Finally, I'm back! Sorry it took so long, college certainly takes up a lot of time. I hope all of you enjoy this, I'll try to get the next one out as soon as I can; not sure whether I'll blend the last two together of keep them split. Let me know what you think and feel free to PM me over any questions you might have, I love hearing feedback from you guys.
Disclaimer: I do not own OUaT or its characters.
"I'm waiting!" Rumplestiltskin shouted from his cell. Moments earlier, his student had killed her father and enacted the dark curse. In a second later, the Evil Queen appeared in a puff of smoke. "What took you so long, dearie?"
"You know what took so long."
"Oh, yes. The curse. You did it."
"That's right." she said in triumph, "I did it. And I wanted you to know it. Before you, like all the pathetic denizens of this wretched land, forgets everything."
"How did it feel?" Rumple asked.
"Watching the curse cloud form? Felt like victory."
"No." he giggled, "How did it feel to kill the thing you love most? Ripping out the heart of your father and robbing your brother of yet another family member. How did that feel?"
"It was the price of the curse." Regina hissed, "How it felt doesn't matter. They would've understood. I took my life back. I had to. I won."
"And yet, here you are feeling the need to gloat." Rumple observed, "Something's missing, isn't it, dearie?"
"Not at all. I have everything I want. Nothing can stop me now."
"Not quite." Rumple giggled insanely.
"What does that mean?"
"The Savior. The child of Snow White and Prince Charming. She can stop you. She can break the curse and do the one thing you fear most; take your precious brother away from you."
"Well, it looks like getting rid of a baby just made my to-do list." Regina said as though there was no harm in it.
"Of course it did. But even if you succeed with that, you have an even bigger problem." Rumple informed, "Now there's a hole in your heart. And no amount of love your brother can give you can fill it. And someday, you will come to me to fill it."
"You overestimate your powers of foresight." Regina said with pity as she walked away.
"And you underestimate the price of what you've done!" Rumple yelled before singing, "You shall see, you will come to me; there is more you need, oh!"
"Your taunts will get you nowhere." Regina barked, "I know you too well. You wanna make another deal. Well, I won't."
"A deal?" he giggled, "You've already promised me a good life in this new land. What more can I want from you?"
"Oh, to be…let out of this cage? To be let out of our last deal? To escape the curse?" Regina offered.
"But why would I desire that, dearie?" Rumple asked, "I'm exactly where I want to be."
OUaT
"Oh, God." Emma said in a panic, "Is he unconscious?"
"Henry, can you hear us?" Regina asked as Emma shook him.
"He passed out as soon as his heart went into Pan." Nicholas recalled.
"Is he breathing?" Regina asked.
"Just hang in there, buddy." Neal begged.
"What the hell did you do to him?" Emma asked Pan.
"Oh, I didn't do anything to him, Emma." Pan scoffed as he descended to the ground, "It was Henry. He offered me his heart of his own free will."
"Then we'll just have to take it back from you." Nicholas snarled as he readied his claws and shadows while Emma drew her sword. With a lunge, Emma tried to pirece him but watched as he vanished in a split second.
"I don't think you have it in you." he taunted from behind holding Pandora's Box, "Rumplestiltskin didn't. Why should you?"
"I'm not him. You'd be right to be afraid of me." Nicholas warned.
"Where is he?" Emma asked.
"What did you do?" Neal asked.
"Why, he's right in this box, safe and sound and out of the way. Unfortunately, for you, he can't hurt me anymore. And neither can you."
"Really?" Emma asked as she cut his arm, "How did that feel?"
"Like a tickle." Pan chuckled just before Nicholas ran up and tried to deconstruct his face like he did with his follower before. After the lights dimmed, Nicholas expected some mark left on Pan's face, but all they saw was his irritating smirk. "Nice try, alchemist. But it's gonna take a lot more than that to take away my good looks."
As he said this, the evil teen rose into the air and flew out of the cave. With nothing more they could do with Pan, Nicholas and Emma went back to Henry's side.
"You're gonna be alright, Henry." Regina reassured, though it was more for herself, "We're gonna get you home."
With a wave of her hands, Henry's body was covered in a veil of magic. "This preservation spell can keep him in this condition for a while longer. It'll buy us time to get to Pan."
"You were a Lost Boy. Any idea where he went?" Emma asked Neal.
"Well, I-I mean, I know where he lived, his compound." he stuttered.
"Well, that's idiotic." Nicholas said harshly, "We already know that. You honestly think he's stupid enough to go back?"
"You're useless." Regina muttered.
"Okay, enough." Emma quipped.
"Don't tell us what's enough." Regina snapped, "My son is dying!"
"Our son." Emma reminded, "So yes, I know how you feel."
"You have no idea what I feel. You have your parents. A pirate and former Lost Boy pinning over you. You have everything, and yet you claim to know what I feel?" Regina asked as her voice shook, "All I have is Henry and Nicholas, who you seem to be ensnaring too, and I am not about to lose them, because they are everything."
"Emma, without Henry…Regina and I have no one." Nicholas added, "He's the only thing that's kept us from going down the wrong path permanently."
"…You're right." whispered Emma, "I don't know what you feel. So what do you wanna do? You wanna run the show? Run it. How do we save Henry?"
"I don't know." Regina whispered.
"Even if we can find Pan, he was powerful before. With Henry's heart, I-I don't know if we can hurt him." Neal said hopelessly.
"One thing I've learned in my experience, is that even immortals feel pain. And if we can do that, then we have a shot at winning." Nicholas replied.
"And we can." Regina agreed while staring at Emma sword, "Look, you nicked him. If he can bleed, we can hurt him. And if we can hurt him, we can kill him."
"And we will." Nicholas growled. Once they returned to camp, Emma explained everything that happened to the others while Regina stayed close to Henry.
"Gold is in a box." Snow repeated, "Then David can never leave the island."
"Mary Margaret, that doesn't matter. I've already made peace with that." David waved off, "What matters is Henry. How much time do we have?"
"Maybe an hour before the preservation spell wears off." Regina replied.
"If he's airborne, he could be anywhere on the island." Neal sighed while Nicholas tried to use his shadows' eyes throughout the island.
"It's no use. I can't see him anywhere. Not even smell him." he informed.
"An hour isn't much time. I suggest we get started looking." Hook advised as they all approached the captured Lost Boys.
"Where is he?!" Regina yelled as she grabbed Pan's number two, Felix by the collar.
"Gone." he said smugly, "There's nothing you can do. He's already won. Pan never fails."
"You won't talk?" Regina asked in rage, "How about I make you talk?"
"Regina, wait." Emma halted as the mayor was about to rip the boy's heart out.
"There's no time!" she spat.
"I don't think torture is our best move here. Look at these kids. They've been to hell and back. We need to try something else."
"Yeah, we tried the cute and cuddly. They don't respond to reason. What else do you have to offer?"
"What every kid wants." Emma said looking at her mother with a kind smile, "A mother."
OUaT
Eleven years ago in Storybrooke, Nicholas was sitting at his desk with his glasses hanging loosely on his nose as he scribbled down more of his scientific notes as he sister came through the front door. Looking up, he saw a happy and excited look on her face, one he hadn't seen in years.
"You seem awfully happy." he pointed out while taking a bite from one of his freshly grown plums, "What's up?"
"I have exciting news, brother dear." she smiled, "I just got back from Gold's and he's going to look into my request."
"Uh, what request?" he asked.
"Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, sorry." Regina said trying to get her head together, "I'm going to adopt a baby."
As soon as his sister said this, Nicholas sucked in his plum and began to choke on it before hacking it up and watched it soar into the trash can across the hall.
"Nice shot." she muttered.
"A-a baby?" Nicholas asked in shock, "Wh-wha-when did you decide this?"
"The other day with Dr. Hopper while you were out fiddling with one of your experiments." she replied, "We talked, and one thing led to another and I realized that I needed to have someone to share my life with; besides you, of course."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Nicholas asked skeptically.
"What do you mean?"
"Regina, don't get me wrong, I would be thrilled to be an uncle and I am beyond happy for you that you've decided this. But think about the situation the child would face." Nicholas gently explained.
"What situation?" Regina asked with her tone rising.
"The situation of literally being the only resident in town that ages, for one thing." he reminded, "Another would be never being able to form bonds with other children for more than just a year. How are you going to explain all that to your child once they start putting the pieces together and start asking questions?"
"I'll tell them the truth." Regina replied, "Once their old enough, I'll tell them everything they need to know and we can all live happily here in Storybrooke with everyone under our control."
"Happily, huh?" Nicholas asked crossing his arms, "Funny, I thought that was an immediate guarantee as soon as the curse was cast. Is this part of the process, or are you improvising, what?"
"Are you going to question everything I do or are you going to support me?" she asked.
"I only question what lacks all the answers." Nicholas sighed while leaning back in his chair, "Alright. Alright. I suppose that can be handled later on. So has Gold given you any information on your child-to-be?"
"Not yet. He said he'll call as soon as he can get me the earliest spot on the waiting list." Regina said smiling again.
"Boy or girl?" Nicholas asked grinning at his sister's excitement.
"No idea. I told him I'd take either one."
"Any name ideas?"
"Well, if it's a girl, then I was thinking we'd name her after mother and name a boy after father."
"Hmm, I think they'd like that, Regina." Nicholas nodded. Later that afternoon, Gold called and asked for the two siblings to stop by his shop.
"You have news?" Regina asked as they walked in.
"Yes. Fate may be on your side. This morning, I, uh, spoke with an agency who had placed a baby boy from Phoenix with a family nearby in Boston."
"With a family?" Regina asked, "How is that fate?"
"Because at the last minute, the adoption fell through. It happens."
"So the baby still needs a home."
"Indeed. As I said, fate appears to be on your side." Gold nodded as he grabbed an envelope, "The agency is in Boston."
The next day, both siblings took a drive to the agency and eagerly waited for the interview to be over so they could meet their newest addition to the family.
"Well, Ms. Mills, your application is almost too good to be true." the interviewer said happily, "I mean, your references are impeccable. And this town you live in, Storybrooke, you're the mayor?"
"Third term." she nodded, "All unopposed."
"Never heard of Storybrooke."
"Oh, it's a…hidden gem. Peaceful, perfect for children."
"Like a fairytale." Nicholas added with a smirk, "You should come visit sometime."
"I get two weeks off a year. And all due respect, Sandals has an inclusive buffet. You got that in Storybrooke?"
"Can't say that we do." Nicholas chuckled.
"One question I meant to ask, Mr. Mills. Your sister has put you down as the child's godfather, we would like to know what it is you do."
"Oh, I'm what you could consider the…Doc Brown of Storybrooke. I like to spend my time working on experiments when I'm not helping around the town. I have a lot of secure investments and savings so money wouldn't an issue for me or the boy."
That wasn't entirely true. Nicholas did indeed have a lot of money in his bank account, much more than Regina's, but that was due to him secretly turning scrap metal he didn't use in his experiments into gold with his alchemy. To sum it up, he had more money than anyone in town; including Mr. Gold.
"Alrighty then. Now, I've explained both your rights and responsibilities, but there's one item I'd like to go over in detail. This is a closed adoption, which means you'll never be able to contact your child's birth parents. It's a complete information blackout-parents' names, ethnicity, genealogical records. Neither of you will have access to any of it."
"My brother and I are concerned with my child's future, not his past." Regina replied politely.
"Well, then congratulations. You ready to meet your son and nephew?"
"Yes!" they chuckled. With a beep of an intercom, they watched as a woman brought in a beautiful baby boy swaddled in blankets and passed him to Regina. They were both so happy as they looked at the baby, happier than they had been in decades.
"Well, hello there." Regina greeted happily, "It was fate, wasn't it, Henry?"
"Henry, huh? You don't meet a lot of Henrys nowadays. Very old world."
"It was our father's name." Nicholas replied not taking his eyes off his nephew, "He passed some time ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it was peaceful, at least." he said as Henry began crying, "Need some help?"
"Oh, no, no." Regina said readjusting Henry, "We've got it. Come on, Henry."
"Let's go home." Nicholas smiled as he stroked the baby's cheek.
OUaT
At the camp, Emma did her best to try and convince the teens to reveal Pan's location. "Guys, listen to me. We are not gonna hurt you. I know you're loyal to Pan, and I get that. But you are making a terrible mistake. For a long time, I thought I was never gonna find my family. I was an orphan, like all of you. A lost girl. And I was reminded today that I am not alone, that I have a lot of people that love me. And I never thought that was gonna happen. If that can happen to me, it can happen to you."
"Pan is the only family we need." Felix argued.
"No. Family doesn't do what he did. Pan lied to you and made you do terrible things. He lied to Henry, and convinced him to give up his own heart."
"To save the island." the youngest Lost Boy retorted.
"No, to save himself."
"Don't listen to her." Felix ordered, "Pan cares about all of us."
"If that were true wouldn't he already be here to rescue you kids from the danger he's convinced you about?" Nicholas asked.
"He doesn't. We care about you. And we can save you!" Emma promised, "We can take you home with us to our land. There's no reason to fear Pan anymore. Until he absorbs the power from Henry's heart, he can be stopped. You just have to tell us where he is."
"Leave now while Pan still allows you to breathe." Felix warned, "That's the only help you'll get."
"I'm starting to wonder if he's supposed to be that buck-tooth kid in the fox suit from the movie." Nicholas muttered to David who shrugged.
"Where is Pan?" Emma asked softly.
"Not telling." Felix replied mocking her tone.
"Can you really bring us home?" the youngest asked.
"Shut your mouth!" Felix snapped.
"Yes." Emma said kneeling in front of him, "With your help."
"His thinking tree." he confessed.
"NO!" Felix cried in protest.
"Yes, his thinking tree." another boy said.
"Stop it all of you!" Felix thrashed.
"What is that?" Emma asked.
"It's where he goes when he wants to be alone. You can find him there, it's not far."
"No, don't trust her."
"Can you tell us where that is?" she asked.
"Yeah, but you have to swear, swear that you'll take us with you.
"I promise." Emma said with sincerity, "We are going home. All of us."
OUaT
In Storybrooke, Regina was struggling with being a parent. This was proven as she tried to get Henry to quiet down at Granny's while Nicholas was in the restroom.
"Who is this bundle of joy?" Granny sweetly asked.
"Do you have a problem with him crying?" Regina snapped bitterly.
"No, of course not." Granny replied as she went back to work.
"Okay, it's time to be quiet. It's time to be quiet." Regina said and noticed Granny looming over her again, "What?!"
"You want some advice?" she asked calmly, "Try a story. That's how they soothe themselves. A bedtime story. Gets 'em used to your voice. Worked with Ruby. Her issues came later."
"Hey. Okay. It's okay. Once upon a time, there was-oh!" Regina soothed as she picked her son up and held him against her chest, only to feel him spit up on her blouse. Ironically, this happened as soon as Nicholas came back.
"I take it little Henry's still being fussy?" he asked with a sympathetic smile which quickly went away once he saw his sister's glare, "Here. Give him to me and you go clean yourself up."
"Alright." she sighed as she passed her crying baby to her brother.
"Come here, goober." Nicholas said as he readjusted the baby against his shoulder. Thankfully, he was smarter than his sister and remembered to put a spit up cloth over his chest and shoulder so he didn't repeat what Regina did.
"What's the matter?" he cooed as he gently rocked the wailing baby, "Huh? What's the matter, Henry? Are you being all fussy for mommy and unky today?"
"Looks like you're doing better than your sister." Granny observed as she cleared the nearest table.
"Ah, she'll get there." Nicholas reassured, "Regina just rushed into things when she wanted to adopt."
"How so?"
"Not a single book." Nicholas said shaking his head while Henry began to slightly settle down.
"Really?" Granny asked.
"Not one." he laughed, "I don't know if she thought it was going to be easy, or that she didn't need them, but yeah. She dived into this unprepared. But I'm not worried. She's always been a fast learner and she just needs to get into the swing of things. Isn't that right, Henry?"
By now, the baby was silent and giving a big, cute yawn as his uncle held him and kissed his forehead. Just then, Regina came back and eagerly took back her son thinking everything was going to be alright; but sure enough, Henry immediately started crying again.
"I don't understand." Regina said growing frantic.
"Regina, relax. You just upset him, is all." Nicholas sighed.
"I'm his mother." she snapped, "All I do is love him. How would that upset him?"
"Gee, maybe because he was getting settled and tired and you interrupted that when you pulled him from me." Nicholas dryly suggested even though his sister was ignoring him.
"Oh, he must be sick. I'm taking him to Dr. Whale." she said while putting Henry in his carrier and grabbing her purse while shoving the baby bag in Nicholas's arms.
"Yeah, because that's the only explanation." Nicholas said dryly as he followed his sister, "Don't listen to your brother who knows more about the human body and infants than you do, Regina. You just know everything based on your maternal instincts."
At the hospital, Whale and Regina hovered over Henry as he continued to cry while Whale listened to his heart and Nicholas gave them space.
"Well, his heart's as strong as a locomotive." Whale explained over the crying, "And his lungs are healthy, clearly."
"Well, what about a blood test? Or a chest x-ray?" Regina asked.
"Is he a smoker like his uncle?" Whale joked.
"What?!" Regina asked not seeing the humor.
"Regina, will you relax?!" Nicholas said in exasperation, "He's probably just scared that he's in a place he doesn't know and surrounded by people hovering over him every second. He's just a baby."
"I agree with Nicholas, Madam Mayor." Whale admitted, "Crying is just how a baby communicates. And from the sound of things, he has a lot to say."
"I paid for this?" Regina scoffed.
"Actually, your insurance did." Whale corrected.
"What do I do?" Regina asked in frustration.
"Listen to your little brother!" Nicholas stressed over Henry's wailing.
"I can prescribe you something. 10 CCs of maternal love." Whale quipped. Regina, however, didn't like this as an answer and pushed for more while Nicholas went to comfort his nephew.
"Dr. Whale, no one loves their child more than me. Which means there's something wrong with my son. Your job is to help him. Do it!"
"Sure, I could order additional testing, but with babies, there are risks. And it's generally nothing and not worth it."
"Generally?" Regina asked.
"Well, in some cases, there could be something abnormal happening. But we'd need the birth mother to find out."
"You mean the woman who abandoned him?" Regina asked hotly, "You think she can soothe him? I'm his mother."
"You misunderstand me, Regina. If something were in fact wrong with the baby, maybe there's something in her medical records, something genetic that could be causing a problem. But the only people who can fill in those blanks are the biological parents."
"Even though, that outcome is rarely above a 5% chance and that Henry is as healthy as a prized stallion." Nicholas bluntly reminded as he gently rubbed the crying baby's stomach, "Besides, if there ever were a need for that, we couldn't receive that information. It was a closed adoption."
Once they were finished, Regina called Sydney and told him to try and get information regarding Henry's birth parents as they walked through the children's ward of the hospital. She then handed Henry to Nicholas so she could talk to the reporter.
"Oi vey, Henry." Nicholas sighed as he bounced the boy, "That's something you're gonna hear me say a lot in the future."
"Excuse me," Mary Margaret said before noticing she was trying to pass her friend, "Hey, Nicholas. What are you doing here? And who's this little cutie?"
"This is Henry." Nicholas introduced as the baby began to settle down, "My nephew. Regina and I adopted him yesterday and…well, she's having a hard time trying to get things situated. You wanna hold him?"
"Oh, yes, definitely." she said happily as she took the baby and gently rocked him. Unfortunately for Nicholas, all he could see was an image of Snow White doing the very same with her daughter, even though it never happened.
"I can't believe I did nothing to stop this curse." he thought guiltily, "If Boss were around to see me, he'd shoot me in the head. Though, I probably deserve worse."
"How did you do that?" Regina asked snapping the duo to her attention.
"Do what?" Mary Margaret asked nervously.
"Get him to stop crying."
"Oh, I -I'm just holding him. He's so sweet." she said smiling as Regina took him back.
"Oh, not again." Nicholas muttered as Henry began crying once more.
"No." Regina denied, "Oh, no, no."
"I'm so sorry. Did I do something?" Mary Margaret asked.
"No. No, you didn't. It's me." Regina said as her heart broke.
"Here, let me." Nicholas said hovering over his wailing nephew, "Quiet!" he shouted startling the two women. Surprisingly, Henry immediately stopped crying and instead gave a cute coo. They looked at him in surprise only to see him shrug.
"It's all in the delivery." he said, "If you need me, I'm gonna go out and smoke."
OUaT
"The pixie woods?" Nicholas asked, "That's where it is?"
"It's just North of here." the Lost Boy explained, "It's where the Pixie Dust used to grow."
"Do you know where that is?" Emma asked Neal and Hook.
"Aye." Hook nodded, "The whole region is deserted now. No one but Pan has set foot in those woods in centuries."
"Then let's make history." Neal suggested.
"We'll need you to stay here." Emma denied, "Once we get Henry's heart, it's gonna be a race back. We need help on both ends."
"Okay." he nodded.
"What do you need from us?" David asked.
"Let's gather up the Lost Boys. Get 'em on board the Jolly Roger. Prepare the ship to fly." Neal advised.
"Well, unless you have a Pegasus sail, we're at the mercy of the trade winds." Hook remarked.
"Pan's shadow's in here. It'll get us home. As long as your ship holds together." he said slinging the coconut over his shoulder.
"Well, as long as your plan holds together, she will." Hook retorted.
"Henry is going to be with me the entire time. Nothing is gonna happen to him while you two are away." Neal reassured Emma.
"You mean three." Snow corrected.
"No, make that four." Nicholas said rising from his seat.
"What?" Emma asked.
"I may be trapped on this island for the rest of eternity. So if you think I'm not going to be spending my last moments with my daughter, you're crazy." Snow informed.
"And I, for one, have every intention of making that runt pay for putting my nephew's life in jeopardy." Nicholas added.
"Okay." nodded Emma, "Let's do it."
Once the party made their way to their destination, Regina spotted Pandora's Box perched on a log in the open. "Look." she alerted as Snow was about to take it.
"Careful, Snow." Nicholas warned, "Pan wouldn't have just left it behind for no reason."
"It's David's only way home. Without Gold, we're stuck here." Snow argued as a large vine grabbed her and pinned her to a tree. Not a second later, three more did the same to the others; except for Nicholas, he was held against a different tree.
"Are you still at it?" Pan asked making himself known, "Don't you know? Peter Pan never fails."
"Referring to one's self in the third person isn't a quality to be proud of." Nicholas thought dryly.
"I didn't expect you to find me. But then again, I shouldn't be surprised. You three are mothers." Pan said facing the women, "Quite tenacious about you offspring. Believe it or not, I understand that. But if you're here looking to see Henry again, I have to tell you, there's only one place you'll be reunited: in death."
As soon as he made his threat, everyone struggled to escape their bonds only to no avail. "Having trouble?" he asked mockingly, "Not surprised given where you are. You see, what's hastening your demise is your regret."
"What are you talking about?" Emma asked.
"This tree is the site of a very important event for me. I abandoned my boy here."
"You have a son?" Regina asked.
"I'm older than I look." he smirked.
"If you have a child, you must regret losing him, too." said Emma.
"No, he doesn't." Nicholas replied, "This little runt doesn't have the stomach to face the hardships of being a parent. He's too weak."
"I think we've heard enough from you, alchemist." Pan growled as he caused the tree holding him to shake. From above, a cloud of green Pixie Dust slowly floated down towards Nicholas.
"Oh, cripes, this gonna hurt." he said with dread as the dust covered him, and just like with Fairy Dust, Nicholas's body began to deconstruct while he struggled to hold back his agonizing screams.
"Now as I was saying," Pan resumed, "I don't regret it. Quite the opposite, actually. See, I have him all boxed up so I don't lose him again."
"Rumplestiltskin is your son?" Regina asked.
"How is that possible?" Snow asked, "You're-"
"Younger than him?" Pan cut off, "Not really. Just like you and your daughter."
"You're a fraud." Regina insulted, "Your magic is weakened. You can't even hurt us, let alone Rumplestiltskin."
"You're right." Pan nodded, "Well, I think Flamel would beg to differ, but he's a little preoccupied to agree at the moment. But that's why I'm here. This tree will protect me until my power is restored. And then, well, then I get to have some real fun. And I won't ever have to worry about my child again. Something else we will all soon have in common."
"There has to be another way." Emma said as they all struggled.
"No, you're not going to get to me." Pan denied, "See, this tree attacks the regret inside of anyone who comes here. And you? You've got plenty."
"I regret not taking a better shot at you when I had a chance." Emma replied.
"Well, that's not all, is it, Savior? No. I have your son's heart inside me. I can feel just how much you let him down time and time again."
"Leave her alone." Snow warned.
"Perhaps I should. After all, what chance did she have at being a good mother?" Pan asked facing Snow, "Look at the example you've set, abandoning her for twenty-eight years."
"Are you finished?" Regina asked calmly.
"Last words from the queen. Perhaps a deathbed confession from the one who has the most regret of all."
"Yeah, there's one problem with that. I did cast a curse that devastated an entire population. I have tortured and murdered. I've done some terrible things. Hell, I am probably responsible for my brother becoming a slave. I should be overflowing with regret, but…I'm not. Because it got me my son." Regina informed finally breaking free of her bonds, and tearing out Henry's heart. With a wave of her hand, she cleared the dust off of her brother and picked up Pandora's Box.
"It's about time you did that." Nicholas groaned as he regenerated in pain, "What were you doing, enjoying his monologue while I was in excruciating pain?"
"Oh, relax." Regina waved off smirking, "Let's go save Henry."
Regina then transported them all to the Jolly Roger with everyone else already aboard. Heading over to the bow, Regina gently pushed her son's heart back in while everyone looked at his body in concern.
"Henry?" Regina asked.
"Are we too late?" Emma asked. After a moment of silence, Nicholas gave it a try.
"Wake up!" he shouted startling everyone and causing Henry to jolt awake. Everyone looked at him in surprise. "It's all in the delivery." he said like it was normal. Henry then flung his arms around his mothers while gasping for breath.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Neal laughed, "Take it easy, buddy."
"I'm sorry." he apologized, "I-I wanted to save magic."
"It's okay." Emma sighed, "It's okay."
"I- I wanted to be a hero."
"There's plenty of time for that." David chuckled.
"And now it's time to rest." Snow nodded.
"Welcome back, young sir." Hook said kindly, "Only the best for our guest of honor, don't you think? Captain's Quarters."
"Come on." Regina said, "I'll tuck you in."
OUaT
In Storybrooke, Regina quietly tucked her baby into his crib and smiled fondly at his sleeping form. It was the night of the day she tried to send him back out of fear upon learning who his birth mother was. And that woman was the very same infant she tried to kill before the curse took everyone away; Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter, the Savior.
However, just as she was about to give her baby back in the office in Boston, she had a change of heart and took him back home with her; but, she did all of this without consulting her brother. As she went back downstairs, she felt the floor shift unnaturally as red lightning surged around her feet and dragged her into the den and flung her into a chair while the fireplace came to life with the sound of fingers snapping filled the air.
In her fear, Regina turned to see her brother, angrier than she had seen him in years, standing in the doorway glaring at her with a cigar in his hand. She knew she was in big trouble considering that Nicholas only smoked cigars when he was extremely angry.
"Comfy?" he asked softly, "I hope so. Because we are going to have a long talk tonight, sister dear."
"You-you still have your alchemy?" Regina asked in fear.
"Oh, did I not tell you that before?" he asked, "Well, I guess that makes us even since you neglected to tell me that you were going to give my nephew back to the agency today out of paranoia."
"Nicholas, please, you don't understand." Regina said, "Henry's birth mother-"
"Is Snow and Charming's daughter?" Nicholas asked in a frightful tone, "Oh, I know. I've known since this morning when I called Sydney when I couldn't find you and Henry."
"Okay, I should have told you. I was wrong not to." she admitted, "But I changed my mind. I'm keeping Henry."
"I don't think you understand why I'm angry, sister dear." Nicholas said puffing smoke from his cigar, "I am angry because you decided to take Henry away from the life we had planned for him because you got scared. That's not being a good parent, you know. I want to make something perfectly clear, Regina. If you ever do anything like that again, I'll show you exactly what my alchemy can do to you. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes. And I am sorry that I didn't tell you, Nicholas. I let my fear get the better of me. But all of that will change."
"Will it?" he asked.
"Yes. After Henry wakes up tomorrow, the three of us are going to take a trip to my vault."
"Why?" he asked skeptically.
"Because you're right, I can't let my fears control me now that I am a mother. And I have just the thing to ensure I never make the same mistake again in my fault." Regina explained.
"Alright." Nicholas sighed, "But I will hold you to this. Make sure you don't forget that."
"I won't."
The next day, the family of three went to Regina's vault after paying their respects to Henry's namesake. After Nicholas pushed the coffin aside, they went downstairs where Regina began to brew a potion. Nicholas was bouncing Henry as Regina did her work and told him a story.
"Once upon a time, there was a queen and her brother, and she cast a glorious curse, that gave her everything she wanted, or so she thought. She despaired when she learned that her brother was right, revenge was not enough. She felt lonely, even with her brother at her side, keeping her from drowning in her sorrow. And so, she searched the land for a little boy to be their prince. And then she found him. And though they lived happily, it was not ever after. There was still an evil out there lurking. The queen was worried for her brother and prince's safety. While she knew she could vanquish any threat to them, she also knew she couldn't raise her prince worrying. No. She had to listen to her brother before it was too late. She needed to put her own troubles aside, and put her family first. And so, the queen procured an ancient potion of forgetting."
As she said this, Henry began to cry.
"Oh, it's alright." Nicholas soothed.
"If the queen drinks the potion, she won't forget her child. She'll only forget her worries, her troubles; her fears. And with those gone, she, her brother, and their prince can indeed finally live happily ever after." she said holding the goblet in her hand, "You sure you don't want to do this?" she asked Nicholas.
"Pass." he said, "Unlike you, I need to remember my troubles. It's important that I do."
"Fine. Cheers." she nodded before downing the potion. In a whoosh of magic, Regina shed a few tears and took a deep breath as all of her worries faded away. Hearing her son cry and fuss once again, Regina turned and gently grabbed the baby and held him close with love.
"Hello, Henry." she cooed, "What shall we do today?"
OUaT
On Hook's bed, Regina smiled fondly as she stroked Henry's hair and while Nicholas stood over them smirking. "Oh, we know that look." Regina chuckled, "That's five hours of Space Paranoids and too much pizza."
"Pizza's good." Henry nodded. Regina chuckled as she covered Henry's chest in magic. "It stings. What's that for?"
"A spell, so no one can ever take your heart ever again."
"Thanks, mom." Henry said as Regina kissed his forehead.
"We'll be home soon, my little prince."
"Sleep tight, kiddo." Nicholas said ruffling the boy's hair. As the two siblings went up to the deck, they saw Neal release his father from the box.
"Bae?" Rumple asked.
"Papa." Neal said hugging his father.
"Where's Henry?"
"He's safe. He's safe."
"I told you I wasn't gonna hurt the boy."
"I know. I'm sorry. I…why didn't you tell me Pan was your father?" he asked.
"Because I didn't want you to know that I was as bad a father as he was." Gold admitted, "Because we're both the same, me and him, because we both abandoned our sons."
"No, you're not the same. You came back for me, papa." Neal corrected as he hugged his father again.
"He's back." Emma said to her parents.
"That means."
"He can cure me." David said happily.
"We can go home." Snow nodded as they all hugged. Suddenly, Gold and Nicholas stiffened, sensing the presence of someone who shouldn't be there.
"He's here." Nicholas alerted as Gold disappeared below deck. As soon as he and Regina got down, they saw Gold seal Pan away while Henry panted on his bed.
"It's okay. I'm okay." Henry reassured.
"Are you sure?" Regina asked.
"He's a strong boy, Regina." Rumple assured, "The two of you raised him well."
"Thank you." Nicholas said nodding to Gold for saving the boy.
Back on deck, everyone was in positon for the next phase in getting out of Neverland. Neal held the coconut in front of a mortar aimed at the main sail while everyone else was ready to fend off the shadow in case it got away.
"Ready, Regina?" Emma asked. Seeing her nod, Emma lit the fuse and Neal released the shadow precisely as the mortar fired. Regina then used her magic to bind the creature to the sail turning it black.
"Think it'll fly?" Emma asked.
"It has no choice." Nicholas replied.
"Then let's get the hell out of Neverland."
Not a moment later, the ship creaked and rose from the water and sailed high into the clouds.
"You know, when we first landed on this island, you said we'd all need to work together." David said to his daughter.
"I was just trying anything." she waved off.
"Well, to be honest, I didn't think it was possible. That a hero, a villain, a pirate, an alchemist…that we could all be united, but we were because of the most important piece of the puzzle: a leader."
"I'm just glad that we were all able to work together and get Henry back home. Get all of us home." Emma replied. She then spotted Nicholas gazing into the night sky while smoking his pipe, lost in his thoughts.
"I better report this soon." he thought, "Boss'll kill me if I leave him and the others out of the loop."
"I thought I might find you like this." Emma teased as she joined the alchemist.
"Yeah, well, I couldn't help but take in this view, you know?"
"I guess." she said resting her head on his shoulder.
"Okay, after everything that's gone down, let's agree to disagree." Neal said to Hook.
"Fine. Fair game for the both of us then once we get back to Storybrooke." the pirate nodded, "But it won't be that surprising when I win Emma's heart."
"In your dreams, man." Neal waved off. It was then that the duo spotted Emma and Nicholas having their moment. Needless to say, they had pretty shocked expressions when they put the pieces together.
"Sorry, lads." Tink chuckled, "But it looks like she's not looking at either of ya."
"She chose Flamel?!" they screamed in their minds.
"Hey, I'll be back." Nicholas said tucking his pipe away, "I got to hit the head."
"Okay." she nodded, "Don't take too long."
As he walked away, Regina decided to approach the Savior while looking out at the sky. "So what exactly are your intentions for my little brother?" she asked.
"Regina," Emma sighed.
"It's only fair that I ask." she defended, "Someone's got to look out for him."
"Okay. But nothing's really happened between us. Yet." Emma admitted trying not to be embarrassed.
"Fine. But I want to make something very clear." she warned, "If you hurt Nicholas in any way-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You'll make my life miserable and use all of you power to do so." Emma cut off.
"He'll be devastated." Regina corrected, "He's already had his heart broken once and he's been through enough for one life."
"You don't have to worry." Emma reassured taking in the mayor's words, "The last thing I want to do is hurt him. He means a lot to me, too."
"Good." Regina nodded, "Then we have nothing to worry about. Have fun hooking up with your great-step-uncle."
"Wait," Emma stuttered as Regina walked away, "What?"
"Well," she chuckled, "Technically, seeing as I'm Mary Margaret's step-mother, Nicholas is her step-uncle and therefor your great-step-uncle. You didn't think I was going to accept this without planting at least some sort of seed in your head, did you?"
"Oh, that's low." Emma remarked while Regina laughed. Below deck, instead of being in the restroom like Nicholas said he would, he was hiding in the store room. He then pulled out a small seashell and held it against his head like a phone.
"This is Flamel reporting in, does anyone copy?" he asked.
"This is Africa, I copy."
"Hey, boss." Nicholas greeted feeling ashamed.
"Nicholas," Africa replied feeling uncomfortable, "Before you give me some sort of speech as to why you're sorry about the incident with Cora, I want you to know, none of us blame you or hold anything against you. We're the ones wanting to apologize. She was your mother, and you were betrayed. None of hold anything against you. Water under the bridge?"
"Yeah," Nicholas nodded feeling a great sense of relief, "Sure thing, boss."
"Excellent. Now stop your weeping and tell me what the hell is going on." Africa snapped.
"What the hell are you getting onto me like Skinner for, Quartermain?" Nicholas asked, "Geez, you're still a complete grouch even after all these years. Anyway, we're just now getting out of Neverland. Pan's plan has failed and we're returning to Storybrooke with Henry on the airborne Jolly Roger."
"And Gold?" Quartermain asked.
"Alive." Nicholas admitted, "But he seems to be more inclined to do some good for us considering we're all part of the same family now."
"Good to know. Anything else we need to know?"
"Yeah, we've got about two years left, give or take." Nicholas said mysteriously.
"I see. Very well." Quartermain sighed, "Get back here as soon as you can and meet up with us at headquarters. I want a full briefing on what happened and where we stand now concerning threats to the town."
"Yes, sir, boss." Nicholas nodded, "May the light and darkness forever be our guides."
"May the light and darkness forever be our guides." Quartermain repeated as Nicholas returned his shell to his pocket and returned above deck.