Chapter 43: Ariel

Snow White was running away from the Queen's guards, until she reached a cliff. They had her cornered, and she was pondering her options. Her sister had left about a month ago, so she was due back any time, but Snow couldn't depend on her little sister to save her every time. So she decided to take a leap of faith, quite literally, and jumped off the cliff.

She was rescued by a mermaid called Ariel. They started talking, Snow about her prosecution and Ariel about her prince.

"Love at first sight." Said Snow with a smile.

"It sounds dumb. I know." Said Ariel, shaking her head.

"No. It doesn't sound dumb at all." Said Snow seriously.

"It does a little bit." Someone said from behind them.

Both women turned to the voice in surprise and saw a red head with a grin on her face.

"Red!" Said Snow getting up to hug her sister.

The younger woman hugged her back and then punched her in the arm.

"What's wrong with you?" She said with a frown. "I come back to see guards looking through your camp saying that you jumped off a cliff? Are you out of your mind?"

"It was the only way out!" She defended herself. "And everything was fine. Ariel helped me."

She gestured to the mermaid, who waved at the still fuming woman.

"Well, I should thank you for helping my reckless sister." Said Rose, looking at Ariel with a smile, while Snow started to argue.

"I'm the reckless one?"

"I'm not the one that jumped off a cliff without a plan."

As the sisters continued to bicker, Ariel watched them with amusement.

"It seems that the relationship between sisters is the same on land and sea." She giggled. "But, is it really dumb that I fell in love with Eric at first sight?"

"You can't fall in love with someone at first sight." Rose said with resolution. Snow was about to intervene, but she continued talking. "Don't get me wrong, you can feel attraction at first sight, but love comes from knowing the person."

Snow frowned and Ariel look at Rose in wonder, wanting for her to continue. The red head sighed.

"Do you know how this Eric is?" She asked, and the mermaid just shook her head. "Do you know if he's a good person? Do you know what he likes, what he doesn't, his hobbies, his personality? Do you know if you have anything in common?"

Again, the mermaid just shook her head with a frown this time. And Snow glared at her sister, who sighed again.

"Look. Maybe you two are destined to be together." The mermaid perked up. "But it's not something you are going to know from just one meeting. You need to get to know each other."

At that, Ariel dumped the contents of her bag on the ground.

"I collect things. And I found this." She said giving the sisters a piece of paper. "There's a ball at his castle tonight. The annual under the sea celebration honoring the sea goddess Ursula. And I was hoping to meet him there."

Snow asked how she was going to do that if she had a tail. At that, Ariel just brought up her tail to the ground, and it turned to a pair of legs, to Snow's surprise and Rose's scrutiny. She sat on the rock between them, and told them about the myth of Ursula granting them legs for twelve hours once a year.

"I read about it, but I haven't had the chance to see it. May I?" Said Rose while gesturing her legs.

Ariel smiled and nodded. Rose started to examine the mermaid's legs, feeling the skin and muscle. Ariel giggling now and then, saying that it was ticklish. Snow meanwhile was saying how little time twelve hours were, and suggested asking Ursula for some extra time.

"That's going to be hard." Said Rose, not taking her attention from the other redheads legs. "She hasn't been seen for over a thousand years."

"Yeah." Nodded Ariel. "She's a bit of a myth."

Snow decided to help Ariel find Eric. The mermaid was happy, but asked her to keep a secret that she was truly a mermaid. Rose and Snow frowned at that.

"Isn't that something he eventually needs to find out?" Asked Snow concerned.

"Just let him fall for me first, okay?" Begged Ariel.

Snow agreed, while Rose shook her head.

Rumpelstiltskin was trying to see the future, with no success, when Pan made his entrance. He threatened the boy, but he just brushed it off and offered him his favorite breakfast because, as he put it, he looked down in the dumps.

"You lost your son, Neal. Again. Henry's unattainable because, well, you'd have to go through me, and we both know you can't. And you can forget about Rose Red leaving the island alive. That's a mistake I won't make again." He said, turning to pick up an egg. "You still like the yolk runny, don't you?"

They continued talking. Pan even offering him to leave the island safely. Rumple refused, not wanting to leave behind Neal, Henry and Rose. Pan inside that they would never forgive him for everything he had done.

"You see my point? Stop this foolishness and go back. Make a new start. You have a nice girl waiting for you back in Storybrooke. Belle, is it? She looks fertile. Maybe a new child? You and I both know that's the only future for you. Assuming you want to live." He said while looking all the emotions passing through Rumple's face. "Enjoy the eggs."

He turned to leave and was almost out of sight, when a burst of red mist hit him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards. He started coughing and trying to catch his breath, while the Dark One looked in the direction of the attack. From the foliage appeared Rose. Still thrumming with magic, with her veins alight in red.

"You seemed to have gained control quiet quick" Said Pan, laughing, until he looked at her. "Or maybe not."

He stood up and got ready for a fight. So did Rose, raising her fists that were starting to be covered in the red mist.

"Rose?" Said Rumple in disbelief. "My firebird. Are you really back?"

"Yeah. Sorry it took so long" She said smiling at him, before turning back to look at Pan with determination. "But our reunion will have to wait. I have someone to kill."

"Bring it on, Princess." Said Pan with a smirk.

Both clashed, and before he could stop them, they disappeared, leaving Rumple alone in the clearing.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Asked Ariel while they were getting ready. "I could use your moral support."

"Balls are not really my thing." Said Rose with a grimace. "Besides, you'll have White with you."

"Yeah." Said Snow with a laugh. "Red would be very happy if she didn't have to dress up again for the rest of her life. And in the matters of the heart, she can be a bit cynical."

"It's called being realistic." Said Rose, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, tell me more about mermaids. You are not creatures easy to find and befriend."

"Yeah, my sisters tend to… hate humans" Said Ariel with a sheepish smile. "But if you pique our interest, we are open for conversation."

"And what piques your interest?"

"Well, for me, it's anything with your world." She answered with a smile. "My sisters usually want to be entertained. Fish are not really good comedians."

"Good to know. I'll prepare a couple of jokes, just in case I ever meet a mermaid." They all laughed. "Okay, now go to the ball, have a great time and get to know Eric. Good luck."

Ariel thanked Rose, while giving her a hug. Ariel and Snow left for the ball, with Rose staying behind, telling them to be careful.

Rumple was sitting down on the log, looking at the straw doll, deep in thought.

"You don't know what to do, do you?"

"So now it's you, Belle?" He said with resignation.

"Come home to Storybrooke." She said, while he argued that he couldn't leave everyone behind. "Come with me, and we can start a new family. Our own family. We tried once, we can try again. Don't you think? Rose is back, but she didn't care enough to stay with you. She went after Pan, knowing that his death means yours. I want us to try again. You deserve better."

"No." He shook his head. "You can't want anything. You're just a figment of my self-conscious, and the real Belle would never say that."

'Belle' tried to convince him that she was really there, that they could have a relationship again, until Regina arrived and showed him that he was really talking to the shadow.

"If you go to that bookworm to replace Rose, I will end you" Said Regina with a glare.

"I would never do that!" He said enraged. "I consider Belle a sister, and so does she."

They decided to join forces and were conceiving a plan.

"Now we just need a change of plans. We need to get back to your shop, pick up this magical item, and then all of our problems are solved." Said Regina.

"Crossing realms is not our only problem." Said Gold with a sigh. "Rose has gained her magic and went after Pan."

"Can she take him?" Asked Regina concerned.

"Normally, no. But she has awakened her magic, and she is not controlling it."

"She will eventually. She did it before." Said Regina. "Rose is not one to kill people when there are other options."

"Not this time. I don't know what happened while she was here last time, but she wants Pan dead. And she isn't reining back her magic on purpose to achieve it." Regina looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Rose has never used her full potential. She always held back, even when her magic wasn't fully developed. But now…"

"Then we have a big problem." Said Regina with a sigh. "But first things first. Let's find a way to contain Pan, and then we'll worry about convincing Rose not to kill him."

Snow and Rose were on the pier talking. Snow had just changed and was telling her sister how the night went and how Ariel had left to think about what to do. The sisters heard footsteps and turned around to see their new friend approach them with a smile.

"Something amazing happened. And not just for me, but for the both of us." She said looking at Snow.

The sisters exchanged a looked and asked the mermaid what she meant.

"I received a gift. A gift that will allow me to spend the rest of my life with Eric, and a way for you to escape your evil queen." She said, showing them a bracelet and putting it on Snow's wrist.

Rose frowned, feeling the magic of the jewel, and her eyes widened along with her sister's when green smoke covered Snow's legs. Rose helped her sister sit down and saw her legs turn into a tail. A mermaid tail.

"Ariel, what have you done?"

She explained to them how Ursula had given it to her, so she could have legs in exchange for Snow becoming a mermaid. That way she could live happy with Eric and Snow could escape the Evil Queen living under the sea. Snow started arguing that Ursula wasn't real, and Rose nodded along.

"Even if she was, why would she listen to your request when she has been silent for a thousand years?" Said Rose.

"She is real, and she helped me." Defended Ariel.

"Actually, that's not entirely true."

The three women turned to the new voice, and saw Regina. Ariel believing that she was Ursula, both sisters understood what had happened at once. She started to taunt Snow about her new tail, and Ariel told her to take off the bracelet. When she couldn't, Rose gave it a try.

"The wearer can't take it off. Oh. Did I leave that detail out? For once, Snow, you won't be able to run away." Said Regina with a smirk. "And your sister won't be able to help you this time. Sorry, dear. I put a specific spell, so you wouldn't be able to remove it either."

Ariel wanted to help them as she felt betrayed by Regina and found the whole thing wrong, but the sisters told her to leave and go to Eric. She turned around saying sorry and left them with Regina. She was going to choke Snow with her magic, but Rose stood in her way.

"You don't' have to do this, Regina." She tried to reason with her.

"Yes, I do. Now get out of my way."

Before she could do anything, Ariel appeared and stabbed the Queen with a fork she had stolen from the ball. She took off Snow's bracelet and went to dice into the water, when she turned to Rose.

"Go. I'll find you once you resurface." She looked at her sister. "Just whistle."

Snow nodded and they both made their escape. Rose turned to Regina with a frown.

"Why do you keep trying?" She asked with a tinge of sadness in her voice. "Aren't you tired of this?"

"I won't stop until I get what I want, Rose." She said, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Rose sighed and shook her head. Then she heard her sister whistle and teleported to their location. When she arrived, she heard Snow telling Ariel to go find Eric. Rose smiled and wished her luck.

The Charmings had made it out of the Echo Cave with Neal, but Pan had gotten what he wanted, the secrets revealed had torn them apart. Mary Margaret and David weren't speaking to each other. Hook had confessed to Emma, and she had confessed to Neal, but at the same time not. They were a broken group.

On another side of the island, Regina and Gold were preparing for their plan. Regina called Ariel, so she could help them retrieve what they needed in exchange for legs and a chance to find Eric.

Before any of them could do much more, they all heard a rumbling and a big puff of red a green smoke could be seen from all over the island.

Everyone realized the same thing. The battle between Rose Red and Peter Pan had begun.

Since their first clash, Pan had just been avoiding her. She knew that he had a plan and was leading her to a specific location, but her anger had clouded her reason. Any other time, she would have understood what was happening, and she would have devised a counter plan. But the only thing in her mind was Rufio and her promise.

He finally stopped, once they reached the skull shaped island. He turned to her with a smirk.

"Well, shall we begin for real?" He said, enveloping himself in green mist.

Rose just threw a magic punch aimed to his head that he countered with one of his own. The result of the collision was a big explosion that could be seen all over Neverland. The fight kept going, without neither landing a proper hit. That was until Rose had to dodge another attack.

"I won't let you kill Pan." Said Felix with a glare.

"Felix, stay out of this." Said Rose. "Please."

"For once, I agree with Spitfire. Stand back."

"Sorry, Pan. I need to know." Said Felix, turning to Rose. "You never wanted to kill him. You were willing to let the Lost Boys who didn't want to leave stay with Pan. Why? What happened?"

"You want to know what happened?" Said Rose enraged. "I'll tell you what happened."

"Come one, Felix. What good will this do now?" Said Pan.

But Felix didn't listen to him and stood between them, looking at Rose with determination. He knew Rose wasn't like this. He wanted to know the reason behind her behavior.

"The truth is that Rufio's de-." Her eye's widened. "Watch out!"

She pushed Felix out of the way and got hit straight on the chest by Pan's dagger. Falling to the ground and losing consciousness fast.

"Rose?" Said Felix with his voice trembling. "Rose!"

He was holding her in his arms and pulled out the dagger carefully. He knew that Pan's dagger was coated in dreamshade. He saw the magic that was glowing through her veins subside and concentrate on the wound.

"Don't worry. It won't kill her." Said Pan, picking up his dagger. "It will just keep her weak until her magic cleans out the poison."

He approached them and went to touch her cheek, but Felix didn't let him.

"Oh, come on, Felix. I would never kill our dearest Spitfire." He said with a smirk. "Oh, no. She is much more valuable alive. It will be better if she rests here. It's where magic is more powerful on the island. She will be able to recover more quickly."

"You won't kill her?" Ask Felix holding Rose tight in his arms.

"Of course not. I promise. You know I don't lie." Said Pan with a smile. "Now go back to camp and tell the Boys that Spitfire is no longer our enemy. I'll take care of her."

Felix let go of Rose with hesitation, but Pan had never lied to him. If he said he wouldn't kill Rose, then he wouldn't. With Felix gone, Pan dropped the smile from his face and glared at Rose.

"No, I won't kill you." He said, nudging her with his foot. "It would be a waste. I'll just go back to my original plan for you."