✖️✖️✖️✖️

Astrid sat at the table in between her five year old and Emma as David kept piling endless amounts of pancakes in front of them.

Zephyr was currently eating some green grapes as David added one more pancake on Emma's plate, "Here you go."

"More pancakes." Emma remarked, "Usually, I'm lucky to get a lukewarm cup of coffee on your way to work."

"Can't a father cook for his daughters?" David also remarked while Astrid happily dug into her pancakes on her plate.

"Sure, but I'm the Savior, not a Romanian power lifter," Emma commented and glanced over at her sister who currently held a big mouthful of pancakes in her mouth.

"Speak for yourself," Astrid remarked as she chewed the mouthful in her mouth.

David chuckled and kissed both of their heads, "Enjoy your breakfasts."

"This is about Hook," Emma started as she looked over at their father who was currently facing the stove.

"No..." David also started, his back still turned, just as Snow cut in, "David."

David sighed and moved his hands over his hips and faced Emma, "Fine. It's about Hook. With him moving in, things are gonna be different. We're not gonna see you as much."

"Killian being here is not gonna change anything," Emma assured, "You can come cook me breakfast whenever you want. These leftovers, however, will probably last the next month or so."

"Again, speak for yourself," Astrid repeated as she dug into some more pancakes. "Mm."

David smiled at his daughters as Snow spoke up, "This is good. And things are getting back to normal."

Zephyr spoke towards his mother, "We're the normal ones, right?"

Astrid chuckled some and ruffled her son's hair, "In this family, we're anything but normal, which I find to be good."

The five year old grinned just as Henry stepped down the stairs and entered the kitchen, "You ready for your first day back at school, Grandma, and your first day of school, Zep?"

"You know it," Snow smiled as Zephyr nodded and added, "I guess so."

Regina, Robin, and Dr. Jekyll then entered the house as Astrid helped her son slide his backpack on and remarked, "Oh, Thor, this can't be good."

"We need to talk," Regina said.

"Whatever this is, we'll take care of it. You, Henry, and Zephyr get to school." David spoke up towards his wife, "Remember, back to normal."

Astrid kissed the top of her son's head and knelt to his height, "Got everything, Kid?"

"I think so, and I have my crossbow packed away in my bag, too," Zephyr cheekily replied as their family looked their way at that.

"That's my boy," Astrid laughed but then added seriously, "But remember, don't use it unless something absolutely happens and it's a dangerous situation."

"I know, Mommy," Zephyr assured and hugged her once more before he left out of the house with Henry and Snow.

Astrid straightened up as Emma asked the doctor, "What's wrong? Shouldn't you be in the lab working on the potion?"

"Technically, it's a serum, and I'm afraid there's been a complication," Jekyll answered her.

"It's Hyde," Robin spoke up, "He's escaped."

"I was in the lab until early morning. When I returned to my room at Granny's, I found this." Jekyll further explained as held up a cameo necklace, "It belonged to a woman I cared deeply for. Hyde knew. He's trying to taunt me with it."

"We need to get you back to the lab," Astrid replied, "Now we don't just need the serum to defeat the Evil Queen. We need it to finish Hyde."

***

"I'm at the lab. I'll let you know as soon as we get to Hyde. Bye." Emma said on the phone as everyone else stood around Jekyll working on the serum.

She hung up and spoke up, "Guys, that was Hook. Gold trapped Belle on the Jolly Roger with some kind of protection spell. He thinks Hyde's coming after her."

"The Dark One's wife?" Jekyll began as he stood up and moved over to Emma curiously, "I thought she was under a sleeping curse."

"It's always out of one prison, into another with her." Regina remarked as Robin held her hand in his.

"I don't get it. Why would Hyde go after her?" David began in confusion.

"We need to speed this bloody up." Astrid spoke up, moving her hands over the hilts of her swords strapped on her hips, "Are you close with the serum?"

"I'm afraid I've hit a bit of an impasse," Jekyll admitted.

David folded his arms across his chest, "All right. What about Gold?"

"You think he'd be willing to help us?" Jekyll inquired curiously.

"You told us he helped you finish the original serum, and he wants Hyde gone just as much as we do." Emma pointed out, throwing a glance her sister's way, "Astro, you think you could talk to him? He seems to listen to you now."

Astrid folded her arms across her chest and gave her a small look, "Just because we're in laws, that doesn't mean he'll keep helping me with no bloody price, but yeah, I'll talk to him."

"Thanks. Dad and I will track down the Evil Queen and Hyde." Emma replied and picked up the gadget to stop Hyde, "Call us when the serum's ready."

"Leroy, you and Doc keep an eye on things here." David added to the two dwarves.

"Yeah, don't worry, brother," Leroy commented, "We've been keeping an eye on things since the day we hatched."

"And we'll go with Astrid for backup," Regina added about her and Robin, "Maybe he'll listen to the three of us."

"Wonderful," Jekyll replied, "I was hoping someone would make a run to Granny's for a mutton sandwich. And extra pickles."

Leroy looked back at him and remarked, "Dwarves aren't errand boys."

"It helps me think." Jekyll sheepishly added.

"It better," Leroy remarked, "Or you're gonna see my dark side."

***

Astrid stormed inside of Gold's shop with Regina and Robin following behind her as she noticed his new haircut, "Highlights your eyes."

"Well, thank you very much," Gold replied, adding towards Regina, "Decided to do a spot of shopping now you've lopped off your dark side?"

"I take it you've seen my other half," Regina replied as she folded her arms across her chest.

"And luckily for you, I wasn't interested in what she was offering," Gold remarked.

Astrid narrowed her eyes at that as Regina said, "Resisting the darkness? This is a new you."

"Is there something you three want?" Gold began.

Astrid stepped forward and clasped her hands in front of her, smiling some, "Jekyll has a head start on you with a new serum, one that can destroy Hyde for good this time. He just needs your help."

Gold nodded, "Okay."

"Thank you," Astrid also nodded.

***

The four of them walked inside of the garage to find everything destroyed and smashed in pieces and the two dwarves and Jekyll passed out.

"What the bloody hell happened here?" Astrid questioned as she looked around the room.

"They came for the serum, smashed everything," Jekyll explained as he stood back up after waking up.

"Can't say I'm surprised that your stronger half got the better of you once again." Gold remarked towards him, "Pretty much how it goes with you two."

"You didn't care about me or my work, did you?" Jekyll questioned the Dark One in front of him, "Or even what you unleashed?"

"I didn't unleash anything. You did." Gold replied, "That man out there? He's not some monster from the deep. It's you, except... stronger and smarter."

Jekyll shook his head, "No. He isn't, not this time, 'cause I had a feeling Hyde would find us, so I hid a little extra, just in case." He pulled out a vial with a little bit of a red potion inside.

"Oh, great," Regina sighed in relief and stepped forward, taking the vial in her hands, "Let's do this. Gold?"

"Hand it over. It'll only take a moment," Gold commented and also stepped forward.

"I don't think I'll be 'handing over' our only weapon," Regina argued, "You can work your magic from right there."

"Very well," Gold remarked and quickly shoved his hand through Jekyll's chest and pulled out his heart and now held it.

Robin moved a protective arm in front of Regina who questioned, "What're you doing?"

"The Evil Queen may not care about innocent bloodshed, but we both know that you do." Gold commented directed at Regina.

"Not so fast." Astrid focused her magic and made Jekyll's heart appear in her own hand and held it away from the Dark One.

"You did make a deal with her." Regina started in disbelief.

"She promised to leave Belle and my unborn child alone, which means the only person the serum is gonna be used on... is Hyde." Gold explained as he pulled out his dagger.

"You're not getting this heart back." Astrid remarked.

Gold looked over at her and sighed, "Fine. I won't kill him, but I will end Hyde. Trust me this time."

Astrid glanced over at Regina and back at the Dark One before she said, "Reg, it's okay."

"What? Astrid, no. What about my other half?" Regina started.

"We'll figure a another way, but Hyde has to go." Astrid replied, "Do it."

Regina sighed and reluctantly poured the remaining of the serum on the dagger as it briefly glowed, "There."

"At least one you has sense these days," Gold remarked and now stepped over to the immortal girl, "Thank you."

"Don't make me regret it." Astrid also remarked just as the Dark One vanished in a cloud of red smoke.

Astrid quickly moved back over to Jekyll and shoved his heart back in place.

After a few minutes had passed, Astrid felt something going on with her father and Emma, so she vanished and appeared next to them.

She found Emma knelt beside David on the ground in the woods and rushed over to them, "What happened to you?"

"Hyde," David let out and sat back up just as Astrid healed him.

Astrid then felt Belle in danger and appeared on the Jolly Roger to find Hook knocking Jekyll on his back and held a sword to him.

"That's quite enough of that," Hook told him as he glared at the man who grabbed his weapon and shot it towards him.

Astrid jumped in front of the pirate and made a shield in front of them magically as the electrical blast deflected off it and into the air.

Jekyll lunged at the two of them until Hook blocked his arm with his hook while Astrid kicked the man in his groin, sending him backwards and causing him to be impaled through the chest by a metal spear.

Astrid stared at the now dying man in slight shock.

Jekyll cupped his hands around the spear through his chest before he gasped, blood spewing out of his mouth.

His head leaned backwards as he took his final breath, now dead.

She bowed her head just as Hook moved his hand over her shoulder in assurance, saying, "Don't do that, AJ. It's not your fault."

Astrid nodded, not removing her eyes off the dead body in front of her, "I-I know. He had to. He wouldn't have stopped..."

Hook sadly smiled a little and moved a fatherly arm around his daughter's shoulders, moving her into a comforting embrace. "It's okay."

Astrid sighed in the hug and finally looked away from the body.

***

Astrid picked up her son from school as he hugged her. "How was school, baby?"

"It was a good day. Roland and Alex are in my class, and I made more friends." Zephyr commented happily.

"That's great, kiddo," Astrid grinned and now carried him in her arms home. "So, you'll go tomorrow as well?"

Zephyr smiled big and nodded quickly, his small arms around her neck, "Definitely."

Astrid fondly smiled at that and kissed his forehead as the two now walked home, him almost skipping in a way and also held her hand.

✖️✖️✖️✖️