Lone Wolf

by Shadowblade217

When Jackson Whittemore decides to leave London and make a new life for himself, he ends up stumbling upon a quaint little town in Maine. But when it's revealed that Storybrooke has its own magical and extraordinary secrets, Jackson must choose a side and embark on a dangerous search for answers... about the town's true nature, and about his own shadowy past.

16. The Truth Revealed

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or Once Upon a Time.

Notes: And we're back, with the penultimate chapter of this story! Sorry that it's taken such a long time to get this chapter finished, but I'm very excited to finally be approaching the end of this tale, and I hope you guys enjoy! :D

Timeline-wise, the present-day scenes in this episode all take place during OUAT S1E22, "A Land Without Magic," while the timeline of the flashbacks will be pretty self-explanatory.

---

Chapter 16: The Truth Revealed

In the Enchanted Forest, twenty-eight years ago…

Jack Frost spiraled downward through the cold night air, soaring above the dark waters of the lake as he flew towards the castle where Snow White and Prince Charming had made their home. Effortlessly riding the wind, he swooped in over the battlements, canceled out his momentum with a rush of wind, and landed lightly atop the tallest tower, where two figures were waiting for him. Each wore a cloak and hood as protection against the wind: one was plain gray, the other a vibrant shade of red. The latter brought a smile to Jack's face, despite the urgent nature of his visit.

"Red," he greeted her, smiling warmly as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly on the lips. However, his smile faded a moment later, when he felt her trembling against him and noticed how tightly her arms were laced around him. He pulled back slightly and looked down at her, his lips pursed in a concerned frown. "What's wrong?"

"We'll explain inside," the other figure spoke up, pulling back his hood to reveal Charming's face beneath it as he nodded to Jack with a small smile. "It's good to see you, Jack. But please, come with us: Snow needs to talk to you."

Jack's frown deepened as he felt increasingly concerned, but he nodded. "Of course." He and Red followed after Charming, their hands still joined, as the prince led the way across the roof and down into the castle.

---

Snow White was waiting for them in her private audience chamber, seated beside the carved wooden table that dominated the center of the room. She was heavily pregnant, which explained why she hadn't been up on the tower, but her face lit up when she saw Jack. "Frost!" she breathed, smiling brightly. Charming quickly took her arm, allowing her to lean on him as she hauled herself to her feet.

"It's good to see you, Snow!" Jack's eyes shone with happiness as he gently hugged her, but his smile quickly disappeared again when he saw the look in her eyes: a deep, haunted look of sadness and dismay. He'd never seen that look on Snow's face before, except on the night when they'd taken King George's castle and she'd realized that Charming wasn't there.

"Now, what's going on?" he questioned, his gaze sweeping over Snow, Charming, and Red. "What's happened?" His eyes widened and flicked down to Snow's swollen belly, and he instinctively rested a gentle hand against her abdomen for a moment. "Is something wrong with the baby?"

"No, no, she's fine," Snow assured him as she clasped her hand over his and gave it a reassuring pat. "It's… it's something else." She sighed and let go of Jack's hand, taking Charming's arm as he helped her back to her seat. "Something much bigger. And if we're going to get through it, we need your help."

Jack's concern only grew with each word, but he nodded. "Of course! Whatever's going on, I'll do whatever I can to help. You know that." Pulling out a chair for himself, he placed his staff on the table and sat down, facing Snow. Red sat beside him, while Charming took a seat next to Snow.

"All right." Snow looked down and appeared to be collecting her thoughts for a few moments, before she looked back up at Jack. "You remember Regina's threat at the wedding?"

"Of course." Jack nodded, his eyes narrowing as he remembered that incident. On the day of Snow's marriage to Charming, the Evil Queen had crashed the ceremony to warn everyone in attendance that one day soon, she would exact her revenge on every single one of them, especially Snow. He'd been sorely tempted to try and take her down right then and there, but Snow's order for everyone to stand down and the presence of many innocent people had stayed his hand. But ever since then, he'd been worried that Regina would one day try to make good on her threat… and now it seemed that she was finally trying to do just that. "What's she done?"

"It's not what she's done," Charming spoke up, his voice low and solemn. "It's what she's going to do."

"She warned us a few days ago," Snow explained, folding her hands together in her lap to keep her fingers from trembling. "She's crafting a curse: an ancient dark spell, one with incredible destructive power."

"When she unleashes it," Charming continued, "it will sweep across our entire world, leaving this realm in ruins and transporting us all away to another realm, where she intends to bind us in eternal suffering as punishment for our daring to fight back against her."

Jack's eyes widened, and he felt a twisting sensation in his guts. "That's insane!" he breathed. "Can't we stop her?"

"Unfortunately, no, I don't think we can," Snow replied sadly. "She's gone into hiding while she's finishing her preparations; we've done everything we can to track her down, but we haven't been able to find her. And I don't think we'll be able to find her and stop her before her curse is unleashed." She shivered, and Charming rested a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"But…" Jack was stunned, frozen in place by disbelief and horror. How could this be happening? After all that he, Red, Snow and Charming had done together, all they had been through… how could it all be for nothing?! He tried to push himself up, but all the strength seemed to have gone out of his arms and legs, and he slumped back into the chair.

Red took one of his hands in both of hers, lacing her fingers through his and giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. Jack returned it, but he couldn't suppress the icy dread that was churning in his stomach.

"Is there nothing we can do?" he whispered numbly.

"Actually, no," Snow replied, drawing his attention back up to her. She was clearly just as scared as he was, if not more, but she summoned up her strength and managed a small smile. "I don't think there's anything we can do to stop Regina from casting her curse… but there is something that we can do to save ourselves from it afterwards."

As Jack heard the firm certainty in her voice, a ray of hope pierced through his despair, and his eyes locked onto hers. "What is it?"

"Not long ago," Red took over, "we managed to capture Rumplestiltskin." She grinned despite herself. "He's still locked up, in a special cell that we built for him. But he already knew about Regina's curse… and he told us that although we can't prevent it from happening, there is someone who can break the curse after we've been placed under it."

"Our daughter," Charming added, exchanging soft smiles with Snow as he rested one hand lightly against her stomach. "Emma."

"Your daughter?" Jack couldn't help raising an eyebrow and frowning a little. "I mean no offense, Snow, but… that child hasn't even been born yet. How can she defeat this curse?"

"Rumplestiltskin claims that Emma will be 'a Savior'," Snow explained. "According to him, Regina's curse is destined to happen, which is part of the reason why there's nothing we can do to stop her from casting it." She placed a hand over Charming's on her stomach, smiling warmly down at herself. "But once the curse does take effect… even after we've all been transported to another realm, Emma will eventually grow up. And one day she will break Regina's curse, and save us all from the punishment that she plans to inflict upon us."

Jack nodded slowly, turning that over in his mind. "I see." He sat up straighter, a hint of hope appearing in his eyes, before his concerned frown deepened as an unpleasant thought occurred to him. "But… won't Regina take measures to prevent your daughter from becoming a threat?"

"We considered that," Snow confirmed. "Rumplestiltskin claimed that in this new realm, all the victims of Regina's curse will lose their memories of who we were before, and they will be frozen in that state until the curse is broken. But thanks to his information, we've been able to find a way to circumvent that." She nodded towards the doorway that led to her and Charming's personal chambers. "Using wood from an enchanted tree, Geppetto and the Blue Fairy have constructed a wardrobe, imbued with powerful magic. When the time is right, it will be used to transport a single person across the boundary between worlds, into the same realm where Regina's curse will transport the rest of us. That person, therefore, will be able to escape the effects of the curse, and will still possess their memories of this world."

Jack's eyes widened in understanding. "And you intend to use this wardrobe to keep Emma out of Regina's reach? It's a good plan, but… that would mean she would be left alone in that realm, would she not?"

"Not quite." Charming shook his head, his expression solemn. "Our original plan was for Snow and I to both pass through the wardrobe while she's still pregnant, so that we could bring Emma with us that way. Then the three of us could track down everyone else and teach Emma everything that she would need to know in order to break the curse once she's old enough." He sighed. "But, unfortunately, the wardrobe only contains enough power for one passenger to pass through it. So our plan now is for Snow to go through alone, assuming that the curse is unleashed before she gives birth."

"But, if I have already gone through my labors and given birth to Emma before Regina unleashes her curse," Snow continued soberly, "then… yes, Emma must be sent through alone. It is far more important for her to escape the curse than it is for any of us to do so." She looked up at Jack, her expression firm and some of her usual warmth returning to her eyes. "And… that's where you come in, Jack. You can travel between worlds under your own power, can you not?"

"I… yes, I can," Jack agreed, nodding. It was true enough that, as a realm-jumper, he was not bound to any one realm; using the unique magical abilities that all Guardians shared, he could leave this world and move to another one without too much effort. He'd done it on a number of occasions prior to his first encounter with Snow, and again several times in the intervening years since his rebirth as Frost and his consolidation into his new identity of Jack Frost.

"Good." Snow smiled, before her expression became more saddened. "Then here is what I need you to do. Regina intends to take all of us to a realm where magic does not exist, probably to make it harder for us to break free of her curse. But I'm sure that you and the other Guardians can find that realm. So, before Regina's curse is cast, we need you to go to that realm, and find whoever comes through that wardrobe… whether it's me, Emma, or both. If I'm able to go through while I'm still pregnant with her, then I'll be there, and we can work together to save everyone. But if the baby comes before the curse does, and I have to send Emma through on her own… then it will be up to you to find her and protect her, and to teach her everything that she must know until the time comes for her to break the curse."

"But… I mean, I can't just leave you all here!" Jack protested. Using his power, he could certainly leave this realm before Regina's curse took effect. But due to the nature of his powers, he would not be able to take anyone else with him across the boundaries between realms… and how could he leave Red and Snow behind, to be swept away into some hellish world of torment?

"You must, Jack." Red's voice was quiet and shaky, and her hands were trembling around his, but when he looked over and met her gaze, there was an intense, pleading look in her eyes. "This curse is coming, and I don't think there's anything we can do to stop it. But with your help, Emma will one day be able to free us all from whatever prison Regina intends to construct for us in that new realm… and then we can all be together again."

"I…" Jack was at a loss for words as he gazed deep into her eyes. He didn't want to accept it, but deep down, he knew she was right. If this curse couldn't be stopped, then Snow and Charming's daughter would need all the help and protection that she could get in this new realm… and he wouldn't be any help to anyone if he stayed here and was caught in the curse as well.

"Very well," he finally murmured, a deep pain in his eyes as he turned back to Snow and Charming. "I'll do as you ask. I'll help you to keep Emma safe. And I promise you that when the time comes, I will do everything in my power to help her break this curse."

---

In Storybrooke…

Jackson's breath went out of him as he slammed down onto soft earth, landing flat on his back in a dissipating cloud of blue smoke. For a long moment, he couldn't do anything except lie there, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. "…Ow," he finally muttered, reaching up and rubbing his eyes to try and get rid of his sudden headache. Been a long time since I've done that, and I didn't remember how much of a pain it can be sometimes.

As he pushed himself up into a sitting position, he quickly realized two things. First, fortunately, he wasn't alone: Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Isaac were all sprawled on the ground around him, also groaning and rubbing their heads as they slowly began picking themselves up.

And, second… they weren't in Beacon Hills anymore. They were still in a forest, but the trees around them were different: it was comprised mainly of large pine trees, not the oak trees that dominated the forest around Beacon Hills. The moon was higher in the sky than it had been before, and to Jackson's sensitive nose, the woods around them smelled completely different than the forest around the Nemeton. But while the others might not know this place, Jackson recognized it instantly, because he had run through this forest plenty of times over the past couple of months. They were on an open hiking trail that ran through the forest, which led directly back to an area near the inn where he'd taken up residence.

"We made it," he breathed, smiling. Storybrooke.

"Ugh… what the hell was that?!" Isaac groaned, clutching at his head.

"Teleportation spell," Jackson explained, trying to sift through the jumbled memories in the back of his mind as he stood up and retrieved his new staff from the ground at his feet. "I haven't done that in a long time, but the Nemeton gave me the energy boost that I needed to make it work." He glanced around at the others. "You guys okay?"

"Oh, yeah, just fine," Stiles snarked, massaging his own temples. "As good as can be expected, considering what just happened: first you blue-lighted us, then something loud and weird and hallucinogenic happened, and then…" He flopped dramatically back to the ground, spreading his arms wide to indicate their immediate surroundings. "Where are we, anyway? Did you actually get us to the right place, or are we on the other side of the planet?"

Jackson rolled his eyes, but didn't complain; under the circumstances, he'd let Stilinski have that one. "No, we're in the right place," he assured them. "I know these woods by now; we're in Storybrooke. The place where I've been staying is a couple of miles that way." He nodded in the direction of the town, where they could see lights gleaming in the distance. "Let's get you guys set up there first, and then we can start figuring out what to do next."

Scott nodded in agreement as he climbed to his feet, taking Stiles's hand and helping him up as Jackson did the same with Lydia. "Sounds good."

---

As the five teens made their way down the trail towards Storybrooke, Jackson kept himself busy on his phone. He'd called Ruby first, wanting to let her know that he was back in town, but he'd been surprised to discover that her phone was apparently turned off, because his call had gone straight to voicemail. He'd tried several more times, but all of the calls went to voicemail.

Weird… Jackson frowned, looking down at his phone as he led the way along the trail. As far as I can remember, Ruby usually never leaves her phone off like that. Normally he wouldn't be too worried, but he knew that Deucalion was likely still somewhere in Storybrooke, and he couldn't help remembering the Alpha werewolf's threat that he might start recruiting some of the town's inhabitants into his new pack.

Since Ruby wasn't answering, he tried calling Emma next. Her cell phone was on, as it was ringing, but she didn't answer: after ringing a few times, her phone went to voicemail as well. That wasn't normal either; whenever he'd had to call Emma before, she'd always answered pretty quickly, and it didn't seem like it was late enough in the night for her to be asleep yet.

"The hell's going on?" he muttered under his breath.

"What's wrong?" Lydia inquired, walking a little quicker so she could keep pace with him.

"Ah… it's probably nothing," Jackson replied with a shrug. "I'm just trying to get in touch with a couple of people I know here, but they aren't answering their phones, and that's not like them." His frown deepened as he scrolled through his contacts, trying to remember if he had the contact information of anyone else in Storybrooke besides Ruby and Emma. Finally, he did find one: Mary Margaret, who had exchanged phone numbers with him after the party to celebrate her exoneration. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but he knew that Mary Margaret and Emma were roommates, so maybe she might know why Emma wasn't answering her phone.

For a moment, Jackson stared at the name on the screen: Mary Margaret Blanchard. He hadn't properly realized it until now, but thanks to the jumbled flashes of memory that he'd been getting from his previously-forgotten past life, now he knew her real name… and it brought a surge of warmth into his heart.

"Snow," he whispered, so quietly that not even Scott or Isaac could hear him. A smile flickered slowly across his face, and flashes of memories flickered through his mind, glimpses of the woman who Mary Margaret had once been – younger, and with much longer hair, but with the same kind eyes and bright smile. She had been his best friend back in those days, and now he was starting to remember those times they had spent together. He still didn't have most of his memories, but they were slowly starting to come back to him. So far, it was mostly just feelings rather than anything concrete, but he could remember enough to know that everything Henry had tried to tell him was true.

Most of the memories of that previous life were still clouded and hidden from Jackson's conscious mind, but he now knew the basic details. A long time ago, somehow, he had been a boy named Jack Frost. He had been friends with a young woman named Snow White, and more than friends with a girl named Red Riding Hood… who he now realized was Ruby's previous self. And when their realm had been put in danger, he had been forced to flee, traveling to this world to do… something. But he hadn't regained any memories of what had happened after that, so he still had no idea how he'd ended up in Beacon Hills.

Doesn't matter right now, he told himself, shaking his head and focusing back on the present. What matters now is helping Emma. She's the key to all of this. He didn't remember exactly why that was the case yet, but he knew that Henry had always been adamant about the idea that Emma was "the Savior," and that she was somehow destined to free all of Storybrooke's inhabitants from the curse. And something about that just felt right to him: he knew he'd heard it somewhere before. Emma was the one who could save everyone else… but so far, she didn't believe that. So he needed to try and help her in any way he could.

Right now, however, he just needed to know whether Emma and Ruby were okay, since neither of them were answering their phones. So, before he could get lost in his memories again, he hit the Call button on his screen, next to Mary Margaret's name, before he brought the phone back up to his ear.

Finally, after two failed attempts to contact his friends in Storybrooke, he got an answer. After the phone rang a couple of times, Mary Margaret picked up. But as soon as Jackson heard her voice, he immediately knew that something was wrong.

"H-Hello?" Her voice was quivering, and he could tell that she was very upset about something. "Jackson? Is that you?"

"Sno–" Jackson stopped walking as he immediately choked back the instinctive urge to call her by the name that came boiling up from his subconscious upon hearing her voice. "Mary Margaret? Yeah, this is Jackson." His eyes widened as he listened to her ragged, unsteady breathing, and both Scott and Isaac also frowned in concern as their sensitive hearing picked up on the distress in her voice. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I…" Mary Margaret sniffled, taking a moment to catch her breath. "I'm all right, yes. I'm… I just got a call from Emma a couple of minutes ago: she's at the hospital."

Jackson's eyes widened. "The hospital?" His fingers tightened around his phone, and he had to consciously rein in his enhanced strength so he wouldn't accidentally damage it. "What's going on? I've been trying to get ahold of Ruby or Emma, but they're not answering their phones. Are they all right?" Please tell me neither of them are hurt, he pleaded internally, his mind racing as he immediately thought of the worst-case scenario: Deucalion having followed through on his threats by targeting one or more of Jackson's friends. The thought of what an angry Alpha werewolf could have done to Ruby or Emma send chills down his spine and a rush of fury into his heart, but those emotions were instantly swept away by Mary Margaret's response.

"Y-yes, they're fine," she assured him, her voice still unsteady. "Ruby was fine the last time I talked to her, a few hours ago, and Emma isn't hurt. It's…" Her voice cracked audibly, and she sniffled again. "It's Henry. When Emma called me a couple of minutes ago, she said that he… he ate something: an apple turnover that Regina gave her, or something like that, I don't remember exactly. He ate it, and then he just… collapsed and passed out. She thinks he's having an allergic reaction, or maybe… that he might have been poisoned."

Jackson felt as if he had a ball of ice in his guts. His stomach turned, and he swayed unsteadily on his feet; Scott instinctively took his arm, helping to support him. "No," he breathed, a numbing rush of horror washing over him. "That's impossible." Shaking his head, he tried to keep his mind focused on the matter at hand. "So… he's at the hospital?"

"Yes," Mary Margaret confirmed. "Emma's rushing him to the hospital right now, but that's all I know. I'm probably going to head over there soon too, to check on them and to see if I can do anything to help."

"All right." Jackson nodded slowly, his mind still racing. "I just got back to town; I'll be there as fast as I can. Thanks for letting me know." Without waiting for a reply, he hung up the phone and slipped it into his pocket, before swinging around to face the others, who had all stopped along with him.

"What's going on, Jackson?" Lydia, who hadn't been able to hear the other side of the conversation, was the first to speak up.

"That woman I told you guys about, Emma? Her son's in the hospital right now," Jackson explained hurriedly, his thoughts taking a darker turn as he realized who must be responsible for this. Regina… apple turnover… a gift for Emma… "I think I know why, but either way, I need to get over there." Remembering where the Storybrooke hospital was, he angled himself towards the approximate area where it was located, while pointing along the hiking trail. "You guys, keep following this trail, and it'll lead you to the inn where I've been staying; I'll meet you there. If you see a girl named Ruby there, tell her you're my friends and that I'll be there as soon as I can."

Stiles and Lydia didn't look happy about this, but Scott and Isaac, who had heard the whole phone conversation, nodded in understanding. "All right," Scott agreed. "Do you want one of us to go with you?"

Jackson shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. I know these woods by now, and based on everything I've seen, the only dangerous thing out here is Deucalion. For right now, you guys should stick with Stiles and Lydia, just in case he's out here somewhere. Once I find out what's going on with Emma and her kid, we can figure out what to do about him."

"Sounds good." Isaac nodded, glancing warily out into the forest on either side of the hiking trail. "Be careful. Whatever weird magic you've got now, you still don't want to run into him by yourself."

"Yeah, no shit, Lahey," Jackson quipped, suppressing a wince at the memory of his last encounter with Deucalion. "All right. See you guys in a bit." With no further hesitation, he strode off the trail and into the forest, heading in the direction of the hospital. Once he was off the trail, he started moving faster, letting his werewolf instincts take over. Still keeping ahold of his staff in one hand, he shifted into a run, racing across the forest floor and bounding over bushes and fallen trees.

As Jackson ran on, a deep, burning anger began welling up in his heart as he thought about what Mary Margaret had told him, and he had to suppress a snarl as his eyes burned blue and his nails extended into claws. Because if Henry had been poisoned, then he already knew exactly who had been responsible: the only person in Storybrooke, as far as he knew, who hadn't been changed at all by the curse that she had unleashed upon his former world.

I hope you're ready, Regina, he thought to himself, a growl rumbling in his chest as he ran faster. Because I'm coming for you.

---

"Henry, can you hear me?!" Emma pleaded, shaking her son's unconscious body by one shoulder as the doctors wheeled him into the emergency room on a gurney. "Come on, Henry, wake up, please!" Her whole body was shaking, and she was constantly fighting back an instinctive surge of panic. A nurse tugged on her arm, trying to move her aside, but she shook off the other woman's hand. "No! I'm not going anywhere!"

Dr. Whale leaned down over Henry, examining him closely and shining a small flashlight into his eyes. "There's no pupil response," he murmured, frowning as he looked to Emma. "What happened? Did he fall? Hit his head?"

Emma shook her head, holding up the half-eaten apple turnover that Regina had given her, which she'd carefully tucked back into its plastic bag (while making sure not to touch it with her bare hands, just to be safe). "He ate this. I think it's poisoned."

Whale's frown deepened and he leaned over Henry again, this time tugging the boy's mouth open and shining the flashlight into it to check his throat. "His airway's clear. Did he vomit? Any convulsing or disorientation?"

"He took a bite of this, and then he just collapsed," Emma snapped, shaking the bagged turnover. "So run the tests for arsenic, or bleach, or Drano, or whatever could've done this to him!"

"The boy is showing no symptoms that would suggest a neurotoxin," Whale shot back, snagging the turnover from her and waving it for emphasis. "So whatever's going on, this is not the culprit!"

"But…" Emma shook her head, finding herself at a loss. "What else could it be?" Nothing else had happened, as far as she could remember.

Whale sighed, the intensity in his eyes fading slightly. "I don't know," he admitted. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

Emma nodded shakily, trying to keep herself calm. "He's gonna be okay, though, right?"

"Right now, we need to stabilize him," Whale replied gravely, "because he's slipping away. Is there anything else you can remember? Any little detail?"

Emma scowled, anger and terror warring in her mind as she spun around to an empty bed on the other side of the room and dumped the contents of Henry's backpack onto it, rummaging through them. "I already told you everything, now do something!"

"Look, I understand that you're frustrated, Ms. Swan. I do. But right now, there is no explanation!" Whale shook his head, turning back to Henry. "It's like…" He trailed off, at a loss for words.

That was when Emma saw it. Henry's fairy-tale book, Once Upon a Time, which had been dumped out on the bed along with the other things he'd had in his backpack. And as she looked at it, despite all of her earlier misgivings and doubts… something in the back of her mind suddenly shifted, like the final piece of a puzzle clicking into place.

"Like magic," she whispered, as she reached down and picked the book up, holding it in both hands.

A moment later, a surge of images flashed into her mind. Flashes of people she knew – Mary Margaret, David, Ruby, even Jackson – but different, somehow, with outfits and hairstyles that she'd never seen in all the time she'd known them. Snatches of speech, familiar voices saying things that she'd never heard before.

"I will help her…"

"Goodbye, Emma…"

"Find us…"

And loudest of all, she heard the echo of what Henry had told her all those weeks ago, when she'd first come to Storybrooke and he'd originally told her about that book.

"Every story in this book actually happened. And you should know that more than anyone… because you're in this book."

Just as quickly as the surge of images had begun, it ended. Emma almost collapsed onto the hospital bed, gasping for air, almost hyperventilating as the truth hit her like a tidal wave.

Henry was right, she realized numbly. So was August.

It's true. All of it.

And at that exact moment, the voice of the last person she wanted to see echoed through the room.

"Where's my son?!" Regina exclaimed breathlessly as she burst into the room, looking around frantically. It looked as if she'd run the entire distance from her house, and she was so fixated on Henry that, at first, she didn't even realize that Emma was there.

In a heartbeat, Emma's shock and panic suddenly melted into a searing, all-consuming rage. Because if Henry's stories were real, then that meant Regina was to blame for all of this. She'd been torturing everyone in Storybrooke for the last twenty-eight years, ever since Emma had been born… and now she'd poisoned Henry, too.

"You did this," she hissed, rounding on Regina.

The older woman was so distracted by Henry that she was caught completely by surprise. Emma seized one of her arms, dragged her across the room, yanked open the door of a storage closet, and threw Regina bodily inside, sending the mayor crashing into a row of shelves as she strode in after her and slammed the door behind them. "You did this!" she yelled, her eyes blazing with hatred as she seized both of Regina's wrists and swung her around, slamming her into the nearest wall and pinning her against it.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Regina cried out, frantically struggling to free herself. "Stop this! My son –"

"Is sick because of you!" Emma spat, cutting her off as she pinned one of Regina's wrists and pressed her other forearm against the older woman's throat to hold her in place. "That apple turnover you gave me? He ate it!"

Regina froze, her eyes widening in horror. "What?!" she gasped. "It was meant for you!"

Emma's hold only tightened. "It's true, isn't it?" she demanded.

"What are you talking about?!"

"It's true, isn't it?!" Emma repeated, louder this time. "All of it?!"

Finally, all the fight went out of Regina, and she slumped back against the wall. "Yes," she admitted, her voice quiet and defeated.

Emma's hands were trembling. "I was leaving town! Why couldn't you just leave me alone?!"

A flash of anger entered Regina's eyes. "Because as long as you're alive, Henry will never be mine!"

The full understanding that everything Henry had tried to tell her about Regina was true felt like a vice clamping down around Emma's heart, but she muscled through it. "He'll never be anyone's unless you fix this," she snapped. "Now wake him up!"

"I can't!" Regina practically screamed the words, her voice cracking with pain and despair.

On some level, Emma still couldn't believe that she was actually talking about this as a real thing, but she forced her doubts aside. "Don't you have… magic?"

With tears welling up in her eyes, Regina shook her head. "That was the last of it," she admitted weakly. Anger flared in her eyes again, and she shoved Emma's arms back. "It was supposed to put you to sleep!"

Emma took a step back, keeping between Regina and the door as her mind whirled. "Then… what's it going to do to him?"

Again, Regina shook her head. "I don't know. Magic here is… unpredictable."

Emma felt a wrench of nausea in her gut as she thought about what that could mean. "So… he could…"

"Yes." Regina's voice was quiet and solemn, laden with guilt and pain.

"Then…" Emma felt as if all the strength were draining out of her body, as her anger was replaced by fear again. "What do we do?"

Before Regina could answer, a sudden raised voice echoed into the closet from the room outside. For a moment, Emma thought something must have gone wrong with Henry, and she took a step towards the door, but then she recognized the voice and her fear turned to confusion. Wait… is that…?

Sure enough, a couple of seconds later, the closet door was flung open, and Jackson appeared in the doorway. But as Emma looked closer, she realized that something was different about him. In addition to his normal outfit – a light blue shirt, dark blue jeans and black hiking boots – he was also carrying what looked like a carved wooden staff in one hand, resembling a shepherd's crook. An almost-tangible aura of what Emma could only describe as menace was radiating from him, making the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. In addition, the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped significantly as soon as the door opened, sending a chill through the air around them. But oddest of all, it looked as if his eyes were glowing, a much brighter shade of blue than they were normally.

Jackson expression was concerned at first when he saw her, but as soon as he noticed Regina, the look in his eyes shifted to a level of pure, unadulterated hatred that matched what Emma had felt when she'd lashed out at Regina a few minutes earlier. "You," he growled, his voice briefly dropping an octave deeper than his normal tone.

Regina's eyes widened as she looked him up and down, taking in his new appearance. A mixture of fear and recognition appeared in her eyes, and she took a step back. "Oh, shit," she whispered under her breath.

"Yeah." Jackson smirked humorlessly, and Emma frowned when she caught a glimpse of his teeth: for some reason, they looked… sharper than they normally were. "I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time… Regina." With no hesitation, he stalked into the room, wrapped his free hand around Regina's throat, and slammed her into the wall again with a single swing of his arm.

"Jackson?" Emma's eyes widened and she took a step back in shock. "What… what're you doing?!"

"Getting some payback," Jackson snarled, glaring into Regina's eyes. "It took a while for me to get some of my old memories back, but while I was out of town, I finally figured it out. And now I remember who I was before… and what you did to everyone I knew back then." He squeezed a little harder, and Regina began to choke. "Snow. Charming. Red. All the others who have spent the last twenty-eight years suffering, because of you. You turned them into puppets, forced them to play out your twisted little game, just so you could punish them for your imagined slights. Well, no more." His eyes burned blue, devoid of any compassion as he met Regina's increasingly-desperate gaze, easily withstanding her frantic attempts to free herself. "You've gone too far, Regina. And now it's time to pay."

"Jackson, wait!" Emma exclaimed, grabbing his arm and trying to pry his vice-grip off of Regina's throat. "Stop!" She had figured out what was going on, or at least the basics of it: apparently, as unbelievable as it sounded, Henry had been right about Jackson too. He was also one of the people who'd been mind-wiped by Regina's curse, but he'd somehow managed to get some of his memories back, and now he was understandably pissed. In most other situations, she would happily sit back and watch him beat the crap out of Regina after what she'd just learned, as it was the least that the former "Evil Queen" would deserve for her crimes. But unfortunately, under the current circumstances, that wasn't an option.

Jackson's head snapped around, that burning blue glare locking onto her instead. His anger visibly faltered, and his scowl faded into a confused frown. "Why?" he questioned, before he sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Okay, look… I know you probably still don't believe in any of this, Emma, but I promise you, she's…"

"No, I know!" Emma shook her head urgently. "I'm sorry it took me so long, Jackson, but I know the truth now. I promise, I believe you. I should've listened to Henry a long time ago, but I didn't, and that's on me." She kept a firm hold on his forearm with both hands. "But, please… let her go. She's the only one who might be able to help save him. So for right now, I need her alive." She locked eyes with him again, showing him the urgency and the pleading in her gaze. "Please."

Jackson was silent for a long moment, before he finally nodded. "All right," he agreed. His grip on Regina's throat finally released, and he stepped back as she crumpled to the floor, coughing and gasping for air as she tried to catch her breath.

"So… I'm guessing you're one of the people she cursed?" Emma questioned, letting go of Jackson's arm. She still couldn't quite believe what she was saying, but under the circumstances, she didn't really have a choice.

"Yeah." Jackson nodded, rubbing his eyes and wincing a little as if he was dealing with a headache. "A lot of my memories aren't back yet, and the ones I can access are a little jumbled… but yes, in a past life, I lived in the same world as everyone else in this town. My name back then was Jack Frost." He glanced back down at Regina with disdain, before turning back to Emma. "So, what did she do to Henry?"

"…Got it." Emma nodded slowly. At this point, why the hell not? You can figure all of this extra crap out later. Henry's the priority right now. "Well… apparently, she tried to put a Sleeping Beauty-style curse on me using an apple turnover, but Henry found out and got suspicious, so he ate it before I could, and he passed out. The doctors are trying to help him now, but…" She shrugged. "If it's magic, then I don't know if they'll be able to do anything."

"Probably not," Jackson admitted. "Magic is tricky like that." He scowled at Regina, who'd managed to get her wind back, and leaned down, taking one of her arms and hauling her to her feet. "All right, then. Here's the deal, Your Majesty." He spat the last two words out like an obscenity. "You're going to help us undo what you did to Henry, and if we can save him, then maybe I'll decide not to end you." His other hand tightened around his new wooden staff, and to Emma's surprise, it glowed for a couple of seconds, pulsing with a soft blue light. "But if you try anything, I'll happily rip your throat out myself. Are we clear?"

"Of course," Regina muttered, shaking off Jackson's grip on her arm and rubbing her neck as she leaned against the wall to finish catching her breath. Faint bruises were already forming across her throat, matching the outline of Jackson's clenching fingers. "Such a pleasure to see you again, Frost." Shaking her head, she looked up at the two of them. "All right. As I was about to say before that one showed up and interrupted me…" She glared irritably at Jackson. "…I think there may be one place where we can go to find something that could help Henry. There's one other person in Storybrooke who knows about all of this… about magic. One other person who still has their true memories, undiluted by the effects of the curse."

Emma and Jackson got it at about the same time, both deducing who she must mean. "Mr. Gold," Emma spoke up, nodding slowly as more pieces fell into place for her. Of course.

Regina nodded, letting out a sigh. "Actually… he goes by Rumplestiltskin."

---

In the Enchanted Forest, twenty-eight years ago…

A cold, harsh wind whipped past Jack, howling in his ears. He and Red were standing atop the tallest tower of Snow's castle, holding each other close as they gazed off into the distance. He could feel her shivering from a mixture of fear and cold, and his arms instinctively tightened around her as he tried to keep her warm and provide her with whatever comfort he could.

The cause of her fear was obvious. On the horizon, still miles away but drawing steadily closer, was a line of boiling, shadowy clouds, dark purple in color with flashes of multicolored lightning crackling back and forth along the front of the storm. Both Jack and Red were reminded of the dark sandstorm that Pitch Black and his Nightmares had created some years earlier, when they had been standing atop Toothiana's Rainbow Tower, but this storm of dark magic looked even more potent.

"It's almost here," Jack murmured under his breath. The cold normally didn't affect him, but he couldn't suppress a shiver at the thought of what that unnatural storm was bringing with it.

Red nodded wordlessly, her eyes also fixed on the approaching clouds. She continued resting against him for a long moment, before a long, quiet sigh escaped her lips and she took a step away from him, looking up at him. "It's time, Jack," she whispered, meeting his eyes and grasping both of his hands in hers. "You have to go. If you're still here when that curse hits, you'll be caught in it just like the rest of us."

"I…" Jack closed his eyes, feeling a surge of anger and grief welling up within him… but the warmth of Red's hands held them back, and he nodded as his eyes drifted open again. "I know." He glanced at the dark storm, which was drawing steadily closer, before turning back to face Red. "I'm sorry, Red. I…" His voice cracked, and he rubbed his eyes before continuing. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," Red assured him, holding his hands more firmly despite the tremble in her own voice. "You'll find Emma, and when the time is right, you'll help her to break the curse and save us all." The emotion in her gaze was so intense that he saw a brief flicker of gold in her eyes, as her inner wolf surfaced for a heartbeat. "And when that day comes, we will be together again. I know it, with every fiber of my being."

Jack was silent for a long moment, until he nodded again, more slowly this time, and his lips curved in a smile. "I believe you, my love," he breathed, leaning in so that his forehead rested briefly against Red's. "This is not the end. No matter what it takes, no matter where I must go…" A faint trace of amusement appeared in his eyes, as he borrowed Snow and Charming's favorite phrase. "I will always find you."

Red grinned, leaning up to kiss him. "I know you will," she agreed, before reluctantly letting go of his hands and taking a few steps back. "Now go, before it's too late."

Nodding, Jack reluctantly summoned the wind, which swirled up around him, ruffling Red's hair. He crouched slightly, before springing up off the floor and rising swiftly into the air, until he was about twenty feet above the tower. His eyes narrowed in concentration, and he held his staff out in front of him as it began to glow with a soft blue light. The blue glow flowed up his arms and then out around his entire body, and his eyes shone as he focused all of his power into the realm-jumping spell.

As the wall of darkness thundered towards them, Jack looked down at Red one last time. She was visibly crying, tears welling up in her eyes despite her best efforts, but she still managed to summon up a smile, and raised one hand in a final wave. Jack extended his free hand down towards her in a matching gesture, even as his other hand tightened on his staff and the blue glow around him rose to a crescendo.

Just before the billowing purple clouds could reach them, there was a brilliant flash of blue light and a momentary thunderclap, and Jack Frost vanished into thin air. A moment later, the storm engulfed the castle, and Red – along with everyone else in the building beneath her – was gone.

---

Across the boundaries that divide one realm from another, the other four Guardians were all gathered in North's throne room, waiting anxiously for their longtime companion's arrival. Jack had informed them of the threat facing his world as soon as he'd learned of it from his friends; the other Guardians had initially wanted to try and stop Regina from casting her curse, but when Jack had informed them that the curse apparently couldn't be stopped, they had been forced to give up on that plan. Instead, they had spent the last few weeks helping Toothiana to move her vast collection of stored memories into a new sanctum in another realm, to ensure that she and her servants would not be in danger of being caught up in the curse.

Once that was done, Toothiana, North, Aster and Sand had all gathered here, in North's sanctum (since his sanctum was actually located in the same realm where the curse would apparently deposit the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest), to await Jack's arrival so that they could begin aiding him in his search for Snow's daughter Emma and whoever else might come through with her. But now that they had been waiting for a number of hours with no sign of Jack, they were all starting to worry about the safety of their order's youngest member.

"I don't like this," Toothiana muttered, breaking a silence that had lasted for the better part of an hour. "He should be here by now." Her wings kept fluttering nervously, and she was constantly glancing around to all corners of the room, looking for any sign of Jack's appearance. She wasn't the patient sort at the best of times, and the current situation certainly wasn't helping.

"Well, we can't go looking for him," Aster pointed out, sighing and rubbing the back of his head. "Jack knows what he's doing, and he knows how important it is for him to get the hell out of there before that bloody curse takes effect. He'll be here."

Sure enough, almost as soon as he'd finished speaking, a flicker of blue energy lit up the air at the center of the room. The air began swirling and warping, as the azure glow quickly grew stronger. The Guardians all moved back slightly, not wanting to get in the way.

"Ah, there he is!" North nodded in satisfaction. "I knew he would make it."

A moment later, a flash of light filled the room, and Jack materialized in midair, floating a few feet above the ground. He hung there for a couple of seconds, before he suddenly dropped to the floor and fell to his knees, his staff clattering to the floor beside him.

"Jack!" Toothiana was at his side in an instant, taking his arm. "Are you…" She trailed off, not sure what to say next. What was there to say, when someone had suffered a loss as great as what had just befallen Jack?

When Jack looked up, all four of the other Guardians felt a pang in their hearts. His bright blue eyes were reddened, glassy, and filled with a deep, overwhelming pain. Tears were running freely down his cheeks, and his hands were clenched into trembling, white-knuckled fists, so tight that his fingernails were digging into his own palms.

"They're gone," he choked out, his voice quiet and broken. "Snow. Red. Everyone. They're all just… gone."

Toothiana and North sank to their knees on either side of Jack, wrapping their arms around him in a tight, comforting embrace as he slumped into them, his body heaving with racking, agonized sobs. Aster and Sand also stepped up, each placing a supportive hand on his shoulders and doing everything they could to comfort him.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Toothiana whispered, her voice trembling as she rubbed her younger friend's back with one hand, letting him cry on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

---

In Storybrooke…

"So… I'm assuming you've got a lot of questions," Jackson spoke up. He was sitting in the passenger's seat of Emma's car, as they followed Regina's car across town to Mr. Gold's pawn shop.

"Later, yeah, I'm sure I will," Emma admitted, keeping her eyes focused on the road. "Honestly, right now I'm compartmentalizing most of this so I can keep my head on straight. As soon as Henry's safe, then I can let myself deal with the insanity of this whole situation." She glanced briefly over at him, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "Although… okay, I do have to ask. Are you really Jack Frost? Like, the guy from Christmas carols?"

Jackson snorted in amusement. "Hollywood doesn't get a lot of my story right." He chuckled softly. "Trust me, I know how ridiculous this all sounds. A week ago, I probably wouldn't have believed any of it. But…" He sighed and shook his head, leaning back in his seat. "As crazy as it seems… it's all true. I don't have all of my memories back yet, but I can remember enough to know that this is real."

"So… Mary Margaret and David." Emma gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "Henry always said they were Snow White and Prince Charming. Does this mean they're really…?"

"Your parents?" Jackson nodded, smiling faintly as he looked out the window. "As far as I can remember… yeah, they are. They don't know that yet, of course, but once we get Regina's curse broken, they will." He looked over at her, his small smile becoming a sympathetic frown when he saw the look on her face. "I know it's hard to deal with this kind of stuff, but…"

Emma's eyes narrowed. "No offense, Jackson, but do you really think you have any idea what I've been through?"

Jackson winced and shook his head. "Not… all of it, no. But having to grow up without your real parents? That, I do know." He sighed, thinking back to memories from his current life rather than his half-remembered previous one. "In this life… on the night I was born, while my mom was in labor, my parents got in a car accident on their way to the hospital. They both died, but I didn't. When they were brought into the hospital, the doctors figured out that I was still alive, but… they had to do a C-section on my mother's body to get me out." He shivered, remembering the horror that had overwhelmed him when he'd first learned about that. According to the rest of the pack, the trauma that he'd been left with from that incident had been at least partially responsible for his initially becoming a Kanima instead of a werewolf.

"So… yeah," he continued. "I know what it's like to have never known your birth parents: wondering who they might have been, wondering how differently my life would've played out if they'd been able to raise me." He sighed. "At least you're actually gonna get a chance to meet yours, once this is over."

Emma's eyes were wide now, and she glanced over at him. "I… I'm sorry," she replied quietly. "I didn't know."

"It's fine." Jackson waved it off, pushing those thoughts out of his mind. "You're right: right now, helping your kid is the most important thing. But once he's safe, we can figure out how to break Regina's curse once and for all, and then you can meet your parents properly."

"Yeah… sure." Emma nodded, still not seeming overly enthusiastic, but before either of them could say anything else, she focused back on the road as Regina's car began to pull over in front of a building that Jackson assumed was Gold's pawn shop. "All right. We're here."

---

The bell on the pawn shop's front door chimed as the trio entered. Emma walked in first, with Regina in the middle and Jackson bringing up the rear, still keeping a careful eye on the former Evil Queen. She might not have any more of her magic in this world, but he still wasn't going to let his guard down around her for a second.

Sure enough, Mr. Gold was in the shop's main room when they entered, adjusting some items in one of his display cases. He raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly when he saw Emma entering the shop, with Regina right behind her. "Do my eyes deceive me, or is that the look of a believer?" His eyes widened fractionally as Jackson followed them in, wooden staff still in hand. "And my, my… look who it is. So good to see you again, Frost."

"Save it, Rumple," Jackson retorted, rolling his eyes and leaning on his staff. "We can catch up another time, but this isn't a social visit."

"He's right," Emma agreed. "We need your help."

Gold nodded, unsurprised. "Indeed you do. It seems quite a tragic ailment has befallen young Henry." His gaze flicked over to Regina as the amusement faded from his expression. "I told you, magic always comes with a price."

Regina shook her head, her eyes still filled with a highly-uncharacteristic level of guilt. "Henry shouldn't have to pay it."

"No, you should," Gold shot back flatly, fixing her with a cold stare for a moment. "But alas, we are where we are."

"For once, we actually agree on something," Jackson muttered under his breath, also sending a sidelong glare at Regina.

"Okay, enough already," Emma cut in. "Can you help us?"

"Of course." Gold's smile returned as he turned back to her. "True love, Miss Swan: the only magic powerful enough to transcend realms and break any curse. Luckily for you, I happen to have bottled some."

Both Jackson and Regina were caught off-guard by that. "Seriously?" Jackson questioned, his eyes widening in surprise. "How the hell did you manage that?"

"Thanks to a couple of small donations from Snow White and Prince Charming," Gold replied, his smile growing wider as he nodded to Emma. "With just a few strands of your parents' hair, Miss Swan, I created the most powerful potion in all the realm. So powerful that when I created the Dark Curse, I placed a single drop of it on the parchment." A flash of amusement sparkled in his eyes. "Just a little safety valve."

Jackson and Emma both realized what that meant at the same moment, exchanging a wide-eyed glance as the ramifications hit home. "That's why I'm the Savior," Emma breathed. "That's why I can break the curse!"

"Now you're getting it." Gold nodded, smiling triumphantly.

"So you've been planning this the whole time?" Jackson's eyes narrowed slightly as he took a step forward. "You set this whole thing up from the start?"

"Oh, no, not exactly," Gold replied, shrugging and nodding to Regina. "I created the curse that brought us all here, yes, but I'm certainly not the one who actually decided to use it, and I'm also the one who made sure that it could be broken. The only person who's fully to blame for all of the damage it's done is Regina."

Emma stayed focused on the matter at hand. "I don't care about breaking the curse…" She glanced over to Jackson, and then shook her head. "I mean, I do, of course, but that can wait. Right now, all I care about is saving Henry."

"Which is why this is your lucky day." Gold smiled. "I didn't use all of that potion. I saved some… for a rainy day."

"Well, it's storming like a bitch," Emma replied tersely. "Where is it?"

"Where it is… isn't the problem." Gold chuckled softly. "Getting it is what should worry you."

"Enough riddles," Regina cut in, rolling her eyes. "What do we do?"

"You do nothing." Gold's voice went flat and cold again for a moment as he pointed at Regina. "It has to be Miss Swan."

Regina scowled. "He's my son. It should be me."

"Bullshit," Jackson snorted, ignoring the venomous glare that she shot in his direction.

Gold suppressed a smirk in response to Jackson's comment. "I'm afraid Frost is correct, Regina. With all due respect, Henry is her son." He nodded to Emma. "And it has to be her. She's the product of the magic; she must be the one to find it."

Emma was visibly nervous, but after a moment of thought, she nodded firmly. "I can do it."

"Don't trust him," Regina warned.

"Do you have another option?" Jackson questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm with him," Emma seconded, nodding to him. "What choice do we have?"

"They're quite right, dearie," Gold added. "What choice do you have?"

Ignoring Regina, Emma turned back to Gold. "Where is this magic?"

Gold smirked, glancing to Regina. "Tell me, Your Majesty: is our friend still in the basement?"

Regina froze, her eyes wide and alarmed. "Oh, you twisted little imp. You hid it with her?"

"Oh, no, no. Not with her; in her." Gold shrugged. "I knew you couldn't resist bringing her over."

Jackson frowned, racking his brain as he tried to remember who they might be talking about, but he drew a blank. Either he'd never met whoever they were referring to before, or he hadn't regained access to any memories of her.

Emma was similarly lost. "Who is 'her'?"

"Someone you should be prepared for." Gold produced a washcloth and began wiping down a long case that was on the counter in front of him. "Where you're going, you're going to need this." Popping open the latch on the case, he pulled it open, revealing its contents.

Jackson's breath caught in his throat as he saw what lay inside the case's velvet-lined interior: a longsword and scabbard, clearly old but still fully functional, the sword's blade gleaming in the dim light of the store. The surprising part was that he recognized the sword immediately, although he wasn't really surprised: if that weapon was going to end up anywhere in Storybrooke, he supposed it would make sense for it to be here.

"What is that?" Emma asked, staring down at the weapon with a mixture of confusion and nerves.

Gold's smile grew wider. "Your father's sword."

---

Jackson sat in the hospital's waiting room, leaning back against the wall as he waited for Emma. She and Regina had gone upstairs to see Henry one more time before heading out, and he hadn't wanted to intrude on their private moment. As much as he hated Regina for all of this, he had to admit that her one redeeming quality seemed to be how much she really cared for Henry, so the guilt she must be feeling for having hurt him like this had to be extremely painful.

Jackson wasn't alone in the waiting room, of course: Mary Margaret was also there, sitting two seats down from him. She'd gotten to the hospital while he and Emma had been out visiting Gold, but unlike him she hadn't chosen to barge past security, and had elected to stay downstairs for the time being instead. She clearly had a lot on her mind as well, so he'd left her in peace.

As they sat in silence, however, a thought occurred to Jackson. He'd tried calling Ruby again when they'd gotten back to the hospital, just to check on her and to see if the others had made it to the inn yet, but her phone still appeared to be turned off. But since Snow – Mary Margaret, he reminded himself again – and Ruby were still close friends, maybe she might know something.

"Uh… Mary Margaret?" he spoke up, keeping his voice down for the time being. When she looked up at him, he continued. "I'm sorry, I just needed to check with you about something: have you heard from Ruby at all today? Normally I wouldn't ask, but…" He shrugged. "I don't know, it's just that I've tried to call her a few times today, and it's gone straight to voicemail every time, like her phone's turned off. As far as I can remember, that's never happened before."

Mary Margaret frowned. "Yes, that's odd. I've never known Ruby to leave her phone turned off for that long."

Jackson's frown deepened as unpleasant thoughts began stewing in the back of his mind. "Well… when was the last time you talked to her? Outside of a few texts, we didn't talk much while I was in California, but I texted her earlier today to let her know I was coming back, and I never heard back from her."

Rubbing her chin, Mary Margaret thought for a moment, before nodding slowly. "Yeah… I talked to her this afternoon, a few hours ago, but I haven't heard from her since then." She shook her head. "I'm sure she's fine, though. She probably just fell asleep without plugging her phone in, and the battery died."

"Yeah," Jackson agreed, leaning back against the wall again. "Probably." The words rang hollow, though, and he couldn't help the gnawing feeling that something was wrong… something that had nothing to do with Henry, Regina, Gold, or the curse. Deucalion was still out there, and if he was looking for someone who might have ties with Jackson… well, Ruby fit that description better than anyone else in Storybrooke.

"Jackson?" Emma's voice cut through his thoughts, and he looked up to see her walking into the waiting room. "I'm ready. Let's go."

Nodding, Jackson rose to his feet. He'd left his staff in her car, not wanting to bring it into the hospital, but he had a distinct feeling that whoever they were going to confront, it wasn't going to be easy to deal with her.

"Would you mind going up to Henry's room and keeping an eye on him for me?" Emma asked, turning her attention to Mary Margaret. "There's something that Jackson and I need to take care of, but I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Of course!" Mary Margaret nodded, getting to her feet as well. She hugged Emma, who seemed a little reluctant to return the embrace, before nodding to Jackson and heading for the elevator that led up to the floor where Henry's room was located. Jackson and Emma, meanwhile, promptly hurried out into the parking lot, walking over to where Emma had parked.

"Before we meet up with Regina," Emma spoke up as they climbed into the car, "I need to stop at the inn. I need to see August: I owe him an apology, and we need all the people we can get for this."

Jackson nodded. "Sure, that's fine with me. I need to check on Ruby anyway: she hasn't been answering my calls tonight, and I just want to make sure she's okay." He frowned, and his eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. "August… of course! He has his memories too, right? That's why he was trying to talk to me about the curse a few days ago." He groaned, clapping a hand to his forehead, before shaking it off. "So who is he? He acted like he'd met me before, but I still don't recognize him."

"He's… Pinocchio, apparently," Emma explained as she pulled out of the parking lot. "From what he told me, he came through into this world with me: he was a little kid, but I was just a baby, so obviously I don't remember any of that. He grew up on his own, the same way I did, but unlike me he knew about our old world, so when I came to Storybrooke and he sensed it, he came here too so he could try and help me break the curse." She scowled, clearly angry with herself. "Of course, when he tried to convince me that it was all real, I just thought he was insane, and I told him as much. I haven't talked to him since then."

"Pinocchio?" Jackson's eyes widened as he remembered a little boy from back in the Enchanted Forest: the son of Geppetto, the woodcarver who had helped Snow and Charming to build their magic wardrobe. Jack Frost had even babysat the kid a few times after he'd been recruited to join the plan, giving Geppetto more time to work on the project. "Of course… now it makes sense. Of course I wouldn't recognize him: he was just a little kid the last time I saw him." He winced, rubbing his head. "God, this stuff makes my brain hurt."

Emma snorted. "You and me both, trust me."

---

By the time they arrived at the inn, Jackson had received a text from Scott, informing him that the others were almost there. He sent a quick text in response, requesting that they wait at the back of the inn so he could let them in. While he could probably use their help – or at least Scott and Isaac's help – with whatever monster they were going to have to fight, he didn't want to put them in danger, and he also really didn't want to have to explain the existence of werewolves to Emma right now. That was firmly on the list of "things that could wait until later."

Emma rushed into the inn and made a beeline for August's room, down the hall from Jackson's. As Jackson hurried after her, he inhaled deeply and noted something odd. In addition to the people that he would've normally expected to smell in this building – Emma, August, Ruby, and Granny – there was one more scent present, hanging in the air. It was just a faint trace, so faint that he couldn't easily identify it, but it generated a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, and he reflexively kept glancing over his shoulder as he followed Emma up the stairs.

"August?" Emma knocked on the door of the writer's room. "Please, open up." There was no answer, so she continued. "I know you're in there. Open the door, please."

Finally, August's voice echoed from inside the room, but it was weak and faint. "I can't."

Jackson's eyes widened. Something's wrong. He'd heard August's call a lot better than Emma had, and there was no mistaking the pain and fear in the older man's voice. Stepping past Emma, he took ahold of the door and, using his true strength, snapped the lock open with a single quick twist of his hand, before swinging the door open and rushing inside. He made it about three steps into the room before he skidded to a halt, his eyes wide in shock.

August was on the bed, lying flat on his back with his head on the pillows. It was immediately apparent that he had been telling the truth: he couldn't have opened the door on his own… because from the neck down, his entire body had been transformed from flesh into wood. His clothes were unaffected, but the only part of his body that was still human was his head.

Emma gasped as she stepped up next to Jackson and also saw what was going on. "No," she whispered, horrified. "What's happening to you?!"

Despite his current state, August's lips twitched in a small, happy smile. "You… can see it now," he murmured softly. "You believe."

Emma nodded shakily. "Yeah, I do," she admitted, walking slowly forward towards the bed. "But… how do I stop this?" She indicated his current condition with one trembling hand. "How can we fix this?"

August weakly tried to catch his breath. "Break… the curse."

"I'll try," Emma whispered as she sank down onto the edge of the bed, sitting next to August. "But… I've gotta save Henry first, and I – we – need your help." She nodded over to Jackson, who had walked over to the other side of the bed.

"No, you don't," August replied softly, shaking his head a little. His faint smile returned as he looked up at Jackson. "You… you seem different. Did you…?"

Jackson nodded, feeling a surge of guilt in his heart as he remembered his last conversation with August. "Yeah," he confirmed. "The book worked. I remember now." He placed one hand on the back of August's wooden hand. "Thank you… Pinocchio. I'm sorry I didn't believe you sooner."

The look of joy in August's eyes wrenched at Jackson's heart. "It's all right," he panted, his breathless smile growing a little bigger. "I knew you could do it, Jack." He looked back to Emma, his expression softening. "Trust me, Emma. You… you can do this. I know you can, especially with Jack's help. You don't need me."

"Yes, I do!" Emma insisted, shaking her head. "This is all too much. I… I just talked to Jack Frost, the Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin about a quest to find magic, and… I can't do it, August." Her voice cracked. "I can't. No normal person can!"

"Luckily for us," August rasped, "you're not normal. And you're not alone." Jackson's eyes widened in horror as he saw the skin of the older man's neck turning into wood, the change moving upwards in slow motion, but August ignored it, intent on getting his last few words out. "You can save Henry. You can save… all of…" The transformation rippled up to engulf his head, and his voice trailed off into nothing as his eyes glazed over and his body went still, turning completely into wood.

"August?" Emma whispered, but there was no response.

For a long moment, there was silence in the room. Emma leaned over August's motionless body, holding one of his hands as her shoulders trembled with suppressed sobs. Jackson wasn't sure what to say, but he eventually decided that it might be best just to give her a minute. "I'm going to go check on Ruby," he told her softly. "Take as much time as you need; I'll meet you out front." With that, he turned and left the room, gently closing the door behind him to give Emma a bit of privacy.

As soon as Jackson was back out in the hall, he hurried along the hall, past Emma's room and his own, before rushing down the second staircase that led to the back door of the inn. Sure enough, when he popped the door open, Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Isaac were all waiting outside.

"Well, gee, thanks for being so quick!" Stiles snarked as he ducked inside, hands stuffed in his pockets in an attempt to shield himself from the cold. "Not like we've been sitting out there freezing our asses off for twenty minutes or anything." Lydia followed right behind him, with Scott and Isaac bringing up the rear.

"Can it, Stilinski," Jackson retorted, but the comment didn't have any real weight to it; he was still partially lost in thought, preoccupied by what he'd just witnessed. "C'mon, I'll get you guys set up in my room. It's not the biggest, but there should be enough space for everyone. I've got something to take care of right now, but I'll be back as quickly as I can." With that, he began leading the way back upstairs.

Stiles and Lydia followed after him right away, but Jackson stopped halfway up the stairs when he realized that Scott and Isaac weren't moving. They were both rooted to the spot, eyes wide, exchanging nervous glances.

Jackson frowned and took a couple of steps back down the stairs, noticing their stricken expressions. "What's up?"

"There's…" Scott looked around warily, his eyes flickering red. "Don't you smell that?"

Jackson took a deep breath, focusing on his sense of smell again… and then his eyes widened in alarm. He had been so distracted by his emotions that he'd forgotten all about the strange scent that he'd picked up earlier, but it was stronger now, suggesting that whoever had left that scent had entered the inn via the back door. And, to his horror, he finally recognized this scent; he'd smelled it once before, during his fight in the woods a few days ago.

"Deucalion," he whispered. "He's been here." Instantly, he whipped around and bounded up the stairs, running towards his room with the others right behind him.

At first, when he burst into his room, it didn't look like there was anything out of place in the room. Everything looked the same way it had when Jackson had left for California, and nothing appeared to have been moved or disturbed. But after a moment, Jackson noticed something that shouldn't be there. The black leather jacket that he had loaned to Ruby when he'd left was lying in the middle of his bed, neatly folded. And lying on top of it were two other objects: Ruby's cell phone, which was turned off, and a single sheet of paper, which he recognized as coming from one of the clipboards that Ruby used to take orders at the diner.

Jackson froze, feeling a sick twisting sensation in his gut as he stepped forward and tentatively picked up the sheet of paper. Sure enough, there was a message on it, written in a hand that he didn't recognize. And it immediately confirmed his worst fears.

The girl is alive and unharmed. If you want her back, come to the old toll bridge in the forest. I'll be waiting.

There was no signature, but Jackson instantly knew who this message was from. His eyes lit up, burning blue; his face twisted in rage, and he immediately felt his inner wolf surging up, pushing at his teeth and fingernails as they tried to shift into fangs and claws.

"Jackson?" Scott's hand gripped his shoulder with surprising strength, helping him to rein in his anger. "What is it?"

Jackson squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a moment, fighting to keep his anger in check, before opening them again. "Ruby," he bit out. "The girl I told you about. Deucalion has her."

All four of his friends' eyes widened in horror, and both Scott and Isaac's eyes flashed with anger as their inner wolves reacted to his own. "We'll get her back," Scott promised, his voice firm and strong as he maintained his supportive grip on Jackson's shoulder. "I promise."

"I know." Jackson nodded, forcing himself to take a few deep breaths as he held up the note. "I know where this is. Let's go." He folded up the note and tucked it into his pocket, before grabbing the jacket off the bed and pulling it on.

As the others deposited the backpacks that they'd brought with them in the room, Lydia frowned. "Wait… but didn't you have something else going on too?"

"I…" Jackson froze, his mind suddenly torn as he realized that in his moment of adrenaline-fueled shock, he'd completely forgotten about his mission with Emma. Damn it! He couldn't be in two places at once, but what could he do now? He couldn't let Emma go after that potion and whatever monster was guarding it by herself, but he also couldn't leave Ruby in Deucalion's clutches.

What the hell am I supposed to do?!

---

A couple of minutes later, Jackson rushed downstairs and burst out into the parking lot of the inn, having left the others inside for the time being. Emma was already out there, leaning against her car and waiting for him. She was clearly still upset over what had happened to August, but she'd managed to regain her composure. "Are you all right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly as she saw the stricken look on his face.

"No," Jackson replied, shaking his head as he popped open the passenger's-side door of Emma's car and grabbed his staff. "We have another problem. When I went back to my room, I found these." He held up Ruby's phone in one hand, and the note that Deucalion had left in the other. "Ruby's in trouble."

"What?" Emma took the note and unfolded it. As she read the message on it, her eyes widened, and her face paled in horror. "Oh, god," she whispered, looking back up at him. "What the hell is this?! Someone took Ruby? Who would do that?!"

"I'm not sure," Jackson replied. It wasn't entirely a lie, but it was mainly just that he didn't have anywhere near enough time to explain what was actually going on. "But I have to go find Ruby and make sure she's all right. If this is real, I can't leave her out there."

"Right, yeah, of course." Emma nodded. "Divide and conquer, then? I'll go meet Regina, you go find Ruby."

"Are you sure?" Jackson was still clearly torn. "Ruby needs help, but… I don't want to leave you to do this by yourself."

"I'll be all right." Emma was clearly still scared, but she kept it in check. "Go find her. I can handle this." She managed a nervous smile. "I'm the Savior, right?"

Jackson chuckled softly, and finally nodded. "…All right. But as soon as I find Ruby and make sure that she's okay, I'm coming to help you."

"Sounds good." Emma nodded. "Let's get to it, then. The clock tower's walking distance from here, but the toll bridge isn't, so you can take my car." She retrieved her sword from the car, before tossing the keys to Jackson and pointing at him in a mock warning. "Fair warning, though; if you get one scratch on my baby, you're paying for the repairs."

Jackson grinned despite himself. "Fair enough."

"All right. See you in a bit." Emma slung the sword's strap over her shoulder, allowing her to carry it across her back, before she turned and jogged out of the inn's parking lot, heading back into town towards the clock tower.

Jackson, meanwhile, ran back towards the inn, circling around the building to the back entrance. Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Isaac were already there, waiting for him. Stiles and Lydia had both changed into colder-weather jackets, while Scott and Isaac were still more lightly-dressed to give them a greater range of movement. They all trailed after him as he led the way back to the parking lot in the front.

"The three of us can run," Jackson explained, nodding to Scott and Isaac, "and you two can take the car." He passed Emma's keys to Lydia, indicating the yellow Bug. "We don't have a lot of time, so let's get this over with. Once we get there, we find Ruby, and you two can get her out of there."

"And we'll handle Deucalion," Scott finished, nodding in understanding. "Let's do it."

Jackson glanced up at the moon as Stiles and Lydia piled into the Bug. Hang on, Ruby, he thought to himself, his eyes flashing blue. I'm coming.

---

In our world, twenty-eight years ago…

Almost as soon as he had arrived in the "Land Without Magic," Jack Frost set to work on the mission that had been entrusted to him. The only way he could overcome the grief and anger that had been sparked by the loss of Red, Snow, and his other comrades was by focusing his energy into action rather than dwelling on his losses, so he put all of his focus onto the task at hand. Traveling back and forth across the world, he began his search for Snow White and/or her daughter Emma.

Unfortunately, there was a problem that he hadn't anticipated: namely, that this realm was far bigger and had a much larger population than the one where he had been born. Billions of people thronged across this world, far more than he had ever seen before, and that made his task much more difficult than he had anticipated. Finding a single human child in this realm was like looking for a single specific piece of hay in the world's largest haystack. Even with the assistance of the other Guardians, who were happy to help with his search whenever their other duties would permit it, it was proving nearly impossible to find any signs of Snow or her daughter.

Jack refused to quit, however, and his search continued even as the days turned into months. He had promised that he would do whatever it took to find and protect Emma, and he was going to do it no matter what it took. He kept searching, devoting as much time as he possibly could to the task, scouring the globe for any sign, any trace. But as time went on, and months turned into years without their finding any trace of the child, even his conviction began to falter, and a growing despair threatened to overwhelm him.

And then, more than a decade after he had been forced to leave the Enchanted Forest and embark on his quest, everything changed again.

---

In our world, seventeen years ago…

Jack stood on one of the exterior balconies of North's castle, gazing out over the ocean that lay beyond. In winter, the sea would be completely frozen over, but it was summer now, and the ocean was largely free of ice. The dark, gently-rolling waters stretched off to the horizon, reflecting the multicolored lights of the dazzling aurora that filled the windswept night sky.

North was the only Guardian to have a sanctum in this world, as each of the Guardians kept their respective sanctums in a different realm as a precaution, but his was just as impressive as the Rainbow Tower that Toothiana had built back in the Enchanted Forest. His sanctum, a large and elaborate castle, was located on a small island in the middle of this world's northernmost ocean, located at the northern pole of the planet. Since magic was rare in this world – although Jack had been surprised to learn that this realm was not truly a "land without magic," as Snow had claimed it would be – and most of the population had no real knowledge of such things, North had been able to use a fairly simple glamour spell to conceal the island and everything on it, making it invisible to anyone from the outside world. This island had become his home, and the location from which he carried out his own hobby of providing gifts and happiness to the children of many different worlds, including this one.

Under normal circumstances, Jack was usually happy to help North with his work. But for the past few years, his entire being had been consumed by the quest that filled his every waking moment. As time went by, he did his best to keep his feelings of worry and despair at bay… but after so many years of fruitless, joyless searching, those feelings were growing stronger every day. The beautiful vista that was spread out before him was a familiar sight by now, and it did nothing to improve his mood.

Eleven years, he thought to himself, gripping the railing of the balcony tightly in both hands as he scowled. Eleven years of searching, and nothing. His stomach twisted, and he felt an overwhelming rush of guilt. Snow… Red… you trusted me to find Emma, and protect her. But… how am I supposed to find one lost child when she could be anywhere in this world?!

"Jack?" Toothiana's soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked over his shoulder to see her standing in the doorway that led out to the balcony. The concern in her eyes was obvious, but after eleven years, she knew that there wasn't much she could do to help him feel better, other than to simply be there for him. While her new sanctum was in another realm, she spent almost all of her spare time in this world with Jack, tending to him and helping him in any way she could.

"Yes?" Jack was vaguely surprised on some level by the hoarse sound of his own voice; since he'd spent most of the past eleven years alone, save for the time he spent with the other Guardians, he didn't talk nearly as much these days, usually only speaking aloud when he was responding to someone else. Losing Red, Snow, and his entire home realm had broken something deep inside him, and even with his longtime companions still there supporting him, it sometimes felt as if he was just a hollow shell of his former self.

"Sand just arrived with some information for us," Toothiana explained. "He says it's important, and he needs to talk to all of us."

Jack sighed, straightening up and stretching his arms over his head to loosen up, before letting them drop back to his sides. His staff was hooked onto the balcony railing as well, and he retrieved it before heading for the door. "All right," he replied with a shrug. "Lead the way."

---

When Jack and Toothiana arrived in the throne room of North's sanctum, the other three Guardians were already there. North and Aster were each seated in their own thrones, while Sand was pacing up and down in the open portion of the room, visibly agitated. That in itself was unusual, as their friend, the oldest of the Guardians, wasn't usually the type to get overly excited about anything.

"Sand?" Jack frowned as he took a seat on his throne, Toothiana flitting over to hers and doing the same. "What's wrong?"

Sand's usual warm smile appeared for a moment as he saw them, before his concerned expression returned. It's good to see you, Jack, he greeted the younger Guardian, his telepathic voice echoing through all of their minds. I wish I was here with better news. But, unfortunately, we have a serious problem.

Toothiana's eyes widened. "What is it?"

Sand's frown deepened, and his eyes narrowed with a brief flash of anger. Pitch Black.

All four of the seated Guardians glanced at each other, feeling chills running down their spines. Despite his resistance to cold, Jack actually shivered as he remembered his last clash with the Nightmare King, back in the Enchanted Forest. He'd spent years hunting for Pitch after that, even resorting to acquiring an enchanted tracking charm from Rumplestiltskin to aid in his search, but his hunt had been unsuccessful, and he'd ultimately concluded that Pitch had finally given up on his attempts to conquer the Enchanted Forest, moving on to a different realm. To that end, he'd given the amulet to Sand, as he was the most skilled at realm-jumping so he would be the best candidate to try and locate the elusive demon.

As you all know, Sand continued, ever since our last battle with Pitch, we've been working on tracking him. And, thanks to the amulet that Jack acquired for us, I finally started having some luck. He led me on a roundabout chase through a number of different realms, but he's finally come to rest in a single realm, and I was able to pinpoint his location. The good news is, that realm is actually connected to this one, so we'll be able to get there without much trouble.

"Right, good to hear," Aster remarked dryly. "So what's the bad news?"

Sand's expression turned deadly serious, and he folded his hands in front of him. The bad news is that the realm Pitch has invaded now… is the Spirit Realm.

Toothiana let out a soft gasp, while North and Aster also sat bolt upright in their thrones with wide eyes and nervous expressions. Jack, for his part, was confused; he'd never heard of the Spirit Realm before, but based on his allies' reactions, he could already tell that Pitch being there wasn't good.

"Uh… okay, sorry, but I don't have as much experience with this stuff as you guys do," he spoke up. "So… talk me through this. What's the Spirit Realm?"

Toothiana spoke up first, visibly disturbed. "The Spirit Realm… it's an afterlife dimension," she explained. "It's connected to a bunch of different realms in the living universe, and many of the souls from those realms pass into the Spirit Realm when they die. Those souls drift through that realm for a while, before they're eventually drawn to a special place where they're reincarnated into a new life in one of those living dimensions. Normally, it's almost impossible for living beings to enter the Spirit Realm, but realm-jumpers like us are an exception."

"Dangerous thing about Pitch Black being there," North continued with a scowl, "is that, as we know, he uses souls and what they contain – memories, dreams, all energy that builds up throughout one's life – as fuel to empower his dark magic." His hands clenched into fists. "Spirit Realm could provide him with countless souls to consume, more than enough to make him unstoppable."

"We've gotta get there and stop him, now!" Aster agreed, springing to his feet. "There's no time to waste; who knows how many bloody souls the bastard's already taken?"

Jack remained seated for a long moment, his mind racing. On the one hand, Sand and the others were right: if Pitch was on the verge of gaining that much power, stopping him immediately had to be their priority. But… there was no telling how long it would take to drive Pitch out of the Spirit Realm, which meant that he would have to temporarily halt his search for Emma.

"Jack." The deep, rumbling voice cut through his racing thoughts, drawing his attention up to where North was now standing beside his throne. The older man was looking down at him with a kind, sympathetic expression; he could clearly tell what Jack was thinking about. "I know, my boy," he continued quietly. "I know you need to find the girl. And we will find her, I promise you. But right now, we need your help."

"He's right, Jack," Toothiana put in, resting one hand gently on his shoulder. "I'm sorry: I know you want to keep looking for Snow's daughter, and the last thing you want to do is to leave this realm and run off to fight another battle. And normally, I wouldn't ask you to come with us. But…" She sighed and shook her head. "Under these circumstances, I don't know if we can stop Pitch without you."

Jack closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, racked with indecision. But while he didn't want to admit it, he knew in his heart that Toothiana and North were right. He did need to find Emma, and he would never stop searching for her… but right now, if Pitch's invasion of this Spirit Realm really posed that much of a threat, that had to take priority.

I'm sorry, Emma, he thought to himself, a jab of pain lancing into his heart. I will find you, no matter what. I swear it. But I have to take care of this first, or there may not be a world for you to save.

"…All right." He opened his eyes and nodded slowly, sitting up and retrieving his staff. "I'll go."

"Excellent." North smiled and patted him reassuringly on the back. "And as soon as Pitch is dealt with, I will put all available resources to the task of finding Snow White's child."

"I will too," Toothiana promised, keeping a supportive hand on Jack's shoulder as they followed Sand and Aster out of the throne room. "We'll find her after this fight is over, Jack. I promise."

---

In Storybrooke…

By the time Emma jogged up to the clock tower, Regina was already there waiting for her. "Took you long enough," she remarked sardonically. "And where's Frost?"

"Someone's kidnapped Ruby," Emma shot back. "Jackson had to go after her, so I let him borrow my car."

Regina looked genuinely shocked for a second. "Wait, what?"

"I don't know all the details, all right?" Emma panted, shaking her head and unslinging the sword from her back. "So let's just get to work. Jackson'll be here as soon as he can find Ruby and make sure she's okay. For now, we can handle this ourselves."

"Well, I certainly hope so," Regina muttered. She unlocked the doors at the base of the clock tower and stepped inside into the darkened interior, beckoning for Emma to follow her. "Come on. We don't have much time."

"Right." Emma followed her inside, looking around curiously. It looked like a small library, built into the base of the clock tower, but it was dusty and clearly in some state of disrepair. "What is this place?"

"Would you like a tour, or shall we just get to it?" Regina snarked.

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. "Lead the way."

Regina walked briskly across to the far wall, which was adorned by a large mirror in the shape of a tree. She found a particular spot on the wall and pressed her hand firmly against it, and the entire wall suddenly rose up into the ceiling with a whir of gears, revealing the doors of an old-fashioned elevator cage. When she flipped a lever mounted next to the elevator, the doors opened. "Get in," she instructed.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "After you."

"It's a two-man job," Regina explained matter-of-factly. "The elevator's hand-operated; I have to stay up here and lower you down."

"And I'm just supposed to trust you?"

"Considering that Frost isn't here, I don't think you have much choice in the matter anymore, Ms. Swan." Regina's voice was cold, but Emma couldn't deny the fact that she was right. Thanks to whatever had happened to Ruby, she was going to have to do this without Jackson's help, and that meant she would have to trust Regina to do her part. On the bright side, the fact that the older woman did love Henry was a point in her favor, as that meant there was no good reason for Regina to double-cross Emma right now.

"This battle that I'm supposed to fight…" Emma stepped up to the entrance of the elevator, looking down at the floor and wondering just how deep it went. "Who is it? What's down there?"

Regina sighed. "An old friend."

Emma frowned. "Then why don't you go talk to them?"

"Because her punishment here was different from everyone else's," Regina explained, wincing as a flicker of guilt appeared in her eyes. "I trapped her… in a different form. She doesn't want to hear from me. You'll have to trust me on that."

After a moment of thinking it over, Emma nodded. "Okay. I'll go down there. But let's be clear about something, Your Majesty." The last two words were laced with venom. "The only reason why I didn't let Jackson kill you earlier was because I need your help to save Henry. So if he dies… you won't need to worry about Jackson coming after you again." She stepped in closer to Regina, pure hatred burning in her eyes. "Because I'll kill you myself."

To her credit, Regina's expression remained unchanged. "Then let's get on with it." She took a step back, folding her hands in front of her and glancing into the elevator shaft as she took a slow, deep breath. "Now, this is what you're going to have to do…"

---

On the other side of Storybrooke, Emma's yellow Bug accelerated along the old road that led through the forest, heading for the old toll bridge. Scott, Isaac and Jackson were racing alongside the car, sometimes running on two legs and sometimes bounding on all fours as they barreled through the forest. Normally the Alpha would be the one leading the pack, but Jackson took the lead this time since he had much more knowledge of these woods than Scott did.

Finally, after about twenty minutes, the pack arrived at the old toll bridge. Jackson slowed down as they got close, holding up a hand as a signal for the others to do the same. They slowed from a run to a jog, and finally to a walk, before the car finally rolled to a stop right in front of the empty bridge.

Lydia and Stiles hopped out, joining the trio of wolves as they took in the eerie sight. Mist was rising up from the stream below the bridge, reflecting the moonlight.

"Any idea where they might be?" Isaac spoke up quietly, glancing around at the dark treelines on either side of the road.

Jackson took a step forward, taking a deep breath and trying to pick up on any scents in the area. After a moment, he picked up a faint scent trace, coming from one side of the bridge: the same area where he and Ruby had found the box containing the human heart that had been used to frame Mary Margaret for Kathryn Nolan's murder.

"This way," he murmured, leading the way off the side of the road and down along a walking trail that led to the side of the stream below the bridge. Scott and Isaac followed close behind him, with Stiles and Lydia bringing up the rear.

When they reached the bottom of the bridge, it immediately became obvious that this was the right place. The large, open clearing was bathed in moonlight, making it easy for them to see everything. Lying in the middle of the clearing, splayed out on the soft forest floor, was Ruby. She was clearly unconscious, and didn't appear to be seriously hurt, although Jackson could pick up the smell of blood coming from her.

"Ruby!" He took a quick step forward, but Scott and Isaac each grabbed one of his arms, holding him back.

"Wait," Scott hissed under his breath, pulling Jackson back into the shadows beneath the bridge. His eyes flickered red as he looked around at the surrounding trees. "He's here."

Sure enough, on the other side of the clearing, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the shadows between two trees. A moment later, Deucalion emerged, stalking out into the clearing. "I know you're there, Jackson," he called out, smiling as he emerged into the moonlight and walked up to where Ruby lay on the ground. "I'm glad: I was hoping you would be back soon."

Jackson's lip curled in a snarl, and he shook off Scott and Isaac's hands. "Lydia? Stiles?" he muttered. "We'll distract him. As soon as it's safe, get Ruby out of here." Without waiting for an answer, he strode out into the clearing. "Get away from her," he spat, his eyes burning blue. "If you've hurt her, I swear I'll..."

"You'll what?" Deucalion chuckled as he walked slowly forward, away from Ruby. "Don't worry, she isn't hurt. I wouldn't have taken her at all, but I needed some leverage to get you out here so we could finish our discussion." His eyes narrowed as he looked past Jackson, to where the others were still concealed in the shadows. "Although I expected you to come alone. Where did you find them? I was certain that there weren't any other werewolf packs in this area."

"We're not from this area." That call came from Scott, as he stepped out of the shadows to stand beside Jackson. Isaac emerged on Scott's other side, completing the trio.

Deucalion froze in mid-step, his eyes widening in an uncharacteristic level of shock. "Scott? How…"

"Jackson's from Beacon Hills," Scott explained evenly, folding his arms over his chest. "Which means he's already a part of my pack." His eyes flared red again. "So, if you've got a problem with him, you have a problem with me."

Deucalion looked genuinely astonished: clearly, he'd had no idea that Jackson and Scott knew each other. To be fair, that did make sense, as Jackson had left Beacon Hills before Deucalion's Alpha pack had showed up there, and he had been an Omega for quite a while by the time he'd arrived in Storybrooke. "Well… I apologize for that," he replied, regaining his earlier calm. "I had no idea that he was part of your pack, so I apologize for attempting to recruit him. However, I will point out that this is not your pack's territory, Scott." His eyes narrowed, also lighting up red again. "Your territory might encompass Beacon Hills, but it certainly does not extend this far. This land is unclaimed by any werewolf pack, which means that it is fair game for me to establish myself here. And there is no law against recruiting talented humans with potential, to form a new pack for myself." He smiled, tilting his head back towards Ruby's unconscious form and drawing a low growl from Jackson. "Your friend Derek did the same, after all."

"Yeah, he did," Scott agreed, nodding slowly. "But Derek only turned people who were willing; he never bit anyone who didn't consent to it beforehand… except one time when he did it in self-defense." He winced at that last remark, clearly recalling an unpleasant memory, before he shook it off and focused back on Deucalion. "But turning someone who doesn't want the bite is wrong. And we're not going to let you do that here."

"So," Jackson put in, "you can either leave this town and find yourself a new territory somewhere else… or we're going to have to make you." He crouched slightly, his eyes burning brighter as his fangs and claws extended. Scott and Isaac did the same, their eyes glowing red and gold respectively.

Deucalion's eyes narrowed, and he scowled as the red light in his eyes grew brighter. "As I've said… this isn't your territory, children. So if you want me to leave it… then you'll have to do it by force." His skin darkened, shifting from its usual pale color to a dark, charcoal gray, as his fangs and claws elongated. He shrugged off his long coat, revealing the rippling muscles in his arms beneath his black undershirt, and the red glow in his eyes intensified, lighting up his pupils as well as his irises.

Jackson's eyes widened and he took a half-step back, his expanded senses picking up on the surge of power radiating from the rogue Alpha. Well, crap.

"Now, then," Deucalion rumbled, his voice deeper and harsher than it had been before. "Shall we begin?"

---

Notes: And there we go!

Shoutouts to willdawg992003 and RHatch89 for reviewing: you guys are awesome.

Next time: the finale! In the present, Emma & Jackson each face their own separate battles as Storybrooke's fate hangs in the balance, while in a final flashback, the fates of Pitch Black, Jack Frost, and the other Guardians are decided, and the true connection between Jack Frost and Jackson Whittemore is finally revealed.

Stay tuned!