CHAPTER 37

Dawn rose once again over the town of Storybrooke. As Shae, Regina, Henry, and Freya made their way to Granny's for breakfast, they couldn't help but feel that something was different about the town. Perhaps, after all they had been through in the past few days, they were the ones that were different. Either way, they couldn't quite place the strange feeling. All they knew was they suddenly had a seven-year-old to raise and take care of, who was desperately in need of new clothes.

Regina and Shae had an entire day of shopping planned, starting with a healthy breakfast. Currently, Freya was dressed in some of Henry's old clothes that Regina still had lying around. It took her quite a long time to get ready, for she was deeply confused and fascinated by denim and cotton blends.

When the Mills family finally arrived at Granny's, they found Granny herself outside setting up the patio tables. "Good morning, Granny." Regina greeted her with a smile.

"Eh… It'd be a better one if it wasn't so gray and gloomy." Grumbled Granny. She straightened up from where she had been bent over wiping down a table, and stretched out her back with a groan. "These old bones could do with some warmth and sunshine."

As Regina and Shae continued to chat with Granny, Henry noticed that Freya had a deep frown on her face. She suddenly stepped away from them, and Henry continued to watch her curiously. His brow furrowed in confusion as she walked forward a few steps, and raised her hands toward the sky.

"Uh… Shae?" Henry muttered, tapping Shae's arm. "What's she doing?"

Shae turned around, and frowned herself. "Uh… Not super sure."

Regina and Granny were now watching as well as Freya continued to stand still with her arms raised. Suddenly, the wind began to pick up. Shae and the others staggered as they were almost knocked off their feet, as did several passersby. They watched in awe as the heavy gray clouds blanketing Storybrooke began to race across the sky. A few seconds later, the wind stopped, and the clouds were gone. Suddenly, it was a bright sunny day.

Freya turned back around toward them all with a smile. "Sunshine!" She proudly announced, pointing up at the sky.

There was a moment of silence as they all stared wide eyed at the grinning little girl, their jaws dangling open. "Does Freya, somehow… Control the weather?" Henry asked of Shae in a whisper.

"Maybe." Shae muttered, blinking several times in shock. She quickly shook herself, and hurried over to her sister. "Good job, kiddo. Really good job. Let's just, uh… Go inside now, ok?"

Shae ushered Freya inside, leaving her wife and step-son outside with Granny. "Um… I think it might be best if we just… Keep this to ourselves." Mumbled Regina, eyes still wide.

"Agreed." Granny replied with a quick nod.

Regina nodded back, and she and her son followed Shae into the diner. When they all sat down, they chose not to speak of what they had just witnessed Freya do. Shae had told them that Freya was powerful, but they had no idea it was to the extent of manipulating the very weather.

Not long after sitting down, they were approached by a familiar, dark haired waitress. She was familiar to both Shae and Regina because she in particular was extra short and surly with the two of them. Neither of them paid her sourness any mind. They were used to the people of Storybrooke treating them in such a way. Many still hadn't forgiven them for their past deeds.

As their waitress began to take everyone's orders, Shae felt like she was somehow extra familiar today. Her eyes grew wide when she realized why. She looked just like Lilo, only taller and about ten years older. The waitress had to be Nani, Lilo's sister. Shae knew now why she always treated her and her wife with such disdain, and couldn't exactly blame her.

To nobody's surprise, Freya responded with only one word when asked what she wanted. "Bacon!"

Shae and Henry both chuckled, but Regina did not. "Why don't you have a nice, healthy bowl of oatmeal?" She asked of Freya with a smile. "And… Maybe some fruit?"

"Bacon!" Freya exclaimed once again.

"She knows what she likes." Shae said with a shrug.

Regina raised an irritated eyebrow at her wife. "Shae, it is very important to instill a healthy diet at an early age. Eating bacon every day is not healthy."

The grin on Shae's face quickly faded, and she softly cleared her throat. "Right… Ok… Freya, you can have some bacon, but also some fruit too. How does that sound?"

Freya pondered Shae's request for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Regina also nodded, satisfied with the compromise. "Pancakes, please!" Henry said to their waitress with a smile. "Extra syrup."

"Henry…" Regina muttered, raising an eyebrow at her son.

"Oh, and, uh… A side of fruit." He quickly went on.

Regina nodded satisfactorily once again. "I'll get all that in right away." Their waitress said with a small, strained smile.

"Thanks, Nani." Henry said with a smile as he handed her his menu.

The waitress, who was indeed Lilo's sister, smiled back at Henry much friendlier that she had to Shae and Regina. "Do you know her?" Shae asked him.

"Uh… A little, I guess." Henry replied with a shrug. "She works mornings here, and I've seen her around school a few times. Her daughter is in second grade, I think."

"Actually, it's her sister." Shae corrected him.

"How do you know that?" Asked Regina.

"Lilo is her sister." Answered Shae. "I told you about her, remember?"

Regina chuckled, slowly nodding her head. "Right, right… That friend of yours. Who happens to be… Seven."

"Hey, I make friends of all kinds!" Shae exclaimed, innocently raising her hands. "It's not my fault that I'm super charming and charismatic!"

Regina chuckled once again, leaning in close to her wife. "Yes… You definitely are."

Shae chuckled too, and leaned in herself, placing a kiss on Regina's lips. "Ew…" Henry mumbled.

Freya giggled at that. "Ew!" She echoed, giggling some more.

"Yeah. It's definitely ew." Henry agreed with a laugh. "Hey, maybe Freya and Lilo will be friends once she goes to school. They are the same age."

Shae smiled as she thought about the strange and chatty little girl she had made friends with. "Yeah… Maybe." She replied. "But… School is kind of a ways off for Freya. First, she needs to learn how to just… Be a kid."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Henry said with a grin. "She's going to have the best teacher around."

Shae and Regina both laughed, as did Henry. Not long after that, their breakfast finally arrived, and they all dug in. Freya devoured her entire plate, even the fruit, which Regina was pleased about. Once they were done, Shae left a very generous tip. Nani accepted it without a word, which Shae was a little disheartened by, but still didn't blame her.

The Mills family then headed to the nearest clothing store. They met up with Violet on the way, whom Henry had invited along. Henry introduced Freya to his girlfriend, and attempted to explain their complicated family tree situation. Eventually, he settled on calling himself Freya's big brother, to which Shae and Regina both smiled.

Upon seeing the display at the front of the store for children's shoes, Henry suddenly got an idea. He took Freya by the hand, and led her down the aisles. He retrieved a brightly colored, light up sneaker from the shelf, and showed it to Freya. The girl's eyes grew wide as saucers.

"M-M-M… Magic?" She asked in a whisper.

"Even better…" Shae answered with a grin. "Science!"

Freya watched in awe as the soles of the sneaker lit up again as Henry beat it against his palm. "Science…" She whispered softly.

They spent a few moments trying different sizes of light up sneakers on Freya's feet. Once they found a pair that fit, they let her wear them around the store. She giggled excitedly as they flashed bright colors with every step she took.

Their next stop was the children's clothes section. Shae told her little sister that she could pick out whatever she wanted. It was no surprise to any of them that Freya was drawn to anything that had bright colors.

It wasn't long before Shae, Regina, Henry, and Violet all had their arms full of brightly colored outfits that Freya had picked out. When they simply couldn't carry any more, they took everything to the dressing room, where they had Freya try everything on to make sure it fit. Shae went into the dressing room to help her little sister, while Regina, Henry, and Violet sat and waited on a bench just outside. Freya had a grand time displaying all her outfits, to which Henry, Violet, and Regina clapped enthusiastically.

Shae allowed her little sister to wear her favorite outfit out of the store. It consisted of a rainbow, tie dye skirt, and a white t-shirt that had a unicorn on it. She still had her light up sneakers on, of course, and the others helped to pair the outfit with some white leggings and a denim jacket to stave off the New England chill.

After leaving the clothing store laden with bags, they went next to the nearby hair salon, where both Freya and Shae had appointments. Freya was calm and still the entire time the stylist was cutting her hair. Once she was done, Freya's hair was still a mane of tight curls, but now much shorter, and much more manageable. Shae's was shorter now too, back to its former state from before she left Avalon. Freya giggled excitedly when she was given a sucker upon leaving.

Next, they headed to the toy store. Freya's eyes grew wide all over again immediately upon entering. Things were lighting up with bright colors all around, and were making a bunch of different noises. At this point, Henry and Violet completely took over. They led Freya up and down all the aisles, showing her all kinds of toys. Regina and Shae trailed along behind them with smiles on their faces.

As they began to wander down the action figure aisle, both Shae and Henry drew in excited gasps. "SPIDERMAN!" They shouted in unison.

Shae abandoned her wife, and practically sprinted toward the shelves laden with anything and everything Spiderman. "Ok, Freya… Check this out. This is Spiderman." Henry began as he held a Spiderman action figure in front of Freya. "He's mine and Shae's favorite superhero!"

"He was just a regular kid, then he was bitten by a, uh… Um… Magical spider!" Shae explained in an excited rush. "And that spider gave him magical powers! He's super strong, and super fast!"

"And he shoots webs out of his hands!" Henry went on. "He swings around New York City fighting crime and… A-And… Saving people!"

"And he's super smart too." Shae continued, practically bouncing on her feet in excitement. "He makes all sorts of weapons and gadgets to help him fight bad guys! Using… Science!"

Freya gasped, pointing down at her shoes. "Science!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah! Science!" Henry replied, vigorously nodding his head.

Freya reached out and took the boxed action figure from Henry's hands, staring wide eyed down at it. "S-Spider… M-M-M… Man." She stammered quietly. "S-S-S… Spider… Spiderman!"

"SPIDERMAN!" Shae and Henry shouted.

"Spiderman!" Freya shouted back, holding the action figure up over her head.

"Oh man, Freya… Once we get home, I'll show you my entire comic book collection." Said Henry, grinning from ear to ear. "I have a ton of Spiderman. And all the Avengers! Iron-Man, Black Widow, Captain America, The Hulk. Oh! You probably know Thor, right?"

As Henry and Shae went into full education mode over everything Spiderman and The Avengers, Regina and Violet stood side by side watching and laughing. Neither of them knew much about superheroes, and the little they did was due to Henry, and, for Regina, Shae as well. Neither of them really minded. They were simply happy to see Shae and Henry interacting so enthusiastically with little Freya.

After an exceedingly long while, they finally left the superhero section. After her gleeful excitement over Spiderman, Shae stepped back, and once again let Henry and his girlfriend show Freya around the rest of the store. At one point, Regina and Shae left them completely alone, and sat down on a bench together, grateful to be able to set down their bags laden with clothes.

While the couple was chatting amongst themselves, Shae gasped as she was suddenly struck in the shoulder by something small and soft. The object had fallen into Regina's lap, and she held it up, revealing a Nerf dart. Another dart hit Shae in the chest, and another hit Regina in her arm. Henry then leapt out from around the corner of one of the shelves.

"Nerf guns!" He shouted, thrusting the two he was armed with into the air.

"Nerf guns? Oh, hell yeah!" Shae exclaimed.

Regina chuckled as she watched her wife run off with Henry. She abandoned their bags momentarily, and found her wife and son firing Nerf darts at Violet and Freya. Eventually, the store owner stepped in, and insisted that they stop and clean up their mess. Regina apologized profusely to the irritated man as Shae, Henry, and Violet began to pick up all the stray darts they had fired.

After that, they decided that it was time to leave. Once again, Shae and Regina allowed Freya to walk out of the store with her favorite toy. It was an all white teddy bear, which Shae promptly named Olaf. Freya hugged Olaf to her chest with a smile as they left the store.

Regina and Shae left Freya with Henry and his girlfriend for a moment to teleport their many bags back home. Then, they next headed to the library to pay a visit to Belle. The moment they stepped inside, Freya drew in a sharp gasp. She stared wide eyed at the rows upon rows of books.

"Hey, you guys!" Belle greeted them all with a smile. "Wow! Look at you, Freya! You look wonderful! Are those new clothes?"

Freya didn't answer, didn't even look at Belle. She was too busy staring all around her in pure awe. "It's her first time in a library." Shae explained with a small chuckle.

"Oh, I see." Belle replied, chuckling herself. She then knelt down beside Freya, placing her hand gently on her shoulder. "You can check out any book you want, Freya. Just as long as you promise to take good care of it, and bring it back sometime. Can you do that?"

Freya finally turned her eyes onto Belle, and nodded her head with a smile. "Good." Said Belle, smiling back. "Go on, then. Take a look around."

"We'll help you look, Freya." Said Violet, smiling herself. "Come on!"

Violet held out her hand, which Freya took, and followed her deeper into the library. As soon as they were gone, Belle turned to Shae and Regina, a worried frown on her face. "I'm glad you're both here." She said in a low, quiet tone. "There's… Something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Asked Regina, raising an eyebrow at her.

Belle nodded, and stepped in closer, dropping her voice even lower. "I think… Something terrible has happened to my son."

Shae and Regina both blinked several times in surprise. "What makes you think that?" Shae asked her with a frown.

Belle sighed, slowly shaking her head. "I'm… Not sure. Mother's intuition, maybe?" She muttered. "I just have this… This… Sinking, uneasy feeling. I thought that maybe you, Regina, might have… Felt something similar while raising Henry."

"Well, every mother worries about their child. Especially when they're… Far away." Regina replied with a small shrug. "It's probably just nerves. You did send him with The Blue Fairy. Who exactly is better in this town than her to look after a child?"

Belle sighed once again, nodding as she pondered Regina's words. "Right… Y-You're… You're right. I supposed I just… Needed to hear it." She muttered quietly. She then took Regina's hand with a smile. "Thank you, Regina. I'm sure wherever Gideon is, Blue is looking out for him."

Suddenly, Shae felt awfully strange. She groaned softly, clutching at her head as it pounded with pain. The library began to flash in and out of her vision. Suddenly, it was dark, and she was standing in the middle of Main Street. She was in the midst of a heated sword fight with a cloaked figure. She raised Mjolnir over her head, and sent the figure hurtling backwards with a bolt of lightning. As the person in the hood fell into a crumpled head onto the ground, Shae raised her sword in the air. She stopped when she felt a burning, stinging pain in her chest. She glanced down, and saw a dagger buried in her chest, right over her heart.

"Shae? SHAE!"

Shae drew in a deep, shuddering gasp as she snapped back to reality. She was leaning heavily against the wall of the library, her chest heaving, her whole body covered in a cold sweat. It was the same vision she had experienced before leaving for Avalon, the one that was eerily similar to Emma's. She hadn't had the vision since Avalon, and even then it was only in the form of dreams. She was wide awake now, however. Wide awake and frightened, for the dagger in her heart was something entirely new.

"Shae, are you alright?" Belle asked in concern. She was clinging tightly to one of Shae's arms to steady her, Regina the other. "You looked like you were about to pass out!"

Shae nodded, drawing in several deep breaths as she attempted to calm her racing heart. "Y-Yeah… I-I'm… I'm fine." She replied, her limbs trembling. "I think I'm just… Still weak from the battle, you know? I just… I-I… Need some air."

Before heading out the door, Shae exchanged a meaningful glance with her wife. Regina seemed to understand, for she had been about to follow her, but then stopped in her tracks. As soon as Shae was alone outside, she pulled out her phone and dialed Emma's number.

"Hey, Swan Song." Shae said into her phone after Emma answered. "Listen, this might sound crazy, but… Did you happen to have one of your visions just now?" She then breathed out a heavy sigh, rubbing her still aching forehead. "I know because… I just had one too. Yeah, I'm at the library with Regina and the kids. Meet me here ASAP."

Shae stowed her phone in her pocket, and was about to head back inside. Suddenly, there was a flash of bright white light. Emma appeared before her, with Hook in tow.

"Jesus Christ!" Shae exclaimed, stumbling backwards in alarm. "Emma, what the hell?"

"You said ASAP!" Cried Emma, throwing her arms up in the air.

Shae sighed once again, rubbing her forehead some more. "Yeah… I guess I did. Ok, just… Wait here a second. I need to get Regina."

Emma and Hook nodded, and Shae stepped back into the library. She approached her wife and Belle, who were talking amongst each other. "Hey, Belle! Can you keep an eye on the kids for me? I need to talk to my wife for a sec. Thanks!"

Before Belle could even answer, Shae grabbed onto Regina's arm, and pulled her outside. Regina blinked several times in shock when she saw Hook and Emma. "What's going on?" She muttered, brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you two doing here?"

Shae quickly explained to her wife that she had just had a vision, one she had not had in a very long time. Emma also explained that she had one of her visions at the exact same time. None of them knew what it all meant, but they were deeply worried.

"So, judging by both visions," Hook began, slowly rubbing his chin. "It seems like Emma is the hooded figure in your's, and you are the hooded figure in her's."

"No! That can't be it!" Shae exclaimed, vigorously shaking her head. "I would never hurt Emma, and she'd never hurt me. Right?"

"Of course not!" Cried Emma, throwing her arms up in the air. "It's like we already discussed. It has to be Evil Shae under the hood."

"But what about Shae's vision?" Asked Regina. "She's also fighting someone in a hood. Someone who apparently puts a dagger in her heart."

"She could be fighting her evil half herself." Hook replied with a shrug.

"I don't think so… She wouldn't do that. Killing me means killing herself." Shae muttered, slowly shaking her head. She paused for a moment, anxiously biting her lip. "I think I have another theory, but it's going to sound… Totally crazy."

Emma chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "Shae, we just fought an army of elves from another world, where you yourself went into hyperdrive and destroyed them all with a lightning storm using the hammer of Thor himself." She paused for a moment to let everything she just said sink in, then went on. "I don't think anything you're about to say can get any crazier than all that."

Shae slowly nodded her head as she pondered Emma's words. She then drew in a slow, deep breath, and stated her theory. "I think the person under the hood in both our visions is… I-Is… Gideon."

There was a moment of silence where they all simply stared at Shae, their mouths gaping open. "Ok. Forget everything I just said." Emma replied with a laugh. "That is totally crazy."

"Shae, the only Gideon we know is Belle's son." Said Regina, shaking her head at her wife as she laughed herself. "Who is a baby. A tiny, newborn baby!"

"I know, I know!" Cried Shae, throwing her arms up in the air. She then breathed out another heavy sigh, rubbing her still aching forehead some more. "Look, the only reason I'm saying it's Gideon is because… The moment Belle said his name was when I had the vision again. For the first time in… Well, for me, over a year."

"It's just a coincidence, Shae." Emma said with a sigh of her own. "It has to be. Because, like Regina just said… Gideon is a baby!"

"I don't know, love. She might be onto something." Hook muttered, frowning as he rubbed his chin some more. When Emma and Regina both raised their eyebrows at him, he went on to explain. "Look, I agree, Shae's theory sounds… Completely and utterly insane. But, if there's anything I've learned from this town, from watching all of you, it's that… The smallest of coincidences could possibly lead to something big."

Silence fell over the group again as they all pondered Hook's wise words. Emma opened her mouth to speak more, but stopped at the sudden shout. "Hey! HEY!"

They all turned around, and found Leroy and his brothers rushing toward them. "You all need to get to the convent fast!" Leroy exclaimed, his chest heaving with exertion as he reached them. "We found The Blue Fairy out in the woods. Tink and the rest are taking care of her, but she's hurt bad."

All of their eyes grew wide, and they immediately sprang into action. Emma and Hook hurried off with the dwarves, while Shae and Regina rushed back into the library. They told Belle the news, and asked her to watch after the children. Belle refused, however, insisting that she go to see The Blue Fairy as well, for she might have news about her son. Regina and Shae didn't bother arguing with her. They instructed Henry and Violet to look after Freya, who both agreed. Then, with Belle in tow, they set off to the convent.

Meanwhile, none of them had any idea that Shae's evil half was lurking nearby. She was sitting on a bus bench, disguised in a plain outfit of blue jeans and a black hoodie. She had the hood drawn up over her head as she carefully watched Shae and the others.

A deep, low hiss came from within her hoodie, and the head of a cobra slowly slithered out of her sleeve. "No, I can't hear what they're saying." Evil Shae muttered to her Queen. "I'm not a vampire anymore, remember?"

The cobra hissed again, to which Evil Shae rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter, anyway." She whispered, a devious grin stretching across her face as she rose to her feet. "My lesser half doesn't have Mjolnir with her. Which means, she left it at home. The damned idiot."

Evil Shae then hurried down the sidewalk, forced to go on foot to Regina and Shae's home. Once she arrived, she walked forward a few steps, and carefully reached out her arm. She barked out a loud, mocking laugh, and headed up the path toward the house.

"They didn't even bother to cast a protection spell around the house." Evil Shae said with a grin. "What a pair of complete and utter idiots."

The front door was locked, but that didn't stop Evil Shae. She swiftly picked the lock with a bobby pin, and pushed the door open. Once inside, she headed straight to the basement, where she found an unsuspecting wooden wardrobe. She knew better, though. She threw the doors open, and pushed the clothes hanging within aside. At the very bottom, there was a bundle of old blankets. Evil Shae reached inside the blankets, her grin growing even wider as her fingers closed around a familiar wooden hilt.

With a triumphant laugh, Evil Shae retrieved Mjolnir from its hiding spot. The snake within her hoodie slithered out from behind her Protector's neck. Evil Shae laughed some more as her Queen's forked tongue gently caressed her cheek.

"Soon, My Queen, you will be free. And, as an added bonus, The Savior will be dead." She whispered softly. She continued laughing deviously as she began to climb the basement steps. "Soon… Very, very soon."

XX

Upon arriving at the convent, Shae and the others were told that Mother Superior, aka The Blue Fairy, was still very weak and still being tended to. So, they all chose to wait. The only place with enough seating for everyone was the church, so they sat down together in the pews by the back door, waiting anxiously for word about Blue.

"You know, this is one thing about this world that I've never understood." Regina muttered to her wife, who was sitting beside her, one arm draped around her shoulders.

"What is?" Asked Shae.

"All… This!" Regina replied, gesturing all around her. "These cold and dreary stone temples they build to their god, who is clearly dead. All the bowing and the kneeling and the standing again. The terrible hymns. Not to mention the absolutely awful wine, and those weird little… Cracker things."

"Well, the Christian myths say that their Christ died to save humanity from sin." Shae explained, gesturing to the large crucifix hanging over the altar. "And the wine and the crackers are supposed to represent his body and blood."

Regina's eyes grew wide with shock. "So… Wait… You're telling me that, every Sunday, the people here think they're… Consuming their dead god, and… Drinking his blood?"

Shae barked out a loud, amused laugh. "Simply put… Yeah, I guess." She replied with a shrug. "Honestly, it's… Pretty metal if you think about it."

Regina chuckled herself, and closed her eyes as she rested her head against her wife's shoulder. "You're awfully strange…" She mumbled with a smile.

Shae chuckled too, placing a kiss on the top of her wife's head. Suddenly, the door at the back of the church creaked open. They all leapt to their feet, expecting to see Tink or one of the other fairies. They were disappointed to see Gold stepping through the doorway.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Growled Shae, narrowing her eyes at The Dark One.

"Andaran atish'an, Zireael." Gold replied with a small bow.

The phrase he had spoken was in elvish. Regina recognized it to mean, "Well met, Savior." This seemed to enrage Shae, and she took an angry step forward.

"Don't speak elvish to me!" She snarled, pointing a furious finger at the old man. "In fact, don't speak to me at all, in any language!"

Gold opened his mouth to retort, but Belle quickly stepped in. "It's alright, Shae! Everyone!" She cried. "I invited him here."

Shae and the others exchanged a quick, wide eyed glance. "Why?" Asked Hook.

"Because, The Blue Fairy left Storybrooke with my infant son, but didn't return with him." Gold was the one to answer. "Belle understands that, as a Father, I deserve answers just as much as she does."

"All you deserve is a plot of dirt, six feet deep!" Shouted Shae.

Gold breathed out a heavy, irritated sigh, and slowly turned to Shae. "Are you still upset over what I did to your little friend? Or is there something else I've done to spark your seemingly unending ire?"

"Of course I'm still upset over what you did to Nadia!" Shae replied in a furious growl. "I'll never not be upset over it! At the moment, though, I'm pissed off over all the lives recently lost, lives you could have helped save if you would have joined us in battle against Oberon!"

Gold sighed once again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "As I tried to tell Snow White, even if I had wanted to help, I couldn't. The deal I made with your father prevented me from attacking him and his men directly."

"Oh, right, the deal where you sold away my life and freedom all for some stupid potion!" Shouted Shae.

Gold's eyes flashed with rage, and he took an angry step toward her. "For your information, it wasn't just some… Stupid potion! It was a very, very powerful and complicated potion!" He snarled. "Regina kept coming to me, whining and worrying over how her Protector would survive in a world without magic. I needed a solution, and getting your blood from your father was the only way to ensure the potion would work."

"Right, right… Forgive me. You just… Needed a solution." Shae replied, breathing out a bitter sour laugh. "Killing Nadia was a solution too, wasn't it? What about all the people I watched fight and die on the battlefield? Were they simply a solution too?"

Gold was silent this time, and simply glared at Shae. This seemed to enrage her even more. Regina tried to grab her arm as she stomped toward Gold, but Shae brushed her hand away. She seized Gold by the front of his jacket, lifting him into the air a few inches, to better stare into his eyes.

"THEIR BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS!" Shae bellowed into Gold's face. The others all gasped in alarm as there was a sudden clap of thunder from outside. "Their blood is on your hands, Rumplestiltskin! Just like Nadia's! Just like mine!"

Everyone gasped again, and even cried out as Gold suddenly drew his dagger, pressing the tip right over Shae's heart. "What are you waiting for, you bastard?" Shae snarled in his face, her lips curling into a grin, her eyes wide and wild. "You're not sure, are you? You're not sure if that dagger of yours can actually kill me now."

For a moment, Gold and Shae simply stared into each other's eyes in silence. Everyone else was holding their breath, glancing frantically around at each other, unsure of what exactly to do. At that moment, the door to the church swung open again. It was Tinkerbell.

"Alright, you can go in and see her now. She's still weak, but-" Tink stopped short when she saw the tense scene in front of her. "Woah… What exactly is going on here?"

Shae quickly released Gold, who stowed his dagger back in his jacket. "Nothing, dearie." He muttered, still glaring at Shae as he took a step back. "Nothing at all."

He then turned on his heel, and stomped out the door. Belle hurried after him, and Emma and Hook hurried after her. Regina and Shae both remained behind.

A deafening silence fell over the church as the door swung shut behind the others. Regina simply watched quietly as the woman that she loved continued to stand rigidly still in her spot, her chest heaving. After a few moments, Shae turned around, and slowly made her way down the aisle between the pews.

Regina simply followed in silence, unsure of what to do, what to say. She furrowed her brow as Shae knelt before the altar. She stared up at the crucifix in silence, which depicted the form of Christ nailed to the cross, his hands, feet, and side bleeding, more blood trickling down from the crown of thorns placed upon his head.

"Shae, w-what… What are you doing?" Regina asked of her after a while.

Shae drew in a deep, trembling breath, and slowly let it out. "I… I-I don't know." She whispered, slowly shaking her head. "Christ followers, I've seen them kneel before their altars like this and… Pray. Since my gods are dead, and Loki is a psycho, I thought I'd… Give it a try."

Regina nodded her head in understanding, and knelt down beside her wife. "What are you praying for?"

"Peace." Shae whispered. "For our home to have peace, but also for… Peace of mind. Peace of heart."

Regina continued nodding, waiting patiently for Shae to go on. When she did, her tone was quiet and strained. When Regina glanced sideways at her, she could see tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I'm tired, Regina. I'm just… So tired." Shae whispered. "When I marched with my army toward Avalon city, we were over a thousand strong. I watched as hundreds fell and died, I watched even more die here. Some even died fighting a war that wasn't theirs. To be totally honest… I don't blame Gold. That was just my pain and rage talking. If all their blood is on anyone's hands, It's mine."

Shae paused for a moment to let out another deep, shaky sigh. "What's worse is… Out of all the things they could have called me, they… Called me Savior." She went on, her face contorting in sorrow. "After losing so many, how can they still call me that? How can I even begin to live up to that title?"

Regina nodded some more as she slowly and gently rubbed her wife's back. "I don't know, Shae." She answered honestly. "I've never been where you are. The only advice I have is… To just think about all the lives you saved. Think about Henry and Freya, who are warm and safe at home, a home that you fought to protect, and won. Try to keep in mind the great future you helped to bring about in Avalon. They couldn't have done it without you."

Once again, Shae was silent for a few moments as she pondered her wife's wise words. She then slowly nodded in agreement. She leaned her head against Regina's shoulder, and Regina wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"You're right. As usual." Shae mumbled, breathing out a small chuckle. "It's just… Like I said. I'm tired. Tired of always fighting. We just won a war, and now we have to deal with whoever or whatever The Black Fairy is. And my evil half is still out there somewhere, with your evil half."

"I know, my love. I know." Regina whispered, placing a gentle kiss onto the side of her wife's head. "I'm tired too. I miss Paris."

"Me too." Shae agreed with another quiet laugh. "I think, for our second honeymoon, we should go to Italy. Venice is absolutely gorgeous in the Spring."

"'Second honeymoon?'" Asked Regina, laughing herself. "Is… That a thing?"

Shae shrugged. "It is now."

Regina laughed some more, and breathed out a contented sigh as Shae lifted her head, and placed a kiss on her lips. The two lovers wrapped their arms around each other as they slowly and gently enjoyed each other's lips. Shae silently wondered what The Christians would think of two women making out in front of one of their sacred altars. She didn't have much time to think about it, for the door at the back of the church suddenly opened again.

It was Tink again, who announced that Mother Superior wanted to speak to Shae. After removing themselves from each other's arms, Shae and Regina both followed their Fairy Godmother to Mother Superior's room. When they entered, they found Mother Superior herself in an alarmingly sorry state. Her face was gaunt and pale, her usual tightly drawn up hair in a complete tangled mess.

"Shae… There you are…" Mother Superior rasped weakly, reaching her arm out toward Shae. "I… I-I want to know… I need to know… What happened to you. Did you… Fulfill The Prophecy?"

Shae cleared her throat as she stepped forward, gently taking Mother Superior's hand. "Um… Y-Yeah, I did." She replied, smiling down at the weak and withered woman lying in the bed. "Both parts ended up being true. The elves, well… Oberon's supporters, at least, they called me Vatt'ghern. Um… Doom-Bringer. But, the commoners, the poor, the enslaved, and the people of The Mists, they all called me-"

"Zireael." Mother Superior finished for her. "Savior."

Shae nodded, to which Mother Superior smiled. "Good." She whispered, coughing weakly. "I am glad to know that… Your mother's sacrifice wasn't in vain. And neither was my mentor's."

"Your… Mentor's?" Shae asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Mother Superior suddenly dissolved into a fit of violent coughs. The fairies stationed nearby rushed to her side, and quickly ushered Shae and Regina out of the room. After the door was slammed shut in their face, Regina and Shae were left standing in baffled silence.

"What the hell was that about?" Shae asked of her wife. "Who was Blue's mentor? And what the hell does she have to do with my mother?"

Regina slowly shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "I… Don't know, Shae." She mumbled. "I just… Don't know."

Without knowing what else to do, the two of them left the convent. When they stepped outside, they found the others waiting for them. Gold was still among them, as were Henry, Violet, and Freya, who was poking around in the dirt a few feet away, as usual.

When Shae and Regina approached them, the others all cast nervous glances between Shae and Gold. "Please, you two… No more fighting." Emma pleaded with them.

"You forget, Miss Swan, that I simply came here for answers regarding my son." Gold replied through gritted teeth. "She was the one who started the fight."

"I know, I know…" Shae mumbled, staring down at her feet in shame. "Look, for what it's worth, I… Apologize. I've been through a lot lately, and I took it all out on you. That wasn't fair of me. I'm sorry."

Gold, as well as the others, blinked several times at Shae in surprise. "Thank you." Gold muttered with a curt nod. "Apology accepted."

Shae nodded curtly back. "I still want to take that dagger of yours and stab you in the face with it, though."

"And I want to take my dagger and stab you in the face with it." Gold replied with a smile.

"Good." Said Shae.

"Good." Agreed Gold.

"Great… Glad that's, um… Settled." Mumbled Emma, brow furrowed in concern as she glanced between Shae and Gold. She then shook herself, and cleared her throat. "Ok, so… We talked to Blue, and found out what happened. She was attacked before she could get Gideon to The Fairy Realm, and Gideon was kidnapped."

"By who?" Asked Regina, eyes wide with alarm.

"I'll give you three guesses, love." Hook answered with a grin. "The first two are wrong."

Regina breathed out a heavy sigh, nodding in understanding. "The Black Fairy."

"I don't understand…" Shae mumbled, slowly shaking her head. "What does she want with a baby?"

"It's simply what she does, dearie." Answered Gold, his face grim. "She kidnaps children and takes them back to her realm, The Dark Realm. What she does with them once there, I'm afraid I don't know."

"That's… Concerning." Muttered Regina. "So… What exactly do we do?"

"About The Black Fairy? Nothing, for now." Hook replied, his face grim as well. "We've got more pressing concerns, I'm afraid. We were told by the dwarves that they spotted someone in a black hooded cloak in the forest last night. It looked like they were casting some sort of spell."

"And there were others in town that told us they saw the same kind of figure the night The Evil Queen was turned into a snake." Said Emma. She then slowly turned to Shae. "It looks like the person in the hood from our visions is finally here."

"I thought you said that it was Shae's evil half in your visions." Mumbled Belle, frowning in confusion.

"If whoever it is was seen casting a spell, then it's definitely not." Shae replied. "My evil twin still has that cuff on her wrist, and only Emma can remove it."

"She might have found some other way to get it off." Emma offered with a shrug.

"Maybe…" Shae muttered, slowly rubbing her chin. She then breathed out a frustrated huff, and quickly shook her head. "Look, standing around speculating isn't going to help. No matter who it is, they need to be found and captured, fast. Before they have a chance to make either of our visions come true."

"For once, we agree." Said Gold, nodding his head at Shae. "I suggest we lend our aid to the dwarves and start searching the town and the surrounding woods."

The others quickly agreed as well. With Jack Sparrow and his crew now back in The Enchanted Forest, they had no one else they could rely on. It was up to The Heroes of Storybrooke to scour the town themselves in search of this strange, hooded figure.

Emma made a quick call to her parents, and it was Snow again who was the one that was awake. She immediately agreed to lend her aid, and said she would be on her way in a few moments. The others then began to pair off in groups of two.

They decided it would be best if each group included one who could wield magic. Gold and Belle paired up, as did Emma and Hook. Regina was to go with Snow once she arrived, which left Shae alone. The others suggested she should ask Tink to go with her, but Shae was reluctant to pull her away from Mother Superior. No one argued with her. They knew that Mother Superior was in need of care, and that Shae was more than capable of handling herself.

"I know, I know…" Henry muttered, looking a bit glum as they all turned to him. "I'll go home and keep an eye on Freya."

"Actually, I was going to suggest that the two of you join the search as well." Shae replied with a wink. "We can use all the help we can get."

"Really?" Henry asked excitedly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Asked Regina, raising an eyebrow at her wife.

"Of course! Freya is just as powerful as I am, probably even more so." Shae said with a grin. "Isn't that right, kiddo? Uh oh… Freya? Freya!"

They all began to search frantically when they realized Freya was no longer digging in the dirt. Suddenly, Emma gasped, and grabbed on to Shae's arm. Shae followed her pointed finger, and spotted her little sister crouched down in the middle of the road. A car suddenly turned the corner, and was approaching her fast.

"FREYA!" Shae shouted.

At the sound of Shae's shout, Freya stood up, and turned around. She gasped when she noticed the car coming straight toward her. When he finally saw the little girl in the road, the man driving slammed on his brakes, as well as his horn. But it was too late. Shae and the others cried out in alarm as the car barreled straight into Freya.

"Oh my god… Oh my god!" Regina exclaimed as the car came to a stop. She started running toward the street, but stopped when Freya was nowhere to be seen. "Wait… W-Where… Where'd she go?"

Shae yelped in alarm as something tapped on the back of her arm. She whirled around, as did the others. They found Freya now standing behind Shae, smiling at them, completely unharmed.

"Bug!" Freya exclaimed, holding up the toad that was clenched in her hands.

There was a collective sigh of relief as they all realized that Freya was safe. "Actually, that's a toad." Shae told her with a smile. "Why don't you put him back now? He probably has to get home to his toad family."

Freya glanced down at the toad she had captured, looking deeply concerned. She then nodded, and returned the toad to the grass at her feet. "What the hell just happened?" Emma exclaimed, staring at Shae with wide, baffled eyes. "Did… D-Did she just… Teleport?"

"Oh, yeah, she definitely did." Shae replied with a chuckle. "She's been able to do that since she's been able to walk. I'm telling you guys, Freya just might be the most powerful magic wielder among all of us."

"And she's… Seven." Muttered Hook. "That's a bit unsettling, to be honest."

Shae chuckled some more, then knelt down in front of Freya. "Listen, kiddo. I have a very important job for you." She said, placing her hands firmly on Freya's tiny shoulders. "You're gonna go on a walk in the woods with Henry, and help us find a bad guy. We're looking for someone in a dark hooded cloak. If you see anyone like that, you need to tell us right away. And if anything bad happens, you need to teleport home with Henry. Alright?"

A wide, excited grin stretched across Freya's face, and she vigorously nodded her head. "We mean it, Henry." Said Regina, pointing a stern finger at her son. "No heroics, ok? If you see anything at all, you call us right away, then head straight home. Ok?"

Henry vigorously nodded his head as well. "What about me?" Asked Violet.

Regina and Shae exchanged a wide eyed glance for a moment. They had nearly forgotten about her. "I'm sorry, Violet, but… You need to go home." Regina answered with a small, sad smile.

"Aw, what?" Violet exclaimed.

"Sorry, kid." Shae said with a small shrug. "Your Dad would roast us and eat us for breakfast if anything happened to you."

Violet breathed out a sad, disappointed sigh, but nodded her head in understanding. She said a quick goodbye to both Henry and Freya, then set off for home. It was then that Snow White arrived, and they all told her the plan. Once they were finally ready, they set off into town, and into the woods.

"Be good!" Shae called after Freya, who was getting a piggy-back-ride from Henry. "And listen to Henry!"

Shae and Regina stood side by side for a moment, watching as Henry and Freya rushed off together. "Would you look at that?" Regina said with a smile. "Our children are helping, and they're entertained."

"We're totally rocking this whole work/life balance thing!" Shae exclaimed, smiling back at her wife.

Regina nodded in agreement, and seized her wife by the front of her vest, drawing her in for a kiss. "Be safe." She whispered. "I love you."

"You be safe too." Shae whispered back. "And I love you too."

With that, Regina set off with Snow White, and Shae set off alone. Once again, none of them had any idea they were being watched. Evil Shae had climbed up a tree on the convent grounds, and was watching them all closely, hidden among the leaves.

"Good… They're splitting up." She muttered, watching with a grin on her face as The Heroes of Storybrooke went their separate ways. "Come sundown, Gideon will finally be ready to put an end to Emma Swan. All we need to do is separate her from her pirate."

The cobra that was actually The Evil Queen slithered out from behind Evil Shae's ear, emitting a low hiss. "Don't worry, my Queen." Evil Shae whispered soothingly, gently stroking a finger across her Queen's scaly head. "I have a plan."

Evil Shae then leapt down from her tree, and set off back toward town. It didn't take long before she found the person she was looking for; The local penniless, homeless drunk. She found him at his usual spot, sitting on a corner with a cardboard sign.

"Hello there, friend." She said with a smile. "Tell me… How fast can you run?"

"As fast as anyone else, I suppose." The man replied with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"

"It'll have to do, I suppose." Evil Shae muttered, tapping a finger against her chin. She then turned her gaze back onto the homeless man with another smile. "How would you like to make twenty dollars?"

The man's eyes grew wide, and he quickly scrambled up onto his feet. "I… Well, I'd like that very much!" He replied, vigorously nodding his head. "What do I have to do?"

"Oh, not much. You don't happen to have a cloak, perchance? Preferably black and hooded?" When the homeless man shook his head, Evil Shae chuckled, gently patting his shoulder. "No matter. That can be easily remedied. Come along, now!"

Evil Shae then set off down the sidewalk with her new friend, a wide, devious grin stretching across her face.

XX

Night had fallen over Storybrooke, and the town heroes were still searching the woods. The only time any of them stopped was when Snow White left for home to tag her husband in. David now accompanied Regina, shining his flashlight through the trees as the search went on.

At the west end of the woods, Emma was walking behind Hook, both of them carefully scanning their eyes around the trees. Suddenly, she stumbled as she had another one of her visions. Hook had grown accustomed to Emma's visions by now, and he held on to her arm to steady her. After a few moments, it passed, and Emma was left shaky and disoriented as usual.

"Are you alright, love?" Hook asked her in concern.

"Fine, I-I'm fine. I-" Emma suddenly stopped mid sentence, staring wide eyed at something over Hook's shoulder. "Killian… Look!"

Hook whirled around, and his own eyes grew just as wide as Emma's. A few yards away stood two strange figures. They were both dressed in black cloaks, their hoods drawn up to hide their faces. They both simply stood and stared at Emma and Hook, arms at their sides.

"Right… Ok…" Emma whispered, her eyes darting between the two cloaked figures. "You take the one on the right, I'll take-"

Suddenly, the two figures sprinted off in opposite directions. "No!" Emma shouted. "NO!"

Emma charged after the figure that had cut to her left. "Swan, wait!" Hook called after her. He emitted a frustrated growl, then rushed off in pursuit of the figure that had cut right.

Killian Jones kept a steady pace as he crashed through the trees, and was quickly gaining on his quarry. He could hear the figure coughing and wheezing in front of him as he ran, which seemed curious to him. Suddenly, the figure stopped running altogether, and collapsed on the ground. Hook stood over him, deeply confused as the man continued to cough and wheeze loudly, gasping desperately for air.

Hook bent over the wheezing man, and tore off his hood. He furrowed his brow upon seeing a completely unexpected face, one that he recognized. He had tossed some money the man's way dozens of times throughout his time in Storybrooke.

"You?" Hook mumbled, furrowing his brow at the local homeless drunk. "What the bloody hell are you doing, man?"

"I'm sorry! I-I'm… I'm so sorry! I lied, ok? I lied for the money!" The man cried, holding his hands up in surrender as he coughed and wheezed some more. "I drink and I smoke constantly! I can't fucking run! I'm in terrible shape! Just… Please! Please don't hurt me!"

Hook blinked several times in deep confusion. "Money? W-What… What money? What in the blazes are you talking about?"

"Some lady with black hair paid me twenty dollars to dress up in this cloak, and run when you came after me!" The homeless man exclaimed, staring wide eyed up at Hook. "I was supposed to lead you way farther away than I did! But I'm just too out of shape!"

"Dammit… You're just a diversion!" Snarled Hook.

"Uh… Y-Yeah… I-I guess so." The man lying at his feet replied with a shrug.

Hook emitted a furious growl, kicking out a nearby tree stump. "Go on, get out of here!" He shouted at the homeless man. "Start running some more, and keep running! Before I change my mind about letting you go!"

The poor homeless man yelped in fright as Hook raised his hook at him. He then scrambled up onto his feet, and started running, just as Hook had instructed. Hook then turned around, and started running back toward town, toward Main Street, where he knew he would find Emma. As he ran, he pulled out the cellphone Emma had given him, and made a quick call.

Meanwhile, out in the North woods, Shae was wandering around alone. She wasn't paying that much attention to her surroundings anymore. Her head kept spinning with everything that had transpired in the last few days, the last year, for her, at least. It seemed like every time she closed her eyes she saw nothing but blood and battle. Most of all, she saw her mother, watched as she died in her arms.

Suddenly, Shae stopped walking as her head seared with pain. She saw the same vision from earlier that day, the one where she was fighting someone in a hooded cloak. It ended the same way this time too, with a dagger buried in her heart.

Once it passed, Shae found herself lying sprawled out on her back in the grass, her chest heaving, her whole body covered in a cold sweat. She remained lying there for a while, waiting for her breathing to even out. As she did, she squeezed her eyes shut, and tears began to rush down her face.

"Mom… I don't… I-I don't know if you can hear me, from… All the way up on Olympus." Shae whispered, digging her fingers into the grass as the tears continued to come. "B-But, if you can… I need help. Storybrooke is still in danger, and… A-And I want to protect my family."

She paused as she opened her eyes again, and stared up at the stars twinkling in the night sky. "You said to beware of The Black Fairy, and that… You knew her somehow, and so do I. But… I don't, Mom. I don't know who The Black Fairy is, or what she wants with Gideon, or Storybrooke, or… O-Or… Me. Please, I just… I need a sign. Something to show me the right path."

Suddenly, Shae's cellphone began to ring. She quickly fished it out of her pocket, frowning when she saw that it was Hook. "What's up, Hook?" She said as she answered. Her eyes grew wide, and she sat bolt upright in alarm as she listened to the pirate's frantic voice. "Ok… I'll be right there. Just… J-Just give me a minute. I need to go get Mjolnir."

Shae then hung up, and she chuckled softly. "I don't know if this is a sign, Mom, but… I'll go with it."

She quickly leapt back up onto her feet, and disappeared in a gust of swirling when. She reappeared in the basement of her and Regina's house. A wooden wardrobe stood before her, which was where she had stowed away Thor's hammer.

After pulling the doors open, Shae pushed the clothes hanging within aside, and began to fumble around in the pile of blankets at the bottom. When her hand didn't make contact with any part of Mjolnir, she started to panic. She removed the blankets, and shook them out. Then, she fumbled around among the clothes. Still nothing.

"No… No, no, no…" She mumbled.

Shae sprinted back up the stairs and rushed into her and Regina's bedroom. She was nearly certain that she had put Mjolnir in the wardrobe, but, perhaps, she had left it somewhere in the bedroom. She frantically tore the whole room apart, her panic bubbling higher and higher in her stomach when she continued to find nothing.

The last place Shae thought to look was the spare bedroom at the end of the hall, which both her and her wife only used when Henry wasn't home. The two of them kept it locked at all times, and for good reason. Shae fumbled with the key for a moment, her hands trembling with fear. She then burst into the room, staring wildly all around her. She saw nothing but the dozens of whips, chains, and other assorted items that lined the walls of her and Regina's play room. She had expected as much. Deep down, she knew that Mjolnir was gone, stolen.

Shae stepped back out of the room, and carefully locked the door behind her again. She then held out her hand, focusing with all her might to bring Mjolnir to her hand. She felt something strange in the back of her mind, a strange sort of resistance. She cried out in fright as her phone rang again. This time, it was Regina.

"Shae! You need to get to Main Street, just a few blocks south of Granny's!" Regina shouted before Shae could even say hello. "It's Emma. She-"

Shae waited for her wife to speak more, frowning when she heard nothing at all. "She… S-She what? She what?" Shae cried. "Regina? REGINA!"

When she was met with nothing but more silence, Shae emitted a frustrated growl, and stowed her phone back in her pocket. "Right… Main Street… South of Granny's." She muttered to herself.

Shae then disappeared in another gust of wind, hoping against hope that she wasn't too late.

XX

Emma Swan's heart pounded wildly in her chest. Finally, the visions she had been having for weeks had come true. She was locked in vicious battle with a figure in a black cloak, but not the one from the forest, as she had suspected.

Emma had chased the hooded figure from the forest all the way back to town. After turning onto Main Street, Emma was met with yet another figure in a black cloak. That was when the other figure drew down their hood, revealing none other than Shae's evil half. She sprinted away a moment later, leaving Emma alone with the other hooded figure. She recognized the sword in his hand, the one with the red jewel in its pommel, as well as the ancient hammer clenched in his other fist. It was Mjolnir, the hammer that once belonged to the god Thor, which had been stolen from its current owner, Shae.

Before meeting Emma in battle, the figure drew down his hood to reveal a young man with short, dirty blonde hair. He introduced himself as Gideon, son of Belle and Rumplestiltskin. He explained that he had been raised by The Black Fairy, and had lived a whole twenty-eight years in The Dark Realm, where time moved differently. The irony wasn't lost on Emma, nor the fact that Shae's insane theory had been correct after all.

Just as Gideon announced that he was destined to kill The Savior, Belle and Gold themselves arrived on the scene. It seemed that they had already met with their son, for they knew him, and begged him to stop. Moments later, David, Hook, and Regina arrived, quickly followed by Henry and little Freya. Emma's heart ached at the sight of them. She didn't want Henry to have to watch his mother die.

After exchanging a few angry words with his parents, Gideon cast a spell on them, as well as the others, that froze them in their place. With everyone else now out of the way, he turned to Emma, a dark, dangerous grin stretching across his face. Then, he raised Mjolnir into the air, and sent a mighty bolt of lightning straight toward The Savior's chest.

Emma managed to dive out of the way of the blast. After rolling across the ground, she raised her sword, just in time to block Gideon's as he brought it down upon her. She then kicked him away from her, and scrambled up onto her feet.

"I don't want to hurt you, Gideon!" She shouted.

"Oh, but I want to hurt you!" Gideon shouted back.

Gideon charged at her, but Emma was ready for him this time. She quickly parried his blow, and struck her own, to which he also parried. The two of them continued like this for a while, exchanging blow after blow, the sound of steel striking steel ringing through the air like the tolling of a bell.

Emma was holding her own quite well, and even began to push Gideon back. She had been taught swordplay by both Hook, the man that she loved, and her best friend, Shae. She kept in mind both of their careful instructions. However, most of all, the voice of Shae's mother resounded around her mind. The voice was a memory, from the day she had given a lesson to Henry in swordplay.

Widen your stance just a bit… A wide, firm stance helps to maintain balance. The last thing you want is to trip over your own feet during battle.

As her chest was heaving with exertion, Emma widened her stance. She grinned as Gideon fell back another step. She continued to advance, Morganna's voice ringing in her ears.

You must always keep your eyes moving. Never keep your eyes fixed on one spot for too long. Always be watching every inch of your opponent's body.

Emma's eyes darted between Gideon's hands and feet. He stepped forward with his right foot, which Emma knew to mean he would strike with his right hand, which was clutching his sword. Emma blocked the blow with a grin.

Always be watching your surroundings. That way, you'll never be taken by surprise.

After casting a glance over her shoulder, Emma realized she was about to back into a parked car. She quickly danced to the side as Gideon swung again. He snarled in fury as he wrenched his sword from the hood of the car.

The two of them clashed together again, their swords bouncing off of each other with violent clangs and clamoring. Emma took a moment to cast a glance over toward her family, who were still frozen in their spots. Regina was holding her phone to her ear, and had likely been calling her wife, who was the only one missing.

Emma was distracted for only a split second, but that was all the time Gideon needed. He used his left hand to swing Mjolnir, which Emma attempted to block. The heavy hammer struck her right on her knuckles, which caused her sword to go shooting from her hand. Emma cried out in pain, clutching her hand.

With a furious cry, Emma thrust out her good hand, sending a beam of white light straight at Gideon's chest. Her eyes grew wide as, fast as lightning, Gideon raised Mjolnir, and her magic bounced harmlessly off of it. Just as lightning quick, Gideon sent a bolt of lightning from Mjolnir straight at The Savior.

This time, Emma wasn't able to react quick enough. The bolt of lightning struck her straight in the chest. She was sent hurtling backwards down the street, where she landed hard, rolling and tumbling across the pavement. Emma gasped and sputtered for air, the wind completely knocked out of her. Her entire body was screaming with pain, and she could do nothing as her foe slowly approached her.

"Now, then…" Gideon whispered as he stood over her. "Time for you to die, Savior."

Emma simply laid still upon the ground, knowing that she was powerless to stop her vision from coming true. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain, hoping that she was far enough out of sight from the others, so that Henry wouldn't have to watch her die.

You did well… Fear not… Help is coming.

Once again, Emma heard Morganna's voice. This time, however, her voice spoke in words that she did not recognize. Suddenly, there was a hollow sounding thump, and Emma opened her eyes again. Her eyes grew wide when she saw Shae standing between her and Gideon. Shae had her arm raised, blocking his sword. Her arm was covered in a sleeve made of mud and dirt and rock.

"You…" Gideon snarled, narrowing his eyes at Shae.

"Surprise, motherfucker!" Shae replied with a grin.

Shae then thrust her free hand forward, sending Gideon hurtling backwards with a violent gust of wind. As Gideon rolled and tumbled across the ground, Shae straightened herself up, and shook out her arm. The dirt and rock fell away from her flesh, magically disappearing into the night air.

"Stay down, Swan Song." Shae muttered as she began to walk forward. "I got this."

Emma simply watched in dumbfounded silence as Shae slowly sauntered forward, hands placed casually in her pockets. "Hey! Hey, you! Asshole!" She called out to Gideon, who was pushing himself back up onto his feet. "I think you have something that belongs to me!"

"Oh… This?" Gideon asked, grinning as he waved Mjolnir in the air. "Sorry, but I'm afraid Mjolnir belongs to me now. As does Hrunting!"

Shae stopped walking as Gideon waved his other weapon at her, the sword with the red gem in the pommel. "Hrunting… Hmm… Lemme think…" Shae muttered, tapping a finger against her chin. "If I remember my college literature classes right, Hrunting is the sword that belonged to Beowulf."

"Indeed, it did." Gideon replied with a nod, grinning deviously at Shae as he too strode confidently forward. "It is also the sword destined to kill The Savior. And now… It's mine!"

Shae cocked her head to one side, silently staring at Gideon as he walked toward her. He stopped walking as Shae started to laugh. It started as a low, quiet chuckle, but quickly grew into a loud, raucous guffaw.

"What, exactly, is so funny to you?" Gideon shouted furiously.

For a moment, Shae simply continued laughing, to which Gideon glared at her furiously. "Let me ask you something, Gid." Shae replied, wiping the amused tears from her face. "Can I call you Gid?"

Gideon opened his mouth to furiously retort, but stopped as Shae continued on. "Gid, I need to ask you… Do you speak elvish? Do you know what the word Zireael means?" When Gideon remained silently glowering at her, Shae chuckled, and went on. "No, I thought not. See, in elvish, Zireael means Savior. It's what the people of Avalon, my people, call me."

Shae paused for a moment to let what she had just said sink in. When Gideon simply furrowed his brow at her, she chuckled once again. "So, that presents you with an interesting little conundrum, doesn't it?" Shae went on, fixing Gideon with one of her signature quirky, cheeky grins. "Is it Emma Swan that you're supposed to kill? Or is it me?"

There was a moment of silence as Gideon simply stared down at his feet, his mind churning. "Honestly, Gid, Giddy. Can I call you Giddy?" Shae went on, still grinning. "Look, Giddy, either way, the answer is simple. It doesn't really matter if it's me or Emma you're supposed to kill. Because, either way, it's not going to happen. I won't let you!"

Gideon emitted a deep, dangerous chuckle. "I know you, Shae Mills, Shae Cormac, Shae of Arendelle, Shae of Misthaven." He snarled, grinning right back at Shae. "You're an accomplished knight and warrior, and you have magic, strange, powerful magic. But you are nothing compared to me! Understand? NOTHING!"

Once again, Shae simply laughed. "Whatever you say, my friend." She replied with a shrug. "It doesn't matter who I am. All I know is that… I'm tired, Gid. I just fought a war, where I watched hundreds and hundreds of people die. I watched my own mother die in my arms. Honestly, all I am right now… Is tired, and blood sick."

Shae paused, breathing out a small chuckle as she took a step forward. "I am one-hundred percent not in the mood for your bullshit, Gid." She went on with another grin. "And I have a meatloaf in the oven that should be done in about… Thirty minutes. So, if we could make this quick, that'd be great. Noone likes a dry, overdone meatloaf, after all.

Having heard enough from the sarcastically grinning woman before him, Gideon bellowed out a furious war cry, and charged. Shae remained perfectly still as she watched him draw closer and closer. She continued to grin at him as he raised his sword in their air. Suddenly, Gideon stopped, lowering his sword as he furrowed his brow at Shae.

"W-What… What are you doing?" He demanded of her furiously. "Arm yourself, you wretch!"

The whole time she had been talking with Gideon, Shae thought back to her visions, and to Emma's. In both, they were armed with swords as they fought against their foe, as they both fell to him. Shae decided that it would be best to change things right then and there.

"No thanks. I'm good." She said, shrugging once again. "I don't need to be armed to defeat you."

Gideon bellowed out in rage once again, and swung his sword through the air. Shae simply stepped to the side, dodging the blow. Gideon turned swiftly, and swung at her once again. He continued swinging his sword, crying out in fury while Shae continued to deftly duck and dodge every blow, her hands still placed casually in her pockets.

As Gideon brought his sword down over Shae's head, Shae finally removed her hands from her pockets. She reached out, deftly catching the blade between her palms. The tip of Gideon's sword, which was once the fabled hero Beowulf's, was mere millimeters from Shae's nose. She grinned at him as she swiftly twisted the sword out of his hands.

"Good. Really good, Giddy." Shae said with a grin as she clutched Hrunting in her fist. "We've still got some time. Why don't you give it another go, huh?"

Shae then tossed the sword back to Gideon, who snarled in rage. He charged at her once again, sword in the air. Once again, faster than should be humanly possible, Shae simply dodged to the side, still grinning.

Gideon continued to scream furiously as Shae continued to dodge out of the way of every single one of his swings. Finally, he had had enough. He stabbed downward at Shae's legs, causing Shae to leap back. He then raised Mjolnir over his head, and brought it back down again, sending a bolt of lightning straight toward his foe.

Instead of dodging away, Shae held her ground this time. She held out both of her hands, as the bolt of lightning struck her chest. Her grin grew even wider as the lightning from Thor's hammer crackled between her palms. Gideon simply watched with his jaw dangling open as Shae formed the lightning bolt into a ball with her hands.

"You see, Giddy… It's like I told you." Shae said, still grinning. "That hammer, there… It's mine."

Shae threw out both of her hands, and the ball of lightning clenched between her fists shot forward, striking Gideon straight in the chest. He was sent hurtling backwards once again, his whole body seizing and convulsing as it crackled with lightning.

At that moment, the others were finally released from Gideon's spell. "SHAE!" Regina shouted, sprinting toward her wife.

Shae held out her hand, which caused Regina to stop in her tracks. Despite being struck with the full force of Thor's Hammer, Gideon was back on his feet once again. Shae held out her hand again, and, despite Gideon's efforts to hold on to it, Mjolnir shot into her open palm.

Now armed once again with Thor's Hammer, Shae began to approach Gideon. "Shae! Shae, stop!" Belle cried out. Shae stopped, turning her head toward her. "Please… Don't hurt him. He's… H-He's my son!"

For a moment, Shae glanced between Belle and Gideon, who was standing still in his spot, glaring at Shae. Then, Shae lowered Mjolnir down to her side, and turned her back on Gideon. She smiled at her wife, reaching out a hand toward her. Just as Regina took her wife's hand, Shae suddenly cried out in pain. Gideon had drawn a dagger that he had hidden in his cloak, and plunged it into Shae's back.

Shae howled in pain as she dropped down onto one knee. Gideon watched with a gleeful, devious grin on his face. Slowly, his grin disappeared as Shae reached behind her, and tore the dagger from her back. She then turned back around, her eyes wide and wild with rage.

"I stayed my hand, Gideon." She snarled as she slowly advanced upon the now frightened young man. "I showed you mercy because your mother asked me to. And this is what you do with it? This is what you do with mercy? YOU FOOL!"

Shae thrust Mjolnir forward, sending Gideon flying backwards through the air once again with another blast of lightning. Just like on the battlefield, Shae's eyes suddenly went stark white, and her whole body began to crackle with blue sparks. The others turned their eyes up onto the sky, where dark storm clouds were brewing, crackling with lightning just like Shae.

"If this is what you would do with your mother's mercy, Gideon," Shae bellowed over the sudden violent wind. "Then you don't deserve it! You deserve no mercy! NONE!"

Shae then raised Mjolnir up toward the sky. The others were forced to shield their eyes from the blinding flash of the bolt of lightning that came down and struck Mjolnir. The fabled hammer crackled even more violently, and Shae was about to bring it down upon Gideon.

"NOOOO!"

Gold suddenly rushed forward, dagger in hand. There was a collective gasp as Gold stabbed his dagger into Shae's chest, right over her heart. Regina screamed, as did Emma. The storm Shae had summoned dissipated as quickly as it came. They all watched in horror as the lightning surrounding Shae's body dissipated as well, and her eyes slowly faded back to normal.

Shae stood rigidly still for a moment, her eyes filled with confusion as she stared into Gold's. Gold's jaw trembled as his mouth opened and closed several times, his own eyes filled with shock over what he had just done. Shae glanced down at the dagger buried in her chest for a moment, then back at Gold. She emitted a strangled groan as she fell to her knees.

"W-What… What have I done?" Gold whispered, staring wide eyed down at Shae. "No… Oh no, no, no… Shae… I-I'm… I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Shae groaned once again, and emitted a violent, strangled cough. She glared up at Gold, blood trickling down her chin. "You… Y-You… Bastard!" She snarled.

After another fit of violent coughs, Shae slumped sideways onto the ground at Gold's feet, where she remained still. Regina screamed in horror once again, and started sprinting toward her wife. Emma and the others began to rush toward Shae as well, but they all skidded to a stop as Gideon stepped up beside his father.

Gold had fallen to his knees in front of Shae, and Gideon chuckled as he patted him lightly on the top of the head. "Thank you, father." He said with a grin. He slowly turned his eyes onto Emma, his devious grin growing even wider. "Now… It's your turn."

Once again, Gideon took up the fabled sword Hrunting, and began to charge at The Savior. Emma Swan stood rigid in her spot, the frightened cries of her friends and family ringing in her ears. She stared at the crumpled, unmoving form of Shae, her best friend, as tears rushed down her face. Then, just before Gideon was upon her, she let out an ear splitting scream.

"NOOOOO!"

A blast of light magic burst forth from The Savior's outstretched hands, more massive and powerful than any of the others had seen before. Once again, Gideon was thrown backwards, crash landing upon the ground several yards away. He was back up on his feet almost immediately. He made to raise his sword once again, but, to his horror, he suddenly found that the fabled sword of Beowulf, which was destined to kill The Savior, had shattered to pieces.

Gideon stared in horror at the golden, red jeweled pommel clenched in his fist, which was all that remained of Hrunting. "W-What… What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" He screamed.

Gideon emitted a furious roar, his eyes wide and wild with rage. The small pile of silver shards that had once been Hrunting were lying at his feet, and he furiously kicked them away from him. He then pointed a trembling finger at Emma, who was still standing in her same spot, hands raised and ready for another fight.

"You…" Gideon snarled, narrowing his eyes at Emma. "This isn't over. I'm still going to kill you."

With that, Gideon disappeared in a swirl of burnt orange colored smoke. There was a hesitant moment of silence as Emma and the others stared all around them, their eyes darting about this way and that, searching for Gideon. When they realized that he was actually gone, they rushed over to Shae.

Regina made it to her first, and she fell to her knees beside the woman that she loved. "Shae? Shae!" She shouted, desperately shaking her shoulder as tears streamed down her face. "No, no, no… Please, no… Not now. Not like this!"

The others stood around watching helplessly as Shae continued to lie still and lifeless, her eyes closed. Henry shielded Freya from the awful sight as his mother began to weep bitter, miserable tears, clutching the woman that she loved tight in her arms. Everyone else's eyes welled with tears as well, their hearts aching with sorrow.

"Rumple, you… Y-You… Killed her." Belle whispered, staring at her husband, her eyes filled with fury and pain. "You… Killed Shae."

"No, Belle, I… I-I didn't mean to!" Gold exclaimed as he scrambled up onto his feet. "She… S-She was going to kill our son!"

Belle placed a hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her face as she stared down at Shae, her dear friend. She was about to reply, but stopped as Regina suddenly rose to her feet. Her face was stark white, stained with tears, her brown eyes wide and wild as she stared at Gold.

"You…" She whispered, her whole body trembling with rage as she stepped toward him. "You will pay for this."

Gold was silent as he stumbled back a step. His own eyes were wide and filled with tears, but Regina didn't seem to care one bit. She continued to advance on Gold, her chest heaving with fury, with pain.

"Regina…" David slowly began, taking a careful step toward her. "Please… Just-"

"SHUT UP!" Regina bellowed, briefly turning her wide, tear stained eyes onto David. She then turned back to Gold, and summoned a fireball into her hand. "I am going to destroy you." She snarled. "I am going to destroy anything and everything you've ever loved." She paused to summon another fireball into her other hand. "I am going to-"

Regina stopped at the sound of a deep, shuddering gasp. She whirled around, and there was a second, collective gasp of shock from her and everyone else. Shae was now sitting upright, her eyes open, her chest heaving as she gulped down air.

"SHAE!" Regina shrieked. She extinguished both of her fireballs, and threw herself down onto her knees beside her wife. "Oh my god… Oh my god! A-Are… Are you ok?"

Shae groaned as she slowly nodded her head. "Fine… I-I'm fine…" She muttered through gritted teeth. "This hurts like a bitch, though."

While the others simply stared at Shae with their jaws dangling open, Regina threw her arms around the woman that she loved, placing a deep, grateful kiss on her lips. "Oh… Oh, thank god…" She whispered, gently caressing Shae's face with trembling hands. "I thought I lost you."

"Never." Shae whispered, smiling into her wife's tear stained eyes. "I always come back. You know that."

Regina emitted a strangled, joyful laugh, and placed another kiss on her wife's lips. "Bloody hell, mate…" Hook said with a bemused laugh as he and Emma helped her to her feet. "You just don't stay dead, do you?"

"Nope." Shae replied, laughing herself. "I absolutely refuse to."

"How? How is this possible?"

Gold had been the one to whisper the question as he looked Shae up and down with wide, confused eyes. The others exchanged a silent, concerned glance. But Shae simply laughed some more as she slowly turned toward him.

"Turns out, you can't kill me after all, Rumplestiltskin." Shae replied, grinning as she clapped him on the shoulder. She then seized the handle of the dagger still buried in her chest, grunting in pain as she ripped it out. "But, now… I can kill you."

In one swift, fluid motion, Shae used her free hand to grab Gold by the front of his coat, and drew him in close. Then, she pressed his own dagger to his throat. As Gold's eyes grew wide with fear, Shae's eyes grew wide as well, with glee. In a matter of seconds, the situation went from calm and lighthearted, to tense and frightening.

"This has been a long time coming, Rumple." Shae whispered, a wide, excited grin stretching across her face. "A long, long time coming."

"NO!" Shouted Belle. She rushed up beside Shae, reaching out and gripping her hand tight, the hand that was holding the dagger. "Shae, please… Don't do this."

"Why the hell are you defending him, Belle?" Shae growled, never taking her wide and wild eyes off of Gold. "You, of all people? This scumbag has hurt a lot of people, you most of all!"

"I know, Shae! I know that, trust me." Belle replied with tears streaming down her face. "I know who he is. He's a beast, who has done terrible things to so many people. But… He's also still a man, the man I married. The father of my son."

Shae continued to silently glare into Gold's eyes, and Belle continued to grip her hand tight. "Please, Shae… Don't do this." Belle pleaded desperately. "My poor son has already gone twenty-eight whole years without his father, or his mother. I still believe there's hope for Gideon, for him to one day feel the love and care of both his parents. It's all I want for him."

"He's no father, Belle." Shae muttered. "Don't you remember what happened to Neal? All the misery he caused that poor boy?"

Belle breathed out a heavy, shaky sigh, and slowly nodded her head. "Yes… I know. He was a terrible father in the past." She admitted quietly. "But that doesn't mean he will be now. I denied him his chance at being a good father, which is something I deeply regret. He at least deserves a chance, Shae. A small chance."

"All he deserves is his own dagger buried in his heart!" Shae snarled through gritted teeth.

Tears streamed down Gold's face as Shae pressed the dagger even harder against his throat. "Just… Let her do it, Belle." He whispered softly. "It's what I deserve."

"Dammit… No! NO!" Belle shouted, tightening her grip around Shae's hand. "Shae, please… Look at me. Shae… Look. Look at me!"

For a moment, Shae simply continued to stare wide eyed with fury into Gold's eyes. She then blinked a few times, and shifted her eyes over to Belle. "This isn't you, Shae. Not anymore." Belle went on in a whisper, smiling into Shae's eyes. "This need for violence and vengeance, it's the part of you that you've worked so hard to get rid of. Don't go back now."

Shae's hand began to tremble around the handle of the dagger, and she turned her furious gaze back onto Gold. "Look at me, Shae." Belle said again. She reached out and placed her free hand gently on Shae's cheek, which caused Shae to turn her eyes back onto her. "Killing Rumple just for revenge is something that your evil half would do. But that's not who you are anymore. That Shae isn't my friend, isn't anyone's friend. Please… Don't let the darkness back into your heart. Not now, not after all you've been through."

There was a moment of silence as Shae stared into Belle's eyes, Gold's dagger still pressed firmly to his throat. Belle simply stared back into Shae's eyes, which were bloodshot with tears, and filled with pain. Belle smiled as she gently ran her fingers through Shae's hair.

"Your people call you Savior, Shae. And for good reason." Belle went on in a whisper, smiling through her own tears. "You're a Savior now. You save people, you help people. You're a warrior that fights for what is just and right, like a true knight. You don't hurt or kill anymore. Please… Don't start again now. The blemish you would put upon your honor, upon your heart and soul just isn't worth it."

Another moment of silence passed as Shae considered Belle's kind and wise words. Her face suddenly contorted in sorrow, in pain. She choked out a strangled sob, and squeezed her eyes shut as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her chest heaved as she drew in several deep, rattling breaths, the dagger in her hand trembling even more violently. Then, she opened her eyes again, and screamed.

"GAAAAHHH!"

Shae shoved her free hand forward, sending Gold hurtling backwards with a powerful gust of wind. Belle gasped in alarm, as did the others. They watched with bated breath as Shae slowly approached Gold, who was groaning upon the ground.

"YOU DON'T DESERVE HER!" Shae bellowed as she stood over Gold, her chest heaving, her whole body trembling. She then tossed the dagger that was still wet with her own blood at Gold's feet. "You don't deserve Belle. Not one bit."

Gold slowly nodded his head, and sat forward. "I know." He whispered as he retrieved his dagger. "I know."

He then rose to his feet, glanced momentarily toward his wife, then disappeared in a cloud of red smoke. Shae breathed out a long, heavy sigh as she slowly turned around. She placed her hand gently on Belle's shoulder as she passed by her, then returned to her wife, who pulled her into her arms. Grateful tears spilled down Regina's cheeks as she held the woman that she loved close.

Regina released her wife after a few moments, who was also embraced by Emma, David, Hook, and Henry. When her little sister approached her, Shae lifted her into her arms, hugging her tight as she breathed out a grateful, relieved sigh. Freya frowned in concern at the gaping wound in Shae's chest, to which Shae insisted she was fine. Freya didn't seem to accept that answer, for she held her tiny hands over Shae's wound, which began to glow with a soft yellow light. Shae's whole body glowed for a moment, then the wound in her chest began to close, as did the one in her back.

Shae chuckled, and breathed out a small sigh of relief. "That's much better." She said, placing a gentle kiss on Freya's forehead. "Thanks, kiddo."

"Welcome!" Freya replied with a smile.

"Bloody hell, the child can heal too?" Hook exclaimed. "What else can she do?"

"I think the better question is, 'What can't she do?'" Shae replied, smiling fondly at her sister as she gently ruffled her hair. "Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I could use a drink."

"I definitely second that." Emma agreed with an earnest nod.

"To The Rabbit Hole!" Shouted Hook.

Before they could set off for the bar, David spoke up in concern. "Wait, wait… We can't take Henry and Freya into a bar with us!"

"Sure we can!" Shae replied with a shrug. "It's Zelena's bar now. She'll let us all in. As long as both the Sheriffs don't make a fuss."

David glanced at his daughter, who simply shrugged at him. "Alright…" David relented. "But no alcohol for the children."

"Aw, but I was going to buy Freya her first shot of whiskey!" Cried Shae. "She's plenty old enough, right?"

"Please tell me you're joking…" Muttered David, frowning in concern.

"Of course I'm joking!" Shae exclaimed, looking offended. "Jesus Christ, Charming, do you really think I'm that irresponsible?"

"Well, you did just spend a good five minutes sarcastically quipping at the man who was trying to kill my daughter." David replied as they all started down the sidewalk.

Shae simply laughed. "Come on, Charming. You should know by now that's just how I roll."

The others all laughed as well. As The Heroes of Storybrooke made for the bar, they were once again unaware that they were being watched. "No…" Evil Shae snarled, who was watching from the shadows of a nearby alleyway. "No, no, NO!"

The snake coiled around her neck hissed angrily. Evil Shae then turned on her heel, and started running. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her back to Zelena's old farm house, which was now empty and abandoned. When she burst through the back door and into the kitchen, she found Gideon sitting at the table, tending to his wounds. His black cloak was still smouldering a bit from where he had been struck with lightning several times.

"What… The fucking hell… Happened?" Evil Shae snarled, her chest heaving with exertion.

Gideon didn't respond right away. He remained sitting in his chair with his eyes closed as he continued to wave a hand up and down his body. He glowed momentarily with a soft blue light, then breathed out a sigh of relief.

"I believe you saw exactly what happened." He snarled back at Evil Shae.

Evil Shae breathed out a bitter, sour laugh, running a hand through her messy black hair. "Tell me, how exactly does the son of The Dark One, the most powerful Dark One to ever exist, fall so easily to one single woman?"

"I'd ask you the same question." Gideon snapped in reply, narrowing his eyes at Evil Shae. "How have both The Evil Queen and her famously vicious Protector not already defeated the exact same woman, or the gaggle of fools that follow her about?"

Evil Shae narrowed her eyes back at Gideon, and The Evil Queen's scaled head shot out from behind her ear, hissing violently. Gideon chose to ignore the snake that was The Evil Queen, and turned his gaze back onto Evil Shae.

"Your other half presents an unforeseen problem." He went on, steepling his fingers in front of him as he thought. "She's much too powerful for her own good. We need a new plan."

"Oh, no! No, no!" Evil Shae cried, vigorously shaking her head. "I've already held up my end of our bargain! I brought you Mjolnir, just like you wanted. It's not my fault you lost it, and lost in general. I think it's time you hold up your end of our bargain."

Gideon breathed out a deep, heavy sigh. "Very well." He muttered, rising to his feet.

Evil Shae blinked several times in shock. "Oh… I-I… Really?"

Gideon emitted a low chuckle as he took a step toward her. "I am not my father. You didn't sign a contract, but I did give you my word. Unlike Rumplestiltskin, my word actually means something to me. So… Let's get on with it then."

Evil Shae gave him a quick nod in reply. "Well… You heard the man." She mumbled to the snake coiled around her neck.

The Evil Queen detangled herself from around her Protector's neck, and slowly began to slither down her body. Once she was coiled up on the floor at Evil Shae's feet, Gideon waved his hand in her direction. The snake was momentarily engulfed in a cloud of burnt orange smoke. When the smoke cleared, The Evil Queen was standing before them, human again.

"My Queen!" Evil Shae exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "Finally… You've returned!"

The Evil Queen turned around, and smiled at her faithful Protector. "My love…" She whispered, reaching out and gripping Evil Shae's shoulders. "It's so good to look upon you with my own eyes again. I've missed you so…"

"I missed you too, my love." Replied Evil Shae, smiling back.

The Evil Queen then threw her arms around her Protector's neck, and placed a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. Gideon simply stood and watched for a moment, eventually averting his gaze as the passion between the two lovers grew and grew. Their lips parted with furious, reckless abandon, their hands groping up and down every single inch of each other's bodies. Finally, Gideon decided he had waited long enough, and loudly cleared his throat.

"Could you please kindly stop and come sit down?" He snapped irritably, gesturing to the kitchen table. "As I said before, we need to come up with a new plan."

The Evil Queen finally dislodged her lips from her Protector's to glance at Gideon. "I'm sorry… We?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She barked out a loud, mocking laugh, her arms still wrapped tightly around Evil Shae. "No, no, no… There's no more we. I have my own plans, after all. Plans that you so rudely put a halt to."

Gideon's knuckles cracked as he balled his hands into fists. "You would dare defy me?" He snarled, taking a furious step forward.

Once again, The Evil Queen threw back her head, and laughed. "Well, yes, I believe I would. After what I saw today, I'm not so scared of you anymore." She replied with a grin. She laughed some more as she slowly sauntered forward, stopping mere inches away from Gideon. "You may have bested me once, but you won't again. I've been playing with darkness since before you were even a miniscule little worm, wriggling around while you were tucked away in your Daddy's balls."

Evil Shae laughed loudly, as did The Evil Queen. She continued laughing as she waved her hand in the air. The last thing either she or Evil Shae saw was Gideon's furious, snarling face, before they disappeared in a whirl of purple smoke.

When they reappeared again, Evil Shae furrowed her brow when she realized that they were in the Storybrooke cemetery. "What are we doing here?" She asked of her Queen. "If you're after something in Regina's vault, then you'll be sorely disappointed. The Savior cast a protection spell around the entire thing."

The Evil Queen chuckled, and placed a quick kiss on her Protector's lips. "Don't fret, my darling…" She whispered softly. "There is more magic buried here than just the contents of my vault."

Evil Shae followed after her Queen as she continued to make her way through the dozens and dozens of headstones. Finally, she stopped before one of them. Evil Shae's eyes grew wide as she stared at the name etched into the headstone.

"This is… Robin Hood's grave." She muttered, raising an eyebrow at her Queen.

"Indeed." The Evil Queen replied with a grin. "What better place to hide something of such importance? Noone would dare disturb Robin's grave, especially not either of our other halves."

Evil Shae chuckled, slowly nodding her head. "Clever as always, Your Majesty." She said with a wink. "What exactly have you buried here, then? What are you after?"

The Evil Queen chuckled too, and placed a finger gently upon her lover's lips. "Patience, my dear… Patience." She then held out her hand, and a shovel appeared within it with a puff of purple smoke. "You will see, once you start digging. Don't worry, it's not too far down."

Evil Shae narrowed her eyes at her Queen, obviously not pleased to be digging around in the dirt. But, she obeyed nonetheless. The Evil Queen leaned her back against the nearby tree, watching with a devious grin on her face as her Protector began to dig.

After a while, Evil Shae paused, her chest heaving with exertion. She had removed her long, black leather coat, and stripped down to just her black cotton shirt. She had already sweated straight through it from her efforts.

"Can't you just… Use magic to find whatever it is you're looking for?" She asked as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Then how would I be able to watch you get all hot and bothered, and covered in sweat?" The Evil Queen replied with a sultry grin.

Evil Shae rolled her eyes, breathing out a small chuckle. "I can think of many, many better ways…"

She thrust her shovel into the dirt again, stopping when the tip made contact with something hard and metallic. "Ah, there it is…" The Evil Queen whispered as her Protector reached down into the dirt. "The sound of my victory…"

Evil Shae retrieved a small metal box, which she then handed up to her Queen. She clambered out of the hole she had dug just in time to watch The Evil Queen retrieve a set of golden shears from inside the box. Evil Shae recognized them immediately.

"The Shears of Destiny." She breathed quietly.

"Indeed." The Evil Queen replied, grinning as she held the golden shears up into the moonlight. "We can use these to finally separate ourselves from our… Lesser halves. Then-"

"We can destroy them." Evil Shae finished for her, grinning as well. She laughed loudly when her Queen nodded. "Excellent! Excellent! Shall we go find them now?"

"Patience, my love… Patience." Whispered The Evil Queen, placing her free hand on her Protector's chest. "We will begin tomorrow. Tonight, however… There is something else I so deeply and desperately need…"

Evil Shae grinned against her Queen's lips as she kissed her. "Mmm… I see." She murmured softly as she wrapped her arms around The Evil Queen's waist. "Did The Dark One not keep you satisfied?"

"No… Not at all." The Evil Queen murmured back. "He was merely a tool. But you… You are something far different, far better."

The Evil Queen paused to place another kiss on her lover's lips. "You… Are the one I love. The one I've always loved." She whispered, gently caressing her Protector's cheek. "And tomorrow, the two of us, together, side by side, will finally get our happy ending. We will finally get our revenge."

A wide, devious grin stretched across Evil Shae's face. She drew her Queen in even closer to her, and practically attacked her lips. The Evil Queen grinned herself against her Protector's lips. She carefully tucked The Shears of Destiny away within her dress, and disappeared with her Protector in a puff of purple smoke.

XX

The next morning, several of The Heroes of Storybrooke woke with bad hangovers. They had celebrated Shae and Emma's victory over Gideon long into the night. It took several drinks, but Regina even eventually sat down and talked with her sister. Shae was glad to see her wife and sister-in-law getting along again. At one point, the two of them even sang a drunken duet at the karaoke machine that Remus had purchased. The song they chose was Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. Their rendition was terrible, but nobody really seemed to mind.

After waking up groggy with their heads aching, they all answered Snow White's summons to meet her at Granny's for a celebratory breakfast. They were all grateful to put some food in their stomachs, but Snow was just a bit too cheery for them. She was positively overjoyed that Emma had overcome her visions and defeated Gideon, albeit only for now.

"A toast!" Snow announced, rising to her feet and raising her mug of hot cocoa. "To Emma! Congratulations on defeating Gideon!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, now." Emma said after everyone had clinked their glasses together. "He's still out there somewhere. And, besides… If we're going to congratulate anyone, it should be Shae. She's the one that actually kicked the guy's ass."

"Emma!" Snow chastised her daughter. "Language!"

They all glanced over at Freya, who was sitting next to Henry, completely engrossed in the book in her lap. It was the one she had picked out from the library, the famous novel Moby Dick. Belle had expressed concern that it might be too advanced for her, to which Shae assured her that Freya would handle it just fine. She had grown up reading dusty old tomes about magic, alchemy, and the history of Avalon, after all. Shae was certain that her little sister would have Moby Dick finished in a matter of days.

"Come on, Swan Song. Don't sell yourself short." Shae said to Emma, punching her lightly in the arm. "You were totally awesome out there!"

"Yeah, well… You were even more awesome." Emma replied with a small, slightly bitter chuckle. "I mean, you fought Gideon completely unarmed, and barely broke a sweat. Then, you got stabbed in the heart with a magical dagger capable of killing basically anything, and popped right back up again like it was nothing. You're a damn force of nature, Shae. You… Out Savior'd me by a mile."

Shae opened her mouth to respond, but shut it again as she watched Emma poking glumly at the food still left on her plate. Shae watched her silently for a few moments, unsure of what to say. In the end, she decided not to say anything. She knew nothing that she could say would make Emma feel any better, any stronger.

"I'm awfully curious about that hammer of yours." Said Hook, turning to Shae. "Gideon seemed to be able to use it just as easily as you can."

"That's true…" Snow White muttered with a concerned frown. "Maybe we should find some way to… Lock it up, so Gideon can't get to it again. The spear too."

Shae exchanged a silent, knowing glance with her wife for a moment. "Don't worry." Said Regina. "That's… Already been taken care of."

The others all furrowed their brows at each other. "What do you mean?" Asked Hook.

"Look, the less people that know where Mjolnir and Gungnir are the better." Shae quickly explained. "All I'll say is that they're both somewhere safe. I even found an extra powerful protection spell in my mother's grimoire for them."

"Good. That's good." Snow replied with a nod. "I don't suppose there's anything in there that might help break the sleeping curse?"

Shae sighed, exchanging another quick glance with her wife. "I… Thought of that too. The problem is, my mother's grimoire is written in several different languages." She went on to explain. "Some pages are in a language so old that even my Gift of Tongues is having a hard time with. I'm guessing those pages are her most powerful and dangerous spells. I'm working on translating them, though. It's just… Going to take some time."

Snow White slowly nodded some more. "I understand." She replied with a warm, grateful smile. "Thank you, Shae. Even if there isn't anything that will help, I still appreciate you trying."

"Of course." Said Shae, nodding back with a smile. "It's what we do for family, right?"

Snow nodded even more, and once again rose from her chair. "Another toast! This time, to family!" She announced, raising her mug again. "Especially to our newest member of the family, Freya. Whom I for one am greatly looking forward to getting to know better."

Freya was still engrossed in her book, so Henry gently nudged her shoulder. Freya finally glanced up, her eyes growing wide when she noticed that everyone was looking at her, their glasses raised. She reached out toward her own glass of orange juice, and accidentally knocked it over. The contents spilled straight onto Olaf, her all white teddy bear, who was sitting in her lap. She gasped in alarm, and held out a now very orange Olaf out toward her sister.

"It's alright, Freya. It was just an accident." Regina said in a gentle tone as Henry began to wipe up the mess with napkins. "Here… Watch this."

Regina waved her hand in Olaf's direction, and Freya gasped again as he was momentarily engulfed in a cloud of purple smoke. When the smoke cleared, Olaf was white and sparkly clean once again. Freya giggled happily, hugging Olaf to her chest.

"Can you say thank you, Freya?" Shae asked her with a smile.

Freya nodded, and scrunched up her face as she summoned her words. "G-G-G… Gina." She stammered, smiling at Regina. "Th… T-Thank… You. T-Thank you."

Regina smiled back at her, and watched her curiously as she got up from her chair. She gasped as Freya approached her, and threw her tiny arms around her. Regina smiled at her wife, fighting against the tears that were welling into her eyes. It was the first hug she had received from Freya, who had suddenly become her pseudo daughter.

"You're very welcome, Freya." Regina whispered as she held her tight. "Very, very welcome."

"She is just… The most darling little thing." Zelena said with a misty eyed smile. "Were you just as adorable when you were her age?"

"Not at all." Shae replied with a quick shake of her head. "I was even more adorable, of course."

Zelena rolled her eyes as Shae gave her one of her signature cheeky, quirky grins. The others all laughed, and returned to their meal. Once they were finished, they began to go their separate ways. Regina and Shae were bound for Regina's vault, to research ways to break the sleeping curse that The Evil Queen had cast on David and Snow. Zelena offered to help, and, to Shae and everyone else's surprise, Regina accepted. They all remained silent about it, not wanting to ruin the newfound friendship between the two sisters.

Just before they were about to leave, Hook approached Shae. "Hold a moment." He muttered quietly. "Come with me."

Shae furrowed her brow, and followed Hook out of the back door of the diner. He stopped out in the hallway just outside the restrooms, and fished something small out of the pocket of his black leather jacket. It was a ring, a diamond ring, one of a decent size too.

"Aww… Hook, I'm flattered." Shae said with a grin. "But, unfortunately, I'm already a married woman."

Hook swatted her hand away irritably as she patted him on the shoulder. "It's not for you, dammit! It's for Emma!" He cried.

Shae laughed loudly as she nodded her head. "Yeah, I know, dummy." She replied, grinning some more. "I'm happy for you, Hook. Congratulations."

"So… S-So you think it's… A good idea?" Hook asked in an uncharacteristically nervous stammer. "Do you… Think she'll say yes?"

Shae furrowed her brow at him once again. "Why exactly are you asking me?"

"Because, you're her best friend! You know her better than anyone else in this town!" Hook cried once again, throwing his good arm up in the air. "You would know if this… I-If… If marriage is even… Something she wants."

Shae chuckled, patting Hook on the shoulder once again. "It definitely is." She answered with a smile. "It was something she wanted even when her and I first met. Which is why things didn't work out between us, why I had to leave her. She wanted to get married one day, have a family."

"And now you have those things." Hook said with a wink.

Shae laughed loudly, slowly nodding her head. "Yeah… I do." She replied with a wistful smile. "Back then, marriage and family weren't things I cared about one bit, or ever even thought were possible for someone like me. But… I've come a long way. And so have you. You've worked hard to become the man you are today, the man that Emma loves. Which is why I know she'll say yes. You're the one, Killian."

Hook's eyes swam with tears as Shae tightly gripped both of his shoulders. "After everything you've done, after all you've been through," She went on with a misty eyed smile of her own. "You deserve your happy ending."

Hook nodded, placing his good hand on Shae's shoulder, and squeezing it tight. "Thank you, mate. That means a lot, coming from you." He said, smiling himself through his grateful tears. "And, when the time comes, I could… Use a Best Man. Er… Best Woman, as it were."

Shae's eyes grew wide, and her jaw nearly hit the floor. "You… Y-You want me to be your… Best Man?"

"Aye. Of course." Hook replied with another smile. "I know both Emma and Remus claim the rights as your best friend. But, I do hope that I'm somewhere up at the top of the ranks as well. You are for me, at least. You and I are quite similar, after all. We share a certain… Kinship. One that not many would understand."

Tears began to stream down Shae's face, and she vigorously nodded her head. She threw her arms around him, choking out a joyful, grateful sob. "Of course… Of course I'll be your Best Man!" She exclaimed. "Shit, Hook… You're absolutely at the top of the charts when it comes to friendship. After all we went through together in The Underworld… Just… Yes. Absolutely. I would be so, so honored."

Hook laughed as she finally released him, and Shae laughed with him. "Excellent! It's settled then!" He said, clapping Shae on the shoulder once again. "Now, I expect my bachelor party to be the kind that songs are sung about."

"Oh, don't you worry, my dude." Shae replied with a grin as they headed back into the diner. "Any party I throw is always legendary!"

After embracing each other one more time, Shae and Hook parted ways. Shae returned to her wife, who was waiting by the door with her sister. "What are you grinning about?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"It's… I-It's nothing." Shae replied, quickly shaking her head. "I'll tell you later. Come on. We've got work to do."

Regina exchanged a curious glance with her sister, who simply shrugged at her. Then, the three of them headed toward the cemetery. Meanwhile, The Evil Queen stood upon a tall, rocky cliff. Her Protector was by her side, as always. The two of them stared down at the town of Storybrooke, wide, devious grins on their faces.

"Are you ready?" The Evil Queen whispered softly.

Evil Shae slowly nodded her head. "I've never been more ready for anything in my life."

XX

The day went by as The Heroes of Storybrooke went about their various business. Snow had left Granny's to go wake up her husband, so he could attend his duties as Sheriff. Hook accompanied him on patrol instead of Emma, who had a meeting with Archie. She had been seeing him ever since her visions had started, and she was excited to tell him that her vision had came and went, and she was still alive.

Meanwhile, Shae, Regina, and Zelena spent the day down in Regina's vault, accompanied by baby Robin, and Freya as well. Henry had wanted to spend the day with his girlfriend before school tomorrow, so Shae and Regina decided to bring Freya with them. Shae was certain that Freya would even be able to help them. She told her wife and sister-in-law that the seven year old among them likely knew more about spells and alchemy than any of them.

While Regina, Zelena, and Shae read through Regina's spellbooks, Freya was reading Morganna's grimoire. At one point, Freya suddenly gasped. She rushed up to her sister, holding the book up excitedly.

"You got something, kiddo?" Shae asked as she took the book from Freya. She furrowed her brow as she read the page it was open to. "Hmm… This looks like… An anti-magic potion. It nullifies any spell the user is affected by, and protects them against more spells."

"We already tried an anti-magic potion, remember?" Regina said, breathing out a heavy sigh. "All it did was give The Charmings bad indigestion."

"Oh, now that's an interesting thought." Muttered Zelena, tapping a finger against her chin. "What happens if the one who's asleep has to go to the bathroom? Does the spell cause them to hold it indefinitely? Or do they just… Go while in bed?"

There was a moment of silence as Regina and Shae both stared at Zelena. "Ok, first of all… Ew, Zelena. Just… Ew." Shae replied, shaking the thought from her head in disgust. "Second of all… This potion is different. It's not meant to be drunk, but used as like… An oil, or an ointment. It says here you're supposed to rub it onto your skin in spots where the blood flows the quickest."

"So… You're suggesting we give Snow and David… Oily massages?" Regina asked, eyebrow raised.

"I would be more than happy to massage Prince Charming." Said Zelena, raising her hand.

Shae groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ok, just… Again. Ew." She muttered, firmly shaking her head. "I'm suggesting that we remove their hearts, and pour the potion straight onto them. We might have to… Rub it in a little, which is still gross. But… It just might work."

Regina exchanged a quick, wide eyed glance with her sister. "That does sound promising." Mumbled Zelena.

"Yes… It does. Especially since the sleeping curse was cast directly on their hearts." Regina agreed with a nod. "What sort of things do we need for this… Anti-Magic oil?"

Shae furrowed her brow once again as she glanced down at the book in her lap. "Man, this is some powerful stuff." She muttered, breathing out a small laugh. "All the ingredients are pretty rare, but it looks like you have everything we need. How's the store of dragonsroot looking?"

"Low." Regina replied with a frown. "But, if the rest is needed, then… We'll use it."

Shae nodded, snapping her mother's grimoire shut as she rose to her feet. "Then let's get the cauldron ready, my witches!"

Regina and Zelena both chuckled, then began bustling about, gathering up the ingredients. "Thank you, Freya." Shae said to her little sister with a smile. "You did a really good job finding that potion."

"Welcome!" Freya replied, smiling back.

Shae chuckled herself, and gently patted Freya on the head. The two of them then lent their aid to gathering up everything that was needed for the potion. It wasn't long before the cauldron was bubbling. Regina was just about to add in two more ingredients, but stopped when Freya suddenly cried out.

"NO!" She shouted.

Freya then placed herself between her and the cauldron, throwing her arms up in the air. "What's the matter, Freya?" Asked Regina, furrowing her brow at the little girl. "It's alright. I was just going to add some more ingredients to the potion."

"No, it's not alright!" Zelena exclaimed, her eyes suddenly wide with alarm. "You were just about to toss the dragonsroot in with the mandrake root. Any witch worth her salt knows that you never mix those two together. You've got to stir the dragonsroot in first, let it settle."

"Why?" Regina asked with a shrug. "What happens if you throw them in together?"

"BOOM!" Cried Freya.

"Indeed." Zelena agreed with a nod. "Boom!"

Suddenly, Regina's eyes grew wide with realization. "Oh my god… You're right. I completely forgot." She muttered, breathing out a small laugh. "It looks like I'm getting rusty. Thank you, Freya."

"Welcome!" Freya replied with a smile.

"You're awfully clever, Freya." Said Zelena, smiling back at her. "Are you absolutely certain you're Shae's sister?"

"Hey!" Cried Shae.

Zelena and Regina both laughed. Suddenly, Shae's cell phone chimed from within her pocket. She pulled it out, frowning as she read the text message she had received.

"It's Tink." She muttered quietly. "That's weird… Tink never texts me. I didn't even know she knew how."

"What does she want?" Asked Regina.

"She wants me to meet her at the convent." Answered Shae. "In the church. Says it's urgent."

"Maybe it has something to do with The Blue Fairy." Zelena offered with a shrug.

"Yeah… Maybe. I guess I'd better go see." Shae agreed with a nod. She then knelt down in front of her little sister, placing a hand on her tiny shoulder. "You stay here with Regina and Auntie Zelena, ok? I'll be back soon, I promise."

Freya nodded, to which Shae nodded back, and placed a quick kiss on the top of her head. She then disappeared in a gust of swirling wind, and reappeared just outside of the doors of the convent's church. She stepped inside to find the church completely empty.

"Tink? You here?" She called out, her voice echoing around the stone walls. "Tink? Tinkerbell? Tink!"

As she made her way down the main aisle, she suddenly heard some sort of muffled cry. She hurried forward, and finally found Tinkerbell. Her Fairy Godmother was sitting on the floor behind the altar, her back leaning against it. Her hands and feet were bound with rope, a white cloth stuffed in her mouth.

Shae gasped in alarm, and rushed over to Tink. She immediately removed the cloth from her mouth. "Trap!" Tink exclaimed, her eyes wide with fear. "It's a trap, Shae!"

Shae immediately leapt up to her feet, frantically scanning the church with her eyes. "Well, well… You got here faster than I expected. I haven't even finished my wine."

Shae whirled around, and found her own evil half stepping out from a door behind the altar, which led to the parish priest's private chambers. Evil Shae was holding a golden chalice in her hand, which she was carefully sipping from. Shae recognized it to be the ceremonial chalice that the Christain priests used during their ceremonies.

"That's alright. It's bloody awful, anyway." Evil Shae went on, tossing the chalice over her shoulder as she casually strode forward. "These little wafers, though, they aren't half bad. Say what you will about the Christians, but I find their god to be quite delicious."

Shae narrowed her eyes at her evil half as she popped a ceremonial wafer into her mouth. "That's really gross." She muttered angrily. "And super disrespectful."

"Well, their all powerful God is welcome to strike me down where I stand, then!" Evil Shae cried, spreading her arms wide. She stood still in her stop for a moment, casting her eyes up to the ceiling. "No? I thought not. I'm relatively certain that whoever this one God is, he's just as dead and rotting as Odin."

Shae rolled her eyes at her evil twin, and narrowed them back at her again. "What the hell are you doing here? What do you want?"

"Oh, so many, many things." Evil Shae replied with a grin. "Starting with my revenge."

"Revenge?" Shae asked, raising an eyebrow at her twin. "Revenge against who, exactly? Me?"

"For starters, yes. As well as your wife." Evil Shae answered with a small shrug. "Snow White and Prince Charming, of course. As well as The Savior and her pirate. Not for any major reason. They just simply annoy me."

Shae chuckled, slowly nodding her head. "Well, I'm sorry to say you're going to be very disappointed." She replied, grinning herself. "With that cuff still on your wrist, you don't stand a chance. You can't hurt me."

Evil Shae nodded as well, raising her arm and carefully examining the black leather cuff on her wrist. "No… I can't. But she can."

Shae furrowed her brow in confusion for a moment, then her eyes grew wide when she realized her evil half was staring at something over her shoulder. She quickly whirled around, and found herself face to face with a familiar set of deep brown eyes. It was The Evil Queen, no longer a snake, human again.

Before Shae could do or say anything, The Evil Queen reached out and took her face in her hands. She placed a firm kiss on her lips, to which Shae immediately recoiled. Shae opened her mouth to shout profanities at The Evil Queen, but nothing was able to come out as her head began to spin wildly.

"A poisoned kiss." The Evil Queen explained with a grin. "Just for you, my darling."

Shae swayed in her feet, blinking furiously through foggy vision. "No…" She groaned as her knees buckled. "N-Not… Not again…"

The last thing she heard was the laughter of both her evil half and The Evil Queen. Then, the floor of the church was suddenly rushing up to meet her, and everything went black.

XX

About an hour later, The Heroes of Storybrooke, minus one, were gathered together at the Charming's apartment. They were staring down at a page from Henry's storybook that was laid out on the counter. It was page twenty-three, one of them, anyway. It was the one that told the story of what could have been between Regina and Shae. It depicted Shae kneeling amidst a forest, holding Regina in her arms. The only thing that was different about it was the message scrawled in the top corner.

Mayor's Office. Come alone.

One last time.

The page, as well as the note, was given to Henry by The Evil Queen herself. Henry immediately rushed off to the cemetery, and told his mother what had happened, how The Evil Queen had instructed him to give her the page. None of them understood what it all meant, until they were unable to reach Shae. Regina and Zelena, as well as Henry, were certain that The Evil Queen had kidnapped Shae once again.

Regina immediately called the others together, and they began to discuss a plan. "'One last time…'" David muttered as he stared down at the message written in the corner of the page. "What exactly does that mean?"

"I'm not sure." Regina muttered back, slowly shaking her head. "All I know is that she has Shae, and she'll hurt her if I don't face her."

"Should we even be all that concerned?" Hook asked with a small shrug. "She did just get stabbed in the heart by none other than The Dark One's dagger, and popped right back up like she had simply taken an afternoon nap."

"I'm sorry, but I'd really rather my wife didn't endure any more pain and suffering than she already has!" Snapped Regina. She paused for a moment to calm herself, then went on. "Besides… If anyone can find a way to actually hurt Shae, it's The Evil Queen."

Hook slowly nodded his head, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "Fair point, love." He mumbled quietly.

"I just don't get why she's doing this." Said Emma, her blonde brow furrowed deep. "What exactly does she hope to accomplish? She can't hurt you without hurting herself, right?"

Regina confirmed with a nod, and they all were silent for a moment. "Maybe she's finally found a way." Zelena offered with a shrug. "She is awfully crafty."

"True…" David mumbled, slowly nodding his head. "So… What do we do?"

"We don't do anything." Regina answered before anyone else could. "I'm going in alone. Just like she wants."

The others immediately began to protest, but Regina quickly shut them down. "This is my battle to fight!" She shouted over them. Once they had quieted down again, she went on. "It has been ever since I tried to destroy my dark side up on that rooftop in New York. And because of that reckless decision, Shae's dark side was released into the world as well. It's my fault, and I'm going to put a stop to them both."

"But that's exactly why you can't go alone!" Cried Emma. "Evil Shae is bound to be there too. You can't take them both on by yourself!"

"I can, and I will." Regina replied sharply. "I'm not afraid of either of them. I'm going alone, and that's final."

The others exchanged wary, concerned glances for a moment. "Fine." Said David. "But we'll all follow you. We'll stay back and-"

"No! Absolutely not!" Replied Regina, firmly shaking her head. "She'll know you're there, trust me. You all need to stay here, and let me handle this."

"Regina, please-" Emma began.

"ENOUGH!" Regina bellowed. Emma drew back a step, as did the others. They all stared wide eyed at Regina, who breathed out a heavy, trembling sigh as she collected herself. "This is my fight. Just like Shae's destiny was to defeat her father, it's my destiny to defeat The Evil Queen. Mine, and mine alone."

Regina then turned on her heel, and stomped toward the door. "I will defeat her, or die trying." She announced just before stepping out the door. "Either way… Our fight ends today."

With that, Regina stepped out the door, and slammed it shut behind her. Silence fell over the tiny apartment as they all stared at the door, unsure of what to do, what to say. Suddenly, a small, quiet voice spoke up.

"G-G-G… Gina?"

Little Freya had a deep, worried frown on her face. "It's alright, Freya." Emma said with a smile as she knelt down in front of the girl. "Regina is going to be just fine. She'll… S-She'll be back before you know it, with your big sister. I promise."

Freya continued to frown at Emma for a moment, but eventually nodded. Emma nodded back, and gave her arm a gentle pat. She then turned back to Hook, David, and Henry. As they were talking amongst each other, none of them noticed Freya slowly backing away. Once she was certain no one was watching, she quickly and quietly slipped out the door.

XX

Regina's hands trembled as she climbed the steps leading up to her office, the page from Henry's storybook still clutched in her fist. It was partly due to rage over her wife being in The Evil Queen's clutches once again, and partly due to fear. She wasn't at all certain if she could even win this fight. All she knew was that, no matter what, her fight against her dark side was finally at an end.

As soon as she entered The Mayor's Office, Regina spotted the woman that she loved. Shae was sitting in an office chair in front of the desk, her chin sunk deep into her chest. Glowing yellow chains were binding her feet together, and binding her arms to the chair.

"Shae!" She exclaimed as she rushed forward.

She barely made it two steps when an arm suddenly wrapped around her neck from behind. She drew in a small, quiet gasp as something sharp was pressed into her back. "Hello, Regina." A familiar voice whispered in her ear. "Miss me?"

It was the voice of her wife's evil half. "Not in the slightest." Regina growled.

"What about me?"

Regina glared at The Evil Queen as she stepped into her field of vision. "You, even less." She snarled.

The Evil Queen simply laughed. "That's enough, darling." She said to Evil Shae, grinning from ear to ear. "Why don't you wake your other half up? I want her to watch as her wife fails miserably."

Evil Shae immediately released Regina, and stepped forward. "As you wish, my Queen." She replied with a small bow.

Regina stood still in her spot, watching as Evil Shae bent over her other half. "Up! Wake up, now!" She shouted as she not so gently slapped Shae in the face. "Come on! Wake up you useless wretch!"

Shae emitted a feeble groan, and slowly blinked her eyes open. They grew wide with alarm when she saw her own face grinning back at her. She jerked violently in her chair, attempting to get up. She howled in pain as the magical chains sent shockwaves throughout her body.

"Fucking… SHIT!" She exclaimed, her chest heaving, her eyes darting wildly around the room. "W-What… What the hell is going on?"

"It's alright, Shae." Regina said in a low, even tone. "Just… Stay calm."

Shae's eyes suddenly focused on her wife, and they somehow grew even wider. "Regina?" She muttered. "W-What… What's happening? I-"

Shae stopped mid sentence as her evil half slapped her in the face once again. "That's enough out of you!" Evil Shae snarled. "You're going to sit quietly and watch while your wife begs on her knees for mercy!"

Evil Shae then seized the back of the chair Shae was strapped to, and dragged her away into a far corner of the room. Regina was now face to face with her own evil half, her darkness. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the familiar set of magical shears The Evil Queen was holding in her hand.

"Oh… So that's your plan." Regina muttered quietly. "You're going to separate us."

"Indeed." The Evil Queen replied with another devious grin. "Then, I'm going to do what you tried to do to me… Destroy you."

For a moment, Regina simply stared at The Evil Queen. Then, she breathed out a small, quiet laugh. "It's always about revenge with us, isn't it?" She said, slowly shaking her head. "You know what? Fine. Do it."

There was another moment of silence as The Evil Queen stared back at her other half in confusion. "What?" Shae exclaimed from the other side of the room. "Regina, no! You can't let her do this!"

"Quiet, Shae!" Regina replied sharply. She then breathed out a shaky sigh, and turned her gaze onto her wife. "You know I love you with all my heart, but I need you to be quiet. This is my fight. You faced your destiny. Now it's time for me to face mine."

Shae opened and closed her mouth several times, frightened tears welling into her eyes. She simply gazed helplessly back at the woman that she loved as she smiled at her. Then, Regina turned her eyes back onto The Evil Queen.

"Go on, then!" She said, spreading her arms wide. "Trim away! After all the damage you've caused because of me, I'm ready."

Another wide, wicked grin stretched across The Evil Queen's lips, and she silently waved her hand over The Shears of Destiny. The shears immediately began to glow with a golden light. Suddenly, a glowing white tendril of magic burst forth from both Regina and The Evil Queen's chests, right over their hearts. It was the very thread of destiny that bound them both together. It glowed bright, it's magical energy pulsating through the air, reverberating loudly around the room.

The Evil Queen then opened the shears, and placed them underneath the thread. "See you on the other side." She said to Regina with another grin.

She quickly snapped the shears shut again. The shears cut straight through the magical thread as if it were simply a thread of silk. The thread fell away from Regina and The Evil Queen, and disappeared into the air. The Shears of Destiny clattered onto the marble floor as they slipped from The Evil Queen's hand.

Suddenly, the room was quiet once again. Both Regina and The Evil Queen swayed on their feet, and stumbled back. However, they both remained standing, seemingly unharmed. Regina's chest was heaving, and she couldn't help but feel that something was different. It was a strange feeling, deep in her heart. It was a strange sort of emptiness.

The Evil Queen laughed triumphantly, and a sword appeared in her hand with a puff of purple smoke. "Now… Let's finish this." She snarled, falling back into a battle ready stance.

Regina drew in a deep, steadying breath, and slowly let it out again. "Gladly." She snarled back, summoning a sword of her own.

The Evil Queen then bellowed out a furious war cry, and charged at Regina, sword in the air. The sound of steel striking steel reverberated around the room as Regina brought her own sword up to meet The Evil Queen's. Shae and her own evil half watched as the women that they both loved exchanged blow after blow.

"Come on, Regina… You can do this." Shae muttered as she anxiously watched the battle unfolding before her. "You've got this, babe! I believe in you!"

Shae was going to cry out more in support, when her evil half struck her in the face once again. "Shut up!" Evil Shae growled. "Be quiet and watch as your wife falls before The Evil Queen!"

Shae breathed out a furious snarl, her knuckles cracking as she balled her hands into fists. She didn't dare move, though. She knew that if she tried, it would only bring pain.

As she fought, Regina heard her wife's voice. She also heard another familiar voice, inside her own head. It was the voice of her mother-in-law, Morganna.

Widen your stance just a bit… A wide, firm stance helps to maintain balance. The last thing you want is to trip over your own feet during battle.

Regina widened her stance, just in time to block another blow from The Evil Queen. She stuck her own blow, grinning in triumph as The Evil Queen stumbled back. She continued to advance, Morganna's words echoing around in her mind.

You must always keep your eyes moving. Never keep your eyes fixed on one spot for too long. Always be watching every inch of your opponent's body.

The Evil Queen suddenly lowered her sword arm, and raised her other. Regina was watching carefully, and managed to dodge out of the way of the fireball that The Evil Queen launched at her. The Evil Queen snarled in fury, and struck out with her sword once again.

Always be watching your surroundings. That way, you'll never be taken by surprise.

Regina glanced over her shoulder, and noticed that she was about to back into a nearby table. But she noticed too late. She was unable to get away in time, and The Evil Queen quickly overpowered her. Suddenly, Regina's sword was knocked away from her hand.

"You tried to destroy me because you couldn't stand looking at the darkness!" The Evil Queen snarled, her chest heaving as she pointed the tip of her sword at Regina. "Well, I can't stand looking at the light!"

With her heart racing, Regina cast another glance over her shoulder, and noticed a metal wire basket of apples sitting on the table. "Well, you don't have to worry about that." She replied with a grin.

She then quickly spun around, and seized the basket, hurling the contents in her evil half's face. The Evil Queen stumbled back as one of the apples struck her in the forehead. She howled in fury, and stabbed forward with her sword. Regina managed to block the blow with the metal wire basket she was still holding, and used it to knock The Evil Queen's sword from her hand. She then thrust the basket into The Evil Queen's chest, knocking her off her feet.

Shae cried out excitedly as The Evil Queen tumbled to the ground. "Sword!" She shouted at her wife. "Get your sword!"

Regina immediately dove for her fallen sword, and managed to scoop it up just as The Evil Queen rose back to her feet. "You really think you're better than me?" The Evil Queen bellowed, her eyes wide and wild with rage. "Huh? You think you're stronger than me? NEVER!"

The Evil Queen threw out both her hands, and Regina was sent hurtling backwards. Her sword slipped from her hand once again as she crashed into the wall. She threw her arms over her head as broken glass from the mirror she had crashed into cascaded down upon her.

"REGINA!" Shae screamed.

She instinctively attempted to leap from her chair, and howled with pain as the magical ropes around her wrists and ankles sent shockwaves shooting through her body. Evil Shae laughed loudly, mockingly. Meanwhile, Regina staggered back up onto her feet, and The Evil Queen seized her fallen sword.

"Do you really think you've filled that nasty little hole inside you?" The Evil Queen sneered, once again pointing her sword at Regina. "With love… And friendship… And HOPE?"

The Evil Queen swung her sword at Regina as she spoke, and Regina leapt back every time. "Well, you've been fooling yourself, my dear." The Evil Queen went on, a wild, wicked grin stretching across her face. "Because you haven't! You never will!"

Regina continued retreat as The Evil Queen continued swinging at her. Her chest heaved with exertion, her heart raced with fear. Her back finally hit a wall, and her eyes grew wide with alarm.

"I'm still what's inside you!" Bellowed The Evil Queen. "I am all that will ever be there!"

With the sound of her racing heart pounding in her ears, Regina glanced over at Shae, her wife, the woman that she loved. Her heart ached when she saw the frightened tears streaming down Shae's face. All she wanted was to go to her, to hold her in her arms, to be held. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears of her own leaking onto her cheeks.

"NO!" She screamed. "YOU'RE WRONG!"

Regina then threw out both her hands, and, this time, The Evil Queen was the one who was sent careening backwards. Just like Regina had, she crashed into the wall, and tumbled down onto the floor. At that moment, the magical, glowing yellow chains around Shae's hands and feet disappeared. She immediately leapt up out of her chair, and, before her evil half could do or say anything, she punched her straight in the face.

Evil Shae immediately collapsed backwards onto the ground. Shae grinned triumphantly for a moment, then rushed over to her wife. The two of them stood side by side as The Evil Queen staggered back up onto her feet.

"It's over, Your Majesty." Shae said, still grinning. "Now it's two against one."

The Evil Queen simply laughed. "Are you absolutely sure about that?"

Shae furrowed her brow when she noticed The Evil Queen was grinning herself, and staring at something over her shoulder. She turned around, just in time to see that her evil half was back on her feet as well, and sprinting straight toward her.

Shae grunted as her evil half full on tackled her. The sheer force of Evil Shae's momentum caused them both to go crashing straight out the window. Shae heard her wife's cry of alarm as she spiraled wildly down into the street below.

All the air in Shae's lungs was knocked completely out of her as she crash landed onto the pavement. Her vision was stark white, her head spun, and there was a deafening ringing in her ears. Then, the pain came. She was certain that she had several broken bones. She ignored the pain as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She had to get back to Regina.

After a few moments, Shae could finally breathe again. Her vision cleared just in time to see the snarling face of her evil half. Evil Shae threw herself upon her, knocking her back down again. She then began to strike Shae in the face with her fist again, and again, and again.

"You will not… Interfere… ANYMORE!" Evil Shae bellowed between blows. She seized Shae by the front of her vest, drawing her in close, grinning wildly into her eyes. "Once my Queen uses the shears to separate us, I am finally going to put an end to you!"

Shae responded by spitting a wad of blood and saliva straight into her evil half's face. Evil Shae roared in fury, and raised her fist again. She was just about to bring it down on Shae's face when, suddenly, she was blasted sideways off of her. Shae could feel the gust of wind that had knocked her evil half away, and she turned her head toward the source. She found none other than her little sister, Freya, standing a few feet away with her arm outstretched.

"Freya!" Cried Shae.

Freya smiled and waved at her, to which Shae breathed out a small, bemused laugh. She was about to question her sister, but stopped when she heard her evil half emit an enraged snarl. Evil Shae was back on her feet again. She glanced between Freya and Shae for a moment. Then, she bellowed out a furious cry, and charged at Shae.

She didn't make it very far before she was stopped by Freya's magic once again. The little girl's light up sneakers flashed all the colors of the rainbow as she stomped her foot into the ground. Evil Shae skidded to a stop as a massive ball of dirt and tar burst forth from the road in front of her. Freya then punched her fist forward, and Evil Shae was sent hurtling backwards once again as the ball of earth struck her in the chest.

Shae watched in absolute dumbfounded silence as her evil half smacked into The Town Hall's brick wall, Freya's ball of earth exploding into chunks all around her. As Evil Shae stumbled and staggered back up onto her feet, Freya stood defiantly and protectively in front of her big sister.

"You…" Evil Shae growled, her whole body trembling with fury as she glared at Freya. "You damned… Little… BRAT!"

Evil Shae then charged headlong at Freya. Shae continued to watch in silence as her sister fell back into a battle ready stance, fists clenched. Slowly, Freya's tiny hands began to cake over with dirt. By the time Evil Shae reached her, Freya's dirt covered fists were massive, at least three or four times the size of her own.

Little Freya punched one of her earth fists forward, just as Evil Shae threw her own punch. Evil Shae howled in pain as her fist made contact with Freya's, which was made up of completely solid earth. Freya then struck out with her other fist, striking Evil Shae right in the gut. She struck her again, and again, and again in the stomach and chest. Evil Shae was lifted off her feet by a swift uppercut to her jaw. Then, Freya leapt up into the air, and punched her one last time, straight in the face. Evil Shae went spinning down onto the ground, where she remained still.

There was a moment of silence as Shae stared wide eyed at her little sister, her jaw dangling open. "Oh my god…" She whispered. "Holy shit… Freya… That was amazing! You're amazing!"

Freya's hulking dirt fists disappeared as she turned around, and smiled proudly at Shae. "Good job, kiddo. Really, really good job." Shae went on, smiling back at her. "Keep an eye on her, ok? Regina needs my help."

Freya gave her big sister a swift, determined nod, to which Shae nodded back. Shae then staggered up onto her feet, and limped as fast as she could back inside The Town Hall. She didn't even bother to try and process what she had just seen, there was no time. She had to get back to her wife, fast.

Shae's chest heaved with exertion as she staggered up the steps that lead to The Mayor's Office. She was feeling the full effects of her injuries now, and she could taste the blood that was pouring out of her broken nose. She ignored it all, and pressed on as fast as she could.

Finally, Shae reached her wife's office, and burst through the doors. She was met with a very strange and alarming sight. The Evil Queen was backed up against the wall, and Regina was standing before her. What was most alarming was the blackened heart clutched in Regina's fist.

For a moment, both Regina and The Evil Queen stared at Shae, and Shae stared right back at them. "Is… I-Is… Is that-" Shae stammered.

"Yes." Regina replied in a whisper.

Shae breathed out a small, quiet laugh. "Regina, you… You did it."

Regina slowly nodded her head. "Yes." She said again.

She then turned her gaze back onto The Evil Queen, who was glaring furiously into her eyes. "I hate you…" The Evil Queen snarled.

Regina clenched her fist around her other half's heart. The Evil Queen emitted a pained whimper, and doubled over, clutching her chest. Regina continued to squeeze harder and harder, but stopped when she heard a voice whispering in her head. It was Morganna's voice again. This time, however, it wasn't a memory. Morganna's voice spoke the same word over and over again in her mind.

Mercy… Mercy… Mercy…

At that moment, Regina caught a glimpse of her reflection in the broken glass laying at her feet. Suddenly, a memory of days long past flashed across her mind. It had been when she was The Evil Queen. Her father had led her to Cupid's Arrow, hoping to convince her to use it to find the person she loved most, the man with the lion tattoo.

Instead, Regina defied her father's wishes, and cast a dark spell upon the arrow, which caused it to lead her to the person she hated most. She thought that the arrow would lead her to Snow White. She followed the arrow through the forest, and back to her own castle. She found it buried in the wooden door of her wardrobe. When she opened the wardrobe, she found herself face to face with her own reflection from the mirror hanging inside the door.

She had no idea if Morganna was somehow showing her this memory, or if she had simply conjured it herself. Either way, it caused her to loosen her grip on her evil half's heart. She glanced briefly over at Shae, who was watching her silently, brow furrowed in confusion. Then, she turned her eyes back onto The Evil Queen, staring into the eyes that were the same as her own.

"But… I don't." She whispered, a small smile creeping across her lips. "Not anymore."

Regina then placed her hand on her own chest, and tore out her own heart. "Regina!" Cried Shae. "W-What… What are you doing?"

"It's alright, Shae." Regina replied softly, calmly. She then turned her eyes back onto The Evil Queen, smiling some more. "I'm going to do what we never could. I'm going to be brave for both of us, and choose love over hate."

Regina then shoved both her and her evil half's hearts together. Regina's heart was glowing bright red with love and light, and The Evil Queen's was completely clouded over with darkness. Shae and The Evil Queen watched in astonished silence as, slowly, the darkness from The Evil Queen's heart began to creep into Regina's, and the light from Regina's heart began to creep into The Evil Queen's. After a few moments, both hearts were equally filled with darkness and light. That was when Regina finally placed them back where they belonged.

"W-What… No…" The Evil Queen whispered, groaning softly as she clutched at her chest. "W-What… What have you done? What's happening to me?"

"I gave you some of my love." Regina explained with a smile. "Love from Shae, and Henry, and… Robin. Love from all my friends and family, the ones I care about most, and care about me."

The Evil Queen vigorously shook her head, her whole body trembling. "In turn… I took back some of your darkness." Regina went on, placing her hand gently on The Evil Queen's shoulder. "Our darkness."

"I-I… I don't understand." Muttered The Evil Queen, shaking her head some more. "Why? Why would you do that?"

Regina sighed, and placed her other hand on The Evil Queen's other shoulder. "Because… You're a part of me." She replied. "And, like it or not, I'm a part of you." She paused to smile into her evil half's eyes some more, her own welling with tears. "For the first time in… A really long time, maybe forever… I finally love myself. Which means you should too."

There was a moment of silence as The Evil Queen, who was now not so evil, simply stared back into her other half's eyes. Regina then stepped forward, and drew The Evil Queen into her arms, holding her tight. For a moment, The Evil Queen held rigidly still, silent tears spilling down her face. Then, she choked out a strangled sob, and wrapped her arms around Regina.

Regina smiled at her wife over The Evil Queen's shoulder, tears of her own leaking onto her cheeks. Shae smiled back at her, breathing out a small, bemused laugh. She had no idea what to say, what to even do. She was simply astonished and overwhelmed by her wife's strength and kindness.

After a few moments, Shae opened her mouth to ask what they were going to do about her own evil half. Suddenly, the door to The Mayor's Office burst open once again. Evil Shae herself stepped in, her chest heaving, just as bloodied and bruised as Shae was.

"No… No, no, no…" Shae muttered, drawing back a step. "Where's Freya? What have you done to her?"

Evil Shae scoffed loudly. "Oh, don't worry. The little brat is perfectly fine." She replied, dramatically rolling her eyes. "I may be evil, but I do still have standards."

Evil Shae then turned her eyes onto her Queen, who was still hugging Regina. "What the bloody hell is going on here?" She exclaimed, her eyes growing wide with shock. "Why are you hugging her? Why haven't you destroyed her yet?"

The Evil Queen released Regina, and turned to the woman that she loved. "Things have… Changed." She said slowly.

"'Changed?'" Evil Shae echoed in reply. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Regina, she… Bested me." The Evil Queen began to explain. "She had my heart in her hand, and she… Could have ended me right then and there. But… She didn't. Instead, she took in some of my darkness, and gave me some of her light. We are… The same now."

Evil Shae blinked several times in shock, and glanced between her Queen, Regina, and Shae for a moment. "No… No, no, no…" She muttered, vigorously shaking her head. "I-I… I can't… It can't be over. Not now. Not like this."

"It's alright, my love." The Evil Queen whispered softly, taking a step toward her Protector. "She can do the same for you. You'll feel better afterwards, I promise."

"I DON'T WANT TO FEEL BETTER!" Evil Shae roared, her eyes wide and wild, her whole body trembling. "I want what you promised me! I want my revenge!"

The Evil Queen exchanged a quick, nervous glance with both Regina and Shae. Suddenly, Evil Shae dove for Regina's fallen sword, and quickly scooped it up. The others gasped, drawing back a step as she brandished it wildly at them.

"I'll finish this my damn self if I have to!" Evil Shae snarled, pointing the tip of her sword between Regina and Shae as she glared at them. "I'll skewer the both of you, and put your heads on spikes! I'll burn this entire filthy, accursed town to the ground, with everyone in it! I'll-"

Suddenly, Evil Shae stopped short as something smashed into the back of her head. The sword slipped from her hand, and she collapsed forward onto the floor. Freya was standing behind her. She had seized a vase from a nearby table, and chucked it at Evil Shae's head.

"Holy shit!" Shae exclaimed. "Freya! You did it again!"

She then rushed forward, scooped her little sister up into her arms, and placed a firm, grateful kiss on her cheek. "Have I told you yet how amazing you are?" Shae asked of Freya with a grin.

Freya grinned back as she nodded her head. She then turned her gaze onto The Evil Queen, and her smile quickly faded. "N-N-Not… G-Gina…" She stammered, pointing at The Evil Queen as she glared at her. "Not Gina!"

Regina chuckled quietly, placing a hand gently on The Evil Queen's shoulder. "You're right, Freya. She's not me." She said with a smile. "It's ok, though. She's… My other half. My friend."

The Evil Queen smiled back, and placed her hand on top of Regina's. She then softly cleared her throat, and gestured toward Evil Shae with her other hand. "What do we do about her?"

Regina bit her lip as she thought, dropping her hand back down to her side. "That is… Up to Shae, I think." She muttered. When both Shae and The Evil Queen furrowed their brows at her, she went on to explain. "I can use the shears on you two, and do the same thing that I did for us. But… It's not my decision to make."

Regina paused as she stared deep into her wife's eyes. "I can't force you to take in more darkness, and give up some of your light and love." She went on with a small, sad smile. "I won't. What I will do is use the shears to separate the two of you. What you do after that is your decision, Shae."

Shae slowly nodded her head, and Regina nodded back. Regina then retrieved The Shears of Destiny from where they were still lying on the floor. Shae set Freya down beside her as Regina waved her hand over the shears, which once again began to glow. Just like moments ago, a bright white tendril of magic burst forth from both Shae and her evil half's chests. Regina held the shears open underneath the thread of destiny that bound the two together for a moment, then quickly snapped them shut. The magical thread fell away, and, just like Regina, Shae felt a strange sort of emptiness wash over her.

Next, Regina bent over Evil Shae, and removed her heart from her chest. She took her wife's hand, and placed the black, clouded heart in her open palm. There was a long moment of silence as Shae stared down at the heart in her hand, the heart of her evil half, her darkness personified. She knew that, with one firm squeeze, she could be free of that darkness. She also knew that doing so would only bring about more darkness, more evil.

Shae glanced over at The Evil Queen, who was watching her silently, her eyes wide and filled with frightened tears. She then glanced at her wife, who was also watching her, her face a calm, stoic mask. Next, she glanced down at her little sister. Freya wasn't watching, and was instead staring at the bookshelf sitting against the wall beside her. She smiled up at Shae when she placed a hand gently on her head. Shae smiled back at her and, suddenly, she heard her mother's voice in her head.

There's no use in looking back. You're not going that way. Instead, turn your gaze forward, onto tomorrow. That is where you are going. That is what matters.

Shae drew in a sharp, quivering breath. Her eyes immediately welled with tears as her mother's voice rang in her ears, as if she were holding her in her arms and comforting her, just like that night not so long ago. She then held out her evil half's heart toward her wife.

"Do it." She whispered.

Regina blinked several times in shock as she took Evil Shae's heart. "Are… A-Are you sure?"

Shae slowly nodded her head. "I'm choosing to be strong, for both of us." She replied as she continued to smile down at Freya, gently caressing her tight, black curls. "I'm choosing love over hate."

Regina nodded back, smiling herself. "Thank you…" The Evil Queen whispered, reaching out and gently squeezing Shae's hand. "Thank you…"

Shae nodded some more, squeezing The Evil Queen's hand in return for a moment. Regina then stood squarely in front of her wife, reached into her chest, and tore out her heart. She placed Shae's glowing red heart against her evil half's black one, and they all watched as Evil Shae's darkness crept into Shae's heart, and Shae's light crept into Evil Shae's. Once the two hearts were equally filled with darkness and light, Regina placed them back where they belonged.

It was at that moment that Evil Shae finally opened her eyes. She drew in a deep, shuddering gasp as she sat bolt upright. She blinked dazedly for a few moments, her eyes darting around the room in confusion.

"It's alright, my love… It's alright." The Evil Queen whispered as she knelt down beside her. "How do you feel?"

Evil Shae drew in several deep, calming breaths before responding. "I… I-I'm… Not sure." She muttered, clutching her head as she shook it from side to side. "Better… I think. W-What… What happened?"

"Shae took in some of your darkness, and gave you some of her light." The Evil Queen explained as she gently and soothingly ran her fingers through her Protector's messy black hair. "Just like Regina did for me."

Evil Shae blinked several more times as she stared into her Queen's eyes. Then, she turned her eyes onto Shae. "Why?" She whispered softly. "W-Why… Why would you do that? Either of you?"

Shae exchanged a quick glance with her wife, then knelt down in front of her evil half, who was now not so evil anymore. "Because… All that the two of you were was… A reminder of the past, a sad, sorry remnant." She replied, reaching out and placing a hand on Evil Shae's shoulder. "And the thing about the past is… It's in the past, for good reason. It has no place in the present, and especially not in the future."

Shae paused as she straightened herself up again. "Neither I nor Regina want to look back on the past anymore, and neither should either of you." She went on with a smile as she held her hand out toward her other half. "Instead, we should all look to the future. That is what truly matters."

Evil Shae reached out and took Shae's hand, who then hoisted her to her feet. "Thank you." Evil Shae muttered, breathing out a small, bemused laugh. "Just… Thank you."

Shae nodded as she continued to hold on to her evil half's hand. She then jerked her forward, and wrapped her in a tight hug. "You're welcome." She whispered with a misty eyed smile. "You're most welcome."

Regina and her own evil half smiled at each other as Shae and Evil Shae held each other tight. After a few moments, they released each other. There was a moment of silence as they all stared awkwardly around at each other. Then, the four of them started to laugh.

The two sets of what now were basically twins then began to clean up the mess they had all made in Regina's office. At one point, Emma suddenly burst in, quickly followed by David, Hook, and Henry. They had all finally realized that Freya was missing, and had come in search of her. They did indeed find Freya, but also found a most alarming and confusing sight.

Regina and Shae quickly explained to them what had happened, and neither the two of them nor Freya were in any danger. The others were shocked to learn that The Evil Queen and her equally evil Protector were not at all evil anymore, and had finally been, in a sense, defeated. They obviously had many questions, but were forced to save them for another time when Shae and Regina politely asked them to leave.

Another moment of awkward silence fell over The Mayor's Office as Shae and Regina sat across from Evil Shae and The Evil Queen. After cleaning up, the four of them decided to sit down together to discuss what to do next. Freya was still amongst them as well, and had immediately fallen asleep in her sister's lap.

"She must be thoroughly tuckered out." Evil Shae said with a small chuckle. "She gave me quite the thrashing, after all."

"She did?" Asked Regina, staring wide eyed at her wife.

Shae chuckled herself as she glanced down at her snoozing little sister. "Yeah, I, uh… I-I'll tell you about it later."

More silence fell over the room. They were seated on two black leather couches sitting opposite each other. There was a coffee table between them, where the storybook page The Evil Queen had written her message on was lying. The four of them stared down at it in silence for a moment.

"Do you regret it?" Evil Shae asked of her other half. "Do you regret not going to her then? You could have… We could have… Had a long, happy life together. We even could have ruled a kingdom together."

Shae glanced at her wife, who was sitting beside her. She stared into the deep brown eyes that she loved so much. She then glanced down at Freya again, who was sleeping peacefully with her head resting against her chest.

"No… Not at all." Shae finally replied. "What we could have had would have been great, but… I wouldn't have everything I have now. I wouldn't have Henry, or Freya, or this town. I wouldn't have gotten to experience everything this world has to offer. Which is… A lot. Trust me."

Shae paused to reach out her Freya free hand, and gently took Regina's. "This is my happy ending." She went on, smiling into her wife's eyes. "This is the future, the tomorrow I want to look forward to."

Regina smiled back at her wife, and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "What about you, Regina?" Asked The Evil Queen. "Do you regret not going into that tavern to meet Robin?"

There was a moment of silence as Regina pondered The Evil Queen's question. "If I do… It's only because if I had, Robin might still be alive." She finally replied. "But then Robin would have never met Marian, never would have fallen in love with her, and had Roland."

Regina paused, furrowing her brow as she stared down at the floor. "So… No. I don't regret it at all." She went with a small shrug. "Like Shae said… If I had gone into that tavern, I wouldn't have Henry, or Freya, or even Shae herself. There are many things I regret, but that isn't one of them. Page Twenty-Three, either this one or the other, it's not my happy ending, not our happy ending."

The Evil Queen and Evil Shae both nodded their heads as they pondered what their other halves had said. "I suppose that just begs the question…" The Evil Queen slowly began. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"We obviously can't stay here." Evil Shae said with a shrug. "I think what we need is… A fresh start. So we can find our own happy ending."

Regina, Shae, and The Evil Queen all nodded in agreement. "I suppose it's… Back to The Enchanted Forest, then?" Said The Evil Queen, shrugging herself.

Evil Shae breathed out a sad, heavy sigh, running her hands over her face. "There's not much left for us there, though, is there?" She mumbled quietly. "And those that are left aren't exactly going to be the biggest fans of us, are they?"

"True… True…" Mumbled The Evil Queen, slowly nodding her head. "We could… Venture out into this world. You've seen much of it, but I haven't."

Evil Shae opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when her other half cut her off. "Wait! I have an idea!" Shae exclaimed. "If, you know… You're both open to it, of course."

The Evil Queen and Evil Shae exchanged a brief glance, then gestured for Shae to go on. "The story on this page is obviously not our happy ending." Shae began to explain, gesturing to the storybook page, then to herself and her wife. "But, and just hear me out… What if it's yours?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Evil Shae, brow furrowed.

A wide, excited grin suddenly stretched across Shae's face. "There's a kingdom that I know of that's in desperate need of guidance. I think you just might be the perfect candidate… Zireael."

XX

Far, far away, a vicious battle was raging in the realm of Avalon. After months of preparation, the rebel army was finally ready to make their final push to take the castle, as well as Avalon City itself. Though King Oberon was no more, his supporters still controlled the city, as well as the rest of the army. The people of The Mists and their own army were ready for a long, brutal battle. There would be no giving up, no retreating. They would either take the city, or die trying.

Remus Ironside was in the thick of the battle, his sword Tyrfing slicing through the air left and right. He cut down foe after foe, while also keeping a careful eye on the battle ahead of him. The two armies were at a stalemate. The elves were holding strong in front of the city gates, and the rebel army was doing everything they could to break through, but to no avail.

"Gwynbleidd!" Puck cried out from beside Remus. He paused to swing his mace into an elven soldier's skull. "What do we do? We cannot reach the gates!"

Remus snarled as plunged his sword straight through a soldier's chestplate. "We must!" He shouted back. "There's no other choice! We-"

Suddenly, both Remus and Puck were knocked off their feet as a massive fireball crash landed amidst the rebel army. Tyrfing went shooting from Remus's hand as he fell face first into the dirt. He quickly rolled over onto his back, coughing and sputtering, gasping for air. He was just in time to see another elven soldier rushing at him, sword in the air.

Remus gasped in alarm as a beam of bright golden magic struck the soldier in the chest, and sent him careening backwards. He sat bolt upright, his eyes wide as he frantically searched the battlefield. He recognized that magic. But it couldn't be…

"Need a hand?"

Remus turned his torso around toward the sound of the familiar voice. As he stared up at his rescuer, his eyes grew even wider. "Shae?" He whispered.

Shae gave him one of her signature cheeky, quirky grins, and held out her hand toward him, Gungnir, Odin's Spear, clutched in her other. Remus immediately took it, and allowed her to hoist him to his feet. He reached out and squeezed her shoulders, her arms, placed his hands on her cheeks. He couldn't believe she was actually real.

"It's… I-It's you!" He exclaimed with a laugh. "By all the gods… It's really you!"

Shae laughed herself, and opened her mouth to respond. She stopped short as another elven soldier came rushing at them. She and Remus both gasped as the soldier suddenly burst into flames before he could reach them.

"Hello, Remus." Said another very familiar voice. "I believe this belongs to you."

Remus turned toward the voice, and found none other than Regina standing behind him. She smiled as she held Tyrfing out to him. "Regina!" He exclaimed, laughing some more as he took his fallen sword from her. "I… I-I just… I can't believe this! What are you two doing here? And why are you dressed like that?"

Shae was garbed in her old black leather armor, and Regina was wearing one of her old dresses from when she had been The Evil Queen. Neither of them answered right away. For a moment, they simply exchanged a quick, knowing glance.

"That's… A bit of a long story." Shae finally replied. She then clapped her hand on Remus's shoulder with another grin. "But, for now… We've got a battle to win!"

Remus laughed once more as he clapped his own hand on Shae's shoulder. "Yes! Yes, of course!" He cried. "Everyone! Look! The Savior has returned!"

As Remus continued to shout out the news, more and more heads turned his way. Joyful cries of Zireael and Rhena'min began to ring out all across the battlefield. Shae thrust Odin's spear into the air, which caused the rebel army to cheer.

"Right… Time to see if all the stories about this thing are really true." She said, grinning at both Remus and Regina.

Shae closed her eyes for a moment, and drew in a deep, steadying breath. Then, with a vicious war cry, she raised Gungnir into the air, and brought it back down again, slamming the butt of the spear into the ground. Dozens of bright golden beams of magic burst forth from the tip of the spear, shooting up into the air. Remus, Shae, Regina, as well as many others, watched in awe as the beams of magic then shot down toward the ground, exploding violently upon the elven army.

"With me, brothers and sisters!" Shae bellowed, throwing her fist into the air. "Forward! FORWARD!"

A deafening cry rose up from the rebel army as Shae thrust Gungnir forward, sending more beams of golden light at the elves. They charged forward, fighting with renewed vigor at the sight of their Savior. With Shae and Gungnir on their side, as well as Regina, they were finally able to storm the gates. It wasn't long after they did that the elves were forced to surrender.

Shae walked side by side with Regina and Remus as they made their way up to the castle. Puck joined them as well, as did Nel, Okoye, W'Kabi, and T'Challa. Crowds of people roared and cheered as the procession wound their way through the streets. They approached the palace gates just as rebel soldiers were dragging Oberon's supporters out into the courtyard. They had all surrendered as well, and Shae insisted that they were not to be harmed. They were placed in shackles for the time being, until Shae herself decided what to do with them.

As per Shae's instructions as well, she entered the palace with only Remus and Regina at her side. It was only her second time ever stepping through its doors. The first was not exactly a happy memory, since she had been in chains back then. Now, she stood rooted in her spot, staring up at the golden, glittering throne that had once been her father's.

"The other Shae wanted to establish democracy in Avalon." Remus said quietly from beside her. "But, well… The throne is yours by right. You could take it, if you want. I won't stop you."

Evil Shae, who was not so evil anymore, glanced toward her Queen, who was standing on her other side. The Evil Queen, who was also not so evil anymore, didn't speak a word. She simply smiled at the woman that she loved, reaching out and gently squeezing her hand.

After drawing in a quick, soothing breath, Evil Shae began to climb the steps leading up to the throne. She found her father's crown sitting upon it, just as gold and glittering as the throne itself, and adorned with jewels. She picked up the crown, and sat down upon the throne of Avalon. She guessed that she was likely the first halfling to ever sit upon it.

A deafening silence fell over the room as Evil Shae continued to sit still upon the throne, her throne. She stared at the jeweled crown that she was holding in her hands, and silently fiddled with it for a time. Remus and The Evil Queen exchanged a quick, nervous glance, unsure of what to do, what to say.

Suddenly, Evil Shae rose from the throne, and walked down a few steps. Then, she turned back around, and outstretched her hand toward it. A jetstream of flames burst forth from her open palm. Remus and The Evil Queen watched with their jaws dangling open as the ancient, golden throne of Avalon was consumed by flames. For good measure, Evil Shae also tossed the crown into the fire.

When Evil Shae stepped down from the throne, she took the woman that she loved by the hand, and wrapped her other arm around her brother's shoulders. The three of them then left the palace, leaving Avalon's throne behind them to burn.

XX