Lacey

For the character, see Belle.

"Lacey" is the 41st episode of Once Upon a Time.

Summary
Mr. Gold enlists the aid of David to help him try to jog Belle's now cursed memories and get her to love him again, and when it is revealed that the magic beans Anton and the dwarves have been harvesting have begun to grow and could possibly transport everybody home, Emma is torn over whether she would want to live in fairytale land or stay in our world. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Rumplestiltskin forces Belle to accompany him on a hunt to kill a thief, whom she had freed in the name of mercy.

Plot
"Previously on Once Upon a Time..."

Tamara introduces herself to Emma who reciprocates, Neal then tells the blonde that Tamara is his fiancée. At the town line, Kurt Flynn is being restrained by Sheriff Graham and Owen calls out for his father who orders him to run, as Regina stands by. Greg assures Regina that he's not leaving without his father, but she tells him that she's afraid he is because Kurt's not in town anymore. A wooden August is seen on the phone to Emma and tells her that he has to warn her of something, however, the call is cut off when Tamara disconnects the phone cable. Soon, she tasers August, "killing" him. Greg opens his door to Tamara who apologizes for being late as it's been a heck of a day, but he merely pulls her towards him and kisses her passionately. Outside, Mother Superior turns the dead, wooden August into little boy Pinocchio once more, and Emma tells the child that before he turned into a little boy, he was trying to warn them of something, but Pinocchio tells the blonde that he doesn't remember. Belle tells Rumplestiltskin that she will go with him forever (in exchange for her family's safety), and Rumple exclaims, "Deal!" Belle is shot by Captain Hook and falls over the town line, when Gold exclaims her name, she asks him who Belle is, having lost her fairytale memories. As the seer dies, she tells Rumplestiltskin that he will be reunited with his son, and Rumple impatiently asks how. Mr. Gold is seen walking through the New York City streets with Henry as Neal and Emma walk behind them. Answering Rumple's question, the seer says that a young boy will beat him to Baelfire and this boy will be Rumple's undoing. The Dark One shrugs and says, "Then I'll just have to kill him."

Teaser
In Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer, Henry is seen blowing out the candles on his birthday cake as his family (Emma, Neal, Gold, David and Mary Margaret) all cheer and clap behind him. The boy smiles before being approached by Rumple, how tells him it's time for his present. Henry appears intrigued as Gold tells him to pick one object from; anything he likes, and Henry begins to wander around the establishment, browsing the items within it. He looks upon the counter, seeing objects such as the golden egg that the true love potion was kept in and the Genie of Agrabah's lamp, but his eyes move across the till and eventually settle upon a rack filled with a selection of magic wands. He points to one and says, "That," before reaching out his hand and selecting a wand. He begins to swing it around randomly and his father warns him to be careful as wands are powerful, and Henry turns to Mr. Gold, asking him how it works. Gold carefully takes the wand out of the boy's hand, requesting to let him show him, and begins waving it above Henry's head as it begins to glow with golden magic. As Henry grows entranced by the wand, Gold soon gives it a violent flick and casts a spell upon the boy, causing him to turn into a ceramic sculpture. Everyone else in the shop becomes shocked and worried, wondering what an earth Gold's doing, but the middle-aged man replies with, "The prophecy." He puts the wand down on the counter and explains that the seer said the boy would be his undoing, so he has no choice; "I must be his." He lifts his cane up with his hands and gives it a heavy swing, causing the ceramic Henry to shatter into pieces. Suddenly, Mr. Gold wakes up in bed, revealing the previous scene to have been a dream, and appears wrought with genuine shock and confusion. He exhales heavily, turning away from the camera, as he comes to terms with what he just dreamt. ONCE UPON A TIME

Act I
At the park, Henry and Neal are seen battling each other with wooden swords, clearly enjoying themselves, as Mr. Gold watches from afar. The pawnbroker is soon approached by Regina who comments that it seems like they've both been pushed to the sidelines, and Gold asks what she's doing there. The mayor watches the play fight between Bae and Henry and tells Gold that the real question is: "What's your son doing with mine?" Gold smiles, turning to Regina and realizing that she "didn't get the birth announcement", at which she turns to him in confusion. He then informs her that Baelfire is Henry's father, and Regina simply and grumpily says, "What?" Gold asks her if he has to spell it out for her; "Miss Swan and my son-" Regina cuts him off as she comes to the realization that Rumple is Henry's grandfather, and Gold comments that he guesses that makes them family, taunting the mayor by asking her if she agrees that Henry has his eyes. He begins to limp along the adjacent bridge as Regina accuses him of doing this, but Gold assures her that it was as much a shock to him as it is to her.

She denies this, following Rumple, saying that he must have known as when she adopted Henry, it was Gold who procured him for her, and asks him if he expects her to believe that that was a coincidence. "No, not coincidence," Gold tells her, "Fate." Regina looks at him with annoyed eyes as he goes on to say that apparently fate has a sense of humor. The two of them exit the fenced bridge, now in a clearing beside the docks, and continue to walk. Regina asks Gold if he's playing the part of the loving grandpa now, and he smiles again. The mayor assures the pawnbroker that "they" won't accept him no matter what he does; "Not your son, not any of them." Gold tells Regina that they'll see but she points out that she's already seen; she's seen his dark heart and it always wins out - he always chooses darkness. Rumple tells Regina that where she may think she knows him, she really doesn't, but the mayor says that she knows him well enough; "If your own son couldn't bring out the good in you... who will?" Regina walks away as Mr. Gold begins to ponder the mayor's question, knowing the answer.

Belle is reading a book in her room at the local hospital when Mr. Gold knocks on her door. The beauty looks up at him and he smiles, before she comments that he's alive. "Indeed I am," Gold assures her as he proceeds into the room, saying that he imagines his last phone call was a bit alarming (see "The Miller's Daughter"), and Belle confirms this, telling the pawnbroker that it sounded as though he was on his death bed. Gold apologizes for startling the girl and goes on to say that he knows she has no memory of him, but his feelings for her are real, and he just needed her to know that in case he died. Belle smiles, telling Mr. Gold that she's glad he's okay, and adds that she could tell his feelings were true. "You could?" Gold asks, seeming somewhat surprised, and Belle informs him that she has a sense about people, she can't explain how, but she could just tell. Gold takes this to mean that she believes that they know each other and she says that she believes that whatever caused her to forget herself means that she has a past, and that past probably included him.

The middle-aged man nods, assuring her that it did, and Belle pauses before recounting that when she was injured (she adds that the upcoming statement is going to sound crazy) she remembers him healing here, but Gold merely tells the girl that she's been through a lot; a serious injury; all the drugs she's been on since she's been there, but he assures her that once she remembers who she is, it will all become clear. Belle stares at him with an ominous look before asking if he can help her do that (remember who she is), but Gold replies: "Only if you help me remember who I am." The beauty becomes confused, wondering what he's talking about, and Rumple explains that she always brought out the best in him and right now he needs that - "So yes, I will do everything I can to bring you back. For you and for me." Belle smiles before reaching out a hand and gently resting it upon Gold's, which his gripping his cane. She smiles at the middle-aged man and tells him that they can help each other, and Gold appears to like this idea before suggesting that he talk to someone about getting her out of hospital; "You've been locked up long enough."

We are shown an overview of the Dark Castle before being shown inside a dungeon cell where Belle is lying on her bed in her famed gold dress and crying miserably. The cell door is heard opening and Belle turns to it to see Rumplestiltskin who says that when she so eagerly agreed to come and work for him, he assumed she wouldn't miss her family quite so much. Belle, who's now stood up, exclaims through tears that she made her sacrifice for them and so of course she misses them, before calling Rumple a beast. He understands but states that the crying must stop as it's night after night and making it very difficult for him to spin, which is when he does his best thinking. Belle looks at him in an appalled manner before Rumple says, "Here," and conjures up a pillow out of a puff of purple smoke, suggesting that perhaps it will help. "For me?" Belle asks, and Rumple throws it to her hardly and points out that he's not so beastly now. He begins to head for the cell door and Belle thanks him, saying that now she might actually be able to gain some sleep, but Rumple assures her that it's not to help her sleep; it's to muffle the cries so that he can get back to work. The princess appears insulted by this but cannot reply as she and the Dark One are suddenly distracted by the sound of something smashing upstairs. Alarmed, Rumple runs out of the cell and forgets to close the door, meaning that Belle is able to follow him.

Upstairs, on the ground floor, a hooded man carrying a bow and arrow is seen approaching a magic wand which rests on a stand, but Rumple, who's just entered the room, asks him if he's sure he wants to do that. The thief turns to him with the wand in his hand, Belle now having emerged behind Rumple, and removes his hood, saying that he's pretty sure. Rumple tells the thief that if he doesn't know how to use that wand, it can do nasty things to him, and the thief places the wand in his quiver and draws and arrow from it, lifting his bow and saying that he'll stick to what he knows works. As he begins to aim the arrow at Rumple, he asks the Dark One if he knows what it can do to him, but Rumple points out that it has to hit him first and proceeds to disappear, reappearing on the other side of the room via magic. The thief aims his bow and arrow accordingly but says that it shouldn't be a problem as an arrow fired from this bow always finds its target. Rumple stares at the thief blankly as the latter lowers his bow and says, "Don't you just love magic?" He aims it again and Rumple smiles, disappearing at the moment in which the arrow is fired, however, we see the arrow change direction in the air, and when Rumple reappears beside the thief, the arrow hits him in the chest. "I know I do," the thief says as Belle runs over to her master, but as he tries to leave the castle, Rumple appears before the thief and tells him, "As do I," and proceeds to pull the arrow from out of his chest without leaving any damage whatsoever. He then lets go of the arrow and it disappears in a puff of purple smoke, and Rumple asks the thief of he doesn't know: "All magic comes with a price! And in your case, that's me." The thief looks at Rumple in confusion and Belle stares at the scene with a worried expression.

Back at the hospital, Belle is packing her things into a large bag when footsteps are heard approaching the door and Regina soon enters, giving a little knock as she does so. Belle looks up at the mayor who tells the girl that she doesn't think that they've been properly introduced, before saying that she's Regina, the mayor of the town, and just wanted to make sure she's okay. Belle smiles, telling Regina that that's very thorough of her and thanking her, before assuring her that she's fine. Regina smiles and Belle adds, "I think I am. Mr. Gold's getting me discharged. He believes he can help remember who I am." "Does he now?" Regina asks with a forced grin and Belle reciprocates a smile before continuing to pack books into her purse. Regina then pretends to spot something on the floor beside Belle's bed and bends down; we are then able to see the matchbook for The Rabbit Hole in her hand which suddenly becomes charmed with her magic as she pretends to pick it up. She asks Belle what it is, wondering if she dropped it, but the beauty appears equally curious before taking the matchbook for a closer look. She tells Regina that she doesn't think so before discarding it, but the mayor suggests that she keep looking. Belle picks up the matchbook once more, inspecting it closer, when the spell Regina put on it is heard transferring onto Belle via an audible jingle. Regina stares expectantly as Belle remains entranced by the matchbook and the girl soon utters, "Wait..." Regina gives a large smile at this and Belle adds that she knows what it is; "I think I remember who I am!" The mayor looks at her with a genuine smile on her face, saying that she's sure Mr. Gold will be thrilled, with ironic sentiments.

Act II
A map of Storybrooke with many colored push-pins stuck into it is seen lying on the table in Greg's room at Granny's Bed & Breakfast as Tamara asks him, "These are the places you saw it?" and Greg, who has his hands on his girlfriend's waste, answers positively, adding that the town is lousy with magic. He then tells her that she should go as if Neal suspects anything, it's going to make everything they have to do that much harder. Tamara tells Greg not to worry, assuring him that Neal doesn't suspect a thing, before going on to ask her lover if he's had any luck in finding "him". "My dad?" Greg asks, "No... but he's here. I'm sure of it." Tamara walks closer to Greg and assures him that they will find his father, and he says that he knows, but recommends that they stick to one thing at a time; "You were able to get the package here, right?" Tamara informs him that it's right outside town and that she can just drive in with it, and Greg asks her if it's stable, to which she replies, "Very." Greg smiles widely as Tamara says that she'll bring "the package" in tonight and tells him to be ready, before leaving the room.

David's van drives along a roadside and pulls over there, beside an empty field. Emma opens the passenger-side door and steps out, asking her two parents why they're in the middle of nowhere and why they're not telling her what's going on, questioning the secrecy, but Mary Margaret says that it's because she "needs to see it". Emma sarcastically states that that always means good news, before saying that whatever it is, it can wait, reminding them that August was trying to warn them about something/someone dangerous. David tells his daughter that it doesn't matter, and Emma appears further confused, wondering why not. "Because of this," Mary Margaret says, grabbing her daughter's hand and walking with her and David over to the field. As they walk, they pass through an invisible barrier, and on the other side, Emma is shocked to see rows and rows of magic bean crops being farmed. The three of them cross a plank which covers a bridge and Emma remains in shock, and even more so when Anton exclaims her name and runs towards her. She greets him with a hug and he asks her if she's there to help, saying that it's not quite harvest time yet, and Emma steps back, realizing that what's being grown is beans; "Magic beans. That's what you guys were up to while I was in New York? Why didn't you tell me?"

David smiles, pointing out that they are telling her and explaining that they kept it a secret to protect the crop and that Mother Superior cloaked the area. He comments that that way, Anton can do what he does best, and the former giant points out that they haven't yet seen him play darts, but he grows beans pretty good too. Anton folds his arms triumphantly and Emma tells him not to take something the wrong way before asking why he's so... "Small?" Anton asks, finishing her sentence, and the blonde nods. He explains that Cora and Regina brought some magic to make him human-sized, and after he takes a look down at himself, he states that he rather likes it. Leroy approaches Anton from behind and tells him that he's had enough lollygagging and to get back to work, and Anton comments on how much dwarfs like to do this before returning to his crop alongside Grumpy, telling Emma that it's great to see her. The blonde smiles, but takes a moment to look at the beans, coming to the realization that her parents want to use the beans to make a portal to go back to the Enchanted Forest and that's the real reason they didn't tell her.

David and Mary Margaret remain quiet and Emma asks them about ogres and destruction and danger, but Charming assures her that they can fix all that, saying that they did it before and can do it again. Snow adds that they would be able to start over and Emma realizes that her mother has changed her mind and wants to go there too. "Not my mind!" Mary Margaret tells her, "My heart... After what I did to Cora, I think restoring our land is the best way to mend it." Emma takes this into consideration and David says that it will be good for all of them; the whole family, including Henry and her. Mary Margaret points out that all of them are from the other land, but the blonde says that this world is her home, and David reminds her that it's been nothing but cruel to her, and if they go back, he thinks she might be able to have her happy ending. Emma turns away from her parents and looks out at the bean crop, which is being nicely farmed by the dwarfs and giant, but a worried look remains on her face.

Mr. Gold walks into Belle's room at the hospital only to see an empty bed, he appears confused, before calling out for the nurse, and she soon rushes into the room. Rumple tells the nurse that there was a patient there suffering from amnesia and asks where she is, and the nurse knows hat he means Belle, saying that she should still be at the hospital. "So where is she?!" Gold exclaims, and the nurse runs out of the room in order to look further into the matter. Annoyed and worried, Gold approaches the bed and discovers a matchbook for The Rabbit Hole, and he picks it up to inspect it.

We see a large rabbit logo on the wall of the entrance to The Rabbit Hole, a club in Storybrooke. Mr. Gold soon walks in and takes a look at the sign, before making his way over to the bar. The bartender, recognizing him, immediately rises to Gold's attention, and the pawnbroker states that someone he cares for has gone missing, adding that the only thing she left behind was a matchbook to "this vile joint". The bartender seems a little insulted by the use of the word "vile", but stops trying to defend his bar when he notices how little Gold cares. Rumple says, "I don't understand this, if you knew her, this is the last place she would go," and the bartender catches on that Gold really isn't a fan of The Rabbit Hole, before asking him to describe her. "Brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, an accent you wouldn't soon forget... her name's Belle," Gold informs the bartender who appears confused, asking the middle-aged man if he's sure as that sounds an awful lot like Lacey. Mr. Gold asks who the hell Lacey is, and the bartender points to his right, causing Gold to turn and notice Belle in flashy, tight clothing shooting pool over by the pool table. He becomes confused and "Lacey" smiles, having just sunk a ball, and downs a shot of something which was resting upon the side of the pool table. Gold is further confused and as Lacey sinks another ball, whilst playing against Mr. Clark, Rumple approaches her and addresses her as "Belle". She corrects him, saying her name's Lacey, but Mr. Clark, who's toting a mug of beer, comment's that Belle's name should be "Fast Eddy"; "She's a hustler, she's hustling me." Lacey laughs at this and Gold asks her if she remembers him, at which she regards him as "guy who visited me in hospital" and answers positively. She goes on to say that now she remembers who she is, and that's Lacey, she then asks him to excuse her as he's in her shot. Gold steps back as Lacey aligns her pool queue with the white ball, before sinking yet another ball.

In the fairytale land that was, Belle's broom sweeps Rumple's castle floor as the young girl attempts to distract herself from the screaming coming from the dungeons, being made by Rumple's captured thief. She's clearly made uncomfortable and attempts to sweep louder, but Rumplestiltskin soon arrives in the room and tells Belle that he's going to need another apron, before beginning to remove his bloodstained one. Belle approaches her master and tells him that they're on the line drying and that it'll be some time, and Rumple accepts this, managing to remove his bloody apron and throwing it on the table, telling his maid that she can get to cleaning that one as well. He begins to leave the room, saying that he'll be back later, and Belle stares at the apron in disgust before exclaiming, "All this because he tried to steal a magic wand?!" Rumple turns around and tells the girl, "No, because he tried to steal from me! The Dark One. You try that, you get skinned alive. Everyone knows that." Belle says that actually, no they don't, and Rumple, after an awkward pause, adds, "Well they will after they discover the body!" He gives a shrill giggle before opening the castle doors with magic and walking through them, leaving the room, and after Belle makes sure he's gone, she turns her attention to the dungeon stairs.

Down in the dungeons, the thief is seen with his hands tied up and hanging him from the ceiling as his face remains bloody and wounded with that blood running down his chest. The door to his cell is heard opening and Belle walks in, leading the thief to laugh, asking the girl if Rumple sent her to finish the job. Belle answers negatively and approaches the thief, bearing a cup. She puts it to his mouth and tell him to drink and the thief obliges, grateful, as Belle tells him that she couldn't let this continue because it's inhumane. She walks over to the rope coil on the wall which keeps the thief hanging and the thief agrees with Belle who begins to unwind it. He says that he now fears Rumple will turn his wraith on Belle, but she says that if he does, she'll stand up to the beast that he is because no one deserves to be tortured. The maid finishes uncoiling the rope and the thief drops the floor. Belle walks over to him and crouches down, removing the shackles that bind his wrists, and the thief says that Rumple may beg to differ. She says that she doesn't care as he doesn't frighten her and tells the thief to hurry up as the Dark One may return soon. The wounded man is helped to his feet by Belle who tells him to hurry and as he runs to the cell door, he turns around and tells the girl that Rumple will kill her unless she runs away with him, but Belle shakes her head, saying she can't run; "I made a deal to serve him in exchange for him protecting my kingdom and my family from the ogres. If I were to leave, I may survive, but my family surely won't." The thief breathes heavily, telling the girl that all he can do is wish her luck, and Belle thanks him before telling him to go, and watches as the thief vacates the dungeon and escapes.

Mr. Gold bursts into Regina's mayoral office and asks her what she's done with Belle, at which the former queen asks if she looks like a one-handed pirate with a pistol, reminding Rumple that he knows who shot the girl (see "The Outsider"). Gold demands that the mayor stop playing games as Belle's gone and now she's someone else, at which Regina closes the file she's looking at and realizes that the pawnbroker means Belle's got her memories back; "You're welcome." "Not her memories," Gold says, "Her cursed memories!" But Regina, who's stood up and wandered across the office, reminds Rumple that it's from the curse that he gave her, saying that all she did was jog things back in place. Gold demands that Regina undo it and bring Belle back, and Regina grabs another file, telling the pawnbroker that he knows she can't as Belle crossed the town line, meaning her old self is gone and these cursed memories she now has are real. She then walks past Gold and back to her desk, adding, "Lacey's here to stay." Rumple, who appears angered, says that any curse can be broken and demands that Regina help him. "Or what?" she wonders, asking if he'll kill her, but Gold remains silent and Regina smiles, assuring him that he won't as she sits down at her desk. "Oh, won't I?" Gold asks, approaching the mayor in rage, but she reminds him that he's on his best behavior because of his son, taunting him with the notion of letting Bae know who he "really is" before suggesting that he get used to Lacey.

Gold sits down on a chair opposite Regina at her desk and assures her that he'll find a way, but as she continues to look over her files, she tells Rumple that finding a way isn't the problem as they both know what it is. At this, Gold realizes that it's true love's kiss, and Regina points out that she doesn't think their new resident feels the same way about Mr. Gold as he does her. The pawnbroker, rather viciously, exclaims that he'll make Lacey love him, and Regina sarcastically states that there's a charm that should easily woo a lovely young lady and that she'll most certainly fall in love with him at first sight. She then laughs to herself, noting that that didn't happen, and Gold stands up in anger, telling Regina that Lacey will love him or he promises there will be suffering. Regina takes this to finally be something they both can agree on, before wishing Gold luck and returning her attention to her files. Mr. Gold turns around and begins to head out of the office, but as he does, the mayor adds, "Oh, and... give my best to Lacey." Rumple appears even more angry and storms out of the office, leaving Regina to remain with a wicked grin.

Act III
In Granny's Diner, Granny herself takes a tray from the kitchen over to the counter and announces that it's ten bowls of chili - no beans. She places it next to David and Leroy, the former of which is getting money from his wallet to pay the old woman, and Granny asks him if he and the dwarfs have something against beans. David vaguely says that they've had their fill over the past couple of weeks and Granny asks what exactly they're up to. David hands her some money and Leroy replies, "Just a little landscaping." At this, Granny scowls at the dwarf, clearly unsatisfied with the answer, before Mr. Gold approaches Grumpy and asks him if the seat next to him is taken, telling him that he may want to run along as he wants to chat with the prince. Gold sits down as Granny returns behind the counter and David tells Leroy that it's alright as he's got this, and the dwarf leaves the table, freeing up a seat for Charming. The prince asks Gold what he wants to chat about and the middle-aged man replies, "Regina." He goes on to explain that the mayor helped jog Belle's memory, but David sees this as a good thing, however, Gold informs the prince that she was given the wrong memories and now thinks she's a scantily clad barfly named Lacey, having been given a false life like Charming did under the curse with Kathryn.

Gold adds, "Only hers... apparently involves a lot more alcohol." David asks the pawnbroker what he wants with him and Gold says that he "wants to know how you did it". Charming appears confused, and Gold elaborates: "Even when both your heads were filled with false memories, David Nolan still won Mary Margaret's heart." David realizes that Gold wants him to help him and Rumple comments that he's certainly not there for the overpraised lasagna, at which Granny overhears and appears insulted. The prince reminds the pawnbroker that he got his wife to kill someone (see "The Miller's Daughter"), but Rumple points out that that someone would have killed David and his family. "Look, if you don't wanna help, that;s fine. But if you do, for the first time ever, I'm gonna owe you a favor." Charming takes this into deep consideration before sighing and conceding to Gold, explaining to him that when Regina cursed Mary Margaret and he, there was still a sliver of Snow and Charming (the real them) inside. Gold then asks how he is to bring back the real Belle, and David instructs Rumple to show her the man she fell in love with.

Belle is seen sitting on a chair in Rumple's castle reading a book but is distracted by the Dark One loudly sharpening a knife, still dressed in a leather apron. He tells Belle that he'll try not to be too loud but can't promise the same courtesy from their prisoner. Rumple picks up another weapon and heads on down to the dungeons, and Belle is startled when she hears the wizard call out in shock. He soon races back into the room and approaches Belle, demanding to know where the thief is, and she simply replies, "Gone. I let him go." Rumple appears further stunned, wondering why she did such a thing and exclaiming that the man was a thief, implying that he deserved his fate. Belle argues that that gives Rumple no right to kill him, but the Dark One disagrees, exclaiming that it gives him every right. "Ah, let me guess. You think he's a hero; stealing from me for some noble cause. You read too many books, dearie!" he yells in anger, hastily waving his hand and causing Belle's book to disappear in a puff of purple smoke, telling the girl that maybe that will stop filling her head with poisonous thoughts. The girl explains that she didn't free the thief because of what she reads in her books - she saw good in him.

She says that that man only wanted to escape with his life, but Rumple then points out to Belle the stand which the magic wand had rested upon, which is now empty, saying that their thief escaped with more than his life. Belle stands up to inspect this and Rumple tells her that she was tricked, calling her a foolish, gullible girl. The maid argues that there must be an explanation and that they don't know why the thief wanted that wand, but Rumple exclaims that he took the wand because he wanted magic and that people who steal magic never have good intentions. He walks over to his table, throwing his knife down on it, but Belle rushes over to him, in denial, and says, "You can't tell what's in a person's heart until you truly know them!" Rumple assures her that they will see what's in his heart when he shoots an arrow straight through it, and because he is a showman, it will be with the thief's own bow. Rumple extends an arm whilst talking and the thief's bow appears in his hand in a cloud of purple smoke, and the Dark One goes on to tell Belle that because this is her fault, she gets to come with him and watch and know as the blood drips from his carcass; "It'll be you and your rags to wipe it up!" As Rumple makes his way out of the castle, Belle breathes heavily in fear.

Back at The Rabbit Hole, Lacey is seen downing another shot at the bar when a man, Keith, sits down beside her. She finishes eating a lemon wedge and hands it to the bartender, before Keith offers to buy another round for the lady. He tells Lacey that he's had her eye on her for a while, but she merely drinks her drink and thanks him with a condescending nod, before bluntly telling him that he's not her type. As Keith persists, Mr. Gold and David are seen walking into the club, the former of which sees a man hitting on his love and tells the prince that he might want to wait outside. David holds the pawnbroker back, telling him that that's a bad idea, and Keith gets up and leaves, having been shot down by Lacey. Mr. Gold approaches Lacey who takes another sip from her glass, placing down on the bar. Gold sits where Keith was just sitting as David grabs a seat further down the bar and Lacey comments on Mr. Gold having returned. "As are you," he points out, and the girl states that she loves the ambiance. She grabs her drink again, taking a much larger gulp from it, and when she hears the music currently playing on the jukebox, she turns to it and asks, "What the bloody hell's that? Let's get some Palomar going on in here," before asking Gold if he likes Van Halen. Not knowing what she's talking about, Rumple remains silent, and Lacey takes this to mean he's a "Hagar man" before getting up out of her seat and approaching the jukebox.

From down the bar, David asks Gold what he's doing, and the pawnbroker replies that he and Lacey have nothing in common. David assures him that that doesn't matter as he just needs a way in, before urging Rumple to ask her out. Gold reluctantly gets up out of his seat and approaches Lacey, who's looking through the records in the jukebox, deciding on which one she'd like to hear. "Now that you're... back to your old self," Gold starts, "Perhaps we could spend some time together?" She asks him if he means "like a date", and he confirms this. "Well, you do know I'm not this 'Belle' you're always talking about?" Lacey makes sure, and Gold answers positively, before the girl goes on to say that she's heard about him. Rumple appears confused and she goes on to say that the people in town are afraid of him, but he requests that she not let that deter her, and begs her to give him a chance. Lacey stares at him blankly for a while and agrees to go out with the middle-aged man, telling him to meet her tonight at Granny's Diner at 8 o'clock, before walking away. Gold smiles as David approaches him; "Not bad, Don Juan," he says, but Rumple tells the prince, "Don Juan was nothing before he made his deal with me." David says that, regardless, Gold got Lacey to go out with him and congratulates him. "Indeed," Rumple says, "Now I just need her to fall in love with me."

On a bench beside the town docks, Emma is seen reading from Henry's book of fairytales before being approached by Regina, who asks the blonde if she's reading up on Henry's father, or maybe his grandfather. She sits down on the adjacent bench and asks Emma how long she thought she could keep the fact that Gold's son is Henry's father from her. Emma assures the mayor that she was going to tell her but was busy trying to stop her and her mother killing her and her entire family. Regina turns away awkwardly before asking the blonde what Neal's doing in town, but Emma tells the mayor to relax, assuring her that he just wants to spend a little time with his son. "Funny, he didn't seem to wanna spend time with him the first ten years of his life," Regina comments, "But then again, neither did you." Emma suggests that instead of worrying about everyone else, maybe Regina should start focusing on trying to be the person Henry wants her to be, before she loses him for good. Regina questions the "for good" part, asking what it means, but Emma assures her that it's nothing, adding that, unlike Regina, the rest of the world isn't always scheming to get what they want. "No, you're hiding something," Regina insists, and Emma remains silent. The mayor says that whatever it is, she can assure her of one thing: "I'm going to find out." Regina then stands up off the bench and walks away from the docks, leaving Emma to sit alone once more and contemplate the mayor's threat.

Act IV
Mr. Gold and Lacey are reading menus in a booth at Granny's Diner on their date. Gold stumbles and drops the menu, catching it straight away, and Lacey notices, asking him if he's nervous and appearing somewhat amused. He assures her otherwise, saying that he's just deciding what to have, and Granny soon approaches them to take their order. She takes one look at Belle in her tight, skimpy, sparkly blue dress and asks her what hell happened to her, wondering if she's been raiding the back of Ruby's closet. Gold, quickly changing the subject, suggests that perhaps he and Lacey could order, and hands Granny a menu. He requests two burgers and two iced tea, but Lacey says that she actually wants chicken palm and white wine ("And make it the bottle."). Granny takes their menus and heads back to the kitchen as Lacey tells Mr. Gold that she's never really been much of a burger girl, which clearly surprises him due to Belle's previous love of hamburgers. He tells her that whatever she wants, she shall have, and Lacey comments on Mr. Gold being a "classy guy". She adds that this is not what she was expecting from him given all the "stuff" people say about him, and Gold wonders what she hears. Lacey recounts that he's the most powerful man in town and that he gained that power by being ruthless and that when people cross him, they get hurt. Gold appears hurt himself by this but cannot respond as Granny approaches the table and serves Lacey her bottle of white wine and glass, and Rumple his iced tea. As the old woman walks away, Gold begins to pour white wine in Lacey's glass from the bottle and assures the girl that he's a simple shop owner and procurer of difficult-to-find objects. He puts the bottle down and Lacey immediately picks it up again, filling her glass a lot more so that it nearly reaches the top, and Gold tells her that people like to believe the worst in him but he would rather she believe the best. She tells him that she just doesn't get why people are afraid of him as all she sees is a man who wouldn't hurt anyone, and the pawnbroker thanks her with a large grin, telling Lacey that he really needed to hear that, especially now. After she takes a sip of wine, Lacey tells Gold, "Well, you know what they say. You can't tell what's in a person's heart until you truly know them." This being something which Belle once said to Rumple in the fairytale land that was, Gold freezes as he realizes that there's still a bit of Belle in Lacey. He becomes distracted by this and begins to reach forward, knocking over his iced tea has he does so and causing it to spill on Lacey's dress. She laughs and asks him if she said something wrong, and he assures her that he didn't before informing the girl that he knew someone once who said that exact same thing to him. He then apologizes for her dress but she says that a bit of water will take it right out, before getting up out of her seat and heading the the restrooms. Once she leaves, Gold smiles with recognition of Belle, believing the date to be a somewhat success. A horse-drawn carriage is seen heading down the road in the Enchanted Forest and Belle and Rumplestiltskin are shown to be inside of it. The latter smiles before stating that they're losing track of the thief, adding that the forest is too thick, and Belle suggests that maybe they should return home. "What, and let the thief escape?" he asks her in a put-on cockney accent, before returning to his normal voice and asking what people would think if he spared the life of someone who stole from him. Belle suggests that they would think that there's actually a man hiding behind the beast, but Rumple assures her that there isn't. This leads her to ask why he didn't kill her when she freed the prisoner, and he tells her that he would have if good help weren't so hard to find. She says that she thinks he is not as dark as he wants people to believe and that deep down there's love in his heart for something more than power. Rumple then leans in closer to his maid and tells her in a quietened tone that she's right; there is something he loves. Belle seems more than eager to listen, but is disappointed when Rumple exclaims, "My things!" He puts up a hand which causes the horses and carriage to stop moving, and Belle comments, "You really are as dark as people say." But he assures her, "Darker, dearie... much darker." Rumpelstiltskin exits the carriage with the thief's bow in his hand and he witnesses another horse travelling in front of another horse and carriage halt before him. The drunken Sheriff of Nottingham - the fairytale counterpart of Keith - is seen to be riding the lone horse Belle steps out of Rumple's carriage and follows her master in approaching the sheriff. The later dismounts his horse in a clumsy manner and takes a flask from the horse's saddle, before walking towards Rumplestiltskin and asking him what he's doing in his woods. Rumple returns to his cockney accent and asks the sheriff for a pardon on his intrusion before saying that he's looking for a thief who attacked him with his bow - he gestures the bow in his hand - and he adds that he traced him as far as this forest and then he vanished. Upon inspecting the bow, the sheriff tells Rumple that he knows exactly who he's after, but adds that he also knows who he is, before saying his name, "Rumplestiltskin." Rumple, happy that his reputation precedes him, returns to his regular voice, and the sheriff notes this his penchant for making deals precedes him also. "I'll tell you where you can find your thief if you give me something in return," the sheriff says before taking another swig of his flask. Rumple asks what he wants and is discomforted when the sheriff replies, "A night with your wench," and gestures Belle. The Dark One tells the sheriff that the girl is not for sale and the sheriff laughs, asking if Rumple cannot part with her for an hour, before amending this to 20 minutes. Rumple asks the sheriff to let him think and proceeds to pretend to to so before waving his hand and causing the sheriff's tongue to disappear from his mouth in a puff of black smoke, reappearing in Rumple's hand. The Dark One gives a shrill giggles as the sheriff begins to wretch, unable to speak, and the dark wizard proposes a new deal: "I give you this back, and in return, you tell be everything you know about the man I am hunting." The sheriff says nothing, merely wretches some more, still unable to answer, and Rumple waggles the man's tongue in front of his face and tells him that he ought to be more careful with his possessions, before asking if he agrees to his terms. The sheriff makes an awkward noise with his mouth and Rumple jokingly asks him what he said, before saying that he'll take that as a "yes". He twiddles his hand and the sheriff's tongue is returned to his mouth in another puff of black smoke, and Rumple orders the relieved man to start talking. The sheriff hastily spits out, "The thief that you're after, I've been chasing him for years. He ruined me! He stole the woman I love and... made me the laughing stock of all of Nottingham." Rumple smiles, asking where he can find the thief, and the sheriff replies that he was last spotted in Sherwood Forest. "And his name?" Rumple asks, leaning in a little closer, to which the sheriff announces, "Robin Hood. He goes by... Robin Hood."

Trivia

 * The title card features Robin Hood firing an arrow in the forest.
 * Although credited, Meghan Ory (Ruby/Red Riding Hood) is absent from this episode.

Production
The title of this episode was revealed by executive producer/co-creator Adam Horowitz, via his Twitter account, on February 1, 2013, along with the title for episode 2.18.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.