A Vicious Love

by Soloren1992

After The Evil Queen's curse is broken and the residents of Storybrooke regain their memories, a mysterious stranger from Emma's past comes to town. It is revealed that she is from The Enchanted Forest, and has a long, sordid history with Regina. Will this newcomer be of help or hindrance for Storybrooke? Mostly canon, with a few twists. Rated M for language and lesbian sex. Enjoy.

1. Chapter 1, The Stranger

(Author's Note: This story is mostly about Regina and Shae, my own character that I've created, and her adventures/encounters with some of the other characters from the show. LESBIAN SEX WILL HAPPEN. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Some of the story will be centered around things that happen in certain episodes, with Shae's own adventures thrown in. Chapter 1 is pretty long, sorry about that, but I felt that it needed to be to properly set things up. The song being sung in this chapter is Vicious Love by New Found Glory, which is also how I got the title for my story. I hope you all enjoy, and please drop a comment if you do. Thanks!)

CHAPTER 1

All was quiet as night fell over the town of Storybrooke. Queen Regina's curse had just been broken, and the newly awoken residents were still frantically searching for their friends and relatives.

Snow White and Prince Charming, along with their daughter, Sheriff Emma Swan, tried their best to keep things calm and organized, but it was proving to be a tough job. The residents of Storybrooke were frantic and desperate to find their loved ones, and since Snow and Charming were already together and with their family, it fell to them to try and help everyone else.

The pair were at Granny's, sharing a drink together after a long and tiring day of work. Since most of the town was spending time with their newly found families, Granny's was unusually empty for this time of night. Snow and David sat alone at the bar, with Ruby, aka Red, on the other side, and Granny herself in the back, tending to the dishes.

The calm of the evening was suddenly broken when the door to Granny's diner burst open, and Grumpy the dwarf bustled in, looking troubled.

"Grumpy? Are you alright?" Snow asked in concern, sliding off her bar stool.

"Someone's… Coming… Not… Sure…" Grumpy wheezed, his chest heaving with exertion.

"Calm down, Grumpy. Take a breath." David said, placing a hand on the dwarf's shoulder.

Grumpy nodded, taking several deep, soothing breaths. Once he had calmed himself, he was finally able to articulate properly.

"Someone's coming, someone new." He said gravely.

"You mean…" Ruby began slowly.

"Yeah, someone from the outside." Grumpy finished for her.

David, Snow, and Ruby all exchanged a worried glance. This was not the time for a stranger to be coming to Storybrooke.

"Are you sure?" Asked Snow.

Grumpy nodded. "I was in the woods near the sign. I saw him drive in in one of those old VW Busses, from the outside."

"That's not good." Ruby mumbled.

"You're damn right it's not good!" Growled Grumpy. "What are we gonna do?"

Nobody had time to come up with any solutions. The roar of an engine sounded from outside the diner, and they all watched as, just as Grumpy said, a turquoise VW Bus drove up and parked in the street outside of Granny's. A stranger dressed all in black stepped out of the car, ruffled his hair, and began to make his way up the sidewalk toward the diner.

"What do we do?" Grumpy asked again, a note of panic in his voice.

"Just stay calm, alright? We can deal with this." Said the Prince.

The door to Granny's diner once again opened, and the stranger they were all waiting for finally made his entrance. Upon closer inspection, this stranger was not a man at all, but a woman, dressed in men's clothes. She was garbed head to toe in black; jeans, combat boots, an AC/DC band t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. She was quite tall, strikingly thin, and her messy and wavy hair was also jet black, with streaks of bright red in it. She had several piercings; one in her lip, one in her eyebrow, and the rest in her ears. Her most striking features were positively her complexion and her eyes. Her skin was a pale gray, like stone, and her eyes were a shade of deep red, red like blood. She also had three long, deep scars running diagonally across her face. Above all, they all got the feeling that there was something very familiar about this woman.

"Shae?" Snow said after a long silence.

The stranger eyed Snow suspiciously for a moment. "Snow?" She finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Is that really you?"

Snow nodded, and the strange woman named Shae smiled widely. "Oh, thank god!" She exclaimed.

Shae crossed the room with several long strides and threw her arms around Snow White. Snow laughed, embracing the young woman tightly.

"Oh my god, finally!" Shae said, gripping Snow by her shoulders. "It's you, it's actually you!"

"Yes! It's me, it's us!"

Shae glanced around at the others, and her smile grew. "Ah! Prince Charming!"

"It's good to see you, Shae." David said, shaking Shae's hand.

"And Frumpy the dwarf!" Exclaimed Shae, clapping the dwarf on the shoulder.

"It's Grumpy." Growled Grumpy.

"Right, yeah, that was it." Shae said with a laugh. She then turned to Ruby, and her face fell. "Ah… Hello, Red."

Ruby fixed Shae with an icy stare for a long, tense moment, but then she smiled. "Oh, come here you!"

"Oh! Uh, ok." Shae stammered awkwardly as Ruby also embraced her.

"Shae, my god, it's so good to see you." Snow said, taking Shae's hand in both of hers. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Well, uh, that's kinda… Complicated." Shae replied slowly.

Snow opened her mouth to speak more, but didn't get the chance. The bell over the diner's door tinkled and they all whirled around. It was Emma, with Henry close behind her.

There was a long moment of silence where nobody spoke a word, and Emma stared wide eyed at Shae.

"Emma?" Shae asked, breaking the silence.

"Shae?" Said Emma, looking inexplicably furious. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

"Wait a minute, you two know each other?" Asked Snow, very confused.

"Um, yeah, she's an old…" Emma hesitated for a moment, as if searching for the right word. "Uh, she's an old friend, from Boston."

Emma then noticed Snow White's hand in Shae's, and her expression shifted from anger to shock.

"Do you guys know each other?" She asked, her eyes wide as saucers.

"Well, yes, she's um… Well…" Snow stammered.

"An old friend?" Offered Grumpy with a shrug.

"Hey, I know you!" Henry suddenly exclaimed. "You're Shaeogora. You're a vampire!"

A hushed silence fell over the diner, and everyone glanced around at each other nervously.

"Uh, yeah…" Shae said slowly. "Who's the kid?"

"This is Henry, my son." Emma answered, still looking a bit floored.

"The one you gave up? So you found him!" Shae said excitedly.

"Well, technically he found me."

"Yep! And I brought her to Storybrooke and she broke the curse, just like the prophecy said." Henry said triumphantly.

It was Shae's turn to look shocked now. She stared wide eyed from Henry, to Emma, then to Snow and Charming.

"Oh… Oh my god." She stammered. "She's… You're… You're THAT Emma. Your daughter."

Snow and Charming both nodded. Shae ran shaky hands through her hair, her red eyes still wide with shock.

"H-Hold on, so, you're from The Enchanted Forest? And you're a vampire?" Asked Emma.

Shae glanced around at the others nervously, then turned back to Emma. "Surprise?" She said, giving a shrug.

"Wow, this is just… This is a lot to take in." Emma stammered, rubbing her forehead.

"Why don't we all sit down?" Snow suggested. "Ruby, can we get some coffee please?"

Ruby nodded and went back behind the counter while the others chose a table and all sat down. "So you said you met Shae in Boston, right?" Snow asked her daughter.

When Emma nodded, Snow shook her head in disbelief. "How is that possible? None of us could leave Storybrooke."

"Were you not affected by the curse?" Grumpy asked Shae.

"No, I wasn't." Shae replied, causing more shocked looks from the others. "I mean, I was brought to Storybrooke just like everyone else, but when I realized I still had my memories, I left. I couldn't risk Regina finding out, and finding me."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

There was a sudden silence as everyone exchanged a worried glance. When nobody spoke, Henry was the one to explain. "Shae used to work for The Evil Queen."

Emma's jaw dropped open. "What?" She exclaimed.

"How did you know that?" Shae asked Henry.

"You're in the book!" Henry said excitedly.

"Book? What book?" Shae asked as Henry opened up his backpack.

"It's a book of stories, our stories." Charming explained.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously!" Henry agreed as he plopped the book on the table.

They all waited patiently as Henry flipped through page after page. Finally, he found the one he was looking for.

"'Shaeogora, The Queen's Protector.'" Emma read outloud.

"Not a bad likeness." Shae said, pointing to the drawing of herself clad in black, medieval style leather armor, and a long, black overcoat. "So this book tells all of our stories? The real ones?"

"Yep!" Henry answered.

Shae's brow furrowed as she looked down on the book. She noticed Emma leaning in closer, and promptly slammed the book shut.

"Hey! I was trying to read that!" Complained Emma.

"Yeah, well, It's not exactly a pleasant story." Shae said with a grimace. "I'd rather not relive it if that's alright."

"She's right. Her story sucks." Henry agreed.

"Wow, thanks kid." Shae replied sarcastically.

"Sorry… There's just no happy ending." Henry apologised. "I mean, the middle was kinda happy when you were in love with the-"

"Hey! So, what have you guys been up to?" Shae suddenly cut in. "I mean, it has been twenty-eight years."

"We've been cursed, duh." Grumpy growled.

"I think we're all more curious to know what you've been up to." Snow said. "Why have you come back now? Oh, do you need a place to sleep?"

"Uh, well, with the whole vampire thing I don't really sleep." Shae explained. "And I've got my bus, so I'm good."

"Hang on, you slept at my place all the time when we were together." Emma said, then stopped short, her eyes wide. "Oh, uh, oops."

"Together?" Snow asked, her eyes flashing with anger. "As in-"

"We uh, dated for a little while." Emma admitted, muttering the words rather quickly.

"You dated a vampire?" Henry asked.

"Well, I didn't know she was a vampire at the time!" Emma cried.

"How long were the two of you together?" Asked David, looking just about as angry as his wife was.

"Uh, I dunno, about a year." Shae said with a shrug.

"A year?" Snow exclaimed, furiously getting to her feet. "Oh my god… You slept with my daughter!"

Shae get out of her chair and backed away as the furious Snow White advanced on her, hands balled into fists.

"Look, Snow, I didn't know!" Shae attempted to explain.

Snow was having none of it. She continued to bear down on Shae like an angry mother bear. Just as Shae's back hit the wall, Ruby and Granny returned with the coffee.

"Sorry that took so long, Granny already dumped all the coffee, had to brew a fresh pot." Ruby was explaining.

The sound of glass shattering made them all jump. The pot of fresh coffee had slipped out of Granny's hand.

"You." She snarled, staring daggers at Shae.

"Granny." Shae muttered with a nod.

Granny ducked behind the counter for a moment. When she reappeared, she was holding a crossbow, the arrow pointed straight at Shae.

"Granny, no!" Ruby shouted.

"That thing is NOT welcome in my diner!" Granny roared furiously.

Granny pulled the trigger, and the arrow flew toward its mark, straight into Shae's shoulder, pinning her to the wall.

Shae howled in pain. Emma leapt to her feet and ran over to Shae, as Ruby wrestled the crossbow out of her Granny's hands.

"Oh my god! Shae, are you ok?" Emma exclaimed.

"No, I'm not fucking ok!" Shae growled through gritted teeth.

Emma took a step back as the skin around the arrow in Shae's shoulder started to sizzle, emitting wisps of black smoke.

"What the hell?" Emma exclaimed. "What is going on?"

"It's a silver arrow." Ruby explained as she marched over to Shae.

"Silver?" Asked Emma.

"Vampires are weak against silver." Henry explained, looking worried. "Werewolves are too. It's like poison to them."

"Oh my god! Should we take her to the hospital?" Asked Emma in a panic.

"No, she'll be fine." Ruby said, grasping the shaft of the arrow. "Ready?"

Shae nodded, clenching her jaw. Ruby then ripped the arrow from the wall, and Shae's shoulder. Shae grunted and groaned, leaning forward and clutching her wound. She glanced up at Granny, her eyes filled with rage.

"What the hell is wrong with you, lady?" She snarled. "Silver arrows? Those are dangerous for Red too, you know."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I keep them around, in case the wolf gets out of hand." Granny replied with a sneer. "Or if YOU decided to show your face again."

"What is your problem? Are you really still holding a grudge after all this time?" Shae spat furiously.

"Is this all because she used to work for Regina?" Asked Emma.

"She didn't just work with her-" Granny began.

"Don't you dare!" Shae shouted, rushing toward the old woman.

"She was her lover!"

A deafening silence fell over the diner. Shae stood rooted in her spot, her clenched fists shaking slightly.

"What?" Emma whispered.

Shae turned around slowly, staring down at her feet. Emma stomped over to her, stopping right in front of her, her face barely a few inches from Shae's.

"Tell me that's not true." Emma demanded in a furious whisper. "Tell me that Granny is full of shit."

Shae didn't respond, continuing to stare down at her feet, avoiding Emma's gaze. Emma grabbed the front of her jacket, pulling Shae in closer, their faces almost touching.

"Look at me!" Emma shouted. "Say it's not true!"

Shae finally turned her gaze up, meeting Emma's eye. "It's true." She whispered, with a tone of immense sadness.

Emma immediately let go of Shae, shoving her away, as if she was thoroughly repulsed by even touching her.

"Oh my god… I-I can't believe this…" Emma stammered.

"Emma, listen, I know this is a lot, but that was a long time ago." Snow said gently. "In the end, Shae ended up betraying Regina and helping us."

"Oh sure, but does that really make up for all the times that she followed The Queen's every order like the pet she was?" Granny protested hotly. "All the times she tried to kill you?"

"You tried to kill my mother?" Emma asked Shae.

"Well, technically I tried to kidnap her so Regina could kill her." Shae replied. "But the important thing is that I never succeeded, right?"

"Wrong." Emma snarled.

"Look, I didn't come back here to be reminded of all my mistakes, alright?" Shae said bitterly. "Regina has something of mine, and I was going to ask for your help to get it back, but it's obvious that I'm not going to get it. So, if you'll excuse me."

Shae pushed past Emma and stomped toward the door, but was stopped when Snow grabbed onto her arm.

"Shae, wait, please!" Snow pleaded. "This all got out of hand really fast. Let's all just calm down, and talk about this."

"Absolutely not!" Granny protested. "Get that THING out of my diner."

"Will you stop calling me a thing? I'm a fucking person!" Shae shouted.

"No you're not, you're a monster!" Granny shouted back.

"So are we, Granny!" Said Ruby. "We're werewolves! Well, at least I am, and you were. You can't judge her just for being a vampire."

"That's not what makes her a monster." Granny replied darkly. "It's all the times she climbed into bed with The Evil Queen."

"SHUT UP." Shae screamed, her eyes filled with rage.

"Enough! Everyone just calm down." Charming shouted.

"I am calm." Shae said in an even voice. "I'm also leaving. I'll deal with Regina myself if I have to."

Shae then stomped over to the door and shoved it open furiously. Snow, David, Emma, and Henry all hurried after her into the night.

"Shae! Shae, wait!" Snow called out, quickly grabbing Shae's arm.

Shae stopped and turned to face her. "What, Snow? What?" She snarled, fixing Snow with an icy glace. "Look, it's obvious I'm not wanted here. I'll just go get what I came for and be out of your hair."

"You can't! If you go up against Regina alone she'll kill you!" Cried Henry.

"I'm a vampire, kid. I'm already dead." Shae replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, but there are ways to, you know, actually kill you." Henry said. "And she knows all of them. Please, you can't go alone."

"Henry's right." Agreed Snow. "We need to get you off the street. If she sees you she'll kill you on sight."

Shae hesitated for a minute, chewing on her lip ring nervously. She looked down at Henry, who was watching her anxiously. She then sighed, giving them a nod.

"Fine, let's go." Shae said.

Snow White led the group to her and Emma's apartment. Once inside, they all sat together, and Snow made them all some hot chocolate.

"You don't like hot chocolate?" Henry asked when Shae refused her cup.

"Well, you see, as a vampire, I have heightened senses, taste included." Shae explained. "Hot chocolate has too much… Stuff in it, and I can taste all of it. I prefer simpler things."

"You said you were a vegan." Said Emma.

"I also said I was an albino. Humans in this world are super gullible." Shae responded

with a shrug. "Did you seriously never notice that I didn't have a heartbeat?"

"Well, I mean, I just… Ugh, nevermind." Emma stammered, heaving a heavy sigh. "So, I'm gonna try and not think about the whole you slept with Regina thing."

"That's a good idea. I try not to think about it too." Shae said with a weak smile.

"So, what exactly did you do to make her hate you so much?" Emma asked.

"Well, like I said, Shae betrayed Regina to help us." Replied Snow, smiling fondly at Shae. "She saved us. Or rather, she made it possible for YOU to save us."

Emma looked at Shae with wide eyes. "Seriously?"

"Yes." David confirmed. "If it wasn't for Shae, I would have never made it to the wardrobe with you. Regina would have cut me down herself."

XXXXX

Shae stood on the balcony of Snow White and Prince Charming's castle, watching the rolling black clouds moving ever toward the castle. It wouldn't be long now before they were all consumed by The Queen's evil curse. She glanced down at the battlements, watching as The Queen's soldiers stormed the castle. She wasn't worried about them, Snow and Charming had enough soldiers of their own to keep them at bay. She was waiting for Regina herself to appear. Shae was certain she would come, come for her, and her heart.

Shae dug her nails into the balcony, trying to swallow the hard lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. It was Regina, she had finally appeared. Shae watched for a few moments, staring down at the woman she loved, storming through the castle gates, somehow stunningly beautiful, but hauntingly evil.

Shae pushed away from the railing, whirling around and sprinting off down the hallway. She kept a normal pace, wanting to save her strength for the battle that she was sure was about to come.

As Shae rounded a corner, she ran smack into the Prince. Shae stepped back, and was startled to see that Charming was carrying a baby.

"W-What are you doing?" Shae asked, trying to quell the fear bubbling up inside her. "She's here, Regina's here! T-The curse is almost upon us, we're… We're out of time."

"I know, I'm taking the baby to the wardrobe." Charming replied with a solemn nod. "She's our only hope."

Shae swallowed hard, then nodded. "Right, ok. I'll go with you. Stay behind me, and keep that baby safe. Regina's soldiers are already in the castle."

The Prince nodded, and he and Shae set off toward the nursery, where the magical wardrobe was kept. As they made their way quickly down the long hallway, Shae's mind spun wildly. It was all happening, it was all over. All she could do now was do everything in her power to ensure that Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter made it safely away from the curse.

Shae and Charming stopped in their tracks when they heard the sound of footsteps and shouting from behind them, and watched as several of the Queen's soldiers rounded the corner at the end of the hall.

"Here! Your Majesty, here, they're here!" One of the soldiers shouted.

"Shit! She's here already." Shae breathed.

"Now what?" Charming asked her, fear in his eyes.

Shae thought for a moment, tapping her fingers against her leg nervously. She then turned to Charming, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Go, I'll hold her off." Shae told him sternly.

"She'll kill you!"

"Yes, well, I think we all saw that coming, didn't we?" Shae said with a sad grimace. "Just don't let it be in vain, alright? Get your baby to that damn wardrobe."

Shae drew in a sharp breath when her extra sensitive hearing picked up footsteps, footsteps that were all too familiar.

"She's coming. Go, NOW." Shae shouted at the Prince.

Charming grasped Shae's hand, squeezing it tightly. "Thank you." He whispered.

He turned away, drew his sword, and sped off down the hallway. Shae watched him go for a moment, but then turned around to face her inevitable fate.

Shae balled her hands into fists and clenched her jaw tight as Regina rounded the corner, more soldiers following behind her. When The Queen spotted her, she stopped where she stood, a wicked sneer spread across her face.

"Hello, Regina." Said Shae with a fierce scowl.

"Well, well, well… Shae. Who would have thought you would be the one standing in the way of me and my revenge." Regina replied, still sneering at Shae.

"You've got your revenge." Shae snarled. "Your curse is coming, we're all doomed. Go back to your castle and leave Snow White and Prince Charming's baby alone, she's done nothing to you."

"Not yet, maybe, but she will." Regina replied, her sneer falling into an angry grimace. "That wretched little girl is going to be my undoing, and I can't let that happen."

"And I can't let you kill her."

"Kill her?" Regina cried, seemingly offended. "Oh, Shae, do you really think I would kill an innocent little girl?"

"You tried to rip out the heart of someone who loved you."

Regina opened her mouth to retort, but closed it again, glaring at Shae, her eyes full of malice. "Correction, someone who I thought loved me."

"I do love-" Shae began shouting, but stopped short, her throat suddenly very dry. She ran her hands through her jet black hair, trying to quell the pain that she felt deep in her heart.

"All this talking is pointless." Shae growled.

"I quite agree." Replied Regina. "Men, kill this creature, and make it quick."

Regina's soldiers all began to advance towards Shae, swords at the ready.

"Come now, gents, you know me, you know what I am." Shae pleaded with the soldiers. "This will only go poorly for you."

The soldiers didn't hesitate for a second, advancing slowly forward still. Regina let out a wicked laugh.

"You no longer have any power here, Shae." She sneered. "And I made sure all my men were armed with silver swords."

"Yes, well, they won't be for much longer."

Shae closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were glowing a bright, neon red. She outstretched her open palm, then clenched it into a fist, using her powers to rip the soldier's weapons from their hands. The swords hung in mid air for a moment, until Shae shoved her hand forward, and the swords buried themselves in the hearts of their owners.

When all her men fell lifeless to the ground, Regina laughed once again in the dark and evil way that she often did.

"Well, well, I didn't think you would waste your precious energy on them." Regina said with a chuckle.

"I've got plenty left to keep you at bay." Shae snarled.

"We shall see."

Regina sent a stream of fire barrelling toward Shae, but the vampire reacted swiftly. She used her power to split the stream, the flames shooting past her on both sides. Regina then summoned a ball of dark energy into her hand and hurled it at Shae. Shae dodged the energy ball, then used her power of inhuman speed to rush at Regina.

Somehow, Regina was even faster. Just before Shae was upon her, she sent her flying backward with a telekinetic blast. Shae grunted as she hit the wall, then fell to the floor. She propped herself up on her elbow, glaring at Regina.

"Not doing so well, are we?" Regina called out with a cocky smirk.

Shae let out a roar of rage, and once again charged at top speed at Regina. This time, Regina was not fast enough. Shae grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. She held her there for several long moments, staring into her eyes, searching for something, anything there that might tell her that there was some small shred left of the woman that she had fallen in love with.

Regina lips curled up into a grin, and she choked out a laugh. "You can't kill me, can you? You don't have it in you."

Shae glanced away from Regina, squeezing her eyes shut as a tear rolled down her face. There was nothing left, Regina was truly lost. She let go of The Queen's throat and took a few steps back.

"No, I don't, I can't." Shae whispered miserably. "Even after you tried to rip it out of my chest, my heart still belongs to you, Regina."

As Regina stared at Shae, her gaze suddenly softened. She stepped up to Shae, placing her hand gently on her cheek. Shae let out a gasp at her touch, and drew her in close, kissing her deeply. Regina smiled against her lips, kissing her back, wrapping her arms around Shae's neck and gripping a fistful of her hair.

They remained locked in their embrace for several long, passionate moments. When they broke apart, Regina placed her hands on either side of Shae's cold, pale face.

"Oh, Shae…" Regina whispered, smiling up at her and gently stroking her cheek. "My mother was right."

"What?" Shae asked, looking quite confused.

Regina's face fell, her smile twisting into a dark and dangerous grin. "Love is weakness."

Shae was sent flying back through the hallway, and she let out a cry as she was pinned to the wall, cracks forming in the stone from the impact. Regina kept one arm outstretched at Shae, keeping her pinned to the wall, and slowly raised the other. Several swords from her fallen soldiers rose into the air, their tips pointing straight at Shae.

"No… NO!" Shae screamed.

Regina sent the swords shooting at Shae, and every single one of them buried themselves into her body, straight through into the wall.

Shae screamed, her wounds burning and smoking. Shae continued to groan with pain as Regina slowly sauntered over to her, laughing all the while.

"So, what now, Your Majesty?" Shae asked through gritted teeth. "Will you leave me here and let the silver poisoning take me?"

"Oh no, my dear, the curse will take you long before you die." Regina replied with grin.

"So you'll kill me in this new world then, eh?"

Regina let out a laugh. "No, no, no, I'm not going to kill you. No, I have something far worse than death planned for you."

Shae coughed painfully, the veins in her neck starting to turn black, the silver poisoning spreading rapidly. "And what is that exactly?" She asked, letting out another cough. "I won't remember, right? So what's the harm in telling me now?"

"I'm actually not sure what's in store for you yet." Regina admitted with a small shrug. "But I'm sure I'll come up with something. I'll have plenty of time, after all."

With that, Regina swept off, down the hallway in the direction of Prince Charming and his daughter. Shae started to laugh. After everything that's happened, after all she had been through, this was how it was going to end. She was doomed to whatever cruel, and evil fate Regina had in store for her.

XXXXX

Emma stared down into her mug of cocoa, her head spinning. "Wow… Well, I guess I should thank you." She said to Shae.

"Eh, it was nothing." Shae said with a shrug.

"No, it was definitely something." Snow insisted. "Not many betray The Evil Queen and

live to tell the tale."

"So what did she do to you to make you betray her like that?" Asked Emma.

Shae didn't respond right away. She stared silently down at her feet, chewing on her thumbnail nervously.

"That's a long story." She finally said. "And I'm sure you can read all about it in the kid's book if you want."

"I'd rather hear it from you." Emma said. "I think you at least owe me that."

Shae opened her mouth to speak, but shut it again, and everyone else exchanged a curious glance. They collectively decided to stay silent. This seemed to be something between Shae and Emma alone.

"Did you love her?" Emma asked quietly.

Shae glanced down at the floor, rubbing her chin. "Yeah, I did." She answered in another immensely sad tone.

Emma snorted, rolling her eyes irritably. "Of course you did."

"I'm sorry, what exactly is going on here?" Asked David, looking puzzled.

"When we were… Together, I told Shae that I loved her, and she didn't say it back." Emma explained, giving Shae a furious and accusing look. "Then she just up and disappeared, like the entire year we spent together meant nothing."

"Technically your exact words were, 'I think I'm falling in love with you.' Big difference there." Shae replied.

"Shae couldn't love you back, she doesn't have a heart!" Henry cut in before Emma could retort.

"Henry, that's not nice." Emma scolded her son.

"No, I mean literally. The Evil Queen stole it. Look!" Henry said, pulling out his book again.

He opened his book and once again started flipping through the pages. When he finally found the one he was looking for, he turned the book around for them all to see. On the left side page, there was a drawing of what was clearly Shae being held by her throat against a stone wall by The Evil Queen. In The Queen's other hand, was a glowing red heart.

"What?" Exclaimed Emma.

"It's true." Snow confirmed sadly. "I was there, I saw it happen."

XXXXX

Snow White sat sobbing on the floor of her daughter's nursery, holding her husband in her arms as blood slowly dripped onto the floor from his wound. The Evil Queen stood before her, a triumphant grin spread across her face. She had won. Her curse was almost here, and Prince Charming lie nearly dead before her. She had just finished gloating, rubbing salt into Snow White's wound one last time before she was taken by the curse.

Regina whirled around when she heard shuffling from behind her, and her grin turned into a snarl. Shae was leaning heavily in the doorway, barely able to stand on her own two feet. Her body was covered in various gaping stab wounds, and her complexion no longer a pale gray, but a sickly green. Her cheeks and eye sockets were sallow and sunken, like a corpse, and the veins in her neck, face, and arms were bulging and black.

"Well, well, looks like you managed to free yourself." Sneered Regina. "Not looking so good, are we?"

Shae ignored Regina, turning her blood red eyes onto Snow White, and then the wardrobe. "The baby?" She managed to choke out.

Snow White smiled through her tears. "Gone, and safe."

Shae breathed a sigh of relief. When she glanced at Regina, she started to laugh. It started as a low chuckle, then grew and grew into a racious, maniacal cackle.

"What, pray tell, is so funny?" Regina shouted over Shae's laughter.

"You've lost!" Shae replied, still shaking with laughter.

"I've lost? My curse is cast, and there's no way to stop it." Regina snarled.

"Aye, you may have won this battle, but we'll win the war." Shae snickered. "The baby is safe, and she'll be our savior, you said so yourself."

Regina clenched her fists, glaring furiously at Shae, who continued to laugh at her.

"She'll come for us, one day!" Shae went on, a triumphant smile on her face. "She'll come for us and break your curse, and there's nothing you can do to stop her!"

The Queen let out a roar of rage, grabbing Shae by the throat and slamming her against the wall. Shae cried out, gripping Regina's arm weakly, the silver poisoning riddling her body with pain.

"Stop it, Regina! Just leave her alone, you've won!" Snow pleaded desperately.

Regina glared furiously at Snow White, then back at Shae, who was still smiling mockingly at her. Regina continued to glare at Shae for a moment, but then she leaned in, placing a kiss roughly on Shae's lips.

Shae gasped as she felt a sharp, white hot pain in her chest. Regina pulled her face away, and Shae glanced down just in time to see Regina tearing her heart right out of her own chest.

"Shae!" Snow cried out, more tears streaming down her face.

Shae looked back up at Regina, her eyes filled with fear and shock. It was Regina's turn to laugh now.

"No… W-Why?" Shae choked out as she slid down the wall and to the floor.

Regina knelt in front of her, holding up Shae's glowing heart. "I'm only taking what's mine." She replied innocently. "You said yourself that it belongs to me, remember?"

The Queen glanced at the heart in her hand, then looked back at Shae with surprise. "Well would you look at that? Not quite as black as it used to be."

Shae's heart was mostly clouded over with blackness, but right in the center, was a small circle of bright red.

Regina suddenly grabbed Shae by the front of her shirt, drawing her in close. "I think I've finally decided what to do with you in my new world." Regina whispered darkly. "I will use your heart to make you my puppet, and you know what the best part is?"

Shae didn't respond. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears rolled down her face. Regina tugged on her shirt, pulling her even closer, their lips almost touching.

"You will never love again."

Regina shoved Shae back against the wall. She stood, took one last look at Snow White and Prince Charming, and disappeared in a column of purple smoke.

Shae sat forward with a painful groan, trying to ignore the gaping emptiness that had formed inside her. She dragged herself over to Snow, still holding Prince Charming in her arms. Shae hung her head, more tears rolling down her face.

"Shae… What's going to happen to us?" Snow asked desperately.

"I-I don't know." Shae answered miserably.

"Charming, is he going to be ok?"

"I don't know, Snow. I'm sorry."

Snow glanced up suddenly and let out a gasp, staring behind Shae's head. Shae turned her body around, and saw a wall of black smoke rushing into the room. Snow grabbed Shae's hand as she turned back around.

"Thank you." Snow breathed.

Shae nodded, squeezing Snow's hand tightly. Snow White and The Prince were lost from her sight as they were consumed by the smoke. Shae opened her mouth to cry out to them, but then, everything went black.

XXXXX

Emma stared down at Henry's book in total shock. She then glanced over at Shae, who was sitting in her chair arms folded, her eyes a million miles away.

"When she took my heart, Regina told me I'd never love anyone ever again." Shae said quietly. "And she was right. I wanted to love you, Emma, but-"

"You couldn't, because you don't have a heart." Emma finished for her.

Shae nodded sadly. "Exactly. I've broken a lot hearts over the last twenty eight years because of my missing one."

"That's why you've come back, isn't it?" Snow asked. "To get your heart back."

Shae nodded silently. "But you said you need our help." David said. "Why? Do you not have your powers?"

"Powers? You have powers?" Emma asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well, yeah." Shae replied simply. "Being a vampire doesn't just give you red eyes and a bad complexion."

"What kind of powers do you have?" Pressed Emma.

"Telekinesis, super speed, super strength, teleportation, impervious to damage, except for silver and fire, and immortality." Henry listed off proudly.

"You forgot the whole, 'look into my eyes and be charmed into doing my bidding,' thing." Shae told him.

"Oh yeah!" Said Henry.

"Please tell me you're joking about that last one." Emma said, looking concerned.

"Only a little." Shae admitted. "I CAN do that, but it only works on lesser beings. It wouldn't work on you, or anyone in this room, really."

"Well, that's good to know, I guess." Muttered Emma.

"So, uh, anyway, I do still have my powers." Shae continued. "But… Magic is a lot different here. They're weaker. I can only teleport like… Once, then I'm totally drained."

"Drained?" Asked Emma.

"Yeah. Vampire powers are directly connected with our body's energy, and the blood we need to stay alive." Shae explained. "The more powers I use, the more energy I drain, and the weaker I get. And the weaker I get, the more blood I need."

"Magic always comes with a price…" Emma muttered.

"Exactly." Shae agreed. "And some of my powers take more energy than others. Moving stuff around with a wave of my hand is pretty easy, but teleporting, that's a lot harder, especially the farther away I have to go. But here, in this world, even levitating a book across the room takes a lot. I'm not nearly as powerful as I was back home."

"So that's why you need our help, in case you have to fight Regina." Said Snow.

"Exactly, and Henry's right, I won't survive against her on my own." Shae replied glumly.

"Well, we already know that Regina's powers are pretty weak too." David said. "We need to find the heart fast before she figures out a way to make herself stronger."

"But I don't have any idea where she put it." Shae replied.

Emma suddenly grabbed on to Shae's arm. "I think I do!"

"Really?" Asked Snow.

"Yeah! Graham went looking for his heart in Regina's father's mausoleum just before he died." Emma explained excitedly.

"Who's Graham?" Shae asked.

"An old friend." Snow answered sadly.

"He was The Huntsman." Henry told Shae.

"The Huntsman…" Shae murmured. "Hey, I knew him! He was at Regina's castle back home. He warned me never to betray The Queen, or she'd steal my heart. I probably should have listened to the guy."

Emma suddenly leapt to her feet. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get your heart."

"What? Now?" Shae asked, surprised.

"Yes, now! It's our best shot." Emma replied impatiently.

"She's right." Agreed Snow. "Regina's magic is weak, and she's probably asleep by now anyway."

"Exactly! Now come on, we'd better hurry." Emma insisted.

"I'll go with you!" Snow said. "Henry, you stay here with David, ok?"

Henry nodded and Emma, Snow, and Shae all raced out of the apartment and down to Emma's car.

XX

A little while later, they had finally arrived at the Storybrooke cemetery. Emma led the way with a flashlight, Snow and Shae following along behind her. Emma finally stopped, pointing at the mausoleum.

"It's this one." Emma told them.

They hurried up to the doors and Emma pushed one open. Once inside, they found nothing but a stone casket that read, 'Henry Mills, beloved father.'

"It's here, it's definitely here, I can feel it." Shae breathed.

"Yeah, but where? There's nothing in here." Snow replied.

"Graham said he thought there was something underneath the mausoleum, but we never found anything." Emma said.

"There's gotta be some kind of switch, or a lever, or something." Shae insisted.

They all looked in silence for what seemed like an eternity, running their hands over all the surfaces, and picking up the objects that were stored on the shelves. They all froze when they heard a voice from outside.

"Hello? Who's in there?"

The three women stared at each other, eyes wide as saucers. "It's Regina!" Snow said in a panicked whisper.

"Shit! How'd she get here so fast?" Emma swore.

"I know you're in there, come out!" Regina called out again.

"Stay here, we'll handle this." Emma whispered to Shae.

Shae nodded, and Emma and Snow stepped out of the mausoleum, stopping right in front of the door. Regina was standing just outside with a flashlight, looking quite irritated.

"Well, well, Snow White and Miss Swan." Regina said bitterly. "May I ask what exactly you're doing in my father's mausoleum?"

Emma exchanged a glance with her mother, who gave her a small shrug. "I, uh, got a call that someone was trying to break in." Emma replied, a little uncertainly.

"I see, and you decided to bring your mother with you for, what, backup?" Regina asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"That's right." Emma replied.

"Well may I go inside? I need to check and see if they took anything."

"No!" Snow blurted out. "I-I mean, we already searched it, nothing's missing. You should just go home."

"There's someone else in there, isn't there?" Regina demanded, eyeing Emma and Snow suspiciously.

"What? No, of course not." Emma replied.

"Fine, then let me in." Regina demanded again.

"Um, uh, well…" Stammered Emma.

"You see, um…" Stammered her mother.

"It's alright, you guys."

Emma and Snow both jumped when they felt hands on their shoulders. Shae pushed them apart and stepped past them, stopping in front of them to face Regina.

"Hello, Regina." Shae said. "I'm loving the power pantsuit, it's a good look for you."

Regina stood rooted in her spot, silently gaping at Shae. Her look of shock then twisted into an enraged snarl.

"You."

Emma and Snow both cried out in alarm as Regina sent a jet stream of flames at Shae. Shae raised her arms, using her powers to stop the flames in their tracks.

"Get back!" She shouted at them, her eyes glowing bright red.

Emma and Snow retreated back inside the mausoleum, watching from the doorway as a furious Regina continued to shoot flames at Shae, which Shae continued to block. Regina eventually stopped, her chest heaving with rage.

"I see you still have your powers." She snarled.

"That's right, my memories too, I've had them all along." Shae replied with a smirk. "Your little curse didn't work on me."

"How is that possible?" Regina asked, her body shaking with rage.

"Just another perk of being undead, I guess." Shae replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Regina howled with rage, launching a fireball. Shae dodged it this time, and Emma and Snow leapt back as the fireball crashed into the doors of the mausoleum. Faster than anyone could blink, Shae rushed at Regina, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her into the air.

"WHERE IS IT?" Shae roared.

"What?" Rasped Regina.

"My heart, where is it?" Shae asked again, dropping her voice to a low growl.

Regina choked out a laugh. "I'll never tell you."

She let out a strangled cry as Shae squeezed harder on her throat. Regina then placed her hand on Shae's chest and, before the vampire could react, her hand burst into flame.

Shae screamed, letting go of Regina, who crashed to the ground. Shae stumbled backward and fell to the ground, clutching her chest and howling with pain.

Regina got to her feet, and stood over Shae with a wicked smile, another fireball in her hand. "I'm glad you came back, Shae. Now I get to watch you die."

"No! Regina, stop!"

Emma drew her gun and pointed it at Regina, slowly walking towards her. "Back away from her, Regina."

Regina laughed. "Or what? You'll shoot me?" She asked. "I don't think you have it in you, Miss Swan."

"Oh yeah? Try me." Emma replied.

Regina hesitated for a few moments, glancing from Emma to Shae, who was still groaning on the ground, clutching her burnt chest. She then extinguished the fireball, and stomped off without another word.

Emma kept her gun pointed at Regina's back, as Snow ran out of the mausoleum toward Shae and knelt down beside her.

"Oh my god! Shae, are you ok?" Snow asked concernedly.

Shae sat up with a grimace. "I've had worse." She said through gritted teeth.

"I thought you guys were weak." Emma breathed, holstering her gun and kneeling down at Shae's other side.

"Yeah, well, magic is tied your emotions." Shae explained with another painful grimace. "Regina's was rage, and mine was, well, mine was pretty much the same, with a little fear thrown in."

Emma glanced over her shoulder, just to make sure Regina was actually gone, then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wow, she really hates your guts." Emma said with a small laugh. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"Ever heard the saying, 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?'" Shae asked. "Well, I scorned her, I scorned her bad."

XXXXX

Shae crept silently down the long tunnel into the dark and damp mines. When The Queen's curse had failed, she told Shae that she needed to pay a visit to her old tutor and creator of the curse, Rumplestiltskin.

As The Queen's sworn protector, Shae had insisted that she come along, but Regina adamantly refused.

"He doesn't know you." She had said. "And once he does, once he knows your name, he has power over you. No, it's best if you stay here, far away from him."

Shae couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was something off, something wrong. So she decided to secretly follow her Queen down into the mines, where The Dark One was being held prisoner.

"Why didn't it work?" She heard Regina ask as she crept closer.

Shae spotted Regina as she peered around a corner, standing in front of a cell, with Rumplestiltskin inside.

"What kind of heart did you use?" The Dark One asked.

"The heart of my finest steed." Regina replied.

The Dark One giggled impishly. "Oh no, dearie, for this curse you'll need a heart far stronger than just some horse."

"What kind of heart do I need, then?"

"The heart of the one you love most."

Shae's brow furrowed. The heart of the one she loved most? Did that mean…

"Fortunately for you, dearie, you have two possible candidates." Rumpelstiltskin went on with another giggle. "Your father, or your lover, the vampire. Shaeogora, wasn't it?"

Shae gasped, turning away and pressing her back against the wall. She couldn't hear the rest of the conversation due to the sudden ringing in her ears. Regina had to choose between sacrificing her, or her father, to cast her curse, and exact her revenge.

Surely Regina wouldn't go that far. It was over, the choice she was left with was too impossible. Surely this would mean the end of the curse.

Shae sidled to the side, deeper into the shadows, as Regina swept past her. She remained hidden for a little while, just to make sure she was far enough away.

"Quite the choice your Queen has to make, isn't it?"

Shae's eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. The Dark One knew she was there…

"You can come out now, dearie! I know you're there."

Shae stepped out of her hiding spot, walking slowly up to the cell, hands in the pockets of her black overcoat.

"Well, well, well, whatever shall you do?" The Dark One asked her, giggling all the while. "I suggest you run, dearie, if you value your life."

"I'm not going anywhere." Shae said sternly.

"Well, then, you'll surely die!" Rumple replied. "Do you really think The Queen would sacrifice her beloved father over you?"

"She doesn't have to sacrifice anyone."

"No? She needs a heart to cast her curse."

"I understand that, but even Regina wouldn't go that far." Shae muttered desperately.

Rumplestiltskin curled his fingers around the bars of his cell, pressing his face against them. "Are you sure about that, dearie?"

"Yes, I am." Shae insisted. "I can talk to her, convince her that she doesn't need to do this."

The Dark One burst into another fit of giggles. "Well, good luck with that, dearie. Our dear Regina isn't one to give up easily, especially when it comes to revenge."

Shae clenched her jaw nervously. She knew Rumplestiltskin was right, Regina wouldn't give up easily at all, but she had to believe that Regina would never harm her father or the woman she loved, even for revenge on Snow White.

Shae turned on her heel and marched away from the cell.

"Where are you going, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin called after her.

"To have a talk with my Queen."

Later that night, Shae was seated in front the fire in Regina's castle's study. She stared into the flames, searching and wishing for answers that never came. Her extra sensitive hearing picked up footsteps, and she clenched her hand into a fist.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you." Came Regina's voice from the doorway.

"Why? So you can take my heart?" Shae asked, without turning around.

When she was met with silence, Shae spoke again. "You needn't bother, it's been yours for some time now."

"You… You followed me, didn't you?" Regina demanded hotly.

"I did."

"Why?"

Shae got up from her chair and turned to face Regina, shoving her hands into the pockets of the black overcoat that The Queen had given her.

"Does it matter?" She asked, her eyes full of sorrow. "Have you made your choice?"

Regina folded her hands, staring at the ground. She wandered over to the fire, staring into the flames, just as Shae had been.

"No." She finally whispered. "Oh, Shae, I don't know what to do."

"I do." Shae replied. She stepped up to Regina, and took both her hands in her own. "Come away with me."

"What? Where?"

"I don't know." Shae admitted. "Away, far away. We can leave this world behind us and start a new life somewhere, together."

Regina fixed her lover with a shocked and angry stare. She ripped her hands out of Shae's heatedly. "You would deny me my revenge?"

"I would never deny you anything, you know that." Shae pleaded with her gently. "But, trust me when I say, that revenge doesn't taste as sweet as you think. It's… Sour, and bitter, like rotten fruit."

"You only say that because you've had your revenge." Regina snarled at her.

"I know, and you helped me to get it, and I will be forever grateful for that." Shae said, her tone still gentle. "But I still feel the pain, and the heartache of what that man took from me. Revenge changed nothing about it."

"How do you know my revenge will be the same?" Regina asked. "Mine will be sweet, I know it."

Shae sighed, running a hand through her hair. "You're right, I don't know. But I do know that you don't have to make this impossible choice."

Regina turned her back to Shae, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Shae placed her hands gently on Regina's shoulders.

"Regina, please, don't do this." Shae begged her.

Regina reached back and took Shae's hands, pulling her arms around her. Shae held her tight as she choked out a sob. Shae placed a gentle kiss on Regina's neck.

"I just want to be happy." Regina whispered, tears rolling down her face.

Shae spun Regina around to face her, and placed her cold hand gently on Regina's cheek, wiping away the tears with her thumb.

"Don't I make you happy?" Shae asked her.

Regina nodded slowly, taking Shae's hand from her cheek and kissing it gently. Shae took Regina's face in both her hands, staring deep into her eyes.

"Am I not enough for you?" Shae whispered, searching Regina's eyes. "Is my love, our love, not enough for you? Because it's everything to me. You're everything to me."

Regina squeezed her eyes shut, more tears rolling down her cheeks. Shae pressed her forehead to Regina's, tears starting to leak out of her eyes as well.

"Regina, I love you."

Regina smiled, gently stroking Shae's cheek. "And I love you, Shae." She whispered. "I love you, so much."

Shae placed her hands on Regina's hips and pulled her against her own body, kissing her deeply. Regina sighed, wrapping her arms around Shae's neck as their lips parted.

The entire outside world melted away as the two lovers kissed. Regina slid one hand down to Shae's chest, and she broke away from their embrace.

"I'm sorry."

Shae gasped as she felt a white hot pain where Regina's hand was, and glanced down to find Regina's hand had disappeared, inside her own chest.

"NO!" Shae screamed.

She gripped Regina's army tightly, and they struggled for a moment as Shae tried to pull Regina's hand out of her and off of her heart.

Shae finally succeeded, using her full strength and yanking Regina's hand out of her, hitting The Queen in the face in the process. Regina spun to the ground, and Shae stumbled back into the table, her chest still burning as if it were on fire.

Regina propped herself up on her elbow, the side of her lip bleeding profusely. Shae took a step toward her out of concern, but stopped, remembering that she just tried to rip her heart out. Shae turned away from Regina, running her hands through her hair, tears streaming down her face.

"I LOVED YOU." Shae screamed furiously as she turned back around.

Regina didn't say a word. She simply stared up at Shae, a vengeful glare on her face.

"I loved you, Regina." Shae cried, her eyes continuing to stream with tears. "You were everything to me."

Regina continued to silently glare at Shae, and Shae wildly paced the length of the room, trying to quell the pain.

"You were everything." Shae whispered, finally coming to a stop. "And now, now I have to stop you."

"What? No!" Regina cried out, but Shae had disappeared in a cloud of blood red smoke.

Shae reappeared in Regina's bedchamber. She hurried over to the mirror, undoing the buttons on her overcoat, then the laces of her shirt. She pulled the shirt aside, and let out a shocked gasp at what she saw. Over her heart, was a hand print, bright red, as if it had been branded into her flesh.

Shae fell to the ground on her knees, then bent over, pressing her forehead against the cool stone as she sobbed. She covered her head with her hands, squeezing fistfuls of her hair as the sobs racked her body.

She remained there on the floor for quite some time, sobbing uncontrollably as wave after wave of pain washed over her. For a moment, she contemplated just letting Regina take her heart, then maybe she wouldn't feel the pain of her betrayal anymore.

Shae pushed herself up onto her knees, taking several deep, soothing breaths. No, Regina had to be stopped.

Shae lept to her feet and started rummaging through the drawers of The Queen's vanity. After a long few moments of frantic searching, she finally found what she was looking for. A small, black leather satchel.

A cloud of purple smoke in the mirror behind her caught Shae's eye, and she spun around just in time to see Regina step out of it. When she saw the satchel in Shae's hand, Regina's lips curled into a sneer.

"Stealing that won't stop me." She snarled at Shae.

"I know that, but it'll at least buy me some time." Shae replied.

"Time for what? There's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Maybe not, but I at least have to try." Shae said determinately. "Goodbye, Regina."

There was another whirl of blood red smoke, and Shae was gone.

The next morning, Prince Charming and Snow White had gathered some of their friends and allies around the great round table in their war room to discuss what to do about The Evil Queen's threat of a curse.

"I say we fight!" Charming was saying.

"Fighting is a bad idea." Replied Jiminy Cricket. "Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything.

"How many wars has a clear conscience won?" The Prince demanded. "We need to take The Queen out before she can enact her curse."

"Can we even trust Rumpelstiltskin?" Asked the dwarf called Doc.

"I've sent men out into the woods, everyone is abuzz with The Queen's plan. This is going to happen unless we do something." Charming insisted.

"There's no point. The future is written." Snow White said miserably.

The Prince looked down at his wife, appalled. "No! I refuse to believe that. Good can't just lose!"

"Maybe it can." Muttered Snow.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Everyone gathered around the table leapt to their feet as Shae stepped out of the shadows. Granny swiftly pulled out her crossbow, firing an arrow straight at the vampire. Shae caught the arrow just before it struck, and tossed it casually over her shoulder as she sauntered over to the table.

"Now, that wasn't very nice." Shae scolded the old woman.

"What are you doing here?" The Prince snarled, drawing his sword.

Shae sighed, flicking her hand to the side, sending Charming's sword shooting from his hand. She took the black satchel off of her shoulder and dropped it onto the table.

"It seems, I'm joining the good side."

"What the hell is that?" Growled Grumpy the dwarf.

"The ingredients Regina needs to cast her curse." Shae replied.

A sudden hush fell over the room, and a few members started muttering amongst themselves.

"You stole them?" Charming asked.

"Why?" Asked Red, when Shae nodded.

Shae opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, a hard lump forming in her throat. "I-I, well, she…" She stammered.

"She broke your heart, didn't she?" Snow asked quietly.

"She didn't just break it…" Shae replied darkly. "She tried to rip it out of my chest!"

Shae undid the buttons of her overcoat and pulled aside her shirt, revealing the burning red hand print over her heart. There was a collective gasp from the table as they all stared.

"What did she want your heart for?" Granny asked.

"Her curse." Replied Shae. "She needs the heart of the one she loves most."

"Well, she didn't get your heart, right?" Asked Grumpy, prompting another nod from Shae. "Then we're saved!"

"Afraid not." Shae said grimly. "Regina had two choices; Me, or her father."

"You don't think she'd kill her own father, would she?" Gepetto asked, his eyes wide.

Shae didn't respond, she only gave the old man a dark and knowing glance.

"Well, without her ingredients she can't cast her curse, right?" Asked Sneezy.

"No, she can get more, but it'll take her a while." Shae replied. "Especially since she'll once again have to gather locks of hair from the blackest hearts in the land, and she'll have to find another to replace me."

"What do you mean, again?" Charming asked.

"She's tried to cast the curse already, hasn't she?" Asked Snow, her eyes wide with fear.

"Yes, but it didn't work because she didn't have the right heart." Shae replied. "But she will soon, if she hasn't taken her father's already."

"So she's still going to cast the curse? We're still doomed?" Grumpy asked heatedly. "Great! So you've really done nothing to help us."

"Not true! I've bought you time." Shae snarled at the dwarf. "Time to make preparations for the baby, the savior."

Charming and Snow exchanged a worried glance. "Yes, I know about the baby." Shae went on. "Which means-"

"So does Regina." Breathed Snow.

"Afraid so." Shae said sadly.

Suddenly, the doors to the war room swung open, and several soldiers entered, dragging a large tree trunk behind them.

"What the hell is this?" Asked Charming.

"Our only hope of saving the child." Replied The Blue Fairy, as she fluttered in behind the soldiers. When she saw Shae, she narrowed her tiny eyes at her. "What is that thing doing here?"

"Helping." Shae snapped back. "Are you saying that the fate of the savior, our fate, rests on a tree?"

When The Blue Fairy nodded, Shae barked out a laugh. "Ha! Yeah, I think you should go back to talking about the fighting thing."

"This tree is enchanted. If fashioned into a vessel, it can ward off any curse." Blue explained. "Gepetto, can you build such a thing?"

Gepetto nodded earnestly. "Yes! Me and my boy, we can do it."

"How much time do we have to do this?" Snow asked of Shae.

"I dunno, weeks, probably." Shae replied with a shrug.

"'Probably?'" Asked Charming.

"Hang on, are we really going to trust the word of The Evil Queen's… Undead paramour?" Granny spat furiously.

Shae laughed loudly. "'Undead paramour?' I've been called a lot of things in my lifetime, but not that." She told the old woman. "Thanks for that, Granny, I quite like it!"

"Yes, we are going to trust her word, because I trust her." Snow cut in before the angry Granny could retort. "Now, let's get to work, we have a lot to do and not a lot of time."

The members of the table all nodded their agreement, and got up from their seats. Snow got up as well, and walked up to Shae, taking her by the hand.

"Thank you, for what you did today. You may have just saved all of us" She said, smiling up at the vampire. "I know betraying Regina couldn't have been easy."

"Yes, well, don't thank me yet." Shae replied with a sad smile. "There's still a lot of work to be done."

"Yes, I know, and we will be happy to have more of your help to do it." Snow said.

"Wait, you mean-"

"You can stay here, with us. I'll have a room prepared for you as soon as possible." Snow said with another smile.

Shae nodded and watched as Snow White returned to her husband's side, and they both left the war room. Shae heaved a heavy sigh, sinking into a chair and burying her face in her hands. She only hoped that what she had done had been enough.

XXXXX

The sun was shining brightly in the morning sky as Emma, Snow, Charming and Henry, all left their tiny loft for breakfast at Granny's. They found Shae's bus still parked outside, and as they drew nearer, they heard the sound of a guitar being strummed. They found the back doors of the bus open, and Shae sitting inside. Shae had removed the back seats from her old VW, leaving a single bench seat against the left wall. She had installed shag carpeting, which was littered with clothes and various papers. Shae was sitting on the bench seat, playing an acoustic guitar and singing softly:

"Couples on their backs, in the park

Lay on blankets bought,

On a date the day before,

A routine I've been longing for.

I can't help but to glance,

From the corner of my resentful eyes.

I guess it's all perspective but,

It's you I never get enough.

We're always far apart,

We've got a vicious love,

We mix our tears with blood.

No clock will stop for us,

It ticks by,

We fight as hard as we love.

We've got a vicious love."

Shae stopped suddenly, pulling a pen from behind her ear and scribbling something on one of the sheets of paper by her feet.

"Nice song." Emma commented with a smirk.

Shae jumped, finally noticing the group gathered outside of her bus. "Oh! Uh, thanks. Just a little something I've been working on."

"It's pretty good." Snow said, smiling knowingly. "Is it about Regina?"

"What? No! Of course not." Shae replied defensively.

"Oh, come on! 'Vicious love?' That's you and Regina in a nutshell." Snow said with a laugh.

"I-It's… I mean, it's just…" Shae stammered, then sighed irritably. "Just… What? What do you guys want?"

"Wow, someone's not a morning person." Charming said with a chuckle.

"Right, sorry, let me switch gears here." Shae replied, putting on a cheesy and obviously fake smile. "Hi! Hello, good morning! Lovely day, isn't it? Did I mention that my heart's been missing for twenty-eight years?"

"Yeah, alright, I guess I'd be cranky too." Muttered Charming.

"I'm sorry we didn't find it, Shae." Snow said sadly.

"Yeah, me too." Emma agreed.

"Don't worry, I'll find it." Shae replied with a dismissive shrug. "I've been waiting twenty-eight years, what's a little longer, right?"

Just then, a large, black crow swooped over their heads, and into Shae's bus. Shae pressed herself against her seat, staring wide eyed at it as it cawed loudly at her.

"Uh, friend of yours?" Quipped Emma.

"Look! There's something on it's leg!" Henry announced, pointing at the slip of paper that was tied around the bird's foot.

"Uh, ok, nice birdie, don't peck me, please." Shae muttered at the bird as she reached slowly toward it.

The crow let out another caw, but then held unnaturally still as Shae carefully untied the string around it's leg. As soon as she was done, the bird cawed again, then took flight, swooping out of the bus.

Shae unrolled the slip of paper, and read aloud:

"You want your heart, let's talk. My house, eight o'clock.

-Regina."

Everyone exchanged a nervous glance with each other. "What the hell is this, Hogwarts?" Shae muttered, still staring down at the note in her hands.

"You can't go, it's a trap!" Cried Henry.

"Henry's right, she'll probably just kill you as soon as you cross the threshold." Agreed Charming.

"No, I don't think so." Shae replied quietly, rubbing her chin as her mind worked. "If she wanted to kill me, she would have crushed my heart to bits last night. No, she wants something from me, I can tell."

"She already has your heart, what more could she want from you?" Snow asked.

Shae thought silently for a moment, continuing to stare down at Regina's note. "Not sure." She replied with a shrug. "Guess I'll just have to go find out."

XX

Night had fallen over Storybrooke once again. Emma stopped her car outside of Regina's house, Shae chewing on her thumbnail anxiously in her passenger seat.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Emma asked her.

"Do I want to? No, not really, but I think I have to." Shae quipped back.

Emma sighed. "Always gotta be a sarcastic asshole, don't you?"

When Shae gave her an offended glance, Emma heaved another sigh. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to not being mad at you." She admitted. "Ever since you left, I've been imagining punching you in the face if I ever saw you again."

"Well, I can't really blame you for that." Shae replied sadly. "I wish I could have told you, but I really doubt you would have believed that The Evil Queen stole my heart, and that I was actually a vampire from another world."

"Yeah, I'm still getting used to THAT too."

Shae chuckled. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm still getting used to it too, and I've been a vampire for over two hundred years."

"You're two hundred years old?" Exclaimed Emma.

"One hundred and thirty six, give or take a few years since I've changed worlds twice now." Shae told her with a shrug.

"Twice? You mean, you're not from The Enchanted Forest?"

"No, my homeland it's… Well, it's a long story, and I really should go. Regina isn't exactly the patient type."

"Yeah, you're right about that." Emma agreed. "Just be careful, alright? Call me if anything goes wrong."

"Got it, thanks." Shae replied with a nervous smile.

She then got out of Emma's car, and slowly made her way up the driveway to Regina's house. Her stomach churned anxiously. What exactly had she gotten herself into this time?

Shae rang the doorbell, and her stomach gave another lurch. She hadn't vomited in over two hundred years, but her anxiety was making her quite nauseous.

The door finally swung open, and Regina was on the other side. She gave Shae a warm smile, which the vampire felt was very suspicious.

"Shae, good to see you." Regina said, still smiling. "Please, come in."

Regina stepped aside, and Shae entered the house slowly, silently glancing all around her, looking for some sort of trap.

"I'll get us some drinks." Regina said from behind her, causing her to jump.

"Uh-huh." Shae muttered.

Shae wandered into Regina's living room, still searching around her carefully, but found nothing but a completely ordinary, tastefully decorated living room. Somehow, this made her even more anxious. What exactly was Regina up to?

Shae jumped again at the sound of Regina's footsteps. She whirled around to find Regina carrying two glasses with a brown liquid in them. She held one out to Shae, who took it and gave it a careful sniff. Whiskey, the good kind too, but nothing else.

"To old friends." Regina said with another smile, clinking her glass against Shae's.

"Right, 'old friends.'" Shae repeated, taking a sip of the whiskey. "Well, this is definitely a change of pace from last night."

"Yes, well, I suppose I did react a bit harshly." Regina replied, taking a seat on her couch and gesturing for Shae to sit next to her.

Shae chose the armchair across the room instead. "Harshly? You set me on fire."

"Yes, but, I knew there would be plenty of game in the forest for you to feed on and heal yourself with, so no harm done."

Shae snorted, but then stopped short when she noticed the framed picture on the table next to her. "Why do you have a picture of you and Henry?" She asked, confused.

"He's my son."

"I thought he was Emma's son."

Regina grimaced, seemingly offended by that remark. "Miss Swan is his birth mother, but she abandoned him. I adopted him when he was a baby."

Shae laughed, looking baffled. "Hold up a minute, you adopted Snow White's grandson? Technically your step-great-grandson?"

When Regina only continued to grimace silently, Shae let out another laugh. "Wow, ok, I don't think you need me to tell you how weird that is."

"It certainly wasn't something I foresaw happening, but that doesn't mean I don't love him any less." Regina said. "It does make things a bit… Complicated, though"

"I bet THAT'S the understatement of the century."

"I didn't ask you here to discuss Henry."

"Right, then why am I here exactly?" Shae asked, leaning forward in her chair. "What do you want, Regina?"

"All in due time." Regina replied, waving her hand dismissively. "First, I'd like to know why exactly my curse didn't work on you."

"No idea." Shae replied with a shrug. "I'm guessing it has something to do with the whole vampire thing. I kept my powers, and my memories. All your curse managed to do was bring me to this world. Which I really should thank you for."

"Is that so?" Regina asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes! I've really come to like this world, I think it's my favorite so far." Shae said with a grin. "The technology here is AMAZING. I love watching internet videos of cats doing stupid stuff. It's awesome."

"I see, well, I'm glad you're liking it here so much." Regina replied dryly. "So what exactly happened to you? How did you leave Storybrooke?"

Shae gave another shrug. "I dunno, I just left. This new land was much different than The Enchanted Forest or my homeland, so I mostly just kept the woods and observed the people of Maine for a while. Eventually, I figured out how to function in this world, and I started travelling around, exploring as much of it as I could. Wales was my favorite, I think. I was able to blend in a lot better there. Turns out the accent I developed in my homeland was very similar to a Welsh one."

"I see." Regina muttered. "So why come back now?"

"Well, you see, twenty-eight years without a heart really takes it's toll." Shae replied darkly. "And with magic being much weaker here, I knew I would need some help getting it back. With Snow White and her Prince under the curse, they were completely useless to me. Once I found out the curse had been broken, I knew all I had to do was ask and those goody-two-shoes would be happy to help. Turns out, they're still basically useless."

Regina chuckled. "Yes, I'd have to agree."

Shae drained the rest of her whiskey in one gulp and leaned forward in her chair once again, fixing Regina with an intense stare. "Well, that's the short version of my story, I won't bore you with all the details." She went on. "Now, why don't you tell me what you want already."

Regina's lips curled into a sinister grin. "Oh, it's not about what I want, dear, it's what YOU want."

Shae narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the former Queen. "My heart."

"Precisely. I'd be inclined to give it back to you, for a price."

"What are you, the new Dark One?"

Regina laughed. "No, Rumplestiltskin still holds onto that power."

"Alright, then what's your price?"

"I wish to return you to your old position."

Shae looked confused. "What position?"

"My protector, of course." Regina replied, getting up from the couch and meandering over to the mantle above her fireplace. "Wherever I am, I want you by my side, to protect me from whoever might wish to harm me."

Shae nodded slowly, pondering Regina's words. "You know my powers aren't nearly as strong as they used to be, right?"

"Yes, neither are mine, unfortunately." Regina admitted sourly.

"And that's why you need protection."

"Yes, I see we're understanding each other."

Shae went silent again, continuing to turn everything Regina was saying over in her mind. "So, then, if I agree to this, all I have to go on is your word?"

"Yes."

"Your word is garbage to me."

"That's your problem. My word is all I have to offer."

Shae suddenly got up from her chair, stepping up to Regina, bringing her face dangerously close to the former Queen's. "Swear it." She said in a dark whisper. "Swear it on your father's grave."

Regina narrowed her eyes angrily at Shae, who had obviously struck a nerve. "I swear on my father's grave." She spat bitterly.

Shae held Regina's furious gaze for a moment, then took a step back, folding her arms across her chest. "Fine." She said in agreement. "So, all I have to do is follow you around and ward off your angry townsfolk?"

"Exactly." Regina affirmed. "And, perhaps, I can think of a few… Other things you could do for me."

Regina leaned in close, gently tracing a finger along Shae's strong jawline. Shae grinned, placing her hands on Regina's hips, drawing her in closer. Regina's eyes fluttered closed, and, just as their lips were about to touch, Shae suddenly grabbed onto Regina's wrist, pulling her hand away from her face.

"Never." Shae snarled viciously against Regina's lips. "I'd rather lick a slug than ever kiss you again."

Regina wrenched her arm furiously out of Shae's grip, glaring at her, her lips curling into a snarl. "What if I make it part of our deal?"

"Then forget it, I'll find my heart myself." Shae replied with a smirk. "If there's anything I've learned from my immortality, it's patience. I'll find it eventually."

Shae then started toward the door, but stopped when Regina called out to her.

"Wait!"

Shae turned slowly back around, hooking her thumbs into her belt loops, still smirking.

"Fine." Regina muttered in defeat. "Your protection for your heart, nothing more."

"We've got a deal, then." Shae said with smile.

Regina walked up to the vampire, holding out her hand, which Shae shook. "Meet me at Granny's in the morning, eight o'clock." Regina told her as they shook hands. "Spend tonight with old friends, while you can."

Regina pulled on Shae's arm, drawing her in close and whispering darkly in her ear. "Starting tomorrow, you belong to me."

"I belong to noone." Shae snarled back.

Shae then turned away from Regina, threw her front door open, and stepped out into the night. After she had walked a few blocks, she stopped, breathing out out a sigh. She ran shaky hands through her hair, muttering to herself.

"This better be worth it."

XX

The next morning, Emma, Henry, Snow, and Charming all once again found Shae at her bus, which was still parked just outside of Granny's diner. This time, however, she was leaning against the side of the VW, a lit cigarette hanging out of her mouth.

"Hey, I thought you quit those!" Emma said accusingly.

"Yeah, well, I've been a bit stressed lately." Shae muttered, taking a drag from her cigarette.

Before she could finish, Snow yanked the cigarette out of her mouth, threw it on the ground, and stomped it out angrily.

"Hey! What the hell?" Cried Shae.

"No smoking in front of my grandson!" Snow commanded, jabbing a finger into Shae's chest.

Shae looked down at Henry, rubbing the spot Snow had prodded. "Right, uh, smoking is bad, Henry. So are drugs and alcohol, stay in school, all that jazz."

"You're gonna make such a great parent one day." Emma said sarcastically.

"So, uh, how did everything go at Regina's?" Charming cut in before Shae could retort. "We waited up for you, but you never came back."

"Er, well, Regina and I talked, and then I just, you know, explored the town for awhile." Shae said with a small shrug.

"Is she gonna give you your heart back?" Asked Henry.

"Well, no, not exactly. Not yet." Shae answered, her eyes shifting nervously.

"What do you mean, 'Not yet?'" Snow prodded.

"I'm not really sure." Admitted Shae. "I'm supposed to meet her here at Granny's this morning to talk about it more, I guess."

The group gathered in front of Shae all exchanged a nervous and shocked glance. "What?" Charming exclaimed. "Here? Half the town is inside, they'll kill her!"

"Yeah, well, they'll have to go through me first." Shae replied, a bit sourly.

"What are you talking about, Shae?" Emma asked, brow furrowed.

Shae heaved a heavy sigh, then proceeded to tell them all about what her and Regina had talked about last night, and about their deal.

"No! No way! You can't do this." Emma said heatedly when Shae had finished her story.

"Making a deal with The Evil Queen is like making a deal with Rumplestiltskin, it always goes wrong!" Cried Henry.

"Yeah, well, I don't have much of a choice here, kid." Shae muttered in reply. "Besides, it's not the first time Regina and I have made a deal like this."

XXXXX

The Evil Queen was seated on her throne, waiting patiently for her guards to bring the prisoner before her. Just a short while ago, she had been travelling through a small village on her way back to her castle. It was in this tiny speck of a village, that she had come across a woman, a woman she had hoped to come across again, one day, but had never expected to.

Her name was Shae, and her and Regina had first met many years ago, before she had married the poor excuse of a King that was her late husband. Shae had told her that she was a vampire, and Regina couldn't help but be intrigued by this creature.

The doors to The Queen's throne room burst open, and Regina watched as a group of her soldiers marched in. Just behind them, were two more guards, and between them was the prisoner she had been waiting for.

Shae had been stripped of her weapons and the black leather armor she had been wearing, which was replaced by a sackcloth shirt and breeches, along with iron shackles on her wrists. Despite her predicament, the vampire had a wide grin on her face.

The Queen's soldiers stopped before her, holding on to Shae by her elbows.

"Hello, Regina." Shae said, still grinning.

"It's 'Your Majesty,' now." Regina corrected her, with a grin of her own.

"Ah, right, sorry, 'Your Majesty.'" Shae went on. "I must thank you for saving me from those scum back in that village. I have to say, though, the dungeon cell and the shackles, awfully rude of you."

"They are simply a precaution, given your nature." Regina replied dismissively.

"Right, I suppose I misspoke." Shae said, her grin disappearing. "By 'rude,' I mean incredibly stupid."

Before Regina could reply, Shae the vampire disappeared in a puff of blood red smoke. Regina leapt to her feet and her guards all drew their swords, searching frantically all around them.

There was a whistle from across the room, and her guards whirled around. Shae was standing by the doors, dangling the shackles in front of her. She dropped them onto the floor, and crossed her arms over her chest, smiling triumphantly.

"Guards! Kill this insolent creature." Regina commanded.

The dozen or so guards gathered in her throne room formed a protective line in front of their Queen, advancing slowly toward the vampire.

"Now that's not very nice." Shae said, pouting her lips.

There was a blur of motion, and Shae was suddenly upon the soldiers. She clocked one in the side of the head with her fist, seemingly unaffected by his metal helmet. As the unfortunate man dropped to the floor, two more of her soldiers rushed at the vampire, only to crash into each other as she disappeared in another column of smoke.

Shae appeared again a few feet to Regina's right, now armed with two swords.

"Looking for these?" Shae taunted the soldiers, holding up the swords.

Shae threw one sword to the ground, examining the other carefully. "Nice steel, a bit drab for my taste, though." She said, shrugging at The Queen. "What can I say? I'm a flashy type of gal."

There was another blur of movement as Shae set upon the guards, sword in hand. Regina watched in amazement as four of her men dropped their weapons, clutching their throats as blood leaked out of them.

Shae made quick work of the rest, tossing her sword away casually as Regina's remaining guards fell lifeless to the ground. Only one remained, the man that Shae had struck in the head with her fist. He had finally recovered, staggering to his feet only to be struck down by the vampire's fist once again.

"Always leave one alive to tell the tale." Shae said as the man slumped to the ground.

As Shae stood among the carnage that was her guard, Regina smiled. She started to clap her hands slowly, stepping down from her throne and sauntering toward the vampire.

"You weren't trying to kill me at all, were you?" Shae asked with a knowing smile. "You just wanted to see what I could do."

Regina gave her a silent smirk, coming to stand before her. "Oh, that's clever, very clever indeed." Shae told her with a laugh. "What I don't understand, though, is why?"

"Well, you're the only vampire I've ever come across, and I got to see very little of your abilities the last time we met." Regina replied. "I was simply… Intrigued."

"I see. You find me intriguing, do you?" Shae asked, grinning coyly.

"Oh, very much so."

"Well then, Your Majesty, it seems to be that you're in luck." Shae told her, slowly pacing among the bodies of Regina's guards. "I find myself in your debt. You saved my life today, which isn't something most people would do for someone like myself."

"It's a good thing I'm not like most people." Regina said, following Shae's movements carefully with her eyes.

"Indeed." Agreed Shae. "Seems to me you're much more intelligent. You see opportunity where others wouldn't, and that's why I think we can help each other."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "Is that so?"

Shae smiled, giving her a small nod. "I expect someone of your position has many enemies, including those men that you saved me from today. They won't easily forget how you stole me away from their clutches. They've been hunting me for years."

"What is it you're proposing, exactly?" Regina demanded, crossing her arms impatiently.

Shae stopped her pacing, and bowed low. "Allow me to become your royal protector." She said, straightening up again. "Wherever you shall go, I'll be by your side. You've seen my skills for yourself, so you know that no one will lay a finger on you."

Regina pondered the vampire's words for a moment. "Yes, I suppose having someone of your considerable strength by my side could prove most useful." She eventually replied. "But you said we could help each other, yes? What exactly is it that I would do for you."

"Ah, yes, well, as you saw, those men that captured me are not to be trifled with, even for someone with, as you say, my considerable strength." Shae went on. "But I would be safe from them behind your strong castle walls. And when we do venture out, they would think twice before coming after me in your company. With my skills and your's combined, I think it would be safe to say that no one could lay a finger on either of us."

Shae stepped up to the Queen, taking her hands in both of hers and fixing her with an intense stare. "Together, Your Majesty, we'd be unstoppable!"

Regina stared into Shae's blood red eyes for a moment, a wicked smile stretching across her face. "I quite like the sound of that." She breathed.

Shae smiled back, dropping Regina's hands and taking a step back. "I thought you might." She said with a wink. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Indeed we do." Regina replied. "I'll have a room prepared for you, as well as some suitable weapons and armor. The woods around the castle are ripe with game for you to hunt as you wish. I can assure you, you will want for nothing."

Shae let out a small laugh, then fixed The Queen with a playful and wanton grin. "Oh, I'm sure there will be plenty of things I'll want for."

Regina smiled, stepping up to Shae and placing one hand on her chest, the other on her cheek. Shae's grin broadened, and she leaned in closer. Just before their lips were about to touch, Regina placed her fingers against Shae's lips.

"Then you'll be left wanting." She whispered.

Shae couldn't help but laugh as Regina patted her cheek, then pushed her away, sauntering toward the doors that led deeper into her castle.

"Have one of my guards show you to a room." Regina called out as she walked away. She then turned back, giving Shae a coy smile. "Good night, my protector."

Shae watched her go for a moment, a wistful smile on her face. When the doors shut behind The Queen, she shook herself, clapping her hands together.

"Right! You heard The Queen-" She began, then frowned down at the dead soldiers. "Oh, right, you're all dead. Better go find some more."

XXXXX

Emma folded her arms crossly, and was about to argue with Shae more, but stopped short when she saw Mr. Gold approaching.

"What are you doing here, Gold?" She asked pointedly.

"Well, good morning to you too, Miss Swan." Gold replied sarcastically. "I had heard news of a newcomer in town, who would have thought it would be our Queen's former lover?"

"Ah, if it isn't Frumpybuttskin." Shae said with a grin.

"Rumplestiltskin." Gold corrected, narrowing his eyes irritably at the vampire.

"Right, that was it." Shae replied. "You're looking better these days. I see your skin problem cleared up. You've gotta tell me what kind of moisturizer you use."

"I've also heard tell that you've made yourself a deal." Gold went on, ignoring Shae's sarcastic commentary.

"I have, but not with you." Shae responded.

"Oh, see, that was quite a big mistake you made, dearie."

"I don't think so. I'd rather deal with Regina, at least she's slightly predictable."

"Regina? Predictable? You're kidding, right?" Asked Snow.

"Nope. You piss her off, she gets revenge. That's kind of her thing." Shae replied.

Snow opened her mouth to retort, but then stopped, pondering for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, ok, you've got me there."

"Nevertheless." Gold continued. "Should you decide you want that heart of yours back sooner rather than later, come see me. I'll help you get it, for a price."

Gold gave them all a curt nod, then limped away, leaning on his cane.

"Ok, you do know that making a deal with Gold is even stupider than making a deal with Regina, right?" Emma said, turning to Shae.

"Of course, I'm not an idiot." Shae replied with a snort.

"How does he even know already?" Asked David, seemingly baffled.

"He's Rumplestiltskin, he knows everything." Henry said with a shrug.

"Seriously though, Shae, don't do this. We can help you find your heart. You don't have to go through with this deal." Emma pleaded with the vampire.

"We've already tried it your way, remember?" Shae replied.

"We can try again." Emma insisted. "You'll be with Regina tonight, right? All you gotta do is make sure she's actually asleep, then sneak out and meet me at the cemetery."

"As if it'll be that easy." Shae snorted.

Emma was about to reply, but once again stopped short. Regina had finally made her appearance.

"Good morning, everyone." She greeted them chipperly.

"Regina." Emma replied hesitantly.

Regina looked down at Henry, smiling warmly at him, but her smile disappeared when both Snow White and Charming stepped in front of him, blocking her son from her view.

"Come, Shae, we're going inside." Regina commanded, then turned and marched up the sidewalk toward the diner.

Shae followed behind her obediently, glancing back over her shoulder uncertainly. Emma looked to Snow and Charming.

"David, get Henry out of here. This might get messy." Emma told her father.

"But-" Henry started to protest.

"No 'buts,' go, now!" Emma commanded.

Charming took Henry by the hand led him back toward Emma and Snow's apartment. Emma then glanced at her mother, who gave her a nod. They walked toward Granny's, and when they entered, they found Regina standing in the center of the small diner, Shae close behind her, hands in the pockets of her leather jacket.

It was dead silent in the diner, and the residents gathered inside were all staring daggers at their former Queen.

"What are you two doing here?" Granny asked furiously.

"I've simply come to relay a message." Regina replied, grinning in a very unsettling way.

"What kind of message?" Asked Grumpy, getting up from his barstool.

Regina turned around and grabbed Shae by the arm, pulling her forward to stand next to her. "You all remember Shae, don't you?" She asked. "Shae, say hello."

"Hello." Shae muttered uncertainly.

"For those of you who don't already know, Shae is a vampire, a very powerful one." Regina went on, reaching out and gently stroking Shae's cheek.

Shae jerked her face away, shooting Regina a disgusted look, but Regina was not at all bothered. "She is once again under my employ." She continued. "And she's come here with me today to show you what she'll do to anyone who tries to harm me."

Regina turned to Shae expectantly, and the residents of Storybrooke all watched with bated breath. Shae shifted her eyes around at everyone, then turned her head to Regina, looking confused.

"What?"

"Show them, dear." Regina repeated, a little irritably.

"Show them what?"

"Show. Them." Regina snarled at Shae.

Shae continued to look puzzled, but then her eyes shone with understanding. Her face fell into fierce glare.

"I don't think that's necessary." She said to Regina in a low voice.

Regina brought her face dangerously close to Shae's. "Well, I say it is, and you will do as I say." She whispered menacingly. "Or need I remind you what exactly it is that I have of yours, and what I could do to it?"

Shae clenched her fists, and a few moments passed as she and Regina silently glared at each other. Shae then let out a sigh, closing her eyes and hanging her head.

There was a collective gasp as Shae's eyes opened again, her irises glowing like a red neon sign. Shae drew her hand up slowly, and all the silverware in the diner rose into the air, their points turning in the direction of their users.

Shae pushed her hand outward, and there were many cries of fright as the silverware all shot forward, stopping just a hair's breadth away from the people's faces.

Regina let out a low, menacing laugh. "You see? If anyone so much as lays a finger on me, well, I think you all understand what will happen, yes?"

Shae dropped her arm, her eyes fading back to their normal blood red, and the silverware all clattered back onto the tables. Shae leaned heavily onto the empty chair in front of her, seemingly exhausted from the effort.

"I think I've made my point." Regina announced. "Come, Shae."

Regina turned on her heel and marched out the door. Shae turned to follow, only to stumble into Emma, who gripped her tightly by the arms.

"Tonight, cemetery, lets do it." Shae whispered in her ear.

Emma gave her a silent nod, and Shae followed hurriedly after Regina. Emma let out the anxious breath that she had been holding in, turning to Snow White.

"We've gotta get Shae's heart back."

XX

Later that night, Emma was waiting in the shadows along the side of Regina's mausoleum. She had been there for over two hours already, and was starting to wonder if Shae was even going to show up.

Just when she was about to give up hope and go home, she heard footsteps. She peeked around the corner, and saw Shae walking through the rows of headstones toward the mausoleum.

"What took you so long?" Emma asked in a whisper.

"Regina took fucking forever to go to sleep." Shae muttered in reply.

"Couldn't you cast a sleeping spell or something?"

"I'm a vampire, not a witch. I can't cast spells."

"Ugh, nevermind, we gotta hurry before anyone sees us."

Emma and Shae once again entered the mausoleum, and found it in the exact same

condition as before.

"There's gotta be something here, something we missed." Emma insisted.

Emma shined her flashlight around as Shae once again examined the walls and shelves, looking for some kind of switch. Emma then turned her flashlight onto the floor as something strange caught her eye.

"Look at this!"

Shae turned around, looking at the floor where the beam of Emma's flashlight was pointing. She crouched down, running a hand over the cold stone.

"Drag marks." She muttered.

"Here, help me push this."

Shae stepped around to the other side of the coffin next to Emma. They both pushed on it, and, amazingly, it started to shift. There was a gap underneath it, with a staircase leading down.

Emma and Shae exchanged an excited glance, and Shae led the way down the steps. Shae turned to the right and examined the mirror hanging on the stone wall. Emma chose the left, finding a small room with various strange objects in it.

"What is this place?" Emma breathed.

"No idea." Shae replied as she felt along the edges of the mirror.

"Wait, quiet, did you hear that?" Emma suddenly said.

Shae whirled around, and stared silently at Emma as they both listened carefully. There was nothing for a few seconds, but their eyes both widened when they heard a very eerie, but familiar, thump, thump.

Emma and Shae both walked up to the yellow curtains that were hanging on the wall. They each grabbed a side, and drew them back. They gasped. The wall was covered with small, gold plaques, each with names inscribed on them.

"Holy shit! It's Regina's vault, she brought it with her." Shae breathed in wonder.

"Her vault?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, it was originally her mother's, but Regina held onto it."

"So, these are all-"

"Hearts, yeah."

Emma shivered as a chill ran up her spine. "Ok, well, yours has got to be here

somewhere, right?"

The pair stood silently as they ran their eyes over all the names. Emma let out a gasp, placing a finger on one of the plaques.

"Here it is!" She exclaimed. "How do we open it?"

"Well, it is Regina's vault, so I'm guessing with magic." Shae replied. "Stand back."

Emma took a large step back as, once again, Shae's eyes started to glow. She outstretched her hand toward the plaque with her name on it, and, for a moment, nothing happened. Emma waited silently, then jumped as the plaque popped open.

Shae gave Emma an excited smile, and they both stepped up to it, peering down inside. Emma's heart sunk. It was empty.

"What? No!" Shae cried.

"Looking for this?"

Emma and Shae both whirled around in alarm. At the top of the steps, was Regina, sporting a wicked grin, a glowing red heart pulsing in her hand.

Shae and Emma remained silent as Regina slowly descended down the steps. "Did you really think I would leave it here after what happened the other night?" She asked. "How stupid do you think I am?"

Shae stepped in front of Emma as Regina neared them, fixing her with a defiant glare. "Alright, Regina, you've caught me." She said. "This was my idea, Emma was only trying to help, leave her out of this."

"Oh, don't worry, there's nothing I can to do her without harming my son." Regina said, still grinning. "But you, well, all I have to do is squeeze."

Shae let out a strangled cry as Regina clenched her grip on her heart. Emma grabbed on to Shae's arm as she fell to her knees, grunting in pain.

"Shae? Shae!"

Shae howled with agony as Regina clamped down even harder on the heart in her hand. Shae toppled over onto her back with another strangled scream, clutching her chest.

"Enough!" Emma shouted desperately. "Regina, that's enough! Stop!"

Regina sneered as she watched Shae writhing on the ground, and gave her heart one last squeeze. Shae's body lurched, her back arching as she screamed.

"REGINA!"

Shae stopped her screaming as Regina's iron grip loosened. She grabbed onto Emma's shoulder for support as she sat up, still clutching her chest.

"You're a monster." Emma whispered, glaring up at Regina with tears in her eyes.

Regina let out a low, menacing chuckle. "Oh, you have no idea." She sneered. "Now, get out of my mausoleum."

Regina turned to Shae as Emma stood. "Let this be a lesson as to what will happen if you cross me again."

Shae didn't respond, silently glaring at Regina as she got unsteadily to her feet. Regina turned back to Emma. "Didn't you hear me, Miss Swan?" She asked indignantly. "I said, get out!"

Regina threw her hand out toward Emma, and Emma was sent flying up the steps, and out onto the grass in front of the mausoleum, the doors slamming shut behind her.

Emma leapt up, chest heaving with rage. She stomped back to her car, resting her head against the steering wheel once inside. There was nothing else she could do. Shae was in Regina's control now, and there was nothing she or anyone else could do to stop her.