《Artemis || OUAT》21. Second Star to the Right

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Astrid sat down on the edge of the cliff and just watched the sun rise from the horizon, one leg dangling off the edge hole the other was pulled up to her chest. "Thought I might find you here this early. What're you thinking about, love?" Peter spoke up from behind her.

Astrid sighed softly and moved her leg to where both now dangled off of the edge as Peter sat beside her, their legs touching lightly. "My dad... Hook..."

"You want to talk about it?" He asked quietly, moving his hand over hers on the ground in between them.

"I was just wondering if he was safe or if he got his revenge yet..." Astrid admitted reluctantly, "I might not forgive him for what he did, but I still care about him."

"I know. He's probably okay and maybe even still think about what he did to you." Peter shrugged, "My father also abandoned me an eternity ago, so you're not alone, love."

"You want to talk about it?" Astrid asked quietly, glancing over at the dirty blonde haired boy beside her with a sad smile, "Because I'm right here, Romeo."

"I know you are, Charming." Peter smiled and then frowned as he told her the story of how his own father abandoned him.

Astrid kicked the door to the mayor's office as it shot open and she stepped inside of the room, twirling both of her swords simultaneously in her hands; Emma and David followed in after her, aiming their pistols around the room.

"Huh. Also ow." Astrid remarked after seeing an empty room and then added the 'ow' after kicking the door open with her boot.

"It's okay! She's not here!" Emma shouted out the room as Snow and Henry entered inside of the room.

"When you find her, you're not gonna hurt her, are you?" Henry asked as he watched his aunt swiftly slide her swords back into their cases on her hips.

"No. We just want the beans she stole from us." Emma answered.

"I don't get it. Why would Regina leave her office unlocked?" Snow spoke up in confusion as David added, "Especially when she's keeping the beans here."

"Was keeping them here." Snow sighed as she, David, and Henry looked in the glass containing the bean patch. "They're gone."

"Something's not right. Regina would never leave evidence like this behind." Emma spoke up.

"Maybe she already used them to portal out of Storybrooke." David suggested.

"Without Henry? Not likely." Astrid spoke up as Henry looked over at her and replied, "What if something bad happened to her?"

"Security system says the last time someone was in the office was around 6:00 this morning." Emma said as she checked the alarm. "They used an override code to get in."

"Why would Regina need an override code on her own alarm?" David questioned as Emma realized, "She wouldn't."

"You think someone else broke in and took the beans?" Snow asked.

"Well, we haven't found Regina and haven't heard from her." Astrid pointed out and then suggested, "Let's go see if Hook knows."

David shook his head at his teenager's suggestion as Henry spoke up, "So something bad did happen to her."

"We're gonna find her, Henry. I promise." Emma assured her son.

"There's only one person who could overpower Regina." Snow said as she shared a look with her husband who finished, "Gold."

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"He's too busy with her new/old girlfriend. No, this wasn't Gold. This was Tamara." Emma replied.

"Haven't you already gone down that road?" Snow sighed.

Astrid then sighed and stood by her sister and spoke up, her hands resting on the hilts of her swords at her sides, "I believe her. Tamara does seem suspicious. And you guys did tell me that you would believe me the next time. Well, next time is this time."

Snow and David shared a look as Emma nodded at her sister in slight thanks. "Unless you said that you would believe me just to get me to not hate you two." Astrid smirked.

"August was attacked the day Tamara came to town." Emma pointed out, "I don't think that was a coincidence."

"What if you two are wrong? If Regina's in trouble, we can't just drop everything else because of a hunch." David also pointed out.

"And what if we're not wrong?" Astrid remarked with a slight pointed look to her parents.

"Which is why we're not dropping everything else. Let's go to Gold. I'm sure he has some kind of magic that can help locate Regina." Emma also added.

"Where are you going?" Snow asked with a nod to Emma who answered, "Back to Tamara's room."

Astrid threw a spear as it embedded itself through a squirrel while hunting with Peter and the Lost Boys. "I'm impressed, Astrid. You seem to be a natural at hunting. Well done, love." Peter complimented the girl crouched beside him behind a bush.

"You're not so bad yourself, Huckleberry." Astrid smirked, playfully shoving him and stood up as she went to retrieve the squirrel.

Peter laughed lightly and the two of them now walked by themselves on the trail, picking berries and other various fruits together as the two of them chatted and joked the entire time.

Peter smirked and then stumbled backwards into some thick bushes once they reached the top of a hill as Astrid called out, "Pan?" When she didn't receive an answer, she tried again, "Very funny, you can come out now."

Before she knew what was happening, Peter stuck his hands out of the bush and grabbed her wrists and pulled her into the rich pure stream with a splash as he laughed.

"I can't swim!" Astrid coughed out as she desperately moved her arms and legs in the water.

Peter looked panicked now as he began to help her while saying, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know-" But then Astrid smirked and dunked him under the water and laughed.

Peter resurfaced and laughed, "Oh, it's on now." The two of them splashed each other mercilessly as both of their laughter echoes through the forest.

"Wow, love. Didn't know I make you that wet. You're dripping for me." Peter playfully remarked with a smirk.

"Peter Pan! Do not speak such a way!" Astrid playfully scolded him with a laugh and a small blush across her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Charming. I just couldn't resist." Peter chuckled.

The girl in front of him rolled her eyes and then splashed him again as she remarked with a laugh, "Who's all dripping wet now?"

Peter laughed with her as his cheeks slightly tinged with pink sheepishly. They exited out of the water and headed back to the camp, still laughing.

Astrid, Snow, and David entered Gold's shop and looked around the front of the store. "He's taking too long. I'm not waiting anymore." Astrid remarked and began walking into the back of the shop.

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David and Snow shared a look and then followed after their teenager. They noticed Lacey sitting on top of a counter as she drank a glass of whiskey while Gold walked around the counter and moved to the three of them.

"Sorry to interrupt your little party-" Astrid remarked with a small smirk, folding her hands in front of her as she watched the man in front of her and her parents.

"Well, I certainly don't remember inviting you three. We're closed." Gold replied.

"Not to us." Snow said, "We need your help. Regina's missing, and we think she might be in danger."

"Just the way I like her. Now if you'll excuse me-" Gold replied.

"No, I don't think so." David and Astrid both cut him off.

"Whatever your feelings are about Regina, you still owe me and Astrid favors." David reminded him as Astrid added with her signature smirk, "But I'm holding onto mine for a rainy day."

Gold forced a smile and turned to Lacey and said, "Lacey, if you could excuse us, I have some business to attend to."

Lacey took his hand and was helped off of the counter as she replied, "Make it quick." He handed her glass as she took it and walked out of the room.

"I'm sure I could whip up something to find Regina, but tell me, why do the Charmings want to help the Evil Queen?" Gold spoke up as he walked over to a cabinet and opened it.

"Because I owe her, after what I did to Cora-" Snow started as Astrid added in amusement, "And it's the right thing to do, but apparently, we're just doing this to make it even between the two of them."

"Never underestimate the power of a guilty conscience." Gold remarked also in amusement while removing a vial once he set a small box on the counter.

"What is that?" Snow inquired.

"This is one of Regina's tears." Gold answered as Snow asked, "Why do you have one of Regina's tears?"

Gold chuckled, "Because I do." He stepped forward and began, "This spell, however, requires two tears."

"You want one from me?" Snow asked in confusion.

Gold looked over at the teenager in between her parents and answered her while adding the last part towards Astrid, "No, from Astrid. Just think of a dark moment, dearie- something bleak and hopeless. I know you have a few."

"Why does it bloody hell have to be me?" Astrid curiously inquired, one eyebrow lifted.

"Because of who you are." Gold simply answered. Astrid sighed and recalled a tragic memory as her parents watched her in slight concern as a single tear fell onto her cheek and into the vial in Gold's hand.

The liquid in the vial began to glow briefly as Gold withdrew it from her cheek and said, "Perfect. Now... When you drop this into your eye, you will be connected with Regina, wherever she is. Whatever she sees, you'll see. Whatever she feels, you'll feel."

"So, if she's hurting and in pain, I'll be in pain? Fantastic." Astrid muttered.

"How long does the spell last?" David questioned him as Gold began to hand the vial over to the teenager.

"Well, given who Astrid is, it depends. Remember what I told you two a few months back when she first arrived? About her power?"

Snow and David just shrugged cluelessly as Gold sighed and repeated himself, "Astrid forms strong bonds with everyone she meets. She has the potential to literally feel what everyone else feels. That strengthens her light magic."

"So, this spell might speed up forming these connections and might not end?" Astrid wondered aloud but quietly.

"In a way, yes." Gold nodded.

"Well, it's not the first time I'll feel other people's pain, it won't be the last time. Let's go save Regina." Astrid shrugged and turned on her heels and left out of the store.

"And with that, I've fulfilled my end of the bargain-- of your favor, not Astrid's. Goodbye." Gold finished.

David sighed, "Always a pleasure." Snow and he caught up to their teenager who was already waiting inside of the truck as she idly fiddled with the vial in her hands.

They drove to their apartment in silence and entered the home, taking off their jackets except for Astrid. The three of them then sat down at the table, Astrid sitting in between her parents.

David sighed and glanced over at his daughter, saying, "You don't have to do this, you know. You've been through enough already."

"I'll be fine, really. I can handle it." Astrid shrugged, "After all, I'm-"

"We know, you were raised as a Viking and a pirate and known as Artemis." Snow cut her off with a smile.

"No," Astrid grinned, "I'm one of Snow White's and Prince Charming's daughters."

David and Snow smiled and nodded as Snow took the dropper and hovered it over the teenager's right eye, dropping the tears into her blue eye.

Astrid blinked and glanced back at her parents and shook her head, saying she felt nothing.

The teenager shot forward in her seat in excruciating pain as she gasped aloud, both her mother and father holding her; She saw images of Regina being restrained and electrocuted in a room.

Astrid gasped out again, trembling in pain while clutching onto her parents. "Astrid, hey. Astrid?" She heard one of her parents say in concern but she couldn't register who said it.

Astrid zoned out for a few minutes but came back through and whispered, "It was awful. I would say it was the worst pain I ever felt, but I've felt worser..." She spoke up some, "Wherever Regina is, she's powerless. She can't fight back."

"Could you- Could you see where she was?" David asked his daughter, "Could you see who was keeping her there?"

Astrid breathed in and out a bit shakily as she began, "I remember pain... My hands and legs were tied down and... it smelled like sardines... We need to get down to the docks now-- Call- Call Emma..."

Astrid stood up a bit wobbly but steadied herself, not telling her parents that she was still feeling Regina's pain but it wasn't just hers now.

***

Astrid walked in between her parents, her bow in her hand and an arrow ready in the pulled back string.

They made it to an area where the pipes intersected when they heard a noise as Astrid and David both moved swiftly, David pointing his gun while Astrid pointed her bow and an arrow at- Emma and Neal.

"Here," David handed his oldest daughter a walkie-talkie, "So that doesn't happen again."

"Split up while we still have the element of surprise." Astrid smirked, "I like the element of surprise."

"Probably because it was one of his favorite tactics." Neal remarked, elbowing the teenager on her arm as she stood by his side. Astrid glared at him, unamused.

"Em," Astrid began, "Mom, Dad, and I will take the basement. You and Bae take the main floor. Regina's here somewhere. I can sense her."

David and Snow ran after Astrid who immediately took off running towards the basement after she felt a stronger painful surge of electricity run through her body and knew it was Regina.

"You still feel her pain!? Why didn't you tell us this!?" Snow demanded breathlessly to her daughter as they continued running down the hallway.

"Because I'm fine! It's nothing." Astrid remarked, brushing it off as just a nothing, "Come on, keep up!" She ran even faster and turned another corner in another hallway.

Astrid stopped in the open doorway and shot an arrow in Greg's shoulder and then another arrow in his thigh. "Don't move!" David exclaimed to him.

Greg pushed some equipment in front of them and ran out of the back door- or quickly limped out of the room.

David started to follow but was stopped by his daughter grunting in pain and Snow speaking up, "David! We can't leave her- Plus, while she's in pain, Astrid will be too. She'll die if we don't get her help."

Astrid moved on Regina's other side and replied with another small breathless grunt, "No she won't."

"Emma? You gotta block the exits." David spoke in his radio as Emma chimed in, "Already on it. You guys all right?"

"Oh, we're fine. We found Regina, with Mendell. He's coming your way." David answered her.

Before Snow and David could stop their teenager, Astrid took Regina's hand in both of hers as Astrid's veins blackened on her arms.

Astrid grunted in pain while taking the woman's pain away and now healing her as the teenager's clasped hands over Regina's glowed brightly.

"Astrid-" Snow and David started just as their teenager stumbled backwards and into her father's arms, halfway unconscious now.

Regina shot up into a sitting position and gasped before diverting her attention over to the teenager and smiled in relief, "Thank you, Astrid."

"Not a big deal." Astrid breathlessly remarked, barely standing on her own for the time being.

***

The three of them arrived back at the apartment as Astrid collapsed on the couch, completely exhausted, just as Emma walked in the door with a broken look on her face.

"What happened?" David asked as Snow also asked, "Where's Neal?"

"He's gone." Emma sadly answered, "She killed him."

Astrid wobbly stood back up and moved over to her twin, pulling her into a tight hug because she could feel her emotional pain literally. "I'm so sorry, Em... It's going to be okay."

Astrid released her and then glanced over at her parents just as a wave of dizziness washed over her and she fell down on the floor quickly, passed out.

"Astrid!" Everyone exclaimed, kneeling around her and tried waking her up.

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