Auradon: Present Day

"This was never part of the deal when I agreed to investigate the theft of provisions from the Isle, Fairy Godmother," Regina protested with a distinct tick above her right eye as her fingers twitched while she restrained the urge so start throwing fireballs.

"I know, Regina, but it can't be helped. Your appearance in our world wasn't exactly subtle and, honestly, there are worse ways to leak information about you than people learning you were the lead investigator in the thefts," the Fairy Godmother responded with a sympathetic wince.

"I've had half a dozen Lost Boys come to insist I stop 'punishing' Pan. Several of them multiple times per week no matter how much I insist it was a royal decree and all I did was find the truth. And two of them keep asking me if I am now the 'Villain Kids' mother. Then ask how they could go about getting new mothers," Regina noted tightly. The last thing she liked to be reminded about was why she felt the need to leave Henry, and the Lost Boys brought it all to the forefront of her mind without even trying.

"Well the Lost Boys have always held motherhood in general in the highest regard. Remember they wanted Wendy Darling to be their mother in their initial adventure with her," Fairy Godmother pointed out. "If anything it's the highest form of respect from them to be considered someone's mother. You certainly managed to get their attention."

"And I have your version of Snow calling me at all hours for an in depth interview for the local news program," Regina ground out in frustration.

The Fairy Godmother did her best to hold in a chuckle at that one as she replied, "She has become the most respected investigative reporter in Auradon since the formation of the United States diminished so many of her royal duties. And, quite frankly, your story is already fascinating to those in the know. If only because you've faced such adversity and become so much more of a... whole human being compared to Grimhilde. It's natural for people to be curious," Fairy Godmother explained.

"That half-wit didn't even realize Evie was her stepsister when she announced who made Mal's dress for Ben's Coronation. She didn't even know her name," Regina seethed.

"Believe me, she realized her mistake after. I've had a few calls myself asking if it would be appropriate for her to meet with Evie sometime. I've been putting it off as Evie hasn't expressed any desire to talk to her yet. And honestly, given your new position with the children from the Isle, it kind of will be your decision now. On paper you are their current adviser and liaison acting in loco parentis for them," Fairy Godmother pointed out.

"Wonderful. As if dealing with MY Snow wasn't enough of a headache to help convince me to leave the realm altogether," Regina groused.

"At least her husband isn't a former shepherd here," Fairy Godmother pointed out.

"It wasn't David's occupation that bothered me, dear. If anyone understands that personal station has nothing to do with love, it's me. I just found the man to be irritating. Especially when he decided to take my job and my son both from me. I never should have tried to saddle Kathryn with him during the curse. She deserved much better," Regina sniped.

"Kathryn?" the Fairy Godmother asked.

"Princess Abigail, daughter of King Midas, technically. She had been engaged to David as a replacement for his twin brother James, who had been killed, for a short time before leaving her for Snow back in the Enchanted Forest long before the Dark Curse. James had been adopted as a baby to be the heir for King George's kingdom while David was left on the family farm with his mother. When James was killed the over ambitious lout decided to use his twin and pretend nobody would know the difference despite raising James as an actual prince his whole life. A terrible one, from all accounts, but still a prince. I suppose it would be a grimmer version of the Prince the the Pauper," Regina explained.

"Your world seemed to combine many people's stories together into the same person's life in such unusual ways," the Fairy Godmother noted.

Regina nodded in agreement as she replied, "Personally, I just blame Rumple. More than half of what went wrong in the Enchanted Forest always seemed to lead back to him. I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow did something that harmed the fabric of reality itself."

"I am so glad our version of Rumplestiltskin is nowhere near as powerful," Fairy Godmother responded.

"Me too," Regina agreed. "And that King Adam is a good man that helped to raise a good son in Ben. Mal deserves that kind of happiness in her life."

"And speaking of the kids, what are your thoughts on arranging a video chat for them with their parents to discuss the changes for the Isle?" Fairy Godmother asked.

"I suppose it's necessary. Especially after that debacle with Spirit Week that brought Facilier's daughter and Hook's youngest girl here through Sid- I mean the Genie's daughter's lamp," Regina agreed. Not that she had anything against Freddie Facilier or CJ Hook after meeting them. In many ways Freddie reminded her of a rougher version of Miss Swan's less irritating moments, and she could even see some of the better parts of the Killian Jones she remembered in the somewhat shy and earnestly curious young CJ. If anything, meeting them made Regina want to storm the Isle of the Lost and get as many of the kids away from that hellhole as she could as soon as possible.

"Mmm, and how are thing going with our new... surprise additions to the student roster?" Fairy Godmother asked.

"They're not going to start calling me 'Aunt Gina' the way Carlos does to try to be funny anytime soon. Then again, they seem like they had better relationships with their respective parents growing up. Your Hook is a pompous ass, but he and his crew all seemed to care for CJ and her older sister both. And Freddie isn't exhibiting any behavior that would suggest the Shadow Man was a poor father, other than wanting a little more attention as he kept trying to re-establish his contact with the Other Side. The fact the man established Dragon Hall suggests he cares more about the kids on the Isle than most would give him credit for," Regina reported.

"Point. Although other than Master Yen Sid a great deal of their curriculum is... unique," Fairy Godmother pointed out.

"It is and it isn't," Regina argued. "If you get the kids really talking about the classes, they aren't nearly as sinister as their titles would suggest. For example, Mother Gothel's 'Selfishness Class' is more of a disguised photography course to teach the kids to use digital cameras than anything. And their 'World Domination' class seems to be little more than a less idealized civics course. The curriculum might be from a more cynical point of view, but I would estimate more than half of the classes were only given their current titles as sarcastic jibes at Auradon and the general view of villains here as a whole."

"Hmm, something the kids here from the Isle are managing to change all on their own," Fairy Godmother mused.

"They're good kids in general. Ones raised in deplorable conditions, but contrary to what some here might believe; evil isn't born, it's made," Regina noted. "Not that every parent there is exactly what I would call fit to raise children, even under ideal conditions. I'd personally love to throttle Cruella, Jafar, and Grimhilde if I could. And the less said about your Maleficent, the better. I wish I could talk to MY Mal one last time just so she could set that wretched little excuse for a lizard straight."


Storybrooke

As Regina contemplated the fate of her Maleficent and how she missed her closest (and if she was being honest with herself only) friend, Rumplestiltskin was thinking of the former Queen of Darkness as well. Mostly how she might be the only one he could trust to help him find his newly discovered daughter. If only he hadn't needed that potion to bring back magic to Storybrooke he would be consulting with her right at that moment. He knew he could easily resurrect her, so to speak. It was a little difficult to consider her completely dead when half-alive version of her dragon form powered by Regina's magic was still in the caves beneath the library at that very moment guarding the failsafe trigger Regina had added to the Dark Curse. He could bring her fully back to life from that state in a matter of minutes with little more than a drop each of Snow's and David's blood.

Of course, he also knew Maleficent's price if he did help her, namely finding her lost daughter here in this realm. Not that the dragon sorceress wouldn't want to help save Regina from Cora herself. If anything Maleficent had always been oddly protective of Regina from the time they met. She would always feel grateful to the former Evil Queen for reigniting the fire in her heart after her defeat by Stephan and Briar Rose. But Rumple knew the woman was too savvy to let such an opportunity to find her child go to waste. And considering all he did to find Baelfire and what he was prepared to do to find Regina, he could certainly relate. He supposed he could call in markers with Cruella and Ursula, but he loathed relying on the two. Neither had any tangible ties to Regina beyond shared villainy to motivate them to play things straight with him and he was disinclined to deal with them unless absolutely necessary.

He supposed he could call upon Miss Swan to help him locate the girl as he had with his son. She at least seemed to care for Regina's welfare for Henry's sake. He imagined the Savior also had certain issues with lost or missing parents that she was projecting onto his grandson. Not that Rumple doubted that Henry missed his mother. The boy was just too stuck in his "Charming" notions of good and evil to admit it. And even that resistance would likely crumble once the heroes in town explained his blood ties to Regina.

But for now he would continue his research before making a decision in regards to Maleficent. If only because he knew what kind of reluctance he would encounter from the Dragon herself and from the Charmings in working together in the wake of their crimes against Regina's best friend. Nobody liked to admit to acts that darkened their hearts, least of all self-proclaimed heroes like Snow White and Prince Charming. Well Snow might help him, but Charming would resist. The longer Regina was missing the more he saw how little the Fairest of Them All was willing to be separated from her stepmother. Some bonds ran deep even when they were mostly one-sided.

His musings were cut short as a voice called out with a reticent, "Any luck, Papa?"

Rumple looked on from the tome he was currently perusing and gave a tired smile toward his son before he admitted, "Not yet, my boy. But I searched for centuries to find a way back to you, Bae. I will find a way to reach your sister, too. I owe her that much. And a great deal more, if I'm honest with myself."

"Emma told me about some of the things you did to her, like the wraith," Neal pointed out with a note of deep disapproval in voice and a sad look in his eye.

Honestly that look stung Rumple more than anger would have. If Bae had been angry with him that would be understandable. But the resigned sadness on has face spoke of him expecting something so horrible from his father. "Son, if I had known I never would have placed Regina in that position. You have to know that," Rumple pointed out.

"I know, Papa. But you let your temper and your power get the better of you again. And if you hadn't my sister might be here right now. If nothing else Cora wouldn't know about Storybrooke or Henry," Neal pointed out.

"And I would not know about your sister. Maybe things do truly happen for a reason. Even ones I will never live down," Rumple theorized.

"Have you thought of what you're going to do when you find her?" Neal asked after a pause to think over what his father had said.

"That will depend on your sister, son. I will do all I can to protect her from Cora. If I could I would shove the witch's heart back in her chest just to see if she was capable of caring about Regina but Regina's vault and whatever remains in it from the Enchanted Forest remains sealed. Granted if it were just blood magic I could get through but she would not be that sloppy. If I tried to force my way in I have little doubt the whole mausoleum would self-destruct to keep me out. Your little sister is nothing of not thorough in regards to security," Rumple replied with a note of pride.

"Will you make her come back here?" Neal asked.

Rumple paused to think that one over before he shook his head and answered, "Not if she's happy. I'll make sure we have a way to reach her and vice-versa but I won't force her hand. I've done far too much of that already."

"You really never knew who she was to you, even when you arranged for her to adopt Henry?" Neal asked after another pause.

"No. I didn't even realize he was yours, Bae. I just knew she was desperate to love someone and would make a good mother in spite of how Cora raised her. Which in turn would draw the Savior here at the right moment to break the curse. At the time it was merely convenient. Funny how fate likes to present itself that way sometimes," Rumple noted with a tired snort. "Have they told Henry yet that Regina is his aunt by blood?" he asked.

"Emma was going to break it to him today. He's still been really withdrawn since Regina left," Neal admitted.

"It's hard to admit you miss your parent when they are a villain," Rumple replied with a pained look.

Neal's expression matched his as he replied, "Missing you wasn't the problem. You choosing power was."

"I know. But we can try to be family here and now, can't we son? You, me, Henry, and Regina when we find her," Rumple implored.

Neal smiled a little as he responded, "I suppose so. I'm surprised you didn't mention Belle, though. Or Emma."

"Sheriff Swan is your business and your business alone, son. As for Belle, I wasn't sure how you would react to my... dating again at this state in my life," Rumple replied.

Neal rolled his eyes a little as he responded, "She's your True Love, Papa. From what I've been told she almost forced the darkness from you with True Love's Kiss."

"I needed my power to get back to you Bae. I couldn't risk letting myself be happy like that until I saw you again," Rumple insisted.

"I know. But the point is, anyone that good for you is not someone I would hold against you. If anything she's a step up from Regina's mom," Neal joked with a sideways glance.

But rather than rise to the bait Rumple shook his head sadly as he replied, "With her heart in her chest Cora was not all bad. Too ambitious for her own good by far, certainly. But she was... loving once upon a time."

"Reminds me of someone I know," Neal said solemnly.

"Perhaps," Rumple conceded. "Although she reminded me a great deal of your mother before things between us went bad, too. Then again, ambition was not something Milah lacked, either," he added darkly. That reminded Rumple that he would have to...deal with Hook the next time he saw the man. The last thing he wanted was to let the man put Belle or Neal in danger. It was long past time the Dark One tied up that particular loose end now that he had something in his life to lose.

"So you'll let Regina stay where she is if she's made a good life for herself? What if she... conquered a realm or something?" Neal asked with some trepidation.

Rumple giggled a bit as he replied, "Been listening to Snow and her shepherd, I see. Or perhaps Miss Lucas? The Blue Fairy?" He let his son stand there abashed for a moment before he answered, "Anyone that actually took the time to see her here would realize that there was a vast difference from Regina Mills the Mayor of Storybrooke and the Evil Queen. Most of the rage and madness I helped ferment in her burnt out within the first couple of years here. She still had her hard edges, of course, but she was nothing like the Evil Queen at the height of her madness. And Regina the person never cared for power beyond how it could be used to protect herself and later, to protect Henry. Power was a shield and a crutch for her, not an ambition."

"But she was the Queen," Neal protested in confusion.

"One manipulated and sold into that position by her mother. My only regret here is that I have no access to Leopold's corpse so I could find someway to desecrate it that would pain that fool in the afterlife. Mr. Glass killing him to prove his love to Regina was too good for that... person," Rumple snarled.

Neal looked taken aback by Rumple's vehemence for a moment before he asked, "The king wasn't as good as Snow remembers him, was he?"

"What king ever is?" Rumple asked back. "And how many children are capable of understanding their father's sins as he dotes on them?"

"I did," Neal pointed out hollowly.

"You were always a bright lad. Snow White was already a young woman before she ever learned to think for, or take care of, herself. Sheltered royalty only see what they want to see. And by the time she saw Regina's pain the Evil Queen was being born right before her eyes," Rumple explained.

"She misses Regina too, I think," Neal pointed out. "I can see it in her eyes when we discuss what we're going to do."

"Of course she does. She loves Regina. She will always see Regina as her mother despite there being less than eight years between them. After all, Leopold didn't remarry immediately after Eva perished. There had to be formal mourning time. Snow couldn't have been older than eight when she lost her mother. She was ten when Regina came into her life and eighteen when she fled from her. Even when Regina hated and hunted her she still considered the Queen to be her mother. That's nearly twenty years of thinking of her as family, not counting the Curse, as compared to maybe four years worth of memories of Eva, if she's lucky. She will always want to at least know Regina is alright. And knowing Snow, she'll want her here and tell herself it's only to keep an eye on her," Rumple explained.

"So you don't think my sister is doing anything bad, Papa?" Neal asked.

"If she wanted a confrontation she would have stayed here, Bae. Wherever she went it was to find peace, not wage a war," Rumple replied. "Not that the heroes will care. Snow will want her here because she wants her mother back no matter what. Reul Ghorm will want her where she can be observed and controlled. And Charming is too stupid to question either of them despite the wisdom in leaving sleeping dragons lie. Of them all only Miss Swan might want to talk to her first before making demands."

"You seem to have them all pegged pretty soundly," Neal noted.

"You have to be good at reading people to make the right kind of deal, son. And I've been dealing with those idiots for decades now in one form or another. Centuries in the case of the Blue Fairy," Rumple pointed out.

Neal pondered that fact for a while before nodding his head in acceptance as he asked, "So what can I do to help?"

Rumple gave his eldest child a warm smile before reaching over to get another book and tossing it to his son. "Another pair of eyes never hurts. Belle is still scouring the library for more books about traversing realms."


As Rumple and Neal bonded together over the search for Regina, Emma decided it was time to bite the proverbial bullet in regards to filling Henry in on recent happenings. She had wrestled for days with the question of telling her son that his missing adoptive mother was also technically his aunt but finally she came to the conclusion that he needed to know. And so she waited until David was out for his shift at the station and Mary Margaret was doing her best to muddle through Regina's mayoral duties to knock on the door to the room she shared with her child.

"Henry, there's something I need to talk to you about," Emma called out softly.

Henry barely looked up from the Wolverine comic he was listlessly thumbing through, one of the last ones his mo-... Regi-... the Evil Queen had given him as he distractedly called out, "Come in."

Emma stepped into the room cautiously, still arguing with herself on whether letting Henry know what they had learned was good or bad. She let out a gentle "Hey kid," at the sight of the clearly depressed little boy.

"What's up?" Henry asked in mild curiosity. It was obvious Emma was nervous and he had no idea why. Had she learned that he had been talking to Paige recently? Had Paige told Emma what she had told Henry the week before?

"Kid, I... well we... that is, you remember the meeting a few days ago when Cora popped up at your Grandpa Gold's shop?" Emma fumbled.

"Yeah?" Henry asked, confused. "Grandma said they argued about my mo- the Evil Queen being gone because Cora thought Grandpa Gold had helped her leave, but he hadn't. Then there was the spell he used to see where I was, just in case, that lit up on my chest."

Emma nodded in response to Henry as he recounted what he knew before she sighed as she replied, "That's the one. The thing is we learned something else about your mom. Er- your other mom. Regina, that is."

Henry looked interested for a moment before he closed down and scowled as he replied, "Save it. I don't care."

"Kid, don't be that way. I know you're worried about her. We all are to some degree," Emma protested.

"I'm not. She doesn't care about me. Why should I care about her?" Henry shot back angrily.

"Henry, you know that isn't true. Regina loves you. She always has. She's just... really crappy at dealing with people sometimes," Emma countered.

"No she isn't. She just needed some villain kids to take care of instead. Real family. She could never love a hero's son, so she left," Henry insisted.

"Henry, where would you get a crazy idea like that? I mean I know it must have been hard when you learned your were adopted but even the people in this town that hate your mom's guts will tell you that she loved you with all her heart. I mean even her letter to me made it pretty clear she left because she thought it was best for you," Emma insisted.

"That's not true! I saw it for myself! Paige showed me last week," Henry shouted back with tears in his eyes. "She found a new family already. With a real daughter that was really hers."

"Henry, what are you talking about? You've seen Regina? Where? How?" Emma asked as she knelt down and put her hands on her son's shoulders.

Henry looked reluctant to answer before looking down, ashamed as he explained, "Last week, like I said. Paige, you know Jefferson's daughter Grace?" before looking up into Emma's face to see her nod in recognition before looking back down as he continued. "Anyway, some of the kids were talking about how happy I should be that the Evil Queen was gone at school and it made me really sad so... I went off to be alone during lunch. Paige found me crying and I admitted that even if she was mean and evil I still missed my mom. So she told me that if I went with her after school, she could show her to me."

"Henry, how could Paige show you where Regina is?" Emma insisted.

"With a hat," Henry explained. "Even though she's not living with her dad he's been wanting to spend time with her and he's been teaching her about realm jumping with hats because it's in her blood. Anyway, a few days before that he had shown her a new hat he made. One that went to a realm different from here or the Enchanted Forest. She told me her dad had used it to send the Evil Queen away to somewhere she could be happy. He said he rather she be happy where she couldn't return from than be here where she could stop him from seeing Paige."

"He'd give her a perfect life just to keep her out of his? What is he the Mad Hatter from Batman now?" Emma asked with a snort of derision.

"Huh?" Henry asked.

"Before your time kid. One of the Batman: the Animated Series villains was Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter. In the show he used mind control tech and was obsessed with Alice in Wonderland. Anyway, he knocked Batman out in one episode and connected him to dream machine that would create a perfect world from your own mind in order to keep Batman busy. After Batman realized it was a dream and broke free to wake up the Hatter admitted he gave Batman a perfect world, just to keep him out of the Hatter's life. It sounds like Jefferson was taking a page from his book, that's all. Keep going," Emma explained.

Henry smiled a little, glad to see his mom had some comic book interest even if it was more about DC than Marvel before he continued, "Anyway, Paige isn't really that good yet, we cold only make a scene appear for like a minute and there was only sound for a few seconds but she had like four kids there with her they were all treating her like she was their mom. Paige explained that the Mad Hatter still looks in on mom occasionally and that she's made a life for herself there taking care of those... villain kids."

"What makes them villain kids? Were they torching a building or something?" Emma asked in confusion. She was about five seconds from taking off to beat some answers out of Jefferson over this whole mess but she wanted to understand what was upsetting Henry so much first.

"No, their parents are the big time villains in that world, even if they're all in jail or something. One was Maleficent's daughter, one was Jafar's son, one was Cruella de Vil's son and the last one..." Henry trailed off as he fought back tears.

"The last one what, Henry?" Emma asked gently.

"She was the Evil Queen's daughter. Or the Evil Queen from that world anyway. She looks like a younger version of mom only with this stupid blue hair. And Cruella's son called her 'Auntie Gina' and the girl called her 'Mommy.' So you see? She left me to find a place where she has a real kid that's hers. She doesn't care about me. She wanted a real family," Henry explained desperately.

Emma hugged the distraught child tightly as she said, "That's not true Henry. I don't doubt Regina could be a mother to someone that needed it, but she wouldn't replace you. She was a good mom to you and loved you the best way she knew how. Never question that," Emma insisted.

"Then why did she leave?" Henry asked piteously.

"Because she thought it was what you wanted. What was best for you. And the rest of us didn't exactly make her thing that was the wrong way to look at things," Emma reluctantly admitted.

Henry looked her in the face for a full minute before he broke down in tears and hugged her tightly again. They stayed that way for several moments before he finally composed himself enough to ask, "What did you want to tell me? About my mom?"

Emma felt her reluctance return but knew there was no turning back as she admitted, "Well, Cora kind of made some really quick judgments and revealed some things while she was arguing with Gold."

"Like what?" Henry asked.

"Like... Prince Henry Sr. wasn't Regina's real father," Emma explained.

Henry looked confused for a minute at that revelation. His namesake wasn't his adopted mom's father? "Then who was?" Henry asked.

Emma looked like she wanted to be anywhere else before she finally sucked it up and admitted, "Gold. The reason he did the spell that lit up on you wasn't to check up on you. He use some stored vial of Regina's blood to find her relatives. It lit up him, you, and your dad. She thought he had known all along but it was as big a shock to him as anyone. He was pretty pissed at Cora when it all came out. If she hadn't poofed away I think he might have attacked her then and there."

"So... Regina's my aunt? Like my real aunt?" Henry asked.

"By blood? Yeah. But to her she's your mom. And I think deep down you kind of agree with her on that. Don't you?" Emma prodded.

"Yeah," Henry admitted sadly. "But you're my mom, too," he insisted.

"I know kid," Emma tenderly agreed as she hugged him.

"Ma? What are we going to do about my mom?" Henry asked after a moment.

"Well, first I'm going to call Snow and David. Then I'm going to get some answers from Jefferson. And explain why it's a bad idea to keep certain types of secrets. Especially with a psycho like Cora running around," Emma all but growled. "Then we'll figure out a way to find Regina. That sound good to you?"

"Yeah. We can call it Operation: Welcome Home," Henry enthused as the light seemed to come back to his eyes.

"Sounds like a plan kid," Emma agreed with a smile.


Auradon

As one drama unfolded in Storybrooke, Regina was dealing with another in Auradon as she checked in on the Villain Kids after their calls home only to encounter an inconsolably crying Evie hiding in her dorm room. Mal left Jay and Carlos to comfort the terrified girl as she joined Regina out in the hall to explain the situation.

"Mal, what is going on? What is wrong with Evie?" Regina asked even as she felt the beginnings of an anger not seen since her days as the Evil Queen begin to burn in her belly.

Mal looked back at the closed door behind her in concern before scowling fiercely as she asked, "Well you know how we got to call home to explain things about how food shipments will improve and to check in with our parents, other than mine, right?"

"Of course, the Fairy Godmother and I approved it together ahead of the larger press releases about the upcoming trials," Regina answered.

"Well it started out okay. I mean Carlos didn't even bother to talk to Cruella after she started ranting about skinning Dude for new earmuffs, but everyone else was... tolerable. And apparently Grimhilde was happy Evie got mentioned for making my dress for Ben's coronation. And proud she was being accepted here. And that we basically made her leader of the Isle in my mom's place. Unfortunately, Evie... mistook her good mood for more than it was," Mal explained.

"What happened?" Regina asked with a feeling of dread.

"Evie decided it was a good time to mention Doug. And ask permission for them to see each other," Mal replied darkly.

"Damn. I was afraid it was something like that. How bad?" Regina asked.

"There was a lot of yelling. And talk of banishment and being disowned. And some things that were less polite. Things you don't say to your own kid. The kind of stuff my Mom would never say to me. And she would threaten me outright if I got out of line. It scared Evie. A lot. And broke her heart. She's terrified Grimhilde will find some way to have Doug killed now for 'sullying her so no prince would have her'," Mal said with disgust, using air quotes as she repeated one of Grimhilde's nicer little rants.

"That miserable, jealous, old sow. How dare she speak to Evie that way," Regina snarled as her fingers began to smoke in her anger. She had half a mind to march right to the Isle of the Lost and rip that fat fool's heart out before crushing it in front of her overly-made up face.

"Right there with you," Mal agreed even as she looked worriedly at Regina's still smoking fingers.

The former Evil Queen noticed Mal's look of trepidation after a moment and then noted her own hands. "Sorry, let my magic get away from me,"she admitted sheepishly.

"Magic is emotion. At least the way you learned to do it. Got it," Mal dismissed. She was more than a little pissed off herself, anyway. "But the question now is what are we going to do? I mean can the Evil Queen get to Doug? The whole thing with Freddie and CJ shows the Isle isn't as impenetrable as it used to be."

"Well first, I'm going in there to help reassure Evie that everything will be alright and help her calm down. Then I'm going to speak with Fairy Godmother and have custody of you four put under me directly because I'm not risking Grimhilde or her remaining fellow cronies to your mother using rights as parents to try to get to any of you. Then... I'm heading to the Isle to speak with Evie's... birth mother about proper decorum. I was going as part of the envoy to hash out logistics with the new deliveries anyway. But now I have a more important reason to be there, and if she ever speaks to Evie like that again she will regret it. Deeply," Regina swore. Nobody messed with her kids and lived to tell the tale. Not while she was around to stop it.


Author's Note: Well here's another chapter, finally. The confrontation between Regina and Grimhilde will obviously get pushed back a chapter. There was just too much that needed to be covered here. Next up should be the confrontations with Grimhilde, Jefferson, and Regina offering to formally adopt Evie and Mal at the very least.

As always let me know what you think and I welcome comments, criticism, and suggestions. Feedback is ever the coin of the realm to keep me going.