Choices
By: Jecir
Chapter Three: Be Careful What You Wish For
Everything was chaos. Henry was sure of that. The black clouds swirled around him. He could feel the magic—untamed and violent. Evangeline had been right when she called it wild. It howled and churned and filled the air with putrid vapors. He spun this way and that. With each panicked breath, the vapor filled his lungs and caused him to cough. With each cough went a milky-white wisp of memory. The wisps would puff out into the magic, form a ghostly image of a moment from his past, and then would be swallowed by the wild magic. Henry began to panic when he realized what was happening. The wild magic was stealing his past. "No," he whispered.
"No!"
Henry turned. He knew that voice. "Dad."
The wild magics parted and Henry's face paled at what he saw. Emma was standing in front of his father; Hook's sword was buried in her stomach. The magics cleared and, suddenly, Henry found himself standing in the midst of the final battle against Zelena. Somewhere in the distant thoughts of his mind, he knew what was happening. Hook had betrayed them. He had allied with Zelena in hopes of claiming Emma as his prize. Now, he had done the unthinkable.
Behind him, Henry could hear his grandpa and Robin fighting Rumpelstiltskin. He knew that if he turned his head just enough, he would see his mother facing off with her wicked older sister; however, he kept his eyes—wide with disbelief—forward.
Hook pulled his sword free. His face was pale with horror and shock.
Emma's gun dropped to the ground as she fell backward into Neal's arms.
Neal gently lowered Emma to the ground. "Emma," he cried. "No! No no no!"
Emma began to tremble. Blood poured from the hole in her stomach. Her body was going into shock. Slowly, she looked from the bubbling wound to Hook and then, finally, up at her once lover. Tears began to fill her eyes as the truth sank in; she was dying. "Neal..." she whispered. She raised a weak and shaking hand to his face.
Neal grabbed her hand desperately. "No babe, come on. Come on, you'll be alright." He laid her down fully and struggled to get his jacket off. In that moment, Hook broke from his shock. He stepped forward, Emma's name half-way from his lips, but he stopped short. Neal had grabbed Emma's gun and was pointing it at the pirate. "Don't!" he snarled. "Stay back! You did this!"
"Neal," Emma groped for his raised arm. "Please..."
Neal dropped the gun and turned back to his true love. He cursed in frustration and finally managed to pull off his jacket. He bundled it up and pressed it into the wound. Behind him, Henry heard Regina's victorious cry as her magic ripped free Zelena's pendant. Charming grabbed his newborn child, and Hood tackled Hook. Neal ignored all of this. His eyes were on Emma. His left hand was pressing the jacket into her stomach; it and the jacket were both already soaked in her blood; he used his free hand to stroke her hair and brush away her tears. "It's going to be ok," he said. "I've got you."
Emma swallowed hard. "Take...take care of...Henry."
Neal shook his head. "Don't say that," he said. He was trying to keep the fear out of his voice. "We won, see? It's over. You and me, we'll raise our son together."
The light was beginning to slowly fade from Emma's eyes. "Tallahassee," she sighed.
"Yeah," Neal said. The fear and the sorrow he had been fighting was beginning to win. Tears began to fall from his eyes. "We can have Tallahassee."
Emma smiled. Her eyes fluttered closed.
"No!" Neal cried. "Emma, no! Papa!" He looked up in a desperate search for his father. The others had circled them now. Regina was holding the dagger. Neal's eyes locked with his father's. "Please, papa," he begged.
Rumpelstiltskin knelt down and took Emma's hand. He closed his eyes for a moment in concentration but then shook his head. "I'm sorry, son," he whispered.
"NO!" Henry and Neal screamed as one. Henry's voice echoed with disbelief; Neal's with sorrow. The son of the Dark One pulled the Savior to his chest and sobbed brokenly. He never once heard the screams of his son. None of them did.
Henry stumbled backward away from the scene. "No!" he kept repeating in denial. That's not what happened. It wasn't!
Was it?
"I wish my father had never died!" The words echoed all around him.
The wild magic closed the curtain. The howling was louder now; the vapors stronger. Henry coughed against his will and more memories disappeared into the darkness.
"Go!"
It was his father again. Henry tried to pull away. He did not want to look, but the wild magic was in control. The clouds parted to reveal the streets of a city he did not recognize. Had he known it once? He did not know. Everything was a blur in his mind.
It was dark and it was raining. Henry unwillingly watched as a small family ran through a back alley. Neal was leading the way; Emma was pulling Henry behind her. The young boy struggled to keep up with his mother and father. Neal stopped at the alley's back exit and looked around.
"Did we lose them?" Emma asked over the pounding rain.
As if in answer, a haunting howl filled the air. Henry clutched his mother's side and buried his face in her coat. Emma and Neal looked up into the night. The shadows were thick but they could still see it. "Damn him," Neal growled. The small family crouched in the alley for a few moments; waiting for the shadow to pass.
"He isn't giving up," Emma whispered.
Neal leaned back against the alley wall and sighed heavily. "I know." He took a moment to regain his courage and then pushed off the wall and hurried into the darkness, Emma and Henry close behind. They snuck through back alleys, side streets, and abandoned buildings; each time they came to a section of open exposure, they stopped to check for the Shadow. Finally, as the rain began to lighten, they arrived at an empty parking garage. Waiting for them there was a yellow bug and a man in a leather jacket with a motorcycle. "Neal," he called. There was relief in his voice.
"August," Neal called back. He jogged up to the writer.
Emma followed with reluctance. "What is he doing here?" she demanded.
"Good to see you to, Emma," August said.
"I asked him to be here," Neal confessed. There was reluctance in his voice. He had not wanted to take this option, but, as he looked out into the night, he knew that this was the one play he had left.
Emma looked back and forth between the two men. "Neal," she said. "What is going on?"
A distant howl cut through the air. The three ducked on instinct; young Henry bit back a cry.
"He's getting closer," Neal muttered. He turned to his family. "You need to go."
"What?" Emma demanded.
"Come on, Henry," Neal said. He stepped around Emma and picked up his son. "We're getting out of here." Neal unlocked the yellow bug and set Henry inside.
"Where're we going?" Henry asked. There was a mix of fear and excitement in his voice.
Neal swallowed hard and stroked his son's hair. "You and momma are going on a trip with Mr. August."
Henry grabbed his father's jacket sleeve before he could pull away. "You're coming with us, right?"
Neal didn't answer his son. He couldn't lie to him—not like his father. He kissed his son's forehead, pulled away, and shut the door.
The howl sounded again; much closer now.
"You know the way?" Neal asked August. August nodded. "Good."
Emma grabbed Neal's arm and forced him to face her. "Tell me," she pleaded.
Neal cupped the face of the woman he loved; his heart broke as he spoke. "You and Henry are going to go with August. He is going to take you somewhere safe; somewhere they can't find you."
Emma shook her head. "You're acting like this is goodbye."
Voices echoed in the decks below them.
Neal pulled away from her. "Neal!"
Neal pointed at August; his face was firm. "You take them to my father," he commanded. "You make damn sure he protects them, understand?"
"I promise," August said. He started his motorcycle and revved it.
"Neal," Emma pleaded again. She grabbed his arm to stop his retreat. "What..."
Neal cut her off with a kiss. It was a desperate farewell. When they parted, he leaned his forehead against hers and sighed heavily. It was time for the truth. "I can't go with you."
"What?" Emma whispered. "Why?"
"I've always known," he confessed. "August warned me but..." He searched his lover's face. "I couldn't lose you. I was selfish; I wanted Tallahassee, but, instead, we got this." The voices, the howling, and the fear—it was all getting closer. Neal gripped Emma's shoulders. He knew he was running out of time. "They want Henry, but they won't get him. Not where you're going. You stay with August. You listen to him. He'll explain everything."
"I don't understand," Emma said.
"I know," Neal replied. "But you will." He hugged her then. He did not want to let go. "Find me when it's over," he whispered in her ear. Emma nodded though she did not understand. Neal held onto her for one more moment and then gently pushed her away. "Now go. They're almost here. Take our son and keep him safe."
Emma nodded. "I love you," she choked out through the tears rising in her throat.
"I love you, too," he swore.
Emma turned and hurried to the bug. Moments later, Neal watched his family disappear into the shadows. Then, a second moment later, the Shadow arrived flanked by the Home Office.
"Bealfire," John said sternly. He had his gun raised.
Neal turned slowly. His hands were in his pockets and a lazy smirk was on his lips. "Hey, John."
"Where is the Truest Believer?" Michael demanded.
"Where you'll never find him," Neal said.
"Storybrooke?" Michael cursed. "You sent him there?"
Neal just smirked.
"It's no matter," John said. "He won't be safe there forever. Pan knows the Curse will break eventually, and when it does, we'll be there."
"So will my father," Neal said. "And her parents."
"We do not fear the Dark One," the Shadow hissed.
"You should," Neal replied. "If there was one thing my father knew it was family. Once he meets my son, you'll never get him."
"We shall see," the Shadow said. It swayed back and forth for a moment and then flew into the night. Before it left, it ordered them to "Kill him."
"Nothing personal, Bea," John said as he aimed. "We need to protect our family to."
He fired.
And Henry found himself yelling out his denial again as the clouds of wild magic converged on him. He heard his second wish echo through his mind: I wish my parents hadn't abandoned me!
"Stop!" he begged. White wisps were flowing from his lips now. His past was disappearing. He was forgetting. He did not know who or what but he knew that he was. There was a blackness taking over his mind; he knew he was losing something important; but he could not remember. The wild magic was stealing it from him. He covered his ears; the howling and the churning was becoming too much for him. He closed his eyes and begged, "Please stop!"
The magic parted once more. Henry fought the impulse to look. "No!" he said. The magic pressed into him; it demanded that he look. It seemed desperate for his opinion. "I don't want to," Henry pleaded, yet, even as the words left his mouth, his eyes opened and he watched.
He was standing in a tree overlooking a sinister gathering of fairy tale villains. Standing in the midst of the group was the Evil Queen. Henry's heart twisted at the sight of her. Something echoed in his soul—a longing, a remembrance of a once-love that now caused him pain as he watched the dark woman speak. She was casting some sort of spell.
The tree rustled. Henry—feeling like he was in a trance—turned; crouching in the tree next to him yet not seeing the lad was a man cloaked in green. His eyes were narrowed and focused; there was a cold rage burning in the depths of his gaze. He watched the dark queen. She was throwing things into a raging bonfire fire at the center of the gathering. The crowd below was getting excited. Something big was about to happen. The man in green—Henry thought perhaps his name was Robin Hood—withdrew his bow from underneath his cloak and retrieved a single arrow. He notched and drew it back.
The Queen was raising a heart up into the air. It seemed to be her moment of triumph.
"For Marian," Robin whispered. He let the arrow fly, and fly it did; true to its course, it cut through the magic-filled air, past the heads of the gathered evil, and pierced the heart of the Evil Queen.
Regina looked down in shock for only a moment then she turned to follow the arrow's path. She saw the man in the tree. He stood and threw back his hood. There was no recognition in her eyes as she stumbled to the ground. Her father cried out in despair just as the gathered crowd erupted in fury.
I wish the curse had never been cast.
Those words echoed through his mind and something inside of him broke in that moment. Henry screamed—a loud, long, agonized scream—and clutched his head as the wild magic closed in around him once more.
"No!" he pleaded. "No! Make it stop!"
The wild magic churned and howled; this time, there was confusion and frustration lacing the magic. It seemed hurt by his words.
"This isn't what I want!" he cried.
Then what do you want? The magic seemed to ask.
"I don't know!" Henry confessed. "I just...I just..."
Images; moments; memories that were and never were swirled through the magic around him; white wisps were pulled from him and eaten. All that he knew; all he was; all of it was gone; and all that was left was an aching emptiness in his heart.
Henry fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around his chest. He felt the tears rolling down his face, but he did not know why. He just knew one thing. "I want it to end."
The wild magic surged.
"Just make it stop. I want..." He looked up at the clouds around him. "I wish none of this ever happened!"