We're jumping ahead a bit, maybe about three and a half months since the gang arrived back in the Enchanted Forest. We'll figure out what Zelena's been up to as well as if Rumple has a plan to free himself, Neal and Roland.

Trigger warning for mentions of torture and assault.

Snow White was not expecting the news she received that morning. She knew that the signs were apparent, but she didn't want to believe it.

"And you're certain?" Snow looked into the eyes of the Blue Fairy who smiled.

"I'm certain; you're going to have a baby," Snow shook her head slowly before turning away from Blue.

"What am I supposed to do with a baby here in the Enchanted Forest? I've been through this before with Emma and…oh god, I can't do this," Snow felt the air leave her body as the realization hit her: she was moving on, without Emma.

"Your majesty?" Blue glanced over at Snow, a worried look in her eyes.

"Emma…I can't do this to her," Snow looked up at Blue with mournful eyes; before Blue can respond Regina is opening the door to Snow's bedroom.

"Snow I…oh, I'm interrupting," Regina doesn't spare Blue a passing glance before she attempts to close the door.

"Regina!" And there's something in the way Snow says her name that makes Regina take pause.

"What is it Snow?" Regina carefully closes the door behind her, because whatever is about to come next is big; she can sense it.

"I'm pregnant,"

Well, there's something she wasn't expecting to hear come out of Snow White's mouth. Regina doesn't have time to respond before Snow is pacing back and forth, rambling as she goes.

"I can't believe it; Charming and I weren't even trying…" Regina cringes at the unpleasant image Snow had just forced into her head.

"I'm not ready to be a mother again, I don't know how, and now with the Wicked Witch on the loose I stand to lose this baby just like I lost Emma…" Regina stood and listened to Snow rant and panic for all of three minutes before she was standing in front of her, hands firmly placed on her shoulders.

"Please stop pacing; just looking at you is making me dizzy," Snow stood still, though her eyes were still filled with fear.

"Listen to me Snow; I know that this…news is scary. I can't imagine how you feel, having another baby after losing Emma. Now, I can't make Zelena go away, but I can promise to do everything in my power to make sure that this baby is okay and that nothing happens to him or her."

Snow looked up at Regina with hopeful eyes and smiled before taking a deep breath.

"I trust you Regina," Snow nodded as Regina smiled; the two women shared a silent moment in which they communicated about Emma and Henry. Blue stood off to the side watching the moment before clearing her throat.

"You need to take it easy Snow; this baby has magic, I can feel it," Snow turned to Blue and nodded seriously.

"Thank you Blue; I'd had my suspicions but I wasn't sure," Blue simply nodded, not bothering to acknowledge Regina's presence.

"Anytime, and Snow?" Snow looked up as Blue walked away.

"Congratulations," Snow smiled softly before accepting the news and asking Blue to keep it to herself, which of course she agreed to do.

"I don't like her," Regina muttered, keeping her eyes trained on the door.

"Regina, give her a chance," Snow admonished.

"I have haven't I? I'm letting her stay here in my castle while she takes cheap shots about how I haven't changed and how I'm going to get everyone killed,"

"Not everyone knows the person you've become; give her some time," Regina rolled her eyes but obliged.

"So, how are things going with you and Robin?" Snow's lips turned upwards into a grin as Regina felt a heat creep up the back of her neck.

"Robin and I aren't having sex if that's what you're asking,"

"I never asked if you were having sex...but since you brought it up…"

"No, Snow! I couldn't…we're both trying to get over losing our sons," Snow sighed heavily, wrapping an arm around Regina.

"For what it's worth, I think Henry would like him; and I think he'd want you to at least try and be happy," Regina rolled her eyes at Snow, turning to face the open window nearby.

"I won't ever be fully happy until I have Henry back safely in my arms,"

"And until then, Henry wouldn't want you to be miserable,"

"Are you going to tell Charming about the baby?" Snow looked down at her feet before biting her lip.

"Charming is the one who sent Blue to check on me," Regina's eyebrows raise.

"Oh,"

"I think he'll be…thrilled; am I wrong for not being thrilled? I mean, I know I told him before that I wanted more children but-"

"Not like this? I get it," Regina nods.

"Did you think about it, having children? I mean, I know you've got Henry but-"

"I wanted them with Daniel...your father certainly tried to but-"

"Let's not talk about my father; I think I heard enough about him while we were in Neverland,"

"About that Snow…" Snow held up a hand.

"I understand; you were young, so was I. I guess things worked out the way they were supposed to," Regina nodded.

"Yeah, I guess they did,"

oOoOo

Zelena smiled triumphantly as she held a magic bean in her hand. It had taken her months to fully get the information out of Rumplestiltskin (he was a stubborn one, though there was nothing that a little motivation from the Dark One Blade that couldn't do the trick), but she knew everything she needed to about Gray magic and had finally devised a plan that was sure to destroy Regina.

"Alright you; you know what you're supposed to do?" Neal stood at Zelena's side, looking less than interested in the mission he was about to go on.

"I'm supposed to go to Camelot and somehow find the blade of Excalibur, bring it to you so that you can forge it with my father's blade," Neal rolled his eyes; his father said that no matter what Zelena did, her plan would fail. So why in the hell was he about to get sent through a portal to Camelot?

"Good boy; and if you succeed, I'll show you how to get to Emma and Henry," Zelena ran a hand along Neal's chest.

"And you promise not to hurt Roland?" Neal felt as though it were his responsibility to look after the young boy, seeing as his own father was under Zelena's control and he was the reason Roland was separated from Robin to begin with.

"Fine, the brat stays alive," Zelena huffed before handing Neal the magic bean.

"You know where to go?"

"I've used a magic bean for time travel a time or two," Neal deadpanned.

"Oh, you mean like that time you tried to use one to get your father to leave the Enchanted Forest and he betrayed you?" Zelena taunted; she knew which buttons to push for both Rumple and Neal.

"He's doing as you asked," Rumple muttered from the large case he was imprisoned in.

"Oh, I'm sorry, does talking about the one deal you broke in your entire life upset you Dark One?" Zelena made her way over to the cell, teasing Rumple with his dagger.

"Now, you're gonna sit in this cell like a good little pet, understood?" Rumple relucatantly nodded before Zelena turned her attention towards Neal.

"My magic will transport you to the clearing; from there you'll-"

"I got it, I got it," Zelena scowled.

"If you keep that attitude up I'll be forced to kill you,"

"If you kill me who's going to go to Camelot? You can't send my father because one look at him and Arthur will know he's the Dark One, or did you forget that Arthur wants the same thing as you do?" Neal challenged.

"Once you're back with that sword, I won't have any use for you or the little hobbit you're so hell bent on protecting," With a wave of her hand, Neal was engulfed in a cloud of Zelena's smoke before disappearing.

"Now that Bae is off fulfilling your end of the bargin, I belive you still your half to uphold," Rumple reminded her.

"I said I'd release the little hobbit, didn't I?" Zelena turned her attention towards Roland, who quickly cowered in fear in the corner.

"I'm not going to hurt you; I'm just going to send you home to your father," Roland looked up at her with distrustful eyes, forcing Zelena to suppress an eye roll of her own.

"Fine? Don't believe me, have a look for yourself then," Zelena conjured a magic mirror into her hands, which she held out to Roland.

He looked in awe as he saw his father, safe and sound in what appeared to be a large castle.

oOoOo

Robin quietly made his way down the hall for lunch; he missed his son terribly, but knew that he had to keep going. Snow, Charming, and Regina were all planning a rescue mission to get Roland, Neal, and Rumplestiltskin back. Still, even with all of their planning and reassurances, Robin's hope that he would ever see his son alive again began to dwindle. The only thing that kept his spirits up were stories from Snow about how she sunconsciously lived with the hope that Emma would find them after Regina's curse broke.

Speaking of Regina…while she was still leery and guarded around him, their relationship was slowly beginning to mend itself. She too would also tell him stories of how she had lost Henry for a brief time, but only due to her actions as The Evil Queen. She also shared stories with him of Henry's childhood and how hard it had been to raise a child on her own with no father. The more she showed herself to him, the more Robin began to realize that he was falling for her. Sure, she wasn't the most pleasant to be around, and she would never show her soft and vulnerable side to anyone else, but the bits of humanity he saw within her made loving her all the more easier.

"Have you eaten today?" Robin is shaken out of his thoughts of Roland and Regina by Tinekrbell, the young fairy responsible for this whole pixie dust fiasco.

"Can I ask you something?" Tinkerbell smiled brightly at him.

"Sure, anything,"

"Why were you so determined for Regina to find happiness? Didn't the Blue Fairy tell you that-"

"I was drawn to her; they say each Fairy has a person they're meant to look after and…Regina happened to be that person. It was my job as a fairy to try and help her, but Blue…she was very adamant on us not helping Regina," Robin frowned.

"Why didn't she want you helping her?"

"Because she said Regina came from a bad lineage, one so bad that it was beyond saving,"

"Surely she was wrong if you saw some good in her that was worthy enough to be saved," Robin said with a smile.

"I saw the good in her but I also saw something else as well,"

"What else did you see?"

"Regina's magic is…special; it was never meant to be dark magic. I thought that if I helped her become happy again then-"

"It would stop her from becoming evil?" Tinkerbell nodded.

"It didn't; but my magic must've been right if it brought you two back together all these years later and Regina now has access to light magic," Robin hummed in response.

"What do you think would've happened if you hadn't used your pixie dust to help Regina?"

"We wouldn't be standing here having this conversation; the night I met her, she was going to jump from her balcony. In fact, she was falling from the balcony when I saved her," Robin shook his head.

"She was that unhappy?"

"She was," Tinkerbell nodded.

"What's stopping her from going back to that place now?"

"She's got things to live for; Henry…you," Robin sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not something she has to live for; if anything, she's living so that she can hopefully get back to her boy," Tinkerbell smiled, placing a hand on Robin's bicep.

"Trust me when I say that you are part of the reason Regina's even fighting...Regina may have ran from my pixie dust, but she cannot run from her fate anymore than you can yours," Just as she finished talking, Tinkerbell's eyes conneted with Regina's.

"I'll see you around Robin," She gave Regina a single headnod as she walked by.

"You two seemed to be engaged in quite the conversation," Regina said as she matched Robin's pace.

"That we were," Robin reached out to lace their fingers together; Regina didn't seem to mind.

"Snow and Charming think that we could be getting Roland back soon,"

"That sounds good; we'll be one step closer to uniting you with Henry," Regina sighed heavily.

"No, we won't; Robin that curse was specific, I can't have any contact with Henry, ever,"

"You will; I have hope Regina," She scoffed, staring down at the floor.

"It's hard to have any of that when you've done what I've done," Robin stopped and moved to stand in front of her.

"I believe in you; and I know that you are going to find your son," Regina looked at him with tears in her eyes and shook her head sadly.

"Looks like your'e gonna have to keep the hope alive for the both of us," Robin nodded, silently vowing to himself that he would.

oOoOo

Roland's eyes lit up with glee at the sight of his father, safe and sound as he talked to Regina.

"Do you believe me now?" Zelena asked, taking the mirror from Roland.

"Yes," Zelena rolled her eyes at Roland before instructing him to stand near the doorway.

"I'm going to use my magic to send you to your father," Roland nodded in understanding as Zelena's magic whisked him away in a cloud of green smoke.

"We both know that Regina's castle is virtually magic proof; there's no way the boy will get anywhere near her castle. If anything, the magic surrounding the castle will kill him," Rumple said as Zelena looked over at him with a sheepish grin.

"Ooops," She laughed before calling for one of her flying monkeys.

"I want you to go and find out where the little hobbit landed and when you find him…kill him, and drop his corpse as close to Regina's castle you can get," the monkey (which was Alan-a-Dale) screeched loudly before flying out of one of the castle windows.

Meanwhile in his cage, Rumple shook his head at Zelena; she had no idea what she was up against. Their eyes met and immediately she was standing in front of his cage, a bored look etched across her face.

"Tell me Dark One, how does it feel to know that soon enough, I'm going to ruin your little protégé Regina and make you regret not choosing me to cast your Dark Curse?" Zelena leaned into the cage a bit, using the dagger to press aginst his cheek.

"You may have my dagger, but you still can't change your destiny; and your destiny was sealed long ago," Zelena frowned.

"What do you know about my destiny?" She questioned.

"...Let's just say that it's no coincidence that you were never supposed to be the one to cast my curse," Rumple shrugged as Zelena's ire grew.

"So it was always her then?" Rumple nodded as Zelena placed the dagger against his neck, applying just enough pressure to where she caused him to bleed.

"If you kill me, you'll never get what you want; the power will consume you," Rumple looked boldly into her eyes as she shoved him away.

"I will get everything that I wanted; I will destroy Regina and I will make sure of it that you regret the day you chose that witch over me!" Zelena's body shook with anger as Rumple stood there, seemingly unphased by what she'd just said.

"Since you seem to only fear me when I'm holding the dagger in my hands…" Zelena whipped out the dagger, using it to force Rumple to his knees. She reveled in the power she had over him.

"If you don't have any regrets over not choosing me to cast your curse then I'm sure we can come up with some way for you to be…punished," Zelena glanced around the room until her eyes fell on a silver chest that sat in a nearby corner.

"What's in that chest?" Zelena commanded..

"I said, what's in the chest?" The power of the dagger proved to be too strong for Rumple; his knees shook, forcing him even further into the ground.

"…Torture devices," Zelena wore a rueful smile as she walked towards the chest, forcing Rumple to show her how to open it.

"I think we could use a little fun…I was lurking around this place and found a dungeon. What say we go down into the dungeon and have a little fun, shall we?" Zelena used her magic to open Rumple's cage, forcing him out of it and down into the dungeon.

By the time they returned, Rumple was barely able to stand, his clothes were tattered and his body had taken quite the beaten; the sun was just beginning to rise the next morning.

Chapter 26 to follow…