Belle looked up from the iced tea she was drinking when she heard someone speak her name. As such, she saw Jefferson entering Granny's, with a smiling Grace at his side.
"Jefferson, Grace!" Belle greeted warmly. "It's nice to see you."
"Are you okay? Jefferson asked, concern evident on his face. "We heard about the break in."
"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking. Thankfully, I wasn't there when it happened. I guess it was a good thing I stayed over last night, wasn't it?"
Jefferson was about to reply to that when they heard the sound of a person letting out a sound of surprise. Glancing over, they saw Neal and Henry had just walked in from the bathrooms, the former looking right at them.
"Hi Henry," Grace said.
"Oh, hello," Henry replied.
"You set for the math test, today?" In response to her question, Henry made a face.
"The Wicked Witch is out there, turning people into flying monkeys. Do we really have to still go to school?"
"I think, until it's decided otherwise, it will be best to keep things as normal as possible," Belle pointed out. "And that probably means school."
"Come on, then," Jefferson instructed. "Let's get you both to the bus stop." Before leaving, however, Jefferson once again turned back to Belle. "By the way, thanks again for watching Grace for me."
"It was no trouble," Belle insisted with a smile, which Jefferson returned effortlessly. "I'd be more than happy to do so again."
Once Jefferson left with Grace and Henry, Neal took a seat next to Belle.
"So," he began, cutting to the chase. "Is there something going on between the two of you?" Hearing an underlying tone in his question, Belle immediately frowned.
"Jefferson has become a very good friend," she stated. "And he's been helping me go through a lot of the items in Gold's shop."
"Hey, I help you with that, too. When I can."
"Yes, I know. And I appreciate it. But Jefferson; he knows the story behind most of those items. He even helped him obtain some of them." When Belle noticed the odd look on Neal's face wasn't going away, she went on. "Is there a reason why I shouldn't try to make new friends?"
"No, of course not!" Neal insisted quickly. "I mean, as long as that's all it is."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"My father only died four months ago," Neal pointed out. "It just…seems a little soon for you to be…you know… moving on."
"Thank you for your concern," Belle stated, gathering up her things. "But even if there was something going on between Jefferson and me, that would be my business, not yours." Without another word, Belle turned and stormed out, leaving the visibly stunned Neal sitting alone.
"What did I say?" Neal asked, looking around to see if anyone had been sitting close enough to overhear their conversation. As a result, he found himself meeting Granny's eyes as the elderly woman fixed him with an almost pitying glance.
"Boy, you've got a lot to learn about how to talk to a woman," she commented before making her way over to another patron on the other side of the room, leaving him still feeling confused.
"Sounds like a tough break, there," the dark haired man sitting in the next booth said, turning around in his seat to address Neal. "Name's Walsh. I couldn't help overhearing, and you have my sympathy. It's never easy to see your almost-stepmother start showing interest in another man."
"I just think it might be disrespectful to my father," Neal explained with a shrug. "He may not have been the best father, especially after he started using magic, and I'll never understand how he could just let me fall through that portal, even though I know he regretted it. But he gave his life for his family. For me and for Belle."
"It sounds as if you're regretting not getting more time with him," Walsh noted.
"Yeah, it would have been nice to completely clear the air," Neal agreed. "And perhaps he could have helped us, now. This Zelena was apparently taught by him, too. So, he'd probably know how we could defeat her. But he's gone, and there's no way to contact him." With a heavy sigh, Neal took a drink from the water glass Granny had placed in front of him in passing.
"What if….there was a way?" Walsh asked. "Back in the Enchanted Forest, I was a bit of a traveler. And I heard stories."
"What sort of stories?" Neal inquired, his curiosity suddenly piqued.
"Well, have you ever heard of the Vault of the Dark One?"
Robin was in much better spirits when they'd returned to town after leaving Regina's vault. While it was clear he was still worried about his son, the knowledge that Roland was unharmed and now knew his father was near had helped alleviate his troubled mind a great deal. Nevertheless, by the time they'd left him with Granny, who agreed to help set him up with a room, and Regina had announced that she was heading home, Emma found she really needed to unwind. As such, she began to make her way to the Rabbit Hole.
As she reached the entrance to the local bar, she saw another person walking in the same direction. It wasn't until he'd turned to face her that she was able to recognize him.
"Oh, Emma!" Walsh said, his face lightning up when he noticed her.
"Hey, Walsh, right? Sorry again for hitting you with that door yesterday."
"No, don't worry about it. No harm done." Emma smiled politely and began to continue into the Rabbit Hole, but stopped when Walsh began talking again. "Actually, I was hoping to run into you, today."
"You were? Did someone else turn up missing, or….?"
"No, nothing like that. It's not business related. I know this might seem like it's coming out of nowhere, but…I was hoping to buy you a drink."
"A drink?" Emma blinked in surprise.
"You do so much for the town," Walsh pointed out. "You broke the curse and helped save the town twice since then. I thought it was high time someone expressed their gratitude."
"Oh. Well, I'm grateful for the offer, but… it's probably not the best time."
"Hey, I understand. Maybe when this whole mess with the Wicked Witch is over," Walsh said with a casual shrug. Without another word, Walsh entered into the Rabbit Hole. Emma followed after him soon afterwards, still a bit taken aback by his offer.
Regina cautiously scanned the area around the farmhouse, trying to see any sign of movement in the fading light of the sunset. She knew she was doing something risky, but she still had to try. Little Roland might be safe for the time being, but the fact remained that Zelena wanted him for something, and it was irritating Regina that she didn't know what that something was. Besides, it was high time that she had a little chat with her sister.
Once she was sure that there was no sign of moment nearby, Regina stepped out into the open and began to cross over to the farmhouse
"Well, this is a nice surprise, Sis," Zelena said, appearing behind her. "And I was just about to pay you a visit." While Regina was startled by Zelena's sudden appearance, she managed to hide it. Instead, she turned to face her calmly.
"What could you possibly be planning to do with the little boy?" Regina demanded, cutting right to the chase. "What are you trying to do, Zelena?"
"Are you telling me you don't even have a guess? I'm disappointed, Regina," Zelena commented.
"Well, you haven't been very forthcoming," Regina pointed out. "All I know is that you have a chip on your shoulder because Mother chose to keep me instead of you, and how Rumpelstiltskin picked me to cast his curse. If you want to take it up with anyone, you should take it up with them. Only problem is, they're both dead."
"Oh, that doesn't matter," Zelnea said. "See, while you're standing here, trying to figure everything out, I'm already working on the final steps. Which means you're already out of time."
Eyes flashing in irritation, Regina prepared to launch a fireball, but the moment the fire formed, Zelena raised a hand and extinguished the flame without batting an eye. Before Regina could recover, Zelena was magically lifting her into the air, trapping her in a choke hold.
"You can't beat me, Little Sis. Everything Rumpelstiltskin taught you, he taught me, too. But I was the better student." With that, Regina was blown backwards, slamming into the ground with such force, the wind was temporarily knocked out of her. In an instant, Zelena was standing over her.
"What are you waiting for?" Regina hissed, still trying to catch her breath. "Kill me."
"I never said I wanted to kill you. I said I wanted to destroy you. And to do that I need your heart." Without further preamble, Zelena thrust her hand into Regina's chest. But after a moment, she withdrew her hand, staring at it in shock. There was nothing there.
"Where is it?" Zelena demanded, glaring at Regina.
"My mother taught me one thing," Regina replied with a smirk. "Never bring your heart to a witch fight. Something you'd know if she hadn't abandoned you."
Before Zelena could respond to that taunt, an arrow suddenly flew by, planting itself into the ground a few inches away.
"That was a warning shot," Robin announced, stepping into view with his bow drawn. "I warn you, Zelena. An arrow fired from this bow doesn't miss its target." Zelena scowled as she backed away, shooting daggers at the pair of them.
"You haven't won, Regina! I will get your heart! I will get everything you ever had!" With that, Zelena disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.
"Are you all right?" Robin asked, approaching Regina as she got to her feet again.
"I'm fine. What are you doing here?"
"It dawned on me after we parted ways that I never actually thanked you for the part you played this afternoon. While Emma may have been the one to get past Zelena's barrier, allowing me to see my son, the idea had been yours. But when I reached your mansion, I saw you slipping away. I was worried about you, so I followed in case you needed assistance." Regina was visibly stunned by his consideration, but she didn't say anything. "So, Zelena was after your heart?"
"It appears so," Regina nodded, beginning to walk back towards town, with Robin following her. "Thankfully, I took the measure to hide it before I approached the farmhouse. But now, I'm left with even more questions. She has Charming's courage, and she wants my heart. Those are ingredients. But for what, I cannot say. And I'm at a loss as to how Roland fits into this."
The pair walked in silence for a while, both deep in thought as they tried to piece everything together.
"So, where did you hide your heart?" Robin finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Right here," Regina said, approaching an old, rotting tree stump. Crouching down, she dug around in the dirt and unearthed her heart, which she slipped into a small satchel. "Now that I know Zelena is after my heart, I'm going to have to make sure she doesn't get it. The question is, where to hide it? Certainly not my vault. That'll be the first place Zelena will look." After a momentary pause of contemplation, Regina turned to face Robin, carefully handing the satchel over to him. "Perhaps you should hold on to it for me. If what happened back at the farmhouse proved anything, it's that it'll be safest under your watch." Robin's eyes widened in mild disbelief as he accepted the satchel containing Regina's heart.
"You're really going to entrust something so valuable to a common thief like me?"
"You can't steal something that's been given to you," Regina pointed out with a brief smile.
Emma was sitting at a lone table in the corner of the bar, the whisky sour she'd ordered sitting untouched in front of her. She had no idea why she felt so awkward ordering a whisky-based drink. It wasn't as if she hadn't had whisky before. Before Henry had reentered her life, it had always been her drink of choice. Even after she'd settled into Storybrooke, it was her main preference; she still kept a bottle of MacCutcheon back at the loft. But tonight, when she ordered her whisky sour, the words felt strange on her tongue. Even as she sat there racking her brains over it, a tiny voice in the back of her mind seemed to know the reason why ordering whisky felt unusual to her now. For the past few months, she seemed to have developed a liking for a different type of alcoholic spirit.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she sensed someone standing next to her. Glancing up, she found herself looking at a smiling Ruby, who was holding a martini cocktail.
"Hey, Emma," she greeted. "Do you mind if I sit here? The only available seats are up at the bar, and…. well, Adam's here tonight."
"I take it we don't like Adam?" Emma asked, gesturing to the vacant chair next to her in invitation.
"No, it's nothing like that," Ruby explained, taking the offered chair. "But…Adam was Billy's best friend."
"Billy? You mean the guy who was….?" Emma trailed off, not wanting to actually come out and say it.
"Yeah, that Billy," Ruby confirmed. "Turns out, Adam was Jaq back in the Enchanted Forest, so they were friends even before the curse hit. So, when Billy died…."
"Ruby, you know that wasn't your fault," Emma reasoned.
"I know I wasn't the one who killed him. I know that was Spencer, trying to frame me in order to discredit David. But he could have killed anyone in Storybrooke. And he chose Billy. I know, deep down, it was because he'd seen Billy try to ask me out earlier that evening. So, even if I didn't actively kill him, I'm still partially responsible. And that makes it hard to even look Adam in the eye." Unable to think of a proper response to that, Emma could only place a compassionate hand on Ruby's shoulder. Ruby responded by giving Emma a grateful smile, but her expression shifted when she glanced over Emma's shoulder.
"Oh! Hi, Hook," she greeted. Emma immediately spun around in surprise. Sure enough, Hook was walking up to their table.
"Evening, ma'am," Hook returned Ruby's greeting politely. But his gaze was focused on Emma, concern filling his eyes.
"Where have you been all day?" Emma blurted out before she could stop herself, a strong note of accusation filling her tone. Still, she really did want to know the answer. She hadn't seen him since the séance last night. For a brief moment, she noticed a hint of irritated anger flash across his face, but it was gone in the next second.
"My crew and I were down by the giant's bean field," he explained. "I thought it would be a prudent to post guards around the place; keep the flying monkeys from stealing any more beans. If things take a turn for the worst, we might need some magic beans handy to evacuate the town."
"You…thought of that on your own?" Emma gaped, sincerely surprised by his action.
"Well, the giant, Anton, seems to be permanently human sized, so he can't really be expected to guard the whole bean field by himself, can he? Mind you, me crew needed some convincing."
"That was really thoughtful of you," Ruby said, casting a playful smile at Emma.
"Yeah," Emma agreed, her expression still frozen.
"Swan, I…." Hook began, glancing down nervously. "I was wondering if you were doing all right. The news your parents gave you last night couldn't have been easy…"
"Hook," Emma cut in, looking away. "There's no need to play the part of the concerned friend. We're teammates. Nothing more. So let's just keep things between us professional, all right?" It took a long time for Hook to reply. So long that Emma had to glance back up just to see if he was still standing there. As a result, she saw the deeply wounded look he was giving her.
"If that's how it has to be," he agreed finally. Without another word, he turned and made his way over to the bar.
"What was that about?" Ruby asked once he was out of earshot.
"It's nothing," Emma insisted, downing her drink in one gulp, needing to feel the burn of the alcohol going down her throat.
"It didn't look like nothing," Ruby pointed out. "Did you two have a fight?" Emma sighed heavily, and focused her gaze on her now-empty glass.
After a momentary pause, Ruby placed a hand on Emma's arm, which made her look up again.
"Emma," Ruby said, slightly swirling her drink. "I realize you and I haven't spent much time together lately, but before the curse broke, we were on the way to becoming friends. Good friends. And you know, if things had gone the way they were supposed to, I would have been your godmother. I know that probably doesn't mean too much now, but…I hope you know that you can always come to me."
Emma's shoulders slumped slightly, Ruby's words sinking in. Even so, it was only because her nerves were stretched to the breaking point that Emma relented and began explaining everything that had happened, including why she and Hook were now at odds with each other. When everything was out in the open, Ruby could only stare in stunned silence.
"So…you're mad at him…because you overheard him having sex with somebody in the next room?" Ruby commented, trying to see if she'd understood correctly. "I thought you said you weren't involved with each other."
"We weren't," Emma insisted. "But what kind of guy vows to win your heart and then turns around and sleeps with some random woman?"
"Well, did you give him any indication beforehand that you were interested in him, too?" Ruby asked. "At the end of the day, Hook is still a man, and he's probably going to act like every other man. You can't expect the guy to wait forever for you to make up your mind, can you?"
Before Emma could come up with a response, they were interrupted by the sound of Ruby's cellphone going off, which she answered after checking the caller ID.
"Sorry, Emma, but I have to get back to the diner," she said after ending the call. "Ashley just called in. Alexandra's got an ear infection, so she has to take her to the doctor." Emma could only nod in understanding. She was too deep in thought to form a verbal response.
Even after Ruby had left, Emma simply continued to sit there stewing. She understood what Ruby had been trying to say, and her mother's old friend did have a point; she really hadn't given Hook any reason to think that she might have been interested in taking their….friendship…to the next level. But this rationale was part of the whole problem. Ruby was right. Most guys wouldn't have waited around for her to make up her mind. But deep down, Emma had been hoping that Hook would be different. She'd been hoping that he wouldn't turn out to be like everyone else.
Letting out a long sigh, Emma internally berated herself for letting Hook get under her skin. Things had been so much easier before, when she hadn't let her emotions get in the way. Back when the only promise she ever made with men was the promise of one night. It was an arrangement that had worked for both of them. It had been safe and free of emotional ties. Maybe…maybe that was the real problem. Maybe she shouldn't have stopped using that arrangement.
As her thoughts began to stray into that territory, she glanced over at the bar. As a result, her eyes happened to zero in on Walsh, who was sitting at the far end of the bar, currently finishing his beer. Immediately, she began to toy with the idea. He had offered to buy her a drink. And there was very little danger of them running into each other on a regular basis. All things considered, he seemed like a likely candidate.
Before she could change her mind, Emma was crossing the room and making her way over to him.
"Hey," Emma greeted, taking a seat in the empty bar stool next to him.
"Hello, Emma," Walsh greeted, smiling warmly at her. "What's going on?"
"Well, I gave it some thought," Emma said. "Is your offer of a drink still open?"
"Of course!" Walsh exclaimed eagerly. "What will it be?"
As Walsh went about ordering drinks for them both, Emma suddenly felt somebody's eyes on her. On impulse, she turned to glance down the bar and immediately spotted Hook, who was looking right back at her. The expression on his face made Emma's breath catch in her throat. She never could have imagined anyone could look that… Emma struggled to think of a word that could give that look justice, but the best she could come up with was pure devastation. Unable to continue staring, Emma forced herself to turn away, focusing her attention on Walsh and reminding herself that Hook had no reason to act like she was breaking his heart. After all, he had no qualms about participating in one night stands himself. Why couldn't she do the same?
Belle made her way through the library in preparation for closing time, turning off lights and making sure everything was straightened up as she went. Jefferson and Grace were going to stop by in a few minutes. She was once again staying over with them, but this was probably the last time. When she had been having dinner, she'd run into her father. It had been the first time they'd seen each other in months, so the encounter was quite awkward. Despite the awkwardness, Belle couldn't deny that she had missed him, and she'd agreed to his request to meet for lunch tomorrow afternoon. Depending on how that lunch went, she might end up staying with her father for a while.
As Belle headed over to the circulation desk to make sure the computer was turned off, she happened to glance over at the nearby reading table and saw a good number of books had been left out. Wondering how she'd missed them during her initial scan for unshelved books, she walked over to clean up the small mess. But when she reached the table, she stopped upon noticing an envelope bearing her name, which had been left lying atop an open book. In curiosity, she opened the envelope and read the note inside.
Belle, I'm sorry for not cleaning up and leaving your books lying out, but I thought it was best to leave right away. I think I found a way to solve the current problem and defeat Zelena. I met a new friend this morning, named Walsh. He was a traveler back in the Enchanted Forest. He told me there was a way I could bring my father back. Since he's the one who taught Zelena magic, he probably knows how to defeat her. So of course, I have to try. Only thing is, it involves me going back into the Enchanted Forest and locating the Vault of the Dark One. I managed to locate a map to the place in your book. Sorry for tearing out the page. When I get back, with my father at my side, I'll put it back in.
Belle's mouth was opened in shocked horror as she read the letter. Neal was going to try to bring Rumpelstiltskin back? Was that even possible? Visibly stunned, Belle turned to look down at the book that had been left out and saw that it had been written in Latin. Immediately, Belle picked up the book and began to read what it said. As she deciphered what it was saying, the horror on her face grew even more pronounced.
At that moment, the light from a car's headlights began to shine through the door. Looking up from the book, Belle saw the car she recognized as Jefferson's pulling over in front of the library. In a flash, she was running out the door.
"Jefferson!" she cried. "Jefferson, help!"
Discarded clothes littered the floor and the arm of the wicker chair in Room 4 at Granny's. Emma was thankful she'd forgotten to return the room key to Granny yet. It made it much easier for her and Walsh to sneak in without running into anyone. While she was still willing to go through with this, she didn't need the whole town to know about it.
A soft moan of approval slipped out of her throat as she lay back on the bed, clad only in a lacy bra and matching panties. Her fingers were knotted in the shirtless Walsh's hair, tugging his head closer as he placed heavy, sloppy kisses down her neck and shoulder. As he migrated downwards, past her cleavage and down to her waist, Emma began to claw at Walsh's back, lifting her hips up off the bed in an attempt to seek friction. Catching on, Walsh reached down to press the palm of his hand against her center. Immediately, Emma's eyes slipped shut. The moment she did so, an image floated to the surface of her mind. Even though her eyes were closed, she could clearly see a pair of piercing blue eyes fixed on her face.
Emma's eyes snapped open as she let out a shocked gasp of surprise.
"What's wrong?" Walsh asked, looking up from his ministrations.
"N…nothing," Emma muttered. "Just a muscle spasm." Accepting that explanation, Walsh returned to his foreplay, now reaching out to cup her breasts, circling the peaks with his thumbs. Emma, trying to focus on the physical pleasure, shut her eyes again. Like before, she became plagued with the mental image of those same blue eyes. This time, they were accompanied by a painfully sad smile. All at once, a series of recalled memories flooded back to her. The burning sensation of rum being applied to the open wound on her hand, the taste of coconut milk on her tongue, the smell of seawater and worn leather….
"This is wrong," Emma said, her eyes flying open again.
"Mmmm," Walsh moaned, kissing Emma's ear. "But if feels right, to me," Huffing in frustration, Emma shoved him away and rolled out of bed in one movement. Without a second glance, Emma walked over to the chair and grabbed her sweater, pulling it back on.
"Hey, did I do something wrong?" Walsh asked, visibly confused.
"Walsh, I'm sorry," Emma apologized. "I thought I could do this, but I can't. I'm sorry I led you on and gave you the wrong idea. But I think its best we both go home and forget that this happened." In response to this statement, Walsh simply nodded, an unreadable look on his face.
"It's him, isn't it?"
"No, it's not like that," Emma insisted, realizing too late that Walsh hadn't clarified who 'him' was. "I just…realized I wasn't ready for this, after all. I'm sorry." Looking for something to distract herself from the awkwardness, she began to slip her jeans back on.
"And I'm sorry we couldn't do this the easy way."
"What?" Emma frowned in confusion. She turned back around in time to see Walsh's expression shift to a sinister snarl, with his eyes beginning to glow read. Without warning, he lunged for her. As Emma instinctively dodged out of the way, her eyes widened in alarm as she spotted what looked like a syringe in his hand. Because of her dodging in time, Walsh crashed into the wicker chair and toppled over it. A loud bang was heard as his body hit the wall, and a few knickknacks fell to the floor, shattering upon impact. Her adrenaline now going into overtime, Emma spun around to face her attacker, steeling herself for a second attempt. But she was not prepared for what happened next. Instead of seeing Walsh getting to his feet, she watched with growing alarm and shock as a winged monkey appeared from behind the tipped over chair.
"Really?" Emma exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing the nearest heavy object she could find, which ended up being the lamp atop the dresser. The flying monkey glared at Emma, baring his sharp fangs, and Emma braced herself, getting ready to smash the lamp over the monkey's head the instant he was near enough. Before either one could make a move, however, the door to the room flew open. Emma and the monkey both turned towards the open door in unison, but they barely registered the face of the newcomer before a series of crossbow bolts were fired off, one of them embedding itself into the monkey's wing. Under the assault of the crossbow, the flying monkey was forced to retreat, crashing through the window before flying off into the night.
"Emma!" Ruby cried, hurrying into the room, with Granny following close behind, her crossbow still at the ready. "We heard the crash all the way downstairs, and…. are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Emma said, her eyes still trained on the broken window as Granny crossed the room to look outside, scanning the night sky for any sign of the monkey circling back around. Nevertheless, Emma allowed Ruby to steer her to the side of the bed so she could sit down.
"Did it get you?" Granny asked, her tone all business.
"No, he didn't get the chance," Emma replied. "Thank you."
Her heart still pounding in her chest from the excitement, Emma barely heard Granny and Ruby talking about heading out to track down the flying monkey. After all, Granny had hit it right in the wing, so he probably wouldn't be able to get too far. Emma's thoughts didn't come into focus again until her eyes fell upon the syringe on the floor. Realizing Walsh must have dropped it in the turmoil, Emma forced herself back to her feet, ignoring Ruby and Granny instructing her not to. They were clearly worried she'd go into shock. Upon picking up the syringe, Emma immediately noticed the contents were glowing with a faint green color and she quickly grew concerned. This didn't contain rohypnol or other such tranquilizer. So what had Walsh been planning to do?
"Guys, thanks for being concerned about me," Emma stated, turning to face them. "But I'll be fine, really. I need to get over to Regina's place. Hopefully, she'll be able to identify what Walsh was trying to inject me with."
"Ruby, go with her," Granny insisted. "I know you say you're all right, Emma, but I'd feel better if you didn't go over there alone. That monkey might come back to get a second shot at you."
In the end, Emma reluctantly agreed, deciding that humoring Granny was the least she could do, considering she'd probably just saved her life. As Emma and Ruby made their way down the stairs, they nearly ran into Hook, who appeared to have been in the process of racing up the stairwell.
"Swan!" he cried upon seeing her. "What the blazes was that? I was passing by and saw the flying monkey flying through the window!"
Emma, in spite of her best efforts, could only stare at him, visibly shocked by his sudden appearance. All she could do was think about how it had been his eyes that kept appearing in her mind during her failed attempt at a one night stand. The thought of that fact scared her, as if she knew perfectly well what her subconscious was trying to tell her.
Fear filling his expression at Emma's silence, Hook turned to Ruby, who explained everything as best as she could. When she was done, Hook's stood unmoving, his mouth agape as he tried to process everything Ruby had just said. Walsh? The man he'd watched Emma leaving the bar with? He was a flying monkey? And he tried to drug her?
"Swan, did he hurt you?" he asked, focusing on keeping the mounting rage out of his tone.
"Does it matter?" Emma snapped as the past hour began to play back in her memory.
"Humor me."
"Yes, but not in the way you're thinking," Emma admitted. "You want to know what happened, Hook? It was a reminder that men are never who they say they are. Neal promises me a home and a future, but then immediately turns around and sends me to jail for his crime, all because Pinocchio told him that it was for my own good. Walsh, big surprise, turns out to be one of Zelena's flying monkeys who was planning to drug me with something. And then, there's you."
"Emma, what happened that night…." Hook began, bowing his head.
"I told you, I don't want to hear it!" Emma insisted stubbornly. Without another word, Emma continued on her way, leaving Hook rooted to the spot, gazing after her in sorrow, with Ruby giving him a sympathetic look as she followed after Emma.
After the two women were out of sight, a despondent Hook slowly left the building to head off in the other direction. He'd barely reached the main stretch of road when he heard the sound of people calling out to him. He immediately turned around to see Jefferson and Belle running up, fear and alarm on their faces.
"Belle? Jefferson? What's wrong?"
"It's Neal," Belle explained the moment she reached his side. "He's gone into the Enchanted Forest! He's going to try and resurrect his father!"
"He's what?"
"He thinks it's the only way we can defeat Zelena, since he was the one who taught her magic," Jefferson spoke up.
"But he's walking into a trap!" Belle continued. "He plans to initiate a ritual at the Vault of the Dark One. But the book that talks about the vault states the Dark One will only be restored in exchange for another life."
"If Neal tries to bring Mr. Gold back this way," Jefferson concluded, "he'll die."
"Bloody Hell," Hook growled. "Why would he ever do something like that?!"
"I don't think he realizes it," Belle stated as the three began to hurry down the street, heading in the direction of the bean field. "The book that explains it is written in Latin. I don't think he ever got the chance to learn."
"No, he didn't," Hook agreed. "I suppose that's my fault. I should have at least introduced him to the language when I had the chance. But I thought I'd have plenty of time to begin those lessons. But if he couldn't read the bloody book explaining all of this, where'd he come up with the idea in the first place?"
"His letter stated that he got the idea from someone who had been a traveler back in the Enchated Forest. He said his name was Walsh."
"Wait! Walsh?" Hook cried out in alarm. "He said Walsh put the idea into his head?"
"Yes, that's right. Why?"
"Walsh, it turns out, is one of Zelena's flying monkeys. No doubt he was sent by Zelena to be her spy."
"But that would mean…. Zelena wants Neal to try and resurrect Mr. Gold," Jefferson realized. "Why?"
"Whatever her reasons, it can't be good. Which means we have to stop him, before it's too late."
AN: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I'd always planned on ending this chapter here. From this point onward, things are going to be moving pretty quickly. I hope I didn't chase anyone away with the brief Emma/Walsh scene. Believe me, it was necessary.
Also, I'm sorry to the people who like Zelena's character, as you're probably noticing she's not in this story that much. I realized while writing this chapter that I don't particularly like writing her, as it's a bit difficult to portray her as something more than a standard, textbook villain, especially when there's no Lost Year subplot going on. There's only so many times you can have her bemoan about how Regina got everything before she starts looking like an adult Jan Brady.