He Author's Note: Let me preface this chapter by saying that not only have I been let down by the writers of this show...I think they've truly wasted incredible opportunities to rewrite the fairytales we all know and love. I was especially upset since they used one of the key people in my story in the last episode that is pivotal in this story. James and David's story line is going to be a huge twist, as well as Rumplestiltskin's. If you stick with this story, I promise you'll be shocked with what happens.

Alternate Enchanted Forest Past

James slowly came out of unconsciousness and began to open his eyes as the sound of a fire crackling sounded in his ears.

"Shhhhh." A voice came as a cold towel blotted against the side of his temple, where a sudden pain shot through him causing him to hiss.

"If I were you I'd take it easy right now. The bump you gave yourself might have given you a concussion."

James tried to remember the last thing that had happened, and when the memories came his eyes opened wide and he sat up in bed with a start trying to scramble away from the sudden hands that were trying to keep him down.

The pain was nothing compared to the fear that he had been caught.

"Slow down. No one is going to hurt you." Cora tried to keep her voice calm as she looked at James. The way his eyes immediately scanned for danger and a means of escape making her weary of trying to keep him in bed.

"Who are you? Where am I? Where's the little girl?" James flinched as the pain in his temple almost made his eyes close from the pain. But he had placed him and that little girl in danger.

He could face whatever the consequences were for being on the Queen's lands, but if they thought they could punish that little girl they were in for a rude awakening.

Cora smiled. "She's been waiting to see if you were ok all day. I've had to shoo her away a few times. You're in the palace in one of the guest rooms. You're lucky you didn't kill yourself falling off that horse."

James relaxed slightly at the information that the little girl was not being hurt and obviously not imprisoned.

"Did she get hurt?" James asked the older woman, hoping that he hadn't injured the child with his horse or his own body.

Cora closed her eyes and nodded, opening them and marveling at the sight before her.

Reaching out her hand to his face James instantly froze and looked at the hand and then back to the woman as she reached his face and caressed it.

"You look exactly like him." Cora couldn't help but marvel at how exactly alike he and David looked.

James swallowed slowly as he realized that whoever this woman was she knew her father. Everyone said that he resembled his father, but no one had ever said he looked exactly like him.

Reaching up James grabbed the woman's hand and slowly lowered it away from him.

"Lady…I don't know how you know my father, but if you know what's best for you – you'll let me sneak out of here without telling the Queen I left." The firm grip he gave her hand the only warning he would give her.

Cora's eyes hardened and her smile dropped. "James. You're not moving from this bed until I'm sure you don't have a concussion or worse!"

James searched the woman's eyes at the casualness she used with his name.

"Now I know you don't know who I am, but you need to believe me when I say that neither the Queen or I want any harm to come to you."

The confusion on his face clearly showed because Cora let a smile spread over her lips.

"Regina may have been shocked by your sudden appearance, but like the incredible person that she is…she knew it would be wrong to not make sure you were well."

James felt the speck of fear in him vanish at the words, replaced with curiosity instead.

"Why would she be so forgiving? I was trespassing on your lands without word that I was….visiting." James tried to keep his tongue from deceiving him, but it was odd how the Queen would be so lenient towards him.

Though he didn't know many details about his father's dealings, word of his feuding with Queen Regina had reached his ears. The way the feud had started or what kept it going he was unaware of, but he knew his father couldn't stand the Queen or her family.

"Well...to tell you the truth...we didn't know what to think. We didn't know that Sarah was using the pasture to ride Rocinante. Apparently she had taken to sneaking out and riding her horse in the pasture to surprise Regina on her birthday. Sarah told us how nice you were with her."

Suddenly the hairs on James' whole body rose as his mind placed the pieces together.

"Like she was today." Closing his eyes and clenching his jaw tightly at what his father had sent him to do.

He had sent him to kill a child.

Though he had no scruples of hurting people, he drew a line when it came to children.

Call him an egotistical bastard with the way he treated women and ruined lives, but he would never hurt a child.

He wasn't that kind of monster.

"She says that you tried to teach her how to jump when you fell. There's not many men who would take the time to speak to little girls, but you were trying to make sure she didn't hurt herself. That in and of itself tells me just what kind of man you are." Cora gave a small smile.

James fiddled with a loose thread in the sheet that covered him as he didn't have the courage to look the woman in the eye after her statement. Not with the truth of why he was there making him feel like the lowest piece of scum in a boggy creek.

"You don't know me. And I think for everyone I think it's best that you just let me leave and not tell anyone until I'm off the Queen's land."

"That's not going to happen James. I know the only reason your father would have allowed you to even come near Regina's kingdom would be to hurt someone she loves."

James looked up and noted that the disappointment on her face was worse than seeing anger for some reason.

"But none of that matters. There's someone here that I want you to meet." Cora began to stand from her chair by James' bed side just to have James whip across and grab her hand."

"Please don't call the guards. I swear I'll never come back..."

"James...we don't want you to leave."

The voice made the young prince turn and stare open mouth at the mirror image of himself standing at the doorway.

Seeing the look of confusion on James' face, Cora took the opportunity to explain.

"I'd like you to meet your twin brother...David."

James began to shake his head. "That's impossible...father would..."

"Your father would have killed one of you had he known that you both existed. I knew he wouldn't allow the kingdom to be torn apart by sibling rivalry and risk the future of his kingdom."

It was the word "I" that stuck out from everything the woman in front of him said that caught James' attention.

Cora's hands wringing her hands together as her eyes glazed over as she thought about her decision in the past.

David couldn't help but stare at his brother. The overwhelming sense of something he could not fully name cascading down his whole being.

"You...knew." James said slowly as he stared openly at the woman he still held by the arm.

Cora closed her eyes and shook her head as she felt the need to ask for forgiveness for what she had done. But even now she couldn't bring herself to tell both of them the whole truth of their existence. And she was certain that the guilt from it would never allow her to call them anything but her sons.

Looking up at a face that she come to know soo well she couldn't stop the tear from escaping her eye.

"I'm soo sorry. I didn't know that Rumple had double crossed me. By the time I realized my sister had sold one of you it was too late. He already had you and Ruth wouldn't even speak to me."

James brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of everything she was saying.

"There was no way to reach you without your father intercepting the message. David wanted to go and find you, but I knew if your father saw him he would just imprisoned him or..." Cora couldn't say 'kill him.'

James began to move, getting out of the bed and swaying as both Cora and David moved to keep him from falling.

"Don't! I don't care what lies you've fed him...but I'm not going to sit here and listen to this."

"We're not going to let you leave here when you're injured." David said as he held his hands out at the ready in case James suddenly lost his balance.

"Oh really?! Well I'm not going to stay here..." James' angry face and tirade was immediately stopped as the doors swung open and the sight of Sarah running towards along with who he could only assume was Sarah's mother...Queen Regina.

"You're awake!" Sarah yelled as she ran at James and couldn't be stopped by Cora or David from jumping onto James and hugging him.

Pulling back Sarah looked up at the identical of her Uncle David and gave James the most radiant smile he had ever seen on anyone's face.

"Mommy told me not wake you up if you were sleeping. But you're not sleeping!" Sarah's joyous words made an instant smile stretch across James' face.

"Sarah inside voice, being loud can hurt James' head." Queen Regina said with a smile as she slowly moved towards the two that were still hugging each other.

"Oh." Sarah said as she looked at her mother and then back up at James. "I didn't hurt your head did I?" Sarah whispered.

James' couldn't help but hold back a laugh at the whispered words. "No you didn't." He whispered back.

Looking up with the smile still on his face he saw the dark haired beauty before him looking at him with...well...the only word he could think of is awe. Her brown eyes glimmering with unshed tears. The nerveness in her stance was the only indication that she herself did not know how to react to his presence as much as he didn't to hers.

But Sarah knew none of the oddness and secrets that the others had been keeping, and only knew that she had another uncle.

"Grandma told me you're my Uncle James. You lived with your daddy and that's why I didn't know you weren't Uncle David." Sarah continued to whisper.

James continued to smile as his insides screamed at him that what they were saying was impossible, but as he looked up and locked eyes with the man that Sarah had confused her with, the evidence was incredibly strong that his father had lied to him his entire life.

He had sent him to kill the little girl in his hold that was looking up at him with such happiness over having another uncle that he felt the bile in his mouth with how much he wanted to vomit right then.

"David had been looking all over the castle this morning when he had gone to surprise her with a fresh pastry and found her room empty. As...you can imagine...we were immediately alarmed when we couldn't find her in the castle. When...when David heard Sarah scream he thought..."

"I know what he thought." James immediately cut Regina off as the mere thought of what she was suggesting had been reverberating through his brain since he realized who his father had really sent him to kill.

"He...We didn't know what to think. When...mother came in to see what was going on and saw you..."

"I knew it was our only chance we'd ever have to speak to you." Cora said as she kept her head down, not being able to face Regina after the heartbreaking things Regina had said to her.

Regina let out a deep breathe very slowly as she looked up at James with determination.

"I had been trying for almost a year to try and speak with You. I had found out about David and was determined to see you. But no matter what I did, how I tried, King George was never willing to let me have an audience with him...and you. But...he suspected something from the very beginning." Regina's hands fisted as she relieved the many months of trying to get in contact with James and having to deal with the constant deal making of the man she knew to be her father wanted from her. The whole time having to keep her violent temper in check, holding her tongue from calling him out on outright lies that she knew he was saying to her.

"That's when we went against mother's wishes and I came to accompany Regina." David informed James with a sad face that spoke of the failure of the attempt to see their other brother.

Regina again had to hold in her temper as she relived the instance. "He hadn't known about you being a twin."

"He was furious." David said a second later.

"He set the guards on us immediately. We barely made it out alive." Regina continued to the story.

James laughed.

Both Regina and David turned to look at each other and then back at James.

Out of every reaction they thought he could have had, laughter had not even crossed their minds.

"You expect me to believe all this?" James said with a smile that showed his white teeth.

Cora moved towards Regina and placed her hand on her arm making Regina stop from trying to further upset James. The wince that Regina gave at the touch made Cora slowly retract her hand.

"If you could let me speak with James privately...I think all of this is too overwhelming." Cora said softly.

A few seconds passed as Regina and David exchanged looks before both slowly, with many backwards glances, left the other two alone in the bed chambers.

James had hardened himself, readying himself for whatever this woman was about to tell him.

Letting out a huge sigh, Cora walked towards the closed door and began to wring her hands, knowing that the only way to assure James that she was telling him the truth. She would have to tell him the absolute truth. The truth that she had been hiding from Regina and David. The horrible truth about what exactly she had been planning, and re-planing.

The hard look in James' eyes was something she knew he had learned from King George.

Cora was about to do what she had feared most, that would leave her open to all of the criticism and shame that she knew she would feel if Regina or David knew such things.

But she knew it was the only way to convince James that all she wanted was to know him.

In a way she knew what she was about to do was wrong. It was just something she had to do to convince James to believe her.

"I'm not your real mother."

Present Day Storybrooke

Regina paced the hallway like a caged tiger as Cora bounced baby Snow up and down with a smile on her face. Regina couldn't get the image of a Little Snow being put under as Whale prepared for the procedure to dislodge the gaul stone that was causing the young girl's liver to fail.

It was as if the fates were punishing her by recreating the sleeping curse in front of her very eyes. The way her scared eyes had stayed directed at her as Whale placed a mask on the young girl's face and injected her, her body couldn't fight the need to close her eyes and sleep. To think that she had once been glad to see this very thing happen had made her stomach roll as she watched who she now knew for certain to be her daughter drift into a medical sleep as they tried to save her life.

Whale had said five words as she had leaned over and kissed her forehead as she tried to hold back tears. "We'll take care of her."

A nurse had moved over to her and had pointed to the doors to the room, instructing without words that she need to leave the procedure room. If she had recognized the woman she might have threatened her, but as Whale turned and began to order people around in a sort of panic, she knew she physically couldn't watch this happening.

Now she paced anxiously, watching the seconds tick by on the clock and then turning away as more and more time passed and still no one had come to tell her that her daughter was alright.

Rumplestiltskin watched her with suspicion as he tried to figure out what she would do now that she 'remembered.'

He had been able to do as he pleased as Regina's anger and hatred had been directed away from him - the person that had knowingly placed her against her own flesh and blood. Knowing her as well as he did had been wiped clean now that Snow's secret had been revealed.

As hard as Regina had fought to keep Henry, nothing compared to what he knew she was capable of doing now that she realized he had used her...and her daughter...in the worst way possible. Really he had known that if Regina ever remembered that Snow was really her daughter, that their would be no discussions - no manipulation or reasoning that would keep her from trying to kill him.

After all he had always felt sorry for her. His guilt at what he had done getting the better of him.

The Dark One knew all too well what it meant to cause the one person you love the most- the most pain of all. He had always known that Regina was the key to enacting the curse, he had just never imagined that she herself would be the one to bare the very child in his visions that would cause the curse to be enacted.

The night that Regina had given birth, he knew it to be her that was giving birth to the child he promised Queen Eva.

Having found out long ago about Eva's inability to conceive children, he had made a deal with her that he knew would bring about a path to casting the curse.

That's why Zelena had been such a complete surprise. Due to his visions he had known that Cora's daughter Regina would give birth to Snow White...he just never expected Regina to beg him to ensure she reunite with her daughter.

He remembered the way her eyes had pleaded with tears streaming down her eyes at him as she held the new born Snow White in her arms after he told her the fate that awaited her daughter.

"Please...don't you have a child? Wouldn't you do anything to keep them safe? I know I won't get her first step...her first smile...but I would do anything to watch her grow up. Fall in love with whoever she wants. I don't think I can let her go if that's not to be her fate."

It had been one of the few times he had allowed his own experiences to soften his resolve and give in to the request.

Ever since that night he had tried to find any other way to come to this world.

Of course he would have tried different ways of getting to the land without magic anyway...but he had felt something he hadn't felt in over a hundred years. Guilt.

Maybe it was his guilt that made him agree to Regina's condition...but he tried every which way he could to find Baelfire without needing to enact the curse...but in the end he was forced to.

He had done everything in his power to get to Baelfire. Forsaking his love for Belle he had continued down his path for his boy. Looking at his son now he regretted absolutely nothing.

Regina did not have that luxury.

"I'm sure she's fine Grandma." Princess Emma said as she cautiously rubbed Regina's back as the scared mother stared at the double doors at the end of the hall.

Emma oddly was comforting Queen Regina as she sat in one of the chairs across from both Cora's who were both taking care of the baby.

Emma let the Queen hold her hands in a vice like grip, as if Emma was the only thing keeping her grounded and not flying around yelling at anyone who would tell her what was happening.

Regina couldn't help but smile as Princess Emma after watching her older self comfort her grandmother wrapped her arms around Regina and hugged her. Regina couldn't help but lean into the young woman's embrace as she calmed at the evidence that Snow would be ok. The very existence of both Emma's calming her like nothing else could have. Reaching up she caressed Princess Emma's hands as they continued to hold her.

And it was when she looked over at Princess Emma's hand did she realize that the blonde princess had her hands. They were the same size. They curved the same way...they even had the same palm.

The sight made her shake her head as the truth of everything hit her all at once with a suddenness that she began to cry and the noise and sight cause both Mary Margret and Snow to immediately be by her side.

Sarah rushed to be by her side at the same time as Emma, wanting to comfort her in any way possible.

"No...move! Stop smothering her!" Zelena suddenly was pulling everyone away from Regina.

Regina was suddenly facing a livid Zelena as she pulled Sarah away from her.

"You don't get to sulk right now. Stop sniveling and suck it up. Right now's not the time to give up fighting! Snow needs you to be strong right now! Not weak and needy."

Regina was straightening her spine ready to lash out when she realized that she was right.

Both Cora's stood up and nodded their heads as Regina looked at them for confirmation.

Wiping away her tears Regina straightened her spine even as Henry moved to be close to her. He hated seeing his mother cry.

"Are you ok Mom?" Henry asked with a look that showed Regina he was worried about her, which confirmed everything Zelena had said.

Looking up at her Zelena nodded her head with a look that said it wasn't the moment to give in to her inner panic.

Suddenly the doors opened and Whale made his way in his white coat and scrubs.

Everyone felt a huge weight had been lifted from the room as Whale smiled widely at the group.

"I always knew I was a genius...I just proved it though." Whale said to the group.

Though Whale had slept with his wife during the curse, David had never been more grateful for the cocky doctor in his life. "Thank you Whale."

Whale gave a nod of his head at the man that had punched him in the face twice.

Both Regina's moved towards Whale wanting to know exactly how everything went.

"Is she ok? Did everything go well?" Queen Regina asked, feeling that she could have lost her daughter.

"Everything went well. I was able to break the stone and re-establish drainage for her liver. I'm going to give her some very strong antibiotics to get rid of the infection...but we will have to wait until the infection is gone before we can remove her gallbladder. We can't risk spreading the infection." Whale explained to the older version of Regina.

"How long will that take?" Sarah asked with a furrowed brow.

Whale shrugged his shoulder. "It really depends on her body. Usually the infection drops in halves. If tomorrow it drops by half...we'll be able to operate the next day. If it hasn't...we have to wait until her body does what it needs to do."

"So she can come home today?" Regina asked with her own furrowed brow, showing that Sarah was very much like her mother.

With a smirk Whale nodded. "Normally I'd say I'd like to keep her here for observation...but as long as you make sure she takes her medication and stays hydrated. But...she can't eat...nothing completely. Liquids only. And due to the jaundice she's most likely to be nauseaus...so it might be difficult to get her to drink juices or broths. So really it's going to be water water water. She might lose some weight...but it's better than the alternative."

Everyone nodded their head.

"Ok...she's being sent to a room, as soon as she's settled everyone can go and visit. We just want to hold her until she wakes up and make sure there were no side effects of any kind."

"Thank you Doctor. We appreciate what you've done for my sister." Sarah said as she lifted her hand to shake Whale's hand.

It took Whale back a second before he lifted his hand and shook Sarah's hand.

And the next second Whale couldn't help but squeeze her hand.

"Your brother Gerhardt would be proud."

"You...you knew my brother." Whale's shock was evident.

Sarah smiled. "I know your brother. One does not forget a man that was trying to help save their life. I know you and your family Victor. You're one of the people that was sent to help me when I was sick. At least Rum told me that he thought you could save me."

It took a few seconds for Victor to fully understand everything that Sarah had said.

"I was sent for..." Dr. Whale tried to connect dots in his head.

Sarah smiled widely, showing her parentage so brightly it almost shocked Whale how much she looked like Regina. "I wouldn't have been so bold with you when we were discussing Snow's health if I didn't have confidence with speaking with you before. I just thought it best to not presume that...though I know the other you...I may not know the man I'm speaking with at the moment."

Whale for the life of him didn't know how to respond to the woman before him.

The sudden sound of Baby Snow laughing and clapping her hands as Cora played with her as a huge smile blossomed across her face caused everyone to look up and smile and chuckle as well. The way that Cora would make the baby clap her hands as she sang quietly to her making Regina's heart tighten as she realized just how much she had missed out on raising Snow herself.

Baby Snow kept giggling away as Zelena took over entertaining her, continuing to make the babies hands clap together and bouncing her on her knee.

"Are you going to tell her?" Emma asked Regina, as they both looked at the two Cora's and Zelena playing with the baby.

Regina's face filled with pain, and shook her head as they both continued to stare at the baby version of Snow White playing. Both Snow and Mary Margret having moved off to speak with Whale on what all of it meant for their health, with David listening in to make sure everything really was alright.

"Grandma..." Emma's voice calling her by title making Regina wince and turn with red eyes and stare at the granddaughter she had caused so much pain to.

"Emma..." And before Regina could respond Sarah was suddenly by them.

"There's something you need to both know. There was someone following me earlier into the woods. I'm pretty sure I know who it is...but when I tell Rum...and I am going to tell him, there's going to be a huge problem."

Both women shared a look and then looked back at how serious a face Sarah had.

"Who is it?" Regina asked.

Sarah grimaced as she looked over at where Rumplestiltskin stood staring at them and then back at her mother. "I want to tell you all at once."

Without waiting Sarah walked over to Rumple and pulled him towards Regina and Emma, not listening to his instant protest.

"Stop complaining!" Sarah said and immediately let him go as she placed herself in the middle of the three.

"Hook is here."

Immediately Rumple tensed as well as Regina and Emma.

"Are you sure?" Regina asked, feeling her chest tighten that her daughter would know the pirate. Let alone what she would say once she found out that she did know him. Which now that she thought of it...

"And how exactly do you know Hook?" Rumplestiltskin asked with a furrowed brow, not understanding how it was possible with the differences between their dimensions. And for some reason a sense of embarrassment.

Sarah gave Rumplestiltskin a pointed look. "I don't. But unless there's another man walking around with a hook for a hand...I'd say it's him."

All three relaxed.

"There's something else...something...I'm reluctant to tell any of you. Let alone the people from my realm." Sarah confessed as she looked down and plucked a non existant piece of dirt from her nails.

Regina immediately reached out a hand and with the slightest touch of her finger on Sarah's chin lifted Sarah's back up to look at hers.

"You can tell me anything in this world...and it would never change how much I love you - in any dimension."

Sarah's slow smile as she looked at the younger version of her mother caused all three to feel slightly better at coaxing her to speak.

But Sarah's smile melted away as she winced at the thought that had been plaguing her mind since what had happened earlier.

"I read Henry's book."

All three froze. Out of everything they didn't want Sarah to know about was Henry's book.

"And I know how most of your stories have developed...and something happened today that made me doubt someone that most of my life has been involved in my life. Someone that not only knows about my powers but has helped me develop them...albeit reluctantly...and sometimes indirectly. But today...the version of them that is...yours...they called me by my name."

"Well everyone knows about you by now in town..." Regina began but Sarah stopped her immediately.

"She called me Sarah Rose."

Rumplestiltskin stiffened almost immediately. Out of the three of them he knew exactly how important a name was.

"Who is she?" Emma's features and stature showed just how much on high alert she was.

Sarah looked down again and let out a sigh before looking back at Emma.

"Blue."

It took a second for all three to let the information sink in.

"Maybe..." Emma began, but Sarah shook her head and looked over at Regina.

"Mom...did you know my name was Sarah Rose?"

Regina closed her eyes and for a moment stood still before shaking her head no and opening her eyes to look at her daughter.

Sarah took in a huge breath and let it out as she closed her eyes. "Then how could she possibly know? I don't exist here. And the only reason I'm called that is because Grandma wanted my name to be like Snow's...to have two names...and...because Grandma loves roses and I was so pink right after I was born...it...it made sense. If I was never born here how could she possibly know my name?"

Rumple didn't want to say anything...but now that Sarah had opened up about being suspectful of Blue, he felt like he should tell her what was not in Henry's book.

"She's the one that told me I couldn't follow Bae. She said there was no way to follow... that fairy's don't lie...but when I began to question her she hesitated to say no when I said a 'curse'. That's why I began to seek it out."

Both Snow's made there way over and caught the end of what The Dark One was saying.

"Who said that?" Mary Margret asked.

"Blue." Emma said as she folded her arms. "And not to be one to add logs to the fire...but wasn't she the one to come up with putting me in the Enchanted Tree? Isn't that another way to get to this realm?"

"Wait. Blue was the one to put Emma into one of the Enchanted trees?" Sarah asked Mary Margret.

Nodding her answer as Mary Margret herself began to think back to how exactly or even why Blue would have suggested that method to protect Emma from the curse.

"She's the one that gave me the bean to leave." Neal said as he too had caught what was being said.

Sarah's eyes began going side to side as she took in all this information.

"What reason would she have to do these things? Why would she..." Sarah stopped suddenly as her eyes widened as she paled slightly.

"Sarah are you ok?" Snow asked as she moved to place her hand on her sister's shoulder...suddenly fearful of what Sarah could have concluded. Blue had been in their lives since Sarah was in the womb.

Sarah's eyes which had been looking down at the ground as the realization hit slowly looked up at Emma.

"Orphans."

The statement made everyone stare at Sarah oddly.

"Sending you here made you an orphan...you and Pin. Not helping Rumple find Bad made him an orphan. Henry is an orphan." Sarah almost began to hyperventilate as what she had thought was a dream showed evidence of being real. A nightmare had just become real life.

"God this can't be happening." Sarah said in a child like panic.

Both Snow and Mary Margret immediately enveloped Sarah in a hug.

"Sarah you're scaring us." Regina said as everyone seeing the commotion began to make their way over to the small group.

Sarah tried to calm herself.

If she was right they were all in the most danger that any of them had ever faced.

If she was right...her family was in mortal danger.

Images of her baby and husband washed over Sarah...giving her the strength to pull away from her sisters' hold. If she was right...it meant that they existed.

They existed. God if that were true...

Nothing in the world could have prepared her for this. After all these years...the possibility that what everyone had told her was just a dream- for it to be true meant that she had truly endangered everyone she loved.

Events from long ago endangered everyone she loved, her family. Her family had no idea what she had done. What she had done to protect the realms soo long ago that the memories muddled together- like oil in water...separate but still surrounded by so much that it could not be separated.

Snow and her mother had convinced her that what she had experienced had been a dream. Nothing more and nothing less.

Everything inside her had always fought them with memories of her baby and her husband.

Her idiot husband who she had made swear on their son's soul that he would stop fighting. Years of having no-one to care for him, and having lost his parents at a young age, had resorted to theivery, scamming, and fighting for money to be able to survive.

How could it all have been a dream for her to remember such details?

Who she had angered...the person- the evil- that she had fought to save not just her husband and son-but the entire realm...if that person indeed existed than she had endangered not just her realm but this one as well.

The only person who could possibly know her name were very few outside of her family and friends. Though Snow always said she had a knack for making friends...she had made an enemy the likes of which no one here had ever seen. A person that she had thought had not been real because her family had continually insisted that she had never left her bed chamber.

Blue had been one of the most insistent that it was impossible for her to have been anywhere but there because of all the spells they had cast to find her.

Coincidences were not something she believed in. Everything pointed to Blue...not being Blue.

"I need to go find Uncle David and the others. I need to make sure they're ok." With those words Sarah turned grabbing Rumplestitskin by the arm and began to make her way out of the hospital. Rumplestiltskin could tell something had frightened her, and terribly so with the grip she held on him.

Mary Margret and Snow shared a look and both grimaced at each other and nodded their heads.

Mary Margret turned to Regina, "We're going with her. She's not telling us something."

Regina nodded as she watched Sarah go through the doors towards the entrance of the hospital with a non protesting Rumplestiltskin-which very much unnerved her. "Go. Make sure to avoid Blue. I don't care if she is a fairy. Protect Sarah at any cost."

"I will." Mary Margret said immediately, causing her David to look at her pointedly.

Mary Margret could feel her look of shame on her face, but the one thing that she couldn't explain to David was that even though she knew Sarah was not her sister by blood, she shared a connection with Sarah that was so strong and so powerful she felt as if Sarah was as much a part of her as Emma. Even after everything they had done, not defending Sarah was not an option.

Straightening she looked at David squarely before turning and following Snow to go after Sarah. She wasn't going to apologize for needing to protect her sister.

Later. Talking to David could happen later. At the moment she was on guard from the one person that she had trusted almost her entire adult life.

"David. I need you to take Mother and Zelena to my house. Have them feed the baby and put her down for a nap. I'm not leaving this place without her." Regina instructed David, and referring to the pre-teen girl.

Immediately he looked at her in shock. Regina straightened and tried to hide the uncomfortable feeling she felt at having him look at her the way he was. Self-conscious of actually relying on David as a brother, when she had no idea of the concept or practice of dealing with siblings was a little unnerving and downright unnatural for her.

Zelena instantly saw the tension between her brother and sister and knew something was off with how they were acting towards each other. It just...wasn't how she knew them to behave. Knowing how she always had a knack for testing her sister...she figured this younger version of her sister would be just as fickle and easily angered.

"So I hear the reason everyone ended up here is because you tried to kill Snow and failed miserably."

David felt himself go rigid turning his eyes on who he now knew to be his older sister, trying to convey to her with his eyes that bringing up that little tidbit of information at this moment was not a wise choice.

Regina clenched her jaw shut tightly.

"AHHH" Zelena yelled as the slap from her mother came with a look of 'don't you dare antagonize your sister.'

"Not one more word." Queen Cora said with a no nonsense look, back up her younger selfs slap.

Zelena rubbed her arm and looked between the two Cora's, then shared a side glance with David and Regina. "Two mother's...we're doomed for sure. Now I know why Sarah's looked so panicked."

David couldn't help but laugh at the way Regina's mouth dropped open and the way both Cora's this time hit Zelena.

"Don't test us!" The younger version of Cora said with a point from her finger at Zelena's face.

Regina felt her mouth close and a bubble of laughter come up at the fact that someone else was finally feeling her mother's 'discipline' besides her. The furrowed brow and pursed lips of her sister making her see just how much like their mother Zelena did indeed look like.

"I'll take them." David said with an arm moving to take hold of the folded arms of Regina, a slight jump from her having him touch her. The sudden closeness of his body as he gave her cheek a peck of a kiss truly making her barely breathe.

Pulling back from Regina, his face giving a smirk, showing how much he himself also enjoyed egging her.

"Looks like we're going to have to team up to make sure Zelena and James don't drive either of us insane."

"Well good luck with that! James and I have an uncanny way of driving you both quite mad." Zelena said with a cheeky laugh. "Really you both are just so easy to upset it almost takes the fun out of getting you both angry."

The glare that both Regina and David gave her made Zelena laugh hysterically and point at them.

Both Cora's shook their heads with disappointed looks at the way Zelena was behaving.

Laughing still Zelena straightened up from her hunched over position and wiped a few tears from her eyes.

"The doctor says you can go back and see the little girl now." A nurse said from behind the desk with a phone still up to her ear.

"What room?" Regina immediately asked and was walking towards the corridor to the recovery wing when the nurse called out the room number.

The sudden crying baby made Regina stop in her tracks and look back at Baby Snow who was suddenly trying very hard to get out of Queen Cora's hold and towards her.

"Ok let's go with mummy then." Zelena said as she took the baby from her mother and quickly moved towards Regina.

Regina looked at her oddly for a second before Zelena noticed the look.

"What? I'm still your sister. It's my job to drive you insane." Zelena said as she bounced up and down the down calmed baby as she was within reach of Regina.

Regina looked back at David, who was smiling. Giving Regina a little nod of encouragement, Regina returned her gaze to Zelena who was trying to keep the baby from pulling her long curly red hair.

"I don't know you. Here...in this realm...I've never met you." Regina said slowly, for the first time in a long time not wanting to hurt someone else's feelings.

"That's not true." Came Cora's voice as she approached the two sisters.

Zelena rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, fighter her anger. "You separated us even in this realm...didn't you." Zelena's mouth pursed as she tried hard not to lash out at this other version of her mother.

After all these years it was still a very sore subject between the two.

"Yes. I did." Cora said sullenly.

Regina looked lost as she looked between the two.

"You...I...I knew my sister?" Regina's agonized words were like a knife to Cora's already damaged heart.

"Sweetheart..." Cora began.

"No! You can't explain your way out of it mother! What you did to us was beyond evil and callous." Zelena's heated outrage made Cora wince.

"You took me away from the one person I felt the most connected to in my entire life. And for what? For what reason!?" Zelena shrugged her shoulder's as her accented words rang through the hall, even as the baby began to play with her hair.

"Zelena..." Cora tried again.

"Do you have any idea how much I hated Regina? Any idea what I had wanted to do to her until Sarah showed up in my life?! I would have killed her mother. The one person in the world that could understand me more than anyone else. I loved her...I barely knew her a day and I loved her! And you thought me weak because I cared for ONE person in my entire life."

Cora breathed in deeply as her brown eyes met those angry piercing blues of her daughter's. "I was wrong."

Regina could see the pain in her mother's eyes, something she had never truly seen before...but at the moment...she saw it.

"There's no excuse I could give. No amount of 'I'm sorry's' I could say to you...your sister...to any of you for what I've done. I can only tell you that my sisters never showed me any kind of affection or love. Father was drunk, and so when they were able to they married the first man they could and left me to fend for myself. It didn't stop me from loving them...and what did that get me?"

Regina looked at her mother in shock. Never had her mother offered up information about her family. and the plural use of 'sisters' did not escape her.

"Mother...your relationship between Ruth and Adolpha could be a lot closer than you could ever possibly imagine. This little one here is the reason you mended fences with them. To protect Snow everyone put their differences aside and we now you three are closer than ever! You can have that. You three are the back bone of how strong a relationship between the four of us is! David and James are thick as thieves! Regina and I are constantly fighting over nothing just to see who gets angry first!" Queen Regina laughed and shared a smile with Zelena.

"And as annoying and disgusting as they are...I wouldn't trade my brother or my sister for anything in the world." Zelena said as she turned and kissed the chubby cheek of Baby Snow. "I owe so much of everything good in my life to this one. And I never got the chance to help Regina raise her."

Zelena looked at her Regina as Baby Snow played with the ends of Zelena's hair.

"So I'm going with you. I'm helping whether you want me to or not. I know right now your scared and frightened to what could and has happened to your daughter. Trust men or don't trust me - I'm not leaving you. You may not know me but let me tell you a few very important things you need to know about me." Zelena said as she lifted up the baby and placed her on her hip, bouncing her and moving side to side.

"I don't give up easy and I don't apologize nearly as much as I should. I'm stubborn...just like you - and I hate being told I'm inadequate in any way shape or form. I'm not perfect but neither are you. We're stuck with each other and personally...I'm quite happy about it." Zelena's eyes looked at anything but at Regina as she felt as if she had left herself naked in front of everyone. Turning she gave another quick peck to the baby who finally placed her little head down against Zelena's shoulder as she sucked on her pacifier and looked at Regina - seeming content with being held by Zelena and within close proximity to Regina.

Regina had felt the tears forming in her eyes as she stared at a ticked off Zelena, a small smile forming on her lips as she gazed at her little girl in her aunt's arms. Out of all the emotions she felt at the moment, it wasn't fear that she felt.

It was guilt.

Guilt that she would never get to raise her daughter. Guilt that she had made her daughter suffer in the worst ways possible. Guilt that her granddaughter had been an orphan and completely helpless and her selfishness had been the reason for it. Guilt that the son that she raised was her great grandson and had never had the chance to be with his mother...again because of her.

Guilt was the only thing she felt as she saw her daughter settle against her sister as she tried to fight to keep her eyes open, looking every bit like Daniel it was just plain scary. The fair skinned child who had green eyes that were just like her father's, she was a victim of her own selfish need to want to be in her life, as if she could have protected her any more than she could have protected Daniel.

Sucking in a huge breathe she let it out raggedly, and nodded her head.

Zelena just looked shocked for a second before she realized that Regina was still looking at the baby. Looking down she saw Snow's eyelids had closed and her big lashes were almost touching her cheeks, the sight making her miss when Merida was a little girl.

A kiss to the Baby's cheek and slowly Zelena lifted up the baby, and Regina immediately took her into her arms.

The baby settled instantly and let out a little sigh of contentment as she once again settled against Regina's neck and shoulder.

"Ok. Just...don't get me angry when we check on her. She's never had anything like this ever happen to her. She's scared enough without me getting angry in front of her."

Zelena just smirked as Regina gave the baby a kiss herself. "I promise nothing."

Regina's eyes turned to daggers turning and giving Zelena a pointed stare. "Behave."

Zelena's smirk just became a radiant smile.

Regina didn't flinch when Zelena linked her arm through her free one and began to walk down the hall.

"David you might want to go find your wife. Sarah's more than likely to get them into more trouble. She puts me and James to shame." Zelena's voice traveled from down the hallway to where David's smiling face fell.

"She's actually right. Sarah attracts trouble as honey attracts bears." Queen Cora caressed David's back, letting him know with the passage of her hand on his back that he need to stay strong and calm.

Shaking his head with a 'this is my life' look on his face David then turned and gave a quick peck on the cheek to both Cora's. "Please let me know if my wife's ok. I don't want to jeopardise our future."

Smirking at her son, Queen Cora caressed David's face. "She'll be fine. You make sure the others are safe."

David couldn't help but smirk back. Another kiss to her cheek and he was going after his wife - as usual.

Using magic Sarah quickly transported them out of the view of her sister.

"What...is wrong?" Rumplestiltskin asked and stopped short when he saw the mirror image of himself standing not two feet away from where Sarah had brought them.

"What is wrong...is that the thing that everyone convinced me couldn't have happened...the thing that made everyone think I was insane is not just possible...I think all of us are in danger because of it!" Sarah said as she looked between the two men.

Holding up his hand The Dark One was about to interrupt when Rum shook his head.

"The prophecy is coming true. We thought it would start on your twenty eighth birthday...we couldn't have possibly known it would start sooner." Rum replied.

"MY SON RUM! I have a son...who you all told me was a figment of my imagination! You all made me feel like a child who had been told one too many stories! My child who might think I abandoned him. He would be six years old right now Rum..." Screaming turning into crying as Sarah looked at Rum who was also crying.

"I'm soo sorry Sarah. We tried. We tried to prepare for this..." Rum struggled to speak as his own emotions from earlier mangled with the hurt he saw on the one person's face who never merited anything but love and goodness.

Rumplestiltskin was at a loss. But one look at his other self's face, and he knew that Sarah meant more to him than even he thought she would.

Sarah's tears and gasping breathe's made his black heart ache in a way they hadn't since he had fallen in love with Belle and had refused to relinquish his black magic.

"There's...there's something I never told you...any of you." Sarah struggled through the lump in her throat.

Both men could feel the heavy weight of the words.

"What could you have not told us...that..."

"I imprisoned someone." Sarah interrupted Rum, fearing she would back out of telling him the truth.

"With your magic." The Dark One concluded with just how still and silent Sarah had become.

A nod was her answer.

"Who?" Rum asked, fearing that for Sarah to do something of the sort made whoever it was a very dangerous being.

"If you have to understand I didn't have a choice! She was supposed to be banished! Her soul was to never step into the earthly planes again. But...but when my son was born...a fairy came to me."

Sharing a look with his other self The Dark One tried to stay calm.

"Who...exactly?" His voice wavering just slightly with his accent.

Sarah said nothing for a few seconds, driving up the tension within the two men when she said a name that neither had heard since they had been boys.

"Cherlindrea." Looking up as the name left her lips, she never expected the reaction she received.

Laughter.

Both began to laugh.

"That's impossible. The legendary Fairy Queen has been..." The Dark One began...

"Dead for centuries." Sarah deadpanned.

Both men froze as they understood the implication.

"That's impossible. That means that..." Rum started to say, but Sarah again finished.

"That I was in the past. Something you said could never have happened. That with all the magic that you had ever possessed, there was no way to travel back in time."

The Dark One began to feel worried where this was headed. It Sarah was telling the truth...

"She said my son was one of the chosen. That only his blood would keep the Queen banished." Even though Sarah's eyes were closed you could still see the shame and sorrow she felt.

"I knew I couldn't let that happen. I knew I couldn't risk all of the realms if a few drops of my son's blood could possibly save everyone. But...but when I nicked him slightly and he started crying...I couldn't go through with it. Men came out of nowhere and tried to grab me and my son and I ran as fast as I could until I couldn't breathe. I thought I had done enough...I thought if something had gone wrong Cherlindrea would have told me."

"You do realize who exactly you're talking about don't you? She's a myth...a story that's been..." The Dark One began but Sarah wouldn't stop interrupting him.

"The Queen of the Fairies Rumple! And that can only mean only one person that she would want to protect all of the realms from." The far off look in Sarah's eyes letting both men know she was reliving those times in her mind.

"He's right Sarah. You're talking about a story that's older than The Dark One." Rum said softly, but already dreading the honest sound of Sarah's voice.

Sarah slowly turned her head towards the man she had grown up knowing and loving and the look of certainty of her face made him slowly close his own eyes and sigh.

"It's her Rum. And I have a suspicion that somehow Blue is involved. The Blue from here knew my name...I don't exist here! The only other realm I've been besides Aunt Zelena's is that one...or not. Cherlindrea knew it...without me telling her. When I started the incantation I had to say it to present my son. If it's not Cherlindrea it has to be..."

"Don't!" Rum said desperately. The name Sarah was about to say had not been spoken in over a millennia.

"You always told me to trust my instincts Rum. Right now their screaming at me! The way Blue said my name...my hairs stood up on end. I haven't felt that way since that night. After everything I've ever done...you know that's not something I can let go."

Sharing a look with his darker self...they both shared an entire conversation with just a look.

What Sarah was saying made perfect sense. With what they both knew...Blue was definitely not who she said she was.

And if Sarah was telling them that she thought the Legend of the Queen who went against Cherlindrea were real...even they would never want to face the sorceress. No sane person would.

Rumplestiltskin shook his head. "Out of all of the possibilities I had seen, I never saw this one. I never had a want to wish to know the future..."

"NOOO!" "NOOOOOOO!" Both Rum and Sarah screamed late to stop him from uttering words that would again change everything.

Sarah's eyes bulged out as a hand went over her mouth in horror. Rum was no different, in fact he looked more devastated than Sarah.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE?!" Rum screamed, barely keeping himself from hitting this other version of himself.

"What?" Rumplestiltskin said with complete bafflement showing on his face.

"The Genie died saving Sarah, imbuing her with his powers. You just made called on her magic!" Rum tried to keep from screaming again, and barely kept himself from clenching his jaw as much as his fists.

Out all the reactions, laughter was not what either of them expected.

"That's not how genie magic works..." The smirk on Rumplestiltskin's face falling instantly with the next words that came out of his double's mouth.

"That's because none of them were also the Dark One."

Author's Note: I've been trying to update for months, but for some reason the Doc Manager would not let me upload the entire chapter...so I've had to break it up in two. If anyone knows how to...please let me know! And if you guys ever want to see the other half of the chapter...give me 10 reviews! 10 people!