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Astrid finally found her way back to the Blanchard loft, having forgotten where it was at. She entered inside and noticed both Snow and David sitting at the table, worried looks on their faces.

It was almost three in the morning, and she knew she probably worried them from being out so late.

"I'm-- I'm sorry that I probably kept you guys up late with it being three A.M and all..." Astrid immediately started, not knowing that the couple in front of her were already up from dwelling on Ursula and Cruella.

"It's okay. We were already up..." Snow replied and then noticed their teenager's look on her face and then asked in concern, "What's wrong?"

Astrid stepped over to her parents and sat down on David's other side and sighed, starting carefully, "Remember when Gold had my heart right before he was banished?"

"Yeah... Why?" Both Snow and David simultaneously replied in concern.

"Uh, he sort of placed this spell on it, so when I put my heart back inside me, it became in effect that next day..." Astrid explained, "I'm losing my memory more and more each day, and it keeps getting worse..."

David shared a sad look with his wife before looking back at his daughter and inquired, "Why didn't you tell us this sooner?"

"These last six weeks- it was peaceful for all of us... I didn't want to worry all of you." Astrid sighed, adding, "But now, when my memory goes, I won't remember who I am or who my family and friends are-- and that bloody terrifies me, which will make me violent towards whoever is around me when my bloody memory... goes."

Snow looked at the girl with sad eyes and asked softly, "How can we help you, A?"

"When I forget, try to help me by jogging my memory, and- and if that don't bloody work, then... get everyone around me away." Astrid answered, "That's how you can help."

David questioned still in concern, "How can we break this spell?"

"I don't know," Astrid admitted, "I don't know if you can or even what it's called... if the Dark One casted this, then he must've made for certain that there's not a bloody way to reverse it..."

"We will find a way," David reassured the girl beside him, wrapping a fatherly arm around her shoulders, "We always do."

Astrid smiled and nodded, her clinging to her hope towards her family and herself still. "I know."

***

Astrid entered inside of the mayor's office with a box of chocolate frosted doughnuts, having called and told Regina and Henry ahead of time.

Henry was sitting behind the desk, studying his storybook for any sort of information on the Author. "Hey, bud. How are we doing? You two find anything?"

Regina also sat next to her son, reading the book beside him, as she sighed, "Not yet."

"But if the Author left clues in the book like Mother Superior said, we'll find them," Henry added optimistically.

"How about you, Regina? How are you doing?" Astrid asked lightly while placing down the box of delicious dessert on the desk in front of them.

"I'm fine," Regina replied with a fake smile that almost seemed convincing to them.

"You didn't seem fine when we ran into Ursula and Cruella," Henry pointed out to his mother who shrugged and commented, "Well... I suppose it's because they remind me of a time in my life I'd rather forget. Time when I was a true villain. It makes me doubt if my happy ending's even possible."

"You can't think like that," Astrid spoke up.

"I know, but sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be as happy as I was when it was just Henry, me Robin Hood, Roland, and even you." Regina admitted with somewhat watery eyes, "That feeling, uh, was the closest I've ever been to happy. I wanna get back to that."

"You will, Mom," Henry assured, "We're gonna find the Author, and when he rewrites your ending, everything will be the way you want it to be." He bit into a doughnut happily and smiled up at both his aunt and mom.

"Careful, Henry," Regina softly laughed, "You're getting crumbs all over the book."

"Mm. Right." Henry replied through the mouthful of the snack whilst licking his chocolate covered fingers slightly.

Astrid narrowed her eyes and moved over to her nephew's other side, pointing out about the book, "That's strange. This paper, it's different than rest."

"That's because it's Pinocchio's story." Henry commented.

"Why would that story be different than the others?" Regina asked in confusion.

"Because August added it to the book," Henry answered, "He wanted Emma to know he was Pinocchio as a boy. He wanted her to believe."

"If August took the book apart, he might know something about it that we don't," Astrid began, sharing a look with Regina who smiled.

"Too bad he isn't around," Henry sighed.

"August might not be, but Pinocchio is," Regina replied as Henry grinned at the two on each side of him.

***

Astrid had came home but quickly hid when her parents entered inside of the apartment and heard their entire conversation.

"-Once they realize that, they'll leave town and our secret will be safe," Snow nodded in agreement with hers and her husband's plan.

The said teenager suddenly stepped out and revealed herself to her parents, speaking up, "What in the bloody hell did you two do to Maleficent, Cruella, and Ursula? I mean, it must be pretty bad for you guys to want them to leave town to keep your secret hidden."

"Astrid-" The two adults began.

"No. No more lies. You guy always tell us to be honest with you, to- to open up to you, so tell me. Right now." Astrid cut them off, "What did you two do?"

Snow looked at their daughter with watery eyes as she started, "If we tell you, you have to promise to hear us completely out. You have to keep your faith. Okay?"

"My faith in what?" Astrid slowly asked.

"Us." David answered quietly.

"I always have and I always will... Sure, I'll get upset with you guys or hurt, but I have always believed in you. No matter what." Astrid replied, "I promise."

David and Snow sighed and shared a look before they told the teenager in front of them the story of how they ruined Maleficent's life.

***

Astrid was sitting next to her nephew behind Regina's desk in her office as they began to go through August's bag.

She glanced over at the paper that Henry was now holding and noticed a picture of a door on it along with a sticky note that read, The Author?

The two shared a look and smiled, having finally found a lead in the identity of this mysterious person.

Astrid's head suddenly began to pound excruciating like a migraine as she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, having forgot where she was or who she was again.

"Hey, you alright, A?" Henry began, noticing the look on his aunt's face.

Astrid swiftly stood up to her feet and backed up to a wall slowly, speaking up, "Who the bloody hell are you? Where am I?"

Henry widened his eyes in confusion and shock as he also stood up from his seat and held his hands up in slight surrender, saying, "It's me. It's Henry, your nephew."

"I don't- I don't remember having a nephew or anyone named Henry." Astrid remarked with narrowed eyes in suspicion, her hands now lingering near her swords strapped on her sides, "You're bloody lying. Why?"

"It's the truth. Why don't you remember?" Henry tried again in desperation, pleadingly, "What's going on, A?"

The thirteen year old began to reach towards her until Astrid quickly flipped him over onto the ground and now held a sword at his neck while he laid on his back still. "Astrid-"

"That's not my bloody name. I don't know you, and I want the bloody truth now." Astrid cut him off, still holding a sword pointed at him.

She then looked in his eyes and saw fear, not really fear of her but the fear of losing his favorite aunt.

Astrid reluctantly lowered her weapon and stepped back, still watching the kid carefully as Henry sat up and began, "Come back, A. We need you. You're Astrid."

Astrid inhaled sharply and softly replied, "I don't know who you are, but... I won't hurt you."

Emma and Hook then entered inside of the office to check on the progress of the storybook and on Henry and even Astrid.

"Hey-" Emma spoke up but her words fell short when she noticed Astrid holding her sword and Henry still sitting on the floor just a few feet from her. "What's going on?"

Astrid narrowed her eyes over at the two in front of them and questioned, readying herself for a battle, "Now, who the bloody hell are you guys?"

Hook stepped forward with his hand extended towards the girl, already knowing what was happening and that Astrid's memory is getting worse. "AJ, Kid, it's gonna be okay."

"Don't call me a kid," Astrid remarked and swung her sword towards the man who quickly dodged the blade, "I'm nearly three hundred years old."

"Okay, so you obviously remember that and how to fight, good to know," Hook also remarked and added to Emma, "Check on Henry, love. I got her."

Emma nodded and moved over to her son, kneeling next to him and checked to see if he had any broken bones or cuts.

Astrid swung her sword towards the pirate beside her again as he blocked it with his hook until she cartwheeled behind him and hopped on his back, now holding her sword vertically against his neck.

"AJ, stop. Remember who you are." Hook began, "I am not gonna bloody fight you... not my daughter."

Astrid dropped her sword, the blade clanging to the floor, while she moved and flipped the one-handed pirate over her and held him to the floor now. "Liar. My parents, Orvar and Freya, are dead."

She now held a dagger to his heart and was fixing to plunge it in his chest until Hook assured her again, "I won't leave you. I won't let you go. You're too important to me, Kid."

Astrid searched his eyes, trying to find some kind of resemblance or memory between the two but just couldn't.

"I don't know you," She then muttered but backed away from the pirate who sat back up.

"But I know you." Hook started and approached her once again after standing back up on his feet. "Okay. You only remember your time in Berk, right? You don't remember Neverland or the Enchanted Forest or the other lands that you've travelled to?"

Astrid watched him in suspicion, stopping him from moving any closer to her. "Who says I don't?"

Hook then realized as he let out, "The spell is erasing the memories of your closest loved ones first... You remember Peter Pan?"

Astrid eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the name sounded familiar but she couldn't register where she heard that name before. "No. Should I?"

Emma stepped forward then, causing her sister to stand back in a defensive position directed at her. "It's just me. I- I'm Emma, your sister-- twin, actually... A, look at me, and I mean really look at me. I need you. Come back to us."

Astrid shook her head, saying, "I'm sorry. I just don't bloody remember you guys, but... Surprisingly, I do believe you two."

"Really?" Emma began hopefully.

"No." Astrid replied, "For all I know, you three could just be bloody saying all of these things to get me on your side, so that you can have powerful magic at your bloody command."

"What about Hiccup?" Henry spoke up.

"What about him?" Astrid warily inquired, one eyebrow lifted more than the other. "Leave my friend out of this."

Hook suddenly grabbed the girl from behind and pinned her arms to her sides, now holding her, as he began, "Look, Astrid... AJ, you have to believe us- or, at least, myself. You're really the first person to believe in me. I was the one who raised you since you were just a baby. I was there then. Let me be there for you now. Believe me, Kid."

Astrid had been struggling in his tight grip but stopped when he finished as memories of the two of them surfaced in her mind, her now remembering Hook. "I remember you, Dad."

Hook hugged his adopted daughter in a relieved fatherly embrace and let out, "I love you, Kiddo." He kissed the top of her head just as a wave of pure magic of true love flooded through the room and pushed them back slightly.

"I love you, too-" Astrid lightly laughed as she now remembered everything once again and felt that spell vanish from her heart.

But then she felt different and in pain as the teenager suddenly collapsed onto the floor, still in Hook's arms and now halfway in her sister's.

"Astrid!?" Emma began in fear, "What's wrong?"

"It- It worked... I'm free from the sp-spell." Astrid murmured with a soft smile while she moved her blue eyes across the three people around her whom she loved dearly. "Thank you..."

The teenager felt weaker now and knew this was her time now; Emma then moved her more in her arms tightly, tears in her eyes, as she let out sadly, "I kept saying how I needed you, but you needed me more... You're my family, Astrid, and I will always love you."

Astrid kept a trace of a small smile on her face as her watery blue eyes then went distant and her body became heavy.

Astrid wasn't in pain this time; Actually, she felt peace.

Hook, Emma, and Henry stared at the girl's lifeless form now and cried, Emma moving one arm around her son in comfort.

Hook shook his head desperately, a single tear falling onto his cheek, as he let out, "She can't die... not like this. There has to be a way to bring her back."

Emma hugged her dead twin in her arms while tears poured down her face coldly just as her interlocked hands with Astrid's began to glow brightly.

The woman looked up at Astrid hopefully and continued to use her light magic, letting Astrid channel her power.

Astrid opened her eyes slowly while the light grew brighter and brighter, the magic flooding throughout the room once more.

Once the magic stopped, Astrid groaned out lightly, "I told you. Death doesn't stick with me."

Henry, Hook, and Emma laughed in relief as Hook helped his adopted daughter to her feet, steadying her from falling over. "You alright?" Emma began, still concerned.

"I'm fine," Astrid admitted.

"How are you fine? You don't look fine-" Henry started in concern and surprise.

Astrid laughed, "Maybe because I just came back to life? But, other than that, I am and my memory is intact, so that's good."

"That is good," Henry nodded.

She then moved over to her nephew and began, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You didn't remember anything or who I was..." Henry shrugged, having already forgiven his aunt as the two hugged one another with Astrid moving one hand on the back of his head. "I'm just glad you didn't kill me."

Emma spoke up curiously, "Not that I'm complaining, but why didn't you? You had no memory of him..."

Astrid glanced from her sister to Henry and back at Emma, saying, "I wouldn't kill him because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him and saw myself..."

Henry smiled some and hugged his aunt once more, murmuring, "I'm glad that you're okay now. I don't know what any of us would do without you, A."

"Yeah, I love you guys, too," Astrid softly replied, now being engulfed in a small group hug by the three.

Astrid looked over at Emma who nodded a little with a light smile; The teenager did want to tell her sister what their parents told her about Maleficent and their past.

But, she told David and Snow that she wouldn't and would let them tell Emma that she and Emma have potential for darkness, which Astrid already knew she had but was unaware of her sister.

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