Author's Note: Hello everyone! I would once again like to apologize for how long it took me to put out this latest chapter. I've been extremely busy with work and just life in general, and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon. However, I PROMISE that I will continue writing, and I will update as often as I can. Thank you all again for your patience. Enjoy Chapter 22 and it's massive cliff hanger! ;P

CHAPTER 22

Regina woke with a splitting, pounding headache, and a severe case of dry mouth. She sat forward in her bed, groaning as her bedroom spun wildly around her. She squeezed her eyes shut as memories of the night before washed over her. It was all a bit hazy, but one thing stood out above all else: Shae. As she remembered Shae kissing her in the bathroom of Granny's Diner, for a moment, she wondered if it all had been just a dream.

Regina had been miserable over having to watch the two people that she loved most in the world walk away from her, possibly forever. She thought a lot about both of them in the weeks after their departure, but, most of all, she thought about Shae. She found that, though she did miss Robin dearly, she ached body and soul for Shae, the woman that she had been prepared to marry not so long ago.

Many, many times, Regina would stare down at her cell phone, at the picture of Shae that served as her contact photo. She wanted so desperately to hear her voice again, to apologize to her, for everything, and tell her that she still loved her. But, each time, she would stow her phone away again, unable to come up with any words to say to the woman whom she had cast aside time and time again. First, she had chosen revenge over her love for Shae, and then she had chosen Robin. She knew deep down that it had all been a horrible, terrible mistake. She had been elated to see Shae again, to possibly have one more chance to make things right, to have her back in her arms once again. If it truly was all a dream, then she cursed the powers that be for playing such a cruel, twisted joke on her.

The sound of someone knocking on the front door forced Regina from her bed. She donned her robe, pausing for a moment when she noticed a pair of ice skates sitting on the edge of her bed. She shrugged it off, too tired and hungover to care, and shuffled groggily down the steps. When she reached the door, when she pulled it open, she drew in an audible gasp.

"Shae." She whispered, staring into her true love's smiling, blood red eyes.

"I uh… Brought you this." Shae replied, holding out a blue bottle of Gatorade to her. "I've heard it helps. With hangovers, I mean. Not that I would know. I haven't had one of those in… Well, a really long time."

Regina took the Gatorade from Shae's hand. "Thank you." She said with a grateful smile. "For this, and for taking care of me last night. Do you happen to have any idea why I woke up with a pair of ice skates in my bed?"

"Well, after you almost yacked all over yourself, you decided you wanted to go ice skating in the park." Shae replied with a chuckle.

Regina's brow furrowed in confusion. "It's the middle of April."

Shae chuckled again. "Yeah, you think your drunk ass cared about that?"

Regina laughed, and immediately regretted doing so as her head pounded painfully. "Can, uh… Can I come in?" Asked Shae.

Regina nodded and stepped aside, allowing Shae into her home, the home that they had once shared. After shutting the door behind her, Regina stood silently staring at Shae for a moment, still smiling. She could hardly believe that she was actually real.

"What?" Shae asked when she caught her staring.

"Sorry, I… I-I just…" Regina stammered, fighting back against the tears that were welling into her eyes. "Honestly, for a moment, I thought seeing you last night had been just a dream. But… Here you are. You… Came back."

Shae cleared her throat, turning her eyes onto the floor. "So, uh, what exactly were you up to last night, anyway?" She questioned, quickly changing the subject. "You told me that you're a mole. Did you find what you were looking for?"

Regina breathed out a heavy sigh, slowly shaking her head. "Not exactly." She admitted. "I was trying to find out what Maleficent and her cronies have planned, but all I know is that it has something to do with The Author. But I have a feeling they're hiding something, something big. I don't suppose you can tell me what that is?"

Shae once again glanced down at the floor, anxiously chewing on her lip ring. "I can't." She muttered quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Because of Maleficent." Regina deduced, folding her arms across her chest. "What exactly is going on between you two? She seems to have you under her thumb somehow."

Shae sighed, shoving her hands into the pockets of her black leather jacket. "You're right, she does." She muttered once again. "We sort of… Made a deal, a long time ago. One that I didn't exactly make good on."

Regina's deep brown eyes grew wide with shock. "What kind of deal?"

Shae hesitated to respond for a moment, anxiously chewing on her lip ring once again. "Maleficent was the one who released me from Snow and Charming's dungeon." She finally replied. "Her and Ursula and Cruella."

Regina's eyes somehow grew even wider. "What?"

Shae nodded gravely. "Our deal was that… I had to tell you what they had done for me." She quietly went on. "So that when you cast your curse, you would… I dunno, give them all some sort of power in this new world, or something."

Regina stood with her mouth gaping open for a moment, unable to believe what she was hearing. "But… You didn't tell me." She finally replied, shaking her head in bewilderment. "All you said was that you escaped. Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

Shae breathed out a heavy sigh, running a hand through her messy black hair. "I don't know… Partly because of pride, I guess." She mumbled. "And partly because I was just… Angry."

"Angry at being rescued?"

"Angry at needing to be rescued in the first place."

Regina shook her head once again. "Shae, I… I don't understand."

Shae heaved another sigh, slowly shaking her head. "I don't know, I guess after everything that happened with Nadia and… A-And with Elsa, I was tired of feeling… Helpless. Weak." Shae quietly replied, her blood red eyes shining with tears. "I guess I thought that if I could convince you that I was strong enough to escape on my own, then… Maybe I'd be able to convince myself that I actually was strong."

Regina watched with pity in her eyes as Shae wiped furiously at a few stray tears that had leaked out of her eyes. She then stepped up to the vampire, placing her hand gently on her cold, pale cheek. "Oh, Shae." She whispered. "Shae, you don't have to be strong all the time."

Shae squeezed her eyes shut, relishing the warmth of her true love's hand upon her cheek. When she opened them again, she had to fight hard against the powerful urge to kiss Regina as she stared into her deep, gorgeous brown eyes.

"I know." Shae whispered, gently removing Regina's hand from her cheek. She then cleared her throat awkwardly, and drew back a step. "Anyway, Maleficent wasn't too happy that I broke our deal. So she… Stripped me of my powers as punishment. Now, I'm just… Helpless and weak, all over again."

"No you're not." Regina insisted, vigorously shaking her head. "We can help, we can get you out of this. Emma and the others, we can all-"

"No." Shae cut in sternly. "This is my fault, my mistake. I'm not getting anyone else involved, it's too dangerous."

Regina scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not scared of Maleficent and her lap dogs."

Shae chuckled darkly. "Yeah, well, it's not just them you'll have to deal with."

Regain raised an eyebrow at the vampire. "What do you mean?"

Shae winced, and quickly shook her head. "I… I can't tell you that." She mumbled. "Besides, I kind of… Need Maleficent and the others. They're going to find The Author, so he can write us all our happy endings."

"I see." Muttered Regina. "So all that really was true."

Shae nodded, swallowing the hard, painful lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "That's, uh… What I came over here to talk to you about." She went on, trying to keep the dread over what she was about to say next from her voice. "I'm going to ask The Author to unwrite Ingrid's spell. That way I can… Go back to Arendelle, and… Back to Elsa."

Regina's heart nearly dropped into the pit of her stomach, and Shae turned her gaze away, unable to bare the sight of the sorrow in her beautiful brown eyes. "I just… Want you to know that what happened last night was just… A mistake." Shae slowly went on, clenching her quivering fists inside the pockets of her jacket. "I just needed an excuse to talk to you alone, and I… Shouldn't have done it the way I did. I'm sorry."

Regina managed a strained smile as she fought back against the tears that were welling into her eyes. "I see." She replied, fighting to keep her tone even. "Well, I wish you all the best. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Regina gestured toward the door, and Shae hesitated for a moment, staring miserably and helplessly into her true love's gorgeous brown eyes, eyes that were full of immeasurable pain. Unable to come up with anything else to say, she nodded, and headed toward the door. She hesitated once more as she stepped out onto the porch, and turned back around. Before she could say a word, the door slammed shut in her face. Shae sighed, hanging her head in misery as she slowly walked away from Regina's house, back toward the cabin where Gold and The Queens of Darkness were likely waiting for her.

Elsa had been on Shae's mind almost constantly in the weeks she had spent in New York. She had longed so desperately to return to her, to the happy life that they had once had together. However, the moment she had seen Regina again, the moment that she had kissed her, she knew that it was Regina that she truly loved. Regina was the one, she had always been the one. Now, she had broken her heart, all over again.

XX

Later that same night, Shae was waiting inside Gold's cabin with Ursula, Cruella, and Gold himself. Gold had sent Maleficent out on a mission to once again test Regina's loyalty. This time, however, it was no mere meaningless destruction of property. This time, the task Maleficent was to present to Regina was truly despicable; Gold wanted her to kidnap Pinocchio, who, when he had been August W. Booth, had intricate knowledge about Henry's storybook, and likely it's author. Shae had no idea what exactly Gold's plan was for Pinocchio, only that he would get the information he needed out of the young boy, one way or another.

It wasn't long before they heard the sound of Cruella's car rumbling up the gravel driveway. When Maleficent and Regina entered the cabin, with an unconscious Pinocchio in tow, Gold finally revealed himself to Regina. She was positively shocked to find out that he was what The Queens of Darkness had been hiding all along, even more so when she found out about the deal that Shae had unwillingly made with him.

"What can I say?" Shae said with a sarcastic grin. "He's a sketchy dude, and I'm prone to self destructive tendencies."

"Maybe you're just an idiot." Muttered Cruella.

"Maybe you're just an idiot!" Shouted Shae.

"You're both idiots!" Ursula exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "Just shut up already!"

"Indeed." Gold agreed with a chuckle. "After all, we have important matters to attend to."

Gold stepped toward Pinocchio, who was lying senseless in an armchair, but Regina remained standing in his way. "What exactly are you going to do to him?" She asked warily.

"Step aside, and I'll show you." Gold replied with a small shrug. "Or have you gone soft?"

Regina balled her hands into fists, and Shae felt a chill run down her spin as her lips curled into a sinister, devious grin. "Never." She whispered.

"Good." Said Gold, stepping around Regina, stopping just in front of Pinocchio. "Now then, we're not going to ask young Pinocchio here to remember anything, because he simply can't. No amount of torture will work on him. It will, however, work on the man he used to be."

Regina exchanged a quick, nervous glance with Shae, then the two of them crowded around Gold with the others as he drew his magical dagger, and waved it in Pinocchio's direction. Pinocchio's body was engulfed in a blinding flash of blue light, and they were all forced to shield their eyes. Suddenly, there was no longer a young boy sitting unconscious in the arm chair, but a fully grown man.

Pinocchio, who was now, once again, August, slowly blinked his eyes open, and they grew wide when he saw Gold standing before him. "Hello, August." Gold said with a grin. "Welcome back."

August immediately leapt to his feet in alarm, but was quickly shoved back down again by Ursula and Cruella. "Oh no, dearie, you're not going anywhere." Gold sneered. "Shae, if you would be so kind."

Gold gestured to the ropes that were hanging on a hook on the back of the door. Shae gritted her teeth, begrudgingly obeying The Dark One's order as she snatched up the ropes. August struggled against Cruella and Ursula's iron grip, and he narrowed his eyes at Shae as the vampire began tying his wrists down onto the arms of the chair.

"Hello, Shae." August grumbled, breathing out a sour laugh. "Glad to see you're up to your old tricks again."

"Wait a minute…" Regina said slowly, eyeing both August and Shae suspiciously. "Do you two know each other?"

When Shae remained silent as she continued tying the ropes, August raised an eyebrow at her. "You never told her, did you?"

"Told me what?" Asked Regina, also raising an eyebrow at Shae.

When Shae, once again, failed to respond, August was the one to answer. "I'm the reason Shae broke up with Emma." He explained. "And the reason she even came back to Storybrooke in the first place."

Regina's eyes grew wide with shock. "What?" She whispered.

"Emma needed to be free to break your curse." August replied, narrowing his eyes at Regina. "She never would have done that if she was running around with a bloodsucking monster. No offense."

"You know, I think I'm just gonna go ahead and be offended, if it's all the same to you." Shae grumbled in reply.

"You lied." Regina said quietly, her brown eyes wide as she stared at Shae. "You told David and Mary Margaret that you didn't know who Emma was."

Shae breathed out a heavy sigh as she straightened up. "Yeah, well, I didn't. At least… Not until the very end."

"Wait a minute… You were with The Savior?" Asked Maleficent, breathing out a bemused laugh.

"More than once, from what I've heard." Cruella said with a grin. "Can't say that I'm surprised, she seems to have a type. Wasn't Elsa a blonde as well?"

Shae flinched at the sound of Elsa's name, and her blood red eyes flashed with rage. "WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU?" She roared, pointing a quivering finger at Cruella.

"ENOUGH!" Shouted Gold, quickly stepping between the two women. "The two of you can be at each other's throats later. For now, we have work to do."

For a moment, Shae continued to glare furiously into Cruella's grinning eyes. Her arm then fell limply back to her side, and she drew back a few steps, shoving her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. She avoided Regina's eyes, eyes that were full of pity, and watched as Gold stepped up to August, who eyed him fearfully.

"Now, then…" Gold said quietly, grinning from ear to ear as he fiddled with his dagger. "Shall we begin?"

XX

The sun had risen over the town of Storybrooke once again by the time August finally revealed his secrets. At first, he denied having any knowledge of The Author whatsoever. However, after enough prodding and threatening, he admitted that he had stolen some research about The Author from a mystic known as The Dragon. Gold momentarily left the cabin to go search August's old camper that was still parked deep in the woods, leaving Shae alone with The Queens of Darkness, and Regina.

Shae and Regina didn't speak as they waited for Gold to return, both in too much pain to come up with any words to say to each other. If she didn't hate The Dark One so much, Shae might have been grateful when he finally returned. He announced that he hadn't actually gone to August's camper. He knew that August had been lying, that the heroes were already in possession of the research he had stolen. Instead, he had broken into the storeroom at the convent, where the fairies kept their ample supply of magic. He force fed August a potion, one that turned him back into wood.

The effects of the potion were only temporary, but it did, however, restore August's built in lie detector. They continued to question him about The Author, and August's nose grew and grew every time he lied to them. Finally, unable to keep any more secrets, August told them that a powerful mage known as The Sorcerer had sealed The Author behind a door, many years ago. He then told them that the very door was somewhere in Storybrooke, and that Regina had seen it before. Regina confirmed this fact, although it had only been a drawing of the door. Henry had found it within August's bag, which had been given to him by Marco. Gold decided to take Regina and Maleficent with him to search The Sorcerer's mansion. Ursula had gone on a walk while Gold had been stealing from the fairies, which left Shae alone with Cruella to guard August.

Hours went by, and August once again fell unconscious in the chair that he was still tied to. Shae was feeling more hopeless and helpless than ever before, and she prayed to the powers that be that, somehow, the heroes of Storybrooke would be able to stop Gold and The Queens of Darkness. Above all else, she prayed that Regina, the woman that she still loved, would remain safe in the company of Gold and Maleficent. If they found out that she was spying for the heroes, then there was surely be hell to pay.

To try and distract herself from the crushing fear and hopelessness baring down upon her, Shae decided to bring out Bianca, her guitar. She strummed at the strings, and Cruella's eye began to twitch as she sang.

"Cruella De Vil,
Cruella De Vil,
If she doesn't scare you,
No evil thing will.
To see her is to take a sudden chill.
Cruella, Cruella,
She's like a spider waiting for the kill.
Look out for Cruella De Vil."

August, who was now awake again, chuckled as Shae finished her song. "You know I hate that bloody song." Grumbled Cruella.

Shae chuckled too. "Oh, I'm well aware of that."

Cruella opened her mouth to retort, but shut it again as there was a sudden knock at the cabin door. "Who the hell is that?" She snapped irritably.

Shae shrugged, and set her guitar down on the floor next to her chair. When she opened the door, she was positively shocked to see who was standing on the other side. "Ariel?"

"Hi, Shae." The young mermaid replied with a smile. "It's good to see you again."

For a moment, Shae was too shocked to speak, and her mouth gaped silently open. "Uh… Yeah, it's… I-It's good to see you too." She stammered, shaking her head in befuddlement. "What are you doing here? I thought you were back in The Enchanted Forest with Erik."

"Er, well, yeah, I… I-I was." Ariel stammered as well, eyeing Cruella nervously, who was now standing behind Shae. "It's… A really long story. I just… Wanted to give you this."

Shae took the small envelope that Ariel handed to her. Only one word was scrawled on the front: Shae. The vampire's brow furrowed in confusion. The handwriting was strangled familiar. When Shae turned the envelope over, her jaw dropped open all over again when she saw the wax seal.

"T-This… This is… Arendelle's royal seal." She whispered.

"Yeah, it's… From Elsa." Ariel explained. "I met her back in The Enchanted Forest. She asked me to give this to you if I ever found my way back to Storybrooke."

"Well, well, well…" Cruella sneered, peering down at the envelope from over Shae's shoulder. "Isn't this a strange turn of events?"

Ariel narrowed her eyes at Cruella, then awkwardly cleared her throat. "Well, uh, I should go." She said, turning her attention back onto Shae. "I'd rather not spend any more time here than I have to, given your, uh… Present company."

Shae nodded silently, still staring wide eyed down at the envelope in her hands. She then swung the door shut in Ariel's face. "Um… You're welcome?" Came Ariel's voice from the other side.

Shae ignored her, slowly sinking back down into her chair. She heard Cruella's voice from somewhere beside her, but was unable to make out her exact words through the sudden ringing in her ears. Slowly, carefully, she peeled back the blue wax seal, and removed the letter that was folded inside the envelope. With her hands shaking, her mind reeling, Shae unfolded the letter, and began to read.

Silence fell over the cabin in the woods as Shae read her other true love's words. August and Cruella both watched her silently, watched as tears fell freely down the vampire's cold, pale face. When she was finished, Shae once again reached into the envelope with quivering hands. Tucked away inside, was a single, tiny blue flower, a Forget Me Not.

"Thank you, Elsa." Shae whispered with a smile.

"What the hell is that?" Asked Cruella.

Shae breathed out a small laugh, gently stroking the flower's petals with a finger. "It's a reminder." She quietly replied. "A reminder of who I once was, who I really am."

Cruella snorted loudly. "And what exactly is that?"

Shae didn't respond right away. She carefully put the letter and the flower back inside the envelope, and tucked it away inside her jacket. Then, she slowly rose to her feet, and turned to face Cruella, a strange sort of smile on her face.

"A hero."

August gasped in alarm as Shae suddenly drew back her fist, and clocked Cruella in the side of her head. Cruella immediately slumped to the floor, knocked completely senseless from the blow. Shae stood over her, her clenched fists trembling, her strange, determined smile growing even wider.

"I am Shae of Arendelle!" She announced in a clear, ringing voice. "I am The Protector of the Queen. I am Shae FUCKING CORMAC!"

Shae paused for a moment, her chest heaving, her blood red eyes wide and wild. "I AM A FUCKING WARRIOR!" She roared at Cruella's unconscious body. "I am strong, and I am not some fucking pawn! I would rather die than be someone's puppet, ANY LONGER!"

Silence fell over the cabin once again as August stared wide eyed at Shae. "Um…" He mumbled from his chair. "You… Y-You know she's unconscious… Right?"

"Shut up, man! I'm going through something, here!" Shae shouted at him, whirling around. She then breathed out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Dammit… Never mind, it's over, you ruined it."

August eyed Shae curiously as she rushed over to him, and began untying the ropes around his wrists. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Getting you out of here." Shae snapped in reply. "What the hell does it look like I'm doing?"

"But… B-But Gold… He'll kill you!"

Shae breathed out a sour laugh. "Uh, yeah, did you miss the whole, 'I'd rather die,' part?"

"I kinda just thought that was a, you know, heat of the moment kind of thing." August replied, chuckling as well.

"Nope. That was real." Shae said with a shrug, tossing the now untied ropes onto the floor. "Now, come on, let's get the hell out of here."

Shae helped August up to his feet, and started toward the door. She spun back around as August suddenly cried out in pain, falling to his hands and knees onto the floor. "Woah! You ok?" She exclaimed.

August shook his head, beads of sweat suddenly beginning to form on his forehead. "I… I-I don't know." He groaned, grimacing in pain. "S-Somethings wrong."

Shae groaned as well, and she seized one of August's arms, throwing it across her shoulders. "Come on, let's get you to Blue." She grunted as she hoisted August to his feet. "She'll know what to do."

XX

With August in pain, and without her super strength or super speed, the trip to the convent took much longer than Shae would have liked. Still, though, they made it safely without any interference from Gold or Maleficent. Shae knew that once they found out what she had done, they would likely kill her. However, Elsa's letter had instilled a newfound strength into the vampire, a newfound hope. She was determined to go down fighting, to go down as the hero she once was, the hero that Elsa saw in her.

Mother Superior immediately began tending to August as soon as Shae arrived with him. Unfortunately, there was little she could do. She explained that August's body had been changed by magic much too many times, and he would have to be very strong to survive through the latest one. Shae sat by August's bedside as he fell back unconscious, and the feeling of crushing helplessness started to return as she stared at his feverish, sweat covered face.

Knowing that August would need more magical protection than just the fairies, Shae tried to call Emma, but was only able to leave her a voicemail. Next, she decided to call Mary Margaret, who did answer, and said that she and David would be on their way immediately. Shae sent a carefully coded text to Regina while she waited, just in case Gold or Maleficent happened to be looking over her shoulder. She hoped against hope that Regina would decipher her message. She had to see her, had to tell her the truth, before it was too late.

Finally, Mary Margaret and David arrived, and Shae was surprised to see Henry with them. "Shae!" Henry exclaimed. "It's true! You're back!"

Henry rushed over to Shae, and threw his arms around her. Shae laughed, hugging him tight, grateful tears welling to her eyes. "Listen, Henry." She said quietly, holding him out at arms length, staring mournfully into his eyes. "I'm guessing your mom told you why I had to leave Storybrooke. I just want you to know how sorry I am. That spell, it… It could have erased you, and I… Henry, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"It's ok." Henry replied, smiling up at her. "You didn't do it, and you saved August. That's all that matters."

Tears began to spill down Shae's face as Henry hugged her once again. "I knew you were a hero, Shae." He whispered to her.

Shae laughed, squeezing him tight. "Thanks, kid." She whispered back.

Suddenly, the sound of rushing footsteps caused Shae to release Henry. It was Emma, closely followed by Hook. "Shae!" Emma whispered, clapping both of her hands over her mouth. "Oh my god… It's you. You're really here."

"Hey, Swan Song." Shae said with a smile.

Just like her son, Emma rushed forward, and threw her arms around the vampire. "Oh god, Shae." She whispered as she held Shae tight. "I'm so glad you're here. I missed you so much."

"Hey, are you ok?" Shae asked as she pulled away, eyeing Emma with concern. "You're… Shaking."

Emma's eyes shifted over to her parents, and Shae was alarmed to see the sudden fury in her hazel green eyes. "I'm fine." She mumbled.

Suddenly, Shae's own eyes shone with realization, and she also slowly turned them onto David and Mary Margaret. "You told her, didn't you?" She asked them quietly. "You told her about what you did to Maleficent."

Neither of the Charmings chose to respond, and they merely hung their heads in shame. "You know, about that." Shae went on, breathing out a sour laugh. "That was just… So shady. And you guys had the gall to judge me? Fucking hypocrites, the both of you!"

"Shae, listen." Mary Margaret slowly began. "We're really sorry, we-"

"No! Shut up!" Shae shouted, cutting her off. "Don't talk to me, don't even look at me! I don't want to see your stupid faces any more. And you!"

Hook drew back a step in alarm as Shae pointed her finger in his face. "I dunno, I guess you're kinda growing on me." Shae muttered with a slight shrug. "But I swear to god, if you ever hurt Emma, I will chop off your dick, and shove it straight down your throat!"

"A pleasant image, thanks, mate." Grumbled Hook.

"And you!" Shae went on, pointing at Emma. When Emma's eyes grew wide with shock, Shae quickly cleared her throat, dropping her arm back down to her side. "Sorry, got caught up in the moment. I, um… I-I really missed you."

Emma chuckled. "I missed you too, Shae."

Shae laughed too as Emma embraced her once again. She then quickly brought them all up to speed on August's condition. Since there was nothing Mother Superior could do for him, they were all extremely worried, but Emma was confident that he would pull through. Next, Shae decided to fill them all in on Gold's plan. She told them all about how he wanted to find The Author, to have him turn the tables on the heroes of Storybrooke.

"Yeah, we already know that." Emma replied when Shae was finished.

"Well, what you don't know is that his plan also involves you."

Emma blinked several times in surprise. "Wait… What?"

Shae breathed out a heavy sigh, running a hand through her messy black hair. "He can't have The Savior running around while he's trying to get happy endings for the villains." She explained. "So he wants to undo everything Snow and Charming did back home. Emma, he wants to… Turn you dark."

Emma's hazel green eyes grew wide with shock. "How?" She whispered.

Shae sighed once again, slowly shaking her head. "I don't know." She muttered. "I'm not sure if he even knows how just yet. But he'll figure it out, I know he will."

They all stood in shocked silence for a moment as they processed this new and startling information. Emma opened her mouth to question Shae more, but shut it again when the sound of more rushing footsteps echoed out from the hallway just outside August's room. Regina had finally arrived, and she looked perplexed as she stared around the crowded room.

"Shae, there you are." She said when she spotted the vampire. "What the hell is going on? Your text barely made any sense, and I barely had time to get away from-"

The rest of Regina's words were cut off as Shae rushed over to her, pulled her into her arms, and kissed her. Regina stood rigid in shock, startled and confused, barely able to believe what was happening. Shae then pulled away from her true love's lips, her hands shaking as she placed them on Regina's shoulders, staring intently into her deep brown eyes.

"I lied to you." She told her quietly.

Regina's brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"I lied when I said I came back for Elsa." Shae went on in a rush. "Regina, I… I came back for you."

Regina's brown eyes grew wide with shock. "What?" She whispered again.

Shae sighed, once again running a shaky hand through her messy black hair. "Look, I know you still love Robin, and you know that I still love Elsa." She quietly replied. "Honestly, she's a big part of why I did all this. Ariel's back in town, and she gave me this letter from Elsa."

Shae momentarily removed Elsa's letter from inside her jacket, then carefully stowed it away again. "In it, she said that I should never forget who I once was, who I really am." She went on, her blood red eyes shining with tears. "She didn't mean the monster that I was, she meant the hero that I was back in Arendelle. And I realized that… She's right. I am a hero. And not only is that who I really am, it's who I want to be. Regina, that's who you are too, who you want to be."

Shae paused for a moment, and Regina stared silently into her eyes, her mouth hanging open. "There's something else, something Elsa said to me when she was here." Shae continued on with a small smile. "She told me that, not only is it important for us to have people in our lives who love us for who we are, but it's important that we love ourselves just as much. And I think… I-I think that's why Robin and Elsa came into our lives. I think everything happened for a reason."

Tears began to flow down the vampire's face, and she smiled more as she took Regina by the hand. "I think Robin and Elsa came into our lives so that we could learn to love ourselves." She went on in a whisper. "So then, maybe, you and I could… Love each other. Properly."

Regina continued to stand in silence, her own eyes glistening with tears. When she failed to respond, Shae breathed out a heavy sigh, hanging her head. "I dunno, I've been doing an awful lot of talking, and maybe I'm just talking nonsense now." She muttered. "If you think it's all crazy, and if you don't feel the same, then… That's ok. I just needed to tell you the truth about how I really feel."

Shae made to release Regina's hand, but Regina clung to it, using her free hand to grab on to the front of Shae's jacket. She jerked her forward, and placed a firm kiss on her lips. For a moment, Shae stood rigid in shocked surprise. She then choked out a strangled sob of joy from against Regina's lips, and wrapped her arms around her, holding her tight as their lips parted.

"Oh, Shae." Regina whispered, pressing her forehead to Shae's, smiling through her tears as she gently caressed her cold, pale face. "Shae, you're right. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't still think about Robin, just like you do Elsa. But, this whole time… I've thought of almost nothing but you. You're the one I want. You, and only you."

Shae choked out another joyful sob, grateful tears spilling down her face as Regina kissed her again. "I love you, Shae." Regina whispered softly.

"I love you too, Regina." Shae whispered back.

David and Mary Margaret both smiled at each other as they watched the two lovers kiss again, and Emma wrapped one arm around her son's shoulders, linking the other in with Hook's. She smiled at Hook, then at Henry, and her eyes momentarily locked with both of her parent's. She quickly averted her gaze, clenching her jaw tight. She was still furious with them over learning what they had done to Maleficent. No matter how much they tried to explain themselves, no matter how much they apologized, Emma still wanted nothing to do with her parents, whom she had once thought were valiant heroes. She was starting to think that maybe Shae, Regina, and Hook, even after all they had done, were possibly better heroes than the fabled Snow White and Prince Charming. None of them had ever lied about who they were, unlike her parents.

"Shae, I'm… I'm so happy." Regina whispered, smiling into the blood red eyes of the woman she loved. "But… What are we going to do about Gold and Maleficent? They'll come for you once they've realized what you've done."

Shae nodded, gently wiping away Regina's tears with her thumb. "I know." She whispered back. "That's why I wanted to tell you all this. I… I-I don't know how much time I have left."

"No!" Henry cried, his eyes wide with horror. "No, we have to stop them!"

"Henry's right, we can help." Emma agreed with a determined nod. "I've been practicing my magic, and I've gotten pretty good. And Regina… Well, she's already a force to be reckoned with on her own."

"You guys, this is The Dark One and Maleficent we're talking about!" Shae exclaimed, glancing between Emma and Regina. "I know you guys are powerful, but… I don't think you're powerful enough."

"We'll just have to be." Emma sternly insisted. "We're putting a stop to this. You two have been through enough already." She then grabbed Shae by the arm. "Come on, we need to get you somewhere safe."

"We'll come too!" Mary Margaret offered as Emma pulled Shae toward the door. "We'll do everything we can to help, and-"

"NO!" Emma shouted. Mary Margaret and David both stopped in their tracks, their eyes wide with horror at the sheer contempt they saw in their daughter's eyes. "Stay here and keep an eye on August." Emma commanded in a growl. "You two have done enough already."

XX

With Regina still undercover as a Queen of Darkness, she and Emma both decided that her home and her vault were likely not safe places to hide Shae. They decided to put her in a room at Granny's Bed and Breakfast, where Emma cast a protection spell. Regina had been the one to offer first, but Shae knew that if Gold sensed Regina's magic protecting her, he'd know something was up. Emma struggled with the spell at first, but was eventually able to cast it successfully. Both Shae and Regina were surprised and relieved to see how powerful it was.

Once she knew that Shae was safe, Regina kissed the woman that she loved goodbye, and quickly returned to Gold's cabin. She wanted to stay with Shae, but knew that she needed to keep her cover intact, so she could find out just how Gold was planning to turn The Savior to darkness. Shae, meanwhile, sat in her room with Emma, Hook, and Henry, trying to come up with a plan to free herself from Gold's control, as well as Maleficent's. They talked for hours, but still came up empty. Gold and Maleficent were just too powerful.

Night had fallen over Storybrooke once again, and Shae sat alone in her room, staring blankly at the television. The others had gone home to get some rest, and Shae continued to turn her options over and over again in her mind. She knew, though, that no matter what she did, there would be no stopping Maleficent or Gold. She was trapped, with no way out. The vampire was determined to at least go down fighting, to go down as the hero that she was, not the villain she had been. Still, though, she couldn't quell the fear that was bubbling in her stomach. She had finally reconciled with Regina, and was on the verge of losing her again. She tried to remain strong, to remain hopeful, but she was completely and utterly terrified.

It was well past midnight when Shae heard a knock at her door. She didn't even bother to peer through the tiny peephole, assuming that it was Gold or Maleficent finally coming for her head. However, when she pulled the door open, she was surprised to find Regina on the other side.

"Regina!" Shae exclaimed in a whisper. "What the hell are you doing here? You shouldn't-"

The rest of Shae's chastising caught in her throat as Regina threw her arms around her, placing a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. "I'm sorry, I just… I had to see you." She whispered, staring desperately into Shae's blood red eyes.

Shae opened her mouth to protest more, but shut it again, staring back into Regina's beautiful brown eyes. They kissed again, and Regina swung the door shut behind her. Neither of them spoke as they began tearing at each other's clothes, their lips parting again and again with deep, desperate urgency. They stumbled over to the bed, and fell in it together, making urgent, passionate love until the wee hours of the morning.

The moon was hanging low in the sky, casting a pale light across the two lovers. They lie wrapped up in each other's arms, slowly and gently enjoying each other's lips. After a time, Regina's flushed skin began to fade, and Shae was forced to tuck the blankets between them, to protect the woman she loved from the coldness of her body. Still, though, she held Regina as close as she possibly could, never wanting to let go again.

"Oh, Shae." Regina whispered as she gently caressed Shae's cold, pale face. "I'm so sorry. For everything."

"Me too." Shae whispered back, smiling into her eyes.

Regina laughed lightly, placing another gentle kiss on Shae's lips. "How many times have we had to apologize to each other like this, now?"

Shae laughed too, slowly shaking her head. "I don't know. Way too many times."

Regina laughed some more, kissing her lips once again. "Let's just hope that this is the last time.

Shae nodded in agreement, smiling against Regina's lips as they kissed again. "Shae, I love you." Regina whispered.

"I love you too." Shae whispered back, her smile slowly fading as her mind unwillingly wandered back to the impending threat of Gold and Maleficent. "I… I just… W-What are we gonna do?"

Regina pressed her lips to Shae's cheek, kissing away the frightened tears that had started to leak out of her eyes. "Shh… Don't think about that right now." She murmured softly. "Just… Kiss me some more."

Shae didn't need to be told twice, and her smile returned as she kissed the woman she loved so very much. Regina then slipped beneath the blankets, pressing gentle kisses down Shae's mangled torso, working her way down between her legs. As the two of them engaged in another round of vigorous love making, the entire rest of the world faded away. They were too wrapped up in each other, too grateful to be back in each other's arms again to care about Gold or Maleficent. Neither of them had any idea that The Dark One and The Queens of Darkness were the least of their worries.

XX

The next morning, Regina reluctantly kissed Shae goodbye once again, and returned to the cabin in the woods. Meanwhile, Emma Swan was eating breakfast at Granny's Diner with her son and Hook. The three of them sat at the counter together, the tables and booths full with other Storybrooke residents, including Emma's parents. Emma was still trying to process the foul deed they had performed in order to rid her of her darkness, a darkness that Gold was planning to exploit regardless. She hadn't even acknowledged David and Mary Margaret's presence, still too furious with them to share any words.

"That guy over there…" Granny said to Emma as she set her plate down in front of her. "You ever seen him before?"

Emma, as well as Henry and Hook, followed Granny's line of sight, and turned around in their stools. There was a man sitting alone in a booth at the far corner of the diner. He was sitting with his back to the door, so all they could see was a short crop of neatly combed, jet black hair, and the back of his black suit.

"I dunno." Emma replied with a shrug. "It's kinda hard to tell, he-"

Emma stopped mid sentence as the diner's door suddenly burst open with a bang. She balled her hands into fists as Mr. Gold stepped into the diner, closely followed by Maleficent and Cruella. Regina was with them as well, and she momentarily exchanged a wide eyed, panicked glance with The Savior. Thankfully, Gold, Maleficent, and Cruella failed to see it, as they were too busy eyeing everyone else, who had leapt to their feet in alarm.

"Gold." Emma snarled, narrowing her eyes at The Dark One. "I heard you were back. Where's Ursula?"

"Thanks to Captain Wonder over here, she's had a reunion with daddy dearest." Replied Cruella, narrowing her own eyes at Hook. "Apparently she's too good for us now."

"I wish I could say I was sorry, but…" Hook said with a chuckle, trailing off into silence as he shrugged.

"That's not why we're here." Grumbled Gold, pointing a menacing finger at Emma. "You've stolen something from us, and we're here to take it back."

"You're not getting anywhere near August!" David shouted from the other side of the room.

Gold chuckled amusedly, slowly shaking his head. "Yes, you did manage to steal the puppet out from under our noses. Not without some help, though, am I right?"

Emma slowly slid from her barstool, balling her hands into fists once again. "You're not getting anywhere near Shae either!"

"So you are hiding her." Maleficent sneered. She then turned to Cruella, and held out her hand. "Pay up, Cruella."

Cruella rolled her eyes, removing some bills from inside her white fur jacket, and slapping them into Maleficent's open palm. "And here I thought you were the one that was hiding her away." She grumbled to Regina.

"I told you I wasn't." Regina snapped back, folding her arms across her chest.

"Tread carefully, Miss Swan." Gold snarled at Emma. "Shae and I have a deal, one that she has mistakenly broken."

"We know all about your deal, Crocodile." Hook snarled back, taking an angry step forward.

Gold shifted his malicious gaze onto Hook, grinning deviously at his old nemesis. "So, then, you know full well that Shae is mine."

"Actually… She's mine!"

Emma, Hook, and the others all whirled around at the sound of a man's voice from behind them. The man sitting alone that Granny had pointed out suddenly rose from his booth, and began strolling toward them. He was dressed in a fine black suit, complete with a silk maroon vest. Emma still didn't know who he was, but she knew what he was. She knew immediately by the pale gray tint of his skin, and his blood red eyes. His accent was familiar as well. It reminded Emma of the way Remus spoke, and the way Shae had when she had seen her when they were trapped in The Enchanted Forest of the past. Suddenly, The Savior's heart began to race. She finally realized who exactly this man was.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Demanded Hook.

"Name's Alucard." The man replied with a grin. "Though, you might know me better by my other moniker-"

"Dracula." Henry whispered.

Dracula laughed loudly at the fearful look on everyone's faces. "I see my reputation precedes me." He replied, still grinning broadly. "Excellent. My threats will not fall on ignorant ears, then."

"What threats?" Mary Margaret asked warily.

Dracula came to a stop in the midst of them all, and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, have I not made any yet? Terribly sorry. Got a bit caught up in all the drama."

"Wait a moment…" Gold muttered, staring wide eyed at the vampire. "That's my suit!"

Dracula laughed again, spreading his arms wide as he glanced down at his own body. "Yes, it is, in fact. Looks a lot better on me, though, don't you think?" He asked, still grinning. "I had some help picking it out, by the way."

Dracula whistled loudly over his shoulder, beckoning his hand forward. Everyone in the diner gasped, and began backing away as the door at the back burst open, and a group of people began filing in. There was eight of them in total, five men, and three women. They all had the same shade of pale gray skin, and blood red eyes, and they were all dressed similarly to Dracula, as well as Gold. A man with shoulder length, dirty blonde hair came out last, pushing a struggling young woman forward, her hands tied behind her back with ropes, a white cloth tied around her mouth. They were all horrified to realize that they recognized this woman.

"BELLE!" Gold and Emma both exclaimed in unison.

Belle emitted a muffled shout from around the cloth tied around her mouth, wrenching her arm furiously away from the blonde vampire's grip. "You see, my friends and I needed some more suitable clothing to better blend in with this new world." Dracula went on, grinning deviously at Gold. "Your lovely wife was more than happy to help us. Well, ex-wife, I suppose I should say."

"How?" Gold whispered, his eyes wide with fear, something that no-one else in the room had ever seen in his eyes before. "How did you know?"

Dracula laughed mockingly as he wrapped his arm around a fearful looking Belle's shoulders. "Oh, I know everything." He replied with a wink, and began gesturing around the room with his other hand, starting with Emma. "Here we have The Savior. A bit of a pretentious title, if you ask me. And over here we have the fabled duo Snow White and Prince Charming. Then there's the dark sorceress Maleficent, and Cruella de Vil. And then there's The Evil Queen, the woman that my old friend Shae has fallen so helplessly in love with."

"Can't say that I see the appeal." Muttered the blonde haired vampire.

"Oh, I certainly do." Said one of them vampire women, grinning as she looked Regina up and down.

"So, that's why you're here, then?" Asked Hook, eyeing Dracula and his counterparts as warily as everyone else. "You're here for Shae."

"Well, well… I see your looks match your wits, don't they, Captain?" Dracula replied with another wink.

Suddenly, Gold emitted an enraged growl, and summoned a fireball into his hand. "You let Belle go, or I'll-"

Gold stopped short, stumbling backward in fright as, in the time it took all of them to blink, Dracula stood directly in front of him. "Tread carefully, Rumplestiltskin." Dracula whispered, his sultry grin falling into a menacing glare. "You may be The Dark One, but I am The Prince of Darkness." He paused for a moment and leaned in closer to Gold, glaring deep into his eyes. "I am the devil himself… And you will bow before me."

A moment of fearful silence followed the vampire's chilling words. "What do you want, Dracula?" Emma snarled.

Dracula barked out another amused laugh, patting Gold lightly on the cheek as he turned to The Savior. "Well, it appears that your looks do not match your wits." He replied with an irritable wave of his hand. "I thought it was obvious. I want Shae, and Remus, and… Storybrooke."

"What?" Whispered Regina.

"You see, my friends and I need a new place to call home." Dracula explained as he turned his blood red eyes onto Regina. "This quaint, magical little town you've created will suit just nicely… For a time. Then, we'll conquer this whole new world. I will finally create a utopia where my children and I will reign supreme."

"You're insane if you think we'll just sit back and let you take Storybrooke." David growled.

"Oh, you will." Sneered Dracula. "Otherwise, she dies. Sorry, I thought that was obvious as well."

Everyone in the diner gasped as a dagger appeared in Dracula's hand with a puff of blood red smoke. Belle emitted a feeble cry as he held it to her throat, her eyes wide with fear. "Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head." Dracula told her with another dark and devious grin. "You'll be just fine, as long as your friends here comply with my demands."

"I'm afraid that's going to be a bit difficult." Regina replied as she stepped forward. "Remus isn't exactly here."

"Well, he may not be in Storybrooke, but I know that he is in this world." Dracula countered with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I am not unreasonable, so lets say you have till… Sundown. Tomorrow. Deliver both Shae and Remus to me by then, and surrender. Then, and this I swear on my eternal life, everyone in this lovely little town will live. In fact, I might even decide to allow some of you into my family. We shall see."

Dracula then removed the dagger from Belle's throat, and stepped up to Emma, reaching inside the pocket of his suit. "Now, if I know Shae, she'll likely be a bit skeptical when you tell her that I'm here." He said as he removed a tiny wooden box from within his jacket. "Give her this. Trust me, it'll help."

Emma took the small box from Dracula, though a bit warily. Then, Dracula returned to Belle's side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders once again. "Come along now, Belle." He said, smiling chipperly at Gold. "We've got some waiting to do. Ta-ta!"

Dracula and his fellow vampires all disappeared in puffs of blood red smoke. When they were gone, a deafening silence fell over the diner. Emma stared down at the tiny wooden box in her hand for a moment, her head spinning, her heart racing. She had heard Shae speak about Dracula only a few times, and the stories she told about the ancient and powerful vampire never had happy endings.

"W-What do we do?" Whispered Henry, looking to Emma, his eyes wide with fright

"Don't worry, Henry." Emma said softly, fighting to keep her tone even as she wrapped her arm soothingly around his shoulders. "It's… I-It's gonna be ok."

"Is it?" Cruella asked with a snort. "This is Dracula we're talking about, darling. The Dracula."

"How the bloody hell did he even get to Storybrooke?" Wondered Hook.

"I don't give a damn how he got here." Snarled Gold, his clenched fists trembling with rage. "All that matters is that he is here, and he has my Belle."

"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but… Gold's right." David agreed in a dark tone. "Belle is our number one priority right now."

Emma didn't even bother to glance at her father. She stepped up to Gold, and held out her hand to him. "Truce?" She asked.

Gold glanced quickly over his shoulder at Maleficent, Cruella, and Regina, then nodded his head. "For now." He said as he shook Emma's hand.

"Good." Emma replied with a nod of her own. "Now… We need to go see Shae. We need to find out why the hell Dracula wants her and Remus so bad."

XX

The whole group headed up to Shae's room in the bed and breakfast. Shae was alarmed to see Gold and Maleficent amongst the heroes of Storybrooke, but they quickly assured her they had a momentary accord, and she would remain safe, for the time being. Next, they told Shae all about Dracula and the threats that he had made. Just as he predicted, Shae thought it was all some sort of strange joke. However, when Emma gave her the tiny wooden box, her attitude abruptly changed.

"No." Shae whispered, her hands shaking as she stared down into the now open box. "No, no, no…"

"What is it?" Emma asked.

She stepped around behind Shae, and peered down into the tiny wooden box. Inside was an ornate silver ring, the band in the form of some sort of serpent. The stone was quite large, and appeared to be some sort of ruby. It was bright red, and gleamed in the sunlight coming through the windows of Shae's room.

"It's… Akasha's ring." Shae muttered quietly, still staring down at the ring, her blood red eyes wide with fear.

"Akasha?" Asked Hook.

"Dracula's wife." Mary Margaret answered. Suddenly, she drew in a sharp gasp, clapping her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at Shae. "Oh my god… It was you, wasn't? You were Akasha's lover, the one Dracula caught her in bed with."

Shae glanced quickly over at Regina, then turned her eyes onto the ground, breathing out a sad, heavy sigh. "Yeah." She whispered.

"Bloody hell, mate!" Hook exclaimed with a bemused chuckle. "The Ice Queen, The Evil Queen, and The Vampire Queen. Quite an impressive list, to be honest."

"Guess you've got a type." Muttered David, chuckling as well.

"Shut up!" Shae snapped irritably. "Didn't I tell you not to talk to me?"

"Jesus Christ, Shae." Emma groaned, rubbing her already aching forehead. "This is bad, like… Really bad!"

"What exactly possessed you to sleep with a married woman in the first place?" Regina asked of Shae, raising a not at all pleased eyebrow at her.

Shae heaved another heavy sigh, running a quivering hand through her messy black hair. "I-I mean… She was… Lonely, you know?" She stammered in a quiet and uncomfortable tone. "Dracula became obsessed with his war with his brother and… Well… You just… Y-You should have seen her."

Shae glanced around the room, and when she was met with nothing but disapproving glares, she cleared her throat, folding her arms across her chest. "Well… Suffice it to say that no one in this room would have said 'no,' to her." She said stubbornly.

"I don't think that makes it any better." Grumbled Maleficent.

"Oh, suck my fucking dick!" Snapped Shae.

"Shae!" Emma chided, placing her hands over Henry's ears.

"Sorry! I-I'm sorry." Shae stammered, cringing apologetically. "Look, I'm not proud of what I did, ok? It was a mistake, and it was wrong. But… I can't change it, and Dracula… He's here, and he wants my head, and Remus's."

"How exactly did he even get here?" Asked David.

"I have no idea." Shae replied, slowly and gravely shaking her head. "He's ancient, and he's collected a lot of different types of magic in his time, from a lot of different worlds. Who the hell even knows what he used to get to this one?"

"What does he want Remus for?" Emma asked next. "I mean… You were the one that slept with his wife."

"Shit! Remus!" Shae exclaimed, fumbling with her cellphone as she removed it from her pocket. "I need to call him. He needs to get here right fucking now." She paused for a moment to pull up Remus's number, then went on to explain. "Dracula had me locked up in his dungeon, and Remus set me free, helped me escape. I'm guessing he's not too happy about that."

Emma opened her mouth with another question, but shut it again as Shae suddenly shouted into her phone. "Remus! Hey! Listen, you need to-" She paused for a moment, brow furrowed in confusion. "It's Shae, dummy! Do you still not have my number in your phone? I've showed you how to do it like… Five thousand times!"

Shae breathed out an irritated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Just listen, ok? It's Dracula. He's in Storybrooke."

Just like Shae, Remus thought it was all some sort of strange, colossal joke. Shae was forced to put him on speakerphone, and they all spent several minutes trying to convince Remus that they were actually telling the truth. Finally, Remus started to believe them, and his tone grew a whole octave higher with panic. Shae told him that he needed to get to Storybrooke as fast as he could. Unfortunately, Remus was clear across the country in Los Angeles. Shae instructed him to get on the soonest flight that he could, but, unfortunately, Remus had never flown on a plane before. They all spent several more minutes giving Remus careful instructions on what to do, and, finally, Shae ended the call after Remus said he would be on his way to the airport immediately.

"Alright." Shae muttered as she stowed her phone back in her pocket. "Once Remus gets here, we'll go get Belle back, and-"

"No! Absolutely not!" Regina exclaimed. "It's too dangerous. The two of you can't just go-"

"We have to." Shae interjected, quickly shaking her head. "It's the only way to get to Belle. Once she's safe, then we can work on taking care of Dracula."

"And how exactly do we do that?" Asked Gold, folding his arms across his chest.

Shae breathed out a heavy sigh, glancing slowly around the room, her pale face grave. "I don't know…"

XX

Both the heroes and villains of Storybrooke spent the remainder of the night trying to come up with a plan to defeat Dracula. It was proving difficult since, according to Shae, there was no way to actually kill the ancient vampire. Unlike other vampires, his children, he was immune to fire and silver. This posed a major problem.

After bickering, arguing, and general panic, they all decided to retire to their homes to get some much needed rest. Regina once again visited Shae in her room at the bed and breakfast, and she slept fitfully that night, despite being wrapped up in the arms of the woman she loved. She was terrified, as was Shae, as was everyone else. Despite her fear, Shae began formulating a plan as she lie awake with Regina in her arms. Her plan to stop Dracula involved her book of ancient blood magic, which she knew that Emma and her parents would not like one bit. Still, though, she knew that it was likely their only hope to save Storybrooke, to save the world.

Remus finally arrived later the next afternoon. Gold was too preoccupied with his kidnapped wife to want to bother mincing words with Remus, so he remained in his cabin with Maleficent and Cruella, while Regina joined the others at the town line. They found Remus waiting just on the other side, but, for a moment, none of them were completely sure that it was really Remus they were looking at. He was wearing tight fitting gray shorts, and an equally tight fluorescent pink polo shirt. What was most startling was his complexion. His normally pale gray skin was somehow much more tan, and slightly orange.

"Did you… Get a spray tan?" Shae asked of him once he crossed over the town line, Ingrid's scroll in hand.

"Of course!" Remus exclaimed, as if the fact should have been obvious. "I was in Los Angeles! I was sticking out like a sore thumb there."

"Well, you look, um…" Shae began, pausing for a moment as she looked her friend up and down. "You look… Great."

Remus rolled his blood red eyes. "Oh, just shut your fat old gob and come here."

Shae laughed as Remus pulled her into a tight and grateful embrace. Once he released her, Regina stepped forward. "It's good to see you, Remus." She said with a smile.

Regina made to embrace him as well, but stopped short, her smile quickly fading when Remus gave her a cold stare. "Regina." He said with a stiff nod.

Regina's mouth dropped open in confused shock. "I… I-I don't understand." She stammered. "What is this?"

"I believe it's what people in this world refer to as, 'throwing shade.'" Remus replied, raising an eyebrow at her. "Did you really think I'd be friendly after you broke my best friend's heart?"

Shae snorted with laughter, and she quickly attempted to pass it off as a cough when Regina shot her a disapproving glare. "Er, Remus, as much as I appreciate all the shade you're throwing," She said, carefully smoothing out her face. "It's, uh… Not really necessary."

Remus raised another eyebrow as Shae smiled at Regina, and took her gently by the hand. "Oh, for god's sake." He muttered with another dramatic eye roll. "You two are worse than those Kardashians I'm always hearing so much about. What exactly is it that they do, anyway?"

"I don't think anyone really knows." Mumbled Emma.

Remus shrugged, and ruffled his chestnut brown hair. "At any rate… We need to focus on our current problem." He said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm assuming you all have a plan to stop Dracula."

Mary Margaret, who was standing next to her husband a few steps behind Emma, opened her mouth to speak, but shut it when Shae cut her off. "I do." Said Shae. "It's… A little crazy, but… Well, here it is…"

They stood silently in the middle of the road for several long moments, listening to Shae's plan. Since there was no known way to actually kill Dracula, Shae wanted to send him somewhere where he could never hurt her, Remus, or anyone else ever again: The Underworld. This would require a spell from her ancient book of blood magic, which, as she predicted, Mary Margaret and David were not at all pleased about. Emma, however, was much more agreeable, desperate to find a way, any way, to put a stop to Dracula and his family.

"How exactly are you going to cast this spell?" Asked David, folding his arms across his chest. "You know you can't use Storybrooke's magic like you did last time."

"Yeah, I know that." Shae snapped irritably. "I actually don't think we'll have to. We might just have enough magical power already. We're just going to need some help. We're gonna need Gold and The Queens of Darkness. Since Ursula's skipped town, we'll have to hope Maleficent and Cruella will be enough."

"Do you honestly think they'll do it?" Emma asked, looking skeptical. "I know we have a truce and everything, but I'm not really sure that means they'll help us."

"Actually, I think they will." Shae countered. "They still want The Author, and he's somewhere in Storybrooke. If Dracula takes over, then they'll never get to him."

"An excellent point, mate." Hook agreed with a nod. "What about those other vampires? Seems like Dracula has an awful lot of friends."

"Indeed, they do present a bit of a problem." Muttered Remus, slowly stroking his chin. "I'm assuming Lestat was among them, yes?"

"Woah, wait a minute…" Emma began slowly, her hazel green eyes wide. "That guy with the blonde hair… That was Lestat, wasn't it? Like… The real Lestat?"

"Sounds like him." Remus replied with a shrug. "Do you know him?"

"No, no." Answered Shae, quickly shaking her head. "It's hard to explain, but… Let's just say that Dracula is sort of a legend in this world, a story. So is Lestat."

"I see." Remus muttered once again, slowly nodding his head. "Well, in reality he is Dracula's closest confidant. It's said that he and Dracula were friends before Dracula became a vampire. He turned Lestat just after Akasha."

"Which means he's stronger and faster than the rest." Shae went on to explain. "Still, though, he is weak to fire and silver, just like the others. We'll just need… A whole hell of a lot of both."

Silence fell over the group for a moment as they pondered just how to acquire an abundance of fire and silver. "Wait… Regina." Mary Margaret suddenly spoke. "When you were under Ingrid's curse, you cast a spell that gave an entire mob silver weapons. Do you think you can do it again?"

Regina thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I believe so."

"We can get liquor bottles from Granny's and The Rabbit Hole." David offered. "For molotov cocktails."

"And garlic!" Remus exclaimed, a strange sort of grin stretching across his face. "We'll need lots and lots of garlic!"

The others all exchanged a curious glance. "What for?" Asked Hook.

"Come. I'll explain on the way." Remus replied, setting off at a brisk pace down the road. "We need to gather the town. We're going to need all the help we can get."

Once again, everyone else exchanged confused glances, then hurried off after the vampire. "Remus, what exactly are you planning?" Shae questioned him.

Remus emitted a dark, knowing chuckle. "Oh, it's utterly mad." He answered, still grinning broadly. "But… It might just be mad enough to work."

XX

A little while later, nearly the entire town of Storybrooke was gathered inside the town hall. They had all been in a panic after word got out about what had happened at Granny's, and it grew even worse when Remus and Shae told them all just how much of a threat Dracula really was. Still, though, there were many brave souls that stepped forward to protect their town. All seven dwarves immediately offered their services, as did Robin Hood's Merry Men. Tinkerbell, Mother Superior, and the rest of the fairies stepped forward as well, and so did Granny, Archie, Marco, and even August, who had finally recovered from his ordeal. Several other townsfolk whose names Shae did not know offered to help however they could, and, soon, she and Remus had a small, ragtag battalion at their disposal.

Next, the heroes of Storybrooke had to attend to the matter of the villains, Gold and the remaining Queens of Darkness. Gold immediately agreed to help, to save his wife from Dracula. Maleficent and Cruella were stubbornly resistant at first, but once Shae explained that The Author would be lost to them if Dracula took Storybrooke, they relented, just as she had predicted. The two of them, as well as Gold, followed Shae and the others back to the town hall, where the rest of the volunteers were waiting. Once they were all settled, Remus told them all of his plan.

"Right, here's what we're going to do." He said, staring around at all of their fearful but determined faces. "Come sundown, Shae and I will meet Dracula on Main Street, and the rest of you will wait out in the woods. Once Belle is safe, I will meet you all in the forest, and-"

"Wait a minute!" Cried Regina, her deep brown eyes wide with shock. "You can't just leave Shae alone with Dracula and the others!"

"Do you really think I like it?" Remus demanded, folding his arms irritably across his chest. "It's the only way to make sure the group is separated. Shae is the one Dracula really wants, and if I know the man, and, trust me, I do, he'll send Lestat and the rest after me, while he deals with Shae himself."

Regina opened her mouth to argue more, but shut it again when Shae placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Regina, it's alright." She said soothingly. "Dracula will want to draw things out for as long as he can, to make me suffer. It'll give you guys plenty of time to cast the spell."

"Yes, but we'll need to deal with Lestat and the others first." Remus went on. "Once I start the spell, if a single one of us with magic breaks away, the whole thing will fall apart."

"Well, that's easily done, darling." Cruella said with an unconcerned wave of her hand. "We outnumber those fools four-to-one."

"Don't get cocky now." Remus replied, narrowing his eyes at Cruella. "They're vampires, remember? They're strong and they're fast, and it will take every single one of us to take them down."

"And why exactly did you have me bring all this garlic?" Asked Granny, gesturing to the strings of cloved garlic that were lying in a heap on the table in front of her.

"Ah! Yes. That is for the element of surprise." Remus explained. "You see, the scent of garlic is so strong that it masks the scent of man. You all will wear these, and hide amongst the trees. If all goes according to plan, Lestat and the rest will fall right into our ambush."

"I definitely like the sound of that." Leroy replied, grinning around at his brothers.

"Indeed." Remus agreed with a grin of his own. "Once we're rid of Lestat and the rest of Dracula's guard, I will have Regina here send up a signal into the air, and we will begin the spell. When Shae sees the signal, she will lure Dracula into the woods, and all that will be left to do is send him into the abyss. Once in The Underworld, we will be free of the monster once and for all."

"Sounds like we have a pretty solid plan." Emma commented with a swift nod. She then glanced over her shoulder at the pale orange glow coming from the nearby window. "The sun's gonna be setting soon. Are we ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Granny muttered, breathing out a small chuckle.

"Thank you. Everyone." Shae said, smiling around at all of them. "Dracula is only here because of me, because of my mistake. I've made a lot of those, pretty recently actually. I just want to say that I'm sorry, and just… Thank you. All of you."

"We've all made mistakes, Shae." Mary Margaret replied, smiling sadly back at her. "What matters is what we try and do to better ourselves. You've done a lot to do just that, and we're with you. All of us."

"We won't let Dracula hurt you, or our town." Said Leroy, clapping Shae on the shoulder. "Now, we all know what to do. Everybody grab your weapons, grab some garlic, and head out."

The townsfolk gathered inside the town hall all began gathering up the various silver weapons Regina had provided them with, and crowded around the table in front of Granny, scooping up strings of garlic. Shae glanced quickly glanced over at Regina, who gave her a nervous smile. Regina tried her best to hide her fear, but Shae could see it in her eyes.

"Good luck, to all of us." Remus called out over the din of rustling. "Dracula is the greatest threat this town has ever seen. We're going to need all the luck we can get."

XX

A little while later, Shae was standing beside Remus in the middle of the now dark and deserted Main Street. Maleficent agreed, though rather begrudgingly, to return Shae's powers to her for the upcoming fight with Dracula, and Shae was comforted by the familiar tingle of magic at her fingertips once again. Still, though, it did little to quell the rolling boil of panic was bubbling wildly in her stomach. She closed her eyes, the deep brown eyes of the woman she loved flashing before her own.

"Regina, listen." She had said to Regina once everyone else had left the town hall. "If I don't make it through this, I need to-"

"Shh! No, don't say that." Regina murmured, pressing a finger gently to Shae's lips.

Shae sighed, removing Regina's hand from her lips. "Regina, please. Just listen." She whispered softly, fighting hard against the frightened tears that were welling into her eyes. "If I don't make it out of this alive, I need you to know that… That I just… I love you. You're the one, Regina. You've always been the one."

Regina smiled through the tears that were rolling down her face. "I love you too, Shae." She whispered back. She then placed her hands on either side of Shae's face, staring determinedly into her blood red eyes. "I will not let Dracula hurt you. I will not let him or anyone else take you away from me. I will not lose you again."

Shae smiled through her own tears as Regina placed a tender kiss on her lips. As she stood waiting for Dracula, she could still feel the warmth of her true love's lips upon her own. She knew full well that that kiss could have been their last.

"Remus." Shae muttered, keeping her blood red eyes fixed on the road ahead of her. "If I don't make it out of this, promise me you'll take care of Regina."

Shae half expected Remus to chastise her, and give her an empowered speech about how she would survive this ordeal. However, Remus knew full well the danger that his oldest and dearest friend was in, and he remained silent as he nodded his brown haired head.

"Well, well, well…"

Shae and Remus both jumped at the sound of a very familiar voice. They both whirled around, startled to find Dracula, Lestat, and the rest of the vampires standing a few yards behind them. Both Remus and Shae's unbeating hearts nearly dropped out of their chests at the sight of the man that they had once called friend, called family. Unsurprisingly, not a single thing had changed about him, except for his attire. It chilled both of them right to the bone.

"Here you both are." Dracula whispered quietly, his blood red eyes wide and wild, a devious grin stretching across his face. "Finally. After all this time."

"That's right, we're both here." Shae called out, fighting to keep her tone even. "You've got what you want. Now let Belle go."

Belle emitted a muffled cry from around the cloth that was still tied around her face. "Fine." Dracula replied with an unconcerned shrug. "She's been awfully dull company, anyway."

Dracula seized Belle by her shoulder, and gave her a rough shove forward. Belle glanced fearfully back at him and the rest of the vampires, then ran as fast as she could over to her friends, Shae and Remus. The two of them immediately began untying her as soon as she reached them.

"Why am I always the one getting kidnapped?" Belle grumbled, rubbing her aching wrists.

Shae chuckled nervously, quickly shaking her head. "I don't know. I'm sorry, Belle." She said in a rush. "Now, hurry. Get out of here."

"No arguing!" Remus sternly interject as Belle opened her mouth to protest. "Go on, now. Go!"

Belle bit her lip, glancing over her shoulder at Dracula and the others. She then nodded her head, and hurried off down the street, away from all the vampires. Once she was safely away, Shae and Remus exchanged a brief, anxious glance, then turned their attention back onto Dracula.

"What a delicious moment, don't you think, my lord?" Asked Lestat, grinning from beside Dracula. "You finally get to have your revenge on these traitors."

"Indeed." Dracula agreed, also grinning deviously at both Shae and Remus. "The ones I once called friends, called family, are finally here before me. I will finally hold the heart in my hand of the one who took everything from me."

"You're the one who killed her, Dracula." Shae snarled, taking an angry step forward. "You didn't have to do that."

Dracula scoffed indignantly. "Didn't I? What other punishment is fitting enough for such betrayal?"

Shae squeezed her eyes shut, balling her hands into fists as tears began to well into her eyes. "Dracula, please." She whispered, taking a careful step forward. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. What I did was wrong, and I have regretted it every day of my life since. I wish I could take it back, I wish I could take it all back. But I can't, and I'm just… I'm so sorry."

Shae's voice broke with emotion, and she hung her head in misery, tears beginning to roll down her face. Dracula exchanged a quick glance with Lestat, and when he turned back to Shae, his wild and dangerous grin had suddenly disappeared. His pale gray face softened, and both Shae and Remus were surprised to see pity in his blood red eyes.

Dracula slowly began to walk forward, and Shae stood rooted in her spot, watching him warily with tears still spilling down her face. Dracula stopped just before her, and Shae drew in a startled gasp and he gently pulled her into his arms. Remus, as well as the other vampires, watched in stunned silence, their jaws hanging open. Shae choked out a miserable, strangled sob, and wrapped her arms tightly around the man who had once saved her from a horrible fate, the man that she had betrayed in the most horrible of ways. She sobbed into his shoulder, her heart aching with misery, with regret.

"Oh, Shae. My friend, my child." Dracula whispered softly. He released her, and placed his hands on either side of Shae's tear stained face. He smiled into her eyes, gently wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "Do you really think I care for your petty apologies?"

All both Shae and Remus had time to do was draw in startled gasps as Dracula seized Shae by the front of her jacket, and flung her to the side. Shae went sailing through the air like a bullet fired from a gun. She crashed into the wall of a nearby building, bricks and concrete crumbling around her as she barrelled straight through it.

"Dammit!" Remus snarled under his breath. He glanced quickly over his shoulder at Lestat and the rest of Dracula's guard, then back toward the crumbling building, breathing out a shaky sigh. "Good luck, my friend."

Remus disappeared in a rushing black blur as he sprinted toward the forest. "After him!" Dracula commanded to Lestat.

"With me! With me!" Lestat shouted at the others.

The rest of the vampires all gave chase after Remus, and Dracula turned his attention back onto Shae, who was freeing herself from the rubble. She stumbled back out onto the street, her entire body covered in a layer of gray dust. Her whole body trembled as she fell back into a battle ready stance, ready to face her inevitable fate.

"Oh, yes." Dracula whispered, his blood red eyes wild with rage once again, another dark and dangerous grin stretching across his face. "Oh, I am going to enjoy this."

XX

Regina stood beside the rest of the Storybrooke residents that had volunteered to help save their town, staring with wide eyes at the black, swirling portal that had opened upon the forest floor. All around the portal lie the bodies of Dracula's vampire guard, various silver weapons still buried in their flesh. Some of the bodies were even still smoldering from the fireballs and molotov cocktails that had been launched at them.

Somehow, miraculously, Remus's plan had gone off without a hitch, and Shae had been right after all. The combined magical power of Remus, Regina, Emma, Gold, Maleficent, Cruella, Mother Superior, Tink, and the rest of the fairies had actually been enough to cast the spell. The gaping portal to The Underworld stood ready and waiting before them. Now, all that was left to do, was to send Dracula into the void.

"Holy shit." Emma whispered from beside Regina. "We did it. It actually worked."

"Naturally." Remus replied with a grin. "Didn't I tell you that I'm always right?"

"So… What do we do now?" Asked Mary Margaret.

"Well…" Regina began, glancing up into the sky at the bright red orb that she had sent up to signal Shae. "All we have left to do is wait for-"

"REGINA!" Shouted Tink.

Regina whirled around, and gasped in alarm when she found Lestat, who was somehow still alive, standing behind her. He emitted an enraged snarl, and Regina gasped again as he raised his fist in the air. With no time to do anything else, Regina squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain. But it never came. She opened her eyes again, just in time to see Lestat sailing through the air straight past her. He screamed as he fell, and was engulfed by the swirling black portal.

"That's for killing my cat, you son of a BITCH!"

Regina gasped once more when she found Shae suddenly standing where Lestat had been. Her entire body was covered in gray dust, her clothes tattered and torn, and there appeared to be shards of what looked like glass in her face. A chunk of her messy black hair looked like it had been torn out from the side of her head, and one of the sleeves of her black leather jacket was ripped completely off. Her now bare arm had a large gash in it from elbow to wrist, and it was dangling limply at her side.

"I… I don't…" Regina stammered. "W-What?"

"I had a cat, back at Dracula's castle." Shae explained, cradling her injured arm in her other as she turned to Regina. "Lestat said he made me soft, so he killed him."

"Poor Sir Pounce-A-Lot." Remus muttered sadly. "He was a noble beast. He deserved better."

"Oh my god… Shae, are you alright?" Regina asked, alarmed when her mind finally processed what her eyes were seeing. "Is that glass in your face?"

"It looks like your arm is dislocated." Emma observed as she stepped toward Shae.

"I'm fine, just… Leave it!" Shae exclaimed, swatting Emma's hand away with her good arm. "Listen, I managed to give Dracula the slip when I saw your signal, but it won't take him long to find me again."

"She's right." Remus agreed with a grave nod. "We need to-"

Remus stopped mid sentence when a sudden rumbling began to emanate from the trees. They all whirled around, and watched with wide, fearful eyes as the tops of the trees rustled in the distance. Something was running toward them, something very fast, and very strong.

"Shit. He's already here." Shae whispered. "Quick! Everyone with magic stand on either side of the portal! Everyone else just get back!"

Nobody bothered to question the vampire's frantic commands. Just as Shae instructed, everyone with magical powers gathered into two groups, and waited on either side of the swirling portal. The rest all retreated to a safe distance, and they all watched as the rustling in the treetops grew closer and closer.

"Right, as soon as you see him, give him everything you've got!" Shae called out. "It'll take all of us to get a hold of him and send him into the portal!"

The magical members of Storybrooke all nodded their heads, not even Cruella or Maleficent bothering to make any quips or complaints. They were too frightened for words. They all were.

"This is going to work." Regina whispered from beside Shae, her voice quavering with fear. "This… T-This has to work. Shae, I won't lose you again. I can't."

Shae managed a nervous smile, and she gently brushed the frightened tears away from her true love's cheek. "Don't worry." She whispered back. "I'm not going anywhere."

Suddenly, there was a great crashing and rustling noise as Dracula burst forth from the trees. There was a collective gasp as they all held their breath. For a moment, Dracula's blood red eyes scanned across the forest floor. When he saw the gaping, swirling portal, and the bodies of his vampire friends lying scattered around it, his eyes grew wide with fury. His pale gray lips curled into a fearsome, enraged snarl, and he took a step forward.

"NOW!" Shae shouted.

She threw out her good arm toward Dracula, and the rest followed suit. A powerful, deafening humming noise began to resonate out through the trees, the combined power of all the magical beings shaking the very earth beneath their feet. Dracula bellowed out a roar of rage, and staggered forward another step, trying desperately to push back against all the magic. No matter how hard he struggled, the heroes and villains of Storybrooke had him firmly in their clutches. There was no escape for the ancient and powerful vampire, not this time.

"Let's send him straight to hell." Regina snarled.

They all swept their outstretched arms toward the open portal to The Underworld. Dracula was sent careening forward, his body flying through the air like a rag doll. As he fell toward the portal, time seemed to slow to a crawl, and Shae momentarily caught his eye. Blood red eyes locked with blood red eyes, and Shae saw nothing but terror in her old friend's. Dracula screamed as he fell, and, his voice was cut off as he was swallowed by the blackness.

Silence fell over the forest, and, for a moment, the only sound to be heard was the low humming from the magic of the portal. Then, a rousing cheer burst forth from everyone's lips. As the small, ragtag army celebrated their victory, Shae stood quivering in her spot, her eyes quickly scanning over everyone's faces. They were all a bit battered and bruised, and Will Scarlet had a nasty gash on his right cheek. Otherwise, everyone seemed to be safe and unharmed. She breathed out a sigh of relief. They had done it. They had won.

"Shae." Regina muttered from beside her, gripping her arm tight. "Shae, we… W-We did it."

Shae breathed out an astonished laugh, watching with a smile on her face as The Seven Dwarves engaged in a group hug. "Yeah." She whispered. "We… We did."

Regina tore her eyes away from the portal, and turned to face Shae. She smiled into the blood red eyes of the woman she loved, and Shae smiled back at her. They then threw their arms around each other, and kissed with deep and grateful passion.

"Oh, Shae." Regina whispered, holding Shae tight, running her fingers through her messy black hair. "Shae, I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Regina." Shae whispered back, relieved and grateful tears spilling down her face, her uninjured arm curled tightly around Regina's waist. "I love you too."

The two lovers kissed once again, and, like it always did when they kissed, the entire rest of the world faded away around them. They had saved Storybrooke, saved the entire world. Though they both knew that they were all still in danger from Gold and the remaining Queens of Darkness, as they held each other in their arms, none of that seemed to matter. All that mattered was that they were safe, and that they were together. Despite all that they had been through, despite all the odds, their true but vicious love remained as strong as ever.

"Wait a minute…"

Shae and Regina broke apart when Emma spoke quietly from beside them. They both turned to face her, and found The Savior staring down into the portal, a confused frown on her face.

"Shouldn't the portal be, you know… Gone?" She asked of them.

Regina and Shae both furrowed their brows at each other, and Shae opened her mouth to speak. She stopped when Remus placed a hand on her shoulder. "My god…" Remus whispered, his blood red eyes wide. "She's right. The portal, it should be closed by now. Something's wrong, something's-"

Remus stopped mid sentence as the portal suddenly pulsed violently. There was a collective cry of alarm from all those gathered around it, then silence, a horrible, terrible silence. They watched in horrified wonder as a black haired head and shoulders slowly rose up from the center of the portal. It was Dracula, his eyes glowing a bright, burning red as he hovered in the air.

"My god…" Remus whispered.

"You didn't tell us the bastard could fly!" Gold exclaimed.

Shae merely shook her head, too shocked, too horrified for words. She stared up at Dracula as he hung in the air above the portal, his eyes glowing like two sinister beacons in the night sky. His glowing eyes slowly scanned across the gathered, silent crowd, and he breathed out a low, menacing laugh.

"FOOLS!" He shouted, throwing his head back and laughing loudly. "Did you really think your little scheme would work? I told you, I am THE DEVIL HIMSELF!"

They all stumbled as the ground began to quake beneath their feet. "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY THE LIKES OF YOU!" Dracula roared.

The powerful and ancient vampire threw out both of his arms, and the very forest, the very earth, began to bend to his will. Dozens of green, tentacle like vines shot out from the trees, and the townsfolk shrieked in terror as they were scooped up by them. Shae ducked, pulling Regina down with her as Tinkerbell went whizzing past their heads, pulled into the forest by the vines.

"Oh my god…" Emma muttered, her hazel green eyes wide with horror as she watched the chaotic scene before her. "What do we do?"

Shae opened her mouth to reply, but shut it again as the ground beneath their feet gave another violent heave. She watched in pure horror as massive cracks began to form in the earth. Several townsfolk screamed in fright as they stumbled and fell into the abyss. Shae didn't know their names, and, suddenly, they were gone.

"What do we do?" Emma asked again, turning her wide, terrified eyes onto Shae and Remus. "WHAT DO WE DO?"

Shae stood rooted in her spot, her mouth gaping open in pure and utter horror. She watched as David swung his sword at the vine that had wrapped itself around his wife, only to be snatched up by another vine himself. She then turned to Remus, her best friend, her brother. For a moment, blood red eyes stared into blood red eyes. Then, they seemed to agree on something, and they both nodded their heads.

"Till the end?" Remus asked, holding out his hand.

Shae nodded again, firmly grasping his forearm. "Till the end." She answered.

Shae then turned to Regina, the woman that she loved, the woman that she had always loved. She stared into her deep, gorgeous brown eyes, as if she were trying to memorize them, trying to burn them into her mind. She then placed her shaking hands on either side of Regina's face, and placed a firm, passionate kiss on her lips.

"I'm sorry, Regina." She whispered. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Asked Regina, brow furrowed in confusion. "What? I… I-I don't-"

Regina didn't get to finish the rest of her sentence. Both Shae and Remus suddenly disappeared in rushing black blurs of motion. She followed those blurs with her eyes, and time seemed to slow to a crawl as she watched the utter horror that was unfolding before her. Shae and Remus reappeared at the edge of the portal, and they leapt through the air toward Dracula. They seized each of his outstretched arms, and Dracula let out a bellow of fury as he fell through the portal once again.

Suddenly, the gaping black portal to The Underworld swirled shut upon itself. All around her, townsfolk collapsed to the ground as the vines that were holding them crumbled to dust. Silence fell over the forest once again. Dracula was gone, but so was Remus, and so was Shae.

"No…" Regina whispered, her mouth gaping open in sheer horror. "Oh god… No… Shae? SHAE!"

XX

The days went by in a chaotic blur after Shae and Remus's departure into The Underworld. Regina was hysterical over losing Shae once again, and Emma and her parents tried their best to console her. Regina was determined to see the woman that she loved once again, and was determined to use The Author to do so. She threw herself into her work as a spy, trying her hardest to keep the gaping void of sorrow deep within her heart at bay. She was beside herself with joy when she learned that David and Mary Margaret had freed The Author from the storybook page that he had been trapped in. However, The Author, whose name was Isaac, proved to be a formidable wildcard, and her joy quickly crumbled to dust, for more reasons than one.

After being set free, Isaac fled from the heroes of Storybrooke, and was quickly captured by Gold. In the midst of all this, Cruella made the mistake of kidnapping Henry, who was promptly set free by his mother, Emma, who murdered Cruella by throwing her off a cliff. Shortly after that, Emma set off on a mission to New York, with Regina in tow. They set off to find Maleficent's long lost daughter, who just so happened to by Lily, Emma's old childhood friend. After basically kidnapping Lily, Emma and Regina made a pit stop at Neal's old apartment, where Robin Hood had been staying with his son, Roland, and his wife, Marian. Their pit stop was actually a rescue mission, as Marian was not actually who she seemed to be.

Only a few short days after losing Shae, Regina had blown her cover, and was found out by Gold. However, he ensured her that he had something that would make sure that she would continue to do exactly as he said. He gave her a scrap of paper, which happened to have Robin's phone number on it. When Regin dialed the numbed, she was shocked to hear Marian's voice on the other end. She was even more shocked when Marian's voice morphed into another voice, a voice that she never thought she would hear again. It was her sister's, Zelena.

The Wicked Witch of the West had somehow survived, and her spirit had been sucked in to her own time portal. She had watched as Emma, Hook, and Shae rushed about in The Enchanted Forest of the Past, attempting to right their wrongs. Then, when Emma had knocked Marian unconscious, she had taken over the young woman's body, effectively killing her in the process. Zelena was now alive and whole once again, and, most shocking of all, she was pregnant with Robin Hood's baby.

Emma Swan was sitting at the counter within Granny's diner, her grilled cheese sitting untouched. Regina had left to go speak with Robin, Maleficent was spending time with her daughter, and her parents, whom she had finally reconciled with, were out scouting with a few others to try and find Gold. The Author had momentarily been under their control, but was quickly lost to them once again, and he realigned himself with The Dark One. Storybrooke was in grave danger once again, but despite everything else, Emma's thoughts were on Shae.

Emma missed Shae something fierce. She had finally been reunited with her closest friend, only to lose her once again. She and Regina had tried to find a way to re-open the portal to The Underworld, but Shae's book was completely indecipherable to them. Now, Robin was back in Regina's life, and Emma felt nothing but anger and resentment. She knew that things with Regina, Shae, and Robin were immeasurably complicated, but she seethed over the thought of Regina running right back to Robin Hood. She breathed out a heavy sigh, burying her face in her hands. She wished with all her might for some way to bring Shae, as well as Remus, back. However, she knew deep down in her heart that it was likely impossible. None of them might ever see either Shae or Remus again.

"What the hell is that?"

Emma snapped her head up at the sudden shout from Granny. She whirled around in her stool, following everyone's wide eyed gazes. Her own hazel green eyes grew wide as well as she gazed out of the window. Just a moment ago, it had been a bright summer day. Now, there were dark, sinister looking clouds hanging low in the sky, and the wind was blowing at an alarming speed.

"That doesn't look natural." Grumbled Leroy.

"No." Emma whispered in agreement, slowly sliding off of her barstool. "It looks… Magical."

Suddenly, there was a deafening bang as a massive bolt of lightning struck the ground just outside the diner. It was immediately followed by another, and everyone inside the diner had to grab on to the nearest sturdy surface they could as the bolts shook the ground beneath their feet. Emma exchanged a fearful glance with Granny, then led the way out of the diner's door as everyone inside rushed to investigate.

Emma burst through the door, and stared up at the sky in shocked and confused wonder as the dark clouds that had been looming suddenly disappeared, and the wind reduced to a warm, gentle breeze once again. She then turned her eyes onto the ground, and was absolutely shocked at what she saw. Two small craters had formed in the middle of the road where the lightning had struck, and two people were lying in the center of them, two very familiar looking people.

"Oh my god…" Granny whispered, clapping her hands over her mouth. "It's Shae! And… A-And Remus!"

Emma raced forward, her heart hammering in her chest. She stopped just between both the craters, staring down at the people lying unconscious within them. Emma could barely believe her eyes. Granny was right, it was definitely Shae, and definitely Remus.

Emma dropped slowly to her knees beside Shae, her mouth opening and closing several times, her mind racing. Suddenly, her brow furrowed, and she glanced over her shoulder at Remus's unconscious form, then back at Shae. Something was very, very wrong.

"Granny…" Emma muttered, staring wide eyed down at Shae's senseless face. "Call an ambulance.

"What?" Granny asked, raising an eyebrow at Leroy and his fellow dwarves. "Why?"

Emma swallowed hard, glancing back at Remus. His skin was no longer faintly orange from his spray tan, and it was no longer a shade of pale gray, though he was still quite pale. She then turned her eyes back onto Shae, who's complexion was also much different. Her normal pale gray skin was now olive toned, a shade that was very familiar to Emma. She knew that if Shae opened her eyes at that moment, her eyes would no longer be blood red, but a bright, piercing blue.

"I… I-I think…" Emma stammered, her bottom lip trembling. "I think they're… Human."

XX