Rewrite the Stars ★ Henry Mills

Chapter Fourty One

"These are Henry's shoes." Emma said as she, Neal, Alex, Regina, and Gold got out of the boat. "Wendy was right. They're here." Emma walked forward, only to be hit by an invisible wall and fly back.

Neal rushed to help her up. "Are you okay?"

"I think so." Emma said, standing up.

"What was that?" Neal asked, looking to Gold. Gold went to answer, but Alex's voice cut him off.

"Pan cast a protection spell." She said, examining it. She had seen many a protection spell in her life. Thinking back, so had Neal and Emma, but she figured it was just the adrenaline getting to them.

"There has to be a way to break it." Regina said, before making a flame engulf her palm. She went to throw it, and it bounced off, causing everyone to duck.

"Whoa!" Neal yelled. "Careful with that!"

"How about everyone just takes a deep breath." Alex announced, rolling her eyes.

"Try all you want, but Pan's magic is too powerful. At least for you." Gold said, pointing at Regina.

Alex scoffed. "Thanks for the vote of optimism." Gold then simply walked through the protection spell.

"Wha... How did you do that?" Emma asked.

"The spell is designed to keep anyone who casts a shadow from entering."

"And you don't have one." Alex realized. She gave a sarcastic hand wave, as if saying 'well isn't this wonderful'.

"You were telling the truth about ripping your shadow off." Neal said. Alex couldn't help but glance at him. She knew just how much it meant to Neal to have his father telling the truth to him.

" And Pan knows it. That's why he cast the spell he did. This isn't about keeping you out. It's about drawing me in. He knows I won't give up the chance to finish what I came here to do."

"You really did come here to save Henry."

"I gave you my trust with that box. Now I need you to give it back." Neal stared at his father, and extended the box, before Regina snatched it from his hands.

"Hey!" Neal said in protest.

Regina walked over to the barrier. "You better come through, Gold. Or I'll make whatever Pan has planned for you look like child's play. You understand me?"

"Well, a simple "good luck" would've sufficed."

~~~

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Regina asked, pacing nervously.

"What about the spell my father used to rip off his shadow?" Neal suggested.

"You think if I knew how to do that, I wouldn't have done it already?" Regina replied, waving her hands in the air.

"Okay, you guys need to all take a deep breath and calm the hell down." Alex announced, rolling her eyes.

"I won't calm down until Henry is back with us." Regina said, crossing her arms as she stares down at the girl bitterly. "I thought you'd care about that since the two of you are 'best friends'."

Alex's jaw dropped. "Oh hell no. Don't you dare put words in my mouth. I could sit here and complain and talk about how much I miss him, and how much I care about him... but y'know what, Regina? That won't bring him back. So let's just focus on saving my best friend and bringing him home."

"The moon." Emma, who had been staring up at the sky during the whole mini argument, turned to look back at the group.

Everyone's heads snapped up towards the sky, staring at the large white moon in the sky.