Belle's eyes became glossy, holding on to her one connection to Gold she has, the piece of gold straw we found on the bottom of the storm cellar floor.
"So, Rumple's alive?" She asks. "But-how is that even possible?"
"We were hoping you might be able to tell us that," Emma says softly. "You know him and the shop better than anyone. If he's in Storybrooke, there has to be a clue in here about how he got back, or how we can find him, now that he is."
"Yeah," Belle sighs dreamily. "I'll start looking right away."
"Keep your eyes out for him, too," David tells Belle. "If he comes into town, he'll-"
"He'll come to me," Belle says, smiling. "Yeah, I know."
"I will stay here with you," Hook says, causing everyone to look up at him, rather startled and confused. "I'm surprisingly good at research."
"You will stay with me?" Belle laughs.
"He'll protect you if the Witch comes," Emma tells her, trying to make the situation sound better than how Belle is seeing it.
"You do know he tried to kill me?" says Belle to Emma.
"Well, there were extenuating circumstances," Hook tells Belle.
"Twice," Belle snaps.
"Sorry?" Hook says.
"You really know how to charm a girl, don't you?" Emma asks Hook.
"This will be my way of making it up to you," Hook explains to Belle. "Hmm?"
"Fine," Belle sighs, defeated.
"All right," Emma paces the shop. "We should really get out into the woods."
"Hey," David turns to Mary Margaret. "Maybe you should stay home."
"Me?" Mary Margaret questions. "I'm the best tracker here."
"I know," David grabs her hand. "But we'll manage. Remember what Zelena said. You need your rest."
Emma clears her throat,
"Belle, thank you for your help," she says. "And don't worry, we're gonna find him."
"Okay," Belle says. "Thank you."
I went back to my apartment. Emma took Henry lunch, and I decided to try and make an indent on the layer of dirt in my place.
I could not stand to clean Charli's room, everything was exactly as it was the day we left through the portal back to the Enchanted Forest. I knew she was not dead, she couldn't be, she couldn't. I began on the kitchen, working on the grime covered plates left in the sink from one year ago. It was not really that dirty, Charli was such an organizer, no plates sat in the sink, only a few mugs. And the only real cleaning there was to do is to dust.
I began, dusting everything, cleaning it until it was shiny and new. Maybe a new start to this apartment.
The kitchen was done, dusted, mopped, and swept three times over when someone knocks on the door.
"Hello-" I choke. "Neal?"
"Hey, A," he says and hugs me.
It takes me a second to hug back. Neal. He's back. He's here.
"Are you...okay?" I ask, still trying to process that Neal is back, in front of me.
"Yeah," he smiles. "My dad's alive, apparently. I need to find him. Can you help me?"
"Of course," I say, knowing from the look in his eyes he is going out to look with or without me, and he looks guilty as though he should be somewhere else. His eyes look wilder than usual, and he is shaking slightly, adrenaline pumping.
"Why do we assume he is in the woods?" I ask Neal, starting to get worried with how dedicated Neal is to find Rumpelstiltskin so quickly.
"It's more like home," Neal says, as if it's very obvious.
"Of course," I whisper, breathing heavily as we go up the terrain.
"Gold?!" We hear someone yell to the left.
"Emma!" Neal yells back, and Emma comes around a group of trees and into view.
"Neal, what the hell are you doing here?" Emma asks.
"You expect me to stay in bed while you're looking for my dad?" He asks.
"You didn't tell me you were on bed rest," I accuse Neal.
"If I did, you still would've come," Neal replies.
"Right," Emma sighs. "I forgot who I was dealing with."
"You got a bead on him?" Neal asks Emma.
"David and I just saw him," she replies. "But he took off again."
"So it's true?" asks Neal. "He's alive?"
"Yeah," Emma says. "He is."
"How'd he seem?" Neal questions.
"I don't know what that witch did to him," Emma sighs. "But he seems a little crazy. When I asked him about her, it was like he wanted to tell me, but he couldn't."
"Well, he can't be far," Neal says and continues walking. "Come on." Emma does not walk along and he turns back around,
"You really want to waste time dragging me back to the hospital? 'Cause that's the only way you're gonna get me there."
"Fine, let's go," Emma says, and her phone rings.
"It's David," Emma tells us. "Someone needs to watch Henry." She stops herself. Neal still doesn't know. "He doesn't have his memories back. We have to be careful around him, I need to go watch him."
"I can do it," I offer.
"Are you sure?" Emma asks me.
"Yeah, it's okay," I tell her. "Don't get yourself hurt," I tell Neal.
"I promise," he says and hugs me. "See you later."
"Yeah," I say. "See you later."
Henry ended up going fishing with Leroy and the rest of the dwarfs. I was in my apartment, finishing cleaning up the living area when Emma knocks on my door.
"Hey, Ashton," Emma says, crying softly.
"What happened?" I ask her. "Where's..."
"He, he's not-When Gold came back, a life had to be traded for his. Neal wanted to get back and he didn't realize that his life would be the one that's traded. He's...gone."
"Neal's dead?" I ask. Emma nods. "Neal's dead."
"I'm sorry, I can't-" Emma sniffles and wipes her eyes. "I'll see you later," she says, and I close my door.
Neal is gone. He isn't here with me anymore. I slide my back against the door and have to think to breathe. It doesn't come normal anymore. I tuck my head between my knees and scream, sobbing.
I ball my hands into fists and look up at my apartment. The kitchen is practically blown apart. Everything that was out on any counter is on the floor, shattered. I see my necklace on the ground beside my feet and don't try and put it back on.
"I love you," I whisper. "I love you."
New update every Sunday.
Dont forget ONCE season 6 starts on ABC tonight.