In this chapter, the Nevengers face a new challenge, someone breaks into Storybrooke, and Pan decides he'll keep his word.

Disclaimer: I don't own canon sadly enough.

I normally don't post personal stuff here but I'm going to. Recently, someone I live with tested positive for COVID-19. So far, I am negative, and I am going to do everything I can to stay that way, so wish me luck. I implore everyone to take safety precautions not only for your health but for the health and safety of others. My household almost managed to make it an entire year without anyone getting sick, but all it took was one person outside of our household being irresponsible to put the rest of us in danger. Please, be careful out there. Wash your hands. Don't touch your face. Keep six feet apart. Do the bare minimum to help end this nightmare.

With that being said, I'm going to try to keep writing, and hopefully this will all end as soon as possible, and I'll try to keep my spirits up.

Thanks to Cant-Stop-My-Fandoms for helping me with this chapter, and thanks to Mondwolf for following this story.

Enjoy!


Divide to Conquer


April 9, 2012

Devin remained obstinate by the time Killian and David got back. He hadn't said a word to Emma or Snow that wasn't defiant or insulting, though his sullen silences gave away his waning stubbornness more than anything he actually said.

When her boyfriend and father returned, Emma once again put up the silencing spell over the shield keeping Devin in place. Allowing her attention to focus on the two men, Emma noticed a remarkable difference in David. Once Emma learned that David had been poisoned, she had seen his sweating and paleness in a new light. David had been struggling with a light wheeze that promised to get worse, and he had struggled to maintain his composure to avoid looking as bad off as he was. Now, though, the color in his face and cheeks had returned, he looked refreshed, almost rested.

There was still a grim look on his face, one that was grimmer than when he told his wife and daughter that he was going to die.

Emma found a matching expression on Killian's face.

What had happened?

All Snow had noticed was that her husband looked healthy, and when their eyes met, his tired smile told her that it had worked. Snow instantly rushed over, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed the life out of him.

"Oh," Emma said in instinctual mild disgust, turning away from the sight of her parents making out.

Killian went over to join her.

Emma would never stop feeling good around him, but she was still mad at him for lying. She couldn't forgive him for it so soon. Eventually, she would have to, and he held a special place in her heart, but the hurt from his secrecy was still raw.

There was also the despair she held back, because this wasn't a cure. It was a stopgap.

"How did it go?" Emma asked him.

Killian's first instinct was to hold her, both for her comfort and his, but he sensed that she was still angry at him for hiding her father's condition. "He drank the water."

Emma nodded, feeling a little better now that David wouldn't drop dead. And yet… "He can never leave the island."

Killian shook his head, wishing more than anything that that wasn't the case. "No, he can't."

Emma didn't want to believe it. She refused to believe it. He couldn't be damned to this place after all of this time. "There's got to be another way. Another cure to the waters and the poison."

Killian didn't want to take away all hope from her, but there was no other option. "Emma-"

"There has to be," she said, wishing Morgana was there with them. "There's got to be. Maybe...maybe there's a way to, I don't know, reverse engineer the poison. We can contact Morgana somehow, someway-"

"Emma-"

"At least I'm trying to think of something," Emma snapped.

"And you think I haven't?" Killian snapped back. "Dreamshade killed my brother, the only family I had left, and now Tien is in danger because-"

Emma's anger depleted in an instant. "What do you mean Tien is in danger?"

That caught her parents attention once they stopped kissing, and David was about to explain what Killian meant.

"Because he wouldn't take my deal."

All of them whirled around, barely catching a glimpse of Pan before the boy flicked his wrist. The roar of wind that sounded was quickly followed by an unnatural gust that swept them all off of their feet and carried them off in different directions across the island.

Pan flicked his wrist again, and the magic silencing and detaining Devin was gone.

"You did well," Pan told the boy without looking at him.

"I...I did?" Devin asked, confused as to what Pan meant.

Pan laughed. "You served as a good distraction for the women, keeping them in one place when the men returned, and you never breathed a word of betrayal."

"O-Of course," Devin said, feeling a little relieved, but not as much as he should've felt. "You planned this?"

Pan, in fact, did not plan this. He hadn't foreseen Emma and Snow successfully capturing one of his Lost Boys, but Devin didn't need to worry about that. Besides, this would be proof to Henry (when Devin inevitably told him, because the boy sometimes couldn't keep his trap shut) that nothing happens on the island without Pan's approval. Hook turning down his deal would be further proof.

The immortal boy turned to Devin. "What do you think?"

Devin straightened his back, giving Pan a shaky smile. "Of course you did. Pan never fails."

"Pan never fails," Pan repeatedly approvingly, thinking about how his agents in the Land Without Magic better not fail either. "Now, back to camp. Can't wait to tell the others about this."

At the same time, Emma was carried off by the winds, struggling uselessly against it. She was turned and thrown about, being scraped by the branches of trees she couldn't blindly avoid, heart pounding as she failed to find anyone nearby.

At last, she was thrown to the ground, the wind knocked out of her. Emma collected her breath as the scream of the wind finally stopped, and she found herself in a completely unfamiliar part of the island. She was surrounded by the jungle, thicker than where they had been before, and she had no idea how far the wind had taken her.

Once she collected her breath, Emma got to her feet, and looked in every direction, but no one was around.

"Killian?" Emma called out. "Mom? Dad?"

They must've been carried off by the winds too. She couldn't tell, but she hoped that at least two of them managed to land in the same spot. Being in Neverland was bad enough. Being alone in the jungle, with the constant crying of children hammering in her ears…

Emma began to walk in one direction, figuring going somewhere blindly was better than staying in one place, when she heard faint cries for help different from the crying.

"M...Mo...Mom...Mom!"

Her heart raced. "Henry?"

"Mom!" Henry's voice called out fearfully from the opposite direction she was heading towards, somewhere hidden in the thick jungle bushes "Mom, where are you?!"

Had he managed to escape? If he did, then Pan would be looking for him. Maybe that was why he split the adults up. That, and the threat Pan made against Tien.

He made some kind of deal with Killian, or tried to before Killian turned him down. What could Pan possibly want from Killian to resort to threats against a little girl? Would Pan even be able to reach her?

"Mom!" Henry screamed. "Help me!"

"Henry, I'm coming!" Emma shouted before she rushed into the jungle, determined to save her kid.


Belle liked being outside, especially when she was escorted by Freddie and Art.

The sight of the lioness had frightened her, but being the subject of so much gentle affection had softened Belle to Art. She really was a gentle creature once you got to know her. Besides, the poor thing could use some love since Freddie told her that she had been caged for so much of her life.

For some reason, even without her memory, Belle could sympathize.

Speaking of…

The door to a room at the inn opened, and Belle found herself standing in front of an older woman who looked to be expecting them.

"Hello, Belle," the woman said. "How are you feeling?"

"Um, well enough," Belle said. "You're Morgana, right?"

Morgana smiled gently at her, a way to reassure Belle that she was correct. "That's me. Come in."

Belle and Freddie went inside, and Belle thought she should be more freaked out by the many tubes and pipes in the room, but she was oddly calm about it.

"Apologies for the mess," Morgana apologized. "I believe I got a bit carried away with my experiments. Granny has been quite cross with me. She's been rather understanding, but I may have to leave- I'm sorry, I lost my train of thought. You're here to get help."

Belle nodded. "Freddie said that you might have something to help me regain my memory."

"Possibly," Morgana answered, seeming nonplussed by the presence of the lioness as most other people in Storybrooke were. It truly was an odd place.

"How?" Belle asked curiously. "The hospital said that none of their scans came back with anything, and none of their medication would help."

Morgana and Freddie shared a quick and subtle glance. They were advised to keep things as simple as possible. Even without her memories, Belle's cursed personality seemed inclined towards the so-called logical (read: magic doesn't exist) thinking of this world. To avoid potentially overwhelming her, they decided to try to keep things as vague and simple as possible.

"It's a bit of an uncommon solution," Morgana explained. "There was a man who had a similar predicament as yours, and I was working on a cure for him before he unfortunately passed away. Not from this." Morgana was quick to emphasize that at Belle's startled look. "I've been working on this more since you lost your memories, and I believe I might have it ready. Are you willing to go through with this?"

"What's in it?" Belle asked.

How in the world could she explain it was a combination of magic, plums for memory, sand dust, and ground up gravel from the town line among other things without turning her away.

"It's quite complicated," Morgana said before moving over and grabbing the bottle with her potion. It was a risk testing this out on Belle, but she had made it as safe as possible for consumption. Sneezy's tests did a lot to mitigate the risks, and Morgana sent a silent hope that he was at peace wherever he was. "Here. This may work."

Belle sighed before she accepted the bottle. "'May' is better than 'not at all'." She glanced at Freddie, who was trying to not look too hopeful. He was the one who warned her that this may not work, but, like her, even he seemed eager to see if this would give her back her memories.

She didn't know what to do with herself. Her mind felt like a void, fruitlessly trying to latch onto anything that would make her remember something. She liked Freddie, but she could see in his eyes that she meant a great deal to him, much more than she felt for him at the moment. Why would she? He was a complete stranger to her when she woke up, and became a friend only through their interactions together, visiting her in the hospital every day.

I hope this works, Belle thought before she drank from the bottle.

It had an oddly bitter taste with a sweet undercurrent. It tasted both like the bitter chocolate Freddie had given her in order to reintroduce her to food he snuck into the hospital, as well as the sweet milk chocolate. Freddie was there. He was holding her hand.

They were in a cave together, talking-

Belle gasped as she nearly dropped the bottle. Her knees shook and Freddie held onto her. She was trying to focus on that memory, but it was fading. She knew in her heart that it was important, but her mind couldn't hold onto it.

"Belle?" Freddie asked. "Did you...Are you…?"

Belle reluctantly shook her head. "I'm sorry. I thought I had it for a moment, but then nothing."

"Don't be sorry," Morgana said with a touch of enthusiasm as she got out a pen and paper. "This is a sign of progress. This worked far better than it did last time. Tell me, what exactly did you experience?"

Once Belle recounted what happened, Morgana said she would make adjustments to the dosage and ingredients, whatever that meant. There wasn't much point staying there, so Belle and Freddie left.

"I'm sorry," Belle said as they began to move down the hall to exit the inn.

"Don't be sorry," Freddie replied, trying not to look as disappointed as he felt, as they both felt. "Besides, you heard Morgana. This is a good sign. She might be able to get it to work next time."

"I was so close, though," Belle said. "I saw us, the two of us, in a cave. I know it was important."

Freddie's chest tightened. He instantly realized that she had briefly remembered when she had gone into that cave in the forests of Storybrooke, coaxing him out into the light, giving him a chance to be with her. He remembered how monstrous he'd felt, a freak of nature amongst humans.

His disappointment that the potion hadn't succeeded in returning her memories deepened, but he tried to stay optimistic. Maybe talking about it more would help, even if he shouldn't mention being a werelion. "I remember that. I was in...a difficult situation at the moment. I'd run off and you followed me, talked me out of avoiding the issue."

Freddie gave her a gentle smile as they exited the inn and approached David's truck. Freddie got a few lessons on driving before David's departure, as he was better at reading and thus could read the street signs.

He frowned, missing David, wondering how he and the others were doing.

After they got into the car, with Art unhappily in the truck bed, Freddie slowly drove away from the inn.

"Freddie," Belle said.

"Yeah?"

"What exactly happened to me?" Belle asked. "You said there was an accident, but you never explained what."

Freddie swallowed a lump in his throat, buying himself some time when they went over a bump in the road and Art growled unhappily in the back.

"There was," Freddie said. "At the town line, there was...a man. He hated me, and he dragged me there in order to hurt me." It killed him to not tell her the whole truth, but he didn't know if she would believe him, or if it wouldn't just break her mind.

"Why?" Belle questioned, surprised that anyone would hate Freddie, much less hurt him.

Freddie swallowed the lump in his throat. "Because he thought he was in love with you."

"Thought?"

"I don't know if I would call what he felt 'love'," Freddie explained, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "Obsession sounds more accurate. He wanted you because you made him feel good about himself, I suppose. He didn't like it that we got together, and one night he just snapped. He took me to the town line, and I thought I was done for until you and Killian showed up."

"Killian," Belle said thoughtfully, remembering him as one of her visitors, but also trying to remember something else. There was a wisp of a memory but once again she couldn't hold onto it. "What happened then?"

Freddie sighed. "We didn't see the car in time, and...Killian got the worst of the damage, but he made a full recovery."

The way he phrased it made Belle think that she was hit by the car, but there was something there, a flash of light in the darkness but she couldn't tell what it was.

"Freddie," Belle said, "could you take me to the town line?"

He almost whipped his head to look at her but kept his eyes on the road. "What?"

Belle said, "I think it might help jog my memory if I go to the place where this all started."

Freddie hesitated. "I don't know." He had stayed far away from the town line, and the idea of taking Belle there reminded him of that awful night.

"I really think it could help," Belle said before she saw how nervous he was, then she felt guilty. "Unless you're not up for it-"

"I am," Freddie said, guilty because he was selfishly holding back from something that may help Belle remember. He would just need to be extremely careful not to cross the town line. Who knows if Belle would have her memories rewritten all over again, or worse? "As long as your sure."

Belle nodded, and Freddie drove them over there. As they did, she glanced over at him as subtly as she could. She knew Freddie wasn't telling her everything about what happened, but it was like part of her wanted to know and the other part didn't. It was the same feeling she got back in Morgana's room, like she was reaching out for those memories but something else was pulling it back. Was it trauma? Had this man who had been obsessed with her and attacked Freddie done this to her? No one could properly explain what had happened or how to fix her and it was driving her ma-

"Shit!" Freddie shouted as he turned the wheel sharply to avoid an oncoming car, with Art yowling in distress in the truck bed.

Despite being thrust out of her thoughts so abruptly, Belle was able to identify three things in a few seconds.

First, the car that nearly struck them suffered some damage. Second, it was likely due to them hitting the physical roadblocks erected on the inside of the town line. Lastly, they were driving inside town, meaning they had come from the outside.

Freddie brought them to a stop and checked on her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Belle said, though her seatbelt had dug painfully into her shoulder.

Freddie looked at the back. "Art, are you-"

Art growled unhappily.

"Sorry," Freddie said very apologetically before he realized what happened. Someone had entered town, someone who very clearly ignored the warning signs to stay back, who had been so determined to get in that they drove around the physical barrier but took damage in the process. After Greg and Tamara, the council had people erect the physical barrier to keep any other strangers out, but it looks like that wasn't going to happen.

"Change of plans," Freddie said as he turned the truck around. "We need to let people know what just happened."

"Why?" Belle asked as Freddie drove off. "Do you think the people in that car were hurt?"

"You saw how many there were?"

Belle blinked, realizing she had without knowing it. "Yes, there were two people, but I can't remember what they looked like." She looked ahead and found the car had already disappeared. "They drove awfully fast. What are they in a hurry for?"

"No idea," Freddie said as he dug his phone out of his pocket. "Whatever it is, they might end up hurting someone. Do me a favor and dial 911."


The last thing David remembered was a gust of wind picking him up and whoosh!

He opened his eyes, and found himself slammed against a tree before falling to the ground. Though he doesn't remember getting hit in the head or anything, he really hoped he didn't get some brain damage because he almost died once, thank you very much.

Then, with a start, David realized that no one else was around. His muscles were sore from the long hike and from being tossed around like a leaf on the wind, but he managed to get up on his own two feet. He looked up at the tree and found it was large and hollowed out with different holes, but inside was too dark for him to see and he was too big to get inside. As he stepped back, he found some ropes had been tied to the largest, outstretched branch of the tree. It was loose at the end, swaying in the unnatural breeze, but it reminded David of a noose.

Didn't matter. He needed to find the others.

"Emma!" David called out as he turned around and walked away from the tree. "Snow! Killian! Where are you?!"

Please let them be okay, he thought. He knew that Emma was still angry at him for lying, and that Snow was still angry as well, despite her joy at his being cured. He knew that both of the women in his life and Killian were sad about David being forced to remain here, but he wanted to use the time they had left to save them, to prevent any of them from sharing his fate. He wanted them to be okay.

He began to try to memorize everything as best he could, figuring that getting too lost would only hurt him.

"Well," David said aloud, "if I'm going to be stuck here forever, might as well get acquainted with the place."

The heat of Neverland wasn't nearly as unbearable as before, but it still made David sweat and cause his clothes to stick to his body. What he wouldn't give to just jump into some cool water...then again murderous mermaids infested the seas of Neverland so it probably wasn't a good idea.

His thoughts jumped back to the spring, and guilty weighed him down. Killian made a choice to not kill David, and because of that Tien was now in danger. Even as he pressed forward, David couldn't help but feel responsible for what Pan might do to Tien.

"No," David told himself. "Pan will be responsible. And he is not going to hurt that little girl."

His mind swirled down into a dark place as he remembered how Killian completely fell apart as he held Phoebe's dead body, how David wanted to throw up over how badly Tien bled from the head. He had seen a lot of death over the years, but losing Phoebe and nearly losing Tien had crushed him in a way he didn't know was possible.

Phoebe's face during their lunch together - that day she snuck out of school - so bright and happy and hopeful over having a family cut into David.

"I failed," David admitted to himself, his throat clenching up. "I failed Phoebe, but I won't fail Tien."

There it was, suddenly a whisper that teased his senses but he couldn't hear it. He stopped in his tracks, looking around to see if it was his family, but no one was in sight. He called out their names, but no one came.

No one's coming.

He whirled around but found that no one was there. The hollowed out tree was still visible, but nothing else that was distinguishable from the seemingly never ending jungle was in sight.

He heard a familiar sound - a baaaa - and he turned around and found, of all things, a lamb. The sheep couldn't have been more than a year old, if that, as its hide only bore short, yellowish hair. It was all by itself. Where was its flock? Where was the shepherd? It needed protection.

David took a step forward, not realizing it had gotten darker, when he heard a new sound, a new voice.

"Mind the sheep, David."

Tears sprung in his eyes in an instant at the familiar and warm voice, one he hadn't heard in so many years and longed for so many times. He turned away from the lamb, and found his mother there, wearing the same dress she had when she was killed, but without the blood stain. Her hair was out of place, but her kindness always made her look beautiful in his eyes, especially the way he was looking at her now.

"Mom?" David asked, astonished, before shaking himself out of his reverie. No. His mother was dead. She had died before Emma was even conceived. Oh gods, how he had wished that she could meet his daughter. She would've doted on Emma and Henry in equal measure. She might've been firm but fair with him, but he knew she would've spoiled her granddaughter and great-grandson to make up for all of the unkindness in the world.

"You're not here," David said, his voice cracking because he wanted her to be real so badly it hurt. The lamb bayed again, and he knew it could be an illusion too, but he couldn't look away from his mother. He had no pictures of her, and yet this visage before him could've stepped right out of the depths of his memory.

"Mind the sheep, David," 'Ruth' told him. "They need a leader to guide them."

She took a step forward, and he took a step back. He realized nearly a second too late that his momentum was going backwards. He hurriedly dove to the side, and when he turned around, he found that he had nearly fallen into a carefully hidden trap, one that when the top layer disintegrated, he would've fallen into a pit of spikes.

"Mind the sheep David," 'Ruth' said once more, still as kindly as ever, even as David's heart hammered in his chest. "A dead man walking is no good to anyone."


Percy liked being able to spend time with Ruby, even if the circumstances weren't ideal.

Before they got the alert that strangers had entered Storybrooke, he and Ruby were enjoying time alone together at a homey coffee place away from downtown, in a quiet area closer to the residential area. Normally, Percy would've just gotten coffee at Granny's, but after the curse broke and all that craziness, Ruby went out of her way to find this quiet, off the main track, cafe so that they could have a quiet moment.

Right now, he greatly appreciated it. Granny's was great, but it was also the most popular place in town, meaning he would be subjected to the stares of everyone around him, however well-meaning they were.

He knew that most if not all of them were sympathetic to him getting shot and nearly dying, but to him he wondered how many thought as he did: this is his fault.

Emma and Killian entrusted Henry and Tien's safety to him. His friends believed he would be able to keep their children safe. In a matter of a few minutes, if that, Percy was shot and helpless to do much except try not to drown in his own blood.

DAD!

Percy flinched as he remembered LJ's terror-filled scream. He had been barely conscious, but he could distinctly remember the sound of his nephew, who was his child in all but name and blood, calling out for him and he couldn't do anything. Why hadn't he been more careful? Why-

Ruby's voice broke through his thoughts. "Your coffee's going to get cold."

Percy flinched as he realized that he'd gotten so lost in thought that he forgot where he was.

"And stop it," Ruby told him sternly. "I know what you're thinking, and no, what that asshole did is not your fault."

Percy opened his mouth.

"Uh uh," Ruby cut him off. "No 'I should've known better' or 'I could have stopped him'. Theoretically, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that you didn't because at the time you couldn't. No one could, or did you forget that Thomas was there too. And, newsflash, you were shot. No one blames you for what happened, so don't blame yourself. Just be glad that you're okay."

Throughout her speech, Percy noticed Ruby's cheeks grow redder, her eyes mistier, and her words more desperate, particularly when she said he had been shot. Ruby was one of the strongest people he knew, but he also realized that he had become a weakness in her armor, one that could've dealt her a great blow if he hadn't recovered from his wound.

He grabbed her hand, which had rested on the table clenched into a fist. The tension in her hand released enough so that their fingers could curl together.

"I'm sorry," Percy said. When he saw her open her mouth, he quickly added, "Not for...the other thing, but for worrying you."

"Well that's silly," she grumbled, though there was a little smile on her face.

"Why is that silly?" He asked, returning her smile.

"Becaaaause," she drew out the word, "that would imply that it was your fault. I see what you're doing, you sly dog."

Percy huffed like he was offended. "Oh, let me fall on my sword, would you?"

"Not a chance," Ruby said before she leaned over and gave him a kiss.

It never failed to make Percy's heart beat a little more, to wish that they had more privacy to kiss and touch each other more. In fact, he felt a little bolder, and lightly bit her lip. It was so quick and so light that no one else noticed, but when Ruby sat back, she let out a giggle.

"Wow," she said, "you've gotten a lot better at that."

"Oh stop," he replied with a flutter of his eyelashes.

Ruby's smile was bigger now.

He loved her. He loved her smile, and her eyes, and how she made him never want to let go of her hand. He felt so safe and happy with her, and he...he wondered if they could take the next step, a step he had been too shy to approach her about before. Looking around, he made sure none of the other patrons were close enough to overhear them, though he still made sure to be as quiet as he could.

Percy gently rubbed his thumb against her hand. "Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"I know we're supposed to be babysitting the kids tonight," Percy said, "to give the other parents some privacy-"

"Ooh, that reminds me," Ruby interrupted. "I double-checked and that bakery does have those cupcakes LJ really likes. I think he's really going to enjoy that when we watch a movie later on. Does he still like hot chocolate with whip cream?"

Percy smiled softly at her because she remembered LJ and the day they had planned with him, as Tien wanted to spend some time with Lady and Granny. The old woman had a soft spot for Tien since the poor girl looked so lost.

"Yes, he does," Percy said before trying to get the conversation back on track, feeling nervous all of a sudden. "Um, I was thi-thinking, and you don't have, um, to-"

Ruby looked confused at how flustered he was, but waited for him to finish.

Percy cleared his throat. "I was thinking that maybe, one of the other parents could look after the kids for a night, so we can go on a date."

"Yeah, definitely," Ruby said, not getting why he was so nervous. "It's been awhile since we went on a date at night."

"Y-Yeah, it is," Percy replied. "But, um, I was wondering-" Why was his face so hot? Get it over with. "I was thinking that we could, well, take our relationship a step further?"

Ruby started to get it, but she didn't want to make assumptions. "How so?"

Percy just went for it. "I want to have sex with you."

He was going to melt into the damn floor.

To his immense relief, Ruby smiled warmly at him while her eyes looked excited. "Really? You want to?"

"Yeah," he answered in a shaky breath.

"You seem nervous."

"It would be my first time after all."

"And you want it to be with me."

Without thinking he replied, "There's no one else I'd want to have sex with."

Why oh why was he such a blunt-

Ruby brought his hand up and kissed it. "I love it." She then took on a haughty tone. "But if we are, there are a few requirements."

Percy laughed.

"Well," Ruby said with a grin, "you'll have to romance me."

Percy grinned as well. "Obviously."

"And seduce me, I can't do all of the work."

"Naturally."

"Lots of flowers and just sweep me off my feet-"

"Let me write this down-"

"Hey!"

Percy burst out laughing before cutting himself off, that nervous energy mingling with his excitement, and this time he bent over to kiss her.

Ruby looked at him lovingly. "So, it's a da-"

Then, with either perfect or imperfect timing, both of their phones started to ring. The two of them realized that this wasn't coincidental since Ruby was being called by Mulan, and Percy was being called by Tiana. Both stepped outside to take the call.

"Hi, Percy," Tiana said tensely.

"Hi, Tiana," Percy replied, unable to hide his sigh. "What happened?"

"Strangers entered the town," Tiana said. "Freddie informed us that they nearly drove into him and Belle - they're okay - and clearly ignored the barrier. He alerted the police and the council is alerting everyone else. Don't tell anyone else. We don't want to start a panic."

Percy bit back a curse. "We just can't get a break can we?"

"Of course, why would we?" Tiana bit out, clearly as unhappy with this as he was. "We haven't had any sightings, but we're on the lookout. The police are going to call Ruby to-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but they already have," Percy said, looking over at Ruby who was still on the phone with Mulan, a tense expression on her face. He looked at the time. "Listen, I'll be over when I can, but I have to pick up the kids."

"Understood," Tiana said. "Get here when you can."

They both hung up.

Ruby ended her call as well, going over to Percy with a saddened look. "Rain check?"

"Definitely," Percy said before kissing her. "Be careful."

"You too," Ruby said. "I love you."

She stilled, but before she could contemplate on whether or not she went too far, he said, "I love you too. So much."

Ruby leaned up to kiss him again, making it a little longer than it should be before they had to depart.

Percy sighed as they got into their respective cars and drove off to their own destinations.


Snow's head was pounding. She had tried, in vain, to grab onto something, but the wind carried her far away from her family before nearly dropping her in the middle of a pond.

She got up and assessed that she still had her bow and quiver, but some of her arrows had been lost on the journey. Only a few remained undamaged with the rest lying scattered or broken around her.

"Great," Snow muttered tersely under her breath as she tried to see what she could salvage. Once that was done, she looked at her surroundings. The pond was larger than she first thought, surrounded by the jungle but with the trees more spread out than any other area she had seen so far. There was a rock jutting halfway between the water and the shore. Snow walked around the perimeter of the pond to get on it.

When she looked down into the pond, she couldn't help but be amazed that it was filled with some of the most colorful fish she had ever seen. She had no idea fish could swim, their scales rippling different shades of orange before melding into green.

It was certainly a sight. She was just wanted to stare there, staring at the fish and their delightful colors-

Snow actually had to slap herself out of the tempting reverie, realizing that she was tipping dangerously towards the water which all of a sudden seemed to become dangerously dark. Scrambling back to shore, Snow got her bearings and began to search the area.

Focus already, and be wary of everything. She shuddered at how tempting that pond was, how her heart stopped at that instinctual get out of there! feeling.

Snow realized no one was around and reluctantly ventured into the forest, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before one of the Lost Boys spotted her.

That prediction didn't disappoint. In fact, it made up for the somewhat long wait by bringing Snow across the path of ten Lost Boys.

Ten Lost Boys, and she only had four arrows left. So she did the smart thing.

She ran like hell.

"After her!" One of the older Lost Boys shouted as they ran after her, with some of the other boys, who sounded Henry's age, shouting as well.

"I want her bow!"

"I want her quiver!"

"I want her head!"

Gods, what is wrong with these kids?

Years, countless years, of Pan's influence that's what.

Snow knew that she couldn't outrun them forever. Much like Graham in the Enchanted Forest, way back when he was only known as The Huntsman, Snow knew these boys understood the jungle better than she did. However, unlike then, she was more skilled, and thus she could at least pick them off. She would just have to get creative.

Snow scrambled up a tree the minute they lost sight of her, grabbing a rock on the way. She hide up in the tree as silently as possible, hardly daring to breathe in worry that they would hear her, or her movements would rustle the branches.

As predicted, they gathered near the base of the tree. One of them looked up, but she was well-hidden by the leaves.

"Aw," one of the Lost Boys whined. "I wanted her bow."

The oldest leader of the group - who couldn't have physically been more than 15 - slapped him upside the head. "Idiot, she's got to be around here. She can't have outrun us yet."

"She's probably hiding," one of them muttered airily. "Like hide and seek...I used to play hide and-"

"Enough," the older boy said. "Go out and find her. If we missed her and Pan hears about it-"

One of them interrupted with a deranged laugh. "He'll have our hides."

"Spread out and look for her," the older boy said, and the Lost Boys did as he bid them.

Three Lost Boys stayed behind in case she came that way, but that was good enough for her. Snow waited until they were just far enough away from each other, with one going around the back of the tree she was hiding up in, to throw the rock at another tree, disturbing some wildlife in the process.

As two of the Lost Boys went over to investigate, the third was about to walk around the base to do so when Snow silently dropped down and gave him a sharp tap on the head, disorienting him. Snow tried not to look at his young face, tried to not feel sick at striking a child, because she knew that it was her life or theirs. She dragged his stunned body away and hid him under a bush. She crept silently along the jungle floor and found the other two Lost Boys. She dispatched one of them - a boy with straight red hair, she couldn't help but note - by choking him out, her arm pressing against his windpipe to cut off his attempted scream, before gently placing him on the ground. She then stunned the third boy like she did the first.

Before she could hide the still living but hurt bodies, a fourth Lost Boy came screaming out of the bush, and Snow ducked before his spear could strike her in the chest. She charged with a shout of her own and tackled him to the ground, stunning him with a punch to the face before she took off.

Six Lost Boys left. If need be, she could use her weapons now, but she would need to do so sparingly. First, she would have to put as much distance between her and the other Lost Boys as possible, to give herself more time to come up with a plan.

Snow didn't see a root jutting out from the jungle floor and she tripped. Quickly getting back up, she saw a flash of red, wondering if it was a Lost Boy. She began to move, but she had to clench her teeth to cut off a yell, reducing it to a harsh whimper. Snow clumsily learned against a tree, and she looked at her left ankle, which she realized was sprained.

"Shit, why now?" Snow asked as she tried to put some pressure on it, finding that it hurt like hell but it was possible. Dammit, this worsened her chances of getting out of here. She had to move, and most fast-

"Not so quickly, Snow. Dancing requires patience."

Snow's heart stopped, looking around to find the source, but no one was there. Snow gritted her teeth and began hobbling away, trying to find a place to hide now. She would need to find materials to help her sprained ankle.

"Slow down, not so quick."

"Give her time," a new voice said, echoey like the first, and Snow realized with a start why they sounded so familiar.

This is a trick, she thought, anger and grief mixing in as tears welled in her eyes. This is an evil, evil trick. I can't stop moving.

"She'll know what to do when the time is right," her father had said - and was 'saying' now - when she had nearly tripped over her own feet, trying to perform a new dance she had learned the hour prior to her attempt at showing off. She was 8-years-old, ready to go to her first ball, and she wanted to impress her parents.

Her mother always fussed over her, and her father had always beamed with pride. She wondered what they would think of her now if they had lived. Oh, they would be so proud of Emma and Henry. Leopold would've given David a hard time, but Eva would've been the one to truly be the terror...at least until David charmed her that is.

Children. They would've met Snow's children, because she always wanted to have more than one. Her childhood had been full of luxury but she never had a sibling. She was the only one of her mother's pregnancies that resulted in a living child. She had worried if that would happen to her, but now she was filled with the longing for a quiet life filled with her children and grandchildren. Snow felt the sting of knowing that her parents would never have that chance because of Regina and Cora, how her family now was being ripped apart as Snow tried to not die.

Neverland messes with your mind, Snow told herself, willing the false voices of her parents to go away, a stray tear going down her cheek. It dredges up bad feelings and exploits it. Damn Pan. Damn him to the pits of whatever hell exists.

She heard rustling behind her, and she only had a second to draw her bow and arrow and fire it into the eldest Lost Boy's shoulder. His screams would alert the others, and she began to walk as fast as she could with her ankle.

"Yes," her 'mother' said as Snow fought for her life, "but we always thought we had enough time. Will she?"


Freddie mined for fairy dust as much as he could, but this was an art perfected by the dwarves, and they left no instructions behind.

The rocks encasing the diamonds were strong, but the diamonds themselves were fragile.

"They encase magic," Blue had explained. "If they're chipped in the wrong way, the magic could become incredibly unstable or even useless."

So far, three diamonds had met that fate, though thankfully they only crumbled into useless dust, not exploded like Freddie thought they would. All around him, people from the town mined the rocks as carefully as they could, the caverns lit by lamps since the sun had already set.

Blue told the council that the only surefire way to protect the town from anymore unwanted guests was fairy dust. Morgana confirmed as much, since it would give her the magical boost she needed to reverse engineer the spell she used to take down Cora's barrier.

While a bunch of people were looking for whoever it was that got into town, Freddie and others like him were busy trying to mine these stupidly fragile and hard-to-get diamonds.

"Freddie, your time's up," the new foreman said. "Same for you five. Time's up."

Freddie didn't need to be told twice. He was sweating and tired, though the other five people who were just told to leave looked ready to fall asleep. Poor souls.

He left the mines and found Art dutifully waiting for him, some blood on her lips.

"Hey girl," Freddie said as he scratched at the spot behind her ear that she loved. "You get some wildlife to feast on?"

Art purred.

"Let's go, girl," Freddie said as they walked towards David's truck. "Maybe Belle's still at the pawn shop."

When Freddie had been called upon to help at the mines, someone had offered to take Belle back to the hospital, but she refused. She insisted that she was going to be of use, and wouldn't listen to Freddie when he said that she was still recovering.

She looked him dead in the eyes and said, "I lost my memory, not my senses. I am going to help, end of story."

Gods, he loved that woman.

She naturally picked up her talent of organization and pouring through lists, so she was put to work sorting through the itemized list of items in Rumple's pawn shop, as well as going over whatever items remained in the shop. Freddie was told that some of the items were simply too caustic to remove, or there simply wasn't space to put them anywhere else.

This whole thing was a mess.

Freddie drove to the pawn shop with Art in the front seat. After that near miss before, Art would become incredibly unhappy at the idea of being in the truck bed. She was much more comfortable in the front, resting her head on Freddie's lap, though Freddie would have to reimburse David for the claw mark she accidentally left in the seat.

Once they arrived, he found that the street was empty. Everyone had probably gone home. He parked in front of the store, finding that the inside was lit but no one was in the front. Freddie and Art got out, but just as he was about to open the door, Art let out a warning growl.

Hesitating, he looked at the lioness. "What is it, girl?"

Art crouched low, growling at something inside the shop, and Freddie realized that something had gone wrong. That bell would be a problem, and so he quickly made a few calls. The first was to the cops, the second to Morgana. Once that was done, he decided that if Belle was still in there, he couldn't afford to wait for someone to come out.

With incredible care, Freddie slowly opened the door before reaching through the gap of the door, and slowly but surely tearing out the rope of the bell. He gingerly set it down on the ground, slowly opening the door to prevent it from creaking. He could hear people talking in the back, and Freddie gently shushed Art to remind her to not make any noice. The two then went inside, careful to avoid the creaky floorboards, and as they got to just before the curtain leading to the back, he heard people talking.

"What do you know about this?" A man's voice asked, one Freddie didn't recognize. British, he sounded British.

"I don't know what that is," Belle lied. It might sound convincing enough to someone else, but Freddie could tell when she lied.

"You're lying," a second man's voice said, also having a British accent. "We know that Rumplestiltskin had an interest in you. Did he tell you to get this somehow?"

"Rumple...is that who he meant?" Belle wondered aloud.

Freddie was about to burst in when he heard Ariel speak. She must've been helping Belle with the lists. "Listen, my fiance is going to be here any second, so how about you put those guns down."

"I think not," the first man said.

Freddie hesitated. He couldn't do anything if they had guns, it was too risky.

"Now," the second man said dangerously, "what is it?"

Belle hesitated before answering him. "I can't say for sure, because it doesn't make sense to me, but it's listed as a Pandora's Box."

If possible, Freddie became further on edge. In the legends, Pandora's Box unleashed all of the evils onto the world, with only Hope left inside. Freddie doubted that Rumple managed to get his hands on the actual item, if it was even real, but any potential replica sharing the name couldn't be good either.

"Why do you even want to know?" Ariel asked.

"Because our boss wants to know," the first man said.

Belle asked, "And who's your boss?"

"Peter Pan," the second man answered.

A silence, then a disbelieving scoff from Belle. "Peter Pan, like the book? Really?"

The second man sounded pained as he said, "You have no idea what Pan is like. He wants to make sure this never gets to Neverland."

"Neverland?" Ariel asked. "That's where Henry was taken, wasn't it?" At their silence, her voice remained hesitant but now had an edge of demanding. "Why does he want to hide that? So that he can abduct more kids? That's the kind of guy you work for?"

"Not by-"

"Michael," the second man cut off the first. "Now's not the time. We'll be leaving."

"We can't let you leave with that," Belle suddenly said. "I don't know what exactly is going on, but I know that allowing you to leave with that is the last thing I should do."

"We're not giving you a choice."

"John-"

"No, Michael," John, the second man, told the first. "Remember what he said."

"What's he got on you?" Ariel asked. "You don't sound like eager stooges, so what hold does he have on you?"

Just then, sirens blared from down the street, causing the two men to panic.

"That's it," John said and a scuffle ensued. "You're coming with us."

"Like hell!" Belle shouted, clearly trying to fight back. "Let me go!"

They're going to use them as hostages, Freddie thought before his expression hardened. No, they're not.

The moment the curtain moved, signaling the men's approach, Freddie and Art went on the offensive. Art clamped her jaw on an arm, causing a bespectacled man to scream in pain as she dragged him to the ground and further away, causing him to drop the gun and let go of Ariel, who ran for cover. The second man, a portly one, was Freddie's. He had his arm around Belle's neck, and Freddie pinned his arm - the one whose hand held a gun - against the wall. Belle drove her elbow into his diaphragm, winding him enough to let him go.

"SBPD!" Marian shouted as she and Little John burst onto the scene, her gun and his crossbow drawn. "Hands in the air!"

"Art, let him go," Freddie ordered as he escorted Belle away from the portly man, who held his arms up. Art let go of her victim, who curled his bleeding arm inward.

In another second, Morgana appeared in a cloud of smoke, and looked upon the scene in shock. "What in- what happened?"

"Thanks for getting here so fast," Freddie bit out sarcastically to all involved. Before anyone could say anything, he looked at Belle. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"No," Belle said, looking a little shaken up before she looked at Ariel, who got up as Marian cuffed the portly man.

"John," the man - whom Freddie realized was Michael - said. "John, are you alright?"

John answered with a pained grunt as he managed to get onto his knees.

Little John kept his crossbow trained on him as Morgana kneeled down to examine the wound. "Careful," he warned her.

"He's hardly a threat to me," Morgana said as she placed her hand on his arm and began healing it with magic. He tried flinching away from her but she held on. "Oh stop being an infant."

"What are you doing to him?" Michael asked worriedly.

"Healing him," Morgana snapped. "Now what in the world happened?"

"They were after this," Ariel said, picking up something that had been dropped on the floor. It was a metal cube engraved with symbols with a dark red jewel set in at the top.

One look at it caused Morgana to pale. "That's-"

"You know what that is?" Belle asked.

Morgana looked at John, who flinched. "What do you want with Pandora's box?"

"It's actually Pandora's Box?" Freddie couldn't help but ask.

"What is so important about it?" Belle asked flustered. "Why do they want it so bad? Why do they say that Peter Pan is real? Someone just tell me what the bloody hell is going on!"

"He wants it," John said with a wince. "He said if we got it for him, he would give us back our sister. She's been a prisoner for a long time."

"Over a century," Michael said regretfully. "Please, just let us take it to him."

"That's not possible," Belle said, her voice almost a whisper as it sounded like she was trying to wrap her head around this. "Even if that were- it's not… You'd be-"

"Dead," John answered. "We're well aware. Pan has kept us alive to do his bidding, and as long as we do, she lives."

"Time doesn't pass in Neverland," Morgana said to herself before something clicked in her mind. "Wendy. Your sister is Wendy. Your the Darlings."

"It's true," Michael said, looking ready to cry. "Please, we have no other choice. We just need to take it to him and then Wendy will go free."

Marian asked, "How can you be so sure that he'll hold up your end of the deal?"

"We have no choice," Michael said.

Belle, who was incredibly confused by the turn of events but just decided to go with it, said, "You can fight."

John scoffed. "You think you're the first person who thought they could beat him? We tried, and we failed. It's how our sister ended up his prisoner in the first place." John looked ready to cry. "Now that we've failed again, he's going to kill her."

"Not if we stop him," Morgana told him, nearly finished repairing the muscles Art ripped apart. "If what you're saying is true, and if my suspicions are correct, then we already have some heroes on Neverland ready to stop Pan. It's going to take a combined effort to get rid of him for good. We can even use that box."

"How?" Ariel asked, looking warily at the box in her hand.

Morgana answered, "It has the power to contain someone for all of eternity, even someone as powerful as Pan. If we can get him in there, then he won't get out unless someone let's him out."

"You'll lose," Michael said miserably. "Pan never fails."

"Well he will soon," Marian asked. "Right after we take you to lock-"

Suddenly, the night, which had been mostly quiet, was disturbed by an awful, unnatural scream.


Killian realized he was fucked when he saw that the wind that had carried him away from the others was dying down right over Mermaid Lagoon.

For the briefest moment, he had hoped that he would land on the shore, but no. He was dropped in the middle of the water. The moment his body was dumped in there, he knew the mermaids would sense the vibrations in the water and hunt their prey. He immediately began swimming his way up the surface, years of swimming allowing him to make it in record time, and he broke through the top of the water. He frantically looked around, and found a rock jutting in the middle of the lake. He could hear the mermaids screeching underneath the water, and he swam harder than he ever had in his life.

He got to the rock and scrambled onto it when he felt a hand on his ankle, trying to drag him back into the water. Without blinking, Killian kicked back viciously, hearing the mermaid screech in anger and pain as his aim was true. He got to the top of the rock and pulled out his sword.

The mermaids were relentless, and he realized that they used this rock to lounge, so they were able to easily get on there. Killian slashed one in the face, causing one of her friends to try to grab his ankle before he kicked her in the face. One mermaid propelled herself into the air to try to knock him off, and he ducked just in time to avoid her claw-like nails. He nearly fell off the rock because of the water that was dripping from his body.

He fought and fought until the mermaids finally backed off, his breath heaving and sword clenched firmly in his hand. The mermaids didn't go away completely, however. They were constantly circling him under the water. Their barely visible shadows peeked from under the surface, and he swore he could hear them laughing at him.

Truth be told, they had a right to laugh. The distance from his barely capable safe haven to the shore was too far to chance a swim. He had no idea where the winds had taken the others, though he doubted it was anywhere near him. No one except maybe Pan knew where he was, and he would eventually need to sleep or to eat. All the mermaids had to do was wait him out, to get him to drop his guard before dragging him under the water and drowning him.

It was how they got Bones. Gods, there was barely anything left of him by the time they found him.

Killian steeled himself. He would not end up like Bones. He would not die here. He had to make things right with Emma. He would not let these damnable mermaids be the reason he couldn't see Henry and Darren away from this awful place.

He had to save the boys. He had to stop Pan from hurting Tien. He couldn't fail in saving another child. He didn't know if he could live with himself if that happened.

The mermaids had the advantage, but his would-be killers having an advantage never stopped him before.

There had to be something he could distract them with, something to take their mind off him if a mad dash to the shore was his only option.

A whisper, there was a whisper in the wind that made him turn around, but no one was there. He was about to dismiss it as a product of his adrenaline-fueled imagination when it happened again.

This time, it was far clearer and caused Killian's heart to hammer in his chest.

"Little brother."

"Liam is dead," Killian bit out. "Damn this island and Pan. You won't use a ghost's voice against me."

"Don't ignore me," the voice scolded. "It's not safe."

It had been so long since he heard his brother scold him. It wrenched his heart apart, leaving a ruined mess in its wake, because he might be willing to give anything to hear Liam's voice again. Some part of his soul that he buried long ago - the part that had locked away his grief to better handle his path of revenge - came alive and coaxed him to listen more. To will Liam back to life just by listening to his voice.

He told that part to shove off, because all that would accomplish was a hopefully quick death via mermaid.

"It's a lie," Killian said in a raised voice, determined to steadfastly ignore it no matter how much part of him wanted to hear Liam talk. "It's just a trick."

"Am I a trick too?"

Killian's heart dropped to his stomach at the new voice. He looked around for the source before he remembered to look down to keep an eye on the mermaids. Their shadows were no longer there, but something worse was.

"No," he whispered, his chest heaving for a new reason. "No, it's not you."

She was just as he remembered her, save for the water gently rippling over her form. Her pointed chin, her fair skin, her wavy dark hair tumbling down her shoulders. She was wearing her favorite outfit of burgundy leather with a sword at her hip. Her blue eyes stared daringly into his, and yet they always looked comforting to Killian, as he could always find a clear message in them: 'No matter how scary someone is, I'll protect you'.

"Go away, shade," Killian said, trying to make himself sound strong even as his voice threatened to break. He shook his head sadly. "Go away, Mum."

She shook her head, like he was caught taking from Liam's things again. "That's what you want, isn't it? To shove me away in some dark place to avoid everything, hiding like a child, pretending to be this great, ruthless pirate." She smiled gently at him. "You wanted to be like me, not like your coward father."

Sucking in a sharp breath, an enraged Killian looked up and shouted into the open air, hoping that demon boy could hear him. "Is that what you've gotten up to? Using my own mother in your games?!"

At the silence, Killian cursed at Pan once more, hating him with every fiber of his being. Pan loved playing his mind games, but this was the first time he had used Killian's mother against him.

Looking around, he found that only a few mermaids remained, their shadows visible further out. They were watching him, watching his misery, likely with glee in their black hearts.

"I am not going to die here," Killian told himself. Emma needed him. Henry needed him.

There was a presence behind him, and he turned, expecting a mermaid, but what he found made him freeze in shock.

Phoebe was sitting on the rock, her face paler than it should be. "I needed you, but you didn't protect me."

"I'm not listening-"

"You could've killed them," Phoebe said, her voice condemning him. "Those men guarding the alleyway. If you had gone for the kill, you could've gotten to me faster."

Guilt sliced into his body like a hundred knives. "N-No there wasn't enough time-"

"Tien could've died," Phoebe said, "all because our Dad was weak."

"Your father ran away," Killian's mother said from under the water, her voice clear nonetheless. "He wasn't strong enough to face dangers head on."

"I'm not like that," Killian said aloud. "I'm not weak, I'm not a coward. I don't abandon my children!"

"Why didn't you pick me up from school?" Phoebe asked, and Killian's hand clenched more tightly around his sword's handle.

"I-I-"

Phoebe looked away from him. "You lost your edge." She looked at the water. "You can swim already, if you want to die. Don't you want to die, Dad?"

"No," Killian said, a toxic mix of defiance and anger and regret roiling up inside him. "I didn't lose my edge, I became wiser. I know this is a truck. You're. Not. Real."

"Of course I'm not real," Phoebe replied in a calm tone, still not talking to him. "You let me die. You let that witch kill me, just like you let Liam cut himself with the dreamshade."

"I told your brother to look after you," Killian's mother said, sounding ready to weep. "Why shouldn't I have warned him about you."

"I didn't let him-" Killian cut himself off, wanting to show a stronger front but feeling himself crumbling. "I tried to save him."

Phoebe's head whipped back to look at him, eyes sharp and harsh. "You let people you love die all the time."

"That's not true," Killian denied weakly.

"You kept most of your crew alive in this place as Captain Hook," Phoebe said sharply. "You almost lost both daughters as Killian Jones."

"Weak," Killian's mother said ashamedly. "Just like your father."

"I'm not like him!" Killian shouted at his mother's image, realizing he was starting to shake. He wasn't like his damned father. He wasn't weak. He wasn't!

"You let these things happen," Phoebe said. "No matter how good you get at killian, you never get better at saving people. Just like you won't be able to save Tien."

"Just give in," Killian's mother said. "Become strong. Become who you were meant to be. Become-"

"Hook!" A voice screeched. Killian only had a second to realize that a mermaid had launched herself into the air before she slammed into him, dragging him into the water and into a never ending darkness.


Tien didn't know how to feel about being home since her mommy and daddy weren't there. Ruby was there with them, as LJ's uncle had to go somewhere else. She seemed mad about something, but pretended that she wasn't.

It was okay, she guessed, because she wasn't alone. There was Lady and LJ, but also Copper, Dark Wing, Declan, Roland, Ava, Nick, and Grace. Henry's friends were finished the last of their homework, but were mostly playing around. Ruby was running around making sure everything was safe. Dark Wing rested in Declan's lap, and he might've been asleep, though she couldn't tell. She and Roland were in their PJs coloring on the floor, because they played in some dirt when they weren't supposed to and Ruby said they might as well change. Only Tien wore her jacket because it was a little cold, though the tag of the jacket - which had her name written on it so that she wouldn't lose it like last time - scratched at the back of her neck. Besides, it was almost time for bed.

Tien didn't want to go to sleep alone. She asked Roland if he wanted to sleep in bed with her, and he said yeah. Tien felt a little happier that her best friend would share a bed with her, thinking that maybe he would keep the nightmares away.

Her heart hurt thinking about Henry being gone - that awful man hit her before taking him away - and about her parents and grandparents being gone. Without meaning to, Tien became thoughtlessly coloring outside of the lines as her mind went back to that scary moment, when Henry was ripped away from her.

She tried biting the man, just like she tried biting the mean lady, but it didn't work. Tears welled up in her eyes. Why couldn't she protect her big siblings? Why did people keep leaving her?

Her mind went further back, somewhere dark and unfamiliar, where she was alone and crying in the dark woods, calling out for someone who isn't there.

"Tee? What's wrong?" Roland asked before he rolled over next to her.

Tien didn't know what was wrong. She put her head in her arms and started crying. Roland wrapped arms around her and he started crying because she was crying, but he still held on.

Why did people she love keep leaving her?

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ava asked as the older kids heard crying, and saw Tien was crying into her arms, her tears likely dripping onto the page she was coloring on.

Lady whimpered as she tried to dig her nose in between Tien's folded arms, trying to lick her face.

Tien sniffed. She just wanted Mommy and Daddy and Henry back. She didn't want them to go away like Phoebe.

"It's okay, it's alright," Ruby told the other kids as she went to pick up Tien.

"Um, Ruby?" LJ questioned, halfway out of his seat.

"Just go back to your project," Ruby said as she held a crying Tien. "I've got this. Roland, um, go play with Lady or Copper."

"Come here, Hobbit," Declan called over, leading the whimpering little boy to go over and be comforted by his pseudo older brother.

Ruby carried Tien to the first floor bathroom while the kids remained in the living room. She set Tien on the closed toilet seat and wetted a towel to gently wipe away the tears. She got Tien to focus on her breathing long enough that Tien was able to relay what happened.

The woman's heart broke for this little girl. "Did talking to Archie earlier help?"

"Uh huh," Tien said in a half-sob, wiping a stray tear with her sleeve, her eyes red and puffy and her nose full of snot.

Ruby got her to blow into some tissue paper before disposing of it.

"H-He-He," Tien stuttered before coughing from the crying, and she needed a little longer to calm down. "He said I ha-ha-have big fe-feelings, and it's okay." Tien whimpered. "I don't wanna have b-b-big feelings. I'm too little." These feelings made her feel they were going to make her burst open and fall into pieces. "I want my mommy and daddy and Henry. I want 'em."

Ruby cupped her face and gently rubbed her cheek. "I know, sweetie. It's just going to take a little longer for them to get here."

"It's been so long," Tien said in a high-keening voice that threatened to turn into a new round of sobs.

Ruby's heart went out to the little girl. This poor kid has gone through so much trauma at such a young age. Ruby had gotten to adulthood when her life fell apart. This kid wasn't even five yet and already everyone she loved had been in danger at least once, one person being taken away forever.

She wiped away some more tears. "They'll come back, they always do. And when they do, we can get them to make your strawberry cake."

Kids were so easily distractible and tempted, even in the midst of a panic attack. While it didn't entirely erase all of the bad feelings she had, Tien looked up hopefully. "Strawberry cake?"

"Mhmm," Ruby hummed. "With lots of hot chocolate."

"No cimmamon," Tien said.

"You mean cinnamon?"

"No cinnamom," Tien answered, still getting the pronunciation wrong. "Henry and Mommy like it, but I don't like cinnamom-"

Ruby corrected, "Cinnamon."

"Cin…"

"Na…"

"Na…"

"Mon."

"Mon."

"Cinnamon."

"That," Tien said, causing Ruby to laugh which also caused Tien to laugh.

Just as Tien was ready to calm down for real, something happened. Ruby stiffened, smelling something foul in the air that she couldn't understand. Tien also stiffened, but because an old feeling came back.

The bad feel.

She instantly remembered when she'd felt it before - when the crocodile tried to hurt Freddie, and the night before Phoebe…

"Stay here, okay?" Ruby said in a sweet tone, though it wasn't a question at all. She left the bathroom, Tien hesitantly following though keeping her distance. Ruby went outside, and as Tien got back to the living room, she realized that Lady and Copper were barking by one of the windows while Dark Wing was making this unhappy noise.

"You okay?" Roland asked as he approached Tien, holding her hand.

"I don't feel so-"

"Shh," Nick suddenly shushed everyone, even the animals somehow. "Did you hear something?"

They all waited, hearing some wind, and then-

Dark Wing began quacking frantically just as the dogs barked anew, all of the animals sounding panicked. The kids heard an unnatural scream - no, an unnatural humanlike howl - rushed straight to the windows, hearing the barking from the outside just before seeing Ruby in wolf form attacking some sort of shadow creature that took on the shape of a human.

"What the fuck is that?" Declan demanded as Ruby tried biting the shadow form.

She was snarling and fierce, dodging the sudden dives the creatures took.

"Come on, Ruby!" LJ cheered on even as his heart hammered against his chest.

"We've got to find something!" Ava shouted as she frantically looked around for anything to use as a weapon, something to help Ruby.

"Look out!" Grace shouted when, to their collective horror, the shadow creature battered Ruby away from the house into a car on the opposite side of the street, causing the alarm to blare and for the lights of some houses to turn on.

Then, Tien looked up and found the shadow creature hovering in the street, looking at them. No.

Looking at her.

"Let's go!" LJ shouted, urging everyone further into the house as Declan grabbed both her and Roland's hands. They rushed out of the way just before the shadow creature burst through the door, shattering the wood and scattering the scraps everywhere. The dogs barked warningly at them as Dark Wing flared his wings and tried to scare it off, but it didn't care.

The shadow creature started to go towards them, towards Tien, with its hand reached out when Ava threw a clock at its head, temporarily distracting it.

"Door!" Nick shouted as they tried to go there, but the shadow was too quick, and it shoved Nick into the wall, causing Ava to attend to her brother.

"Go, go, go!" Declan screamed as he dragged the now crying Tien and Roland up the stairs, but once again the shadow was too quick, cutting them off before they made it halfway. The shadow grabbed Declan's shirt and tossed him off the stairs where he fell hard onto the floor.

"Dec!" Roland sobbed as he made his way down the stairs.

Tien stared terrified into the unnaturally white eyes of the shadow creature, wondering how something that should've only existed in the depths of her nightmares could exist in real life.

As it reached towards her, tears welled in her eyes. This is a bad dream. I'll wake up and...and...Mommy, Daddy!

Lady ran up the stairs and fit the shadow's foot, distracting it until it casually tossed her away, only for the flying pup to be caught by Ava.

At the same time, Grace ran up the stairs screaming as she grabbed Tien and flew down the stairs, slipping at the bottom and landing hard on the floor. Dark Wing ran interference as did Copper, both animals narrowly avoiding getting stomped on by the shadow.

"Go, run!" LJ shouted as he dragged Grace and Tien up and the kids ran out of the house.

Tien only got a few feet out before something grabbed her shirt and began lifting her up.

"Let go of her!" Grace shouted as she held onto Tien's hand, but the shadow slapped Grace who dropped stunned to the ground.

Before it could take off, Ruby got up and bit it on the leg. She shook the leg enough that Tien, who was 10 feet off the ground, dropped down with a short-lived scream.

Tien whimpered as she felt a scrape form on her elbow, but it didn't hurt so much because something in here was telling her to get up!

She did and her vision doubled as someone helped her to her feet and began dragging ehr away from the scene. However, she saw something odd. On one hand, she could see Ruby and the shadow fighting, her biting and clawing at the creature who was barely phased. On the other hand, she could see something else. Something less solid. She could see the energy from the shadow, seeping out of it and barely contained in its form, and when it grabbed Ruby, he was grabbing something else. He was grabbing something red and full of life out of her as Ruby whimpered and gasped in pain.

Tien knew in an instant that he was killing Ruby. No! No one else was going to be taken away!

"Stop it, you stupid!" Tien shouted, resisting whoever it was that was pulling her back.

It worked, as the Shadow dropped a nearly unconscious Ruby onto the ground.

One of the neighbors finally came out, armed with a shotgun, and fired straight at the Shadow.

The kids dove to the ground, but Tien realized that it didn't work, and the shadow was on her again.

It swooped down, and she only managed to dodge it once before it grabbed her arm and lifted her off the ground. Her heart raced as she struggled uselessly against its iron grip.

She felt a weight around her waist, and looking down she saw LJ clinging to her, trying with all of his might to keep her on the ground. Part of her wanted someone to let go because she was being painfully stretched.

The shadow was too strong, as it only needed to exert a little more effort to lift him up too.

"Fucker!" Declan shouted as he grabbed onto LJ's waist, and soon the other kids held on too, the animals making all kinds of noise as more neighbors began to leave their homes or call the police.

The kids began to scream or shout in frustration and exertion as they all tried to hold on, to not let Tien be taken away, even as Tien began crying before the shadow refused to let go of her arm. Not even Ruby, who weakly got up and bit the shadow's leg, was strong enough to make it let go of her.

Crack!

Tien let out a high-pitched, awful scream as hot tears fell down her face. Pain has shot from her shoulder like someone had wrenched it open, and she felt someone loosen their grip on her, fearing they had hurt her.

Visibly angry, if that was even possible with its blank expression, the shadow swiped at Ruby, causing her to fall down for good as fresh cut marks appeared on her face. Then, the shadow began swiping at the kids, who either jumped back in fear or were thrown at least 15 feet backwards. The shadow shot into the air, but not before Ava was able to grab onto Tien.

The shadow didn't care at this point if it had another passenger. It grabbed both Ava and Tien and flew off, far away from the sounds of screaming for the two taken girls.


BOOM! Done and out! No one is having a good time and yes, I did leave you with a cliffhanger. Ψ (´)Ψ

Let me know what you think down below, and be safe everyone.

See you in two weeks!