***Awe this is the first time I think I wrote Emma and Snow having angst in this story, but I think it was inevitable and it all works out anyways! Enjoy!***
Chapter 37
45 Years Ago
"Are you sure about this?" Young Rowena finished tying her ice skates.
"Yeah I've done it lots of times!" Regina helped Rowena up and they stepped on the ice.
"I've never skated before…"
"It's easy!" Regina made a figure 8 and danced around the ice.
Rowena tried to balance herself. "I hate the winter… I miss the sun."
Regina took her friend's hands and pulled her around. Rowena was all shaky. Regina guided her friend along the ice before they knew it Rowena was giggling along with Regina. Regina let go of her hands.
"No don't let go!" Rowena panicked as she slid along the ice.
Regina smiled. "You're okay. Try it!"
Sweat dripped down Rowena's forehead. She took a step and the ice started to crumble. "Uh uh… Regina. Help me."
Regina noticed that ice was starting to break and she skated towards her. "It's okay Rowena, I'm coming! Don't panic!"
The ice broke and Rowena fell through.
"NOO!" Ten year old Regina screamed and she darted closer. She knelt down and tried to grab Rowena's hand but she sunk further into the freezing cold water and drifted further under the ice. "NOO! I'm going to get Daddy. It's okay Rowena!" Regina rushed back home to find her father.
Rowena fought to hold her breath but slowly fell unconscious.
Moments later Henry and Regina arrived at the scene. Henry took a dagger and chopped through the ice and pulled Rowena to safety. Her body was just like ice.
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Present Day
"May I help you, deary?" Rumpel poured himself a cup of tea in his chipped cup.
"I know how we can defeat this Snow Queen." Regina explained.
"We?"
"Please Rumpel, she turned Charming and Robin to ice." Snow forced herself to hold it together.
"Why should I help Charming? He owes me a favour, not vise versa."
"Oh come on. You got Baelfire back from Neverland too. Besides that was five years ago."
"Still, a deal's a deal."
Regina looked at him right in the eye. "I am not losing my family over this. Besides this storm is affecting the entire Enchanted Forest, and it's only going to get worse. Think of YOUR family."
He set his tea down. "Alright, what do we do?"
"We need fire, and lots of it."
He nodded.
Snow looked at Regina. "Then what? How do we save Charming and Robin?"
"The only way is if she does it willingly, or if she dies. Then everything will melt, including our husbands. All of you will get torches, Rumpel and I will use magic. Magic produces the most powerful fire so we need as much of it as possible."
"I want to help." They turned around and Emma was standing with Bae.
Regina laughed. "How can you help, child?"
"With magic. I have it."
Snow walked over to her and squeezed her shoulder. "Emma, you don't have to do this."
"I want to help, Mom."
"You have magic?"
Emma nodded.
"The Saviour, of course."
"The what?" Emma looked from Regina to Snow.
Regina chuckled. "You never told her?"
Snow spoke barely above a whisper. "Now's not the time."
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
"Can we talk about this later, sweetie?"
"No, I want to know now."
Regina rolled her eyes. "Your parents were going to send you through a magic wardrobe as a baby to another world so you could save everyone from my curse. Can we move on now?"
"What?" Emma's eyes started to well up looking at her mother. "You were going to send me away?"
"Emma… I…"
Emma quickly wiped her eyes and pulled away from her mother and walked up to Regina. "Teach me to use magic."
Regina nodded and smirked. "Come with us. Hold onto those emotions, they'll come in handy." Emma avoided eye contact with her mother as she followed Regina and Rumpel.
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Tarzan stroked Pocahontas' hair as they watched Belle colour with Roland, Mowgli, Pirre and Chrissy. "You stay here with Belle and the kids, okay?"
"You're going?"
"Yes, they need my help. Robin was turned to ice, I want to help save my stepfather."
"Just be careful, okay?"
"Always." He kissed her.
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Neal and Jasmine dropped off Sid and Ariel off at Sid's castle. Jasmine rested her head on Neal's shoulder. "Please don't take me back there. I don't want to see him."
Neal nodded. "I need to go home and see if my parents know what's going on with this snow storm. Want to come?"
She nodded. "Neal? Thank you for saving me." She kissed him.
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"Focus."
Emma held her hands out in front of her.
"Concentrate!"
"It's kind of hard when you're talking in my ear."
"And when the wind blows or it's raining or someone's shooting ice at you."
Rumpel chuckled and sat back in his chair while he watched.
"Concentration's hard, that's the point." Regina circled around Emma. "Find your anger, and use it to focus."
"There has to be a way without going dark."
"You're such a pathetic waste of ability!"
"And you're a monster."
"Smell that?"
"What?"
"Smoke." Regina pointed at Emma's hands.
Emma looked down at her hands and a fireball was forming.
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Belle pulled Chrissy aside while Pocahontas played Chinese checkers with Roland, Mowgli and Pirre.
"Sweetie, we need to talk about what happened."
"I don't wanna run away again."
She smiled. "Good. You really scared Mommy and Papa."
Chrissy frowned. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. But no reading for two days, okay? Running away is very serious and something could have happened to you."
"Okay."
"Okay, now lets go play Chinese checkers."
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Snow and Tarzan approached the castle carrying torches, and Emma, Regina and Rumpel were prepared for battle.
Toothless landed next to them carrying Neal and Jasmine. "Hey Mom, what's going on? What's with the snow and your torches?"
"Well… the jist of it is there's an evil queen who casted an eternal winter on the land and only way to stop her is with fire. We could really use Toothless' help."
Neal nodded in agreement. Moments later the snow queen stepped outside.
"Alas, I knew you would return."
"Rowena, I'm giving you one last chance. Unfreeze the land."
"NEVER!" Rowena blasted ice towards them but Toothless blew fire at the ice blast and it melted.
"FINE. Have it your way." A fireball appeared in Regina's hand and she threw it at Rowena. It hit Rowena's leg.
Snow and Tarzan took their torches and lit up the bushes surrounding them.
Regina, Rumpel and Toothless took on full battle with Rowena. Fire and ice kept shooting back and forth. Emma stood there staring at her hands.
Snow walked up to Emma. "It's okay sweetie. You can do this."
Anger rose up in Emma, she was confused more than anything but a fireball rose in her hands and she threw it at the snow queen's heart and that was all it took for the snow queen to melt into a puddle. Everyone froze and looked at Emma who was just staring at her hands in awe.
All the snow and ice began to melt and moments later Charming and Robin came running out. Robin hugged Regina and Charming hugged Snow, Emma and Neal.
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"18… 19… 20… Ready or not here I come." Roland went to seek out where Mowgli and the girls hid. He quickly heard giggling coming from the hall closet. He walked over to it and opened the door to two screaming girls.
Their screaming quickly turned to giggles as Chrissy and Pirre ran past Roland.
"Where are you going, I found you?"
"You gotta tag us!"Pirre called back to him as they ran further down the hall.
He shook his head and followed after them.
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Once the snow melted and everyone got settled into their own homes, Neal wanted to take the opportunity to introduce Jasmine to his parents and ask if she could stay with them for a bit.
"Mom, Dad… this is Jasmine."
Snow smiled warmly and shook Jasmine's hand. "Hi Jasmine, it's very nice to meet you."
Charming smirked and nudged Neal's arm, he was proud of his boy. "Hello Jasmine."
"Very nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Nolan."
"Please, call us Snow and David."
"Uh, Mom, Dad? Would it be alright if Jasmine stayed with us for a bit? Things aren't going well for her at home right now."
"Oh of course. You can stay as long as you want." Snow smiled. "Charming, would mind showing her to one of the guest rooms? I want to go up and talk to Emma."
He nodded. "Yeah of course."
Snow headed up to Emma's room where she was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. She tapped on the door. "Emma, sweetie. Can I come in?"
Emma shrugged. "I guess."
Snow laid down beside Emma and now they were both staring at the ceiling. "I'm very proud of you. You did an amazing job today."
"Thanks."
"What Regina said…"
"Why didn't you tell me? Why were you going to get rid of me?"
Snow sat up and leaned against the pillow. "Emma, it was never about getting rid of you. We were trying to save you."
"From Regina's curse? What kind of curse?"
"She was going to send all of us to a land without magic where the only happy ending would be hers. Time would be frozen, everyone would be miserable except her. It was prophesied that you would break the curse on your 28th birthday because you're the product of true love. Gepetto built a wardrobe from an enchanted tree but there was only enough magic for one to go through. The original plan was for me to go through while I was pregnant with you so you could escape the curse, but you were born before the wardrobe was ready and we were running out of time. You were a threat to Regina's curse and she was going to kill you. So your father took you to the wardrobe."
"I don't understand, why am I still here? Why is everyone still here?"
"Because the curse never went through. Regina was arrested and Red got the news and told your father before he closed the doors of the wardrobe." She turned Emma's chin so their eyes made contact. "Emma, you need to know that was the hardest most unbearable moment of my life when you left my arms. But under those circumstances I would do it again in a heartbeat, because it was your best chance. But when your father returned with you in his arms and told me what happened, I can't even begin to describe how much relief I felt when he placed you back in my arms."
Tears were streaming down both of their cheeks and Emma sat up to hug her mother. "Thanks Mom. I'm glad the curse didn't happen."
"Me too, more than you'll ever know."
