instead I ended up thinking that Zelena had him prisoner in the farm house, and while she was away visiting Snowing, he got out, and went and busted Rumple out of the storm cellar, and they both made a run for it and split up in the SB woods, (“We need to split up, son, she still has my dagger and I could be a danger to you if we’re together when she discovers we’ve both escaped.”)
That sounds really plausible
Rumple’s obviously with the group at some point judging by the promo, but perhaps they lose him, and it’s after that that they find Neal, which is him “finding himself back in SB” even if he’s been trapped in the farm house on the outskirts of town up until this point.
I think Emma and Charming find Rumple (there is a shot of the three of them in the woods) but then Zelena summons Rumple back using the dagger. And they won’t see him again until 316.