Premise: Season 2 AU. Regina and Emma are unable to stop the trigger and it explodes, destroying Storybrooke. However, instead of perishing, most of the citizens of Storybrooke are scattered, ending up with new lives and memories in New York. Except Rumpelstiltskin, who is discovered by the NSA.
After three years in a government facility, the NSA makes a deal with him to help them combat the residual consequences of the trigger's explosion. The others are recruited and awakened. The deal is they form a taskforce and help fight the magical entities that have been unleashed on the world and keep their freedom as a reward.
Sorry for the delay on this. Real life has been crazy lately.
Thanks for the reviews. Please consider leaving reviews. It seems engagement has really dropped, so if you're reading and you like what you're reading, please review. Feedback is very much appreciated. Here are responses to individual reviews:
Ghostwriter: Yep, I love snarky Neal. Yeah, something was wrong with the alerts for a while so that probably contributed. Glad you're enjoying!
sweetreader: I agree, I am not an Ingrid fan so she won't have any positive role in this. Yeah, I'm always torn with August too and there's more about his role in this chapter. On one hand, he was dealt a really bad hand, but on the other, he can't help himself when it comes to being selfish. I know, Greg and Tamara are really the worst. I don't think they are redeemable either. Thanks for the great review and glad you're enjoying it!
Grace5231973: I know, I love Neal's sarcasm and snark. Yes, most likely the Erinyes are there for Greg and Tamara. Glad you're enjoying!
Sexystarwarslover: Yep, some shocking surprises with Ingrid and August making an appearance and Neal of course. Yep, the trigger is not what they think it is. Yeah, Henry playing with Bobby is adorable. Yep, another shock. Bobby is using magic without knowing it. Yeah, Greg and Tamara, up to no good, as usual. And the final shock is Neal. Glad you're enjoying it!
The Grey Jedi 2020: Yeah, Ingrid will not likely have a big part in this, but August is a different story. Of course, babies don't have the mental blocks that adults have. Yeah, Snowing is goals. Yep, now they know Neal is alive. Glad you're enjoying it.
Operation Castle
Chapter 10: Shocking Surprises, Pt
"Neal?" Emma squeaked.
"Emma…" he said. Clearly she had so many questions, but was also nearly speechless so she could only manage one word that they all wanted an answer to.
"How?" she asked, as the furie screeched bloody murder.
"Yeah…that's a long story. We probably should take care of this thing first. I have some questions myself," he replied, as Snow threaded an arrow and put one into the hellish creature's torso, which only made it scream more.
"I think I just made it madder," the raven haired beauty said.
"Well, it's a furie. It's probably here for them," David said, as he referred to Tamara and Greg, which was received with glares.
"He's not wrong," Neal agreed.
"Bae…" Rumple uttered, hardly able to keep the quiver from his voice, as he hobbled up to him. Neal smiled.
"Papa…it's really good to see you," he said. Rumple could only offer a watery smile.
"Any ideas?" he asked.
"I'm inclined to agree with the Prince. Let it have these two," Rumple answered.
"Rumple…" Belle chided softly.
"She's right…we can't," Snow agreed.
"I don't know Mom…I think Dad has it right," Emma agreed. Neal was really surprised at that. He didn't expect Emma to be calling her parents Mom and Dad.
"Here we go with the rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers," Regina muttered. Snow bristled at her comment and gave her a side eye.
"What? It's a hell furie…it's not human and we don't even know how to kill it without letting it have what it came for," Regina said.
"I hate to say it…but she's right," David responded.
"Excuse me? Hello? We're right here…and you're talking about us like you're fine sacrificing us to this thing!" Tamara shouted.
"They're here for a blood penance! You two wanted to kill an entire town!" David said.
"What about her!? Maybe it's here for her. She activated the trigger!" Greg argued, as he pointed at Regina. The former Queen glared at him.
"We're not sacrificing anyone…there has to be another way," Snow suggested.
"Magic is the only other way…" Rumple offered, as he looked at his former student.
"I don't know what you're looking at me for…I don't have this figured out anymore than you do," Regina said, as they dodged the furie again.
"Emma!" David cried, as he headed right for her. Neal took a swipe at it with a thin metal rod he had found near the dumpster, but it knocked him away and dive bombed toward Emma.
"HEY!" David called, as he got its attention and Snow screamed, when the furie grasped her husband by the shirt with its sharp claws. It shrieked at him and he held his hands to his ears at the ear piercing, deafening cry.
"Charming!" Snow cried in fear. Greg smirked.
"Looks like it has someone to drag back to hell," he said, as she ran to attempt to rescue her husband.
"We have to do something!" Neal cried.
"Without magic…there's no releasing him. It will suck the life out of him and take him back to where it came from…the Underworld," Gold responded, which stunned Emma. She had found her parents and finally accepted them into those roles in her life and now she was going to lose her father? The same man that had been saving her life since the moment she had drawn breath. She felt something swelling in her; a determination and a love she was only beginning to discover. The ground cracked beneath her, glowing underneath her feet. Her arms felt very hot and the sensation moved to her hands.
"Emma…" Neal whispered and she looked at him.
"Look down," he said. She did and saw her hands glowing with bright white magic. On instinct, she let it go, pressing it toward the furie. She hit it and it screamed, as it was disintegrated by light magic. Her father fell to the ground and Snow was quick to pull him into her lap.
"Charming…wake up…" she pleaded, as she shook his shoulders and a few tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Don't you dare do this to me again…" she sobbed, as she did the only thing she knew might have a chance and kissed him passionately. His eyes opened widely and then closed again, as he kissed her back. She smiled and their lips parted, as he gazed up at her.
"What happened?" he asked, as she helped him sit up.
"Emma saved you…with magic," she answered, as she looked at their daughter with happy tears and pride in her eyes. Emma sank to her knees beside them and hugged them both.
"I just got you…I'm not losing you now," she said, stunning him and he looked at her.
"You figured it out…" he said. She shrugged.
"Sort of I think…" she replied, as she looked at her hands with uncertainty. Greg and Tamara looked at the whole scene with disdain. They couldn't wait to strike back by dropping another body.
"Not to interrupt, but we need to get off the streets," Casey said.
"Who's this?" Neal asked.
"Long story…tell you the whole thing back at Castle," Emma replied.
"Castle?" he asked.
"Part of the story," she replied.
"Wait…he can't come back to Castle," Casey objected.
"He's one of us…and he can," David argued, as he exchanged a glance with Gold.
"He's right…he's my son," Gold said. Casey looked at him for a moment and then nodded curtly. People had started to gather at the scene and they hurried to escape, as Greg and Tamara began reporting about the whole spectacle, intent on spinning this negatively toward them.
The three Knights in chainmail dismounted their horses, as they arrived at the mysterious Lake Nostros. They removed their helmets and approached the dry and seemingly swirling sand.
"So…this is the peculiar anomaly," the dark haired man said.
"Yes, Your Majesty," one of the other Knights by his side responded.
"What should we do?" the other Knight asked.
"I'm not sure yet…but if the answers we seek are not in this land, perhaps they are in another," the King said.
"For now, we return to Camelot and attempt to gather more intel about this. If it is a portal, then we must know if there is a way back. It does us no good if it is a one way trip," the King added.
"Yes Sire," one Knight said, as they put their helmets back on and mounted their horses.
Neal looked around, as they brought him down into Castle and a voice, barely above a whisper, uttered one word that he had been longing to hear.
"Dad…" Henry said. Neal's eyes watered, as he knelt down and scooped his son into a tight hug. Emma smiled, glad to see her son so happy and tears slipped down Snow's cheeks. David put his arm around her and kissed her hair, as she plucked their son up from the playpen they had set up.
"How?" Henry asked, as he sniffed.
"Long story…but we'll get to that," Neal replied, as more hugs were exchanged.
"Yes…if the story we've been told is true, then you fell through a portal and were presumed dead," Alivia said sternly.
"And you are?" Neal asked.
"Agent Alivia Becker and this is Agent Alex Casey. We're their NSA handlers," she replied.
"NSA?" he asked. Emma nodded.
"Not by choice…so I better start from the beginning," she said, as they sat down so they could tell him all that had happened since he fell through that portal three years ago…
August wandered the city and found his way to the inevitable library where he knew had a special room that housed particular books of stories about all the realms. It was the chosen spot in this realm to store them and the workers were only told a vague story about the texts being ancient historical documents. It should have been a guarded room, but understaffing and lack of knowledge about what was really housed there led to it only being protected by a lock and passcode. Neal cracked it long ago and had done intensive research there. But August had an inkling that he wouldn't need the passcode, for he had found something else in his travels years ago. The General hadn't even taken it away from him in captivity, because the item looked like nothing more than a benign pen and he had been allowed paper and pen in his cell.
But he knew it was more than that somehow and though he hadn't been able to make the pen work in the way he wanted, he was right about it when the keypad glowed in the presence of the pen and the door opened for him. He looked around to make sure no one saw him and slipped inside. He raised the lights and knew the NSA probably had someone in here trying to make sense of what was here. But they were careful not to put a guard on the room to raise public suspicion.
He approached the shelf and selected one book. It looked exactly like Henry's, but when he opened to the first page, it showed very different stories of other lands. He shelved one and pulled from the second shelf. He found this one to be blank and he looked at the pen in his hand. It glowed briefly and he put it to the paper, but the glow quickly faded and refused to write anything on this particular parchment. His heart sank a bit. The pen had not chosen him to be an author; an entity that few knew about. He had deemed from his research that there was one and the pen was passed along to those chosen with the task to record the history of the different realms. Chosen by who, he had no idea and he had found the pen, abandoned in a dark alleyway years ago, in Portland, Oregon of all places.
He had been very low at that time. He was an angry man and became frustrated when it seemed Emma had met someone. The pain was getting really bad and now he was uncertain if she would ever find her way to her parents. And thus, he would soon turn back to wood and that would be the end of him. The pain had been so intense on that night that he had wandered to a dark alleyway in hopes of purchasing something to ease the pain. He knew it was wrong, but at that point, he was certain that it didn't matter. If it was the end for him, then he wanted something to help numb the pain.
Instead of getting what he wanted, the dealer decided to mug him instead and assault him. As he fell to the dirty alleyway that night, with intense pain in his leg and a black eye, he wondered why the mugger hadn't just stabbed him and finished the job. It would have been mercy for him at that point. A blue glint caught his eye that wasn't swollen though and he felt a spark of hope. He crawled from his spot against one wall and scrambled to the other side. He grasped the pen in his hand and felt something else sticky on his hand. Blood…he determined by the metallic smell. He felt determination spark in him. It was a sign. He had to find out what this pen meant and more importantly, he had to find a way to get Emma back on track.
August's attention went back to the pen, as he came around from his little trip down memory lane. Once he learned the true significance of the pen, years of research later, it only raised more questions. There had been blood on it that night. Had the author been murdered? And if so, why hadn't the person taken the pen? Or was it just a random act and the assailant had no idea the pen had such significance? Either way, he had the author's pen and if it had chosen him, he could have fixed everything. Or perhaps not only fixed everything, but made everything better, especially in his favor. He sighed. His selfish ways was probably one reason the pen rejected and continued to reject him. The only way to fix anything was to find someone the author deemed worthy. It was a big variable. Whoever became the author could fix things for the better or make them far worse. He snorted. Perhaps he didn't want the responsibility, after all…
"Wow…so that's what happened to Storybrooke," Neal said, as they finished telling him everything. He kept smiling at the baby in Snow's arms too. A lot had changed and apparently the only reason any of them were awake and his father wasn't imprisoned was because the NSA had use for them. He didn't like that one bit and he could tell it made everyone else uneasy too. But there was no concealing himself from them either, because he refused to be away from his family any longer.
"So you were there? Where Storybrooke used to be?" Emma asked anxiously. He looked at the two agents.
"You might as well start explaining. You will either do it here or at NSA Headquarters and that won't be voluntary," Alivia said. Neal smirked.
"No need for the threats…and yes, I was where the town used to be. It's where I came thru," he replied.
"Thru? Like a portal?" Snow asked. He looked at all of them and Emma recognized that look. He was about to tell a lie, which meant he didn't want them to know something.
"Uh yeah…it took three years, but I managed to find a bean. After I fell through the portal, Mulan and Philip rescued me and nursed me back to health. They managed to get the bullet out and thankfully, it didn't nick an artery or any organs. It was just a flesh wound, so they were able to patch me up and make sure it didn't get infected," he explained. Rumple's eyes narrowed, as did Emma's. There were no beans left in the Enchanted Forest. Storybrooke was gone and who knew where Anton had ended up in New York.
"I thought beans were rare?" Alivia questioned.
"They are…Phillip is a King though. He has resources," Neal answered without missing a beat and she seemed to buy it.
"Question for you though…those woods are still crawling with agents after three years. Looking for something?" he questioned.
"That's classified," she retorted and he smirked again.
"So you've just been waiting around for three years to get back here?" Casey asked suspiciously.
"Do you have kids, Agent Casey?" Neal asked. The other man shifted in his seat.
"No," he answered.
"Then you wouldn't know this…but most parents, especially the ones in this room, would do anything to protect them and find them," Neal said, bringing soft smiles to all of them.
"I guess you're part of the team now…hope you can fight as well as they do," Casey said with a grunt.
"Who says I want to work for you?" Neal challenged and the other clenched his teeth.
"Who says you have a choice?" he challenged back.
"Fine…I guess if monsters are running around then you need us, but mind telling me why the hell Greg and Tamara are walking free?" Neal asked.
"Apparently they're working for a rogue agent of theirs," Emma answered.
"Oh…so you don't have as much control as it seems," Neal replied.
"We have enough…I've read your file, Mr. Cassidy. You never faced justice for your crimes. Grand Larceny…evading arrest…it sure would put a damper on this family reunion," Alivia threatened. He looked at her and smirked again.
"Fine…we'll play your game," he relented, as David rose from his seat.
"If there's nothing else today…then we'll be going," he said, as Bobby started to fuss. Casey nodded.
"The General wants a debrief first thing in the morning. The press is running wild with this," he said. They agreed and started out the back way.
"So…is there somewhere we can talk without them?" Neal asked. Emma smirked.
"My parents' house," she replied. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Parents?" he mused. She rolled her eyes.
"Yeah…yeah, don't give me crap. Henry is giving me enough of it," she said. His smile widened into a grin.
"As he should," he agreed and she rolled her eyes again.
"Glad you're not dead…even if you're being annoying," she said. He smirked.
"Good to see you too," he replied, as they made the drive to Snow and David's house.
"The Internet is on fire with this latest, especially since there was a fissure left behind where Emma Swan was standing when she used her unholy magic," Tamara reported to their boss.
"Yes…and that fissure will soon become a problem. Stay on that story and make sure you blame her magic," Aza ordered.
"But she figured out magic…isn't that bad for us?" Greg asked.
"She has not figured it out. She barely knows how to use it and even less what to do with it," Aza answered.
"Then we better make a significant move before she figures it out or worse…the Queen does. She'll kill us all!" Greg ranted. Aza was silent for a moment, wondering if Mendel was more a liability than a useful tool. He handed a file to Mendel and he opened it, finding photos in it.
"Put your bloodlust to use then, Mr. Mendel," he said. Greg smirked and left to complete the task. One he would inevitably enjoy.
"And me?" Tamara asked.
"Mendel is a loose cannon, but useful for doing some dirty work. You on the other hand should know what magic is really about to do," Aza said.
"I knew it…I knew it was unholy. Emma made that fissure, didn't she?" Tamara replied.
"Oh yes…magic is only accelerating what the Queen started," he said.
"What she started?" Tamara questioned.
"The trigger…it's not a reset button and never was. Even the Dark One was sold this lie," Aza replied.
"If it's not a reset button…then what is it?" Tamara asked. He smirked in the darkness.
"It's a doomsday bringer," he answered. Her eyes widened.
"You mean like…the end of the world?" she asked.
"Exactly that. It brings the end and only the worthy will survive. You can be one of them. That trigger is bringing about an end and those who control it will get to control a new beginning. A new world…a utopia that we can build from the ash," Aza replied. That gave Tamara a chill. Somehow, a utopia created by this man could only ever be a dystopian nightmare. But if she was one of his Generals, she could be one of the fortunate architects in building herself a favorable future.
"And what about the magic infecting this world?" she asked.
"Once it destroys the world…it will be destroyed too and the world will be reborn into something pure and void of its evil," he answered. She smirked.
"That is something I'm very interested in being a part of," she said.
Once they were situated in Snow and David's living room, Emma looked at him intently.
"Okay…so the bean was a load of crap?" Emma asked. He smirked.
"How do you know I was lying?" he asked.
"Because I know you…what's going on?" she replied. He sighed.
"You're right…there's no bean. I didn't need one and came through the well," Neal revealed.
"How?" Snow asked.
"I'm not sure exactly…but it's still there," Neal replied.
"What do you mean it's still there? The portal?" David asked.
"Just that…Lake Nostros has become what seems like a permanent portal. I don't know how and I don't know why, but that's how I did it," Neal replied.
"Rumple…do you think the trigger did this?" Belle asked.
"There's no other explanation…we've seen many side effects from it already," he answered.
"Then…there's a way home. A way out of this," David said, as he looked at Snow with hopeful eyes.
"Except that the portal doesn't close, Dad. They could follow us," Emma reminded him.
"But would they? Would they with the full advantage of magic back in our land?" he asked, as he looked at Regina and Gold.
"He's right…we'd vanquish them if we could," she agreed.
"And we could ascertain why the portal is staying open and possibly remedy it," Rumple added.
"I get that we're eager to get away from the NSA…but do we really want to go back to the Enchanted Forest? This world has a lot of advantages," Neal said. At that moment, they heard Bobby giggle and a few of his toys started floating. Snow sighed.
"Oh…" Neal said, as he suddenly got it.
"We're afraid if they find out…they'll take him away from us," Snow said, as she picked him up and cuddled him, as David was by her side.
"Then the challenge is getting there. Lots of weird stuff is going on up there and they've got military and scientists all over the place," Neal said.
"Not to mention that most have no memories and even if they did, there's no way we can get everyone there without being stopped," Emma replied, as she saw her mother's shoulders sink.
"But maybe we can get you guys there with the baby," she added. But they seemed horrified by that.
"Without you?" David asked. She winced.
"We have to protect the baby," she replied.
"And we will…but we're not being separated from you or Henry again," Snow refuted. Emma smiled softly at that. They needed to protect the baby, but it was nice to know that they wouldn't sacrifice her to do it.
"There has to be another way…we always consulted my library in times like this," Belle said. That struck him and he looked at them.
"Library…that could be it," Neal said.
"A library?" Emma said skeptically.
"Not just any library…there's one here in New York and there's a room that houses a very interesting type of book…" he said, as he started telling them what else he knew.