See previous chapters for summaries and warnings.

Thanks for the incredible response to this fic! Keep the reviews coming.

Once more, it is important to remember that Cora has cursed Kathryn to be this way and she is the Evil Queen here. She married Leopold. Regina and Snow are step-sisters and love each other. Thanks for all the reviews. Except the negative troll reviews. I delete those and respond to them accordingly. This story is for true Snowing fans that know something like an age gap would never hinder their love.

The curse has lasted 20 years in this verse until they found Storybrooke.

Here are individual responses:

MerlockVonBaron: Yep, Cora might find that she really has royally F-ed up. :)

Grace5231973: I know, it's a nail biter. Seeing Snow and Rumple on the warpath is pretty interesting. And I can tell you that David really comes all the way back out of his shell in this chapter so to speak with the real danger to Emma. Charming is back in a very big way in this chapter. :)

Baratta Jennifer: Yep, hopefully Cora will pay.

Number Ten: I know, Cora is horrible and continues to be evil in this chapter. Kathryn was scary, but Charming is ready to fight back and you see that in a big way in this chapter now that Emma has been threatened. Yep, there are three parents here on the warpath. :)

Sexystarwarslover: Yep, Kathryn is not going to feel good about herself when the curse breaks. Yeah, they're the center of attention now and the source of the town's gossip. Yeah, Regina deserves to throw her weight around a little here and get revenge on her mother. Kinky Snowing is the best. I liked the little bonding moment with Emma and David too. Yep, we have three parents on the warpath now!

AnonSnowing: Aw, you looked up the name! Yes, I try to make the curse names mean something if I have to come up with one. Glad you like the name. We never saw a cursed Midas. Yes, I just adapted him from his curse persona from FYA. He actually didn't seem as pompous as I make him in the show, but we saw so little and this is a guy that can turn anything to gold with a touch. And if you go into Midas from the mythology, he was a arrogant douche. And this is the guy that kept sending others to try and kill a dragon. The guy can turn things to gold with a touch, but is willing to send others to die fighting this dragon. So I've always seen him as a jerk kind of. He's unwilling to fight his own battles unless he is sure his touch can win it for him. I like Snowing making bets on riling people up too, it's fun. Oh yes, there's been plenty of times when David leaves Snow the same way. They do it to each other pretty often in my stories. I love flirty Snowing too. Thanks, glad you think so. I loved the breakfast scene too. No, I doubt this is like a real divorce battle, though my parents divorce was messy. But in a different way. Ha, yeah, now that you mention it, he was totally channeling Leo. I love Leo and his quips so I naturally find myself channeling him in other verses. Yeah, unfortunately, the curse has really done a number on Kathryn here. She's going to have a lot of regret after this. Cora is an evil bitch. Yep, mama Snow is on the warpath and Daddy Charming is going to be as well in a big way in this chapter. Glad you're enjoying it. :)

A Darker Curse

Chapter 22: Fury

Lacey smirked, as she took the pool cue and made her shot, sinking the striped ball in the corner pocket. She walked around the table, even as her opponent waited impatiently for her to miss. But she didn't intend to lose and sank the last striped ball. Her opponent tossed his cue away in frustration.

"Pay up," she said, as he did so and then stormed to the bar. She put the money down her bra and approached the bar to order a drink.

"Why the long face?" she asked Keith and he looked at her incredulously.

"You have to ask? My face is like this, because of you," he complained. She scoffed.

"I didn't do that to you," she refuted.

"Yeah, but your boyfriend went postal on me, because of you," he corrected. She snorted.

"He is not my boyfriend," she argued.

"Could have fooled me. In this town, when Mr. Gold decides he wants something...he gets it," Keith said.

"And you think he wants me?" she asked. It was his turn to snort.

"Are you blind or just drunk all the time?" he shot back. Lacey was silent at that, as she did the shot that was put in front of her.

She hadn't really given much thought to what it meant when Mr. Gold beat the literal crap out of Keith a few nights ago, but implication that he had done so out of some kind of crush was a little off putting. For one thing, he didn't seem like the type that would have a crush, let alone be involved on a romantic level with anyone. On the other hand though, he was rich and powerful; two things that were highly attractive to Lacey. He also had a darkness about him; another thing that was highly appealing to her.

She was so bored in this stupid town, but he seemed to have a very interesting life. Maybe brushing him off wasn't the right move for her.

"Well...since you want to stay on his good side, why don't you pick up my tab today?" she asked. Keith snorted again.

"If it means you go...then fine," he said. She smirked and grabbed her coat, before leaving the bar. If making nice with someone like Mr. Gold meant eventually finding a way to blow this snooze of a town, then that was exactly what she was going to do.


"I'm sorry...but that won't do. Your loan is due now. Either you make your payment or I'll be forced to repossess your property," Gold stated in a matter of fact tone.

"You have always given me extensions before…" the woman protested.

"Yes...with a threatening call to Mayor Cora Mills and I conceded all those times only because I loathe dealing with your distasteful employer or former employer rather, I doubt Mayor Regina Mills will be keeping any of her mother's staff on," he answered.

"You can't do this! Cora is our Mayor and the fact that her daughter has unseated her is a travesty!" the woman protested. He didn't even hide his eye roll at that.

"Be that as it may...Cora no longer has the power she once did and I am only too happy to deny the favors she mandated for her cronies," he said. He was definitely enjoying this immensely.

"This will not stand!" she cried dramatically, as she started for the door, just as David and Mary Margaret entered the shop, the former carrying little David in his arms. Snow was shocked to see this woman, especially as she gazed at them both with an icy glare.

"You two...you are a fool to walk out on a wonderful woman like Kathryn and you are nothing but a little tramp," the woman spat, as she stormed out.

"Well, that was more entertaining than I thought it would be," Rumple commented.

"That...that was Johanna…" Snow said, almost stunned to speechlessness.

"Remember...she's cursed, my love," David said.

"Or a sleeper agent," Rumple muttered, though they didn't hear him.

"What can I do for you both?" he asked.

"Well, you can help us kill Cora...because you're going to want to when you find out what she's done now," David answered bluntly. The looks in their eyes stole all the mirth in him and he felt dread knot in his stomach.

"And what has she done?" he asked, as his eyes met theirs.

"We need to get to the station immediately. We'll tell you on the way," she said.

"How bad?" he asked the prince.

"About as bad as you can get," David answered.

"My car is out back," he said, as he locked the shop and followed them through the back exit.


Emma looked through the glass, as Neal sat in the station's small interrogation room. They only had one room, so they were opting to question him first and then her. Not that it would do them any good. Neither of them were going to talk, but she knew they had a very good case against Neal and possibly her too.

The fear of being ripped away from her family had settled in her stomach like a giant knot. She may have been deputy in this town and acted much older than she was; a product of becoming a mother so young, but she was still only twenty-one years old.

She had never been away from her mother or her brother for that matter and she had just finally found her father. Add to that, she had never been away from her son for more than a few hours his entire young life either. She was terrified and one step away from breaking down into terrified sobs, despite the brave mask she was putting on for the world. Neal looked like he was holding up well, but she imagined he was just as terrified too. He had just found out he was a father and she knew he was committed to being in their son's life. However, if he went to prison on grand larceny, he could be facing years of prison time and that thought made her very sad. She kept watching the door anxiously. She knew her parents were coming, but it couldn't be soon enough for her.


Neal looked at the two detectives and one district attorney with scrutiny. He didn't know the two men, but he instantly recognized the woman. She definitely wasn't what or who she appeared to be and her stare on him told him that she remembered him too. Why she was here and the reason for this ruse was a mystery though. It made him wonder if these two men were actually a detective and an assistant district attorney too. It didn't matter though, for they seemed determined to charge him and extradite him back to Oregon for trial. And honestly, he had no idea how he or even his father was going to stop it. So if he was damned to this fate, then he knew he had to do everything he could to convince them that Emma was completely innocent. At least his son would have his mother and his three grandparents then. He could live with going to prison himself, but he could not live with Emma being punished by association for the things he had legitimately done. It sucked though, because he loved her and his son. And that's why he had to do everything he could to protect them.

"Mr. Cassidy...you've been on the run for a while," Detective Bishop said, as he opened a file and put it in front of him.

"Recognize these?" he asked, just as the door swung open.

"Don't answer that," Rumple growled.

"And you are?" Greg asked.

"His father...and his attorney. You can just call me Mr. Gold," Rumple said, as he used his cane and walked in. His disability would likely make them underestimate him and that was just what he wanted, for he was boiling in his own skin at that point and had been since the moment Snow and David had told him Cora's latest ploy.


A Few Moments Earlier

A million ways to kill Cora Mills were running through his head at the moment, each more gruesome than the last.

"She is going to burn for this...if it's the last thing I do," Rumple growled, as he limped as fast as he could toward the entrance to the station. Once Snow and David had told him of her latest deeds, his blood pressure had skyrocketed and his mind was running a mile a minute plotting her demise. And from the looks of determination on Snow and David's faces, they were doing the same as him. Yes...much had changed, indeed. There was a time when the couple behind him were intent on showing everyone mercy, probably even Cora at one time. But she had put them both through things that probably should have broken them both. They were still good people, but she had stripped them of that key component that may have allowed them to show her mercy long ago. And she would definitely regret it if he had his way.

"A dwarf pickaxe would be messy...but effective," Snow agreed.

"They're not taking her from us, Snow…" David tried to assure, but Rumple could hear the quiver in his voice. It was born of the same fear he had knotted in his stomach. Fear for his child. Fear that there was nothing they could do to keep something bad from befalling their child.

"I love you for saying that, my love...but you don't know law enforcement in this land like I do. It's different out there…" she said gently, as she squeezed his hand.

"I can't lose her...I just got her…" he said and she looked at him, before sniffing. His arms immediately went around her, as they followed Rumple into the station. David's statement echoed his own thoughts. He had just finally gotten Bae back...he couldn't lose him either.

Emma saw her parents come in, as Rumple hurried to the interrogation room and she rushed to them. They hugged her between them and she felt her father cradle her head. She felt like a little girl, his little girl, when he did that and she loved that August and Regina were not far behind them and hurried in.

"Oh my God…" Regina uttered, as she looked at the female detective in the box.

"Regina...what is it?" Snow asked, as she watched her son suddenly start flipping through the book.

"How the hell is she here?" he asked her.

"Regina...do you know that woman?" David asked.

"Yeah...she's a fairy. Or at least...she was," Regina replied.

"Wait...like a fairy from our land?" Snow asked. Her step-sister nodded.

"But...maybe that's good, right? If she's from where we're from...then maybe she'll help," David replied.

"I don't think so," August interjected.

"What do you mean, honey?" she asked.

"Because that woman is Tinkerbell and she works for Pan...who is not at all like he is portrayed in the stories from this land," August answered.

"Wait...like Peter Pan and Neverland and all that crap?" Emma questioned.

"Yeah...he's not in the book, but trust me, he's the worst or so I've heard," August replied.

"Wait...if he's not in the book, then who told you about him?" Emma asked. He looked a bit nervous at that.

"Uh...Neal. I wondered how he was even still alive once I found out who he really was and confronted him...before he decided to leave you two years ago, and before he knew about the baby of course," August answered.

"I asked him and he told me he spent at least a couple hundred years in Neverland, before he escaped," he added. Emma seemed dumbfounded by that, but then she never really knew of his connections to their homeland until very recently.

"Okay...then the big question is why the hell is she here? And what does she and her boss want?" Regina stated, as they listened to the interrogation.


"You're his attorney and his father?" Detective Bishop questioned.

"That is what I said. Are you hard of hearing?" Gold snapped irritably.

"Papa…" Neal chided under his breath.

"What are the charges?" Gold questioned.

"Quite a laundry list actually," Detective Bishop said, not noticing the other man's glare on his partner. The woman seemed quite unsettled by it and cast a look at Neal. She had quickly discovered that he remembered her, even though it had been years since he had seen her. Neal, however, wasn't surprised by her unease with his father's scrutiny. He had never told her who his father was and apparently her boss hadn't either, nor was she aware of his intense hatred of fairies, even if she had been stripped of her wings. But even Neal had no idea that his hatred of this woman had less to do with her former association with fairies and more to do with who she was really working for.

"Your son...or client is being charged with grand larceny of these pricey watches. There are also various other reports filed by business owners against him for petty theft," the detective stated.

"And what is the price to make this all go away?" Gold asked. The detective looked at him and blanched.

"This isn't going away...Mr…" he said, as he failed to recall his name.

"Mr. Gold...and trust me, there is always a price," Gold responded.

"Are...are you trying to buy your son's way out of this? Because trust me...if that's the case, you're going to be sorely disappointed," Michael snapped in return. Rumple clenched his teeth and his fists, trying to quell his temper.

"My son is not going to prison," Gold refuted.

"Sorry, Mr. Gold, but the state has a very good case and he is going to be extradited to stand trial in Portland," Detective Bishop stated. He turned to the assistant district attorney.

"Detective Bishop is correct, but if your client agrees to plead guilty and save the expense of a trial, then I'm prepared to offer Mr. Cassidy a deal," Greg said.

"What kind of deal?" Gold asked.

"If he pleads guilty...then we're offering fifteen years with the possibility of parole in five. That's a pretty sweet deal, considering all the evidence against him and the fact that a judge could choose to throw the book at him if he's convicted in court. And a judge just might do that, considering he's been on the run for so long," Greg explained. Neal felt dread settle in his stomach. This was really bad. But five years...it wasn't the end of his life and normally, he would have jumped at a deal like that. Little David would still be fairly young and he knew Emma would allow him to step right back into his life. But...it wasn't like she, his son, his father, and her parents were out of danger. The curse and Cora were clearly still a very real threat so he wasn't surprised when Regina stepped into the room.

"Who are you?" Detective Bishop asked.

"I'm Mayor Regina Mills...and I'd like to barter a different deal," she said, as she walked in and closed the door. She shared a meaningful look with Tinkerbell or Tia, as she was going by now, and then her eyes flicked to the assistant district attorney.

"What kind of deal?" Greg asked.

"I have it on good authority that Mr. Cassidy is a changed man. He has a son now and has reconnected with his father. So my deal is that Mr. Cassidy does your prison time here in Storybrooke," Regina offered. But Greg shook his head.

"There's no way I can sell that to my boss. Regardless of how he pleads...he's coming back to Portland with us tomorrow morning," Greg refuted.

"Mr. Cassidy has very real and clear ties here now. He has a family now, his son and his son's mother...whom he loves very much," Regina argued.

"And that's a sad story, but it doesn't excuse that Mr. Cassidy committed some very serious crimes," Greg said. Neal motioned her and his father forward and whispered something to them.

"If Mr. Cassidy told you where the watches were stashed and agreed to pay some restitution to the business owners, could we come to an agreement on a lighter sentence to be served here in Storybrooke?" Regina questioned.

"I can ask my boss, but he's going to insist that Mr. Cassidy serve any sentence, even a lighter one, in Portland," Greg responded. Regina sighed and her eyes met Tinkerbell's again, but she remained silent, which unnerved her.

She and Tinkerbell had become friends and the blonde was the very reason she had found her way to Robin. She had been very grateful, but it had enraged her mother and Tinkerbell had paid the price for it. Cora and the Blue Fairy's mutual hatred of each other had been turned on Tinkerbell. Blue had taken her wings and then her mother put a bounty on the fallen fairy, despite Regina begging her to spare her friend. As a result, Tinkerbell had been chased out of the realm and Regina had never known what had become of her until now. There were still many questions she had, of course, but she had a feeling the blonde had no desire to tell any of them anything. She turned and saw that her mother had arrived with Kathryn in tow. The pain on her sister's face was palpable and her mother was eating it up.

"My boss will agree to three years if you pay restitution and give back the watches, with the possibility of parole in a year, Mr. Cassidy," Greg said, as he got off his phone.

"That's a very good deal and it expires in one hour," he added.

"I need some time with my son and client," Gold requested, as they made their way out and into the middle of a heated exchange between.

"There's no other way out of this, papa...it's only three years, maybe even one if we're lucky," Neal said.

"I can't lose you again, Bae!" Rumple snapped and then deflated, as he nearly broke down.

"I just got you back...and I'm going to fix this," he said, as he went to the door.

"Papa...what does that mean?" Neal asked, as he watched his father motion to the assistant district attorney.

"If my son takes your deal...can he at least stay in Storybrooke until morning?" Rumple asked.

"Uh yeah...it's getting late in the day. We probably won't leave until tomorrow morning," Greg replied. Rumple nodded.

"Then you're taking the deal?" Greg asked. Gold refused to respond, so Neal did it for him.

"Yes," Neal answered. But he knew by the look on his father's face that he had some sort of plan. He could only hope that it didn't blow up in their faces. As he was to be led out to the holding cell, he knew Emma was next and he leaned toward his father.

"Emma is innocent in this...don't let her tell them any differently. I do not want her taken away from our son...promise me, papa," he pleaded.

"Their case against her has to be circumstantial at best. And if I have my way...neither of you will be going anywhere," he promised, as Neal was led out.

"Well...what's all the commotion?" Cora asked coyly, as she and Kathryn entered the station.

"You…" Mary Margaret hissed, as she made a beeline for the other woman. But the raven haired beauty's outrage only delighted Cora immensely.

"What's the matter dear? You seem a bit upset," she cooed in a condescending tone. Kathryn looked on smugly, enjoying their obvious pain.

"Going after us is one thing...but our daughter?" she growled.

"Our?" Kathryn asked with scrutiny, but she was ignored.

"Did you really think she was off limits with me? Because if you did...then you're still the naive little fool you were years ago," Cora hissed.

"You better be ready for the fight to come, because we're not the same merciful people we were all those years ago. You've awakened the fight in us and you might be sorry that you did," David retorted.

"David...what are you talking about?" Kathryn demanded to know.

"Stay of this...it's none of your concern," he snapped back, surprising her again. She still wasn't used to being spoken to by anyone like that, let alone the husband that she had once so thoroughly controlled under her thumb. But those days were over, for she didn't even know this strong, confident version of David that seemed to exist now. She could still see the shadows in his eyes, shadows she had caused, but instead of those hardships making him weak...they had only made him far stronger than she could have ever imagined possible.

"David…" she started to say again.

"Just get the hell out of here!" he snapped.

"Sign the damn divorce papers and stop letting this bitch control you!" he roared, as he looked at Cora, who glowered at him.

"David…" she growled in frustration, but her fury had no effect on him anymore.

"I don't have time for your nonsense anymore! And if Emma gets taken from us...then you're both going to wish you never met us," he warned, as he took Snow's hand and they turned to Regina as she came out of the room.

"It's your turn, Miss Swan...we have some questions for you," Detective Bishop stated. Emma nodded and went inside the interrogation room, as Detective Bellum put Neal in one of the holding cells.

"I am her mother...I'm coming in there with her," Snow said to the detective, but he put his hand up.

"And your daughter is an adult. You'll remain out here, Ms. Swan," he refuted, as he went into the interrogation room. Snow felt comfort, as he put his arms around and they listened intently to the interview that might have a hand in their daughter's fate...and the fate of the entire town...