(CHAPTER 15 - THINK LOVELY THOUGHTS)
🦢🗡
Flashback
A man sat in a tavern, arranging cards on the table, while his son stood beside him, "Follow the lady, gents," women could be heard laughing, "A shilling returns two," he flipped a card and men laughed, while another just looked at him, unconvinced, "What? Don't feel too bad. You're not the only one who's been spurned by the lady tonight. She's been quite shy all evening," Malcolm said, followed by a giggle.
The man noticed a placard in Malcolm's sleeve and grabbed his wrist, "You tricked me," He said.
"How'd she get in there?" Malcolm questioned and was pulled over the table, by his collar.
The young boy's eyes widened, "Please, don't hurt him! He's my father!" He cried.
"You'd be better off without him," The man said and punched Malcolm, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Ugh!" Malcolm groaned.
"No, no!" the man spit on Malcolm, before leaving the tavern and the boy ran to his father, "Are you okay?" He asked.
"The cost of the game. He didn't even leave me a shilling for a pint, how rude," Malcolm said.
"He took all of our money," The boy said.
"Yes, but I'll figure something out. I always do...Rumple," Malcolm said.
End of Flashback
Pan was checking on Wendy, while Henry watched, "How is she?" He asked.
"I fear she's getting worse, Henry," Pan said.
"But, if I save magic...she'll live?" Henry asked.
"Yes," Pan turned to him, "But more than that, Henry. If you save magic, you'll save us all. But to do it, you have to truly believe," He told him.
Wendy let out a cough and Henry glanced at her, "I do," He said, looking back at Pan.
"Good, because we don't have much time. Follow me," they left the small hut and walked back into the main camp, "My brothers!" everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him, "Tonight, the dream of Neverland will awaken from its slumber. Tonight, the Heart of the Truest Believer shall fulfill its destiny, and with it our destiny. Tonight, Henry saves magic!" Pan said and all the Lost Boys cheered, except for Maverick.
----------<3----------
Elsewhere, Regina and Mr Gold walked through the jungle, now with Pandora's box, "You know, despite our differences, I can always count on you to get things done...unlike the rest of them. You were right, they're just a liability," Regina said.
"Where are they?" Mr Gold asked.
"Oh, well, Pan told them Alana was alive, and, of course, Elias took the bait," she let out a scoff, "Such a waste of time," Regina glanced at him, "Oh, I'm so sorry," She said.
"No, no, don't be," Mr Gold waved it off, "She is alive," He said.
"What?" Regina asked, shocked.
"Pan wasn't lying. My daughter is here on the island, I've seen her," Mr Gold said.
"You saw her and you...you just parted ways? You realize that she might have a way off the island," Regina said.
"Let's worry about the travel plans after we get Henry," Mr Gold said.
"There's something you're not telling me. What happened when you saw her?" Regina asked.
"Look, all you have to know is, the next time I see her will be when I'm putting Henry in her arms. When mother and son are reunited," Mr Gold said.
Flashback
Malcolm and Young Rumplestiltskin walked up a path, until they reached a small cottage, where Malcolm knocked on the door, "Where are we?" Young Rumplestiltskin asked.
Malcolm opens the door and ushers his son inside, where they found two spinsters, "These nice ladies are going to look after you for a little while," Malcolm said.
The women stopped what they were doing and looked at the boy, "You must be the boy," Spinster One said.
"Rumplestiltskin," Spinster Two said.
"Do you know how to spin?" Spinster One asked.
"We can teach you," Spinster Two said.
"I...I don't want to stay here," Young Rumplestiltskin looked up at his father, "Please, I...I'll be good," He said.
"This will give me time to get a real job, so we can be together," Malcolm said.
"We can be together right now."
"Papa, please," Young Rumplestiltskin's voice broke, "Don't leave me here," He said as he hugged his father, crying.
"Don't be scared now," Malcolm crouched down, becoming eye level with his son, "Hey, I got you a present," he brought out a straw doll, "A friend. Someone to be at your side when I'm away. It will be with you when I cannot," Malcolm said.
Young Rumplestiltskin took the doll, looking at it, "It will?" He asked.
"Give it a name. Names always make things better. They make them real. Trust me, it will protect you and I'll be back before you know it, I promise," Malcolm said, before standing up and leaving the spinster's cottage.
Young Rumplestiltskin ran towards the door, "Papa! Papa, please!" He yelled as tears streamed down the young boy's face, while he watched his father walk down the pathway, headed away from him.
End of Flashback
The group trekked through the jungle, headed towards the Lost Boy's camp, "I'm gonna ask Tink how close we are to Pan's compound. I don't wanna be surprised by any Lost Boys on patrol," David said.
"Good idea," Mary Margaret said and David walked ahead.
The twins approached their mother, "Looks like you two buried the hatchet," Elias said.
"Buried? Uh...I don't know. We've at least put it away for now," Mary Margaret said.
"So you're really gonna stay here with him?" Emma asked.
Mary Margaret looked at them, "The thought of leaving you both, it kills me. But there's nothing we can do. If David leaves the island, he'll die," She said.
"So you're just giving up? Family means being together, all of us," Elias said.
"But there's no other way," Mary Margaret said.
"Maybe this is just you rubbing off on me, but I don't believe that. There's always a way," Elias said.
The sound of the jungle's foliage rustled, making everyone draw their weapons as Nadia created a fireball in her hand. Once they saw Regina and Mr Gold step out of the foliage, they lowered all their weapons, "Well, if this is your version of a rescue party, we got here just in time," Regina said.
"What are you two doing here?" Nadia asked, extinguishing her fireball.
"Well, same as you, except we actually have a chance," Regina gestured to the box in Mr Gold's hands, "Pandora's box. It could trap Pan for eternity simply by opening the lid," She told them.
Alana leaned over to Elias, "You didn't tell me my father was with her," She said in a hushed voice.
"I didn't know," Elias said.
Athena leaned over to them, "Was that supposed to be a whisper?" She questioned.
"Wait, your father is the Dark One?" Tinkerbell asked.
"Yeah," Alana looked at her father, "And he's not getting anywhere near Henry," She said.
"Ser..." Mr Gold said.
"Why? What are you talking about?" Elias asked.
"There's a prophecy that says that Henry will be his undoing. He didn't come here to protect him, he came here to kill him," Alana told them.
Everyone looked at Mr Gold with shocked expressions, "That's why you didn't want to find Alana before you got Henry back? Because you knew she'd spill your secret?" Regina questioned.
"Everything I did was to protect Henry, to rescue him from Pan," Mr Gold said.
"It all makes sense. You left before we even made shore," Emma said.
Mary Margaret raised her bow and arrow, "You wanted to get to Henry first," She said.
David and Athena both unsheathed their swords, "To be on his own," They said.
"So no one could stop you," Nadia and Captain Hook both said as he raised his sword.
"So you can kill him," Regina said.
"It's not gonna happen," Elias raised his sword, "Not unless you go through all of us first," He said.
Flashback
Young Rumplestiltskin was sat at a spinning wheel, spinning, while the two spinsters watched him in awe, "Someone so young..." Spinster One said.
"In such a short time," Spinster Two said.
"Look at him. He could spin for..." Spinster One said.
"For Kings and Queens," Spinster Two said.
Young Rumplestiltskin watched the wheel go around, "I didn't think I had any talent," He said.
"Oh, more than talent. A gift!" Spinster One said.
"You could apprentice with anyone in the land," Spinster Two added.
Young Rumplestiltskin stopped spinning and looked at them, "If I can make money, then my father and I can be together," He said.
The women glanced at each other, before looking back at the young boy, "Rumple...even with your talent, too many people know your father is a cheat," Spinster One said.
"And a coward. If you are to have a happy life, you must go somewhere where your father's name cannot follow you," Spinster Two told him.
"You mean...alone?" Young Rumplestiltskin questioned.
Spinster One pulled a magic bean from her pocket, "This bean..." she held it up, "Can open a portal, take you far away from this land," She said.
"Even this realm," Spinster Two said.
"You could start a new life, but it cannot be with your father," Spinster One said.
"But he's coming back for me as soon as he gets a job," Young Rumplestiltskin said.
"The truth is, he's at the pub. He doesn't want a job, or real responsibility. Family can be a strength, but it can also be a burden. And your father will always be your burden, Rumplestiltskin," Spinster One told him, holding the magic bean out to him.
Young Rumplestiltskin hesitated, before taking the bean and looking at it.
End of Flashback
Somewhere in a clearing, the group was all stood opposite Mr Gold, holding their weapons, "You're making a mistake. I don't care if the boy is destined to be my undoing. I won't hurt him," He said.
"Because that sounds just like you," Regina said.
"Without me, you will fail. I'm the most powerful amongst us," Mr Gold said.
"How does that make it better?" Nadia questioned.
"That's why we can't trust you," Alana said.
"If I could give you my dagger, I would...but I can't," Mr Gold said.
"But you can give me Pandora's box," Alana extended her hand, "I don't have to trust you, if I could stop you," She said.
Mr Gold handed Pandora's Box over to her, "Ser..." He said.
"Look at me, you so much as lift a finger to perform magic," she held up the box, "You're gonna spend an eternity in this box," Alana said.
"Let's go," Elias said.
The group all walked away together, but Mr Gold stopped his daughter, "Look," she looked at him, "You may think you know who you're up against, but you don't," He said.
"Then tell me. What really happened between you two?" Alana asked.
"Peter Pan destroyed my father," Mr Gold told her.
Flashback
Malcolm was sat a table in a tavern, gambling with other men, when Young Rumplestiltskin entered and approached him from behind, "They were right," Malcolm turned, seeing his son, "You're here," Young Rumplestiltskin said.
"Hey, laddie. My dogs were barking after hitting the cobblestones all morning looking for work. Then these fellas told me that they never played Find the Lady," Malcolm laughed and his son just backed away from him, "Rumple..." He said, but Young Rumplestiltskin just ran out of the tavern.
----------<3----------
Malcolm exited the tavern and found his son walking away, "Come on, Rumple!" He called out, running towards him.
Young Rumplestiltskin turned to him, "You said you were finding a job!" He said.
"No one in this town would hire me," Malcolm said.
"Because no one trusts you," Young Rumplestiltskin said.
"But you do. Don't you, son?" Malcolm asked.
"I want to," the young boy hesitated, "What if there was someplace we could start over? Somewhere where no one knew you?" Young Rumplestiltskin suggested.
"How?" Malcolm asked.
Young Rumplestiltskin pulled the magic bean from the Spinsters out of his pocket, "With this," He said.
"Where'd you get that? Do you know how much money a bean like that would fetch?" Malcolm said and reached for it.
Young Rumplestiltskin pulled his hand back, "No, it's mine! I won't let you gamble it away," He said.
"Rumple, you don't understand," Malcolm said.
"I understand this bean can take us someplace, where no one knows us...where we can be a family," Young Rumplestiltskin said.
"A real fresh start," Malcolm said.
"Yes, I trust you," Young Rumplestiltskin said.
"Then where should we go? Hmm?" Malcolm asked.
"There must be someplace special to you," Young Rumplestiltskin said.
"Oh. Think, think," Malcolm closed his eyes, "Think, think, think. Think lovely thoughts," he whispered to himself, until he eventually opened his eyes and snapped his fingers, "That's it."
"What?" Young Rumplestiltskin asked.
"When I was a boy, my father sold me to a blacksmith. All day in front of hot coals, the sweat and the grime. But every night I would say to myself, 'think lovely thoughts', and in my sleep, I would travel to the most wonderful place," Malcolm told him.
"What was it called?" Young Rumplestiltskin asked.
"Neverland," Malcolm said.
Young Rumplestiltskin held the bean out to his father, "Then that's where we should go," He said.
Malcolm took the magic bean and threw it onto the ground, opening a green portal, "I don't even know if this place is real," He said and giggled, before they ran and jumped into the portal.
End of Flashback
The group made their way through the jungle, headed for Pan's compound, when the twins and Athena caught up to Captain Hook, "We need to talk," Athena said.
"You know, I've found when a woman says that, I'm rarely in for pleasant conversation," Captain Hook glanced at Athena, "Especially, coming from you," He said.
"This has nothing to do with me," Athena said.
"There has to be a way for David to leave the island," Emma said.
"Well, there isn't," Captain Hook said.
"He told us about your brother. What happened? I know it can't be easy to talk about, but..." Elias said.
"Well, then let's not, shall we?" the pirate interrupted, "The water that cured David from dreamshade has connected him to the island. If he leaves, the connection is broken. The poison will kill him," Captain Hook said.
"What if we take some of the water with us? That way he stays connected, he can stay alive in Storybrooke," Emma said.
"For how long? Once the water runs out, the dreamshade will take his life," Captain Hook said.
"Unless there was another cure," the four of them looked at Mr Gold, "You all suddenly interested in what I have to say? Thought I wasn't to be trusted," He said.
"You're not, but we'll take our chances," Elias said.
"Well, if you remember, I, too, was poisoned with dreamshade by a cowardly pirate. And yet..." Mr Gold said.
"Yes, and we know how you cured yourself...with a candle that takes another person's life. David is not that selfish," Athena said.
"Oh, how noble. The point is, after my near-death experience, I discovered much about the poison. I believe I could create an elixir back in my shop," Mr Gold told them.
"What's your price?" Emma asked.
"Well, this is quite the favor. I'd expect one of equal weight in return," Mr Gold said.
Alana approached the group, overhearing the conversation, "No," they looked at her, "When we get back to Storybrooke, you're gonna save David because it's the right thing to do. No deals, no favors, understand?" Alana said.
"Fine. I'll do as you ask," Mr Gold said.
"We'll go tell David," Elias said and turned to walk away with his sister and aunt.
Just as they were about to walk into the brush, Regina, David, Nadia, Mary Margaret and Tinkerbell walked through it, "We're here. Pan's perimeter," Tinkerbell said.
"It's time. Tink will sneak us in the back like we planned. We grab Henry. In and out, simple," Elias looked at Alana, "You good with Pan patrol?" He asked.
Alana held up Pandora's Box, "Locked and loaded," She said.
"You mind if I, uh..." Mr Gold unsheathed Captain Hook's sword, taking it for himself, "Borrow this?" he looked at his daughter, "You said no magic, I agreed. But I'm not walking in there with nothing but my good looks," Mr Gold said and walked ahead of them.
"That's something I never thought I'd hear," Nadia commented.
"Now I, on the other hand..." Captain Hook said.
"Here," David tossed the pirate a short sword, "In case your good looks fail you," He said.
"Thanks, mate," Captain Hook said.
"Let's get Henry," Elias and Regina said, glancing at each other.
----------<3----------
The group arrived on the outskirts of the camp, where they watched the Lost Boys talk amongst themselves from behind the shrubbery, "Can I at least use magic on these boys?" Mr Gold asked.
"No," Alana said.
"I'll do it," Regina said, raising her hands to perform magic.
"You remember the spell?" Mr Gold asked.
Regina just looked over at him, annoyedly, "What spell? It better not hurt my son," Athena said.
"It won't," Regina said, before looking back at the Lost Boys and waving her hand, putting them all to sleep.
After all the boys fell unconscious to the ground, the group entered the open area of the camp, "Where's Pan?" Nadia asked.
"I don't know," Emma said.
"Henry!" Elias called out.
"Maverick!" Athena yelled as she moved about the camp, scanning each of the boys' faces.
"He's over here," Mary Margaret said and Athena ran over, kneeling beside her son.
"But where's Henry?" Elias asked.
"He's gotta be somewhere," David said.
"Where?" Nadia asked.
"Help!" A young, feminine voice rang from across the camp.
Elias spotted a bamboo cage, the one that hung beside Alana's, and ran towards it as he drew his sword. He swung his sword at the bamboo bars, eventually being able to break open the cage, "Hey, you're okay," Elias held his hand out to the young girl, "You're okay, come with me," He said, gently.
Wendy took hold of Elias' hand and he helped her out of the cage, "You're an...an adult," She said.
"My name's Elias. I'm looking for my son," Elias said.
Alana slowly approached them from behind, "Wendy?" She said.
"Do I know you?" Wendy asked.
"It's Seraphina," Alana told her as Mr Gold approached from behind.
"You two know each other?" Elias asked.
Wendy studied Alana's face, slightly and gasped, "Ser! Yeah," she smiled and the two of them hugged, "Yeah, we do. Can it really be you?" they pulled apart, "I thought I'd never see you again," Wendy said.
"What are you..." Alana shook her head out of confusion, "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Well, I...I came back to save you," Wendy said.
"You did that for me?" Alana asked.
"Well, I couldn't bear for you to be without a family, not after you told us that your mother and father were both dead," Wendy said.
Mr Gold looked at his daughter, "You told her I was dead?" He asked.
"It was easier than telling the truth..." Alana looked at him, "My own father abandoned me," She said.
Flashback: Neverland
Malcolm and Young Rumplestiltskin fell through the portal, landing on the beach of an island with a large, vast jungle. Malcolm stood and looked around, "We actually did it," he chuckled as his son stood, "We made it! It's just as I remember in my dreams. Hasn't changed at all," He said.
"It's beautiful," Young Rumplestiltskin said.
"No, it's more than that. Neverland is special, you can do anything here. Just think it, and it can happen," he looked at his son, "What would you like to eat? Go on. Just think it," Young Rumplestiltskin closed his eyes in thought and reopened them, turning to see a piece of cake on a nearby log, and Malcolm chuckled, "You can eat cake all day and not get a stomachache. Or swing on a vine through a waterfall. But best of all...you can fly," Malcolm said.
"Flying is impossible," Young Rumplestiltskin said.
"Neverland is where the impossible is possible, if you believe it. Here, I'll show you," Malcolm moved to a set of tall rocks and climbed up them, before jumping off in an attempt to fly, "Ugh!" he groaned, hitting the sandy beach beneath him, "I don't understand," he stood up, confused, "I could always fly when I visited as a boy," Malcolm said.
"Maybe you can't fly because you're not a boy anymore," Young Rumplestiltskin said.
"How could I have forgotten? Of course," Malcolm snapped his fingers with a smile, "Pixie dust," he turned to his son, "Even as a boy, you needed pixie dust if you wanted to fly," Malcolm said.
"Where do we get some?" Young Rumplestiltskin asked.
"Oh, I'll show you," Malcolm said and they both ran down the beach with smiles, as a shadow watched them from above, going completely unnoticed.
End of Flashback