Love is Strength

Everybody was back in the Enchanted Forest. Clearly, the place needed some work but nothing that couldn't be fixed.

"We're home." Snow stated.

This was surreal for Emma. She was finally in the world she'd been hearing about all her life and in clothes she'd only seen in the movies. She was wearing a long light blue dress, luckily there was no corset. It was kind of like the one her mom was wearing when they went to the world with no magic only heavier with long sleeves. She was also wearing a beautiful, very detailed heavy white cape and a leather bag. It was still winter. Baelfire was warmly wrapped in a blanket with his name on it in a baby basket.

For the first time, Emma saw what Rumpelstiltskin looked like in his true form as The Dark One. He really was creepy.

"We better start walking." David said.

They had a ways to walk before they'd get to the castle.

"We'll run the kingdom together. We need to show everyone that we're united. I know you don't like it, you'll learn to." Snow said to Regina.

"I don't think so." Regina replied.

"Oh are you going to live in the forest?" Snow asked. She knew that wasn't happening. "Are you going back to the lonely, cold and dreary tower? If that's more comfortable than the castle then be my guest."

"We're still not doing the family thing." That was Regina agreeing in the most difficult way.

"Sure…" Snow said. Regina would give in soon enough. "Emma, how's Bae doing?"

"He's fine." Emma replied. They hugged Pinocchio and Andi goodbye because they were headed in the opposite direction with Geppetto and Jiminey who was now a cricket again.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with us?" Snow asked.

"Yeah." Pinocchio replied with a sweet smile.

"You know if you need me-" Snow started.

"You'll always be there. I know." Pinocchio finished.

Snow looked at him like a mother not yet ready to let her baby go. "I love you."

"I love you too… mom." They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

After walking a ways toward Geppetto's cabin, Pinocchio and Andi saw some surprisingly familiar faces.

"Mom? Dad? Morgan?" Andi's heart raced as she saw her parents and sister then ran to them. "How did you get here?"

"The same way I got there. I told you we'd see each other again. It made more sense to come here." Giselle explained.

"I never imagined when we spoke on the phone this morning that you'd be here." Andi said.

"Surprise!" Morgan exclaimed.

"We're going to live in Andalasia. I still have a house there." Giselle informed. Andi looked at Pinocchio hoping he'd see how much she wanted to live in Andalasia and of course he did.

"Do you have room for a few more?" Pinocchio asked.

"Of course." Giselle answered.

"Father, do you mind?" Pinocchio asked.

"No. I just want us to be together." Geppetto replied. They had an even longer ways to walk, followed by a boat ride because Andalasia was in the next kingdom but it was all worth it.

-v-

It wasn't an easy journey with an infant but they finally made it to the castle. Emma thought it was amazing. It was like a dream. Her parents showed her around. They even showed her what would have been her nursery. She loved it. She loved everything.

"I guess this can be Bae's room now once we clean it up." Emma said.

In the meantime, Emma and Neal chose their own room, one they loved that wasn't far from the nursery. Bae began to cry.

"Babe, can you hand me the pacifier out of that bag?" Emma asked pointing at the bag she was wearing earlier.

Neal looked in the bag and laughed. "Emma, how the hell did you manage to bring a CD player, CDs, batteries, diapers and whatever else you have in this thing?" He handed her the pacifier and she gave it to Bae to quiet him.

"Magic!" Emma exclaimed. "I've been tapping into my powers a little lately and well, the savior wanted to save some valuable assets."

"You saved CDs."

"I need my music." She went over and grabbed some CDs out of the bag. "Look, Train. Can you imagine not hearing Train again? We saw them in concert for our second date."

"That wasn't our second date. It was the first."

"What? McDonalds didn't count?"

"That wasn't a date. That was you not wanting me to starve."

"That was me thinking you were cute and wanting to get to know you. Date."

Neal laughed. "Date… What are you going to do when you run out of batteries?" Emma made the saddest face with her lip poked out. "Aww, baby." Neal hugged her.

Later, the family met up in the common room. The servants found their way back too.

"What are we going to do about fixing the castle?" David asked.

"I'll handle that." Regina stated and held her hands out.

"Wait, can you please not make it all dark like when you lived here alone?" Snow asked. Regina gave her a side eye. "What? It was really dark." Regina used her magic to fix the entire castle and it wasn't dark.

"Beautiful." Emma said finally seeing the castle in its full beauty. "After being cramped in a little New York apartment, I won't know how to act with all this space."

"That's an understatement." Neal concurred. This was a huge change for him. The past ten years, he's lived on the street, then in his car, then Snow's apartment. Now a castle in the Enchanted Forest? Boy has life changed.

A couple weeks passed and they had time to adjust. Emma entered her and Neal's room and closed the door. He was lying back reading a book.

"For the first time in almost a year, we are finally alone!" Emma exclaimed.

"… Wow. I guess you're right." Neal replied.

"Believe me, a year. A year." Emma dropped her robe revealing a sexy negligée.

Neal dropped his book and sat up. "Whoa."

"Surprise." She crawled onto the bed and kissed him. For the first time since the first time, they made love again, this time in a castle in a king sized canopy bed instead of little motel room.

The next morning, they lied in each other's arms.

"When do you plan to go to Neverland?" Emma asked.

"As soon as I can figure out how to open a portal. I'm not looking forward to leaving you and Bae but I have to."

"I know… We'll be waiting for you, try not to make us wait too long. I don't want to be finding and losing each other all the time like my parents. It's the only thing I don't admire about their relationship."

"I'll be counting the moments until I come back to you. I'm going out today to see what I can find out about getting a portal opened."

-v-

Regina was in bed with the Huntsman. She stared up at the ceiling realizing that this whole letting go thing was effecting everything. This wasn't even satisfying her anymore. Perhaps because she couldn't pretend like it wasn't, you know, wrong or whatever. Maybe it was time to retire him as her sex slave. Ugh. It would be nice to have something real and this was not it.

He got up to get dressed and she went over and got his heart out of the box. She stared at it a moment then went over to him and just shoved it in his chest. For the first time in a long time, he felt something.

"How could you?" He looked at her with much pain in his eyes.

"You're free, okay? You owe me nothing. Just get out before I change mind and make sure you take the back way."

He was filled with anger but he decided to just leave, thankful he had his freedom again. This was why he didn't like humans. He was going to go find some wolves.

-v-

Snow and Charming had a hot night as well. They were making up for eighteen years, you know?

"Charming?" Snow called.

"Yes, my love?" David replied.

"I'm with child. Found out just before we left Storybrooke."

He looked at her, surprised. "That was fast." He smiled. They kissed.

"We get to do this together this time." Snow said.

-v-

Regina was sipping tea in the parlor when one of the servants walked in.

"Excuse me, your majesty. You have a visitor." The servant informed. Who the hell could that be? "Presenting Cora, Queen of Hearts." Regina's eyes widened. Cora entered. The servant left the room.

"Mother? What are you doing here?"

"I learned you were back so I came to see you. Nothing wrong with a mother visiting her daughter, is there?"

"It is when it's you."

"You're living here with Snow White and her family? You must be planning something big."

"What do you want?"

"Well dear, since you asked… I want The Dark One's dagger."

"You finally became a queen and that still wasn't enough for you. You need more power."

"So you understand."

"No! I didn't want this. You wanted this for me. I'm here now. I deal with it."

"You say it like it's a terrible thing. Please dear, we can work together." Cora looked in her daughter's eyes and touched her face. She suddenly turned into that little girl that just wanted her mother to love her again.

"Okay."

-v-

Neal went for a walk through the kingdom and ran into a familiar face.

"Hook?" Neal called.

"Have we met before, mate?" Hook replied.

"Baelfire. I go by Neal now."

Hook couldn't believe it. He hugged him. They didn't do that.

"It's so good to see you… Wait. You had a cool name like Baelfire and changed it Neal? Anyway, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

"It's cool. It was a long time ago. What were you doing?"

"I'm looking for your father now that everyone is back. I can't wait to end him."

"You've held onto that all this time? Hook, it's been centuries. Vengeance will get you nowhere. It'll consume you. Let it go and find something that will make you happy because that won't do it."

"You're defending your father? He killed your mother."

"I'm well aware but I'm not defending him, I'm trying to save you. Besides, I need his help to save my son and Wendy."

"You have a son?"

"Yeah, he's seven weeks old. He and my fiancé mean everything to me. So you won't kill him?"

"Not yet."

"Dude, save your heart and soul and let it go. You won't succeed anyway, he already cut your hand off." Hook was insulted but it was the truth. "I need to find a way to make a portal to Neverland."

"I was on a mission to make a portal before everyone came back here. You need a magic bean."

"I had the last one centuries ago."

"Down here maybe but not up there."

"In heaven?"

"No! Where the giants live. I'll help you."

Neal and Hook went in search of the beanstalk…

-v-

Cora was long gone and Regina was in her room. A castle full of people and she still managed to isolate herself. Emma knocked on her door.

"Hey grandma-" Emma greeted.

"Stop calling- You know what, whatever. What do you want?"

"Can you train me in magic?"

"What part of we're not a family don't you and your mother understand?"

"What part of we are, don't you? Not that you don't understand, you just don't want to admit it but it's cool. So will you help me?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Yay! When?"

"When I feel like it."

"You're not just trying to get rid of me, are you?"

"I said I'll help you, I'll help you. Now leave me alone before I change my mind."

"Okay! Thanks."

"And don't think I'm going to go easy on you."

"Didn't expect you to." Emma smiled then left the room.

That night Regina went to Bae's room. He hadn't fell asleep yet. He looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back, picked him up and rocked him while singing him a sweet lullaby.

Snow and Emma stood at the door and watched for a moment. Look whose heart wasn't as dark as she pretended it was. They left her alone and went to their rooms. Regina stayed with Bae until he fell asleep then she went to bed.

The next day, Snow and David revealed they were having another baby.

"Well you two didn't waste any time." Emma responded. "Congratulations. Looks like I'll be a big sister." She hugged them before they left the castle.

"Where's your fiancé?" Regina inquired.

Emma explained about the portal to Neverland, Peter Pan and the baby and that he needed Rumple to help him. So when Regina met up with her mother later…

"You know, maybe we should hold off on getting Rumple's dagger." Regina said.

"That's ridiculous." Cora stated.

"He needs to save his grandson from his father. He can't do it without power."

"Isn't his grandson also Snow White's grandson? Why do you care?"

"He's an innocent child, mother."

"Since when do you even care about that?"

"I'm not going to put the child in danger, mother. My decision is final."

"Do you care about these people now? What happened to you? Are you choosing them over your own mother?"

"We can go after Rumple afterward."

"No! That's unacceptable."

"Then leave." Regina said nonchalantly. She cared and she still desperately wanted her mother's approval and didn't understand why but she wasn't going to risk the baby's life.

Cora left the room, Regina followed then in walked Emma with Bae and Snow had just gotten home. It did not make Snow happy to see Cora in her home. Sure, she was very open and forgiving with Regina but she didn't trust Cora with a snake. Maybe it wasn't fair but Regina was family and she never liked or trusted Cora so hey, she never claimed to be perfect.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here." Cora said.

"Mother, just leave."

No. Cora had something else in mind. It was a test.

Cora levitated Snow, Emma and Bae in the air, strangling them.

"Mother, stop it!"

"We're family, Regina." Cora stated.

"That's never meant anything to you. Put them down now!"

Cora wouldn't budge so Regina threw Cora across the room hard into a wall, so hard there was a dent in the wall after she hit the floor. Then Regina made sure the three came back down easily so they wouldn't crash to the floor. Bae cried at the top of his lungs after the traumatic experience.

"Is he alright?" Regina asked. The panicked Emma just nodded. "Are you two okay too?" She asked Snow and Emma. They nodded. She went over to Cora. "Why would you do that?"

"I've seen a time when you wouldn't care or would do worst. You actually love the little brat and her family. I thought I taught you well, love is weakness."

"No. Love is strength. I've finally learned that." Regina used her magic to lift her mother from the floor and levitate her in the air like she had done her many times. "You know what else I've learned about love? It's unconditional and you shouldn't have to try and please people just so that they might love you. I'm done trying mother. I've been learning to let go of a lot of things and I think it's time I let you go too." She banished her far away from the castle. A tear fell from Regina's eyes. She knew it had to be done but it still hurt. She turned around and a shocked Snow and Emma were staring at her. Regina just walked out of the room and went for a ride on her horse.

Later, Neal came home with news.

"I got a magic bean. I can go to Neverland. I've already sent a telegram to my father. We're going to leave in a couple days."

"It's going to be hard without you. We're getting married as soon as you come back, right?"

"Absolutely." They kissed.

-v-

Regina was slowly riding her horse through the kingdom then the horse suddenly got startled and took off running like a crazy horse and nothing Regina did calmed Danny down. All of a sudden, she felt someone pull her off the horse and onto theirs, then they stopped.

"Are you alright, my lady?" A man she'd never met asked.

"It's your majesty and I'm not some damsel in distress. I don't need saving." Regina got off the horse.

"A simple thank you will suffice… and everyone needs saving sometimes, your majesty. I'm surprised your dark reputation didn't include how stunning you are… I'm Robin Hood."

"The thief."

"I may be a thief but I'm a thief with honor who just saved your life. You're welcome. Would you like me to escort you back to the castle?"

"I'm fine!"

"It is your will." Robin started to ride off with his horse.

"Thief! Thank you."

Robin took off on his horse.

-v-

Neal and Rumple finally set on their mission to Neverland. The books hype up Neverland but it's not what it's cracked up to be. It's nothing but a pathetic orphanage with a little demon at the head. It was really sad.

Neal still wasn't up to talking to his father. It didn't stop him from trying.

"Talk to me." Rumple said.

"The deal doesn't say we have to talk." Neal stated then continued on with the silence.

"You need my help using the very magic you despise so much."

"To save my son but let's not pretend like you use it to save people on a daily bases."

"I became The Dark One to save you to begin with."

"Yes but then it caused you to lose yourself. The curse is more powerful than you are. This is not the man who wanted to save the children from going to war with the ogres. And you know, I don't know if you let me go because you were a coward who was afraid of the unknown or because you were just afraid to let go of your power. Either way, your fear wasn't stronger than your love for me. And while we're talking, I know you killed my mother so you don't have to keep up that lie."

"… How do you know?"

"Hook."

"The pirate… She left us for him."

"But she didn't deserve to die! You left me too, should I kill you?" Rumple was stunned by the comment. "I'm not actually going to kill you. You people and your vengeance, I don't understand. Don't you get bored? Don't you get tired? Do you have nothing else to focus on? Get a life! It takes too much freaking energy to hate each other and focus so heavily on trying to kill or hurt someone. It's crazy! Ugh! Why am I talking to you?"

"Don't you hate me?" Rumple asked after that very loud lecture.

"Do you know where we need to go? Can't you just poof us there?" Neal changed the subject and really wanted to hurry this along.

"Why would I do that? I finally got you to talk to me?"

"And that ends now."

Silence.

"Bae. Bae. Baelfire. Bae." Rumple kept calling trying to annoy him to the point he'd yell that his name is Neal so he'd start talking again but he just kept walking like he didn't hear him.

"Fine." Rumple teleported them to the magic cave. He didn't want to risk running into Pan anyway. This was something that needed to be done quickly.

"This wasn't a crazy idea, right? This can be done?" Neal asked.

"It's a brilliant idea actually but of course you're brilliant. You get it from me." Rumple said in his animated way. Neal wanted to laugh but instead he just rolled his eyes. Rumpelstiltskin is a lot of things but stupid is not one of them.

There was a lot of magic left but it was probably about 20% left from when Pan first arrived in Neverland. Rumple drained the magic from its power source so that it would stop its effect on the land and directed it into a box. Then they set off to find Wendy. It took a while but they finally found her caged up.

"Baelfire!" Wendy, still stuck at age fourteen exclaimed and they hugged. Of course he informed her of the name change. Then they went off to find her brothers and when they did, the four gratefully reunited. Michael and John were so thankful that Neal kept his promise and that after all this time, he still cared about them.

They brought together all the lost boys and Tinkerbell.

"What happened? Something's different." A boy asked.

"We drained the magic." Neal informed then an old man showed up.

"Papa?" Rumple uttered. His father had gone back to his normal age.

"How dare you?" Peter Pan questioned.

"You messed with the wrong boy when you messed with my son grandpa. He won't be a lost boy like we were. Say goodbye to immortality." Neal said. "I know you all are used to Neverland and have probably been here for centuries and now have no home to go to but we're going to take you back with us and we'll figure it out from there." He explained to the children.

"Except you." Rumple said and banished his father far away from them then pulled Neal aside. "Bae… Neal. I do love you son-"

"This really isn't the time-"

"Just listen. I love you and you're right, I let my fear become more powerful than my love. I've always admired your bravery. That's something you inherited from your mother. I have spent centuries looking for you and I refuse to lose you again. Bravery, that may always be a struggle for me and I admit, I hide behind my power but I never let my power make me forget how to love. What's most important to me is you and if I have to give up all of this…" Rumple did his famous hand gesture. "… to get you back then that's what I'm willing to do. I was afraid to give it up before and I was afraid I'd never find you if I gave it up later and if I'm being honest, I'm still afraid to lose it but… I'm afraid of losing you more."

"Papa." Neal was like that little boy all over again. A couple of tears fell and he finally embraced his father for the first time in a couple centuries. Rumple kissed Neal on the forehead and the darkness began to leave his body. He started to look like his true self again then lost his balance. The crippled leg was back. Neal held him up and really had some tears now because to say he would give it up was one thing, to actually do it was another. "I love you, papa. I always have."

Saving the boy was his undoing but not the way he thought it'd be. It wasn't the undoing of Rumpelstiltskin, it was the undoing of The Dark One inside him.

The darkness went through the air, searching for a new host. It was scaring everyone there.

"Don't worry, it's looking for the darkest soul and we all know that's Pan but he's stuck here." Rumple explained.

The darkness headed for Pan who was way on the other side of Neverland. Then Rumple opened the box to use the magic to create a portal to take them and all the children back to the Enchanted Forest. The children started jumping in the portal.

"What are we going to do with all these orphans?" Neal questioned before they jumped into the portal too.