Mulan POV
As I left Regina and Henry to look after the exhausted Belladonna, I moved downstairs towards the living room. I needed to see them, to ensure I had not imagined the last hour. I needed to touch them to know that they were still hear, that Belladonna's words had not come to pass. I walked down the stairs and as I reached the bottom I saw Aurora pacing back and forth to try and get little Phillip to sleep. My heart broke with the love I felt for the both of them. I tried to imagine the world without them in it. How empty and forlorn I must have become in Belladonna's memory. I took a deep breath. I would not become that person. I could not become that person, because the very soul preventing such a creation was swaying back and forth calming a teething toddler. She turned around and it was then I realized she was crying too. Her eyes locked onto mine and I was surprised to see such sorrow. "Aurora?" I made a move towards her with my hand out stretched.
But she shook her head and turned her body, still rocking Phillip, "No. Don't touch me." Her words were whispered, but that did not lessen the sting.
I halted just inside the living room doorway, "I don't understand. You are angry."
"Of course I'm angry!" she hissed, "We almost lost you today!"
I blinked a few times trying to comprehend her words...She was angry with me for having saved their lives? I became incensed, "I save your life...yours and Phillips, and you are angry with me?"
"No I am angry because you let yourself be killed trying to protect us! I have seen you block arrows with your sword...not your body!" she began to walk away from me to lay a slumbering baby down on a pallet she made on the floor out of pillows and blankets.
I choked at hearing her answer, "I'm sorry...what...How?...Tell me Princess, how should I have rescued you? Perhaps next time I can do so in a manner that won't offend you?"
"That's just it!" She walked back towards me getting in my face, "There wouldn't have been a next time! You were dead, or nearly..."
"I was trying to prevent your death! Belladonna warned me!"
"And in the process I almost lost you today! You are my best friend, not my husband."
The words hit home and she knew it. My eyes began to well up with tears but I could not look away from her, "A fact I am well aware of Princess." I hissed angrily.
I began to walk away but she grabbed me by my arm jerking me back, "My point being that if he were to die, I would find a way and a means to move on and live without him... I cannot say the same if I had lost you." For a second time I was shocked within the span of 5 minutes. "You are my best friend Mulan, I trust you with my life, with my son's life. But if you are gone, then I would be alone, truly alone, with no one to comfort me in my greatest sorrows." She releases my arm and takes my hand, breaking our eye contact, "I know your feelings for me...and I am sorry I cannot return them as you wish...but you must know that I do love you."
I sniffed as tears fell from my eyes, "I didn't think you knew."
"Of course I knew, you are my friend, I care for you, I watch you! I notice when you stare at me longer than anyone else, how your eyes follow me about a room. How that smile only beams when directed at my face...Mulan, I know."
I turned my head away in shame, "I should leave."
"Where would you go?" She cut me off from leaving, "You would run? Of all the things you are Mulan, cowardice is not one of them."
"I can't stay...if you know then Phillip knows...I can't be a cause of trouble between the two of you."
"How have you been trouble? Other than nearly getting yourself killed today. As I said you are my friend and little Phillip's guardian if something should ever happen to Phillip or myself."
I squeezed my eyes shut with the pain of such a thought, "For the love of heaven never let that happen!"
"It won't." She wrapped her arms about me in a tight embrace, "because you will always be there to keep us safe."
"Aurora?" I looked up to see Phillip standing in the doorway.
"Phillip..." I whispered as Aurora turned and ran to his arms.
I turned away not able to watch the exchange between them, instead I watched little Phillip sleeping so soundly on the blankets. It was uncanny how much he looked like his mother fast asleep. Even sharing her bright crystal blue eyes when he was awake. Many nights I had stayed awake just to watch over her as she slumbered. She was without a doubt the most enchanting thing I had ever beheld; and here quietly slumbering was a miniature copy...same brow, same nose...he even moaned and murmured in his sleep. Darling little Phillip.
"Mulan..." Phillip stretched out a hand, braking my concentration, "Thank you so much...once again we owe you our lives."
I looked my old friend in the eye and made the effort to give him a smile, "There is no debt, they are both very dear to me."
"As are you to us." Aurora smiled from Phillip's arm.
Emma POV
After sending the dwarfs over to clean up the messy schoolroom, and leaving mom and dad to handle the station, I at last found myself walking up the walk towards the home I now shared with Regina, Henry and Belladonna. My heart began to skip a beat. I stumbled and stopped as I looked up at the house...with its big door, white siding, large windows, and a light to guide your way inside. As a small child, in the system, I would dream of finding a home like this. A place where I would enter the front door to find people on the other side who were waiting on me to arrive, completing their family circle. It took 30 years and a curse to make it all happen, 30 years but I finally believe in the magic of happy endings. This is it, this is my happy ending. Not that the story is over...but no matter how it ends, this view and feeling of contentment is worth the 30 years of pain I had endured to get here. It was then the front door opened there stood Regina looking at me.
Concern lined her brow as she took in my stillness, "Emma? Is everything alright?"
"Yes." I nod with happy tears streaming down my face, "This is perfect!"
I almost laughed as she hurried down the walk towards me, concern and worry etched into that beautiful face. I watched as she forced control over her body, stopping short of wrapping her arms about me in an embrace. Instead stretched out a hand to enfold in mine... warm fingers threading their way through mine... and squeezing to reassure me that she was there if I wanted her. Such uncertainty flickered through her eyes. She didn't trust me yet...didn't trust us yet. So I kissed the fingers that held mine and gave a watery smile.
"Are you sure you are alright?" She asked in that velvet soothing voice.
"Yes I promise." I said as I wiped my eyes.
"Do you want to talk about it? About what you saw today?" She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, "was it horrible?"
I realized she was talking about the vision Belladonna showed me. She thought that I was crying over what I saw in the vision. "Oh no!...I mean yes, I would like to talk about it...later. But um, I was thinking about something different that brought on the misty eyes." I waved my free hand with a laugh.
"What were you thinking about?" she whispered stepping back a little, keeping some distance between us, but holding onto my hand. I realized she was holding her breath. She was waiting for me to run. Not this time.
So I stepped up into her personal space pulling her hand to lay over my heart on my chest. "I was thinking of how perfect it is to finally come home." Her eyes welled up with tears, and I wiped them away before they fell down her cheeks. "Now, now, my queen...none of that. No tears."
"Some moments require tears." She sniffed and threw me back an obstinate gaze.
"Then if you must cry, let them only be happy tears." I smiled down at her as I wrapped my arms around her frame. The hand that had been laying over my heart moved up my neck and to the back of my head, slowly pulling me down. A triumphant grin spread across my face as I leaned in...
"MOMS?" The voice of our son jerks us apart, "Where are you?"
"Coming in just a second dear!" Regina shouted towards the house.
"Not anymore." I muttered.
"EMMA!" Regina smacked my arm with an appalled expression. However, it melted into a sexy, seductive grin. "You Miss Swan are a terrible influence."
I threw her back a cheesy grin, "Oh Madam Mayor... by the time I am through, we are going to be making laws just to break them."
"As the sheriff I would hope you would want to set a better example for the town on appropriate behavior."
"I'm the sheriff...there is no one to arrest me if I act up."
"Then I must inform you that as Mayor, I will have that authority."
"Why don't I just give you my handcuffs now and you can do just that."
Regina opened her mouth to reply when Henry shouted once again, "MOMS!"
"Oh saved by our son Miss Swan!" Regina walked back down the walk towards the house.
I grinned more to myself as I watched Regina's perfect posterior sway back and forth, "I just got lucky I guess."
She stopped and turn to look at me over her right shoulder with hooded eyes, "Not tonight you won't." She smirked as she walked back into the front door, and I stood there with my jaw hinged wide open.
Belladonna POV
I hobbled into the meeting room, in the town hall, supported by a cane and Ma's shoulder. I looked about at the individuals gathered to hear what I had to say. There was: Ma, Mom, Henry, Grandma, Grandpa, Granny, Red, Bell, Rumple, Grumpy, Blue Fairy, Mulan, Aurora, and Phillip. I looked about the round table and nod at each one with a careful smile. Some smiled back, some nodded, and others (Rumple) gave no acknowledgement at all. I moved towards the far end of the room unassisted by Ma and gestured to everyone, "Please be seated." As they sat I pulled the great velvet curtains closed darkening the room. With a wave of my hand I turned down the lights to a dim glow. "You are too disturbingly like Rumple when you do that." Grumpy grumbled.
"I dwarf..."Rumble growled, "look nothing like her."
I smirked, "Yes, we may both favor vest and dark colors, but I assure you I am far better looking." A twitter of laughter floated about the room.
"Belladonna, would you like a seat?" Mulan rose to offer me a chair.
"No! Please take your seat, I need you all to be able to share in these memories together." I gave her a half bow in acknowledgement.
"Memories, as in you will be showing us more than one?" Grandma spoke up, "But couldn't that be dangerous? Showing us the future?"
"I believe what your Grandmother means to say is, that we are worried about a time paradox." Grandpa said as she took Grandma's hand.
"There is much that will happen, most that will shock you, but the whole point is to change the future...to stop the end of our happy endings." I lean upon the cane, looking for my equilibrium. "The truth is I do not understand it all, but I was sent back by another for one purpose, to change the destruction of the Dark One."
"Rumple, you are trying to stop the death of Rumple?" Ma spoke into the silence.
"Yes, of all the Dark Ones he is the only one who abides by the rules, by not really abiding by the rules of Darkness. I don't understand it all, but that is how I heard it. All those after you, Rumple, collapse under the weight of the Darkness, creating chaos for the sake of chaos. Reaping destruction until there is nothing left but decay and death." Fear and sadness mixed on everyone's faces. Hands grasped hands each one searching for the other to anchor themselves into the present, as the future was a horror they weren't sure if they really wanted to know. "I know you are afraid, I know that you are unsure...and if you want, you can leave all this behind...I won't blame you. Knowing the future casts a shadow on even the happiest moments." I look over at Ma. "But it is for those moments that I won't let go, not yet. I will fight...I won't give in, because I swore to you, to all of you, that I would find a way to bring back our happy ending. But I need your help." I looked around the table.
"I will help you." Henry, ever true, stood with a determined smile on his face.
"As will we." Mom and Ma stood together.
"And us!" Grandma and Grandpa stood.
"If there is going to be a battle, the dwarfs won't miss it." Grumpy stood.
"Nor will the Fairies leave any to chance." Blue rose.
"You can count us in!" Phillip and Aurora stood.
"I got your back." Red grinned with a swagger.
"It would be my honor to follow you to whatever end." Mulan stood.
"I will do whatever I can to assist you." Bell stood.
"I'm an old woman...too old to be fighting in yet another battle...but if what you say is true...Then I will be happy to help." Granny stood next to Red.
All looked at Rumple who remained in his chair. He sat pensive, "I more than anyone knows how slippery the future can be... but let's see what you have... and if it can be a sensible direct plan, then I will be glad to assist in altering a future where I don't exist." He stood with his piercing gaze directed at me.
I didn't blink, I held his gaze until Bell took his attention.
I walked about the table looking at each person, "Then let's get started." I took a dream catcher out of my jacket and with a spin threw it into the center of the table...
