Sorry for such a long wait on this one!

The blade was cold and sharp against Robin's throat. The blood was trickling down her neck from the small incision, one wrong move on her behalf could prove rather dangerous so she didn't her best to keep calm and remain as still as possible. She trusted Killian, she knew that he would do whatever he needed to protect her, but she was still shitting herself, and her mind was being littered with flashbacks of when Gothel had her tied up against the wall. Her arms burned, the secret scars that littered her arms a constant reminder of what happened.

"I won't tell you again, let her go before I do something you'll regret." Hook spat, his sword glistening in the light.

"I've waited a long time for this, ain't no way I'm gonna let you get away from it so easily!" Eric warned, the pressure on the blade getting heavier by the second. "You took away everything from me! My livelihood, my wealth...my true love."

"She wasn't your true love! She was an innocent girl, who you tried to exploit!" The pirate shouted, feeling the anger inside him start to reach its boiling point. "She wanted love and adventure, not to be passed around your ship!"

"I loved her!"

"You loved the money you would make from her!" Hook took a step forward pointing his blade right at Eric's throat. "You used to be a good man Eric, I remember you when you were a good man...not this drunken monster that you've become!" He let out a shaky breath as he regrettable lowered his weapon, much to Robin's surprise.

"I had to…she would have killed me if I hadn't," Eric mumbled, his hand shaking as he let up on the pressure on the blade. "We've all made the wrong deal before...only mine cost me everything."

"You can make this right Eric, you can right this wrong."

"No!" He shouted breaking free from the momentary trance Hook had him under. "This ends today Killian! The sea witch wanted her pound of flesh, well I've got it right he-" In the blink of an eye, Robin's elbow met the drunken sailors face, hard. The blood began to run from his nose as he stumbled backward, releasing Robin from his hold. "You stupid bitch!" He swore as he ran at Robin, he longsword drawn and his face covered in blood.

"Robin watch!" Hook called out, making Robin jump out of the way just in time, forcing Eric to run right into the wooden pillar effectively knocking himself out cold. "Crap! We needed him awake!" Hook cursed as he leaned down to check that the man was still alive. "You alright love?" He mumbled while pulling out a piece of cloth for Robin to wipe up the blood on her neck.

"I'll be fine, and this isn't a complete bust." She smirked at the pirate, who looked more confused than normal.

"Care to explain?"

"I swiped this off him before I hit him," She spoke proudly as she handed the tattered piece of parchment paper over to Hook.

"Bloody hell…" He whispered as he studied the map in his hand.

"What is it?" Robin questioned looking over his shoulders at the strange drawings.

"This is going to take us exactly where we need to go." He smiled wickedly. "It's a map to Morgana's hideaway, and if what the crocodile is saying is true, she had what we're looking for."

"What are waiting for then? Let's get back to the Roger!" Robin cheered as she grabbed Hook's good hand, dragging him back to the Roger. The pirate couldn't help but smile at the sudden enthusiasm the archer seemed to have about sailing.

Gothel paced the cold, dampening cave. The archer had survived her attack, no one had ever survived before. She should be dead, Alice should be in pieces, but instead, the brunette was laughing and planning her future with Alice. Gothel needed Robin out of the way and fast, she was a distraction that needed to be terminated, removing the last obstacle in her way.

"Mother Gothel, our sources tell us that they're heading towards Traders Bay." One of Gothel's little minions mumbled, her face hidden by her hooded cloak.

"And what of my daughter?" Gothel spoke emotionless, not even bothering to look up from the spell book in her hands.

"She's with the Dark One and the Witches, Sophia is watching them as we speak." The minion informed her master her voice shaky and mousey as she spoke.

"Go and join her! They have poisoned my daughter against me long enough, soon she will be mine and the coven will be complete at last." Gothel screamed, making the short woman jump and quickly scatter out of the cave. "She will be mine again...My Alice…and that little archer of hers will be nothing more than dust blowing in the wind!"

Yellow sparks filled the small farmland. Magic rose and fell, curses slipped from innocent mouths and anger was rising. Alice was frustrated. She knew that Rumpelstiltskin was the best teacher she could ever have, he had taught Regina and Zelena, and from Robin had told her they were the two most powerful witches in all the realms. So why couldn't they take on Gothel? Why did it have to be her?

"Ugh! I can't do it!" Alice huffed out as the magic sparks fizzled away once again. They had been at it for hours and she was still not in control whatsoever.

"You're focusing too hard on what you're doing," Regina pointed out as she approached the young girl from behind.

"Surely one should be focused on what they're doing?" Alice huffed out as she violently kicked the ground. She knew that they needed her, that they relied heavily upon her. She couldn't fail, if she failed then she'd lose everyone she ever cared about...Robin, her Papa, they'd both be turned into a distant memory and she'd be alone again.

"If It were Robin trying to reach you to shoot, then yes, she would tell you to focus. But this isn't archery." The former evil queen smirked as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She sympathized with the blonde, knew what it was like to be thrown into this world without a choice in the matter. But they needed her, and no matter how much it left a bad taste in her mouth, Regina knew that she had to help train her.

"Magic should be effortless, a flick of the hand that you barely even think about." Zelena jumped in, a motherly smile plastered on her lips. With an effortless flick of her wrist, a cloud of green smoke danced around the trio, little green animals bouncing in and out of the smoke. She had performed this little trick a number of times since regaining her magic, it is used mostly by Robin during the occasional target practice session.

"It should be like a switch, one little push and it bubbles up inside you," Regina added, her own cloud of purple smoke revealing a smoke figure of Robin shooting an arrow at the animals.

"That's all very well for you two, but remember what I taught you? While magic should be effortless, it also means different things to different people." Rumple jumped in, practically skipping over to the group. He had originally decided to take a more supervisory role but had enough of watching the two witches get nowhere with the young girl. "Regina, you used magic to escape. Yours was at its powerful every time you felt trapped. Zelena, your magic was so strong it turned you green with jealousy...but this new found magic that you were gifted from Robin. It's a magic that holds honor, and the need to protect your family." He explained, earning soft smiles from the two sisters in response. This wasn't news to them, they knew that certain parts of them ignited their magic, even if they hated those parts.

"What about you?" Alice asked curiously, making the scaly man whip around to face her.

"Me? Well...I'm a coward, always have been always will be. I took on the burden of the Dark One to protect my son...and he hated me for it." He explained, his face pained and heart heavy. So many years had passed since Bellfire's passing, but not a day went by when he didn't think of his boy, of the life they could have had if he hadn't of cursed them both.

"I'm sorry…" The blonde whispered softly, as she reached out to gently rub his arm. He didn't know why, but a part of him trusted Alice with his life. It was like, they were meant to find each other, meant to save each other. She was his family, her and Gideon that's all he had left and he wasn't about to let anything happen to either of them any time soon.

"Don't be." Rumple smiled shyly, before jumping back from her embrace, bringing the Dark One back to the surface. "We aren't here to dissect our magic, we are here to help you find yours. Think of the last time you used your magic? What were you doing? Thinking? Feeling?" He probed circling the girl intimidatingly.

"Umm...Robin and I were being chased by a mob, and they had us, so I wished for an escape and the yellow bug appeared." She explained, smiling slightly at the memories of that day. She would never forget it any time soon, she got her Robin back that day and their bond had only grown since then. She found love while trapped in a cage...twice.

"You were scared?" Regina asked, catching on to what Rumple was trying to achieve from this line of questioning.

"No...I wanted to make sure she was okay. We had just found each other again, and I wasn't ready to let go of her just yet...even if she was being a bit of a pain in the ass." She laughed, a loving daze appearing on her face. Ever since that first day when they were kids, she had always wanted to protect Robin. Protect that little girl, who looked so scared and lonely. As the warm feelings of love filled her body, a dim yellow aura surrounded the blonde girl, shocking the trio in front of her.

"Finding Robin again, that must have been quite the event," Zelena added, nodding knowingly with the blonde, who had failed to notice the lights sparkling from her fingers.

"The thought of seeing Robin again was the only thing that got me through all those years in the tower. She's my soulmate...so yeah, finding her was amazing." Alice explained excitedly as a cloud of smoke circled them, flashes of Robin's smirk, her eyes, her lips filled the small space.

"Well done Alice. You've found your power." Rumple smiled proudly as the smoke cleared.

"I don't understand." Alice scratched her head. She felt different, just like when had first kissed Robin. Her body was tingling, every hair stood on end, it was like some sort of electrical current was coursing through her body. "Robin is my power?"

"Not Robin exactly. No, something much more than that." Zelena explained lovingly, she had never doubted their love for each other, but this confirmed what she had hoped. "Your power is love Alice, your love for Robin is what makes you more powerful than all of us Alice."

"Now that we've found the power, we need to work on you tapping into it." Rumple clapped his hands together excitedly, they might actually stand a chance against Gothel now...maybe.

As soon as Robin had got onto the Roger, Killian had sent her straight to get her neck looked at. He kicked himself for letting the archer get hurt in the first place and knew that Alice wouldn't be one bit happy when she found out. The journey to Morgana's hideaway had been an easier one, the seas were calm and guiding. After being patched up Robin had happily joined the Captain by the wheel, taking in how he took control, how he moved with the wind and followed the map with ease.

Robin was freezing. She hadn't expected Morgana's hideaway to be in the middle of an ice cave. It was like they had entered a different realm altogether, and she wasn't enjoying the effects.

"Here, put this on." Killian smiled softly as he put his jacket over the archer's shoulders. The two stood close together, Killian taking a parental role with her, that his crew found very amusing to watch.

"I'm fine, it was just a nick," Robin said sweetly, even though the pirate hadn't asked. She could tell what was going through his head, he was worried and it warmed her heart. She'd never had a real father figure in her life, no one she could really go to. She felt that her relationship with Killian was heading that way, that soon he'd be her Papa too.

"That's not the point Robin…you got hurt, and it's my fault." He mumbled releasing a small sigh as he stared out at the ice caves surrounding them. "For so long all I could think about was Alice, seeing her bright smile and happy eyes…if I were to let something happen to you, I'd never see that again."

"Nothing is going to happen to me Hook! I've battled Gothel and lived to tell the tale." Robin gently nudged his arm, making him dip slightly as he elbow slid on the wooden railings.

"Aye, as stubborn and strong as your Mother." Killian chuckled, Robin was about to reply with some witty sarcastic remark when the Jolly Roger came to an abrupt halt, sending the archer crashing into Killian. "What the bloody hell is goin' on Smee? I leave you in charge for five minutes and you've wrecked my ship!" He shouted as he quickly ran up to the wheel, where Smee stood shivering.

"It wasn't me Captain, promise." The first mate muttered, fearing what the normally level-headed Captian would do to him.

"It was me!" The ship was blinded by thick white smoke seeping in from every direction, as a high pitched scream brought the crew to their knees.

"Morgana!" Hook hissed, as the smoke cleared and the half octopus woman came into view.

"How did you find my hideaway, Captain." She purred, swaying her hips as she walked closer to the now standing Captain.

"With this!" He smirked back, as he violently grabbed the map from the table.

"My sister's map…Ursula sent you?" Morgana spat as one of her tentacles snatched the tattered map, crushing and ripping it beyond repair.

"No love, I stole it from one of her lackeys." Hook chuckled, every pirate around knew of the intense sibling rivalry between the two sea witches and he prided himself on being able to get under the witch's skin even just a little.

"Well, if you're not working for her, then what do you want?" She huffed, hating that she had been rudely interrupted for seemingly no reason.

"The Dark One sent me…us." Hook paused, indicating for Robin to join him. "Gothel has risen once again, and we need your relic to stop her."

"How am I supposed to believe that the Dark One, sent a washed-up pirate and a little girl to do his bidding?" Morgana let out a hearty cackle, as she reached out to touch the Captain gently. "Although, for the right price, I would happily give you the dreaded thing."

"Look, either you give us what we need, or I take it from you?" Robin finally spoke up, feeling sick to her stomach at the sight of Morgana practically drooling over Killian.

"Quite the feisty little thing you've got here." She mumbled as she moved away from the Captain, focusing her attention on the archer.

"Do you have it or not?" Robin hissed, not letting Morgana have the satisfaction of knowing how utterly terrified she was.

"You have no idea what you're playing with little girl, Gothel is not a nice enemy to have." The octopus woman purred, her tentacle playing with the end of Robin's braid as she spoke.

Robin's face held no emotions as she caught the sight of small scars running up the witch's arms, she had seen them before, every single morning and night when she would get dressed. "I know all about that," She smirked as she rolled up both of her sleeves, ignoring the audible gasp that came from the pirate beside her. "And I think you do too."

"These marks…she had you too." Morgana quickly backed away from the archer, a deep seeded look of apology plastered on her face.

"Yes, and now we are so close to stopping her for good." Robin stepped forward, letting her sleeves fall down over the scars as she reached out to gently touch the green-skinned woman.

"I promised to protect this with my life…quite literally." The sea witch laughed nervously as she flicked her wrist, a white pearl appearing after the white smoke had cleared.

"I know, I was there when Pan gave us his…I know the cost of giving us that." Hook jumped in, his face gray with worry for the archer, feeling sick to his stomach as he thought about the lasting effects that obviously stayed after her encounter with Gothel.

"You think you can really stop her?" Morgana whispered, focusing all her attention towards the archer.

"Yes, I think we can rid this place of her forever…please, help us." Robin nodded knowingly, giving the witch her word.

"When I go, this place will go with me." She paced the deck, trying to think of a way to save the young archer. Her face suddenly lit up, as she conjured up a small glittery bean. "Take this, the moment I hand this pearl over, you throw that bean and get the hell out of here." She quickly instructed the brunette, squeezing her hand tight as she gave her the magic bean.

"Thank you, Morgana."

"We're survivors me and you…the only ones to make it out alive. You have strength little girl, harness it…because you'll need it." She placed a loving hand on Robin's cheek, the brunette was still hurting and she could feel it, could see it. She wished she could help, that she could tell her that it will fade…she wished she could take that burden with her.

"Goodbye, Morgana…" Robin whispered as the sea witch slipped the pearl into her hand. Clutching the magic bean as hard as she could, Robin thought about the one place she knew they'd all be safe: Home. She threw one last look Morgana's way, before throwing the bean into the water allowing the Jolly Roger to be sucked away, as Morgana and her hideaway fell to ruins.

The crew of the Roger were glad to quickly accept their pay and leave the ship hastily, it had been quite the journey for everyone, and Killian knew that his crew would happily be drinking their weight in alcohol at the local tavern, hoping to forget about the crazy they had just encountered. Killian and Robin had silently grabbed their bags and took off on the short trek towards the farm. Neither knowing if they should speak or what to say if they did. Killian had no idea that Robin was still hurting, that she was bottling everything up. It wasn't good for her and would end up doing more damage, in the long run, he knew that from personal experience and he silently vowed to not let Robin face the same fate.

"I didn't know…that, that what she did to you left scars." He muttered as they stopped for a short break. Robin kicked the ground next to her, as she redid the button's on her sleeves.

"Nobody knows, not even Alice…I told them that they faded." Robin admitted, her eyes slightly glazed with tears as she looked the pirate in the eye for the first time since Morgana had died.

"I'm sorry lass…" Killian reached out, placing a loving hand on Robin's shoulder.

"It's fine…let's just make sure we get her okay." The archer nodded quickly, as she wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape.

"Come on, it's a short trek back to your farm." He smiled, knowing that it would be best to drop the subject, and sending her a fatherly glance that said her secret was safe with him.

"I wonder how everyone else got on?" Robin asked, her tone a little lighter as they got closer to the farm.

"I think we're about to find out." Hook frowned as the farmland suddenly lit up, various shades of yellow coming from all directions. Worry set in, as the pair quickly ran towards the land.

"Alice?" "Starfish!" The shouted in unison as they came face to face with Alice, Regina, Zelena, Rumple and a whole lot of yellow smoke bunnies.

"Robin, Papa…look! I've got magic now!" She squealed happily as she ran over to greet the pair, stopping slightly as she waited for her Papa to move away. "I've missed you!" Alice whispered as she embraced her lover, placing a firm kiss on the archer's still shocked lips, making the yellow bunnies grow larger and larger.

"Umm…babe, I think your rabbits are getting a little big," Robin mumbled as her mouth hung open, she had seen her Mother and Aunt do this kind of thing before, but never to this level, or size.

"We can explain…" Zelena quickly spat out, as Robin and Hook glared at the trio of magic users.