Chapter 9
Last Chance
They rushed over to Henry, Emma turned to Pan and said "what did you do to him".
Pan came down and said "oh I didn't do anything, it was Henry, he gave me his heart of his own free will".
Tally accused "you tricked him".
Pan asked "your point"?
Emma said "we're taking it back" She lunged at Pan but he vanished and reappeared behind her with Pandora's box.
Pan said "I don't think you have it in you, Rumplestilskin didn't".
Tally asked angrily "what did you do with Grandpa Gold"?
Pan answered "just what he was planning to do to me. If he couldn't hurt me what makes you think any of you can".
Emma nipped him with her sword and asked "how'd that feel".
Pan replied "like a tickle" and with that he flew away.
Regina held her hands over Henry and he started to glow. Tally asked "what are you doing"?
Regina said "this preservation spell will keep Henry in his condition, in time for us to get to Pan".
Emma asked "you were a lost boy, any idea where he might hide out".
Neal shook his head "No, I know where his compound is, but..."
Tally asked "won't he go there"?
Regina said "it'd be the first place we look for him, He wouldn't be stupid enough to go back there".
Emma said "Regina, that's enough".
Regina yelled "don't tell me what's enough, my son is dying".
"Our son, so I know how you feel" Emma stated.
"You have no idea how I feel," snapped Regina crying "you have your parents, you have a husband and daughter, a pirate who pines for you, you have everything and yet you claim to know how I feel. All I have is Henry and I am not about to lose him because he is everything to me".
Emma calmingly whispered "you're right I don't know how you feel, you want to run the show - run it, how do we beat Pan"?
Regina replied "I don't know".
Neal said "even if we can find Pan, he was powerful before, with Henry's heart I'm not sure if we can hurt him".
Regina said "yes we can". They saw her looking at Emma's sword, it had a trickle of blood on it. "You nipped him, if we can nip him we can hurt him, and if we can hurt him we can kill him".
They took Henry back to Pan's camp and told everyone what happened. "And Pan didn't just take Henry's heart, he took David and Tally's only chance off this island. The Pandora's Box plan backfired, Gold's in there instead of Pan and he has it" Emma summarized.
Mary-Margaret said "so Gold's in a box and David and Tally can't leave".
David said "it's okay Mary-Margaret, I've made peace with it".
Tally argued "I haven't but that doesn't matter".
David agreed "your right, what matters is Henry".
Tally added "and Grandpa Gold, he's more a prisoner than we are".
Regina mentioned "we have maybe an hour before the preservation spell wears off".
Neal said "since he's airborne he could be anywhere on the island".
Hook added "an hour isn't much time, I suggest we start looking".
Regina stomped over to the already awake Felix, Pan's right hand boy. She shouted "WHERE IS HE"?
Felix said smugly "gone" Regina grabbed him "there nothing you can do about it, he's already won, Pan never fails".
Regina threatened "you don't want to talk, how about I make you talk".
She was about to grab his heart when Emma stopped him "Regina wait".
Regina reminded "there's no time".
Emma said "I don't think torture is our best bet here. Look at these kids, they've been to hell and back, we need to try something else".
Regina said "we tried it cute and cuddly, they don't respond to reason, What else can you offer them".
Emma looked at Tally and then Mary-Margaret and answered "what every lost child wants. When we arrived you asked what my skill was and a told you I was a mother, and that's what these boys need".
Neal watched over Henry and Emma talked to the Lost Boys "Listen to me, we're not going to hurt you, you're loyal to Pan I get that. But you are making a terrible mistake. For a long time I thought I was never going to find my family, I was once like you, I was an orphan, I was a lost girl. I was reminded recently that I am not alone, that I have a lot of people who love me. And I never thought that was going to happen. If that can happen to me, it can happen to you".
The lost boy they had captured from before asked "it can, we can get love".
"Yes" said Emma.
He added "I asked Henry about it when your daughter told me she loved you. Henry said it was wonderful to love and be loved.
Emma smiled and replied "it is, it truly is"
Felix said "don't listen to her, Pan is the only family we need".
Emma continued "family doesn't do what he does, Pan lied to all of you, and made you so terrible things. He lied to Henry and convinced him to give up his heart".
A little lost boy mentioned "to save the island"
Emma said "no, to save himself".
Felix said "don't listen, Pan cares about all of us.
Emma said "no he doesn't we care about you and we can save you. We can take you home with us to our land. There's no reason to fear Pan anymore. Until he absorbs the power from Henry's heart he can be stopped"
Mary-Margaret added "you just need to tell us where he is".
Felix warned "leave now while Pan still allows you to breathe".
Emma went over to Felix "where is Pan"?
Felix replied "not telling".
But the little lost boy asked "can you really take us home"?
Felix shouted "SHUT YOUR MOUTH".
Emma said "yes, with your help",
The little lost boy said "his thinking tree".
Felix yelled "NO"!
Another lost boy said "yes, his thinking tree"
Felix screamed "STOP IT, ALL OF YOU".
Seeing Felix agitated told Emma she was on the right track she asked the little lost boy "what is that".
He said "It where he goes when he wants to be alone".
The other lost boy "you can find him there, it's not far".
Felix said "No, don't trust her".
Emma asked "can you tell us where it is".
"Yeah" the little lost boy said "but you have to swear, swear you'll take us with you".
Emma said "I promise, we are going home, all of us".
"The Pixie woods, that's where it is" asked Regina.
The little lost boy said "yes; it's just north of here. It's where the pixie dust used to grow".
Tally gave him a hug "thank you, you're helping save my brother".
He said "I remember hugs, they feel nice".
Emma asked Hook "do you know where it is"?
"Aye" he replied "the whole region is deserted now. No one but Pan has set foot there in, well, forever".
Neal said "then it looks like we're about to make history".
Emma told Neal "no, we need you here, Me and Regina will go, once we get Henry's heart it's going to be a race back. We need help on both ends".
David asked "what do you need from us"?
Neal said "let's gather up the lost boys and get them aboard the Jolly Roger and prepare the ship to fly". They could see some of the lost boys faces light up.
Hook said "then I hope you have a Pegasus sail otherwise we'll be at the mercy of the trade winds".
Neal said "that's why we have Pan's shadows, he'll get us home. As long as you're ship holds together"
Hook said "as long as your plan holds together she will".
Neal said to Emma "Henry is going to be with me the whole time. Nothing's going to happen to him while you two are away".
"Three" said Mary-Margaret "I may be trapped on this island for the rest of eternity so if you think I won't be spending my last moments with my daughter, you're crazy".
Emma said "okay, let's do this, Tally stay with daddy".
Emma, Regina and Mary-Margaret walked to where the lost boys told them Pan's thinking tree was. They gasped seeing Pandora's box lying on a rock. They cautiously walked up to it wondering why it was in plain sight and Pan wasn't. When nothing happened when they were out in the open Mary-Margaret was about to reach for it when Regina said "careful. Pan wouldn't have left it beqhind for no reason".
Mary-Margaret said "it David's and Tally's only way home. Without Gold we're stuck here". She was about to take it when a vine came out of the tree and wrapped around her, then around Emma, and then Regina. It pulled them to the tree then wrapped around all of them tying them to the tree.
Pan came into view from behind the tree "are you still at it? Don't you know, Peter Pan never fails" he said picking up the cutlass Emma dropped. "I didn't expect you to find me, then again I shouldn't be surprised, you're mothers quite tenacious about your offspring. Believe it or not I understand that, but if you're looking to save Henry there's only one place you'll be reunited. In death. You four don't know when to give up."
Emma asked confused "four".
Pan pointed to Regina "one", then pointed at Emma "two", then at Mary-Margaret "three" then pointed behind him "four".
Emma had thought he was pointing at Gold until he moved aside and they saw Tally holding the box looking terrified. "Tally, you're supposed to be with Daddy" said Emma.
Tally stammered "b-but I w-want to ...save Henry and G-Grandpa Gold". She waved her hand over Pandora's box but nothing happened, she tried again but still nothing happened.
Pan decided to explain "that box won't open, of course if you wanted it to open, you'd need the real one" revealing the real box in his hand. "Do you really think I'd be so stupid as to leave the real box where anyone could get it"? Tally dropped the fake one and darted to her mother before a vine wrapped around her causing her to squeal.
They all tried to get free Pan came over "having trouble moving, not surprising given where you are. You see what's hastening in your demise is your regret".
Emma asked "what are you talking about"?
"This tree is the site of a very important event. I abandoned my boy here many years ago" Pan told them.
Regina asked "you have a son".
Pan replied "I'm older than a look, and as I told him a child can't have a child."
Emma said "if you have a child you must regret losing him too".
"But I don't, quite the opposite actually, you see I have him all boxed up so I don't lose him again" Pan said holding up Pandora's box.
"Rumplestilskin is your son" Regina said.
"That he is" Pan said.
Mary-Margaret said "how is that possible you're"...
"Younger than him" suggested Pan "Not really, just like you and your daughter".
Regina said "you're a fraud, your magic is weakened, you can't even hurt us, let alone Rumplestilskin".
Pan replied "you're right, but that's why I'm here, this tree will protect me until my magic is restored, and then, well then I get to have some real fun. And I won't ever have to worry about my child again something else we will all soon have in common".
Emma said "there has to be another way".
Pan replied "no, you're not going to get to me. As I said this tree attacks the regret of anyone who comes here. And you, you've got plenty".
Emma replied "you're right, what I regret is not taking a better shot at you when I had the chance".
Pan said "oh that's not all is it? You forget I have your son's heart inside me. I can feel just how much you let him down time and time again".
Mary-Margaret said "leave her alone".
Pan replied "maybe I should, after all what chance did she have of being a good mother, look at the example you set. Abandoning her for twenty eight years".
Tally said "mommy and grandma are wonderful mothers".
Pan replied "well their regret can't be as big as yours, a special big brother who's loved more than you. The whole time you've been here mommy had been more concerned with getting your brother back than your safety. No one could blame you for feeling jealous. But that's not all, you hated him because you can feel him soaking up all your parents love and attention. Now you regret it because now you're losing him".
Tally said "I don't regret anything because there's nothing to regret. Mommy and Daddy love me as much as Henry but he was in more danger than me. I love my big brother".
Suddenly the vines around Tally loosened, Pan looked confused but not concerned, what could a little girl do.
Seeing Tally's situation Regina asked Pan "are you done"?
"Last words from the Queen" declared Pan. "Perhaps a death bed confession from the one who has the most to regret of all".
Regina said "one problem with that, I did cast a curse that devastated an entire population. I have tortured and murdered. I've done some terrible things, I should be overflowing with regret but I'm not". She broke free from the vines braking the vines around Emma and Mary-Margaret "because despite all I've done it got me my son".
Tally made a dash to get the real box while Regina grabbed into Pan's chest and pulled out Henry's heart. She said "now let's save Henry".
They dashed to the ship Neal called over "Henry's here" as they all came over he added "and you young lady needs to start doing as your told". Regina put Henry's heart back and they waited to see Henry come back but nothing seemed to happen. Just when all hope seemed lost Henry gasped awake and shot up being engulfed in a hug by both his mothers. The knocked over by Tally running into him to give him a hug crying "Henry".
Neal said "take it easy Sugar Plum. Your brother needs to have a rest".
He said "I'm sorry, I wanted to save magic, I wanted to be a hero".
David told him "there's plenty of time for that".
Mary-Margaret added "but now it's time to rest"
Hook said "welcome back young sir. Only the best for our guest of honour, Captains quarters".
Regina said "come one, I'll tuck you in".
Emma said to Tally and said "I think's it's someone else's bed time too. Maybe you can share the Captains quarters with Henry".
And Hook nodded and Tally squeaked "thank you".
Tucking the children into bed Regina said "oh I know that look, that's the look of five hours of Space Paranoids and too much Pizza".
Henry replied "Pizza's good".
From the other side of the bed Tally chimed "and a giant fudge sundae" causing a chuckle from Emma putting Roseberry in bed next to Tally.
Regina waved a hand over Henry making him glow. "That stings" he said.
Emma asked "what does that do".
Regina replied "it protects his heart so no one can ever take it again".
Henry said "thanks mom".
Regina said "we'll be home soon my little prince".
Emma said "And my little princess needs some sleep now it's all over and she's safe. And when we get Grandpa Gold out of his box he can ensure she remains safe". Regina gave Henry his goodnight kiss and Emma gave Tally hers. Emma thought to herself 'now I have around twenty lost boys to attend to'.
Henry said "goodnight Tally".
She replied "goodnight Henry".
They were about to drift off when they heard a zing. They shot up and saw Pan. He hardly noticed her and said "I'm sorry it had to come to this Henry".
Tally backed into the corner furthest from Pan clutching Roseberry.
Henry asked terrified "what, what are doing here"?
Pan replied "I wanted your heart Henry. But your mother took it away from me, and left me for dead. Her mistake".
Pan tried to reach into Henry to get his heart but he was shocked off.
"Oh clever" Pan said "but there's more than one way to get a heart".
He started ripping out Henry's shadow. Tally looked on in terror then reared her head back and yelled out "MOMMY, DADDY".
Everyone burst in including Mr Gold holding Pandora's box. "Hello papa" he said as he opened it. Pan started getting sucked in as he tried hanging onto Henry's shadow. He suddenly lost hold and went inside Pandora's box.
Regina went to Henry as Emma and Neal went over to Tally and held her as she held onto them breathing heavily and crying. Regina said "Henry"
He gasped and said "It's okay, I'm okay".
"Are you sure"?
Mr Gold said "he's a strong boy Regina, you raised him well".
