Hey everybody,

a new chapter just for you! Hope you like it!

I am back home (I ran straight for the Wi-Fi cables at home when I ran out of the car), all is well :)

Get ready for some secrets! Wanna know one: Pan will be reuniting with Aura next chapter!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Once upon a Time, just the crazy ideas in my head that I incorporated into this story!

Chapter 45

Aura's POV:

In just a few minutes, I had learned that the man, Neal, was a good guy who was here to save his son, Henry. Neal also came from the Enchanted Forest, but he had traveled to many realms, like Neverland and a place called Earth, which had no magic at all.

'And why are you here?' he asked, just as I had inquired before..

'My heart is very special. The person who owns it will be the most powerful in all realms. So, after using me, Pan discarded me like water and left me locked up for a long time.'

Hearing Neal chuckle under his breath, I snapped. 'What's so funny?'

'Nothing. You know, Aura, on Earth, we also have fairytales. And there is one about a girl who gets locked up in a tower for many years; she has really long blond hair like you, only it possess magical qualities. Like your heart, it can heal. Now that I think of it, that character might be based off of you. Too bad your name isn't Rapunzel.'

'Well, I guess some fairytales are quite different from reality.' I chuckled, too.

Then we heard loud footsteps. People talking. If Felix would've come, it would've been more quiet and stealthy. Something was going wrong. What if Pan had found out about Felix's plan, what if he had sent Lost Boys to collect me and bring me to him? Quickly, I hid behind the bamboo cage and asked Neal to keep quiet if anyone asked where I was.

Through the little squares of the crate, I could see four people standing across from us. A woman with very short dark hair, a handsome man holding her hand; a woman with a sword hanging on her hips and a man dressed all in leather attire who looked very familiar.

Neal seemed to recognize them, because he screamed a woman's name. 'Emma.' Guessing by the reaction, it must've been the woman with the sword.

'So what do we do?' The woman, Emma asked, staring helplessly to her group.

'Told you what needs to be done. Consider this the moment of truth, literally. Now, who wants to kick things off?' The man who looked like a pirate turned towards the others.

'Who do you know it will work?'

'There is only one way to find out, I suppose.' He began mumbling words I couldn't hear anymore from this distance, causing disruption amongst the quartet.

But soon enough, the ground began to shake and a third of a stone path appeared.

'Uh, Mary Margaret...I...' The charming man began, but the dark-haired woman cut him off.

'...our daughter is a beautiful, smart, amazing woman who I love very much and of who I could not be more proud.' She motioned towards Emma.

This Mary Margaret was the mother of Emma? They both looked the same age, how was that even possible? Then again, the Lost Boys never aged, so something must've happened to the mother.

'But she's all grown up. And as much as I want to pretend I am okay with that, I am not. We missed it David.' She spoke to the charming man, David.

'What we have with her is unique, but it's not what I wanted. We were cheated out of everything- her first step, her first word, her first smile - we missed it all. When we get off this island and get back to Storybrooke, I want another go at it. I want to have another baby.' And another third of the stone bridge materialized.

David then told about his Dreamshade poisoning, and how he wouldn't make it off the island without dying. He wanted Mary Margaret, who I assumed was his partner, to be happy and live on without him…and it was heart-breaking to watch.

Something akin to pain ran through my body as I remembered I, just like David, couldn't leave the island without dying. I was bound to Neverland. How could I escape with Felix?

The stone path was fully complete, and the blond woman, Emma, rushed over to the cage. I pressed myself against it, hoping she wouldn't see me.

'Don't worry about Henry, we'll find him. Let's get you out of here.' She began to attack the cage with her sword, only nothing happened.

'Wha...Emma. Emma! You know that's not how this works,' Neal whispered.

She knelt down, took a deep breath and began. She told him that she never stopped loving him; that she always would, but she secretly hoped that news of him being alive was indeed a trick, because she didn't want to deal with all the repeated heartbreak they'd been through. The cage dissolved and Neal moved forward to hug her. I could see the tears that rolled down her cheeks, and for a second, our eyes met.

'Who are you?' She sprung up and pointed her sword at me, kicking away the rest of the cage I was hiding behind away.

'Emma, she's a friend. Her name is Aura and she's been locked up her for long time.' He pushed the blade down and helped me stand up.

'Come on, let's get out of here.' He motioned towards the opening. I didn't hesitate.

After a hundred years of solitary confinement, I stepped outside, finally free. Feeling the soft ground beneath me, I wiggled my toes. Breathing in the fresh air of Neverland, I took in the scenery. Everything was so dark; so dangerous, so different from the island I had visited.

'Aura?' The man dressed in leather looked pale as my nightgown, as if he was seeing a ghost.

'I'm sorry, do I know you?' The group all looked to the man.

'No, but you will in a second.' He pulled a necklace from his pocket and handed it to me.

The moment my fingers touched the cool metal, a wave of memories hit me.

'My good-looks and charms really work fast,' Hook smirked.

'I don't want to go back to Neverland. It just brings back too many painful recollections.' Tears were welling up in the pirate's eyes.

'Mother, what about my bedtime story?' I asked.

The Evil Queen crushed the heart slowly, while my mother let out a guttural scream, and then all the Queen held in her hand was dust. My mother was dead.

Felix walked through town with me in his arms, people kept shooting us weird, but curious looks. He would sometimes tickle me, eliciting a giggle.

'Hook. I remember.' I stared at him with wide eyes. How funny it was, that we both ended in the place that was supposed to be my safe haven.

Yet no one was safe, not with that monster called Pan out there. Somewhere…

So...yeah...that necklace was important from Chapter 1 :)

Reviews are always appreciated!

Love you all,

aureaborealis