***Gotta say I really love this chapter. It's a super long one to make up for how long its been since I updated this and to make its way to getting down with the business. Enjoy! :) ***

CHAPTER 26

Cora stood over the bubbling cauldron grinning from ear to ear. The mixture inside bubbled away as the next to last ingredient was added into the pot.

"It's now or never dearie," the golden imp spoke as he watched his former student from across the room with a gleeful expression across his face. He was practically salivating as he watched her prepare the curse. There was a gleam in his eye that she hadn't seen since the days when they made magic together. That had been long before she'd removed her heart so that she could focus on what she needed to do so that her girls didn't suffer the same fate that she'd had to bear in this misogynistic land.

Cora stared at him as she flicked her wrist. A box appeared in her open hand. It contained the final piece that was necessary to invoke her curse.

She opened the box and stared at the heart inside. Regina's heart glowed the most beautiful shade of ruby red. Its radiance was as pure as her daughter had once been.

With Zelena she knew that she had a fight on her hands every step of the way. She had been obstinate even in the womb. The little witch had spent the entire last 5 months of her pregnancy being kicking her repeatedly from the inside. When she was allowed to get some sleep, she'd been awakened each day completely sore. She was sure all of her internal organs were bruised.

Then the revelation of Cora's pregnancy from that jealous witch Ava had been the reason King Leopold had refused to marry her. But thankfully she'd managed to keep her secret hidden from Henry and King Xavier until after their marriage was final. Still she knew from the look on their faces when they saw her pale skin and large blue eyes that something wasn't completely right there.

She had been sick throughout that entire pregnancy. And the labor had been the worst thing she'd experienced in her life. And that was saying something considering where she came from.

But as she carried Regina she knew that her daughter was destined for great things. And as her Mother she had no choice but to do whatever it took to help her daughter achieve them. Removing her own heart was a small price to pay for her daughter to gain access to a throne.

But Regina had thrown all of that away when she'd first lain with a peasant. To add insult to injury she'd also birthed his child. Had she not had a Mother who was as engaged with her children as she was this could have cost them everything.

Regina had hidden the pregnancy until it was too late to do anything else except let it run its course. But once she found about it, Cora had no choice but to quickly dispatch of the stableboy. Then she had placed a glamour over her daughter so no one would see the idiotic mistake she had made in allowing this to happen after the King's proposal had been accepted for her. With that mess taken care of that had left only his whelp to deal with. Zelena running away with her had solved that problem.

Then her rebellious girl had once again nearly cost them the keys to the kingdom. Her refusal to bear the King's heir would've had devastating consequences had Cora not taken care of that ether. Ava had been a beloved Queen of the people. And there was talk of what a great Queen Snow would one day become. Cora knew Regina having an heir and a spare would put an end to that talk. And so it did. No one would ever challenge two male heirs from the King's bloodline.

Cora's eyes met Rumples as she held the hand that held the heart over the cauldron. She spread her fingers and the heart tumbled out between them. It fell into the cauldron with a loud plopping sound. Instantly crimson smoke began to fill the room before it began to billow out the window. It floated throughout the kingdom slowly covering everything in its path.

Alea iacta est. (The die is cast.) J

BF

Reul stood watch as the dwarves and Geppetto slaved away at hollowing out a tree. Her heart beat rapidly as her skin hummed with the magic that was floating around them. She had seen the red smoke billowing through the window and knew their time had almost run out. "Hurry!" she ordered. "The Evil Queen's curse is almost upon us.

Though Snow and David had both insisted that they find another way other than using their child as 'the Savior', the Blue Fairy had tuned them out. They were both imbeciles and she knew what was best for the people. Despite the love she held for Snow, she was not her only charge. Each fairy had thousands of souls to watch over. She could not allow that love to stop what she knew she must do.

"We're going as fast as we can sister! If you think you can do a better job than us then have at it," Grumpy sneered.

Reul glared at him and he went back to work. She then turned her frown back to the basin full of water that stood in the center of the room they were in. It reflected back to her everything that was happening in Snow's chambers.

Snow had gone into labor shortly after she and David threw everyone out of the house. Once they were clear of the cottage, Reul had cornered the dwarves and Geppetto. She explained that they must go ahead with the plan with or without Snow and David's consent. She'd sworn to them that this was their only chance for surviving the Dark Curse.

Once they'd consented, she'd then poofed them all to an out of the way area so that they could work uninterrupted on hollowing out a tree. The fairies would enchant the tree with their fairy dust and open up a portal to send the Savior ahead of them to the new land that held no magic. She had been keeping an eye on Snow ever since.

She continued watching the dwarves and carpenter as they worked nonstop throughout the night. Thankfully the workers were almost done. She stared into the basin at Snow's bedroom. They would be cutting it close but it seemed they'd be done at just about the same time as the Savior made her appearance. At the fast pace that the curse was sweeping across the land she knew they had no more time to spare.

She could hear Granny tell Snow to push right before the bedroom door opened. What she saw next had her gritting her teeth as she grabbed her wand. She quickly poofed herself into the young woman's chambers.

RQ

"Snow?"

"She still not answering?" Zelena asked from behind her.

Regina turned away from the vanity mirror in disgust. She had been trying to reach the girl ever since Cora's untimely visit last night to no avail. She was starting to become anxious. What if Cora had also paid her a visit of her own?

"No. And I'm really beginning to worry. You don't think Mother would do anything to her do you?" concern was etched across her face since she already knew the answer to that question.

Cora liked – well as far as Regina could figure out anyway - absolutely no one. And everyone was a target for her Mother's wrath. Of course her doing something to her was on the table.

The look on Zelena's face was all the confirmation she needed. Regina nodded her head, "we're going to have to go and make sure that she's alright."

"I'm not sure there's time for that - ," Zelena began.

Regina rounded on her, "do you know what there is time for?" Her sister held up her hands in a placating way and Regina's ire receded. "Sorry," she apologized. She gave her sister a small conciliatory smile, "I know we're all on edge."

Cora's visit last night had rattled them all. They'd stayed up late into the night trying to decide what their next move should be. But they were stumped. They had no idea what she was planning and there was no use in trying to guess. Figuring out what Cora was up to before she'd decided to reveal whatever evil plan she was working on was like trying to catch the wind.

She sighed and ran her hands through her hair, "Whether she's here or not, Snow's still a part of this family. She already thinks that we've abandoned her by leaving her there. I have to make sure she's alright."

"Then we go together," Zelena stated firmly.

Regina bit into a corner of her mouth as she contemplated. She hated dragging her kids around. And poofing over to see Snow would definitely use up magic reserves that they may need to keep in stock.

Cora was definitely stronger than both of her girls. She had at least a good 30 years worth of magic knowledge and practice under her belt. They weren't stupid enough to think she'd allow them to go unpunished. Mercy wasn't something Cora was unfamiliar with. Still they had no idea why Cora had spared them last night. Or anything resembling a clue of what was up her sleeve for today.

But Snow was family. And you did whatever you had to do for family. Reluctantly, she nodded.

Zelena answered her with her own nod, "I'll get Hunter and Father."

Regina turned to her kids who were splayed around the room. Zara and Reign were trying to skip rope though they weren't successful at it. They swung the rope around and then once it hit the floor they walked over it. Alex was entertaining his baby brother Nicky with an automata. Nicky was laughing those deep belly laughs that babies had. She smiled at her baby's infectious laughter.

As always the children brought a sense of calm and joy to her no matter what the circumstances. But now was not the time to be distracted. Mother was out there somewhere planning something. And that didn't bode well for them.

She clapped her hands to get their attention. "Babies, we're going to take a trip."

Reign frowned not liking the sound of that. Zara sighed out loud before plopping herself on the floor, "I'm tired of taking trips. I just want to stay home," she toyed with the ends of her jump rope while fluttering her long dark lashes at her Mother. Reign looked just as unhappy as she did.

Regina's heart was heavy. They had been through so much already. She understood that they were travel weary. Being on the road had taken a toll on all of them. It really wasn't something any of them looked forward to. But keeping the family safe was the utmost priority.

She nodded before leaving the vanity to walk over to her kids. She knelt down on the floor so that she could look all of the kids in the eye, "I know. It's not fun in the carriage. But this time," she lowered the tone of her voice while keeping the excitement in it. She held up her fingers and wriggled them around, "we're using magic."

The kids' faces lit up at this. She and Zelena often used magic to entertain the kids. She took extra special care that they understood the difference between the light magic that was a natural part of who they were versus the dark magic that had always been a favorite of Cora's.

Reign still had nightmares of when she accidentally used magic on her Grandmother. It broke Regina's heart everytime she woke up with her face covered in tears wondering if she was a bad girl or thinking that she deserved punishment. Regina assured her that she'd done nothing wrong by defending herself and her sister. Still, the little girl carried guilt over the situation.

So she had begun to teach the kids about their magic so that they wouldn't be afraid. Instead they understood magic to be something for giggles and entertainment instead of tears and screams.

"Now Mummy needs you to hurry and grab your favorites to take with us. We're going to go and see your big sister Snow."

The children gasped before running into action. They loved their big sister. After all the time they had spent as family cooped up in the back of a carriage, they had all grown closer together. Regina had been proud of that. Her relationship with her sister was sacred and something she wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

She grabbed a knapsack and began to fill it with the essentials that the kids would be heartbroken at losing. She grabbed the blankets that had been made by Granny before each of their births. She had even made one for Zara after the family had reunited. That along with the girls dolls, trains and toy soldiers for the boys and a few changes of clothing for all of them was all that she needed.

Zara stared out the window to the barn that held their animals. She was the one who was the closest to them. Hunter's wolf pup had even begun following her around as if she was his new Alpha. "What about the animals?"

Regina glanced up from her packing and frowned as she looked through the window. With no idea of what Cora had in store for them all there was really no way for them to prepare for what came next. Her first priority had to be the kids which was why they were checking on Snow. But she had no idea where they'd go after that.

"Well - ," she frowned then paused. She herself was an avid animal lover just as Zara had been. Though Zara seemed to actually have a gift for communicating with them that she didn't, she still loved them dearly and couldn't see leaving them behind either. "I guess we'll have to take them with us," she told her. This earned her a grin and a hug from her big baby. She returned the hug before pulling back, "Hurry baby and grab your things," she shooed her away from the window and back to the task at hand.

Zelena, Hunter, and Henry all entered with their packed bags. Wolfy ran over to Zara who immediately picked him up and then giggled as he licked her face.

Zelena looked at her sister, "you ready? Is there anything else you need right now?"

"I can't leave Roci. We'll have to take him along with us," Regina insisted. Rocinante had been her best friend and confidante for a long time. He was as much a part of her as her kids.

Zelena shrugged, "we can board all of the animals at the stables." She scowled at her sister, "but it will take a lot of magic."

Regina nodded, "I know. But they're worth it."

The family made their way out to the barn. Regina stopped once along the way to grab her apple tree. She shrunk it down once again to a sapling before putting it in a burlap sack. Then she followed the others out to the barn.

Her Father and Hunter began to get the horses hitched to the carriage. Zelena was cooping up the chickens. Regina put the cows into the trailer that they would share with the sheep and hens.

Once they were ready, the family climbed into the carriage. Zelena and Regina held hands to combine their magic. Then the family was poofed away to the cottage that King Xavier had gifted to Snow and David as a wedding present.

They knocked and entered the cottage at the same time. David stood in the middle of the front room while his Mother sat on the sofa nervously tapping her foot. As he turned to them, they took stock of his appearance. His hair was wild about his head as if he had been raking his fingers through it and his eyes were wide and bloodshot. He looked like he was about to cry.

Regina was instantly alarmed, "what's going on? Where is Snow? I've been trying to reach you all morning."

David gulped. He looked at them sheepishly before squeezing his eyes shut. He took a deep breath, "she's in the bedroom."

Regina looked him up and down knowing that there was more. "And?" she prompted impatiently when his pause grew too long.

"She's having the baby," he mumbled.

Regina's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. Then she squared her jaw, "and why did no one tell me about this!?"

David lifted his head as he looked her square in the eyes. He tried but failed to hide his guilt.

Snow had gone into labor just as the meeting they'd had over using their child as their Savior drew to a close. They had both made it clear that they refused to allow a child to be used in such an evil way. They'd apologized to the Fairy and the room but they'd stood firm as they'd instructed her to find some other way. Their child was not a pawn.

The Blue Fairy had poofed herself away after making it clear that she believed they were being foolish and selfish. Once she was gone they'd asked the other attendees to leave so that they could discuss the situation alone. Granny and Ruby had been the last to make their way toward the door. Thankfully they hadn't left yet when Snow gave a cry of pain while clutching at her belly. After a quick exam by Granny it was clear that she was in active labor.

David had taken up residence in the parlor pacing back and forth while Granny and Ruby ran back and forth from the bedroom gathering supplies to tend to Snow. He had no idea what was going on with his wife. So instead he paced to work off his nervous energy as he waited.

Now face to face with the woman his wife referred to as Mother was harder than he'd expected. He searched for just the right words to try to explain the situation without making them seem ridiculous.

Snow had complied with the Blue Fairy's wishes to keep the pregnancy secret from her Mother out of gratitude for what the woman had once done for her. But neither one of them had ever been happy with the decision.

He shrugged, "Reul Gorm," was all he said.

Regina's mouth compressed into a thin line. She knew and hated the Blue Fairy. The woman was a vile creature who'd treated Regina as if she were nothing even as she wore a Queen's crown. She'd even taken away Tink's wings just for trying to help her leave the horrible situation she'd found herself in as Leopold's wife.

There was plenty of anger over what she was hearing. But for now she had more important things to worry about than the horrible witch. She pushed David aside before turning back toward her sister, "You have them right?" she gestured to her kids making sure that her sister understood to keep an eye on them.

"Sure, sure. You go," Zelena urged her sister toward the door. She knew she'd want to be beside Snow during this trying time.

She and Hunter had only just found out that she was carrying a child. The two of them were thrilled yet apprehensive about the situation.

But Regina had always been a nurturer by nature. She'd always smothered their animals as a child. And now that she had her own real children she was a great Mom to all of them. And that obviously included Snow.

Regina smiled her gratitude then quickly entered the bedroom. Granny was at the end of the bed between Snow's upraised knees. She acknowledged Regina with a raising of her eyebrows but kept her focus on the job in front of her, "alright now. I'm going to need you to push."

"Mother!" Snow cried out as she lay panting, sweating, and crying on the bed. She held her hand out to her beckoning her closer.

Regina was shocked and angry at the current events. Snow was infamous for never keeping her mouth shut and yet she had kept this from her Mother for 9 months. She wanted to lash out but Snow obviously needed her. She pushed her anger aside to focus on what she could do now.

She ran over to the bed. Ruby stood and offered her the place she'd occupied beside Snow. She then walked to the end of the bed to assist her Grandmother in whatever was needed.

Regina grabbed Snow's hand and kissed it.

"I'm – so – sorry – Mother!" she panted out in between breaths. "We – should have – told you."

Regina shook her head to dismiss the apology. There was obviously something way more important right now. "It's fine," she said even as she felt a stab of anger over being kept out of something so important.

Snow began to cry even more. Her tears trailed down her cheeks to mix with the thick sheen of sweat that was covering her body. She had been in labor for more than 10 hours and she felt as if she had no more to give. But she had to apologize to her Mother. She needed her to understand, "No it isn't. I should never have listened to Blue."

"Shh," Regina shushed her. She pointed to the end of the bed where Granny sat obviously frustrated but trying hard to be patient with the situation, "Your baby is almost here. But we need you to push."

"I can't!" Snow cried out.

'Yes, you can," Regina argued as she climbed onto the bed. She pushed Snow into a half sitting position while she scooted around behind her. That allowed Snow to lean her upper body against her Mother as Regina's body held her in a semi-upright position. She held both of her hands in her own while she supported her, "Now push!" she told her in a voice that Snow understood was not to be trifled with.

Snow answered by bearing down. She grunted and groaned as she pushed before she fell back panting against her Mother.

"Again," Granny ordered.

Snow looked up at her Mother with a pained expression, "I can't Mother. No more. Please."

Regina grabbed at the towel that lay inside a bowl of cool water and wrung it dry. "Yes you can. And you will. There is no such thing as can't when you have a child," she said gently as she toweled off her face and neck. She locked her eyes onto her daughter's, "Now push!"

Snow took a deep breath. Then she cried out through another push. And another.

Ruby squealed out, "I can see the head!" excitedly.

"Almost there chil'. Now push again," Granny gently coaxed her along.

Snow pushed again and this time she felt something pull from her body. She fell back against her Mother once again spent as she waited for her baby.

Granny had began to pull once she had the baby's shoulders in her hands. The child spilled forth from her Mother with a loud wet sploosh. She was a purplish red color and she lay squirming in her hands. Granny inspected her but saw nothing that would alarm her. She quickly cleared her mouth and nose. Thankfully she received a loud cry as the baby's coloring began to change from the mottled purple red to a bright pink. After cutting and then clipping her umbilical cord, she handed her off to Ruby.

Snow gasped and then groaned as more tugging and pain began to emanate from her nether regions.

"It's just the afterbirth," Granny informed her as she toweled up the mess. She cleaned Snow off with a towel before rising and collecting all of the dirty laundry.

Ruby was fast becoming a pro at delivering babies. This baby made 4 along with Regina's 3. She grinned down at the slippery wet bundle as she toweled her off. "She's beautiful," she told Snow as she wrapped her in a clean towel before laying the child across her chest.

Regina's hands came up around her body to help hold the baby steady so that her Mother could get a good look at her. She kissed Snow on the top of her sweaty head, "You did good."

Snow was laid back with Regina supporting her and the baby's weight. She was exhausted but she had a sloppy, goofy grin on her face. She wrapped an arm around the child as best she could while staring down into her face. She put her finger into the palm of her newborn daughter's hand as she became flooded with emotion as she stared down at her child.

She had always believed in true love. She was truly a romantic at heart. Snow was willing to give most anything a try. But this was the first time she realized that a person could have more than one true love. Her daughter had also just opened her eyes to the beauty and magic of love at first sight.

The baby was still upset at being pushed into this new cold and cruel world but she was beginning to calm. She cried out her anger in small bursts that sounded like a kitten's meow. She was squirming all around with her limbs flailing as best she could to make sure they understood her wrath.

Snow rocked her and cooed at her as her daughter's tiny fingers curled around her finger. Her cries began to die out as she realized she was now warm and safe. Her eyes fluttered open and closed as she began puckering her mouth. She mewed again while she turned her head to root around for some nourishment.

Granny came over and smiled down at their new family member. "I think it's time to get you two cleaned up," she bent down to receive the baby. "Then you can feed this new little one."

Snow handed her baby over reluctantly. She allowed Ruby and Regina to help sit her up until she could swing her legs over the side of the bed. Then they helped her slowly walk her over to the bathroom.

Their servant had already filled up the tub with bath water. Snow slid into the water, hissing as it lapped at her still sore body. She first shuddered then sighed with pleasure as the hot water began to slowly loosen up her sore muscles.

Ruby held the baby as Regina helped clean her and Snow off. "What's her name?" she asked casually before taking the baby from the water and over to the wash cabinet. She began to dry her off before she powdered and swaddled her in a blanket that Granny had knit for her.

Snow looked at her in surprise. They had been so busy worrying themselves to death about the situation that they were in. They'd been so busy with everything that she and David hadn't had time to talk about it yet. "I don't know," she muttered as her face turned bright red. "We haven't really talked about it yet," she admitted.

Regina laid a comforting hand on her arm, "It's okay. You don't have to do it right away. Just soon would be nice."

Snow nodded then went back to her bath. Granny came in from stripping the bed. She had already changed the sheets and she clutched the dirty bundle of laundry in her hand to be discarded. She stuck her head in the doorway. "I'll give you a few more minutes before I send David in," she said before leaving the room.

Ruby placed the baby in a bassinet that had been gifted to them from King Xavier once he'd heard of their new arrival. She smiled as she laid her down and played with her fingers for a moment. The baby stretched and gave a big yawn all while continuing to smack her lips together. Once Ruby made sure the baby was going to be okay she pulled her blanket up to cover her. It was a plain white blanket but it had a beautiful blue silk ribbon that ran around it. She went back into the bathroom to help Snow and Regina.

They dressed Snow dressed in a blue silk nightgown. Then they began to help her back into the bedroom.

They were standing in the doorway slowly walking her back to the room when a flash of white smoke filled the room.

Their heads all went back as they waited for the smoke to clear. Once it had, they watched as the Blue Fairy stood beside the baby's bassinet.

"What the – ?" Ruby cried out.

"I'm sorry," she cut her off abruptly. She locked eyes with Snow. They shone with sadness but were also resolute, "but there is no other way."

Before anyone could register what she was doing she'd already grabbed the baby and poofed away.

"NO!" Snow screamed as she and her baby disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

BF

Reul poofed back into the room that held tree. She frowned as she looked out the window and saw that the smoke had almost reached their doorway. She turned away and quickly strode over to the tree. Her flock of fairies instantly fell into step around her.

They all wore grim faces. This was the opposite of what they were meant to do. Their job as fairies was to help guide people to their happy endings. Instead they were condemning a child to a life without her parents. Though they knew this was a necessity not one among them was happy about the situation.

The dwarves and Gepetto were panting and wiping away their sweat as she walked across the room to stand in front of them. They were all exhausted and sore from the all nighter. As she drew closer they all straightened up to receive her.

"It's ready," Happy said as he took off his hat and glanced at the child who would become their Savior. Instead of his usual grinning happy go lucky demeanor there were tears pebbled in his eyes.

Reul nodded. She didn't bother sparing the child even a glance. Instead she just put her into the cabinet that had been hollowed out for her. The fairies began to empty bagfuls of fairy dust into it. When they were done; they stepped back.

Reul raised her arms and began chanting. A windstorm began to form inside the portal. Everyone gathered around behind the Blue Fairy.

The baby let out a loud piercing scream at the noise and the new cold strange place she'd found herself in. White smoke billowed around her as her limbs flailed once again in anger. Then like that … she was gone.

Reul stared out at the thick crimson smoke that had begun to make its way into the room.

Alea iacta est.

****True confession: I tend to write right before I go to bed and then post. So my brain is usually half anesthetized when you read new chapters from me. I don't know why I do it but it is what it is.
If you read this chapter soon after I post it you will find tons of mistakes made by me since I have no beta. The one I did have just quit without giving me any advanced notice.
Anyhew, I reserve the right to correct any wrongs AFTER I have my rest.
Next: Storybrooke!