*** Everyone reading my stories have known that I've been having a bit of writer's block lately. And so I've been concentrating on writing what comes easiest instead of trying to update everything all at once. But I have to admit it. I love this chapter! I hope you do too. So Enjoy!***

CHAPTER 25

"Leave me you peasant!" Cora threw at the guard. He immediately turned and ran away as quickly as he could.

Once he was out of sight Cora threw back and head and laughed. She finally had it! The final piece to her curse. After all of the imbecilic attempts that had gone wrong and forced her to live in this hell for more than a year she had finally done it! She now held all that she needed to cast her curse.

She practically floated around before a cloud of gold caused her to step back. She sneered as Rumple appeared in the smoke. She moved over toward the decanter filled with honey mead and poured herself a drink, "I figured you'd be around once I found what I'd been looking for."

Gold couldn't let her get away with her disrespect without a counter, "took you long enough dearie."

Cora walked to the large chair behind her desk and sat. She sipped at her mead as she regarded him over the rim, "and you've done such a great job of finding my two brats in all that time. You're losing your touch Rumple. You've allowed two young girls to get the better of you."

Rumple poured himself his own glass as he gave a little giggle, "that's what you think dearie!"

Cora quirked her eyebrow at him, "Oh?"

"I know precisely where they are," he now giggled into his glass as he took a sip.

Cora put down her glass with a loud thump. Rumple watched curiously as the liquid sloshed around and spilled over and yet the glass didn't break. Being a King and ruling a kingdom has its pluses. Being surrounded by the best of everything was one helluva perk of the job.

Cora placed her hands upon her desk and leaned over it toward Rumple. He managed to get a large eyeful of something he'd been allowed to see and yet not enjoy since Cora found embracing darkness to be more enticing than satisfying herself physically. He giggled again as his eyes raised to hers and she saw the way they had darkened almost to black as she stared daggers at him.

"Where are they?!"

CF

"Are you sure that you're okay?"

Snow stared with wide blinking eyes at the reflection in her mirror. She plastered a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes, "Yes Mother. I'm fine. We're very happy, David and I."

Regina regarded her daughter with concern. Obviously she could see right through her. Lying was never a strong suit of Snow's. If anything the girl was too trusting with that naivete that you found in small children which allowed her blurt out frank truths at random. She knew something was amiss. She just couldn't put her finger on what.

They were each settling into their own lives in their own ways. And although they spoke on a pretty regular basis, the truth was that they were becoming their own separate people. They were no longer the roles that had been thrust upon them when they lived in the castle. So she decided to let the situation go until she saw something that alarmed her and would force her to deal with it any further.

Nicky, whom she was nursing at the time she decided to check in on Snow, released her breast with a loud pop. Snow's eyes slid to her little brother and her face lit up as she looked down at him. "He's gotten so big without me already," she said sadly.

Regina frowned. Maybe that was what was bothering her, "Snow you know that this was the best way. It's so that you have a chance to live a life without having to look over your shoulder. But we're still your family. And you can always come home."

Snow nodded as she wiped away an errant tear, "I know Mother."

Nicky started to wriggle so Regina put him down and let him toddle away back toward his siblings who were playing a little ways away from her. "Are you sure everything's alright? Maybe we could come for a visit - ?"

Snow's eyes widened with alarm, "NO!" When Regina's confusion became clear she cleared her throat and tried again, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I mean I want to see you of course. But - I just – I wouldn't feel right if you were here and then something happened."

Regina continued to search for more of an explanation than what her words were giving her. She puckered her lips before conceding, "alright." She looked over at her little ones, "come and say bye to your sister now," she instructed them.

All four of the children spent a little time speaking with her before they moved back to playing their game from earlier again. Then, after another goodbye Snow and Regina took their leave.

Snow exhaled a loud breath. She turned away from the vanity and looked over at her husband who had been leaning against the wall listening to the conversation. "I can't keep lying to her. I mean - ," she indicated her swollen belly, "how are we supposed to explain keeping this from her just because a fairy told us not to? I mean – she's my Mother!" she dropped her head into her hands and began to cry.

Snow was now in her final trimester. And liable to pop at any moment. And she had spent the past few months lying to her mother about the entire thing. She felt so dirty. And yet she kept what should've been happy news away from her Mother based upon some odd request from a fairy.

David walked over to his wife and pulled her into his arms. "I know it's hard. And I have no idea if it is right or not. But what's most important right now is our family. We just have to concentrate on that," he rubbed her back while softly cooing to her. When she had finally quieted he kissed her temple, "Come on, they're waiting on us," he said as guided his wife to the same room they had met with the Blue Fairy in so many months ago.

When they walked in the room was filled to brimming. Some were new faces to both of them. Some were old friends. The Blue fairy stood in the middle of the room. She cleared her throat to quiet the room as David and Snow took a seat on the sofa.

"Friends, I've gathered you here for one reason only. You have always been loyal to one another and to me. And for that," she bobbed her head, "I thank you and call you my friend forever," she smiled around the room.

"What's going on here sister?" one of the dwarves asked. He and his brothers stood against the back wall completely confused as to why they were there.

"I've warned all of you that something big was coming. And we now have word that the final pieces have been put into place. Soon we will all be held prisoner at the whims of the Evil Queen herself, Cora. It is the Dark Curse."

There were 'ooohs' and gasps as this sank in.

"What can we do?!" someone cried out.

Now a chorus of 'kill her!' and 'burn her' and 'let's fight' began to fill the room. A chanting of 'kill the witch!' began amongst them.

Snow was appalled. She knew Cora. She had seen with her own two eyes what the woman was capable of. And yet - ?

The Blue fairy held up her hands to quiet the crowd. "I'm afraid that's not viable. She has dark magic. And an army behind her," she bowed her head.

"But you have light magic!" David cried out.

Blue looked at him with eyes full of pity and sadness. "And I'm afraid that even with all of us together, we still will be unable to beat her. And worse valuable lives will be lost along the way."

"What is this dark curse anyway?' Granny asked.

Blue turned toward her slowly. There was a sense of purpose and a conviction in her eyes as she looked around the room, "the dark curse is a curse where we will no longer be in control of anything that happens to us. We won't know who we are. Or where we come from. Or that we've even been cursed." More gasps filled the room. But she continued anyway, "we are nothing but the sum of our experiences. And the dark curse will strip them all away. It will strip us away from who we are and where we belong in this world."

Tears sprang to Snow's eyes. She dropped her head onto her husband's chest before giving in to the sobs that were trapped inside of her.

David held onto his wife stunned. He was clearly in shock.

"What can we do?" Ruby asked.

The Blue fairy stood with her head bowed as she worried her hands at one another. Then she raised her head slowly and looked her in the eye. "There is nothing that we can do. The curse will need to be broken. And it can only be broken by true love."

David's head came up and he began to smile, "well – that's easy. We have true love right here!" he gestured to himself and his wife.

"Not if you have no idea that you're even in love with one another," Blue told them effectively popping the small bubble of hope that had begun to form. "Or even who you are."

"So there's nothing? The Evil Queen has won?!" for the first time ever Granny actually began to look as if she might just break down and cry.

"There is the one thing," Blue said to them. "We have uncovered a prophecy."

The room was quiet as they all sat up.

Blue strode back into the center of the room. She looked around it before speaking again, "the prophecy speaks of a Savior. The Savior will be born of true love. And will save us all."

"Well, where are they?" David said when the tension in the room stretched to its breaking point. "We must protect them from the Evil Queen before she finds out."

"The Evil Queen already knows this. And she will of course try to get to the Savior. Which is why we will have to do what we have to first. In order to save the only person who can save us."

Chants of "Save the Savior!" began to go up around the room.

"Where are they?" someone called out.

Blue slowly walked towards the young couple until she was standing directly in front of them. She looked down where they sat with their arms around one another on the sofa. "The savior has yet to be born," she pointedly looked at Snow's rounded belly.

Snow's eyes widened and she gasped. Then she threw a protective arm around her middle before rising and staring the Blue fairy down, "NO!"

David ran his hands through his hair leaving it stand on end. He looked crushed.

"How dare you! You come in here and tell me to betray my Mother. And now you're saying that my baby, who has yet to even draw a breath is going to be your Savior?! I'd rather die than allow you to have my child."

Blue nodded her head, "if that's how you feel than it may yet come to that. The curse will strip away all that we are and all that we know. It will be as if we are nothing more than the walking dead. And there is no hope here. But the prophecy says the Savior will rise and defeat the Evil Queen. Will you really condemn this entire world to that?"

Snow drew back, "This is madness! A baby could never - !"

"28 years," Blue said.

"What?"

"In 28 years, the Savior will rise against the Evil Queen and break the curse. You're not even 28 now and yet you are a married woman bringing a child into this world. In 28 years, the Savior will learn all that they must in order to defeat the Evil Queen."

David shot up behind Snow. He placed a protective hand over her belly, "this is our child you're talking about here!"

"We are all someone's child," Blue reminded him. "And yours has been tasked with fulfilling a great destiny. It is something to be proud of."

Snow shook her head at her, "You said that the Dark Curse would take away all that we are. How is the Savior even going to know who they are?"

"Their truth will not revealed until it has to be," Blue conceded to them. 'And in the meantime, we will have to wait until fate decrees the right time is upon us."

"What the hell does that even mean!?" David growled. He was becoming fed up with this woman. Even if she was an old friend of his wife's. If she made one move against her or their child he had no problem with grabbing his sword and showing her who was best.

"It means that we can't stop the curse. It will happen. But we can prepare for it. And that means protecting your child until the time comes for them to fulfill their destiny."

Snow and David both nodded. Finally she was saying something that was worth all of the pain she was causing.

"How?" Snow asked.

"There is only the one way," Blue paused as she allowed the severity of the situation to sink into everyone. "We open a portal. And send you and your child ahead before the curse is cast."

"What?!" Snow and David both shouted.

Blue gestured to Geppetto, "I have already spoken to the carpenter. He will create a wardrobe. And with our fairy dust it will open up a portal to another land. A land where there will be no magic. None except inside of your child. Who will know about it when the time is right."

David stepped in front of Snow effectively pushing her behind him, "Over my dead body will I - ."

"You will be nothing but a walking body if this doesn't happen," Blue pointed out. "But you will not be you." She looked him up and down as he eyed his sword behind her, "you couldn't even save yourself from being kidnapped by King George."

David's cheeks flushed as his head reared back as though he'd been slapped. He shook his head, "there must be some way. Some way that you don't know about." He turned to his wife and took her hands in his.

Blue stepped forward, "I have studied the curse and the prophecies myself line by line. I do not like this any better than you do. But it is our only hope."

Snow's ran her hand over her distended belly, "the only hope," she repeated to herself softly.

MF

Regina was just walking to the family room to rejoin everyone else after putting the children down when it happened. First Wolfy scrambled up from where he lay in front of the fire. He was still mostly an outdoors animal but he had also gotten used to being around his human pack. He began to turn in circles and then to howl.

The hairs on the back of Regina's neck and arms began to stand up. Her heart began to beat faster and her breath caught in her throat. She looked around and saw that everyone else was mirroring the same look of dread and fear that she had.

Regina fully rounded the corner into the room as Graham turned toward his wolf. He seemed to be listening intently to his howl. "Danger!" he shouted.

Before anyone could move or do anything a plume of red smoke filled the room. It was so dark it was nearly black. And then the horror of horrors. Cora in the flesh.

She stared at them as she placed her hands on her hips. Her fingers were curled around her hipbone as she lightly tapped them against her, "Hello my dears. Miss me?"

Zelena ran to stand beside her sister. They both raised their hands as they awaited Cora's attack. The wolf made a lunge at her and Cora merely raised her hand in annoyance. As he flew through the air he morphed into a pup. He landed beside her with a whine before running and cowering behind Graham's feet.

Cora turned back to her daughters, "Oh do settle down. If I wanted you two dead I would've done it already," Cora strode forward and took a seat on the sofa as everyone scooted far away from her.

Regina was at a loss. Her first instinct was to run and grab her children. But she knew they wouldn't get very far. If Cora wanted, dispatching of them was easy enough. But for now she was doing nothing but sitting there regarding them with a smug smirk.

She relaxed slightly and watched her sister do the same from the corner of her eye. "What do you want Mother?"

"Is that any way to greet your Mother? Especially since you've already left me for dead," Cora reminded her. "Where is that little witch anyway?"

Regina stiffened but knew it was best to keep her Mother's attention from drifting. She rounded her Mother while putting herself between her and her children. She looked at her sister and then Graham. Her Father and Graham began to inch away toward the children's room. If worst came to worst then they'd grab the kids and run, "unfortunately it was clear that you were fine. And we left to protect ourselves."

Cora regarded them with a tilt of her head and puckered lips. She flung her wrist, "potato – pa ta toe. Either way, I've decided that after ample punishment you will still be allowed to rule beside me," she grinned at them as if she had just given them the greatest gift in the world.

"You don't have to share. You can keep your castle and your kingdom. We only want peace and to be left alone," Zelena told her.

Cora stood and walked over to the shelf above the fireplace that held a decanter of Regina's homemade hard apple cider. She had learned the recipe from one of the cooks at the castle. She poured herself a glass and took a swig before blowing out, "that's some strong stuff!"

She thumped her chest before continuing as if she'd never been interrupted. Cora stood with the glass held at her waist. "We will no longer be in this world," Cora grinned as she looked almost wistfully at something unseen. "We will be in a new world. A world that I create and control all of my own. Instead of some leftover from that overbloated imbecile," she turned up her nose at the thought of her ex-fiance turned ex-son in law.

"Fine," Zelena nodded. "Go."

Cora sighed, "I am offering you the keys to the kingdom my dears. And still you are ungrateful," she raised her glass to her lips. "I have no idea how you two become this way."

"Nothing you did, I'm sure," Regina sneered.

Cora shook her head before placing her glass back down. Regina and Zelena raised their hands to ward off any attack she aimed at them. But she merely stood in the center of the room, "tomorrow my dears," she raised her hand and began to poof away. "Tomorrow is the start of the rest of our lives."

Graham ran forward and placed his arms around his alpha. Zelena sagged into his arms.

Henry helped Regina over to the sofa as she deflated. "We must run."

Now that the threat of imminent danger had passed, Regina was finally able to find a release. Tears rolled down her face as she stared at the space that her Mother had just vacated. She shook her head and looked at her Father with a blank face. "It's too late," she whispered before dropping her head to his shoulder and giving into the sobs that began to wrack her body.