Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-6175354-20140307165451/@comment-24674051-20140331040042

DconsKJK wrote: well, after tonight's episode, we see Zelena had nothing to do with Rumple coming back. On the contrary, Zelena sent Lumiere to Rumples Castle, and had him Trick Bae and Belle into finding the Key to the Dark One's Vault. She may not have actually OPENED the vault, but she definitly did have something to do with his coming back.

Honestly, I would bet that, left to their own devices, Bae and Belle would have eventually found the key, and also found the full meaning behind it. Things would have turned out different. But Zelena took advantage of the emotion of the situation, particularly Neal's desire to both rescue Papa and get back to Em and Henry.