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

Enjoy!

The morning following Fiona and Quartermain's confrontation seemed peaceful enough, all things considered. Since this was far from the first villainous threat made against the town, the heroes were handling it like any other day. While everyone else was enjoying their morning, Zelena was hurrying as fast as she could to prepare her wailing daughter's breakfast.

"Hang on a minute, darling. Mummy's coming. I'm going as fast as I can." she said over the baby's cries as she checked the bottle. Once it was ready, she entered the baby's room with a kind motherly smile, not noticing that the crying suddenly stopped. "Is somebody ready for their breakfast? Robin?"

For a brief moment, fear shot straight through her entire body when she did not see her baby laying in her crib. Before she could react, however, the voice of an intruder replaced her fear with rage.

"Keeping a watchful eye on an infant can be so hard all by yourself." Fiona taunted as she bounced Robin in her arms, "But worry not. I have plenty of experience, and I am happy to help."

"Give me back my daughter." Zelena snarled as she took the baby back.

"Oh, can't I hold her a little longer?" Fiona asked with a fake pout, "I never grow tired of that new-baby smell."

"Lay a hand on her again, and you'll lose it." she threatened.

"Oh, no need to be so hostile, especially around the child." Fiona chuckled, "I came here because I heard you were wicked, and I thought we could help each other."

"Why would I help you?" Zelena scoffed.

"Oh, isn't it obvious? Look around. You're out here, living alone in the middle of nowhere. You look like you could use a friend, especially with the Final Battle approaching. I could be that friend. One wouldn't want to be alone for what's coming."

"Is that a threat?" Zelena coldly asked, "Because I'm not afraid of you."

"Oh, but you should be. You most certainly should be." Fiona softly warned with a sickly-sweet, dark smile and giggle, "I'll be in the dwarf tunnels if you change your mind. Until then, dearie."

Leaving her threat and offer in the air, the Black Fairy vanished in a cloud of black smoke. On the other side of town, the Wicked Witch's younger brother was taking in the joy of his morning by deeply inhaling the scent of his fiancé's hair, and the pancakes she was making for the two of them.

"Something smells delicious." he huskily said in her ear as his breath tickled her neck.

"It's just from a box." Emma smiled as she blushed at his playful antics.

"I don't mean the damn pancakes." he retorted before she whipped around to kiss him passionately. When they separated, the blonde couldn't help but stare deeply into his eyes. "What?"

"I'm just happy. It still surprises me sometimes." she said honestly.

"Yeah, me too." Nicholas smiled before pulling her in for another kiss.

"To hell with the pancakes." Emma said between the kisses, passion overtaking her. Nicholas was more than happy to comply as she pushed him onto the kitchen table while forcefully grasped and squeezed her round ass. Just as they were about to tear each other's clothes off, Snow barged through the front door with a thick, heavy binder in her arms.

"Oh, great. You're up." she greeted, shocking the two of them; Nicholas more than Emma.

"Ah! No, thank you, little girl; I don't want any cookies!" he shrieked as he shoved her off and jerked away in embarrassment. Although, Emma thought he was doing it just for the sake of being funny.

"Mom." Emma said in surprise, "Uh…"

"You could've warned me your mother has a key." Nicholas whispered as he dropped his little act.

"…Am I interrupting something?" Snow croaked as awkwardly caught her little girl and her fiancé before their positions became too compromising.

"No/Yes." they both said.

"We were, uh, we were just making some pancakes." Emma replied.

"Pancakes. Right." Snow nodded as she avoided eye contact, "Uh, maybe I should come back after you've had…pancakes."

"Don't worry, Nicholas was just on his way out." Emma said with a fake smile as she nudged her future husband, "Weren't you, babe?"

"…It would appear so." Nicholas nodded with an even bigger, fake smile before stiffly walking out of the kitchen while muttering to himself, "Typical. I miss out on pancakes and that pound cake ass of hers all because of little snowflake barging in. It's not like she's a virgin; she has a teenage son, for god's sake."

"Mom, as much as I love our unexpected visits, is there something pressing today?" Emma asked.

"I know I'm a little early, but I woke up this morning and couldn't wait any longer." Snow said in excitement as she slammed the heavy binder on the table, "Wedding planning. I have been putting together a few ideas."

"You did all this since Nicholas and I got engaged?" Emma asked as her mother flipped through the pages.

"I may have started a bit before that." Snow said without making eye contact.

"Like, how long ago?" Emma lightly laughed.

"Um, well, it was definitely after the first curse." Snow replied before noticing the amused look on her daughter's face, "Look, I know I'm excited, but can you blame me? I have missed a lot of the milestones in your life, Emma. I want to make the absolute most of this one."

"Me, too, Mom." Emma said as she tightly hugged her mother who hugged her back even tighter. As they did, Nicholas came barreling down the stairs with an enraged look on his face. "Nicholas, what is it?"

"I'm gonna kill that bitch!" he shouted in fury before practically ripping the front door from its hinges. To clarify, Zelena had just called him and informed him how the Black Fairy just threatened both her and his niece in their own home. Since this was an issue that affected everybody, Zelena reluctantly agreed to meet in the sheriff's station to explain it to everyone else.

"I was about to wring her scrawny little neck, and then she just poofed away." Zelena snarled as she finished ranting to the others.

"Makes sense she's headed to the dwarf tunnels. It's an easy place to hide." Emma pointed out.

"And there are miles of them below Storybrooke." David nodded, "Pinning her down in there won't be easy."

"Well, the good news is, whatever her plan was for the Final Battle, she needs help. Which means we have time to figure out how to stop her." Regina suggested.

"With that in mind, do you think the League would be interested in getting involved now, mate?" Killian asked Nicholas. However, he was preoccupied with something else; namely, his infant niece.

"There's no need to worry, Robbie." he cooed in a playfully-cartoonish voice as he gently rubbed her little chest with his finger, "Unky's gonna make sure that big nasty gnat gets her wings ripped off for going anywhere near you. Yes, he is. Yes, he is!"

"Nicholas." Emma deadpanned as they all flatly looked at him. It never failed, every time Nicholas was anywhere near his adorable niece, he always got distracted and shifted his entire focus on showing love to the baby girl.

"Huh?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the baby.

"Focus. Focus." she said snapping him back into the adult's reality, "Focus."

"Right, sorry. Don't worry, we're already on it." he assured, "Sawyer's leading a platoon of Nemo's crew in search of any more of the Black Fairy's followers. I'll let him know to start searching down there. And in the event she makes an appearance up top, I have a few tricks we can use against her."

"Well, not to sound rude, little brother, but I won't wait any longer than I already have." Zelena said to the only adult in the room she cared about, "The only reason I didn't blast that noir-colored nit is because of Robin. So, if one of you'd be kind enough to watch her for a minute, I'll do what I intended and go and take care of this."

"Well, hold on." Regina snapped, "You can't just go down there alone and confront her."

"Why not? What, you think I can't defeat her?" she scoffed at her sister, "I'm more powerful than you."

"Oh, really?" Regina challenged, "Is that why I had to rip out my own heart to save you and Nicholas from the Evil Queen?"

"Look, I would have been fine without your help. And we wouldn't have been in that predicament if it weren't for you in the first place." she snapped.

"Believe what you want. You're not going down there." Regina ordered as if she were their mother.

"Ugh, can't the two of you just have one conversation without attacking each other like rabid dogs?" Nicholas groaned in annoyance, "I swear, you'd think I was the oldest sibling. You two are in need of serious damage control, if you ask me."

"Nobody's asking you." Regina retorted.

"Well, I wasn't waiting for an invitation." Nicholas shot back.

"Okay, sibling rivalry and squabbles aside," Emma interjected as the siblings were about to really mouth off at each other, "Regina's right. We need a plan of attack before we go up against her, and when we come up with one, we're going to do this together."

"Thank you." Regina nodded as she looked down her nose at her older sister.

"Okay, fine. Have it your way, but you're doing it without me." Zelena huffed as she picked up Robin.

"Actually, Zelena." Ariel interjected, "Killian and I can look after Robin for you."

"You can?" she asked in surprise. She wasn't really close with anyone in the room besides Nicholas, but the Hooks were the ones she least interacted with.

"Yeah, we, uh, kinda need the practice." Ariel bashfully smirked as she patted her now flat stomach.

"Aw, guys!" Nicholas said happily as some of them gave him a weird look for his reaction, "What? I like babies."

"Um, fine. Sure. Just don't take her out on the water too much." Zelena relented as she handed her baby over to the seafaring couple, "And, Jones, either wear the fake hand or use one of your rum corks to cover that hook of yours; otherwise, I'll shove it up your urethra."

"What's a urethra?" Killian asked in confusion before Nicholas whispered it in his ear, causing him to turn pale and tremble in fear while Zelena stormed out. As soon as she did, Nicholas went after her.

"Sis, wait up!" he called out to her once they were outside.

"Don't try to stop me, Nicholas." she warned as she continued to stomp away.

"I'm not, just-just stop for a sec." he said as he rushed in front of her, "Look, I know you want to prove to everyone you can handle this. I'm not saying you can't, just…just be careful, okay? For my sake and Robin's?"

"As if I have anything to fear from that middle aged, gothic Lolita." Zelena scoffed with a roll of her eyes. However, when she looked back to see her brother's concerned face, her expression softened and let out a deep sigh. "I'll be careful. I promise. Now, will you let me pass?"

"Yeah, go ahead. That's all I wanted to hear." he nodded with a small smile as he cleared away. After walking a few paces forward, Zelena let out another sighed and turned back around to give her little brother a hug and peck on the cheek.

"Congratulations on your engagement, little brother. I'm happy for you." she said, slightly embarrassed that she was showing anyone but her daughter affection in public.

"Thanks, Z." he said warmly as hugged her back and kissed her head. After they parted ways, he went back inside to the others.

"She gonna be okay?" David asked.

"Yeah. She just needs to cool off." Nicholas nodded, "No thanks to Regina, here."

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Save it." he snapped, "Stop trying to scold and lecture the two of us like you're Cora. Okay? You're the middle child, not our mother. Get over yourself."

"Fine." she huffed, "If any of you need me, I'll be in my vault to see if I can find a way to send our uninvited guests back to where they came from before the Final Battle; or before a certain group of 'gentlemen' wreck the whole town, again."

"Bout the only thing you're good for right now." he bluntly remarked as he cleaned his ear and flicked the wax away. Much to everyone else's relief, Regina let that comment pass and poofed away to her vault.

"So, what about us?" David asked trying to move past the awkward moment, "I mean, we can't just sit around here doing nothing."

"Well, we won't be. We have plenty to do to keep us busy." Snow pointed out to her husband.

"We do?" Nicholas asked.

"Well, you've obviously never planned a wedding." Snow retorted.

"…I actually haven't, now that you mention it." he realized, "But you really want to pick out centerpieces on the eve of the Final Battle?"

"I do." Snow nodded firmly, "David and I went through with our wedding after Regina threatened us. It gave people hope. Why should yours and Emma's wedding be any different? So, who's ready to put their hearts into some wedding planning?"

"Hmm, I don't know." Nicholas hesitated.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Snow urged with a wide smile.

"It's better than following your sisters around all day and listening to them argue." Emma offered with a sheepish grin. Clearly, she was just a little bit excited to start planning for their big day, as well.

"Oh, alright. What the hell. I'm in." Nicholas laughed as all the other joined with smiles before he pulled out a stack of green, blue and pink note cards held together in rubber bands, "Here's a little list of requests, suggestions, and negotiable/non-negotiable demands the team made for the ceremony."

"Requests?" Snow asked as her expression faltered.

"Demands?" David asked flatly as he raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

"Well, they were pretty adamant about being involved and wanting to do their part for me as my extended family. The blue ones are the requests, greens are the suggestions, and pinks are the demands."

"Like what?" Snow asked.

"Okay, uh," he trailed as he flipped through to a blue card, "Okay, here's one. 'Gilles would like to be the minister for the wedding.' If not, he's okay with us going with somebody else."

"I don't really have an issue with that." Emma shrugged to her parents.

"Emma, he tried to fill you with buckshot the day after you met." David bluntly reminded.

"Yeah, but, to be fair, I did try to break his neck and crush his heart. Besides, he's a really sweet and nice guy." Emma sheepishly defended.

"He is. He really is." Nicholas nodded, "He's actually the most cheerful out of the eight of us."

"…If that's what you want." Snow said with another big smile; although it seemed a tad forced.

"Right." Nicholas nodded as he sensed the tension radiating off his future mother-in-law/step-niece before turning back to coo at his niece in Ariel's arms, "You know, if you were just a little bit bigger and could walk, you could've been the flower girl! But you're too little and still can't completely hold your little head up. Your cute, soft, wittle head!"

"Okay, let's get out here before he really starts acting weird." Emma suggested to her parents who eagerly nodded.

After literally dragging the dazed Nicholas out by his collar, David went back to the loft to grab his wallet. However, when he made it up the stairs, he noticed the door was slightly open.

"Hello?" he called out as he drew his weapon. When rushed in, he exhaled in relief when he saw it was just Henry sitting by himself with his Author's pen. "Henry. Henry!"

"Grandpa." he said as he snapped back to his senses.

"Didn't you hear me?" he asked as he holstered his weapon and closed the door.

"Sorry. I was writing."

"That's your Author's pen." David stated, "Henry, I know there's been lot going on lately, but please tell me you haven't tried to change things. You know how dangerous that can be."

"Of course no. I know better than that. Plus, Nicholas would scalp me." Henry assured.

"Good." David exhaled.

"Also, I already tried a few days ago, and it didn't work." he added, "Please don't tell him I said that. Look." he said before writing that Emma would win the Final Battle, only to see it vanish into the page as if it was never written.

"See? I couldn't change things even if I wanted to. She had to fight in the Final Battle. There's no escaping it."

"Okay. So, what are you doing?" David asked.

"Trying to translate this." Henry sighed as he gestured to his strange page, "Isaac said the Author's powers are trying to tell me something. I thought maybe they came out like that because I was using a regular pen. But this one's not working any better. What's the point of having these powers when I can't use them to help anyone?"

"We're gonna help her, Henry, but we can't drive ourselves crazy while we're doing it." David soothed.

"That's a lot like what Nicholas said." Henry sighed.

"Yeah, well, he's a pretty smart guy." he admitted as he patted his grandson's shoulder, "Don't tell him I said that."

"Deal." the teen laughed.

"Sometimes the best thing you can do is step away."

"Step away?"

"Yeah." he nodded, "You know, live life, which is why I came back here. I forgot my wallet, and I'm probably gonna need it. We're looking at wedding venues today."

"Wedding venues? Living our lives?" Henry smirked, "This reeks of Grandma; not giving up hope and all that stuff."

"She's usually right about these things. Now come on. Leave this here. You can come back for it all later." David said as they walked out, but not before he took a lingering glance at the strange symbols.

Meanwhile, after poofing herself to one of the entrances to the tunnels, Zelena furiously marched through the darkness in her search for the woman who threatened her only child. It didn't take long for her to hear something echo down a nearby cavern. Thinking it was the Black Fairy, she hustled down it, ready to kill. However, it wasn't Fiona that she found; it was Sawyer.

"She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew

Her eyes are bright as diamonds

They sparkle like the dew~

You can talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosalie

But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me~" he sang without a care, as if he were anywhere but a villain's lair.

"Dammit, Sawyer!" Zelena cursed as she extinguished her green fireball.

"Ah, Your Wickedness. Fancy meeting you here." he playfully greeted with a tip of his hat, "Nicholas told you'd be heading down here. Didn't think it'd be this quick."

"That's my line, you hic." she snapped, "And aren't there supposed to be a bunch of turban wearing sailors with you?"

"Ah, I ditched them. Too much noise." he waved off.

"Said the yokel singing in place that's prone to echoes." Zelena remarked.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much." he retorted with an amused grin, "Besides, you're about to make even more noise with your screams here in a minute."

"What's that supposed to mean? Think you can make me scream?" she hotly asked, thinking he was trying to imply something perverted.

"Nope." he said, popping his p before casually pointing behind her, "But she can."

"Zelena!" Regina barked as she stomped over to her sister.

"Regina, what are you doing down here?" Zelena asked in irritation.

"Isn't it obvious? I came to get you out of here before you get yourself killed." she scolded.

"I'm not going anywhere. Just get out of my way." Zelena said trying to push past her.

"It's for your own good."

"Oh, so-so now you care about my own good?" Zelena asked, "You're not gonna blame me for something?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Regina asked, completely oblivious to her attitude.

"It means that in all your sobbing over Robin's death and your broken heart, all you did was blame Nicholas and I. I sacrificed Hades for you, the man I loved, to save your life. And in return, I get blamed. And now you're here to lecture me? Ha! No, thanks. I'm not welcome the hero's table? Fine. I'll just take care of this by myself."

"Zelena-"

"Sis, please. I've got work to do." Zelena said before brushing past her sister.

"No." Regina refused as she wrestled with her sister.

"Get off me!" Zelena gritted before she was thrown against the wall.

"Oh, this won't end well." Sawyer mused in his head as he watched from the sidelines.

"You shouldn't have done that." Zelena spat as she picked herself up. However, before either sister could strike again, the entire cave began to quake as the entrance caved in. Meanwhile, Snow was leading everyone around the venues she thought were best for the wedding; starting with Granny's.

"So, what do you think?" she asked happily.

"It's nice." Henry nodded, "You're at least guaranteed good food for the reception. Unless you want to do it at the mansion, Uncle?"

"Ah! That reminds me." Nicholas said before flipping through the cards to pull out a non-negotiable pink card, "'Under no circumstance is any part of the wedding to be held at the mansion.' Well, that one seems obvious, so no arguments here."

"I think Granny's will be perfect." Snow beamed, "We can have the ceremony outside. After dinner, we push the tables aside for dancing. There's music on the jukebox. What do you think, David?"

"Eh." he stammered in reluctance, "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" she asked still smiling as if he were teasing, "We have shared so many happy memories here together. Don't you wanna have one more?"

"Let's be honest. Not all of them have been happy, and not all of them have been together, either." he pointed out.

"What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion.

"For starters, how about your first date with Whale?" he asked.

"Ouch." Henry remarked.

"Dad!" Emma said in surprise.

"We were cursed. Are you really bringing that up right now? That can't possibly be the reason." Snow countered.

"To be fair, that Granny's was destroyed by Hyde on the Promised Day. This is, technically, Granny's 2." Nicholas reminded, "Not to mention, you were sleeping with Kathryn shortly after."

"You're not helping." Emma whispered.

"Sorry."

"Okay, well, how about this?" David asked, completely ignoring the alchemist, "Repaired or not, this place is still a scrap heap. You want another one? It's not big enough. Emma is a princess, and her wedding is a royal affair."

"You want to find someplace bigger, fine. Let's go find one." Snow offered before heading out the door.

"Happy to." David agreed as he followed her.

"What's going on?" Emma asked, absolutely confused by her father's behavior.

"I don't know, hon. I really don't know." Nicholas replied before they followed. Back in the tunnels, Sawyer was keeping himself preoccupied with tossing and catching a piece rubble while the sisters resumed their argument.

"This is exactly why I told you not to come down here." Regina scolded.

"Are you implying that this is my fault?" Zelena scoffed.

"Oh, I'm not implying anything. I'm saying it." Regina shot back, "If you had just listened to me, we wouldn't be trapped half a mile under Storybrooke."

"You threw me against the wall!" Zelena shouted, "And if you hadn't crashed my party, I'd be wiping the mine floor with the Black Fairy by now."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that. She's the most powerful, magical evil we've ever faced." Regina stressed.

"Which is why I was launching a sneak attack." Zelena sneered in retort.

"What I wouldn't give to be at Aesop's right now." Sawyer dryly thought as the bickering was beginning to annoy him.

"What is this even about, Zelena? What, are you trying to prove to everyone that you're better than them all?" Regina asked.

"No. It's about stopping the woman who threatened my baby." she spat.

"Yeah. On your own. Why does it matter so much, Zelena? Why do you have to be better than everyone else?"

"Because I am." she scoffed, "Now, I'm going to find the Black Fairy and destroy her before she finds us. So, unless you want the rest of these mines to come crashing down on top of us, don't try to stop me."

"Zelena-"

"Let her go." Sawyer said, finally intervening, "You're not helping. And you're certainly not making any head way with her."

"She's going to get herself killed." Regina exasperated.

"Then you'll have the chance to save her when you do catch up with her just before that happens. In the meantime, why don't you and I have a little chat." he suggested.

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Alright then, I'll talk and you'll just shut up and listen." he bluntly replied, "I beginning to understand what Nicholas meant when he told us you don't know how to properly blame people."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked defensively.

"You blame your siblings for Loxley's death. Why? Because you didn't get to kill Hades and avenge him, yourself. You blamed Snow White for the deaths of your lover and your mother when it was actually your mother and the Dark One who were responsible for all that. You blame others when you realize you can't hurt the people truly responsible because to you, hurting someone is the same as blaming them." Sawyer lectured, "You're an overly emotional woman with a temper hotter than the fires of hell."

"That's not true." she defended.

"No?" he asked, "Then tell me, why did you still blame your brother and sister after you purged yourself of your dark half?"

"I…"

"What? Nothing to say?" he asked, "Now, I'm really the kind of man who goes around lecturing people I barely know just because I've seen them mouth off against their siblings. However, I consider your brother to be my own kin, and I've had enough of you treating him like dirt just because you're angry at him and afraid of him."

"…Emma told you." she accused with a snarl.

"No. You're just that easy to read." Sawyer flatly corrected, "You're letting your fear of what he can do cloud your judgement and fuel your anger; that's why you keep acting hostile towards him."

"So, what? You're saying that if I change my behavior, he won't destroy the world and rebuild it in his own image?" Regina scoffed.

"Ugh, why is it that y'all keep fretting over that ludicrous fear?" Sawyer sighed into his hand.

"You don't think he would?"

"Oh, no. He's going to." Sawyer corrected without missing a beat, "Make no mistake, Your Majesty. It won't be today, tomorrow, or anytime soon, for that matter. But one day, he will do just that."

"I don't understand." Regina waved off, "You people are his closest friends and confidants, and yet you believe he'd actually give in and destroy the world so he can rebuild it?"

"Yes. Just not the way y'all have been thinking." Sawyer nodded, "Back before I joined the League, I used to run around my realm with a group of people much like the original Texas Rangers. We saw a lot of terrible sides of men during those days, and some of us teetered on the edge of doing terrible things ourselves. My Captain always used to say that all it takes is just one bad for someone to go insane. I, on the other hand, always disagreed."

"How so?"

"Everyone endures plenty of bad days in their lives. There's not just one bad day for each life. You could have as many bad days as life throws at you. It don't matter. But here's the thing, everyone has their breaking point. It doesn't matter how many you had before, but there will always be one bad day that tops all the rest. One that makes all the other pale in comparison. It'll be so horrible that all the bad days you had before, all the torment and suffering you endured, all the negative emotions you felt on each day will come together and come crashing down to add themselves to the pain you feel on that last bad day. And then, when all that's consumed you, when you can't feel anything else, all you can say is, 'I don't care anymore.' And when that happens, when there's nothing left holding you back, you just give in and do what you and everyone else feared you'd do."

"And you believe Nicholas will have a day like that?" Regina asked.

"We of Branch Quartermain know more than any of you just how many bad days Nicholas has had over the years. He's nowhere near his breaking point, but I can tell you what it might be that finally sends him over the edge. When Emma, Henry, maybe you, Zelena, and all the other people his loves are long dead and gone, or if all of y'all get murdered, that's when. His loved ones are the only things keeping him sane. But trust me, he'll have that final bad day at some point in his life; everyone does."

"And I suppose you did?" Regina asked.

"How do you think I gained the League's attention?" he asked as images flashed in his mind, "But the point I'm trying to make, Regina, is that your resentment and squabbling with your siblings is only gonna cause him pain. And that's the last thing he needs with the looming threat of the Final Battle weighing over his fiancé's head. Trust me, I speak from experience, when siblings don't reconcile their differences, it always ends badly. Always."

"I take it that happened with you?"

"I don't have siblings." Sawyer curtly replied as images continued to flash through his mind. Some of an angry young man yelling at a beautiful young woman followed by that woman in a white dress that was soaked with blood. "But someone I knew had a brother who never even tried to make peace with them, and it ended badly. Don't do the same to yourself and your family, Regina. You'll never forgive yourself if you do."

As they continued to walk through the tunnels, they spotted a vein of fairy crystals running along the cavern's walls. After examining the vein, Regina broke off a crystal to see if the Black Fairy had tampered with it.

"Well, at least now we know why the Black Fairy's holed up down here." she remarked.

"What would she want with all this light magic?" Sawyer asked.

"That's what I want to know." Zelena added as she joined them.

"No luck finding her?" he asked.

"None. Or any of her henchmen, for that matter, either." she sighed in irritation.

"Oh, I'm flattered that all of you went through the trouble for little ol' me." Fiona arrogantly teased as she and Gideon emerged from the shadows to join them. As she did, they all readied themselves for a difficult fight.

"But to answer your question, I'm not interested in light magic. So, you're the big, bad Evil Queen who cast my curse. No wonder it was such a pathetic failure." she mocked.

"Is that so?" Regina asked as she summoned a fireball.

"Gideon." she simply ordered. In response, her grandson obediently obeyed and used his magic to blast her away with force. However, Sawyer got in the way and blocked the attack, not even moving a centimeter.

"Good try," Sawyer taunted as he rolled his sleeve to reveal a bracelet made of black mithril, "But no."

"Finish him." Fiona ordered as Gideon unsheathed his sword and engaged the gentleman, "So, does this mean you're here to take me up on my offer then, Zelena?"

"Afraid not." she said, "See, I'm not inclined to work with people who threaten my daughter. Which is exactly why I came down here; so I can kill you."

"Not today." Fiona smirked before ducking away with the sisters running after her. After maneuvering through the twists and turns of the cavern, Regina and Zelena finally caught up with the fairy in a cavern absolutely riddled with fairy crystals of all kinds of sizes.

"What was the point in all this?" Regina demanded as she and her sister readied their next attacks, "What do you plan to do with all these crystals?"

"Allow me to show you." Fiona smiled as she sauntered over to a vein, "Consider it a demonstration of how pointless your attempts to stop me truly are."

Playfully wetting her index finger with her tongue, the Black Fairy twirled it around before gently placing it on a single crystal. As soon as she made contact, it and all the crystals in its vein, followed by every crystal in the room changed from their pretty, magical blue hue to obsidian black.

"No!" Zelena cried as Regina gaped in horror.

"What? What is it? What happened?" Sawyer asked as he ran in to join them. As soon as he saw the black crystals, he understood the situation. "Oh. Well, this isn't good."

"You played your part well, dearest grandson." Fiona praised.

"Happy to help." Gideon graciously bowed as he joined her side.

"So that's it?" Regina asked trying to get over her fear at the display of power.

"Not quite." Fiona tisked. With a raise of her hands, the entire room began to shake as a high-pitched ringing pierced through their ears. It was so loud, the two sisters slammed their hands over their ears in a desperate attempt to lighten the pain; even Sawyer struggled to withstand it. In a matter of seconds, the ringing stopped and all of the crystals shattered into dark fairy dust. Glittering around them, the trio looked in horror before the dust was siphoned into the sleeves of Fiona's dress.

"You're probably wondering why I allowed you to bear witness to all this." she said to the speechless interlopers, "It's quite simple, really. I want you to understand that there is nothing you can do to stop me, or prevent the Final Battle from taking place. And with the dust I've collected on this day, I have everything I need to succeed and achieve my goal. The Age of Light is over. Following my victory of the Final Battle, the Age of Darkness will begin. But worry not. You won't be around to witness its glory. No denizen of light will."

With a wave of her hand, the harbinger of darkness sent all three of them back outside, leaving her to relish in her brilliance and success. Once they were back out where they started, the two sisters looked at each other in fear over what just happened. Sawyer was no less nervous. None of them could bring themselves to say anything, but they were all thinking the same thing. They were screwed.

On a lighter note, the oblivious Charmings and soon-to-be Flamels were continuing their search for a wedding venue that pleased the father of the bride. If anyone had asked the couple which parent they thought was going to be the most controlling that day, they would have said Snow. However, David just could not be pleased.

"Well, it's definitely…" Emma trailed as they all stood in the center of town hall's meeting room.

"Bigger." Nicholas nodded.

"Well, I think this space has great potential." Snow positively said, "We could string lights from the ceiling, put some trees around. It could be transformed into something really magical."

"Yeah. I think it could be." Emma agreed as she looked around to visualize her mother's ideas.

"Oh, and it works with card number forty-three." Nicholas realized as he pulled out a green card and read it, "A. Nemo has his crew create an arch of ceremonial swords for Emma and I to walk under after we say our I dos. Or B., and this one's kind of oddly worded, Nemo and his crew announce our entrance. I really don't know what he means by that, but something tells me it'd be overly elaborate."

"Let's just put that one off to the side for right now." Snow smiled, not really hiding her irritation at the cards as well as she thought she was.

"Anyone else feel a draft?" David asked, still looking displeased.

"It's probably just a window open somewhere." Henry assured.

"And look at the walls; the whole place needs a paint job." he added.

"Didn't it use have the same wallpaper as Regina's office?" Nicholas rhetorically asked as he studied the room.

"Okay, Dad, I know that technically we're all royalty or whatever, but unless you want to do a destination wedding at your castle in the Enchanted Forest or, like, Excalibur in Vegas, I don't think we're gonna find what you're looking for."

"That's not a bad idea." he said.

"Vegas?" she asked.

"No. The Enchanted Forest, our castle. How many beans would it take to get everyone back there?" he asked Nicholas.

"David," Snow briskly interrupted with a stern smile, "May I speak with you outside for a second?"

"Sure." he said as he followed her out.

"So…elopement?" Emma teased as she leaned against her fiancé's chest.

"Okay, but you're gonna have break the news to Bluey, and he is a crier." Nicholas joked. Once the usually happy couple were outside, Snow began to speak to her husband in a blend of her teacher voice, her bandit voice, and her pissed off wife voice.

"What is really going on?" she demanded to know.

"You can't really believe this place is good enough." he scoffed, "This isn't some town meeting about parking regulations. It's our daughter's wedding."

"And if she wanted to get married in our bathroom, it would be perfect and exactly what it's supposed to be. None of that matters, and you know it. So, what is this really about?"

"I just-I don't know why we have to rush into this." David struggled to explain.

"Rushing?" Snow asked before her eyes widened, "Oh, David, if this is about Nicholas, that ship has sailed, and there's an alchemist on it. Deal with it."

"No, this has nothing to do with Nicholas. This is about why we insist on doing this with everything else going on right now." he argued.

"Well, because, David, we agreed that we don't give into fear, and our people need hope." Snow retorted.

"Well, what about what we need, Snow, what our family needs?"

"What are you talking about?!" she shouted.

"…Our weddings were the happiest days of my life…until the Evil Queen burst through those doors and threatened everyone we loved, and…when we looked back to see my mother's face filled with joy only to see she already…" he said trying to push past the pain, "I don't want that for Emma. I don't want her wedding day to be the day before she gets pulled into a war, or fight some climatic battle against an unrelenting evil. When I walk her down the aisle, the only thing she should be thinking about is wonderful years ahead, not Gideon or the Black Fairy, not some fiery monster, or us not being there with her, not any of it. With everything she's been through, the least we can do is give her a real wedding day."

"But what…what if we're not around to give her that? What if we do wait and she does lose us? What if we lose her?" Snow asked struggling not to even think about such horrible things.

"Dad." Emma said, surprising her parents as the three of them joined them, "Mom's right. We don't know what's going to happen. It's not like before. We're not prepared for any of this. I want to think about all the good that's meant to come next as much as you guys, but until we defeat the Black Fairy, I at least want some good to happen before the Final Battle begins."

"But what if we can't stop her?" David asked.

"Well, then it would be a really short marriage anyway." she said trying to lighten the mood, "We love each other. We wanna do this because it's the right time, not because we're scared. Besides, we have to believe we'll win. Otherwise, the Black Fairy's already won."

"That might be more true than you think." Sawyer said as he and the two sisters joined them.

"What happened?" Nicholas asked him, taking on his League persona, "Did you find the Black Fairy?"

"Oh, we found her." Sawyer nodded, "But it didn't end well."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"It was a set up. She wanted us to follow her into the mines, all so she could display her power."

"What does that mean? What did she do?" Snow asked.

"She turned all of Storybrooke's fairy crystals into dark fairy dust." Regina finally spoke.

"All of them?" David asked in shock.

"With ease." she nodded, "And she claims that was the last things she needed to achieve her goal for the Final Battle."

"And Dark One junior was there to help." Zelena bitterly snapped.

"He was?" Nicholas asked through his gritting teeth.

"Of course he was." Emma sighed.

"We underestimated her." Regina admitted, "I didn't think we did, but she's far more powerful than we imagined. Now she has a magical nuke primed and ready for whenever she needs it."

"So, what do we do now?" Henry asked.

"I don't know, Henry." she confessed in fear.

"Okay, let's, uh, let's head back to the house and see if we can come up with a plan." Snow suggested, grasping at straws at this point. Since the tone of fear was so overbearing, none of them noticed that Nicholas and Sawyer stayed right where they were standing, not out of fear, but hardened rage.

"What are you gonna do?" Sawyer asked his friend.

"What I should have done weeks ago." Nicholas harshly whispered before transmuting away. When he reappeared, he found himself standing before the building that had been the center of all assistance and darkness in Storybrooke ever since the town came into existence; Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop. Taking a deep breath, Nicholas hardened what was left of his heart and swung the door open with an expression he only saved for LXG business. When he did, he startled Belle who was the only person in the shop.

"Ni-Nicholas, you startled me." she said with an embarrassed smile.

"Where is Rumple?" he asked.

"Um, out? Why? Did-did you need something?" she asked.

"Yes. From both of you." he replied, "Are you aware of what your son and his grandmother did today?"

"Oh, what now?" she asked, her mood deflating.

"They turned all the fairy crystals in Storybrooke into dark fairy dust for the Final Battle." he harshly replied.

"Oh, no." Belle groaned, "It-it's not his fault. The Black Fairy must be making him do these things."

"My god. Do you have any idea how stupid you sound?" Nicholas bluntly asked.

"E-Excuse me?" she asked. Since she had been in the box the entire duration of the Homunculi's attack, she never really saw this side of him before.

"You keep making excuses for him, despite all the horrible things he's done, and you expect us all to just…well, frankly, I'm not sure what you want us to do. Do you want us to save him? Accept him as he is and turn a blind eye? What-what-what do you want from us? Because from what I can tell, you're just unwilling to admit he's not as innocent and good as you keep claiming and trying to convince yourself with."

"…Why are you here, Nicholas?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, much to my embarrassment, I haven't been able to get a good lock on his scent. So, tracking the little bastard down has proven to be more difficult than it should be. But if I use your DNA and Rumple's to blend together in a locator spell, I'll be able to find him."

"And do what?" she demanded.

"Do you really want to know?" he coldly asked.

"…You're going to kill him, aren't you?" she asked in fear for her child's life.

"I will not lose Emma again, Belle. I absolutely refuse to let anything like that happen again." Nicholas replied, his nostrils flaring in anger.

"You don't have to do this." she stressed as she came around the counter with a pleading expression, "There-there's always a third way. You-You just haven't looked hard enough. He can still be saved!"

"For his sake, or yours?" Nicholas challenged, "Belle, he's tried to kill Emma twice, already! He brought the Black Fairy and her followers to Storybrooke and just helped her get her hands on a magical nuke. Not to mention what happened to Blue? Yeah, I noticed her scent coming from the back before I even walked in here. How blind can you be not to see he's doing this of his volition?! He needs to be stopped before he helps that fairy any further."

"But he's my son." Belle said on the verge of tears.

"That's no excuse." Nicholas dismissed, "I understand your predicament isn't what you wanted, but it's the way things are. You would rather let him keep doing what the Black Fairy allows him to do, regardless of what happens to the town, just because he's your son? You'd cast aside the innocent people of Storybrooke just because it's your son causing us all trouble?"

"Yeah, and what about me? Huh?!" she shouted as frustrated tears fell from her face, "What about my feelings?! He's still my-"

"I don't care!" Nicholas shouted hotly, causing her to stop, "Your feelings mean nothing to me, Belle! I don't care if he's your son. I don't care if he was raised to be this way. I don't care that you still see him as the infant you sent away because you could never settle your disagreements with your husband! That brat means nothing to me, and neither do you! Did you really think I would just let you walk all over me because you've had some emotional troubles these past few weeks? I don't care what you're going through, or how difficult it's been. All I care about is keeping Emma and my family safe, and I will eliminate any and all threats against them; including your son. I came here to find a way to track him down, and I'll rip out all the hair from your head if that's what it takes."

"…You're a monster." Belle whispered in disbelief.

"No. If anything, I'm a realist." he sighed in annoyance, "You, on the other hand, are delusional, cynical, and hypocritical. You keep calling yourself a hero because you think you have a strong set of morals. And you think that anyone who doesn't share your sentiments is either evil, a monster, or, as you so affectionately call your husband, a beast. You spent years trying to change Rumple only to push him away and make him worse because he could never meet your impossible standards! But now that it's your son that's causing all the trouble, you're just writing it off as-as some kind of childish phase he's going through. You have deluded yourself into thinking he's completely innocent and that everyone needs to be convinced you're right. You wanna know what you are, Mrs. Gold? You're a bookworm with access to the library, meant only to be called on when the so-called 'heroes' need information regarding the current threat, or when one of them needs a babysitter! You're an idiot! A stupid, stupid idiot just like Snow and Charming were before I, literally, had to knock some sense into them! Now, either tell me where Gideon is, or give me your hair."

"What if I refuse?" she asked, now angry at the man yelling at her and calling her and her son names, "Huh? What if I tell Gideon you're coming and that he should go ahead with whatever it he's planning next?"

"Is that a threat?" Nicholas darkly asked as he shadows pooled behind him and blocked the exit with its many fangs and eyes, "Because I don't appreciate threats, Belle. And even if you do warn him, I'll still kill him. In fact, if you do warn him, I'll bring him here, and kill him right in front of you as I make him experience one of the slowest and most painful deaths I can inflict on a person, and then dump his mangled corpse right in front of you. Is that what you want? Is it? I've put up with your husband far longer than I have tolerated, but at least he has never gone after Emma. Gideon, on the other hand, has no qualms in doing whatever dark deeds his grandma orders him to do. I'm killing that brat with, or without, your approval; same goes for me taking your hair. I tried my best to be civil, but you've made me just as angry as the rest of your family has. Hand it over."

"No." Belle firmly said, not allowing her fear to take over, "No. I won't let you hurt my son. I'll stop you, myself if I have-agh!"

Whatever speech Belle was about to give the Immortal Alchemist, it was cut short when he backhanded her across the face so hard, it knocked flat onto the store's floor. It wasn't entirely hard enough to cause any damage aside from a slight bruise, but it was hard enough to stun her. But then, why should he care if he harmed her? She meant nothing to him.

As she laid there, gasping in shock and pain, Nicholas coldly stared down at her before reaching to pluck a single strand of hair off of her head. Since Henry shared DNA with both Rumple and Gideon, the teen's hair would suffice in the locator spell he and the other agents would be using to locate the servant of the Black Fairy. Having no further reason to remain, Nicholas transmuted himself away.

While all of this happened, the others failed to come up with a plan against the Black Fairy. That much was obvious when Nicholas returned to his house and read each of their expressions.

"No luck?" he asked Regina who was the closest.

"No luck." she sighed, sneaking a few guilty glances at him, "Listen, Nicholas, there's something I need to tell you."

"Oh, don't tell me that bitch did something else while I was gone?" he asked with a tired groan.

"No." Regina said trying to keep hold of her bravery, "Agent Sawyer and I shared an…enlightening conversation earlier today."

"Really?" he asked, genuinely surprise that one of his friends actually got involved with his self-absorbed sister, "And what did you talk about?"

"A couple of things. Most of which involved my behavior lately. And what with everything happening, the wedding, the Final Battle, it's…it's made me think about what really matters."

"Like?"

"My family." she said sincerely, "Abba, there's something you don't know about what happened that day."

"What do you mean?" he asked, dropping his hostile disposition.

"Before you fell, when you were chasing after me…I did something that I have been ashamed of all these years and I feel that now is the time for me to tell you."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, "Was this before or after you jumped down from the tree and scared the crap out of me?"

"Wait. You knew?! I mean, you know?" she asked flabbergasted.

"Regina, it was the first traumatic day of my life." he all but chuckled, "Granted, I've had a hell of a lot since then, but still. I remember every single moment of that day. Have you been under the impression I didn't know you did that?"

"Well, I just assumed since you never said anything, and…"

"I never said anything because, as I said, it was the first traumatic day of my life; you know, the one that led to all the others."

"So…you don't blame or hate me for what happen?"

"Sis, we were kids." he deadpanned, "You were just playing around and trying to surprise me. Yeah, you may have startled me, and that may or may not have been the cause of me tripping, but it was an accident. It's not like you pulled a whole 'Lion King' bit with me and pushed me in your quest for power. The reason I've been pissed at you these past couple of months is because you've been treating our sister like dirt. I get that you were still in pain over Robin's death, but she didn't kill him. Okay? We may not be the family our mother wanted us to be, but at least you were able to forgive and lover her even though she was the one who killed Daniel. Zelena did not kill Robin; Hades did. And she killed him for us; for you. And-and if you can't understand that…I don't know what else to say to you. I don't care if you blame me for what happened; I was the one who drove you guys to the Underworld. But her? She sacrificed the man she loved for us. Nothing would make me happier to have both my sisters sitting there at my wedding, but not if you're still unwilling to fix this mess you made. Can you do that? Not just for me, but for our entire family?"

Instead of verbally answering her brother, Regina took a deep breath and swallowed her pride and made her way to their elder sister. After weeks of accusations and cold shoulders, Regina took Nicholas and Sawyer's words to heart and finally made the effort to apologize and rekindle the relationship between her and Zelena.

"Hey." she awkwardly said as she joined her sister in Emma's living room.

"Hey." Zelena stiffly said back.

"Listen, about today in the mines-"

"What? You gonna blame me for that, too?" Zelena scoffed.

"No." Regina sighed, slightly irritated but letting it pass, "I actually want to apologize, believe it or not."

"Not." Zelena snipped, "After everything you've accused and blamed me for, why now all of a sudden?"

"Look," she sighed, "I know I haven't been fair to you. I was wrong. You were right."

"Oh, my god. I must be dead." Zelena remarked.

"Alright." she snapped, "Maybe Nicholas was right. Maybe I don't always assign blame to the people who are really at fault. I shouldn't do that, least of all to my own family. So, what I'm trying to say is…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've said and done to you, Zelena. You're-you're my sister, and I-I love you."

By this point, both sisters had tears in their eyes, threatening to spill and flood the place. If it hadn't been for their little brother watching them from the kitchen, and his following comment, slightly ruining the mood with his sense of humor.

"My god! Will you two just hug, already?" he laughed. Normally, either of them would have retorted, but they just laughed and did as he suggested. Happy that his family was the way it should be, the alchemist made his way over and joined in the group hug. It was a happy moment for the Mills siblings. However, in the depths of Storybrooke, the Gold family was having a different kind of moment.

Still wearing the bruise Nicholas gave her, Belle Gold maneuvered her way through the mines' tunnels to the crystal chamber Fiona and her followers had set up as their base of operations. However, her expression was almost as dark as her husband's, as opposed to her usual disposition. Once she spotted her mother-in-law, she tried to approach her, only to be stopped by two of her robe-clad worshipers.

"Belle, what an unexpected surprise." Fiona warmly greeted before dropping her smile at the sight of her bruised jaw, "My dear, whatever has happened to you?"

"You have plans for Storybrooke, yeah?" she asked curtly.

"Yes, of course." Fiona said, waving at her guards allow the woman to pass.

"Whatever you have planned, it won't go as smoothly as you think. Not with those gentlemen in the way."

"I appreciate your concern, dear. But I can assure you that I have nothing to be worried about with those so-called 'extraordinary' people," Fiona assured.

"Yes, you do." Belle said flatly, "I may have been asleep during the Promised Day, but Rumple showed me his memories of that day. I know just as much as he does on how they fight, how far they are willing to go, and what they are capable of. But most of all, I know one thing that even Rumple doesn't know. Something that can turn the tide in your favor for when you fight them, and you will."

"Know what?" Fiona asked, slightly intrigued.

"First I need your word you will keep my son safe." Belle flatly demanded.

"Trust me, sweet girl, nothing will-"

"Your word." Belle interrupted, "I need your word that you will keep Gideon, Rumple and I safe from the League; specifically, the alchemist. He has already threatened to kill me son and I don't doubt he will try to make good on his promise. So, I need your word that you will use all your power to keep Gideon safe."

"Alright. Let's say that I do give you my word and accept your offer." Fiona mused, "What would you offer me in return?"

"The one thing that will allow you to defeat Nicholas." Belle spat in resentment, "I can give you the weakness of his alchemy."

You may have noticed the changes I made to the original. Allow me to explain.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I always found it completely pointless that they made Zelena give up her magic to cure the crystals only for Fiona to have dark fairy dust for her curse two episodes later. I mean, what was the point if she was just gonna have the amount she needed in the end, anyway?

Also, I only noticed this after rewatching this episode, but Regina never apologized to Zelena for how she treated her and that didn't sit well with me; especially after she made yet another sacrifice for Regina. They should have made Regina apologize for everything instead of making Zelena make sacrifice after sacrifice. But, I fixed this and made our three favorite siblings reconcile and make good on their promise to their mother. Speaking of which, let's look at Nicholas.

I realize I kinda implied that he was going to freak out and attack Regina after learning the truth, but it just didn't seem right. I even had several ideas on how I was going to execute it; the most favored one was going to be another FMAB reference and have Nicholas have a similar reaction to Winry's when she learned Scar murdered her parents. Another was going to be where the Evil Queen or Wish Robin coldly revealed the truth and Nicholas wildly attacked Regina, resulting in an ironic tumble down a hill in the woods to reflect the hill he fell down as a child. I really considered these and several other ideas, but frankly, after putting myself in Nicholas' mindset, it didn't make sense to have him be unaware of the events of that day.

Now, as for Belle, she kind of annoyed me this season. In fact, Nicholas' rant towards her was how I feel like they made her character. Let's be honest, she was pretty demanding of Rumple and had impossible standards. Plus, all she did was make excuses for Gideon despite everything he did to Emma. They could have done more with her, and you'll see what I have in store for her for the remainder of this season. Don't worry, it won't be that weak version Fiona made in her curse. That was just disappointing.

Oh, and this is important so read carefully. Keep Sawyer's speech to Regina in mind very close to your mind. It's going to apply to a certain member of the League in the next THREE chapters. It's a very important factor in this story, so don't forget it.

With all that in mind, I hope everyone enjoyed this and I'm very grateful for you all reading this crazy story. You guys mean a lot.

As always, like, follow me/the story and...

Review, Review, REVIEW!

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Bye!