Two Minutes to Midnight

Chapter Twenty-Five

Snow brought Mulan to see Princess Aurora and her husband as she promised the warrior she would. After she had knocked twice, Phillip opened the door and smiled in disbelief as he immediately pulled his old friend into a hug. It had been a long time since the three of them had seen one another.

He was the first one to talk as he stated happily, "Mulan, I can't believe you're here! It's amazing to see you."

The warrior from the Orient smiled feeling a little uncomfortable by such a warm welcome, as she knew she had shamefully abandoned them despite their pleas for her to stay in the Enchanted Forest with them as she had since she joined the Prince in his quest to find and save Aurora from Maleficent's sleeping curse that had fallen over her.

She stared at him nervously until she finally responded, "Uh… It's really good to see you too. I came here with Ruby and, Tinker Bell… Because we heard of the Black Fairy's threat to bring about a final battle that would kill the Savior. Ruby was afraid for her grandmother and we all wanted to help fight."

"Mulan?" Aurora then asked with surprise as she too came to the door with their son in her arms upon hearing her husband talking with someone from where they had been playing with baby Phillip. "Oh my gosh. I am so happy to see you. It's been so long."

"Yes it has," Mulan answered as she also hugged her very dear friend she helped to save Phillip in turn when he had fallen victim to the Wraith that had stripped him of his soul. "And I'm sorry about that. I've been very busy. I stayed among Robin Hood's merry men for awhile to help them in their own battles, then moved on until I came to Oz where I met Ruby and Dorothy and have been fighting alongside them ever since. Oz has become my home and I'm really happy there. I finally feel like I belong again."

Phillip suddenly realized they were all still standing in the doorway and quickly invited the warrior and Snow inside as he stated, "Forgive my manners. Please, have a seat in the living room. I'll go and get us all something to drink."

Snow tried calling out to him saying, "You don't have to do that, really. We only came by for a short visit because we have someplace to be, but…"

"Yes, we heard about Hook," Aurora interrupted in concern. "How is he doing? How is Emma holding up?"

"They're both hanging on," the Princess with hair as black as ebony replied sadly as she and Mulan both sat on the couch, while their hostess sat within a rocking chair by one of the room's windows. "Hook is currently in the hospital where we brought him so he can recover more comfortably with Whale's help. He hasn't woken up yet after all the Black Fairy did to him even though Emma's healed him, but we're all hopeful. She put him through hell, again. And Emma… well, she's very worried about him as you'd imagine. She hasn't left his side even to get herself something to eat."

Aurora nodded despondently as she laid her hand once again over her pregnant belly and looked over at her son she had laid in his crib, then she responded, "I'm so sorry. I'm also very sorry that we missed their engagement party. We would have loved to be there. It's just that our daughter has made it a little difficult for us to enjoy the night life, as has our son."

Snow smiled and answered, "Yes. But you both are very happy. I remember how Emma and Neal made me feel and I loved every moment of it. Except for when I was sick almost every morning. The rest certainly makes it all worth it."

"Yes it does," the Prince replied as he entered the room again carrying a pitcher of freshly squeezed lemonade and four clean glasses, then poured each of them a drink. "We're really glad that you've come to see us, Mulan. Are you going to be staying in Storybrooke then?"

"Actually no," the warrior responded regretfully. "We thought we would for a little while longer, at least until the final battle has been fought. But we decided it's best to return home so that we can help Dorothy to defend our friends there in Oz. Zelena wasn't the only villain and certainly not the only witch. Besides, Tinker Bell came to us in search of an old friend of hers and we wanted to finish doing so for her now that she's gone."

Aurora answered, "It's tragic what happened yesterday to her. Poor Tinker Bell. And Hook too of course. Do you think this friend is back in Oz then?"

Mulan shook her head and then replied, "No. I spoke to some of the fairies yesterday to see if they could help us to locate her. They believe she's there. We will be stopping off in Arendelle next. Apparently Tink never knew her friend was a Princess there."

"What a small world," Snow responded in surprise. "If you're speaking of Anna, then she's a good friend of ours as well. She, her sister, and fiancé were here not all that long ago."

"Tinker Bell was under the impression that Anna's name was Joan actually," the warrior continued. "But after we find the Princess and inform her that Tink has died, then we'll return home to Oz."

Aurora took a sip of her lemonade and then answered, "Well Phillip and I wish you all the luck in the world with everything. It really is good to see you again. And of course you as well, Snow."

Mulan smiled as she replied, "It's good to see you again too. Congratulations on your second child. Have you picked out a name for her yet?"

"Briar Rose, or Rose for short… named after her mother," the Prince responded as he looked over at his wife and took her hand within her own.

"Perfect," Snow said excitedly. "That's just perfect."

Outside of Zelena's farmhouse…

Zelena held her daughter while looking at the man she had made one of her monkeys to keep his eyes on Emma in New York as she asked, "Are you absolutely certain you wish to return to Oz? For a long time I thought I would want to as well, even as short a time ago as a week. Granted, there's been a spell around this town that's been keeping us all trapped here until then. However, every time I think I'm going to actually leave, something changes my mind. I think I've outgrown Oz to be honest. Not that Storybrooke is any better. It's really much worse."

Walsh turned to the witch in frustration as he questioned, "If you hate it so much, then why stay? Is it because of your sister?"

"Ha, I should say not," she answered deplorably. "Regina's made it quite clear that I'm not welcome in her life. And I've grown tired of trying to bring her into mine. But I stay here because there are all kinds of villains who keep popping in to cause trouble and now that I've lost my desire for vengeance on my sister, I figure I might as well put my power to good use."

"You're either lying to me or to yourself," the Wizard replied after seeing through her words. "But I'm not someone you've ever come to for advice, so I won't start now. Now, if you would kindly open a portal, I'd appreciate it. I'm quite looking forward to going home."

The Wicked Witch sighed with a shrug of her shoulders and finally pulled out the Sorcerer's wand from beneath her shawl, then raised it to the skies to summon a tornado for the imposter to ride back to Oz, all the while being unaware of the deal he had made with Gold the day before.

As it stormed towards them, Walsh turned back to Zelena as he called out, "Send Emma my condolences for me! I may hate seeing her with that pirate, but perhaps it's for the best. At least now I can finally make something of myself again without fear of being struck down by another villain or hero with magic, or forced to be anyone's slave ever again."

She looked at him in confusion as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing that's important to you," the Wizard of Oz stated smugly and then ran right into the middle of the twister.

"He becomes more eccentric every time I see him," Zelena whispered to the child in her arms once she used the wand again to send the tornado back to where it belonged. "Never trust an imposter, little Robin. They'll only disappoint you in every way."