It was one of those days where it was quiet. Autumn was starting to set in - October had begun. On the grounds of Willowsand, the younger of the ladies of Willowsand was meandering the back gardens. She had kicked off her shoes, and were carrying them in one hand, the other brushing over the edge of one of the fountains. She was humming to herself, and was taking in the afterglow of the day. Her large, gold rimmed glasses sparkled in the light, and the very petite woman still couldn't believe that she had just turned twenty four. She laughed a little to herself, remembering that she and Regina (and Lynn) by sheer coincidence shared a birthday. Lynn. She was growing up so fast, already seven, her mother twenty eight. Time was such a funny thing, and the way things had gone through the last year proved that. It was strange. Suffice is to say that the way things had become since just a year prior were more than a little bit dizzying to consider. She glanced up at the sky. It was a little pink, but mostly grey. The moon was slowly ebbing forward on the horizon, while the sun was chased away.

Did the sun feel it needed the moon too?

Does the sun chase the moon or does the moon chase the sun?

Do the moon and sun watch each other?

She set down her shoes on the edge of the fountain, sitting down on its edge. She stretched out her arms, briefly closing her eyes. Sherry was having dinner with Red, something she had passed on. Besides, there was something so strange about Red that it was exhausting. Sherry was better at that. Likely, Sherry was simply better at not judging people so quickly. She was much nicer. She had a better temper, by a long shot. Sherry also had a keen, gentle pulse on people she lacked. It was always so fascinating to watch, and, perhaps, made sense why Sherry was so excellent at the art of palmistry. So much, she said, could be seen in the palm of someone's hand. So much, she said, could you relax, help people let go with just the right touches, adjustments across the body, though most specifically the hands, back, shoulder, and feet. It was no surprise, then, how easily she could read people through just their eyes, and their movements. Or, maybe, it was just the few years Sherry had on her. Whatever it was, it certainly proved that Sherry was much the better one to spend time with Red.

"I hope I'm not being intrusive."

She startled, jumping off from where she had been sat on the edge of the fountain, whipping around to see perhaps the woman she held in lowest regard.

"Not intrusive," She said, rather sharpish. "Though I'm not particularly happy to see you sauntering onto my and my wife's estate."

Silence. Anxious silence. Irritated silence. Two very different people. People from very different worlds.

One, been raised to be the reigning monarch, and who took it from the monarch by force.

One, been raised in a wealthy and luxurious family, albeit one which had to work in order to maintain the life they had built.

Both had lived lives of privilege, and occasionally forgot it.

Neither would make true eye contact, one out of believing themself not to need to do so as the monarch, and the other who never could comfortably do so.

"I take that to mean I'm being intrusive."

"Again, you're not. Just showing your face here after what you did makes me angry, which you should know full well…Snow."

Further silence. Wind rippled through the night, one with black, braided hair and a crown, the other's almost translucently pale skin further obvious while their dark curls and bangs fluttered across their shoulders, face, and glasses until she pulled them away.

"Regina may be a long time friend of yours, but she's…" Snow swallowed hard. "She tried to kill me after I spared her from execution. She hasn't left the evil in her behind. She's only embraced it. And she cannot be allowed to be queen for that reason."

"Ironic as I find that statement to be," Caity drew out the words, anger lacing her voice. "And far be it from me to talk about being entitled, all things considered, the way you've gone about trying to 'take back' the kingdom suggests that you're just as entitled."

Snow stared at her, caught between pity, shock, and a prick of sadness. She flinched when she realised that she was not feeling anxiety anymore, but her unborn child. She had never been more relieved to be wearing something that hid her baby bump.

"We haven't done everything right, I know that, of course," Snow's voice briefly fell very quiet. "But we were always seeking to protect people who needed it most. Especially those harmed by Regina."

Caity twitched a bit in anger, crossing her bony arms tightly across her chest.

"Are you referring to what you did to Lynn?"

Snow did not try to hide the look of horror that crossed her face.

"We…we…" She whispered. "We were just trying to keep her safe. We…we only let her stay with Regina now because…well…well because she desperately wanted her, couldn't imagine life without her."

Caity raised an eyebrow. "Right. So it was okay to rip her away from her mother and the only reason you're not doing so now is because you don't want to provoke Regina further?"

Snow bit her lip. She watched the woman she was standing across from closely, who, while tinier than her, seemed to have just as much if not more emotion bottled up in her. It was no wonder, Snow realised, that she could be so erratic.

"It's just about doing what's right for the child," Snow finally said. "That's the reason we made the decision we did. That's the reason I made the decision I did."

Caity scoffed. "Because you and your husband are exactly the kind of people who should be trusted with the responsibility of a fucking child."

Snow flinched, this time more visibly, and horrified realisation crossed the lady of Willowsand's face.

"Well," Caity said, snatching up her shoes and walking back towards the manor. "Good luck with breaking that news to your step mother. Because, one way or another, you're going to have to. Oh! And I pity the child you raise, given everything you've thought about justice and life so far."

Regina knew full well she had always been quick to anger, or, really, any emotion.

This was, however, different.

Asleep on the plush couch in the drawing room of the manor of the Willowsand estate was Lynn, happily curled up against some soft pillows and a fur blanket draped over her. Perched on one end of another couch in the room was Caity. Sherry was sat on that couch just beside her wife, and watercolour painting one of her wife's flower studies. Red was pacing in front of the marble fireplace, careful to keep herself far enough away from the flames to protect her cloak. That was always on the forefront of her mind, it seemed. Perhaps that was because of the moon becoming more visible the past few months instead of the hazily hidden one. Then there was Regina. She wandered throughout the room, her hands shaking, and culminating in her dropping her (thankfully near empty) glass of wine. She realised she had wanted to throw it at the mirror. She shoved that thought as far aside as she possibly could in her mind. The thoughts that were racing through her mind made her sick. She almost couldn't believe it. Then again, it was also, by the same coin, token, completely unsurprising.

"Right?" Caity said dryly. "As I told her, I pity the child they raise because of everything they've said and done regarding justice and life so far."

"I wouldn't go that far," Red sent her a pointed (and uncomfortable) look. "I'm sure they do care a lot about their child. I know Snow fairly well. She loves children, has always wanted a family. She will be a good mother. I know it's hard to hear, but she cares a lot, and I fully believe she - and, frankly, Charming - love the child already."

Sherry let out a heavy sigh, looking up from her painting. Briefly, she chewed on the end of the paintbrush. Then, she shook her head.

"I don't doubt that Snow and her prince love the thought of a child of their own. I don't doubt they will love that child. But I don't think they'll be good parents. Being a loving parent does not necessarily make you a good parent. I imagine that will be the case with them."

Red hesitated. "You have to admit, for the most part, they have good intentions. They just aren't the best at enacting those intentions."

"Good intentions?" Regina snorted. "Whether they do or don't have good intentions isn't the point. These people thought taking a child from their mother was 'a necessary sacrifice.' I wouldn't call that a promising set of actions. I'm with Caity. I pity whatever child they raise."

Sherry considered that, before finally setting her painting aside.

"They don't necessarily have to raise their child."

Caity, Red, and Regina all stared at her, a bit taken aback by how simply she spoke.

"Well?" Sherry gently pressed on. "It's true. They don't necessarily have to raise their child."

Red paused her pacing, her eyes widening in surprise when the implications of Sherry's words dawned fully on her.

"Wait," She carefully turned herself around to face Sherry. She let out a brief sigh of relief when her cloak slipped gracefully past and away from the fire. "Are you saying we could take their child?"

"Yes," Sherry confirmed.

"You know…" Caity briefly trailed off, her eyes wandering around the glinting chandeliers in the room, the rainbow sparkling in her eyes. "That could be considered poetic justice. Considering what they tried to do to Lynn, it seems that it might be only fair that their child be raised by Regina."

"No," Regina said, her fingers wrapping around the couch above where her daughter slept. She lowered her voice, trying not to shout, when she saw that Lynn was stirring a little bit in her sleep. She only spoke again when she was sure Lynn was still happily asleep. "I agree that the two of them will not be good parents."

"So then why not take action?" Sherry eyed her friend strangely. "You're not a perfect mother by any means, though, admittedly, no parent is, but you're a much better parent than either Snow or Charming will ever be. I'm sure of that much."

"True as that may be or not," Regina looked down at Lynn, and gently brushed a hand over her daughter's cheek to pull some of her hair away from her face."I will never take another person's child from them. That's something no one should have to go through, whether or not they're a good parent. If that child is not in harm's way, which I sincerely doubt they will be in Snow and her prince's care, then they shouldn't be taken away from their parents."

"That's reasonable," Red agreed. "Like I said, I don't think there's anything to worry about regarding the way Snow and Charming care and/or will care for their child."

"Yes," Regina paused, her hand briefly slipping into her pocket and pulling out a small scroll. "Though I do still think there's a way to ensure that they'll be miserable. I vowed to destroy their happiness, and I fully meant it. But I won't be doing that by taking their child away from them."

Sherry leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the scroll in Regina's hands.

"What is that?"

"A curse," She replied, smirking a little. "One far more powerful than that sleeping curse I tried on her and used on Leah and Stefan's daughter."

"A…curse?" Red couldn't hide her disbelief. "I thought you can't…"

"Oh, don't worry, dear, it doesn't do much in this land," Regina quickly put in. "Actually, it doesn't even qualify as being one used in this land. A perfect loophole through the deal they made with that prick."

"Yeah," Sherry rolled her eyes. "Though I will say that it's always been a mistake for you and them to trust him under any circumstances."

Regina sent her a dark look. "Believe me," She said, anger towards the man becoming clearer in her voice. "I know that full well, now."

"Oh!" Caity shifted slightly, perching up a bit. "So that's the dark curse? Honestly, that's probably the perfect thing to do."

Red glanced to her worriedly. "How come?"

"Because it's cross dimensional," Caity explained, her already fast and high pitched voice growing quicker with every word she spoke. "Which means that it will take people from this land to another, and another that is in the perfect life of the caster!"

Regina looked between them, her daughter, and the curse. Then, she spoke:

"I promised myself and Lynn that we would finally settle the score against Snow White. And this is the way to do just that."

Replies To Reviews:

jasouatfan: in every sense of the word, Rumple is a puppet master. what he doesn't account for is that people aren't puppets, and are not so easily predictable or controlled as he likes to think. also, yes, to be clear Regina will have [redacted] in Storybrooke.

barrattajennifer: i'm glad you liked the double chapter upload! it feels good to be back on a normal chapter type, but those two simply needed to be split up. and, yeah, Snow and Regina both struggle with what happiness is for themselves, which tends to make them more likely to act in ways that are not as well thought out as they tell themselves.

Sammii16: of course! i'm super excited for what's to come, especially in the next few chapters, but, don't worry, next chapter will have a brief levity amidst all of these intense chapters!