Chapter 46: The Hideout

Mandy ran as quickly as she could back to the hiding spot and slid down the hole. They were in complete darkness except for the little lights around their necks.

She tried catching her breath before she spoke. "Why didn't you turn the lights on?"

"We have no idea where we are." Emma replied hoping she was speaking in Mandy's direction.

Mandy walked over to the spot where the candle used to be, hoping it was still there. She found it along with the matches right next to it and lit the room. She did this with numerous candles that were spread throughout the room.

"Wow." Emma said looking around the room. It was full of little beds and comfy looking furniture. It had odd types of game she didn't recognize along with a small kitchen.

"Sorry it's a little dusty; I haven't had the chance to clean in years." Mandy said looking at the dust that had accumulated over time.

"What is this place?" Regina asked also taking a look around.

"Is this where you, Peter and the Lost Boys used to live?" Emma asked excitedly. Mandy nodded solemnly. "This is so cool. I've always wanted to come here when I saw the movie. It seemed like a pretty awesome hangout."

"It was." Mandy whispered.

"So what now?" Neal asked.

"We actually get a goodnight sleep." Snow replied.

"I think I'm gonna go to the Pixie Dust Tree to see if there is any Pixie Dust left." Mandy said. "It will make the journey go a lot quicker if we can fly."

Regina was about to protest but she held her tongue. Emma saw how conflicted Regina was. She knew she was trying to give Mandy the space she deserved but she also knew that she wanted to keep her daughter safe so she decided to speak up for her. She didn't care if Mandy got mad at her. "Kid, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"You should wait until morning, when that beast isn't out and we can actually see where we are going." David added.

"But it won't take me long. I know where it is." Mandy argued.

"Miranda, I think I speak for all of us when I say you're staying right here tonight." Snow said in a motherly tone.

Mandy sighed. "Fine. I was just trying to help…"

"Look kid, sometimes just listening to us is the most helpful." Emma said trying to get through to her.

Emma looked directly at Regina; she could see how thankful Regina was for speaking up. Emma nodded in her direction.

"What's that smell?" Neal asked sniffing the air.

"I'm afraid that's me." Mandy said. "I had to get rid of my odor so the manticore couldn't find me."

"You don't happen to have a shower here, do you?" Snow asked hopeful.

"Actually, I do. Granted it won't be like we have back in Storybrooke but it works none the less."

"Good enough for me." Emma said.

"I think Mandy should get one first. She has led us this far and could really use one." David said waving his hand in the air trying to get the smell away.

"I don't smell that bad…do I?" She asked.

"Yes!" They all said in unison.

Mandy huffed. "Well…okay then." She walked into the back room to get in the shower.

"This is an awesome hook up she has going on." Neal said. "I wish I had this when I was here."

"Didn't like my ship, boy?" Hook asked.

"That was cool but come on…this place is amazing!" Neal exclaimed.

They took this chance to explore Mandy's little house while she was in the shower. They were showing each other the weird things they found in little cubbies on the walls or in the drawers. Mandy came back out in one of her old nightgowns that surprisingly still fit her and saw everyone rummaging through her things. She cleared her throat getting their attention.

Emma quickly turned around. "Oh, we were just…" "Just snooping through everything?" Mandy finished.

She didn't know what to say. "No, well…um…kinda, yea."

"Find anything of interest?" She asked them all.

Hook was holding something he found from one of the cubbies. "Those boys really had weird things in their possession."

Mandy laughed. "Indeed. I have laid out towels for the rest of you to use, assuming you all want to take a shower also."

They all jumped up to be the next person to take a shower but Regina was closest and beat them to it. "You can sleep in the Lost Boy's beds...is there anything else I can get you before I get to work on a plan?" Mandy asked.

Emma sighed. "Kid, just go to bed. I think we can manage a plan on our own."

"No offense, but you don't know this land at all." Mandy replied.

"Miranda, go to bed." Snow commanded.

Mandy crossed her arms. "Snow, you can't tell me what to do…"

Snow walked closer to her. "I may not be your mother but you will listen to me. Go to bed and please end that argument with Regina. She's even more miserable than usual." Mandy narrowed her eyes and stared at the older woman intently.

"Do you have any food?" Emma asked breaking the awkward starring contest they had going on.

Mandy shook her head. "I'm afraid it has spoiled…it's been a few years. I'd also suggest shaking out the blankets and pillows before jumping into bed."

"Thanks Mandy." Snow pushed her towards her room. "We'll be fine."

They chose the beds they wanted and shook all the dust off when Regina emerged from the bathroom. "It's really nice in there to my surprise." Emma ran past her before anyone else could get to the shower.

"Where's Miranda?" Regina asked looking around the room.

"Snow sent her to bed." Gold replied. "I suggest you find a bed and do the same."

Regina headed back to her daughter's room to check on her before she went to bed. She knew she didn't want to see her but she was still her daughter and she was going to check on her no matter how mad Mandy was at her. She opened the curtain and peered in, expecting to see her in bed but she wasn't there. She saw Mandy standing by an old looking dresser. "Honey? Is everything okay?" She asked softly.

"He kept everything the way it was before I left. He kept all my clothes. He kept everything." She whispered. Regina didn't know whether she was talking to her or herself.

Regina walked up behind her, not sure whether to comfort her or let her be. She decided to try and talk to her. "Miranda…" She whispered.

Mandy turned around surprised to see her mother behind her. She had no idea she was there, she was in her own little world. "Oh mom, how long have you been standing there?" She asked wiping away her tears. She didn't want to seem weak in front of her mother.

"Long enough, dear. Are you alright?" Regina asked concern written all over her face.

Mandy nodded. "Yea, I was just heading to bed."

Regina grabbed her arm before she could walk away. "Can we please talk? I can't fight with you anymore."

"I'm over it, I'm goin to bed." Mandy replied.

Regina pulled her closer. "Darling, I need to know what's going on with you. You are taking on way too much responsibility here. You can't do it alone, please let us help you. Let me help you." Regina pleaded with her.

Mandy could see the desperation in her eyes and hear it in her mother's voice. She hated fighting with her too. She looked down at her feet and whispered, "Everything reminds me of Peter and everything we used to do together." She said beginning to sob. "I love Jake but I love Peter too."

Regina wasn't expecting her daughter to break down, but Mandy did. Regina lifted her chin and wiped away her tears. "That's perfectly normal." She smiled. "Peter will always have a place in your heart as will Jake."

Mandy wrapped her arms around Regina's waist and buried her head into her mother's shoulder as more tears began to flow. "I miss him so much, mommy."

Regina rubbed circles on her back as she lightly rocked her back and forth trying to calm her down. "I know, baby. Believe me, I know." She kissed Mandy's head. "You'll always remember him and I'll be here to help you through it all."

Mandy's breathing began to slow down as she calmed down. "I love you, mommy." She whispered in Regina's ear. It was exactly what Regina needed to hear right now. She was becoming really worried about Henry and her fight with Mandy was growing on her.

Regina sighed in relief and closed her eyes. "I love you too, darling, always will."

Mandy sniffled. "Do you wanna sleep in here with me?" She asked tears still in her eyes.

Regina smiled and smoothed Mandy's hair away from her face. "I was hoping you'd ask. There doesn't seem to be any room out there for me."

"Well I want you in here anyway." Mandy smiled.

"Are you sure about that?" Regina asked. "You seemed to cozy up to Miss Swan just fine."

Mandy frowned. "Are you talking about when I slept next to her instead of you?" Regina nodded.

"I took David's spot and there was no room next to you and…" She stopped when she realized why Regina was saying that. "Are you jealous?"

"No, of course not!" Regina said rather defensively.

Mandy knew her mother was just saying that. She jumped into her arms and hugged her tight. "Mom, no one can take your place, ever. You're the one and only!" She kissed her cheek. "Better now?"

Regina smiled. "Thank you, dear." She kissed her forehead. "It's late. We should get to bed."

Mandy quickly got under the covers and waited for her mother so she could snuggle close to her. Regina wrapped her arms around her while Mandy rested her head under her chin. They both fell asleep peacefully for a change.

Regina woke up to an empty bed. She assumed Miranda got up early and went out to join the rest of the group. She had no idea what time it was but saw the light streaming in from an opening in a part of the tree and assumed it was mid-morning. She made her way out to the 'living room' and saw everyone still sleeping but there was no sign of Mandy.

She looked around the room and found books on a shelf. She picked a few up and slammed them on the table, making everyone jump. "Oh, you're awake."

"We are now…" Neal said rubbing his eyes.

Emma put her face back in the pillow and groaned. "I just wanna sleep."

"So sleeping is more important than finding our son?" Regina questioned as she crossed her arms and stared at Emma.

Emma slowly picked herself up. "Fine. I'm up. I'm up."

"Where's Miranda?" David asked Regina.

"I don't know." Regina said rather nervously. "I thought she was out here with you."

"We haven't seen her since last night, Regina." Snow began. "Where do you think she went?"

"Probably searching for the boy on her own." Hook suggested as he stretched his arms.

"I sincerely hope not." Gold said shaking his head.

"Can't we use the mirror to locate her like we did with Henry?" David asked.

Gold looked to Emma. "Miss Swan?"

"Me?" She asked still trying to wake up. "Can't you or Regina do it?"

"Not if we are locating the other half of you." He answered. "Besides, it's the only way unless there is a mirror in the same room as the person you are trying to see."

"Other half?" Snow questioned.

Gold nodded. "You can't have one without the other, dearie. They complete each other in a sense."

Emma rolled her eyes and held out her hand. "Just give me the damn mirror."

Hook pulled it out of one of the bags and handed it to her. Emma put her hand up to the mirror and thought of Mandy. An image appeared in front of her. "She's fine." She turned the mirror for everyone to see. "She's just climbing a tree."

"The Pixie Dust Tree." Hook said. "She better bring enough back for all of us."

"She better come back…" Gold mumbled.

"You can relax, Regina. She's fine." Emma said holding the mirror out for her to take.

Regina took the mirror and watched her daughter gather the Pixie Dust that remained from the tree and climb back down. She hoped this tree wasn't too far and that she would be back in a few minutes.

"We should check on Henry." Snow suggested.

Regina changed the image with a wave of her hand. Henry was still in the large room but was no longer chained to a wooden post. He was now strapped down to a table with wires attached to his little body.

Henry was struggling against the restraints, trying to break free but they weren't budging.

"There's no use fighting them, Henry." Tamara told him as she approached the table. "You won't break free."

"Why are you doing this to me?" He asked breathing heavily.

"Because this is the only way to accomplish our goal." She responded with a grin.

"And what goal would that be?" He asked curious to know what their endgame was.

"All in due time, my friend." She replied.

"Is he ready?" The Enchantress asked strolling through the large steal doors.

Tamara nodded. "Ready when you are."

She walked up to the other side of Henry, looking him over. "Will you answer my questions today, boy?" She asked.

Henry shook his head. "I'm not telling you anything." He yelled.

The Enchantress smirked and looked at Tamara. "This better work." She said coldly.

"It will." Tamara reassured her. "We did the research."

"We can't send the birds out just yet. We have to wait until the storm passes." Greg informed them as he strolled into the room.

The Enchantress rolled her eyes and refocused her attention to Tamara. "Very well. Start it up." She instructed.

"Wait!" Henry shouted. "What are you gonna do to me?!"

He didn't get a response though. Tamara flicked the switch sending a rush of energy through Henry's body. His body tensed, not being able to handle so much surging energy at once. He wasn't being shocked, although that's what it looked like to the group watching through the mirror. He was being drained; drained of his magic that he didn't even know he had.

The Enchantress nodded towards Tamara to signal her to stop the machine. Once the machine was turned off, she reproached the table. Henry had his eyes closed and his chest was moving rapidly up and down, trying to catch his breath.

"Will you answer my question now?" She asked him hovering over his body.

"What do you wanna know?" He asked breathlessly.

She grinned. "Everything about your rescuers."

"When I get my hands on those three, I swear I'm gonna kill em." Emma said throwing a fit.

"I don't usually agree with you, Emma, but I will personally see to it that those people are destroyed." Regina said equally as angry.

"What were they doing to Henry?" Neal asked hoping his dad would have an answer, but his questioned went unanswered as they heard a voice ask a question.

"What are you doing?" Mandy asked from behind them all. The image disappeared from the mirror as everyone turned to look at Mandy.

Regina ran over and hugged her tightly before scolding her. "What were you thinking going out alone and without telling anyone where you went?! And why are you all wet?"

"I just went to get Pixie Dust. It was easier without you all following me." Mandy replied. "It started to poor on my way back. We should wait till it slows up a bit."

"Great!" Emma exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. "Just another obstacle to slow us down."

"It will give us time to come up with a plan." Hook suggested.

Regina put her hand behind Mandy and handed the mirror to David. "Excuse us for a moment." She guided Mandy to the back room and pulled the curtain shut.

Mandy crossed her arms. "Are you gonna yell at me now?"

Regina took a deep breath before stepping closer to her. "Can you just hear me out before you cop an attitude with me?"

Mandy sighed and let her hands fall to her sides. "Fine."

Regina's face turned to sorrow. "I just saw Henry being tortured and I couldn't do anything to stop it."

"What were they doing to him?" Mandy asked worriedly.

"They were shocking him, trying to get answers out of him..." She began pacing. "I don't know."

Mandy grabbed her shoulders. "Hey, calm down. We will get him back."

She brushed her hands away. "No, Miranda. You don't understand."

"Understand what?" She asked confused.

Regina broke down. "They are going to kill him for god knows what and they won't stop until they get what they want. I can't have you out in the forest all by yourself. If they find out how powerful you are, you could be next. I'm already worried sick about one child; I can't have both of you being held captive by those murderous people."

Mandy could see just how nervous her mother was. The constant complaining and all-knowing attitude was only a facade that she held up to hide her real feelings. "I'm sorry, mom. I'll stay with the group from now on. I didn't mean to freak you out."

"I just want to take you both home and hold you safe in my arms."

Mandy hugged her tight. "Well I'm right here…You can hold on as long as you want." Regina rested her head on top of Mandy's as she held her close.

"We'll get Henry back." She whispered. "I just know it."

After calming her mother down for an hour, Miranda and Regina emerged from the back room.

"It's about time you two showed up." Hook said eyeing the pair walking closer to them.

"Is everything okay?" Snow asked cautiously.

"Everything's fine." Mandy replied. "What have you all been doing?"

"We came up with a plan..." David said proudly. "Well, sort of."

"So it's half-assed?" Mandy asked arching her eyebrows.

Emma chuckled. "No, we started one but got into a disagreement."

"Would you care to fill us in?" Regina asked as she took a seat at the little table they had near the kitchen.

"We need to figure out a way to defeat the Enchantress." David said. "But in order to do that, we need to figure out what her plan is."

"That's not much of a plan…" Regina scoffed.

"I think I may know how to figure that last part out." Mandy said with a smirk. "Gather your things, we need to get a move on."

"Wait, where the hell are we going?" Emma said jumping in front of Mandy so she couldn't leave the room without further explaining.

Mandy sighed. "I'll tell you on the way but first, I need to supply you all with a weapon."

She walked over to a bare wall and placed her hand in a small divot. Part of the wall began moving forward and then separated in the middle, revealing a cabinet. They looked at each other with confusion written all over their faces. They weren't expecting this place to have secret hiding spots, doors and passage ways.

"Was that there the entire time?" Neal asked. Mandy nodded. "You didn't use magic to conjure it?"

"No." Mandy said shaking her head. "Tink had it installed when the Lost Boys came to live with us so we could keep the weapons away from them. We didn't want them getting injured or hurting someone else."

"So it's not a secret passage way?" Emma asked frowning.

Mandy chuckled. "No, you sound disappointed."

"Well a little…" Emma admitted.

"That would be so cool if it was though." Neal pointed out.

"You two sound like a bunch of 8 year olds." Regina said rolling her eyes.

"So open the cabinet, dearie?" Gold demanded impatiently.

Mandy opened the cabinet, revealing a bunch of weapons. "Take your pick. They are all at your disposal."

They all stood up and walked slowly over to the cabinet looking over the many different weapons. Snow's eyes went directly to the bow and arrow. "Can I take this one?"

Mandy hesitated but nodded and handed it to her. "It was Peter's." She whispered.

Snow took it from her. "I will take extra good care of it." She said offering a soft smile.

Mandy gave her a weak smile back. "Thanks."

Everyone else, aside from Regina and Gold who had their magic, picked out weapons of their own to carry with them on the journey. David, Neal and Hook all took swords. Emma took a few knives with her and Mandy had her magic but she took a sling shot along, just in case. Once everyone had their weapon of choice, they were ready to set out.

"Hold up, little one." Hook said pulling Mandy down from the ladder.

"What Hook?" Mandy asked annoyed.

"You haven't told us where we are going." He replied.

"A place where we will find the answers to our questions." She replied.

"And where would that be?' David asked.

She began climbing the rope ladder once again. "The Mermaid Lagoon."

So I just wanted to update you all before the season premiere this weekend. I wanted to finish this story before Sunday but that's not happening but I will try to update again before Sunday, but no promises. We only have a few more chapters to go. Let me know what you think!