Once was so good and next week looks even better!

Chapter 49: Showdown

Regina's mind was only focused on her children and rescuing them. She didn't want to slow down but of course her mother intervened, picking her up by tree branches like she did when she was a teenager. "Mother!" Regina growled. "I have to save my kids! Put me down this instant!"

"Regina, you can't just go up there and confront Alice." Her mother said.

"The hell I can't."

"Just listen for once, Regina!" David yelled up to her.

Regina huffed and rolled her eyes. "Then put me down and let's get a move on."

Cora set her daughter down gently. "Neal and Hook went to poison the birds' drinking water. We are to continue up that hill, which leads to the back of the cave."

Regina straightened her jacket. "Fine. Let's go."


Miranda and Henry were both strapped down to separate tables, side by side. Tamara took off Mandy's black bracelet that took away her magic so she would be ready for the final phase. She still wasn't able to use magic though; the bracelet still had lingering effects. Mandy was trying desperately to hold back her tears and be strong for Henry. She looked over to him and saw that he was shaking with fear. "Everything is going to be alright, Henry. They are all coming for us. And they'll be here before ya know it." She tried reassuring him.

He looked over to her. "I hope so." He whispered. A few tears escaped his eyes, he was so scared. As soon as she saw Henry begin to cry, she also began to lose it. "It will be, Henry." She managed to get out before sobs completely over took her.

"You two should be preparing for your death, not how your little family is going to save you because it's not going to happen." Tamara informed them.

"They will find us and they will defeat you all!" Henry shouted.

The Enchantress walked between Mandy and Henry's tables. "It's cute how you have hope." She said looking at Henry. "But the sooner you accept your fate the better it will be for both of you."

Henry didn't have a response for the witch and neither did Mandy. "Tell you what." The Enchantress began. "I'm feeling a little generous right now so I will let you both hold hands as we drain the magic from your bodies so you won't feel alone." She flicked her hand towards them and one of their wrists restrained became undone, just enough for the two kids to hold hands.

Henry turned towards Mandy and whispered, "This isn't supposed to end this way."

"It won't, I promise." She whispered hoping Henry believed the words she said even if she didn't believe herself.


The group finally made it up the steep hill and into the small cave. Hook and Neal were to wait at the bottom of the hill for the group to come back down. They made their way down the cold, dark cave not knowing where they were going. Regina had enough of not being able to see and lit a fireball in her hand, revealing a door at the end of the hall. They entered through the door cautiously for they did not know what to expect on the other side. It was a tiny room with a small bed in the corner and not much else, except for another door on the other side of the room. The door opened and in walked Romulus. He just stood there with his mouth opened when he saw the six adults on the other side.

Regina walked over to him fiercely. "Where the hell are my kids?" She asked threateningly.

He began stuttering his words. Regina scared him and he couldn't answer. "Where. Are. My. Kids.?" She asked again more slowly but still holding the same threat.

Snow walked over to them and pulled her hand on Regina's back. "Maybe we should try a different approach, Regina."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Did you wanna have a long heart to heart with the boy, Snow? Because we clearly have all the time in the world." She said sarcastically.

Snow bit her tongue. She didn't want to fight with her step-mother and turned her attention back to the boy. "Do you know where Emma, Mandy and Henry are?" She asked more nicely then Regina.

Rom nodded. "Do you think you could tell us where they are?" Snow asked.

"Emma is locked in a jail cell and the Enchantress has Mandy and Henry with her." He told them. "I can take you to Emma."

Snow nodded eagerly. "Yes, please hurry."

He turned back down the hallway he had just came from with the six adults following close behind. It wasn't long before he led them to the jail cells and to Emma. Snow ran to Emma's cell and Emma stood up and reached for her through the bars. "Finally! What the hell took you guys so long? When did Cora get here?"

"Now's not the time." Snow said. "We need to get to Mandy and Henry."

"Well, I'm kinda stuck in here" Emma replied.

Regina waved her hand and the cell instantly unlocked. Emma yanked the door open and was instantly pulled into a hug by her mother.

"What did that witch do to my granddaughter?" Cora asked. "We heard her scream."

Emma put her head down. "The Enchantress was torturing her with her magic. I'm not sure what she was doing exactly but it was really hurting her. Worst thing I had to witness. I'm just sorry Henry had to see it too."

"Henry had to witness this?" Regina asked her hands falling from her hips to her sides.

Emma nodded but became very angry all of the sudden. "Greg also tortured her because of something you did, Regina. He cut her with a knife-she had too many cuts to count. Miranda has suffered because of who her mother and grandmother are. I hope you two are happy with yourselves!" Emma yelled.

Regina and Cora were speechless. They knew she was right. Miranda was suffering because of the enemies they had made. Snow stepped in front of Emma, trying to control her. "Emma, now is not the time for the blame game."

"That game could go on for hours." David mumbled.

"What are they going to do to them exactly?" Gold asked Emma.

"Drain their magic." Emma replied.

Gold nodded. "Just as I feared."

"How is this witch so damn powerful?!" Regina yelled.

Gold sighed. "The enchantress was originally from the Storybrooke world but found her way to wonderland where Cora taught her magic, as you all know."

"Yes, yes go on!" David urged.

"Well she is basically a child of both worlds, making her very powerful."

"How is Henry involved in all of this?" Snow asked arching her eyebrows.

"He is also a child of both worlds. Both his parents hale from the Enchanted Forest but was conceived and born in the other world."

"So that' how Henry has magic?" Emma asked.

Cora nodded. "Yes, but he doesn't know how to tap into it."

"Draining their magic will result in both of them dying." Gold added.

"She won't be taking either one of my children's magic." Regina said firmly.

"Why does she need their magic?" Emma asked bitterly. "Why not take yours or Cora's?"

"Because there can only be one person from both worlds alive for what she wants to accomplish."

"What the hell is up with you fairytale villains and world domination?" Emma asked.

Gold smiled. "Simple, dearie. Power."


The Enchantress was talking to Greg and Tamara far away from the kids still strapped down to the table. "Why isn't it working?" The Enchantress roared. She wasn't happy.

"We need the girl to get angry, make her tap into her magic." Tamara explained. "This will get the ball rolling and everything will fall into place."

"Why am I just learning about this now?!" The Enchantress asked angrily.

"This is the first time we are doing this sort of thing. We are still trying to figure it out." Greg said.

"That is not a viable excuse!" She yelled sending Greg flying backwards into the wall. He would have a few bumps and bruises but was fine otherwise. He remained sitting on the ground though; he didn't feel like being thrown around anymore.

The Enchantress stormed over to Miranda and placed her hand on the girl's forehead.

"What are you doing?" Miranda yelled.

The Enchantress ignored her and began to use her magic to extract any memories that would anger Mandy. Mandy squeezed Henry's hand tighter and whimpered in pain. The blonde woman made her way over to her mirror hanging on the wall and put her hand up to it. The mirror began filling with memories from Mandy's life. "Interesting." The Enchantress smirked.

She walked back over to Mandy and looked down at her. "I'm curious to know why you want to keep this boy safe."

"He's family." She replied.

The blonde nodded. "You saved Henry before, although that cost you dearly. You lost your love, by your own hand, all because of this boy and now you are going to comfort him…after everything he has done."

Mandy tried to shift in her restraints as she was uncomfortable with the subject matter but kept her hand closely clasped around Henry's. "I did what I had to do under the circumstances."

The Enchantress knew she was uncomfortable and pressed more. "You'll never get to see him again and you have that constant reminder right by your side."

Mandy didn't want to look at Henry. The Enchantress was right about that. Henry was a constant reminder that she killed Peter for him but she also knew that Henry would've died otherwise. She knew she did the right thing but the Enchantress was slowly getting to her. "I did the right thing by saving Henry."

The Enchantress crossed her arms. "Why? So your mother wouldn't be angry with you for killing her son?"

Mandy was getting angry and the Enchantress could see the magic coming from Mandy's fingertips. It was starting to work. "That had nothing to do with why I saved Henry." She yelled trying to sound believable but she lied; it had a little something to do with it. She was still just getting to know Regina and she didn't want to ruin their prospering relationship.

"Mandy, don't listen to her!" Henry said trying to calm her down. He could feel the magic in her hand.

The Enchantress knew it would be any moment now, Mandy would become enraged so she kept going. "Regina and Henry will always have a better relationship. She wanted to raise him, wanted to keep him, fought so hard for him…She didn't do any of those things for you."

"That's because she thought I was dead. She didn't know I was alive or she would've fought for me." Mandy yelled as more magic began to show from her hands.

"Don't tell her anything Miranda!" Henry yelled. "It's only helping her get you angrier."

The Enchantress smirked. "She'll always love Henry more than you. In fact, she probably doesn't love you at all."

"That's not true, Miranda. Regina loves you more than anything and you know it!" Henry told her.

Mandy looked over to him. "Not more than you."

"She loves us equally, you know that." Henry shot back.

Mandy looked at the ceiling, ignoring Henry. She was pissed but she never let go of his hand. The Enchantress bent down and whispered in Mandy's ear. "If she could only choose one of you, you know it would be Henry. Why would she pick a child she just met over one she raised from birth?"

Mandy knew this would be true. She would always be second compared to Henry. This was the last straw Mandy could take. Her anger was clearly shown by the intensity of her glowing hands. The Enchantress knew this was it. She placed her own hands on top of Henry and Mandy's joint hands and started the process.

Mandy and Henry both whimpered in pain as their magic was being drained from their bodies. The blonde backed away as their magic began flowing into her. Mandy knew she screwed up and shouldn't have let the Enchantress get to her. She also knew she had to slow down the process and help Henry. Mandy summoned all the strength she had to shield Henry, which seemed to work for the time being.

Suddenly, the group burst through the door. Regina and Cora instantly threw fireballs at the Enchantress to break her focus, but it didn't. The blonde woman was strong enough to battle the group of six while still draining their magic.

Greg and Tamara came out of nowhere and started attacking the Charming's while the other three battled the Enchantress. The Enchantress put a shield around the kids so no one could disturb her process or rescue them.

Greg and Emma began sword fighting, which Greg wasn't too good at. Emma quickly over powered him and sunk her sword into his stomach. "That was for Mandy." Greg dropped to the floor, holding his bleeding stomach knowing this was how he was going to die.

While Emma was battling Greg, David was fighting Tamara. She was better with a sword than Greg was. She put up a good fight against David, giving him a few minor cuts here and there but it didn't trouble him too much. Pretty soon, she too was lying on the ground clenching her bleeding wound.

Snow was shooting arrows at the Enchantress while Cora, Rumple and Regina fought her with her magic. The blonde saw Snow as a mere nuisance, nothing more. With a quick flick of her wrist, Snow was lying face down on the ground. As soon as David was finished with Tamara, he ran over to assist his wife.

The Enchantress was growing more and more powerful with each pacing second. She was still gathering the children's magic, but she didn't know why it wasn't completed yet. She also didn't know Mandy was shielding Henry's magic and simply giving her all of hers. Gold was working on weakening the force field surrounding the kids while Cora and Regina fought the Enchantress.

"Let my children go, you bitch!" Regina yelled hurling a fireball at her head.

The Enchantress cackled. "You'll have them back once I'm through with them. Although they'll be dead!" She retaliated with her own magic.

"Your quarrel is with me." Cora yelled. "Leave my family alone."

"Ahh, the Queen of Hearts." The Enchantress smiled. "I do believe we have business to finish."

"Indeed, we do." Cora nodded. She and the Enchantress began throwing magic at each other left and right. Regina tried to assist her mother but was thrown back by the Enchantress knocking Emma over in the process. By the time Regina and Emma had gotten to their feet, Gold had broken the force field and Cora somehow managed to knock the Enchantress to the ground.

The four ran over to the kids still strapped down to the table. Mandy kept her eyes tightly shut and was shaking from how much magic was drained from her body and still trying to protect Henry.

"Miranda, you can stop using your magic." Cora said smoothing her hair back from her face. Mandy's body relaxed but she still didn't open her eyes.

"Come on, let's get em outta here." Emma said urgently and went to start unstrap Henry.

"No. Stop!" Gold yelled. "We can't break them apart; it will create a black hole which will be impossible to stop."

"A black hole? A BLACK HOLE!" Emma yelled throwing her hands up in frustration. "Seriously!"

"So how the hell do we save them?" Regina asked angrily.

Gold and Cora both looked at each other before Cora quickly embraced her daughter. "It has to be this way, darling."

"What are you talking about, mother?" Regina asked hugging her back.

"Tell my son I love him." Gold said to Emma.

"What the hell is going on?" Emma asked.

Cora kissed her daughter's head then quickly sent her and Emma flying backwards. Gold held out his hand to which Cora accepted. They placed their hands over Mandy's and Henry's already joint hands, sending all their magic to their grandchildren and stopping the magic the Enchantress was collecting from them.

The Enchantress slowly got up and saw what Cora and Gold were doing. "NO!" She screamed. This was ruining everything the Enchantress had been working for.

Gold and Cora focused all of their energy and magic into destroying the Enchantress once and for all and saving their grandkids from a horrible fate. So much magic was in the room that it blinded everyone within. When the light finally subsided, Regina and Emma quickly stood up as did David and Snow on the other side. They looked to the middle of the room and saw Gold and Cora lying on the ground still holding hands and the Enchantresses lifeless body.

They all ran over to them. Emma knelt down next to Gold while Regina was next to her mother. "Gold? Gold!" Emma said shaking him.

"Mother, wake up!" Regina yelled.

"What did they do?" Snow asked.

A few tears rolled down Regina's face as she gently placed her mother's head down on the ground, knowing she was dead. Gold as well. She stood up and faced Snow.

"They sacrificed their lives for their grandchildren." She answered. "Their sacrifice was enough to kill the Enchantress and save the kids."

"Mom?" Henry whispered still strapped down. This caused everyone to look over to the kids.

Emma and Regina ran to his side. "Hey, kid. How ya feeling?" Emma asked. Regina quickly unstrapped them with her magic.

"A little weak but nothing serious." He replied as Emma helped him sit up. Regina gave him a quick hug and kiss then turned her attention to her other child.

"Miranda, honey?" Regina said softly stroking her face. She only stirred slightly, not waking up. She gently placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead then looked over her body. She couldn't believe how badly Greg had cut her. She would kill him if he wasn't dead already.

"Is she going to be okay?" Snow asked walking up to stand beside Regina and looked down and Mandy.

"I think so. She's just really weak at the moment." She replied still stroking her daughter's cheek. She was freezing. Regina removed her jacket and Snow helped her put it on her daughter.

"Where are Hook and Neal?" David asked.

"Still waiting for us." Emma replied.

"No, we are right here." Hook said entering the room.

"What happened to my dad?" Neal screamed when he saw Gold lying on the floor. He rushed over him and looked upon his face once last time.

"My mother and your father gave their lives to save their grandchildren proving to us, and to everyone that they weren't truly wicked and had love in their hearts after all." Regina said looking down at her mother and Gold with admiration and appreciation. Her mother has finally done something she can be proud of; she just wished she didn't have to die.

"Do you have the bean, Hook?" David asked. "We need to get the kids back to get them checked out."

I do, mate." He held out the bean and threw it in the middle of them all. It soon opened a portal and swallowed them down, Gold and Cora included.


Henry recovered fairly quickly and told them everything that the Enchantress, Greg and Tamara did to him and Mandy. Mandy on the other hand, took a very long time to recover but she got to stay in her own house and her own bed instead of staying in the hospital. Regina and Daniel stayed with her every night, making sure she was comfortable. Jake also went to visit her but she didn't know he was there.

Daniel and Regina both fell asleep in the chairs they set up at the bottom of Mandy's bed. It was the middle of the night when Daniel heard Mandy talking in her sleep. He shook Regina awake and they made their way to her side and turned on the lights. It was the first time she had spoken since they got back over a week ago.

"Henry…" She whispered as she tossed and turned. "Save Henry."

Daniel held her still. "Honey, wake up." He said softly although it didn't work. She still kept tossing as if she were trying to fight someone.

Regina put her hand on Mandy's forehead. "You're safe, angel, we're here. Everything's fine." She said softly, instantly calming her. Mandy slowly opened her eyes and saw both her parents staring down at her.

"What happened?" She asked weakly. "Where are we?"

"You're back home sweetie, where you belong." Daniel told her as he kissed her head.

"Daddy." Mandy said smiling up at him. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, princess." He said squeezing her hand.

She looked over to Regina who smiled back at her. "What happened, mom?"

Regina frowned and looked at Daniel for what to say. Their silence made Mandy grow concerned. She tried to sit up but was having trouble. Daniel and Regina both helped prop her up. "Tell me what happened." She said firmly. "Please."

"I'll go get you something to eat." Daniel said as he got up from the bed and quickly walked to the door.

"Daniel!" Regina yelled but he kept walking.

"Mom, please." Mandy pleaded.

Regina sighed. "Honey, your grandmother and Gold saved you and Henry, sacrificing their lives in the process."

Mandy shook her head. "No…that can't be true."

Regina grabbed her hands. "I'm sorry honey, but it's true. You're grandmother truly loved you, although she didn't say it."

"She certainly made up for what she did in the past." Mandy whispered.

Regina nodded in agreement. "She did, indeed."

Mandy looked down at her hands still in Regina's. "It's my fault…"

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked confused.

"I let the Enchantress get to me. I should've been stronger and been able to control my anger but the things she was saying…I just…had trouble. My magic is what started the process."

"Henry told us the things she was saying to you. Of course you grew angry, it was only natural." Regina told her.

"But I wasn't strong like you." Mandy whispered.

Regina lifted her chin. "I was scared to death for you two. When I heard you scream, I was going crazy. I just wanted to race to your side and stop all the pain. I know you used your magic to protect Henry, that's the only reason why he recovered quickly. You were so brave back in Neverland and I couldn't be prouder."

Mandy smiled slightly and nodded. "And I don't know how many times I have to tell you but I love you so much, don't let anyone make you doubt my love for you. Understand?" Regina asked arching her eye brows in her daughter's direction.

Mandy leaned into Regina's open arms, resting her head on her mother's shoulder. "I do and I love you more." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I can't believe everything that has happened in these last few months. I can't believe I found you."

Regina hugged her tighter. These were the moments she absolutely loved being a mother. "I'm so thankful you came into my life. You have truly changed it for the better. I honestly don't know what I would do without you, darling." Regina took some time to enjoy the moment, holding her daughter in her arms once more.

She pulled back and cupped her daughter's face in her hands. "I'm sorry my past has come back to hurt you. Greg wanted to hurt me by hurting someone I care for the most. I'm so sorry you had to go through that torture."

Mandy covered her mother's hands with her own. "It's okay. I was protecting you in a way. The only way I got through it was because I was thinking about you the entire time and how brave you would be."

Regina knew she was just trying to make light of the situation. "I'm still sorry you had to go through that."

"He said I looked like you and had your personality, which I couldn't help but smile about. I'm happy I kinda look like you." Mandy said smiling up into her mother's eyes making Regina smile back before kissing her daughter's head.

Daniel knocked on the open door. "Everything okay in here?" He asked holding a tray of food.

Regina laughed. "We're okay."

"Food!" Mandy exclaimed when she saw what was in her father's hands. "Bring it here!"

He laughed and brought it over, placing it in front of her. "I'm glad you got your appetite back, princess."

"I don't think you know how much I missed food!" Mandy said as she shoveled a pile of mashed potatoes into her mouth.

They stayed up the rest of the night talking, catching up with one another, and just enjoying each others company.

So I've got just one more chapter to wrap everything up. I can't believe I'm almost done with this story, I never thought it would come to an end. I just want to thank everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed! Thoughts?

I do have another story in the works. Brief summary. "A young girl from our world accidentally falls through a portal and finds herself in pre-curse Enchanted Forest, where she meets all kinds of fairytale characters she thought to be just in stories." Remember, this was just a brief summary, there's more involved. So if anyone would find this interesting let me know whether to go ahead with it or not.