Chapter 28

                                    

                                          
Third POV.
                          
"If you want privacy, talk fast. We open in twenty and no one gets between Leroy and his bacon." Granny said as they entered the diner. Astrid smiled at the old woman in thanks.
                          
"Is there any sign of our quarry ?" Killian asked as he stood next to Astrid, shoulders tense and jaw clenched. His old enemy wasn't as dead as he hoped for.
                          
"I went all over that  and the land around it. Nothing." Astrid said while Emma entered, she finally arrived.

                          
"Well, now that the sun's up, we should hit every place Gold might go. His house, shop, his cabin." David said while standing next to Astrid and Mary Margaret. 
                          
"'Cause dead men love vacation homes. Can someone explain to me how this is even possible? We all saw Gold, he..." Emma trailed off, she wanted some information about how it was even possible, Astrid nodded along with Emma. She too wanted answers, she thought her kind of witches were the only kind to bring back the dead.
                          
"Disappeared into nothingness, I know." Mary Margaret finished her daughter's sentence.
                          
"I might have an inkling. When we went back to the Enchanted Forest, Neal was talking about the possibility of getting his father back." Killian said, trying to shed some light in the situation. David questioned how, and Killian said "He didn't know how. He just... 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 is... We don't know what he is. We don't even know, if he made it back to Storybrooke. No one's seen him since this new curse." Emma said, eventhough she seemed calm, her heart was breaking all over again. She had a chance to Neal back, but the gods were against her, fate was against them.
                          
"He's out there somewhere." David said, he was trying hard to comfort his daughter, but nothing he said seemed to be helping them.
                          
"With all due respect, we have bigger issues right now, than who brought Gold back. The fact that he was in the Wicked Witch's basement for one. I wanna know what the hell she was cooking up with him." Astrid sighed, Regina was right.
                          
"Well, the best way to find that out, would be to ask Gold, right?" Astrid groaned in response, she could not be bothered with him. Eventhough he just came 'back', she wanted him to disappear again. Belle could find someone better, maybe someone with a sense of humour.
                          
"He tells who the witch is, maybe how to track her down." David said, after sending Astrid a playful glare, her hatred for the Gold was quite comical.
                          
"I'm gonna head back to that farmhouse. It's possible this witch left behind some trace of potion or special ingredient." Regina said, after nodding to Astrid. The girl had asked Regina if it was possible to mix her magic with the Regina's type of witch. Regina believed it to be possible, so she said she'll do some research for the blonde.
                          
"Try about it. Just be careful." Emma warned, sharing a look with Regina. Said woman just nodded her head and spoke. "Well, she's the one who needs to be careful. She invaded my space. When I return the favour, I'm not pulling any punches." Astrid was tempted to whistle, but decided against it, she knew her humour would not be appropriate at the minute.
                          


                          
"So... So, Rumple is alive? I mean, how is that even possible?" Belle asked, she had finally started to accept the fact that he was dead, with the help of Astrid, but now this bombshell had just been dropped. It had been a strange week indeed.
                          
"We were hoping you might be able to tell us that. 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 and how we can find him, now that he is." Emma said, Astrid decided she was bored and started to explore the shop while listening.
                          
"Yeah, I'll... I'll start looking right away." Belle nodded.

                          
"Keep your eyes out for him, too. If he comes into town..." David said while watching what Astrid. It broke the man's heart knowing he missed out on the young girl's nineteenth birthday, as well as Henry and Emma's birthday too.

                          
"He'll come to me. Yeah, I know." Belle said, truly believing her words.
                          
"I will stay here with you. I'm surprisingly good at research." Astrid looked up in surprise, the only time he offered to do something was for her or himself. So it was a shock to see him offering to help, it made her happy knowing that he was becoming better.
                          
"You will stay with me?" Belle asked in surprise
                          
"Killian'll protect you, if the witch comes." Astrid said while looking at some sort of necklace, it looked familiar.
                          
"You do know he'd tried to kill me?"
                          
"Well, there were extenuating circumstances." Killian said, while looking at Belle.
                          
"Twice." She deadpanned, while Astrid stifled a giggle.
                          
"Sorry." He truly did, that was a man from the past. Not the man now, no one seemed to believe in him, apart from Astrid.
                          
"You really know how to charm a girl, don't you?" Astrid spoke out, amusement clear in her voice.
                          
"Well it worked for you, didn't it?" Her cheeks grew red as David glared at him. God is David was acting like this, then what would her actual father be like? Not just them, what about Hope and her aunts and uncles. "This will be my way of making it up to you." 
                          
Belle nodded.
                          
"All right, we should really get out into the woods." Emma spoke up.
                          
"Hey, maybe you should stay home." He directed this to Mary Margaret, Astrid ignored the rest of the conversations and just looked around the shop, and when it was time to go, she left.

                          


                          
"So, how was Neal?" Astrid asked Emma as they were walking through the woods, if only her dad could see her now.
                          
"It was hard. Henry makes it complicated. It's not just about me. He's hoping Gold can help bring his memories back." Astrid was about to recommend one of her potions, but decided not to. She didn't know if it would work, she didn't want to get Neal's hopes up, just for them to get knocked down.
                          
"That would be an added bonus to finding him." David said while rubbing Astrid's shoulder gently, he knew about the conflict raging inside her. And he hated that he couldn't help.
                          
"Would it? A couple of days ago I would have thought that was true, but now..." Astrid walked ahead, they were having a moment, and she didn't want to eavesdrop or ruin it.

                          
Somewhere near by Gold screams. Hurriedly, both, Emma and David head into the direction of the sound. But Astrid walked slowly, they would find him, and she would just watch. Once she arrived she saw the old man kneeling on the ground and groaning with pain. Emma crouches down beside him. 
                          
"Gold, are you alright?" Astrid just looked at the man in distain.
                          
"No! No! Not alright. Not alright. I can't quiet the voices." Astrid just rolls her eyes.
                          
"We know that you were held captive by the witch. Do you know where she is?" Astrid asked emotionlessly.
                          
"Yeah, she is...  There's no room. No room. There's too many voices. Too many voices!" He shouted.
                          
"Pussy." Astrid said while helping David with the flying Monkey. Gold ran away as they fought the animal.
                          
"He's getting away. We'll hold it off. Go!" David said while nodding to himself and Astrid.
                          


                          
"David, what's going on?" Mary Margaret spoke at the sight of three people barging into her house.
                          
"Where's Zelena?" Astrid and Emma asked.
                          
"In the bathroom. Why?" David and Emma walk over while Astrid stands in front of Mary Margaret, she would be willing to die for the child and the women. And it wouldn't matter that much anyway, she would come back as a vampire anyway.
                          
After Emma and David came back, they told them that she wasn't there. Emma told Astrid to start putting up protection spells, while calling Regina to get some help. Astrid nodded and began chanting.