CHAPTER 33

It was the dawn of a new day in Storybrooke, just before dawn, to be precise. The morning sun was slowly beginning to cast a pale light across the sky as Mother Superior began to make her rounds at the convent. She began her usual morning routine by knocking on the doors of her fellow fairies, and throwing them open when she didn't receive a timely enough response. Most of them simply grumbled and groaned at her, but she was used to it by now.

When she knocked on Tinkerbell's door, she was surprised to actually get a response telling her to come in. She opened the door to find Tink sitting on her bed, wand in hand. She had a spellbook sitting open on the bed in front of her, and was staring intently down at it.

"Good morning, Tinkerbell." Mother Superior said with a smile. "Hard at work already, are we?"

"Yep!" Tink replied, smiling back. "And I've been making progress. Watch this!"

Tink pointed her wand into the corner of the room, where she had set up a training dummy. She then gave her wand a quick flourish. There was a quiet popping sound, and a bouquet of flowers burst forth from the tip of the wand. Mother Superior fought hard to stifle a laugh.

"Oh… Dammit." Tink grumbled, frowning at the wand in her hand. "I did it earlier…"

"Are you still working on battle spells?" Asked Mother Superior, raising an eyebrow at Tink. "I told you, Tinkerbell, such spells are a bit beyond your skill level right now."

Tink breathed out a heavy sigh, setting her wand down on the bed next to her. "I know." She grumbled some more. "But, it's just… It's been two days since The Evil Queen cast the sleeping curse on Snow and David! I know she's just biding her time and planning for something worse, and I just… Want to be ready. If I can't help with finding a way to break the curse, then I at least want to be able to help my fairy god children fight off whatever comes next. I want to be able to protect them, like I'm supposed to."

Mother Superior sighed herself, and slowly nodded her head. "That is… An admirable goal, Tinkerbell." She said with a small, half-hearted smile. "Just… Keep at it."

Tink seemed to notice the sudden change in Mother Superior's demeanor, the sudden sadness in her eyes. She chose not to say anything, though, and simply nodded back in reply. Mother Superior then stepped back out into the hallway, and closed Tinkerbell's door behind her.

Mother Superior next began to make her way to her office, brow furrowed deep, her heart hanging heavy in her chest. She was proud of Tinkerbell's progress, proud of how hard she had been working. She knew, though, that no matter what Tinkerbell did, she would never be prepared for what was about to come. No one in Storybrooke was prepared for what was coming, not The Savior, not Regina, and certainly not Shae.

With the morning sun barely risen, Mother Superior's office was still much too dark to see properly. She turned on the light and made to sit down at her desk. A sudden voice from the corner of the room caused her to stop in her tracks.

"Good morning, Blue!"

Mother Superior shrieked in fright, and whirled sharply around, wand at the ready. She saw none other than Shae sitting in the chair next to the door. Shae grinned at her in the cheeky, quirky way that she so often did.

"Sorry, this wasn't exactly the way I wanted to do things." Shae went on with a slight shrug. "I was hoping that you'd have a swivel chair behind your desk that I could slowly turn around in for dramatic effect. But… You don't. So I had to improvise."

Mother Superior lowered her wand, drawing in several deep, steadying breaths. "Shae… W-What… What are you doing here?"

"I think you know exactly why I'm here." Shae replied, leaning forward in her chair. "You've been having me followed, and I want to know why."

Mother Superior folded her arms across her chest, fixing Shae with an irritated glare. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

Shae rolled her eyes at the fairy, groaning loudly. "Oh, come on, Blue. Don't play dumb. It's not a good look on you." She then got up from her chair, taking a step toward Mother Superior, glaring back at her. "Both myself and my evil half noticed your fairies watching us. They're not exactly subtle, you know."

Mother Superior breathed out a long, heavy sigh. "Very well. I suppose you've… Found me out." She muttered, slowly shaking her head. "Fine, then. I instructed my fellow fairies to watch you because… I am afraid."

Shae blinked several times in surprise. "Afraid? Afraid of what? Me?" When Mother Superior nodded, Shae scoffed loudly. "Seriously? Come on, Blue! You know me, you know I've changed! You know that I would never do anything to hurt anyone in this town, including you. For fucks sake, you were at my wedding! You made Tink my fairy-godmother!"

"Yes, well, that was before I realized that you…" Mother Superior paused, frowning as she searched for the right word. "Before I realized that… That you're… Well…"

"I'm what?" Asked Shae.

Mother Superior didn't respond right away. She momentarily turned her back on Shae, and sat down behind her desk. She then stared at Shae for a long few moments before going on.

"Long ago, a prophecy was made in a far away land, a land where, some say, magic as we mortals know it was first born. That land is called Avalon." Mother Superior spoke in a slow, careful tone. "The prophecy spoke of a child that would be born of two worlds, a child born of the gods themselves. It said that, only after the child's death, would she begin on the path to her great destiny. She would throw herself into The Flames of Judgement, not as a being of light, or a being of darkness, but as both, as neither, as something entirely different. Then, she would meet The Mad One, who would bestow upon her a godly weapon, and restore her to life once again."

Mother Superior leaned forward across the desk, staring at Shae with wide, fearful eyes. "The part that frightens me, Shae, is the many names that this child would be called. One of them, specifically… Vatt'ghern."

"'Vatt'ghern…'" Shae echoed, mumbling the word quietly with a frown. "That's… T-That's elvish. I guess, loosely translated, it would mean something like-"

"Doom-Bringer." Mother Superior finished for her.

Shae slowly sank back down into the chair behind her. She sat there in silence for a while, processing everything that Mother Superior had told her. Then, suddenly, she started to laugh.

"Wow… Just… Wow. Ok." She said, chuckling quietly as she slowly shook her head. "I'm not even going to ask how you know all that. Frankly, I don't even really care at this point. Everything you just said is true, it's happened. Except that last part. That is not who I am. Not anymore."

Mother Superior breathed out another long, heavy sigh. "No, it's not. Not anymore, and not now." She replied, nodding in agreement. "But, according to the prophecy… It could be."

"No!" Shae snarled, pointing an angry finger at the fairy. "It won't! I won't let it! I don't give a shit what the prophecy says. A wise person once told me that things like destiny and prophecies are never completely absolute."

This time, Mother Superior was the one to laugh. "Well, I certainly hope this person is indeed as wise as you say. Because everything I have told you is only a small part of the prophecy. The rest is coming, sooner than I would have ever thought."

"What do you mean?" Shae asked, narrowing her eyes at Mother Superior. "What exactly is coming? What's the rest of the prophecy?"

Mother Superior vigorously shook her head. "I'm sorry, Shae, but… I cannot say." She whispered, her eyes growing wide with fear once again. "If I choose not to speak of it, then maybe, just maybe… It might not actually come to pass."

Shae leapt furiously from her seat. "You know… You're just as fucking infuriating as Loki!" She shouted.

Mother Superior chuckled softly. "I know… And I'm sorry. I truly am." She sighed once again, slumping back in her chair. "All I can tell you is this… There is something much more dangerous than The Evil Queen coming to Storybrooke, coming for you. There is a storm coming, Shae. I only hope that you are brave enough and strong enough to face it. For all our sakes."

Shae paused in the doorway to Mother Superior's office, and turned her head back slightly. "Don't worry… I am." She muttered. She then turned around to face Mother Superior, and pointed a stern, determined finger at her. "I was once called Protector, and that is who I am. I'm The Protector of Storybrooke now, whether you or anyone else likes it or not. I will do whatever it takes to keep this town safe, to keep the people that I love and care for safe. I am not a bringer of doom, not anymore. I never will be again."

With that, Shae disappeared in a gust of swirling wind. Mother Superior sat rigid in her seat for a long while, then finally dropped her head into her hands. She hoped against all hope that what Shae had said would actually come true.

XX

A few hours later, Shae joined her wife, Emma, Hook, and Henry for breakfast at Granny's Diner. Shae had decided to keep her conversation with The Blue Fairy to herself for the time being. After the promise she had made to Regina, she wanted to make sure she was the first to know, then she would tell the others. And, besides all that, whatever the coming storm that both Loki and Blue had spoken of was, The Evil Queen had to be dealt with first.

After sitting down at the counter together, they all began to discuss what to do about The Evil Queen. A small argument broke out between Emma and Regina, after Regina said that she was the only one that could hurt The Evil Queen, by hurting herself. Shae had been about to protest when Emma did it for her, and then brought up her visions, which she called her death sentence. Emma insisted that she should be the one to go after The Evil Queen, alone, to which Regina protested. This prompted even more arguing, and, eventually, Regina gave up, and stormed off to the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Shae, Hook, and Henry decided to stay out of it, and were having their own conversation. They were discussing the Homecoming Dance at Storybrooke High that was taking place that night. Henry told Shae and Hook that his grandmother, Snow White, was insisting that he attend with his girlfriend, Violet, in attempt to get back to normal. The poor boy was a nervous wreck. Both Hook and Shae did their best to calm him.

"I just… I don't even know how to act around Violet!" Henry cried, throwing his arms up in the air. "I… I-I don't even know if she likes me anymore."

At that, Emma suddenly joined in on their conversation. "Woah, wait a minute… I thought things were going well with you guys!"

"Yeah, they were, until she stood me up for movie night twice." Henry replied with a small shrug. "I showed her Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, but-"

"Well, there's your problem, kid!" Shae interjected with a laugh. "Now, don't get me wrong, those are excellent choices. But, if you really want to get close to a girl, put on a horror movie. Settle in on the couch, and throw a nice comfy blanket over the two of you. Any time she gets scared, she'll snuggle in closer and closer. Then, if you play your cards right, she'll be too afraid to watch, and you guys will be making out before the movie is even over."

Henry stared at Shae with wide, baffled eyes, his jaw dangling open. "Holy crap… I… I-I never even thought of that." He whispered. "Shae… You're a genius!"

"Oh my god… Seriously?" Emma suddenly exclaimed, slamming her hands on the counter and shooting Shae a furious glare. "That's the exact move you pulled on me back in Boston! You showed me The Omen!"

Shae simply shrugged one of her shoulders. "Well… It worked, didn't it? You never did get to see the crazy twist at the end."

Emma rolled her eyes at Shae, then turned her attention back onto her son. "Listen, Henry. You said that you don't know how to act around Violet, right?" She said, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. "Well, all you have to do is act like yourself. Don't ever compromise who you are for someone else. Got it?"

Henry nodded earnestly at his mother, who nodded back in satisfaction. She was about to say more, when Granny stepped up behind the counter. After everyone had placed their orders, Granny began chatting with Emma. Henry took this moment of distraction to lean in toward Shae.

"Any more advice?" He asked in a careful whisper.

Shae was about to respond, when Hook suddenly interjected. "How come you haven't asked for my advice, lad?" He asked, looking offended. "I also know a thing or two about women, after all."

"No offense, Hook, but I think I might have a bit more experience here." Said Shae, shrugging once again.

Hook scoffed loudly. "Oh, you really think so? What's your body count, then?"

"Oh, you mean besides several powerful Queens, one of whom I'm now married to?" Shae replied, raising an eyebrow at the pirate. She then breathed out a sad, heavy sigh, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hook… Buddy. My dude. Don't do this to yourself."

Hook narrowed his eyes at Shae. He opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again. He then turned his eyes away from her, and frowned down into his lap, brow furrowed. Shae chuckled quietly as she patted him on the back. She nodded in thanks at the waitress who placed two cups of coffee and a small, brown paper bag on the counter in front of her. Then, she turned her attention back onto Henry.

"Alright… Listen up, Henry." She said in a low, quiet tone. She glanced quickly over at Emma before going on, who was still talking with Granny. "At their core, women are… Relatively simple. All you have to do is… Feed her, and tell her she's pretty."

Henry raised a skeptical eyebrow at Shae. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Shae replied with a nod. At the familiar sound of high heels clacking on the tile floor, she glanced over her shoulder. She grinned when she spotted her wife approaching them, and gave Henry a wink. "Observe, my friend."

As soon as Regina approached her, Shae took her by the hand, and placed a kiss upon it. "Hey! You're back! I've been meaning to tell you all morning… You look absolutely stunning in that new outfit." She told her wife with a smile. "Oh, by the way… I got you your favorite. Coffee and a sesame seed bagel."

The irritated scowl on Regina's face immediately disappeared. "Aww… Thank you!" She said as Shae handed her the small paper bag. She smiled back at Shae, and wrapped her arms around her neck, placing a quick kiss on her lips. "Best wife ever!"

Shae gave Henry another wink, to which Henry chuckled quietly. Henry couldn't help but smile himself at the sight of the smile on his mother's face. While Regina was distracted with spreading cream cheese on her bagel, Hook leaned in close to Shae.

"So… You and Swan were, um… Together, for a time." He muttered, shifting his eyes over at Emma. "What, uh… What would you suggest I feed her? What does she like best?"

Shae tapped her finger against her chin as she thought for a moment. "Grilled cheese, tomato soup." She muttered out of the corner of her mouth. "And some goldfish crackers to put in the soup. She loves those damn things."

Hook nodded, and produced a pen from the pocket of his jacket. "Grilled cheese… Tomato soup…" He whispered as he began scribbling on a napkin. "Goldfish… Crackers…"

Shae glanced over at Henry once again, who snorted into his hot chocolate. Once they had all eaten their breakfast and guzzled down their coffee, Regina announced that she had an idea. She was going to cast a spell using a mirror that could trap The Evil Queen. Specifically, she was going to trap her evil half in the world behind the mirror, where there was no magic, and no way to escape, without outside help, of course. With Shae's own evil half locked safely away, Regina was certain that there would be no way for The Evil Queen to be set free.

The only problem was that The Evil Queen had been strangely silent for the last few days. Shae had even made a call to Zelena, who said she hadn't seen her either. This worried Shae. She knew that if The Evil Queen was suddenly leaving her sister in the dark about her plans, it was only a matter of time before she would betray her.

Regina, however, didn't seem too concerned about Zelena. Shae knew that she was still angry with her sister, and still blamed her for Robin Hood's death. Her wife's indifference to Zelena's plight worried her even more. She stayed quiet about it, though. She hoped that, once The Evil Queen was trapped within the world behind the mirror, Regina and Zelena would actually be able to repair their relationship.

A solution to their problem was suddenly given by Henry. He volunteered to offer himself up as bait, in attempt to draw The Evil Queen out. Both of Henry's mothers protested, but were quickly silenced when they realized that Henry's plan was the best plan, and that there wasn't really any other option.

Once they were all agreed, they went their separate ways. Emma and Hook took Henry to Snow and David's apartment, to tell whichever one of them that was awake at the moment their plan. Regina and Shae departed for Regina's vault, where they began to brew the potion that was necessary for the spell. Once the potion was finished, Regina poured it over the cracked hand mirror that Shae had given her. It was the one from their story of what could have been. They both thought that it was only fitting.

A little while later, Shae was hunched down behind some rocks, keeping a careful eye on Henry as he stood alone on the beach, gazing out at the ocean. Regina and Emma were hidden away nearby, watching Henry as well. They all waited in anxious silence for The Evil Queen to show herself.

When she finally did, Shae's hand leapt onto Mjolnir, which was nestled safely in a holster attached to her belt that she had crafted herself. She tried her best to listen in on the conversation that Henry and The Evil Queen were having, but she was too far away, and her racing heart was pounding too loudly in her ears anyway. Emma and Regina were much closer, so she simply watched and waited for their signal.

She only had to wait a few moments before she spotted a small, purple puff of smoke wafting up from behind the rocks where her wife and Emma were hiding. As soon as she saw it, she immediately disappeared in a gust of swirling wind. She reappeared directly in front of Henry, facing The Evil Queen.

"Surprise!" She said with a grin. "Happy to see me?"

"You!" The Evil Queen growled, her lips curling into a furious snarl. "What are you doing here?" She suddenly shifted her gaze over Shae's shoulder, which meant that Emma and Regina had also left their hiding spot. "Oh, this is a new low, Regina… Using my own son against me."

"Henry is not your son!" Regina bellowed furiously.

"Now, isn't that ironic? That's exactly what you used to say to Emma." The Evil Queen replied with a loud, mocking laugh. "You both tried so hard to be Henry's mother, but neither of you quite got the job done, did you?"

Regina took an angry step forward, and was about to retort when Emma stepped in. "Alright, that's enough! This conversation is over!" She said, fixing The Evil Queen with a fierce, determined glare. "You're about to go on a very long trip, Your Majesty. Shae, get Henry out of here!"

"With pleasure." Shae replied, still grinning into The Evil Queen's eyes. "You know, I'd send you a postcard, but I don't think the U.S. Postal Service goes where you're going. Bye, now!"

Shae then placed her hand on Henry's shoulder, and disappeared in another gust of wind. The two of them reappeared in Snow and David's apartment. Snow and Hook were both there waiting for them, as planned.

"Oh, good, you're here!" Snow exclaimed as she rushed forward to embrace them both. "What happened? Did it work?"

"Not sure yet." Shae replied, quickly shaking her head. "We just have to… Wait until Regina and Emma get back. Which I hate, by the way. Just for the record, I really hate this plan."

"You've, uh… Said that several times." Henry said with a chuckle, rolling his eyes at Shae. "Several hundred times, actually."

"Yeah, well, I just… I don't exactly like leaving my wife and my best friend alone with The Evil Queen." Shae mumbled, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm… I just… I'm a warrior, you know? I should be out there on the front lines with them. Also don't tell Remus I called Emma my best friend."

Snow White nodded in understanding, and placed her hand soothingly on Shae's shoulder. "I understand, Shae. But… Think of it this way; If something does go wrong, then you'll be here to protect Henry and the rest of us with your… Godly power!"

Shae groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm never going to live down the whole, 'Demi-god,' thing, am I?"

"You are the one who said we should call you that, mate." Hook said with a grin.

Snow and Henry both chuckled. "Speaking of which… Any word from Loki?" Asked Snow.

Shae scoffed loudly. "No. Of course not." She grumbled, slowly shaking her head. She then glanced over at David, who was lying peacefully asleep in bed. "How's David, by the way? How are you?"

"Oh, fine, we're… Fine." Snow replied with a small, half-hearted smile. "Just… Getting used to our new normal, whatever that means."

Shae nodded solemnly in understanding. "Listen, I, um… Never got a chance to thank you guys." She said, glancing sadly over at David once again. "For forgiving me, I mean. I know it's kinda been implied this whole time, but hearing you say it… Really meant a lot. So, uh… Thank you."

Snow nodded herself, and patted Shae's arm affectionately. "You're very welcome, Shae."

"I'm going to do everything I can to find a way to break the sleeping curse." Shae went on, reaching out and gripping both of Snow White's shoulders. "I promise you, Snow. I promise."

Snow simply nodded some more, her eyes glistening with tears as she too looked upon her sleeping husband. She then stepped away from Shae, and began making some tea for all of them. As she was boiling the water, Shae suddenly got a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. It felt as if, somehow, they were all being watched.

Not wanting to add to everyone's long list of worries, Shae carefully and quietly stepped over to the window, and glanced down into the street. She saw several residents of Storybrooke walking down either side of the sidewalk outside the apartment, going about their daily business. Her gaze rested on a man sitting on a bus bench, who appeared to be staring up into the apartment window. As soon as he spotted Shae looking back out at him, he got up from the bench, and walked casually away. For a moment, just a moment, Shae could have sworn this man had pointed ears.

XX

Almost an hour had gone by with no sign or word from Emma or Regina. Snow White was distracting herself and everyone else by getting Henry ready for Homecoming. She had laid out several suits, as well as a plethora of David's ties for Henry to choose from. Shae did her best to mumble out a few comments in regards to Henry's outfit, but the anxious pit in her stomach left her distracted. She continuously paced the length of the small apartment, chewing her fingernails down to the bone.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, there was a knock on the apartment door. It was Regina, who happily announced that their plan had worked. The Evil Queen was now trapped within the world behind the mirror, with no chance of escape.

They were all positively elated, and Shae drew her wife into her arms, leaning in for a kiss. She found it strange when Regina avoided her lips, and simply embraced her instead. Things had been a bit strained between the two of them ever since Shae's evil half had been posing as her. She didn't blame her wife in the slightest, so she quickly shrugged it off. That was, until she noticed Regina doing more strange things.

When Hook asked after Emma, Regina told them that she had gone to New York to search for The Dragon. She told him that Emma had left him a voicemail, which Hook quickly confirmed. Shae found that very curious. While she had been anxiously pacing the room, Hook had been glancing at his phone every few seconds, waiting just as nervously as Shae for a call or message. Shae was certain that he would have noticed Emma calling him.

The next strange occurrence happened after Henry was finally dressed and ready for the dance. Regina announced that she was going to take her son to the florist, and get him a corsage to give to Violet. Shae once again made to give her wife a kiss before she left, to which Regina once again avoided. She told Shae that she shouldn't kiss her because she felt a cold sore coming on. This was the final straw for Shae. Regina was a powerful sorceress, and had never once gotten a cold sore in all the years Shae had known her.

She attempted to voice her worries to Snow White, but to no avail. "Somethings not right here, Snow." She whispered quietly. "I've got a bad feeling about all this."

Snow simply rolled her eyes at Shae. "No offense, Shae… But you always seem to have a bad feeling about something. Can't we just celebrate a victory for once? I mean… Just look how happy Henry is!"

Shae glanced over at Henry, who was smiling at his mother as she adjusted his tie. He and Regina both gave them all a wave, to which Shae managed a smile of her own, and waved back. Once they were gone, Shae began to search the apartment for Hook. She found him up in the loft, talking quietly into his cellphone.

"Dammit…" He swore as he stowed it back in pocket.

"Hook, here you are." Shae whispered as she approached him. "Listen, I've got a really bad feeling about all this, and-"

"I'm glad you said that, mate." Hook interjected, his face grim. "Because I do as well. Something's not quite right."

Shae laughed triumphantly, and tightly gripped both of his shoulders. "Yes! Hook! Thank the gods you believe me!"

"'Thank the gods?"' Hook echoed, raising an eyebrow at Shae. "Since when do you say things like that?"

"I dunno. It doesn't exactly feel right to just say, 'Thank Loki.'" Shae replied with a shrug. "She doesn't deserve all that praise. Especially since she still hasn't FUCKING ANSWERED ME!"

Hook blinked several times as Shae shouted angrily up at the ceiling. "Right, er… Setting your tiff with The God of Mischief aside…" He slowly began. "What exactly do you propose we do?"

Shae sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm not sure." She mumbled. "All I know is that Regina is acting really strange. And Emma wouldn't just leave without at least telling Henry."

"Aye." Hook agreed with a nod. "So I think it's safe to assume that your wife isn't actually your wife, and that she and Emma are… Missing? Kidnapped?"

Shae nodded as well. "Maybe we should… Go back to the beach. If any of them cast some magic, I just might be able to pick up on a trace of it, and trace that trace back to them."

"It's as good a plan as any, I suppose." Hook said with a shrug. "Let's go."

Shae nodded once again, and placed her hand on Hook's shoulder, disappearing in a gust of wind. She reappeared with Hook in tow back on the beach, where she had just been not long ago. Shae led Hook to the spot where she had last seen Regina, Emma, and The Evil Queen. While Shae searched for traces of magic, Hook made another call to Emma.

"Dammit… Still nothing." He growled. "This is not good, mate. Not good at all."

"No… It's not." Shae quietly agreed.

Hook turned around, and found Shae crouched down on the ground, her hand pressed flat into the sand. "What is it?" He asked, alarmed by the sudden look of dread on Shae's face. "Have you found something?"

Shae nodded gravely. "I think The Evil Queen must have somehow figured out our plan. It looks like she… Turned the tables on Emma and Regina."

"What are you saying? That they're trapped in that… The… Place behind the mirror?" Hook exclaimed, to which Shae nodded some more. "Bloody hell… W-What… What do we do? How do we get them out?"

Shae rose to her feet, her eyes darting around wildly as her mind raced. "I… I-I don't know." She replied, running her trembling hands through her hair. "We'll have to go to Regina's vault. There's got to be something about it in one of her spellbooks. We'll need help, though. It would take way too long with just the two of us."

"Aye, we could ask your fairy god-mother. And whatever Charming is awake right now." Hook agreed with a swift nod. "And… A-And Granny, and Belle, and… Maybe even the dwarves!"

Shae nodded swiftly back. She rushed toward Hook, and once again placed a hand on his shoulder. She was about to teleport them back to the Charming's apartment, when a sudden familiar voice from behind her caused her to stop.

"You're not going anywhere…"

Shae whirled around, and spotted Regina, whom both she and Hook knew wasn't actually Regina. It was The Evil Queen. "Dammit…" They both swore in unison.

"You know, you two are much too clever for your own good." The Evil Queen said with a grin.

Before either Shae or Hook could do or say anything, The Evil Queen threw both her hands out in front of her. Hook was suddenly sent careening backwards, and crashed down upon the rocks, where he remained motionless.

"HOOK!" Shae cried. She breathed out an enraged snarl, and turned her attention back onto The Evil Queen. "Where's Henry? What have you done with him?"

"Oh, please. Do you really think I'd hurt my own son?" Scoffed The Evil Queen. "Don't worry, he's at Granny's preparing for his date. Frankly, I don't know what he even sees in that girl. She's nothing but a commoner, a filthy peasant."

Shae's eyes flashed with rage, and she drew Mjolnir out of it's holster. The Evil Queen simply laughed, and gave a casual flick of her wrist. Mjolnir suddenly went shooting out of Shae's hand, landing head first in the sand several yards away. Shae bellowed out in fury, and crossed her arms in front of her, fists clenched. She threw them back down again, falling back into a battle ready stance at the same time, both of her fists bursting into roaring flames.

"My, my… It looks like you've grown much stronger." The Evil Queen said with another dark, devious grin. "But, the thing is… So have I. Without Regina holding me back, I'm stronger than I've ever been."

Shae didn't bother mincing any more words with The Evil Queen. She bellowed out another furious war cry, and charged. Just before she was upon The Evil Queen, she leapt into the air, flaming fist raised, and brought it down upon her. To Shae's utter shock and horror, The Evil Queen simply caught Shae's fist in her own hand, seemingly unbothered by the flames. For a moment, Shae simply stared into The Evil Queen's deep, grinning brown eyes.

Suddenly, there was a sickening crack as The Evil Queen twisted Shae's arm back and to the side. As Shae howled in pain, The Evil Queen slammed her palm into Shae's chest, and sent her hurtling backwards. Shae crashed down onto the ground, and immediately attempted to get back up. Something was pinning her arms to her sides, though, and something was wrapped around her knees. She glanced down at her own body, and saw glowing, bright yellow chains wrapped around her legs and torso.

Shae struggled wildly against her bonds, and shrieked in pain once again. Somehow, the chains sent shockwaves of what felt like electricity shooting throughout her entire body. The pain caused the world to spin wildly around her, and she gazed up at The Evil Queen through foggy vision as she stood over her.

"I'd stay still if I were you." The Evil Queen said as she dropped down to one knee beside Shae. "Anytime you struggle, and anytime you try to use magic, those chains will give you a nice little zap."

Shae glared up at The Evil Queen, her whole body trembling with rage. "W-What… What is this?" She rasped.

"Well, since I can't kill you without killing my Shae, I knew I'd need something to at least subdue you." The Evil Queen replied, gently brushing a lock of Shae's hair away from her forehead. "So, I went to… An old friend, who taught me this fun little spell."

"Gold…" Shae growled. "You're… Still working with Gold."

"Indeed. We've grown… Close." The Evil Queen said with another grin. "Very, very close."

Shae's eyes grew wide with alarm. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Oh, I'll leave that up to your imagination." Replied The Queen, as she waved her hand dismissively. "Perhaps you'll even dream something up about it while you sleep."

The Evil Queen then held out her hand, and a small vial appeared in her open palm with a puff of purple smoke. The vial was filled with a white powder. Shae recognized the powder, knew exactly what it was, and her eyes grew wide with alarm.

"No… No, no, no… NO!"

In one swift motion, The Evil Queen uncorked the vial of sleeping powder, and threw the contents in Shae's face. Shae tried to fight it, but it was useless. The last thing she heard was The Evil Queen's mocking laughter before she fell into a deep sleep.

XX

When Shae finally woke, the sun was beginning to set over Storybrooke. She was still lying on the beach where The Evil Queen had left her, but was now free of the glowing, magical chains. She immediately leapt up to her feet, startling some seagulls who had been pecking at her coat. They cawed angrily at her as they flew away.

Shae turned wildly in her spot, finally focusing in on the spot where she had last seen Hook. She wasn't entirely surprised to find that he was now gone. She then turned around, and stumbled shakily over to the spot where she had seen Mjolnir land. There was a war hammer shaped indent in the sand, but the hammer itself was also gone. Once again, Shae wasn't too surprised, but she did start to panic.

She then teleported herself to Granny's diner. She attempted to use her right hand to open the door, as usual, but groaned in pain instead. Her arm was still injured from her brief fight with The Evil Queen. After taking a moment to steady herself, she instead used her left hand, and stepped inside. She spotted Granny herself behind the counter, and rushed over to her.

"Granny! Hey!" She exclaimed as she approached the counter. "Have… H-Have you seen Regina?"

"Oh, um… Yeah, you just missed her. And Henry and Violet." Granny replied. She frowned as she looked Shae up and down. "Are… You ok? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Shae said in a rush, waving her good hand dismissively. "I… I-I need to find Henry. Do you know where he went?"

"No… Sorry." Granny answered with a shake of her head. "All I can tell you is that he left with Violet about twenty minutes ago, and your wife left a minute or two after. You know, if you ask me, Henry was acting a bit strange."

"Good! That's good! Maybe he's figured it out!" Shae exclaimed, grinning excitedly. She then cleared her throat, and lowered her voice once again. "Listen, Granny, you need to be on your guard. Regina… Isn't actually Regina."

Granny raised a confused eyebrow at Shae. "What do you mean?"

Shae raised her own eyebrow back at the old woman. "You know what I mean."

For a moment, Granny continued to look perplexed. Then, her eyes shone with sudden realization. "Right… Ok. I'll get my crossbow." She grumbled, breathing out an exasperated sigh. "Are you getting just as tired of this bullshit as I am?"

Shae laughed loudly. "You have no idea."

With that, Shae turned her back on Granny, and stepped outside of the diner. She cradled her injured arm as she stood upon the sidewalk, her mind racing. "Think, Shae… Think!" She muttered to herself. "If Henry really does know what's going on, then… Where would he go?"

She started down the street with no real destination in mind as she racked her brain. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, and drew in a sharp gasp. "The vault!" She exclaimed. "The mirror!"

She immediately disappeared in a gust of wind, and reappeared outside Regina's vault. She grinned excitedly once more when she found the stone coffin already pushed aside. "HENRY!" She shouted as she raced down the steps. "Henry! Are you down here?"

"Shae?"

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Shae turned the corner, and her heart soared with joy and relief when she saw Henry. "Shae!" He exclaimed, immediately rushing forward to embrace her. "You're here! I've been trying to call you all day!"

Shae hugged him back with her good arm. "I'm sorry, kid, but… I ran into The Evil Queen, and she, uh… Put me out of commission for a while."

Henry's eyes suddenly grew wide as he looked Shae up and down. "Oh my god! You're… Y-You're hurt!"

"It's ok, I'm fine, I promise." Shae replied with a smile, her eyes swimming with relieved and grateful tears. She fought back her tears, and quickly cleared her throat. "Do you… D-Do you know what's going on?"

"Yeah, The Evil Queen has been posing as my mom all day." Henry confirmed with a nod. "She trapped both my moms in the world beyond the mirror. I came here to try and reach them, but… No luck so far."

"Well, of course not, Henry! It's not like leaving a voicemail. Mirrors are a bit more complicated than that."

Both Henry and Shae exchanged a wide eyed, fearful glance, and slowly turned around. The Evil Queen was striding down the hallway toward them. She was no longer posing as Regina. She was garbed in one of the dresses she had worn back in The Enchanted Forest, one that Shae knew all too well. What was most alarming, was that she was holding Mjolnir in both her hands.

Exhausted and enraged, Shae didn't bother speaking to The Evil Queen. Instead, she reached her hand out toward Mjolnir, focusing on it with all her might. The Evil Queen's hand that was clutching Mjolnir's hilt suddenly shot forward, and she gasped loudly, dramatically, a little too dramatically. She stumbled forward, holding on to Mjolnir with both her hands. Then, she started to laugh, and began to swing Mjolnir casually around.

"Did you really think you'd be getting this back so easily?" She asked Shae with a grin.

Shae stared down at her own hand in pure shock, then dropped it limply back to her side. The Evil Queen laughed once again, and, before Shae could do anything else, she threw out her hand, sending Shae careening back against the wall. Shae groaned in pain as she slowly slid down onto the floor.

Laughing some more, The Evil Queen simply pointed a finger at Shae, and flicked it to the side, sending her hurtling into another wall. The Queen casually flicked her finger toward the other wall, then to the ceiling, then down onto the floor. She giggled gleefully as Shae was sent careening around the room like a ragdoll.

"STOP IT!" Henry shouted, his eyes wide and swimming with frightened, angry tears. "Don't hurt her!"

"Oh, don't worry, Henry. She'll be just fine." The Evil Queen replied with a grin. "I know you love her just as much as you love me."

Henry rushed over to Shae, who was lying crumpled on the ground, coughing and sputtering. "I don't love you!" He snarled, shooting The Evil Queen a furious glare. "You're not my mom!"

"Don't you see, Henry? That's where you're wrong." The Evil Queen snarled back, her dark, dangerous grin growing even wider. "Don't you remember when you were afraid of the monsters under your bed, or the dark, or that old creaking oak tree down the street? Who made you face your fears? Who didn't tolerate your crying and toughened you up? That was me, Henry! The one with the spine!"

The Evil Queen paused, watching in furious silence as Henry seemed to ignore her, and helped Shae up into a sitting position. "All I want is for you to be great!" She went on in a desperate whisper. "You can be a king, Henry! You can have everything you've ever wanted, but not if you're always hiding behind Emma, my lesser half, and this one's lesser half." She gestured toward Shae, her eyes full of contempt. "Always dealing with their problems, but never given any real decisions. It's shameful, the way they treat you. I would never treat you like that."

"Don't listen to her, Henry." Shae growled through bloody teeth, gripping the boy's arm tight. "She's… S-She's trying to… Darth Vader you."

"Darth… What?" The Evil Queen asked, brow furrowed in confusion. After only a brief moment, her eyes shone with understanding, and she laughed once again. "Oh, yes… I see what you mean. You're talking about that man from those space movies that you both love so much, the one with the raspy voice and the robot costume. Well, you've both shown me enough of those movies for me to know that… Darth Vader, was it? He's not quite as black and white as he seems now is he? And neither am I."

Shae grunted and groaned as she staggered up onto her feet, with Henry's help. "Has anybody ever told you," She began, pausing to turn her head and spit out a wad of blood. "That you talk too much?"

The Evil Queen barked out a loud, mocking laugh, and opened her mouth to retort. She stopped when she noticed Shae's outstretched hand. This time, she was caught off guard, and actually did struggle to hang on to Mjolnir as Shae attempted to summon it into her hand. She staggered forward, gripping the hammer's hilt with both hands, her eyes wide and wild with alarm.

Suddenly, Henry bellowed out a furious war cry, and charged at The Evil Queen. He reached out both his hands, and shoved The Evil Queen with all his might. The Evil Queen staggered and stumbled to the side, her hands slipping from Mjolnir's hilt. As soon as it was let loose, Thor's Hammer shot into Shae's open palm. The moment her fingers closed around the hammer's hilt, Shae raised it over her head, and bellowed out a war cry of her own.

When Shae brought Mjolnir back down, a mighty bolt of lightning burst forth from it. The bolt of lightning shot straight toward The Evil Queen, striking her in the chest. The Queen was sent flying backwards down the hallway, where she crashed into the wall, and slumped to the ground.

Henry laughed triumphantly, throwing his arms up in the air. His laughter immediately caught in his throat when Shae suddenly cried out in pain. He whirled around and found that Shae had also been blown backwards from the sheer force of Mjolnir's power. The hammer itself was lying on the floor where Shae had been standing, while Shae was lying slumped against the wall. She seemed to be in terrible pain, and was screaming as she clutched at her arm.

"SHAE!" Henry shouted as she rushed over to her, dropping down onto his knees beside her. "Shae, are you ok? W-What's wrong?"

"My… M-My arm!" Shae snarled through gritted teeth. "GAH! FUCK! It… I-It… BURNS!"

Not really knowing what else to do, Henry grabbed the collar of Shae's coat, and pulled it off of her. He then tore open the sleeve of her shirt with his bare, trembling hands. The skin of Shae's arm was an alarming shade of red, as if she had a terrible sunburn. He could even see wisps of steam coming off of it. What he saw next caused his already wide eyes to grow even wider.

Henry watched with his jaw dangling open as more of the glyphs and runes that were etched into Shae's flesh began to appear before his very eyes. They had previously stopped at her bicep, but were now starting to appear further down her forearm. It was as if an invisible person was tattooing them onto her skin at that very moment.

"Holy shit…" Henry whispered.

"Now, now, Henry… Watch your language."

Henry whirled around in alarm, which caused him to lose his balance. He fell backwards onto the ground next to Shae, staring up at The Evil Queen as she approached them. There was a burnt hole in her dress that was still smoldering slightly, but, otherwise, she seemed unharmed.

"No…" Henry breathed quietly, scrambling backwards until his back hit the wall. "No way…"

The Evil Queen simply laughed, and knelt down in front of her son. "Don't you see, Henry?" She whispered softly, reaching out and gently brushing a stray lock of his hair away from his forehead. "Don't you see how powerful I truly am? If anyone is going to protect you from the coming storm, it's going to be me."

Henry simply sat in horrified silence, staring into The Evil Queen's grinning eyes. "As for you." The Queen went on, shifting her gaze over to Shae. "You really don't know when to give up, do you?"

Shae was still groaning in pain and clutching her arm. She slowly turned her eyes up to meet The Evil Queen's. "No… I don't." She quietly replied, flashing The Evil Queen one of her signature cheeky, quirky grins. "I guess, you can call it a… Character flaw."

The Evil Queen's own dark, devious grin slowly faded from her face, curling into a furious snarl. "Call it whatever you want. It doesn't matter." She growled. "I'm done dealing with you."

She then reached out, and seized Shae by her throat. All Shae had time to do was emit a soft, strangled cry before The Evil Queen yanked her forward, and shoved her back again. The back of Shae's head hit the wall hard, so hard, in fact, that the blow caused her to lose consciousness. The last thing she heard was a frightened cry from Henry before everything went black.

XX

"Hey… Hey! I think she's finally waking up!"

"Oh, thank god… Shae? Shae, can you hear me?"

"Come on, mate! Wake up! Come back to us, just like you always do."

Shae began to wake to the sound of frantic voices, familiar voices. She slowly blinked her eyes open, and saw several hazy forms hovering over her. When her vision finally cleared, she saw the faces of her friends, the people that she loved. Emma, Hook, Henry, and, lastly, Regina, her wife.

"We've gotta stop… Meeting… Like this." She mumbled, grinning weakly up at Emma.

Emma emitted a long, deep sigh of relief. Shae reached out and placed her hand on Emma's shoulder, using it as a brace to push herself up into a sitting position. She felt better, much better, all the injuries she had suffered from her battle with The Evil Queen now gone. She slowly turned her head to the side when she felt a gentle hand pressed against her cheek. She found herself staring into the deep, gorgeous brown eyes that she loved so much.

"Regina?" She whispered. "Is… I-Is it… Really you?"

Regina nodded, her eyes shining with grateful tears. "Yes. It's me." She whispered back. "I promise, it's really me."

Without saying a word, Shae reached out once again, this time placing her hand on the back of Regina's neck. She drew her in close, and placed a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. As Regina's lips parted against her own, she knew that what she said was true. She emitted a strangled, joyful laugh against her wife's lips, and curled her arms around her, drawing her in even closer. Shae held the woman that she loved tight as she continued to press grateful kisses on her lips.

"Oh god, Regina…" Shae whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry… I tried so hard, I-"

"Shhh…" Regina whispered back, pressing a finger against her wife's lips. "Don't talk, don't apologize. Just… Kiss me some more."

Shae laughed, and immediately obliged. The others kept silent, simply smiling around at each other as the two lovers shared in their grateful, passionate reunion. When Shae and Regina finally broke apart, Henry cleared his throat, and handed Mjolnir over to Shae.

"Here." He said with a smile. "I, uh… Think this is yours."

Shae's eyes grew wide with alarm when she finally noticed Henry's hand clutched around Mjolnir's hilt. "Shit… Holy shit…" She whispered, staring wide eyed at the boy as she took the hammer from him. "Henry… W-What… What are you doing with this?"

"That's, um… Kind of a long story." Henry replied with a laugh.

Henry, along with both of his mothers, then proceeded to tell Shae about everything that had happened after she had been knocked unconscious. While they had been trapped within the world behind the mirror, Regina and Emma happened upon none other than The Dragon. Apparently, after Regina's failed attempt to destroy her other half back in New York, The Evil Queen had re-materialized at The Dragon's shop. When he refused to help her, The Evil Queen trapped him in the world behind the mirror, but not before tearing out his heart.

Shortly after she had rendered Shae unconscious, The Evil Queen produced The Dragon's heart, and cast a spell on the mirror within Regina's vault, which allowed Henry to finally see his mothers, and they him. She then used The Dragon's heart to force him into his fearocious dragon form, from which he got his name. She instructed him to kill both Emma and Regina, and, unable to control himself, The Dragon attacked.

That was when The Evil Queen handed Mjolnir over to Henry. She told him that if she used Thor's Hammer to smash The Dragon's heart, then he would be able to save his mothers. Henry told Shae that he had refused to take Mjolnir, for he had remembered what Loki had told her, that if anyone not born of the gods should even touch it, they would die. The Evil Queen forced Mjolnir into his hand, however, and, surprisingly, nothing happened. He said that it even felt strangely good. This left them all perplexed, but they kept quiet about it as Henry went on.

The boy admitted that, as he watched both Regina and Emma desperately running from The Dragon's attacks, he had considered crushing his heart. At the last minute, though, as his mothers were backed into a corner, with no hope of escape, he said that he followed a gut instinct. Instead of using Mjolnir to smash The Dragon's heart, he smashed the mirror instead. His instincts proved to be spot on, and Emma, Regina, and The Dragon were all set free.

After arriving safely back in Storybrooke, Regina and Emma faced The Evil Queen, who was more than ready for another fight. That was when Hook arrived on the scene. He managed to surprise The Evil Queen, and bid her to leave before she felt the sting of his hook in her flesh. The Evil Queen then accepted her defeat, and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

The second The Evil Queen was gone, Henry told Hook and his mothers what had happened to Shae. Both Emma and Regina examined her, and used their combined powers to heal her. Apparently, it had taken a while for Shae to actually wake, to which Shae was both surprised and confused.

"I'm sorry, mate." Hook said to Shae with a frown. "When I woke up on the beach, you were still unconscious. I tried to wake you, but-"

"It's ok." Shae interjected, slowly shaking her head. "I'm just… Glad you got here when you did. It sounds like you were the hero of the day, Hook."

"Please, I don't deserve that much credit." Hook replied with a chuckle, shaking his own head in disagreement. "If anyone was the hero today, it was Henry."

"I agree." Said Regina, smiling warmly at her son. "You were just… Amazing, Henry. I'm so proud of you."

"Agreed. A thousand percent." Shae said, smiling herself as she grasped Henry by the shoulder. "I'm proud of you too, kid. You were totally Luke Skywalker today."

"Definitely." Agreed Emma, smiling at her son. "And a little bit of Leia, too."

"I don't know what any of that means, but… Aye." Hook said with a shrug. "Well done, lad."

Henry laughed, smiling around at his mothers, Shae, and Hook. "Thanks, you guys." He muttered sheepishly, his face flushing a deep shade of red. He then cleared his throat, and turned his eyes onto Shae. "You know, the whole time The Evil Queen was trying to, you know… Get me to join the dark side, I kept thinking… 'What would Shae do?'"

Shae laughed loudly herself. "Well, that's just… Terrible advice. All I seem to do lately is get the snot beat out of me. But I'm glad it worked out for you, Henry."

The others all laughed as well. "So, uh… Is it ok if we… Get out of here?" Henry asked them all with a shrug. "I still have time to make the dance, and, you know… I kind of promised Violet I would go with her."

They all laughed some more, and immediately agreed. They quickly left the vault, and parted ways with Shae. Regina and Emma both wanted to see their son off to his first dance with his girlfriend, and so did Shae, but she was exhausted after her fight with The Evil Queen. So she bid Henry good luck, gave her wife a kiss goodbye, and headed home.

Shae immediately went upstairs after arriving, and stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom that was attached to her and her wife's bedroom. She briefly mourned the loss of her Prada shirt, which now had one of the sleeves torn open all the way up to her shoulder. She gingerly touched the brand new runes that were now etched into her skin.

"What the hell is this?" She whispered to her reflection. "What's happening to me?"

She then left the bathroom, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Loki!" She called out, staring up at the ceiling. "LOKI!"

Shae sat there for a long while, her eyes darting around the room, searching for any sign of the god whose blood coursed through her veins, the god who once told her that she could call upon her any time. When Loki, once again, failed to appear, Shae breathed out a frustrated sigh, and fell backwards onto the bed. She intended to only close her eyes for a moment, but was so exhausted that she immediately fell asleep.

A little while later, Shae was woken by a kiss on her forehead. She opened her eyes to find her wife sitting beside her. "Hey." Regina whispered, smiling down at her as she softly stroked her hair. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm… I-I'm fine." Shae mumbled as she sat up. "Sorry, I'm just… Tired."

Regina nodded in understanding, and leaned forward, placing a quick kiss on her wife's lips. "No need to apologize." She said, smiling some more. "You've had… Quite a day."

"Yeah. We both did." Shae agreed with a small chuckle. "But, uh… How's Henry? How'd the dance go?"

"It went… Really well." Regina answered, chuckling herself. "He and Violent both had a great time, despite everything that happened. He told me that she helped him lie his way out of The Evil Queen's clutches earlier. I think she's… Really good for him."

"Yeah… I think so too." Shae agreed with a smile.

"How are you, though?" Regina asked of her wife, her face full of concern. "How's your arm?"

"Better. Much better, thanks to you and Emma." Shae replied. The smile slowly faded from her face as she stared down at the brand new runes that were now stretching down her forearm. "I just… Don't exactly know what it means. I know it has something to do with the prophecy, but…"

She paused for a moment, and breathed out a heavy sigh. She shifted in her spot on the bed, to better face her wife. "Speaking of the prophecy, there's… Something I need to tell you."

Shae then proceeded to tell Regina all about her conversation with The Blue Fairy. Regina was just as shocked and perplexed as Shae was. She asked her what exactly compelled her to go to Blue in the first place.

Shae fully admitted to giving in to her rage and her pain, and told her wife everything about her visit to her evil half. Regina wasn't angry, and didn't judge her in the slightest. She even said that she would keep it all to herself, told her that no one else needed to know. Shae was immensely grateful. She was so incredibly grateful to have a partner that was so supportive and understanding that it left her in tears.

Shae had collapsed back down onto the bed as she talked, and Regina simply laid beside her, gently running her fingers through her hair. They both mused quietly over how exactly Henry was able to wield Mjolnir without coming to any harm. Was Henry born of the gods too, as well as Regina? Neither of them had any answers, and it seemed that Loki wouldn't be providing them any time soon. So they shifted their conversation back onto The Evil Queen.

"I really hate to say this, but… I give up." Shae muttered, slowly shaking her head. "I can't keep fighting her. Anytime I do, I just… End up getting my ass kicked. She's way too strong. I… I don't know how we're going to stop her, Regina. I don't know if we even can."

Regina was silent for a few moments, her lips pursed into a firm line as she continued to gently run her fingers through her wife's hair. Suddenly, she gave a quick shake of her head. She then leaned forward, and placed a kiss on Shae's lips.

"Let's not worry about that right now." She whispered with a smile. "I don't want you to worry about anything else tonight. I have a surprise for you."

Shae raised an eyebrow at her wife. "A surprise? What kind of surprise?"

"Well, if I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Regina replied with a small chuckle. She placed another quick kiss on her wife's lips, then got up from the bed. "Just… Wait here. I'll be right back."

Shae nodded, and watched curiously as her wife stepped into their walk-in closet, and closed the door behind her. She racked her brain as she waited. The only thing that she could come up with was that Regina had gotten her the new Playstation that she had been wanting. Or maybe even the set of Star Wars DVD's, complete with deleted scenes and director's commentary. When her wife finally emerged from the closet, she found that she had been completely and totally wrong, in the best of ways.

Regina was now standing before her, wearing the sexiest set of red lace lingerie she had ever seen. "Woah…" Shae whispered, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. "Holy shit…"

"What do you think?" Regina asked of her with a sultry grin.

Unable to speak for a moment, Shae simply stared at her, her eyes gaping wide. "I… I-I think… I…" She stammered. She then breathed out a small laugh, raising another eyebrow at her wife. "I think… I recognize that outfit. It's the one I saw in Paris, the one you said you didn't like."

"Yes, well… I lied." Regina replied with a small shrug as she slowly approached Shae. "I went back to the shop and bought it myself the next day, while you were getting us breakfast at the cafe across the street."

Shae laughed herself, staring at her wife in complete and absolute wonder. Regina took Shae by the hand, and pulled her up from where she had been sitting on the edge of the bed. She placed a deep, passionate kiss on her lips as she began to undo the buttons of Shae's black leather vest.

"Are… A-Are you sure?" Shae asked her in a whisper, pulling away from her lips. "I know what you went through with my, uh… Other half was… Really hard, and-"

Regina placed a finger against her wife's lips, stopping her anxious stammering. "Yes, it was." She whispered back. She slipped Shae's vest off of her shoulders, tossed it aside, and started on the buttons of her shirt. "I haven't exactly been the most… Attentive wife, these late few days. I know you have needs, and you've been so patient, so understanding. I'm… Grateful. So, so grateful."

Once she was finished unbuttoning Shae's shirt, Regina tore it off her. She ran her hands up and down Shae's bare chest, and placed another kiss on her lips. Regina then slid her hands down to Shae's belt, and was about to undo it, when Shae stopped her.

"Regina… Look at me." Shae whispered. She cupped her wife's face in both of her hands, staring intently into her eyes. "I… I don't need you to be an… Attentive wife. Or any other kind of wife, except… Mine. Just mine. That's all."

Regina smiled into her wife's eyes, her own swimming with grateful tears. She slowly nodded her head, and curled her arms around Shae's neck, drawing her in close. She placed another deep, passionate kiss on Shae's lips, to which Shae breathed out a deep, contented sigh.

"I'm yours, Shae. I'm all yours." She murmured softly against her wife's lips. "And, right now… I want you to take what's yours."

Regina then took Shae's hands in both of her own, and placed them against her breasts, which were nestled in a red lace bra. That was all the assurance Shae needed, and she immediately dove back into her wife's lips. In one fluid motion, Shae removed her own pants, seized Regina by her hips, and threw her onto their bed. She immediately plunged her face between her wife's legs, taking full advantage of her crotchless panties.

For the first time in days, Shae and Regina finally made love, back and forth, back and forth, for hours. The new and rather pricey outfit that Regina had bought for her wife was now in tattered pieces, scattered about the bedroom floor where Shae had tossed them. Regina didn't mind. In fact, she was pleased that Shae loved it so much that her immediate reaction was to rip it all off of her.

It was well past midnight by the time they were both spent. The two of them laid side by side for a time, their chests heaving, both their bodies covered in sweat. Regina then rolled over, draping her arm across her wife, resting her head against her chest.

"Wow…" She whispered, her entire body still shivering with pleasure. "That was… Incredible. Maybe we should take breaks like this more often."

Shae turned her head to frown into her wife's eyes. "No, thank you."

Regina laughed as Shae pulled her on top of her, curling her arms tightly around her. Shae breathed out a contented sigh as Regina kissed her, entwining her fingers in her hair. They remained like that for a while, wrapped up in each other's arms, slowly and gently enjoying each other's lips. After a while, Regina got a strange feeling that something was wrong, and she pulled away from her wife's lips.

"You seem… Far away now." She muttered with a frown. "What are you thinking about?"

Shae emitted a heavy sigh, draping her arms around Regina's waist. "Just… Everything." She muttered herself in reply. "Sorry, I… Can't help it."

Regina nodded, and settled back down beside Shae, placing another quick kiss on her lips. "It's alright." Regina whispered with a smile, gently stroking her wife's cheek. "Just… Talk to me."

Shae nodded back, and frowned up at the ceiling for a moment before responding. "I just… Can't shake this feeling of… Dread." She finally replied. "Loki, Blue, and now The Evil Queen have all said something about a… Coming storm. I can feel it coming, Regina. And I… I don't know what to do about it."

Regina continued to nod her head slowly in understanding. "Well, whatever it is, we'll face it together." She whispered, gently brushing Shae's hair away from her forehead. "Whatever storm is coming, I'll be right by your side, umbrella in hand."

Shae chuckled quietly, and placed her hand on the back of Regina's neck, drawing her in for another kiss. "That's the thing though…" She went on after a moment of enjoying her wife's soft, sweet lips. "Loki said that it's all going to fall on my shoulders, and… Mine alone."

"Well, I hate to break it to you and Loki, but… That's just not an option." Regina replied, firmly shaking her head. "You're stuck with me now. You willingly signed our marriage contract, after all."

Shae laughed loudly this time. "Biggest mistake of my life." She said, flashing one of her signature quirky grins.

Regina narrowed her eyes at her wife, and gave her a soft, irritated smack on her cheek. Shae laughed once again, and turned on her side, pulling the woman she loved into her arms. Regina laughed too as she placed yet another kiss on her lips.

"You're… Amazing. I truly don't know what I did to deserve you." Shae whispered, smiling into her wife's eyes. Regina opened her mouth to respond, but she quickly cut her off. "I know, I know…"

The two lover's smiled at each other, and said, in unison; "Lots of terrible things."

They then returned to each other's lips, and, exhausted from the day's events and their intense love-making, soon fell asleep. For the first time in days, Shae fell into a peaceful slumber, wrapped up in her wife's arms. She had no idea that time was running out for Rumpelstiltskin, that time was running out for her. She had no idea that, the very next day, everything was about to change. Everything she thought she knew about her life, her past, even her birth, was all about to change.

XX

The next morning, Shae and Regina met up with Emma, Hook, and Snow at The Charming's apartment. Once again, they gathered to discuss what to do about The Evil Queen. Fortunately, Regina had woken up with an idea in her head, an idea that she had already shared with her wife. The others were all confused by the strage, seemingly disgusted look on Shae's face. Once Regina elaborated on her plan, they all understood, and shared in Shae's disgust.

Something that The Evil Queen had said to Shae brought upon Regina's newest idea. Shae had told her that The Queen was still working with Gold, and that she had said they had grown very, very close. Shae was perplexed over what exactly this meant, but Regina knew full well. She admitted that, back in The Enchanted Forest, there had always been a certain amount of chemistry between herself and The Dark One. She deduced that, in Evil Shae's absence, The Evil Queen had struck up an intimate relationship with Gold, a very intimate relationship.

After Regina was finished fully explaining her plan, Shae insisted that they change the subject, and get to work, before she vomited all over the apartment floor. The others all agreed, and immediately left for the hospital. They headed straight to the basement, to Evil Shae's cell, and stepped through Emma's protection spell.

"Ah… Hello, Regina." Evil Shae said from her spot on her cot. "Miss me already? I can't say that I blame you."

Still filled with rage over what her wife's other half had put her through, Regina emitted a furious snarl, and stepped toward Evil Shae, fist in the air. "Regina, no!" Shouted Snow, grabbing on to Regina's arm. "That's not why we're here! Don't let her get to you."

"And why exactly are you here, Snow White?" Asked Evil Shae, turning her grinning face onto Snow. "Have you come to torture me just like last time?"

Suddenly, Snow's eyes seemed to flash with rage, and Emma quickly stepped in. "Look, we all know that my parents had you tortured, ok?" She said, folding her arms across her chest. "Sorry, but… You can't exactly hurt anyone with that anymore."

"Oh, can't I?" Evil Shae sneered, her devious grin growing even wider. "What if I told you that your mother took up the knife herself all those years ago? Isn't that right, Snow?"

All eyes suddenly turned onto Snow. When she failed to respond, her face suddenly a ghostly shade of white, Emma's eyes grew wide as saucers. "Woah… Wait a minute…" She muttered. "Is… She serious?"

"Oh, yes!" Evil Shae said with a loud, mocking laugh. "Go on, Snow White! Tell them all about how you took up that silver dagger yourself! Tell them how you used it to cut into my flesh again, and again, and again!"

Snow's hands were clenched into fists at her sides. Slowly, she raised one of them, and pointed a trembling finger at Evil Shae. "You promised…" She whispered, her eyes wide and swimming with tears. "You swore that you'd never speak of that day again!"

Evil Shae barked out another loud, mocking laugh. "Oh, I swore no such thing." She replied, still grinning. "My lesser half might have, but not I." She gestured to Shae, her face full of contempt. She then got up from her cot, and stepped closer toward Snow, as close as the chains attached to her shackles allowed her. "In fact, if it had been up to me, I would have told everyone that Snow White brutally tortured an innocent woman. I would have shouted from the rooftops that The Good Queen Snow was not nearly as good as she claimed to be."

Emma, Hook, and Regina all stood staring at Snow, their jaws dangling open. They then all shifted their eyes onto Shae. She was staring silently down at the ground, arms folded across her chest as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip.

"Fine… It's true." Snow admitted quietly, angry tears now spilling down her face. "But, she… S-She tricked me! She told me that she did know about The Curse, that she'd tell me everything if I… Tortured her myself."

Evil Shae emitted a deep, dark chuckle, and sat back down on the edge of her cot. "Well, it's as they say, isn't it?" She said with a small, dismissive shrug. "Excuses are like assholes. Everyone has one, and they all stink."

Snow White took a furious step forward, and opened her mouth to retort, when Shae cut her off. "STOP! That's enough!" She shouted, glariound furiously at her evil half. "It doesn't matter what Snow did a million fucking years ago. Besides, it's… Like she said. That's not why we're here."

"Aye." Hook agreed with a nod. "We're here because we have information that you would be very interested in. Information about your Queen."

"Oh, really?" Asked Evil Shae, leaning forward with her hands on her knees. "Do tell!"

The others all exchanged a quick glance. Then, Regina stepped forward. "I regret to inform you…" She slowly began, sporting a devious grin of her own. "That The Evil Queen has betrayed you. Since you've been locked up here, she's been working with Gold. And not just working with him. She's been sleeping with him."

The grin on Evil Shae's face slowly faded away. For a moment, she simply stared silently around at all of them. Her eyes suddenly grew wide, her jaw slowly falling open.

"I… I-I see…" She muttered. She then dropped her face into her hands, breathing out a long, shaky sigh. "So… You thought, that… T-That I… Would be surprised?"

Evil Shae peeked out at all of their shocked faces from between her fingers. She then dropped her hands away from her face, laughing loudly once again. "Let me guess…" She mumbled, tapping a finger against her chin. "You thought that you'd spill this shocking little secret, and I'd be so angry that I would join you? Was that your plan?"

The others all exchanged wide eyed, baffled glances. "You… Already know?" Cried Regina. "How?"

"Well, my Queen might not be able to speak to me face-to-face due to your carefully designed prison," Evil Shae began to explain with another small, casual shrug. "But she can still get messages to me. She's been doing so ever since I arrived here."

"No… No way." Emma muttered,vigorously shaking her head. "My protection spell, it's… Air tight! It's-"

The rest of Emma's sentence was drowned out by more laughter from Shae's evil half. "Oh, don't give yourself so much credit, Savior." She sneered, dramatically rolling her eyes. "She's The Evil Queen! Now untethered and unburdened by her far, far lesser half." Evil Shae then leaned forward, grinning deviously into Emma's eyes, her own wide and wild. "She's capable of anything. Everything."

Emma opened her mouth to retort, but found that simply no more words were able to escape her lips. The reality of their situation, the reality that their new plan had fallen apart just as quickly as it came, was slowly sinking in. She once again glanced around at her friends and family, who appeared to also be coming to the realization that they were back to square one all over again.

"Just… Let me get this straight here, mate." Said Hook, slowly shaking his head. "You are fully aware that the woman you love is in bed with someone else, and you're just… Fine with it?"

"Why shouldn't I be? She's only using The Dark One to get what she wants." Evil Shae replied with another shrug. "A man like Rumplestiltskin doesn't do anything without a little something in return. And what wouldn't any man do for a woman like my Queen? Why, you yourself killed your own father at her behest. And she didn't even need to sleep with you!"

Hook's eyes suddenly flashed with rage, and he took an angry step toward Evil Shae. "That's… T-That's not… I-I don't-" He stammered, pointing a trembling finger in Evil Shae's grinning face. He then glanced over at Emma, then Shae, then Regina, and breathed out a bitter, sour chuckle. "You're right… This one, The Evil Queen, they're nothing but… Evil incarnate. No light left at all, no love."

"Or, am I simply confident enough and secure enough in my relationship that I can place complete and total trust in my partner?" Asked Evil Shae, grinning merrily all the while. "Why can't you say the same, hm? What trouble is brewing in paradise? Besides The Savior's impending demise, of course. I can't wait, by the way, since it seems I'll be the one responsible. I'll make especially sure it's slow and painful, don't you worry."

Before either Hook or Emma could do or say anything in response, Shae suddenly lurched forward, and seized her evil half by her throat. "Shut up!" She snarled, glaring viciously into her evil half's eyes. "You're never going to lay a finger on Emma. You're never even going to set foot outside of this cell." She then released her grip on Evil Shae's throat, and straightened herself up, smoothing out the front of her vest. "We're done here. Let's go."

Nobody bothered to question Shae's command, and immediately began to exit the cell. "Before you go!" Evil Shae suddenly called out. Shae herself was the last one left in the room, and she slowly turned back around toward her evil half. "Give my regards to The Wicked Witch." Evil Shae went on with a grin that Shae found unsettling. "Tell her that… It's my deepest regret that I couldn't be the one to finally put an end to her, just like I've always wanted."

"What?" Shae muttered, furrowing her brow at her evil half. "What the hell does that mean?"

Evil Shae simply laughed, and laid back onto her cot, arms folded behind her head. She continued laughing while Shae simply stared in perplexed and worried silence. After a few moments, Shae shook herself, and stepped out into the hallway with the others. She slammed the door shut behind her.

"Well, that failed spectacularly." Regina grumbled as she rubbed her aching forehead.

"Aye, that it did." Hook agreed with a nod, his face grim. "So… What now?"

There was a moment of silence as they all stared around at each other, not at all sure how to answer Hook's question. "I don't know…" Snow was the one to finally speak up, her eyes still shimmering with angry tears. "But… I've got to get to school before I'm late."

As Snow began heading down the hall toward the stairs, Emma quickly reached out and grabbed her arm. "Mom… Wait." She said, gently squeezing her mother's hand. "You know that what, uh… Evil Shae said, just… Well… No one blames you. I don't think Shae even blames you."

"Nope." Shae agreed with a shrug. "I kinda had it coming."

Snow White breathed out a sad, heavy sigh, and slowly shook her head. "I know, but… I blame me." She muttered in reply. "She's right, after all… How can I claim to be a force for good when I… Just… Gave in to darkness so easily."

Snow took a moment to wipe away a few stray tears that had leaked onto her cheeks before explaining. "Deep down, I knew that you didn't know anything about The Curse." She said, staring directly at Shae. "A part of me knew that you were just trying to get me to give in to all my pain and anger. And… I did. I was so angry, and so… Scared."

The others all watched with heavy hearts as Snow squeezed her eyes shut, and drew in a deep, shaky breath. "I thought that I first blackened my heart when I killed Cora." She quietly went on, her voice quavering with emotion. "Then, what I did to Maleficent and her daughter came to light. But, now… Now I realize it was that night, the night that I never even told my own husband about."

"Look, Snow, for what it's worth… I forgive you." Shae said as she stepped forward, placing her hand gently on Snow's shoulder. "I promised you back at your castle that I would never speak of that night. And, I guess, technically… I've kept that promise, and I still will. David won't hear it from me, not if you don't want him to."

Snow nodded, and gently patted Shae's hand. "Thank you." She whispered with a small, sad smile. "But, I think it's finally time he does hear about it, from me. As soon as we can talk face-to-face again, I'll tell him."

Snow then turned her back on them, and started toward the stairs. "Maybe this is my punishment." She said as she paused at the bottom of the stairs, slowly turning back around to face them. "I'm starting to think that, after everything I've done, not being able to be with my husband is my punishment. Lord knows I deserve it…"

With that, Snow White started up the stairs, and was gone. The others all stood frozen in their spots for a few moments. None of them knew what to do, what to even say.

"Well… That sucked." Shae muttered, finally breaking the silence. "This whole morning so far has just… Sucked."

"That's putting it lightly." Regina agreed, breathing out a sad, heavy sigh. "So… What do we do now?"

"Why don't we… Go back to our place?" Emma offered, placing her hand on Hook's arm. "I'll make some coffee and we can, I dunno… Brainstorm some new ideas."

Shae and Regina both agreed, and they all headed up the stairs themselves. As they left the hospital and toward their respective vehicles, Shae, once again, got the sudden feeling that they were being watched. She paused with her hand on the handle of the passenger side door to her wife's car. She slowly scanned the street with her eyes, and spotted a strangely familiar looking man sitting on a bench across the street from the hospital. As soon as Shae spotted him, he drew the hood of his sweater over his head, and got up from the bench. For a moment, just a moment, Shae could have sworn that she saw a set of pointed ears.

XX

Just as Emma had suggested, she, Hook, Regina, and Shae all met back up at her house, and began to muse amongst themselves about what to do about The Evil Queen. The entire time, Shae couldn't focus. She would nod her head anytime someone looked her way, but kept silent, nervously chewing on her fingernails.

She kept thinking about the man she had seen outside the hospital. She tried to justify what she saw by nothing but nerves, but she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off. Above all else, the feeling of anxiety and dread that had been bubbling inside her was reaching a boiling point. She wanted to scream at them all to run, but had no idea to where, or even why.

It was around noon when the others decided they needed a break, to which Shae was immensely grateful for. They decided to head to Granny's Diner for lunch. Shae was immediately disappointed when her food arrived, which looked delicious, but she was too anxious to eat. Her stomach was in knots, and her mouth was too dry. She fought desperately against the strange urge to flip the table and scream at everyone inside the diner to run for their lives. Once again, she had no idea why.

The others all enjoyed their meals in peace for a few moments, until Mother Superior suddenly came bursting through the door, looking for The Heroes of Storybrooke. When she spotted Emma, Hook, Regina, and Shae, she told them all to come with her to the convent right away. Upon seeing the panicked look on Mother Superior's face, they immediately obliged. They arrived to find Tinkerbell and the rest of the fairies fussing over one of their own. Once they drew closer, they were horrified to find out why.

The woman who had once been young, strong, and vibrant, was now old, wrinkled, and decrepit. She explained that Mr. Gold, accompanied by none other than The Evil Queen, had abducted her. Gold then cast a spell that caused her to rapidly age. She had no idea why, and neither did anyone else. That was, until, Emma suddenly offered up an answer.

"I cast a spell just like this when I was The Dark One…" She muttered quietly. "To, you know… Speed up Zelena's pregnancy."

"Oh my god…" Belle suddenly whispered, her eyes wide. "He's going to use the same spell on me!"

Since the incident with Dr. Jekyll upon the deck of The Jolly Roger, Belle had moved in to the convent with the fairies, and had been under their protection ever since. She had been present when the poor woman had stumbled through the door, and when Emma and the others had arrived on the scene. Now, she stared around at them all with fear in her eyes.

"Rumple's going to do the same thing so that he can use the Shears of Destiny to cut our son's ties to his fate." She muttered, placing her trembling hands over her mouth. "Then, he can take him from me! He… H-He can… Corrupt him! Or… Worse!"

"If that's truly his plan, then… Why would he announce it to us like this?" Asked Hook.

Belle scoffed loudly, slowly shaking her head. "Because… He wants me to know." She growled, balling her hands into angry fists. "He's trying to scare me so that I'll go back to him, which I won't do. I can't do."

"Dammit…" Emma snarled, running a shaky hand through her long, blond hair. "There has to be a way to stop him."

There was a moment of silence as they all stared around at each other. Once again, Shae was distracted, gazing silently out the nearby window. She jumped when Belle suddenly stepped up to her, and took both of her hands in her own.

"Shae… Please…" She whispered, staring up into Shae's eyes, her own streaming with frightened tears. "If… I-If anyone can stop Rumple it's you. You're the one that's born of the gods. I mean… You have Thor's Hammer! That can stop him… Right?"

Shae opened her mouth to respond, but found that no words were able to come out, her throat suddenly dry again. For a moment, Belle simply stared at her in hopeful silence as she opened and closed her mouth several times. Shae was immensely grateful when her wife suddenly stepped in.

"Don't worry, Belle," Regina said as she forced herself between Belle and her wife. "We're not going to let anything happen to you or your baby."

Without waiting for a response, Regina seized Shae by her arm, dragging her away from Belle and out of the room. On the way, she motioned for both Emma and Hook to follow her. Once the four of them were out in the hallway, she told them that she had another idea.

"You said that The Evil Queen has her own room at Zelena's farmhouse, right?" She asked of her wife. When Shae nodded silently, she went on. "Good. We'll both go there, and see if we can find something to reverse the spell Gold cast on that poor fairy. And, maybe, just maybe, we might even find something to help us stop him from casting that same spell on Belle."

"Woah, wait a minute… A-Are you sure about this?" Asked Emma, eyes wide with alarm. "What if The Evil Queen is there?"

"Then we'll just wait until she's gone." Regina replied with a shrug. "Besides, if we do run into her, then… Oh, I don't know. I'll think of something. I am the only one that can hurt her, remember?"

Emma once again opened her mouth to protest, but never got a chance to. Regina quickly placed her hand on her wife's shoulder, and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. She reappeared with Shae in tow just down the road from the farmhouse. She stated that it would be smarter to approach on foot, to which Shae agreed.

"Thanks for getting me out of there." Shae told her wife with a smile as they started down the road. "I really had no idea what I was going to say to Belle."

"I know. I could tell." Regina replied, smiling back. "But… Do you think Mjolnir really could stop Gold?"

"I… Don't know. Maybe." Shae said with a small shrug. "But you saw what happened the last time I tried to use it. When Loki was inside me, I was able to use it no problem. Now that it's just me, I'm… Struggling. She did say I would have to learn how to wield it on my own. I just… Don't really know how. Not without hurting myself, at least."

Regina slowly and solemnly nodded her head in silence. "You know, I'm starting to think that maybe I shouldn't have told everyone." Shae went on, a deep frown on her face. "Now that they know about Mjolnir and Loki and… Everything, I feel like they… I dunno… Expect more from me. They expect me to be some sort of all powerful demi-god, and I just… Don't even know what that is, what that really means. I'm still just… Me. And, I… I-I just… I…"

Shae suddenly stopped walking, causing Regina to stop as well. "What if that's not enough?" Shae asked of her wife, her piercing blue eyes filled with fear. "With everything that's going on, what if just me just… Isn't enough?"

"Don't say that." Regina replied softly as she stepped up to her wife, taking both of her hands in her own. "You're more than enough. Just look at all you've done! You've saved the lives of everyone in this town countless times, and that was all before you had Mjolnir!"

When Shae didn't respond, Regina sighed, and placed her hands on either side of Shae's face, forcing her to stare into her eyes. "You're enough for me, Shae." She went on, smiling into her wife's eyes. "You're more than enough. You're… My everything. You're the strongest person I know, and I love you just the way you are."

Shae slowly nodded her head, breathing out a long, shaky sigh. "I know… Thank you." She replied, managing a small smile of her own. "Sorry I started… Freaking out. I'm not really feeling myself today."

"It's alright, no need to apologize. I'm here for you." Regina whispered, gently caressing her wife's face with her thumbs. "Just… Kiss me. You'll feel better."

"Hmmm… No." Shae mumbled as she wrapped her arms around Regina's waist, drawing her in closer. "You kiss me."

Regina chuckled, and immediately obliged. Shae breathed out a deep, contented sigh as her wife kissed her. And, just as Regina had said, she began to feel all her worries slowly melting away as she held the woman that she loved in her arms.

"You're right…" Shae murmured against her wife's lips. "I do feel better."

"Good." Regina said with a grin. "Now… What do you say to a little breaking and entering?"

"Sounds like fun." Shae replied, grinning back. "Like a… Super weird date."

Regina laughed some more, and placed one last kiss on her wife's lips before they continued on to the farmhouse. As they approached, neither of them could sense any magic within, which they assumed meant that the house was empty. As they carefully and quietly slipped inside, they found their suspicions to be true. There was no sign of either Zelena or The Evil Queen.

Shae led the way up to The Evil Queen's bedroom, and they started their search for any sort of spell or magical item that could help them stop Gold. They searched through every drawer and cabinet they could find, careful to put everything within back exactly as they found it. So far, they were coming up empty.

"I kinda want to fart on her pillow." Shae said as she searched the nightstand beside The Evil Queen's bed. "Think I should?"

"What? That's disgusting!" Cried Regina, rolling her eyes at her wife. She then bit her lip, staring down at the floor as she pondered for a moment. "Do it."

"Yes!" Shae exclaimed, throwing her fists up in the air. "Alright, but if I'm gonna really do this, I'm doing it bare ass."

"Obviously." Regina replied with a shrug.

Shae grinned excitedly as Regina returned to the cabinet she was searching through. Shae was just about to undo her belt, when the sound of the door opening downstairs caused them both to stop in their tracks. They held rigidly still, listening to the muffled sounds of footsteps and voices. Regina pressed a finger silently to her lips, staring wide eyed at her wife, to which Shae nodded.

The two of them crept slowly toward the door, and pulled it open a crack. The two voices were those of Zelena and The Evil Queen. Neither of them could tell what they were saying, but from their tones, it appeared that they were arguing.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Regina whispered to her wife.

"No." Shae grumbled. "Dammit… Once again, I super miss being a vampire."

They continued listening for a while when, suddenly, the voices stopped. They glanced curiously at each other, and Regina opened her mouth to speak. A sudden bang from outside caused her to stop. She and Shae immediately rushed over to the window, and gasped at what they saw; A full on magical brawl on the front lawn between The Evil Queen and The Wicked Witch.

"Holy shit!" Cried Shae. "Regina, I think this is what my evil half was talking about! I think… The Evil Queen wants to kill Zelena!"

Regina didn't respond right away. She simply watched as her sister and The Evil Queen lobbed fireballs at each other for a moment. Then, she stepped away from the window.

"She'll be fine." She muttered quietly. "Come on. We need to keep looking."

"What?" Shae exclaimed, watching with wide, baffled eyes as her wife began rummaging through the nearby wardrobe. "Didn't you hear what I just said? The Evil Queen is going to kill your sister!"

Regina didn't seem to be concerned, and didn't even bother to glance away from the wardrobe. "She can handle herself."

Shae blinked several times in pure shock. "No, actually, I don't think she can! Not against The Evil Queen!" She shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. "We have to do something!"

A loud crash from outside caused Shae to whirl back around toward the window. Zelena was suddenly lying slumped against the shed. "Shit… She's down!" Cried Shae. "We have to help her!"

When she got no response from her wife, she turned back around. Regina had abandoned the wardrobe, and was now searching the closet on the far side of the room. "Regina, are you even listening to me?" Shae shouted desperately. "Zelena is going to die!"

Once again, Regina failed to respond, and kept her back turned toward her wife. "REGINA!" Shae bellowed. She watched with her jaw dangling open as, without a single word, Regina stepped away from the closet, and began searching through The Evil Queen's vanity. "FINE!" Shae cried, throwing her arms up once again. "If you won't save your sister, then I will!"

At that, Regina suddenly whirled around. "No! Shae, STOP!"

But it was too late. Shae disappeared in a gust of swirling wind, and reappeared directly in front of The Evil Queen, who had been slowly approaching Zelena. She immediately threw out her hand, sending The Evil Queen careening backwards with a forceful gust of wind.

As The Evil Queen hit the ground, Shae spun around, and knelt down beside her sister-in-law. She looked a bit battered, and had a nastly wound on her forehead that was already bleeding profusely. Otherwise, she seemed to be mostly intact.

"Shae?" Zelena whispered, blinking dazedly up at her. "W-What… What are you…"

"It's ok. I'm here to help." Shae whispered back, placing a hand firmly on Zelena's shoulder as she attempted to get back up. "Just… Stay down. I've got this."

Shae then rose to her feet, and turned back around to face The Evil Queen. "You…" The Queen snarled, narrowing her eyes at Shae. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Doing what I do best." Shae replied with a cheeky grin, summoning a sword into her hand with a gust of wind. "Getting in the way."

"At least that we can agree upon." Growled The Evil Queen. She summoned a sword of her own, and pointed it at Shae, cocking her head to the side. "Are you sure you want to do this? For her, of all people?"

Shae glanced quickly over her shoulder at Zelena, then back at The Evil Queen. "Honestly… Not really." She replied with a shrug. "But, since nobody else is going to step in and help, I guess it falls on me. That's what family is for, right?"

The Evil Queen emitted a deep, dark chuckle as she fell back into a battle ready stance. "You're making a terrible mistake, Shae…"

Shae chuckled herself, her fist clenching tight around the hilt of her sword. "I know."

The Evil Queen then bellowed out a fearsome war cry, and charged. Shae was ready for her, and parried her blow, dancing quickly behind her. She continued to remain on the defensive, drawing slowly backward and away from Zelena, parrying strike after strike.

It wasn't long before Shae began to feel her strength waning, her counter strikes coming slower and slower by the moment. She glanced quickly over toward the farmhouse, at the second floor window from where she knew her wife could see her. After just barely managing to fend off another blow from The Evil Queen, Shae used her free hand to send The Queen hurtling backwards with another powerful gust of wind.

The Evil Queen immediately sprang back up onto her feet, and Shae drew Mjolnir out of the holster attached to her belt. "Really? This again?" The Evil Queen sneered, gesturing to the ancient hammer with the tip of her sword. "Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Shae dropped her sword, and held Mjolnir in both of her hands, her chest heaving. "Yeah… Well… I guess I'm a slow learner."

She then raised Mjolnir over her head, bellowed out a war cry of her own, and drew it back down again. A mighty bolt of lightning burst forth from Thor's Hammer, and shot straight at The Evil Queen. Shae grinned as she watched the bolt of lightning go, but the grin immediately faded from her face.

The Evil Queen somehow managed to catch the bolt in both of her hands. Shae watched in pure shock as she struggled with it for a moment, her arms trembling. She watched, her jaw dangling open in horror, as The Evil Queen formed the lightning from Thor's Hammer into a ball.

"Well, well…" The Evil Queen whispered, staring at the ball of lightning that she now held in one hand with wonder. "Would you look at that…"

For a moment, The Evil Queen shifted her wide, grinning eyes onto Shae. Then, she turned in her spot, away from Shae. She hurled the ball of lightning straight at Zelena.

"NOOO!" Shae screamed.

Mjolnir slipped from Shae's hand as she slammed both of her fists into the ground. Just before the ball of lightning was about to hit Zelena, a column of dirt sprung forth from the ground. The lightning ball struck the column of dirt, which immediately and violently exploded. Shae's split second plan had worked, though. Zelena was unharmed.

"NO!" The Evil Queen shrieked.

It was at that moment that the pain suddenly settled in. Shae emitted a strangled cry, falling to her knees as her arm burned as if it was on fire. Her head spun wildly, and all she could do was groan and clutch her aching arm as The Evil Queen slowly approached her.

"You…" The Evil Queen snarled as she loomed over Shae. "You have meddled in my affairs for the last time…"

The Evil Queen summoned a fireball into her hand. Shae squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for the pain to come, her chest heaving, her heart racing. A sudden shout caused her to snap her eyes open again. She opened her eyes just in time to see Zelena collapse onto her knees beside her.

"STOP!" Zelena shouted. She wrapped one arm protectively around Shae's shoulders, and put the other out toward The Evil Queen. "Don't… D-Don't hurt her! I'm the one you want!"

The Evil Queen paused, fireball in hand. "Well, well… Look at you, sis. Sacrificing yourself for someone else, just like a fabled hero." She sneered. "But, in the end, it doesn't really matter. I'll simply kill two birds with one fireball."

The Evil Queen emitted a loud, mocking laugh, and raised her fireball over her head. Zelena buried her face in Shae's shoulder, and Shae wrapped her good arm around her, squeezing her eyes shut again. Another strangled cry caused them both to open their eyes. The Evil Queen no longer had a fireball in her hand, and was suddenly doubled over, clutching her chest.

Standing just behind The Evil Queen, was Regina. She was holding a glowing red heart in her hand, a heart that both Shae and Zelena realized was her own. "Shae!" Regina called out. "Shae, are you alright?"

"I'm… I-I'm fine." Shae rasped in reply.

"Good." Regina said with a nod. "Go get the baby, get Zelena, and get out of here. Now!"

Shae didn't bother to question her wife's orders. She seized Mjolnir by it's hilt, and disappeared in a gust of swirling wind. She reappeared inside the farmhouse, and found baby Robin in the living room in her crib. She ignored the pain in her arm, and quickly scooped Robin up. She disappeared again, and reappeared in her same spot beside Zelena. She then placed her free hand on Zelena's shoulder, and disappeared once again, with Zelena in tow.

The two of them reappeared on the floor in the living room of Shae and Regina's home. "Robin…" Zelena whispered, holding her arms out toward Shae. "My… M-My baby!"

Shae handed baby Robin over to her mother, who immediately breathed out a sigh of relief. Zelena leaned back against the couch, clutching Robin gratefully to her chest. Once she realized that both Zelena and Robin were safe, Shae collapsed backwards onto the floor, clutching her aching arm.

"Are… A-Are you alright?" Zelena asked in a quiet, shaky tone.

"Yeah, just, uh… A little… Side effect to… Using Thor's Hammer…" Shae replied through gritted teeth.

Zelena laughed, and immediately regretted doing so as the wound in her head pounded with pain. "Aren't you supposed to be… A… A-A… Demi-god, or… Something?"

Shae laughed herself, and also regretted it. "Yeah… I… I-I guess so. I'm just… Not really good at it yet."

For a few moments, both Zelena and Shae sat there in silence, Zelena holding her baby, and Shae holding her aching arm. Suddenly, there was a familiar whooshing noise as Regina appeared before them. She immediately rushed over to Shae, and knelt down beside her.

"I'm fine, really. Heal Zelena first, she-" Shae began to say.

She stopped as her wife completely ignored her words, and held her hands out over her arm. Regina's hands began to glow with a soft, purple light, and, a moment later, so did Shae's entire body. Shae breathed out a sigh of relief as the burning, stinging pain in her arm subsided.

"Thank you." She said with a smile. "Now… Go heal Zelena. As I was trying to say, she's in a lot worse shape than me."

Regina's lips turned down into a strange sort of grimace, but she nodded in agreement nonetheless. She then rose to her feet, and stepped up next to her sister, holding her arms out over her. Shae took a moment to roll up her sleeve, and examine her arm. Her skin was, once again, an angry shade of red. She wasn't entirely surprised to find that there were new runes etched into her flesh, which now stretched down to her wrist.

"That's much better, thank you." Zelena said to Regina as she pushed herself up onto her feet. "After a scrap like that, I don't think I could magic a glass of warm milk, let alone heal myself."

Zelena then turned to Shae. "And thank you, Shae. I… I-I can't possibly thank you enough." She said with a smile. She turned back to Regina, and held Robin out to her. "Can you… Hold her for a moment?"

Regina furrowed her brow at her sister, and nodded. Zelena handed her baby over to Regina, then stepped up to Shae. "Right, I'm… Going to hug you now. If… I-If that's alright."

Shae blinked several times in surprise, and silently nodded her head. Then, for the first time ever, Zelena embraced the woman that she had once tried to kill, who was now her sister-in-law. Shae stood in dumbfounded silence, gently patting Zelena's back. It was strange, but also nice, in a strange sort of way. Shae smiled at her wife, but the smile quickly faded. Regina avoided Shae's gaze as she bounced baby Robin in her arms, the same sort of grimace on her face as before.

"Oh… Oh, my…" Zelena muttered as gently squeezed up and down Shae's back. "You are… Surprisingly hard. Are you flexing?"

"Er… N-No…" Shae mumbled, brow furrowed.

Zelena then stepped back out of Shae's arms. "Can you?" She asked.

"Uh… Sure." Shae replied with a shrug.

She then lifted her arm, and flexed her bicep. "Oh… Oh my…" Zelena muttered once again as she squeezed Shae's arm. "You know, Regina, I never really understood the appeal before, but, now… Now I get it."

Shae laughed loudly, as did Zelena. Regina, however, was not at all amused. "Alright, that's enough!" She shouted, stepping between her wife and her sister. "Stop touching her, stop looking at her! Just… Enough!"

Regina practically shoved baby Robin back into Zelena's arms, to which Zelena continued laughing, as did Shae. "Thank you, both of you." Zelena said with a grateful sigh, smiling at both Regina and Shae. "I'm so lucky that you happened by."

Regina exchanged a quick glance with her wife. "Yeah… About that…" She muttered. "I, um-"

"No, no… Please. Let me go first." Zelena suddenly interjected. She took a step toward her sister, and took her hand in her own. "I'm sorry that I didn't come to you. I should have been the one to reach out first. I should have came to you to… Apologize."

For a moment, Regina simply stared into her sister's eyes, which were shining with grateful tears. "Yeah… That's the thing…" She said quietly, slowly removing her hand from Zelena's. "I didn't go to your house to apologize." Regina paused to exchange another glance with her wife. "The truth is… I went to your farmhouse to try and find some sort of magic that could stop Gold. Shae came with me for… Protection."

Shae's heat dropped into the pit of her stomach as she watched the smile fade from Zelena's face. "So, you… You were going to steal from me?" Zelena whispered.

Regina scoffed loudly. "Well, was I really supposed to think that you'd just… Share?" She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "After everything you've done to me, to Shae, and… To our friends?"

Zelena scoffed herself, drawing back a step. "Well, if that's what you really assumed," Zelena growled in reply, narrowing her eyes at her sister. "Then why even bother saving me?"

"Because that's what heroes do!" Regina shouted, pointing an angry finger at Zelena. "They save people! Even the people who have hurt them in… Unimaginable ways!"

Zelena glanced over at Shae, who stood silently rooted in her spot, unsure of what to do, what to say. "This is about Robin, isn't it?" Zelena asked quietly, turning her gaze back onto her sister. "You still blame me for his death."

"Yes, of course I do!" Spat Regina, her eyes welling with angry tears.

"Well, what about forgiveness, what about redemption?" Zelena shouted, throwing her baby free arm up in the air. "You've grown, you've changed! You both have!"

Zelena suddenly turned to Shae, and shoved her arm angrily. "Aren't you going to bloody say something?"

Shae swallowed the hard lump that had formed in her throat. "Regina, just… Listen, ok?" She said slowly, carefully. "I think-"

"Don't!" Regina snarled, putting her hand up in her wife's face. "This is between me and her."

Shae opened her mouth to retort, but shut it again, biting her lip as she ran a shaky hand through her hair. "You are not me." Regina went on, glaring furiously at her sister. "You are nothing like either of us."

Zelena stood her ground as Regina took a step toward her, and she glared right back into her sister's eyes. "I can never forgive you." Regina went on in a whisper, angry tears now spilling down onto her cheeks. "I can pity you, I can hate you, and I can spare your life. But I can never forgive you. Not ever."

With that, Regina turned on her heel, and headed toward the door. "Regina!" Shae called after her wife. "Where are you going? REGINA!"

Shae's desperate calls were met only by the sound of the front door slamming shut. Shae then breathed out an exasperated sigh, and slowly sank down into the armchair behind her. Zelena sank down on the couch herself, and the two of them sat in silence for a time.

"Zelena, I'm… Really sorry." Shae mumbled as she breathed out a heavy sigh. "I-"

"Oh, save it!" Zelena spat irritably. "I don't need your pity."

"Hey, don't get snippy with me!" Shae snapped back, pointing an angry finger at Zelena. "I just saved your sorry ass!"

Zelena bit her lip, then breathed out a heavy sigh of her own. "Sorry, I just… What the bloody hell am I supposed to do now?" She muttered, wiping at the tears on her cheeks with her baby free hand. "I can't go home because one of my sisters just tried to kill me. And I can't stay here because my other sister hates me. And, honestly, I… Can't say that I blame her."

Shae didn't respond right away, silently rubbing her chin as she thought. "Yeah, well… You've got a sister-in-law that's trying to help." She then rose to her feet, and gestured for Zelena to follow her. "Come on. I know a place where both you and Robin will be safe."

A little while later, Shae and Zelena arrived at The Rabbit Hole. Remus was behind the bar, as usual, and was surprised to see Shae and Zelena together, as well as baby Robin. Shae told him that she had a favor to ask of him, and that they should speak in private. Remus left the bar in the hands of one of his employees, and led them to a back room, where there was nothing but a flight of stairs that led up to his apartment.

"Wonderful." Zelena grumbled, rolling her eyes as she followed Remus up the stairs. "I'm guessing I'm about to bring my baby into a filthy bachelor pad."

"Actually, it's quite clean, and tastefully decorated." Remus replied, pausing at the top of the stairs with his hand on the door handle to his apartment. "The stereotype holds up."

Remus then opened the door, and the three of them stepped inside. They found what he had said to be true. His apartment was obviously newly renovated, very clean, and very tastefully decorated.

"Oh… You… Y-You were right." Zelena muttered, staring wide eyed all around her.

"Told you." Remus replied with a shrug.

Suddenly, a small, black cat came trotting up to Remus. "When did you get a cat?" Shae asked with a surprised laugh.

"Oh, I dunno… It was right around when I bought The Rabbit Hole." Remus said as he bent down to scratch the cat behind its ears. "Poor thing was a stray, thin as a rail. I started setting out food for him, and, well… The rest is history, I suppose. I call him Sir Pounce-A-Lot the Second. Not quite as fierce as his predecessor, but… He'll do."

Shae laughed some more as the cat weaved himself between his new owner's legs. "Now, then… Can I get either of you anything?" Remus asked, clapping his hands together. "Tea? Something stronger?"

After everything they had just been through, Shae and Zelena both agreed that they needed a stiff drink. Remus obliged, and poured a glass of whiskey for himself and Shae, and some brandy for Zelena. Then, they all sat down, and Shae told him about everything that had just happened, that Zelena and her baby were in need of a place to stay. To both Shae and Zelena's surprise, Remus immediately agreed to take them in.

"Wait… Seriously?" Shae asked, staring wide eyed at her best friend, her brother. "I thought I'd have to… Persuade you, or… Something."

"Not at all." Remus replied with a small shrug. "Before he… He died, Robin asked me to look after the two of you. I've been a bit distracted with my new business, I admit, but-"

"Wait… Hold on…" Zelena interjected, slowly shaking her head. "The two of us?"

"Well… Yes." Said Remus, shrugging some more. "Robin was… An uncommonly kind man. Despite everything you've done, he… Cared for you, in a way, as the mother of his child. He made me promise that, if anything were to happen to him, I would see that you and the baby were looked after, and… Kept safe."

Zelena nodded, taking a deep drink from her glass. "I see…" She mumbled, clearing her throat softly. "You're right, he was… Uncommonly kind."

"Indeed." Remus agreed, nodding back. He then raised his glass of whiskey. "To Robin."

"To Robin." Zelena said quietly, raising her own glass.

Shae nodded in agreement, and raised her glass as well. The three of them drank in silence for a moment, their hearts heavy as they thought about the noble thief. Zelena then set her glass down on the coffee table, and took Remus' hand in her own.

"I know the two of you were… Close. Especially toward the end." She said in the same quiet, somber tone. "I'm… So sorry, and… So grateful, considering what you're going through."

Remus nodded himself, and gently patted Zelena's hand. "Yes, well… It's just… How things seem to go for me in life and… Love." He mumbled.

Another moment of somber silence fell over the room. Shae knew Remus exceptionally well, and could blatantly see the sorrow in his eyes. She simply stared down into her now empty glass of whiskey, unsure of what to do, what to say. Then, Remus suddenly removed Sir Pounce-A-Lot the Second from his lap, and set him down on the floor before rising to his feet. Sir Pounce meowed loudly and irritably as he scurried away.

"Now, then… I have a spare bedroom that you and the baby can stay in. And, of course, you're welcome to anything and everything I have here." Said Remus, smiling warmly at Zelena. "I just have two simple conditions…"

"Yes. Of course." Replied Zelena, swiftly nodding her head. "Anything."

"One; As I said, and as you can plainly see, I keep a neat and tidy household. I expect you to adhere to that." Remus went on, holding up a finger. When Zelena nodded some more, he held up another finger. "Second; No spying on me while I'm in the shower. Or when I'm changing."

Zelena scoffed loudly, and dramatically rolled her eyes. "I suppose I can agree to that." She said with a grin.

Remus and Shae both chuckled. "Oh, and a small, third condition." Remus continued, folding his arms across his chest. "Just… Be nice to my cat."

"Of course." Zelena replied with another nod. "I quite like cats, actually. They are noble, intelligent creatures."

"Indeed they are." Remus agreed with a pleasantly surprised smile. "Well, then… I think it's safe to say that we'll get along like a house on fire, eh?"

They all chuckled some more as Zelena continued to nod her head in agreement. Then, Shae made a quick call to Emma, brought her up to speed on the situation, and asked if she could come by and cast a protection spell around the apartment, as well as the entire bar. Emma agreed, and told Shae that she and Regina should meet her and Hook back at Granny's afterwards. Shae agreed herself, but decided to not tell Emma that her wife's whereabouts were currently unknown to her.

Next, Shae and Zelena left Robin in Remus' care, and went back to the farmhouse to gather a few essentials for both Zelena and the baby. Thankfully, The Evil Queen was nowhere to be seen. They arrived a short while later back at Remus' apartment. Remus was busy readying his spare bedroom, and had placed baby Robin on the floor. Sir Pounce was sitting beside Robin like a watchful guardian, which made Shae smile. For the first time in days, she finally had a good feeling about something. She knew that both Zelena and her baby would be safe under Remus' care, just like Robin would have wanted.

"Thanks for doing this, Remus." Shae said to her oldest and dearest friend as he walked her back down to the bar. "Robin would be proud. You're a good man."

Remus scoffed loudly. "Just don't go spreading that around town." He grumbled, dramatically rolling his eyes. "I have a reputation to uphold, after all."

Shae laughed, and tightly embraced her best friend, her brother. Then, she left The Rabbit Hole, and headed to Granny's Diner to meet up with her other best friend, Emma. When she arrived, she found that Emma was nowhere to be seen. She did, however, spot her wife sitting alone in a booth at the back of the diner. She ordered another glass of whiskey for herself, and a glass of wine for Regina. She took a deep, steadying breath as she approached the booth.

"Hey." She said as she slid into the seat across from her wife. "I, uh… Got you this."

Regina already had a mostly empty glass of wine sitting in front of her, and nodded in gratitude. "Thank you." She muttered, carefully avoiding her wife's gaze.

Shae breathed out a heavy sigh, and took a deep swig from her own glass. "Look… We need to talk." She said in a slow, gentle tone.

"No… We don't." Regina replied in a low, angry tone.

Shae bit her lip, thinking carefully for a moment about how to respond. "Listen, I know you're still upset with Zelena about what happened to Robin, but-"

"Oh, you mean how he was murdered by Hades, my sister's boyfriend?" Regina snarled, cutting Shae off. "Of course I'm still upset!"

"I know, I know…" Shae muttered, carefully putting out her hands. "I just-"

"No, you don't know!" Spat Regina, pointing a furious finger in her wife's face. "I mean… Sure, the two of you mended your differences in the end, but you didn't know him like I did, you didn't care about him like I did."

"Ok, I… I-I just… I…" Shae stammered. She then drew in another deep, shaky breath before going on. "I know it doesn't exactly make up for… What happened. But, Zelena did kill Hades, who was, I guess, her… True love. If it wasn't for her, Hades might have actually executed his plan and taken over Storybrooke, and then the whole world! Doesn't that count for something?"

Regina was silent for a moment, staring down into her wine glass. "What if it had been Elsa?" She asked quietly, finally turning her gaze up to meet Shae's.

Shae clenched her jaw at the same time that her hand clenched tight around her glass of whiskey. "I… Would be angry, sure." She replied, matching her wife's quiet, even tone. "But… Not enough to let my own sister die."

"But you don't have a sister, do you?" Regina shouted, slamming her palm onto the table. "You don't have someone who is your own flesh and blood. Someone who you've vouched for, who you've given countless chances, and who, just… Just keeps hurting you in… Unspeakable ways."

Shae bit her lip once again, and was silent as she took another large sip of her whiskey, unsure of what to say next. "What about your vendetta against Gold?" Her wife went on to ask. "You promised on our wedding night that you would kill him for what he did to Nadia."

"That's… T-That's different." She muttered half-heartedly in reply.

"No… It's not!" Regina snarled, slamming her palm onto the table once again. "I'm through talking about this. I saved Zelena in the end, didn't I? I'm done."

Regina drained the rest of her wine in one swift gulp, and got up from the booth. "Wait… Where are you going now?" Shae called after her wife as she stomped toward the door. "Regina! REGINA!"

While Regina had been storming out the door, Emma had been walking in, followed by Hook. They both attempted to speak with Regina for a brief moment, but only received an irritated glare in return. The two of them then took the seat opposite Shae that Regina had abandoned.

"Uh… Hey…" Emma muttered, exchanging a quick, uncertain glance with Hook. "Is, uh… Everything ok?"

"Peachy." Shae grumbled as she took another deep swig of her whiskey.

"Right." Hook muttered, raising a skeptical eyebrow at Shae. "Obviously."

At the curious and concerned looks on both Emma and Hook's faces, Shae breathed out a heavy sigh. She then explained to them the details of what had happened between Regina and Zelena after their brief encounter with The Evil Queen. To Shae's shock and surprise, neither Hook or Emma seemed terribly upset over Regina's actions.

"I can't say that I blame her, mate." Hook commented with a small shrug.

"Right, I mean… After everything Zelena has done, it was all bound to blow up in her face sooner or later." Said Emma, shrugging as well.

Shae breathed out a bitter, sour laugh, slowly shaking her head. "So… What? You're saying that Regina should have just… Let Zelena die?"

"No, of course not. That's… Not what we're saying." Emma replied, shaking her own head.

Shae suddenly slammed her fist into the table. "Then what the fuck are you saying?" She shouted.

A sudden hush fell over the diner, and all heads turned toward the source of the angry cry. "Just… Calm down, mate." Hook muttered in a slow, careful tone. "Are you sure you're alright? You've been… Awfully agitated, as of late."

"Maybe because everyone around me is PISSING ME THE FUCK OFF!" Bellowed Shae.

Both Emma and Hook jumped in fright at Shae's sudden, furious outburst. They simply watched in baffled silence as she rose from the booth, and drained the rest of her whiskey. Then, with all eyes on her, she headed toward the door.

"Shae… Wait! Where are you going?" Emma called after her.

"For a walk!" Shae shouted back.

Without waiting for a response, Shae burst out the door, and stepped out onto the sidewalk. With no particular destination in mind, she stormed down Main Street, fists clenched tight within the pockets of her coat. She gritted her teeth as she walked, fuming over Emma and Hook's indifferent reaction to her wife's actions, and to Regina's actions in general.

As her legs carried her onward, Shae's head swam with everything that had transpired that day. At first, she thought that the source of her fowl mood was simply due to her wife's own indifference to her sister's plight. Then, as the sheer dread she had been feeling for days began to settle in again, she knew that what Hook had said was right. She had been strangely agitated lately, and she had no idea why. Once again, she had to fight off the strange urge to scream at everyone around her to run for their lives.

"Hi, Shae!"

Suddenly, a voice calling her name caused her to stop in her tracks. She glanced all around her, and found that she was now quite far from the main part of town. She forced herself to smile when she saw a tiny, familiar face beaming up at her.

"Oh, uh… H-Hey, Lilo." She stammered, trying desperately to calm her racing heart. She suddenly noticed the small, stuffed blue toy that Lilo was holding in her arms. "And, uh… This must be Stitch!"

Lilo held her toy up in front of her face. "My name… Stitch." She said in deep, garbled voice. "Nice to… Meet you!"

Shae laughed, and leaned in closer to shake Stitch's tiny hand, which Lilo held out to her. Upon closer examination, Stitch looked to be home made, and crudely so. His head was much too big for his body, with large, pointed ears and crooked button eyes. He had four arms sown haphazardly onto his small body, and two small, stubby feet. There were even what looked like two antennas protruding from the top of his head, between his massive ears

"Nice to meet you too, Stitch." Shae said with another laugh. When Lilo then lowered him away from her face, cradling him in her arms once again, Shae went on. "He's, uh… Definitely… Unique. Where'd you get him?"

"Well, this one time before Christmas, I prayed to Santa for a friend to play with." Lilo began to explain with a shrug. "Then, on Christmas morning, my sister gave me Stitch! Isn't he ugly?" Lilo then giggled happily, and hugged Stitch to her chest. "I love him so much. Nani said that he's an alien that Santa sent from outer space to be my friend!"

"That's, uh… That's awesome, Lilo." Shae said with another strained smile. "What, um… W-What exactly are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"Walking home from school." Lilo explained with another shrug. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm, uh… Walking too." Shae replied with a shrug of her own. "Where's your sister? Doesn't she drive you home?"

"No, she doesn't have a car." Said Lilo. "And she says she can't afford a bus pass either. So I just walk home."

Shae blinked several times in surprise. "Oh… Well, uh… Would you like a ride? I can go get my car."

Lilo suddenly frowned, and looked Shae up and down. "I… I-I dunno… Nani says I shouldn't get into a car with a stranger." She mumbled. "Besides… She says that the exercise is good for me. It'll help me grow up to be big and strong, like her!"

Shae's eyes suddenly grew wide with alarm. "Oh… Oh god… Right. Y-You're absolutely right. Your sister is right." She stammered, vigorously nodding her head. "You shouldn't ever get in a car with a stranger. I'm… Really sorry I said that."

"That's ok." Lilo said with another shrug, smiling up at Shae. "But, I guess, if you're walking, and I'm walking, then… Maybe we can walk together?"

Shae smiled back, and nodded her head some more. "Yeah. I, uh… I-I'd like that."

"Me too!" Lilo replied excitedly. "I usually have to walk home all by myself. So it'll be nice to have someone to talk to. Do you have a favorite dinosaur? I like the T-Rex. Which is actually called the Tyrannosaurus. But I like the Triceratops too. And the pterodactyl!"

Shae then found herself accompanying Lilo on her walk home. While they walked side by side, Shae listened as the young girl listed off her favorite dinosaurs, and the list was vast. Then, Lilo started listing off her favorite lizards, which she matter-of-factly told Shae were actually just tiny dinosaurs.

Shae had no idea why she kept crossing paths with Lilo, but, whatever the reason, she was grateful. She found Lilo to be smart, funny, and immensely talkative. Shae was grateful for the distraction, for her company, and soon found that all her worries had melted away.

"What, uh… What are we doing at the docks?" Shae suddenly asked of the girl beside her.

"Oh… Sorry. I forgot to tell you." Lilo began to explain as she started rifling through her backpack. "Everyday after school, I come down to the docks to feed Pudge a peanut butter sandwich. Pudge is a fish, by the way. He controls the weather."

Shae watched as Lilo produced a paper bag from her backpack, and removed said sandwich from inside it. She then tossed the sandwich into the water. "Do you think you could ask him to let up on the rain a little?" Shae asked Lilo with a shrug. "My wife is super particular about our lawn, and I'm getting tired of mowing it."

"I dunno. I guess I can ask." Lilo replied, shrugging herself. She then cupped her hands around her mouth, and began shouting out toward the sea. "HI PUDGE! THIS IS LILO! CAN YOU STOP IT FROM RAINING SO MUCH FOR MY FRIEND? THANK YOU!"

Lilo then nodded in a satisfied sort of way, hefted her backpack onto her back once again, and began walking away from the docks. Shae started to follow her, but stopped when she heard a sudden splashing sound from behind her. She turned back around just in time to see a large, multi-colored fish seize the peanut butter sandwich in it's gaping mouth. Shae watched with her own mouth gaping open as Pudge the fish dragged the sandwich down into the depths of the sea, and disappeared.

"Shae? Are you coming?" Lilo called after her.

Shae slowly shook her head, breathing out a small, dumbfounded laugh. "Uh… Y-Yeah! Coming!"

"Thanks for believing me about Pudge. All the other grown-ups don't, not even Nani!" Lilo said with a smile as Shae jogged up next to her. "But I know it's true. Like, this one time, we ran out of peanut butter, and Nani said that I should just give Pudge a tuna sandwich. Tuna! Stinking… TUNA! I can't give Pudge tuna! That's cannibalism!"

Shae bit her lip, nodding silently as she continued listening, fighting against the urge to laugh. "Anyway… That same day, these huge green storm clouds rolled in to town. Then they turned purple, and then we all got sent back home to The Enchanted Forest!" Lilo went on, throwing her tiny arms up in the air. "And then, when we were back home, I couldn't find Pudge, and the purple clouds came back, and we all came back here to Storybrooke again!"

Shae breathed out another quiet, bemused laugh. She realized that Lilo was talking about when, years ago, Peter Pan had cast his curse. She also spoke of Regina's counter-curse, and the curse that Snow and David had cast to bring everyone back to Storybrooke. She highly doubted that Pudge the Fish had anything to do with it all, but she wasn't about to tell Lilo that.

"So, uh… I guess what I'm trying to say is… You're a cool grown-up, Shae." Lilo went on with another smile. "Can, um… We be friends?"

Shae chuckled quietly, and smiled warmly back at her. "Of course." She said with a nod. "I would be honored to be your friend, Lilo."

Lilo suddenly stopped walking, and held out her hand to Shae. "Friends." She said, nodding herself.

"Friends." Shae agreed with another nod.

Shae then shook Lilo's outstretched hand. "Awesome!" Lilo exclaimed, giggling excitedly. "I don't really have any friends, besides Stitch. All the other kids at school think I'm weird."

"Oh, I'm… Sorry about that." Shae muttered with a frown. She followed after Lilo as she continued walking back toward town. "Honestly, I think being weird is… A good thing. It's way better than being, just… Normal, you know?"

"That's what Nani always says!" Lilo said with a laugh. "I think you guys would be friends too. She'd like you."

"Well, I would love to meet her some day." Shae replied with another smile. She then softly cleared her throat. "But, uh… If you don't mind me asking, Lilo… Where are your parents?"

"Oh, they, um… They died, when I was a baby. I don't really remember them. Nani does, though." Said Lilo, shrugging one of her shoulders. "We lived on a tiny island back in The Enchanted Forest, and our Dad was the chief of the island. Nani told me that, one day, all these soldiers came to our island. She called them Black Knights, and said that someone called The Evil Queen sent them."

Shae's mouth suddenly grew very dry, and a hard, painful lump began to form in her throat. "Nani said that the soldiers were looking for some lady." Lilo went on. "And when they didn't find her, they got really mad, and, um… Killed our Dad, and our Mom, and… Everyone else. Before she died, Nani said that our Mom told her to run, and take me and steal a boat. So… She did, and rowed to the main land. It's just been me and her ever since."

A sudden memory popped into Shae's mind, a memory from days long passed. She remembered being in the war room within The Evil Queen's castle, listening as the Captain of The Evil Queen's guard reported that Snow White had been spotted on an island just off the coast of The Enchanted Forest. She remembered telling The Captain that The Queen didn't need to be bothered with any news of Snow White unless it was news that she had been found and captured. She herself had told The Captain to go to the island, and kill anyone who refused to give him and his soldiers any information on the whereabouts of Snow White. She specifically remembered uttering the phrase, "Show no mercy." It made her sick to her stomach.

"We're here!"

Shae was suddenly wrenched out of her dark and painful memory. She frowned when she realized that she was back at Granny's Diner. "Uh… This is Granny's." She mumbled.

"Yeah, I know." Lilo replied with a nod. "This is where I live!"

"Oh… You and your sister live at the Bed and Breakfast?" Asked Shae.

"Yeah. Nani says that she can't afford a real apartment." Lilo went on to explain. "But she says that if she works real hard, and saves up all her money, then one day we can maybe get a house! And I can even have my own room! That would be really nice. Nani snores a lot."

Lilo then opened her mouth wide, and attempted to mimic her sister's snoring. It was an awful sound, which caused Shae to burst into a fit of laughter. Once she was able to regain control of herself, Shae sighed, and smiled down at the strage, funny little girl that was now her new friend. She opened her mouth to tell Lilo how glad she was to be her friend, and how much fun she had had on their walk together, but a sudden, familiar voice caused her to stop.

"Hello, dearie."

Shae's eyes grew wide with alarm, and she slowly turned around. Standing behind her on the sidewalk, was Mr. Gold. Lilo gasped in fright when she saw him, and retreated behind Shae, clinging to her pant leg.

"The Dark One…" Lilo whispered.

"Hello, child." Said Gold, smiling warmly at Lilo. "I think it would be best if you… Toddle off. Shae and I need to speak alone."

"It's ok, Lilo." Shae muttered, keeping her gaze firmly locked on Gold. "Just… Go inside."

"B-But… But I-" Lilo began to protest.

Shae briefly turned around, and placed her hand firmly on Lilo's tiny shoulder. "Lilo… Please." She muttered, staring very sternly into the girl's eyes. "I need you to go inside. Go straight up to your room, alright?"

Lilo bit her lip, glancing between Shae and Gold for a moment. She then nodded, and wrapped her arms tightly around Shae's knees. "Bye, new friend." She whispered.

"Bye, Lilo." Shae whispered back, patting her gently on the head. "We'll see each other again soon. I promise."

Lilo nodded some more, then promptly scurried up the steps leading into the diner. As soon as the door swung shut behind her, Shae turned back to Gold. "Well, well… Look at you." Gold said with a grin. "Who would have thought that-"

"Shut up!" Shae snarled, abruptly cutting Gold off. "What the hell do you want, Gold? Last time I checked, I told you to stay away from me, and that I was going to kill you."

Gold chuckled quietly, slowly nodding his head. "Yes, I remember. But I need you to set your vendetta aside for a moment and come with me." He replied, folding his hands in front of him. "There's someone here in Storybrooke who wants to see you, someone who's been waiting to see you for a long, long time."

Shae folded her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes at The Dark One. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, and I don't really give a shit, anyway." She growled. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"I'm afraid I must insist." Gold said with a shrug.

"And I'm afraid I must insist not." Shae replied, shrugging herself.

Gold breathed out a long, heavy sigh, and took a step forward. Shae, in response, took a step back, and drew Mjolnir out of the holster attached to her belt. Gold glanced down at the godly hammer clenched in Shae's fist for a moment, then back into Shae's eyes, his lips curling into an angry snarl. Then, he reached into his jacket, and drew his dagger.

"Shae? Grandpa?"

Both Shae and Gold turned toward the sound of a familiar voice, and found Henry approaching them, accompanied by his girlfriend, Violet. "What's… Going on?" Henry asked when he saw their brandished weapons.

"It's alright, Henry." Shae replied in the most calm, even tone that she could muster. "Everything's fine."

Henry exchanged a quick, skeptical glance with Violet. "Uh… Yeah… None of this really looks fine at all." He muttered.

"Don't worry, my boy." Said Gold, keeping his eyes locked firmly on Shae. "Everything really is going to be just fine. As long as Shae agrees to come with me."

Once again, Henry and Violet exchanged a quick, doubtful glance. "Um, no offense, Mr. Gold," Violet began to say. "But… It doesn't really look like Shae wants to do that."

Gold breathed out another heavy sigh, and slowly shook his head. "No, I'm afraid she doesn't." He grumbled. "Which makes things… Difficult. I didn't want to do this the hard way, but I'm afraid I must."

Gold then waved his hand in the air, and, suddenly, a very familiar looking set of gold, glowing chains wrapped themselves around Shae's arms and wrists. As Shae's wrists were suddenly forced together, Mjolnir slipped from her hand. She stumbled back a step, and emitted an enraged snarl, glaring furiously at Gold as she held perfectly still.

"Ah, it seems that you know what these chains are, and what they can do to you. Good." Gold said with a devious grin. "Now, then. We must be off."

"No, STOP!" Henry shouted.

At the same moment that Gold waved his hand in the air once again, Henry rushed forward, grabbing on to Shae's arm. The three of them then disappeared in a whirl of red smoke. When the smoke cleared, both Shae and Henry suddenly found themselves deep in the Storybrooke woods, in the middle of some sort of encampment. They were surrounded by dozens of crudely set up tents. After blinking dazedly for a moment, they also realized that they were surrounded by dozens and dozens of men. They were all dressed in golden armor, and, as Shae looked upon them all, her heart nearly stopped dead in her chest. They all had varying shades of blonde hair, and pointed ears.

"Shae…" Henry whispered as he clung to her arm. "Shae, they're… T-They're elves!"

Shae couldn't speak, could barely breathe as she looked upon the golden, glittering armor that still haunted her dreams. She watched in silence as the elven soldiers began to notice the strangers in their midst, all of them slowly rising from where they had been sitting upon the ground or fallen logs. With her heart racing, she slowly turned her eyes onto Gold.

"Don't worry, dearie. Everything will become clear in a moment." He muttered to Shae. He then cleared his throat, and spoke in clear, perfect elvish. "We're here to see The King!"

Shae's heart began to race even more. She watched in sheer horrified silence as one of the soldiers stepped forward, and beckoned Gold to follow him. Gold seized Shae by her elbow, and dragged her forward. Shae knew she had no choice but to follow Gold. She was outnumbered, vastly outnumbered. So she simply walked forward in silence, with Henry clinging fearfully to her other arm.

"Shae… W-What… What's going on?" Henry muttered in Shae's ear as they followed the elven soldier. "W-Why are they bowing?"

Shae noticed it too. The other soldiers began to bow low as they passed by, with one fist crossed over their chest. They all muttered a single word as they did. "Rhenawedd, rhenawedd…" Shae knew that, in elvish, it meant, "Princess."

The elven soldier that they were following suddenly stopped in front of a much larger, more elaborate tent. He told them to wait a moment, then disappeared into the tent. "W-What… What's happening?" Henry whispered frantically. "Shae? Shae?"

Shae simply shook her head, still unable to speak, still unable to breathe. Then, the soldier from before exited the tent, quickly followed by another elf. This one was much smaller than the others, and Shae recognized the leather collar wrapped around his neck. She used to wear one herself, back in Avalon. The small elf then held back one of the tent flaps, and gestured silently for them to enter. Once again, Gold seized Shae by her elbow, and dragged her forward.

"Rhenawedd…" The elf whispered as they passed by him, bowing low just like the others.

As they stepped inside the tent, Shae found herself suddenly face to face with her greatest enemy, her greatest fear; Oberon, King of Avalon. He was also garbed in golden, glittering armor, but his was much more elaborate and ornate than that of his soldiers. He stood behind a wooden table, and smiled as Gold, Shae, and Henry entered his tent.

"Please… Sit." Said The King, gesturing to the three chairs that were sitting opposite the table. "And release her from these chains. They are not necessary."

Gold glanced sideways at Shae for a moment, then back at Oberon. "Actually, Your Majesty, I… Think they might be very necessary."

"Nonsense!" Oberon retorted, firmly shaking his head. "Release her, at once!"

Gold begrudgingly nodded his head, and waved his hand in Shae's direction. The glowing chains around her arms and wrists then disappeared in puffs of red smoke. There was a long, tense moment where Shae's arms fell limply to her side, and she stared open mouthed at The King. Then, to Gold's surprise, she slowly and silently sank down into the chair behind her.

"It has been so long, and it is so good to see you, at long last." Oberon said as he leaned over the table, smiling at Shae. "Do you know who I am, child?"

Shae's heart was beating wildly in her chest, her breaths coming in short, ragged bursts. She simply stared into King Oberon's smiling, golden eyes, her own wide and wild, her whole body trembling. She then swallowed the hard, fearful lump that had formed in her throat, and silently nodded her head.

"I can see by the look on your face that you do know who I am, but, at the same time… You do not." Oberon replied with a sigh, slowly shaking his head. "I cannot blame you. It is your mother who is to blame."

The King then stepped around the table toward Shae, and knelt down beside her. "You are Shaeogora, simply called 'Shae,' in this realm." He went on in a whisper, taking one of Shae's hands in both of his own. He paused for a moment as he gazed into Shae's eyes, his own shimmering with tears. "I am Oberon, King of Avalon. I am… Your father."

XX