Hello readers! Just a quick note to share my news! The Fanatic Fanfics Multifandom Awards reached out to let me know that I have been nominated in the category of Favorite Romance Fanfic for "These Dreams!" You can find their site online (just Google it - I can't link it here) and please toss me a vote if you liked that fic. And I hope you liked that fic, because its sequel is on the way, with new and interesting scenarios and even a return of everyone's favorite endearingly awkward, goat-milk drinking deckhand. Just you wait...
But first, we need to bring things to a close here. What's going to happen next?
"No!" Emma pulled herself up, and narrowly missed being hit by a piece of flying debris.
"Emma!" Killian shouted, pulling her back behind the shelter of a fallen tree trunk nearby.
"Dora!" David called out, "Don't do it! We can help you!"
Her tortured eyes slid to meet his. "I can't let anyone else be hurt," she said. Then her eyes turned to Zeus. "But I won't be used as a weapon, either."
Zeus forced a placating smile. "Now Pandora..."
The wind picked up more forcefully, howling through the trees and a bolt of lightening crashed to the ground next to him.
"Don't call me that!" She seethed. "You gave me that name! You all made me who I am. What I am. Your gifts have made my life a living hell."
"Give me the box," Zeus said calmly, holding out his hand.
"No! I'll see myself into it first!"
Zeus eyes snapped wide and he rushed forward a step, holding his hands up as if to stop her. "You can't do that! You're too powerful. It'll destroy you both."
"Then so be it! The realms are well rid of us both!"
"No!" This time the cry came from Archie, who stumbled through the doorway, winding his arms around her from behind. He held her tight. "If you go, I go!"
"Archie!"
"You don't need to do this!" She cried.
"Get away from her." Zeus thundered, and his voice echoed loudly, as the sounds around them seemed to dim.
David stood cautiously. "It's calming down." He looked over at Dora. "It's calming down, Dora. You're controlling it."
"But for how long?" Zeus said, waving a hand in her direction. "She's right - the least little thing could set her off. How many of you will she harm - or kill - as she tries to keep such a power under control? Forces such as these, this depth of darkness...it will consume her. It always does."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Regina smirked from behind him, having just appeared. "While I wouldn't say it was easy, it can be done. Darkness can be overcome."
"Or at the very least, incorporated into your life in a relatively peaceful manner," Gold agreed, appearing next to her, and looking down at Belle, who'd popped in at his side. "Most of the time, anyway," he added.
The wind was winding down now, and the ground gave a few slight tremors as Dora leaned back into Archie, turning her face into his chest. She clutched the box tightly to her.
"You're finished with your errand?" Gold asked Regina.
"Home decor is a specialty of mine," she responded demurely. "I have a real flair."
"Never doubted it," Gold replied.
"Can we just get on with this?" Emma asked. She turned to look at Zeus. "You! You're not getting the box, you're never getting the dagger, and she's not going with you."
"That's far from a complete list of my objectives," Zeus replied, looking amused.
"Well, you can put me on the 'never' list along with everything else," Emma said.
Suddenly, Killian stood up from behind the fallen tree, gesturing emphatically and obviously angry.
"There's no need to play coy," he said to Emma. "I found your diary."
She turned and looked at him like he'd just grown a second nose. In the middle of his forehead.
"My what?"
"You heard me!" He put his fist on his hip, raising a brow and staring her down. "You play hard-to-get but your diary makes it clear that you've been pining for him from the moment you met him. I suppose you think to toy with us both, have us compete for your affections!"
"Killian...?" She looked at him oddly, not really sure what the hell was going on. Her eyes shifted to David, who gave her a slight shrug and then his eyes shifted to Killian, who turned slightly away and gave him a look that clearly said Go with it.
"He's right, Emma," David said in an overly-loud voice. "And maybe it's time we stop holding you back."
"Huh?" Okay, now she really was going nuts.
"You always were too powerful for this town," David said.
"And of course, power is what she's attracted to," Killian added scathingly. "She's always been that way - flaunting her powers and lording them over us all." He glanced over at Regina who raised both brows in a look that clearly said he was milking it a bit too hard.
"Miss Swan is the product of True Love," Gold reminded them. "A savior such as this cannot possibly be anything but bored in a place like Storybrooke."
"You need to make a choice, Swan," Killian said emphatically. "I won't be cuckolded by the likes of him!" He pointed a finger at Zeus, who was watching all of this with extreme amusement.
"Did you really write about me in your diary?" Zeus asked, stepping closer to Emma.
Her eyes shifted to Killian, then to David, then to Regina, who took in a breath and smiled a little too widely.
"Uh...yeah. Yeah, I did," Emma nodded. "And how...embarrassing for you to bring that up, Killian. I'm really mad at you now."
Zeus reached out, taking her hand and placing a kiss on the back of it. "You could come with me, Emma. I can show you wonders you will never tire of. I can teach you how to nurture and use your gifts."
"What about the box?" she asked.
Zeus looked perturbed. "I'll agree to leave it...for now. I'm sure I can find other forms of...amusement."
"I..." Emma looked over at David, then at Killian. "I think that sounds like it might be interesting." She turned to Killian. "I suppose this is goodbye?" She raised her brows, crinkling her forehead, silently begging for a little more guidance, here.
"It is," he said firmly. "Go on. Get out of town." He put a tremendous amount of menace into that last sentence, so much so that it took her aback.
"Why don't you meet us at the town line," David said, eyeing Killian carefully. "Your mother will want to say goodbye."
Dora raised her head, looking across at Emma.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. "Zeus is not known for his constancy."
"Neither is she," Killian interjected, clearly trying to get them back on track. Emma shot him a look that promised retribution.
"I've yet to meet a woman who has an ounce of your spirit," Zeus said softly, leaning in to murmur in Emma's ear. She shivered a bit at the feel his warm breath, and he smiled, catlike, stroking the backs of his fingers along her neck.
"Well, that's it then," she said, stepping away and dusting off her hands as though she were finished with them all. "I'll meet you at the town line in ten minutes." She turned to Zeus. "You ready?"
"I've been ready for you since we met."
Behind him, Killian started forward and David grabbed his arm, pulling him back. He settled for rolling his eyes instead.
"Let's go," Emma said, taking off at a brisk walk.
"I can take us there faster," Zeus said. "Would you like to fly, my sweet Emma? I can transform you into anything you wish. You can be an eagle, soar upon the wind..."
"You can make me an eagle?" Emma stopped and stared up at him. Then she shook herself mentally. "No, we'll take my car. It gives me a chance to take one last look around."
"As you wish," Zeus capitulated, following close behind her.
"Shall we see Miss Swan off?" Gold asked, extending his arm to Belle.
"You go ahead," she said, staring at Dora thoughtfully. "I have a feeling about something."
Gold glanced over at Dora warily. "Be careful."
"She has it under control, Rumple. I believe in her."
"And I'm not surprised that you do," he replied. He turned to Regina. "You're not going to walk are you?"
"In these heels?" Regina smirked. "Not likely. You take Charming and I'll take Hook and pick up Snow. We'll leave Henry with the baby."
David stepped closer to Gold and gave him nod. A moment later they vanished, reappearing at the Town Line. It was only a few minutes after that when Regina, Snow and Killian appeared - and Killian had a bottle in his hand.
"Rum?" David asked. "You planning on toasting their health?"
"Something like that," Killian said, tucking the bottle inside his jacket. "I thought I was going to have to resort to scratching out clues in the dirt, or perhaps perform an interpretive dance. The two of you aren't terribly perceptive."
"I caught on soon enough," David said. "I'm guessing there's a plan in place?"
"Just play along, mate." Killian smiled.
Gold turned to Regina. "Impressive. I can barely see it through that low hanging bough over there."
"I told you, I have a flair," she said. "It's all in the staging."
"Can someone give me a rundown of what's going on?" Snow asked. "Killian shows up and raids my cabinet and Regina's talking interior decorating."
"It's quite a marvelous plan, if I do say so myself," Killian began, but he was interrupted by the sound of Emma's bug approaching. "Best left for later, I'm afraid. For now, we just need to get him across that line."
Killian wandered off the left of the road, his eyes on the ground. Then he turned casually, as if getting out of the way of the oncoming car, and strolled across to the other side, still glancing down. He stopped just off the shoulder and crossed his arms, pasting a belligerent look on his face.
"Okay," Emma called out. "I'm here. To say goodbye. So...let's do that."
"You don't want to say goodbye to your son?" Zeus asked.
Emma's eyes widened, catching Killian's, then Snow's. Her mother came to her rescue.
"He's home sick."
"Yeah, he hasn't been feeling well," Emma ad-libbed. "And I'm not going to be gone forever. I mean, I can come back and visit, right?"
Zeus gave a negligent shrug. "If you wish."
"So...Regina - tell Henry goodbye for me and I'll see him soon." She hugged her mother, then her father. "I'll see you guys then, too." Her gaze went to Killian.
"No hug for me, Swan?" he asked, raising a brow. "After all we've shared?"
She glanced over her shoulder at Zeus, who gave Killian a purely taunting grin, and she stepped over, wrapping her arms around Killian.
"Take this," he murmured low in her ear as he pressed the bottle inside her jacket. She pulled back, clamping her arm down on that side. Killian's eyes shifted right, then down, and hers followed their track before she turned, extending a hand to Zeus.
"Let's go." She gave him a smile and he strolled over, taking her hand and twining his fingers with hers before pulling it up to his lips. Killian gave a low growl behind her and Emma forced herself to keep that smile in place.
"Goodbye everyone!" she called out, stepping over the town line and tugging Zeus along behind her. They took a few more steps and she stopped, pulling her hand from his. "You know what?" she said. "I think I probably should say goodbye to Henry in person. I'll just be a minute."
"Oh, no you don't -" Zeus reached for her, but Emma was too fast. She was back over the line and pouring the contents of the bottle out in a thin stream, which joined the line that Killian had just laid, shimmering and glowing when it hit, sending a wall of glimmering blue straight up before settling down.
"What have you done?" Zeus thundered.
"Olive oil," Killian said with a smile. Leroy and the other dwarves emerged from the trees behind him. "My friends here have been busy, surrounding the town with it."
"Granny had a few gallons," Leroy said. "Blue and the fairies were able to use a replicator spell on it."
"And with Emma's magic reinforcing it, you can't come back in," Regina said with a smile. "So why don't you run on home?"
Zeus's rage was so evident, he was nearly apoplectic with it. The sky darkened and thunder began to roll.
"You cannot stay in there forever," he seethed. "I am immortal. I have all of eternity and all the power of the gods behind me. I will prevail."
"Unless you have other plans for the evening," Gold said with a tight smile. "Regina?"
She gave him a smile of acknowledgement, then waved her hand. Behind Zeus, just a little off the roadway, a flame flared. Zeus turned to look at it, and his eyes grew wide at the sight of the candle, sitting on the small table with a leather covering, decorated with peacock feathers.
"No," he ground out. "Not her."
But it was too late. A crack of lightening hit the ground, lighting up the sky and blinding everyone momentarily.
"Zeus!" A shrill, harpy-like voice rang out as the spots cleared from everyone's eyes.
He turned slowly, a pained expression on his face. "Hera," he said, with a good deal of resignation.
"Where have you been?" she scolded. "Did you think you could hide from me here?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked down her long, pointed nose at him.
"I'm not hiding. I was merely retrieving some lost property." His eyes shifted to the group gathered on the other side of the town line and if steam could have curled out of his ears, it would have done so.
Emma smiled back, and Killian gave a friendly wave. Zeus ground his teeth together.
Hera's eyes wandered over to Emma and she stepped forward, grabbing Zeus by the ear.
"This is why you were here? Another mortal?" she screeched.
"Ow!" he swatted her hand away. "I hate it when you do that!"
"Home!" She spat. "Now."
"But Hera - hear me out-"
"NOW!"
"Yes, dear," he grumbled. And a moment later, they winked out. Regina stepped across the line and blew the candle out, gathering the peacock fronds and handing them back to Gold.
"These are yours," she said. "Smart thinking, calling in the big guns."
"Yes, the little Mrs. seems to have things well in hand," Gold replied. "And now, if you'll excuse me..." He waved his hand and he was gone.
Emma slipped an arm around Killian, looking up at him with a smile. "Dad was right. You're brilliant."
"I can't claim all the glory," he said modestly. "Belle pointed me in the right direction with her books."
"I don't think he'll be back," David said.
"With Hera watching his every move?" Regina snorted inelegantly. "Not likely."
"And now we just have to figure out what to do about Dora," Emma said. "I hate to say it, but Zeus was right. It's only a matter of time before something sets her off again."
"We should take the box. Maybe if we move it outside Storybrooke?" Snow suggested.
"And risk Zeus getting ahold of it out in the real world?" Emma shook her head. "No, we have to figure out another way." She looked up at Killian. "Any other brilliant ideas?"
"Give me a moment, I'm sure I'll come up with something." Killian gave her a crooked grin as they walked back toward the car. "He should have known better than to try to outwit a pirate."
"He should have known better than to try to outsmart a woman," Regina said dryly.
Stay tuned...the story's not over yet! We've got a little more to resolve, and a steamy, fluffy ending to wrap it all up.