Regina glanced around as she waited on the troll bridge, anxiously rubbing her arms, dreading what was about to happen. The vacation had been perfect. Everything was perfect. For a few bittersweet moments, everything was good again. But that time was over. She heard a soft growl behind her and faced the Dark Wolf. It looked decrepit and sick, only half the size it was before she used Excalibur to kill it. A wave of magic passed around her, warming the air.

"We didn't need to meet in the cold. We could've met in the den so you could continue resting. I heard the birthing was rather...stressful."

"How the hell are you still alive?"

"Swords are made for killing things, yeah? Excalibur wasn't that kind of sword." The creature replied, slowly looking her up and down. "You look tired."

Of course I am. Tired of you. "Then explain it to me." Regina pleaded.

The Dark Wolf flicked an eyebrow. "Tell me the name of our child first and I will tell you everything."

"Promise? Everything." You don't have a child.

"You have my word."

Regina sighed. "Fenris."

The Dark Wolf did a little hop. "A boy. I always thought-"

"Rani and Amaroq." Regina continued. "Now tell me why Excalibur didn't kill you."

"Three? You had three pups?" It whispered, flashing a toothy grin. "Are they well?" It inquired, wagging its tail like an excited puppy.

"They weren't, no thanks to you, but they're fine now. Answer me." She commanded.

It took the creature a moment to get over its shock before it replied. "Originally, Excalibur was created to sever immortal ties because Merlin wanted to be mortal again and be with his beloved. When Nimue, Merlin's true love, became the Dark One, he used the sword to control her and keep her from spreading the darkness or harming others. You severed my connection with the dagger, however you stabbed me, inflicting an almost fatal wound and I had to take some time to recover or else I could've died. Happy now? What are the kids like?" It bounced around, hopping on its toes and its happiness was grating to Regina, who avoided even making eye contact.

"Clarion." Was all she said.

The Dark Wolf's eyes flashed from its unnatural gold to a dark amber color she didn't recognize, but it was quick to correct it, letting out a deep growl. Its entire stance shifted into one of defense. "Clarion is dead."

"Is she?" Regina asked.

"I didn't come here for this."

"Then why did you come? What do you fucking want?!" Regina hissed. "Don't say me. Don't say my kids."

"Our kids." The Dark Wolf snarled. "And I should kill you, but once again, I am willing to forgive you."

"Why? I stabbed you through the fucking chest. Is that a not a sign for you to leave me alone?" She growled.

"You ripped out your father's heart, but you loved him." The creature replied. "You crushed Graham's, but you loved him. Even your mother, after everything you two had gone through, you shed tears for her when she died. Because you loved her."

"But I don't love you." Regina softly said. "I love Ruby and only Ruby."

The Dark Wolf seemed to ignore everything she said. The love in its gaze did not waver for a moment. "Become the Dark One." It whispered.

"What?"

"Be my host and I will never need another. I will never harm another if you grant me this honor. Please."

Regina took a deep breath. "Bring Clarion back and we'll talk."

"Why? So you can separate us and kill me?" The Dark Wolf laughed, changing back into its perverted form of Ruby. "Besides, you don't want that."

"Why not?"

"You think Clarion is going to be the same generous and wholesome queen she was? She will remember everything and all of that guilt is just going to crush her. She's a stitch in the fabric of darkness. Just imagine it. Everything she has done, been forced to do, been forced to witness. It is a thousand times worse than any of you could fathom. A thousand times worse than you, worse than Rumpelstiltskin, that putrid menace. She will do nothing but shatter."

"I'm imagining a world without you." Regina said, crossing her arms. "If she shatters, we will help her pick up the pieces. We will help her put herself back together, even if the pieces no longer fit. We will help her and we will destroy you. You have done nothing but make my life a living hell. I will never love you. You will never come around my kids. When I find another way to kill you, believe that I will try."

"Regina…"

Regina completely ignored the rest of what the Dark Wolf said. It said "So you can separate us". Meaning that there was a way to do it and Clarion might be able to be saved. But it was right about the fairy queen being overwhelmed. After all these years being consumed by darkness, she could be broken beyond repair.

"You're not even listening to me." The Dark Wolf growled. She refocused on the creature in front of her. She had come here wanting to make a deal, but she didn't think she wanted to go through with it anymore. "It's important, Regina."

"You were a good mate." She said, ignoring its words.

"What? You mean that?" The Dark Wolf's eyes flashed again.

"I do. You were sweet, caring, attentive, just amazing." The Dark Wolf smiled at her compliments. That probably made it even more satisfying when Regina pulled out the taser and held it to its chest. "But you're not my mate." She scowled as the Dark Wolf hit the ground. She didn't stop until Ruby came out of her hiding place and grabbed her arm, taking the taser from her.

"We agreed on three seconds."

"Guess I got carried away." Regina growled in reply, crossing her arms.

Ruby bent down and picked up the Dark Wolf, throwing the unconscious creature over her shoulder. Regina teleported them back to the den and lead the way down into the underground bunker they had made for this very reason. Ruby placed the Dark Wolf on the table in the center of the room. Around them, the others were reading or writing out notes for this spell to cure Clarion or setting up equipment. Undoing black magic would be unlike anything they had done before. Mal raised a powerful bubble around the table, making sure that their guest couldn't leave.

"Hey," She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to face Tink. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're going through all this trouble to save someone who hurt you."

Regina put a hand over Tink's. "Clarion didn't hurt me, the darkness did. She was betrayed and turned into a monster, but if this works, it could bring her back. She won't be alone. She'll have you and you'll have us."

"Thank you. You know...she gave me my name."

Regina's eyebrows rose. "Really? I didn't know that you knew her. How old are you?"

Tink smirked. "Not that old, but it was said that Clarion could glimpse the future sometimes. Plus it was kinda her job. I don't know if that's true since she's more myth and legend than anything now and you know time isn't the same in fairy world, but that was the name she gave me. Tinker Bell. Then Blue started that stupid tradition of naming us after colors. I always wondered what she would do when she ran out..."

"We'll save her, Tink. And then watch her kick Blue's ass."

The blonde fairy grinned. "Thank you again."

Regina nodded, although her friend really should've saved that thanks for when they succeeded. She turned to Mal. "How close are we to being ready?"

Mal paused, as if shocked that Regina was speaking to her. "Another hour at least." She said, furiously writing in a book. She had filled up ten pages already of a specially crafted spell that would undo the first.

Regina looked around, trying to find something she could do to help, but for the most part, everything was squared away. They had been preparing for this since making the decision. She was worried about the Dark Wolf's words about Clarion being broken, but she would rather take Clarion over the Dark Wolf threatening her family any day. She just hoped that they weren't letting loose another monster. An hour later, she and the others were taking a break from getting ready, but were still discussing what to do afterwards when Belle brought a shift in subject.

"You said that the Dark Wolf first saw you crying under your apple tree. It must have been not long after you were married or at least around the same time, right?" Belle asked. Regina nodded. "You know, maybe the Dark Wolf actually does love you, but what if it didn't start out that way? What if it's Clarion's feelings that the Dark Wolf is acting off of?"

"You're right, Mom." Benjamin added. "That does make sense."

"How?" Regina frowned.

"Well, during that time you probably felt sad and angry and trapped. Forced into darkness, no end, no happiness in sight. That sounds a lot like what Clarion would've felt. She was betrayed by someone close to her too." Spencer said. "Maybe she saw a kindred spirit in you, but the Dark Wolf took that and perverted it into doing whatever was necessary to make you hers."

"This doesn't do much to help us." Regina said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

"Maybe it does." Jack voiced, sitting on the chair arm next to her. "Excalibur clearly didn't work the way we thought it would, but you did say the Dark Wolf's eyes were flashing to another color. Clarion might be fighting back. If that's true, the spell could work, even better than we thought."

"If that's the case, then why would she start fighting now?" Ruby asked.

Belle thought for a moment before replying. "The Dark Wolf tricking Regina would've gone against everything Clarion stood for and if she does, really does, care about Regina, that would've been the last straw. Although, for all we know, Clarion could've been fighting this whole time, but the injuries from Excalibur could be giving her an opportunity to resist."

Regina growled softly to herself. She just wanted this to be over. She didn't know what would happen after tomorrow, but she just wanted peace. She was so tired of fighting this battle over and over again. "The Dark Wolf said that the guilt of everything she's done would crush Clarion after we separated them."

"That thing will say anything to save its life right now. It knows it's in the presence of people who could actually destroy it." Ruby growled. "How do we get rid of the darkness? Fully this time."

"That's the problem." Belle replied. "We can separate Clarion from the darkness, but without the human part to balance it then it'll either go on a rampage or find another host and we already know who that host will be." She looked pointedly at Regina, but everyone knew that by now.

"Focus on Clarion." Regina said. "I have a plan that might work, but in case it doesn't…" She got to her feet and touched Ruby's shoulder as she passed. "Well, let's just hope it does."

/

A soft tap on the table made Emma snap awake and she sat up, looking around wildly at her kitchen. A steaming cup of coffee sat in front of her, with a smirking queen sitting to the table next to her. "Good Morning, Miss Swan. I did knock by the way."

"Ugh, what time is it?" Emma asked, rubbing her face. She gathered up all the documents on the table and pushed them to the side before taking a sip of the coffee. "Thanks and welcome back."

"Thank you, but it is currently one in the afternoon." Regina replied. "Perhaps you should stop bringing work home with you or stop staying at the den until midnight."

"I have to see the kids." Emma said. She got up and walked to the sink, splashing some water on her face to wake herself up. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and cursed under her breath. "I have to meet Lily in an hour. I need to go take a shower-"

"She said not to worry about that." The brunette cut her off. "She's busy with something important and Granny is watching your children. We have a bit of a situation that I need your help with."

Emma turned around and sat back down. "You need my help? Must be something big then."

"The Dark Wolf is back."

Emma almost choked on her coffee. "Are you fucking kidding me? What do we have to do to kill this thing?"

Regina shrugged. "We've decided to separate Clarion from the darkness. It's a complicated spell."

"You need my magic." She reasoned. "I'd love to help you but we both know I don't know enough magic for something like this."

"Mal and Zelena will do all the work. Essentially, all you will be is an energy source. They can't do it alone and I would do it myself, but if it works, I can't be anywhere near when the darkness gets free." Regina said. "That thing could kill me immediately or seek to possess me. I don't want either one to happen."

"Whatever you need, Regina." She promised.

"You might want to take a couple days off work while you're at it. Mal's spell might exhaust you."

Emma sipped her coffee. "Noted. What about the kids? They're not going to be in the mountain when this happens, will they? Do you need a place to hide them?"

"We've already decided that they will stay at the B&B with Granny."

"Just Granny?"

"And Merida, Mulan, Kathryn and Aurora. They don't have magic, so them staying at the den won't help us, and we will be leaving some magical wards and shields. Your kids will be well protected, I promise."

Emma nodded again. "When are we doing this?"

"Tomorrow morning. Go ahead and get it over with." Regina sighed.

Emma drank some more of her coffee, noting how tired Regina looked. They were all tired of this fight. She would be pissed too if she had to come back from vacation and deal with this. "Are you and Ruby better? Did you talk everything out?"

"No, we just ignored it pretty much and everything was fine, but that doesn't really help us." She shrugged. "There's too much going on right now to be worried about my relationship anyway. Tomorrow, this could be over and the darkness could finally be defeated. That's far more important right now."

"I guess I better get ready for tomorrow then."

"We all should."

/

The next day, Emma came to the mountain den. She was surprised by the size of the large underground bunker that had been built to prepare for this ritual. Lily gave her a kiss in greeting, but said nothing more. It matched the somber mood of the pack as they silently got into position. The Dark Wolf was snarling, strapped to the steel table by black chains pulsing with magical enchantments. It took only a single punch from Mal to knock it unconscious. The Dragon stood at the head of the table and Zelena was on the other end. They each had an open book in front of them, but after a quick glance at the pages Emma knew it wasn't a language she understood. Ruby pushed her into position next to Lily.

"Guess we're getting started." She said.

"We have another two hours to go, so yeah." The she-wolf said.

"Two hours?!" Emma exclaimed.

"Give or take. This is a heavy spell." Maleficent replied. "This woman has been cursed with unfathomable darkness and we are essentially ripping that out of her. The darkness is at home, it won't leave without a fight. Did Regina warn you? Have you eaten? Are you rested? You'll need the energy."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm ready. Just tell me what to do."

"Just keep your hands on the board in front of you and try to let us know if you're about to pass out."

"Um, okay…" She glanced at Lily and followed her in placing her hands on the long platform attached to the table that was covered in magical symbols. Tink collected the books and Ruby assumed her position on the other side of the table. She couldn't use magic anymore, but the magic in her blood would help sustain the spell.

"Regina sent this." Belle peeked in to say, carrying a large crystal ball. "She said it's light energy or something."

"Ruby, you take it, you might need it." Zelena took the ball and handed it to her. Ruby pulled out a knife and stabbed the enchanted crystal, causing it to shatter. White light poured out of the crystal and Ruby held her hand over it, absorbing the energy. "Tell Regina to stay in place. Our timing could be off." The witch said. Belle nodded and made her departure.

The door opened a minute later for Vidia to step in, carrying an ornate golden box in her arms. She glanced at the Dark Wolf before tearing her eyes away and presenting the box to Maleficent.

"What are these? Cigars?" The dragon frowned after opening it.

"They're fairy wands, Dragon." Tink smirked.

"I didn't think you wanted us at your den, but we would like to help in any way we can. Use them to help her. Please."

Mal gave her a nod. "With this, we should be able to banish the darkness forever. Thank you." Vidia glanced back at the Dark Wolf once more. "We'll notify you when it's done."

Dorothy stepped into the room and closed the door after she'd gone, standing guard nearby, ready to assist if necessary. Because fairy magic was restrictive in its use and she couldn't actually help them, Tink used her magic to illuminate the words to the spells in front of Mal and Zelena so neither women would have to break their concentration looking away at a book. Both women raised their hands over the Dark Wolf and streams of green magic started to flow out of their palms. The table shook a little under Emma's fingertips. She felt a tingling sensation all throughout her body as they used her strength. The magical symbols on the platform she was touching started to glow and almost vibrate through her fingertips. Beams of magic flowed out of it, firing at the Dark Wolf as well.

"Settle in, Ladies." Zelena said. "We're just getting started."

The pace was slow as they worked, each one chanting a different spell when they needed to or silently directing the magic with a hand motion. Emma felt fine at first since Mal began to use the magic of the fairy wands first. She simply watched in fascination as the witch and the dragon did all the work. After a while, she felt the pressure intensify and her magic surge as more and more of it was called upon. The Dark Wolf started whimpering and fighting its restraints. She hated the sound of a crying animal, even if it was a creature of darkness. The whimpering only grew louder until the creature was downright wailing, begging and pleading for mercy. It called for Regina as well, calling for her to save it. After a while, Mal cast another spell to silence it. The first hour passed easily, but moving into the second, she started to feel the burn. Even though she'd eaten an hour ago, her stomach started growling and her arms felt fatigued, like dead weight. Another thirty minutes later and she felt as if she had run a marathon that she hadn't trained for.

"It's working…" Tink suddenly whispered and all eyes turned to the Dark Wolf. It's paw was no longer a paw, just a piece of the mass of the darkness, but she could see human fingers peeking through it. Another half hour passed and by then she could see Clarion's whole arm. It really was working. The minutes ticked away and the darkness was slowly peeled off of Clarion, like a second skin being removed. When all four of her limbs were revealed, that's when the hard part of drawing the darkness out of her took place and when Mal started the next spell, Emma's legs almost gave out. Ruby did collapse and Dorothy barely managed to catch her and gently place her in a chair nearby.

"Home stretch, guys." Maleficent said. "Almost done."

"I don't know if I can hold it." Lily groaned, her arms shaking.

"Yes, you can." Mal assured her with a simple look. "This is the quick part. Just a few more minutes, I promise." She nodded to Zelena and the pair lashed out with their magic again. The Dark Wolf screamed long and loud as they ripped it from its host. It fought...God, it fought like its life depended on it, but Mal was having none of it. She and Zelena exchanged looks and lowered their hands simultaneously before swiping them back up again. The darkness let out a bloodcurdling scream, causing the entire mountain to quake violently. The scream morphed into a more feminine one as the darkness was finally banished from the fairy queen. Emma removed her hands from the magical platform and fell against the wall with a hiss of pain. Dorothy had to catch Lily or else she would've fallen. Emma started to go to her but Dorothy waved her away.

"She's fine, just tired."

Emma sighed and leaned against the wall. Her eyes turned to the swirling mass of blackness covering the ceiling, watching Tink place a spell on Clarion so she couldn't be possessed by the darkness again.

Clarion started struggling weakly against her restraints. "Is Regina safe? It's going after her. Stop it, please..."

"She's fine." Tink assured her, unlocking the chains and pulling them off of her. The fairy queen burst into tears and Tink helped her sit up, pulling her in for a hug. The woman collapsed in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Thanks guys." Tink said, looking around the room. Mal and Zelena simply nodded.

Clarion suddenly grabbed the side of her head. "Run!"

Almost instantly the darkness slammed into Maleficent. She crashed into the wall, cracking the stone behind her. The darkness surrounded her, quickly forming a tight cyclone, trying to possess her as well. "Mal!" Zelena called. The stunned dragon grabbed at her head and didn't reply. Zelena waved her hand, teleporting the dragon away. A moment later Emma found herself somewhere out in the forest in a pile of snow. Lily appeared next to her, followed by Zelena, Mal and Dorothy.

"What's going on?" Emma asked, getting back to her feet. She wobbled a bit but managed to stay upright.

"I had to get us out of there. No one would be able to help us if the darkness possessed Mal." Zelena answered, checking on the dragon.

Emma looked back to the mountain, flinching at the thunderous crack as the darkness broke free, blasting through the great stone, reminiscent of a volcano erupting. The wolf palace collapsed, throwing up clouds of dust. The storm of darkness rose above the trees, darkening half the sky. She took a step back at the sight of it. The sheer magnitude of it. All of that...contained in one person. "Where's Regina?" She asked.

/

The forest was silent from where Regina sat. Too quiet in fact. She tried to ignore it as she wrote lazily in the journal in her hands about her beloved children. She hadn't kept one since Leopold stole and read her last one, but she was bored out here in the snow, waiting for when she could go back to her children. She hoped that Clarion had been successfully freed and the darkness hadn't tried to possess her sister or worse, Mal. They would never survive against a Dark Dragon. It needed to come after her or this wouldn't work. She kept her ears open to the sounds of a sleeping forest, wincing when she heard the destruction of their great mountain, and it wasn't too long later that she heard a whisper on the wind.

Regina closed her journal and teleported it away as she got to her feet, dusting the snow off of her backside and walking to the town line. The whispers grew louder, grew desperate and she looked over her shoulder to see the cloud of darkness bearing down on her. She raised a hand and fired a ball of purple light into the air, acting as a beacon. As expected, the darkness made a beeline straight for her. She could hear it calling for her, chasing after her. She simply stood and waited, appearing a lot more confident than she felt while ignoring the whispers of power and love that she could hear from the darkness flying towards her, covering the sky like a black storm. The whispering grew louder and sharper, trying to seduce her into acceptance, but she was prepared for if she couldn't fight it. She snapped her fingers and her hearing was gone. The darkness bore down on her with a vengeance and all she did...was step across the town line. Just as the Chernabog had, the darkness dissipated into nothingness, a gust of wind nearly blasting her off her feet as it did so. It was so focused on making her its host that it didn't even notice the barrier between them until it was too late. Her mother did say that it was possible once, for the darkness to simply disperse without its host. Of course she had also been talking about murdering Gold for said power, but details details. She was right. That was all that mattered.

"Regina?" Ruby appeared in the distance, walking gingerly through the snow. Her gait was broken by a noticeable limp and her skin was paler. Dark circles that weren't present before now hung from her eyes.

Regina warily stepped back across the border. Nothing happened. She couldn't sense anything, couldn't feel anything, her magic didn't react to anything. It might've actually worked. She immediately took off towards Ruby, diving into her arms and sighing when Ruby pulled her close and held her there. "You should be resting." She removed the deafening spell so she could hear her lover's voice.

"I had to make sure you were alright. Are you?" Ruby stepped back to look her up and down. "Are you the Dark One now?"

Regina shook her head. "It worked."

Ruby instantly burst into a grin. "Then it's over."

"Not for all of us." She replied. Ruby let out a soft growl. Clarion would forever be changed and haunted by those memories and no one had kicked Blue's ass yet, so that needed to be dealt with. A lot still needed to be dealt with, but for the moment, she took a deep breath. "Let's go collect our pups and get to work. There's a lot to be done, Alpha." Ruby smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I think I need to go lie down first."

"Good thing we have two alphas, isn't it?"

"What are we going to do about Clarion?" Ruby asked.

"We should see where her head is before we make a decision. Let her rest and then let Tink and Vidia talk to her before we do." She may have hated the darkness but those feelings didn't extend to Clarion herself. She just felt bad for her. She felt enraged all over again at Blue for taking someone's life away for nothing more than greed. All of this misery could've been avoided.

"Come on, your majesty. Let's get you out of the cold." Ruby said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

For the next week, Granny closed the B&B and the diner to the rest of the town while the pack moved in. The adults spent hours every day to assess the damages to their mountain and deemed it unsafe for the kids to return. Once again, the pack had to begin repairs to their home.

/

Clarion slept for nearly the entire week while the pack worked. Apparently Dark Ones didn't need to sleep, so Regina didn't blame her wanting to enjoy the comforts of a nice bed for the first time in many years, but it would be a while before anyone really talked to her. Tink and Vidia were the first ones to visit the former queen.

Tink entered the guest room first, carrying a tray of fresh fruits and vegetables, yogurt and a bit of roasted fish. Even though Ruby often ate as the Dark Wolf, she wasn't sure if it was more habit than necessity. If so, Clarion would probably be famished. The room was shrouded in darkness when she and Vidia walked in, but she could clearly see Clarion laying on the bed, curled up beneath the sheets. Vidia walked to the bedside and switched on the lights. The fairy moved to sit on the bed and Clarion's eyes snapped open. Despite being given her name by Clarion, Tink had never actually met her and had only ever seen the fairy queen in old pictures and only heard her name in stories when she was earning her wings. Clarion was always spoken of highly by the older fairies whenever they were asked. She was the epitome of their kind, what every fairy aspired to be. Beloved by both fairy and human, noble and kind. That is until, Blue told everyone that Clarion had betrayed them. Seeing the woman in the flesh after all these years was more exciting than she imagined it would be. Of course they met days ago when the darkness was banished, but Clarion wasn't in a good state then. Now, she was clean and well rested, but a little...defensive. Proven when she grabbed Vidia by her neck, her other hand shining with a dark golden light.

"Wait, Clarion! It's me." Vidia said. Clarion narrowed her eyes, but slowly removed her hand from her neck.

"Vidia?" Clarion whispered uncertainly.

"It's me.

Tink smiled as she watched the two women embrace before she placed the tray on the bed, drawing their attention. "For you, Queen Clarion-"

"No." Clarion sighed. "I am no longer a queen. I'm not even sure I am a fairy anymore. I don't really know what I am, so please, do not call me queen."

"Even so, you will always have a place among us." Vidia promised her. "Here, eat. You must be starving." She pushed the tray to Clarion and stood up to go open the curtains. Clarion flinched slightly at the sudden light spilling around the room, but her hunger won out and she set about eating. While she did so, Tink went down to the diner's kitchen to get her something to drink.

"How is she?" Merida asked, walking into the room.

"Okay, I suppose. I can't really tell, but she seems better. How is everyone else?"

"Busy." Merida shrugged. "I'm surprised the mountain hasn't come down completely after everything it's been through."

"Zelena reinforced it with magic." Tink said.

"Yeah, but it seems the darkness erased a lot of that when it escaped. The upper levels are a mess, parts of them have caved in. We're not going to be able to move back in for a while, even with the help of magic."

Tink scoffed. "Regina's not going to stay in town any longer than she has to."

Merida smirked. "I suppose you're right, but she will if she wants to keep the kids safe." Her smirk faded and she stepped a little closer to say softly. "Rani's coughing now."

"What? No."

The redheaded princess nodded. "Pretty badly too. I heard the poor thing last night."

Tink sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. If something happened to her, she knew Regina would lose her mind. She didn't even know what Ruby would do. If anything their alphas deserved something stable in their lives. All of this fighting, this misery, the moving, the repairs, it would be too much for any person to have to deal with. Regina needed somewhere where she could relax and focus on her children and just rest. Ruby should be right by her side. The pack needed time to recuperate as well.

"Hey," Merida touched Tink's chin, bringing her eyes back up to hers. "Everything will be alright. Rani will be fine. Don't forget who her parents are." She smiled. "As for the pack, there is nothing that can take us down if the Dark Wolf couldn't."

"What pack? One of our alphas won't even look at a quarter of us unless she has to." Tink retorted. "All we've done for weeks is work and fight. The same goes for our children. Ten year olds and eleven year olds fighting like their lives depend on it."

"I know you're tired. We all are. I promise you that everything will be fine. If I have to lock Regina in a room with Mal and Zelena and Mulan, I'd do it. And if I have to rebuild the den by hand or find a way to cure Rani, I'd do that too."

Tink let out another sigh and accepted a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you."

"Any time, Love. Go on." She gave the fairy a nudge and Tink smirked as she made her way back to Clarion. The former fairy queen had managed to put away all of the food in her absence and was glad of the drink she was brought.

"You're staying here then?" Vidia asked.

"I'm not going to a convent." Clarion replied. "I'm a fairy, not a nun. I'm not taking the throne again either. I have no interest in leading anyone anymore." She sipped her drink before looking at Tink. "How is Regina?"

"She's been busy helping with repairs, taking care of the kids...but she's waiting to talk to you. Ready whenever you are."

Clarion looked down and tapped her lip, appearing to be deep in thought for a moment. "Has Blue said anything about this? Why she did it? Was it more than a throne and a man I barely knew?"

"No, but it was probably jealousy or ambition. Either way she was willing to destroy you and everything you built for her own desires." Tink answered, watching Clarion closely as she processed this information.

"I want to talk to Blue first."

"Now?" Tinker Bell asked, watching the woman get to her feet.

"Now."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ever since she became a werewolf, Regina could never stand the smell of the hospital. She couldn't even walk by it without being overwhelmed by the scent of chemicals and hand sanitizer that permeated the air and seemed to seep out of the pores of every person who worked here. She would bear it though for today. She was pacing around the examination table while Ruby was perfectly still, watching their baby girl be examined by a trusted physician who used to occasionally treat Regina when she was the Evil Queen. Lola was a pretty older woman with long brown hair steadily turning gray and a background in magic that Regina employed her for.

"How long has she been coughing?" Lola asked.

"A few days." Ruby answered. "Last night was the worst. She couldn't even go to sleep because of it."

"I have to say, I'm surprised you wouldn't just use magic, your majesty."

"I could take away her cough, but it would just be the cough. And you can call me, Regina, Lola, you've known me for half my life." Regina replied, stopping her pacing to stand next to Ruby.

"I told you, Gina, it's just a cold." Her mate said. "The pups have been moved around a lot lately and Rani has always been the-"

"Weakest?" Regina almost growled the word and Ruby rolled her eyes.

"I was going to say the one we have to watch more closely." She turned to the doctor. "She opened her eyes really late and she's not as active as the boys. She just changed into her human form today." Both looked down fondly at their baby girl, now sporting fingers and toes instead of paws and fur. Fenris and Amaroq had also shifted as well, making it even harder for their babysitters to manage them while their mothers were away. Regina knew because she was getting hourly messages from Kathryn and Jack on their behavior.

"I can run some more tests, but it does just seem to be a little cold. I'll give her some medicine and if it gets worse, bring her back." Lola said, exiting the room.

Rani yawned and Ruby put her jacket back on and picked her up. "Don't worry, we're almost done, little one."

Lola returned with the medicine and gave it to Regina. "Give her this once a day after she eats. Bring her back in a week if nothing changes or earlier if it gets worse." Regina nodded, sliding the medicine into her pocket. Lola turned to Ruby. "Have you been getting rest like I told you?"

"Yes. Regina won't let me get out of bed half the time. I'm surprised I haven't gone crazy."

"And the rest of the pack?" After defeating the darkness, Lola was brought in to assess each member of their family to make sure there were no underlying complications to be worried about. Besides needing a long rest, everyone seemed to be okay. However, Lola seemed to be a little too concerned with Ruby's wellbeing. Regina didn't comment on it, but it worried her. She trusted Lola with her life, had had her life saved by the older woman a few times after a battle and she was too weak to heal herself with magic, but if there was something wrong with her mate and they weren't telling her, she was not going to be happy.

"Everyone is fine. Apart from the fact that we're stuck in town for the time being, just fine." Ruby answered.

"I'll let you know when I get back the results of your tests, Ruby."

"Tests?" Regina frowned. "What tests?"

"Standard." Lola shrugged. "Just part of the procedure."

Regina narrowed her eyes slightly, but Rani yawning drew her attention. "Come on, let's get you home. Thank you, Lola." Ruby lead the way out of the room and Regina followed, wondering how she could've gotten sick in the first place. Rani was a full blooded werewolf, it should've been nearly impossible for her to catch a cold. Jack had never gotten sick growing up and it only made her worry about her daughter even more.

"She'll be fine, you know." Ruby said softly.

"I know, but I can't help worrying anyway." Regina shrugged. Both women froze when the lights of the hospital started flickering. She looked around, feeling her magic start to stir at sensing another powerful maleficar nearby. Ruby growled low in her throat and Regina put a hand on her shoulder, teleporting her and Rani back to the B&B and walking towards the danger, finding that it was coming from the asylum. She made her way there and found Tink, leaning against the wall while texting on her phone. "What's going on?"

"Clarion just got done beating the crap out of Blue and Vidia took her back to the convent." The fairy turned her phone around to play a video of Clarion trying to choke the life of Blue. Vidia was attempting to break it up but Clarion was locked in tight.

"How long ago was this?"

"Just a few minutes. They spent the morning talking...arguing. Then that." Tink nodded to the phone and Regina looked down at it just in time to see Clarion punch Blue in the jaw, effectively knocking her out. "Clarion broke her hand."

"Then why are you out here?"

"Waiting to see if she needs anything."

Regina walked to the door and looked inside. Clarion was sitting on the bed, clenching and unclenching her bruised fists while a dark golden glow encircled her hands. She stepped into the room and Clarion extinguished her magic instantly. The lights stopped flickering as soon as she did so. "Hey."

"Hey." Clarion looked up at her and it was the first time Regina actually got to have a good look at the former queen. A sunset was beautiful. A moonlit meadow was beautiful. Paintings were beautiful, but not even a masterpiece could come close to Clarion. Except the masterpiece that was her mate. No one could touch Ruby.

Regina moved to sit next to her and touched her hand. Dark bruises were all over her knuckles and all of them were swollen. She waved her hand over them, healing them, and conjured a wet cloth for her face. "Have fun?"

"Yes." Clarion answered. "I never condoned violence before all of this, but all I can think about is ripping her head off." She wiped off her face and pressed the cloth against her busted lip.

"After what she did to you, it's perfectly understandable."

Clarion shrugged. "The only reason I did was because I am still a fairy, unfortunately and I couldn't use my magic to bring her pain. So I had to use my fists. It's actually quite satisfying. Pain however, is a very strange sensation to a fairy."

Regina smirked. "I'll bet it is."

"You should punch her later. All of you. It would make me feel so much better." Clarion smiled, but abruptly stopped it. "That's scary." She pulled the cloth back to look at it. "That's weird...I've never bled before."

"Really? Not even as a Dark One?"

"Really. I meant before the darkness thing. How is Rani? That is why you came to the hospital, isn't it?"

"Doctor said it was a cold. Hopefully it is something that mundane." Regina answered, noting the swift change in subject.

"Hopefully." Clarion nodded.

"Clarion, I think we need to talk." Regina said. "There's a lot I want to know."

"I agree, although I won't have as many answers as you think I will."

Regina frowned slightly. "Why not?"

"Because even I don't know why the darkness was so infatuated with you. I mean, I can understand, but it was almost...bizarre."

"You mean to tell me that it never did that before?"

"Of course Dark Ones often chased after people, lost loves, family and that nature. You saw it with Rumpelstiltskin and Neal and Belle, but it was free. No dagger, no one to control it, and all it wanted...was you. And you have no idea how far it was willing to go." The blonde shuddered. "Anything. It was willing to do anything."

Regina swallowed hard, refusing to imagine it. It was willing to try and kill Ruby and then impersonate her, she didn't want to think of anything worse than that. "You were never in control?"

"No. I was aware of everything that was happening, but I could only watch. Sometimes the darkness would blind me, but that was rare. Every time the Dark One used their magic, it hurt." She moved her hair, draping it over her left shoulder and turning her back to Regina. The brunette slid a little closer and pulled down the back of Clarion's shirt so she could see the large black mark in the middle of her back. The veins around it were visible and black. "It still hurts to use it, but it's better now."

"This is where the curse hit you. Bitch shot you in the back."

"Yes. Hopefully, it'll heal one day."

Regina moved back and watched Clarion adjust her dress and wipe her lip again. "So...the feelings for me the darkness had...wasn't you?"

Clarion froze for a moment and Regina could see her swallow hard, quickly becoming uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. "Would it matter if it was?"

"It would answer a few questions." Came the reply.

The fairy let out another sigh. "Yes and no. I would never have tricked you or attacked Ruby or attacked the kids or any of you. The darkness knew no boundaries and it fixated on you in a way that it never had before. My feelings don't matter. I only want to move on. Please."

Regina nodded slowly, choosing to let it go for now. "Okay. What will you do now?"

"I don't know, but you won't have to worry about me. I won't bother the pack any longer."

"You're not bothering us. We didn't free you to toss you to the side. We can help you. We want to."

Clarion shook her head. "I've done nothing but ruin your lives."

"That was the darkness. That was forced upon you. That wasn't you."

"Even so, I doubt I will be welcome and I need to be alone right now. I have a request and I have no right to ask this of you, but I think it would only be beneficial to you." Regina arched an eyebrow, offering to hear it. "Forgive your family. Zelena, Maleficent, Mulan, forgive them. I know you're still angry you were tricked and that they didn't tell you, and you have every right to be, but you know they were only doing what they felt was right. Besides, you all have lied to each other before. You've tried to kill each other a dozen times. You've done far worse to each other. I would hate to see you lose your family, or for your children to grow up without knowing the people who mean so much to you." Regina silently appraised her words, but the fairy continued. "Fix your relationship with Ruby."

"I'm sorry?"

"It's none of my business and not my place, I know. I just don't want the Dark Wolf to win, even in death. It wanted to tear your family apart, it wanted you to be distant from your mate, distant from your children, ruin your lives. Please, don't let it win."

"You don't let it win either." Regina retorted. "It bragged about breaking you. A stitch in the fabric of darkness, it said. You're more than that."

"Thank you." And with that, Clarion teleported away in a flurry of golden sparkles that Regina fanned away. As much as she was annoyed by it, the fairy was right. Especially about Ruby. The more she thought about it, the more ideas she got to fix things.

"Clarion's gone?" Tink peeked in and Regina quickly got to her feet.

"Yes, and I need your help with something."

"Sure, but what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to fix our pack. Starting with Ruby. I need the night though."

Tink replied with a grin. "Done. What do you need?"

"Tell Ruby to meet me downtown at Tony's Restaurant in two hours."

Tink poofed away and Regina rushed off to get ready. Tonight, she was going treat her mate like a queen.

/

After receiving the news from Tink, Ruby got ready for what she supposed was a date. She thought it was a bit strange that Regina wanted to go on a date right now, but she didn't mind it. She was only curious as she got ready. An off the shoulder red dress was her outfit of choice for the evening.

"You look beautiful, Mom." Jack said when she stepped out of the room that Granny had given her and Regina. Not that they ever slept in the same room anymore.

"Thanks." She smiled. "Who is watching the kids tonight?"

"Tink and Merida are sharing the room with Zelena and Mal."

Ruby took a step back at that news. "Are you serious? Regina let someone else besides Tink and Merida in with the kids?"

"I know. Weird, right?"

"Do you know anything about this date?"

"Of course, but I've been told not to tell you." He grinned, snapping his fingers and teleporting her away to the restaurant.

Ruby took a look around, jaw dropping at the red setting surrounding her. The restaurant was empty of course. No one in their right mind would be out in the frigid cold, but here she was, gazing in awe at the restaurant that was saturated with red. There were new tapestries, wolf paintings, flower petals littering the floor, candles everywhere, and soft music playing from a stereo in the corner. She could tell Regina had added a lot since Tony's was a favorite place of theirs, one of the few places in town that they actually liked going to. Tony was a nice guy and always welcomed the pack with open arms.

"Ruby Lucas!" The Italian man called as he walked out of the back to welcome her in. "You look beautiful! Magnifico!" He turned around and screamed for Regina. Her mate arrived shortly, strutting out of the kitchen in a scandalous royal blue dress.

Ruby smirked. "I love how you deck the place down in red and come out wearing blue."

"I would have kept up the trend but that would be far too much red." Regina replied. "I would've felt like I was drowning in it."

"What is this?"

"A date. I know we haven't exactly been on one in a some time, but...now that we have a moment to breathe, I felt that a lot needed to be done and a lot of that had to do with you."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at the former queen. "What do you mean?"

Regina took her hand and lead her over to the table in the center of the restaurant. She pulled the chair out for Ruby and she smiled as she took her seat. Regina sat across from her and Tony returned to pour them a bottle of his finest champagne and present them with a menu. Ruby simply ordered a plate of spaghetti while Regina chose lasagna.

"You were saying?" Ruby asked, sipping her champagne.

"I wanted to apologize."

Ruby frowned. "Apologize for what?"

Regina nodded slowly. "A lot of things have happened over the last year or so. Good things and bad things."

"Mostly bad things."

"Right." Regina said. "With everything that's happened, I think that we have focused so much on me and the kids and the Dark wolf and the pack, that we've forgotten perhaps the most important person in all of this. You."

"What are you talking about? I'm not-"

"Ruby, you were in a coma for an entire month and we just seemed to gloss over it."

"We were in the middle of a war." Ruby replied.

"That may be true, but it's not good enough. None of it is. Even when we went on that travesty of a vacation, it was peaceful, but all we did was ignore all of our problems and pretend that everything was okay. I want to make up for it." Regina glanced down at her hands on the table, twiddling her fingers a bit. Ruby narrowed her eyes at the action, wondering where this was going. "I know you stopped talking to me and I stopped talking to just about everyone, but we've been mated for a while, Ruby, and I know what goes on inside your head. We don't always listen to each other, but we do know." Ruby swallowed hard, not expecting this type of conversation. "I know all the doubts, the fears, the insecurities that surfaced, that you tried to bury. Maybe they were always there, even when you were the Dark Wolf. I know they're there now."

"Great talk for a date, Gina." Ruby said. She didn't want to delve into those dark thoughts. Not now and not ever. She was glad to have the darkness out of her head now. No more whispering and talking. There was silence for once. Peace. "I don't want to discuss this."

"Then just listen, please." Regina whispered. "I would not be where I am today without you. None of us would. We would be rotting in this hellhole of a town. You created this, built all of this, brought all of us together. You are everything. You try and downplay your own significance but you are the most important of us. I know you were afraid of being weak without the darkness. The truth is, you were always more powerful than you knew. You were never weak. You might not be as strong as the Dark Wolf, but you jumped onto a pile of fucking darkness to save me. You were thrown off a cliff and had part of that cliff fall on top of you and you lived to fight again. You're a warrior who commanded armies and fought monsters. If the darkness did anything to you, it made you stronger." Regina bit her lip and massaged her temples. "I didn't mean to say all of that, but… I just need you to know how amazing you are to me. I love you, Ruby. More than I can express. And it pains me to think I don't show you that enough."

Ruby watched her mate readjust and wipe the corner of her eye. "Come here." Regina rose to walk around the table and Ruby stood up and placed a soft kiss to her lover's lips. "We're okay. We've all been through a lot lately, especially you-"

"The whole point of that is to tell you that not everything's about me. I don't want them to be."

Ruby nodded slowly. "I get it, but you can't just ignore everything that's happened to you because you don't think you give me enough attention, Regina. It is more than okay. As long as you are happy and healthy and most importantly, alive, then I'm happy too."

"I swear I had all of this planned out and this was not how it was supposed to go." Regina hissed to herself.

Ruby pulled her in for another kiss, amused and pleased by her mate's words and attempts to show her affection. Showing love was still something Regina seemed to struggle with at times, but Ruby knew she was loved. Even when they were fighting or arguing, she knew. "It's okay, baby."

"I don't accept that." Regina said, walking back to her seat. She bent down to pull a box out from under it. It was wrapped in sparkly purple paper with a red bow. "For you."

Ruby sat back down to rip into her present. Inside it, was an iPad. She pressed the button to cut it on and the screen lit up. A slideshow began to play with pictures from her life with the pack. It began with selfies and candid pictures she remembered taking when she and Regina were just beginning their relationship. One by one, the members of her family made their appearance, showing its growth and expansion. Baby pictures of the kids followed suit, little videos of her chasing after them and playing with them. She wanted to cry seeing one of Jack taking his first steps. There were videos from his first hunt, leaving the den for the first time, eating his first piece of prey. "This is beautiful, Regina." She said, smiling at a photo of Mal choking Zelena over one of Regina's apple turnovers. There were so many more: Jack and Marie racing, Merida and Mulan making bows, Tink and Regina cooking in the kitchen while fighting off Lily and Ruby, Mal in her dragon form preening her wings while the boys played around on her back, Hansel and Gretel being trained with Shang. "I didn't even notice you guys taking all these pictures."

"Some were memories." Regina explained.

"You've been planning this for a while."

"I was. Before all of this with the Dark Wolf. I have a lot of plans for the future." Ruby looked up before Regina waved the matter away. "That can wait. It's for the pack mostly so it'll have to be discussed with them, but we can do that later."

"What are we going to do about the mountain?" Ruby asked. Most of the pack at the B&B was still recovering from removing the darkness from Clarion. That was most of their magic users bedridden for the time being. Regina was able to cast a spell to protect their belongings, but apparently the darkness blew out whole rooms when it broke free.

"For now, salvage what we can and see if we can repair it. If not, I have a plan for that too." Regina replied. "Don't worry."

"Let's take a different turn here, you let Mal and Zelena in with the kids?" Ruby asked. Regina nodded. "Out of nowhere? You've forgiven them just like that?"

"I talked to Clarion earlier today."

"When she kicked Blue's ass. I saw the video Tink sent. Fairy Queen was pissed."

Regina gave her a look and she only smirked. "Yes, and she said a few things that I believed to be true."

"Which would be?"

"I don't want the darkness to win. It wanted to rip our family apart and ruin our relationship and I won't let it. It's gone, but its effects are still being felt. I won't lie, I haven't entirely forgiven them. I think everyone knows that forgiving people is something that I am still learning to do, but...I know they would never hurt the kids. It's a start."

Ruby smiled. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you. I try."

They both looked up when Tony returned with large plates of food. He bowed as he departed and Ruby licked her lips.

"Eat up. You have a long night ahead of you." Regina murmured without looking up.

Ruby's smile dropped, her mind going to very dark places. "What's going to happen later on tonight?"

Regina looked up at her and grinned evilly. "Let's just say you'll need your strength."

"Regina, don't do that. Please, w-what's going to happen?" Her mate didn't reply as she started eating. Ruby was on edge for the rest of dinner. It was a nice dinner though and it was good to get away from everything and spend some time with her mate. When they were done, Regina paid Tony with a gold bar, accepted another bottle of champagne and teleported them to Ruby's old apartment that had been neatly cleaned up since Regina's last stay here. She almost couldn't believe she stayed here for 28 years.

"You can take the bathroom first, if you want. I left something in there for you."

Ruby ran into the bathroom to the echoes of Regina's laughter and found a box with three buttons on it to press. The buttons were three different colors: red, black and purple. She instantly pressed the red one and the box disappeared. She looked around, finding nothing else out of the ordinary, so she simply removed her dress and took off her makeup. With a quick fluff of her hair, she walked into the bedroom and stopped dead. Regina was standing on the other side of the room wearing Ruby's red cloak and matching lace lingerie and tall blood red stilettos. Holy fuck. Regina smiled over her shoulder, reaching up to untie the cloak and let it fall. Ruby let out a low growl and crossed the room swiftly. Regina wrapped her arms around her neck and her legs around her waist, allowing herself to be picked up and carried to the bed. She looked down, noticing the fluffy handcuffs on her lover's wrists. It was a surprise, considering Regina never particularly liked being handcuffed in the past. "You're bringing out all the stops tonight."

"Of course, but first…" She lifted her head, showing the marks on her neck. With a word of magic, both marks were burned away.

Ruby scowled. "What the hell, Regina? You got rid of my mark too."

"I did?" The former queen asked coyly. "I suppose you'll have to mark me again…"

"I guess I will..."

/

Several hours later, both women were cuddled together in bed, enjoying the bliss in the aftermath of a very pleasurable evening. Regina was soundly sleeping but Ruby was wide awake, looking at her new mark on the side of Regina's neck. It was different now. Bigger too. Her mate looked good with it, and she felt good to have given it to her. She felt the bond between them grow stronger after marking Regina again. She knew that things weren't perfect between them, but it was a start to repairing everything the Dark Wolf had tried to ruin.

Her phone pinged and she rolled over to pick it up. It was an update on the kids. Just letting her know that they were asleep and Rani had taken her medicine.

"Why are you still awake?" Regina mumbled.

"Just reading some messages."

"Are the kids okay?"

"Yes." Ruby kissed her shoulder and placed the phone in front of Regina's face. The former queen scowled at the light shining in her face but she opened her eyes and looked at the cute pictures of the kids sleeping. "We should have more. Many more."

"Well, if we keep doing what we did tonight, then we will."

"Excellent."

"First, you must go to sleep." Regina whispered, already drifting off again. Ruby kissed her cheek and put her phone away. She wrapped her arms around Regina and joined her in dreamland. They wouldn't be asleep for long though. They had a lot of making up to do.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a mess. A flurry of dozens of voices speaking at once that made her want to tear her hair out. "Can everyone calm down?" Emma demanded for the fourth time. At the moment the town hall was filled with many of the townspeople, each talking over the last to get answers, but unwilling to listen to their leader provide them. Next to her were her parents and on her other side, was Jack, dressed smartly in a dark suit. Behind the young prince was Aaron and Benjamin in similar attires. She made a joke earlier that the three looked like the mafia, but they seemed to like it. "HEY!" When no one once again heeded her words, she rolled her eyes and snatched her father's gun, firing it into the air and silencing the room. "Thank you for your attention." She said, handing the weapon back to David. "Look, the darkness is gone. It's been defeated. Since the danger is over, life in Storybrooke is going to resume as normal."

"How?" One of the dwarves demanded. She honestly had no idea which one he was and didn't really care. "How did they defeat it? How do we know it's safe? How are we supposed to trust them, of all people?"

Emma motioned to Jack and he stepped forward, clearing his throat. "For those of you who don't know, my name is Jack. Prince of the Lucas-Mills pack. Storybrooke is safe. The darkness has been defeated. A long time ago, someone was cursed with a very powerful, very ancient type of dark magic. A few days ago, we freed that person, banished the darkness and imprisoned the person who caused all of this to begin with. Of course, that does not mean all darkness in the world is gone, far from it. Darkness will always exist, but it will never return in the capacity it once did." He said, commanding the attention of the room as he spoke like the prince he was. "There will be no more Dark Wolves. No more Dark Ones. It is safe, you have my word. Take it as you will. As for your trust, we don't want it. We don't care about it. You don't need to trust us, but you should trust the woman you elected to lead you. She has not and will not lead you astray. She helped us and without her, I doubt we would have succeeded. You should thank her and instead of complaining, you should ask her what you need to do to help her make this town better for its people and do it. Wouldn't you agree, Dwarf?"

The dwarf glared at him, but ultimately sat back down, grumbling under his breath. Jack nodded to Emma, giving her back the floor.

"Any more questions?" She asked. There were some murmuring but for the most part, their fears had been placated for now so she ended the meeting.

"That was fun." Jack commented.

"I'll bet it was." Emma chuckled. "Are you the pack spokesman now?"

He shook his head. "Just doing what I can to lighten the load for my family."

"How's everyone doing?"

"Good, I guess. Just busy. We have to fix the mountain and work out our plans for the spring."

"What happens in the spring?"

Jack shrugged. "You should ask Lily. She knows more than I do and nothing has been finalized yet, but I think they're planning a vacation. As for where, I have no idea." He turned to Aaron and Benjamin. "Come on, guys, we have to pick up some groceries on the way home."

"See you guys later." Emma waved, watching them hop off the stand and make their way out the door, leaving her and her parents as the only ones left in the building.

"Do we have to ask?" David said.

"Ask Lily? Absolutely."

"They're your kids too and we're your parents. We should meet our grandchildren." It was a debate that was constantly being argued in her household. Her parents wanted to see the kids and Lily had yet to agree to bring them out of the den. They'd been outside before, but she had never moved them far from their home and no one in Storybrooke ever went to the mountain. Even though Emma had once tried to argue on her parents' behalf, or even to bring the kids to her house to see Henry, Lily still refused. She simply did not trust Emma's family. So they were at a stalemate.

"Look, it is Lily's decision."

"If you're afraid of her taking the kids because you disagree with her, then we can fight her on that." Her father said.

Emma frowned. "Where did you get that conclusion? I agree with her. I also don't have time for this."

"You never have time for us, Emma."

The blonde rolled her eyes and turned to leave, but a hand on her arm stopped her and she looked back at her mother. "Can you arrange for me to speak with Maleficent and Lily? Please?"

Emma searched Snow's face for a sign as to why. Hopefully it wasn't to apologize again because she knew that would just piss both dragons off. By now she had realized that dragons believed in actions rather than words. "I suppose." She continued on her way out the door, sprinting down the street to the B&B. She was met with a wave of warmth and the sound of children. She followed the noise and came to the rec room, finding the werewolf children inside playing video games. She didn't see the pups so she kept going, coming to the door that connected the B&B to the diner. She walked through and almost tripped over a fur rug stuffed in front of the door. In fact, much of the diner floor had been covered in the furs, pelts and cushions she remembered being at the mountain den. The tables had been removed from the diner, but the booths remained. Ruby and Regina were in one, pouring over some kind of piece of paper, currently ignoring the argument happening a few feet away between Tink and Dorothy. Mal and Lily were ignoring the situation as well, both dragons holding one of her sleepy little dragonlings. What truly shocked her, was Mal was also holding Rani. The tiny wolf pup was safely tucked against Mal's neck, soaking in her unnatural warmth. Fenris and Amaroq were racing across the floor on their chubby legs, with Zelena chasing after them. The rest of the pack was focused on the argument.

"I was there, alright. I stood there for two and a half hours while Mal and Zelena saved the fairy queen." Dorothy said, adding a mocking tone to the last words. "I saw all of that darkness leave Clarion. Who is to say some of it didn't stay behind?"

"If she was a threat and was still as powerful as you thought she was, she would have already destroyed us." Tink retorted. "Almost all of our magic users are still recovering from saving her life. Now would be the perfect time to attack, don't you think?"

"So we're just letting her into the pack? No questions asked?"

"We let you in with no questions asked." The fairy hissed.

"Enough!" Ruby said sharply, getting to her feet. "No one has said anything about Clarion joining the pack anyway."

"It's an inevitability. Where else would she go?" Dorothy snapped. "She spent the last year terrorizing us and now you're just okay with her?"

"She was cursed!" Tink returned.

"She said she was never in control." Ruby added calmly.

"With all due respect, she said that to Regina. She'll do and say anything for Regina's forgiveness. She probably still loves her." Dorothy looked at Tink and shook her head. "Why are you defending her so hard? You barely know her. Maybe you knew her before all of this, but she is undoubtedly changed now. Does your loyalty lie with her or with us?"

"How dare you? You just got here and you're questioning my loyalty?"

"ENOUGH!" Ruby roared. "Take a seat. All of you." She commanded. The angry women were lead to a seat and obeyed their alpha. Emma scurried over to Lily and sat next to her on a pile of pillows. "Listen up." Ruby said. "Clarion is not joining the pack. She's made no mention of it and I don't blame her for wanting to take a little time away from everyone and everything. You don't trust her. That's fine, neither do I. Not completely. Dorothy's right about her being a changed person, but no shit. She was cursed. End of story. So far she has shown no sign of evil intent since she was released, so I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt until she proves her intentions are otherwise. I think she should be given a chance. Otherwise, as you stated, where will she go?" She surveyed the room expectantly. "To the fairies? I'm sure they'll welcome her back but she doesn't want to go back. I don't blame her. The fairies are already a mess. They have no leader and no purpose. She could live in town but how long do you think that'll last before everyone else realizes that she doesn't belong? They're going to do the same thing they did to a lot of us. I'm surprised the Charmings haven't met with her to discuss the terms of her stay. You know, because to these people, any magical being that doesn't actively work to make their lives better and make them feel secure, must be evil. Who wants to live that way? None of you did. That's why you left."

"That doesn't change what she used to be." Dorothy said. "She still can't be trusted."

"I agree. We can deal with that when we need to, but if her past, being consumed by the darkness is so bothersome to you, then look around." Ruby gestured to Regina. "Evil Queen. Mass murderer. Usurper. Life Ruiner. Etc." She walked over Zelena. "Wicked Witch. Usurper. Murderer." She nodded to Mal. "Dragon Queen. Mistress of All Evil. Great Beast. Has razed a thousand kingdoms. A few just because she could." She pointed at Lily. "Dragon Princess. Black Knight. Bank robber-"

"You've made your point, Wolfy." Dorothy rolled her eyes.

"Good." Ruby walked towards her, one eyebrow arched with purpose. "If Clarion ever decides she wants to join our pack, then we will welcome her with the same open arms we welcomed you with. Understood?" She took another look around to a murmuring of agreements. "Now, on to a different, more pressing subject...we will not be going back to the mountain this winter." Her words were met with outrage and disbelief, as many of the women had yet to know about the mountain being all but destroyed. Ruby raised her hands and they quieted down so she could continue. "The damages the darkness caused are nearly irreparable. There was a landslide, the upper levels have been decimated and our magical supports are null and void. Anything that was left has been brought here and is in storage. I'm sorry for anything that cannot be replaced, but I believe we did manage to save most of our things. Thank Belle for thinking ahead. Everyone is still recovering from helping Clarion and Regina could potentially handle the reparations on her own, but she had a different idea that I think you all should hear." She turned to her mate and Regina hopped up to take center stage.

"I want to curse us."

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