CHAPTER 31

It was a new day in Storybrooke, the morning sun shining bright and high above the treetops. Mr. Gold was in his shop, as usual, staring at his own reflection in the small mirror sitting on the counter in front of him. He thought about his wife, his son that was still growing within her womb. He knew that had to do whatever it took to protect them both. Belle might be angry with him now, but in the end, she would thank him, he was sure of it.

Suddenly, Gold's quiet musings were interrupted by the tinkling of the bell above his shop's door. A tall figure dressed in a hooded cloak stepped inside. "Rumplestiltskin?" The figure asked, his voice that of a man.

"Yes." Gold replied, narrowing his eyes at the hooded stranger in his shop. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I have traveled a long way to deliver a message." The stranger replied as he slowly approached the counter. He had a strange accent, one that Gold vaguely recognized. "The time has come, the stars are beginning to align. The King wants what you promised him, and soon."

"The King?" Asked Gold, eyebrow raised. "Which King? I've dealt with many in my lifetime, I'm afraid."

"You know which."

The man then drew down his hood, revealing the pale white skin, shining blonde hair, and the pointed ears of an elf. "I see." Gold replied, breathing out a heavy sigh. "Well, you can tell your King that I have held up my end of the bargain, twice over, in fact. Magic has returned to Storybrooke. He should have no problems making the trip."

The elven man nodded silently in understanding, and headed toward the door. "You should know," Gold called out to him. "She will not go willingly. She is powerful, and has powerful friends by her side. The King might find his task more difficult than anticipated."

The elf scoffed indignantly. "There is no power that can outmatch that of the elves, the true blooded sons and daughters of Alfheim. Not even yours, Dark One."

With that, the elven man turned on his heel, and left the shop. Mr. Gold stood rooted in his spot for a long time, his ears ringing in the deafening silence. Then, he leaned his elbows onto the counter, and buried his face in his hands.

XX

Shae Mills was seated behind the desk in her wife's office. There was a large stack of files sitting next to her as she typed away at the computer. She suddenly stopped typing, breathing out a heavy sigh as she rubbed her aching forehead. She deeply regretted drinking so much the night before. Hangovers were something she hadn't had to deal with in a long, long time.

She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as she thought about everything that had happened the previous day. She thought about The Evil Queen, about what Emma had told her about her visions, and her disturbing dream that had left her lying awake the rest of the night. She had no idea what exactly it meant, but hoped against hope that it was nothing but a strange, alcohol infused dream.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open at the sound of the door on the other side of the room opening. It was Emma, walking toward her with two cups of coffee in her hands. She opened her mouth in greeting, but quickly shut it again as the office phone began to ring. Shae groaned loudly and held up a finger to Emma.

"Mayor's office, Shae speaking." She said as she answered the phone. She listened for a moment, then breathed out a heavy sigh, rubbing her forehead even more. "Yes, ma'am. I understand, it's a terrible inconvenience. Yes, I promise, the clean up crew is working as fast as they can. Uh-huh, uh-huh, yes. I promise, it will all be taken care of by the end of the day."

Shae groaned once again as she finally hung up the phone. "Clean up crew?" Emma asked, setting one of the cups of coffee onto the desk in front of Shae.

"Yeah, um… You remember Tink's giant pumpkin?" Replied Shae, to which Emma nodded. "Well, when she tried to get rid of it, it, you know… Exploded. There were pumpkin guts everywhere. Leroy and the rest of the dwarves are still trying to clean it all up."

Emma breathed out a small laugh, slowly shaking her head. "Poor Tink. I'm sure she'll figure it out eventually."

Shae nodded in agreement as she took a careful sip of the coffee Emma had brought her. "So… What's all this?" Asked Emma, gesturing to the stack of files sitting on the desk.

"Well, I'm working on bringing Storybrooke's Mayor's Office into the twentieth century." Shae replied as she grabbed another file from off the stack.

Emma raised an eyebrow at her. "It's the twenty-first century, you know."

"Oh, yeah, I'm well aware. That's how bad it is." Shae said with a chuckle. "Can you believe she still uses a paper filing system? Paper! Who uses paper anymore?"

There was a moment of silence as Emma folded her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Shae. "What?" Shae asked of her.

"You're lying." Emma replied bluntly.

"What? No I'm not!" Shae exclaimed. "I've been making spreadsheets all morning!"

Emma furrowed her brow at Shae, tapping a finger against her chin. "Yeah, ok. Well something's not right." She muttered. "I think maybe you're… Lying to yourself. You don't have to do all this stuff. You're just hiding in here."

Shae narrowed her eyes back at Emma. "I don't know what you're talking about." She mumbled.

Emma sighed, and sat down on the edge of the desk. "Come on, Shae. I can tell somethings bothering you. Talk to me."

There was another moment of silence as Shae hesitated, then breathed out a heavy sigh herself. "Regina wants to… Adopt a baby."

"Oh! Wow! That's awesome!" Emma exclaimed. Slowly, the excited smile faded from her face. "But… You don't seem excited about that."

"No, I… I-I am, really. It's… I-It's just…" Shae emitted another sad, heavy sigh, and slumped back in her chair. "I mean… You heard about what happened with Jack Sparrow and his crew, right? It just seems like, no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, my past is always coming back to bite me in the ass. I'm worried about what kind of life my child is going to have because of my past, and Regina's too."

Shae paused for a moment, rubbing her aching forehead. "When our child goes to school, and learns about the founding of Storybrooke, her parents will be mentioned by name. And we'll be the… The villains of the story." She went on, her tone quiet and solemn. "I'm just worried about what our child will have to go through because of it, and that they'll just end up… Hating us for it."

"I… I understand, Shae." Emma replied, slowly nodding her head. "But just look at Henry. He knows everything about your past and Regina's. And he loves you guys so, so much, despite all of it."

"I know, I know…" Shae muttered with another sigh. "I just… I dunno. I'm starting to wonder if past darkness like mine and Regina's is something that can even be defeated. Sometimes, I can feel mine trying to creep it's way back in."

"Of course your darkness can be defeated, Shae. You've already done it." Emma replied, smiling a warm, kind smile. "You've worked so hard to change, fought so hard to be the person you are today. Which is a person that now has friends and family that love her, unconditionally."

When Shae continued to frown down at her hands folded in her lap, Emma sighed herself. "And, just… Look at Regina." She went on. "She literally ripped out the heart of her darkness, and crushed it to bits. Now The Evil Queen is… Gone. Forever. She's free!"

Suddenly, a hard, painful lump began to form in Shae's throat. "Right… You're… Y-You're right." She stammered, trying her best to manage a smile. "Maybe I'm just… Overthinking things, you know?"

"Yeah. Probably. You are really good at that." Emma agreed with a chuckle. She then rose to her feet. "Look, I gotta go. I have another appointment with Archie. I just thought you could use a pick-me-up after last night."

"Yeah. Thanks." Shae replied, holding up the coffee Emma had brought her. "I won't be drinking like that again any time soon, that's for sure. Getting drunk has bad, bad consequences now."

Emma laughed again, and started toward the door. "Try to go out and get some fresh air, ok?" She said, pausing in the doorway. "It'll do you some good."

Shae nodded, and gave Emma a wave as she left. As soon as Emma was gone, Shae leaned her elbows on the desk, and buried her face in her hands. She sat there like that for a long time, her heart heavy with sorrow. She knew she had to tell Regina the truth about The Evil Queen, about Mjonir, about Loki, about everything. She had to tell everyone, her friends and family that loved her, unconditionally. She just didn't know how, and it was tearing her apart.

After wallowing in her own misery for a while, Shae eventually went back to inputting all of her wife's files into the computer. It was around noon when her eyes started to hurt, and her stomach started to rumble. She then headed to Granny's Diner for some lunch. She had been too sick and hungover that morning to eat, and now she was positively ravenous.

"Cheeseburger and fries, Granny." Shae said to the old woman as she sat down at the counter. "The greasier, the better."

"Can do." Granny replied, quickly jotting down Shae's order. "One hangover cure, coming right up!"

Shae chuckled, nodding in thanks as Granny bustled into the kitchen. She glanced around the diner as she waited, and spotted a few familiar looking faces. She recognized them as the refugees who had been in the diner the previous day. They all quickly averted their gaze, but Shae was able to catch a quick glimpse of the look in their eyes, a look that was all too familiar to her. It was a look of fear.

Once her food had arrived, Shae wolfed it all down as fast as she could, then quickly and quietly left the diner. She could still feel the eyes boring into the back of her head as she headed toward the door. She paused for just a moment, when she saw one of the fairies seated at a booth alone in the corner.

Shae recognized her as a fairy by the outfit from the convent that she and Mother Superior, aka The Blue Fairy, continued to wear. The woman seemed to be watching her from over the newspaper that she was holding out in front of her. When she noticed Shae staring at her, she quickly rustled the newspaper, and raised it higher in front of her face. Shae breathed out a heavy sigh as she stepped out the diner's door, running a hand through her now neatly combed hair. Her heart ached with more sorrow, more regret.

She barely made it a block down the street before Henry came sprinting toward her, his face full of panic. "Shae! There you are!" He exclaimed, panting heavily as he reached her. "I-I've been trying to call you, but The Queen must have done something to the signal in town!"

"The Queen?" Shae asked, her eyes wide with alarm. "W-What Queen?"

"The Evil Queen!" Henry replied, his eyes just as wide as Shae's, and full of fear. "She's alive, and she's here. You have to get down to the docks. My mom, Regina, she's in trouble. Grandma and Grandpa too."

"What?" Shae exclaimed. "S-Slow down! What the hell is going on?"

Henry then quickly recounted to Shae everything that had been going on while she had been hiding herself away in The Mayor's Office. It had started that morning, when David had received a strange note from a man called The Count of Monte Cristo. Shae recognized the name, but had never actually met him. All she knew was that Regina had hired him back in The Enchanted Forest, a fact which Henry confirmed.

It was when Shae had been locked in Snow White and Prince Charming's dungeon. Regina had sent The Count, whose name was Edmond, to pose as Snow and Charming's wine steward. He was supposed to kill them both by poisoning their wine, but had mysteriously disappeared. Now Shae knew exactly to where; The Land of Untold Stories. Now, he was in Storybrooke, and under The Evil Queen's control. She was using his heart to force him into finally completing his mission.

"Shit…" Shae growled, running a hand through her hair once again. "Ok, alright… Henry, just… Stay here. Better yet, go home, ok? I'll go help Regina."

"No!" Cried Henry. "I'm coming with you!"

"Henry, no, it's too dangerous. I-"

"She's my mom, Shae!" Henry shouted furiously. "And they're my grandparents! I'm sick of sitting on the sidelines. I want to help!"

Shae bit her lip, hesitating in silence for a moment. "Fine." She relented. "Just… Stay behind me, ok? And do exactly as I say."

Henry nodded earnestly, to which Shae nodded back. She then placed both of her hands on Henry's shoulders, and disappeared in a gust of swirling wind, with the boy in tow. The two of them reappeared on the Storybrooke docks. They immediately spotted Regina, who was locked in a fierce sword fight with a man, who Shae assumed was The Count. Snow and David were lying in crumpled heaps a few feet behind Regina, seemingly unconscious.

"Shit!" Shae swore once again. She then held out her hand, and a sword of her own appeared clutched in her fist with another gust of wind. She handed it to Henry. "You know how to use one of these?"

"Um… Kind of." Henry replied as he took the sword.

"Good enough." Shae said with a shrug, summoning another sword into her hand. "Right, like I said, stay behind me."

Henry nodded, as did Shae. "Hey! Count Chocula!" Shae shouted. "Over here!"

The Count paused mid swing, and jerked his head toward the sudden shout. He locked eyes with both Shae and Henry for a moment, as did Regina. Then, The Count, in a dazed like fashion, turned his attention back onto the foe before him. Regina raised her sword just in time to block his blow.

"Shit!" Shae said once more. "Come on!"

Shae sprinted toward her wife, Henry hot on her heels. Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched Regina and The Count exchange blow after blow. She started to panic as The Count executed a swift parry, causing Regina to stumble. Regina, however, reacted quickly. She reached out with her left hand, gripped The Count's sword hand tight as it came down on her, and shoved it back. Then, she hefted her own sword, and plunged it straight into his chest.

It was at that moment that Shae and Henry finally reached Regina. They both slowed to a stop, watching as The Count clutched at the gaping wound in his chest. His eyes were wide and filled with fear, and he emitted a feeble cough, blood trickling down his chin. They all watched in silent horror as he slowly fell to his knees, then slumped sideways, falling dead upon the ground.

Regina's sword fell from her hand, and she immediately rushed over to him. "No… No, no, no…" She muttered as she knelt down beside The Count. "Oh god… I'm… I-I'm so sorry."

Shae exchanged a quick glance with Henry, and they both knelt down on either side of Regina. "Regina…" Shae whispered, placing her hand gently on her wife's shoulder.

"Shae! Henry!" Regina cried, horrified tears streaming down her face. "I-I… I just… I didn't… I… I-I don't-"

"Shh… It's ok." Shae muttered as she drew Regina into her arms. "It's ok, Regina. It's over."

Henry gently rubbed his mother's back, his own eyes shining with tears. "It's ok, Mom." He said quietly. "You… Did what you had to do. You didn't have a choice."

"No… That's not quite true."

Regina's quiet sobs suddenly caught in her throat, and she exchanged a wide eyed glance with her wife and son. They all glanced up, all of their hearts dropping into the pit of their stomachs. The Evil Queen was suddenly standing several yards away, grinning deviously at the three of them.

"See, I thought that heroes always found a third way to do things." The Evil Queen went on with a small shrug. "Unless, of course, that means… You're not really a hero."

Regina snarled in fury, pushing herself out of Shae's arms and leaping to her feet. "I'll rip out your goddamn heart!" She shouted.

"Ah, yes, that's the Regina I remember!" The Evil Queen replied, her devious grin growing even wider. "We do like it rough, don't we?"

"You didn't want The Count to kill Snow and David, did you?" Regina whispered, her eyes wide with a sudden realization. "You wanted me to kill him!"

"Well, of course!" Cried The Evil Queen, throwing her arms up in the air. "It was the only way to show you that, no matter what you do, the darkness will always be inside." She paused to emit a low, dangerous laugh. "And that tiny bit of darkness that I awakened today, will only grow, and grow, and grow…"

The Evil Queen laughed once again, loudly this time, spreading her arms wide. "Regina…" Shae whispered, placing a trembling hand on her wife's shoulder. "Don't listen to her."

"Shae!" The Evil Queen suddenly exclaimed, grinning even more wickedly than before. "My darling, my love! It's so good to see you again."

"'Again?'" Regina echoed, turning her wide, furious eyes onto her wife. "Shae… What is she talking about?"

Shae opened her mouth to respond, but The Evil Queen did it for her. "Oh, Shae knew that I was back, but she didn't tell you, all because I told her not to. It seems, even after all this time, she still takes orders from her Queen."

"Regina… Listen, I-" Shae began to say.

"Quiet, Shae." Regina spat, raising her hand in front of Shae's face. "I'll deal with you later."

Shae once again opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it again. Instead, she took a small, timid step back. She shifted her eyes between her wife and The Evil Queen, not at all sure of what to do, what to say.

"Stop it!" Henry suddenly shouted, taking an angry step forward. "You won't tear this family apart! Regina defeated you once, and she'll do it again!"

"Oh, don't you worry, Henry." The Evil Queen replied, smiling sweetly at the boy. "I won't be the one tearing anything or anyone apart. Not this time. I'm simply going to sit back, relax, and watch as they do it all by themselves."

The Evil Queen then barked out another loud, mocking laugh. Unable to stand it anymore, Shae emitted a frustrated, angry growl. "Regina, get Henry, Snow, and David somewhere safe." She muttered to her wife as she stared daggers at The Evil Queen. "I'll take care of her."

"What?" Regina exclaimed. "Shae, no, you can't! You-"

Shae quickly turned to Regina, tightly gripping both her shoulders. "Regina, please… Let me do this." She pleaded, staring desperately into her wife's eyes. "I can explain everything to you later, but, for now, just… Let me make up for what I did. Please."

Regina hesitated in silence for a moment, staring back into her wife's intense, piercing blue eyes. She then breathed out a relenting sigh, and nodded. She placed a quick kiss on Shae's lips, then took her son by the arm, and rushed over to Snow and David. Regina glanced one more time into Shae's eyes, who nodded at her. Then, she waved her hand in the air, and they all disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

"Oh, excellent!" The Evil Queen said with another grin as Shae turned around to face her. "Just the two of us. Just how I like it."

"Shut up!" Shae snarled, pointing the tip of her sword at The Evil Queen. "I'm done with this, done with you. I'll destroy you my goddamn self."

The Evil Queen emitted a deep, sultry chuckle. "Mmm… I love it when you talk dirty to me."

Shae's piercing blue eyes flashed with rage, and she bellowed out a furious war cry as she charged forward, sword in the air. Just before Shae was upon her, The Evil Queen summoned a sword of her own into her hand with a puff of purple smoke. Quick as a flash, she brought it up just in time to block Shae's blow.

Shae snarled once again as their swords clashed together. She shoved The Evil Queen back, then swung again, only to have her sword glance off The Evil Queen's. She swung again and again, and The Evil Queen blocked and parried with swift and expert precision.

Shae suddenly realized that this fight was going to be much harder than she had anticipated. She wasn't nearly as strong and fast as she used to be. Above all, she had been the one to train her Queen in the art of sword play herself, and that had been when she was a vampire.

"Yes, that's it." Sneered The Evil Queen, grinning into Shae's eyes as their swords clashed together once more. "Harder, baby, harder!"

Shae shoved her back once again. "Stop flirting with me!" She bellowed.

The Evil Queen emitted a loud, mocking laugh. "Why? Is it distracting? Is it dredging up some old feelings, perhaps?"

With another furious war cry, Shae's sword cut through the air. The Evil Queen executed a swift parry, and Shae stumbled back. She cried out in pain as The Evil Queen's sword cut across her bicep. She clamped her hand over the wound, her chest heaving with exertion.

"Careful, darling." The Evil Queen said, still grinning from ear to ear. "You're not quite as strong as you used to be."

"I'm plenty strong enough to beat you." Shae growled in reply.

The Evil Queen laughed loudly once again. "Are you sure about that? Why, I'm barely even trying!"

"Then try, dammit!" Shae roared.

The wide, wicked grin stretching across The Evil Queen's lips slowly faded, turning into a fierce snarl. "Fine, then." She growled.

Shae immediately regretted her words as The Evil Queen took to the offensive. Her sword cut through the air with deft precision, and Shae staggered back, raising her own sword as fast as she could to block each of the blows. To her dismay, she was quickly overcome, and her sword was knocked from her hand. She attempted to leap back as The Evil Queen continued her assault, but was just a moment too slow. She howled in pain as her flesh was pierced once again, The Evil Queen's sword cutting a deep gash across her torso.

Shae dropped to her knees, coughing and sputtering, her chest heaving. She grunted as The Evil Queen's fist struck her in the cheek, and she fell back onto the wooden planks beneath her. Then, The Evil Queen raised her sword once more, and plunged it straight into Shae's thigh. Shae screamed.

"There! Are you happy now?" The Evil Queen shouted over Shae's screams and howls of pain. "I told you I didn't want to hurt you, but you forced my hand!"

Shae didn't respond. She simply sat on the ground, groaning as she clutched at the sword buried in her leg. "You stubborn, foolish, idiotic…" The Evil Queen snarled.

The Evil Queen turned her back on Shae for a moment, continuing to mutter furiously to herself. "Why?" She exclaimed as she spun back around. "Why, Shae? Why are you doing this? Why are you fighting me? I'm the one you fell in love with, remember? I'm the one that truly understands you, the one who accepts you for who you are, darkness and all!"

"SHUT UP!" Shae shrieked, tears of pain and frustration streaming down her face. "That… T-That part of my life… It's done now. I… I've changed."

The Evil Queen breathed out a low, bitter laugh, slowly shaking her head. "Yes, that's apparently true." She grumbled. "Regina, Emma, The Charmings, they've ruined you. They've turned you into the weak, snivelling, crumpled shell that I see before me. Honestly, it's embarrassing to even look at you now."

Shae's pained, tear stained face suddenly contorted with rage. "Fuck… YOU!"

She threw out her hand, sending The Evil Queen hurtling backward with a powerful gust of wind. While The Evil Queen staggered back up to her feet several yards away, Shae wrenched the sword from her leg with a painful grunt. She then pushed herself back up onto her feet, her whole body trembling with fury, a deep, vengeful fury that she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

"So that's how it's going to be, is it?" The Evil Queen snarled, summoning a fireball into her hand.

"You're damn right, it is." Shae snarled back.

The Evil Queen launched her fireball at Shae, who threw out her hand again. This time, a jet stream of water shot forth from her hand, extinguishing the fireball mid air. The Evil Queen growled furiously, tossing another fireball. Shae countered by shooting more water from her hands, then again on the next fireball, and again, and again.

Having had enough, The Evil Queen bellowed out in rage, her clenched fists crackling with a deep, glowing red light. She shoved her hands forward, sending a beam of pure dark magic straight at Shae's chest. Shae threw both of her hands out this time, sending a stream of flames forward to meet The Evil Queen's spell.

Their magics clashed violently together, and the two women both bellowed out in rage, pushing furiously against each other. For a moment, it seemed that they were both evenly matched. But then, Shae started to falter, her strength waning as more and more of her blood spilled out onto the docks from her various wounds. Once again, she was quickly overcome, and was sent hurtling backwards as The Evil Queen's dark magic struck her right in the chest.

Shae hit the ground hard, her whole body screaming in pain. She coughed and sputtered, gasping for breath, the world spinning wildly around her. Suddenly, her vision focused on a dark figure looming over her.

"You see, Shae. You're weak." The Evil Queen sneered. "But, with me, you could be strong again. You can't win against the darkness, and neither can Regina. Can't you see that you're better off being with someone who loves you and accepts you for who you truly are?"

As Shae lie there, at the mercy of The Evil Queen, something that Loki had said to her suddenly popped into her mind. Consider the elements, if you will. Consider a hurricane, a tidal wave, an earthquake, a wildfire. What are the elements in their most powerful forms, if not-

"Chaos… " Shae whispered out loud.

"What?" Asked The Evil Queen, brow furrowed in confusion.

Shae ignored her, then turned her head to the side, staring out at the ocean that bordered Storybrooke. She raised a trembling hand toward the waters, focusing with all her might. The Evil Queen watched her in curious silence for a moment, then emitted another one of her mocking laughs.

"Oh, Shae." She muttered, slowly shaking her head. "Just what exactly do you think you're doing, hm?"

Shae grinned weakly as she watched her tidal wave approaching the shore. "Sowing chaos…" She whispered.

Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over the Storybrooke docks. The Evil Queen turned toward the source, and barely had time to gasp as the towering wave came crashing down upon her. Unfortunately, neither did Shae.

One moment, Shae was grinning up at her foe, and the next, she was swept out into the sea. Her world was engulfed in sheer chaos as the force of her wave sent her tumbling head over feet through the water. She was buffeted by wooden debris on all sides, and she struggled desperately as she continued to be dragged down into the depths. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide as she watched a thick wooden post hurtling toward her through the water. She grunted as it hit her in the face, then everything went black.

XX

Shae had no idea how much time had passed as she slowly woke. All she knew was that she was lying on her back on something solid, and that everything hurt. She slowly blinked her eyes open, and immediately shut them again as the afternoon sun nearly blinded her. She groaned as she forced herself to roll onto her stomach. She opened her eyes again, and found herself staring at sand.

She turned her head to one side, and saw the ruined remains of what used to be the docks, now in pieces due to her tidal wave. She turned her head to the other side, and her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. The Evil Queen was lying on the beach a few yards away from her, coughing sea water up onto the sand.

With another painful groan, Shae forced herself up onto her feet. Her whole body screamed in pain as she dragged herself forward, her chest heaving with exertion. She spotted her fallen sword buried in the sand nearby, and quickly scooped it up in her trembling hand. The Evil Queen was met with the tip of Shae's sword at her throat as she finally managed to roll herself over onto her back.

"I win." Shae whispered.

There was a moment of silence as The Evil Queen stared up at Shae, her eyes wide with shock. Then, slowly, she started to laugh. "Do it, then." She whispered back as she continued laughing in a hysterical sort of way. "Go on. Kill me."

Shae hesitated, the sword in her hand quivering at her enemy's throat. Suddenly, The Evil Queen's laughter faded away. Her lips then curled into a furious snarl, and she reached out a hand, gripping Shae's arm tight.

"Do it!" She snarled, pulling Shae's arm forward so that the tip of her sword pressed even harder into her throat. "What are you waiting for? DO IT!"

A small trail of blood trickled down The Evil Queen's neck, and Shae watched it in silence. She then shifted her eyes onto The Evil Queen's. They were the same shade of brown as her wife's. Shae simply stared down at the woman lying at the end of her sword, the woman that she once knew, the woman that she once loved. She then took a step back.

"Go…" She muttered.

The Evil Queen's eyes grew wide with shock, and she remained on the ground for a moment, staring up at Shae. "What?" She whispered.

"You heard me." Shae growled, gesturing with her sword for The Evil Queen to get up. "Go. Get out of here."

For a moment, The Evil Queen remained where she was. Then, slowly, warily, she got up onto her feet. "You're… Letting me go?" She asked, furrowing her brow at Shae. "Why?"

"What the hell does it matter?" Spat Shae. "Just… Just go!"

There was another moment of silence as The Evil Queen continued to stare at Shae, who stood with her sword still raised, refusing to meet her gaze. "Oh, I see…" The Evil Queen muttered, emitting a small, quiet chuckle. "Even after all this time, you still don't have it in you to kill me, do you?"

Shae emitted a weak chuckle of her own. "No." She replied, slowly shaking her head. "I never did. And, I… Don't think I ever will."

The Evil Queen laughed again, more loudly this time. "You're making a mistake, you know. Letting me go like this."

Shae laughed too as she nodded her head. "I know." She quietly agreed. "I know."

For a moment, The Evil Queen simply considered Shae, looking her up and down as Shae swayed on her feet. Then, she slowly stepped up to her, and placed a light, gentle kiss on her cheek. Shae closed her eyes as she did, opening them again as she felt a slight gust of wind. The Evil Queen was gone, leaving behind small wisps of purple smoke in her wake.

Shae breathed out a heavy, shaky sigh, letting the sword slip from her hand. She slowly turned herself around, and started back toward the ruined docks. She only made it a few steps before her injured leg gave out, and she fell face first into the sand. She groaned as she rolled herself onto her back, deciding to just lie there and wait until she was found. She just hoped she didn't bleed out before she was.

Sure enough, only a few moments passed by before Shae started to hear voices. "Holy shit…" Came a voice that sounded like Emma. "What the hell happened here?"

"Oh my god…" Came Regina's voice. "Oh no… Shae? SHAE!"

"Here!" Shae called out in the loudest voice she could muster, weakly raising an arm. "Over here."

She next heard the sound of rushing footsteps, and her wife's panicked face suddenly appeared before her eyes. "Oh my god…" Regina said again. "Shae… Are you alright?"

Shae emitted a feeble cough before responding. "Fine." She muttered. "Just, you know… Laying out, working on my tan."

She started to laugh, which turned into another fit of coughs, and she tasted the iron tang of blood in her mouth. "Jesus Christ, Shae…" Emma mumbled from her other side. "Just… Hold still."

Shae obliged, which wasn't really difficult in her current condition. As Emma held her hands out over her, she felt a familiar warmth spread throughout her entire body. Seconds later, all the pain was gone, and she was finally able to breathe normally.

"Thanks." She said as Regina helped her to sit up. "That's much better."

Shae gave her wife a small, sheepish smile, which quickly faded when she saw the fury in her eyes. Regina then raised her hand, and, to both Shae and Emma's surprise, slapped Shae across the face. It was particularly hard, but just hard enough that it stung a bit.

"That's for not telling me about The Evil Queen!" Regina growled, pointing an angry finger in her wife's face. Then, she placed a hand on the cheek she had just struck, and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on Shae's lips. "And that's because I love you, and I'm glad that you're ok."

Shae chuckled softly as Regina drew her into her arms, hugging her tight. "Shae, you're just… You're insane, going up against The Evil Queen all by yourself!" Emma exclaimed as she got to her feet. "Why the hell didn't you tell anyone that she was alive? And that she was here?"

Shae sighed heavily as Regina released her. "She… Had Jack Sparrow's compass." She slowly explained. "And she would only give it to me if I swore not to tell anyone about her. I was… Afraid, of what Jack and his crew would do if they didn't get what they wanted. And, I… I didn't want to hurt them. I didn't want to… Have to kill them."

Regina exchanged a quick glance with Emma, then turned back to Shae. "I… Understand." She replied, breathing out a heavy sigh of her own. "Besides, what's done is done. Now, I guess, we need to… Find a way to defeat her. For good, this time."

"Right." Emma agreed with a nod. "We just need to figure out what exactly it is that she wants."

"Well, I can tell you one thing she wants." Shae replied with a slight chuckle. "Me."

"What?" Asked Regina, furrowing her brow at her wife.

"Well, she's, you know… You. In a way." Shae explained with a small shrug. "She, uh… She's… I mean-"

"She's in love with you." Regina whispered, her eyes growing wide with realization.

"It makes sense." Said Emma, with a shrug of her own. "I'm guessing she wants to win you over to her side somehow."

Shae nodded solemnly in agreement. "It won't happen, obviously, but… Yeah."

Silence fell over the group as they all contemplated this new threat, on top of the threat of Mr. Hyde that they were already dealing with. Shae furrowed her brow as something else Loki had told her crossed her mind. There are greater things afoot than Mr. Hyde. Good cannot exist without evil. If there were no darkness, there would be no light.

"Let's just, uh… Get you out of here." Emma broke the silence as she held out her hand to Shae. "We should put some protections in place to keep you safe from The Evil Queen. Henry too."

Shae nodded, and took Emma's hand, who helped pull her to her feet. The three of them then started heading back toward town. They all walked in silence for a time, all wrapped up in their own thoughts and worries. Shae was lurched out of her own as Regina suddenly stopped walking, and tugged at her hand.

"Listen… I was… Really scared for you." Regina muttered, placing her hands on her wife's shoulders, staring deep into her ice blue eyes. "Just… No more secrets, ok?"

Shae nodded once again. "No more secrets." She agreed with a smile.

Regina nodded back, then wrapped her arms around Shae's neck, placing a deep, grateful kiss on her lips. Shae held her tight, her mind spinning with everything that had just happened, with all the secrets that she still continued to keep. She knew that now was not the time. She also knew that the right time was likely never to come. She needed to tell her wife everything, and soon.

Above all else, the dream that she had the night before kept replaying itself in Shae's mind. It was the one where she stood beside The Evil Queen. They were both smiling, laughing, as they watched Storybrooke burn to ash.

Then, there was the dream with the figure under the hood, the one that she fought and was about to kill. That one in particular haunted her the most. Who was under the hood? Was it Emma? Was it The Evil Queen? Was it someone else entirely that would wreak even more havoc in Storybrooke? She had no answers. All she knew was, just like her wife, she was starting to miss Paris.

XX

The next day, Shae returned to her work at The Mayor's Office, inputting the dozens and dozens of files her wife kept into the computer. Meanwhile, Regina had accompanied Dr. Jekyll back to the wreckage of the dirigible, along with Snow and David. Once he was told of The Evil Queen's return, Jekyll hoped to find some way to figure out why exactly it was that she was still alive, and how to defeat her and Hyde once and for all. Specifically, he hoped to re-create his serum, and study its properties at length. He and the others hoped that something in the dirigible's wreckage would help him in his task.

Once again, around noon, Shae's eyes started to grow tired, and her stomach started to rumble. She sat in her chair for a while, frowning down into her lap. Emma had placed a protection spell around The Mayor's Office, in attempt to keep Shae safe from The Evil Queen. What The Savior hadn't thought about, was Shae's new need for nourishment. She decided that she could risk a quick trip down the street to Granny's for lunch, and quickly headed out.

After a hasty meal, Shae left some money on the counter, and started toward the door. Once again, she noticed a fairy sitting in the corner booth. It was a different woman this time, but still seemed to be watching Shae in the same way as her counterpart. She peered over the top of the newspaper, then quickly raised it when she spotted Shae staring at her. Shae frowned with her hand on the door handle of the diner for a moment, then stepped outside.

Just like the day before, she barely made it a block away from the diner before someone came rushing up to her. This time, it was a young girl, likely about six or seven. She had olive toned skin, and long, black hair that stretched down her back. She was wearing a bright red dress that had large, white flowers painted on it.

"Hi there!" She said in greeting as she hurried up to Shae. She was carrying a small, white, cardboard box. "Would you like to buy some chocolate bars? I'm selling them to raise money for my school. My teacher says that if we sell enough, we can have a pizza party!"

"A pizza party?" Shae exclaimed, spreading her arms wide. "That's the best kind of party!"

"Yeah!" The girl agreed excitedly. "My name's Lilo. What's your name?"

Shae laughed in shocked and pleasant surprise, then got down to one knee, to better speak to the girl. "Lilo… It's very nice to meet you." She said with a smile. "Where's Stitch?"

"Oh, he's in my backpack. He-" Lilo started to say, pointing her thumb behind her at the bag strapped to her back. She then stopped short, narrowing her eyes at Shae. "Wait a minute… How'd you know about Stitch?"

Shae's eyes grew wide, and she bit her lip, thinking quickly about how exactly to respond. "I, um… I'm… You know… Psychic."

Lilo's own eyes grew wide as well. "Woah…" She whispered, looking Shae up and down in wonder. "So, can you, like… See my future?"

"Yes! I can! Of course I can!" Shae replied, laughing nervously. She then cleared her throat, placing her palm against her forehead and closing her eyes. She paused for dramatic affect, quietly mumbling nonsense words to herself for a moment. "Ah! Yes! I see that you, Lilo… Will sell your entire box of chocolate today!"

"Really?" Lilo asked with an excited grin.

"Really." Shae replied, grinning back. "Because I'm going to buy it."

Shae then reached into her pocket, and produced a one-hundred dollar bill. "Woah…" Lilo whispered again as she took it, staring at it with wide, wonder filled eyes. "Thanks! Um, uh…"

"Shae." Said Shae.

"Thanks, Shae!" Lilo replied with a smile. She then frowned as she stared at the bill clutched in her hands. "Er… Um… I'll have to wait till I see my sister to give you your change. I'm not very good at math."

"It's ok, neither am I. Math is hard." Shae said with a quiet chuckle. "Tell you what… Why don't you just keep the change? Use it to… Buy yourself something nice."

"Really?" Lilo exclaimed, to which Shae nodded. "Awesome! I'm gonna buy so much candy!"

Shae laughed some more as Lilo handed over her box of chocolate bars, then stood up. "Thanks, Shae!" Said Lilo, beaming up at her. "I can't wait to tell Nani! She's gonna be so proud that I sold all my chocolate!"

Lilo then rushed off down the sidewalk, giving Shae a wave goodbye as she did. "I hope you get your pizza party!" Shae called after her.

After Lilo had turned a corner and was lost from sight, Shae reached into her newly purchased box of chocolate, examining them as she headed back toward The Mayor's Office. There was a small assortment of different kinds, and Shae chose one, munching on it happily as she walked down the sidewalk. She was only halfway done with it when a strange sight forced her to stop in her tracks, and stop chewing.

It was a young woman named Ashley, formerly known as Cinderella. She was rushing down the sidewalk on the other side of the street from Shae, and in the opposite direction. Shae had seen her out and about before, usually accompanied by her husband and their baby. This time, however, Ashley was alone, and armed with a rifle.

Shae glanced up and down the street for a moment, but, apparently, no one else had seemed to notice the former princess openly carrying a gun. "Oh, come on!" Shae said out loud in an exasperated tone. "This can't be on me!"

She remained where she stood for a quick moment, hesitating in silence. Part of her simply wanted to keep walking, and ignore whatever trouble Ashely seemed to be in, or was about to start. She then groaned loudly, turned on her heel, and hurried off after her.

"Should have fucking stayed in Paris." She grumbled to herself as she stomped across the street. "Even found a nice little vineyard for sale just outside the city. But, no, she said. We have to go home, she said. Stupid goddamn town… Always full of some bullshit…"

Shae continued muttering angrily to herself as she followed Ashley around the corner of a building, and down a narrow alley. Suddenly, she jerked to a stop, the box of chocolate spilling out onto the ground as she threw her hands in the air. Ashley had stopped just around the corner, and was pointing her rifle right at Shae's chest.

"You…" Ashley snarled, narrowing her eyes at Shae. "I know you… What do you want? Why are you following me?"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Shae exclaimed, keeping her hands raised in surrender. "Easy, now… I… I-I just want to help!"

Ashley barked out a loud, skeptical laugh. "Help? You? You don't help anyone except yourself, and The Evil Queen." She growled, her eyes wide, her hands trembling around her gun. "I heard she's back. You're working with her again, aren't you?"

"No! I'm not, I swear!" Shae replied, taking a careful step forward. "Listen, I'm just trying to-"

"STOP!" Ashley shouted, raising the rifle even higher. "Stop or I'll shoot! What the hell do you want from me? Why are you following me?"

"Because you're carrying around a gun in broad daylight!" Shae shouted back, growing more desperate and frustrated by the moment. "Look, I don't know what's going on. But, whatever it is, I can help. I just want to help you. That's all."

Shae was met with silence as Ashley simply stared at her for a moment, the rifle still trembling in her hands. "No…" Ashley suddenly whispered, slowly shaking her head. "You're lying. This is some kind of trick. The Evil Queen, she doesn't want me to find my sister, does she? You're both working with my bitch of a stepmother, aren't you?"

"What? No!" Shae exclaimed, taking another slow, careful step forward. "Ashley, just listen, I-"

"STOP!" Ashley shouted once again. "I said, stay back!"

"Ashley, just… Calm down, ok?" Shae continued as she took another step toward the frightened young woman. "I can help, really, I-"

The rest of Shae's words were cut off as the rifle suddenly went off in Ashley's hands. The blast cut through the afternoon air like a sharp knife, echoing off the brick walls of the buildings lining the alleyway. Shae suddenly felt a stinging pain in her chest, and she glanced down. Blood was starting to soak through her shirt, right over her heart.

Ashley's eyes grew wide, and she looked just as shocked as Shae was. She immediately bolted, turning on her heel and sprinting off down the alley. Shae opened her mouth to call after her, but no sound was able to come out. She sank slowly down onto her knees, clutching at the aching, stabbing wound in her chest. The edges of her vision were starting to turn black, and it was hard to breathe.

Shae collapsed sideways onto the ground. She saw the hazy image of two people who had turned the corner to investigate the noise. Shae reached a trembling arm out to them, but was unable to speak, unable to breathe. Then, just like Ashley, the two strangers turned and ran. Even in her fading, dying state, Shae could tell that they weren't running to get help. They were running scared, scared of her.

As she lie bleeding out onto the cold, hard ground, Shae started to laugh. She couldn't believe this was the way she was going to die, again, at the hands of a princess whose most interesting anecdote was losing a shoe one time. Suddenly, the laughter caught in her throat. She felt her wounded heart stop, then everything went black.

XX

Shae opened her eyes what felt like mere seconds later, drawing in a deep, rattling gasp. She sat forward, her chest heaving as she gulped down lungfuls of air. She blinked furiously through blurry vision, and saw the alleyway she had been standing in just moments ago. She then glanced down at her chest, slowly peeling back her coat. Her chest, as well as the entire side of her torso, was soaked in blood.

Suddenly, a strange sound caused her to glance up. She blinked her eyes some more, and saw the hazy form of a person looming over her. When her eyes focused, she realized that it was a woman, dressed in a nun's garments. It was the same woman from the diner, the same fairy. Shae tried to call out to her, but all that came out was a feeble cough. Before she could do anything else, the fairy turned tail and ran.

She quickly shook off the strange encounter, and groaned as she attempted to push herself up onto her feet. The sharp, burning, stinging pain in her chest made it hard to breathe, and she quickly collapsed back down. Then, she squeezed her eyes shut, and thought of home. Next, she was swept up in a gust of swirling wind, and felt that familiar sense of her body being lifted into the air. The wild spinning threatened to make her pass out again, but it finally stopped, and she found herself crumpled on the floor of her and Regina's kitchen.

Shae lie there on the cold tile floor for a long time, her chest heaving with thick, rattling breaths. She knew that she needed help, that she needed healing. For a moment, she had no idea what to do, who to call. How was she supposed to explain to Regina or Emma that she had been shot in the heart, but was somehow still alive? Her next thought was of Loki, who had said that she could call upon her when needed.

"Loki!" She called out, groaning as simply speaking sent shooting pains through her chest. "Loki! Please, I… I-I need your help!"

She waited for a while, lying crumpled up on the kitchen floor, her chest burning with every breath. Loki didn't seem to be coming. The next person she thought of that could help her, that could heal her, was her fairy godmother.

"Tink…" She rasped. She coughed and sputtered, the taste of blood forming in her mouth as she attempted to find her voice. "Tink… Tinkerbell! TINK!"

Shae continued to lie on the floor for a while, waiting, hoping. Then, with a painful groan, she managed to push herself up into a sitting position. She leaned her back against the wooden cabinets underneath the kitchen sink, coughing up blood as she did. She could feel it dribbling down her chin, and she clutched at the gaping wound over her heart. Her hand was immediately covered in blood.

Suddenly, Shae heard a strange whooshing sound, and watched with wide eyes as a ball of bright green light floated into her field of vision. The light wavered in the air for a moment, jerking unsteadily from side to side. Then, it shot straight toward Shae, who cried out in pain. Suddenly, a fully formed Tinkerbell was lying in her lap, and had careened wildly straight into her chest.

As Shae groaned in pain, Tink quickly scrambled up onto her feet. Her eyes grew wide as she stared down at Shae. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed, immediately dropping down onto her knees. "Shae! Shae, are you alright?"

"No!" Shae rasped, coughing up another wad of blood and spitting it out onto the floor beside her. "Please, can… C-Can you…"

Tink swiftly nodded her head. She then pulled out her wand, and began to wave it up and down Shae's body. But nothing happened. Tink emitted a sigh of frustration, then waved her wand again. Still, it had no affect.

"Dammit!" Tink snarled, quickly beginning to panic. "Oh god… Shae… Shae, I'm so sorry. I.. I-I just… I can't… I-"

Shae reached out, and gripped Tinkerbell by her shoulders. "Tink… Hey… Look at me." She muttered. When the fairy's eyes met her own, she smiled in the most comforting way that she could muster. "It's ok… I'm ok. Just… Relax, alright? You can do this. You've got this."

Tink bit her lip, hesitating in silence for a moment as she stared into Shae's eyes. Then, she nodded once more. She drew in a slow, deep, soothing breath, to which Shae nodded in encouragement. Tink then took another breath, let it out slowly, then did it again. Then, she closed her eyes, and slowly waved her wand over Shae's body.

Almost immediately, Shae's body began to glow with a soft, green light. She slowly felt the pain beginning to subside, and, after a few moments, she was finally able to breathe easily again. She placed her hand over the wound over her chest, and felt nothing but smooth skin. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank god." She whispered, giving her fairy godmother a weak but grateful smile. "Thanks, Tink."

Tink sighed in relief herself, and slumped backwards, sitting down on the kitchen floor in front of Shae. "Y-You're… You're welcome." She stammered shakily in reply. "But, Shae… What the hell happened to you?"

"Oh, you know. I got shot by Cinderella." Shae said with a nervous laugh.

Tink's eyes grew wide with shock. "Cinderella? You mean… Ashley?" When Shae nodded, her eyes somehow grew even wider. "Wait… What? Why? How? Just… What?"

"I don't think she meant to. She didn't look like she even knew how to use that gun properly." Shae replied with a small shrug. When Tink continued to stare at her in alarm, Shae quickly explained. "I was just trying to help, Tink. I saw her running down the street with a rifle and I figured something was wrong. But, when she saw me following her, she was… Scared. She knew who I was and assumed that I was working with The Evil Queen again, and that I was there to hurt her."

Tink nodded solemnly, and remained silent for a moment as she processed what Shae had just told her. "I see." She finally spoke. "I'm… Sorry, Shae. But, look, I have to ask… It looked like you got shot in the heart. How did you not, you know… Die instantly?"

Shae bit her lip, hesitating for a moment as she thought carefully about how to respond. "Well, um… I think I kind of… Did." She slowly replied. "But I… Came back."

Tink's eyes grew even wider than ever. "What?" She whispered.

Shae sighed, then pushed herself up onto her feet. "Come on. Come sit down." She said, holding her hand out to Tink. "There's, uh… Some stuff I need to tell you."

Once they both got up off the floor, and were seated much more comfortably in the living room, Shae told her fairy godmother… Everything. She started with everything that Regina knew about her journey back from The Underworld, and about Lilith. Then, she told her the real truth, that Lilith was actually the god Loki. She proceeded to tell her everything else, about Mjolnir, and about being descended from the gods themselves.

It took a while, for Tink had many questions, which Shae answered to the best of her ability. Before either of them knew it, a whole hour had gone by. Shae didn't care. It felt good to finally tell someone the truth, even if it wasn't the one person who deserved to know most. When Shae was done with her tale, they both came to the conclusion that it was likely due to her divine blood that Shae seemed to have come back from the dead.

"Wow…" Tink whispered, breathing out a small laugh. "That is… A lot. And I'm… The only one that knows?"

"Yes, and you have to promise not to tell Regina." Shae answered in a rush. "Please, Tink. She needs to hear it from me."

Tinkerbell didn't respond right away. She folded her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes irritably at Shae. "Fine." She grumbled. "But you need to tell her, Shae. She's your wife, for heaven's sake! She deserves to know the truth!"

"Yes, I wholeheartedly agree!"

Both Shae and Tink leapt up from the couch in alarm and the sound of the sudden voice from behind them. Shae immediately whirled around, and found Loki standing behind the couch, grinning from ear to ear at her. Tink had stumbled and fallen, and when she finally righted herself, her eyes grew wide, and she quickly drew her wand.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Shae exclaimed, reaching out and firmly grasping Tink's hand. "It's ok. Tinkerbell, this is… Loki. Loki, Tinkerbell."

"Pleasure to meet you, Tinkerbell." Loki said, flashing Tink a dazzling, white toothed smile.

Tink simply stared wide eyed at Loki for a moment, her jaw dangling open in silent awe and wonder. Then, she cleared her throat, and bent forward, bending her knees as well. It was some sort of awkward move between a bow and a curtsy.

"What are you doing?" Shae asked her, brow furrowed.

"Oh, I don't know!" Tink exclaimed, straightening herself up again and throwing her arms up in the air. "She's a god! I thought I should, I dunno… Bow or… O-Or curtsy, or… Something!"

Loki emitted a loud, amused laugh. "Oh, bless your little fairy heart! I quite like this one!" She said, grinning at Shae. She then cleared her throat, and turned her eyes back onto Tink. "That being said, darling… I think it might be best if you… Toddle off, so Shae and I can speak in private."

Tink swallowed hard, still staring wide eyed at Loki as she swiftly nodded her head. She then glanced at Shae, giving her an anxious smile as she gently squeezed her hand. She repeated her strange curtsy bow toward Loki, who simply nodded in reply, and gestured toward the door. Tink nodded some more, turned on her heel, and promptly raced out.

"Oh, come on! That wasn't very nice." Shae said to Loki, frowning at her as the front door swung shut behind her fairy godmother. "She probably had a million questions for you!"

"Yes, as do you, as does everyone else!" Loki replied, dramatically rolling her eyes. "I simply haven't the time, nor the patience."

With a great, exasperated huff, Loki stepped around from behind the couch, and sat herself down upon it. "Now, then." She said, glancing pointedly at Shae. "You called?"

"Yeah, like… An hour ago!" Shae exclaimed in reply.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I've been a bit busy living my new life to the fullest!" Loki replied indignantly, rolling her eyes once again. "We need to make this quick, by the way. I was right in the middle of the most wonderful hot stone massage from a beautiful man named Longinus."

Shae blinked several times in surprise. Loki's response certainly explained her current garb. When last she saw her, Loki had been wearing the same old, dirty, tattered robes from the cave in Niflheim. Now, however, she was dressed only in a white cotton robe, which she had left mostly open, barely covering her bare breasts. Shae had to force herself to stop from staring at her cleavage.

"Right… Ok." Shae mumbled. She quickly sat down in the armchair across from the couch, and cleared her throat. "So… Earlier, I-"

"Yes, yes. You got shot in the heart, should have died, but you didn't." Loki interjected, waving her hand dismissively. "And, now, you're wondering how and why. Yes?"

Shae blinked several times once again, then quickly shook her head. "Wait… You… You knew?"

"Well, yes, of course!" Loki replied, as if it should have been obvious. "I'm a god, darling! I know many, many things."

Shae leaned back in her seat, breathing out a small chuckle. "Ok, so… What, am I… Immortal again or something?"

"Mmm… Yes, and no."

Shae raised an eyebrow at the god sitting in front of her, the god whose blood apparently coursed through her veins. "What the hell does that mean?"

Loki breathed out a long, heavy sigh, slowly rubbing her forehead. "Let's see… How do I put this?" She muttered, more to herself than Shae. "You can die, yes, but… Not by any usual means. You can be harmed, and you can bleed, obviously. But you will not die from wounds such as that of bullets, or swords, knives, axes, what have you. You can die, Shae. But, now that I have activated your Elder Blood, it is much, much harder to make it happen."

"Wait… Activated?" Asked Shae. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Well, simply put… By having yours truly inside yourself for a brief amount of time, the divine power within you was… Awoken." Loki explained with a small shrug. "It's why I had to cure you of your vampirism in the first place. Neither you nor Remus could very well achieve your destinies while your blood sat stagnant in your undead bodies, after all."

Shae's eyes suddenly grew wide with shock, and her jaw dropped open. "Wait… Wait a minute…" She muttered, shaking her head some more. "Are you saying that… T-That Remus is descended from the gods too?"

"Why, yes, of course!" Loki replied, grinning widely. "Why do you think he's such an accomplished warrior, even now in his mortal state? His bloodline is not nearly as potent as yours, of course, which is why he can't wield magic. But, if I had to wager a guess, I'd say he and his sister are both loosely descended from Tyr himself. The Warden of War and Justice, as we called him."

Once again, Shae breathed out a quiet chuckle. "I guess… That makes sense." She mumbled. She remained silent for a moment, quietly processing everything Loki had just told her. Then, a sudden thought sprang into her mind. "What about Gold? He's more powerful than he's ever been. Can… He kill me?"

Loki was silent herself for a moment, lips pursed into a thin line as she thought. "Perhaps." She answered after a time. "But, I know the exact moment and the exact manner of your death, Shae. And, before you ask, no, I will not tell you. What I will say is this… Rumplestiltskin, The Dark One… He should not concern you."

"Should he be concerned about me?" Shae asked quietly. "Now that I have Mjolnir… Can I kill him?"

There was more silence as Loki pondered Shae's question. "Perhaps." She said again. "I know that you have sworn vengeance upon him. I also know that you won't deliver on that promise. You can't."

Shae gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes angrily at Loki. "Things can change." She muttered. "Fate can be altered. A wise person once told me that things like prophecies and destiny are never totally absolute."

Loki emitted a soft, quiet chuckle as she leaned back in her seat. "Perhaps…"

Shae scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "I'm starting to understand why the other gods never liked you." She grumbled.

Loki laughed loudly once again. "Well, I'm surprised it took you this long!" She said with an unconcerned shrug. She then got up from the couch. "Now… If that's all, I'll just be on my way."

"No! That's not all!" Shae exclaimed, leaping up to her feet as well. She was growing tired of Loki's vague, unhelpful answers. "What the hell did you mean by achieving my destiny? Is it something to do with the prophecy that Hades mentioned? You know… The one that's now tattooed on my fucking flesh?"

Loki simply shrugged once again. "Perhaps."

"Oh, enough!" Shae spat furiously, pointing an angry finger at Loki. "I'm tired of this bullshit! You need to tell me what you know! NOW!"

There was only silence for a moment as Loki tapped a finger against her chin. "Mmm… No."

Shae's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "No?"

"No." Loki said once again. "If I told you everything, well… Where's the fun in that, hm?"

"Fun?" Shae exclaimed. "Is this all some sort of game to you or something? This is my life we're talking about here! Aren't I supposed to be your champion or whatever?"

Loki breathed out a long, heavy sigh, slowly rubbing her forehead. "Yes, you are, but know this… I am a god, Shae. I have existed for eons." She replied in a low, quiet tone. "You may be born of my blood, you may have an incredible destiny ahead of you. Yet, to me, your life is merely a tiny, miniscule blip in time and space. You could forego your destiny entirely, but, in the end, it would make very little difference to me. What matters is the difference you make in the lives of the people that you love. My end will come no matter what you choose to do, of this I'm certain. I watched my whole world burn once, and I will be more than content to sit back and watch it happen all over again."

There was more silence as Shae simply blinked several times in confusion. "What… I… W-What the hell does all that even mean?"

"It means… This conversation is over." Was all Loki said in answer. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Wait!" Shae cried, reaching out and grabbing Loki's arm. "Stop, dammit! I need some real fucking answers! I-"

The rest of Shae's words were cut off as Loki suddenly reached out her own hand, slapping it against Shae's chest. Shae opened her mouth to question Loki, but found that no sound was able to come out. Once again, she found it hard to breathe, and she was suddenly overcome with a fit of violent coughs. When she pulled her hand away from her mouth, she found that it was covered in blood.

"W-What… What… Is this?" Shae rasped between coughs. She slowly collapsed down onto her knees, suddenly feeling weak, her head spinning. "What… W-What are you-"

"Stage four lung cancer, my dear." Loki explained, casually examining her newly manicured fingernails as Shae dissolved into another fit of coughs. "While I have the power to heal, I also have the power to spread disease. My power is two fold, you see. Our power is two fold."

Shae slumped forward onto the floor, her chest heaving as she gasped desperately for air. "I suppose I will tell you this…" Loki went on as she stood over Shae, arms folded across her chest. "There is a storm coming, Shae. And, as the new Lord of Storms, it will fall on your shoulders to face it. It's true, you can alter destiny, but only to a certain point. What matters is how you choose to face your inevitable fate."

Loki then waved her hand in the air, and Shae suddenly found she was able to breathe again. The coughing had stopped, and she propped herself up onto her elbows. "W-Wait!" She called out, her chest heaving as she gulped down lungfuls of air. "What… H-How… How do I stop The Evil Queen?"

Loki had turned her back on Shae, but then slowly turned back around. "It's funny, isn't it? The way our pasts always seem to keep worming their way back into our lives." She said with a small chuckle. "You can't do anything to stop The Evil Queen. Only Regina can. She is the one who must face the darkness within herself that she chose to untether. She, and only she."

With that, Loki disappeared in a gust of swirling wind. Shae remained where she was for a few moments, her head still reeling from the illness The God of Chaos had inflicted upon her. Then, she rolled herself onto her back, staring up at the ceiling as she uttered a single word.

"Fuck…"

XX

After her brief and unsettling encounter with Loki, Shae decided to remain at home. She immediately changed clothes, throwing her previous, blood soaked outfit in the garbage, and quickly removing it from the house. She lounged on the couch for the rest of the day, staring at the television without really watching, her mind otherwise occupied with everything Loki had told her.

Regina returned home just in time for dinner, which Shae had prepared for the two of them. They chatted about their day as they ate. Regina told Shae that she and Snow had introduced Doctor Jekyll to Doctor Whale, previously known as Doctor Frankenstein. Jekyll was ecstatic, saying that Whale's lab was just the sort of equipment he needed to reproduce his serum. She also told Shae that, in an effort to bring life back to some sort of form of normal, Snow had decided to go back to teaching, which Shae thought was an excellent idea. There was no sign of The Evil Queen, Regina added. Whatever she was up to, she was keeping it well hidden.

Shae, in turn, told her wife about her day, though a slightly edited version. She told Regina about her encounter with Ashley, but that she had been shot in the arm, not the heart, and had been healed by Tinkerbell. She left out her encounter with Loki completely. Now was not the time.

Regina was disturbed by this news, and sad to hear about the way her wife had been treated due to her past. Shae shared in her worries, but assured her that she was alright, and that things would hopefully get better with time. Regina agreed and, after they finished their dinner, they sat down on the couch together while Regina read her book out loud to her wife.

It had started in Paris. The two newlyweds had been relaxing in the bath together, and Regina had brought along a book. Shae quickly got bored, so Regina started to read aloud to her. It quickly became one of their favorite activities. Shae loved hearing a story told in her wife's voice, and Regina enjoyed reading to her. The book Regina had been absorbed in was Thus Spoke Zarathustra, by Friedrich Nietzsche.

"But the worst enemy you can meet will always be yourself; You lie in wait for yourself in caverns and forests. Lonely one, you are going the way to yourself! And your way goes past yourself, and past your seven devils! You will be a heretic to yourself and witch and soothsayer and fool and doubter and unholy one and villain. You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame: how could you become new, if you had not first become ashes?"

Shae had been rubbing her wife's feet as she read, but stopped as Regina suddenly repeated the same paragraph. "Regina… Babe…" Shae interjected quietly. "You already read that part."

Regina frowned down at the book sitting her in lap. "Oh… I did? I-I'm sorry…" She muttered.

"What's going on?" Shae asked as she ran her hands up and down her wife's legs, which were laid across her lap. "And don't tell me it's nothing, I know you better than that. Somethings obviously bothering you."

Regina breathed out a sad, heavy sigh as she closed her book. "Do I seem… Different, to you?" She asked her wife.

Shae furrowed her brow in confusion. "Different, how?"

"I… Don't really know." Regina replied with a small shrug. "I thought that without The Evil Queen inside me, I'd feel… Different. Better. Or… Something."

"Do you?" Asked Shae.

Regina sighed once again, and slowly shook her head. "No… I don't think so." She muttered, frowning some more. "I still feel… The same. I just wonder what exactly that means, especially now that I know I failed to destroy her."

Shae was silent for a time, her lips pursed into a thin line as she thought. "I… Don't really know either." She said, shrugging herself. "All I know is… I'm glad you're not different. I love you just the way you are."

Regina laughed as Shae gave her one of her cheeky, quirky grins that she loved so much. "Can I get that in writing?"

"You already do." Shae replied, leaning forward and drawing her wife into her arms. "It's called our marriage license."

Regina laughed some more, breathing out a sigh of contentment as Shae pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. The two of them sat there for a few long moments, wrapped up in each other, slowly and gently enjoying each other's lips.

"I love you." Regina whispered, pressing her forehead against Shae's as she softly caressed her cheek. "Just the way you are."

"I love you too." Shae whispered back with a smile. "Forever and always."

Regina nodded in agreement. "Forever and always." She said, kissing her wife once more. "I think I'm ready for bed. It's been a long day. Are you coming?"

"Yeah, just, uh… Give me a minute." Shae replied. "I'll be right up."

Regina nodded once again, and pressed another quick kiss on Shae's lips. She then got up from the couch, and headed upstairs toward the bedroom. Shae watched her go, staring with a wide grin on her face as she ogled at her wife's backside.

As soon as Regina was gone, Shae leapt up from the couch herself. She rushed down into the basement, throwing open the doors of the cabinet that held her old, black leather armor, as well as Mjolnir. She reached inside, and fumbled around in the pile of blankets. She breathed out a sigh of relief as her hand made contact with the wooden handle of Thor's hammer. She drew it out for a moment, giving it a quick once over. She could feel the power emanating out from it. Then, she placed it carefully back inside the bundle of blankets, and went back upstairs.

Shae was about to follow her wife up to their bedroom, when a strange noise from the kitchen drew her attention. When she entered the room, she found Regina herself standing by the sink. She was still dressed in her usual pencil skirt and blazer, but it was a different outfit than she had been wearing before, which Shae found strange.

"Regina?" She asked, furrowing her brow in confusion. "I thought you said you were going to bed."

Regina quickly whirled around, a wide, sultry grin stretching across her face. "Yes, well… I came back down for one more kiss."

Shae grinned back at her wife as she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her neck. Regina then placed a deep, passionate kiss on her wife's lips. As their lips slowly parted, Shae suddenly got the feeling that something wasn't quite right. She jerked her head away, stumbling back out of her wife's arms.

"You're not Regina…" She muttered.

The Evil Queen, for it was her that stood before Shae, not her wife, grinned deviously into Shae's eyes. Before Shae could do anything to react, before she could even shout for Regina, The Evil Queen reached forward, plunging her hand straight into her chest. Shae gasped, then grunted in pain as The Evil Queen tore out her heart.

"Well, well… Certainly not as dark as it used to be." The Evil Queen muttered as she examined Shae's glowing red heart. "But there's still plenty of darkness left that I can work with."

"No…" Shae whispered, clutching at her aching chest. "Not again…"

"Oh, yes." The Evil Queen replied, her dark, dangerous grin growing even wider. "Don't worry, my love. No harm will come to you. I'm simply taking what's mine, what's always been mine."

The Evil Queen then raised Shae's heart up to her lips, and whispered into it. "Now… Sleep."

Shae tried to fight it, reaching out and gripping The Evil Queen's hand, the one that was clutching her heart. Her hand quickly fell away as her body went limp, and she collapsed to the floor. Her last thought was of Regina, the woman that she loved, her wife, then everything went black.

XX

Regina was lying in bed, waiting patiently for her wife to join her. She waited for quite a long time, too long, and started to grow worried. She quickly got out of bed, donned her robe, and made her way back downstairs. She frowned when she found the living room completely dark. She carefully walked forward, and turned on the lamp sitting on the end table next to the couch.

She breathed out a sigh of relief when she found her wife lying stretched out on the couch. She knew it had been a long day for her as well, so she must have just fallen asleep. Regina knelt down next to her, and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Shae… Wake up." She whispered, running her fingers through her wife's soft, jet black hair. "Come on. Come to bed."

Regina frowned some more when she received no response. She gently shook her wife by the shoulder, but Shae's eyes remained closed. Growing more and more concerned by the second, she grabbed onto both of Shae's shoulders, and shook her roughly.

"Shae? SHAE!" She shouted, quickly starting to panic. "Shae, wake up!"

"Oh, she won't wake. Not until I tell her to."

Regina whirled around in alarm at the sudden, quiet voice. What she saw caused her heart to nearly stop. It was The Evil Queen, sitting in an armchair, grinning at her. She was gently stroking a glowing red heart with a finger, a heart that Regina immediately knew was Shae's.

"You…" Regina whispered, her eyes wide with shock. "H-How… How did you get in here? I cast a protection spell around the whole house."

The Evil Queen scoffed indignantly. "Oh, please." She replied, rolling her eyes at her other half. "Surely you didn't think it would be that easy to keep me away from the woman that I love."

"You don't love her." Regina snarled, her deep brown eyes flashing with rage. "If you did, you wouldn't have ripped out her heart!"

The Evil Queen laughed loudly, mockingly. "You're one to talk." She said with another devious grin.

Regina snarled in rage once again, and summoned a fireball into her hand. "Oh, careful, now." The Evil Queen sneered, holding Shae's heart against her chest. "You wouldn't want to hurt your wife, would you?"

Silence fell over the house as Regina glared furiously at her evil half. Then, she extinguished her fireball. "Why are you doing this?" She asked quietly. "What do you want?"

"Oh, what I want is what I've always wanted." The Evil Queen replied as she got up from her chair. "Shae's love, and my revenge."

"She doesn't love you!" Regina shouted, the angry, frightened tears welling into her eyes threatening to leak out onto her cheeks. "She loves me!"

"For now." The Evil Queen replied with a shrug. "But, soon, Shae will come to realize that I'm the one that truly loves her. You're the one who chose that dirty thief over her, anyway."

Regina clenched her fists, her whole body trembling with fury. "Don't you dare talk about Robin like that!" She growled.

"Oh, yes, I suppose he was easy on the eyes." Said The Evil Queen, waving her free hand dismissively. "And he was quite good in bed, I'll admit. But he was nothing compared to our Shae. She knows that, I know that, which is why I'm taking her away from here, away from you."

There was another moment of silence as Regina glanced over at her wife, lying peacefully asleep on the couch. The tears in her eyes finally began to flow down her face as she looked upon the woman that she loved. Then, she turned her eyes back onto The Evil Queen, onto Shae's heart that she held in her hands.

"Fine!" She shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. "Take her, then! But she'll be back. She always comes back."

The Evil Queen emitted a deep, dark chuckle. "Perhaps." She muttered in reply, stroking her finger across Shae's heart once again. "But… Perhaps not. Perhaps, she won't want to come back this time. Not to you."

Once again, Regina glanced over at Shae, frightened, angry tears spilling down her face. "Oh, you needn't fret." Said The Evil Queen. "I won't hurt her. I would never hurt her, not like you have."

With that, The Evil Queen waved her hand in the air, and both she and Shae disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Regina stood rigidly still for a long while, her fists clenched, her jaw clenched, tears streaming down her face. Then, she turned her face up to the ceiling, and screamed.

XX

Early the next morning, upon learning from Regina that The Evil Queen had kidnapped Shae, Emma, Snow, David, Hook, and Regina all marched straight for Zelena's farmhouse, where Regina suspected that her evil half was hiding. They did find The Evil Queen there, but found something else as well; A powerful protection spell, one that not even Emma was able to break through. They were quickly forced to retreat as The Evil Queen began lobbing fireballs at them, laughing mockingly all the while.

Furious and heartbroken over losing Shae, Regina threw herself into her work with Dr. Jekyll, who was still working on reproducing his serum. The others parted ways after that as well. Snow left for her new job as a teacher, and Hook returned to The Jolly Roger to pack up his things in preparation for finally moving in with Emma, and also to check on Belle. Meanwhile David, and Emma went to question Hyde one more time. What they found sent them all into a panic. Hyde was gone, escaped, likely with help from The Evil Queen.

The rest of the day went by in a whirlwind of frantic activity. Before Hook could take his solitary trunk of pessions from The Jolly Roger, and to Emma's house, Gold suddenly arrived, and cast a protection spell around the ship, trapping Belle within. He insisted that, with Hyde running about, it was for her own good, and their son's.

Meanwhile, Hyde himself arrived at Jekyll's lab, along with The Evil Queen. Regina had stepped out to seek out Gold, in attempt to gain his help in speeding Jekyll's process along, leaving Jekyll in the protection of the dwarves, Leroy and Doc. The Evil Queen cast a sleeping spell on the dwarves, smashed Jekyll's serum, and destroyed the lab, leaving Whale's garage in complete ruins.

Regina returned with Gold in tow a short while later, only to find a pair of snoozing dwarves, and a frightened Dr. Jekyll. Once they woke the dwarves, they and Jekyll told Regina and Gold what had happened, as well as an exciting and tantalizing secret. Jekyll proudly announced that he had managed to hide a bit of his serum away. Regina was ecstatic, and had Gold use his magic to complete the serum, as he had done many years ago.

Both Regina and Jekyll's joy quickly dissolved into ash as Gold immediately snatched up the serum, disappearing with it. Apparently, he had made a deal with The Evil Queen. He was to deliver the completed serum to her, in exchange for the protection of his wife and unborn child. More furious and frightened than ever, Regina wondered what exactly it was that her evil half wanted with the serum, and, more importantly, what she was doing to Shae.

After that, something absolutely shocking rocked them all to their cores. Jekyll was sent to The Jolly Roger, where he would be safe with Belle under Gold's protection spell. Hook had already left to help Emma in her search for Hyde, which left Belle alone with the good doctor. However, Belle quickly learned that Jekyll was not good at all. In fact, he had been the real villain of his story all along.

Jekyll immediately attacked Belle, wanting his revenge on Gold, who had wronged him many years ago. After hearing the call from the magical mermaid shell that he had left with Belle, Hook returned just in time to save her. He fought Jekyll off, who slipped and fell in the midst of their battle, impaling himself on a wooden spike. He died shortly after, and, a few moments later, so did Hyde. This led Regina to a startling and horrifying realization. To kill The Evil Queen, she herself would have to die.

After putting both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to rest, Regina and the others convened at Granny's Diner for a somber meal, and a few much needed drinks. Regina herself was sitting alone at the bar. She wasn't in the mood for socializing. She was too worried about the future, and if she even had one. But, mostly, she was worried about Shae. She had no idea what The Evil Queen was putting her through, but knew that it likely wasn't anything good.

Regina said her goodnight's to her friends after a while, and stepped out of the diner. She dreaded returning to her empty house, to her empty bed. She missed Shae terribly, and wished with all her heart that her wife was by her side.

"Regina!"

She stopped in her tracks, whirling around as a familiar voice called out her name. She gasped, unable to believe her eyes. It was Shae, the woman that she loved, sprinting toward her down the sidewalk.

"Shae!" She exclaimed.

Regina laughed as Shae scooped her up into her arms the second she reached her. Shae laughed with her, spinning her around in circles. As soon as Shae set her down, Regina immediately found her lips, kissing her desperately, gratefully.

"You came back!" Regina whispered, joyous tears beginning to stream down her face.

"Always." Shae replied with a wink. "You know that."

Suddenly, the door to the diner burst open with a bang. Emma came rushing out, followed closely by her parents, Hook, Henry, and Granny, who was armed with her crossbow. "What's going on? We heard-" Emma began to say, but stopped short when she spotted Shae. "Holy shit… Shae?"

"Shae!" Henry exclaimed. "You're back!"

"You know it, kid." Shae replied, winking once more.

Henry immediately rushed forward, and threw his arms around Shae. Shae, in turn, wrapped both of her arms around her wife and Henry, holding them both tight. Regina was completely lost for words. It had barely been a day, and her wife was already back in her arms again. She couldn't be happier.

Shae was immediately rushed inside, and given a double whiskey by Granny. Then, they all sat down with her, and listened to her harrowing tale. The Evil Queen had attempted to use her heart to force her into joining her side. But, against all odds, Shae was able to fight off The Evil Queen's magic, and staunchly refused. This angered The Evil Queen, who promptly tossed her into the cage in Zelena's cellar, a cage that once held The Dark One himself.

Then, while The Evil Queen had been away with Mr. Hyde, Shae picked the lock on her cage, found her heart, and made a quick escape. After that, she had carefully hid herself in the forest until she felt it was safe to emerge. They were all astounded by her story, especially Emma.

"Seriously? It was that easy?" The Savior asked, raising her eyebrows at Shae. "What about the protection spell? How did you get past it?"

"I, uh… I-I dunno. I guess it didn't affect me since I was inside it. Or something. You know." Shae replied with a small, dismissive shrug as she drained the rest of her whiskey. "Listen, I'm… Really tired. Is it ok if we go home?"

Regina nodded in understanding as Shae glanced at her. "Yes, of course." She said with a smile, placing her hand gently on her wife's cheek. "You've had a hard day. Let's get you to bed."

Once again, Regina said her goodbyes to her friends. While she was busy, Emma approached Shae. "Hey, are you sure you're ok?" She asked her friend in concern.

"Yeah, of course." Shae replied with another shrug. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Emma eyed her curiously, pursing her lips as she thought. "I dunno…" She muttered. "You seem… Different. Or… Something."

Shae was about to respond, but stopped short as her wife re-joined her, and took her by the hand. She then gave the others a quick wave, and followed Regina out the door. Emma frowned in concern as she stared at the back of Shae's head. Something felt strange about Shae, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She quickly pushed her worries into the back of her mind. They all had enough on their plates already.

As they made their way back home, Regina filled Shae in on everything that had happened since she had been locked away by The Evil Queen. She also questioned Shae about her evil half's plans, but Shae said, sadly, The Queen hadn't shared much of anything with her. Regina was disappointed, but quickly shrugged it off as they arrived home.

After undressing, and lying in bed enjoying her wife's lips for a while, Regina fell peacefully asleep in her arms. Shae, however, did not. She lie awake beside her wife for a long while, occasionally glancing over at the clock sitting on the bedside table. Once it hit midnight, she quickly and quietly slipped out of bed. She tiptoed her way over to the closet, where she just as quickly and quietly got dressed. Then, she stepped out of the bedroom, disappearing in a gust of swirling wind out in the hallway.

She reappeared deep in the Storybrooke forest, near a cliff that overlooked the town itself. Standing at the edge of that cliff, was The Evil Queen. Upon hearing Shae's footsteps, she whirled around. When she spotted Shae emerging from the trees, a wide, devious grin stretched across her lips.

"My Queen…" Shae whispered, grinning herself.

"My love…" The Evil Queen whispered back, outstretching her arms toward Shae.

Shae immediately rushed forward, and threw herself into The Evil Queen's waiting arms. She attacked her lips with deep, desperate desire, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. The two of them stood there for a long while, swallowing eachother's kisses with passionate, unrelenting abandon.

"Mmm… I was beginning to wonder if you were coming." The Evil Queen whispered against Shae's lips. "I thought you might be enjoying yourself too much with… Her."

Shae chuckled quietly, cupping her hand underneath The Evil Queen's chin as she turned her face away in disgust. "Oh, come now." She whispered, her voice shifting into her old accent that she used to speak with. "You know me better than that."

The Evil Queen sighed as Shae placed another passionate kiss on her lips. "Do they suspect anything?" She asked after a moment.

"I don't believe so, no." Shae replied with a shrug. "The Savior might have, for a moment, but I was able to fool her in the end."

The Evil Queen nodded, and placed another quick kiss on Shae's lips. "Good." She whispered. She then drew Shae forward toward the edge of the cliff, and gestured out at the town of Storybrooke sitting below. "Now, tell me… What do you see?"

Shae pursed her lips, and was silent for a moment as she thought. "I see… Opportunity." She replied quietly, grinning sideways at her Queen. "I see a town ripe for the taking, a town full of fools. I see a kingdom in the making, a kingdom under your reign, my Queen, with me by your side, as always."

The Evil Queen smiled, placing her hands on either side of Shae's face. "Yes." She whispered, gently caressing Shae's cheeks with her thumbs. "I will finally have my revenge, all with you by my side, my love. I will finally get everything that I want, everything that I deserve, everything that Regina has denied me."

Shae nodded, and smiled herself as her Queen placed one more kiss on her lips. "Now…" Whispered The Evil Queen. "Come with me…"

The Evil Queen then waved her hand in the air, and both her and Shae disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. They reappeared in the cellar of The Wicked Witch's farmhouse. The Evil Queen stepped forward toward the iron cage that sat in the corner.

"Tell me…" She went on in another whisper, gesturing toward the prisoner curled up in the back of the cage. "What do you see here?"

Shae stepped up to the cage herself, and squatted down, watching as the crumpled form within began to stir. She watched as the figure raised their head, and glared viciously at her through swollen, black and blue eyes. She laughed as she glared back into the prisoner's eyes, the same exact eyes as her own.

"I see a filthy, pathetic wretch." She sneered as the prisoner dragged herself forward. "I see a weak, insignificant little worm. A worm that I would gladly squash, if only I knew how."

The version of Shae inside the cage, the true Shae, gripped the iron bars, and spat at the feet of her evil half. "Fuck you." She snarled through gritted teeth, her bottom lip just as swollen as her eyes, and crusted over with dried blood. "There's no way anyone is going to believe that you're me, especially not Regina. You don't even sound like me!"

Evil Shae laughed loudly, mockingly. "Oh really? Fartface?" She said, speaking in the American accent that Shae had fallen into from over the years. "I actually just left your wife in bed. She's super fucking delicious, isn't she?"

Shae snarled in rage, and The Evil Queen scoffed in disgust. "Oh, come now." Evil Shae said as she rose to her feet, turning toward her Queen. She quickly shifted back to her old accent, the accent that was somewhere between scottish, irish, or norwegian. "You know that she's nothing compared to you, my Queen."

The Evil Queen hummed happily against her lover's lips as she kissed her. "You see…" Evil Shae began, turning her gaze back onto her other half. "Just because I choose to speak with a bit more eloquence, doesn't mean I can't stoop to your level."

She paused for a moment to step close to the cage again, and Shae glared furiously up at her. "Noone suspects a thing." Evil Shae whispered, her lips curling into a devious, mocking grin. "Especially not Regina."

"She'll figure it out." Shae growled, gripping the bars of her cage tight. "I know she will. You can't keep this up forever."

The Evil Queen and her Evil Protector exchanged a quick glance. "No, I suppose not." The Evil Queen replied with a small, unconcerned shrug. "But, by the time my other half figures things out, my plan will be much too far along for either her or The Savior to stop."

"Plan?" Asked Shae, raising an eyebrow at The Evil Queen and her own evil half. "What plan?"

"Why, my plan to finally get my revenge, of course." Said The Evil Queen, grinning wickedly once again. "I am going to finally put an end to Snow White and her wretched family. Soon, I will finally get my happy ending."

"Our happy ending, you mean." Evil Shae interjected with a grin of her own.

"Yes, of course, my love." Replied The Evil Queen, wrapping her arms gently around her Protector's neck. "Soon, we will have everything we've ever wanted. Soon. Very soon."

Shae glanced away in disgust as The Evil Queen and her evil half exchanged a deep, passionate embrace. She continued to stare down at the ground, their laughter ringing in her ears as they exited the cellar. As soon as the doors were slammed shut behind them, Shae's world was once again engulfed in darkness. She growled in fury as she tugged at the black leather cuff attached to her wrist. Then, she curled herself up into a ball on the dirt floor of her cell, shivering from the cold.

She thought about Regina, her wife, the thought of her evil half even laying a single finger on her making her sick to her stomach. Then, she closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would take her away to a better, happier place. For the moment, she was trapped. She was locked away in a dark, damp cell, all over again. But she knew that she would find a way to free herself. She had to.

"I always come back…" She whispered into the darkness. "I always come back…"

XX

THE PREVIOUS DAY…

Shae began to wake slowly, groaning as her head pounded with pain. She peeled her eyes open, blinking as the world spun in circles around her. Finally, her eyes began to focus, and she realized that she was sitting in a chair, in front of a wooden table that sat in the middle of a kitchen. It was a kitchen that was vaguely familiar, and her eyes suddenly grew wide with realization. It was Zelena's kitchen.

"Well, well… Look who's finally awake."

Shae nearly jumped out of her skin, startled by the sudden voice. She searched the room frantically, her eyes finally resting on a figure standing in the doorway. Leaning casually against the door frame, grinning deviously at her, was The Evil Queen.

Shae didn't bother to mince words. She leapt up from her chair, and attempted to summon a fireball into her hand. When nothing seemed to happen, her eyes were immediately drew to her wrist. Upon it, was a very familiar black leather cuff.

Enraged at the sight of it, enraged over being kidnapped and separated from her wife once again, Shae launched herself forward, bellowing out in fury. She seized The Evil Queen by her throat, slamming her up against the wall. She glared into The Evil Queen's eyes, her own wide and wild with rage. The Evil Queen simply laughed.

"Oh, yes, you always know exactly what I like…" She whispered as Shae's fingers tightened around her throat. "Mmm, yes… Harder, baby, harder!"

Shae bellowed out another furious, frustrated cry as she released The Evil Queen, shoving her away in disgust. "As soon as I figure out how to get this thing off," She snarled, holding up her arm and pointing to the black leather cuff that was blocking her magic. "I'm fucking burning it."

She then turned away, and began rummaging through the cupboards behind her. "Just what exactly are you looking for, hm?" The Evil Queen asked, after watching her curiously for a moment.

"I need a fucking drink." Shae growled in reply. "Zelena has to have at least something stashed away around here. Aha!"

She pulled a glass bottle down from the cupboard in front of her, which was filled with a reddish-brown liquid. She gave it a careful sniff after opening it. "Ugh… Brandy? Really, Zelena?" She muttered, rolling her eyes irritably. "Well, at least it's the good kind."

The Evil Queen continued to watch in curious silence as Shae retrieved a glass from a different cupboard, and filled it with brandy. She then sat back down in her chair. She took a large sip, grimacing a bit as it went down.

"What?" She asked of The Evil Queen. "What the hell are you staring at me for?"

The Evil Queen cocked her head to one side, pursing her lips into a frown for a moment. "You're not frightened…"

Shae scoffed, taking another large gulp from her glass. "No. Why would I be?"

The Evil Queen breathed out a small laugh, and took a glass of her own from the cupboard before sitting down in a chair across the table from Shae. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." She said as she poured herself a healthy amount of brandy. "While everyone else in my kingdom was terrified of me, you never were. Not you. Never you."

"Well, maybe you're just not as scary as you think you are." Shae replied with a shrug.

There was a moment of silence as The Evil Queen paused mid sip, her glass of brandy resting against her lips. She narrowed her eyes angrily at Shae, who responded with one of her signature quirky grins. The Evil Queen then took a quick sip from her glass, and set it down, leaning across the table toward Shae.

"I warned you…" She said in a low, dangerous tone. "You made a mistake, letting me go like you did."

Shae chuckled dryly as she took another sip of her own drink. "I know." Was all she had to say.

The Evil Queen leaned back in her chair, frowning in confusion once again. "Why did you let me go? You could have captured me and locked me up just like you did Hyde. But you didn't."

Shae sighed as she leaned back in her own chair. "It's like you said, I just… Don't have it in me." She quietly replied, staring solemnly down into the glass in her hand. "Even though you and Regina are separated now, you're still… A part of her. You're a part of her that… That I… I-I…"

"That you loved." The Evil Queen finished for her, as Shae's voice broke with emotion.

Shae breathed out another sad, heavy sigh. "Yeah." She whispered. She then drained the rest of her glass in one large gulp, and began to pour herself another. "So… You've got me, powerless and helpless. What's the plan here, Your Majesty?"

Slowly, another devious, dangerous grin stretched across The Evil Queen's face. She was about to respond, when the sound of the door opening behind her made her stop. A moment later, Zelena stepped into the kitchen, cradling baby Robin in her arms.

"Oh, look! If it isn't my wicked sister-in-law!" Shae said with another one of her cheeky grins. "I should have known that you two were working together."

Zelena paused in the doorway, momentarily shocked at the sight of Shae sitting in her kitchen with the evil version of her sister. "Well, well…" She muttered, setting Robin down in her crib that was sitting in the corner. "It looks like you finally got what you wanted."

"Yes, but, she's not being quite as cooperative as I'd hoped." The Evil Queen muttered back as she pouted her lips.

"Did you seriously think I would be?" Shae asked with a laugh, taking a sip of her fresh glass of brandy. "You must have left part of your brain with Regina."

"Well, I simply thought that, like my sister here, you would realize that I'm truly the best part of Regina." The Evil Queen replied with a shrug. "After all, Regina is the one that tore out the darkness within herself, knowing full well that the darkness within the woman that she loves is still very much present. It's awfully inconsiderate of her, if you ask me."

"Yeah, well… Nobody asked you." Shae growled into her glass.

The Evil Queen exchanged a quick glance with Zelena, then dramatically rolled her eyes. "Oh, come now…" She said as she got up from her chair, sitting back down on the edge of the table directly in front of Shae. "I'm the one you fell in love with, remember? You said so yourself."

Shae glared furiously into The Evil Queen's eyes as she reached out, and gently stroked her hair. "I guess it's true, I did fall in love with The Evil Queen." She whispered in reply. "But I loved the woman underneath even more, the woman that no one else ever got to see. That woman was Regina, not you."

The Evil Queen scoffed in disgust, rolling her eyes as she got up from the edge of the table. She exchanged another glance with her sister, who simply shrugged as she began warming up a bottle of milk over the stove for the baby. Shae ignored The Evil Queen behind her, instead focusing on her glass of brandy. She froze mid sip when she felt The Evil Queen's hands on her shoulders, which she slowly slid down her chest.

"Don't you remember the good times we had, though?" She whispered in Shae's ear, causing a deep chill to run up her spine. "Remember the nights we would spend in the dungeon? You with shackles on your wrists, me with a whip in my hand."

Shae cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably in her chair as she felt her skin flush with a sudden heat. "My wife handles a whip just fine, thank you very much." She growled in reply.

The Evil Queen simply chuckled, running a finger across Shae's strong jawline. "Yes, I'm sure she does. But I'm also sure that she's nothing compared to me. I'm the one that delighted in indulging in our deepest, darkest desires, after all."

This time, it was Zelena's turn to scoff in disgust, and roll her eyes. The Evil Queen laughed lightly once more, then pressed her lips onto Shae's neck. Shae immediately sprang to her feet, spilling her glass of brandy in the process.

"Stop it!" She shouted as she whirled around, pointing a shaky finger in The Evil Queen's face. "If you think I'm going to betray Regina with you, then you're… Fucking insane!"

"Oh, come now…" The Evil Queen muttered, pouting her bright red lips. "I am a part of Regina, as you said. I'm a part of her that you once loved. So… What's the harm in a little… Indulgence, hm?"

The Evil Queen then stepped forward, taking Shae's hand and pressing the back of it against her neck. "I know you want to…" She whispered as she slid the back of Shae's hand down her chest, resting her knuckles against her cleavage. "I can feel it, Shae. I can see it in your eyes…"

Shae stood frozen and rigid in her spot, her heart hammering in her chest, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She quickly shifted her eyes over to the stove, where Zelena was busy watching the pot of water she was slowly bringing to a boil. Then, Shae turned her eyes back onto The Evil Queen, grabbed her by the hips, and kissed her.

"Mmm… Yes, that's it…" The Evil Queen muttered against Shae's lips, grinning from ear to ear as Shae kissed her. "Oh, Shae… Oh, how I've missed you."

Shae grinned back at her, then spun her around, and shoved her against the table. She then dove back in, and their lips parted furiously again and again. "Oh, come on!" Zelena cried, throwing her arms up into the air. "I eat off that table, you know!"

Neither The Evil Queen nor Shae paid Zelena any mind, to which she breathed out a frustrated and angry huff. Shae opened her eyes as she continued to kiss The Evil Queen, watching Zelena carefully as she stepped over to Robin's crib. As soon as her back was turned, Shae reached out an arm, seized the handle of the cast iron pot sitting on the stove, and struck The Evil Queen over the head with it.

The Evil Queen immediately collapsed to the floor at Shae's feet, the noise causing Zelena to spin back around in alarm. Shae hurled the pot still clutched in her hand at Zelena, who shrieked, and threw her arms over her head. Shae wasted no time, and immediately sprinted out the door.

She ran as fast as her legs would carry her down the path leading to Zelena's farmhouse. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she thought only of Regina, of her friends and family. She needed to get to them, fast, before either Zelena or The Evil Queen could do anything to stop her.

Shae made it all the way out onto the road when, suddenly, a burning, stinging pain in her chest caused her to stop. She gasped, coughing and sputtering as she suddenly found it hard to breathe. She cried out, falling to her knees as her chest burned. It felt like her heart was being crushed, a sensation that was all too familiar to her.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?"

Shae had collapsed forward onto the pavement, howling into the air as her whole body convulsed with pain. Suddenly, a dark figure loomed over her. As the pain slowly subsided, Shae glanced up, blinking furiously through hazy vision. It was The Evil Queen, who had a glowing red heart clutched in her fist.

"No…" Shae rasped, pushing herself up onto her knees. "N-Not… Not again."

"Oh, yes… I suppose you don't remember me taking this, do you?" The Evil Queen sneered, stroking a finger across Shae's heart. "I really didn't want to do this, Shae. I wanted to do things the easy way, but you continue to leave me no choice but to do things the hard way."

The Evil Queen then waved her hand in the air, and Shae's vision was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of purple smoke. She felt the familiar sensation of her body being lifted into the air, then spinning wildly. When it all stopped, she found herself in what looked like a cellar. It took a few moments for her to realize that she was looking at the dank dark cellar surrounding her through the bars of a cage.

"No… No, no, no…" She muttered, scrambling forward on her hands and knees toward the door of the cage. It was padlocked, and The Evil Queen was nowhere to be seen. "No… NOOO!"

XX

Shae sat alone in the cage within Zelena's cellar, silently seething with rage as she watched the tiny beams of light shining through the wooden doors growing dimmer and dimmer. It had been early morning when she had awoken in the kitchen of Zelena's farmhouse. Now, she guessed it was mid-afternoon, judging by the way the beams of light had shifted.

It was then that the doors of the cellar were pulled open. In stepped The Evil Queen. "So… You're back." Shae muttered quietly, raising her head up from where it had been resting on her knees. "I'm guessing you're going to kill me now, right?"

The Evil Queen emitted a deep, dark chuckle. "Oh, no. Not yet, my dear." She replied, slowly shaking her head. "In fact, I have no desire to kill you, not when I have this."

Shae's eyes grew wide with horror as The Evil Queen produced a syringe filled with a glowing red liquid, a liquid that was extremely familiar to Shae. "No… No, no, no…" Shae muttered, slowly creeping back toward the corner of her cage. "No, you… Y-You can't!"

The Evil Queen laughed loudly. "Oh, but I can."

She then waved her hand in the air again, and Shae felt the familiar sense of teleportation. She arrived back in Zelena's kitchen. She was even sitting in the same chair that she had woken up in that morning.

"You see, I realized that you're completely and utterly useless." The Evil Queen said as she paced slowly in front of Shae, syringe in hand. "I realized that the only way to really get what I want, was to unleash your inner darkness as well. Then, I'll finally have my Shae, the true Shae."

Shae tried to get up from her chair, but was forced back down as The Evil Queen outstretched her hand toward her. "No… No, please…" Shae muttered as The Evil Queen stepped forward, and began rolling up her sleeve. "Please… STOP!"

"Shhh…" The Evil Queen whispered, placing a finger gently against Shae's lips. "It'll all be over soon."

Before she could do or say anything more, The Evil Queen raised the syringe, and plunged it straight into her arm. Shae gasped, struggling desperately against the invisible, magical bonds that were holding her down. She watched in horror as The Evil Queen pressed her thumb onto the plunger, injecting Dr. Jekyll's serum into her arm.

As soon as the syringe was empty, The Evil Queen removed it from Shae's arm, and stepped back. For a moment, just a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, a sharp, burning, stinging pain began to shoot up Shae's arm. She cried out in pain, to which The Evil Queen drew back even more, watching with a wild, excited grin.

Shae screamed as her entire body began to convulse, the burning pain working it's way across her chest and into her other arm. It shot down her torso, down into her legs, even her toes. She knew that she was screaming, her mouth gaping open. She couldn't hear anything over the sudden, sharp ringing in her ears.

Suddenly, something strange happened, something that she had seen that night in New York, on the roof of Neal's old apartment. A red, glowing hand suddenly shot out from the middle of her chest, a hand that was covered in a black leather glove. The hand was slowly followed by an arm, then a shoulder, then a head. Shae suddenly found herself staring into another set of piercing blue eyes, eyes that were glaring furiously at her.

Shae's inner darkness, her evil half, screamed in rage as she began to drag herself forward. Then, just like The Evil Queen had done, Evil Shae placed her hand on her other half's forehead, and gave a powerful shove. A burst of magical energy shot out from around Shae as her evil half finally freed herself.

Both The Evil Queen Shae watched in silence as Evil Shae collapsed onto her knees, her chest heaving with exertion. Shae's own chest was also heaving as she stared in wide eyed horror at her inner darkness personified. She was dressed in her old black leather armor, as well as the long, black leather coat inlaid with The Evil Queen's sigil. Her hair was messy and wild just like it used to be. The only things that were missing were the pale gray skin, and the blood red eyes.

After a few moments of silence, Evil Shae slowly rose to her feet, blinking dazedly. She glanced down at her own body, chuckling quietly as she clenched her hands into fists, then opened them again. Then, she slowly raised her eyes, and turned them onto The Evil Queen.

She immediately dropped down onto one knee, bowing her head. "My Queen…" She whispered, taking The Evil Queen's hand, and pressing a kiss upon it.

The Evil Queen breathed out a soft, bemused laugh, her deep brown eyes shining with tears. "Shae… My Shae… My Protector…" She whispered back. "Is it really you?"

Evil Shae rose to her feet once again. "Yes." She replied, slowly nodding her head as she smiled into her Queen's eyes. "It's me. You… Set me free. Thank you. Thank you…"

The Evil Queen laughed joyfully as her Protector seized her by her hips, and placed a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. Shae simply sat in her chair in silence. Her head was spinning, her whole body suddenly feeling extremely weak.

After a few, long, passionate moments, Evil Shae drew back from her Queen's lips, and turned to her other half. She stepped up to her, and crouched down in front of her. She tilted her head slightly, grinning menacingly into Shae's eyes.

Shae suddenly drew back her head, and spat in the face of her evil half. "Fuck you." She snarled.

Evil Shae simply laughed. She slowly straightened herself up, wiping the saliva from her face. Then, without any warning, she swiftly raised her fist, and struck Shae in the face. Shae toppled out of her chair and onto the ground from the force of the blow. Her evil half bellowed out in fury, and threw herself upon her.

"You useless… Filthy… Disgusting… MAGGOT!" Evil Shae roared, striking Shae in the face again and again. She then seized Shae by the front of her shirt, screaming into her face. "Look at what you've become! Just look at what Regina and The Savior and their gaggle of fools have turned you into! It's despicable! You're nothing but a weak, pathetic, piece of FILTH!"

Evil Shae shoved her other half back down, who groaned in pain, coughing up blood onto the wooden floorboards. Then, Evil Shae seized a large knife from off the rack sitting on the kitchen counter, and raised it into the air. Suddenly, The Evil Queen reached out, grabbing her Protector's arm.

"Don't!" She shouted. "You can't kill her!"

Evil Shae wrenched her arm away from her Queen. "What?" She exclaimed, glaring furiously into The Evil Queen's eyes. "Why the hell not?"

"Because, if you kill her, you… Kill yourself."

There was a moment of silence as Evil Shae blinked several times at her Queen. "W-Wha… What?"

The Evil Queen breathed out a heavy sigh as she took the knife from her Protector's hand. "Our friend Mr. Hyde found that out the hard way earlier." She grumbled irritably in reply. "His other half, Dr. Jekyll, was killed by Captain Hook. A moment later, Hyde dropped dead himself. Which means-"

"You can't kill me. You can't kill Regina." Shae said with a laugh from her spot on the floor. She spat on the floor once again, grinning with bloody teeth at her evil half and The Evil Queen. "If I die, then she dies. If Regina dies, then you die." She then began to giggle in a wild and crazed sort of way. "You… Can't kill us! HA! Ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh, man… Oh that's great. You're ruined, you're done! You can't kill us… You can't kill us…"

Evil Shae emitted a low, irritated growl, and turned her back on her other half. "So… What the hell are we supposed to do now?" She asked her Queen in a low voice.

The Evil Queen grinned deviously at her Protector. "Oh, don't worry, my love. I have a plan."

"Excellent!" Evil Shae exclaimed, grinning back at her Queen. "I should have known you would, you always do. Tell me it. Tell me everything."

The Evil Queen sighed, rolling her eyes away from Evil Shae. "You… Won't like it."

"What?" Asked Evil Shae. "Why not?"

Once again, The Evil Queen breathed out a heavy sigh. "Because, it means that… We will be separated from each other." She answered quietly. Evil Shae opened her mouth in angry protest, but she held up her hand, and explained. "I need you to pose as your… Other half. I need you to go to Regina, to her gaggle of fools, as you called them, that she calls her family and friends. Once among them, you will report back to me all their goings on, and, in doing so, we can-"

"Sow chaos from within." Evil Shae finished for her. She slowly nodded her head, turning her back on her Queen for a moment, rubbing her chin as she thought it all over. "You're right, I don't like being away from you. But… It is a good plan. An excellent plan."

"Bullshit!" Shae snarled, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "There's no way anyone will believe that you're me! They'll figure you out in seconds!"

Evil Shae snarled back, and whirled around, striking her other half in the face once again. Shae immediately slumped back onto the floor, groaning in pain. Evil Shae then straightened herself up, and quickly adjusted her black leather coat.

"Fine." She said as she turned back to her Queen. "I agree. I'll go to Regina, as you said, and learn whatever it is she and her pathetic little gang are planning to do to stop you, to stop us."

"Excellent." The Evil Queen whispered in reply. She then wrapped her arms around her Protector's neck, placing another deep, passionate kiss on her lips. "I don't think you have to leave just yet. We have some time. Perhaps we can… Go upstairs."

Evil Shae raised an eyebrow at her Queen. "What's upstairs?"

"Oh, just the room that my sister has so graciously allowed me to stay in." The Evil Queen replied with a casual shrug. "A room where there is a bed."

Slowly, a wide, sultry grin stretched across Evil Shae's face. "Lead the way."

The Evil Queen grinned back at her as she took her by the hand. Just before the two of them left the room, The Evil Queen paused, and waved her hand in Shae's direction. Shae's vision was momentarily clouded over with purple smoke. When it cleared, she found herself back in the cage within Zelena's cellar.

"I always come back…" Shae whispered quietly to herself. She then pushed herself up onto her knees, her chest heaving, her whole body trembling with both rage and fear as she screamed. "Loki! Help, please! Loki! LOKI!"

XX