Disclaimer: I own none of the characters as that honor and right goes to ABC, Adam and Eddie. With the exception of Maggie, Lara, Lucas, and Lucian who are original characters.

Note: I will be out of town until next week, so there won't be any updates until probably next weekend. With that in mind I wanted to be sure to get this posted and I only had a chance for one read through with no proof reader, so please excuse any errors. I tried to catch everything, but something always slips through especially with only one read through. This chapter is really about the struggle going on with Maggie as well as Emma and Lucas accepting their fates. I promise that Lucas and Emma have a strong plan to try and save Maggie, but it will come with a very high price. The question is who will pay that price? Remember the more reviews the more encouraged I am to get the next chapter ready.

CHAPTER 35: WAR FOR A RED BODY

Red and Jacob sat on one couch while David and Snow sat on the other. They were all intently listening to Whale explain his theory on Maggie's condition.

"I'm no expert in werewolf psychology, but that girl has been through so much and going into the events that transpired yesterday she was already on precariously delicate ground with her wolf. Since she woke up from the sedative I gave her last night she has been nearly catatonic. I wish I could give you some good news, but I have none to give," Whale told them reluctantly. He hated delivering bad news.

"What about Regina," Jacob asked.

"What about her," Snow questioned.

"Well she still possesses her magic and she's already bonded with Maggie. Maybe she can do something to help her," Jacob suggested.

"I don't recommend using magic," Whale cautioned. "You may be able to use magic to bring her out of this state, but no amount of magic will heal the trauma she's been through. She needs a level of psychiatric help that I just can't provide."

"Well we're not going to just abandon her," Red snapped. "I say we bring Regina in on this and once we have Maggie back we can work on healing the bond between her and her wolf. We can get her better."

David was intently listening and trying to determine the best thing to do for Maggie. He'd just lost his daughter, for a third time, and focusing on Maggie was all that was keeping him from having a meltdown himself.

"I highly recommend against that course of treatment," Whale replied. "Adding magic into the mix could cause unpredictable and catastrophic damage. I'm not saying abandon her, but I am recommending placing her in the psychiatric ward at the hospital and let the doctors there try and treat this."

Red jumped to her feet and her eyes were already shifted to that of her wolf.

"Do you know what happens to a wolf when it's confined," Red questioned him with a snarl.

Whale swallowed hard and shook his head no.

"It slowly goes crazy until it can't be saved! If it doesn't bash its own skull in trying to escape there is only one thing left to do…you have to put it down! I will NOT allow that to happen to my granddaughter," Red growled.

"Easy Red," Snow soothed as she walked over to her friend and brushed her hand comfortingly over Red's arm. "None of us want that to happen to Maggie. We won't let that happen."

"Agreed," David stated.

David turned to Whale.

"Find another way to help Maggie. I don't care what you have to do or what resources you have to use," David ordered.

"Fine, but should she have another psychotic break that can't be contained the blood she spills is on your hands," Whale stated before turning and leaving the room.

David knew Whale was right and even he lacked the confidence that they would be able to protect the other citizens of Storybrooke should Maggie fail to regain control of her body.

"What are we going to do," Jacob asked as he tried to relax Red by rubbing his hand along her back.

"August is with her now," David replied. "But that's not enough. I want someone with either magic or supernatural strength to have eyes on her at all times. Someone capable of stopping her needs to be with her every second of everyday until we get her better."

David had heard someone coming down the stairs behind him, but he dismissed it until he saw Red and Snow's eyes go wide in shock. Jacob had an equally shocked look on his face. David whipped around to see August leading Maggie down the stairs.

"That won't be an issue," August stated with a smile on his face. "She's back."

"Maggie," Snow questioned as she walked over to her granddaughter.

Maggie shook her head and wrapped her arms around her grandmother. Snow eagerly hugged her granddaughter back.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Maggie spoke softly and in an almost timid tone.

Maggie felt like she was watching a bad horror movie playing out before her eyes. She was fighting like hell for control of her body, but she wasn't strong enough to hold on to control indefinitely. Until she could build up some strength the darkness was in control and there wasn't a damn thing her or the wolf could do.

"Please," Maggie begged the darkness. "Don't do this to my family! Don't do this to the people I love!"

"Love is something you won't have to worry about much longer my dear. We both know you are growing weaker and it's only a matter of time before your soul is gone and I am left with this body and your beautiful wolf as my own," the voice replied.

Maggie could see everyone hugging her and acting as if a miracle had just happened. She wanted to scream at them and tell them that this was anything but a miracle. This was the beginning of the end.

Lara was sitting at the grave of her parents when she heard Emma walk up behind her.

"They never stopped believing you would somehow find your way back to us," Lara stated without turning to face Emma. "Even on the darkest of days they never stopped believing that the fates would deliver you back to us."

"If they only knew," Emma replied.

Emma sat down beside Lara.

"I hope you don't mind, but Lucas told me where I could find you," Emma stated.

"It's okay," Lara replied. "I just needed to clear my head."

Emma nodded her head in understanding. She looked over the headstones and realized that there wasn't one for August.

"The elders wouldn't permit him to be buried on resistance land," Lara answered Emma's unasked question. "He's buried just outside the boundary."

"Seems unfair," Emma stated. "He wasn't acting of his own free will."

"Doesn't matter. He was then and always will be a monster to everyone. Even those who knew him before still condemned him. When our father killed him his soul was already lost and he was beyond redemption. I can only hope he never knew what was happening to him," Lara replied.

Emma picked at the grass and for a moment was lost in thought.

"That's why this has to work," Lara stated after a long silence. "Lucas' plan can't fail or all is lost. Good people will become monsters, innocent lives will be lost, and our planet will cease to exist. You can't let him fail."

"I won't," Emma promised. "I just wish we had another way."

"But we both know there is no other way," Lara replied sadly. "Even if there was we'd never be able to talk Lucas out of this. To him this is about bringing honor back to his family...our family. His bravery may be lost to a time reset, but if he is successful his sacrifice will be for the greater good. I can only hope Lucian and Maggie were truly meant to be and fate will see fit to unite them under better circumstances."

"Quite an age difference for them to overcome," Emma noted. "I'm fairly confident Lucian hasn't even been conceived yet in my time."

"We are all at the mercy of fate and destiny. If they are truly meant to be then fate will find a way to bring them together. Just as your destiny as the savior went well beyond breaking the curse," Lara stated. "You found your way to us to give us a chance despite the odds against it. I don't understand how or why, but I think these time rifts were meant to happen and you were meant to fix them. This is your destiny. The rest of us are just at your mercy."

"You're so much like your mom," Emma commented.

"Thank you," Lara replied. "There is something she cherished and protected in the hopes it would one day find its way into your hands."

Lara got up and she started digging at the base of Red's headstone. Emma watched in confusion until Lara pulled out an object wrapped in a blanket. She cautiously unwrapped the object to reveal the Dark Ones dagger with the name "Margaret" on it. Lara handed it over to Emma.

"The dagger of the Dark One," Emma questioned. "We could never find it in my time."

"I know," Lara replied.

Emma looked over it in awe. She didn't understand the feeling in her gut, but everything was telling her this was the missing piece. This gave them slightly better odds at success.

"You and Lucas will need this in your journey," Lara explained. "What is to happen must happen at Lucas' hand. Believe me when I say he will have no trouble with that part. No one hates the dark monster the Queen is more than him."

Emma nodded and tucked the dagger into her boot. The two women turned without a word and headed back to the cabin.

Regina and Abigail stood in the hall watching the family flock around Maggie.

"Something isn't right," Abigail commented. "No one recovers that fast or that suddenly from such a catastrophic psychotic break."

"Agreed," Regina replied. "Something seems off."

"What do we do," Abigail wondered. She was aware that Regina wasn't the most likely person she could have confided in, but she knew none of Maggie's immediate family would have listened to her. Not after losing Emma again. They were all blinded to the obvious.

"Nothing," Regina replied. "We wait and see how things go. We hope this is truly a miracle, but we approach Maggie with caution until we know no threat exists."

"And if this isn't a miracle?"

Regina looked over at Maggie then faced Abigail.

"Then we pray," Regina replied. "That girl is more powerful than even she realizes. If she turns into a threat not even I have enough power to stop her."

Regina left Abigail with that as she turned and walked away.

"May the gods help us all," Abigail murmured as she turned and walked off to find Frederick.

Maggie watched over her father's shoulder as Abigail and Regina dispersed.

"Don't worry," the voice commented in its sinister tone. "They too will soon be convinced of this miracle. You might as well give up. You're only prolonging the inevitable."

"I'm not giving up," Maggie vowed. "This fight isn't over until the bitter end."

"I do admire your spirit," the voice replied. "To bad you wouldn't just cooperate with me. We could have been an even stronger force together."

Maggie watched as her family continued to flock around her in awe of her recovery. With every passing minute she grew weaker. This was a fight she couldn't win alone and despite being in a room full of the people who loved her the most she had never felt more alone.

Lara hugged Lucas tight and hesitated to let go of him. She knew once she did that he would leave and she'd never see him again.

"We'll see each other again," Lucas promised her as held her tight.

"Now you're sure," Lara questioned him.

"Someone I love very much told me that I was meant to be. Considering she'd never let me down before I'm banking that the odds are in my favor," Lucas replied.

He tried to pull away from the embrace Lara held tight.

"It's time to let go," Lucas murmured softly. "I'll be okay."

Reluctantly Lara let go of him and he brushed the tears from her cheeks.

"Before you know it we'll be kids again, but it'll be a better world. No matter where we meet again you will always be like a sister to me," Lucas promised with a quiver of emotion in his voice. "The impact you've made on my life can't be expressed in words and thank you will never be enough but I know you will have every bit as much impact on the next. So this isn't goodbye…this is see you on the other side."

Lara smiled at Lucas and placed a kiss on his forehead before pulling away from him.

"Until we meet again," Lara replied.

Lucas took one last look around and with one last glance at Lara he turned and walked towards Emma who was waiting at the far end of the barn to give them proper time to say their goodbyes.

"You ready," Lucas asked Emma.

"The real question is, are you?"

"More than you know," Lucas replied. He offered his hand to her and at the two held hands a brilliant white light enveloped them.