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Prince James shook his head lightly as he headed up the stairway that led up to the bedroom he and Captain Hawkins had purchased for the night. Just how was he going to manage to pull this one off? And how was it that he found himself at Rumpeltiltskin's mercy once again? Stopping at the top of the stairs, Prince James put his hand over his heart, taking a moment to feel it beating strong against his hand and remembered; he would do [i]anything[/i] for Snow.

Rejuvenated by a new air of confidence, James proceeded to the door and opened it, expecting to find his new friend awake by now. But maybe, just maybe, James would be lucky enough that Hawkins would still be sleeping. If that were the case, all he really needed to do was go through his coat and take the map while Hawkins slept on.

James couldn't help but exhale in relief as he found his partner still snoring. He couldn't blame the guy, the last days events were daunting, and Hawkins had been on his journey a lot longer than he had.

He quietly moved to Hawkins' jacket that had been hanging on the back of the chair, and while continually looking over at his sleeping friend, began to go through his pockets. Guilt stuck James more than he could have imagined, but he had to keep telling himself that it was for Snow, that he wasn't [i]really[/i] a thief, nor did he have the time to stop and explain this whole thing to Hawkins.

Finally, his fingers found the map and he pulled it out, quickly checking it over to ensure he hadn't grabbed a note or other useless piece of parchment and then folded it back up, stuffing it into his shirt corner pocket. With a nod to himself, Charming straightened up and hurried out of the hotel room, making sure to close the door very quietly behind him.

When Red opened her eyes, she found herself standing beside a village road. To her right a few carts selling fresh produce with a handful of people bouncing back and forth in between to get the best prices, and to her left a small Inn. Red turned her head left and right repeatedly, even forcing her injured body to look behind her as well. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she looked for Night and Belle, but neither of them were anywhere near her, the wolf senses had told her that long ago. But even stranger than that, no one in the town seemed to realize that a woman in clear pain had appeared out of nowhere just seconds ago. It was perhaps for the best, as Red didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to herself; but just where had The Evil Queen sent her?

Suddenly, Red's nose picked up on something; a particular smell she wasn't even sure she remembered. Spinning her head around to where the scent was coming from, she spotted Prince James jogging down the stairs of the Inn and hurried off down the street.

Red blinked...twice. Did she really just see what she thought she saw? It could have been that the salty sea air was tricking her senses into thinking she smelt him, but could it be coincidence that the man [i]looked[/i] like him too?

Making up her mind, Red held fast to her ribcage and attempted to hurry after him, following him more on scent than sight as he was able to get out in front of her a lot easier than she could catch up. Finally, rounding a corner and into an alley between two small buildings, she caught James holding up a piece of paper and talking up towards the sky.

"I have it! I have what you want!" James called out to the sky, causing Red to quirk an eyebrow.

"Charming?" She called, breaking the assumption that James had been alone. His head snapped back down to it's normal level, his eyes growing wide in spotting his old friend. His mouth hung slightly agape, unbelieving but yet, there she was.

"Red?"

Red nodded and smiled. As much as she had dreaded meeting up with Charming again, she was even more-so glad that she had been placed with a familiar face. James briskly ran to Red, overcome with joy upon her appearance and extended his arms out to bury her into one of his famous hugs.

"What happened? After Snow...no one heard from or saw you-"

Red held up her hands with effort, keeping James from hugging her although God knew she could use one right about then, and then grabbed at her ribcage once more, sucking in a breath as a wave of pain pulsed through her.

"It's a long story...what...what were you doing?" She asked, ignoring the concerned look she was getting from her friend as he had taken notice to her injuries. He looked to the map in his hand, and then back to Red, realizing that she must have spotted him trying to summon Rumpelstiltskin. He held up his hands defensively, as if knowing what to expect from Red and her reaction to what he was about to tell her.

"Like you, it's a long story. But I've found a way to get to Snow, to bring her back."

Red couldn't help but to grin widely at the news. At this point, she didn't care how it happened, only that it did.

"Rumpelstiltskin, he's to give me a ring that will lead me straight to her, I just had to get this map for him first. Not sure why he would need it, everyone knows that only those who wield light magic can use it's powers..."

"Rumpelstiltskin? You mean The Dark One?" Red's smile faltered immediately. Maybe she wasn't as open to the idea of 'anything goes to get Snow back' after all.

"I know, I know, but I need Snow, now more than ever. Regina's taken over our castle, she's carrying my child...I won't stop at anything to get her back."

Red's smile returned, just a bit, watching the love grow in James' eyes with each and every word he spoke. She could only nod.
"Then we get Snow, and take back your castle...together."

A gust of wind suddenly picked up, forcing Red to topple into James in her weak state but he caught her gently as to not further her injuries. Purple smoke began to cloud around their feet, and the two could only look down as the smoke continued to envelop them. Red knew what was going to happen next. She was being sent away somewhere...but was this the work of The Evil Queen? Or someone else?