He used his magic to release the bindings that held Hook to the gate. He could feel through a connection that hadn't been there only seconds ago, a connection he triumphed in and was disgusted by all at the same time, that the pirate wanted to attack. But he didn't. He couldn't. Not when he didn't will Hook to and the pirate's heart was in his hand.

"I'd head inside if I were you. Your lady awaits…" he sneered.

Clean up. That was his goal now. He'd intended to collect power from Emma, and now that his plan had been foiled, he needed a new one. But before he could do that, he had to make sure he cleaned up this mess. There were two people beside Emma who knew of his involvement with her today, but only two knew what he'd truly intended to do. Hook was subdued. It was time to clean up the rest.

As Hook moved into the manor he focused more of his energy on the heart, on the newfound connection he'd established. It'd been a while since he'd done this. Cora and Regina were always the heart rippers, him…not so much. He'd preferred to work alone, or form more organic alliances built on sturdier foundations like blackmail and contracts. Hearts wasn't his move, but he remembered how to do it.

He channeled his magic from the heart to Hook and soon enough was seeing the world through his enemy's eyes, feeling the sensations he was feeling: joy that Emma was still with him, fear over what he'd become involved in, and conviction to tell her exactly what was going on so that Hook and Emma could stop him together.

He smiled at that particular thought. Over his dead body would he tell Emma what they'd been up to. Hook was about to find out just how useful possessing the heart of another could be.

"Swan! Are you all right?!" Hook cried out, running over to her and grasping her in his arms. How very precious of him.

"She didn't do it! She didn't take away her magic!" Elsa, the Snow Queen he'd felt moments before it was too late, assured him from over her shoulder.

"Wow, I've never seen people so happy about me not doing something!" Emma sighed as he held her.

"We'll find another way to defeat the Snow Queen…together!" Hook insisted before…

There it was, that conviction he'd felt earlier. He was going to tell her about him, tell her that if they could defeat the Dark One, they could defeat a Snow Queen without a problem. Not on his watch.

"Let's give those lips something else to do…" he muttered to himself, willing the Captain to kiss her.

He did. But the Captain didn't feel the same euphoria he usually felt when he kissed Emma Swan. He felt confused. He didn't mean to kiss her. He'd meant to talk to her. He needed to talk to her, why was he kissing her instead of talking to her?!

And then fear crept in as understanding began to settle. He was learning his lesson quickly, his old friend.

"Easy tiger!" Emma insisted as she pushed him away. "We've got company. I didn't know you were such a fan of my magic."

"Why would you say that?" he whispered into the heart quickly, feeling Hook's mouth shape the words as his own did when he didn't trust the pirate to come up with something quick enough to explain his zealousness. He willed the pirate to look into her eyes, to use eye contact to prove his trust and loyalty. "I'm a fan of every part of you."

But Emma looked him over, distrust in her eyes. "Are you all right?"

Too much. Wrong words. He hadn't done this in a while, and he hadn't planned on this happening tonight. He hadn't studied Hook well enough to know how to convince his closest associates that he was himself. He had to keep his hands on the reins, but he couldn't hold on too tight lest they figure out his behavior was off. This was why he preferred blackmail.

"Of course, love. Why?" the Captain asked when he willed him to answer her in the affirmative, willed him to make her believe nothing was wrong.

"If you look at me any harder, you're gonna drill a hole in my head."

"Emma!"

He jumped, opening his eyes and coming out of his stupor outside in the grounds just as he heard Mary Margaret shout her name. They'd been found. And an exclamation from David told him it was likely the entire family coming for her. But he needed one more thing from the Captain before the Charming Clan descended.

Make something up and get her outside!

He pressed through this new connection. Through it, he felt the Captain obey.

He smiled. "I'm just relieved. You should go outside. I have a feeling there are a lot of worried people who will be glad to see you."

Hook walked with her a step or two, admiring her smile. Then managed to break away and hang back. In Hook's head, he planted the image of the plan that he'd had for Emma, the room that he'd hidden the hat in, and then watched as Hook turned his attention to those double doors. He glared at them, a knot tightening in his stomach as he made his way there and slid the doors open.

There was the hat, unfed and unused, it appeared to have given up and fit itself back inside its box. Hook stepped forward, regret and anger and confusion surging through him as he grabbed it up safely in his arms, and hid it inside his jacket, to be returned to his greatest enemy at the earliest possible convenience and hidden from the people he was coming to think of as family in the meantime.

"On pain of death, we'll be keeping all our secrets to ourselves," he threatened, unconcerned that that pirate needed such a threat. He didn't. Hell, spiteful and protective as he was he didn't think a death threat would work with him, he held his heart, he knew he'd die for Emma if it would keep her safe. How lucky for him that without his heart, that was no longer his decision to make. "Now…on to the next problem we've created…" he whispered to himself, using his magic to take him into the forest, toward the cave he'd left Ingrid in.

If she wasn't free by now, then she would be soon. Not that captivity seemed to have stopped her, of course. If Emma's story was true, then she'd figure out how to use that damn mirror of hers to get a message to the girl. He was really coming to despise that mirror. His only reassurance that he still had time was that he knew Ingrid still lacked the power to release the magic within it. And, right now, angry as he was, the magic he felt coming off of that thing grounded him somehow.

He hadn't come here to punish, as much as he wanted to. With his plan foiled, he'd need to come up with a new one, and keeping Ingrid as a friendly enemy was going to have to do until he could figure out that next plan. Her magic would make a lovely addition to the hat one day. And until then…he was here to clean up his mess. All he needed to do was feel Ingrid out, make sure that she wouldn't run off and tell on him, make sure that even if she did, no one would believe her. He needed to think, act wisely, and control his temper.

"You look disappointed," Ingrid muttered as she turned around, her magic suddenly sensing him.

"Miss Swan did not behave as I had hoped. Did you have a hand in it?"

"Of course not." Ingrid laughed, holding her hands up in mock surrender so that he could see she now wore one of the yellow ribbons he'd once collected from her and her sisters ages ago. His stomach turned. That was bad. "My hands were trapped here the entire time. Although, as you said, the urn dust didn't last long at all."

She moved closer to him, and he extended a hand, readying magic within his body for a defense should he need it. "I'd keep my distance if I were you."

"You really don't understand what's happening, do you?" Ingrid pressed, sounding almost giddy after being held prisoner. That was a bad sign. He didn't want to look away from her, not when she was so clearly interested in intimidating him, but he did so dearly want to check the box behind her to see if she still had those other two ribbons in her possession. "I wasn't the one who saved Emma. Elsa was. They really are quite wonderful together…like sisters."

"Your strange fixation really holds no interest for me."

"Oh, but it should. And it will. You see, these ribbons were of no use to me until this moment. They can bond three magical sisters together, but only if all of us are a perfect match."

"And what makes for this perfect match?"

"When all three have embraced their powers, which we now have, thanks to you."

He felt his stomach roll over as a swell of magic filled the air and the ribbon on her hand began to glow. That was more magic than he'd ever felt coming off of her. And he didn't need to look at the box behind her to know…the other two ribbons were with Elsa and Emma. He highly doubted that it was voluntary, but the magic didn't require voluntarily being sisters.

"Now I wield the magic of my three sisters. Now my mirror is complete. And with this power, I can finally cast a spell over all of Storybrooke. I could probably even defeat you and decorate this place with your bones," she stepped forward and placed a hand over his chest menacingly. "Shall I try?"

He refused to flinch, no matter how much her words, her power, made him want to cower. "Dearie, I warn you…do not overestimate your power," he threatened before he turned and left the cave.

"And I warn you!" she shouted after him. "Don't underestimate it!"

That wouldn't be happening, he was very aware of the trouble that he was in, that all of Storybrooke was in. He wasn't worried about cleaning up anymore. Ingrid had other things to occupy her time and he…with that ticking time bomb of a monstrosity in her lair, he had other things to worry about.

Filler chapter. The writers needed a scene to tie everything from this episode into a nice bow and set it up for the last act and so they created a filler scene. Filler scenes make for filler chapters, but at least this filler chapter is one of my own making and, let's face it, at least these two translate better than the last chapter did.

Thank you for the reviews you've given on the chapters thus far, Rsbeall12 and Grace5231973. I really do appreciate them, especially on chapters like the last where I'm not always so sure those are decent enough for publishing. Just a quick house keeping note: the next installment of Banishment is out Monday. For those of you who aren't Banishment readers, in order to keep these stories "T" I heavily redact or edit out entirely certain scenes of a mature nature from the story and stash them all in what I call, Banishment. It's only available through a DocX connection with me and only when I know you want it (unless you've told me you want the updates automatically, then they just come to you). So, I'll be editing that next section of Banishment (as much as I care to, at least) tomorrow, and then it'll be going out on Monday. If you are not signed up for Banishment and want it, be sure to get in touch with me. If your not signed up and don't want it, no harm no foul! Until Monday, Peace and Happy Reading!