And Straight On 'til Morning

Emma was sitting in the back of David's car, Mary Margaret and David in the front as they slowly drove towards the park. She was silent, staring at the back of the car seat ahead of her, partially in shock still. Neal was gone, he'd fallen into a portal Tamara had rigged up, after being shot by Tamara, and Piper had jumped in after him. She closed her eyes, she could still recall the look in Mary Margaret's face when she told them what Piper had done. It was a cross between shock, fear, expectation, and sorrow. It was like she almost knew Piper would have done that the second that she mentioned Neal falling into the portal and how Piper wasn't there when she found them again. It was like she knew Piper would do it, but was hoping that she'd be wrong.

She understood that feeling. When she'd fallen into the portal, at least she had had the woman who was meant to be her mother and her 'aunt' there with her. Even though Neal had grown up in the Enchanted Forest…he only had Piper, the woman who was involved with the father he didn't trust for anything. Worse yet…Neal had been shot. There was no way that he'd survive that, she was sure of that, and if that was true…Piper would be lost somewhere in the Enchanted Forest. Alone.

That was why they were heading to Gold, he'd taken Henry to the park, or Henry was at the park, he'd texted her, but Gold was there too. She had partially expected that one though. Gold had always been a little more lenient and caring when it came to Henry, more so when Piper came to Storybrooke, especially when he'd found out Henry was his grandson. If there was a threat of Greg and Tamara, the man's first thought after he finished in his shop would be to find Henry and protect him incase Greg and Tamara escaped…which they had.

Regina had been tortured by Greg, she'd learned, had been electrocuted. She'd been strapped to a table, a band on her arm to suppress her magic, with electrodes taped to her temples and electrocuted. She claimed it was Greg asking for information of his father. Apparently the boy had been in Storybrooke as a child with his father, Regina had tried to keep them in town but the boy had escaped and the father was restrained. Regina had admitted to killing the father to Greg and he'd run off when Mary Margaret and David found him.

That wasn't even the worst part. Tamara and Greg had been the ones to break into her office and take the beans she'd had. And, in breaking in and kidnapping Regina…they'd stolen some sort of trigger, something that had been built into the curse to destroy the town…killing them all. And Tamara had it. Now they were heading to get Gold, not only to tell him about his son's death, but his True Love's disappearance, AND that their town and all their lives were in danger and they needed help. On top of that, she also had to break it to Henry that his father was dead along with his 'aunt.'

This was not going to go well, not at all.

~8~

Mr. Gold sat on a bench in the park, his gaze on Henry as he sat on a swing. Granny was there as well, supervising, much to his annoyance. Despite being the child's grandfather no one in the town, not even his own son, seemed to have any faith in him. No one except Piper. He knew that she had worked out that 'the boy who would lead him to Bae' was Henry, that the same boy was to be his downfall. He had told her of that prophecy when he told her they were true loves, prophesized loves. He knew that she was aware that he had plans to kill the boy that would have been his downfall…till he'd learned that it was Henry, his grandson. Even if the boy hadn't been related to him by blood, he was related to Piper and THAT was enough to keep the boy safe.

And so he would, waving his hand to tighten the ropes on the swing the boy was on when he noticed they were starting to break while he was near some rather sharp rocks.

Piper trusted him to keep the boy safe, he would do it, no matter what.

He looked over, hearing a car drive up and frowned when he spotted only Emma, David, and Mary Margaret stepping out of it. He glanced over at Henry for a moment before he stood and made his way over to them.

"Gold," David frowned, "What are you doing here?"

"He was watching Henry," Emma answered for him, having forgotten to tell them that Gold would be there.

"Yes, now, if you would be so kind as to explain where my son and Piper are," Gold gave them a less than pleased look.

"Emma, it's ok," Mary Margaret put her hand on Emma's shoulder, "Why don't you talk to Henry, and we…" she glanced at David, "We'll handle this."

Emma swallowed though, "No, no…I…" she took a breath, "It's on ME. It's my fault."

"And what fault is this?" Gold started to frown, starting to feel like something bad had happened to his boy and Piper.

"David?" Mary Margaret turned to her husband, knowing he had had more time to bond with Henry while they'd been in the Enchanted Forest.

He nodded, "I'll tell Henry," he offered, heading off towards the boy.

"Ms. Swan," Gold turned back to Emma, his jaw starting to clench, "Where is my boy and Pip?" he demanded.

Emma let out a long breath, "Tamara shot Neal," she said quickly.

"What?!" Gold's eyes widened, "He's dead?"

"They used one of the magic beans to open a portal. Neal was…" she cut off, taking a breath, tears in her eyes, "He was hurt, badly, when he fell through. He's gone."

"No," Gold shook his head, "Bae wasn't supposed to die. He…" he grabbed his cane tightly, "Where's Piper?" Emma glanced at Mary Margaret and back to Gold, but he had already seen the tears in Mary Margaret's eyes, "Where IS she Ms. Swan!?"

"She dove in after him," Emma continued, "Neal fell, and she went after him. She…"

Emma didn't even have a chance to finish speaking as she found herself slammed back against a telephone pole, Gold grabbing her by the lapels of her red leather jacket, his cane forgotten on the ground, "You did this!"

"Gold let her go!" Mary Margaret shrieked, rushing forward to grab his arm, but he wouldn't let go of Emma.

"This is your fault!" he nearly snarled at the blonde.

"No it isn't!" Mary Margaret grabbed his arm tightly, "It was Rose's choice and you know it!" she managed to pull his arm down, "You KNOW what Sirens are like! Family is what drives them, Neal is YOUR son, of course she would jump in after him!"

She would have thought it was funny, how Piper always went on about how SHE only saw her as her cousin and not part siren, whereas Gold was apparently the one that accepted both sides of her…yet here she was, SHE was the one who remembered what would make Piper do something like that, she was the one recalling her siren half this time.

Gold panted at that and turned away, running a hand through his hair, his heart pounding. He knew she was right, he knew that the second one of her family was in danger, Piper would do all she could to help them. She loved him and because he was in her heart, so was his son, she would have no choice but to jump in after his boy, it would be instinct to her to protect those she saw as family. He knew, he'd known for a long time that, as they grew more serious, Piper had come to look at Baelfire as her own child, much like August had been, even if she hadn't met the boy yet. She WOULD jump in there after him, to protect him, to make sure he wasn't alone. But where Ms. Swan seemed to think that his boy had died…he knew Piper wouldn't allow it. She would fight and tend to him and she would make sure he was ok. Emma had little faith in Piper or knowledge of what Piper was capable of. She had been on her own for years before she'd found him, she'd had cuts and bruises and worse and had treated them on her own and lived. She'd been stabbed! And she'd managed to live past it. She knew the plants that grew in the Forest, she'd be able to help him.

But it didn't make it easier to know that she was lost there without him, again.

"It gets worse," Emma spoke quietly.

"I very much doubt that dearie," he muttered.

"Greg and Tamara, they took something from Regina," Emma continued, "A magical trigger. A failsafe in the curse that could destroy Storybrooke."

"If they activate it, it's a self-destruct," Mary Margaret added, "Everyone not born in this world will die."

Emma glanced at her mother and back to Gold, "We need your help."

"As always," he mumbled, "And yet my help only seems to put my love in danger."

"She was MY cousin first," Mary Margaret crossed her arms.

"She was prophesized for me centuries before she was even born," he spat back at her, shocking her with that bit of information.

"Are you both seriously playing the 'who cares more' game?" Emma shook her head, "We don't stop this, WE all die," she gestured around at them, "Greg and Tamara, the people responsible for your son's death," she pointed at Gold, "And your cousin's disappearance," she pointed to Mary Margaret, "Are going to escape and kill the rest of us," she glanced at Gold again, "You think Piper will be happy with you when she comes back and finds not just you dead, but her cousin and her niece, and her nephew abandoned?!"

Gold let out a long breath at that, "When she comes back…" he repeated, before smirking at Emma a little, "Look who has faith now."

Emma shifted at that, not having realized she'd said when instead of if, "Yeah well…she knows portals," she reminded the man, "She'll find a way back," she swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears from her eyes as she thought of Neal, how HE wouldn't be coming back because he was dead.

Gold nodded, "Well then, it appears we need a plan."

~8~

"Henry!" Regina shouted, having been pacing Mary Margaret's apartment before rushing to her son as he entered the room with David, Emma, and Mary Margaret, Gold having returned to his shop to try and find anything that might help them stop the trigger.

"Mom!" Henry rushed over, hugging her tightly…when the room began to shake as though an earthquake was striking it.

Emma stiffened and looked at Regina, "Regina, was that…"

"Yes," she sighed, "The diamond was activated."

Emma closed her eyes a moment and rubbed her forehead, not even sure how Henry was able to process what was happening when she was just barely managing to keep track of it all. First she'd lost Neal, then Piper, then found out the entire town was in danger, that she could die and end up leaving her son alone in the world with just the hope that Piper might find a way back and take care of him…and now it was all starting. Henry, for his part, seemed to be coping well enough though she was sure it was his belief that his father was still alive, that he couldn't be dead, that Piper wouldn't let that happen, that Piper wouldn't have jumped in after him if he was going to die, that Piper would return with his father and that the heroes would save the town. He certainly had more belief than she did in them all.

"Are we all gonna die?" Henry looked at Regina.

"You were born here, so you'll live," Regina reassured him.

But that only made him frown, "But…I'll be alone."

Regina closed her eyes at that. She had been planning to do just this, to use the trigger to blow up the town, but with her and Henry escaping to the Enchanted Forest before that happened. It was a preemptive strike against Mary Margaret and David, who planned to either abandon her here or lock her up. But now…now she was facing the consequences of it, her own potential death and abandoning her son, "I'm so sorry."

"It's not gonna happen," Emma shook her head, "I'm not gonna let it," she looked at Regina, "You did this, now make it stop."

"I can't," Regina told her, "There's no way."

"WELL, FIGURE IT OUT!" Emma snapped, "It's your fault!"

"STOP!" Henry cut in, making them fall quiet at how loud he'd shouted, "I already lost my dad and my aunt. I don't wanna lose anybody else. We have to work together!"

"From the mouths of babes," a voice said behind them and they spun around to see Hook in the doorway, having snuck up behind them, "I'd say the lad has a point."

David wasted no time in spinning around and punching Hook square in the face, "That was for the last time we met," he glared, recalling how Hook had punched him out when Cora had been in town, to steal something for her.

"Bloody hell," Hook muttered, his hand flying to his nose.

But David just drew his gun, "Tell us why you're here before I use something other than my fist."

Hook eyed him and chuckled, "Anyone tell you, mate, that you're a bit too much like the lass's cousin," he nodded at Mary Margaret, making David glare, more for the comparison to Piper than how the man was bringing Mary Margaret into this, he was nothing like Piper, "Snuck up on her and she beaned me with a cane."

Emma had to smirk at that, "Then duct taped you to a chair," she added, "We have duct tape."

"And I'll escape just like I did with her," Hook shrugged the threat off, "You've got wooden chairs here too."

"We'll find a metal one," Emma threatened, realizing that Hook had likely broken the chair Piper taped him to in order to escape.

"And then we'll shoot you," David agreed.

"Yes, VERY much like the Piper aren't you?" Hook continued to bait him, rather enjoying how angry David was getting at the constant comparisons…though Mary Margaret seemed a little thoughtful of just how similar David could be to Piper at times, "Though I do I think threatening to kill me seems a bit redundant when we're all about to die anyway."

"No thanks to you," Emma glared at him, "Regina told us you were working with Tamara and Greg to get your revenge."

"Well, that was before they told me I had to die to get it."

Emma shook her head, "We don't have time for this. We have a real problem."

"Which is why I'm here," Hook cut in, "Cos staring death in the face has made me realize if there's one thing I want more than my revenge, it's my life."

"What and you think saving this town will keep the Dark One from killing you for helping his son and true love be lost?" Regina scoffed, "He'll kill you first."

"Well then it's a good thing I have the so-called 'heroes' to protect me," he rolled his eyes, the sarcasm heavy in his words, "So should we start this thing now, and then resume bickering?"

"There is no stopping it," Regina emphasized, "And the best thing I can do is slow it down, but that will only delay the inevitable."

"It'll give us the time we need," David remarked.

"The time for what?" Mary Margaret shook her head.

"To do exactly what Regina planned," David told them, "We steal back the beans and use them to get everyone into the Enchanted Forest before Storybrooke is gone."

"How?" Emma frowned, "We don't even know where Greg and Tamara are."

"Well, I do," Hook lifted a hand casually, "I can help."

Emma scoffed at that, "Help yourself. You'll take them and leave us all behind. Why should we trust you?"

"No, we won't have to," David agreed, "I'll go with him, and if he tries anything, I'll shoot him in the face."

"Quite hostile, aren't we?" Hook eyed him, "I see why you and the girl butt heads so often, too alike you are. Only difference is she'd prefer crushing my heart," his gaze flickered to David's gun.

David's jaw clenched at that but truly tried not to let on how irritated and bothered he was by Hooks references to Piper and himself. He was nothing like the woman!

"I'll take Regina to slow down the diamond," Emma took charge, "Give you guys time. Mary Margaret, take Henry, and gather everyone. Make sure they're ready to go as soon as we have those beans. And you," Emma turned to Hook, "You actually get us back to the Enchanted Forest and Gold MIGHT at least delay killing you till he finds Piper and Neal. Keep that in mind."

"Henry," Regina called as Henry and Mary Margaret turned to go, "Before you go," she moved over to him and crouched to face him, "I'm sorry for what's happened. I tried to be the person that you wanted me to be and I failed. But I won't let you be alone. You just know that I love you."

Henry smiled at that, "I love you, too," he told her, pulling her into a tight hug before he headed out.

"The things we do for our children," Hook grinned at them, making them all roll their eyes at him and David shove him out of the door to head off.

~8~

Gold sighed deeply as he stood behind the counter of his shop, his hands braced on the top of the counter, his cane resting across it, his eyes closed. He'd felt it before, the trembling of the earth, had sensed the magic starting to resonate in the mines below the town and he knew that the trigger had been activated. This day was…taxing him in a way he had never been taxed before.

At two different times in his life he had lost those that meant the most to him. He had lost his son, he had lost his true love, but on different days. He had just gotten them back, he'd finally had them both in his life once more…and then lost them again, on the same day. He would never say it aloud and, had Piper been there, he wouldn't have had to, but it was breaking his heart. He could hardly survive the centuries without Bae, only knowing that he might find true love and see him again kept him going. He'd barely endured the 28 years without Piper, knowing that the curse WOULD break and that he'd eventually have her and Bae back had kept him sane. But now…now there was a bleakness. His son was possibly dead, his true love was lost, his own life and the lives of Piper's family were in danger…and he knew that the trigger, he felt it, it would take more power than he had on his own to keep it from affecting the town. It would take light magic and dark magic to balance it and nullify it and there wasn't anyone in town that possessed that much trained good magic.

On top of all that, the Dwarves had been to his shop, had demanded some old drinking stein back for one of their brothers, the one that had crossed the town line to test what would happen so long ago. The Blue Fairy had done it which made him even more distrusting of her, especially when he found out how she had managed to think of what to do. She had used Pinocchio, what happened to him, to create the potion that would restore the memories of their real selves. When she transformed August into Pinocchio she used a hair from the boy's head. She used someone who had been returned to who he should be, someone not-cursed, to create the potion. It made him even more suspicious if that had been Blue's plan all along, to turn Pinocchio into a boy not just to hurt Piper, for being his True Love, but also to get that last potion ingredient.

He couldn't prove it though, he couldn't prove that she had stolen the life and memories of Piper's son for the purpose of making this potion.

And that was grating his nerves as well, Piper would not have wanted her son used for such a purpose.

His hand curled into fists as he continued to think about that day. He had gotten frequent calls from Emma about what was happening. David and Hook (he had been rather tempted to go after the man and kill him while David's back was turned) were going after Tamara and Greg and it was only their mission that stayed his hand from killing the man. They were going after the Magic Beans that the two had taken, their plan was to create a portal, send all of them back to the Enchanted Forest before the trigger could destroy the town. He kept from killing Hook only for the sake of the beans, just getting one would allow him to get back to both Piper and Bae in the Forest. If they were fast enough, there was a chance he might find his son and be able to heal him.

But there was the little problem of the trigger. Regina and Emma had gone to the mines to try and stall it, to delay it. Regina was going to give up her life and magic to stop it. Emma had been begging him to think of a way to stop the trigger so Regina wouldn't be killed, pleading with him for Henry's sake. But there was nothing he could do. Emma, he knew, had likely guilted Regina into this plan though, made her feel it was all her fault. Regina had always been so easily manipulated when someone she loved was in plight and someone put the blame on her. Make her think it was her own fault that someone she loved had been harmed, (make her think she was too weak and powerless to stop her mother killing her first love) and she would be willing to do anything to stop it.

Perhaps Emma was even more like Piper than he thought.

He looked up when he heard the bell to his shop ding, for one brief moment hoping that it was Piper, that she'd found a way back quickly though he knew it was not so…only to see Belle enter timidly, giving him a small smile as she tried to make her way closer to him.

"Get. Out." he nearly growled, NOT at all in the mood to deal with the woman.

"I…um," Belle brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, not leaving but stepping closer, "I heard about your son, and…and that woman and…"

"And what?" he snapped at her, "You thought you could come here? Pick up the pieces of my broken heart?" he glared, "Well I'm sorry to disappoint dearie, but there is nothing here for you."

"I wasn't…" she began, before straightening her back, trying to be stronger, "It's ok to be sad," she tried to tell him, "You don't have to keep everything bottled up. I…" she reached out and placed a hand on his, "I'm here for you Rumple."

"I don't want you," he told her, his voice low, pulling his hand away.

"But you need me," she tried to insist, tried to make him see that he would need her if he wanted to try and redeem himself to his son, to be the good man she knew he was inside.

"I need HER," his lip slightly curling in a small snarl, "ONLY her. So whatever thoughts you have in that empty head of yours you had best forget them and get OUT of my shop!"

"Please," she pleaded, stepping closer, tears in her eyes, "I just want to help…"

"Then leave!"

"No," she straightened her back again, "I'm not going to leave you like this. I know that you feel like a failure to protect your son and…"

"You know nothing about how I feel," his voice dropped low, threatening, and she realized she'd made a rather large mistake in her choice of words, "The only one who has ever known my heart, is Piper," he told her, "You are trying my patience, dearie, and Pip is not here to keep me from killing you where you stand."

"She wouldn't stop you," Belle frowned, "She would encourage it and that's what I'm trying to show you. She's no good for you Rumple. Please just…"

He started to laugh, "She would stop me, dearie," he warned, "Because it would be far more fun to see you suffer than see you die. Now…unless you wish to meet your end before the rest of this cursed town, you will leave my shop."

"Or what?" she tried to defy him, challenge him.

He merely held out his hand, burning with fire in it and sent it flying at her. She ducked down and turned, running out of the shop as Gold let out another breath and closed his eyes once more.

He needed Piper there.

Belle was right, Piper would hardly physically or actually try to stop him killing Belle…it wasn't that, it wasn't that she encouraged him to do something or tricked him into not doing it. It was that…he didn't feel the NEED to do it when she was there. Piper calmed him, made things amusing, in such a way that he didn't feel the burning rage at times, he didn't feel the grating irritation, the need to have others tremble around him. She made him feel lighter just being beside him. She in no way tried to change him, to tell him not to do something, he just…felt no need for it at times when she was there. He needed her to keep him calm, to keep his hope up, to keep him sane…

She was his spinning wheel, she was the spinning wheel he could take with him anywhere, the one he could keep at his side. She calmed him, soothed him, made his mind clearer, made him more powerful and focused…without her…he felt like his world was just darkening and collapsing around him.

For one moment, he considered perhaps not helping Mary Margaret or Emma or Henry and letting the trigger take them all if it would mean an end to this…pain that came with being apart from her.

But as he took a breath and lifted his hand to his heart he knew, Piper was still alive, she was alive and in the Enchanted Forest, he just had to get to her.

And if that meant helping the heroes with their quest…so be it.

~8~

Gold stepped out of his shop, looking at the vines and plants that had begun to overrun the town the moment the trigger had been set off, a sign that the town was disappearing as the forest it was placed in was taking over again. There had been a town meeting, he knew, Mary Margaret had kept him informed. He hadn't attended when she said that Hook and David were going to attend, more so due to Hook being there. He didn't trust himself to not kill the bastard just yet so he had stayed away. He was only going to join when they opened the portal to the Forest but he'd been informed of a different tactic that the royals were planning. They wanted to use the bean, one single bean that David and Hook had managed to grab off of Tamara and Greg, to open it below the trigger and send THAT to another world, not to the Enchanted Forest, but more to wait till the final moment and send it into the portal, letting it self destruct in the portal instead.

Though given how the earthquakes were increasing, he was starting to doubt their plan was going to work. He wasn't even very happy with this plan. To use their single bean to destroy the trigger instead of finding their way to the Forest, to Bae and Piper…he didn't want that. But he could cross the town line now, he knew of the portals in the Wishing Well, in the tree that August and Emma had appeared in. Emma could lead them there, he could see if there was some way to make a new portal, it WAS possible to make a portal but…he had to be alive to do so.

But he felt himself smile when he saw the plants and vines all around stop and start to fade away, the trigger's affects being undone. He'd felt a small flash of magic waft through him, a sense of dark and light magic and his eyes widened in surprise, it appeared Emma had more power than he originally thought if she was, untrained, able to help Regina neutralize the trigger. But if THAT was the case…why hadn't they used the bean?

He shook his head and started to head in the direction that he could feel Emma and Regina's magic heading, knowing that they would be the only ones who would know what was going on. His quest led him to the docks which confused him even more.

But his confusion was cleared up as he rounded the corner of one of the boat houses, able to see Emma, Ruby, David, and Mary Margaret running with Regina towards the end of the docks…where Greg and Tamara were standing, Henry held between them, a green light wafting up around them, a portal opened in the water.

He hurried after them, seeing the duo jump, taking Henry with them through the portal as the 'heroes' and Regina reached the end of the dock as it closed.

"No!" he could hear Emma shouting, "No! No! We have to follow them! There has to be a way!"

"Not only do we not know where they went, but Hook stole the last bean!" Regina huffed.

"I don't care!"

"Without it, there's no way to follow."

"There has to be. We can't just let them, take Henry!"

"Gold!" Mary Margaret spotted him as he approached, "Do something."

"Gold, help us," Emma pleaded, tears in her eyes.

He let out a long breath, "There's no way. I spent a lifetime trying to cross worlds to find my son. There's no way in this world without a portal. And it's not exactly an easy thing to do as I'm sure you recall, Shepherd," he glanced at David who closed his eyes, recalling how many different options he'd tried to get his wife and daughter back.

"So that's it?" Regina frowned, "He's gone forever? I refuse to believe that."

"Wait…" Ruby squinted, looking into the distance, having run into Mary Margaret on the way and used her nose to track Henry to the docks, "What's that?" she pointed to a large pirate ship in the distance, making its way to them.

"Hook," Emma frowned, waiting till the ship got close enough before a plank was thrown down to them and Hook ambled off it, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Helping," he admitted begrudgingly.

"Well, you're too late," Regina glared.

"Am I?" he smirked.

Emma eyed him, "I thought you didn't care about anyone but yourself."

"Maybe I just needed reminding that I could," he mused, holding up the bean he'd stolen from them, the bean that they had been about to use to stop the trigger, the one he'd taken and left them to have to combine magic to stop the self-destruction of the town.

"Enough waiting around, let's go," Regina snapped.

"Go?" Hook frowned, confused, "Where? I thought we were saving the town."

"We already did," David cut in.

"We need to get Henry," Emma agreed, "Greg and Tamara took him through a portal."

"Well, I offer my ship and my services to help follow them," Hook gestured at the Jolly Rodger.

"Well that's great, Hook," Regina rolled her eyes, "But how do we track them?"

"Leave that to me," Gold stepped up, "I can get us to where we need to go."

"Well, let's do it," Mary Margaret nodded.

"One problem dearie," Gold cut in, "One of us must stay behind."

"And why's that?" David glared, clearly thinking it was a trick.

"The town is no longer safe."

"What?"

Gold nearly rolled his eyes at that, "Well, Greg and Tamara weren't working alone. Others will follow."

David let out a frustrated breath, "We can't leave people in danger."

Gold reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper, concentrating on it, a small puff of purple smoke surrounding it before he turned and handed it to Ruby, knowing that, of all of them there, the wolf was the least likely to have a viable argument to come with them, "After we've gone, follow these instructions. It's a cloaking spell. It'll shield the town, making it impossible for anyone to find."

Ruby frowned but took it, looking at the others, "How are you going to find your way back then?" she asked.

"The spell will allow only those who know where the town is to find it," Gold assured her.

"It's ok Ruby," Mary Margaret smiled, moving in to hug her friend tightly, before she turned to hurry onto the boat, Emma and Regina already on it with Hook, David following behind her, leaving Gold to get on last.

"So," Gold eyed Hook as the man pulled the plank up, "Are you done trying to kill me?"

"I believe so," Hook muttered, his jaw clenched though.

"Then you can live," he agreed to a temporary truce. He couldn't say if it would last after he'd found Piper and his boy, but for now he would let the man live for the sole purpose that he was useful in that moment. He turned, summoning the globe that had allowed him to find Bae the first time to him but using it to focus on Henry, and placed it on a side crate. He pricked his finger and watched as the map began to form, an odd sort of island forming in the white expanse.

"Where is that?" Regina frowned, "Where did they take Henry?"

"Neverland," Hook breathed, his tone clearly indicating that was NOT a good place to be. He took the bean back from Emma and squeezed it in his hand tightly, focusing on Neverland before he threw it into the ocean before them, starting to prepare the ship to sail through it as the others rushed to help.

"So who are we up against?" David asked, "Who are Greg and Tamara?"

"They're merely pawns," Gold muttered, realizing now just how serious the situation was, who Tamara and Greg were working for, how they knew about magic though they hadn't been from their world, "Manipulated by forces far greater than they can conceive. They have no idea who they're truly working for."

"And who's that?" Emma shook her head.

Gold just kept his gaze on the portal as they approached it, "Someone we all should fear," he glanced at them as they hit the portal and began to disappear through it.

~8~

Meanwhile, in the Enchanted Forest, Aurora, Mulan, and Prince Philip, Aurora's true love, raced along the beach, having seen a portal open in the sky and feared the worst. But they stopped short when they saw a man lying on the ground, soaking wet, badly wounded in his gut, bleeding.

"Who is he?" Phillip frowned as Aurora and Mulan crouched beside him.

"I don't know," Aurora breathed.

"Is he alive?"

She reached out to feel for a pulse, letting out a sigh of relief, "Barely. We have to get him help."

"Help me get him up," Phillip moved forward, Aurora stepping back to allow Mulan to help him lift the man between them.

"His name is Baelfire," a voice said behind them.

Aurora gasped as they spun around, seeing a soaking wet blonde woman standing behind them, her arm in a sling, panting, "Piper!"

To be continued…in…Phantom Melodies!

A/N: Aww, poor Henry :( I hope you all liked Gold's reaction to Emma's news and Belle trying to talk to him lol :) I'm very excited for the next story, which should be up in a few hours ;)

I just want to take a second to say thank you guys! Thank you to anyone who's read/reviewed/favorited/followed/anything this story, I love you all so much and I hope you'll enjoy what's coming in the next story too :')

Some notes on reviews...

I don't agree with what he did to Regina either :( But I think she can semi-understand too, like...she did a lot but won't regret any of it because it gave her Henry. She can't really hold it against Gold the things he did if it gives him his own son back too. Kinda? Lol :)

I can't say about Pan just yet ;) But Piper in the castle was a pleasure to write, and Neal will see something that he wasn't expecting to see on the 'tour' yup ;) Mermaids and Sirens do get along, in my mind, they're like cousin species :) I can say, at one point, she did nearly drown via other sirens, but it might not be what's expected ;) If it'll happen again, we'll have to wait and see though :) Oh Piper will be punching a few people in the face...though one might be Hook lol ;) Piper is trying to see David as family, but she has to get past the parts that remind her of James, so so far he's still Snow's husband to her ;)