From Your Tower ➛ OUAT

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"And what was that?" Emma asks. "The way you were going to save Neverland."

"With you guys. I know this is all insane, trust me. But when I woke up, I was a completely different person. There was so much i would do, and that included occasional visions of past and future. They usually never made sense, for it was of Peter Pan with a kid, but once Malcolm came it all made sense."

"And that kid is my son." Regina snaps.

"Yeah, he is. In a totally weird way, he's part of my family too. Right now, on Neverland, holds five generations of men in the same family. And that's how we're going to beat him."

"You're missing one." Hook points out. "Neal's not here. He's dead."

Rapunzel sees Emma wince, but doesn't comment on it. "Who?"

"Henry's father."

"Oh, Baelfire? You must have been mislead, then, considering he's here. Alive, though not completely healthy. I keep him alive, but to make him completely healthy would make Malcolm and P- the shadow to be suspicious."

None of them answer, completely shocked and confused by the news just been told.

"That's impossible." Emma says. "I saw him die."

"You saw him get shot. Not die." Rapunzel points out, remembering the time of Baelfire's talking.

"She probably thinks I'm dead. Emma, I mean. Maybe Tamara, too. I suppose I shouldn't care about the last one though."

"Bae..." Rapunzel whispered, trying not to look at him with direct eye contact. "Tamara- she's dead. When she got here with Greg and Henry, she was shot with an arrow."

"And Henry?" He right away asked. "He's not hurt, is he?"

"No. He's okay." She knew that she was hiding the fact that once upon a time, Henry wasn't okay. He wasn't okay until she helped him. But what Baelfire didn't know wouldn't not hurt him. "I'm watching out for him."

He nodded, pausing for thoughts. "I shouldn't be upset, should I? I mean, she shot me then stole my son to give him to Peter Pan. There should be no feelings of sadness from her death, but it's consuming me." She knew he was talking of Tamara, his fiancee. Or rather, ex fiancee.

"It's understandable." She said, leaning her back against the cage her great great great grandson is stuck in. "You didn't know who she was while falling in love with her."

"Yeah, I guess your right."

Rapunzel didn't know what to say. This was a man that was made from her, generations later. Yet she didn't know how to tell him this, though she imagined the conversation twenties of times in her head. "They'll be here soon." Is all she can tell him.

"Thanks." Though not able to see his face in the never ending darkness of Neverland, she knew he was smiling.

"He's alive." Rapunzel clarifies. "And ready to help."

There was nothing for a while. Rapunzel wanted all along for them to allow her the telling of her story, and that they did. They allowed her all of that, and kept quiet the entire time. It is a start, and she's grateful for that.

Finally, someone speaks up. "What would we have to do?"

And, to add more confusion to the night, the person who she wasn't expecting to answer did.

She looked up, and saw Regina looking expectantly at her.

Rapunzel thought it would have been Snow, David, or even Emma, all known as good people. Not that Regina was not- the girl did not fully know that.

"I'll need Henry to go back with Malcolm."

Regina snorted, already annoyed that she gave it a chance.

"Let me finish." Rapunzel begged, then went on: "With him back there, he won't expect anything. He'll go on the way it always was for him."

"Yeah, in the way of wanting to kill my son!" Regina yells.

"There's a ceremony type thing that he will have to do, to have Henry's heart officially."

"And?"

"It'll happen in a week. In that week, you will have to act as though you never even saw or met me. Still look for Henry, still try to do everything in your power. But-" She stops, listening to the woods around her.

"But?" Emma presses on.

"Sh."

And listening once again, her eyes widen. "I've been here too long. I'm sorry. I completely understand if-"

"I'm doing it." Henry interrupts Rapunzel.

"Henry!" Regina scolds.

"Mom, I'm going to be the hero for my own tale, alright? Just listen to what Rapunzel says, please."

Rapunzel hears it again. Her heart beats faster then it should be. "I'm sorry, we really have to go. If he finds me, it'll all be over."

"I thought you said Malcolm was under control?" Regina asks.

"He is. But the shadow isn't."

There was silence to that. Rapunzel nodded.

"I'll find you again tomorrow. The plan begins then. I promise, Henry will be safe. I will make sure of that."

"We should be the ones to make sure of that." Emma says.

"I'm sorry." She repeats. "Boys, spread out. Go back to work." The voice was melodic, almost like a melody. It made the rest almost want to listen to her too. Rapunzel knew they didn't because the words were not directly towards them.

Ariel and Tinkerbell both huddle closer to Rapunzel, as well as Henry. The girl smiles softly at Henry, before completely disappearing out of thin air.

Just in time for the shadow to fly by.

Hook looks up to it, remembering who it used to be. The rivalry that had been between Peter and Hook was strictly business and maybe even a little jealousy. Peter refused Hook anything good for the island, saying that he was a pirate. Peter Pan said that he didn't deserve anything.

The pirate didn't know it was actually Pan, the monster of the man, who said that all along. He didn't know any of that.

But Pan coming on his boat one day and telling him that, changed everything.

"Ever heard of a twin?" The boy had asked, taking a bite from an apple that he picked out of the box full.

"The two people with the same face, I suppose." Hook said, sizing the boy up.

"Correct!" Pan laughed. "But what if, now think about it, these twins were made into one person. As different as day and night, coming out as such."

"I would say you were insane."

He laughed. "Also correct. I don't think we formally met, though you did meet one of me. You met Peter, now say hello to Pan."

"Find cover." Hook directs. "Quickly!"

And so they did.

As they waited.

Hoping, that Rapunzel actually did know what she was doing.