They hurried from the hospital and over to the pawn shop in Regina's car after ordering Whale to inform them immediately if anything was to change before they returned. Emma stomped into the shop, shouldering past Bella as she smiled in greeting, Milah calmly stepped from her office as if she already knew they were coming.

"Well, well is it me or is that the face of a believer?" She asked rhetorically.

"Cut the crap." Regina snarled, Emma sent her a stern glare and placed her hands on the counter.

"We need your help." She stated, Milah nodded in agreement.

"It seems you do. Quite the unfortunate thing, for young Henry to be on the receiving end of all this," Milah narrowed her eyes at Regina and for moment Emma saw the frightening beast beneath the surface. "I warned you all magic comes with a price."

"But Henry shouldn't have to pay it." Regina countered.

"No, you should. But alas, we are where we are. Worry not Miss Swan I know just the thing that can help you."

"Seriously?" Emma blurted, thinking her ears where playing tricks on her, "What is it?"

"You see True love, Miss Swan is the only magic powerful enough to transcend realms and break any curse." She explained gently, moving around the counter to where a long wooden box lay. "Luckily for you I happened to have bottled some."

"You did?" Regina asked, Emma glance back at the dark haired woman noting the astonished tone in her voice.

"Who cares, Regina?" She rebuffed not understanding the importance of bottling True love. "If she has it thats all that matters."

"Yes, well you see I was able to make the most powerful potion in all the realms by combining strands of your parents hairs. It was so powerful that when I created the Dark curse I placed a single drop on the parchment."

"That's why I'm the saviour." Emma stated with wide eyes, "That's why I can break the curse."

"Now you're getting it, dearie."

"Look, I think it's fair to say I don't care about the curse. All I want is to save Henry, do you still have some of the potion?"

"I most certainly do," Milah countered sounding much more like the deal making imp Regina was used to, "However, there is a little problem about getting it."

"Why?" The mayor demanded, "Where did you hide it?" Milah sent her cold smirk and Regina felt nothing but cold dread.

"Gold? I can do this, if you just tell me." Emma prodded, Regina placed her hand on Emma's arm.

"Don't trust her so easily." She warned.

"What other choice do we have? This is your fault and unless you have another vial of magic hoodoo up your sleeve this is all we have."

Milah choked down her laughter at Regina's dumbfounded expression, no one had every really taken her side over the Queens and found it all too amusing as the product of True love agreed with the Dark one.

"Tell me your Majesty, is our friend still in the basement?" The implication of Milah's words smacked the Mayor clean in the face, "Oh I knew you couldn't resist bringing her along for the ride, so I took a chance and hid it in her."

"Oh god…" Regina mumbled looking a little sick before she composed herself, "Well I certainly hope you have some way for Miss Swan to protect herself."

"Wait… wait. Who is her." Emma interrupted feeling put out at the private conversation.

"Someone you need to be prepared for. Here, you're going to need this." Milah flicked the latches on the box, opening the lid and pulling out a long sword and scabbard.

"What is this?" The blonde asked, hesitantly accepting it.

"It's your father's sword."

**Enchanted forest**

Rumplestiltskin stood on a boulder at the edge of a clearing the Prince ran through several times before he spotted her, calm as ever wearing what was once his cloak.

"Lost are we?"

"What are you doing here?" He demanded feeling no incline to play the monsters games.

"Just here to help." She shrugged, hopping off the rock to meet Charming.

"Well there is no need. I'll be fine."

"No," The imp laughed, "I don't think you will. This is the infinite forest and there is only one way out. My way."

"I want nothing from you." He growled his anger abs frustration growing especially when the woman held up a silver ring with a single green jewel.

"Not even this?"

"My mother's ring. How did you get it?"

"Magic, obviously." The imp rolled her eyes, the Prince was really obtuse at times and she had to return to the Dark castle soon, Belle was in a lot of pain. Rumplestiltskin quickly flipped the ring into the air and caught it.

"The ring is now enchanted," She said showing him the glowing ring, "The closer you get to your love, the brighter it will glow."

Charming made to grab the jewel but Rumple pulled it back with a disappointed tut.

"No, no. You can't have it for nothing you know, let's make a deal. A real simple one for you."

"No," Charming bellowed drawing his sword, "I'm done making deals with you."

He lunged but the imp simple caught the blade with one hand, Charming pulled back to attack again but she had disappeared. Rumplestiltskin reappeared with her own weapon behind the Prince, tapping his shoulder taunting.

Charming swung at her once more the two of them engaging in a short duel which the imp grew annoyed with especially when Charming slashed open her cheek. She quickly healed it with a wave of her hand before jumping back into the duel ferociously and knocking the sword out of the Prince's hand before summoning it to her.

"So brave, noble and quite pointless. Bravery won't get you out of this forest dearie. Trust me, this is a deal you want to make. We are both interested in the same thing." She offered Charming his sword back which he took gratefully.

"Oh? What's that?"

"For you and your true love to be together, of course." She perched herself on the boulder once more and reached into her jacket, pulling out a vial of sparkly pinkie-purple liquid. "Behold, the most powerful magic of all. True love."

"Wow…" Charming breathed, taking in the vial he reached out to grab it before it was pulled back from his grasp.

"Careful! This is all that's left." She reprimanded causing Charming to scoff a little.

"What do you know about true love?" As far as any one in any realm knew, the Dark one was a cold hearted, unfeeling monster.

"Well not as much as you, perhaps." The imp rolled her eyes before straightening up levelling him with a glare. "But not as little as you may think."

"You? You where in love?"

Rumplestiltskin shrugged uncomfortably looking away from the Prince and his disbelieving tone. "It was a long time ago."

"What happened?"

"He died." She replied dully, "That is the funny thing about love, it can slip through your fingers. It's the most powerful magic in the world, the only one powerful enough to break any curse. It needs to be protected at all costs."

"So… is that what you want me to do?"

"Mm… something of the sort," Rumplestiltskin produced an egg shaped container and carefully sealed the magic inside. "I need you to hide it inside the belly of a beast."

She tossed the egg over to Charming who caught it instantly while asking, "Why are you hiding it?"

"Let's just say I'm saving it for a rainy day."

Charming nodded slowly, agreeing to hide the egg and in return Rumplestiltskin magiked him out of the infinite forest and a few miles away from the Forbidden Fortress.

**Storybrooke**

Emma left the hospital as Regina was saying whatever she wanted to say to their son. She made her way to the bed and breakfast where she knew she'd find August, she had to apologise for not believing in him when he tried to show her the truth.

When she got there she found the man who had began to burrow into her heart lying on the bed almost completely wooden.

"Oh god, August!" She breathed with wide forest green eyes, "What's happening to you?"

"You… you see it?" He gasped, the struggle for breath was clear as day. "You believe?"

"Yes, I came to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't believe you before and that I ran away from what was staring at me, maybe if I had just taken that leap of faith then Henry would be okay."

August attempted to sit up as Emma came closer to the bed with small steps, wiping away stray tears from her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it. You just save your boy and then when you break the curse… maybe we can take that leap together?"

"Yeah, of course we can…"

All too late did Emma realise August had already turned completely wooden and she was running out of time. Drying her eyes stubbornly, Emma spun around and stalked away from August and the inn not meeting anyone's eyes or returning their kind greetings as she made her way to the library where Regina kindly informed her she was going down to fight Regina's old friend Maleficent, who was currently stuck in her non human form.

The curse was broken, Emma woke Henry from his sleeping curse with a kiss of true love and now all she wanted to do was speak to Gold about why she double crossed her with the potion. Then she wanted to know what she had used the it for and if that was the cause of the purple smoke that clouded the town only moments ago.

Unfortunately for her, Mary Margaret and David had been quick to reunite and find her as she left the hospital, they followed her through the town as she determinedly made her way to the pawn shop.

"Emma, we have waited years for this moment." David broached quietly. Emma spun on him rather suddenly with a glare.

"Yeah, well so have I. In all of the scenarios that I have made up through the years, my parents being Snow White and Prince Charming was the last thing…" She trailed off, not entirely sure of how to continue.

"But after all this time. We're finally together again, should we, you know, talk about it?" Mary Margaret cut in gently, "I mean before, we were cursed and spoke about stuff mothers and daughters don't really speak of - like one night stands."

Emma continued walking, refusing to turn around and face that this was really happening, "Can we talk about it later? Like, with a glass of wine or a few bottles." She suggested.

"Look we know it's a lot to take in right now - for all of us." David replied stepping in front of Emma and cutting off her powerwalk.

"And we don't want to push you but… it's just that we've waited for this moment for so long and-"

"Yeah, so have I," Emma snapped spinning on her heel to face the short haired woman, "I've thought about this my entire life… and I… I need a little time to figure things out and… I need to talk to Gold." She rushed out, quickly side stepping David only to be cut off my Archie who looked pale and worried.

"It's Doctor Whale…" He panted heavily, "He's worked everyone into a frenzy and they're going after Regina!"

Henry gasped from where he quietly stood next to Emma, "But they can't do that!" He gazed at the blonde pleadingly, "She's still my mom Emma, you have to help her."

"Alright but I want you to go to the diner where I know you'll be safe." Emma conceded, Henry nodded in agreement before running off just as Mother Superior appeared.

"I have a feeling that this might not turn out well." She informed the small group worryingly.

"Mother Superior, do you have any idea what's happened?" Mary Margaret smiled kindly, mother superior nodded shortly.

"Magic. Magic has returned to us… this can make things rather complicated now."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can figure it out but first we need to stop that mob. If magic has returned then Regina may have her powers back."

"They could be heading straight for the slaughter." Emma stated as the group ran off to the Mayor's home.

Milah wandered around her office in the pawn shop looking for something as Belle watched her curiously. After a few minutes of searching she pulled out a large, leather bound book and dropped it onto her desk.

"What are you looking for?" Belle suddenly asked taking slow steps over to the desk, she knew better than to approach the woman too quickly whilst she was working.

"There are many people I need to make amends with, dearie. That's why we brought magic back after all."

"I thought you did that to find your son?"

"No, that's why I gave Regina the curse. In order to find my son I need to know where he is and find away over the town line because if I know the Queen, she'll have the last laugh."

"You mean she may have made it so no one but her can leave?" Milah hummed her agreement, eyes still firmly scanning over the dusty pages. "What… What about my… son? Do you think if we ever get back, you can find him?"

Milah stilled halfway turning a page at Belle's hesitant question, she knew the young princess didn't blame her for what happened as Belle had asked her to send her son somewhere he'd be safe. But she had no idea if she was able to get back to that land with her magic limited at the moment and no portal to speak of.

"I… I'm not sure." Milah cleared her throat before changing a glance at her ward who's azure blue eyes fractured a little before hardening into a cold glare. "I can only try but I make no promises. Belle, please I need you to think rationally about this."

"How can you say that? It's all her fault! She just couldn't handle the fact that somone else was happy when she wasn't so she had to destroy everything!" Belle seethed before taking calming breath, her sorrowful eyes landed on her friend who mirrored the expression. "I want my family too."

"Belle I promise you, I will do whatever it takes for that to happen. As a thank you for sticking around even though you saw the monster I was."

Belle hurriedly blinked away the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks as she moved around the desk and through her arms around Milah, the shorter woman gladly returned the gesture.

"You're not a monster, Milah. Just lost." She mumbled, cold eyes peering over Gold's shoulder and landing on a box tucked away on a shelf under random junk. Belle knew exactly what was inside and what it would unleash.

Milah suddenly stiffened when a large crowd thundered past the shop all yelling and jeering for Regina's head.

Regina smirked viciously as she calmly stepped out onto her porch facing off a mob of townsfolk all shouting angrily at her. Dr. Whale regarded her coldly.

"That smirk won't last forever, Regina." He growled before raising his voice for the crowd to hear, "You stole everything from us and now-"

He was cut off as Regina laughed haughtily, "Now what? You're going to kill me?"

"Eventually," He shrugged he raised his hands to wrap around her throat, "But first you need to suffer."

"Listening to you has been enough suffering for all of us." Regina snarled shoving Whale backwards and down a step, "You wanted to see your queen, well my dears. Here she is…"

Region's smirk dropped as her magic failed her, Whale grinned and shoved her into o e of the pillars flanking her front door moving to choke the former Queen once more when Emma pushed her way through the crowd.

"Let her go! Let her go Whale, now!" Emma pushed the doctor away from the mayor harshly matching his steady gaze.

"Why should I listen to you any way?"

"Because I'm still the sheriff whether you like it or not."

"And she saved you, all of you." David interrupted gentle getting in between Emma and Whale before the doctor tried to do something stupid.

"And no matter what Regina did to us, it would never justify this sort of behaviour." Mary Margaret stood between her daughter and husband holding her hand out to the crowd placating them as Emma turned back to Whale.

"We are not murderers here, Whale." She said slowly but simply scoffed at her.

"We're not from this world."

"Maybe so but you're in it right now so you're just going to have to deal with it."

Whale took a threatening step towards the blonde that caused David to place a calm hand on his shoulder.

"We're done here Whale, walk away."

"Get off me," Whale ground out sending David a heated glare. "You're not my Prince."

"Who are you really, Whale?" David asked in slight confusion, he swore he had never met the man on his travels in the Enchanted forest.

"That's my business." The doctor sneered shrugging the Prince off and melding with the crowd once more. The small family spoke amongst themselves for a brief moment before finally deciding it would be best if Regina where to be kept somewhere safe.

Emma grabbed the mayor by the elbow and forcefully escorted her to the sheriff's station before locking her in one of the cells.

"Look I know that this is unconventional and Henry shouldn't have to see something like this but it's for your own safety." Emma mumbled quietly, Regina gave a short nod in acceptance before turning a disbelieving look on Mary Margaret and David.

"So I'm a prisoner now?"

"The curse is broken, why didn't we go back?" David demanded causing Regina to chuckle and lean forward slightly.

"Because there is nothing to go back to. That land is gone."

Mary Margaret shook her head a little, tugging David back from where he got too close to the cell. "Come on we need to find Gold."

Regina watched the three leave before attempting to unlock her cell door, she disregarded the quiet click of heels on the floor assuming it was Milah coming to laugh at her mistakes. She was found of that when she was teaching, it made Regina feel as if she hadn't been failing completely at her tasks.

"Magic is different here. Even our mutual friend is having a little trouble adjusting." The new comer said evenly and Regina faltered in her work glancing up to meet the cold blue eyes of the woman she had once locked up.

"Hello, Belle." She greeted softly. "What are you doing here? I had assumed Milah would be the one to come finish the job."

"You mean you had hoped it would be her." Bella corrected stalking forwards with small, even strides. "You just couldn't help yourself could you? I mean Snow was happy, you destroyed it. I was happy until you kidnapped me and locked me in a tower. The men you sent in, what they did…"

This was news to Regina her eyes widened slightly in repulsion at the implication, the only person she had ever sent into Belle's cell was the huntsman purely for the fact that she had complete control over him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. The only time I authorised someone to open your cell was when meals where being served."

Belle huffed a small laugh, changing the subject completely.

"You know she told me everything she did for you after you married the king." It was a statement that had the air leaving the former Queens lungs, Milah had done many things for her after she was forced into wedlock and the thought of someone else knowing what they were scared her. Belle continued as if she hadn't noticed the shift in Regina's behaviour.

"Mm. You know she plans on finding her? She… wishes to make amends with you but that's never going to happen," Belle reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a thick leather glove before tugging it on and removing a large medallion from the other one.

"Is that what I think it is?" Regina gasped. "You'll never be able to summon it here. It's impossible without-"

"The Dark ones dagger?" Belle grinned a little nodding in agreement. "I know but lucky for me I just so happen to have it."

"You… how?"

"I asked nicely." Belle shrugged nonchalantly before lunging forward and grabbing Regina by the arm, pulling it through the bars at an angle before pressing the medallion onto her palm and searing the emblem into her skin.

Belle practically skipped out of the station before sliding into Gold's car and driving into the woods to summon the wraith. A peaceful smile graced her lips at the thought of getting rid of the one enemy everyone had in common.

Milah sat in her office with a pile of dusty books sitting next to her as she poured tea into porcelain cup. She sighed heavily when the bell above the shop door jingled, she reached up with one hand and pressed it against her forehead before groaning.

"Gold? Where are you?" Emma demanded from the store front. Milah stood up, collecting the cup in her hand and moved towards the curtain.

"Just my luck," She mumbled before putting on a half grin, "Miss Swan, whatever can I do for you?"

"What you can do is tell me what the hell you did."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific than that dearie." Milah rolled her eyes, "I've done quite a lot of things."

"You double crossed Emma, you took your… potion thing from her." Mary Margaret clarified, Milah would have snorted if she had been paying attention to the woman. Instead her mind was on the strange absence of something, the usual something that had whispered to her for centuries.

"And worst of all is that you put Henry in danger." Emma's tone of betrayal snapped her out of her musings.

"Well first of all you should note that as long as you loved your son he was never truly in danger."

Emma growled in frustration as the bell chimed once more and Belle entered the shop with a small smile that sent a shiver down Milah's spine. The Dark ones eyes narrowed at the blue eyes princess suspiciously as she manoeuvred around the displays quietly humming.

"Whatever, okay. Twist my words as much as you like but I need to know what the purple haze was."

"Magic." She stated with a shrug moving around the till to intercept the younger brunette. "Belle where have you been?"

"Oh, I just went to see my father." She lied before wincing as amber eyes turned cold. Milah grabbed her bicep and pulled Belle close.

"Do not lie to me, Belle." She ground out slowly, ignoring the protests shouted around them. "Where have you been and where is it?"

Belle gently pulled her arm out of he friends tight grasp warily unbuttoning her coat and removing an object wrapped in a thick cloth before handing it over without a word.

"How did you find it?"

"You're safe isn't as secure as you'd think, Milah. I mean Ashley got into it before the curse was even weakened."

"Gold! What the hell!" Emma demanded storming over to the two woman angry and confused, "Isn't she one of your closest friends or something?"

"I scare all my friends dearie, it's how they learn." She commented offhanded. "Now what did you do?"

Before Belle could answer the pawn shop shook as an exploration rocked the entire town, the transformers sparked and exploded as a strange, cloaked figure swooped through the streets.

"What the heck is that?" Emma asked her agitation from earlier vanishing. Milah's eyes widened at the sight before she spun on the petite brunette with barely contained rage.

"You foolish, naive little girl!" She roared causing Emma to flinch at the fury and tone behind her words although they weren't directed at her. "How could you possibly think this could solve anything?"

"She deserves worse than this and you know it." Belle argued back half heartedly. "You told me to think rationally about it and I did. I decided it was better for Regina to have a fate worse than death."

"Milah! What is that thing?" Emma shouted after swallowing her fear. "What's it going to do?"

"That Miss Swan," Milah replied returning to the personification of calm and collected businesswoman, "is a wraith and it will stop at nothing until it has consumed its prey. Which just so happens to be your mayor."

"Crap," Emma muttered spinning towards the door, "How do we stop it?"

"You can't. It needs to consume what it was summoned for."

Emma flew out the door at those words followed by Mary Margaret and David, Milah slowly turned back to Belle who remained unperturbed by her own actions but was slightly shaken by Milah's anger.

"I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have taken the dagger or the medallion but I just… wanted to see her pay for what she's done. I don't understand how you can just sit back and let her do this."

"Because Belle you need to let fate run its course. I have learned that you cannot force destiny's hand, if something is supposed to happen then it will. You bringing the wraith here has only complicated things."

"I'm sorry." Belle sighed closing her eyes, "I should... help them. They don't know how to weaken it or get rid of it."

With a final nod of determination Belle left the pawn shop and hurriedly made her way through the town to find a familiar head of blonde curls