Storybrooke's protectors were in various states of arms. David's sword was strapped to his side, grip firmly on the pommel. Snow donned her signature bow and arrows while Emma and Graham favored their side arms. Neal had produced a baseball bat from somewhere and was pacing about Gold's shop like an anxious animal. In contrast, the Dark One stood tense behind the counter, Belle armed with her books at his side.
The moment she materialized, everyone tensed.
"How's Henry?" Emma asked the only question that mattered.
"Safely in my vault," she assured her. "Nothing will be getting in or out until this is all over."
Rumple scoffed, hands splayed on the countertop. "And when exactly do you think that will be, dearie? This isn't just any magical threat to come Storybrooke's way. If Pan could be defeated so easily, I would have killed him myself centuries ago."
"Well, we have an advantage this time," she shot back. "We know what he wants."
"Henry," Neal nodded grimly. "He must be the one Pan's been looking for." The tease elicited various reactions of confusion from the group. "I was in Neverland for a while, and Pan was obsessed with finding this one boy. He'd been searching the realms for him long before I came along."
"Why?" puzzled Snow.
"Because Pan needs the heart of the Truest Believer to keep living," Regina answered, "That's Henry, and Pan's time is running out."
"How did we beat him before?" Emma was the first to recover.
"Hang on a second," Neal interrupted, "'Before?'"
"I'm from the future," Regina stated without preamble. "It's a long story, but the important thing is that we can't repeat what happened last time. Too much has changed." Despite the situation, Regina felt a tug of victory at that. This Storybrooke was different, and that could play to their advantage.
"Wait, Regina, I know your vault's location is secret, but that's no guarantee that Pan won't find it, and Henry's all alone there," Snow left the statement hanging.
Regina offered a reassuring shake of her head. "By the time Pan finds my vault this will all be over. Besides, no one can remove Henry's heart. I've protected it from that." That seemed to settle the issue for the group, but Rumple's eyes sharpened in understanding. Regina made a point not to look at him as she continued, "Even if Pan does find Henry, it won't take him long to figure out that he can't use him how he planned, and when he does he'll do everything in his power to try to make me reverse it."
"Can the spell be reversed?" David queried.
"No."
The Charming clan breathed easier at that, but Rumple looked disturbed. "That's all very well, but protecting his heart won't save Henry. You've thwarted Pan's plans and he can be rather vindictive towards people who get in his way."
"He'll make an exception," she rejoined.
His ire was almost tangible. "And why would he do that?"
She looked pointedly at Gold. "An appeal from his son."
He glowered, caught between shock at his secret revealed and amusement. "If you're counting on familial ties to sway Pan, think again."
Regina smirked. "Not family, but the chance to manipulate you." Rumple stiffened. "Pan just can't resist gloating in front of people who can appreciate it. And who can appreciate it more than you?"
Snow was the first to recover from the revelation of Gold's parentage. "Regina, we can't—"
"If it was Cora instead of Pan, I'd be offering myself up as bait," she cut her off. "Pan's pride is a weakness we can exploit. If you demand that he come here to negotiate, he will. Confronting him away from Neverland is our best chance to defeat him." Rumple's jaw twitched but he didn't comment, apparently accepting the plausibility of the ploy.
"Assuming this works and Pan does come here," Neal started softly, "what's your plan? He's not just going to accept that he can't have Henry. He'll kill us first."
Regina nodded even as she spoke, "I know. That's why we're going to offer him a trade – something to help extend his dwindling lifespan in exchange for leaving us alone."
"And pray tell what would that be, dearie?"
"Pixie dust."
Graham practically growled his answer, the Charming couple echoing his sentiment with a bit more restraint. Surprisingly, Neal was the one to silence them with a level, "That might work. When I was in Neverland, Pan had the lost boys harvesting pixie dust every week, something to do with restoring magic to the island, but even when I was there it was almost completely used up. It must be long gone by now."
"We can't just hand over that much raw magic," Graham objected. "Most of you have seen the kind of destruction that can come from just a pinch of pixie dust. You're talking about handing over barrels of it to an enemy that even the Dark One fears. We cannot do this."
"Of course not," Regina agreed. "That's why we're going to rig the pixie dust to kill Pan."
The Dark One shifted his stance, eyes turned to the future. "How?" he asked.
"When I cast the Dark Curse, I built a failsafe into the spell. It was my insurance policy so that if anything went wrong I could leave." The heroes cast confused glances between themselves. Only Rumple seemed to grasp the type of magic she was talking about. "It will eliminate all magic in Storybrooke, eventually taking the town with it, but it takes time for the failsafe to work. If I activate it in the middle of a large concentration of magic, say a stockpile of pixie dust—"
"—then the effects won't be immediately noticed by Pan, and if we can lure him close enough to the device he'll be stripped of his power," the Dark One finished, eyes refocusing on the present. "Clever."
Regina smiled. She'd learned long ago that his gift only gave him pieces of possible futures rather than anything concrete, but the probability of success must be high if Rumple was agreeing with her. "The trick will be keeping Pan near the stockpile long enough for the failsafe to weaken him."
Rumple's mouth settled into a grim line. "Oh, I'll keep him occupied."
"Not alone you won't," Emma interjected.
"That's why I'll be there," Regina cut off any further display of heroics. "The failsafe will allow us to defeat Pan, but it will also destroy Storybrooke. The rest of you are going to be needed to evacuate the town." She barely paused before rounding on Emma. "You'll have to keep a portal open to the Enchanted Forest long enough for everyone to get through. I can show you how to do that."
"You have a way to open a portal?"
Regina nodded. "Jefferson's hat," she supplied. "You might know him as the Mad Hatter."
"Hang on," David interrupted, "what about Cora?"
Regina hesitated. Returning to the Enchanted Forest now would be tricky. She had no idea if her mother was still in power, if Zalena had taken control, or if Zalena had even attempted the move from Oz in the first place. "I can deal with my mother if it comes to that," she answered levelly, "but it's more dangerous to have Pan out in the Realms than to return to the Enchanted Forest."
"If Pan's really that dangerous and we have a magic portal back home, then let's just leave," Snow appealed. Emma visibly stiffened at Snow's suggestion. Thankfully, Neal cut off that possibility before it could gain much ground with the group,
"That won't work in the long run. Pan's shadow can cross Realms, and he has agents in most lands. Running may buy us some time, but he'll find us eventually." He paused to make sure that his words were penetrating their targets. "I agree with Regina. This may not be ideal, but it'll be worse to face Pan in a land with magic. This plan has a real chance of working."
Snow nodded acceptance but added, "We should start sending people through the portal right away."
"I'm afraid that isn't possible," Regina said flatly. "Rules of the hat. Whatever number goes in must come back out before it can be used again. This portal is an all or nothing deal. That's why while Rumple and I are keeping Pan distracted, the rest of you will be on the other side of town going through. It's also why Emma has to be the one to keep the portal open. She has more raw magic than most sorcerers can ever hope for, and the hat requires magic to work, and plenty of it."
As all eyes turned to the Savior, Emma settled into a firmer stance. "Okay. What about you and Gold?"
Regina took a breath, using confidence to hide the lie. "If all goes well, we'll make it to you before you have to jump through. If not, leave without us and seal the portal on the other side. We'll find another way to you."
Emma's expression didn't change as she used her superpower on Regina. If she saw through the lie, she didn't comment. "How do I do that?"
"Destroy the hat."
Emma nodded slowly to herself, unconsciously stepping into the center of the circle. "I guess you'd better show me how to work that hat."
"In the meantime, we'll get the word out that we're going home," David offered.
"If you do that, you may as well tell Pan yourself what we're planning, dearie. Pan's shadow didn't just meander across the town line. It had inside help. Now, you may trust the people outside this room, but I'm not willing to wager my grandson's life on it. Are you?"
Charming considered a moment before relenting. "Okay, we'll let Blue know about Pan and the pixie dust but nothing else. We'll call a mandatory town meeting or something. Just let us know when it needs to happen."
"Not to rain on the parade, but all of this depends on getting a message to Pan," Neal pointed out. "Now correct me if I'm wrong but Pan's shadow flew away. We don't have another way of contacting him."
"I'll take care of that," she dismissed, turning her gaze to the rest of the group.
"Okay then," Emma said. "Let's do this."
As the meeting broke up, Regina purposefully pulled Neal aside with a light touch on the arm. "You may want to talk with Tamara."
Neal glanced at where Emma was speaking with her parents across the room and lowered his voice to make the conversation private, "I'm not abandoning my son."
"That isn't what I meant," she cut off that rant, "but jumping realms isn't exactly the same as moving from Boston. She may want to stay, which means that she needs to leave Storybrooke. Tonight."
He was visibly ruffled by the statement, but he didn't say that he would stay with her if she chose not to come. From the way he kept glancing at Emma it was no wonder why. "Okay," he conceded, "I'll talk to her."
Regina nodded and mentally added another thing to her to-do list.
.
.
.
"A magical bomb?" Emma struggled to rationalize what she'd been told into terms that she could understand. Regina didn't correct her. The comparison was crude but accurate. "I didn't know pixie dust could be that dangerous."
"Of course not. You've resisted any magical training I've offered," she commented drily. "Unfortunately, where we're going what you don't know can get you killed. You'll need to start learning right away when we arrive." The Savior was silent, never a good sign. "You are coming, Emma. Henry needs you."
Emma tilted her head back. "Maybe."
"Maybe nothing. Neal's fine, but he has even less of a clue as to how to raise a child than your parents. I will not have my son brought up learning how to give speeches on hope or throwing away his life on the nearest passing noble cause."
Emma ignored the barb, instantly alert. "You're not planning on coming back from this, are you?"
"Of course I plan on coming back." She paused in her digging, careful to brush the excess pixie dust from her gloves before facing the Savior fully. "But, if something goes wrong, I need you to promise me that you'll let someone else be the cavalry. Promise me you'll take Henry and jump through that portal."
She considered a long moment before saying quietly, "There isn't another way back to the Enchanted Forest, is there? The hat is the last one." Regina returned to burying the failsafe under pixie dust. "I should be the one to stay with Mr. Gold."
"Don't even think about it," Regina glared. "I wasn't lying about the hat needing magic to operate the portal. It will take more magic than I have to keep it open for that amount of time. Even for you it will be pushing it. This is the only plan that has a chance of working."
Emma scowled but didn't have a comeback. It wasn't until Regina had charmed the pixie dust from her gloves and sealed the lid that Emma spoke again, "Why do you have to be there at all?"
"And leave him to face his father alone?" she scoffed. "I don't think so."
"Mr. Gold is a big boy. He can take care of himself," she reasoned, "Unless of course you're worried about something else, like that he might betray us."
Regina smiled despite herself. She had recognized the look in her old mentor's eyes and knew the prophesy that must be echoing through his head. She was worried alright, but not about his betrayal. "In all my time with Rumpelstiltskin, I've only seen him truly afraid of one person. Oh, he fears Cora and even me on some level, but fear that paralyzes the body and mind? Fear that stops even the Dark One? That is a power only Pan holds. He may not admit it, but Rumple needs someone else there who knows him. Someone to be strong for so he doesn't do something stupid."
"Like what?"
Like die. Regina didn't answer. In truth, Rumple dying would solve a slew of possible future problems. If Zalena was in fact alive and active in the Enchanted Forest, his brain wouldn't be available as an ingredient to create the time portal. Equally, if the Dark One died then that power would be sealed away from Cora. Regina focused on straightening her gloves. Rumple's death was a solution, possibly the solution to stopping the crisis she'd been sent back to prevent, but she couldn't just let him die. In many ways, he had replaced the father she'd murdered for her happy ending. "You let me worry about Rumpelstiltskin," Regina hedged. "If you don't learn how to open that portal and keep it open then none of this will matter anyway. We'll all be dead."
Emma frowned but dropped the line of questioning. "So, where do we practice? Here?"
"Hardly. The failsafe is eating its way through the pixie dust right now, but another strong source of magic nearby will speed up the process," she explained. "The town hall is large enough, and I can make it secure from prying eyes."
"Okay."
A short hour later, Regina was making her way towards her next errand. On the first spin of the hat, Emma had not only opened the portal but it had widened to engulf almost the entire floor. Most of the rest of the hour had been spent keeping her calm and repeating the exercise with more control. Emma had been all wide-eyed after the experience. Her first real taste of using magic.
Regina shook her head at the memory. It still annoyed her how easily Emma could achieve magic that normally took years of training. She supposed this was the gap between hard work and natural talent. Regina knew she had more than a small knack for magic, but Emma was a true adept. If she could get Emma to commit to training, then the Savior could be a real force to be reckoned with instead of just a wild card. That, however, would have to wait.
Owen and Tamara were already there, just as she'd instructed. Both pairs of eyes lighted to attention when she appeared, ready to receive new orders."What have you found out?" she demanded.
Tamara shifted nervously but Owen was the one to answer, "We've been given orders to leave Storybrooke. Apparently another team is taking over."
"Regina," Tamara started, clearly distressed, "Neal told me about the plan, and whatever you need—"
"I need you to call Neal right now and tell him you're not coming," she interrupted. "Tell him you can't leave your world just to be with him and that he should go to be a father to Henry."
"Of course," Tamara agreed, already dialing the number.
Regina nodded vaguely. "Owen, call the Home Office now. Tell them we're prepared to trade but that we need to meet first. The old bridge on the outskirts of town. Rumple and I will be waiting there at dawn tomorrow."
As the calls were made, Regina's expression settled into a frown. She had suspected that they wouldn't be included in any plans. Even so, their continued existence presented a threat she couldn't ignore. At one time in the not so distant past, she would have let a few well-placed fireballs destroy any possibility of future meddling and been done with it. Now…Now, I could still do that. They're fools for trying to destroy magic anyway.
"It's done," Owen said, ending the call.
She glanced at their vacant expressions. No one would ever know. She entertained the thought, imagining the deaths she had never witnessed of her son's would-be kidnappers. Instead, Regina summoned their hearts to her ready palms. With a thought Regina released the bindings she'd placed on them and thrust the organs back into their waiting chests.
Owen didn't have Graham's instincts. He jerked away, a common reaction that Regina had become accustomed to but that made re-aligning the heart more painful for the host. Getting more satisfaction from this than a hero probably should, Regina removed her hand in one fluid motion. Tamara took longer to stagger to her feet, but when she did her expression was almost petrified. A heartbeat later, their eyes cleared, focusing on Regina with a fear that the Evil Queen had once so craved. "You have a choice," she dictated. "Either you follow your Home Office's orders and leave Storybrooke now, or—" she paused summoning a fireball and a smile.
Tamara gaped in what she clearly believed to be righteous indignation. "You can't do this. We're decent people—"
"You're monsters," Regina corrected. "The only difference between us is that I recognize what I am."
The two conspirators exchanged wild-eyed looks. Owen's expression was still crazed, but self-preservation was quickly winning out over his desire for revenge. Predictably, "We'll leave," the gasp came.
Regina gave them a dark smile but didn't extinguish her fireball. "Good choice." Any semblance of defiance dissolved under The Queen's satisfied stare. Part of Regina relished their panic as they started to stagger away. "Oh, and Owen, the next time the Home Office calls, tell Peter Pan I said hello."
.
.
.
The sun was just creeping over the tree line at the old bridge. Stark sunlight threw the remaining shadows into sharp contrast, reminding her of the last time she'd been here.
The time portal had just started to expand. They didn't know yet the danger it posed, and Roland and Marian were out playing by the bridge. The search party had found them but too late. It had taken magic to stop Robin from flinging himself into the portal after his son. He wasn't the same after that, but he wasn't the last to break. Emma had died the next day, just barely stalling the portal's steady progress long enough to evacuate the remaining survivors to another part of town.
"Regina, take care of Henry."
The Savior's last words echoed in her mind. She didn't need a promise to a ghost to fulfill that request, but the weight of it returned to her in this place. The failsafe was already doing its work. She could feel it, a slight strain on her magic, yet the timing had to be perfect to destroy Pan. If their little ruse failed, she and Emma could still deactivate the failsafe but Regina didn't like their other options nearly as well if that happened.
"Well, if it isn't the Dark One—" a teenager lumbered out of the woods. Regina recognized him as Pan's lieutenant, the self-important stooge who had remained loyal to Pan to the end. "—and the Evil Queen. I think there's someone missing who should be here though."
"Henry's not coming," Regina stated coolly.
His gaze shifted deliberately to her. "Then we have nothing to discuss."
"I think you'll find the opposite is true," Rumple started, the old trickster leaking into his tone. "You see, Regina here loves her son so much that she sealed his heart with magic. Mothers," he smiled. "So even if we wanted to give you the boy, he would be useless to Pan. We, however, know that you can't go back empty handed, so we propose a trade."
The boy gave them a lazy smirk. "There's nothing else Pan would want."
"Of course there is," Regina returned easily. "Pixie dust."
The lost boy paused, visibly weighing the probability of a trick against possible reward. "Go on."
Regina removed a small vial from her sleeve, barely a pinch of the dust sparkling inside. She held it up meaningfully and tossed it to him. The lost boy plucked the vial out of the air and immediately uncorked it, testing the grains between his fingers. "That's a taste," she said. "Tell Pan that if he wants the rest he'll meets us at the chapel to negotiate. Tonight."
A condescending look at that. "Pan doesn't negotiate. Nothing can stop him from taking what he wants. Pan ne—"
"Never fails. Yes, we know," the Dark One cut him off. "But it just so happens that you're speaking to two more people who fit that description, so why don't you scamper off and deliver our message so the grown-ups can talk?"
He inhaled loudly, clearly unhappy at being interrupted in his hero worship. Still, the fire quickly receded into something cold. "I'll deliver your message," he answered evenly. A sadistic smirk twisted his features as he stepped back, disappearing into the woods.
