A girl far away from home (1)

Chapter 14 - Quiet Minds, part 2

At Gold's shop, Belle and Evelyn were busy as then Emma and the others came in the shop, telling them that Gold was still alive and that Neal was found. Belle looked at them. “So... So Rumple's alive? I mean, how is that even possible?”

“We were hoping you might be able to tell us that. You know him and this 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.” Emma replied to her.

Belle nodded. “Yeah, I'll, uh... I'll start looking right away.”

“We will start looking.” Evelynn added.

“Keep your eyes out for him, too. If he comes into town, he'll...” David was interrupted.

Belle nodded. “He'll come to me. Yeah. I know.”

Emma motion to hook to say something. Hook looked at Belle and Evelynn. “I will stay here with you two. I'm surprisingly good at research.”

Belle looked in disbelieve. “You will stay with me?”

“He'll protect you if the witch comes.” Emma replied instead of Hook.

“Yeah, but I have magic and hat has he?” Evelynn asked, pointing at his hand. “He has 1 hand and the other is a hook. I can protect us.”

Belle sighed. “You do know he tried to kill me.”

Hook shrugged. “Well, there were extenuating circumstances.”

“Twice.” Belle added, looking at him.

“Sorry?” Hook told/ asked her.

Emma looked at him. “You really know how to charm a girl, don't you?”

“This will be my way of making it up to you.” Hook told to Belle. “Hmm?”

“Fine.” Belle huffed a little.

Emma nodded as then she looked at her father. “All right, we should really get out into the woods.”

David looked at his wife. “Hey, maybe you should stay home.”

“Me?” Mary Margaret blinked. “I'm the best tracker here.”

David nodded. “I know, but we'll manage. Remember what Zelena said... You need your rest.”

“Belle, thank you for your help.” Emma looked at Belle. “Don't worry. We're gonna find him.”

Belle nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

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Belle was looking for books which could help, she gave them to Hook. Evelynn was looking in another direction. “Uh, watch the cover on that one.” Belle told to Hook.

“Dealing with a hook here.” Hook comment.

“Maybe you should try a fake hand, that’s better than hook.” Evelynn comment. Hook rolled with his eyes, obviously Rumpelstiltskin’s daughter. Belle sighed.

Just then, somebody tried to enter into the shop. Belle jumped. “It's him. It's... It's Rumple.” But, it was Neal that entered in the shop. He fell down. “Neal? Neal!”

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Later, Neal was at the hospital, Hook, Evelynn and Belle were with him. then, Emma arrived with David. “Neal, you're here. What happened?” She asked to him.

Neal looked at her. “I... don't know. I... I remember seeing the yellow bug cross the town line, and next thing I know, I'm running around a forest back in Storybrooke, where, apparently, there's been a whole lot going on.”

Hook glanced at Emma and the others. “Are you gonna tell him, or shall I?”

“Tell me what?” Neal asked, confused.

David looked at him. “Neal, we think your dad's back.”

Neal blinked. “Back? I just watched him die. What do you mean he's back?”

“We don’t know.” Evelynn replied to him.

“Take it easy.” Emma added as then she saw a mark on Neal's hand. “What the hell is that?”

“No idea. It was there when I woke up.” Neal replied to her.

Emma took a picture as then she looked at Belle. “Belle, can you do some more research?”

“Yeah, sure.” Belle nodded. “Absolutely.”

“I'll send you the picture.” Emma said to her.

“Okay.” Belle comment.

Neal looked at the others. “Hey, guys, can we... Can we have a minute?”

“Yeah, of course.” David nodded as then they leave.

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Neal watched the mark on his hand, Evelynn stood by him as then Hook arrived with food. “Thought you could use some sustenance.”

“Nothing like a green blob to get the appetite going.” Neal comment.

“Is that food?” Evelynn asked to them.

“Yeah.” Neal replied to her.

“Oh.” Evelynn looked disgusted. “Strange food.”

Hook looked at Neal. “Well, I gather it has great medicinal properties.”

Neal looked at them. “They put you on babysitting duty, huh? What, no one trusted me to stay here?”

“I wanted to stay here and besides the others will find our father.” Evelynn replied to him.

“Emma's simply concerned about you. She thought it best you weren't out in the cold running after your father.” Hook added.

“Thank you, by the way.” Neal comment, looking at Hook.

Hook raised an eyebrow. “For playing nanny?”

“For getting Emma the message to come back.” Neal replied to him.

“You would have done the same.” Hook comment to him.

Neal nodded. “Yeah. What's it feel like to play the hero after being a pirate for so long?”

“Unfamiliar. And you... How does it feel to play the villain?” Hook asked to him.

Neal raised an eyebrow. “I'm a villain now?”

“No.” Evelynn shook with her head.

Hook nodded. “Well, if you truly had a hand in bringing your father back, I suspect you had to use the darkest of magic and paid an even darker price, though I'm sure you felt the ends justified the means.”

Then, Neal jumped up. “I should be out there looking for him to set things right with him and my son.” He looked at them. “Question is, are you gonna stand in my way?”

“I am in your way.” Hook hugged Neal.

Neal blinked. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Oh, this is long overdue. Sometimes, when I look at you, all I see is a man. I forget that, beneath it all, you're still that boy... The one I looked after all those years ago.” Hook replied to him.

Neal nodded. “Yeah, I haven't forgotten.”

“We got caught up in so much nonsense over... A woman.” Hook added.

“I need to do this, kill. You know that, right?” Neal asked to him.

“Nut you aren’t going alone.” Evelynn fold him. “I’m coming with you.” Neal nodded.

Hook looked at the siblings. “You have 10 minutes, and then I alert the others you've gone.”

“Thank you.” Neal and Evelynn leave.

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Emma runs into the woods after Gold. She found Neal and Evelynn. “Gold?”

“Emma!” Neal shouted.

“Did you really think that my brother is our father?” Evelynn quipped.

Emma looked at them. “Neal, Evelynn, what the hell are you doing here?”

“You expect me to stay in bed while you're looking for my dad?” Neal asked to her.

“Right.” Emma sighed. “I forgot who I was dealing with.”

“You got a bead on him?” Neal asked to her.

“Bead?” Evelynn frowned.

“That’s the same as seen.” Emma explained.

“Oh.” Evelynn comment.

Then, Emma looked at Neal. “David and I just saw him, but he took off again.”

“So it's true... He's alive?” Neal asked to her.

Emma nodded. “Yeah. He is.”

“How'd he seem?” Neal asked to her.

“Uh, I don't know what that witch did to him, but he seems a little crazy. When I asked him about her, it was like he wanted to tell me, but he couldn't.” Emma replied to him.

“Then, we need to find him.” Evelynn comment.

Neal nodded. “Well, he can't be far. Come on. You want to waste time dragging me back to the hospital? 'Cause that's the only way you're gonna get me there.”

“Fine.” Emma sighed. “Let's go.”

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Neal, Evelynn and Emma were walking into the woods. “So, New York, huh?” Neal asked to Emma.

“I like the pizza.” Emma replied to him. Evelynn felt like the third wheel.

“Did Henry like it?” Neal asked her.

Emma glanced at him. “He loves pizza.” 

“I meant living there in the city.” Neal comment.

“Oh, yeah. I did, too. Finally had time to do all the things we normally couldn't.” Emma nodded.

Neal glanced at her. “Like what?” 

“Go to the park, see a movie, go to the zoo, just do nothing. Life was good... Really good.” Emma replied to him.

“It didn't get lonely? Just the two of you?” Neal asked.

“Henry had tons of friends at school, and I... Had someone.” Emma glanced at Neal. “Sorry.” 

Neal raised an eyebrow. “Why are you sorry? Of course you did. It's not like we were... Or you even remembered... Was it serious?”

“He proposed.” Emma replied.

“You were to be married?” Evelynn asked to her as Emma nodded.

“Wow.” Neal comment.

“And then he turned into a flying monkey.” Emma added.

“Oh, Emma.” Evelynn comment.

“Sounds intense.” Neal laughed.

“Go ahead and laugh. I almost married a monster from Oz. It's hilarious.” Emma comment to him.

Neal glanced at her, still smiling. “I almost married a minion of my evil grandfather, Peter Pan. So I know what you're saying.” Then, he went serious. “Hey, I'm sorry it didn't work out.”

“Really?” Emma asked to him.

Neal nodded. “I care about you, Emma. I always will. I just want you to be happy... Even if it isn't with me.”

Emma smiled. “We were happy once.”

“We never found Tallahassee.” Neal told her.

Just then, Emma's cell rings. Emma answers. “Belle, what'd you find?” She listened. “Wait, so he brought Gold back?” She asked. “Whoa. Hang on a minute. What?”

Suddenly, Neal was in pain, he fell. “Aah!”

“Neal!” Evelynn shouted, she went to him.

“Neal? Neal? Neal, what did you do?” Emma asked as he also went to him.

“Aah! Aah!” Neal shouted as Gold's face appeared on Neal's face. “Aah!”

“I think... I think Gold is inside you. I think that's how you're still alive.” Emma told him.

“Our father did something to keep him alive, i think.” Evelynn frowned.

Neal nodded. “I heard my father's voice in my head. He's in there. He's in me.”

“He said there was no room. He meant you.” Emma realised.

“I need you to help me, Emma, Evelynn. Use your magic. Separate me and my father.” Neal told them.

“You will die!” Evelynn exclaimed.

“Really? You'll die.” Emma asked.

Neal nodded. “I know, but you need my dad more than me to figure out who the witch is... To save the town. You two need to do this.”

“I've never done anything like that before... Not that big.” Emma comment.

“We will do it together.” Evelynn told her as Emma nodded.

“Do it to save you and Henry. Do it. Please.” Neal pleaded.

Emma and Evelynn used their powers and separate Neal and Gold. When finished, Emma looked at Neal. “Neal! Neal, are you okay?”

“What have you done?” Gold exclaimed to them.

“Father!” Evelynn shouted. “Its his wish.”

Neal looked at his father. “It's okay, papa. I told them to.”

Gold was confused. “But why?”

“So you can tell them who the witch is so you can defeat them.” Neal replied to him.

“Zelena.” Gold hissed.

Emma blinked. “What?”

“Zelena.” Gold repeated.

“She's the witch? What does she want?” Emma asked to him.

“What she doesn't have.” Gold replied.

“What do you mean?” Evelynn asked.

Then, Emma interrupted them. “There has to be some way you can save him, right?”

“It's too late, Emma.” Neal wheezed.

“Just hang in there, please. You never even had a chance to see Henry... For him to remember you.” Emma started to cry.

“It's okay. He doesn't need to. He just needs to know that, in the end, I was a good father. I saved this for you to give to you again. Take it.” Neal gave the necklace back to Emma. “Go find Tallahassee... Even if it's without me.” Gold and Evelynn were crying too.

“Neal.” Emma cried harder.

“Hey. I'll be watching over you guys from somewhere. Promise me... Just prom... Promise me you'll both be happy.” Neal told her.

Emma nodded. “I promise. I promise.”

“Neal.” Evelynn pleaded. “Please?!”

“Watch over our father, he needs you.” Neal told her.

“I will.” Evelynn nodded, crying.

Gold shook with his head. “No. No, no, no. I can fix this.”

Neal sighed. “No, you can't. You can't. Thank you, papa, for showing me what it is to make a true sacrifice. It's about saving the ones that you love.”

“No.” Gold cried.

“It's my turn now.” Neal told him.

“No. I don't want to let you go.” Gold told him. 

“I need you to. Please. Let go.” Neal wheezed.

Gold cried. “I love you, son.”

“I... I love you, papa.” Neal died.