CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
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i. bring them home !

storybrooke maine .

— HENRY AWOKE IN A BLAZE OF ANXIOUS PANIC, his horrible nightmares having unfortunately plagued his mind once again as he sat up, choking on sobs and heaving breaths, gripping at his bed sheets and rapidly blinking reality back into existence.

The side affects of the sleeping curse he'd been a victim of were cruller than he initially realized, and he wanted them very much to stop.

As he finally came to recognize the world around him— the wooden beams and cute, simple furniture of Mary Margaret's loft apartment— he began to relax as he realized he was no longer in that fiery, hellish room he saw when he closed his eyes.

The confusion set in, however, when he also realized his adoptive mother was sitting on the bed next to him, worryingly patting down his hair and asking questions he couldn't quite hear yet.

"W-what are you doing here?" Henry stammered as his eyes darted about the room, "Where's David?"

Regina's heart broke a little, but she knew there were more important things at hand.

"He got an emergency call this morning and he asked me to look after you... He told me you've been having nightmares." She reached out a hand to hold his in a small attempt at comfort, "It's okay, you can-"

Henry cried out in pain, and Regina's observant eyes went to Henry's hand, where a sweltering burn, still warm to the touch, had somehow formed within the skin.

"Is that a burn?" Regina uttered, horrified that her son was now injured as a result of this horrible curse.

Henry nearly cried, the wound still fresh, "What do we do?"

"I'll call Mr Gold, okay? Just stay right here." Regina kissed her sons forehead and pulled her phone from the pocket of a large shoulder bag she'd left on the floor, and moved towards the living area so she could speak to the man of magical means in a more private manner.

This left Henry to look down and grimace at the ugly sight his hand has become.

At least until he noticed Pooh, who Henry didn't first question the presence of, but rather the pup's behaviour

The fluffy little creature whimpered and whined as he pawed at Regina's shoulder bag, sniffing and huffing as if he smelled something and didn't quite like it.

"What's wrong, boy?" Henry asked, shuffling to slide his legs off the bed, being careful not to make too much noise or allow anything to brush against his hand.

"What's in there?" He whispered, glancing towards his mother in the living area and making sure her back was turned before he reached over with his uninjured hand and eased the zipper of the bag open.

Pooh whined quietly again hopping up to take a peek. What they saw, Henry was not expecting.

Two wooden boxes, wedged side by side, with intricate metal corners and an identical symbol atop the lid, depicting a heart with a blade running down through the middle. Henry was certain that if he checked the front of the boxes, they would each have sparkling red gems encrusted in the metalwork.

These wooden boxes, Henry was familiar with. He'd seen them many, many, times before. In the pages of his book.

"Mr Gold will be over soon, Henry, he's just got an errand to run-" Regina stopped in her tracks when she noticed that Henry was standing over her open bag, now beginning to feel terribly, awfully, perfectly horrible.

"Henry-" She began, trying to come up with some sort of excuse that didn't involve her being incriminated.

"Who's are they?" Henry breathed out, stumbling back and sitting himself back down on the bed.

"Henry, I-" Regina tried again.

"Who's are they." He asked again, firmly this time, being sure that Regina knew this was not a yes or no answer type of question.

Regina sighed in defeat, "You already know how the story went... you know who's they are..."

With one simple look, Henry urged her to tell him the truth, regardless of what he knew.

"When I made that deal with Gold- Rumplestiltskin- I agreed that he would never have to see Kenai or Koda ever again, and while I couldn't- I could never kill them..." Regina paused and took a shaky breath, "Taking their hearts was the easiest way to control them and insure they remained safe away from town."

Henry glanced at the bag, "Why do you have them now?"

"I was searching for the cubs when David called me this morning... I have every intention of returning their hearts to them.. but- I made a promise to you, Henry, and a promise to Winnie- that I wouldn't use magic." Regina explained, "I'm not controlling them anymore- never again."

"Don't you need magic to put them back?" Henry asked, flinching slightly as his burned flesh brushed against the rough fabric of his pants.

Regina grimaced, "I was hoping to overlook that..."

Henry glanced at Pooh, sharing a look with the poor bear-turned dog as he recognized that very clear look of grief in his eyes.

Pooh missed his brothers- every one of them.

"Give them back." Henry agreed. "Let Winnie bring them home."

storybrooke maine .

— WHEN WINNIE AWOKE IN HOSPITAL, her head was pounding angrily as if she'd been listening to music on full blast for hours and it had inspired a very gripping headache. Her nose was itchy, still crusted with a bit of dried blood, her aching back pressed against the uncomfortable hospital bed.

Winnie hissed under her breath as she tried to sit up, struggling to prop herself up in a way that didn't hurt her back.

"I would keep still if I were you, Winnifred." A husky voice stated from a chair in the corner of her room.

Winnie stared at the end of her bed, almost glaring, "What makes you think I'll ever listen to you again, Rumple."

Her hair was messy and dirtied with bits of gravel, and when she reached up to soothe her forehead, her fingers met with cotton and tape plastered to the injury she was struggling to deal with.

She felt slightly bad that she'd instantly snapped at Mr Gold, finally glancing over and noticing his slightly nervous and upset demeanour.

Winnie reminded herself that he'd forgiven her cubs for whatever it was he thought they did. He has no more strife with her or her sons.

Though she couldn't help the muted anger when she remembered the fact that two of her cubs were still missing because of him.

No, Winnie pushed that thought back down. Kindness is not the absence of anger, but rather continuing to be kind in spite of it.

Her father taught her that.

And right now, Mr Gold looked like he could use a little kindness.

"I'm sorry..." Winnie uttered, balling up her bedsheets in one hand.

Mr Gold stifled a groan as he stood from his chair, and leaned on his cane as he walked closer to Winnie's bed.

"No, dear, you shouldn't be apologizing. That's my job." He paused before he could get too close, still not quite feeling welcomed by her.

He simply stood a few feet from her blanketed knees and continued his unexpected apology.

"I know exactly what it's like to lose a child... To have your son taken from you. I should never have inflicted that feeling upon you, Winnifred, I should never have let my anger cloud my judgment. For that, I am truly, deeply, sorry." He uttered quietly.

He then stepped forward slightly, bringing up a hesitant hand, "If you would allow me?"

Winnie paused, glancing at his hopeful, regretful eyes.

"What's your price?" She asked, knowing exactly how the sly man worked.

"This one's on me." He promised.

Winnie nodded, laying her head back against the pillow and wincing slightly at her aggravated injuries as Mr Gold brought his hand to hover just above Winnie's forehead.

Instantly, she felt the aching and skull-shattering migraine begin to cease and dull into nothingness, her nose no longer stung and the blood that had been causing that horrible itch was washed cleanly away.

Within seconds, Winnie was cleaned up and entirely uninjured, without so much as a single scar along her back.

She sat up, a new energy having been infused into her bones, glad she didn't have to stick about in bed when so many things were going on just outside the hospital doors.

"I'll take my leave now." Mr Gold nodded respectfully, having said his piece and done what he'd come to do- not expecting anything more from the woman. "I wish you and your children all the best."

He then began making his way to the door of Winnie's room, but was stopped by her quiet voice.

"Rumple?" He turned hesitantly, awaiting whatever it was Winnie needed to say.

He had a certain regretful sheen in his eyes, as if there was something more he wished to say before he left, yet he made absolutely no move to do so.

"I hope you find your son, and that peace and kindness may find you." She smiled.

the enchanted forest . now .

— WHEN THE GROUP FINALLY MADE IT TO THE BEANSTALK, the sun was seemingly on their side, as it was still high in the sky when they arrived despite their early morning detour.

"It's a little freakier than I remember from the story." Emma squinted up at the tall plant that seemed to loom threateningly over them.

"It reminds me of death." Mulan stated.

"Encouraging." Mary Margaret uttered.

"Well," Killian began, gently patting Christopher on the shoulder as he stepped forward, "Your compass awaits. Shall we?"

They all moved with Killian towards the giant beanstalk.

"Wait. If these beans create... portals, why not just pick one and go home? Why the compass?" Emma asked, side stepping a mound of dried grass.

"Because there aren't any more beans. Whatever story you think you know is most certainly wrong."

Emma shrugged, "There was a guy named Jack and a cow, and something about evil giants with a treasure and a golden goose. Or harp."

"Sounds like a lovely tale," Killian seemingly bit back a laugh, "but the truth is a bit more gruesome."

He glanced at Christopher before he began telling the real story, reminding himself not to go too into detail while the boy was around.

"The giants grew the beans, but rather than use them for good, they used them to plunder all the lands." Killian told, "Jack and his men fought a terrible war, defeating all but one of the evil giants. The beans were destroyed by the giants as they died... If they couldn't have the magic, then nobody could."

Christopher's face scrunched up as the sun beat down on them, trying his best to see where the beanstalk ended, way up in the sky.

His attempts were fruitless, the large plant seemed to just disappear into the clouds above.

"Certainly very bad form." The pirate finished.

Emma sighed, "Evil giants who made magic portal beans... Why doesn't anyone just go up and grow some more?"

"Because one giant survived." Killian warned. "The strongest and most terrible of them all. Now we'll have to get past him to-"

"The magic compass." Snow finished.

"Indeed." Killian agreed.

Christopher sighed, wishing they already had the compass and that they could just go home and he could see his mama and brother and best friend once again... He missed them all terribly.

"The treasure remains, and among it is the compass. It will guide us to your land. Cora has the means to open a portal with the wardrobe ashes, but she can't find your land without the compass." The man explained, proposing his plan, "Once we get it, we steal the ashes from her, then we're on our way."

Mulan tugged Christopher closer to her side, putting a protective hand on his shoulder while the other rested on the handle of her blade, "How do we know you're not just using us to get the compass for Cora?"

Killian expected the distrust, "Because you five are far safer company. All I need is a ride back. I'll swear allegiance to whomever gets me there first, which I do believe will be you."

"Besides," he continued, nodding to Christopher. "I made a promise. Cora or not, compass or not— I'll see you make it back home."

Emma glanced at the boy as well, still having doubts swimming in her mind.

"Then we better start climbing."

author's note

aHHH I DIDNT TAKE FOREVER TO UPDATE AGAIN LMAO ALSO IM UPDATING AT A REASONABLE TIME HOW CRAZY IS THAT

hello my loves I'm so excited to update and chat with you again uGh the readers of this story are my favourite people 😭

Omg new question time 😌 what is your favourite book trope/character type, I'm trying to get inspired for some original projects to start posting on patreon and who better to ask for inspiration than you guys? You all have such amazing ideas fr

Anyway i have big plans for this story that I honestly can't wait to post, like we keep getting closer and closer to some of my favourite scene ideas and im just really excited to see what everyone thinks, so hopefully this story gets updated a little more frequently because of that

As always, I love you all so much and I really appreciate all the support like I honestly don't think I could ever find a better group of people than you guys 😭 thank you so much for reading ♥️