The following morning was a very grim one in the town of Storybrooke as Archie Hopper was declared dead by everybody, much like when they had lost Graham Humbert. The tombstone read: "Archibald Hopper – Friend and Conscience".
"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," Mary Margaret soon delivered the eulogy to her fellow residents. "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." she then concluded before she and David soon embraced each other as today was a very painful one for many residents.
Marco soon approached Archie's grave and places his umbrella by the tombstone. "I miss you so much my friend, but at least you're in a better place." he soon said softly as even Scarlet O'Bell looked very upset.
However, unfortunately, Archie was not in a better place as he was held captive in The Jolly Roger. Not everyone attended the funeral and final goodbye.
"So... Carlos wants to try out for sports," Ben said to Mal as she hung out while he swept up the floor in his father's shop. "I can understand Jay, but I don't think Carlos is really sports material if you ask me."
"That sounds about right," Mal agreed. "I guess he was just feeling a sense of adventure."
"Whatever you call it, it's still a pretty interesting thing to think about." Ben remarked.
"Totally." Mal nodded.
"So... Uh... About that party coming up for school... They say that there's going to be a King and a Queen for the best dancers." Ben soon began to say to Mal.
"Yeah... I've heard about that," Mal nodded before smirking a bit. "You think you might wanna go?"
"I could try anyway," Ben shrugged before he suddenly took her hands and swept Mal off her feet literally and held her, leaning over her in a seductive dance pose. "I'm quite a skilled dancer after all~"
"Oh... Oh, Benjamin Gold... I think you're trying to seduce me." Mal chuckled as she looked up at him.
"I dunno if I'm trying, but... Is it working?" Ben smirked as he held onto her.
Mal chuckled a bit as they were having a rather sweet moment together.
Soon, Rumple walked into the shop with a slight spring in his step, nodding his head at the two teenagers in greeting. "Benjamin... Miss Draconis..." he then greeted the duo.
"...Hey, Mr. Gold." Mal replied softly.
"Uh... Hi, Dad..." Ben said, looking very wide-eyed and a bit awkward suddenly before he quickly picked Mal up back on her feet as they looked a bit mature in their movements together. "Uh... Um... I was just... Helping Mal... She was about to fall over..."
"Well, you two seem to be rather cheery this morning." Rumple remarked.
Ben and Mal blushed together, though Ben was a lot more sheepish than Mal right now as they sorted themselves out.
"Guess we just thought about having a little fun out of work today." Ben sheepishly said to his father.
"Well, luckily for you, I'm actually in a rather good mood," Rumple told the two teens. "Just keep quiet for a little while, I have to call Belle." he added.
"Right... We'll do that..." Mal nodded.
"What's going on, Dad?" Ben soon asked. "Anything we need to know about?"
"I'll tell you when I tell your mother." Rumple decided, happy but not wanting to repeat it twice.
Ben and Mal looked at each other and soon went to do their own thing while Rumple brought out his phone to call Belle to share very special and important news with his family. Rumple went and called Belle to come into the shop so he could speak to her and then waited for Belle to arrive so he could share the good news.
"So... Will you go to the school party with me?" Ben asked Mal hopefully.
"Yeah... I guess I could squeeze that in," Mal nodded. "Maybe after our picnic of course."
"I can't wait for that," Ben smiled. "I'm looking forward to sharing my favorite foods with you."
"What exactly is gray stuff anyway?" Mal then asked.
"It's delicious." Ben simply said.
Mal then gave him a bit of a look for that answer.
"Don't believe me? Ask the dishes~" Ben then said with a chuckle.
"You're hilarious," Mal rolled her eyes in response. "I suppose the dishes can sing and dance too, right?"
"I shouldn't have told you about that dream I had when Evie and I were 6." Ben said bashfully.
Mal laughed a little bit before looking over as the shop's front door opened and closed as they could hear the bells ringing. Soon, the two teenagers stepped out of the backroom as Belle came inside to see her family.
"Hey. What's wrong that you couldn't tell me over the phone?" Belle asked before seeing the two teenagers. "Hello, dears."
"Belle." Mal nodded her head in greeting.
"Hi, Mom," Ben said. "I'm shivering with anticipation with what Dad has to tell us."
"I don't blame you." Belle smiled before she looked at Rumple then.
"I did it. I can leave." Rumple said as he began to get a certain something.
"W-W-What?" Mal asked, looking wide-eyed suddenly.
"You can cross the town line?" Belle asked him.
"Indeed, I can," Rumple smiled then reached for and grabbed a potion. "When I pour this potion onto the object I hold most dear, that object becomes a talisman, it allows me to cross the town line and still remember who I am." he then explained.
"And who you're looking for." Belle added.
Mal then began to listen quietly and closely.
"My brother?" Ben guessed to his father.
"Yes... Your brother... My boy." Rumple nodded at his teenage son.
"So... Uh... What're you gonna enchant then?" Mal asked curiously.
"This shawl... Is all I have left of my Baelfire." Rumple said as he removed it from his safe without revealing anything else.
Belle looked a bit bashful and hopeful for a moment. "I don't suppose Benjamin or I could come with you?" she then said to him.
"No, I... I truly wish you could, but I only have enough of this potion for one object and we still don't know how crossing the town line could affect the descendants since they were only babies back in The Enchanted Forest." Rumple told Belle as he put the shawl back in the safe.
Belle looked a little soft about that while Ben tried to nod his head in understanding and maturity.
"Hey. This is my journey, Belle," Rumple said softly. "This is my journey. I'm afraid that it's something I have to do alone."
"I understand, Dad." Ben spoke up maturely.
"I know you do, Benjamin." Rumple nodded in approval.
Belle looked emotional before she soon came to embrace him. "I know~" she then said.
"Does this mean that Ben gets to take a vacation off of after school work?" Mal asked with a bit of a smirk.
"No, very funny, Miss Draconis," Rumple chuckled lightly to that. "He'll still need to help his mother run the shop and you can help out too since you're our guest until your mother comes back from her journey."
"Well, all right," Mal said with her hands on her hips. "I guess there'd be nothing wrong with that."
"I trust there won't be," Rumple nodded. "Also no swearing or backtalk or you'll be getting a spoonful of cod liver oil or some soap in your mouth."
"Would I be the kind of person to swear or backtalk someone?" Mal asked innocently.
"Yes." Ben, Belle, and Rumple all suddenly said together before they looked at each other, surprised that they all shared a rather unanimous agreement.
"Hmph... Well, I see I'm gonna get along with this family just fine." Mal rolled her eyes slightly before smirking.
"Sorry, Mal." Ben said nervously.
"No, it's fine. Really," Mal reassured. "I just feel like I should've expected that from you guys. I'm pretty different from the rest of you."
"Well, don't worry about that, Mal," Belle soothed. "For now until your mother comes back, you'll be apart of this family one way or another."
"Thanks, Belle," Mal replied. "Or should I call you Mrs. Gold?"
"Oh... Well, Mrs. Gold would be nice and all, but... Well... I... Uh... Erm..." Belle stammered nervously in response as there was one teeny tiny thing that she and Rumple never did back in Misthaven before Ben was born.
"What? Aren't you guys married?" Mal asked.
Rumple bit his lip a bit nervously while Belle looked wide-eyed and concerned.
"You're serious?" Mal asked softly. "Beauty and the Beast never got married?"
"Okay, uh, Mal? I don't think my parents wanna talk about this right now," Ben chuckled sheepishly. "Don't worry about it though. We won't tell anyone else." he then told his parents.
"Thank you, Benjamin," Rumple nodded. "I guess it just never occurred to me and your mother. We'll probably talk about it more later."
"Yes. When we have more time." Belle added in agreement.
"That sounds fine by me," Ben smiled. "Just whenever you decide to do it, be sure to share some cake with us."
"Oh, you know we will," Rumple chuckled. "Now, let's get back to work while we still can, yes?" he then suggested.
Ben pouted and puffed out his cheeks. "Very well then..." he then told his father. "C'mon, Mal. Help me out here, okay?" he then asked.
"Sure, Ben." Mal nodded as she soon walked off with Ben, taking the boy's broom on the way since they still had a floor to sweep up.
Rumple smiled before looking over at his beloved. "Belle, dear, please keep an eye on young Mal as well." he then said quietly as Mal seemed to be very important to their son.
"I promise that I will," Belle smiled softly. "She shall be treated as part of the family as I hope for you to be someday for Ben's sake."
Rumple smiled back and kissed her a little.
"Ew... Old people love~" Ben teased.
"You're grounded." Rumple said as a retort.
"What?!" Ben gasped.
"Ouch... Grounded right on the spot," Mal remarked. "And I thought my mother was strict."
"Aww... Dad, you can't ground me," Ben pouted. "You said I could have a sleepover with the boys."
"Well, you could make it up to me later," Rumple smirked and winked at his teenage son as Belle giggled in amusement. "Just keep your opinions to yourself and besides, you have young Miss Draconis right there with you so if you keep it up, we'll just get even with you."
"And is that, my dear Ben, a risk, you are truly willing to take?" Belle added with a small smirk.
"N-No... I guess not..." Ben chuckled sheepishly. "I'll keep quiet."
"Good boy..." Rumple nodded in approval. "Now you two better run along before you miss school."
"I just hope everyone's in a decent mood today," Mal said softly. "No doubt that it's kinda rough in town cuz of... Well... Ya know." she then gently reminded.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Belle said softly. "Yes, it's sad what happened to Dr. Hopper, but he wouldn't want any of us to be sad."
"Belle is right of course," Rumple agreed. "Remember what he used to tell you when you were young, Benjamin."
"Let your conscience be your guide." Ben memorized with a small sad but nostalgic smile.
"Exactly," Rumple nodded. "Try to have a good day, okay? Don't worry too much about Dr. Hopper."
"Your father is right, Ben," Belle agreed with a nod. "Feel free to be sad, but not too sad."
"I'm just worried about Henry," Ben said softly. "He's like a little brother to me since he's Evie's little brother, ya know?"
"That's understandable," Rumple replied. "Good luck with your little sports practice with the other boys."
"Thanks, Dad. I'm sure it'll be all right," Ben said. "Tourney's a pretty big sport around here."
"Even though it feels completely made up, but at least it's not as violent or terrifying to watch as football." Rumple mumbled to himself slightly.
Belle gently nudged Rumple with a smirk.
"See ya later!" Mal called out as she waved to her boyfriend's parents before they headed off together.
Belle and Rumple sent their goodbyes as Ben and Mal soon left the pawnshop for the time being. However, unknown to the Gold family and Mal, there was a certain father/son duo who were creeping around in the back so no one could see them as they eyed the pawnshop.
"All right, son. You remember your assignment," Hook soon said to his teenage son. "I go after The Lady Crocodile while you go after Crocodile Jr."
"Aye-Aye, Dad," Harry nodded and saluted his father. "I know you can do it."
"That's my boy," Hook grinned proudly. "Don't fail your father."
"And Uncle Smee will do his job too?" Harry then asked.
"Of course he will, my son," Hook nodded at his son. "Your Uncle Smee knows to never disappoint me. He's a loyal member of my crew and someday when he has his own descendants, you'll have your own adventures on The Jolly Roger sailing The Seven Seas."
"I can't wait." Harry grinned.
"The boy is leaving for the school," Hook soon said, seeing where Ben and Mal were going, then pointed them out to his son. "Follow him, but be as quiet and stealthy as a shadow."
Harry suddenly shuddered at the mention of "shadows".
"Oh, I'm sorry, son..." Hook said, sensing his son's fear instantly. "Don't worry though. You're safe from the troubles of Neverland for another day. We'll worry about that later." he then comforted as best as he could.
"I sure hope so..." Harry nodded. "I don't think I want anything to do with Neverland for a long, long time."
"And you won't," Hook reassured. "Now go while you still have time."
"Aye-Aye." Harry nodded as he headed off secretly after Ben and Mal as they headed to the high school for the day.
Hook nodded at that and soon decided to head for the clock tower/library since that was where Belle was going to go for the day while Rumple would stay put in the pawnshop. At least he would for right now.
Ben tried very hard to tune out what the other students in school said about him watching over kids like Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos for his Villain Kid Program he decided to have in school after the curse had broken and they all found out who they were the descendants of. He did his best to stand tall however and not let their words get to him as he felt confident enough for this to work despite their words of discouragement.
"Those kids are trouble." Chad warned as the son of Cinderella.
"Oh. No offense, Benny Bear, but you're just too trusting," Audrey warned as the daughter of Princess Aurora and granddaughter of Queen Briar Rose. "Look, I know your mom fell in love with a big nasty beast who even turned out to be The Dark One, but with my mom and grammy, the evil fairies were just the evil fairies. That girl's mother and grandmother."
"Come on, Chad. Give them a chance," Ben would then retort as he was the son of Beauty and The Beast. "I think you guys are wrong about them."
Ben and Mal split up to do their own thing in school, such as Mal giving girls like Jane and Lonnie new makeovers with their hair which were a lot better looking than what they had. Lonnie loved her new hairstyle while Jane was concerned about what Mother Superior and the other sisters would think, but even she had to admit that her hair was a lot better than what it used to be. Mal of course cheated a bit by using the spellbook she had, but no one seemed to mind a bit of magic since she was using it for good even though she had other plans for her magic for whenever she would find the time to be alone with Emma Swan to find out where her mother ended up going since she had been gone a lot longer than one would expect her to in finding a new home for her and Mal away from Storybrooke.
Soon, Ben was in his gym clothes on the sports field of school as he had Carlos with him while Coach Jenkins would have a word with Jay about being on the team. "Okay. Carlos, we're gonna do some sprints. You ready?" he then explained to the boy before asking as he brought out a clipboard.
Carlos nodded as he knelt down in the grass. Ben then brought out his stopwatch and clicked it to start the timer and cue Carlos into sprinting. Carlos soon began to sprint, though he went a bit faster than planned suddenly as he heard barking right behind him and a certain man was going after the source of the barking. It had been from a bit of a mutt of a dog.
"Oh! Ah! No, wait!" Carlos cried out as he tried to get away from the dog.
"Sweet!" Ben smiled, stopping the stopwatch as Carlos kept running, but he didn't notice that yet.
"No! Ah!" Carlos continued to panic as the dog chased him into the woods suddenly.
"Stop that dog!" A man's voice called out.
"Mr. Nolan?" Ben asked out of confusion before looking to the man who stopped running to catch his breath for a moment. "What are you doing here?"
"One of the more scrappy dogs got out of the animal shelter," David told him while panting a bit. "I think I just saw him here."
"Oh, I was coaching Carlos actually for Tourney," Ben said before looking around. "Wait... Where did Carlos go?"
Carlos' screams were heard along with the barking of the dog.
"I think I know the answer to that question." David said to Ben.
"Carlos? Carlos!" Ben wondered before panicking instantly. "This isn't good! He's supposed to be afraid of dogs!"
"Come on, we better help him and get that dog!" David suggested.
The two soon ran off away from the field together to go into the woods of Storybrooke where they followed the sounds of Carlos screaming and the dog barking. Eventually, they found Carlos scared up a tree like a cat with the tiny dog barking at him who at least looked very harmless and not a lot of trouble, but regardless Carlos was terrified of him.
"No, stop!" Carlos cried out, fearing for his life.
"Carlos!" Ben and David soon called out.
"Ben? Mr. Nolan?" Carlos answered once he heard his name while still hiding in the tree like a scared cat.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" David said while he bent down and scooped up the dog in his arms while Carlos panicked. "Naughty dog... Naughty..." he then scolded a bit, causing the dog to stop barking and whimper a little.
"Ben, help me! This thing is a killer!" Carlos cried out as he pointed at the dog in an accusatory way. "He's gonna chase me down and rip out my throat. This is a vicious, rabid pack animal!"
"Hey, who told you that?" Ben asked softly.
"My mother," Carlos frowned. "She was a dog expert. A dog yellerer. At least from what I actually remember."
"Oh, Carlos..." David said softly as that sounded a little sad as Carlos was scared to the death of a harmless mutt.
"Why are you holding him? He's gonna attack you!" Carlos then panicked for the adult man.
"Carlos, you've never actually met a dog, have you?" Ben asked once he suddenly suspected something.
"Of course not," Carlos pouted in response. "Some of the grown-ups used to suggest for me to go see Dr. Hopper, but I didn't want anything to do with that spotted fiend of his."
"Well, this little dude won't hurt you," Ben reassured Carlos before looking at David. "He won't, right?"
"Of course not!" David replied. "He's a little rowdy and likes to run about once in a while, but he doesn't have rabies or anything."
"See, Carlos? This little guy's not gonna hurt ya." Ben said softly then to the freckled boy.
Carlos soon slowly settled down and took another look at the dog in David's arms who seemed to look calm and hopeful around the freckled boy. "He doesn't look like a vicious, rabid pack animal," he then admitted before he walked over and then looked up at David. "Can I hold him?"
"I think that's a wonderful idea." David smiled warmly.
Carlos smiled back as he took his time, slowly approaching the dog, holding out his hand to the dog and petted the dog. The dog seemed to smile at Carlos. David and Ben were also smiling as this was going really well so far.
Eventually, Carlos held onto the dog who was now settled down in his hold. "Jeez. You're a good boy, aren't you? You're a good boy." he then said softly while holding onto the dog.
"Well, we might not know who your parents were right now, but it looks like you had it pretty rough when you were younger." David remarked.
"Yeah. Let's just say I don't remember getting a lot of belly rubs." Carlos replied softly before he started to smile at the dog.
Ben smiled, putting his hand on Carlos' shoulder. "Good boy." he then said.
Carlos glanced over a bit curiously then.
"I mean, you're a good runner. You're... You're fast, you know." Ben soon covered up a bit nervously and bashfully.
"Oh. Yeah. Thank you." Carlos said with a nod.
"Yeah. Listen, I'm gonna give you guys some space, yeah?" Ben suggested. "You guys get to know each other and just, you know, come find me when you're done, okay?"
"Okay." Carlos nodded.
"I'll see you later." Ben smiled as he decided to step away.
"See you out there," Carlos replied as he continued to fuss a little with the dog in his arms. "Hi. Hi~"
Then suddenly, the dog gently licked Carlos' face.
"Oh! Thank you." Carlos smiled with a soft laugh.
"Maybe you'd like to volunteer and look after this guy at the animal shelter sometime?" David suggested. "You could think of him as yours if you want."
"Well... I guess that would be okay," Carlos replied. "Especially since I'm kinda alone and the life I thought I had was actually just a lie."
"I'm really sorry you kids had to go through that, but... Yeah, it would be good to start over, especially with what Ben's trying to do for you guys," David nodded. "On the bright side though, it looks like things will be okay for you all from now on."
"I sure hope so," Carlos replied. "I feel like there was more to the life I once had though before The Dark Curse."
"More to your life?" David asked. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not fully sure, but I just feel like there's someone very special and important in my life that's missing," Carlos explained the best I could. "Like... I dunno... Like there were two halves to my life and one half is gone somewhere."
"Hmm... That sounds very curious and interesting..." David remarked before nodding at the boy. "I'm not sure how to help you out there, but I'm sure we'll find the answer soon enough."
"You really think so?" Carlos asked before laughing a little as Dude licked his face again.
"I'm sure of it actually," David nodded. "I was in a coma for the past 28 years and Ms. Blanchard was able to find me and help me like we were destined to be instead of me being with Kathryn even though I thought she was my wife."
"I never really liked Mrs. Nolan to be honest with you," Carlos pouted. "She wasn't very nice, especially to us kids."
"Well, no offense taken luckily," David replied. "Just you wait, Carlos. Things are gonna be just fine."
"Yeah. Especially whenever I get my battery taken care of." Carlos said.
"Battery?" David asked curiously.
"Well... I only told Evie about this, but can I trust you to keep this a secret until I found a way to perfect it?" Carlos soon asked in a hushed voice as he continued to hold the dog in his arms.
"You have my word." David promised the boy.
"Thank you, Mr. Nolan," Carlos nodded before he took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay... I don't fully know what I need to find who I'm looking for... Remember how I said I felt I had another half that was missing and separated from me somehow?" he then asked softly.
"Yes, of course." David agreed since that just happened.
"Well... I was hoping to look for that missing half with a tracking device I've been working on for a while." Carlos soon explained.
"A tracking device?" David then asked.
"Yes," Carlos nodded as he continued to explain. "I don't know who I'm looking for, but I'm gonna try to track the missing person down. I doubt that they're my mother though since I remember a lot of yelling and not to mention crazy rides on the road. She sounds worse than Baron and Baroness von Hellman though."
"Hmm... Well, we'll rule out your mother... Perhaps you had a brother or a sister you were close with?" David guessed. "Or perhaps your father?"
"I'm not sure... I feel like I know but at the same time I don't if that makes sense," Carlos said with an honest shrug. "It's really complicated to explain."
"Well, don't worry, Carlos. We'll find a way through this for you," David said as he put his arm around the boy. "It's going to be okay."
"I really hope so, Mr. Nolan," Carlos nodded before he smiled at the dog in his arms. "I hope this little guy and I can be happy together though."
"I think you two will be just fine together." David smiled.
"I think so too." Carlos smiled back.
The dog then suddenly let out a bark as though to agree with them. Carlos and David looked over the dog rather curiously.
"I think he said 'Me too'." Carlos soon said to David.
The two soon laughed together while the dog sat patiently and comfortably in Carlos' hold as this looked like a happy ending to the classic story of a boy and his dog.
Ben soon headed back to the field and saw someone else there who caught him off guard a bit since he thought he and Carlos had been alone on the field. "Oh! Oh... Dude, don't scare me like that!" he then exhaled sharply since he was startled by the person who had wandered out onto the field like that.
"Don't scare you?" Harry grinned as he was shown and was holding a baseball bat behind his back. "But that's my specialty~"
"Say... I don't think I've seen you around school before..." Ben said cautiously all of a sudden. "...Do you know Audrey and Lonnie? Evie says they ended up here by accident when she, Miss Swan, and Ms. Blanchard came back from The Enchanted Forest." he then wondered.
"Oh... You could say that..." Harry nodded as he stepped closer to the other boy. "I'll cut to the chase though, Crocodile Jr."
"Crocodile Jr?" Ben blinked with wide eyes as he didn't like the sound of that so far. "...I think I gotta go actually. I gotta run!" he then said, about to turn around to run and get help.
"'Fraid not... I've gotta nick ya!" Harry said before he suddenly hit Ben in the head with the bat before the brunette boy could run off any further.
Ben cried out and suddenly fell to the ground, being knocked out after the head-bashing.
"Mm-hmm... Mm-hmm..." Harry nodded as he soon grabbed Ben and pulled him away behind the bleachers before anyone could see them. "Not bad for the son of Captain Hook, eh Crocodile Jr?" he then taunted before laughing a bit. "Seems like you've lost your touch though as the son of The Crocodile."
Ben of course didn't respond since he was currently unconscious.
Meanwhile, after that had been done, Hook went after Belle in the library and he even had her trapped in the elevator where she tried to call for help which was difficult due to phone connections and elevators being a bad combination. Luckily for Belle though, she was soon saved by Rumple and Hook had wandered far away from the library and the two were soon walking on Main Street together.
"Where are you going?" Belle asked.
"The shop." Rumple replied impatiently.
"Why?" Belle asked softly.
"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 again and hopefully not after Benjamin or his girlfriend next." Rumple replied.
"Rumple, no. We need to report this to the sheriff. They'll take care of him," Belle shook her head. "You're so close to finding your elder son. Please, don't let your hatred for this man get in the way of that."
"But he tried to harm you and he might go after Benjamin next." Rumple defended.
"But why?" Belle asked with wide wonder. "What happened between you two?"
"Belle... It is really not your concern." Rumple replied with a sharp sigh.
"He attacked me," Belle retorted. "It most definitely is my concern."
Rumple sighed before he soon began to explain to her. "Many years ago, I was married to a woman named Milah until Hook crossed our paths."
"She was Baelfire's mother?" Belle guessed since she knew he had a son before she came around and eventually they both had conceived Ben before The Dark Curse.
"Yes. And because of that marauding cur, he grew up without her," Rumple nodded as he continued to tenderly explain. "He took my wife, he took Bae's mother, so I took his hand."
"That's why he came after me, but, what... What about her?" Belle realized before she looked curious still. "What did he do with her?"
Rumple hesitated in answering that question until she soon grabbed his hand.
"Rumple, you can tell me anything." Belle said a bit tenderly.
"She died. That's all that matters." Rumple replied gravely.
They soon walked into the shop together and found out that it had been entirely ransacked.
"What happened here?" Belle wondered with worry and fear.
"Hook. This is why he attacked you." Rumple said as he looked around urgently.
"To get you out of the store," Belle realized. "What did he want?" she then wondered.
Rumple soon checked his safe only to find it empty as his worst fears had been realized, however, inside the safe was also a letter before he picked it up and took it out. He knew one thing though: he was beyond angry right now.
From a nearby rooftop, Hook spied on the pair through a telescope before he was joined by a certain man who had a certain object with him. "You have it, Mr. Smee?" he then asked the other man.
"What is it, Cap'n?" Smee nodded before he brought out a certain shawl.
"It's the end of The Crocodile hope," Hook replied with a dark grin. "Now he's trapped here. Go gather your sister and supplies for we'll set sail very soon."
"Aye-Aye, sir." Smee nodded obediently.
"No doubt Harry was able to do his part as well," Hook replied. "He takes after his old man, you see."
"Oh, I know, sir," Smee replied. "The past 16 years have proved that to be true. Especially after that disaster in Neverland."
"Harry will never have to worry about Neverland again, I promised him that," Hook insisted. "He's off to have bigger and better adventures, especially against Blackbeard once he's all grown up."
The two soon grinned at each other as this looked like a good sign so far.
Meanwhile, back in the pawnshop, Rumple was wrecking everything in sight with his cane in a fit of absolute rage.
"Rumple! Rumple!" Belle cried out in despair. "Stop it! Stop! Please!"
"No, you're right," Rumple replied a bit sternly. "I'll have to retrieve what's mine."
"Let me... Let me help you." Belle suggested.
"This is my fight." Rumple retorted to her.
"And this is my fault!" Belle defended. "If Hook had never attacked me, you never would've left the shop." she then added.
"How do you propose we get the shawl back?!" Rumple growled at her, feeling hurt and aggravated at the same time. "Have you dueled with a pirate before!? How exactly are you gonna help me?!"
"Well, I'm not just gonna sit here and do nothing!" Belle defended as bravely as she could.
"No. You're gonna go back to the library, lock the door, and wait for me to dispense with this problem." Rumple replied.
"And if I don't? You'll cast some spell that gives me no choice?" Belle huffed. "And what about OUR son?"
"No. I trust you'll do as I wish, as you trust me to be a better man and we'll worry about Benjamin later." Rumple defended before he soon checked the letter that was left in the safe.
"What is that then?" Belle wondered as she looked over his shoulder a bit.
"Let's find out..." Rumple said, opening up the letter and finding a rather grave and scary message left inside. "No..." he then whispered with wide eyes.
"W-What?!" Belle frowned. "What does it say?"
"They've gotten Benjamin too..." Rumple replied with horror in his voice.
"No!" Belle gasped and shook her head. "That can't be!"
"I'm afraid it would be..." Rumple nodded as he read the letter aloud to her as he tried very hard not to get too angry and tear up the letter from his rage. "'If you want to see your Beasty Boy again, come to the pirate ship at the docks at noon. No police.'" he then read aloud before snarling and going to tear up the letter.
"Rumple, they're threatening Benjamin as well. Let me come along with you." Belle urged.
"Belle, please. Hook has maybe cost me the chance of finding my elder son! I don't want to lose you or Benjamin, too! Here, look," Rumple said before he turned around and picked up a gun. "I want you to take this, just in case Hook is stupid enough to come after you again. Point this, pull this trigger, and the gun will do the rest for you. All right?" he then advised and instructed.
"Yeah. Yes," Belle soon agreed as he then decided to leave with that knowledge. "Wait. Promise me that you going after Hook is just about getting the shawl and our son back." she then said to him.
Rumple nodded firmly as he then left the pawnshop to go after the pirates who had endangered his true love and younger son.
Meanwhile, Ben groaned as he had woken up and looked around. "Huh? What the?" he then asked, looking down to see he was tied up to a ship's mast. He then struggled, but clearly couldn't get free. "Where am I? What's going on?" he then asked.
"Ben? Is that you?" A familiar voice soon asked.
"Huh?" Ben asked before looking over and gasping with wide eyes. "Evie?!"
"Ben... That is you!" Evie realized as she stepped over. "Oh, Ben. Thank goodness. It's so good to see another familiar face up close."
"Evie..." Ben said, a bit surprised. "What's going on here?"
"I've been stuck here with my grandmother and pirates for a while." Evie frowned.
"Pirates?" Ben asked before he thought out loud to himself. "...Huh. So I guess Henry was right. That Evie I've been seeing in school wasn't you."
"No, apparently that's a shape-shifting witch from Northern Wei," Evie pouted. "I don't know what she, the pirates, and my grandmother are up to, but I don't like the look of it. That pirate boy has been keeping me here forever."
"Pirate boy?" Ben then asked.
"Yes... His name is Harry Hook," Evie nodded. "Apparently he's the son of the famed pirate Captain Hook."
"Captain Hook?" Ben asked before he suddenly burst out laughing.
Evie firmly pouted. "It's not funny, Ben!" she then hissed through her teeth. "How could you laugh when your friend's been in danger?"
"Oh! Uh... I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you," Ben reassured once he stopped laughing since she suddenly got upset. "S-Sorry, Evie... It's just... Captain Hook was the biggest punching bag of our childhood, ya know? With how a little boy like Peter Pan would screw him over. It's kinda funny." he then explained.
"It's not so funny when you've been kidnapped from pirates and kept away from your mother and little brother." Evie retorted with a firm pout on her face.
"Oh... I guess that makes sense..." Ben said softly. "Well... Evie, it's good to see you. The real you anyway."
"What're you doing here anyway?" Evie wondered. "Why would my grandmother and pirates want you?"
"I'm not fully sure, but Harry, if that's who I saw before I came here called me Crocodile Jr," Ben explained with a shrug. "For whatever reason."
"Crocodile..." Evie repeated to herself, going deep in thought. "Wait... That pirate guy was talking about Rumplestiltskin. Your father, Mr. Gold was Rumplestiltskin."
"Yes, and your mother was The Evil Queen Regina," Ben concluded as he felt like that was already obvious. "What's your point?"
"The pirate boy you saw was Captain Hook's son and Captain Hook wants revenge against The Crocodile," Evie began to explain. "So obviously, Captain Hook's son wants to go after you because you're Rumplestiltskin's son."
"Man... This whole fairy tale descendants thing just keeps getting crazier and crazier," Ben noted. "I'm not fully sure what my dad and that guy's dad did with each other except that it involves my big brother, but I don't like the sound of it."
"Your big brother?" Evie asked curiously.
"That is a lie!" Harry retorted as he suddenly stepped over. "Your father ruined MY father's life by taking his hand!"
"...Guess the story's different," Evie remarked. "'Cuz last time I checked, a crocodile ate Captain Hook's hand after Peter Pan cut it off."
"Kinda makes you wonder why we root for that kid when he does something lethal like that?" Ben pointed out.
"Good point." Evie nodded in agreement.
"That's a lie too," Harry glared at both Ben and Evie then before he pointed at Ben suddenly. "He took my father's hand just because he couldn't leave my father be when he did nothing wrong."
"Nothing wrong... Yeah, right," Evie pouted. "I happen to know for a fact that Mr. Gold doesn't go around punishing people for no reason. He once made my friend Mal work in his shop for a couple of weeks because she decided to 'redecorate' the clock tower with toilet paper and Ms. Blanchard caught her or else she would end up in jail." she then retorted.
"Oh... I'm not mad at you, Princess~" Harry grinned as he took Evie in his hold suddenly who looked disgusted and repulsed in his hold. "Why don't you go wait in the back with the old cricket so you don't get hurt when The Crocodile comes by for his little hatchling?"
"Cricket?" Ben asked, feeling a bit confused.
"He means Dr. Hopper." Evie soon told Ben.
"You stay out of this, Beasty Boy!" Harry hissed as he faced Ben before he shooed Evie away into another room. "Shoo, shoo. I doubt you're any good with a sword... Even though it's bad luck to go out to sea with a lady on deck~" he then said, trying to sweet-talk Evie, but she just felt more and more disgusted with his advances.
"Hey! Get your hands off of her!" Ben glared.
"Try and stop me, Crocodile Jr~" Harry grinned as he continued to shoo Evie away into the lower deck. "Let's see how good your father is in saving you when he couldn't save your big brother cuz he was too much of a coward like he lost your brother's mother~"
Ben narrowed his eyes as he tried to stay brave and strong while Evie was being sent away.
Meanwhile, Smee was carrying a duffel bag down Main Street and began to reach a parking lot, but was suddenly stopped and confronted by a certain man who was waiting for him there.
"Leaving town, Mr. Smee?" Rumple asked, slowly turning around with a wicked smile on his face as he restrained the other man with magic so he couldn't run away easily. "I spared your life so you could reunite with your sister... And this is how you repay me? That object you stole from me; I want it back." he soon demanded.
"I gave it to Hook." Smee replied nervously.
"And where is he?" Rumple soon asked in a chilling voice.
"I don't know. W-We met on a rooftop," Smee explained, obviously getting scared. "He didn't tell me anything."
"And why would he?" Rumple retorted darkly.
"Please... Let me go..." Smee begged. "My sister is waiting for me."
"Hook knows exactly what you are, Mr. Smee," Rumple ignored his pleas. "A sniveling... Rat."
And soon, in a puff of black smoke, the poor man was suddenly turned into a rat and was sniffing about where his beloved red hat was on the ground.
"Now scurry off!" Rumple soon demanded, looking down as he was very stern and scary right now.
Smee squeaked and soon scurried off, doing just as the other man suggested.
Back on The Jolly Roger, Evie had been put away and locked up under Harry's watch. Ben just stared around as he was tied up, hoping to see his parents again very soon since he didn't like his current situation. He did his best to stay brave and strong, but it wasn't going to be easy. Harry suddenly jumped out in front of the other boy who was stuck. Ben turned away, trying to ignore any threats or scare tactics that Harry would try on him.
"Coochy, coochy, coo~" Harry teased as he scratched under Ben's chin as he tried to turn away and ignore the pirate teen. "How's it feel to be The Crocodile's son now, eh?" he then asked.
Ben didn't vocally answer and just turned away in annoyance. Harry laughed a bit wickedly, going behind the mast before popping up on the other side while Ben just stood there.
"Give it a rest, Harry. Give it a rest," Hook advised as he walked over and sat down. "We don't want damaged goods."
"You said that I could hook him!" Harry hissed at his father a bit.
"I said at noon!" Hook retorted to his teenage son. "Puberty is a cruel beast once you've become a parent." he then shook his head and rolled his eyes at his son's behavior.
Harry then decided to try to stop scaring Ben before he dangled out his father's old pocket watch. "20 more minutes~" he then told the brunette boy, showing off the time as the minutes ticked by.
Ben looked over and looked a bit deadpan once he saw what the clock actually said. "That says 11:30." he then told the pirate teen.
Harry just rolled his eyes in response.
"Look... I get that you don't deserve this. I get it," Ben reassured Harry. "You're the son of a villain and even though your dad hates my dad and you think you should hate me because of that, you deserve another chance."
"Another chance? HA! What chances would I have in a place like Storybrooke," Harry scoffed and rolled his eyes. "And don't pretend to look out for me. Because no one's looking out for me. It's just me."
"Well, you and your dad at least seem close and you can have your chance and your say in Storybrooke if you trust me," Ben soon said. "I'm helping Jay, Carlos, Evie, and Mal. We don't know about Jay and Carlos yet, but Evie is the daughter of The Evil Queen and Cora's granddaughter and Mal is the daughter of Maleficent. My mother was brave and heroic and fell in love with The Beast-"
"Crocodile." Harry corrected.
"Don't make it technical," Ben replied to that before he kept going. "We all deserve a second chance if we can help it," he then added softly. "You can fight it. You don't have to be a villain just because your father is a villain and I'm helping Mal. We're getting very close and we might actually even become boyfriend and girlfriend. Let me help you Harry like I've helped them. Don't throw your life away... What do you say?"
"What do I say?" Harry asked as he turned his back on Ben.
"Yes, yes!" Ben nodded. "What do you say after all of that?"
"I say..." Harry began to say before he turned around, then brought out his pocket watch again. "19 minutes to go now." he then said with a wicked chuckle.
"Harry, please... I'm starting off with four, two who are definitely Villain Kids and two others who are probably Villain Kids too since Mal hung around them for so long." Ben continued.
"Look, I don't need your pity." Harry huffed at the other boy.
No, you certainly don't. You're very resourceful," Ben replied patiently. "I don't see you tied up."
Harry chuckled before he approached the other boy. "All right. So let's trash talk your father." he then suggested.
"I'd rather talk about you... Maybe you'd like to tell your own story in Storybrooke?" Ben suggested.
"Pretty big words for a man we might feed to the fishes." Harry retorted.
"Well, you don't have to do that if that's what your father wants," Ben replied. "Set me free, and we'll go back together."
"Oh, so now I get an invite?" Harry retorted. "Gee, I wonder why? Sure, give Maleficent's and The Evil Queen's daughters another chance, but when you're the son of my father's sworn enemy next to Peter Pan, I see no reason for it. This is as mad as I'll ever be in my life, family ties or no family ties. And trust me, I've been plenty mad."
"I never thought of it like that before. That I could've hurt the descendants I haven't picked or gotten to know yet," Ben remarked. "My plan was to start with four kids and bring more people over."
"You just keep telling yourself that, but we'll see what happens after the final showdown between our fathers, shall we, Crocodile Jr?" Harry retorted as he narrowed his eyes before he laughed and walked off again.
Ben glared before he sighed. "...I gave it my best shot. Mom, Dad, wherever you are, I just hope this works out in the end like it did for your guys' story," he then said as he looked up into the sky. "Just please let things get easier from here... I could really use the extra help."
Meanwhile, at the library, Belle was rearranging the books that fell when Hook attacked when she noticed a nautical knot in the pile. She picked up a book titled From the Keel Up: A Nautical Guide and identifies the knot to be a "Monkey's Fist". "Hook came here on his ship..." she then smiled in realization.
Suddenly, the door came open and in stepped a certain teenage girl.
"Ah... Hello there, Mal." Belle greeted the girl.
"Hey, Belle," Mal greeted as she looked around. "Have you seen Ben?"
"Not since you left for school. Why?" Belle replied. "Isn't he training your friend Carlos to be on The Tourney Team?" she then asked.
"Well, he was supposed to be, but Carlos said that Ben suddenly left and they haven't seen each other since," Mal shrugged. "I thought maybe he came back here... Though Mr. Gold's shop is a total wreck right now."
"I saw that..." Belle nodded as she stepped over. "A pirate attacked Mr. Gold's shop and the library."
"A pirate?" Mal asked. "...You know, I'd be dubious about that story if it hadn't been for the fact that my mother was a fire-breathing dragon for as long as I can even remember." she then remarked.
"Yes, Storybrooke is a rather unique town, my dear," Belle nodded in agreement before she checked her book. "Would you like to run into town with me for something for Mr. Gold? Maybe we'll see Ben while we're out there." she then offered.
"I suppose since I have nothing better to do," Mal replied. "I've always wanted a brand new adventure after all."
"Well, that sounds good," Belle nodded. "Now come along, Mal. You and I have a pirate ship to find."
"On it, Belle." Mal agreed as she followed Belle out the door to go and look for Captain Hook's ship.
A/N: Decided to divide this chapter up a bit to avoid confusion. So this is part of "The Outsider" if you guys are wondering, so you can consider this to be Part 1 if you want. Hope no one has a problem with that, but I thought it'd be best and the next chapter will be out pretty soon once I finish it up too, so enjoy this one for now and I hope you like the little surprise I included with Carlos meeting his new best friend.