𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼

Quiet Minds

Emma looked around, rushing over to the closed diner, knocking a few times before a granny looked through the half opened blinds. The woman opened the door, quickly going back to her cooking. "If you want privacy, talk fast. We open in twenty, and no one gets between Leroy and his Bacon." As she rounded the corner, Granny smacked Brooklyns leg gently, sending her a stern look. "Off my counter."

The girl did as she was asked, jumping down off the counter, leaning against it.

"Is there any sign of our quarry?" Hook asked, getting straight to the point.

Emma, however, sighed. "I went all over that farmhouse, and the land around it. Nothing."

"Well, that sums up, we should hit every place, Gold might go. His house, shop, his cabin." David went on, but before he could continue, Emma interfered.

"Cause dead men love vacation homes. Can someone explain this to me, how this is even possible. We all saw Gold. He-"

"Killed his evil father, then disappeared into nothingness?" The blonde looked to her sister, nodding in agreement.

"I might have an inkling." Everyone turned to face Hook, the pirate continuing. "When we went back to the Enchanted Forest, Neal was talking about the possibility of getting his father back."

"What? How?" David asked.

"He didn't know how, he just.." The man glanced at Emma momentarily, before looking back down, continuing his speech. "He missed his family. He was desperate to find a way to return to this world. He believed, that bringing his father back was..the key."

"Well, if that was his plan then, obviously something went wrong. Because, while Gold might be alive and kicking. Neal is..he's, we don't know what he is." Her parents each sent the blonde a pitied look, making her frown. "We don't even know if he made it back to StoryBrooke. No one's seen him since this new curse." She told them, her voice raised a little.

"He's out there, somewhere." David reassured his daughter.

"With all due respect, we have bigger issues right now, then who brought Gold back. The fact that he was in the Wicked Witches Basement, for one. I wanna know what the hell she was cooking up with him." Regina told them all.

"Well, the best way to find out would be to ask Gold, right?" Mary Margaret asked, looking to her husband.

"He could tell us who the witch is, maybe how to track her down."

Regina stood up, looking mostly at Emma as she spoke. "I'm gonna head back to the Farm House, it's possible this witch left behind some trace of potion or special ingredient."

"Have at it. Just be careful."

"Well, she's the one that needs to be careful. She invaded my space. And, when I return the favour, I'm not pulling any punches." With that, the woman swiftly left the Diner.

"What now?" Mary Margaret asked, seeing her daughter hold a familiar look.

"Let's head to Gold's shop, maybe there's something Belle could help us with." Emma explained, grabbing her gloves as she prepared to walk out. "And, I think it's about time she knows he's alive."

•••

Having made their way over to Gold's shop, Emma, Hook, David and Mary Margaret, along with Brooke joined the young woman in the back. She sat there, facing away from them as she stared softly at the gold straw.

"So..so Rumples alive? H-How is that even possible?" Belle asked, Emma being the first to answer her.

"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."