The first few weeks in Wonderland took some getting used to. They'd taken refuge in Cora's old castle from her days as the Queen of Hearts which had remained untouched since her departure all those years ago. The rooms were rather dusty and covered in spiderwebs and the East Wing was rather derelict but that had already started crumbling when Cora left as she rarely frequented that area due to being the farthest away from her quarters.

When they first arrived, Cora wielded as many spells as she could muster to clean the castle as well as possible and as quickly as she could so that it was safe for the baby and the others. Once done, she all but collapsed into her bed to recuperate from the exhaustion and took a couple of days to return to full strength.

However, once she was better, she went in all guns blazing. She contacted some of her old staff and asked them to return to look after the upkeep of the castle and prepare the food which meant the others had more time to spend with each other and not have to concentrate on the mundane tasks. Cora knew that Emma had scars, it was inevitable, and with the return of her heart came the shame of understanding Regina's time with Leopold. As ashamed as the Queen of Hearts may have been of her actions, she was doubly determined to help Emma and her granddaughter heal.

Emma found the entire move completely overwhelming. She was somewhat divorced, at least she hoped she was if Hook knew what the divorce papers even meant, had moved to a completely different realm where she'd never visited before and now, she had a new born baby to look after. Sure, the pregnancy itself wasn't new as she'd done that before but then she'd given Henry away. It was actually raising the baby that scared her. She still had the fake memories that Regina had given her before New York, but they grew fainter and fainter every day. Although, part of her wished to forget them entirely as she didn't want to remember a fake life where she kept Henry because she didn't want to live in a fantasy. At that, she couldn't help but scoff to herself as she realised she was in Wonderland, the epitome of a fantasy world.

She couldn't be more grateful to have Cora and Zelena on hand when it came to the baby. Zelena offered her help when it came to breastfeeding her daughter as Cora wasn't familiar with it and Elena took to it beautifully. She filled Elena's little belly every time. However, Cora was there to show her how to swaddle her properly and tricks to get her to fall asleep easily.

At first, Emma was rather surprised at how involved Cora was with Elena, although Cora had been very invested in Robyn, who had just celebrated her second birthday; but within a few weeks Emma saw Cora's presence as a blessing.

On a quiet evening when Zelena had already retired to bed, Cora revealed to Emma that her hesitant approach to parenthood with Regina was all due to not having her heart. Without it, she felt a disconnect from her daughter and just allowed the nanny to take over. Although, as the tale unfolded, Emma could see that regret was written all over Cora's face as plain as day. However, with both Elena and Robyn, Cora was able to have a second chance at having a hands-on approach with her granddaughters.

It didn't take long for Zelena to figure out Elena's (or Lennie as Robyn had taken to calling her cousin due to being unable to say her name) true parentage.

One afternoon just after Elena had turned four weeks old, Cora was playing tea party with Robyn in the nursery, and Zelena was sitting with Emma while Elena was yawing in her mother's arms.

Elena's eyes fluttered open as she took in her auntie and Zelena gasped as she concentrated on her niece, though at that point she'd been calling the baby her niece due to her friendship with Emma.

"Hook isn't her father, is he?" Zelena had murmured as she reached out to stroke Elena's thin layer of hair.

Emma bit her lip nervously as she glanced up at the redhead. She shook her head. "I think you know who her other parent is," she replied just as quietly.

"I just don't see how it's possible," Zelena said as she took in Elena's chocolate brown eyes.

"Me neither," Emma sighed before she stared at her daughter whose eyes were fluttering shut as she finally allowed the tiredness to take over. "Although, I'm so glad that Hook isn't her father. I wouldn't wish his DNA upon anyone."

Zelena scoffed her agreement and took in the blonde beside her. "But surely you actually had to have, you know, sex for this to happen?" She asked, not beating around the bush with the bluntness of her question. Emma wasn't surprised, this was Zelena after all. She had little to no tact at all.

Immediately, Emma's face flushed pink with embarrassment. Slowly, she stood up and made her way across the room to put Elena in her bassinet. With another sigh, she looked at her friend as she returned to her seat.

"It was a drunken night when Hook was taken by whatever it was," Emma began, nervously playing with a strand of hair. "I still don't remember how it happened, or who kissed who first, but I could never regret it. Even knowing what I know now, with everything with Hook, I still can't regret it." She glanced over to the sleeping beauty across the room. "I don't know what I'd do without Lennie now." Robyn's nickname had caught on rather rapidly, which meant that Elena's full name was rarely used.

Zelena looked over to the baby who she now realised really was her niece and smiled softly. The revelation didn't change how she felt about her in the slightest but knowing that she actually was family, by blood too, filled her with an incredible amount of love. Keeping her gaze on the baby, Zelena tried to pose next her question as calmly as possible, not wanting to freak the blonde out beside her, but she felt like it needed to be asked.

"Do you love her?"

Emma was silent for so long, Zelena thought she'd left the room. If it wasn't for the fact that she hadn't felt the sofa shift and could still feel the heat radiating off the blonde, it could have been a possibility.

The witch turned to her friend and saw the solemn expression on her face. It told her everything she needed to know, but she didn't want to push anything. However, the blonde was saved from answering when Robyn ran in and threw herself onto her mother's lap with Cora following her granddaughter with a soft smile on her face.

Cora could feel the slight tension in the room. She knew there hadn't been an argument, but she could tell her daughters had been talking about something heavy and yes, Cora saw Emma as her daughter. She absolutely adored her.

"Everything alright in here?" Cora asked Emma quietly while Zelena was having her ear chewed off by her daughter, retelling every detail of her tea party with her grandmother, including when Grandma Cora started talk to a butterfly who she said was called Absolem.

Emma nodded but didn't go into any more detail. Like Zelena, Cora didn't want to push Emma, so she allowed her to continue her silence.

oOoOo

A few weeks later, Zelena and Robyn were exploring the castle gardens, searching for a rare flower that could apparently de-age someone. Cora was fully aware that she did not possess such a flower in her garden, but it kept Robyn busy. She had wanted to find a quiet moment with Emma after she'd walked into the sitting room after Robyn's tea party, but she hadn't had the chance.

Elena was napping her bassinet in the corner, swaddled in a blanket that Cora had knitted many years ago for Regina which had ended up in Wonderland with her. She had no idea how but was so grateful of it. With a quick cleaning spell, it was as good as new and Elena struggled to sleep without it. It seemed that the little girl knew that it belonged to her mother and took comfort from it, as did her blonde mother. It felt as though Regina was never far from her family, even if they had no clue as to where she currently was.

Cora had made Emma a cup of tea, perfect to her standards, strong enough, with the perfect hint of sweetness and the adequate amount of milk. She had it so specific that rarely anyone could get it right, but Cora hat nailed it within two tries.

"Thank you," Emma murmured as she took the mug out of Cora's hands. After a sip, she hummed in contentment. "Perfect as always."

Cora smiled as she took as seat beside the blonde, taking a sip of her own tea. Placing it down on the table in front of her, she placed her hands together on her lap and turned to Emma.

"Oh, that face doesn't look good," Emma said with a light chuckle as she too placed her mug onto the coffee table in front of her.

"What were you and Zelena talking about the other day?" Cora asked, not beating around the bush. Emma was learning that this was a trait Zelena had inherited from her mother, despite the fact that Cora hadn't raised her.

Emma sighed as she leant back on the sofa. She didn't need her to clarify the exact conversation as there wasn't another possible one to muddle it up with. "She realised who Lennie's other parent is," she replied. "I'm surprised she didn't see it sooner." She paused for a few moments as she took a few more sips of her tea, not wanting it to go cold. "That wasn't what got to me though. She asked me if I loved her."

"Elena?" Cora gasped, her hands flying to her face in shock.

At that, Emma couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. She rolled her eyes. "Of course not Elena. Regina."

Cora then chuckled. "Of course not Lennie," she laughed. "I was just messing with you." She paused for a moment before becoming sombre. "Do you? Love Regina that is?"

Emma bit her lip. "I don't know." She sighed again. "I'm concentrating more on the fact that both Regina and Lennie are missing out on knowing each other. I never even got to tell her that I was pregnant, let alone that it was with her child."

"I never told Regina's father that I was pregnant either," Cora confessed.

"What?" Emma gasped, her green eyes flying up to regard Cora in shock. "That doesn't make sense. Regina adored her father!"

"She adored Henry, but he wasn't her father," the Queen of Hearts revealed.

Before Emma could reply, Elena started to whimper in her bassinet and Emma recognised that cry. She was hungry. Despite the serious, and mind blowing, conversation currently going on, Emma couldn't ignore her daughter. She crossed the room and gently picked Lennie up before settling back on the sofa and rearranging herself so that her baby could latch on. Cora was so used to this sight that it didn't baffle her and she carried on with her story.

"Do you know how I managed to work my way up from the miller's daughter to the wife of a prince?" She asked.

Emma shook her head, being careful so as to assure that her movements didn't cause Elena to stop feeding.

Cora sighed and finished her tea before the story unfolded. She told Emma about sneaking into the party, getting tripped by Eva, who Emma recognised as her grandmother, and how she wanted to improve her situation. Emma couldn't blame her for lying about being able to turn straw to gold. She'd suffered at the hand of many abusive parents and wastes of space to know how desperate Cora would have been to get away from her own father. However, once she mentioned Rumple, Emma started to figure out where Cora was going.

"I signed the contract that I would give him our first child," Cora murmured quietly, "at that point, I still had my heart and it broke at just the idea of not having my child with me, whether it was a boy or a girl." She inhaled slowly, closing her eyes for a second. "The day I found out I was pregnant was the day I took out my heart and gave it to Rumple and told him I couldn't give him the child he wanted. I lied and he never knew, even now he has no idea. I married Henry and said Regina was his even though she didn't look like him, or Rumple really. She also doesn't really look like me," she chuckled quietly. "But my goodness is she beautiful regardless and Henry adored her. I think he knew she wasn't his, especially when she started using magic, but he never asked. He loved her regardless of all of that and he loved me, even when I was too harsh on her."

Emma reached out and squeezed Cora's knee. She shook her head free of the thoughts currently swirling through her mind, knowing Henry was just going to love how much more complicated his family tree just got, his adoptive mother was not only his step-great-grandmother but also his half-aunt. Instead she chose to address Cora, "she knew you loved her in the end," she said softly, "And if we see her again, she'll know it for sure."

"You want to see her again?" Cora asked, already knowing the answer.

"More than anything," Emma revealed and it was then that she knew the answer to both Cora and Zelena's question, but she didn't want to think of it in that moment. Instead, she changed the topic. "So, Rumple never knew?"

Cora shook her head. "I didn't want him to take her away, so I never told him. So, I know exactly what you're going through with your daughter not knowing her other parent but we will see Regina again one day. I can feel it."

At that, Emma smiled and wiped away a sneaky tear that had formed. Elena finished feeding and went back to sleep. Emma gazed at her daughter and still couldn't get over just how amazing she was. All that was missing was Regina.

oOoOo

The months passed by and Elena was growing up so quickly. Her first birthday was celebrated with her family. As Elena wasn't able to blow out the candle on her cake, Robyn happily took over and blew the candle out for her cousin. She was so excited that Emma waved her hand over the wick and relit it so that Robyn could blow it out once more, making the older blonde girl giggle.

The following day was the family's first proper Christmas together. With the kerfuffle of moving to Wonderland the previous year, the fact that their first day was Christmas Day had completely slipped their minds until a few days later. The adults had chuckled about afterwards and promised to make it up the following year, which they did. Cora allowed the staff to spend the holidays with their family and took over in the kitchen, cooking up the perfect Christmas dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. Emma had never had such good food and was already looking forward for the next Christmas to come.

As Elena was getting older, Emma found that she needed a hobby besides just looking after her daughter. Cora offered to teach the blonde how to refine her magic. Sure, she had natural instincts and producing a flame was as easy as breathing now but Cora knew that Emma needed to expand her repertoire of spells. However, the only issue with that was the look of forlornness on Zelena's face whenever she saw them practising. She missed her magic so much, especially when Robyn started showing the signs just short of her fourth birthday.

As much as she could, Zelena tried to help her daughter school her magic and not explode or cause harm. She just couldn't demonstrate anything and it infuriated her having to rely on Emma for it. Not because it was Emma, but because she was unable to do it herself.

At the end of a busy day of magic training, Emma pulled Zelena to the side as she rested Lennie on her hip.

"We'll find a way for you to get your magic back," Emma assured the woman who was practically her sister.

Zelena smiled at the blonde before reaching out to gently cup Elena's face. She pulled a face to make the toddler giggle before she sighed. "I miss it, but I don't want to be dependent on it."

"You grew up with it," Emma shrugged as the two followed Robyn and Cora towards the castle from the garden where their lesson had taken place that day. "It's only natural. Hell, I'd give you mine if I could but," she blushed as she admitted, "I kinda enjoy having it now."

"It's something you get used to," Zelena murmured as they headed into the castle. "I just miss it."

When the witch pulled a face, this time frowning, Emma realised that she'd started thinking about something, well someone, else.

"I sure she misses you too," Emma said softly as they headed into the sitting room where Robyn was sitting in the corner colouring with one of the maids sitting by her. Cora was nowhere to be seen, which both Zelena and Emma raised their eyebrows at, but the maid simply shrugged as she didn't know the former Queen's whereabouts before leaving the room.

Zelena sighed as she kissed Robyn on her head before taking a seat beside Emma across the room. Once the two sat down, Lennie turned to her auntie and reached out, asking to be held. "Zeeee!" She called out with a giggle. The witch happily accepted her niece into her lap and stroked her hair. It was now a couple of inches long and a beautiful bright blonde.

"I don't know," Zelena sighed before bopping Lennie on the nose to make her giggle. There wasn't a better sound to her ears than Robyn or Lennie giggling. "It was never something serious to her. I was more invested in it than she was and she kept blaming her inability to commit on wanting to get to know Lily rather than her own reticence to open up. I'm pretty sure it was having Robyn that affected it," she glanced over to her daughter and couldn't help the grin that broke out on her lips as she saw Robyn concentrating so hard on her drawing that her tongue was sticking out. "When Mother called me to tell me you all were leaving, the choice was easy. Robyn, you, Lennie and Mother are more my family than Mal wanted to be, so I came with you."

Emma reached out and squeezed Zelena's hand softly. "You're my family too." She grinned before her brows furrowed in confusion. "Talking about family, where's that mother of yours?"

"I'm right here, dear," Cora announced brightly as she walked into the room. However, it was clear to see that she was anything but happy. There was something clearly worrying her.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked as she shifted to the side to allow Cora to sit beside her.

Instead of replying, Cora simply shook her head and reached forward to take Lennie out of Zelena's arms and cuddled her close, completely avoiding any attempt that Zelena and Emma made to try and get whatever was bothering the older woman out of her.

When a week had passed and Cora still hadn't spilled, Emma was starting to get irritated. She brought it up over breakfast, but Cora refused once more. Frustrated, Emma picked up her daughter and headed to the nursery where Zelena was hanging out with Robyn, both were colouring in.

"Can you look after Lennie for a bit?" Emma asked, her tone making it clear that she didn't want to talk about what was annoying her.

"Sure," Zelena agreed without hesitation and accepted her niece and sat her beside her. Lennie automatically reached out and started, well not exactly drawing, but swirling a crayon around the page, grinning happily. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk," Emma said. "I'll see you soon."

After a swift kiss to both Lennie and Robyn's heads, she left the room and out of the castle. Instead of going around the gardens, she decided to stretch her legs properly and head out of the castle grounds altogether.

She'd barely been walking ten minutes when she saw a young woman, well woman was a bit of a stretch, the oldest she could be was eighteen. She was running at full pelt and Emma could hear the chase behind her.

Within seconds, there was the Red Knight chasing after the blonde, screaming, "Alice!" at the top of his voice. Despite the temptation to roll her eyes at the situation, her hero complex kicked in and she rushed after the two.

"Hey!" She cried and the Knight halted his horse harshly.

Alice also stopped and hid behind a nearby bush, trying to overhear what was going on.

"Who are you?" The Knight demanded.

"I could ask the same of you," Emma retorted. "Who I am is not important. Why are you chasing her?"

"She's after my crown!" The Knight revealed. "She's here with the Queen of Hearts."

"What?" Alice cried as she stepped forward from her hiding spot. "I'm just looking for something to save my Papa."

"Lies," he hissed before jumping off his horse and stepping towards the women.

Immediately, Emma had flashbacks of Hook stepping this close to her, with a similar fire in his eyes. Not wanting any repeat of the past, she reached out and cupped her hand, magically strangling the Knight. His eyes bulged open as he struggled to breathe.

"I am the woman with the Queen, not Alice," Emma snapped before releasing her spell, letting him drop, rather ungracefully, to the floor. "And I am not after the crown!"

Then another voice joined them. Their voice was low and full of fury. "Get away from my daughter!"

"YOU!" The Knight bellowed, struggling to get to his feet. His eyes wide with fear. "You really are back!"

Cora smirked in delight at the man's sheer horrified expression. "You went after the wrong blonde," she sneered, proud of what Emma's power could do. Even after a year of training, she still couldn't get over the blonde's natural talent. Cora then took three very slow steps until she was right above the Knight. She produced a black fireball that was spitting green, laced with poison. "If you go near my family again, I'll do more than just banish you. You'll regret ever being born!"

The Knight swallowed before scrambling away. He threw himself onto his horse and rode away as fast as he could.

Once he was gone, Emma turned to Alice. "Are you alright?"

Alice nodded nervously. "Yeah, stuff like that always happens to me," she said sadly. "I'm just looking for my Papa, that's all."

Emma smiled softly as she reached out to squeeze the teen's arm. "We can try to help. What's his name?" She asked.

"Killian, Killian Jones," Alice replied and Emma forgot how to breathe.

A/N: for this storyline, please ignore that the Evil Queen made out with Rumple to make Zelena jealous, thanks!