Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.
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It's dark by the time we reach Regina's vault. There's an eerie fog like a ghostly veil. It's as if the night itself has exhaled a breath of mystery, cloaking everything in a shroud of uncertainty. Our footsteps are muted by the damp grass as we walk through the canopy of trees. We've all been attempting to call Regina to no avail.
"She's still not answering," Emma says. I can hear Regina's voicemail from where I'm standing. I let out a heavy sigh. For all we know, she could already be dead.
"When we find Pan, remember, he's still in my body. So if you have to throw a fireball or something, at least avoid the face," Henry tells Gold nervously.
"I'll do my best," Gold replies with a small chuckle. Eventually, we're close enough to see Regina's vault through a clearing. I feel the knot in my stomach grow larger as I see Neal, Killian, and Tink loitering around her vault. There's something preventing them from entering, and given Neal's criminal past, I doubt it's as simple as picking a lock.
"That really you?" Neal asks hopefully at the sight of his son in Pan's body.
"Dad!" Henry exclaims, running to meet Neal halfway and into a tight hug.
"Why are we still up here?" I ask Neal with a raised brow.
"It's locked up tight," he says. Gold steps forward and brings his hand up toward the door, holding it there for a moment. A strange hissing noise comes from the door, indicating that whatever he's doing isn't working. "I told you." I shift from one foot to the other restlessly.
"Fair enough. This is gonna take some time," Gold says and then gets to work on the door, closing his eyes in concentration. I sigh, staring daggers through the door. I try to remember what Regina had said about channeling my magic. Killian leaves Tink's side and comes to stand beside me with an inquisitive brow raised.
"You alright, love?" he asks. Anger. She said I needed to channel my anger. Which would be easy if I was angry, but I'm not. Annoyed and restless? Yes. Angry? No. I glance over at Killian and wonder whether an emotion like jealousy would work. I close my eyes, lifting my hand the way Gold did and focus on the feeling.
Jealousy is like a fire that burns just beneath the surface, ready to ignite at the slightest spark. All I need is a spark. I close my eyes and picture Killian tossing me aside after everything he had said to me in Neverland. I hear a thudding noise and open my eyes. I smile at the sight of the vault doors that are now wide open. Gold looks over his shoulder at me in surprise. He points at me with a slight tilt of his head.
"Did you just—"
"Let's not waste time," I say with a smirk, making my way into Regina's vault. The stairs beneath her father's casket are already revealed. I run down the concrete steps two at a time until I reach the bottom. There, sprawled out on the floor unconscious, lies Regina.
"Regina!" I shout, kneeling down by her side. Please don't be dead, I think to myself, heart pounding in my ears. The others are right behind me, checking around for any signs of Pan. I put two fingers to Regina's pulse, and my shoulders sag whenever I feel the steady thumping of her heart under her skin.
