XVII. "Brilliant deduction, Prince Charming."
–[Storybrooke - Present]–
Mr Gold drives his car before the town boundary before getting out and then pops the truck, where Smee is bound and gagged inside. Mr Gold removes the gag and leads Smee over to the town line. "This will only take a moment," Mr Gold assures his captive.
"Don't…push me over. If I cross the line, I'll lose my memory. It's a cruel fate," Smee cries, looking behind him at the orange spray paint lining the border.
"A fate you were more than willing to bestow upon Belle," he argues angrily, kicking Smee to the ground and taking his hat. "You've had this rag since the day we met. Why is it so important to you?"
"My grandmother made it for me when I was a boy. It's always brought me good fortune. What difference does it make?" Smee asks, and Mr Gold pours a potion over the hat, causing it to glow with magic.
"Oh… All the difference in the world. It's your only chance," the Dark One informs him before throwing the hat back at the meagre pirate, who quickly puts it on.
"What do you mean, my only-?" He asks, when suddenly, Mr Gold pushes Smee over the town boundary, and a surge of blue magic pulses through his body. Then, he stops.
"What's your name?" Mr Gold questions him.
"William Smee," the former pirate replies, surprised.
"And who am I?" He muses.
"Rumpelstiltskin. The Dark One. I remember everything! How can this be?" Smee exclaims, excited.
"Well, it seems our little experiment was a success. Now go," Mr Gold orders, letting Smee flee the scene. "I have a trip to plan."
{SPELLBINDING}
Several of the Storybrooke residents gather around a casket and a tombstone. It reads 'Archibald Hopper - Friend and Conscience'. Mary Margaret gives a eulogy to the crowd. "Some of us knew him as Archie. Others, as Jiminy. But we all knew him as a true friend. And though he may now be gone, he will always live on inside of us. Reminding us to be our best selves, to do the right thing, to always fight for what we believe in. So, we shouldn't think of today as goodbye, just as a way of saying… Archie, we'll be listening." Marco walks up to the tombstone and lays Archie's umbrella against it. Henry hides his face in Emma's side as Landon wraps his arms around his nephew and girlfriend.
"I miss you so much, my friend. Well, at least… You are in a better place," Marco mutters sadly.
{SPELLBINDING}
In the hold of Killian's ship, he interrogates Archie, who is still tied up. "Wait! No, please, don't! Wait! Please! Please!" Archie cries.
"Shh… As your patient, the Dark One must've told you all manner of secrets. Where is his dagger?" Killian demands.
"I don't know anything about a dagger," he replies, tears streaming down his face.
"No, you don't, do you? It's his weakness. Now, tell me, does he have any others?" Hook asks, and Archie doesn't say anything. "Very well. I've always wanted to dissect a cricket." He digs his hook into Archie's forehead, scaring the Doctor.
"No! Wait. Wait. Please," Jiminy cries.
"Ah… That's more like it. Now tell me, Cricket, what is his weakness?" Killian snaps.
{SPELLBINDING}
Belle enters Mr Gold's Pawn Shop to see him at the front. "Hey," Belle smiles, walking towards him. "What, uh… What's wrong that you couldn't tell me on the phone?"
"I did it. I can leave," Mr Gold announces, smiling.
"You can cross the town line?" She asks, smiling back at him, happy for him.
"Indeed, I can," he replies, showing her the potion he used on Smee. "When I pour this potion onto the object I hold most dear, that object becomes a talisman, and allows me to cross the town line and still remember who I am."
"And who are you looking for?" The bookworm wonders.
"My boy," the Dark One tells her, and a look of understanding crosses her face.
"What, um… What will you enchant?" Belle asks.
"Well…" Mr Gold says, revealing a hidden safe behind a painting behind the front counter. He unlocks the sage, pulling out a well-worn shawl. "This shawl…is all I have left of my Baelfire."
"I don't suppose I could come with you?" She asks, wanting to be with him.
"No, I… I… I truly wish you could, but… I only have enough of this potion for one object," he informs her, putting the shawl back into the safe. "Hey. This is my journey, Belle. This is my journey. I'm afraid it's something I have to do alone." He pulls her into a hug, which she happily returns.
"I know," the Beauty mutters, though she wishes she could be with him when he finds his son.
{SPELLBINDING}
Belle enters the library after talking with Mr Gold and grabs a handful of books to put away. She runs into Killian, who is reading a book in one of the aisles, waiting for her. "Uh, sorry. The… The library's not open yet," Belle tells him.
"Oh. I'm not here for the books, love," Killian replies smugly.
"You. You're the one who broke into my cell at the Queen's palace," she realises, recognising him before running out into the main part of the library with Killian following her. "You wanted to kill Rumpelstiltskin."
"Oh, I still do. But, right now, I'll settle for you," he argues, and she pushes a cart of books on top of Killian and runs into the elevator. Hook frees himself from the pile and dashes towards the lift, but the door shuts in his face. He bangs on the elevator door while Belle calls Mr Gold from inside.
"Hey, Belle," Mr Gold greets her, smiling.
"Rumpel, I'm… I'm in the elevator. There's a man here. He broke in. He wants to kill me," the librarian gasps.
"Belle? You're… You're breaking up. Who's in the library?" He asks, trying to hear her.
"…Pirate-," Belle says as the line cracks.
"Belle?" The Dark One questions.
"…A hand. Missing a hand-," she adds.
"Belle?" Mr Gold calls.
"Hello?" The bookworm gasps as the line cuts out, and she hangs up the phone.
"Belle?" He repeats, trying to hear something, but there's nothing, so he rushes out of his shop, heading for the library.
Not too long later, Belle is trapped in the elevator when someone bangs on the door, trying to get in. When the door opens, it turns out to be Mr Gold, not Killian. She runs into his arms, feeling safe. "Belle. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. Here," Mr Gold says, soothing her and placing his jacket over her shoulders.
"Where… Where is he?" Belle asks, looking around as if Hook will jump out at them at any moment.
"I don't know. But you've nothing to fear. I'm here now," he assures her, leading her out of the library.
{SPELLBINDING}
Henry is brooding on his bed at Mary Margaret's apartment, and Emma enters the room with a pop tart on a plate, trying to cheer him up a little. "Hey, kid. You hungry?" Emma asks him. "I managed to wrangle up a pop tart."
"No, thanks," Henry replies, and she heads back to the living room, where Mary Margaret and the others from the funeral gather for the wake.
"Well, that went well," she mutters, feeling useless.
"Emma, you're doing all you can do," Mary Margaret assures her.
"That's what makes me feel awful," the blond woman argues.
"Ladies? The Dwarves have been thinking. We have to ask – when do we go back?" Leroy asks, making them look at him.
"Back? Where?" Emma questions, frowning.
"The Enchanted Forest. Our home," he replies.
"You want to go back?" Mary Margaret asks her old friend.
"We fought really hard to get here," Emma argues.
"But with what Regina did to Archie, Storybrooke ain't as safe as we thought," Leroy replies.
"We're going to find her. There's only so many places she can hide," she assures him.
"We've dealt with her before, we'll do it again," Mary Margaret tells him.
"But it's not just her. The curse is broken. There's a whole world full of people beyond the town line that don't know who or what we are. Ever think of what might happen if one of them were to come pay us a visit?" Leroy argues, looking at them.
"He's right. What if they see, you know, magic? Like a girl turning into a wolf, for example? Folks weren't exactly understanding back in our world," Ruby agrees, joining them.
"Okay, let's not worry about 'what ifs'. No one is here," Emma snaps, stopping them from panicking.
"Yet. Maybe they come, maybe they don't," Leroy argues. "But that doesn't change the fact that while we might enjoy things like penicillin, we're a bit homesick."
{SPELLBINDING}
Mr Gold and Belle are walking back to Mr Gold's Pawn Shop along the main street. "Where are you going?" Belle asks him.
"The shop," Mr Gold replies calmly.
"Why?" She wonders.
"Well, let's just say, there are many wonderful things in there that I could use to make sure that pirate never comes near you ever again." He tells her.
"Rumpel, no. We… We need to report this to the Sheriff," the librarian argues. "They'll take care of him. You're so close to finding your son. Please. Please, don't let your hatred for this man get in the way of that."
"But he tried to harm you," the Dark One snaps, hating the thought of losing her again.
"But why? What… What happened between you two?" Belle asks, confused.
"Belle… This is really not your concern," Mr Gold tells her.
"He attacked me. It most definitely is my concern," she argues.
"Many years ago, I was married to a woman named Milah… Until Hook crossed our paths," he replies, telling her the short version.
"She was Baelfire's mother?" The bookworm questions.
"Yeah. And because of that marauding cur, he grew up without her. He took my wife – he took Bae's mother – so I took his hand," the Dark One explains, though he leaves out the part where he killed Milah.
"That's why he came after me. But, uh, what… What about her?" Belle wonders, her curious mind working. "What… What did he do? Rumpel, you can… You can tell me anything."
"She died. That's all that matters," Mr Gold replies shortly.
{SPELLBINDING}
The couple arrive at the shop and enter to discover that the entire shop has been ransacked. "What happened here?" Belle gasps, looking at the destruction.
"Hook," Mr Gold growls. "This is why he attacked you."
"To get you out of the store. What did he want?" She wonders, and Mr Gold checks the sage and finds it empty, answering her question.
{SPELLBINDING}
Hook spies on the couple from a nearby rooftop through his telescope while Smee holds the stolen shawl, joining his Captain. "You have it, Mr Smee?" Killian asks him.
"What is it, Captain?" Smee asks, not getting a lot of information from his Captain.
"It's the end of the crocodile's hope. Now he's trapped here," he replies, smirking as he watches Rumpelstiltskin lose a bit of hope.
{SPELLBINDING}
Mr Gold smashes things with his cane in a rage until Belle stops him. "Rumpel! Rumpel! Stop it! Stop, please," Belle shouts.
"No, you're right," Mr Gold replies, acting calm though he's seething underneath.
"Hey…" she mutters, stepping towards him.
"I'll have to retrieve what's mine," he tells her, stalking towards the exit.
"Let me… Let me help you," the librarian offers.
"This is my fight," the Dark One argues.
"And this is my fault! If Hook had never attacked me, you never would have left the shop," Belle replies, wanting to help him.
"How do you propose that we get the shawl back?" Mr Gold asks. "Have you duelled with a pirate before? How exactly are you going to help me?"
"Well, I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing!" She snaps.
"No. You're going to go back to the library, lock the door, and wait for me to dispense with this problem!" He orders.
"And, if I don't? You'll… You'll cast some spell that gives me no choice?" The bookworm argues.
"No. I trust you'll do as I wish, as you trust me to be a better man. Belle, please. Hook has maybe cost me the chance of finding my son. I don't want to lose you, too. Here, look. I want you to take this," the Dark One says, pulling out a gun from one of the drawers and handing it to Belle. "Just in case Hook is stupid enough to come after you again. Point this, pull this trigger, and the gun'll do the rest for you. Alright? Alright?!"
"Yes, yes," Belle replies, looking at the firearm, and he tries to leave again, but Belle stops him at the door. "W-Wait. Promise me that you going after Hook is just about getting the shawl back." Mr Gold looks at her for a second, not saying anything before abruptly leaving.
{SPELLBINDING}
Belle leaves the Pawn Shop and heads back to the library, cleaning up the mess of books. Amongst the pile, she finds a knotted piece of rope. Growing curious, she finds a book titled 'A Nautical Guide' and looks through it. She finds a page on ship knots and discovers that the piece of knotted rope is called 'the Monkey's Fist. "Hook came here on his ship," Belle realises and comes up with an idea.
{SPELLBINDING}
Carrying a bag, Smee heads down the main street of Storybrooke nervously. When he reaches a car park, he's confronted by Mr Gold. "Leaving town, Mr Smee?" Mr Gold questions, using Magic; Mr Gold pins Smee to the wall, making him struggle to breathe. "I spared your life. And this is how you repay me? That object you stole from me – I want it back."
"I gave it to Hook," Smee replies nervously.
"And where is he?" He demands, glaring at the snivelling man.
"I don't know," the former pirate tells him. "W-We met on a rooftop. He didn't tell me anything."
"And why would he?" The Dark One muses. "Hook knows exactly what you are, Mr Smee - a snivelling rat." Mr Gold magically transforms Smee into a rat in a puff of black smoke. "Now, scurry off."
{SPELLBINDING}
Belle makes her way down to the docks to search for Hook's ship but finds the place deserted. "Where is it?" She wonders, looking around and glancing up, and notices several seagulls perched on a seemingly invisible object. She grabs a handful of feed from a nearby container and throws it at the base of the 'ship'. The feed reveals the stairway leading onto the vessel. "Found you."
{SPELLBINDING}
Belle carefully walks up the stairs until she crosses an invisible barrier, allowing her to see the ship herself. She quietly goes below deck, being careful not to make too much noise in case someone is aboard that she doesn't want to run into. "Hello!" She hears Archie yell out.
"Uh… H-Hello?" Belle calls out nervously, though she recognises the voice.
"Down here!" He shouts, and Belle opens the grate and finds Archie tied up inside. "Belle! Oh, thank God!"
"Archie! You're… You… You're okay!" She exclaims, smiling.
"Yes, I… I… I am. I… I… Can… Can you, uh…" Dr Hopper asks, and she grabs a nearby sword, cutting Archie's bonds. He quickly unties his legs himself and climbs out.
"Go. Find Mr Gold. Tell him I'm here. Bring him back to the ship," the librarian tells him.
"Wait. You're not coming with me?" Archie questions, frowning, when they hear a creaking noise above.
"Go. Go! Go, go! There's no time to argue," Belle hisses, and Archie runs, leaving her behind.
{SPELLBINDING}
David and Mary Margaret are washing dishes at the apartment, glancing back to see Henry sitting on his bed and calling someone. "Who's he calling?" David wonders, and they faintly hear Archie's office phone recording.
"You've reached the office of Archibald Hopper. I'm sorry I can't take your call right now. I'm either with a patient-," the recording of Archie's voice says.
"Or dead," Henry grumbles, hanging up, and David walks over, sitting beside his grandson on the bed.
"It's okay, buddy. Things will get better, I promise. You just…got to hang in there," David assures him, trying to help.
"Doesn't feel that way," he argues.
"I know. I know," Charming mutters, pulling him closer when suddenly Pongo bursts through the front door and rushes over to Henry.
"Pongo!" The Mills boy beams, looking at the dog.
"How did he get in here?" Mary Margaret wonders, looking at the dog and then at the door to see Emma and Landon walking inside.
"We brought him. Marco and I had a chat," Emma explains, smiling softly as she looks at her son. "Archie knew how much Henry loves this dog. We decided he should have him. That is, if you're up for taking care of him, Henry."
"Yeah, I am!" Henry replies happily, and they see the trail of mud brought in by Pongo.
"Henry, why don't you take Pongo outside and clean him up?" She suggests, and Landon smiles, glad to see his nephew happy.
"Okay. Come on. Come on, boy! Come on! Let's go! Come on, boy," he beams, leading Pongo outside, and Landon waves his hand, cleaning up the mud.
"Alright, look. I know that there's a lot to work out logistically, but-," the blond woman says, looking at her parents.
"No, no, no. I think giving Pongo to Henry is a great idea. It's just four people and a dalmatian in this loft. Things might get a little-," Mary Margaret replies.
"Cramped. I know. We'll get creative. I mean, Landon offered to let us stay round his from time to time," Emma assures them.
"Or… We could get our own place," she argues.
"You want to do what?" Landon asks, looking at Snow, confused, with David and Emma.
"You want to move out?" David questions.
"Whoa! I… It's just a suggestion," Mary Margaret exclaims, holding her hands up at them.
"After twenty-eight years, isn't this what we've all been waiting for? To be together under the same roof?" Emma asks.
"Yes! I just… Imagined a bigger roof. …With turrets. Being here in Storybrooke, we have a chance at a fresh start. Let's take it," she replies.
{SPELLBINDING}
Belle places the gun on a counter and begins searching the room for the shawl. She finds a locked box on a shelf but no key. She continues searching, finds the key on one of the shelves, and opens the box. Inside, however, there are only a few pieces of hold. Meanwhile, Killian returns to the ship and heads down, hearing the commotion. "Looking for this?" Killian asks, holding the missing shawl.
"Uh, that doesn't belong to you," Belle argues, glaring at him.
"Oh, it does now," he replies, and they both glance at the gun. Belle attempts to grab it, but Hook is fast. "Oh… My dear Belle, you should've stayed with your books. Real life can get so… Messy." he points the gun at her head.
"I'm not afraid of you, and I'm not leaving without that," she snaps, and he places the shawl on the counter.
"Well, I admire your loyalty. But helping Rumpelstiltskin? I'm afraid you're fighting a lost cause," Hook retorts.
"He needs that shawl to find his son," the librarian argues.
"And what makes you think his son wants to be found? Mm?" Killian questions. "I'm doing that boy a favour."
"Have you not hurt Rumpel enough?" Belle asks.
"Oh. I've hurt him?" He muses.
"You stole his wife," she snaps, having only heard part of the story between the two men.
"Tell me something, love. If a woman comes to you and begs you to take her away, is that theft?" Hook questions.
"Why would she leave him?" The bookworm wonders.
"Because he was a coward. And because she loved me. I should have burned this the moment I acquired it," Killian replies, smiling.
"Why didn't you?" Belle asks, frowning.
"Because she made it," he tells her.
"I'm sorry she died, but… Vengeance? Vengeance won't bring her back," she argues.
"Died? Like it was some kind of accident? Is that what he told you?" The Pirate Captain asks, frowning back at her.
"He… Well, he… He didn't say," the librarian stutters.
"No, of course not. Of course he'd leave out the most important detail of her passing," Killian chuckles, shaking his head.
"And, uh… What would that be?" Belle asks him.
"He killed her. He ripped out her heart, and he crushed it right in front of me," he explains.
"No…" She whispers, shaking her head in disbelief and betrayal.
"Oh, yes," Hook replies.
"No!" The bookworm snaps.
"Yes. He will do anything – anything – to hold on to his power," Killian sneers. "Why do you think anyone who's ever gotten close to him, has either run away, or been killed? Now, what makes you think you're any different? Tell me something, darling. Why would you want to fight for a man like that?"
"Because I still see good in him. Because I believe he's changed," Belle argues. "Because his heart? Is true. And yours? Yours is rotten." She slams the oar that's hanging from the ceiling into Killian's head, making him stumble backwards and fall into the storage area where Archie was held. Belle grabs the shawl from the counter and runs upstairs.
"You have no idea…" He groans, and Belle makes her way above deck, where Killian cuts her off.
"How the hell did you…?" She questions, frowning.
"Oh, I know this ship like the back of my…" Hook replies, raising his hooked hand. "Well, you know. I'd suggest you give that back to me now." Mr Gold finally arrives on deck.
"Or what?" Mr Gold asks, making them look at him.
"Ah. You look different in this world, crocodile. Like the coward I met so long ago – limp, and all," Killian muses, looking at the Dark One.
"And yet, you still can't kill me," he argues, smirking back at the pirate.
"Let's have it, Dark One. What magic are you going to hide behind today?" Hook wonders, poking at Mr Gold.
"Oh, no. Not magic," Rumpelstiltskin replies before hitting Killian upside the head with his cane, causing him to fall back. Mr Gold then furiously begins beating Hook with his cane.
"Rumpel! Hey, let's go. Let's go. Let's go," Belle shouts, trying to pull him away.
"No, not yet, Belle," Mr Gold snaps, hitting Hook again, and Belle holds up the shawl.
"This – this is what you came for," she reminds him, showing him the shawl. "This is what's going to get you back to Bae."
"Ah, you're wasting your breath, love. He can't resist. He has to prove that he's not a coward," Killian groans.
"You may want to turn away, Belle. This isn't going to be pretty," Mr Gold warns her, beginning to beat Hook with his cane.
"Do it! Do it! Kill me! He has to show you how powerful he is," he shouts.
"No, Rumpel. This… This is what he wants. To destroy every bit of good in you," Belle argues.
"Rip my heart out. Kill me like you did Milah, and then I'll finally be reunited with her," Hook groans, closing his eyes and waiting for death.
"He has to die, Belle," Mr Gold snaps, dropping his cane and lunging for Killian's throat.
"No! No, he doesn't! There's still good in you," Belle tells him urgently. "I see it. I've always seen it. Please. Please show me I'm not wrong."
"You take your little ship, and sail until you fall off the edge of the world. I never want to see you again," he demands, glaring down at Killian. "Let's go."
{SPELLBINDING}
At Granny's Diner, Mary Margaret and David are looking through the real estate available in Storybrooke. "I really like this one," Mary Margaret comments, pointing at a lovely-looking house.
"I don't know. The yard looks kind of small," David argues, frowning.
"You going to say that about every house we look at?" She asks him.
"I grew up on a farm," he replies, smiling.
"This isn't about the houses, is it?" Snow questions, looking at him.
"We buried a friend this morning, Mary Margaret, and it made me realise… I don't want to die here," Charming tells her.
"But our home, David? It doesn't exist anymore. The Ogres are back. Cora's in power," Mary Margaret argues.
"Which is exactly why we need to return. To make things right – to fight," David replies.
"I'm tired of fighting! That's all we've ever done," she sighs. "We have a chance here – a chance to be together."
"But what if we don't belong here? Isn't it worth it to fight for what we really want?" He wonders.
"Unless, we don't want the same thing," Snow argues.
{SPELLBINDING}
Meanwhile, Henry is drawing at the table at Mary Margaret's apartment. At the same time, Pongo lies near his feet when Emma and Landon enter. "You plotting your escape from Shawshank, kid?" Emma asks, looking at the drawing.
"No, they're blueprints," Henry explains, showing her. "I had some ideas for what to do if David and Mary Margaret move out. Look."
"You want to make Mary Margaret's room an armoury?" She muses.
"Yeah. You know, for weapons and stuff. To protect us – from Regina," he replies, and Emma glances at Landon.
"She's not going to hurt you. We're not going to let her," Landon assures him.
"She hurt Archie. What if she wants to take me back?" The Mills boy asks.
"That's not going to happen," Emma promises him, and there's an urgent knock on the door, which causes Pongo to become agitated. "Pongo? What is it?" Emma answers the door and discovers Archie - alive. "Archie…"
"Hi," Archie replies.
"What happened?" She asks, glad to see him.
"It was Cora. She kidnapped me," he explains, and Landon and Henry look over, seeing Archie.
"Archie?" Henry questions, thinking he's imagining it.
"Henry. Oh!" Dr Hopper exclaims as Henry launches himself into a hug. "Oh, it's alright. I'm fine. I'm fine."
"Henry. We were wrong," Emma confesses. "Regina didn't do it."
"I knew it. Maybe we should let her know," Henry suggests, looking at them.
"Yeah. But something tells me, either way, we're going to pay the price," she groans and looks at Landon.
"I'll find her and tell her. It'll be better coming from me. Especially if our dear evil mother is here," Landon replies, cringing.
{SPELLBINDING}
Mr Gold's car pulls up before the town boundary with Belle in the passenger seat after getting the shawl from Hook. They sit inside momentarily, talking as he holds his son's shawl. "This would have been lost if it wasn't for you, Belle. I would have been lost. After everything you've learned about me, after everything I've done, why haven't you given up on me?" Mr Gold asks, looking at her.
"I learned a long time ago, that when you find something that's worth fighting for, you never give up." Belle replies, and they approach the town line. Mr Gold pours the potion over the shawl, causing it to glow with magic. "Okay…"
"Here we go," he says, crossing the spray-painted boundary, causing a surge of magic to pulse through his body. "Belle…" She edges closer to the town line and grabs Mr Gold's hand.
"It… It worked," She whispers happily.
"Yes, it did. It did," the Dark One replies, smiling.
"Now you can find your son," the librarian says, happy for him, though she wishes she could go with him.
"Oh, Belle, I so wish you were coming with me," Mr Gold tells her, but he wants her safe.
"As do I, but… It doesn't matter," Belle assures him.
"And why not?" He asks her.
"Because you'll find him. And, when you do, I'll be here waiting for you when you get back." She replies, and they go to hug when a shot rings out. Belle falls forward across the town line, causing the magic to surge through her. Behind them, Killian is pointing the gun in their direction.
"I wouldn't count on it," Killian laughs.
"Belle?! Belle? Belle!" Mr Gold shouts, lowering her to the ground. Belle looks up at him with a confused look on her face.
"W-Who's Belle?" Belle asks, gasping in pain.
"Oh, no. No, no, no, no…" He mutters.
"Oh, fear not. She'll live. She'll just have no idea who you are," Killian assures him, smirking.
"What you've done cannot be undone," the Dark One sneers, looking at Hook.
"Well, now you finally know how it feels! Well, go ahead, crocodile. Do your worst!" He shouts.
"Oh, I intend to," Mr Gold growls, magically producing a fireball in his hand. He goes to throw it, but a car suddenly barrels down the road towards them. Mr Gold grabs Belle and rolls them both out of the way in time, but the car swerves and crashes into a large boulder. The car comes to a stop, and the licence plate can be seen. The car is from Pennsylvania.
The situation is chaotic at the town line. Mr Gold holds an injured and confused Belle, Killian is unconscious at the side of the road, and the 'outsider' is still in the crashed car. In the distance, sirens are heard approaching. "Who are you?" Belle asks, dazed. "What's going on?"
"Shh… Let me… Let me. Let me," Mr Gold mutters, magically healing Belle's injuries. "All better. Good."
"How did you do that?" She wonders, growing scared.
"It's nothing to be afraid of," he assures her.
"Get away," the confused woman snaps.
"Shh. Belle, please," the Dark One says, trying to calm her down.
"What are you?!" Belle shouts when Emma, David, Mary Margaret, and Landon arrive on the scene via the Sheriff's squad car. David gets out and runs towards Belle and Mr Gold, with Mary Margaret trailing behind. Meanwhile, Emma radios for more assistance.
"Are you okay?" David asks, looking at Belle and Mr Gold.
"I'm at the town line. Two people down, maybe three," Emma says into the radio. "There's a car – pretty banged up with Pennsylvania plates."
"What's going on?" He questions, looking at Mr Gold.
"She crossed over the line. She doesn't remember," Mr Gold explains, and Emma finds a now alert Killian at the side of the road as Landon looks at the crashed car.
"Hey, beautiful. Here, I didn't think you'd notice," Killian groans, and she leans down, pushing on his ribs and making him yell out in pain.
"Your ribs are broken," Emma announces, smirking.
"Oh, that must be why it hurts when I laugh," he laughs before groaning in pain. "Did you see his face? His one true love, gone in an instant! Just like Milah, crocodile! When you took her from me…"
"But you took her first," Mr Gold growls, lunging at Killian and digging his cane into his neck.
"Gold, are you insane?!" Landon snaps, rushing towards them.
"Yes, I am!" He shouts.
"You can't do that!" David warns him.
"I can if you let me go," the Dark One argues.
"You don't want her to see that," Landon snaps.
"I'm a stranger to her," Mr Gold replies angrily.
"Murder is a bad first impression," Emma reminds him.
"What would Belle want you to do?" David asks him, and an ambulance arrives, distracting Mr Gold long enough for David to pull him off of Killian. "Over here!" The paramedics head towards Killian first, but Emma directs their attention to the car's driver instead.
"No! Him! Take care of him. He can wait," she tells them, and Mary Margaret, who is tending to Belle, overhears Emma.
"What?" Mary Margaret asks, looking over at her daughter.
"There's someone in there," the Sheriff informs her.
"Stay. I'll be right back," she mutters, and they watch as the paramedics look over the unconscious driver of the car.
"Do you know this guy?" Emma asks, looking at the others.
"I've never seen him before," Snow replies.
"That's because he drove into town," David tells them.
"From the outside?" Mary Margaret asks, growing worried about what this means.
"Looks like the world just came to Storybrooke," Emma mutters, and Landon groans.
"This means, we're in deep trouble," Landon grumbles as they watch the paramedics take the driver to the ambulance.
{SPELLBINDING}
At the hospital, the voice-over intercom announces the arrival of the accident victims, alone in another room. Dr Whale listens to the announcements as he drinks heavily. Outside the door, several other hospital workers can be heard. "Anybody seen the Doctor?" A man asks urgently.
"Dr Whale, we need you in the E.R.!" A woman announces, panicked.
{SPELLBINDING}
Killian and the driver of the crashed car are wheeled into the hospital on stretchers by the paramedics while the others from the accident site follow behind them. "I don't know what's going on," Belle announces, scared.
"Car versus pedestrian. Chest trauma from the wheel. Pedestrian's got contusions, broken ribs," the paramedic informs the hospital staff.
"Go to X-ray. Pedestrian first," the nurse tells them, directing them down a hallway.
"Hide him," Emma orders the nurse.
"What?" she asks, looking at the Sheriff confused.
"Find a room and hide him," the Sheriff repeats, and Mr Gold rushes inside.
"Belle. What's going on?" Mr Gold demands.
"Get him out of here!" David snaps.
"Well, what's happening? Belle!" He shouts.
"I'd like to know that myself," Leroy replies calmly, watching the mayhem.
"Belle! Belle!" The Dark One shouts, and Dr Whale finally joins everyone, staggering a little.
"Everybody, calm down! Mr Gold. Everything will be fine. She's in good hands here. I promise," Dr Whale assures him.
{SPELLBINDING}
Mr Gold watches Belle as she sleeps in her hospital bed and leans over, kissing her lips, hoping for true love's kiss. There's a brief pause where it seems like Belle may recognise him, but she then starts screaming. "No, no, no, no, no," Mr Gold mutters, but she keeps crying. "No, no, no, no, no. I… I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Several nurses enter the room as he backs out of the room. "I'm sorry."
"You okay?" A nurse asks, seeing his panicked look.
"I'm sorry…" he whispers, leaving quickly.
{SPELLBINDING}
In another room in the hospital, Emma interrogates Killian, who is handcuffed to the bed, while Landon stands in the doorway. "Where's Cora?" Emma asks, glaring at him.
"What?" Killian asks, drowsy from the drugs and tries moving his arm but realises he's been handcuffed to the bed railing. "Again? You're really into this, aren't you?" He laughs but cringes from the pain in his ribs. "Damn, that hurts."
"Told you – cracked a few ribs. Where's Cora?" She asks again.
"You look good, I must say. All 'where's Cora?' in a commanding voice. Chills," he teases her, and Landon steps towards the bed.
"You have all sorts of sore places. I can make you hurt," Landon snarls, pushing his hand into Killian's ribs, causing him to yelp in pain. "Now, answer the woman. Where is my mother?"
"I have no idea where Cora is. She has her own agenda," Hooko replies. "Let's talk about something I am interested in – my hook. May I have it back? Or is there another attachment you'd prefer?"
"You're awfully chipper for a guy who just failed to kill his enemy, then got hit by a car." Emma remarks, looking at him.
"Well, my ribs may be broken, but… Everything else is still intact. Which is more than can be said for other bad days I've had. Plus, I did some quality damage to my foe," Killian argues.
"You hurt Belle," she snaps.
"I hurt his heart. Belle's just where he keeps it. He killed my love. I know the feeling," he replies.
"Keep smiling, buddy. You're chained down, he's on his feet, immortal, has magic, and you hurt his girl. If I were to pick 'dead guy of the year'? I'd pick you," Landon warns him, smirking. "And if you mess around with my girl, you'll have another angry magic-user coming after you."
{SPELLBINDING}
Mary Margaret and the others gather in the hospital lobby with the driver's phone, deciding what to do. "We've got to get into his phone," Leroy announces.
"Let me guess another pass code," David says, holding his hand out for the phone.
"You can't guess. There are a million possible combinations," Mary Margaret argues.
"Ten-thousand," Ruby corrects her.
"Ten-thousand," she repeats.
"Leroy, can you get it open or something? Hack it?" David asks, turning to the Dwarf, who looks at him funnily.
"Well, you do understand that computer hacking and pickaxe hacking are different," Leroy retorts and Emma and Landon walk over to them.
"Here, let me try. I have a thing. And we do know something. There was stuff in his car – rental agreement, maps, receipts. His name is Greg Mendell. Now, let's see…" Emma tells them, using a little gadget to break into the phone and begin to root through it. She finds several phone numbers and pictures of Greg. "Pictures of him alone at a bunch of Eastern Seaboard tourist locations, a LinkedIn account, and he tweets pictures of his food. I'll keep looking, but I think what we have here is a well-documented, real-life ordinary Joe. Or Greg."
"So, whatever's kept random people from stumbling into Storybrooke for the last twenty-eight years-," Ruby wonders, looking around at the others.
"Is gone," Mary Margaret finishes her friend's thought.
"Anyone could drive in. Why are my instincts telling me that's a bad thing?" David questions nervously.
"Cause you've seen E.T., or Splash, or any other movie where they find something magical and study it to death. Think what'd they do to a werewolf," Leroy remarks, glancing at Ruby.
"Oh, and his friends and family? They're going to come looking for him soon," Mary Margaret warns them.
"Let's try not to overreact," Emma tells them.
"Leroy's right. We don't need outsiders here," Landon says, making the others look at him.
"Hook says he doesn't know where Cora is, and God knows what she's going to do. With other people coming here, that's not going to be good for anyone," she explains.
"We need to find Regina – tell her we know she was framed," Mary Margaret states, making Landon roll his eyes.
"I've been tracking her. No luck. She's gone underground," Ruby informs the others.
"But what if Cora finds her first? I don't want to think about the damage those two would do together. This could not have come at a worse time," she replies, shuddering.
"Yeah, well, blaming my sister for something that she didn't do after she already had an alibi was plain stupid," Landon remarks, making David step towards him. "What are you going to do, Charms?"
"Enough, both of you," Emma snaps, glaring at her father and boyfriend. "It's okay. The guy's being patched up right now. He'll probably be on his way home by morning." Dr Whale stumbles towards them, having heard them.
"Not quite. He's bleeding into his chest cavity," Dr Whale informs them. "It's not a full flood, you know. But, pretty soon, he'll be drowning in his own blood."
"So make it stop. Aren't you a Doctor?" She argues, and Dr Whale spots Mr Gold walking downstairs and approaches him.
"Gold. You fixed me. Now fix him. It will take you seconds and cost you nothing," he snaps, too drunk to help anyone.
"No," Mr Gold replies curtly.
"No? Just… No?" Victor questions, looking at the Dark One in shock.
"I owe you nothing, Whale. I owe none of you anything. And some of you, owe me," he argues. "So, yeah, just… No. Oh, and point of interest – the driver? He saw me throwing some magic. So, instead of trying to get him out of here, you better be hoping he dies. Because if he doesn't, he's going to be driving tour buses up and down main street. So glad I don't give a damn." He says before exiting.
"Look… Letting him die is easy. I can do that, if that's what you decide," Dr Whale tells them.
"Let's take this somewhere private," Emma suggests, dragging Dr Whale into a small examination room to talk with the group following.
"It's not really murder if we let him succumb to his injuries," he argues.
"I'm pretty sure it is," Landon retorts.
"Of course we save him," Mary Margaret tells the others.
"Obviously," David agrees with his wife.
"Well…" Leroy mutters.
"Leroy!" Mary Margaret snaps, making him flinch.
"We got to think it through. If we save him and kill the whole town, is that really better?" He argues.
"So we have to choose between our lives and his," Ruby realises.
"We can worry about the town later," David reasons.
"Which doesn't mean we should abandon him," Mary Margaret argues.
"I know, but let's worry about Storybrooke after we save a life. Dr Whale, prep for surgery," David orders, and Dr Whale staggers off.
"Anyone else notice he's drunk off his ass?" Landon wonders when Greg's phone starts ringing.
"Someone's looking for Greg. How long before they come here?" Emma wonders, frowning at the phone.
{SPELLBINDING}
In his shop, Mr Gold reminisces over the chipped cup. Suddenly, the bell on the front door rings. He goes over to investigate but finds that there's no one outside. When he turns around, he finds a box left on the counter. Cora then appears near the door. "Hello, Rumpel," she greets him.
"Well, I expected this was just a matter of time," Mr Gold muses, looking at his former student. "Had hoped you were dead, but hey – disappointment's just part of life. I'm sure we can agree on that."
"Aw, the crocodile snaps at the little bird. And after I brought you a gift," she teases him, strolling across the shop.
"Yeah, did you bring the antidote, too?" He asks, not trusting her.
"Oh, Rumpel. It's a peace offering," the Queen of Hearts assures him.
"And what do you want for this, uh… This peace offering?" The Dark One wonders.
"My daughter. You were so clever to get her to lay the curse so you could come here. You don't need her anymore. Let me try to get her back and let us live," Cora replies.
"What about your son?" Mr Gold questions.
"Oh, my boy?" She asks, smiling like the Cheshire cat. "Landon will come to me in his own time. He's a smart boy."
"He's dangerous," he agrees. "With Landon on Miss Swan's side, you won't get a chance to turn your children against them."
"My children aren't stupid. They know what they need to do," Mrs Mills assures him.
"And what do I get for my troubles?" The Dark One wonders.
"Your son," Cora replies, nodding towards the box, and Mr Gold pulls off the lid, revealing a white 'globe' inside. "You know what that is, of course."
"It'll find him… If this one truly is it," Mr Gold muses, marvelling at the item.
"Oh, darling, I have no reason to cheat you," she assures him.
"Anymore," he snaps, glancing at her.
"I want you to find the one person in this universe who might still love you. After all, I'm doing the same thing," the Queen of Hearts argues lightly.
"Do you have any spells to return memories?" The Dark One wonders, thinking of Belle.
"I only know what you taught me… Master. So, will you accept my offer of a truce?" Cora asks him.
"Truce," Mr Gold accepts, extending his hand, which Cora takes, shaking on the deal.
"Let's seal it like we used to," she teases, leaning in and kissing Mr Gold.
{SPELLBINDING}
At the hospital, David finds Dr Whale staring at Greg's watch. "What's that," David asks him, frowning.
"Oh. It's just the guy's personal effects," Dr Whale replies. "I get the best watches this way. Joking. As far as you know. It's too bad it's cracked."
"I thought you'd be scrubbing in by now," he argues.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm going to do that," Victor replies.
"Arm okay?" Charming asks.
"I'm not drunk," Dr Whale snaps.
"Okay, just… Let's save this guy, alright? I don't care what he saw. We don't let go of people," David warns him.
"Right. Of course not," he replies, deep in thought.
{SPELLBINDING}
Emma and the others wait in the hospital lobby, still with Greg's phone, which is now on silent mode and begins vibrating. On the screen, the incoming caller is listed as 'Her'. "Same person again," Leroy announces, grimacing.
"'Her'. Cute," Emma comments, looking at the phone screen.
"Probably a girlfriend," David suggests, shrugging.
"Brilliant deduction, Prince Charming," Landon remarks, earning a glare.
"We could answer it – just let her know he's okay," Mary Margaret adds.
"He's not okay," Emma reminds her.
"He's alive. We could let her know he's alive," Ruby argues.
"Nah. The police could trace it here instantly," David tells them.
"She can activate the find your phone thing without us picking it up at all," Emma replies, and the phone stops vibrating.
"That settles that," Leroy mutters.
"Oh, my nerves can't take this. Is the surgery almost over?" Mary Margaret wonders.
"I… I think it takes…" Emma replies, and a man enters, scanning the lobby before turning to leave when David stops him.
"Whoa. Whoa. Wait. Wait. Any news?" David asks, blocking his exit.
"No. I was just looking for the Doctor," he replies.
"He's not in the OR?" Landon snaps, annoyed.
"He never came in," he announces.
"Then page him," Emma suggests.
"He was not looking so good earlier," David argues. The man makes a phone call, and they hear a beeping sound nearby.
"He's here," Mary Margaret says, and the beeping sound comes from the laundry basket of dirty scrubs. Emma looks through it and finds Dr Whale's pager and lab coat.
"No, but his pager is. He's gone," Emma announces, looking at the others. "Landon, don't say a word." She points at Landon, who holds his hands up in mock surrender.
{SPELLBINDING}
Ruby sniffs Dr Whale's lab coat to pick up the scent as they begin their search for the missing Doctor. "Got the scent?" David asks, looking at the She-Wolf.
"Boozy," Ruby comments.
"Just find him and bring him back," Emma tells her. "We'll watch Hook and figure out options if Whale doesn't come back."
"Maybe Doc can do it," Mary Margaret suggests.
"Surgery? No," Leroy argues.
"Maybe he didn't even run. Maybe Cora grabbed him for some reason," she says, and Landon scoffs.
"I don't think so," Landon laughs. "My mother has standards."
"He's been in a rough place since he had brought Regina's fiancé back to life," David explains, making Landon look at Charming.
"Daniel?" Mary Margaret and Landon exclaim.
"Back to life?!" Emma questions.
"And had his arm ripped off and put back on," David adds, looking at the others in shock.
"Cool," Leroy mutters.
"Wait. Daniel came back?" Mary Margaret questions.
"Like some kind of Frankenstein?" Emma asks, looking at her dad.
"That's Whale. The Doctor. And Daniel was his-," David replies.
"What went on here while we were gone?" Landon groans, thinking of his sister. "Damnit."
"Ruby, get going. Bring back… Dr. Frankenstein," Emma tells her, and Ruby nods, running off from the hospital. "We're going to send this guy back home with bolts in his neck."
"She'll find him," Mary Margaret assures them.
"Yeah, but what kind of state is he going to be in?" She wonders.
{SPELLBINDING}
Dr Whale is running down the main street of Storybrooke, unsure where he's going in his drunken state.
{SPELLBINDING}
Cora enters Regina's house and looks through it. She scans the glassware in the kitchen and then smells the clothes hanging in Regina's wardrobe. Cora reaches Henry's room, where she finds an old photo of Henry, Regina, and Landon. She looks over the dresser and finds an old craft done by Henry. It's a mould of Henry's handprint with the words 'To Mummy' written below it. She smirks and takes it with her.
{SPELLBINDING}
In the middle of the night, Henry walks across the graveyard to Regina's family mausoleum. He slides the sarcophagus over and heads down the stairs. He begins to call for Regina. "Mum? Hello? Hello? Hello? Mum?" Behind one of the walls, Regina has a hidden room. She hears Henry and walks over to one of the mirrors on the wall, waving her hand and magically transforming the mirror to allow her to see out. Regina sees Henry searching the crypt. "You in there? Can I come in? Mum?" Regina opens the door to the hidden room without hesitation. "Mum? Mum?" Henry enters and hugs Regina, which she happily returns.
"Henry, I'm so glad you're here. I missed you so much when… I have to let you know, I had nothing to do with Archie," Regina tells him, begging for him to understand.
"I know. I always knew," he assures her.
"I was framed. I don't know how. I… It just seems like everything…" She replies, then stops. "You knew? How did you know?"
"Simple," the Mills boy replies, and Henry magically transforms into Cora in a puff of blue smoke.
"Because I did it," Cora reveals, smiling.
"Mother…" the Evil Queen mutters, shocked to see her mother in Storybrooke. "You… I thought we stopped you. How did you get through?"
"Determination. I had to see you," she explains. "I needed to tell you that I know why you sent me through the looking glass. And I know why you tried to have me killed. And it's… It's alright."
"I think it's not alright," Regina argues.
"I love you. I just… I've always shown it in all the wrong ways. And I never should have made you marry the King. I'm so sorry. When you cried over my coffin, it… It all changed," the red-haired woman tells her daughter.
"You framed me – for the cricket," she snaps angrily, glaring at her mother.
"Temporarily. So you could see what these people really think of you," Cora argues.
"You made an airtight case. Anyone would believe it," the Mayor reasons.
"I didn't want you to reject me. Not again," she explains.
"You wanted me broken," Regina realises.
"Receptive," the Queen of Hearts corrects her.
"You are the most manipulative… No. I won't even argue. Come with me. We're going to town," she snaps, grabbing Cora's hand.
"It's the middle of the night," Cora replies.
"I don't care. We'll wake them up – Emma and Henry and Landon and the two idiots – and you can tell them how you lied. You owe me that," the Evil Queen argues.
"And then you'll let us start over?" She asks, hopeful.
"I don't see that happening, mother," Regina snaps. "But I am… I was trying so hard to be worthy of Henry. And I deserve the same thing from you."
"You're right. For you, sweetheart. Anything," the Queen of Hearts agrees.
{SPELLBINDING}
When Ruby finds him, Dr Whale stands at the edge of the dock, staring at Greg's watch as he looks into the water below. "Dr Whale?" Ruby carefully calls to him, not wanting to scare him.
"Don't come near me!" Dr Whale shouts before tossing the watch into the water, then jumps off the dock. Using her wolf abilities, Ruby is quickly able to grab Dr Whale by the neck of his coat before he falls in.
"I wanted my name to stand for life," Dr Whale says. "But everybody just thinks it's the name of a monster. I guess they're right about that. Rumpelstiltskin says that magic has a price. But, from where I'm sitting, seems that science does, too. Every time I try to save a life, someone else dies."
"Hey. Yeah. Look, you're Frankenstein. And I'm the werewolf. I ate my boyfriend. Regina thought she was punishing us by erasing who we were, but I think she underestimated how much crap we wanted to forget." She tells him.
"Yeah," he mutters.
"But… We can't let it stop us. She gave us a chance to start over, and I want to take it. I think you should, too," Red replies, smiling softly.
"I wasn't such a bad guy, you know. I wanted to bring life back. But he never got over our mother. If I could've just brought her back-," Victor says sadly.
"That guy in the hospital – someone keeps calling for him. Maybe a wife, a mother. Maybe, there's still some stuff you can fix," Ruby argues, trying to bring him back to the hospital.
{SPELLBINDING}
Regina and Cora are in Regina's car as she drives, wanting to clear her name with her mother in the passenger seat. "Nervous?" Regina asks.
"Not about owning up to what I've done," Cora replies. "It's just… These carriages are strange. And something's irritating me…" She pulls out Henry's handprint craft. "Oh. For Mommy. Oh, that used to be you."
"When were you in my house?" She snaps, looking at the craft in her mother's hand.
"I haven't had the pleasure," the red-haired woman argues, lying.
"That was in my house. Think I don't know where that was? It's one of my most treasured possessions," the Evil Queen growls, glaring at her mother.
"Well, let's be honest. Taking me to be pilloried by the town might gain you some points, but, as long as Emma and her parents are here, he's not really yours. Not like he was when he made things for his one and only mommy. You've been too bad for too long, and now they see you as a… A snake. You don't want their love at all. What do you want?" Cora asks her.
"My son back," Regina replies, pulling the car over in a deserted car park.
"And I want my children back. I meant everything I said earlier," she argues. "I am so sorry. I can do better. I won't push you away again. Let me into your heart. Together, we can get him back again." Regina leans across the seat, falling for her mother's words, and puts her head on Cora's shoulder, who embraces her daughter.
"How?" The dark-haired woman wonders.
"Oh, I have a few thoughts," the Queen of Hearts muses, smirking.
{SPELLBINDING}
Dr Whale and Ruby return to the hospital, where Emma and the others are still waiting in the lobby. "You're back," Mary Margaret states, looking at him.
"Finally," Emma mutters.
"I don't know why everyone's so worried. I was just stretching my legs. Now I'm going to go do this thing," Dr Whale assures them before walking off.
{SPELLBINDING}
A few hours later, Dr Whale meets Ruby in the hallway, looking for everyone else to tell them the news. "Where are they?" Dr Whale asks them.
"Getting coffee from the machine. What's the verdict?" Ruby asks him, hopeful.
"He'll live," he tells her.
"You did it?" She questions, smiling.
"Thank you. Monster to monster," Frankenstein replies, smiling back.
"You did it!" Red exclaims, and they enter the lobby, where Emma and the others have returned.
"He's going to make it?" David asks, looking at the Doctor.
"He's got some recuperating ahead of him – a few weeks, maybe – but yes. He's going to live," Dr Whale informs them.
"Thank goodness," Mary Margaret sighs with relief.
"Or me," he argues.
"Telling you right now, this will come to no good," Leroy grumbles.
"Quiet, Leroy," David warns him.
"I want to talk to him," Emma requests, needing to find out what he knows.
"He's waking up now," Dr Whale tells them.
"Already?" Ruby asks, surprised.
"I waited a couple of hours to tell you in case he, you know, keeled over. But so far, so good," he replies.
"Alright, then," Landon says, nodding.
"Well, let's talk to him," David agrees, stepping towards the door.
"We're not talking to him as a group. We're not a group Sheriff," Emma tells them.
"But, we've been doing this together," Mary Margaret argues.
"We're trying to convince this guy this place is normal," she reminds them. "In a normal town, the Sheriff goes in and asks a few questions. She doesn't bring her parents in with her."
"That's probably true," David agrees.
"We'll be right here, then," Mary Margaret says, and Emma looks back at them before leaving.
"This should be good," Landon mutters, sitting on one of the chairs in the waiting area.
{SPELLBINDING}
Elsewhere in the hospital, Mr Gold hands Belle, who is still bedridden, the chipped cup, hoping it will jog her memory. "I know you don't remember, but just… Indulge me. Please. Be carefully with it," Mr Gold tells her, and she takes it.
"It's a… It's a cup," Belle stutters, confused.
"Yeah," he agrees carefully.
"It's… It's damaged," she replies.
"Just…look at it. Focus. It's your talisman," the Dark One explains.
"It's a cup," the bookworm argues.
"You dropped it… In my castle. You were afraid that you had angered me," Mr Gold tells her.
"Okay, here. You… You need to go and take your cup, okay?" Belle replies, trying to hand him back the cup, but he refuses to take it as he wants his Belle back.
"No, no, no, no. I… I charmed it. If you focus, it will work. It's magic," he assures her.
"Okay, just go away. S-Stop talking about magic, and take your cup," she demands, trying to push the cup back to Mr Gold again.
"Just look at it," Rumpelstiltskin says, but Belle grows frustrated and takes the cup, throwing it against the wall, making it shatter onto the floor.
"Just go. Just go away," the former librarian snaps.
"I'm sorry…" Mr Gold mutters, leaving the room and glancing at the broken cup on the way out.
{SPELLBINDING}
Emma heads off to Greg's room, needing to talk to him and find out what the man knows about before the accident. "Nurse?" Greg asks, looking at the blond woman.
"Sheriff Swan, actually," Emma corrects the patient.
"I'm thirsty," he says, and she hands him a glass of water with a straw. She also sets a bag of his belongings next to the bed.
"Here. I have your personal effects. I'm just going to put them here, okay?" The blond woman tells him. "So, Mr Mendell, I wanted to talk to you about the accident."
"Did I hit somebody? Oh, my God, I hit someone. Is he okay?" Mendell asks, panicked.
"Don't worry about him. I mean, the… The damage was pretty minor," Emma assures him.
"Oh, thank God," Greg sighs.
"But, I do need you to state what happened in your own words – what you did, what you saw." She asks him.
"Well, I… I didn't see anything. I-," he replies.
"Well, you were driving," the Sheriff argues.
"Yeah, I mean… I saw the road, of course," Mendell tells her.
"I just think I might be able to put your mind at ease. There might be…an explanation if you saw-," Emma explains.
"I was texting," Greg replies.
"Oh," she mutters.
"I looked down, just for a second. And when I looked back up, he was…" he explains. "He was right there. And he was too close to avoid, but I… I know that it's not legal in Maine."
"It's okay. I'm just glad that you… Were honest with me," the Saviour replies, sighing with relief.
"So, no charges?" Mendell questions.
"No. No charges. I will let you go with a warning this time," Emma tells him.
"Thank you. So when… When can I head home?" Greg asks.
"As soon as the Doctor clears you. We don't want to keep you," she replies, leaving the room.
{SPELLBINDING}
Emma heads down to the lobby, where everyone is waiting nervously. "He didn't see nothing?" Leroy asks, looking at her.
"Free and clear," Emma informs them, and they all sigh with relief that their secret is safe.
"Oh, good," Mary Margaret mutters, clinging to David.
"Now maybe, things can calm down for ten minutes and we can catch our breath." David suggests.
{SPELLBINDING}
Mr Gold returns to his shop, feeling almost defeated and takes out the white 'globe' that Cora gifted him. He picks his finger on the point at the top and lets drops of blood onto the globe. It begins to glow and rotate before a red world map starts appearing, with one point in particular standing out from the map. "Bae," Mr Gold mutters, smiling at the point.
{SPELLBINDING}
Emma, Landon, Mary Margaret, and David arrive at the Blanchard apartment. When Henry runs down the stairs to greet them in the kitchen, they all sit to eat breakfast. "You were out all night. Where were you? Granny wouldn't tell me anything. Did I miss it all?" Henry asks, wanting all the details.
"Cereal, okay?" David asks, too tired to make a hot breakfast.
"Yeah," Emma mutters, tired.
"Rumpelstiltskin and Captain Hook had a fight and someone got hurt," Mary Margaret tells Henry, sitting at the table.
"We weren't sure if Dr Frankenstein could fix him, but he did," Landon adds.
"Doctor? Oh… That's who Whale is," Henry muses, thinking about it.
"Yeah, but without the neck bolts," Emma jokes, leaning into Landon's shoulder and closing her eyes.
"The monster had the bolts, not the doctor," he argues, sitting beside his mum.
"Right, but either way, some of us having known him… It's weird," she comments.
"It's not weird. We're past it. We were cursed," Mary Margaret argues, looking at the other adults smiling at her.
"What are you talking about?" Henry asks, looking at the smiling adults.
"Nothing," David snaps lightly.
"Wait," he says.
"Really, it's nothing," Mary Margaret tells him, and Henry leaves the table, returning with his book.
"Frankenstein isn't in here," the Mills boy informs them, showing them the book. "It's not even a fairy tale. That means it comes from another land with different stories."
"Eat. I really want to go to bed," Emma argues lightly.
"If the curse went to places with other stories, then who knows who else is in this town?" Henry wonders, and there's a knock on the door. Emma groans, getting up and answering it, but Mr Gold lets himself in first.
"Gold. We've all had a long night," she groans, seeing the Dark One.
"You remember that favour you owe me, Miss Swan?" Mr Gold asks.
"Yeah," the Sheriff replies, nervous about what he wants now.
"I'm cashing it in," he tells her.
"It's not… A good…" Emma argues.
"You do honour your agreements, don't you?" The Dark One questions. "I need to find someone, so we're leaving today. Pack your bag."
"Leaving?" Mary Margaret asks, looking at them.
"W-Where?" Henry wonders.
"Wait. Find someone? Who?" Emma questions, looking at Mr Gold.
"My son. It has to be today, because every minute I'm here, is a minute closer to me killing Hook," Mr Gold explains.
"Here, here," Landon mutters, earning looks from the others.
"So it's really best for all concerned if I leave, and you're going to come with me. Oh, and, um, we have a long history. So know this, and know it to be true. If any harm comes to Belle while I'm gone, I'm killing all of you. I'll see you at noon," he continues, ignoring Landon, but Landon gets up, moving towards the door.
"I'm coming with you," the Historian states, making everyone look at him. "I mean it, Gold. I don't trust you. So, I'm coming." Mr Gold nods, knowing he can't argue with Landon.
{SPELLBINDING}
Greg lies in his hospital bed, looking around to make sure no one is around before grabbing his bag of belongings off the table and taking out his phone, dialling a number, checking every so often and putting the phone to his ear. "Honey? I… I… I know. Just wait," Greg whispers. "Wait. Just listen. Just listen. Okay? Yes, I'm okay. I… I was in an accident. And, honey… You're not going to believe what I saw."