Sorry for the long wait, but here is Chapter 6!

Authors note: Stuff in italics is flashbacks

* disclaimer: I own nothing

Regina didn't know how Robin was tracking the griffin now that it must be flying high enough to clear the trees, but she trusts he knows what he's doing and all she could think about was how great it felt to have her hand in his again. She squeezed his hand and smiled, "I can't believe you're here."

"It is hard to believe myself," he squeezed her hand still watching the clouds through the trees trying to spot the griffin. "I keep thinking I'll wake up to find this is all a dream."

A loud, high pitched, bird-like shriek came from above the nearby trees. Regina's gaze shot up at the sound, fireball at the ready. CRACK! "Look out!" Robin shouted as he grabbed Regina around her waist pulling her backward. Broken treetops came crashing down to the forest floor where they had been walking.

"Well," Regina gasped.

"Yeah, and it's heading for town!"

Back in the Storybrooke Library, Belle, Henry and the Apprentice were working hard to find out anything useful about griffins they could. Henry looked up from his computer screen, "The internet is not giving me any consistent answers other that griffins are magical creatures with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion, either of you have anything?".

"Nothing here," Belle sighed frustrated as she closed what felt like the hundredth book with no answers.

"I may have something," the Apprentice looked up from the old book Belle had found containing the incantation that had freed him. "This book appears to be a book of spells originating from Albion in the time of Merlin. This here has a spell that could work against a griffin."

Glastonbury, England 32 years ago

10 year old Lilo posed on the shore of the lake, ruins of the tower atop Glastonbury Tor hauntingly beautiful through the mist behind her. Stitch climbs up on Lilo's shoulders making her giggle as Nani snaps the photo. David read aloud from the tourist book on Glastonbury, "The Tor has been frequently referred to as 'The Isle of Avalon', the final resting place of King Arthur."

Confused, Lilo looked at the large hill behind her. "Really? But it's not an island."

Nani looked over David's shoulder at the book. "It used to be an island; the water level has gone down over the years."

"Mhm" David nodded, reading more, "the Tor is said to be an entrance to Avalon, land of the fairies, and supposedly a gateway to 'The Land of the Dead'."

"Cool!" Stitch pulled excitedly on Lilo's arm and pointed at the hill. "Can we go explore? Please Nani," Lilo begged her sister.

Nani looked at their 'dog' who was staring at her with big, pleading eyes. Then she looked into the eyes of her eager little sister and broke into a smile. "Let's do it!"

A loud, high pitched, bird-like shriek echoed through town as the griffin landed on the clock tower. Emma, Hook, Regina, Robin, Snow and Charming braced themselves for a fight while other people on the street ran for cover. Snow and Robin start firing arrows as the griffin swoops down at the fleeing townspeople, but the arrows bounce off the griffin only making it angrier.

"This isn't working!" Regina shouted as the griffin dodged her fireball.

Emma directed everyone around the corner of a nearby building, "We need to take cover and figure something else out!"

Lilo and Stitch raced ahead to explore the Tor, Nani and David strolled along behind them. Stitch was already exploring excitedly when Lilo made it to the tower. She paused and looked in wonder at what remained of the tower, she could almost feel the magic that flowed through this place.

As Lilo began exploring she noticed that Stitch had froze with his ears turned toward the sky. "What is it Stitch?"

Stitch stood protectively in front of Lilo as a griffin came swooping down from the clouds with an ear-splitting shriek. Lilo screamed in fear and the griffin dived at her. Lilo ducked, Stitch shoved her out of the griffin's path.

Belle and Henry followed the Apprentice cautiously out of the library. They had heard the griffin attack and they had to tell the others how to defeat it. Henry pointed to the middle of the street where Regina and Emma were facing off with the griffin. "There's my moms!"

As Henry shouted, the griffin turned and started towards him. "Henry!" Emma and Regina cried in unison as they each fired a blast of energy at the griffin. The griffin shrieked as fire hit it and it flew off.

Emma and Regina ran to Henry and pulled him into a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine mom."

The Apprentice placed a hand on Emma's shoulder. "The griffin will not be gone for long. We must be ready when it returns."

"Right. Did you guys find a way to defeat it?"

The Apprentice opened the book to the page he had found and showed it to the sheriff. "Yes. This spell, when cast on a weapon, should make it possible to kill the griffin with said weapon."

Emma looked at Snow watching the sky with her bow and arrow ready. "Would an arrow work?"

"I believe it would" the Apprentice replied.

Emma waved Snow over. "When the griffin comes back, can you to shoot an arrow straight between its eyes."

"Sure, but our arrows just bounce off, they don't hurt the griffin."

"When the time comes, we're going to cast a spell on your arrow that will make it work."

Snow agreed, and not long after Charming, Hook, Belle, and Henry had gotten the townspeople to safety, the griffin was back. Snow was ready in the street and Robin was nearby in case they needed a second archer.

The griffin started charging towards Snow. As she aimed her arrow, Regina focused on the arrow and shouted, "bregdan anweald gafeluec!" The arrow glowed blue as Snow released it and it flew straight between the eyes of the griffin. The griffin fell to the ground, dead.

Nani and David heard Lilo's scream and Nani, scared for her sister's safety, ran into the tower. "Lilo!"

"I'm here" Lilo called from the fallen pillar she was sitting against.

Nani ran to her, immediately checking her little sister for injuries. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"What's going on? What happened?" David asked breathlessly when he caught up.

Lilo swatted her sister's searching hands away. "I'm fine, Stitch pulled it away from me."

Nani helped Lilo up. "Pulled what away?"

"It was a griffin." Spoke an old man Nani and David hadn't noticed until now.

"Where did it go? Stitch was on that thing! Where did you send him?" Lilo demanded.

The man looked at Lilo with sympathetic eyes. "I put the griffin in the sorcerer's hat because it is the only way I could stop it. Your Stitch must have been sucked in with it by accident."

Lilo's eyes started filling with tears and Nani wrapped her arms around the young girl. "Bring. Him. Back."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." The man said sadly. A black door with a red and gold wooden frame appeared behind him. "I am truly sorry for your loss, but I must be going."

The man opened the door and Lilo could see that it led to a forest. "How is that possible? How did that door get there and why does it lead to a forest?" Lilo questioned.

"Magic my dear," the man replied. Lilo gave him a confused look and he continued, "it may seem unbelievable, but the fact that you can see it means you do believe. You will be okay."

With that the man was gone. Lilo tried to run after him, but Nani was holding her too tightly. "Let go! I have to get Stitch back!"

"I'm sorry Lilo," Nani hugged her tighter, "he's gone."

While the town was celebrating the return of the fairies and defeat of the griffin at Granny's, two Queens of Darkness were at the townline letting the Dark One back into Storybrooke.

Gold strode across the townline. "Now the real work begins."

"What is the plan, Dark One?" Ursula questioned.

"You two make friends, make them think you've turned away from your wicked ways, while I continue working behind the scenes. But first, it's time to reunite the band."

Cruella looked at him like he was crazy. "You don't mean…"

"Maleficent," Ursula finished.

Gold nodded and Cruella shook her head. "But she's dead."

"Not entirely," Gold assured.

Cruella was getting tired of the Dark One's vague answers. "What exactly does that mean?"

"It means we have much to do. Much to prepare."

Please review :) This chapter was fun to write, I hope you all enjoyed it