A/N: Rant about new episode ahead.

HOMYGOSH THAT WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAT NEW YORK CITY SERENADE!

Like. Doses of Outlaw Queen – Roland is the cutest kid out – and Hook's one liners (and I have to admit, that was probably the first time ever that I've actively noticed SwanQueen in that potion scene). And Just so much goodness. Gah!

Aight. Onto the chapter.

I know we've all been missing our faves, so this is a little bit of a filler, but I hope you guys enjoy it!

Dreams

Evie

"I haven't seen you around these parts in a while."

When Evie looked around her for that familiar voice, she realised she was standing beneath beautifully tall and leafy trees, the sun peeking through the foliage in the afternoon sun. It was warm.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin upon her shoulder and letting out a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing here?" Evie's voice came out harsh and more than a little unsure.

"I came searching for you," he answered softly, bending his lips to touch her neck. But they were cold. There was something different, something off, about him.

Spinning around, she put her hands on his chest and clung to the thin cotton of his shirt but refused to look into his green eyes, afraid that the emptiness inside of her would be reflected in them. Instead, she smoothed her hands over the material before resting her head over his heart. It was slow, sluggish…barely beating…

"She's weak. Now's your time."

Evie looked up in surprise then, forgetting that she was trying to avoid looking at him. His eyes were blank and uncaring.

"What has she done to you?" Evie's hand came up to cover her mouth in shock as she staggered backwards.

"She's destroyed me. Don't let her destroy the world."

"She can't have," Evie murmured, stepping forward. "I won't believe it." She clutched his shirt in her hands. "I can't believe it."

"Then don't," the empty man whispered, "But don't hope. I'm too far gone."

"No, you aren't," Evie answered desperately, trying to seek out her eyes once more. "You aren't."

He pushed here away. "I can't deal with your shit again, Circe."

"What?"

"You heard me. Let me wake up."

"Pan…" Evie's heart stuttered. She knew this was a dream. But…for him…

Could it actually be him?

"Pan, it's me," Evie whispered, pulling him in again. "Please. Believe me. God, I love you." She pulled his face down until their foreheads were resting. She could feel tears in her eyes but she tried to force them back. "Please."

She leaned up and gently placed her lips on his pleading with him wordlessly to return her pleas. She threaded her hands into his hair, tugging at it gently, trying to coax him to response. Finally, she felt his mouth open. And in it, she tasted the saltiness of her tears.

"Don't forget," she whispered, not wanting to pull away. "Even if she's there. Don't forget me."

And then they were gone.

xxx

Evie awoke with tears in her eyes, clutching her blankets tightly to her chest, trying to stifle her cries and bring some sort of warmth back to her bones.

Pan awoke, cold and brought his finger to his lips, tracing over them with a look of surprised awe upon his face. Something burned inside him that he hadn't felt in many months.

Turning over, he felt Circe's arm fall from his body. She eyes him in confusion, but didn't press the matter, merely settling back into sleep as Pan stared blankly at the wall. He wasn't going to let go of her. Not again.

And sitting in her armchair, the glow faded from Undine's hands as a kind smile sat upon her sleeping lips. What hope Circe had stolen, Undine was slowly returning…

xxx

Ash

The room was white.

She approached the figure standing at the window cautiously. Before she reached him, she murmured, "Is this a dream?"

"Yes," Felix answered, still not turning around.

"But is it you?"

"As far as I know," he smiled, finally turning around as seeing her pained face eyeing him. But the minute her green eyes met his grey, she couldn't keep it in.

Running across the harsh linoleum floor, she threw her arms around his neck, frankly not too concerned if it hurt him because this was a dream and she knew it. But still. The illusion of feeling him around her was better than any drug or magic she had felt in the Enchanted Forest.

Felix wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, burrowing his face into her neck and nuzzling her through her ash blonde hair.

"So you're okay?" Ash asked finally, pulling away to look at him desperately. "You're alive?"

"For now," he answered honestly, trying not to say too much.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, her face falling. No. She wouldn't let him die. She'd…she'd…

"I haven't woken up yet. You're the first person I've seen face to face. I used to hear you when you visited. But now there's only silence," he trailed off, his eyes turning to the floor. "So you did it? You got back to the Enchanted Forest? You found my bean."

"I did. With Killian."

"So you realised," Felix said with a relieved smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Good. That's good."

"Felix," Ash murmured, reaching out to cup her face and force his eyes back to hers. "What will happen if you don't wake up?"

"My body will shut down, eventually."

"But I can't do anything for that," Ash said fearfully. "I can't fix you…why! Why did you have to make that stupid deal with Rumplestiltskin!"

Felix's face dropped open in shock. "But…how do you know?!"

"Because you're a fucking idiot who couldn't help himself but protect me!" Ash poured out her frustration on him, beginning to batter his chest. "Why?!"

"Because I love you, you idiot," he answered, taking a hold of her hands in order to stop her from hitting him. "I love you."

"No. No, you can't say that when you're lying on your deathbed."

"I. Love. You." he repeated, pulling her in and holding her close as she turned her head into his chest so he wouldn't see her cry. "But this is far greater than just us, Ash. You have to save the realm."

"What if I just want to save you?" she murmured into her shirt before turning her shining green eyes up towards him. "What if I just want to be with you?"

"Your mother? Father? Emma, Killian…you'd just leave them?"

"Maybe." She didn't even convince herself.

"Save them, Ash. I can wait."

"And what if you can't?" Ash answered. "I won't lose you."

"I'll hold on, Ash," Felix said with a sad little smile which wasn't comforting in the slightest. "You know me."

And that seemed to be the breaking point for her as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his, sliding her hands up around his neck and pulling him into her. She slid her tongue against his lips and through to find his, the dream-like trance of kissing accelerating her feelings even more. Quickly, she was running her hands everywhere, pressing her hips against his urgently

"I'm not too sure how making love works in a dream, Ash," Felix began, pulling away suddenly with a sparkle in his eyes that she'd missed for so long.

"Well, I'm sure the essentials are the same," Ash answered, rolling her hips against his once more with a smirk playing at the edge of his lips.

"When you save me, Ash," Felix answered, rubbing his nose against hers tenderly.

"If."

"No," Felix confirmed adamantly. "When. I believe in you."

"Maybe that's all I need."

"Maybe it is," Felix murmured, kissing her forehead softly. "Go and save the world Tasha Highmark."

"No," she answered, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Natasha Asteria."

"Natasha Asteria," Felix answered with a small smile before tracing her face softly with his hand.

"I love you," Ash whispered.

"As I love you, Princess," he whispered.

He blinked and she was gone.

xxx

Ash stood up from her mattress and tried to dry her eyes, but it seemed impossible. Heading out of her room and down the corridor, she realised the sun hadn't risen yet, and peeked into her mother's room.

Evie was sitting there with a drawing in her hands. Creeping across the room, Ash found that it was a family portrait drawn when Ash was barely four years old.

Evie looked up at her when she heard Ash's footsteps. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying, yet she still automatically shuffled over and made room for her daughter.

"I wish I'd watched you grow up, Ash," Evie whispered as she sat down and put the portrait aside. She turned to Ash and held out her arms that Ash gratefully fell into. They laid like that for a while, not sleeping but merely drifting in that in between space.

"I fell in love with Felix, mom," Ash finally whispered, telling the first person in this world was Felix had truly become to her. "And he's dying because of me."

"We won't let him, Ash," Evie promised, still battling her own tears. "I promise."

"We'll save them."