"He should be just around the bend." Alice strode confidentially, trying her best not to think about the whereabouts of her archer.
"Alice, are you sure that getting the dark one involved is such a good idea?" Hook asked, keeping a safe amount of distance between him and his daughter.
"Yes! He's not the man that everyone thinks he is." The blonde argued back. Rumpelstiltskin was like a second Father to her and she wasn't going to let anyone, even her own Papa speak ill of him, not after he had done so much for her.
"I know love...but he also doesn't do anything without something in return, and I don't think we've got anything to offer him," Hook mumbled, worried that the dark one in him would take advantage of the desperation in Alice and use it for his own gain.
"Rumpelstiltskin...Rumpelstiltskin!" Alice called out, ignoring the worries of her Papa, all she could focus on was getting Robin back in one piece.
"Alice...My dear Alice." The scaly man appeared, starling the group.
"I need your help...a coven of witches, they have Robin," Alice announced, standing her ground.
"Witches, you say?" Rumple mumbled as he circled the group, trying and failing to intimidate them.
"The coven of the eight." Regina corrected, sending the man a friendly smirk.
"They have my daughter...you have to help us," Zelena demanded, not in the mood for her former teacher's games.
"No…" Rumple answered in a sing-song voice.
"What? No, please." Alice begged, reaching out to grab the man's arm.
"I have an outstanding deal with the coven and I can't afford to be broken," Rumple explained shrugging off the girl's touch.
"What if it was your son? I thought you were a changed man!" Zelena shouted, growing more frustrated as more time went by.
"My son wouldn't be so stupid...everyone knows not to mess with the coven!" Rumple snapped back.
"Rumple...please, I don't know what I'll do if anything happens to her…" Alice teared up as she stared sadly at her friend.
"I'm sorry Alice, but at this rate...I highly doubt there will be much of her left." Rumple said what everyone had been thinking, forcing Zelena to seek comfort in her sister's arms, and Hook to kick the ground violently. Getting Rumple on board was their last hope, and now all that was gone…any hope of getting Robin was gone.
"What if I make a deal?" Alice whispered, prompting all eyes to burn into her.
"Alice don't!" Hook stepped forward, only to be stopped by a coursing pain flowing through his chest.
"What kind of deal?" The Dark One asked, drawing the blonde closer to him.
"Anything you want, as long as you help us bring Robin home safely." The blonde pleaded, willing to do any and everything for her love.
"Starfish…changed or not Rumpelstiltskin is not the kind of man you make deals with!" Hook shouted prompting the blonde to turn and face her worried Papa.
"If he can get her back to me, then he is exactly the kind of man I need!" Alice smiled sadly at her Papa, hating having to stand up to the man like that, but she could deal with the repercussions of that after Robin was back home. "So, do we have a deal?" The blonde snarled as she turned back to The Dark One.
"Dea-" Rumple was interrupted by Zelena as he was about to touch Alice's hand.
"Wait! What do you want from her in return?" The redhead snapped, knowing that Robin would want her to look after the blonde in her absence.
"That, is between Alice and I and it shall be discussed after we rescue her little archer...now, deal?" The Dark One held out his hand once again, daring Alice to shake it.
"For Robin...Deal!" The blonde spoke with emotion laced in her voice, as she grabbed The Dark One's hand, sealing whatever fate he had in mind for her.
Robin was almost broken, after hours of beatings, of magic enchantments, the archer didn't know how much more she could take. But she knew that whatever happened to her, she would never betray her love, no amount of torture would ever make that happen.
"Give it up girl!" Gothel snarled as she tightened the grip on the thorny branches digging deep into Robin already bleeding skin.
"How many times do I have to tell you...I don't have magic, you crazy bitch!" Robin spat, sending trickles of blood down her chin.
"I know you have what I need girl...I just need to find out how to get it." Gothel squared up to the girl, taking her by the throat and squeezing hard.
"If you tell me what you're after maybe I can help? I help you...you let me go. It's a win-win situation." The archer gasped for air, as the witch's hold on her tightened.
"This isn't my first kidnapping. I tell you my plan and then you run off and tell that little team of yours. I don't think so!" The witch whispered as the archer's kicked and screamed for air.
"Mother Gothel, if we keep this up any longer...I'm afraid we might lose her." A minion spoke up, reminding Gothel of why she needed the archer in the first place, prompting her to releases the brunette's throat from her tight hold.
"Maybe that's what she needs...a little brush with her Mother's Ex." Gothel laughed wickedly as she walked over to the minion, hatred painted on her face.
"Hades...my Mother killed him when I was a baby! Just shows how much you know!" Robin breathed heavily as she provoked the woman once again.
"Hades…killed? Not in this realm sweetie." The redhead laughed, sending shivers down the archer's spine. She was sure that if she ever made it out of there alive, that laugh would most definitely haunt her dreams for years to come.
"You will be when my Mom and Aunt Regina get here!" Robin boasted, still holding on to the hope that Alice had made it out of the forest.
"The Not So Wicked Witch and the Lesser Half of The Evil Queen? I'm terrified!" Gothel mocked, as she added another thick thorny branch to the collection tightly wrapped around the brunette, pinning her to the wet mossy wall, leaving the archer alone until her next round of torture.
"You forgot about me, dearie!" Gothel jumped as The Dark One appeared in front of her, accompanied by Regina, Zelena, Hook, and Alice.
"Rumpelstiltskin! You can't be here, we have a deal!" Gothel snarled at him, smirking proudly.
"It seems that I got a better offer!" The Dark One smirked, wiping the frown from the redhead's face.
"Release the girl or face the end of my sword!" Hook stepped up, the blade pressed up against the witch's throat.
"Oh, if it isn't my favorite pirate, here for another round?" The witch purred, as she slowly ran a finger up the pirate's arm, before being violently pushed away.
"It's over Gothel! Give me back my daughter!" Zelena snapped, using her magic to choke the witch, only to realize that their magic was being dampened and had no effect on the more powerful witch.
"What daughter?" Gothel smirked as she flicked her wrist towards the cave where Robin was being held, lighting it up for the group to see her prisoner, before sending a burst of magic her way, quickly transporting the brunette away.
"Where did...where did you send her!" Alice shouted, stepping out from her protective place behind Regina.
"Alice…" Gothel muttered.
"Mother...No Monster!" Alice spat, her hatred for the woman laced in every word.
"Don't worry...I'm not here to hurt you. I'm doing all this for you, to bring us together…" Gothel tried to walk closer to the blonde, only to be stopped a sharp cold blade against her throat.
"Not on my watch! You trapped her in a tower, left her to die! You cursed my heart, separated us! It will be a cold day in hell before I let you anywhere near her!" Hook hissed through gritted teeth.
"One day...you'll understand what I did Alice, and you'll forgive me." Gothel ignored the pirate, her eyes never leaving Alice's as she tried to move once more, adding pressure to the blade.
"Don't you even think about it! You are coming with me and I'm going to put you back in prison where you belong!" The pirate spat.
"I'm afraid my services are no longer needed here Captain...until next time," Gothel smirked, before poofing herself and all her minion's away.
"Robin...where did she send Robin!" Zelena and Alice said, almost in unison as they entered the cave where Robin had been kept. The ground was littered with the archer's blood, sweat and tears, the branches that had held her, lay dead collapsed over each other and the air, it held the pain and screams, making it almost unbearably painful to breathe in.
"Don't worry, we'll find her," Hook muttered, holding back the urge to get any closer to his daughter.
"Zelena...do you feel that?" Regina whispered as her fingertips began to tingle.
"Yes...the energy in here, I'm going to kill her for what she did to my daughter." Zelena nodded, feeling every cry, curse and scream that Robin had let out.
"We need to get to her quick, if she doesn't get some medical attention soon...there won't be any of her left." Regina whimpered at the thought of her niece laying in a ditch somewhere, injured and bleeding.
"No! This is all my fault! Mother...Gothel is doing all this because of me! She captured Robin and did god knows what because of me…" Alice began to panic, pacing the small cave, careful not to tread to close to her Papa.
"No Starfish...none of this is your fault! Gothel is the purest of evil, who only does what is needed for her own personal gain!" Hook muttered, hiding the twinges of pain he was feeling as Alice moved around the cave. "We will find Robin...all of us!"
"Your Father is right, we just have to stay strong Alice," Zelena added, stopping the blonde and pulling her into her arms. "Our girl is strong...and I hate to quote those love-struck idiots. But, we are family and family always find each other." The redhead laughed slightly, before placing a small kiss on the blonde's hairline.
"That's it!" Regina announced loudly.
"Care to clue me in Sis?" Zelena rolled her eyes at the brunette, not making a move to let go of the blonde in her arms.
"The only reason we couldn't use a locator spell was because Gothel had been blocking out any outside magic until Rumple lowered the barrier enough to get us in." The brunette witch explained.
"So now that Gothel has sent her somewhere else, we could possibly use a locator spell to find her! Why didn't I think of that?!" Rumple added kicking himself for his former student outsmarting him.
"We just need something that belongs to Robin," Regina added, receiving a collective sigh from the group.
"Well, there goes that idea…" Zelena mumbled.
"I have an idea...but you aren't going to like this," Alice spoke up as she looked over to her Papa, hoping that he wouldn't freak out.
"We're all ears…"
"My heart…it has belonged to Robin since the day I met her, would that work?" Alice asked, praying that she this would be the key to finding her love.
"What?! You can't be serious Starfish!" Hook was quick to disagree with the plan, while the three of the magic users shared silent glances with each other.
"I've never done a locator spell with a heart before…Rumple?" Regina shrugged.
"It's not impossible…but it would only work if the love is pure and if Robin felt the same way of course." The Dark One itched his head, unsure if this was actually going to work.
"She…I think she does…." Zelena mumbled, sending Alice a hopeful glance.
"Are you sure you want to do this Alice?" Regina asked, taking a step towards the shaking blonde girl.
"I need to find her…do it." Alice nodded, preparing herself for what was about to come.
"This is going to hurt."
Armed with the enchanted heart of the blonde girl, the group found themselves deep in the forest near the Resistance's campsite. Following the glowing heart, every inch at a time, until the light in the heart faded leaving it practically useless in Regina's hand.
"Brace yourself…" Regina whispered, before plunging the heart back into the blonde chest, leaving the girl breathless and slightly bruised from the entire experience.
"So it brought us back here...all that and we are back where we started!" Zelena let out a frustrated growl, kicking up leaves and stomping on branches in anger until she noticed a large lump buried beneath a pile of broken branches.
"Robin!" Zelena shouted as she darted to her daughter's side, followed closely by Alice.
"A-Alice...the witches…" Robin tried and failed to lift her head, too weak and broken.
"Don't, you need to keep your strength up." Alice coed as she tentatively ran her fingers through the brunette's blood-soaked hair.
"Stand back…" Regina spoke, as she waved her hand over Robin's injured body performing a healing spell, but instead of healing the girl's injuries, it caused to her to scream out in pain and curse under her breath.
"Why did you stop!" Zelena announced, knowing that her daughter was going to be in some pain during the spell because of the severity of her injuries.
"Gothel has put an enchantment on her, anything magical that we try to do to save her will only make her worse," Regina explained as she knelt down beside her niece, offering her a small smile of apology.
"What does that mean?" Alice questioned, sitting back down beside her love. Gently she took the archers hand, cradling it between her own while placing small kisses lightly on the palm.
"It means that our girl has to heal a normal person who isn't lucky enough to have any witches in her family...we need to get her home," Zelena answered for her sister as she watched the interaction between the two girls, smiling at the fact that Alice still managed to make Robin blush even when she was laying almost dead in the middle of the forest.
"I've got her," Hook announced as he nodded at his daughter, signaling for her to move.
"Robin, I'm here...just not you know, right here," Alice mumbled as she brushed the tattered hair away from the brunette's forehead, leaning down she gently placed a small kiss, letting her lips linger longer than what would be expected.
"I've got her Starfish, don't worry." Her Papa whispered as she back away from her almost sleeping love.
"I believe my services here are no longer needed...and we have a matter of payment to discuss," Rumple spoke up, grabbing Alice's arm to keep her by his side, while the others headed towards the Emerald Acres Farm.
"I'll catch up…" Alice shouted, sending one last glance at her now safe love, thinking that this would be the last time she saw her. "What do you want from me?" The blonde snapped uncharacteristically at the man she once thought of as a second Father.
"One simple thing...in return for my help, you have to promise me that you never stop loving Robin…" The Dark One smirked at the now confused blonde.
"What?" Alice stuttered.
"I've been around my fair share of true love, and what you feel for Robin, is one of the strongest and purest kind of true love out there...true love is a powerful thing, a power that I may need in the years to come." Rumple coughed, trying to make it seem like he wasn't emotionally attached to the blonde girl or her happiness.
"Thank you…" Alice smiled bright, before pulling the man into an unexpected hug.
"Go. I'll see you again soon, Alice." The Dark One whispered as he hugged the girl tight back.
"Hey…" Alice whispered as she tiptoed into Robin's bedroom. In the blonde's absence, Zelena had made a point of undressing Robin changing her into some pyjamas, cleaning her skin of the dried in blood and tended to her open wounds, before settling her in bed.
"There's my Tower Girl...I was so worried." Robin's voice was hoarse, as she reached out her hand for the blonde, who quickly rushed over to her side, intertwining their fingers gently.
"You were, try being in my shoes." Alice laughed, feeling the emotions of the day finally bubbling up inside her. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you…" Alice whispered, tears streaming down her face. With a grunt, Robin managed to sit up just enough, to rest her hand on her cheek.
"You're never going to lose me Alice...like it or not, you're stuck with me." Robin winked, before leaning in to capture the blonde's lips with her own. Gently stroking her thumb lovingly over the blonde woman's cheek as Alice smiled brightly into the kiss.
"I can't imagine never feeling that again…" Alice whispered against the archer's lips, before moving to place sweet kisses down the brunette's neck, being careful as she kissed the small cuts littered all over her.
"If this is what healing like a normal person is like...I'd happily get injured every day for the rest of my life." Robin joked as she threaded her fingers through blonde locks, moaning silently as Alice sucked down on a spot just behind her ear that she had found on their first date.
"Don't you dare Robin Mills! Do you know what I had to go through to get you back!" Alice pulled back, a scolding smirk plastered on her face.
"Mom said that you were pretty badass...even went as far as to make a deal with The Dark One…what were you thinking Alice?!" Robin glared at the woman by her side, taking this moment as the perfect opportunity to tell Alice how incredibly stupid it was to get The Dark One involved.
"I was thinking that I couldn't bear the thought of losing the woman I love!" Alice smiled brightly, saying those words with ease after everything they had just been through.
"Love?" Robin nearly choked, as Alice climbed over her, to the side of Robin's bed she had claimed as her own.
"Yes, love! I love you Nobin." Alice Eskimo kissed her love, before attacking her lover's lips with hundreds of little kisses, teasing the ever-growing frustrated brunette.
"I wanted to say it first…" Robin pouted after Alice finally pulled away.
"You are unbelievable, you know that?" The blonde kissed away the playful pout that rested on her face, letting her lips linger until they could hardly breathe.
"Come here…" The archer opened her arm, with a small hiss of pain, allowing Alice to carefully cuddle in beside her, gripping onto the brunette shirt. "I love you too Tower Girl…" Robin whispered into Alice's hair, as her hand roamed the girls back, trying to find a way to get closer to the blonde, to feel her hot skin on her fingertips.
"Rest...there will be plenty of time for that once you are better." Alice winked placing a small kiss on the brunette's neck, before contently drifting off into a peaceful slumber, safe and sound in her true love's arms, a place she planned to stay for the rest of her life.