Lacey

"Lacey" is the nineteenth episode of Season Two of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Adam Horowitz & Edward Kitsis and directed by Milan Cheylov. It is the forty-first episode overall and premiered on April 21, 2013.

Synopsis
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.

Recap
In Mr. Gold's shop, Emma, Neal, Mary Margaret, David and Mr. Gold are celebrating Henry's birthday. Mr. Gold tells Henry that he could pick out a gift from his shop. Henry looks around and chooses a wand. He begins to wave it around, and Neal tells him to be careful with it. Henry asks Mr. Gold how it works. Mr. Gold shows him by waving it around in the air. Then, using the wand, Mr. Gold turns Henry into a statue. Everyone is shocked, and David yells at Mr. Gold, wanting to know why he did this. Mr. Gold replies that the Seer told him Henry will be his undoing so he must do this. He takes his cane and smashes the statue. Startled, Mr. Gold awakes in his bed, realizing he had only dreamt of killing his grandson.

Later, Regina Mills comes up to Mr. Gold, who is watching Neal and Henry play at swords. She notes that Henry has pushed her away in favor of Neal, and Neal has pushed Mr. Gold away in favor of Henry. Mr. Gold reveals to her that Henry is Neal's son, and that he is Henry's grandfather. Regina is shocked at this, doubting Mr. Gold's claims that he did not know, as he was the one who procured Henry for her during the adoption process, and there was no way that could have been a coincidence. Mr. Gold just tells her that there are no coincidences, just fate. Regina scornfully replies that the others would not accept him because he would always have a dark heart - something not even his own son could change.

Mr. Gold visits Belle in the hospital, and she is relieved to find him alive after his phone call. Mr. Gold attests that his feelings for her are real, something Belle does not doubt because of her sense about people. She tells Mr. Gold that whatever past she had probably included Mr. Gold, something the latter is happy to hear. Belle tells him that she remembers Mr. Gold healing her after her injury. Mr. Gold replies that once she remembers who she is, everything will fall into place. He tells her that he needs her, as she always brought out the best in him so he would try to get her memories back for both their sakes. He tells her he would work on getting her discharged.

In the Enchanted Forest, Belle is sobbing in her cell when Rumplestiltskin comes in and complains about her crying. Belle retorts that this was her sacrifice for her family, and Rumplestiltskin replies that he cannot spin straw into gold if she continues. He procures a pillow for her. She thanks him, assuming it is to help her sleep better, but he tells her it is to muffle her crying. Their conversation is interrupted by a thief breaking a glass, alerting them to his presence. He is attempting to steal a magic wand and aims a bow and arrow at Rumplestiltskin when he tries to stop him. He explains that an arrow shot from that bow would always find its target, and the arrow hits Rumplestiltskin when he tries to teleport. Rumplestiltskin pulls the arrow out of his chest, giggling, telling him that all magic comes with a price, and Rumplestiltskin is the thief's price.

Belle is preparing to leave the hospital when Regina knocks at her hospital door. She greets Regina, who introduces herself as mayor of Storybrooke. Regina asks if Belle is doing well after her stay. Belle compliments her thoroughness and answers her by revealing that Mr. Gold is having her discharged in order to help her remember who she was. Regina bends down, pretending to pick something up. In actuality she uses her magic to summon a matchbook with the logo of the local bar--The Rabbit Hole. She asks Belle if the card belongs to her. Belle does not seem to recognize the red card, but Regina insist she take a closer look at it. Belle stares at the card for a few seconds, and suddenly seems to remember something. She tells Regina that she thinks she remembers who she is after all. Regina gloats, telling Belle that Mr. Gold will be very happy.

Tamara and her beau Greg Mendell are looking at a map of Storybrooke. Greg has marked all the places he has witnessed magic. The two are both excited by the fulfillment of their goals. However, Greg tells Tamara that she should return to her fiancé Neal in order to avoid any suspicion. Tamara believes that Neal will not be suspicious and shifts the focus onto Greg's dad. Greg reveals to Tamara that he has had no success in finding his father, but believes that his father is in Storybrooke. They settle on doing one thing at a time, and Greg begins his plotting. He asks Tamara if "the package" has arrived. Tamara confirms this, but says that she could not just drive into town with it. Greg asks her if it's stable, to which Tamara says "very", and tells Greg that she will bring it to him later.

Meanwhile, David Nolan drives his Mary Margaret and Emma to the field of magic beans. Being uninformed, Emma doesn't understand the purpose for visiting these fields. Both of her parents tell her that she needs to see this. Emma is preoccupied about the cryptic warning August gave her before he was transformed into a little boy, and lost past memories. Mary Margaret and David pull Emma through the invisibility spell that protected the fields, to show Emma the magic beans being grown. Emma hugs Anton when she sees him, and he notifies her that they are not quite ready to be harvested. She doesn't understand why they didn't tell her about the magic beans when she was in New York City with Mr. Gold. David says that they are telling her now, and that they are trying to keep this under wraps. Therefore, Mother Superior has cloaked the area. Emma then asks Anton why he has shrunken in size since their last encounter. Anton tells Emma that Cora is the one who shrunk him. Leroy then approaches and tells Anton to get back to work. Emma questions her parents as to the real reason for planting these magic beans. Even though Emma brings up all the bad that has happened in the Enchanted Forest, David persists that the problems can be fixed. Mary Margaret also now agrees with David, saying she has had a change of heart after killing Cora, and that mending the land is the best way to fix her heart. Emma maintains that this world is her home, but her parents contend that the Enchanted Forest was her home, and she may finally be able to have her happy ending there.

Mr. Gold comes back to the hospital to see Belle, but she is nowhere to be found. He calls for Belle's nurse. The nurse tells Mr. Gold that Belle should still be here, before running off to look for her. While glancing at the empty hospital bed, Mr. Gold sees the red card with the Rabbit Hole on it. He decides to visit the town bar. The bartender greet him, an Mr. Gold asks him if a woman matching Belle's description has come into this "vile joint." The bartender doesn't know a Belle, but says that the description sounds a lot like Lacey. He points Mr. Gold in the direction of Lacey. Mr. Gold turns to discover a changed Belle, ordering shots and playing pool. When he addresses her as Belle she corrects him, saying that her name is Lacey.

In the Enchanted Forest, Belle is sweeping the floor in Rumpelstiltskin's castle while the thief is heard screaming in the background. Rumplestiltskin enters and removes his bloody apron, ordering Belle to clean it and telling her he will return later. Belle asks him why he is torturing the thief over the theft of a magic wand. Rumplestiltskin responds that the thief is being punished for stealing from him, the Dark One. He goes on to say that anyone who tries gets skinned alive, and that everyone knows that. Belle replies they don't to which Rumplestiltskin replies "Well, they will after they discover the body." and leaves. Belle releases the thief from the dungeon, telling him no one deserves to be tortured like that. The thief entreats Belle to flee with him, and she refuses, saying she made a deal to serve Rumplestiltskin to save her family from the Ogres. The thief takes off after wishing Belle good luck.

In Storybrooke, Mr. Gold confronts Regina in the Mayor's Office about what she's done to Belle. Regina says she gave her back her memories and Mr. Gold replies that she has her curse memories, not her true memories. Mr. Gold insists that Regina bring her back. Regina says that she cannot because Belle crossed the town line, her old self is gone and that Lacey is here to stay. Mr. Gold tells her that any curse can be broken.

In Granny's Diner, Granny gives David ten bowls of chili, without beans to Leroy and David. She asks them if the dwarves have anything against beans, and David says that they have had their fill of beans over the past couple weeks. Granny then asks what they have really been doing out there. Leroy says that they are just landscaping, which causes Granny to give him a suspicious look. Mr. Gold comes to ask Leroy if the seat next to him is taken, but says that Leroy might want to leave, because he only needs to talk with the prince. David gives Leroy the "ok" to leave the Diner, so Leroy leaves Mr. Gold and David to chat. When David hears that Regina "jogged Belle's memory" he thinks that it is a good thing, until Mr. Gold explains that Regina didn't jog her memories of the Enchanted Forest, but of her life until the curse. He tells David that Belle now believes she is a "bar fly", and is living a false life like she had during the Curse, much like David's false marriage to Kathryn. Mr. Gold asks David how he managed to win Mary Margaret's heart when they were both plagued with false memories. David declines helping the man who "made his wife murder someone", but Mr. Gold says that he only made her murder someone who would have killed his whole family, and that if he does help him, Mr. Gold will owe him a favor. David breaks down, and agrees to help Mr. Gold, telling him that even when their heads were filled with false memories, him and Mary Margaret still retained parts of their former selves. David tells him that in order to get back the real Belle, he needs to show her the man she fell in love with.

Rumplestiltskin sharpens the tools that he plans to kill the thief with. He tells Belle that he promises to be quiet, but that he can't promise that for the thief. He leaves for a second, but marches back in, when he discovers that the theif is gone. Belle tells him that she let him go, which infuriates Rumplestitlskin, who cannot believe that Belle would release a thief. Belle says that just because he is a thief, doesn't mean that Rumplestiltskin has the right to kill him, while Rumplestiltskin says that it gives him every right to kill him. He makes Belle's book to dissappear, saying that she has read too many books if she believes that the thief was stealing for a noble cause. Belle tells him that she didn't free the thief because of what she has read, but says that she saw good in the man, so she let him get away with only his life. Rumplestiltskin says that she is wrong if she thinks he got away with only his life, showing her that the place where the wand had been no longer holds it. Belle tells Rumplestiltskin that he has no way of knowing why the thief would need the wand, and Rumplestiltskin says that there is only one explanation--he took it because he wants magic. Belle says that he can't possibly know someone's intentions are until you see what is in their heart. Rumplestiltskin yells that he will see what is in his heart when he shoots an arrow through it, and because he is a showman it will be done with the thief's bow, summoning it into his hands. He says that because it is Belle's fault, she has to come to not only watch him, but clean up the bloody mess.

A man comes up to Lacey at the bar, ordering her another drink. The man tells her that he has had his eye on her for awhile, but Lacey tells him that he is not her type. Mr. Gold sees the man from a distance, telling David that he might want to step outside, but David stops him from attacking the man hitting on Lacey. When they see the man walk away from Lacey, they come over to her. She notices that he is back, and he notes that she is still here. Belle tells him that she loves the "ambiance", and gets up to change the song at the jukebox. Mr. Gold tells David that they have nothing, but David says that he just needs to ask her out. When he asks her out, she asks him if she knows that she is not the "Belle" he is always talking about, and he tells her that he understands this. Lacey tells him that she has heard that Mr. Gold has a reputation; people in the town are afraid of him. He tells her to give him a chance, and she agrees to meet him at Granny's at eight. David walks over and congratulates him, and Mr. Gold says that he got her to go out with him, but still needs to get her to fall in love with him.

Emma is reading Henry's storybook at the Dock, when Regina comes and sits on the bench beside her. Regina asks her if she is reading about Henry's father, and then asks how long she thought she could keep something like that from  her. Emma says that she was going to tell her, but she was too busy trying to stop Regina and Cora from killing her and her entire family. Regina asks Emma why Neal is in Storybrooke, and Emma responds that he just wants to spend time with his son. Regina adds that he didn't want to spend time with Henry at all in the first ten years of Henry's life, but Emma didn't either. Emma tells Regina to stop worrying about everyone else, instead focus on being a better person for Henry, before she loses him forever. Regina asks Emma why she would lose Henry forever, and begins to question Emma about hiding something from her. Regina leaves the docks, after telling Emma that she will find out about anything she is hiding from her.

Mr. Gold and Lacey are on a date at Granny's Diner, when he clumsily drops his menu. Lacey laughs about it, asking Mr. Gold if he is nervous. Mr. Gold denies being nervous, by saying that he is just deciding what to eat. When Granny walks over to serve them. When she sees Belle, she notices her much more revealing clothing, and asks her if she has been raiding Ruby's closet. Mr. Gold orders two burgers and two ice teas for him and Lacey, but she tells Granny that she wants a chicken parmesan with a bottle of white wine. Lacey tells Mr. Gold that she has never really liked burgers, moreover Mr. Gold says that she can have whatever she likes. Lacey says that he is very classy, which is not quite what she was expecting based on his notoriety in Storybrooke. He asks Lacey what she has heard about him, and she tells him that people say he is the most powerful man in town, and that he acquired that power by being ruthless, she also adds that people get hurt if they cross him. Granny comes with their drinks, and Mr. Gold begins to pour Lacey some wine, telling her that he is just a shop owner and a procurer of hard to find objects. Lacey takes the bottle from Mr. Gold, and pours herself more of it. Mr. Gold says that people like to see the worst in him, but he would rather her see the good. Lacey says that she doesn't get why people are afraid of him, because she sees a man who wouldn't hurt anyone. When Lacey says that you can't tell what a person is like until you see what is in their heart, it causes Mr. Gold to spill his ice tea onto her. Lacey asks if she said something wrong, but Mr. Gold says that he just heard someone else say the exact same thing to him. Lacey then leaves the table to go wash up after the spill.

Belle and Rumplestiltskin are riding in a carriage in search for the thief. He tells Belle that he is losing track of the thief, as a result of the thick forest. Belle tells him that maybe they should go home, but Mr. Gold asks her what people will think of him if he lets someone who stole from him escape. Belle says that people will actually think that there is a man hiding behind the beast, however Rumplestiltskin tells her that there isn't one. Belle believes that there is, asking him why he didn't kill her when she freed the thief, so Rumplestiltskin tells her that good help is hard to find nowadays. Belle says that she thinks there is good deep down in his heart, for something more than power. Rumplestiltskin says that he not only loves power, but his things. Belle then says that he is as dark as people say, but Rumplestiltskin says he is much darker. When the two exit the carriage, Rumplestiltskin sees the Sheriff of these woods, and tells him that he is in search of a thief. The Sheriff takes the bow, claiming he knows who the thief is, and who Rumplestiltskin is. The Sheriff says that Rumplestiltskin's pension for making deals precedes him, so he offers Rumplestiltskin the location of the thief, in exchange for a night with his wench-- Belle. Rumplestiltskin says that she is not for sale, so the Sheriff tries to level with Rumplestiltskin. He asks him if he can have Belle an hour, or at least twenty minutes. Rumplestiltskin refuses to give up Belle for any amount of time, so he conjures the Sheriff's tongue out of his mouth, and into his hand. He strikes up a deal with the Sheriff, his tongue back, in exchange for everything he knows about the thief he is looking for. Once he agrees to this new deal, the Sheriff tells Rumplestiltskin that he has been chasing the thief for years, and stole the woman he loved. In addition, he says that his name is Robin Hood and he is hiding in the Sherwood Forest. This information evokes an evil smile from Rumplestiltskin.

Granny brings over Mr. Gold and Lacey's food, but Mr. Gold is still sitting alone at the table. Mr. Gold goes to check on Lacey, but she is not in the bathroom where she said she would be, so Mr. Gold goes out the backdoor of the Diner to look for Lacey.

Belle begs Rumplestiltskin not to kill the thief, but he says that he is going to kill him and that she is going to watch the deed be done. Rumplestiltskin can see the thief from afar. Belle can see that he is waiting for someone, and looks over to see that a carriage comes bearing a sick woman. Rumplestiltskin says that the woman must be the same woman that the thief stole from the Sheriff. Belle tells Rumplestiltskin to stop, because the woman is going to die. When they see the thief use the wand on the sick woman, color return to her face, and Belle tells Rumplestiltskin that she was right about the thief having good intentions when he stole the wand. Rumplestiltskin grows tired of hearing Belle, so he magically places the lower half of her body into the soil, so she can't move, and is forced to watch him kill the thief. He pulls back the bow and arrow, aiming it at the thief. Belle pleads with him to not go through with it, telling him that she was the right about the thief having good in him, and she is right about Rumplestiltskin having good in him. Belle can see that the woman is pregnant, so she pleads more intensely, begging Rumplestiltskin not to leave a child without a father. He shoots the arrow, but it hits the carriage, missing the thief and the woman. The thief and the woman get onto a horse, and ride off into the distance after seeing that Rumplestiltskin has located him. Belle asks him what happened, and he tells her that he missed, before lifting her out of the ground. He tells her to go back to the carriage, and Belle smiles saying that she was right about him also, because he is not going after the thief. Belle knows that the bow is infused with magic that prevents it from hitting its target, but Rumplestiltskin comes up with the excuse that perhaps the magic simply wore off. Belle then hugs Rumplestiltskin for sparing the thief's life.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin as Belle (Enchanted Forest)/Belle (Storybrooke)
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Meghan Ory (Credit only)
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Lee Arenberg as Leroy
 * Beverley Elliott as Granny
 * Ethan Embry as Greg Mendell
 * Jorge Garcia as Anton
 * Sonequa Martin-Green as Tamara
 * Michael Raymond-James as Neal Cassidy
 * Tom Ellis as Thief
 * Wil Traval as Sheriff/Keith

Co-Starring

 * Nicholas Carella as Bartender
 * Michael Coleman as Happy
 * Faustino Di Bauda as Walter
 * David-Paul Grove as Doc
 * Jeffrey Kaiser as Dopey
 * Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark
 * Christie Laing as Marian
 * Mig Macario as Bashful
 * Ingrid Torrance as Severe Nurse

Quotes
Mr. Gold: Not a coincidence. Fate. And apparently, fate has a sense of humor.

Lacey: You can't tell what's in a person's heart unless you truly know them.

Emma: (To Neal after coming home with a sleeping Henry) What? Did you tranquilize him? Neal: I just gave him a couple of bourbons. The kid's a real lightweight.

Neal: August came by the park today. He and Henry seemed to really hit it off. Emma: That is gonna take a while to get used to. Neal: You know, I gotta say, he's actually a lot cooler as a kid. Steals less of my money.

Trivia

 * The opening titlecard features the thief shooting an arrow.
 * The song titled, "The Day That Never Comes" by Metallica is playing in the background of The Rabbit Hole.
 * Rumplestiltskin once made a deal with Don Juan.
 * Rumplestiltskin later gives Robin Hood's bow to Snow White.