Wherein Robin Hood shows up in Neverland and Emma says Hell to the No on Pixie Dust and busybody Fairies.
Emma Swan kicked her heel into the dirt and glowered at the hooded nightmare that had recently shown up in Neverland. The fact that he wore a stupid hood all the time didn't bother her. Nor did his fawning over Regina Mills. Hell, the woman was beautiful, who wouldn't fawn over her.
No, what got under her skin was the way Regina put up with him, the way she smiled at him, even if it was a forced smile. At least Emma thought it was a forced smile. Maybe it was real. Maybe Tinkerbell was telling the truth.
"Why the hell are we still in Neverland," she grumbled, still glaring.
Mary Margaret sat on the log next to her. "Emma. We had to get Robin Hood's son back. Even Henry agreed we had to go back for Roland."
They had Henry. All would have been perfect. Until that hooded bastard showed up. Emma sighed. "Yeah, I know. But we got him already. Now Pan is hunting us across all of Neverland. Why don't we just find a portal out of here. And he can go back under the rock he crawled out of." She stabbed her sword at Robin the dumb-ass Hood.
Mary Margaret put her hand on Emma's and forced the sword back down. "He and Regina need time to make up their minds. If Tinkerbell is right, this could be Regina's second chance at true love."
Emma shot to her feet. "Why is everyone so damned obsessed with some stupid pixie dust and a lion tattoo? It's an ugly tattoo anyway." She stormed into the woods before her mother could argue further with her.
She didn't get very far before she saw the ring of Lost Boys surrounding their camp. She raised her sword again. "We've got company again!" she shouted before running back to protect Regina and Henry.
#
Regina tossed fireballs as fast as her wrists could flick them. Lost Boys dropped like flies but didn't stay down for long. "This would be easier if I could just kill them you know." Hood doesn't respond but she she hears agreement from Emma who's wacking boys down with the flat side of her sword. At least someone agreed this was a fine mess they were in.
A hail of arrows rained down on them, each with poisoned tips. With her eyes on Emma and Henry and Roland around behind her, it was a moment before she turned to her left. It was soon enough to see Hood collapse, a dozen arrows buried in his flesh. Her hands continued to flick fireballs on instinct but her mind drifted. Instead of rage, she felt empty. Of course he's dead. It felt innevitable. Villians didn't get happy endings, even if the whole thing with Hood felt forced from the start.
"Regina!" Emma stood at her side, back brushing against her as she fought off more boys. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry he's gone. But we need you. I need you."
Regina's breath caught. Emma needed her. She turned back to the battle. Hook and the Charmings were barely holding their own. Gold and his useless son were alive, but mostly due to Gold. A flash of light, and there was Pan in the middle of the fray for once. Regina dug deep for real magic and threw a blast of fire at him.
He caught it like a ball and flicked it back at her with a sick grin on his face.
"Emma!" Regina reached for the magic, trying to divert and absorb it, but a side blast hit Emma and knocked her to the dirt. "No..." she moaned.
And then it hit, the rage she expected when Hood died. It build up inside her, turning her vision red as she looked at Emma's crumpled body, burns on her wrist and side. Regina turned away from the sight, she couldn't bear it. Instead, she turned back to Pan. "I will destroy you for that!"
She marched through the array of Lost Boys, tossing them to the side as she advanced on Pan.
Pan stepped closer. "I win," he said with an evil grin, his eyes on Henry.
That's when Regina shot her hand out and buried it in Pan's chest. She felt his cold heart in her grasp. The battle around her came to a stop. "You took her from me," she wrasped, not able to hold back the tears, not caring who saw how broken she was now. She pulled back her hand, but couldn't pull it from his chest.
He laughed. "Really? You thought you had enough magic to pull my heart out?"
Regina yanked again, with all the power she had, she but it wasn't enough.
"She may not be strong enough on her own," Emma said as stepped beside Regina. "But maybe we are, together." She placed her hand, the one with a uniquely shaped burn on the wrist, on top of Regina's. "Now!"
Regina gasped from the pure flux of magic surrounding them. Emma was alive, and here with her. She yanked one more time and pulled out the coldest, blackest heart she'd ever encountered.
She glanced at it and then back at Pan. "Surprised, I see. So much for the famed power of Peter Pan. Let's see how you survive without this lump of coal in your chest."
She gave it a squeeze and saw Pan double over in pain. This would be fun.
"Wait," said Emma. "Look."
Regina concentrated and saw the thin tendrils of magic that connect Pan's black heart to every other Lost Boy, including Henry and Roland.
"Go ahead," Pan taunted. "Crush it. And end Neverland and every Lost Boy in it."
Regina turned to Emma, nearly getting lost in those green eyes. How could she come so close to finding her happy ending, only to lose it all. Was life truly that messed up?
Emma's eyes turned back to the heart, and widened in shock, Regina followed Emma's gaze down to the heart in her hand. "It's changing?"
Snow stepped up and lowered her bow. "Not just changing, Regina, you're healing it."
She looked again and true to Snow's statement, the heart slowly turned a natural red, with no dark blemish and no link to the rest of the Lost Boys. "We can heal?" She and Emma together?
"I guess so," said Emma. "What would happen now if you put it back in him?"
Regina turned back to Pan.
His eyes were saucer wide. "No, no. Crush it. Don't give it back. Don't you understand? I'm an orphan. A real orphan! If you put it back, I'll feel all that pain all over again."
With a barely suppressed grin, Regina shoved Pan's heart back in his chest. His eyes clouded with tears and he sank to the ground.
"Oh god, what have I done?" he whispered as the harsh reality of what he'd put all the Lost Boys through rushed into his reformed soul. "How can I ever find redemption from this?!"
Regina pulled him to his feet. "Redemption is possible. Trust me."
Gold joined her. "Trust us both, dearie. I happen to be in the market for a little assistance. You see, there are a number of boys who need to find their way home again. Bae has agreed to help me with this task, but we could use another set of magical hands."
Pan flicked his wrists and sparks showed. "I still have magic." He looked up into Gold's eyes. "Yes, I'd like to help. I need to help."
Afterward, when they'd buried Robin Hood, Regina and Emma sat on a log together, holding hands. Emma turned her burned wrist up. "It does look like a lion, doesn't it?"
Regina kissed her head. "Yes, dear, it does."
"Guess I owe that fairy an apology then."
"Later. Maybe." Regina pulled Emma's face toward hers and sank into a long, lingering kiss. She had her happy ending and her true love. Even more, she had a family again, her, Emma, Henry. And, for the memory of Robin, even if he never was a true love potential, they would bring Roland into their family and love him as a son.