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Astrid sharply gasped and glanced around in confusion to find her standing in the middle of the woods at night.

She looked around slightly breathless as a fog drifted through the woods.

"Hello?" The twenty-eight year old let out, "What the devil...?"

She noticed a few bluebirds flying away from the tree in front of her and then noticed a cloaked figure a few feet in front of her.

A twenty-eight year old Peter Pan removed the hood from his head and now faced her, "Love, don't."

Astrid started to step closer to her late husband and inquired, "What're you talking about? Don't what?"

Peter reached out to her and cupped her face in his hands, "Don't make any sacrifice plays. Zephyr needs you, his mother. There will be another way in defeating the Black Fairy. Find that way. Not your way."

Both of them rested their foreheads against each other's lightly as a single tear fell down her face.

"I promise," Astrid murmured, swallowing some as another tear fell down her face, "I miss you, Huckleberry."

Peter also murmured, "I miss you, too, Charming. But promise me that you will also move on and let me go. Find peace for you and our son."

Astrid reluctantly nodded as the two kissed before Peter kissed her forehead before he disappeared in a blinding light.

And at that, Astrid woke up from her dream as she glanced over on the other side of the bed to find her seven year old sleeping sideways on the bed.

She sighed and moved her hand over her pan flute necklace around her neck.

***

"I was about to wring her scrawny, little neck, and then she just poofed away," Zelena explained what happened between her and the Black Fairy's encounter.

"Makes sense she's headed to the dwarf tunnels. It's an easy place to hide." Astrid replied, glancing down at where her son was currently coloring a picture at the desk he sat at.

"And there are miles of them below Storybrooke," David added, "Pinning her down in there won't be easy."

"Well, the good news is, whatever her plan for the Final Battle, she needs help." Regina spoke up.

Robin nodded, holding his infant in his arms, "Which means, we have time to figure out how to stop her."

"Maybe that's where that piece of wand comes in." Zephyr also piped up, glancing over at Hook.

The said pirate nodded, holding the driftwood-like piece of wand, "Tiger Lily said it had been used to banish the Black Fairy once. If we can find the other half, perhaps we can do it again."

"So, where do we look?" Snow inquired.

"I'm not waiting around for some piece of wand." Zelena commented, "The only reason I didn't blast that noir-colored nit out of existence is because of Robin Petra. So if one of you'd be kind enough to watch her for a minute, I'll do what I intended and go and take care of this."

Robin Hood coddled his baby girl even more, "I've got her."

"Well, hold on. You can't just go down there alone and confront her." Regina started.

"Why not? What, you think I can't defeat her? I'm more powerful than you." Zelena remarked, throwing a glance over at Astrid, "Besides, our little sister will come with me. Together, we can defeat her."

"Oh, really?" Regina remarked, "Is that why I had to rip out my own heart to save you from the Evil Queen?"

"Look, I would've been fine without your help." Zelena pointed out in annoyance, "And if it hadn't been for Astrid, your dark double would've defeated you too."

Astrid shared an awkward and uncomfortable look with Emma.

"Believe what you want. You're not going down there." Regina said.

Astrid sighed and stepped in between her two adoptive sisters, "Okay! Sibling rivalry aside, you're both right. We need to get the wand back before we go up against her, and when we do, we're going to do this together. In the meantime, Zelena and I will go face her."

Both Zelena and Regina glanced at her, "Thank you!"

But then Regina and everyone else, except Zelena, added, "Wait, what?"

Astrid shrugged nonchalantly, and said, "You guys go find that other half of the wand while Zelena and I stall the Black Fairy."

Emma gave her twin a look and argued, "No way, Astro. We just got you back, and you wanna put yourself in danger already?"

Astrid immediately moved a reassuring arm around her seven year old's shoulders, saying, "Why does everyone keep thinking I'm gonna bloody kill myself? Listen. We're going to defeat this fairy together. No one is gonna die, including me. There's a better way."

Zephyr nodded and also spoke up with an adorable grin, "Yeah. Trust my mommy. She's got a plan."

Astrid smiled and leaned down, placing a kiss on the top of the said boy's head before ruffling his curly hair some.

"Zel, let's do this," The immortal twenty-eight year old added and left out of the station with Zelena following behind her with a smirk.

***

Astrid moved down the mines with Zelena just as they heard someone approach them from behind and found Regina.

"Zelena, Astrid!" The former Evil Queen started and stepped over to them.

Astrid gave her a confused look and asked first, "Reg, what are you doing down here? You're supposed to be trying to track down that other half of the wand."

"Isn't it obvious?" Regina remarked, "I came down here to get you two out of here before you get yourselves killed."

Zelena sighed and tried moving past the queen, "I'm not going anywhere. Just get out of my way."

"It's for your own good." Regina replied.

"Oh, so now you care about my own good?" Zelena remarked, "You're not going to blame me for something?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Regina questioned, slightly offended.

"It means, in all your broken heart, all you did was blame me." Zelena began, close to tears, "I sacrificed Hades for you, the man I loved, to save your lives. Pan died from it before he came back and was killed again."

Astrid glanced down at the floor at the mention of her late husband.

Zelena continued, "And in return, I get blamed. And now you're here to lecture me?" She scoffed, "No thanks. I'm not welcome at the hero's table? Fine! I'll just take care of this by myself."

Astrid stopped her by grabbing her arm, "Hey, you're not alone. You're my sister, too."

Zelena gratefully smiled at her and nodded at that.

The whole cave began to shake them as the three of them took cover, Astrid projecting a shield around them.

Once the tremors subsided, they found the entrance was closed off.

"This is exactly why I told you two not to come down here." Regina commented.

Zelena scoffed, "Are you implying that this my- our fault?"

Regina laughed some, her hands over her hips, "I'm not implying anything. I'm saying it. If you'd just listen to me, we wouldn't be trapped a half mile under Storybrooke."

Zelena also shot back, "And if you hadn't crashed our party, we'd be wiping the mine floor with the Black Fairy by now."

Astrid rolled her eyes and began to glow some, "Hold onto me. I'll get us out of here."

"I'm not leaving till I find her." Zelena stated and marched away from them and further into the mines.

Astrid stopped her magic and sighed, "Zelena!"

"I told you. You're not stopping me." Zelena called from in front of them as the two caught up to her.

Astrid stopped and noticed some blue crystals on the walls, taking one into her hand, "Wait. Fairy crystals. And it's just the beginning of a vein."

"Well, at least now we know why the Black Fairy's holed up down here." Regina added.

Zelena looked between them and at the crystals, "What would she want with all that light magic?"

"That's the thing." The Black Fairy spoke up as she stepped around the corner, "I'm not interested in light magic. So, you're the big, bad Evil Queen who cast my curse. No wonder it was such a pathetic failure."

"Is that so?" Regina remarked, making a fireball appear in her hand.

The Black Fairy chuckled, "Gideon." The said man moved his hand forward, throwing Regina backwards against the wall a few feet behind them and stepped over to her.

Astrid glanced back at a hurt Regina on the ground and ran over to her, blasting Gideon back, "Not today."

Astrid knelt beside the former Evil Queen and placed a concern hand on her shoulder, helping sit her up.

"So, does this mean you're here to take me up on my offer then?" The Black Fairy inquired.

"Afraid not. See, I'm stronger than my sister, and I came down here to do one thing." Zelena replied, "Kill you."

The fairy smirked and repeated what Astrid said in a slight mocking way, "Not today." She sent rocks falling down in front of them and ran away.

Zelena glanced behind her at her sisters, "You two keep him busy. She messed with the wrong witch."

Astrid smirked at Gideon and replied, "You can't defeat me. That Olympian Crystal of yours was destroyed." Her hands began to glow, "But I can end you."

"But you won't." Gideon simply shrugged, "You're too much of a good hero. You're no longer the Ender or Mortefera. You stand for good and light."

Astrid's blue eyes suddenly showed her hurt and pain, "I bloody don't care. You killed him." She then sighed, "But I'm gonna spare you because I know you're not in control. She has your heart."

Gideon's eyes showed his hurt then just as Astrid nodded at Regina and the two of them took off running further into the mines followed by Gideon.

They came to a large cave surrounded by fairy crystals, big and small, everywhere.

"Zelena." Both Regina and Astrid let out just as they noticed the crystals turn black.

"You played your part well, my son." The Black Fairy said as the three women in front of exchanged a look.

"That's impossible," Zelena began.

"What's the matter?" The fairy remarked, "Not as strong as you thought, dear?"

Zelena started to ignite a large, green fireball but was soon being magically choked by her.

Both Astrid and Regina told her, "Let her go."

Regina was blasted backwards and fell to the floor a few feet away while Astrid had put up a shield around herself, holding her in place.

The Black Fairy fake gasped, "You were right about one thing. You are stronger than your sister. Not Astrid, though. She's more of a formidable foe. Which is why I need you to channel your magic to weapon use these crystals with a dose of dark magic, your dark magic. They can be, oh, so much more."

"My magic?" Zelena let out, "What about yours?"

Astrid zapped the fairy back, making her release Zelena, as the Black Fairy replied, "Oh, darling, don't you see? Your magic is useful because it's unstable. You're so desperate for love, so desperate to prove yourself. Your heart is in disarray."

The fairy laughed some, "Well, don't look so surprised. Anyone can see it. I, on the other hand, am quite pleased with myself."

Zelena continued catching her breath from where she sat, "You set me up."

"No, I just knew you'd make the wrong decision." The said villain admitted, glancing over at Astrid, "As did Artemis here. That's why she agreed to come with you."

"What are you gonna do with all of this?" Zelena questioned about the dark crystals.

"What I came here for, start the Final Battle." The Black Fairy answered, "But worry not, you won't be around to regret your mistake much longer. No one will."

"We'll see about that." Astrid remarked, throwing each hand out by her sides as they glowed brightly.

The Black Fairy widened her eyes and watched the immortal blonde destroy the dark magic as the crystals suddenly changed back to their original state.

She moved her glowing hands slowly together, a black magical ball of energy getting smaller and smaller until she clasped her hands completely together.

Astrid inhaled deeply and dropped her hands to her sides, "No more dark magic in these crystals."

The Black Fairy glared over at the goddess, "You may have won this time, Artemis, but you won't next time."

Astrid smirked, "Oh, I will. You won't end my sister's life. You won't tear our family or this town apart. That's a promise."

The Black Fairy scowled as she and Gideon disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

***

Astrid walked inside of the Charming apartment to find her son and his friend, Alexandra, sitting on their knees in front of the coffee table, blankets around their shoulders.

Henry was sitting behind the two kids as David, Snow, and Hook also sat around the table.

They were playing Monopoly, laughing and enjoying the moment.

Astrid smiled at the sight of it and spoke up, "Got room for one more?"

Snow grinned, "Always. You can be the headphones piece."

Astrid kept her smile and sat in between her two fathers, soon joining in the game also.

She winced slightly and glanced at her left wrist to find a few veins blackened.

The immortal woman sighed and simply shrugged it off and watched her son take his turn.

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