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Astrid stopped her husband and five year old son from walking any further once she heard the sound of a heart being ripped out of someone's chest and feeling dark magic near them. "Stay here."

The said girl moved ahead of them through the woods while Peter picked up his son in his arms, one hand on the back of his head in reassurance.

Astrid stopped at these gray large stones that was set in a circle, seeing Emma holding a red haired woman's heart in her hand tightly. "Em, don't."

Emma looked up from the glowing heart in her hand and over at her sister, letting out in confusion, "Astrid? What? How?"

"It doesn't matter how. Has anything stopped me before?" Astrid simply answered while stepping closer over to her twin, her hand somewhat outstretched to let her know that she's not in any sort of danger anymore.

"You don't know what's happening," Emma began, "This is the only way to find Merlin. He's the only one who can stop the darkness... The only way to protect all of you."

"But to stop the darkness, you're going to let it consume you." Astrid gently replied.

"You don't know that." Emma remarked, glancing over at her sister who lifted her eyebrows.

"We're not going to take the chance." Snow spoke up as she, David, Henry, Hook, Regina, and Peter rushed over to where they were; Baby Neal was in Snow's arms and Astrid's five year old was still in Peter's. She pulled out the Dark One's dagger that held Emma Swan's name on it.

"No, wait. You can't do that-" Hook started while Astrid finished, "This has to be her choice."

"You don't understand what's at stake." Emma began after looking back at Merida who had tears in her eyes as she watched the woman continue holding her heart. "If I don't find Merlin, the darkness will destroy all of you."

Astrid glanced over at her scared son and shared a look with her husband before taking another step towards Emma, letting out, "Please. You don't have to do this. Look at all of us. Heroes and villains. We're here because of you. You helped bring all of us together. We all overcame our demons. Now you must face your own, Em. We need you... I need you, sister. Come back to me."

Emma suddenly shoved the glowing heart back in Merida's chest as the red haired woman staggered back and caught her breath; Emma then buried herself in Hook's arms.

Astrid quickly moved over to Merida, starting, "Well, hate to admit it, but I've missed you."

Merida smiled, saying, "Artemis. I've missed you, too." The two of them then hugged before stepping back.

"How's your kingdom and your family after the whole bear incident?" Astrid wondered curiously.

"The bond's stronger now, but these people took my brothers, so I'm on my way trying to find them." Merida admitted. "What about you?"

Astrid grinned, also admitting, "Well, I married my true love and have a five year old son named Zephyr and I've just been reunited with my whole family, so I'm good."

Merida nodded and replied, "You look good. I'm happy for you, A."

"Thank you." Astrid murmured fondly before turning and walking over to where her family still stood around Emma who had just handed Regina the Dark One dagger. "Dad. Mom. Dad."

Hook hugged the girl first and then Snow and David, the three starting, "I thought we wouldn't be able to see you again-"

"I thought so, too, but fate found a way to push us all back together." Astrid simply shrugged.

"It always does," David smiled.

Astrid took her son from Peter and now held the boy in her arms, introducing him, "I want you to meet our five year old son Zephyr."

The curly brown haired, hazel eyed boy looked from his parents to the group of people around them, speaking up with an innocent grin, "Nice to meet you."

"Son? It's been only two days..." Emma spoke up in confusion.

Astrid furrowed her eyebrows at that comment and shared a look with Peter who remarked, "Yes, for you guys it has been, but for us, it's been nearly six years."

Astrid nodded with a sadness creeping in her blue eyes, saying, "I have really bloody missed you guys. You have no idea."

Hook tightly hugged his daughter once more before Robin hugged her and then Snow and David hugged the girl.

"But how was it six years for you guys?" Robin spoke up.

"We landed in Berk after we changed things, and there, the time zones are entirely different." Astrid commented.

Regina and Henry walked over to Astrid beside Peter with Zephyr in between the two, Regina saying, "Thank you."

Astrid looked at the raven haired woman in confusion and let out, "For what?"

Regina shrugged and replied, "For saving all of us. Again." Astrid shrugged and then hugged her also.

"So, are you guys gonna tell me how y'all got here?" Emma spoke up.

"Well, it might be easier to show you," Hook answered while offering his hand towards her as Emma held it with a small smile on her face.

The group began to walk behind Hook and Emma now while Snow and David walked beside the Pan family, David starting, "So, we're grandparents again, huh?"

Peter chuckled while Astrid laughed as she replied, "That's nature for you."

"Did you get to have a wedding, A?" Snow wondered aloud in sadness and curiously.

"I did." Astrid murmured, adding, "It was very nice, but it would have been even more special if my family was there... and they weren't."

Peter held his wife's hand in his comfortingly, knowing she still felt heartbroken over not having her family by her side for almost six years. Though, Peter and Zephyr made her not feel as broken, but that feeling was still there.

David spoke up, "I know, Kid, and I wish a thousand times over we were there in those six years."

"I know." Astrid sighed, adding, "And I wouldn't trade saving you guys for nothing. I would do it again because that's who I am... I'm just really glad to have all of you back in my life, and now, my son's life. I want him to have his grandparents, aunt, cousin, and everyone in his life."

Snow half hugged her daughter while they continued to walk, speaking up, "We are not letting any of you go again, especially when we just got you back."

Astrid smiled fondly and nodded just as Zephyr spoke up towards his mother, "Can I have a piggyback ride, Mommy?"

Astrid kept her smile on her face and replied, "Of course, Zep." She bent down and let him jump on her back with her holding the back of his legs and his arms wrapped around her neck.

She stood up and now walked down the trail behind Hook, Emma, Regina, Robin, and Henry while David, Peter, and Snow now walked behind them.

"Was she happy all those years?" David suddenly asked his son-in-law.

Peter looked ahead of them at his wife carrying their grinning son on her back before glancing over at Snow and David and answered, "For the most part, yeah, but she also missed her family. But she was- is happy, even before bloody stopping that guy Isaac's plan."

"But... how do you two have a kid together?" Snow began in confusion, "Astrid told me that she couldn't have kids because of some witch performing a spell on her a lifetime ago."

Peter smirked somewhat and replied, "Guess coming to life multiple times erases those kind of spells- or True Love's kiss, either one."

"So, she really married you?" David began.

"Indeed. So, does this mean I can call you 'dad' yet?" Peter replied in amusement.

David laughed and shook his head, saying, "No." Peter simply shrugged at that.

After a few more minutes of walking, the group was now standing in front of Granny's diner as both Emma and Astrid simultaneously began in shock, "You brought Granny's?"

Granny walked out of the said diner and approached them, speaking up, "Backup generator's working, but the dryers are shot."

"...And Granny?" Astrid added.

Just as Leroy also rushed out, speaking up too, "Terrible news! No onion rings!"

Emma shared a confused look with her sister and then looked at Hook, also adding, "...And Leroy?"

"There's no shortage of people who want to help you." Snow told her.

Belle rushed over to the sisters, starting, "Emma! Astrid!" Suddenly, all of them heard horses behind them as they faced the noise.

Astrid and Peter held protective arms out in front of Zephyr while Leroy inquired, "What now?"

"Stand back," Emma let out just as knights on horses stopped in front of all of them. "Who are you?"

"And what do you want?" Peter added to her question, now stepping slightly in front of his wife protectively also.

The head knight on the horse in front of the other ones spoke up, "I'm King Arthur of Camelot. We've come to find you."

"Find us?" Peter voiced his confusion while sharing a look with the one handed pirate beside him.

One of Arthur's knights spoke up towards his king, "My lord, they think their arrival is a surprise."

"You were expecting us." Snow realized.

Arthur nodded, saying, "It was Merlin. He prophesied your coming here a long time ago-- just as he prophesied many things."

"Merlin." Emma let out, "Where is he? We were told that he's been missing."

Arthur nodded again and answered her, "For years, but not for much longer because according to prophecy, you're destined to reunite him with us. Now, then, if you'll all follow me."

"Where?" Astrid questioned warily.

"Why, Camelot, of course," Arthur answered her with a smile.

***

The group of heroes and ex-villains walked towards the gates of Camelot with Arthur walking ahead of them in lead.

Peter intertwined his fingers with Astrid's while Astrid held Zephyr's hand in her other one just as they began to walk through the gates.

**

A loud boom suddenly shook everyone as well as a light blinding them as they fell to the ground and woke up on Granny's diner floors, the lights turned off.

Peter moved a hand and cupped the side of his wife's face and looked her over in concern, starting, "You alright, love?"

Astrid nodded, keeping her arms around their curly haired son protectively. "Yeah. You two okay?"

"Yeah," Peter nodded as Zephyr added, "What was that, Mommy, Daddy?"

"I don't know, but it'll be alright, Kid," Peter assured the boy.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sneezy asked once he and another stepped inside of the diner that magically appeared back in Storybrooke.

"What happened?" Snow began as David realized, "We're back."

"Bloody hell," Hook let out, standing back up as did the others, while Regina voiced her confusion also, "This doesn't make any sense. We were just walking into Camelot."

"What the hell are we wearing?" Leroy questioned, "Sneezy, what happened? How long were we gone?"

"Six weeks," Sneezy answered.

"What?" Regina and Peter both let out.

"Our memories-- They're gone." David let out, too.

"Again?" Snow began.

"Wait." Astrid glanced around the room and also questioned, "Where's my sister?"

"Where's Emma?" Hook asked a second after his adopted daughter's question.

To answer their questions, Emma suddenly appeared behind all of them dressed in all black and answered, "Relax. I'm right here."

"Mom?" Henry started, "What happened to you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Emma answered and stepped further into the room, "You went to Camelot to get the darkness out of me." She moved a soft hand over Snow's cheek, making Snow gasp some. "And you failed."

Sneezy then sneezed as Emma glared over at him and remarked, "What the hell are you supposed to be?" She moved over to the said dwarf and froze him in stone in the middle of his sneeze. "There's no Savior in this town anymore."

Astrid then stepped forward towards her sister, speaking up, "Emma, stop. That's enough."

"Or what?" Emma challenged her.

"Or I'll do exactly what you asked me to." Regina spoke up, now stepping beside Astrid in front of Emma. She began to feel for the dagger but couldn't find it anywhere on her.

"Looking for this?" Emma remarked while holding up the Dark One dagger, "Nobody's gonna touch this dagger but me. As for you, my dear sister, this town doesn't need the Creator anymore."

Peter's jaw flexed at the threat towards his wife as he stepped on Astrid's other side, speaking up, "You're not laying a hand on her."

Emma scoffed, "We'll see about that, Pan. Her time is almost up." She then moved past them and stopped beside Hook, adding, "Now, for what you all did to me... You're about to be punished."

"Emma." Hook spoke up, a protective arm in front of the five year old boy beside him, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because..." Emma simply replied, "I am the Dark One." She then disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, leaving the band of heroes to worry and fear the worst.

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