Hook's Daughter

Eclipse

Neal, Emma, Regina, Gold, and I headed out into a longboat to row across the short ocean and get to Skull Rock. Devin stayed in the camp. We figured he would be able to calm the Lost Boys when they woke up.
No one talked until we tied the boat up at the shore.
"These are Henry's shoes," Emma said, pointing to newly made footprints in the ground. She walked quicker and began following a trail of steps but an invisible wall was there. When Emma hit it, she was flung back into the air into a double flip before hitting the ground with a whack.
"Are you okay?" Neal asked, helping her up.
"I think so," she replied. "What the hell was that?"
"Pan cast a protection spell," Gold said.
"There has to be a way to break it," Regina said. She flourished her hand and threw a ball of fire at the wall. It made the whole area burst to life with heat.
"Whoa!" I said. "Careful with that!"
"Try all you want," Gold said. "But Pan's magic is too powerful. At least for you."
Gold stepped up to the barrier...and right through it.
"How did you do that?" Emma asked.
"The spell is designed to keep anyone who casts a shadow from entering."
"And you don't have one," Neal said. "You were telling the truth about ripping your shadow off."
"And Pan knows it," Gold finished for him. "That's why he cast the spell he did. This isn't about keeping you out. It's about drawing me in. He knows I won't give up the chance to finish what I came here to do."
"You really did come here to save Henry," Neal said.
"I gave you my trust with that box," Gold said while pointing to Pandora's box in Neal's hand. The box could trap anyone forever, good or evil. "Now I need you to give the box back."
Neal slowly began handing it over but Regina grabbed it.
"Hey!" Neal complained.
"You better come through, Gold," Regina said. "Or I'll make whatever Pan has in store for you look like child's play. You understand me?"
Gold smiled. "Well, a simple 'good luck' would have sufficed."
Once Gold was up the staircase, Regina began pacing.
"So what are we supposed to do now?" She asked.
"What about the spell my father used to rip off his shadow?" Neal asked.
"Do you think if I knew how to do that, I wouldn't have done it already?" Regina replied.
"The moon," I said.
"The moon?" Regina asked.
"The moon is what causes our shadows right? What if there was a way for you to block it using magic?"
"What, you mean, like an eclipse?" Neal asked. "Is that even possible?"
"Maybe," Regina said. "I need help."
"With magic?" Emma asked, apparently surprised by what Regina said.
"It requires a lot," Regina replied, no emotion in her voice. "I guess we're about to find out how much those lessons I gave you paid off. Follow my lead."
Neal and I stood behind Emma and Regina as they straightened their arms up and lifted them to the sky. Their was a small light around them and the moon was swallowed by a black abyss. The eclipse was successful.
•••••••••••••
Emma, Regina, Neal, and I all hurried up the dirt stairs. The scene at the top did not look good. Henry and Pan were standing near each other. Henry had his hand inside of his body, and pulled it out, along with his heart.
"Henry!" Neal yelled. "Wait! Whatever Pan's telling you to do, don't do it."
"Dad," Henry said. "You're alive?"
"I am, buddy. And I need you to listen to me. Pan is lying to you."
"Oh, a pleasure to see you, too, Baelfire," Pan said. "Not to mention the savior. Evil Queen. And the magical pirate."
I snarled at Pan. Luckily, no one noticed Pan's comment. They were all too focused on getting Henry out of here.
"Henry," Emma said. "You need to get away from him now. He's trying to hurt you."
"No," Henry told her. "The heart of the truest believer, it's what is going to save magic. It's going to save all of you."
"No, it's not," Regina told him softly. "This was never about magic, Henry. You have to believe us! The only person Pan's interested in saving is himself!"
"That's not true!" Henry protested.
"Course it isn't," Pan reassured Henry.
"Yes, it is," I told Henry. "Pan can't live without you dying. If you give him your heart, it's gonna kill you."
"They're trying to stem your belief, Henry," Pan told him. "But don't let them. Remember, every hero gets tested."
"Henry," Emma tried again. "I know what being a hero looks like, and this isn't it."
"Why would they lie?" Henry asked Pan.
"Because that's what they do, Henry. You know that better than anyone."
"Henry, you have to believe us," Regina pleaded with him.
"Your parents don't care about Neverland, Henry," Pan said. "They know if you give your heart to save it, then you'll have to stay. And they're being selfish because they don't want to lose you."
"Henry, you have to trust us," Emma said.
"Trust?" Pan scoffed. "I'm the only one who's ever been honest with you, Henry. The only one who ever believed in you. This is your choice, not theirs."
"Henry," I said. "Please. I've always believed in you. Don't listen to him."
"I know you have," Henry replied to me.
"We love you," Neal said.
"Always," Regina and Emma said.
Henry smiled. "I love you too. But I have to save magic. I'm sorry."
It seemed everyone yelled "NO!" at once as Henry put his own heart into Pan's chest. Henry fell to the ground, and Pan glowed with a new light. He had won.