60 | Coming Home

            

╔══════════════════╗

INDIANA JONES
lx. COMING HOME

╚══════════════════╝

PRESENT
NEVERLAND

THE JOLLY ROGER ROCKED back and forth in the ocean blue. The water below was dark, nearly black as it reflected the night sky. The glittering stars mirrored themselves onto the sea. It was like a map from the heavens, made for all of the sailors from all corners of the realms to read them. The moon was full and bright as it sat in the sky, as if it were a spotlight shining down on everything in sight. Henry Mills had finally had his heart returned to his body. Regina Mills joined her son in the Captain's Quarters, tucking him in.

Neal stood on the main deck, holding Pandora's Box in his hands. A red smoke was emitted from it as he released his father from the object. Emma Swan, her parents, and Indiana watched with interest as Rumplestiltskin was freed. They watched the short family reunion. The Dark One asked where Henry was. Neal told him that he was safe. It was clear that Rumplestiltskin had a lot of catching up to do.

Indiana found herself looking down at the wheel on the mast a few moments later. Her fingers rhymically drummed the wood, humming in thought as a memory emerged in her mind.

"This is ridiculous. First, you tell me mermaids are evil, and now you don't even want to teach me how to man a ship!?" young 14-year-old Indiana Jones asked Captain Hook, annoyed.

The pirate chuckled at the girl, thinking of how similar she was to him and Liam Jones. She didn't know who they were though. As far as Indiana knew, Killian Jones and Captain Hook were two completely different things.

"Alright, look," he began. "The last time I tried to teach you, you asked me if P and S stood for Pickles and Sand."

"Pickles, Port, Sand, Starboard," Indiana dismissed. "Same thing." Captain Hook gave the girl a look, causing her to sigh. "Fine. Continue."

The man grinned at her. "That's the spirit, lass!"

"Call me lass one more time and I'll kick your—" Indiana began, but stopped herself when the pirate gave her another look. "—your... lass?"

"I thought I'd find you up here," Killian Jones' voice came from behind Indiana. The brunette turned around to see her brother. "You know what I was just thinking about? Pi—"

"Pickles and Sand?" Indiana interrupted with a giggle. "Yeah, me too. Times were so much simpler back then, weren't they?" She folded her arms over her chest as Killian pulled her closer to his side.

"Yeah. They really were."

➖➖➖

PRESENT
STORYBROOKE

Loud cheers and applause came from the Storybrooke residents as the Jolly Roger sat in the water by the docks. Indistinct shouts of happiness emerged from the Dwarves, but the only thing Indiana was able to decipher in the midst of all of the yelling was someone shouting her name.

Once Indiana stepped off of the Jolly Roger, she spun around several times as she searched for the source of the voice yelling her name. Then, Indiana spotted a tall, pale brunette with illuminating eyes. Indiana squealed loudly as she bolted toward the girl. "Ruby!" she shouted, running to greet her friend with a hug. They pulled away after tightly embracing each other. "You owe me 20 bucks! I told you Greg and Tamara were sketchy!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Why do I always lose bets when I make then with you?" Ruby queried. They shared a laugh.

Once the chaos had died down and everyone went back to his or her normal, day-to-day lives, Indiana joined David Nolan, Neal Cassidy, Rumplestiltskin, Emma Swan, and Belle French. David asked what they were to do with the shadow that was trapped in Captain Hook's sail. Rumplestiltskin told him not to worry, for the only person that could free it was safely stored in Pandora's Box.

Henry calling out to Indiana suddenly grabbed everyone's attention. He wondered about what they were going to do with Pan's most loyal Lost Boy, Felix, for he was still free. Regina, Emma, Indiana, and Charming walked over to where Henry and Felix stood. Indiana placed her hands on Henry's shoulders while Regina and Emma glared at Felix. "Henry's right," Regina said. "We can't just let Felix walk away freely."

"Oh, don't worry," Charming responded. "We've got plenty of cell space for this guy." The two of them walked away.

"You're safe now, Henry," Indiana assured the boy she thought of as a brother.

From the inside of Mr. Gold's Pawnbroker, Indiana watched from beside Belle, Regina, Neal, Emma, and Henry as Rumplestiltskin stored Pandora's Box in a trap door in the ground. According to the Dark One, no one could break the spell to open it except him. The trap door glowed a shade of gold as Rumplestiltskin reassured Henry that he wanted Peter Pan trapped just as much as the rest of them.

And for the time being, it seemed as though he was. But as always, the game wasn't over just yet. If anything, the pawns were just moving to their places.

➖➖➖

Granny's Diner was packed later that evening. The 7 Dwarves appeared to be drinking heavily and the only other pirate in town gladly joined them. Henry Mills was reunited with his beloved storybook, too. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time, except for Indiana Jones, who couldn't stop thinking about how her boyfriend was trapped in a magical box.

Indiana didn't think that the whole situation would impact her that much at all. However, it did. Indiana wanted to curl up in a ball and hide from the world for a few days, maybe weeks or even months. But no, she was at Granny's Diner, sipping on a Hot Cocoa because Granny refused to give her rum, despite Indiana using the "I'm almost 200-years-old" argument.

Suddenly, the girl felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around Indiana's body. She looked down to discover Henry hugging her. Once she realized who he was, Indiana forced a smile and hugged him back. "What's up?" Indiana wondered. "Finally realize how amazing I am?"

Henry smiled up at her. "You're always amazing," Henry sweetly complimented. Hearing this caused Indiana to raise her eyebrows at the comment.

"Alright, what do you want?" Indiana asked.

"I was just coming over here to say goodnight," Henry admitted. Indiana narrowed her eyes at him before finally shrugging.

"Alright. Sweet dreams, kiddo," Indiana told him. "I love you more than comics." Henry grinned up at her before retreating to join Regina to go home for the evening, rather than going home with Emma.

As she watched Henry, she began to think about how strange Henry had been acting, but quickly came to the decision that she was simply overthinking. And so, Indiana went with that, not knowing what was in store for her.

When Indiana went home (which was about an hour after Henry and Regina left), she instantly kicked her shoes off. She had never been so relieved to go back to her apartment and do the one thing she had wanted to do all week: take a shower. She had missed the hot water colliding with her fair-toned skin. The liquid seemed to release all of the tension that had build up over the week. Indiana missed having to wash the suds off of her body, the water sending them in little streams down her back. She loved how the soothing bathwater rained onto her skin, making it silky and soft.

The following morning, Indiana Jones brushed through her freshly air-dried hair and went through her usual morning routine in Storybrooke. You had no idea how happy she was to finally be able to use moisturizer and wear something other than leggings and a sweatshirt. She pulled on her outfit for the day, finishing it with a matching pink beanie and coat [gif].

Once Indiana stepped out of her apartment building, the cold began to nip at her nose, making her scrunch up her nose. Being used to the humid Neverland weather, Indiana had grown accustomed to disliking the cold. Therefore, she pulled her coat closer to her body.

Directly in front of Granny's Diner, Indiana ran into her brother, Tinker Bell, Emma Swan, and David Nolan. She had heard screaming coming from not too far away at the exact same time they did.

"Either someone's in trouble or someone's having a good time," Indiana commented, sticking her hands in her pockets. Her gaze shifted over to her brother and the fairy, making her arch an eyebrow. "Wait... Were you two...?"

"No!" Tinker Bell shouted while Killian mischievously mentioned, "Perhaps." This caused Indiana to reach out and smack the back of his head.

The woman's frightful screams echoed in the air once more, causing David to take off running. Together, they followed the screams, but it seemed that they were too late. The sound had been produced from Mother Superior, who had been minding her own business until what was revealed to be Pan's Shadow attacked her. As soon as they got to her, the dark figure ripped out Mother Superior's Shadow.

David nervously crouched down beside the unconscious woman. He placed two fingers against her neck, checking for a pulse that wasn't there. "Why would the shadow kill her?" Tinker Bell panted in question.

"No idea, love," Killian admitted. "But I do know the shadow only takes orders from one person."

Indiana's eyes widened fearfully. "No..." she whispered. "That's impossible. I just had a mental breakdown because of him. I don't need another."

Just as she said that, Regina Mills and her adopted son appeared on the scene with Snow and Neal. After catching everyone up to speed, Regina asked, "Pan's Shadow? I trapped it on the sail."

"It got free," Emma replied.

The group fell silent as they stared down at the now covered body of Mother Superior. "Hook, let's go back to the ship and get the candle," Neal decided. "If it strikes again, we need to be able to capture it."

While Tinker Bell joined the men to retrieve the candle, the other 6 stayed behind. "Peter can't be behind this," Indiana continued in denial while shaking her head. "He's trapped in a box under the floor of the Alligator's shop."

"Who else could be behind this then?" Emma wondered.

"So Pan can still hurt me?" Henry suddenly asked.

"We don't know that yet," Regina assured him.

"Well, we have to assume he's still a threat," Mary Margaret mentioned from her husband's side.

"And that he's after Henry," Emma added.

"Then what am I doing here?" Henry wondered. Indiana frowned at the fear she saw in his eyes. David nodded, mentioning that he wasn't safe out in the open. Henry turned to his Indiana. "You'll protect me, right?"

Indiana raised her eyebrows in surprise. Normally, Henry went to Regina or Emma for comfort, but this time, he asked for Indiana. "I... Uh, yeah, of course," Indiana confirmed.

"Come on, Henry," Regina told him. "Let's go." Henry nodded and turned to walk away with Regina. However, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and ran back to hug Indiana.

Indiana stumbled backward in surprise, but nonetheless hugged him back. Henry had been awfully affectionate ever since they got back to Storybrooke. Not that she hated it, but it was certainly out of character.

Something was off.

➖➖➖

Scurrying down the streets of Storybrooke, a golden sign hung from a building. The sign told its readers that it belonged to Mr. Gold's Pawnbroker. Emma Swan, Snow White, David Nolan, and Indiana Jones bolted past the various townspeople in the direction of the store. They got there just in time to see Mr. Gold closing up alongside his girlfriend, Belle French.

"No, I'm afraid, we're closed. Whatever crisis you're dealing with, I'm done for the day," Mr. Gold informed them. Belle whispered Rumplestiltskin's name in his ear in a warning tone, as if she was telling him to be nice.

"Hand over Pandora's Box," Emma demanded.

"And why would I do that?" Rumplestiltskin retorted.

"We need to open it," Emma vaguely continued, causing Indiana to pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh in annoyance.

"You really are terrible at this," Indiana opinionated. "Seriously. Who decided to make your Sheriff?"

"And let Pan escape? What are you—crazy?" Rumplestiltskin asked.

"Somehow he's controlling the Shadow from inside the box. Henry's life is in danger," Snow White mentioned while sticking her hands in her coat pocket.

Mr. Gold was skeptical, though. He asked them if they thought letting Pan out would change Henry's fate. "Yes, because we can stop him, finally and forever," Emma answered.

"All due respect, Miss Swan, we barely succeeded in apprehending him the first time," Rumplestiltskin reminded the woman. "If I've learned one thing, it's not to tempt fate."

"I am not looking to apprehend him. Wouldn't you rather be sure that he's gone?" Emma quietly spat. That seemed to be enough for Mr. Gold because the next thing they knew, they were in their cars driving toward the town line.

The large green 'entering Storybrooke' sign stared Indiana in the face as they approached the town line. Indiana, Snow White, Emma, and David had traveled in David's truck while Rumplestiltskin and his girlfriend drove in Mr. Gold's smaller car.

They got out of their cars, walking in the direction of the vibrant, orange-colored line. According to Rumplestiltskin, there was no magic beyond the town line. That being said, if they released Peter Pan out from the box beyond Storybrooke, he would be powerless to fight back. After Emma easily convinced Rumplestiltskin to allow her to confront Pan, the Savior pulled out her gun and crossed the town line. "I'm gonna deal with Pan on my terms," Emma decided.

Indiana arched an eyebrow. "You know he is kind of the love of my life," she said at the same time as Rumplestiltskin mentioned that he was his brother. Emma responded by saying that if she failed, they were more than welcome to pick up the pieces.

Rumplestiltskin waved his hand over Pandora's Box. It made a whirring noise as a red smoke was emitted from it. He quickly placed the object on the cement over the line. Indiana held her breath as Peter Pan was released. He laid on the ground, looking around in confusion.

Peter Pan jumped up. He breathed heavily and looked around with a lost, scared look in his eye. Indiana had only seen him like this once in her life. She didn't understand why he appeared to be so frightened. His gaze landed on Snow White, her husband, Rumplestiltskin, Belle, and Indiana. Then, he looked over to see Emma with her gun pointed at him. His eyes widened as he said, "Mom?"

"What?" Emma responded.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot him," Rumplestiltskin hissed, earning a glare from Indiana.

"So much for brotherly love," Indiana mumbled.

"Don't! Please!" Peter exclaimed worriedly. He didn't stand tall and confident like he normally did. Something was off. "I'm Henry! Pan, he—he switched our bodies."

"Yeah—and I'm the Tooth Fairy," Indiana retorted, watching as Emma shivered at the name of the mythological character.

"You expect me to believe that?" Emma demanded, not moving a single muscle. Rumplestiltskin told Emma not to listen to him, for it was one of his tricks. Indiana folded her arms, feeling Snow White wrap an arm around her in a comforting manner.

"No it's not! He did it right before Mr. Gold captured me in the box. I swear," Peter Pan continued. He took a step forward.

"Ah! Don't come any closer," Emma warned as Rumplestiltskin ordered for her to shoot him. "Maybe he's telling the truth. Maybe that's why I can't shake this feeling something's off about Henry."

"Maybe that's something he wants you to believe," Rumplestiltskin replied. "If he steps over this line, we're all dead."

"Well, not all of us," Indiana mumbled. Then, she cleared her throat and raised her voice. "All right, this is ridiculous. If you're really Henry, then prove it. Tell me something only Henry would know."

"I-I got trapped in the mines. I tried blowing up the well. I like hot cocoa with cinnamon," Henry proceeded to frantically list. "Indiana taught me how to cuss. My first cuss word was shit!"

Rumplestiltskin was growing agitated. He claimed, "This doesn't prove anything!"

"He's right, Emma. Henry could've told Pan all of this in Neverland," Snow told her daughter.

"Pan might know facts, but life is made up of more than that. There are moments. He can't possibly know all of them," Emma mentioned. "The first time you and I connected. You remember that? Not met, but connected." Peter was silent, but eventually nodded. "Where was it?"

"In my castle, right after you came to Storybrooke," Peter answered. "And I told you I knew why you gave me up. Because you wanted to give me my best chance."

Henry (who was trapped in Peter's body) and Emma ran forward to greet each other with a hug. Indiana smiled at the touching moment, but she still felt weird seeing Peter Pan hug Emma Swan, even if it wasn't actually Peter. They smiled at each other before Emma picked up the box and led her son over the line back into Storybrooke.

Henry walked over and immediately hugged Snow White and David Nolan, better known as his grandparents. Emma passed over Pandora's Box to Rumplestiltskin before Henry turned around and engulfed Indiana in the biggest hug she had ever received from Henry.

"I'm sorry I doubted you Henry," Rumplestiltskin apologized after Indiana pulled away from the hug. "And I'm sorry I put you in this box in the first place."

"It's okay," Henry responded. "I would've done the same thing." He turned around and began to walk with Emma back to town.

Just when she thought things were going to tone down a bit, Indiana was wrong. If Henry was all the way out here in Peter's body with them, then...

Where was Peter?

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top