Quick AN: Please read the longer Author's Note at the end of the chapter. I would love to get some feedback on an idea I've had. Thanks x


She was used to sleeping in the most uncomfortable places to get necessary rest when she needed to on a long mission.

This was nothing new as she rested her head and back on the door of Snow and David's closet door as the prince and the former Queen took the only seats near to the bed available with only a pillow to rest her head on as the three adults waited for Henry to wake up to give them any news of the netherworld.

Apparently, he had met a woman down there with him that where with Emma and Snow in the Enchanted Forest. But they had struggled to communicate, but with the necklace Gold had given the boy he could safely go into the burning room

"They're… They're alive. They're alive!" Henry's hurried pants woke up the adults sleeping around him making them rouse from their slumber, but Amelia had found herself in a different place she remembered first fell asleep in, instead of against the closet door she was at the feet of Regina's chair with the former Queen herself waking up above her. She quickly shuffled herself out the way blinking the sleep out of her eyes as they leant forward to the young boy

"Who? Who's alive?" David asked as he sat himself down at the foot of the bed Henry was sleeping on

"My mom and Snow" Amelia blew out a breath of relief at the news

"I told you, kid. I told you!" David excitedly told his grandson

"Was… Was it that woman you saw?" Regina asked her son from the edge of her seat "Did she tell you this?"

"Her name's Aurora" Henry tells them "She said they have a way home, but there's someone in their way – someone they need us to help them stop. Someone only Mr. Gold knows how to defeat.

"Who?" Amelia hesitantly asks the boy

Henry looks towards his mother in confusion "Your mother"

A blank expression grew on the women's faces as the news sunk in.


At Granny's Belle and Mr. Gold were sat in one of the diner red leather booths as they waited for their lunch order. Enjoying each other's company after so long apart it didn't take long for their lunch of burger and fries to be brought to them by Granny herself

"They smell delicious, Granny" Belle compliments the owner as the former places the plates full of food in front of them

"They are delicious" she says to the young brunette "Didn't take any dark magic, either" she adds leaning on the table to address the Dark One "Oh, and, uh, I charge extra for the pickles"

"Mmhmm" Gold hummed along as Granny leaves them to their meal "I have a complicated relationship with her… As I do with most people"

"Well, it, uh… It did take me a little time to get to know you. They will" she tells him

Moving the conversation along he picks up the red bottle that held ketchup sauce showing it to his love "You know, you should try it with ketchup. Condiments are this world's most powerful magic"

"I agree" A voice interrupts the pair making them look up to see Amelia stood at their table "Ketchup is great with almost everything. But I wouldn't put it on Granny's lasagne, she'll scratch your eyes right out if you try and put any sauce on it. May I?" she indicated to the space next to Belle

"Uh sure" shuffling down the booth Amelia sits down next to her

"Miss Montague" he grits her name through his teeth "May I enquire on your interruption on my date with Belle"

"Trust me" she says dragging Golds plate of food towards her she "It's going to get even more interrupted then it already it is. I'm the least of your worries old man" she says plopping a fry into her mouth, she had to stifle the groan at the taste of the fried food, she hadn't eaten days "I came here to warn you" she says in between bites

"About what exactly?" he says just as the bell on the door ring out announcing Regina's arrival

"About that" Amelia finishes as the former Queen walks straight to the table the assassin was now sat at with Gold and Belle

"Gold. We need to talk" Regina announces her arrival making the whole diner

"Do we?" Gold says not looking at the woman

Not liking the combination of the Queen and her Assassin with the Dark One Granny sees the incoming altercation between villains and intervenes "Folks, I think I may need to close early. Uh, everybody out"

"No. It's okay" Regina tells the diner and the owner "We're civil"

"Yeah, for now" Gold scoffs as Amelia continues to eat his meal "Belle, you remember the woman who locked you up for twenty-eight years?" he reintroduces his true love with her captor before looking at Amelia "May I introduce you to her lovely Black Widow, the lovely Miss Montague here"

"Uh, I should probably just-"Belle awkwardly tried to try and escape the scene only for Amelia to be her only obstacle to leaving

"No, no. Please, stay where you are" he tells her "Whatever she has to say, won't be a secret from you. Whatever she wants, she won't get"

"I'm actually coming about the one thing that might unite us" Regina tells him

"And what on earth can that be?"

"Cora. She's coming from our land. We need your help to stop her"

"But she was dead. You told me you saw the body"

"Apparently, you taught her well" Amelia was the one to speak up from across the table "She's not, and she's on her way"

"I don't think I need to remind you, how most unpleasant that would be for both of us" Regina reminded the old man

"For you" he argues looking at his old student "I can handle Cora"

"That's not how she tells the story"

"I won in the end" he insisted

"Maybe. But there's a big difference this time" Amelia spoke up again "This time, you have someone you care about. This time, you have a weakness"

"I'm… I'm sorry. Who… Who is this woman?" Belle looked toward all three of them for an answer

"Someone you'll never meet" the Dark One insisted to his love

"Hopefully" Amelia quips

"So, you say she's coming" Gold looks up to his former student once again "Where is she now?"

"With them" Regina tells him


Moving Henry from the loft to the back of the pawn shop they waited for Regina to return insisting on bringing his blanket from home. Sat on the makeshift bed with Henry she waited with David and Gold as the eleven-year-old clutched the pendent that helped him control the burning room around him.

The air tense as the minutes dragged until Regina returned as she watched him clench the pendent "You're clutching that thing pretty hard there, it's okay" she tried to sooth the back of his hand with her thumb

"I'm not scared" he tells the assassin

"You know its okay to be a little scared sometimes, right?"

"I know" he tells her "Do..you still get scared?"

"Sometimes" she tells him honestly "But I've got something that reminds me that I'm going to be okay. My own kind of magic if you will" she says reaching up to her neck, he watches as she unclasps a leather cord from her neck that held a metal pendent. She holds up the necklace to show the metal pendant to him "Do you know what this is?" he shakes his head "It's Thor's hammer" she tells him

"Like the superhero?" he asks her

"A little bit, but this one I've believed in all my life, he protects the gods, and now he will protect you. Like he's done with me all these years" she explains tying the leather cord to his wrist the pendent lying face up

"Thanks" he tells her

"Your Welcome" she says as she hears Regina return to the shop. Standing up from the bed she moves to the back of the room as the former Queen entered

"I brought your blanket…from your bedroom back home" she said placing the blue and white blanket on him seeing the pendent on his wrist making her take a double look at it before she looks to the assassin who gives her a tight-lipped smile.

"So, Cora..she's pretty powerful?" Henry addressed the adults in the room

"Yes" Gold answered "But, uh, not as powerful as I am" he boasts

"Debatable" Regina muttered loudly for Gold to hear

"Actually, no its not" he argued back making the assassin roll her eye's

"Once you two are finished comparing magical shoe sizes" Amelia suddenly speaks up scolding the pair with their small 'fight' "Might we move forward with the conversation"

David moves to take the seat Amelia was once sat "You sure you're okay to do this, kid?" David asks him

"I was born to do this. I'm done reading about heroes. I want to be one" he tells his grandfather

"Well, sometimes being one is knowing when not to run into the fire"

"I'll be okay" he reassures his grandpa

"Look, whatever he faces in there, will be far less dangerous than what he'll face if we fail" Gold interrupted them

"I can do this" at that David leaves his grandson

"Get on with it. Fast" David instructs the older man

"Alright, Henry. Just relax. And soon, you're going to drift off"

"What do I tell them?" Henry asks the Dark One as Gold sat down in a chair next to Henry

"Just listen to my bedtime story, and all will be clear" He placed his hand on Henry's forehead as the young boy listened intently to the man's story. "Once upon a time, Snow White and Prince Charming needed to stun a very powerful magician, long enough to lock him up in a dark dungeon"

"That was you. They used Cinderella to trap you with a magic quill" Henry interrupted. Mr. Gold moved his hand across Henry's face, causing him to fall asleep. He continues the motions as he spoke.

"Yes, indeed a quill. And yet, it wasn't the quill itself, but the ink that captured the Dark One – harvested from the rarest species of squid, from the bottom of a bottomless ocean. Impossible to find, unless, you're a mermaid… Or me. I happen to have a private supply. In my jail cell… That is where they will find it"


The adults didn't have to wait too long for Henry to wake up when he suddenly woke up with a start rolling his head in discomfort making the adults jump forward with the redhead taking a place behind the Dark One's chair

"Henry. Are you alright?" his the boys grandfather jumped to the boys bed

"Did you see her? Did you tell her?" Gold asked him

"No. I… I didn't get the chance. Something… Something happened. She… She got sucked out of there" he winces in pain holding his left wrist, the same wrist Amelia had tied her pendant

"Henry?" his mother speaks up as she goes straight to the source of his pain pulling the leather cord off and discarding it without thought, the metal pendent making a small thud on the wooden floor

"Some… Something's wrong" he complains as Amelia move to his head threading comforting fingers through his hair as Regina pulls back Henry's sleeve, revealing a burn

"Henry…"


"Here. Let me take care of this" Gold says as he magically heals the injury as he glances towards the redhead who stood next to the hunched over Sheriff with a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving the boys grandfather as much comfort as she could offer him at that moment as Regina tended to her son like the doting mother she was with Gold sat on the edge of the bed "Miss Montague go into that cabinet behind me and you'll find something that will help Mr. Mill's further"

Leaving the sheriff she follows the older man's instructions and opened the dark wood cabinet and found a small vial of clear liquid she knew straight away. It was her healing tonic the Brotherhood had perfected over the centuries. Designed to heal the numerous cuts and bruises Assassins occur during their missions. The same one she gave Regina once. The same she gave David before she sent him and baby Emma to the wardrobe.

Taking the vial and uncorking it she crossed the room before kneeling between Gold and Regina to speak to the brave young boy that laid in the makeshift bed

"Here" she said softly offering the bottle to the eleven-year-old "Drink this. It'll make you feel better" Henry looked towards his mother and grandfather for reassurance before taking the glass bottle from the assassin and swigging back the liquid. Within a split second of the potion touching his tongue some of the colour in his face had returned to his tired and sickly complexion

"Thank you" he sighed out in relief as the pain ebbed away

"What caused this?" Regina sent the question towards the older man as the redhead stood back up taking up residence behind Regina as both women listened to his explanation

"When you venture deeper into the Netherworld instead of away, there are risks. Someone woke Aurora before her soul was ready to return. The violence of that act tore her away and injured Henry. We're lucky it wasn't worse. He's going to need some time to recover before he can be sent back.

"Out of the question" "No way old man" both Regina and Amelia protested before David did the same

"Not a chance in hell. We'd be monsters to even consider risking his life again" the Sheriff stand up from his chair making his point

"Careful with your tone, Charming" Gold says meeting the man "I understand your concern for the boy, but I know Cora. Without our help, Snow and Emma will soon be dead. And then… A true monster will be on her way to Storybrooke" he sent the warning towards the former Queen

"Aurora is gone" Regina pointed out to the man as she stood up from her chair "Why do we need to send Henry back to that fiery inferno with no one there to receive our message?"

The room went to silence as David turned with a frustrated sigh and hands on his hips as Amelia thought deeply before "Because someone will be there" she suddenly speaks up making the others looks to her

"Who?" the former Queen challenges the redhead as David's eye seemed to light up as understands where she was going.

"Snow" David states catching onto the redheads wavelength

"Well, that's an awfully big assumption" Regina scoffed at the pairs idea

"No. No, it's not" he argues "She was there once before She can go back. She can find a way. She will – I know it. And I'll be waiting" he offers

"You're going to this Netherworld?"

"I faced you two" he tells the pair of women "How bad could it be?"

"It's not as simple as that" Gold speaks up "You can't get there. You haven't been under a sleeping curse"

"Well, then put me under one"

"If we do that, there's a chance you might never waken up"

"Sure I will. When I see her, she'll kiss me, and I'll be fine. Now, put me under. I've spent far too much time looking for my wife. It is time to bring her home"


As Regina prepared the curse in the back of the shop, the redhead had decided to get some fresh air while still inside the musty old pawn shop as she found herself viewing the glass unicorn mobile she had only seen once before 28 years earlier. She had to admit it was sweet. It reminded her of the makeshift not so elegant one John had made when Thomas had been born. Instead of unicorns her husband had put anything that he could get his hands on a ship full of men to hang down above the crib which included shells and a few bent coins.

Thomas had loved it neither less he would stare at the shapes above him for ages

"Hey" David's voice disturbed her memories as he entered the main shop floor holding up her discarded necklace in his hand "I found this on the floor. Henry said it was yours" she gratefully takes the pendent into her hand

"Thank you" she said running the pad of her thumb across the metal pendent of Thor's hammer. The metal had worn over the years but the image remained, it was a gift from Romeo, to remind her she always had protection if she ever found herself parted from him.

"I didn't know you followed the old gods" he started up the conversation as he joined her in front of the mobile

"In a different life perhaps, the old gods have seemed to have forgotten about me over the years, not that I blame them. I would've done the same"

"Is that why you gave it to him?"

"I gave it to him because despite the brave face he put on, he was scared. If he believed Thor was protecting him and his heroics, then he could do anything. Fat lot of good it did it" she said discarding the necklace onto the glass cabinet

"Knowing him, he still believes it. But he believes in you more" the prince tells her "You should believe in yourself a bit more, what you've done for this town has meant a lot for everyone and for myself. Snow's always been the one to take the lead, without her I've felt lost, with you helping me like the way you have, I don't' think I would've gotten this town back to the way it was without it"

A suspicious brow rose of the redheads face as she looked up to the man in front of her "What's this hope speech about, your highness"

A light chuckle left his mouth as a smile grew on his face as the redheads suspicious "I was hoping for another favor"

"Another one? How many is it now?" she teased

A smile grew on the princes face "Enough to last a lifetime, I'm sure. But this isn't for me, its for Henry"

"Go on" she prompts him folding her arms across her chest

"I want to ask you to look after him while I'm asleep, if Snow kiss doesn't wake me up, I need someone I trust to look after him until she and Emma can come back"

"Regina can do that. She's his mother" she argues

"I know, but he looks up to you and I wouldn't be giving this just to anyone" he says as he holds up his Sheriff's badge to her "I trust you not to let this town fall apart. I know you care about Snow, that's why you helped her back home and not handed her over when we both know you could have. That's why I'm giving you this because I can see you're already starting to change the moment you let me, and Emma go to the wardrobe"

"I didn't do that for you" she stated feeling her eye's starting to sting as she tried to fight off the wave of emotion at the memory

"Then why did you do it?" he asks her in not knowing that Regina had joined them at the doorway to the back room, she was curious where this conversation was going, she never understood why the redhead turned her back on her at the last minute

"I don't know" Amelia tells him "Just another thing i need to figure out I suppose" she tells him

A throat being cleared interrupted an explanation as they both looked to the doorway to see Regina stood there "It's ready"

"We'll be right there" Amelia spoke for them both taking the badge from his hand as Regina nodded before walking into the back room, allowing for the redhead to slip it back onto his holster making him sigh in disappointment looking into her reddening eye's "I'll look after Henry, but I won't take that until I must. Maybe you should have a little bit more faith in yourself shepherd" a quick smirk appeared on her lips before heading into the back leaving him to ponder their conversation.


Re-joining the other's in the back, Amelia noticed the spinning wheel straight away something that always stood out in the Dark One's castle whenever she visited the old man after a contract, he had sent her on. She stood with Regina with Henry between them as Gold explained the process to the prince arms across her chest as she listened to the explanation keeping a cautious eye on the finished sleeping curse that Regina held in her hand with the other on her son's shoulder.

"What do you mean, the old-fashioned way?" David asked for the older man to clarify

Instead of proceeding he looked towards the assassin in the room "Would you care to explain Miss Montague, since the Brotherhood have had some first-hand experience with the curse"

"Lia?" David asked the woman in confusion of why she would know more about the sleeping curse despite her background of having never used magic herself

Letting out a sigh the assassin looked to the older man in annoyance before addressing the former Prince

"You're about to join a quite distinguished club, you highness" she began "I'm almost jealous. Before innovations like the apple, back when the sleeping curse first came to be, a more direct method was required… Through blood. By pricking a finger on the needle of a spinning wheel, or a simple cut from a potion laced dagger one falls under the spell" she explained "The Brotherhood experimented using curses that require the same method to…take care of our more high-profile targets" the pauses looking down at the young boy "the ones we couldn't take care of the usual way, without some major consequences on our Order. They would be alive but unable to do anything"

Gold turns to Regina next holding out the needle to her "Your Majesty, you did his wife. I'm sure you'd like the honours"

Stepping forward and ignoring the comment she takes the needle from the older man dipping the end of it into the curse before placing it back onto the wheel

"It's all yours" Regina tells the prince before returning to her son

"Good luck" Henry steps forward wrapping his arms around his grandfather's waist

"It's going to be alright" David tells his grandson taking his hand and bringing him forward so that he sat on the edge of the bed

"How do you know?" the young boy asked him

"Well… How did you know Emma would save you after you ate the turnover?"

"I… I believed in her"

"The way Snow and I believed she'd come back to break the curse. That's the kind of faith that runs in our family" Henry nodded taking the pendant from around his neck and gives it to David

"This helps control the flames in the room. It'll keep you safe"

"I will guard it with my life" he tells the young boy his eye's glancing back to the redhead who watched the moment before looking back at his grandson "Listen, Amelia is going to look out for you while I'm asleep, she'll keep you safe until I wake up again"

Hearing this Regina's eyes glanced over to the redhead, remembering the conversation she interrupted earlier as Henry retook his place between his mother and the redhead feeling the former assassin's hand on the top of his head as Gold spun the wheel, the prince reaching out with his finger ready to put himself under the curse only for him to quickly retract it

"When I awake, I'll be in that fiery room?" he asks the Dark One

"Not exactly. That room is where those who've already awoken from the curse return. You, however, are being put under for the first time" he answers

"Then how will I know where to go? How the hell am I supposed to find a room with no door?"

"And that, dearie, is the conundrum we're all depending on you solving. Now, I say this with the utmost sincerity… Good luck" He again begins to spin the wheel. This time, David extends his hand a pricks his finger on the needle. He quickly goes under the curse


The minutes dragged after they moved the sleeping Prince onto his back as they waited for something that told them that true loves kiss between him and his wife had worked in the netherworld.

But after five minutes of nothing from the man. Even the skeptical assassin wanted to believe that something would happen "Come on… Come back" the eleven-year-old encouraged his grandpa before looking back at the adult for an answer "Should he be in there so long?"

"I'm sure it's fine" Regina tried to reassure her son "I imagine they're just catching up" but Amelia glanced over to see Gold shaking his head at the woman making her heart sink for Henry.

Now they had no hope of knowing if the message had gotten to Emma and Snow. Now they could only hope The Queen of Hearts wasn't on her way to Storybrooke.


AN:

Hello there!

First of all a HUGE Thank you for everyone that has come this far in the story! Yay!

I really enjoyed writing this chapter as it sort of where the story gets going.

So I was thinking of publishing a companion book to this story that sort of explains some of the terms some people might not understand especially if they aren't familiar Assassins Creed franchise and how I've tweaked it to fit into this story. Anyway let me know in the reviews and I'll have it published ASAP. I hope to keep it updated as we go forwards in the story and more of the lore comes into it. Also I have a few chapters written and in the process of being written that I'm finding difficult to include in the main story so I was thinking of another story of one-shots to sort of fill in the blanks

But in the meantime Follow/Favorite/Review

Goodbye until next time!