Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time.

To my friend Marytta, who made me believe I could write fanfiction and is the cause of this fic in particular —and gives me drawings so I never run short of them when I publish stories, here or in any other place. And to my real little sister, who puts up with me and my ramblings about sibling stories.

Prologue

"If I were you, I'd consider creating a new destiny. Because if you don't, I'll be right there to take your heart and crush it. Now, if you'll excuse me... I should put this somewhere safe."

Zelena scoffed rather aloofly. For being good, her sister did make some serious threats. She knew the reason: the former Queen was inherently evil, the villain of her story. Zelena knew better than anyone that you could never escape your fate. Their roles were already written and now the Wicked Witch had really learnt that you cannot change the history. That you...

The click of Regina's heels against the floor had stopped — and it was that silence what put Zelena out of her thoughts. The brunette stood in front of the door, without crossing it. She made a move, like if she was going to turn around, but in the end she didn't.

"They say that... it's nice to have family in town."

And with that, Regina finally went out of the sheriff's station.

Zelena scoffed louder that time —she needed something behind which she could hide her surprise. Her sister would learn the lesson eventually, too, of that she was sure. She would probably not be around to see it, though. What a pity.

When Rumplestiltskin saw Belle, completely in white and more lovely than he could ever have dreamt of, he knew he had made the right choice, and hoped that she was all the strength he needed.

Rumplestiltskin was a coward and thus, he was afraid of many things. But having lost his free will had been terrifying. He spent every moment of his captivity swearing he would get his revenge on Zelena. When Baelfire died, that promise became an oath.

But then —as always—, Belle had come in and managed to shock every fibre of his being when she showed him the dagger. And the only thing that she had asked in return was that he chose her over darkness. That he didn't go after Zelena. He didn't know if he could, but he was determined to try. The only thing truly unbearable was Belle leaving him. He wanted to be with her, always.

She had said yes and then, there they were. She was shining, a light —his light— standing out in the dark forest. She had always shone, brighter than any flame, than any human. She was beautiful, but it was her words and actions what had made him fall in love with her deeper and deeper. Her voice broke remembering all those times they had been separated, all those times when their love had just not been enough, and he swore to himself that he would try everything in his power so she didn't have to go through any of that ever again.

"And I vow to you I will never forget the distance between what I was and what I am." He didn't know if he could make good on his promise, but he would prefer to suffer a thousand of deaths before subjecting Belle to any more affliction for his own selfishness.

She always knew what to reply.

"Sometimes, the best book has the dustiest jacket. And sometimes, the best teacup is chipped."

A/N: I started to write this fic long before we learned Zelena was still alive. However, as the canon didn't show what I wished to see (and for heaven's sake, I just want them to explore the family relationships on the show), I kept writing. I've tried my best to keep everyone in character and I've enjoyed writing the Mills sisters a lot. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading as much as I did writing. :)

I look forward to knowing what you think. All opinions are most welcome!