Warning: Semi Major/Minor Character deaths as well as implied sex.

*A portion of this chapter was taken from the Disney movie "The Black Cauldron" but was altered slightly to fit the needs of the story*


"And Granny, you're sure you sensed death?" Snow White and the other heroes stood in the middle of the dining hall as Granny Lucas relayed the message to them.

"I'm certain, I can feel it in my bones; something's coming and it's bad, real bad," Granny eyed everyone in the room as she spoke.

"Wait, you think the death you sensed is one of us?" Charming asked.

"I don't know who it is; I just thought you should know," Granny said nothing else as she walked away.

"Do you think it could be Zelena?" Snow stood beside Regina as the others murmured amongst one another.

"I don't know; how could she have something so powerful that could cause Granny to be able to sense death?" Regina frowned as Snow's hands moved to her belly.

"Regina, what if what Granny's sensing is…" Regina sighed heavily.

"Snow, don't think like that,"

"What if that's what she's sensing; what if, what if I'm not meant to have this baby because-" Regina placed both hands on Snow's shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eyes.

"It's like you've told me; you're allowed to try and be happy. Emma would want you to," Snow smiled softly before glancing over at Robin.

"So does that mean you're going to give Robin-" Regina shook her head.

"I can't Snow," Snow White sighed heavily.

"Regina-"

"I can't Snow; I want to, but I can't. It's just…Roland, he reminds me so much of Henry and-" Snow White placed a hand on Regina's shoulder and smiled sympathetically.

"Regina, I think more than anything Henry would want you looking after Roland. The boy could use a mom and, you've got that motherly touch," Regina shook her head.

"No Snow; I don't want to because what if I get attached or Roland gets attached and we find Henry and-"

"You think Henry won't love you; that he'll think you've moved on without him. Oh, Regina," Snow smiled softly.

"Regina, Henry would never think that you moved on without him. You have to trust that your relationship with Henry is strong enough," Snow gently squeezed Regina's hands.

"You like Robin, and you obviously care for Roland; don't think we haven't seen the way you already mother him, and how you took care of him when we got him back from Zelena. He needs you and it's obvious that you need him," Snow simply smiled as she walked away, leaving Regina to her own thoughts.

She just hoped that Regina would do the right thing.

It took some time but Zelena was finally able to break the magical barrier she'd come across in Rumplestiltskin's castle. Once she stepped through the barrier she was amazed; she soon found herself standing in the middle of what was obviously a magical lair of sorts. The walls were lined with bookshelves that nearly touched the ceiling. There was a large wooden table in the middle of the room and on it sat potions, many, many potions. In the far right corner, there was a cabinet filled with potions and other ingredients. Zelena smiled with glee; there had to be something here that could help her defeat Regina.

"But first, let's see if we can find a translation for this old spell," Zelena muttered to herself as she made her way towards the bookshelves.

oOoOo

Regina found herself standing in the courtyard that night after dinner. There was a light breeze in the air. The sky was an inky black color with bursts of bright stars scattered across it. The sun was beginning to set earlier and night fell sooner. It was a sign to Regina that the seasons were changing. It was a signal that she would not be spending the holidays with Henry; there would be no waking up on Christmas morning to watch him open presents. He would be doing that with Emma this year, living his life as though he'd always been with her. It was only during the nighttime that she allowed the misery of missing her son to show. She leaned against her apple tree and wept bitterly.

She looked up at the sound of someone approaching; she quickly wiped her tears when she noticed Robin coming towards her.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Robin said softly.

"You didn't,"

"Snow White told me I could find you out here," Robin smiled softly at Regina.

"Snow also should've told you that I didn't want to be bothered,"

"She did; but you know I'm not one for following rules. After all, I am a common thief," Regina tried her best to hide her smirk.

"This is true,"

"The weather's grown quite chilly your majesty, you should come back inside," Regina sighed heavily.

"I thought we agreed a long time ago that you wouldn't call me that,"

"We never agreed to that; I seem to remember you setting up rules about our friendship and expecting me to follow them," Robin smirked as he leaned against her apple tree.

"You never seem to listen to me," Regina took a few steps until she was sitting on a nearby bench.

"This tree doesn't look native to these parts of the forest," Robin now stood up straight, admiring her tree.

"That's because I had it brought here when I married the king. It was the only thing aside from my horse I was allowed to bring,"

"So it's from your home before here?" Regina chuckled bitterly.

"I wouldn't call the place I lived before here home; I wouldn't call anywhere my mother lived home,"

"I've briefly heard talk about your mother…was she really from Wonderland?"

"No; I sent her there through a magical portal to Wonderland the day of my wedding," Robin carefully made his way towards the bench to sit next to Regina.

"That's…quite an interesting tale, about your mother I mean,"

"My mother was…quite an interesting person," Regina stared blankly out into space as she spoke.

"Can I ask you something?" Regina hummed.

"How have you been able to stay here? From I heard, this is where you lived with the king,"

"After I killed him I rearranged the place," Robin nodded in response.

"I imagine it must be even harder being here now that Henry's gone," Regina sucked in a deep breath.

"You're lucky y'know," she said after several moments of silence.

"Pardon?"

"I said you're lucky, you've got Roland," Robin reached over and grabbed Regina's hand.

"I'm more than willing to share him with you; he's quite fond of you y'know," Regina smiled wetly at him.

"Roland is a very special little boy; he reminds me so much of Henry at that age,"

"I'm sorry; I wish there was some way I could fix this for you,"

"If you've got a way to defeat the Wicked Witch, a way to cross realms, and a memory potion…"

"If I could I'd get those things for you; I know how much your son means to you," Robin carefully moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her.

"You're shivering; we really should go back inside Regina," She shook her head and continued to stare up at the sky.

"I can't go inside, because if I go inside I'll be faced with the reality that I'm all alone," Her voice hitched at the end and she cursed herself.

"You're not alone love; you've got so many people around who care about you. Snow and Charming, Tinkerbell, Roland and I…"

"That may be true, but I can never be truly happy without Henry," Regina bitterly wiped away tears as she allowed herself to rest her head against Robin's shoulders.

They sat like that, his arm wrapped around her while the other held her close, threading his hands through her hair. They remained silent, causing Robin to assume that she'd fallen asleep, except the way her hands would wind with their fingers together. For a while it was peaceful and Regina didn't have to think. It wasn't until she let out a yawn that Robin suggested they move.

"I should let you get some rest; something tells me we're both going to need it for whatever Zelena has planned next," Robin helped her stand, though she paused and stared into his eyes for a moment.

"Regina, what is it?"

"Spend the night with me," Robin's brow scrunched into a frown.

"I know you have Roland and all but…I really don't want to be alone," Robin smiled softly at her and pressed a kiss to her brow.

"I can have Tinkerbell keep an eye on him," He took her hand and led her back inside.

oOoOo

Nothing happened between them that night; they simply spent the night with one another, Robin holding Regina close as she told him stories of Henry and life in Storybrooke until she fell asleep. Her eyes opened early the next morning just as the sun was beginning to rise into the sky. She carefully made her way out of bed and out to her balcony where she stood with her eyes closed, listening to the sounds of the chirping birds. She smiled to herself when she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist a short time later.

"Good Morning," Robin's voice was rough and rumbly with sleep.

"Good Morning," Regina turned in his arms to face him.

The moment was right and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Gravity seemed to pull their bodies closer, causing Robin to wrap his arms tighter around Regina's waist. She tilted her head up to look into his eyes before winding her arms around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. They remained close, silent, as they stared into one another's eyes.

"You are absolutely breathtaking," Robin whispered into the space between them.

Regina nodded, biting her bottom lip as Robin's fingers slid into her scalp. And slowly, they kissed; it was gentle, chaste, but quickly grew heated as Robin's hands began to roam along her body. Before long, Robin had backed them into the stone wall on the balcony, Regina pressed between him and the wall as their hands and mouths explored one another. They kissed until they were forced to come up for air. Once they parted, their foreheads remained pressed against one another as they traded more slow, languid kisses.

After several moments of kissing, they remained close, tender touching while they allowed their breathing to return to normal.

It was Robin who first broke the silence, telling her,

"Regina, I don't want you to think that this was just…I truly care about you. I know there's so much left unsaid but-" Regina placed a finger to his lips before pulling him in for another kiss.

"It's still pretty early; breakfast won't be ready for a while…come back to bed and lie down with me?" She stood there in front of him biting her lip. Robin groaned, pulling her in for another kiss before taking her hand and leading her back inside.

oOoOo

Zelena hovered over the ancient spell book and tomes with a triumphant smile on her face. She had finally figured out the spell; she was even able to tweak it a bit. The spell that Zelena had uncovered wasn't any ordinary spell. Somehow, Zelena had managed to stumble upon an ancient Welsh spell that gave her the power to control an undead army. The best part was that there was seemingly no way to defeat them. Standing up straight, Zelena carefully gathered all of the ingredients she would need, using a mortar and pestle to grind up certain ingredients. Once she had all of the necessary ingredients, she placed them into a waiting cauldron. With her hands outstretched, Zelena chanted the ancient spell of old,

Now I call on my army of the dead

The cauldron born

Arise my messengers of death

Our time has arrived

Zelena stood in front of the cauldron as it began to shake, a hissing sound coming from it. Suddenly, the room began to shake as a bright light burst into the room. A few moments later, the cauldron began to boil over, a green smoke falling to the ground as it went out of the room and soon, standing before Zelena was an army of undead. She cackled with delight as she looked at the thousand man army in front of her.

"Go, fulfill your dark purpose; destroy everyone in sight, but the Evil Queen? Bring her back to me," Zelena commanded.

oOoOo

Being with Robin was magical, an unexplainable feeling of sexual satisfaction she hadn't experienced in…well, ever. Of course, as queen, she'd been with many, many men, and the occasional woman, but none could ever fulfill her sexually as Robin did. Though it was brief, ending for both of them quicker than they'd liked, it was still spectacular. Regina rested her head against Robin's bare chest, listening to the light snores that came from him, the slow and steady rise and fall of his chest. They still had a little time before they had to be downstairs for breakfast; she was going to enjoy this moment with him. When she looked up, Robin was staring down at her, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips.

"Good Morning," Robin wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer.

"Good Morning," Regina was unable to suppress a yawn as Robin chuckled at her.

"How did you sleep?" Regina weaved a hand through his hair as he smiled at her.

"I have to say that was the best…sleep, I've ever had," Regina chuckled as she leaned in to kiss him once more.

"I quite enjoy this…perhaps once we've defeated Zelena and you've gotten your son back we can-" Robin was unable to finish his sentence as there was a commotion coming from outside Regina's door.

"What the hell is going on?" Regina climbed out of bed, using her magic to quickly dress herself before opening the door.

"Snow, what the hell is going on?" Regina tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Regina, it's Zelena; she's stormed the castle and she's got an army with her," Snow's voice was frantic, though it didn't go unnoticed by Regina that Snow had seen Robin.

"How the hell did she get past my magic?" Regina mused as she quickly followed Snow into the hallway where the other heroes were waiting.

"Gold, Zelena, how did she-"

"Good Morning to you, your majesty," it became increasingly clear to Regina that everyone now knew just what she'd been up to.

"Just tell me how she got past my spells?" she snapped.

"It would appear that Zelena has gotten ahold of an ancient Welch spell that seemingly gives her power over an army of undead," Rumple stated coolly.

"So we're dealing with zombies then?" Charming questioned.

"Yes and no; there is a way to defeat them, someone has to be willing to sacrifice themselves in order for Zelena's new army to be stopped," Everyone looked around the room, though Grumpy and Mother Superior's eyes fell to Regina.

"I already know what you're thinking; and as much as I'd love to give up my life I can't," Regina said.

"Why? Because of your boyfriend?" Grumpy snorted.

"It would only be fair; Zelena is after you and you have caused us all a great deal of misery," Blue stated. For a moment, Regina thought about it and the little moth was right. She had caused them much pain and much misery. It was because of her that they were even back here in the first place.

"No one is sacrificing their lives; Rumplestiltskin there has to be another way," Snow pleaded.

"I'm sorry but there isn't,"

"Well I'm going to make one; I'll simply give Zelena what she's after," Robin looked at Regina as though she'd lost her mind.

"Regina I won't let you do that," Robin moved to stand in front of her.

"What choice do I have Robin? Zelena has some sort of issue with me so, why not give the witch what she wants," Regina shrugged her shoulders.

"Think about Henry; what will you tell him if we find him and you're not there?" Regina stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at Robin with tears in her eyes.

"Tell him that for once his mother did the right thing," With that, she disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke.

oOoOo

This was far too easy.

Zelena had managed to not only break Regina's protection spell but she'd managed to storm her palace and no one was there to stop her. Zelena stood bored as she moseyed around, wondering how it was that Regina had gotten so lucky. It should've been her casting Rumplestiltskin's curse, it should've been her living on the high horse in Storybrooke. There was no way Glinda's prophecy was going to come true, she would make sure of it.

"Alright Zelena, call off your undead army," She looked up at the sound of Regina's voice.

"Regina, hello; I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, there's only one way to defeat them and I'm not looking for you to sacrifice yourself. I much rather need you alive," Zelena smiled cruelly.

"Exactly why do you need me alive?" Regina wondered.

"Why, that's for me to know and you to find out," Zelena chuckled before commanding her army to attack the others.

Regina did all that she could to try and stop Zelena's undead army, though they proved to be far stronger than any magic she had. The heroes were most certainly outnumbered compared to Zelena's army. It seemed as if the more they tried to kill them, the harder they stronger they seemed to become. Regina turned her head for a split second when she heard Roland cry out.

"Ah, ah, ah…there'll be no heroism from you today your majesty," Zelena used her magic to toss Regina across the room.

Thankfully, Regina didn't have to worry too much about him; Rumplestiltskin managed to free him from the beast's claws.

"Zelena, you're after me; why must the others suffer?" Zelena turned her attention to the queen lying on the ground in front of her.

"They're nothing more than collateral damage; you see, I learned a very valuable lesson once: love is weakness Regina," Regina's eyes widened with surprise; there was only one person she'd known to utter that phrase.

Her mother.

"Who, who told you that? That love is weakness?" Regina felt a rage growing inside of her as she stood to her feet.

Was this all her mother's doing? Surely it couldn't be, Cora was dead! There was just no way mother could've escaped death; Regina had been right there when Snow had killed her. Just as she was about to question Zelena, her attention was drawn to the sound of Snow White's cry.

"Snow!" Regina's heart leapt into her chest; she had promised Snow that nothing would happen to her unborn child.

"I think you're already preoccupied your majesty," Zelena said as she tossed Robin into a waiting crowd of zombies.

Regina was torn between who she should save; there was no way that she could save them both. Luckily, she didn't have to; Ruby had morphed into a wolf and was charging towards the zombies. With Snow out of harm's way, Regina made her way towards Robin, but before she could reach him, Zelena's zombies began to disintegrate. Within seconds, there was nothing left of the army but piles of ash.

"No! What's happening!?" Zelena shrieked before disappearing in a cloud of green smoke, taking with her all traces of her zombie army.

The castle was filled with silence for a few moments before a loud cry was heard.

Snow.

Everyone rushed towards the princess who now held a lifeless Ruby in her arms.

"No," Regina shook her head slowly as Granny rushed towards her granddaughter, pulling the girl into her arms.

Everyone stood back, giving Granny more than enough room to mourn her loss. Charming knelt at Snow's side, looking her over to make sure she and the baby were alright. And they appeared to be, that is until Snow stood up; her gown was stained a deep crimson red before she collapsed to the ground.

Chapter 30 to follow…