Chapter 11

What's Normal Now?

Mr Gold explained "when the curse is cast it's gives it's caster a place that fits their desire. For Regina that was a place where she was in charge and Snow White and Prince Charming couldn't be together".

Emma asked "and for Pan"?

Mr Gold answered "I'm willing to bet it isn't good".

Regina said "the curse was cast to be unstoppable, there's nothing that can be done".

"Actually there is one possible way" said Mr Gold. "The curse can be cast with the scroll itself. But if you're still in the place the curse created the only person who can use it is the person who cast the original curse, that's you Regina".

Regina asked "what must I do"?

Mr Gold said "destroy the scroll, then your curse will collide with his cancelling each other out. I warn you there will be price, a steep one".

Regina asked "Pan has it, how do you suggest we find him".

Mr Gold said "we don't need to. I can cast a spell to return Pan and Henry to their rightful body's. Once Henry is back to his body he only needs to grab the scroll and find us".

Regina said "you're not powerful enough to cast such a spell".

Mr Gold replied "given the right tool I think I could be".

Tinkerbelle said "the black fairy's wand, one of the most powerful fairies to ever exist, well versed in dark magic. The Blue Fairy exiled her but before she did she took her wand".

Mr Gold said "I assume our dearly departed Mother Superior kept it hidden in her residence.

David asked "then what are we waiting for lets hit the convent".

Tinkerbelle asked "can I come? I should pay my respects to Blue after all.

Mr Gold said "so it's settled you get the wand while the rest of us get back to my shop and I prepare Henry for the spell".

In Gold's shop Emma saw Mary-Margaret looking at a glass unicorn mobile. When Emma came over Mary-Margaret mused "this mobile hung over your crib, it was supposed to hang over your crib".

Emma said "I like the unicorns".

Tally said "so do I, it's pretty".

Emma said "maybe if you're a good girl Grandpa Gold will let you have it"/

Mr Gold and said "call it a gift".

Returning to the subject matter Mary-Margaret said "giving you up when the curse hit was the hardest thing I've ever had to do".

Emma replied "I know".

Mary-Margaret said "sometimes when I look at you I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't had to".

Emma said "I do the same thing with Henry".

Mary-Margaret replied "you were doing, you were"...

"Giving him his best chance" Emma said. "Yeah, but still, things would have been very different if I had kept him. We would have had a normal life, we could have been a famiy. Living in Boston, or someplace else, as a family. But I guess none of that was meant to be".

Regina came in with Belle and Henry, and sat on the bed.

Emma turned to Henry sitting on the bed "how are you doing kid"?

Henry replied "fine, I'm just ready to be me again".

Mr Gold preparing the spell said "not much longer Henry, as soon as we have the Black Fairy's wand all will be as it should be".

When David, Neal, and Hook got back David said "She's back, the Blue Fairy, she gave us the wand".

"Yay" said Tally.

Emma asked "is that it? Is there anything else"?

Mr Gold replied "there is one last thing". He went over to his cabinet and got out a black cuff.

Mary-Margaret asked "what is that"?

Mr Gold replied "this is one of the only useful things I managed to pilfer from Greg and Tamara. It renders anyone with powers utterly powerless"

Seeing it Regina told Hook "I haven't forgotten about that by the way".

Mr Gold asked "Henry, can I see your wrist". Henry put out his wrist and Mr Gold put the cuff on him "I want to make sure that when my dear old dad awakens he's weakened. This will block his powers".

Tally said "so he can't hurt us".

Mr Gold replied "as harmless as a fly".

Henry asked "so what happens now"?

Mr Gold said "I'll enact the spell, you'll fall asleep and when you wake up you'll be back in your rightful body".

Regina added "and you hang on to that scroll, and you come find us as fast as you can".

Henry reminisced "when I gave my heart to Pan I thought I was being a hero, I'm sorry".

David said "you don't need to be sorry, Pan does".

Mr Gold said "it's time". Everyone moved off the bed so Henry could lie down. Mr Gold waved the wand over Henry on a circular movement "keep your eyes on the wand". It didn't take long for Henry to fall asleep.

Almost straight away it looked Henry started to spasm that made Tally jump back. Emma asked "what's happening"?

Mr Gold said "Henry's spirit is leaving Pan's body".

Suddenly the spasms stopped Regina said "it worked".

Neal asked "it did work right"?

Mr Gold "of course it did".

Emma stated "right, let's go get our son".

Gold stayed behind in the shop obviously wanted to see his dad when he woke up. They had Granny track Henry's scent, and were running towards the clock tower when Henry came out and ran towards them He cried "it's me, it's me, it worked". He ran in Emma and Regina's arms "Mom I was just with you. I just saw you, you just saw me".

Looking lovingly at hit Regina said "but we didn't see you".

Henry held out the scroll. Emma said "oh he'd got it. Regina now it's up to you". When Regina held the scroll she fainted.

Tally said "she's not dead is she"?

Emma checked for a pulse "she's alive, her pulse is fine, she just fainted, from what I'm not sure of".

They called out Regina's name needing her wake up to destroy the scroll. With a gasp she woke up Emma helped her up and asked "what happened? Are you alright"?

"Yes, I'm fine" Regina replied "I'm just..."

"Just what" asked Mary-Margaret. "What happened when you touched it"?

Looking at Henry she replied "what needed to be done"?

Henry asked "mom, are you going to be alright"?

Regina put her hands on his face "the important thing is you will be".

Suddenly the scroll disappeared from her hand and a voice said "no he won't"

They turned to see Pan, Tally ran behind Neal's legs and they all started to back away Hook yelled "he has the"...

"Scroll" Pan finished immobilizing them. "Look at you, a captive audience. I could play with you like a pack of dolls, couldn't I. And I think I'll start with these two" he walked up to Belle and Neal. "You're both so adorable it's hard to decide which one to start with" He looked at Neal "no it's not, you first".

He was about to pull Neal from the rest of the group when Mr Gold pulled Pan away from them "stay away from them" he growled.

Pan smirked and asked mockingly "well, how about that, the worm has teeth, Have you come to protect your wuved ones".

Mr Gold replied "I'm not going to let you hurt any of them".

Pan scoffed "I would love to see that".

Mr Gold said "oh you will. Because I have a job to finish and I have to finish it whatever it takes No loopholes. Because what I have to do has a price, a price I'm finally ready to pay ". He looked towards Neal and Belle "I cast the curse to find you Bae, to tell you I made a mistake. To make sure you had a chance at happiness, and that happiness is possible, just not with me. I accept that, I love you Bae. And I love you too Belle, you made me stronger and a better man". Then he looked down to Tally "and you my darling granddaughter, you truly believe in me. When you know someone believes in you it makes it easier to believe in yourself. Grandpa Gold loves you".

Pan smirked "pretty, pretty words, you may believe in yourself but still no magic" he tapped the cuff he'd put on Mr Gold's wrist.

Mr Gold said "Oh, but I don't need it, You see you might have lost your shadow but there's one thing you're forgetting".

Pan asked "And what's that"?

It was Mr Gold's turn to smile "so have I. I sent it away with something to hide". He held his hand up and his shadows flew to him dropping the dagger into his hand and flew back into his body.

Mr Gold grabbed Pan and their bodies fused together Pan asked "what are you doing".

"You see the only way for you to die is if we both die and now, now I'm ready". He plunged to dagger into Pan's back and he turned back into his adult self "hello Papa".

"In a shaky voice Pan said "please Rumple please, you can stop this, remove the dagger, we can start over, we can have an happy ending".

Mr Gold replied "oh, but I'm a villain, and villains don't get a happy endings". With a final twist of the dagger he and Pan vanished leaving only the scroll behind.

With Pan's death the immobiling spell he put on everyone was undone. Belle collapsed onto her knees and cried. Neal was trying to stay strong but there was a glimmer of grief in his eyes. He picked up Tally who was sobbing, taking in as much comfort as he gave. And Regina retrieved the scroll. Emma said "Neal, I'm sorry".

"My father did what he had to do, he saved us. Regina, don't let him die for nothing, Regina".

"What"? She said.

Hook said "We're here for a reason, Pan "

Regina said "he'd dead

Hook replied "but his curse still remains so can you stop us or shall we start preparing our souls, because mine in going to take some time".

Leroy came running up "Pan's curse it's here, it's coming in from all sides, there's no escape"

David said "but there's still time, we can stop it".

Regina said sorrowfully "yes".

Emma said "Gold said there was price. Regina what's our price"?

"It's not our price, it's mine. It's what I felt when I first held it I have to give up the person I love most". Everyone knew who she was referring to.

"Henry" Emma said.

"I can never see him again, I have no choice Gold said when our curses collide they'll cancel each other else. So when I destroy the scroll it will undo what I did".

Mary-Margaret said "the curse that brought us to Storybrooke".

Regina corrected "that created Storybrooke, it doesn't belong here and neither do any of us. It will blink out of existence as if it was never here. And everyone will go back to where they came from, prevented from ever returning".

Emma said "we'll go back to the enchanted forest".

Regina replied "all of us, but just like with the trigger it only works on those, at the very least conceived in the enchanted forest. But unfortunately the doesn't includeHenry, and Tally. They'llstay here because they were born here".

Emma asked "alone".

"No" Regina said "you and Neal can take them".

Emma said "I don't want to, can't we all go back with everyone".

Regina replied "that's not an option, I can't be with him. If I don't pay the price none of this will work".

Mary-Margaret said "Emma, you have to go".

Emma said "no, I just found you".

Mary-Margaret replied "and now it's time for you to leave us again. For your best chance and theirs"

"No, no" Emma said back "I'm not done, I'm the saviour, I'm supposed to bring back all the happy endings".

Mary-Margaret said "happy ending's aren't always what we think they will be. Look around, you've touched the lives of everyone here".

Emma replied "but we're a family".

Mary-Margaret said "yes, and we always will be. You gave us that".

David said "you can go, go with Neal and your children. You can have your wish and be like everyone else, you can be happy".

Mary-Margaret said "it's time for you to believe in yourself Emma".

Regina said "I've known you for some time now, and all I wanted was for you to get out of my life so I could be with me son. But what I really want is for Henry to be happy with his family. We have no choice you have to go".

That gathered at the town line Mary-Margaret and David group hugged Emma, Neal, Henry and Tally.

Henry broke apart from his family and went over to Regina "It's not fair, it all my fault".

Regina asked "what do you mean"?

Henry said "if I never brought Emma to Storybrooke, if I just lived under the curse with you. None of this would be happening. I thought I was alone, I thought you didn't love me But I was wrong".

Regina said "Henry, I wrong too. This isn't your fault, it's mine. I cast a curse out of vengeance. I'm a villain, and you heard Mr. Gold, villains don't get happy endings".

Henry put a hand on her shoulder and replied "you're not a villain you're my mom" and he hugged her.

Henry walked over to his family as they went to the car. Regina walked over to them "there's one more thing I haven't told you".

Emma groaned "what is it now"?

Regina said "when I destroy the scroll we'll be sent back to where we came from".

Neal said "prevented from ever returned you already told us that"

Regina said "there's more, nothing will be left, including your memories. It' just what the curse does. Storybrooke won't exist, it will never have existed. And we'll all go back to being stories again".

Emma asked "what will happen to us"?

Regina shook her head "I don't know".

Emma said "doesn't sound like a happy ending".

"It's not, but I can give you one" Regina said.

"You can preserve our memories" Emma asked hopefully.

Regina replied "N,, I can do what I did to everyone else in this town and give you new ones".

Emma said "You cursed them and they were miserable".

Regina replied "but they didn't have to be. My gift to you is good memories, a good life for all of you. When you cross that town line, you'll have the life you always wished for. You'll have never have given him up, you'll have always been together".

Tally said with tears streaming out her eyes "but means no memories of Mary-Margaret and David and Grandpa Gold".

Regina said "I'm afraid so, but it means no memory of watching him die, or all the terrible things that have happened. They'll be replaced with happy things".

With silent tears Emma said "but none of it will be real".

Regina replied "your past won't but your future will. Now go, you haven't much time, the curse will be here any moment". She kissed Henry's head. Mary-Margaret came up and kissed Emma's head.

They rushed into the yellow bug, Emma clutched Neal's hand and Tally clutched Henry's. As the green fog approached Regina ripped the scroll and with that Neal drove over the town line and suddenly new memories replaced the last eleven years.

Emma decided to keep Henry when the doctor told her she could change her mind. Emma taught him to walk and talk. When Henry was two and Emma brought Neal back to her motel room to patch him up after saving her from being attack she introduced him to his son. Henry grew up always remembering Neal being there for him. He was the ring bearer when they got married. When he started school Neal and Emma decided Henry couldn't go to a different school every few months. They decided to stay in one place so Henry could have stability. He was excited when he got his baby sister. They all helped teaching Tally to walk and talk. They had always been a family.