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"Come on now, off with it. The jewelry. Now!" Wish Astrid repeated and lowered her bow slightly and stepped closer to them.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows at that, "Astrid, you don't know me- us?"

"Enough talking. The jewels." Wish Astrid remarked.

Emma handed over her crown as Regina murmured, "It's not her."

Astrid smirked at Regina, "And the necklace, if you please, your former majesty."

Regina handed over her gold necklace to the masked archer just as some horses nearby neighed with knights racing to them.

"It appears it is time for me to go." Astrid replied and took off running in a different direction from them.

"Regina, they're after you. They're looking for you." Emma pointed out as the two of them then ran and hid behind a big log.

Wish Henry looked at the other two knights, "They crossed the river. Hurry. We have to get my mother back. And that witch will pay for my grandparents' death!"

They turned around and left down the road as Emma and Regina stood back up with the blonde letting out, "Okay, they're gone. The last thing we need is you in some dungeon, real or fake or... whatever this place is."

Regina pointed out in confusion, "Astrid... She didn't age. Everyone else here aged. And she's your twin and didn't even recognize you. How is that possible?"

Emma shrugged, "Nothing here is real. She's not real. My sister's back in Storybrooke. This place was created on a wish. When we get home, this will be just like a dream."

Regina sighed, "And how long until we get home?"

Emma glanced down at the log and realized something, "Not long." She looked back at Regina, "I think I know how to get us back."

Regina looked at her curiously, "Your alternative world twin sister doesn't recognize you and you're not in the slightest bit curious or concern about that? Why?"

Emma sighed, "I am curious about that. I just-- It's not real... Right?"

***

"Come on, keep up," David told Hook and Astrid as they walked down the street, "We're gonna find that guy before Emma gets back. The only way she's gonna see that hooded figure is behind bars."

"Dad's right. This guy is powerful. I can sense that much, and my husband brought him here for a reason." Astrid added, "Also, he wants to kill my sister. I am not gonna let that bloody happen. I'm gonna find this guy."

"Hang on," Hook stopped both his adopted daughter and David, pointing out, "AJ, you're usually the level-headed voice of reason."

Astrid sighed and admitted, "It's because of me. When I got the lamp back, I made a wish with that bloody lamp because I was hurt and upset... so I wished to give him what he deserves. It brought this guy here. That's on me. I have to fix this. If you two aren't with me-"

Hook stopped her from finishing by placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "I'm with you, lass. I just hope you know what you're doing."

Astrid sighed, "You and me both."

David nodded, moving a hand on her other shoulder, "I'm with you, too, kid. Always."

Astrid smiled at that and inhaled deeply before continuing to walk down the street, tracking the mysterious hooded figure's magic.

***

"But, how?" Gold questioned as he and Belle stood in front of Gideon and Peter, "How is this even possible? How-How are you here? How are you grown?"

"I've lived a full twenty-eight years." Gideon explained, "I was in a place where time moved differently, where the Black Fairy raised me... After Peter was resurrected from the dead, the Black Fairy found him and he stayed there for awhile before coming back here, getting everything ready to bring me here as well."

Gold asked his son, "Did she harm you?"

Gideon's eyes briefly showed his pain before murmuring, "Depends on what you mean. She toughened me up."

"What did she do to you?" Belle let out in concern.

"She did... many things trying to make me evil, but she failed." He answered her, "Because in all of those dark years, I always remembered you, Mother. I tried to follow your example."

Belle smiled at that as Gold suspiciously inquired, "You're not here to kill the Savior?"

"No, of course I am." Gideon replied, "Because once she's dead, I will gain her power. I will be the Savior."

He also had the intention on killing Astrid for her power after he finished Emma off, yet he wasn't going to say that part until after.

"Why would you wanna do that?" Gold began.

"Because there is another land in need of a Savior now." Gideon further explained, "I want to finally free it from the cruel reign of the Black Fairy."

"Defeating the Savior won't be as easy as you think." Peter spoke up, his hands folded in front of him.

"I've seen it in a vision. I've seen her death at my hand." Gideon simply replied, thinking the last part, And even Astrid's death.

Belle shook her head as her son continued, "And when I kill Emma Swan... I will finally become a hero." He then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Gold looked over at his brother, "What are you planning? Why would you be a part of your wife's sister's death?"

Peter's eyes darkened some as a brief pain flickered in them, "I'm only doing this to protect my son and Astrid. Our mother is quite... ruthless, especially to her firstborn."

Gold then realized at the trauma his big brother must have had to endure.

"Peter-" Belle started.

"Don't. Just believe me when I say..." The said twenty year old cut her off, "Peter Pan never fails." He then vanished in a cloud of smoke also.

***

Wish Astrid counted her gold coins high up in a tree when she suddenly noticed a gray haired, pot bellied one handed pirate holding a sword to a man next to Princess Emma and the former Evil Queen.

"Bloody hell," Wish Astrid muttered and secured her mask on her face again and jumped down, startling them.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The masked archer began, "A drunkard shaking down a princess and the Evil Queen. And here I thought I would never bloody see you again, Papa."

Emma looked back and forth at this world version of her sister and the pirate, "So, in this world, you know him but you don't know me?"

Wish Astrid glared over at her, and said, "I know you. I never said I didn't. You're my twin, but your parents didn't want me so they gave me up yet kept you."

Regina curiously spoke up, "What happened after that?"

"A bloody lifetime," The said masked archer stated as she aimed her bow and an arrow at the pirate in front of them.

"AJ, lass, I never abandoned you. I was forced to leave that night-" Wish Hook started.

"I don't care," Wish Astrid remarked and was fixing to shoot until Emma stepped in between the two, "Step aside or get put down."

Emma held a hand up in surrender lightly, "Astrid, you don't want to kill him. I mean, he was the first person you believed in-"

"Until he left." Wish Astrid cut in, her hurt showing in her blue eyes now, "Really this is all he bloody does now— drinks rum all day, all night."

Wish Hook replied, "I only drink to try and forget about me leaving you. I never wanted to bloody leave. You were- are- my daughter, kid."

The masked archer stepped closer to the one hand pirate as she removed her mask, tears in her eyes, "I was the first person to believe in you."

Wish Killian nodded in agreement, "Aye, that you were. Thank you... Can you ever forgive me?"

The archer sighed and admitted, "I am the person I am today because of you... I used to think my friends were the ones who shaped who I was, but no, it was always bloody you. Don't leave again. Please."

The alternate world Hook shook his head, "I won't leave you. Not again. I won't let you go."

The two of them hugged as he moved a light fatherly hand on the back of her head.

"Now, can you let us go?" Regina commented over to the two of them who simultaneously said, "Go."

The pirate and thief then walked away from the three people as Wish Astrid had glanced behind her at Pinocchio who also glanced at her in thought.

***

"All right, then. Thanks, mate." Hook spoke on the phone before hanging up just as David and Snow moved over to the counter also, "The dwarves and Robin and his Merry Men have searched the entire northern woods. There's no sign of our guy, or anyone else, for that matter."

"He couldn't have just vanished." David sighed as Snow also added, "We must have missed something."

"This would be so much easier if we knew who the bloody hell we were looking for." Hook pointed out, also annoyed.

Astrid stepped inside of the house beside Belle and spoke up, "His name is Gideon."

"He's my son." Belle added.

"Your son is an infant." Snow started in confusion.

Belle nodded, "He was. Then he grew up in another realm, without his parents, and that experience affected him."

"Affected him? He's trying to kill Emma." David pointed out.

"I know. It's not his fault. He's confused, and Rumple's out there looking for him right now as well as Peter."

"To stop him or aid him?" Hook spoke up suspiciously.

"I don't know." Belle admitted, "But I do know that I can stop him. If I can just talk to him, reason with him, as his mother. Will you help me?"

"I don't know, Belle." David replied, "If he's really planning to kill Emma-"

Hook finished for him, "We're going to have to stop him."

"But it doesn't mean he has to be hurt. And neither one of them will be harmed." Astrid assured both Belle and her parents, "Look, Belle, you came to me for help, and I'm going do my best... If this doesn't work..."

"Thank you." Belle smiled gratefully.

Astrid made a needle appear in her hand and glanced at her, "May I?"

Belle nodded and held up her finger just as Astrid then pricked her finger with the needle.

The said French woman then made her blood drop onto the map.

Astrid waved her hand over it slowly, making the blood now roll down the map to show Gideon's location.

***

Snow, David, Hook, and Henry ran down the street at night to find Emma standing in front of a hooded figure who held a sword at her.

"Mom!"

"Emma!"

Robin and Regina as well as Gold and Belle also approached them while Emma told them, "Stay back!"

"Gideon, wait!" Gold told his son as Belle also added, "You don't have to do this!"

"It's okay." Emma assured her family, "I'm not gonna let him hurt anyone."

Gideon suddenly moved his hand and magically pinned everyone except for himself and Emma, "I'm not going to hurt them. Just you."

He glanced down and noticed her hand shaking and smirked, "Ready to die, Savior?"

Gideon knew this part of the vision and knew Astrid was about appear in between them to save the day.

And, right on cue, Astrid magically appeared in front of her sister, "Not today."

Gideon kept his smirk and quickly withdrew what remained of the Olympian Crystal and pointed it at her, "Right on time, Artemis."

And everyone knew the Olympian Crystal could end even a god.

"You wanted Astrid this whole time. Why?" Emma spoke from behind her sister.

Gideon didn't say anything but zapped Astrid with the Olympian Crystal's power.

"No!"

After being hit, Astrid turned around and gave one last look at Emma and smiled a little, "It's okay..."

Astrid's spirit then abruptly separated from her body which fell to the ground.

Her spirit started to reach out longingly at her twin while Emma tearfully watched her fade out of existence.

Peter had just appeared also and noticed what had happened.

A single tear fell down his face as Emma started to reach out to his wife's spirit until the famous archer completely faded away, "N-No..."

Emma glanced around before blasting Gideon back as he landed roughly on the pavement a few feet away.

Emma then dropped to her knees and now cradled her sister's body in her arms, tears in her eyes.

"Don't worry. You won't be apart long." Gideon remarked before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

Peter slowly stepped forward over to where his now dead wife was, "No... Astrid, love..."

He felt responsible and guilty for all of it, and to make things worse, he didn't get to make it up to Astrid.

She was still hurt by him as far as he knew.

And, now, she was gone just like that.

David and Snow knelt beside their daughters, tears in their eyes.

They were so worried about Emma dying at the hands of Gideon, that they didn't stop to think that Astrid could also be fated to die.

Hook bowed his head in sadness, a tear falling down his face, as he thought of the person who first believed in him and continued to do just that— and now she was gone.

The said pirate glanced over at Peter who couldn't find it in him to move over to his wife's body.

He stepped over to the twenty year old and murmured, "Astrid believed that being a hero was a life sentence. It becomes everyone else before you. Always."

Peter shook his head slowly, clenching his fists some, "It's my fault. I did this."

Hook sighed, "We all have regrets, but we bloody can't undo the things we've done." He glanced over at Emma, Snow, David, Robin, Regina, and Henry crying over Astrid, "She was the truest hero I've ever known... A hero's journey, hers especially, was never easy, but she always thought it was worth it-- saving people, protecting them."

Peter's jaw flexed as he licked his lips, "How am I supposed to face our son? Astrid always knew what to do or say..."

Emma stood up after David now held onto Astrid's body.

The Savior noticed Peter and her look hardened as she marched up to him, "This is your fault. You brought him here."

Peter sighed, "Under false pretenses. I thought I was protecting her and Zephyr. I was wrong. I-I made a mistake, one that I now have to live with till the day I die."

Emma started to lunge at him until Hook stopped her by moving an arm in front of her, "Love, it's not worth it. It won't bring her back."

Emma nodded and broke down in the pirate's arms, "My sister's dead. She died saving me."

Hook nodded and kissed the top of her head while another tear fell down his face, letting out, "Yeah, that's who Astrid is, and I can't be mad at that... She was a hero, and I'm proud of her."

David stood up and in tears like everyone else, now carrying his daughter in his arms, and sighed, "Astrid, I hope you can rest in peace now..."

Astrid will be dearly missed by all of them.

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🥺

𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐉𝗼𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝗼𝐰, 𝐟𝗼𝐫 𝐧𝗼𝐰, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝗼𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝗼𝐧 𝐙𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝗺𝐢𝐥𝐲.