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Astrid narrowed her eyes as she glanced down from where she was crouched on a tree limb in a high tree, seeing Robin Hood walk on the trail with Roland and Little John.

Astrid then smirked and jumped out of the tree, tackling the infamous archer onto the ground as he let out a startled grunt; Robin rolled over onto his back and looked up at her as Astrid remarked with a cheeky grin, "What's up, Robin?"

Robin Hood stood up and brushed himself off, saying, "So, this is where you've been hiding, huh? Your parents have been worried sick, Kid."

Astrid shrugged, lightly replying, "They'll be okay. I'm okay." Her blue eyes darkened somewhat as she remarked, "Besides, they have other things to worry about-- along with a new child."

Robin moved his hands over his hips and looked at the teenager in front of him with narrowed eyes. He knew the girl well, so he knew that she really doesn't like talking about her feelings.

"Astrid, you need to at least talk to them, let them know you're alright," Robin pointed out, "Don't let them wonder why you really left because not knowing the real reason your kid left, that hurts."

Astrid frowned, having caught onto the meaning behind his words, saying, "Robin, I-I'm sorry, but I just can't... I just need time. I'm better off alone for now."

"You're never better off alone, A, and you know that better than anyone," Robin sighed.

Astrid shook her head and commented, "But I am. This time, I really am. I lost Peter. Again. But this was a final thing. I can't lose anyone else, so I'm leaving before I get hurt. Again."

"Astrid Hofferson-" Robin started to scold in his parent voice, "You are not running away from your problems anymore- nor are you abandoning your family once again just because you feel it to be safer that way."

Astrid let out with a small scoff, "I have never abandoned my family or friends. I have left them to protect them, but never abandoned them. There's a difference."

Robin held her shoulder in one of his hands and made her look at him again, softly saying, "Talk to them, Kid. You need them just as much as they need you."

Astrid shook her head and turned and began to walk away from the archer, letting out, "I can't. I can't do this right now."

***

"This is what we've been worried about? Shouldn't it be shaking or doing something evil?" Hook questioned as he and Elsa looked into the Snow Queen's mirror in the clock tower.

"Agreed," Elsa nodded while looking all around the mirror, "It feels like just a harmless looking glass to me."

"I've found nothing to counteract the spell yet," Belle spoke up as she came up the stairs and approached Hook, Elsa, and David, "Hey, stop! Do not look in that thing. It'll make you see the worst in yourself."

"It must be broken. I've been staring at it all day, and I think I'm even more devilishly handsome and charming than usual," Hook remarked.

"Thought Charming was just mine and my father's name? But, hey, don't care," Astrid spoke up in amusement.

David and Hook immediately looked over at the girl behind them and stepped closer to her, David starting, "Astrid, where've you been?"

Astrid shrugged and sarcastically replied towards her father, "Oh, you know, I had places to be, things to steal, people to kill."

David furrowed his eyebrows at her curiously, pointing out, "I don't know if you're being serious or not anymore." Astrid only laughed at that comment and shrugged.

"Uh... Th-This isn't the same mirror," Belle scoffed.

"Why would the Snow Queen risk coming all the way out here to plant a fake mirror?" Elsa inquired in confusion.

"Because she wanted to get caught," David realized while sharing a look with his daughter and the pirate on her other side.

Astrid took off running down the stairs first with the two men and Elsa and Belle following after her; They ran to the Sheriff's station and moved to the front doors to find that they were frozen solid.

David and Belle pulled at the frozen doors desperately with David exclaiming in concern, "Emma! Emma!"

Astrid stood back from everyone and watched them continued to struggle to open the doors, already thinking of a plan.

She breathed in, closing her eyes, focusing on her magic; Astrid exhaled and opened her eyes, letting out, "Go get Gold. I'll stay here and try to break through the Snow Queen's magic."

"And leave you alone so that you can disappear again?" David remarked, "I don't think so, Astrid. Not happening."

"Just trust me. Go." Astrid replied.

"Let's go, mate," Hook spoke up and made David follow him, Elsa, and Belle.

Astrid's hands glowed brightly as she pressed her palms against the cold ice against the doors and felt her whole body go numb and tingle.

The girl then phased through the solid door and appeared on the inside of the Sheriff's station.

Astrid looked down at her palms and breathed out, "Whoa." She then proceeded down the hall and moved over to the door that leads to the interrogation room where the Snow Queen and Emma was currently at.

She stopped in her tracks when she heard the Snow Queen say, "-They could have tried."

"They did what they could to save an entire kingdom," Emma defended their parents.

"You and Astrid were their only children and they used you to break a curse," Ingrid commented, "They're still using both of your powers."

"That's not true," Emma replied.

"Isn't it? How many times have you and your sister saved them?" Ingrid questioned, "How often have you felt more like a 'Savior' than their daughter? And all it takes is one tiny mistake, one accident, and you and your powers go from being their salvation to their worst nightmare."

"Hey, Snow Queenie, you don't know them or my sister," Astrid spoke up as she stepped into the room with both of the women looking over at the said girl, "So, I suggest you shut the bloody hell up."

"I don't have to know her, Astrid, or you. I've been you two. Different, misunderstood, alone. And now they've chosen to have a new child." Ingrid replied.

Emma stopped pacing and looked over at her as Ingrid continued, "And don't you two think that they think they thank their lucky stars every day that he was born normal?"

"They love my sister and I," Emma quietly stated just as the cup of water on the table began to bubble.

"Em, this is what she wants. You have to calm down," Astrid began to assure her twin.

"You can't love somebody you don't understand," Ingrid remarked, "And do you two know what happens when people don't understand something? They learn to fear it. And then they look at it like a monster!"

Emma slammed her hands on the table, shouting, "Shut up!" The wall beside them suddenly exploded, causing a huge hole in the wall now.

Emma glanced down at her sparking hands in fear while Ingrid looked at her with a somewhat proud smile as Emma stammered out, "W-What did you do to me?"

The Snow Queen stood up from her chair and made the chains around her wrists disappear, answering, "Ah. All I did is show you who you really are."

"M-Make it stop," Emma started while glancing over at her sister and let out, "A-Astrid, help me. Please. I don't know what to do."

Astrid instantly clasped her sister's hand in hers, making her own hand glow as she began to be a "stabilizer" for Emma-- helping steady her magic.

"I can't. It's you, Emma, and even Astrid, and... it's beautiful." The Snow Queen commented before disappearing in a cloud of snow.

Astrid grunted in pain and finished stabilizing Emma's magic, releasing her hand while hunching over with her hands on her knees now, breathless.

"Astrid, you okay?" Emma quietly asked in shock.

"Yeah," Astrid quietly answered as both stepped out of the huge hole in the wall and looked at the damage.

"What have I done?" Emma started.

"Em, it's gonna be alright. Hey, I'm still here, and- and now we know that I can stabilize your magic. So, you won't ever be out of control or whatever," Astrid began, "You're okay. You're good. I mean, I mess up all the time, and I am."

"Don't ever leave my side again," Emma replied while hugging her twin sister.

Astrid mumbled in the embrace, "I'm with you until the end, Sis. Always."

Emma released her from the hug just as David, Hook, Snow, Belle, Henry, Elsa, and Gold rushed over to them with David exclaiming, "Emma! You all right?"

"We were so worried," Snow added and then noticed Astrid and also let out, "Astrid."

"Wait!" Emma stopped them.

"Seems you didn't need my help after all," Gold pointed out.

"Swan, AJ, what did that monster do to the Sheriff's Station?" Hook questioned in concern.

Emma still held her hands out in front of her as she began to explain, "The 'monster' who did this was not the Snow Queen. It was me. Luckily, Astrid helped me control my power for now."

"What?" David let out while he and Hook began to move towards Emma and Astrid.

"Just keep your distance. I don't know if I can control myself," Emma said, afraid, while backing away, "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Swan," Hook began.

"You should heed her words," Gold started.

"Emma, we can help!" Elsa also started.

Hook managed to grab onto her wrist as Emma turned around, saying, "Just stay away! Let me go!" A wave of magic passed from her to the lights that sparked and made a lamppost start to fall.

"Watch out!" Astrid spoke up and pushed Hook, Emma, and David out of the way of the lamppost which instead hit her on the head as the teenager barely rolled out of the way.

"Astrid!" "AJ!" David, Snow, and Hook exclaimed as the teenager leaned against the wall whilst holding the side of her head where it was bleeding.

"Astrid, you alright!?" Emma questioned in worry and concern.

Snow and David rushed over to Astrid on both sides and let her use them as support, checking the bleeding wound on her temple. Snow exclaimed at Emma, a look of fear in her eyes, "Emma!"

"Mom, Dad!" Astrid emphatically scolded David and Snow while feeling lightheaded and was fixing to pass out.

"Emma, wait. I'm sorry-" Snow began while Emma ran towards her yellow bug with Hook and Henry exclaiming after her, "Swan!" "Mom!"

"Emma! It's okay!" Snow also yelled towards her but Emma continued to drive away quickly.

Astrid felt sleepy and weak but tried to remain awake and kept holding her head up.

Hook moved back over to the teenager and quickly looked her over in concern, letting out, "Let's get that patched up, Kiddo. You're gonna be alright."

Astrid weakly smiled, saying, "Aye."

"Why don't you just heal yourself, A?" Snow asked in concern.

The girl's eyes lagged as her head rolled forward, Astrid barely remaining awake. "Gold. Heal her." David told the man with the cane who nodded and waved his hand across the gash and healed it.

Astrid woke up fully now and quickly pushed out of her parents' arms and stepped slightly away from them, saying, "Don't."

"Just because Emma just left, it doesn't mean that I'm staying. I can't." Astrid sighed with watery eyes, "No matter what you guys tell me... It isn't bloody safe. I cannot lose anyone. I won't."

"Astrid, we are better together as a family-" David started.

"Then I guess I'm not part of your family. I'm not good for you guys anymore." Astrid replied, "Death follows me around, and your deaths aren't going to be because of me."

"AJ, you can't-" Hook started while reaching out to the girl who stepped back. He stopped and sighed, "Go. You really do need time alone. Just come back when you're ready and be safe."

Astrid looked up at the pirate with watery eyes and a look of slight surprise, hugging him quickly and softy saying, "Thank you for understanding."

"I will be here when you come back, AJ," Hook murmured.

"You always are," Astrid smiled and stepped back. Hook smiled a little also and nodded as the blonde haired girl then disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

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