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, the curse is broken and Cora is dead. That remains to be seen on Lily. :)

Ghostwriter: Possibly no Lily, but I never say never. I didn't really like her much, but that's because I hated that whole storyline. Hope you can still enjoy.

Grace5231973: Yep, Cora is dead so that's a really good thing. Yep, Belle is back and as for Emma, that remains to be seen. :)

Jennifer Baratta: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

Number Ten: The curse can be broken by true love's kiss, but also Emma's death. That's why Regina wanted her to eat the apple in canon. Because otherwise she would have just killed her to get rid of her. So there are two ways the curse can be broken and one of those is Emma dies. But there's magic now so it's a race to see if she can be saved. Yep, Cora is dead so there is that to celebrate, but yes Cora is much worse than Regina. :)

Guest: Thanks! Glad you love all the twists and turns. :)

Sexystarwarslover: Lol, I know, another cliffhanger. I just can't help myself. I know, my heart is breaking for Snow and David right now. Cora is pure evil, but at least she's dead now. I know, Storybrooke is a mess, but magic is coming. Poor Emma, it's a nail biter. But Cora is dead and magic is coming and Snowing will always have hope. Glad you're enjoying. :)

AnonSnowing: Yeah, be sad for Abigail, because she's about to wake up. I know, Josh Dallas is perfect. I will never see anyone as Prince Charming again. I love making Snow the perfect mix of total badass, but still needing Charming so much. Yeah, Marco is a bit stupid here, but he's cursed. He's about to wake up and be a jerk though so stay tuned for that. Yeah, I think Cora now qualifies as straight up monster in human skin. I know, it's not Graham's fault and Regina knows that. She just took him out of play for the moment. I love snarky Neal. Yeah, Regina is completely done with Cora here. Yep, that detective is clueless and hopefully he'll make it back to muggle land soon, lol. Yep, it makes sense Cora would do something so evil. Cora. Not anyone else. Cora, but the Once writers were really clueless sometimes. Yeah, it was probably wild for the cursed people to see a dragon. I know, my Snowing heart was breaking after Cora did that, but at least she's dead now. Yep, Whale has become useful for a brief moment. Your question about Abigail is about to be answered. Glad you're enjoying it so much! :)

A Darker Curse

Chapter 28: Broken

Snow's blood curdling still echoed in his ears, as he held their dying daughter in his arms. Emma's muffled scream, as Whale cauterized her wound, further shattered him and he felt more helpless than he ever had, even on his worst days with Kathryn. He gently rocked her, as Snow cried against him uncontrollably.

"My baby...I can't lose my baby…" she kept repeating, as August knelt on her other side, also crying.

"Come on Em...fight…" he pleaded, but her eyes remained glassy and he saw Whale check for her pulse.

"She's not breathing…" he said gravely, as David laid her flat and Whale began to pump her chest.

"Breath for her!" he called, as David did as instructed.

"Emma...please, I can't lose you now," he cried, as Whale pumped her chest furiously and David breathed for her again. But a wave of rainbow colored light erupted from Emma's very being and washed over the entire town. Recognition flashed in people's eyes, as memories were returned, but it brought no joy.

"What...what was that?" Snow asked.

"The curse...it's broken," August said, as he looked at his sister.

"No...no…" he uttered.

"Emma…" Regina said, as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"Why did you stop!?" David screamed at Whale.

"I'm sorry...she's gone," he said apologetically and Snow let out a cry of anguish, as Regina crashed to her knees beside her, trying to hold her inconsolable sister.

"Emma's the Savior. She can break the curse with true love's kiss...but if she dies, it also breaks. Cora knew she was done, so she killed Emma in her final revenge," August said, in anguish.

"No...no!" David cried, as he cradled his little girl in his arms and cried over her. Snow crawled to him and kissed their daughter's forehead.

"Emma...you have to wake up, baby...you have to," she sobbed, as David put his free arm around her and they cried together with their heads pressed together, until she froze and spotted something over his shoulder.

"David…" she uttered and he turned to see what she was looking at.

"What is that?" she asked, noticing the ominous pink cloud.

"Magic…" Regina gasped, as the cloud barreled toward them and swept over them all, just as Rumple appeared with Lacey, though they realized that she probably wasn't Lacey anymore.

"Was that really magic?" Regina asked desperately.

"Yes...but it's different here, as you are probably discovering. Fortunately, I've already figured it out," Rumple said, as he approached.

"Papa...can you save her!?" Neal asked desperately, as he cradled their son and his tears pained him.

"I hope so...I hope it's not too late," he said, as he held up the cork that had been on the bottle.

"Long ago...I bottled true love from the hairs I collected from you both. That potion has brought magic here and the final drop is on this cork. It may be her only chance...your love created her and it is the only thing that can save her," he said, as he dropped the final drop into Emma's mouth. Rumple then used his returned magic to heal her wound, before stepping back into Belle's arms.

"Did it work?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied, as moments passed and nothing happened. Hope began to dwindle in Snow and Charming, as they began to quietly cry together again. And just when Whale was about to gently tell them that they needed to call the time of death, Emma took a starved breath of air and opened her eyes. Snow and Charming looked down at her in amazement and began crying over her again, only this time in joy.

"What's going on?" Emma asked in confusion.

"You're okay...that's what matters the most," David replied.

"He's right, sweetheart," Snow cried.

"Hey Mom...you look younger again," Emma mentioned, as David looked up and noticed it too. Snow looked at her hand and noticed those subtle lines of aging were gone and put a hand to her face, instantly noticing that the lines around her eyes that were perhaps one sign that she was older than she looked were gone. Regina grinned at her and nodded.

"It would seem the breaking of the curse has returned the time that was lost to you," Rumple declared. August smiled at her and then felt something in his pocket. His eyes widened, as he pulled out the pen.

"Guess that's not all the curse breaking has returned," he said, as she hugged him tightly. Emma sat up with her father's help and looked around at all the smiling people.

"Uh...what's going on?" she asked.

"The curse is broken," Snow told her with a bright smile.

"And Cora?" she asked.

"Dead," Maleficent said, as she transformed from her dragon form to her human one.

"Well...no one is going to mourn her," Emma said, as she realized that Regina might not feel that way and looked at her.

"Oh...sorry Regina," she said, but the other woman shook her head.

"My mother was evil to her core...there was no redemption for her, especially after she almost took you from us. Trust me...I won't be mourning her either," Regina replied, as Robin sided up to her and she kissed him tenderly. David helped Emma to her feet and he and Snow hugged her tightly.

"Wow...so it's really over," she said, as Neal brought their son to her and she took him in her arms.

"It is...we can finally just be the family we always wanted to be," Snow said, as she saw Marco approach.

"My boy…" he said tearfully and August frowned.

"Geppetto…" August addressed him coldly.

"My boy...look at the man you have become," he said in awe.

"Well...what did you expect? For me to still be that little boy you shoved through a wardrobe all alone?" he retorted.

"But...Princess Snow took care of you for me. I knew she would," he said, as he regarded her with a bow.

"She raised me! And after you lied to her about the wardrobe!" August raged.

"But I am your father!" Marco protested.

"Technically you made me and technically she gave me life, but that's not saying much since she has a history of screwing people over," August said, as he drew attention to the Blue Fairy.

"Excuse me?" she questioned.

"I'm the author...trust me, I know all your dirty little secrets," he replied cryptically.

"But her…" he said, as he turned to Snow.

"She's my Mom and I love her. She, Emma, David, and little David are my real family," he said.

"Pinocchio…" Marco started to say.

"August...my name is August now," he corrected.

"My boy...please, can we just talk? You should come home with me! You belong with me!" Marco insisted.

"No…I'm going home with my mother and I'm not saying we can't talk, but you can't expect everything to just go back to how it was before you put me in that wardrobe. I'm a man now and I'm the man I am, because she raised me. Snow raised me and Emma by herself, because you lied to them and took David's chance to raise his daughter away," he said.

"I was trying to protect you!" Marco insisted.

"You two told me to never lie and then you did exactly that to my mom and David!" August snapped.

"And as a result, David ended up in a really bad situation and my mom struggled to raise two children in a really unforgiving world," he added.

"You have turned him against me," Marco accused Snow, but that set August off even more.

"No! She encouraged me to mend things with you when the time came! But if you attack her...that will never be possible. She is my mother and you will show her respect," he said. Snow was about to speak to him to tell him to give August some time, but they were all interrupted when Frederick came running over.

"Frederick...what is it?" David asked.

"It's Abigail...we had a brief reunion when the curse broke, but then she just shut down and got this haunted look on her face, before she ran off," he said frantically.

"This is about me...we need to find her," David said.

"I can track her if you have something of hers," Red interjected and he gave her a scarf that she had left behind.

"This isn't her fault...I need to convince her of that," David said. Snow nodded.

"And we will," she said, as they joined hands and turned to Emma.

"We'll stay around here in case she comes back," Emma said, as they hugged her.

"Meanwhile...if you can get a handle on your magic, we can repair this mess of a town," Rumple said to Regina, as she felt the magic finally coming to her.

"Looks like I'm getting it," she said.

"I can help too," Maleficent said, while Snow and David followed Red and Frederick.

Kathryn looked on with confusion, not quite comprehending what her eyes were seeing. There was a literal dragon before her eyes and Cora had just stabbed that bitch, Mary Margaret's daughter. She got some satisfaction out of that since both Mary Margaret and David seemed destroyed now. But just like that, the satisfaction was gone when Cora was killed. By a creature that wasn't supposed to exist and she couldn't believe she was actually seeing, no less. Peculiarly, a wave of rainbow light washed over them all, but it might as well have been a ton of bricks hitting her, because that's what it felt like having her memories returned. She felt a tightness in her chest and she looked up to see Frederick running toward her.

"Abigail…" he uttered.

"Frederick…" she said, as tears began to slip down her cheeks. They looked on though, as Snow and David sobbed over their daughter and heard Whale declare that she was gone.

"No…" Abigail said, as she realized her part on all of this. It hit her and every monstrous thing she had done to David hit her like a freight train. She held her head in her hands and felt like dying for all the pain she had caused them.

"Abigail…" Frederick started to say.

"I...I'm a monster…" she cried.

"No...that wasn't you," he assured.

"It doesn't matter...their daughter is dead and I had a hand in it! I tortured David! The things I did to him…" she uttered, as she started to back away.

"Abigail...this isn't your fault and they know that," Frederick reasoned.

"I can't…" she said, as she ran off, despite his protests and missed Emma's revival.

"This way," Red called, as she led them through the woods. David could feel the ground inclining ever so slightly and started to worry about what that meant.

"She ran off before Emma was healed. She thinks she's responsible for all of this," Frederick lamented.

"We'll find her and make sure she knows that's not true. This is all on Cora," David replied.

"I know, but you'd be well within your right to not want anything to do with her," he said.

"You're right...but we can't let her punish herself for Cora's crimes," Snow reasoned, as David led her up the ridge, until they finally spotted her looking over a ledge at the raging river below.

"Abigail!" Frederick called, as she turned and looked back.

"Stop...don't come any closer!" she called back.

"Abigail…" David said, as he cautiously stepped forward.

"I'm sorry David...I'm so sorry…" she sobbed.

"I know...it's not your fault. It's Cora's," he admonished.

"I...I still did those things to you! I did them!" she cried.

"It was the curse...Cora's curse," he insisted.

"It doesn't matter! I still abused you! I...I raped you…" she said in horror, as she turned toward the ledge.

"No...no...don't!" David pleaded, as she held her head in her hands and sobbed.

"Abigail please...if you end your life, then Cora wins once more. Please...don't let her ruin another family," Snow begged.

"You should want me to jump more than anyone. I tortured the man you love," she muttered.

"But I don't. The only person I'm interested in dying was Cora and she did. She did horrible, unspeakable things to all of us. She controlled you...don't let her keep doing so from beyond the grave," Snow pleaded.

"But your daughter is dead!? Why are you here trying to save me when I had a part in it!?" Abigail demanded to know.

"No...Emma is alive. True love saved her, as it has always saved us. Emma is alive and she's fine now," David promised.

"She's alive?" Abigail asked. Snow nodded with a smile.

"She's alive," the raven haired beauty confirmed with joy.

"But I was so cruel…" she lamented.

"That was Cora's curse. We're both victims of it, but we can move on. I have Snow again and you have Frederick now," David told her, as she looked at her husband.

"How can you even stand to look at me?" she asked. He smiled gently.

"Because I love you and I know the person you truly are. Please Abby...don't let that witch win," he pleaded, as he slowly walked toward her.

"Dr. Hopper can help and we can be happy again. All you have to do is take my hand," he said, as he held it out to her. She shook her head.

"But what I did...I don't deserve to be happy," she refuted.

"Yes you do. Cora is the one that doesn't deserve happiness and she got exactly what she deserved. But the only way we really win is if we find a way to take our lives back and be happy," Snow implored, as the blonde continued to cry.

"Please Abby…" Frederick pleaded. She choked back another sob, but her shaky hand in his and allowed him to pull her into a tight hug. Snow and David sighed in relief and he pulled her into his arms, before pressing a kiss to her head. They nodded to Frederick, as he led her away. Red smiled and followed them, giving her friends a moment alone.

"Is it really over?" she asked. He smiled down at her.

"It is...she's gone, Snow," he replied, as he caught her in his arms and their lips crashed together. He gently spun her around and they were breathless when their lips parted. She pressed her forehead against his and their eyes spoke, for words were never needed to convey the depths of their love. A mere look or gesture between them had always had an intimacy that was awe-inspiring. She smiled up at him, as he finally lowered her feet back to the ground.

"Looks like we're the same age again," she mentioned. He smiled back.

"I'm glad you got those years back. It means we'll have more time together, but you still took my breath away, even older," he promised. She kissed him again, as they spent a few more quiet moments together atop the mountain.

With no small effort or amount of magic, the town was repaired from the damage caused by Cora's trigger.

"Much better…" Regina said, as she surveyed their completed work.

"So...since the diner is fixed, what are the chances of getting some food?" Emma asked.

"Pancakes!" little David called, making Neal chuckled.

"I have some amazing admiration for your Mom. Keeping you two fed is not going to be easy," he joked, as she nudged him.

"Well, if our new Mayor fixed my fryers, then we should be able to whip something up," Granny agreed.

"Good, because I almost died and that means I need onion rings," Emma replied, as Red returned with Abigail and Frederick.

"Hey...is everything okay?" she asked. Red nodded and surprised her with a hug.

"It's long past time that I got to properly meet my Goddaughter," Red replied. Emma smiled and hugged her back.

"As for Abigail...she's dealing with a lot of guilt right now, but I think Dr. Hopper can help her. It will be a long road though. I know guilt and it can be crippling, especially in her case," she added.

"Come on...let's get you those onion rings," Red said.

"Wait...where are Mom and Dad?" Emma asked.

"They needed a few minutes. They'll be along," she assured.

Tamara crossed the town line that read "Welcome to Storybrooke," with her mission clear in her mind. Neither Greg nor Tia had completed their mission, which meant that she had to intervene. She looked around curiously, as she arrived on Main Street. It was getting late and it was fairly quiet, which seemed typical for a small town such as this. Honestly, she didn't know why the Home Office was so interested in this town, but she was never one to ask questions. All that mattered was the mission. She pulled up to the Inn and spotted both Greg and Tia talking to another man. She saw Tia walk back to the diner with the man, as Greg went into the Inn. Tamara got out and followed him inside.

"I can't believe all this...but I guess I should have known the Home Office was a bad thing," Greg said, as Tia finished explaining her story.

"Never would have pegged you as Tinkerbell though," he lightly teased. Tink rolled her eyes.

"Funny...but I'm just glad you're willing to abandon the mission and leave the Home Office," she said.

"Well, to be fair, I don't really even know what the mission is. They never tell me anything and just give orders as we go. I was just so desperate to find out who was responsible for my father's death that I let it cloud my judgement," Greg said sadly.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for your loss. Cora hurt a lot of people," August replied.

"Yeah...sounds like you know that better than anyone," Greg said.

"She put my Mom and David through hell, but she's finally dead. This is a fresh start for everyone," August replied.

"Except the little problem of the curse being broken now," Tink reminded him.

"You said Pan can't get here and you two have abandoned that cause," August said.

"There's more than just us though," she warned.

"This is Storybrooke though and without an enchanted object, they're not getting in," he said, as he flashed the map that they had confiscated from Detective Bishop.

"Maybe...but we still have to make sure Detective Bishop finds his way out of Storybrooke and preferably without any memory of any of this," Tink said.

"Neal said his father can probably help with the memory part," August replied.

"Well...if he can, then I can probably see that he gets back to Portland," Greg said.

"Then you're leaving?" August asked curiously, as they exited the diner.

"Yeah…I finally have justice for my father and now I don't really know what to do with myself, but I think I need to find out," he replied.

"Let me know when he's ready to go, but for tonight I think I'll turn in," Greg said, as he waved to them and went into the Inn, as Tink and August turned away.

"What about you? You plan on sticking around?" August asked. She smirked.

"I don't know...I haven't decided if this is the right place for me yet," Tink replied.

"But…you're from there like us. I mean...this is where you belong," he argued. She smiled.

"So you want me to stick around?" she teased and he shook his head.

"Okay...you got me. Up for a walk?" he asked. She smiled and took his hand, as he offered it.

"Thought you'd never ask," she replied, as they headed off down the street.