As some of you may know, I've written a few one-shots centering around the idea of Justice League with a Once Upon a Time twist. At first, I had no idea how to even start a full-length story like that, but today I figured, "Why not give this a shot?" So, I did.

Now, this is based on the ABC Family show Once Upon a Time. For those of you who don't know, OUAT is a unique take on all of our favorite Disney fairytales and others that Disney had yet to adapt. If you haven't watched it, I suggest you do because it's pretty interesting. I myself haven't even finished season three yet, but I'm pretty sure they just ended the series after seven seasons.

Even though this fic is based on OUAT, it won't follow the series entirely because this is, after all, a Justice League fanfic. So there are some twists that are completely my own.

Now, without further ado, please enjoy!

OoOoOo

Elated cheers rang out through the air as everyone aboard the Watchtower celebrated the union of two of their best heroes. Batman and Wonder Woman - or Bruce and Diana - parted from their passionate kiss to gaze lovingly into one another's eyes. Diana seemed to be the center of the room; her wedding dress a rich porcelain chiton that flowed gracefully onto the ground with a golden band wrapped around her waist and her long raven hair tied up into a bun with two elegant pieces of hair framing her face. She had light makeup on, but it was not needed as anyone and everyone could see her natural beauty shining brightly as always.

This happy moment was short lived, however, when a puff of dark gray smoke suddenly filled the air. From the smoke emerged a rather vindictive-looking woman with dark violet hair and ice blue eyes. Her lips were curled into a malicious grin which sent shivers down the majority of the lower-ranking heroes' spines.

"Did I miss the wedding cake?" asked the woman coyly, malice glinting in her eyes.

The magician Zatanna was the first to act. "Enog eb!" she chanted from the crowd, only to have the spell reflected.

"Darling, please, we've discussed this," the woman purred, but made no move to attack. "You're a simple magician. Your parlor tricks aren't even close to my level."

Diana barely flinched at the sorceress' sudden appearance, eyebrows furrowing in complete and utter rage. "Circe," she hissed, taking her sword from Shayera Hol who, being her maid of honor and the closest one to her besides Bruce and J'onn J'onzz, who was officiating the two, had been holding it for her. "This is your one warning; leave now."

Bruce placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, but didn't take his eyes off the witch as she slowly approached them. "Careful," he warned her, subtly nodding to the rest of the Justice League, silently telling them not to attack, but to stay on guard. "I won't let her do anything. I promise."

Diana ignored him, raising her sword threateningly. "I won't let you ruin today," she spat and most the room's occupants winced at her unusually hostile tone.

Circe, seeing this, rolled her eyes. "Come, now, darling," she coaxed mockingly. "I'm not here to ruin your special day." Her smirk seemed to widen. "In fact, I'm here to present you and your husband with a gift."

The Amazon clenched her teeth. "No doubt another one of your tricks. We want nothing to do with it!"

The witch chuckled. "Too bad you don't really have a choice, then," she retorted. She gestured around them. "You and your little husband can have today, Diana. Celebrate for the rest of the day and all through the night. Enjoy it while you can. But tomorrow will bring the start of hell on this earth. Everything you cherish, everything you hold dear will be ripped from you.

"You're suffering will finally bring my victory," Circe finished. "By Zeus, your happiness will be torn to pieces. I will spend every moment of my existence to ensure that if I have to." With that, she turned on her heel and began to exit. Bruce angrily clutched a bataraang in his pocket before flinging at the woman. She, however, seemed to sense it coming and disappeared in another puff of smoke.

Diana clutched his arm, the couple exchanging worried looks as the Watchtower erupted into chaos.

It was a dead end.

"Son of a bitch," muttered twenty-six year old Celeste Shade as she typed furiously onto her laptop. She had to admit, this "James Kindle" was good. No credit or debit card purchases, no birth certificate. The name people knew him by must have been a fake as she couldn't find a single lead. There was no trace of him anywhere. It was as if he had never existed.

Fortunately, she knew a thing or two about disappearing.

A few more types and the woman smirked. The only thing she had to go on was a single picture, which she had just run through the data bases of store security cameras in the area. Sure enough, a matching face had popped up in a store near her little apartment. As it turned out, she knew exactly where it was. Time to take a trip downtown.

"Mom?"

Or maybe not.

Celeste's head snapped up as she came face-to-face with a somewhat peculiar pair of eyes; one matching her sapphire blue orbs and the other an emerald green. "Hey, Kid," she greeted softly, standing up to go meet her son and kneeling in front of him. "What are you doing up?"

"Bad dream," answered Ryan Shade. The eight year old shared a few of her features including her hair and nose. Everything else was solely his father. At the thought of the man, she immediately banished him from her head. He was her past and therefore should stay in the past. Ryan was her future.

The woman pursed her lips. She wasn't the best at dealing with nightmares since so many of her own had failed to go away even today. Nevertheless, she would try for her son. For him, she would move mountains. "What was it about?" she offered.

Ryan took this as an invitation to settle into her lap and she welcomed it, running her fingers through his hair. Work could wait. "There's a man and a woman," he explained. "The woman's wearing a white dress, so I think they're getting married." He looked up at her, examining her face. "She kind of looks like you, Mom."

Celeste went rigid at that, trying to make a connection in her head. "Does she?" she inquired, attempting to keep her face neutral. Why on Earth would he be dreaming about a woman who looks like herself getting married? Was this his subconscious' way of saying he wanted to know about his father?

That was one talk she wasn't ready to have.

Her son took no notice of her internal conflict, nodding his head. "Uh-huh. There's lots of people in the room too. Everyone seems happy until a witch shows up."

She raised an eyebrow. "A witch?"

"Yeah," Ryan replied. "But she doesn't have green skin or wear all black or fly on a broomstick like in The Wizard of Oz. Her skin's reg... regu-" He looked up at her for help.

"Regular?" supplied Celeste.

He beamed at her. "Regular," he reiterated. "That's it. And her hair's purple and she's wearing a dress. She comes in and the woman pulls out a sword."

She blinks at him. "A sword," she repeats incredulously. She supposed it made sense. Ryan's called her his hero on more than one occasion, even drawing her as a knight in school. That mixed in with the secret desire to meet his father, it shouldn't be too abnormal for him to dream about her pulling out a sword to fight a witch on her so-called wedding day. "What does the witch say?"

"Can't remember everything," answered Ryan with a shrug, burying his face into her chest. "I think she said something about ruining everyone's lives."

Celeste unwittingly began to rock them both back and forth. "So, what about it was scary?"

"I... I just feel bad for the couple," he admitted to her. "They just looked so happy to be together and this witch comes and ruins it. Isn't that sad?"

Well, when he put it like that, it was indeed. Celeste knew a thing or two about losing happiness. "I guess so, kiddo. Listen-" She pulled him off of her lap. "It's late. Why don't you try heading back to bed, okay?"

Ryan yawned and looked like he was going to agree (her little angel never fussed about bedtime), when he caught sight of her laptop and gasped. "Mom!"

She looked down at him with wide eyes, somewhat alarmed. "What? What is it?"

He grinned up at her. "It's almost twelve o'clock!"

Celeste wasn't seeing the point. "And?"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "It's your birthday!" he exclaimed, tugging her up and towards the kitchen. He pulled a box out of the fridge and a package of sorts from behind the toaster. "Make a wish!"

She looked at him suspiciously, wondering what he had planned. In all honesty, she had forgotten about her birthday, being so wrapped up in him and her job. She shrugged before opening the box. Immediately, her heart began to throb. "Oh, Ryan..." Inside the box was a single cupcake and the package contained a few candles. "How did you get this?"

"I used my allowance and bought everything after school yesterday," he told her, blushing a bit. "That's why I was late. I know it's not a lot, but..."

Celeste fought the tears threatening to fall and hugged her son close to her. "It's more than enough," she uttered into his hair. How had she been blessed with such a perfect son? He did well in school, never got into trouble, and was such a sweet boy. The pain and grief of him coming into the world had definitely been worth it. "It's absolutely perfect. I love you, kiddo."

Ryan immediately hugged her back. "I love you too, Mom." He pulled away, looking at her expectantly. "Are you gonna make a wish?"

She laughed. "Anything for you, kid." She took the cupcake out of the box and grabbed a lighter from a nearby drawer before sticking candle into the small treat. She lit the candle and stared at it.

Of course, Celeste knew she didn't have to make a wish. She could merely close her eyes and blow out her candle and her son would believe her. But she promised she would. How could she stand to deceive her child like that? So, she shut her eyes tight and thought real hard about her one wish. Her thoughts traveled back to the dream her son had and what it could have meant. What he could have wanted. What she wanted him to have.

It was silly and desperate, but she did it anyway.

I wish that Ryan could meet his father, thought Celeste as she blew out her candle. She opened her eyes and smiled at her beaming son. Seeing that elated look on his face was more than enough to satisfy her.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Ryan looked at her, confused. "There's someone here," he told her.

Celeste raised an eyebrow. "You're right." Who on Earth would be here this late? She looked at Ryan sternly. "Stay here, kid. I'll go see who it is." She made her way to the front door, opening it only to come face-to-face with a man she never thought she'd see again. "Rex?"

The man smiled at her, emerald green eyed filled with tenderness. "Hey, Princess."

Diana stared out of the window of Wayne Manor, eyes trained onto the sunset. Her hands her resting on her stomach, which was now sporting a prominent baby bump. The baby was due any day now. Not for the first time, fear crept up her throat at the thought of Circe's threat. What if it came to fruition? After so many months of trail and error, after so much strife and agony, everything had been coming together. She and Bruce were finally together and they had a baby on the way.

Now, one of her worst enemies was threatening to take it all away.

"What are you thinking about?"

Diana turned at the sound of the deep masculine voice. "Nothing," she lied, knowing he would see right through her.

Bruce sighed as he stood next to her, arm draped around her shoulders. "You're thinking about Circe's threat," he stated knowingly.

Her lips twitched at his usual perceptiveness. "Is that wrong?"

"Of course not." His hands came to lay upon her own. "But the stress isn't good for the baby. You should rest."

"I haven't rested since our wedding," admitted Diana, striding into the nursery. She allowed a hand to graze over the glass mobile that hung over the crib their baby would sleep in.

"Exactly my point, Princess," chimed Bruce, following her. "There's a chance she could be bluffing, you know. She could just be trying to get into your head."

She looked at him incredulously. "She poisoned me because she thought I was prettier than her. If Circe says she's going to do something, she's going to do it. And don't act like I'm the only one. Ever since then, you've ordered every magic-user on the League to try to stop whatever she's planning." She could hardly believe he was tying to put her mind at ease. Honestly, he was the most paranoid person she'd ever met.

Bruce shrugged. "Guilty." He sighed again, taking her hand in hers. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Of course there was, but Diana knew he wouldn't like it. "Let me talk to him," she requested. Usually, she didn't need to ask his permission to do anything, but it wasn't just about her anymore. They had a child now. She just happened to be the one carrying it in her body.

"No," answered Bruce immediately.

"He sees the future!" protested Diana.

"It's too dangerous, Diana," her husband insisted. He only used her real name when he was serious. "There's a reason he's trapped in Tartarus."

"Then can you promise me our baby will be safe?" she shot back. "Because he can." That silenced him for a moment. This time, it was her turn to sigh. "Look, I don't like it either. He's a manipulative, selfish, bastard and the world would probably be better without him, but what choice do we have?"

Bruce seemed to think about this for a second before nodding. "Fine," he agreed. "For our child."

It'll be the once and only chance that monster would be allowed within ten feet of his grandchild.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Celeste's fists clenched and unclenched at her sides as she stared at the man in front of her. He hadn't changed at all, even after eight years. Her emotions were so sporadic at that moment that she was caught between hugging him, kissing him, or throwing him into the wall. She stared at him, nostrils flared and eyes narrowed dangerously.

Rex Stewart chuckled. "Well, that's quite the hello," he commented. "Though, I do believe it's proper manners to invite your guests in. Especially old friends."

She scoffed at him. "'Old friends' is not the term I would use to describe our relationship," she shot back. "What do you want, Rex?"

He held up a bottle. "Well, that would require a glass or two."

Celeste's lips formed a firm, straight line. "I don't drink," she told him.

Rex snorted. "And I'm supposed to believe that? The girl I knew could chug a bottle or two and not even get dizzy. Remember that time you outdrank that gang of bikers? I thought the leader was going to piss himself."

She closed her eyes, trying to get a handle on her emotions. Of course she remembered. She remembered all the fun they used to have back then. She also remembered how much more naïve than she had been back then. His presence was opening old wounds, old wounds she had buried a long time ago. He needed to leave and he needed to leave now. Especially before a certain curious someone decided to pop up beside her.

"Mom? What's going on?"

Shit. Too late.

"Mom?" repeated Rex, glancing behind her to get a look at her son. "You have a kid?"

Celeste took a deep breath before turning around and getting to Ryan's level. "Ryan, sweetheart, I need you to wait in the kitchen for me, okay?" She didn't dare look back at the man behind her, knowing he was putting the pieces together in his head.

"Um... okay?" her son accepted, retreating into the house. After all, she only called him by his name when she was serious.

"Hey, kid, how old are you?" asked Rex, despite her attempts to get her son away from him.

"Don't answer him," Celeste instructed, still not looking back.

He caught her by the arm. "How old is he?" he repeated in her ear, causing shivers to crawl down her back.

Ryan turned around. "I'm eight," he said confidently. "Why do you wanna know so bad?"

Rex's hand tightened slightly around her arm, though not enough to hurt her. "Princess." She ignored him. "Celeste."

She sighed, gathering the courage to face him. "What?"

To her surprise, his eyes shone with unshed tears. "Is he mine?" he demanded quietly, as to not alert the boy.

Once again, Celeste took another deep breath. "Ryan, go to your room," she ordered. Her voice softened as she added, "Please." Her son looked like the last thing he wanted to do was leave her alone with Rex, but he obeyed her wishes and retreated into his room.

"Is he mine?" repeated Rex.

She leaned forward until they were mere centimeters away. "Gee, Rex, I don't fucking know," she snapped sarcastically. "What did you think would happen when we had unprotected sex? What did you think would happen when you framed me? What the actual fuck did you think would happen when you left me in jail without so much as a simple fucking note?"

Usually, she was careful to watch her language around Ryan, but Ryan was in his room and Rex was here. Rex was here. All bets were off.

He shook his head, glaring at her. "No. No, you don't get to act like you're the fucking victim here! You hid my child from me!"

Celeste could have slapped him right then and there, but held her ground. "Don't fucking turn this around on me! You left me, framed me, and then disappeared! I didn't hide anything from you and you know it! You were gone!"

Rex scoffed at her which only served to infuriate her more. "As if a bail bondsperson couldn't have found me."

"Be careful with him, Diana," warned a tall, regal woman with long brown hair and grey eyes as she led Diana and Bruce through the newly reconstructed Tartarus. Now only Gods would be able to enter and find their way though it. It also limited the power of anyone trapped there. "He's going to try to manipulate you, don't let him. And whatever you do, don't eat or drink anything down here. Understand?"

Diana nodded. "Yes, Lady Athena."

They finally came upon a barred-off part of the Underworld. "Uncle, you have visitors," announced Athena.

A man came into view, his smirking face making Diana's hand twitch as bad memories invaded her mind. "Ah, a visit from my niece and daughter on the same day? How pleasant."

Athena rolled her eyes. "I'll leave you to him," she muttered in disdain before retreating a few feet away.

"Come closer, my dear daughter," coaxed Hades. "And take off those ridiculous cloaks, the both of you. Honestly, as if I wouldn't recognize my own blood. And wherever you go, Diana, you're husband follows."

Diana stayed where she was, but they both discarded their cloaks, knowing that it wouldn't do any good to keep them on. "I'd rather stay here. Now, we've come to ask you-"

Hades waved a dismissive hand at her. "Yes, yes, I know," he interrupted. "You want to know if Circe plans to make good on her threat and where your precious child fits into it." His smirk widened. "Whether or not my grandchild will be safe."

The Amazon wanted to snap that he wasn't nor would he ever be her father or, by extension, her child's grandfather, but bit her tongue. They needed his help and that wasn't the way to get it. "Tell us what you know," she commanded, before adding a somewhat desperate, "Please."

She saw the satisfaction creep onto Hades' face. "I never took you for one to beg, daughter. I suppose motherhood will change anyone." He chuckled deeply. "Fear not, for I can ease your minds." Mischief sparkled in his eyes. "But it comes with a price."

"No," objected Bruce firmly, pulling gently on Diana's arm. "Princess, you know what his deals are like. Remember Orpheus?"

Hades cleared his throat. "My deal with Orpheus was very specific. He didn't follow my instructions." He leaned as close to her as he could with the bars separating them. "You're not like Orpheus, Diana. You're my blood. You're smart."

Diana stood still, feet planted. "What do you want?" she grounded out.

"The name of your unborn child."

She had to admit, he was brilliant. Gods only had power over the mortal world when they knew the name of their target. If she revealed her child's name, she was practically exposing them. Not only to Hades, but to any other God he chose to tell. But what choice did she have? Not only did she have a family to protect, she was a Founding member of the Justice League; she was accountable for the safety of the entire world.

"Absolutely not-"

"Deal," Diana cut in without thinking. She felt guilty for overriding Bruce, but this was their only way. "What do you know?"

The look on Hades' face said it all; he knew he had won. "Circe has created a powerful curse," he revealed, seeming amused at her horrified expression. "And it's coming. Soon you'll all be imprisoned." He pursed his lips. "A bit like me, only worse. Much worse. This prison will be time. Time will stop and we will be trapped. We will be imprisoned in a horrible place where everything we love, everything we hold dear will be taken."

"We?" parroted the woman. "This curse will affect you and the other Gods?"

"Of course, my child." He knew she despised it when he referred to her as such. "This curse will be aimed at the Justice League, their enemies, and their powerful allies, which includes myself and the Gods of Olympus. It's not so much Circe's magic as it is the curse itself. Every one of us will suffer for all of eternity, while Circe celebrates her victory."

"There has to be a way to stop it," reasoned Diana. "All curses can be broken. There must be some way we can break it."

"Right you are, my child," Hades praised. "All curses can be broken. But not by us." He slowly reached out and touched her bump. "The child currently residing in your stomach."

Bruce shoved his hand away. "Try something like that again," he snarled. "I dare you."

Hades tutted disapprovingly before turning back to her. "Protect them," he advised. "I don't care how you do it, I don't care if it's the hardest thing you've ever had to do, just make sure their safe. They're our only hope. Make sure they're safe and on their..." He seemed to have to think for a moment before continuing, "twenty-sixth birthday, they will return. The child will find you." That god-awful smirk returned to his face. "And then, the final battle will begin."

"Enough," cut in Bruce, tugging her away. "We're leaving."

"Ah, ah, ah, daughter dearest," scolded Hades. "We made a deal, remember? I want her name. I need her name."

"There is no 'her,'" lied Bruce. "It's a boy."

"Diana," called Hades. "You know I'm right. A deal is a deal, isn't it? What Amazon doesn't honor her word? Tell me, what's the child's name?"

He was playing at her conscious and Diana knew it. Unfortunately for her, he was right. An Amazon always honored her word. She sighed, turning to face him once more. "Celeste," she answered. "The baby's name is Celeste." And with that, the couple left.

Hades grinned to himself. "Celeste," he repeated. "Excellent."

Celeste's eyes were wide as she stared at him, stumbling away from him a few inches. "Have you been stalking me?" she accused. It was the only logical explanation. How else would he know what she did for a living? How else would he know where she lived?

Rex rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Princess."

She grabbed the house phone off its charger. "Leave," she hissed. "Leave or I swear to god, I will call the cops." Though, as she threatened him, things weren't adding up in her head. If he was in fact stalking her, then how did he not know about Ryan? Of course, he could be faking it, but she knew when people were lying. She called it a "superpower" of sorts. And he wasn't lying.

He called her on it too. "Use your superpower, then. Tell me I'm lying to you."

Celeste glared at him. "Yeah, well, if there's one person who'd be able to deceive me, it'd be you."

Rex sighed, hand coming to rest on his temple. "Celeste, put down the phone."

"Or what?"

His eyes met hers. "Don't make me do something I'll regret."

She couldn't help but rise to the challenge. "Is that a threat, Rex Stewart?"

"Celeste..."

The woman pursed her lips, but put down the phone, still making sure it was within her reach if she did need to alert the authorities. "Rex, why are you here?"

Rex approached her, not stopping until they were, once again, centimeters away. "I'm here to bring you to your parents."

OoOoOo

This is the longest chapter I've ever written in my life. I actually sat here for five hours and wrote 4,000 words. It's official; I have no life. *sigh* Anyway, I'm sorry if anyone's OOC. For those of you who have watched this show, I suppose I should set up the casting so no one's confused. Well, here it is.

Celeste Shade: Emma Swan
Ryan Shade: Henry Mills(-Swan?)
Rex Stewart/Warhawk: Neal Cassidy/Baelfire (kind of, I guess)
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman: Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard
Bruce Wayne/Batman: Prince Charming/David Nolan
Circe/Cecile Mageía: The Evil Queen/Regina Mills
Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold: Hades/Mr. Exousía

Everything else, I'm still kind of figuring out. As you can see, there are very noticeable stark differences between this fic and the show. For one, Celeste is twenty-six, while Emma was twenty-eight. For another, Celeste kept Ryan whereas Emma gave up Henry. Another is that Rex came for Celeste, while Neal kind of left Emma to dry (this was why you died, Neal). The list goes on and on.

Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!