#anyways pan loves rumple

[allthebestnamesweretaken]

I am the cause of my own pain because I’ve deluded myself into thinking Pan loved Rumple, he just loved being young and responsibility free more, when in reality he didn’t care at all (he literally says he never loved him). Every time I’m reminded of that a piece of me breaks

[peri-helia]

Take it easy with me, please

In lieu of the New Year drabble I haven't finished, here is a Joe x Nicky slice of life drabble where the title inexplicably comes from ABBA. Taken from this prompt list: cooking together

“I love you more than life itself, but fuck off”

Joe snorted on a laugh, a hand coming up to cover one of Nicky’s that is cradling his face. It’s a line he’s heard from his beloved’s mouth so many times before. He remembers it from the first argument, proper argument, that they’d had since they’d become lovers. And so many others since. Probably none more than this.

“But I want to help” he insists.

Nicky’s lovely eyes kindle warmly, mouth ticking up in one corner the way it does when he’s trying not to laugh. Joe knows no map better than he does Nicolo di Genova’s face.

“I know you do, hayati. And I love you for that. But this,” Nicky gestures behind them, “is not what one would call helping”

Joe plays along, mouth dropping into an enquiring ‘o’, eyebrows raising. “What would ‘one’ call it, tesoro?”

“Getting in my fucking way”

Joe can’t hold back anymore, he ruptures into laughter. Abandons the pots and pans he'd been starting to wash to pull Nicky into a soapy kiss. They both get lost in it a little, while the others are in the other room. They pull at each other, hair and shirts. Nicky bites at Joe’s plush lower lip, the way he’s wont to. Joe’s hands slip under Nicky’s t-shirt, the hem pulled free from the constricting ties of his apron up to press at Nicky’s shoulder blades, leave marks that will fade a split second after they’re made.

Nicolo is a tolerant man but if there is one thing he cannot stand, it is someone trying to help him cook.

Joe pulls away first, delighting in the way Nicky chases his mouth, at having made him forget the holds of life, beyond love and desire. Many a pot has bubbled over because of Joe and he holds each time a personal success.

“Should I disappear from your sight?” Joe asks with a contented sigh, patting Nicky on the chest, smoothing a non-existent rumple from the fabric of his t-shirt.

Nicky smiles, that gorgeous, rakish grin that Joe loves best. “Another hour would be perfect”

When Nicky is in the kitchen, it is to be himself, his ingredients and the battered old radio crooning terrible love songs The rest of them are expected to involve themselves only if they want a glass of water or to have a spoon shoved under their nose to check the seasoning.

“I’ll just-“ Joe reaches over to the corner of the worktop, where his hoodie sits beside the eggs and the other groceries not yet put away, “get out of your way”

He winces when he hears the tiny crackle of the bag of Doritos under the fabric, even as he carefully off-sets the weight of the jar of salsa in the right hand inner pocket. Joe was so the wrong person for this job. He knew he should have gone with paper over scissors. 

He’d be sent to do recon, because they were, with all the love in the world, starving. Another hour. Quynh already had Domino’s on speed dial. It’s not that they won’t eat what Nicky’s so lovingly cooking – he always relishes his turn to cook – especially now that they are all together once more. They will savour it. It’s just that like so many things with immortality; their healing, refractory periods, hair growth – they burn a lot of calories and coming back to life is hungry work. They put Hobbits to shame with the size of their second breakfasts and elevenses. Brunch as well as lunch, supper after dinner.

Hence the crisps and dip. Nile had pleaded. Begged.

Joe holds his breath as he looks up from under his lashes at Nicky. His beloved is singing away under his breath, swaying his shoulders as he bangs the wooden spoon on the lip of the saucepan.

He gathers the hoodie tighter, to stop the bag falling out by a loose corner. Another treacherous crinkle of the paper. Fuck. What did they make these bags of anyway?

Turning as nonchalantly as he can, Joe starts to walk towards the door. Then, as it comes over the radio he sings along, "Take your time, make it slow"

Nicky remains, a smile slipping over his face as he stands by the stove, as he too sings along under his breath. Joe can barely believe it when he gets away with it, slipping out and just as casually pushing the kitchen door to before haring up the rickety stairs as quickly as his feet can carry him.

“Make your fingers soft and light,” Nicky huffs on a laugh as he stirs the casserole, listening to Yusuf make off with ill-gotten gains, reaching into the pocket of his apron. “Let your body be the velvet of the night,” the half eaten brownie he’d cut from the tray is a little squashed from being in his pocket when Joe embraced him, but Nicky wouldn’t have it any other way. “Touch my soul, you know how” he warbles, savouring the gooey chocolate, “Andante, Andante Andante, Andante, go slowly with me now”  

[ouatsqincorrect]

fic/headcanon prompt: the fam's realisation moments that emma and regina were in love

ok i tried for so long to write this into a fic for you, anon but haven’t been able to work it into the right words so i’m gonna do it as a headcanon now (i hope that’s okay with you). maybe someday i’ll find a way to make it work

anyway, these are my thoughts

rumple is the first one to figure it out. emma comes to him, angry about the dreamcatcher that told her regina killed archie and suddenly, it just clicks. and for a man who could see so much of the future, this really sort of takes him by surprise

but it makes some perfect sense in a way and now, he understands why regina was able to save emma from that portal and why no matter how many people try to sway her, emma can’t seem to find it in her to believe that regina is just a bad person

because he’s known regina her entire life (i know they met after daniel died, but—) and no one has ever fought for her like emma does

it’s when they stop the trigger though that he realizes it isn’t one sided. he knows magic better than anyone, and the fact that emma and regina found a way to stop that little diamond tells him all he needs to know about how they really feel

snow is the next one to figure it out. they’re standing at the town line, pan’s curse is about to hit, and it’s hard to look at the way emma’s crying and regina’s giving up her happiness and not see that they’ve fallen hard

her suspicions are only confirmed when she watches how regina struggles the following year, not only because of the pain of losing henry, but from the pain of losing emma too

and that’s how david gets it. he catches regina in a bad place one night at the castle and the way she’s upset for more than just henry is enough to clue him in

he doesn’t know for sure that emma’s in love with regina too until she brings marian back and david spends the next few days trying to get emma to calm down because the fact that she took away regina’s chance at happiness (and the fact that regina won’t talk to her) is killing her

when he didn’t have his memories, henry was convinced emma and regina had been in a relationship once before he was born. and when he gets his memories back, it’s hard to unsee that because now a lot of their behavior towards each other makes sense

and this is the kid who took exactly five seconds to believe that he was living in a town full of fairytale characters. it’s easy to believe that his moms would fall in love, and like the rest of the family, he can’t help but agree that it kind of makes perfect sense

belle realizes in camelot when she finds out emma gave regina the dagger. she’s had experience in this. the dark one giving someone the dagger is like them giving them their heart so she knows emma has feelings for regina

and the way regina clutches the dagger like her life depends on it tells her regina feels the same way about emma

zelena is, surprisingly, the last one to figure it out. it’s the day after emma told regina hook proposed and regina is so upset and zelena is pissed because it’s been years now and how had she not seen something so obvious?

for about 20 seconds, she tries to convince regina to crash the wedding, but regina shuts that idea down pretty quickly

[dinneratgrannys]

The way Regina is willing to give up Henry forever to save Storybrooke from Pan’s curse

The way Killian keeps fighting to save everyone from Hades even though he’s trapped in the Underworld

The way Rumple sacrifices himself to defeat Wish Rumple even though he thinks he can never see Belle again

“You don’t do the right thing for a reward. You do it because it’s right.”

The way they all get the reward anyways by being reunited with the person they love

[booksteaandtoomuchtv]

I know that OUAT tober doesn't start until, well, October. And I am trying to participate in that through next month. But, I cannot wait. I cannot get this scene out of my mind. And, I have searched and searched for an analysis of this moment and there is none so far as I can tell. So, here is my attempt to start a conversation.

Okay, so at this point, Emma has noticed something is off. She has asked Killian about it and Rumple, speaking via Killian, has dismissed her. Emma tried to connect with a kiss to see if her feeling of off-ness (yeah, I am going with off-ness) should be something she is concerned about and he pulled away and cut it short. (Perhaps because the kiss felt too much like deception and he can only control so much of this interaction when Rumple has his heart?)

Okay, so now the gifset.

Killian speaks the words that Rumple has forced him and looks away immediately. He cannot hold Emma's gaze. You can see a moment of pained disgrace when he glances away. He seems seriously disgusted that he cannot fight the control Rumple has over him.

Emma, who is very sensitive to people she loves, is stunned by the entire show that Rumple has put on through Killian. She also seems to be a bit shaken that Killian would leave her to deal with this without her when he is typically a fight alongside her type. But then, the hand on the arm. The hand that is gripping Emma like a lifeline. THIS IS THE MOMENT THAT HAUNTS ME. I have lost sleep over this moment. It has shaken me to my core. It feels like he is begging her at this moment, pleading with the universe, screaming out for someone to notice him and to save him from drowning in this control that Rumple has over him. But, then, we get that camera pan to his face. And, we see him come into his own a bit. We see him collect himself and we see him refuse to add to Emma's burden. We see him stop begging to be saved and grab enough control over himself that he can and drop her arm, before brushing by her and leaving the diner. And, we are left looking at Emma who knows something is up. She's almost looking at the space he was in like "what the actual? Someone else saw that right?" She's concerned, but she also felt brushed off - as if Killian was telling her that he didn't need her to help.

...Can you imagine how much Captain Killian Jones hates being controlled by the Crocodile? The anguish. He must feel so angry because it is the effing Crocodile. And so, annoyed at himself for allowing the Crocodile to gain this huge advantage over him and to manipulate Emma through him. He must know that Rumple will kill him soon, for his usefulness is about at an end. He just started something with Emma. And, here it is being used for the Crocodile's plan and he will likely die before it can really become something.

And, this just haunts me.

Anyway... PLEASE, please, jump in with your thoughts. (You can send me anything OUAT to discuss and I will be here for you! )

[reality-shifting]

i’m in the mood to talk about my ouat dr- first of all i need to mention, i have several ouat dr’s and i don’t really have specific names for any of them yet so idk how i’m tagging this lol

anyway

in that dr, i my name is melody mills and i’m regina’s adopted daughter and henry’s adoptive sister :) i’m not related to any of the “characters” by blood because the family tree is messy enough. henry and i are both 17 because i don’t want be to be older than him and i don’t want to be a kid again lol

that dr for the most part follows the plot of the first two seasons, but the part where regina start working with cora is different because i’m there and i’m trying to get regina to stop doing that- and while idk if she’ll listen, she’ll definitely act a bit differently. also during that part of the plot in season two when david took henry to live with him instead of with regina, there’s conflict because david wants to take me along too because he finds regina too dangerous, but i don’t want to go along with him and it’s a whole situation.

then when the neverland’s plot starts it’s when it gets really divergent from the show’s plot, because pan is my s/o (i scripted us to be soulmates/to have True Love. and i also scripted btw as a sidenote that pan is not related to rumple) and basically when i go along with the heroes to save henry, he meets me and realises that i’m his soulmate like in another prophecy and we then solve the Heart of the Truest Believer with a simple True Love’s Kiss. BUT the heroes still want to punish pan foe kidnapping henry and stuff so everyone is taken back to storybrooke, where i’m trying to keep the peace but pan at this point is still a villain, so he still tries to cast his curse (just without killing felix because i scripted that he won’t need a sacrifice for his curse because he’s so powerful now). and then like in the show, regina destroys the original curse to stop pan’s curse except pan doesn’t die

so then it follows the show’s plot again a little, because henry and emma and me won’t be transported back to the enchanted forest, so regina asks emma to take care of me too and gives us all fake memories of us 3 being a family and we leave and all yeah. pan feels conflicted now and doesn’t want to leave me, but well he has to- he promises tho that he’ll find me and that we’ll be together again <3 and he apologizes for trying to cast the curse and stuff

then in the forgotten year, i’ve scripted that zelena just steals the dagger, so the whole neal dying and getting absorbed plot doesn’t happen bc i don’t want neal to die and rumple also never died bc pan didn’t die.

and meanwhile, emma, henry and me are in new york and we’re doing pretty good over all until ofc hook shows up and asks for emma’s help. this part also follows the shows plot fairly exactly until we arrive in storybrooke, because while regina and emma are trying to get everyone’s memories from the enchanted forest back, pan is trying to get just my memories back. ofc he wants his own memories back too, but he’s more focused on making me remember him again and stuff- but before i remember him, we still spend time together in storybrooke ofc so that i can fall in love again :D

and basically the rest of the plot also follows the show except with me and pan as a power couple :3 and season 7 is different but i haven’t scripted anything specific about that yet ^^

[hidelias]

No tears left to cry | Klaus's young years #4

This is the 4th one-shot about Klaus and Rin's young years >>> AO3 - Wattpad

In this one-shot, I address Klaus's coping mechanisms, particularly in rehab. TW: References to drug use - Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - Sexuality (non-explicit) - Illness of a loved one.

Summary: Rin is a 20-year-old punk girl born with a strange power that she uses for illegal work: she can teleport, make herself invisible or intangible. Over several nights in police custody, just over a year ago, she met a strange cellmate named Klaus… also endowed with an extremely invasive power: that of communicating with the dead. That day, she walks through the doors of the Lakeshore Hills rehab facility to pick him up after his 30 days.

Excerpt:

"How did you handle the situation this time?"

I was well aware that his seemingly radiant attitude of the moment was possibly in no way representative of the way he had lived his 'stay'. At the half-way appointment and diagnosis, he'd literally been a rumpled old rag. He wouldn't talk about himself. But I knew that - if I asked - he'd share it with me. He shook his head, looking down at his Twinkies, his smile just fading.

"I was allowed to keep my music…"

His headphones were around his neck, and for - all his subsequent rehabs - this remained an absolute constant. Music helped him isolate himself from his power. The one on his walkman, the one at concerts, even the one I sometimes hummed. It wasn't a miracle cure, of course not. But it at least kept him in touch with reality and gave him a kind of endorphin rush capable of briefly damming up the spirits. And similarly, he added:

"…and I always had the option of banging one of those junkies".

It took me a long time to realize that Klaus's power was not only linked to death, but also to life. That this part of him would always be prominent, and that what may seem to the outsiders to be perverse frivolity was in fact as much a part of who he was as being a ghost magnet. One seemed to be able to counterbalance the other, for a while anyway, as if life's impulses could transiently take over: when he was having sex with anyone and for a while afterwards, the effect wasn't that different from a shot of ketamine.

You know how he is. He sought this effect, having undoubtedly rooted one of the many facets of his pansexuality. I always used to say that the 'P' in 'pan' stood - as far as he was concerned - for 'Pleasure', the A for 'Attraction' and the N for 'Necessity'. Unfortunately, we could have continued the list and added that the next S was all too often for 'Sustenance", when he was negotiating a place to sleep or funding for his dope. The final letter L for 'Love' - unfortunately for him - didn't enter the equation until years later, in its romantic meaning anyway. And that story didn't end well.

[scripted-downfall]

Dichotomy: Important, But Not Inherent

I saw a post somewhere that was talking about how Once Upon a Time inherently sets up a rivalry between fans of Rumplestiltskin and fans of Hook, and I very much disagree, so I wanted to explain my thoughts on it.  (I don’t recall where I saw the post, so I can’t cite it; my apologies.)

I mean, I kinda get the argument: that, since the two characters are rivals on screen, the fan of one will have the same or similar hatred of the other character, which also transfers onto anyone who might support them… but I also don’t think it’s that simple.  I mean, what show in the world doesn’t have characters who don’t get along, or who are working against each other?  Yeah, maybe that rivalry is particularly intense — read: lasting for centuries in extremely vituperative ways — in this particular case, but I don’t think it causes bitterness between the fans, per se.

When I first watched the first season, Rumple was probably my favorite character, with Regina as a close second; I’m definitely the kind of person who preferred the villains to the heroes.  Rumple was sarcastically funny, and while, yes, he was amoral, it didn’t really matter in terms of my enjoyment of the character.  After all, what makes someone a good character does not have to make them a good person; I like the villains better, not because I especially like their actions or think them right, but because they’re the more interesting characters (in my opinion).

Then, I watched season 2 and season 3, and I absolutely fell in love with Hook.  Tragic backstory, check.  Sarcasm, check.  Working to do better, check.  And so on and so forth.  I didn’t like all of his actions, but I still liked his character a lot.  And yes, I’m not ashamed to admit that, from that point forward, he swiftly became my favorite character… but.  That doesn’t mean that I suddenly stopped liking Rumple.  It’s not like either one was especially blameless in the flashback episode about Milah; yeah, I think Hook was more right, but he didn’t handle it perfectly and no one should claim as much.  And, even though Hook was vastly my favorite character by the time of the mid-season 3 episode where Rumple defeats Pan, I still cried an insane amount over Rumple dying.  (To be fair, I did start to like Rumple less and less as the show went on after that, but it wasn’t because of how much I liked Hook; it was because of what Rumple started doing once he came back.)

Anyway, I don’t know if this is just wildly off-base, but I think that blaming the fact that there are hardcore Rumplestiltskin fans and hardcore Hook fans that are very vicious with each other on the show is pretty unfair; there are going to be fan extremes in any show and that’s just the way things work.  I would argue that it’s not really that the show sets up a fan rivalry by setting up a character rivalry; it’s that there are certain people who take things a little farther than they need to be taken.  (To be clear, I’m not speaking on whether or not them taking it farther than it needs to be taken is a good or bad thing; it’s just not necessary from the writing of the actual show).  People can have a strong preference for one of the characters over the other and still like both.

I don’t know if that made any sense, but here’s hoping it did.  (This will probably be followed up by a post about the Rumplestiltskin-Hook backstory as shown in season 2 episode 4 “The Crocodile” and season 5 episode 14 “Devil’s Due,” so be on the lookout for that if you’re at all interested… sometime within the next few days, probably.)

[countrymusiclover]

25 - Storybrooke Isn’t HIs Kingdom

Part 26

His Golden Princess

@fanficismydrug @misskitty1912-blog @alanaangie24

Our group stands outside the vault all concerned with what Pan would do with this curse. "You must destroy the scroll. Both yours and his curses shall be ended, but know this-there will be a price; a steep one." Rumple explained moving towards Regina.

"W-what do you suggest?" She questioned him.

Rumple points to Henry in Pan's body. "Instead of going to him, bring him to us with a spell." Regina gives him a confused look when he kept going. "One that will return Pan and Henry to their own bodies."

"If I'm back in my own body, that means I'll have the scroll. I can bring it to you guys." Henry grinned.

"Exactly right, Henry." Rumple nodded.

Regina scoffed shaking her head no. "Even you aren't powerful enough to cast such a spell."

"Well, given the proper tool, I could be." Rumple shrugged his shoulders eyeing the fairy from Neverland.

Tinker Bell responded to him. "The Black Fairy's wand. One of the most powerful fairies that ever existed. Well-versed in dark magic. The Blue Fairy exiled her, but before she did, she took her wand."

"I assume our dearly departed Mother Superior has it hidden in her residence." Rumple replied with my father nodding in agreement on the plan.

Rumple grabbed his cane making our way back to his pawnshop. "Then it's settled. The rest of us should get back to my shop and prepare Henry for the spell."

Standing inside the pawnshop my sister was watching my mother who held a hand on one of the glass unicorns on the moblie. "This mobile hung above your cribs." Emma looks confused. "Uh, um, it was supposed to hang over your cribs."

"I like the unicorns." All three of us smiled.

Mom looked at the ground sadly then stared back at us. "Giving you both up when the curse hit was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Every time I look at you two, I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't had to."

"I do the same thing with Henry." My sister replied.

Mom smiled at her taking each of our hands in hers. "You were doing your best. You were giving him-"

"His best chance." Emma cut her off with a sigh. "Yeah. But still, things would have been very different I had kept him. We would have had a life together. A normal one."

Slipping my hand from our mothers I walked over to Rumple seeing him still studying a spellbook but he finally lifted his eyes up to mine when I asked. "Is there anyway I can help with..." I wave my fingers around knowing he would understand I'm talking about magic.

"There's something I need you to do. Follow me lass." We entered the back room leaving us alone where he rests his hand over my heart looking for my concent. "Once Pan is in his body he will most likely come after you. I need to remove yours to form a protection spell just in case."

Nodding my head slowly he shoved his hand inside my chest pulling it out where I gasped leaning towards him. He holds my shoulder helping me sit down before he waved his freehand over it. My heart turned gold for a second then returned to its normal color. "You're going to kill Pan though right. Or at the very least I wouldn't mind putting my sword into him." I threatened up to him.

"You needn't do that, Astrid. I don't wish for you to ever fall down the path I choose." He replied gently putting my heart back inside my chest seeing me pouting at the floor. "What's wrong love?"

Running my fingers through my hair I slumped my shoulders remembering Pan's words in Skull rock. "One follows the light and the other falls down into the darkness...Pan said that to me. I think he was talking about me..."

Rumple sits down on the cot beside me pushing hair from my face resting my cheek in the palm of his hand. "That won't happen to you, lass. You are the light in my life. You shall not fall into such things. I promise." The tarp opens and my sister enters with everyone else ready for the spell.

Rumple got to his feet and I followed watching him open a cabinet to take out a bracelet. A shiver runs down my spine recognizing that it looks exactly like the cuff Pan put on me in Neverland. "What is that?" Mom questioned seeing my state.

"This is one of the only useful things that I managed to pilfer from Greg and Tamara before they left for Neverland. It renders anyone with magic utterly powerless." Rumple eyes me with a reassuringly smile putting it on Pan's arm. "Let me see your wrist, Henry. I want to make sure when my dear old Dad awakes that he is weakened. This will lock his powers."

Henry questioned laying down on the cot. "So what happens now?"

"I enact the spell, you fall into a deep sleep and when you awake, you're back in your own body." He replied standing over his body.

Regina stared down at her son finishing the mission. "Then you hang into that scroll and come find us as fast as you can."

Neal hands the wand to his father. "Keep your eye on the wand." Henry closes his eyes as he casts the spell. Pan's body begins shaking then finally stopped meaning the spell was complete.

"Do you want me to stay or go with them?" I asked pointing my thumb over my shoulder asking Rumple who hadn't moved from his spot.

He shakes his head leaning forward giving me a kiss on the forehead. I grip his suit leaning up kissing him on the lips instead with a smile. "I'll catch up with you later, sweetheart. Go be with your family."

Exiting the shop we found Henry at the clock tower holding the scroll. Henry asked "Mom, are you going to be okay? Regina

"The important thing is you will be." Henry grabs her hand in reassurance. Suddenly, the scroll disappears from Regina's palm.

Pan suddenly appeared teleporting the scroll into his hands. "No, he won't." He raised his freehand up.

Raising my hand I created a fireball throwing it towards him when Hook warned. "He has the-" He is cut off as Pan binds everyone in place with a freezing spell.

Pan holding up scroll smirks. "Curse? That I do."

Even though I can't move Pan draws me forward about to shove his hand inside my chest until Rumple grabbed his shoulder yanking him away from me. "Stay away from them!"

"How about this? The worm has teeth. You're here to protect their "loved ones"." Pan mocked him.

Rumple bared his teeth. "I'm not gonna let you touch either one of them. "I have a job to finish, and I have to do whatever it takes. No loopholes. And what needs to be done has a price. A price I'm finally willing to pay." He looks to Neal standing beside me. "I used the curse to find you, Bae, to tell you I made a mistake. To make sure you had a chance at happiness. And that happiness is possible. Just not with me. I accept that."

"Pretty, pretty words." Pan shook his head.

Rumple never broke gazes with me or his son. "I love you, Bae. And I love you, Astrid, you made me stronger...you've shown me that love is possible. That light and darkness can exist together. That we can be together. You are my happiness.."

"Stronger, yes. But still no magic." Pan stepped closer to him.

"Oh, but I don't need it. You see, you may have lost your shadow, but there's one thing you're forgetting." Rumple gripped the dagger.

Rumple smirks raising his hand in the air before his shadow appeared holding the Dark One dagger. "So have I. I sent it away with something to hide." He takes hold of the dagger, the shadow goes back into him. Then, he forcibly holds Pan against himself.

"You see, the only way for you to die, is if we both die. And now... now, I am ready." He stabs Pan in the back with the blade.

A cloud of black smoke covers Pan, who disappears. As the smoke dissipates, his real father appears in his place. "Rumple, please. You can stop this. Remove the dagger. We can start over. We can have a happy ending."

"Oh, but I'm a villain. And villains don't get happy endings." He twists the dagger to embed deeper into both their wounds killing the both of them.

The spell broke where I gasped rushing to my father's embrace where he stumbled a little. He wrapped his arms around my sobbing form that the love of my life is gone. "No he's gone...Rumple's gone...dad what do I do!"

"W-what's the price? Gold said there is a price. What is our price?" My sister questioned in fear.

Regina dropped her gaze to the ground. "It's what I felt when I... first held it. I have to say goodbye to the thing I love most." She looked to Henry. "I can never see him again. I have no choice. I have to undo what I started."

"The curse that brought us to Storybrooke?" Mom realized resting a hand on my back as I still felt my heart being broken into a million pieces.

Regina explains holding the scroll. "That created Storybrooke. It doesn't belong here, and neither do any of us."

"Breaking the curse destroys the town." My father said rubbing my back softly.

Regina sighed explaining where we would go back to our magical birth place. "It will wink out of existence as though it were never here. And everyone will go back to where they are from. Prevented from ever returning."

Emma holds Henry against her chest. "We'll go back to the Enchanted Forest?"

"All of us. Except Henry. He will stay here because... he was born here." Regina finished her statement sadly.

Mom looked to my sister when I lifted my head up from my father's chest still sobbing. "Emma, you have to go."

My sister shakes her head looking my direction. "But we just found you.."

"And now it's time for you to leave us again. For your best chance. For his." Mom pointed to Henry lightly smiling.

"No. N-no. I'm-I'm not... done. I'm the savior, right? I'm supposed to bring back all the happy endings. That's what Henry always said." Emma shakes her head not wanting this to be real.

Mom smiled draping an arm over my shoulder when I gripped her white coat. "Happy endings aren't always what we think they will be. Look around you. You've touched the lives of everyone here."

"But we're a family." My sister shutters.

"Yes, and we always will be. You gave us that." Mom squeezes my hand in hers making me smile weakly.

"You and Henry can be a family. You can get your wish. You can be like everyone else. You can be happy." Dad stepped up holding my other hand in his taking my sister's in his other. "You and Astrid can live the life you've always wanted."

Breaking from my mother's arms I bawled my hands into fists at my sides letting tears slip down my face. "I'm not going with you, sis...I'm gonna go back with our parents. I'm going to be a princess like I was supposed to be."

"Ast...we've never been apart before. You're my sister after all." My sister stepped up grabbing my hands in hers. She released tears eyeing me up and down. "Is that really what you want...to go to the Enchanted Forest?"

Flinging my arms around her she wrapped her arms around me tightly hugging me back. She sniffled through tears until I broke the hug. "Em, since we've grown up I believed in fairytales. I know my purpose in life is to hold onto that belief. Even if we never see each other again I know you'll get your happiness. And it will be with my nephew."

Standing at the town line Henry ran forward crying into my chest where I wrapped my arms around his body. He breaks the hug crying. "I don't wanna leave you, Aunt Astrid...I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too kid. I want you to do something for me. Hold onto your beliefs, Henry. That's the special thing about you." I sniffed before we hugged again. Regina ripped the scroll destroying the town line right before our eyes. The next time I opened my eyes I gasped seeing nothing but Forest around me. Glancing down I gasped seeing I am wearing the white dress with a golden trim and combat boots underneath. Reaching up I felt a crown on my head making me smile. "Looks like it's Princess Astrid now after all."

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[moonstonediaz]

I don’t think Eddie is gonna be legit dating though Kristen said dipping his toe that to me means he’s not gonna be getting his endgame or anything I think what is likely is he dates and then it goes awful and the journey is more of him asking why is it so difficult. I don’t think his dating is gonna go over well imo. I don’t for one second believe they’re gonna introduce another love interest for Eddie maybe a one episode guest star but the date goes wrong and then Eddie is trying to figure out why it’s bad.

i agree 100%. i don’t think we’re getting anything serious out of eddie exploring his romantic life in terms of an outside character becoming endgame. and i also think any dating he does will end in disaster and leave eddie with more questions than answers. now that he’s healed to a point where he can ask himself what he wants and needs in a romantic partner, in my opinion, it sets it up perfectly for him to explore his sexuality as well.

my dream scenario (and possibly a great fic idea) is a funky little montage of eddie going on all these bad dates with women and trying to figure out why he can’t seem to click with anyone. and then he ends up at the bar of a restaurant where he was stood up and ends up chatting with a cute guy there. and he starts thinking “wow this is nice and easy and he’s cute” and when the guy asks for his number, he figures why the hell not. and it never develops into anything serious, but it opens his world wide and he’s learning more about himself and starts quietly dating men without really telling anyone in the firefam explicitly ‘hey i’m sort of into dudes now’ and then he starts noticing how jealous buck is getting. because eddie’s spending more and more time with other guys and isn’t inviting buck out anymore and he’s showing up to work blushing and giddy and rumpled and who the hell is making him so happy? and why isn’t it buck?

alskalsk anyway, like i said. likely won’t happen in the show, but it’s my dream scenario. my weewoo wishlist if you will. regardless, i’m very interested to see how this pans out for both of them!

[boopsterliv]

Hi, I’m new here, but I have a prompt for Rumbelle! Takes place in Season 2, this idea looks into Belle and how she deals with her trauma with being locked up and interacting with Regina. Worse, she tries not to let Rumple know how bad it all is.

(Ooooh! Welcome to the madness, I don't bite. The sharks might though :) Anyways, it has always bothered me how they never really addressed that in the show, but I could probably go on a rant about how much they hurt the Golds. I'm still mad about Neal. So, we’re going to use fanfiction to fix it! Fanfiction can fix literally any canon faux pas. The only reasoning I ever need is ‘because I said so’. Anyways, I’m rambling again, so have some lovely hurt-comfort! With my favorite pan disasters <3 Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38856489/chapters/101186409)

Belle was fine.

Really, she was. Why would anything be wrong? She had her freedom, she had her man, she had her library. She was fine. Rumple was busy looking for Baelfire. She couldn’t bear to stress him out more. He had his son to worry about. She was just his former housemaid.

She didn’t like naturally being this self-deprecating, but twenty-eight years reliving the same day in a small cell underground... It got to you. Twenty-eight years without an identity. Twenty-eight years only seeing one face every day, until the one day she was freed. What hurt even more was that it wasn’t a selfless act. 

The man who freed her, Jefferson, just wanted to get back at Regina for not holding up her end of the bargain they made.

Belle was never the star of her own story. She was off on the side while everyone else was having their adventures. She was helpless little Belle, unable to protect herself from anything in the world. And maybe that’d make things easier for Rumple. Cora was still at large, Hook wanted his head, nothing was really going well at the moment. 

Except their relationship, which seemed to be the only bright spot somedays. Especially when they were filled with seeing Regina at every turn. Sometimes she was really there waiting to cross the road or ordering a coffee at Granny’s. Sometimes she was a figment of Belle’s imagination, paranoia creeping up on her in unexpected moments. 

But it was fine. Regina wouldn’t hurt her, not if she wanted to keep Henry around. And she had faith she couldn’t be evil. Rumple had said he was evil, and after meeting Cora, Belle changed her mind on what the definition of evil was. Regina was lost, not evil, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous or uncomfortable to be around. 

Like today. Belle wanted to have some breakfast with her favorite person in the whole world. And Rumple needed to get out of that shop of his, so the two took the opportunity to get some food. After being introduced to Ruby’s pancakes, Belle wouldn’t be able to go back to normal bread ever again. 

It had the regulars. David was getting a bite in the corner on the phone, keeping his voice down respectfully. He saw Belle and waved, and she waved back. She hadn’t expected her boyf... lover to take so easily to David, but the two were friends. She secretly found it a little funny. Whales was having his daily three cups of coffee (and trying to discreetly check out Ruby. Even if everyone in town knew about their relationship, he was still trying to be secretive), Archie was feeding little bites of his croissant to Pongo, and Ashley was animatedly talking to Granny about the baby. 

“Belle? Darling?” 

She looked back up at Rumple, who had that slightly concerned look on his face he got when worried about her. A crease in his forehead and a soft frown, with those way too emotional (and unfair) eyes filled with questions but asking none. Belle smiled despite herself. He was just too beautiful sometimes. 

“Yes?”

“You’re thinking loudly.”

She laughed a little, and Rumple smiled in turn. “Just people-watching.”

He brought the coffee mug up to his lips and muttered, “Not much of a fan of people.”

“Trust me, Rumple, I know.” She grinned at him, moving to hold his hand. They knew each other, and Belle knew he was more into spinning gold than talking to other people. He didn’t mind her social nature, and she didn’t mind his introversion. They accepted each other, and she liked having that romance she always wanted when reading books. 

Except theirs was better. 

Except theirs was real.

“One coffee please. To-go.”

Her body turned ice cold at the sound of that voice. Belle was used to it at this point. Whenever she heard Regina, her heart would start pounding, and all the thoughts in her head would simply vanish. Everything in her body screamed ‘Run!’, and she bit her lip. She couldn’t run. That would worry Rumple, and from the look on his face he was already concerned. Belle plastered a smile on her face, even as Regina got her coffee and headed out. 

Suddenly her pancakes seemed even more appetizing than before. They’d buy her a few seconds to think of what to do. She could play dumb, although he’d probably catch that since he knows her tells. Belle took a large drink of orange juice to wash down the food she had just stuffed into her mouth and exhaled loudly, forcing herself to smile a little more.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize how hu-?”

“Belle, are you okay?”

Her heart stopped for a second. She was hoping he’d wait until later to acknowledge it. But Belle knew her Rumple, and he wasn’t going to do anything until he made sure she was okay. She sighed. “It’s nothing.”

“If it’s bothering you, it’s not nothing.” He beckoned Ruby to come over. “Could we have the check?”

“Alright then. Need any boxes.”

“We’re good, thank you.”

As soon as she walked off, Belle felt his gaze back on her. Her cheeks reddened as he brought a hand up to cup her face. And Rumple wasn’t typically a physical person in public.

“Love, what’s going on?”

“It’s...” The tears were coming back. Belle was used to pushing them down. Crying in her padded white cell never helped her. But you’re free now. You don’t have to keep it in.

Ruby came back with the check and Rumple handed her his credit card. They had silently agreed to finish the conversation after paying, and in a minute, Ruby had come back, setting the card on the table and telling them to have a good day. 

He was willing to wait until they got to the car before gently moving his hands to hold her forearms, and Belle felt bats flying rampant in her stomach.

“Belle, if there’s something wrong, you can tell me. I’d never get mad at you.”

“Rumple, I know you care.” She took a deep breath. “And right now, the last thing you probably need is me to worry over.”

“What do you-”

“Regina,” she interrupted, almost spitting the name out. “I spent so long in that cell... I spent so, so much time alone-”

Her screams echoed off the walls. She needed someone to tell her who she was, where she came from, if anyone cared. Why was she here? Did she hurt someone?

“-and she’d taunt me-”

“Aren’t you hungry?” The woman with dark eyes was at the door again. The only person she ever saw, considering how no one else would give her food. “I’m your friend, after all. Friendship has its own kind of love, and true love... is the strongest thing in this world.

“-and I would have weird dreams-”

She saw a million things in her dreams. She felt her body shatter to glass, she saw fire surround her. Some dreams she had been married in a field with a man who had a blurred face. In some of the dreams, said man was killing her.

“-and I just...” Belle felt the tears now, and Rumple had moved his arms to hold her as her heart hurt with the amount of emotion she was letting out. She was so used to keeping it down for his sake. “Every time I see her, or hear her, I panic. I feel so cold and like I might combust at the same time. I see her even when she’s not there too. She’s always looming nearby.”

“Love...” He brought a hand up to gently brush some of the tears away, and she let out a choked sob. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You’re looking for Baelfire. And Cora is still dangerous. Not to mention Hook... You’ve got enough problems without my pointless worries to thi-”

When he pressed a kiss to her lips, Belle let out a gasp, and didn’t get to say anything before he was pulling back and embracing her. She felt the tears come back. “Darling... Belle. Listen to me. I love you, and I love Bae. And I would never think of your worries as pointless. You mean so, so much to me. I would tear heaven and hell apart if it made you happy. I would scour the world for anything you could ever want with no regrets.”

Hearing that... hearing Rumple confess those things, when before he had been so scared of love, had her unconsciously hugged him tighter than he was hugging her (somehow) and dug her head into his shoulder. “I-I love you... I love you so much...”

“I love you too, my love.”

She felt emotionally raw, but there was also something lighter about her now. Belle felt the weights she didn’t know were on her chest lift a little. She (reluctantly) pulled back, bringing him down for a kiss just as chaste as the one he had given her a few moments ago. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner.” She opened her mouth to say that wasn’t his fault, but he just kept going. “And if anything is wrong, anything at all, you have all of my time and attention.”

“I promise to.” And so, she kissed him again, and he kissed her back, and everything was okay. Everything was better.

[martianbugsbunny]

OUAT Thoughts Pt.59--Episodes 8-9

I have watched through S6E9; spoilers DNI. Also, spoiler warning for anyone further behind than I am.

—Well now I’ve done it. I said I was going to do it and I did. I have now reached the ultimate shipping level of shipping two people who A) never met in canon and B) one of whom is dead. Obviously, it’s all AU material. The cause of this? A passing comment from my mom about how Aladdin and Robin Hood should’ve met before Robin died. Thieving together is *the* OUAT romance, so what was I supposed to do with that remark? Robin Hood x Aladdin, that’s what.

—No wonder Rumple’s badness level is so high! His parents are the Black Fairy and Peter Pan, how could he not be at least a little evil?

—That outfit Regina wore in Episode 8 was awesome. The vest with corset vibes paired with her typical pantsuit really mixes the best of both her looks. Now if she could just score a fabulous hat to go with it, that would be great! —I can���t believe I didn’t expect the Dragon to literally become a dragon *facepalms* But I love both the European dragons and the Asian dragons, and getting to finally see an Asian dragon in this show was amazing. And it was such a pretty model.

—If I had been sentenced to the Mirror Dimension for years like Sydney was, I would’ve been driven crazy. (As my grandpa would say, that’s not a very long drive.) Nothing but mirrors and creepy trees as far as the eye can see.

—Snow and Charming’s life is so sad. But they’re managing it pretty well, all things considered. David making breakfast or getting flowers before waking Snow is cute. Snow got the one that made me sad: recording a video of her and Neal for Charming before waking him.

—I’m proud of Rumple. He took a step in the right direction. He was incredibly close to a metaphorical ledge and he backed off, which is impressive given how desperate he’s been lately. I knew it was the Evil Queen who poisoned Belle.

—That conductor-style coat Regina wore when she tried to steal from saved Zelena was gorgeous. I love jackets with any kind of semi-military influence, they always have great lapels, fine trim, and cool buttons. Bonus points if it’s got the double row of buttons. (Is that the same as being double-breasted? Idk, but they both look good.)

—I love that when Hook is upset he goes walking by the sea. Very piratey of him.

—Aladdin choosing to become a genie to help Jasmine find Agrabah is awesome. Aladdin’s shaping up to be a pretty interesting guy. Also, he’s kinda cute, especially when he smiles.

—Jasmine, on the other hand, doesn’t really have any defining characteristics yet. I’m still waiting on her to do anything.

—Henry and Violet are cute together. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been low-key mad at Henry for a while, because he’s been falling into the dumbass pit, but he’s redeemed himself recently. Saving Emma and Regina without hurting the Dragon went a long way towards improving my opinion of him. And the fact that he also tried to save the Dragon’s heart when the mirror exploded (I say tried because I haven’t seen hide nor hair of the Dragon or his heart since then) was cool too. And the way he treats Violet also helps, because he’s very nice to her. And that gives him a better kind of fallibility than his recent rash behavior has, because he’s been shown to be insecure with Violet, which is a more humanizing characteristic to give someone than acting without thinking.

—Also, if Henry and Violet are watching John Hughes movies, they should watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Best teen romp ever!

—At this point, I don’t even care if Rumple and Belle get back together. I mean, they won’t anyway, so why invest myself? (As if that ever stopped me before.) But right now, I really just want him and Belle to clear up the whole poisoning misconception, so she knows he did the right thing. Then maybe they can work towards amicably co-parenting Gideon.

[babymetaldoll]

Quarantine with Matthew Gray Gubler (MGG / Reader)

(Not my gif, thank you to whoever made it! )

Requested: Yes :)

Vivir en cuarentena con Matthew, y él hace en vivos por Instagram con y/n respondiendo preguntas de fans

Category: Fluff

Pairing: Matthew Gray Gubler / Reader

Summary: Matthew loves making people happy, and in quarantine, he finds the best way to keep in touch with his fans and do what he loves the most: spend time with (Y/N) 💜

Warnings: Nope

Word count: 2,2K

Masterlist

A/N: I am so sorry this request took me forever!!  Hello guys!!  thank you for all your comments, and love 💖 You are awesome!! hope you have a great week!!

.

Living in quarantine isn't as bad as many people think. It all depends on who you are spending your time locked in with. (Y/N) knew it pretty well, 'cos she had been locked with her husband, Matthew Gray Gubler, in their shared house for the last month.

And even when most people were sick and tired of being home, (Y/N)and Matthew managed to keep themselves busy and mentally sane. In fact, you could feel more stressed considering there was a pandemic and no one could see their loved ones and friends. But being with Matthew made it all so much bearable.

Considering Gubler's job kept him busy most of the time during a normal year and that he didn't have many chances to be home the way he was now, he enjoyed it.

Sleeping in was heaven. And the fact he could stay in, wearing pajama and kimonos, just enjoying his wife's company, was what he needed.

He didn't realize he needed to take a break after years of hard work until he was forced to do it. And god, it felt good.

(Y/N) would keep herself busy writing and reading while Matthew painted and draw by her side.

Their daily activities included: trying new recipes at least three times each week. Gubler would always come with some random exotic dish he always wanted to recreate. And six of eight times, he nailed it.

They would also spend a day in their pajamas doing nothing. Usually, it was Sundays. That was their official cuddles day. Just movies, ice cream, and cuddles.

Matthew also started teaching (Y/N) some magic tricks. She had insisted a few times, but he was very reluctant to do it at first.

- "A magician never shares his tricks, Bunny"- he argued for days.

- "Ok, but what if I am a magician too? Then it would be ok?"

(Y/N) was sitting on his lap, playing with some curls of his hair between her fingers. They were in their backyard, having a picnic. They had set a blanket and had some cookies (Y/N) had baked, along with two tall ice coffee Matthew had prepared, with an obscene amount of whipped cream.

- "And how are you planning to be a magician if you don't know any trick?"- he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

- "Just because you haven't taught me any trick doesn't mean I don't know any!"- she answered, pretending to be insulted.

- "My wife can do magic, and she never told me?"

- "There are a lot of things about your wife you still don't know"- (Y/N) teased and smiled at him.

- "Bunny, we are locked in this house until further notice. I think I have enough time to find out all those things I haven't seen in the last years."

(Y/N) had finally convinced him when she showed him a simple card trick her father had taught her when she was a kid. Gubler got so excited he even presided a ceremony to name her an official magician and invited their friends to be part of it via zoom. Everybody enjoyed their magic tricks and shared a good hour of fun and laughter with them, just like they would do live.

It felt good to be with their loved ones, even if it was just online.

That gave Matthew an idea.

- "Hey, Bunny!"- he walked into the kitchen holding his phone, scrolling down his Instagram feed.

- "What is it, honey?"- (Y/N) asked him as she kept chopping vegetables for dinner.

- "I was thinking maybe I should start doing Instagram live streamings with the fans. Maybe do some magic tricks, tell jokes. I don't know."- (Y/N) raised his eyes from the food and smiled.

- "Sounds awesome! when do you wanna start?"

- "Now?"- he answered a little hesitant

- "And what do you have in mind?"

- "Maybe answering questions and asking them if hanging out via Instagram is something they'd like to do."

(Y/N) chuckled and walked to her husband, pinching his cheeks, making him giggle.

- "You are so adorable, Gub. Like anyone wouldn't love to hang out with you."- he blushed and shook his head.

- "Ok, I'm gonna do it here anyway."

- "While I'm cooking?"- (Y/N) looked confused

- "Yes, I want you near so you can stop me when I start rambling"- (Y/N) laughed and kissed her husband's lips sweetly.

- "I can't stop your rambling, Gubler. But I can mute the video"- she teased, and he pecked her lips, chuckling.

- "Just stop me when I start saying anything embarrassing."

- "Deal."

No one could say Matthew Gray Gubler didn't care about his fans. He was committed to being always nice to anyone who would ask for a picture or an autograph. Why? Because nothing made him happier than making people happy. And if his job gave people joy, he honestly felt his life had a purpose.

That's why he enjoyed his improvised IG stream so much. He just sat on a couch nearby the kitchen and started talking with fans, answering questions.

- "Where am I spending my quarantine? Here is my hunted treehouse. I don't think I had ever been home this much, and it's been awesome."- Gubler stood up and started walking around the room.

- "Who am I spending it with? my gorgeous wife, of course,"- he said and pointed the phone at (Y/N), who was still cooking dinner. She simply waved and smiled

- "She is making sure I eat proper food now... Bunny, people are asking what you are cooking."

- "Pad thai"- she answered with a huge grin- "Gubler's request for tonight's dinner."

- "Maybe we could make a cooking class one day,"- Matthew suggested, and the screen started filling with "YES!!" immediately- "I could teach people how to burn every pan in the house, and you can cook."

(Y/N) nodded, laughing.

- "You can teach everybody how to make the best hotcakes."- (Y/N) answered and walked away from the phone.

It wasn't that she didn't like being part of her husband's activities, but she figured she wasn't really that important. Fans were there to see him, not her.

But Matthew followed her.

- "Yeah! I'll make my famous chocolate chip hotcakes, and you will have to top them!"- (Y/N) laughed and looked at her husband, raising an eyebrow.

- "Battle of the hotcakes?"

- "Yes!"

- "Set a time and a place, and I'll be there"- (Y/N) put her hands in her waist and raised an eyebrow, looking as serious as she could fake it.

- "Tomorrow, noon, here in our kitchen, because we can't leave the house,"- Gubler answered and mimicked his wife's attitude, still streaming everything.

- "Bring it, Gub."

And just like that, another livestream was scheduled.

The next day, at noon, Matthew streamed the funniest hotcake competition there had ever been seen by humankind. At least that's what he described.

- "Let's say it's a tie"- Gubbler decided and finished the last piece of hotcake in his dish- "I'll leave a poll in my stories so you can decide what you wanna see in tomorrow's live."

- "Really?"- (Y/N) asked, surprised- "Which are the options?"

- "Magic tricks or... I don't know. I didn't think this through"- he answered, making his wife giggle.

- "Maybe you could make a Rumple reading"- and Gubler's eye brightened at the idea

- "With my Rumple costume?"

- "I don't see why not"- Gubler looked at the screen and grinned like a kid.

- "Ok, you'll decide, magic classes or Rumple reading."

It was a draw. That's why Gubler did a Rumple reading the next day and decided to prepare a magic class with his wife for later that week.

His followers were having a blast with each one of their streams. Matthew would always try to take a step back and let his wife shine in front of everybody. He thought she was so funny the world needed to see more of her.

And (Y/N) always tried to be the best sidekick for her husband. Helping him make his streamings as fun as possible.

For the Rumple reading, Matthew sat in an armchair by the fireplace, dressed like Rumple, and read the whole book, impersonating voices and everything. Then, (Y/N) read the questions from the fans, and Matthew answered everything.

Gubler dressed like a classic magician for their magic streaming, and his wife was his assistant, helping him with each trick.

And by the end of the week, the people picked Q&A streaming with the two of them. It was the Friday "Chilling with the Gubs special."

- "Your girl is about to steal the whole show"- Shemar called Matthew that week and made him laugh- "She's the best part of the whole stream."

- "Don't flirt with my wife!"- he answered and chuckled.

- "I'm just saying she has a lot of potentials. She should try to do some stand-up comedy."

Gubler loved that comment, though. He knew his wife was awesome, and he wanted the world to know. As simple as that.

- "Ok, Bunny, ready to answer some questions?"- Gubler set the phone in front of them as they sat in their backyard. One more time, they had set a blanket in their favorite spot. And they had cookies and coffee.

- "Hit it!"

It was fun to do those things together. (Y/N) had never been one to be in the spotlight, but she loved being with Matthew. And if he was happy, so was she.

And it took only a second to see how happy Matthew was. He beamed each time he looked at his wife by his side.

- "Ok, this is a good one. What did we have for breakfast today?"- (Y/N) read and chuckled.

- "Good question. Waffles. (Y/N) made waffles, and I ate five, with ice cream. I'm gonna get so fat in quarantine"- the actor answered and felt his wife's hand in his hair.

- "What's your next project"- (Y/N) read- "Oh! that's a good one!"

- "But I won't say anything about it,"- Gubler answered and chuckled- "You'll have to stay tuned."

- "But I can assure you, it's amazing,"- (Y/N) added smiling- "How did you two meet"- the couple looked at each other and giggled.

- "At a party in my best friend's house"- she answered- "She was dating one of Matthew's friends, and they had a huge celebration when they moved in together."

- "And when I saw her, I knew I had to talk to her, but her friends didn't leave her alone."

- "Why didn't you just walked over and talked to me anyway?"- (Y/N) asked and crossed her arms on her chest

- "Because they were intimidating! and I am a shy guy!"- he explained- "I had to wait until you walked away to get yourself a drink to talk to you finally!"

- "You literally appeared by my side as soon as I walked away from them"- (Y/N) laughed, remembering the moment- "It was so funny!"

- "Hey! it might have been my only chance! I needed to take it!"- Matthew held her hand and played with her fingers, thinking he was glad non of that was in the camera angle.

- "And it worked"- (Y/N) answered and smiled at her husband, thinking as soon as that livestream was over, she was going to have a serious make out session with him

- "I'm glad it did. Quarantine would suck without you."

Gubler answered and smiled, thinking as soon as that stream was over, he was going to jump on her and kiss every inch of her body, just because she looked so beautiful that day.

- "Are you guys planning on having kids?"- (Y/N) read and turned all kinds of pink. There was a silence between the couple as they just looked at each other and shrugged.

- "We'd make cute babies"- Matthew answered- "And we could clearly keep them entertained."

(Y/N) laughed and shook her head.

- "We are not streaming that!!"

- "What?"

- "The baby-making part!"- she joked, and Gubler blushed, laughing and falling back on the blanket.

- "That idea never crossed my mind!"

- "I had to say it! Just in case"- (Y/N) argued and chuckled.

She had thought about having babies in the last few months. But getting pregnant during a pandemic didn't sound like a good idea.

Or was it?

- "Ok, everybody. We are signing out for today"- Gubler announced and waved at the camera- "Take care, stay in your house this weekend, and we'll come back maybe next week."

- "Maybe people can suggest what they'd like to see"- (Y/N) said and looked at Gubler, smiling back at her.

- "I'll leave the option in one of my stories so that you can leave your suggestions. See you!!"

The livestream was over. Gubler left his phone aside and looked at his wife. She was sipping her coffee and fidgeting with her fingers on the fabric of her jeans.

- "We would make cute babies, though,"- Matthew whispered and watched her beam at those words. That was all he needed to know.

- "You would spoil them so much"- (Y/N) replied, giggling.

- "Only because they will be just like you, and I love to spoil you so much"- he opened his arms, and (Y/N) leaned in, resting her body against his.

- "So... do you wanna have a baby Gub?"- she whispered against his chest- her voice was muffled, but he heard her clearly.

- "I think I do. You?"- Gubler answered, feeling his heart beating faster.

- "Me too."

(Y/N) muttered and giggled. Matthew looked at her and leaned in a little closer, kissing her lips sweetly.

It was a massive step for them, and they were very excited to do it.

- "Do you wanna start now?"- Matthew suggested, and (Y/N) blushed immediately- "I mean... I was going to suggest sex before, but now..."

- "The sooner, the better, Gubler,"- (Y/N) replied and bit her lips- "After all, we are gonna have to do a lot of practice before we succeed."

[wyntereyez]

Here we go again: "Ariel" and "Dark Hollow."

- Ariel is so adorable. Especially compared to the other mermaids we met.

- LOL, Snow, you SUCK at keeping secrets.

- As does Ginnifer Goodwin, actually. But that's not relevant.

- Regina's Evil Queen outfits really were spectacular.

- Pan and Rumple's dynamic is so creepy. We know Rumple is powerful, but Pan just exudes this menace and you get the feeling he's the more powerful one.

- FINALLY. Somebody knocked Rumple out of his funk

- She's also a hot Ursula.

- UGH, I forgot about Eric. I have... Issues with his actor.

- I'm so glad he didn't get the role of Hook.

- But anyway.

- Echo Caves!

- Oh, Killian, you smitten kitten

- Ouch, Snow. Way to hurt your poor daughter.

- David, David, David...

- Oof, I almost feel bad for Neal. Almost.

- Snow's support of Neal is as annoying as Mulan's, but I'll cut her some slack since she doesn't know the whole story.

- Give up, Neal. You ain't gonna win.

- Damn, that's a really effective hurt puppy look, Killian.

- Dayum. John Darling is hot.

- This show has many hot actors, honestly.

- It's unfair.

- The Regina Rumple snark is fun!

- And now Neal knows about the kiss. Cue the pissing contest. 🙄

- That's a lovely moment, when Emma says she appreciates that Killian told them the truth about Neal, and he's surprised she'd think otherwise. She's starting to see him for who he is, and she likes it.

- Seriously, though. Killian isn't trying to goad Neal at all, and meanwhile, Neal finds it more important to fight with Killian over Emma than focus on the mission.

- And then Neal just sounds so annoyed Emma is learning magic.

- Sorry, Neal... I just don't like how you treat Emma.

- Robbie Kay really was brilliant in the role. Chilling.

- Huh. There's some chemistry between Tink and Neal. That could have been interesting.

- DON'T TRUST PAN, HENRY

- A FAMILY OF IDIOTS

[pokeasleepingsmaug]

Agrotera

     Based off this post . I also started a companion piece to it about Apollo doing music therapy with the girls and his redemption arc for all his problematic rapey actions in the past, so I can post that too if you’re interested. 

     Artemis doesn’t quite remember when Apollo traded his golden bow for something smaller, sleeker, easier to conceal and faster to fire, but she’ll never get used to the gleam of the pistol at his hip, and she’ll never relinquish her prized silver bow. She worked too hard to perfect her skill with it over the long millenia, brought down too many enemies with it, and cried out in a hunter’s triumph when her arrows struck true. She still uses the hand-draw technique like the archers of old, eschews the use of a quiver because they’re clumsy and slow her down when she’s in pursuit. Easier to hold her arrows in the hand that holds the bowstring.

    Archery is an art that’s been lost over time to cheap trick-shots and Hollywood inaccuracies. But she’s a goddess and a huntress, and the tense snap of a bowstring sounds like poetry as she sends an arrow singing through the air. Maybe Apollo’s right and she has a dramatic flair, but she thinks that’s pretty rich coming from the guy who shot plague-arrows into half the Greek army during the final year of the Trojan War. If she ignores the fact that she once ripped a man to shreds with his own hounds, she can believe that Apollo is, in fact, the more dramatic twin.

    The drama queen in question leans against the wrought-iron rail of their third-story apartment’s balcony, pistol gleaming at his hip as he takes another drag from his cigarette. “You can’t save them all, Art,” he tells her on an exhale, and she wrinkles her nose and waves the smoke away. She isn’t worried about the health risks, sometimes even wishes she could die, but the smell is another matter entirely.

    “I could if you helped me,” she tells him, an edge of steel in her voice, and he sighs and rolls his jaw.

    “Fine. The next time you hunt.”

    She’s spent centuries with Apollo and knows when he’s only giving in because he’s tired of arguing, but she’ll take the win because she can’t stand to lose. “You have to take your bow.”

    Apollo looks at her with one perfect eyebrow raised. She nods. “I was going to take it anyway,” he snaps. She doesn’t bother to hide her grin. He stubs his cigarette out against the railing and shoves past her through the sliding glass door, muttering as he stalks down the hallway to his room. They have rooms more as a matter of principle, since neither of them need to sleep. Both of them choose to, sometimes. It breaks up some of the tedium of immortality.

    Artemis takes her twin’s spot at the railing, looks pensively at the sun rising above the city skyline. It seems distant today, the pinks and oranges less vibrant than normal. Apollo does this sometimes to show his annoyance, and still has the nerve to accuse her of being dramatic? He practically invented the concept.

…

    Artemis has always been most comfortable in the dark, but it’s been decades--or has it been centuries?--since the goddess of night skies and deep woods danced in moonlight filtering through leaves. City streets are her haunt now, hunting monsters of a different kind in the glow of street lamps and neon signs that dull the once-magnificent night sky into something mundane.

   She misses the time when mortals thought there was magic in the night and in the forest, when they used to pour unwatered wine and sing hymns to her, full of awe and fear. She was powerful once, adored. She isn’t either of those things anymore, but somehow she feels stronger than ever. More purposeful.

    She’s leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, faintly gleaming silver bow and a pile of pale ash arrows resting on the floor at her feet. “Apollo,” she calls, half-annoyed. “We’re hunting for prey, not lovers.”

    “I can’t find my bow.” His voice carries, muffled, from inside the apartment.

    “It’s in the hall closet, hanging on the wall. Right next to the door.”

    “I’m looking in the hall closet!”

    “Apollo. Your bow is bright gold. It glows, for Christ’s sake,” Artemis mutters. She paces down the hall, about to show Apollo exactly where his bow is, when he emerges from the closet with a triumphant shout.

    “I’ll tell Zeus you said that. Hey, can I borrow some arrows?”

    “Oh my God,” Artemis groans, wondering if he just loves to torture her. “How are you even alive?”

    “Probably because I’m immortal. So, arrows?”

    “Fine. They’re more for show, anyway.” She stoops to scoop up her bow and a handful of arrows, leaving about half for Apollo.

    “For show?” He questions, letting his eyes rove over his twin. She’s dressed all in black: black skinny jeans that hug her athletic legs and a black tank top beneath an unzipped black leather jacket. Her revealed skin is pale and gleams faintly silver, thick black eyeliner ringing her eyes, her lips the color of fresh blood. She reminds him of a panther in the breathless moment before a pounce.

    “Also, you can’t wear that. All black everything.” Artemis glares scornfully at his yellow t-shirt.

    “I don’t own anything black,” Apollo tells her matter-of-factly, smiling at her shocked face. “I’m a sun god, Art, not some weird emo moon goddess.”

    “I wouldn’t say that around Selene.”

    “Selene loves me.”

    “Selene tolerates you,” Artemis informs him, ignoring the offended noise he makes. She decides to let Apollo’s questionable wardrobe choices slide this time. She supposes he looks intimidating enough to accompany her, with his artfully messy hair, bright blue eyes, and the faint golden glow of his skin. At the very least he looks not quite human, and that’s probably the best she’ll get from him. Maybe they can do a good cop, bad cop routine or something. They’ve been doing that for centuries anyway, they’ve pretty much perfected it. She whistles once, a short, sharp burst, and her black-and-tan hound rockets off the couch. She reaches an affectionate hand down to scratch his long velvet ears.

    “Do we have to take him? He’s not, you know, inconspicuous.”

    “Aristo has been with me on every hunt since Pan gave him to me!” Artemis scoffs, more offended than ever. The old satyr gave her six dogs and seven bitches back when the world was still new. She still has the entire pack, but Aristo is the only one who comes into the city with her.

    “Where are the rest?” Apollo asks absently as he locks the door behind him.

    “With Hecate.”

    The twin gods head out into the city, walking down the sidewalk like any ordinary mortals might, and turn toward the college campus. Frat houses are usually a good hunting spot. Artemis pauses to smile up at the moon. Selene has it shining its very brightest for her tonight, a hunter’s moon perfectly round and low in the sky. Aristo trots happily at her side, Apollo has been quiet for probably three whole minutes, and she dares to hope, briefly, that she won’t need to hunt tonight.

    Apollo grins as they turn down a street, following a stream of girls in tight dresses hobbling in too-tall heels, and Artemis smacks his arm hard enough to earn a disgruntled yelp. “You’re disgusting.”

    “I look at guys the same way,” he reminds her with a shrug.

    “That doesn’t make it better,” she snaps, beginning to regret bringing him along, but the thought is interrupted by Aristo whining low and urgent in his throat. He bays, giving voice to his full-throated hunting song, and she follows the hound as he tears across the frat house lawn, partygoers stumbling out of his way. Artemis runs after him like she’s just an ordinary girl chasing her escaped dog.

    Apollo curses behind her as he starts running. Aristo waits for them at the front door of the house, still singing, and his claws leave deep gouges in the dark wood as he paws insistently at the door. Artemis shoves it open and follows him immediately up the stairs. He reaches the landing and skids around a corner, baying as he stops in front of a closed door.

    It’s locked but Artemis kicks it open with a crack of hinges sudden as a lightning strike. What good is a door against a god? She sees the boy first, the harsh moonlight streaming through the open window turning his eyes to black pits and deepening the shadows under his cheekbones. He reminds her for an instant of the type of monster she hunted in days long gone. He’s frozen in place as the door bangs against the wall, so stunned he doesn’t even notice the seventy pound dog hurtling toward him until Aristo hits him like a howling torpedo. His arms windmill as he topples out of sight.

    Artemis walks around the bed, lazy and graceful, following the sound of yelling and growling, of sharp gnashing teeth waiting for her command to sink into frail mortal flesh. She finds Aristo pinning the thrashing boy to the carpeted floor with his front paws on his shoulders. “Call off your dog! Please! Get him off me!” The voice is high and hysterical with mortal fear, and Artemis smiles down at him indulgently.

    “I am Artemis Agrotera, and I will deal with you another time.” She calls Aristo off with a sharp whistle. The boy scrambles to his feet, crashing back to the floor as his shoulder collides with Apollo’s thighs. Apollo reaches down and draws him up by the arm, smiling with a menace that can’t quite match his twin’s.

    “We’ll be seeing you,” he promises silkily, gives the arm a gentle squeeze, and stands aside to let the trembling criminal pass. Artemis sinks down on the edge of the rumpled bed, wipes tears from the girl’s cheeks with her thumb, and drapes her black jacket over the bare, shaking shoulders. The girl sobs and pulls the jacket tighter. Artemis makes a shushing noise in her throat and stands, scooping her up bridal-style like she weighs nothing at all.

    The girl hides her face against the goddess’s chest as they leave the house. Fear and guilt war in her, eating her alive with teeth that slice like knives because she knows what will happen. The police will ask her how much she drank and what she was wearing and if she was flirting with him, if she’d given him any indication that maybe she wanted this. The thought turns her stomach, but they’re outside in the cool night air and the moon is so bright it seems to shine just for her.

    Artemis looks down at the girl in her arms, and her heart breaks into a thousand pieces for the first time that night. “I’m taking you to someone who can help.” The walk back to the apartment building is about ten minutes, but the silence and the shaking girl make it seem like eternities. When they arrive, Artemis fumbles her car keys from the pocket of her black skinny jeans and hits the unlock button. “Do you want to sit in the front with me, or in the back with the dog?”

    The girl’s wide brown eyes flit between Artemis’s perfect moon-pale face and Aristo’s floppy ears and kind brown eyes. “The dog, please.”

    “His name is Aristo.” Artemis says, setting the girl on her feet and opening the back door for her. Aristo leaps in, tail wagging, and the mortal girl slides into the seat beside him. “He loves hugs.”

    “Aristo,” the girl murmurs, burying her face in his neck with a shaky breath.  “My name is Laurel.” Artemis’s stomach clenches. Apollo looks like he might be ill as he climbs into the passenger seat. He knows where the first laurel tree still grows, nearly as old as the surrounding hills.

    Artemis starts the car and within minutes they’re speeding out of the city, turning off the highway onto winding back roads, and she rolls all the windows down to feel the wind in her hair and focuses on that to still the angry shaking of her hands. “Hey Art, does Hecate know we’re coming?” Apollo asks as they turn up the long dirt driveway, past a sign that says Crossroads Farm in fading purple paint.

    “She always knows.”

    Sure enough, the front porch light is on and lights are shining through the front windows. “We’re here,” Artemis announces for Laurel’s benefit as she parks.

    “Where are we?” Laurel’s voice fills with fear. Artemis’s heart shatters into a thousand pieces, for what must be the thousandth time tonight.

    “Crossroads Farm,” Artemis tells her, voice gentler than Apollo’s ever heard it. “You’ll be safe, I promise.”

    “Who are you?” Laurel looks at them with wide, suspicious eyes and hugs hard enough around Aristo’s neck that he whines.

    “Artemis, and this is my brother, Apollo.” Artemis waves her hand vaguely in the direction of her brother’s faintly shining face and ridiculous yellow t-shirt. They aren’t so ancient that their names are completely unfamiliar, because Artemis can see recognition stirring in Laurel’s fearful brown eyes.

    “Like the ancient Greeks?”

    Apollo nods. “Something like that. Come on, you’ll like Hecate.”

    Before Artemis can stop him, he reaches toward Laurel’s hand to guide her up the steps. The mortal recoils from him, and Apollo looks so heartbroken Artemis almost pities him. She reminds herself he doesn’t know any better yet--he’s never spent time with a girl like Laurel before. He doesn’t understand the panic in her veins, the constant nagging fear she’ll carry with her for the rest of her life. He’s never heard a girl wake screaming from a nightmare she can’t stop reliving every time she closes her eyes.

    “Shouldn’t we go to the police station?” Laurel asks, but she follows Artemis up the front porch steps anyway. Apollo walks a respectful distance behind her, half-dejected and half-protective, but completely silent. When Artemis opens the door, Hecate is already sitting at the scrubbed pine table with four steaming mugs of tea, the picture of serenity.

    Hecate was called Iphigenia once, and she was the first mortal Artemis rescued; led to a gleaming sacrificial knife by a man who was supposed to protect her. She understands, in a way Artemis will never be able to, the fear and the guilt and the panic that feels like it can stop your lungs from filling. “Hi,” Hecate says simply, gesturing at the mugs. Laurel takes the empty seat beside her, and Artemis pointedly sits in the chair beside Laurel. Apollo huffs as he takes the seat furthest from her. “It’s herbal tea,” Hecate says, answering the girl’s unspoken question. “It will help you sleep without dreams.”

    Laurel nods, wraps her hands around the warm ceramic mug and inhales deeply. “It smells good.” She hesitates, her eyes dancing over the three deities. “Are--are you really Greek gods?”

    Artemis is proud of Apollo, for once, for the way he doesn’t let his face fall. She knows there’s nothing like a tragedy to unravel a mortal’s world; she’s seen it more times than she cares to remember and yet she can’t forget any of them. If something like this can happen--stories that happen on the evening news, to other people--then stories older than street lamps and cars can happen, too.

    “Yes.” Artemis has found, through trial and error, through centuries, that simplicity works best.

    “Artemis is the protector of young girls,” Apollo says, like that explains everything. “She’s been doing this--geez, for how long, Art?” He’s trying too hard to act casual, but Artemis can see he’s shaken. It takes some getting used to; this is only his first time and she has literal millenia of practice. She takes a deep breath and reminds herself to be patient.

    “Since mortals stopped protecting their own daughters. When police began asking a girl what she was wearing, instead of asking a boy why he felt he had the right to take her sense of safety away.”

    “Right. That long.”

    “I was the first she saved,” Hecate volunteers conversationally. “Back when Troy still stood tall on its hill.”

    “That clears things up,” Apollo mutters, rolling his eyes conspiratorially at Laurel. She rewards him with a tiny smile, and Artemis is half-surprised he doesn’t jump up and dance. He only grins, and she knows he’ll take whatever victory he can get even if it doesn’t feel like enough. A smile from Laurel won’t erase his past mistakes.

    “It should clear things up, you were there,” Artemis reminds him. “You built the walls of Troy with your own hands.”

    “Yeah, look how well that worked out.” Apollo pouts into his tea, unable to let go of that centuries-old sting. “Fucking Eris and her fucking apple.”

    Artemis raises an eyebrow. “That was literally ages ago. We have other problems now.” Apollo follows her gaze as it rests on Laurel, sipping her tea and watching them with open fascination.

    “How is this even my life?” Laurel wonders aloud.

    Apollo shrugs, apparently having recovered from his earlier unease. “You’re just lucky, I guess.” The joke falls flat, he hisses in a breath and scrambles to fix his mistake. “Sorry, Jesus, I’m so sorry.” Tea sloshes over the side of his mug as he sets it down carelessly and reaches across the table for Laurel’s hand. She withdraws it and stares flatly into the contents of her mug.

    Apollo’s face is crestfallen as he looks to Artemis for guidance, and she’s amazed that a god can be so painfully dumb. “Smooth,” she barks, patience momentarily snapped. Aristo rests his head on Laurel’s lap, much more comforting than Apollo could ever be, and she strokes him silently.

    “Laurel,” Apollo begins, but she cuts him off with a shake of the head.

    “It’s fine. Can-can I stay here tonight?” Her eyes are wide and wary as she turns to Hecate.

    “Of course. I’ll show you to your room.” The gentle goddess stands, leading the exhausted mortal down the hallway to the left of the kitchen, through the living room, and toward the bedrooms in the back. They’ve done this too many times since Hecate bought this place a couple decades ago; there’s a dozen bedrooms here reserved for the girls Artemis brings. Sometimes they only stay for one night, sometimes for a week, sometimes they’ll leave and show up again unannounced months later, dark circles under their eyes and a constant tension in their shoulders.

    Hecate never turns them away, only cooks them meals with the vegetables from her garden and gives them tea to help them sleep. They spend their days outside, reading in the sunlight or roaming with Artemis and her dogs, wearing loose chitons and carrying bows. There’s two other girls here besides Laurel; Kate, the girl Artemis helped last night, and Andrea, who showed up here a week ago and cried in Hecate’s arms again.

    “Artemis,” Hecate calls down the hall, interrupting her thoughts, “can Aristo sleep with Laurel tonight?”

    Artemis hates to relinquish her hunting partner, but he looks up at her with soft eyes, and she knows he would rather spend the night cuddling with Laurel than chasing her attacker. “Make sure Pelea has the scent,” she tells the dog. He wags his tail once in agreement and pushes through the doggy door to find Pelea. “He’ll be there soon,” Artemis calls back.

    She and Apollo sit in silence, Apollo fidgeting with his empty mug as Artemis waits for her dogs. They’re only gone for a few minutes, Aristo trotting in with Pelea on his heels. He bumps his snout against his mistress’s hand as he trots by. Pelea rests her head on Artemis’s lap, tail wagging as Artemis scratches her ears.

    A few minutes later Hecate glides into the kitchen on silent feet and sighs as she sits at the head of the table. “She’s settled in with Aristo. When are you guys going?” Artemis ducks her head to look out the window, squints up at the huge, bright hunter’s moon, and looks over at her brother.

    “Ready for part two?”

    “What’s part two?” His voice is apprehensive, and Artemis thinks it’s hilarious. She likes that she can still surprise him even after millenia.

    She smiles wolfishly as she stands and stretches, slow and lazy. “The hunt.”

    “Oh. I was wondering why you went by Agrotera earlier.” It’s an epithet he hadn’t heard her use in at least a few centuries, but it was one of the earliest used to describe her. Artemis Agrotera. Artemis of the Hunt.

    She rolls her eyes so hard, she can practically see the back of her own skull. “Don’t tell me you still go by Phoebus.”

    He shakes his head, looking away. “I stopped using my epithets a long time ago.”

    Artemis steps forward and grips his chin, forcing him to face her. She hates the shame she sees there, but she knows it’s been a long time coming. “Apollo Akesios,” she says softly, firmly. “Averter of evil.” Sometimes even gods need to be reminded who they are.

    “I don’t deserve that one. Maybe I never did.” His voice is low and full of sadness, but Artemis isn’t about to let him get away with wallowing. Self-loathing isn’t becoming for the god of the sun.

    “Then earn it now. I don’t have time for your pity-party, Apollo, I have hunting to do. You can either hang out here and mope over Laurel--and we both know it isn’t really about her, anyway--or you can help me catch the asshole who did this.” She releases his chin; he rubs his jaw ruefully. Her grip had slowly tightened the more worked up she became.

    “Fine, Art, geez. But tomorrow I’m going to Greece.”

    “Tell Daphne if she ever wants to be human again, she has a place here,” Hecate interjects from the table. Apollo waves a hand in acknowledgement, trying to ignore the way his stomach drops at the name. He’s barely finished composing himself by the time Artemis is halfway out the door, and he starts after her with a muttered curse. They slide into her silver car, and he doesn’t have time to buckle his seatbelt before she’s peeling down the driveway.

    “You can help me with this anytime you want, you know,” Artemis tells him, voice raised to be heard over the wind roaring through the windows. She’s tired of seeing her brother so lost, so far removed from the god he once was. They all are, except maybe Hades, because there will always be death. But hunting like this, protecting young girls like she used to, it reminds Artemis of who she is. She wants this feeling for her brother, too, because she loves him dearer than all the world of mortals.

    “I’m not much of a hunter, Art.”

    “No, but you invented medicine. You’re a healer. These girls, they need someone. Hecate does what she can, but sometimes it isn’t enough. Sometimes it takes more than herbal tea and an essential oil diffuser. For some of them, positive energy and sunlight doesn’t cut it. Hecate’s a minor goddess, but you? God of the sun, remember? Inventor of medicine and music and poetry. And Selene, she makes the moon shine brighter for them so they’re never caught out in the dark, but you can teach them to carry sunlight in their hearts again. You don’t have to hunt with me, after tonight. But when you get back from Greece,” she shrugs, “there’s a purpose for you, if you want it.”

    Apollo doesn’t have to answer, because Pelea barks suddenly from the backseat. Artemis barely checks her blind spot as she pulls over, parking so quickly she scrapes her tire against the curb. She jumps out of the car and opens the back door for Pelea. Apollo unfolds himself from his seat and jogs alongside Artemis, following the hound.

    “When did you train your dogs to do this?” He wonders idly, not expecting an answer.

    “A couple hundred years ago, maybe? Around the time Ivar the Boneless invaded Ireland.”

    “That was over a thousand years ago, Art.” He looks at her, bemused, knowing she doesn’t care about the specifics. It’s important to him, though. They’ve never kept secrets from each other, and this stings more than he wants to admit. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

    “You and Hermes sort of disappeared for a century or so, I didn’t want to bother you.” Apollo tries to remember this specific disappearance, thinks maybe it was when he and Hermes hung out with Calypso on her island for a while. It’s nice to leave the world sometimes. Pelea trots easily in front of them, scenting the cool breeze, and the moon is huge and high in the sky. It’s barely past the middle of the night.

    “Where’s she taking us?” Apollo grumbles. Artemis, ever the patient hunter, smiles serenely at him and doesn’t grace him with an answer. Pelea’s tail wags in slow arcs. Artemis knows they’re getting closer but she enjoys the pursuit. She hopes the boy is laying in his bed, unable to sleep, feeling in his cowardly bones that vengeance is coming to him. She wants to hope he feels guilty but knows he probably doesn’t, so the most she ever hopes for is fear.

    Pelea bays, just once, the sound that used to be the death-song of so many stags, and Artemis hopes the boy shivers at the sound. She sees him in the distance, a shadow against the horizon, a dark shape moving between houses. Pelea takes off after him eagerly, Artemis and Apollo hot on her heels. Pelea veers around to cut off his escape as the twins reach him.

    Artemis reaches out, a pale arrow clasped in her hand, and rubs the shining silver point down the length of his spine. “I told you I would find you,” she croons, sing-song as a baying hound.

    He stops dead in his tracks so suddenly that Apollo nearly crashes into him. Artemis strokes the arrow down the boy’s back again. She rubs her hand almost seductively along the back of his neck, leans closer, and whispers in his ear, “Turn around and face me.” She releases her hold, lets the arrowhead drag along his shoulder and chest as he obeys her. She tickles him lightly with the tip, just above the place where his heart beats so hard she can see the pulse throbbing in his neck. “Do you remember my name?”

    He nods frantically, too terrified to speak. A sharp smell reaches her nose, she glances down to the spreading stain on the front of his jeans and clucks disapprovingly. “What was my name, again?” She drags the arrow up to the wildly thudding pulse at the juncture of his chin and neck.

    “Art--Artemis A--Agro….” he trails off, she increases the pressure until he starts bawling. “Agrotera,” he chokes. She nods, pleased, and eases back just a bit.

    “I’m not going to kill you,” she purrs, arrow still pressed against his throat. “This time. A quick death is too merciful for men like you.” She sighs, as if she regrets that. “In Sparta, where they worshipped me centuries ago, they gave all their women small knives. That way, if a man ever tried to force himself upon her, she could slash him across the face and the entire world would know what he did. That was a good time for women, when they didn’t need me to protect them.” She stares him down with eerie, unblinking silver eyes. “Do you know her name? The girl you attacked?”

    He shakes his head, and Artemis gently traces the tip of the arrowhead along his jawline. “Her name is Laurel. She’s twenty years old and has a little brother, and she’s studying biology in college. She wants to be a cancer researcher, and travel the world, and she always loved the night until you made her afraid of it.” Artemis pauses, gives him a soft smile. “So now I want you to be afraid of it, too. I think they had it right in Sparta, all that time ago.”

    Quick as thought, she darts the arrow up and slices along his cheekbone. The slash is clean, surgically precise, and will heal in a narrow, smooth pink scar. It’s high enough up that a beard will never hide it. “That custom is long dead, more’s the pity.” She shrugs, twirls the arrow so that it flashes in the moonlight, and tastes the dark blood on the silver arrowhead with the tip of her tongue. “Coward’s blood, I knew it. No descendent of Sparta.” She brings the arrow up again and runs it down the slope of his nose. “No one will know why there’s a slash on your face except you. Every time you look in the mirror, you’ll remember what you did. That is my first gift to you.”

    She smiles, as if he’s just won the grand prize on a game show. There’s something feral in her eyes, a wildness mortals thought dead long ago. The boy is shaking uncontrollably. A first gift implies a second, and he doesn’t want anything except for this to be a dream. “So my first gift was knowledge, and my second is a promise.” She looks at him like she’s waiting for him to thank her.

    When he’s silent, she shrugs and continues. She inspects the arrow as she speaks, not looking at him. He doesn’t deserve the attention of her gaze. “I promise that I will be watching you until the day you die. I promise that if you ever do this again, if you ever raise your hand to a woman, I will be the last thing you see.”

    She reaches down, scratches Pelea’s ears affectionately. “This is Pelea. The dog I had with me earlier was Aristo. They’ve been alive longer than this country.” She gestures vaguely with the arrow; he instinctively raises his arms to protect his face. Artemis tries to hide the savage pleasure this brings her, but can’t quite keep the triumph from her ice-cold eyes. “They were given to me by Pan, the god of shepherds and wild places. Did you know he invented panic?” She tilts her head thoughtfully. “I perfected it, though.” The moonlight gleams off her perfect white teeth as she smiles.

    “Once they have your scent, they can find you anywhere in the world. There is nowhere you can hide, nowhere my hounds cannot find you.” Her voice is mild, almost pleasant, and it makes the boy sob with a terror that’s older than instinct. Centuries ago, humans feared the gods; that fear is buried just beneath the surface of their conscious minds. It’s nearly effortless for Artemis to awaken it. “Do you understand me, mortal?”      

    He nods rapidly.

    Artemis smiles and steps back. “Good. You may go now.”

    She turns on her heel, crisp as a soldier on parade, and walks gracefully toward the car with Pelea roaming ahead to sniff a tree trunk. Apollo glances at the boy, takes in the abject terror and awe on his face as he watches Artemis walk away, and gives the boy a smile that could be mistaken for friendly before he follows his sister. The walk is quiet, with only the swishing of their feet through dew-damp grass and Pelea’s deep whuffs as she scents the air. Artemis opens the back door and the hound leaps in happily.

    The twins climb into their seats and buckle their seatbelts, and Artemis drives them out of the city back toward Hecate’s farm. “Can’t you take me back to the apartment?” Apollo whines, not sure if he can face those girls when he can still remember Daphne morphing into a laurel tree to escape his touch.

    “I like to be there when they wake up. Someday, you will, too.”

    “After Greece, maybe.”

    “You’ve waited too long to apologize.”

    “I waited too long to learn my mistakes,” Apollo corrects.

    She smiles over at him, full of pride. “I knew you would, though. I hoped it would be centuries ago, but better late than never.” She shrugs, like a few centuries isn’t a big deal when you can never die. “If I’d known hunting was what would make you realize, I would have taken you with me a long time ago.”

    “Art, that was…. He looked at you like they all used to look at us. You were terrifying. I haven’t seen you like that in thousands of years. Agrotera, indeed.”

    She smiles, pleased. “Mortals haven’t changed much, really.” She turns up the long dirt driveway of Crossroads Farm. Hecate left the porch light on for them, but the windows are dark this time. Artemis puts the car in park and kills the engine before she turns in her seat and fixes her bright silver eyes on him. “So will you be here in the morning?”

    She’s really asking if he wants to see Laurel again, and Apollo knows it. And he does want to, but he can’t. Not yet. First he needs to see a different laurel, a tree nearly as old as the hills and twice as wise.

    He shakes his head. “I’ll be in Greece at first light. Tell Laurel,” he blows out a breath between pursed lips. “Tell her I’ll be back by dinner.”

    “I’ll tell her, if she asks,” Artemis promises, knowing she probably won’t. She hopes Apollo doesn’t pick up on that, but his face falls before he can stop it. She’s spent millenia reading his emotions, and her heart breaks into a thousand pieces for what must be the millionth time that night. She draws her twin into a hug. “Good luck, Apollo Akesios.”

    He wraps his arms around her. “I promise I won’t disappear for a century this time. This is my place now, just like yours.” He ends the hug and straightens, brows pinched together in the middle. “Should we end the lease on the apartment?”

    “No. That’s my base of operations in the city. I just let you crash there because you were a broke street musician.”

    Apollo huffs, offended. “Not anymore, though. I’ll see you tomorrow, Art.” He sighs and rolls his jaw. Artemis nods and opens the car door. When she reaches the porch and turns back to the car, the passenger seat is empty. She opens the door and steps into the kitchen. She hangs her gleaming silver bow on the hook by front door and tiptoes down the hallway.

    She peeks into three bedrooms, at the girls finally able to sleep peacefully, snoring hounds curled up at their feet. It’s not adoration like she once had, but it’s still a home, and these healing girls are just as much a family as her band of huntresses ever were. For what must be the first time that night, she thinks her heart might be whole.

[thejollyroger-writer]

Where Your Heart Will Fly on Wings - 1/2

Part One: A Ship, A Map, and A Secret

A Neverland arc (season 3A) rewrite where the gang doesn't meet Captain Hook until they get to Neverland to rescue Henry. Most of the end of s2 ("Second Star to the Right..." "... and Straight on' Till Morning," the last two episodes of the season) are the same: Greg and Tamara kidnap Henry. With Killian not present, I imagine that David succeeds in wrestling a bean away from Greg. They go to Rumple for help, and though he refused before, Blue's potion worked in giving Belle her memories back and he changes his mind. Somewhere in his shop, there is a ship in a bottle, and he removes this ship, docks it in the harbor, and leads Emma, Regina, Mary Margaret, and David through a portal that takes them to the waters surrounding Pan's island.

Also on AO3

Special thanks to @shireness-says my forever beta who only makes my life (and my stories) better, and all the ladies on discord who answered all the little questions I struggled with while writing this. Thanks, ladies. ( @kmomof4 @hollyethecurious @donteattheappleshook @elizabeethan @stahlop ) Written for @neverlandnewyear. Some other interested pals: @thisonesatellite @darkcolinodonorgasm @scientificapricot @carpedzem @superchocovian @itsfabianadocarmo @regi-writes-stuff @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 @winterbaby89 

The ship touches down on the waters, the portal disappearing from around them — but what they find is no better. Fat, cold rain drops pelt them from above, and below them, the waves begin to toss the dilapidated ship in every direction.

“Great job, Gold!” Regina yells, wrapping one of the ropes around her wrist. “You landed us right in the middle of a storm!” 

“Believe it or not, dearie, my powers do not include the ability to control the weather, and certainly not in this realm!” 

"We don't have time for this!" David chimes in, helping Mary Margaret keep her footing on the quickly-dampening deck. "If we're even going to make it onto the island, we have to get through this storm together!" 

"And how do you expect we do that?" Regina chides. "This ship is barely more than a pile of old boards, it's not going to survive this storm." 

"Then maybe we should work together to try to make it through this!" Mary Margaret yells. 

"What do you expect us to do?” 

"Well, we can start by trusting each other!" 

Regina scoffs. "You think trust is going to get us through this storm? Is your trust going to keep us from taking on water?" 

"No," Emma mumbles, looking down to her feet, and the water that she finds there makes her realize just how much trouble they're in. 

And that's when something rams into the side of the ship. And again. And again. 

"What the hell was that?" 

"Sharks?" 

"Afraid not," Rumple mumbles, trying to plant his feet on the slippery deck to keep control of the helm. 

Regina looks over the railing, conjuring a fireball in her hand. "Mermaids." 

"Mermaids?" Emma repeats. "They're real, too?" 

"Does that really surprise you anymore?" Regina asks. 

"We have to do something!" Mary Margaret yells over the wind. 

"I am not being capsized by a fish!" David sloshes across the deck to a small cannon, which he loads a length of chain into before firing it into the water.

Mary Margaret picks a large net up off the helm, tossing half of it to Emma. “Help me get this into the water!”

“What are you going to do, catch one of them?” Regina tosses a fireball towards the surface of the water — which, surprisingly, works, and a mermaids around them back off the ship. 

“Yes!" Mary Margaret stops for a moment to glance at Regina before tossing the net into the waves. "And ask her to help us.” 

“Mermaids aren’t going to help you, dearies!”

“Obviously you’re also not going to help us, either!” Regina crosses the deck and throws out another fireball, clearing the starboard side just as she did the port. “There.” She wipes her hands on her soaked slacks and smiles at the fact that the storm also seems to have left with the mermaids. “They’re gone.” 

“Not all of them!” Mary Margaret says, grunting as she and Emma struggle to pull their fishing net back onto the deck. “What about this one?” 

With a flick of Regina's hand, the creature is out of their net and sprawled on the boards of the deck, her hands bound in front of her and her shining tail flopping into the inches of water that have settled onto the boards of the deck. 

But her presence on the deck only causes an argument to break out between them, each offering their own way to deal with her — to ask for help, to kill her, to let her go. With every question they ask her, she offers them a vague but threatening answer, and the storm that Regina thought was over slowly begins to reform around them. Even after Regina turns her to wood with a whoosh of her magic, they continue to argue amongst themselves, the storm surging around them — all except Emma, who realizes the mermaid’s plan was to set them against each other to be destroyed by the storm. With no other option, she tries to get their attention, screaming across the small ship towards them, but nothing works — and she dives into the sea. 

Quickly followed by a piece of metal rigging, pulled off by the winds into the water behind her and making hard contact with her head, immediately knocking her unconscious.

Without a second thought, David moves to dive in behind her, but Mary Margaret’s hand tight around his arm stops him. “No! You could get pulled under, too!” 

“Not to worry!” A voice cuts through the rushing wind and water, another ship appearing out of the darkness of the storm. Within moments, it is close enough for the man to follow Emma into the water, a rope tied around his waist. 

For a few long, terrifying moments, nothing happens. The storm still surging around them makes it impossible for them to see into the water, and they can only hope that the mysterious man can save her before it's too late.

After what feels like forever, a head breaks the surface of the water, Emma's bright hair a strong contrast to the dark waves, and the other man follows. 

"Pull me up, Scarlett!" he calls, facing away from their small ship, and the man just visible on the deck of the nearby ship does as asked, pulling the man with Emma in tow. David wants to oppose, beg the man to bring Emma back to their ship, but just the feeling of Mary Margaret's hand on his arm keeps his mouth closed.

"Can you get us over there?" Mary Margaret asks, turning towards Rumplestiltskin. He rolls his eyes, but twirls his hand in front of him anyway, taking them all onto the other ship's deck in a wisp of smoke.

"Is she okay?" David asks as soon as he finds his footing, kneeling beside where Emma is laying on the deck — just as she spits out a mouthful of seawater and rolls onto her side. Mary Margaret drops to her knees on the deck beside her daughter, wrapping her arms around Emma's shoulders.

"Perhaps we should give the lass a moment? A bit of space?" the man who rescued her says, leaning against the bannister behind him, his arms crossed behind his back.

"Oh, come on !" Regina cuts him off, raising her hand towards the wave, moving ever-closer to their ship. "We don't have time for all this." 

"Alas, she's right. I'm afraid we'll have to save the pleasantries until after the dashing rescue," he says, striding to what can only be his rightful place behind the helm and leading them quickly away from the waves, away from the storm. David helps Emma to her feet and they all watch as their old ship crumbles beneath the waves, after which the storm around them seems to disappear at an alarming rate; within mere minutes, the sun shines down from a cloudless sky and the soft wind blows lightly on the sails.

The man locks the helm into place and holds his hand out in a welcoming gesture. "This seems a much more appropriate time for introductions. Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger. "

"Okay,” David says, crossing his arms across his chest. "Who are you?"

"Captain Jones," he says, mimicking David's position -- which only draws attention to his left arm, which is blunted just shy of the elbow, replaced with a shining, metal hook. "But most people have taken to calling me by my more colorful moniker—"

Rumple laughs, cutting him off mid-sentence. "You've really owned up to your ailment, haven't you, Captain Hook ?" he says, spitting the last two words between his teeth. 

The man turns around, noticing Rumple standing behind him for the first time. "Oh, now that's just my bloody luck, innit?" He pushes his dark, wet bangs off his forehead with his wrist and lets out a small laugh. "All I was expecting was a few damsels in distress," he says, turning towards Emma for a moment and waggling his eyebrows at her before returning his attention to Gold. "Yet it appears I've caught myself a crocodile." 

"Like, Captain Hook Captain Hook? Waxed mustache and perm and Peter Pan?" 

"Well, love, I must admit I'm uncertain about the first two, but I'm glad to hear that you know who we're going up against."

"Up against? I just want to save my son." 

"Why do you think they brought him here, dearies?" Rumple asks, flourishing his hands to conjure a whisp of purple smoke, revealing a new outfit of dark pants and a black, reptilian-scaled vest. "Pan is the one behind it all, I have no doubts about that. And he is a far more powerful foe than any of you are able to go up against." 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Regina bites back, but Rumple is gone in another wisp of smoke before the question even leaves her lips. 

"It appears that even after all these years, he is still as helpful as he's always been," Hook says, his jaw obviously tight with tension.

Emma's head is spinning. She's spent months trying to wrap her head around everything about Storybrooke and her life, around the idea of true love and fairy tales and everyone's stories intertwining — but this, running into handsome, one-handed pirates in Neverland that have a history with Gold, goes beyond all else.

"Wait, you know Mr. Gold?" Mary Margaret asks, voicing the question they all seem to be thinking.

"Aye, " he says, wrapping his hook around one of the spokes of the helm, where his attention is also focused. "though he was not known by that name. Before he became the Dark One as well, if the rumors are to be true."

For once, Regina seems interested in what he has to say." But he's been the Dark one for —"

"Lifetimes, aye," he says, cutting her off, but turning his eyes down to where she is standing on the lower deck.

No one knows how to respond to him, so the deck stays silent. For the first time, Emma looks around, taking in the small crew that stands around them. There are five that she can see, not including the captain: another tall, dark-haired man standing against the railing, arms crossed over his chest; a stout man with a red beard and an even redder hat; a fierce-looking woman with a mess of dark hair piled high on the top of her head, her dark orange tunic and black pants having seen better days; and two dark, brooding young men, no more than twenty, on the far end of the deck.

"What brings you all to Neverland?" the woman asks. Emma is not surprised that she is the one who tries to make conversation, though she vaguely remembers something about women being bad luck on ships. 

"They took my son," Emma and Regina say simultaneously, and none of the ship's crew are able to keep their immediate reactions off their face.

The dark haired man leaning against the railing behind David barks out a laugh, but when Regina turns her glare in his direction, he snaps his mouth shut.

"What could Pan want with your son?" Hook asks. 

"Does it matter?" Emma spits back. "We need to get him back."

Hook holds up his hands in a gesture of reluctant surrender. "Of course, of course, you're right." He turns to the man still leaning against the railing, who pushes off to his feet when he sees the look on the captain's face. "Prepare for a return to open waters, I would like to dock at Pirate's Cove before dinner time, Mister Scarlett."

Emma expects a salute, given the rest of the captain's countenance, but the man — Scarlett — just nods and walks away.

"Dinner?" Regina asks, her voice dripping with anger. "What part of ' we don't have time for this' don't you understand, pirate?" she spits.

"Can I ask you how many times you've visited this island, your Majesty?" he asks, the same fire in his voice.

She's taken aback for a moment, but answers nonetheless: "Never."

"That's what I thought. I, however, have been here for longer than any of you can even imagine, which gives me the kind of knowledge you could use on this type of quest. Are you really going to turn that down?"

To this, Regina has no response.

"Now, the beaches at Pirate's Cove will prove much more useful to your mission here, and by sailing around the island, it will rid you of the necessity of walking either through or around the Dark Jungle, which I can assure you is something you do not want to do. So, yes, we are going to chance the few hours it will take to sail around the island to hopefully cut days off of what it would have taken you on foot, and then we will be closer to Pan's camp and it will hopefully prove easier to find your boy."

This time, it's David who is angered by his response: " We ? What do you mean 'we'?"

Captain Hook practically rolls his eyes at this, which almost pulls a laugh out of Emma. “Do you expect to navigate the island yourselves?"

Emma intervenes, trying to calm the tension while also ensuring they stay focused on rescuing Henry: "He's right, David, we could use his assistance."

He winks at Emma. "I had a feeling I was going to like you." 

  Though she knows she should be resting, bunking with Regina, David, and Mary Margaret belowdecks, Emma instead finds herself drawn to the crew of the Jolly Roger , and spends the next few hours chatting quietly with them as the ship makes its way across the surprisingly quiet waters surrounding Neverland.

Especially the woman — Tiger Lily, Emma learns. Something about her keeps Emma interested in their whispered conversation, and it does not take her long to learn that, like her own, the woman's background is full of sadness and sacrifice.  She tells Emma how she sacrificed herself to try to stop someone from turning evil and spending the rest of her magic to get to this island after exiling herself; tells her about being found by Pan and working for him in return, only to learn how evil and twisted his ways are, stealing boys from their families and never allowing them to leave. (" And there's something deeper and darker behind it all, something that he only mutters about with his second in command, a Dark Magic that keeps the island alive — I believe with the sacrifice of the boys who decide they want to leave." ) And Captain Hook, saving her as she tried to escape Pan, though she knew it was impossible — or, well, improbable. 

"And I've been in his service ever since. He was working with Pan for a while, too, and able to leave this realm. He asked every time we docked somewhere if I wanted to leave, to live a better life, but I've enjoyed the time I've spent with him as my captain. I've never known a better man." 

"Oh, is that so, Lily?" the very man appears behind them, a smile covering his dark features — except his eyes, Emma realizes. His eyes are the brightest blue she has ever seen, the same color as the soft waves moving in the sunlight. 

"Now, come on, Captain," she laughs, and the way she sets her hand on the captain's arm sends an unwanted shiver down Emma's back. "You and I both know you're nothing if not a man of honor." 

"Yes, but you're not supposed to divulge that knowledge to our new guests just yet." 

"And why not?" Emma asks, knowing that her crossing her arms over her chest is a defense mechanism, but that only makes her pull them closer to her. 

He wags his eyebrows across his forehead, then winks at her once more. "Can't go around telling everyone that Captain Hook is a big softie. I have a reputation to uphold." 

Emma rolls her eyes and walks away, if only to save herself from any more unwanted shivers or repressed feelings. 

Their mission is to save Henry. Henry comes first and everything else has to wait.  

  "Well, what are we going to do once we're ashore?" David asks, hunched over the Neverland map spread across the desk in the Captain's cabin. 

"Pan's camp is only a short distance from the Cove, remember?" Mary Margaret adds, the focused planner and adventurer that Emma has only seen glimpses of. "We can sneak up on him and—"

"Nope," Hook says from where he has planted himself in the corner, one boot crossed over the other and his arms crossed over his chest. "There's no way to sneak up on Pan." 

Regina's eye roll is practically audible. "You keep saying that but offering no helpful advice." 

"And you keep saying that but not actually listening to what I have to say." 

"Hook is the one with the knowledge of the island, Regina," Emma reminds her. 

"And I'm the one with the knowledge of magic, maybe we should just give that a try!" 

"What are you suggesting?" Mary Margaret scoffs. " Poof ing yourself into the middle of a camp on a magic island you've never visited before?" 

"What do you suggest, Hook?" David asks, if only to keep Mary Margaret and Regina from fighting. It's obvious that the last thing he wants to do is take advice from a pirate, but even David realizes that they are left with very few other options. 

"There is no way to plan what is going to happen once we reach those shores. Everything we do, everywhere we go, Pan will know about it and will always be steps ahead of us." 

"How have you spent all this time in this realm and not learned even a few tricks that could help us?" 

"Most of my years here have been spent on this ship, provided with rations by the very demon himself. Before that, he and I had an agreement that made us more comrades than foes, and all the time I spent on the island was for his own doing." 

"Oh, that's helpful," Regina mutters, leaving the cabin without another word. 

"So, let me see if I understand this," Emma asks, knowing that neither David nor Mary Margaret will be able to be civil about this. "Your plan… is to not have a plan at all?" 

Hook nods. "There is no other option in Neverland. It's Pan's game there, and he makes all the rules. Best we can do is be ready for whatever he throws at us." 

"I don't like this," Mary Margaret mumbles, and David wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to press a kiss against the top of her head. 

"It's what we have to do to get Henry back, and that's all that matters," he says, a princely tone of finality in his voice, and the room falls silent.

  "Can I ask you something, love?" Hook asks, his eyes leaving the horizon for just a moment to look at her (again, though she has only noticed a few of them) where she is sitting against the railing on the starboard side of the ship. 

"I'm not your love," she bites, looking up from one of Hook's maps that she's borrowed from his quarters. 

"I've had my share of run-ins with the Crocodile, and I've even crossed paths with the Evil Queen once or twice. The other two, that's Snow White, the princess, right? And her husband?" 

"And how do you know that?" 

He pauses, trying to chose his words carefully. He knows that if he says the wrong thing, he'll lose the small amount of ground he's made with them trusting him. "I've been… through an agreement with Pan, I can leave these waters every once in a while, as long as I fulfill some of the things he asks of me." 

"You work with him," she says, but her face fails to give away any of what is going through her head. 

"In a way, aye. But I've been to the Enchanted Forest, and I know what happened to it. How is it that you got here?" 

"Well, there was a curse." 

"Aye." 

"And I — I broke the curse." 

" You broke the curse?" 

"Yeah, I — I'm the Savior , apparently, because I — I'm their daughter." 

"Snow White's?" He's not nearly taken aback enough. "And the Prince." 

She nods. So does he. Somehow he is wrapping his head around all of this much easier than she did. Maybe once you're alive for a few lifetimes, things like this are a lot less surprising than they were for Emma. 

"How is it that you and the Evil Queen share the same son?" 

Emma can't help but laugh. Where does she even start? "No offense, Hook, but it's a very long story that we don't really have time for." 

"Aye, that I can understand." He lifts his hand off the helm to scratch his beard before moving his hand behind his ear and to the base of his neck. "But do you — you know — live together?" 

"No, no, it's more like… joint custody." 

"Come again?" 

Right. "Joint custody," she says again, even though the centuries-old pirate knows nothing about the ins and outs of child custody. "We, uh… share him, I guess. Take turns." 

"And what about the boy's father? Is he a part of this taking turns ?" 

His question turns her blood to ice. Neal. Where does she even begin? For a moment, she's angry — at Neal, at herself. "No." How dare he. How dare Hook to even ask about Neal, he has no right — 

He has no idea. It was an innocent enough question, there's no way he knew the still-gaping wound that a question about Neal would inflame. 

"He's — dead." 

"Apologies, love, I didn't mean to stir up any unwanted emotions." 

"Stop calling me that." 

"I'm afraid it's more of a habit than anything." 

She has no response to this and turns her attention back towards the map.

    "Bloody hell," Hook mumbles, though Emma and Smee, his first mate, are the only ones close enough to hear him. At first, they don't see whatever the problem may be, but as the ship continues to approach the shore, Emma sees him leaning against one of the trees just on the other side of the shore.

Pan. Emma can sense it somehow — her motherly instincts, maybe, or something like that, but she can feel that the man on the shore is Peter Pan. 

No. No, not man. Boy , with a pudgy teenaged face and dark hair that falls down to his eyebrows. 

"That's him," Emma says. She means for it to be a question, but it does not come out that way.

"Aye." She turns to him just in time to watch the edge of his jaw tick as he grinds his back teeth together. "That's the demon Pan." 

For a moment, Emma is unsure how she feels about all this. Hook's plan to take them around the island has already taken hours of their precious time, and all under the guise to keep them from Pan — only to have him waiting for them right where Hook brought them to shore. What if Hook had been playing with them the whole time? Giving Pan time to plan ahead while he wasted time sailing them all around the island?

But then she looks at him again, sees the rage obvious on his face, and she almost feels bad for questioning his motive even though she has every right to. 

"Bested us again," he mutters, but then straightens his back and looks out over the ship. "Prepare for docking!"

Pan watches, unmoving, from the shore as Hook and his crew lead the Jolly Roger to the dock — and, still unmoving, as they come ashore. Finally, he speaks. "Thank you for bringing our special guests ashore, Captain," the boy leers. "Good to see you're still good for something."

"You know I can't pass up the opportunity to give assistance to a damsel in distress, nonetheless three. And Dave." There's a joking tone in his voice, but it's not present anywhere else in his body. 

"Ah, yes," Pan says, pushing himself away from the tree. "Welcome, your highnesses. I hope you find Neverland as welcoming as you have spent all those years hoping your Enchanted Forest would be. And you, Regina, you and I have more in common than you may want to believe." 

Regina rolls her eyes, conjuring a fireball in her left hand. "Oh, please," she spits. "Let's do this the easy way: give me my son back and I won't burn your whole island down." 

Pan just laughs. "No, I’m afraid that's not going to happen. You're on my island now, and you're going to play by my rules." 

"Do you think this is a game?" 

"Oh, your majesty , that's exactly what this is. So, Emma, I'm going to give you a map." He pulls a folded piece of parchment out from under his tunic. "A map that will lead you straight to your son." 

"If this is some kind of trap," she starts, taking a step towards him with her hand on the sword on her hip. 

But Pan's soft laugh stops her. "I may not be the most well-behaved boy on the island, but I always keep my promises. The path to finding Henry is on this parchment."

"Why are you giving it to me?"

He chuckles again. "See, it's not about finding Henry. It's about how you find him. And, Emma," he says, placing his hand on her wrist as she reaches out to take the parchment. "You're the only one who can."

She takes it from him, then unfolds it — only to find it blank, save a pattern around the outside. "It's blank." 

"You sound surprised," Regina bites, but no one pays attention to her. All eyes are on Pan. 

"You'll only be able to read that map when you stop denying who you really are." 

Emma looks down at the map once more. Everyone around her looks at it. 

And when they look up, Pan is gone. 

  As they follow Hook's lead through the jungle, Emma's focus is on the map. She thinks of all she can: her background, everything she's learned since coming to Storybrooke. She even attempts to admit that she's the savior during a short break, but nothing works. 

Regina, angry and impatient and nothing if not motivated, takes it from her, insisting on magic, despite the arguments from the rest of the group. It works — to a point, leading them not to Pan's camp, but to an ambush by a group of Lost Boys. It does not last long, the heroes quickly overpowering the boys, but David gets nicked with a Dreamshade-tipped arrow — a secret he tries to keep from the rest of the camp.  

Hook sees it, though, the one in the group that really knows how deadly the poison can be, but he, too, keeps it to himself. 

He leads them away from the ambush, towards a cliff that looks out over most of the island. From there, he insists, they can plan a route through the jungle and maybe even scout out Pan's camp. But by the time they get there, the sun has set, and all they can see is shadow. "Now that you've seen what Pan can do in just a few short hours, we need our strength. I suggest we make camp."

Regina, unsurprisingly, is against his idea. "You want to sleep while my son is out there suffering?"

"If you want to live long enough to save the boy, yes," he argues, and no one has a comeback for this. Regina is first to walk away, huffing knowing that Hook is right. Hook is second, closely followed by David, who barks an order about finding firewood, leaving Emma and Mary Margaret looking out over the jungle.

They are silent for a moment, Emma obviously worrying about something, but Mary Margaret has learned not to push. And after a few moments, Emma does say what's on her mind:

"Regina's right, Henry's out there somewhere."

But Mary Margaret is ready with her positive comeback. "And Hook is right. We have to survive if we're going to get him."

"I know. I just hope we're not too late."

Mary Margaret leaves her there, knowing that sometimes, her daughter just needs her space to think. She stands there as the others build their camp, her attention turned once more towards the blank parchment — the map , removed from her pocket.

Though he does not mean to, Hook startles her with his approach. "I opted for first watch so you and the others could get your rest." 

Emma just shakes her head, starting towards the campfire, needing the monotony of the crackling fire to slow her mind down. "There's no way I can sleep here without solving this map."

"Then it appears you and I will be not sleeping together, love," he jokes, waggling his eyebrows at her with a smirk on his face.

Emma just rolls her eyes. "Listen, Hook. I am here to save my son. The very last thing I'm going to do is get distracted." 

His smirk is gone, not even a trace of a smile left on his features. "Of course, Swan. I meant no insult."

They sit in relative silence, the rest of them falling asleep quickly — or, at least, staying quiet. The sounds of the Jungle seem to grow louder in the darkness, almost deafening. But Emma's attention is still on the map.

"Nothing I can think of is working," she groans, dropping the map to the ground beneath her feet.

"None of those are what Pan is looking for. What have you been avoiding? What have you been hiding from, love?" 

She is already on edge, and his endearment only makes her angrier. "I am not your love, Hook. Why are you helping me, anyway?" 

He's been wondering the same, so he's quick to answer. "I've been searching for a glimmer of hope when it comes to defeating this demon for as long as I can remember. If finding your lad and ruining his plans takes his power from him, then helping you is the very least I can do." 

"But why? What did Pan ever do to you?" 

He's silent for a moment, trying to decide how much he wants to divulge to her, and he maks a quick decision. "It wasn't me personally," he lies. "But it's the principle of the thing. He preys on boys who think he's taking them to a better life, but all he's doing is taking them from their families. Growing up alone is the worst thing that could happen to a boy, and Pan thrives on separating families." 

"Sounds like something you know a lot about." She doesn't mean to be so forward, but once it's out, there's No taking it back.

"Pardon?" 

"Only someone who grew up alone would talk like that." 

Now it's his turn to get defensive. "And how would you know that? You're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. What can a princess know about growing up alone?" 

She knows that there is no way for him to know otherwise, to know the truth about her childhood, but his assumptions about her still make her a little angry. "You have no idea what you're talking about," she grits, trying not to let her anger get the best of her. "My parents sent me through a portal when I was only a few hours old. I grew up alone , spent my whole life alone . I was an orphan, too, Hook. Or, at least, I grew up believing I was." 

"I'm — I'm sorry, Swan, I shouldn't have assumed—" 

"No, you shouldn't have." 

"You're right though, love. I, too, spent much of my life alone. My mum was sick and passed when I was a boy, and my father took my brother and I on a ship to a far-off land. Until one day, we woke up and he was gone. He left us there to settle a debt and we never saw him again." 

Silence settles between them for a moment, and then he smiles. "It seems you and I have quite a lot in common, then, love," he chides, but Emma barely hears him. She's too distracted by the parchment in her hand, which has revealed a map at some point in their conversation. 

"Hook—" she tries, but he cuts her off.

"Apologies, I know, you're not my love ." 

"No, Hook, that's not it." 

Finally he looks at her, trying to find what she is talking about on her face, following her eyes down to the parchment in her hands. But there is something else that has changed, too, something about her . He can't quite put his finger on it, but he thinks he maybe sees a glimmer of hope in her eyes.