Let's leave the scenes on the street for a while now. After all, Hook, Ariel and Wolfgang are still out there searching for Eric...
After finding Eric's cloak in the shop, Belle had dripped a potion she had referred to as a Locator Spell onto the material. In response it had immediately started to float through the air and by now Hook, Ariel and Wolfgang were moving closer and closer to the docks.
"We must be getting close", Ariel said, almost like a prayer to herself. "Maybe he's on one of those boats."
Wolfgang briefly glanced at Hook, but the pirate kept his gaze focused on the cloak in front of them. The sternness of his face told enough, though; he did not like where this was going.
The cloak floated through the air towards the edge of the pier, leading them towards it, before suddenly soaring straight up and diving down, spreading on the surface of the water. Ariel frowned and cocked her head to the side.
"It... must be searching", she said. The next moment the cloak was pulled down beneath the surface by an unseen magical force and disappeared. Wolfgang lowered his gaze and saw Hook doing the same, while Ariel tried to keep her tears at bay.
"If the spell worked", she said, her voice close to breaking, "and it's taken us to Eric, then... he's gone."
Her breathing became ragged as her tears started to fall and she turned to Hook, leaning against him as she cried. Wolfgang shifted slightly, not quite sure what he was supposed to do now.
"I'm sorry", he eventually said, though he did not know if the devastated mermaid-turned-human had heard him.
They remained by the pier while the sun set and made the sky tinted with pink. Ariel's tears soon dried up and she freed herself from Hook, opting to look out over the water. Wolfgang and Hook both let her be, neither of them sure of what to say. Hook had, of course, mentioned to Wolfgang back at the diner that Prince Eric might indeed be dead, but finding the cloak had made them both doubt that. Now they knew the truth.
"I saved Eric from the sea once before", Ariel eventually said, causing them to look up at her. She still kept her back to them, so all they could see was the beige coat she had borrowed and her red hair flowing down her shoulders.
"I just... I never thought I would lose him to it in the end", she continued.
"A sailor couldn't hope for a better resting place", Hook solemnly said. This caused her to turn back towards them, her eyes streaked with red from crying. She swallowed before managing to say anything else.
"Thank you."
"We didn't do anything", Hook remarked. Ariel smiled sadly.
"You found Eric's cloak", she said. With a sigh she then turned to look back out across the sea. Wolfgang found himself wondering if the prince had died while sailing outside Storybrooke or if it had been back during the year that no one could remember. If it was the latter; why had his cloak ended up here?
"I would have never stopped looking for him", Ariel remarked, "but at least I know now that... our story's over."
Her voice was close to breaking once again and she swallowed before managing to continue.
"I just wish I knew how it ended."
She swallowed her tears and turned to Hook, who had walked towards her on the pier. Gently she grabbed hold of his uninjured arm.
"You're more than a pirate, Hook", she said. "You have a true heart. I will always be grateful that you tried to help me."
With one more forced grateful smile aimed towards Wolfgang she then started to walk away, shoving her hands in the pockets of her coat as she went. Hook's eyes trailed after her, his face filled with so many emotions that Wolfgang could not help but wonder what the hell he was thinking about. Once Ariel had vanished among the old storehouses he therefore joined the pirate by the edge of the pier.
"What's going on?" he asked. "You have been acting rather odd since the moment Ariel walked in through the door at Granny's."
The pirate turned away and gazed out across the sea.
"Do you ever think about leaving, Wolf?" he asked in return. Wolfgang frowned.
"Leaving?" he said. "Why? All of my friends are here; I cannot just abandon them."
"What if you did something to them that would make you want to leave?"
Wolfgang's frown deepened even more.
"What are you talking about, Hook?"
The pirate looked down at the dark water in front of him for a few second before meeting his gaze.
"I remember the missing year because I was not part of the ones who were cursed", he said, his voice sharp. "That was why they enlisted me to help Ariel."
"Yes, I sort of understood that back at Granny's", Wolfgang responded. "What's it got to do with me all of a sudden?"
"Because you were there when I did everything wrong", Hook growled. "You, of all people, saw the logic in my foolish actions and followed in the same bloody pattern."
"You're not making any sense, mate."
Hook chuckled an unhappy chuckle.
"And you even sound like me", he said. "I should have known you would remember something from that year, even if you don't know you do."
"Just... time-out, alright?" Wolfgang said, his voice sharp. "What the hell are you talking about, Hook? Take it from the beginning and explain it, because now you're not making any bloody sense at all."
Hook drew a deep breath and once again stared out across the sea.
"You helped me get her back", he said. "The Jolly Roger."
"That's your ship, right?" Wolfgang asked. "Not a woman I should know about?"
"Yes, it's my ship", Hook responded, his voice sharp. "It had been taken by another pirate, Blackbeard, and you helped me get it back, but while doing that we both made some terrible mistakes. Mistakes that I still know about but you were able to forget because of the curse."
"What mistakes?" Wolfgang asked. "What did I do?"
"You attacked one of your friends!"
Wolfgang blinked in surprise, feeling his mouth drop.
"Who?"
Hook groaned, but before he turned away Wolfgang managed to grab the collar of his jacket.
"Who did I attack?" he bellowed.
"Mate, calm down", Hook ordered.
"I'll calm down once you tell me the bloody truth!"
"Filipi, alright!" Hook yelled back. "You attacked Filipi with your magic, sent her crashing into some barrels by the docks and then opted to take the easy way out; running away as a pirate onboard my ship."
Wolfgang released him with a start and stepped back. He was trembling; anger, confusion and betrayal soared through his body.
"Why?" he asked, forcing himself to stay back. "Why did I attack her?"
"Because she objected with my idea of killing Blackbeard, whom we needed to be alive in order to save Prince Eric."
"So that's why you've been acting strange around Ariel, isn't it?" Wolfgang asked. "That's why you knew Prince Eric was dead before we even got here; you caused it to happen!"
"With your help!"
"For all I know you could be making this up just to lessen the blame on yourself", Wolfgang spat out. Hook looked as if someone had hit him square in the face.
"You don't trust me anymore, do you?" he asked.
"Why should I?" Wolfgang asked in return. "You've known what I did back in the Enchanted Forest during this whole time and you haven't told me about it!"
"Because I was selfish", Hook said, breathing deeply. "Because I am selfish. I chose a boat, some planks and a sail, over love and friendship and I taught you to do the same. And for that I am sorry, Wolfgang. I truly am."
"Thanks for the apology, but I think the one that really deserves it is the mermaid", Wolfgang said, before turning and walking away, aiming to head back to town. For some reason he felt like he needed a drink and a strong one at that. He blamed the pirate; he probably should blame him for a lot. At least not telling the truth.
Aw, I was really enjoying that friendship! God damn it!