In Storybrooke, Mr. Gold strives to be the man Bae used to love--until Belle is kidnapped to Neverland. If he resumes his Dark One powers to save her, can he control them? In the Enchanted Forest, Emma battles ogres, zombies and her ex to get back h...
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Leroy: You've got your reasons for being here. I have mine. (Dreamy)
As Belle stared at Mr. Smee, her forehead pinched together. Individually, the flat tire and the flooded engine were plausible, but the two together were a bit of a coincidence. And his third crisis sounded more like one of his iffy excuses to her father for why he'd missed delivering a bouquet. "You're telling me you lost a puppy? Really?"
Behind her, Belle heard a squeal of delight. "A puppy? I love puppies." Papagena pushed in beside her and Mr. Smee backed up a step. Her friend twisted to look over her shoulder. "Betty! Bo! This man lost a cute little puppy! Poor thing must be cold and wet. Let's help him look."
As two more women joined her in the doorway, Belle kept her eyes trained on Mr. Smee. One hand clutched the collar of his pea coat while his other slid up to clamp his red wool cap to his head. Is he preparing to make a run for it?
Lifting her chin, Belle called out, "Anyone know how to change a flat? Fix a flooded engine?"
The response was immediate: "Let's get Mr. Gold." "What? You think I can't do it?" "Prove it." In a moment, three very large young men joined the women in the entryway. Mr. Smee shrank back a few steps more, past the porch awning and into the rain.
Belle folded her arms. "What do you say? Do you need our help?"
"I—I—I—" Mr. Smee kept backing up until he bumped Geppetto's picket fence. Turning, he fumbled with the latch, thrust open the gate, and jogged toward a little red truck parked beneath a lamppost across the street.
"Hey!" muttered the stockiest of the young men flanking Belle, "that looks like my dad's truck." He squeezed past and began running, his two friends close behind. All three pushed through the gate, just as Mr. Smee scrambled into the cab and slammed the door. When the engine roared to life, the three young men began banging on the truck's side. Before they could do anything further, Mr. Smee screeched away from the curb.
"Huh," Bo said. "I thought vehicles couldn't start with flooded engines. Sometimes, I think I'll never get the hang of these earth carriages."
"But what about the puppy?" Papagena asked.
Belle patted her shoulder. "I don't think we need to worry about a puppy."
* * * * *
As August straightened the stack of cards to slip them back in the box, he saw Belle returning. "Hey, sorry you missed the last hand. The Pumpkin Coach is playing another set, so I'm clearing up to make room."
Belle nodded. Always helpful, she began scooping his pile of penny winnings into the empty candy bowl. "You'll never guess who was at the door: Mr. Smee. He works for—"
"Captain Hook," August finished.
Belle frowned, her eyes thoughtful. "I was about to say my father. Mr. Smee drives the Game of Thorns delivery van. I keep forgetting... Mr. Smee used to be a pirate..." Shaking her head, she quirked a smile. "I can't imagine he was very good at it."
