-Flashback-

"And you believe all that stuff?"

I looked away from Henry's storybook and out into the ocean. Fairytales and magic. Exactly what I needed after a long days' worth of work at the diner.

"I have to believe. Can't you feel it? Doesn't it just feel right to you?"

"The only thing I feel are those leftovers I had earlier."

I clutched my stomach and turned away, gazing out into the ocean. There were clouds forming over the horizon.

I had stormed out of the diner and found myself heading here, wanting some peace and quiet away from Granny and Ruby's incessant fighting.

My first instinct whenever I was around them: to run away.

"I have to go back."

I jumped off the castle playground and started to walk away.

"What if I told you this book could grant you your deepest wish?"

I turned around and sighed.

"And how would that happen?"

Henry stepped off the castle and walked towards me.

"You've always told me that you wanted your own family. A different kind of family that never fought and were loyal to each other."

"What if I told you that you already had that?"

"Henry, this is getting ridiculous."

He ruffled through the pages of the book and handed it to me, "Here look for yourself."

I glanced down at the page in front of me. I could see an island, a bunch of trees, a campsite, maybe a few silhouettes.

"Henry, I don't see what you're trying to-"

"Just look."

I took hold of the book and looked down at the image of the campsite and the girls surrounding the fire.

I was about to turn away again when one of the silhouettes caught my eye.

It was a girl with red hair sitting on a log staring through the campfire's flames right at…at me.

I scanned through the lines underneath the picture.

'There was a group that resided on the island, a group that consisted of young, lost or forgotten girls who had made their way to their new home. The Lost Girls, as they were called, had a fierce and cunning ruler who protected her family at all costs. Her influence grew like the roses in the Neverland gardens, and she was aptly named Thorn.'

-End of flashback-

~Felix's POV~

"Come back here, Thorn!"

I ran through the trees, pushing through branches and roots and rocks and cutting down anything in my way.

This time I would find her, and I would kill her.

This little show of hers would come to an end.

"I know you're here, Thorn. Come out and face me!"

I came to a stop at a break in the trees and looked around. The forest was quiet. Way too quiet.

Then, there was shuffling right behind me. I threw my axe blindly only to have it lodge into a tree.

Someone was giggling. The sound was coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

I spun around, searching for the possible source.

"Why did you take Henry if you were just going to let him go again? What game are you playing?"

The laughter continued to get louder and louder, echoing all around the clearing.

I paced back and forth, trying to be calm, controlling my breathing, steadying my shaking hands.

Breathe in, breathe out, Felix.

The laughter stopped.

"What's the matter, little mouse?"

She was right behind me.

"Tired already?"

I swung my staff backward furiously, its tip barely inches from her head when she caught it.

I seethed, "You're ruining everything."

"On the contrary."

I released my staff from her grip and swung again, and again, and again.

"I'm the only one here making things right, Felix."

Shut up

I kept swinging, blindly, aimlessly, barely paying any attention to anything around me, advancing forward as she kept on dodging my attacks.

"Aren't you angry, Felix?"

Quiet

She grabbed a hold of my staff and pushed me face forward into the dirt. I grunted and grabbed my staff to push myself back up again.

"How much do you think about her?"

Don't. Stop. Don't go there, Felix.

I got up, furious, livid.

I twisted around trying to find her again. Where was she? Where did she go?

"That's if she crosses your mind at all."

I swung backward with such force that my staff collided with a tree and shattered in half.

I huffed and turned around, scanning, searching.

Steady, steady.

Don't think about it. Don't.

No.

NO.

I planted my feet in the ground and steadied my breathing.

Focus

"Fine. You wanna play, let's play."

The air was still, not even a wisp of wind blowing in the clearing.

Focus

Then, a small, almost imperceptible shift right behind me.

There!

I turned around, grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her back, and pushed her into the nearest tree.

"How's this for a game?" I twisted her arm further, "Entertaining enough for you?"

She laughed. To my face. As I held her captive up against a tree. She bloody laughed.

I looked around. There was no one here to save her. She should be scared. Instead, I was the one with the shaking hands.

She stilled for a moment. "Felix."

Here we go

"I wonder what it's like to go to sleep every night knowing you killed her"

I froze.

There was no stopping it now.

Hailee

"I didn't kill her." My voice cracked.

Blood pooling all around her

Soaking her hair

Tainting her clothes

"Then who did, Felix?"

The life slowly slipping from her eyes

The color draining out of her cheeks

Her face forever frozen in a look of utter hurt and betrayal

Thorn's voice penetrated my mind through the haze.

"Can you finally say it?"

I couldn't breathe.

Couldn't.

Breathe.

Hailee

Treating my wounds

Caressing my face

Her smile

Her voice

Her everything

The world was spinning.

There was static in my ears, the shapes around me slowly fading into light and shadow.

I fell to my knees and grabbed fistfuls of soil in my hands.

Her blood on my hands.

Someone crouched in front of me and lifted my chin.

For a moment, time seemed to stop, and I thought as though I could hear Hailee's voice calling out my name, her hand holding up my face.

"Felix."

Then, there she was again, lying on the ground, bloodied and dead.

My hands, soaked in her blood

Grasping at whatever I could

Feeling like the world was crashing down around me

And above her, holding a bloody knife, was Pan.

I focused on Thorn's face and felt, for the first time in a long time, like I could finally breathe.

"Felix!"

Felix

"Can you hear me?"

There is only one rule.

"I'm going to ask you this again."

Blood calls for blood.

"Don't you want revenge?"

For the first time in centuries, I did.

...

~3rd Person POV~

"Now, are you ready?"

Henry's heart was beating a mile a minute as he replied, "Yes."

Pan smiled, "Well, let me help you."

He watched as Henry grabbed hold of his heart and took it out of his chest. Finally. Within moments that heart would be Pan's.

"Now all you have to do is-"

Pan suddenly stopped talking and smirked.

"It's nice of you to finally join us, Thorn."

He turned upwards to stare at the red-headed girl perched on one of the round openings in the cave's walls.

"I couldn't miss the show."

She jumped down and stepped forward.

"How about we end this the way it started, Malcolm? Just you and me."

Pan turned back to look at Henry. "You're right."

He lifted his hand towards Thorn. "Join me. We don't have to fight. We can save magic together."

Thorn stared back at Henry, then at Pan, and scoffed. "Save magic? Is that what you've told him?"

She laughed. Pan instinctively glanced at the hourglass behind him.

Thorn walked forward. "I would rather tear you limb from limb. Now hand him over before you regret it."

"I don't want to go with you. You were trying to hurt me." Henry stepped behind Pan.

Pan smirked, "You heard the lad. Henry isn't going anywhere with you."

"Henry, wait!"

Thorn looked back at the group of people running into the cave. "Alright, well how about with them?"

Henry startled, "Dad! You're alive?"

Neal stepped forward. "I am, buddy, and I need you to listen to me. Pan is lying to you."

Thorn turned back towards Henry. "You should listen to your dad, Henry, he-"

"That's enough from you!"

Thorn felt someone grab her from behind and push her to the floor. She gasped as a familiar dagger traced her jawline.

"Tinkerbell, what the hell are you doing?"

"Tinkerbell told us everything." Regina looked down at Thorn. "You're lucky I don't tear your heart out right now."

Tinkerbell strengthened her hold on Thorn, "I can't let you have his heart, Thorn. But I won't let them hurt you either."

Thorn laughed, "How generous of you. You know you might want to focus on the real issue here."

Neal continued, "Henry, whatever Pan wants you to do, don't do it."

"Dad, I'm trying to save magic."

Regina intervened, "The only person Pan is interested in saving is himself."

Pan turned Henry away from his family, "They're lying, Henry, that's what adults do. I'm the only one who has ever been honest with you."

There was a pause, then Neal spoke up.

"We believe in you, Henry,"

"Because we love you,"

"More than anything."

Henry's gaze shifted from Neal, to Emma, to Regina.

He smiled. "I love you too, but I have to save magic. I'm sorry."

Thorn struggled against Tinkerbell. "Henry, don't!"

"Henry, NO!"

Henry turned and thrust his heart into Pan's chest.

Time seemed to stop.

No one dared to breathe.

A minute passed, then another, then another.

Pan heaved out a sigh.

Then, nothing.

Nothing happened.

Henry looked around, then down at himself. "What's going on? Why didn't anything change?"

Pan flexed his fingers and stared at his hands.

Regina stared at the both of them, not daring to hope. "Maybe Henry's heart isn't the heart of the truest believer."

Pan chuckled. "Oh, but it is."

He plunged his hand back into his chest, took the heart out, and crushed it.

"No! What did you do!?" Emma stepped forward, her sword in hand, then halted.

Henry was fine.

"It's not Henry's heart..."

Pan glowered, "It's poppy dust."

There was a low quiet laugh coming from somewhere off to the side. Everyone turned to stare as Thorn's laugh started to grow louder and louder, reaching manic levels.

"Where is henry's heart?" Tink questioned her.

"Good question. I'm afraid I don't have time to find out anymore." Pan glanced back at the hourglass as the sand in the top compartment seemed to lessen and lessen.

"Thorn, what have you done? Magic's going to disappear now." Henry paced back and forth and stared at Pan. "Please tell me there's another way."

"I'm afraid not, Henry. But I can make them pay."

Pan walked up to Henry and held a small knife up against his throat. "Clever trick you played, the lot of you, but I'm afraid this is where it ends."

"You've lost, there's no point in this." Neal stammered as he stared at his son's shocked face.

"Let go of Henry." Regina held up her hands, ready to launch an attack.

Pan stiffened his grip on the knife. "If I can't have Henry's heart, then no one will. I wonder how much you'll regret interfering with my plans once his blood covers the floors."

Emma stared calmly ahead. Only her eyes betrayed her panic. "Pan, I'm warning you. You don't want to do this."

Henry squirmed. "Pan, why are you doing this? I was trying to help you!"

"Show's over, Henry. Now your family has one last chance. Hand over his heart, or I'll slit his throat."

"Pan." Thorn looked up at him slowly. Her voice calm and steady. Everyone turned to look at her.

"I told you once long ago that you were going to die on this island."

Before anyone could react, Thorn had swung Tinkerbell forward and moved towards Pan.

There was a brief flash of a struggle, a shadowed movement, and then there was blood splattered all over the floor.

No one dared to move.

Pan stared in shock at the Dark One's Dagger protruding from his chest.

Thorn held Henry and stepped back as Pan fell to the floor and was engulfed in shadow, turning back into his older self. Behind him stood a breathless Felix.

"How? How did you get it? Of all people-" Pan struggled for breath. "Felix, remove that dagger!" He coughed and sputtered as Felix stared down at him. There was a mixture of emotions on his face, most prominent of which was relief.

Thorn smirked, "Goodbye, Malcolm."

A blinding light shot up from Malcolm's body, enveloping the cave. Within moments, he was gone.

The dagger clattered to the ground.

Thorn and Felix stared at each other.

A moment passed.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?!"

Thorn smiled. "I'll explain everything on our way back, Regina."

"We're not going anywhere without Henry's heart."

"We already have it." A voice claimed out of the shadows.

The Dark One stepped out and picked up his dagger. "We made a deal, the lad and I. Henry's heart for my dagger."

He placed his hand inside his coat jacket and took out a beating, golden heart.

Thorn let go of Henry as his heart was handed back to his family.

Tinkerbell stared at Thorn, "So you never wanted it in the first place?"

"What would I need it for, Tink? All I wanted was for Pan to think that all his enemies were within sight. If I hadn't been held down, he would've been on high alert the whole time, and Felix wouldn't have been able to sneak up on him."

"Why didn't you just bring Henry back to us in the first place?"

"Because, Emma, you proved oh so competent in keeping him with you the first time around."

Thorn breathed in deeply. She could feel a tingly sensation in her whole body, a mass of energy slowly accumulating, her powers finally returning.

"Right well, that's enough hugging for now. Gather up your belongings and anyone who wants to leave and get the hell off my island."

...

"Are you sure you don't want to come back with us, Skylar?"

Thorn stared ahead as everyone including the lost boys, Wendy, and the rest of the group from Storybrooke filed onto the ship.

She finally felt at ease.

"This is where I belong, Mary Margaret."

Her mouth quirked up, "Send my regards to Ruby and Granny. Tell them to try not to burn the diner down without me."

Mary Margaret laughed.

"I'm going to miss you, Skylar."

Thorn spun around, "You can always come visit, Henry. Neverland is safe for you now."

There was a light breeze in the air, the smell of the growing grass and ocean salt intermixing.

Thorn stood on the shore, with Tinkerbell on her right and Felix on her left.

"You might want to get going. It's the start of a new day."

Hook scoffed. "What's the difference? You can't tell it's a new day if there's no bloody sun."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

Thorn had barely uttered the words when the first rays of sunlight peeked over the mountains.

"Bloody hell."

Thorn smiled then, a true genuine smile. Standing on that beach, the wind coursing through her hair and the sun shining through her golden red hair, she looked like a true queen.

Emma came over to join them. "Right, everything's all set, but there's still one last thing to figure out. How do we fly out of here without any poppy dust?"

Thorn smirked, "Leave that to me."

The trio of figures stood on the beach as everyone climbed aboard the ship and was ready to set off.

Thorn slowly raised her hands to her side and took in a deep breath. A gust of wind shook the sail.

She raised her hands further as the ship slowly started to lift off the water and head towards the skies, a strong breeze billowing through the air.

Thorn could see a lonely figure standing in the back of the ship waving back to her. "Goodbye," she whispered.

A moment passed in silence as the trio stood and watched the ship move further and further away.

Felix broke the silence, "What do we do now?"

"We do what we've always done."

Thorn turned to look at each one of them and back at the open sea.

"We begin again."