Rumple was soon drawing a diagram in the sand to give Ariel directions to Storybrooke. Regina and Evie were standing off to the side together.

"That's Storybrooke?" Ariel asked after she took a look.

"Can you get there?" Rumple asked The Little Mermaid.

"It's far. I'll have to cross over realms to get there, but yes, I can make it." Ariel replied.

"If all went according to plan, Storybrooke will be surrounded by a cloaking spell," Rumple then began to tell her. "When you arrive, surface closer to the shore, then you're inside its bounds."

"And what would you like me to bring you back?" Ariel then asked.

"An object to help us defeat Pan." Rumple simply stated.

"Mr. Gold, I think she needs a little more information than that." Evie suggested to her best friend's father.

"I'm sorry. Pan has ears everywhere," Rumple replied knowingly. "I can't risk telling her."

"Then how?" Ariel then wondered.

Rumple soon brought out a sand dollar and waved his hand over it, sprinkling magic on it. "Find a woman named Belle or a boy named Benjamin and then give them this," he then instructed the mermaid and tossed her the sand dollar as she then caught it. "They'll know what to do."

"Belle. Benjamin Storybrooke. Got it," Ariel nodded. "And Eric and Melody? Where will I find them in this new world?" she then asked.

"Well, that comes after you've succeeded. Incentives are important," Regina informed. "The bracelet will only give you legs for 24 hours."

Ariel paused thoughtfully in response. "How do I know you will uphold your end of the bargain when I'm back?" she then asked cautiously.

"I know my mother is dark and wronged you in the past, but you'll just have to trust her," Evie spoke up. "And believe me, I'm sure Melody will be glad to meet you."

"You know my daughter?" Ariel asked.

"Yes, she's a very good friend of mine," Evie nodded. "And it's nice to see where she got her swimming talents from in Gym Class."

Ariel smiled a little at Evie, then turned around, got off of the rocks of Mermaid Lagoon, and dove into the water to carry on with her new mission.


Meanwhile, Peter and Felix were preparing new weapons together until there was an odd feeling in the air that night.

"What is it?" Felix asked his boss.

"Someone's leaving Neverland." Peter stated darkly.

"Where? How shall we stop them?" Felix asked urgently then.

"Well, it's too late," Peter replied before looking at his right-hand Lost Boy with a dark smirk. "Don't worry, Felix. We simply need to get word to our friends on the ground." he then reassured the other boy.

"In Storybrooke?" Felix wondered.

"Oh, they can handle this. All it does is move our timetable up a touch. We need to get Henry ready," Peter replied before he stood up and eyed the cage dangling in the distance. "And I need to have a chat with our friend in the other cage." he then added with a smirk.

Felix also looked at the cage before he also smirked.


Meanwhile, back in Storybrooke, the dwarves were all sitting outside near the water, having lunch along with Doug and Ebony.

"Can I say somethin', boys? You know I love Snow and Charming, but... Can I be honest?" Happy soon spoke up after a few minutes.

"What's on your mind?" Ebony asked him.

"It's kinda nice not having them around." Happy soon admitted.

"Happy..." Leroy chided a bit as he took a sip of his drink.

"No, really. It's only been five days, but it's the first five days with no killing!" Happy explained and defended.

"No wraiths." Mr. Clark nodded.

"No giants stepping on my Miata." Doc agreed.

"It has been peaceful." Walter had to admit.

"I miss Evie a lot, but at least it's easier to study in school without worrying about a giant monster on the loose downtown," Doug spoke up. "I just hope that she gets back from camping soon."

The other dwarves looked unsure about Evie going camping.

"I know it sounds weird, but Jay and Carlos swore by it," Doug then told them. "But yeah, you guys make some good points about Ms. Blanchard and Mr. Nolan being gone without a threat in this town that could cost us our very lives."

"Enough! I don't wanna hear any more of this," Leroy complained and glared at his fellow dwarves. "Snow and Charming are coming back and everything will remain normal."

"Yes, and I believe in Snow White and not just because she's my cousin," Ebony spoke up. "I have faith and hope that they'll come back and we'll still lead nice and rewarding lives in Storybrooke."

"And Evie too?" Doug asked while blushing.

"Of course, Kitten. Evie too." Ebony smiled warmly.

Dopey also smiled at his son.

"Thank you, guys... At least someone's being supportive... Plus I ain't letting any harm or threats come to Dee Dee's precious little head, especially that Rothbrat who gives her crap." Leroy added before he suddenly noticed something out in the water.

Ariel soon surfaced out of the water near the shore, causing Leroy to gather over there along with Doug, Ebony, and the other six dwarves. "Hi! I'm Ariel," she then greeted before she took the bracelet out of her bag with her waist glowing and she soon walked onto shore to meet Doug, Ebony, and The Seven Dwarves. "Do you know where I could find someone named Belle or Ben?" she then asked.

Leroy soon began to speak with Ariel, unknown to either of them though, they were being watched by two men who ended up in Storybrooke shortly after the others had left for Neverland.


"The home office was right. She's here," The shorter man told the taller man in glasses as he watched through binoculars. "What now?" he then asked.

"We follow our orders. We find out why she came," The taller man in glasses replied. "Then we make sure she never leaves this town again."

The two men then nodded at each other as they looked steely-eyed and determined.


Meanwhile, at Granny's Diner, the older woman soon served a plate of a burger and fries to Belle while Ben and Audrey were with her, both eating their own lunch. Audrey had a salad while Ben had a grilled cheese sandwich. "What's the matter?" she then asked the younger woman out of concern. "Too many pickles, not enough pickles?"

"No." Belle replied.

"Come on, Mom. You gotta eat something." Ben suggested.

"I guess I'm not just hungry." Belle shrugged.

"Then why did you come to a restaurant and order something to eat?" Kiara asked Belle out of slight annoyance. "I gotta say, that's pretty rude and inconsiderate of you, lady."

"Kiara! That's enough." Granny scolded the teenage girl.

"Sorry, Granny." Kiara muttered nervously.

Granny soon nodded to Archie who wasn't too far away from Belle as he nodded back at her and decided to work his magic on the young woman in distress.

"Alright, so that's the fourth cheeseburger you've turned down this week," Archie said to Belle as he decided to sit next to her. "This is about Gold, isn't it?" he then asked.

"It's certainly not my cooking." Granny replied as she walked back into the kitchen.

"Mom, you should admit it," Ben advised. "You miss Dad. We all do."

"Well, I'm not fully sure if I do or not, but I can understand," Audrey remarked. "I certainly miss my parents."

Belle sighed before she nodded. "Yeah. And it's just... He said he was going off to his death. And I just... I wish I was... I wish I was able to help him. Help save Henry." she then confessed.

"But you protected Storybrooke," Archie reminded her softly. "That's just as important."

"All I did was pour a potion over some rocks," Belle scoffed. "The dwarves did all the hard work."

"Hey, you wanted to be a hero. Sounds like you were," Archie clarified gently. "You kept the bad guys out."

"What bad guys? Come on, face it, nobody's coming here," Belle rolled her eyes. "I wasn't on that ship because he doesn't need me."

"Mom, don't say that." Ben frowned.

"I'm sorry, Ben, but I think it might be true," Belle sighed and pouted to her son. "Your father probably didn't need you either."

"You're just saying that because you're having a rough week... We all are, but it'll be okay, Mom... Things will get better." Ben reassured his mother.

"I just don't know about that, son." Belle pouted at him.

"...Mom, do you want me to stay home tonight and keep you company with Oliver?" Ben offered as he reached out and gently squeezed her hand. "If you need me to, you can."

"Oh, Ben, don't do that. You and Audrey have plans tonight with your friends Melody and Piper," Belle reminded him. "I couldn't ask you to call it off just because of your sad old mom being down in the dumps."

"Really Mom, it would be fine," Ben insisted gently. "Wouldn't it be, Audrey?"

Audrey hesitated in answering as she had a brief sour look on her face.

"Wouldn't it be, Audrey?" Ben repeated, slightly firm.

"Well, all right..." Audrey sighed and rolled her eyes.

"See, Mom? Audrey understands." Ben then said with a small smile.

Belle smirked in slight amusement, but didn't say anything to that. "It's okay, dear... I just have to face facts," she then said softly. "No one important really needs me except for you needing me to be there for you as your mother."

As if on cue, the door suddenly opened, and in came Leroy and Ariel.

"Beg to differ, sister, 'cuz this little lady just swam a really long way to find you." Leroy said to Belle suddenly.

"Uh, maybe you didn't notice the sign?" Granny called to Ariel as e didn't wear shoes and only had a seashell bra as a top along with a new jacket since the water was cold. "No shirt, no shoes, no service."

"Now you've got a dress code?" Leroy scoffed at her. "I seem to recall some Ruby outfits that are seared into my brain."

"So, who are you?" Belle asked Ariel. "Why are you here?"

"I came from Neverland," Ariel replied. "Rumplestiltskin sent me."

"Wait, really?" Belle asked with wide eyes.

"You mean he's alive?" Ben added.

"Yes... And you must be Ben," Ariel nodded before she reached into her pouch and pulled out the sand dollar she got from Neverland. "And he wanted me to give you this." she then said, giving it to Belle.

"Audrey, why don't you go home and check on Oliver for me? This sounds important. We'll talk later." Ben suggested to his girlfriend as he brought out his house key to her.

"Um, well, all right." Audrey shrugged as she took the key.

"So, what's going on?" Ben asked Ariel.

"He mentioned something about a shop?" Ariel suggested as a place for them to talk.

"All right then, let's go." Ben nodded as he then took out his keys to the pawnshop.


Soon, they came to the pawnshop to talk about what had happened in Neverland without them.

Belle was looking over what she was given from the mermaid. "A sand dollar? What are we supposed to do with it?" she then asked with a slight scoff.

"Don't ask me. I'm just the delivery girl." Ariel replied as she was soon putting on some new clothes to blend into Storybrooke better.

"Surely there's some kinda magic hidden in there." Ben suggested to his mother.

Belle soon set the sand dollar on the table and went to look at it with a magnifying glass. Suddenly, the magic within it activated and it glowed golden. "I suppose you were right, Ben." she then said softly.

Ben grinned, looking glad to be right about something.

"Looks like you figured it out." Ariel told the mother and son as a hologram of Rumple appeared.

"Belle. Benjamin." Rumple's hologram spoke.

"Rumple./Dad." Belle and Ben replied softly with Belle trying not to cry.

"I hope you raised the cloaking spell. The people headed to town are far more dangerous than even I first believed. They're unwitting pawns in Pan's game. I told you I was going to my death. I've found another way," Rumple told his true love and son in the message. "I can defeat Pan and live, but only if you get me something from the shop. The object I need is hidden, but Belle, I know that with the strength of our love and Benjamin, with you being the descendant of Rumplestiltskin, you'll find it." he then concluded as the magic receded and the hologram cut.

"He's really into being cryptic, isn't he?" Ariel commented.

"He wants my help," Belle smiled out of relief and excitement. "He wants me to save him! Henry... Everyone."

"See, Mom? We are needed," Ben smiled back warmly. "Let's get to work."

"I agree, Ben. I'm so sorry I doubted you." Belle beamed.

"That's okay, Mom," Ben reassured her. "Just let me go see an R-rated movie someday by myself and we'll call it even."

"We'll see." Belle smirked at that.


Soon, the two women and the teenage boy were looking around Mr. Gold's shop for the object that he would need in Neverland.

"Look at this stuff." Ariel observed.

"Isn't it neat?" Ben replied with a small smile.

"I'd say your father's collection is complete." Ariel nodded.

"Yeah. He's a... bit of a collector." Belle remarked to them.

Ariel soon held up something that caught her attention. "This is a...?" she then started to ask.

"Corkscrew." Ben told her.

"Yes, but it's not what Rumple needs." Belle added and informed her.

Ariel continued to look before she gasped and found something else, having a child-like naïveté due to spending her whole life underwater. "It's a..." she then started to say.

"Button," Belle informed. "Also not what Rumple needs." she then added.

"No, I know, but Eric... He... he had one just like it on his jacket when I rescued him." Ariel explained out of amazement.

"And Eric is..?" Belle soon started to ask.

"He's a prince. The kind with legs." Ariel explained.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that." Ben smirked playfully while Belle chuckled out of amusement.

"I fell in love with him a long time ago, but it didn't work out." Ariel then added somberly.

"Because you're a mermaid?" Belle guessed softly.

"Something like that, but I guess at least we were able to have some sign of true love," Ariel replied as she pocketed the button. "I was told that I have a daughter around here in Storybrooke."

"Really?" Ben asked out of amazement.

"Yes... Her name is Melody... Do you know her?" Ariel replied hopefully.

"I sure do, she's a good friend of mine." Ben nodded.

"That's what The Evil Queen's daughter said." Ariel commented.

"Oh, you mean Evie? She's a good friend of mine too." Ben replied.

"Wow... Storybrooke has quite an expanded family tree, doesn't it?" Ariel commented. "Looks like true love comes to anyone around here."

"I suppose so." Ben commented.

"Well, true love is just one more reason that we need to succeed," Belle added as Ariel nodded at that. "So, Rumple said I'd find the hiding space with the strength of our love. Ah." she then suddenly said.

"You have an idea, Mom?" Ben asked.

"Yes, I do," Belle nodded as she went to go over and picked up a certain teacup. "There's only one thing he could've been talking about."

"That's a...?" Ariel began to ask.

"Teacup." Belle answered for her.

"It's chipped." Arie then pointed out.

"I know." Belle nodded.

"Chip." Ben spoke up.

"Yes, Chip. Carina and Mrs. Potts got a good laugh out of that nickname," Belle smiled and nodded at her son from the nostalgia. "But no matter how much this thing has been through, it's survived. Just like our love." she then told Ariel.

"So what now?" Ariel then wondered. "Do we make tea?"

"I'm not sure. Rumple used to keep it in here," Belle replied before she went to the cupboard and opened it. She then placed the teacup on the saucer, and magic swirled out from it, revealing a trap door on the floor next to her. "He enchanted it. I-It's a key." she then realized as she opened the compartment and took out the object inside.

"It's a box." Ben realized.

"I've read about this in my books, but I didn't realize it was real," Belle informed as she took out the box to show Ben and Ariel. "Or that Rumple had it."

"What is it?" Ariel wondered.

"It's Pandora's Box," Belle explained. "Legend says it contains the world's darkest evil."

"Shouldn't you be wearing gloves or something?" Ariel then asked cautiously.

"No. As long as we don't open it, we're fine." Belle reassured the mermaid.

"Oh. Yeah, sure," Ariel smirked a little in response. "So what do you think is inside of it?" she then asked.

"Well, whatever it is, it's what Dad's gonna use to defeat Pan." Ben replied confidently.

Suddenly, in came two men who pointed guns at Belle, Ben, and Ariel, startling the latter three instantly.

"All that trouble for a box?" The taller man in glasses scoffed.

"Who are you?" Belle asked warily.

"The people you tried to keep out of Storybrooke." The shorter man replied.

Suddenly, the two men wasted no time tying up the two women and teenage boy and kept the ropes secure, keeping them in the middle of the room together.

"Stay still." The taller man scolded Belle who was struggling.

"I don't understand. Why do we keep doing what he tells us?" Ariel complained.

"Because he has a gun." Belle told her.

"What's a gun?" Ariel asked cluelessly.

Ben couldn't help but snicker at that question.

"Trust me, you don't want to find out." The taller man replied firmly.

The shorter man soon grabbed Pandora's box and leaned in to interrogate The Little Mermaid. "What did Rumplestiltskin tell you about this thing?" he then demanded.

"She's not afraid of you or your gun." Ben spoke up bravely.

"And not just because I don't know what it is." Ariel added with a brave glare.

"Shall we demonstrate?" The taller man huffed. "The box. What is it?" he then demanded.

"It's magic," Belle replied. "Which you're only gonna destroy anyway, so why do you even care?" she then added snidely.

"Because our boss wants to know." The shorter man replied.

"Your boss?" Belle scoffed. "You don't even know what this is all about."

"And just who, praytell, is this so-called boss of yours?" Ben added.

"Peter Pan." The taller man informed.

"What?" Belle and Ben asked with wide eyes.

"Yes. We know exactly who we're working for." The shorter man then said with a scoff.

"But Rumple said that-" Belle began to say wearily.

"Greg and Tamara didn't know. They were... patsies. Goldilocks is also trying to escape from his wrath," The taller man interrupted and explained. "We, on the other hand, are aware of our real mission."

"And what would that be?" Ben then asked.

"Seeing that your Rumple fails," The short man replied as he held the box out of their reach. "And that this thing never makes it back to Neverland."

"You won't get away with this, you know." Ben glared as strongly as he could.

"Oh, I'm afraid we already have, Beast Boy," The short man scoffed and tutted. "Besides, the less you know about this, the better." he then added before leaving with the taller man as they kept Pandora's box at hand.

The three victims were soon alone in Mr. Gold's shop as they struggled to get out, but it seemed to be useless.

"They're too tight." Belle grunted.

"We'll find a way out." Ariel soothed.

"What makes you so sure?" Ben asked.

"Because I'm an optimist." Ariel insisted with a nod of her head.

"I wish I could be, but every time I try to be a hero it just... it just feels like it backfires," Belle sighed and frowned. "I'm sorry you won't get to be with Eric or Melody."

"Don't worry about me. Even after the magic wears off this bracelet, I'll find them and I will tell Eric how I feel and maybe get to spend some time with our daughter," Ariel coaxed. "As long as they live near the beach."

"Your bracelet?" Ben asked. "It has magic?"

"Yes, that's how I traded my tail fin for legs from The Evil Queen." Ariel nodded.

Ben suddenly looked motivated and determined. "I think we can get out of here." he suddenly said.

"How?" Belle and Ariel asked.

"Ariel, try stretching your fins," Ben suggested. "Can you get that bracelet off?" he then asked her.

"Oh..." Ariel said as she started and tried to do that, but she struggled. "No, I can't reach it." she then said with a pout.

"Okay. Hang on. Let me try." Belle replied as she tried to reach for the bracelet instead.

"You got it?" Ariel asked the other woman.

"I can. I can... Got it!" Belle said before she grabbed the bracelet and moved it.

Ariel's legs then turned back into a tail, causing them all to fall over. Ben grunted a bit as he landed on his face, looking very uncomfortable right now.

"See? That didn't backfire." Ariel smiled as she began to untie Belle and Ben.

"I think I broke my nose bone." Ben grumbled.

"Sorry about that, dear." Belle cooed to her son.


Soon, the three of them left the shop, wondering what to do next after Ariel put her bracelet back on and had her legs back.

"Where did they go?" Ariel wondered.

"What if they left town?" Ben added.

"The protection spell is still up, so they can't leave Storybrooke." Belle replied.

"Well then, what are they going to do with the box?" Ariel then asked curiously.

"If I wanted to make sure it doesn't end up in Neverland, I'd destroy it." Belle suggested.

"How do you destroy something so powerful?" Ariel then asked.

"You'd need something just as strong." Ben explained to her.

"Like what? More magic?" Ariel asked.

"No. No, a dwarf's pic-axe. The kind that can smash a diamond," Belle explained. "The kind that their friends, who took Henry, used to start all this trouble..." she then suddenly paused once she got an idea. "Come on, hurry. You too, Ben."


And at that, they headed down the street toward The Storybrooke Mines. When they got there, they brought out flashlights to look inside because it was rather dark inside as they explored. They had to hurry and track down the mysterious two men in Storybrooke before they would destroy Pandora's Box.

"They're, uh, probably just up ahead." Belle said.

"Shouldn't we wait for the dwarves?" Ariel asked out of concern.

"We don't have time." Ben told the mermaid.

"Here. Use this pik-axe." A voice was soon heard.

"That's them, hurry." Ben told Belle and Ariel suddenly.

Soon, the three of them ran out of hiding to go and confront the two men as the shorter man raised his gun while the taller man had the pic-axe, ready to swing.

"You can't do that!" Belle suddenly cried out to stop them. "You destroy that box, people we really care about will die."

"Then we have something in common," The taller man snorted in response. "Because if we don't, someone we care about will die."

"What are you talking about?" Ben asked.

"None of your concern. Now stay back," The shorter man replied. "We don't want to hurt you."

"But we will," The taller man added in warning. "You should know when to walk away."

Belle looked around until she saw a minecart in the back and suddenly had an idea. "Never." she then said before pulling the lever, which sent the minecart down the tracks toward the two men.

At the same time, the taller man pulled back to strike Pandora's Box, but the cart reached him before he could and knocked the two over. Belle soon grabbed the box and kicked away the gun.

"Please. You're making a terrible error," The taller man begged as he stood up with the shorter man. "There is too much at stake."

"Oh, you mean like destroying magic which will make our lives and everyone else's cease to exist?" Ben retorted coldly.

"That's not it," The taller man insisted. "We don't care about magic."

"Then what were you trying to do?" Belle demanded.

"Trying to save our sister." The taller man informed.

"Your sister?" Ariel asked curiously.

"She's been Pan's prisoner for a long time." The taller man nodded.

"Over a century." The shorter man added.

"That's impossible. You'd be-" Belle started to say.

"Dead. We're well aware," The taller man interrupted and replied. "Pan has kept us alive to do his bidding, and as long as we do, she lives."

"And then when we're done. He'll free her," The shorter man added. "And us."

"But now..." The taller man added only to trail off since it seemed like they were doomed.

"Now is your best chance," Belle finished for him to give him some hope. "We can defeat Pan, and your sister can finally be set free."

"You think you're the first person who thought they could beat him?" The taller man pouted.

"Why? Have you tried?" Ben asked.

"Yes, but we failed," The taller man replied. "It's how our sister ended up his prisoner in the first place."

"We tried to be heroes... but it just made things worse." The shorter man added with regret.

"And now? Now that we've failed, he'll kill her." The taller man concluded grimly.

Belle, Ben, and Ariel frowned, feeling bad for the two men suddenly.

"We get this back to Neverland, Pan is gonna have much bigger things to worry about." Belle then reassured both of them.

"Can you really stop him?" The taller man asked.

"Yeah. I believe we can." Belle said with a small smile.

"And if what you're saying is true, we will save your sister." Ben added.

"Who is she?" Ariel then asked the two men who were revealed to be brothers.

The brothers soon paused and exchanged an unsure glance.

"Her name is Wendy. Wendy Darling," The taller man soon revealed. "If you see her, tell her John and Michael are waiting for her."

"John and Michael Darling? I should've known..." Ben murmured to himself before he nodded and reassured the two men. "You don't have to worry about us, sirs. We'll be sure your message gets relayed." he then told them aloud.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you so much." John said emotionally.

"That really means a lot to us." Michael added.

"Of course..." Ben replied softly. "Maybe we can all be friends out of this especially with my father in Neverland to save my nephew."

"Your nephew?" John and Michael asked out of confusion.

"It's a long story," Belle replied. "But I agree, let's try to become friends and maybe we can see what we can do about your sister."

"Yeah." Ben added with a hopeful smile.

John and Michael smiled back as they also began to look hopeful.

"But first, I think there's an important matter at hand." Ben soon said as he looked over at Ariel.

Ariel blinked as she looked around. "Oh. Me? Are you talking to me?" she then asked.

"Yes, Ariel, there's someone I wanna take you to meet before you go," Ben replied. "If you have the time of course... Do you have free time?" she then asked.

"Well... The Evil Queen said my legs would still be in use for 24 hours, so I think I have enough time to see one more thing before I go back to Neverland," Ariel informed and replied. "Why do you ask?" she then wondered.

"Well, there's one more thing I wanna show you in Storybrooke." Ben began to say to her.

"Oh? And what's that?" Ariel wondered.

"Yes, Ben, I believe I'm wondering that as well." Belle added to her son.

"Well... It's less of a what, it's more of a who." Ben then answered thoughtfully with a small smile as he knew exactly what to do now.

Ariel just looked very curious as they soon went to go and see who Ben wanted to introduce The Little Mermaid to.


Meanwhile, at Granny's Diner, Melody seemed to be staring out the window in the distance while sitting across from Piper who was telling her a story.

"So, you see this pipe? My old man says it's very valuable," Piper said to the girl as he showed his favorite musical instrument. "Apparently it's enough to scare away mice that happen to get loose in any place. Isn't that neat? I wonder where he got it?" he then added.

"Oh... Yeah... Sounds really interesting..." Melody said softly as she stared out the window distantly.

"...Hey, Mel? Are you listening to me?" Piper asked out of concern.

"Oh, yeah, sure... I'm listening... Please continue." Melody replied, though she clearly had her mind elsewhere.

"Well, all right," Piper then said. "Anyway, I guess my dad oughta know some things, especially since he's the school's music teacher and I'm hoping to be a DJ when I grow up, especially at parties, and-" he then stopped again as he looked out the window after her. "...Is something out there?" he soon asked her since she was obviously distracted.

"Just thinking too much, I guess." Melody shrugged in response.

"...Mel, you barely touched your root beer float... I know that Ben and Audrey cancelled our double date tonight for an emergency, but is something else wrong?" Piper asked her.

"I... I don't know how to explain it... Something just feels wrong..." Melody sighed and frowned once she looked him in the eyes.

"You're not still bummed out about your birthday party, are ya?" Piper asked. "That's old news, everybody's already moved on, especially since The Dark Curse broke." he then reminded her.

"No, it's not that... I just don't know how to describe it..." Melody sighed and frowned as she bowed her head.

Piper frowned back, looking very concerned about her right now.

"Maybe I should just go home..." Melody sighed as she stood up. "I'm just a big fat mess right now."

"Well... If that's how you feel..." Piper started to say softly.

Melody then got up and decided to get going only to suddenly run into Ben. "Ben." she then greeted.

"Melody. Hi," Ben smiled. "I-"

"I'm not upset that you and Audrey cancelled our double date tonight, I understand, you had to help your mom, but I'm not feeling good right now," Melody interrupted out of depression. "I think I should just go home, do my homework, and go to bed early tonight."

"Are you sure? Cuz I kinda wanna share a surprise with you." Ben replied with a small smile to help cheer her up.

"Whatever it is, the answer is no and I'm not interested," Melody told her as she tried to avoid him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get going."

"Melody, please wait," Ben said as he kept trying to stop her from storming off. "There's someone outside the diner who wants to see you."

"Who would that be?" Melody asked as she sulked.

"I think it would be better if I showed you rather than just tell you," Ben replied as he backed away to the door and opened it. "Alright, you can come in now! She's ready for ya!" he then called outside the diner to summon someone inside the diner.

Soon, in came a redheaded woman who had a bright and contagious smile as she began to approach Melody.

"Um... Hi? Can I help you?" Melody asked the woman before looking at her friend beside her. "Ben, who is this woman?" she then whispered.

"She's your mother." Ben simply answered with a small smile.

"My mo-" Melody began to repeat until her eyes widened and she looked back in amazement. "...My mother?" she then whispered wearily.

"Hello, my little darling," Ariel greeted. "I'm Ariel: The Little Mermaid and your long-lost mother."

"No way..." Melody whispered as she came closer to her long-lost mother.

"Yes, of course," Ariel replied as she soon hugged her daughter for the first time in a very long while. "Oh, sweetheart, I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Mom..." Melody sniffled in the hug as she looked emotional.

"Oh, honey, don't cry," Ariel soothed her daughter. "You don't have to be sad anymore with your mother here."

"Oh, it's not that, Mother..." Melody sniffled as she wiped her eyes with a small smile. "I'm just so happy to see you again and have you back in my life right now."

"Oh..." Ariel said thoughtfully from Melody's tears of joy before she faced Ben curiously. "Humans are so confusing with their emotions sometimes." she then told the brunette boy.

"Yeah. That can happen." Ben chuckled and nodded.

Piper looked over and then smiled once he saw that Melody was going to start feeling better now.

"Now my dear, I'm afraid I can't stay long as I have to return to Neverland because I owe someone a favor, but I was promised to be reunited with you and your father again if I kept my end of the deal before 24 hours ends." Ariel then told her daughter as they broke out of the hug.

"You have to go?" Melody pouted.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I can't stay on land too long, especially since I was born in the sea, but I was able to have you on land because your father was a land man," Ariel explained carefully. "But we'll become a family again very soon and you can just keep me in here." she then added, pointing to her daughter's chest.

"In my heart?" Melody asked softly.

"Yes... Just like my own mother before I lost her when I was very young with your aunts back in our home under the sea and I longed to be part of this world," Ariel nodded and gave a small smile to her daughter. "Until next time, we can have some time together now."

"Okay... That's fair..." Melody said softly before smiling back. "Would you like something to eat and drink? Try some human food, just you and me?"

"Sure, dear," Ariel beamed. "You can tell me what a gun is."

Melody then pulled a very confused look over to Ben who just chuckled and shrugged sheepishly in response.

"Come on, Piper. Let's give these two ladies some privacy." Ben suggested.

"Uh, yeah, of course." Piper nodded as he and Ben soon began to leave the diner so that Ariel and Melody could have some alone time together as mother and daughter.

"Mom, have you ever had a hamburger before?" Melody asked her mother.

"Ooh. What's a hamburger?" Ariel asked as she sounded younger than her daughter right now.

"Let's find out." Melody chuckled and smiled as she took her mother to come and sit in a booth with her.

Kiara watched the two of them with a bittersweet smile on her face before sighing and thinking about her own mother. Not only her, but also her father and the big brother she was told about. Granny and Ruby noticed that and put their hands on her shoulders before she looked up at them and smiled back since they were her family now and that was all that mattered right now.


Unfortunately, after a couple of hours of bonding and getting to know each other, Ariel had to get going back to Neverland and the mother and daughter were saying goodbye at the docks as Belle and Ben were also there, but would give Ariel and Melody some space so that the mother and daughter could have a more proper goodbye.

"So uh, remember what I told you." Belle reminded The Little Mermaid.

"Don't worry," Ariel reassured her. "I'll deliver your message to Gold."

"Good luck, Miss Ariel." Ben said softly.

"Just Ariel is fine and okay." Ariel nodded as she took Pandora's box to put in her bag for safekeeping.

"I wish you could stay longer, Mom," Melody frowned. "I guess at least I got to spend this amount of time with you."

"Yes... Hopefully we can do it again very soon as Regina promised," Ariel replied and nodded. "It was really nice getting to know you since I haven't seen you since you were a baby. By the way, I quite love hamburgers, so maybe when I come back, we can have some with your father."

"I'd like that very much, Mom," Melody sniffled as she hugged her mother before putting on her locket. "This will keep me closer to you at least."

"For the time being, it will, my dear," Ariel nodded. "Send my love to your father and grandfather and especially your crab friend, Sebastian."

"I will, Mom. I will..." Melody nodded and wiped her eye. "Whoever thought that me, wanting to dream of the sea would be the daughter of a woman who wanted to dream of life of the land?"

"Life can be funny like that, my sweet," Ariel said softly. "I want to give you one last thing though before I go until we can be a full family again."

"Is it another locket?" Melody wondered.

"No... Something more special... The locket was a gift from your grandfather and this will be a gift from your grandmother... My mother... She used to sing it to me and my sisters when we were little girls and I hope that it stays locked in your heart for the rest of your life." Ariel shook her head and explained with a small smile.

"A song? Just for me?" Melody asked.

"Yes, my dear..." Ariel smiled as she looked into the water before hugging her daughter one last time, squeezing her a bit as she started to sing the song to comfort her daughter. "For the waves roll low, And the waves roll high and so it goes, Under the bright blue, Endless Sky, Waves try to measure, The days that we treasure, Wave hello, And wave goodbye~"

Melody sniffled as she squeezed her mother back in the hug before they broke apart one last time.

"Goodbye, Melody," Ariel said softly. "Just remember that this won't be forever and I love you."

"Bye, Mom... I love you too..." Melody sniffled as she wiped her eyes and broke out of the hug, waving to her mother.

Ariel waved back at Melody before she splashed into the water to return to Neverland. Melody watched her mother disappear into the water and leave Storybrooke as she sat on the end of the docks, trying not to be too emotional, though it was hard. She just kept trying to tell herself that this would not be the last time she would ever see her mother. Belle and Ben then decided to get back home themselves while Melody stayed behind just a little bit longer as a seagull chirped and landed beside her.

"I'll miss her too, Scuttle. More than words can ever say." Melody softly told the seagull.


Back in Neverland, Rumple, Regina, and Evie were waiting for The Little Mermaid to come back to them.

"You really believe Belle can succeed?" Regina asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yes, I do." Rumple nodded.

"I believe that Ben will succeed too." Evie added hopefully.

"Are you sure it's not your feelings blinding you?" Regina asked Rumple.

"Or perhaps it's my feelings illuminating me." Rumple then said thoughtfully and distantly.

"You really love them." Regina soon remarked.

Rumple smirked a little. "Is that jealousy?" he then asked her.

"Of Belle? I think not." Belle smirked back.

"No, no. Of having someone." Rumple clarified and smirked, leaving Regina stunned in brief silence.

"Ooh, burn~" Evie whispered.

"You're grounded." Regina retorted.

Evie looked stunned in silence then and at that very moment, Ariel emerged from the water in front of them.

"Sorry, I'm late. We ran into a few... complications." Ariel said as they all then approached the shoreline.

"Did you get it?" Rumple asked The Little Mermaid.

Ariel soon reached into her pouch and pulled out Pandora's Box. She then placed it on the rocky shore.

"That's a yes." Evie remarked.

"Excellent. You fulfilled your end of the bargain." Regina nodded in approval.

Ariel then retrieved the bracelet and held it up.

Regina soon waved her hand and it glowed as the spell took effect. "Now you can have legs whenever you want," she then told The Little Mermaid. "Or a fin. Whatever Eric's into these days."

"Thank you." Ariel replied, looking very grateful, especially after the tearful goodbye she and her daughter just recently had.

"When you return to Storybrooke, seek him out and your daughter," Rumple soon told Ariel. "The rest is up to you."

"Before I go, Belle wanted me to let you know that Pan has a prisoner on the island." Ariel started to say.

"You mean besides The Lost Ones who are his followers?" Evie asked.

"Yes, much more than that. A girl named Wendy," Ariel nodded as she explained. "Her brothers are back in Storybrooke. Belle doesn't want to let them down. She wants you to make sure that Wendy is okay."

"All that matters is Henry." Regina shook her head in dismissal.

"Wendy? Brothers? Could that be Wendy Darling?" Evie wondered to herself.

"And now you have a chance to save him. Thanks to me, Ben, and Belle," Ariel soon told Regina aloud, not hearing Evie. "So rescuing that girl is the least that you can do."

"We'll do our best." Rumple nodded.

Regina then suddenly gasped in protest.

"Look, um, when you return... tell Belle I love her," Rumple soon told Ariel. "And that she was right. I will see her again. As well as our son and I love him too very much."

"Wait until I tell Melody." Ariel smiled and then dove in the water to return to Storybrooke.

"Tell her I said hi!" Evie called out.

"Will do!" Ariel replied as she continued to travel back under the sea.

Evie smiled softly and warmly, looking very hopeful and content for her good friend back in Storybrooke. "So what do we use that for, Mr. Gold?" she then asked about the box.

"Patience, my dear, Evie," Rumple told her as he clutched the box. "All will be revealed very soon and you must remember that patience is a virtue, though you have more capacity with that concept than your mother."

"Watch it. Both of you." Regina replied firmly.

Evie chuckled and nodded at Rumple as they now seemed to have a way to defeat Peter Pan.