Quickly!" snapped Regina, and grasped Emma's hand. The blonde woman started and tried to pull away, but then she felt the magic that Regina was using, the way that she was lifting the water, the way that she was making it flow around them in a circle. Emma closed her eyes and joined in as best she could, allowing her magic to meld with Regina's. Once the spell was working, she dared to open her eyes. The hellhound was pacing around the circle of flowing water, eyes burning as it snarled at its prey, desperate to get past the barrier. She could smell its breath from where she was standing, and it reeked of decay and sulphur. It made her want to gag.
"How long can we keep this up?" asked Emma, already feeling tired, and Regina shook her head.
"I don't know," she admitted, perspiration beading on her forehead.
"Gold said he had a spell to banish them," said Emma, wiping her own sweat from her brow. Regina's lip curled.
"Great, so then we're beholden to him for something," she spat. "Never a good option, Miss Swan."
"Oh, so you think being eaten alive by devil-dogs is better?" snapped Emma, rising to the bait. "You need to start trusting your companions, Regina. We all have the same goal. We all want to save Henry."
Regina laughed coldly. "You'd be better off trusting those things," she said dismissively, gesturing at the pacing creature.
"If you have a better idea, I'm all ears!" Emma threw up her hands in exasperation, and Regina scowled.
"Just concentrate on the spell and let me think!" she snapped irritably. "I'm not owing Gold any more favours unless I absolutely have to."
Gold conjured a glass phial to his hands and began dropping in ingredients he had collected, his eyes never leaving the hellhound. The creature was pacing up and down the opposite bank of the river across from them, growling menacingly, and Lily's eyes were almost starting from her head with watching it.
"Don't worry," he said calmly. "It won't get across."
As if it had heard him, the hellhound raised its muzzle and let out a howl of rage. Lily gulped.
"How long until the spell is done?" she asked, and he shrugged, frowning.
"I have everything I need," he said slowly. "Except a hair from its body."
Lily almost choked. "You must be joking!"
His mouth twitched. "I would never joke about something so serious. We need to get behind it and pull out a hair. The hounds all came from the same fire so it should banish them all, but the spell won't work without hair from one of them." He eyed her curiously. "Do you think you could distract it while I sneak across?"
"Me?" she squeaked, folding her arms and shaking her head. "Uh-uh! You distract it, I'll get the damn hair!"
"It's dangerous!" he said sharply, and she huffed at him, flicking her black hair out of her eyes.
"Look, Gold, I know these woods, I also know that I'm quiet, which, no offence, you're not. Most importantly, I know which end of that thing I'd rather be. You distract it, and I'll pull a handful of hair out of its ass if that's what we need."
He chuckled, eyes glinting with amusement. "Very well, in that case I suggest you circle around and approach it downwind."
She gave him a look as though he had just told her that she needed to keep breathing to stay alive, which he supposed he deserved.
"Just don't die," she said witheringly, and snuck silently away into the forest. The hellhound watched her go, but returned its attention to Gold once she was out of sight. He wondered whether it was only aimed at outlanders, whether it could smell that he was not of this world. He put the phial on the ground next to a tree and faced the creature across the river. It growled, its stench making his nostrils sting, and fire once again rippled below its skin, its flaming eyes boring into him.
"Something of a weakness, this inability to cross running water," he commented mildly, even though he was sure it could not understand him. "A design flaw, one might say."
The hellhound snarled at him, flames dripping from its jaws, the muscles of its chest and shoulders rippling as it suppressed the urge to spring at him. It began pacing again, up and down the bank, as though searching for a way across. He would need to keep it in one position if Lily was going to able to sneak up from behind, and the thought made him sigh. It obviously meant crossing the river. He kept a sharp eye out for Lily, and far down the river bank, he finally caught a glimpse of her. Grimacing to himself, he walked towards the stepping-stones that had allowed them to cross, and stepped out. The hellhound immediately tensed, stopping its pacing, its head turned towards him. He took another step towards the opposite side of the river, and the creature turned its body around, its limbs moving with a strange fluid motion, as though they were not attached in the same way as normal bones. He took another step, watching out of the corner of his eye as Lily ghosted towards the hellhound on small, silent feet. One more step…
Lily approached the creature silently, heart hammering in her chest. She kept close to the river bank, so that if it turned, she could jump in as a last resort. She could see Gold ahead of her, stepping onto the bank of the river with a surprisingly calm expression on his face. The hellhound snarled its rage and crouched down, readying itself to spring. Quickly, she snuck forward and grasped at the rotting stump of its tail just as its muscles were bunching in readiness. The hair was dark and faintly oily, with a rancid smell coming from it. It threatened to slip from her fingers, and she tightened her grip and gave a firm tug. The creature reacted more quickly than she had believed possible, leaping up into the air and twisting so that it turned to face her with a howl of anger. She could see Gold's eyes widen in horror as it prepared to spring.
"No!" yelled Gold, waving his hand. Just as the hellhound lunged to bite out her throat, she felt herself whisked to the opposite bank of the river, landing in the leaves with a thump that threatened to knock the breath from her. In an instant he was there, helping her to her feet and looking her over with a concerned expression. She was shaking, but she proudly held up the few small hairs she had plucked.
"See?" she said. "Easy, wasn't it?"
Alex made it back to the cabin and threw himself inside before hurriedly locking the door behind him. He sank into a crouch, breathing hard, willing himself not to throw up. He had heard Spencer's men crashing through the forest, and had thrown himself behind a tree as he waited for them to go by. He had counted slowly to one hundred before moving, and had run as fast as he could back to the cabin, eyes and ears straining for the sights and sounds of any pursuit. His heart had threatened to climb into his mouth when he heard a wolf howling somewhere off to his left, and he had almost wept with relief when he saw the cabin make its appearance through the sheets of fine rain. Now inside, he was dirty, cold and wet, and he tugged off his coat wearily, peeling off his sweater. The fire was still burning cheerfully, but he threw another log on it anyway, and hung up his wet things to dry. A knock at the door made him start, heart hammering in his chest, but he straightened up when he heard Ruby's voice. He opened the door and she rushed in, raindrops glistening on her shoulders as she span to face him.
"Ruby?" he said uncertainly. She was breathing hard, her eyes bright, her lips parted, gazing at him with a smouldering intensity. Her hair was wet, falling around her pale face in dark, unruly curls. Her eyes were wide, and darker than usual, a strange glow coming from them. In short she was beautiful, incandescent, and a little bit terrifying. He wondered why it had taken her so long to get there, and why she was staring at him as though she wanted to eat him. That thought made him squirm inside with pleasure. Then her hands were on his shoulders, her mouth was against his, and he lost all rational thought.
Hook practically flung himself down the hill, not daring to look over his shoulder. He was aware that he had gotten a few minutes' head start on the hellhound, but he could hear its blood-drenched howl as it set off in pursuit. The trees in this part of the jungle were not suited to climbing, being more like spindly bushes and saplings, so he ran, and hoped, and tried to remember where the river was on this part of the island. At last, ahead of him, he heard the sound of running water, and almost sobbed with relief. He chanced a look back, and could see the creature gaining on him.
"You won't be eating me tonight, you bastard!" he muttered under his breath, and opened up his stride once more, until he was sprinting full-out. He knew he could not keep it up for long, but the river had to be close. He loped over a ridge, lungs burning, and saw the river within reach. His heart plummeted into his stomach as he saw a second hellhound near the bank, and tried to stop his feet from moving while his body still wanted to go forwards. In his desperation he tripped, rolling down the ridge towards the river and landing with a painful thump on his face. The second hellhound had not been watching him, and seemed surprised to see him, momentarily stopping its pacing to stare at him. Its mate crested the ridge as Hook pushed himself to his knees, and he knew he was going to die. His eyes flicked desperately to the river, wondering if he could make it, whereupon he saw Gold, standing in the river with that smirk on his face that Hook had always hated, holding a glass jar of some strange, bright blue liquid. Obviously this would be the spell to banish the creatures, but Hook highly doubted it would be used before he became their next meal. He comforted himself that revenge was not as sweet as one thought, and that the Dark One would take little pleasure from it. Hook curled his lip, kneeling up, and spread his arms in mock surrender. Gold shrugged, and as the hellhounds both leapt towards the pirate, he threw the phial of potion to the ground, smashing it open. The hellhounds suddenly seemed to break apart with howls of rage, their dark and flaming essence being pulled towards the flowing waters of the river. Gold watched as the waters hissed and boiled, before returning to their usual calm flow, all trace of the creatures disappearing. Hook fell onto his hands and then rolled onto his back, his chest heaving with exertion and relief. He was not surprised when Gold crossed the river and stood over him, hands folded in front of him, black leather shining in the moonlight.
"I thought you were going to let me die," said Hook honestly, and Gold smiled thinly.
"Tempting," he admitted. "But I rather like the idea of you owing me. I believe that's the second time I've saved your life on this miserable scrap of rock." He showed his teeth, the gold gleaming in the pale light. "I'm sure we'll find some way for you to pay me back."
Emma thought she had never been so tired. She was sagging with weariness; she had been up all day and now most of the night, and to add to that she was helping to channel forces she had barely touched a week ago. She looked to the side; Regina was standing as straight as ever, but there were beads of sweat on her brow and a tightness around her eyes which showed her strain. The hellhound stood just on the other side of the circle of flowing water, its fiery eyes calculating. Emma felt a tendril of magic sneak out from Regina, and a jet of water shot out of the flow and soaked the creature's muzzle. It leapt back with a howl of rage, steam rising from its skin, the hissing of water against fire. Regina smirked.
"I wonder what would happen if we dumped all this water on it," commented Emma, and Regina frowned thoughtfully. Suddenly Emma felt a surge of magic, and her eyes widened as she realised what Regina was about to do.
"No!" she yelled, as the flowing water suddenly surged towards the hellhound, drenching it. Emma covered her ears against the blood-curdling howls, trying to see beyond the cloud of steam that had erupted.
"Let's get out of here," said Regina curtly, as the mist cleared and the body of the hellhound was revealed. It was not moving.
"Is it dead?" asked Emma, unconvinced, and the other woman shrugged.
"Who cares? It won't be in any state to follow us like that. Let's go."
Emma turned to follow her down the hill, glancing back over her shoulder nervously. A low growl made her stomach clench, and she quickened her pace.
"You used up our one weapon on a stupid experiment!" she snapped, as the growl behind them became a snarl. Regina set her jaw, quickening her pace.
"I couldn't keep that up much longer, and neither could you!" she returned hotly. "We need to rest before we burn ourselves out!"
"Great choice of words, Regina!"
"I don't see you coming up with any solutions!"
Looking back over her shoulder, Emma could see that the hellhound was almost back to its feet, the fires of the underworld once more glowing in its eyes and mouth.
"We have to get moving," she said desperately. "It's going to be coming after us." She stumbled after Regina, her legs threatening to give out at any second, and her heart clenched with fear as a howl ripped through the air. The two women started to run again, terror lending speed to their feet, but their tiredness made them clumsy, and when Regina caught her foot in a root, Emma went down with her. She quickly rolled onto her back, scrambling backwards desperately, as she watched the hellhound lope down the hill towards them. Emma squeezed her eyes shut, her heart breaking as she realised that Henry would never know she had come for him, that she had tried her hardest to save him. She felt Regina grasp her hand, and squeezed in return, waiting for the impact of the huge body, to feel its claws and teeth in her flesh. It didn't come. Tentatively, she opened one eye, and saw the creature writhing on the ground before them. It howled in rage as its body appeared to break apart and sink into the damp earth, steam hissing up from the ground. Emma fell back, her lungs burning, her heart pounding, rubbing relieved hands over her face.
"See?" said Regina crisply. "I knew what I was doing."
Alex lay beneath the blankets of the cabin's bed, the crackling fire sending red and orange shapes dancing across the wooden walls. If he had been able to look into a mirror at that point, he was sure his eyebrows would have been somewhere up in his hairline. Ruby stirred briefly beside him, then nuzzled closer with a soft grumble, dozing with her arm slung across his waist. He rubbed at his neck, wincing as he felt broken skin and a little crusted blood. She was certainly passionate. He was sure there were other bruises on his neck and chest where she had bitten him less hard, and his back was stinging, no doubt covered in scratches. He turned his head and looked down at her fondly, the firelight playing off her arm and cheekbones, long thick lashes lying against her smooth cheeks. She had been like a wild thing when he opened the door to her, not letting him speak, tearing off their clothes before he had a chance to think. He stroked a lock of hair behind her ear gently, then jumped as the door to the cabin banged open and Belle, Ruby's grandmother (oh crap) and a woman Alex had never met, but who was dressed as a nun (double crap) walked through. Ruby woke and sat up with a squeal, dragging the covers up under her chin, her eyes wider than ever. He pushed himself up into a sitting position hastily, grabbing his glasses and shoving them on. Clear vision didn't make the scene before him any less worrying. Granny bristled visibly, raising the loaded crossbow she was carrying. Alex's jaw dropped as he scrabbled backwards on the heels of his hands, seemingly trying to get out through the wall.
"Get the hell away from my Ruby!" said Granny, the words hissing out from between her teeth, and Ruby scowled.
"Granny, is this really necessary?" she demanded, blushing. "I'm a grown woman, you didn't need to bring a nun. No offence, Blue," she added hastily. Mother Superior nodded in acceptance, a sorrowful look on her face.
"Look, let me explain…" began Alex, holding up his hands. Granny lowered the crossbow so that it was pointing at his groin, and his mouth snapped shut.
"He's one of them, Ruby!" she spat, eyes flashing, and, at Ruby's confused expression. "He was working with Greg Mendell and that woman! He's here to destroy us!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" snapped Ruby, trying for an authority she was unable to find when covered in nothing but a sheet.
"It's true, Ruby," said Belle sadly, biting her lip. "Mendell gave David a list of names of the people they'd been working with. He was one. Tech support, they said." She watched Alex as she spoke, and noticed his expression change as he realised he'd been caught. Ruby had turned to him, and noticed at the same time. Her mouth fell open, and the expression of hurt in her eyes made Belle's heart go out to her. She turned back to the others, her expression calm.
"Would you give me a few minutes to get dressed, please?" she said icily.
"I'm not leaving you alone with him!" said Granny fiercely, and Ruby rolled her eyes.
"Oh, for pity's sake, do you really think I can't take care of myself?" she snapped. "I'm not about to walk around naked in front of you three, so you may as well go!"
Belle was the first to leave, walking out onto the porch. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of pine and resin from the cut logs, and the fresh scent of rain and wet earth. She loved the cabin; it was somewhere she and Gold didn't visit often, but each time they did was special. She made a mental note to change the sheets before he got back.
"Ruby'll take this hard," said Granny, her voice gruff, but worry showing through. "She's never had much luck with men. First Peter – died, then there were all the losers she hooked up with under the curse, then Billy…" She left the rest unsaid.
"What are we going to do?" asked Belle, and the old woman heaved a sigh.
"Part of me wants to cut him up into little pieces and leave him for the birds, but I don't know…he doesn't seem the same as those other two."
Belle nodded thoughtfully. "Why don't we lock him in the sheriff's station? It should keep him safe as well as us."
"I can cast a protection spell that will keep Spencer and his mob away," put in Mother Superior. "That buys us time, at least."
"Time for what?" asked Granny sceptically. Belle took a deep breath, and turned to them.
"To find out what he knows," she said decidedly.
A/N: Next chapter's going to get pretty dark again. Let me know what you thought of this one xx