Goodbye Means Forgetting Chapter 34: In the Name of the Brother, an once upon a time fanfic

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.

To the guest reviewer who asked for a link to the post on tumblr - fanfiction is not cooperating with me, but I'll try to set up the link on my profile soon.

For those of you who've asked, the plan is to continue writing this story up until the current season (season 5) of OUAT and possibly onward. And there's also some Peter in this chapter.

Also, did everybody catch the season finale?

Chapter Playlist: 'Axe or Sword?' from 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey OST'

Storybrooke

As the magically induced haze cleared from her mind, and she was mildly pleased that her head no longer felt like she'd taken a bludgeon to it, Lillian forced her gaze away from the foreign car. Gold, Belle and Hook were outside, all on the ground. As she opened the car door, the piercing wail of approaching sirens made her ears ring.

Gold cradled Belle to him, swallowing when he caught the fear in her eyes and how fiercely she trembled at his touch. Dimly, he noticed Lillian racing from his parked car to Hook, though barely paid them any mind. All his attention focused on the love of his life as she stared at him like he was a stranger.

"Who are you?" Belle asked, eyes wide with a mixture of pain and confusion. Her shoulder throbbed, and she felt the warm touch of blood against her skin. The stranger holding her gazed down tenderly, his eyes suddenly swimming with tears. She shied away from the sight. "What's going on?"

"Shh… let me… let me." Gold whispered down, attempting to sooth her even as he raised a hand and called forth his magic. "Let me." There was a flash of magenta light for several seconds as he healed the wound left by the bullet. "All better," he continued, unprepared for the horror to fill Belle's eyes. "Good."

"How did you do that?" She demanded.

Gold held up his hand, showing her he meant no harm. "It's nothing to be afraid of." He assured her.

Belle suddenly bucked wildly in his arms, shoving at him now that she was no longer wracked with pain. "Get away."

"Shh," he tried to retain his hold, though she managed to break free and scoot away, putting several feet between them. "Belle, please." He begged, reaching for her.

She flinched back. "What are you?!" Her frightened cry was like a dagger in his heart.

Running her hands over his chest, taking in his uneven breathing, Lillian winced. While Killian was out cold, that didn't mean that he didn't feel pain, and it was almost crippling. Shaking herself mentally, she focused on Killian as his charcoaled eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, lass," he wheezed out as her hands found his ribs and pressed. "AH! The bloody hell… was that for?"

Lillian hissed through her teeth. "Your ribs are broken, codfish," she startled when all he did was chuckle, the sound a pained gasp.

"Oh, that must be why it hurts when I laugh," was all he managed to get out before the screech of tires alerted them all to the arrival of the police car.

"Shh," Lillian soothed as the patrol car came to a stop and Emma, Mary Margaret and David poured out of it. David raced toward her, Emma heading toward Gold with Mary Margaret on her heels.

"Lillian!" David skidded to a stop and immediately knelt beside her. "Are you hurt?" Without waiting for her reply, he grabbed his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "We're at the town line with two people down, maybe three," he glanced at the car, eyes widening when he read the plates. "There's a car - really banged up with… with Pennsylvania plates."

"Are you okay!" Lillian heard Emma call to Gold as she and David shared a horrified look. Both turned to see Emma hovering over Gold as Mary Margaret gently held Belle by the shoulders. "What's going on?"

"She crossed the town line," Gold forced out through stiff lips, standing on his aching joints. Belle cowered into Mary Margaret's hold at the sight of him. "She doesn't remember."

Seemingly roused by Gold's broken words, Hook managed to raise his head. "Did you see his face?" He crowed to Lillian, who whipped her head around to stare down at him in disgust. "His one true love, gone in an instant!" Seeing that he had the Dark One's attention, Hook's tone turned mocking. "Just like Milah, crocodile! When you took her from me…."

Gold began to advance. "But you took her first." He snarled before leaping into action.

Lillian let out a cry of shock when she was flung toward David, who flailed in surprise, unprepared for the movement. Both went down, David absorbing most of the blow as he cradled Lillian against him. When they managed to straighten, it was to see Gold digging his cane into Hook's neck.

"Gold, are you insane?!" Emma shouted, racing toward him to pry him off of Hook.

"Yes, I am!" Gold snapped in reply, a demented smile on his lips.

David shot to his feet and grabbed hold of the other man. "You can't do that!"

"I can if you let me go." He contradicted David, who refused to let up.

Emma stole a glance at Belle, who was staring in their direction, horrified. "You don't want her to see that." She said, hoping it would reach the obviously crazed man.

"I'm a stranger to her."

"Murder is a bad first impression." Emma retorted sharply. Her eyes fell on Lillian, who was still on the ground, her eyes wide as she stared at the scene.

David tightened his grip when Gold tried to shake him off. "What would Belle want you to do?" He demanded off the older man, who was stopped from replying when the ambulance arrived. The flashing lights and siren was all the distraction David needed; he hauled Gold off Hook, allowing Lillian to swoop in and kneel beside the pirate protectively.

Eyes furious, Gold met Lillian's stare, their eyes clashing for several heartbeats before his assistant turned away with a grimace. Her hands began to glow as she healed the superficial wounds, ensuring Hook wouldn't die before they got him to the hospital.

"Over here!" David called, summoning the paramedics.

"No! Him!" Emma snapped, overriding her father's words, jerking her head toward the crashed car. "Take care of him." She turned to glare down at Hook, whose eyes were once more shut. "He can wait."

During the commotion, Mary Margaret had gently steered a distraught Belle toward the police cruiser. Now, as she looked up from the other woman, her eyes widened as they fully took in the car on the side of the road. "What?"

The blonde turned at her mother's exclamation. "There's someone in there," she explained with a shrug.

Mary Margaret turned to Belle, smiling in a reassuring manner. "Stay," she directed gently. "I'll be right back."

Jogging to her daughter's side, both watched as the paramedics had to cut the unconscious driver out of his own car. As he was loaded onto the gurney, Emma peered at his unfamiliar face.

"Do you know this guy?" She asked in an undertone, brow creased.

Mary Margaret's face was white. "I've never seen him before." Her stomach sank as she said the words aloud.

"That would be because he drove in from the outside," Lillian called tiredly from Hook's side. She slumped, allowing David to hold her upright, as the past twenty-four hours caught up with her.

"From the outside?" Mary Margaret repeated dumbly, her eyes practically bulging.

A fine, blonde brow rose as high as it could go on Emma's face. "Looks like the world just came to Storybrooke," she muttered, turning back to look at the man being loaded into the ambulance.

Whale listened inside the unused room, sipping from his flask, as the intercom announced the imminent arrival of the accident victims from the border. Though he could hear the others asking for him, and felt his pager buzzing as they tried to suss out his whereabouts, he was in no hurry to move.

"Anybody seen the doctor?" One voice cried.

Just as quickly, another called, "Dr. Whale, we need you in the ER!"

Neverland

"A girl," Hook repeated, one dark brow raised. The few members of his crew he trusted to spy on Pan's camp nodded gravely. Despite their recent accord, Hook trusted the leader of the lost ones little, and liked to be kept informed of the happenings on the island. "You're telling me Pan has brought a girl onto the island?"

"Yes, Cap'n." One said.

"She seemed mighty close to young Baelfire," another added. "Stuck to him like a barnacle, she did."

Hook pressed to his chin, the dark-haired captain mulled over the information for several, silent heartbeats. While a cynical man would decide Pan had brought a girl for 'stress-relief', though the majority of the lost boys had scarcely entered manhood. Hook, however, knew that the leader of the lost ones didn't think like that.

"Was she magical?" Hook asked suddenly, very interested in the answer. The blank stares he received did nothing for his temper. "Did she use magic, gentlemen?"

The closest one screwed up his face in thought. "I think so, she vanished a couple of times."

Hook nodded, deaf to the comments of the others. Turning to Smee, who awaited his order patiently, he drew the short man to the side. Once they were out of earshot of the other members of the crew, did Smee finally allow himself to speak.

"What should we do, Cap'n?" He forced his voice to stay hushed, unwilling to even consider letting it get back to Pan that they knew of the newest arrival - a girl, at that - to the island. "About the girl?"

"If Pan is keeping her here by force," Hook began slowly, knowing it wasn't wise to voice his thoughts. Pan had eyes and ears everywhere, even here on the ship. How he did it, Hook wasn't sure, though he blamed it on the foul magic that demon used. "Well, we'll have to see, won't we?" He forced his voice to remain light, even though the thought of Pan keeping a girl on the island - forcing her - made him sick to his stomach.

Though he wore a boy's face, there was no mistaking that Pan was a demon underneath that charming visage.

Storybrooke

Lillian sprinted side by side with the stretcher they'd placed Hook on, finally giving up and hopping onto it. None of the paramedics said anything to stop her, as half of them were still terrified of her. As they sped into the emergency room behind the outsider, the paramedics shouted out the status of the two men.

"I don't know what's going on." With a nurse on either side of her, Belle was ushered past the stretchers, wide-eyed and terrified.

"Car versus pedestrian," one paramedic called out as the nurses swarmed the two stretchers. "Chest trauma from the wheel. Pedestrian's got contusions, broken ribs."

"Go to X-ray." A nurse responded, hovering over the man from the car. "Pedestrian first."

Emma latched onto her side. "Hide him." She ordered, her words making the nurse's eyes widen.

"What?"

"Find a room and hide him." Emma repeated with a hiss, refusing to move until the woman did as she asked. With a quick, understanding nod, the woman gathered several of her fellow nurses and led the man off into a less used area of the hospital.

Still perched on Hook's stretcher, Lillian pressed her glowing fingers to his ribs, searching. Satisfied that his ribs weren't puncturing his lungs and he'd live, she easily slipped off it with a last squeeze to his limp hand. As she stood admist the chaos, Gold's voice raised above the din.

"Belle," he called, and her head snapped toward him. Her eyes widened at the sight of him and she cowered against the grip of the nurse's. "What's going on?"

The fear Belle felt at the sight of Gold made Lillian's stomach twist. Without a thought, she whirled around and snapped at two orderlies. "Get him out of here, now!"

"Well, what's happening?" Gold demanded as the two men stopped him from stepping any further into the room. "Belle!"

Leroy piped up from Mary Margaret's side. "I'd like to know that myself."

"Belle!" Gold shouted as the woman was herded away into the hospital. "Belle!"

"Everybody, calm down!" Whale said, appearing suddenly in the emergency room. "Mr. Gold," he placated, raising his hands. "Everything will be fine. She's in good hands here, I promise."

Neverland

True to form, Pan said nothing about the girl he'd brought onto the island. Had his men not seen her themselves, Hook would have thought her to be a figment of their imaginations. However, now that he saw her with his own eyes, he had an inkling as to who she was.

The Dark Lilith. Apprentice to the Dark One and, if the rumors were true, heir to the throne of Corona.

Hook watched her snap at the lost boys from his spyglass, amused when she tossed them away with a sweeping arc of her hand. She was a pretty little chit, he'd give her that, with a mass of thick, dark curls, pale skin, and blue eyes. She was slender, with an almost bird-like frame, and she stuck closely to young Baelfire. The boy clung to her, as if she were his second mother, in return.

They tried to escape several times, aided with the help of the girl's magic. It was only after their third attempt that Hook noticed something peculiar about the girl; her eyes, which he knew to be blue, turned red on occasion. He'd seen Pan's do so, only sometimes when the boy cast a spell, but it faded within mere moments of the magic. The girl's eyes would turn red and stay that way, for as long as she wished it, he assumed.

The sight eerily reminded him of the crocodile, and the comparison sent his stomach churning.

Though he'd hinted at the presence of her, Pan had remained tight-lipped, unusually serious for once. Though the darkness around the immortal teen was ever-present, he masked it behind smiles and laughter. When pressed about the girl, Hook received only scowls and snarls before an unsettling blankness replaced them. He wisely chose to drop the issue, too wary of what would happen if Pan's good will dried up too soon.

Though they were barely aware of the passage of time, what little remained of his crew desired to leave the cursed island for good. Being able to leave every so often, to acquire goods for the lost boys and themselves, and having to return was wearing away at them. Had he not weathered many a storm with them, he'd be more leery of a possible mutiny on the horizon. However, they all knew there was little he could do, and that his death or imprisonment would do no good. If Pan wanted them to remain on Neverland, Pan would get what he wanted.

By the time Baelfire and the girl attempted to escape half a dozen times, Hook was burning with curiosity to meet her. She'd known of Baelfire, that much was obvious. And, if she truly had something to do with the Dark One, Hook was eager to make her acquaintance. So, as they sprinted through the trees, he followed, making sure to stay clear of the lost boys that were chasing after the escaping pair.

Before his eyes, Hook watched the girl cloak herself and Baelfire, the enchantment fading after their oblivious pursuers sprinted past. Once they did, Baelfire pushed the girl away, making her stumble back, though she looked more hurt than anything.

"What was that for?" She demanded as Hook slunk closer.

"I hate magic!" Baelfire snapped back, red-faced and panting. "I told you not to use it around me!"

"Magic just saved our lives - I doubt Pan'll be pleased when he returns to find us gone. Again." The girl pointed out, her words deflating some of Baelfire's anger. Suddenly, her shoulders slumped and she looked away from the boy. "I'm sorry, Bae… I just want us to get home."

"There isn't a way home," Baelfire told her, far more gently this time. "Pan's right; no one leaves unless he allows it."

"There has to be a way off," she said, though underneath the bravado, Hook could sense the tremor of fear. "Maybe we just haven't found a way. Wait," she paused, biting her lip. "There are pirates - maybe they can help us. You said Pan lets them leave- "

"But they always come back."

She smiled grimly. "I'm sure I could… persuade them- " She whirled around, one arm flying out to herd Baelfire behind her protectively. "Who's there?" She called out, and Hook watched as her eyes turned that odd shade of red.

Knowing the game was up, Hook obligingly stepped from the foliage. Baelfire stiffened at the sight of him, and the girl quickly looked over her shoulder at him, lips pressed into a thin line when she turned back to Hook.

"Who are you?"

"Captain Killian Jones, at your service," he bowed with a mocking flourish. Her eyes strayed immediately to his hook and her lip curled at the sight of it, eyes flashing with sudden hate. "Ah, I see you're aware of the story behind my more colorful moniker." He raised the gleaming hook with a disarming smile. "Captain Hook, at your service, lass."

Storybrooke

Belle's features were clam, serene almost, and Gold didn't want to ask after the amount of sedatives they'd pumped into her body to get her that way. Standing at her bedside, he briefly weighed the options before quickly coming to the conclusion that only one 'cure' he knew of was a plausible fix for the situation he found himself in.

Quietly, he bent over Belle's sleeping form, gently pressing his lips against her own. He felt more than heard the faint intake of breath, the change of her breathing as she came awake. He pulled back, avidly watching, waiting for her eyes to flutter open. For a moment, long enough for his heart to skip a beat with hope, there was a flicker of recognition in those eyes he loved so much.

Then horror replaced it, and her mouth opened not to whisper his name like he hoped, but to scream.

Gold stumbled back, suddenly as ungraceful without his limp as he was with it. "No, no," he tried in vain to comfort her, or at least stop her from screaming bloody murder. "No, no, no." He backed away further, though the distance did nothing to stop her cries of terror. "No, no, no," he muttered, more to himself than for her benefit now. "I… I'm sorry." He whispered, though doubted she heard him. "I'm sorry."

Within minutes, due to both the noise of her screams and her sudden spike in heartrate, nurses swarmed into the room. Though none said a word to him, acting as if he were not there, Gold knew when he wasn't wanted.

"I'm sorry," he muttered again, backing out of the room as Belle was blocked from his sighed.

Outside the room, another nurse paused beside the clearly distraught man. "You okay," he asked softly before being called into the room himself.

Gold watched the nurse join his fellows, keeping the pain at bay through sheer force of will. Backing away further, he stepped into the hallway as one of the nurses stepped away from Belle long enough to shut the door.

"I'm sorry…"

Before Emma could take a crack at Hook, Lillian beat her to it. Making her way into the unconscious man's room, the sorceress locked the door with an absent flick of her hand before she settled down at his feet to wait. Thankfully, it didn't take too long for his breathing to hitch, followed by his eyes cracking open cautiously against the harsh florescent lighting.

"Hey," she greeted quietly when his narrowed gaze found her at the foot of the bed. "You're in a hospital," she explained, sensing the rising confusion that barely managed to break through the pain. "It's a place for…," she searched for a word he'd be able to identify with. "Healers."

He blinked sluggishly, clearly not completely awake. "What- " He croaked, making to move his arm and realizing it was cuffed to the bed with a slender kind of manacle. When he tossed her an annoyed look that was ruined by the fact that his eyes were partially glazed over, she shrugged.

"Emma's idea."

"Again?" His head fell back against the pillow. "She must really be into this, huh?" He rasped out a chuckle that just as quickly dissolved into a coughing fit. Lillian winced in sympathy. "Damn, that hurts."

"You cracked a few ribs," she reminded him, unrepentant in her smugness.

He merely smiled faintly toward the ceiling; he'd learned long ago that one did not question her diagnosis. As the monitor near him beeped, signalling a new dose of pain medication, Lillian straightened with a sigh.

"Where's Cora, Killian?"

His eyes snapped open at her words, though his head remained stationary on the pillow. "Why do you ask, lass?"

"Because she's dangerous, something I'm sure you already know." Lillian pointed out softly, unwilling to force the information from him, but they were running out of time. "Killian, if I don't get it out of you, Emma'll come in here and she won't be as kind as me."

"You? Kind?" A chuckle turned into another coughing fit. "I must've hit my head harder than I thought," he wheezed, settling against the pillows once more. They sat in silence, taking comfort in one another.

Lillian turned when a rather loud knock came from the locked door and merely smiled placidly when Emma scowled at her from behind the glass. Turning back to Killian, she shrugged a shoulder easily when he sent her his version of a pleading stare. Rising fluidly to her feet, she crossed the room and opened the door, startling Emma. Without breaking eye contact, Lillian slipped past the blonde, leaving her alone with the pirate.

"Are you… pouting?" Emma demanded, entering the room and kicking the door shut with her foot. Hook merely sent her a flat stare before turning his attention back to the stark whiteness of the ceiling. Mentally shaking herself, she stalked to the bed and perched herself where Lillian had sat minutes before. "Where's Cora?" She asked lowly, forcing herself not to demand he tell her of his history with Lillian.

"You look good, Swan, I must say." Hook deflected easily, voice a husky drawl that Emma immediately blamed on the medicine. "All 'where's Cora?' in a commanding voice. Chills." He affected a shudder, a lazy smirk curling up his cheek.

Her eyes narrowed, lips pursed. "You have all sorts of sore places," she reminded him needlessly, as he was more than aware of his current state. "I can make you hurt." Without waiting for him to retort, Emma lunged forward. Her hands pressed into his cracked ribs, still healing - he'd yell at Tiger Lily for not healing him later - and refused to let up until he was panting in pain.

Refusing to feel any guilt, as they had little other choice, Emma waited stoically. After several heartbeats, during which Hook wheezed pathetically, the pirate cleared his throat and let his head fall back.

"I have no idea where Cora is," he breathed out with difficulty, sending the blonde a fierce stare from the corner of his eyes. "She has her own agenda. Let's talk about something I am interested in – my hook. May I have it back?" A mischievous glint entered his eyes. "Or is there another attachment you'd prefer?

She eyed him dubiously. "You're awfully chipper for a guy who just failed to kill his enemy, then got hit by a car."

"Well, my ribs may be broken, but… everything else is still intact," to Emma's disbelief, the man managed a flirtatious smirk. "Which is more than can be said for other bad days I've had." Flirtation gave way to smugness in the blink of an eye. "Plus, I did some quality damage to my foe."

"You hurt Belle." She snapped flatly, unable to stand the joy he took in hurting an innocent woman.

All humor vanished from his features in an instant. "I hurt his heart," he corrected sharply. "Belle's just where he keeps it. He killed my love," agony flickered in his dark gaze. "I know the feeling."

Emma took a step back, barely able to stop herself from smacking him. "Keep smiling, buddy," she told him quietly. "You're chained down, he's on his feet, immortal, has magic, and you hurt his girl." Her head tilted in mock thought as he stared at her, suddenly wary. "If I were to pick dead guy of the year? I'd pick you."

With that, she turned on her heel and stormed from the room. As she entered the lobby, she wasn't surprised to see her parents and the others gathered in a tight group, her mother holding the cell phone of their mysterious driver.

"We've got to get into his phone," Leroy reminded them gruffly, looking terrified of the outcome if they didn't.

David held out his hand, a frown creasing his brow. "Let me guess another pass code."

His wife shook her head. "You can't guess," she told him with a frown of her own. "There are a million possible combinations."

"Ten-thousand." Ruby corrected from Mary Margaret's other side.

"Ten-thousand."

About to reach his wit's end, David turned to the dark-haired Dwarf. "Leroy, can you get it open or something? Hack it?"

Leroy's mouth opened, though no sound came out for a long heartbeat as he studied David. "Well, you do understand that computer hacking and pickaxe hacking are different," he clarified, wanting to be sure that the man understood what it was he was asking.

Before David could retort, Emma entered the lobby and held out her hand for the phone. "Here, let me try. I have a thing," she offered by way of explanation when she was sent curious stares. "And we do know something," she said as she produced a black device and hook the phone up to it. "There was stuff in his car - rental agreement, maps, receipts. His name is Greg Mendell. Now, let's see…."

She trailed off, breaking into the phone so easily it was almost laughable. Silently, aware of the people crowding her shoulders, she rooted through the phone. However, there was little to speak of, other than a few phone numbers and a multitude of pictures of this 'Greg' at tourist locations that lined the eastern seaboard.

"Pictures of him alone at a bunch of Eastern Seaboard tourist locations, a LinkedIn account, and he tweets pictures of his food." Emma listed off, rather unimpressed by what she'd found. When she looked up, it was to meet the terrified faces of her family, and she quickly added, "I'll keep looking, but I think what we have here is a well-documented, real-life ordinary Joe. Or Greg."

Ruby couldn't disguise the faint quiver in her voice. "So, whatever's kept random people from stumbling into Storybrooke for the last twenty-eight years- "

"Is gone." Mary Margaret finished quietly.

"Anyone could drive in," David affirmed, troubled by the implications. "Why are my instincts telling me that's a bad thing?"

Leroy immediately jumped in. "'Cause you've seen E.T., or Splash, or any other movie where they find something magical and study it to death." He told them emphatically. He rounded on Ruby, who looked fairly startled. "Think what they do to a werewolf."

"Oh, and his friends and family?" Mary Margaret added anxiously as she turned to her wide-eyed daughter. "They're going to come looking for him soon."

"Let's try not to overreact." Emma stuttered out, attempting to stop mass hysteria from breaking out.

Her father, however, was nodding along with the black-haired man's words. "Leroy's right. We don't need outsiders here."

"Hook says he doesn't know where Cora is, and God knows what she's going to do." Emma told them, sharing her brief chat with the pirate. As she spoke, it suddenly dawned on her that Lillian was nowhere in sight. However, they had more pressing matters than a sulking teenager. "With other people coming here, that's not going to be good for anyone."

"We need to find Regina – tell her we know she was framed."

"Lillian might have, she's been in contact with Regina." David said quietly. He winced when his wife and daughter stared accusingly. "She made me promise not to tell - Henry knows about it too."

Ruby grimaced. "I've been tracking her. No luck." She explained, wrinkling her nose slightly. "She's gone underground."

"But what if Cora finds her first? Before Lillian has a chance?" The teacher asked, deeply unsettled by what would happen if mother and daughter partnered up. "I don't want to think about the damage those two would do together." She closed her eyes, able to feel the stress headache coming on. "This could not have come at a worse time."

"It's okay," Emma tried, for once, to be the optimist. "The guy's being patched up right now. He'll probably be on his way home by morning."

"Not quite," Whale said as he came to a stop before the group. "He's bleeding into his chest cavity. It's not a full flood, you know," he explained at their alarmed expressions. "But, pretty soon, he'll be drowning in his own blood."

Emma started forward, the beginnings of a snarl on her lips. "So make it stop," she told him. "Aren't you a doctor?"

Rather than answer her, Whale side-stepped the group, eyes fixed on Gold as he descended the stairs. "Gold," he called, not bothering to wait to be acknowledged. "You fixed me, now fix him. It will take you seconds and cost you nothing."

"No."

"No?" Whale repeated dumbly, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Just… no?"

The agony and rage that seethed within him finally had an outlet, and Gold held nothing back. "I owe you nothing, Whale. I owe none of you anything." He cautioned them with a growl. "And some of you, owe me." His eyes fell on Emma for the briefest of moments, long enough for her to bristle at the reminder. "So, yeah, just… no." He turned to leave, pausing before he'd even made it one step. "Oh, and point of interest – the driver? He saw me throwing some magic." Though he should, Gold couldn't bring himself to care for anything other than the fact that the love of his life no longer remembered him. "So, instead of trying to get him out of here, you better be hoping he dies. Because if he doesn't, he's going to be driving tour buses up and down main street." He snarled maliciously at their disquieted expressions. "So glad I don't give a damn."

All watched in silence as Gold turned on his heel and stormed out of the lobby.

"Look…," Whale forced out once he'd managed to regain control over his vocal chords. "Letting him die is easy." He explained quietly. "I can do that, if that's what you decide."

"Let's take this somewhere private," Emma muttered, unwilling to show how uneasy she was at the power Whale had just given them.

With a nod, Whale led them to a nearby examination room to talk. The moment the door closed behind Leroy, the doctor spoke. "It's not really murder if we let him succumb to his injuries." He pointed out.

Emma eyed him like he'd lost his mind. "I'm pretty sure it is."

"Of course we save him." Mary Margaret added quickly.

David nodded. "Obviously."

"Well… "

Mary Margaret's head whipped around so fast her neck cracked. "Leroy!"

"We got to think it through," he said, hands up to ward off the oncoming rancor. "If we save him and kill the whole town, is that really better?"

Ruby bit her lip. "So, we have to choose between our lives and his." Chewing on the flesh thoughtfully, a sudden memory hit her with startling clarity. "Lillian…," she breathed loudly, startling all present.

"What?" David asked, brow creased.

Beside him, Mary Margaret's eyes widened in delight. "She's right!" She turned to Emma, who was staring at her oddly. "Lillian can heal him - it's some kind of special gift that she has. I've seen it."

"Okay," Emma nodded slowly. "Where is Lillian?"

"She went to go get Henry," David answered, when all the others merely shrugged uneasily. No one, save Emma, looked surprised that Lillian would have checked in with him and not them. "Said she didn't feel comfortable leaving him, even with Granny, with Cora on the loose." Ignoring his daughter's expression, knowing she couldn't be too happy that Lillian was questioning her parenting methods again, he rubbed at his tired eyes. "If she comes back, we'll ask her to heal this 'Greg'. But, in the meantime, we'll have to worry about the safety of the town later."

Seizing the moment, Mary Margaret returned to the 'save the possibly dangerous outsider' bandwagon. "Which doesn't mean we should abandon him."

"I know," her husband acquiesced. "So, let's worry about Storybrooke after we save a life." His blue gaze landed on Whale, who waited silently for their decision. "Dr. Whale, prep for surgery."

With a nod, the doctor turned unsteadily on his heel and left the room. Watching him go, Mary Margaret slowly arched a brow. "Anyone else notice he'd drunk off his ass?"

Before anyone could comment or agree with her pronouncement, the shrill ringtone echoed loudly in the small room. All eyes fell onto the phone as the noise continued.

"Someone's looking for Greg," Emma swallowed, eyes raising from the small touch screen. "How long before they come here?"

Neverland

Peter watched, arms crossed, from his spot leaning on the trunk of a tree. The lost boys, sensing their leader's suddenly jubilant mood, had been all too pleased to throw a party once they found out the reason behind it. The contact from the Land Without Magic was inside Storybrooke, and very soon, their princess would be returned to them.

There were few boys who did not remember Tiger Lily, and those that did were very fond of the only girl to be found within the Lost Ones. As the cheers grew louder, firelight casting eerie shadows around the camp, Felix slipped through the bushes to stand beside his leader. His thin lips, wrapped around a stick, twisted upward at the merriment.

"Careful Felix," Peter said, though his eyes never left the flickering flames. "Or else the boys'll think you've gone soft."

The blond lost boy scoffed, adjusted the club slung over his shoulder, and pinned Pan with a lazy smirk. "They might think that of you before me." At Pan's mock offended look, Felix's smirk grew. "You've been crowing like a rooster for days, Pan. Even the youngest of the boys have noticed how… pleased you've been."

The carefully phrased word was an understatement, and both knew it. Peter merely spared his second a faint smirk before he stalked away from the celebration, leaving Felix to stare after him. Though he showed it little, the oldest of the lost boys was overjoyed that the task of bringing both Tiger Lily and the Truest Believer to Neverland was progressing nicely.

Though Pan had never been very short-tempered, his patience over the past few months had grown increasingly worse. Especially after his attempt to bring Tiger Lily home before she went to the Enchanted Forest. No one spoke of it, too afraid of what Pan would do if reminded of his failure. So, Felix was content to keep his mouth shut and watch over the boys, letting Pan brood off in his Thinking Tree, as he was likely to do.

Near the other half of the island, Peter climbed into the Thinking Tree, finally allowing the excitement he'd felt for the past few hours to show. Learning that one of their 'operatives' was in Storybrooke made the emptiness inside his chest seize. Resting back against the bark of the tree, he inhaled deeply, eyes slipping shut.

The Shadow was careful, especially so in Storybrooke, and it allowed Pan to take over for the few precious moments that Lily, her little charge in tow, raced down the streets of Storybrooke toward the hospital. He caught sight of her face, strained and pale from lack of sleep. Little Henry yawned at her side and rubbed his eyes, though he kept pace with her well enough. Feeling his magic begin to wane, Peter slipped from the shadow, eyes snapping open with a ragged gasp.

If I keep going on like this, I'll not have any magic when the fun starts. He ran a hand through his hair, brushing it from his sweaty forehead. Slumped against the tree, he was lulled into a doze, distantly hoping that Lily would fall asleep sometime soon.

Storybrooke

Gold reverently ran his fingers over the chipped cup, drinking in each detail of the delicate porcelain surface. He barely heard the soft tinkle of the front bell, though regained enough sense to wander into the front room to deal with whomever it was. However, there was no one in the room, or just outside the shop when he peeked his head out the door. Turning back inside with a frown, his eyes fell on the box he knew hadn't been on that counter just a moment ago.

There was a change in pressure, magic prickled across his skin, just as a melodious voice called out. "Hello, Rumple."

"Well, I expected this was just a matter of time." Muttering, he turned toward the door to see Cora, cloaked and smiling, standing there like she owned the place. "Had hoped you were dead, but hey – disappointment's just part of life." He commented sardonically, not surprised to see amusement in her gaze. "I'm sure we can agree on that."

Her nose wrinkled. "Aw, the crocodile snaps at the little bird," she mocked, though it was a gentle teasing. "And after I brought you a gift."

"Yeah, did you bring the antidote, too?" He demanded.

"Oh, Rumple," she chided lightly, taking far more delight in their reunion than he ever could. "It's a peace offering."

"And what do you want for this, uh… this peace offering?"

"My daughter." She replied simply, unruffled by his rudeness. "You were so clever to get her to lay the curse so you could come here," she praised. "You don't need her anymore. Let me try to get her back and let us live."

He smiled patiently at her, as if bemused. "And what do I get for my troubles?"

"Your son." It was her turn to smile at his reaction; lips parted in surprise, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She nodded her head toward the box she'd so carefully placed on the counter. Eyeing her, more weary than warily now, Gold reached for the lid, revealing a white globe. "You know what that is, of course."

He did indeed. "It'll find him… " Gold breathed, looking to her over his shoulder. "If this one truly is it."

"Oh, darling," she t'sked. "I have no reason to cheat you."

"Anymore."

She ignored that biting remark. "I want you to find the one person in this universe who might still love you, as I've noticed you and young Lilith have had a falling out." She didn't miss the way his fist tightened at his side. "After all, I'm doing the same thing."

He considered her for a few moments. All the while, she remained unflappable, confident that he would agree to a deal in his best interests. Suddenly, he asked, "Do you have any spells to return memories?"

"I only know what you taught me… master," she inclined her head, reminding him of their shared history. "So, will you accept my offer of a truce?"

"Truce." He agreed, extending his hand.

She took it with a wide smile as they shook on the deal. When he made to retract his hand, she held face. "Let's seal it like we used to," she muttered, drawing him in to place a gentle kiss upon his lips.

They were cold and still beneath her own, and she felt him go stiff in response. When she drew back, still smiling, he was eyeing her strangely, too stunned to react.

Too keyed up to sit still, thanks to the caffeine Mary Margaret had forced upon him in an effort to keep them all awake during the long hours of the night, David began to wander the hallways. Having slipped into a coma after the wounds he'd received frighting to get Emma into the wardrobe, he'd spent twenty-eight years in the hospital, but had seen very little of it. So, when he wandered passed a seemingly empty room, he stopped dead at the sight of Whale inside it.

Entering the room to stand just beside the doctor, he craned his head to look at what had the man so enraptured. There was a small box of items, and Whale held a wristwatch in his hands.

"What's that?"

Whale, having heard the man enter, didn't even look up. "Oh, it's just the guy's personal effects. I get the best watches this way." He threw David a mocking smile, only to received a glower for his troubles. "Joking," he assured him. "As far as you know. It's too bad it's cracked."

David's eyes narrowed. "I thought you'd be scrubbing in by now."

"Yeah." Whale muttered, unconsciously rubbing the arm Daniel had ripped off. "Yeah, I'm going to do that."

"Arm okay?" David asked lightly.

"I'm not drunk."

"Okay, just… let's save this guy, alright?" David said, changing the subject, sensing the results wouldn't be pretty if he didn't. "I don't care what he saw. We don't let go of people."

"Right," Whale nodded, looking down at the watch once more, a faint longing crept into his voice. "Of course not."

Neverland

The look she sent Baelfire after Hook's pronouncement was more amusing than he'd ever dreamed. Annoyance was prevalent, as was an odd blankness that she struggled with before giving up. Anger overtook all, and when she turned back to Hook, her eyes were still red as blood.

"Captain Hook," she repeated, as if tasting the name on her tongue. Her expression soured the longer he stood there, smiling in a disarming manner. Beside her, almost as tall as she, Baelfire regarded him with a fearsome scowl. The sight of Milah's son never failed to worsen the ache within his beating heart. He looked so like her, the sight of him was almost a cruelty.

"Aye, luv," he agreed easily, shaking away the thoughts Baelfire's accusing eyes stirred up. "And you are Lilith." His hook rested against his chin as he eyed the girl up thoughtfully. She bristled suddenly the moment his thoughts turned to the slender shape of her hips, red eyes gleaming hatefully in the moonlight.

"If you know my name, then you know who I am." A flare of indignation sparked in her eyes when he merely inclined his head in agreement. While the idea of teasing her further, seeing if she knew all the tricks her 'master' did, he had more important things to do with his time.

"Your Master, when can I expect his arrival? I'm sure he dearly misses the son he abandoned - and must be lonely without his student." Hook said, gratified when the girl flinched in surprise. Baelfire mirrored her, and Hook was surprised to see Lilith reach behind her to grasp his hand tightly. "I've so missed that old crocodile- "

"Rumple won't be coming," a low voice muttered behind him, sharp as a razor as just as threatening. Hook turned, gracefully accepting that he'd have to interrogate the girl another time. Pan stood, bony shoulder against the nearest tree, arms crossed and scowl in place. The expression, Hook noticed, was not directed at him; Baelfire was the recipient of the black stare. "You'll just have to make do with us, Killian," Pan stalked from the tree, making sure that no part of him touched the pirate captain.

"And why is that?" Hook dared to ask, well aware of how thin a thread he stood on at the moment as the boy paused beside him. Pan's good will would only last as long as the mercurial teen wished it, and he had no desire to lose any more of his crew. Sparing the girl a last look, Hook's eyes widened at the sudden hopelessness in her now blue gaze that she couldn't quite hide. "You're keeping the girl here, aren't you?"

"Enough, Killian." Pan snapped, hackles raising so suddenly that even the immortal teen looked surprised at his own mood swings. "Lily belongs on Neverland- "

"I belong where I choose, Pan," Lilith snapped, voice thick with loathing. Her fingers rose to toy with a silver charm around her neck, though it was so small Hook couldn't make out what it was. At almost the same moment, Pan's hand went to his chest, fingers gripping his tunic till the knuckles were white. "And I did not choose to belong here."

Pan bared his teeth in a poor attempt at a smile. "As you say, princess."

Storybrooke

Leroy peered anxiously in Emma's direction when, once more, the phone in her hand began to vibrate. Having decided the ringer was too conspicuous, Emma, the only one familiar with the new types of phones, had switched it to silent. Looking at it herself, the blonde felt her nose wrinkle at the sight of the caller ID.

"Same person again." Leroy announced testily.

"'Her'." Emma read off dryly. "Cute."

"Probably a girlfriend." David added.

"We could answer it – just let her know he's okay." Mary Margaret tried once more, well aware that he daughter was not amused by her need to help everyone. Her anxious eyes flitted to the still vibrating phone.

As if she read her mother's thoughts, Emma leveled her with an exasperated stare. "He's not okay."

"He's alive," Ruby corrected sharply. "We could let her know he's alive."

David began to shake his head before Emma could open her mouth. "Nah. The police could trace it here instantly."

"She can activate the find your phone thing without us picking it up at all." Emma said, earning looks of alarm from all present. Not for the first time, she remembered that the citizens of Storybrooke had seriously outdated technology. The phone ceased vibrating against her palm, drawing groans from the small circle.

"That settles that," Leroy mumbled.

"Oh, my nerves can't take this!" Mary Margaret threw her head back, tired eyes snapping shut. "Is the surgery almost over?"

"I… I think it takes…," Emma trailed off, unused to seeing her mother in such a state. Even when they'd been in the Enchanted Forest, Mary Margaret had remained unflinchingly upbeat even when all seemed lost.

Behind her, a man in scrubs entered the lobby, scanned it briefly, and turned around with a worried expression on his face. David, catching sight of him, all but sprinted after the harried man.

"Whoa, whoa, wait," the man stopped and turned, fidgeting visibly with a faint scowl. "Wait. Any news?"

"No," the nurse answered shortly, frowning as he scanned the room once more. "I was just looking for the doctor."

Ruby shouldered her way to stand beside David, eyes wide. "He's not in the OR?"

"He never came in."

Emma stood on her father's other side. "Then page him." She ordered, expression foreboding.

Without a word, the man turned on his heel and approached the intercom on the far wall.

"He was not looking so good earlier," David muttered, recalling the glazed over, disturbed look the doctor had worn when looking at Greg's watch.

No one commented on his words, too intent on listening as the man paged Whale. The beeping noise from a pager, muffled and faint, caused their attention to snap to a nearby laundry basket of dirty scrubs.

"He's here."

All but deaf to her mother's voice, Emma stalked to the basket and began to dig through it. The lower she got, the louder the beeping became until she was fishing out Whale's lab coat.

"No, but his pager is." She corrected her mother, suddenly light-headed. She turned to face the group, the coat still in hand, as Lillian and Henry slipped into the hospital. "He's gone."

"Who's gone?" Henry asked innocently, head tilted to the side. Mary Margaret frowned when she turned to face him, eyes taking in the tiredness of his little features. Lillian ignored the glare his grandmother sent her while Henry looked between them, confused.

"Does this have anything to do with Whale booking it down the street?" Lillian queried, looking at the pale, taut faces of the people around them. Though she'd glimpsed the man running down the street, she hadn't bothered to stop him. "I thought he was prepping for surgery?"

Before anyone could respond, Mary Margaret reached for the lab coat and ripped it from her daughter's hands. Holding it out to Ruby, who startled before taking it, she turned to Emma, who looked moments away from attacking Lillian.

"Not now," she snapped, sending the blonde and Lillian a fierce glower.

"But- " Emma began.

"She- " Lillian snarled.

"NOT. NOW." Mary Margaret repeated through clenched teeth. Spinning on her heel to smirking Ruby with a commanding stare, she pointed first at the other woman's face, then at the lab coat. "You. Track Whale."

Practically giggling like a loon - Lillian was going to kill her later, she just knew it - Ruby obediently turned and headed toward the doors. Behind her, the others, even Emma and Lillian, fell into step, David and his wife at the head.

"Got the scent?" David asked, shooting his hard faced wife a wary look while he was at it.

Ruby sniffed the coat once more, lips twisted into a disgusted grimace. "Boozy," she muttered.

"Just find him and bring him back." Emma said, determinedly avoiding her mother's glower. "We'll watch Hook and figure out options if Whale doesn't come back." She dared a glance at Lillian. "Or you could- "

"No." Lillian reached out to hug Henry to her, arm tight about his shoulders. He snuggled up to her, not bothering to comment on a topic he usually would have been all over. "I can't."

"But- "

"Maybe Doc can do it." Mary Margaret stated blithely, cutting of the newest argument between her daughter and Lillian.

"Surgery?" Leroy laughed out, the sound dying when he realized she was completely serious. "NO!"

"Maybe he had a good reason for running?" Lillian deadpanned, itching to get back to Hook. While she trusted the competency of the nurses and doctors, she knew she could heal him more quickly than they ever could.

"He has been in a rough place since he had brought Regina's fiancé back to life."

Mary Margaret's cry of "Daniel?", was almost overtaken by Emma's horrified, "Back to life?!"

"And he got his arm ripped off, and put back on." Henry added, smiling at the memory.

Leroy merely nodded in acceptance. "Cool."

"Wait," the teacher said, attempting to make some sense of what was being said. "Daniel came back?"

Emma looked faintly green at the idea. "Like some kind of Frankenstein?"

David nodded. "That's Whale." He told them, still processing the idea himself. "The doctor. And Daniel was his- "

"What went on here while we were gone?!"

Seeing that David was prepared to make a break for it, Lillian shouldered her way between him and his wife, who stared a hole into the side of his head. "We're wasting time," she reminded them, flicking a curl from her narrowed eyes. "Ruby, go out and hunt down Dr. Frankenstein."

Lips twitching, Ruby ducked out of the hospital and raced down the street after Whale's scent.

"We're going to send this guy back home with bolts in his neck," Emma muttered under her breath, looking disturbed by the very idea.

"The monster didn't have bolts," Henry commented, smiling at the looks he received. Beside him, Lillian tiredly mussed his hair before she turned and began to drag him toward the waiting room.

"She'll find him." Mary Margaret said as they fell into line behind her grandson and his babysitter.

"Yeah," Emma agreed quietly, legs all but refusing to cooperate. "But what kind of state is he going to be in?"

No one answered the question she posed, though she wasn't sure she wanted one.

Neverland

"He's the pirate that took your mother, isn't he?" Lilith glanced at Bae, who continued to look toward the moon. Despite the fact that he'd learned to outwardly hide his feelings from others, inwardly, he was a mess. Rage, pain, endless agony so deep it was almost crippling, all emanated from this boy - barely two years younger than she was - and it made her eyes threaten to dampen. "Bae?"

"Yes." He forced out through stiff lips. He felt cold, inside and out, at the living reminder that was Hook. He'd managed to avoid the pirate, who was more often than not gone on a supply run for Pan. Even when the pirates were on the island, Bae was never allowed to wander far from camp, as he'd tried to escape too many times before Lilith's arrival.

Without a word, the older girl placed a hand on his shoulder. She said nothing else, and he was grateful for that. Lilith, it seemed, was not one for heartfelt declarations or idle prattle. She was solemn and quiet, not what one would expect of a sixteen year old girl. However, while he wanted to blame her severe personality on his father's influence, Lilith had already disabused him of that notion.

She'd chosen to be the way she was, Lilith had claimed several days after her arrival. All his father had done was nurture the budding talent of magic she possessed, and the rest was on her. With a sigh, Bae leaned toward her, uncaring of the way she briefly stiffened before she relaxed with a sight of her own.

"I'll get you out of here," she whispered in the darkness, the both of them staring up at the stars. "I'll get us both home, I promise."

Bae felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. "I almost believe you," he whispered in return. The hope that refused to be doused began to rekindle itself in his chest. Maybe, just maybe, with her help, they could leave the island.

"I made a promise, Bae. I never break my promises."

Unseen, Killian watched from his spyglass at the sight. He swallowed when Baelfire dozed on Lilith's shoulder, the girl awake and alert through a good portion of the night, clearly intent on keeping the boy safe. Pushing back the guilt that was ever present when Baelfire was around, whether in the flesh or in his thoughts, Hook turned back to the sea and headed toward his ship.

Things were about to get far more interesting.

Storybrooke

Glamour firmly in place, and the craft of her grandson's hand print that she'd found in his room tucked within a pocket, Cora strode across the graveyard to the mausoleum. It was easy to find, with their family crest proudly etched above the double doors. They opened easily, hinges creaking loudly in the darkness. It was easy to find the passage, cleverly hidden beneath the sarcophagus, and she headed down the stairs.

"Mom? Hello?" 'Henry' wandered around the small open space. "Hello? Hello? Mom?"

Unseen, safely ensconced in the hidden room, Regina lowered the book she'd been skimming, heart seizing at the sound of her son's voice. Though Lillian had promised to try to spirit him away so he could see her, she'd not heard a word from the teen since earlier that day. Standing, Regina crossed to a mirror on the far wall and waved a hand over it. Her son's face appeared as the spell did its work, allowing her to see into the main room.

"You in there?" 'He' called, eyes never landing or focusing on where Regina stood. "Can I come in? Mom?" Before he could call for her again - when he turned as if to leave, her heart nearly jumped from her chest - Regina opened the hidden door. He whirled around at the noise, eyes widening. "Mom? Mom!"

She didn't ask why he was there alone, or why he'd come in the middle of night, or even why Lillian wasn't with him. All Regina cared about was the fact that her son was running to her, smiling so brightly that it almost hurt her eyes.

She heaved a deep sigh of relief when her son was in her arms. "Henry, I'm so glad you're here," she muttered against his soft, dark hair. "When I got your letter… I missed you so much when you told me you knew I had nothing to do with Archie."

'Henry' smiled up at her, pushing down the confusion 'he' felt at her words. "I know," 'he' assured her. "I always knew."

Regina nodded. "I was framed. I don't know how." She admitted, unsure how much Lillian had told him, if she'd told anyone. "I… it just seems like everything… like everything is working against me." She smiled down at him warmly. "How did you know?"

The smile her 'son' wore suddenly made her skin crawl. "Simple," 'he' took a step back, blue smoke covering him from head to toe. When it cleared, Regina blinked in shock at the sight of her mother, smiling faintly, before her. "Because I did it."

"Mother… "

Neverland

Peter shifted in his sleep, eyes rapidly moving beneath his eyelids. Realms away in Storybrooke, Lillian dozed lightly against David's shoulder, lids fluttering enough that Henry took notice.

Lips traced her own, teasing and slow, and her lips curved into a smile. A huff came from above her, followed by a series of soft, amused chuckles that made her eyes crack open. Peter stared down, green eyes glinting in the semi-darkness. She didn't need to look around to know where they were.

"Your Thinking Tree." She closed her eyes, relaxing once more against the wide tree limb. The bark dug into her lower back, but she wasn't inclined to move just yet. After the fiasco the night of the welcome home party, she was in no hurry for their reunion - even if it was in dream form - to end. Peter, it seemed, had the same idea.

His lips went back to tracing her skin, gliding lazily across her cheek to the bridge of her nose, to the curve of her other cheek. Her nose crinkled at the ticklish sensation. His lips went lower, following the line of her neck, and his teeth lightly sank into the steady thrum of her pulse. Her breath hitched, eyes fluttering open to meet glazed over, heated emerald.

"Hello, love," he greeted quietly, pressing a nipping kiss to her parted lips. He licked his way into her mouth, a searing, possessive kiss that had her blood sluggishly pounding through her veins.

As he pressed into her, the sharp bite of the tree beneath her back, she tore her mouth away with a ragged gasp. "Not here!" She managed and twisted her head away.

His lips fell back to her neck, nipping and sucking. "Why?" He whispered, eyes suddenly soft. The desire cooled, though never fully banked, and he slid off her enough to tug her upright. He settled back against the trunk of the tree, her settled between his outstretched legs.

"I missed you," she whispered, face nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

He shuddered in response and lightly dug his fingers into her side. She jerked with a breathless giggle, an unapologetic smirk on her lips. "Careful," he warned lazily, a challenging light in his eye. "I'm already at the edges of my sanity."

"Twenty-eight years," she muttered, refusing to recall the long, torturous years between her return to the Enchanted Forest and the enactment of the Curse. It was different when she was cursed, with time flying by and she unaware. Not knowing what I was missing. She settled closer to his, arm tight around his chest.

He feathered a touch along the curve of her face, across her forehead, touch as light as a whisper. "And I missed you," he agreed with a sharp exhale. "I still miss you."

"I- "

"Lillian."

Her eyes snapped open in panic, but when she twisted round to look at him, Peter's features had already begun to fade. Scrambling, Lillian watched as both her and Neverland faded until she was left alone in darkness.

"Peter!"

Peter jerked awake with a gasp, tunic plastered to his chest with sweat. Shakily, he brushed his damp hair from his forehead, pulse hammering loudly. He felt Lillian, her pain and sadness, through the thin threads of their connection. He had to smile at the tinge of anger to those who had awakened her, hoping he could cultivate that anger when the time came.

For now… it was enough that he had touched her.

Storybrooke

Regina couldn't breathe. Heart thudding an uneven staccato against her rib cage, she compelled herself to hold her mother's placid, expectant gaze. Though Lillian had warned her, had told her of her suspicions, the younger woman hadn't spoken to her since the day before. A flush rose to her cheeks, and she suddenly felt light-headed. Don't pass out, don't show weakness. She chided herself angrily, rapidly schooling her features.

"You… I thought we stopped you." She finally snapped once she'd recovered enough for her brain to function. "How did you get through?"

Cora shrugged effortlessly. "Determination," she spared her daughter a thin-lipped smile, sensing she wouldn't be open to a more affectionate act. "I had to see you, I needed to tell you, that I know why you sent me through the looking glass." Regina's face whitened at the reminder of that day, but Cora pushed on. "And I know why you tried to have me killed. And it's… it's alright." She finished, taking a hesitant step toward her daughter.

Regina took an urgent step backward. "I think it's not alright."

For once, her mother took the hint and refrained from nearing her. "I love you." Cora whispered, empty chest aching suddenly. She pushed the feeling away. "I just… I've always shown it in all the wrong ways." She admitted, and Regina knew that was as close to an apology as she would get. "And I never should have made you marry the King, I'm so sorry." Taken aback, Regina listened, lips parted in surprise. "When you cried over my coffin, it… it all changed."

Regina felt something cold settle within her chest. "Oh, Lillian was right." She breathed, barely aware of her mother cocking an eyebrow in question. "You framed me – for the cricket."

"Temporarily." Cora told her, as if the details of said framing were inconsequential. "So you could see what these people really think of you."

"You made an airtight case, anyone would believe it." Except Henry. And Lillian, Regina added silently, seeing no reason to tell her mother of the other sorceress' involvement.

"I didn't want you to reject me," her mother replied. "Not again."

"You wanted me broken." Regina accused flatly.

Cora chose her words carefully. "Receptive."

"You are the most manipulative… no." Regina stopped herself, reigning in the impulse to tear her mother a new one. While it would help her feel better in the short term, in the long run, it would be detrimental. "I won't even argue." She felt a hysterical smile tugging at the corners of her lips and fought the impulse. "Come with me, we're going to town."

"It's the middle of the night." Cora reminded her needlessly.

"I don't care." Regina retorted sharply. "We'll wake them up – Emma and Henry and Lillian and the two idiots – and you can tell them how you lied." Her already incensed gaze narrowed further. "You owe me that."

"And then you'll let us start over?" Cora prodded gently, wise enough not to get ahead of herself.

It was her daughter's turn to shrug. "I don't see that happening, mother." She admitted faintly, to a painful throb within her chest. "But I am… I was trying so hard to be worthy of Henry." Her eyes narrowed once again. "And I deserve the same thing from you."

Cora paused for a brief moment, before she nodded resolutely. "You're right." She said softly, stepping aside for Regina to lead the way. "For you, sweetheart. Anything."

Ruby raced toward the docks, following the sour trail of alcohol Whale had left in his wake. As she neared, she saw him, on the very tip of a dock, with barely an inch between him and the edge. Staring at the watch, eyes flitting to the murky water below, he didn't hear Ruby until she made her presence known.

"Dr. Whale?" She called loudly, shattering the calm he'd felt.

His grip on Greg's watch tightened until his hand shook. Without turning to look at the woman, he shouted in reply. "Don't come near me!" Without another word, he tossed the watch into the water before following it himself.

Sprinting forward, with the help of the wolf inside her, Ruby managed to cross the distance between them quickly enough to catch Whale by the neck of his coat before his feet even touched the water.

Neverland

The first time he saw Lilith embrace Pan was over five years after her arrival on Neverland.

Though they had made good time on the supply run, even after the sorry business with the young mermaid and her father, Pan had not sent any lost boys to greet him upon their arrival. Though it was rare that Pan came himself, it was even rarer that he didn't send his lackeys to do it for him. Curious, Hook sent some of his men off into the jungle to search through the various camps the lost ones inhabited.

When they came back empty-handed, Hook led the last party himself, toward the only camp they knew of that hadn't been searched. When they arrived, the tell-tale sign of smoke and the flicker of flames gave away that the camp was currently in use. However, what he did not expect to see, was Lilith joining in the revels herself. She danced freely with the boys, a crow feather and beads weaved into her dark curls.

Hook watched her, mildly surprised to see the girl who, last he'd seen of her, had been sullen and vicious to anyone but Baelfire, laughing in delight when one of the older lost boys led her in a dance. He was quite sure his eyes were playing tricks on him when, seemingly from nowhere, Pan appeared and wrapped an arm about the girl's waist.

Last he'd seen, she abhorred the sight of Pan and loathed him with every breath.

Now, she relaxed in his embrace and smiled faintly up at him. There was a tenderness to Pan Hook had never seen when he stroked a hand alongside her rounded, tanned cheek. Even as the lost boys continued to dance wildly to the drum beat, Pan and Lilith slowed in the middle of the circle of boys. His hand spanned the slight curve of her waist, the other rested on her neck, fingers stroking her cheek. Her hands rested on his chest, one snaking up to tangle in his hair.

The tender sight turned his stomach more than if he had stumbled upon them kissing, though they did nothing more than exchange chaste touches within the circle of Pan's followers. He did not need to follow them to know that their dynamic had changed, that it was no longer that of the captor and captive.

Storybrooke

Though he'd initially been rather resentful of her hindering of his suicide attempt, Whale had calmed down rather quickly. Seated side by side on the docks edge, overlooking the water, Ruby listened patiently as the now, mostly, sober doctor spoke of his life.

"I wanted my name to stand for life," he muttered, clearly shaken up by the traumatic events he'd detailed for her. "But everybody just thinks it's the name of a monster. I guess they're right about that." He looked down at his hands, twisting and clenched in his lap. "Rumpelstiltskin says that magic has a price. But, from where I'm sitting, seems that science does, too." His eyes raised, though they continued to avoid Ruby. "Every time I try to save a life, someone else dies."

Ruby shook her head, touching his tense shoulder with a gentle hand. "Hey," she whispered, squeezing softly until he turned to look her in the eye. "Yeah. Look, you're Frankenstein," she admitted, using the titles this worlds' media had given them. "And I'm the werewolf. I ate my boyfriend," she reminded him, not taking offense when he blanched. "Regina thought she was punishing us by erasing who we were, but I think she underestimated how much crap we wanted to forget."

He managed a trembling excuse for a smile. "Yeah."

"But… we can't let it stop us. She gave us a chance to start over, and I want to take it." He covered her hand with his own and squeezed gently before it fell back to his lap. "I think you should, too."

"I wasn't such a bad guy, you know." He breathed out, eyes drawn once more to the sea. "I wanted to bring life back. But he never got over our mother," he sighed deeply, still troubled by the fact even now, years later. "If I could've just brought her back- "

Ruby stared at him intently, though for once, Whale wasn't uncomfortable with the scrutiny. "That guy in the hospital – someone keeps calling for him," she confided quietly. "Maybe a wife, a mother." She managed to spare him a faint, hopeful smile. "Maybe, there's still some stuff you can fix."

Though her mother had glanced at the car like it was a wild beast, she'd gracefully climbed into the passenger seat. Driving down Main Street, Regina spared her mother a glance before returning her eyes to the deserted road.

"Nervous?"

Cora's lips pulled up into an uneasy smile. "Not about owning up to what I've done," she told Regina, shifting restlessly. "It's just… these carriages are strange. And something's irritating me… " From her side, she pulled out the handprint craft she'd taken from Regina's home. "Oh," she breathed, as if overcome by emotion at the sight of it. "'For Mommy'. Oh, that used to be you."

Regina blinked at the craft, then at her mother's guileless smile. "When were you in my house?"

Cora tilted her head innocently. "I haven't had the pleasure." She demurred.

"That was in my house." Regina stated, figurative feathers growing increasingly ruffled. She carefully slowed the car, maneuvering it toward the nearest, empty parking lot. "Think I don't know where that was? It's one of my most treasured possessions."

"Well, let's be honest," Cora began, bait set and trap at the ready. "Taking me to be pilloried by the town might gain you some points, but, as long as Emma and her parents are here, he's not really yours. Not like he was when he made things for his one and only mommy." She reminded her daughter, watching as the blood began to drain from her features. "You've been too bad for too long, and now they see you as a… a snake." She stared at Regina curiously, puzzling it out. "You don't want their love at all. What do you want?"

"My son back." Regina whispered, stopping the car and putting it in park before she turned to face her mother.

"And I want my daughter back." Cora retorted honestly. "I meant everything I said earlier. I am so sorry, I can do better." She caught the flash of tears in her daughter's eyes, tears the girl rapidly blinked away. "I won't push you away again. Let me into your heart. Together, we can get him back again."

Without a word, Regina leaned across the seat and rested her head on Cora's shoulder. Releasing a breath that seemed to rattle her bones, Cora enveloped her daughter tightly in her arms for the first time in decades.

"How?"

Hidden from her daughter's sight, Cora allowed a devious smile to bloom. "Oh, I have a few thoughts."

Lillian was rudely jostled awake by David, whose hand remained on her shoulder as he helped her tired body to stand. Henry stood on her other side, propping her up. He was the only one in the assembled group who noticed, as she dragged a hand through her messy curls, the faint bruise on the side of her neck. His mouth opened to question her, only for his grandmother's relieved gasp to distract him.

"You're back," she breathed as Whale and Ruby entered the hospital, both smiling widely.

"Finally," Emma muttered, all but springing from her seat.

"I don't know why everyone's so worried," Whale said, sharing a conspiratorial smile with Ruby before he continued to address the group crowded around him. "I was just stretching my legs." His lips twisted into a confident grin that took all but Ruby aback. "Now, I'm going to go do this thing."

Neverland

"Killian," Lily greeted, a small smile on her features. Though she was wary around him, and others, despite her years on the island, she had warmed up considerably since their first meeting. "What brings you so far inland?"

"A fair question, lass," he muttered, returning the expression with a faint smirk of his own. Her nose wrinkled at the flirtations he continued to use on her, even though she'd always returned his attempts at charming her with sarcasm and harsh words. "I could ask the same of you - I've noticed you and young Baelfire have stopped combing the beeches."

Her eyes slid away in silence, though every inch of her was tense. His words hung in the air and curdled unpleasantly before she exhaled, releasing the sudden tension between them. "We haven't spoken in some time," she reminded him, turning so her hair hid much of her features. "Much has changed, Killian."

"Aye," he agreed, having seen such 'change' with his own two eyes. "It has."

She met his gaze squarely, shoulders back and back straight, proud as any queen. Her eyes were cold, with no hint of the warmth he'd managed to create in her over the past few years. She was on the defensive, he realized. She feels she has something to hide. The idea that she wanted his approval, however ludicrous, warmed him somewhat, enough to drop the topic.

For now.

He settled beside her, careful enough to leave a large enough space that she felt comfortable. He'd learned very early on that, unless she wished it, no one should think they could become close to her, physically or emotionally. The only one seemingly exempt from that unspoken rule was Baelfire, who had carved a niche for himself in her heart without even trying. The boy clung to her like an older sister, and Hook was baffled by their closeness. Especially given the boy's hatred of magic.

"Where's Baelfire this fine day?"

She rolled her eyes heavenward. As always, the sun was partially obscured by clouds. Though it had been bright and sunny, without a cloud in the sky that day he'd arrived with Liam, he'd noticed an ever increasing amount of cloud coverage during the days.

"He's hiding, as you well know." Though Pan kept many secrets, Lilith was slightly more forthcoming, especially when it would piss of Pan to no end. After his men had run into at least three search parties, then her, Lilith explained, with a secret smirk, that Baelfire had gone missing from the camp.

That had been at least a year ago, if not more. It was tricky to keep track of time on an island where time essentially stood still.

"You are not with him?" He asked casually. If he prodded too much, she was liable to snap and disappear for weeks on end.

Her shoulders tensed once more. "No." She answered shortly. "We decided it was too risky for me to keep seeking him out. Pe- " she caught herself, though her expression betrayed nothing. "Pan keeps a close watch on me most of the time."

Hook kept his expression appropriately patronizing. "Yes. I'm sure he does."

Storybrooke

Several hours before dawn, Whale slipped into the hallway outside the OR, just before the waiting room the Charmings and Co. had claimed as their own. Ruby slipped from the doors, and he glimpsed sight of only Henry sleeping on Lillian before the woman lightly shut the door behind her.

"Where are they?" He asked, half expecting David to leap from the walls themselves.

"Getting coffee from the machine," Ruby answered with a negligent wave of her hand. "What's the verdict?" She demanded, getting to more important matters.

"He'll live."

Her eyes widened in growing shock. "You did it?"

"Thank you." The grin split his face and made his cheeks burn. But it felt good. "Monster to monster."

"You did it!" She cheered, arms wrapping around his shoulders in a quick, but warm hug, before she drew back. Turning on her heel, she led him into the waiting room where the others had just entered from the opposite door.

David, hoping he was reading their expressions correctly, dared to ask, "He's going to make it?"

Whale nodded once, still smiling. "He's got some recuperating ahead of him – a few weeks, maybe – but yes. He's going to live."

Mary Margaret clasped her hands together. "Thank goodness."

"Or me." Whale shrugged with a rakish grin.

Leroy scowled blackly. "Telling you right now, this will come to no good."

"Quiet, Leroy." David warned halfheartedly. His wife all but bounced in excitement beside him, taking up most of his attention. He turned to see Lillian gently shaking Henry awake, her mouth moving with words too low for David to hear.

"I want to talk to him."

The doctor nodded at Emma's words. "He's waking up now."

"Already?"

Whale's expression turned sheepish at Ruby's startled expression. "I waited a couple of hours to tell you in case he, you know, keeled over. But so far, so good."

Mary Margaret blinked. "Alright, then."

"Well, let's talk to him."

Emma jumped in front of her parents before they could barge headlong into the poor man's room. "We're not talking to him as a group," she told them sternly. "We're not a group Sheriff."

"But, we've been doing this together." Her mother floundered, sounding both parts hurt and miffed at being excluded.

Emma's eyes widened obdurately. "We're trying to convince this guy this place is normal." She reminded. "In a normal town, the Sheriff goes in and asks a few questions. She doesn't bring her parents in with her."

"She's right," Lillian called from her seat where, despite his excitement that Whale had succeeded, Henry had all but curled into her lap to sleep.

David turned to his wife. "It's probably true." He shrugged, able to admit defeat.

Lips pursed, though her daughter was unmoved by the sight, Mary Margaret crossed her arms with a sigh. "We'll be right here, then."

With a last nod to them, Emma turned on her heel and slipped from the waiting room.

The man - Greg - was sitting up in bed when Emma entered, wide awake. He blinked at the sight of her, eyeing her clothing for a moemnt.

"Nurse?" He asked, clearly unsure if it was the right title.

"Sheriff Swan, actually." Emma corrected.

He smiled in apology. "I'm thirsty."

Mildly irked by his words, though the pitcher of water was clearly out of his reach, Emma poured him a glass and handed it over. As he sipped it, she placed the bag of his belongings, minus the watch Whale had taken, on the bedside table.

"Here, I have your personal effects. I'm just going to put them here, okay?" Once he'd nodded, she crossed her arms loosely over her chest. "So, Mr. Mendell, I wanted to talk to you about the accident."

What little color had returned to his cheeks drained in an instant. "Did I hit somebody?" Realization, cold and awful, dawned on him. "Oh, my God, I hit someone. Is he okay?"

"Don't worry about him." Emma answered, immediately regretting her hasty words. Greg looked confused, a reaction she couldn't fault him for. "I mean, the… the damage was pretty minor." She amended weakly, hoping he'd just forget about her apparent lack of empathy, something a normal sheriff would usually have in excess.

"Oh, thank God."

Inwardly thanking her luck, Emma pressed. "But, I do need you to state what happened in your own words – what you did, what you saw."

Greg stared at her oddly again, eyes screwed up in thought. "Well, I… I didn't see anything. I- "

"Well, you were driving."

He nodded. "Yeah, I mean… I saw the road, of course."

Emma continued, unsure how to broach the subject. "I just think I might be able to put your mind at ease." She tried, hoping that he would catch on so she wouldn't have to say the word 'magic'. "There might be…an explanation if you saw- "

"I was texting."

She felt like she'd been punched in the solar plexus. "Oh."

"I looked down, just for a second," he explained, guilt clouding his banged up countenance. "And when I looked back up, he was… he was right there. And he was too close to avoid, but I… I know that it's not legal in Maine." He finished, clearly wary of what she'd do with the information he'd supplied.

"It's okay," she said, wanting nothing more than to kiss him in relief. "I'm just glad that you… were honest with me."

"So, no charges?" He asked slowly.

Emma nodded, thanking whatever deity might have been listening. "No, no charges. I will let you go with a warning this time."

"Thank you," a relieved expression broke out. "So when… when can I head home?"

"As soon as the doctor clears you." She answered quickly, hoping Whale would be able to do that as soon as possible. "We don't want to keep you." With a last nod his way, Emma turned on her heel and walked out of the room as fast as she dared. Once she was out of sight, she rushed to the waiting room where everyone, including Henry, was on their feet, waiting for her.

Leroy was the first to speak. "He didn't see anything?"

"Free and clear." Emma was suddenly aware of how badly her knees were shaking.

Her mother breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good."

David expelled the air in his lungs heavily. Lillian, who was once more between him and Henry, leaned heavily against him. "Now maybe, things can calm down for ten minutes and we can catch our breath."

Staring at the box Cora had gifted him, Gold approached it cautiously. While he didn't fully trust that it was what she claimed, he was confident he could handle whatever petty tricks she might have thrown his way. Reaching to take the globe from its container, Gold set it on the counter and reached for it.

The prick on the tip of his finger barely fazed him; he was more interested in what his blood would do on the clear surface of the glove. He watched as the globe began to glow and rotate, his blood forming into a map of the world. One area stood out, brighter than the rest, and he felt as if all the breath had been stolen from his lungs at the sight.

"Bae."

They entered the loft, all dead on their feet. David carried Henry inside, Mary Margaret and Lillian leaning on each other, with Emma bringing up the rear. As David settled Henry on his and Mary Margaret's bed in the corner, the three women went to the kitchen.

"Cereal okay?" Mary Margaret called, holding out the box for everyone to see.

"Yeah." Emma plopped down on a stool, limbs heavy and weak from lack of sleep. She cradled her face in her hands as Lillian summoned the bowls from her seat on the counter. As she handed them out one by one, David picking up the spoons, the blonde finally voiced her thoughts. "So, Rumpelstiltskin and Captain Hook got in a fight, someone got hurt, and Dr. Frankenstein saved his life."

Lillian paused thoughtfully, swaying enough that David reached out to steady her. "Yeah, that about sums it up."

"At least it was without the neck bolts."

"The monster didn't even have neck bolts," the teen said crossly, sniffing as if Emma's lack of literary knowledge disgusted her.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Right, but either way, some of us having known him… it's weird." She wrinkled her nose at her mother, who colored like an apple.

"It's not weird," Mary Margaret retorted quickly, bustling around to grab the milk. "We're past it. We were cursed."

Henry, voice muffled and heavy with sleep, called from bed. "What're you talkin' 'bout?"

"Nothing!" David called back, rapidly drawing his hand across his throat in an effort to get them to stop talking.

Lillian suddenly perked up. "Wait." She hopped from the counter and clambered up the stairs.

Henry had begun to sit up in the bed, though easily acquiesced when his grandpa crossed the room to tuck him into the large bed.

"Really, it's nothing." Mary Margaret fretted, shooting her grandson a look as Lillian came down the stairs.

"I've just realized," she placed Henry's storybook on the counter and flipped through the pages. "Frankenstein isn't in here - it's not even a fairy tale, it's a novel." Her blue eyes, bloodshot from lack of sleep, were wide. She spared a glance at Henry, whose eyes were once more open.

"But… that means it comes from a land with different stories," Henry muttered, so softly they all strained to hear it.

Everyone paused, letting the tidbit of information that, while seemingly small, was a whole other can of worms. Unwilling to deal with it, as she hadn't slept it what felt like days, Emma returned to her cereal. "Let's just eat," she said between mouthfuls. "I really wanna go to bed."

"So the Curse might have gone to places with different stories." Lillian muttered, carrying two bowls toward the bed, helping Henry to sit up and wake up enough that he could eat. While she'd known how the Curse worked, she'd never paid too much attention to the finer details. It seems I should have.

"I wonder who knows who else is in this town?" Henry muttered between yawns, accepting the bowl Lillian offered.

Before anyone could reply, though no one felt up to it, a knock came from the door. Emma, after exchanging surprised looks with her parents, stood and went to the door. It opened before she could answer it, revealing Gold, who let himself in.

"Gold," Emma greeted flatly, arms crossing tightly. Lillian drew up to Emma's side, eyes sweeping over her guardian's haggard appearance, hiding the faint stirrings of concern the sight brought her. "We've all had a long night."

"You remember that favour you owe me, Miss Swan?" Gold questioned without preamble, the rapid change of subject making Emma's head want to spin.

Though she heard Lillian's disbelieving scoff that told her the teen knew what this was about, Emma refused to take her eyes off Gold. "Yeah." She acknowledged.

"I'm cashing it in."

"It's not… a good… " She trailed off, suddenly aware of the dangerous lilt to his voice, the barely restrained anguish that lent an unstable air to the already dangerous man.

"You do honor your agreements, don't you?" He continued breezily, the pleasantness of his words completely at odds with the tightness of his shoulders. "I need to find someone, so we're leaving today. You as well, Lillian," he ordered his assistant, who bristled. "Pack your bags."

Mary Margaret and David had joined them at the door. "Leaving?" The former repeated incredulously.

"W-where?" Henry asked, sinking into Lillian's embrace when Gold's displeased mien showed itself.

"Wait," Emma held up her hands, attempting to make sense of the last five minutes. "Find someone? Who?" She asked, head truly beginning to spin.

"My son." Gold answered. "It has to be today, because every minute I'm here, is a minute closer to me killing Hook." He spat through clenched teeth. "So it's really best for all concerned if I leave, and you're going to come with me." He turned on his heel, prepared to leave without another word. Suddenly, he paused and turned back around, a quiet kind of madness overtaking his face. "Oh, and, um, we have a long history. So know this, and know it to be true." His gaze swept over each and every one of them, including Lillian. "If any harm comes to Belle while I'm gone, I'm killing all of you." He settled on a gaping Emma and quietly furious Lillian. "I'll see you at noon."

Alone in his hospital room, Greg quickly checked for any incoming nurses or doctors. Finding none, he reached into his back of belongings and dug out his cellphone. Once more making sure he was alone, he dialed a number as familiar as his name.

"Honey?" He greeted with a faint sigh, barely able to hear she was talking so fast. "I… I… I know. Just wait, wait." He said, attempting to calm her down enough that she would hear what he had to say. "Just listen. Just listen. Okay?" He had to smile at her rapid questions. "Yes, I'm okay." He assured her. "I… I was in an accident. And, honey… you're not going to believe what I saw."

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?