AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to ABC Studios and whoever owns the show. I only own the plot. I use a variation of the flashback of Maleficent and Snow from the episode "Unforgiven". That being said, I'm not using the "transference of Emma's darkness" plot as I thought it was stupid as hell.

Regina moaned as she came back into consciousness. What hit me? she wondered.

"Regina!" Snow exclaimed in relief. She's okay, she thought to herself. Now they just had to make sure David and the baby were okay.

"What hit me?" she wondered. Then, as she hurried to her. "Snow! Are you okay? The baby?"

"I'm okay. Not sure about the baby. She…did…something, though I'm not sure what," Snow replied. "And David, he-" her voice trailed off as the man stirred and moaned. "David!" she exclaimed.

"Snow," he said as he started to climb to his feet.

"Whoa, easy," the former Evil Queen cautioned as she went to help him.

"Regina, what did she want with my baby?" Snow asked in a soft and scared voice.

"I don't know," Regina replied as she turned back to her stepdaughter. "I know a spell that can check on the baby…if you're interested," she offered.

"Yes," Snow responded and immediately, Regina summoned her magic and gently probed at Snow's stomach.

"Where did you learn this spell?" David asked.

"Maleficent taught it to me while she was pregnant. Before the Curse, she wanted me to be a part of her daughter's life and was teaching me some light magic," she responded.

"She could wield light magic?" David asked in surprise.

"Yes, she can," she responded.

"It's too bad that Emma ended up killing her. I'd like a chance to apologize to her," he said.

"Yeah," Snow agreed and Regina threw them both a confused look.

"Apologize. For what?" she wondered.

"Actually, she didn't kill me," Maleficent responded after she materialized in front of them. "Wounded me, yes. Killed me? No. I just needed this time to lay low and heal so I used a glamour spell to make her think that she had killed me, which in turn allowed me to travel the realms to do what I needed to do," she continued as Regina grinned at her old friend.

"Good to see you back."
"Thank you. It's nice to be back."

"Maleficent, I'm so sorry. You asked us to look after and protect your egg and we failed," Snow apologized. At this, Regina stared in surprise.

"You hatched your daughter?" she queried.

"You were casting a curse. The egg was her best protection," came the retort. Then, "It wasn't your fault." David started to say something but stopped when he saw something from outside the window.

"Is that-" he began to ask.

"Zelena's time portal," Maleficent confirmed, trepidation in her voice. Well, this isn't good, she thought to herself.

"Then my baby's dead? That one was one of the ingredients, right? She made me bleed," Snow said, her voice breaking. I can't believe I lost my baby, she thought to herself as she slumped backward. It had all been for nothing.

"No, no. Your baby's all right. I can feel something leaning against the magic," Regina soothed and the woman sighed in relief as she sat back up, her hands covering her belly protectively, smiling when she felt the kick. "So what exactly were you supposed to do for Maleficent?"

"She offered to help us stop your Curse. Said she was willing to fight," Snow responded and her eyes locked with the blonde-haired sorceress as both of their minds went back.

Snow White's eyes fluttered as she woke up. Ugh, Emma…why are you kicking me? she wondered as she sat up so that she could shift her position. She had just been able to get to sleep. Then, seeing the figure at the end of the bed, she gasped and grabbed David's shoulder, shaking him.

"Charming. Charming, wake up," she said urgently.

"He won't. Not until morning. I needed to talk to you alone. I promise, I'm not here to hurt you," Maleficent said.

"What do you want?" Snow queried.

"To help you. To stop Regina from casting this Curse," Maleficent told her as she approached her.

"Why?"

"Because you and I now have something in common. You and I are both about to become mothers."

"You're pregnant?" Snow gasped. "And you traveled in this condition? Sit down, please." Smiling, the woman did so. It would seem that the rumors about her hospitality aren't exaggerations after all, she mused. By all rights she should've been annoyed with her and yet, here she was playing hostess after being woken up.

"If we work together, we can stop Regina from casting the Curse."

"But…I thought you and Regina were friends. And…to be honest…I heard about what you did to Briar Rose's daughter." Maleficent grimaced.

"That wasn't my finest hour, I'll admit it," she confessed. "I let my anger and hurt at what King Stefan did to me cloud my judgment, just as Regina is letting her own heartache cloud her judgment," she said. And she shouldn't have let it. She was a dragon for heaven's sake! "But a Curse like this…it needs to be stopped. I can help you…if you'd like."

"Yes of course. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So if this works, Emma won't have to become the Savior of everyone, right? She won't have this terrible burden?" Maleficent looked at the younger woman sympathetically. Can't even imagine how scared she's feeling, she thought. Knowing that if they failed to stop Regina's Curse, they would have to be separated from their daughter and rely on her to save them…that was a panic she wouldn't wish on anyone, not even Snow White.

"That's my hope."

"Can I ask you something regarding magic? And the answer I seek has no bearing on how much help you can give us."

"What is it?"

"Charming and I went to a unicorn for a glimpse of Emma's future. The unicorn's magic showed him her as good, but I received a vision of her pulling out my heart and crushing it. Which was the correct vision?"

"Both."

"What?"

"Your baby's future isn't set in stone. Children are not born evil or good. They all have the potential for both and the unicorn will often show both futures. Because you both went together, the creature split the difference between you."

"So what do we do?"

"I help you stop Regina and make it so that it's not necessary for Emma to become the Savior. And in return, I just ask that if something happens to me, you make sure that my daughter will be protected."

"We have a deal. In return for your help in stopping Regina from casting the Curse, Charming and I will do everything in our power to protect you and your daughter." At the proclamation, Maleficent's eyes widened. That's…more than I asked, she thought. She hadn't intended to create a contract between them for her own safety. She just wanted to make sure Lily would be protected. Did the woman know what she had said and done? Seeing the shock in her eyes, Snow smiled at Maleficent.

"Thank you…for doing this," she said softly. I don't know if Charming would agree to this deal, but I don't care. It's worth it, she mused. She would do anything to keep her little one safe and obviously, Maleficent felt the same way about her own daughter.

"I knew you two had struck some sort of deal!" Regina spat out. "And that's why I had you stuck as a dragon here!"

"Regina!" Snow scolded. I can't believe she would do that to her, she thought to herself. Maleficent was supposed to be her best friend. What had she been thinking?

"You're right. It was wrong of me. I'm sorry, Maleficent," she apologized and the other woman nodded. "I take it though that something went wrong?"

"Yes," Snow responded. "But maybe we should table this discussion until after we defeat Zelena?"

"Fair enough," Regina agreed. That time portal can't be good. We need to figure out how to close it, she thought to herself. She wasn't about to let Storybrooke be destroyed. And wasn't that a kick in the teeth? Protecting a town that she had created to enact vengeance on her stepdaughter. Hell, she was working with her stepdaughter now to accomplish this. While she knew it wouldn't be enough to make up for everything she had done, hopefully, everyone else would see it as she intended: a start.

While this was going on, Ruby had walked out of Granny's diner, removed her cloak, and was now trotting through Storybrooke, Pongo at her side. Need to find Archie, she thought. Hopefully, Pongo would be able to lead her to where he was. Which, he seemed to be able to do. She just hoped that they weren't too late. Pongo trotted down the street, following the familiar smells. Need to find Jiminy, he thought to himself. Yes, he was aware how odd it was that his owner had been a cricket at one time but he didn't care. He just wanted him back. He had always been good to him and he just wanted things back to normal. Sniffing, he continued until a familiar scent caught his attention and he yipped frantically, pawing at the ground. Behind him, Red trotted up and then followed the Dalmatian to the farmhouse. Here! Here! Human here! he barked. Red nodded and headed inside, Pongo at her heels. Archie. She needed to find Archie. Hearing the commotion, Archie tensed. Had the witch come back? And if so, would he be able to fight her off? It wasn't like he had any special skills. No, he would much rather live his life without confrontation. If that made him a coward-and he was pretty sure it did-so be it. His eyes widened at the sound of a door breaking and he tried to make himself smaller as the sound of pounding feet filled the room. Hearing this, the man frowned. Wait a minute. That didn't sound like the witch that had been holding him. Who's here? he wondered as his body tensed. And did he have to worry about being hurt again? Oh, he hoped not. He just wanted to get out of here. Hearing familiar barks, his eyes widened even more.

"Pongo!" he cried, trying to make his voice heard over the gag, and within moments, the Dalmatian was with him, a wolf flanking his heels. "Red?" he asked and the wolf snuffed as she bit at his bindings, her jaws, giving a powerful SNAP as tore through the ropes. Almost instantly, he carefully stood up and then followed the two back to the diner, where Granny helped the man sit down and then placed the cloak over Red and then went to make him some food.

"Archie, are you okay?" Red questioned.

"Better now," Archie replied. Then, "Rumplestiltskin and Neal! She has them! She was bragging about it!"

"They were also rescued," Red assured and the man sighed in relief. That's one less thing to worry about, he thought to himself. "She bragged about kidnapping Rumplestiltskin and Neal to you? Why?" she wondered.

"I don't know. Maybe she just liked to hear herself talk," he answered.

"Did she say-" Red began to ask.

"Red, let the man relax before you start interrogating him," Granny interrupted, placing a plate of food in front of the man, ignoring Pongo who was leaning against Archie as much as he could.

"Sorry," Red apologized.

"It's okay," Archie assured as he began eating.

"We should probably get you checked out," Granny stated.

"I'm okay. She didn't really bother with me and Pongo," the man told her.

"So then why'd she take you?" the younger woman wondered. Not that she was wanting him to be hurt, mind you. She was just confused.

"Because I saw her kidnap Rumplestiltskin and his son," came the response and the two women nodded. It made sense that she wouldn't want any witnesses and what better way to ensure that word didn't get out than to kidnap the person who had seen her kidnap two other people?

"You're sure you're okay though? Maybe I should get you something a little less filling," Granny commented.

"Don't you dare. This is fine," Archie objected.

"I'll go see what we have for Pongo," Red said and then went to make the dog some food, bringing it out in a bowl a few moments later. Thank you! Pongo yipped as he began eating.

In the center of Storybrooke's Main Street, the air rippled and a section of the street rippled as a blue portal appeared and a white rabbit popped its head out, sniffing curiously.

"Is this it?" he asked. Behind him, two-blond-haired women and a male peered over his shoulder even as a thirteen-year old girl stuck close to the male.

"Yes, this is it," one responded as she walked forward, a three-year old girl in her arms. She was five-seven, clothed in a pale blue gown that matched her eyes, brown flats, and her hair was done up in a bun. I really hope that we can handle this soon and that Thomas is okay. I miss him, she thought to herself.

"Thank you, Percy," the other one said. She turned

"Of course, Your Maj-Anastasia," the rabbit replied, giving her a bow. Anastasia grinned. At five-six, she was almost as tall as her stepsister, but wore a soft red gown with matching flats, and her blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders.

"Now then, let's see what we can do to help with this little witch problem," Ella declared, causing her companion to laugh.

"You've been longing for an adventure, haven't you?"

"Maybe." The two grinned at one another and then Ella placed a hand on Anastasia's wrist.

"Ana…thanks for this," she said.

''Of course, Ella,'' came the response.

''I also must thank you, Your Majesty. I know you weren't expecting to take Grace and me with you and we could've very easily taken my hat,'' the man stated.

"Nonsense, Jefferson. A rabbit hole is much quicker and less restrictive than a hat. No offense," Anastasia stated.

"None taken," Jefferson responded as his daughter stuck close to him. I really need to figure out how to expand my magic, he thought to himself. After all, being dependent on others for traveling wasn't exactly a good thing.

"Papa, are we going to be able to stay in Storybrooke?" his daughter questioned.

"I hope so, Grace," he answered. Ella glanced at her stepsister who seemed pensive.

"Hey, you all right?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm all right. I just wish that it would've worked out for Will to come, but…" the other girl's voice trailed off as she shrugged.

"How did you convince Will to stay behind anyway?" Ella wondered.

"Easy. Reminded him that if both of us left that there wouldn't be anyone to protect Wonderland. He does take his duties seriously," Anastasia answered and her stepsister nodded in understanding. Anastasia had responsibilities just as she did and it wouldn't have been smart to leave her realm unprotected. But at least she was here and together, they could help the others protect Storybrooke. Never thought I'd be working with Ella, Anastasia thought to herself. They had been at odds with each other for so long that it seemed a little weird, though she was grateful for the second chance. "Now then, let's go get your husband back."

"Yes," Ella confirmed. Just hope he hasn't been hurt too much, she thought as her mind went back.

Ella gasped as she held Alexandra close to her, the toddler crying at the sight of the green clouds that approached them. I know it's the only way to get back to Storybrooke, but that's still frightening, she thought to herself. And at least the clouds weren't rolling in as fast as they had when the former Evil Queen had first cast the Curse. No, now they were slow, almost as if the woman was reluctant to cast the Curse. Or trying to give people time to gather things up. She wasn't quite sure. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Ella jumped before smiling as she felt her husband's breath on her neck.

"Don't worry, Sweetheart. We'll be together," he comforted. At this, her smile grew. Then, her eyes widened as she noticed someone coming up behind him.

"Thomas!" she cried as the person reared back an arm and hit him. The man groaned and crumpled to the ground. "Thomas! Thomas!" she exclaimed as dropped to her knees, clutching alexandra close to her. Thomas, please be all right, she thought to herself. She wasn't sure she'd be able to handle it if something happened to him.

"Oh, stop your wailing, Ella," a voice spat out. The woman's eyes widened as two people stepped into view. "You brought this upon yourself. It's because of you two of my daughters ran away," the voice continued.

"Clorinda and Anastasia found love, just as I did," Ella objected.

"Yes, your prince," Lady Tremaine sneered. "Well, Tisbe's prince soon," she stated, raising her cane at her threatening. However, before she could strike, another portal opened to reveal another blonde-haired woman.

"Ella!" she exclaimed, running through the portal, conjuring a fireball and shooting it at her mother, causing the woman to step back in fear. "Come, quickly. We'll get him to safety," she encouraged as she began to lift her stepsister's husband. They needed to get out of here. Lady Tremaine's lips pursed into thin lines. I'm not going to let this disobedience stand, she fumed. Who did Anastasia think she was, treating her this way? Everything she had done had been for her. Why couldn't she see that? Well, she wasn't going to stand for it. Without warning, she grabbed Ella, pulling her close, even as the younger girl tightened her hold on her daughter.

"Wretched girl! You ruin everything!" she shrieked as she reared back a hand and slapped her. Instantly, Anastasia pushed the woman back and hurriedly lifted Ella into the air and brought her towards the portal.

"THOOOMAS!" Ella screamed as Anastasia threw a warning fireball at Lady Tremaine and then quickly followed her stepsister through the portal which closed just as the clouds enveloped everybody.

Ella's reverie was broken when she felt a squeeze on her hand.

"We'll find him. I won't let Tisbe and Mother get away with what they did," Anastasia promised.

"Thank you," Ella said. With that, the group headed out to find the rest of the townspeople. She needed to find her husband. Alexandra needed her father. But where did she start looking? And would she need to explain who she was to him? I hope not. I don't know if I'd be able to stand it if he didn't remember me, she thought. But then again, they loved each other, and there wasn't anything that their love couldn't conquer. And no matter what her stepmother had done to her husband, she was going to stay by his side.

In another part of town, Emma cautiously approached the time portal, Neal close behind her. This can't be good, the blonde thought to herself.

"Emma, be careful. We don't know where it'll lead," he cautioned.

"I'm the Savior. I need to check it out," she responded. After all, that was her thing: she saved people. And part of that was making taking care of problems before they actually became problems. And that's what this time portal was: a problem.

"I don't give a damn about you being the Savior. I don't want you getting hurt," he told her and she smiled at him.

''It's appreciated but I'll be fine. I need to figure out what this is, where it leads, and what I'm going to do about it,'' she said. If I destroy it, hopefully that'll close the portal and she won't be able to get back, she thought to herself. And that was what they all needed and wanted: for the woman to not be able to bother them anymore. But how to make it happen? That was the kicker. Emma stepped closer to the portal, summoning her magic as she studied it. There has to be a way to close it, she determined. She just needed to find it.

"Careful," Neal said from her side. I don't like this. I've got a bad feeling from this thing, he mused.

"I'll be fine," Emma assured. Don't need him treating me like a princess. I'm not one, she thought to herself. Okay, technically, she was, but she hadn't grown up that way and she was way tougher than people gave her credit for. She then let out a yelp as she felt herself being pulled closer. Shit! How do I escape? she wondered.

"EMMA!" Neal quickly grabbed Emma's arm, planting his feet as he attempted to pull her away from the portal. Can't let her go through this thing, he thought to himself. He had finally gotten a second chance with her and he wasn't losing her to a damn portal.

"NEAL! LET GO BEFORE IT SUCKS YOU IN TOO!"

"I'M NOT LOSING YOU!"

"NEAL!" Emma let out another cry as they were pulled forward. Moments later, the portal closed behind them.