Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.
I'm sorry about the wait, and sorry that I made you all think I was injured, or dead, or in a coma.
Alright, so I've set up a Tumblr for this (goodbyemeansforgetting1) , feel free to post art, comments, questions etc... whatever your hearts' desire. I'll be attempting to post previews and little one-shot pieces when I get a chance.
And to answer several questions and/or comments posed: Emma is a character that I feel rather bipolar with sometimes... I didn't mind her all that much at first, but by the time season three rolled around (mostly the second half) I couldn't bloody stand her. To me, being called the savior and everything so much just made her cocky.
Lily is called 'Lily' because that's her name. 'Lilith' was given to her by Rumple, and 'Lillian' by Regina.
I really hope you won't have to wait three months for the next posting... please don't quote me on that though...
So, chibbichibbi98 asked if Lily was a fairy princess - she is a princess, though not a fairy. Her mother, who was a princess already, was kidnapped by a fairy, whose intent was to make her - Katerina - a fairy. That whole plot point of Lily being a princess will come back much, much later in the story.
With Baelfire/Neal, Lillian will be going with Emma, Gold and Henry to find him in New York and I'm sure you can guess how that reunion will go. As for Lillian going to the Enchanted Forest with Mary Margaret and Emma, and seeing Hook, you'll find out very soon.
And lastly, with the whole Peter Pan/Malcolm thing (which always creeped me out even when I rewrote it to make more sense and be less... disturbing, for lack of a better term...) I'm going in a slightly different direction that is probably going to make you all want to murder me for the majority of the season 3 chapters...
Anyway, it's good to be back, and I hope you all enjoy the last chapter of season 1... all 10,000 words of it
Chapter playlist: 'Air Raid Drill' from 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part I'
Lilith wrapped an arm around Bae's shoulders, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt. The lost boys, each holding objects of varying sharpness, encircled them threateningly. While she could tell the boy beneath her grasp was more resigned than fearful, she still bristled inwardly at the derisive sneer the nearest boy sent her.
"Baelfire can't help you -" She ducked underneath the spear when he made to poke her, her fingers digging into his chest with a sickening squish.
Eyebrow raised, the now red-eyed girl closed her hand around the pulsating heart and squeezed. Hard.
The boy fell to the ground, Lilith's hand slipping effortlessly from the confines of his chest, wheezing on hands and knees. The other boys lost their smirks and backed away from the glaring girl warily, all except one.
Baelfire stared at the girl before him, brow creased. Despite his hatred for all things magic, and for all magic users, he couldn't help but feel a kind of kinship with the teen. Like him, she was trapped here, because of his father. While Lilith was not innocent, as she'd clearly, eagerly, become his father's student of her own free will, it was obvious that she hadn't journeyed to Neverland just to take in the sights.
She was trapped here, whether she liked it or nor, all because she'd promised herself that she would find him, all for his father. While Bae still loved his father, still dreamed that he'd come one day to rescue him, he couldn't understand how his father, who was worse than ever, could inspire such loyalty in anyone.
Lilith moved, sweeping gracefully into a crouch, distracting him from his thoughts. Leaning close to the still gasping lost boy, she flicked her hand, an ornate dagger appearing.
"Come near me again, and I won't need magic to carve out your heart," the threat hung in the suddenly oppressive air, nearly choking all present.
Slow, meaningful claps broke through the stillness. Everyone, bar Lilith, turned to see Pan against the trunk of a nearby tree, his pale, angular face twisted into an amused smirk. Bae shied away from the searing green gaze when it landed on him, having seen that expression enough in his father's eyes after his mother left to know what it meant.
Pan wanted Lilith, in a way that clearly wasn't alright with the sorceress, if the way her entire body stiffened at his presence. The outline of her back, covered by the thin wool shawl, tensed so much that Bae was almost positive he could see her shoulder blades. Worry filled him at that thought.
While she was slender to begin with, the past month had not been kind to the girl, who had refused all forms of nourishment, at least that Bae had seen. Her slightly rounded face was paler than before, verging on gaunt, with her deep blue eyes sunken into her skull.
Pan, it seemed, had noticed as well. Bae had caught the leader sending the girl furtive glances across the fire each and every night since she'd arrived. There was an odd light in the boy's green eyes whenever he looked at the only girl on the island, and it was present even now.
"Now, now boys," Pan pushed off the tree and strode towards Lilith, who remained kneeling. He eyed her, watching her fingers tighten into fists. While not surprised by her refusal to see his point of view, as it had turned her world upside down, he wasn't pleased with her refusal to do anything but mope and sulk and try to run away.
He knelt beside her, grinning widely at the mutinous expression on her pale, slightly sunken features. As he spoke, his eyes slid over to the boy who'd threatened her, now on his feet, and a snarl-like smile formed on his lips.
"Be nice to our Princess."
Despite the nurses' attempts, Lillian wrenched her arm from their feeble attempts at halting her, snapping with all the fury she'd kept bridled over the past months.
"Keep your goddamn hands off me!" Racing forward, she grabbed hold of the gurney Henry lay on. His face, already pale, was as white as the bleached linen beneath him, and her heart skipped several beats, stuttering painfully in her chest.
Damnit Henry! She wanted to shake him, knock some sense in him, but it was too late. She was too late. It's just like Bae, her eyes began to blur as Emma began to argue with Whale and the nurses, despair crashing into her so hard she thought her chest would collapse. I knew something was happening and I couldn't do anything!
"He took a bite of this, and then he just collapsed," Emma's frantic, annoyed tones interrupted her thoughts. Lillian raised her eyes from Henry's pale, unmoving features to see Emma, face white as chalk, gesticulating wildly. "So, run the test for arsenic, or bleach, or Drano, or whatever could've done this to him!"
Whale frowned at the frantic woman, hands raised placatingly. "The boy is showing no symptoms that would suggest neurotoxins." His gaze fell to the pastry, brow furrowed. "So, whatever's going on, this is not the culprit."
"Well, what else could it be?"
The doctor gave her a flat stare. "I don't know. That's what I'm trying to find out."
Lillian found her voice finally. "He's... Henry's going to be okay... isn't he?"
Whale eyed the teen, features softening ever so slightly. While he could admit to being a lech, the sight of tears in the young woman's eyes made her seem younger, more vulnerable than he'd ever seen, and he lightly touched her on a shaking shoulder across the bed. "Right now, we just need to stabilize him," he told her quietly, lowering his hand from her and turning to face Emma, who was watching, heartbroken. "'Cause he's slipping away. Is there anything else that you can remember? Any little detail?"
"I already told you everything. Do something!"
"Look, I understand you're frustrated, Miss Swan, I do." Whale said, barely able to keep his annoyance underwraps. Emma stalked to the free bed in the room, grabbing hold of Henry's backpack and dumping it out. "But I need something to treat. And, right now, there is no explanation." He turned to look at Henry, beginning to back away from the two women. "It's like…."
Lillian watched Emma's eyes scan the contents of Henry's backpack, zeroing in on his book. The sight of the storybook made her spine tingle, the residual magic she carried finally reaching its boiling point. Beneath her skin seemed to thrum, and as Emma raised the book in her hands, eyes widening, Lillian closed her eyes.
"Like magic."
Eyes wide and grip knuckle-white on the thick, leather-bound book, Emma stared into space, memories flashing behind her open eyes. As the last, heartbreaking scene began to face into darkness, a harried shout pierced the fog the blonde woman was almost lost in.
"Where's my son?"
Eye's opening at the same moment, Lillian and Emma exchanged furious, hate-filled gazes as Regina sprinted into the room as fast as her sensible heels could carry her.
"You did this."
The dark, low whisper that Lillian strained to hear sent shivers down her spine as a dark, stormy look overcame the Savior's face. Without another word, Emma turned and reached out for Regina, yanking the unsuspecting woman by the crook of her elbow. With no words, the blonde almost threw Regina into a storage room, knocking the other woman into a rack.
As they began to grapple wildly, Regina barely able to keep the blonde from landing any blows, Emma snarled out, "You did this!" Once more, her face twisted into an ugly grimace.
"What the hell are you doing -" Regina felt the breath leave her lungs as Emma's elbow dug into her gut. As Emma got ahold of her, throwing her against another wall and pinning her there, the mayor managed to catch her breath. "Stop this! My son -"
"Is sick because of you!" Emma screamed, tears of rage and pain burning her eyes. "That apple turnover you gave me! He ate it!" She snarled as Regina went limp in shock beneath her hold.
"… what?" Regina forced through her suddenly trembling lips as her world all but crashed around her. "It was meant for you!"
Emma ignored that. "It's true, isn't it?"
"What are you talking about?"
"It's true, isn't it?" She demanded, louder, ignoring Regina's attempts to dodge her questions. "All of it."
Regina let her head fall back with a soft thump at the other woman's soft, pained whisper, her own voice trembling with tears. "Yes."
"I was leaving town," Emma felt her voice beginning to shake with despair, the emotion surpassing all others, even rage. "Why couldn't you just leave things alone?!"
"Because as long as you're alive, Henry will never be mine!"
Emma felt her lips curl into a snarl at the reasoning behind the mayor's attempt to murder her. However, she was more concerned with Henry than she had ever been with herself, and pressed closer to the other woman. "He'll never be anyone's unless you fix this." Voice hard, she glared at the clearly shaken woman. "You wake him up!"
"I can't!" Regina cried in return.
"Don't you have magic?" Emma demanded, rage faltering the longer she stared at the hopeless despair in the other woman's eyes.
Regina, sniffling back the tears burning in her eyes, and raised her eyes, shaking her head. "That was the last of it." She admitted, staring at Emma in silence for several heartbeats, before rage grabbed hold of her again. "It was supposed to put you to sleep!"
Emma's hands fell down when Regina pushed them, landing limply at her sides. She watched Regina, the room silent but for their harsh breathing.
"What's it going to do to him?" She asked finally, afraid of the answer.
Regina avoided Emma's haze, a tear slipping from her lashes. "I don't know. Magic here is… unpredictable." Fear gripped her, though she refused to put a voice to said fears, raising her eyes to meet Emma's.
"So… so he could…." Emma trailed off, easily able to read the expression in Regina's dark eyes.
"Yes."
Emma's breath began to quiver, heart aching so badly it felt as if she'd been beaten in the chest with a sledgehammer. "So, what do we do?"
"We need help," Regina muttered resignedly, finally gathering the strength to leave the support of the wall behind her. Gathering her thoughts, as both she and Emma sniffled pitifully. Turning back to the blonde, who looked as despaired as she felt, and just as desperate, she swallowed thickly. "There's one other person in this town who knows about this… knows about magic."
"Mr. Gold."
Regina looked away again, frowning now. "Actually, he goes by Rumpelstiltskin." She turned in time to see Emma's head slowly crane towards her, horror and disbelief etched on every inch of her pale face.
"Lost, are we?" Rumpelstiltskin asked from his perch on a felled tree, legs crossed daintily at the knees. As amusing as seeing the 'prince' before him stumble around like a drunken sailor, he was antsy to get the show on the road. The spell he'd found, one that would return Lilith to this realm and, more importantly, to his side, seemed to burn against his skin.
Charming whirled, hand going to his sword, brow quickly creasing in anger. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm just here to help."
"Well, no need." Charming snapped, turning to continue wandering around the vast forest surrounding him. "I'll be fine."
"No, I don't think so." Rumple trilled, smirking as he raised his hands, gesturing dramatically. "This is the Infinite Forest. There's no way out. Well, except… my way."
Charming, who had been looking around during Rumple's spiel, turned his glare back on the scaled man. "I want nothing from you."
Grinning now, Rumple raised his hand, voice as innocent as he could possibly make it. "Not even this?" He held in a giggle when Charming's eyes widened at the sight of the small, golden ring resting between the Dark One's thumb and forefinger.
"My mother's ring." He turned fully, grasping at the pouch that rested on his belt. "It was just… " As his fingers fumbled with the straps and he opened it, revealing the empty inside, he looked back towards Rumpelstiltskin, his voice hardening in accusation. "How did you get it?"
Undeterred by the younger man's angered accusations, Rumple calmly uncrossed his legs and leapt off the log lighlty. "The same way I get everything I want - magic."
Rumpelstiltskin: The same way I get everything I want – magic." He waltzed to the fake prince, who had his hand on the pommel of his sword, body tensed in preparation. "The same magic that allows me to do… this." A flick of his wrist and he sent the ring upwards, fingers tingling with magic that he soon imbued into the jewelry once it touched his palm.
Charming watched, wide-eyed, as his mother's ring began to glow. "This ring is now enchanted," Rumpelstiltskin explained. "The closer you get to Snow White, the brighter it will glow." He held out his palm, teasing, daring Charming to take it. "Interested?"
"Give it to me." Charming made to move, only for the Dark One to retract his arm, palm closing around the ring, and the prince felt panic grip him when he lost sight of the ring.
"Ah! It's not something for nothing, dearie," he smirked, pointing a finger at Charming. "Time to make a deal."
"No!" The blond man snapped, hand tightening on the hilt of his sword. "No more deals!" He swung, unsheathing the blade, and made to cut the Dark One in half.
The other being easily dodged, watching the prince with amused, overly bright eyes. The next swing came from above, though Rumpelstiltskin remained in place, easily catching the steel in his hands with a muted giggle. Blinking away his surprise, Charming pulled the sword free of the loose grip and swung once more with a loud grunt.
"Over here." A voice called, mirth evident, once Charming had swung at empty air.
Now more annoyed than surprised, Charming spun round to see Rumpelstiltskin across the small clearing, blade in hand. With another grunt, the blond man charged the other, swords clashing and echoing throughout the clearing. Without a sign, the Dark One easily disappeared, dodging a downward blow, reappearing behind the bent Charming.
"Persistent." He praised lightly, gleefully watching as the riled man tossed away his leather bag of provisions before the duel resumed once more. As they swung and parred, ending with their swords crossed, Rumpelstiltskin spun, his elbow digging into the unprotected flesh of Charming's gut, allowing him to swing, aided by magic of course, and knock the other man onto his back.
As he approached, Charming leapt to his feet, drawing the dagger he carried on his thigh. While he found swordplay amusing on occasion, he was quickly growing tired, and soon knocked first the dagger from Charming's hand before they locked swords once more, face inches apart. "Had enough?" He asked, hair beginning to stick to his forehead.
"Never." Charming snapped, knocking the Dark One away before he swung out.
Rumpelstiltskin's head snapped to the side, a thin line of blood welling up along his cheek. Expression darkening briefly, the other man merely giggled once more, raised a pale violet glowing hand to heal the wound, before the prince attacked again. He easily dodged the blow, slammed the pommel of his sword into Charming's back, and then threw the winded prince across the clearing, where he smacked into a tree.
Back aching, Charming rolled over, desperately grasping for his sword when the Dark One was on him. "Looking for this?" He tittered, holding the blond's own sword at his throat. "So brave. So gallant." Rumpelstiltskin mocked while the prince glared at him mutinously, hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. "So pointless. Bravery won't get you out this forest, dearie. Magic will. Trust me." he slowly moved the sword away from Charming's neck, leaning closer to him. "This is a deal you want to make, because we both want the same thing."
"What's that?"
"Why, you and your true love to be together," Rumpelstiltskin cooed, producing the glowing ring with a little flourish of his free fingers. "Of course."
Seated on a stump, fists resting tightly on his knees, Peter inhaled deeply while his eyes fluttered open. Felix watched placidly, as the usual green eyes of his leader were overtaken by a vibrant, glowing yellow. A few of the nearby boys, old enough to be trusted, winced at the sight, having rarely seen their leader do any magic that wasn't simply for pleasure's sake.
As they waited, watching as every line of Pan's body tensed, knuckles becoming white against his skin, they all drew in a collective breath when the yellow color began to leech away from their leader's eyes. While used to this by now, even Felix inwardly sighed with relief when Pan slumped ever so slightly, panting harshly even as he straightened.
"Well?" Felix drawled after several long heartbeats of silence.
Once he'd gotten his breathing under control, a smirk began to slowly form on Pan's pale lips. The air began to almost buzz with excitement, as each of the boys looked from their leader to his second, awaiting his answer with bated breath. When he did speak, it was a breathy whisper that had them all straining to hear.
"It's almost time, boys... she'll be home soon."
Charming, after Rumpelstiltskin had retreated, allowing him off the ground, and returned his sword, watched as the man, if he could be called as such, pulled a glowing vial from the confines of his cloak. It was small, no longer than a handspan and it shimmered purple. The Dark One watched, inwardly grateful that the prince had easily put down his arms, as he'd expected it to take much longer to get the hardheaded shepherd to even pay attention to his proposal.
"Behold," he trilled grandly. "The most powerful magic of all… True Love." Charming reached for it, only for Rumpelstiltskin to yank the vial of out reach. "Ah! Be careful!" he warned teasingly. "This is all I have left of it." Which was true, as he'd had to waste two, precious drops already; one for the Curse fail-safe, the other to ensure that the spell to summon Lilith would be correct. And now all I need, he gazed levelly at Charming, who was staring at the bottle in muted shock. Is the blood of an unwilling rescuer.
"What do you know of true love?" Charming asked flatly, believing the man before him to be little more than the monster he appeared to be.
Rumpelstiltskin merely stared, an enigmatic smile playing at his lips. "Well, not so much as you, perhaps, but not so little as you might think."
Despite the hint of steel that entered his voice, Charming couldn't help but voice his surprise. "You? You loved someone?"
"It was a brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness."
"What happened?"
"She died." He said softly, expression having lost any hint of mischief. "That's the thing about true love, dearie. It can slip through your fingers." He wiggled his fingers for emphasis. "It's the most powerful magic in the world. The only magic powerful enough to break any curse. It must be protected at all costs."
"I don't understand," Charming puzzled, still unsure as to what eh could do that the Dark One could not. "What exactly is it you want me to do?"
"I want you to help me protect it by putting it in a safe place for me." A flicker of his wrist, and a container, shaped like an ornate, golden egg appeared in his awaiting hand. "But first," he mused, as he placed the vial into the container. "I need something else from you."
Staring at the sorcerer in growing annoyance, the blond man barely restrained from rolling his eyes. "And what is that?"
"I need help with a little spellwork," he trilled, vanishing the egg only to replace it with a small, nondescript scroll. It didn't glow like the ring but Charming, untrained in all ways of magic, could sense… something, emanating from the paper.
"What is that?"
"Oh, just a spell to find lost things."
"An object?" Charming sent him a flat stare, startled when Rumpelstiltskin let out a trilling giggle.
"Oh, no dearie. I'm not looking for a thing. I'm looking to retrieve someone I've… lost." He unrolled it, revealing a series of runes that no one but himself, and the assistant he'd lost could read, giving Charming a toothy smile.
"And you're gonna help me."
Lillian, predictably, fought them tooth and nail when they tried to take her from Henry's side. At the sight of the girl's tear-stained face and puffy eyes, as well as the agony in the darkened blue depths, Regina actually winced with guilt. While she had never truly tried to take Henry away from Lillian or cut off their contact, the very thought of hurting her son that way, as she knew he loved Lillian more than anyone else in the world, sent a pang through her chest.
She'd never truly liked Lilith, though had managed to alter her personality through the Curse to make her more likable, at least in Regina's opinion. It was because of those personal changes she'd made, that she'd trusted Lillian with her newborn son not even a week after the adoption had gone through. Despite her reservations, Henry had taken to the girl easily, and she'd felt foolish for feeling jealous over the way Henry fell asleep in Lillian's arms within seconds, when it took her hours to get him to stop crying.
Emma, however, had little trouble grabbing hold of the younger woman and dragging her from the hospital. Whale and the rest of the staff had wisely stayed out of it, allowing Lillian to scratch and kick to her heart's content, while Emma, still winded from her tussle with Regina, barely managed to get the smaller woman under control.
"I know!" Emma finally yelled over-top of Lillian's accusations, the mildest of were that the blonde 'didn't and would never give a damn about anything but herself'. "Okay? I know." She repeated, much quieter than before, as despite their efforts to appear busy, the nearby nurses were poorly hiding their attempt at eavesdropping.
Regina, with a disgusted scoff, merely grabbed hold of Lillian's arm and marched the stunned teen out of the room, Emma on their heels. Once they'd reached outside the hospital, Lillian regained enough of her wits to yank her arm from the mayor's grasp, wiping it along the side of her coat as if it was tainted.
"What is going on?" She demanded, looking between the two women with increasing rage. When she caught the stunned, fearful expression on Emma's face, and the equally surprised, yet appraising one on Regina's, her already short temper reached its peak. "WHAT?"
"Y-you're eyes… " Emma whispered, swallowing down the fear that threatened to choke her. "They're red."
Lillian's now blood-red eyes widened, and she looked to Regina for conformation, who was nodded slowly. Shaking now, the brunette began to search her pockets, accepting the small mirror from Regina when she silently offered it. Wide, blood-shot, and red greeted her when she raised the compact to her face. While the sight of her eyes shouldn't have been shocking, as it had been almost constant back in the Enchanted Forest, she dropped the mirror and numbly watched it shatter on the ground.
"You have magic." Regina breathed. "Then you can -"
"If I have anything, it's nothing that can wake someone up from a bloody sleeping curse, as you well know." Lillian snapped over Regina, narrowing her still red eyes that burned with hate. "Rumple never let me near it that curse."
Regina heaved a sigh of annoyance, rubbing the back of her neck. First Henry ate the poisoned apple meant for Emma, and now Lillian's magic proved useless at the moment. All that's left is… Gold.
Said man awaited them in his store, fingers lightly plucking at the strings of a guitar. At the sound of the door, he turned, not surprised to see the two mothers. He was surprised to see Lillian, especially when he got a good look at her. Bright red eyes, furious and tear-filled, set in an ashen face that was already streaked with salty tracks.
He ignored her, the accusations in her gaze, in favor of addressing Emma. "Do my eyes deceive me, or is that the look of a believer?"
"We need your help." Emma stated once she'd reached the counter, while both Regina hung in the closed doorway. Regina, moreso because she still wasn't so gun-ho about this plan, and Lillian because she was fighting down the urge to claw Gold's face to shreds.
"Indeed, you do. It seems quite the tragic ailment has befallen our young friend." His gaze was transferred to Regina when she finally made her way to stand beside Emma. "I told you, magic comes with a price."
"Henry shouldn't have to pay it."
"No, you should, a thousand times over." Lillian hissed out, voice nasally and weak.
True," Gold added flatly, gently steering the conversation away from Lillian's homicidal tendencies. "But alas, we are where we are."
Emma broke in, "Can you help us?"
"Of course." He agreed easily, far too easily for Emma's liking, but she had more pressing concerns. He placed his hands on the large, rectangle shaped box that rested on the counter. "True love, Miss Swan… the only magic powerful enough to transcend realms and break any curse. Luckily for you, I happen to have bottled some."
Regina startled at that. "You did?"
"Oh, yes." He didn't move his gaze from Emma's hopeful one. "From strands of your parents' hair, I made the most powerful potion in all the realm." he whispered, keeping his focus on Emma as Regina stared at him in growing disbelief. "So powerful, that when I created the dark curse, I placed a single drop on the parchment." He surreptitiously slanted his eyes over to Regina briefly, smiling. "Just a little safety valve."
"That's why I'm the saviour," Emma began to babble excitedly. "That's why I can break the curse."
Gold smiled at her, an odd mixtures of smug and proud. "Now you're getting it."
"I don't care about breaking the curse. All I care about is saving Henry."
"Which is why it's your lucky day." he assured smoothly, ignoring the way Regina and Lillian were bristling. "I didn't use all the potion. I saved some… for a rainy day."
"Well, it's storming like a bitch, where is it?"
Gold held back any further amusement until he and Lillian had hashed it out, as the girl looked close to leaping over the counter to strangle him with is own tie. "Where it is isn't the problem. Getting it is what should worry you."
"Enough riddles." Regina snapped, unable to hold her tongue any longer. "What do we do?"
"You do nothing," Gold snapped, finally turning his attention to Regina for the first time since she'd entered the shop. "It has to be Miss Swan."
"He's my son." She argued hotly, "It should be me."
"All due respect," he said, not meaning a word of it, "but it's her son. And it has to be her." Emma's face steadily grew more and more grim with each word. "She's the product of the magic. She must be the one to find it."
"I can do it."
"Don't trust him." Both Emma and Regina turned to see Lillian, eyes still red, glaring angrily at the man who had been all the family she'd ever had almost her entire life.
"What choice do we have?"
"That's right, dearie," he said, head snapping to Lillian, who was snarling at him. "What choice do you have?"
"Where is this magic?" Emma asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.
Gold didn't answer, turning instead to Regina with a small, mean smirk on his lips. "Tell me, Your Majesty, is our friend still in the basement?"
"Oh, you twisted little imp." Regina breathed, the tone of her voice alarming Emma. "You hid it with her?" She glanced at Lillian, whose anger had faded into a resigned scowl.
"Oh, no, no. Not with her. In her." He clarified, taking malicious delight at the thunderstruck expression Regina wore. "I knew you couldn't resist bringing her over."
Emma, bewildered, looked between the two rapidly. "Who is 'her'?"
"Someone you should be prepared for." He shot back cryptically, placing his hands on the long box before him once again. He removed the cloth swiftly, reaching over it to grip the opening. "Where you're going, you're going to need this."
Emma watched as he opened it, feeling her mouth go dry at the sight of the shining, glittering sword. "What is that?"
"Your father's sword."
The ritual, once Charming had so graciously agreed to donate his blood (though he'd needed to be assured several times that they were not summoning a demon that would drink the blood of the innocents) had begun to work, despite Rumpelstiltskin's own doubts. As the vortex began to swirl in the small pool of water, he nodded at Charming, who was watching apprehensively.
At that nod, Charming stepped forward several paces, leaning over the edge of the small pond. Dagger in hand, he raised both it and his open palm above the water, placing the dagger on the unprotected skin before he closed his hand into a fist. Tensing, though he knew it would make it worse, he swiftly drew the blade across the skin of his palm and out of the fist, holding it high above so the blood ran down his skin and dripped into the vortex.
It took a new hue then, rapidly turning purple and intensifying enough that it knocked both Charming and Rumple off their feet. As the center deepened, Rumple was on his feet and leaning over it, watching as Lilith's terrified and confused features formed on the other side. She looked no worse for the wear, and her skin seemed to glow almost, though he quickly attributed it to the magic.
"Lilith, come along, dearie!" He crooned loudly, impatient to have his assistant back where she belonged. To his surprise, there was a brief flicker of pain over her features before she turned to her side, evidently addressing an unseen companion. "Don't make me force you!" He felt Charming come to his side, the both of them watching and, when Rumple lost the last shred of patience he had, he urged the prince to call for the girl.
Well aware that he'd have a very put off Dark One if he didn't do as asked, the prince did as he was bade, urgently calling for the girl. Magic was still foreign to him, though he could feel it along his skin, prickling like little tiny shocks of lightning. As the vortex shook, evidently following his commands and all but dragging the girl, it threw only Charming backwards this time.
By the time he'd made it to his feet, the vortex was dissipating, and a young woman with thick, dark curls, dressed in blacks and greys, was laying in the middle of the shallow pool. Rumple easily entered the water, lightly picking up the girl in his arms and turned to gently place her on the shore, drying her off with a wave of his fingers. With another wave, her outfit, a patched together one of leathers and rough wool, was replaced by ones of much nicer quality. Shifting her gently, Rumpelstiltskin waved his fingers over her face, and Charming watched in shock as the girl awoke with a ragged gasp, her deep indigo irises bleeding into red.
As she began to rise, coughing loudly, the Dark One turned to smile at the stunned blond.
"Prince Charming," he mocked the nickname lightly. "Meet, the Dark Lilith."
"You knew." Lillian's hushed whisper made his shoulders tense, but he braved meeting her gaze anyway. "You knew this would happen."
"'Knew' is a strong word, Lillian." Gold told her. "'Assumed' is much more appropriate for this unfortunate situation we find ourselves in."
"Unfortunate?!" She demanded, eyes still a bloody red that she couldn't reverse no matter how hard she tried to focus. "Henry is slipping away - this isn't like back home! He'll die, do you understand!"
She slammed her hands against the counter, causing the various antiques and knickknacks to shake violently. Panting harshly, she raised her head, face partially obscured by her loose curls, and glared hopelessly at Gold, who stared back, forcing his features to remain neutral.
"Do you even care?" Lillian asked brokenly, tears beginning to shimmer in the depths of her eyes. "Gold I... he's the only pure thing I have left, I -" the tears came, quicker than she could stop them, though inwardly she was surprised she had any tears left at all. As her shoulders began to shake violently with her sobs, Gold rounded the corner as quickly as possible, though hesitated when he was at the teen's side.
With great care, he slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, paying not mind to the way her fingers began to tighten into fists on the counter. As her shaking increased, and as the tears began to stream from her tightly shut eyes, Gold threw all caution to the wind and embraced her tightly. With a great, shuddering cry, she turned in his grip and pressed her fists to his chest, head pressed to the crook of his neck and dampening the collar of his shirt with her tears.
"Why did we do this?" The whisper made something within him shatter, and he pressed his lips to her temple, along the scar she'd received from her jaunt in the mines with Henry. "Why… "
"For Bae," Gold whispered, the words sticking in his throat, and it sounded hollow even to his ears. While he didn't regret what he'd done to get them here, or the pain his actions had caused the people of an entire realm, he regretted one thing.
The pain he'd caused Lillian.
Lilith stared between the two men, too bewildered and in shock to protest anything that was being discussed. Peter's broken, almost frantic vow, and the maddened glint in his eyes made the hair on the back of her neck stand, even now. As she shifted, wincing as her muscles screamed in protest, she went stiff when the soft, luxuriant material of silk brushed across the skin of her arms. The clothes Peter had given her, created for her, were gone, replaced by and outfit that was obviously of Rumple's choosing.
White-hot fury suddenly grabbed hold of her, sinking its claws deep within her and refusing to release its hold. She wanted to rage, to scream until her throat bled, and above all, she wanted to beat her mentor's ass and throw him across the clearing they currently rested in. However, she knew that would get her nowhere. Thirty years had passed, at least, and she knew it would be about time for the events leading up to the Curse to fall into place. While he'd never told her exact details, he'd made mention several times that she would end up helping those who were called 'Heroes', thus allowing the Curse to happen.
However, she'd assumed her disappearance had rendered her so-called role useless. Clearly, she made to stand on shaking knees, gaining the attention of the blond man and Rumple in the process, I was wrong.
"Why did you bring me here?"
Rumple tsked at her words, wagging a finger in reprimand. "Now, how is that for gratitude." His golden eyes appraised her silently, a wary, calculating light entering them that had her instantly on edge. "What has happened to you, I wonder."
"That's my business." She snarled back, eyes beginning to bleed red until the blond man spoke up, clearly unwilling to allow them to waste anymore time that they already had.
"So… she's to help me hide your potion?"
That made Lilith's head snap around so quickly it was a wonder she didn't receive an injury. "What is he talking about? What potion?"
Rumple merely smiled, giggled quietly, and produced an ornate, golden egg. "Oh, just a potion I need assistance putting into a safe place." He glanced between the two, lips twisting in amusement. "Oh, and, Lilith, in case you missed before, meet Prince 'Charming'." His eyes twinkled. "You'll be accompanying him to said 'safe place'."
"Speaking of which, where exactly are we going?"
Rumpelstiltskin's smile twisted, becoming something darker. "Inside the belly of a beast, of course."
Charming missed the way Lilith went still, easily catching the container when the Dark One tossed it to him. Lilith was looking between them, her dark brow creased in a scowl, one that the prince easily caught. However, he glanced away from the sight, shivering inwardly, and instead addressed the still smiling being before him.
"Why hide it?"
"Let's just say, I'm saving it for a rainy day." He chirped before raising his hands in a shooing motion. "Now, get to it, dearies. Clock's ticking."
Which was how Charming found himself, with the Dark Lilith in tow, on the quickest route to the Forbidden Fortress. The young woman had said little, though she had glared angrily enough at Rumpelstiltskin to tell him that she was not pleased in the slightest with the immortal being's actions. While Charming was curious about where the sorceress had been, he knew enough about his own pain over Snow to recognize the absolute agony reflected back at him in the depths of Lilith's own gaze.
Getting into the Fortress was easy enough to find, and despite its name, there were no guards in sight. As they wound through the labyrinth of halls, Charming finally gathered the courage to open his mouth, after having already received several biting remarks from the girl to keep his mouth shut. However, as his mouth opened, the girl, who had been leading them through the castle, threw her arm out.
Finger to her lips, she lightly slunk into the dimly lit, cavernous room that looked to once be a throne room. Indeed, before the large, ornate stained-glass window was a thrown, where a solitary woman strode towards. Lilith's eyes narrowed at the sight of Maleficent, hair styled with her trademark 'dragon horns', draped in silks of purples and pinks. While she combed over ways to take the woman by surprise, Charming had other ideas.
By the time she realized the blond had left her side, it was too late. From his place behind her throne, Charming held his sword to her throat, egg cradled in his free hand. "Where is it?" He demanded, pressing the blade closer to her unprotected throat as he slowly moved to face her. "Where is the beast that reigns over this castle?"
A small smile appeared on her lips, before she raised her hand and flicked Charming halfway across the room. "That would be me." She said pleasantly, as the man on the floor gaped at her. "But," she rose gracefully and began to descend the stairs to where Charming still lay. "Beast is so harsh." She stopped, still smiling. "I prefer Maleficent."
Lilith remained where she was, rolling her eyes when, after darting a glance to the egg, Charming muttered, "I'm going to need a smaller egg."
"Such a shame," the woman mused. "So handsome."
Before Charming had time to make it to his feet, prepared to charge, Maleficent waved her hand in an arc, blowing out each and every one of the candles that lit the room. When she saw Charming begin to panic, Lilith easily reappeared next to him, barely able to duck in time to avoid one of his wild blows, Maleficent's laughter echoing around the cavernous room.
"Show yourself, witch!" Charming ordered, circling warily as Lilith remained beside him, eyes flicking around the room, well aware of what Maleficent's special brand of magic was.
When Charming turned his back to the throne, all of Lilith's sense prickled uneasily, and she slowly turned, soon joined by Charming, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. Where the throne had sat, now stood a monstrous dragon, wrapped in its own wings. Catching on to Charming's sudden panicked fear, Lilith held in a curse when the wings shifted, revealing Maleficent's true form.
When the beast made to snap at them, Lilith turned tail and ran, Charming by her side. As the prince dove behind a pillar, Lilith turned and was caught in the full blast of the dragon's flames, much to Charming's horror.
"Lilith!"
Lillian, well aware of what Emma was facing, having done the same herself once, so long ago, easily followed Gold's instructions. She returned to the hospital, where Mary Margaret, having caught wind of the most recent tragedy, had gone herself. So, while Emma faced down a more than likely severely pissed off dragon, Lillian awaited Gold's call, safely within the hospital, listening to Mary Margaret reading Henry from his storybook.
Listening to the teacher's dulcet tones, barely hiding the fear and anguish she felt, did little to sooth Lillian's already frazzled nerves. Hearing about her and Charming's quick jaunt to the Forbidden Fortress, while once humorous to her, now only served to remind her of what Emma was more than likely facing at that very moment.
Stroking her fingers over Henry's clammy, cold brow, Lillian's fingers stilled when Mary Margaret's own touched hers. Tears filled the teacher's eyes, her retelling of the story having stopped, and Lillian lightly gripped the dark-haired woman's fingers in turn, Mary Margaret tightening the grip.
"It'll be okay," Mary Margaret whispered, having watched the younger woman shake and tremble for the past ten minutes while she tried to distract herself with the stories Henry loved so dearly.
Lillian, eyelashes damp with tears, lowered her eyes to Henry's barely moving chest, eyes raking up to his face, deathly pale against the white sheets he lay on. I will not cry. She forcibly swallowed past the lump in her throat. Tears will do nothing for him. Raising her bloodshot, blurry eyes to meet Mary Margaret's understanding gaze, Lillian squeezed Mary Margaret's fingers once more before she nodded towards the forgotten book in her lap.
"You should finish the story," a slow exhale left her lips. "Henry will want to hear it."
Panting, as the stream of fire stopped, Charming looked around rapidly to find the sorceress, though found neither hide nor hair of her. Half-convinced Rumpelstiltskin had set him up to fail, he pressed himself to the marble beneath him. Peeking around the column, he watched the dragon search for him. The sight of a glowing spot near the dragon's head caught his eye, and, thinking quickly, stepped out from behind his hiding spot, yelling loudly.
"Come on!"
The dragon's head swung round, eyes narrowing at the sight of him before it opened its mouth, letting loose a shrieking roar. As it charged him, he ducked around the pillar and sprinted away, narrowly dodging another stream of fire, able to feel the heat on his neck. As he turned, the dragon's tail suddenly swung and, with little other choice, he tried to duck, getting caught in the middle and flung across the room.
Lilith, having easily blocked the fire with a shield of her own, stepped out of her hiding place and caught Charming, only her magic stopping them both from sprawling across the floor. Jerking his head round quickly to briefly meet her grim gaze, Charming nodded before he turned and ran towards the stairs the lined the far wall. She ran with him, sending a blast of fire into the dragon's mouth when it opened wide, making it begin to thrash its head around, roaring in pain.
"I think that made it worse!" Charming yelled as they climbed the stairs, waiting for the beast to come to them.
Lilith shrugged in return, flashing him a brief, wild smile. "They're not so fireproof on the inside!"
Charming didn't respond, instead launching himself over the edge of the small balcony, grappling to stay on the dragon's neck as it thrashed once more, trying to dislodge him. Lilith appeared near the legs of the dragon, sending fireballs intermittently at its feet, distracting it long enough for Charming to gain purchase and plunge the egg into the glowing spot he'd spied earlier.
As she expected, the dragon roared once more, making her ears ring from the pain. Quickly vanishing, as its feet had begun to stomp wildly, she reappeared next to Charming once he'd managed to leap from the neck of the beast. Turning its head towards them, Lilith jumped in front of Charming once more, shielding them both from the fire, before she send another stream of her own, knocking the dragon's head to the side.
"GO!" She turned and ran past Charming, who quickly followed suit, towards the stained-glass window.
They paused only long enough to look at one another, blue meeting blue, before they nodded and jumped as one, falling from the side of the cliff into the frigid waters beneath them.
When Lillian excused herself to answer the call, Mary Margaret turned back to Henry, quietly reading to him from the book. Ducking into an empty room, Lillian raised the phone numbly to her ear, well aware of what Gold was about to say.
"We'll have it soon," the tinny voice made her stiffen with guilt, though she knew it was too late to go back. "I'm sure Ms. Swan and Regina will be pleased." He paused, clearing his throat almost awkwardly. "How is young Henry?"
"Slipping away," Lillian whispered back quietly, throat tightening. "Gold, what if she's too late -" Lillian's head snapped away from the phone at the sound of Mary Margaret's panicked shouts, the sound of beeping almost drowning her out.
Dropping her phone, uncaring that the screen shattered, Lillian tore from the empty room and pushed her way into Henry's, watching in horror as the monitors that measured Henry's heartbeat, that showed he was alive, began to flatline. Whale and several nurses entered the room, the former calling for Mary Margaret's removal as the woman demanded to know what was going on.
"Henry!" She was at his side within moments, touching his cold cheeks with shaking hands. "Henry! Come on, kid, wake up!" Her voice lowered to a desperate whisper, lips almost pressing to his forehead. "Please… don't leave me, Henry… you can't…"
"Get her out of here!" Whale shouted, looking up from Henry's unmoving chest.
"NO!" Lillian shouted, twisting in the grip of the nurses, who barely held on to the young woman. "Whale, what's happening -" The nurses, three of them now, tugged hard on her, succeeding in dragging the teen out of the room and into Mary Margaret's stunned arms.
They watched through the glass, wide-eyed and pale, shaking with fear, as Whale attempted several times to resuscitate the small boy on the bed. Clutching onto Mary Margaret so tightly she knew she was leaving bruises, Lillian felt her heart shatter and splinter in her chest when Whale, after listening to Henry's chest for several, agonizing seconds, slowly withdrew his stethoscope, shaking his head decisively.
"Lillian…" Mary Margaret began, only to feel Lillian's grip on her fingers slacken seconds before the brunette was tearing into the room. "Lillian!"
Soaked to the bone, Lilith angrily walked through the icy water towards the shore, Charming at her side. Rumple awaited them on the sand, cloak and hair blowing in the chilly wind. He watched them silently, a small smirk on his face.
"Impressive, dearie," he said by way of greeting. "Very impressive, indeed. Come warm yourself."
Prince Charming frowned at him, the crease in his brow seemingly permanent. "I have done what you've asked." He said tiredly, stalking across the sand. "Return my ring to me."
"Of course – you're in a bit of a rush." Rumple conceded, glancing at Lilith, who was glowing at him. "How rude of me." He produced the ring simply, holding it between two fingers. "With this… Prince Charming… you will find her."
Still panting from his swim and the cold that seeped into his very bones, Charming stared at the ring before he took it when it was offered. "Thank you." He whispered, staring down at the glowing jewel, before he stepped past the Dark One, towards the waiting horse he assumed was for him.
"Something's missing." Rumpelstiltskin said, one finger raised. Charming stopped and turned, waiting impatiently as the Dark One waved his arms, crossing them lightly.
Stiffening when the purple smoke began to encase him, Charming looked down warily until his entire body was obscured by the smoke. Once it had cleared, he started to see red velvet, trimmed with gold thread, encasing his now dry arm. Lilith held back a snort at the sight, brushing off Rumple's questioning gaze, and waved a hand herself. Within seconds, the silk of her blouse dried, along with the leather of her vest and pants, the water evaporating from her boots.
Still smiling, Rumple turned back to Charming, though his eyes slid to Lilith as well. "Now, you're ready for your big moment." He made a gesture with his hands, one Lilith had both missed and been glad to see the end of for the last three decades.
"Why do you want us together?" Charming asked suddenly, suspiciously. "What do you get out of it?" His blue gaze turned to Lilith, who was watching them both silently. "And why involve her? What role does she play in this?"
Rumpelstiltskin shrugged, smiling innocently. "I'm a fan of true love, dearie, and dear Lilith will be an asset, I assure you." He ignored the way she bristled at being handed around like a bloody prized sword. "And, more importantly, what it creates."
Despite her anger at Rumple, Lilith easily saddled her own horse, thankfully not a white one like Charming had. Soon enough, they were racing down a long stretch of land, surrounded by water on all sides. From her spot, Lilith could see the ring on Charming's little finger glowing brighter and brighter the farther they traveled. Pushing his horse harder and faster every time the glow of the ring brightened, he soon widened the gap between him and Lilith, who watched him silently.
Her soul seemed to ache with every passing moment, threatening to splinter her to pieces. Seeing Charming - or David, as he'd confided in her before they'd descended into silence - so desperate to get to Snow White, a woman he'd know for less than a year's time, made that ache worse. Here she was, on a quest to help reunite a pair of young lovers, one of which had helped her monster of a teacher rip her away from her own love.
She could never tell Rumple where she'd been; nor could she tell him what had happened, with Bae or with Peter. He'd lose it, she knew that with every fiber of her being. If he didn't kill me for me for getting so close to him, he'd kill me for finding Bae, but not bringing him back, nevermind that it's his own damn fault.
Finding the resting place of Snow White had been easy with the ring, especially because the mourners that surrounded the ornate, glass coffin were rather unmistakable. Standing in the forest, where a light snow had begun to fall, Seven dwarves exactly stood as the chief mourners of the former princess, each eying Charming with a kind of resigned sadness when he stopped before them.
"You're too late." One, bespectacled and white bearded said quietly once he'd dismounted and rushed towards them. The dwarves cleared, revealing Snow White laying in the coffin peacefully.
"No, no!" He ran to her side, staring down at her pale, delicate features through the glass. He raised his tear-filled eyes to meet a dakr-haired, burly dwarf's. "At least let me say goodbye."
Behind them, Lilith dismounted her own horse, watching the proceedings carefully from underneath her hood. While the dwarves were distracted with Charming, she knew that the moment they saw her face, they'd realize who she was. The three opposite Charming shared glances before they nodded, pulling the lid of the coffin off, allowing Charming to gaze down at Snow without any barriers.
As he gazed forlornly down at the pale, dark-haired woman in the coffin, Lilith took a chance and spoke up quietly, "Kiss her, Charming," all eyes turned to her, though she kept her gaze only on Charming's. "Kiss her."
Turning back to the love of his life, he swallowed past the lump in his throat, blinking past the tears. Leaning down, he pressed his lips gently to her cold, unmoving lips, unprepared for the pulse of magic to spread from their combined lips. Pulling back, he watched in amazement as Snow gasped softly, her eyes flying open.
As her startled, glazed eyes cleared, and they landed on Charming, a smile began to form on her lips, one he mirrored as her hand raised to cup his cheek. "You found me."
"Did you ever doubt I would?"
Underneath her hood, Lilith smiled bitterly, the sight both a balm and salt to the wound that seemed to cut deeply into her very being, knowing that the next few decades were going to be the longest of her life.
Lillian held onto Henry's hand numbly, his fingers still in her grasp, an she knew that she would never feel his fingers gripping hers in return. Inwardly, she cursed Gold and Regina and herself for ever thinking that any of this madness would actually work. Henry shouldn't of had to pay the price for our sins…
She turned at the sound of the door, not surprised to see both Whale and Mother Superior entering the room.
While she had little patience for the nuns, especially that one, she made no protest when the woman knelt by the bed. While she'd never paid much attention to religion, both here and back home, she didn't interrupt the Mother from what brought her comfort, however little. The entire town had adored Henry, despite their fear and dislike of his mother.
As Mother Superior finished her prayers, and as Whale discussed the death certificate quietly with a nurse, Lillian leaned closer and pressed her lips to Henry's cooling forehead. "I love you, Henry," she whispered, lightly rustling his hair gently.
Mother Superior rose silently, lightly placing a comforting hand on Lillian's tensed shoulder briefly, before she slipped quietly from the room, Dr. Whale in tow. As they cleared the doorway, both went stiff at the sight of both Regina and Emma all but sprinting towards the room. The two women slowed once they caught the expressions on the faces of both the doctor and the head nun, faces crumpling into ones of horror.
"We did everything we could," Whale said softly, barely able to look either of the heartbroken women in the eye.
"You're too late," Mother Superior added, her expression one of pitying sadness. Both she and Whale followed the two women when they brushed past them, bursting into Henry's room, barely noticing Lillian on the opposite side of Henry's bed, her ashen features tear-stained and splotchy from crying.
"No… No… " At the sight of Henry's pale stillness, Regina turned, all but falling into Whale's arms, startling the poor doctor. Left with little choice, he embraced the sobbing woman, as Emma's stifling her own sobs, slowly made her way to Henry's side.
Emma swallowed, tears dripping down her pale cheeks, before she bent over her son's body. Hovering over his forehead, she whispered softly, "I love you, Henry." Before she kissed the skin, unprepared for what happened once her lips met his skin. Lillian, however, stood as the pulse of magic spread from where mother and son touched, the force of it ruffling her dark hair as a smile spread across her pale lips.
With a loud gasp, Henry's eyes flew open, watching as his bewildered mother, still sniffling through her tears, pulled back enough to look him in the face.
"I love you too," Henry returned, smiling now as he began to sit up. "You saved me." Lillian rushed to his side, helping him to sit, as Emma seemed to be in too much shock to do anything but stare.
"You did it." Regina whispered, having turned from Whale the moment the magic entered the air. She turned as several others entered the room, all looking at each other in dawning realization, and staring at Emma, who returned the stares with bemusement.
"Henry… what's going on?" She asked as the crowd grew.
Regina looked at them, face paling rapidly. "No…"
"The Curse… I think you broke it."
Mother Superior spoke up from the small crowd. "That was true love's kiss."
Regina began to shake her head, moving away from the crowd that she knew could turn on her at a moment's notice. "No, no…"
All eyes turned to her, though it was Lillian, her arms around Henry, his own gripping hers, that aid anything.
"If I were you, Your Majesty, I'd think about finding someplace to hide, far, far away from here."
Regina looked between their faces, unable to see one friendly expression, and quickly made a beeline for her son. She knelt beside him by the bed, as he stared at her, eyes now wary. "Henry… no matter what you think, no matter what anyone tells you, I do love you."
With that, she turned tail and fled the room, knowing that, without her magic, she'd be easy prey for the angry mob that was sure to come after her sooner than later.
"Henry… " Emma began, once the boy had managed to dress himself in his own clothing. "What's going on here?" She glanced at Lillian, who had refused to move farther than five inches from Henry's side. "If the curse is broken, why didn't they go back?"
Henry followed her gaze, making Lillian shift uncomfortably under the weight of their stares. "I… I don't know." His brow furrowed. "Sis…"
A loud clatter snapped their attention from the shifting teen towards a nurse, who was staring out a window, the tray she'd dropped laying forgotten at her feet.
Frowning, Emma stood and went to the other woman, whose face had gone start white. "Are you okay…?" Emma asked, her voice faltering once she got a good look at what was billowing in the distance.
On the bed beside Henry, Lillian had gone stiff, back ramrod straight, and Henry watched in shock as her eyes began to shift from blue to red. Henry stood, dragging her with him, and joined his mother and the others at the window, his eyes going wide at the sight of the thick, purple cloud rapidly coming toward them.
"What is that?" Emma breathed, eyes never leaving the cloud.
"Something bad."
"No," Lillian corrected softly, her grip on Henry's hand tightening as the magic, what little remained within her, rose up in response. "Magic." Unaware that, realms away, Peter Pan stood silently, inhaling deeply as his eyes slid open, a pleased, predatory smile spreading across his previously blank features.
"Finally."
Thoughts? Comments? Questions?