Stark Tower
"I don't like it." Banner removed his glasses and rubbed them on the edge of his shirt.
"That's why you're not going, Bruce," Natasha reminded him, readjusting her bracelets. "Is everyone else ready?"
"Remind me why I don't get the special team underwear?" Stark asked snidely.
"Because you have an arc reactor," Clint snapped. "And they're not underwear."
"Listen, Legolas, just because you're the one who keeps getting taken prisoner doesn't mean you get to be a whiny little princess about it."
"Why don't we all just thank Dr. Banner for making the protective gear, and move out?" Steve interrupted. "The last thing we need is another set of arguments keeping us unfocused."
"You want to be copilot?" Natasha asked.
"No, leave that to Agent Barton. We'll be working on a plan. Everyone ready?" They all nodded. "Then let's move out."
Storybrooke
Adam knocked on Archie's door, and the doctor opened the door, pushing back his glasses. "Right on time, Adam. Come on in."
"Thank you. I have coffee, by the way. Ruby made me bring it." Adam held up the two cups, and Archie laughed, taking one.
"I'll remember to thank her. By the way, I think I may have figured out the best way to help you remember who you are."
"I'm listening." Adam took a seat on the couch. "What is it?"
"Hypnosis. David was able to access some of his real memories while under the curse, so I thought it might be worth a try."
"Do what you must." Adam rubbed his hand, thinking about the ice again. The monster parents tell their children about at night…. The sentence rose unbidden in his mind, and he frowned, forcing it back down.
The Netherworld
Aurora pulled her cloak around her body as the flames in the red room screamed at her. "You can't hurt me," she chanted. "You can't hurt me. You're nothing but a dream, and you can't hurt me. I'm in charge here." The fire rose higher, but she stood her ground and took a step. The flames moved out of her way. She kept stepping, and the fire parted for her, revealing a giant pair of black doors. Tentatively, Aurora reached out and touched one of them. They felt cool beneath her fingertips and swung open easily, leading to a room of mirrors. "Loki?" she called, looking around. Mirrors mean tricks, illusions, this might be a clue… "Loki, god of tricksters, I invoke thee."
"Loki. Is that who I was?" A tall, thin man with pale skin and raven hair appeared behind her in the mirrors. "I don't remember anymore. But who are you?"
"Aurora. I'm looking for someone named Loki. Who are you?"
"People call me Adam. And I'm looking for someone as well."
"Who?"
"Myself. Perhaps we could search together."
Aurora turned around to look up at him. "If you think that shall help. Walk with me, then."
"How are we going to go anywhere? We're surrounded."
"It's a dream. We control the dream. Watch." Aurora placed a hand on one of the mirrors, and it passed through. "Well? Are you coming?"
"Through there?"
"Yes. Come on." Aurora stepped through, the silver of the mirror tickling her as she did. A moment later, Adam followed.
"I had a brother…" he murmured, not looking at her.
"What?"
"I remember that. I had a brother. And parents. I remember a shadow… and falling. No, I didn't fall. He threw me. He cast me out. Thor tossed me into the abyss."
"I don't understand…"
"I was… I was… AH!" He dropped to his knees, clutching his head. "I can't… I was…"
"YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!" Someone shouted. Adam disappeared in a violent flash of emerald green and Aurora found herself jolting awake.
"What happened, are you hurt?" Mulan asked, reaching out to grab her.
"I'm fine. And…. I think I might have found him." Aurora quickly explained everything she'd seen.
"You think he's Loki, then?"
"Yes. And I think he might be in the world Emma and Snow came from. He was wearing those kinds of clothes."
"Then how do we get him back?"
"I don't… ow!" Aurora grabbed her head as something rasped in her head, and suddenly, her voice was usurped by another: The gravelly voice of Hela. "That will not be necessary. You have done all that I required. The soul is returned." Aurora felt her head screaming in pain as the power surged and her knees gave out as everything went black.
Storybrooke
"What the hell are you doing?" Adam snarled as Archie shook him awake.
"We have to get out of here, come on!" Archie pulled at his arm.
"What's going on?" Adam demanded, following the former cricket out the door. "What… Oh!" Vines were slithering out from everywhere, wrapping around buildings and encasing them.
"Ruby!" Archie ran into Granny's, leaving Adam alone with nothing but confusion and a buzzing in his head.
"Father…" it hissed. "Father, I found you. Flee now, and you may yet survive the actions of these fools."
"Wonderful, I have no idea who I am, I've lost the one friend I had, I'm going to die, and now, I'm hearing voices," he moaned.
"You need to escape. The fools that took you before, they're coming, they'll take you again if you don't flee now."
"Whoever you are, get out of my head! Get out now!"
"Remember me, Father. Remember yourself."
"I've tried, it's not possible! Whatever I was, I'm not that person anymore. I'm Adam now. I live in the librarian's apartment in Storybrooke, I was in the hospital for a long time, and… I love a woman who no longer exists. And you...You can get the hell out of my head!" Emerald flashed before his eyes and his head burned, as a second flash of color appeared, this one bright blue. The vines instantly recoiled, one of them knocking Adam to the ground, his head hitting the pavement hard.
Belle's entire being was still buzzing from having come awake. "Rumple, slow down!" she begged, struggling to keep up with him. She was used to wearing high heels, but the Lacey version of herself took it to a new level of ridiculous.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but we have to hurry."
"Don't strain your leg!" she reminded him as they reached the docks. Emma, Snow, David and Regina all stood on the docks, expressions of distress on their faces.
"They've taken Henry?" Rumple asked.
"Yeah. You're the Dark One. Do something," David demanded.
"Gold," Emma's voice was unexpectedly soft, pleading, "help us."
"There's no way. I spent a lifetime trying to cross worlds to find my son. There's no way in this world without a portal."
"So that's it? He's gone forever? I refuse to believe that." Regina snapped. Belle sighed, bracing herself for a slew of arguments, then noticed something on the horizon.
"What is that?" she pointed as it drew closer. The outline of a ship became clear.
"Hook." Emma breathed. The Jolly Roger sailed into the docks, and the one-handed pirate came ashore. "What the hell are you doing here?" Emma demanded, striding forward to meet him.
"Helping," he replied smugly. Belle clenched a fist, her shoulder burning where he'd shot her.
"Well, you're too late." Regina interrupted.
"Am I?"
"I thought you didn't care about anyone but yourself." Emma remarked snidely.
Hook gave an enigmatic little smile and held out something to her. Belle recognized the crystallized form of a magic bean. "Maybe I just needed reminding that I could," he answered.
"Enough waiting around, let's go." insisted Regina
"Go? Where? I thought we were saving the town."
"We already did," David told him.
We need to get Henry," Emma explained. "Greg and Tamara took him through a portal."
"Well, I offer my ship and my services to help follow them." Hook gestured to the ship in question. Belle noticed that he hadn't taken his eyes off Emma the entire time.
"Well, that's great, Hook, but how do we track them?" Regina demanded.
"Leave that to me," Rumple said. "I can get us to where we need to go."
"Well, let's do it." Snow grabbed David's hand and started up the ramp to the ship.
Rumple turned to Belle and touched her cheek gently. "Belle, I have to go. You have to stay here."
"No. Why? I wanna help!" she protested. I just came back and now you're leaving me again? She was screaming inside her head. Why is it so hard to us to just be together?
"The town is no longer safe."
"What?" That made even less sense. Why was he going to leave if the town wasn't safe.
"What?" David echoed her, coming back down the ramp.
"Well, Greg and Tamara weren't working alone. Others will follow." Rumple explained.
"No. We can't leave people in danger." David argued.
Rumple pulled a small scroll tied with a red ribbon from his suit pocket and pressed it into Belle's hand. "After we've gone, follow these instructions. It's a cloaking spell. It'll shield the town, making it impossible for anyone to find."
"Then how will you find your way back to me?" she asked. He didn't answer, letting his silence speak for him. "You're not coming back, are you?" she asked.
"The prophecy. The boy is my undoing, but he's also my grandson. I must save him. I must do this to honor Baelfire. He's gone, and I didn't even get the chance to say good-bye."
Belle swallowed her tears and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I understand, but I also know that the future isn't always what it seems." A tear glistened at the corner of his eye. "I will see you again," she told him firmly, pulling him closer and kissing him deeply. A kiss to make him want to come back. As they pulled away, she whispered, "Baelfire would be very proud of you."
"Thank you," Rumple murmured back, climbing aboard. Belle watched the ship sail away and disappear into the ocean, finally letting her tears fall.
"They did it! They saved us!" Leroy, the other dwarves, Archie and Mother Superior ran up behind her, whooping gleefully. "They did save us, didn't they?" Leroy asked, noticing the tears on Belle's face. "Tears of joy?"
"Belle, what is it, are you okay?" Archie asked.
"What happened, where is everyone?"
"They stopped the self destruct device," Belle explained. "But those people who came, Greg and Tamara, they kidnapped Henry. And they took him through a portal."
"A portal to where?"
"I don't know… everyone else followed them on Hook's ship." Leroy stepped forward, looking at her quizzically.
"Why'd you stay behind?"
Belle held up the scroll and unrolled it, revealing a small glass vial and instructions written on the paper, and showed it to Mother Superior. The former fairy examined it. "It's a cloaking spell… but why?"
"Because Rumple said… he said others were coming."
Storybrooke Airspace
"Anyone want to figure out what that gold circle is?" Tony asked, pointing a finger at the radar screen.
"Paws off, Stark."
"Clint." Natasha warned, staring at the screen for a moment before returning her gaze to the sky in front of her. "He has a point, look, it's coming from the town."
"There's a red convertible down on the road, should we—"
"Leave it, Captain. We need to figure out what that thing is, because it looks to me like it's making the entire town disappear," Natasha interrupted. "It's coming down fast, and there's no way we can fit the jet under it now."
"Let's try cutting through the woods," Clint suggested.
"Switching control to you," Natasha told him. He nodded and steered the jet towards the ground. It was possible to hear the rush of the jet kicking up pebbles as they flew. "Are we all ready?"
"I'd feel better if Thor were here," Steve admitted. "This really isn't my style, this magic stuff. That was more his track."
"Yeah, well, he's got his hands full with Lo—"
"CLINT, LOOK OUT!" Natasha shouted as the nose of the jet slammed against the gold barrier. Everyone was jolted backwards as the engine began to go up in flames. Natasha slammed her fist down on the ejector button, opening the roof. Stark activated his suit and launched out, while Steve vaulted off a wall to escape. As Natasha ripped off her seatbelt, Clint grabbed his bow.
"Ready to fly?" he asked, locking in on a grappling hook arrow. Natasha nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt before latching her arms around his chest. Clint fired the arrow and hit the recoil button, pulling them both out of the jet as it crashed. The two assassins dropped to the floor of the Maine forest, surveying the damage. "I don't suppose Stark has an extra plane, do you?"
"I'll call in for backup." Natasha reached for her com link, but heard only static. "What?"
"Yeah, the same thing happened in New Mexico with Thor's hammer. I guess it's a magic thing. Let's find Stark and Rogers."
"No need. We found you." Tony landed in front of them, holding a bumper. "And we found this. It's off the convertible Cap saw. I got out just in time to see them make it through before they went poof."
"Hmm." Natasha pursed her lips and stepped towards the spot where they'd hit the barrier.
"Tash, wait—"
"Clint, it's okay." She extended a finger and gingerly pressed it through the air. Her entire body buzzed as the finger made contact with the shield. "It's… it's bizarre. I can feel all this energy."
"Get your hand off before it shocks you. It could be unstable. We can't afford to lose you." Natasha hesitated for a moment, then did as Steve suggested, gratified by his comment. How might the world have been different if you'd never gone under, Steve Rogers? Steve turned to face all of them. "Right. If we can't get in, then what's our next step?"
"I can do a search on the guys who owned the car. License plate right here, it shouldn't be too hard." Tony offered.
"If you're going to do that, we need to add another search into the mix. Regina Mills. Whatever abilities she has, they're probably not registered, but that woman is a threat. I think it's time we found out more about her. For now…" Natasha sighed. "We better head to a place where we can call for another plane."
Storybrooke
Belle led the others out of the mines, and as they went their separate ways, she headed back towards the town square. As she passed Archie's office, she noticed someone familiar lying on the ground. "Oh, no… Adam…" She hurried over to him and knelt down to check his pulse. It was faint, but steady, his skin cool under her fingers. "Come on, wake up." She tapped his cheek. "Wake up, please." She remembered what Snow had done and pushed on his chest, then placed her lips over his, breathing out. Suddenly, she felt his lips respond to her, and his fingers cupping her head as he sat up and pulled away.
"That felt good," he breathed, grinning at her mischievously. Belle nearly fell backwards in shock, but he moved his hands to her shoulders to catch her. "Belle… it is you, isn't it?"
"Well… yes… but… God, Adam, you scared me, what the hell was that?!"
"Something I've wanted to do for quite some time," he replied. Belle slapped him across the face, but his smile didn't shrink an inch. "I suppose I deserved that."
"Suppose?" she repeated furiously. "You scared me half to death!"
"I'm sorry, please, forgive me."
"Not so fast," she warned, standing up slowly and walking away.
"Belle, please. I didn't mean to upset you."
"Well, you did. And you're not making things any better."
"Belle…" He rose and hurried after her. "I don't want you to be unhappy."
"Just don't, all right? I can't… I can't deal with this right now."
"Do you at least want this back?" he asked. She turned to see him holding out the key to the library.
"You… you had it?" she gasped, taking it from his open palm. "Thank you… really."
"You can have the apartment back, too, I didn't move anything."
"Thank you." she repeated. "I… I'm sorry, I guess I overreacted."
"No, I was wrong to do that. You're still with… with him. Gold." Belle bit her lip. "You are, aren't you?"
"He's left…"
"Belle… I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. But I want to be alone awhile."
"Then I shall wait. Patience is not in my nature, Belle. But it shall be, for you." She heard a new edge to his voice, a new coldness. For the first time, he seemed dangerous, but when she looked at him, she only saw the face of her friend.
A/N: BACK WITH A VENGEANCE, BI-ATCHES.