{ Dreamshade }

•Chapter 13•

The spell was lifted. The group of adults was able to move again. Belle broke down and started to sob quietly. The only thing left was the scroll. Regina stepped forward and picked it up. Her eyes fell on the lost girl standing across from them. "He's gone." She whispered. She then dropped to her knees. "No!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes became red and puffy. Regina looked at the girl with a concerned look on her face. "Regina, are you okay?" Snow asked the woman. The Evil Queen nodded. "I'm fine," Regina replied. She walked over to the lost girl. The girl looked at the woman. "They're all gone." She whispered. Regina kneeled in front of her. "I know, honey, but you have to help us." She tells the girl. Y/n looked at Regina in defeat and shook her head. "I can't." She whispered. A thundering roar filled their ears. "It's here! It's here!" Leroy yelled as he ran towards the group. He looked at Snow and David. "The curse! It's here! It's coming! From all sides. There's no escape." He tells them. Regina turns back to the lost girl. "We can help you, Y/n. But you have to help us stop this curse first. Is there anything we can do?" Regina asked the girl. The girl nodded slowly. "The scroll. You have to destroy it." Y/n tells the Evil Queen. "But-" She started. "It will only stop Pan's curse. It won't have any effect on the town." She explained, "Pan told me so himself. You have to trust me if you want to save the town." She whispered. Snow took a step forward. "Why should we trust you?" She questioned. Regina looked into the girl's eyes. She saw sadness and grief. She felt her sadness. Her tears. "She's not lying," Regina tells Snow. The Evil Queen opens the scroll and rips it in half. All the loud noises went silent. The smoke cleared itself from the streets. Everyone smiled at their accomplishment. Regina looked back at the lost girl with a smile. But she didn't smile. Killian walked over to the two. "Love?" He asked. Y/n looked up at him. "He's dead. All of them are." She whispered. Killian kneeled next to Regina. "Love, you're free now." The pirate tells her. The girl glanced down at the ground. "They were my friends...and my one true love." Y/n continued. She looks back up at the pirate. "All of that is gone now. Neverland, Felix, Peter.." her voice broke down, "All dead." She added.

Later that day, night has fallen. Everyone was at Granny's to celebrate. Killian was sitting at the bar, drinking a beer. Regina noticed him sitting alone by the bar. She looked at Henry and hugged him tightly before she stood up. She walked towards the pirate. "How is she?" She asked him. The pirate kept his eyes focused on his drink. "Since when do you care for the lost girl?" Killian questioned. Regina fixed her hair a little bit. "I'm worried about her." She said. Killian set down his glass and looked at the woman. "The question is, why?" He asked. Regina sighed a little. "Earlier, when I looked into her eyes, I saw something. Those tears hid more than grief." She tells him. "Aye, the girl loved the demon," Killian replied. He picked up his glass again and took another sip. "It wasn't some crush, Pirate. It was love. True love." Regina tells him. Killian looked at the queen. "And why are you telling me that? Why do you want to help her after what she has done to your boy?" He asked. "Because it's what happened to me. When I lost my true love, all I wanted was revenge." She explained, "I don't think Y/n is any different." She added. "And you assume that Y/n will become the next 'Evil Queen'?" The pirate asked. Regina sighed. "No. I fear she will become much worse." She replies. The pirate sat down his glass again. "I doubt that," Killian said. Regina glared at him. "If we don't help her, something bad will happen. She doesn't have to be alone." Regina said. "And what makes you think she's alone? She has me, the lost boys-" Killian started. "And lost her best friend and boyfriend in the process." Regina cut him off. She took a deep breath. "You're the closest thing she has to family. You finally have a chance to be together with her. I've seen many people fail at protecting their families-" She started. "And how many of those were by your hand?" Killian asked her. Regina glared at the pirate. "Everyone is back together aren't they?" She said, "But what I was trying to say, was don't let that happen to your family. You won't get a second chance." She tells him. "This is my second chance." The pirate replied.