Hi everyone, this is a sequel to An Invitation to Dinner. If you haven't read that one, and don't want to, then this is what you need to know!

Regina and Emma are now Married, and Regina is 6 months Pregnant. They also adopted a 4 year old orphan called Willow who is highly magical and part dragon. She is related to Mal (Aunt/Niece)

Snow and David broke up, and David is now back with Kathryn.

Snow was put on trial and sentenced to 20 years in a cell for crimes against the Swan-Mills family, including attempted Kidnapping and attempted murder.

At the end of the last fic, Snow escaped from her cell with a little help.

Hope you all enjoy this next instalment.

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Emma sighed contentedly, not really watching the movie that was being played on the TV. Her children were nested on the floor in a sea of blankets and pillows, and Regina was laying in front of her on the sofa, resting in Emma's arms. Life couldn't get much better than this.

'Knock knock!'

Grumbling, Emma nudged a sleepy Regina, "stay here, baby, I'll go see who it is," as she clambered out from behind her Wife.

Before Emma reached the door, the knocking was heard again, "I'm coming," she called out. Whoever was disturbing her time with her family, better have a damned good reason, she thought to herself grouchily.

Opening the door, she found a very panicked looking David, and behind him, Kathryn was stood with Neal tucked protectively into her side.

"Dad? Kathryn? What's going on? Are you ok?" she asked worriedly, looking between their faces and seeing tension there.

"Can we come in? We need to talk," David informed her.

Stepping aside, she let them in, "we're in the living room. Is this a kid friendly conversation?"

"It might be better if it's adults only for the moment. You can decide what to tell them afterwards, when you have all the information," Kathryn advised her.

"Ok, let me get Regina, ok? Go into the kitchen, make a coffee or whatever you want, we'll be there in two minutes."

Emma walked into the living room, picked up the remote and paused the film.

"Who was at the door, Emma?" Regina looked at her curiously, not seeing anyone else in the room.

"Dad and Kat are here, they want to talk to us. They're in the kitchen waiting," Emma told her, "kids, you can carry on watching the movie but you must stay in here until one of us comes and gets you ok? The grown ups need to talk."

Grumbled responses came from her children, who weren't really interested in the grown up conversation and just wanted their movie back on. She pressed the button to start the movie playing again, before holding a hand out to Regina to help her up from the sofa, something she knew she struggled to do alone, now she was six months pregnant.

They walked into the kitchen and sat at the counter, opposite David and Kathryn.

"What's going on guys?" Emma prompted.

Not one to beat around the bush, "Snow has escaped," David told them.

"What? How?" Regina asked, "also, when?"

"We don't know exactly when. The cameras are only in the hallway that leads up to the main hospital. We've checked the security footage, and there was no sign of her, so she must have left via the underground car park," David explained. "As for how? We don't know," he confessed, running his fingers through his hair distractedly.

"What do you know?" Emma asked, slipping straight into Sheriff mode.

"She must have had help," David told her, "the guards in that wing had been knocked out and were still sleeping when the next shift had arrived to take over. Someone used poppy dust on them."

"Poppy dust? How is that possible? The only poppy dust in Storybrooke is stored at the convent, I believe?" Regina paused, "have you had any reports from the Fairy's about a break in?"

"No. Nothing has been reported. Maybe another source was discovered that we don't know about," David suggested.

"Maybe Rumple had some in his shop," Kathryn shuddered, "who knows what that creepy little imp had in there. We should check with Belle."

"Good idea, I'll call Belle in a moment," Emma confirmed.

"What do we do now?" Kathryn wondered, "I don't feel safe knowing she is out there."

Emma and Regina looked at each other, completely in sync in their ideas, when Regina turned back to David and Kathryn with a smile, "I know you didn't move out that long ago David, but maybe you, Kathryn and Neal should come and stay with us for a while. Maybe we should also ask Mal to join us. Between Emma and I, with Mal's help, we should be able to make this place secure for all of us. There is plenty of space, and I can set up a special room for Neal, so he feels at home."

"Yeah, Dad, we would both feel safer if you were here. None of us know why Snow has escaped or what she's planning, but I'm sure she's not about to drive quietly over that town line and start a new life elsewhere," Emma guessed.

"We also need to find out who is helping her. It could be anyone," Regina told them, "I'm not sure who would be willing to, especially after her trial. The whole town was disgusted with her. Someone obviously helped her, though."

"Snow White is manipulative, and perfectly capable of exploiting people's weaknesses," Kathryn said with a sneer, "she probably offered someone the world in order to help her, and it would have to be someone stupid enough to think she would follow through."

"Maybe we need to sit and brainstorm," David started to plan, "we should make a list of all the people we know with a grudge against any of us, because those would be the first people who Snow would think of approaching. Or maybe they approached her?"

Emma stood up and reached for her phone, "we need back up, let me call Mal and Belle, they're probably together, anyway," she smirked, walking out the room to call them.

Before Emma was even back in the room, Mal appeared in her signature swirl of magic, with her arms around Belle.

Walking back in, Emma looked at Mal, grinning "what took you so long, Dragon? Losing your touch, old lady?"

"Age gives you experience, youngster, I wouldn't knock it if I was you, Saviour!" Mal teased back.

"Behave, you two," Regina rolled her eyes in exasperation, "we have bigger problems to discuss without you two incessantly acting like children."

"She started it!" came the duel response from Mal and Emma, pointing to each other, much to the amusement of the others sitting in the kitchen.

"Don't make me separate you two and put you in a time-out," threatened Regina, laughing.

"Why are we here," Belle asked, looking around, "what's happened?"

Kathryn quickly filled Mal and Belle in on the details. There wasn't much to tell, because they didn't have a lot of information, but they knew without a doubt that Snow was a threat to any one of them.

"We would like it if you considered staying with us? Both of you," Regina looked at both Mal and Belle, "it would be easier to keep us all safe in one house and we can combine our magic to make sure we have the strongest protection charms around the perimeter."

"I'm glad Lily took off for an adventure in Oz with Ruby and Dot," Mal sighed with relief, "I don't think she is directly at risk, but at least we know all three of them will be safely out of the way while we resolve this."

"We can stay," assured Belle, "it makes sense, really. Safety in numbers."

"That's settled then," Emma told them, feeling relieved that they had agreed to stay, "we need to talk to the children, and then we need to make a plan."

"Maybe we should call a council meeting?" Regina suggested.

"You go talk to the children, they need to know what's going on," Kathryn advised her, "I'll call the council members and arrange a meeting."

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"Where are we going, Sydney?" Snow asked, "are you sure it's safe?"

"This person is an ally. A friend of yours," he replied mysteriously, refusing to say anything else.

Driving nearly to the border in the opposite direction to the town line, he pulled off of the road, into a lane that ran to the left, seemingly into nowhere.

"Sydney, there is nothing here! Where are we going?" Snow impatiently demanded.

Before Sydney could answer, a cottage materialised in front of them, as they drove through the cloaking spell that protected it from sight.

Silently getting out, Snow looked around and then headed towards the door. She raised a hand to knock, but pulled back abruptly as the door swung open to reveal a very familiar face.

"Blue? What are you doing here?" Snow demanded, "and Sydney? You said it was a friend? An ally? Blue sided against me at the trial, she's no friend," she fumed at him.

"Snow, I understand why you're upset, but this was always the plan, please trust me," Blue tried to explain, "I had to side against you, so that it would never be expected that I was helping you."

"Sydney, you may go," Snow dismissed the man, before turning to the fairy, "easy to say that now, Blue. How could I possibly trust you? You let them drug me!"

"Yes, you were drugged, but did you not notice, that even after taking the potion, you still managed to refrain from speaking about your plan? The one that you have been brooding over for weeks?" Blue took her hand, "I know you, Snow. I know what you're capable of. I tampered with the potion just enough so that you would only reveal the things you had done, and your intentions to harm, but not what you were planning."

Snow thought back to the trial, and realised that Blue was right. Maybe she could be trusted, she mused, and it would certainly help her to have a practitioner of magic on her side. She plastered on a fake smile.

"Thank you, Blue. You always have been my most loyal subject," Snow told her.

Blue preened, and stepped aside to let her in, "I will take good care of you, I promise."

"You always did, didn't you," Snow lifted her hand to run her fingers slowly down Blues arm, "I will enjoy your company, I think."

Blue gulped. This was not what she had expected when setting this arrangement up with Sydney. She was… close… to Snow in the Enchanted Forest, but the woman had married David, and Fairy's weren't allowed to be involved romantically. Not that there was anything romantic about what they used to do, she thought to herself.

Pulled out of her thoughts by her cell phone ringing, she answered, "this is Blue."

Snow watched as Blue transformed herself into the fairy that was known and trusted by all on the council. She listened, as Blue played the part of a witless innocent Nun. Maybe she really is a worthy ally, Snow thought to herself, amused at Blue's ability to act. Listening, she could only hear Blue's side of the conversation.

"Kathryn! What a surprise! What can I do for you?"

"Oh no! If she is out there none of us are safe!" Blue gasped in apparent horror.

"I'm worried about the safety of the Fairy's under my protection, and of course myself. Snow will never forgive me for turning against her at the trial," she winked at Snow, as she said this.

"Yes, of course, we most surely should gather the council. This problem needs to be dealt with immediately."

"Ok, yes, text me the details, Kathryn."

"Thank you. Bye," Blue ended the call. Turning back to Snow, she could see the approval radiating from her, "they will never suspect a thing."

"What next?" Snow asked.

"Well, I will attend the meeting, gather all the information I can, and report back to you."

Satisfied, Snow rubbed her hands together, "now the fun really begins."