Sound of Surviving

40

"Can it wait? There's a couple of things I wanna talk to you about. Tamara went to my place to get some of her stuff."

"Okay..."

"Well, her bags were in the storage room, but Hook wasn't."

"Lucky," Emma said.

"Yeah, but now he's out there."

"I'm not sure how much more trouble he can cause anyway," Emma stated.

Nevaeh glanced at her. "You'd be surprised. A pirate's revenge isn't one to be trifled with."

"The second thing I wanna talk to you about is, the reason Tamara was getting her stuff is that she's on her way here," Neal said.

"Here?" Emma asked. "As in Storybrooke?"

"Yeah. She should be here at Granny's any minute now."

"What are you thinking?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what are you gonna tell her when she sees a giant or a werewolf run past her down Main Street? Between Greg Mendell, our food-obsessed tourist, and now your fiancée, this town is turning into a theme park."

"Maybe I didn't think it all the way through. I'm sorry. I just... I need her. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to..."

"You don't need to apologize to me. I'm not the one you're lying to."

"Who's lying?"

"Does she know who you really are and where you're really from? Take my advice, don't let her find out on her own. Tell her the truth. Tell her everything."

Neal's phone rang. "That's her. She's ten minutes away. Why don't you stay and get to know her?"

"I really should be going."

"I know, but we're all connected. Now, it might be nice for you two to talk. Just stay and say hello. She's bringing bagels."

Nevaeh smiled lightly. "This is probably about as awkward as they come."

WOODS

Mary Margaret was practicing her archery while listening to rock music. She heard a sound in the distance. She followed it to an old trailer.

"Anyone in here?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Just me," August replied.

"August?"

PAST, OCTOBER 2011 - HONG KONG

August sat in a hospital in Hong Kong, waiting for his leg to be inspected.

"August W. Booth?" the orderly called.

August showed his leg to the doctor. Through the doctor's eyes his leg looked perfectly normal.

"I don't see anything," the doctor said.

"My leg is turning into wood," August told him.

"I think you should go."

"Wait, wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I'll prove it to you." He stabbed his leg with a scalpel.

"No! Stop! Aah!" He spoke in Cantonese. "Orderlies! Restrain him! Take him to psych!" The orderlies chased August through the hospital. "Wait! Get back here! Hey! Get back!" He was taken into a restroom by a man.

"Who are you?" August asked.

"Someone who can help," Quon answered. "I heard you yelling about your situation. And I work with a man who fixes those kinds of problems."