11

Out of the Frying Pan . . . Into the Fire

Nova's office:

"So we need to ask you a favor, Nova," Emma entreated the fairy who was Acting Mother Superior in Blue's place since she was now a child again. "Or do you prefer to be called Astrid?"

"Nova is fine, Emma," the fairy said with a gentle smile. "That is the name I was born with."

"Right. Anyway, the reason we're here is because I need a . . .safe place to give them this new potion, once I brew it. And also . . . I need some fairy dust."

Nova frowned. "Fairy dust? But you didn't need it the first time."

"Yeah . . . and the first potion didn't last on half the kids I gave it to," Emma reminded her. "That's why Rumple, Regina, Belle, and Hook are kids again. So I went back and looked at the potion recipe in Gold's shop again . . . and I saw a note in his hand that says that any potion is strengthened by fairy dust. He wrote that a . . . tisp of dust will do it."

"A tisp?" Nova repeated. "What's a tisp?"

"Hell if I know," Emma sighed. "Here. This is what he wrote," she showed Nova the page with the recipe and the note.

Neal peered over her shoulder. "Emma . . . oh good Lord!" he started laughing.

"What's so funny, Cassidy?" she demanded.

"You and your tisps," he snickered. He pointed to where Rumple had written the note in the margin. "That's not tisp. It's one teaspoon. Tsp. is an abbreviation for teaspoon. Cook much, Swan?"

"Shut up, Neal!" Emma snapped, chagrined. "You and your father and your abbreviations! You're as bad as those IM people and their crazy acronyms."

"LOL, Emma!"

"Neal, I swear, if you don't quit smirking I'm going to take Rumple's suggestion and do something you'll regret a hell of a lot!" she threatened.

Neal backed away. "Take it easy! You want to have some more kids someday, right?"

"At this point . . . it's debatable," she returned crisply.

Nova looked from one to the other and murmured, "Is this what they call a . . .lover's spat?"

"No, this is a disagreement," Emma clarified. "A spat would be me kicking him out of the bedroom and making him sleep on the sofa. A fight would be me kicking him in the family jewels and then out on his ass in the street."

"And we're so not going there!" Neal interjected.

"You'd better believe it . . . dearie," Emma returned, smirking evilly.

"Oh. I see," Nova said, blushing. Though she wasn't sure she did. "So . . . you want a teaspoon of fairy dust?"

"Yeah, if you can spare it," Emma nodded.

"Oh, I think we can," Nova agreed.

"Good. I'll tell you when we need it," she said gratefully.

Then she rose and said to Neal, "Okay, time to get the kids and get them their ice cream."

"Yeah . . . if they've been behaving," he agreed.

He followed Emma down the hall to the classroom where they'd left the children.

"Guys, let's go have some ice cream!" Neal called as he entered the room.

But he was met with silence instead of eager squeals. Because the classroom was empty.

Emma stopped short and almost crashed into Neal. "Uh . . . where are they?"

Neal stared about him as if expecting the kids to appear out of thin air. "They're gone! Dammit, they broke their deal with me! Papa, how could you!" His fists clenched. "Now when I find them, I'm gonna tan all their hides, the little brats!"

"Uh . . . Neal . . . maybe they're not missing . . . maybe they just . . . went to the bathroom or something?" Emma speculated.

"All at the same time?" Neal growled. "I cannot believe this!"

"Relax . . . you're jumping to conclusions," Emma soothed. "And really, you just threatened to spank your own father . . . isn't that kind of odd?"

Neal ran a hand through his hair. "I know . . . I'm just so ticked off . . .I'm not thinking straight . . .okay, let me check the men's room."

"Neal, this is a convent," Emma reminded. "Do they even have one?"

"Well, let's look in whatever they DO have," he said exasperatedly.

Neal entered the bathroom and came out a few moments later, looking disgusted. "Emma, they're not there. Dammit all! They're pushing all my buttons with their wandering off!"

"Don't worry, we'll find them," Emma repeated, trying to remain calm. The last thing they needed was her flying off the handle too. She had never seen Neal so agitated before, usually he was calmer than she was.

"Yeah and when we do some little kids aren't gonna be able to sit down for five minutes! C'mon, let's look down here". He went down a long hallway, peering into the rooms they passed.

"Where the hell could they be?" Emma wondered aloud, following her boyfriend.

"I don't know." After ten minutes he was beginning to panic. "They have to be here, where could they go? I mean, they can't drive and even Papa can't magic himself places yet."

She was starting to feel Neal's frustration

They passed a nun and asked her to help them search. Emma looked at Neal. "Maybe they're playing hide and seek? They are kids."

" Yes, but they know we don't have time for this!" he snapped, frustration lining his brow in deep furrows.

"Okay, okay. Calm down before you have a stroke, Neal. Or I do."

"No wonder Papa tied me to him. The amazing thing is that he ever undid the knot!"

"We'll find them even if we have to tear this place apart stone by stone," she said determinedly.

Neal nodded. "Emma-I have a bad feeling about this . . .what if . . . they're kidnapped or . . . or something? Why would Papa break his deal with me like that? He knows better. He might be a kid, but he . . .he's not like I was . . .well not much . . .and he always kept his deals before . . . even as a spinner . . .except once . . ."

"And he regretted that."

"Yeah he did. He said he regretted it as soon as it happened . . . and I believed him. Emma, something's not right." Neal was growing more and more worried by the moment.

While they were searching, they spotted Blue walking down the hall, in her school uniform, her hair flowing down her back in neat waves.

"Hey, Blue. You didn't happen to see . . . err . . . Regina, Rumple, Belle, and Hook come by, did you?" Emma called hopefully. Perhaps she had seen them?

"Those losers?" Blue said scornfully, tossing her head. "Oh, I saw them all right, and sent them on a little trip." Her voice fairly oozed satisfaction.

Neal was instantly suspicious about her gloating attitude. "You what? What do you mean, kid?"

"Just through a little portal," she replied, sounding as if she had sent the kids out for lunch.

Neal nearly had a stroke. "You what?" he shouted, horror stealing over him. "You sent my toddler father and his friends through a portal? Are you freaking crazy?"

The fairy shrugged. "So what?"

Emma was shocked. "So what? What's that supposed to mean? They're little kids, how could you do that?" She had always assumed that the Blue Fairy was the epitome of goodness, but after these pat few days, she was beginning to think she'd been horribly mistaken.

Blue eyed her with a supercilious sneer. "They're babies, annoying brats, so I sent them back to where they came from . . . the forest."

"Back to the Enchanted Forest?" Neal repeated incredulously. "But they're kids, they're helpless, and there's all kinds of trouble they could get into alone!"

He couldn't believe this was happening. It was like a nightmare.

"They can take care of themselves. The Evil Queen and the Dark One have magic. Not that I care. You ought to be glad you're rid of them," she sniffed.

Neal exploded. "You rotten judgmental bitch! You've just condemned babies to die! How DARE you call yourself GOOD?"

"I am good, you retard! They're evil!"

"Blue, no matter what they did as adults . .. they're innocents now, they're NOT evil . . .they've never hurt anyone . . . and now they're stuck in a place where . . . oh God, Neal! There's ogres still running around there . . . one almost killed me and my mom!" Emma gasped, recalling what had happened when she had first visited Fairy Tale Land with Snow.

"They deserve what they get," Blue declared coldly.

"You're a piece of work, you know that? Thought you were supposed to believe in second chances for everyone? Guess that only applies to people you think worthy of them, huh? Why'd you help me all those years ago?" Neal snapped hotly.

"Because you needed to escape the Dark One."

"I didn't want to escape him . . . I wanted to save him . . . he was cursed, I wanted my father back!"

"He wouldn't have come back, moron!"

"What do you mean, he wouldn't have come back? You said in order to get him back I had to go to a land without magic with the bean. You lied to me about that! Why?"

"He will always choose power. That's the nature of the Dark One," Blue snorted.

"But . . . he chose power to SAVE someone-Neal. And all those other kids who were dying in the Ogre Wars. That's not power for himself-it's power to HELP others. It was the wrong kind, but his intentions were good. And . . . he's told me before . . . it's intent that matters . . ." Emma refuted.

"He toys with words like he does people," Blue sneered.

"No! You're wrong! He was desperate to save me! And the other kids! He was a good man . . . who just wanted to save his kid! He wasn't toying with anyone. You weren't there! I was! I know my father! He was a good man . . . a gentle man . . . he didn't want the dagger for himself-he even said so. He said, Just think of me with this power, this magic-I could save people-you and all those other children . . .and nobody else would die . . .That's what he said . . .and he was afraid of Zoso . . . Zoso . . . tricked him . . ." It was then that Neal realized something . . .he had been wrong too, saying his father cared only for power . . .his father had always cared about one thing, and one thing only-his family.

Emma glared at the fairy. "We're going to get them back, and you, you little brat, are not going to hurt anyone again!"

"That's right, you're not. C'mere, you bratty blue bug! We're going to Nova and you're going to tell her what you just did . . . and we're going to find a way to get my papa and Belle and the others back . . . and then I'm gonna tan your hide till it glows like Rudolph's nose!"

"You can't spank me!" Blue squawked, backing away, for Neal looked as if he was going to start spitting fire.

"Like hell I can't! You did it to my papa and called it discipline. I can do the same-for a better reason. I call it justice!" He lunged for Blue, grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder. "Because nobody hurts my family, I don't care if you're the Goddess of the Universe!"

"Put me down, you asshole!" the fairy spat, struggling to get out of Neal's hold.

Emma scowled. "Watch your mouth! You're supposed to be a nun and you swear like that?"

Neal whacked her behind. "Better quit it, or I'll take you over my knee right here and now, kid!"

"Oooh I'm soooo scared . . .you hit like a girl, Baelfire! And maybe you're a coward too like your papa!"

"You won't be saying that in a little bit . . . trust me . . .or don't you remember how you bawled your head off last time? Let's go, Emma. The longer they're trapped there, the more something bad will happen."

"Don't care!" Blue griped, hanging upside down over Neal's shoulder.

Neal gritted his teeth. He would not rise to her baiting. He would keep his temper . . . for now. "You might not, but we do . . .and this time you're not going to be let off with just a sore butt . . . this time it's going to cost you . . ."

She hated all of them more than she could say. They were evil and tried to pretend to be good, even the so-called savior and this ungrateful boy she had saved from his evil father so long ago . . . all of them tainted and polluted by darkness. Otherwise they would see what she saw, and rejoice in her choice to rid them of the evil children.

"How can you just send kids into danger like that? I mean . . . they're BABIES! Little three-year olds!" Emma objected.

"Babies with dark magic! How can you care for them?"

"No! When they regressed . . . their magic did too! My papa's not dark . . . if he was . . .he'd have done something to Hook when he pushed him . . . and he didn't . . . and neither did Regina when he threw up on her." Neal pointed out uselessly.

"Okay, you little smartass, you need to learn your lesson and we're going to find those kids," Emma stated, her jaw clenched.

Neal strode down the hall, his face a thundercloud, followed by Emma, who looked like a Valkyrie.

Page~*~*~*~*~Break

There'd been an increase in ogre movements in the last few hours and Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men were patrolling the woods. They moved like shadows and smoke through the heavy underbrush and paused every few feet to check their surroundings. The forest was deathly still, no birds chirped, no squirrels scurried about, no rabbits hopped, all was silent, the way it was before a predator came into view.

Robin of Locksley, chief of the band, a tall man dressed in forest green and brown, carrying his magical longbow, his brown hair cropped short and with a small beard and deep brown eyes, peered about him. "Heads up, lads, I think I hear some activity over there!"

Rumple could feel his protection spell weakening. "Can't hold . . . on . . . so tired . . ." His little face screwed up in a mask of pain and fear. "So sorry . . ."

Regina tried to recast the spell herself, but she wasn't strong enough.

Belle clasped Rumple's hand and whispered, "Hold on, Rumple. You can do it . . . I believe in you."

"So do I, mate," Hook whispered, terrified.

They could hear the ogres coming closer.

Rumple looked at them, tears in his eyes. "It's slipping away . . . like water dripping from my hands . . .I can't . . ."

Strong as he was, his body couldn't handle the stress of channeling such power too much longer . . . and though he tried his best . . . his strength was dwindling . . .

"Come on...you can do it...we can all do it," Regina encouraged.

"Help . . . me . . ." he groaned. A strange lassitude was growing in him . . .as the magic drained his energy away.

"Please don't give up..." Belle pleaded.

Rumple finally linked and drew strength from his companions-"I'm not . . . not a coward . . . just tired . . .but I think . . . we can hold for just one minute longer . . ."

Regina nooded. "Yea we can...cause we're strong..."

"Together . . . we're stronger than anything . . ." Belle spoke into his ear.

"We're best mates," Hook whispered.

"And we're not gonna be eaten by ogres . . . not today!" Rumple said firmly. The spell strengthened just as an ogre peered through the bushes at them.

"An' those ugly ogres can kiss off!" growled Regina.

Belle cautioned, " Shhh! It'll hear you!"

Robin halted. "Did you hear something?" he hissed.

Little John nodded. "Yeah. Sounds like it's coming from thataway, boss." He indicated a few feet beyond them. "Let's take a look."

Robin made a signal and all his men fanned out, searching for whatever they had heard.

"Careful, men," Robin reminded them.

Then they heard terrified screams, and they ran towards them, weapons out.

"It sounds like children!" Robin yelled. "Hurry!"

The ogre had picked up Rumple, who had fainted from overdrawing his powers and the protection spell had collapsed, revealing the petrified children.

"Rumple!" Belle shrieked, the terror palpable in her tone.

"It's gonna eat him!" Hook screamed.

"Nooo!" Regina wailed. "Leave him alone!" She tried to cast, but her mind was too upset to concentrate and her spell fizzled.

Robin took cover from behind some trees and drew his bow. He had to make this shot count. He shot . . . and the arrow took the ogre in the head.

As it toppled over, Robin ran like a blue streak and caught the child in his arms.

"Easy! I've got you," he murmured.

Rumple's eyes fluttered open. "Sleepy," he yawned. Then he collapsed again.

"Is he gonna die?" whimpered Hook.

"No! Rumple!" sniffled Belle, too overcome to say more.

"Is he gonna be okay? He used too much magic!" Regina started crying.

"Hey, it's okay. He's just sleeping," Robin told him. "How the heck can a little kid like him do magic though?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "He's a sorcerer . . . don'tcha know anything?"

"And he's brave! He saved us all from the ogres!" Belle put in.

"He's a hero and our friend!" added Hook.

Robin smiled at the trio. "Yeah, I can see that."He looked around and saw that his men had driven off the other ogres in the vicinity. "Come on kids, I'd best take you back to my camp. You can tell me your story there . . . and this brave lad can get some rest in safety. He reminds me a little of MY son."

"You have a son?" Hook queried.

"I do. His name's Roland. He's about your age," Robin replied easily.

"You think he'll play with us?" Hook asked hopefully.

Robin chuckled. "I think wild horses couldn't keep him away, lad. He doesn't get the chance to play with too many kids his own age at our camp."

Regina clapped her hands. "Yay!"

Belle smiled. "Do you have anything to eat? I'm hungry."

"Yes, just wait till we get to my camp," Robin said, then he took some secret paths through the forest known only to him and his men.

Page~*~*~*~Break

Once they returned to Robin's camp, Robin made a bed for the unconscious little sorcerer out of some unused straw from their own beds and wrapped him in warm blankets while Little John started a pot of stew for supper. To tide the hungry children over, he gave them each some bread to eat that had been given to them by supporters in a nearby village. Rumple's three friends stayed by his side, Belle holding his hand in hers. "He should wake up soon. You needn't worry," Robin assured them but they all were worried. Rumple had been so brave, using every bit of magic he had to protect all of them….a true hero and they tried to give him some of their own strength as well.

"Where'd all those kids come from, Robin?" Little John inquired.

"I don't know but the one that's sleeping is a sorcerer…a powerful one too from the looks of it. They were all hiding from the ogres so I'm thinking their parents were probably killed by them. And they'll be good playmates for Roland," he added thinking how much his son needed to interact with other children but his status as an outlaw made it difficult.

"I'll go get him." Robin lit a small campfire for the children to sit around while they ate their stew.

Minutes later little Roland ran up. "Papa, you found more kids for me to play with!" he cried excitedly.

"Yes I did. This is ummm…"

"I'm Regina."

"I'm Belle."

"Am I'm Killian but everybody calls me Hook."

"Why you got a hook on your hand?"

"Cause I don't got a hand. A crocodile took it off."

"Owwww….that hadta hurt! Didya cry?"

"Nah."

"Who's he?" Roland asked, indicating the sleeping Rumple.

"That's Rumple. He's our friend," Regina explained.

"And he's really brave," Belle added.

"Why's he sleepin?"

"Cause he used a lot of magic to help save us from the ogres," Hook answered.

"He can do magic?" Roland asked.

"Uh-huh. An so can I," boasted Regina. "Wanna see?"

"Yeah."

"Now Regina, you be careful," Robin cautioned.

"What you want me to do, Roland?"

"I dunno. Can you make me a new toy?"

"Sure. What do you want?"

"Anything I guess."

Regina concentrated and a stuffed bear appeared in her hands. She handed it to him.

"That was nice of you, Regina," Robin said softly.

"See….we can do good stuff with magic…not like the Blue Butt Muncher!"

"Who's the Blue Butt Muncher?"

"She's a mean fairy who sent us here 'cause she hates us," Rumple said as he sat up. "Ummm…where are we anyhow?"

Belle, seeing that he was awake, threw her arms around him. "I was so scared that ogre was gonna eat you but you were so brave!"

Regina rolled her eyes. "If you're gonna kiss him just do it already!"

Robin burst into laughter. "What?"

"Oh yeah…they like playing house all the time." Hook said. "Aww yuck, there they go again. C'mon mates, cut it out!" he whined as the two toddlers kissed while Robin stared in amazement and Roland was confused.

"Well I'm gonna marry Rumple when I get big," Belle declared.

"Yeah and you told us how many times already?" Hook complained.

You got chased by ogres? How'd you get here then?"

"Cause your papa shot the ogre and killed him dead. He was real brave too!" Regina said with a smile.

"My papa always is. You wanna play a game or something?"

"Yeah. You still tired Rumple?" Hook asked his friend.

"I'm okay. What do you wanna play?"

"Bad Egg!" Hook said with a grin.

"How we play it?" Roland asked.

Hook explained the rules of the game and they began to play, Robin watching with a smile on his lips. Having more children with the group would complicate things a bit but he didn't care since it made his son happy. His own run ins with magic users had been unpleasant to say the least. The two little magical users in their midst now had done nothing but good things. The boy tried to save his friends from the ogres and the little girl made his son a new toy. As a father, he now felt it was his duty to protect them from those who wished to harm them or exploit their talents.

After a few games of Bad Egg, the children huddled in front of the fire again and told their story, shocking though it was. They claimed they'd been in the Land Without Magic, living with a couple named Emma and Neal as all but little Rumple called him and recalled all their strange adventures including their battles with the fairy they called the Blue Butt Muncher and had the whole camp howling with laughter.

"Okay, time for bed," Robin said. The children protested until the outlaw gave them the Look given by all parents and crawled into their makeshift beds all of them fighting sleep. While the adults dozed around them Rumple could hear a melancholy tune being played on a set of pipes, a tune that chilled him to the bone.

"You hear that?" Regina asked, crawling out of her bed followed by Hook and Belle. Roland lay asleep beside his father. They nodded.

Rumple also got up and followed them, sensing the presence of another magician only one with dark magic. "Regina, Hook, Belle! Wait!" he cried, limping behind them as fast as he could. They came upon a cloaked figure dancing around in a circle as he played his pipes. As the figure lowered his hood Rumple took a look at his face and gasped in shock.

A/N: Okay . . . who is this they've encountered now? Thanks to everyone still reading this story, I'm really glad you like it! And once again thanks to CJ for helping me write this chapter. She'll probably be helping me with all the future ones so this is a note to that effect for all of them!