lilacmoon83

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and AO3

Chapter 16: Training Begins

Waking up with her in his arms, spooned against him was the best feeling he had ever had. Last night was very vivid in his mind, as their fledgling bond was deepened and cemented amid the throes of passion. Their minds, bodies, and souls all joined at once in that pinnacle moment. Amazing didn't even begin to describe their first night together. She mewled in her sleep and turned in his arms, as her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him.

"Hi…" she said. He smiled back.

"Hi yourself, beautiful," he replied, as they shared a kiss and then simply took in the moment, as they pressed their foreheads together. What they were feeling was new and exciting, even if it was a bit overwhelming as well.

"When do you have to leave?" she asked softly.

"Later this morning…we have a couple hours," he answered, as his lips sought hers again.

"I know I have to train…but leaving you is the last thing I want to do," he added.

"Me too…but we know that you have to do this and I'll be training too while you're gone. It will be days for me and years for you," Ari said.

"Yeah…that's something I'm still wrapping my mind around, but I feel like I'm being toyed with and that we haven't seen the real monster yet. It's coming and I have to get stronger," he said.

"We should probably get ready to go so you can get a good breakfast before you leave," she added. He smirked.

"We should…but who says we can't clean up together," he suggested, as they hurried into the bathroom together.

~*~

"Status Report…" the computer said, as the computer worked tirelessly on behalf of the once human entity that had merged with the super computer.

"Subject nearing completion," the computer said, as the vat of sticky liquid that once held a very small organism now had a large locust-like creature inside.

"Status Imperfect…cyborgs required for Perfect form," the computer said.

"Time remaining for Imperfect maturation…" the computer sputtered again.

"Seventy-two hours. Phase one nearly complete. Phase two to begin in seventy-two hours," the computer confirmed.

~*~

Gothel stewed in her cell for another day. Time mattered little inside here and the mirror inside her cell haunted her. She looked like she was nearly ninety now without her ability to acquire youth and with each wrinkle came more delusions and insanity. She muttered to herself now, almost in a manic-like manner, which resulted in a lot of complaints from her neighbors.

"Bloody hell…can't you move this witch to solitary or something? She's bonkers!" Horace complained.

"It's no use…the guards don't care. What the Charmings say goes…" Isaac, the former Author, said.

"I know that better than anyone. I've been here for more than twenty-years, because Charming holds a grudge against me. I didn't even kill anyone," he said.

"Well…it wasn't for lack of trying. You did toss his precious Snow into the loony bin, after all," Rodmilla said, as they laughed. Gothel ignored them as usual, as she found herself in another hallucination.

"It's time?" she asked.

"Not yet…but soon," the entity in her head told her.

"I can have my delicious boy back…" she muttered.

"You can have what's left if you do as you're told," the voice added.

"I will be a Kai…immortal and youthful forever?" she asked.

"Your vanity disgusts me, but yes," the entity answered simply.

"I will do as you ask…" Gothel promised.

"You will do nothing from a prison cell…make the deals you need to make or I'll let you shrivel up to nothing," the entity sneered.

"No…no I need my beautiful boy…" she pleaded.

"Then do as I have asked, witch…and you will be rewarded. If not…I will destroy you along with the other despicable mortals," the voice growled. The cells buzzed and unlocked. It was time for their limited free time and today, she exited with the other prisoners.

"Gothel…you have a phone call," one of the guards said, as she was led to the phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"How's prison?" the female voice asked.

"Who is this?" Gothel asked, as she suddenly had all her faculties back.

"My name is Silver Phillips and I think we can help each other," she replied.

"How does a reporter help me in here?" Gothel questioned.

"You know about him…about Saiyans. You can tell me what you know and in return…I'll find a way to get you a few youthful hairs or something," Silver promised.

"Why do you want to know about Saiyans?" Gothel asked.

"I'm a reporter and he won't tell me anything. They also won't let me have any of the books from Rose Red's library. But if I can break the story on Saiyans to the world…I can pick whatever job and network I want to work for and name my salary," Silver replied.

"That still doesn't help me much…I'm rotting in a prison cell," Gothel said.

"But you still want the Charmings to suffer and this is a start…make the halfbreed pay," Silver suggested. Gothel smirked.

"I do like torturing my precious boy…" she said.

"All right…I'll tell you all about the Saiyans," Gothel agreed.

~*~

"Master…you must reconsider this!" Kibito protested, as Shin raised his hand and the stone with the z sword in it disappeared.

"No…I'm quite sure of my motives for this, Kibito. I have seen enough and know he is the one," Shin stated.

"He is a mere mortal! There is no way he is worthy to wield the z sword! No Kai can extract the sword and certainly no Saiyan child can do so!" Kibito ranted.

"Then you have nothing to worry about, but we both know that you are afraid he is capable of such. Your jealousy of his strength is apparent," Shin chided, as his assistant calmed himself for a moment.

"I just think you put too much stock in this legendary power. His father and Goku had this power…the halfbreed son did as well and they could not stop this fiend," Kibito said.

"Goku didn't get a chance to fight and we know things would have been different if he had and his son was too young at the time. As for the boy's father…I realize the kind of man he was, but you can't project that onto the young one. His mother believed him to be the hope we all needed and the royal legends shouldn't be discounted," Shin said, pausing for a moment.

"His father thought he was the legendary warrior…and it turned out to be Goku first, but he could still have been right about the royal line. He just didn't know it would be his son. Vegeta destroyed enough worlds…perhaps it is his son that will save worlds and right the sins of his father," Shin added.

"But why send the z sword to the Edge of Realms?" Kibito asked.

"Because there he can face his past and accept his role in the Universe. He must do this to defeat this foe and save his new future," Shin replied.

"In the meantime, he will train to ascend to the next level. I sense he is close, but needs to be pushed. I believe your disdain for him will serve us well since it will push him to new heights of power," the Kai added.

"Humph," Kibito grunted, but argued with his superior no more. Supreme Kai had chided him for his distrust in mortals. He didn't think they could be trusted with such important tasks and the fact that this boy would soon surpass both him and the Supreme Kai in power and strength left him more than a little miffed. But he would do his duty and follow Shin's orders. He just hoped his Master's faith was not misplaced.

~*~

Their family and close friends portaled to Mount Olympus after sharing a family breakfast. Bobby and Flynn both had a duffle bag of a few belongings, mostly extra training clothes, though they had been informed by Hermes that Kibito had the ability to repair their clothing with his magic. It was time for them to say goodbye for a while. For their family, it would only be a few days, but for them…it would be years. Unless there was trouble, they would be staying at least three days, which would be three years on Shin's planet.

Ari and Flynn stepped off to the side behind a pillar for a moment to share a private goodbye. He kissed her deeply, trying to soak in everything about her and hoping it would be enough to get him through. He knew it wouldn't, but he knew that keeping her safe would drive him to get through this and train as hard as he could. Their lips parted and she pressed her forehead against his.

"I don't know how I'm going to survive years without you," he confessed.

"I don't envy you that…just a few days is going to be hard enough," she said, smiling.

"When did that happen?" she teased lightly. He smiled back.

"I think it was the true love rainbow kiss thing," he joked, as he kissed her again. She gazed into his deep blue eyes and gently brushed his lavender and dark blonde bangs away from his eyes.

"I'll be in here…you can feel me now, even worlds apart," she promised, as she put a hand to his heart. He put his hand on hers and nodded, before they shared yet another kiss. This one would have to hold him though, as they parted and joined hands, before joining their family and friends.

Bobby had shared a similar goodbye with Zia and now it was time to say goodbye to their parents and siblings, as hugs went all around.

"Train hard," Leo said.

"We will," Bobby replied.

"I know you'll be training, but try to stay safe too," Snow said, as she hugged them both.

"We will, Mom," Flynn promised, though neither of them mentioned that part of their training would be for Flynn to get beaten up enough to take advantage of power boosts to get him stronger much faster. But they both spared their mother from that.

"If there's trouble…you'll contact us?" Flynn asked.

"Of course…we'll send Hermes. If it's the small minions, hopefully we can handle it. Hyde said they have some weapons ready to help, but if the stronger ones appear, we'll get you back here," David promised, as they nodded and stepped toward Hermes. She encased them in a bubble and with a last look at their loved ones, they disappeared.

The two boys arrived on the world of the Kais with Hermes and approached.

"Welcome young ones…" Shin greeted them and they bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for this opportunity to train here with you, Supreme Kai," Flynn said politely.

"Yes…well, you may be the hope for all the Universes, so I may be thanking you by the end of this," Shin said, as he led them further in, revealing a housing-like structure where he and Kibito lived. They put their belongings in the spare rooms and then came out ready to begin their training.

~*~

Ben found himself on his back for the fifth time during training that day, in the space of only an hour. His twin was in rare form and taking out her aggression on him.

"Seriously?" he complained, as she helped him up.

"Don't be a baby…let's go again," she replied.

"Nah…I'm tapping out. You're way too worked up about Flynn being gone," he said. She huffed and grabbed a towel to take a break.

"Sorry…I just don't want to put it all on his shoulders, you know? I want to get stronger too and actually help him," Ari said. He smiled.

"I get it…and you will be. Next to Dad…you're just about the strongest Asgardian," he said.

"Carina is still stronger," Ari said.

"Carina can't shoot ki blasts…you sure about that?" he asked. She became thoughtful at that and then put her towel down.

"Maybe…but there's always room for improvement. I'll take pity on you today, though," she teased, before leaving to shower. He blew out a breath of relief and grabbed his own towel, before heading toward the men's shower in the gym.

~*~

Silver's fingers flew over the keyboard, as she furiously wrote the story she was going to present to the world soon. Gothel had given her some very interesting information. History of the Saiyans and more importantly, history about Flynn's parentage. When she released this, the firestorm would be epic and she would rise to instant fame. She flashed back to the moment where he had saved her life and felt a tiny twinge of guilt for what she was about to do. Blowing up his life and making him a pariah was pretty evil. It would certainly test how good his moral fabric was. How long would he want to defend a world that would soon hate him? Simply for no other reason that he was half alien and that his long dead father might have been a murdering monster at one time? Charmings were silly creatures though. They seemed to protect and defend people no matter who they were. Just don't try to get into their inner circle unless you were deemed worthy with criteria she would never meet. The twinge of guilt passed quickly enough and she finished her story. She was eager to release it, but she didn't want to be too hasty. She needed the exact right time with maximum exposure, which meant shopping the story around until she got the deal she wanted. Smirking, she grabbed her phone and began to make her inquiries.

~*~

Flynn flew back as a result of Kibito's attack and hit a tree, which instead of demolishing him, was destroyed instead and he rolled to the ground. Bobby was training in magic with Shin, who was teaching him new techniques and honing his amazing elemental abilities. The Kai seemed fascinated by Bobby's magic, while Kibito seemed to enjoy beating the crap out of him. He could sense the disdain for him rolling off the assistant Kai in waves.

"Okay…I get it, you hate me," Flynn groaned, as he picked himself off, ignoring his cuts, bruises, and torn clothing.

"This is training, young one…if you cannot handle me, then you have no chance against what we're facing and we're all doomed," Kibito said.

"I can handle it!" Flynn growled, as he flew at the man and started punching furiously, which were all blocked by Kibito. He landed a really good punch in Kibito's face and the pink skinned man growled, before sending him tumbling head over heels with his own backhand. He sailed into a pillar of one of the housing structures, knocking him out this time. Kibito sighed and picked the young Saiyan up, tossing him over his shoulder, before carrying him back to the training area and healing him. He opened his eyes and felt a surge of power. He got to his feet and sank into a fighting stance, ready to go again. This was their routine, day after day. Only hours had passed back home, while it had been weeks here already. They missed home terribly, but were determined to get strong enough to take on the full weight of what was coming.

~*~

"Status report…" General Gray asked, as he entered the secret lab.

"I think we will have two of the fully synthetic androids ready to test out in just a few days. The question is…where should we stage their debut?" Dr. Green asked.

"Let's make it interesting and return to an old stomping ground for them. Seattle will make a nice first example," the General said.

"They will likely make scrap metal out of these two though. Where are we with our cyborg organic super soldiers?" he asked.

"The process is slower than I'd like, but promising. We're possibly only a few months away and they will be completely compliant. However, that has proven to be a slight disadvantage. With no real emotional drive, they may be as single minded as the synthetic versions," Green replied. He smirked.

"That's okay…soon you will have two subjects to transform that will have that grudge to grind," he said, as he looked at their first two androids. On the capsules that contained them were simple names. Kappa and Tau. They had chosen to go with a Greek alphabet assignment rather than numbers, but essentially, these two were one and two.

"Let's prepare for our big debut," the General said.

"I'll initiate the preparations to travel," Dr. Green replied…

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and AO3

Chapter 15: Battle of New York, Pt 2

Regina destroyed another of the mindless Cicas, as people around them traded off between gawking and running and screaming.

"This is insane…it's like an infestation," she complained.

"Cicadas aren't much better than cockroaches," Gideon commented, as he blasted another with magic, alongside his father.

"Looks like the boy found one of the hosts," Gold mentioned, as they noticed the battle break out nearby.

"Ugh…what is that woman doing here?" Regina asked, as she watched the reporter point another camera in her grandson's face.

"The bigger question is how? She doesn't have a means to create portals as we do," Gold said. Regina blanched, realizing he was right.

"If she stole a watch, I'll make sure Emma throws the book at her," she said. Gold smirked.

"You really don't like her," he mused.

"She's exploiting Bobby and Flynn…of course I hate her," Regina said, as she blasted another foe.

"Nana Regina…always ready to snap a bone or choke a bitch for her grandbabies," Gold mused again. She gave him a friendly glare.

"Oh please…like you wouldn't rip out tongues for your loved ones," she said.

"Touche…though I never thought we would be so out of our league. Those boys are unending wells of power," he mentioned.

"The stakes have never been higher and that's saying something for this bunch," she agreed, as they continued to conjure their magic to eliminate the infestation.

~*~

Flynn took another punch to the gut and returned with one of his own, sending the creature flailing back. It seethed and charged again, as he dodged it this time and delivered a flying sidekick, slowly inching him back toward the destroyed building behind them.

"We need to blast him," Bobby said, as he jumped in to join.

"I know…but I can't do it unless we're in the air or I can get him to stay still. He knows that," Flynn replied.

"Dammit…" Bobby cursed, as his eyes suddenly widened and he grinned.

"I've got an idea," he said, as he conjured his magic and disappeared beneath the ground, while Flynn kept fighting the giant bug. He stepped back though when he heard a rumble beneath the ground. A pair of hands emerged from the ground and grabbed the creature by the ankles. Flynn smirked.

"Not so cocky now I see," he said, as the monster screeched and growled, trying to break free, but Bobby's hands glowed with green energy, as his spell held. Flynn extended his arms and a pair of blue energy spheres appeared in his hands, as he powered them up.

"Burning Storm…" he said, as he launched the blasts, which melded into one and hit his target, obliterating him completely. Bobby emerged and they shared a brotherly handshake.

"Boom…those combos we worked on are definitely going to come in handy," he said.

"For real," Flynn agreed, as the final two original Cicas approached them in the street, hissing and spitting angrily.

"Double teaming us won't work, bug breaths," Bobby said.

"We'll just double team you back," Flynn added, as their auras appeared around them and they powered up their ki. Bobby enhanced his with magic, increasing his power exponentially, while Flynn drew on the well of seemingly endless power inside him, his Saiyan blood boiling with battle lust. They charged the creatures and then disappeared into two blurs. They reappeared and Bobby kicked one, while Flynn doubled his fists and pounded them into the second creature's head.

"We're here if you need us, kid," Emma said, as their siblings arrived.

"I'll stay down…you go up," Bobby said. Flynn nodded, as one of the monster's roared and tried to punch him, but he used an after image, while he sneaked up behind it.

"You still can't read ki," he said, as he grabbed the creature's tail. It cried out, as he began to spin him, quickly building speed, until he was spinning him at a dizzying pace. He threw him into the air and took off into the sky to fight him up there, while Bobby stood ready to face the other one. The creature screeched and started to power up a blast. Bobby did as well, powering up for an Earth buster.

"Hit me guys," he called, as Emma's white fire hit him. Leo joined her with his cobalt magic. Eva was next with her pink magic, and finally Summer with her lavender power. He pulled the magic into his buster cannon attack and it swirled and glowed with a myriad of rainbow colors. The Cica gave a high pitched squeal, as it fired its attack and Bobby countered with theirs.

"Super Earth Buster Cannon!" he shouted, as their attacks slammed together and they fought for dominance. He poured everything into the attack and fought against the strain of the creature's attack.

"I need more!" Bobby called. His siblings increased their attacks and his blast started to overtake the monster's. The blast went through the Cica's stomach, creating a gaping hole. Bobby didn't let up until every trace of the creature dissolved into ash.

Flynn punched and kicked the creature further into the sky, flying after it and delivering a volley of attacks. Before it could recover, Flynn started firing a barrage of continuous energy bullets, pelting his enemy with small bullet-like ki blasts. The Cica growled and charged him again, burying its fist in Flynn's gut, causing him to double over. The creature chuckled evilly, but Flynn looked up at him and smirked, indicating that he was feigning injury. Flynn performed another blazing rush of martial arts attacks with a punch to the gut, followed by a knee and a roundhouse kick, sending the creature sailing into the air. But he wasn't done and phased behind him, balling his fists and slamming them into the Cica's back. The creature slammed into the streets of Manhattan, creating a large crater. The creature was dazed and ready to attack again, but by the time it pulled itself from the broken concrete, it was too late. Flynn's purple energy had already built enough and he fired it with a direct hit before the monster could move.

"Galick Gun!" he cried, as he fired the attack and hit his mark dead on. He landed solidly on the ground and fired another ki blast to the area to make sure every trace was gone. He let his aura dissipate, as his family and friends gathered around.

"We think that's it," Fandral said, as he held Rose's hand.

"Impressive…maybe you haven't been slacking on your training, after all," Silver said, receiving a glare from him.

"You have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to fighting, so you wouldn't have a clue about my training," he retorted.

"Then tell me…give me an exclusive. Tell the world about the Saiyans," she offered, as she put the mic in face. His eyes flashed and the mic sparked, as it short circuited. She yelped and dropped it, but rather than looking frightened, she seemed enthralled by his power.

"No," he replied and he was surprised when she got even closer.

"I'm not afraid of you…and I won't stop until I get what I want," she purred, as she boldly put her hand on his arm, even as he shrugged her off immediately.

"If you want to keep that hand…you better get it away from him right now," Ari hissed, as she sided up to him and his arm instinctively went around her waist.

"I was just offering him the chance to be with a real woman," Silver slighted.

"She's Asgardian…she could kill you, you know," Bobby said. Silver smirked.

"But she won't…she's a self proclaimed hero, like all of you. You save us and mingle with the commoners briefly, before closing back into your little circle, thinking you're better than the rest of us," she claimed.

"You don't know anything…and when it comes to my true love, all bets are off so don't count on me being heroic if you keep coming after him," Ari warned. Silver smirked.

"Bring it on, Princess…" she challenged. Ari growled, but Flynn held her back.

"She's not worth it…and she has no chance," he promised, as they turned away, only to find more microphones in their faces from other reporters.

"You're half alien…if you really mean the people of Earth no harm, then you'll tell us why we should believe you," one reporter said.

"Technically, you're both half alien. You could take over the world if you so choose. How do we know you won't?" another shouted.

"This is insane…the kid just saved all your lives!" Emma interjected, as she pushed through the crowd and started pulling them back, while her parents intercepted the reporters.

"Our son will save us all…that's all you need to know about him," Snow said protectively.

"You can't hide your alien son forever, Snow White…" another reporter said snidely. David glared at him.

"He's our son…we'll protect him from vultures like you as long as we need to," he said, as he led her away and they hurried their group away. Summer put them in a bubble, as her father created a portal and they escaped back to the United Realms.

~*~

"Well…that went about like we expected," General Gray said, as he observed the battle in Manhattan.

"Our androids should prove to be a bit more of a challenge," Dr. Green said.

"Yes…but it is the cyborgs that will ultimately prevail. The androids will be a nice warmup though. When will the first ones be ready?" he questioned.

"We have two that are nearly complete, but they are weaker," Green warned.

"That's okay…I don't expect the first models to win. They'll only deliver the message nicely that we're coming," Gray said.

"The cyborgs show promise…but what if he keeps growing stronger? We have hit a bit of a wall in that respect. If they can kill him before he gets strong enough, that's one thing. But if they can't, he'll eventually get stronger," Green replied.

"Yes…but I have a contingency plan that may come to fruition," the General said.

"So far…all our recruits are from this land…but what if we could recruit two candidates from their world? It could change things," Gray said.

"How do you propose we do that? No one from there will willingly agree," Green replied. He smirked.

"Oh…I think I know two that will when I present the opportunity to them," Gray said, as he watched the news broadcast that played in the background of the lab.

~*~

"I want to know how that bitch got a portal watch…" Emma grumbled, as she returned to the station with her parents, who were as perplexed as her.

"You really think someone inside the station did this?" Snow asked.

"I don't see how else it could happen. We don't just give those out, but every officer and Knight has one though for emergencies," Emma replied.

"Which is a lot of people to sift through," David said.

"We won't need to," Xander said, as he approached with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Drake didn't show up for his shift and I found this on his desk," he said.

"A letter of resignation?" Emma asked, as she read it.

"Yes…and he didn't turn his watch in," Xander replied.

"Drake Mallard is working with Silver?" David asked skeptically.

"He's a very skittish man…maybe she threatened him," Snow reasoned.

"No…don't think so. It says it right here. He's getting published. Looks like someone offered him a deal and he took it," Emma said.

"So revenge for Henry never taking his work seriously," David deduced.

"Looks that way," Emma replied.

"We should arrest him then," Xander said.

"Not yet…let him think he's getting away with it. Silver and Aiden will come back here eventually and then we can bust all three of them," David said. They agreed and then headed out to the diner to join the rest of their family.

~*~

"You think they figured out that Drake gave us this watch yet?" Aiden asked, as they sat in their hotel room, editing their footage on their laptops.

"Probably…" Silver replied.

"Then we can't go back without getting arrested and if I get collared again, they're going to throw the book at me," Aiden complained.

"Easy…we don't need to go back right away. We can run the show on the road from here for a few days and if everything goes well from my contacts, we won't need to go back," Silver said.

"You know, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this didn't go well for your mother and Grimm when they took their show on the road. They still got trounced in the ratings by Eva Charming's podcast," Aiden replied. She smirked.

"But we're not a podcast…I have my own network and if all goes well, we'll become a part of a National media conglomerate. The Charmings won't be able to touch us," Silver said.

"I hope you're right," he said.

"With the footage I got up close with alien boy…I know I am," she replied.

"He picked the Asgardian Princess…he's not gonna pick you," Aiden said.

"What are you talking about?" Silver asked. He scoffed.

"Oh please…the look on your face when he saved your life was clear. You wanted to jump his bones right there," Aiden replied. She gasped and glared at him.

"I did not!" she refuted. He smirked and shook his head.

"He's cute…I'll give you that, but Charmings are trouble. They get under your skin and make you want them…but people like us don't get them and we're left picking up the pieces of our lives after they've rolled through us," Aiden warned.

"I don't want Flynn Charming…he's a story and my means to get out of that stupid place," Silver refuted.

"If you say so," Aiden replied, before returning to his work and she typed away furiously, all while stills of him stared back at him from her editing software. She didn't want him…he was a means to make her famous. Nothing more.

~*~

After dinner with their families, they had quietly gone off together for the night. It had been another trying day and tomorrow, he would leave to train with Shin for days, possibly weeks, so they weren't going to waste the night. They returned to the Capsule house on the island and they dimmed the lights low. They had already changed out of their armor before dinner at the diner and were in their regular clothes, which would make the slow undressing of each other that much easier.

Once they arrived at the small house they were calling a place of their own at the moment, the bubbling passion came to the surface and they were immediately in each other's arms. He kissed her breathless and she pulled him as close as she could, squelching the daylight between them.

"Ari…" he said, as their lips parted briefly. She smiled at the way her name fell from his lips in such a thick, husky tone.

"Are…are you sure…" he asked.

"Of course I am…you're my true love," she replied.

"I know…it's just that I'm Saiyan and if the stuff I read is right, there's…there's the Saiyan bond," he said. She nodded.

"I know…I read the same texts. I know what it means…and I want this," she promised. He swallowed thickly and let her push his tank top over his head, leaving his torso bare. They had both read about the Saiyan bond possibly forming between them. It didn't always happen, but they were pretty sure it would with them, considering they had shared true love's kiss. The bond was an inevitable path. They weren't exactly sure what to expect, as the strength of the bond always differed from couple to couple, according to the texts. They felt it would be deeper than most though; like an extra boost to their true love. Potentially, they could develop the ability to feel each other's pain or feel each other's emotions. In rare cases, a bond could even be strong enough for a couple to develop some level of telepathy and in even rarer cases, if one died, the other could eventually follow, because the bond could never be severed, even in death.

But neither of them were entering this lightly. True love was already established and that combined with a bond, was truly uncharted territory.

He kissed her passionately and hungrily, like he couldn't get enough and he couldn't, before he began to slowly kiss his way down to her neck, intent on exploring every inch of her skin.

"Trunks…" she breathed, as she lifted her arms for him and he swiftly rid her of her shirt. His eyes drank in all of her exposed skin and locked on her chest. She smirked.

"See something you like?" she teased. He smirked back.

"Is it too corny to tell you how beautiful you are?" he asked in return.

"It's not corny, because I know you mean it and I'll never get tired of hearing it from the man I love," she replied. He resumed kissing her and slowly lifted her into his arms like she weighed nothing. He carried her to the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him, before gently laying her on the bed. She pulled him down and kissed him, their kisses growing feverish, as they continued to undress each other and their passion consumed them.

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 14: Battle of New York, Pt 1

A couple days had passed since Shin had appeared to them and suggested they come train on the sacred world of the Kai's and they had a light training day, with Bobby going with their siblings to train in magic, while Flynn got in some sword training with Fandral and his soldiers.

The exercise was designed to test only his skills with a sword with no ki allowed and in the style of him being the target. Fandral was more than confident he would have no trouble with it, but his soldiers seemed to think Flynn was at a disadvantage without his ki. They would be wrong.

Flynn parried the first two blades with ease, shoving them both out of bounds. The next hulking soldier attacked and they dueled for a few quick strikes, but Flynn was clearly toying with him and swept his legs out from under him. Five took him on next and all five blades barrelled down on him, trying to force him into submission on the ground, but a battle cry echoed from him, as his superior strength helped him push against all five and back into a standing position. With another cry, he swiped his impressive blade and broke the other five swords, much to their astonishment, before moving onto the rest, blocking and striking his way through at a speed that was hard to keep up with until the army of Andresia were all defeated and yielding. Ariana winced, mostly for the soldiers as she had a feeling her father would be cracking the proverbial whip in their training going forward.

"Listen up men…this is why you do not underestimate your opponent," Fandral said sternly.

"He fired not one ki blast and none could stand. We must do better," he said, as Flynn was dismissed for the day and he and Ari joined hands.

"I hope I didn't get them into too much trouble," he joked.

"Not really…daddy expected you to defeat them all with ease. They are strong and valiant warriors, but they are not Asgardian, after all," Ari replied.

"So…we have the whole day to ourselves for once. What do you want to do?" he asked, as another drone buzzed near them and he sighed, before blasting it.

"Is it too much to hope we could find somewhere to be…alone?" she asked. He smiled.

"Actually…I think I know exactly how to accomplish that," he said, as he swept her into his arms and took off into the air.

"The islands?" she asked.

"Not just the islands…a capsule house on one of the islands," he replied. She smiled and cuddled close to him. He picked one of the small, deserted islands and landed, before tossing the capsule onto the ground. A dome shaped house appeared and she looked at it in awe.

"Wow…this is amazing," she said.

"It's a prototype and Hyde wanted me to test it out. There's no time like the present," he said, as he opened the control panel and turned on the power and all the systems, before they went inside.

"This is incredible…" she said, as they looked around the fully furnished house, with a fully stocked kitchen.

"Tinted windows…no drones can see in," he said, as she slid her arms around his neck.

"That's good…that's very good," she replied, as their lips met in a passionate kiss.

"I'm glad I seem to be back in your good graces. Just a few weeks ago, you were berating me about being too slow with the newest edition," Henry said, as he rolled his eyes and listened to his publisher attempt to grovel at his feet.

"Yes…I understand the demand, but all Silver Phillips did was sensationalize the story and exploit members of my family, who are still very young. The real story may take a little longer, but it's worth it," Henry lectured. He sighed, as he listened again.

"I understand that people want more details on Saiyans, but that's personal information that only Flynn can choose to share," Henry said, with another eyeroll.

"Don't worry…you'll be the first to read about the next big battle," he said, as he finally hung up the phone.

"Geez…people are vultures. I really despise the way they talk about the boys like they're objects," Henry said.

"I know…it's not fair. It is bad enough with your parents, but at least they have a way of ignoring all the attention," Ella replied.

"Yeah…this is almost worse though. I mean the internet and social media is crazy right now. With my parents, it was mostly middle aged women that were obsessed with them. With Flynn and Bobby…it's teenagers," Henry said, like it was a horror and it made her giggle.

"Poor baby…you're having flashbacks of Lucy's teen years," Ella teased. Their daughter had been a good kid, but like any teen, she had her moments where she pressed them to their limits. He chuckled.

"Maybe…the boy-crazy phase was a lot and I don't envy Flynn and Bobby," he said.

"Well…at least they're mostly safe since they don't need to go out there," Ella reasoned.

"Thank the gods for small favors," he said, as he kissed her, before returning to his office to continue working.

The midday sun shone in the sky, as the city below bustled with millions of people, going about their day. No one seemed to notice the magenta slime slowly seeping out of the various sewer coverings in the streets of Manhattan. Until literal giant Cicadas formed and began crawling through the streets. That's when the screams ensued and dozens of fender benders happened in just a few minutes. Police sirens sounded, as cops arrived at the scene and tried opening fire on the creatures, but they appeared to be impervious to bullets, as not even a spray of them made a dent. The Police commissioner of New York City called for the National Guard, but they would soon learn that the Earth's military would also be useless against such monsters…

Flynn and Ari cuddled on the couch together in the capsule house, having enjoyed a relaxing and romantic afternoon, watching a movie, though neither of them was paying much attention to the television. Their cuddling and soft caresses soon led to making out and roaming hands. God, he wanted her…his Saiyan side was teeming with passion and need. But he kept himself in check, because he never wanted to pressure her. When he felt her nimble fingers slide beneath his tank top and started inching it upward though, he pulled apart to look into her eyes.

"Ari…" he breathed and then swallowed thickly, as the passion in her eyes looked back at him.

"Are…are you sure?" he asked. She smiled softly.

"You're my true love…of course I am. I'm ready," she replied. He swallowed again and then captured her lips in another passionate kiss, only breaking it again briefly when she pushed his shirt over his head. Her eyes feasted on his chiseled physique; his training was very evident these days and the carved lines of definition were a thing of perfection. Their lips met again, but the annoying beeping of his phone made him growl against their kiss. Opting to ignore it, he kept kissing her feverishly, until it beeped again. He wanted to toss the thing across the room, but she brought them back to reason.

"Answer it…it could be another attack," she said. He knew she was right and cleared his throat, before answering.

"It's Bobby…this better be good," he said.

"Hello?" he asked, trying to make his voice sound less husky. It didn't work though and she smiled at him.

"Dude…you're not going to believe this. They've got a cicada problem in New York," Bobby said.

"What!?" Flynn exclaimed.

"Yeah…everyone going is meeting at Granny's in five. We need you though. You're kind of the star player," Bobby said.

"We'll be right there," Flynn replied.

"Ah dude…did I cock block you?" Bobby teased. Flynn rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," he said, as he hung up.

"Another attack?" she asked, as he grabbed his shirt and they stood up.

"Yeah…but worse. They're in New York," he said, stunning her just as much as him. Neither of them could comprehend how that was possible at the moment and he went to put his shirt on, but stopped.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Hyde…he made a Saiyan armor prototype for me to test. Probably a good time to do it," he said, as he took the capsule out of his jacket pocket.

"Okay…I'm going to portal home and get my armor too," she said. He grinned and she shook her head.

"You could be less happy about that," she teased. He shook his head, his grin remaining on his face.

"No I can't," he said, as she gave him one last look before taking a portal home. He tossed the capsule to the floor and opened the box, staring at the armor inside.

Silver slammed her office phone down on the cradle and hurried out of her office.

"There are Cicas in New York…we need to get there," she said, as she went to her dressing room and snapped her fingers. Her hair stylist and makeup artist began making quick touchups.

"The Charmings will never let us portal there with them. How do you plan to get there?" Aiden asked. He was right and she deflated for a moment. She had to get there and break this story! She had to show her contacts out there that she was like them and worthy of a starring correspondent at a big network. Then her eyes lit up.

"I have an idea…" she said, as he rolled his eyes and followed her with the camera. He was surprised when they arrived in Storybrooke at an apartment complex.

"What are we doing here? This dump is worse than my place," Aiden asked.

"Just shut up and follow me," Silver demanded, as she knocked on apartment six and none other than Drake Mallard answered the door. The skittish desk clerk by day and comic writer by night looked a little frightened by their presence.

"Listen up…I need something from you and in return, I can get you published," Silver said.

"W…what?" he asked. She smirked.

"How long have you been giving your stuff to the Author, begging him to read it and give you a chance at being published?" she asked.

"Uh…years I guess," he replied shyly.

"Henry Charming is never going to publish you, because like all the Charmings, he thinks he's better than you. You're a weird little man that writes about superheroes and there's a market for that…yet he never considers your work," she added.

"Wh…what do you want?" he asked.

"I need one of those portal watches and I know you have one for emergencies. All employees of the Police department have them, even the grunts," she replied.

"If I give you my portal watch, she'll fire me," Drake said, referring to Emma.

"And I have a contact in New York that will love your new manga about the alien brat. I can get you published," Silver replied.

"Why should I trust you?" Drake asked.

"Because we've all been wronged by the Charmings. They won't even let her go with them to New York, even though she is the press and I bet anything the Author is going and I'll bet more that he'll give his scoop to August W Booth, all while freezing her out," Aiden replied.

"It's injustice…just like you write about in your comics. The Charmings play favorites with their little inner circle and we're not in it. So you can keep working for them or go over their heads like us," Silver said, as Drake was silent for several beats, before slowly taking off his watch and handing it to her.

"You better keep your end of the bargain," he said. She smirked.

"Don't worry…we underdogs have to stick together," she replied, as she handed him a card.

"This is my contact. Expect his call," she said, as they left and grabbed the equipment out of the van, before she set the watch for a portal to New York, before activating it.

"Time to become a star," she said, as they walked through.

"Dad and Lancelot are staying behind to keep an eye on things around here," David said, as he and Snow arrived. Their five kids were there, along with Regina, Henry, Gold, and Gideon. Another portal opened, with Fandral, Rose, and their three eldest, Carina, Ben, and Ari, all garbed in Asgardian armor.

"We left the young ones behind for this one," Fandral said, as another portal opened, signaling James and Aphrodite's arrival.

"It's probably for the best. This one might be rough," David replied.

"Where's Flynn?" Leo asked.

"He should be here any minute," Bobby replied, as they looked to the sky to see a jet stream, streaking across the sky, before diving toward them and landing solidly on the ground. It was Flynn, but they had never seen armor like he was wearing before. The bodice was royal blue, appearing to be like spandex in nature, but the white and gold vest was definitely armored, but sleeker than any chainmail could ever be. There were no bulky shoulder pads either and instead had gold armored straps, with matching white utility boots that had gold tipped toes.

"I figured it's a good time to test out Hyde's armor," Flynn said.

"That armor is badass," Bobby commented. Flynn smirked.

"Yeah…and it's surprisingly light as a feather," he said, as they gathered together.

"Okay…let's go. I'm sure it's chaos, but try to stay in pairs if it can be helped," David said, as he opened the portal to the middle of Manhattan and they appeared to the shock and awe of screaming people in the streets.

"Bobby and I'll take to the air and start our takedown from there," Flynn said, as they blasted into the sky, while the others spread out into pairs and split up into the streets.

The bug problem had grown exponentially into the largest number they had seen yet. There had to be hundreds of them this time. David had a hunch though that only the original copies were the ones at full strength and the copies were diminished. As he slashed one with the Chalice sword and it exploded, he found that his hypothesis was right. Snow fired an exploding arrow at another and it exploded, upon detonation of the arrow. They kept moving through the streets to find more to fight off.

The Dashing twins worked almost in sync with their blades, slashing their way through several bugs and Ben saw his twin sister blast one with a small ki blast.

"Okay…guess that's something I need to learn now," he said. She smirked.

"Afraid you're falling behind?" she teased.

"Okay…I've been lax lately, but it's not easy balancing college and Knight training," he complained.

"You said it," she said, as she fired another ki blast and another bug exploded. The lady that had been screaming, because it was too close suddenly started screaming at Ari, because she was now covered in magenta slime.

"You're welcome," she said sarcastically, as they moved on to help others.

Flynn flew overhead and saw a mass of bugs crawling all over a busy block and dove down to take care of them. He landed and extracted his sword from its scabbard, before disappearing into a blur. Only rapid slashing noises could be heard, as he suddenly appeared on the other side of the block. The bugs fell into pieces and he powered up a burning attack to incinerate the pieces, before sliding his sword back into its scabbard with a satisfying clink. Suddenly, he was hit with a ki blast that sent him reeling, but he caught himself from falling, before turning around to see one of the bugs. It was definitely bigger than its children and its eyes weren't mindlessly blank like the others. This one had consciousness and he sank into a fighting stance. The creature rushed him and he blocked a punch to his face, while sweeping the leg. The Cica deployed its wings though and kept itself from falling to the ground. It snaked its tail around Flynn's neck and lifted him off the ground, as it tried to choke him. This one started to chuckle evilly as it did so and its tail tightened around his throat like a boa constrictor. They were definitely evolving more and more and this one seemed as strong as the others in the past. Having no other option, Flynn headbutted the creature and it dropped him to the ground. He gasped for air but had no time to rest, as the creature fired a ki blast at him. He crossed his arms over his face to block it, thrusting it upward and harmlessly into the sky. There were way too many people around, who had stopped to gawk at the battle and he gritted his teeth.

"Go on…get out of here! It's too dangerous!" he shouted at them. Some dispersed, but many couldn't look away, including many news crews, Silver Phillips included. How she had gotten here, he had no idea, but he had to somehow get this creature up into the open air so he could blast him. But it was like it knew why he was holding back and his eyes widened, as the creature stood up, held his hand out to the side of him, and released a ki blast at the crowd.

"No!" he cried, as he intercepted and screamed, as it burned its way through his gloved hands, before he was able to deflect it again. He ignored the intense stinging in his hands and charged the monster again. Silver Phillips stood in shock, along with Aiden, as they had been so close to the blast that they could feel the heat from it.

"He just saved your life and you're still standing here gawking like idiots!?" Bobby snapped, as he landed next to them.

"We have a story to report on," Silver said simply, like she was unaffected by what had just happened, but her eyes were locked on the half Saiyan.

"Silver…maybe he's right. Let's bail…there's enough cameras around this whole city that are recording this. We'll get the footage from there," Aiden suggested.

"No…I want this story up close," she said with determination, as Flynn's battle with the monster raged…

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 13: New Tech and Training

The supercomputer beeped, processing the data from the latest battle like a hungry fiend.

"Power increases…exceeding expectations. Higher challenge initiated," the computer said, as its output tubes glowed and fed the magenta slime into the water that would usually trek down into the Harbor or lakes of Storybrooke. But this time, the infected water passed through the barrier around the United Realms and into the open waters. It would spread and soon reach the shores of the outside world…

~*~

That morning, Flynn made a trip to Hyde's lab; the one he was supposed to make the day before, but that had been circumvented by the battle in Andresia. He was in a good mood, but then finding out the woman you loved felt the same and was your true love would do that. He blasted two drones on the way to the University, but not even that could ruin his mood.

"Ah…good to see you, lad," Hiram said.

"You guys look like you've been busy," Flynn replied.

"Oh…quite so. We've never had so much fascinating work before and I think you'll be impressed with the prototypes we've come up with for you to test out," Hiram said, as Hyde motioned him over to the table.

"With your biological mother's detailed instructions and blueprints, we were able to replicate the capsule technology. Now, mass production is probably a few years away, but if the University is impressed with the products, then they will likely approve the grants for production," Hyde said. The University was very intrigued with the new technology and had provided the initial investment for them to create the first prototypes.

"Yes…since you are the heir to all of this, you will be our tester," Hiram added.

"Glad to," Flynn replied, as Hyde handed him the first capsule and they stepped outside into the open air of the campus. Flynn pressed the trigger of the capsule and tossed it to the group. With a puff of smoke, a motorcycle appeared.

"Wow…" Flynn said, looking at the sleek design.

"Now…we know you can fly, but we urge you to test it for us," Hiram said.

"Sure…" Flynn replied.

"The wheels also fold under and it becomes a hover bike," Hyde said. Flynn's eyes widened.

"You figured out hover technology?" he asked in shock.

"No…your biological mother did that or perhaps your biological grandfather. The equations were all there for us to experiment with and it works," Hyde replied.

"I didn't think the hover tech was viable unless it was at absolute zero," Flynn said.

"It's not…but like he said, the formulas, equations, and materials are all there in the blueprints," Hiram replied.

"She really was amazing…" Flynn uttered, as he became thoughtful about Bulma.

"Truly…she is someone I would have been honored to meet," Hyde said.

"Yes…now this one you'll want to throw a bit further. It's a prototype for the capsule house," Hiram said, as he did so and was in awe of the structure that appeared before him.

"For plumbing hookups, it's quite easy if you open the control panel and deploy the sanitation system. The pipes burrow into the ground and can connect with existing sewer systems. But they can operate a temporary sanitation system, similar to camping for temporary locations," Hyde explained.

"This is amazing," Flynn said.

"We know that you still live with your parents still, but if you perhaps needed somewhere with a bit of privacy, you could utilize the prototype. There are security windows that are tinted so that no drones can see in," Hiram replied. Flynn grinned.

"I'm sure Ari and I can test this out," he said, as he moved to the last capsule.

"What's this one?" Flynn asked.

"That is what we believe is Saiyan armor. There was a blueprint included with everything else and there is a rough sketch depicting a person wearing it. We are taking a leap and assuming that this is something your mother made for your father, since he would have no longer had access to any new armor," Hyde replied, as Flynn opened the capsule and the case inside, finding the armor and matching boots.

"I think…there was something like this in the books I've been reading, but this looks like a much sleeker, upgraded version," Flynn said.

"Yes…we're hoping you'd test it out too in your training," Hiram said.

"Sure thing…" he said, as he saw two utility belts in the second compartment of the box.

"What are these?" Flynn asked.

"Ah…now those must be used with great consideration and care. They are not experimental and will work as designed, but they could cause serious injury if you and your brother are not ready for them," Hyde warned.

"They are gravity belts. In the blueprints, we found plans for a gravity training chamber, but that would take months to build and we just don't have time," Hiram said.

"We applied the gravity technology into a more mobile version. That belt will increase the gravity just for you and assist in your training. Apparently, your mother built something like this. We assume for your father," Hyde added.

"I wondered if Saiyans were a little touched in the head when I saw this, because who would want to make themselves heavier to the point it feels like their organs are being crushed, but if you can stand it, I suppose it could accelerate your training," Hiram said.

"I think I read that my father's home planet had ten times the normal gravity of Earth. This could really be something!" Flynn exclaimed.

"Touched in the head it is," Hiram muttered in amusement.

"Don't worry…I'm sure we can handle it," Flynn said, capsulizing the box and putting the capsule in his pocket.

"You did amazing work…I guess those business classes I took might come in handy someday, but I'm glad I have you guys in research and development," Flynn said. They nodded.

"The private sector does have its appeal and we're happy to work with such technology while you're fighting to save us all," Hiram said.

"Which means I better head to training for the day," he said, as he capsulized the other items and then flew off for the islands of Mu.

~*~

Shin observed the two boys' training through his crystal ball, with a hopeful expression.

"I must admit, they are quite powerful for being mere mortals," Kibito admitted.

"Yes…they have learned so incredibly fast. I'm just not sure it will be enough in time. I have been reviewing this evil's last universe it destroyed. It encountered some very powerful resistance and was weakened significantly, before it ultimately won. It is still recovering and I believe it enjoys playing with Saiyans," Shin said.

"But I fear that it won't be long until it gets serious and I cannot be sure they will be ready by then. We need more time," he added. Kibito sighed.

"Then you are considering bringing them here…where time passes much faster," he said.

"We may need to," Shin confirmed.

"Perhaps this new technology will pay off…but I still think we must consider that he may be the one," he added.

"The one, Sire?" Kibito asked, as he followed his Master's gaze to the z sword, stuck in its stone, where it had remained unmovable for centuries.

"Sire…you can't be serious!? No mere mortal could extract the sword! Not even the greatest Kais have succeeded in that!" Kibito shouted.

"Perhaps it's not just about strength, Kibito…I have learned a sword with a similar story exists in this realm too and every single one from this family had the ability to pull it from its stone without destruction befalling them. It had more to do with the heart than the strength. Perhaps a Kai is not meant to pull it from the stone," Shin suggested.

"Sire…you can't seriously be considering bringing those boys here to train? This is sacred ground! It was bad enough we let their Gods bring their mortal parents here! Had they not held Gaia's chalice, it would have been defilement upon this sacred planet!" Kibito protested.

"Yes…sacred ground for a Kai that has no universe to rule and protect. Do you think such trivialness really matters at this point, Kibito?" Shin asked, with a sharp glance. The white haired man pulled in his horns at that and bowed respectfully.

"I am sorry, Sire…I will respect your decisions," he said, but still was clearly not happy about the prospect of two mortal children traipsing on these grounds.

"If they survive their next challenge…then they will be worthy to ascend to these hallowed training grounds," Shin said. Kibito was silent and did not protest further. He was skeptical that these mortal children could do what a Kai could not.

~*~

"Are you sure about this?" Bobby asked.

"No…" Flynn replied.

"Boys…I'm sure Mr. Hyde's invention will work and serve you well," the Dragon said.

"Oh we're not worried about it not working. We're worried about it working too well and being flattened like a pancake," Bobby quipped.

"It does sound dangerous…and your mother is going to kill me if you two end up in the emergency room again," David fretted.

"If it works though…imagine the power leap in such a short time," Mulan said.

"If you two master ten times normal gravity, it will be like your opponents are moving in slow motion around you," she said. They thought about it for a moment and then grinned at each other.

"That would be pretty cool," Flynn said.

"Yeah…let's do this," Bobby replied. David shook his head in amusement, as they each turned their gravity belts on.

"Holy crap!" Bobby cried.

"Shit…" Flynn cursed, as they were both flattened to the ground, muscles straining just to not collapse in on themselves. Bobby used his magic to encase himself in a barrier and the gravity was alleviated a bit. Flynn raised his ki and it was the same, as they slowly pulled themselves to their feet.

"I feel like I weigh a ton," Bobby said.

"Me too…I can't believe this was the gravity all the time on Planet Vegeta," Flynn replied.

"No wonder Saiyans are so strong," he said, as they took a few heavy steps toward each other. It was very slow at first, but they started exchanging simple punches and blocks with each other. As that got easier within an hour, they were onto kicks, both sweating buckets like never before.

"It's getting slightly easier…" Flynn said, through his heavy panting.

"Yeah…I think it is," Bobby agreed, as they kept going.

"Incredible…this shouldn't even be possible," Mulan mentioned.

"No…but it doesn't seem that either of them have any limits. My son is completely human, but you wouldn't know it the way he keeps up with Flynn," David said.

"Your other children could probably do this too," Mulan replied.

"Yeah…but they have families now and I'm reluctant to push them to train at this level. They don't enjoy it like these two and that could be more harm than good," David said. She nodded.

"You're probably right…I think it's all on these two, fair or not," Mulan agreed. He nodded.

"They'll be there to help with magic and even learn ki if they want to, but these two are the hope for this entire world," David said. It was so much to put on their shoulders. His own son had seemingly been born for this. He was like a conductor for all magic and could master it all. Then there was Flynn. He was a troubled teen when Charming had first met him, but even though he had plenty of reason to have mistrust with police and authority, he chose to come forward to tell them what he had overheard. Even with all the unfair things his life had dealt him up to that point, he felt the need to protect the United Realms from what could have been destruction. It turned out he was the first person to ever see Rourke's face and had led them to defeating him in the end.

Now he was fighting and training to protect the United Realms on the front lines this time and was probably the key to saving the entire universe. Their powers still awed him, as he looked at them in the sky now. Despite the overwhelming gravity, they had nearly mastered it in an afternoon and now blazed in the sky in twin orbs of bluish gold and greenish gold. For more than two hours, they both worked on summoning their ki attacks in the increased gravity and even invented some new ones.

"Truly remarkable…" the Dragon commented.

"Yes…they are," a voice said, as they turned and David's eyes widened, as he saw Shin there with his attendant, Kibito. Aphrodite and his twin brother were behind them and he immediately bowed respectfully. The Dragon seemed to know who they were as well and lowered his head in submission.

"Fa Mulan…that is the Supreme Kai! Do not dishonor your father and bow," the Dragon implored and she dropped into a deep bow as well.

"What brings you to the United Realms, if I may ask, Supreme Kai?" David asked respectfully, as his eyes were on the sky.

"It is hard to believe that these mere children have only been training to use ki for a few months. The progress is remarkable in such a short time and I think I have a way they may be able to take it to the next level," Shin said. Kibito grumbled next to him.

"Any help from someone like you would be an honor," David said.

"Yes…in three days time, they will come to the sacred world of the Kai's and train," he announced, as the boys landed on the ground. The brothers exchanged a glance.

"What if there is danger here?" Flynn asked.

"You will bow to your Supreme Kai, boy!" Kibito said sharply, but Shin raised his hand.

"Kibito…I appreciate you defending me, but it is not necessary. He means no disrespect," Shin said. Flynn nodded and bowed.

"No…I don't," Flynn confirmed.

"You have a system of portals, yes?" Shin asked. They nodded.

"Yes…our watches allow us to portal just about anywhere," Bobby replied.

"If there is danger…we will send you back immediately, but I feel that if you come to train on my world, it will push you to the next level in no time. It would be like training for years in just a handful of days," Shin said.

"Wow…really?" Bobby asked. He nodded.

"We accept," Flynn agreed.

"Excellent…your Aunt and Uncle will bring you in three days and then we will see if you are truly the ones that will save the universes," Shin said, as Kibito grumbled beside him.

"Forgive my attendant…he is not happy about mortals being allowed on the sacred grounds, but I am not arrogant enough to hide the fact you will soon surpass even me in power," the Kai revealed. That shocked all of them.

"That…that can't be true," Flynn uttered. Shin smirked.

"You will soon see, young one," he said, as they turned and disappeared through a portal.

"Well…that was unexpected," Bobby said. One cue, their stomachs both let out a loud growl and David chuckled.

"I'd say we should call it a day and meet your mother at Granny's," he said.

"Good…I'm starved," they said simultaneously.

"Training with the Supreme Kai is quite a rare and spectacular honor, young ones. We will all be proud," the Dragon said. They nodded and bowed to their Sensei, as their training ended for the day.

~*~

"Major General Gray," the scientist greeted, as the imposing man entered the lab. Being a government black site, most of the lab was filled with brilliant, yet pale and socially awkward scientists that were rarely allowed to leave the vicinity. All the amenities of the outside world were brought to them and they were housed within the government facility. General Gray had been groomed by General Mendoza himself, serving under him almost his entire military career. When the General was killed, his projects had been shut down, thanks to Major General Patricia Donovan, who had sided with the enemy against her country. She was a traitor as far as he was concerned, but she was officially a liaison between the United States and the United Realms. He had been outraged and he wasn't alone. The secret cabal that Clayton had operated with for years was nearly decimated by the Charmings and their magical children, but they didn't get all of them. There was still a faction within most of the powerful institutions in the country and around the world. They were much smaller, but money was still no object and thus this black site had been born. They had their scientists working tirelessly in the past five years to realize weapons that could combat magic and now ki energy as well.

What they had ready was in its infancy, but his scientists believed they were at least ready to test their prototypes. After all, testing them against those they wished to destroy was the only way to learn and make them strong enough to defeat them in the end.

He looked at the test subjects that were ready. Cybernetics were a tricky thing and they were still a ways away from their cyborg subjects being ready for battle. They had found several willing to submit to the cybernetic experiments with the promise of super powers and eternal youth. It was painstaking work though, but robotics was a different story. Their first three prototypes that were ready were fully synthetic. Human looking androids. He had no doubt that these three would be turned to scrap metal upon encountering the Charming whelps, but that was their purpose. To test their enemies and provide mountains of data that could eventually lead them to success.

"How will we lure the Charmings out of their Kingdom? They almost never leave that place," the lead scientist asked. She was one of the best and had her own reasons for hating everything and everyone from that place. Rather than hinder her though, her emotion drove her to see that justice was served.

"Patience Dr. Green…the right opportunity to lure them out will present itself," General Gray said.

"Run the final diagnostics…we will deploy them at the first opportune moment," he said.

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

See Previous chapters for story notes and face claims

Chapter 12: The Battle of Andresia, Pt 2

"Trunks…" Ari cried, as she started running toward him, but she was stopped by the creatures that flew at her boyfriend and began to pummel him furiously. Bobby growled and jumped in, but he was blasted back into a tree, destroying it and knocking him out, as the situation became extremely dire.

"Daddy…" Ari said, as he put his hand on her arm and her father stepped in, trying to combat the creatures with his sword, but he knew he was out of his league. He had fought the weaker ones, but they kept getting stronger and each with more energy than the last. But he had to try and slashed at one of the creatures. It laughed maniacally and charged a ki blast, intending to hit him with it. Flynn growled and blasted the monster instead, before stumbling to his feet. He wiped the blood from his mouth and powered up again, as the creatures rushed him again and they disappeared into a furious spar with him.

Meanwhile, Bobby groaned, as his sister smacked his cheeks.

"Come on kid…" Emma said, as she helped him sit up.

"I think your head broke the tree, baby bro," she joked, as David helped him to his feet.

"Yeah…that hurt like hell, but I'm okay. Time to kill these things," Bobby said, as he flew up to join his brother in the mid air spar. The awareness and intelligence of the creatures was increasing with each batch though, for these smiled deviously at the boys and then turned their attention to those on the ground. Their family members. They cackled gleefully, as they released a couple of blasts directed at the ground.

"Take cover!" Fandral called, as they attempted to get out of the blast range. But Ariana wasn't going to make it, because it was targeting her. It knew how special she was to him.

"Ari…" Flynn said, as he phased out and reappeared between the monster and his girlfriend. He crossed his arms over his face and intercepted the blast. He cried out in pain and Ari screamed, as his entire body was smoking and fell to the ground, marred with burns on his torso, his tank top shredded to nothing.

"Trunks…" she cried, as he struggled to sit up and she helped him.

"I…I need to charge my attack to destroy these things," he said.

"We'll give you as much time as we can," Emma said, as they battled the one on the ground, while Bobby handled the one in the air.

"Trunks…you're hurt…" Ari said worriedly.

"I'll be fine," he promised, as they stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"Be careful…I love you," she confessed. His face softened for a moment and he smiled at her.

"I love you too…" he replied, as he pressed his hand to the small of her back, bringing her flush against him in a passionate kiss. A wave of rainbow magic erupted from their kiss and washed over the lands, surprising them all.

"Was that…" he uttered. She smiled and nodded.

"True love's kiss…now you have to come back to me," she replied. He smiled and nodded.

"Count on it," he said, as the hardened look appeared on his features again, as he lifted into the sky. Ari joined the fight with their families and Flynn began to charge his attack. He knew he had to hurry, because the monsters were viciously attacking. He poured everything he had left into the attack, crying out as he raised his power level to the max. He saw that one of them was on fire, thanks to Emma's magic, while his Dad and Fandral were hacking away at it. He felt the attack grow to a good size and knew he was at his max. Anymore and he would pass out, so he hoped it was enough.

"Now Bobby!" he called, as his brother grabbed the thing's tail and lifted it into the air with his super strength. He began to spin him around, slowly building speed until he had enough momentum to toss him into the sky.

"Galick Gun!" Flynn called, as he thrust the attack toward the monster, hitting it dead on. It shrieked in pain and dissolved into nothing with a giant aerial explosion. Flynn dropped to the ground and to one knee, as he was almost completely spent. The second creature was in pieces and he powered up the last of his energy, as did Bobby beside him.

"Burning Attack!"

"Earth Buster!" they called in unison, as the golden and green energy respectively vaporized the final monster. Flynn's energy dropped and David caught him, before he could hit the ground.

"Trunks…" Ari whispered, as she put a hand on his cheek. He managed a weak smile for her.

"I'm fine…just drained," he said.

"Let's get him to Eva," David said, as he opened a portal.

"Daddy…" Ari said. Fandral smiled and nodded.

"Go," he urged, as she went with the Charmings to the hospital.

~*~

"Good evening United Realms, I come to you tonight with breaking news and news of an attack in the mighty Kingdom of Asgard. Once again, the Cicada-like creatures that we have dubbed Cicas, attacked the palace with a new type of creature assisting them. Dozens of injuries were reported when these little green men swiped at people with their large talons. But the danger to these new minions is their power to self-destruct upon anything they touch, which has resulted in at least one casualty," Silver reported, as the footage was played on the screen behind her.

"As you can see, the property damage was significant as well. Of course, our so-called heroes leapt into action to combat the threat with a brilliant light show," she added, as Flynn and Bobby's battle was displayed for all to see once again.

"Alas, what will really be talked about for weeks is our golden boy's intense romance with Asgardian Princess, Ariana Dashing and their now confirmed true love's kiss which was exchanged in the heat of battle. Are the half breed alien prince and his half breed Asgardian Princess our new power couple, destined to rule over us peons like their parents?" she asked snidely, as she even showed the intimate moment between Flynn and Ariana that should have been kept private. But Silver Phillips had no shame or chill for that matter.

"Perhaps…if Flynn Charming doesn't get himself killed that is. Is his training taking a backseat to romance? Because he barely beat the Cicas this time. Will the monsters that threaten our very existence keep getting stronger, while our hailed heroes get weaker?" she asked, as she was muted finally.

"Thank you…you were this close to me frying that television," Leo said to the nurse, who had been watching the report with rapt attention and was reluctant to turn it off. He walked away, as he and his siblings waited for news on their younger brothers.

"Mom is going to go ballistic on that bitch if she's not careful," Emma said.

"We should let her," Leo added.

"Guys…that's just what she wants," Summer chided and they couldn't disagree. Ari had been zoned out, thankfully and hadn't even paid any attention to Silver's report, which was probably a good thing.

"Hey…Flynn is going to be fine. I think his energy was just drained completely," Summer offered.

"I know…just leave it to us to have true love's kiss amidst a battle. I guess I should have expected that," Ari said. Summer smiled and gave her a hug. They stood up as their parents came out, along with the boys and Eva. Ari leapt out of her seat and practically tackled him with a hug. He smiled and hugged her back.

"I'm fine…no serious injuries. Just an energy crash…nothing that Eva's healing and a trip to Granny's won't solve," he assured her. She smiled and kissed him, despite their audience.

"Bobby!" Zia called, as she arrived at the hospital too and they hugged fiercely.

"I'm fine…I'm sure Silver's stupid broadcast made it out to be worse than it was," he assured her. They were about to kiss too when that very person interrupted.

"Sure about that?" she asked, as she arrived with Aiden, who had a camera in his hand.

"Figures…scum hangs out with scum," Leo said.

"Long time no see, Dances with Wolves," Aiden sneered at his longtime rival.

"Get out of here…you're not welcome," Snow growled.

"It's a public place, Queenie…even you can't order us to leave a hospital," Silver retorted.

"Haven't you invaded our lives enough for one day?" Flynn questioned.

"You're supposed to be one of our paramount protectors, which makes you a public figure, so no…I'd say we have every right to demand answers from your poor showing," she said, as she looked at the dark haired brother.

"And he didn't do much better," she added.

"Okay yeah…I think the gray hair dye is seeping into your brain! Did you watch the same battle we did?" Emma questioned.

"It's silver…" she growled.

"I don't care if it's rainbow glitter…you're an idiot and the fact that people listen to you makes them idiots too," Emma shot back, as they glared at each other.

"If that thing had been a tad stronger…that battle would have gone very badly. I think the people deserve to know if our protectors are slacking in their training. Or maybe our Saiyan hero is a little too distracted by his pretty little blonde toy," she said. A low growl could be heard from Flynn's throat, as his instincts to protect his true love became very prominent. He clenched his teeth, baring some larger than usual canines, as he glared at the two interlopers. His glare was so intense that Aiden's camera sparked and fell to pieces with just an energized look from Flynn.

"Holy crap…he's a freak," Aiden said. Leo recognized the instincts that he'd seen with animals before, ones that mated for life anyway, and gently stepped toward Flynn.

"I know you want to tear them apart, because you think they're threatening your mate, am I right?" he asked. Leo's words broke through a little and he looked at his older brother, before relaxing slightly.

"I'm okay…" Ari whispered to him and he relaxed more, before slipping his arm around her waist protectively.

"Trust me…their training is as intense as ever and there is no slacking going on," David said.

"And our boys are not going to continue to be fodder for your trashy broadcasts!" Snow added. Silver smirked.

"I'll bill you for the camera…let's go," she said, as Aiden followed her out.

"Creeps," Ariana said. Flynn smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Are you sure you're still up for our date?" she asked. He nodded.

"I'm sure…I'm healed and just need to replenish my energy a bit," he replied.

"Then let's get you fed," she said, as he hugged his parents and they left on their own for the evening. Bobby and Zia decided to go home with his parents to hang out and watch a movie after Eva pleaded with them both to take it easy.

~*~

Seattle, Washington

Inside the government facility, the military officer finished the latest report on the happenings inside the United Realms, before turning off the television. He had long been studying the fantastical place since it became known and poured over each and every battle. The militaries of the world did not like that there was a place they could not control. They also did not like people with fantastic abilities that were not working for them either. These two young men…he would have given anything to have them working for their military, but he knew their nature and they would steadfastly refuse, even against threats. The youngest biological child of the truest loves knew no military had anything in existence that could stand up to him or his siblings, except perhaps nuclear weapons, but that was a losing solution for everyone. But now the stakes were even higher. The adopted Charming…now a known alien half breed and a true warrior with super strength, stamina, and energy manipulation abilities of the likes no one in this realm had ever seen. The boy had the power to annihilate the planet in his very fingertips and the military had long since wanted such power in their soldiers.

General Mendoza had started the super soldier program many years ago; a black budget project with the highest classification, funded solely by dark money and known to a select few.

They had been close to rolling out their super soldiers, but the revelation of Flynn Charming's powers had stalled them again. Now they had to give their experiments the ability to manipulate energy in addition to their limitless supply of energy. It was painstaking work, but their best and brightest were having success and promised they would soon have a working prototype to test. General Mendoza's vision for the super soldier program would be realized and then they would finally be able to invade the United Realms and bring them under new governance. Add to that, the two boys would work for them or their super soldiers would dispose of them.

~*~

After a trip to Granny's, Flynn and Ari took a walk on the beach, arms around each other and her head on his shoulder, as they stopped to watch the sunset together.

"It's funny…even when you come from true love, you don't always think it means it will happen for you too. I worried it wouldn't, until I met you," she confessed. He smiled.

"Yeah…I never thought I'd be boyfriend material for anyone, but since I found out about my heritage, I'm not surprised," he replied.

"Really?" she asked. He nodded.

"There's not a lot about relationships in the stuff I've been reading about my people…but there's a little. From what I've read…Saiyans mate for life. Kind of sounds like a true love thing to me and I'm not surprised it's you," he replied. She smiled.

"Mate…I like that," she said.

"We've always had a connection…since we met. That first day your father started training me in sword fighting," he said, as they shared a chuckle.

"I kicked your cute ass that day," she boasted. He grinned.

"You did…I fell in love right then," he confessed.

"Me too," she agreed. They had gone through the shy and casual stages of courtship, but they both knew subconsciously that they had found their match in each other. He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, as his hands gently held her face, but they were rudely interrupted by a light and Flynn growled, as he blasted another drone.

"Damn her…" Ari cursed.

"What is their fascination with us kissing?" he wondered. She smiled a little at his naivete.

"I think it's more Silver's fascination with you," she replied. He scoffed.

"Yeah…so not my type," he said, as he hooked his arm around her waist and levitated into the sky.

"You on the other hand…" he said, as she smiled and kissed him again.

"The air is thinner up here…but it's too high for the drones," he said again with a smile, before their lips met in a passionate series of kisses.

~*~

"Damn her…" Snow cursed, as she paced in their bedroom that evening. She wore a long nightgown and had brushed her long hair out, leaving it cascading down her back in raven waves. They were supposed to go to bed, but she was far too angry at Silver Phillips and he was wired as well.

"Snow…" he started to say.

"I thought Goldie was bad…but her daughter is just diabolical!" she complained.

"Yeah…the drones are a little much. I'm sure if Goldie had thought of it, she would have tried that too," he replied.

"It's one thing to come after us…but the way she is exploiting our boys to the whole world is inexcusable and there's nothing I can do about it," she fretted. He stood and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I know, my love…believe me I'd love to stop her with legal recourse, which we're doing. I just wish it wasn't such a slow process," he said. They had filed a lawsuit against Silver's media company, but it was a long litigation process, and Mitchell was honest with them. Since Silver was exercising her freedom of the press and the boys were essentially public figures, he didn't know if there would be much they could do in the end, other than sue for slander, which really wouldn't stop her. And he warned them that they might countersue for all the damage in property to their equipment.

"Let's talk about happier things," he suggested, as he poured them a couple glasses of wine.

"Despite everything, another one of our kids has found true love," he reminded her, which brought a smile to her face.

"I'm so happy for them…and the wedding! I can't wait to plan it," Snow said, making him chuckle. That did it. Getting her to think about planning parties was an ideal way to get her mind off their troubles with Silver Phillips, never mind that Flynn had yet to even propose to Ariana. But then her scowl returned.

"I swear…if that silver haired witch tries to ruin their wedding, you'll probably have to arrest me after I'm done with her," Snow said, as she sipped at her wine. He chuckled again.

"I promise that I'll hire so much security that there is no way she'll get through and as Queen, you can declare the area a no fly zone," he said.

"Mmm…I like that idea," she agreed.

"Though if you really want…I could arrest you right now," he leered and she gave him a naughty smile.

"Oooh…you better make sure you can back up that threat, Sheriff Charming," she teased, as she put her wine glass down and straddled him on the couch.

"Oh…I assure you I can, bandit, but I accept your challenge," he purred, as the wine was forgotten and they melted into each other…

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Finding You Always 2

Chapter 11: Battle in Andresia, Pt 1

Three months. Three months of intense training and slaying minion after minion that slowly got stronger than the last. But they couldn't help but think they were being toyed with. The Supreme Kai had said this elusive villain might play games when it discovered there was a Saiyan to play with. Almost as if this evil entity was bored with mindless destruction and was drawing things out for the possibility of a good fight. Shin had suggested that this entity was likely an amalgamation of many villains into one sentient being, so either a certain level of control was dominant or there was something else controlling it.

The Cicada creatures had gotten stronger with each battle, but then so did Flynn and Bobby. They mostly remained unchanged from their two-legged version, as if their evolution was stalled. Whether that was on purpose, they had no idea.

Flynn didn't like being tested, but at the same time, he relished the chance to hone and perfect his skills, going all out on an enemy. He had progressed by leaps and bounds in three months, even beyond the Dragon's expectations, who hailed him as a true product of royal blood. But he knew it wasn't enough yet. He could tell that there was another level just beyond him that he was struggling to reach. The Dragon said he had come so far in such a little amount of time, because he had the right motivation and drive. He was fighting for the survival of the United Realms, his family, and ultimately, the woman he knew he loved. He pushed himself to the brink on a daily basis. When he wasn't pushing his brother to reluctantly to beat the crap out of him, he was using the new training bots that Hyde and Hiram had produced with his biological mother's blueprints. They could mock generate ki too, which was very helpful for training. He had returned more than one in the shape of scrap metal, but they seemed to enjoy the challenge of making the bots stronger and sturdier.

Currently, he was surrounded by four of the bots, dodging their ki blasts and firing his own. They were adept at dodging too, until he finally hit his target and pulverized one of them. He smirked and had it not been for his hair, people that knew his biological father would have said they looked alike.

"Try it…" the Dragon instructed. Flynn began charging a purplish energy in his hands, taking the signature stance for this attack, which had one leg over the other. He had read all the history in the library that he could find on his family and Saiyans in general. It was the signature attack of the Royal House of Vegeta. The longer he charged the energy, the bigger and more effective the attack was. When he felt that it was enough to obliterate his target, he released the attack.

"Galick Gun!" he shouted, as his attack engulfed one of the bots and when the smoke cleared, nothing but ash remained. He dropped from the sky and landed solidly on his feet.

"Your progress is undeniable, young one. You and your brother are truly remarkable," the Dragon complimented.

"Just as long as I can keep beating everything that keeps coming. I don't like being toyed with, but I also know I'm not strong enough yet for anything too big," he said, with a tad of frustration.

"You're being too hard on yourself…you've come so far in just a few short months. You're doing things I didn't even think were possible," David admonished.

"I know…it's just everything is riding on us being strong enough," Flynn said. David put a hand on his shoulder.

"And I believe you will be…I have no doubts," he said. Flynn smiled and nodded, as Bobby dropped out of the sky. He had taken to flying and using his ki almost just as easily as Flynn.

"I just learned this wicked new attack…want me to hit you with it?" Bobby asked excitedly. Flynn grinned back.

"Hit me with it," he agreed, as they flew into the sky and began sparring with excited vigor. Annoyingly though, as they had found in the last three months, a media drone was hovering near them. Flynn rolled his eyes and blasted it to ash, before they continued. But he knew another one would soon take its place. He and Bobby had destroyed hundreds of media drones and broken a lot of cameras in the past few months. Silver was vindictive about it too and kept billing their parents for the equipment damage. Not that Snow and David cared or couldn't afford to cover it, but it was still a nuisance. The savage reporter had even tried to check out any books about his people from Rose's library, but she refused Silver's requests, stating that the books were already checked out, which was true. Flynn was holding onto them and still reading them extensively and Rose had no intention of accepting them back with the salivating reporter trying to get her hands on them.

The worst probably was that he usually had to blast drones when he was on dates with Ariana. Silver had captured more footage than he would have liked of them together, resulting in their love life being on display for the world. He had no idea how his parents could stand it, for they had dealt with such for years. The amount of people discussing their relationship was unnerving, to say the least, especially since Silver played it up as much as possible, even dubbing them the Half Breed Romance. He knew she was baiting him to storm her network and lose control of his powers on them, but damned if he didn't care at times. Fortunately, he had a great family and girlfriend to talk him off the ledge and keep his temper in check.

"Damn drones…" Bobby complained, as they traded blows and ki blasts.

"I don't know what's so damn interesting about us beating the crap out of each other," Flynn replied. Bobby snickered.

"You know why…we're freaking awesome. It's like Mixed Martial Arts on steroids," he said. Flynn smirked.

"Yeah…guess you're right about that. At least they don't really follow you on dates," he said.

"Yeah…that part has gotta suck," Bobby agreed, as they finished their spar and landed on the ground. Twelve grueling hours were enough and both of them were beaten to hell. Flynn was limping and Bobby had more bruises than ever. Thankfully, it had been proven just a month ago that Eva's creation had worked and the first crop had produced five healing beans. They were only using them when necessary and more had been planted with the hopes of soon having an abundance, but today was one of those days when they both needed one. David handed them each one and they popped them, before their injuries were completely healed like nothing had happened.

"Great…gotta go change. See you Dad," Flynn said, as he blasted off.

"Me too," Bobby added, as he followed and David shook his head.

"You miss them being home more?" Mulan asked.

"Yeah…but I don't blame them. If anyone knows about true love, it's me and those early times are pretty magical," David replied, as he pressed a button on his watch.

"See you tomorrow," he said, as he portaled home to Misthaven, intending to spend the evening with his own love.

~*~

The supercomputer twitched and flashed, as it worked on its own accord or so it seemed and had continually produced semi-sentient minions to toy with its subjects these past few months. But as artificial intelligence usually did, the computer was slowly learning and evolving, ready to produce beings of a higher sentience. But it still wanted to play with its shiny new toys. They were fascinating and it had yet to tire of their play. Something new tonight was in order…stronger, but not too strong. They would bleed just enough to know it was serious and then they would train even harder to get even stronger. What fun. If the supercomputer could have produced an evil laugh at that point…it would have, but what it would produce would be no less chilling.

~*~

Flynn rolled his eyes, as he walked down Main street in Storybrooke, with his usual casual outfit these days. His blue Capsule Corp jacket over a black tank top, black pants, and brown boots. On occasion, he dressed up more if he was taking Ari somewhere nicer, but she had confessed she preferred him like this and Granny's was their usual place these days since so many eyes were on them. His patrol was about finished and he was on his way to visit Hyde's lab for a progress report before he would head to Andresia to pick up Ari. He passed by the Rabbit Hole briefly on his way to the University, but rolled his eyes when he ran into some of his least favorite people. A few of the guys that he had grown up with in the group home. They had razzed him then and razzed him even more now. They had aged out of the system and never got lucky enough to be adopted like him, especially into a prominent family like the Charmings. So of course their resentment of him was paramount in their attitudes these days and his known heritage now didn't help that at all.

"Well, well…look who it is. Mr. High and Mighty Flynn Rider…or rather Flynn Charming himself, here to mingle with the commoners and lowly humans," Percy McLeach sneered. He had quite a rap sheet for poaching and animal cruelty. His big brother had promised to smite him with lighting if he ever caught him near the reserve again, after he had tried to shoot the Phoenix on more than one occasion.

"Isn't it a little early to be drinking yourself into a stupor, Percival?" he retorted, using the man's formal name. He clenched his teeth.

"I remember a time when you weren't so tough, pretty boy. I used to beat the crap out of you back in the group home. The purple hair is a nice touch…you look super tough now," he teased.

"And you're still a loser," Flynn shot back, as the man was in his face after that. A clear sign that he was either already drunk or stupid.

"I'm not scared of you like these other nitwits," he claimed.

"Well…you never were very bright," Flynn joked, as he stopped the incoming fist easily and lightly tapped him back, which resulted in him being thrown all the way back into the wall.

"Seriously…you don't want to do this. Go back inside to your drinks. I'm not on duty tonight so thankfully I won't have to be the one to come pick you up and throw you in the drunk tank," Flynn replied.

"You can't outrun your past…Eugene. You were as bad as we were. You're a lying thief, just like us. But now because you're a Charming, you think you're so much better," Percy seethed. Flynn clenched his fists.

"Silver Phillips said your biological Dad is a mass murderer and from a dead race," he continued, as Flynn's jaw clenched tightly.

"All Hail Flynn Charming, the Prince of no one!" he said, as he and his buddies shared a hearty laugh at that. Everything in him was screaming to walk away, but the Saiyan in him wanted blood…but he wouldn't give into that side. As satisfying as it would be to knock Percy McLeach's block off, he'd just play right into Silver Phillips' hands. He saw the stupid drone behind him and blasted it to ash, leaving his former orphan mates with wide eyes and mouths ajar, before walking away. Percy was about to try and razz him some more, but his buddies discouraged him, knowing how stupid he was being.

He was about to continue onto the University when he felt a spike of ki pique his senses. It was fairly large…and sinister. And it was coming from Andresia.

"Ari…" he said, as he blasted into the sky without another word.

~*~

"Oh man…I'm so full. That was great, Granny," Bobby said, as he pushed back from the table.

"I didn't think you getting full was possible…but thanks," the old woman said.

"I wonder where Flynn is…it's not like him to miss meals now," Bobby said. Zia chuckled.

"I'm sure he and Ari will be along soon," she replied, as he took her hand from across the table.

"So…you up for a walk on the beach?" he asked.

"That sounds great," she agreed, as he suddenly froze in his tracks, his eyes darting back and forth.

"Bobby?" she asked.

"Flynn…his ki just spiked up. Something's wrong," Bobby said. He was still getting the hang of sensing ki, but now he could also sense a sinister one.

"It's coming from Andresia…I need to go," he said, as he kissed her quickly. She nodded and watched him run outside, before flying into the air.

~*~

"Ari…are you done in there yet? You're not the only one that has a date tonight!" Ben, her twin brother, complained. The door opened and his blonde sister gave him an annoyed look, complete with a huff.

"Yes…I'm done and I wasn't in there that long. You're just impatient," she complained back.

"An hour is a while," Ben replied.

"It wasn't an hour," she protested.

"Besides, we live in a palace. There are a million other bathrooms to use," she added.

"But I like this one and it's where all my stuff is," Ben said, as he went in and closed the door. She rolled her eyes and went to her room to check herself in the mirror. Her casual attire consisted of a yellow top, black leggings, and a black leather cropped jacket and black boots.

"You look beautiful as always, honey," Rose said, as she peaked in and her daughter smiled.

"I know…he's just…" she started to say.

"The one?" Rose asked knowingly. Ariana smiled shyly.

"I think so…how did you know Daddy was the one?" she asked. Rose smiled.

"I just knew…I guess. I'm sorry, that's probably not much help," the raven haired beauty replied.

"No it is…I don't think he is. I know he is…I think he feels the same," she said.

"I've seen the way he looks at you…he absolutely does. And your father and I approve. Trust me, getting your father to approve of anyone for one of his baby girls is no easy feat," Rose replied. Ariana smiled, as they heard a commotion out in the courtyard.

"What's going on?" Rose asked. Ariana gasped, as she saw two of the Cicada creatures and she rushed out, but not before grabbing her sword.

"Stay here, Mom," she called. Rose watched from the window, as her husband and children jumped into action with their Knights. But there was more than just the Cicada creatures this time. Several green creatures, with bulbous heads, skinny legs and sharp talons were invading the village. Rose looked at her hands. Her powers, foisted upon her by Mephisto, had long gone dormant. She didn't know if they were really gone and knew Fandral wouldn't want her taking a chance that they were. At times like these, she almost wished she could still summon them to aid her family.

~*~

"There's an attack in Andresia…let's go. I already have drones on scene," Silver ordered to her newsroom, as she and her cameraman used a portal to go in order to report on the scene.

~*~

People screamed, as the green creatures shrieked and clawed at them, resulting in multiple injuries in just a few seconds. Flynn soared over the village and drew his sword from his scabbard. He came down and slashed through two of the new green creatures and was surprised when the pieces exploded. That was definitely new.

"Hey…" Bobby called, as he blasted another.

"These green things explode if they touch you!" he called.

"We better warn Ari and her family!" Flynn said, as they flew toward the palace. They were just a second too late, as one of the green creatures wrapped itself around one of the Knights and exploded, killing him instantly.

"Don't let them touch you! They explode on contact!" Flynn cried, as he sheathed his sword and tossed his jacket off, before powering up and raising his ki exponentially.

Vines exploded from the ground and wrapped around two of the green men and Bobby pushed them together, exploding them both into nothing.

Ariana slashed at one that had her cornered and she used a small ki blast on it, but it didn't faze it. She was still a beginner with her ki and had yet to get a good handle on it. It shrieked and clawed at her, as it tried to grab her.

"No…Ari!" Flynn cried, as he shot toward her and pulled the monster away from her, just as it was about to touch her. It glowed in his hand and he quickly threw it into the sky, allowing it to explode harmlessly in the air. They both breathed heavily and their eyes met, so much passing between them with just a look. But there would be time later.

"I'm…okay…" she assured him with a soft touch to his arm.

"The green things are all done…I showed Emma and Dad my trick and we got them all to explode on each other without too much more damage," Bobby said, as he landed beside them. Flynn nodded and they turned their attention to the two Cicada-like creatures, as their shells cracked and their stronger forms emerged.

"Whoever is behind you…I am in no mood for your damn games…" Flynn growled and his brother knew that look, as he stepped aside, as Flynn disappeared into a blue streak, as his aura of ki surrounded him. He began to spar with the creatures, even as they double teamed him, but he quickly found out that these two monsters were stronger than the last. They both landed several punches to his face and gut, thrusting him back against the palace wall, leaving a cracked indentation.

"Trunks…" Ari cried, as she started running toward him, but she was stopped by the creatures that flew at her boyfriend and began to pummel him furiously. Bobby growled and jumped in, but he was blasted back into a tree, destroying it and knocking him out, as the situation became extremely dire…

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Summary: Gothel lied about Flynn's true origins. The truth is much more complicated and fantastical. When his origins are revealed and hidden power is uncovered, it comes just in time, as he steps into the fray to fight a new evil with the Charmings, his new family.

Face Claims:

Core Cast of Once: Same as the show.

Those that appeared as side characters in the show: Same as the show (Elsa, for example)

Fandral the Dashing and Rose Red: Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin

James and Aphrodite: Josh Dallas and a blonde Ginnifer Goodwin

Bobby Charming: Logan Lerman

Flynn Charming: Tanner Buchanan

Leo Charming: Matt Lanter

Eva Charming-Sakura: Bailee Madison

Paul Sakura: Christopher Sean

Summer Charming-Bradley: Luna Blaise

JJ Bradley: Garret Wareing

Ariana Dashing: Ciara Hanna

Zia Ramos: Jenna Ortega

Hermes: Nakia Burrise

Mother Gothel: Donna Murphy

Silver Phillips: Amanda Seyfried

Please consider leaving a review. It really helps with motivation and inspiration.

Finding You Always 2

Chapter 10: Next to Me

Pizza boxes lay empty on the coffee table and some music played softly in the background from the stereo, while books lay strew around them. They sat together, cuddled on the couch in their normal street clothes, each with a book in their lap.

Flynn closed the book, stunned by all they had learned in just a few hours of reading and discussion. Ariana was cuddled at his side with her own book, as they discussed the various stories. Surprisingly, he learned a lot about the versions of his parents out there. His mother was strong, beautiful, adventurous, and a pure genius. His father was…in one word, horrifying. He had been responsible for the murder of possibly millions, as he had been forced to work for an even more horrifying monster at a young age.

"Obviously…he changed. Your Mother saw something in him. It's not all that dissimilar to Regina and Gold in the past," Ariana said, as she saw the unshed tears in his eyes.

"Especially in this version…he settled on Earth and became one of its defenders. Sounds like your mother and Goku were right to spare him," she added.

"Like my adopted mother spared Regina," he said. She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"You think it's one of these villains behind these bug things?" he asked.

"It sounds like it could be…but I suppose there's no telling," she answered.

"I can't believe there are magical orbs in this universe that can bring back the dead. I was always told it defied the laws of magic," Flynn said.

"So does time travel…but somehow your Mom in an alternate dimension built one and another you used it," she replied, as she flipped through the pages in her book.

"That's wild," he said, with a smile.

"Certainly an adventure, though your Mom must have been a mess with you going alone. I know I would have been," Ari replied. He smiled and kissed her hand.

"I promise if I ever time travel or dimension hop, I'll take you with me. Deal?" he asked. She smiled and kissed him tenderly.

"Sealed with a kiss," she answered, as they stared at each other and there was an awkward silence for a beat, before he leaned in and kissed her again. For the moment, the books lay forgotten and they were lost in each other's kiss, as she straddled his lap for what became an intense and passionate makeout session.

~*~

"Damn…" Henry lamented, as he listened to Eva and Paul tell him what had transpired in Storybrooke with Silver Phillips. He caught her broadcast earlier and had expected her to do some exposé on it. But now she was pursuing media attention directed at his family, just like her mother once had.

"I better release it to the outside world, before she does…just to be safe. I'll call my editor on the outside first thing in the morning," Henry agreed.

"Hon…I think that's going to be too late," Ella said, as she motioned them into the living room.

"Oh no…" Paul said.

"She did it…she gave the story to someone outside the United Realms," Eva said.

"And just when we thought we might be able to leave the United Realms again," Ella added. Henry's phone rang and he sighed.

"That would be my contact on the outside…I better take this," Henry said.

"We better do some damage control…tell Henry we're going live as soon as we get set up," Eva said. Ella nodded and watched them go. Once again, their family was in the spotlight and it left them all with an uneasy feeling.

~*~

Bobby and Zia laughed, as they got off the roller coaster and strolled hand in hand toward an ice cream stand for some dessert.

"Is it just me or are even more people staring at us tonight?" she asked.

"Probably…" he said.

"Silver Phillips is all over the television with stories about my brother being an alien and we all know they've always thought I was some kind of alien too," Bobby replied.

"You're not…but I'd love you the same if you were. I can't believe how small minded people are," Zia mentioned.

"Me either…Flynn's never going to hurt anyone and will end up saving them, even if they throw hate at him," Bobby said.

"You start training again with him tomorrow?" she asked. He grinned.

"Yeah…I'm really excited. She giggled.

"I can tell…" she teased.

"The love for fighting thing isn't weird for you, is it?" he said, with a bit of uncertainty. She took his hand in her own.

"Definitely not…I may not want to fight myself like Ariana does, but I love how much you love it and it makes you who you are. I don't want to change that," she replied. He smiled shyly and then leaned in to kiss her tenderly.

"Thanks…that means a lot," he said, as they ordered some ice cream and continued to walk hand in hand toward the Harbor.

~*~

Snow and David walked along the beach, as the sunset and she relished his arms around her and his lips on her neck, as she always did. Time had done nothing to dull their passion and hunger for each other, but these last five years had been truly blissful. No Clayton, no Jekyll, no evil obsessed with them or the Chalice to darken their doorway. But now a new evil was on the horizon and this one was unlike any before. It didn't care about the Chalice, for it apparently had a power that far exceeded it and anything they had in their arsenal, including James, who essentially had all the powers of Zeus now. They were essentially doomed, unless their adopted son got strong enough. Only he apparently and perhaps Bobby possessed the potential to get strong enough to take on this powerful foe. Currently, whatever this evil was, seemed content to send its minions to fight them, as if it was testing its opponents.

She and David had been discussing such a burden on their sons and how they were determined to stand with them. The Chalice was as powerful as it could be, but there was no reason they couldn't be training as well, so they had agreed to start training again.

David had never really stopped, as he trained with Fandral and James on a regular basis, being the Supreme Sheriff, but he was determined to up the ante, so to speak. She was going to join him in sharpening her skills as well, though she didn't know how much help she could really be in a battle like this. But if there was a chance that they could take on the weaker minions, allowing their kids to go straight for the stronger threats, then it would be worth the effort.

"It's going to be okay…" he promised with a whisper in her ear and a kiss to her cheek. She smiled.

"I'd ask how you know what I'm thinking, but we've long established that we're practically telepathic by now," she said, as she turned in his arms.

"I can't help but worry as a mother," she added.

"I know…and I'm worried too. I'm watching him though, Snow…and his potential is off the charts. I've never seen a warrior like him…not even in Fandral," David replied. She nodded.

"I know…and I'm thrilled about the whole get injured and get stronger, believe me," she deadpanned, making him chuckle.

"Yeah…I knew you'd hate that part," he said.

"I'm almost more worried about the psychological toll though. I mean, Goldie came after us and briefly tried to come after Summer, and she was horrible. But Silver seems determined to make Flynn into her own personal bank and claim to fame," she lamented. She didn't like the way she looked at him either. Her boy was head over heels in love with Ariana Dashing, a match she more than approved of. But if Silver thought of even trying to seduce one of her babies, even if it would be ineffective, she'd put an arrow in her.

"Flynn is completely in love with Ari…" he said, sensing her thoughts again.

"I know and you are completely in love with me. It didn't stop you from having a crazy stalker. Or me for that matter," she reminded him. He couldn't disagree there. There was something about a Charming that attracted obsessive people.

"Ariana will skewer her if she looks at Flynn wrong. She may report on him, but if she's smart, she'll keep a healthy distance," David added. Snow smirked at that, knowing that the young woman was a warrior in her own right.

"I know…I just wish he didn't have to endure the scrutiny to come in the media. Half of him may belong to a race alien to Earth, but I don't like that he will be treated like one and I'm already getting a headache thinking about tomorrow's heads of state meeting," she said. He winced. It was true that Midas had finally retired the Throne and Abigail was crowned Queen of her Kingdom, but her father insisted on still being involved and attending every meeting. It was beyond annoying to say the least.

"We'll deal with Midas together…but that's for tomorrow," he said, as he swept her into his arms and started heading for the beach house.

"For tonight…it's just you and me, my darling," he promised, as he carried her inside for the evening.

~*~

The door opened, as Bobby came home and he cleared his throat. His brother and Ariana flew apart, having been caught making out and the former grinned deviously.

"How's the reading coming?" he teased.

"Shut up dude," Flynn grumbled. Ariana looked at him shyly, before giving Flynn a parting kiss.

"See you tomorrow?" she asked. He smiled.

"Count on it," he replied, as she left and Bobby walked by, purposely nudging him with his shoulder.

"Oh like you've never made out with Zia," he said.

"I have and just did, actually. But I didn't get caught so I have to give you crap," Bobby replied. Flynn rolled his eyes, as he watched his brother look at the books.

"Anything interesting?" he asked.

"A lot actually…I learned a lot more about who my parents were than I thought," Flynn replied.

"Good or bad?" Bobby asked.

"Both…but Ari pointed out that my father changed and obviously my mother saw something in him," Flynn replied. Bobby smiled.

"Like my Mom did with Aunt Regina. It's funny how things seem to rhyme no matter the universe," he said. Flynn agreed with a nod.

"Guess so…we better go to bed though. The Dragon has a bit of a sadistic streak…training is no picnic," he warned.

"Yeah…I'm prepared to get my ass kicked, but it will still be fun learning to fly and use ki," Bobby said, as they retired to their respective rooms for the evening.

~*~

"As you can see from the footage, this young man's power is like nothing we've ever seen before. His family will argue, as they always do, that we need him to defeat whatever new evil is rising," Silver said.

"But while that may be true, how do we know that he won't lose control of his powers or that the bloodthirsty nature of this mysterious warrior race in his blood won't consume him. There would be nothing anyone could do to stop him if he turned on us; not even the Charming's chalice," she continued.

"There are many questions for our leaders of the other realms as to what should be done about this alien presence among us. Will they fight back or will the Charmings continue to rule us with their collective iron fist?" she said, as she ended her broadcast and immediately went over to Aiden's desk.

"Well?" she asked.

"Ratings are off the charts and social media is blowing up about the kid," he replied.

"Excellent…" she said, as she suddenly saw her numbers start to drop.

"Why are they falling like that?" she asked.

"Uh…let me check," he replied. Her broadcast was over, but their network was still covering all angles of this story and the drop was too sudden.

"Uh oh…" Aiden said.

"What? What is it?" Silver asked.

"It would seem that Eva Charming has started up her podcast again to compete with you," he replied. She clenched her teeth and let out a growl of frustration.

"I warned you this would happen…" he said.

"No…I won't lose to that prissy little bitch like my Mother did. I want twenty-four seven coverage on that brat! I want all of us to make his life a living hell…and his family. Wherever they go…there should be a camera in his face," she announced.

"What, until he snaps?" Aiden asked. She smirked.

"Exactly…follow around the siblings and the little girlfriend. If anything will get under his skin, it will be that. Then the whole world will see the monster beneath that handsome face," she said. Aiden just shook his head. He'd do his job, but he knew this was going to blow up in their faces.

~*~

Deep inside Bald Mountain, hundreds of feet below the surface, a system of supercomputers operated, seemingly on their own, calculating, observing, and running various operations. On the main computer console rested a peculiar gauge, not all that dissimilar from a fuel gauge. The arrow had just lifted off what would appear to be the empty side, as the latest algorithms and calculations were made by the computer.

"More energy is needed for completion…more energy is needed," a voice said. It sounded like a human voice spliced with a computer voice, with hitches and blips.

"Subjects are powerful…calculating new power levels needed to reach goal," the computer sputtered, as it seemed hooked up to appeared to be a vat of magenta slime in the darkened corner of the strange and very secret mountain laboratory.

"Recalculating the next subject's power level," the computer said, as all the machinery continued to work seemingly independently in creating its monstrosities.

~*~

Snow already felt a headache forming, as the heads of state meeting was about to get underway the next day. Silver Phillips' report had done a decent amount of fear mongering. Eva's podcast had counteracted some of it, but she could see the concern from some of the heads of state and outright fury from a few others.

"Midas looks like he's going to explode already," Regina mentioned.

"I wish he would…then at least all the hot air would be gone," Snow said, as her step-mother snickered.

"You've never let him push you around; today will be no different. He's gone after the kids before and we'll meet him with a united front," Regina said. Snow nodded, eternally grateful that Regina had her back; especially when it came to the kids.

"This meeting will come to order," Regina announced, as she took her seat next to Snow. Midas' comm immediately lit up and Snow had to stop herself from rubbing her temples in irritation.

"The chair recognizes former King Midas of the Midas Kingdom," Snow said as politely as possible.

"Father…" Abigail warned sharply, but she was ignored.

"I won't mince words today…but I think it goes without saying that we must take immediate action against this threat," he said.

"Thank you, Your Highness…we are taking action. All those capable of fighting with magic or other skills are training hard to combat this unknown threat," Regina replied.

"That's not the only threat we are facing," Midas said.

"Father…please sit down!" Abigail pleaded.

"Is it not bad enough that five of your children could destroy us with magic…but now your sixth could decimate the entire planet if he throws a tantrum?!" Midas roared. Snow sighed. The former King was lucky that she had insisted that Charming stay with the boys and train, because he would have already had his hand around the old fool's neck.

"Queen Snow…I know the boy is your adopted son, but people are quite fearful of his power," the Mayor of the Land Without Color stated.

"There is nothing to fear from Flynn…he is a Charming through and through. He will use his extraordinary powers to protect us, just as my other children do. Now, surely there is other business to attend to during this meeting," Snow said. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few beats and it was clear that, while the subject would be dropped for the time being, as the meeting continued.

~*~

Bobby and Flynn shared a smile, as the dark haired young man stared at the ki sphere that he had formed between his hands.

"This is wicked," Bobby said, in awe of this new power.

"Guess it's time to really kick training into high gear," Flynn said, as he slowly lifted into the air. Bobby concentrated and used his newly discovered ki to follow and floated into the air too. With that, the brothers launched at each other in a fierce spar to perfect and grow their skills to combat the new evil that threatened the United Realms…

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Summary: Gothel lied about Flynn's true origins. The truth is much more complicated and fantastical. When his origins are revealed and hidden power is uncovered, it comes just in time, as he steps into the fray to fight a new evil with the Charmings, his new family.

Face Claims:

Core Cast of Once: Same as the show.

Those that appeared as side characters in the show: Same as the show (Elsa, for example)

Fandral the Dashing and Rose Red: Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin

James and Aphrodite: Josh Dallas and a blonde Ginnifer Goodwin

Bobby Charming: Logan Lerman

Flynn Charming: Tanner Buchanan

Leo Charming: Matt Lanter

Eva Charming-Sakura: Bailee Madison

Paul Sakura: Christopher Sean

Summer Charming-Bradley: Luna Blaise

JJ Bradley: Garret Wareing

Ariana Dashing: Ciara Hanna

Zia Ramos: Jenna Ortega

Hermes: Nakia Burrise

Mother Gothel: Donna Murphy

Silver Phillips: Amanda Seyfried

Please consider leaving a review. It really helps with motivation and inspiration.

Finding You Always

Chapter 9: First Battle

Flynn flew over the town and stopped in midair, as he saw the creatures. People screamed, as two crawled down Main street. Another one was on the clocktower, and two more were terrorizing people in the park, leaving a trail of magenta slime.

"Get the camera rolling!" he heard Silver shout and he rolled his eyes. He didn't want to be her nightly spectacle, but there was no avoiding it, because he had to take these things down now.

He flew toward the one on the Clocktower and drew his sword, mid flight. It shrieked at him and tried to jump on him. He was quicker though and sliced it clean in half. People screamed, as the two twitching halves fell into the streets.

"Get back!" Emma called, as she and her deputies forced the people back, and Flynn powered up a blazing yellow ball of energy. The Dragon had mentioned that it wasn't uncommon for warriors of his caliber to name their attacks and so he had naturally come up with one for the first one he had learned. It would become his signature attack.

"Burning Attack!" he called, as he hurtled the ki blast at the twitching creature and it shrieked. It was obliterated and he landed solidly on his feet, as the smoke cleared, revealing that even the slime was gone.

He faced the two in the street and his hair blew around, not from the wind, but as he raised his ki, emitting a golden and blue aura around him. To his surprise, one of them raised its wings from its back and launched at him, emitting an ear piercing shriek that was hard on his now heightened hearing.

"Focus…young one," he heard the Dragon say in his head. Listening to his new Master, he launched at the creature himself and they started trading blows, slowly floating in the air, as they sparred viciously.

Bobby stepped in to face the other one, as it scurried toward the onlookers. It tried to take flight, but Bobby used his magic to wrap vines around the bug and he used his powers to constrict around it. The bug tried flying up though and briefly snapped through the vines, but his escape was short lived, as Summer had arrived and encased him in a bubble.

"Thanks…" Bobby said, as he focused his powers and used fire to blast the creature. It shrieked, as he burned it up and it fell to the ground in flaming chunks. He went about incinerating every last bit of it until nothing remained.

About that time, the other creature slammed into the middle of Main street, creating the mother of all potholes and Flynn landed next to it. It lunged at the half Saiyan, but another blast of golden energy swallowed the bug whole and obliterated him from existence.

"Three down…two to go," Bobby said, as they walked toward the two that were scurrying at them from the park. But these two shocked them, as they started to glow and convulse. There was a pair of sickening cracks, as they split open and shed the bulky outer bug shell.

"Are…are they…" Bobby said.

"Evolving…" Flynn finished, as they watched the bugs raise themselves onto two legs. They were slimmer and still brown, with splotches of black and their eyes were no longer a blank magenta stare, but pupils had formed in the eyes. Flynn sensed the attack, thankfully before it came and tackled his brother to the ground, as a magenta blast sailed over their heads and hit the clock tower, obliterating the top spire of the building.

"These are much stronger…" Flynn uttered, as he launched at the creature and they began to exchange punches and kicks, while Bobby focused on the other one, intercepting it, before it reached the crowd.

"Must feed…" the creature uttered in a broken, gravely voice.

"Not today, pal," Bobby said, as Summer encased the creature in a bubble, but they were surprised when it promptly popped the bubble with ease.

"He…he popped my bubble…" Summer said in shock.

"Okay…new plan. Let's hit it with everything we've got," Emma said, as she fired a beam of white, fiery magic. Leo's eyes glowed cobalt, and the sky darkened, as he summoned his intense power and struck it with a lightning bolt. The creature shrieked in pain and was smoking, as he launched at two of them. Elsa froze the bug in its tracks and it struggled. Cracks became evident, as it glowed with magenta ki, slowly melting the ice around itself.

"He's…he's breaking through my ice!" she cried in astonishment.

"Okay…a second new plan. There's a new attack I've been working on with Mr. Gold," Bobby said, as Eva arrived through a portal, hurrying toward them.

"Good…you're here. Light me up," Bobby said, as his four siblings did so as they had many times, their eyes each glowing with power, as they channeled their magic into their baby brother. Bobby's eyes glowed a myriad of colors and he disappeared into a beam of magic, shooting directly through the monster, before materializing on the other side of it. The bug creature exploded and they finished off the remnants with more magic, ensuring every last bit was destroyed.

At the same time, Flynn sparred with the other one, almost too fast for the spectators to see, until a magenta ki beam struck him and he went flying into the side of a building, making quite an indent and cracks to the foundation. He held his shoulder and pulled his hand away, as he examined the small wound. About that time, Ariana arrived via a portal and rushed over to him, clad in her gold Asgardian armor, though it was a very feminine version. The gold chestplate was sleeveless and it had a skirt and tall knee high gold boots, complete with her sword on her hip.

"Trunks…" she whispered to him, as she knelt beside him and he pulled himself up.

"It's fine…it's just a flesh wound," he assured her, with a small smile.

"That armor is hot…" he mentioned. She smirked.

"Flatterer," she teased, as she watched him rush the creature again, trading blow after blow, her eyes following his every movement. It shrieked again, firing a magenta ki blast at him, but he was ready this time and met it with a stream of his own golden energy. The beams fought for control and Ariana motioned to Eva, who was looking for an opening.

"I'll cover you…" she said, as she blocked any stray blasts with her blade and hurried Eva to him. She placed her hand above his shoulder wound and quickly healed him.

"Thanks…" he said, as Ariana made sure to get her clear to safety again.

Flynn felt his power surge a bit, as he was healed, and remembered his training from earlier.

~*~

Flashback

"Esteban said that if he's injured, it might make him stronger, once he's healed," David explained, as he watched his son power up a ki blast.

"Ah yes…the Zenkai boost," the Dragon said.

"Zenkai boost?" the halfling asked.

"Yes…when a Saiyan is injured and then healed, they come back even stronger than before, like a powerup. The closer to death…the bigger the powerup,"

~*~

His wound had been very minor, but he was amazed at the sudden surge of power, even if it was small. He used it to his advantage, flaring his ki and overtaking the creature. It screeched in despair, as it was swallowed up and consumed, before exploding and disintegrating completely. He sighed in relief and powered down, as the threat was once again, for the moment, neutralized. He landed solidly on the ground again, as his siblings surrounded him with praise and awe, talking a mile a minute about his new powers.

"That was so cool…I gotta learn," Bobby said. Flynn smirked.

"You should come with me to train with the Dragon then," he suggested.

"He's right, young one…Regina and I have taught you all you need for magic. It's time you learn ki with your brother," Gold said, as he and Belle came out of the shop, having watched it all.

"Yeah…it's better than sparring the air. I need someone to train with," Flynn said.

"I'm in," Bobby replied, as they shared a brotherly handshake.

"How sweet…now we'll have two freaks that could lay waste to the entire United Realms," Silver said.

"Did that hair dye seep into your brain or something? Flynn and Bobby are going to protect us…not destroy us," Ariana snapped. Silver quirked an eyebrow.

"So you say, chainmail Barbie…but just look at the property damage from one little fight. A huge pothole, the clock tower is damaged, and that building will be condemned, until the foundation and walls are repaired," she said, as she turned to her camera.

"As usual, the Charmings claim their magical and now energy creating children are protecting us, but at what cost? Are we really protected if our towns and cities are destroyed in the process?" she said.

"Oh give it a rest already. No one died, so I'd say they did a pretty good job," Emma complained, but the reporter droned on with her fear campaign.

"I can't believe she's trying to turn the town against you," Ariana said, as she glared at the reporter.

"Forget her…she's not worth it," Flynn said.

"He's right…I hate what she's saying about my babies, but she's not worth punching, even if it would feel good," Snow replied.

"You two did great…ignore the small minded over there," David said, with pride for all his kids. A portal opened and deposited Ariana's parents, as they joined them, along with a large canvas bag of books.

"Hey Mom…hey Daddy," she said, as she hugged them.

"That's a lot of books," she added.

"We've been busy…these are all books of stories about Saiyans from several different timelines and realms," Fandral said. That peeked Flynn's interest greatly.

"Really?" he asked, as Rose offered the handles of the bag to him.

"You've been a little busy, so we took the liberty of looking them up for you," she said. He smiled.

"Thanks," he said gratefully.

"So…going out tonight probably comes with a lot of flashbulbs following us around. Wanna stay in with me and order a million pizzas while we look through these?" Flynn asked his girlfriend.

"Sounds like a fun date," she agreed, as she slipped her hand into his.

"Well, that makes sense. Two alien half breeds together…cute," Silver said. Ariana smirked and got in her face.

"More like jealous," she goaded. The other woman scoffed.

"Please…you can have your alien boyfriend. He's just my claim to fame," Silver said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Emma asked. She smirked again.

"You'll see," she replied, as she walked away.

"That doesn't sound good," Eva said.

"Who cares…let her do her worst. Like I could care," Flynn said, though he loathed the thought of being in the spotlight.

"Let's go…we have some reading to do," Ari said, as she waved to her parents.

"You gonna portal home with us?" Bobby asked. Flynn smirked.

"Who needs portals when you can fly?" he asked, as he swept Ari into his arms and shot into the air. David chuckled.

"Now that's a move," he said, as he put his arm around Snow's waist and she smiled up at him.

"Let's give them some time…" Snow said.

"We could go stay at the beach house tonight," he whispered, referring to their home on the island of Mu.

"That sounds great," she agreed. As Silver continued her broadcast, the rest of them dispersed for the evening, except Eva hung back, glaring at the silver haired witch, trying to figure out what she was doing.

"What is it?" Paul asked, as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"She's up to something…and I have a feeling she's about to expose this family, just like Goldie did," Eva replied.

"Are you thinking we should start up the podcast again?" Paul asked. They had stopped doing it a couple years ago when there was less to talk about.

"We might have to…I'd like to stop her, but I don't think we can," Eva said.

"Let's go talk to Henry…I know he was holding this back, but if she finds a way to get this to the outside world first, it could be bad for Flynn," Paul replied. She nodded and they joined hands, before heading for Henry's house.

~*~

"And this is real?" the editor said, as he viewed the broadcast and footage.

"One hundred percent…I'm letting you break the news, but you had better keep up your end of the deal," Silver said.

"Don't worry…in this world, we have things called contracts. You sign and you'll get the credit and fame you desire," the editor replied.

"Good…Henry Charming was going to hide this from the world for as long as possible. Trust in the Charmings should take a hit after the broadcast airs," Silver said.

"An alien even more powerful than an Asgardian…trust me, this will light the world on fire," the editor said. Silver smirked.

"Good…I look forward to the chaos," she said, as she hung up the phone and looked at her various awards on the shelf in her office.

"I'm going to need a bigger shelf," she said.

"You're pretty confident," Aiden mentioned, as he leaned against the entryway to her office.

"Why shouldn't I be?" she asked. He scoffed.

"Are you kidding? This is the Charmings…people adore them and they won't stop, even with this. They might get some more hate, but it will never drown out the pure adoration. Trust me, I wish I was wrong about that," Aiden replied.

"Not this time…no Charming smile and good looks will get Flynn Charming out of this," she insisted. He snorted.

"Please…women and even some men fall at his feet, including you," he teased.

"I do not…" she hissed.

"If he gave you the time of day, you'd jump right into his bed," Aiden accused.

"Ugh…just get out," she ordered.

"Okay…I'm just warning you, because this might not go your way. You go after Flynn…and it's liable to make Eva start up her podcast again. She'll have the people eating out of her hand again and your ratings will tumble, Sound familiar?" Aiden warned.

"What, are you suddenly a Charming family fan too?" Silver asked. He laughed.

"Hardly…I hate them too, but I've tangled with them before. They'll beat you at this, no matter what you do and then your life will be in ruins. You should walk away from this while you can," he replied.

"No…not this time. My mother wanted revenge, but I don't care about that. I just want the glory of breaking the story of the century and if I get to hold this over the Charmings indefinitely, that's just icing on the cake," she said.

"Good luck…you'll need it," Aiden said, as a warning.

"Oh…and one more warning. Charmings have a way of getting under your skin, believe me, I know, but they don't get with people like us, so try not to fall for him while you're at it," he said.

"I'm not going to fall for that half breed alien scum," she insisted.

"Sure…again, good luck," Aiden said, as he turned and walked back to his desk. She huffed and watched the footage of him fighting again, before turning it off. He was intriguing and a story that was both going to bring her fame and millions. Nothing more.

~*~

Gothel sat in her cell, talking to herself in a stupor that clearly told the guards that she had finally lost her mind. If she ever had it to begin with.

"My precious little Flynn…you've abandoned me. I protected you…I protected you from this world that will eat you alive," she ranted.

"All I asked for was a bit of your youth…you didn't even miss it," she cried.

"Now I am in ruin…they'll never accept you like I did. They'll fear you…I protected you from their scrutiny," she babbled, as she tugged at the magical cuffs on her wrists.

"Magic…my magic…" she mourned in sorrow, as she burst into tears.

"Guards…will you shut that infernal witch up!" Rodmilla Tremaine shouted from her cell.

"She's crazier than your idiot daughter," Horace complained from his cell.

"Shut your mouth, you filthy mercenary," Rodmilla snapped. Poor Drizella wasn't even fit for prison. She was still locked away in the mental ward at the hospital and the last update she had received was not good. Her daughter had gone through a full mental breakdown. All because of one insipid little wench that tormented her and a man that refused to love her.

"That family certainly has its victims. The body count is impressive when you really think about it," Horace mentioned.

"Heroes…they call them. I beg to differ, yeah Horace?" Jasper asked.

"Of course…you only escape their wrath if you become one of them," he agreed.

"And if it isn't them…it's their counterparts, like my treacherous niece," former Prince John hissed.

"I got a glimpse of his power on the news during free time earlier…he has the power to destroy us all in his fingertip…oh to have the pen for a story like this," Isaac, the former author, mused.

"My Flynn…just a little youth for Gothel…just a sip," Gothel wailed.

"Bloody hell…that wench is crazier than your psychotic offspring," Horace mentioned.

"You will do well to watch your mouth!" Rodmilla seethed.

"Shut up…all of you! It's lights out…" one of the guards shouted, as he killed the lights.

"Revenge is but a pipe dream…we're stuck here so you better come to terms with it. We're probably safer in here than with that alien halfbreed running around out there," Horace mentioned. He was as mad about it as anyone. He and Jasper had merely done the jobs they were hired to do in Hyperion Heights, one being orderlies at Facilier Jr's. clinic. But Charming held a grudge for that whole ordeal and made sure the book was thrown at them, landing them here in the max prison on lengthy sentences.

Gothel wasn't paying attention to his words though…just the voices in her head. The ones that had been there for a while since her precious Flynn had come to this land, only the voices had gotten louder recently. The voices had told her all about the boy and the coming evil. They promised she would be a part of greatness, but kept teasing her.

"Is it time yet?" she asked.

"No…not yet…but soon, witch," the voice answered.

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Summary: Gothel lied about Flynn's true origins. The truth is much more complicated and fantastical. When his origins are revealed and hidden power is uncovered, it comes just in time, as he steps into the fray to fight a new evil with the Charmings, his new family.

Face Claims:

Core Cast of Once: Same as the show.

Those that appeared as side characters in the show: Same as the show (Elsa, for example)

Fandral the Dashing and Rose Red: Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin

James and Aphrodite: Josh Dallas and a blonde Ginnifer Goodwin

Bobby Charming: Logan Lerman

Flynn Charming: Tanner Buchanan

Leo Charming: Matt Lanter

Eva Charming-Sakura: Bailee Madison

Paul Sakura: Christopher Sean

Summer Charming-Bradley: Luna Blaise

JJ Bradley: Garret Wareing

Ariana Dashing: Ciara Hanna

Zia Ramos: Jenna Ortega

Hermes: Nakia Burrise

Mother Gothel: Donna Murphy

Silver Phillips: Amanda Seyfried

Please consider leaving a review. It really helps with motivation and inspiration.

Finding You Always 2

Chapter 8: Spectacle

The next morning, Flynn and Bobby proceeded to eat an incomprehensible amount of food at breakfast. This was normal for Bobby, but Flynn had gone far beyond his normal human portions, which were a bit larger over the last five years due to his training. But now that had doubled at least and he was surpassing Bobby's appetite, which was mind boggling.

"Dude…I never thought anyone could keep up with me in the eating department," Bobby mentioned. Flynn shrugged.

"Guess it's another Saiyan thing…I've never been so hungry in my life," he replied, as he kept shoveling food. Once they finished, Snow bid them goodbye for the day. Bobby left to train with Gold, while David and Flynn portaled to a new training location. An empty island near Mu. On their way to the training ground, Charming looked over at him and smirked.

"I know that look," he mentioned.

"Huh?" Flynn asked, snapped out of his daze.

"You're in love," he announced, like it was obvious.

"Wah…" Flynn exclaimed in surprise. David rolled his eyes.

"You heard me," he said.

"That obvious, huh?" he asked.

"To me and your mother…yes," David replied.

"I took her flying last night…" he admitted and David grinned at him.

"That's a nice move…romantic," he said.

"She likes the warrior thing…I do too," Flynn said.

"Makes sense…you'd never pair well with a wallflower or a girl that hates fighting," David replied, as they arrived at the clearing on the island, where Mulan and the Dragon awaited.

"Let's begin," the Dragon said, as training ensued.

~*~

Eva had worked long into the night and Paul practically had to drag her out of the lab to go home with him and get some sleep. She was anxiously right back to work the next day after a few hours of sleep and finally had the formula right. She was ready for the first test.

"That was fast," Paul mentioned, as he and Whale entered her lab.

"Well…the formula wasn't as hard as I thought and as long as I infused the prototype beans with the right amount of my magic, they should be viable. I won't know for sure until I go ask Tiny to plant them, but here goes," Eva said.

"Yes…let's see what has me covering all your patients," Whale replied.

"You realize how revolutionary these could be, right?" Paul asked.

"If they work the way you say…it makes us obsolete as surgeons," Whale warned.

"That's not true. My healing powers only work on internal injuries and wounds, usually inflicted in accidents or battle. I can't use them to cure natural ailments or disease, you know that. These beans are likely the same way," Eva replied.

"She's right…plus they will only be used in the most severe cases where death is ensured without one. It's not like we can stop and do surgery on the boys in the midst of battle," Paul added.

"Here we go…" Eva said, as she added her pink magic to the concoction she made and there was a pink puff of smoke as a result, before the potion settled. She removed it from the Bunsen burner and filled an eye dropper with the liquid. She squeezed one drop onto each of the test seeds she was using and then put them in a cloth sack.

"Now…it's just about a visit to Tiny and we wait to see if the seeds are viable," Eva said, as she kissed her husband quickly and hurried out to visit the giant.

~*~

Silver Phillips, daughter of the late Goldilocks and Sid Phillips, looked through the newest chapter from the author with rapt hunger. This was it. She had been waiting for something to use to finally enact her revenge on the Charmings.

Silver had grown up in the worst part of town, in a dumpy apartment, with the worst parents to ever exist. When her mother wasn't working all the time, trying to make it as a reporter, and later pursuing her smear campaigns against the Charmings, she was having violent fights with her drunk, strung out father. Sid barely knew she existed and when he did, he never had a kind hand. Usually he had left her alone though, while he paraded strippers and hookers into the apartment, until social services of Storybrooke seized custody of her and plunked her in the orphanage. No one wanted her by that point though and she eventually aged out of the system.

She hated them both and hoped that her father rotted in prison for the rest of his life. She hated her mother too, but she was right about the Charmings and they were the reason she was dead.

She was no charity case though. Once she aged out of the system, August had given her a chance at the Storybrooke Mirror and later as a reporter at the Enchanted News Network, clearly recognizing her talent for journalism. She made a quick fortune as head evening anchor, thankful that she wasn't put on Attina's, the former mermaid's, dopey morning show. The people of the United Realms liked that she brought them all the National and World news from the outside and even ventured out there to get hard hitting stories filled with crime, intrigue, and daily drama. But she knew August had zero tolerance for any smear campaigns, especially against his precious Charmings and she hated being controlled.

With her money and a few secret outside investors, she founded her own network just a few months ago and was already stealing headlines and ratings from ENN. She named her network the Golden Bear Network or GBN to both honor and mock her mother.

This…this was the story of the century. Her secret investors were going to go crazy for it. Her ratings were going to hit the roof and the Charming family would be subject to scrutiny like never before. A half alien adopted son and a new evil that had followed him here. She could almost taste the discord and chaos. She pressed her intercom.

"Get in here, Slade…" she ordered, as her assistant sauntered into her office. Aiden Slade, fresh out of another stint in jail, leaned against the door.

"You called, Master?" he drawled sarcastically.

"Cut the crap…I'm the reason you're doing an office job and not slaving away in construction with your extensive criminal record," she snapped, as he sobered.

"Call everyone in here early…with the story I have, we're going live to blow open the biggest story of the century," she said.

"Let me guess…it has to do with the Charmings," he said. She smirked.

"Doesn't it always?" she asked. He smirked back and went to do as she asked. She got up and went to her dressing room, which would soon have her hair stylist and makeup artist there to prepare her for the broadcast of a lifetime.

~*~

"I didn't do anything!" Keith shouted, as Xander tossed him in the holding cell.

"Right…that guy just fell on your fist," he quipped, as he locked him.

"I should start charging you rent for that cell," Emma teased the former corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham turned town drunken brawler. He just growled, as he plopped down on the bench inside the cell.

"Seriously…there's no curse. How come he's still doing the same thing every day?" Emma joked. Her grandfather chuckled.

"It's a vicious cycle once you're in it," he said, as Leroy came running in.

"Terrible news!" he cried.

"Leroy…what have we said about running around town and riling people up?" she asked.

"Look sister…I ain't crying wolf. You better turn the television on. It's about your alien brother!" he shouted a little too loudly. Emma and Xander frowned.

"How do they know already?" she wondered.

"Henry probably had to publish, but August wouldn't allow a spectacle. He'd make sure it was reported responsibly," Xander said.

"It ain't on ENN…it's Goldie's kid on her network," Leroy replied, as Emma turned on the television to see Silver Phillps at her news desk, perfect hair, makeup, and a smug smirk that Emma wanted to punch off.

"Dammit…" she cursed.

"I knew her opening up her own network was going to bite us," Xander said. Not that they could have stopped her or wanted to. It was a free market and they believed in those principles. Unfortunately, it meant there were always those that would abuse the free market with their propaganda.

"I better warn Dad," Emma said, as she pulled out her phone.

"Warn him all you want, sister…this place is about to be crawling with reporters and so is your parent's Castle. Good thing the kid can fly…the sky is about the only place they won't get to him," Leroy warned.

"I'll round up Lancelot and the Knights to see if we can quell this quickly," Xander said, as he pulled his own phone out.

"Where are you going?" Leroy asked.

"Hold down the fort…Silver is probably headed for Mom's office as soon as her stupid broadcast is over," Emma replied, as she hurried out to the bug. Leroy scoffed and turned back to the broadcast. To be honest, he wasn't keen on some kid with freaky powers that could squish them all like bugs…but he didn't dare voice that opinion.

~*~

"Tiny?" Eva called. The giant smiled and waved her over.

"You have a sample already?" he asked.

"Yeah…you know me, I can't stop working when I'm onto something. I worked most of last night and I think the formula is right," Eva replied, as she handed him the bag of seeds.

"Now all we need to do is see if they take root in your magical soil," she replied. The giant poured some seeds into his large hand and they glowed with pink magic. He smiled excitedly.

"Intriguing," he said, as they made a well for the seeds, before he dropped them into the soil. There was a bright pink glow and he smiled.

"That's a good sign…I think your seeds have taken root. What will you call these magic beans?" he asked.

"Hmm…I'm not sure yet. I still have to go to Rose's library and see if I can find anything on the original ones to see what they were called. But I'm sure I'll come up with a name of my own soon. We have to see if they actually work first," Eva replied. He nodded.

"I will keep you posted on their progress," Tiny said. She smiled and gave him a hug, which he returned.

"Thanks Tiny," she replied, as she waved goodbye to return to the hospital.

~*~

"Higher…" the Dragon instructed, as Flynn pushed his power higher. A golden and azure physical aura encased him and continued to expand, as he pushed his ki outward and upward, making it bigger and bigger by the second.

"Higher…you are capable of heights beyond this, young one," he instructed.

"I'm…trying…" he said, through clenched teeth.

"Those creatures are going to suck the life out of everyone in the United Realms, including everyone you love," he said, making Flynn growl in anger.

"What if one of those creatures gets to your precious Asgardian Princess? Only you can stop these creatures or will you fail and lose her forever?" he goaded. Flynn's power spiked incredibly at his words and the old man smirked.

"That's more like it. Now concentrate it into a ki blast," he instructed. Flynn did so and created a very sizable ki ball that burned with yellow fire and then launched it into the atmosphere.

"Very good…" the Dragon said.

"It's getting really easy, especially when I get angry," Flynn replied.

"So it should…your power increase in the space of just a few days is extraordinary, but you still have much to learn. However, I believe our training is over for today," he said. Flynn nodded and his father tossed him a towel. He caught it and dabbed the sweat from his forehead and neck.

"I'd say all that was impressive, but that would be understating it," David said. Flynn smiled.

"Thanks Dad…" he replied.

"Yes…though I'm loath to admit it, you've surpassed me by far," Mulan added.

"Maybe…but it was because of your training that I didn't have to learn from scratch. Already knowing martial arts and sword fighting only makes things faster," Flynn replied, as a portal opened and Emma stepped through.

"Hey Ems…" David said.

"How's it going?" she asked, as she watched her adopted brother cool down with a kata.

"He's incredible, Emma…like nothing I could even imagine," David replied.

"I assume your phone is on silent," she said.

"Uh yeah…what's going on?" he asked.

"Henry had to publish the latest chapters today…to the United Realms anyway," Emma replied.

"Yeah…he warned us last night to be prepared for the media," David said.

"I don't think even my son anticipated such an uproar though. Silver Phillips has whipped everyone up into quite a frenzy with a special early broadcast of her dumb show," Emma replied. He sighed.

"Damn…guess it was too much to hope that she'd leave us alone after what her mother did," David said.

"No such luck…that bitch is a chip off the old block," Emma replied.

"How bad?" David asked.

"Bad enough…she's playing up the alien thing pretty hard," Emma replied. He sighed, as Flynn came over.

"Looking good, kid," Emma replied.

"Thanks…what's going on?" he asked, as he watched them glance at each other.

"Henry had to publish the latest chapters of the book today," Emma said.

"Let me guess…people are freaking out?" he asked.

"Yeah…but it probably wouldn't be so bad if Silver Phillips wasn't egging them on. Storybrooke is a shit show right now," Emma replied. He shrugged.

"I'm not gonna hide…it's better just to face the bitch head on," Flynn said. They grinned at him.

"Speaking of chips off the old block…that was Charming etiquette 101," Emma replied.

"You're sure?" David asked.

"Yeah…but what about Mom? Silver probably went right to her office," he said.

"She can only get so close…Bobby is guarding her and just itching to go little shop-o-horrors on her," Emma joked.

"Well…let's get this over with," Flynn said, as they portaled back to Storybrooke.

~*~

"This is Silver Phillips…live outside Queen Snow's Mayoral office in Storybrooke. If you're just joining us, I broke the story of the century earlier today about the youngest Charming boy, but not the magical one you're thinking of. No, I'm talking about the little adopted one that we've just learned has a frightening past," she ranted into her microphone.

"Is he really an alien?" one spectator shouted. She smirked.

"Half alien…but yes. He's from an entirely different world and a very strange one at that. He comes from a savage race of warriors and has the power to wipe us all out!" Silver answered, creating commotion among the spectators.

"Flynn would never do anything like that!" Bobby refuted, as he appeared outside his mother's office with her in tow.

"Says the other delinquent that could kill us all," Silver retorted, as Snow stepped in front of him.

"My boys selflessly put themselves on the line to protect everyone in the United Realms. How dare you slander them!" Snow exclaimed.

"Except your boys and your family are the very reason we're all usually in danger. It's been well established," Silver claimed, as there were murmurs of agreement among the crowd.

"You could have been so much better than your mother…but you've chosen to walk in her footsteps. It won't lead you anywhere good," Snow warned.

"Spare me the lecture…I won't fall into the same pitfalls as my mother. I'm not under any delusions about what kind of person she was, but that doesn't mean she was wrong about your family," Silver said.

"The fact is that your adopted son is dangerous…and we all know it and yet he's being trained to get stronger than he already is. It will spell doom for us all!" she claimed, as many echoed a chorus of agreement with her.

"Flynn might be our only chance to survive what's coming!" Bobby said, but it fell mostly on deaf ears, especially when David, Flynn, and Emma appeared before them via a portal. Silver rushed toward them and shoved her microphone in Flynn's face.

"Nice hair…who's your stylist?" she asked snidely. He smirked.

"Better than yours…who dyes their hair gray at twenty-five?" Flynn asked.

"Yeah…aren't you a natural blonde?" Emma added, infuriating the reporter.

"It's not gray…it's silver!" she snapped.

"Yeah, well mine's natural, which I doubt can be said about anything on you with the thirty pounds of makeup you're wearing," he shot back. But she smirked.

"Purple hair isn't natural…unless you're a dangerous alien freak," she said.

"HEY!" David shouted, as he got in her face.

"That's my son and if you continue to defame him, your network will regret it when we sue you," he warned.

"He's not really your son though, is he?" she countered.

"He is our son and he may be the only one that can defeat the evil that is coming," Snow said.

"Of course…nevermind that he's the reason that evil is here. Like usual, the United Realms is in danger, because of your family," Silver said.

"Believe me…if it could be done, I'd wager that there would be a lot of support to kick your stupid family out of the United Realms all together, but because of your power, you rule us instead," she added.

"All right, that's enough out of you, dye job," Emma said, as she motioned her deputies to keep the crowds back and escorted her mother and brother to them. She knew if she didn't, Bobby would have been much less tactful about it. Snow immediately hugged her adopted son and he smiled.

"Thanks Mom," he said.

"If you think this is over, Your Majesty…you're sadly mistaken. The majority of people don't want some alien halfbreed among us. He's dangerous…he could kill us all with the flick of his wrist," Silver argued, further riling up the crowd.

"My son would never harm anyone…he'll only use his powers against the evil that seeks to harm us," Snow called to them, as Leroy came running up to them.

"Terrible news!" he cried. Emma sighed.

"Leroy…" she began to chide.

"I'm serious this time, sister…there's a bunch of those bug things crawling all over town square!" he cried. Immediately, Flynn broke into a sprint and then launched into the sky. The rest of his family followed him on foot, as it was a fairly short distance away.

"Let's go!" Silver called to her crew, they followed too, as did the mob she had whipped up. One way or another…she was going to have another groundbreaking story for her evening broadcast. She smirked. And all this footage would be in the hands of her media contacts in New York by morning…

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Summary: Gothel lied about Flynn's true origins. The truth is much more complicated and fantastical. When his origins are revealed and hidden power is uncovered, it comes just in time, as he steps into the fray to fight a new evil with the Charmings, his new family.

Face Claims:

Core Cast of Once: Same as the show.

Those that appeared as side characters in the show: Same as the show (Elsa, for example)

Fandral the Dashing and Rose Red: Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin

James and Aphrodite: Josh Dallas and a blonde Ginnifer Goodwin

Bobby Charming: Logan Lerman

Flynn Charming: Tanner Buchanan

Leo Charming: Matt Lanter

Eva Charming-Sakura: Bailee Madison

Paul Sakura: Christopher Sean

Summer Charming-Bradley: Luna Blaise

JJ Bradley: Garret Wareing

Ariana Dashing: Ciara Hanna

Zia Ramos: Jenna Ortega

Hermes: Nakia Burrise

Mother Gothel: Donna Murphy

Please consider leaving a review. It really helps with motivation and inspiration.

Chapter 7: Saiyans

"Regenerating?" Snow asked, as Flynn explained everything he had learned on his visit to Hyde's lab at the University. They were eating dinner in the palace living quarters that night, just the four of them.

"Yeah…he said unless every trace of the slime is disintegrated, then it will just generate more of those things," Flynn explained.

"Well that's not annoying or anything," David commented.

"Yeah…Hyde said they're going to work on some energy weapons so the Knights can help vanquish the bugs," he added.

"That's good, because if all of us are too busy dealing with the minions, we'll be too worn out to deal with the big bad whenever it decides to show its face," Bobby said.

"That's a good point…something tells me that bullets will be useless here," David replied.

"Yeah…you stopping bullets with your body is wicked cool though," Bobby said, as the boys smiled at that. Snow and David shared an amused glance.

"So…are you two going out tonight?" Snow asked. They shrugged.

"Yeah…we'll probably go hang out with the girls," Bobby replied. Snow knew she was prying, but she couldn't help it. She was anxious as any mother was to see her boys eventually settle down. Not that any of them really ever settled down in the United Realms. Even with the peaceful times the last few years, they always found adventure and extraordinary things; the benefit of living in an extraordinary place. She knew her boys loved fighting and would always be warriors. She just hoped that their futures including families of their own.

"Wearing the jacket?" Bobby asked, as Flynn stared at it on his bed. He nodded, as he put it on and it felt right.

"Yeah…it's really comfortable," he said, as he felt something in the right breast pocket and took out two small items.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure…" Flynn said, as he stared at the two strange beans.

"Maybe something more for Hyde to look at," Bobby suggested.

"I threw a lot at him today though," Flynn replied. The dark haired young man shrugged.

"How about Eva? She has a microscope and she and Paul are on duty at the hospital tonight. We could swing by before we go get the girls," Bobby said. He nodded.

"Good idea," Flynn agreed.

"What's the other thing?" Bobby asked curiously. Flynn examined the patch with curiosity.

"House Vegeta," he read.

"It looks like a coat of arms," Bobby said. Flynn nodded. He had seen his adopted father's coat of arms displayed in their home over the mantle and was intrigued by this one.

"My father must have slipped it into the jacket pocket," Flynn reasoned.

"It's cool…I bet Mom would sew it onto your jacket," Bobby said. He nodded and slipped it back into his jacket pocket.

"I'll ask her tomorrow," he said, as they headed out to stop by the hospital.

~*~

Snow and David enjoyed a quiet, romantic evening together after the boys left and they were now slowly drifting to sleep in each other's arms, following some very amorous activities. Tonight, however, would not be a dreamless sleep, as David found himself in the cloudy void of the dream world once again, for the first time in many years.

"I had a feeling you might visit me," he said, as Esteban, clad head to toe in his armor, awaited him.

"Yes…well, it's quite intriguing that my successor's adopted son is a halfbreed Saiyan Prince," Esteban replied, as they walked together.

"So…what the Dragon said was true? Your Kingdom descended from Saiyans too?" David asked.

"The very ancient ones were full blooded Saiyans, but we're talking over a millenia before I was born, so I am nearly completely human. The amount of Saiyan blood in me is miniscule at best, but the warrior spirit remained with me and my people," he explained.

"I guess that explains their attitude toward showing emotions was seen as a weakness," David replied. Esteban nodded curtly.

"I studied the legends of my ancestors well. The first Dragon King, Bejita and his right hand warrior Sun Wukong. I am a direct descendant of Bejita," he explained.

"But your Saiyans have no relation to Flynn's?" David asked.

"No…but it would appear that Saiyans pop up in several worlds out there. They are all but extinct in your land, save for my precious daughter, though she does not walk the warrior's path and, like me, she has no significant amount of Saiyan blood," he said.

"As for Flynn, he has counterparts like we all do and at least one world where there are more than a few Saiyans around. But most of the legends are similar," Esteban said.

"What do you mean?" David asked curiously.

"It was said that Bejita was a legendary warrior, even among his people and a power that frightened most of his foes just upon the sight of him. Godlike power and strength. The same legend, give or take a few details is much the same," Esteban explained.

"Wait…are you saying that Flynn could become so strong that he somehow reaches this legendary status?" David asked.

"From what I know about hybrids…their potential to reach incredible heights of power is even greater than the full blooded Saiyans that sired them," Esteban replied, giving David much to ponder.

"Your wife will hate it, but each time your son is severely injured in battle, he will come back fifty, sometimes even one hundred times stronger than the previous battle. The closer to death…the bigger the power up," he explained.

"You're right…Snow is going to hate that," he agreed, not finding the idea of telling her that appealing at all.

"I guess I need to visit Rose's library. Reading about my son's people and their exploits in other worlds may give me some idea of what's coming," David said. Esteban nodded.

"Even though what you face is deeply troubling, I envy not being there to battle with you," he said.

"Seriously? We're facing certain doom and you still want to fight it?" David asked. Esteban provided a rare smirk.

"Get used to it…Saiyans love battle. It's almost like a drug to some. Your son has a level head and will first and foremost protect…but battle will still thrill him, nonetheless," the Dragon King warned, as it became hazy around them.

"Well…thanks for not being cryptic for once. You know how I appreciate straight answers," David said, as he faded from the nether realm. His eyes opened and he was back in bed, with his beautiful wife spooned against him, her long raven hair spilling down her naked back. He sighed and kissed her head, before drifting off to sleep again.

~*~

"Hey guys…what brings you here?" Eva said, as she looked up from her tablet at the nurse's desk.

"We came to show you and Paul something…got a minute?" Flynn asked.

"Sure…we can take a few minutes," Paul replied, as the boys followed them into Eva's lab.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Well…I found these strange beans in my jacket pocket. I think my biological mother sent them with me…but we have no idea what they are," Flynn explained.

"Yeah…and since Hyde and Hiram are plenty busy with capsule research and making ki blasters, I suggested we ask you to take a look," Bobby replied, as Eva put a glove on and took the tiny bean from his hand.

"Hmm…well, it's definitely not like one of Tiny's beans, so it probably doesn't make portals," she said.

"What about beanstalk beans?" Bobby asked. Paul shook his head.

"No…those are larger and green," Paul said, as he very carefully split the tiny bean in half, before putting it under a microscope. He looked and then pulled back for a moment, before looking back, as if to check to see if he was really seeing what he was seeing.

"Eva…you need to look at this," Paul said, as she looked and was shocked at what she saw.

"What…what is it?" Flynn asked impatiently.

"It's…it's like an organic source of healing magic," she replied.

"What…you mean these beans can heal people?" Bobby asked. She nodded.

"The inside of the bean has a similar signature to my healing magic…this is revolutionary!" Eva cried in excitement.

"But there's only two," Flynn replied.

"Yes Flynn…but they are beans. If I infuse a simple organic white bean with my healing magic, I could grow something that would resemble these!" she exclaimed.

"You…you think you can grow these?" he asked in astonishment.

"Yes…it will take some research and time to make sure my formula is right and my magic is infused correctly, but this could change everything," Eva said.

"Yeah…instead of you trying to heal us on the battlefield, we could have these with us," Bobby replied.

"Not to mention you wouldn't be a target for whatever villain they are fighting," Paul added.

"He's right…when whatever we're fighting figures out you can heal us, you'd be a target," Flynn reasoned.

"But not with these…I mean, like I said, it will take time. But with some of Tiny's soil, they should grow at an accelerated rate like his portal beans. I'm sure he'd love to help," Eva said. Paul smiled.

"Whale and I can cover your shifts tonight and for the foreseeable future so you can work on this project," he said.

"Is Whale sober?" Bobby asked. Paul smiled.

"He's staying out of the bottle these days. He's not happy about it, but I have several new hires in their residency and more are coming up at the University and entering their internships soon. He stays clean or I fire him and now he knows I can do so without threatening the well being of any patients," Paul explained.

"He has to hate that," Flynn chuckled.

"He does. I think he misses the days of the curse when he was top dog around here, like when I first arrived," Paul replied.

"Oh that reminds me…is that old man, the Dragon, your father?" Flynn asked.

"He is…haven't seen him in about thirty years, but I know he's still slithering around here somewhere," Paul answered.

"Not anymore…he popped up and he's teaching me to use my ki, with Dad and Mulan's supervision," Flynn said. Paul shook his head.

"I'm not surprised…while I disagree with his morals and lack of ethics, he knows so much about so many different realms and people," he said.

"Just be careful…he's still a manipulator," Paul added.

"Yeah…Dad already threatened him about that," Flynn said with a nod.

"Well…we have dates and you look so excited that you're bursting to start working, so we'll get out of here," Bobby said, as they left and Eva went to work.

~*~

Henry sighed, as he typed away on his laptop in his office. Ella peeked in and then quietly entered, before setting a cup of coffee down for him.

"Writing about the little incident at the reserve?" she asked.

"Yes…and recording everything we've learned. Everything Flynn has learned about his heritage," he replied, but she detected a note of uncertainty in his voice.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's my job as the author to record everything, because the book is our history, but to everyone else, it's stories and entertainment," he replied.

"I know…the public gets a little intrusive," Ella said.

"That's an understatement…and my grandparents seem to ignore the attention with ease. But Bobby and Flynn are young and the spotlight is already on them. This is not going to make that any better," Henry said. She smiled.

"I love how you want to protect them," she replied.

"I just worry about the reactions of small minded people. Finding out there is a secret land with a bunch of fairy tale characters is one thing…but when they find out there's a half alien with power that could potentially destroy the world, that's a whole other thing," Henry said.

"Do you have to publish this?" Ella asked.

"Technically, just for our land, I do. I can withhold from the rest of the world if I want, but then it breeds distrust and we know there's a faction out there that already doesn't trust us," he replied.

"There are also some here in the United Realms that might not react well either," she mentioned. He sighed. The Land Without Color came to mind.

"Yeah…I'm worried about that too. There are plenty of ignorant people here. They hear half alien…and they might grab their pitchforks," Henry said.

"Your parents will defend him just as fiercely as any of their biological children or grandchildren," Ella assured him.

"I know…I just wish I could spare him this. Eventually I may have to publish at least parts of it for the outside world, but I have no choice but to publish for the United Realms now," Henry said. She squeezed his shoulder.

"Maybe people won't read it?" she asked, but winced as she did.

"You know the media will. With August running the main network and the paper, we'll get the real story from there, but there are competing networks now and some of them are just as dirty as Goldilocks was," he said.

"Flynn will be fine…he has a ton of support behind him," she assured him. He nodded.

"I know…" he said, as he reluctantly hit publish and then texted his grandparents to give them a heads up that the media may be in abrupt contact for their usual soundbites.

"Guess we have to hope for the best," Henry said.

~*~

Flynn and Bobby hung out with their girlfriends for a while as a group, but inevitably, they soon decided that they would part ways to spend some time alone with them.

"We're going to take a walk," Bobby said to them, as he and Zia joined hands and they peeled off from the other two.

"So…a walk on the beach?" Ari asked, as he threaded her fingers with his own.

"We could…or we could fly over the entire United Realms," he offered, with a sparkle in his eye. Her eyes widened slightly and her mouth was slightly agape.

"Are…are you serious?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I picked it up pretty easily and I'm not super fast yet, but I've been flying everywhere all day instead of portalling," he replied.

"Well…flying sounds way more fun than walking. Show me," she requested, as he picked her up with ease. She felt like she weighed almost nothing in his arms and he still marveled at how his strength had increased ten fold in just a couple days.

To say that Ariana was speechless was an understatement. The wind blowing through her blonde hair, the lights of all the different realms dotting the landscape beneath them, the stars that suddenly seemed a bit closer, and the incredibly handsome man who held her in his arms. She bit her bottom lip, and gently brushed some of his bangs from his eyes. He shivered slightly at her touch and was in awe of her beauty, as usual.

"I really love the hair, by the way," she said. He smiled shyly.

"I was worried it might look weird," he replied.

"It doesn't…it suits you," she said, as she leaned her forehead gently against his head and he struggled not to wobble a little mid flight. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? He scouted a good spot to take a break and set them down on a cliff that overlooked the Caspian sea and the shores and castle of the Maritime Kingdom. They sat close together, holding hands, while Ari rested her head on his shoulder. There he told her everything he had learned in detail about his past, with the high hope that she wouldn't run away from him once she knew it all. By the end though, she was even more enamored with him. As an Asgardian warrior princess, she was less than impressed by most of the youths in her Kingdom. There were some that were well trained members of her father's army, but they weren't Asgardian and for most it was a job. They didn't live the life and training as a warrior that she did. And the ones that weren't in her father's army were even worse. They didn't like fighting and certainly had no interest in a woman that liked fighting.

Flynn's initial training into Martial Arts and sword fighting had been what attracted them to each other in the first place. He loved the thrill of battle and was focused on living the life of a warrior. Now to find out that he actually had warrior blood in him made him all the more attractive.

"Trunks…" she said, doing the same as he did, seemingly tasting the name.

"I know…it's a really odd name and I'm not sure if I should take my birth name or not. Flynn's the name I gave myself when the other one offered repulsed me. I feel like it's a part of me…but I also feel like this name is too," he said, pausing for a moment.

"As strange as the name is…it fits and feels right too," he added. She smiled.

"What if…everyone else kept calling you Flynn and it is just me that calls you Trunks?" she asked. He looked at her and felt a pulse of desire run through him when his birth name rolled off her tongue. His senses were so heightened now that he was still getting used to how strong his urges were. His hormones were raging before, but his human side had nothing on his Saiyan side. He leaned in and kissed her impulsively when his name of birth came from her mouth. It was intense and as soul searing as a kiss had ever been between them. Their lips parted briefly and she smiled.

"Trunks…" she said, more firmly this time and a tiny, low growl could be heard from his throat, as he kissed her fiercely again. Once they finally parted again, both panting for air, she smiled again and pressed her forehead against his.

"I guess that answers that question," she said, as he grinned back at her. Reluctantly, they knew they had to part for the evening and he slowly flew her home to Asgard. He landed in her mother's gardens, completely freaking the guards out. But they relaxed when they realized it was one of their Majesties' daughters and one of the Charming boys.

"So…I hope flying can be a regular thing," she said. He smiled.

"Definitely…I can even teach you, but to be honest, I like carrying you," he replied.

"We could do both," she said. He nodded and leaned in for another kiss. When they parted, she went inside, all while looking back at him and he felt the ache in the absence of her presence, which clearly told him what he knew had been true for a while. He was in love.

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on FF.net and A03

Summary: Gothel lied about Flynn's true origins. The truth is much more complicated and fantastical. When his origins are revealed and hidden power is uncovered, it comes just in time, as he steps into the fray to fight a new evil with the Charmings, his new family.

Face Claims:

Core Cast of Once: Same as the show.

Those that appeared as side characters in the show: Same as the show (Elsa, for example)

Fandral the Dashing and Rose Red: Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin

James and Aphrodite: Josh Dallas and a blonde Ginnifer Goodwin

Bobby Charming: Logan Lerman

Flynn Charming: Tanner Buchanan

Leo Charming: Matt Lanter

Eva Charming-Sakura: Bailee Madison

Paul Sakura: Christopher Sean

Summer Charming-Bradley: Luna Blaise

JJ Bradley: Garret Wareing

Ariana Dashing: Ciara Hanna

Zia Ramos: Jenna Ortega

Hermes: Nakia Burrise

Mother Gothel: Donna Murphy

Please consider leaving a review. It really helps with motivation and inspiration.

Finding You Always

Chapter 6: Origins, Pt 4

Snow and David sat down on the couch together in their private living area. Snow clutched the baby book and then looked at him.

"She gave him his best chance, just like we did with Emma…only she didn't survive to see him grown," Snow said. He squeezed her shoulder.

"Hopefully, in whatever afterlife she's in, she knows that he's loved and taken care of," David replied. She nodded and opened the book and put a hand to her heart, as she got to see an image of their adopted son as a baby. He was adorable and chubby, with wisps of lavender hair beneath a beanie and blue eyes that were captivating. She traced her fingers along the written information about him, like his birth name, date, and measurements, as well as the ink imprint of his tiny foot. They flipped through the book, smiling at each other, as they soaked in the information and pictures from his first few weeks of life.

"We're taking care of him and we love him," Snow promised, as she looked up, hoping that her words would find his birth mother somewhere. They sat and shared a few quiet moments, before David's phone rang.

"Hello?" David answered, as he seemed to listen intently, before sighing.

"I'll be right there," he said.

"Is something wrong?" Snow asked.

"No…not really wrong. It seems that Mulan knows someone that knows about ki and even some legends about Flynn's people," David replied. Her eyes widened.

"That's great…there's someone here in the United Realms?" she asked.

"Yeah…that's where the caution comes in. It's the Dragon," he replied.

"I know Clayton didn't kill him, but I thought he had slithered off never to be heard from again," Snow said.

"Don't worry…I'm sure he's only willing to help for his own self preservation. Mulan knows him too and we'll be supervising every bit of his time with Flynn," he promised, as he kissed her tenderly.

"I know…I'll see you later," she said, as he grabbed his jacket and left her with her thoughts.

~*~

Flynn stood before the old mage, eyes closed, and listening to his instructions.

"Ki is inside every living creature and most aren't even aware of it. But ki can be manifested in a physical form of energy and be used to battle, much like magical attacks," the dragon explained.

"I…I can feel it inside me. It's big…" Flynn said.

"Do not fear it. Saiyans are born with a much higher potential to harness it, even from birth. Especially you," he replied.

"Why me?" Flynn asked.

"From what I know of your father, he was very powerful. More so than most Saiyans, save for the one known as Goku. It's also quite proven that human/Saiyan hybrids have even more potential," he explained.

"You can also learn to sense ki and eventually even recognize significant ones," he added.

"How do you know so much about this stuff?" Flynn asked. The Dragon smiled thinly.

"Later…for now, work on bringing that power out. Your ki will be very important in teaching you how to use it as energy attacks and flying," the Dragon said.

"Flying?" Flynn asked in disbelief.

"Oh yes…you have only begun to discover incredible powers, young one," the Dragon replied, as Flynn sensed someone approaching, which was very new to him. It was familiar and he opened his eyes to find his adopted father there.

"I…I felt you approach," Flynn said. The Dragon nodded.

"It won't take long for you to pick up these things quickly," he replied, as he looked at David.

"Welcome…Prince Charming. I assume you are here to keep careful watch on your son's training," he said.

"With you involved, you bet I am and if I can't be here, Fandral will, because I don't trust you," David replied.

"Fair, but you must know that I do not wish to perish to this new evil that is coming. We are on the same side," the Dragon said.

"It would seem so for now and since you have no magic, I'm inclined to agree that there isn't much you could do, but if I get even an inkling that you might be trying to manipulate my son…we'll have a problem," David warned.

"Understood," the Dragon said.

"I can feel it gathering inside me…the more I concentrate," Flynn said.

"Good…do that and now bring it out," the Dragon instructed. A bead of sweat formed on his brow and they could only watch in amazement, as a glowing ball of golden energy manifested itself between the young man's palms. He opened his eyes and looked at it in shock.

"If this is day one…imagine what you will become," the Dragon said, with a tight smile.

~*~

The day at the reserve began as any other once Leo arrived that morning. He did his rounds and spent some time in the stables with the unicorns, but alarm came when Quasimodo came rushing to the stables to get him.

"Leo…something is very wrong," he said in a panic.

"What's going on? Is it one of the animals?" Leo asked.

"No…at least not yet, but I found a trail of purple slime that started at the lake and went into the woods. I…I didn't follow it," Quasimodo said.

"Good…this could be very dangerous. I'm going to call Dad and Emma to come investigate with Bobby and Flynn," he said, as he took his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed his father.

~*~

While Flynn trained with Mulan and the Dragon, Bobby was training with Regina and Gold that day. Joint training sessions would come later when Flynn learned to use his new

ki powers. For now, they were making sure Bobby was up to the task of fending off almost anything with magic, while Flynn essentially caught up. Summer had joined them and had a large bubble around her brother so he could mostly unleash his powers without shaking all the realms apart.

"He's getting so powerful…I can't believe Flynn has the potential to be more powerful than this," Regina mentioned, as he blasted each magical apparition they conjured for him with his magical blasts, obliterating each one. One of the apparitions disappeared beneath the ground and Bobby burrowed after it. It shrieked, as he burst up from the dirt with it and blasted it to destroy it.

"It's getting too easy for him, but it seems Flynn will soon give him more than enough challenge," Gold replied, as her phone rang.

"Hey Leo…" she answered, as she listened.

"Okay…Bobby is with me. We'll be right there," Regina said.

"Trouble already?" Gold asked.

"Magenta slime at the reserve…I'll keep you both posted. Let's go," she called to her grandson and he disappeared with her in a puff of purple smoke.

~*~

"Are you sure about this?" Flynn said.

"Yes…you are holding back, because you don't know how to control your ki blasts yet. But shooting them harmlessly into the atmosphere will be good practice. If you shoot straight up, they will travel harmlessly into space," the Dragon instructed.

"If you say so," Flynn replied, as he brought the golden energy out, which was getting really easy, and let small spheres of energy sail up into the air.

"Very good…soon you'll be able to harness your energy into a continuous stream. Now, a little multitasking," the Dragon instructed.

"You can feel the energy inside you quite strongly now. As you fire your blasts, use that inner energy to also propel yourself into the air," he continued. Flynn looked a little unsure.

"If you say so," the young halfbreed repeated, as he did as instructed and he was soon floating in the air, as he used his energy blasts.

"Incredible…" Mulan uttered.

"Definitely," David agreed, as his phone rang.

"Hey Leo…" he answered, as he listened and his eyes widened for a moment, before he nodded.

"We'll be right there," David said, as he held his hand up.

"We'll have to come back to this later. Leo has found some of that slime at the reserve," he said.

"Then this will be your first test. Remember to harness your energy into a weapon if needed," the Dragon said. Flynn nodded.

"I'll be back later…I want to keep going," he said. The Dragon nodded curtly.

"This beach is not secluded enough. We really need a larger space to train where they're aren't people and buildings," he said.

"There's a few abandoned islands near Cibola and Mu. I'm sure one of those will do," David replied. Mulan nodded.

"We'll go scout a new training area while you're gone," she said, as Mushu rose to his feet and followed her.

~*~

David and Flynn met Bobby, Regina, and Leo at the lake in the reserve and saw the slime that had come out of the water.

"The trail leads into the woods," Leo said. David drew his sword and his three boys followed suit, as they began the trek into the woods, with Regina behind them. Since whatever it was they were looking for left a trail, it wouldn't be hard to find and they soon came upon something horrifying. The creature scurried around on all fours, as the animals frantically ran from it.

"What…is that?" Regina asked.

"It looks like a giant locust," David replied, as Leo closed his eyes and listened to the wildlife.

"The animals…it's not natural, whatever it is. It wants to feed on sentient life. Even the predators are fearing this thing," he said. It saw them and attempted to start burrowing underground in order to escape.

"Oh no you don't," Bobby called, as he sheathed his sword and burrowed after it. A few feet away, there was an explosion of unearthed dirt, as he was tossed back out onto the surface, holding his chest in pain.

"Bobby!" they cried, as his father and older brother helped him up.

"I'm okay…it just blasted me," he said.

"It has ki," Flynn realized, as he ran after it and it started to burrow again. He raised his hand like he had just been taught and sent a blast at the creature. It squealed in pain, as it was tossed onto its back. It hissed angrily, as the young man glared down at it. Following his awakened instincts and wasting no more time, he sent a larger blast at it, point blank and it exploded in a mess of charred pieces and magenta slime. Thankfully, the splash zone remained low and splattered on his boots and pants. It was still gross, but better than it would have been had it hit his face or torso.

"Wicked…" Bobby said, as he examined his brother's handiwork.

"Okay…I gotta learn to use ki too," he announced. Flynn smirked.

"The old man says it's possible for full humans to do it too and you're stronger than most, so you'll probably pick it up pretty easily," he replied.

"That's some warrior blood you have though. Like didn't he just start showing you an hour ago?" Bobby asked. Flynn shrugged.

"Guess so…he said it was going to come pretty easily. Apparently, he said my biological father was exceptionally strong, even for a Saiyan," he replied.

"He said I'd be able to fly too," Flynn added.

"Cool…flying would be so awesome," Bobby replied. Regina smirked.

"Yeah…those two flying. That's exactly what the United Realms needs," she joked. David chuckled.

"That'll be a sight…and for around here, that's saying something," he agreed.

"Do you think they'll be more of those things?" Leo asked.

"I wish I could say no, but it looked like some kind of cross between a locust and cockroach, which means there's probably more," David replied.

"We know they have a trail though," Regina said. He nodded.

"I'll up patrol in all the realms and call in the reserve Knights. Any sign of the slime and we'll get a call. You two might be busy blasting bugs," David said.

"Nothing like on the job training," Flynn replied.

~*~

After using his powers to destroy the giant locust thing, he started to become very comfortable with his ki energy. It started to feel like an extension of his own body, much like his sword. Once he learned about his ki and harnessed it, the awakening to it became very rapid and his training progressed immensely in the second half of the day. Following that though, he made a trip to the University to visit Hyde and Dr. Flaversham with some things for them to look at, including the capsules and all the blueprints his biological mother had sent with him. To say that the scientists were intrigued was an understatement.

"Incredible," Hyde said, as he opened the capsule and then capsulized the items again.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome," Flynn agreed.

"It is revolutionary…" Hiram commented, as he looked over the blueprints.

"As are these designs. Capsule homes, capsule air vehicles, space pods," he said in amazement.

"This stuff is lightyears ahead of our technology. It could change the entire world," Hyde said.

"Wow…I guess I didn't realize it was that big. I mean I read some of the blueprints briefly and the math and science seemed pretty advanced, but nothing I didn't understand," Flynn said, earning looks of disbelief from the two scientists.

"Hold up…you understand the blue prints?" Hiram asked. He shrugged.

"I guess so…but it's pretty simple stuff, right?" Flynn asked.

"No…no it's not, Flynn. This stuff is highly advanced…perhaps even beyond us, because we've never seen anything like it before," Hyde answered.

"He's right…it's nothing we can't and are not excited to research and study, but if you really understand this stuff, then it would seem you are something of a prodigy like your biological mother," Hiram added. Flynn was stunned again. How had his mother known he might inherit her mind? Or had she just taken a chance that he might.

"It seems that you are an heir to what could be a multi-billion dollar company if any of these products were developed, young one. Are you sure you wish to involve us?" Hyde asked.

"You are the only ones I can trust to head up such a project. There's no way I'd trust any University or lab outside the United Realms with my mother's legacy. They'd backstab me the first chance they could get, especially since my focus has to be on my training right now," Flynn replied. Hiram smiled.

"We are honored then and yes, I suppose your training must come first. All of this means nothing if we are all destroyed," he agreed.

"We are very intrigued by this endeavor for certain. We can schedule regular weekly visits with you to present our ongoing progress," Hyde said. Flynn nodded.

"Sounds great," he said, as he remembered something else.

"Oh…Dad suggested that I bring something else for you to analyze," he said, as he produced a small lidded jar with a magenta substance inside.

"So this is the infamous slime we have heard about," Hiram said.

"Fascinating," Hyde said, as he undid the lid and used a cotton swab to swipe a generous amount of the matter onto a microscope slide. He placed the slide under the microscope and examined it for a few moments.

"Inconceivable," he uttered.

"What is it?" Hiram asked.

"You must see it for yourself," Hyde answered, as the other scientist took a look and then pulled back with a shocked expression.

"What? What is it?" Flynn asked.

"I've never seen anything like it…how is something like that even possible?" Hiram wondered.

"The slime contains what appears to be thousands of tiny cells, which appear to be replicating," Hyde explained.

"Wait…so you're saying that bug thing is going to grow back?" Flynn asked. He nodded.

"Unless every particle and trace of this slime is destroyed, then it is likely the creatures will regenerate, even from the brink of death," Hyde replied.

"Then simply cutting them to pieces won't do," Flynn said, as he shook his head.

"Dad called in the reserve Knights to beef up patrol around the realms, but if what you're saying is true, then these things have to be destroyed with ki energy or magic," he added. Hiram nodded.

"It would seem so…though we definitely need to do more research into the substance," he said.

"Me and my family are going to be pretty busy if only magic and ki users can destroy them," he said. On the job training, indeed.

"Perhaps if you can demonstrate this ki energy you have learned, it might be possible for us to replicate an energy like it and contain it into a weapon," Hyde suggested.

"You mean like a blaster that emits energy waves?" Flynn asked. Hiram smiled.

"We had no idea you had such a high intellect, young one," he said. Flynn shrugged.

"Neither did I. No wonder I was bored to tears in school," he replied, as he summoned a small ball of golden energy in his palm, further fascinating the two scientists.

"Incredible…and destructive. Science can be just as destructive though and I think we may be able to create something for Knights and other deputies to wield," Hyde said.

"That's great…I'll go tell my parents," he said, as they watched him hurry out the lab door and then take off into the sky.

"Well…that's another new one," Hiram commented in amazement. It seemed that the young man's powers were manifesting quite strongly now that they had been awakened.

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Summary: Gothel lied about Flynn's true origins. The truth is much more complicated and fantastical. When his origins are revealed and hidden power is uncovered, it comes just in time, as he steps into the fray to fight a new evil with the Charmings, his new family.

Face Claims:

Core Cast of Once: Same as the show.

Those that appeared as side characters in the show: Same as the show (Elsa, for example)

Fandral the Dashing and Rose Red: Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin

James and Aphrodite: Josh Dallas and a blonde Ginnifer Goodwin

Bobby Charming: Logan Lerman

Flynn Charming: Tanner Buchanan

Leo Charming: Matt Lanter

Eva Charming-Sakura: Bailee Madison

Paul Sakura: Christopher Sean

Summer Charming-Bradley: Luna Blaise

JJ Bradley: Garret Wareing

Ariana Dashing: Ciara Hanna

Zia Ramos: Jenna Ortega

Hermes: Nakia Burrise

Mother Gothel: Donna Murphy

Please consider leaving a review. It really helps with motivation and inspiration.

Finding You Always

Chapter 5: Origins, Pt 3

Unsurprisingly, Flynn tossed and turned that night, struggling to find restful sleep. Nightmares plagued him with images he didn't really understand, other than it was just pure destruction. Buildings exploding and screams ensued. He kept going back to the blue haired woman and silhouette of the man's face he couldn't see. A man that he knew to be his biological father.

He finally gave up when the clock read four in the morning and he got out of bed. Shirtless, in just his sleep pants, he proceeded to run through a few easy katas in his bedroom, until sweat beaded down his body. After that, he headed straight to the bathroom for a shower and when he got out to dry off, he looked in the mirror, intending to brush his teeth. But his eyes widened at what he saw. He looked at his hair and while most of it was still dark blonde, there were now purple…no lavender highlights in several strands. Then he remembered his biological mother's hair. Was this genetic? Was the spell hiding his strange hair color? He was a little freaked out at first, but found that it didn't look bad on him at all. In fact, it kind of looked natural on him and even brought out his bright blue eyes even more.

He took a breath and brushed his teeth, before getting dressed for the day. He wore his usual favorite training attire. A tank top, today in black, and black training gi pants. He picked up the sword, sheathed in red and strapped it crossways to his back. He gripped the hilt and gently extracted it, examining it once more. It was a truly impressive weapon and he sheathed it once again with a satisfying chink sound. It was still early and he made his way downstairs. He figured since he couldn't sleep, he'd try some meditation exercises that Mulan had taught him, but not before he looked around his home idly. The family room was comfortable, warm, and well lived in. The walls were spackled with family photos, many of which included him now. He was really anxious to open those capsules, but he didn't want to do it alone, so he stepped outside their private residence and made his way down to Snow's gardens. He found a tree and sat beneath it, setting his sword to lean against the tree, as he crossed his legs and sank into meditation.

It wasn't peaceful though, but he didn't expect it to be. Shadowy figures swirled around him and he defended against them in his mind, sword drawn, as he faced off against the figures he couldn't quite make out. He made precision strikes at lightning speed and clumps of matter fell around him in pieces. But like his nightmares, they just twitched and reformed into the shadowy beings again. His eyes snapped open and he stood up, grabbing his sword, before heading inside. He would know no peace until he opened those capsules. Thankfully, his parents were early risers and he would drag his brother out of bed if he had to. He needed to know what was in them.

~*~

"Anything?" Xander asked, as he sipped on what was probably his tenth cup of coffee. Thankfully, Emma always made sure they had good coffee at the station these days and she sipped at some too.

"No…and her greasy lawyer sure is taking his time getting here. Guess she's not important enough to disrupt sleep for," Emma mused.

"She's aged fifty years in one night," he mentioned. She smirked.

"That's what happens when you're cut off from the fountain of youth," she said, as she went back into the interrogation room.

"You look like hell…here's a soda," she said, as she put it on the table in front of the witch.

"Your parents will pay for this…I promise you that, Sheriff," Gothel hissed.

"Yep…heard that before. I think your attorney stood you up though. It's been hours since you called him," Emma replied.

"It's that damn executive charge that your mother imposed, which she has no right to do!" Gothel said.

"Mmm…yeah, she does. She's Queen, so…" Emma goaded, as Gothel raised her hands, but her magic didn't heed her call, thanks to the blasted cuffs. She seethed in frustration.

"No attorney…no stalling anymore. Time to process you for the slammer…unless you'd like to talk," Emma said.

"Never," the witch growled. The blonde shrugged.

"Suit yourself," she said, as she opened the door and two officers took her through the booking process.

"Nothing?" he asked.

"Nope…but I'm sure we'll figure all this out without her," Emma replied, as she tossed her coffee cup and left the station to head to her parents for breakfast.

~*~

Flynn was momentarily deterred in his mission to discover the contents of the strange capsules by his stomach, as he and his siblings ate their way through the mounds of food his parents had prepared. He naturally endured curiosity about his sudden change in hair, complete with his brother asking their mom if he could dye his too. It was meant with a resounding no, but everyone expressed that he looked good with the additional color. Soon, the eight of them gathered in the courtyard at some tables in case they needed room for the contents inside.

"Okay…here goes nothing…" Flynn said, as he pressed the capsule like he had been told by Hermes and tossed it gently. There was a puff of smoke and a square box appeared when the smoke cleared. Gently, he opened it and found a couple of shirts inside with the letters and logo that read "Capsule Corporation".

"Capsule Corporation…sounds like a company," Summer said.

"Your other family had to be famous too if they invented magic like this," Leo replied.

"Tech, not magic," Eva corrected.

"Looks like magic to me," Leo retorted. Flynn took out the last item in the box and it was revealed to be a blue jacket with the same logo.

"Whoa…cool jacket," Bobby commented and Flynn smiled a little. It really was and somehow, his biological mother thought far enough ahead to send him something that would fit him as an adult.

He opened the next one with another puff of smoke and found another box, this one the size of a shoebox. He opened it and blinked, as he stared at the contents of the box and his hand shook, as he picked up the jumbled stack of photographs.

"Honey…" Snow said, as she came to sit beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at the photos in wonder. One was the blue haired woman with a bunch of what looked like friends. Most of them, except one other dark haired woman, wore training gis, even a dark haired little boy in the picture. Even more alarming was that one of those was clearly another species of alien, with green skin and pointy ears to boot. There were a lot of photos. The blue haired woman with an older couple that Flynn deduced might be his grandparents and various other photos with a rotation of the same people as the first photo. Finally at the bottom of the stack, he came to one that filled in a blank for him. It was the blue haired woman with the man with flame-like hair, only his face was visible this time. He wore what seemed like a permanent scowl and was clearly annoyed, while the woman was all smiles. He turned the photo over.

"Bulma and Vegeta…" he whispered. Names. His parent's names. He wasn't sure what he was feeling at the moment or even what he was supposed to feel. He put the photo down when something underneath it caught his eye. A small book and some folder papers. He looked at the book and fingered the lettering on it.

"I…I think that's a baby book," Snow said softly. He nodded and swallowed thickly.

"Trunks…" he said quietly, as if to taste the name. It was a strange name, but it oddly felt right. He was too overwhelmed at the moment to open it and drawn to the folded papers, which overwhelmed him even more.

"It's…it's a letter from her," he said.

"We can let you read it alone if you'd prefer," David offered gently. But he shook his head, compelled to read it

"Dear Trunks, if you're reading this…then the worst has happened. I wish I had more time to do a video for you, but I couldn't do it without breaking down and I didn't want you to see me like that," Flynn said, as he swallowed, before continuing.

"I'm not sure what kind of world you ended up in, but I hope you are safe and happy. Hopefully, I can tell you a little bit about where you came from and why we had to send you away. You were the heir to my family's company, Capsule Corporation. We built a wide variety of vehicles, homes, and goods. But your grandfather made his fortune on the encapsulating technology that allows all those things to be stored in a capsule that can be put in your pocket. I sent some with you. If there are any scientists where you are, I'm sure they would be very interested in the technology," he continued.

"Now for me. I spent my youth traipsing across the globe, searching for magical artifacts known as dragon balls, after I built a radar to detect them. I was successful many times in finding them and the wishes granted to us by the dragon actually saved us many times from various enemies that seemed to plague our planet. But I am getting ahead of myself," he read, before taking another deep breath.

"In my journey during my teen years, I met an extraordinary little boy named Goku, who was trained in martial arts from a young age and seemed to always come out on top. It wasn't until years later that we learned that he was not from Earth, but was a Saiyan, sent as an infant to destroy our planet. But a fateful bump on his head made him lose his programming and he became Earth's greatest hero instead. I'm sure your head is swimming by now, so I'll fast forward a bit," he continued.

"Your father was once evil and came to our planet to destroy it when Goku would not. He was the Prince of his nearly extinct race and was defeated by Goku in a fierce battle, but as he did most of the time, Goku must have seen something in him and he didn't destroy him that day. I would later see the same in him," he recited.

"He was a complicated man with too much pride and anger, but being raised by an evil tyrant that destroyed your planet can and did make him into a monster. In his quest to be Goku's better, I think he changed a bit. I won't lie to you. He could be a complete jerk and I would have probably had to raise you not to expect much, but he was there. He stayed when he could have left in the spaceship I gave him. He did from time to time, but he always came back to me…to us. I thought for a moment that maybe we'd actually get married and he would help me raise you," Flynn said, as he let out a stifled breath.

"One of us can take over if you need us to," Bobby offered.

"Will you?" he asked. Bobby nodded with a smile.

"But tragedy struck…one after another. Goku came down with a radical heart virus that not even someone as strong as him could beat and he died. Because it was deemed natural causes, he couldn't be revived with the dragon balls. Months later, the cyborgs appeared and destroyed the entirety of south city in a day. Millions were lost in the initial attack, including almost all my friends. Your father was nearly lost that day too, but he was saved by Goku's young son, Gohan, who took the blast meant for him," Bobby said, as he paused for a moment.

"He would never admit it, but I think it did something to him that day. He was angry and maybe a bit guilty, since he had never been very nice to Gohan and probably wondered why he did it. But I knew Gohan very well…and I know he did it for you, Trunks. I think he hoped Vegeta could survive for you and maybe even get strong enough to defeat the cyborgs," Bobby said, pausing again.

"But it wasn't meant to be. A being even worse than the cyborgs soon appeared, who disappeared shortly after this creature became known. No one is really sure what happened, but this creature had the abilities of all the greatest fighters on Earth and the population dwindled to next to nothing in just weeks. We knew space might be the only escape, but the resources to make the special fuel for the ship had been destroyed. There wasn't enough for the big ship. However, there was enough for the small space pod that belonged to Goku that I had restored and used as a prototype for the larger ship. We knew it was the only way. We would die with our world, but you'd have a chance to live. That was enough for us," he continued.

"I hope you know now how much you were loved and how much we wanted you. I'm sure by now you're strong and handsome and living what I hope is a happy life. I love you with all my heart, son. Remember us as your past, but move forward in your future. Love, Mom," Bobby said, concluding the letter. Flynn swiped a few tears away and Snow gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry…I didn't know them. I don't know why I'm crying," he said.

"Honey…they're in your heart. Of course you're going to mourn them now that you know," she replied soothingly, as he let her hug him and he clutched the baby book.

"We can look at it later if it's too much right now," she said.

"A…actually, will you look at it first? You and Dad? I…I think it's probably more for you than me," he replied. She was a little surprised, but very touched.

"You want me to see it first?" she asked. He nodded.

"I think…I think I just need a little time by myself," Flynn replied.

"Of course…we're here when you need us," David said, as Flynn headed off on a walk by himself.

"That was heavy…" Leo commented.

"Yeah…he's now carrying the possible fate of the multiverse on his shoulders," Eva said.

"Maybe…but he's not alone," Summer said.

"She's right, we're going to be there with him," David agreed.

"Yeah…that Shin guy said it would take ki and magic, right?" Bobby asked. Emma nodded.

"Right," Emma replied. They parted ways for the day after that, except Snow and David, as they decided to go back upstairs to look at the baby book together and process everything they had learned.

~*~

Once he left, Flynn found himself itching to throw some punches. He could feel this new power just beneath the surface now and was curious to see what it had to offer. He found himself portalling to the shores in Storybrooke to train by the ocean, where he began with a few intense katas. One world gone…this one in danger and he was supposed to have some kind of power to stop it? Even if he was born with the power, he had no idea how to bring it out, at least not quickly. Who was even going to teach him? Mulan was a great teacher, but he somehow knew that his alien powers were beyond her level. But who could teach him? He had no idea how to harness ki…even if he could feel something in his body that was different now.

"My, my…your ki is very strong," an elderly Chinese man said, as he seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Who the hell are you?" Flynn asked. The man chuckled.

"You sound just like your father…or adopted father, rather," the man replied.

"He's my father…I may be adopted, but I am his son," Flynn refuted.

"Of course…you are definitely a Charming. I have always had a healthy interest in your family…and their magic," he said.

"If you're another creepy stalker obsessed with my parents, I'll snap you in half like a twig, old man," he warned. This only made the old man cackle with glee.

"Such a Saiyan thing to say…a Saiyan prince thing to say," he said with a toothy grin.

"What do you know about Saiyans?" he asked.

"I know a great many things about a great many worlds, child. I am the Dragon, after all," he revealed.

"The Dragon…you're that creepy magic man that Leo told me about. You helped the Collector at one time. How are you still alive?" Flynn questioned.

"Oh no…the Collector only used me and stole my magic, but left me alive that fateful day he took your parents from Storybrooke. You came along just a few months later," the Dragon said.

"What do you want?" Flynn asked.

"I know about ki…I can show you how to use it," the old mage claimed. Flynn looked at him skeptically.

"What makes you think I would ever trust someone like you?" he asked.

"I mean you no harm…the evil that is coming will swallow us all. I can awaken your heritage inside you, boy," he replied. Flynn was about to tell him to get lost when he heard another voice.

"It's okay Flynn…for as much trouble as he is, he can do what he says in ways I cannot," Mulan interjected.

"You know him?" Flynn asked.

"Oh yes…he's a disgrace, but he does know the techniques you need to learn and all of the legends around your people. He will have my supervision in your training, as well as your father and Fandral's," Mulan answered. The Dragon bowed curtly.

"Your terms are acceptable, Fa Mulan," he said.

"Then let's proceed. Time is of the essence, Mushu," she replied.

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Summary: Gothel lied about Flynn's true origins. The truth is much more complicated and fantastical. When his origins are revealed and hidden power is uncovered, it comes just in time, as he steps into the fray to fight a new evil with the Charmings, his new family.

Updates for this story will be on Saturday nights. This story will introduce a new universe of characters and concepts, but don't worry if you discover you haven't seen this particular series. Everything you need to know will be detailed and explained and will mostly remain the established Finding You Always universe. I will also list face claims for characters and add more as they appear. The core cast of Once remains the same as the show, of course. Also, the face claims for Ariana Dashing and Zia Ramos, love interests for Flynn and Bobby respectively have changed and updated. I will also respond to your reviews after each chapter, so please consider leaving feedback. It really helps keep me motivated. Without any further ado, let's get to it.

Shoutout to The Grey Jedi for being a sounding board on ideas for this story.

Face Claims:

Core Cast of Once: Same as the show.

Those that appeared as side characters in the show: Same as the show (Elsa, for example)

Fandral the Dashing and Rose Red: Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin

James and Aphrodite: Josh Dallas and a blonde Ginnifer Goodwin

Bobby Charming: Logan Lerman

Flynn Charming: Tanner Buchanan

Leo Charming: Matt Lanter

Eva Charming-Sakura: Bailee Madison

Paul Sakura: Christopher Sean

Summer Charming-Bradley: Luna Blaise

JJ Bradley: Garret Wareing

Ariana Dashing: Ciara Hanna

Zia Ramos: Jenna Ortega

Hermes: Nakia Burrise

Mother Gothel: Donna Murphy

Please consider leaving a review. It really helps with motivation and inspiration.

Finding You Always 2

Chapter 4: Origins, Pt 2

Leroy arrived shortly with the van to take the criminal into custody, even if he was still spouting his insults.

"These kids are freaks! That one is supposed to be normal, he ain't normal! He's probably some demon seed!" he shouted, earning him a punch in the face, surprisingly from Snow, for she had beaten her husband to it. Bobby and Flynn's eyes widened in surprise and they were clearly impressed.

"Those are my babies you're talking about," she hissed.

"She assaulted me! I want to press charges against her!" he cried. David smirked.

"She's the Queen…she can punch you if she wants to," he asked, as he lightly shoved him toward Leroy.

"Get him out of here," David said, as the dwarf dragged him toward the prison van.

"Shut up…you're giving me a headache!" Leroy snapped, as he pushed him into the van and drove off. "Honey…are you sure you're okay?" Snow asked. He nodded.

"Yeah…just a scratch. Not really sure how that's possible, but why don't you two seem surprised that I crushed a bullet with my body?" Flynn asked.

"Yeah…does it have anything to do with your little adventure with Uncle James and Aunt Aphrodite today?" Bobby questioned. They exchanged a glance.

"Wow…you guys are good. Maybe I'm training a little too well with the detective stuff," David commented, as Gold joined them outside.

"Perhaps we should portal to your residence. I took the liberty of requesting that the other four meet us there for an emergency meeting. They can relay everything later to their spouses," Gold said. They nodded.

"Whoa…now I know something freaky is going on," Flynn said.

"Is there a new enemy?" Bobby asked.

"That's part of it…but the rest I think you need to sit down to hear," David replied, as they portaled back to Misthaven.

~*~

Gothel shuffled around her shop that evening and noticed a bit of commotion in Storybrooke. Those Charmings…another troublemaker caught by them to fill their prison with. Honestly, she thought this dull town could use a little chaos these days. She smirked though, as her eyes honed in on Flynn.

"Dote over him all you want, Snow White…but a piece of that boy will always belong to me," she said, as she went to her mirror to examine her unwrinkled skin, only to gasp in horror, as two wrinkle lines had appeared again since that morning.

But that wasn't possible. She had sucked a bit of the boy's youth up just that morning from his endless well of power. She should have been good for weeks. Storming into her secret panic room, she was horrified to see that the glow on his pod had dulled a bit. Her spell…it was weakening. How could that even be possible!? All these years…and he had remained carefully pressed under her thumb. The truth hit her like a ton of bricks. The training…she had overlooked the training, which was making him stronger. It was in his nature and she had not taken such into account when she created her spell.

Panicking, she made her way to her potions cabinet to brew a stronger spell, but she found her potions collection quite depleted.

"Damn those Charmings…" Gothel growled. They had enlisted the former Evil Queen's help to identify harmful potions often used in evil spells, several years ago and restricted their sale and she was not on the cleared list to buy them. Sure, she had purchased them on the black market on Pleasure Island easily, but that was before they had turned the island into a playplace and not the den of heathens it once was.

"Damn them!" she growled, trying to think of a way to get what she needed. But the only way to do that was to steal it and all her favorite hired hands were either reformed or in prison. Another line appeared on her face and she shouted in rage, as several of her crystal balls exploded. She saw the Charmings disappear through a portal again…with Mr. Gold and she grinned at her luck.

"Oh you'll regret going with them tonight, Dark One…" she said, as she disappeared in a puff of smoke. It was a bold plan, but she was desperate to obtain what she needed or her youth would slip through her fingers in a matter of days.

~*~

Flynn sat before his adopted family in stunned silence. His brain was trying to comprehend everything his parents had just told him. Phrases such as Gothel lied. New evil. Real parents…only half human. Saiyan. Even a birth name.

"Family is more than just blood, kid. You're one of us no matter what," Emma offered.

"It makes sense in a way. You look nothing like Penny or Chase," Leo mentioned.

"You're too remarkable to be Penny's son," Eva said. She had loathed Penny and the way she toyed with her twin's emotions.

"This doesn't change anything…you're still my little brother," Summer said warmly.

"Dude, you being half alien makes so much sense," Bobby said, demonstrating his complete absence of any tact whatsoever, but also the instant ability to lighten the mood and make them all laugh.

"I knew you'd bring that up," Flynn joked, as he became a little somber and the mood shifted back to seriousness.

"So…what now?" Flynn asked.

"We raid Gothel's shop. The spell is clearly already weakening, but I don't think we have time for you to break it on your own. It sucks, but you won't be able to ease into your new powers or training," David replied. He nodded.

"I'm ready Dad," he said, almost punctuating the word Dad. He knew he was adopted, but he had never felt like he was adopted. That's how amazing his family was and now to know that the Gods or Kais or whatever was out there intended for them to find him from the beginning gave them all something bittersweet.

"Tearing that dump apart is going to be satisfying anyway," Emma mentioned.

"We always knew she was probably into some illegal stuff. We just had no idea it was sucking the life out of you," Leo said. Flynn shrugged.

"I barely felt it…guess I know where those headaches are coming from now," he said, as Gold's phone rang and he answered, stepping away for a moment.

"Who is going to train him? Is Mulan still going to do it? I mean, no offense, but he's going to be stronger than all of us just at his base it sounds like when the spell is lifted," Bobby said.

"No…you're right. I'm going to enlist Fandral to get involved personally. He's close to having God-like strength and Shin said he would be in touch through Hermes. He may decide to take a hand himself. This new evil, whatever is it, already destroyed his entire universe and countless others. He wants it stopped here," David replied, as Gold returned.

"I believe your raid on the shop can't wait until morning," he said, as the former Prince, now King, stood up.

"What do you mean?" David asked.

"That was the security company that I have my alarm set up with in the shop. There was a break in and Gothel was identified as the culprit and she fled, likely back to her shop," Gold replied, as Emma's phone rang.

"That would be the station," she said, as they were likely informing her of the situation.

"Why would Gothel try to steal from your shop? That seems stupid," Leo said.

"Stupid or desperate. She must need something…she knows the spell on you is weakening," he deduced, as he looked at Flynn.

"Yeah…that was the station. We have uniformed officers surrounding her shop and she's put up a magical barrier around it," Emma said.

"That's nothing I can't get through probably," Bobby replied. They nodded.

"Guess the raid is going down now. Are you ready?" David asked, as he put his hand on Flynn's shoulder. The young man nodded and they took a portal to the east end of Storybrooke.

~*~

"Curse you, Dark One!" Gothel shouted, as she used what little resources she had to close herself in her shop with a barrier. She had been so careful and even bypassed the initial cameras, but Gold's security system was just too good and she had set it off the moment she opened his potions cabinet. She had pushed some of the contents into a bag as she fled and now dug through the sack to see what she had obtained. But it was all wrong.

"No…no…this is all useless!" she cried, as she saw more wrinkle lines appear on her face. She should have known the Dark One kept his most dangerous potions somewhere else than his main cabinet in the shop. Probably in his home.

"Gothel…lower your barrier or we're coming. This is your one chance to do this peacefully," she heard a man's voice call through a bullhorn. It was Charming himself. She clenched her teeth and seethed. They were going to ruin everything. When she didn't respond, she wasn't surprised to see the youngest upstart stomp his foot on the ground, sending a shockwave toward her shield and nullifying it like it was nothing.

The door burst open after that, as the blasted Charmings invaded her shop.

"The jig is up, Gothel…we know what you've been doing and now you're going to give us some answers," David said.

"I'm going to do nothing of the sort," Gothel hissed in return, as Bobby purposely bumped a shelf, which sent trinkets and a crystal ball crashing to the floor, breaking into pieces.

"Oops…" he said.

"You insolent brat!" she shouted, as he shoved another crystal ball off a table and shattered it.

"Give my brother back what is his…and lift the damn spell or I'll break every stupid trinket in this dump," Bobby growled.

"Is this the kind of deviant child you've raised, King Charming?" he goaded. But David only smirked.

"You're sucking the life out of one of my kids…I'll help him break stuff until you crack," he replied.

"He's not yours…not really. He's a half alien freak…the things his biological father did to countless worlds makes me look like a kitten. Are you sure you want to discover a legacy stained in blood, brat?" she said smugly.

"Shin said he changed…that's enough for me," Flynn replied, but she scoffed.

"You don't know anything…he didn't change. There were just people stronger to keep him in check. He didn't give a damn about you or your mother," Gothel goaded.

"You don't know him," Flynn said angrily. She smirked.

"You're right…but I was acquainted with someone who knew of him and observed him enough to know. But that's for another day…I want a lawyer," she said. David clenched his teeth.

"Tear this shop apart…and get her an attorney. We'll find what we need without her," he said, as he handed her over to Lancelot and Xander, who had just arrived.

"Damn…talk about hoarding," Emma said, as they stepped into the backroom, which seemed to be storage and an office. The desk was covered in junk though and she wasn't sure how anyone could work on it.

"This can't be it," Emma said, as they looked around.

"Maybe it is…maybe she threw out anything that came with me out of spite," Flynn replied sadly.

"No…she would need a personal item from you for such a spell where she was sucking on your lifeforce," Gold advised. David saw the bookshelf on the far wall and went and knocked on it. He smirked.

"Hollow," he said, as they started looking for a switch or mechanism on it. Emma removed a painting and they found a button.

"Hidden panic room," she said, as the wall slid aside.

"How did you know there was a hidden room?" Flynn asked. David smirked.

"Most villains follow the same old playbook. Your Mom and I ran across something like this when we were dealing with Dr. Facilier in Seattle," he replied, as they went inside and found something of a shrine.

"Great…another creepy shrine," Emma said, as Flynn's eyes fixated on the glowing pod in the center of the room.

"Is…is this what I came in?" he wondered.

"I think so," Snow said, as she put her hands on his shoulders.

"It's the pod…that's what she's attached to. The glow is fading…we were right about the spell weakening," Gold offered.

"Do…do we have to destroy it?" Flynn asked. He almost didn't want to. He had no use for it and no desire to ever leave for anywhere else, but it still felt like a piece of him. Flashes of the dream he had a couple nights ago flashed in his mind.

"I…I remember being put inside this. It was a dream I had the other night…I didn't know what it meant," Flynn said, as he looked at his adopted mother.

"I…I saw her…she was beautiful, but sad," he said, as the grief started to fill him and Snow was there to hug him tightly.

"Oh sweetie…I'm so sorry," she replied, as she consoled him. He pulled back and swiped a few tears away.

"Looks like a few more things came with you," Emma mentioned, as he saw the sword. It was impressive and the moment his hand gripped the hilt, it felt like an extension of his own arm. He unsheathed it and watched the blade gleam under the dim lights.

"It's awesome…" Bobby said. He unhooked the sword he had taken up from Mulan and replaced it with this one. He was grateful for the weapon she had given him, but there was nothing special about it and this one felt like an extra limb. Like it was made for him or destined to be wielded by him.

"What's this?" Leo asked, as he opened the case and found some strange capsules inside.

"No idea…if it's sciencey though, I bet Hyde can figure them out," Eva suggested.

"No need," Hermes said, as she appeared in the doorway.

"Shin briefed me on this possibility. Your mother was a genius and these are capsules, invented by your grandfather. In fact, this pod was damaged almost beyond repair, but she managed to restore it and used a model of it to build a larger space craft. That had been her first plan," Hermes explained.

"They planned to escape with me?" Flynn asked curiously. She nodded.

"Your father used the larger capsule craft for training in space and it was low on fuel. It wouldn't have gotten them very far and there was no time to acquire more," Hermes answered.

"But there was enough for this pod," Emma deduced. The Goddess nodded.

"They wanted to go with you…but they couldn't so they gave you your best chance," Snow murmured, as she immediately drew a connection to the other woman she would never know, but felt an instant kinship with.

"My best chance…" he repeated thoughtfully.

"I don't know what your mother sent with you, but these act like pocket dimensions, only they use technology and science instead of magic. They can store anything. Ships, vehicles, clothing…memories…" she said. He took the case and looked at his parents.

"Can…can we open them at home?" he asked.

"Of course…we'll be right there with you if you want us to be," David answered. He nodded and clutched the case.

"What about the spell?" he asked, as Gold examined it.

"I called in a second opinion," he said, as Regina appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Gold filled me in on everything and I listened to your voicemail," she said to Snow, indicating that she was up to speed.

"That old hag…" Regina commented, as she waved her hand over the pod, before plucking a hair from Flynn's head.

"I worked up a base for an antidote when Gold told me what we are dealing with," she said, as she added his hair and there was a puff of white smoke, as it turned clear blue.

"There," she said, with a satisfied smirk.

"I have to drink that?" Flynn asked.

"Afraid so…down the hatch," she replied. His face showed disgust, as he swallowed the sour liquid. A brief glow around his head was seen, before it fizzled out and he stumbled slightly, before catching himself.

"Are you okay?" Snow asked. He nodded, as he quickly got his bearings.

"How do you feel?" Regina asked.

"Weird…but I think it's a good weird," he answered.

"It's late…you should all go home for the night. It will be morning, before the whole scene is processed," Xander said. They nodded.

"Let me know if you make any progress with Gothel's interrogation. She's allowed her attorney, but Snow ruled executively on this. Make sure the Judge knows there's no bail option," David said. His father nodded.

"I doubt she'll talk…but at least she won't be going anywhere. We've already got two magical cuffs on her," Xander replied.

"She can shrivel up and wither away for all I care after what she's done to our son," Snow said darkly. David gently put his hand on her shoulder and led her out of the shop. Their kids followed and the boys went home with them. It was decided that they would try to get some sleep and then Flynn would see what of any of his heritage his biological parents sent with him with fresh eyes the next day…

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Summary: Gothel lied about Flynn's true origins. The truth is much more complicated and fantastical. When his origins are revealed and hidden power is uncovered, it comes just in time, as he steps into the fray to fight a new evil with the Charmings, his new family.

Face Claims:

Core Cast of Once: Same as the show.

Those that appeared as side characters in the show: Same as the show (Elsa, for example)

Fandral the Dashing and Rose Red: Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin

James and Aphrodite: Josh Dallas and a blonde Ginnifer Goodwin

Bobby Charming: Logan Lerman

Flynn Charming: Tanner Buchanan

Leo Charming: Matt Lanter

Eva Charming-Sakura: Bailee Madison

Paul Sakura: Christopher Sean

Summer Charming-Bradley: Luna Blaise

JJ Bradley: Garret Wareing

Ariana Dashing: Ciara Hanna

Zia Ramos: Jenna Ortega

Hermes: Nakia Burrise

Mother Gothel: Donna Murphy

Please consider leaving a review. It really helps with motivation and inspiration. Finding You Always 2

Chapter 3: Origins, Pt 1

Snow and David were stunned, as they watched the history of Shin's Earth play out before them. They didn't know exactly who these people were or what they were running from, but Snow found herself fixated on the baby in the beautiful aqua haired woman's arms. Such strange hair, but it seemed to suit this woman.

"What…what are they running from?" David asked.

"A terrifying creature; a cyborg actually, created by a mad scientist. Brilliant, but completely evil," Shin answered.

"Evil scientist…we had more than enough experience with one of those," Snow commented.

"This cyborg literally absorbs his victims into his very essence and I will spare you the horrifying, grotesque sight of this. Like in your universe, there are a few different versions of my universe as well," he explained.

"One where this monster was vanquished and peace was restored with minimal loss of life and the child grew up happy with both of his biological parents. One where cyborgs ruined the world, but were eventually vanquished by the child that woman holds, and his world was finally free.

"Then there was this one where all hope was lost very quickly and there was no escape for anyone, except him, thanks to his brilliant mother," Shin told them, as they watched the woman put the baby in a strange pod and it closed, as she sobbed almost uncontrollably. The man with her was very stoic and his face betrayed little emotion, except his eyes. The sadness and despair flashed briefly in them.

"They put the child into a space pod and launched it just before they, the last remaining people on the planet, were killed. But instead of space, the turbulence this creature's power created bounced his pod into the All World River and into your Universe," he said.

"Our Universe?" Snow asked.

"Twenty-two years ago?" David asked, as they started to realize why they were being told first. Shin nodded.

"I had my hands full with this evil and I wasn't able to keep tabs on the child like I wanted. I knew of Aphrodite's truest loves, for Gaia was a dear friend. But unfortunately, the two of you were not present in your home realm when he arrived, thanks to another evil and a loathsome witch intercepted his pod," Shin explained.

"Clayton…when we were in Atlantis," Snow realized.

"The witch…Gothel…" David uttered. Shin nodded and Snow gasped.

"Flynn…he's the baby," she said, as she put a hand to her heart.

"That is not his birth name, but only he can make the decision to keep the name he chose for himself or take his birth name," Shin said.

"Gothel…she lied about his origins. But why? What does she get from that?" Aphrodite wondered.

"I'm not sure of the specifics of everything she did, but I can tell that the boy is under a powerful spell enacted by her; one that is suppressing his true strength and power," Shin said.

"Power?" David asked.

"Flynn is only half human,"

~*~

"Well…how is everything?" Tiana asked, as she came back to their table and observed the two boys still eating her culinary delights.

"So good…" Bobby mumbled.

"So so good…" Flynn echoed.

"It was delicious as usual, Tiana," Ariana said.

"Yes…we're stuffed, but somehow they're not yet," Zia joked. The woman laughed.

"I love it…these two give me a challenge," she said, as she left the check and a basket of beignets.

"So…after you two are done with your conquest, what are we doing tonight?" Ariana asked.

"We could go to the amusement park or a movie on pleasure island," Bobby suggested.

"Let's do a movie…even if I metabolize all this by the time we get there, I doubt I'll feel good after a roller coaster," Flynn replied.

"A movie sounds great…at least we get some good ones now," Zia said.

"Yeah…and embarrassing ones. I hear they're making yet another movie about your family," Ariana teased, causing Bobby to groan and Flynn to roll his eyes.

"The casting was way off on the last one," the latter said.

"It was so bad…like the CGI was embarrassing," Bobby complained.

"I mean, of course it's not going to look as good as the real thing and it was stupid, because they couldn't even find twins to play your Dad and Uncle James," Ariana complained.

"Yeah…and the guy they got to play your Dad didn't look anything like him either," Flynn commented. Bobby chuckled.

"And they were so offended when we trashed their movie on Eva's podcast," he recalled with a laugh.

"You guys were a little rude," Zia chided.

"Nah…that's just us. Everyone knows I have no tact and he's blunt as hell," Bobby said, pointing at his brother.

"I find little use for sugar coating," Flynn joked. They soon finished and paid the check, before heading for the Harbor.

~*~

"What?" David questioned.

"His father was one of the last of a dead race known as Saiyans, the Prince of them, in fact. They were a ruthless race of warriors, destroyed by an even more ruthless warrior that feared their power. The boy's father was once evil himself, but was redeemed when his mother saw that there was more to him than that," Shin explained. Snow and David were thoughtful at that. They knew from experience that sometimes your greatest enemy could become family.

The remaining Saiyans lived on Earth and used their power to defend it, until it wasn't enough. The evil that killed his world became restless with nothing left to destroy and then something else came along and simply erased everything," Shin explained.

"I have no idea what was behind it or who could do such a thing, but I was able to contain it to the twelve universes within my sector. Until almost six years ago," he continued.

"Ouranos…" Aphrodite whispered.

"If the destroyer had been released and just did what he was meant to and destroyed, then none of this would be happening, but when his chosen vessel decided to pervert his power by trying to overwrite the laws of the universe, catastrophe happened and it removed the barriers between worlds. Normally, I could never leave my Universe for another, but with no barriers, I could now if I wanted. But so can this evil entity that is causing all of this," Shin said.

"Damn Clayton…even though he's been erased from existence, that man is still haunting us," David growled with clenched fists.

"I'm afraid so…when he used the pen, it broke the barriers in the River, allowing for this hybrid creature to escape my Universe and begin its assault on world after world. It was slow at first, taking years to destroy one universe, but as it absorbed more power, the time it takes to destroy a universe is increasing," Shin explained.

"How do we even begin to fight something like that? We have a lot of magic on our side…but this thing doesn't seem like it can be stopped," James said urgently.

"Magic alone cannot stop it and that's why you must find a way to lift Gothel's spell on your son. Flynn has no magic, but his power comes from his own life energy. We call it Ki where I am from," Shin replied.

"The blood of a warrior…that's why he's so skilled in fighting," David realized. Shin nodded.

"It makes sense now," he added.

"The slime…when do you think this creature will make itself known?" Hermes asked. Shin looked down.

"I do not know…he likes games. He may send minions to toy with you, especially when he finds out there is a Saiyan to play with. Flynn will have to train intensely, even when his natural, raw power is unleashed. Saiyans get stronger and more powerful with each battle, but as it stands, he's a long way from being able to win such a battle. Ki is not enough alone; nor is magic. But perhaps together…they may make the difference and could vanquish this terror," Shin said. Snow felt like screaming. It was happening again. Her babies were all that stood between this evil and complete annihilation of their entire world.

"Excuse me…" Snow said, as she fled her chair and stepped away from the table. David was at her side in an instant, as tears fell down her cheeks.

"How can this be happening again?" she whispered. He put his hands on her shoulders.

"I know…" he said. He felt just as lost and helpless as her.

"How do we even tell Flynn all this?" she asked.

"I'm not sure…but we'll do it together. First though…we need to tear Gothel's shop apart and find a way to force her to lift the spell on Flynn," he replied.

"How do we break this spell?" she asked.

"I'm not sure…her magic is different from mine, but you have someone that may be able to help. He's an expert in magic," Shin replied.

"Gold," David said.

"He's our best bet," Hermes agreed.

"I will assist you as much as I can from here. She can be my messenger," Shin offered.

"Thank you…" David said, as they offered a bow, which he returned.

"Go…your adopted son, like all your children, is strong. He will accept his heritage and his desire to protect his new family will be fierce. He is of two worlds and two races. With his power and your family's magic…we may win this, after all," Shin replied. They nodded and Hermes' bubble surrounded them, before disappearing into the River.

"Do you think they can defeat this abominable creature, Master?" Kibito questioned.

"I don't know, my friend…I am afraid that hope is all we have to lean on right now," Shin said.

~*~

Snow took a shuddered breath, as they arrived back home in their Castle. They had portaled right into the private living residence, as they were not up for any small talk with staff or Knights at the moment. David had been quiet too on the way back to Olympus, as everything they had learned was still sinking in.

"How…how do we even tell him? Where do we start?" she asked. He sighed.

"I'm not sure…but our answers are in that trinket shop. I don't care that I don't have cause on this one. We're raiding that shop tomorrow once with the boys and Emma," he replied.

"You'll have cause…I'm ruling executively on this one. That witch is done," she said fiercely.

"He was supposed to come to us from the beginning. We could have gently broken this to him over time. He could have learned to gradually control his powers at his own pace," Snow said.

"Yeah…and now he has to go through some grueling crash course to be ready for whatever is coming," David agreed.

"Do we wait up for them?" Snow asked.

"Maybe we should visit Gold first and tell him. Shin suggested that he may know how to go about breaking the spell. We'll probably need him to go with us when we raid her shop," David replied, as she stood up and they portaled to Storybrooke.

~*~

"That movie was pretty good," Zia said.

"It didn't have any action scenes," Bobby complained. Ariana rolled her eyes.

"Don't you two think about anything but fighting? And that's coming from an Asgardian," she said.

"Well…there's food," Bobby offered, as he looked at his brother. There was a third f they thought about if they were being honest, but what young man their age didn't.

"Boys…" Zia huffed.

"Come on…we think about you too," Flynn said, as his hand brushed Ariana's. She looked at him and not for the first time noticed how cute and attractive he was. Zia seemed to have the same sentiments for Bobby.

"Really?" Ari asked.

"Trust me…I think about you a lot," he confessed, as he took her hands in his own. She smiled and as they were about to kiss, they heard a gunshot ring out, followed by screams and a man in dark clothes running out of one of the shops in the mall.

"You make sure no one's hurt…I've got this one," Flynn said, as he gave chase, while Bobby rushed into the shop. Flynn was fast and limber, thanks to years of running himself on the streets. He had once been a thief as well and had it pointed out more than once by other criminals that he was once like them. But his adopted mother had quickly refuted any of those claims, telling him that she had once been a bandit and stole for survival. He was the same and had never once even thought about hurting anyone. She made sure he understood such an important distinction. He was nothing like this man. He was stealing just to take and hurt people, most likely.

He chased the perpetrator through the mall, as he shoved things down in his path and barreled through people. Flynn jumped over objects and managed to dodge all the alarmed spectators. He chased him toward the outer fencing around the amusement park and his eyes darted around, as he decided to try and climb it. But Flynn caught up to him and the desperate criminal pulled his gun on him. Flynn put his hands out and kept inching forward.

"Put the weapon down," he ordered.

"Stupid welp…how much use is that sword on your back against a gun," he taunted.

"More useful than you think," Flynn countered, as they circled.

"Keep your distance! I'll shoot you…I swear!" he warned.

"You don't want to do that…right now, you're facing petty theft and attempted assault with a weapon. It's serious…but it gets a whole lot more serious if you fire that weapon at me," Flynn warned, trying to reason as David had taught him to do.

"Charmings…so smug and up on your high horse," the man growled.

"But you're not even a real one, are you brat? You're the one that can't use magic!" he laughed. Flynn clenched his teeth and rushed him, drawing his sword in the blink of an eye. The man was shocked and he squeezed the trigger, probably by accident and the bullet hit Flynn in the shoulder. He recoiled in shock and hit the ground with a thud. Instinctively, his hand went right to the wound, but both he and the perpetrator were stunned to see that there was no blood or wound to speak of. Flynn patted his shoulder and shrugged out of his jacket, leaving him in a black tank top and he examined his shoulder. He saw a tiny scratch where there should have been a gunshot wound. His eyes widened further, as he picked up a small metal object from the dirt. It was the bullet, smashed and broken in two pieces.

"What the hell…what kind of freak are you?" the thief uttered, as he prepared to run again. But Flynn got over his shock quickly enough and tackled the man to the ground, just as Bobby arrived.

"He shot into the ceiling of the shop just to scare people," the darker haired young man said, as Flynn cuffed him. Bobby frisked him and recovered a bag full of money from the cash register and shoved it in an evidence bag.

"I shot you! You should be bleeding from your shoulder right now!" the man exclaimed loudly enough for everyone to hear around them.

"What?" Bobby asked, as Flynn's face still reflected shock and he showed his brother the bullet fragments.

"No wound?" he asked. Not even Bobby was bulletproof, unless he was ready to use magic to shield himself.

"No idea…" Flynn said, with a shaky voice. He was clearly a little freaked out by it and he felt all the spectators' eyes on him.

"I'm calling Dad," Bobby said, as they hauled the criminal out of the park.

"Flynn!" Ariana cried, as she and Zia caught up and she hugged him fiercely.

"I'm fine…I don't know how, but I am," he said. She swallowed and nodded, giving him a silent look of support. Asgardians themselves varied in strength and Ari wasn't quite sure if she could walk away from a bullet unscathed. She would definitely survive one better than a normal human, but only warriors of calibur like her father and Sif could theoretically walk through a barrage of bullets. Only someone like Thor was completely impervious to such injury.

"Mom and Dad are at Gold's shop," Bobby said, as he hung up the phone. Flynn pressed a button on his watch and they stepped through the portal to Storybrooke.

~*~

The shop bell chimed and he didn't bother telling the patrons that he was closed, because they weren't there to buy anything. Somewhere, over the years, the Charmings had become family. He would have had a good laugh at that if you had told him he would be considered family with the Charmings years ago.

"Word on the street is that you disappeared today with James and Aphrodite, so I had a feeling I'd be seeing you soon," Rumple said.

"Have you had any visions of the future?" Snow asked curiously.

"Impressions only…and they don't make much sense to me. I was hoping I would get some hints from you. I see a mysterious slime…and your adopted son," Rumple replied.

"Yeah…we might know why," David said, as he took a breath.

"It's really long…but the short explanation is that Hermes sensed a new evil and the All World River is contaminated with this slime," David began.

"Universes are being erased and we were taken to another realm to meet a God called Kaioshin," Snow added.

"Shin…I recall the name from an earlier Dark One…" Gold said.

"In short, Flynn's not from here, Gothel intercepted him when he arrived since we were gone in Atlantis when he came, and put a spell on him, suppressing his real power," David explained.

"That explains his strange aura that I felt around him this afternoon," Gold said.

"Aura?" Snow asked.

"All people have an aura. Your magical children each have a remarkable aura. Flynn's was nothing out of the ordinary, until he started his training in earnest. Now it's very strong, but not quite magical," Gold replied.

"Shin called it Ki energy. Apparently, he was born from half of a race of warriors that are gifted with amazing strength. Gothel's shop is getting raided in the morning and we're going to make her lift whatever spell she put on our son," David said.

"Shin thinks Flynn and Bobby's combined ki and magic might be the only thing to stop whatever is coming," Snow added. Gold nodded.

"Once again, we're facing almost certain destruction," he said bitterly. They nodded sadly.

"Have you told the boy yet?" Rumple asked.

"No…we came here first and we're going to tell him tonight," David replied.

"What is the name of the people he comes from?" Gold questioned.

"Saiyans," David said. Saiyans. Rumple disappeared into his thoughts for a moment, weaving through the memories of previous dark ones.

"I…I think I recall a legend about the Saiyans; one hailing from the Dragon Kingdom," Rumple said.

"Really?" Snow asked.

"It was ages ago though…in the infancy of the Kingdom, long before Esteban was even a thought. I believe the legend was that the very first Dragon King was a being from another planet and called a Saiyan. I don't know much else, because the Dark One of the time was uninterested in the legends," Rumple explained.

"Rose's library might have something though," Snow realized, as David's phone rang.

"Hey Bobby…is everything okay?" he asked, before listening.

"What!? Are you and Flynn okay?" he questioned and David sighed.

"Okay…meet us outside Gold's shop," he said, as he hung up.

"What's wrong with the boys?" Snow asked anxiously.

"They intercepted and caught a criminal that robbed a store in the mall. The guy shot at Flynn," David replied, earning a gasp from his wife.

"Is he okay?" Snow asked desperately.

"Yeah…that's the thing. The bullet bounced right off him. He's a little freaked out right now," David replied. She sighed in relief that no one was hurt, before a thought occurred to her.

"But if Gothel has a spell on him, suppressing his strength, then how did he stop a bullet?" she asked.

"I mean, I'm so relieved he's not hurt, but does that mean the spell is weakening?" she added, as she looked at Gold.

"It's very possible…he has been training in earnest these last few years," the Dark One answered.

"Do you think he can break the spell on his own?" David asked.

"In time, yes…but I don't think we have time for that," Gold replied.

"I agree…we're going to make Gothel undo whatever she did. We just have to break it to Flynn now," he said, as they stepped outside, as their boys came through the portal with their girlfriends and the perpetrator. It was going to be a long night…

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 2: A Glimmer of Darkness

In the living residence of the Charming castle, the television was the only light in the room late that night, as the boys had fallen asleep watching a movie. Snow and David had long ago gone to bed, leaving their grown sons to hang out together.

Flynn shifted from his place on the couch and his face twitched a bit, making it clear that he was dreaming.

~*~

He didn't know where he was…but he was looking up at the sky. It was crystal blue and almost cloudless. It would have been serene if it hadn't been marred by screams of terror. His body felt different…like he was very small and a pair soon came into his line of view. He could only see the silhouette of the man, but he had the wildest hair Flynn had ever seen, like a flame. The woman he could see more clearly. She was beautiful and he realized she had blue eyes the same color as his. Her hair was a very strange color too; aqua and not something he'd ever seen before. She was crying too and there were muffled voices talking to her. He watched her lean forward to kiss him on the head, before something closed between them. He could only see her then through a tiny window, but he could hear her gut wrenching sobs…and then nothing.

Flynn woke up with a start at that, his face reflecting confusion.

"Hey…you ok?" Bobby asked, as he stirred too.

"Yeah…just a weird dream. We should go to bed," Flynn suggested, as his brother turned the television off.

"Yeah…we better get some good sleep or Mulan is going to kick our asses tomorrow," he quipped, as they trudged upstairs to their respective bedrooms. Flynn thought about his dream once his head hit the pillow and he wondered what it meant. Mr. Gold always said that dreams meant something, but his made no sense. Shrugging it off for the night, he went back to sleep.

~*~

Hermes stepped into the courtyard on Mount Olympus that morning and then climbed the stairs into the living area, where James and Aphrodite sat, having coffee. Their kids had already gone to school and the blonde smiled at her Aunt.

"Hermes…it's good to see you," she said, as she offered her a seat. Hermes smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes and it didn't take long for the blonde to frown.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's quite the story, but I am afraid we are in danger from a new, mysterious evil. I need you to summon your charges," Hermes replied. Aphrodite looked at her husband, who's jaw clenched slightly.

"You've felt the disturbance, haven't you?" she asked.

"I'm still learning to sense things…and I wasn't sure what it was. But…there's a glimmer in the shadows," he admitted, as he put his hand on his wife's.

"I wasn't sure what it was yet…so I didn't say anything," he said, offering an apologetic stare.

"I met with the Supreme Kai, Shin last night," she announced. Aphrodite's eyes widened.

"He's from an entirely different universe…is it that serious?" the blonde asked.

"I'm afraid so, in more ways than one. He has granted me permission to bring the two of you and your charges along for a meeting," Hermes answered.

"We'll go in person for this," James said, as they stood up and the two of them used a portal to go to Misthaven, while Hermes waited for them.

~*~

"I'm sorry…that's the latest. I know you'd like me to just make stuff up, but that's not how this works," Henry said into the phone and Ella smiled, as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry you think Storybrooke is boring now…but the residents here are actually enjoying the peace very much," he added, before quieting again to listen.

"This is the United Realms. Sooner or later, some villain will rear its ugly head and then I'll have a new edition in no time," Henry said, as he rolled his eyes again.

"You can threaten not to publish me again all you want, but we both know you'll be chomping at the bit next time something juicy happens," he said.

"Right…have a nice day," he added in a pleasant, but fake tone, before hanging up.

"Geez…they're vultures. They aren't happy unless someone is half dead and fighting for the survival of the world around here," he complained.

"So…everyone on the outside thinks we're boring now?" Ella asked, as she sipped at her coffee, while he sat down in front of his own.

"Mostly…the housewives are still obsessed with my grandparents and the tweens are gushing over all the stories about Flynn and Bobby's training, practically drooling over them. But other than that…yeah we are officially dull," Henry replied.

"Maybe…but I am so loving the dull around here," she said. He smiled.

"Me too," he said, as his phone chimed again. He scoffed.

"The publisher again?" she asked.

"No…just another text from Drake Mallard. He's still on me about his comic books," Henry complained.

"More duck people?" she asked. He chuckled.

"Actually…he's trying something new. Says he wants to get into Manga. He thinks our family's story would make a quote "kick ass" one," Henry replied.

"Are you ever going to throw him a bone?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Every writer deserves a chance, I guess," he replied, as he texted back.

"Told him I'd look over his latest later," he added, as he finished his coffee and put the cup in the sink.

"But I swear if it's more duck people…I'm blocking him," he said, only half joking. She chuckled.

"Have a good day at work, babe," she called, as he kissed her quickly and headed out the door.

~*~

Instead of training in the Asgardian palace today, Mulan had taken them out for some open air training in the park in Storybrooke.

"Keep the sparing light for now…" she said, observing them closely. Her purpose of today's lesson was to tighten up some of their moves and defenses. When she let them go full speed at each other, she was reluctant to admit that she almost couldn't keep track of all their movements. The boys put her entire army to shame; not that she would ever tell them that. Blocks, punches, and breaks were exchanged at a slower rate than they usually went, a smirk planted on each of their faces. Flynn couldn't explain it, but when he was sparring or fighting, his blood seemed to sing or roar even. He felt more alive than ever when he was fighting. He often wondered if that meant there was something wrong with him, but Dad had assured him that it just meant he enjoyed being a warrior and as long as he was defending those who couldn't protect themselves, that there was nothing wrong with enjoying the thrills of battle.

Neither noticed the passersby in the park. Some stopped to observe them, while others strolled by. One pair, in particular, stopped to see their spoils.

"They've certainly developed those hand to hand combat skills," Belle mentioned, as she walked alongside her husband, with her hand hooked on his elbow. Rumple watched too, feeling out the aura around the boys. As usual, Bobby's was brimming with light magic and such natural power might have made him jealous once upon a time, but now he was actually proud of the youth that had ultimately saved them all more than once. He would continue to do so with that kind of power.

Then he observed Flynn…a boy that couldn't seem to harness magic at all and he was stunned at what he felt from him. Before he started training, he had a non remarkable aura, but that had changed ten fold now. It wasn't magic in his aura though, which puzzled him for a moment. He tried to recall where he had felt an aura like this before. He knew he had, but only a few times and it was second hand from an earlier Dark One. He couldn't put his finger on it though…other than it was now a very powerful aura; one that perhaps rivaled Bobby's.

"Rumple…what is it?" Belle asked.

"I'm…not sure," he answered, as they continued on.

~*~

James and Aphrodite soon returned with a wary and curious Snow and Charming. From what they had been told, very few mortals had ever gone where they were going and that meant whatever evil they might be facing could be unlike anything they had faced before. And for them, that was really saying something.

"Is that the slime you were talking about?" David asked, as he saw Hermes' caduceus.

"I'm afraid so…thank you for coming, truest loves. I will save most of the explanation upon arrival at our destination," Hermes said, as she put the five of them in a bubble and they watched in awe, as they traveled into the All World River.

When James and Aphrodite came to get them, they knew it was bad. Rarely did they visit Olympus, let alone some other world where only the Gods were usually allowed. Charming clutched Snow's hand and squeezed it, as they seemingly reached their destination, which was a whole other universe than their own. They looked around in awe, as they were led through King's Crossing and transported yet again to a tiny planet beyond the crossing.

There was a man there, one like they had never seen and definitely not human or mortal. He turned and despite his strange appearance to them, he had a kind smile. Instinctively, they bowed, realizing they were before a God that seemed to have an even higher role than the ones they were used to and he seemed pleased by that.

"Aphrodite…the last time I saw you, it was at your mother's side," the being mentioned. The blonde smiled.

"I remember…Kaioshin," she said, bowing respectfully, as James did as well.

"Twin brothers…I assume?" he asked, indicating James and David.

"Yes Excellency," James answered.

"My father bestowed his powers to my mortal husband after his death to help us in our battle against Mephisto," Aphrodite explained.

"Mephisto…" Shin said, trying to recall such a being.

"Ah yes…I do remember that one. A horribly destructive being and almost undefeatable, yet defeated by magical children, if I am not mistaken?" he asked, as he looked at the mortal pair. Snow and Charming exchanged a glance.

"Yes…our children, with the help of our Chalice," David answered.

"Yes…the Chalice of Gaia; an extraordinary tool in the fight against evil," he said.

"Shin…what has happened? I am sensing such terror from here that it is overwhelming," Aphrodite said, with a shiver.

"Yes…I suppose you would be," he replied, as a hologram of the All World River appeared before them and he showed them what he had shown to Hermes.

"How…how is this possible?" James asked, as he watched in disbelief.

"What's happening?" Snow asked.

"Universes are dying at an alarming rate and the threat originated in my universe many years ago. Earth was lost over twenty years ago in my realm, but it was only recently that something happened that has caused this evil to destroy my entire universe completely and enter the river to expunge every universe it touches," he revealed. Snow gasped.

"And…are you saying ours is next?" David asked. He nodded.

"I'm afraid so…but yours may have a sliver of hope that the others did not," Shin answered.

"Our children…" Snow realized, as her heart dropped into her stomach. Whatever this was…she didn't want her babies anywhere near it. It was selfish, but that was how she felt.

"They will have an integral role…but there is another and you must learn of his past, even before he does," Shin said, as they all took a seat at the table around his viewing pond.

"It began twenty-two years ago…" Shin began.

~*~

After a light training day in the park, Flynn and Bobby hit Granny's up for food and then went to the station. A few afternoons a week, they worked as junior deputies and ran patrol for Emma. They picked up their badges, but forwent the holsters in favor of their swords and ran into their big sister on the way out.

"Hey you two," she greeted on her way back in with takeout from the diner.

"Hey…have you seen Dad?" Bobby asked, as she ate an onion ring.

"Well…he was supposed to be here to sign off on a bunch of stuff, but I guess James and Aphrodite needed them for something and they all took off somewhere. You know Mom and Dad…they'll turn up by dinner," she replied.

"Thanks Em," Flynn said, as they headed out toward the harbor. They had been assigned to patrol Pleasure Island that afternoon.

"What do you think that's about?" he asked. Bobby shrugged.

"Dunno…probably just another adventure," he joked, as they boarded one of the ferries.

~*~

Gothel trudged around her shop, as she observed one of her many spying crystal balls. Everything seemed fairly quiet and peaceful. She liked to keep tabs on all the magic in the realm and particularly the Charmings. She had hidden many things from them very well over the years, but she knew the Sheriff would like nothing more than to storm her shop. She smirked.

"That's what you get for playing by the rules though, Sheriff Charming…" Gothel said, as she noticed a few lines appearing on her face in the mirror. Horrified, she quickly bustled into the backroom of her shop and pressed a button. The false wall slid back and revealed a panic room and she stepped inside. The room had several items in it and she smiled at her prized possessions. Flynn Rider may have been adopted by the Charmings, but a piece of that delicious, youthful boy would always be hers. She touched the sword that was leaning against the wall that was sheathed in a red scabbard with a blue buckle. A gift that he was always destined to have, but never would, thanks to her. On the table, there was a small case with a logo on it. A C within another C and inside contained little capsules, which she never bothered with. Supposedly it was some kind of advanced technology, but she had little use for such things if they were not magic. But the prize was in the center of the room. The strange pod that she had intercepted and found that day. Inside was the baby blanket he had been wrapped in and she inhaled deeply; the child's youthful scent was still present. It glowed with her spell, as did the entire pod.

Upon finding the baby, she had been informed by a contact she had outside their realm that he was a very special, unique child, with enough youth in him to keep her young forever. She was warned about his power and strength as well. But having a crying baby around was distasteful at best, especially one that would soon be such a menace with no one strong enough to teach him about his power. Thankfully, she was a brilliant sorceress and cast a spell on him and the pod he came in, connecting them together. It binded his life essence to the object, allowing her to suck his youth in whenever she needed and without being noticed, other than a brief headache or slight dizziness.

The spell also sapped his true strength and power, keeping him under her proverbial thumb and it masked his true hair color from the unusual rather exotic color it was to a normal dark blonde. She smirked, as the lines on her face disappeared.

"You may have found your way to a family, young one…but you'll always be mine and I'll be sucking the life out of you until there is nothing left…" she said deviously.

~*~

Flynn shook his head, as he felt a slight pain in his head, but it passed quickly enough.

"You okay?" Bobby asked, as they finished patrol and boarded the ferry.

"Yeah…I'm good," he replied. Patrol had been dull and uneventful and though he knew he shouldn't wish for excitement, something in his bones was itching for a good fight.

"Disappointed there was no one to chase down or any asses to kick? Bobby asked. He smirked.

"You know me well," Flynn replied, as they found a very welcome site waiting for them at the docks back in Storybrooke. Zia Ramos and Ariana Dashing. Zia had changed from her High Priestess robes into normal street clothes. Ariana had shed her Asgardian training gear for regular street clothes as well.

"Don't drool dude," Bobby teased, breaking his stare.

"I'm not drooling," Flynn protested, which made Bobby chuckle.

"I know…I just like catching you off guard. It's not easy these days," he teased.

"Guess you'll just have to train harder," Flynn teased back, as they went to meet up with their girlfriends for an evening out.

"Light training day?" Ari asked. He smiled.

"Yeah…and patrol was quiet. I almost feel like we didn't go hard enough today," Flynn replied.

"I trained with Sif again today, so I can't say that," she mentioned.

"Come on…it's a time of peace, Flynn. We can take it easy one day," Bobby said.

"He's right and I don't train the way you guys do, but I'm still starving, so let's go eat," Zia replied.

"Let's mix it up and go to Tiana's," Bobby said. They agreed and headed off into Storybrooke.

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always 2

Welcome to Finding You Always 2! I'm really excited about debuting this fic. I've been working on it since late summer and have quite a lot done so far. I will be posting weekly updates on Saturday nights. If I end up getting behind in the future, I might go to bi-weekly updates, but for now, they will be weekly. This story will introduce a new universe of characters and concepts, but don't worry if you discover you haven't seen this particular series. Everything you need to know will be detailed and explained and will mostly remain the established Finding You Always universe. I will also list face claims for characters and add more as they appear. The core cast of Once remains the same as the show, of course. Also, the face claims for Ariana Dashing and Zia Ramos, love interests for Flynn and Bobby respectively have changed and updated. I will also respond to your reviews after each chapter, so please consider leaving feedback. It really helps keep me motivated. Without any further ado, let's get to it.

Face Claims:

Core Cast of Once: Same as the show.

Those that appeared as side characters in the show: Same as the show (Elsa, for example)

Fandral the Dashing and Rose Red: Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin

James and Aphrodite: Josh Dallas and a blonde Ginnifer Goodwin

Bobby Charming: Logan Lerman

Flynn Charming: Tanner Buchanan

Leo Charming: Matt Lanter

Eva Charming-Sakura: Bailee Madison

Paul Sakura: Christopher Sean

Summer Charming: Luna Blaise

JJ Bradley: Garret Wareing

Ariana Dashing: Ciara Hanna

Zia Ramos: Jenna Ortega

Hermes: Nakia Burrise

Finding You Always 2

Also on FF.net and A03

Chapter 1: Prelude to Conflict

Five years. Five years of peace had settled over the United Realms and it was a very welcome thing that none of them had taken for granted. At first, the release of Ouranos, such a God of destruction like him, had been very troublesome. Clayton's perversion of his destruction was even worse. Many universes had Gods of destruction to keep the balance. These Gods, like Ouranos, could lay waste to a planet with the blink of an eye. Clayton's intent to erase the truest loves though by separating them by death and inserting himself would have left this planet Earth in eternal darkness. There was no balance in that. Hermes had worried his release would have consequences, but so far, she had seen no evidence of it under her meticulous watch. Until now.

Her morning rounds had started out as any other day, but something strange had sparked her interest. She peered over the edge of her lookout, which floated high in the sky above the planet Earth of this realm. From her viewing pond, she couldn't be sure what she was seeing, so she put herself in a bubble and disappeared. She reappeared at the edge of realms, where the All World River, the gateway to infinite universes and realms swirled violently before her. Her caduceus staff appeared in her hand and she carefully stuck it into the waters to test what she had seen, though it was only a glimmer; so much so that she had almost missed it. When she pulled her staff back, she was stunned at what she found. How long had she been missing this? How long had there been a problem that was only now appearing as a glimmer? She didn't know what to make of the sickly magenta slime that covered her staff.

"Dear Gaia…what does this mean?" she uttered in disbelief. She didn't know yet and because of that, she didn't want to inform James and Aphrodite yet. They would need to soon know, but first, she needed more information and that meant a little realm hopping was in order. Steeling herself and taking a breath, her bubble reappeared and she disappeared into the All World River…

~*~

David had never been good at hiding his emotions. He was a passionate man, never afraid to express those feelings for those he loved and the warrior side of him had always clearly shown pride when he saw his kids displaying their unique powers and gifts in the name of defending all that was good and just. His six children were all exceptional in their own ways, with vast power and unique skills.

Their eldest Emma, the clear leader, and an affinity for more general magic, though it often manifested as white fire when needed most. Leo, in addition to his gift with animals, channeled most of his magic in the form of lightning at his fingertips.

Eva, the healer among them, channeled hers often from the very air as pink tendrils of wind. Summer, aptly named, since her bubbles formed from the waters all around them.

Then there were the youngest in their brood. Bobby and Flynn. His youngest biological son was somewhat of an amalgamation of all his siblings. He drew his power from the very earth itself, therefore able to channel all the elements and wield it like energy from his hands. Then there was Flynn and though he was adopted, they had discovered he had an incredible affinity for hand to hand combat, both in hands and with a sword.

When he had started Flynn's Knight training, five years ago, they had wondered if he could learn magic, even though he wasn't born with it. However, he was a bit disappointed to find that he couldn't harness any magic, no matter how hard he tried. To keep him from feeling left out or like he wasn't one of them, David began a rigorous training schedule with him and discovered that his aptitude with a sword was prodigious and soon awakened a sleeping warrior inside him of the likes which David had never quite seen. He recognized his immense potential for fighting and decided to enlist someone far more skilled at hand to hand combat than him; particularly martial arts. There weren't many martial arts masters around in the United Realms, for most that had any kind of power relied on magic rather than the discipline of the fighting arts. But there was one. Mulan.

To say that the female warrior was excited at the prospect of someone else having an affinity for martial arts like her, was an understatement. From his first lesson, it was like a light was turned on inside Flynn and the pace at which he mastered everything Mulan taught him was completed with such ease and speed, it left both he and the warrior flabbergasted at times. Flynn had gone from a novice to a master to completely surpassing Mulan in martial arts in the short five years, so much so that he now trained regularly in hand to hand combat with the Asgardian army. It was then Fandral's turn to be stunned at the boy's seemingly unusual strength for a human that seemed to now exist within him. Fandral often joked that he truly wondered if Flynn was perhaps Asgardian, after all.

As far as brute strength, he gave Bobby a run for his money now, with the latter actually having to use magic to strengthen his limbs when they sparred. Today, they were doing sword work and watching the two young men always drew quite a crowd, especially among the Asgardian warriors. While David usually wore his sword in a scabbard on his hip, Flynn had taken to wearing his around by a crossbody strap on his back and was rarely seen without it these days.

The two smirked at each other and panted heavily, pausing to catch their breath. Bobby loved to fight almost as much as Flynn and it gave David a bit of ease knowing that they would be there to step in as protectors of the United Realms as he aged. Not that he was old by any means. The Chalice had slowed his and Snow's aging to barely a crawl. By now, they should have been somewhere in their seventies if you counted curse years, but they looked and felt like they were still in their late thirties.

"Not so cocky without magic…are you?" Flynn taunted. They had agreed that Bobby wouldn't use magic, unless it was just in his limbs since that was in his blood and naturally enhanced his strength.

"Please…I've had a sword in my hand since I was a toddler. I don't need magic," Bobby bragged. They were brothers and best friends. Any jabs at each other were purely talk with no real malice behind it. Both his boys were witty, but at least Flynn had a little more tact, whereas Bobby had absolutely none.

"Enough trash talk. Katas," Mulan ordered. Both sheathed their swords in the scabbards resting on their backs like a pair of non lookalike twins, before sinking into fighting stance and going through their martial arts katas with Mulan. When Flynn took an interest in martial arts, so did Bobby, and he learned alongside him. It made David a bit angry sometimes that Gothel had hidden his origins from all of them. Flynn should have come to them from the start. He felt it in his bones and he should have been spared a harder life and been raised alongside Bobby from the beginning. He and Snow hated that he'd been a street kid, because of that witch. Sometimes he wanted to apply for a search warrant to tear apart her whole shop to see what else she was hiding, but he didn't have cause. The witch was careful and somehow still stealing youth from somewhere. He was sure it was a crime, but he couldn't prove it. Where she could be getting the magic, he didn't know, but he knew it was stolen nonetheless. His family was the obvious source of magic, but he knew there were other sources to tap. He just wished he knew where.

The Gothel of their land was supposedly not as dangerous as the one they had encountered and ultimately battled from Starcomb. But he had long felt that this one could be just as much of a threat if they continued to let her run her operation. However, until she made any overtly illegal moves, his hands were tied.

Once both boys were sweating profusely from exertion, Mulan finally dismissed them for the day. Now came the inevitable trip to Granny's to fill their empty stomachs, which also came with family time.

"Hit the showers and then we'll swing by and get your Mom on the way," he told them, as he walked out of the training facility where only the best warriors in the United Realms trained. Right in the backyard to the Andresian palace.

"Their prowess as warriors never ceases to amaze," Fandral mentioned, as they met up outside.

"I know…Flynn's potential really is as remarkable as Bobby's innate abilities," David agreed.

"It's good to know that the future of the United Realms will be in hands like these, even if neither of us is going anywhere for a long time," Fandral said. He nodded.

"Yeah…as much as I'm enjoying the peace, I wonder how long it will be until another enemy appears. I hate that I think that, but after everything we've been through, it's hard not to," David admitted.

"I do as well, but at least we are keeping up our training and have not become complacent, which would be a fatal error," he replied. David nodded.

"We'll see you at Granny's later," Fandral said, as they broke off and David met up with the boys, who were cleaned up and freshly showered.

"Ready?" he asked. They nodded, as David pressed a button his watch, designed by Hyde for all of them, and a sparkling orange portal appeared before them, providing instant transportation to Storybrooke.

~*~

It had been a very long time since Hermes had come to this place. Even during all the turmoil in her home realm, she had never needed to consult with other Gods and otherworldly beings from other universes. Only in the direst of circumstances did a God or Goddess come to this place. It was a place of bright white light and wispy clouds. Among the clouds were many pillars and sort of even resembled different hubs like at a train station. An infinite amount of hubs, as all the Gods from infinite universes could come here to meet if needed. And it was definitely needed now.

"Hermes…it's been a very long time," a gentle, kind voice said. She smiled and bowed slightly, as he did as well. He was a short man, with lavender skin and a white mohawk for hair.

"Shin…it has, centuries in fact," she said, as she followed him into one of the hubs and it became a knoll of grass, complete with trees. Shin's own planet.

"I'm glad to have some company, though I sense you are not here for pleasantries," he said. And that's when she noticed his blank viewing pond.

"Your universe…" she uttered, as she observed the nothingness.

"Yes…I'm afraid it was slowly all destroyed and not by its destroyer, I'm afraid," Shin said.

"How is that possible?" she asked.

"A terrible, very evil being started by destroying my Earth. But then something worse came along and erased it all, until there was nothing. Then it moved onto other worlds. I was about to summon many of us, but I assume you are here, because you have discovered the problem," Shin said.

"I didn't know what I had discovered or how big of a problem it was, but now seeing this…I must know what is going on," she said, as she showed him her caduceus with the slime residue. He waved his hand and a hologram of the All World River appeared before them. She watched as the swirling portals that represented a realm or universe slowly flickered with light, before dying completely. They were dead, void of light, and at the pace it was happening, it was alarming and completely unnatural. From time to time, universes died and flickered out of existence, due to calamity or tragedy, but at a pace like this, it meant something was very wrong.

"Shin…what is doing this? Is my Earth next?" she asked.

"Yes…there is some time to prepare, but the slime you found means there is already evil seeping into your Earth," he replied.

"I must know the whole story…I must know what this is before I return to Aphrodite and her charges," Hermes said.

"Yes…your universe has much more hope than some. A fighting chance, perhaps," he said.

"The truest loves…" Hermes said.

"Them and their offspring, yes…but there is another that may be the key to tipping the scales in our favor," Shin replied. Hermes' brow furrowed and a large man approached, with a ruddy complexion and long white hair.

"This is a very long story and we need tea," Shin said, as his attendant set the tray down.

"Thank you Kibito…now I must begin about twenty three years ago…"

~*~

They should have been used to it by now, but people still side eyed the Charming table, as their youngest sons made quick work of plate after plate of food. Before he began training as a Knight and in Martial Arts, Flynn ate a normal portion like any other normal person. But since starting his training, his appetite had expanded exponentially to the point that he now rivaled Bobby when it came to the amount of food he could put away. It was astounding, but the boys' training was intense and nothing to balk at, so no one really thought it was unusual for Flynn since Bobby's appetite was so legendary.

"Storybrooke really needs a buffet or something," Emma commented.

"Yeah right…there's no way a buffet could stay in business with this family," Leo replied, with a mouthful of food, earning him a look of disdain from his wife.

"I know your mother taught you better manners than that and I expect you to be better in front of our daughter," she scolded lightly. Leo stopped eating and swallowed, before smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry hon," he apologized, before making a goofy face at their flaxen haired daughter, who sat next to her mother. Winter giggled.

"Yeah…good thing you two are filthy rich, cause I don't know how you'd pay the tab for this brood otherwise," Granny commented, as she handed the check to David.

"Trust me…me either," he replied. Snow smiled, especially at her youngest boys. They were both dating, but still living at home in their castle and she was in no hurry for them to leave. Add to that, she now had six grandchildren and one great grandchild. Obviously Henry was grown now and her great grandchild, Lucy was as well, only a year younger than Bobby. But their castle was full of little ones in Hope, who was nine now, Winter, who was six, twins Jayden and Mia, who were five now, and Summer and JJ's four year old son, Hunter. Their family had grown quite a lot in the last five years and she knew it would continue to do so.

"And you used to make fun of me for how much I eat," Bobby teased. Flynn rolled his eyes.

"Yeah…yeah, you're never going to let that go, are you?" he asked.

"Nope," Bobby replied.

"So…what do you two have planned tonight?" Snow inquired. They looked at their mother and knew that was code for did they either of them have a date tonight.

"Uh…I think Zia is busy with her parents tonight," Bobby replied.

"Yeah…and Ari is probably with her parents too. I think we're going out tomorrow night," Flynn replied. Snow couldn't help herself. The four of them were so cute together. Neither relationship was very serious yet, but she knew both relationships were likely to go the distance.

"Yeah, we're pretty tired from training so we'll probably just go home and watch a movie or something," Flynn said. That was perfect for Snow; she loved having them around in the evening. After paying the check, they did just that, going home with the boys, while parting ways with their older children, who went to their own homes with their families.

~*~

"By the Gods…" Hermes uttered, as she let Shin's story sink in for a few moments.

"Damn Atanos to the pits of Tartarus!" she said hotly, as she got up and paced a few strides.

"Yes…this High Priest truly opened up a can of worms with the release of Ouranos, though I believe it was the choice of host that truly put in motion the chain reaction that began destroying worlds," Shin said.

"Clayton…" Hermes growled.

"Yes…quite a formidable man for having no real battle power," Shin mentioned.

"The absolute worst," she agreed.

"I just don't know how I break all this to the truest loves…or most of all Flynn…or…I guess that's not his real name, after all," Hermes said.

"No…but it is a name he chose himself and one we will honor until he makes the choice as to whether to don his birth name," Shin replied. She nodded.

"I…I know mortals are not usually allowed here, but I think I need to bring them with Aphrodite and her husband. I think they need to see all of this first," she mentioned. Shin nodded.

"Exceptions are made for exceptional mortals and they are that. It was my intent to see that Flynn made his way to them as an infant. I hand picked them, but that horrible man had them captive elsewhere at the time," Shin explained.

"Yes…Flynn came while Snow and Charming were captives in Atlantis and then the second curse threw so much chaos at us that Gothel used it to her advantage," Hermes said, clearly upset by it, as she knew Snow and Charming would be. Gothel's interference in Flynn's life was far deeper than they thought and her lies had deprived him of his adopted family unnecessarily. Arrest warrant or not, she knew Charming was likely to throw her in prison and toss the key through a portal.

"I'll go now and make preparations to bring them here. But even…even if the boy's powers and true heritage are awakened, is it enough? It was not enough for his father…and other fighters," she said.

"I don't know…he has help here too and in some ways, magic could be key here. It's not something they had, so combined with ki powers, it could be the edge needed. But there is no way to know…they must all train fiercely. Evil is stirring and it will soon make itself known, sooner rather than later," Shin said, as he sighed.

"It has not been stopped yet and your realm is next. If it is not stopped here…I don't see what chance the rest have, save for perhaps a similar one to mine where things did not go so badly," he added and then smiled thinly.

"Ironically due to another version of this boy…he is very important to many timelines it seems, regardless of the version," he said. She nodded.

"I'll return soon…" she promised, as she exited the Kai's world and arrived back at King's Crossing, before her bubble transported home to her Temple. But she did not stop there and headed straight for Mount Olympus…

[lilacmoon83]

A Finding You Always Christmas

Hi everyone! I realize it's been a while since there has been an update on Lightning in a Bottle and Operation Castle. I promise I will eventually get back to them…I just haven't had a lot of inspiration for those two fics lately. Most of that is because my inspiration has been elsewhere in something new I have been working on and I'm using this Finding You Always Christmas fic to serve as both an announcement and a sort of back door pilot to: Finding You Always 2. Yes, a sequel is well underway and I am hoping to start posting it in January. I'm very excited about it and it will involve new elements and new worlds. Finding You Always 2 will feature Snowing, of course, but it is going to be mostly Flynn and Bobby's stories, as well as Flynn's romance with Ariana Dashing, middle daughter of Rose and Fandral. I won't say much more, but this story is both a nice Christmas fic and a staging for Finding You Always 2. The Christmas fic takes place just a few months after they defeat Ouranos and is Flynn's first Christmas with the Charmings. Finding You Always 2 will pick up shortly after the very last chapter of FYA, which was five years later. I hope you enjoy this little fic and that you'll join me for Finding You Always 2 in 2025!

At the end of this, I will post a small description for FYA 2. Enjoy!

Below is also a list of face claims for a reminder. The face claims for Ariana Dashing and Zia Ramos have changed.

I don't think I need to list face claims for Snow, Charming, Emma, Killian or other canon Once characters, including Elsa and Robert(Xander), but let me know if you'd like them listed too.

Leo Charming: Matt Lanter

Eva Charming-Sakura: Bailee Madison

Paul Sakura: Christopher Sean

Summer Charming: Luna Blaise

JJ Bradley: Garret Wareing

Bobby Charming: Logan Lerman

Flynn Charming: Tanner Buchanan

Ariana Dashing: Ciara Hanna

Zia Ramos: Jenna Ortega

Natalie Charming: Melissa Roxburgh

Deigo(Zorro): Galen Gering

Thalia Zearing(Natalie's mother): Stacey Haiduk

A Finding You Always Christmas

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

It had been almost a year since they had defeated Ouranos and stopped Clayton from erasing everything. Since then, Flynn had known exactly what he wanted to do with his life. He had taken to training to be a Knight with great fervor and it was discovered that he was a natural warrior and swordsman; a true prodigy. So much so that Fandral and Mulan had seen it right away. David involved them both in his training at that point and Mulan began teaching him martial arts. She was amazed when he quickly surpassed even her best warriors and Fandral was equally amazed when he held his own against warriors and his half Asgardian children. Bobby had soon joined him in Martial arts training, which wasn't surprising, because Bobby was born to fight and defend as well. The two had become as close as brothers and Flynn had gone from a lost street kid to a confident, well adjusted young man with more family than he knew what to do with.

That day, as usual, he and Bobby sparred under Mulan's watchful gaze. Bobby pinned him to the gym mat and was about to make the match winning strike, but was surprised when Flynn slipped out from under his hold, with impressive agility and flipped Bobby over, before quickly striking his chest with his foot.

"Damn…" Bobby said, as his brother helped him up.

"I don't know how you caught up to me so fast," he complained, though it was in a good nature.

"You're a little cocky," Mulan said, as they faced her.

"Bow to each other," she instructed, as they did so and then bowed to their Master.

"Hit the showers…I'll see you in a few days," Mulan said. A few days, meaning after Christmas. To be honest, Flynn was a little nervous about the holidays. He had learned so far that holidays were a big deal in the Charming castle and none bigger than Christmas. He'd never really celebrated a real Christmas before. All the ones at the Group Home were pretty sad and as a teen, he had completely dissociated with the whole thing entirely.

"Hey…you in there?" Bobby teased. He smirked.

"Yeah…just a little nervous about this whole Christmas thing, I guess," he replied.

"Relax…I know Mom makes a big deal about this stuff, but you'll have a blast," Bobby assured him. He knew his brother was right. He even had money now, as their jobs as part time junior deputies paid pretty decently and their parents still gave them allowance for chores, even though they had staff for all that.

"Let's clean up and go home. Mom's been cooking all day," Bobby said. Flynn's stomach growled at that. He smiled with a nod and they hit the showers.

~*~

"Wow…smells great in here," David said, as he arrived home at their private residence inside their Castle. Snow had been busy for days, cooking, baking, and decorating, much as she always was every Christmas, but he noticed that she had really gone all out this year. He had his suspicions as to why, but it was time to finally prod her into talking about it. She had just taken more cookies out of the oven and was letting them cool, as she greeted him with a kiss.

"You've been busy," he said, as they swayed together in the kitchen, despite no music.

"Mmm…and you're home early, which I like," she replied, as they shared another kiss.

"Having a whole squad of deputies and Knights now has its advantages," he said.

"Okay…you can say it," Snow said.

"Say what?" he asked.

"You know what…I've gone overboard this year, haven't I?" she asked.

"No…you love this time of year and it's never too much and you want everything to be perfect. I think I know why," he replied. She sighed.

"Of course you do," she said.

"It's just…it's Flynn's first Christmas with us. It's probably his first real Christmas ever and I just want it all to be perfect," Snow confessed. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"And it will be…he's going to be amazed and just happy to be with his new family at all," David assured her.

"I hope so…at least we can always count on Maine to deliver the snow for a white Christmas," she said, as they saw that it had started to snow outside.

"Seriously…why couldn't we get cursed to the beach?" Emma grumbled, as she came in with Killian and Hope.

"Nana! Papa!" Hope called, as she ran to them and David scooped her up.

"There's one of our little ones," he said, as he kissed her cheek.

"Wow Mom…it looks like Christmas exploded in here," Emma joked.

"That joke is just as funny this year as it is every year when you say it," Snow teased.

"Hey…gotta play the classics," Emma joked, making them chuckle, as her brother and Elsa arrived next, with their toddler, Winter.

"It's freezing out there," Leo complained.

"Yeah…unless you're Elsa," Emma replied, seeing that her sister-in-law hadn't bothered with a coat.

"You know the cold doesn't bother me…but that hot cocoa smells amazing," Elsa said. Snow smiled.

"It's all ready to serve. Help yourself," she said, as Paul and a very pregnant Eva were next.

"Merry Christmas!" Eva called, as her husband put their gifts under the tree, adding to the sheer mound of packages. Summer and JJ were next and arrived at the same time as Natalie, Diego, little Levi, Xander, and Thalia. Finally, Bobby and Flynn got there last and they gathered around the table for Christmas dinner together. Conversation was as abundant as the food and once again, Flynn was amazed at the warmth of his new family.

"Can we hang our ornaments now, Nana?" Hope asked.

"We sure can, sweetie," Snow replied, as she got up and picked up a special decorative box. Snow opened it and took out another small box, before handing it to Flynn.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Your very own ornament," she replied, as he opened it and saw a royal blue ornament inside with gold lettering in his name.

"Wow…thanks Mom," he said, as they shared a hug and he hung his next to Bobby's. Next came the gift exchange and Flynn had never felt so fortunate at that moment and they still had the Christmas potluck tomorrow on Christmas Day with Regina and their extended family to come.

"I know this is your first real Christmas…and I hope it was memorable and wonderful," Snow said, as he sat with them, eating a plate of cookies.

"Mom…I don't even have words for how amazing this night was," he said, as they shared a hug.

"And…I'm pretty sure I've eaten like thirty-eight cookies by now, so those are amazing too," he added, making them laugh.

"Seriously though, whatever I imagined family Christmases to be like, this blew it away time a thousand," he said, as he shared a hug with both of them again, as there was a knock at the door. Emma was closest and answered the door, finding Zia and Ariana there. She let them in and the boys greeted them at the door with hugs.

"Aww…they're so cute," Snow gushed. With that, they stepped out with their girlfriends for a moment alone and to exchange gifts with each other.

~*~

Bobby decided to portal to Cibola with Zia to spend a little time with her family, while Ari and Flynn chose his parent's garden to take a walk, hand in hand.

"How was Christmas with your family?" he asked.

"Great…Mom is actually going to read some Christmas stories to us by the fire in a little while. She does it every year…do you want to come?" she asked. He smiled.

"I'd love to…but first, this is for you," he said, as he handed her a small box with a bow. She smiled and handed him a rectangle box that was a little longer and she went first, opening the tiny hinged box. She found a tiny silver charm inside that looked like a sword.

"Since we both love swordfighting, I thought it was perfect for your charm bracelet," Flynn said.

"I love it," she said, as she hugged him and he helped her add it to her bracelet, which came with a kiss on his cheek from the Asgardian Princess. He was next and opened the box, only to find a karate headband inside. It was white and had Mulan's symbol on it, representing his Sensei.

"Wow…" he said.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"I love it," he said, as she put it on him and tied it.

"It looks good," she replied, as they looked above them to see mistletoe appear in the tree over their heads. He smirked, wondering which sibling had done that, but he wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity.

"Mistletoe…" she said. He smiled and leaned in, as she closed her eyes and they shared a kiss.

"You…you wanna go back inside to have cocoa with us before we go to your parents?" he asked. She smiled.

"I'd love to," she replied, as they joined hands and strolled back inside together. At that moment, Flynn felt and knew that this would be the first of many wonderful holidays with his family and his love. He didn't yet know what they would face, but he knew they would do it all together.

~*~

To be continued in a new chapter in this universe: Finding You Always 2, coming soon!

Synopsis: Gothel lied about Flynn's true origins. The truth is much more complicated and fantastical. When his true origins are revealed and hidden power is uncovered, it comes just in time, as he steps into the fray to fight a new evil with the Charmings, his new family.