Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OUaT or LXG. But I do own Algmata Tier.

Enjoy!

The morning following the arrival of the Black Fairy and her many followers, Regina called Emma and Nicholas over to the loft to discuss with them, David, and the Hooks about what Isaac explained to her and Henry before they let him ditch town.

"The Final Battle?" Emma asked as she and Nicholas tried to make sense of Henry's writing.

"According to that weasel, Isaac, that's what these hieroglyphs mean." Regina explained.

"We really are at the end of the book." Emma exhaled as she flipped through the book's pages.

"We should have seen this coming." David scolded himself.

"There's no way you could." Emma defended.

"Yes. Back in the Enchanted Forest, when Rumplestiltskin told us you were destined to be the Savior, he said you would have to fight the Final Battle. We thought that meant breaking the original curse. We-we never would have put you through that wardrobe if we knew it was gonna lead to this." David said, his voice and body racked with guilt.

"It's fine." his daughter assured, "I'm not gonna lose. Come on, Henry. Let's go to the library and see if we can find something to decipher exactly what this means."

As she passed the book back to her son, Emma's hand began to shake again. Needless to say, this made her and everyone else a bit concerned.

"It's going to be okay, Mom." Henry comforted.

"I know." she nodded, not completely sure she believed it.

"I'll see if we have anything at the mansion to decipher it while you guys are at the library. Maybe Jekyll came across something like that during his time as the warden." Nicholas offered as they left.

"Her story can't end like this." David sighed as he rubbed his face in frustration, "Some kind of fiery monster is out there waiting to pounce on her, her parents are stuck apart in a sleeping curse. She can't go into the Final Battle without her family."

"She won't, mate." Killian vowed, "I swear to you, we will protect her at any cost."

"Yeah." Ariel nodded firmly. They may not have had magic or as skilled in combat as the town's agents, but they were still ready to lay down their lives for the woman they considered and loved as family.

"I agree. But unless you or Snow sleepwalk, Emma's gonna have to settle for only one Charming." Regina pointed out.

"Unless you break the curse you put us under." David argued.

"I know, and I'm working on an antidote. This kind of magic takes time, testing, and experimenting to be sure."

"Testing? You have something?" he desperately asked.

"Yes, I may have something, but it could be dangerous or life-threatening." she warned.

"Our daughter is about to face the biggest fight of her life. We'll do whatever it takes to be with her." David said on both his and Snow's behalf, "Now, whatever you have it'll work. It has to. I mean, it's not like it's the first curse we've ever woken up from."

"Are you sure?" Regina asked.

"Mate, if this doesn't work-"

"It will work. I have to believe it does." David stressed.

"Alright." Regina relented, "Switch out with Snow so I can explain everything to her. I'll call Zelena head to the vault and get everything ready. I'll send us there with my magic as soon as she's awake."

"Right." David nodded in thanks.

"In the meantime, we'll get the dwarves and start looking for Gideon, again. That sea slug has a lot to answer for." Ariel said as she popped her knuckles.

After the Hooks left and David switched with Snow, Regina explained the procedure to her step-daughter after alerting Zelena. It would be a long shot, but if it worked, Emma would have both of her parents at her side for the Final Battle. Once they were all at the vault, Snow sat next to her sleeping husband as the two sisters put the final touches on their experiment.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell Emma what you're doing?" Regina asked.

"Well, we know what she would say. She wouldn't let us take the risk. I agree with David. We have to do this now." Snow firmly decided, "So, how does this work?"

"Sorry, but this is going to hurt." Regina apologized before she tore out Snow's half of her heart while Zelena tore out David's, "The curse's magic has been split between both halves of your shared heart. It's what keeps you from being awake at the same time."

"This potion clears up the darkness, and then you and Charming will be able to make us all retch with your sweet nothings in no time." Zelena teased with her typical dry sense of humor.

"Right." Snow nodded, "And thank you, Zelena, for your help."

"Save it. I'm only doing this for my brother's sake. He's marrying your daughter, she makes him happy, and she can't completely do that if she's unhappy about her mummy and daddy being asleep all the time." Zelena brushed off, clearly still not used to anyone but Nicholas giving her any kind of praise or thanks. After they pulled the halves out of the potion, they all saw the curse inside fade away.

"It's working." Snow said in hope before the sisters returned them. However, seconds after they did, something went wrong. Both Snow and David jerked in pain as soon as their bodies readjusted to the return of their heart.

"What the hell?" Regina rhetorically asked.

"What happened?" Snow asked through her grunt of pain.

"The Evil Queen happened." Regina realized, "She must have baked a failsafe in her curse."

"Our potion didn't weaken its magic its magic. It weakened your heart." Zelena clarified.

"What does that mean?"

"It means by the end of the day, you'll both be asleep; with no way of waking up." Regina answered.

"So, Emma will fight the Final Battle without us." Snow realized in horror.

Later, after Regina sent the couple back to the loft, Snow needed to take a moment by herself and collect her thoughts. So, after bundling up and heading over to Granny's, she made a recording for David that explained what happened at the vault and what this meant for their daughter. After she switched back with him, he watched the video and reluctantly showed it to Emma over at her house.

"You did what?" she gasped.

"We're sorry, Emma. We were just trying to make things better." David apologized.

"You made it a hell of a lot worse." she snapped as all three Mills siblings stood by her feeling just as guilty, "You keep blaming yourselves. It's not your fault. There's nothing you could have changed."

"We know, but that doesn't mean we're gonna let you face it on your own." David defended before Snow's recording caught his attention. When the princess had made the video, there had been numerous pink petals fluttering behind her, blowing in from the woods. "And you won't. I think your mother just found a way to break the sleeping curse. She just didn't realize it."

"Flower petals?" Regina asked as they all looked at the image.

"Those aren't just any petals, Regina." David grinned in triumph.

"Pretty boy is right." Zelena agreed as she took a look, "Those are pixie petals."

"Exactly. And pixie dust might just be strong enough to wake us up." he nodded.

"Well, that's convenient." Nicholas remarked in surprise.

"More than you know." Zelena added, "Pixie flowers only grow for one reason; in reaction to the presence of great evil."

"So, if these flowers just started sprouting up all over Storybrooke…"

"I think the Author had the right idea of skipping town." she quipped.

"Oh, don't go getting cold feet on us now, big sis." Nicholas teased with a smirk.

"As if." she scoffed with a roll of her eyes, "But whoever you're meant to face in this Final Battle, Emma, they're already here."

"So that means…" Henry trailed.

"Gideon got what he wanted." Emma nodded, "The Black Fairy is here."

"…Mother-pussbucket." Nicholas cursed.

Sure enough, the fairy in question was indeed in Storybrooke, and she wanted at least one person in particular to know; her real son, Rumplestiltskin. Over at her son's shop, while his back was turned, she and Gideon casually entered.

"Hello, Rumple." she greeted with an evil giggle, "I believe the greeting you're looking for is, 'Hello, Mother.'"

"…How did you get here?" Rumple asked, taken aback with his unexpected guest.

"I had a little help." she smiled with a nod at Gideon.

"Father." he wickedly smiled.

"Gideon. So, taking the Savior's power, becoming a hero; all a ruse in order to bring her here." Rumple put together.

"Don't feel discouraged. Lies and deceit are our family's prime qualities." Gideon mocked as Belle came in from the back.

"Wh-What's going on?" she asked, clearly shocked to see the woman she once saw so many years ago as Rumple's maid.

"Belle. So lovely to make your acquaintance." the intimidating woman politely greeted with a, surprisingly, warm smile.

"Gideon," Belle said, ignoring her mother-in-law, "No matter what you have done to help her, you can always come back to us."

"Oh, he's not going anywhere." she chuckled.

"We'll soon see about that." Rumple challenged as he reached for his secret stash of squid ink. However, before he could even uncork it, his mother effortlessly summoned his dagger directly to her hand, putting a stop to his defiance.

"Put it down." she calmly ordered, "There's Mummy's good boy. Oh, don't look so surprised. I practically invented dark magic. Well, perfected more like. But worry not. I won't force you to do anything. When you join me, it will be because you want to."

"Is that why you're here?" Rumple asked with a sneer, "Because I will never join you."

"Oh, when the darkness comes, you'll change your mind. And then, Rumplestiltskin, we can finally be the family we were always meant to be." she said in a motherly tone as she gave the dagger back before poofing herself and Gideon away.

Once night had fallen over town, with snow gently covering it in both darkness and cold, everyone had scattered to locate the source of the pixie petals. Since Snow could fall asleep at any moment, Nicholas joined her and Emma as they searched. Plus, since Nicholas was basically allergic to magic, he stood a better chance at finding them than anyone else.

"The winds were blowing in from the north, which means they must have come from around here." Snow explained as they trudged through the snow.

"Yeah," Nicholas said in discomfort as his body tingled from the magic in the air, "I'd say we're pretty close. Oh, god, it's like I'm covered in ants!"

"Look; down there." Emma alerted as she looked down to find a small field of the pink flowers blooming from the snow, "Wait. Zelena said these flowers only grow in the presence of evil."

"So if there's a whole field of them…" Snow trailed.

"Oh, crap." Nicholas bluntly quipped in realization.

"And here I was hoping to make an entrance." the Black Fairy playfully said as she emerged from behind a tree. Without hesitating, Snow readied her bow and Nicholas readied his lightning claws.

"Stay away from my daughter." Snow ordered.

"So, you're the Black Fairy." Emma stated.

"Oh, please. Call me Fiona." she darkly smiled, "I've been waiting a very long time to meet you, Emma. You've lasted much longer than any of the other Saviors who came before you."

"So I guess you're the one I fight in the Final Battle." Emma pointed out.

"I created the Dark Curse. You were born to break it. I've been destined to clash with a Savior since the beginning of time. I'm glad it's one of your caliber."

"How in the hell did you get here?" Nicholas asked before Gideon joined them.

"Evening, everyone." he patronizingly smiled with a small wave.

"I really hate that family." Nicholas sighed as he briefly dropped his claws in irritation.

"So, is this it?" Emma asked, "We duke it out here, tonight?"

"Oh, no." Fiona assured, "You'll know when the Final Battle begins. Everyone will."

"We won't let you hurt Emma." Snow declared.

"Is that so? Because it's going to be hard to stop me when both Mummy and Daddy are fast asleep." she giggled, "Oh, Gideon."

"Yes, Grandmother?" he asked, not taking his arrogant, smirking face off of them.

"Do it."

"With pleasure." he grinned before destroying all the pixie flowers behind them.

"Oh, that little shit!" Nicholas cursed as he and Emma looked in horror.

"It's better this way." Fiona continued, "No mother should have to watch their child die."

"I think we've heard enough!" Nicholas bellowed before blasting his lightning at the arrogant duo. However, just as it was about to make contact, Fiona calmly raised her hand and caught the attack with ease.

"Impressive." she causally praised as she examined the bolts of lightning struggling to escape her clutches, "Alchemically amplified static electricity, yes? Very impressive. Still," she said before launching the attack into the clouds above, lighting the whole sky with lightning.

"Not good enough." she taunted with a mocking laugh, "It'll take more than that to defeat me, dearies. I came here with the intention of fulfilling my goal. I've spent millennia preparing for the Final Battle. You cannot win."

"Yes, she will." Snow denied, "Because no matter what happens, curse or no curse, she will always have her family. But you'll always be alone."

Instead of countering Snow's claim, Fiona's grin simply grew bigger. The next thing everyone knew, a little over a dozen of the devout followers of the Black Fairy magically appeared behind their mistress, all of them wearing the same dark robes Gideon wore when he arrived.

"And who are they? Organization XIII?" Nicholas sarcastically remarked, clearly unimpressed.

"These are my children. And they are so excited to play with you Extraordinary Gentlemen. They'll be sure to eliminate all of you before the Final Battle. Until then, dearies. Ta-ta." Fiona said before they all disappeared in magical smoke.

"…Why is it that everything that happens in this godforsaken town is so overly difficult?" Emma flatly asked.

"Hell if we know." Nicholas replied as he and Snow shook their heads.

Later that, Snow and David finally succumbed to the full effects of the curse and were both rendered completely asleep. Despite the failed attempt earlier, Regina managed to come up with one more idea. If it worked, Snow and David would awake. If it failed, everyone who participated would be cursed as well. However, everyone was willing to take that risk for the people who sacrificed so much for them. While Emma, Regina and all the others of their group gathered Snow and David's closest friends and supporters, Nicholas returned to the mansion to explain the current situation to the team. It wasn't out of any remaining resentment he had towards the couple, it's just that he would not have been able to help share their curse like Regina planned. The rest of the agents, however, still did resent the Charmings for their intentions to banish them and Nicholas after the Promised Day. So, they would have refused had they been informed earlier. All of them, except for Quartermain were present for the meeting.

"The Final Battle, you say?" Nemo asked as they all sat in their respective chairs in the debriefing room.

"That's what both Henry and the Black Fairy said." Nicholas nodded.

"I've never heard of this fairy before, let alone this 'Final Battle' thing." Sawyer remarked.

"Neither have I." Mina added, "Jekyll, did you ever hear anything about her during your time as warden?"

"Just the occasional rumor every decade, or so." Jekyll shrugged, "From what I understand, since she was already restrained to another realm, the League had no interest in eliminating her; even if she was responsible for the disappearances of infants."

"That may have been a mistake." Nicholas warned, "She caught my lightning attack like it was a wiffle ball. Not even Rumple's ever been able to anything like that. We may be facing a bigger threat than the Homunculi."

"You really think she's that dangerous?" Nemo asked in surprise.

"She caught a blast of lightning in her bare hands!" Nicholas emphasized, "I don't even think Quartermain could do that. Speaking of which, where is our terrifying leader? I've barely seen the old man since this whole ordeal with Gideon started."

"Like he told any of us." Skinner scoffed, "Regardless, how many newcomers did you see in the woods?"

"Like twelve or thirteen of 'em." Nicholas shrugged, "But something tells me there's a hell of a lot more than just those assholes waiting to strike. The way this Fiona woman was talking, well…"

"Yes?" Mina asked.

"As much as I hate to admit it, it reminded me of myself when I was planning for the Promised Day." he admitted.

"Well, from what you told us, it sounds like she's put a lot of thought and planning for this Final Battle of hers." Jekyll mentioned, "Perhaps she has taken a similar approach to preparing for it as we all did for that day."

"Yeah, but we only planned out who we were gonna call in to give us a hand and how we were gonna set up the town's defenses once the enemy got here." Sawyer reminded, "Not to mention we knew what the enemy could do, what they wanted, and what they were going to do to accomplish their goal. This time, on the other hand, we know absolutely nothing about this woman. We don't know why she's here beyond killing Emma, what she is capable of aside from creating curses, what she's gonna do for this battle of hers, or even when the hell it is. We're completely in the dark, here."

"He's got a point." Skinner admitted.

"Sad, but true." Mina nodded.

"Well, whatever it is she wants, I could tell it's more than just killing Emma." Nicholas retorted, "Emma's strong, but to bring that many people and go through all this trouble with Gideon and getting here? And to not even attack her when they were face to face? She's not concerned with Emma. I don't think killing Emma is her main goal."

"I wonder what that is then." Nemo mused as he stroked his beard.

Back on main street, Fiona took in the brisk wintery breeze and basked in the dark of the night. While most would try to avoid such darkness and cold, it was all the Black Fairy had ever known, so it was only natural to be comfortable to her. However, that was not the reason why she was standing outside all alone. She was waiting for a certain someone to join her. And it just so happens, that person arrived right behind her.

"There's never enough time, is there?" she asked her appointment as he joined her, "Whether it's fast or slow or even if it doesn't move at all, but especially when the end is near."

"I've lived a long life. Not as long as yours, or your son's, but it has been a long life." Quartermain said as he stoically gazed at the woman, "In that time, I have known brief moments of joy and love, and extended periods of torment, anger, grief, and rage. But in all that time, no one has ever been foolish enough to come after us; to come after Algmata Tier and I."

"Are you calling me a fool, Macumazana?" Fiona teased.

"Don't call me that." Quartermain warned, "No one in this, or any realm these days has the right to address me by that name. And, yes. You are a fool. A fool for thinking you are capable of containing Algmata Tier's power. I don't know why you want it. I don't care. This is your only warning, and it extends to all your followers, and especially your arrogant grandson. Abandon this futile ambition, take your followers, return to your prison, and never return. Otherwise, I will kill you all."

"How considerate of you to offer a warning to one such as myself." Fiona said, pretending to be flattered, "As such, allow me to offer you the same courtesy. Give up Algmata Tier, slit your own wrists, and watch while I subjugate this putrid realm of light and all its weak and feeble inhabitants as you slowly die."

Having said what he had to say, and seeing there was no point in further speaking with this deranged woman, Quartermain said nothing before turning on his heels and walking away. He gave her his warning. If she refused and instead decided to make a declaration of war, then he would gladly reciprocate.

"I will take that power from you." Fiona called out as Quartermain continued to walk away, "And I will engulf this realm in darkness. You cannot stop me on your own. The only chance you'll have is to unleash the very power I seek. And when you do, I will snatch it from you and end your life."

"My life already ended a long time ago." Quartermain softly said to himself as he walked away.

Thoughts? It wasn't much, I know. Granted, I did do more than I originally thought I would considering the original context of this episode. This one only took like five or six hours in total. Anyway, I should be able to the musical episode by this time next week. My school's only doing online stuff now, and not even much of that. It's definitely weird and throwing everyone off. Hell of a way to end the senior year, am I right?

I should have the next chapter posted tomorrow, but I will be taking Sunday off to go visit my folks. Until then, continue liking, following, and reviewing and stay healthy out there.

Bye!