A/N: Yep. You guys are not dreaming. This is an update. So sorry this took so long. Things happened that kept me from dedicating the time I wanted to take to write. But don't worry I'm back and will continue to write this story. So I didn't abandon it. I've decided to make this a multi part fic so this part will end with this chapter. It's a bit short but don't worry. I plan to start the second part in a few weeks. Thanks for hanging in there. I'll try to keep the updates semi regular for all of you with part 2. All hell breaks loose. Don't hate me for what I do to some of these characters.

Chapter 14

"That's too much salt!"

"Regina the potatoes need to be seasoned."

"Have you forgotten that I'm making gravy to go with them?"

"David doesn't like gravy."

"Because I'm pretty sure yours is always lumpy."

"How dare you talk about my cooking!"

"I'm only saying what's true."

"I'll have you know…"

The two brunettes were in the kitchen. David, Henry, and Emma caught wind of another argument. By their count this was number three to happen in as many hours. When the women started cooking earlier in the day they had been ok but the peace had dissolved quickly. Now it seemed like they were on the verge of World War 4. Emma was hoping that dinner would be done before her mother and girlfriend killed each other.

"Emma maybe you should go check on them," her father said.

"I don't have a death wish so I'll pass."

"It was worth a shot."

Henry played with uncle while his mother and grandfather watched the football game. It was another two hours before dinner was ready. During that time the dwarves, Allie, Archie, Mary, and Lilo showed up. Despite the bickering between Regina and Mary Margret the food was delicious. The ladies had prepared a full spread with a 27lbs turkey, bread dressing, green bean casserole, potatoes and gravy, candied yams, rolls, green peas, macaroni and cheese, and several other dishes. Although the potatoes were a little salty. The mood was jovial and everyone including Grumpy was having a wonderful time.

A loud bang stopped the festive atmosphere. The group sat for several moments unsure as to what they should do.

"What was that," Henry asked.

"Don't know but we better go check. You and Lilo stay here," Emma responded.

The sheriff, mayor, David, Mary Margret, and Allie all stepped outside. Everything seemed normal. Then there was a loud screeching noise above them. Flying creatures started to appear overhead. At first it was just a dozen. But the number was quickly increasing.

"What are those things," Mary Margret asked.

"I don't know. But whatever they are they look pretty big," David replied.

Snow was stirred up around them as a large figure blocked out the sun. Then there was a soft thud. Standing before them in the middle of Mifflin Street was a huge griffin. It had long pale yellow talons with white feathers covering the forearms, head, and neck. The torso, back legs, and tail were covered in white fur.

Intelligent golden eyes looked at them. The creature took a step forward then lay on the ground. Allie started to walk up to it.

"What are you doing? That thing could be dangerous," Emma said.

"It's ok. I know him." The woman walked up to it and placed her hand on his beak. "This is Arindour. He's my griffin from my time in Avalon. He won't hurt anyone unless they try to harm me, his mate, or any hatchlings he has."

Soon Emma's phone was ringing.

"Emma, I need you to come over right away. There are giant playing cards in front of my house."

"I'll be there as soon as I can Mildred." As soon as she ended the call, another one came in. She was starting to get reports of strange beings and creatures appearing all over town.

"Is everything ok Emma," her mother asked.

"There are reports of creatures all over town. I'm not sure what's going on. Mildred Muffet called about giant playing outside her house. Kalvin the baker said that all his gingerbread men cookies came alive. Granny called and said that mops and brooms are walking down the street. And there are multiple sightings of griffins across town."

"The realms are being sucked into this one," Regina offered as an answer. "It would seem that this curse is growing rapidly."

"That would explain the griffin thing and the increase in magic energy. Fells like it's gone up tenfold," Emma remarked.

"Well it looks like we need to figure out what these creatures are and how to get them back to their realms."

"I can help with that," Allie said as she walked back to the group.

"Good. All the magic users need to stick together until we can make a plan." Emma, Regina, and Allie started to talk amongst themselves.

"I'll get Ruby and head to the station. Myself, her, and Mulan will try and keep the panic down. We'll call you if there's any creatures we don't know how to deal with." David kissed his wife and left for the sheriff's station.

"What's going on," Henry asked from the front door.

"A lot kid. You and Lilo need to stay here with Mary Margret. Your mom and I need to figure out what is going on with the town. The realms are starting to merge together. We need to form a plan to stop it or reverse it."

"Wow. Is that a griffin?"

"Yep. I'm his rider and he's my protector. His name is Arindour," Allie explained.

"That's so cool. Can I ride him?"

"Absolutely not Henry. Stay here like Emma said. We'll be back when we can." Regina then pulled her son into a hug. When did he grow to be so tall? She pulled back and looked at him again. "Help Mary Margret with anything she needs."

"I will."

Allie turned to Arindour. "Protect them and this house. I'll summon you if I'm need your help." The griffin gave a tilt of his head to indicate he understood and would obey her wishes. "Don't worry about feeding him. He'll go hunting when he gets hungry."

"That's good to know," Mary Margret stated.

The three women disappeared in a cloud of their signature smoke.

It wasn't until the two days when Regina and Emma had returned to the mansion. With the cooperation of the residents, they were able to keep the town from imploding. The gyms for all three schools were being used as emergency shelters, along with the basement of town hall, Granny, Remy, and Kalvin were busy with making simple meals for everyone who was humanoid.

In the span of 48hrs the population of Storybrooke had nearly tripled in size. They felt fortunate that none of the new arrivals had ill intent. But everyone involved was really feeling the pressure to stop this curse. And no one was sure when or where new people or beings would show up. Emma, Regina, and Allie had decided to take a break since things had calmed down for the time being. The couple was taking turns in the shower while the other spent some time with Henry.

"How you been kid," Emma asked her son.

"I'm good. Not as worried about you and mom since you're back here now."

"Well things have calmed for a bit."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just listen to me and your mom and keep yourself and Lilo safe."

Henry was starting to feel helpless. Normally he was able to help the adults but this seemed to be a very serious situation. All he could do was what his moms told him. Then he remembered his book. "Would my book help? Maybe it could give a clue."

He went upstairs and came back down minutes later. "I want to talk to Lilo before going to bed. Hope you and mom find something." With a quick hug, Henry returned upstairs for the night. Amazing how his new priority is all things Lilo. Emma went in search of a snack and smiled when she found leftover apple pie. She cut two slices and poured herself some milk. She was beyond tired and coffee would keep her up longer than she wanted to be.

"Pour a glass for me too," Regina said as she entered the kitchen. As per her usual the brunette was wearing a thin form fitting night gown. If she wasn't so tired, Emma would have Regina as a snack instead of the pie.

They were eating in silence when Emma looked at the storybook.

"Henry find a story for you to read," Regina questioned.

"No. But he figured this could help us. I'm not sure what we will find anything but it wouldn't hurt to take a look."

They flip through the pages together. Things are looking bleak until they reach the quarter of the book. There was a story about a man named Ichabod Crane. He was settler in colonial New England. He lived in a town called Sleepy Hollow. I seems that he had a run in with a creature that was haunting the outskirts of the small town. And he had been the only person to ever survive. Emma turned the page.

"Regina you see this?"

"Yes I do." It was a picture of a large black horse with blood red eyes. The rider was a man dressed in black, holding a giant axe, and he had no head.

"This is our murderer."

"How do you know?"

"Huge horse, guy with an axe, and he has no head. All of the victims have been decapitated. There's no way it's a coincidence." She looked at her girlfriend with certainty in her eyes. "I'm sure this is our murderer. Now we just have to track it down and stop it."

"Well considering our luck with this thing until now that's going to be much easier said than done."

"How much longer until we make our move?" The Shadowman was growing inpatient and Gold was doing his best to not send the man back to the realm he'd been trapped in by Mama Odie several decades ago.

"I already told you that the heroes of this town are formidable so we need more time for the curse to take effect. And to let my creature do more of his work. I want that town to be in a state of disarray. The heroes can't suspect that I am involved in this nor do I want them to be aware of our arrival. The more distracted they are the easier things will be for us."

"What about the others? Who are they?"

" We will meet them soon. Jafar will be joining us later today. The other allies I have recruited didn't answer yet." His plan was going smoothly. Soon he would be one step closer to having the power he has always sought. Until then he had to figure out a way to ensure his allies wouldn't betray him. He also needed to know all their weaknesses as leverage. He'd kill them if he had to.

As Herbie was driving them to the Mills home, Alsidya listened to the radio. One of her favorite Matchbox 20 songs was interrupted.

"This is an emergency announcement for the county of Cumberland. Due to a recent sighting of strange animals the county has been placed in a state of emergency. Schools, county offices, businesses, and other non essential services are closed. Residents are encouraged to stay indoors. Again this is an emergency…"

Turning the radio off, the woman rode on in silence. Things were officially bad. Now the problem was no longer isolated to Storybrooke. It felt like forever for her to arrive at the residence. Once she did she quickly made her way to the front door.

She knocked several times before the door was finally answered. Regina was breathless and disheveled when she appeared. The look was complete by fresh passion marks on her exposed neck. Any other time Alsidya would've found it amusing.

"Hello deputy. What brings you by?" The brunette mayor stepped away from the door to allow the other woman inside.

"I was on my over to discuss the current state of the town. But on the way over I heard some very disturbing news. The county is in a state of emergency. Seems like this curse is no longer a problem isolated in Storybrooke."

"What? How?"

"I'm not sure but this makes the problem much worse. We are out of time."

Seconds later a freshly showered Emma appeared.

"Hey Allie," the blonde said in greeting.

"I'm going to go freshen up."

Once Regina excused herself, the sheriff and deputy caught each other up on their latest findings. As much as Alsidya wanted to be happy about Emma figuring out the identity of the murderer, it was now a minor issue. This curse needed to be stopped immediately. They were unsure of how far or how fast it would continue to spread.

Regina rejoined them with her classic regal flare dressed in a pair of grey slacks, black heels, and a black blouse. Seeing her made Alsidya jealous and sad at the same time. In so many ways the woman reminded her of Yenifer.

"So what are we going to do," Emma asked as she eyed her partner curiously.

"For once I don't know," Allie said. "I'm not sure where to start. Something tells me this is going to be an all hands on deck situation."

It was a hot day out. But Lilo and Henry were enjoying their day at the park. The new plants and creatures were fun to see now that things in town had calmed down for the time being. They were surprised and delighted when a group of woodland animals came up to them. A rabbit named Thumper, a skunk named Flower, and a young deer named Bambi talked to the young couple about their life in the forest they had lived in before being teleported to Storybrooke. One moment they had been playing and drinking water at a spring near their dwellings.

The two continued their walk until they came to their favorite spot. It was a small bench on the far side of the pond and had a great view of the whole park. It was also isolated from the main path of the area and allowed the young couple some privacy. They chatted about typical teenager things until Lilo placed her lips on Henry's. She had been wanting for him to kiss her. But Henry was such a gentleman that she knew she'd have to make the first move.

"Sorry if that surprised you," Lilo said.

"It's ok. I'm kind of glad you kissed me first. I wanted to do it for awhile but didn't know how you would feel about it."

They leaned in for another kiss. The teens were so caught up in each other that they didn't notice the man standing behind the bench until he spoke.

"Well it seems that you were easier to find than I was told."

Both of them turned around and saw a tall skinny man in a black suit with deep set midnight eyes, a goatee, jet black hair, and medium brown skin. He spoke with an accent that Henry couldn't quite place.

"Who are you," Lilo asked.

"The name is Jafar."

As Emma spoke to the people they had gathered at the house including the Charmings, Regina felt her phone vibrating. She was a bit surprised to see it was Lilo calling.

"Hello dear."

"Mayor Mills you need to come to the park. The man took Henry!"

Regina's blood ran cold. She shot out of her seat not caring that everyone's eyes were now glued to her. "Wait slow down. What's happened to my son?"

"A strange man came. Called himself Jafar. He threatened to hurt me unless Henry came with him." The girl was sobbing uncontrollably now.

"We'll be there." She turned to Henry's other mother and his grandparents. "We need to get to the park. Henry's been kidnapped."