A/N: I am so, SO sorry for the lack of updates. I've had so many ideas for other fics since two of my favorite shows came back since I've updated. But I haven't forgotten about this fic, especially because people have continued to follow it! Thank you so much! I hope you keep enjoying and please continue to review, follow, and favorite.
Obviously, since the first half of season 4 has aired now, this fic is really AU.
I'm not sure how often updates will be, but I will try as hard as I can to update frequently! But I have no intention of dropping this fic entirely. I am going to finish it!
Will raised his hand, held a breath, and knocked. He hated to ask any favors of them; they had already done enough. But this was a dire situation, something that would greatly affect them if Jafar got free and came looking for revenge.
The door opened a few seconds later, revealing the Alice he had always known: long, blonde hair, shining eyes, pale skin, and faint freckles. She hadn't changed much, but he had no idea how much time had passed since her wedding.
Her eyes roamed over the party behind him before settling on his face. "Will!" She hugged him, squeezing him tight. "I've missed you," she admitted with a small smile.
"I don't know if I could say I've missed you nagging on me all the time, but I've missed you too." He couldn't help but smile at his friend. For a few moments, he could forget about Jafar and Storybrooke. It was just like old times.
"And who are they?" she asked as she looked past him, an amused smile on her face.
Will moved to the side and cleared his throat. Everyone's eyes were on him. "Right, uh…"
"Hi…Alice." Emma stepped forward. "I'm Emma Swan. We're all from Storybrooke," she added, gesturing to the four other people behind her.
"I remember that strange land." Concern colored her expression as her eyes focused on Will, then back at Emma. "Why are you here?"
Will sighed. This was where it got difficult. "As you might have noticed, we didn't come just to say hello. We need your help."
An excited light sparked in her eyes. "What kind of help?"
He didn't want to ruin her perfect happiness. He didn't want to be the one to tell her that the man who had almost ruined her and Cyrus's lives several times could be coming back, no doubt thirsty for revenge. But he could almost feel the weight of the residents of Storybrooke on his shoulders, though that could be because Rumplestiltskin's gaze had been as good as a threat, or that pirate brandishing his hook looked like he wouldn't give a second thought to impaling him with it. In any case, Jafar being free wouldn't be good for anyone in any world.
"Jafar's back," Emma said before Will could get anything out.
"He could be," Will corrected quickly as he saw Alice's jaw drop. "Storybrooke's mayor – not really a nice lady – found Jafar's bottle and she's trying to free him. This lot insisted on getting involved, so we need your help to stop her."
Alice looked intently at him for a moment before turning her head and calling, "Cyrus!"
The man in question arrived moments later, dressed in the proper clothes of an Englishman. His eyes lit up when he saw Will, but dimmed as he noticed the group behind him.
"It's good to see you, Will," Cyrus said anyway, shaking Will's hand. A small smile and his usual placid expression painted his features.
Alice took Cyrus's hand in hers. "They're from Storybrooke," she whispered. "Their mayor found Jafar's bottle and is trying to release him from being a genie."
Cyrus's eyes grew wide. "What do you need from us?" he asked in his normal quiet tone, still only looking at Will.
"We need to know how Jafar could be released and how to stop it from happening."
Alice and Cyrus glanced at each other. "We'll need to go back to the well," Alice said with confidence.
Cyrus' brow dipped low with worry. "Alice, no," he murmured in an undertone.
"We?" Will said at the same time. "You're joking, right?"
"Of course not! We are the only ones who saw Jafar steal the water, which means we're the only ones who can help. Which also means: we're coming. Just give us a moment."
And before Will or Cyrus could say another word in protest, Alice dragged Cyrus back through the door and shut it. Will stood standing there with his mouth open for a moment, and then turned to see half of Storybrooke looking at him with a mix of confused, bemused, and passive expressions.
"So are they coming or not?" Emma asked, the first one to speak.
"Think so, yeah. Alice always gets her way. But look here, all of you." He made eye contact with the five of them. "Alice and Cyrus are the best people I know. And if anyone one of you-" He focused especially on Rumplestiltskin. "-tries to harm them in any way, I'll push you through one of the Rabbit's holes to God knows where. Got it?"
Solemn nods greeted him all across the board. "Good. Glad we got that settled."
A couple seconds of silence followed. Rumplestiltskin raised his head and cocked an eyebrow. "They do know that time is of the essence?"
"I'm sure it's important, whatever it is." Will's own words made him wonder. Why would Cyrus be hesitant about letting Alice go? Because he thought it was too dangerous? But surely she had already proved herself to be capable of handling dangerous.
"Will!"
He spun at the sound of his name to see Alice dressed in her old traveling raiment, Cyrus at her side with a resigned frown.
A smile lit up Alice's face. "We're coming."