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Peter slid his shirt over on and glanced over his shoulder at his sleeping girlfriend on their bed and grinned somewhat. He stood up and left out of the room.

Astrid moved her hand in the empty spot beside her on the bed, not feeling Peter next to her anymore, and sat up halfway.

"You got lucky yesterday. You know, on bringing him back to life," Dark Astrid spoke up while appearing in front of her bed and stared at her in amusement.

Astrid glared at her dark double and commented, "That won't happen again. No one will die because of you or me or whatever."

"Keep telling yourself that, sweetie," Dark Astrid chuckled, "But they all will die. No matter what your best efforts or intentions are, it's going to happen."

Peter walked into the room with a tray of breakfast food and noticed the sad look on his love's face as he set the tray aside and quickly moved over to her, taking her into his arms gently.

"Peter, you- you have to kill me..." Astrid quietly began, tears dropping down onto her cheeks, "Please..."

"N-No, love, I can't," Peter let out sadly after she placed a dagger in his hands but still held his hand in hers.

"If I-I'm alive... A lot of people will die," Astrid told him sadly. "And I bloody don't want that."

"You're the only thing that matters to me. Nothing else." Peter murmured, his eyes watery now as well.

Astrid cupped one side of his face with her other hand as she gazed into his soft green eyes, saying, "And you and my family and friends matters to me... Save them. Save yourself. Do this for me, please."

Peter's light grip on the dagger tightened before he tossed it aside and let out, "I can't. I won't."

Astrid cried some more and nodded a little before quietly replying, "I can't either... But I can't be bloody alive because of her and what's going to happen..."

"What are you saying, love?" Peter reluctantly asked while moving his hands and cupping each side of her face in them softly.

"I'm saying... In order to protect you and- and my family..." Astrid started before inhaling sharply, "I need to bloody go away or..."

"I am not going to lose you- not again," Peter frowned.

"And I don't want to lose you! But this is the only way, that I won't," Astrid replied sadly, more tears falling onto her cheeks coldly, "I love you, Peter, and I always will... but this is goodbye."

"Astrid, please-" Peter began in desperation just as she disappeared from his grasp, his fists clenching at the sudden air around him. "Come back."

***

Astrid appeared where her family was at and noticed them walking down the sidewalk with Neal in a stroller being pushed by their father, David who walked beside Snow; Emma and Henry walked behind the three.

She was fixing to say goodbye to her family.

Again.

Hook then stepped over to where her family was at and began walking alongside them.

Astrid finally caught up to them and spoke up, her eyes still watery, "I love you. All of you. And I'm really bloody sorry but I-- but I have to leave. So... Goodbye."

"Astrid?" David began, the first to take a step towards his daughter, "What are you talking about?"

"It's not safe... I'm not safe..." Astrid replied, "Bad things will bloody happen if I'm around and all of you will die. That's my bloody fate. So, I'm better off alone."

"AJ, you're not-" Hook started, reaching out to the girl who took a small step backwards, "You can change your destiny. You don't have to be alone anymore. You can't leave, lass."

Astrid shook her head as a single tear fell onto her right cheek before murmuring, "I have to. It's for all of your's safety."

"Astrid, I need you, though. You're the one person who truly gets me and understand me. You keep my moms from fighting and- and-" Henry spoke up, "Just stay with us here in Storybrooke."

"I'm sorry, Bud, " Astrid sighed, "Not this time." Her dragon then flew over to them and landed beside the girl.

"Astrid, please don't go," Snow also spoke up, tears in her eyes, "Whatever this is, we can fight it. We can help you."

Astrid sadly smiled and murmured, "I love you, Mom, but this is a fight only I can face. After all, it's a battle with my darkness and my fate."

"A, what happened to you not pushing us away when things get crazy or goes wrong for you or whatever?" Emma reminded her twin while stepping over to her also.

"This is different," Astrid replied, "It's to protect all of you."

"Doesn't matter. We can protect ourselves. Let us help you," Emma commented, "Look, we need you, Astrid. I need you, my sister. I need my twin."

Astrid slowly shook her head and muttered, "I can't risk staying here. I can't bloody risk your lives. I'm sorry. I'm leaving."

"Where will you go?" Snow questioned her teenage daughter in concern.

"Another land- or realm... somewhere isolated and alone," Astrid sighed, "Probably bloody forever-- or until I can figure this out and bloody defeat her..."

"I'm going, too, then," Hook spoke up, making his adopted daughter look over at him with raised eyebrows, "Where you go, I go. You're my daughter, and I'm not losing you again."

Astrid quickly moved over to the one-handed pirate and hugged him tightly before letting out, "I'm sorry, but you can't... I need you here with my family and Peter, help keep them safe for me."

"Does Peter know you're leaving?" David spoke up once the two parted from the hug.

Astrid nodded just as they heard the said boy speak up, "He knows. And he's going with her."

"Peter... I have to do this alone. Out of anyone here, you know me better than anyone and know that I bloody have to do this myself-" Astrid began while facing him.

Peter sighed and moved one hand over the side of her neck gently, saying, "It's you and I always, remember? I'd do anything for you, love. I'm going."

"But I need you to help Hook watch over my family while I can't," Astrid softly began, "I only trust their lives in a few people's hands, and that's you two. I need you here, please. Safe."

Peter closed his eyes and slightly lowered his head, quietly saying, "I-- I can't just let you go, Charming..."

"Hey, we will find a way to be together again, Huckleberry," Astrid assured him, making him look her in the eye while moving her hand lightly over the side of his face, "All of us. We always do."

Peter kissed his girlfriend on the lips before pulling something out of his front pocket, replying, "I was going to wait to give you this, but... Anyway, this is the only thing I have of my mother's, so it's been in my family for centuries..."

He held up a chain with a silver ring on it to show Astrid whose blue eyes watered even more before he continued, "Will you do the honor of marrying me, Astrid Charming?"

"I..." Astrid started but nodded somewhat quickly and let him slide the necklace around her neck. She looked down at the ring dangling on her chest and back at him, "I love you."

"I love you too," Peter murmured, "Forever and always."

"Always and forever," Astrid sadly laughed before wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he let out, "You're mine, A."

"I'm yours," Astrid whispered as the two kissed once more and parted again, but their hands remained linked.

"Do you really have to go?" Henry spoke back up, tears in his eyes.

"I'm afraid so, Buddy," Astrid softly replied and pulled him into a hug, one hand on the back of his head in reassurance, "But remember, we're forever, Kiddo."

Henry tightened his hold on his aunt before Emma took him and hugged him. "Just come back home soon and be safe. Alright?"

Astrid nodded at the twelve year old and hopped onto the back of her dragon, looking back at her family one last time.

"And AJ? Promise me, if you need help, you reach out to us. You run into any kind of trouble, anything at all, I'll find you. You understand?" Hook started.

"You always do, Dad," Astrid smiled a little, "And I promise... And I'll try to send a letter at least once a month to you guys. Alright?"

Her family nodded with Hook adding, "Take care, AJ."

"You too and take care of my family and my betrothed," Astrid nodded and smiled a little towards Peter who sadly smiled also, "Even though he's very capable of protecting himself."

Tears fell onto her family's cheeks as they watched her fly away on her dragon and into a portal in the sky, now going to a different land in another realm.

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