Emma stumbled sleepily into the living room, Izzy had woken up and was hungry, so she fed her and settled her down again, sending her off to sleep with a song that she remembered from her teens. She didn't know a single lullaby, because no one had ever sung to her before, so she had been softly singing various pop hits from her early years, but Izzy didn't seem to mind.
The only problem now was that Emma was wide awake. It was only just nearing dawn, so maybe with the help of a cocoa, she could crawl back into bed next to her wife, and sleep for another hour or two.
Remembering they had left Belle sleeping on the sofa last night, Emma padded quietly though the living area, intending to go to the small kitchenette that was attached. Looking over at the sofa, she stopped and stared for a moment.
Mal was laying next to Belle, arm protectively curled around her, with her face in the younger woman's hair, as if she had gone to sleep inhaling her scent. She was a dragon, so maybe that was exactly what she had been doing.
Emma felt her heart melt a little bit at the sight in front of her. She knew when she and Regina had gone to bed, Mal had made use of one of the guest rooms. The dragon must have either woken up and missed Belle, or been unable to sleep without her. That thought was just too cute for Emma's heart to handle, as an unbidden smile came to her face.
She decided at that moment, that she would do anything she could to help these two take hold of their happy ending, because they really were so perfect together. 'Operation DragonBeauty' she called it in her head, as she made plans to talk to Belle as soon as they had a moment alone together.
Watching them made Emma feel warm inside, and she realised that a cup of cocoa was no longer needed. All she would need to sleep now, was to lay in the bed with her wife in her arms, so she turned on her heel and walked back to the bedroom.
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Breakfast was a quick affair that morning, because they all had work to do. Regina, Emma, Mal and Belle had had a quick discussion when they gathered in the living area for coffee that morning, about how best to deal with the situation with Granny. They had decided that it would be best to call a fake council meeting, in order to feed false information back to Blue.
So the four of them were discreetly talking to all of the council members one by one, without alerting Granny. They told them about the purpose of the meeting and what the message should be, so they were all prepared for what would be discussed.
They needed Granny to believe that they had no idea she had requested Ruby, Lily and Dot to come to the Enchanted Forest, since Granny had only told them that she wanted to warn them that Storybrooke no longer existed. They also wanted to give the impression that the family thought they were safe now. They were hoping that if Blue thought their guard was down, and believed they weren't actively plotting against her, it would buy them some time for the sleeping potions to be ready.
Mid morning, the council members had all gathered in the main dining hall ready for their meeting. Archie, as usual had started the meeting, but also like usual it was Regina, Emma, Mal and Belle who really had the most to say.
"Granny has sent a letter to Ruby and the others warning them that we are in the Enchanted Forest, in case they attempt to go back to Storybrooke. We don't know what their immediate plans are, but knowing Ruby, no doubt she will turn up at some point to come and see us. So we should expect to have visitors in the future at some point, even if we don't know when," Regina informed them.
Regina looked at Granny and smiled, but the woman's returning smile looked empty. Since she had her heart taken, she was no longer the passionate and feisty woman they had always known. She was, for want of a better expression, dead inside. Regina could clearly see in these moments, why not having a heart had made such a difference to the way Cora had treated her. She could almost forgive her.
"I'm very much looking forward to seeing them, if they decide to come here." Granny said dutifully, without much emotion in her voice, but smiling an empty smile with her words, "'I'm not sure they will though, because I didn't want to ask them to abandon their lives in Oz and come here," Granny lied with a poker face.
"We can't wait either, I hope they come one day!" Emma grinned, ignoring what she knew to be Granny's lies, "it's been far too long since I got into any kind of trouble."
Mal rolled her eyes, "oh dear, what am I going to do, if you have backup? Is it possible to die of exasperation?!" she dramatically raised a hand to her chest, and gasped.
"Oh, please, you're more likely to die of laughter. I know you think I'm funny, you can't deny it," Emma teased.
"There is a world of difference between laughing with someone, and laughing at them," Mal told her, a smile tugging up at the corner of her lips.
Emma dramatically took offence, "your words, how they wound me!"
Regina decided to get the meeting back on track, "you two can mock each other into an early grave, after the meeting. For now, concentrate, please!" she wagged a finger at the pair of them, like they were children.
Emma gave her a lopsided grin that sparked a feeling of warmth in her chest.
"Maybe we should find out if they want to visit," Mal spoke casually, not wanting to alarm Granny, "we now have a final layer of enchantments, we can add to the castle, which will make us impenetrable," Mal advised the council members, "we are already heavily protected, but once they are safely in our midst, and no one needs to leave or enter, there is one final spell we can do. So it would be good to know if they plan to come here."
"We think that for now we are all safe. Unfortunately, the sleeping potion we were making has had to be scrapped, and we will start again," Regina informed them all, knowing they were all aware that this was a lie with the exception of Granny, "it will take a while to source ingredients this time as our supplies for those were already low. However, it should be two cycles of moons or less before we have a working potion."
"I don't think Blue and Snow will be stupid enough to try anything now," Emma said confidently, "I think their main plan was turning me against you all, and now that they have lost me, they have lost any and all advantage that they may have had. Maybe they will just leave us alone now?"
"I'm not sure they even have a plan now," David cut in, "I mean, what could they possibly want to achieve anyway? We're all here, and safe from the outside world. It would be foolish for them to try to attack us here."
"Maybe we can approach them for a peace treaty?" Kathryn asked, "tell them that we are happy to just live our lives, as they live theirs. We won't pursue justice against Snow White, and in return, they leave us in peace."
"It's a good idea," Belle smiled at her warmly, "peace is always a better option than war."
"Ok, well I think that was everything that we needed to update you all about. Does anyone else have anything else to add?" Regina asked, looking around the council.
Granny spoke up, looking confused, "so we're just giving up? We're just going to let them live their lives as if they did nothing wrong? No punishment for their crimes?"
"If they are willing to sign a treaty with us, then yes. We just want to be able to live our lives without the constant fear of attack hanging over us," Emma confirmed, "many of us have children, and just want to be able to raise them in a safe environment where they will flourish and thrive."
"What about the sleeping potion?" Granny asked.
"Well, if they are happy to live in peace, then we have no reason to use it. Let's call it a back-up plan," Belle smiled at the woman, trying to reassure her.
"I have to go," Granny got up from her chair abruptly, "I'm already late to start the lunches. Please update me about the time of the next meeting," and then she scurried out of there.
"So, that went well?" Emma asked, "Granny was asking questions that obviously are coming from Blue?"
Kathryn looked concerned, "it feels too easy, but yes, if we take it at face value, Granny is about to go back to Blue, with the exact message that we wanted her to."
"Who is going to go and meet Ruby, Lily and Dot and where?" Archie asked.
"We have arranged to meet them in the fairy glade, just in case Blue has people monitoring Lake Nostos," Regina told him. "As for who, that would be Emma and Mal, but only if they promise to behave," she said with a pointed look at the two of them, with her signature raised eyebrow.
Emma and Mal looked at each other with twin twinkles of mischief in their eyes.
"Why Emma and Mal?" David asked.
"Mal is very powerful and a dragon," Emma explained, "and if something happened while we were out, I can also draw on Regina's magic as well as my own if needed. So we would be well protected, and so would Ruby, Lily and Dot."
"I will stay at the castle, to look after Isabelle, Willow and Henry," Regina added, "and if something were to happen here, I am powerful enough to defend us, but also, I could draw on Emma's magic to assist my own, if needed. We don't like being separated, but it makes the most sense, to make sure we are all safe."
"It's so useful that you two can do that," Belle sighed wistfully, "to be so connected to someone is such a marvellous thing."
Emma discreetly winked at Mal, "see?" she mouthed.
Mal felt a flush of happiness and excitement trickle through her. Maybe Belle really would be willing to take the next step in their relationship.
"Ok, well I think that's everything," Archie brought the meeting to a close, "we will let you know when the next meeting will be. Have a good day, everyone, and good luck tomorrow night collecting the girls," he said kindly.
xxxxxxxxxx
"Concentrate!" Mal snarled, throwing another fireball at Emma.
"I am! Give me a chance!" Emma shot back, frustrated.
Regina had put a protective charm over both of them, so they wouldn't actually be hurt by the fireballs and magic that they were throwing at each other, but still, they sometimes stung a bit. Enough to make Emma wince, when Mal got one through her defences.
They had decided that a quick lesson in offensive and defensive magic was probably a good idea before they left the castle. However, Mal was pushing Emma hard, and Emma was pushing back, only with her words and not her magic, and that just made Mal go harder on her.
It was paying off though, and eventually Mal was only occasionally getting past her defensive blocks.
"Time to swap," Regina called to the duelling pair, "Emma, you're on the offensive, Mal, just try to block, but don't respond with your own fire yet. Let her practise these skills first," she instructed.
Emma shot fireball after fireball, and none of them got anywhere close to Mal, much to her frustration.
Mal of course, couldn't stop herself from taunting her, "call that a fireball, Saviour? I've lit a match with more of a flame!"
Emma grunted but didn't reply, throwing another one at the exasperating dragon, which again just got flicked off to the side with a single raised finger.
"And you call yourself the Saviour? Dear, you couldn't protect a garden slug," Mal called to her.
Mal should have known.
Emma hated being called the Saviour and would never refer to herself as such. That was the first mistake.
The second? Taunt Emma about her ability to protect something, because there was nothing that she cared more about than keeping her family and loved ones safe. Never doubt Emma's ability to protect her family.
Something in Emma snapped, and Mal's eyes widened when Emma's eyes started swirling with cloudy white and purple magic, before she threw a bright neon blue and purple, swirling ball of lightning at Mal, hitting her directly in the chest as if Regina had done nothing to protect them.
Mal flew nearly 20 feet across the courtyard, hitting one of the walls, and slumped down unconscious.
"Mal!" Emma screamed, running over in an instant.
"Shit! What have I done?" Emma couldn't stop herself from crying, seeing her best friend crumpled in a heap. Blood was dripping from the back on her skull, and her shoulder looked to be dislocated, not to mention she was severely burned on her chest.
Vaguely aware of the others running over to join her, she summoned her magic and allowed it to flow into Mal, healing her from the inside. As she watched, Mal's shoulder slipped into place again, and the skin on her chest closed over and healed. Finally her head was pulled together, and the swelling started to reduce.
"Emma," Regina was on her knees next to her wife, as she started to sob desperate uncontrollable tears, "she will be ok, just give her a moment," Regina calmly advised her, rubbing a comforting hand up and down her back, letting her just cry.
Mal became aware of the blackness, and pain, but it faded until it was glowing bright white inside of her. She opened one eye, and saw Emma, crying next to Regina, staring at her hands with an absolute look of betrayal on her face. Trying to move, Mal felt pain, and groaned.
Emma's eyes shot up to find the source of the groan, and her heart felt a million times lighter as Mal's eyes opened fully, and the woman smirked at her.
"You've been holding out on us, Emma" she scolded playfully, "you are extremely powerful," she said, before turning to Regina, "I think she's ready. I think she's ready to keep all of us safe, not just Ruby, Lily and Dot," she told her, with an expression of admiration.
"Mal, I'm so sorry!" Emma apologised so sincerely, worried that she had broken her relationship with the older woman, "I don't understand what happened?" once again looking at her hands as if they had betrayed her.
"Let's go inside," Mal suggested, "I have a potion that I can take to help with the pain and bruising," as she watched Emma wince and a look of guilt pass over her face.
"Hey, none of that now," Mal chided gently, "you didn't mean to, I know, and at least we now know what you're capable of."
Regina gathered her magic, took both Mal and Emma's hand and transported them all to the living area of their suite.
Once Mal was seated comfortably in an armchair, she summoned a vial and quickly drank the contents, sighing with relief as it immediately started to work and the pain began to diminish.
"How did I do that?" Emma asked, "I didn't know I could do that," she whispered, close to tears again.
"I think you fully embraced your bond with Regina for the first time. That ball of lightning was a pure combination of dark and light magic. Rather than cancelling each other out, like most forces in nature, an equal and opposite force for magic has a way of amplifying itself," Mal explained gently.
"I'm sorry you got hurt, Mal, I really am, but wow! That was some very impressive magic," Regina said in awe, "I had no idea you were capable of that."
"Neither did I" Emma admitted ruefully, "are you sure you're ok, Mal?"
Knowing the question for what it really was, guilt, Mal tried to reassure her friend, "you have nothing to feel bad about, Emma, I should have known better than to taunt you like that. Anger and magic are not a good combination, and I should have known better," Mal acknowledged, "I am as much responsible for what happened as you are."
"I was really angry," Emma disclosed, "but it wasn't really at you."
"Who was it at, then?" Regina queried, "if it wasn't Mal? I know she was winding you up, your face always flushes that shade of red when you're angry."
"Yes, she made me angry, but I was more angry at the idea of not being able to protect my family, and that family includes Mal," Emma explained, "so she may have been winding me up, but I care about her protection as much as anyone else's, and the thought that any of you, including Mal, could get hurt, makes me so angry."
Mal was silent for a moment. Sometimes it was a strange concept to be loved so dearly by people like this. The feeling of care and protection from Emma, and Regina, was overwhelming. She understood that feeling coming from Belle, because they were partners, but what she had with Emma and Regina was so special. Feeling a little choked up, she decided not to speak.
Instead, she got up and walked across the room and sat in between Emma and Regina. Without saying a word she wrapped her arms around Emma, hugging her tightly, and those actions told Emma everything the older woman couldn't vocalise. Mal loved her too.
Letting go, she turned to Regina and did the same thing, and the brunette held her just as tightly.
"I don't know what I would do without you two in my life," Mal confessed quietly.
"Well, with my new superhero lightning powers, hopefully you won't ever have to find out," Emma laughed, "I need a new outfit! And a cape! And nice boots! Don't forget the boots!" she said, as they all laughed together.
The mood had been lightened, and they all relaxed. When Belle walked in, a couple of hours later, with Izzy in her arms, Willow and Henry in tow, she was greeted by a curious sight.
Emma, Mal and Regina were all still sat on the sofa, with their legs out on footstools they had summoned, with their arms linked together. Emma and Regina had rested their heads on Mal's shoulders, and they were all three peacefully asleep, all three of them with little upturns to their lips, smiling slightly.
Belle whispered to Henry and Willow, "let's not wake them. We can go to the dining hall for dinner, and bring them all a plate back once we're done."
Willow and Henry both nodded their agreement and the three of them left the room.
