Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.

This might actually be one of the longest chapters to date... 12000 flipping words...

Enjoy!

Chapter playlist: 'Wolsey commits suicide' (Finale)' from the 'Tudors OST: season 1'

Lilith noticed it first. Raising her head, she turned toward the entrance of the tent, her ears picking up the frantic sounds of panting. Several of the others followed her gaze, waiting with bated breath, as Red tumbled into the war tent.

"King George's men are here on this ridge -" Charming trailed off, arm extended to point at said ridge, when he noticed the out of breath woman.

"Red, what is it?" Lilith asked quietly, eyes narrowed from beneath her hood.

"We have to move camp." Red gasped out after taking several deep breaths, looking so alarmed that it quickly spread to the rest of the council. "They're coming for us."

"No!" Charming slammed his fist down onto the map, careful to avoid markers. "We will not run. We said we were going to take the kingdom back and we can't do that with our tails between our legs." He paused, a sheepish expression taking over his features while Red raised a brow. "…No offense."

Ignoring his slip for now, Red turned back to the situation at hand. "But matters have worsened." She insisted. "The King has a new general."

"Who is he?" Snow asked from beside Charming, dark brow creased in growing concern.

"They call him the Leviathan." Lilith's eyebrow rose at the ominous moniker, though she said nothing. "They say he attacks like a monster striking from the depths of the sea. You never see him coming, you never survive."

Charming's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that."

"How close is his army?" Was all Snow managed to get out before Lilith spun, catching an arrow that had ripped through the cloth walls and straight for the back of her head.

Tossing the arrow aside with a grim look, Lilith turned back to the stunned group before her. "I'd say pretty damn close."

Chaos broke out, both inside the tent and out, as the occupants of the structure ran outside to see several of George's men awaiting them outside. Magic crackled around Lilith's fingertips, though Snow grabbed hold of her shoulder and tugged her back from the men.

"We should split up – divide them." She was muttering, loud enough for the others to hear, though not the men that had begun to advance threateningly on them.

Charming nodded once. "Exactly." He agreed, raising his voice. "Go. Go!" He repeated a second time when everyone hesitated. "Go!"

With that, everyone scattered, six of the Dwarves all breaking off into groups of two, while Grumpy and Granny took off together. Lilith paused, clearly itching for a fight, but easily allowed Red to tug her into the forests, though she never took her eyes off the men until they were safely within the confines.

Satisified that everyone had followed his orders, Charming turned back to the approaching army, expression determined even when Snow gripped hold of his sleeve.

"Aren't you coming?"

"He's going after me." He reminded her, smiling gently when he caught sight of the worry plain as day on her pale face. "You'll have a better chance of escaping on your own. Don't worry," he chided gently, smiling wider now. "Meet me in two days time at the cabin."

"The cabin?" Snow parroted, looking as if she'd been punched in the gut. "Where she is? Are you sure?"

Charming, despite the look of absolute horror of Snow's face, couldn't stop himself from chuckling. "We're engaged. I think it's about time you met my mother." Both paused at the sound of a horse, turning as one to see a man, shrouded in black from head to toe, on a horse, watching them from a distance. "Go." Charming said lowly, eyes fixed on the figure. "Go!"

Snow turned tail, giving her prince a last, loving stare, before she ran at a dead sprint into the woods. Careful to take a different route than the one she'd seen Red and Lilith take, she ducked and hopped over branches and roots before a figure appeared, seemingly from nowhere. They knocked her to the ground, and her hand rested on the hilt of her weapon as both she and her pursuer stood.

"What kind of general hides behind a mask?" She demanded, eyes narrowed and voice steady. "Who are you really, Leviathan?"

To her surprise, the figure before her release the barest of chuckles, though she hardly thought it was the time for humor. "Leviathan?" He repeated, his gloved hands leaving his sides. She stiffened, ready to draw her weapon, but her only grasped the helm that obscured his features. "That's what they're calling me?"

Snow White watched, suspicion warring with curiosity, as the man removed the helmet. Dusky features were revealed, with dark eyes and a pleasing smile that made them twinkle.

"Name's Lancelot." He offered freely.

She started in surprise, brow creasing in confusion. "Lancelot?" She parroted. "Of the Round Table?"

He gave the barest of winces before simply replying, "Not anymore."

Enchanted Forest

When the gowned woman offered her assistance, Emma knew she was in no position to refuse. While Mary Margaret had been hit in the head, Lillian's problem was more complicated. Whatever dust the warrior had flung at the younger woman had knocked her out cold, and Emma was half afraid that nothing would wake her up.

Then again, the older woman gently shifted the hair from Lillian's calm, still features, maybe keeping the 'Dark Lilith' asleep for the duration of our little jaunt is the best idea. Mary Margaret had certainly looked relieved when Lillian had been put to... sleep... though whether that had been from worry for them or their captor's, Emma couldn't say.

"You sure they're going to be okay?" She asked suddenly, the words tumbling from her lips as she hovered over the three women.

Cora merely smiled up at her before she turned her attention back to the two unconscious women at her feet. "Don't worry," she assured the blonde once more, turning her attention to Snow. "They'll be fine."

"What is this place?" Emma asked, looking around the pit, from the small doorway on the side they'd been forced through, to the skylight in the ceiling. "Where are we?"

Cora held back a scoff. "It's a little island our captors like to think of as their haven." She explained, surreptitiously channeling magic into the wound that marred the back of Snow White's head. It wouldn't do for the princess to die on her, though the survival of her sorceress was another matter. She turned briefly to the youngest of their quartet, avidly searching for any detail, any glimpse into why Rumpelstiltskin had taken the young woman, not just for a student, but as an assistant.

"Haven?" Emma's voice drew her from her musings. "From what?"

"The world's dangerous." Cora slanted a look at the blonde, watching her expressions with concealed amusement. "What's left of it, anyway."

Emma held back a snort, though not very well. "Well, they can't keep us down here. We didn't do anything wrong."

Cora stood and joined Emma beneath the skylight. "Neither did I."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm here because of something my daughter did." Cora replied, revealing the gamble she'd kept hidden from the foreigner to these lands. "The curse that ravaged this land? She cast it."

The blonde's already pale features appeared to turn almsot white in the dim lighting of the pit. "Regina." Emma whispered, eying the woman with a sudden, and healthy, dose of suscpision. "You're Regina's mother?"

"Yes, but you have nothing to fear from me." She rushed to reassure Emma, who frowned doubtfully, though made no move to get her companions away from Cora. "The apple fell very far from the tree." Seizing the opportunity, she pressed, "You're from over there, aren't you? How'd you get back?"

Emma opened her mouth, blinking when Cora's eyes focused beyond her shoulder. Both turned to see Mary Margaret, who had finally come to, though the same could not be said of Lillian, rising to her feet. "Emma," Mary Margaret snapped sharply, dazed eyes beginning to widen when she caught sight of Cor beside her. "No…."

"Oh, Snow, you're awake." Cora smiled, the expression seemingly genuine. "I'm so relieved."

Moving so quickly her vision briefly swam, Mary Margaret pulled her daughter aside, leaving Cora to continue tending to Lillian.

"As bad as you think Regina is, this woman is worse." She hissed to her daughter, who gaped at her, and bristled further when Cora began to speak.

"Oh, Snow… sweet Snow." She muttered, expression heartbroken as she reached down to run a hand along Lillian's brow. Mary Margaret watched, sprining to stand protectively before her daughter. "Please… believe me. Whatever she told you isn't true." She begged, expression plaintive. "I just want to help you."

"Let's hear her out."

Mary Margaret turned a horrified look on her daughter. "Emma."

"Okay." Emma hissed forcefully, taking Mary Margaret aback. "Right now, we are at the bottom of a hole with no other options. And Henry, is back in Storybrooke with Regina."

"Who's Henry?" Cora asked innocently enough, as Lillian began to stir beneath her touch.

"My son." Emma explained, ignoring the warning glare that Mary Margaret was giving her. "I kind of share him with Regina. It's complicated."

Mary Margaret whirled around. "Don't talk to her."

"Enough!"

A fourth voice startled them, and all eyes turned to the trap door on the ceiling of the pit, though no one noticed Lillian's eyes flare open. She watched, eyes flicking from Cora, to Mary Margaret, to Emma, and to the rope the guard unceremoniously tossed through the hole.

"Our leader requests an audience."

Storybrooke

"So," Henry began, hiking his book bag higher on his shoulders as David walked him to the bus stop. "What's on the agenda for Operation Scorpion?"

"What's Operation: Scorpion?"

"The code name for our mission to find Emma, Lillian and Snow?" He said, brow suddenly furrowing in thought. "Do you prefer viper? That was my second choice."

David stopped suddenly. "Henry, we need to talk."

"Yeah, scorpion's better."

"No, it's not that." David said, biting his lip as he searched for a way to let his grandson down easily. "It's…."

"I'm not coming with you." Henry finished quietly. "But I… I thought we were going to find Jefferson?"

"I already did."

Henry's eyes widened. "What? Is he going to help us?"

"No." Swallowing thickly, his grandfather began to shake his head. "No, Henry, he's not."

"But why didn't you tell me you talked to him?"

"Because I didn't want to disappoint you. I know you want to find your mom, but Jefferson can't help us." He replied, wincing at the accusation shining clearly in Henry's eyes. "I need to find a way to restore the hat."

"So, why can't I help you look?"

"It'll require magic, Henry. And magic- "

"Always comes with a price. I've read the book, you know." More than ever, he wished that Lillian was there; she'd have let him be around all the magic he wanted. She would protect him.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't let you anywhere near this stuff." David whispered, frowning when Henry's expression fell in response. "If you really want to help me, you'll go to school where I know you'll be safe, okay?"

Henry stared at him, expression quiet and searching, before he nodded once. "Okay."

Heaving a sigh of relief, David watched Henry head toward the bus stop, only staying long enough to watch him cross the street. However, once David had turned around, Henry changed directions, stalking past the bus stop with a determined frown marring his face.

Enchanted Forest

Waking up to Emma and Mary Margaret arguing wasn't surprising. Or upsetting, if she really stopped to think it over. However, her head hurt far too much to focus clearly on anything but the pain that was currently stabbing through her sore eyes and aching mind. Now, what was rather alarming was the sight of the woman sitting above her, one she'd never met but could fill a book over the things she'd heard.

Without a sound, after using her magic to dampen the emotions coming off the idiots she'd arrived with, Lillian was away from Cora and halfway across the small, cave-like structure.

Her abrupt movements startled Emma and Mary Margaret into silence. Cora watched her through sharp, wary eyes, and Lillian responded in kind.

"Anyone wanna tell me what in the seven hells is going on?"

Mary Margaret's mouth opened, though the surly guard who'd already told them to climb the rope once repeated himself. Rolling her eyes heavenward, the dark-haired woman reached over and yanked on Lillian.

"I'll explain on the way." She muttered, glaring pointedly at Emma until the blonde got the hint and began to shimmy up the rope. Lillian was next, though her limbs felt so heavy she almost fell more than once, and Mary Margaret followed, the three of them blinking at the sudden light change.

Without a word, though she scowled darkly at the man who began to forcefully prod them along, she raised a glowing hand to her head. The pain cleared at once, and she took the time to set up the barriers to block out the emotions of others until she became accustomed to it once more. Ahead of her, Mary Margaret was hissing at Emma as they walked through the Haven/Village, though the blonde watched, wide-eyed as the people stared at Lillian's magic in growing horror.

"Why can't you just listen to me?"

Emma returned her mother's glare with one of her own. "Why couldn't you have trusted me?" She demanded in return. "I was just trying to find a way to get us home. I could've handled her."

Mary Margaret held back the delirious laughter that had first welled within her when she awoke to see her daughter and step-grandmother talking. "Cora? Don't be so sure." She gently caught Lillian when the still weakened girl stumbled, growling under her breath. "I've lived here, Emma, I know this world, and its dangers."

"Wait here." One of the guards flanking them ordered, though neither of the three women paid any attention.

As the man entered a hut, larger than the others, Emma turned to her mother with a sardonic sigh. "Is that why you came through the portal? Because you thought I was helpless here?"

Looking wounded, Mary Margaret shook her head. "No… I came through to be with you."

"Please stop," Lillian muttered, massaging her temples. "I'm already nauseous without your sweetness, Snow." As Mary Margaret turned to fuss over the sorceress, Lillian's eyes caught sight of the tall, armored man that exited the hut. "Lancelot?"

The dusky-skinned man paused halfway down the steps, eyes wide in return, as Mary Margaret and Emma moved to face him. "Lilith?" His eyes snapped to Snow White, ignoring the boyish haircut and strange clothes, and his expression softened even further. "Snow?"

Without a word, Mary Margaret sped into his arms, laughing in delight as he embraced her exuberantly enough that she was lifted from the ground. Lillian was still staring, her expression morphing into one of amusement when Lancelot, still hugging Mary Margaret, offered one arm. Sighing in mock-annoyance, the young woman raced into the embrace, laughing herself when Lancelot began to sway slightly.

"If I had known that you were the prisoners Mulan had brought back, I never would have locked you away." He muttered, looking between Snow and Lilith's faces, his own expression painfully earnest. "Please – forgive me."

Mary Margaret was nodding before the last of the words had left his lips. "Of course."

Emma piped up, brow creased. "Lancelot? Really?"

"He's an old friend." Mary Margaret responded simply, smiling so widely her face looked in danger of cracking. "We can trust him."

As Mary Margaret began to the introductions, Aurora and Mulan watched from across the camp, the former scowling darkly.

"Why is he embracing them?" She demanded petulantly. "They were responsible for Phillip's death."

Mulan didn't even glance her way. "You're new here, Aurora. Phillip trusted Lancelot." She turned to the princess, who was glaring mutinously at the group. "So must we."

"I want justice."

Mulan returned Aurora's hateful expression with a stern one of her own. "Tread carefully. It's dangerous to confuse vengeance with justice." Her voice lowered when Aurora looked away. "Do you understand me?"

The princess said nothing, prompting the warrior to put herself in Aurora's line of sight, repeating her question sternly.

"Yes." Aurora replied flatly after several heartbeats of silence. Mulan's eyes narrowed searchingly, before she turned and left the princess alone. Raising her eyes to glare at the trio of outsiders, specifically the dark-haired sorceress who Mulan had resorted to using poppy on, anger simmered coldly in her chest. Turning away, she raised her hand and felt for the dagger Philip had slipped her, pulling it from its place on her waistband, and running her fingers over its gleaming surface.

Once the introductions and explanations were through, Lancelot led the three women to a pavilion where people milled about, filling up plates and bowls with food. Smiling, Lancelot gestured toward a table, bringing back a bowl of strange looking meat.

"What the hell is that?" Emma demanded, staring at the meat as if she expected it to attack.

Lillian and Mary Margaret shared an amused look. "That would be chimera," Lillian offered lightly, smile widening when Emma warily poked the meat with a fork.

"It is an acquired taste," Lancelot added, smiling himself. "But all our hunting party could bring back. One part lion, one part serpent," he seated himself at the head of the small table. "One part goat."

"Like turducken?" She speared a piece before setting it down with a grimace.

Seeing the bemused expression forming on his face, Mary Margaret quickly steered the conversation back to more important matters. "I don't understand. We were told this land didn't even exist anymore." She turned an accusing eye on Lillian, who merely raised a brow in response. Sighing, Mary Margaret turned back to Lancelot. "How did you all escape the Curse?"

He shrugged beneath his armor. "It is a mystery. The Curse struck, and when the smoke cleared, most of us had been torn from this land." Emma listened halfheartedly, spearing several different foods in an attempt to find something relatively normal. "But some of us here, in this particular region, were left behind. We don't know how, and we don't know why." Emma turned her head, joining her mother in staring intently at the knight. "Finding this safe haven wasn't easy. Took some spilled blood." His serious expression lightened, as he tried to comfort the women before him. "But worry not, you're safe here."

"We can't stay." Mary Margaret protested quietly as Emma lowered the cup of wine, making a surprised face at the flavor of the drink. "My husband's back there, Emma's son – my grandson." She nodded at her daughter, eyes flying back to Lancelot. "We have to get back to them. Can you help us find a portal?"

"No, leaving is unwise." He replied simply. "The Enchanted Forest is not as you remember it - the ogres have returned."

"Ogres?" Emma repeated, brow dangerously close to her hairline. "Like, as in fee-fi-fo-fum?"

"That would be the giants." Lillian drawled from across the table. "Ogres are a bit less subtle."

Lancelot was eying them oddly. "And far worse." He added onto Lilith's words. "And that's why we live here, on this island, where it's safe." Despite her nodding in agreement with his words, Lancelot lowered his voice. "Please, Snow. Stay here. There are no more portals left."

"Actually, I might have an idea of where to find one." Lilith spoke up, seated upright in her chair, expression suddenly serious.

Emma nearly leapt across the table. "You do?"

Mary Margaret stared hard at Lillian, who merely smirked by way of response. Eyes widening, Mary Margaret chuckled softly before she began to nod rapidly.

An odd emotion flickered across Lancelot's expression before it was overtaken by curiosity. "Where?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to say anything around Cora." Lillian idly snapped her fingers, producing a small, flicking flame. The closest of the inhabitants of the small Haven all went stiff and, when Lancelot leveled her with a stare that was both pleading and stern, she extinguished the flame with an annoyed roll of her eyes.

Mary Margaret nodded in agreement. "She's right. With Cora so near, I don't feel comfortable voicing my plans." Her voice had lowered to a harsh whisper. "She's powerful."

"Not anymore." He contradicted, nodding in the direction of the pit. "The Curse stripped her of her powers." At the sight of Snow and Lilith's matching expressions of disbelief, he continued, "But, given her reputation, we kept her locked up as a precaution."

Nodding in agreement with his wisdom, Mary Margaret shared another look with Lillian, a long one where the sorceress silently told the older woman to remain silent.

"Nevertheless," Mary Margaret turned from Lillian, whose eyes slid shut. "We won't be taking any chances." Her hand had found Emma's on the tabletop, and she squeezed it loosely. "Just trust us, we may have a way." She leaned closer, eyes all but pleading with the knight before them. "Let us go?"

Sighing in resignation, Lancelot began to nod. "I'll allow it." The smile that had been forming on Emma and Mary Margaret's faces began to fade with his next words. "But on one condition – take my bravest warrior with you." He made a gesture, sighing as Mulan obediently approached the table. "Allow Mulan to defend you."

"Is she going to threaten me with sharp, pointy objects before spraying poppy in my face?" Lillian inquired lightly, the undercurrent of malevolence in her tone causing all but Mary Margaret to shiver.

"Besides, we can defend ourselves." Emma retorted sharply, bristling, even as Mary Margaret quickly spoke before she could insult their hosts further. "Deal." She said, smiling faintly while Emma's head snapped around, so her daughter could gape at her.

Lancelot's expression warmed at the sight of Snow's obvious delight. "Thank you, Lancelot. For always looking out for me."

After parting ways with Red, promising that she'd meet them at the rendezvous once they'd received word from Snow and Charming, Lilith whisked herself away. Rumple awaited her, perched on the end of the table. She barely spared him a look, relieving herself of her cloak, sword and dagger. The metal clattered loudly on the table, and Rumple whisked it away with a flicker of his fingers to her rooms.

"Back so soon, dearie?" He didn't receive an answer, nor had he truly expected to get one. It had only been several weeks since Lilith had involuntarily joined Snow White's crusade to oust Regina and take back the throne that was the princess' by right. Despite his attempts at contact, his young assistant had ignored all means of communication, forcing him to use the blood bond that bound her as his assistant, to summon her.

She threw him a strained, snarl-like smirk that eerily reminded him of someone from his past. "I scarcely noticed the time passing." A flick of her wrist lowered her dark curls from the restrictive braid they'd previously been tangled in. "Running for the hills every other time George's armies are within eyesight of us tends to keep one quite occupied."

While she agreed that Snow White's quest was just, neither the princess or her pretend prince knew the first thing of warfare. And it shows. Their armies were still too small to truly threaten Regina or George's armies, never mind that the two armies were combined more often than not.

"Why send me to help them?" She demanded suddenly, furious and angry with him for what felt like the hundredth time since her return. There was an ache inside her, an emptiness that, instead of closing, had slowly grown wider and wider. While it barely affected her physically, the emotional and mental taxation was becoming worrisome.

She hadn't realized how much she'd bonded with Peter, how much losing him would affect her, until it had happened. However, while the pain she'd felt seemed crippling on the bad days, she'd long since mastered locking her emotions away and living without their interference. Though, she doubted she'd be able to lock away her humanity once more.

Peter had changed something within her, and while it wasn't hard to conceal her emotions, to feign indifference and apathy, she instinctively knew that things would never go back to the way they'd been before.

"What has happened to you?" Rumple's voice tore her from her thoughts, and she stiffened when his fingers brushed along her cheek. Sensing what he was doing, she ripped herself away form him, breaking the link he'd begun to weave between their thoughts.

While powerful, he'd only dabbled in the art of mind reading; his powers of premonition were far more useful. However, the blood magic weaved into their 'contract' amplified that ability, if only because it made her part of his small family. She'd never had use of the power herself, and was only able to block him from her thoughts because of the walls that she'd been forced to build up within her mind when her powers of empathy had begun to strengthen.

Walls that Peter had all but destroyed.

The truth was hard to come to terms with, as cold and brutal as the realization that she could no longer trust Rumple with her thoughts, her secrets. If she told him what had happened on Neverland... He wouldn't kill me. But there were far worse things than death, all of which she was intimately familiar with. His hatred for the boy who shared his blood ran deep, as she'd seen first hand when they'd stumbled upon the Pied Piper in that clearing all those years ago.

"I've told you." Rumple shot back quietly, a suspicious twinkle in his eyes that immediately had her on guard. "If we are to succeed, if we are to find my son, we must help along Snow White's victory over Regina as much as we can."

Her silence only served to rankle him further. Since her return, she'd been taciturn and moody, prone to lashing out at her new companions at the slightest provocation. Though, he had noticed a slight decline in the behavior, attributing it to the fact that she'd become used to them, though it certainly didn't explain her behavior toward him. His summons had gone unanswered, ignored, as if he were someone of little importance.

However, it was only when he'd used the magic woven into their contract that she'd been forced to answer his call. And clearly, it hasn't done wonders for her temper. While on some level, buried so deeply that it was more than a flicker of light within the darkness, too small to even notice, he'd hated what he'd turned a child into, he'd also believed in the power of free will.

Everyone chose their own destiny, and Lilith had chosen to walk down the path of evil.

Mulan roughly opened the trunk of weapons, revealing how little those of the Haven had at hand. Lillian eyed the glimmering steel and carved, wooden bows, before she dismissively looked away.

"Choose wisely," Mulan began, eyes narrowing at the sight of the sorceress' disdain for honorable weapons. "We must be vigilant if we hope to survive this journey."

As she spoke, Mary Margaret had already begun to dig through the chest, picking a sword and strapping it to her waist. Emma, however, began to pat at her legs, frowning up at the warrior before her.

"Where's my gun?" She demanded shortly, holding out a hand expectantly. "I want it back."

The warrior reached into the waist of her armor, producing the foreign, metal object with cautious handling. Gripping it by the hilt, she looked over the weapon, turning it curiously, before she handed it back to the blonde.

"Is it magic."

Emma smiled wryly, slipping it back into its place in her holster. "Depends on who's pulling the trigger."

As they spoke, Mary Margaret grabbed a quiver of arrows, slinging it across her back, before she grabbed the matching bow and slipped it on a shoulder. Pausing for a brief moment, she reached down into the box once more, producing a short sword no longer than her forearm. Without a word, she held it out, hilt first, toward Lillian. The other brunette scowled at the weapon, though obligingly took it when she caught sight of Mary Margaret's exasperated stare.

"Follow my lead." Mulan began harshly once she'd seen that they'd had their pick of the weapons. "Step where I step. do exactly as I say, and you might survive."

"Thanks for the pep talk, but I think we're okay." Emma shot back lazily, smirking ever so slightly. "I just killed a dragon last week."

Mulan took several steps froward, lowering her voice. "Have you ever seen an ogre?"

"Pretty sure I've dated a few."

Both Mary Margaret and Lillian rolled their eyes at Emma's flippant reply, the former bristling when Mulan took one more step forward, threatening this time.

"Legend has it, that when they kill you, the last thing you see is yourself dying in the reflection in their eyes." She snapped quietly, dark eyes searching the blonde woman's for any trace of fear. "Let's walk." She ordered when she found nothing but faint amusement. "It'll be dark soon."

Stalking off without bothering to check if they were actually following, the warrior fell out of earshot fairly quickly. Mary Margaret sidled up to Emma, Lillian on the other side, as the three women followed their 'protector' at a more sedate pace.

"Don't let her rattle you." Mary Margaret muttered encouragingly, shooting one last glare at the warrior's back before devoting her attention to her puzzled daughter. "I won't let anything happen to us."

"Which loosely translates to 'stick to the plan, and Lilith will more than likely set anything threatening on fire'." Lillian snarked from her spot, smiling so sweetly at Emma that her teeth ached.

"What is the plan?" Emma demanded, ignoring the whole 'set things on fire' part of Lillian's spiel. "You two haven't told me anything - what's going on?"

Mary Margaret looked around, though missed the warning look the sorceress shot her. "The wardrobe." She hissed under her breath, causing Emma to almost miss a step.

"The wardrobe? 'The' wardrobe?" She demanded for clarification, eyes widening when Mary Margaret nodded. "Like, the wardrobe that sent little baby me to Maine? You think that can get us back to Storybrooke?"

Instead of answering, Mary Margaret merely turned her head toward Lillian, who sighed and shrugged. "It might. I don't really know." When panic began to settle in Emma's eyes, the younger woman shook her head. "If it survived the Curse, it might. But, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Where is it?"

Emma had stopped, forcing Mary Margaret to turn, with a growing smile. "My place." She announced airily, taking delight in the shocked awe that was slowly spreading across her daughter's face. "Want to see where you're from, Emma?" She asked, not really expecting an answer. "That's right. We're going home."

Storybrooke

Biting his lip to stave off the tears that stung his eyes, Jefferson stared down at the wrinkled paper. Drawn so carefully, the crude, crayon drawing of him and his daughter's pleading words made his heart seize painfully within his chest. Lost in the agony the hand-made wanted poster brought, he didn't notice the boy approaching the bench until it was too late.

"Jefferson" Henry stated, having never seen the man in person. While he'd known about the 'madman' on the hill, who lived in an opulent mansion that was even larger than the home Gold and Lillian shared, he had no basis for how the man looked except from his brief appearances in his storybook. "… right?" He sat on the bench carefully. "The Mad Hatter? I need your help."

Without looking up from the paper, Jefferson shifted away from the boy. "Look, I already told your grandfather. I can't do anything."

Henry nodded, heart caught painfully in his throat. "I know. But, there must be something we can do."

"I'm the wrong person to talk to, kid." He muttered, and Henry's eyes narrowed at the strained sound of his voice. Almost as if he had a head cold. "Magic's not my thing. Try your mother, maybe she's got something in that vault of hers she can help you with."

Henry blinked, startled. "Vault?" He repeated incredulously. "Her vault is here? In Storybrooke?"

"It's none of my business." Jefferson snapped, looking anywhere but the boy before him. "Talk to her."

Henry's eyes fell to the paper in the man's grasp, curiosity getting the better of him. "What's that?" Without a word, the man folded up the paper, pocketing it in his suit coat. "Your daughter's looking for you, isn't she?" Henry dared to ask.

"What do you know about it?" Jefferson demanded shortly, resting his arms on his knees.

"I read your story." Henry said, as if that explained everything, but the man merely shifted anxiously. "I know how the two of you were separated." His brow furrowed in puzzlement. "Why are you here? She's at school."

Jefferson inhaled deeply, making to stand. "I've got to go home, kid." He mumbled, beginning to stalk in the other direction.

"She probably wants to see you." Henry continued, following the man and, when he didn't react other than to mutter, "Get out of my way," Henry hopped in front of him.

"Get out of my way." Jefferson said once more, stronger this time. Henry ignored the warning in his voice, moving to block Jefferson's attempts to walk past him.

"Why aren't you trying to find her?" Henry asked, the incredulous tint to his voice causing Jefferson's thinly held control to snap.

Quicker than Henry expected, the older man grabbed hold of his shoulders, slumping down till they were almost eye to eye. "Because I left her!" He loudly stated, shocking Henry into wide-eyed silence. Grip slackening, Jefferson's voice lowered, filled with self-recrimination so powerful it made Henry's eyes water. "And she'll hate me."

"How do you know that?"

Jefferson ignored the simple posed question. "I was on my way… fate reminded me I shouldn't." He said, shaking his head as he straughtened, hands slipping from the boy's shoulders.

"You should." Henry retorted fiercely, staring up at the despaired man before him. "I've been left, too. Anything's better than nothing." Without his meaning to, his voice held a hint of accusation. "She'll spend her whole life wondering why you left her. Not knowing is the worst."

Enchanted Forest

Lillian shaded her eyes, squinting against the light of the sinking sun. Turning away, and blinking rapidly, she met Mulan's dark eyes. The wariness hadn't abated, though she doubted that it would. Most people didn't trust magic, even though it wasn't unheard of in most of the Enchanted Forest. She knew of other places, such as Arendelle across the sea, where magic was virtually unheard of. However, if Mulan was indeed from the Eastern lands of their home, she'd seen her fair share of magic growing up.

"I won't set you on fire," Lillian finally muttered flatly, growing more annoyed with the distrustful looks Mulan sent her as they tramped through the steadily darkening forest.

Without sparing her a glance, the warrior stopped in the small clearing they'd just entered, turning to her three charges. "This will do. We'll make camp here for the night." Emma looked ready to protest, though kept her mouth shut when Mulan's dark eyes passed over her. "We just need to find water, collect some fire wood."

"Uh, if we're hiding from ogres, shouldn't we maybe, I dunno, not start a fire?" Emma asked carefully, brow raised when Lillian snorted softly.

Mary Margaret shot the sorceress a dark look before turning kindly to her daughter. "Ogres are blind," she explained. "They hunt by sound alone."

"Right." Emma muttered acidly. "Because that's something everyone would know about ogres."

"Look, I know you're out of your element…."

"I'm fine."

Before the snicker could even leave her lips and, without looking, Mary Margaret slapped a hand out, covering Lillian's mouth. "I know." She replied to her daughter, ignoring the muffled retorts coming from beneath her palm. "But, maybe you should just stay here while we get wood and water. Guard the campsite?"

Emma sent her the flattest look to date, still managing to look offended. "You mean the big, empty clearing?"

"It's the safest place" Mary Margaret reminded her carefully, holding back a smile at the cross pout her daughter wore. Removing her hand from Lillian's mouth, seconds before the sorceress nearly set fire to the offending appendage, she gripped hold of Lillian's arm to drag her into the forest. "We'll be right back."

While she'd felt the girl following them ever since they'd left the village, Lillian had said nothing. Personally, the anger and hatred in the doe-eyed princess amused her, and she wanted to see how everything played out. So, as she was picking up sticks for a fire, it wasn't a surprise when cold steel was kissing the flesh of her unprotected neck.

"Don't move." Aurora snarled, both at the sorceress and her dark-haired companion, who had dropped the stack of sticks she'd carried. "Phillip's gone because of you." She continued, clearly unaware of the danger she'd just put herself in.

Before Mary Margaret could lend any assistance, Lillian had a firm grip on her attacker's shoulder. Smoothly, the sorceress flipped the princess over her head, following her down to the ground. Scowling darkly, Lillian wrenched the blade from Aurora's stunned fingers and tossed it away, allowing it to land harmlessly in the grass.

"Listen, you spoiled, selfish little twit." She said lowly, expression never changing even as Aurora stared in horror. "Do you really think we don't know what it's like to be separated from those we love?" Her lips quirked ever so slightly into a smirk. "And did you really think you could sneak up on, let alone harm, the Dark Lilith?"

"She's right, princess." Mary Margaret frowned, torn between getting Lillian off the obviously frightened woman, and letting her friend put the fear of magic into the other princess. "What happened to Phillip was not our fault."

"So, I suggest, that you find another way to get rid of that simmering rage coming off you like storm clouds." Lillian added moments before Mulan stormed toward them.

"Don't talk to her like that!" She reached for Lilith's shoulder, only for her hand to grasp at air. Turning, she found the sorceress beside Mary Margaret, both of them glowering, the former's eyes the color of blood.

"She tried to slit my throat, was I just supposed to let her?"

Mulan took a threatening step froward, glowering in return when Lilith did little more than smirk. "I will deal with her."

The gunshot echoed around the woods, startling all present. Lillian swung her head round, eyes widening in horror at the sight of Emma several feet away, her gun pointing at Mulan and Aurora.

"Emma," Mary Margaret breathed, despair evident in her tone. "What are you doing?"

"Protecting you." Her eyes never moved from Mulan, whose previously expressionless features had become suffused with the beginnings of panic. "Back off."

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Mary Margaret demanded heartbeats before a low growling began to echo around them.

Emma's eyes went wide and her grip on the gun faltered. "Ogres?" She asked weakly before the beast cleared the trees.

"Run!"

Lillian needed no further prompting and ran at full sprint away from the creature, the others at her heels. Daring a glance back at the lumbering creature, Mary Margaret raised her voice over its thundering steps and threatening growls.

"Split up!"

Mulan didn't look her way, though nodded and grabbed Aurora's arm. "Come on!" They veered sharply to the right, with Lillian, Mary Margaret and Emma going to the left, Lillian still in the lead.

"Over there." Mary Margaret jerked her head, and Lillian swiftly ducked in the direction, leaping nimbly over a thick tree branch. Mary Margaret followed, her time as a bandit, the hours spent running away, all coming back to her and infusing her limbs with sudden energy.

Emma, however, was not so lucky. Her foot caught on the branch, sending her sprawling to the ground as the ogre stomped closer and closer. Turning herself around, her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the large creature looming over her, hands grasping for the reassuring metal of her gun. Taking aim, her finger began to squeeze the trigger moments before the ogre grabbed hold of the weapon, crushing it between its fingers.

"Seriously!" Emma demanded, her brain barely able to form the words when the ogre began to advance.

"Back away from my daughter!" A voice, strident with fury, echoed from the edge of the small clearing. Both Emma and the ogre turned to see Mary Margaret, arrow notched on her bow, and her eyes blazing with a kind of protective gleam that strangely reminded Emma of a mother bear. Before the ogre could lumber toward the new source of noise, Mary Margaret aimed and loosened the arrow within seconds, the projectile sailing through the air before piercing deeply into the eye of the beast.

With a roar of pain, it fell to the ground, disappearing in a large cloud of purple smoke before it touched the grass. Startled, Emma watched the smoke clear to reveal Lillian, hands half-closed, the smoke dissolving into her palms. When it had dissipated, she flipped her hands, palm up this time, to reveal the arrow that had previously been lodged within the ogre's eye.

"You have to shoot them in the eye." Mary Margaret reminded Emma, stalking forward to take the arrow from Lillian's hands. "Thanks for cleaning up the mess - the noise from the fall could have attracted more."

"Like your shouting couldn't?" Lillian asked archly, smirking faintly.

Emma, who had been watching incredulously, finally managed to get her tongue back under her control. "When was the last time you shot an arrow?"

Mary Margaret shrugged. "Twenty-eight years ago." She smiled faintly at her daughter's wide-eyed stare. "Guess it's like riding a bike."

"Yeah, but how did you know you could hit that?" Emma stuttered out, still on the ground.

"I didn't." Mary Margaret reached down, offering a hand to her daughter, as Lillian began to halfheartedly patrol the clearing. "And next time, listen to me?" She nodded toward the mangled remains of Emma's gun, with the owner of said weapon following her gaze. "That kind of thing isn't going to work here."

""Yeah…."

"I do hate to break up this lovely mother-daughter bonding moment," Lillian drawled from several paces away, still smirking faintly. "But, we should get going."

Regrouping with Mulan and Aurora, they continued on their journey, Mary Margaret and Lillian taking up the lead once it became clear that they weren't going to share with their 'protector' where their destination was.

A few hours into the walk, Mary Margaret spoke up, excitement beginning to color her words. "We're getting close." She began to walk faster, forcing Lillian to keep pace, with the others dutifully following.

Mulan's voice, stern and a tinge exasperated, snapped through the air. "Aurora, you've got to keep up."

Aurora sent her a haughty stare in return, shivering her her thin dress and cloak. "Sorry, but I'm not exactly dressed for the woods." She retorted. "It's cold out here."

"Then maybe, you should have listened to me and stayed back." Mulan retorted, expression grim and eyes narrowed in such a way that Aurora's snappish retort died on her lips.

Arm crossed tightly around herself, she trudge on, starting when the odd leather corset the blonde foreigner had been wearing appeared in front of her eyes. Raising her gaze questioningly, Aurora met Emma's placid stare.

"Here."

Blinking rapidly, the princess spoke before she had time to think. "But I tried to kill your friends."

Emma winced. "Actually, she's my mom," she nodded at Mary Margaret's pink-clad back, brow creasing when she settled on Lillian. "Not too sure what she is to me." Lillian's eloquent response was to offer Emma a rather due hand gesture that was lost on two of the five party members. "I have a feeling they can take care of themselves." She sighed suddenly, earning another curious stare from Aurora. "And I get it. You're not the only one who's been screwing up lately."

Twisting the red leather around, with Emma watching in amusement, Aurora began to struggle to put the foreign garment on. "What kind of corset is this?"

"Up here."

Mary Margaret, Lillian and Mulan had stopped near the edge of a cliff, several feet between them and the harsh drop-off. Jogging to catch up, as their conversation had put them behind, Emma's eyes widened when she crested the small rise.

"Is that it?" She breathed, staring in awe at the decrepit castle as it shone in the harsh moonlight.

"Yeah." Mary Margaret returned just as breathlessly. "That's our home."

Storybrooke

Luring his mother from her office, though it sounded as if it wasn't going to be her office for much longer, Henry easily located her set of skeleton keys. Book and keys in hand, he studied the drawing of the large, stone vault, tracing his fingers over the family crest etched near the peak of the pointed roof. Eyes widening with sudden realization, he made his way to the cemetery, following the familiar route his mother used to take him to visit his grandfather and namesake's crypt.

Eyes wide, he double-checked the tree crest that was found on both the vault in the book and the family mausoleum, before he closed his book and raced toward the crypt. Rapidly shifting through the keys, he got lucky on his third try, the locks giving way with a soft clink, and he pushed open the heavy doors. Walking toward the sarcophagus that he now doubted actually held his grandfather's remains, he pressed on the stone after seeing the faint scrape marks on the ground, eyes widening when it actually gave way under his hand.

Pushing it aside led to a small staircase, opening into a larger room beneath. On one wall, lined top to bottom with drawers, he heard the faint rhythm of heartbeats and shied away from it. Going farther into the vault, he came upon several vases and chests, reaching for one set at the forefront of the pile. Rifling through several different keys on the ring, he chose one that seemed to best fit the lock, smiling victoriously when it clicked. Carefully opening the lid, he jolted back, the chest clattering from his grasp, when two vipers sprang from the depths, hissing loudly.

Eyes widen, David picked up the pace, all but leaping down the stairs. Skidding to his knees, he slammed the lid down on the chest, panting heavily as the magic of the chest forced the snakes back into their prison. Eyes wide, he raised them to meet Henry's shaken gaze, smiling wryly despite himself.

"Maybe we should've gone with Operation: Viper." He commented mildly, straightening and reaching to help Henry do the same. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Henry muttered, still shaking from the close-encounter. "How'd you know I was down here?" He suddenly demanded, eyes curious.

"Your mom said you asked her to lunch and, when you stood her up, she checked her office, saw her keys missing, figured out the rest." David explained, wincing in remembrance of Regina's shrill, worried tones as she threatened to skin him alive if he arrived too late to save Henry. "She would've come herself, but she didn't think you'd go with her. Henry, what were you thinking?"

Lip trembling, Henry's expression fell and he slumped. "I just want them back." He muttered helplessly. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. I should be over there with them. Riding horses, learning how to sword fight."

David sighed, reaching out to draw Henry into a one-armed hug. "I know, I know." He squeezed tighter when Henry sniffled faintly. "It's okay. Because we're going to do this together." He began to steer him toward the stares and away from the magical artifacts. "Come on, now. You got to get to school, and I got to make sure no one else finds this place."

Enchanted Forest

Lillian grimaced at the state of the castle. While King George had been nearly bankrupt after, once she'd murdered her husband and seized control of Snow White's rightful throne, Regina had cut off all trade with his kingdom, one thing the former royal had never cut back on was the grandeur of his home. Snow and Charming had downgraded it a bit, feeling no need to revel in their sudden wealth, giving much of it to the people they'd been hailed as saviors by.

Pushing away the thoughts of her grandmother's kingdom, one she knew for a fact had been untouched by the Curse - she'd all but moved heaven and hell to keep it off Regina's radar - though she had a feeling that it, like the piece of land untouched where 'Haven' was, had been frozen in time until the Curse had been broken.

Lost in her thoughts, she nearly ran into Emma's suddenly frozen form. Blinking, Lillian peered over the taller woman's shoulder, eyes softening when she realized the reason for the sudden shallow breathing that filled the room.

The nursery, once ornately decorated, lovingly prepared by the dark-haired woman several inches away, was no a wreckage of its former self. A crib, hand carved by Gepetto, rested near the center, with old, blackened toys ranging from teddy bears to rocking horses, littering the ground. Emma's gaze, however, was locked onto the lavishly carved wardrobe that rested in the far corner of the room.

"Oh my god… I recognize this from Henry's book."

Sensing the strain in the fair-haired woman's voice, Mulan gently urged Aurora to retreat from the room. "Come – we'll stand watch at the gate."

The two swept from the room, neither offended when the three in the room, Snow and Emma in particular, didn't even spare them a glance.

Mary Margaret was looking around, holding back the tears gathering in her eyes as they swept over every inch of the room she and Charming and all their friends had painstakingly created, only for it to never be used. "I never thought I'd see this place again. This room… it was your nursery."

Emma startled, having not made the connection before. "I lived here?" She dared to ask, awe creeping into her voice.

"You never even got to spend a night." Mary Margaret replied ruefully. "This is the life I wanted you to have. I was going to teach you how to walk in here. How to talk, how to dress for your first ball…." She choked out. "You never got to do any of it. We never got to be a family."

Emma softened at her mother's distress. "We have a family – in Storybrooke." She reminded gently. "And, right now, they need us to get back there. So, how do we get this to work?" She turned to Lillian, who had been lurking behind them, brow creased in a sort of pained expression, gesturing to the wardrobe.

Steeling herself from the emotions coming from the two, she really needed to get her empathy under control, Lillian strode to the wardrobe, Mary Margaret and Emma at her heels.

Neverland

"Why hasn't Pan gone to get Tiger Lily?" Despite his appearance, the young boy had been on the island for almost a century, though he turned wide, innocent eyes toward Felix.

Keeping his face expressionless, save for a slight, downward quirk to his lips, Felix merely stared at the boy pointedly. While not in the clearing, it was common knowledge that Pan heard and saw everything that happened on Neverland, especially in camp. Thankfully, the boy soon took the hint, as he wilted underneath Felix's stare, turning back to the fire.

Exhaling deeply, Felix turned his attention back to the stick he'd been rubbing between his palms. He'd nearly worn the bark off, leaving the smooth inner wood. Closing his eyes briefly, he, along with the rest of the camp, shuddered when magic washed over them. Eyes sliding open, Felix looked up to see Pan stalking into the camp, eyes burning.

Clearly, his plans to retrieve Tiger Lily failed. Though he would never admit it, he was faintly worried about what would happen if Tiger Lily never returned. While he knew, as several boys did, that the magic of Neverland was beginning to fail and Pan with it, the idea of their imminent demise was a far better option that living with Pan during a tantrum.

Looking up past the shadow of his hood, he nodded once when Pan's searing gaze flashed over him, settling shortly before it flitted to several other senior boys. Climbing to his feet and hefting the club over a shoulder, Felix turned to venture into the forest, knowing that their search was already doomed to fail.

After all, the pixie dust had dried up decades ago.

Enchanted Forest

After watching Lilian eye the wardrobe, gently probing it with glowing hands, Emma desperately clung to the lst shred of patience left within her.

"Where's the 'on' switch?" She asked, unable to keep her mouth shut.

Lillian swung her head around, eyes red as she used her magic, and glared. "You do realize that 'magic' and 'science' can be two very different things, right?" Raising a hand to rub between her eyes as the migraine began to gather strength, Lillian's eyes faded back to their natural hue. "I think I can make it work - I just need time to study it a bit more."

"We'll have to get it back to the island, then." Mary Margaret ran a hand along the smooth, painted surface. "Hopefully, you'll be able to get it to work again, Lillian."

Emma looked between them, then at the size of the wardrobe. Even with three of us…. "How are we going to carry this thing?"

Lillian opened her mouth, sarcastic retort at the ready, when a deeper voice spoke, startling even her.

"With the help of an old friend." Lancelot smiled at the three women, missing the suspicious glare Lilith was sending his way.

Mary Margaret stared in shocked bemusement before recovering use of her voice. "Lancelot… what are you doing here?"

"We heard about the ogre attack, and I had to make sure you were alright." He replied, brow creasing in concern.

"Where are Mulan and Aurora?"

Lancelot was still smiling. "I sent them to find food." He explained genially. "Tonight we'll make camp and then, in the morning, we'll head back." He drifted further into the room, too enthralled by the wardrobe to notice Lilith's expression. "So, this is it – the portal you were after."

Mary Margaret nodded, seeing no harm as he drew closer to the wardrobe. "The same one Emma went through. That's how she skipped the curse."

Lancelot ran a hand along the carved features. "Remarkable…."

"Geppetto carved it from an enchanted tree, but there's no magic left." Mary Margaret explained, brow creasing when Lancelot continued to stare at the wardrobe, touching it almost reverently.

"Well, a portal this powerful… there must be another way to recharge it."

"And why would you be so interested in a portal to another realm?" Lillian's voice snapped like a whip through the air, and when she turned, Emma was shocked to see the younger woman's eyes once again red.

Lancelot turned slowly as Mary Margaret, catching onto Lillian's suspicion, edge away from him. "Well, I just want you to get home to your husband… and son. Henry." He slipped, half unaware. "They must miss you."

Mary Margaret unsheathed her sword, pointing the blade threateningly at Lancelot. "Stay away from him, Emma." She snarled lowly as Lillian flexed her fingers, leaving Emma to stare at them in confusion. "He is not who he says he is."

"What are you talking about?" The blonde demanded. "Who the hell is he?"

"Think." Lillian hissed in reply, rage growing inside her as a smile began to form on 'Lancelot's' face. "You only told one person Henry's name."

Emma's features went white. "Cora." She breathed, whirling in time to see a puff of purple smoke envelope Lancelot with a whoosh, clearing to reveal Cora in his place.

"Clever girl."

"Where's Lancelot?"

Cora waved off Snow's demand. "He's dead." She cared little for the outraged expressions on their faces. "I killed him a long time ago."

"So, you've been posing as him ever since then?"

Cora merely raised a brow, still smiling. "Well, they'd never listen to me. And besides… every kingdom needs a hero, don't you think?"

Before Lillian could caution her, Mary Margaret lunged at Cora, only to be thrown toward the wall, the older sorceress pining her there. Eyes widening with horror when she realized Mary Margaret was struggling to breath, Emma rushed toward her, only for Cora to throw her back toward the wardrobe.

Turning back to Snow, who was clawing at her throat, face beginning to redden, Cora smiled gently. "Thank you, Snow. I've been looking for a way over for so long." Motion caught her eyes, and she turned to see Emma once more on her feet. With another flick of her wrist, she trapped Emma with the carpetbeneath her feet. "I never thought the person to help me find it would be you."

Mary Margaret, still grasping at the invisible hands choking her, managed to gasp out the words. "Why?" She demanded. "Why are you doing this?"

"I want to see my daughter, it's been too long." She smiled sweetly. "And you know, I would love to meet my grandson, Henry."

"Over my dead body." A cold voice hissed before Cora herself was thrown across the room, hitting the far wall with a loud thud.

Mary Margaret immediately dropped, landing on her knees as she massaged her aching throat. The carpet entangled in Emma's legs loosened, allowing her to pull free in time to see Lillian and Cora squaring off, the former summoning a ball of fire.

Terrified, of both sorceresses, Cora most of all and her threat against Henry, Emma acted before she could think it through. Lunging forward, she grabbed Lillian's arm and wrenched it around just before she released the fireball. Too startled to react, Lillian watched in horror as the fireball hit the wardrobe, setting it on fire.

"No!" Cora and Lillian's cries intermingled.

Flicking her hand, Cora pulled the fire from the wardrobe, though it had been reduced to charred dust, and formed a fireball in her hand. She hatefully threw it at Emma, who froze on the spot. A sword flashed in the light of the flames seconds before it hit Emma's face, the force sending the fireball toward a far wall where it smoldered uselessly.

"Mulan!"

Cora looked between the weapons and magic against her, sneering angrily at the women before her. "We're not done." She threatened, waving her hands and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Emma turned to Mary Margaret, who was still on her knees, staring at her daughter. "Are you okay?"

"You tried to save me." The breathless, almost disbelieving quality of her voice made Emma wince.

"Yeah, well… where is she?" She asked, avoiding what made her uncomfortable and looking around.

"Gone." Lillian snapped in reply, her red eyes never leaving the remains of the wardrobe. She swung her head around, narrow gaze settling on Emma's guilty, regret-filled features. "And so is our way home."

She'd spent most of the past few days in the library, immersing herself in the pages. While there certainly hadn't been a library before she'd left, she wasn't going to complain, especially because her own private library, made up of shelves in her rooms, had bored her before she'd left.

Idly flicking through the yellowed pages of a tome on poisons, her head snapped up at the sound of chirping. Rising from the chaise she'd been sitting on, she approached the window. Outside sat a small bird, awaiting patiently with its head cocked and its tiny foot outstretched daintily. Opening the window with a negligent flick, Lilith offered her hand and the bird hopped onto it.

Unraveling the small note from the bird's thin leg, and after summoning a few pine nuts for it to snack on, she smoothed out the rolled paper. The code, one Charming and Doc had come up with, she easily broke, and she smiled in relief when she read over the few short lines. Charming was calling them all back to the war effort, having managed to both shake George's dogs off their tail, and snatch his prized general out from under his fingers.

"Good news?"

Her fingered tightened, startling the bird. It flew back to the windowsill, chirping in protest before it turned tail and soared out the window, back to its mistress. Clenching the paper tightly, she set in on fire in her palm, until there was no trace of it left. Straightening her spine, she turned to meet Rumple's expectant gaze, her expression unreadable.

"Indeed. Charming and Snow White are recalling us to the war effort."

"Well then, duty calls, my dear." His eyes narrowed. "I do hope you'll come visit soon."

Letting the mask drop, the snarl that over took her features startled him so much that he couldn't formulate a response as she whisked herself away, first to her rooms, and then out of the castle. Eyes wide and pulse racing, he breathed heavily as his mind connected the snarl he'd just witnessed crossing Lilith's features, with the same expression on his face.

Mary Margaret closed her eyes to stave off the tears that burned them. The revelation that Lancelot was dead has shaken her to her core, and she choked back the sorrow that welled within her.

"Lancelot was one of the most noble knights I ever knew." She whispered, her mind going back to the events at Lake Nostos.

Mulan, brow creased in distress, spoke up. "How could I be so blind?" She whispered, voice full of self-recrimination. "How could I not see that it was Cora?"

"I couldn't even tell at first," Lillian muttered, frowning down at her boots. "I was too happy to see him... to notice that it didn't feel like Lancelot."

Emma piped up from beside Mary Margaret. "Let's be fair – the whole shape shifting thing threw me, too."

"What are we going to tell the people on the island?"

Mary Margaret looked up from her sorrow. "The truth." She replied simply, earning an incredulous stare from the female warrior. "That Lancelot was cut down by a terrible villain. He died an honourable death."

"But Cora's still out there." Lillian pointed out, expanding her senses even as she spoke.

"She's right," Mulan agreed. "We need to find her. We need to defend what's left of the kingdom."

Aurora spoke for the first time, despite feeling that she was intruding on their grief. "Who's going to lead us? You?"

"No." Mulan answered shortly. She had no taste for leading, and was much more suited to following commands than giving them. "Her."

Mary Margaret blinked at the pointed look Mulan threw at her. "I'm honoured." She demurred softly. "But Emma, Lillian and I still have to find a way back to Storybrooke."

"We'll help you." Mulan offered in response. "We'll find a way, won't we?"

Aurora found herself nodding. "Yes. Perhaps, it will help me channel my anger."

With the matter settled, and without waiting for reactions or responses from the other women, Mulan turned with a swish of her cape. "Come."

As Mulan exited, Aurora at her heels, Emma turned to Lillian and Mary Margaret, guilt clouding her features.

"I'm, uh, sorry I torched our ride home." She muttered, looking at the ashes in the corner. "I couldn't let her get to Henry. I just- "

"You had to put Henry first."

Emma nodded, biting her lip. "I was angry at you for so long… wondering how you could choose to let me grow up without you." Emma began, mindful of the stares she was receiving. "But then I just… seeing all this…," she gestured at the once opulent surroundings. "You gave up everything for me. And you're still doing that. I'm sorry, I'm not good at this." She apologized, unable to read the expression on Mary Margaret's face. "I… I guess I just… I'm not… I'm not used to someone putting me first."

Before she could say anything else, Mary Margaret crossed the distance between them, drawing Emma into a tight embrace. "Well, get used to it." The dark-haired woman muttered, drawing back with a small smile.

Lillian, however, said nothing. Glaring mutinously at Emma, who had still been stiff in Mary Margaret's arms despite her earlier words, Lillian made her way to the burnt remains of the wardrobe. Magicking a vial into existence, she filled it halfway full with the ashes before rejoining Emma and Mary Margaret, who were both staring at her curiously.

"Just in case." She muttered, brushing past them without another word, expression stormy. Sighing, Mary Margaret followed, gesturing for Emma, who looked bewildered, to follow. Pausing in the doorway, the 'older' woman looked over the nursery, expression turning wisftul for several moments before she turned and left.

Moments after they'd departed, still cloaking her presence, Cora reappeared in the nursery. Striding to the remains of her best hope for a portal, she knelt beside it, much like Lilith had, and took a vial of the ashes.

Storybrooke

Palms sweating and heart lodged in his throat, Jefferson hung behind the telephone pole as the bus drew to a stop. A cluster of children paraded off the bus, but his teary eyes ignored them all, settling on a blonde girl as she and her friends skipped onto the sidewalk, giggling. Hesitating, with little Henry's words echoing loudly in his head, and he shuddered from the accusation in them.

Coming out from behind the pole, he took several steps forward, steeling his nerves and gripping onto his resolve before it fled him and sanity returned.

"Grace." He called out softly, yet the girl stopped in her tracks.

She turned, slowly, as if she couldn't believe her ears, and he swallowed thickly past the lump in his throat when she spun and her eyes met his. Before he could flee, she began to rapidly close the distance between them, gasping as sobs threatened to overtake her. Instinct brought him to his knees moments before she threw her arms around him.

"Papa!" They collided hard, though neither cared, clutching to one another tightly. "You found me," she continued as he rapidly blinked back tears, looking heavenward for a brief moment as he sank onto his haunches. "I knew you would."

Gripping her tighter, he straightened, Grace still in his arms, and turned to take his little girl home. While he knew he'd have to contact her adoptive parents, as he'd seen first hand how much they loved her, as both Paige and Grace, he wanted to be selfish for just a little while longer.

Henry watched the reunion from across the street, seated in the passenger seat of Emma's yellow bug. A small smile formed on his pale features as he watched Jefferson carry his daughter down the street, only for a knock on the window to draw his attention from the scene. David stood on the other side, a long, thin bag in hand, and waited patiently for Henry to roll down the window.

"I've been thinking… if you're going to start helping me," the once prince began, a smile quirking the edge of his lips as he knelt down, arms resting on the window. "We've got to make sure we do this right. So, I picked these up on my way home." He tugged off the plastic wrapping, allowing Henry to see the two wooden swords.

"Seriously?" Henry grinned, gobsmacked and delighted, the two emotions making him almost dizzy.

"Yeah, you're the grandson of a prince." David reminded him, smiling widely now. "I think it's about time you learned how to use a sword." His voice sobered slightly. "Henry, I can't get 'em back without you. So, what do you say? You with me?"

Henry beamed back. "Can you teach me how to fight a dragon?"

"We'll work our way up to it."

He pulled back enough for Henry to jump out of the car, practically vibrating with excitement. Throwing the plastic into the car and shutting the door, David turned to Henry, offering a sword with a bow.

"My liege," he said grandly, jumping right into it once Henry held his sword aloft. "En garde!"

Laughing and chuckling, the pair darted around Main Street, David jumping onto a bench before drawing Henry further with another chuckle. "Come on!"

Across the street, in his own car, Albert Spencer watched the touching scene, his eyes narrowing in anger.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?