A Vicious Love

by Soloren1992

After The Evil Queen's curse is broken and the residents of Storybrooke regain their memories, a mysterious stranger from Emma's past comes to town. It is revealed that she is from The Enchanted Forest, and has a long, sordid history with Regina. Will this newcomer be of help or hindrance for Storybrooke? Mostly canon, with a few twists. Rated M for language and lesbian sex. Enjoy.

32. Chapter 32, Something's Coming

CHAPTER 32

It had been three days since Shae's return from the clutches of The Evil Queen. Since then, Regina had noticed that her wife was acting a bit strange. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something just seemed off about her. She had tried to question Shae about what had happened, what The Evil Queen had done to her. Each time, Shae insisted that she was fine, and said that she'd rather not talk about it. Regina understood, and quickly dropped the subject. There was much too much to do anyway.

The current crisis that Regina, Shae, and their friends were dealing with was something mysterious and disturbing. The Evil Queen had visited Snow the previous night, and said that she and David had twelve hours to hand over their hearts to her, otherwise she would destroy Storybrooke. She had left Snow with a tiny vial filled with a clear but murky liquid. The Heroes of Storybrooke were currently gathered just outside of Granny's Diner, discussing their options, and trying to come up with a plan.

"So… What is it?" Henry asked as they all stared at the strange vial.

"I don't know." Snow replied, slowly shaking her head. "But, if we don't figure it out, and we don't give up our hearts in twelve hours, The Evil Queen said she would use it on the whole town."

Emma reached for the vial, only to stop as her hand began to tremble. "You alright, Swan?" Hook asked her in concern."

"No." Emma replied, shaking her head as well. "But at least I have an excuse this time. The Evil Queen is trying to kill my parents, after all."

"Well, you said that we were alive and well in your visions, right?" David said with a small shrug. "That must mean… Something."

Emma sighed, slowly shaking her head. "I dunno… The Oracle did say that things could change as we went along. The only thing that was certain was that I died."

"Speaking of death…" Regina muttered, suddenly staring wide eyed at the vial. "I think I know what that is."

She held out her hand to Snow, who handed over the vial. Regina then uncorked it, and stepped over to a nearby potted plant that served as decoration for the outside of Granny's Diner. The others watched in curious silence as she poured a single, tiny droplet onto the plant. They all gasped as the plant immediately began to wither, turning a sickly shade of gray. After just a moment, the plant crumbled into dust.

"Woah…" Henry whispered, eyes wide with horror. "What kind of potion is that?"

"It's not a potion." Regina replied as she placed the cork back on the bottle, and turned back to the others, her face grim. "It's water… From The River of Lost Souls."

"Bloody hell." Muttered Hook, his own eyes just as wide as Henry's. "Where did The Evil Queen get that?"

There was a moment of silence as they all pondered this new, alarming information. Once again, Regina was the one to offer and answer. "Gold." She said, her lips curling into any angry snarl. "She's working with Gold. He must have brought it back from The Underworld."

"So, if we don't give her our hearts," Snow began quietly. "She really can destroy the town."

More silence fell over the group as the full reality of The Evil Queen's threat began to set it. "So… What do we do?"

Shae was the one to ask, finally breaking her silence. She had been strangely quiet for days now, ever since escaping The Evil Queen. The others had noticed, since Shae usually talked a lot. Regina told them that she had noticed it too, and that Shae didn't seem to want to talk about what happened with The Evil Queen. Whatever she had gone through, it seemed to have been quite traumatizing.

"HEY, ASSHOLE!"

Regina had opened her mouth to respond to her wife's question, but stopped at the sudden shout. They all turned toward the sound, and were absolutely shocked and confused by what they saw. It was another Shae, the exact spitting image of the woman that was standing with them. This other Shae had on different clothes, which were wrinkled and dirty. Her hair was different too. Instead of her new neatly combed style, this other Shae's jet black hair was greasy and disheveled. She was also armed with some strange sort of short hilted war hammer.

"Get your filthy hands off of my wife!" This other Shae growled, pointing the hammer at the Shae standing beside Regina.

"What the hell?" Emma exclaimed. "Shae, what the hell is going on here?"

"That's not Shae!" The Shae with the hammer shouted before the other Shae could respond. "I'm the real Shae! That's my evil half! She's been posing as me for days now!"

"I don't know who you are, or what the hell you're talking about!" The other Shae shouted back, stepping protectively in front of Regina.

"BULLSHIT!" The Shae with the hammer roared, her icy blue eyes wide and wild with rage. "You know exactly who I am! Now get the hell away from my wife and my friends, you piece of fucking-"

There was a sudden, hollow thump, and the hammer suddenly fell away from Shae's hand. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed forward onto the sidewalk. Hook was standing behind her, fist raised.

"What… W-What the hell is going on?" Regina cried, turning her wide, confused eyes onto her wife.

Shae slowly shook her head. "I, uh… I-I don't know."

They all crept forward, staring down at the unconscious person lying at their feet, the one that looked exactly like Shae. "Who is she?" Henry asked quietly. "Why does she look like you, Shae?"

"I don't know…" Shae mumbled in reply. She then bent down, and picked up the other Shae's fallen hammer. "But I know exactly what this is."

"Yeah…" Emma whispered, her eyes wide with horror. "So do I."

David and Shae immediately seized the imposter Shae, and took her to The Sheriff's Station, where they locked her in a cell. They knew that, whoever she was, she wouldn't be able to do them any harm within the cell. There was a very familiar black leather cuff strapped to her wrist. If this person posing as Shae had any magic, they knew that it was nullified due to the cuff.

Next, they all gathered around the hammer that was sitting on the desk in front of Shae, and listened as she explained what exactly it was; Mjolnir, the hammer that once belonged to the god Thor. They were all shocked to see it, and alarmed for what this meant for Emma. They all now knew about her visions, and that the figure under the hood that killed her wielded the exact same hammer.

"So, do you think that, whoever this fake Shae is," Hook asked of Emma. " She's the one that kills you?"

"I… Don't know. Maybe." Emma quietly replied.

As the others talked and worried amongst themselves, Evil Shae stared down at Mjolnir sitting in front of her. How the hell did she get this? She thought to herself. How the hell did she get out?

XX

TWO DAYS EARLIER…

Shae awoke after a fitful night of sleep within the cage in Zelena's cellar, a cage that didn't even have enough room for her to stand up in. Still, though, she tried, desperate to stretch her aching legs. She tried as best she could, hunching her back against the top of the cage. She breathed out a frustrated huff as she sat back down. She then began doing pushups, her feet and the top of her head brushing against the bars. Shae refused to just waste away in her cage. If nothing else, she would at least make sure that she remained strong, so that once she found a way to escape, she could at least physically defend herself.

After a while, Shae switched to sit-ups, but stopped suddenly as the cellar door opened. She expected to see The Evil Queen descending the stairs, ready to taunt and mock her. Instead, it was Zelena, carrying a bowl of what looked like porridge, and a glass of water.

"There you are!" Shae exclaimed, grinning cheekily at her. "I was wondering when you were going to come pay your prisoner a visit."

Zelena rolled her eyes as she slid the bowl and glass through the small slot at the bottom of the cage. "You're not my prisoner." She grumbled. "You're The Queen's."

"Sure, I guess." Shae replied, pausing to quickly guzzle down some water. "But, last time I checked, I seem to be locked inside a cage in your cellar. Both of which you have the keys to."

Zelena scoffed, rolling her eyes some more. "I knew I was going to regret this. My sister can feed her own damn prisoner next time."

"Oh, come on, Zelena!" Shae cried as Zelena turned her back on her, and headed toward the door. "Why the hell are you even doing this? I thought you were trying to change!"

"Not that it's any of your business," Zelena snarled as she whirled back around, pointing an angry finger at Shae. "But I'm doing this because I just might finally have a chance at having what you have. A family, a real family. One that accepts me for who I am, wickedness and all."

"Dammit, Zelena…" Grumbled Shae, pinching the bride of her nose. "You know that's not what this is, right? The woman that you've been spending all your time with is The Evil Queen in her purest, darkest form. For now, what you two have is convenient for her. As soon as that's over, she'll betray you and toss you in the trash like week old Chinese food."

Shae paused for a moment to scoot closer to the front of the cage, and gripped the bars tight. "Unlike her, you actually have some good left in you." She went on, staring intensely into Zelena's eyes. "She'll only take advantage of that. Trust me."

Zelena narrowed her eyes at Shae, and folded her arms across her chest. "How could you possibly know all that?"

"Because, I know her!" Shae exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "It took me years to chip away to the woman underneath all the darkness. It was then that I fell in love, and that's the woman I married, the woman that's actually your sister. There's no light left in The Evil Queen, nothing left of Regina. Not any more. And that's what makes her the most dangerous villain that Storybrooke has ever dealt with. She'll burn this town to the ground, Zelena, with everyone in it."

Zelena barked out a loud, mocking laugh, and crouched down in front of Shae's cage, to better glare into her eyes. "Exactly." She sneered. "She's going to destroy Storybrooke, then rebuild it in her image, in our image. We're going to do it together, as family, as sisters."

Shae simply laughed right back at her. "Seriously? You really believe all that?" She slowly shook her head, then scooped up the bowl of now cold porridge, and began wolfing it down with her bare hands. "I guess you're even dumber than I thought."

Zelena snarled in rage, and slammed her open palm against the bars of Shae's cage. "What the hell do you know?" She spat furiously as she straightened herself up. "You don't know me! You don't know what I've been through!"

"What the hell does that even matter?" Shae exclaimed, tossing her bowl of porridge aside. "Besides, I do know you, Zelena. I know your story. Cora abandoned you, and you were adopted by a nice older couple. Well… Nice at first, I guess. Once your magic started to show, they started to hate you for it. And once your adopted mother died, it all got worse. Your adopted father kept you secluded from the outside world, took away your freedom, and would beat you for the smallest little mistakes. Am I on the money so far?"

Zelena remained silent, glaring furiously at Shae. "I guess so." Shae went on with a shrug. "I was abandoned by my mother too, you know. But I wasn't adopted. I grew up in an orphanage, and the people that owned it were more often than not too drunk to remember to even feed us. Then, they sold us as slaves. I had no freedom, and was starved and beaten for the smallest of mistakes."

Shae paused for a moment, breathing out a sad, heavy sigh. "Just like you, I gave into the darkness that was brewing inside because of my shitty ass childhood." She went on. She then reached through the bars of her cage and pointed a shaky finger at Zelena. "So don't you dare tell me that I don't understand. If anyone in this town actually understands you, it's me."

Silence fell over the cellar for a moment as Zelena stared at the woman trapped in a cage, the woman that was now her family, her sister-in-law. Shae picked her bowl of porridge back up as she waited for Zelena to respond. Slowly, the anger began to fade from Zelena's face.

"Well…" She muttered, softly clearing her throat. "I suppose we're not so different, then."

Shae chuckled sourly as she scooped some more cold porridge into her mouth with her fingers. "No, we're not." She agreed with a shrug. "We're a lot alike, actually. Which is probably why we don't get along."

Zelena chuckled herself, and Shae did so again along with her. There was another few moments of silence as Zelena continued to stare at Shae, who continued to scarf down more porridge with her hands. Then, Zelena stepped up to Shae's cage, produced a key, and unlocked it.

"Fine, then." She muttered as she swung the door open. "I can't get that cuff off your wrist, and I don't know where your heart is. But I can at least let you stretch your legs a bit."

Shae blinked several times in surprise, porridge dripping from her fingers and back into the bowl. "Seriously?"

Zelena nodded, to which Shae threw aside the bowl, and immediately scrambled out of the cage. She then sighed in relief. It felt good to actually stand up-right.

"Come on." Said Zelena, motioning for Shae to follow her. "I think I have some lunch meat in the fridge. It's not much, but it's at least more substantial than what The Queen left for you."

Shae simply nodded her head in shocked but pleasant surprise, and followed Zelena out of the cellar. Once inside the farmhouse, Zelena made Shae a simple sandwich of bread, cheese, and deli sliced turkey. Shae didn't bother to question why Zelena was suddenly being so kind to her. She just ate her sandwich in grateful silence.

While Shae was eating, baby Robin suddenly started to fuss in her crib. Zelena immediately scooped her up, and began heating up a bottle of milk over the stove. Shae watched as Zelena attempted to sooth her baby, who quickly began to cry.

"I, um… I-I can hold her." Shae offered, carefully holding out her hands. "If, you know… That's ok."

Zelena furrowed her brow, glancing between Shae and Robin for a moment. Then, she stepped forward, and placed the baby in Shae's arms. "Try bouncing her a bit." Zelena told Shae. "She likes that."

Shae nodded, and began bouncing baby Robin gently in her arms. "It's been a long time since I've held a baby." Shae muttered quietly. "I forgot how small they are. But you're getting so big, aren't you Robin?"

Shae tickled baby Robin under her chin, to which Robin giggled. "Well, would you look at that." Zelena said with a smile. "She likes you."

After a few moments, the bottle was finally warm enough, and Zelena stepped away from the stove toward Shae. "Um… Do you… D-Do you mind?" Shae asked as she held out her hand.

Once again, Zelena hesitated for a moment, but then handed the bottle over. Shae grinned excitedly as baby Robin began to guzzle it down. "Yeah, there you go." She whispered softly. "Make sure you drink it all. That way, you can grow up to be big and strong just like your Auntie Shae!"

Zelena breathed out a small chuckle, watching Shae feeding her baby in silence for a moment. "You're… Surprisingly good with her." She said with a shrug. "Why the sudden interest in the baby, though?"

"Um… Well, Regina, she… Wants to adopt." Shae replied, shrugging herself. "I haven't been around babies in… A really long time. So I guess I want to make sure that I still know what I'm doing."

"Well, it seems like you do to me." Said Zelena, gesturing to her baby that was quietly nestled in Shae's arms. "And, for what it's worth… I think you'll be a fine mother. Once you find a way to escape, of course."

Shae furrowed her brow at Zelena. "'Find a way to escape?'"

Zelena rolled her eyes at Shae once again. "Oh, come on. You know you will. If there's anything I've learned from watching you and Regina, it's that you always somehow find a way back to each other. You and those bloody Charmings."

Shae breathed out a small, quiet laugh. "Yeah… I guess we do." She muttered. "I just… Wish we didn't always have to, you know?"

For a moment, Zelena simply stared silently at Shae, a strange sort of look on her face. To Shae, it looked like it was a look of sympathy, a look of pity. Zelena then opened her mouth to speak again, but stopped at the sound of a familiar whooshing noise. Neither her nor Shae were surprised to see The Evil Queen stepping out of a cloud of purple smoke.

"You…" She snarled at Shae the moment she noticed her. "What in the hell are you doing out of your cage?"

"Oh, relax." Zelena said with a sigh, rolling her eyes at her sister. "It's not like she can go anywhere. I'm just… Letting her stretch her legs, is all."

"I see…" The Evil Queen muttered, eyeing Zelena suspiciously. "You're not starting to feel sympathetic toward this wretch, are you?"

Zelena emitted an indignant scoff. "No, of course not." She grumbled. "I was simply growing tired of her incessant whining. I already have one baby to take care of, you know. I don't need another."

"Oh, I suppose I can't blame you." The Evil Queen replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Tell you what… Why don't you come with me? I think the two of us are vastly overdue for a spa day, and some sisterly bonding."

"A spa day?" Zelena asked, raising an eyebrow at The Evil Queen. "I suppose that does sound nice… But, what about Robin?"

"Well, we have the perfect babysitter right here, don't we?" The Queen replied, gesturing to Shae. She then narrowed her eyes once again, pointing an angry finger at her. "If that baby gets hurt, you'll be in a world of hurt."

"Oh, come on." Shae growled in reply, narrowing her eyes right back. "Do you seriously think I'm going to hurt a baby?"

"See?" The Evil Queen said to Zelena with a grin. "Now, come along. Your little sister is going to make everything better!"

Zelena hesitated for a moment, glancing between Shae, her baby, and The Evil Queen. Then, she simply shrugged, and nodded her head. The Evil Queen clapped her hands excitedly, and she and Zelena began heading toward the door.

As soon as she was sure they were long gone, Shae got up from her chair, resting baby Robin carefully against her shoulder. "Come on, Robin." She muttered, gently rubbing the baby's back. "Let's go see if we can't find my heart, huh? I need to get the hell out of here."

XX

After a quick, fruitless search of the farmhouse, Shae was forced to give up. She didn't exactly know how long Zelena and The Evil Queen were going to be gone, and she didn't want The Queen to catch her in the act. She also didn't know what the consequences for another escape attempt would be, and decided that she'd rather not find out.

"Do you like cartoons, Robin?" She asked of the baby nestled in her arms as she sat down on the couch in the living room. She chuckled as Robin emitted a soft grunt. "Me too."

Shae placed Robin sitting upright in her lap as she began flipping through the channels on the television. "Oh, here we go! How do you feel about Spongebob?" She asked Robin excitedly. She then began clapping Robin's hands together as she sang along with the T.V. "'Ohhh, who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants!'"

Robin giggled happily, and Shae laughed too. She then spent the next several hours watching cartoons with Robin, and entertaining her however she could whenever she got bored and fussy. At one point, Robin started to cry, and Shae quickly started to panic. She then realized that she needed to be changed, and started to panic even more. She hadn't changed a diaper since Avalon, and there they had been made of cloth and held together by pins. She managed to figure it out, though, and soon she had a happy baby sitting in her lap once again.

It was mid-afternoon when Zelena and The Evil Queen finally returned. Zelena was the first to step through the door, and gasped in alarm at the sound of her baby's cries. She followed the sound, and rushed into the living room. She found Shae sitting on the couch with Robin in her arms. Robin wasn't crying, though. She was laughing.

"Oh, you're back!" Shae said with a grin when she noticed Zelena. "Check this out…"

Shae held baby Robin up the air over head, drew in a deep, dramatic breath, then proceeded to blow raspberries on Robin's stomach. Baby Robin giggled wildly, kicking her tiny legs. Shae laughed along with her.

"Well, well…" Said Zelena, unable to help but chuckle herself. "She… Certainly seems to enjoy you."

"I know, right?" Agreed Shae, grinning some more. "I'm your favorite auntie, aren't I, Robin? Yes, I am. Of course I am. Just don't tell The Evil Queen, ok?" She paused her baby talk with Robin as The Evil Queen herself stepped into the room behind Zelena. "Oh… Speak of the devil."

"Well, well…" The Evil Queen said, looking Shae up and down with a look of slight disgust on her face. "You're certainly looking… Domestic."

"What can I say? I'm a natural." Shae replied with a shrug as she handed Robin over to her mother. "Jealous?"

"Oh, please…" Scoffed The Evil Queen.

It was at that moment they all heard another whooshing sound. They turned their heads toward it just in time to see Shae's evil half appearing in the corner of the room with a gust of swirling wind.

"My Queen, Zelena." Evil Shae said, nodding to both of them. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she noticed her other half glaring at her from her spot on the couch. "Oh, and if it isn't my lesser half! I almost didn't recognize you outside of your cage."

"Fuck you." Growled Shae.

"Language!" Zelena scolded her, carefully covering her baby's ears.

"My love! You're back!" The Evil Queen joyfully exclaimed, throwing her arms out toward her Protector. She hummed happily against Evil Shae's lips as she kissed her. "And so soon… I wasn't expecting to see you until tonight."

"Well, I don't exactly have long. But I wanted to see you." Evil Shae explained with a grin. "I simply couldn't wait to tell you the good news… Things are going exactly according to plan." She then turned her gaze onto her other half, her devious grin growing even wider. "The Savior is quite upset with you, by the way."

"Why?" Shae asked, narrowing her eyes at her evil half. "What the hell did you do?"

"Oh, I simply spilled the beans to her family about her little secret." Evil Shae replied with a shrug. "You know, the one about the visions of her death. You should have seen the looks on their faces! I can't wait to see how they'll react to all your secrets."

Shae simply glared at her evil half and her Queen as they both laughed loudly, mockingly. "And still noone suspects a thing?" The Evil Queen asked of her Protector.

"No, not at all. They're much too dense." Evil Shae replied with another laugh. "I admit, they've been a bit suspicious, but they're quite busy now being upset with Emma. And as long as I keep dear Regina busy in bed, well… She's none the wiser."

The Evil Queen scoffed in disgust, and turned her back on her Protector. "Oh, come now." Evil Shae said as she rolled her eyes. She then stepped up behind her Queen, placing her hands gently on her hips. "You know that I'd much rather be with you." She whispered softly in her ear. "You and only you."

Shae quickly averted her gaze as her evil half placed a gentle kiss on The Evil Queen's neck. The Evil Queen breathed out a contented sigh, then turned herself around, draping her arms around her Protector's neck. She sighed again as she kissed her. A mere moment later, she scoffed in disgust once again, and shoved Evil Shae away from her.

"You stink like her…" She growled, once again turning her back.

Evil Shae breathed out a frustrated huff, folding her arms irritably across her chest. "This was all your idea, you know."

"Oh, just… Begone with you. Go back before anyone gets suspicious." The Evil Queen muttered, waving her hand dismissively at her Protector. "I'll just have to scrub Regina's stench off of you before I even think about touching you tonight."

Evil Shae emitted a deep, sultry chuckle, stepping up behind her Queen again. "You promise?"

The Evil Queen chuckled herself, and turned back around, placing another quick kiss on Evil Shae's lips. "Go." She whispered.

Evil Shae nodded, then turned toward her other half, who was still seated on the couch, glaring viciously at her. She leaned forward, grinning deviously into Shae's eyes. "Oh, the things I'm going to do to your wife later." She sneered quietly.

Before Shae could do or say anything to react, her evil half disappeared in another gust of swirling wind. Her mocking laughter hung in the air for a few moments after she was gone. Shae seethed with silent rage, balling her hands into fists upon her knees. She glanced up at Zelena, who was staring at her with that same look of sympathy as before, that look of pity.

"Now, then." Said The Evil Queen, turning toward Shae. "Back to your cage with you."

Shae's eyes grew wide with alarm. "No! Wait, I-"

The rest of her words caught in her throat as her vision was suddenly engulfed in purple smoke. When it faded, she found herself back in Zelena's cellar, sitting on the dirt floor inside her cage. She sat there in silence for a moment, her whole body trembling with rage, with fury. Then, she turned her face up to the ceiling, and screamed.

XX

The next day passed by without much activity. Shae remained locked in her cage, and was brought another breakfast of cold porridge and water by Zelena. She didn't speak to Shae this time, and Shae didn't bother to try to speak to speak to her. She was too furious for words, in too much pain.

That evening, her dinner was delivered not by Zelena, but by The Evil Queen, accompanied by Shae's evil half. They gloated as she scarfed down her porridge, her stomach aching with ravenous hunger. Apparently, Shae's evil half continued to succeed with spreading discourse amongst The Heroes of Storybrooke. She had led Henry to a set of ancient, magical shears, called The Shears of Destiny. Hook was supposed to dispose of them, but instead kept them, and stored them in the garage at Emma's house. Henry was irate, much to Evil Shae and The Evil Queen's delight.

The shears had been given to Emma by none other than Aladdin. He was apparently another Savior, who had survived his own visions and tremors by using the shears to sever his ties to his destiny. He had been alive and well in Storybrooke for years, but without his magical powers, and, apparently, at the expense of Agrabah, which had fallen to Jafar.

Thanks to Evil Shae, Emma's friends and family now all knew about her visions, and they begged her not to use the shears. Emma agreed, and handed them over to the man she loved, who promised to toss them into the depths of the sea. He had secretly broken his promise, however, and kept the shears, in attempt to safeguard the one thing that might save Emma's life.

Now, to Shae's dismay, Hook was furious with her as well. Things were quickly falling apart due to her evil half, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she told Regina and the others about everything she had been keeping secret. She had to escape, but so far Loki hadn't answered her call, and neither had her fairy godmother. She knew that Tinkerbell likely couldn't hear her due to The Evil Queen's magical protections around her. Loki, however, was likely ignoring her on purpose, and it was making her furious.

It was the morning of the next day when the cellar doors were pulled open. Shae expected to see Zelena coming down the stairs, bowl of porridge and glass of water in hand. Instead, it was The Evil Queen, carrying a tray laden with an assortment of different breakfast foods; Pancakes, bacon, eggs, a bowl of fruit, and a glass of what looked like freshly made apple juice. She also had a strange sort of excited grin on her face, which Shae didn't like one bit.

"What's all this?" Shae asked as The Evil Queen slid the tray into the slot at the bottom of the cage.

"Oh, I suppose I'm just in a good mood this morning." The Evil Queen replied with a laugh.

Shae fought hard against the powerful urge to throw herself face first into the tray of food, her stomach growling furiously at just the smell of it. "Why?" She asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at The Evil Queen. "What sort of horrible things have you and my other half been up to today? It's barely after sunrise!"

The Evil Queen laughed loudly once again. "Oh, Shae… Oh, it's just… My perfect day!" She exclaimed, spreading her arms wide. "I'm finally going to get my revenge on Snow White, and Prince Farming as a bonus. Soon, I'll have their little shared heart beating in the palm of my hand!"

She paused as she stepped up the bars of Shae's cage, and knelt down in front of her, grinning gleefully into her eyes. "And, while that's all happening, my Shae is going to spill all of your dark, dirty secrets to your wife." She sneered. "Why, she's going to be positively furious with you! Your entire world is going to fall apart around you, along with Snow White's, and her daughter's. I'm going to get everything that I've ever wanted, plus more."

"Bullshit!" Shae snarled, pointing a trembling finger at The Evil Queen. "Emma and the others will find a way to stop you! They always do! And if they don't… I will!"

Shae was met with more loud, mocking laughter. "You will? What can you possibly do? I've heard you calling out to that pathetic excuse for a fairy, and your god." She replied, laughing some more as she straightened herself up. "Why, if Loki won't even answer your call for help, then what hope is there for you? Face it, my dear. You're helpless, and you're going to watch your world burn."

The Evil Queen continued laughing as she exited the cellar, swinging the doors shut behind her. Once again, Shae's world was engulfed in darkness, her only source of light the small beams shining through the cracks of the wooden doors to the cellar. Shae emitted another snarl of rage, and dug into her breakfast, wolfing it all down in anger.

After she had scarfed down the food, and licked the plate clean, Shae began to use the butter knife she had been left with to saw through the padlock on her cage. It seemed like it had been an eternity, and she had barely made a dent in the metal. Still, though, she kept going, desperate to get out, to save her friends and family, the people that she loved.

Suddenly, Shae heard another strange and familiar whooshing sound. She expected to see The Evil Queen again, or Zelena. The person that she actually saw, however, caused the knife to slip from her hand. It was Loki, grinning at her as she leaned casually against the wall.

"Hello again, darling." Said Loki. "You rang?"

Shae blinked several times in pure shock, her jaw dangling open. "Yeah, I did… Three days ago!" She exclaimed. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Well, as I said before, I've been quite busy." Loki replied with an irritated huff. "So… What can I do for you? And let's make it quick this time, shall we?"

Shae was silent for a moment once again, still in shock, at a complete loss of what to do or say. "Well, isn't it fucking obvious?" She shouted, spreading her arms wide. "Get me the fuck out of here!"

Loki tilted her head to one side, frowning at Shae in silence for a moment. "Mmm… No."

Shae blinked several times at the all powerful god standing before her once again. "What? Why the hell not?" She cried. "Look, I know we didn't exactly leave on the best of terms last time, but-"

"Oh, no, no, no… I've forgotten all about that, and I no longer care." Loki interjected, waving her hand dismissively. "I won't help you because I don't need to. You can help yourself out of this mess if you just call upon Mjolnir."

"Yeah, I thought of that, ok? But I can't, because of this!" Shae replied, holding up her arm and pointing to the black leather cuff still strapped to her wrist.

Loki emitted a loud, amused laugh. "Oh, Shae…" She muttered, slowly shaking her head. "Do you really think that Mjolnir is tied to your magic? Well, it's not! It's tied to your blood! All you need do is focus your mind, and it will come to you."

There was another moment of silence as Shae gaped at Loki. "Wait… Seriously?" When Loki nodded, Shae breathed out a sour, bitter laugh. "Well, that would have been… Really fucking nice to know, Loki!"

"It's like I said, darling." Loki replied with a small, unconcerned shrug. "Where's the fun if I simply tell you everything? You'd never learn anything if I did!"

"'Learn?'" Shae exclaimed, throwing her arms up in frustration. "Learn what?"

"Lessons! Important lessons, like this one!" Loki shouted back in reply, throwing up her own arms. "You don't need me to help you! You have the strength within you to help yourself! You don't need me at all."

"Wait… Wait a minute…" Shae muttered, slowly shaking her head. "You're the one that brought me back to life. And aren't you the one that said that I'm your… Champion or whatever?"

Loki simply shrugged once again. "Yes, I suppose so."

"That… This… This doesn't…" Stammered Shae, shaking her head some more. "That doesn't make any fucking sense!"

"Well, of course not!" Cried Loki, throwing up her arms once again. "I am chaos personified, God of Mischief, The Trickster God! I'm not supposed to make sense!"

"FUCK!" Shae screamed, slamming her palm against the bars of her cage. She then took a deep, shaky breath as she attempted to steady herself. "Ok, fine, whatever, just… Be quiet, alright?"

"You're the one who keeps talking…" Loki grumbled irritably

Shae shot Loki an icy glare, to which Loki pretended to zip her mouth shut, lock it, and throw away the key. Shae then drew in another deep, soothing breath, and squeezed her eyes shut. She held out her hand, focusing with all her might on Mjolnir, picturing it's wooden hilt clenched in her fist. Something briefly stirred in the back of her mind, like a tiny blip on a radar. She then opened her eyes again, scanning the small room for any sign of Thor's mighty hammer. All she saw was Loki, who was carefully examining her manicured nails.

"Dammit…" Shae grumbled, frowning in diappointmet. "I told you this wasn't going to work."

"Oh, it worked." Loki said as she flicked a small speck of dirt off of one of her nails. "I'd duck if I were you."

Shae furrowed her brow, and opened her mouth to question The God of Chaos. She immediately shut it, and gasped in alarm as the doors to the cellar suddenly exploded inward. A small, silver blur shot down the stairs, bursting through the bars of Shae's cage. Shae didn't have time to follow Loki's advice, and grunted in pain as something hard and metallic slammed into her gut.

With the wind knocked completely out of her, Shae immediately collapsed to the floor, gasping and sputtering for breath. The world spun wildly around her for a few moments, her ears filled with a deafening ringing. When it all finally stopped, and her vision cleared, her eyes grew wide with shock. Lying on the floor of her cage, right in front of her face, was Mjolnir.

Shae laughed with joy as she reached out and scooped up Mjolnir, the power radiating from within it sending tiny pinpricks shooting up her arm. She then pushed herself back up onto her feet, and laughed some more. Mjolnir had burst straight through the doors to the cellar, shattering them to pieces. The door to her cage was now lying at her feet, blown completely off its hinges.

"Holy shit! It worked!" Shae exclaimed, grinning at Loki. Her grin immediately disappeared when she found that Loki was suddenly gone. "Wait… Come back! What about my heart? Loki? LOKI!"

Shae groaned loudly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "God dammit…" She grumbled as she stepped out of her cage.

She then exited the cellar, hammer in hand, and started toward the farmhouse. "Why couldn't I have Thor's blood in my veins?" She muttered angrily to herself as she stomped across the grass. "Or Freya's, or Tyr's, or even Odin's? But, no, I get stuck with fucking crazy ass Loki. Just my fucking luck, I guess…"

Once Shae reached the house, she carefully slipped inside. She tiptoed into the kitchen, and peeked her head around the corner into the living room. There was no sign of The Evil Queen, Zelena, or even baby Robin anywhere. Shae breathed out a sigh of relief, and headed upstairs.

She found the room that she had investigated the previous day, the one that she was certain belonged to The Evil Queen. Shae could tell by the familiar scent of her perfume that still hung in the air, the same perfume that used to leave her utterly intoxicated. Now, it made her sick to her stomach.

For some reason, she found herself drawn to the tall, wooden wardrobe that sat against the wall on one side of the room. She pulled open the doors, and found several of The Evil Queen's ornate dresses hanging within. She pushed the dresses aside, running her hands along the back of the wardrobe, then the sides, and the bottom, searching for some sort of hidden compartment. She frowned when she found nothing.

"HEY!"

Shae froze, her eyes growing wide with alarm. She slowly turned around, and found Zelena suddenly standing in the doorway of The Evil Queen's room. She was cradling baby Robin in her arms, and glaring viciously at Shae.

"What are you doing in here?" Growled Zelena. "How the hell did you get out?"

Shae didn't respond. She clutched Mjolnir tightly to her chest, her eyes darting wildly around the room, searching for any means of escape. The only thing she saw was the window. The farmhouse was only two stories high, and she suspected that she would only be minorly injured if she made the jump.

"Is that… What I think it is?" Zelena asked, staring wide eyed at the hammer clutched in Shae's hands.

"Yeah… It is." Shae replied, finally breaking her fearful silence. "Turns out, I don't need magic to wield it. So you'd best stay back."

Zelena breathed out a long, heavy sigh. "Oh, relax. I'm not going to hurt you." She muttered, rolling her eyes at Shae. "Just so you know, you're awfully close to that heart of yours, but you can't get to it without me."

Shae narrowed her eyes at Zelena. "What do you mean?"

Zelena didn't respond. Instead, she crossed the room over to the wardrobe. Shae shuffled backwards, eyeing her carefully and brandishing Mjolnir at her. She didn't exactly know if she could fully wield it without her magic, but hoped that just the sight of it was enough to scare her sister-in-law.

With Shae watching a few feet away, Zelena reached her baby free arm into the wardrobe, and waved her hand in the air. She then stepped back, and gestured for Shae to take a look. Shae crept slowly forward, keeping a wary eye on Zelena. When she glanced back into the wardrobe, her eyes grew wide with shock. There was now a small compartment sitting open in the middle of the wooden back of the wardrobe. Inside, was a small, wooden box.

"Blood magic." Zelena explained with a small shrug.

Shae nodded in understanding. With one eye still carefully trained on Zelena, she retrieved the wooden box. Inside, was a glowing red heart, her heart.

"Holy shit…" Shae breathed, turning her wide eyes onto Zelena. "I… Thank you."

Zelena shifted her baby in her arms, looking suddenly uncomfortable. "Y-You're… You're welcome." She muttered quietly. "I can, you know… Put it back, if you'd like."

For a moment, Shae simply stared between her heart sitting inside the box, and Zelena's outstretched hand. Then, against her better judgement, she removed her heart from the box, and placed it in Zelena's hand. There was a tense moment of silence as Zelena simply stared at Shae's glowing red heart. Then, without warning, she reached forward, and shoved it back into Shae's chest where it belonged.

The sudden, stinging pain in her chest caused Shae to gasp in alarm. The pain only lasted for a moment, though. Next, a deep, comforting warmth began to spread throughout her entire body. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you…" She said again to Zelena with a grateful smile. "But, I just… Why? Why are you helping me?"

Once again, Zelena didn't respond right away. For a moment, she chewed on her bottom lip, staring down at the floor as she gently stroked her daughter's head. "Oh… I don't know. Perhaps motherhood has made me soft." She grumbled, rolling her eyes some more. "What does it matter, anyway? Just… Go. Get out of here before Her Majesty comes back."

"No." Shae replied, firmly shaking her head. "It does matter, Zelena. Just… Come with me."

"What?" Asked Zelena, eyebrows raised.

"If The Evil Queen finds out you helped me escape, she'll kill you." Said Shae, staring very seriously into Zelena's eyes. "Regina and I… We can protect you. So can Emma and the others." She paused for a moment, and took Zelena's free hand, squeezing it gently. "Like it or not, we're family now, Zelena. I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened to you or the baby because of me."

Zelena considered Shae's words for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No, I… Need to stay here." She replied. Shae opened her mouth in protest, but Zelena quickly went on. "This way, if I'm here with her, I can at least keep an eye on her and… Let you know what she's up to. Or, try, at least."

Shae's brow furrowed all over again. "Seriously?" She asked. "You'd… Do that for us?"

Zelena nodded, a sudden, sour look on her face. "You were right." She admitted quietly. "She doesn't care about me. I don't think she ever did. She's got your evil half now, as well as that snake that calls himself Mr. Gold. It's only a matter of time before she decides that the baby and I are nothing but a liability."

She paused for a moment, breathing out a sad, heavy sigh. "She won't find out, not if we do this right." She went on, hastily wiping away the tears that were beginning to leak out of her eyes. "We'll ransack the house, then you'll knock me out with that hammer of yours. Got it?"

Shae bit her lip as she considered Zelena's plan for a moment. Then, she nodded her head, and the two of them immediately went to work. They started in the room they were already in, The Evil Queen's room. Then, they moved on to the rest of the house, scattering the contents of cabinets and drawers, and toppling the furniture over. Once the kitchen was in ruins, Zelena placed baby Robin in her crib, and turned to Shae.

"Alright, I think that's good enough." She said as she examined the chaotic mess around her. "Right, then. Try not to enjoy this part too much."

Zelena then began to turn around, but Shae quickly grabbed her arm. "Wait." She muttered quietly. She bit her lip anxiously once again as she stared into Zelena's eyes. "Just… Thank you."

Zelena nodded, and gave Shae an uncertain, awkward pat on her shoulder. "See, I told you." She said with a small grin. "I told you you'd find a way out."

She then turned herself around, drawing in a deep, steadying breath. Shae drew in a breath of her own, then raised Thor's hammer, and struck her sister-in-law in the back of the head with it. She quickly caught Zelena in her arms before she collapsed, and gently set her down on the floor.

"Thank you, Zelena." She whispered softly. "Thank you. I won't forget this."

Shae then straightened herself up, gave baby Robin a gentle pat on her head, then headed toward the door. She marched quickly down the path leading up to the farmhouse, and stepped out onto the sidewalk. She clutched Mjolnir tightly in her fist as she headed toward Main Street, ready to see her wife again, ready to meet her evil half, and put a stop to her trickery.

She rushed through the streets of Storybrooke, keeping careful watch over her shoulder, paranoid that The Evil Queen would find her at any moment. Then, as she began to approach Granny's Diner, she began to hear familiar voices. Her heart soared when she spotted the woman that she loved amongst The Charmings, Hook, and Henry. Her excited smile fell into a fearsome snarl when she saw her evil half standing beside her wife.

"HEY, ASSHOLE!"

XX

Shae slowly began to wake. She had no idea where she was, or what time it was. All she knew was that she was lying on her back on something hard and flat, and that the back of her head ached. She could hear voices from nearby, one that she immediately recognized as Remus.

"Gods above…" He was muttering. "I can't believe it's actually Thor's hammer."

The next voice she heard caused her to snap her eyes open. It was her own voice. "I wouldn't touch it if I were you." Her evil half was saying to Remus. "We have no idea what kind of power it has."

"Good point." Came Regina's voice, causing Shae's heart to flutter wildly within her chest. "Where do you think she got it? If she is even a she. We could be dealing with some sort of… Shapeshifter, or something."

Finally, Shae forced her body to move, and she slowly sat forward, wincing as the back of her head pounded with pain. She found that she was lying on a cot, a very familiar looking cot. She then turned herself around, and saw another familiar sight; Bars, metal bars. She was in a cell within the Storybrooke Sheriff's Station. Beyond the bars, she spotted all of her friends, her family, the people that she loved.

"Look alive, everyone." Said Hook once he noticed Shae sitting upright in her cell. "She's awake."

Silence fell over the room, and everyone's heads turned toward Shae. "Finally." David muttered as he hurried over to Shae's cell. He then folded his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes angrily at her. "Now, then… You're going to give us some answers. Who are you, and what do you want?"

Shae groaned loudly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Dammit, Charming…" She growled. "It's me! I'm Shae, the real Shae!"

"Yeah, we're not buying that." Snow White said as she stepped up beside her husband. "I'm guessing you're some sort of shapeshifter that The Evil Queen summoned, right?"

"What? No!" Shae cried. She then got to her feet, and rushed up to the bars of her cell, gripping them tight. "Just… Listen, ok? All of you listen to me! I was kidnapped by The Evil Queen days ago. She stole what was left of Jekyll's serum, and used it to bring out my inner darkness. I've been locked up in Zelena's cellar ever since, and my evil half has been posing as me."

David and Snow both exchanged a skeptical glance, then turned back to glance at the others. Nobody seemed to be buying Shae's story. "Dammit, you guys!" Shae exclaimed, slamming her palm against the bars of her cell in frustration. "Look, I know you've all been suspicious. You've all been noticing how strange she's been acting, right?"

Shae reached through the bars and pointed an accusing finger at her evil half. "You know, she does have a point." Muttered Remus. He then turned to Evil Shae, raising an eyebrow at her. "The other day, you ordered wine at the bar instead of whiskey. That was awfully strange."

"Seriously?" Cried Evil Shae. "I just… Wanted some wine, is all! Come on, Remus. Don't tell me that you're actually buying into this asshole's bullshit story."

"You're the one that's the asshole!" Shae snarled, glaring viciously at her evil half. She shifted her eyes desperately around at all her friends and loved ones. Finally, her eyes rested on Regina, her wife. "Regina, please… You of all people have to have noticed something. Anything. Right?"

Regina bit her lip, gazing around at all the others. Shae could tell by the look in her eyes that some small part of her believed what she was saying. But, to her dismay, she slowly shook her head.

"I… I-I don't know…" Regina mumbled.

Shae breathed out a frustrated growl, then turned her eyes onto The Savior. "Emma… Emma, listen. Use your super power." She pleaded desperately, gripping the bars of her cell tight. "You have to know that I'm not lying."

To Shae's surprise, Emma nodded in agreement. "She's right, you guys." She replied with a small, uncertain shrug. "She's… Not lying."

"Emma, you're… Y-You're sure?" Snow asked of her daughter, eyes wide with shock.

Emma nodded once again, to which Shae laughed excitedly. "Yes! YES! Finally! Thank you, Emma!" She exclaimed.

"Now, just… Hold on a minute." Said David, slowly shaking his head. "Emma, I believe you, but… This could all be some sort of elaborate trick. If this Shae really is some sort of shapeshifting creature that The Evil Queen summoned, then she might have been conditioned to believe that she's actually the real Shae. Which would make your superpower-"

"Null and void…" Emma muttered, eyes wide as she finished her father's thought.

With that, they all began talking and arguing amongst themselves. All the while, Evil Shae glared viciously into her other half's eyes. Shae glared right back, her whole body trembling with rage. Suddenly, her own eyes grew wide as she got an idea.

"Shut up! Everybody SHUT UP!" She shouted over the din of chatter. Once the room was quiet once again, and all attention was on her, she went on. "Look, I can prove it. I can prove that everything that I'm telling you is true. You just… Have to let me out."

David scoffed loudly. "Not a chance!"

"Oh, come on!" Cried Shae, holding up her arm and pointing to the black leather cuff still strapped to her wrist. "You all know what this is! So what harm can I possibly do? If I try to escape, you'll immediately stop me because I'm vastly outnumbered. Same thing if I try to fight. I've got no chance, you know that."

The others all gazed around at each other for a moment, a moment that, to Shae, felt like an eternity. "She's got a point." Hook offered with a shrug.

David frowned, glancing at his daughter, who nodded. He then glanced at his wife, who also nodded. "Fine." He grumbled as he produced the key to Shae's cell. He held the key up, and pointed it in Shae's face, glaring dangerously at her. "If you try anything, anything at all, you're going down. Hard."

Shae simply nodded in understanding. David then unlocked the door to her cell, and swung it open. Shae exited her cell, keeping her eyes narrowed at her evil half, who had both Remus and Hook standing shoulder to shoulder in front of her. Shae immediately stepped up to Regina, her wife, and stared deep into her gorgeous brown eyes.

"Regina, please, I… I-I'm not going to hurt you." She whispered softly. Regina remained silent, watching her carefully as she gently took her hand in her own. "Please, just… Just trust me."

Shae didn't bother to wait for a reply. She placed her other hand on her wife's cheek, leaned forward, and kissed her. Evil Shae emitted a furious growl, and lurched forward a step, only to be stopped by Remus and Hook, who were both watching the scene before them unfold with great interest, as were the others. They all watched with bated breath as Regina stood rigidly still for a moment, her eyes gaping wide. Then, slowly, they fluttered closed, and her lips parted against Shae's.

After a few moments, Shae stepped back, searching her wife's eyes. Regina stared back into Shae's own eyes in silence for a moment, her mouth opening and closing several times. Then, she quietly uttered a single word.

"Shae?"

Shae let out a quiet, strangled laugh, gripping Regina by her shoulders. "Yes." She whispered, her ice blue eyes swimming with tears. "It's me, Regina. It's really me."

"Oh my god… Oh my god!" Regina cried, shocked and grateful tears shining in her own eyes. "It's… I-It's true! It's all true! This is the real Shae!"

As Regina threw her arms around the woman that was actually her wife, the others all turned toward the other Shae, the one whom they all now knew was the real imposter. Evil Shae backed up against the wall as the others all began to advance on her. Her eyes were wide and wild, darting quickly around the room. As her back hit the wall, she started to laugh.

"You… You wretch, you godsforsaken… SCUM!" She snarled between fits of laughter, pointing a trembling finger at Shae. "You just had to go and ruin everything, didn't you? Just like you always do!"

Shae quickly removed herself from her wife's arms, and stepped protectively in front of her. For a moment, the two Shae's simply glared at each other. Then, quick as a flash, Evil Shae lurched forward, and snatched Mjolnir up off the nearby desk before anyone could stop her. In all the commotion and confusion, the others had all collectively forgotten about the godly weapon sitting amongst them. They were all suddenly reminded as Evil Shae brandished the hammer menacingly at them.

Evil Shae laughed loudly as she admired Thor's hammer that was clenched tightly in her fist. "Still, though… I suppose things have gone according to plan, in a way." She sneered at her other half. "Now everyone knows your little secret, and you will have to face the consequences. Meanwhile, I'll be taking Mjolnir with me, and back to my Queen. I'm certain that, between the two of us, we'll come up with something deliciously devastating to bring down upon all you wretched fools!"

While Evil Shae was talking, Shae was tapping her finger wildly against her wife's arm. Regina finally got the hint, and glanced down. When she noticed the black leather cuff, she immediately understood what Shae wanted her to do. She then gripped the cuff, and pulled it off of Shae's arm. A split second later, Shae threw out her now cuff free arm, sending her evil half careening backwards against the wall with a gust of wind.

Mjolnir slipped from Evil Shae's hand, just like Shae had planned. She immediately dove for it, rolling swiftly across the floor and scooping it up in her hand. Both Shae's made it to their feet at the same time. Evil Shae bellowed out in fury at her other half, who now had Mjolnir clenched firmly in her fist.

"Fine, then…" Evil Shae snarled. "If that's really what you want…"

Evil Shae then waved her hand in the air and, suddenly, she and her other half both disappeared in two gusts of swirling wind. Silence fell over the sheriff's station as it took them all a moment to process what had just happened. Regina was the first one to start panicking.

"Oh, no… No, no, no…" She muttered, staring with wide, fearful eyes around at all the others. "What just happened? Where did they go?"

"I-I don't know…" Emma muttered back, her own eyes just as wide as Regina's. "But we need to find them, fast, before they destroy the whole town fighting each other."

XX

Shae hit the ground hard, coughing and sputtering as she gasped for breath. She quickly realized that Mjolnir was no longer in her hand, and that she was no longer in The Sheriff's Station. She was now surrounded by tall, towering trees.

Evil Shae was on her feet a few yards away, and, lying in the grass between them, was Mjolnir. There was a tense moment of silence as both Shae's stared between each other and the hammer. Then, Evil Shae began sprinting toward it.

Reacting quickly, Shae threw out her arm, sending her evil half careening backwards with a powerful gust of wind. She scrambled up onto her feet, and began running toward Mjolnir herself. Unfortunately, Evil Shae was back on her feet too soon. Just as she was about to reach Mjolnir, Shae was sent hurtling backwards as well.

Shae landed on her stomach, and immediately threw out her arm again, but, this time, in attempt to summon Mjolnir right into her hand. Evil Shae quickly noticed what her other half was trying to do, and threw out her own arm. The two Shae's struggled against each other for a few moments, Mjolnir hovering in the air between them, wobbling back and forth. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning burst forth from Thor's Hammer, and it went shooting straight up into the sky, far, far above their heads, and out of their sight.

"Uh oh…" Shae muttered with a frown. "That's… Probably not good."

"NOOO!" Evil Shae roared.

She turned her wide, rage filled eyes onto her other half, bellowed out a furious war cry, and charged. Shae made it back up onto her feet, just to get knocked down again as her evil half tackled her to the ground. She threw herself upon Shae, and struck her in the face with her fist, once, twice, three times. She raised her fist to strike her a fourth time, but Shae managed to block the blow with her forearm, and counter with her own.

As Evil Shae tumbled backwards onto the grass, Shae emitted a painful groan as she pushed herself up onto her feet. She spat out a wad of blood, her chest heaving as she watched her evil half stagger to her own feet. The two of them simply glared at each other for a moment, breathing heavily.

"I… Will… DESTROY YOU!" Evil Shae bellowed, her eyes wide and wild with rage.

"You can't, remember?" Shae replied with a laugh. "You kill me, you kill yourself."

Evil Shae laughed herself, loudly, mockingly. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She agreed with a small, unconcerned shrug. "I may not be able to kill you, but I can beat you to a bloody pulp. And once I'm finished, you're going right back in your cage where you belong."

Shae emitted a deep, dangerous growl, and fell back into a battle ready stance. "Bring it, bitch!"

Evil Shae bellowed out another furious war cry, and charged forward once again. This time, Shae was ready for her. She blocked her blow with her arm, and countered with her own once again, burying her fist deep in Evil Shae's stomach. Evil Shae snarled in fury, and swung again. Shae ducked, and swung herself, which her evil half blocked, and swiftly jabbed her in this face.

This continued for some time, the two of them exchanging blow after blow. Unsurprisingly, the two Shae's were quite evenly matched. It wasn't long, however, before the swings of their fists began to slow, their breathing heavy and labored, their faces and other parts of their bodies swollen, bloody, and bruised.

Suddenly, there was a mighty crash from nearby, causing the earth beneath them both to heave. They both fell to the ground, and turned their heads toward the source. They immediately knew that it was Mjolnir, which had finally crashed back down to earth. It left a small crater in the dirt, where it sat in the center, hilt pointing upward toward the sky.

The two Shae's glanced at each other, then at Mjolnir, and both immediately began sprinting toward it. Evil Shae managed to gain the upper hand, but quickly lost it again as Shae reached out and seized her by the back of her vest, yanking her to the ground. Reacting quickly, Evil Shae reached out herself, and gripped Shae's ankle, causing her to fall flat on her face.

Evil Shae began to crawl over her other half toward Mjolnir, and Shae reacted by elbowing her evil half in the face. Evil Shae howled in pain, clutching her now broken nose, which immediately began to bleed. Shae scrambled up onto her feet, and began to rush toward Mjolnir, which was still several yards away. She cried out in alarm as she was suddenly tackled from behind, and fell face first into the dirt again.

The two Shae's wrestled around on the ground for a moment, then Evil Shae finally made it back up onto her feet. Shae countered by kicking out one of her legs. There was a sickening crunch as her foot made contact with Evil Shae's knee, which immediately bent backwards at a grotesque angle. Evil Shae screamed in pain, and collapsed back down to the ground.

Exhausted and riddled with pain, Shae reamined where she was lying upon the ground, her breaths coming in deep, ragged gasps. After a few moments, she began to push herself back up onto her feet. Unfortunately, she had waited too long, and was shoved back down again as her evil half threw herself upon her. Evil Shae seized her arm, rolled her over on her back, and began hitting her in the face with her fist again, and again, and again.

"Mjolnir… Is… MINE!" Evil Shae bellowed between blows. "You pathetic… Useless… Piece of… TRASH! I HATE YOU!"

"Feelings… Mutual…" Shae muttered weakly.

Evil Shae roared furiously in Shae's face. After one final blow, Evil Shae collapsed onto the ground beside her other half. Shae coughed and sputtered meekly, blood leaking out of the corners of her lips.

"You don't deserve it…" Evil Shae snarled from beside her other half. "You don't deserve your happy ending. And, now… I'm going to get mine."

Evil Shae groaned and grunted in pain as she staggered up onto her feet. All Shae was able to do was reach out her arm, and feebly grasp the pant leg of her evil half. Evil Shae didn't even seem to notice as she began to drag herself forward on her now broken leg. Shae coughed up some more blood, her arm falling limply back down into the grass. She could feel herself growing weaker, and, with little other choice, began to succumb to the darkness that was creeping in to the edges of her vision.

"Here! They're over here!"

Shae had closed her eyes, but snapped them open again at the sound of a familiar voice. With a painful groan, she managed to roll herself onto her stomach, and lift her head. She saw her evil half kneeling on the ground on her good leg, breathing heavily, Mjolnir still sitting a few yards away from her. On the other side of Thor's Hammer, rushing through the trees, was Regina, the woman that she loved. She was quickly followed by Remus, Hook, Emma, and her parents.

Shae smiled as she watched her wife running towards her, ready to save her. After a few moments, the smile suddenly faded from her face. Regina wasn't running toward her, she was running toward Mjolnir. Her eyes grew wide with alarm as Regina skidded to a stop in front of the hammer, and reached toward it's hilt.

"REGINA, NO!" Both Shae's screamed in unison.

But it was too late. Regina seized Mjolnir by it's short, wooden hilt, and raised it above her head. She bellowed out a furious war cry as she brought it back down again. A mighty bolt of lightning burst forth from Mjolnir, shooting straight toward Evil Shae. A crack of thunder reverberated around the forest as the bolt of lightning struck Evil Shae straight in the chest. Shae was forced to shield her eyes, the blast nearly blinding her.

As silence fell over the forest, Shae raised her head once again. She saw her evil half lying still and sprawled out on the ground, wisps of smoke rising from her sizzling clothes. What she saw next caused her heart to nearly stop. Regina was also lying sprawled out on the grass, still and unmoving.

Ignoring the pain shooting throughout her entire body, Shae scrambled up onto her feet, and began staggering toward her wife. She saw Emma, Remus, and the others all rushing toward her. She felt their hands grabbing at her arms. She shoved them roughly away, their frantic cries drowned out by the sudden ringing in her ears. Her vision tunneled in on Regina's crumpled form as she continued to drag herself forward.

Once she finally reached Regina, Shae collapsed down onto her knees beside her. She reached out a trembling hand, placing it gently on her cheek. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound was able to come out. Suddenly, the darkness began to creep in around her vision once again.

"Regina…" She rasped as she fell limply down onto the ground beside her wife. "No… Regina… Regina…"

XX

"Shae… Shae, can you hear me? Shae!"

Shae snapped her eyes open at the sound of the familiar voice shouting in her ear. Slowly, the hazy form of Emma's face began to take shape in front of her eyes. Standing just behind Emma, she spotted her parents, Remus, Hook, and Henry. Shae quickly realized that she was now lying on the floor in Emma's living room.

She immediately sat bolt upright, and reached out with trembling hands, gripping Emma's shoulders. "Regina?" She rasped.

"It's alright, Shae, she's alive." Emma answered with a small smile. "We, uh… Had to call in some reinforcements to heal her, though."

Emma turned her head to the side, and Shae followed suit. Mother Superior was standing in front of the couch with her back to the others, accompanied by the rest of the fairies, and Tinkerbell. They were all surrounding the couch in a circle, waving their wands up and down. Lying motionless upon the couch, was Regina.

Shae immediately scrambled up onto her feet, and made to go to her wife. She was quickly stopped by Remus. "Easy, now." He muttered in a soft, soothing tone. "She's going to be alright, Shae. Just… Let the fairies do their work."

Shae hesitated in silence for a moment, glancing quickly between Regina and Remus. Then, she breathed out a shaky sigh, and nodded. "Mjolnir…" She mumbled, her eyes growing wide with alarm. "W-Where… Where's Mjolnir?"

"Don't worry, it's here." Answered Remus.

He beckoned for her to follow him, and Shae obliged. He led her into the kitchen, the others following behind them. Remus then gestured toward the table, where what looked like Hook's black leather jacket was lying in a heap upon it. Shae immediately rushed over to the table, and pulled Hook's jacket away. Lying safely tucked away within it, was Mjolnir.

"Oh, thank god…" Shae whispered, scooping up the hammer and clutching it tightly to her chest. "You guys… Didn't touch it, did you?"

"After seeing what happened to Regina? No, of course not." Snow White answered with a quick shake of her head. "That's why Hook wrapped it up in his jacket before bringing it back with us."

Shae nodded gratefully at Hook, who simply nodded back. She then asked the next question that was burning in her mind. "What about my… Evil half?"

"Locked up in Hyde's old cell in the hospital basement." David answered with a small, reassuring smile. "We put that cuff that was on you on her, and the shackles that Jekyll made. Also Emma cast a protection spell around the whole cell. Don't worry, she's not going anywhere."

Shae breathed out another shaky sigh of relief, nodding some more. She then slowly sank down onto one of Emma's kitchen chairs. Though she had been healed of her injuries, and was now free of pain, she was still exhausted from her fight with her evil half.

"Shae… What exactly is going on?" Henry asked as he sat down in the chair next to Shae. "Why do you have… Thor's Hammer?"

Shae sighed once more, and placed her hand gently on the boy's shoulder. "I'll tell you Henry, I promise, I'll tell all of you everything." She said, staring intently into Henry's eyes, then turning her own up onto the others. "But… Not until Regina wakes up. She needs to hear it too."

"Hear what, exactly?" Asked Hook, folding his arms across his chest.

"I've been… Keeping a lot of secrets." Shae replied quietly, hanging her head in shame. "From her, from you, Henry, from… All of you. But it stops now, I promise."

"You swear?" Remus asked, pointing a serious, accusing finger at Shae. "Because I had to find out from this lot that you have the actual hammer of Thor himself. I never would have believed it was even real until, well… Until Regina used it against your other half."

Shae nodded solemnly. "That… Shouldn't have happened. I never wanted anything like this to happen." She mumbled in reply. She then turned her gaze up onto her best friend, her brother, her ice blue eyes swimming with tears. "I'm sorry, Remus. I'm… So sorry."

Remus sighed, and stepped up beside Shae. "It's alright, Shae." He muttered as he slowly rubbed her back. "I understand. It's alright."

Shae simply nodded in silence, then set Mjolnir aside, and pulled Remus into her arms. She hugged him tight, tears beginning to leak down her cheeks. It was at that moment that Mother Superior stepped into the kitchen, causing Shae to release her brother.

"It's done." Mother Superior announced with a small, tired smile. "She's awake now."

Shae immediately leapt up to her feet, and rushed into the living room. She found that the rest of the fairies were now gone, and her wife was now sitting upright on the couch. Tinkerbell was sitting beside her, and smiled at Shae when she saw her.

"Shae?" Regina whispered the moment she spotted her wife. "Is it… Really you?"

Shae smiled, grateful, joyous tears immediately welling into her eyes. "Yeah. It's me. I promise."

Regina smiled back, her own eyes shimmering with tears. "Oh, thank god!"

She leapt up from the couch, rushed to the woman that she loved, and threw herself into her arms. Shae emitted a quiet, strangled laugh as she held her tight, tears now spilling down her face. After just a quick moment, Shae placed a deep, desperate kiss on her wife's lips. She sighed in relief, in contentment. She had missed the taste of her lips, the smell of her skin, the warmth of her body. She had missed every single thing about Regina, and was overwhelmingly grateful to be back in her arms once again.

"It really is you." Regina whispered as she cupped Shae's face into her hands, smiling into her eyes. "I just… Don't understand. How did you know that would work? Kissing me, I mean."

Shae quickly cleared her throat before responding, and hastily wiped at her tears. "Well, uh… Just before The Evil Queen kidnapped me, she was posing as you, and she… Kissed me." She explained, taking both of her wife's hands in her own. "Even though she looked exactly like you, and sounded exactly like you, I could just tell that something was… Off. So, I figured that… You'd been feeling the same way with my, uh… Other half."

Regina nodded slowly in understanding. "You're right." She whispered, breathing out a heavy, shaky sigh. "This whole time, I kept feeling like something just… Wasn't quite right. But, I just… I had no idea. Oh, Shae… Shae, I'm so sorry…"

"Hey… Hey, it's ok. Look at me." Shae replied in a rush as more tears began to spill down her wife's face. "It's alright, I'm here now. I came back, just like I always do, just like I always will, no matter what."

Shae then took Regina's face in her hands, and stared deep into her eyes. "I will always come back to you, Regina." She whispered softly. "Always. Forever, and always. Remember?"

Regina nodded some more, smiling through her tears. "Forever and always…" She whispered back.

She then wrapped her arms around Shae's neck, and pulled her in for another kiss. Meanwhile, the others were all huddled together in the kitchen doorway. David had his arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders, both of them smiling as they watched the two lovers reunited once again. Emma was smiling as well, with one arm wrapped around her son, the other linked in with Hook's.

"What do we do?" Remus leaned in and whispered in Hook's ear. "Do we just keep watching? This is very uncomfortable."

"Be quiet, mate!" Hook whispered back. "Can't you see they're having a moment?"

Both Shae and Regina heard this exchanged, and they quickly broke apart. "Er… Sorry about that, everyone." Regina muttered, her face a deep shade of red.

"It's ok." Henry said with a laugh. "We're all just glad to see you guys back together again."

"Definitely." Snow White agreed, laughing along with her grandson. "And we're glad to see you back up on your feet, Regina. How are you feeling? That hammer did quite a number on you."

"Fine, I'm… Fine." Regina replied as the others all joined her and Shae in the living room. "I just… Don't really understand what happened. I remember picking up Mjolnir, and then… Lightning coming out of it. I remember that it hurt, and then… Nothing. Until I woke up here, that is."

"Right, well… I think your wife was just about to explain all that." Hook said, gesturing with his hook toward Shae. "She insisted that she wouldn't tell us a thing until you woke up, so…"

There was a slightly awkward moment of silence as all eyes suddenly turned onto Shae, who stood rigid in her spot. She quickly shifted her eyes onto her wife, then onto Tinkerbell, her fairy godmother. Tink simply gestured silently, to which Shae breathed out a heavy sigh, and nodded.

"Regina, listen…" She said quietly, staring mournfully into her wife's eyes. "There's, uh… Some things I need to tell you. Things that I've been… Keeping secret. You're probably going to be really angry with me, but, I… I-I need to get them all out first. Ok?"

Regina blinked several times in surprise, then simply nodded her head. Shae nodded back, and took her wife by the hand, leading her into the kitchen. The others all followed suit, and Shae had a strange moment with Mother Superior as she passed by her. The Blue Fairy only met her gaze for a moment, and she had a very strange look in her eye, a look that seemed to Shae like fear. Shae quickly brushed it off. She had much more important things to worry about, after all.

Once they were all seated around Emma's kitchen table, Shae began to tell them… Everything. Just like she had with Tink, she started with the things that they all knew. She had thrown herself into the flames within The Cave of Judgment, and ended up in Niflheim, where she found Lilith, who had brought her back to life. She then went on to explain that Lilith was actually Loki. This positively shocked them all, especially Remus, who had grown up listening to tales of the gods like Loki, Thor, Odin, and Freya, just like Shae. They all sat it rapt, silent attention as Shae went on.

She told them all about the prophecy that Hades had spoken of, the one that she had partially deciphered, the one that was now etched into her flesh. She even removed her shirt, and showed them the runes and glyphs that were now tattooed on her skin. She explained to Remus how exactly the two of them had returned from The Underworld the first time, that it had been Loki disguised as Zeus that had stripped them of their vampirism. She told Hook much the same, that it was actually Loki that brought him back to life. She then told them the tale that Loki had told her, the tale of Ragnarok. After that, she went on to explain the details of her escape from The Evil Queen's clutches.

Lastly, Shae told her friends and family that she, apparently, was descended from the gods, that she had Loki's blood coursing through her veins, The Elder Blood, as Hades had called it. They were all even more shocked to learn that Shae's godly blood was what allowed her to wield Mjolnir. This information caused them all to muse over how exactly Regina had survived after wielding the hammer herself. According to Shae, she should have died after simply touching it.

"What exactly does that mean?" Asked Emma. "Is Regina somehow descended from the gods too?"

"I… I-I don't know." Shae muttered in reply, slowly shaking her head.

"Well, it seems like the only solution is to ask the gods themselves." Hook offered with a small shrug. "You said you've called upon Loki before, yes? Why not do so right now?"

"I, um… I-I can try." Shae replied, shrugging herself. "But she doesn't usually answer right away."

"Wait… She?" Asked Emma. "I thought Loki was supposed to be a guy."

"Uh… Yeah, well, in the old stories Loki is usually portrayed as a man." Shae began to explain. "But Loki is a shapeshifter. According to her, gender norms as we perceive them mean nothing to her. Him? Them? I guess I should ask what her preferred pronouns are…"

"I, uh… Think there's a lot more important questions we need to ask." Snow White replied with a small chuckle.

"Hey, asking someone's preferred pronouns is always important." Shae retorted, pointing a stern finger at Snow. "It's just polite."

The others all exchanged a quick glance, then turned their eyes back onto Shae. After a few moments, Shae finally seemed to notice everyone's expectant stares. She then nodded in understanding, and quickly cleared her throat.

"Loki? Loki!" She called out into the air. "I, uh… Really need to talk to you! Everyone knows about you now and, well… We have a lot of questions."

Silence fell over the room, and a tense few moments went by as they all waited. "Loki!" Shae called out again. "LOKI!"

Several more minutes went by, and they all slowly scanned their eyes over the room. They searched for any signs of a stranger in their midst, a stranger that just so happened to be a god. When they saw nothing, and heard nothing, Shae breathed out a heavy sigh.

"I told you." She said with a shrug. "She's… Not exactly the most reliable."

"Well, maybe it's for the best." Emma replied, shrugging herself. "This is all kind of… A lot to take in, anyway."

"Indeed." Remus agreed with a solemn nod. "It's not every day that you find out your best friend since childhood is some sort of… Demigod!"

"Well, I don't really think 'demigod' is the right word." Shae said, chuckling quietly. "But, I most definitely like it. So I obviously won't stop you from calling me that if you want."

Shae grinned cheekily at them, which quickly turned into a frown when she realized no one else seemed to be amused. "Look, I'm… Really sorry." She muttered, breathing out another sad, heavy sigh. "I know I should have told you all everything a long time ago."

She then turned to her wife, who was still seated on the couch beside her. Regina had been strangely silent through everything. Even now, she was sitting with her hands folded in her lap, her lips pursed into a firm line as she stared down at her feet.

"Regina…" Shae mumbled quietly, placing her hand gently on her wife's knee. "I'm… So sorry. I just… I don't know what else to say."

Regina continued to remain silent for a few moments, still staring down at the floor. Suddenly, she rose from the couch, and quietly cleared her throat. "If you'll all excuse us." She said in a low, even tone, gazing around at the others. "I think my wife and I need a moment to speak alone."

Without bothering to wait for a reply from anyone, Regina marched toward the front door, threw it open, and stepped outside. Shae immediately hurried after her, and carefully closed the door behind her. When she turned toward Regina, she found her wife standing on the porch with her back turned. Shae waited in anxious silence for her to speak, to start screaming and yelling and berating her for keeping so many secrets since even before their wedding. However, none of those things happened.

"Regina, listen…" Shae muttered quietly, finally breaking the tense silence. "I… I-I know you must be furious with me right now, and you have every right to be, but-"

"I'm not angry, Shae." Regina whispered, cutting Shae off. She then turned to face her, and finally met her eyes. Shae saw nothing but sorrow in those deep, gorgeous brown eyes. "I'm not angry with you, I promise. I'm just sad, and… Disappointed."

"Well, that's just… Somehow worse." Shae replied with a frown.

Regina chuckled quietly, slowly shaking her head. "Henry would definitely agree with you on that." She then breathed out a long, heavy sigh, and stepped forward, taking her wife's hand. "On the day of our wedding, we both agreed that it was… A new beginning for us, a happy beginning. So, keeping that in mind, I choose not to be angry with things that are already in the past."

She paused for a moment, and took another small step forward. "We're married now, Shae. We're supposed to be a team." She went on, placing her hand gently on her wife's cheek. "I don't want you to ever feel like you need to hide things from me, no matter what's happening in our lives at the time. I want… No. I need you to share every single part of yourself with me. Always."

Shae simply nodded her head, unable to speak, barely able to breathe as grateful tears began to well into her eyes. "Swear to me, right here, right now…" Regina went on, her own eyes shining with tears as she stared deep into Shae's. "That you won't keep any more secrets from me."

Shae nodded some more, and took her wife's hand, placing it upon her own chest, right over her heart. "I swear to you, Regina," She began, tears now pouring out of her eyes. "I swear with all my heart that, from this moment on, I will never keep secrets from you again. I promise to share every single part of myself with you. Always."

Regina nodded back, smiling as tears of her own began to leak down her cheeks. "And I swear the same." She whispered softly, placing both her hands on either side of Shae's face. "I swear to always share with you every single part of me. Because, everything that I have, all that I am… Is yours, Shae. It's always been yours."

Unable to resist any longer, Shae pulled her wife into her arms, and placed a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. "Oh, Regina…" Shae murmured as she held her tight. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"Lots of terrible things." Regina replied with a grin and a wink.

Shae laughed lightly before returning to her wife's lips. Regina breathed out a contented sigh, positively melting into Shae's arms. The two of them stood there upon Emma's porch for a long while, slowly and gently enjoying each other's lips. Their embrace quickly began to swell with passion, their lips parting faster and faster, their tongues brushing lightly against each other.

"Mmm… As much as I'm enjoying this…" Regina whispered softly. "We should go back inside. There's so much to do."

"I know." Shae whispered back. "Just… Let me kiss you for another minute. I missed you so much."

Regina chuckled, and nodded in agreement. "I missed you too." She whispered against her wife's lips as she kissed her again. "I didn't exactly know it at the time but… I did. I'm so glad that you're back, that it's actually you. I love you."

"I love you too." Shae replied with a smile.

Regina emitted a soft moan as Shae's lips crashed against her own once again. After a few more moments of enjoying each other's lips, Shae suddenly felt like something was wrong. Regina had suddenly gone rigid in her arms, and she could feel her lips trembling beneath her own. She pulled away from her wife's lips, and opened her mouth to question her. She stopped when a quiet cough from nearby caused them both to whirl around.

"Belle!" Shae exclaimed. "Uh… Hey!"

"Er… Sorry to interrupt." Belle said with a sheepish smile as she stepped up onto the porch. "Emma called earlier and said I should meet you all here."

"It's alright." Regina replied as she quickly smoothed out her blazer. "We were just… Talking."

Belle chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "Right. Talking."

She then headed inside, and was immediately followed by Regina. Shae hesitated on the porch for a moment before following behind her. She could tell that something was wrong with her wife. She forced herself to put it to the back of her mind, though. Regina was right. There was much to do.

As soon as he saw her, Remus immediately rushed over and embraced Belle tightly. The two of them had always been close, and Shae knew that it was because Belle reminded Remus of Nadia. Shae knew because she had seen it too, from the moment she had first met Belle.

Upon Belle's arrival, all talk about the gods and magic hammers ceased, and they began to discuss their current and urgent dilemma. They quickly filled Shae in on the situation with The Evil Queen and the water from The River of Lost Souls she had been given by Gold. To their dismay, Belle had no luck in finding a way to counteract the water. However, Mother Superior came forward and offered an entirely different solution to their problem.

She told them all about a magical sapling which could potentially be used to imprison The Evil Queen. This would allow them the time they needed to figure out a way to put an end to her once and for all, along with Shae's evil half as well. The problem was, she didn't know exactly where it was, but knew of a spell that would send up a beacon upon its location. Unfortunately, this beacon would be able to be seen by everyone in town, including The Evil Queen.

"It sounds like we might have a race on our hands, then." Hook muttered with a frown.

"Maybe not…" Shae mused quietly. "I told you guys that Zelena helped me escape. I think we might be able to use her to keep The Queen busy while we go after the sapling."

"You… Really think she'd do that?" Asked Regina, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah… I think so." Shae replied with a small shrug. "We sort of… Bonded, I guess. And she knows that it's only a matter of time before The Evil Queen kicks her to the curb. She told me that she wants to help us while she's still on the inside. I think this might be exactly how."

"Wait… You're saying that you and my sister finally bonded while you were… Locked up in her cellar?" Regina asked of her wife, eyes wide. When Shae shrugged again, and nodded, she breathed out a bemused chuckle. "Well… I suppose stranger things have happened."

"Alright… It sounds like we just might actually have a plan." Snow announced to the room as she clapped her hands together. "Shae will ask Zelena to keep The Evil Queen busy at home while Blue casts her spell. Regina, David and I will need you to take us to the sapling. All we need is a place to keep The Evil Queen once we have it."

"We can keep her in my vault." Regina replied with a nod. "I'll remove all the blood magic protections, then Emma can cast a protection spell. We'll just need to get everything out of there first. There's no telling what sort of trouble she could get up to with all the magic I have stored away in there."

"Hook and I can go pack everything up." Emma offered, also nodding. "That way, we'll be ready and waiting for her once you guys get the sapling."

"I'll do what I can to keep Rumple busy as well." Said Belle. "There's no telling what he'll do if he sees that beacon. Besides, he and I are overdue for a chat, anyway."

Snow White nodded as she gently squeezed Belle's hand. "Thank you, Belle. That'll be helpful." She said with a smile. She then turned to Remus. "Right… Remus, can you-"

"Oh, I'll stop you right there, Snow White." Remus interjected, holding up his hand. "I don't know what it is you're about to ask, but I assure you that the answer is, 'No.'"

Snow blinked several times in surprise. "I… What? Why?"

"Two reasons." Remus replied with a small, one armed shrug. "One; I don't work for you. Two; I'm a businessman now, and I have a flourishing business to return to. Why, just yesterday I purchased the building next door, and am in the process of planning quite a large expansion to The Rabbit Hole."

"Seriously?" Asked Emma, eyes wide.

"Seriously." Replied Remus. "In fact, you can consider this my official resignation from all this… Madness."

He then stepped up to Snow, and handed her a small, white envelope. "My paperwork." Was his only explanation. He then glanced around the room, straightened out his jacket, and nodded curtly to them all. "Good luck."

With that, Remus turned on his heel, and strode out the door. Snow immediately opened the envelope, and removed the single piece of paper that was tucked away inside. She frowned as she read it, then turned it around for everyone to see. In the top left corner, were just three small words; "Figure it out."

"I think he actually typed this up and printed it out." Muttered Snow. She then examined the front of the envelope, and laughed loudly. "Oh, wow… He even addressed it and stamped it."

"You know, I really want to hate that man." David said, laughing himself. "But, I just… Can't."

"Yeah, it's kind of part of his charm." Shae replied with a shrug. "So, uh… Should we get to work?"

The others all nodded, and stepped out onto the porch. They waited patiently as Mother Superior produced her wand, and held it up toward the sky. A moment later, a pillar of bright yellow light shot up into the sky from somewhere deep in the Storybrooke forest. Once the beacon was alight, they knew that there was no time to waste. Shae made a quick call to Zelena as the others began to part ways.

Thankfully, Zelena answered right away, and told Shae that, for the moment, she was alone. When Shae told her of their plan, she agreed, and said that she would do what she could to distract The Evil Queen. She also told Shae that, so far, The Evil Queen seemed to have no idea that she helped in her escape. Their trick seemed to have worked, and Shae was grateful for that.

After hanging up with Zelena, Shae approached her wife, who was ready to teleport both Snow and David out into the woods. "Shae, why don't you go with Emma and Hook?" Regina asked as she joined them. "They'll probably need your help a lot more than I will."

Shae blinked several times in surprise before responding. "Oh." She said, then softly cleared her throat. "Um… Yeah. A-Alright."

Regina could see the hurt and confusion in her wife's eyes, and she emitted a heavy sigh. "Shae, please, I told you that I'm not angry with you. I swear I'm not." She told her quietly as she gently squeezed her hand. "But, I just… I need a moment to… Process all this. Besides, you're the only other person in this town besides me that knows what's in my vault. So you'll know what to be extra careful with. I don't want Emma and Hook accidentally blowing themselves up."

Shae quickly nodded her head. "Right. Y-You're right." She agreed, managing a small smile. "Just, uh… Be safe, and, um… I'll see you later."

Regina nodded herself, and leaned forward, placing a quick, gentle kiss on her wife's lips. "Um… Just a suggestion." She muttered, a strange, sour look on her face. "You might want to run home first and… Take a quick shower. Just saying."

Shae frowned, and nodded some more. Regina then placed once last kiss on Shae's lips, and returned to Snow and David, who were both waiting patiently. She then placed her hands on both of their shoulders, and they all disappeared in puffs of purple smoke.

As soon as they were gone, Shae lifted her arm, and gave her armpit a careful sniff. She immediately grimaced in disgust. "Yeah, well… You'd stink too if you were locked in a cellar for three days." She grumbled to herself.

She too then disappeared in a gust of swirling wind.

XX

Per her wife's suggestion, Shae returned home. Henry was already there, as well as Tinkerbell, who was keeping an eye on the boy just in case either Gold or The Evil Queen decided to pay him an unexpected visit. After explaining to the two of them why she was there, she took a brisk shower, and changed out of the dirty, smelly clothes that she had been wearing for three days straight.

After that, she joined Hook and Emma at Regina's vault. The two of them had already started packing up the main room, so Shae decided to start on the room in the back. It was there that her wife had her more dangerous potions and magical items stored away.

The whole time she was carefully placing all the different vials and items into boxes, she couldn't seem to shake the strange feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. It was an anxious, foreboding feeling. At first, she thought it was simply nerves due to the situation with Snow and David. But, the longer it went on, she started to realize that it was more than just her worries over The Evil Queen's threat. It seemed to be something much greater than all that, and it was starting to frighten her.

As soon as she filled one of the boxes, Shae picked it up, and carried it into the main room. She found Emma and Hook sitting side by side upon a dusty old trunk. For some reason, Henry's storybook was sitting open between them.

"Hey! You guys know we don't exactly have a lot of time, right?" Shae scolded them as she sat her box down on the floor.

"Right. Sorry." Hook replied, smiling knowingly at Emma. "I just… Needed to take a moment to remind Swan here of who she really is; The product of true love, The Savior."

Emma smiled back at the man she loved, and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Remember this?" She asked Shae as she turned the book around to face her.

Shae took a moment to roll her eyes at them, then glanced down at the book. It was open to the picture of Emma and Hook dancing together in King Midas' ballroom. It had been when the three of them had fallen through Zelena's time portal, and ended up in The Enchanted Forest of the past.

"Hmm… No. I wasn't there for that part." Shae replied with a shrug. "All I remember from our little jaunt into the past is saving your sorry asses multiple times."

Both Emma and Hook rolled their eyes at Shae this time as she headed back into the vault's back room. She began filling another box, but stopped after a few moments. A sudden cry from Emma caused her to go rushing back into the main room.

"Holy shit! Shae! Come look at this!"

Emma was still holding Henry's book in her lap, and she quickly turned it around again for Shae to see. On the page sitting open, was an entirely new portrait, one that Shae was certain hadn't been there before. In it, she herself was standing in the dark, dank cave where she had first met Loki. Shae was holding Mjolnir up in the air, with Loki standing beside her.

"Is that… Loki?" Emma asked of her, eyes wide.

"Yeah…" Shae answered quietly, her own eyes just as wide as Emma's. "You guys, this… T-This wasn't here before."

"Aye." Hook agreed with a nod. "And neither was this."

He flipped back a few pages, and what Shae saw caused her jaw to nearly hit the floor. It was another image of her past, one that Shae didn't even remember. She had only seen the same image in a vision when Hades had been searching through her memories. The picture was of a woman dressed in a tattered, hooded cloak. She was kneeling in the middle of what looked like a forest, one hand resting on a bundle of cloth in front of her. Wrapped up inside that bundle, was a baby.

"Shae… Who is that?" Emma asked of her.

Shae slowly sunk down onto her knees, holding the storybook in trembling hands. "It's… My mother." She whispered.

"Your mother?" Echoed Hook. "So that baby… Is you?"

Shae nodded, her ice blue eyes swimming with tears. "I've only ever seen this once, back in The Underworld." She explained. "I saw this in a vision when Hades was rooting around in my memories. It's… I-It's the moment my mother abandoned me. I saw her set me down in the woods, then cast some sort of spell on me."

"What exactly is that there?" Hook asked, pointing to baby Shae in the picture. "It looks like she's giving you some sort of… Amulet, or something."

Shae breathed out a small, surprised laugh when she finally noticed it too. "Oh, yeah… I remember that." She said with a smile. "The people who ran my orphanage said it was the only thing my mother left me with. It even had my name engraved on the back. I used to wear it all the time, but I lost it… A long, long time ago, just after I left Avalon."

"What's that on it?" Emma muttered as she took the book out of Shae's hands, and held it closer to her eyes. "Some sort of… Snake?"

"Close." Shae replied with a chuckle. "It's a serpent. Jormungandr."

Emma and Hook exchanged a confused glance. "Jorgen… Who, now?" Asked Hook.

Shae chuckled some more. "Jormungandr." She said again. She then sat back upon the floor of the vault, and began to explain. "He's the son of Loki and the giantess Angrboda. He was thrown into the seas of Midgard by Thor, and grew so large that he encircled the whole world, and bit his own tail. Which is why he's called The World Serpent."

Shae paused for a moment, and both Emma and Hook sat in rapt attention, waiting patiently to hear more. "It was said that, when Ragnarok came, Jormungandr would release his tail, setting the seas of Midgard free to flood the land, but not before he laced them with poison." She quietly went on, her eyes suddenly far, far away. "Then, he and Thor would fight again, and both of them would die. In the stories I was told, Thor would be so busy fighting Jormungandr, that he wouldn't be able to help any of the other gods. So they all died too. Well… All except Loki, I guess."

She then breathed a heavy sigh, slowly rubbing her chin. "So, I guess, if Thor hadn't gone after Jormungandr, then maybe the rest of the gods would still be alive." She mumbled, more to herself than to her two person audience. "Maybe Thor himself would still be alive, and… Ragnarok might never have happened."

"Well, if it hadn't, then you wouldn't have Thor's hammer, would you?" Hook offered with a shrug. "Why, you might not even be here at all!"

+"Yeah… I guess not." Shae muttered, shrugging herself. "I dunno… Who knows if all the stories I was told are even true? Loki didn't exactly elaborate much. She doesn't really elaborate on anything. It's super fucking irritating."

Hook and Emma both chuckled, but Shae, however, did not. She continued to stare down at the book sitting in her lap. "So… I guess I get why you finding Mjolnir is in the book now," Emma began to muse quietly. "But… Why do you think this is here? It just… Doesn't really seem relevant to anything."

Shae didn't respond. She simply stared down at the portrait of her mother abandoning her in the woods, a deep frown on her face. Emma and Hook both waited patiently for a response, and exchanged a concerned glance when none came.

Emma then got up from where she was seated on the trunk, and sat down on the floor of the vault next to Shae. "Hey…" She muttered, placing her hand gently on Shae's shoulder. "You ok?"

Shae was silent still for another moment. Then, with a heavy sigh, she finally closed the book. "I… I-I dunno…" She muttered back, slowly shaking her head. "Do you… Ever get the feeling that… Somethings coming? Something… Big and… Bad?"

"Uh… Yeah, actually." Emma replied with a laugh. "I mean, you know all about my visions. And now with The Evil Queen threatening to kill my parents, I've, uh… Been feeling like that a lot lately."

Shae continued to frown down at the ground for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No… It's not that." She mumbled.

Emma exchanged a shocked, wide eyed glance with Hook. "What the bloody hell does that mean?" Cried Hook.

"I… Don't know. It's just… A feeling that I have." Shae replied, shaking her head some more. "I keep thinking about something Loki told me. She said that a storm is coming, and that it'll be my responsibility to face it. I just… Don't exactly know what that means."

Hook groaned loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Wonderful. Yet another crisis to look forward to." He growled.

Emma shot him a quick, reproachful glare, then turned her attention back onto Shae. "Well, whatever it is, you don't have to face it all on your own." She told Shae with a small, half-hearted smile. "You have a wife now, and family and friends that all love you and will stand beside you through… Whatever is coming."

Shae sighed as she nodded her head. "I know." She replied, turning her eyes onto Emma, which caused her to frown in concern. Emma saw nothing but a deep sorrow in Shae's piercing blue eyes. "That's the problem. And that's what I'm worried about."

Emma furrowed her brow at Shae, and was about to question her more when her cell phone suddenly began to ring. It was Regina, who was bearing terrible news. They had found the sapling, but were a moment too late. The Evil Queen had arrived just as Snow and David were about to take it, and took it for herself, only to destroy it moments later. Knowing that time was running out, The Evil Queen then summoned the entire town of Storybrooke to the cemetery to watch the demise of Snow White and Prince Charming.

Emma, Hook, and Shae left the vault in a panic, and, just as Regina had said, found a crowd of people already gathered amongst the headstones. Emma and Hook left to go find Emma's parents, while Shae stayed behind to wait for The Evil Queen, Mjolnir in hand. While she waited, she attempted to speak to the crowd and calm them, but to no avail. They all looked at her with fear and distrust in their eyes.

Shae was forced to watch anxiously and helplessly as more and more townsfolk began to trickle into the cemetery. She paced restlessly in front of the vault, her eyes darting around the crowd. Suddenly, a familiar face caused her to stop in her tracks.

"LILO!"

She immediately rushed over to the girl, who smiled as she approached her. "Oh! Hi! I remember you!" Lilo said happily, beaming up at Shae. "You're Shae! You're the one that bought all my chocolate!"

Shae nodded, and was about to reply when Lilo suddenly gasped. "Woah! Cool hammer!" She exclaimed, staring at Mjolnir in wonder. "Can I hold it?"

"AH! No! No, no!" Shae cried in alarm, leaping back a step as Lilo reached for Mjolnir. She then drew in a deep, shaky breath, attempting to calm herself. "No… Sorry, Lilo, it's, uh… Really dangerous. What are you doing here, anyway? It's not safe."

"Well, I was at Granny's having a snack after school," Lilo began to explain. "Then, this mean, scary lady showed up and said that we all had to go to the cemetery. So… Here I am!"

Shae groaned, running a hand through her hair. "Yeah, well… That mean, scary lady is… A really bad lady. You need to go home, Lilo. Right now."

"What? No way!" Lilo cried in protest. "Something exciting is finally happening to me for once! Nothing exciting ever happens! Never ever!"

Shae breathed out a heavy sigh, then dropped down onto one knee, to better look Lilo in the eye. "Look… I get it. This is all very exciting." She said, trying her hardest to keep her voice calm and even. "But, trust me… This is not a safe place for you right now. Just… Where… W-Where's your sister? She needs to take you home."

"Nani's at work." Lilo replied with a shrug. "She has, like… A million jobs. She says that if she works enough, and makes enough money, we can have a house one day. A whole house! Just for us!"

Shae groaned once again, growing more and more frustrated and desperate by the moment. "Ok… Alright… That's great." She muttered, her eyes darting all around her as she searched for any sign of The Evil Queen. "Look, Lilo, please, you… Y-You need to go home. Now. Right now. Ok?"

Lilo placed her hands firmly on her hips, narrowing her eyes angrily at Shae. "You're not the boss of me!"

Shae had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming. "No… You're right. I'm not." She replied in the same calm, even tone. "But your sister is, right? I'm sure she'd be upset if she finds out you didn't go straight home after school."

Lilo continued to keep her eyes narrowed at Shae for a moment. "Yeah… Ok." She finally relented. "I'll go home. If you give me ten dollars."

Shae narrowed her own eyes right back at Lilo. "Five dollars." She countered.

"Seven." Lilo countered back.

There was a moment of silence as the seven year old girl and the impossibly old half elf woman stared into each other's eyes. "Deal." Shae said, finally breaking the silence.

Lilo nodded in agreement, and shook Shae's outstretched hand. Shae then straightened herself up, and pulled out her wallet. "Dammit…" She muttered. "All I have is a twenty."

Lilo simply shrugged, and held out her hand expectantly. Shae hesitated for a moment, then breathed out a relenting sigh. She removed the twenty dollar bill from her wallet, and placed it, begrudgingly, into the young girl's hand.

"Thanks, Shae!" Said Lilo, smiling happily up at Shae as she shoved the bill into her backpack. "See ya!"

Shae folded her arms across her chest, breathing out a small, bemused laugh as she watched Lilo skip merrily away. She passed by both Emma and Hook, who were being closely followed by Regina, Henry, and Tinkerbell. They all immediately rushed up to Shae as soon as they spotted her.

"Hey!" Regina said, placing a quick kiss on her wife's cheek. "What's going on?"

"Well, I just got swindled by a child." Shae replied with a nervous laugh. "But, uh… Other than that, nothing. No sign of The Evil Queen yet." She frowned as she glanced over all of their shoulders. "Where are Snow and David?"

"They're dropping Neal off at Granny's." Emma explained, her eyes wide, her face ghostly white. "They said they wanted to be alone. I think, they… T-They're actually going to do it. They're… Going to give The Evil Queen their hearts."

"No." Shae growled, firmly shaking her head. "That's not going to happen. We won't let it. Right?"

The others all shook their heads as well. "I've been practicing my battle spells." Tink said as she held up her wand. "So far, the only thing that's coming out is bubbles. But, I think if I do it right, I can use them as a distraction!"

Regina and Shae both exchanged a nervous glance. "Um… Thank you, Tink," Regina began, placing a gentle, supportive hand on her fairy god-mother's shoulder. "But… I think we can handle it."

Tink nodded silently in reply, and they all couldn't help but notice the relief that washed over her face. Emma then opened her mouth to speak more, but quickly shut it again. A familiar voice suddenly came booming over the gathered crowd.

"People of Storybrooke! My people!"

They all turned toward the voice. It was The Evil Queen, who had finally made her appearance. She was standing in front of Regina's vault, arms spread wide. She smiled around at the people of Storybrooke, who had all fallen silent, and were now eyeing her with apprehension.

"I'm so glad you accepted my invitation! Because all this… Is about you." The Evil Queen went on, her warm smile quickly twisting into a devious grin. "If Snow White doesn't show up within the next five minutes, I'm going to share a little treat with you all. A taste of water from The River of Lost Souls!"

Fearful mutterings began to erupt from the gathered crowd. Shae glanced around at all the terrified faces surrounding her, and emitted a furious growl. Before her wife or anyone else could stop her, she stomped her way toward the front of the crowd. As soon as The Evil Queen spotted her, the grin faded from her face, turning into a fearsome snarl.

"You…" She whispered, pointing a furious, trembling finger at Shae. "Oh, am I ever so glad you're here. I want you to be watching especially carefully as I finally get my revenge on Snow White and her Prince. Because, what I'm about to do… Is your fault!"

Shae laughed loudly, mockingly. "My fault? How exactly is this my fault all of a sudden?"

The Evil Queen took an angry step forward, her eyes wide and wild with rage. "It became your fault when you took the woman that I love away from me!"

"Oh, I see." Shae replied, laughing some more. "Do you expect me to feel sorry for you or something? Because I sure as hell don't."

The Evil Queen emitted a furious snarl, and summoned a fireball into her hand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Shae growled, tapping Mjolnir's head against her palm.

"Oh, please…" Spat The Evil Queen. "Do you really think that little hammer of yours scares me?"

Shae emitted a low, dangerous chuckle as Mjolnir began to crackle with bright blue sparks. "No." She replied. "But it should."

"Dammit…" Regina swore under her breath. She then glanced sideways at Emma. "Alright, Swan. You ready for this?"

"Yeah, actually…" Emma replied. She held out her hands, which were both, for the first time in days, completely steady. "I am. Let's take this bitch down."

Regina nodded, as did Emma. They watched carefully as Shae raised Mjolnir into the air, and The Evil Queen raised her fireball. Regina summoned a fireball of her own into her hand, and Emma fell back into a battle ready stance, her hands glowing with a bright white light.

"STOP!"

The sudden shout caused Regina, Emma, and Shae to all stop in their tracks, and whirl around. It was Snow and David, walking side by side through the crowd. The Evil Queen extinguished her fireball as they approached her, her lips twisting into a devious, dangerous grin.

"Well, well, well… Look who's right on time." The Evil Queen sneered, her eyes wide with a morbid sort of delight. "I should have known you'd come, even without your precious sapling."

"Oh, we don't need it." Snow White replied with a smile as she stood hand in hand with her husband before The Evil Queen. "It's already done it's work."

"We know now that our love is more powerful than anything you can throw at us." Said David, smiling warmly at his wife. "And to save the people of Storybrooke, we're willing to do what you ask. It's a sacrifice that we're willing to make."

A sudden, fearful hush fell over the gathered crowd. Shae glanced back at her wife, at Emma, Hook, and Henry. They all looked just as shocked and appalled as she did.

"Mom… Dad…" Emma muttered as she took a step toward her parents, her eyes swimming with frightened tears. "Don't… D-Don't do this."

"Oh, Emma." Snow said with a sigh as she turned toward her daughter. "Most people go through life never knowing where their paths will take them. But, somehow, we always do."

"It's always to each other." David added, smiling just as serenely as Snow. "Then, back to you, Emma."

Emma stared into both of her parents eyes for a moment, then breathed out a heavy, shaky sigh, and nodded. "Are… A-Are you sure?"

Snow and David both nodded. "Regina." Snow said as she turned toward her. "Lift the protection spell."

Regina nodded herself, her eyes wide and shining with tears, her face a ghostly shade of white. She then drew in a quick, steadying breath, and raised her hands toward both David and Snow. She stopped suddenly as Shae cried out.

"NO!"

Shae rushed forward, and placed herself between her wife and The Charmings. "Stop!" She shouted. "You can't do this!"

Snow breathed out a sad, heavy sigh. "It's alright, Shae."

"No! It's not!" Cried Shae, her own eyes filled with desperate, frightened tears. "You don't understand! Do you have any idea how many times she's tried to make this happen?" She pointed a trembling finger at The Evil Queen, then turned that same finger onto herself. "How many times I tried to make this happen?"

Shae suddenly let Mjolnir slip from her hand. She took a step forward, placing her hands on both Snow and David's shoulders, staring desperately into their eyes. "Despite all that, we're friends now, we're… Family." She went on, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "Snow… David… I can't let you do this. I won't!"

David and Snow both exchanged a quick glance. "We forgive you, Shae." David said with a smile. "We forgive you."

Shae drew in a sharp gasp as, together, David and Snow both pulled her in close, and embraced her. She stood rigidly still for a moment, her heart racing, her head spinning. Then, she choked out a strangled sob, and wrapped her arms around them both.

"Now, all you need to do is… Work on forgiving yourself." Snow whispered as both she and her husband held Shae tight. "Please… Please try, Shae. For us."

The two of them then released Shae, who simply nodded her head in silence. The hard, painful lump in her throat left her unable to speak. Snow White then reached out and took Shae's face in her hands, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"The love that you and Regina have is just as strong as ours. Stronger, even." She said, smiling into Shae's eyes. "If anyone is going to be able to defeat The Evil Queen once and for all, it's you two. I know it."

Shae simply nodded some more, and retreated back toward her wife, scooping up Mjolnir again as she did. Snow then nodded at Regina, who nodded back, and once again raised her hands toward Snow and David. Their bodies glowed momentarily with soft white light. Then, once the protection spell on their shared heart was lifted, they turned toward The Evil Queen.

"Well… That was just… Disgustingly heartwarming." The Evil Queen commented with a shrug.

Then, The Evil Queen reached out, and plunged her hands into both Snow and David's chests. Regina buried her face in her wife's shoulder, averting her gaze as The Evil Queen tore out their hearts. Another fearful hush fell over the crowd as The Evil Queen simply stared at the half hearts that she held in each hand, her eyes wide and wild all over again.

"I've dreamt of this moment for so long, Snow White." Whispered The Evil Queen, her voice trembling with emotion. "I would wake up, still feeling the grit of your crushed heart clinging to my palm."

Snow and David stood in resolute silence, their eyes narrowed at The Evil Queen. "But… That kind of ending isn't quite poetic enough, is it?" The Evil Queen went on. She then took a step forward, dropping her voice into an even lower, more menacing tone. "I was simply going to crush your hearts, but now that my love has been taken from me once again, I want you to feel that same pain. My pain. The pain of being alone."

The Evil Queen then turned her eyes up onto Shae, who simply glared in silence at her, her fist tightening around Mjolnir's hilt. "And since I can't quite accomplish that by killing you," The Evil Queen continued, shifting her eyes back onto Snow and David. "I've come up with something much more cruel."

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, The Evil Queen raised both her hands, and shoved Snow and David's hearts back into their chests. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, and they both smiled at each other. Then, Snow White's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the ground.

There was a collective gasp of alarm from the gathered crowd, and David immediately rushed over to his wife. "A… Sleeping curse?" He muttered, glancing up at The Evil Queen. He then breathed out an amused laugh. "That's never exactly kept us apart before, you know."

"Oh, this one comes with a little twist." The Evil Queen replied, her devious grin growing even broader. "You say you always find her, yes?"

The Evil Queen then waved her hands in the air, and Snow White suddenly disappeared in a swirl of purple smoke. "Well, start looking, shepherd." She sneered. "And see what happens when you do."

David leapt up to his feet, and drew back several steps, staring wide eyed at The Evil Queen. "Before you all go, know this!" The Evil Queen called out, narrowing her eyes at both Shae and Regina. "I will find a way to free my Shae, and return her to my side. When I do, we will destroy every single last one of you, together. This I promise."

With that, The Evil Queen waved her hand in the air once again, and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

XX

A few hours later, after days of imprisonment, Shae finally returned home with her wife. They had both joined in the hunt for Snow White with Emma, David, and the others, and they managed to find her deep in the Storybrooke woods. The Evil Queen had placed her sleeping body within a glass coffin, the same kind that she had used back in The Enchanted Forest.

This time, however, when her Prince placed a kiss on her lips to wake her, things were much different. Snow White did wake, but seconds later, her husband collapsed unconscious to the ground. After a quick, magical inspection, Regina deduced that The Evil Queen had indeed cast a sleeping curse, but this time on their shared heart. Now, when one of them was awake, the other would be asleep. This way, they would never be together. Snow White and Prince Charming would now always be alone, just like The Evil Queen had promised.

Their hearts heavy with everything that had transpired that day, Shae and Regina barely spoke as they got ready for bed. Shae was sitting on the edge of their bed, staring down at the floor, her head swimming with everything The Evil Queen had said. She couldn't help but feel that she had been right. She couldn't help but feel that it really was all her fault.

Regina was undressing across the room, and when she removed her blouse, Shae couldn't help herself. She got up from the bed, and stepped up behind her wife. She drew her gently against her body by her hips, and began to place slow, deep kisses on her neck and shoulders. It only took a few moments for Shae to realize that something was wrong. Just like back at Emma's house, Regina suddenly went rigid in her arms.

"Regina… What's wrong?" Shae whispered in concern. "Are you alright?"

Regina slowly turned around to face her wife, and silently shook her head. Shae was alarmed to see tears streaming down her face. "Woah… Regina, what's going on?" Shae asked, gripping both of her hands tight. "What's the matter?"

Regina removed her hands from Shae's, and wrapped her arms around her own body, covering her bare breasts. "Shae, there's… T-There's something I need to tell you…" She stammered quietly, her whole body trembling. "Your… Evil half and I, we… W-We… I… I-I…"

Shae's heart ached with sorrow as she watched her wife dissolve into more tears. "I know, Regina. I know." She whispered, placing her hands gently on her wife's shoulders. "It's ok, I'm not angry. You didn't know. It's ok."

"No, it's not ok!" Regina shouted, wrenching herself out of Shae's grip. "I… Should have known! The whole time, I… I-I felt like something was… Wrong, but… I… I just… I-I didn't…"

Shae stood in miserable, helpless silence as Regina turned her back on her, her whole body trembling as she sobbed. "I'm sorry, Shae…" Regina whispered. "I'm so sorry. I just… I can't. Not tonight."

Shae wanted nothing more than to wrap her wife up in her arms. She wanted to hold her, wanted to comfort her in whatever way that she could. But she fought against the urge, and simply stood rooted in her spot, her hands trembling as she balled them into fists.

"Ok… T-That's ok." She whispered back, her voice quavering with emotion. "Can I… Is… I-Is it ok if I just… Hold you?"

For a moment, Regina continued to stand in silence with her back to her wife. Then, she slowly turned back around, and nodded. Shae immediately swept her up into her arms, and held her tight. Regina dug her fingers into the back of her wife's shirt, sobbing quietly into her chest. Shae simply stood there and held her close, silent tears streaming down her own face.

Once Regina had calmed down a bit, Shae helped her into her pajamas, and helped her into bed. She continued to hold her tight, until, eventually, she cried herself to sleep. Shae, however, laid awake for a long time, staring up at the ceiling as she silently seethed with rage.

Finally, Shae just couldn't take it any more. She carefully removed herself from her wife's arms, haphazardly threw on some clothes in the dark, and quietly left the bedroom. As soon as she stepped out into the hallway, she disappeared in a gust of swirling wind, reappearing in the basement ward of the Storybrooke hospital.

She could feel the energy from Emma's protection spell as she approached her evil half's cell. Thankfully, she was able to step right through it, and used her magic to unlock the door. Evil Shae was curled up on the cot in the corner of the room, and immediately lifted her head when the door to her cell swung open.

"Well, well… If it isn't my lesser half." She said with a grin, the shackles on her wrists clanking quietly as she sat forward. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this late night visit? While I am awfully flattered, I'm unfortunately not quite that narcissistic."

At the sight of the cheeky grin on her evil half's face, the fury bubbling deep within Shae's chest finally reached a breaking point. Without a second thought, without a moment's hesitation, she drew back her fist, and punched her evil half straight in the face. Evil Shae was sent tumbling off of her cot from the sheer force of the blow, and fell to the ground.

Shae seized her by the back of her black leather coat, and threw her across the tiny room, where she crashed against the wall. With an enraged snarl, Shae headbutted her evil half, causing her to collapse back onto the floor. Shae then threw herself upon her, drew back her fist once more, and began striking Evil Shae in the face over and over and over again. To Shae's immense fury, her evil half simply laughed the entire time.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Regina!" Shae spat in her evil half's now swollen, blood stained face. "She's traumatized because of you! She can barely even look at me!"

Evil Shae laughed some more. "Do you expect me to feel sorry for you? Because I don't." She rasped, coughing up a wad of blood. "I'm simply glad to know that I didn't debase myself for no reason."

Shae bellowed furiously in her evil half's face, and struck her several more times. "My job is done." Evil Shae went on, grinning through her bloody teeth. "I was to cause a rift between you and your wife, and it seems like I've done just that."

Her eyes wide and wild with rage, Shae wrapped her hands around her evil half's throat. "I may not be able to kill you, but I can cut you up into itty bitty little pieces." She whispered as she squeezed tighter and tighter. "Then, I'll scatter your pieces all over this world, that way you'll never be able to be put back together. I'll put a piece of you in trash cans all over the planet, from Moscow to Tokyo, to Africa, to The Netherlands, to the fucking Antarctic…"

Once again, Evil Shae simply laughed in her other half's face. "And you all call me the evil one…"

At that, something seemed to snap in Shae's mind, something that snapped her forcefully back to reality. She immediately released her evil half, and rose to her feet. She drew back toward the door, her chest heaving, her whole body trembling, covered in a cold sweat.

"Wait!" Evil Shae called out from her spot on the floor. "Do… D-Do you feel it too? Something's coming, something big…"

Shae had been about to leave, but stopped in the doorway to her evil half's cell. Slowly, she turned back around. "Yes… You do feel it, don't you?" Evil Shae went on in a whisper. "It's the storm that Loki spoke of, the one that will fall on us to face. It's coming, Shae… It's coming…"

Shae didn't respond. She simply watched in silence as her evil half pushed herself shakily up onto her feet. "If I were you, I'd pay a visit to our mutual friend, The Blue Fairy." Evil Shae went on, pausing to turn her head and spit out a wad of blood onto the floor. "She knows more than she's letting on. And she's been having us followed."

Shae furrowed her brow at her evil half. "What?" She asked.

Evil Shae rolled her eyes at her other half. "Oh, don't tell me you haven't noticed. We've been being watched since before we were even separated. The fairies in their nun outfits aren't exactly subtle, after all."

For a moment, Shae simply continued to glare at her evil half. Then, as she considered what she had said, her eyes suddenly grew wide with realization. She remembered seeing fairies at Granny's Diner several times, who had seemed to be watching her closely. She also remembered the fairy that had been standing over her when she woke after being shot by Cinderella.

Once again, Shae chose not to respond, and she turned her back on her evil half. "I'm going to get out of here, you know…" Evil Shae sneered, causing Shae to again pause in the doorway to her cell. "Even with these shackles, I'll find a way to escape, and return to my Queen. I always come back, remember? We always come back."

Shae stepped out into the hallway, closing the door to her evil half's cell, the sound of her mocking laughter ringing in her ears. She then breathed out a heavy, shaky sigh, staring down at her quivering, blood stained hands. She slowly sank down onto the floor, and sat there for a long while, her head spinning with everything that her evil half had said, with everything that had transpired that day.

Her heart ached as she remembered both Snow White and David embracing her, two people that had once been her enemies. Two people that were now forced to be apart because of The Evil Queen, because of her evil half, and because of her. Most of all, she remembered what they had said to her, which caused her heart to ache even more; "We forgive you."

After sitting alone in the basement of Storybrooke's hospital for a while, Shae returned home. She found her wife still sleeping peacefully in bed. She then went into the bathroom that was attached to their bedroom, and washed her evil half's dried blood off of her knuckles. She tried her best to get back into bed without waking her wife, but, unfortunately, Regina began to stir as soon as she slipped under the covers.

"Shae?" She muttered, blinking dazedly as she rolled over to face her. "Are… You alright?"

"Yeah, I just… Had to use the bathroom." Shae whispered with a smile. "Are you alright?"

Regina nodded sleepily, and wrapped her arms around her wife, resting her head against her chest. "I love you." She murmured, placing a gentle kiss on Shae's cheek.

Shae sighed as she held her wife close. "I love you too, Regina." She whispered back. "Forever and always."

XX

The next morning, Mr. Gold was opening his shop. He stared down at the ultrasound photo of his unborn son that Belle had given him the previous day. His head swam with everything she had said to him. Apparently, Zelena had found out about The Shears of Destiny, and his plan to use them on his son. Zelena had told Belle all about it, and she had been furious. Belle begged him to not go through with his plan, to instead be worthy of his son's love. He was afraid, though. Afraid that he would fail, just like he had with Baelfire.

Suddenly, Gold's quiet musings were interrupted as the door to his shop suddenly burst open. In stepped a familiar look man. It was the elven man that had visited him just days before. This time, however, he was clad in gold plated armor, and armed with a spear.

"Rumplestiltskin." The man said, narrowing his eyes at Gold. "The time has come."

He then stepped aside, and, before Gold could do or say anything, a dozen more elven soldiers marched two by two into his shop. In careful, practiced step, they marched straight up to the counter, all of them clad in the same golden armor, and armed with spears. Then, they stopped, turned sharply toward each other, and retreated back several steps, forming an isle that lead straight to the counter.

As the elven soldiers stood at rigid attention, another elf came scurrying through the door. This man was obviously not a soldier. He was garbed in simple white robes, a leather collar strapped around his neck. Though he was an elf, he was smaller in both build and stature to his brethren.

"Presenting, His Illustrious Highness, His Glorious Majesty! Oberon the Fierce, First of His Name!" The small elf proclaimed in a loud, ringing voice. "All hail Oberon, King of Avalon!"

He then beat his fist three times against his chest. The soldiers followed suit, beating their spears into the floor three times, then raised them into the air. "All hail King Oberon!" They shouted. "All hail King Oberon!"

A sudden silence fell over the shop as the soldiers once again stood at attention. Gold reached down under the counter, his fingers curling around the hilt of his dagger. He listened to the armor clad footsteps approaching his door. Then, another elf entered his shop, who was clad in golden armor as well. His, however, was much more ornate and well decorated, a shining white cape flowing down his back.

The ornately decorated elf stopped in front of the counter, and removed his golden helmet. Gold suddenly found himself staring into a familiar face. It was a face that was familiar to him in more ways than one.

"Your Majesty." He said, politely nodding his head. "It is good to see you again."

"Rumplestiltskin. Dark One." Oberon, King of Avalon replied, nodding as well. "I wish I could say the same."

Gold chuckled sourly, and released his grip on his dagger. "What exactly brings you here, King Oberon?" He asked, folding his hands in front of him. "I assumed that once you'd arrived in Storybrooke, you would immediately be seeking your prey."

"Yes, that was my original plan." Oberon replied, setting his helmet down on the counter. "However, upon arriving in this… Storybrooke, I sensed a great deal of magic. As you told my officer, she is indeed… Powerful. And has equally powerful figures surrounding her."

"Correct." Gold agreed with another nod. "So, once again, I must ask you… What exactly brings you here to me? I've already held up my end of our deal."

Oberon simply chuckled quietly, and turned his back on Gold. "Indeed, you have." He said as he began to examine the various items strewn about Gold's shop. "For which, I am grateful. However… It is not enough."

Gold's face fell into a fierce scowl. "'Not enough?'" He growled, balling his hands into fists. "I don't think you quite understand how a deal with The Dark One works, Your Majesty."

"Oh, I understand completely." Oberon replied as he gingerly touched the two puppets that were sitting before him, the puppets that were once Geppetto's parents. "I also understand that you have a wife now, yes? A wife that is currently with child. It would be such a shame if anything were to happen to her, wouldn't it?"

Oberon then turned his head to grin cheekily at Gold, a grin that was all too familiar. "What do you want?" Gold asked in a low whisper.

"Simple." Said Oberon, clapping his hands together as he turned to face Gold. "I want you to deliver her to me. Alive, of course."

"That will be… Difficult." Gold replied through gritted teeth. "She… Doesn't exactly trust me."

The King of the Elves simply laughed loudly, mockingly. "Well, that isn't exactly my problem, is it? It's yours." He sneered. "Still, though… I am a benevolent King, after all. So I will allow you… Three days. If you fail to bring her to me by then, well… I might just have my soldiers pay a visit to your wife, a visit that she will not enjoy one bit."

Oberon then stepped back up the counter, and scooped up his helmet. He took a moment to glare into Gold's eyes, and Gold glared right back. He snarled as he stared into the familiar face that he had grown accustomed to for years now. Though his golden colored eyes were different than the blue ones he had grown used to, or the blood red ones, he still had the same high cheekbones, the same strong jawline.

"I want what you promised me, Rumplestiltskin." King Oberon whispered as he leaned across the counter. "I want my daughter back."

XX