These Dreams

Breaking The Mold

Emma stood in the middle of the road, taking it all in. Main street looked like it was straight out of the old west, but all the businesses were the same. The saloon was exactly where Granny's should be.

"We've got to figure this out," Emma said. "Any ideas?"

Killian shook his head. "What we need is for Rumpelstiltskin to speak through someone again."

Emma shook her head. "No, that wouldn't work, either. He told me to talk to Belle, but he also said she would remember it after she woke up."

"And therein lies the rub," Killian remarked. "How do we send a signal to the realm of reality without waking the dreamer?"

Emma suddenly sucked in a breath, reaching out to grab Killian's arm. "Realms!"

"What?"

"The dreamscape. It's a realm, just like the Enchanted Forest is a realm. And Neverland. And Storybrooke."

Killian looked at her in confusion. "Presumably."

"So we need to find someone who can move between the realms."

Killian's eyes went wide. "A mermaid."

"Do you think we can summon Ariel just by thinking about her? Would Whale have her in his dream anywhere?"

Killian kept his face expressionless. "We don't have to scour the dreamscape for her love, any mermaid will do. If we can get the amulet and then get to the ship before the good doctor wakes up, I can sail us to where the mermaids gather."

She shaded her eyes, looking around. "Do you suppose your ship is here somewhere?"

"It should be."

Emma bit her lip. "No, it's got to be her. There's no guarantee any other mermaid would help us out. We don't have the best track record with them, if you remember. Besides, she owes you. You helped her get back to her true love."

Killian dropped his eyes. "So I did." He gestured with his hand toward the street. "Well, best be moving along. We've got an amulet to - "

He was interrupted by the sound of a loud explosion, followed by a shockwave that knocked them off their feet. He shouted her name over the ringing in his ears, and when the smoke stopped billowing over them, he was relieved to see her on her hands and knees, next to him, coughing. He crawled over to her.

"You all right?"

She nodded, coughing some more. "What was that?"

"It came from down there." Killian pointed off down the street. He got to his feet, extending a hand down to help Emma, which she took gratefully.

She tilted her head to the side. "My ears are ringing."

"It was one hell of a blast."

The started off down the street, and it didn't take long to see what had happened. There was a giant, smoking crater - right where Gold's shop used to be.

"What the hell...?" Emma said with dawning disbelief.

Killian pulled her arm. "We need to get out of here. If he did this - and I don't know who else would - that means he's nearby." He reached in his pocket for the compass, and Emma's arm shot out, as if reaching for him. Before he could put the compass in her hand, she fell into him, and that was when he saw the point of the arrow protruding from her chest. He turned back to see Morpheus re-loading the crossbow, and he pressed the compass into Emma's palm, holding it tight as he pulled her along, running and thinking hard.