5

Bella woke up in her bedroom the next morning with a small hangover and was thankful for the fact that she remembered everything from the previous night. Hook had walked her back to her room and made sure she was fine before leaving her alone and going back to his ship for the night. He had acted like a true gentleman and allowed her to see the man that was hiding behind the pirate and she really hoped that he'd end up deciding to stay.

She had drank a lot the previous night, taking one drink after the other, trying to forget how her life was miles away from what she had thought it would be. She knew that drinking wasn't the way to solve her problems permanently but it helped her in the short term and right now, that was all she cared about.

"So Bella, you want to join us to try and stop Greg and Tamara today?" Emma asked Bella that morning as they met at Granny's for breakfast.

"If she really is the one who did this to August, then yes, I'm coming." Bella nodded.

"Very well, come with me then. We're regrouping at the sheriff's station to decide on a plan of attack. Since you're used to practicing your powers, it'll be useful to have you around." Emma smiled.

"Did Hook tell you anything about joining us?" Bella asked him.

"No, nothing. I didn't even ask actually. Why?" Emma asked her.

"I... Last night he ran into me at the White Rabbit and he said something about leaving town this morning... I guess I was hoping he'd change his mind." Bella shook her head, trying to make it sound like she didn't really care.

"Is something going on between you two?"

"What? No! Just some bonding around a drink... I... I can't feel anything like...like... this... yet. August's memory is still too fresh in my heart..." Bella shook her head.

"But you've thought about it, haven't you?" Emma smiled teasingly.

"I have... He can be very charming, and given time, if he stayed... I don't know, maybe something could happen... But it doesn't matter, he's leaving this morning and... I can't think about this right now. I need to get justice for August and the Dragon. We need to stop this Tamara and her friend before they hurt anyone else." Bella shook her head.

"Yes, let's focus on this for now. Who knows, maybe you'll cross Hook again. After all, my mother always says that if people are meant to be together, they find a way." Emma nodded.

"Will you try to get Neal back after Greg and Tamara are stopped?" Bella asked Emma later, as they made their way to the station.

"I don't know... It'll take some time I think... I mean, of course I still love him, he's my first Love after all and you don't forget that kind of things but he's hurt me a lot... And not only in the past but even now when he doesn't believe my doubts about Tamara and thinks I'm just being jealous... He doesn't trust me and I can't be with someone who doesn't trust me or my instincts, who have never been wrong by the way." Emma replied.

"I understand... I think he has a lot to work on between his relationship with you, the one with his son and the one with his father... He'll also have to deal with being betrayed by Tamara after today... The next few weeks will be filled with emotions for him." Bella reminded Emma.

"Yeah well, it's something we all have to deal with at some point. Do you think it's easy for me to try and let my parents in? To open up to them, taking the risk that they'll leave me again at the first occasion they get? It's not. I feel like ever since I broke the curse, I take two steps back after each steps forward. I know that I'm hurting them by being this distant but it's not easy to let them in after all this time I've spent alone, being betrayed and left by everyone... Neal'll just have to get used to it. Someone as old as he is should know it can't be avoided... I mean what is he, like 200 years old? He should try to mature a bit. And I'll be expecting an appology from him before anything happens." Emma declared in a passion filled speech.

"It sounds like you've been keeping this inside for a while..." Bella smiled.

"I know... It nice to have someone who understands me to talk to." Emma nodded with a small smile, parking her car in front of the station where her parents were already waiting for her.

.

They had everything planned. David and Snow would check the basement while Emma and Bella would take the main floor.

However, they crossed Neal and Henry on the way and Henry let it slip what the other adults were doing. Willing to prove that Emma was wrong about Tamara, Neal decided to join them and so they stopped on the way to leave Henry in the safe care of his grandfather the powerful Dark One (and Belle since she had just gotten her real memories back, thanks to Blue and one of August's hair) before they all headed to the abandoned factory on the docks.

Once they arrived in the building Hook had showed Emma, they separated. On the main floor, Emma, Bella and Neal were together and Bella suggested she went on the opposite side to check it out and leave Emma and Neal together on their side. She was kind of hoping it would get them to speak honestly and maybe get closer together.

Over the radio, she heard David and Snow describing what looked like torture devices but there wasn't anybody there. She was about to turn around to try and join Emma when Greg ran right into her.

"Stop right there!" Bella yelled at him.

"And how are you going to do that? Get out of the way before I shoot you, whoever you are." Greg smirked, pointing his gun at her.

"You're right, you don't know who I am. I have magic and can hurt you a lot, even if I don't want to. Drop this gun right now and surrender yourself." Bella replied.

Greg was about to say something else when David and Snow arrived, running in their direction, probably following the tracks he had left when he exited the basement. Greg didn't waste a second and with a smirk in Bella's direction, he shot his gun twice. Once at Snow, once at David.

Bella immediately used her powers to stop the bullets before they hit her new friend's parents. All of their attention was on the bullets and none of them saw Greg running away.

"He's escaping!" Bella exclaimed.

"Let him go for now, let's check on Emma, she's not answering and this Tamara looks crazier than the guy. Thank for saving us by the way." David replied.

"You're welcome. It's the least I could do." Bella nodded as she followed them.

"Emma should be this way." Snow said, pointing to the right.

"No... We should go that way, I feel magic being done." Bella replied, pointing to the left and running in that direction without waiting for David and Snow.

When they arrived, a portal was opened on the floor. Emma was holding on a half broken pipe so she didn't fall in it and Neal held on to her legs. Tamara had just turned around and was about to run away when Bella used her powers to hit her with a ball of magic that glued her on the spot, preventing her from going anywhere.

"Neal, hold on!" Emma cried out, not seeing her parents and Bella yet.

"I can't, or we'll both fall. Henry needs you." Neal told Emma, not seeing anyone other than Emma either.

"I love you." Emma cried.

"I love you too." Neal replied as he let go.

Snow and David couldn't help their daughter, going closer would mean being sucked in the portal as well.

Bella turned away from Tamara at the same time Neal let go. She used her powers to send Emma back to her parents (right on top of them actually) but Neal had already let go and the portal was closing. Of course she tired using her powers to bring him back up but even she wasn't strong enough to do that.

"I think he went to the Enchanted Forest." Bella whispered.

"It doesn't matter. Tamara shot him in the chest... He won't survive that..." Emma shook her head as she was being hugged by her parents.

"You don't know that. There are still people there. If he's found on time, they can save him and he'll do his best to contact us. You just have to have faith and believe." Bella told Emma softly.

"Now come on, let's bring Tamara in and try to catch her accomplice." David suggested and Emma stood back up, drying her tears with a determined look on her face.

"Yeah, let's lock this bitch in before I'm tempted to take justice in my own hands." Emma replied, thinking of ways to tell Henry and Gold what happened.

Once Tamara was in jail and made it obvious that she wasn't going to talk anytime soon, Bella and Emma went to the Pawnbroker's shop to announce the bad news to Gold and Henry.

.

Greg knew that as much as he wanted to try and get Tamara back, he had to stay focused on his mission. He had the big black diamond like rock in his hand and knew that he had to activate it as soon as he could. The orders were clear, his mission was more important than anything else. Tamara knew that he couldn't waste the time to save her, she'd understand.

He managed to make it to the mines without anyone stopping him and, sure of himself, Greg placed the rock down and grabbed the strongest of the pickaxes: Grumpy's. With as much strength as he could gather, he hit the rock and watched in amazement as it rose above the ground and everything shook.

The town's self destruct device was now shining and he knew it meant it was activated. Greg knew that he only had a few hours before him to grab Henry, the savior's son and use his last bean to go to the home-office.

Before he left the mines, Greg took a few minutes to admire his handy work with satisfaction. He was almost done, he could waste a few minutes. Then he'd start looking for the boy his bosses wanted so much.

.

Emma, Bella and Henry were still in the shop with Gold when everything shook. Gold and Henry were still in the process of accepting Neal's sad fate and the sudden and violent shaking of everything alarmed them all.

"What's going on grandpa?" Henry asked him.

"Regina had a fail safe to the curse. It seems Greg just activated it..." Gold replied after concentrating a few minutes to get a vision.

"How do we stop it?" Bella asked him.

"Before today I would say it's impossible but between the 3 of us, if we work on it together, we should be able to stop it. It's in the mines, let's go." Gold replied.

"I'm coming too!" Henry decided and since they didn't have the time to leave him with anyone else, they let him come with them.

"Emma! What's going on?" Snow and David asked as they ran to join them.

"The town's going to destroy itself, we're going to try and stop it." Emma replied.

"We're coming with you." David decided, not willing to leave his daughter alone in such a moment.

They arrived in the mines and ran all the way to the black diamonds that was flying and shining.

"It's like the air is being sucked out of here..." Emma noticed.

"Not the air, the magic." Bella told her.

"Let's go ladies, follow my lead. Try not to think, just feel." Gold said, directing the last part at Emma.

Together, they managed to stop the diamond and make it back into a simple rock again but the shock-wave sent them all back.

"Is everyone alright?" Bella asked.

"I can't believe we did it!" Emma exclaimed, proud of what she had just managed.

"Where's Henry?" Gold asked and they all started to look around, unable to see him.

.

When he first saw Gold and everyone else arrive, Greg thought that he had waited too much, that they were going to find him but then he saw the young Henry with them and smiled, waiting for the right opportunity as he hide so he could still see what they were doing.

It came once they were all sent on the ground. They were unconscious for a few minutes and Greg managed to grab the boy and force him to follow him in silence. He had to hurry before they realized what he had done, but it didn't matter. All he had to do was to find an isolated spot and use the bean there.

.

Killian Jones was on the Jolly Roger with Smee and a couple of his faithful pirates. They were willing to follow him everywhere, whether that was staying in Storybrook or going to another world. The ship was a bit away from the town when Smee caught Hook's attention.

"Captain, something's wrong with the town, it looks like it's shaking and I swear there was never any trees in the middle of this road." Smee said, giving the looking-lass back to Killian who then ordered his men to turn the ship around.

Obviously the people in town were in trouble and Killian couldn't leave if Bella, among other people, was hurt. He didn't know what it was about this woman that attracted him so much, but if he could leave her, he couldn't leave if he didn't know that she was alright. If he could help, he had to help her.

"What do you think we can do Captain?" Smee asked him.

"I don't know, but we'll try anyway." Killian replied.

.

Emma was panicking, unable to find Henry anywhere.

"It's got to be that Greg guy!" Bella exclaimed.

"You're probably right." David nodded.

"Gold, do you have any idea of where he took Henry?" Emma asked her son's grandfather.

He had been silent for the past minute, his eyes closed and they all guessed that he was trying to have a vision.

"The docks. He's going to use a bean there but I can't see where exactly, it's like he's protected by someone." Gold finally replied.

"Let's go then, we've got to hurry." Emma said.

"Wait, I can make us appear there, it'll be faster." Gold replied and after Emma nodded, he waved his hands and a cloud of dark smoke took them to the docks.

"It's large, we'll need to spread and be on the look out." Snow noticed.

"Is that the Jolly Roger?" Bella asked as she pointed to the large sea.

"It looks like he's coming back our way... Didn't you say he was leaving?" Emma asked Bella, temporary distracted.

"I thought he was... Maybe he changed his mind..." Bella replied.

"It doesn't matter right now, we need to search for Henry before he takes him anywhere. Who knows what he has planed for him..." Gold reminded them and the two young women nodded.

"Rumpel, you should go with David and Snow so that they can have magic too. You take this side. Emma and I will take the other half. If you see them, make us appear next to you, if we do, we'll call you." Bella decided and they all agreed, nodded and separated ways.

"Maybe he's coming back for you." Emma suggested to her new friend while looking around for her son.

"It doesn't matter right now... It's still too soon for me." Bella shook her head.

"I know that, and I'm pretty sure he does too. But if he's coming back, it might mean that he wants to be here for when you're finally ready." Emma replied.

"We'll see. Look there's someone over there." Bella replied, pointing out to a form away from them.

They started running and when it became clear who it was Emma took her phone out and called her father.

"I don't know why my magic doesn't work on this guy. I can't freeze him on the spot like I did for Tamara earlier." Bella exclaimed as they kept on running.

"Maybe he's protected." Emma suggested.

"I just tried getting Henry to be glued to the ground but it's not working either, probably because he's with Greg. I think I managed to hide an enchanted mirror in his pocket however. He'll be able to talk to us later." Bella explained as Gold, David and Snow appeared next to them.

Greg had reach the edge of the dock by then and he threw a bean in the water. Casting one last smirk at the group while Henry cried out, he jumped in the portal before the group managed to reach him for good.

Emma tried to follow and jump after him but the portal quickly closed behind them and she yelled out her frustration.

"Don't worry Emma, I have a few beans, all we need to do is find out where they took Henry. Once that's done, we'll be able to follow and save him." Bella reassured her friend, hugging her, trying to reassure her.

"Swan? Bella? What's going on? We saw everything shake after we left." Hook asked as he arrived from behind them with Smee on his toes.

Bella explained the situation to him as quickly as she could.

"Well, I'll offer my ship and my services to go after him. I still have the bean I stole from them." Hook replied when she was done and everyone was thankful.

"How are we going to find out where they took him?" Emma asked Hook.

"I can help with that, I just need to get one thing from my shop. I suggest everyone who wants to come packs a small bag, we don't know how long it's going to take." Gold replied.

"Okay, we meet back here in an hour, then we're getting out of here." Emma agreed and they all separated ways.

.

In her room at Granny's Bella packed a small backpack. She started by changing into a pair of jeans, comfortable shoes to walk in and a t-shirt. Then she put a belt that used to belong to her father around her waist. It had a dagger and a sword on it and she knew they would need it eventually. The belt held a few bags and Bella knew that they were mostly empty.

In her bag, Bella placed another pair of jeans, 1 pair of socks and another set of underwear and a second t-shit. She added a jacket, in case it got cold where they'd go. She had a few chocolate barres and added them to her back pack. Maybe she'd be able to use them. She didn't know if they'd find food easily or not so at least they'd have that. She added the three small bottles of water she had and another knife. Then she added a couple of empty vials she had in case she found something that was worth taking back with her. At the last minute, she added a couple of flashlights she had and a change of batteries.

She put a couple of beans in two different safe places (in her back pack and in her jean's pocket) and grabbed two small mirrors she had. One she kept on her and the second one she put to the side.

"Hey Ruby, I'd like to pay in advance for the next couple of weeks. I don't know how long we'll be gone but I want to be able to still have a room with my things when I come back." Bella told the wolf girl.

"Of course! Don't worry, even if you're gone longer than that, we'll keep your room. I doubt we'll even need it but even if we did, we both know Marco would gladly look after your things." Ruby smiled.

Bella thanked her and went through the dinner, where Marco and his son were waiting for her. She explained where she was going and gave him the mirror, telling him how it worked and that he'd be able to use it to contact her in case there was a problem in town.

"Thank you and Good luck. If there's anything we can do from here, let me know." He replied, giving her a quick hug.

She smiled and rushed to join Emma and the Charming's on the Jolly Roger.

.

"So, who's coming with us?" Bella asked.

"Well, Smee is staying with us, the other men decided not to come after the Dark One revealed where we had to go... The Savior and her parents are here, along with the grumpy dwarf. The Dark One convinced his girlfriend to stay behind so if nobody else comes I think we're ready to go." Hook told her with a gentle smile.

"Where are we going then? It has to be scary if even your pirates are scared of it." Bella asked him.

"It's not really that they're scared, it's that we've already spent a very long time there in the past and none of us have cheery memories of it. It's not an experience they wish to repeat." Hook replied.

"Please tell me we're not going to Neverland?" Bella asked him after thinking about what he told her.

"I'm afraid so." Hook nodded.

"Can someone please tell me what's so bad about Neverland? It's just kids having fun and flying around, right? Isn't that what the story says?" Leroy asked them, his ax on his shoulder, ready to fight.

"Peter Pan is a demon, the worst evil you'll find..." Gold replied, slightly paler as Bella went to support him.

"What do you mean? Who is he?" Emma asked.

"You should tell them Rumple, so he can't use it against you... You know he will..." Bella told him.

"Your father told you?" He asked her and when she nodded, he looked at the others and said:

"Peter Pan used to be an adult named Malcolm. He had a son and spent all of his time gambling and drinking. One day, he left his son with two nice seamstress, telling him that he'd be back once he had enough money for them to start over but it was a lie. The boy worked so well that as a reward, he got a magic bean. He went to find his father and the man used it to go to a land he used to know when he was a kid. Together they arrived in Neverland but the man couldn't fly if he was an adult so he used Pixy dust and the magic of the Island to turn back into a teenage boy. The problem was that a child couldn't have a child so he asked the shadow to take his son back to the Enchanted Forest, far away from him. The little boy dropped his doll as he was taken away and watched his father grab it. From that day, Malcolm changed his name to what his son had named the doll: Peter Pan. I was that boy. I only saw my father once after that day, when he tried to take my son away from him so he could have company in Neverland." Gold explained to them.

"Wow, never thought I'd ever feel sorry for you, mate..." Hook shook his head.

"He's really that bad then?" Snow asked.

"Pan might look like a boy but he's a bloody demon. If he shakes your hand, you might want to count your fingers and check for poison." Hook replied.

"Are we ready to go Captain?" Smee asked him.

"Aye, if we're all here, it's time to go back to hell." Hook replied with a sharp nod.

"Let's go... Henry's waiting for us." Emma nodded.

"I can feel that Henry found the mirror I sent in his pocket but he's not alone yet. I hope he won't show it to anyone... We don't want him to get caught, Pan could use it against us..." Bella informed them as Hook sailed his Jolly Roger away from town and through the portal he had just created.

"Time to face my demons it seems." Rumple whispered and Bella put her hand on his shoulder:

"You're not alone, not anymore. Remember that Belle, Neal, Henry and I are your family, not Pan."

Gold nodded and gave her one of his rare sincere smiles.

Here we are, I don't know how much longer this will be... Maybe no more than a couple of chapters if inspiration doesn't strike... Or I might just pause it until I am inspired again. Do you want me to finish it (and maybe take it back up later) or to pause it and finish it eventually?

Review?

Lorelei Candice Black