Note to AmazingGracieGurl: thanks for your enthusiasm, love! Perhaps you should follow story so you can read the updates sooner so you don't have to sit around and wonder if it's been updated :P just a suggestion ;) xo

Twenty minutes later saw Ruby leading Emma, her parents, Elsa, Killian, Regina, Robin Hood, and Will Scarlett into the woods to look for Mulan while Aurora stayed behind to look after Phillip, Mei, and baby Neal. Roland was off with Little John, having an adventure somewhere.

Thanks to the scarf Mei had lent her, it didn't take Ruby long to pick up on the scent of the lost warrior. However, after ten minutes of leading everyone in the right direction, Ruby was forced to come to a screeching halt when she was overcome with a sudden sneezing fit.

"I'm—ACHOO! s-sorry, you guys. ACHOO! I'm really allergic to fl-flowers! ACHOO! Just a se—ACHOO! second!"

Way to Ruby's right stood huge bushes of honeysuckle, whose lovely scent was being carried downwind by the slight breeze. The others each liked the smell, but seeing Ruby's discomfort, Snow quickly took her out of the breeze's jet stream, slightly out of earshot of the others, and sat with her on a fallen hollow log while she cleared her head.

"Ruby," Snow said after a few moments. "I've known about your flower allergy for as long as I've known you, but the flowers that set off your sneezing fit were at least six feet away. That's bit much, even for you with your normally-heightened senses, isn't it?"

Ruby bit her lip, weighing her options. The woman sitting next to her knew all of her secrets—even who she currently shared a bed with on most nights now—and even after all of these years, their bond remained like sisterhood.

But this… this was brand new, and she still hadn't let herself think about it.

"I—"

Ruby started to answer Snow, but David came jogging up just then, looking completely excited about something. He was also completely oblivious to the fact that he'd just interrupted the two.

"What is it?" Ruby asked as she and Snow got to their feet.

"Belle's just seen August Booth's old trailer which has been abandoned since he got turned back into a little boy and went to live with Marco. She says it looks lived in, but there's nobody in the surrounding area, which leads us to think that that was where you were leading us before you had your sneezing fit."

Beside Ruby, Snow furrowed her eyebrows as she thought through all of her husband's words. "I've been there before, and this was not the way!"

Ruby put a hand on her friend's arm. "They probably just found an alternate way, Snow. These woods do go on and on."

"That's true," Snow had been distracted by wondering about Ruby to consider that option. "But what about all those flowers?"

"Regina incinerated them." David sighed in a dejected tone; having spent much of his life outside, he hated to see plants get snuffed out.

"Well, at least isn't incapable of showing that she cares now." Ruby remarked as she tilted her head to the side, listening for something unseen. "Everyone getting antsy—let's go back."

That was all she said before leaving her friends in the dust.

Ruby caught up to Emma, Elsa, and the others, with the Charmings not to far behind her.

"Are you okay now, Ruby?" Regina asked in genuine concern.

"Yes, thank you."

Meanwhile, Elsa was feeling a tad confused. "Why are we all just standing here? Is this Mulan dangerous?"

"Not in the least." Belle shook her head as she gazed ahead at the trailer, standing about fifteen feet away. "I'm sure Mulan is in there and quite frightened by now, so it's understandable that she'd be even more alarmed if we all went inside at once."

"She's also pregnant," Regina reminded them. "So the sooner we think of a plan, the better!"

"Not helping, your majesty." Killian said in a warning tone.

Robin quickly stood between the two before they could start fighting like spoiled five-year-olds. "Ruby shall come with us to fetch Mulan, but who else here has the good warrior's trust? Tell me with a show of hands."

Robin raised his own hands, but so did Belle, Emma, Snow, and surprisingly, Will Scarlett.

Robin was the chief leader in giving his former Merry Man a 'judging you' expression, but it was he who broke the awkward silence.

"Go on—explain yourself."

"Right: about seven months ago—I think—our paths crossed on the road, way out in the middle of nowhere. She was cold and hungry, so I gave her some clean clothes, shared some of my food with her, and invited her to stay the night by the campfire. She was gone before I woke up."

"Did she tell you where she was going, or where she'd just come from?"

"Something about having left you and the boys to head back to her village so she could collect her little girl before she set off on expedition to look for her true loves. Mulan was frightfully worried that her husband would catch her because she'd already done something bad years ago that got her banished for life."

"Banished?" Belle echoed, making everyone jump; it was the first time she'd spoken in awhile. "That means she was already serving out that punishment around the time I met her! What did she do?"

"And she's married?" Emma cried. "She never mentioned that when we met her!"

Will held his arms out in surrender. "Don't shoot the messenger, please. Mulan was mostly worried about her husband's temper because because he likes to use her as a punching bag when he's angry."

"Why in the world wouldn't you have said any of this before now?" Robin demanded.

"I've only just remembered all of this, Robin, but I do want to find her as badly as the rest of you. Now shall we get a move on, or do you want to stand there and yammer at me a little more?"

Knowing that Regina, Emma, and Emma's parents would give him hell for even clocking Will one good one right in the snogger, the man in green exercised a great deal of self-restraint and stepped back, turning to Ruby.

"I'm ready when you are."

Ruby quickly chose Robin, Will, Belle, Emma, and Snow to be in the rescue party and finally led them towards the trailer.

"Mulan?" Belle called out as they entered the trailer. "It's Belle, and few other people!"

Mulan was in the back room, curled up on the bed. She could hear them, but the combination of being worried sick about Mei, and having a gestating baby that was taking all of the nourishment going into her weary body had really sapped her of her usual energy, but she still managed to pick up a book from her nightstand and throw it towards the open door, hoping it would be enough to get their attention.

Mulan was genuinely surprised to see Robin Hood and Will Scarlett, of all people, respond first, and although the registered that it was them, her primal instincts took over and she curled up in a ball, to the best of her ability, protecting herself. Of course she knew that neither of them would ever lay a hand to her, but the last man she'd interacted with had beaten her something awful, paying no heed to her expectant condition.

"Go!" Mulan gave a dry sob, swatting blindly at the thieves. "Leave!"

Distressed, Robin and Will exited quickly, soon to be replaced by Belle, Emma, and Snow. It took a little bit coaxing, but the trio of princesses got the warrior to sit up, and when they saw the massive size of her belly, they realized that Will's estimate of seven months had been right.

Snow felt her heart break when she took in the sight of Mulan's undernourished body and all of the various injuries. They were all in different stages of healing, but if Snow had to hazard a guess based on the healing progression, she would've said that Mulan had been beaten just before (or as) the second curse happened.

"Snow?" Mulan croaked as Emma and Belle sat with her, propping her up. "Have you seen a little girl that bears resemblance to me?"

"Mei? She's safe, Mulan." Snow grinned. "My friend, Ruby—Emma's godmother—found her last night, and put her into the care of someone we all know."

"Who?"

"Aurora."

Mulan's heart leapt and she wanted to cry, but forced herself not to. "Aurora is nearby?"

"Uh-huh. She and Mei really can't wait to see you."

"Mulan," Belle gave her friend a back rub. "Do you think you can walk?"

"I don't know." She admitted.

"That's okay." The librarian cooed. "We will help you."

As it turned out, Mulan couldn't stand on her own, and she finally gave in to her exhaustion, fainting clean away in Emma's arms.

Once they were outside and everybody saw what kind of shape Mulan was in, they gathered around Regina, and she poofed them all to the hospital, whereupon they all made a dash for the ER area.

That was, everyone but Ruby.

While she'd been waiting outside the trailer with Robin and Will for everyone else to come out, she'd gone for a short walk to do some thinking about the secret she was currently sitting on. During that time, she'd lost her footing on some leaves, wet from the previous night's rain, and ending up taking an unexpected mudslide. Luckily, Robin and Will went chasing after her, soon catching her and standing her up before she could go any further.

That was all good and well, but now, Ruby was paying the price for her hesitation and silence.

Still sore from her spill in the woods, Ruby eased herself into the nearest empty wheelchair, wincing as her body suddenly starting processing a little more pain than it should have been.

Please, no, she thought desperately as felt the distinct feeling of blood trickle between her legs. Don't betray me, body. Please, no.

"I need help."

Ruby's words had been a mumble and so quiet, that they were almost inaudible to everyone around her.

One person heard her, though.

"Red?"

Blue, as was her way, had popped up out of seemingly nowhere, and came hurrying over to the waitress, kneeling down in front of her. When she saw Ruby wiping furiously at newly-formed tears in her eyes as she clamped her free hand tightly over her middle, Blue immediately held both of her hands next to Ruby's one, channeling healing energy into it as she tried again.

"Child, what is going on?"

And so the words tumbled from Ruby's mouth. "I think I'm having a miscarriage."