Flashback: Land Without Magic, Phoenix
In Phoenix, Arizona. Elaine was giving birth in a prison hospital room, where a doctor and nurses were attending to her, her ankle was cuffed to the bed as Emma was beside her, not handcuffed, they held hand. The clock struck eight-fifteen, "Big breath. Breathe away, breathe away," The doctor said as Elaine panted as she squeezed Emma's hand.
"Okay, here we go," The nurse said
"You're going great. Just hang on. You're doing fine. That's it. Just keep breathing," The doctor said.
"There you go. Just fine," The nurse said.
Emma looked at her, "You're doing great El. Just keep breathing," Emma said.
"I can't exactly...Stop," Elaine panted, "Where's Katy?" Elaine asked.
"I...I couldn't get ahold of her, it's just me," Emma said and brushed her hand through her sister's hair.
"There you go. That's it. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Don't great. Here you go. Keep going," Elaine groaned as she laid her head back, "Yeap, breath, breath, take a deep breath," She did so, "Okay, big push, big push," Elaine screamed as she squeezed Emma's hand, "Push, push, push!" The doctor said.
The light began to flicker and go out as Henry was born, Elaine fell back, exhausted. Emma looked at Elaine and smiled, brushing her hair out of her face, "You did it," Emma whispered with a smile.
"One more, Elaine," The doctor said.
Elaine shook her head, "You can do this, El," Emma said.
"One more big push," The doctor said and Elaine panted before she screamed, leaning forward.
The doctor held Henry and Julia as they cried, Elaine looked at the pillow, "Great. Here we go. That's good. That's beautiful. How you doing?" He looked at Elaine, "It's a boy and a girl, Elaine," She closed her eyes, "Elaine?" Elaine shook her head as tears fell and the nurse whispered in the doctor's ear, "Oh, Elaine. Just so you know, you can change your mind," The doctor said.
"I can call Katy and ask her to look after them for a few months until we're out," Emma said.
"No..." Elaine looked at her sister, "I can't be a mother, I'm not like Katy," Elaine said and she cried as the doctor took the baby twins away and Emma tried to comfort her sister.
Katy ran in with a guard, "Elaine?" Katy rushed over and Elaine looked at her as she cried and Katy hugged her, "I'm sorry I'm late, I'm here now... I'm here now," Katy said as she soothed her and kissed her forehead.
"I'm not you, I can't do it," Elaine said.
"Shhh, you're not me, you're you and that's all that matters. If you're not ready to be a mother, no one can force you, when you're ready you'll know and you'll fight like hell for your kids," Katy said.
End of Flashback
Neverland...
Inside the magic bean's portal, the Swan Princess trio, the Nightingale family, the Charming married couple, Daniella, Regina and Mr Gold held tight to ropes on the Jolly Roger with Killian at the helm as the ship crossed through the portal. They finally landed on the waters of Neverland.
The group looked around in confusion, "Is that it?!" Elaine asked.
"Aye, Neverland," They looked at the island, "Elaine... Can you come here?" Killian asked.
"Sure..." Elaine walked over to him carefully, trying not to slip on the wet wood, "What's up?" Elaine asked.
"Have this," Killian held out a seashell on a chain, "In case we're separated, call into this and I'll come running, but if we're planned separated and you're in trouble... Call into this and I'll come running," Elaine sighed and looked at him, "Just for my peace of mind," Killian said.
Elaine nodded, "Okay," Elaine said as she took it and placed it around her neck before she walked over to Katy and Emma.
On the island, Henry and Julia landed on the shore after falling through the portal, they attempted to get up and run, "No, no, no, no, no," Greg grabbed the Mills by their coats and shoved them, "Slow down, pals. You got nowhere to go," Greg said.
Tamara sighed, "We made it. Mission accomplished," Tamara said.
"Are you sure about that? 'Cause, our mom is coming to get us. Both of them," Henry said.
"You might wanna take a look around, kids. Do you see any clock towers? You're a long way from Storybrooke," Greg said.
"It doesn't matter! Our family's been to the Enchanted Forest before, and they can get here again," Julia said, they heard a weird howling noise and looked around.
"Well, we're not in the Enchanted Forest. This is Neverland," Tamara said.
Henry looked at them in disbelief, "Neverland? You're here to destroy Neverland?" Henry asked.
"It's the mother lode of magic," Tamara turned to Greg, "Where the communicator? We need to signal the Home Office," Tamara said.
Greg took out the communicator of his backpack, "Here you go, T," Greg said and Tamara took it.
"An office in the jungle? Huh? Who works there?" Julia asked.
Greg got up and walked over towards the Mills twins who grabbed hold of each other's hands, "Who we work for is not your concern, kids. Just know that they take care of us," Greg said.
"Do they? Can they tell you how to get back home after you destroy magic?" Henry asked.
"We don't ask questions. We just believe in our cause," Greg said.
Tamara was trying to operate the communicator but it wasn't working, "Greg?" Tamara said.
"Yeah?" Greg said
"I'm not getting a status light on this thing," Tamara said and she handed the communicator to Greg.
"Did you check the batteries?" Greg asked and he opened the battery compartment, excepting batteries but sand fell out.
"What the hell is this? A toy?" Tamara questioned.
"It's a good thing you guys don't ask any questions, huh?" Julia said.
"Let's go. Walk!" Greg said and shoved Henry and Julia to walked then they began walking.
Elsewhere on the island, the green hut door's opened and Faye walked out and looked around, "Where am I?" Faye asked and started walking away from the hut.
"Priscilla," Faye turned around and saw Felix, "Pan won't be happy you left your home without telling him," Felix said.
"Pan? I'm in Neverland?" Faye asked.
"The fact you have to ask proves you're not ready to be out and about... Go back inside and finish healing," Felix said.
"Why would Pan care about me?" Faye said.
"Just do as I say, Priscilla," Felix said.
"I have trouble doing what my papa and father tell me to do. What makes you think I will do what you say?" Faye asked.
"Because you're weak right now and I could kill you," Felix said as he pointed his spear at her.
"...Fine," Faye said and walked back into the hut, shutting the door behind her.
On the Jolly Roger, Killian was manning the helm, he slowed the ship down and Regina noticed, "Why are you slowing down? In case you didn't know, my son's life is in danger," Regina said.
"Oh, I know, my hot-headed Queen. The plan is to bring us to the far side of the island, link up with the widest part of the river, and... Then we said right through, take him by surprise. The irony..." Killian said.
"What irony?" Regina asked.
"I spent more time than I care to remember trying to leave this place to kill Rumpelstiltskin. And here I am, sailing right back into its heart with him as my guess of honour. It's not quite the happy ending I was hoping for," Killian said.
"Greg Mendell said something funny to me. He said I'm a villain, and that villains don't get happy endings. You believe that?" Regina asked.
"I hope not, or we've wasted our lives," Killian said.
"And how would you have wasted your life? Saving the woman you love countless times?" Regina asked.
"Exactly. If you really can help her, Regina, I hope you do it soon... As I fear time is going to take her," Killian said.
"I've heard of promises like Esme's... It's put her descendants in a cycle, face, life, everything in a cycle... It takes someone extremely powerful to control the lives of people that weren't born," Regina said.
"And what does that mean for Elaine?" Killian asked.
"She needs to be equally as powerful to break the cycle," Regina said and they looked over at Elaine.
Elaine was standing along the railing of the ship, looking at the sea as Emma and Katy were standing with her and their parents approached them, "Hey. What happened to Neal, Julia and Henry, it's not your fault, Elaine," Elaine gripped the railing and Emma and Katy glanced at her, "You can't blame yourself," Mary Margaret said.
"Oh, I don't," Elaine looked at her mother, "I blame you. All this happened because I listened to you. You say good always wins. It doesn't," Elaine said and David and Mary Margaret looked at her shocked.
Emma sighed and turned to them, "She's right. We didn't grow up in some fairytale land. Our experience is different. That's all we can go on," Emma said.
"And all we have to go on is ours, so if you two would just let us share our wisdom-," Mary Margaret began to say.
"We appreciate you trying to be parents, but the thing is, we're the same age. We have equal amounts of wisdom," Emma said.
"But you let Katy guide you," Mary Margaret said.
"I'm not having this argument again with you. It's pathetic," Katy said.
"All I want is Henry and Julia back. We should never have broken the curse. We should've just taken Henry and Julia and-," Julia began to say.
"You're right. Th...Then you'd be together. We missed you both growing up, girls, and it haunts us every day and I don't like the fact someone else is seen as a mother to you," Mary Margaret said.
"I'm not their mother I'm hers!" Katy pointed to Daniella, "Speaking of... Why are you here?" Katy asked as she looked at Daniella.
"I snuck on before you could stop me, too late now. I'm helping!" Daniella said.
"And that's why we're here now. We don't want you to have to go through the same thing, too, and you won't. We are gonna get our family," David said.
"How can you two be so infuriatingly optimistic?!" Elaine asked in anger.
"It's who we are," David said.
"Why? Ever since you got your memories back, ever since you remembered that you're Snow White and Prince Charming, your lives have... They've... Well, they've sucked!" Emma said in anger.
"No. No, we found you two," Mary Margaret said.
"Yep and lost Henry, Julia and Neal and countless other people! Also, lying to yourselves... Yeah, totally haven't sucked," Elaine said.
"Alana, the minute I let go of the belief that things will get better is the minute that I know they won't. We'll find Henry and Julia," Mary Margaret said.
"No, you won't," Mr Gold said and they all turned to see Mr Gold standing at the helm, garbed in his old Rumpelstiltskin outfit.
"Oh, that's a great use of our time, a wardrobe change," Killian said sarcastically.
"I'm gonna get Henry and Julia," Mr Gold said.
"We agreed to do this together," Regina said.
"Actually, we made no such agreement," Mr Gold said.
"Why are you doing this?" Emma asked.
"Because I wanna succeed," Mr Gold said.
"What makes you think we're gonna fail?" Elaine asked.
"Well, how could you both not? You two don't believe in your parents, or in magic, or even yourself," Mr Gold said.
"We slayed a dragon. I think we believe," Emma said.
"Only what was shown to you two. When have you both ever taken a real leap of faith? You know, the kind where there's absolutely no proof? I've known you both for some time, Miss Swan's. And, sadly, despite everything you two have been through, you're both still just that... bail bonds-people, looking for evidence. Well, dearies, that's not gonna work in Neverland," Mr Gold said.
"We'll do whatever it takes," Elaine said.
"Well, you two just need someone to tell you both what that is. Sorry, dearies, our foe is too fearsome for hand-holding. Neverland is a place where imagination runs wild. And, sadly, neither of yours does," Mr Gold said.
"Daddy, don't do this," Katy said.
"Katelyn, dear... I wish I could trust your sister's to win this time, but our foe is too strong... Priscilla," 'Faye' looked over surprised, "Remember our promise," Mr Gold said and 'Faye' looked and Mr Gold noticed the look, he spun his cane, and he disappeared as his cane fell to the deck.
On the island, Faye was walking around the hut and she opened the door, looking around to see her alone then she ran away from the hut.
Elsewhere on the island, Greg, Tamara, Julia and Henry were in a clearing in the jungle and Greg started a fire, "We making s'mores?" Henry asked.
"No," He patted his palms over the fire, "Building a signal," He looked at Tamara, "Help me gather some dry leaves. We need to let the Home Office know that we're here," Greg said.
"And what if that's not enough? What if the empty communicator wasn't an accident?" Tamara said.
"Don't let the kids get in your head," Greg said.
They heard the rustling in the background, Greg turned his hand. A group of teenagers come from the trees and surround them.
"Who are you?" Greg asked.
"We're the Home Office. Welcome to Neverland," Felix said.
"The Home Office is a bunch of teenagers?" Tamara asked.
"They're not teenagers. They're the Lost Boys," Julia said as she and Henry stood back to back and she turned her head to the side.
"Look at that," Felix said.
"Why do the Lost Boys want to destroy magic?" Henry asked.
"Who said we wanna destroy magic?" Felix asked.
"That was our mission," Greg said.
"So you were told. Yes. Now the children. Hand them over," Felix said.
"Not until you tell us the plan, for magic, for getting home," Tamara said.
"You're not getting the children," Greg said.
Felix chuckled and smirked, "Of course we are," Felix said.
Roaring could be heard from above. Greg looked up to see the shadow flying down from the sky towards him. Greg screamed as the shadow ripped Greg's shadow out and he collapsed to the ground. Dead. The shadow took Greg's shadow away into the sky.
"Run!" Tamara shouted and she, Henry and Julia started running.
"Get the children," Felix said.
The Lost Boys chased after Henry, Julia and Tamara, one of the boys fired an arrow and it hit Tamara in the back, she gasped as she collapsed but Julia and Henry continued to run.
The shadow flew towards the Jolly Roger and flew in through a window and took the shape of Faye she smirked and walked out of the room, "Faye? There you are... Hook was looking for you," Elaine said.
"Thanks, Elaine," Shadow Faye said and walked past her.
♥✨♥✨♥✨♥✨♥✨♥
Henry and Julia continued running through the island as the Lost Boys chased after them. The Mills twins ran as fast as they could before Henry tripped and fell over, Julia turned back around to help her brother but a boy picked him up and pulled him out of the way.
"Come on," The boy said and they ran and hid behind a bush as the Lost Boys ran past them.
"Thanks," Henry said.
"Pan and his forces are in tune with every grain of sand on the island. We must be careful," The boy said.
"Are... Are you a Lost Boy?" Julia asked.
"I was," The boy took out a knife and cut off the zip tie that was around Henry's and Julia's wrists, "But I escaped. And now they're after me, too," The boy said.
"How? What happened?" Henry asked.
"No time for questions. We must keep moving. Come on," The boy said and he pulled Henry and Julia onto their feet and then they started running.
Back on the Jolly Roger, Elaine was in one of the cabins doing pull-ups on a bar above, Killian walked in and looked at her, she stopped and she breathed heavily, "Oh, don't stop on my account," Killian said.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Elaine said and she continued to the pull-ups as he walked closer to her.
"What are you doing?" Killian asked as he walked closer watching her.
"Getting ready for a fight," Elaine said as she stood down on the platform.
"Well, I've known three other versions of you and all three of them never needed to get ready for a fight," Elaine rolled her eyes with a smile, "And with you, I've never known you to need to get ready for a fight. I thought it was a natural state. Don't let Rumpelstiltskin get you down, love," Killian said.
Elaine jumped down onto the floor and sat on the platform then looked at him, "What do you want, Hook?" Elaine asked.
"To give you something," He took a key out, walked over to a locked chest and unlocked it as Elaine watched him, "You know, Baelfire and I once spent a lot of time together," Killian added.
"He was always Neal to me," Elaine said.
"Yeah. Right," He grabbed a sword from the table and handed it to her, "This was his," Killian said.
Elaine took it, "I didn't realise you were sentimental," Killian smiled as she looked at him, "With other than what those with my face have owned," Elaine said.
"I'm not in that case. I just thought you could use it where we're going," She smiled at him, "You know, to fight... Unless you have more of those cuffs," Killian said.
"Unfortunately, since you knocked me out and kidnapped me while my children got kidnapped by the real villains, it wasn't something I was able to get my hands on," Elaine said.
He smiled at her a little and handed her a shot glass, she took it and looked at him confused, he took out his flask and uncorked the flask with his teeth.
"Does that get annoying?" Elaine asked.
"It used to, but now it's normal for me," Killian said and poured some rum into her glass.
"Thanks," Elaine said.
"To Neal," Killian said.
"To Neal," Elaine said and they clinked their glasses before drinking.
"You know... Bae... Neal is probably the only ex I won't have to be worried about with killing you and not because he's gone..." Killian said.
"I can't see it happening either... He wasn't that type of person... Maybe the magic is broken," Elaine said.
"I want to believe that, love," Killian said.
Elaine sighed, "I don't know what to believe... Maybe Gold was right, maybe I won't succeed because I don't believe in a lot of things," Elaine said.
"But what do you believe in?" Killina asked.
"Meaning?" Elaine said.
"I've known you for some time love, you didn't let a wound stop you climbing a beanstalk so you'd get home to your son... So, I'll ask again. What do you believe in?" Killian asked.
"My love for Henry and Julia and..." Elaine looked at Killian, "My trust in you," Elaine said.
"Took you long enough," Killian said.
"Oh, ha-ha, very funny," Elaine said.
"Then that's all you need, here," Killian said and topped up her glass.
"Did it ever get easier... With... You know?" Elaine asked.
"Seeing them die?" Elaine nodded, "Never got easier, I genuinely loved each one of them in different ways and seeing them being killed in front of me... Is not something that ever gets easier, it kills me inside each time," Killian said.
Elaine walked over to him and they hugged each other, "Sorry..." Elaine said and she closed her eyes.
Enchanted Forest
At Aurora's castle, Neal was lying on the bed and he woke up, he exhaled sharply as he looked up to see Mulan, "Who are you?" Mulan asked.
"Neal," Neal whispered.
Aurora and Prince Phillip walked up to them, "Is he well?" Aurora asked.
"Well enough for him to be questioned," Mulan said.
Aurora poured water into a glass for him and offered it to him, "Here. Drink. Drink. You must be thirsty," Aurora said.
Neal drank the water with Aurora's help, "Where I am?" Neal asked.
"You're in our kingdom," Aurora said.
"Where's your kingdom?" Neal asked.
"The Enchanted Forest," Prince Phillip said.
"I'm back," Neal said.
"Back? You mean you're from here?" Aurora asked.
"He's lying. Look at his clothes. He's from the same world Emma, Elaine and Snow are from," Mulan said.
"Elaine?" Neal looked at her, "Elaine Swan? You know her?" Neal asked.
"How do you know her?" Mulan asked.
"She's... She's my... I...I don't know. But she's in danger I have to get back to her. I have to help her," Neal said as he tried to get up and Aurora helped him.
"You have to rest. You were gravely injured when we found you. Were you hit by some kind of arrow?" Prince Phillip said.
Neal looked at where he was shot, "45 Caliber Arrow. Look, I...I need your help," He looked at them, "I need to know that Elaine, Julia and Henry are alright," Neal said.
"You're... You're Henry's and Julia's father?" Neal nodded, "I was once under a sleeping curse. Snow taught me how to control the nightmare. And with practice, I'm able to walk the dream world, find others who have passed through. It's possible I can make contact with them," Neal got off the bed and stood up, "If I can, what would you like me to tell them?" Aurora asked.
"Tell Elaine I'm alive... And I love her," Neal said.
Neverland...
On the Jolly Roger, Elaine and Killian sat opposite each other on benches, "How long was he with you?" Elaine asked.
"Long enough for me to know that I miss him, too," Killian said.
The ship creaked and banged, "What was that?" Elaine asked as they stood up.
On the deck of the ship, David, Emma and Mary Margaret were struggling to control the ship, the ship rocked from side to side. Regina walked up to them, "What the hell are you three doing?!" Regina asked.
"Trying to keep it steady!" Mary Margaret said.
"Hold on!" David yelled.
Killian came running towards them and he took Emma's place, he helped control the steering wheel, "Prepare for attack!" Killian said as Elaine came up from below deck.
"Be more specific," Emma said.
"If you've got a weapon, then grab it," Killian said and he got thrown against the railing of the ship.
Screeching could be heard from the ocean and Elaine ran over to the ship's railing looking at the water, "What's out there? A shark? A whale?" Elaine asked.
"A Kraken?" David asked.
"Worse," Elaine looked at the pirate captain, "Mermaids," Killian said as he went began to the wheel to keep it steady.
"Mermaids?!" Emma questioned as she and Elaine watched as the mermaid swam closer to the ship as it creaked.
"Yes, and they're quite unpleasant," Elsie said.
"You think?" Regina questioned.
One of the mermaids submerged from the water and his the ship with its tail, "I'll try and outrun them," Killian said as Shadow Faye made her way over to him and she assisted him with the wheel.
"How many of them are there?!" Mary Margaret asked.
"I can't exactly ask them to stop attacking us to count them!" Katy said as several mermaids bashed into the Jolly Roger with their tails.
Elaine stumbled backwards and Kerr caught her, "Give me a hand, Elaine! David said as he took his daughter's hand.
"'Kay, with what!?" Elaine asked and they rushed away from Emma.
Katy looked at Elsie and Aimee, "Elsie, Aimee get Daniella below deck now!" Katy said.
"Right," Elsie said and she, Aimee and Daniella went below deck.
"I will not be capsized by fish!" David said as he and Elaine grabbed a spear each, a chain and gun powder. David put it into a cannon, nodded to Elaine who aimed at the mermaids.
"Emma!" Mary Margaret shouted.
Emma rushed over to her mother, "What are you doing?!" Emma asked.
"Fishing!" Mary Margaret said.
Elaine lit and fired the cannon, she looked at David who nodded before he moved over to another cannon while Emma and Mary Margaret threw a fishing net into the ocean.
Elaine and David loaded another load of gunpowder into their cannons, then fired another cannon each at the mermaids.
Mary Margaret and Emma caught a mermaid in the net they threw down, "We caught one!" Mary Margaret said.
"One? There are dozens of them," Sebastian said as David and Elaine fired their cannons again.
"Regina, Sebastian, Branston... Each of us takes a side of the ship," Evangeline said.
"On it," Kerr said and the four split up to the side of the ship.
"Enough of this," Regina created a fireball in her and threw it out to the mermaids on her side, "There," Regina said.
Kerr his fireball at the mermaids in front of him making them flee, as Evangeline fired shadows at the mermaids on her side causing them to swim away while Sebastian petrified the mermaids, causing them to turn to stone and sink.
"They're gone," Regina said as Kerr, Sebastian and Evangeline walked back over to the Charming family.
"Not all of them. What about that one?" Mary Margaret said, referring to the mermaid in the net, Regina waved her hand, teleporting the mermaid to the ship.
Somewhere on the island, Faye was hiding in the shadows of trees and bushes as Lost Boys ran past her, she carefully stood out of the shadows, looking healthier and stronger.
She looked around and walked in the opposite direction to the Lost Boys. She walked through the jungle and saw a skull cave in the distance, "I've just gone round in a circle..." Faye whispered and sighed, she turned away and walked back into the jungle.
Elsewhere in the forest, Henry, Julia and the boy were still running from the other lost boys that had passed Faye, "I think we lost them," The boy said.
Henry breathed heavily, "Okay. Can we rest for a minute?" Henry asked.
The boy nodded and Henry and Julia sat down on a rock, "You're new. Did the shadow take you, too?" The boy asked.
"No. we were kidnapped by some people who work for Pan," Henry said.
"I'm sorry. If he sent for you, he wants you. And if Pan wants you, he will get you," The boy said.
"Why does Pan want you?" Julia asked.
The boy showed them a tube that was hanging around his neck, "Pixie dust. I stole it from him 'cause I thought I could use it to fly away and go home. But it doesn't work. It's useless," The boy said.
"Don't worry. Our family's coming to rescue us, and you could come with us," Henry said.
"You really think you're the first boy to believe that his family's actually coming for them?" The boy questioned.
"Our family's different. We always find each other," Henry said.
"You better hope they don't, or else Pan will rip their shadows into oblivion," The boy said.
"It's gonna be okay. I promise. Don't lose hope. All we need is time. Is there a place where we can hide from the lost boys?" Julia said.
"There's a play they can't track us. The Echo Caves. But it's far," The boy said and they heard rustling coming from behind them in the distance.
"Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way," Henry said and the two boys and Julia took off running.