Surprise, I'm not dead!

I'm so, so sorry this took so long to update, but I was out of the country for a while so I had other things to focus on, and when I returned this whole pandemic thing broke out, so I had to do some adjusting, but now I'm back, with the end of season 3A, no less.

I'm so grateful to the people that are still on the lookout for updates of this story, if there's any at all and once again, I'm so sorry it took so long. I'll try not to let so much time pass again, cause I love this story and the characters, and I have so many more things planned that I hope I can get to eventually. Just bare with me if I don't update every week, that's all I ask. Other than that, I'll try to post more regularly now, considering I have a lot more time than before despite still having online classes.

So, without further ado, Welcome back to Yazi's world!

One of the things that stood out the most in Storybrooke, was the fact that whenever there was a celebration going on, be it a birthday or a 'congratulations on returning back alive' celebration, everyone went. And I mean everyone. Which implied that the buildings were empty and, considering that nobody ever showed up in Storybrooke since it didn't even appear on the maps, opened, for there was no danger of anyone wreaking havoc.

That's why, Yazi was not surprised when the door to the sheriff's station opened just like that. She scanned the area, in search of anyone that might see what she was about to do, but it was empty. So, gripping the handle of her newly acquired sword tightly, she got in, making sure to shut the door close behind her.

Upon getting in, she immediately saw him. Felix was sitting on the bench of his cell, looking pissed off at the world like he usually did. There was a tray of food on the floor in front of him, completely untouched. When he spotted her, his lips curled in amusement.

"Look what the cat dragged in" he commented, leaning back towards the wall "Come to pay me a visit, lost girl?"

"Shut up" she snapped; she didn't have the patience to deal with his cocky comments.

"Someone's fired up" he kept taunting, but Yazi ignored him and opened one of the drawers on the desk, the one that held a copy to the keys of the cell. Felix's demeanor clearly shifted upon seeing the shiny object in her hands.

"I'm not getting you out of here, so don't get any ideas" she stated as she approached him, before inserting the key.

"Wouldn't dream of it" he replied calmly, too calm in her opinion.

"I just want to talk" she added, turning the key and getting in, immediately closing the door behind her and standing against it. If he wanted to get out, he'd have to go through her, and she was very pissed off at the moment, so she wouldn't hesitate to slash his stupid face if he even so much as attempted to get up.

"And I don't have any other choice but to listen, I guess" he replied meekly.

"Where's Henry?" she went straight to the point, she was not in the mood to beat around the bush.

"In the town, where else?" he replied; Yazi looked into his eyes to see any trace of his lie, but even when she found nothing, she knew he wasn't being honest.

"Don't play games with me, Felix, I'm not in the mood" she said sharply "Where the hell is my best friend? Because whoever is in town right now is not him" she'd sensed it from the moment they spoke aboard the Jolly Roger, before landing. And it only went south from there. He was not himself, at all. In fact, he was acting like a completely different person. And it made her incredibly antsy, as if she was walking through the middle of a dark and empty forest, with no idea of what was hiding beneath the shadows. There, where the light didn't reach.

"How would you know?" Yazi rolled her eyes exaggeratedly upon hearing his words.

"Are you really that deprived of human love that you don't understand the basic concept of a best friend?" she snapped, but Felix remained unfazed by her clear insult "I know him"

"People change" he replied "You weren't always around him in Neverland, lost girl, and Pan can be very persuasive" Yazi's thin patience ran out. He was stalling, not willing to give her an answer, and she was done.

"Felix, look around you" she spoke up dangerously calm, while approaching him "You're in Storybrooke, Pan is not here to protect you and you're locked up in this place, defenseless and alone with a girl who can turn things into gold" he raised his eyebrows in amusement "Oh, and also this" she unsheathed her sword, and placed the tip against his chest "You really don't have the advantage here, so if you want that stupid grin to remain on your face, I suggest you cooperate" Yazi usually wasn't so violent and blunt, but, at this point, she was exhausted and all she wanted to do was to lie down and enjoy a single movie with her best friend, her real best friend. Just one normal day, without having to deal with manipulators, liars and traitors, that's all she wished for. And the sooner she figured out what was going on, the sooner she could get that. Was it really too much to ask?

"Ah, there's the familiar fire that made you a lost girl in the first place" Yazi clenched her jaw upon hearing him call her like that yet again; she was not lost "Where have you been hiding it all this time?"

"Felix, I swear that if you don't answer my question, I'm turning you into a golden statue and decorating the park with you" she stated, ignoring his taunting and applying more pressure to the blade.

He squinted his eyes, as if analyzing her. She read caution in his eyes, she could almost see the gears turning in his head, as he tried to figure out the best course of action based on the situation he was in.

Finally, his lips curled up into a smirk, and she didn't like it.

"You won't be able to stop him" he replied, and she frowned. That phrase could be interpreted in many ways, but none of them made her feel any better about the situation at hand.

"Stop who?"

"He never fails"

And that was all she needed.

"Pan switched bodies with Henry?" Mary Margaret questioned later that day, when Yazi told them about her conversation with Felix. The girl nodded.

"Somehow, he made it out of Neverland" she explained, as she leaned against the wall in the loft "And he trapped him in Pandora's Box when he went to sleep that day" she added. She still couldn't believe it, she had talked to him minutes before and now he was gone. She was sure that in the conversation they had he was still himself, she felt it in her heart.

"That's why he didn't recognize his own book" Emma realized, and Yazi nodded in agreement.

"And why he completely ditched me" she added "Because he wasn't even aware that we were supposed to meet" that also meant that he hadn't been Pan for a long time, because if he didn't remember they were supposed to watch a movie, the switch had to happen right after that, most probably when he left for the captain's quarters at the Jolly Roger after paying her a visit.

"But how do we know Felix is telling the truth?" David asked, which was reasonable.

"I had a sword up his neck and threatened to turn him into a golden statue, I doubt he'd risk it" Yazi replied bluntly and logically, while the man gave her a surprised, and kind of impressed, look "Felix might be many things, but stupid is not one of them. He knows what I'm capable of"

"He could just be playing you" Mary Margaret commented, and Yazi understood why it would be so hard to trust what Felix was saying. He worked for Pan, he was his loyal guard dog, the unreasonable thing would be to believe him, but Yazi knew she was right. There was no other explanation.

"It's too...Perfect" Emma replied "There's too many details for it to be made up" Yazi seconded what the woman was saying; her job was to search for people and in order to do that, she needed to be able to distinguish lies from truths.

"Well, there's only one way to find out"

Convincing Mr. Gold to give Pandora's Box to them was a lot easier than Yazi thought. Of course, he argued against it for a while, but eventually agreed, and that's why all of them were driving towards the town line.

Yazi was convinced of her theory, but they couldn't really take any chances, so they were going to open the box on the other side. Therefore, if it was actually Pan and not Henry, he wouldn't have a chance to hurt them. And they could finally get rid of him.

They got off their cars, and approached it. Gold attempted to walk to the other side, but Emma stopped him.

"Yazi and I are doing this" he was not amused by this.

"I can cross the line and retain my memories" Gold argued.

"It's not about that" the woman kept saying "There's no magic over there. All due respect, the real world is our expertise" it wasn't just that, though. Yazi and Emma had agreed that the true reason why the two of them would go to the other side was because they couldn't really trust anyone else with it; they were the only two that were convinced about the switch, and also, the only ones who could prove for certain that they were right, since, out of everyone there, they were the ones who knew Henry the best "It's our hunch. If it fails, you're more than welcome to pick up the pieces" she finished confidently, and both of them went over to the other side. Emma took out her gun just in case, and Yazi stood straight and alert right besides her.

"Be careful" Mary Margaret said with a worried gaze, and her daughter gave her an assuring look.

"You ready, kid?" the blonde woman turned to look at the girl, who nodded in agreement. She was ready to get her best friend back. They, then turned to look at Gold in a silent signal, and he began to open the box.

Yazi never left her gaze wander from the red mist floating in the air, and when it finally materialized into Pan's body, she followed his every move. At first, he looked around, probably disoriented, and then he looked at his body, even more confused. His gaze then set on the people on the other side of the town line, all four of them keeping their considerable distance, looking at him with distrust. But 'Pan' looked even more anxious.

And then, he saw the two of them.

"Yazi? Mom?" he questioned, looking at the gun Emma was pointing at him with a lot of worry "What are you doing? I'm Henry! Pan, he switched our bodies"

"We know" Yazi assured, giving him a smile she hoped would provide some sort of comfort. She couldn't help thinking about how weird it was to be smiling at the face she had come to hate so much.

Doing her best to ignore that, she looked at the expectators on the other side, who didn't look very convinced.

"But we need proof"

"If you're really Henry, you'll have to tell us something only he would know" Emma continued, and Yazi wished she would just lower the gun already.

"I got trapped in the mines with Yazi" he began tallying up "I tried blowing up the well. I like hot cocoa with cinnamon"

"This proves nothing" Gold said sternly.

"He's right. Henry could've told Pan all of this in Neverland" Mary Margaret replied, holding tightly onto David; she looked pretty scared. And Yazi had to admit she had a point; she wasn't always with Henry, so it wasn't difficult to imagine she didn't know about everything that the Neverland king and him had talked about. It was precisely because of that, that her best friend almost lost all hope.

But if they wanted something else, she would give it to them.

"Last night" she began, taking a step forward. She noticed the anxious looks everyone gave her upon seeing her walk closer to him, but trapped in someone else's body or not, Henry would never harm her. So, bravely, she took one more step "We had a conversation. I told you I wasn't a perfect person, what did you say to me?"

"That I knew it already, and that's why I got along with you" he replied promptly.

"He could've been Pan already by then" David stated, and Yazi resisted the urge of giving him an annoyed look.

"We can't be sure about the timeline" Emma agreed with her father "You'll need something else, kid"

"Fine" she replied, and began to rummage through her brain, in search of something that would be undeniable proof, something that happened before the whole Neverland fiasco.

"This is a waste of time" Mr. Gold stated once again, but Yazi noticed that Belle hit him slightly on the shoulder to get him to shut up, which she greatly appreciated

Finally, it came to her. It was only something they knew about. It was too personal, too private for Pan or anyone else to be aware of. Now, it would no longer be that way, but it was a necessary action to take if she wanted to convince everyone about her hunch.

"On my birthday, you gifted me a necklace" he nodded, clearly remembering that "And I gave you something, too. What was it?" he frowned, and Yazi watched his gestures expectantly. He seemed like he was trying too hard to remember something, and she began to panic. Had she been wrong this entire time?

But, in the end, he looked up at her again, a smile on his face.

"A drawing" she sighed in relief. He did remember.

"Where?"

"In my wrist"

"What was it and what did it mean?"

"It was a moon. Combined with your necklace, it made up a night sky. You told me they complimented each other, the way you and I do" Yazi noticed that Mary Margaret, David, and Belle seemed very touched by that small but so meaningful gesture; the golden child looked at Emma, who was giving her an expecting glance, and she confirmed both of their suspicions with a nod.

The woman immediately lowered the gun, and Henry and her embraced tightly. He attempted to approach Yazi, but she took a step back

"Don't get any closer" Henry gave her a deeply confused frown "I can't hug you when you look like this, it makes me highly uncomfortable" he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement, which earned a collective laugh "But I'm glad you're okay. You still owe me a movie"

"And you owe me a hug"

"I'll give it to you when you're back into your own body"

After some very arduous tasks, including Gold opening Regina's vault which had been locked tight with magic, sealing Pan's shadow and burning it, recovering the Black Fairy's wand so Gold could make the switch again and return people to their respective bodies, meeting Henry in his true body with the dark curse Pan stole from the vault, and Regina waking up from her second passing out of the day, Yazi and everyone else were standing in the middle of the town as Regina held the dark curse, that, apparently, had just shown her 'what needed to be done', whatever that meant.

"Mom, will you be okay?" Henry questioned with worry, holding his mother's hand tightly.

"The important thing is you will be" she replied, caressing his cheek softly. But then, Yazi watched in horror as the piece of parchment that contained the dark curse vanished from her hand.

"No, he won't" she'd recognize that voice anywhere. Looking up, she found Peter Pan approaching them, looking pretty irritated, and making everyone take a step back and raise their guards as a response to his menacing attitude.

"He has the-" before Hook could finish his sentence, Pan raised his hand and froze everyone, preventing any sort of attempt to stop him. Yazi tried to lean forward, move her fingertips, and even move some hair that was bothering her off her face, but her limbs would not respond. She was stuck there, nailed to the spot next to Neal.

"Curse?" he spoke up with a sardonic grin "That I do" he took some steps forward, and stood right in front of Belle and Neal, his...Grandson and daughter in law?

Yazi quickly got rid of that image, she still couldn't get used to the fact that Gold was Henry's grandfather, she couldn't even begin to think about the fact that Peter Pan was her best friend's great grandfather. Everyone in that town was related to some degree, apparently.

Wait, if she had kissed Neal, did that make her….

Nope, scratch that. Put it in a box, leave it aside.

"You both look so adorable" he said, feigning sympathy, and then his gaze stood on Henry and Yazi, who had also ended up fairly close to one another "And over here too" he lowered down to both their heights, and the fact that Yazi was completely still, entirely at his mercy, made her levels of anxiety go through the roof. He could do anything to her, and she wouldn't be able to stop him "Even now, you are still glued to each other. How touching" there was clear sarcasm in his voice "Hard to tell which one to kill first. Maybe both at the same time, to spare you from the suffering"

"Stay away from them" a hand grasped his shoulder, and pushed him away from the two teens. It was Gold, and it was the first time Yazi felt so relieved to see him. First and last, probably.

"How about this?" Pan asked calmly "The worm has teeth. You here to protect your loved ones?" he said, quite mockingly.

"I'm not gonna let you touch either one of them"

"Oh, I'd like to see that"

"Oh, you will. Because I have a job to finish" Yazi could easily grasp the tension between the two of them in every word they said, in every step they took. It was almost like a tv show, she was on the edge of her seat to see what would happen next, preferably not ending with either one of them being killed "And I have to do it, whatever it takes" Pan was clearly entertained by this prospect "And what needs to be done has a price. A price I'm finally willing to pay" he then turned to look at Neal, who, like all of them, could only stand and listen quietly "I used the curse to find you, Bae. To tell you I made a mistake, to make sure you had a chance at happiness" Pan snickered, and Yazi used her eyes, the only part of her body she was able to move, to glare at him "And that happiness is possible, just not with me" Yazi frowned, wondering what that meant exactly. She had no idea of what Gold's next move would be "I accept that"

"Pretty, pretty words"

"I love you, Bae" Gold ignored Pan's comments, his eyes only moving from his son when it was time to look at the other person he loved, Belle "And I love you, Belle. You made me stronger"

"Stronger?" the teen-not-so-teen interrupted again "Yes, but still. No magic"

"Oh, but I don't need" Gold finally rested his gaze on him "You see, you may have lost your shadow, but there's one thing you're forgetting"

"And what's that?"

"So have I. I sent it away with something to hide" he raised his hand up, and Yazi watched as his own shadow brought him the dagger. Then, Gold brought his father closer to him as the shadow returned to its body, effectively adhering the two men.

"What are you doing?" Pan tried to move away, but to no avail.

"You see" Gold began, holding his dagger extremely close to his father's head "The only way for you to die, is if we both die" Yazi opened her eyes wide; his plan was to die? That didn't sound like Rumpelstiltskin at all, it was a bit surprising. Specially considering all he had done so far was to be a selfish idiot "And now, I'm ready"

And with that, he stabbed his father on the back. A black mist materialized and absorbed the teenage boy, to reveal the old man that had been hiding inside all this time.

"Hello, papa" Gold stated with a dangerous voice, the one Yazi recognized as his 'Threat' voice, having been the victim of it quite a few times for the past months.

"Rumple, please" his father begged, and it was very weird for Yazi to no longer hear the voice he had grown so used to every day for six months "You can stop this. Move the dagger. We can start over, we can have a happy ending"

"Ah, but I'm a villain. And villains don't get happy endings" ignoring his father's words, he twisted the dagger further into the body.

First, there was a beam of light. Then, two. And then, Yazi lost count as it engulfed both men, and absorbed them into oblivion, leaving only the piece of parchment with the curse as proof that there had once been someone there.

Yazi fell forward, her knees hitting the pavement. She hadn't realized she had been trying so hard to lean forward until then, and when she turned to her sides, she saw that everyone else had recovered the ability to move as well. There was silence, only interrupted by the soft sound of Belle falling onto the street, accompanied with quiet sobbing. Yazi was the closest to her, so she approached her, still on her knees, and brought her in for a hug she was sure she desperately need it. She might not like Gold that much, but Belle was one of the sweetest people she had ever met, and she couldn't bring herself to leave her like that.

She watched silently as Regina approached the piece of parchment, her steps showing she was as shocked as everyone else. Belle's sobs grew louder, shattering Yazi's heart as she pulled her as close as she could, doing her best to comfort her.

"Regina? You okay?" Mary Margaret asked upon seeing that the woman wasn't moving.

"I'm fine" she replied simply, reaching out to grab the dark curse.

"I'm so sorry" Emma approached Neal, and Yazi didn't need to look to realize how heartbroken he was.

"My father did what he had to do" he replied, on the verge of tears, which caused another crack to open in the golden child's heart "He saved us. Regina, don't let him die for nothing" the woman didn't answer "Regina"

"What?"

"We're here for a reason, love" Hook spoke up "Pan?"

"He's dead" despite the awful circumstances they were in, Yazi couldn't help feeling satisfied about the fact that Peter Pan was dead, finally away from their lives, not being able to hurt anyone else.

"His curse remains" the pirate kept going "Can you stop it? Or should we all start preparing our swords? Cause mine is gonna take some time"

"It's here!" they heard a desperate voice yelling, and pretty quick spotted Leroy sprinting towards them "The curse, it's here!" Yazi helped Belle stand up, but didn't dare to let go of her. She would worry about the injuries she probably had on her kneecaps later, when they weren't threatened by a curse "It's coming, from all sides" his breathing was irregular "There's no escape"

"It's not too late, we can still stop it" David assured "Right?" he looked at Regina for answers.

"Yes" she replied, almost in a whisper "Yes" she said once again, as if assuring herself.

"But what's the price?" Emma asked "Gold said that there was a price, what is our price?"

"It's not our price" she replied walking ahead, and Yazi gave her a frown "It's mine" she added, turning to look at them.

"What are you talking about?" the blonde woman questioned.

"It's what I felt when I first held it. I have to say goodbye to the thing I love most" Emma's gaze immediately went to Henry, who was leaning against his father. Upon seeing his mom's glance, he approached them "I can never see him again"

"What does that mean?" Yazi asked, a strange feeling in her gut. It wasn't pleasant.

"I have no choice" Regina replied, looking at the girl, which didn't answer her question "I have to undo what I started"

"The curse that brought us to Storybrooke" Mary Margaret concluded.

"That created Storybrooke" Regina corrected "It doesn't belong here. And neither do any of us"

"Breaking the curse destroys the town" David stated.

"It will weave out of existence as though it were never here"

"But then what happens to us?" Yazi questioned, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Everyone returns to where they belong" she replied, not being able to meet her gaze "Preventing us from ever coming back"

"You return to the Enchanted Forest" Emma said, trying to process the facts.

"Not just her" Yazi realized, and all faces turned to look at her. She definitely didn't like this "All of us" Regina nodded, backing her up "Except…" she couldn't dare to say the next word, it was physically painful to do so. She couldn't even dare to look at the person in question.

"Henry" Regina finished for her "He will stay here, because he was born here"

"Alone?" Emma questioned, clearly not liking the idea, and neither did the rest.

"No" Regina shook her head, approaching Emma and Henry "You will take him, because you're the savior. You were created to break the curse, and once again, you can escape it"

"I don't want to" she replied, shaking her head "We'll go back, with everyone"

"That's not an option"

And now, it was Yazi's turn to cry.

Yazi was never good at holding in her tears. One way or another, they would always escape her perfectly built dam, and sometimes in the most unexpected of moments. So it was taking all the willpower she could muster to nail her gaze to the floor and hold in everything as she stood by the town line, ready to say goodbye to Emma, the woman who saved her, who understood her when nobody else did, and the boy who gave her unconditional support and trust, the boy who had so much impact in her life in such a short time.

She saw a familiar pair of brown boots approaching her, and looked up to find the savior. Yazi smiled slightly, and Emma smiled back, before pulling her into a hug.

"Take care of yourself, Yazi, okay?" the woman said in her neck, to which the girl nodded.

"Thanks" the golden child stated, earning her a curious glance "For...Everything, specially for trusting a thirteen year old girl with stupid impulses so much" Emma chuckled slightly upon hearing her words.

"I know what that feels like" she replied, making Yazi giggle softly "Just remember what I told you, okay? Bottling up so much is not good, specially at your age" Yazi nodded once again, and her gaze followed her as she moved to hug Neal. She needed a whole lot of mental preparation for what followed.

When she was close to something she considered to be readiness, she forced the tears once again to stay put, and turned to look at Henry, who had been standing in front of her for a few seconds. He immediately pulled her into a warm hug, the last she would ever receive from him. She tried to indulge in it as much as she could, making sure she would never forget what it felt like.

"Take care, Henry" she said, as they finally broke apart, trying to give him a smile, a smile that said 'I'm okay', even though they both knew she wasn't.

"You are talking as if we were never going to see each other again"

"I wouldn't really count on it, look around you" she extended her arms to the side. The green mist was getting closer, thunder could be heard, which echoed in her ears for a very long time "The town is getting destroyed. We are going back to the Enchanted Forest, and you and Emma are going back to Boston. We don't have much of a chance to see each other again, unless you find a bean in the real world, which I don't think will happen"

"Hey" he breathed out, placing his hands on her shoulders, while Yazi gave him a downhearted look "This is not goodbye. This is…Until we find a way" she smiled through her rebellious tears. Henry was definitely the truest believer; even in the depressing situation they were in, he still managed to keep his hopes up and, therefore, her own.

"Until we find a way"

"When I get back, we can watch that movie"

"I'd like that" she nodded in agreement, and gave him one last smile as he walked towards Emma. He was mid way there when she realized something "Wait, Henry" she called, making him turn to look around with a curious glance "You owe me a movie, and I owe you one last hug" she didn't wait for him to answer, she just wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the pity glances everyone around them was giving them, probably because they were in the middle of the goodbye circle that had formed and, therefore, they were the centre of attention, but Yazi couldn't care less about it now "Have a good life"

"You too" the hug lingered for a bit longer, but another drumming thunder reminded her of the situation they were in, and she pulled away, this time, forever.

Emma and Henry got into the car, and began to drive off. Regina turned around to face the storm, and raised her hands.

And just like that, the quiet town of Storybrooke, and the unique characters that had once lived in it were erased into oblivion, leaving nothing but memories of a time long gone.

And that's a wrap on season 3A! Season 3B is coming (hopefully) soon. I hope you enjoyed this half despite its irregular updates, and look forward to season 3B, which won't be as long as this one, but will still have a lot to enjoy.

Also, I have to admit, I was crying a little bit while writing the last part of the chapter, even though we all know they'll meet again eventually.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the constant support, it means the world!