The New Neverland

In Storybrooke, Belle, Anna and Ariel were walking to the harbor, "So if the name Rumple gave you is correct, he works here," said Belle, as she pointed ahead.

They saw fisherman cutting fish, "Is that him?" asked Anna, "Is that Eric?"

"Yes," said Ariel with a smile. Just then Eric used his cleaver to cut off a fish's head, "Wow. He must really hate me."

"Go on, go to him," said Anna.

But Ariel stood there nervously. Belle and Anna physically pushed her toward Eric, "Go on," said Belle.

Ariel walked up to Eric. He glanced up and was stunned to see her, "Ariel," he said.

Ariel smiled and softly said, "Eric."

Eric took off his apron and walked up to her. Then they kissed. Anna and Belle smiled as they watched their friend be reunited with her true love. Then they heard a noise and looked up. In they saw an object fly out of the clouds. Ariel and Eric broke their kiss and Ariel asked, "What's that?"

They saw the object break through the barrier that surrounded Storybrooke. It was the Jolly Roger, "He's back," said Belle with a smile.


When the Jolly Roger came into port, there was a group of cheering townspeople there to greet them. Pan in Henry's body walked off first followed by Emma, Travis, Elsa, Mary Margaret and David followed him. The moment Elsa stepped off the boat, Anna ran up to her sister and hugged her. Elsa laughed and hugged her sister back. Regina and Mr. Gold were then next off. Emma looked at the boy she thought was her son, and asked, "How does it feel to finally be home?"

"Better than I ever imagined," said Pan in Henry's body.

Felix and the other Lost Boys walked off the ship while Belle and Mr. Gold hugged, "I told you I'd see you again," said Belle.

"That's the last time I don't listen to you," said Gold.

Neal walked up to them, "Hey."

"Hey," said Belle as she patted his shoulder, "Welcome back."

"Thank you. I, uh I found this below deck," said Neal as he showed them Gold's cane, "Thought you might need it."

"Thank you, Bae, I do," said Gold as he took the cane, "As a reminder of the man I was, which shall no longer be." Then, the three of them joined in a group hug.

As the Lost Boys continued to leave the ship, John and Michael Darling anxiously waited for their sister. Just then, Wendy walked off. She scanned the crowd looking for her brothers. The second they saw her they ran up to her, "Wendy!" called Michael, as they ran up to each other

"Michael!" said Wendy, as they hugged, "John!" Then Wendy hugged John, "Is it really you?"

"You have no idea how long we've been waiting to see you," said John.

Neal walked up to them and Wendy said, "Do you remember Baelfire?" Then the four of them hugged.

"So, now what?" asked Neal.

"I think it's time for the Darlings to go home," said John, "All of us."

Meanwhile, Elsa looked at her boyfriend, "How do you feel?"

"Pretty good, actually," said Travis, "I think the water must be working."

"Aye, it is," said Hook, "Dreamshade overtook my brother the moment we left Neverland."

"Gold will find a cure," said Mary Margaret, "You'll be okay."

"I have to admit," said Emma, "there was a minute there I didn't believe we were all going to make it out of that place."

"Well, we did," said David.

Mary Margaret looked and saw Regina standing by herself looking down. Then, Mary Margaret spoke up, "And we owe a lot of it to her. Regina helped save us all." The townspeople and Regina were surprised at Mary Margaret's statement.


A little while later, David, Belle, Emma and Mr. Gold were looking up at the back sail, "So what about that Shadow?" asked David.

"Don't worry, it's trapped," said Mr. Gold, "Just as it was in the candle. The only person that can free it is safely in here." He looked down at Pandora's box in his hands.

Just then, Pan, in Henry's body, walked over to Felix, "What do you have in mind, Peter?" Felix asked as they watched Henry's family in the distance, "What if someone decides to open that box; let the real boy out?"

"That's not the problem, trust me," said Pan, in Henry's body.

"What's the next step?"

"You need to be punished," Pan said. Then, he turned to Henry's family, "Hey, Mom, Dad. What about Felix? He's still free."

Felix said to Pan, "What are you doing?"

"They need to trust me," Pan whispered.

Henry's family walked over and Regina said, "Henry's right. We can't just let Felix walk away free."

"Don't worry," said Travis, "we got plenty of cell space for this guy." Then he lead Felix away.

"You're safe now, Henry," said Emma.


Later, Belle, Emma, Henry, Neal, Regina, and Mr. Gold were in the backroom of Gold's shop. The others watched as Gold put Pandora's box back in its hiding place in the floor, "Once I seal the box in here, no one can break the spell but me." Gold then used his magic to seal the box into the floor.

"You're not going to do that?" asked Pan, in Henry's body.

"Believe me, I want Pan trapped as much as you."

"Don't worry, Henry," said Emma.

"He's not getting out of there," said Neal.

"We won't let anything happen to you again, I promise," said Regina.

"She's right," said Mr. Gold, "You needn't worry. As long as I'm alive, that boy will never see the light of day."


The welcome home party was in full swing at Granny's, when Emma walked in with Henry's storybook. Henry was sitting in a booth, when Emma placed the book in front of him and sat down across from him. Henry just stared at the book, "Well, don't get too excited. Neal still had it in his room. We thought you'd want it. Especially since you just lived a fairytale of your own."

Pan, in Henry's body wasn't sure what to do. He smiled tentatively and said, "Right. Thanks." Then he opened the book and flipped through it.

Emma was a bit confused by his reaction, "You okay?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Emma didn't answer. A little while later, Emma and Neal were watching who they thought was Henry, flip through the book, "How's he doing?" asked Neal.

"He's good as it can be expected," said Emma.

"So, uh, Emma, can we... make some time to... talk?"

"Isn't that what we are doing right now?"

"Yeah, uh... I just thought," Neal paused. He looked over at Henry and then back at Emma, "maybe just the two of us."

"Are you trying to ask me on a date?" asked Emma.

"You know, when you put it like that—"

"Neal, I don't know."

"Listen, Henry's back and he's safe. We all are. Okay, look, I'll make it easier for you. Tomorrow I'm gonna be hungry just around lunchtime and so I'm gonna come here," Neal pointed at one of the booths, "I'm gonna sit in that booth and you're welcome to join me. And if not, I'll quit bugging you." Then, he got up and walked over to Henry.

Just then, David, Mary Margaret, Travis and Elsa walked up behind Emma. Hearing Emma and Neal's conversation, "Don't say it," said Emma.

"Say what?" asked Mary Margaret.

"That I owe it to Neal to go on a date with him."

"You don't. You owe it to yourself."

"I can't think about myself right now; not after what Henry just went through," then Emma walked away.

"Now who does she remind me of?" David asked Mary Margaret.

Emma walked up to Henry and said, "Sorry, kid. It's time for something you didn't have in Neverland—bedtime." Henry closed the book and stood up. They started to the door and Emma saw Regina, "Oh, let's say goodnight to Regina."

"Goodnight?" said Regina, "I didn't realize it was getting so late. It's going to be hard to let you out of my sight."

"Maybe you don't have to," said Pan, in Henry's body, "Maybe I could stay with you tonight."

"Oh. Of course."

"Yeah, uh, just call me tomorrow and let me know what time you want to pick you up."

"Come on, Henry. Let's go home," said Regina, then she and Henry walked out.

Mary Margaret overheard the conversation and walked up to her daughter, "It's okay. He probably just wants to spend his first night back in his old room."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," said Emma.


The next afternoon, Travis and Elsa were at Granny's dinner having lunch, "I never thought Granny's lasagna could taste so good," said Travis.

Elsa chuckled just as Mr. Gold walked up to the couple, "So how'd you like to wash it down with this?" He set down a small bottle.

"Is that—?" asked Elsa.

"Yeah. An elixir. This will cure your Dreamshade poisoning once and for all."

"You found a cure already?" asked Travis.

"I am a man of my word," said Gold.

"And I owe you nothing? No price of magic, no..."

"On the house. But we are family now, so I'm sure should I ever need a favor, you'll be more than receptive."

Travis nodded, "Thank you."

Then, Mr. Gold left, "What are you waiting for?" asked Elsa, "Drink it." Travis took the cap off the bottle and drank it down, "How do you feel?"

Travis took a deep breath as he felt the elixir working. He pat the area where he was hit by the arrow and felt the wound was gone. He smiled and leaned over the table and kissed Elsa, "I feel wonderful." Elsa smiled then she looked over Travis' shoulder and saw Neal sitting alone. Then her smile faded, "What's wrong?"

"Emma didn't listen to your mother," said Elsa.

Travis looked behind him and saw Neal sipping his coffee looking out the window. He went to stand up but Elsa stop him, "Let me handle this…" Elsa grabbed her coat and headed out.


Elsa found Emma near the docks checking something on her phone," Isn't Granny's that way?" asked Elsa.

"Did Neal send you?"

"No, he has no idea I am here, but when I saw him sitting in that table alone, I wanted to make sure you were okay. Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Emma, as she typed something into her phone.

"Emma," said Elsa, as she sat down next to her boss and friend.

"It's not Neal, it's Henry. He doesn't seem like himself. He barely recognized his storybook last night."

"He went through a lot in Neverland."

"I know. And he asked to spend the night at Regina's."

"Well, she did help us save him and she did raise him until you came into his life."

"I know she did."

"Look, he probably wants to stay with you tonight. I probably wouldn't worry about it. We're all recovering."

"I know. I just can't shake the feeling something bad is still going to happen and I need to do everything I can to stop it."

"Emma, you can't think like that."

"But bad things do keep happening."

"So do good things. But if you keep thinking like that you'll miss out. Let me tell you about Anna and me. When we were little girls, I was 8 and Anna was 5. We used to have so much fun with my powers but one night I accidently hit her in the head with a blast of magic. Luckily, the rock trolls were able to heal her, But they told my parents and I that my powers would become more dangerous if I didn't learn to control them. So, the trolls erased Anna's memories of how she got hurt and my powers. And, I spent the next 13 years locked in my room away from her because I was afraid I would hurt her. I missed out on so much because I was afraid something bad was going to happen. I know now that there is more to life than that worrying about the bad things all the time. Life is made up of moments. Good ones, bad ones, but they're all worth living."

"Well, I seem to be a magnet for the bad ones."

"Well, all the more reason to look for the good moments in between the bad ones."

"And you think having lunch with Neal is a good moment?"

"I don't know. Does he eat with his mouth open?"

Emma smiled a little and said, "I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Well, you can start by finding out. Come on, I'll give you a lift to Granny's," Emma and Elsa then headed over to the squad car.

As Elsa and Emma got out of the squad car in front of Granny's they heard a woman screaming. They saw Hook and Tinker Bell running out from the side of Granny's, "The hell was that?" asked Emma.

"We had the same question," said Hook.

Emma looked at Hook and then Tinker Bell, "Wait, were you two...?"

"No," said Tinker Bell.

"Perhaps," said Hook

Then, there was another scream, "Over there!" shouted Elsa, she ran off in the direction of the voice. Then, Tinker Bell, Emma and Hook followed. The four of them themselves in front of the nunnery. When they got there they saw Mother Superior running for her life from the Shadow. She ran up the steps as fast as she could but the Shadow caught her and ripped her shadow from her body. Then, Mother Superior fell to the ground. Elsa knelt down and checked her pulse, "She's gone."

"Why would the Shadow kill her?" asked Tinker Bell.

"No idea, love," said Hook, "But I do know the Shadow only takes orders from one person."

"Pan."

Mary Margaret, David, Travis and Neal arrived a little while later. Regina and Henry arrived as Elsa and Emma were covering, Mother Superior's body with a blanket, "What the hell happened?" asked Regina.

"The Shadow," said Elsa, "It killed her."

"Pan's shadow? I trapped it on the sail."

"Yeah, well, it got free."

"Hook, let's go back to the ship and get the candle," said Neal, "If it strikes again, we need to be able to capture it." Neal left followed by Hook and Tinker Bell.

"Pan's behind this, I know it," said Emma.

"Emms," said Travis, "Pan's trapped in a box under the floor of Gold's shop."

"Who else would be doing this?"

"So, Pan can still hurt me," said Pan, in Henry's body.

"We don't know that," said Regina.

"We have to assume he's still a threat," said Mary Margaret.

"And that he's after Henry," said Emma.

"Then what am I doing here?" asked Pan, in Henry's body.

"He's right," said David, "He's not safe out in the open."

Pan, in Henry's body, looked at Regina, "You'll protect me, right?"

"Yes, of course," said Regina. Then she hugged the boy she thought was her son.

"Go," said Emma, "We'll take care of the Shadow." Henry and Regina started to walk away then Emma said, "Regina, wait."

Henry continued to walk but Regina stopped, "What?"

Emma walked over to Regina and said in a soft tone, "Keep a close eye on him,"

"I already said I would."

"I know. He just doesn't seem quite himself."

"Really? You mean because he asked for me?"

"No, I didn't... I didn't mean—"

"That's exactly what you meant. You can't face the fact that I am his mother too. And maybe, just maybe, he wants me when he's frightened. You forget—I have ten years of soothing his nightmares under my belt. He's fine."

"It's not about you, Regina. I just have a gut feeling."

"Well, maybe you can use that gut feeling to find the Shadow instead of obsessing over who's going to comfort our son." Then, she and Henry walked away.


David, Emma, Mary Margaret, Travis and Elsa ran to Mr. Gold's shop. When they got there they saw Belle and Gold leaving, "No, I'm afraid we're closed. Whatever crisis you're dealing with, I'm done for the day."

"Rumple," said Belle.

"Pandora's Box," said Emma, "Give it to me."

"Why would I do that?" asked Gold.

"We need to open it."

"And let Pan escape? What are you—crazy?"

"Somehow he's controlling the Shadow from inside the box," said Travis, "Henry's life is in danger."

"And you think letting Pan out will change that?" asked Gold.

"Yes. Because we can stop finally and forever," said Emma.

"All due respect, Miss Swan, we barely succeeded in apprehending him the first time. If I've learned one thing, it's not to tempt fate."

"I am not looking to apprehend him. Wouldn't you rather be sure he's gone?"

"Well, what do you have in mind?"


The group got into three cars, David, Emma and Mary Margaret in David's truck. Belle and Gold in Gold's Car. And, Travis and Elsa in the squad car. The group of cars then headed to the townline. When they got there, they all got out of the cars, "There's no magic beyond the town line," said Gold, "If we release Pan outside Storybrooke, he'll be powerless to fight back."

Gold was about the cross the line when Emma stepped in front of him, "Uh-uh. I'm doing this," she said.

"I can cross the line and retain my memory.

"It's not about that. There's no magic over there. All due respect, the real world is my expertise," Emma took out her gun and stepped over the line, "I'm gonna deal with Pan on my terms."

"He is my father," said Gold

"It's my hunch," said Emma, "If I fail, you're more than welcome to pick up the pieces."

"Emma, be careful," said Mary Margaret.

Mr. Gold waved his hand over the top of the box and the box opened. He set it down on the other side of the line and stepped back. Red magic came out of the box and took the form of Peter Pan, laying on the ground, with his back to Emma. Emma cocked her gun and Pan stood up. He turned around and looked at her, "Mom?" said Henry, in Pan's body.

"What?" asked Emma.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Gold, "Shoot him."

"Don't. Please. I'm Henry," said Henry, in Pan's Body, "Pan... he switched our bodies."

"You expect me to believe that?" asked Emma.

"Don't listen to him. This is one of his tricks," said Gold.

"No, it's not," said Henry, in Pan's Body, "He did it right before Mr. Gold captured me in the box, I swear." He took a step toward Emma.

"Ah, don't come any closer," said Emma.

"Shoot him!" said Gold

"Maybe he's telling the truth. Maybe that's why I can't shake this feeling something is off about Henry."

"Maybe that's what he wants you to believe. If he steps over this line, we're all dead."

"All right, if you are really Henry, prove it. Tell me something only Henry would know."

"I-I got trapped in the mines," said Henry, in Pan's body, "I tried blowing up the well. I like hot cocoa with cinnamon."

"This proves nothing," said Mr. Gold.

"He's right, Emma," said Mary Margaret, "Henry could've told Pan all this in Neverland."

"Pan might know facts, but life is made up more than that—there are moments. He can't possibly know all of them. The first time you and I connected—you remember that? Not met, but connected."

"Yeah," said Henry, in Pan's body.

"Where was it?" asked Emma

"My castle. Right after you came to Storybrooke."

"And what did you tell me?"

"That I knew why you gave me up."

"Why?"

"Because you wanted to give me my best chance."

Emma then lowered the gun and put it away, "Henry."

"Mom."

The two of them hugged, "It is Henry," said Emma. She looked over at Gold, "Promise you're not going to incinerate us when we step over the line." He shook his head. Emma picked up the box and they walked over the line.

Henry walked over to David, Mary Margaret, Travis and Elsa and they all hugged him as Emma handed Gold the box, "I'm sorry I doubted you, Henry," said Gold, "And I'm sorry I put you in this box in the first place."

"It's okay," said Henry, in Pan's Body, "I would have done the same thing."

"Come on," said Emma, as she and Henry walked back to the truck.

"If Henry's here," said Travis, "then where's Pan?"


The group then headed to the cemetery and as they walked to Regina's vault, Emma tried to call Regina, but all she got was her voicemail, "Regina's still not answering."

Henry in Pan's body looked at Gold, "When we find Pan, remember he's still in my body. So if you have to throw fire or something, at least avoid the face."

"I'll do my best," said Gold

When they got to the vault they found Hook, Neal and Tinker Bell waiting for them. Neal looked Henry in Pan's body, "Is it really you?" asked Neal.

"Dad," said Henry in Pan's body, then they hugged.

"Did you find the Shadow?" asked David.

"Not yet," said Tinker Bell.

"Well, we'll be ready for him when we do," said Hook as he held up the coconut.

"I think it's Pan we should be concerned about now," said Gold, "Why are we still up here?"

"It's locked up tight," said Neal.

"Really?" asked Gold. He raised his hands to try to open the door but he doesn't have any luck.

"Told you."

"Fair enough. This is going to take some time." Gold then when back to work on breaking the seal on the vault with his magic.

Emma walked off to think. Mary Margaret, David, Elsa and Travis followed her, "It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay," said Mary Margaret.

"No, it's not," said Emma, "Even if Pan's down there, I can't use my gun. He's in Henry's body."

"Then we'll get him out," said Travis, "We'll save him."

"Will we?"

"Yes, and because of you, you were right about Pan just like your mother was about Regina all those years ago," said David.

"We'll stop him," said Elsa, "and then you can—"

Emma interrupted her, "Live my moments even though there's still terrible things out there?

"Exactly."

Emma shook her head, "You're wrong. I'm the... savior. I don't have the luxury of having moments. It's just not my life. Every time I think I'm going to sit back and enjoy myself, I can't because it's never going to stop."

"I used to think the same way," said Mary Margaret.

"It's different. My magic has a price. The price of being the savior is... I don't get a day off."

Just then, Gold broke the seal on the vault, "Shall we?" he said.

They all headed inside the vault and Mary Margaret, David, Travis, Gold and Emma went down first. When they got to the bottom of the staircase they saw an unconscious Regina on the floor, "Regina!" said Mary Margaret, as she rushed over to her.

"Pan's gone," said David.

Emma called up the stairs, "We're clear down here!"

Gold walked up to Regina, knelt down next to her, waved his hand over her head and then stood back up. Then, a moment later, Regina woke up and was surprised to see Mary Margaret, David, Emma and Gold., "What? What happened?" she asked.

"It's Henry," said Emma, "Somehow Pan switched bodies with him."

"And I fell for it," said Regina.

"We all did," said Mary Margaret

"I wanted to believe what he was saying so badly I missed all the signs. I just wanted to believe he still needed me to be his mother."

"I still do," said Henry in Pan's body.

"Henry?" asked Regina. He walked up to Regina and they hugged.

"So what exactly did Pan come down here to get?" asked Travis.

Mr. Gold scanned the room with his hand to sense anything missing from the vault. His hand stop on an open box, "Please tell me you didn't keep it down here," he asked.

"Where else would I keep it?" asked Regina.

"What is it?" asked Emma, "What did Pan take?"

In the woods outside Storybrooke, Pan unrolled a scroll, "A curse?" asked Felix.

"No, Felix, the curse," said Pan, in Henry's body, "The curse that tore everyone from the Enchanted Forest and dropped them here."

"You broke me out of jail to tell me how everyone got to this town?"

"I broke you out cause this spell is gonna give us everything we always wanted."

Back in the Vault, Regina asked, "Why would Pan even want the curse? I already cast it."

"And I broke it," said Emma.

"Well, that doesn't mean you can't cast it again," said Gold, "And this time, without your parents' true love woven in, even you would be powerless to break it."

"I don't understand," said David, "We're already in this land."

"What exactly would casting the curse in Storybrooke do now?" asked Mary Margaret

Back in the woods, Pan in Henry's body said, "Everyone will forget who they are. Time will stand still. And Felix, we will be in charge."

"This whole place?" asked Felix.

"Yes, and when we're done with it, it's going to be the new Neverland."

AN: A very merry Christmas to all my readers. I hope you got everything you wanted this year and maybe a surprise or two. I hope you guys like the part where Elsa talks to Emma. I thought it was a good fit for this story. Remember, if you like this story, Review, Favorite and Follow. It gives me motivation to keep going.