Emma's eyes went wide as she pulled back, laughing through her tears. "Did you ever doubt I would?"

He smirked a little as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Truthfully? Meeting the Lord of the Underworld had me thinking it was too late."

She laughed, and they hugged, and he pulled David close when he felt the boy's arms around him. Catching Tamara's eye, he smiled a little as she held what he assumed was ice wrapped in a cloth to her face. She returned it, eyes full of relief that he was okay. He also noted Rapunzel and Eugene, Peter, Tink, Belle (also holding ice), Snow, Charming, the Darlings and the Lost Boys. But he didn't see…

"Where's Hook?" he asked.

"Your dad…" Emma said, nodding over his shoulder. Turning his head, Neal could only stare as he saw the pirate captain on the ground, his father's hand clutching his heart and squeezing hard, The heart disintegrated into dust as Hook's body fell forward, unmoving. The other crew members were nowhere to be found. Briefly, he wondered where they were.

"Papa," he called softly.

Rumpelstiltskin hesitated before turning around. "Bae? You're alive… True Love's Kiss worked…"

"Yeah Papa… it worked. But not on Neverland…" Neal said with a frown. He was ignoring the fact that his father had killed someone. Mostly because it was Hook that he'd killed and given what Hook had done, well…

"Neverland will only recover with David's help," Tinker Bell said softly, biting her lip. "We need…"

"What?" David asked. "What do you need?"

"Some of your blood. You're the Heart of the Truest Believer, David. Only with your blood can we restore Neverland," Tink explained, before noticing the horrified look on Emma and Neal's faces. "Don't worry. Only a few drops."

Immediately, David held out his hand. "Okay."

"David…" Neal whispered. "Are you sure?"

"Well, yeah… Mom is the savior, but even though she saved your life, it couldn't restore Neverland. If I'm the one that has to save Neverland I'll do whatever I can to," David explained. "I'm tired of just reading about heroes. I want to be one."

He looked at Emma, who looked nervous herself.

"You promise it's only going to be a few drops of his blood?" Emma asked.

Tink nodded. "Don't worry. We would never hurt him on purpose. We're not monsters like Hook."

Neal exhaled slowly and looked at Emma. It wasn't his place, but he was still worried.

"Okay. But I say how much blood can be used," Emma said, looking straight at Tink with that unwavering glare that Neal had always found attractive.

"Of course," Tink agreed as the ship came to a stop. Neal shuddered just looking at the thing. Once again, another place he didn't want to be at. Hopefully, restoring the magic of Neverland wouldn't take very long.

"David, are you ready?" Peter asked as they disembarked.

"Emma, do you want us to come with you?" Neal heard Prince Charming ask.

She shook her head. "No. I think it'd be best if it was only Neal, David, Tinker Bell, Peter and I."

Charming nodded and slid his hand into Snow's. "Okay. We'll be here when you get back."

Neal took a deep breath and followed Peter as he led the way into the cave. A large hourglass stood in the middle of the room, Pan's shadow pacing back and forth in front of it nervously as the sand slipped through it rapidly. Neal was horrified as he realized just how close the hourglass was to being empty.

"What is that?" Emma asked.

"It's a measure of how much magic is left in Neverland," Tinker Bell replied with a shudder of her own. "We have to move quickly. David, stand in front of the hourglass. Do you see a rock with a handprint on it?"

The boy nodded and moved over to stand in front of it. "Now what?"

Peter drew a small dagger from the holster on his hip, wiping it clean of a pirate's blood before he stepped next to David.

"David Swan," he began slowly. "You hold the Heart of the Truest Believer. Do you truly believe that the magic of Neverland sustains the magic of all the realms?"

David nodded. "Yes. I do."

"And I, Peter Pan, the Boy Who Will Never Grow Up, and Tinker Bell, the leader of the fairies, following the Prophecy set forth three-hundred years ago, do use the blood from the Heart of the Truest Believer, to restore our land to the greatness it used to be," Peter said as he gently pressed the dagger into David's hand.

David winced only just slightly at the pain. He was taking it better than Neal had expected.

"Okay. Put your hand on the rock, David," Peter said as a trail of blood began to seep from the wound.

David did so slowly, as Emma and Neal looked on nervously. At first, nothing happened, but then, a burst of light erupted from the stone. The hourglass refilled before disappearing, and the sun, or whatever it was that gave light to Neverland, began to shine once more. The joy from the Lost Boys on the ship could be heard even in the cave.

"You did it David," Peter said with a wide grin. "You're a hero!"

Neal laughed in relief and pulled Emma close as she joined him in laughter.

Tink smiled and fluttered over to David. "Let me see your hand," she said. When he held it out, she waved her wand over it, healing up the wound. Neal could see Emma visibly relax at that.

He smiled and looked at her. "See? He's okay now," he replied. "And he's a savior now. Just like you."

Emma smiled a little as David ran out of the cave, back toward the pirate ship. "Y-yeah. But this isn't what I wanted for him."

"He's okay now though. That's the important thing. It's better that he did this than do what Hook wanted, right?" he questioned with a small smile. "It's over now, Emma. We can go home."

"Home…" Emma whispered. "But – uh… where is home now?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well… I mean… you and I are both from the Enchanted Forest, technically. And I know my parents have been itching to go back there."

"And we should have gone back there, had David not been kidnapped," his father suddenly said from the entryway to the cave. "The curse was designed to bring those in Storybrooke back to the Enchanted Forest once Baelfire was found. I was going to ask you to help me find him, Miss Swan, but obviously that worked out in my favor. The kidnapping, however… was a wrench in the plan."

Neal looked at Emma. "Are you sure you'd want to go there?"

She shrugged. "Why not? It's where we're supposed to be."

He was dumbfounded.

"Besides," she said, her voice now only for him to hear, "after everything that's happened in this world, going to the Enchanted Forest might be a good fresh start for us."

There was a pause before he spoke. "Us?" he whispered. "You want there to be an 'us'?"

She gave him a shy smile. "If me bringing you back from the brink of death wasn't enough of a hint I don't know what else to tell you."

He laughed and pulled her close again. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

"We're going back to the Enchanted Forest? How?" Prince Charming asked, staring at Rumpelstiltskin with wide eyes.

Rumpelstiltskin shrugged as he lifted Hook's body off the ship, dropping it into the sea below. "It's easy, really. Once the Lost Boys and Peter Pan get off the ship, we'll have everyone we need to start the transport back to the Enchanted Forest. Just ah – hold on tight to something."

"Wait… what about me?" Tamara said quietly. "And Greg? And Greg's father? We're not from there."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "That's true, dearie. You aren't. However, you have been entangled in our little game and that makes you… magical. Congratulations. Besides… I sense something about you… you're connected to the Enchanted Forest anyway."

She stared. "How… did you know?"

"When you see the future, there is irony everywhere," he said, flourishing his hands and cleaning up the bloodstains left from the various injuries sustained in the battle. Mortals. So messy when they bled. "As for Mendel… I think there is a cell in the dwarf mines with his name on it." He looked at Snow White and Prince Charming, who nodded in agreement

"One for Regina as well," Snow White said. She sounded somewhat sad about that. Rumpelstiltskin had no idea why.

"Whenever you're ready to say your final goodbyes…" Rumpelstiltskin said. "Adults do not belong in Neverland, after all." He looked at Peter as he said it.

"It's not a final goodbye. We'll come visit. You've showed us that adults are cool!" Peter said.

A few of the Lost Boys didn't look so sure.

"What's the matter?" Belle asked, tilting her head curiously.

"We've been talking…" one Lost Boy said quietly. "We aren't so sure we want to stay in Neverland."

Peter balked.

"What would you like to do then?" Snow White asked.

"We… we want to go back to our homes. Only…"

"We don't know if our parents are still alive."

"We'll take you home," Wendy said. "When we drop those from the Enchanted Forest back in the Enchanted Forest, we'll take you home."

"We're from the Enchanted Forest," the twins said. "So are Curly and Nibs."

"What about you, Slightly?" Wendy asked with a kind smile.

"London. I think."

Peter looked upset at the thought of losing four of his Lost Boys, but he soon smiled. "Whatever makes my men happy. That's all that matters," he forced himself to say as Tink gave Wendy some pixie dust for the journey to London. "But don't be surprised if Tink and I drop by once in a while!"

With that, Peter leaped from the ship, Tinker Bell floating behind him with the Lost Boys. Moments later, purple fog engulfed the Jolly Roger, soon spreading to the Enchanted Forest and the inhabitants were finally able to leave the Land Without Magic behind.

"David, be careful with your grandson!" Snow White called to her husband, laying a gentle hand on her stomach as she watched the two practice sword fighting. This time, it was with real swords, and it had everyone very, very nervous.

"He's a quick learner, Snow!" her husband replied with a wide grin. "But I've got it, don't worry!"

Neal laughed as he draped an arm over Emma's shoulder as they too, observed the sword fight. "He's just like his mother."

Emma scowled and swatted his arm. Since they'd been back in the Enchanted Forest, they'd discovered Snow White and Prince Charming were expecting another child. Belle had fallen pregnant a couple of months after that.

Cora was quickly reunited with her birth parents and was living with them in the palace she was supposed to grow up in. Luckily, it was only in the next kingdom over, so David could still see her often.

Regina was locked in the mine Rumpelstiltskin had been locked in once upon a time. Snow and Cora visited on occasion from what Neal understood, but it wasn't as often as Neal assumed Regina would have liked.

Wendy, John, and Michael had arrived back in London before their parents had completely given up hope. Time was a strange thing. But the important thing was, they were home and safe.

The rest of the residents of the Enchanted Forest were now learning to adapt to living without cars and big cities. An election had been held when the fairies and his father had discovered that electricity was possible. Instead of building the great skyscrapers and cities, the Enchanted Forest residents decided to use their electricity on things for their home, which meant communication was now a breeze. Plus, the wires were underground instead of above ground. It was odd, but Neal felt like it was a good palace of what they'd learned during the curse and trying to stay true to their roots.

Neal winced as David managed to get Charming on the ground, playfully holding his sword to his neck.

"Your son, I swear," Neal teased as he looked at Emma.

"He's not just my son, Neal," Emma said with a smile as she slipped her hand into his and laced their fingers together. "He is ours."

That's all, folks! Thank you all so much for sticking by me for the last 3 years, and continuing to read through the long delays between chapters. A sequel may or may not be coming in the future, but for now please check out my other stories, especially Lost and Found and Once Upon a Dream.