Alena closed her eyes in concentration. She slowly opened them and focused on the wooden crate and lid before her.

She waved her hand over the wooden crate, the lid floating into the place. With one final flick of her wrist, it all snapped into place.

She then spun around to face Roni and Kelly. "Alright, guys, try to open it." The pair strolled over.

They each focused their magic on the wooden lid. Roni's brows furrowed while Kelly pursed her lips.

Grunts accompanied their concentration. The lid ceased to move.

With labored breaths, they stopped. Roni planted her hands on her hips while Kelly crossed her arms back over her chest.

"Well," the red-head began, "I suppose you have learned something after all. I don't think you'll have any problem with blood magic."

"No, she won't," Roni conceded with a nod. She then perched a finger on her chin.

Alena tilted her head. "Do you want me to show you something else?" She offered another nod in reply.

She then released a breath. "Back in our realm, you were able to bring something across realms. I want you to do it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke."

"I can do that." Alena then furrowed her brows in concentration – only for her blue eyes to pop open.

"Uh, what do you want me to bring over?"

"Anything you want."

Kelly chimed in, "Provided that we actually know it's from our realm." Roni raised an eyebrow before a sigh escaped her lips.

"She does have a point. It needs to be something that's recognizable - something that didn't cross over."

Alena tilted her head as she rested her hands on her hips. A smile then spread across her face.

"I think I have just the thing. And I can show off a little."

Roni and Kelly raised an eyebrow as she closed her eyes in concentration. The magic tingled in her hands before they began to glow.

Alena's blue eyes opened as the glow ceased. In her hands appeared a stuffed animal – she gripped it tightly.

"Not to be discouraging, but why are we looking at a toy?" Roni questioned as she gestured toward it.

Kelly crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Wait a minute. I saw that in your car – except it was utterly destroyed."

She then planted her hands on her hips. "What did you do? Poof it from the bug and repair it mid-flight?"

Alena shook her head. "No. That one is still in the car." She then gestured toward the door. "I can go get it if you want."

"That won't be necessary – I know you wouldn't play games with us," Roni began. The brunette then crossed her arms over her chest.

"But the question remains – why did you pick that? And where did it come from?"

"Well, this is pretty special to me," Alena began as she held the animal close to her chest. She then took a deep breath.

"Jack's nickname for me - well, one of them - is "White Doe" - from Jack the Giant Killer. It's the last thing he called me before I left."

Her voice cracked, and her eyes welled with tears. She then took a breath and exhaled slowly.

"I thought about him all the time when I was pregnant, especially after I first found out. When I really started feeling pregnant with the morning sickness and the mood swings, I just needed something that I could hold that connected him to the baby. And so, I found this local shop near campus that carried a little bit of everything, and I found this."

She then shook the white deer in her hands. "I can't tell you how much it helped. I mean, I have his shirt, but this somehow made it feel like he was really part of it."

A small smile made its way on her face as she ran her fingers over the soft plush. When she looked back up, she found Roni and Kelly staring at her with wide eyes.

Alena furrowed her eyebrows. "What is it?"

Roni cupped her hands together. "Are you saying this stuffed deer came from the past? That you brought it here from the time you were pregnant?"

Alena furrowed her eyebrows. "I thought that was the idea - to show how powerful I am."

"There's powerful – and then there's this," Roni pointed out, "You moved something across time. Time travel is impossible."

"Not entirely impossible. I pulled it off in case you've forgotten," Kelly began with a smirk, earning an eye roll from her sister. The red-head then gestured toward Alena.

"But it wasn't this bloody easy – I wouldn't have to go through all the trouble I did if it were. But she just poofs something from years ago as though it were just across the bloody room."

Roni sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Alena, have you ever been able to conjure something from the past before?"

She shook her head. "But it's like you've said before – I come from two generations of true love. That makes me more powerful."

"Even with the Charmings' and your parents' love, I still don't think you should be able to cross realms and time with just a flick of your wrist," Kelly contended as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I mean with that logic, Emma and Lily will be able to time travel themselves."

Alena released a breath she didn't realize she held. "I never thought about it like that. Magic has been part of me for as long as I can remember – I just thought whatever powers I had were natural."

"We're not saying they're not – and true love is the most powerful magic," Roni began as she placed a hand on her arm.

The young woman nodded before the brunette continued, "But it doesn't fully explain how your abilities seemingly defy the laws of magic."

Alena then gestured with the toy, her nails digging into it. "Then how do we explain it? And how do we find out more? Everything I've tried only gave me more questions than answers."

"To dig into that, I'm pretty sure we'll all need our drinks – I'll go fetch them," Kelly offered before she headed out of the room.

Roni then focused on Alena. "I can see you're becoming frustrated – and I don't blame you with everything you're facing."

The blonde sighed. "I know I need to fight for our family – I want to fight for them – but I feel like so many things are out of my control. This curse - this prophecy - these nightmares. It makes me want to scream."

"Believe me, I get it. Sometimes I feel like this whole curse feels like a nightmare."

Roni then let out a breath and planted her hands on her hips. "But all that aside, I know you want answers. And maybe the more we train you in magic, and the more we find out about the curse, maybe we'll find out what all of this means for you."

"I'm not sure how reassuring "maybe" is," Alena stated as her blue eyes drifted downwards.

When she looked back up, she added, "But I believe in myself – and I trust you, Regina."

The brunette offered a nod. She then surmised, "And speaking of nightmares, have you had any more since you told me about the one when Lucy was still in the hospital?"

Alena shook her head. "But…I was reminded of the last one I had before I left the New Enchanted Forest."

She then ducked her head, running her fingers over the stuffed deer. Roni cocked an eyebrow.

"Why do I feel like there's something you don't want to tell me?"

"Because I'm not sure I do."

She then took a deep breath and let out slowly, closing her eyes in the process. When she brought her eyes back up, she held the deer close to her.

"In the last nightmare I had, an…unexpected visitor showed up. He claimed he could help me figure out what they mean and offered to make a deal."

"Who could even manage that? And what kind of deal…" Roni trailed off, her eyes going wide.

"Facilier? He came to you? And you never told me any of this?"

Alena ran her fingers through her hair. "I…couldn't tell you. I just…couldn't."

"And why the hell not?"

The blonde's eyes fell downcast. Roni crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well?"

Alena closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She then admitted, "Because I know that you two are involved – or that you two have some sort of past."

At Roni's wide - and questioning - eyes, she further explained, "I, uh, overheard you two in the gardens. I left right away, but I heard enough to know it wasn't any of my business and that it wasn't my place to say anything."

"Well, thank you for that." She then sighed and offered, "He isn't awake, so he won't be making any deals with you or anyone else."

"I wouldn't take it even if he did. I didn't back then – and that isn't going to change any time soon."

Alena then let out a sigh of her own. "But that didn't stop Jack from going to confront him – whatever Mama Odie tried to tell me before I found out just fell away."

Roni's eyes widened once more. She then took a breath. "I wish you would have told me – but I know you're more than capable on your own."

She offered a nod. She then rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "Be that as it may, I am glad you know – and that I have your help."

Roni nodded as well. Alena then squared her shoulders and balled her fists. "And it's like you said – I can face this. And nothing – and no one – will stop me."

"I don't know who you're talking about, but I'm glad I'm not in their shoes," Kelly quipped as she stepped back in the room, drinks in hand.

"Alena was talking about her nightmares," Roni clarified. She furrowed her eyebrows before the brunette shot her a knowing look.

Alena nodded. "Uh, yeah. I'm gathering that Roni filled you in, and you can probably guess that unpleasant is an understatement."

"The understatement of the century." She then handed them their drinks. "Here's to figuring out how to stop all of this once and for all."

Roni - and Alena - eyed her. She rolled her eyes before she defended, "What? Being pessimistic won't solve anything, so we may as well try optimism. I don't think it'll kill us at any rate."

Alena couldn't help but giggle while Roni shook her head. The former then lifted her glass.

"To breaking the curse."

The three ladies then clinked glasses and took a sip. Kelly then surmised, "Alright, before we delve off into more magic defying feats, I actually wanted to ask you something, Alena."

Her eyebrow went up. "What is it, Zelena?"

She gestured toward the young woman's arm. "I wondered if you knew more about that star than myself or Regina."

Alena's blue eyes drifted down to her wrist. She ran her fingers over the white star etched into her skin.

With a deep breath, she brought her eyes back up to them. "It's, uh, actually a little embarrassing. Where this came from, I mean."

Roni raised an eyebrow while Kelly furrowed hers. The brunette then questioned, "What do you mean? What happened?"

"Well," Alena began as she ran her fingers through her hair. She then took another deep breath as she rubbed her hands together.

"Let's just say that, um, I had a little too much to drink – or maybe entirely too many drinks –

with my friends after my 18th birthday, and this was the result."

Roni shook her head while Kelly quipped, "I can't say I expected drunken teenage antics, but at least it's one less headache to figure out."

"Yeah, I hope it didn't worry you guys too much." Alena then glanced down at the star, a chuckle soon following.

"I mean, it does match my parents' tattoos."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Oh, gods. I think it's time for you to stop drinking."

Alena couldn't help but chuckle while Roni shook her head. The blonde then surmised, "But on a more serious note, is there anything else you guys want to know about the nightmares? Or is there anything else you want to see?"

"If you can bring that," Kelly began as she gestured to the stuffed animal still in Alena's hands, "from the past, I really don't think there's a spell existing that you couldn't pull off."

"And to that end, I think we're gonna have come up with some ways to challenge you. You have to be ready for whatever comes your way," Roni surmised as she planted her hands on her hips.

Alena hummed as Kelly said, "Well, between our mother and the Dark One, I'm pretty sure we both know the meaning of challenge."

"While you two figure that out, I could use a little more to drink." As Alena headed up front, her fingers clutched around the stuffed deer.

"And this should go back to the past. I don't even want to think about what could happen if this stayed gone too long."

"Oh, believe me, we all learned that with your parents' little adventure," Roni quipped as she raised an eyebrow toward her sister. She only shrugged before she sipped on her drink.

Alena only giggled before she closed her eyes in concentration. With a flick of her wrist, the white deer disappeared.

"And now I'll have that drink." She then walked up front, with Roni and Kelly following close behind.

A silence ensued as they settled back at the counter. Alena sipped on her drink before she asked, "So, what now? I mean, what do we do next?"

"Well," Roni began as she placed her hands flat on the table, "We keep living our lives and trying to find a way to break this curse." As she spoke, the door opened.

Weaver interrupted, "How optimistic of you. That makes one of us," as the three of them turned to face him. "Nice to see you again, Regina."

Surprise made its way on her face before he observed, "I see you didn't return empty-handed," gesturing toward Kelly with a small Manila envelope.

He then cut his eyes toward Alena. "And I see you've also enlisted Miss Swan-Jones. I'd imagine she'll need the help with whatever Gothel's planning."

She opened her mouth to speak when Kelly quipped, "The Dark One in denim. How quaint." He then sat down as frustration seeped from Roni.

"Oh, so now you're awake and worried about Alena? I came to you for help with all of this."

"I had an alliance with Belfry which precluded my being honest with you."

Kelly pointed out, "And now that she's dead and the coven's come to town, what, you just circle back around to us for help?"

Alena sipped on her drink before she shrugged. "Isn't the important part that he's here now? We sure as hell could use his help."

Kelly rolled her eyes as the corners of his mouth quirked upwards. Roni then sighed and shook her head.

"We don't have time for this. Did you have another reason for showing up here?"

"As it happens, I do. I had thoughts that the coven -" Weaver began as Kelly glanced at her sister - she continued to eye the detective, "- killed Dr. Sage, but today there was an attack on a member of the coven."

"Dr. Sage was murdered?" Alena interrupted with wide blue eyes.

Weaver furrowed his eyebrows. "Did you think otherwise about her untimely departure?"

"I didn't know she was dead - I called this morning to check on the girls' results. I only heard she was out of the office."

"That's a diplomatic way of putting it," Kelly quipped as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Indeed. And this attack caused me to re-evaluate," Weaver shared as Roni narrowed her eyes. He then opened the envelope.

"Turns out, the doctor had a scar we missed."

He then laid the photo on the bar. Kelly grabbed it as she and Alena glanced at it. The blonde stiffened before she shook her head and took a breath.

Kelly then passed it to Roni – the photo revealed a faded coven symbol.

"Looks like a tattoo removal," Roni observed – only to receive looks from Kelly and Weaver, along with a chuckle from Alena.

She faltered, "Apparently, in my cursed persona, I made some poor decisions. I mean, who loves Def Leppard lyrics that much? Had to be done."

Kelly gazed at the photo once more, realization taking hold. "I recognize this. Looks like…"

"Eight spokes on a wheel," Weaver supplied.

Alena cleared her throat. "And so, this other person had the exact same tattoo?"

He nodded. "The blind baker."

He paused before he finished, "And the doctor wasn't killed by the coven – she was in the coven."

"Someone's killing witches," Roni stated, a grave expression taking over.

A glass shattered. Alena turned pale as her hands began to shake. "No, no, no," she muttered as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Alena, are you…"

She never registered who spoke to her. She jumped off the stool and ran out of the bar.

"What in the hell was that about?" Weaver questioned as he looked back toward the door.

"I…have no idea," Roni began, her eyes glued to the door as well. She then shook her head.

"But we have much bigger things to worry about."

Kelly remarked, "Yeah – pour some sugar on me," before she downed her drink.

Weaver bemused, "I think another drink's required…for all of us."