Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.
So, I'm really, really, really sorry for the wait and it was a long, one if some of the reviews are any indication. I do apologize for making you wait but, you have to remember that I do have a life outside of writing. I know how frustrating it is to wait for an update, believe me I 've been there. But my life is a little busy now with the end of the semester coming up, so please just bear with me and be patient.
The reviews were all very appreciated and I'm not ashamed to admit I cried when I saw this episode/when I wrote this chapter. Literally more depressing than any other death on the show for me and I now want to go and smack the writers of the show silly.
Now that I'm done with that rant, I hope you enjoy the chapter my lovely readers.
I didn't move when Emma entered the diner, Granny's words barely registering in my mind as the only thing keeping me upright was Peter's arms wrapped tightly around my waist.
"If you want privacy, we open in twenty." Granny called as she headed towards the back. "And no one gets in between Leroy and his bacon."
"So, any sign of our quarry?" Hook questioned.
"I went all over that farmhouse and the property surrounding it-nothing." Emma huffed out, looking irritated and cranky.
"Well, now the sun's up we should head every place Gold might go: his house, shop, his cabin." David listed off, making Emma roll her eyes.
"'Cause dead men love vacation homes, can someone explain to me how this is even possible?" She asked, looking directly at me.
"Don't look at me." I whispered numbly when I felt all their eyes. "He wasn't even that powerful and-" My breath hitched in my throat painfully. "He wouldn't have chanced it...knowing he could possibly bring back...Malcolm."
"Well, we all saw Gold, he..." Emma broke off, sending me a short, worried look while Peter tugged me closer.
"Disappeared into nothingness, I know." Snow answered softly, cradling her belly
"I might have an inkling." Hood offered and Emma's attention, thankfully, snapped to him and away from me. "When we went back to the Enchanted Forest, Neal and Lily were talking about the possibility to get his father back."
'What? How?
"They didn't know how, Neal just...he missed his family." Hook offered and gently touched my shoulder. "And he was desperate to find a way to return to this world. He believed that bringing his father back was the key."
"Well, if that was his plan, obviously something went wrong, because while Gold might be alive and kicking, Neal is..." She broke of, her expression shadowed with pain and I winced at the feeling, cursing my empathy once again. "Is...he's...we don't know what he is." Emma stuttered out as Regina sighed, pushing her hair behind her ears. "We don't even know if he mae it back to Storybrooke, no one's seen him since this new curse."
"He's out there somewhere," Charming encourage and I felt Regina's frustration reach her ending point.
"Will all due respect, we have bigger problems right now than who brought Gold back." She tried not to snap, looking up at Emma. "The fact that he was in the Wicked Witches basement, for one. I wanna know what the hell she was cooking up with him."
"Well, the best way to find that out would be to ask Gold."
"He could tell us who the witch is, maybe how to track her down."
"I'm gonna head back to that farmhouse." Regina stood, straightening her coat. "It's possible this witch left behind some trace of potion or, special ingredient."
"I'm going too." I announced softly, pulling out of Peter's grip before he could say anything and I went to flank Regina's side, sending him a half-hearted glare that, thankfully, made him lean against the bar, his lips set in a thin line.
"Lillian...are you sure that's-"
"I'm fine." I nearly snapped over Mary, feeling a twinge of guilt at the way she flinched at my tone. "I'm fine." I repeated softly and she nodded once, her tension fading.
"Have at it," Emma agreed, worry clouding her features quickly when her eyes flickered over me. "Just be careful."
"Well, she's the one that needs to be careful." Regina stated, looking down at me. "She invaded our space: when we return the favor, we're not pulling any punches."
"If there's anyone who can defeat the witch, and get you back to your family, it's the Dark One." Belle stated as she looked across the table. "The way to resurrect him has to be here."
"You really believe in him, don't you?" Neal kept his back to us as he spoke, though he tilted his head lightly towards her.
"I love him. All of him-even...even the parts that belong to the darkness."
"Yeah, it took me a while to see past all that, to the good man trying to get out." He turned his head slightly, glancing at me and raised his eyebrow. "What about you, Lily?"
"He was the only family had for a long time...I want him back as much as you do." I shot back, my shoulders tense as I continued to all but rip my way through one of the books.
"He did get out." Belle stated, looking at Neal curiously and he nodded in agreement.
"Yeah." He said softly, still not turning around and I raised an eyebrow at his behavior but said nothing. He turned around finally. "The irony is, now I need the dark part in order to get to the ones I care about."
He raised a gloved hand, a small silver chain and pendant dangling from his fingers and I stared at the small swan engraved in the metal.
"What is that?" Belle leaned next to me on the table, tilting her head.
"A necklace. It was Emma's." He looked at it sadly before clasping his hands. "It was 'spose to represent our lives together. I'm surprised it survived the trip back here." He raised it again, looking at it curiously and I held back a smile.
"Because, it was made of true love." I teased him, though my voice was serious and Belle nodded, approaching him.
"Now, come with us." Belle urged him and I stood as she gently pulled Neal towards the hall. "I think I know where we can find what we need."
"You think there's magic in here?" Neal asked when we entered the library and I smiled, looking around at the familiar shelves.
"No, something better than magic-" I looked at Belle, smiling.
"Books." We stated together, earning an amused look from Neal as we smiled widely at each other.
"Books on history, witchcraft and, hopefully, some on the Dark One too." Belle leaned down to light the candelabra resting next to the chaise while Neal stood next to me in the middle of the room.
"How many books are in here?" He asked softly and I pursed my lips, looking around thoughtfully.
"No idea." I stated softly. "I never got around to reading them all."
"Well," he looked over at Belle. "Where do we start?"
"On shelf at a time." She shot back, blowing out the match she'd used and walked towards us, her face filling with confusion when an accented voice spoke.
"Hello there!" I blinked, looking around wildly and turned to stare at the candelabra she'd lit in shock.
"Did you, uh...did you say something?" Belle asked Neal, her brow creased in confusion and I tugged in Neal's arm as the voice spoke again.
"Over here!" They both turned to stare at the candelabra as the fire from the candles began to form a floating face. "Allow me, to introduce myself."
"What the hell?" Neal breathed out and the man continued to talk.
"No need to be frightened, I am but a humble servant of this castle." The face in the fire smiled lightly. "My name, is Lumiere."
Wide-eyed, I looked from Belle to Neal's face before looking back at the flames.
"Seriously?!"
"Well, we could always-" I broke off as my phone began to ring and, seeing Peter's number I sighed before I answered it. "Yes?"
Still not used to technology, he fumbled for a few minutes with the device before he obviously righted it and spoke, his words rushed and nearly frantic.
"Neal's back."
I blinked, my world going cold and I nearly dropped the phone before I looked at Regina, her expression telling me she'd heard what he'd said. Trembling, I returned the phone to my ear and asked one question, cutting over Peter's rambling.
"Where is he?"
"Hospital."
"Is he okay?"
"Yes, just a little...shaken up."
"I'll be there when we're done with the farmhouse." I snapped my phone shut at that, wide-eyed and shaky, I turned to Regina, tightening my grip on the plastic.
"Let's burn the witch out of her hole."
"I don't understand, I've dusted every nook and cranny of this place, how have our paths never crossed?" Belle asked, looking positively bewildered at the sight of the talking flame.
"It's a big castle." He shot back mildly. "And I was woefully underutilized. Sadly, I only awaken when my candles are lit. Those are the rules off my punishment."
"Punishment by who?" Neal asked and the man scoffed lightly.
"Whom do you think? Does he even know where he is?" The man looked at Belle and me, clearly thinking Neal was an idiot."Rumpelstiltskin of course. We made a deal long ago," Neal circled the candelabra, waving a hand through the face and looking at his unscathed hand. "And when I couldn't live up to my end, he made sure I paid the price. He's not here is he?" The man asked, almost panicked and I shook my head, a lump building in my throat.
"No, he-he's dead." I managed and the man's eyes focused on me, his head tilting curiously.
"Ah! I knew I recognized you!" I blinked once, taken aback and looked from Neal to Belle, shaking my head.
"I'm sorry, I don't recognize you-"
"Well, you were but a little thing the first time you lit me and, after you asked Rumpelstiltskin about me, he forbade you from ever lighting me again." The man offered, looking slightly saddened by that and I looked at him.
"I'm sorry-I still don't remember." I breathed out and he nodded once, his face twisted into a frown and I looked at Belle, who was glancing curiously at the flames.
"Lumiere, we're trying to bring Rumpelstiltskin back. You said you spent a lot of time here, do you know anything that could bring the Dark One back?" Neal asked, drawing the flickering face towards him.
"I know a great many things." He simply uttered, clearly not too ecstatic about the idea of bringing Rumple back.
Please, you got to help us. If you don't, I'll never see my family again." Neal stated, his expression crossed between forlorn and pleading, though Lumiere didn't look particularly moved by his plea.
"Boo-hoo. Why should I help resurrect the man who put me in this wax prison?" He shot back, his tone hard and unforgiving.
"The Rumpelstiltskin you knew may hae seemed cold and hard but, he's changed since then." Belle tried, her face tight with pain and I looked between her and the uncooperative candlestick.
"Hmm." He muttered disbelieving and Belle tried again, looking desperate.
"If you help us, I know he will restore you to your human form. Please."
"The book case behind you-bottom cabinet." He stated after several silent heartbeats, his eyes never leaving mine as Belle hastened to where he said. "You shall know it once you see it. It's a volume befitting the Dark One."
I turned around to see the large, leather-bound tome and winced when I realized what it was. As Belle set it down on the table, I remained where I was when Neal went to her side, peeking over her shoulder as she opened the hiding place disguised as a book.
"What the hell kind of book is that?" Neal asked, his eyes darting between my ashen face and Belle as she revealed the compartment inside the tome.
"This isn't a book-it's a hiding place." She stated, clearly bewildered and fixed her gaze on me. "Lily, do you know-"
"Yes." I hissed out, staring at the book in front of her angrily. "And Rumple told me to never touch it." I glared at them as Belle removed the key, Neal going to her other side to get a better look at it.
"What's this?" He asked, looking down at it as Lumiere spoke.
"It's a key, to the vault of the Dark One." Belle and Neal shared confused looks while I turned to Lumiere.
"The vault of the Dark One?" Belle repeated, looking at my expression before turning towards Lumiere.
"Where the first Dark One was made, born out of, uh,the, well...Darkness. If you wish to bring back Rumpelstiltskin to life, it is where you must go." I looked between them, my eyes turning red against my will.
"Rumple told me to never mess with that vault for a reason." I warned them, my eyes flickering between their almost desperate faces and I felt dread grip my chest. Belle looked away from me quickly, addressing the enchanted man behind me.
"Will you guide us on our journey?" She asked, ignoring my hiss of displeasure.
"If your promises that the Dark One will return me to my human form are true...then yes, I will." The man vowed and I looked between them
Neal set the key back into the box, snapping the fake book closed before he addressed Belle, Lumiere and me, stalking towards the candle and blowing him out quickly.
"We leave first thing in the morning."
"Well, this was a waste of time." I snapped as we stalked away from the house, causing Regina to sigh deeply before stuffing her hands into her coat pocket. I stopped when a twig snapped, Regina following suit and we shared a quick look before she nodded ever so slightly.
We spun around and Regina spoke while i looked around, my brow creasing when I couldn't sense any magic.
"Show yourself, you winged freak." She snapped and I let out a gasp when an arrow flew at her, though Regina simply caught it with a gasp of her own and turned to glare at the crossbow wielding man in front of us with a scoff.
"Apologies, M'lady!" Robin held his hand up as he walked towards us, his expression contrite. "I thought you were the Wicked Witch."
"And I thought you were a flying monkey." She snapped back calmly as he continued toward us.
"I do hope my mistake hasn't cost me my head, your Majesty." I held back a smirk at his words, amused beyond reason that he thought we'd actually allow her to do as she wished here.
"So, you know who I am?" She asked, clearly amused and looked between them oddly.
"Your reputation in the Enchanted Forest precedes you." He answered simply, stopping in front of us.
"I didn't catch your name." She looked at him curiously while I raised an eyebrow at her almsot...flirtacious tone?
"Robin of Loxley, at your service." He nodded at me with a smile, "Good to see you're well, Lady Lillith." I returned the expression before he looked back to Regina, holding out his hand.
"The thief." She smirked, dropping the arrow into his waiting palm and his brow furrowed, smile falling as his tone took on an offended note.
"Well, as we're tossing labels around, aren't you technically known as the Evil Queen?" He questioned, his eyebrow raised lightly and I smirked at the now irritated looking Regina, aware that after all this time, she absolutely despised that label much like I disliked being called the Dark Lillith.
"I prefer Regina." She shot back calmly and I opened my mouth, the sound of my phone cutting off my words and I pulled out the device, snapping it open.
"What is it, Peter?"
"I need your help with something."
"Can't it wait, I'm in the middle-"
"No, it can't." Emma's voice replaced Peter's and I sighed, giving in to the demanding Savior.
"I'll be there soon." I agreed, snapping the phone shut and looked at the two beside me. "I'm needed elsewhere," I glanced at Regina, holding back a smirk at the tension between the two. "I'm sure Robin would be all to able to help you."
She looked at me in shock before looking at Robin, who was looking at Regina while I turned to leave, waving my hand around me. As I reappeared in front of Peter in the hospital, he blinked at the expression on my face.
"Why do you look like you just killed somebody?" Emma asked cautiously and I smirked wider.
"I think Regina has a crush on Robin Hood." I teased, watching the expression of Emma's face turn to something akin to horror before a voice caught my attention.
"You always did have a weird kick for mocking people's emotions." I looked behind Emma, my eyes softening at the man on the hospital bed.
"Neal..." Unable to stop myself, I ran forward, nearly throwing myself on the man, who let out a groan of protest but didn't say anything, wrapping his arms tightly around me.
"Hey, Tiger Lily."
After my almost tearful reunion with Neal, Emma had dragged me away after I'd nearly screeched at the sight of the mark burned into Neal's flesh.
"So you know what that was on his hand?" Emma question and, after hesitating for a brief moment, I nodded sharply, the stress of the promise I'd made Rumple causing me to tense up.
"It's...a key." I admitted and her brow creased, before she darted a look at a stone-faced Peter.
"A key that goes on your hand?" She questioned, looking bewildered and I shook my head, amending my words.
"Well, yes and no. The key has that mark on the end of it, though I'm not sure why the hell it's seared on Neal's hand." I looked at my own hands, twisting them together. "I only saw the key once before Rumple made me swear to never touch it again."
The memory of his expression, half-demented at the sight of me touching the hiding spot for the key and I swallowed thickly, aware that I was now betraying his confidence.
"So, what does the key go to?" Emma asked after I remained silent for longer than she clearly expected and I sighed, looking down at my hands again, attempting, and failing, to stop them from shaking.
"The Vault of the Dark One."
"Ever since happened I...I haven't been able to stop thinking of Rumple's sacrifice. I mean, how he died to save everyone in Storybrooke." I kept moving, trying to ignore Belle's words as we walked through the darkening forest, the torch Neal carried our only guide.
"You know that wasn't it. He died to save us, his family." Neal argued, looking at me with soft eyes and I nodded, the only reaction I'd allowed towards them the entire day.
"At least he died a hero." She looked down and her grief felt suffocating, making me wish I hadn't agreed to come along after all. Though after three hours of Belle and Neal begging, I had cracked, to my shame.
"Are you surprised he had it in him?" Neal asked, looking from me and Belle, though she was the only one who answered.
"Of course not. W-were you?" Belle asked, almost offended and I withheld my comments, the words settling like acid on my tongue.
"I don't know. I mean, my papa was never the most selfless guy." Neal sighed. "I know he wished he hadn't let me go through that portal, I know how sorry he was but, now that I have a son of my own, I can't imagine doing what he did."
"He regretted what happened with you so much. He was willing to do anything to get back to you." Belle defended, looking almost cross at Neal, though he ire quickly transferred to me when I added my input.
"Including, create a horrible curse to get to the realm you'd gone to." I shot back mildly, raising an eyebrow at Belle, who simply sent me a short glare before looking away. Her ire was something I could deal with, I'd dealt with the feelings of others for longer than she'd been alive.
"That's one thing about him I can relate to, is that I would do anything to get back to Henry." He glanced at me, a sardonic smile curling his lips. "I'm not too sure I'd create the curse to end all curses though."
"I doubt you could." I shot back with a snort and smiled faintly when he reached out to tousle my hair playfully, causing a pang of nostalgia to hit me when I realized that our roles on Neverland were reversed. No longer was I the comforter and he the child.
"It-it's getting colder." Belle stated, a slight tremble in her voice and I raised an eyebrow, looking down at her shorts before looking at her and she rolled her eyes. "Look." She pointed as we rounded a tree and I blinked at the sight of a thing layer of snow on the ground.
We walked slowly towards the open clearing and Neal hurried towards the lonely stump, his voice carrying on the wind.
"Come on, let's get what we came for." He planted the torch on the stump. "Let's get my father."
"There's something your not telling me." Peter looked down at me as I kept my gaze on Emma and David's backs, unwilling to say anything else. I'd promised Rumple and I'd already broken part of it, causing guilt to pound at my chest.
"And I told you to drop it." I hissed at him, turning red eyes on him and glared fiercely, not surprised when he smirked at me.
"You know those pretty eyes don't work on me, love." He mocked and I snorted, quite aware that he despised the color my eyes turned when I was angry or used massive amounts of magic. He'd even tried to get it to go away when I'd been on Neverland before but, with the blood magic Rumple had done, it had been impossible to remove the effects of the Dark One's 'taint' on me.
I ignored him, catching up to Emma and her father to catch the tail end of their conversation.
"...Now I am chasing after the Dark One, hoping he can help me find the Wicked Witch of the West." She stated dryly, her eyes widening when cries of pain began sounding through the woods.
I looked at them, excitement bubbling through me when I recognized the sound and the aura of the person they were coming from.
"It's him!" I ran off, the other three at my heels and I nearly dove at Rumple when I caught sight of him kneeling on the forest floor, clutching at his head.
"Gold!" Emma cried as I reached Rumple, not touching him but falling to my knees at his side, my brow furrowed with worry. "Are you all right?!" She reached for him, causing him to jerk away from her, his eyes wild.
"No, no, no, no! Not all right, not all right!" He looked up, holding out his hand to ward her off and I raised my own hands, looking at Peter's expression before I turned my attention back to Rumple, who was grunting in pain. "It's-I can't quiet the voices!" He nearly whimpered out and I raised a hand, flinching when he jerked away from me as well.
"Rumple..." I breathed out, bewildered and hurt as Emma crouched down in front of my mentor, who was cradling his head in his hands.
"We know that you were held captive by the Witch, do you know where she is?" Emma asked clearly and he nodded, pressing his palm against his forehead as if to ward off the pain.
"Yeah, she's...Ah!" He panted out and I nearly screamed from the pain coming off him, slumping towards the ground before Peter caught me and pulled me into his embrace. "There's no room, no room!" He panted out. "There's too many voices! Too many voices!"
"We've gotta get him out of here." David stated just as a screech sounded behind us. We spun around to see a flying monkey diving at us, jumping away and causing it to crash into the dirt next to Rumple, who quickly jumped up and darted away. I ripped myself out of Peter's grip and took off after him, ignoring Emma and Peter's shouting.
I was not losing another father.
I sprinted after him, cursing when I lost sight of him as he weaved through the trees and, with a sharp scream of frustration, I summoned a fireball and threw it at a medium sized tree, thankful that despite now having a gaping hole in the trunk, it didn't collapse.
"Lily!" Emma ran to me, gripping my arm when I tried to move and tugged me to her. "We can find him together, okay? I know you're a little messed up right now but, you have to focus!" She gripped my shoulders and lightly shook me, causing the red haze blanking my vision to clear until I saw her concerned face.
"Sorry." I muttered and she sighed in relief before she headed off where Rumple had disappeared to, calling his name when I felt another aura.
"Gold!" Emma called out and I wasn't surprised when I heard Neal respond.
"Emma!" He caught sight of her and jogged across the forest, stopping in front of us as Emma glared at him, her voice tinged with exasperation.
"Neal," she sighed. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"You should be resting." I added, swallowing when I realized how rough my voice sounded.
"You expect me to stay in bed while you're looking for my dad?" He asked breathlessly and I stared hard at him, confused as to why he suddenly felt so much similar to Rumple.
"Right, I forgot who I was dealing with here." Emma, clearly not happy about Neal being here, didn't argue with him about it.
"You got a beat on him?" Neal asked, looking around.
"We found him but he took off again." I pointed towards where I'd last seen my unstable mentor and Neal's eyes widened, hope slowly stemming off him.
"So it's true? He's alive?"
"Yeah," Emma's eyes flickered to Neal's and I watched as a smile slowly grew on his face. "He is."
"How'd he seem?" He asked quickly, still smiling and Emma, clearly unwilling to tell him, looked at me, her expression pleading.
"Uh..." I looked around before looking straight at Neal, being as bluntly honest as I'd promised him decades ago. "That witch did something to him...he's worse than he ever was back in the Enchanted Forest."
Neal's face fell and I winced at the expression, quite aware that the pain I felt wasn't just a byproduct of his and Emma took over explaining.
"When I asked him about her, it was like he wanted to tell us but...he couldn't." She stared at Neal, who blinked at her before looking around.
"All right, well he can't be that far." He turned to the direction we'd pointed to earlier. "Come on." He nodded his head, sliding an arm around my shoulders when I fell into step next to him. Emma stood still, making a face at us and he chuckled. "You wanna waste time dragging me back to the hospital? 'Cause that's the only way you're gonna get me there." He teased, smiling and after staring at him briefly, Emma relented and stalked past us.
"Fine, let's go."
Neal removed the candelabra from his bag and placed it on the stump before lighting the candles. I watched in silence as Lumiere's face became visible.
"You found it." He sounded surprised and relieved but, I could feel a flicker of...regret? Unsure, as his emotions were extremely hard to read given he had no actual body, I stayed silent. "Thank heavens."
"Now what?" Neal asked as the snow began to fall heavier, quickly coating my hair in a fine layer of powder.
"Head to the center of the clearing. Under the ice and snow, you shall find the entryway, to the vault." He instructed and the two of them hastened to do as he said while I remained where I was, crossing my arms tightly under my cloak as Neal started to dig at the snow. I watched, dread twisting in my belly, as Neal began to rapidly brush snow off what seemed to be stone, frantically calling for us next.
"Belle! Lily!"
Belle rushed to his side, kneeling beside him and placing her hand on his shoulder as I stared at the circle he'd revealed in horror, wincing away from the darkness I felt even though dark magic was all I truly knew how to use.
Neal pulled out the key and Belle pointed at the center of the design, her voice breathless from anticipation.
"The, uh, key must go in the middle." Neal hesitated and looked over his shoulder, calling to Lumiere while he looked at me, his brow furrowing at the stance I had taken.
"You sure about this?" He asked loudly and, despite him not having a body, I could feel Lumiere's anger.
"I spent over two hundred years in Rumpelstiltskin's library, witnessing more dark magic and sorcery than any living creature has ever seen!" He spat out, oblivious to my expression and Belle's as well, as she twisted herself to look at him, holding up a finger.
"I-I'm sorry, how long did you say you were there?" She questioned and, had he been human, Lumiere probably would have puffed up like an angry bird.
"Two-hundred years at least!" Belle nodded and I finally turned to look at the candlestick before I drifted over to the others, not surprised when Belle leaned closer to Neal.
"He's lying." She muttered and he stopped examining the seal, looking up at me and I nodded in response. She stood up and stalked towards Lumiere, pointing her figner at him as I flanked her. "Rumple built that library for me, not long before the curse." She mocked him and I glared at him, my eyes turning red.
"It's barely been there thirty years." I snapped out. "I should know, I was the second-longest inhabitant of that castle."
"Who are you?!" Neal yelled as he stalked towards the now panicked looking man and for once, I didn't try and calm him down. "Unless you want to spend the rest of eternity underneath a snow drift, you better start talkin'." He threatened and I couldn't help but add to the threat.
"Or I could make you into a nice wax seal for my letters." I hissed out, feeling true fear coming off the once-man.
"I am who I appear to be." Lumiere vowed. "Only it wasn't Rumpelstiltskin who turned me into this wretched form. It was...the Wicked Witch of the West." He admitted freely and I felt my magic begin to tremble at the mention of that woman.
"The Wicked Witch?!" Belle repeated, angrily and incredulously. "She told you to lead us here?"
"She wants you to bring back the Dark One, so she can control him with his dagger." My blood felt like ice at that and my magic began to storm inside me.
"She has his dagger?" I hissed out and, if he could, I was almost positive Lumiere would be cowering away from me. I looked at Belle, who looked as pissed off as I felt. "We need to leave this place." I spoke without looking away from the flickering face and Belle nodded in agreement.
"No, wait." I turned my head to look at Neal. "This means we can bring him back, does it matter who got us here?" He asked and I opened my mouth, inwardly grateful when Belle spoke.
"Rumple didn't sacrifice his life for good so he could be a-a slave to evil." She managed out, looking like she wanted to grab Neal and shake some sense into him.
"My father is the king of loopholes," Neal removed his glove. "I'm sure he can find a way to deal with her."
"What if he can't?" Belle asked as Neal examined the key with his bare hand and panic seized me at the sight of his bared flesh so close to the key.
"Neal, don't touch that." I whispered and he looked up at me, his brow drawn in confusion as Belle continued.
"Think of what she could do with the Dark One under her control." She tried and I was torn between teleporting us all away form here and/or ripping my hair out from my frustration at how dense Neal was being. Belle reached out and placed her and on his forearm, her tone comforting. "We'll find another way to bring him back." She promised.
"What if there is no other way?" Neal questioned loudly, finally looking up from the key. I looked at him, taking in his pained expression that I knew matched mine. "I can't waste any more time." He pulled away from Belle and stalked to the circle. "I need to get back, to hell with the cost."
He fell to his knees at the circle and anger seized me, making me say words that I'd held in all these years.
"That's what Rumple told himself, when he forged the curse. I was there, I should know" I snapped, revealing the one thing that I had always kept secret for my mentor all these years. "A curse, that condemned countless people, myself included, to misery."
"Don't make the same mistake he did." Belle pleaded, her face hard and as I watched Neal place the key into the slot, pure fear gripped me as I remembered Rumple's warning about the vault.
"Neal!" I yelled, rushing forward as he placed his hand over the top of the key, pushing it in and causing heat to spread from it to the circle on the ground.
And to his hand.
I reached him just as he let out a cry of pain, jumping back from the vault and spinning to lay in the snow, his palm face down. I fell down next to him, wincing as steam rose from where his palm rested and, trembling myself, I lifted up his shaking hand and sucked in sharply.
Neal gasped when he caught of the triangle burned into his flesh and, spinning around onto his back, he backed away from the vault, gasping as the orange light began to spread. It quickly dissipated, a thick, black substance slowly filling the now indented circle and I stared at it in horror and stood as Belle came to my side.
I watched in horror as the liquid slowly began to take a human shape, though it was hunched over and completely covered by the liquid, making it unrecognizable.
"Rumple?" Belle asked, her voice trembling and I watched, still in shock as the liquid slowly began to melt off the...person.
My eyes widened in shock when the form began to sharpen.
"So, New York, huh?" Neal asked as we walked through the forest, making me wish for what felt like the hundredth time that I had Peter with me, as it was very easy to tune others out when he was near me.
"I like the pizza." Emma offered.
"Did Henry like it?" Neal questioned as we continued walking, though I attempted to give them the illusion of privacy and remained ahead of them.
"He loves pizza." Emma chuckled out and Neal joined her, forcing a small smile onto my lips at the reminder that, while Henry didn't remember any of us, his personality was still pretty much intact.
"When he was six, he used to ask why he couldn't have pizza for every meal of the day." I spoke up, my voice wistful and I didn't flinch when Neal's hand gently touched my shoulder, his familiar touch comforting.
"Well," he looked back at Emma, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I meant living there, in the city."
"Oh, yeah. I did too." Emma agreed. "Finally had time to do all the things we couldn't."
"Like what?" Neal asked curiously, and I could feel the desire in him to know what he'd missed out on involving the lives of the people he loved.
"Go to the park, see a movie, go to the zoo." Emma listed off. "Just do nothing. Life was good-really good." Her face softened.
"It didn't get lonely, just the two of you?" Neal asked and Emma sighed, darting a look behind us before she answered.
"Henry had tons of friends at school, and I...had someone." She grimace awkwardly and I looked away, speeding up a bit so I could give them their 'privacy' again. "Sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" Neal asked, not sounding or looking the least bit upset. His emotions, were twisted up so badly I could barely get a read on him. "Of course you did. It's not like we were-or you even remembered..." He looked at her awkwardly at her and she chuckled. "Was it serious?"
'He proposed." She shot back dryly and Neal's face snapped to hers.
"Wow." Was all he got out before she continued.
"And then eh turned into a flying monkey." She glanced at him, a sheepish, slightly mortified smile on her face and he returned the expression.
"Sounds intense." He joked, the both of them laughing.
"Go ahead and laugh," she mock whined, still grinning. "I almost married a monster from Oz, it's hilarious."
"I almost married a minion of my evil grandfather, Peter Pan." He blinked then shot a look at me. "Sorry, Lils." I shrugged, smirking at them. "So, I know what you're saying." He stated causing Emma to laugh before she sent me a mischievous look, and I smiled sweetly at him.
"I almost married Peter Pan." I teased, watching as his eyes went wide when I raised my arm, still walking, and pulled down my sleeve. "And I apparently did."
He looked at me in stunned horror, causing Emma to burst out into laughter when she caught sight of his face and I smiled at him, tugging him along as we headed down a small slope.
"So you're my adopted sister and my step-grandmother?" He clarified, looking mildly disturbed and I nodded, enjoying his expressions far too much. He shook his head, shuddering and I laughed again, walking ahead of them and tuning out heir conversation again.
"Hey, I'm sorry it didn't work out." Neal said to Emma, who turned her head to look at him in surprise.
"Really?" She asked and he nodded as we stepped over a tree limb.
"I care about you, Emma. I always will." He toped and turned to face her while I circled around them, looking around and reaching out with my magic. "I just want you to be happy...even if it isn't with me." He admitted, the pain clear for me to feel this time.
"We were happy, once." Emma smiled at him and stepped forward.
"We never found Tallahassee." He smiled sadly and she mirrored the expression, the mood broken when her cellphone began ringing loudly.
"Belle, what'd you find?" Emma asked when she answered it and I drifted closer to her, leaning closer so I could hear the conversation.
"The symbol on Neal's hand, it's from an ancient talisman. Lily was right, it's from a key that opens the vault to the Dark One. I think he may have used it to resurrect Rumple." I stiffened at that, darting a fearful glance at Neal as Rumple had once warned me, to never use that key to resurrect him should he die. "Back when we were in the Enchanted Forest."
"Wait, so he brought Gold back?" Emma asked, her eyes widening as she fixed them on Neal.
"That's where it gets unclear. The vault will only restore the Dark One-"
"In exchange for another's life." I finished with Belle, my eyes wide as I looked at Neal's confused face.
"Whoa, hang on a minute. What?" Emma demanded and I dimly heard Belle finished explaining, staring at Neal as fear filled me for him.
"It's a one-on-one trade. If Neal used that key...he should be dead right now." Emma's eyes locked onto Neal and, not seconds after Belle spoke, Neal fell to his knees, letting out a sharp cry of pain.
"Neal!" I fell to his side, looking up at Emma as she dropped her phone and fell next to me, grabbing his shoulders. "Neal?"
"Neal, what did you do?" Emma asked as he grabbed his palm, looking at the mark before he let out another cry of pain, pulling from us and I watched in horror as Neal's face began to switch between his own and Rumple's.
"Neal!"
As the shape solidified, Neal fell onto his back, letting out a cry of pain and I grabbed his shoulder as Belle joined me.
"Neal! Neal, what's wrong?" I looked up as the shape moved and stood in front of them, looking at Belle before I looked back at the shape as Neal continued to cry out on pain.
I watched, bringing a hand to my mouth as the black fell from the shape, Belle's assurances to Neal becoming a faint humming when I saw Rumple, in full Dark One regalia, standing in front of me like he'd never been affected by the curse at all.
"Rumple?" I breathed out and he looked at me, his eyes flickering to Belle's as she looked up, cradling a stilling Neal in her arms.
"Belle?" He looked at her, his eyes flickering to me. "Lillith?" I nodded, feelings tears come to my eyes as I feel to my knees next to Neal, pressing a glowing hand against him and swallowing thickly. "Bae!" Rumple came towards us, his expression filled with pain. "No!"
He fell to his knees next to me, taking a panting Neal into his arms and cradling him like a baby.
"Bae." He repeated and I stiffened when a familiar presence washed over me.
"Poor Baelfire." Zelena mocked as the green smoke around her cleared. "Just couldn't learn form his father's mistakes. HE wanted so badly to get back to his son, couldn't see the forest for the trees." She titled her head, a smirk on her lips as I felt Rumple nearly growl from beside me.
"You did this. You tricked him." Rumple accused hatefully, pointing at her with his dagger and she shrugged in response, her smirk falling from her face.
"All I did was pass on some vital information...with the help of a friend." Her gaze flickered to a stony-faced Lumiere. "And then your son did the rest."
"You didn't tell him tthe price." Rumple snapped out, baring his teeth in an angry snarl.
"Oops." She mocked, smiling brightly. "It's a sin of admission, love. Although, I would have thought it was rather obvious-a life for a life." Her gaze flickered to me. "I also would have thought your little pet would have been aware."
I bristled at her, my attention snapping back to Neal when his eyes fluttered open, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
"It's gonna be all right, son." Rumple promised.
"I do doubt that." Zelena smirked and, after looking down at his son, I felt more than saw the pure fry on Rumple's face and, when he told Belle to leave, I stayed next to him, staring defiantly at the green-skinned witch.
"I'm not gonna let him go." Rumple swore, propping Neal up in front of him and I backed away as Rumple raised the dagger, a silver, shimmering light surrounding them both as I quickly backed away, grabbing onto Belle and pulling her back when she tried to venture closer.
"Sorry, Rumple." Zelena sneered as the dagger began to tug away from Rumple's grip. "You can't hold on to both of them." With that, Rumple released the dagger, the spell still surrounding him and Neal, and the dagger flew to Zelena's feet. "Wow," she bent down to pick it up. "I didn't think you had it in you." She straightened up, chuckling evilly.
I watched, still holding onto Belle's arm as Rumple finished the spell, Neal being absorbed into his father's body and I felt Belle start with surprise, her entire body tensing as she realized what he'd done.
"You've got your son." Zelena circled Rumple and I moved forward, tears filling my eyes when I saw how Rumple's face began morphing between his own and Neal's. "But you've lost yourself."
He fell to his hands and knees and Belle started, only for me to tug her and myself away when I felt the energy coming off my mentor.
"Rumple?" Belle asked tearfully, her entire body shaking.
"No, no Rumple. No room." He babbled gruffly and I tugged her with me, as he yelled at us. "No room, no room." He pointed his finger at us and I looked over his head to glare hatefully at the grinning woman. "No Rumple!"
"Enough of this." Zelena stated, sounding bored. "Your madness if your burden to bear, not mine. It's time to go." She smirked, looking up at Belle and I. "But before we do, kill them."
I flicnehd at the expression on Rumple's face and tried ot pull Belle with me, tugging er when she refused to move.
"Rumple?" She tired again and, when I caught the expression his face, one of absolute madness, I tugged her harder.
"Belle, it's not him." I snapped and she shook her head, refusing to move. "Belle, he will kill us. He doesn't have a choice." I rushed out, trying harder to tug her away as Rumple's malice-filled gaze settled on us.
"No, we can-" She stopped, the words cut in her throat when Lumiere, who had been silent this entire time, suddenly blew out a stream of fire, wrapping it around Zelena, who began struggling against the fire.
"Go!" The candle commanded. "I can't keep her for long!" Rumple's face lost its malice but I began to tug Belle with me as Lumiere fought to hold a struggling Zelena. "Don't make me regret this flash of conscience! Get out of here!" He snapped and, after taking one more look at Rumple, who had his hand extended towards us, I managed to get a now sobbing Belle to run with me, though I allowed her to stop and grab Lumiere.
"You're gonna regret this, candle!" The witch snapped as I stopped Belle and waved a hand over our heads, transporting us away from the clearing and Rumple.
Neal let out another scream as Emma tried to hold onto him, looking desperately at me while I stared at them in alarm, grateful that Neal's face had at least stopped morphing with Rumples.
"I...I think Gold is inside you." Emma breathed out, looking absolutely terrified. "I think that's how you're still alive."
'Ugh," Neal let out another groan, his voice tight with pain. "I can hear my father's voice in my head." His eyes screwed up tightly and he reached for Emma, his head hanging down between them before it snapped up. "He's in there! He's in me!" Emma gently brushed her hand over his hair as I placed an arm around his back, flinching from them magic inside him.
"He said there was no room-he meant you." Emma looked at me again, her eyes pleading as Neal continued to reach for her. "Lillian-do something!"
"I'm not powerful enough to separate them!" As I spoke, Neal gripped Emma's arm, his voice still wracked with pain.
"I need you to help me Emma!" She looked at him in confusion. "Use your magic-separate me and my father." He asked in a pained voice and I stiffened art the implications of what that would do.
"Are you kidding?" She asked, looking at him like he was crazy. "Then you'll die."
"I know." He hissed out painfully, his face screwed up against it. "But you need my dad more than me." I swallowed as Emma looked at him sadly. "To figure out who the witch is, to save the town, you need to do this."
"I've never done anything like that before-nothing that big."
She began to shake her head and he looked at me, his voice pained and pleading. The agony coming off him was almost too much for me to bear and I was shaking from the effort.
"Lily, you have to help her do it." I opened my mouth and he continued in a rush. "You're the only one who can!" He looked back at Emma, panting harshly. "Do it. To save you and to save Henry."
He pulled back slightly as I moved to rest next to Emma, tears filling my eyes as I placed my hands in his, motioning for Emma to do the same.
"Do it!" He shut his eyes from the pain. "Please!"
She looked at his agonized face and, after looking at me with her own tear-filled eyes, she followed suit and placed her hands overtop of mine, curling them around Neal's hands.
"Follow my lead." I whispered, closing my eyes and focusing, everything falling away to a dull roar as I tried to find Rumple's energy inside of Neal's body. This wasn't like Peter, who had technically be a separate entity once Malcolm was himself again. Rumple and Neal were almost...mixed.
I could feel Emma's energy, slightly surprised by the amount of it and I quickly led it to where I could feel Rumple's.
After nearly getting my hands crushed, I let out a gasp, flinging my hands away as Emma followed suit and watched as Neal tumbled out from his father.
Rumple was covered in a light, silvery film of light but, I paid him no mind and rushed to Neal, my hands glowing gold. Emma, however stared at the older man in shock, gasping loudly before she crawled to Neal.
"Neal!" She reached my side, her voice frantic. "Neal! Are you okay?!"
"What have you done?!" Rumple demanded, seating himself across from Neal and helped us sit the man up. The glow from my hands died as I realized that this...was far beyond anything I could heal.
"It's...okay...Papa." Neal breathed out, reaching for Rumple as Emma pushed him into a limp seating position, grunting with the effort and through her tears. She let him recline against her legs, holding onto his shoulders as Rumple stared down at him. "I told them to."
Rumple and I shared a look and I winced when Rumple's sorrow hit me full force.
"But hwy?" He questioned, looking bewildered.
"You can tell them...who the witch is." His eyes opened and he stared up at Rumple. "So you can defeat her." I watched Rumple's face slowly twist into an ugly grimace, hate lining his entire expression.
"Zelena." He hissed out and Emma's eyes snapped to him.
"What?"
"Zelena." Rumple repeated.
"She's the witch?" Emma asked in shock, having met the midwife I'd heard so much about. "What does she want?"
"What she doesn't have." Rumple whispered out brokenly.
"There has to be some way you can save him, right?" Emma asked, her desperate eyes flickering between Rumple and I and, when Rumple forced himself to stand, I felt something in me snap and break.
"It's too late Emma." Neal said from her arms with a sigh and I fell back, closing my eyes tightly as the tears finally began to fall from behind my eyes.
I heard Emma let out a whimper, the sound forcing me to open my eyes and I watched, almost numbly as she looking down at Neal.
"Just hang in there, please." She begged, her voice breaking. "You never even had a chance to see Henry-for him to remember you."
"It's okay." He wheezed out and, I looked over to Rumple and reached out an arm, causing him to pull me up and tuck him into his side as we stared at the couple on the ground. "He doesn't need to." Neal winced out, tears falling from his eyes as well. "He just needs to know that, in the end, I was a good father."
He reached into his pocket, every movement clearly agony and he rummaged through it, pulling out a silver chain.
"I saved this for you," her eyes snapped to the necklace and the pain she felt increased. "To give to you again." Neal held it up, panting out. "Take it."
Emma grabbed it, clasping their hands over it and I bit my lip so hard I began to taste blood, paying no mind as I watched the scene in front of me.
"Go find Tallahassee...even if it's without me." Neal begged her, his voice breaking with pain even as he smiled.
"Neal," Emma moan out, her face twisted up in pain and he cut her off.
"Hey. I'll be watching over you guys from somewhere." He promised with a smile. "Promise me-just prom-promise me you'll both be happy."
"I promise." Emma whispered, her face tightening again. "I promise." repeated, tugging Neal closer and resting her cheek on his forehead while his eyes shut tightly.
"No." Rumple spoke and I looked at him, not surprised when he finally acted. "No, no, no." He rushed forward to kneel over his son. "I can fix this."
"No, you can't." Neal reached out and gripped Rumple's arm, stopping his grief-stricken father in his tracks. "You can't." Neal smiled sadly. "Thank you, Papa, for showing me...what it is...to make a true sacrifice. It's about...saving the ones...that you love." His eyes flickered over to me and, letting out a soft sob I rushed forward and hug him from the other side, gently kissing his forehead. "Thank you, Lily...for all you've done for me."
"No." Rumple sobbed out, shaking his head from side to side while I simply nodded against Neal's forehead, looking up and seeing the heartbreak in Emma's eyes before I looked at my mentor as Neal spoke.
"It's my turn now." Neal vowed and I pressed my forehead to his, inhaling sharply as I felt his energy slowly get fainter and fainter with each breath he took.
"No," Rumple repeated, his entire body shaking from grief as he took Neal's hand from his arm and clasped it over his heart. "I don't want to let you go." He sobbed out softly and I closed my eyes, letting the tears fall silently down my cheeks.
"I need you too." I didn't open my eyes as Neal spoke, the strange optimism in his voice only making the ache worse. "Please. Let go." I felt Rumple's hand near my face, assuming he was cupping Neal's cheek.
"I love you, son." Rumple breathed out painfully and I moved my head away from Neal's to stare down at him, agony ripping through my chest.
"I-I love you, Papa." Neal forced out before he slumped back in Emma's hold, his eyes widening before he went still. I stared down at him, my vision blurring as hot tears burned their way out of my eyes and I watched as Rumple kissed the back of Neal's unmoving hand before smiling sadly at his son.
"He's gone."
Emma slammed open the door to the loft, her gun out and Mary nearly jumped from her seat as I rushed to her, David at my heels.
"Emma, David? What's going on?" I reached her, running my hand over her belly and she gripped my wrist, her eyes wide. "What's going on, Lillian?"
"Where's Zelena?" Emma demanded, pointer her gun around.
"In the bathroom, why?" I nodded at David, who placed a hand protectively on Mary's shoulder, and I opened my hands, fire erupting in my palms. David unsheathed his sword, point a hand at Emma and I. Father and daughter went to the two doors while I remained by Mary, who was looking around bewildered.
After sharing a look and nodding, they kicked open the doors to the bathroom and rushed in as Mary gasped, only to find the bathroom empty and the window open.
"She had to know we were coming." David turned to look at me. "Lillian, can you sense her?"
I shook my head angrily, my eyes turning red.
"She's cloaking herself-and she's damn good at it, too."
"I'll call Regina, we need to get a protection spell around this apartment right away." She pulled out her phone, addressing me as she raised it to her ear. "Can you start one?"
I nodded and raised my hands as Mary finally spoke, looking around between us like we were insane.
"Does anyone want to tell me what's going on?" She asked as David went to his wife, sheathing his word.
"I'm just glad you're safe." He sighed and she erupted from frustration.
"Of course I'm safe. Why wouldn't I be safe?" She demanded.
"It's Zelena." David panted out as Emma walked past them.
"She's the Wicked Witch."
"What?" Mary whimpered out, looking between her daughter and husband. "How do you know?"
"Gold told us. Neal brought him back before..." I flinched, pain tearing at the newest wound in my chest but I pushed it aside, focusing on the protection spell.
"Before what, Emma?" I watched as Mary walked towards Emma, who was tearing up. "Emma, what happened?"
"Neal's dead." Emma whispered out, her voice heartbroken as Mary stared at her sadly.
"Oh," she sighed out. "Emma, I'm so sorry." She reached forward, wrapping her arms around her daughter, who didn't fight the embrace, merely resting her head on her mother's shoulder as she cried.
0o0o0o0
I walked into the pawnshop, looking up to see Hook and Belle turn in our direction as Mary and David followed. I looked around, inhaling sharply when I caught sight of Peter coming from the back room, his brow furrowed in concern when he caught sight of my face and I nearly ran to him, throwing myself in his arms.
"He's dead." I whispered hoarsely, brokenly. "I promised I'd save him and he's dead. And she has Rumple too." I could feel it, the power of his dagger wasn't with him, she had to have it.
Peter simply shushed me, gentling tangling his hands in my hair as I began to sob softly, his hands gently soothing up and down my back.
"Shh, love." He whispered against my hair. "It's all right, love." He gently pulled me back far enough so I could look into his eyes and I smiled grimly when I saw the fire burning in the green depths.
"And we're going to kill that bitch for laying a hand on our family."
Also, I have a Peter and Charming bonding scene that was suggested by the lovely WolfWitchHuntress1318. It takes place during the episode 'The Tower'. This is the first half, I'll post the second half with the next chapter.
Peter stared after Lily as she stormed away, sighing softly before muttering darkly under his breath hand turning from the door, only to nearly run into the resident prince that clearly despised him.
"I have a feeling, even if I challenged you to a duel, you'd still go on and marry Lillith anyway." The man sighed, his arms crossed tightly over his chest when Peter nodded once, his expression tight.
"She is mine." He stated fiercely, clearly daring the older man to say something. "And I am hers."
Snow approached them, smacking Charming's arm and sending him a short, meaningful glare when he let out a noise of protest at the beating. Peter simply smirked widely at that, flinching when Snow turned her fury on him.
"You!" She pointed at the immortal teen and he resisted the urge to cower behind something sturdy. "Have to understand the absolute hell Lily has gone through the past few days, of what she's lost." She softened slightly at him, but quickly pushed on. "Blaming yourself for what happened and weighing yourself down with guilt isn't going to help anyone, so quit it!"
She rounded on her sniggering husband, poking him fiercely in the chest while Peter watched the scene, still in shock that the woman had yelled up.
"And you!" She hissed up at her wide-eyed husband. "You have to stop this! I know how important Lillith is to you, and that you feel the need to protect her ever since you learned her story, but this isn't the way to go about it!" She finished, clearly exasperated with both of the men in the room and she spun on her heel, stalking out of the room, only stopping in the doorway to turn and glare at them.
"That girl has lost half of the only people she has ever loved!" She nearly exploded at them, her eyes blazing with fury and both men winced at her expression. "If you two can't get your heads out of your asses and get along for her sake, I'm not sure what it will do to her."
With that, the two flabbergasted males watched as Snow White strutted away from the, clearly heading off to find the girl she had just berated them about.
Still stunned, the two men shared wide-eyed looks before Charming snapped out of his daze, suddenly going to the door and motioning for the younger to follow.
"Come on." He mumbled, looking every bit the chastised husband he was and Peter stifled a snicker, deciding to follow the prince.
"Where are we going?"
"I don't know about you, but I could use a drink."
0o0o0o0
Peter raised an eyebrow when Charming led him to the stables and leaned against a stall while Charming reached into a bag, tugging out a flask and, tilting his head back, began gulping down the alcohol.
"Well, aren't we being selfish." Peter snipped from his spot and Charming turned around, a sheepish expression on his face and offered the flask to the younger man, who shook his head, a smile curving the corner of his mouth. "I don't do alcohol, the whole 'not a grown up' thing always put a damper on any desire for alcohol."
Charming nodded and, while Peter watched, his eyebrow raising even higher, he went right back to guzzling down the wine, letting out a deep sigh when he pulled the bottle from his lips.
"I sued to keep a bottle hidden in my quiver." Robin entered the stable, sending Peter a short smile before they fixed their attention on a distracted looking Charming. He turned to the archer, raising the bottle.
"I, uh..." He let out a nervous chuckle and Robin smiled back at him, before Charming's attention was pulled to the arrows the thief currently had in his grasp. "Are those, gold-tipped arrows?"
"Payment." Robin stated, raising said arrows slightly, an almost cynical smile on his face. "For helping the Queen break into her castle." He reached down and held up his bow and Peter could feel the energy emanating from it.
"Did Lily enchant the bow?" He asked before he could stop himself and Robin nodded, smiling lightly.
"Yes, she strengthened the previous enchantment and even made the bow unbreakable." He smiled lightly before sighing and stepping past Charming. "Never though I'd be paid to break in somewhere." He admitted as he placed the arrows in his quiver and hung the bow. "It just feels...wrong somehow."
"That's very generous, the Queen must like you." Charming said, earning a disturbed look from Peter before Robin spoke, looking strangely amused.
"Huh, it's a pity she wants me out of her castle as soon as possible." He leaned on the racks with his arm. "But right now, it's the best place for my boy. With a witch on the loose, my first priority is, keeping my family safe."
Peter shared an uneasy look with Charming before the latter turned his attention back to the archer in front of them when he spoke, nodding at both of them.
"I'm sure you both understand that." He walked past Charming again and the prince raised the bottle to his lips again with a sigh.
"I do." He breathed out, taking another sip of the liquid and Robin turned back around to face the prince, who was leaning on a saddle as Peter snatched the bottle from his hands and pulled it to his lips.
"If you don't mind me saying, you both look like men who could use sleep more than a drink." Robin offered, seating himself next to Charming while Peter handed him back the bottle, shuddering at the burn of the alcohol.
"I would if I could." Charming muttered, handing the bottle to Robin, who took it gladly, though with less enthusiasm than the other two had.
"Hmm, I've been there before." He looked at Peter now, his brow furrowing. "You and Lady Lillith, why is it that I saw her being comforted by Lady Belle as I was making my way here?"
"I-"
"We." Charming cut him off, motioning between himself and the green-eyed teen. "Upset her with our...behavior towards each other."
"Ah." Robin looked at them but said nothing else, fixing his attention on Charming again. "Is there, uh, anything you want to talk about?" He offered, glancing at the silent, tight-lipped teen in the room. "Or, not talk about?"
"I, uh...it's just-" Charming began, sighing deeply before he tried again. "I've always known everything would work out for the best."
Robin nodded along while Peter watched avidly, remaining silent as Charming continued.
"When I was last in the Enchanted Forest, I dueled a black knight to put my newborn in a magic wardrobe to flee a curse and never once did my confidence waver."
"Then what's changed?" Robin asked curiously, sharing a look with Peter before turning his attention back to Charming.
"That's just it, I don't know." He admitted, looking troubled as a deep crease formed in his forehead. "I just can't seem to escape this feeling of...dread. And I really need to be there for Snow right now and I can't be distracted by this...this fear." He nearly hissed out and Robin nodded in response.
"So don't be." He offered, earning an incredulous look from Charming as Robin turned his attention towards Peter. "And you, what is it you're afraid of?"
He looked down, his eyebrows drawing together as memories of Lily's terrified face flashed in his mind, the expression and fear in her eyes when he'd frozen them all in Storybrooke sending pain piercing through his chest.
"That I won't be good enough for her." He whispered, so softly the other two had to lean forward to hear him. He looked up, his expression the closest thing to tortured Charming had seen and he ran a hand through his already messy hair. "I don't want her to wake up one morning and realize I've always been the cause of the misfortunes in her life."
"Well, as I said to the price here, don't be." Robin repeated and Charming spoke while Peter huffed darkly, crossing his arms and leaning against the wood behind him.
"Easier said than done." Charming muttered, raising the bottle back to his lips.
"After my wife died," Robin pulled their attention back to him. "Friar Tuck told me of a root that, if digested, it would help one overcome any, and all fears."
Charming's eyes widened and he straightened up, placing the bottle down, grabbing his bag, and looking excitedly at the other man while Peter moved to them, his brow furrowed.
"Where can I find it?"
"Well, it's said to grow under the white moss at the edge of Sherwood Forest." Robin offered, motioning in the direction with his hand. "Just south of here."
"Anything else?"
"It has flecks of crystal within its flesh, looks like stars."
"Stars?" Peter repeated, his brown drawn in puzzlement and Robin nodded.
"Well, that's why they call it nightroot."Robin smiled faintly and Charming shared another look with Peter.
"Did it help you?" Charming demanded and Robin shrugged, looking unconcerned.
"I don't really dabble in magic, not unless I have to." He admitted, clearly grateful for that fact.
"Well, I may not have that luxury." Charming stated before grabbing the saddle he'd been previously perched upon and headed out the door while Robin called after him.
"You should know that, uh...they say that part of the forest is haunted." Robin added, looking mildly concerned when Charming turned to face him.
"Haunted?" He repeated and Robin nodded.
"You may need the nightroot to handle the fear of your journey to stop your fear." Robin joked, though his expression of amusement looked forced. "Perhaps the flask was the right idea."
"I'm not afraid of a ghost story." Charming stated, shaking his head. "Not when my family's at stake." He nodded at the archer. "Thank you."
He turned and headed towards the horses, not stopping when Peter started after him, calling to him.
"I'm coming with you." Charming stopped at that and turned around, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not going to baby-sit you." He shot back and turned to go, blinking when Peter reappeared in front of him, his arms crossed.
"Well, lucky for you I'm rather good at taking care of myself." He leaned closer, withholding the snarl he felt building in his chest. "You aren't the only one that has fears, Charming." He pulled back, taking the saddle from Charming's grip. "Now, you either let me come willingly or you deal with me tagging along anyway."
"Do I honestly have a choice here?" Charming asked tiredly, causing a wide smirk to slide onto Peter's face.
"Well, well. Look who's finally catching on."
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