Hey guys! So this episode is going to be split into two parts because I decided to make life hard for myself and add a whole new story line. The next chapter won't be too long but this chapter would have gone forever if I included it. I think I might have started to bore myself if I did that. Hope you like the latest update my lovleys
Enchanted Forest
It was done. She had finally managed to get the revenge she craved for so long. Regina paced the halls of the palace trying to find joy in her success but for some reason it didn't feel as fulfilling as she thought it would. The gaping hole in her heart still seemed to be there as black as before. With a shake of her head she pushed her thoughts away and headed to the dungeon to see her prisoner.
"What took you so long?" Rumple smiled as the Queen graced him with her presence.
"You know what took so long," Regina growled
"Oh, yes. The curse," Rumple giggled. "You did it."
"That's right. I did it. And I wanted you to know it before you, like all the other pathetic denizens of this wretched land, forgets everything," the Queen couldn't deny, she was enjoying this bit.
"How did it feel?" A serious look appeared on the older man's face.
"Watching the curse cloud form? Felt like victory," she only half lied.
Rumpelstiltskin burst out into a fit of giggles, confusing his captor. "How did you feel to kill the thing you love most? Ripping the heart out of your father? How did that feel?"
Regina looked slightly taken aback but soon put her mask back in place. "It was the price of the curse. How it felt doesn't matter. He would have understood. I took my life back. I had to. I won."
The man gave her a look of disbelief. "And yet, here you are. Feeling the need to gloat. Something's missing, isn't it, dearie? Maybe it's not your father at all. Maybe it's that little girl you threw into the abyss that is dampening your parade," he knew he got her with that one.
"Not at all. I have everything I want. Nothing can stop me now," she didn't even believe herself. She had asked herself whether she had done the right thing ever since she watched her baby disappear. It haunted her at night, not knowing where the girl ended up or if she was even safe. But then she remembered Daniels dying breath and her anger took over her despair. She did what she had to. If her daughter knew the truth she would understand.
"Not quite," Rumple broke her out her turmoil.
"What does that mean?" She demanded.
"The savior, the child of Snow White and Prince Charming," Regina just scoffed in response. "She can stop you," the man continued. "She can break the curse."
"Well, looks like getting rid of another baby made my to-do list," her eyes had an evil glint. Nothing was going to stand in her way. Not after everything she sacrificed.
"Of course it did. But even if you succeed with that, you have an even bigger problem. Now there's a hole in your heart and someday you will come to me to fill it," the man spoke in his normal riddles.
"You underestimate your powers of foresight," With that Regina turned to leave, done with the man trying to ruin her mood.
"And you underestimate the price of what you've done!" Rumple screamed before returning to his sing song voice. "You shall see! The hole your daughter left behind will not be filled! You will come to me."
The Queen spun on her heels going back to the man behind bars. "Your taunts will get you nowhere! I know you too well. You want to make another deal. Well, I won't."
Rumple burst out laughing. "A deal? You already promised me a good life in this new land. What more than I want from you?"
"Oh, to be let out of this cage. To be let out of our last deal. To escape the curse," the woman snarled.
"But why would I desire that, dearie? I'm exactly where I want to be," a Cheshire cat grin formed on the man's face. Let the games begin.
Neverland
Skull Rock seemed to lose all its beauty as the teenage girl lied there: getting paler and colder by the second. Regina and Emma kneeled either side of their daughter, trying and failing to wake her up.
"Oh god, is she unconscious?" Emma's panicked voice spoke first.
"Sarah, can you hear us?" Regina added.
"She passed out as soon as her heart went into Pan," Neal knew this wasn't good. As he looked at the crying mothers, he wondered how they would get through this. He couldn't imagine how he would feel if Henry was the one lying there dead.
"Is she breathing?" Regina noticed the girl's lips turning a light shade of blue.
Neal bent down to check for himself but there was no way to tell. "I don't know."
Before anymore could be said, Pan descended from the ceiling. "What the hell did you do to her?" Emma screamed at the boy.
Pan chuckled to himself. "Oh, I didn't do anything, Emma. It was Sarah. She offered me her heart of her own free will."
No longer thinking rationally, Emma withdrew her sword in pure rage. "I'm going to take it back from you," the blonde lunged forward only to be greeted by thin air.
Pan appeared a few feet away picking up Pandora's box. "I don't think you have it in you. Rumpelstiltskin didn't," the boy tossed the box in his hands. "Why should you?"
Realising the older man was missing Emma questioned the boy. "Where is he?"
"What did you do?" Neal stood, suddenly concerned for his father.
"Oh, he's right in this box. Safe and sound. And out of the way. Unfortunately for you, he can't hurt me anymore. And neither can you," the boy smirked once more.
"Really?" The blonde lunged forward cutting the boys arm with her sword. "How did that feel?"
"Like a tickle," Pan tried to shrug the incident off but soon flew away from the enraged parents.
With the boy gone, Emma returned to her daughters' side. "How is she?"
Regina ignored the other woman's request, rubbing her daughters' arm and speaking softly. "You're going to be all right, Sarah. We're going to get you home."
After a few more moments of pulling herself together, Regina stood knowing she needed to act. She started casting a spell over the girl's body. "This preservation spell can keep her in this condition for a while longer. Buy us time to get to Pan," she said matter of factly.
Emma turned to Neal needing some guidance. "You were a Lost Boy. Any idea where he went?"
"Well, I, I know where he lived. Where his compound..." Neal began but was soon interrupted by the mayor.
"That's idiotic," the brunette woman snapped. "We all know that. Think he's stupid enough to go back? Please."
"Enough," Emma tried to intervene.
"Don't tell me what's enough. My daughter is dying!" The woman yelled.
"Our daughter," Emma corrected. "So, yes, I know how you feel."
"You have no idea what I feel," Regina knelt once again by the teens side. "You have your parents. You have this—" she gestures to Neal "—person; a pirate who pines for you. You have everything and yet you claim to know what I feel?" With that her voice began to break. "All I have is Sarah and Henry and I'm not about to lose them because they are everything."
Emma knelt down to make eye contact with the other woman. "You're right. I don't know what you feel. But for a long time, there it was just me and Sarah. A day without her does not seem possible. I can't even remember my life without her. But I know you're hurting too, so what do you want to do? You want to run the show? Run it. How do we save Sarah?"
Regina thought about it for a second before whispering in defeat. "I don't know."
"Even if we can find Pan, he was probably powerful before without Sarah's heart. I-I don't know if we can hurt him," Neal piped up.
Regina pointed to the blood on Emma's sword. "Yes, we can. Look. You nicked him. He can bleed. We can hurt him. And if we can hurt him, we can kill him. And we will," the evil queen was about to make an appearance.
Neal managed to lift Sarah to take her back to Pan's camp where the rest of the team resided. Emma couldn't bear the thought of her daughter lying in that drafty cave a minute longer. She needed a plan and she needed it fast. Once back at camp the three explained to the Charming's what had happened in their absence.
"Gold is in a box. And David can never leave the island," Mary Margaret sighed in dismay.
"And your granddaughters dead," Regina snapped. "What a way to prioritise."
"Regina's right," David agreed, much to the mayor's surprise. "What matters is Sarah. How much time do we have left?"
Regina sighed moving her stare to the teen lying in a cot. "Maybe an hour before the preservation spell wears off."
"If he's airborne, he can be anywhere on the island," Neal was struggling to find anyway forward.
"Now is just as much time I suggest we get started looking," Hook piped up, desperate to get off the island.
Regina spotted Felix sitting close by and soon stormed over to him. "Where is he?!" She screamed but the boy didn't even seem to flinch.
"Gone," he answered simply. "There's nothing you can do. He's already won. Pan never fails."
"You won't talk? How about I make you talk?" Regina lunged forward to rip out the teens heart but was soon stopped by the sheriff grabbing her arm.
"Regina, wait," Emma tried to reason but the brunette mother was too far gone.
"There's no time!" She snapped at the blonde, rage flowing through her veins.
"I don't think torture is our best move here," she loosened her grip slightly. "Look at these kids," she looked around at the young boys that filled the camp. "They've been to hell and back. We need to try something else."
"They don't respond to reason," Regina shrugged out of the blondes hold. "What else do you have to offer?"
Looking at her mother and then her sleeping child she knew the answer as clear as day. "What every kid wants. A mother."
With that Emma made her way over to a log standing over the crowd. "Guys, listen to me. We are not going to hurt you. I know you're loyal to Pan and I get that, but you are making a terrible mistake. For a long time, I thought I was never going to find my family. I was an orphan like all of you. A lost girl. And I was reminded today that I am not alone," she looked over to her parents. That I have a lot of people who love me." The blonde then moved her gaze to her child. "Something got me through the hard stuff though. And it is that girl barely hanging onto life. I need her back," Emma felt her voice begin to crack. "I need to remind her she is loved. That she has place she belongs. If that can happen to me and my kid, it can happen to you."
"Pan is the only family we need," Felix piped up.
"No, family doesn't do what he did," she felt anger begin to bubble inside her. "Pan lied to you and made you do terrible things. He lied to Sarah and convinced her to give up her own heart!"
"To save the island," one kid shouted.
"No, to save himself," Emma corrected.
"Don't listen to her. Pan cares about all of us," Felix knew he somehow had to bring this back. He couldn't let them win.
"No, he doesn't. We care about you. And we can save you. We can take you home with us. To our land. There's no reason to fear Pan anymore. Until he absorbs the power from Sarah's heart, he can be stopped," the blonde insisted.
"You just have to tell us where he is," Mary Margaret added to assist her daughter.
Felix stood up practically growling at the family. "Leave now while Pan still allows you to breathe. That's the only hope you'll get."
Emma turned to where the boy had been pushed back into his seat by Hook. "Where is Pan?"
"Not. Telling," the boy snarled.
Before Emma could respond another lost boys, voice broke out. "Can you really bring us home?"
"Shut your mouth!" Felix snapped.
Emma made her way over to the little boy kneeling in front of him. "Yes, with your help."
The lost boy thought it through for a second before responding. "His thinking trees."
"NOOO! STOP IT ALL OF YOU!" Felix bellowed.
"What is that?" Emma questioned ignoring the shouting teen.
"That's where he goes when he wants to be alone. You can find him there. It's not far," the little boy smiled, proud he was able to help.
"No, don't trust her!" Felix tried one last time.
"Can you tell us where that is?" The blonde said softly, keeping her attention on the young boy in front of her.
"But you have to swear... swear that you'll take us with you," the earnest look in the boys eyes almost broke Emma's heart.
"I promise," Emma answered tearfully. "We are going home."
As the boys explained where Pans thinking tree was, Wendy made her way over to Sarah's side. She wasn't sure why but there was something about the teen she felt she could relate to. She took a cold cloth and put it on the young girl's head, praying she would wake up soon.
"The Pixie Woods? That's where he is?" Regina questioned when the boys finished their explanation.
"It's just north of here. It's where the pixie dust used to grow," the boys nodded.
Emma got to her feet turning to the pirate. "You know where that is?"
"Aye," Hook nodded. "The whole region is deserted now. No one but Pan has set foot in those woods in centuries."
"Then let's make history," Neal joined the group ready to head out.
Emma turned to Neal. "We're going to need you here. Once we get Sarah's heart, it's a race back. We need help on both ends."
"Okay," the man reluctantly agreed.
"What do you need from us?" David piped up.
Neal began giving the rest their orders as the team began to split off. They had one last chance to save the teens life. Here goes nothing.
As Regina, Emma and Mary Margret made it through the jungle none of them dared say a word. Pan had outsmarted them more than once and they were determined not to let It happen again. At least that's what they thought. When they made it to a clearing that's where they saw it. Pandora's box sat on a rock.
"Look," Regina motioned to the box, causing Emma to take out her sword. Mary Margaret dropped her bag and slowly made her way over to the box. "Careful," Regina hissed. "Pan wouldn't have just left it behind for no reason.
Mary Margaret turned to her step mother. "It's David's only way home. Without Gold, we're stuck here—" as the teacher tried to grab the box vines spun around her, flinging her against a tree. Once the teacher was locked against the tree, Regina and Emma met the same fate causing Emma's sword to fall out of her hand. The three of them struggled against the vines but to no avail. It was then another voice joined them in the clearing.
"You're still at it. Don't you know—" Pan picks up the sword. "—Peter Pan never fails? I didn't expect you to find me. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. You're mothers. Quite tenacious about your offspring," All three ladies glared at the boy. "Believe it or not, I understand that. But if you're looking to see Sarah again, I have to tell you there's only one place you'll be reunited—in death." The women kept trying to fight much to Pan's amusement. "Having trouble moving? Can't be surprised given where you are. Do you see what is hastening your demise is your regret?"
"What are you talking about?" Emma was getting sick of this game.
Pan looked up at the tree. "This tree is the site of a very important event for me. I abandoned my boy here."
"You have a son?" Regina couldn't believe her ears.
"I'm older than I look," the boy smiled.
"If you have a child, you must regret losing him, too," Emma couldn't imagine a parent not regretting losing her child.
"But I don't. Quite the opposite, actually," he picked up the box, turning it in his hands. "See, I have him all boxed up so I don't lose him again."
"Rumpelstiltskin is your son?" Regina asked, although everything was starting to make sense.
"That he is," Pan stared at the box in his hands.
"How's that possible? You're—" Mary Margaret was truly confused.
"Younger than him?" Pan smiled. "Not really. Just like you and your daughter," he gestured to Mary Margaret before turning to Emma. "Your daughter is actually older than you if you think about it."
"You're a fraud. Your magic is weakened. You can't even hurt us; let alone Rumpelstiltskin," the Queen snarled, fighting till the end.
"You're right. But that's why I'm here. This tree will protect me till my power's restored. And then, well... then I get to have some real fun. Then I won't ever have to worry about my child again. Something we will all soon have in common," he smirked causing Emma to lunge at the boy but stayed held by the vines.
"There has to be another way," the blonde could feel her daughter slipping away with every passing second.
"You're not going to get to me. See, this tree attacks the regret inside anyone who comes here, and you, you've got plenty," the boy knew he had won.
"I regret not taking a better shot at you when I had the chance," Emma spoke honestly.
Pan smirked, taking a step towards the trio. "That's not all, is it, savior? No. I have your daughter's heart inside me. I can feel just how much you let her down time and time again."
"Leave her alone," Snow jumped to her daughter's defense.
"Perhaps I should," the boy agreed. "After all, what chance did you have of being a good mother? Look at the example you set. Abandoning her for twenty-eight years. And you," he turned to Regina. "Throwing your own child away for revenge against what a 10-year-old did you. And then what did you do? You went and got another child to replace her," Regina could feel her emotions getting the better of her. "Do you have any idea how much you hurt her? How much you've all hurt her."
"Are you finished?" Emma was getting bored of this.
"Last words from the saviour. Perhaps a deathbed confession," he smirked.
"Yeah, there's one problem with that. I did put my son up for adoption. I did steal and lie most of my life, and your right I have let my daughter down in the past. I should be overflowing with regret, but, I'm not," with that the blonde pulled herself and her companions from the tree, the vines falling away. "Because it got me my daughter," as Emma finished Regina walked forward, pulling Sarah's heart from Pan's chest, causing Pan to fall to the ground. "Now, let's go save Sarah."
The three of them made their way to the jolly roger running on board. "Sarah? Where is she?" Emma yelled as they made it on the deck.
"She's over here!" Neal yelled, as both the teens mothers rushed to her side.
"Hold on, Sarah," Regina whispered softly as she carefully pushed the heart back into the girl's chest.
"Sarah?" Emma whispered as the girl remained motionless. "Are we too late?" This couldn't be happening. She wouldn't let it.
Before anymore could be said a gasp escaped the young girls' lips as her eyes flew open. Before she had chance to work out where she was both mothers pulled her into a tight hug. She held on for dear life not daring to lose them again. "It took you long enough," she mumbled into her mother's hair causing both women to let out a small chuckle.
"Take it easy, buddy," Neal whispered with a smile.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to save magic," the girl quickly rambled.
"It's okay. It's okay," Emma whispered softly.
The teen looked at the faces around her before she realised one was missing. "Wait… where's dad?" Emma felt the colour drain from her face. How was she going to explain this one?
Okay so a couple of things: Emma had to be the one to break through from the tree as Regina in this story has the regret of giving up Sarah for her own gain whereas Emma gave Henry up to give him his best chance. Also, I have not forgot about Zac we are going to go back and get him but I have a few twists and turns in the next few chapters. Dun Dun Der. As always let me know what you think so I can see who is still reading on. Thanks guys.