"Oi! Would someone please pull this damned thing from me back?" Hook called as people rushed past him.

Mulan had been the one to stop. She looked down at the man who was lying twisted awkwardly along the back baseboard of the main room. She rolled her eyes and sighed. She couldn't decide if he was even worth her time. She had just tended to the dwarf from the battle, he turned out to be Sneezy and she was lucky she hadn't killed him accidentally, when she had to stitch him up, in between sneezing fits.

"Ello, luv. Care to help a man down on his luck?" He smiled up at her but then retracted in pain.

Without a word, she pulled her leather armor from her upper body in one movement and she threw it to the ground in front of him. Stooping down, she grabbed his good shoulder and twisted him, roughly onto his stomach. He grunted in pain but said nothing in protest. She slid her bulky armor under the pirate's chest so that his back, where the arrow protruded from, was elevated. This made the skin and muscles pull away from the wood of the arrow slightly, as his weight settled against the leather.

"I am going to cut your vest off." She said firmly.

"You know, you could have asked at any time to see my sexy… Ahh!"

Mulan had flicked the top of the arrow to shut the man up. She was beginning to think she may enjoy removing the arrow. She wouldn't have to listen to his narcissistic ranting for a while.

The woman had retrieved her knife from her hip and gripped the bottom of Hook's shirt. Slowly and carefully she pulled the knife up the blood-soaked fabric. When she made it past the arrow, she finished it off by hand, pulling the threads apart in one solid yank.

"Can someone give me a hand here?" She yelled up at the room of people.

Immediately, Robin came to her aid. "What can I do?" He asked.

"I'm going to need you to hold him down. Can you do that?"

He nodded. "On your orders, m'lady."

"Hold me down? What the bloody Christ are you going to do? Cut me in half?" Hook had began to try and turn around but Mulan put a firm hand on his neck, pushing him back down.

"It's going to hurt. I need you to not move, Robin will insure that I don't kill you while you writhe under me." She said, a smile beginning to creep across her face. Looking to Robin, she could see he was shaking his head at her comment.

"Is that so? Wait till I'm healed, I'll….. Damn it woman!" He screamed.

"Shut your mouth, Pirate." She looked down at the back of his head, she rolled the arrow slightly between her fingers, just to hear him scream. "I need another pair of hands." She called to the group.

Belle turned to walk her way, she had a smile on her face. "Torturing the womanizer?"

"Removing an arrow." Mulan smiled back.

"That will hurt him a lot." Belle replied slowly. After a dramatic pause she spoke with a bit of a laugh bubbling up in her throat. "I'm in. What can I do to help you relieve this poor man of his pain?"

"Take these to Rumple and have them sterilized." She held out a bag to the woman who nodded and disappeared.

On her return trip, Belle pasted by a sobbing Abigail, who was thrown over the body of her true love. Snow was saying something to her but Belle couldn't hear. She practically ran back to Mulan and handed her back the bag.

"Thank you. Now, I will need you to hold this while I'm working. I'll ask for things, you can hand them to me." Mulan said flatly.

When Belle nodded, Mulan then looked to Robin. "Do you have something to put in his mouth so he doesn't break his own jaw?"

"I have a wooded handle on my sling shot, hold on." He pulled open a bag attached to his hip and brought out a simple wooden weapon.

"Oh, come on, I'm not putting that in my…. Okay OKAY!"

"Robin, get in place. Belle, I will need that small knife. Hook, don't forget to breathe. Ready?"

There was a groan from the man under them and Mulan understood it as a green light. She put her thumb and middle finger on the skin on either side of the puncture. Pulling her fingers apart, she was able to see just how far down she was going to have to go. It was nothing but purple muscle meat and bright red blood as far as she could see. It hadn't gone too deep.

"Scratch that, I need the pick. Its literally a big needle with a handle." She said without looking to her partner.

Taking the tool, she followed the arrow all the way down to the metal tip. She probed around the opening carefully, trying to find where the barbs were positioned in the man's flesh. Hook groaned and mumbled under her.

"Okay, there are two things that look like tiny, thin iron files. I need them both."

"These?"

She took the tools and pushed them down into the hole, along the arrow, one at a time. She Pushed the first down over the barb, between the metal and the muscle. Taking the second, she started to do the same thing.

"This is where it is going to hurt. You're going to feel pressure just keep breathing. This part will be over soon."

Robin pushed his weight down onto the pirate's shoulders as Mulan slowly forced the tool into the opposite side of the wound. She was stretching the hole, sliding the metal band beside the last barb. Hook screamed into the ground for the duration of that segment. Robin was practically laying on top of the man, keeping him still. When she had the tools in place, she slowly pulled them and the arrow out as one unit, throwing all the pieces to the ground beside her. She put a palm over the hole that was now oozing hot, sticky blood.

"That's done. Hook are you still with us?"

He moaned.

"Good. Okay, I have to stop this bleeding and get him stitched. Hand me that powder."

Once the little bag of dust was in her hand, she sprinkled it into his wound. He was screaming again.

"Oh, sorry. Yea, this stuff burns."

The screaming turned to groaning and his body went limp.

"And he's gone." She laughed.

After the bleeding was clotted, she stitched him up quickly and wiped the dried blood from his skin. Robin had moved off the now unconscious man and was standing over the girls, watching Mulan work.

"That should do it." Mulan said, standing up. "Belle, can you dress this?"

"Yep." She said with a smile, happy to help.

"Good. Just leave him there when you are finished. He will be fine." She gathered her tools and made off to the kitchen to wash them.

"Is she going to be okay?" Emma looked up to Rumple who was trying to magically remove the arrow lodged in the woman's abdomen.

"If I can get this damned thing out without it splintering, she will." He winced as he continued. "It's very deep."

Mulan had passed them on her way back from the kitchen and all but knocked the man to the ground.

"No, no. Stop!" She yelled.

"What is it?!" He shot back, glaring at his attacker.

"You cant do it like this. You're going to kill her." Mulan's dark eyes met Emma's. The blonde's green eyes were full of panic as tears ran steadily down her face.

Gold looked up at the girls. He had pulled his hands away and stopped his magic promptly. "Then how?" He asked calmly, looking to the warrior turned surgeon.

"Can I?" She looked at him, coolly. Her hand out towards the woman lying out on the table.

"Please." He took a bow and stepped away backwards.

Mulan cut the remaining fabric from the queen's body, exposing a simple black bra and tan skin pulled across a subtle but strong musculature. She glanced over the woman's body and then quickly turned her attention to the arrow.

Emma, however, could not help but stare. She had never seen Regina in anything less than full dress. The blonde's eyes had dried as she stared down on her lover's body. She was fighting the urge to run her shaking fingers down Regina's bare skin when Mulan spoke.

"Can you hand me that bag of powder?"

Emma was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even hear the woman.

"Hey! You will have plenty of time to stare at her when we get her put back together. Unless of course you would rather be looking at her corpse." Her tone was harsh. It shook Emma right out of her head.

"What was it?" she stared blankly.

"The powder, Emma."

The blonde handed the woman the baggy and stared down, back in thought. I was never supposed to see her again. My memories were replaced. Oh God… Henry. She snapped her eyes back to Mulan who was sewing up the hole where the arrow once was.

"Will you keep an eye on her? I have to find Snow." She said in a tone so serious it startled the warrior.

Mulan had hardly nodded when the blonde practically sprinted away.

Snow had been standing with Mr. Gold and Neal when Emma stormed into the room. Neal had opened his mouth to speak when she appeared but promptly shut it again, as she strolled right past him and his father. He watched her closely as she passed him, without so much as a glance.

"Where did you say Henry was?" She was right in the queen's face.

"He, um… Well, he was taken by Jefferson. We can only assume that he is with the Wicked Witch, in Rumpelstiltskin's castle."

"Assume? You don't know where he is?"

"Emma honey, our scouts were attacked, most killed. We have no way of really knowing…" Her voice trailed off.

The blonde wore a scowl that put even Regina's to shame. She spun around to face Neal who didn't seem worried enough to Emma.

"Why are you just standing around?! Our son is out there somewhere, being held captive by god knows who!" She screamed.

"Emma, you have to calm down. We were leaving today but we have to heal our wounded. Otherwise we will have no man power. Do you want to be killed?" He said surprisingly calm.

When the blonde said nothing, Neal went on. "Being careless and getting ourselves killed will put Henry further into danger. He will grow up without parents."

"Like us." Emma whispered looking now at the floor. "You're right, I'm sorry. To everyone. There is just so much going on. And Regina…"

"I know honey, everything will be fine. She… will be fine. After everyone has been stitched up, Rumple can heal them the rest of the way. They will be good as new." She smiled, trying to be enthusiastic.

"Can you give us a minute?" Emma called over to the boys standing by the door.

Rumple looked over at Snow who's eyes were screaming for them to not leave. She looked as if she may puke or cry, or both. The man just smiled lightly at her. He shook his head at her and then turned to the blonde.

"Of course, Dearie. I'm sure you two have a bit of…" He looked back at Snow, she was staring a hole through him. "Catching up to do." He finished with a smile. Tapping a reluctant Neal on the arm, Gold made his son go on in front. Once out Neal was out, the man turned and met the queen's glare.

"It's never as bad as it feels, Dearie." He whispered.

With that, he vanished beyond the door, a pink glow left hanging around the doorway. Emma, curious, walked over to the shimmering barrier. "It's a silence spell… er… charm… something." Snow said, uneasily.

"Oh, okay." The blonde turned to her mother, she could see the pain in the queen's eyes. "Look, we need to talk about this…" She started.

"No we don't." Snow replied quickly. "It's none of my business."

"Sure seems that way."

"Emma, she is the Evil Queen."

"Really? What is so evil about her? Because as far as I can remember, the only thing she has done in the past while is save our asses."

"She has killed people."Snow whined.

"So have you. So have I. Are we evil? And David... Is he Evil?" Emma stared the woman in her eyes, half daring her to actually answer.

"Emma…"

"No, Snow listen to me." She silenced the woman. "She isn't evil, not anymore. Like Mr. Gold, Regina has proven herself time and time again. You have to stop, that argument is no longer valid."

Snow took a deep breath and walked over to the other side of the room. She had her arms wrapped around herself. There were no words for ages, just the queen walking around and Emma watching her.

"When did this happen?" Snow asked softly.

"What do you mean?" Green eyes dared around the queen's face, trying to get a read on her.

"When did you start seeing Regina?" Her voice was firm.

"I never… we never…" Emma was shaking her head. Snow stared, waiting for the blonde to get it all out. "Okay, we have never even talked about it, Snow. I mean Regina and I… I had no idea she felt the same."

Snow rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You just found true love by coincidence? Now why don't I believe that?" She gritted her teeth and looked back at her daughter who appeared more confused, than angry at the queen's remark.

"Snow, you and David found true love through a stolen ring and a rock to the chin, how can you stand there and judge us? I literally had no idea."

The queen's features softened as the blonde's words sank in. They stood in silence again but this time, Snow was searching for the courage to be kind and understanding.

"You're right." She finally said.

"What?" The blonde just about fell over. She was expecting a fight, not an agreement.

"You're right. You are absolutely right. I should have never judged you. Love is love, no matter the form."

"Oh… okay." Tired of standing, Emma moved to the wall and slid down to the wall. She sat cross-legged and looked up at her mother who too was making her way to the floor.

"So, tell me, then… how did this start… for you?" Snow smiled.

"Well, I mean from jump I was attracted to her… it was just weird, like I… I don't know." Emma stared down at the old rotting wooden planks on the floor in front of her.

"Why?"

"She is my son's mother, she tried to kill me… and you and…"

"No, no, I mean why were you… are you… attracted to her?" Snow looked her daughter in the face and Emma knew that she was seriously questioning her. When she decided that this was motherly curiosity and not for an ulterior motive, she answered as honest as she could.

"Here's the thing… She is strong. Not like powerful strong, I mean she is powerful but that's not what I like… I mean I do like that about her but…" She could not pull her words together. Her voice shook.

"Emma, Honey… Just calm down. It's okay…"Snow assured her with a gentle smile.

There was a heavy sigh before the blonde tried again. "Okay, when we first met, I found her intriguing. She was just so independent, so powerful, personally. You have to understand, I never knew her as the Evil Queen so to me, she was just a strong, independent woman who would give anything for the love of her son. After some time, I kinda made pissing her off into a game just to see her get aggravated. She was and still is incredibly attractive to me, especially when she's mad." She paused, looking back up at her mother who was listening intently.

"After the day she got right up in my face, telling me to get Henry out of the mine, I just… I don't know, I fell, I guess. She was so close and it was oddly intimate to me. And when we saved her from what's his name… Greg? When she was on that table all helpless and shit. She never gave in, she would of rather died." Emma stopped, thinking about that day.

"Go on, I know there is more. Just get it all out." Snow said softly.

"And then, Neverland. Shew. That was a journey. On the ship, with the fighting and the mermaid, that was the first time I saw her in action and I have to say, though she was kicking your ass, it was hot."

Snow coughed, and glared at her daughter, unamused that the cause of her pain was attractive. "That's not funny, Emma."

"Sorry." She looked down. "But seriously in Neverland, we connected. I got to see the real Regina. The caring, loving woman inside the Evil Queen. She comforted me, as I did her. She brought us all together and she was exactly what I needed. I just grew to love her, I mean really love her. Not like I loved Neal, he was just a right place at the right time kind of deal… Regina, now she… she is real."

She sighed again, and stared at the ground. She could feel the lump in her throat forming. "The day that Mr. Gold killed off Pan, the day Henry and I left… When she passed out I the street, my heart fell right into my stomach. When she woke up and grabbed me, when my name left her lips… I was pretty sure I was going to die. I wanted to tell her then, right then, but there was no time. I thought that after we saved everyone or whatever, I could tell her the right way… But she had a different plan." Tears streamed down her face, now. Her voice was cracking. Snow reached over and put a loving hand on Emma's leg.

"I was too afraid to tell her in front of everyone, before she sent us off. My heart screamed for her as my memory was wiped. Even after then, every night, I dreamed about her, about that moment… And now I finally have her, and my memories and she is dying in the next room and I still can't tell her exactly how I feel." She had finally broke, her face twisted in pain as she openly sobbed.

"Honey, she knows how you feel. You two broke your curse, with love… true love. Trust me, she knows." Snow scooted over next to her daughter and pulled her sideways into an awkward hug. "And she isn't going to die. Mr. Gold will fix her up, you know that." She paused, and squeezed the woman's shoulder. "I need you to know… I love you no matter what. True love knows no boundary, including gender. I was so angry when I first realized that you had feelings for each other, and trust me… I knew as soon as I saw you two make eye contact... I was upset that you would never find your prince, you would never be queen but then I realized that the only thing that matters is your happiness. Who says your prince can't be a woman? Who says that you can't rule beside another queen? I have no right to judge you or her and I certainly have no right to be angry over who you love. I am just happy to have you back and to know that you have found true love." Snow said, kissing the blonde on the forehead.

Emma lifted her tear stained face and smiled the tiniest of smiles. "Yea. Thank you." She wiped her face with her palm and pulled out of the embrace. "I need to be with her now."

Snow smiled as she stood and then helped the blonde to her feet. They both turned to the doorway, seeing that the barrier had dissolved at some point during their talk. Emma was the first to leave, she walked right out, leaving her mother behind. Snow just smiled to herself as she watched the woman disappear.

"Well?" Rumple popped in out of nowhere.

"It went good." Snow replied.

"I assume everything that needed to be said, was, as my barrier came down on it's own." He said with a little excitement in his voice.

"yes."

"So… This family tree keeps getting more interesting by the minute." He laughed.

"Shut it, Gold." She snapped with a disgusted look on her face. "Step-mother plus dead father equals no step-mother. Can we just forget about that, please? It never mattered to begin with."

He just laughed louder and took a bow. "As you wish, your majesty." He whispered as he vanished into a golden cloud.

Emma sat beside her unconscious lover, with her head on the woman's hand. She fought back tears as she wished for the chance to tell the woman how she felt. Her heart was pounding loud in her ears as she doze off, thinking about how she would have told her, had their lives been more normal.

She saw herself holding the brunette's tan hand in her own, walking along a riverbed. The sun was slowly drifting behind a hill to their left. The light haloed Regina's face, making her seem like an angel, standing before her eyes. Emma pulled the woman into a long hug and then looked into those amazing, brown eyes. She was lost, overcome with the feeling that made her stomach flip around and around. The woman smiled softly as Emma slowly moved in. Their lips met gently, Regina closed her eyes as her lover moved her pale hand to cup her jaw. Emma stared down her nose at the face of the one she loved. Slowly she pulled away. The brunette let her forehead rest against Emma's. In the moment, the blonde let her feeling take hold. "I love you, Regina Mills." She whispered. Emma heard a the woman gasp. But, without hesitation, the queen looked deep into the bright green eyes in front of her with and smiled. "I love you too."

Emma slowly woke with a growing smile on her face. She felt like she could float away. Lifting her head, she soon felt awkward as she was met with the dark brown eyes of Mulan who had come to check on the queen's wound.

"Emma." The woman nodded.

With a nervous smile, Emma gave a quick "Hi" before deciding she needed some air. She made her way outside and to the wooden sheep fence by the house. She jumped up onto the top rung and perched there. Looking out over the field, she could see a woman in a red cloak walking her way. She smiled big and waited.

"Rubes!" Emma called.

"Oh Emma, I'm so glad you're back." The girl gave a wide grin.

"Shit, me too." The blonde laughed.

"So, Regina, huh?"

"Apparently… "

"It's about time, I could always sense a weird sexual tension between you two. I'm just glad it turned out to be love, not just lust." Ruby said, taking her place leaning next to Emma on the wooden beam.

"yea."

"And let me just say, she has a very potent scent… Any time you were around her she just oozed with desire… literally."

"Eww, Ruby. Can we not go there? You are so weird." Emma said practically spitting.

"Just thought you should know." The wolf-girl smiled.

Emma had taken back to looking out over the grassy land when something moving caught her eye. There were two figures moving in fast. "Um, Tink put up a barrier right?" Emma whispered, jumping down. "Because uh, we have company."

Ruby stuck her nose in the air and inhaled deeply. "That's strange." She whispered. "Go get Snow… Now."

Emma ran up to the door and tripped over Leroy, flying into the kitchen. "Snow, someone has come through the barrier. Ruby needs you out front… like now."

She spun and took off for the door, Snow right behind her. When she got to the girl she stopped, shocked.

"So, uh, we have a visitor." Ruby beamed. A woman in a blue vest stepped out from behind her. She wore her hair in a messy bun and her black pants were peppered with holes.

"Blue!" Snow squealed as she threw herself at the woman. "But how did you get away? I thought you had been captured at the stronghold."

"You just can't keep a good fairy down." The woman smiled. "So, I hear you could use my help… oh and look who I found hiding in the woods…" she stepped aside to reveal a smaller, younger woman in a tattered pink sweater.

"Nova?" Snow asked slowly.

The woman smiled up at her. "Come on, we are going to the house. I know someone who would love to see you."

"Leroy, Come here." Snow called.

When the little balding man turned the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh, Astrid!" He cried out, running to the woman and immediately crashing his lips into hers.

"Dreamy, thank goodness you're okay." She smiled, pulling back as tears ran down her cheeks.

Emma smiled at the couple and then looked to the woman in blue. "Who did you want to see?" Emma asked.

"Well, you, my dear, wish very loudly. I heard you from miles away. I'm surprised Green didn't tell you to quiet down, I'm sure you gave her quite the headache." The woman smiled. "Take me to Regina."

Emma practically ran to where her lover who was laid sprawled out and still half undressed on a table top. The blonde waved her hand over to the table, making sure the woman could see exactly where Regina was. As soon as Blue saw the unconscious woman, she had to swallow down a laugh. The sight of the queen in her current state was almost too much for her.

"Well, there is something you don't see every day." She smiled.

"Whats that?" Emma followed the woman's gaze and her ears soon burned with realization. "Oh." She looked down.

"Don't be ashamed child, she is your true love, you're allowed to look."

"Just… can you help her?" Emma asked quickly, wanting out of the situation.

The woman nodded and stepped up to Regina's side. She pulled out a little, transparent, pale blue wand. She floated the tip over the brunette's chest. Emma stood behind the fairy, wide eyed, as she watched wave after wave of blue light pulse out of the wand and into the queen's chest.

Rumple had come to see what all the hubbub was about, he looked thoroughly disappointed when he saw that the blue fairy had appeared to do his job. Walking over to the group, he stopped beside Snow. "How convenient." He whispered. Snow reached down and squeezed the man's hand as she say Regina's eyelids flutter.

"Come on, Regina." Emma whispered as she grabbed the woman's hand. Deciding that the fairy's magic just wasn't enough, she leaned down and kissed her lover's lips. A purple and golden swirl shot into the fairy's blue light and burst like a firework. Falling backwards, Blue realized that her wand was vibrating.

"Wow, Snow White…" She turned to the pixie haired queen. "Theirs is as strong as yours and David's."

Snow just rolled her eyes and focused back on the couple. Regina began to stir. Emma wore a look of concern but it dissolved as she was met with two sleepy caramel eyes, staring up at her. Laughing, the blonde began to cry as she threw herself down on the woman. "I thought you would never wake up."

"Well, Miss Swan, I am awake now… and you... you're crushing me." She said, straining for breath.

"Oh." Emma jumped back. "I'm sorry." She laughed.

"Thank you." Regina smiled at the blonde.

"For what?"

"For loving me back." The brunette pulled the woman down to her face and kissed her. "Because I lost my world when I let you and Henry go. I'm just glad that I could get through to you."

"Regina, I do. I had no idea you…"

"I know… but you do now." The queen smiled up at her savior. "And I'm never letting you go again."

We all need a smidgen of fluffy goodness in our lives. Thank you, thank you for reading. Feel free to drop me a comment in the review section. The next chapter will be a peak into what Henry and the others are up to. You'll get your action fix then. Stay tuned. =) -DR