Chapter 28: See you Later
As the night ends and dawn begins with a new day becoming there were clouds on the sky that day. After what the gang found out from yesterday, last night, or early morning, they immediately started making plans instantaneously with little hope. It was no wonder that they held little hope in them, that no one would try to be optimistic, it seems that with a new curse coming and if things have gone well, that Regina would reverse her curse that she created so many years ago. Now there's only silence.
At Mr. Gold's Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer, Mary Margaret looks at the mobile hanging over the crib. She tells Emma, who approaches, that it hung above her crib, before correcting herself in saying that it was supposed to hang over her crib. Emma tells her mother that she likes the unicorns, which makes Mary Margaret smile, and the former princess says that giving her daughter up when the curse hit was the hardest thing she ever had to do. "I know," Emma assures her, and Mary Margaret goes on to admit that every time she looks at the blonde, she wonders what would have happened if she chose differently. This leads Emma to admit that she does the same thing with Henry, but Snow reminds her daughter that she was giving her son his "best chance". Emma says this to be true, but comments that things would be very different if she had kept him: they would have had a normal life together, back in Boston or someplace else; "But I guess all that was just not meant to be." As she says this, Henry is walked into the room and sat down by Belle and Regina, and Emma approaches her son to ask him if he's doing okay. He says that he is, and adds that he's ready to be himself again, at which Mr. Gold, who's standing behind the counter, assures him that it shouldn't be much longer now before that happens. Even though he assured Henry inside Peter Pan's, Emma and Felicity have talked quietly that to make sure everything goes well, Felicity will watch the color of aura changes along with the soul, as she stands at the corner behind the Dark One, watching closely. Once Rumple flips through a spellbook as he says this, and once he's put it down, he tells those within his shop that, once they have the wand, all shall be as ensured. With everyone in place, everyone is more than eager for the transformation to begin, let the soul be in the right bodies.
Over at the local convent, Mother Superior's lifeless body rests peacefully within her coffin as three of her fellow fairies/nuns stand beside and mourn her in silence. It's not long before David, Killian, Neal, and Tinker Bell walk in and approach them, with the latter apologizing for the interruption, adding that they need their help. "With what?" asks a nun, and Neal tells her that the Black Fairy's wand is there and that they need it. The nun says that they could never hand over such a weapon, and Tinker Bell admits to knowing it's a terrible, terrible thing, but warns her old friends that what's coming is much worse. "Where is it?" she demands, but suddenly, a banging is heard from outside the church; something is flying circles around the building and trying to get inside. As a strong wind whips over them, David wonders what the hell that was, and Hook tells the prince that it's Pan's shadow. The shadow presses itself up against a stain glass window, trying to push through, and the frightened nuns ask the others what it wants. Killian realizes that it must also want the Black Fairy's wand, and David tells all the nuns to run away, which they do, exiting the room. The shadow then finds a way inside via an open window and the four heroes left inside the church-run to find cover in the form of a pew. The deadly shadow flies overhead, swooping towards the screen and causing it to fade to black.
As the shadow is terrorizing the convent whilst Killian, Tink, David, and Neal are hiding behind pews, the latter being armed with his magic coconut. David wonders if all that needs to be done is the candle being lit again, the same way it was trapped in Neverland, and Neal confirms this, suggesting that this time they get rid of it for good. Killian offers to draw it down by acting as live-bait, and Tink asks the pirate if he's sure he wants to do this; he tells her that if it's the only way to prevent them all from being obliterated by Pan's curse, it's a risk he's willing to take. With that, he steps out from the pews and calls out for the shadow, ducking and avoiding it when it swoops down to grab him. He asks the dark being if that's the best it's got, leading the shadow to fly into the captain and knock him clean off his feet, sending him sliding across the floor. David extends his arm and aids his son in law hurt pirate buddy into getting back behind the pews, and the shadow continues to fly amok.
Tink asks if Bae's able to trap it, but David tells her that it's too high and that they have to get closer, and Neal points out that he can't fly up there... turning to Tink. She reminds him that, if he hadn't noticed, she doesn't have her wings, but he reminds her in turn that she has a vial of pixie dust. She tells him it doesn't work, but Charming assures her that if she could make it work once then she can do it again. With little motivation, Tinker Bell comes out of hiding and slowly approaches the wild shadow, taking the vial of pixie dust from around her neck and removing the cork. It immediately begins glowing green with magic and the fairy closes her eyes as it flows through her. Neal quickly hands her both halves the coconut, and, closing her eyes again, Tink can light the candle with her regained magic. Happy, she glows green and flies up towards the shadow, lit candle in tow, which sucks it into the coconut. She traps it with the lid, and everyone watches in amazement as she slowly lowers herself down to the floor, triumphant. Her feet stop glowing when they touch down on the ground, and Tink throws the coconut into a bowl of ceremonious fire lit beside the pew.
A large pillar of black smoke is created as the shadow finally dies, and Hook, David, and Neal come out of hiding also, with the former approaching Tink and commending her with, "Look who's still a fairy." "Look who's still a pirate," she replies, before noticing that he's clutching his side and asking if he's alright. He points out that he lost a hand once and this is nothing in comparison. A small period of awkward silence ensues, which is broken when a familiar voice says, "Well done, Green." Everyone turns, shocked, to see Mother Superior up and out of her coffin, alive and well. She explains that, when Tink killed the shadow, hers was returned, and she was revived, thanking the Green Fairy, and commending her on finally being able to believe in herself. Blue tells her "welcome back" and Tink appears shocked at the prospect of being a fairy again after having broken so many rules, but Mother Superior admits to being overly strict and tells her old pupil that she deserves her wings and has already earned them many times over. "Thank you," Tink says, choking up, and Blue proceeds to the matter of the Black Fairy's wand, making it magically appear in her hand and giving it to Neal, telling them to go and "save us all". The three men then exit with the wand, leaving the two fairies to catch up.
David, Killian, and Neal enters Mr. Gold's pawnshop and tells the others that the Blue Fairy's back and gave them the Black Fairy's wand. Emma turns to Gold and asks if there's anything else they need, and he begins digging in his cabinet for "one more item". He takes out a leather cuff and Mary Margaret wonders what it is. Rumple explains that it's the only useful thing he was able to pilfer from Greg and Tamara before they left for Neverland and that the cuff itself renders anyone with magic utterly powerless. Regina, having experienced this, tells Hook that she hasn't yet forgotten about all that business, as Gold gently places the cuff on Henry's wrist so that when Pan awakes, his powers will be blocked. Henry wonders what's to happen now and Gold explains that, once he enacts the spell, the boy shall fall into a deep sleep and wake up in his own body. "And you hang on to that scroll. And you come to find us as fast as you can, okay?" Regina tells him, and Henry nods whilst Neal hands the Black Fairy's wand over to his father. Henry tells his parents that when he handed his heart over to Pan, he thought he was being a hero, and apologizes, but David assures his grandson that he's not the one who has to be sorry: Pan does.
"It's time" states Rumple, and Henry lays down on the couch he's sitting on, allowing Gold to wave the wand over him and keeping his eye on it at the Dark One's instruction. The young man's eyes soon close and Gold touches the tip of the wand to his forehead, causing a flash of bright light; Henry in Pan's body begins to spasm out of control as the spell takes effect, and Emma, worried like everyone else, asks what's happening. Gold explains that Henry's spirit is leaving Pan's body, and everyone watches in horror until the fit ends. Felicity confirms this, as she sees the aura changing color, going back to their rightful bodies, and when it stopped, she exhaled not realizing she was holding her breath, relieved. As Emma looked at her daughter, she knew was going to plan, that everything was going to be fine as she sighed realizing that it's over. Regina, looking down at the unconscious Pan, appears glad that it worked, and Emma says that they should go and find their son. As everyone begins filing out of the store, Belle sees that Rumple hasn't moved and approaches her true love, asking if he's coming with them. He tells her that he thinks not as he and his father have some "unfinished family business", and Belle, understanding, leaves the shop followed by a nervous Neal. Rumple continues to stare down at his unconscious father, anticipating his revival.
Belle, Neal, Regina, Killian, Felicity, Emma, David, and Mary Margaret are seen making their way through Main Street along with Granny, who is using her wolf capabilities to follow Henry's scent and track him down. The old woman tells them that he's nearby, and Emma wonders if that means he's in the clock tower, which they're all running towards. It's not long before Henry steps out the front door of Storybrooke Library, curse scroll in tow, and runs towards his parents, hugging them all and telling them that Gold's spell worked. Taking note of their long hug, he reminds Emma and Regina that he just saw the pair of them, but the latter point out that they didn't see him. He then hands Emma the scroll, and the blonde hands it to Regina, telling the town's Mayor and previous land's Queen that it's up to her now. As she stares down at the scroll in her gloves hand, it emanates a purple glow which causes her to collapse to the ground unconscious, much to everyone's worry. The group crowds around her and Emma calls out her name... but no response comes.
Back at Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer, Peter Pan wakes up on the couch Henry was previously lain down on. Seeing that his eyes have opened, Rumple greets his father by saying, "Hello, Papa," which causes Pan to smirk and express surprise that his son didn't kill him in his sleep. He sits up, beginning to say something, but he stops mid-sentence when he notices the anti-magic cuff on his wrist. He comments that, with his magic gone, it's so easy for Rumple to strut around and pose now, but Gold says that he merely wanted to talk to him. "I wanted you to see me," the Dark One continues, "And think about what you've done." Pan asks if Gold wants him to look at his son, here at the end, and see him and think about what could have been, admitting that that's what he, Pan, would like to do: "I remember looking at you, the littlest babe, helpless and all mind. Those big, big eyes just full of tears... pulling at me. Pulling away from my name, my money, my time; pulling away any hope of making my life into something better for myself. This pink, naked, squirming little lava that wanted to eat my dreams alive and never stop! And what are you now? A couple hundred? Can't I be free of you?"
Gold assures his father that he will be - in death. With this, he grabs a sword from the counter and aims it at Pan, who vows to teach his son one, last lesson: never make a cage you can't get out of. Peter then simply removes the leather cuff from his arm and reminds Rumple that he, Pan, is the one who made it, therefore, it doesn't work on him. He then uses his magic to transfer it onto Rumple's wrist, making his son magic-less. "Down boy," says Pan as he stands up, again using his magic to make Gold go flying across the room, crashing into a set of shelves, and crumpling to the floor. He taunts his son, asking him how well he can do without magic, but when Rumple attempts to crawl for the sword he was earlier holding, he is kicked in the face by his father, who towers over him. "I've come too far for this. For them," the Dark One comments, but Pan assures him that it's too late to save his son or his true love, as soon, that fine green smoke will be filling their lungs and fogging their brains. But unlike the rest of Storybrooke, Pan's not just going to take Neal and Belle's memories; because of their special meaning to Gold, he's going to take their lives, and there's nothing Rumple can do to stop it because, without magic, he goes right back to where he started: a village coward. Pan then exits the shop as his son tries in vain to remove the cuff from his wrist.
Outside, in the middle of Main Street, Emma and Henry are seen shaking the still unconscious Regina, trying to get her to wake up; everyone remains crowded around the Queen, and it's not long before her eyes shoot open, the curse scroll still in her hand. She utters Emma's name before being aided to her feet and the blonde asks her what happened, wondering if she's okay. Regina says that she's fine, but there's something more, and Mary Margaret asks what's wrong and what happened when her stepmother touched the scroll. "I saw what needed to be done," Regina tells them, and Henry wonders if his adoptive mother is going to be okay; she assures the young man that the important thing is that he will be, but before anything can be explained, the scroll vanishes from the Mayor's hand. "No, he won't," says Peter Pan, who's just exited Mr. Gold's shop. Everyone is shocked to see him, and Killian begins to warn everyone that the demon child has the curse. However, before the pirate can finish his sentence, he, along with everyone else, becomes ensnared by Pan's magic, frozen in place and unable to move. He mockingly holds up the scroll, commending himself on retrieving it.
Back inside the shop, Gold lays his cuffed hand down on the counter and pulls back his sleeve to reveal his bare arm. He then lifts the sword with the other hand, with tears in his eyes as he prepares to swing it down and cut his hand off, thus getting rid of the cuff.
Outside again, Pan mocks his immobilized victims, referring to them as a "captive audience" and commenting that he could play with them as though they were a pack of dogs. He then approaches Neal and Belle – Rumple's son and true love; the two people he loves most – saying that he thinks he'll start with them and tauntingly telling them that they both look so adorable, meaning he can barely decide which one to kill first. He then retracts this statement, settling that Baelfire will be the first to die, but before anything can be done, a hand is placed on Pan's shoulder which pulls him backward. It belongs to Mr. Gold, with two hands and no sword, who has also exited his shop, and orders his father to stay away from them. Pan comments that the "worm has teeth" and wonders if this is the part where Rumple protects his loved ones, and Gold assures the demon child that he's not going to let him lay a finger on either one of them. Pan says he'd like to see that, and his son further assures him that he will, adding that he has a job to finish and it has to be done, whatever it takes, no loopholes. Belle's face appears deeply saddened by this, and one can see tears beginning to well up in his eyes, but due to her states, she's unable to say or do anything.
Rumple continues, telling his father that, for what needs to be done, there's a price, and it's one that he's finally willing to pay. He turns to Neal and tells him, "I used the curse to find you, Bae. To tell you I made a mistake. To make sure you had a chance at happiness. And that happiness is possible... just not with me. I accept that." Neal too appears saddened, and after Pan comments on his son's "pretty, pretty words", Rumple tells his son that he loves him. He then turns to the already sad and worried Belle, and says, "And I love you, Belle. You made me stronger." Pan makes fun of Gold's sense of "strength", reminding his son that he possesses no magic, but Rumple says that he doesn't need it, telling the demon child that, while he may have lost his shadow, there is one thing he is forgetting: Rumple has also lost his shadow. The Dark One explains that he sent it away with something to hide, and with that, he raises his arm into the air and flicks out his hand; this summons his shadow, which flies down towards its master, carrying his magical dagger. As Rumple's shadow goes back into him, he finds himself with the dagger in his hand and forcefully hugs his confused father. Gold tells him that the only way for him to die is if they both die, and now... he's ready. Rumple then plunges his dagger into Pan's back and causes the boy to scream out in pain. Belle and Neal watch in horror as the scenes go on, with Pan turning into a pillar of black smoke and returning to his former adult form of Malcolm.
The dagger remains in his back, with Rumple continuing to grip the handle and the Dark One utters into his father's ear, "Hello, papa." Malcolm begs his son to stop, ordering him to remove the dagger and assuring him that the two of them can start over and have a happy ending together. "Ah, but I'm a villain," says Gold, "And villains don't get happy endings." He then forcefully plunges the dagger deeper into his father's back, and this causes a bright glow to begin emanating from the wound. The glow becomes brighter and brighter, with Malcolm groaning in more and more pain as he dies, and Rumplestiltskin runs his fingers through his father's hair before kissing him on the cheek. Soon, the light from the stab wound consumes them both, dazzling everyone's insight, and it's not long before the two of them disappear into thin air, both deceased. The curse scroll drops to the ground, and Pan's immobilization spell breaks, allowing those in attendance to move. Everyone is shocked and sad, and Belle immediately bursts into uncontrollable tears. She drops to the ground, unable to contain her crying, as Neal steps forward and stares down at the scroll his dead father and dead grandfather left in their wake.
The curse scroll remains on the ground as the shot moves up to reveal those who were standing witness to Rumple's death. Belle, who's still kneeling on the ground, continues to cry profusely, exclaiming her deceased love's name and exhibiting extreme depression over his passing. Baelfire blinks a tear from his eye, and a saddened Regina silently approaches the scroll and picks it up. Mary Margaret asks the Queen if she's okay, and Regina assures her that she's fine whilst Emma walks over to Neal and expresses her condolences over the loss of his father. The tears streaming from Belle's eyes flow at an even greater rate, but Neal assures the blonde that Rumple did what he had to do: he saved them. He requests that Regina doesn't let this sacrifice be in vain, but she remains utterly stoic. Neal calls her name again, and she appears agitated, leading Killian to remind her that they're there for a reason, and that reason is to stop Pan. Regina reminds the pirate that the demon child is dead, but he reminds her in turn that his curse remains, and he asks her if she can stop it or if they should all start preparing their souls because he is going to take some time. The Queen stares blankly into space, holding back great emotion.
The Dark Curse, as created by Peter Pan, flows rapidly in the form of green smoke from Storybrooke's landmark well. It begins devouring the forest, ready to overrun the whole town.
"It's here! It's here!" Leroy announces as he runs through Main Street, having caught sight of the almighty curse spreading their way. Regina, Emma, and the others appear shocked and out of their depth as Grumpy continually approaches, informing them that it's coming from all sides and that there's no escape. Henry hugs his father, frightened, whilst David tries to assure everybody that it's not too late to stop it, turning to the Queen. She angrily answers positively, looking down at the scroll in her hands, and Emma wonders what their "price" is, remembering that Gold said there would be one. Regina tells the blonde that it's not their price, but solely hers, but Emma doesn't know what she's talking about. "It's what I felt when I first held it," Regina tries to explain, "I have to say goodbye to the thing I love most." Henry then walks into Emma's arms, and the blonde wonders if he is what the Queen is referring to; she replies that she can never see him again and has no choice in the matter as she has to undo what she started. Mary Margaret realizes that her stepmother is now referring to the curse that brought them to Storybrooke, but Regina corrects her in saying that it created Storybrooke; "It doesn't belong here... and neither to any of us."
David utters that to break the curse is to destroy the town, and Regina explains that it will blink out of existence as though it were never there in the first place, meaning everyone will go back to where they're from... prevented from ever returning. Emma deduces that this means they'll go back to the Enchanted Forest, but Regina tells her that Henry will be excluded and shall stay in the land they're in now because that's where he was born. "Alone?!" Emma asks, worried for her son, but the Queen assures her otherwise, telling the blonde that she has to take him because she's the savior; she was created to break the curse and, once again, can escape it. Emma says that she doesn't want to, opting for her and Henry to go back along with everyone else, but Regina makes clear that that isn't an option because giving Henry up is the price she has to pay, and if she doesn't pay it, then none of what she plans to do will work and they'll all be doomed for the fate Pan had in store for them. The curse is fast approaching, and a scared Mary Margaret tells her daughter that she has to go.
Emma reminds her parents that she just found them, but her mother says that now it's time for her to leave them again for her best chance, and Henry's. The blonde refutes the entire situation, thinking that she's still meant to bring back the happy endings because she's the savior - as is what her son's always told her - but Mary Margaret tells her that happy endings aren't always what they think they will be and instructs Emma to look around her, pointing out that she's touched the lives of everyone in town. "But... we're family," she says, and Mary Margaret agrees, assuring her that they always will be and that she gave them that. David adds that Henry and Emma can be a family and fulfill the latter's wish: be like everyone else and be happy.
"No! No." Emma starts to say still in disbelief, "he was conceived in the Enchanted Forest, that's got to count for something, right."
"It doesn't mama. Regina knows, you know, and I know the truth that despite that fact it doesn't matter." Felicity says trying to comfort her mom who is hurting and in denial of what's to come. she doesn't know if she will cry now or later as she's in shock.
"But he managed to survive the different times while I was pregnant with him. Henry is a miracle."
"The keyword being is pregnant, mama. In all the truth there is, Henry was a fighter before he was born to survive the time portal. By all accounts, he shouldn't have lived through that, you would've gotten a miscarriage. He lived through that. He's a living miracle."
Snow says that it's time for her daughter to believe in herself... and time for her to find hope. Regina then steps in; she tells Emma that she's known her for some time, and all she's ever wanted was for her to get the hell out of her life so she can be with her son. But really, what she wants is for Henry to be happy; "We have no choice. You have to go." Showing the saddened faces of Killian, Felicity, Snow, and all those around, the shot moves in on Emma's tearful face as she continues to cling to her son. "Okay," she desolately replies.
After that, everything went quickly, and everything changed in the blink of an eye. In a blink of an eye, Rumpelstiltskin died along with his father to save them, fact one. Regina picked up the scroll and then saw the result of Pan's curse, in fact, two. Last, of all three, everything of the original curse will become undone as everyone will go back to their homeland except Henry.
It shouldn't be this hard, but the easiest thing, the right things to do is just the way things are supposed to be, meant to be. It isn't fair. Life will never be fair. It's the way that things are.
For Felicity Jones, everything is silence. She is struggling she knows, and she knows she's not the only one at that, like her papa. She knows what this means to them, to their family. She doesn't know where's she's at, one minute, one second, they were all in the middle of the town and suddenly the scenery changed to somewhere out close to the town line. She didn't know when that happened. All that she was capable to do was cry.
The greenery surrounds her with trees and grass everywhere as she falls into the unfamiliar land that she's just entered into or rather forced into by the Dark One. Rumpelstiltskin is his name, the name of the Dark One, that put her here wherever here is. She is befuddled at what he said, to what he said about her mama changing things that weren't meant to be changed. What did that even mean? Suddenly she realizes that she is still lying down on the grass, as she remembered being pushed into the portal the Dark One made, and as she was pushed, she tripped and lied on the grass. She didn't know how long she was in that state, didn't know how long she was in her head, disbelief of what just happened. When she stood up, she sees an inhabitant of the land who is astonishingly young, he is young as he is younger than her, she would guess that he's about thirteen or fourteen years of age. What astonished her the most, was the way he held himself, with his head help up high so royal-like. Then he speaks, "I was going to think that you were never going to get up, shame that you did because it would've been fun. For me that is." The boy says and suddenly she has a feeling, the same feeling that she felt with her parents before the Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin did. That same terrible feeling that she has like something was going to happen or was it that bad feeling that you get of people and know it's the people that can't be trusted, that have these evil bad vibes. Turns out it was the latter as he introduced himself as Peter Pan and told her that she's at Neverland and then she gasped, knowing that the place she's at is where things changed how her Uncle Liam that she will never meet died from a poison that came from here. Then she ran like hell.
As she ran and found a place that she felt safe to her, she sat down on the ground her hands cradling over her legs with her head down and cries. It happened so fast, how things change and the worst thing is that they didn't get to say goodbye, they all vanished, she didn't say goodbye, her mama and papa didn't say goodbye as she remembered calling her name as she vanished from being teleported somewhere else. She cries harder. Then she wished and wished, begged to herself that her parents will come to her, suddenly finding herself living a nightmare come true. That she is by herself in a place that her father been to only once. Then she told herself that her parents will come and get her soon. Then Pan found trying to take her with the lost boys, to join them and she declined. For the first few years he kept on trying to be nice to her, trying to get her to become a lost girl that would never happen, then he admitted in defeat trying to find a new angle to drive her crazy or taunt her but what. Then a familiar face and an idea come to light. When he forcedly got Felicity next to him at the destination, he tells her to stay and watch, as she watches the scene she sees her papa fighting one of the lost boys and killed, something of which Pan wasn't expecting as he watches the scene next to her, telling her that he's changed, not your father, and then he smiles knowing he succeeded that he taunted her. Then he takes her and shoves her into a small cage made of wood. However what he didn't know that Felicity didn't believe him, noticed Papa is different and that's because he doesn't remember, and she realizes that no matter what, he's not the person that she knew her father is, and with thanks to Pan, admits that he has false memories.
As the years keep going the hope that she had for her parents to come and get her vanished. The first days and those first years she only had hope and faith, believing that they will come soon. Then when Peter Pan told her to the truth on his first day of taunting her with her father, she sighed in relief of knowing the truth. However as more years go by and when she has been there for one century, then another century pass by, the hope that she had did vanish.
The memory fades, remembering how it felt being in a new land, having hope and faith vanish. Until recently she forgets everything from Neverland with that feeling of hopelessness. Until recently she was out of the land and back with her family and she was happy. Now as her mom is saying goodbye to her friends, things are going to change again. This time while she won't be alone again, it's still heartbreaking to go through this again as she remembers that day of Rumpelstiltskin. Even though she understood why he had to do it, she hated what he did. It was almost going through the same thing and she hated it. It won't surprise if everyone would get similar memories, like her mama and papa going through this separation again with memories from the Dark One, while those who were sent here would get memories of the curse taking them away from their homeland, their realm and now they're going back.
Everything changed because of Emma Swan Jones, the savior. Everybody is going to miss her. Things are going to be different again, trying to find the new norm when they get back to the Enchanted Forest. Life is not fair, it sucks. Things are going to be different.
When Emma said goodbye to her friends, she goes to her parents to say goodbye. They hugged then she says, "I wished I could've got to know you better, so I could've called you my parents, to call you mom and dad." They then cry. As this happens Henry said goodbye to his adoptive mother Regina and hugged her then he said that this isn't fair, saying that it's all his fault. Confused, Regina asks her son what he means, and he explains that if he had never gone to get Emma and simply lived under the curse, then none of this would have ever happened. He says that he thought he was alone and that Regina didn't love him, but he admits to being wrong. She tells him that she was wrong too and assures him that it's her fault, not his, because she cast the curse out of vengeance so that she could be happy, but, in the words of Mr. Gold, "villains don't get happy endings."
"You're not a villain," he promises, "You're my mom." And with that, the two of them share a heartfelt embrace just as Emma's hug with her parents ends.
After that, Emma and Henry are now ready to face Killian and Felicity. The tears had started as they all looked to each other, knowing it was time to say goodbye. However, they looked as the tears became known as they fall from their eyes and slowly falling on their cheeks. They looked at each other, waiting for anyone of them would speak.
It was Felicity. "I don't think I can say those words. I can't say it, I can't say goodbye." She started her voice dry and cracking. "We didn't say goodbye all those centuries ago. I can't say it," she said as she is now full-blown crying, as she tried to be strong and brave for this moment, trying hard to not cry.
Then her family cries, her mom and dad with Henry cry as they watch her.
"Then let's say see you later," Emma says and then they all nodded and embraced each other, all together, for the first time and the last time as they hugged each other as a family. Then one by one they all said see you later. As they slowly impart with one another, Emma kisses her husband for the last time while Henry went back to his grandparents, and immediately, they wrap him in their arms as Felicity hangs back.
"Take care of Felicity for me, take care of our daughter, Killian. Okay."
"I will as you will take care of our son, Henry."
"Yea," Emma says then looks toward Felicity and before she opens her mouth.
"Don't worry mama, I will take care of papa. I'll make sure I keep him in line," Felicity says, her voice breaking trying to smile, trying to joke. It worked somewhat, as her mama smiles sadly and softly.
Then suddenly, before Emma leaves them, Killian says, "know that there won't be a day that goes by that I won't think of you." She nods and replied saying good.
Then Emma is walking towards her car but is approached again, this time by Regina. The Queen admits to there being something she hasn't told her, which further saddens the blonde, and she goes on to explain that when the curse washes over them, it will send them all back and nothing will be left behind... "Including your memories. It's just what the curse does. Storybrooke will no longer exist; it won't ever have existed. So, these past years... will be gone from both your memories, and we'll just go back to being stories again."
Emma, troubled by this news, wonders what will happen to her and Henry and the memories of Killian and Felicity, Regina shrugs, saying that she doesn't know. The blonde then comments that that doesn't sound like much of a happy ending, and the Queen tells her that it's not - but she can give them one. Emma takes this to mean Regina can preserve their memories, but the latter answers negatively, explaining that she can do for Emma and Henry what she did for everyone else in this town: give them new ones. The savior recalls the townspeople being cursed and miserable, but Regina reveals that they didn't have to be she then takes Emma's hand and tells her, "My gift to you is good memories. A good life for you" - she turns around and Henry links hands with his adoptive mother also - "and Henry. You'll have never given him up. You'll have always been together." Emma is touched that Regina would do such a thing and is told that when Pan's curse is stopped and she crosses the town line, her new life will begin. She worries about the prospect of it not being real, but Regina assures her that, where her past won't be, her future will; she then tells the two of them to go as there isn't much time and the curse will be arriving any minute, which leads Henry and Regina to exchange one last embrace.
She kisses his forehead and he goes to be beside Emma, who is then approached by Mary Margaret. Snow holds her daughter's crying face and kisses her forehead also, tenderly smiling before returning to her husband. The curse is seen to be rapidly approaching and gaining on the leftover townspeople, and so Emma and Henry hop into the yellow bug, buckle up and prepare to drive away. Those in attendance watch sadly as their savior leaves them, but before the car moves, the curse scroll is unrolled by Regina, who tears it in two. It glows purple as she scrunches it up in her hands, in tears, and she then turns around to the fast-moving green cloud. She raises her arms, which now glow purple with the scroll's magic, and the purple lights form beams that latch themselves onto the curse, turning the green smoke purple and making it safe right before it envelops everybody.
With that, Emma hits the gas and begins driving, and from above, we see the yellow bug narrowly escape the curse as it drives away from Storybrooke. The town and its inhabitants become invisible when Henry looks back, his family is seen watching from within the smoke as he leaves them forever. Emma's eyes, as seen in the rear-view mirror, then happily flick towards Henry as she attempts to comfort him.
Meanwhile, within the town, we see the purple curse cloud envelop Main Street and the clock tower that resides there. It is then seen seeping into Henry's bedroom window where it washes over his book of fairytales.
Emma and Henry drive further away from Storybrooke. They smile at one another.