CHAPTER 13
"No…"
"Yep."
"No… No, no, no…"
"Swan, it's alright, just stay calm."
"No, it's not alright!" Emma exclaimed, staring around at the forest surrounding her, her eyes full of panic. "M-Maybe… Maybe you're wrong, you know? M-Maybe we're on the… Forest Moon of Endor!"
"No, we're not, that was just a joke." Shae said with heavy sigh. "Besides, the trees on the moon of Endor were redwoods, not oaks. They filmed that scene in California, actually, and it's a really interesting story how George Lucas picked it-"
"That does sound fascinating, mate…" Hook began slowly, stopping Shae from spouting off more Star Wars trivia. "But I think we need to focus on the matter at hand."
"Right, you mean the fact that we're trapped in the damn past." Emma spat, breathing out a sour laugh and slowly shaking her head. "Dammit, I knew I should have left Storybrooke the minute we defeated Zelena. This is exactly the kind of thing that doesn't happen in New York!"
"Woah, wait a minute." Shae said, her brow furrowing in confusion. "You were gonna go back to New York?"
"Aye, that she was." Answered Hook, eyeing Emma bitterly. "She was going to take her boy and leave the rest of her family behind, and find you."
"Seriously?" Shae asked, raising an eyebrow at Emma. When she nodded, Shae heaved another heavy sigh, slowly rubbing her forehead. "Oh, Emma…"
"Look, it's like that alright?" Emma replied in an exasperated tone. "I know things with you and Regina and… And Robin Hood are complicated. But when you left, I thought that maybe… Me and Henry would go find you and Remus, and we could all give New York another try."
Shae chuckled, shaking her head bemusedly. "Yeah, well, I didn't exactly stay very long, did I?"
"Yeah, why exactly did you come back?" Emma asked. When Shae didn't respond right away, and only stared silently down at the ground, Emma's eyes shone with understanding. "You were going back for Regina, weren't you? You were gonna try and get her back."
"Yeah, well, that obviously went super well." Shae replied sarcastically, gesturing around at the forest. "You know, I'm starting to think that there's something out there that doesn't want us together. I dunno… Maybe I should just give it up already."
"Shae, you can't just give up." Emma said sadly. "You have to-"
"Listen, as fascinating as the vampire's complicated love life is, I must insist, again, that we focus on our current predicament." Hook cut in hastily. "Now, we've deduced where we are. But I think the better question is… When?"
"Well, judging by that…" Shae began, pointing at the wanted poster plastered with Snow White's face, which was nailed to a nearby tree. "We're somewhere around after Snow became a bandit, but before Regina cast her curse."
"Well, that's not exactly helpful, is it?" Hook muttered, breathing out a frustrated sigh. "That's an awful bloody large stretch of time."
"Wait a minute." Emma breathed, her eyes growing wide with a sudden realization. "I think I know exactly when we are."
Emma rushed over to Hook, and started fumbling around inside the black leather satchel slung over his shoulder. She pulled out Henry's storybook that was tucked inside, and began hastily flipping through the pages.
"When I fell through the portal, I was thinking about Henry and the story we were reading at Granny's." Emma explained as she scanned through the book. "The story about how Snow White and Prince Charming first met."
"So you think that time portals work like any other sort?" Hook asked her. "They take you back to where you're thinking of?"
"Makes sense, I guess." Shae said with a shrug.
"Now all we have to do is find a way back." Emma said with a determined nod, snapping the book shut.
Shae barked out an amused laugh, and Emma and Hook both eyed her curiously. "Oh, come on, Emma!" She exclaimed, throwing up her arms in despair. "Travelling to the past is hard enough as it is! And going back to the future? Well, it's not like we've got a DeLorean on our hands. I don't think there even is a way back."
"No! No way, there has to be!" Emma insisted heatedly. "Why the hell aren't you freaking out right now, anyway? You left New York for Regina. Don't you want to get back to her?"
"See, that's the thing, Regina's here." Shae replied with an excited grin, pointing down at the forest floor beneath her feet. "And the best part? It's the Regina that isn't fucking stupid ass Robin Hood. She's probably at her castle right now."
Emma opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again as a strange sound suddenly began to resonate around the forest. As the sound drew nearer, they all whirled around, and realized that the sound was that of hoofbeats, pounding down the cobblestone road a few yards ahead of them. They watched as a score of soldiers rode past on horseback, dressed head to toe in black armor. Following closely behind the soldiers was a horse drawn carriage, made of black metal, and very ornately but sinisterly decorated.
"Or, you know…" Shae began with a casual shrug. "She's um… There."
"No way!" Emma whispered, mouth gaping open in shock. "Oh, I've got to see this!"
Emma ran off in the direction of the black knights, and Shae exchanged a worried glance with Hook before she and the pirate hurried after her. They followed the sound of pounding hoofbeats until they reached a small, desolate village. They crouched behind a cluster of bushes, carefully peering out at the small group of peasants that were standing in a line, surrounded by the black knights. The townsfolk stood silently, some of them holding small children, attempting to calm them as they cried and whimpered. Men and women alike quaked and quivered where they stood, all of them eyeing the black carriage fearfully. Suddenly, the door to the carriage bust open, and The Evil Queen descended down before them.
"Well, well, well… What have we here?" The Queen sneered, grinning in a dark and evil way that gave even Shae chills.
"Holy shit…" Emma breathed, her hazel green eyes wide as saucers. "It is Regina."
"Not Regina, love." Hook muttered darkly. "The Evil Queen."
As Shae gazed out at The Evil Queen sauntering before the peasants, time seemed to slow to a crawl, and the unbeating heart inside her ribcage, that was now half Regina's, seemed to stop all over again. Though the Regina of the past had always preferred to dress in black, on this particular day she was garbed in a flowing red dress, one that had always been a favorite of Shae's. It was quite strikingly low cut, and accentuated her slender body in a way that made the vampire's undead heart flutter. Shae suddenly felt the powerful urge to run to her, to take her in her arms, and tell her how much she loved her. But she knew that, at that point in their history, her and Regina hadn't even so much as kissed yet, let alone declared their love for each other. She also knew that the woman she was gazing upon was not the same woman that she loved, not anymore. This version of Regina was the vengeful, merciless, terrifying Evil Queen.
"Pull yourself together, mate." Hook whispered urgently, shaking Shae out of her stupor by her shoulder. "You know as well as I do that where there's The Evil Queen, not far behind is-"
"Ah, Your Majesty! Nice of you to join our little party!"
Emma gasped audibly, clapping her hands over her mouth as The Queen's Protector stepped out from among the trees. Shae felt a strange sort of deja vu as she looked upon her past self. The Shae of the past was dressed in black leather armor, sporting her usual long, black overcoat, The Evil Queen's sigil sown in to the left side. This was the Shae that loved The Evil Queen, the Shae that was just as cruel and black hearted as she was.
"Holy shit…" Emma whispered again, turning her wide, baffled eyes onto the Shae that was crouched next to her. "That's… That's you!"
"Uh huh." Shae muttered anxiously, staring out at her past self as she sauntered past the black knights to join her Queen.
"And just where have you been?" Asked The Evil Queen, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at her Protector.
"Well, when your lovely subjects refused to talk…" Past Shae began in reply, sporting her own dark and devious grin. "I had to… Make an example of some of their friends."
Shae from the past flicked her hand out toward the trees, and Emma gasped again as three people fell from the treetops. The townsfolk all cried out in alarm, wailing and crying out in horror as the ropes tied around their friend's necks jerked their bodies to a stop just before they hit the ground. Emma clapped her hands over her mouth again as the poor peasants jerked and shook, emitting strangled cries and gurgles as the nooses choked the life from them. The Shae from the past, the evil Shae, laughed all the while, and so did her Queen.
"You're a monster!" A gray haired peasant woman cried, whom Emma shockingly recognized to be Granny.
All anyone saw was a black blur of motion, and the past Shae was suddenly holding Granny in the air by her throat. "You want to be next, do you?" Past Shae snarled at her.
"Now listen to me very carefully." The Evil Queen said in a slow, dangerous tone. "Whatever squalor and despair your pathetic little lives have been able to tolerate until this point, is nothing compared to the pain and misery my friend here can inflict if I leave here unhappy."
"Indeed, your friends were lucky to catch me in a good mood." Evil Shae growled in Granny's face as she clawed desperately at the vampire's hand. "I gave them a swift death. Anger me any further, and you might not be so fortunate."
Evil Shae released Granny, and the old woman fell to the ground, coughing and sputtering for air. The past Shae laughed mockingly again as several of the peasants rushed to her side, pulling her to her feet. Emma gasped once again as she saw Marco, aka Geppetto, step hesitantly forward, a young and entirely wooden Pinocchio clinging fearfully to his leg.
"Please, Your Majesty, we are a peaceful village." Geppetto pleaded with The Queen. "What is it you want from us?"
Gepetto flinched, and Pinocchio whimpered quietly as The Evil Queen turned to the old man, leaning in close, her lips curling into a fearsome snarl.
"Justice." She snarled at him. She then turned back to the terrified peasants, glaring sinisterly at all of them. "If I find out that anyone in this village has helped the bandit Snow White, they will suffer dearly. In fact, let's take a look at exactly what helping Snow White looks like."
The Evil Queen gestured to her Protector, who replied with a quick bow. The past Shae was lost from their line of sight momentarily, and when she returned, she was dragging a struggling woman forward by the arm. This woman appeared to be a prisoner, for her hands were bound together with rope, and a sack hood was tied over her head. When Evil Shae removed the hood, she glanced bewilderedly all around her, her eyes wide and wild with fear.
"Help me!" The prisoner shouted desperately at the townsfolk. "Please, she's going to kill me!"
"Who wants to be next?" Past Shae asked of the peasants, laughing evilly once again as they all averted their eyes.
"Swan, no!" Hook whispered urgently, grabbing on to Emma's arm as she made to go to the poor, desperate woman. "There's nothing we can do for her."
"We can't just let her die!" Emma cried in a loud whisper. "She's just an innocent woman, we need to-"
"Swan, listen, whatever her fate may be, we can't interfere." Hook hastily cut her off. "You heard what Belle said when she figured out what Zelena was up to. Even the smallest change to past events could mean catastrophic consequences for us all."
Emma bit her lip, gazing out at the helpless prisoner. "Fine." She replied, breathing out a relenting sigh. "Let's just find a way out of here."
"Yeah, the sooner the better." Shae muttered darkly.
For a moment, Emma and Hook had forgotten all about their Shae that was crouched on Emma's other side. They both jumped, startled when she finally spoke. Emma simply gaped at her, her wide, hazel green eyes full of furious accusation.
"What?" Shae asked, looking confused. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You… You just killed those people!" Emma breathed in horror. "For no reason!"
Shae swallowed hard, glancing back out through the bushes at the bodies of the people her past self had hung from the trees. She remembered them, the terror in their eyes as she tied the nooses around their necks, how they screamed and begged her to stop. One of them was a young boy, likely only a few years older than Henry was.
"Yeah, I know." Shae muttered miserably. "I was one evil sack of shit."
"You've got that right, mate." Hook agreed with a chuckle.
"Hey!" Shae said angrily, glaring at the pirate. "We were just starting to become friends! Don't ruin it by being a dick."
"But, you just said-"
"I know what I said!" Shae snapped at Hook. She then breathed out a heavy sigh, turning back to Emma. "Look, there's a difference between Regina and The Evil Queen, just like there's a difference between me and… That. That was… A long time ago. I'm not that person anymore, ok?"
"Yeah, I know." Emma replied slowly, still eyeing Shae warily. "I just… Hearing about it is one thing, you know? But seeing it is… Is just-"
"Look, let's just focus on getting back home, alright?" Shae interjected, angrily rising to her feet.
"And how exactly do you suggest we do that?" Hook asked as he and Emma stood as well.
"Well, I think we all know that there's only one person powerful enough to whip up another time portal." Shae replied, eyeing them both knowingly.
"Rumplestiltskin." Emma said in answer.
"Aye, as much as I hate to admit it, I believe you're right." Hook begrudgingly agreed. "The damned Crocodile is our best option."
"Right, let's go." Emma said with a determined nod.
"Wait, there's something we need to do first." Hook said with a shake of his head. "You two need to find more suitable clothing. Unfortunately, leather jackets won't come into fashion here… Well… Ever."
Emma and Shae both opened their mouths to protest, but then glanced at each other, and sighed, nodding in agreement. With Hook's assistance, they quickly and quietly managed to steal some clothes that one of the local townsfolk had left hanging out on a line. Hook waited patiently as the two women both changed clothes, and grinned when he saw Emma now wearing a patched maroon and white skirt, along with a brown cloak and leather corset. Shae, who was adamantly against ever wearing a dress, chose a man's dirty brown breaches, a white cotton shirt, a brown leather vest, and a tattered gray travelling cloak. She pulled up the hood of her cloak, and took the maroon scarf that Emma had found. She wrapped it around the lower half of her face, concealing everything but her blood red eyes.
"Right, cuz that's not suspicious at all." Emma muttered, her tone heavy with sarcasm.
"Well, it's better than the alternative." Shae replied, with a shrug. "You saw what I did back there. Everyone around here knows my face, and since it hasn't exactly changed over the years, it's probably best to hide it."
"Well, you're certainly not wrong." Hook said, chuckling darkly. "Come. The Dark One's castle is this way."
Hook led the way back through the forest and onto the wide, cobblestone road. Shae trailed along silently behind Emma and Hook as they followed the road, her heart aching with guilt after watching the atrocity that her past self had just committed. She had forgotten about that particular moment in her and The Evil Queen's gruesome history, and was particularly distressed that Emma and Hook had to watch it happen. The look in Emma's eyes when she had seen exactly what Shae used to be had broken the vampire's heart. Emma was the one person that hadn't ever seen the dark and evil monster that she once was. All that was ruined now.
"So, uh… How exactly did you guys defeat Zelena?" Shae asked of Emma and Hook, breaking her sullen silence. "I'm guessing it was more complicated than dumping a bucket of water on her."
Emma and Hook exchanged a nervous glance for a moment, which caused Shae's brow to furrow in concern. "Well, uh… Her only weakness was light magic." Emma slowly replied. "That's why David and Mary Margaret cast the curse. To find me."
"Oh… Alright…" Shae muttered. "Wait… But I thought you said that you lost your powers."
Emma bit her lip, glancing anxiously at Hook once again. "Uh… Yeah, I did." She replied hesitantly. "It wasn't actually me that took down Zelena. It was Regina."
"Woah, what?" Shae exclaimed, grabbing Emma's arm as she stopped in her tracks. "Regina used light magic? That's… That's not possible! Her whole power base is dark magic, how could she even-"
Shae stopped mid sentence when she saw the look on Emma and Hook's faces. She then breathed out a bitter, sour laugh, shaking her head slowly.
"It was Robin Hood, right?" She asked, laughing bitterly once again. "Their true love helped her find the light in herself, or some shit."
When Emma and Hook remained silent, Shae shook her head slowly once again. "That's just fucking great." She growled.
"Shae, listen, I know this is all really hard, but-" Emma began gently.
"Woah, woah, woah… Hold up." Shae suddenly said, listening hard as her extra sensitive hearing picked up a familiar sound. "Horses. There's more horses coming."
"It could be The Queen again." Hook muttered, looking fearful. "Come on!"
They quickly vacated the road, ducking down amongst some more bushes just in time to see another horse drawn carriage stopping in the middle of the road before them, a fallen tree blocking it's path. This carriage obviously did not belong to The Evil Queen, as it was painted white, and the soldiers mounted on the horses wore white chainmail armor. Shae recognized the symbol emblazoned on their armor to be the sigil of King George.
"Worry not! It's but a fallen tree." Called out a very familiar voice.
The vampire, the pirate, and The Savior all watched in astonishment as Emma's father, Prince Charming, stepped out from behind the carriage. "No way…" Emma breathed, smiling in wonder as she watched The Prince marching up to the fallen tree with his men. "Is… Is that-"
"Your father." Hook finished for her, smiling a warm smile.
Emma breathed out a shocked laugh, watching with a smile of her own as Prince Charming and his knights began to push the tree from the road. She suddenly gasped, glancing behind her and up at the tree tops. Shae and Hook curiously followed suit, and their eyes grew wide when they saw, hiding up in one of the trees, Emma's mother, the bandit Snow White. Emma shifted her body slightly to better watch Snow, freezing in her spot when a twig snapped loudly from underneath her foot.
Snow White, who had been carefully watching her prey, Prince James's carriage, suddenly snapped her head to the side at the loud noise. She was visibly startled to find three strangers staring up at her from the brush. So startled, in fact, that she lost her balance, and tumbled from the branch that she had been precariously crouched upon.
"That's gotta hurt…" Shae muttered, cringing as Snow hit the ground hard.
Snow White immediately leapt back to her feet, and turned her eyes back onto The Prince and his men. They had successfully removed the tree from the road, and Charming himself had gotten back into his carriage. Snow stood rooted in her spot for a moment, anxiously glancing between the royal carriage, which was now slowly pulling away, and back to Emma, Shae, and Hook. They then heard her emit a low grumble, and she turned away from them, sprinting off into the woods.
Once The Prince and his royal guard were safely out of sight, the three crouched in the bushes vacated their hiding spot, stepping back out onto the road. Shae made to continue on down the road, stopping when she saw the sudden panicked look on Emma's face.
"Emma? What's wrong?" Shae asked, her eyes full of concern.
"You know that thing about little changes having big consequences?" Emma asked of her and Hook, and when they both nodded, she winced slightly. "What about… Big changes?"
Hook exchanged a worried glance with Shae, then raised an eyebrow at Emma. "Why? What did we do?"
"That bandit in the tree, that was Snow White." Emma explained. When neither Shae or Hook seemed at all shocked or concerned, she went on. "That was… The moment my parents first met."
Hook's jaw dropped open in shock, and so did Shae's, from behind the scarf tied around her face. The vampire and the pirate both stared at each other, their eyes filled with horror.
"And because of us, now they didn't." Hook muttered.
"Oh shit…" Shae breathed, turning her wide, blood red eyes onto Emma. "Holy shit… Oh, god dammit! Out of all the things we could have changed, that was probably number one on the 'No, No' list!"
"Yeah, I know that, Shae!" Emma exclaimed, throwing her arms up in despair. "I obviously didn't mean to! I-I just… What… What do we do now?"
"We need to get to The Crocodile, fast." Hook said in a rush, then turned to Shae. "Can't you just… Poof us over to The Dark One's castle?"
Shae shook her head, and opened her mouth to respond. She then shut it again, and her eyes grew wide with a sudden realization. "Oh! Uh… Yeah, actually. I can."
"What?" Emma exclaimed, looking angry. "Why the hell didn't you say something before?"
"I'm sorry, alright? I got so used to my powers being weak and, you know, not really using them." Shae replied defensively. "But now that we're back in The Enchanted Forest, I'm back to full power again. So, yeah, let's do this."
Shae placed her hands on both Emma and Hook's shoulders, nodding determinedly. "Lets just hope old Rumple can fix this hot damn mess we've made."
XX
Upon arriving at The Dark One's castle, they were met with a thoroughly furious and less than helpful Rumplestiltskin. The moment he saw Captain Hook, his old nemesis, he immediately attempted to kill him. To both Shae and Hook's immense surprise, Emma was able to convince him not to. Emma told Rumplestiltskin all about his son, and how he was planning on enacting a dark curse to find him again. She was careful to leave out the part about Neal's death, however. Once she was certain that Hook was safe from The Dark One, she told him all about how they were from the future, and how they had made a grave and accidental change.
Shae had remained silent throughout the entire exchange, not even daring to speak. She and The Dark One had not yet crossed paths, and she knew one misspoken word could only add to the already complicated mess that they were all in. She stood quietly by the nearby window as Emma explained to Rumplestiltskin who her parents were, and how Snow White was supposed to steal Prince Charming's wedding ring. The Dark One was having a hard time believing her tale, so Emma decided to show him Henry's storybook. When she opened the book to her parent's story, she was horrified to find that the pages were all suddenly blank.
"What the hell?" She muttered, staring wide eyed down at the book sitting on the table in front of them.
"It's all gone." Hook breathed as he hastily flipped through the pages. "Everything that was supposed to happen after they met has disappeared.
"WHAT?"
Shae had finally, and loudly, broken her silence. She rushed over to the table, roughly shoving Emma and Hook out of her way. They all watched curiously as she too flipped through the pages of the storybook, finding her own story within. They were all shocked to find that part of her story was missing too.
"Oh no… No, no, no…" She muttered, her blood red eyes wide with horror. "Dammit, Snow and Charming are supposed to save me from Van Helsing on the Troll Bridge!"
"And now they won't. They can't." Emma whispered, her own eyes filled with horror as well.
"Oh god… I'm gonna die!" Shae exclaimed, now starting to panic. "Or… Or am I already dead? I don't know… Time travel is confusing!"
"Ah, I see, so that's who you are." Said Rumplestiltskin with an impish giggle.
Emma, Shae, and Hook all glanced down at the book, which was now sitting in front of The Dark One, who had turned to the title page of Shae's story.
"I thought as much." Rumpelstiltskin went on when Shae didn't respond. "You may be hiding your face, Shaeogora, but those blood red eyes of yours are a dead giveaway."
Shae exchanged a nervous glance with Emma and Hook, and then sighed, drawing down her hood and removing the scarf tied around her face. "Please don't call me that." She said with a grimace. "It's just Shae."
"Oh, but 'Shaeogora' is such a strong name." Rumplestiltskin replied, still grinning. "Sounds a bit like… Royalty. Don't you think?"
"What?" Shae asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? How do you even know me? We haven't met yet."
"Never you mind." Rumplestiltskin replied, waving his hand dismissively at her. "What I am curious to know, is why your Queen hasn't ordered you to kill The Savior here."
The Dark One gestured to Emma, who gave Shae a nervous shrug. "Um… Well, uh…" Shae stammered. "Let's just say that the future is… Complicated."
"Even more so now that we've managed to erase most of it." Hook muttered darkly.
"We need to get Snow to steal that ring." Emma said quietly. "We need to put their story back on track."
"Well, it appears your in luck." Said Rumplestiltskin with another giggle. "There is a ball tonight at King Midas's castle. Your Prince Charming will be there, and so will his ring."
"That's great and everything, but how the hell are we supposed to get Snow there?" Asked Shae. "We don't even know where she is."
"Allow me." Rumplestiltskin replied, rising from his chair.
Shae, Emma, and Hook all followed The Dark One as he walked over to a table sitting against the wall. The table was filled with various strange and magical items, one of which was a crystal ball. Rumplestiltskin waved his hand over it, and the crystal ball momentarily filled with a cloud of purple smoke. When the smoke cleared, it showed them what looked like the inside of a tavern. Snow White was seated at a table across from a man with a bushy black beard.
"She's with Blackbeard." Hook muttered. "She's trying to secure passage on his ship."
"And failing, it appears." Rumplestiltskin observed as Blackbeard got up from the table, walking away from Snow White.
"She can't escape Regina without the money she's supposed to get for the ring." Emma said quietly, then turned to Rumplestiltskin. "Please, can you help us?"
"Help you?" Rumplestiltskin asked incredulously. "Well, I can certainly work on getting your portal to the future open once again. But getting your parents back together? You made that mess, dearie, only you know what you did. Now, go undo it."
With that, The Dark One swept from the room, leaving Emma, Shae, and Hook alone in his front hall. "Well, he's not wrong." Shae muttered with a shrug.
"If Snow White is looking for passage out of The Enchanted Forest, I believe I know a ship's captain that can help us." Hook said, suddenly smiling excitedly.
Emma exchanged a quick, puzzled glance with Shae. "Who?"
Hook grinned at them both in a knowing, devious way. "Me."
XX
The vampire, the pirate, and The Savior all left The Dark One's castle, and traveled to the harborside tavern that they had seen within the crystal ball. They sat huddled together at a table in the very back, carefully watching Captain Hook's past self as he and his crew drank and played a game of dice. Shae stared glumly down into her still full flagon of ale. She had once again drawn up her hood and hidden her face with her scarf, and didn't even dare to remove it, even for a second, to take a drink. Suddenly, a young barmaid, who smelled strongly of ale herself, approached their table, grinning down at Shae in a sultry way.
"Well, hello there." She said, biting her lip as she looked Shae slowly up and down. "I have to say, I like a man with a bit of mystery."
Hook stifled a laugh, and Emma's eyes grew wide as the barmaid slid into Shae's lap, wrapping her arms around her neck. Shae sat rigidly still for a moment, silently gaping at both Emma and Hook.
"What do you say we go upstairs, and you let me have a look at what's… Underneath." The barmaid whispered, tracing her finger across Shae's lips from over the scarf.
The young woman gasped in alarm as Shae reached out and roughly grabbed her wrist, yanking her hand away. She opened her mouth to protest, but shut it again as Shae's eyes began to glow a bright, neon red.
"Go back to the bar, forget you ever saw me." Shae whispered in a low, commanding tone.
The barmaid stared into the vampire's glowing red eyes for a moment. Emma and Hook both watched in wonder as her eyes momentarily glowed red as well. She then got up from Shae's lap, and walked back to the bar, just as Shae had instructed. Emma exchanged a silent, baffled glance with Hook, then turned her wide eyes back onto Shae.
"Woah… I've never seen you use that power before." Emma breathed in shock.
"Yeah, well, messing with people's heads isn't something I like to do very often." Shae muttered, her now blood red eyes suddenly very sad.
"You've… Never used that on me, have you?" Emma asked, a bit fearfully.
Shae chuckled, slowly shaking her head. "No, it wouldn't work on you. It's kinda like Jedi Mind Tricks. It only works on the weak minded."
"Sorry, Jedi Mind… What?" Asked Hook, looking confused.
Shae was about to respond, but stopped when the past Captain Hook's table erupted with sudden and raucous applause. Past Hook and his crew all knocked their flagons of ale together, toasting loudly to the Jolly Roger.
"What exactly are you guys celebrating?" Emma asked of Future Hook, chuckling lightly.
"If memory serves, my crew and I have just returned from a very successful voyage to a kingdom called Arendelle." Hook replied.
"Arendelle?" Shae asked, suddenly staring at Hook, her blood red eyes wide. "Y-You've… You've been to Arendelle?"
"Well, not quite the kingdom itself, but the seas surrounding it, aye." Hook said, eyeing Shae curiously. "Why? Have you been there yourself?"
Shae's eyes somehow grew even wider, and she silently stared between Emma and Hook for a moment. "Uhh… Nope." She replied, quickly shaking her head. She then loudly cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "So, uh… What exactly is the plan here, you guys?"
Hook raised an eyebrow at Emma, who simply shrugged. "Er… Right, all you have to do is make sure he stays occupied." Hook replied, jerking his thumb back toward his past self. "I'll take care of the rest. Just make sure he doesn't return to my ship."
"Don't worry, I've got this." Emma said with a nod.
Shae and Hook both watched with wide, baffled eyes as Emma began to undo the top laces of her corset. "W-What? Wait! W-What are you doing?" Hook stammered.
"Making sure he stays occupied." Emma replied with an innocent shrug. "Shouldn't be too difficult. We all know that I'm his type."
Emma gave them both a wink, and got up from her chair. Hook remained at the table with Shae for a moment, and they both watched as Emma sauntered up to the past Hook, leaning over the table toward him. Slowly, a wide, devious grin spread across the past pirate's face.
"Bloody hell, Swan…" Hook muttered irritably, then turned back to Shae. "Just make sure neither of them get themselves into trouble."
"Aye, aye, Cap'n." Shae replied, giving Hook a mocking salute.
Hook sighed heavily, giving Emma and his past self one last, anxious glance. He then got up from the table as well, and stomped out the door. Shae sighed too, staring longingly down at the flagon of ale sitting in front of her.
"Stuck in the past, on babysitting duty, and I can't even fucking drink." Shae muttered to herself. "Should have fucking stayed in New York."
Shae sat and watched Emma shamelessly flirting with the Captain Hook of the past. She watched as Emma fed him drink after drink, flagon after flagon. Shae was astonished that he was even still conscious. After a while, she began to lose focus, and her mind started to wander. She silently mulled over the opportunity that had suddenly fallen into her lap, an opportunity to fix everything. She had the opportunity to change her entire fate by removing one singular factor from the complicated equation that was her current life; Robin Hood.
If she were to travel to Sherwood Forest and kill the noble thief right that very moment, no one would ever even know. She was confident enough in her abilities that she could even make it look like an accident. Regina would never even meet her other true love, and Shae would be able to have the woman she loved all to herself. However, the moral implications of murdering the man Regina was now in love with weighed heavily upon her. She knew full well that if her past self, the one that she had seen only a short while ago, were presented with the same problem, she wouldn't think twice, wouldn't even hesitate. But things were much different now. Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma, Ruby, and even Regina herself, their love and friendship had realigned the vampire's moral compass in such a drastic way that even thinking about killing the man that had stolen her love away made her squirm with apprehension. She had changed so much, and she hated it.
Shae was roused from her silent musings when someone coughed loudly from beside her. She glanced up, and her heart dropped out of her chest when she saw that the table Emma and the past Captain Hook had been sitting at was now empty. She quickly turned around in her chair, just in time to see the past Captain stumbling out of the tavern door, with Emma beside him. Emma glanced over her shoulder just before the door swung shut behind her, giving Shae a quick, wide eyed glance.
"Oh, son of bitch." Shae grumbled to herself.
The vampire followed Emma and past Hook at a careful distance as they made their way down to the docks. As they neared The Jolly Roger, Shae spotted Snow White exiting the captain's cabin. She stopped, carefully turning her back as Snow swept past her, a strange determined smile spread across the bandit's face. Shae waited until Snow White was out of sight, and turned back to The Jolly Roger, groaning in frustration when she realized that Emma and the past Hook were now gone. She quickly disappeared in a whirl of blood red smoke, reappearing inside the captain's cabin of The Jolly Roger.
Shae was met with a very strange sight. The Captain Hook of the past was standing before the Captain Hook of the future, both Hook's staring wide eyed at each other. Emma was simply staring between both of them, her mouth gaping open in horror.
"W-What?" Past Hook breathed, his eyes wide as saucers. "What the bloody hell is this?"
"Uhhh…" Future Hook droned, glancing at Emma.
"Well, um… Uh…" Emma stammered.
"Oh, god dammit, you guys." Shae grumbled, rolling her eyes at them.
Shae stomped over to Past Hook, seizing him by the front of his coat. "Who the bloody hell are you?" Past Hook demanded. "What the hell is-"
The past Hook stopped mid sentence, staring into the vampire's eyes as they began to glow bright once again. "You're drunk, Captain." Shae told him. "Go sleep it off, and when you wake up, you won't remember any of this. 'Kay?"
Past Hook's eyes glowed the same bright red color as Shae's for a moment. Shae then released him, and he obediently marched over to the cot at the back of the cabin. He laid down upon it, and promptly fell right to sleep, snoring softly.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Shae exclaimed, rounding on both Emma and Hook. "You guys are the worst time travelling companions ever! It's a goddamn miracle our timeline hasn't blown up already!"
Emma and Hook exchanged a silent, sheepish glance. Shae sighed heavily, placing her hands on both their shoulders. "Come on, Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber. Let's get out of here."
Shae once again disappeared in a puff of blood red smoke, with Emma and Hook in tow. The three of them reappeared on a grassy, tree lined hilltop, a large, golden castle glimmering in the moonlight from the distant valley.
"Where the hell are we now?" Emma asked of Shae.
"That's King Midas's castle." Shae answered, pointing a finger down at the castle. "I'm assuming you convinced Snow to come steal Charming's ring, right?"
"Was there ever any doubt?" Hook asked with a grin.
"Yeah, a little." Shae grumbled, rolling her blood red eyes at him.
"So, what, we're just supposed to sit here and wait?" Emma asked, looking worried. "Sorry, but I don't exactly like leaving things to chance."
"You know, I feel exactly the same way."
"GAH!" Shae shouted, startled to find Rumplestiltskin suddenly standing right beside her. She quickly removed her hood and scarf, eyeing The Dark One furiously. "What the hell, man?"
"Not to worry, dearie, it's only little old me." Rumplestiltskin said, emitting an impish giggle. "I come bearing a gift, one that will ensure you entrance into King Midas's castle."
The Dark One held out his hand, and a rolled up scroll magically appeared in his open palm. He held it out to Hook, who took it, though a bit warily.
"What the bloody hell is this?" Hook asked.
"Why, an invitation to the ball, of course!" Rumplestiltskin exclaimed, giggling again. "While you ensure that dear Snow White procures the Prince's ring, I will be busy working on getting your portal to the future open."
"Wait… So you really can do it?" Shae asked, eyeing The Dark One skeptically.
"There is a certain wand that I, um… Came to possess." Rumplestiltskin replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Anyway, legend says, it can recreate any magic that's ever been wielded. With a bit of work, I can use it to recreate the portal that brought you here."
"Please, do it quickly." Emma said pleadingly. "We'll be in and out before you know it."
"Well, not like that, you won't." Rumplestiltskin said with another giggle.
The Dark One waved his hand in Emma and Hook's direction, and they were both suddenly swept up in a whirl of bright red smoke. When the smoke dissipated, Emma was dressed in a flowing red ball gown, her hair tied up in a braid. Hook was now garbed in a set of fine brown and tan breeches and doublet, with a long coat to match. His hook had been replaced with a wooden hand, covered with a brown leather glove.
"Woah…" Shae breathed, staring wide eyed at Emma.
"Hang on, I thought I'm not supposed to stick out!" Emma cried, staring down at her flashy ball gown. "What if someone remembers me in the future?"
"Yes, because what you were wearing before was such an intricate disguise." Rumplestiltskin quipped in reply, his tone heavy with sarcasm. "Honestly, it's a miracle the timeline hasn't imploded already."
"That's what I said!" Shae exclaimed in agreement, throwing her arms up in the air.
The Dark One emitted another high pitched, impish giggle, magically producing a small hand mirror. He held it out to Emma and Hook, and they, along with Shae, leaned in close, examining their own reflections. Two completely different people were gazing back at them from the mirror. Hook and Emma glanced at each other in wonder, and found that, in reality, their faces had remained unchanged.
"A glamour spell." Rumplestiltskin explained. "This is how you will appear to one and all."
"Cool." Shae said, grinning at Emma and Hook.
"Now then, run along and do everything you can to make sure Snow White gets the Prince's ring." Rumplestiltskin went on. "One the two of them are back on track, everything else will be as well."
"Hey, wait a minute!" Shae suddenly exclaimed. "What about me?"
The Dark One turned to Shae, frowning slightly at the vampire. "Yes, you… Well, sorry dearie, but a glamour spell simply won't work on you. One of the downfalls of being undead, it seems."
"Shae, why don't you just wait here?" Emma said gently, giving Shae a small smile. "We'll be back before you know it, I promise."
"Cool… Cool, cool… Right…" Shae muttered, rubbing her chin as she stared down at the ground. "You know what? You guys go to the ball, and I'm gonna go do my own thing, like, super quick. Then I'll, uh… Meet you at Rumple's castle."
Emma exchanged a curious glance with Hook. "Wait… Where are you going?"
"If I had to guess…" Hook began slowly, eyeing Shae with a sudden apprehension. "Sherwood Forest."
"Sherwood Forest?" Emma asked, looking confused. Her eyes then shone with realization, and her jaw dropped open in horror. "Oh my god… That's… That's where Robin Hood's from. You're… You're going to kill him, aren't you?"
Shae opened her mouth to respond, but Rumplestiltskin cut her off with another one of his devious giggles. "Robin Hood, eh?" He asked, grinning at Shae. "The one who steals from the rich and gives to the poor? Fancies himself a thief with honor. Bit of an oxymoron, don't you think?"
"He's some sort of moron, alright." Shae grumbled.
"And what exactly has our honorable thief done to you?" Asked Rumplestiltskin, raising an eyebrow at the vampire. "Stolen something from you, has he?"
"Yeah, you could say that." Shae muttered bitterly, folding her arms across her chest.
"Ah, I see. He's stolen your Queen from you, hasn't he?" Rumplestiltskin asked. When Shae's mouth dropped open in shock, he giggled once again. "Oh, don't look so surprised, dearie! I know a great many things, and I know that you and dear Regina are bound by true love."
Shae eyed The Dark One warily as he took a step closer to her, dropping his voice low. "But I also know that there is another tied to The Evil Queen's heart. A certain man, with a certain tattoo. Whoever could it be, I wonder?"
"Yeah, it's Robin Hood, alright?" Shae spat bitterly. She then breathed out a frustrated sigh, turning back to Emma and Hook's horror stricken faces. "Look, I'm not gonna kill him, alright? I'm just gonna do… Something to make sure he never gets to Regina. That's all."
"Oh, how horribly disappointing." Rumplestiltskin said with a frown. "But, just in case you change your mind!"
The Dark One waved his hand, giggling once again as a dagger appeared in Shae's clenched fist. Shae jumped, staring bewilderedly from the dagger in her hand, back to Rumplestiltskin.
"Why the bloody hell would you do that?" Hook exclaimed angrily.
Rumplestiltskin clapped his hands excitedly, giggling all the while. "Oh, let's just say that I'm an avid fan of a little chaos now and again. Toodle-oo!"
In the time it took Emma, Hook, and Shae to blink, Rumplestiltskin was gone. A sudden silence fell over the three time travellers gathered upon the hilltop. Emma and Hook watched Shae warily as she stared down at the dagger in her hand. After several long moments, she stowed the dagger in her belt, finally glancing back up at Emma and Hook.
"Well… See you guys later." She said with a shrug.
"Shae, wait!" Emma shouted, taking a step toward her.
Emma stopped in her tracks, groaning in frustration as the vampire disappeared in a puff of blood red smoke. She then turned to Hook, her hazel green eyes panic stricken.
"We have to do something." Emma said in a rush. "W-We… We have to stop her!"
"Swan, no." Hook replied gently, slowly shaking his head. "We have to make sure your mother is actually able to steal your father's ring. Whatever the bloody vampire does is beyond our control."
Emma shook her head vigorously, clenching her fists tight. "No! No, we can't… We can't just let her kill Robin Hood!"
"She said she wouldn't, remember?" Hook said in the same careful and gentle tone. "The Shae that we saw earlier might have run off and murdered the man who stole her Queen away without a second thought. But our Shae? She's… Different. She's changed."
When Emma continued to look skeptical, Hook sighed, taking her hand in his. "Look, Swan, she said she wouldn't kill Robin Hood." He went on quietly. "All we can do is take her at her word. I trust she won't, and you should too."
XX
Robin of Locksley had built up quite a reputation for himself within Sherwood Forest, so it didn't take Shae long to track down the infamous thief. Once arriving in Sherwood, she stopped in at a local tavern. The innkeep was a bit hesitant to give out information to a complete stranger, but by using her powers of persuasion once again, Shae was able gain Robin Hood's exact location from the man. Robin Hood and his Merry Men had set up camp just on the outskirts of a town called Nottingham. Shae spotted the glow of firelight as she approached the Merry Men's camp. She recognized Friar Tuck seated by the fire, along with several other men, all holding what looked like bowls of stew.
"Evening, gents." Shae said in greeting, dropping her voice low to sound more like a man's. "Might you have a place at your fire for a weary traveller?"
"Of course, my friend, of course!" Said Friar Tuck, beaming merrily at her. "Come, join us. I can offer you a bowl of rabbit stew, if you'd like."
"Oh, no thank you." Shae politely declined, taking a seat on a log next to the Friar. "I'm just looking to rest my legs and warm my bones, is all."
"Oi, what's with the mask then?" Asked the young man sitting across the fire from Shae.
"Come on, Will. Don't be rude." One of the other men chided the one named Will.
"I'm only curious!" Will cried defensively, then turned his attention back to Shae. "So, what is it, then? The Sheriff of Nottingham after your head as well?"
"Er… Yes, something like that." Shae replied hesitantly.
"That man's a right bloody menace, he is." Will grumbled in a dark tone. "Chasing after poor Robin, even after all that's happened."
"Oh, so you're The Merry Men?" Shae asked, keeping her own tone light and casual. "Fancy that! Where is your fearless leader? I'd be happy to meet the famous Robin Hood."
The men seated around the fire fell silent for a moment, staring glumly down into their bowls of stew. "Well, he's just lost his wife, you see." Friar Tuck answered. "Poor man's been distraught for days. Barely eats, barely sleeps."
"Barely even looks at his own son." Will threw in sadly. "He just can't-"
"Come on, Robin. You need to eat something."
The Merry Men all glanced up, and Shae turned around in her seat. Little John was approaching the fire, leading Robin Hood himself by the arm. Shae clenched her fists when she saw the man that had stolen Regina away from her. She silently seethed with rage as Little John carefully ushered Robin Hood over to the fire, where he took a seat next to Will.
"Robin, this here is-" Friar Tuck began to say, then frowned at Shae. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I never asked your name."
"It's uh… Han. Han Solo." Shae replied quickly, spouting off the first name that came to her mind.
"Ah, pleasure to meet you, Han." The Friar said with a warm smile. He then cleared his throat, and turned back to Robin Hood, who was silently staring into the fire. "Han here is a passing traveller."
"On the run from Nottingham, same as us." Will told him with a grin, gently nudging Robin's arm.
"Oh, I see." Robin said quietly, giving Shae a weak smile. "You're smart to hide your face, then. Much smarter than I, it seems."
Shae opened her mouth to respond, but shut it again, swallowing the hard, rage filled lump that had formed in her throat as the man she hated smiled at her. She gave him a simple nod, and Robin resumed staring into the fire. The immeasurable pain in his eyes almost made the vampire feel sorry for him, but her fury over what Robin Hood would one day take from her was too great for any sort of sympathy.
The Merry Men ate, drank, and conversated for a long while. Slowly, they began to filter away, returning to their tents as they night wore on. The campfire had shrunk down to mere embers when Friar Tuck turned in for the night, leaving Robin Hood alone with the strange traveller that had happened upon their camp. Shae was finally alone with the person she hated most in the world. She had been quietly wrestling with the confliction in her heart while she sat amongst The Merry Men. But, now that her enemy was mere feet away from her, alone, and defenseless, she knew what must be done. She had to make absolutely sure that there would be no way for Regina's other true love to ever cross her path, and there was only one way to do that.
"My apologies, friend." Robin suddenly said, staring sadly at Shae from across the fire. "I'm not the most pleasant of company at the moment, I'm afraid."
Shae cleared her throat, dropping her voice down to the same low tone she had used before. "It's alright. Your men told me that you've just lost your wife. I am… Very sorry to hear that."
Robin nodded slowly, giving Shae another weak smile. "Thank you. It was… A shock, to put things lightly. I am… Unsure what exactly to do with myself now." He said quietly. "It's as if… As if there's a hole within me now, an empty sort of void. And… And my boy, my son. He's only a baby, he'll… He'll never know his mother. Oh god…"
Robin Hood's face twisted with sorrow, and he leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. Shae watched as his body shook with bitter sobs, her own heart heavy with sorrow. She fiddled with the handle of the dagger tucked under her cloak, confliction rising within her once again. She tried to access her former self, the one that had killed three innocent people without a second thought, the one that she knew still resided deep inside her. She needed that Shae ensure her own future, the future of her relationship with the woman she loved. However, as she gazed upon the weeping, broken man before her, she was having a hard time finding that dark and evil side of herself.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Robin muttered as he straightened himself up, wiping the tears from his face. "I imagine it's not a pleasant sight, watching a grown man cry."
Shae sighed, removing her hand from the dagger and folding her hands in her lap. "It's alright. I um… Understand how painful it is."
"You've lost someone as well?" Asked Robin.
Shae nodded slowly, her blood red eyes filled with sorrow. "Yes… More than once, actually."
"I see…" Robin muttered sadly. "I am truly sorry. It is… It's not easy."
"No, it's not." Shae quietly replied.
They sat in silence for a while, staring into the glowing embers of the campfire. Robin suddenly glanced up, staring at Shae with miserable, blood shot eyes.
"Have you ever met a woman that… The very first time you saw her, you loved everything about her?" Robin asked of Shae, his voice barely above a whisper. "Because that… That was my Marian."
Robin paused, a sudden wistful smile on his face. "I loved every single thing about her." He went on, his eyes shining with tears. "The way she walked, the way she talked, the smell of her hair, her eyes. But it was her smile, most of all. It was the kind of smile that… That every time I saw it, it would make my heart race. Have you ever met a woman like that?"
Shae swallowed hard, fighting back her own tears as she thought about Regina. She thought about her smile, pictured it in her mind. It was the very smile that made her unbeating heart flutter.
"Yes, actually, I have." Shae answered quietly..
"Is this woman still a part of your life?" Robin asked.
Shae bit her lip, unsure of how to respond. "Um… Yes, in a way, I suppose."
Shae jumped slightly, startled as Robin suddenly leapt up from his seat. He stepped straight over the fire and sat down next to Shae. She eyed him warily as he tightly gripped her shoulders, his eyes wide with a wild sort of intensity.
"Then you must hold on to her." He whispered urgently, his voice quavering with emotion. "You must do everything in your power keep her by your side, to keep her safe. You must not lose her, I beg of you. The pain, it's… It's too great. I wouldn't wish it even upon my worst enemy."
Shae gazed into Robin Hood's bright blue eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks. She reached into her cloak once again, her hand shaking as she gripped the handle of the dagger tucked into her belt. She had no idea why The Dark One had given it to her, she didn't exactly need it. She could easily snap Robin's neck right that very moment, make it look like he had taken a bad fall. Or, she could tear him apart with her fangs, and his men would think a rabid animal had done their fearless leader in. She decided that those two options were much too quick, too simple. She wanted Robin of Locksley to suffer for what he had done.
"Don't worry. She's not going anywhere." Shae whispered to him.
Robin gasped, staring down in horror as Shae stabbed the dagger into his stomach. Shae quickly clamped her hand over his mouth, stifling his cry of pain. She shoved him backward onto the ground, pressing her palm down over his mouth as she climbed on top of him. She tore the dagger from his belly, her hand soaked with his blood, and plunged it straight into his heart.
Robin whimpered from around Shae's fingers, digging his fingers into her arm. His agonized screams were muffled as Shae twisted the dagger into his flesh, her blood red eyes wild with rage. She removed the dagger one last time, and shoved it through his adam's apple. The vampire finally removed her hand from his mouth, a dark and twisted grin spreading across her face as he emitted a wet, strangled gurgle, coughing up a wad of blood. She watched in positive delight as the blood spilled from his throat, the light of life fading from his eyes.
"There…" Shae whispered, leaning in close to Robin Hood's still, lifeless face. "Now you'll never take her from me."
XX
"I wouldn't wish it even upon my worst enemy."
Shae snapped out of her violent, rage filled daze. She blinked several times, staring into Robin Hood's bright blue eyes. She gripped the dagger tight, her clenched fist trembling. She then released it, and quickly vacated her seat, stepping away from the man that she had just been about to murder in cold blood.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Robin stammered, wiping more tears away from his face. "I… I didn't mean to burden you with all my woes."
"No, i-it's alright." Shae replied hastily, trying to stop her hands from shaking. "I just… I need to go. Thank you for… For your hospitality."
Robin Hood nodded slowly, and Shae turned to leave. After a few steps, she stopped, biting her lip as she turned back to the man she hated.
"Um… Listen, Robin." She began slowly. "I've got some friends, and they… They're always going on about how, when things get tough, we have to have hope. Sometimes… Sometimes hope is all we have, you know?"
Robin nodded, a small smile creeping across his face. Shae nodded back, turning to leave once again. She stopped when Robin spoke quietly.
"Thank you, for sharing your friend's wisdom." He said, smiling another grateful smile. "I… I think I needed to hear it."
"Um… Sure, y-you're welcome." Shae stammered in reply.
Shae set off into the forest, disappearing in a cloud of blood red smoke once she was out of sight of Robin Hood. She appeared again outside The Dark One's castle doors. She breathed out a heavy sigh, leaning her forehead against the tall wooden doors. She squeezed her eyes shut, silent tears running down her face. She then shook herself, quickly wiping away her tears. She pushed the castle doors open, and when she entered the main hall, she found Rumplestiltskin sitting at the head of the long, wooden table, the crystal ball he had used earlier sitting in front of him.
"I have to say, dearie, you only continue to disappoint." He said, giggling in the high pitched, devious way that he often did.
When Shae got close enough to peer into the crystal ball, she saw Robin Hood, sitting alone at the campfire where she had left him. She breathed out another heavy sigh, slowing rubbing her forehead.
"I think I rather prefer the you from this time." Rumplestiltskin said with another giggle. "I've rather enjoyed watching you and your Queen rampaging across her little kingdom."
"Yeah, well, that's not who I am anymore." Shae replied quietly.
"Are you sure about that?" Rumplestiltskin asked, grinning up at her in a knowing way. "Tell me, dearie, how did it feel when you pictured yourself murdering the famous Robin Hood? How did it feel when you imagined plunging that dagger I gave you into his loathsome heart?"
Shae didn't respond right away. She stared down at the crystal ball, at the man she hated most sitting by the fire with his head in his hands. She thought back to her brief moment of hallucination, remembered what it felt like to watch the light leaving Robin Hood's eyes. Her heart had soared with a kind of morbid gleefulness that she hadn't felt in a long, long time.
"I loved it." She finally replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I loved every goddamn second of it."
"Of course you did!" Rumplestiltskin cried, as if the fact should have been obvious. "I've seen your kind before, and you're all prone violence, destruction, and death. Did you really think that a creature such as yourself could become some sort of hero?"
"Well, yeah, I-I mean, I did… I-I was, I-" Shae stopped her stammering, and groaned in frustration. "Just… I don't want to talk about that now. Just go get Emma and Hook so we can all get the hell out of here."
Rumplestiltskin glanced around his large, empty hall for a moment, then raised an eyebrow at Shae. "Sorry, dearie, but your time travelling companions aren't here."
"What?" Shae exclaimed, groaning once again. "Oh, god dammit… They should have been back by now. Where the hell are they?"
"Let's find out, shall we?"
The Dark One waved his hand over the crystal ball, and Shae leaned in close, watching as the image of Robin Hood disappeared, replaced by whirling purple smoke. When the smoke cleared, she saw Emma dressed in her red ball gown, in the crowded ballroom of King Midas's golden palace. When she saw who was with her, heart heart dropped straight out of her chest.
"Oh shit…" She whispered.
Her own past self was standing behind Emma, placing iron shackles on her wrists. Behind her were at least a dozen of The Evil Queen's black knights. Standing before her, was The Evil Queen herself, grinning wickedly at a panic stricken Emma.
"Regina, listen, you don't-" Emma began to say, her voice emanating from out of the crystal ball.
"Oi, show some damn respect, whore." Shae's past self snarled at her, tugging roughly at the shackles on Emma's wrists. "It's 'Your Majesty.'"
"You're not going anywhere." The Evil Queen sneered. "Snow White may have left the party early, but I suspect that your night has just begun. Take her away."
"With pleasure, Your Majesty." Past Shae replied, shoving Emma forward.
Rumplestiltskin giggled from beside Shae, clapping his hands excitedly. "Now that is the Shae that I like best!"
"Oh, god dammit… God DAMMIT!" Shae shouted, slamming her fist into the table. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"
"I don't know, dearie, but you best do it quick." Rumplestiltskin replied, giggling once again. "Otherwise you might just be stuck here for much longer than you planned."
XX
Captain Hook was seated by the campfire next to Prince Charming, staring out anxiously at The Evil Queen's castle in the distance. After Emma was captured by The Queen, Hook quickly tracked down The Prince and Snow White. He managed to convince the bandit to break in to the castle that had once been her own, and free Emma, who now had The Prince's ring. After travelling to The Evil Queen's castle, Snow had instructed Hook and Charming to wait at their camp till nightfall, and she would return with some help to sneak into the castle. Night had long since fallen, and Hook was starting to grow concerned.
"Psst… Psst!"
Hook furrowed his brow, gazing all around him for the source of the curious sound. He spotted a familiar hooded and masked face peering at him from around one of the trees. Charming had spotted it too, and he leapt to his feet in alarm, drawing his sword.
"Woah, hold on there, mate!" Hook exclaimed, carefully putting out his hand. "It's alright. She's a um… A friend."
"She?" Charming asked, raising an eyebrow at the pirate.
Hook ignored the Prince and hurried over to Shae. "It's about bloody time you showed up." Me muttered irritably, dropping his voice low.
"What the hell are you guys even doing out here?" Shae asked, glancing over at Charming curiously. "Why are you with Charming?"
Hook glanced over his shoulder at The Prince as well, who had stowed away his sword, but was still eyeing the masked stranger warily.
"Bit of a long story, mate." Hook replied, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm afraid we've run into a bit of a snag. Swan has been-"
"Captured by Regina and… Me." Shae finished for him. "Yeah, I know. Why exactly are you guys just sitting out here?"
"Well, we were planning a rescue, but Snow White told us to wait here, and she'd return with reinforcements."
"Say what now?"
Hook sighed heavily, rubbing his aching forehead. He quickly explained to Shae everything that had happened since the vampire had left them. Shae listened quietly, her blood red eyes growing wider and wider as Hook went on.
"So… Snow had the ring, then lost it, and now Emma has it, but she's-" Shae began to summarize.
"In The Queen's dungeon, most likely, aye." Hook said, nodding in affirmation.
Shae groaned in frustration, placing her hands over her face. "Jesus Christ, you guys." She grumbled irritably. "Alright, I'm going in. Gotta do everything my damn self…"
"Wait a minute, mate!" Hook exclaimed, grabbing Shae's arm as she made to stomp off toward the castle. "You can't just go barging in to The Evil Queen's castle!"
"Uh, yeah, actually, I can." Shae said in retort. "I'm Regina's Royal Protector, remember? I'm probably the only one out of all of us that can get inside without being killed on sight."
"But your past self is in there as well."
"That's a risk I'll have to take."
"Wait, wait!" Hook said, grabbing the vampire's arm once again. "If you're going to pose as… Well, you, then you'll need your accent back. You know, the one you spoke with back in… In this time."
"Oh, yeah, good point." Shae muttered. She nodded, clearing her throat. "Oi, I fink I use to talk like dis, innit?"
"What? No!" Cried Hook.
"No, no… That's Cockney." Shae mumbled, shaking her head. She then cleared her throat loudly once again. "G'day, mate, let's throw some shrimp on the barbie. Crikey!"
Hook shook his head, and Shae sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Nope. Australian. Just… Nevermind, I'll figure it out."
Shae then turned away from the pirate, stomping off toward The Evil Queen's castle. A persistent anxiousness began to bubble in her stomach as she stared up at the tall, pointed spires of Regina's castle, the very castle that she had spent years in, standing by Regina's side as she wreaked havoc upon her kingdom, all to get revenge upon Snow White. She removed her hood and scarf as she approached the cobblestone walkway that lead up to the castle doors. She nodded curtly at the soldiers posted by the doors, who sprang into a salute when they saw her.
"Oh, I miss that." Shae muttered to herself with a wistful sigh.
She pushed open the grand doors of The Evil Queen's palace, and stepped into the throne room, breathing out a relieved sigh when she found it empty. She took a moment to admire her surroundings, smiling as fond memories of her and Regina's time together washed over her. She quickly shook herself, and marched off in the direction of the dungeons, where she hoped she would find Emma.
It was quite late in the night, and Shae was grateful that the halls of The Queen's castle were mostly empty. She passed a few guards, but, just as the ones outside the castle had, they immediately snapped into salutes when they spotted her. She turned down a long hallway, the door to the dungeons standing at the very end. She breathed out another sigh of relief. She had made it, without any kind of complications. Shae, Emma, and Hook had run into nothing but problems since accidentally falling through Zelena's portal. Maybe their luck was finally starting to turn around.
"Ah! There you are! I've been looking for you."
Shae froze mid step, her eyes growing wide with horror. She turned slowly around, her heart sinking deep into the pit of her stomach. The Evil Queen was sauntering down the hallway toward her, a dark and devilish grin stretching across her face. She stopped when she spotted her Protector, and her grin fell into a confused frown.
"What is this? Why are you dressed like a dirty peasant?" The Queen demanded, a bit irritably, gesturing toward Shae's outfit.
Shae opened and closed her mouth several times, too shocked and disturbed to even speak. The Regina of the past eyed her curiously, waiting for her to respond. Shae knew that The Evil Queen wasn't the patient type, so she would have to come up with something, and fast.
"Um… Well, uh… My… My armor, I-I got blood all over it." Shae quickly stammered, trying to remain calm. "And uh… You know, it's dirty so uh… I-I'm having it cleaned. A-And stuff."
The Evil Queen's brow furrowed in confusion. "What's the matter with you? Why are you speaking so strangely?"
"Ah, there you are, Your Majesty!"
The Evil Queen spun around, and Shae's jaw dropped open in utter horror. Walking down the hallway toward them, was her past self, grinning from ear to ear.
"I've just heard the good news! Snow White is finally-"
The past Shae stopped dead in her tracks, staring wide eyed at her future self standing behind her Queen. The Evil Queen stared between the two Shaes, her mouth gaping open in complete and total confusion.
"Oh no…" Shae whispered. "Ohhh… Shit…"
"What the bloody hell is this?" Past Shae demanded furiously.
"You're not Shae!" The Evil Queen snarled, narrowing her eyes at the future Shae. "Who the hell are you?"
"Uhhh…" Shae droned, her eyes wide with fear. "LOOK OUT!"
As The Evil Queen and her past self both whirled around in alarm, following her pointed finger, Shae disappeared in a puff of blood red smoke. She reappeared in one of the upper halls of The Evil Queen's castle. She breathed out a sigh of relief, doubling over with her hands on her knees.
"Phew… That was a close one." She muttered to herself.
Suddenly, she heard a strange whooshing sound from behind her. She spun around, and only had time to gasp in fright as her past self seized her by the front of her shirt. Shae cried out in pain as Evil Shae slammed her against the wall, pressing her forearm against her throat.
"Who the hell are you?" Past Shae snarled, glaring into her future self's blood red eyes. "How is it that you wear my face?"
Shae replied by headbutting her past self right in the nose. Past Shae stumbled backward, howling in pain as he held her aching nose. Shae threw out her arm, using her magic to send Past Shae hurtling backward down the long hallway. Future Shae whirled around, taking off at a full sprint away from her past self.
"SHIT!" Shae shouted as a fireball came hurtling toward her head.
She threw herself to the ground, rolling and tumbling across the marble floor. When she came to a stop, she gasped in alarm as The Evil Queen stood over her. The Queen summoned another fireball into her hand, but Shae quickly disappeared in another whirl of red smoke. She hadn't had time to mentally choose a destination, and was startled to find that she had appeared inside the castle kitchens. She sat forward, and was even more startled to find that she was sitting upon a wooden table.
Two servant women were seated at the table, seemingly in the middle of a late night snack. They stared at Shae with wide, baffled eyes, and a dinner roll fell from one of the servant's gaping mouths, back onto her plate.
"Um… Hi there!" Shae said, giving the women a nervous smile. "Sorry, I was just- SHIT!"
Shae barrel rolled off of the table as she spotted a rush of blood red smoke from the corner of the room. The two servants shrieked in fright, fleeing from the kitchen as the past Shae drew her sword. Future Shae leapt to her feet, searching all around her for something that she could use as a weapon. Only one item fit that description; A frying pan.
"Come at me, bitch!" Shae snarled, brandishing the frying pan at her past self.
Past Shae let out a roar of rage, swinging her sword through the air. Future Shae managed to block the blow with her frying pan, leaping back out of the way of another. The two Shae's exchanged blows for a few moments, the frying pan successfully keeping Future Shae safe from Past Shae's sword. Suddenly, the round part of the pan snapped off from the force of Past Shae's blow, and Future Shae was left standing with nothing but the handle clenched in her fist.
"Uhh… Think fast!"
Shae hurled the handle at her past self, hitting her right in the forehead with it. Though the Shae of the past was not harmed by the blow, she was at least startled by it. Future Shae used her brief moment of distraction to once again disappear from the room, appearing again in The Evil Queen's bedchamber. She rushed over to The Queen's vanity, hastily pulling open the drawers, tossing various items over her shoulder as she searched.
"Come on, come on… Where the hell is it?" She muttered to herself. "Aha!"
She straightened up, grinning triumphantly as she finally found what she was looking for; a vial of golden, glittering powder. She spun around when she heard a familiar whooshing sound from behind her, and found her past self stepping out of a cloud of blood red smoke.
"Stand and face me, assassin!" Past Shae roared at her.
Future Shae shrugged. "Alright."
Past Shae let out another bellow of rage. She charged at her future self, sword raised in the air. Future Shae swiftly uncorked the vial, tossing the contents in the face of her past self. She stepped aside, deftly dodging Past Shae as she fell face first to the floor, where she remained motionless. Shae didn't have time to revel in her victory, for The Evil Queen had appeared before her in a rush of purple smoke. Her lips curled into a fearsome snarl when she saw her Royal Protector lying unconscious on her bedchamber floor.
"Wait! Regina, stop!" Shae cried as The Evil Queen summoned another fireball into her hand. "Dammit, it's me, ok? I'm her, I'm Shae! I'm… I'm from the future!"
The Evil Queen hesitated with the fireball in her hand, silently gaping at the Shae from the future. After a few moments of bewildered silence, she started to laugh.
"Spouting off nonsense in attempt to save your own life?" She asked, sneering dangerously. "Pathetic!"
"No! No, no! It's nonsense! I-I can prove it!" Shae exclaimed hastily. "If I'm not Shae, then how did I know exactly where to find your sleeping powder?"
Shae waited for a silent beat for The Evil Queen to respond. The Queen only took an angry step toward her, raising her fireball in the air. Shae stumbled back a few steps, and quickly tried again.
"Daniel! I know all about Daniel!" She said in a panicked rush. When The Evil Queen's furious snarl faded, and her eyes grew wide with shock, Shae went on. "Yeah, I know he's the real reason you want Snow White dead. All that stuff on the wanted posters about treason, it's all bullshit. She's the reason that he died, that your mother killed him."
"How the hell do you know about that?" The Evil Queen snarled.
"You told me all about him the first time we met, after I came through that mirror, remember?" Shae quickly answered. "Remember what I told you? I told you that love would bring you nothing but pain. And after you saved me from Van Helsing, after I became your Protector, you told me all about how he died. You… You told me that I was right."
The Evil Queen remained silent for a moment, her mouth gaping open in shock. To Shae's immense relief, she extinguished her fireball, her hand dropping back down to her side as she stared wide eyed at her Protector from the future.
"It… It really is you." She breathed, slowly shaking her head in utter disbelief. "I… I don't understand. Time travel, it's… It's not possible!"
"Trust me, it's possible." Shae replied with a slight chuckle. "Someone in my time… Figured it out and I sort of… Fell through their portal. On accident."
"My god… This is… This is madness!" The Evil Queen exclaimed. "To think, travelling through time is actually possible. How far in the future are you from, exactly?"
"Um… Roughly… Thirty-ish years." Shae replied, shrugging uncertainly.
"Thirty years…" The Queen breathed in wonder, her brown eyes wider than ever. "You said you fell through a portal? How exactly was it opened?"
"Oh, no… No, no, I can't tell you that."
"Then who opened it?"
"I can't tell you that either."
The Evil Queen narrowed her eyes irritably at the vampire. "What exactly can you tell me about the future?"
"Nothing." Shae answered with a quick shake of her head. "In fact, we shouldn't even be having this conversation. I just needed to get you to stop trying to kill me. There were two other people that fell through the portal with me, and I came here looking for one of them. She's probably in your dungeon."
"I see… It's that Princess Leia, isn't it?" Asked The Evil Queen.
"Princess Leia?" Shae echoed, breathing out an amused laugh. "Yeah, that's definitely her."
"I sensed something… Strange about that woman." The Queen muttered quietly. "Who exactly is she?"
Shae bit her lip, anxiously drumming her fingers on her legs. "I can't tell you that."
The Evil Queen eyed Shae curiously as the vampire turned away from her, and began rummaging around inside the drawers of her vanity once again. "What exactly do you think you're doing?" She demanded furiously.
"Calm down, will ya?" Shae snapped, rolling her blood red eyes. "Jesus, I forgot how annoyingly suspicious you used to be… Aha!"
Shae straightened up when finally found what she was looking for. She quickly stepped up to The Evil Queen, holding out a small, clear vial to her. "A memory potion?" Asked The Queen, raising an eyebrow at Shae.
"Yeah, you need to forget all of this." Shae replied with a nod. "Like I said, we shouldn't even be talking, you shouldn't have even seen me. We've already managed to screw up one major event, and I can't risk screwing up anything else."
"Shae, I… No, I-I can't! There's so much I want to ask you, so much I want to know, I-"
"Regina, listen to me." Shae said quietly, taking one of The Queen's hands in hers and staring very seriously into her eyes. "I just need you to trust me, ok? The future, our future, it's messed up enough as it is, I can't-"
"Wait, what do you mean, 'our future?'" The Queen interjected, removing her hand from Shae's and drawing back a step. "You mean to tell me that you still serve as my Protector thirty years from now?"
Shae opened and closed her mouth several times, her throat suddenly very dry. She glanced over at her past self, who was still lying in an unconscious heap on the floor. She then turned back to The Evil Queen, and smiled at her.
"Yes. Always." Shae whispered quietly. "I'll always protect you, Regina. So as your Protector, you need to trust me, and you need to drink this."
Shae held up the vial of memory potion once again. The Evil Queen stared at it for a moment, then she narrowed her eyes irritably at her Protector from the future, folding her arms across her chest.
"Well, I'm not sure how things are in this future of yours, but here and now, I certainly do not take orders from you." She replied with an indignant huff. "It's quite the other way around, actually-"
"Oh my god!" Shae cried, throwing up her arms in despair. "I forgot how goddamn stubborn you used to be! Though, honestly, that hasn't really changed much at all."
The Evil Queen opened her mouth in angry protest, but Shae quickly cut in again. "Dammit, Regina, please!" She exclaimed, once again gripping The Queen's hand, staring desperately into her eyes. "Please, you have to! I told you, we've already changed too much, done too much damage."
"No, absolutely not, I-"
"Bitch, don't make me force this down your goddamn throat, because I will!"
"FINE!" The Queen shouted, snatching the vial furiously from Shae's hand. She breathed out a frustrated sigh, glowering at her Protector from the future. "What about her? Or rather… You?"
She gestured over to Shae's unconscious past self, and Future Shae simply shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about her. She called me an assassin earlier, so I'm pretty sure she just thinks I'm… Well, an assassin, disguised as her come to kill you. Which is exactly what you'll think too, after you drink that potion."
The Evil Queen continued to glare at the future Shae for a moment, but then she sighed again, staring down at the vial in her hand. "Shae, please… Isn't there anything you can tell me about my future?" She pleaded quietly, turning her brown eyes back onto the vampire. "I'll only forget it anyway, so what's the harm?"
Shae bit her lip, staring into The Queen's deep, gorgeous brown eyes. Though the Regina that stood before her was only a dark and twisted shadow of the woman she currently loved, her eyes still remained the same. Shae felt a deep, horrible ache in her heart as she stared into those eyes, the eyes that she had lost herself in so many times, eyes that used to be filled with so much love for her.
"I… I know that, after Daniel you thought… Y-You think that you'll never find love again, that no one will love you like he did." Shae quietly replied. "But… You do, Regina. You do find love again."
The Evil Queen's eyes grew wide, and her mouth gaped open in shock. When she failed to respond, too shocked to even speak, Shae smiled at her once again, her blood red eyes shining with tears, and went on.
"Not too long from now, there will be… There… There is someone who you love, someone who loves you." She paused, fighting back the tears that were threatening to leak from her eyes. "There is someone who sees through all the… The rage, the pain, the darkness. Someone who sees the woman underneath it all. And… And that person loves her very, very much. More than anything."
"Who?" The Queen breathed quietly. When Shae didn't respond, when she couldn't, her eyes suddenly shone with understanding, and they grew wider than ever. "You…"
Shae swallowed the hard lump that hard formed in her throat, squeezing her eyes shut, tears now leaking down her cold, pale cheeks. She then breathed out a slow, shaky sigh, and nodded.
"My god…" The Queen breathed, staring up at Shae with wide, baffled eyes. "I… I admit, I have seen the way you look at me. I thought it was purely desire, but… But love?"
"It, uh… It started out that way, yeah." Shae replied, breathing out a slight chuckle. "It just… Took me a while to figure out what it actually was. It took us both a while.
The Evil Queen glanced over at Shae's past self lying on the floor, then back at the future Shae, her mouth gaping open. "So… So you're saying that, in the future, we… We will-"
"Yeah." Shae cut in quietly, smiling once again. "I know you feel it too, right now. You felt it for the first time the day you saved me from Van Helsing, we both did. When you got me down from that stake, I sort of… Fell into your arms. And after that… I just… Never really stopped."
The Queen fell silent for a moment, glancing over at her unconscious Protector, her mouth opening and closing several times in complete and utter shock. Shae watched her quietly as she processed everything she had just told her. The Queen slowly shook her head, turning her baffled gaze back onto the future Shae.
"Shae, I… I don't know what to say." She whispered.
Shae smiled sadly into her eyes, reaching out and placing a hand on her cheek. "You don't have to say anything." She whispered back.
Shae slowly leaned forward, placing a soft, gentle kiss on The Evil Queen's lips. For a moment, The Queen stood rigid in shock, and Shae was suddenly reminded of the first time she had ever kissed her. Regina had gotten angry, slapped her, even. But, this time, The Queen did not recoil. Her lips parted against Shae's, and she slowly wrapped her arms around her neck, drawing her in closer.
They stood locked in their passionate embrace for a few long, silent moments, their lips parting slowly, gently. When Shae finally pulled away, she found The Evil Queen smiling up at her, the very smile that made her unbeating heart flutter inside her chest.
"Is this something we do a lot of in the future?" The Queen asked, smiling into Shae's blood red eyes, her arms still curled around her neck.
Shae breathed out a laugh, nodding slowly. "Yeah, among other things."
The Queen laughed too, and she placed her hand on the back of Shae's head, drawing her back in. "Do it again." She whispered.
Shae obeyed her Queen's order, and kissed her again. She pulled her against her body, wrapping her arms tightly around her. The Queen gasped against Shae's lips at the amount of deep, passionate urgency in her kiss. She gently squeezed a fistful of Shae's hair, a soft moan escaping her lips.
Shae's sorrows were momentarily forgotten as she held the Regina of the past in her arms. She was comforted by the familiar feeling of her lips against her own, the scent of the perfume that she used to wear. As their lips parted again and again, Shae slowly began to realize that something was off, something was… Wrong. She knew that it was because the woman that she was kissing was not the woman she loved, not anymore. As she kissed The Evil Queen, she longed for Regina, wanting so desperately to be back in her loving arms once again.
"Shae… What is it? What's wrong?" The Queen asked as Shae suddenly broke away, choking out a strangled sob, her blood red eyes streaming with tears.
"There's someone else…" Shae whispered shakily, biting back another sob.
"What?" Asked The Queen, her eyes growing wide once again.
"In the future, there's a… A man that comes into your life, our lives." Shae replied, her voice cracking with emotion. "A-And you… You fall in love with him."
The Evil Queen drew back a step, her jaw dropping open in shock. "What?" She asked again, looking outraged. "You're telling me that I choose someone else over… Over you? My own Protector?"
"It's… I-It's complicated." Shae stammered in reply, wiping at the tears on her face. "I… I died, sort of… But you found a way to bring me back. And… And while I was gone, you… You fell in love with… With him."
"Who?" The Queen demanded furiously, still outraged over this new information. "Who exactly is this man?"
Shae shook her head vigorously, more tears spilling down her face. "No, I-I… I can't. Dammit, I shouldn't have even said anything. I just… Oh god, it just hurts so much…"
The Evil Queen stood rigid in her spot, watching in silent horror as Shae broke down in front of her, falling to her knees as her body shook with bitter sobs. After a few moments of uncertain hesitation, she knelt down in front of the miserable, broken woman before her, and gently took her into her arms. Shae sobbed into her shoulder, wrapping her arms around The Queen, holding her desperately. The Regina of the past held her as she wept, gently wiping Shae's tears away when her sobs finally subsided.
"Oh, Shae… Shae, I'm so sorry." The Queen whispered to her, her eyes full of sorrow. "I can't take this, I won't. Not now."
Shae shook her head as The Queen attempted to give the vial of memory potion back to her. "No, Regina, you have to." Shae replied shakily, pressing the vial back into The Queen's hands. "Especially now. I've said way too much."
"No! No, I can't! Not when I know that I'm just going to… Abandon you for someone else!" The Queen exclaimed. Her furious expression then softened, and she smiled again, gently placing her hand on Shae's cheek. "Shae, you were right. I… I did feel it the day I saved you from Van Helsing, and again when you kissed me. I… I do love you."
"I love you too, and so does she." Shae whispered, smiling through her tears and pointing over at her still unconscious past self. "The two of you have so much to look forward to. And I… I can't risk losing any of that. I wouldn't trade that time with you for anything in the world."
Suddenly, the Shae of the past began to stir, emitting a feeble groan as she finally began to regain consciousness. Future Shae turned back to The Evil Queen, gripping her tightly by her shoulders, staring desperately into her brown eyes.
"Regina, please!" She whispered urgently. "You have to drink the potion. You have to. Now!"
The Queen hesitated for a moment, glancing between the Shae that was before her, and the one that was stirring weakly upon the ground. She then took the future Shae's face in her hands, staring back into her blood red eyes with the same amount of desperation.
"Promise me." She whispered urgently. "Promise me that, when you go back, that you won't give up, that you'll fight for me."
Shae nodded, smiling as more tears spilled down her cheeks. "I will. I promise."
The Queen pulled Shae in close, placing one last kiss on her soft, cold lips. She then nodded back, and her and Shae both rose to their feet. Shae stepped back, watching carefully as The Evil Queen uncorked the vial in her hand. She tilted her head back, and brought the vial up to her lips, draining it swiftly in one gulp. When she brought her head back down, the vial slipped from her hand, and the Shae from the future was gone.
"Regina… Regina!"
The Evil Queen blinked several times, her eyes focusing on her Royal Protector who was scrambling back to her feet. Shae rushed over to her, her blood red eyes wide with panic.
"W-What happened? Where's the assassin?" She asked, searching The Queen's bedchamber with her eyes.
"I… I'm not sure." The Queen replied uncertainly, gazing bewilderedly all around her. "Gone, it seems."
"Oh… Good. That's good." Shae muttered in reply, looking her Queen up and down. "A-Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine." The Queen answered with a dismissive wave of her hand. "None of that matters now. There is only one thing that does."
Her Protector eyed her curiously as The Queen stepped up closer to her. She placed her hands on Shae's chest, gently gripping the front of her long, black leather coat. Slowly, a wicked, devious grin spread across her face, her eyes shining with a dark and dangerous excitement.
"Snow White is finally in my grasp. I will finally have my revenge."
XX
Shae searched through the cells of The Evil Queen's dungeon, the various prisoners that The Queen and her past self had captured cowering in fear at the sight of her. However, there was one particular prisoner that Shae did not find amongst the others: Emma. She checked each cell three times over, questioning each of the prisoners, but they were all too frightened of her to speak a word. She abandoned her fruitless search after a while, and returned to the campsite where she had found Hook and Prince Charming. She quickly hid her face again when she found Hook, and thankfully Emma, in the company of Snow White, Ruby (aka Red), The Blue Fairy, and another woman that Shae recognized as the prisoner that they had seen in the tiny village when they had first arrived in The Enchanted Forest.
Emma and Hook were careful not to speak Shae's name, and introduced her to the others as merely a friend of theirs. Shae was shocked to learn that, while she had been inside The Evil Queen's castle, so had Snow White. She had been captured by Regina herself, and used the black fairy dust she carried with her to escape The Queen's clutches just as she was about to be executed. She was again shocked, and angry, when Emma told her all about the prisoner that she had rescued from The Evil Queen's dungeon. Apparently, the woman, who completely refused to tell them her name, was due to be executed the very next day. Emma was forced to listen quietly as Shae and Hook both gave her a stern lecture about time travel, and the dangers she had potentially caused by saving the life of someone who was supposed to be dead.
"What if this woman has a child that grows up to be a murderer?" Hook asked her, keeping his voice low as to not be overheard by the others.
"Or what if one day she accidentally runs over one of the dwarves with a horse, and then there's only six of them?" Shae threw in heatedly.
"What the hell would that even do?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow at the vampire.
"How should I know?" Shae replied, throwing up her arms in despair. "There's always been seven! Six could be… Catastrophic!"
Emma rolled her eyes at both Shae and Hook, and the vampire and the pirate were both forced to relent. The deed had already been done. After Red and The Blue Fairy took their leave, the rest decided to make camp for the night. Shae had protested, wanting to return to Rumplestiltskin so they could get back to their own time as soon as possible, but Emma insisted on remaining with Snow White and Prince Charming. She wanted to make absolutely sure that their story was back on track, and that her own future was once again secure.
Since Shae didn't need to sleep, so she agreed to keep watch throughout the night. As the others slept peacefully upon the grassy ground, Shae sat on a log by the faintly glowing embers of the campfire, gazing out at The Evil Queen's castle in the distance. She turned her head when she heard footsteps, and found Emma walking toward her.
"Can't sleep?" Shae asked, drawing down her hood and scarf as Emma sat down on the log next to her.
Emma slowly shook her head, smiling a sad smile. "I just… Got too much on my mind, you know?"
Shae nodded, smiling a sad smile back. They sat in silence for a while, gazing out at the tall, pointed spires of the castle in the distance. Emma then softly cleared her throat, shifting slightly in her seat.
"So, uh… I never got a chance to ask you about Robin Hood." She began, a bit hesitantly. "What… What exactly happened?"
"Nothing." Shae replied quietly. "I… I didn't do anything."
Emma's eyebrows raised in shock. "Really?"
Shae heaved a heavy sigh, staring into the glowing embers of the fire. "I um… I lied to you guys before, when I said I wasn't going to kill him." She admitted softly, her tone heavy with guilt. "I was going to. But, when the moment came, I… I couldn't do it. He was sitting just as close as you are now, completely defenseless. But I… I just… Couldn't."
Shae breathed out a bitter, sour laugh, and slowly shook her head. "Instead, I just stood there and told him to have hope that things would get better." She went on, her voice barely above a whisper. She then turned to Emma, her eyes full of confusion. "Why? Why the hell did I tell him that? Him, of all people."
"Because, killing him is something the old Shae would have done, the one we saw in that village." Emma replied with a gentle smile. "But, like you said, that's not you anymore. You've changed, Shae, you're a good person. You… Did the right thing."
"'The right thing…'" Shae muttered, laughing bitterly once again. "A while ago, I told your mother that I was done doing the right thing. But… I dunno, I guess I can't really seem to stop."
The two women fell silent again, both staring into the fire's dying embers. Shae then gazed back up at The Evil Queen's castle, and chuckled lightly once again.
"You know, I've been thinking." She began quietly. "I've got another great opportunity in front of me here."
Emma's brow furrowed in confusion as Shae inclined her head toward the castle. "What do you mean?"
"I could go back in there, right now, and get rid of my past self." Shae explained. "I could… I could change everything, everyone's lives, not just my own. I could take over as her, completely start over."
"Well… Yeah, I guess you could." Emma replied hesitantly. "So… What's stopping you?"
Shae bit her lip, taking a moment to respond. "When I was inside, I uh… Accidentally ran into Regina and… Myself." She slowly replied. "I ended up telling Regina who I was, just to get her to stop trying to kill me. And I… I told her all about… About us, about how we fall in love."
"What?" Emma exclaimed, looking panicked.
"It's alright, she won't remember any of it. I made her take a memory potion." Shae replied hastily. "But before she did, I… I kissed her. But it… It didn't feel the same. It felt… Wrong."
Emma breathed out a sigh of relief, nodding as she processed Shae's words. "Well, I think it's probably because that wasn't Regina." She replied with a slight shrug. "At least, not your Regina, anyway. The Regina that you love is back in Storybrooke, in our time."
"And in love with someone else." Shae muttered.
Emma sighed once again. "Yeah, I know. But… You heard what she said. She still loves you too. What you and Regina have, it can't just… Go away. I mean, you guys literally share a heart now. It's still there, Shae, it really is."
"I know." Shae whispered in reply. "Earlier I promised Regina, er, The Evil Queen, that when I got back, I wouldn't give up, that I would… Fight for her."
Shae paused for a moment, her eyes welling with tears. "But… Emma, I don't know if I can." She whispered, her voice quavering with emotion. "I… I don't know if I should."
Emma watched with a heavy heart as tears began to spill down the vampire's face. "I mean, shit, she used light magic because of Robin Hood." Shae went on miserably. "And you and her, a-and Snow even, you guys are… Friends now. None of that would have happened if she had been with me."
"Shae, you don't know that."
"I don't know anything anymore."
Shae squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in her hands as more tears leaked down her face. Emma sat in silence, gently rubbing the vampire's back as she fought back her own tears.
"Remus told me that going back to Storybrooke was a mistake." Shae eventually said, after a few moments of silence. "I think he was right. I think… Once we get back to our time, I'm gonna go back to New York."
Emma bit her lip, slowly nodding her head. "If… If that's what you feel like you have to do, Shae… Then you should."
"What about you?" Shae asked, wiping the tears off of her face. "You still want to come with me?"
Emma hesitated for a moment, biting her lip once again. "Honestly… I'm not sure anymore." She replied quietly. "Seeing my parents here, and them seeing me as nothing but a stranger… It… It hurts. And I… Really miss them."
"Oh…" Shae breathed, her blood red eyes growing wide with concern. "Oh, Emma, I'm so sorry. I… I didn't know all this had you so upset."
"Neither did, until a little while ago." Emma replied with a slight chuckle. "I just… I keep thinking about something Neal said to me a long time ago."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"He said that… The way you know you really have a home, is that when you leave it, you get this feeling that you just can't shake. You just… Miss it."
Emma turned her eyes back onto Shae, smiling a sad, wistful smile. "And… Honestly? I'm really starting to miss Storybrooke."
XX
The next morning, the three time travelers awoke to a startling, but also relieving find. Snow White was gone, along with Prince Charming's satchel, the very satchel that contained his wedding ring. Though the Prince was distraught, Shae, Emma, and Hook were delighted that Snow White and Prince Charming's story was once again back on track. Charming immediately left in pursuit of the bandit that had, once again, stolen his ring. The time travelers, along with their nameless companion that had been The Evil Queen's prisoner, followed at a careful distance, watching to make sure that the rest of their story unfolded just as it had before.
There was a brief moment of panic when they realized that Snow White had already used her black fairy dust, which she had originally used to escape the trolls upon the aptly named Troll Bridge. However, they were relieved to find that Snow and Charming managed to fight off the trolls regardless. They watched as Shae's past self appeared upon the Troll Bridge, sent by The Evil Queen to recapture Snow White. Emma and Hook both began to panic once again, but Shae assured them that things were happening just as they did before. They watched with bated breath as the past Shae was attacked by the hulking werewolf Van Helsing, only to be saved by Snow White and Prince Charming. Once Shae's past self was found and safely carried away by The Queen's men, Emma got out Henry's storybook. They were all immensely relieved when they found the pages full once again.
"We did it!" Shae announced as they stepped in to the front hall of Rumplestiltskin's castle.
"Excellent!" Rumplestiltskin replied with an impish giggle. "Ah, and I see you've brought some luggage."
He gestured to the nameless prisoner that was slung over Hook's shoulder, completely unconscious. Emma, Hook, and Shae all exchanged a nervous glance.
"Uhh… Long story." Said Emma.
After a heated discussion over what to do with the prisoner woman that was supposed to be dead, the Emma and Hook had decided that the best option was to bring her with them to the future. Shae, however, disagreed, and though she wasn't going to stop them, she refused to have anything to do with their decision. The nameless woman was not at all pleased either. She had a hard time believing that they were from the future to begin with, and insisted on returning to her family. They tried to tell her that it was impossible for her to return home, that it could potentially have horrible consequences for the future, but their warnings fell on deaf ears. After several moments of loud and angry protesting, Emma responded by wacking her over the head with a stick. The unfortunate woman was now their hostage, a prisoner once again.
"So, how's the portal coming?" Shae asked, waving her hand dismissively. "Can you open it?"
"I cannot." Rumplestiltskin replied with a shrug.
Silence fell over the hall as Emma, Hook, and Shae's mouths all dropped open in shock. "Say what now?" Shae exclaimed.
"What the bloody hell is all that, then?" Hook asked, gesturing toward the table in front of The Dark One.
Rumplestiltskin glanced down at the table, which was strewn with various strange looking objects. Shae recognized some of them, having seen similar items within The Evil Queen's storeroom. It seemed that The Dark One was brewing some sort of potion.
"A memory potion." Rumplestiltskin replied, confirming Shae's suspicions. "I know too much about my future. The only way to protect it, is to forget it."
"But… What about that wand you told us about?" Emma asked hastily. "Y-You said that it could help us!"
"Ah, yes, that." Rumplestiltskin said, giggling again. He waved his hand, and the wand itself appeared in Emma's hand with a puff of purple smoke. "Apparently, only those who have used the portal can reopen it. You are welcome to try, dearie. But, if you can't wield magic, then I'm afraid you're going nowhere."
"Well, she can't." Shae said with a shrug, stepping toward Emma and reaching for the wand. "But I-"
"No, you can't." Rumplestiltskin interjected. "You may have magic, but your vampiric powers simply won't do the trick. So sorry, dearie."
Shae stopped mid step, her mouth gaping open once again. "You can't expect us to just stay here!" Hook exclaimed furiously. "What about protecting your precious future?"
"Oh, that's exactly what I'm going to do." The Dark One replied with a devious grin.
"You're… You're going to kill us?" Shae stammered quietly, drawing back a step, her blood red eyes wide with horror.
Rumplestiltskin emitted another high pitched giggle. "No, I will simply put you someplace safe, someplace where even I dare not go. The place where I store the magic that is too dark and unpredictable, even for me."
"NO, WAIT-" Hook shouted.
But it was too late. The Dark One waved his hand once again, and the time travellers and their hostage were all engulfed in a cloud of purple smoke. They all felt themselves being lifted into the air, and their world was a chaotic, disorienting blur as they began to spin round and round wildly. Suddenly, it all stopped, and their feet touched solid ground again. They gazed all around them, and found that they were in an immensely large, immensely confusing room. They were surrounded by stone walls, covered with pillared archways, stretching up as far as the eye could see. There were various bookshelves and cabinets scattered about the room, all filled with strange and likely dangerous items.
"Ah, well at least he did us one favor." Hook said, grinning as he examined himself in a nearby mirror. "I'm devilishly handsome again."
Shae glanced down at her own body, and found that she was once again dressed in the clothes that she had been wearing in Storybrooke, and so were Emma and Hook, the glamour spell Rumplestiltskin had cast on them undone. Their unconscious prisoner, who Hook set down on a nearby table, however, had remained unchanged.
"Where the hell are we?" Emma breathed, her eyes wide with horror as she observed their surroundings.
"The Dark One's vault, looks like." Shae answered with a shrug. "Kinda reminds me of Regina's, except… Bigger and, well… Darker."
"So, what, he's just gonna let us starve to death down here?" Emma exclaimed in outrage.
"Oh, no, I'll end up killing you guys way before you starve to death." Shae replied, chuckling darkly.
"What?" Emma and Hook exclaimed in unison.
"Hey, not by choice, alright?" Shae replied, raising her hands defensively. "If I go too long without blood, I'll go into a frenzy. And once I drain you guys dry, then, you know… I'll die."
"A comforting thought, thanks, mate." Hook muttered, rolling his eyes. "I'm assuming you're unable to… Poof us out of here."
Shae squeezed her eyes shut, scrunching up her face, attempting to use her power of teleportation. When nothing seemed to happen, she breathed out a heavy sigh, and shook her head. The three time travellers fell silent for a few moments, their minds turning, trying to process their new and dire situation.
"Woah! Hey, put that down!" Emma shouted at Hook, who had removed what looked like some sort of urn from one of the many cabinets. "If The Dark One is afraid of this stuff, there's probably a good reason."
Hook obeyed, and carefully set the urn down on a nearby end table. "Sorry, I'm simply… Trying to figure a way out."
"I don't really think there is one." Emma muttered miserably.
"Look, all we need is a bit of magic." Hook replied in an exasperated tone. "You're the Savior, Swan, you can do it!"
"No, I can't!" Cried Emma. "I lost my magic, remember?"
"Wait, hold up, I think he might be right." Shae said, suddenly smiling excitedly. "Zelena took your powers, right? So when she died, all of her spells should have been undone. You should have your powers back now."
"Believe me, if I could make it work, I would." Emma replied, holding up the wand still clutched in her fist. When Shae and Hook exchanged a skeptical glance, Emma's face fell into a fierce glare. "What, you guys think I'm faking it?"
"I think not having magic makes it a hell of a lot easier for you to run back to New York with the bloodsucker here and pretend to be someone else!" Hook replied scathingly.
"Hey!" Shae cried, looking offended.
Hook ignored her, pointing a finger at Emma. "Listen to me, Swan. That's not who you are. You're the bloody savior! It's time to stop running!"
"You think I don't know that?" Emma shouted furiously, causing both Hook and Shae to flinch in alarm. "Yeah, I run away, that's how I've always survived. But, believe me, I want this to work. I want to go back. I… I want to stop running."
Hook's angry expression softened, and he exchanged a baffled glance with Shae. "What's changed your mind?" He asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
"Watching my mother die, thinking that she was dead." Emma replied quietly, her hazel green eyes welling with tears. "You saw what happened. I was so relieved that she was ok, and I hugged her. But… You know what I saw in her eyes? Nothing. She… She didn't know who I was."
Emma's voice broke with emotion, and Shae and Hook watched silently as tears fell freely down her face. "I saved her, but I lost her too." Emma went on, her voice barely above a whisper. "That's all I've been doing to her since I met her, I've been running from her. It's got to stop. When Henry first brought me to Storybrooke, he told me he was bringing me back to break a curse. But I didn't see what he was really doing… He… He was bringing me home."
"So…" Shae began with a small chuckle. "Neal was right."
"Right about what?" Asked Hook.
Shae smiled at Emma, echoing her words from the previous night. "You don't really have a home, until you just miss it."
Emma nodded slowly, smiling as well through her tears. "Yeah." She whispered. "And being with my parents these last few days, but not really being with them? I… I've never missed them more. Storybrooke… It's… It's my home."
Emma squeezed her eyes shut, more tears leaking down her face. When she opened them again, she found that both Shae and Hook were grinning at her.
"What?" She asked, brow furrowed in confusion.
"Look down." Hook said, nodding down at the wand in her hand.
Emma obeyed, and gasped in alarm. The wand was now glowing with a bright white light. She breathed out an astonished laugh, glancing back at Shae and Hook's smiling faces.
"Looks like you got your magic back." Shae said with a grin. "I knew you could do it, Swan Song. Now let's get the hell out of here."
Emma nodded, and the vampire and the pirate both stepped back as she raised the wand. They watched with bated breath as Emma squeezed her eyes shut, holding the wand out in front of her. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, and both their hearts sunk. Suddenly, a blinding flash of white light shot out of the wand in Emma's hand, and they were all forced to shield their eyes. Wind suddenly began rushing all around them, and they heard a very familiar humming noise. When they glanced up, a gaping, swirling orange portal was hovering in the air before them.
"You did it!" Shae exclaimed, shaking Emma's shoulder excitedly.
"Well done, Swan!" Cried Hook, grinning broadly.
Emma grinned back, and nodded at them both. "Right. Let's go home."
"Do you mind?" Hook asked of Shae, gesturing to the unconscious woman lying on the table. "You are considerably stronger than I am, after all."
"Oh, hell no!" Shae exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. "Uh-uh, no, I told you guys, I don't want any part of this. If she screws shit up in the future, then you two dummies are taking the fall, not me."
Hook rolled his eyes at the vampire, breathing out an exasperated huff as he stepped up to the table. He grunted as he lifted the prisoner into his arms. He then nodded at both Shae and Emma, and stepped through the swirling portal. Shae clapped Emma on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. Emma grinned back, and Shae nodded determinedly as well. She stood squarely in front of the portal for a moment, then stepped through after Captain Hook.
Shae once again felt her feet leave the ground, and her world was engulfed in chaos all over again. She was forced to squeeze her eyes shut tight as her body began spinning wildly, the wind rushing through her ears. Just as she thought the pressure around her head was going to crush her skull to pieces, it all stopped, and she grunted as she hit solid ground face first. She felt the familiar taste of dirt in her mouth, and she spat it out, groaning as she picked her head up. She shakily pushed herself to her feet, and slowly turned around. Another excited grin spread across her face. Standing before her, was the barn where they had first fallen through Zelena's time portal. They had made it back to Storybrooke.
"Where's Swan?" Asked Hook, who was getting to his feet beside her.
The grin faded from Shae's face, and she stared into the gaping portal that was still hovering in the air inside the barn. She and Hook both waited for an impossibly long moment, and when Emma did not appear, they began to panic.
"Shit… Oh shit…" Shae muttered, staring at Hook, her eyes wide with horror. "Something must have happened, something- OOF!"
Emma suddenly came shooting out of the portal, crashing straight into Shae. Hook leapt back just in time, and the two women hit the ground hard. After a few moments of dazed and painful groaning, Shae started to laugh. Emma had landed right on top of her.
"Hey, buy me a drink first, will ya?" She said with a quirky grin.
Emma groaned again, using Shae's face as support to push herself up onto her feet. Emma helped Shae up, and she smiled in wonder, staring into the now empty barn.
"We did it." She breathed.
"We did it." Shae echoed, grinning broadly.
"We're back!" Emma exclaimed.
"We're back!" Shouted Hook.
The three time travellers, now back in the time where they belonged, exchanged excited and joyous embraces. They stopped suddenly, staring down with wide eyes at their hostage from the past, who was finally regaining consciousness.
"Uh, right, you guys make sure she doesn't freak out." Emma said, smiling excitedly. "I've got some people I need to see."
"Wait!" Shae called out as Emma turned away. "I'm uh… I-I'm coming with you."
Emma stopped, turning around and raising an eyebrow curiously at the vampire. "Really? What about Regina and… Robin Hood?"
Shae hesitated for a moment, chewing on her lip ring nervously. "I, uh… I-I don't know." She stammered in reply. "But, all that stuff you said about not running anymore, it… It made me realize that running back to New York, running away from my problems… It just isn't the answer, you know?"
Shae smiled at her, breathing out a small laugh as she shrugged. "It's like you said, Storybrooke is my home now too. I've… Changed a lot. I've got friends here now, friends that… That kinda feel like… Family."
"Yeah, you do." Emma said in agreement. "You've got friends, family, that will help you through everything you're going through. That's what family does, right?"
Emma then took Shae by the hand, smiling into her blood red eyes. "Now, come on. Let's go see them."
XX
Shae and Emma got into Shae's old V.W. Bus, which was still parked just outside the farm house, and Shae drove them hastily back to Granny's Diner. Emma was relieved to find everything just the way she had left it. Her parents were throwing a party to announce the arrival of their new baby, Emma's brother. Emma had stormed out of the diner after being questioned by her parents about going back to New York. Before, she had been unsure about what she was going to do. Now, she was never more sure about anything in her life. She was staying. She had finally found her home.
David and Mary Margaret were both confused by the grateful and joyous tears on Emma's face, and were even more so when they both received a tight and joyful hug from Shae. Everyone gathered inside the diner listened intently as both Emma and Shae recounted their harrowing tale about being trapped in the past, and about how they had almost completely destroyed the future. Emma and Shae were sitting at a table with Emma's parents and Henry, the boy's storybook sitting on the table in front of them. It was open to a now brand new page that had magically appeared due to Emma, Shae, and Hook's trip to the past. The picture on the left side of the page was of Emma and Hook, dancing together in King Midas's ballroom.
"Wait… So you're Princess Leia?" Mary Margaret asked of her daughter, her eyes wide with shock.
"Nice alias." Henry said with a laugh.
"I used Han Solo." Shae told him with a grin.
"No way!" Emma exclaimed. "Nice!"
They all laughed as Emma and Shae high fived each other. "Well, that settles it, you're one of us now." David said, tapping a finger on the book.
"A fairytale princess, at last!" Mary Margaret exclaimed excitedly.
"And as my very first princessly request…" Emma began, pointing a finger at her parents. "I would very much like to know the name of my new little brother."
"Oh, god… Please tell me you guys didn't name him Leopold." Shae said, staring with wide, horrified eyes at the baby nestled in Mary Margaret's arms.
Mary Margaret chuckled lightly, and exchanged a knowing glance with her husband, who slowly nodded. David then got up from the table, and cleared his throat loudly.
"Excuse me! If I could have everyone's attention just for a moment!" He called out in a clear, ringing voice. Once the diner was quiet, and all eyes were on him, he went on. "This coronation ceremony is something we've looked forward to for a very long time. The arrival of our new son has been a cause of great joy for our family, and we hope you can share in it as we name him for a hero. Someone who saved all of us."
"People of Storybrooke, it is our great honor to introduce you to our son." Mary Margaret said, smiling down at the baby in her arms. "Prince Neal."
The crowd gathered inside the diner erupted in raucous applause. Shae turned around in her seat, glancing back at Mr. Gold, who was seated in a booth next to Belle. He was smiling, and he nodded at Mary Margaret and David, his eyes shining with tears. Shae turned back to Emma, who was misty eyed as well. She reached across the table, gently taking little Neal's tiny hand.
"It's very nice to meet you, Neal." She said with a smile.
"Thank god." Shae said, breathing out a relieved sigh. "Seriously, I was really worried for a second. I mean, 'Leopold,' would have been fine back home, but here? Well, let's just say the kid probably would have gotten some serious wedgies."
They all laughed again, smiling fondly at baby Neal cradled in his mother's arms. Shae sat and talked with Heny, Emma, and her parents for a while, sharing more stories about what had happened while they were stuck in the past. Hook eventually returned with the woman they had brought back from The Enchanted Forest, who was frightened and confused to see Shae. Emma, her parents, and Hook quickly reassured her that things were different now, that Shae was their friend. The woman, whose name they still had not learned, was still extremely wary, so Shae respectfully removed herself from the table. She was sitting at the end of the bar next to Ruby, when the bell over the diner's door tinkled. Shae's heart dropped deep into the pit of her stomach when she saw who had just entered the diner; It was Regina, with Robin Hood beside her, along with his son, Roland.
"Shae… You ok?" Ruby asked, her eyes full of concern.
Shae nodded, swallowing the hard, painful lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. She slowly set down her glass of whiskey, breathing out a heavy sigh. She then got up from her bar stool, and slowly made her way across the diner. She stopped just behind Regina, loudly clearing her throat. Regina spun around, and her brown eyes grew wide with shock.
"Shae?" She breathed, drawing back a step. Slowly, a smile began to creep across her face, the very smile that Shae had been so desperately longing to see. "You… You came back."
Shae smiled too, and, for a moment, she lost herself in the beautiful brown eyes of the woman she loved. Her surroundings faded away as she saw the smile on her face. She was about to respond in the way she always did when Regina uttered the phrase that she just had. She stopped when Robin Hood suddenly leapt out of his seat next to Little John, stepping protectively between her and Regina.
"You…" He whispered, his bright blue eyes full of fear. "W-What… What the hell are you doing here?"
Shae's blood red eyes flashed with rage, and her lips curled into a snarl. She balled her hands into fists, and, for a moment, it looked as if she was about to hit him. Shae and Robin Hood stood in tense silence, and Shae's hands shook as she glared into his blue eyes. The vampire's vicious snarl suddenly faded, and her eyes became filled with sorrow. She breathed out a heavy, shaky sigh, glancing away from Robin and down at the floor.
"It's alright, I'm… I-I'm not here to hurt you." She replied quietly, slowly unclenching her fists. "In fact, I… I want to apologize, for what I did, the way I reacted. It… It wasn't right. I'm really sorry."
Robin didn't respond, and only continued to eye the vampire warily. "Look, obviously this is all really… Complicated." Shae went on slowly. "And, uh… I-I think the three of us should probably sit down and talk at some point."
Shae paused for a moment as she met Regina's gaze, and her heart gave a sudden, painful lurch as she stared into her deep brown eyes. She quickly glanced away, clearing her throat again, fighting back the tears that were welling into her eyes. She noticed that Little John and the rest of the Merry Men were all staring daggers at her, and the diner had grown strangely quiet all of a sudden.
"Uh, but, for now just… Enjoy the party." She went on quickly, smiling nervously at Robin Hood. "I-Im gonna do the same, quietly, over there. Ok? Cool."
Shae didn't wait for a response from either Robin or Regina. She swiftly turned on her heel, and returned to her seat at the end of the counter. She sat rigid in her spot for a moment, her hands shaking, feeling all the eyes on the back of her head. She then breathed out a sigh of relief as the diner filled with the sounds of chattering once again.
"I have to say, mate, that was surprisingly civil of you." Hook said as he and Emma joined Shae and Ruby at the counter.
Shae ignored him, taking up her glass of whiskey again, and draining it in one gulp. She then leaned forward across the counter, her torso momentarily lost from sight as she fumbled around behind the bar. She returned with a full bottle of Jack Daniel's in her hand. She unscrewed the lid with quivering hands, and they all watched with wide, baffled eyes as she began to gulp down the entire contents of the bottle.
"Oh, I want to rip the goddamn, fucking lungs out of his stupid, goddamn, fucking CHEST!" Shae snarled dangerously, slamming the now empty bottle of whiskey down onto the counter.
"There it is." Ruby said with a chuckle.
Emma chuckled as well, slowly shaking her head as Shae began rummaging around behind the bar again, likely searching for more whiskey. She was about to respond, but stopped when the woman they had brought back from the past rushed up to her, urgently grabbing her arm.
"T-That's… The Evil Queen!" She whispered, eyeing Regina with as much fear as she had Shae. "W-What… What is she doing here? I… I don't-"
"It's alright, just stay calm, ok?" Emma replied gently. "She's different now, just like Shae. Come on, you'll see."
Emma took the prisoner woman by the arm, and led her over to Regina, who was standing next to Robin Hood. The thief had returned to his seat next to Little John, but continued to eye Shae warily from across the room.
"Hey, Regina." Emma said when Regina turned around as she approached her. "There's someone I'd like you to meet. This is, uh… Well, um…"
Emma suddenly realized that she still didn't know the woman's name. She was about to ask it, but stopped, letting out a startled gasp when she heard a loud clattering from beside her. Robin Hood had leapt up from his seat once again, knocking several glasses of beer off of the table in the process. He stared at the woman from the past, his bright blue eyes wide as saucers. Apparently, he recognized her. When he spoke, when he uttered her name, Emma's heart nearly stopped.
"Marian?"
XX
