Whoo. It took forever but I found a song that could be interpreted enough ways to to apply to several characters and situations at once. Something shocking happens in this chapter, we get a vague idea what happened while everyone was frozen in time and that town meeting gets underway.

I did not forget the end of last chapter. It's just not carried over to this one. But it will be in the next one. I promise there's a reason. Have I let you down so far?

Oh, it's worth mentioning the last episode isn't helping with my theory that the show writers are either a)trolling the internet for fanfiction inspiration, b)psychic, c)some creepy ass combo of the two. I swear I read a Frozen/OUAT crossover last year that turned out a lot like the last arc. Part of the posting delay (aside from work, classes, real life...) is a had to go back and re-write Belle's flashback part a little. It was originally to similar to the finale for my tastes.

Disturbed starts us off with Pain Redefined.

*OUATE*

This wasn't what she expected in her life.

According to her father, she's inherited that self sacrificing virtue from her mother but it wasn't nearly as strong in his wife. The night she left for the Dark One's castle, he's confided in her that as much as he disliked the situation, the man confided that she was a braver person than he.

As she stood in the castle gardens pruning the unusual rose bushes, her thoughts wandered. Wrestling with her self. Belle knew her 'employer' was a horrible person. Creature. Whatever he was. Point being there was hardly anything good about him appearance or personality wise. Still she felt herself drawn to him. The most irrational and somewhat disturbing thing she'd ever felt. It had no explanation.

"I'd give anything to be able to sort this all out in my head." She groaned.

"What did I tell you about saying crap like that out loud?"

"GAH! Tink you scared the wits out of me!" The maiden clutched the close sheers to her chest in fright. "I need to put a bell on you! What are you doing here? You have to go before-"

"Relax. I'm your fairy god mother and I promised you a life of adventure but not like this." The green fairy held her head high. "I have a way for you to escape this and still keep your land safe from the ogres."

"Really?"

"Yeah! It's a special item that the Dark One has. It can control him so he guards it fiercely." A curvy silver and black blade suddenly hovered right in Belle's face and she dropped her gardening tool in shock. The new item stayed suspended for a second before dropping into her hand handle first.

"The Dagger!"

"Yeah. With this you can order him to let you go. To protect your lands. And he'd have no choice but to obey so long as you hold it."

For a moment she considered it. All her problems solved just like that. She should be happy but she wasn't. As much as this seemed like a heaven sent opportunity, it couldn't give her what she wanted deep down.

"But, I can't order him to love me." she smiled sadly.

"Love? Love isn't the same as locking someone away from all they've ever known or loved Belle. A creature cursed with a heart as black as his could never love anyone or anything but himself." Tinkerbelle gawked. "Love is warm and giving. Certainly not this...whatever it is."

"But, true love can break any curse. My mother told me that as a child and I still believe it." She shoved the weapon away. It clattered to the cobblestone walkway. "If it's so powerful why don't you use it?"

"Because fairies are forbidden to use dark magic. Those who do are branded with black wings." She admitted sheepishly.

"But it's fine for me to do?!"

"Well, yes. Being human the magic can only affect you if you let it in. All the previous masters of the Dark One were greedy, petty men and women so easily corrupted. Belle, you're such a pure hearted person. I know the dagger won't drive you mad with power. It's the only reason I even considered it. The pixy dust I used to on him while he nodded in his study will wear off soon. When it does you'll have your chance."

"I appreciate it, really I do. But I can't imagine bending another to my will against their own. No matter what they've done Tink. I...I can't do it."

"I understand." The blond returned the grim smile. "I just didn't want you to suffer...true love is a very complicated thing. The person you're destined for may not be the best choice for your well being or theirs but I can't force you to do anything you don't want."

"Wait, Rumpelstiltskin is my true love? I can save him from this?" The brunette's eyes shines with excitement.

"You kiss could." Her coy giggle took on a dark edge, then she spoke again. Tone had flipped like a switch. "Too bad you'll never get the chance. I was really hoping you'd take the bait but oh well. It pays to have failsafes."

Belle clutched her throat as her mother's necklace tightened around it like a noose. The very one that broke the first day they met. That the fairy woman used her magic to repair. How could she have been so stupid?! It burned as her lungs desperately fought for oxygen. It seemed to last an eternity before the garden around her blurred. Slowly darkness bleed into her field of vision, creeping in from the sides until she saw and heard no more.

"Don't worry dear. You won't even remember this." The ghost fairy pet the other woman's hair. "Like it never happened. Just, if you do happen to get that troll to kiss you, The Dark One he will remain. We need him after all, too much work invested in this to let something as silly as true love muck it up."

*OUATE*

Rumple stood there in absolute shock. It made sense now. Even though he loved her and she him, her kiss could never break his bond with the dagger because of Pan! He made sure of it. He'd forced her to leave an she ended up in the Evil Queen's clutches for no goddamn reason! He could have had it all!

If he weren't such a coward.

*OUATE*

Say what you will. Peter Pan was many things, but a liar wasn't one of them. The Lord Moon and his Evil Angel don't lie; just leave things open to interpretation or flat out omit information when they speak. Ask them a question and they will answer truthfully, no matter what. Just don't ever think you have a leg up on them. They'll speak just enough of the truth to satisfy you and still not divulge anymore than they desire to.

Never did Peter tell Greg or Tamara the Home Office's goal was to destroy all magic. In fact, he never spoke to them in anyway. That was all on the Darling Brothers. Their orders had been to do whatever it took to get Henry to Neverland. If that meant manipulating a self righteous bitch and a damaged man...so be it. They had used many in their century or so residing in the so called 'Land Without Magic".The pair had observed that hate and vindication were a far more powerful motivators than altruism and good will in most people. Not all, just most. With that knowledge they sought out the broken and the damned, no wind up needed and pointed them at a vague idea that their own minds justified as some justified crusade to avenge whatever slight the world delivered to them. Fully understanding that should they fail, everything that is and ever was would unravel like a cheap sweater. What they could see of the future of those they employed...well their stories didn't end very well anyhow. Self destruction rarely does.

Peter really would have killed the rescue party if they came charging into camp blindly; he had every intention of slaughtering Gold and Neal in his rage for daring to take what was his that night. Gabriel knew it and steered Rumple and Neal towards the others thus letting his Priest reclaim Henry and remind the entire group who held the power. But the clever boy demanded Peter not hurt his family in exchange surrendering. The promise said Peter couldn't hurt them...but he certainly wasn't obligated to protect them from what goes bump in the night on the island.

So the Moon made an appearance to the Sun's Priestess for assistance. Through her, Gabriel all but told them the truth of the situation. Enough for them to piece it together. While in Everlie, he did the same for Henry.

Now it was clear that all this time everyone had been focused on the wrong goals.

While most reeled at that revelation, Felix just sighed. It really was strange being connected to anyone but Peter especially when they both thought on completely different levels. 'What's the right thing to do?' vs 'And this affects me how?'

Peter: Simple, kill Baelfire. Destane has no shiney new body to take over and his magic finally rots him away. Easy peasy. All done.

Henry: Anything BUT that.

The back and forth was starting to give the blond a migraine. The youngest of their trio had been awake since before the spell was undone. He also wasn't even in the apartment anymore but distance meant nothing to shared hearts. Exasperated, he cut the link to both of them. Having that mental door slammed in his face startled the shit out of Peter but the Master of Neverland didn't let on as he gloated to Team Good N Evil how he'd once again gotten over on his old friend. Still one doesn't live with and routinely screw a guy for just shy of 500 years and not know when they're bluffing. Peter's tell happened to be his rather expressive eyebrows. One would quirk ever so slightly when he was thrown for a loop, no matter what expression he painted on his face. Only a lot of time spent staring at his lover's face allowed him to notice it at all.

The others present save the Lord Moon had no idea Peter was banging on that mental barrier and generally freaking the fuck out inside. Despite the fact that he could plainly see Felix right beside him, it was terrifying not to feel him anymore. Understandable given not even a day ago, he'd come within seconds of having the scarred boy die in his arms.

Henry on the other hand...quietly accepted that they were driving the other boy nuts with their squabble. He experimentally poked the barrier to test it then Felix felt no other action on his part. One could argue he simply didn't know enough to do much with it. One could also argue that the sky was green but that didn't make it true. On the contrary, Henry knew exactly what the block was and had no desire to push it. Instinct was the the very essence of a Shadow Caster's power and thus the Truest Believer initially awoke after their union confused and lacking in his ability to use his magics. Felix said they both had to learn to use their powers. But like his lover he was well versed in the art of the word play too. They had to learn magic in the same sense a newborn deer learned to stand. Weak and uncoordinated to confident and sure of their movements with the span of a few hours.

He said it then more to reassure the boy's family after seeing the fear in their eyes that their young one has been corrupted in some way. He'd felt Henry's shame in seeing them react that way and spoke before Peter did. His words gave them a bit of hope that what had been done might be reversible. Let them relax for the moment.

After a minute or two, the barrier came down. Expecting the two to realize how pointless arguing was, he was sorely disappointed to sense they hadn't skipped a beat when he separated from them. Normally, Felix was rather unflappable. Unfortunately he was exhausted mentally and physically by this point. Between holding back his darker half well into his allotted time, his worry over what would happen now that Henry was in their grasp and almost taking a dirt nap within the span of one night, he just couldn't take it anymore. By the time Peter was done explaining about Belle's encounter with the Dark One's Dagger, the corner of one emerald eye was twitching.

Henry didn't want to kill his father, they'd just met for crying out loud. Peter wanted insurance that Destane couldn't posses him either.

Fine.

Neale blinked when the Lost Boy stormed up to him, glaring and silent. He never was one for words.

"Um...can I hel-GAHHH!"

Before (almost) anyone could react, a calloused hand plunged into his chest. Once yanked, free the man dropped to his knees gasping and clawing at the floor. The room went on alert at the action.

"This is pissing me off." Holding up his prize everyone froze. Okay that's a poor choice of words.

The heart in his hand wasn't red.

It wasn't black either.

The organ was mostly blue.

Covered almost completely in a thin layer of frost, Neale's heart glowed a dull blue save a small spot that weakly pulsed red in the center. A light fog wafting off of it the same way the warm air condensed when you open your mouth in a freezing day. A heart that had literally grown too cold to care. Nobody knew what to say. Pan's eye glinted mischievously.

"Get that look off your face Peter, I have no intention of crushing it. I'd wager either meeting Tamara or finding Emma and by extension Henry kept it from turning all the way into a lump of ice. It's actually started to defrost here a bit. In any case listening to the two of you bitching is beyond aggravating. Not everyone is a heartless bastard, you do understand that right?" Felix fixed Peter with a look that clearly said 'do that laugh and I deck you'.

"What are you doing?!" Emma barked.

"Let him go you little bastard!" Gold yelled at the same time.

"After I settle something." Casually waving his free hand over it caused the outline to flash a deep purple then remain that way. Gold's eyes widened.

"That spell...how the hell could you know it? Much less be able to cast it?!" The Dark One demanded.

"Your son is on his knees, his heart looks like a freeze pop and you're curious about a spell? You really do have a one track mind!" Emma stared incredulously.

"I'm afraid I have to agree. What did you do to him?" David pressed, reflexively drawing his wife closer. His eyes flickered worriedly between the heart, it's incapacitated own and the homicidal looking Gold.

"Calm down. Henry's distraught as hell over the danger this situation has put his father in. Someone has a solution to this mess that involves killing Bae. That person is also a deceptive ass I don't trust not to attempt to implement said solution. So, to preserve what sanity I debatably still have, I decided to do something other than listen to the back and forth. Firstly, I know whatever Peter knows Rum. Second I'm way more powerful than you think." Came the reply. "Lastly, Destane needs access to his heart to use it in this state right? So, I've bound it in shadow magic that will lash out at anything that tries to tamper with it. Henry can worry a little less and I don't have to throttle a certain someone."

None too gently he replaced the heart, shoving it through the poor man's back.

"What gives Felix?! Why the bloody hell would you do that?" Peter growled. "You just nixed out best chance at a quick fix to-MMPH!" Gabriel let out a soft snort when a band of dark energy wrapped around his Angel's mouth silencing him. This could be a very promising sign...

"I don't want to talk to you right now. At all." Felix spoke again. "I apologize for any disrespect my Lord but I cannot deal with this. Not at the moment."

Then he was gone. Having faded away like he'd never been there at all.

Of course someone had to make the obligatory snide remark,

"Trouble in paradise?"

Though no one expected the quip from sweet Snow White.

*OUATE*

"Everyone calm down." Blue called over the din of the meeting hall.

"Calm down? Sister there's another evil sorceress running around, something tried to kill you and oh yeah a guy who makes the Dark One look like a surly puppy just showed up too. That's a trifecta of 'rile the hell up'!" Grumpy snapped.

"Well yelling isn't going to solve our problems. Did you ladies make any progress?" Granny huffed.

"Yes and no. There may be a way to defeat this evil but it requires magic far too dark for a fairy to cast. There is a terrible price and even then there's no guarantees." The Supreme Fairy sighed.

"So there's no hope then?" Cinderella clutched her baby in terror.

"There's always hope."

The collective whiplash could have broken a neck or two. Standing at the entryway was Henry, smiling brightly. The very person the heros and villians had joined forces to recover. And had returned with the Ruler of Neverland, his kidnapper, at his side.

Ruby moved to hug him but was stopped by several fairies.

"You are not Henry." Astrid spat. "How dare you take his form shadow caster!"

"I am Henry." he rolled his eyes. Stepping forward, several townsfolk backed away unsure what to think. The energy radiating off of him was a mix of chaos and calm. Confusing the senses of the more magically inclined. "Just with a few enhancements. I came here to keep you from doing something desperate, risky and overall pointless. Nothing you're thinking of will stop what's coming and Peter and Jasmine are on our side."

"And whose side is that? That witch attacked my daughter!" Mr. French's voice roared.

"Do you have anything but guesses to base that on? Look, the real enemy is trying to turn you all against the only people who can help. We're on the side that really doesn't want to let a madman's millennia old plans succeed and have the world as we know it fall apart at the seams."

"Henry...what happened to you?" The resident therapist ventured.

"I found what I've been missing all these years. Rathert, they found me."

*OUATE*

Tada, longer than usual to make up for the wait. And because splitting it up wouldn't work out so good :P

What do you think?

Reviews are like hugs! Sirensoundwave out!