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Peter wrapped one arm tightly around a rope as he braced himself for the landing of the Jolly Roger; He also had his other arm wrapped around Astrid who was by his side, watching below the ship as she then also glanced over at Hook and back at Peter.
"Hook, you better land this ship nicely," Peter smirked over at the pirate who sarcastically smiled back at him, saying, "Who's the captain here? Me or you? That's right- me."
Astrid grinned at the two, glad that they weren't trying to kill one another and was sort of getting along. "He's right. Hook's the best captain that I know."
"How many captains do you know?" Peter inquired in amusement, one eyebrow lifted as he looked down at her.
"Umm... I don't know, maybe somewhere over thirty? Give or take," Astrid shrugged and looked over the side of the ship to watch the clouds move behind them.
She glanced over at Emma who looked over at her as well; Astrid smirked and started, "Hey, Em, what did one wave say to the other?"
"I swear, if you make one more ocean related pun, I will murder you and tell everyone you died in the shipwreck." Emma remarked, unamused.
Astrid laughed, saying, "...Well, someone's salty." Emma rolled her eyes but couldn't help not smile at the joke.
***
The whole town was there to welcome the group back, all cheering, "Yes! They're back!" Peter held Astrid's hand as Henry rushed off of the boat, immediately being engulfed into hugs while the young couple followed behind him.
Astrid was immediately pulled into a hug by Ruby and then Granny after they had hugged her nephew. The girl was then pulled from Peter, their interlocked hands dropping, as Snow wrapped an arm around her and hugged her as well.
"I have to admit, there was a minute there I didn't believe we were all going to make it out of that place." Emma let out with a shaky breath of air.
"It wasn't all bad," Astrid remarked with a playful smirk towards her boyfriend who chuckled and glanced down at the ground. She could feel Snow's arm tighten around her as Snow smiled at Emma in something like admiration.
"Well, we did," David sighed out happily, pulling his wife and daughters into a tight hug. Astrid smiled up at her parents before catching her mother's gaze which was towards Regina who stood over by the ship with her eyes downcast and a sort of dejected look crossing her features.
"And we owe a lot of it to her." Snow spoke up about Regina, causing everyone to glance over at them, "Regina helped save us all." Regina looked surprised at Snow's open praise.
Astrid stepped out of her parents' and sister's arms and walked back over to Peter who immediately held her hand in his. She smiled when she felt little arms attach themselves to her waist as she picked up the seven year old Lost Boy, Johnny, and now held him on her hip with his arms wrapped around her neck.
She and Peter moved over to Emma as Astrid started towards her, "We've got to find the Lost Boys a home. I won't let them be alone again."
Peter stood next to his girlfriend, smiling at what he heard her say, as Emma nodded, saying, "Right. I know a lot of the people who have wanted kids."
Astrid nodded and replied, "Good." She placed Johnny back on the ground as he ran over to some of the other Lost Boys while couples walked over to them. "They'll be alright."
"How do you know?" Peter asked, taking her hand and holding it in his again, making her look over at him.
"I have faith." Astrid shrugged as Peter smiled and kissed her briefly.
***
Everyone was celebrating at Granny's, Henry sat in a booth across from Peter who would glance over at Astrid as she sat at the counter beside her father figure, Hook.
Astrid sighed at the emotional mess Hook was dealing with as he occasionally glanced over at Emma who had just joined Henry and Peter at their booth. She knew what he was feeling because she feels everyone's emotions and pain, including Hook's.
"Hey, if it helps, I think you and my sister would be adorable together-" Astrid began and pointed out in amusement and then in a light serious tone, "It would kind of be weird, given that you're like my dad... but I-- I am okay with you dating her because you're a good man."
"Thanks, AJ," Hook replied and wrapped an arm around her shoulder while kissing the top of her head before drinking some of his beverage, "But for now, you are plenty enough for me, kiddo."
Astrid laughed some, saying, "Yeah, okay." Hook smiled over at her as the two now just sat there in comfortable silence, both taking sips out of their drinks simultaneously.
"I don't think they serve rum at Granny's," Neal spoke up as he sat on the stool on Hook's other side.
"Don't worry. I'm not here to pursue the Lady Swan." Hook commented as Neal remarked lightly, "Yeah, you're just here to throw back a few with the dwarfs."
Hook sighed some before replying, "I made a decision when it comes to Emma. I'm gonna back off."
"Back off?" Neal repeated in slight amusement.
"For the sake of the boy. Let his parents have a fair shot without a devilishly handsome pirate standing in the way," Hook simply answered.
"You serious?" Neal clarified as Hook nodded and replied, "Yeah. I am devilishly handsome."
"Thanks, man." Neal said as Astrid smirked before speaking up towards him, "Yeah, don't thank him just yet."
Neal furrowed his eyebrows in curiosity towards the girl before glancing over at the pirate beside him who elaborated on what she meant, saying, "You see, I'm in this for the long haul. You've already walked out on Emma once. I'm not so sure she'll let you back in. Are you?"
Astrid had her palm resting on her chin as she gave Neal an amused look with a small shrug after dropping her hand onto the countertop. Neal stood up and walked away and moved over to his son.
Hook hid an amused smile and glanced over at the teenager beside him who gave him an amused smile of her own before getting up from her seat and made her way over to where Peter was.
Peter slid an arm around her once Astrid had sat next to him in the booth while she also gave Henry a smile, the three talking and laughing at whatever topic.
***
After an hour after Henry left with Regina to go to bed, Astrid yawned for what seemed like the umpteenth time and dropped her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, fast asleep.
David noticed this action and chuckled and moved over to the booth the couple sat in, picking his teenager up and into his arms, her head rolling and now rested on his chest. She mumbled something they didn't quite understand as she fell asleep again.
"Come on. You can stay with us until we can find you another home, Pan," David sighed and began walking out of the diner with Peter following him in tow.
David placed Astrid in the middle seat of his truck carefully and moved over to the driver's side as Peter entered the passenger's side after giving the strange vehicle an odd look.
"These things are so... confining..." Peter remarked with a lifted eyebrow in slight amusement, "And slow. I don't like it."
"Hey, you just have to keep an open mind about these cars," David commented also in amusement while driving down the road now, "I mean, I know it's different from riding a horse or whatever you rode in Neverland."
"I could fly," Peter pointed out as David laughed some. Astrid sat up straight and looked over at her father first and then Peter before speaking up, "I don't feel too good..."
"Like you're gonna throw up?" David inquired towards his daughter who nodded. He pulled over and let her out as Astrid threw up more black blood and coughed some.
She looked over at David who stood out of the truck on his side, waiting, as her sight began to blur some and then would return back to normal but go back to a blur. "Astrid? You okay?"
Once her sight went back to normal, Astrid replied, "I'm okay." She moved back over to the vehicle and moved inside of it, sitting in the middle of them again.
David hopped back in also and drove towards the apartment again. Peter knew that she wasn't okay, and moved his hand over hers, holding it in reassurance now.
***
Astrid turned in her sleep on her bed and then woke up after sensing that something was wrong, not right. She felt her right arm burn some and looked down at it to see a set of three words had been burned on it- Property of Malcolm.
"What the bloody hell-?" The girl breathed out while lightly trailing her fingers across the mark on her arm. She looked over to find that Peter wasn't sleeping next to her anymore. "Peter?"
Astrid stood up out of her bed and immediately felt extremely dizzy, making her sit back down until she gained her balance again.
After a minute of just sitting there, she stood back up and headed over to her door and walked out of her room. Everyone was sleeping already- It was four in the morning.
Astrid moved downstairs while holding her right arm in her left hand. She noticed Snow and David sleeping in their bed and then scanned the entire room for her love but didn't find him anywhere.
She turned and headed back up the stairs and began walking down the hallway just as Peter appeared in front of her, successfully scaring her. "Don't do that!" Astrid whispered/yelled at him, smacking him on his chest, "Where were you?"
Peter smirked, saying, "Sorry, lass, I didn't mean to frighten you. Come on, let's go back to bed." Astrid slightly narrowed her eyes at him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her back to her bedroom.
Once they made it to her bed, Astrid repeated her question, "Where were you?"
"Just around," Peter answered still with a smirk on his face, "Don't worry about it, Astrid. Just go to sleep." His voice took on a more sinister tone as he said the last part, his green eyes darkening.
"You alright, Peter?" Astrid inquired, sitting down on the bed in front of him while taking his hands into hers.
"Peter? I'm not Peter, that pathetic waste of space." He muttered, "I'm Malcolm."
Astrid let her hands fall from his as she glanced down at the words on her arm, starting with a loss of words, "You-- Why-- How... What?"
"Long ago, shortly after you left Neverland, Peter travelled to the Enchanted Forest in hopes of finding you." Malcolm began to explain, "He didn't know he would encounter me again, his father, but things got out of hand and I tried killing him... and then he ended up almost killing me, leaving me to die alone. Well, as I was dying in that deserted street, I did this spell where it allows my soul to enter the body of the person who tried to kill me."
Astrid's heart raced some as she continued to listen a little nervously. He continued, "So, now, when night falls and the boy goes to sleep, I will come out and do whatever I want, complete control over Peter."
Malcolm smirked and remarked, "And, now that you've been marked, you belong to me and only me."
"You don't own me. I'm my own person," Astrid commented, her eyebrows furrowed, "I can just heal this and the words will be gone."
"Not that simple, dearie. That is a soul mark. You're stuck with me for eternity." Malcolm smirked evilly.
"No," Astrid replied, "I'm not. And once Peter takes back control, he won't like this either and will get rid of you."
"That boy won't be able to do anything. He's weak." Malcolm sneered, grabbing her forcefully and kissing her on her lips.
Astrid brought her knee up and kneed him in the crotch as he released her and fell to his knees. "He's not weak. You are." She remarked and then spoke up in hopes that Peter could hear her, "Peter, you have to wake up. You have to come back right now."
"Peter's not here right now. It's just me." Malcolm chuckled while standing back up, "He thinks he's sleeping, and won't remember any of this. And you do know there is something to help with your curse, only it's located in the Enchanted Forest."
"What?" Astrid asked.
"You heard me. You're in the wrong realm for what you need." Malcolm spoke while moving a hand and cupped the side of her face, "Now... Go to sleep, my darling."
"No." She replied, taking a step back, "Peter, if you can hear me, wake up." Malcolm only laughed at that and made her fly a few feet from him by his magic as she hit her head on the dresser.
Astrid grunted some, and could feel herself become dazed just from that alone. "You... won't get away with this..." She let out breathlessly, bringing her hand up to her temple to feel a warm liquid and brought her fingers down to look at them to see blood.
He brought his hand up and began choking her through his magic, never laying a finger on her. "Why— are you— bloody doing this?" She choked out due to lack of oxygen.
"I'm only preventing you from disrupting my plan. Because, if I don't, all this would've been for nothing." Malcolm retorted with a malicious grin upon his face.
"What're you... planning?" The girl slowly asked, unable to think as she tried to keep breathing.
"You shall see in the end." Malcolm smirked, "Unless, my dear, your time for your death catches up to you before then." He then stepped over to her and punched her hard in the face, her spitting up blood, before he punched her again near her eye this time.
Astrid shook her head as she began to feel herself losing consciousness; She tried so hard to keep herself awake but failed. Her eyes drifted shut and even felt herself slip away.
Malcolm released his hold on her as Astrid then fell onto the floor abruptly, and just as she felt the impact of hitting the floor, everything went black.
***
Astrid slowly blinked her eyes open, expecting to meet the harsh sunlight from outside but was only met with darkness. She furrowed her eyebrows and blinked again, trying to figure out what happened and where she was at.
Slowly, the memories came back to her once she sat up and looked around to find that she was sitting on the floor in a cell at the Sheriff's station.
"Son of a-" Astrid groaned out, lightly caressing her head in her hand as it throbbed painfully, willing herself to stand up on wobbly legs. "Bloody hell..."
She moved over to the cell door and tried opening it but it didn't. "Someone, help! Peter!" She started to call out until she felt something vibrate in her back pocket.
Astrid furrowed her eyebrows again before placing her hand on her pocket, realizing that it had been her 'cell phone'. David and Snow had bought one of the older phones for her, so that she can contact them if she was ever in danger or just wanted to talk.
Astrid quickly pulled out the phone and flipped it open, quickly pressing the green phone button on the dial pad, and then held the top part to her ear to hear the person on the other side.
Before Astrid could say anything, her mother's voice broke out on the other side, her tone laced with worry and concern, "Astrid, why haven't you been answering any of our calls? We've been so worried!"
"I don't-- I'll explain everything later. What- What's going on?" Astrid started, letting out a small pained groan and rubbing her head again with her other hand.
"Pan's shadow escaped and killed Mother Superior. Have you seen him anywhere? And where are you?" Snow slightly explained while also questioning her teenage daughter.
Astrid narrowed her eyes and glanced down at the markings on her right arm before answering her mother, "I-- I'm locked up at the Sheriff's Station. Bring someone with magic because there's a protection spell keeping me trapped."
"Regina's not answering either. We're on our way. Just hang on, Astrid." Snow assured as the two hung up with one another, Astrid placing her phone back in her back pocket.
She tried shaking her head to rid the ringing in her ears, only making her headache worse and making her more nauseous than she already felt.
"Oh, Peter... What're we bloody gonna do?" Astrid found herself murmuring to herself, sitting down on the cot and leaned her back against the wall beside it with her knees pulled up to her chest.
She suddenly heard footsteps running down the hall and into the station as she looked up to see her parents, sister, nephew, and Gold. "Astrid, what happened?" Emma spoke up first, "You look awful."
Astrid rolled her eyes at the comment but agreed also; She was pale or drained of color, her wavy blonde hair was messy and probably a bit bloody, she had small bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, had a small cut on her bottom lip, and had a bruise forming around her left eye.
"Thanks, Em, sorry I don't look princess enough for you." Astrid remarked sarcastically, a bit irritable.
The group rushed over to her cell as David started to try and open the door but was shocked backwards, him flipping and landing on the floor hard. "Told you it had a bloody protection spell around it." Astrid remarked as Snow and Emma helped her father up.
"Astrid, you're bleeding!" Henry pointed out in alarm, noticing the blood on the side of his aunt's head.
"I am?" Astrid played dumb, her already knowing that she was bleeding. "Huh."
"Okay, what happened? Was it Pan?" Snow questioned her daughter.
"Umm..." Astrid slowly started, unsure of how to tell them that her boyfriend's father was trapped inside of him and using him to wreak havoc or whatever, especially when Gold was standing right in front of her. "I..."
"Astrid, just tell us. We need to know." David replied, his hands over his hips as he looked at her sternly but also in concern.
"Well..." Astrid tried again but words seemed to fail her at this time still as she lifted her arms up in slight exasperation before dropping them back down to her sides, Emma then noticing something on her right arm.
"What's that on your arm?" Emma pointed it out as everyone glanced at the teenager's right arm as the said girl tried hiding it from them, "Astrid."
Astrid sighed, stood up, and walked over to the bars while showing them the words scribbled into her right arm, saying, "It's not Peter right now. He doesn't know what he's doing... Malcolm is trapped inside of him and takes control of him whenever he wants..."
"A soul mark," Gold muttered in realization of what those words on her arm meant. "It'll disappear once we get rid of Malcolm."
"Who is this Malcolm?" Snow asked while now holding Astrid's right arm in both of her hands, examining the words carefully.
"Peter's father-" Astrid quietly started as Emma replied with small wide eyes, "So, Gold's father?" They glanced over at Mr. Gold and over at Astrid and back at the man in shock.
"Yes, unfortunately," Gold sighed before admitting, "He abandoned us when I was a boy and I hadn't seen him since." Gold continued to work on breaking the spell around the cell.
"Well, I found out last night and he managed to knock me out, and the next thing I bloody remember, I'm in here," Astrid finished.
"But why would he kill the Blue Fairy?" David spoke up in confusion.
"He said everything that he does is all part of his big plan that he wouldn't tell me," Astrid sighed, her heart now aching for her true love to be safe and free of the man, "He did tell me that there was something to heal me of my curse that wasn't in Gold's shop but the Enchanted Forest."
Her parents shared a small hopeful look just as Gold broke the spell and opened the door; David and Snow rushed inside of the cell and hugged their teenager tightly, one of David's hands on the back of Astrid's head in reassurance.
Once the two adults released her from their hug, Snow reached both her hands up and held Astrid's head, checking to make sure there weren't any other wounds they were unaware of. Once the woman done that, she released Astrid and gave her a look concern.
"I'm fine." Astrid murmured, "I just want him safe and to be okay..." Snow nodded and wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders, walking her out of the cell.
"Let's check Regina's vault for Regina." Emma started as everyone agreed.
***
Astrid, Gold, Emma, Snow, David, and Henry made it to Regina's family's crypt and all noticed Hook, Tinkerbell, and Neal in the front of the doors; Neal was attempting to pick the lock on the door when he turned around, noticing the others.
"Astrid, you alright? You look awful." Neal started reluctantly as the said teenager smiled sarcastically and irritably remarked, "Oh, really? I haven't even bloody noticed that I probably look like I'm near death and that I was just beaten up basically."
Neal smiled apologetically, "Sorry."
"Whatever, it's fine," Astrid shrugged with an attempt of a smile. She noticed Hook give her a concerned look as she nodded a little at him.
David then asked Tinkerbell and Hook, "Did you find the Shadow?"
"Not yet-" The ex-fairy started as Hook added while holding the coconut, "But we'll be ready for him when we do."
"I think it's Pan we should be concerned about now. Why are we still up here?" Gold said as he walked towards the door.
Neal sighed, saying, "It's locked up tight."
"Really?" Gold challenged, holding his hand up as it shook, and then after a second, he pulled away. Neal nodded and remarked, "Told ya."
"Fair enough. This is gonna take some time," Gold simply said and held his hand up towards the door again.
Astrid folded her arms across her chest and leaned against a tree, watching Henry talking to Tinkerbell. Hook lifted an eyebrow and moved over to the girl. "What's wrong?" He asked with a knowing look on his face.
She showed him her right arm and began hesitantly, "I didn't tell the others this because I'm not sure how they'd bloody react. Ever since he did this, I've been feeling, not only Peter's feelings and everyone else's, but now also Malcolm's emotions... I was already becoming so bloody exhausted because of this curse, but with this forced soul mark, it— it's like draining my soul, like he did it to- to take my power..."
Hook nodded a little, saying, "We will find a way to remove this mark on you and we will find a cure for you to be healed of this curse. I'm not gonna let you die, AJ. Period."
Astrid smiled weakly and nodded. "Thanks, Hook." He lightly touched the tender spot on the side of her head and frowned as she winced and commented, "It's just a cut. I'll be okay."
Before he could say anything about the wound, Gold opened the doors to the crypt and said, "Shall we?"
David, Snow, Gold, and Emma headed in first with Astrid, Hook, Neal, Belle, Henry, and Tinkerbell behind them. "We're clear down here!" Emma yelled as Astrid stepped down the stairs with Henry close behind her.
Gold performed a spell on Regina who then woke up with a start as she sat up, beginning, "What? What happened?"
"It's Pan. Somehow, his father- Malcolm- is also inside of his body and is controlling him right now." Emma explained.
"One minute, I was down here alone, and the next, he showed up and took me by surprise," Regina groaned.
Henry moved over to Regina and hugged her tightly, making sure she was alright. David spoke up, "So, what exactly did Pan-- sorry-- Malcolm come down here to get?"
Gold waved his hand over a small chest when his hand shot back suddenly. Everyone looked at him in confusion, Astrid asking him, "What?"
"Please tell me you didn't keep it down here," Gold said, ignoring her question as he spoke directly to Regina now.
The said woman widened her eyes and said, "Where else would I keep it?"
"What is it? What did Pan take?" Emma questioned.
Gold sighed and answered, "The curse."
Astrid felt her eyes widen as she asked, "Wait. The curse? As in the same bloody curse that sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest to Storybrooke?"
"Yes. That curse." Regina confirmed as then asked, "Why would Pan even want the curse? I already cast it."
"And I broke it." Emma put in.
Gold gave them a look, saying, "Well, that doesn't mean he can't cast it again. And this time without your parents' true love woven in, even you would be powerless to break it." He looked over at Astrid and remarked, "And you will probably be fine."
"I don't understand. We're already in this land," David pointed out.
Snow caught on to what her husband was saying and also asked, "What exactly would casting the curse in Storybrooke do now?"
"Something tells me that we're about to find out." Astrid spoke up, her hands on the handles of her swords at her hips, as she sensed magic.
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