A.N.: Here it is at long last! The sequel to "Of Water and Ice"! I'm so ridiculously sorry it took so freaking long but it is all done and I will be posting the chapters one at a time (like with WaI) every Sunday! Again I am so sorry for this taking forever to write, especially after the huge painful cliffhanger at the end of the first one! Please read the first one before reading this and if you need a refresher since it has been so long, go read it again. Or just read the first one again because you really liked it. I promise it will be less confusing if you know what happened in the first one! Please read and review! Much love to all of you who have been waiting to read this!

Chapter One

The sky turned a dark purple and a spinning vortex appeared just above the gates of the Snow Palace. The smoke slowly descended, filling the valley just in front of the gate. As it slowly pulled back into the sky, the vortex closing once it was all accounted for, it was revealed that the residents of Storybrooke had returned; if not a bit worse for wear.

Regina let out the breath she had been holding as she finally hit the ground. The trip back to the Enchanted Forest had been a mix of falling and spinning until her back had found the solid surface; knocking the wind out of her. She slowly got up and looked around to see she wasn't the only one who had that experience. A quick glance around revealed that everyone was accounted for. Everyone except Hook, Lila, and Henry.

Henry. Regina bit her lip as she remembered that he was taken away to some world. Tamara and Greg would pay for what they did to her and to her family. And the Evil Queen was not about to let her sister's death be in vain. She was going to make a change and be good for once; be deserving of not just Henry but also the large family her son had. She didn't expect anyone to forgive her for what she did in the past but she hoped that for Henry's sake they would at least be civil.

The raven haired woman looked around to see that they had landed just outside the gates of the Snow Palace. A few of the Fae were hurrying towards them; across the bridge that led to the castle. She saw Jack Frost among them and felt a pain in her chest. Regina imagined the pain he would feel over the loss of Lila was similar to what she felt over losing Henry. The difference was they could get her son back; they couldn't get the Snow Queen back.

Regina was not the only one who saw the white haired boy approaching. Rumplestiltskin used his cane to get to his feet and reached into his pocket for the letter Lila had asked him to deliver. He also found the acorn and thimble safely tucked in the corner. Perhaps he'd give them to the Pirate as a peace offering. Lila had spent her years trying to end the feud and Rumple just didn't have the energy to continue now that she was gone. It was all too much; Belle losing her memories, Bae being shot, and now Lila sacrificing herself to save him and the others.

As he watched a nurse help Belle to her feet, trying to quickly calm to woman and explain more what was happening, Rumplestiltskin saw just on the horizon The Jolly Roger appear and dock at the port that lied where the lake met the sea. He wondered if the man on board knew that because of his selfish act the woman he claimed to love was dead. The part of the Dark One that was still cruel couldn't help but find glee in knowing the Pirate would be broken once more. And this time there was no one to blame but himself; no vengeance on anyone but himself.

Rumple's eyes wandered over to find Jack looking amongst the crowd for his queen. The more he searched, the more worried he appeared. The older man sighed as he approached the boy slowly. This was not something he was looking forward to. Jack was asking Regina where Lila was when the Dark One reached him.

"Jack," Regina swallowed her tears, "Lila is dead."

The Fae blinked as he took in the information. Regina and Rumple watched as his face went from worried, to confusion, to sorrow. He bit his lip and Rumple saw that he had indeed been raised by Lila; he picked up her nervous habits.

"How?" Jack's usual crystal voice was raspy.

"She sacrificed herself to get everyone home," Rumple explained, "There were these people who were trying to destroy the town and if she hadn't done what she did, we'd all be dead."

"And no one can bring her back?"

"No one," Rumple shook his head sadly. His thumb traced the edge of the letter carefully; trying to decide if he should wait any longer to hand it to the boy.

"There was no other way to bring everyone home?" Jack looked right at Regina and the woman found there was no way she could lie to him; no matter what the consequences.

"There was some magic beans," She started slowly, "But they were taken by the same people trying to destroy the town. We had a few but…"

Her voice trailed off as she realized that revealing Hook was responsible for Lila's death could have many consequences for the man. She had seen how Lila and he were together and it reminded her vaguely of her and Daniel. It crossed her mind that the pirate might want to try to make things right by taking Jack in. After all, everyone knew Lila thought of Jack as her own son.

"But what?" Jack inquired.

"We lost them," Regina answered a bit too quickly. She looked at Rumple, praying he would play along. He nodded carefully before deciding to change the subject.

"Lila mentioned that there is a Fae here called Sage Maple," He began, "And she can help restore the memories of those who have lost them."

"Of course," Jack nodded quickly before pointing out the orange haired Fae. Before Rumple could so much as thank him, the Winter Fae was gone.

Killian gripped the helm tightly as the Jolly Roger pulled out of the portal. When he regained his balance, he found himself looking at the Snow Palace just on the horizon. He couldn't help but let out a laugh. He had made it back to the Enchanted Forest and the portal sent him to the last place he wanted to go. He had to find Jack though, take care of the lad; for Lila's sake.

As if on cue, the ship took over steering and Killian discovered that the Fae had a port right on the farthest rock that outlined the lake until it met the sea. He didn't have to ask where to find Jack Frost and so began the long walk towards the castle. It was a strange port; no houses or taverns. It was clear that whenever this dock was built, it was strictly for visitors of the castle. The path headed along the cliffs, surrounded by trees. At first, Hook thought that was all there was too it but as he continued walking he noticed that within the trees were structures built in and around; Fae buildings. It was typical of them to not disturb nature in the slightest whenever they did construction; especially when it was their own homes. There wasn't a soul in sight until he was even closer to the castle though. It was clear that all of Lila's subjects had seen the portal open and bring those lost to the curse back. A few stragglers were walking and running in the direction; some carrying food and others medical supplies. He wondered how they would react when they all discovered their queen was dead.

The pirate captain had stolen the last few beans out of anger; pure and simple. He had taken the only way home from everyone when they all needed desperately to be saved. It filled him with disgust to think that he had allowed his old self to take over right in front of Lila; who was acting completely selfless. Her plan was simple: Send everyone home then go after Cora and end the destruction the Queen of Hearts left in her wake. The problem was no one in their right mind would let the Snow Queen go by herself; it was suicide. Yet, she remained stubborn and that's what set him off. If she was going to die anyways, then what was the point of it all? Killian would never see her again; his life would be just as over as hers. The clear abandonment stirred up old feelings and caused anger to swell inside him.

So he had taken the beans as a means to stop her; a selfish act. A part of him felt that Lila would simply transport everyone to the ship and confront him once they were all home. But she hadn't. She went and sacrificed her life to bring everyone back; everyone but her. The pain in Killian's chest was far greater than it had been when he lost Milah. But this time, he only had himself to blame for the death of his loved one. This time, he couldn't go off on some blind quest for revenge.

Killian clenched his fist as he tried to get his emotions back in control. He would have plenty of time to take his anger and sorrow out on his cabin's furniture after he had made sure Jack was alright. As he drew nearer to the castle, the pirate saw that Lila's sacrifice was not in vain. The residents of Storybrooke had all made it safely; including the Crocodile.

The closer he got to them, the more he felt like a dog with his tail between his legs. He shouldn't have docked. He should have turned the ship around and headed out to sea. Emma was the first to see him and she immediately walked over to him.

"You happy now?" She hissed, "These people have lost their Snow Queen because you had to see that your stupid boat didn't get destroyed."

"She's a ship, Swan," His jaw tightened, "And if I had known Lila would sacrifice herself the way she did, I would have let you keep the damn bean."

"You know?" Emma paused, wondering how he could have known the circumstances of the brunette woman's death when he had been sailing away at the time.

"Aye, I know," He sighed, "And I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone else."

"Perhaps you should," The voice of the Crocodile rang out over the crowd and everyone hushed to watch the confrontation. For the first time, Lila wouldn't be there to stand in their way; the two could fight to the death now.

"What do you want me to say, Crocodile?" Hook turned on him, "That I'm sorry for taking the beans? That I was being a selfish prick for doing it? It doesn't matter what anyone says. Lila is dead and she isn't coming back."

His voice cracked with emotion as for the first time he admitted where his Wendy was now. The Dark One merely nodded before returning to Belle's side; helping a Fae bring her into the castle. Killian rubbed his face with his hand and turned to head back to his ship when a hand touched his shoulder. He turned to see Regina standing there, looking more broken than anyone had ever seen her.

"I forgive you," She simply said, "I understand how hard it is to change especially when no one has any faith in you. Lila had faith in you and Rumplestiltskin. I'd like to think that in her death, you won't let that faith be in vain. I know I won't."

"I won't let anything she's ever done be in vain," He murmured, "It's my fault she's dead. I'm going to do right by her and I am going to try to change; for her."

"So will I," The Evil Queen smiled sadly, "That's all I needed to hear."

Killian nodded as he watched her turn to Snow White, no doubt to make amends. As he scanned the crowd of the residents of Storybrooke mixed with the Fae of the Snow Palace, he became aware that one white haired Fae that was well loved by Lila was missing. He would search for him later. Right now, he needed to get his emotions in check; alone. With a sigh, he headed back for his ship. He desperately needed a drink.

~Daydreamer