It seemed that along with her attraction to Killian, one of the constants between her cursed self and her memories from the other Realms was that music helped her think. As Melody rested on a bench in the Community Gardens, guitar leaning against her leg, she let herself breathe. Someone else was awake, someone with a vendetta against witches. And though she didn't technically count herself as a witch, her magic coming less from time in training and more from instinct, she had a feeling she still had a target on her back. Regina and Zelena even more so.

She let the water from her water bottle soothe her throat. After playing for an hour, she needed the break. Melody's head swirled with all sorts of bad thoughts. She had that feeling in the pit of her stomach, that knot that formed before disaster. Every inch of her skin crawled with anxiety, like spiders trailing down her body. Even the water didn't help. It quenched her thirst but not her fear.

It had rained that morning. Usually, Melody would've been appreciative of the rain, finding comfort in the familiarity both in Seattle and in her time in the other Realms, but that morning it just mocked her. As she'd stood at her window, staring across the street at apartment buildings and down at a busy street, she'd felt a deep pang of grief, of pining for the forests of everywhere but the Land Without Magic. Sitting in the gardens eased that a little. Not much, but enough to take the edge off.

The pendulum had swung back to despair after the ecstasy of performing last night. Weaver's revelation of the threat that now hung over all their heads had squashed her joy in a matter of seconds. Melody frowned, setting her water bottle against her denim-covered knee. She didn't want to wear jeans. She wanted to wear silk dresses or soft tunics that would billow in the sea air.

Instead of The Enchanted Forest, or Neverland, or Wonderland, or even the New Enchanted Forest, she had Hyperion Heights in Seattle, in a Land Without Magic, surrounded by concrete that hurt her feet no matter the shoes and asphalt that filled summer days with stench and blazing heat. Neon signs sparkled in Seattle. But they couldn't hold a candle to the view of the stars from Dead Man's Peak.

Even this little isolated corner of Seattle reflected the beauty of the wilds of her home in the same way a broken mirror showed a skewed version of reality. Melody sighed. She stood from the bench, stretching her back a bit. She needed to play more music before anger and grief overtook her judgment.

She moved closer to the entrance of the gardens. There she could play closer to passersby. Though the Taste of the Heights had brought her twice her usual income, Melody didn't really want to play for herself alone. She wanted to try to replace the missing magic in this barren land.

Strumming a tune, she couldn't bring herself to sing. The music wove its way through the air, around her in the gardens and the street. She closed her eyes. Letting it consume her, Melody tried to immerse herself fully. But the stench of stale urine and myriad food trucks made it hard to concentrate on anything but they city.

She turned away from the street. Opening her eyes, Melody looked at the plants. She looked at the rich, brown dirt with white flecks almost like stars, and admired the purple hyacinth flowers and green herbs. It helped her forget, along with the music. Unfortunately, a woman's voice she knew all too well interrupted her.

"Pretty tune."

Gothel. Melody turned around again. The woman who had made her life difficult for thousands of years stood at the entrance of the gardens, her strawberry blonde hair braided nearly down to her waist. She wore red, a color she'd been fond of in the New Enchanted Forest.

"Eloise, right?" Melody tried. She wasn't sure Gothel knew she was awake. They hadn't had the displeasure of running across each other in the Heights yet.

"Oh, come now Muse. We both know who we really are."

That answered that question. Melody stopped her playing completely, shifting her guitar strap off her body and letting the instrument lean against a nearby half wall. Gothel's little smile never faltered.

Melody forced her own smile. "Well, never could seem to be rid of you in the past. Makes sense you'd show up in my life here eventually. What do you want, Nymph?"

"The same thing you want, I'm sure." Gothel smiled a bit wider, pausing. "We both have quite an interest in dear Detective Rogers."

Melody nearly snarled in frustration. The woman couldn't help but bother with him. "Stay away from Killian. Or I will find a way to kill you."

"That's not very heroic, Calliope." Gothel moved further into the garden, closing the gap between them. She'd always been tall, taller than Melody by several inches. She used it to her advantage. "But, this time, I'm not here for the pirate. You may have noticed, someone's killing my sisters."

"How terrible," Melody drawled.

Gothel's smile slipped for the slightest moment. She recovered quickly. "I think we both know that whoever is after my family will have no issue going after yours. Most of your friends are witches, after all. Regina, Zelena. Even my dear Alice."

"You will not touch that girl," Melody snapped. She stepped up to Gothel, their faces so close she could feel the woman's breath on her skin. "I won't let you."

Gothel just smiled. She raised an eyebrow, moving a half step back. "Thank you, for being there for her when I could not."

"You never wanted any part of her." Melody felt herself trembling from fury. "You cursed your own daughter. I won't let you hurt her further. I was ready to die for that girl back in our realm, and I would gladly do it here."

"Oh, dear Muse. I don't want to hurt her. I want to be her mother."

"In the same way you offered to be Mother Gothel to Drizella? Or Robin?" Melody snapped.

Gothel just scoffed. "Middling witches. Almost no talent. Not like you or I. They're human, destined for mediocrity at best, and evil at worst." She shook her head. "No. I will offer my daughter a chance to be part of something far greater."

"I won't let you take her."

"That's not up to you, Calliope. It never has been." Gothel took a deep breath in through her nose, calming down. She smiled. "But, that's not why I came to this little strip of town today. No. I'm here to stop whoever is killing us. And I think my White Knight and his Dark One will be more than willing to accept my help."

Melody couldn't do anything as Gothel turned from her and exited the gardens, nothing but seethe in silence. She had no magic. She had no cutlass. All she had was rage and fear. Unfortunately for her and for the rest of them, neither of those emotions could do anything.

She left the gardens. As Gothel disappeared into the police precinct, Melody set herself across from it, as close as she could get without being in the way of any business establishments. She wanted to be closer.

The knot that had been forming in her chest since she'd turned off her alarm that morning only continued to tighten. The world faded away until only her music and the sight of the precinct door remained. She watched, and she waited.

It took nearly half an hour before movement from the precinct startled her into action. She'd been taking a drink. Rogers and Weaver were nearly across the street at the former's car by the time she hurried towards them. To her dismay, Rogers got into his car and started to drive off before she could stop him. She changed tactics.

"Weaver!" she called.

The man gritted his teeth, seething as he turned towards her but not stopping as he walked to the door. "Not now, dearie. I don't have time for you."

"Make time." Melody hadn't meant to sound as furious as she did, but she'd never shied away from snapping at the Dark One before and she had no cause to start now. "What did Gothel say in there?"

"She stopped by to see you too, did she?" Weaver sighed, moving to stand next to the precinct door but not going in. As she joined him, he just shook his head. "She's doing what she does best. Playing mind games. And your pirate is falling right into her trap, just like always."

"Well, I wasn't there the first time. Maybe I can-"

"You may not have been there the first time, dearie, but she's pitied him against you enough that you should know by now not to tempt fate." Weaver pointed at her. "Take that little guitar of yours and go play your heart out. But leave this to us."

Melody scoffed. "If I had my magic-"

"If you had your magic, none of this would matter." He shook his head. "But you don't. So, get out of here before you get yourself in trouble and we have to save you, dearie."

He didn't leave her a chance to respond. Weaver waved her off with a flick of his hand as he turned and grabbed the door handle to the precinct. She gripped her hands into tight fists, her left cut by the guitar strings against her palm and fingers. She hated this, this helplessness. The last time she'd felt this helpless had been in Neverland, with the Shadow and Peter Pan.

Tears filled her eyes. As she gasped for breath, willing the emotions away, the cold filled her lungs. A cough wracked her body. Melody shook her head. She needed a break. Before she fully knew what she was doing, Melody marched down the street towards Roni's.

When she burst through the door, it surprised her how busy the place was. Zelena stood behind the bar, Regina nowhere to be found. She had a smile on her face. Refilling sodas and pretzel baskets, the woman didn't even notice Melody come in. That was fine with her.

She stashed her guitar case in the back room. Marie and Colette were on shift as she did so, but as Melody just asked for a glass of water and a beer, neither seemed particularly inclined to chat with her. Melody figured her anger was written all over her face. She took up a spot at one of the outdoor tables in the courtyard. The rest stood empty.

It didn't take long to finish the first beer, nor the second. But when as she came back from the restroom, damp hands a bit chilly in the outdoor air, her third beer arrived with a familiar red-headed woman.

"Something's got you riled up," Zelena said. She sat down across from Melody and pushed the beer towards her. "Is Nook being moody? He never could get a handle on that temper of his."

"Shut up, Zelena." Melody snapped.

The woman's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Well. You're not in a playful mood today are you?"

"No."

"I'll leave you to your misery then," Zelena said. "But remember, it's Kelly here. Don't choke on your drink. I'd hate to see you die from alcohol poisoning when there's a perfectly good serial killer on the loose."

Melody couldn't help but snort in amusement at Zelena's dark humor. The two had never gotten along all that well, Zelena far too liberal with her prodding at Killian for Melody's taste. But she had a good heart. Mostly. "I'd hate to die over a bottle when I could go down as a martyr."

"Exactly. Wouldn't be very inspiring now, would that, Muse?"

Zelena left her to her drink and her misery. She lost track of how many beers she drank between her run-in with Gothel and when Regina showed up, but it must've been a lot. Regina's arms were across her chest, mouth in a thin line. Behind her, Lucy looked on in concern.

"What are you doing?" Regina demanded.

Melody rolled her eyes. "Drinking."

"I can see that. But why?" She glanced back at Lucy for a moment. Lowering her voice, she leaned a bit closer. "What happened?"

"Gothel's a bitch," Melody mumbled. "The Dark One is an arrogant ass."

"So nothing new," Regina said. She shook her head. "Melody you're drunk. Go lay down in the keg room."

Melody didn't even have the energy to argue. Sparing Regina a bit of a glare, she left her table and went back into the main bar area. Her shoulder ached as she stumbled into the door frame and let out a curse. The world spun.

"Come on." She heard, rather than saw, Zelena. The woman took her arm and helped her through the bar despite Melody's protests. "Something really set you off, didn't it?"

Melody didn't respond. She didn't want to have this conversation with Zelena now any more than she had wanted to hours before. Instead, she just wadded up her jacket and lay on the floor. It helped the room stop spinning and her stomach settle. She could feel her phone vibrate a few times, but Melody ignored it. She felt too sick.

Regina ended up helping her home. Melody had protested, insisting she could handle her alcohol. But despite explaining to Regina that she'd spent a year as a pirate and then centuries as a friend and occasional enemy of Captain Hook, she couldn't get rid of the other woman. After driving Lucy back home, Regina dropped her off with orders to sleep off the alcohol.