So if you are reading this and had already read, Meeting New and Finding Old, thank you very much for reading that one. I changed it A LOT from that, and I find this one much better. It is a lot different then the show, and upon request of my lovely editor, it has been changed to PAST TENSE. Though I hate to write in it for a fan fiction, it does give more freedom. I apologize however, if I have missed any words. Hope you agree, let me know!
*I do not own Once Upon A Time. That wonderfully freighting job belongs to the talented Adam and Eddie as well as ABC/Disney.*
"He should be back by now. We made a plan." Mary Margret stated pacing around the beach. Sitting in the sand, watching her pass, were David, Emma, Neal, and Regina. The latter seeming overjoyed to be with the two idiots and the younger idiots.
"He'll be here Mary Margret," Emma spoke up, tired of watching her mother digging a trench into the sand. "Maybe he just got lost or something."
Neal made a noise from beside her, Emma turned to her with glaring, big blue eyes.
"What? He wouldn't get lost."
"I feel honored you know me so well." Captain Hook exclaimed walking out from the trees.
"Thank god! I can stop listening to these idiots and we can go home." Regina stated, standing from her seated position and starting to brush the sand from her pants.
"Yea, about that. One little problem, I am not going to be able to take you back to your little world."
"What!" They all screamed in unison.
"No, no, no! We had a deal Hook." Mary Margret screamed pointing a finger at him.
"Yes but see, I didn't find what I was looking for so..." He tossed the case of magic beans at them. "There you go. You can get home, just good luck landing in the correct place." Without another word he turned back and slipped through the trees.
"Hey! Wait!" David screamed standing and chasing after him into the forest. Emma ran after her father but reached the woods as her father exits. "He's gone."
"Now what?"
Neal bent down and picked up the bag of beans. "We can use these. Just burry one and a portal will open, it could probably take three, plant another and it can take the rest. The only problem is we don't know where we will land. On one hand, we could land in the center of Storybrooke, or we could end up in the middle of the ocean in the Enchanted Forest. Hell, the first time I did this I ended up in the middle of the forest here instead of in the world Storybrooke is in."
The others sent looks toward each other, all wondering what they should do. "Well you two have been around that world, the two idiots and I know every inch of the Enchanted Forest. Well be fine." Regina said crossing her arms across her chest.
"But there are other worlds Regina, what if we end up in one of them, how many beans did he leave, and what if we use them all up before we find where we should be?" Neal opened the bag and counted them.
"There are four. One could probably take all four of you." He said handing the leather drawstring bag to David.
Emma's head shot up at the head count. "Four? There's five of us."
Neal shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked some sand around. "I know why Hook is staying, or rather who he is staying for." He looked up and stared Emma directly in the eyes. "I can not let him get to her. She may not want it, but I am going to offer my protection." He took the few steps that separated them and put a hand on her cheek. "But I promise I will find my way back to you and Henry. Then, we can truly be a family, if you'll have me." Emma smiled embarrassingly and nudged him with her shoulder, before looking back up to find his eyes again.
"Come back to us, and I won't have to hunt your ass down again."
Neal smiled and enveloped her in a hug, gave her a kiss on the head and took off into the trees. She watched him go before turning back toward the others. Mary Margret is giving her the most heart wrenching look, and David looks like he wants to hug all her pain away. The thought seemed very pleasant to her at the moment. They were her parents, and she loved them. Though it had been a very short time since they had met, she could not imagine her life without them anymore.
She shook off the feelings, as well as her tears, and locked them back up into her vault. "Okay, lets try and make it back home." David noded and Mary Margery took her hand. Regina, however, looked as if she might puke all over the little family moment.
Two weeks ago (Storybrooke time, unknown Neverland time.)
"First you are going to see how these things work." David said holding a magic bean accusingly at Hook. "If these can really take us home, you are going to show us how."
"Where will we be traveling to then Charmings?" He asked looking at most of the Charming family, aside from the boy. Though there were an additional two people there and he did not understand why, one, a man, looked familiar to him, but he was not sure how. The other was Regina, he knew she hated everyone in this room. There was something for her to gain by being here, and he had a feeling he was just about to learn what it was.
"We will be traveling to Neverland. It seems some of the worlds were not affected by the curse, and I for one would like to know what they look like." Regina stated stepping into his line of sight.
"And what of the rest of you. Just seeing how the other world were not affected is the only thing you all are worried about?"
"No, there are a few things there we are in need of, however, you will not be informed of those plans." Mary Margret snaped at him. He knew the woman was not fond of him. Which probably stems from the looks he gives her daughter, however he had no want to be with her daughter. There was someone else that was more important to him.
"Fine, I'll take you. I have something to look for there as well, gives me one less trip."
Storybrooke
Henry and Mr. Gold stood in front of Granny's, Henry petting the dalmatian that sat at his feet. Doctor Hopper was trying his best not to stare at Mr. Gold, who was smiling at his grandson. A genuine, happy smile. One he was positive he had never before seen on the man's face.
The dog, who before was perfectly content, began to bark. "What's wrong Pongo?" Henry asks kneeling by the dog. Not a second later, the ground began to shake. Mr Gold and Dr Hopper looks at each other, because deep in their foggy Storybrooke memories, they remember what happened during the last earthquake.
Then Mr Gold felt it, the pull of magic coming from the sky, that could not be good. "Get down!" He shouted as the wind began to pick up. Everyone around them got as close to the ground as possible as a big hole opened in the sky.
Four figures dropped from it and fall, but stop just before hitting the ground, then fall the rest of the way. As the wind ceased, Henry noticed the four figures as he looked out from the opening he had in his grandfather's arms, but he focused on one in particular.
"Mom!" He screamed, standing and runs to her.
"Henry?" Emma asked standing up with huge eyes, to see her son running toward her. She wraped him up in her arms as she tried to process what had just occurred.
"Mom, too tight." Henry got out between shallow breaths.
She released him, but put her hands on his face. "Sorry, I'm just so happy to see you."
He smiled to her before turning to the others. "Gramps!" He shouted as he runs for David, who is currently being helped up by Mary Margret.
"Hey buddy, I'm so happy to see you."
"My boy." Mary Margret stated hugging him tightly to her. "I've missed you." After she let him go, he sent a small wave and smile over to his other mother, who sent one back.
"Wait, where's Neal?" He asked turning back to his mother. Emma's eyes locked with Gold's, who continued to stand across the street on the sidewalk.
"We need to talk." Emma stated taking him away from all of his grandparents. They sat down on the same bench they sat on when Emma needed to tell him about Regina. "Neal, he had to stay behind."
"What! No. He can't, he promised he wouldn't leave." Henry exclaimed jumping up to stand in front of his mother.
"Listen to me Henry." Emma said taking his hands in her own. "He needed to stay behind to protect someone from Captain Hook, he stayed because he is a good man, and until he makes it back to us, we should be proud of him."
Henry looked skeptical, "You really believe he is going to come back?"
"I do." She huged him again, but over his shoulder, she spoted Mr Gold headed toward her parents. "Hey, how about you go back to the apartment with David and Mary Margret and send Gold over here."
"Okay." Henry started to leave but turned back and added, "You know, at some point you might want to start calling them Mom and Dad. I call them Grams and Gramps already."
Henry continued on and performed the task he was assigned, and soon Emma is standing in front of an already angry Gold. "Where is my son?"
"He decided to stay behind, to protect someone he cares about."
"And you just let him?"
"I did not really have a choice, I was not going to push him to come back. He said he needed to protect this person from Hook, and he's your enemy, right? Do you believe that someone might need some protection from him? Now I am going to spend some time with my son, you might want to find your girlfriend."
Emma left him there, standing on the street, fuming.
Neverland, After the others left.
Neverland seemed much more rocky. Hook thought as he walked through the forest. He had already tripped multiple times, something he never remembered doing before.
He had already been to the cave, the river, and millions of other places she would have normally been, but she wasn't there. And he needed to find her. He needed to take her to Storybrooke with him.
He came to a clearing in the woods, one that looked too suspicious, one he did not remember from before. Standing in the middle of the clearing, he turned around many times, not sure where to head next. Stopping at one location that looked promising, he heads for it. But stoped. Someone had emerged from the trees. He squinted at them, he must have been hallucinating. There was no way he was just running around the entire forest, and she just walked out.
She was smiling to something, but paused before continuing. He knew her feelings, he also knew she could feel his presence. So he stood extremely still until she finally looked up. Brown eyes met blue and everything stopped. Then she was in his arms, kissing him like she had not seen him in a hundred years. When really it was only about two.
"You're alive." She exclaimed leaving his lips but her hands stay locked on his face. He arms locked around her waist.
"You didn't think me so easily killed did you?" He smirked, she smirked back before letting go of his face and slipping her hands down to rest on his chest.
"So what does this mean? Did Cora let you go? Did you accomplish what ever goal you were after?"
"Cora's dead." The young woman's expression barley changed.
"Pardon me if I am not sorry. I never liked that woman."
Hook smirked and pulled her slightly closer to him. "It's alright love, to tell you the truth, neither did I."
"After what she did to us, I feel no compassion."
Hook smirked again at her, but it is less hard with her then it is with everyone else. It has a caring feeling behind it. "Now step back, let me have a look at you." She does and he held her at arm length.
She wore a pair of tight fitting, black, leather pants that looked very worn. On top she had on a rather loose red shirt, that looked as if it should belong to a man. Her long, brown hair was very messy. "You look beautiful, and you can't even tell."
"Stop it." She said looking down and trying to hide her face with her hair. She pushed him a little, causing him to grasp her wrists and try to pull her back to him.
Hook stiffened as he feels something being pushes against his back. "Let her go Hook."
He dropped her wrists and turns with his arms up. Behind him stood Neal, with a sword pointed at him. "You're that man that was with the Charmings, feel the need to protect the people here now, do you?"
"Only the ones I care about." The woman came around Hook to look at the new comer.
"Bae?" She asked. Her voice almost in tears.
"Hey, Tink. He bothering you again."
Tink shook her head and walked over to him. "Not really. Bae, I need to explain something to you." He took his eyes off the man that tried to ruin his life multiple times to look at the women who he had never seen full sized before.
"Is it how you could possibly be a human, and not a pixie anymore. Did he do that to you?" He pointed the sword a little closer to Hook as he asked.
"No, Bae. It was not Hook, but please put the sword down." Bae looked at her and back at Hook before slowly lowering the sword. "Now give it to me. Since, I do not trust you with it." He handed it over and she sticks it into the ground.
"It's a long story, so you might want to sit down."
Storybrooke a short time later
Henry stood on the docks of Storybrooke early in the morning, starring out to sea. Just like he had done every morning since his mother had told him his father was staying behind. He wanted him back, they had not done everything they had planned yet. Though his grandfathers were trying a lot to help him out with the list, he wanted to do it with his actual dad. Though it did give him some time to get to know his other grandfather, and though it took a lot of convincing and some puppy dog eyes, Henry finally got some information out of the notorious Mr Gold.
It was eight o'clock, time to try and get Henry to come back. He knew it was a losing battle. He came every morning to retrieve his grandson, and they would always just end up sitting there together until Henry's mother came to get him around lunch time.
Mr Gold limped onto the dock, his eyes never leaving the dark haired boy. Just as he was about to call out to him, he noticed something over the boys head that Henry did not notice yet. The helm of a ship. Henry turned at the sound of a cane on the wood planks. He smiled and waved but this morning his grandfather answered him by pointing back out to sea. The boy turned back confused, but then he spots what his grandfather already has. He ran as far as the dock will let him and began jumping up and down.
As the ship reaches the dock, Neal saw his son and calls out to him, waving frantically. He gives his father a small wave, which he returns with a nod. Neal is the first off the ship, and is quickly attacked by his son, who huged him as tightly as his little arms can. "You came back."
"Of course I came back, your mom and you are all I ever wanted." Henry soon let go of his dad, who then walked over and huged his father, tears stinging his eyes. To be honest, Neal thought he would never see either of them ever again.
"It's good to have you home son." The two continue to hug, but someone caught the older mans eye. Departing the ship was a young woman, lead by the swell of her back by the man he despised the most. "Mia?" He whispered releasing his son and taking a step closer to the two leaving the ship.
The woman looked up to see Gold walking toward them. She freezes in her place, starring at the man in front of her, who looked just as stunned as she was. "Papa?" She asked dropping her small bag and taking a step forward. When she sees it is him she runs and collided with him, hugging him as if her life depended on it as tears began to come in rapids down her face. "I am so sorry I left Papa, I promise I will never leave again."
In perfect unison, the three men surrounding them shout, "PAPA?!"
236 Years Ago
"You really believe he can help me?" The Queen of Lyria asks her husband, as they sit in the dining hall of their castle. A fatal famine had hit their Kingdom. The royal family had made it on their stored food for a while, but now, they too had become hungry.
"Well of course I can help," Both King and Queen spin around to see Rumpelstiltskin sitting on the window sill eating an apple. "The question is, can you pay for my assistance?" He giggles as the King takes a few steps closet to him.
"What is your price?"
The monster opens his mouth to give his answer when soft cries sound from a bassinet in the corner. He had not even noticed it before, the placement of the child's bed was so far off from the parents, it looked as if they were trying to forget the child existence. As the cried became more evident, they also became more depressing. He looked at the parents, they did not even seem to notice the babes cries. They were so innocent and pure, it hurt his heart to think of the child starving.
"Will she ever stop?" The Queen shouts walking over to the bassinet and staring down at the child.
"Again imp, what is your price?"
"My price in the child." He says without a thought, without noticed what had even flown from his mouth.
"What?" The Queen states. However, the King laughs.
"You want to take the child that should not have even been born? The child that is of no use to me at all? So that I may eat? Deal."
"Ignatius, you can not give him my baby." The Queen continues to act the part of a concerned mother, but her voice held no compassion toward the child.
"Oh shush it, Patricia, you never wanted the thing either." Not able to hear anymore of this conversation,, Rumpelstiltskin snaps and the child appears in his arms, her cries ceasing.
"Your Kingdom will be set back in the morning, have a good life." And he was gone.
He appeared again in the Dark Castle, the babe wrapped in pure white cloths standing out like a light.
"Now, this may not be the most luxurious castle in the Enchanted Forest, but you will never be hungry again, nor will you want for anything." The little girl coed in his arms, bring a smile to his face. "Welcome home, Mia."
Present in Storybrooke
"What do you mean, Papa?!" Neal screamed, which pulled apart father and daughter.
"There is no way you are that monster's child, I can see the boy, but not you."
"Hey!" Neal shouted at Hook. Their arguing continued, getting more and more loud. Gold and Henry even joining in. Mia stayed quiet, confused. Her eyes kept landing on the boy. She did not know why he was here, why he was with her father. Maybe he was just a bystander, but then why would he be fighting with the rest of the men?
"Hey, What's all..." A thin blond shouts running up to them. Her words dwindle off as she surveys the sight. They all stop talking and turn toward the women.
Bae stepped forward, he rested a hand on the boys shoulder as he passed him. "Neal?" The woman asked slowing her steps.
"Yea." He said with a smile Mia knew could only be given with true love in someone's heart.
"I told you I would make it back." Bae said. A smile spread across the womans' face, as she closed the gap between them and throwing her arms around his neck. The boy ran at them and squeezed himself between the two.
"Is that Baelfire's family?" Mia asked turning away from the sweet sight.
Gold turned with a light smile to his daughter. "It is. The woman's name is Emma, and my charming grandson's name is Henry."
"Your grandson? How is he your grandson?"
"You don't know?" Hook asked, rejoining the conversation. "Baelfire is Rumpelstiltskin's son."
Mia turned with huge brown eyes back to her Papa. "Baelfire is the son you lost?" Her father answered her with a nod. "But you have him back now! It looks like nothing is taking him away."
"Hey" All three turn to see Henry standing in front of them. "Does this mean you are my aunt now?"
Mia giggled and put a hand on the boys shoulder. "Yes Henry, I think it does."
If you have not heard, they got renewed for a third season! As well as Once Upon A Time in Wonderland!
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