A.N.: Hey all! Look! The chapter update is on time! :D Not much to say otherwise to read and review. Oh! And brownie points for Honeydewmelon56 for getting my reference to the Hunger Games! I honestly didn't do that on purpose. I simply needed a name and threw out a few ideas on paper and liked it the best and then I realized that it was Katniss' last name and I honestly didn't think anyone would catch on right away. It makes me very happy that someone did and then let me know that they did! So thank you very much!

Chapter Four

Captain Hook found himself somehow separated from his crew when they had chased Tinkerbelle and Rufio into the forest. The mad dash to capture the pair for information had caused him to misplace a foot and trip over a root. When he regained his composure, he found the dark woods would not reveal where his men had gone or where the boy and his pixie were. Standing still, the dark haired man listened for any noise to give them away. He could hear in the distance his men calling and shouting as they continued their hunt.

With a smirk, he started following the commotion. His ankle stung a little but he had had much worse and if he caught up to Tinkerbelle, the pain would be much worth it. He had to know where Wendy Darling was. He had spent the past seven years searching non-stop for her; with a little detour to get revenge on Rumplestiltskin. Whenever his path crossed with Tink, he was reminded that the young girl was out there somewhere in the Enchanted Forest and the pixie knew where she was. However, Rufio and Tink always wanted to make a game of it. And so whenever their paths crossed, it would either be a duel or a chase through the woods to gain a piece of information in regards to Wendy Darling's whereabouts. And that was why it had taken seven years. Hook wished that it would not take any longer; she owed him an explanation and he knew she'd give it to him when asked.

He stopped running when a glow caught his eye. Sir Toby's curse on the land allowed magic to be seen. He let out a laugh, knowing that it had to be that blonde pixie. Heading towards it, he finally reached a clearing. But it wasn't Tinkerbelle or Rufio that he found; it was a girl. A circle of nymphs placed with their arms across their chests stood before him and the girl was walking around, muttering in a language he did not recognize. The darkness and the shadow of her shawl kept her face hidden but he couldn't help but notice just how thin she was. Not sickly like the others of Everdeen who were struggling through poverty like she clearly was judging by the state of her dress. As the ground came up and took the dead nymphs with it, the pirate knew this tall, thin girl had to either be a nymph or a changeling.

She looked up at the moon and he could see her face at last. Her features were too smooth to be a nymph; they had sharp angular features. She had to be a changeling if she knew the language of the mischievous creatures. He slowly drew his sword and approached her, not knowing what to expect considering what he knew about nymphs. Not much was known about changelings other than the fact they usually wasted away before coming of age. This one seemed to have somehow escaped that fate.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He smirked when she turned around, startled by him; "A changeling posing as a human?"

Hook clicked his tongue as he took a step closer to the girl. She didn't even flinch when his sword touched her stomach. He would have mistaken her actions for bravery had he not seen the tear stains on her cheeks and dull lifelessness in her eyes. This girl had a look in her eye telling him she had seen some terrible things in her life and what she saw today had broken her. He recalled when he had the same look in his eye after Milah's death; he had nothing to lose. Having nothing to lose made people do stupid things and the pirate didn't want to hurt the girl; he just wanted to get out of the woods.

"I can only imagine the magic that was seen by the guards on patrol," He continued, "I wonder how much they'll reward me for catching a changeling."

She didn't say anything or move away. She merely held his gaze as he started circling around her. Hook knew she wasn't mute; he had just heard her talking. And if she was living in the town, she definitely understood what he was saying to her. What he didn't know was that she was trying to get a read on him just like he was trying to read her.

Lila had heard the stories about the ruthless pirate and she recalled Rumplestiltskin telling her about his encounter. She never thought she would cross paths with the man whose life she had made a deal to save. The changeling wasn't scared of him, no matter what the stories were, for she could see deep down he was still the man who had fallen deeply in love with the wrong woman. The past few years on the streets of Everdeen had toughened her up and now that Meg was gone, Lila had nothing to lose even if Hook proved her wrong and tried to hurt her.

"Turn me in," She finally spoke softly, "And they'll hang you at sunrise."

The pirate captain felt the corner of his mouth twitch. Whoever this changeling had grown up with had taught her well. He sheathed his sword before catching sight of the victory smirk on the changeling's face. It was only there briefly but it was there nonetheless. He took a few steps towards her, noticing the blood staining her dress. She held her ground, even stuck her chin out defiantly. The dirt and grime that covered her hid it well but he could see underneath it all her beauty. The moonlight always showed things for what they really were. His eyes returned to her hand and could see that that was the source of the blood stains. What had this girl been through to get her dress covered in mud and her hand so badly scratched?

He took a few more steps and Lila stiffened even more. She had heard the women in the taverns gossip about his charms and looks and there was no way in hell she was going to fall for any of it. She wondered though, upon seeing something familiar in his eyes, if the pirate had noticed her in the taverns, pickpocketing some of his men who had gotten too drunk to even notice. He had never let his guard down enough for her to even feel comfortable trying it on him.

"Well then," Hook spoke as he looked her up and down, "Maybe we can come to some sort of arrangement."

"What are you proposing, Captain?" She placed her hand on her hip. Lila didn't like the way he was looking at her. She preferred to not be treated like a sex object.

"Well, for starters, you can let me see your hand," He held his good hand out for her injured hand. The changeling raised her eyebrows as she held up her left hand and showed him the palm, then the back, and then the palm again before dropping it to her side.

"Your other hand," He pointedly looked at her right hand, still clenching the dress tightly. Lila suddenly became aware of the pain it was in. She held it up and stared at the blood soaked palm. When had she gotten this deep a scratch and why hadn't she noticed it? Both the changeling and the pirate were thinking the same question but Hook had seen a look in her eye and knew something had happened to her before reaching this clearing; something that made her so numb she didn't even notice getting the cut.

"Here," He reached out, "Let me."

She wasn't sure if she could trust him just yet but the growing pain in her hand was making it difficult to judge so she placed her hand, palm up, in his. He moved it, placing it carefully in the curve of his hook to act as a type of sling. He then took from his pocket a flask.

"Rum?" She eyed him skeptically.

"A bloody waste if you ask me," He said before removing the cork with his teeth.

"You don't have to tend to my wound," She snapped, "I can easily heal it myself."

"And you would have an abnormally clean hand," He spoke before pouring the alcohol onto the gash. She flinched only slightly, as if she was used to the kind of sting alcohol created on open wounds. He recalled seeing Tinkerbelle heal one of the Lost Boys when one of his pirates took a chase through Neverland's woods a little too far. There was no blood even on his clothes. Surely if this changeling girl healed her wound, there would be no more blood or dirt on her hand.

"Unless, of course, you want them to know you're not human," He offered before tossing the empty flask aside.

She didn't say anything but he could tell she wanted to. He was surprised she wasn't drawing blood from biting her lip so much. She held her gaze, which told him that she didn't want to be found out. He removed his scarf and held her gaze as he wrapped it around her hand. As he tightened the knot with his mouth, the moon hit her blue eyes in a way that reminded him of someone. He couldn't place who though and didn't want to stare too long to figure it out. Lila didn't even look away as he released her hand. She couldn't help but notice how piercing his eyes were; like the cold waters of an ocean.

"Now," He managed to close the gap between them, "I think we can both agree that we cannot stay here any longer and my crew seems to have gotten lost chasing Rufio and Tinkerbelle."

"You sure they are the ones who are lost, Captain?" The brunette tilted her head to the side. She knew that Rufio would lead the pirates back to the docks eventually whether they caught him or not. It was the pirate before her who had no way of returning to his ship.

"Forests are not particularly my forte, love," He hated to admit he was in fact lost, but the girl seemed harmless enough; "Must be luck that I stumbled upon you, Changeling."

"Okay, let's make one thing clear," She turned and put some distance between them, clearly offended by something he said; "Do not call me by my race. It's offensive. You don't see me calling you 'Human', now do you?"

"Fair enough," He shrugged, stepping closer, "What should I call you then, my dear?"

"I'm not going to tell you my name, if that's what you're asking," She crossed her arms.

"Suite yourself, lass," He sighed, not understanding why she was being so secretive; "If we are going to work together, you're going to have to trust me."

"I don't have to trust you to lead you out of this forest," She smirked, "The only trust needed is your trust in me."

"Trust is a two way street, love," He returned her smirk.

Lila chuckled as she moved away from him again. She didn't like how familiar he seemed to her especially considering how she knew for a fact she didn't know him personally until now. His scent of sea water, leather, and burned sandalwood was drawing her in for some reason just like all the other stupid girls she had watched him charm in the tavern. She wasn't going to have any of that. She was a lot smarter and stronger than any of them.

The pirate merely watched her, studying her. He didn't understand why some of the things she did reminded him of someone that he couldn't place. It was frustrating but even more so was her immunity to his charms. Most girls would have swooned by now after being so close to him. But not this one; she stood firm and held his gaze with a matching intensity.

"If I lead you to the docks," She finally turned and sauntered over to him, "What is in it for me?"

He smirked again and Lila could see the thoughts tumbling around in his mind. She crinkled her nose a little before muttering how much she hated being able to read minds. The changeling turned with a sigh and headed for the edge of the clearing.

"I'll owe you a favor," He called after her, "It can be whatever you wish, within reason, of course. You may ask me of it as soon as we get to my ship."

"What if I decide to just wait to collect sometime in the future?" Lila placed her hands on her hips.

"Whatever you wish, love," He smiled as he bowed before her. She rolled her eyes before entering the clearing again. She didn't understand how this man could offer a favor of her choosing, knowing she was a changeling, especially after seeing the Dark One at work.

"I hope you are aware of how dangerous it can be to offer a free favor to a nymph," She muttered before brushing past him.

"You're not dangerous," He spoke softly as he closed the distance between them. Maybe this time his charm would work. Lila raised an eyebrow as she felt his breath on the back of her neck.

"And you know this how, exactly?" She didn't even bother to look at him. The oak trees were much more interesting than the piercing blue eyes of the dark pirate standing behind her.

"If you were," He brought his lips closer to Lila's ear than she would have liked, "I would not be standing so close to you. You would have tried to kill me or something by now if you were truly as dangerous as the rumors say your race is."

"Just because I don't kill you now does not make me harmless," Lila spoke as she slowly turned around to face the pirate, "There are many kinds of dangerous, Captain."

"Enlighten me, then," He was startled when the girl gently pushed him away with her hand on his bare chest. It wasn't the action that startled him; it was the feeling of her skin on his. It made her seem even more familiar.

"There's the blood thirsty, vengeful, 'will stop at nothing' dangerous and then there is the cunning, patient, sly dangerous," Lila made her way out of the clearing, "Now, come on, Captain! The docks are about three to four days away. Best get moving!"

"Does that mean you are accepting me proposition?"

Lila merely smirked at him before heading into the forest. Hook stood there for a moment before running after her; calling for her to slow down. The tall woman remembered that humans couldn't move as fast as nymphs and slowed her pace so he could keep up. She glanced over her shoulder at him, ready to make some sort of remark about the slowness of his race when something caught her eye.

There was suddenly a loud snapping of twigs. Hook quickly looked behind him and Lila could tell he thought it was his crew but the changeling knew better. Her heightened sense of sight showed that it was a mob coming for the one who had used magic. She bit her lip before grabbing Hook's hand and telling him to run. She wanted to run as fast as her changeling legs would allow but she had made a deal with the human running beside her. So with great difficulty, she ran at his pace, which was surprisingly fast for a human.

They finally reached the edge of the one part of the forest no one would dare enter. Nymphs and pixies were said to be hiding behind every tree, in every log, and under every rock. Lila dragged Hook along as he started slowing down, knowing full well where she was leading him.

"Come on, Captain," She gave his arm a good tug, "They won't follow us in here and even if they do, they don't know the woods like I do."

"I'm more concerned about what's in the woods," He hissed as they continued on.

"Didn't take you for a coward, Captain," Lila smirked at him, "Whatever monsters you think lie in these woods are more afraid of humans than you are of them."

Lila could hear the mob stop and turn around, leaving them for the rumored evil within this part of the forest. They finally reached a clearing; the remnants of an old nymph circle around the outer edge. Lila practically threw Hook onto a rock when they came to a stop. The pirate watched her check the clearing for any lurking dangers.

"It's not cowardice," He explained between breaths, "It's self-preservation. I learned at a young age that caring for others only gets you hurt."

"So you watch your back and care only for yourself," Lila concluded, "Sounds lonely."

"It is," Hook nodded, "But I have revenge to keep me company."

"Give me your sword," Lila held out her uninjured hand. Hook looked at her hand before slowly bringing his eyes to meet hers with a suspiciously stare.

"Why do you need it?" His hand grasped the hilt.

"Just give me the sword," Lila thrust her hand out farther impatiently, "You asked me to trust you and trust is a two way street. So if you want my trust, you're going to have to trust me first."

Blue eyes stared at another pair of blue eyes, daring the other to move first. Captain Hook finally let out a sigh of frustration before handing Lila his sword. She nodded a thank you before beginning to draw a circle around the edge of the clearing. Walking backwards with the sword dragging on the ground in front her, Lila felt the pirate's gaze follow her.

"What's that for?" He started following her around the clearing's circle. Lila merely glanced up at him, trying to concentrate. This would have been so much easier if her right hand wasn't injured. As if sensing her struggle, the pirate came up behind her and gripped the sword with his good hand; following her lead as he helped her.

"To keep unwanted guests from bothering us," She spoke as she recovered from the initial shock of his aid, "It'll be a long day of traveling tomorrow and we'll need our rest."

"A protection spell," Hook confirmed.

"Nymphs create their circles for a number of reasons," Lila explained, "Protection is one of them. It is said that they can also be means of creating a portal but that is very old magic; almost long forgotten by the realms."

Hook didn't say anything as they finished drawing the circle. Lila stepped into the center of the circle and looked up, searching for the moon. It was needed for the next step; the runes of protection. The tall trees prevented her from seeing the glowing orb. Lila stuck the sword in the ground and walked up to one of the trees.

"What's going to happen when you get your revenge, Captain?" Lila took in Hook's reaction, "It was never meant to be a constant companion. One day you'll have to find something else to fill that loneliness."

"Are you offering, lass?" Hook smirked in an effort to hide how true the changeling's words rang in him. She rolled her eyes at him before hoisting herself up onto the lowest tree branch. Without another word, she shot up to the top of the tall pine. Hook leaned against another tree and watched her from below; marveling at how effortless she made climbing look.

Lila's eyes immediately found the moon and made a mental note of that it was almost true north and was almost full. She smiled as she swiftly returned to the ground and picked up the sword again. This time Hook made no move to help her; something she was grateful for. She didn't like having him that close to her.

"You can move abnormally fast," Hook crossed his arms, "Climb abnormally well, and see abnormally far. What else are you capable of I wonder?"

He was once again inches from her face. Lila gave him an all knowing smirk before using the sword to create the runes on the inner and outer rim of the circle.

"Nymphs have heightened senses," She explained as she worked, "Sight, sound, smell, taste-"

"Touch?" Lila saw his eyebrow rise suggestively from the corner of her eye. She rolled her eyes in annoyance before continuing. She had walked right into that one.

"It comes in handy more than you would believe," She finished the outer rim and began the inner; "We can also see the past, present, and future."

"Gift of foresight," He nodded as he started collecting firewood.

"We can also read the thoughts and sense the feelings of others."

He nearly dropped the wood he had collected. Lila chuckled as she finished the runes.

"Relax, Captain. I can control the Gift for the most part. I only read and sense when I feel it is necessary."

"I see," He muttered as he dumped the wood in the middle of the circle, "Such a shame."

She could hear the innuendo in his voice and rolled her eyes once again. She expertly handed back the sword to its owner. Hook took it, eyeing her with approval.

"You know how to handle a sword."

"You tend to learn a lot of things when you live on the street long enough," Lila murmured as she finished creating the safety barrier using her magic. Captain Hook began making a fire while she worked.

"Aye, that be true," He murmured, deep in thought. Lila glanced at him, wondering if everything he had learned was all learned on the streets or if he was taught by someone else. Her attention drifted to the tattoo on his wrist; a heart with a sword. She recognized the name that was written across. Rumplestiltskin had mentioned Milah a few times in passing conversation. Milah was his wife; Baelfire's mother. She had abandoned her son and ran off with the pirate sitting in front of her. And she had paid the price with her life and the pirate with his hand. Lila's mind searched and found his true name to be Killian Jones. She found herself well aware that that man was still somewhere inside Captain Hook. He just had to be brought out somehow.

"Tell me about Milah?" Lila bit her lip, hoping Hook wouldn't catch on to what she knew. She needed a conversation to escape her thoughts of Meg being burned to the stake as they sat here in front of a fire.

"She's no one," He tossed a twig into the fire.

"She must be someone if you have her name tattooed to your wrist," Lila sat across the fire from him, "So who is she?"

"It doesn't matter," He stared at the fire, "She's gone."

Lila studied him for moment before letting the subject drop. She could sense how much the thought of her and her death upset him and decided it would be for the best to not upset him for the next few days. Karma had been cruel to both him and the Dark One and she had gotten caught up in the crossfire.

"Besides," He suddenly leaned forward, "If you want to know so badly, use your Gift to find your answers."

"It wouldn't be fair," She leaned in as well, "Humans don't have the Gift, therefore you're going to have to ask questions and pray I give you answers. I prefer not to use my Gift unless I absolutely need to. It doesn't seem fair that I know everything about you and you know nothing about me."

"Then fill me in," He smirked charmingly, "What were you doing in the middle of the woods?"

"A white rabbit led me to the nymph circle," Lila muttered, knowing where this was leading.

"There must be some reason why you followed it in the first place," Hook offered, genuinely curious as to why a girl from Everdeen would wander into the woods; changeling or not.

"Seemed to be the only option," Lila stared at the flames, "I couldn't go home and I couldn't go back to the docks. At least not in the state I was in at the time."

"Judging from the cut on your hand," Hook nodded to the hand in question, "That might have been a good call. What happened to put you in such a state of anger in the first place?"

"I don't see how any of this is your business," Lila pulled at some grass, anything to avoid the bright blue eyes looking at her from over the fire; "You hardly spoke a word when I asked you questions of your past."

"I trusted you enough to let you handle my sword," The pirate raised an eyebrow, "Seems only fair that you somehow return that trust. I choose answering some of my questions."

"No," Lila threw some grass into the fire, "If I have learned anything in this world it's that secrets keep you safe and alive."

"I can't trust you, lass, if you don't trust me," He growled, "Not if you refuse to meet me halfway."

Lila slowly looked up and met his gaze. She hated to admit it but he had a point. And it wasn't fair of her to ask him to blindly trust her when she clearly didn't trust him. She would have to meet the pirate halfway and learn to trust him if only for a little while.

"My friend was arrested for witchcraft," She sighed, "She's being burned at the stake right now as I sit here a free woman."

"Sounds like you feel you should be the one burned," Hook tilted his head to the side.

"It's my fault she's dead," Lila bit her lip to hold in tears, "Couldn't let an innocent animal die and magic always comes with a price. Meg shouldn't have had to pay that price."

"Meg?" He shifted from sitting to lying down on his side, "Megara?"

"Yes, Captain," She sounded harsher than intended, "I was that stray she picked up. The one with the maroon shawl covering her face."

Lila watched as the pirate's eyes looked her up and down for the umpteenth time that night. He smirked and let his eyes linger on her figure; earing a glare from the changeling. He chuckled before turning on his back to look at the stars.

"I am well aware who you are," He licked his lips, "So I was right all along. You weren't human. It wasn't stories you had heard either. You have been to Neverland."

"Gloating doesn't become you, Captain," Lila crossed her arms, "Yes I have been to that world but it was some time ago; long before you were there."

"You'd be surprised, love."

"Regardless, I'd prefer not to talk about it," She snapped, "I think I've given you enough trust for one night, Hook."

Hook opened his mouth to say something but a wolf howling in the distance made them both pause. Lila looked over in the direction of the noise, knowing that the only wolf that she had to worry about was the man sitting across from her; not taking his eyes off her. He studied her as if she was some sort of puzzle to him. Hook wasn't quite satisfied with the explanation as to why she was so familiar to him. He didn't realize that he was familiar to her as well and she wasn't about to tell him; not wanting to stroke his ego any more than it already had been. It was no matter though, for Captain Hook loved a challenge and figuring out who was the changeling before him was definitely a task worthy of his time.

Lila took in a breath as the silence forced her to think of Meg and slowly her mind began reminding her of all the other horrors she had seen; memories she tried so hard to forget. She was so tired emotionally and physically that it was too exhausting to keep her walls and defenses up. She wanted nothing more than to be left alone to gather her thoughts and regain her composure; to rebuild the walls. She was losing grip on her mask and knew that having it break while the pirate was awake would be just dreadful. She glared at him from the corner of her eye.

"You should get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us," She finally broke the silence. He continued staring at her as she poked at the fire to keep it burning. He raised his head when he realized the girl had no intentions of going to sleep.

"Aren't you going to sleep as well?" He lowered his head back down. He could feel her dulled blue eyes boring a hole into his head.

"We can go longer than humans can without sleep," If that was true than why did she sound so exhausted? Hook propped his head to rest on his hand and elbow.

"Perhaps we should take shifts," He offered, not wanting her to think he wasn't a gentleman. Being a gentleman was something he prided himself in; something he had learned from both his parents the hard way. And he wasn't sure why but he didn't like the idea that this poor mud covered girl was going to stay up all night without anyone to talk to. The dullness in her eyes was fresh and it reminded him of his eyes when he had lost Milah. This changeling before him had lost someone dear to her today and it would do her no good being left with nothing but her guilt for comfort. He knew it as a fact.

"Go to sleep, Hook," She seemed to not be there any longer.

"It's Killian," He said softly, "Killian Jones. And I don't mind staying up if you need someone to talk to. Losing someone close to you is a difficult thing in life."

"I think I prefer Hook," Lila muttered, "Goes with your vengeful heart."

"What would you know about it?"

"Gift of perception," She answered without a second thought, "And you hear stories."

Hook raised an eyebrow as she repeated the words she spoke when he first saw her with Megara. He didn't really know much about the blonde but he did know she was known for taking people off the streets. The changeling sitting before him had been her latest stray and as far as he knew she was kept around the longest. Whatever Meg's reasons for keeping the brunette around, she must have proved to the petite woman her worth. He was certain that he'd see that the next few days; right now he just saw an exhausted woman trying to hold everything together in front of a stranger. He had high hopes though; she seemed clever and sharp tongued and perfectly capable of keeping up with his intellect. The last woman he had had in his life like that was Milah. Killian Jones needed someone like that in his life to keep him sane.

The pirate rolled over, placing his back to the changeling. Her eyes were on him, trying to read him probably. He thought the past few years he had been able to harden his heart after losing his hand and Milah but this girl had somehow managed to bring the memories back to the surface and suddenly the pain of losing his love felt like it was just this morning. He shut his eyes tight and bit back the tears. He was about to lose the battle when he heard the soft voice of the changeling behind him.

Lila could sense without even trying the pain he felt over losing Milah. It didn't matter how long it had been. He had closed himself off and as long as he was like that he would never heal. He thought revenge would heal him but Lila knew all too well it would just make him worse; a growing void never to be filled until his dying day. She started humming a lullaby Althea used to sing to her whenever she could not sleep. The words had long been forgotten but the melody remained and it was enough to comfort the pirate into sleep. The brunette smiled sadly as tears spilled silently down her cheeks. Meg's sacrifice would not be in vain; Lila would make the most of her life. Megara had spent a good portion of her life trying to help others and that was just what Lila was going to do. And she was going to start with the man laying a few feet away from her. Just like Rumplestiltskin, this pirate had good in him still. It only needed one thing to return and come back out; hope. Hope would kill Captain Hook and help Killian Jones heal and move on.


"You know," Jack Frost said as he picked shattered glass from the floor, "When Regina told you this world would be in shambles I thought she meant something more…"

"Catastrophic?" Lila offered as she dusted off the throne and sat. The Snow Palace was almost destroyed when the curse came through and the Fae were rushing around to fix up what was absolutely necessary so they could return to their regular duties and save the world from dying. Their Snow Queen was very inclined to help with the recovery.

"Yeah," the teenager leaned against a cracked column covered in tattered fabric, "I mean I was expecting us to be dealing with hurricanes and twisters and other horrid weathers. Not ogres and wraiths and the land slowly becoming barren."

"Jack," Lila turned to him as she took up her staff, "Regina wanted us to try to revive the land and fail. Having it hit with disaster after disaster would not bring the anguish the Evil Queen wished upon us."

"I didn't think of it that way," He resumed cleaning up the broken glass, deep in thought.

Lila smiled sadly as she turned her attention to the lake. She saw a few Fae taking water from the lake and heading towards the underground storage area. They were being smart and storing whatever water they could. Lila had a feeling that there would be no rain, no snow; no seasonal changes what so ever now. This world was truly dying.

"Do you think they'll be okay in the other world?" Jack came to stand beside her.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Jack," She stood and walked over to the balcony, Jack Frost following her. He came over and wrapped his arms around her and they stayed like that for a few minutes before she looked down into his grey eyes; an arm draped over his shoulders.

"We will all be fine once this is all over," Lila smiled as she smoothed his hair, "And we'll live for a long time to tell the tale."

Jack smiled back up at his queen before breaking away to help with the cleaning. Lila's smile faded from her face as he left. There was one thing she had kept from her subjects. There had been another section in this world that remained untouched by the curse. She had sent Tinkerbelle over to investigate since she would not return to Neverland. Regina had made it clear that only her castle would be spared; ensuring that any Fae, changelings, and pixies within the grounds would not cross over to the other world.

The Snow Queen had taken a look but was unable to see who the cause of the other sections saving was. She needed to know who was over there so that she could help them as soon as the curse was broken and time resumed in this world. The ogres and wraiths would be able to cross the barrier around both untouched sections once the curse was broken. Lila rubbed her eyes and sighed. This situation was far worse than what Regina had predicted and she desperately wished the Lilac Fairy had stayed with her; The Snow Queen could use the advice of her childhood guardian now more than ever.