"Thanks for the update," Emma said as she wrapped up her phone call with David. "I'll meet you guys back at the loft, later." As Emma put away her phone, she glanced up at Henry and Neal, who were both sitting across from her in the family's usual booth. "Well, Dr. Whale's cleared Mary Margret. It would seem the human body has a tolerance against ghostly possession."
"So…. Mary Margret's pregnant," Neal stated.
"Yes, it looks like she is," Emma confirmed, picking at the remnants of the basket of onion rings that she'd ordered when she first arrived at Granny's to fill Henry and Neal in on what happened at the séance.
"That's great!" Henry pipped up. "Do they know if it's going to be a boy or a girl?"
"I think it's little too soon for that, kid," Emma pointed out. "Anyway, it's getting late; it'll be time to get ready for bed, soon."
"Okay. Night, Dad,"
"See you tomorrow, buddy."
As Emma led Henry to the front door, she was approached by Granny, who handed her a takeout container.
"I overhead the news," she explained, keeping her voice down in a playfully secretive whisper. "I figured your mother would appreciate it, especially if her cravings have already started." Out of curiosity, Emma snuck a peek inside the container and saw it contained four small fruit tarts topped with sliced strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.
"What, no ice cream and pickles?" Emma asked, cracking a reluctant smile.
"Well, it may be too soon to determine what Snow's cravings will consist of this time," Granny replied, "but she certainly showed a preference for berries when you were on the way. Just let me know if she'd prefer something different this time around." Emma's eyes widened slightly at the information, but she pushed it aside and thanked Granny before continuing out with Henry. Unbeknownst to the two woman, Walsh had been eavesdropping on their conversation with visible interest on his face.
David jerked awake in the early hours of the morning. It was still well before dawn, so the only light source came from the streetlight outside the window. Trying to slow his still-rapid heartbeat, he glanced over at Mary Margret, who was lying next to him. He was relieved to see she was still peacefully asleep. Being careful not to wake her, he leaned over to place a chaste kiss against her cheek before climbing out of bed to make his way to the kitchenette to get himself some water. Before he reached the sink, the nightmare he'd just had completely came back to him and he was struck by a wave of uneasiness. As quietly as possible, he made his way up the metal stairwell to the upper level of the loft apartment and looked at the two beds that resided up there. Like Mary Margret, both Emma and Henry were sleeping soundly. Hesitating only for a moment, David crept over and knelt by Emma's bedside, taking the time to study her face, taking in the features she'd clearly inherited, from her mother's chin to his own nose. Even the shape of her ears reminded David of his departed mother.
David's thoughts were interrupted when Emma rolled over slightly in her sleep. However, the movement caused her blankets to slip down slightly, leaving half of her sleeping form exposed to the night air. Acting on instinct, David reached out and fixed the sheets, making sure they were covering Emma again. The moment he realized what he'd just did, he was overwhelmed with a sudden feeling of sorrow and regret, thinking about how this was the closest he'd ever gotten to tucking his little girl into bed. He began to wonder if anyone had ever done that for her while he couldn't. He normally tried not to ask Emma questions like that. Not because he didn't want to know, of course. He wanted to know everything about Emma's childhood; everything about what he'd been forced to miss out on. The problem was, he'd been able to figure out enough to know Emma hadn't had the best life growing up, and there was a part of him that didn't want to hear just how bad it had been. He remembered one time in particular, when they had all been having breakfast together. Emma had casually passed him a spoon, and when he'd reached out to take it, he caught a brief glimpse of what looked disturbingly like a cigarette burn on her hand. The sight of that mark on his daughter's hand had momentarily paralyzed him with shock, sorrow, and anger. Shock that someone would do that to a child, sorrow that he hadn't been able to shield her from experiencing that level of cruelty, and anger at whoever had dared lay a finger on his little girl. Even now, he was amazed he had kept himself from questioning Emma about the scar, but he'd been glad he had. Not only was there was nothing he could do to change what had happened, he knew that hearing exactly what happened would only make him want to hunt down the bastard responsible. But because of the spell surrounding the town line, that wasn't possible, no matter how much he wished otherwise.
"I'm sorry, Emma," David whispered to the sleeping woman. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."
After a few more minutes had passed, David was finally able to pull himself away from Emma's bedside and returned downstairs to complete his trip to the kitchenette. Unfortunately, his unease from the nightmare he'd experienced stuck with him.
Belle nearly flew into the sheriff's station, her face flushed with alarm. As she dashed into the main room, she cried out Emma's name, but when she saw Emma wasn't alone, she skidded to a halt.
"Oh, sorry," Belle apologized, realizing that Emma and her visitor, a heavyset man with a common nightingale perched tamely on his shoulder, were both staring at her. "I didn't realize you were busy."
"It's okay, Belle," Emma stated, adopting a businesslike tone as she turned back to the heavyset man. "I understand your concern, Mr. Luscinia. I promise I'll look into it. If I learn anything that suggests that's what she's planning, I'll be sure to let you know right away, and we'll take the necessary steps to prevent anything from happening." Mr Luscinia seemed to be satisfied with that assurance and left with merely a nod of understanding.
"What did Mr. Luscinia want?" Belle asked.
"He was concerned about the safety of his pet nightingale," Emma explained. "Somehow, he got this idea in his head that Zelena's plan would involve casting a spell that would call for a nightingale and she would therefore come after his nightingale. I suppose I can understand why he'd be concerned. Nightingales are not native to Maine, so his pet is probably the only nightingale around.
"Anyway, what was it you wanted?" At the reminder of why she had come to see Emma, Belle's urgency returned.
"Someone broke into Rumple's shop!" Belle exclaimed. At this news, Emma was instantly on the alert.
"What do you mean?"
"I was going back to the library to continue trying to figure out what Zelena is planning, and maybe find out if there was a way to turn those poor people back from being flying monkeys," Belle replied. "I realized I left a book I had been searching through in the back of Rumple's shop. When I went to fetch it, the shop was in a shambles."
Within minutes, Emma had escorted Belle back to Gold's old shop. Sure enough, the place had been ransacked, with objects overturned and broken glass everywhere.
"Who could have done this?" Belle asked, carefully picking up a broken jeweled music box.
"My money is on Zelena," Emma guessed, looking around at the chaotic state of the former pawn shop. "She might have been planning on using something from here against us. Do you know if anything was taken?"
"I don't know. I haven't been able to make an inventory," Belle said. "The moment I saw the state of this place, I went to find you."
"You did the right thing. Whoever trashed this place might have still been here when you turned up."
"I know. If I hadn't agreed to Jefferson's offer…." When Belle trailed off and didn't complete her sentence, Emma glanced away from the mess and gave her a questioning look.
"What about Jefferson?" she prompted.
"Jefferson let me stay at his place last night," Belle admitted. Realizing that her statement might have been taken the wrong way, she hurried to clarify. "Nothing happened. He was just allowing me to stay in his guest room. So I…wouldn't have to spend another night in the back of the shop."
"You've been sleeping here?" Emma asked. "For how long?"
"A while," Belle admitted, bowing her head in mild shame and embarrassment. Understanding quickly flashed across Emma's face.
"Hey, you have nothing to be ashamed about," she comforted. "It couldn't have been easy for you to lose Gold the way you did. While it's probably not much of a consolation, we're all grateful for his sacrifice. He might have only acted to save you and Neal, but we wouldn't have been able to defeat Pan in time without him." Belle smiled in response, but didn't say anything else, resulting in an awkward silence. Hoping to alleviate the uneasiness, Emma decided to try and change the subject.
"I know it's not much," Emma began, "but would you accept my help in straightening this place up? Maybe it'll help us figure out if there's something missing."
"Thank you," Belle said, accepting the offer.
Regina stepped out of Kisamos Greek Taverna, carrying a take-out bag containing a bowl of kotopoulo salata and an order of croketes. As she neared her car that had been parked out front, she happened to glance over at the bench at the virtually abandoned bus stop and saw Robin sitting there, looking completely forlorn. Hesitating for only a moment, Regina turned and made her way over to him.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked once she was close enough. Robin took a few minutes to answer, but Regina was quick to notice he was holding something in his hand, occasionally fondling it with his thumb. Glancing down, Regina saw it was Roland's spinning top.
"I can't stand this," Robin announced. "I can't stand sitting around, knowing my son is out there, and even though I know where he's being kept, I can't do anything to get him back. Not when he's undoubtedly being guarded by who knows how many of those winged monkeys. And one bite from one of them will turn you into a monkey, yourself. I've never felt so powerless in my life."
"I know," Regina replied. "I know this isn't much of a comfort, but we're doing all we can."
"I realize that," Robin exclaimed, nearly jumping to his feet. "I just…."
"Just what?"
"I just….wish there was a way I could talk to him, or even just see him. To make sure he's all right." For a brief moment, the two stood in silence, but then Regina's expression shifted as an idea occurred to her.
"There might actually be a way," she realized.
"How?" Robin asked, spinning around to face her, his face filled with cautious optimism.
David entered the sheriff station, adjusting his gun holster. He'd gotten a call from Emma asking him to man the station for her while she continued to help Belle straighten up the mess at Gold's old shop to figure out if anything had been stolen. While he wouldn't admit it aloud, he welcomed the chance to do something constructive. It appeared that Leroy had somehow found out about the baby, so of course, the whole town had heard. Which meant that everyone he'd run into on the street had offered their congratulations.
Just as he was settling in, he heard the sound of someone walking down the hallway behind him. He turned around in time to see a man walk in.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said upon seeing David. "I was looking for Sheriff Swan."
"She's out at the moment," David stated. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"No, it's nothing important. We just…ran into each other last night and…. never mind. It really isn't important."
"I don't think we've met," David commented, studying the man.
"My name's Walsh," the man introduced, holding out a hand in a clear invitation. David accepted the offer of a handshake, purposely gripping Walsh's hand firmly in a fatherly warning.
"David Nolan."
"Ah, you're Emma Swan's father. I heard you have another baby on the way. That must be pretty exciting."
"Oh, yes. We're very happy about it," David replied.
"Well, that's good to hear," Walsh said with a smile. "You know, if I was in your situation, I would be scared out of my mind. Bringing a baby into the world when there's a witch and flying monkeys lurking around? That must be quite disconcerting. Especially after what happened with your daughter, Emma. Everyone in town heard that story, with how you lost her just seconds after she was born."
"I'm not worried," David insisted. "We still have months before the baby's born. I'm sure we'll find a way to defeat Zelena long before that happens."
"You really are as brave as they say, aren't you?" Wash complemented before gesturing to the coffee maker in the corner of the station. "Say, would you mind if I made you some coffee? A fearless man like you deserves a bit of a toast, wouldn't you say?"
"That would be nice, thank you." Accepting the permission, Walsh crossed the room and went to work, preparing a cup of coffee. However, when he was sure David wasn't looking, Walsh slipped a small bag out of his pocket and stealthily added the powered contents into the drink.
Regina and Robin made their way through Regina's mansion, heading toward the mirror that hung in the foyer.
"So you can really use a mirror to show us how Roland is doing?" Robin asked, seeking clarification as they walked.
"It would be a bit easier if I still had Sidney," Regina admitted. "But after we returned from Neverland, I ended up resuming my sessions with Archie. One of the steps I had to take in my… rehabilitation was to free him from my service. He's back to writing for the newspaper again, and seems to be much happier. So, it would be…wrong to drag him back, now. We're just going to have to do this without him."
Pouring her concentration into the task, Regina waved her hand in front of the mirror's face. Almost instantly, the reflections of the two people standing in front of the mirror vanished, being replaced by a misty looking fog that swirled around the mirror's surface. However, before the fog could dissipate, a loud sound reverberated around the room, almost like a thunderclap, and Regina was thrown backwards, crashing into the opposite wall.
"Regina!" Robin cried, hurrying over towards her. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Regina insisted, more humiliated than hurt. Without hesitation, Robin knelt down to help her into a sitting position.
"What happened?"
"Zelena must be one step ahead of us, this time. She's put up a protective barrier around that storm cellar, just so we wouldn't be able to see inside it, even with mirror magic. Unfortunately, my magic isn't strong enough to penetrate it, or get around her barrier."
"So, there's nothing you can do?"
"I'm sorry," Regina apologized, her bruised ego mixing with her sympathy for Robin's plight. "I really thought I could…"
"No, it's not your fault," Robin insisted. "It may not have worked, but I'm still grateful that you tried.
As Robin spoke, he helped Regina to her feet, keeping a firm grip on her to hold her steady. By chance, Regina glanced down at Robin's arm. The moment what she saw fully registered, she froze in shock.
"What is that?" she exclaimed, just barely preventing herself from snapping in alarm.
"What's what?"
"That! On your arm!"
"Oh, that," Robin chuckled, looking down at the tattoo on his right wrist. "I sometimes forget about that. It's been quite a while since I had it done. Bit of a long story, I'm afraid, but….Regina?" Robin stopped in his explanation when he looked back up at Regina and saw that she was now staring at him as if seeing him for the first time. "Regina, what's wrong?"
"I…I'm sorry, I just…" Without warning, Regina turned and hurried out of the room, ignoring the sound of Robin calling after her in obvious confusion.
"Well, I guess that's it," Belle commented as she and Emma returned the last undamaged item to its rightful spot on the shelf. "There doesn't seem to be anything missing, though."
"I suppose the item they were looking for wasn't here," Emma speculated.
"But what were they after?"
"I don't know. You're certain everything that was in the shop is accounted for?"
"Yes. Everything that was out in plain sight is all here," Belle confirmed.
"Are you saying that there were items that weren't in plain sight?"
"Well, there are some items that Rumple kept in his safe," Belle explained as she pulled aside the painting that kept the wall mounted safe hidden. "But you need an authorized finger print to open it, and….OH!" Emma's head snapped back around at the sound of the alarm in Belle's voice and saw the problem right away. It looked as if something had ripped the fingerprint scanner clean off the safe and tried to stick it back in. The only problem is that the culprit didn't do a very good job of it, as the fingerprint scanner was upside down. The two women shared a concerned glance before Belle turned the handle on the safe's door, which opened without resistance.
"They got into the safe?" Belle gasped.
"That must have been why they trashed the place," Emma theorized as Belle studied the objects that were kept inside the broken safe. "It was just a diversion to keep us from noticing the safe was broken into. When you're looking to see if an item is missing, why bother looking in a spot where you're sure things are safe?"
"And it looks like they did make off with something," Belle announced, taking out an empty glass jar. "But out of all the items in the shop, why would they take that one?"
"What is it? What did they take?"
"It was part of a magical plant," Belle explained. "Rumble told me about it when we were programming my fingerprint into the safe, during that time when I thought I was Lacey. He said that ingesting it causes you to hallucinate and think you're being confronted by whatever you're afraid of."
"Why would Zelena be interested in something like that?" Emma questioned.
David drove the squad car along the outskirts of town, scanning the area for any sign of Zelena or her flying monkeys. As he drove, he continued to take the occasional sip of the coffee Walsh had brewed. The two men had shared a friendly chat before David had gotten a text from Emma, saying that she was going to be away from the station for a while longer. After the text had been received, Walsh had politely excused himself by stating he shouldn't keep David from his job and left.
As David drove past the line of trees bordering the town, he glimpsed movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning to get a better look, he saw what looked like a cloaked figure ducking behind a tree. Immediately on the alert, David pulled the squad car over and stepped out to try and get a better look. For a few seconds, he didn't see anything, but then he heard the sound of a branch snapping. Glancing in the direction of the sound, he once again saw the cloaked figure, moving out further into the woods. Acting quickly, David popped open the trunk of the squad car, where he'd stashed his sword. While he did appreciate the benefits of the handgun, he still preferred to keep his old sword on hand, on account of the familiarity. And it helped to keep it handy in case there was a situation when he might be involved in a close range fight.
Once again, David looked out into the woods, trying to spot the cloaked figure to no avail. After making a brief call to Emma to inform her of his location and what he was doing, which went straight to voicemail, David began to walk out into the woods, keeping an eye out for the cloaked figure.
Regina made her way towards her vault, still shaken by her recent revelation. The man with the lion tattoo, the one Tinkerbell had tried to get her to meet all those years ago, was Robin Hood? Of all the men it could have been, it was the famous outlaw? And how was it possible that her path just happened to cross with his once again?
She was so deep in thought, she didn't notice Emma was standing outside waiting for her until she'd nearly reached the mausoleum door.
"Unless you have an idea on how to get rid of Zelena, Miss Swan, this isn't a good time," Regina commented.
"It's actually about Zelena," Emma said. "Kind of. I was hoping….we could start resuming my magic lessons?"
"Now?" Regina scoffed. "You have a very interesting concept of timing."
"It's just that… we have reason to believe that Zelena broke into Gold's shop and made off with some night root. And it was only by pure luck that Belle wasn't there when the break-in happened. It's clear to me that we need to stop Zelena before she gets the chance to hurt anyone. So I'm going to have to at least start getting the hang of my magic. I know I'm not going to be able to master it that quickly, but I can at least start learning."
"Very well," Regina said, seeing this as her chance to distract herself from thoughts about Robin and the lion tattoo. "Come with me. But don't touch anything."
"How am I supposed to learn magic if I can't touch anything?" Emma asked as she followed Regina down to her vault.
David cautiously made his way through the woods, constantly looking around for any sign of movement. Even so, he was caught by surprise when the cloaked figure suddenly emerged from behind a tree and charged right at him. Fortunately, he managed to recover in time to dodge out of the way, striking out at the figure as it passed him with the flat end of his sword. When David attempted to go on the offensive, he was shocked to see the figure manage to dodge each of his blows. Before he was even aware of it happening, the figure had grabbed him by his neck, forcing him up against a tree. Fighting for breath against the iron grip, David managed to reach out and close his fingers against the cloaked figure's hood. But when he yanked the hood off the figure's face, he was momentarily paralyzed with shock at the sight of his own face staring back at him.
"What…what are you?" David managed to ask. In response, his doppelganger flashed a cruel smile.
"I'm you."
Emma staggered off the rickety-looking tower of broken wood, dropping to her hands and knees the minute she set foot on solid ground. Gasping for breath as her adrenaline rush died down, she looked back at the tower that she constructed on pure impulse.
"Did I just do that?" she asked, glancing up at Regina, who was standing nearby.
"Yes," Regina snapped, glaring at the wooden tower. "And all I wanted was for you to retie the rope!"
"It was like you said," Emma commented, getting back to her feet. "Instinct." In response to this, Regina let out an irritated huff, now scowling at Emma. "Why are you pissed? I did it. Why does it matter how?"
"You think I'm mad because you didn't listen to me?" Regina exclaimed, shaking her head. "I'm mad because…. Just look at all this potential inside of you! And you've been wasting it!"
Before Emma could come up with a response, they heard the sound of a strangled yell coming from down the path. Upon hearing the shout, Emma's head snapped in the direction it came from.
"That sounded like David!" she cried.
Without a moment's hesitation, Emma turned and raised off, with Regina following close behind.
"David?" Emma called out as she ran. "Dad?" A few moments later, David came into view. He was leaning against a tree, breathing heavily and looking as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Emma." David breathed out a sigh the moment he saw her.
"Are you okay?" Emma exclaimed, stepping to his side in visible concern.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"What happened?" Regina demanded. "You weren't attacked by a flying monkey, were you? Because if it bit you…."
"No, it…it wasn't a flying monkey," David admitted. It was…myself."
"Wait, what?" Emma blinked in confusion.
"It's Zelena," Regina speculated. "She's toying with us."
"But why would she send something that looked like David?" Emma asked.
"I have no idea," David said. "It was just there. Wearing my face, and harping on my deepest fears." Regina's eyes widened instantly.
"It knew your deepest fears?"
"Yeah. Things I never told anyone. Not even Mary Margaret. It wasn't until I admitted them that I was able to defeat it by stabbing it with the hilt of my sword."
"That must have been why the night root was stolen from Gold's shop," Emma mused. "She must have tricked you into swallowing it, somehow. But what was the point?"
"Your sword!" Regina spoke up, looking around in visible alarm. "Where is your sword?"
"That's the strange part, David replied. "After I killed it, the hilt…. It just disappeared."
"What does that mean?" Emma asked, turning to Regina for clarification.
"When we face our deepest fears, our true courage comes out," Regina explained. "When you used the hilt of your sword to vanquish your fears, your courage transferred into it."
"Then why'd it disappear?"
"It didn't disappear. She took it."
"Hang on," Emma once again spoke up. "Zelena stole his courage?"
"Well, a symbol of it, at least. And symbols can be powerful totems. The real question is, what does she plan to do with it?"
Before anything more could be said, David seemed to sway on the spot, prompting Emma to pull him into a crutch carry.
"We can worry about that later," she said. "Right now, we should get him back home."
Mary Margret eyed her husband, who was sitting on the couch with a blanket draped over his shoulders. Emma and Regina had dropped him off a short time ago, giving a brief explanation of what had happened in the woods. They had left again a few minutes later, with Regina stating there was something important they needed to do, but they both agreed that David should stay home for the rest of the day to recover from the shock he had while facing his doppelganger. To further help settle his nerves, Mary Margret had whipped together a fresh batch of hot chocolate, which she promptly served him in a large mug.
"So, are you going to tell me the whole story?" Mary Margret asked, cutting to the chase as she took a seat next to him.
"What do you mean?" David responded.
"You know you're not fooling me, David. Emma and Regina both said that the night root you somehow swallowed made you face a manifestation of your deepest fears. Well, what scares me right now is that you're not telling me what it was that scared you so much. Whatever it is, do you think it will make me think less of you?"
"It's not that," David admitted. "I was…just too ashamed to admit it because I wanted you to be able to count on me."
"And I do. But you also need to remember that you can count on me, too. Don't forget you're the same man who helped me find the courage and strength to face my fears and actually fight for my kingdom. But I won't be able to return the favor and do the same for you, unless you tell me." At long last, David gave in.
"You're right. I was afraid. Afraid of…letting this one down." To make his meaning plain, David placed a gentle hand on Mary Margret's still-flat stomach. Understanding immediately flashed across Mary Margret's face.
"It's because we lost Emma, isn't it? That wasn't our fault."
"I know it wasn't. But because we lost her, I was never her father."
"David, you have been a great father."
"To her now," David pointed out. "But I didn't raise her. And this child? I've never done this before, and I don't know if I can.
"And to make it worse, we have Zelena out there. Once again, we're bringing a child into the world when an evil witch is threatening us all. I'm afraid something will happen, and we'll end up losing this child, the same way we lost Emma."
"Charming," Mary Margret said gently, catching David's attention with the use of her nickname for him. "You have nothing to be ashamed of for feeling like that. I'm scared, too. For all the reasons you just mentioned. But I know we're going to be okay. Even if Zelena is still a threat when it comes time for our baby to be born, we're going to do this the way we do everything. Together."
"Now, how did I forget that?" David asked with a warm smile.
Robin made his way through the cemetery, clutching the letter in his hand. When he began to near the Mills Mausoleum, he found Regina and Emma were both waiting for him outside.
"I got your letter," he announced, holding up the note. "What was it that you wanted to see me about?"
"It turns out that we might have found a way around a particular hurdle," Regina announced, beginning to lead the way down to her vault.
"Regina?" Robin spoke in a soft voice as they made their way down the hidden staircase. "I hope I didn't upset you earlier today."
"No," Regina insisted quickly. "You didn't upset me. But that's not important right now. Right now, what matters is upholding the promise I gave you, by helping you look in on your son."
"Are you saying that you found a way past Zelena's magical barrier?"
"No, but I'm not going to be the one to do so. Emma's the one who will do the honors."
"Wait, me?" Emma gaped.
"After seeing the raw power you possess," Regina pointed out, "I think you might be able to get through Regina's barrier."
"Okay," Emma agreed, still visibly unsure. "How do I do it?"
"Well, you've focused," Regina instructed, "you've let emotions awaken your power. Now you have to look inward."
After taking a deep breath, Emma faced the mirror Regina kept hanging in her vault and closed her eyes, trying to follow Regina's instructions. It was only when she saw light shining through her eyelids and heard Robin's surprised gasp that she opened her eyes again. Instead of their reflections, the mirror was showing the image of a small boy, huddled up in a shadowy corner of a room. The boy was clearly afraid, but was otherwise unharmed. At the moment, he was wiping his eyes while picking at the contents of a dinner plate that had been left in front of him, which held a small loaf of bread and a single turkey leg.
"Roland," Robin choked out, his voice filled with emotion. "I thought seeing him would help, but…. knowing he's this scared, when there's no way I can reach him and let him know that I'm there?"
"I'm sorry," Emma said in empathy. "I know this can't be easy, knowing your son is in trouble. When Henry was kidnapped by Pan, one of the hardest things to deal with was the thought of him loosing hope of being rescued."
"Actually," Regina spoke up, "that gives me an idea?"
"What, are you suggesting we utilize the same method we used in Neverland?" Emma asked.
"Of course not," Regina huffed, rolling her eyes. "In case you've forgotten, catching a flying monkey won't be as easy as capturing a Lost Boy. Besides, seeing as how scared Roland is, having one of those beasts get near enough to him to deliver a message would probably make it worse.
"No, I was thinking of something a bit simpler. You've already shown you can use mirror magic, so a simple teleportation spell should be easy."
"What do you have in mind?"
"Robin, you still have Roland's toy with you, right?"
"Of course," Robin confirmed, holding up the spinning top.
"Good. Because Emma is going to send it to him."
"I can do that?" Emma inquired in amazement.
"Yes, it's a very simple spell."
"That's brilliant!" Robin stated, his despair melting away. "If we can get this to Roland…"
"He'll know that his father is here, and that help is coming," Regina concluded.
Setting the plan into action, Robin placed the spinning top on a nearby table and stepped back. Internally hoping the plan would actually work, Emma once again closed her eyes and focused on the task at hand.
Miles away, Roland continued to pick at the food he'd been given. He knew he had to eat, and the growling in his stomach only drove that fact home even more. But he still couldn't bring himself to do so. All he wanted was to be back home in Sherwood Forest. He missed listening to Friar Tuck's endless jokes, and Little John's stories about their adventures, and Alan-a-Dale's songs. Most of all, he missed his father.
Just as Roland began to feel even more homesick, a strange sound caught his attention. Looking up, he noticed a small object had suddenly appeared before him. The sight of the object confused the boy, as he was sure it hadn't been there a moment ago. Curiously getting the better of him, he reached out and picked the object up. The moment he got a good look at it, his eyes widened in amazement. It was his spinning top! He'd recognize it anywhere. It even had the small 'R' engraved in one side.
As Roland stared at the top, he tried to remember where he had it last. He knew he hadn't had it on him before. Seconds later, he remembered how his father had pocketed it before they'd gone out hunting for dinner. If his top was here now, that meant….his father was here, too!
With that thought resonating in his mind, Roland felt his courage returning. His father was here. And that meant he was sure to find him. For the first time in the past few days, a wide smile appeared on Roland's face. Feeling his appetite returning, Roland began to eat the turkey and bread in front of him in earnest. If his father was on his way to rescue him, it was important for him to keep his strength up. At least, that's what Little John would have told him.
AN: You've probably noticed I skipped a bit during the scenes with David and his doppelganger, as well as Emma's first official 'magic lesson.' That was mainly because those scenes would have played out the same way as they had in canon. I figured the chapter was long enough without rehashing scenes we've already seen in the actual episodes.
Also, I'm wondering if anyone can guess who Mr. Luscinia's was supposed to be. As for the bit about a nightingale being used in a spell, that was a reference to King's Quest 2.