As you know this year has been hectic for everyone. I was labeled essential personnel, plus my work was short of staff at the start of all this. I found myself too tired to write, and could only get bits of chapters done in small bursts. I had two or three finished chapters for a while now, but if you know me, I like to do a big update with all my stories, and today I finally managed to finish Shattered, which was one of the two taking the longest as it requires a lot of my attention to getting the feel just right. Happy reading Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Three

Enchanted Forest

"I tracked her to a rundown farmhouse," Ruby informed them. They were all dressed for an adventure, and they had locked Snow up tightly with a promise from the dwarves not to break her out until Archie determined her treatment had worked. Emma didn't think it would last, but they reinforced the wards on the house. They stocked Regina's vault so that Henry and the girls could live down there for months if necessary. As well as her father, if Snow didn't harm any of them or Blue for that matter. Regina considered sending them out of town as she worried about Blue until she had also set up a backup Cabin just outside the town line where Blue would be at the mercy of Fred's sword and Kathryn's mace if she tried to follow. She also made some potions to throw at her for Henry as maybe he wouldn't be a threat and could save his sisters.

"All right then, I guess, I have hyper prepared," Regina said taking a deep breath as she looked around her home, taking in the changes since Darien had come into their lives. They had all changed for the better their family of three. And Darien was that bridge before the old and new. She practically started crying about leaving, but she had to protect them.

"It's going to be all right, your wards are strong, and you will be back in no time," Kathryn told her as she hugged her. Regina hugged her back.

"Take care of my babies, and Belle, Xav is not to be raised around Rumple, understand?" Belle nodded.

"No, I will raise her next to Kathryn and Lincoln, but she won't be around Rumple ever if I can help it." Regina nodded. Then it was time to say goodbye to the children, they did Rowan and Henry first separately before Rowan had a moment with David. Then it was time for the girls they were inconsolable and didn't understand but they felt the mood.

"Mommy loves you so much, but she has to protect you," Regina whispered as she kissed each head. They clung to her and then clung to Emma who was just as emotional. It took all her strength to leave them. And if Emma thought the girls were bad it was nothing compared to Regina and Henry Sr., who looked as if they would never see each other again when this was all over.

"You'll see him again Babe, that's why he's staying with our babies." Regina nodded as she wiped her tears. They were driving now, they would drive more than halfway, but Regina would approach the farmhouse by foot and magic with Ruby in wolf form.

"I know, I know it's just we lost each other once already," Regina said. "I finally told him, how he died here you know."

"How did he take it?" Emma asked reaching over and patting Regina's leg.

"He said if he would still make that sacrifice if it meant I got my happy ending. He says seeing Demi, Henry, Xav, Linc, and Rowan lets him know that his sacrifice here was worth it in the end. And that although I killed him, he was still the thing I loved most until his end, and he knows that maybe I had to lose him to grow and that he had to lose me to be brave in our world. And now we can be together."

"Aww that Henry Sr. and his unconditional love," Emma said. Regina nodded.

"I thought for sure he would hate me, that my father hated me for what I had done," Regina said.

"No, I think your father made a sacrifice for you, your happy ending wasn't in the Enchanted Forest and some part of him must have known that. He spent your entire childhood a coward when you needed him most. But in the end, he was brave, he let you take his heart and knew death would be eminent all on the hope that one day you would find your way again. I bet if you could talk to this reality's version of your dad, he'd tell you, he'd do it all over again especially knowing now that it was worth it." Regina couldn't help but smile

"I hope he knows that his sacrifice is no longer in vain."

"Something tells me he knows," Emma replied. They came to a stop alongside the others. Mulan like the others had packed a small backpack and was ready to go.

"Anton?" Emma asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I decided to come back with you, the time frame Clarence and Derek came from, and the one Tiny came from is different. We have no idea at which point you'll pop out, if there are still Giants, I should go with. Tiny is too angry to go back with David, and the others too large for one tiny portal, so I'm going."

"Thank you," Regina told him as she made sure everyone was dressed appropriately.

"Where should we appear?" Emma asked.

"I think it is best if you appear on our estate. It's not too far from the capital, maybe two days ride on a horse, but if there are servants still there, show them this, and they'll show you hospitality. If it's dead as it was in my reality, you should be safe to hide out there while you find a map and figure out the world."

"No, two days ride, I want to be closer to you," Emma demanded.

"But Emma if someone sees you appear, it might not be good, my mother encouraged people to snitch on one another in fear."

"And you think the servants won't at your estate?" Emma asked. Regina frowned.

"That's true, even with me dead, no way my mother kept up the good Queen act for long." Regina frowned as she paced and thought.

"Fairies," David suggested.

"I don't know what about Blue?" Emma asked.

"She might know it's mother masquerading," Regina said pacing. "She may even try to kill me to save her alternate self the trouble. BUT she will help you for sure, she's smart enough to wait for us to handle Cora. Just don't mention we're together or anything we don't know how this alternate of hers will react. Just mention you're the savior to my curse, and if Tink isn't too different that means she'll go, rogue, if it's the right thing to do." They nodded.

"That sounds like a plan, and if she asks Snow is taking care of Rowan so she's not suspicious." They nodded.

"Good all right, Ruby you ready?" Regina asked. Ruby nodded and took off her red cloak. She handed it to Regina who put it in her backpack and Ruby changed. Regina changed into a long velvet dark maroon dress with a black lace back that stopped just above her butt. Her hand fell straight but curled at the end and her make up was darker than usual.

"Ruby howl for how hot my woman is," Emma grinned. Regina rolled her eyes as Ruby did howl for her friend.

"What am I going to do with you two," Regina sighed. "All right, remember Emma when you throw the bean, focus on me and our true love for the right reality and the entrance to the fairy home. You'd all best focus on the fairies too for a more accurate picture of what it looks like." They all nodded.

"How will we know when you are gone?" David asked. Regina handed Emma a compact.

"It turns to gold when we're in the same realm and silver when we are not," Regina said. "You can also attempt to look in on the kids, but they won't see you. Well, I'm not sure it will work across realms, but we can try." Emma nodded and accepted it. Regina picked up her backpack again and gave Emma a big kiss before disappearing with Ruby. When she appeared just outside of the house, her mother was already appearing on the porch ready for a fight. Regina smirked in her best Evil Queen voice.

"Put your hand down mother, I've not come here to fight," Regina said. Cora frowned as her daughter sauntered forward and into the farmhouse alongside the wolf without much of a glance at her. Regina wrinkled her nose in distaste her mother hadn't done much to the inside of the farmhouse, so she made it look like the inside of a castle.

"Ah that's better," Regina said taking a seat delicately.

"How are you able to wield magic so efficiently in this strange land. Every day I feel weaker and magic feels weird here."

"I've been here longer mother, that is all, I've simply learned to work magic, now you mentioned going home." Cora frowned.

"How do I know this isn't some trap?" Cora asked. "And why are you dressed like that?"

"I'm the Evil Queen, Mother, this is how I normally dressed before I got trapped in this godforsaken land with Snow White and her ilk. It's been a long few decades under Rumple's curse. I thought I was in control, but I was not this land is deceptive. I had to attack you if I wanted us to have our freedom. Well us and my little friend here." She patted Ruby.

"You were being, disgusting with that woman," Cora growled.

"Only to survive mother, she's the savior to my curse, and Snow White's brat. She's an abomination and spent most of her life abandoned, I saw an opening to survive and I took it. She couldn't kill me now if she tried. Love is after all weakness as you say, mother."

"You blasted me…."

"She blasted you with her true love magic," Regina interjected. Cora scrutinized her daughter.

"Fine, but change, you do not look like that where I come from." Regina raised an eyebrow. "No makeup, and a simple dark dress." Regina frowned at the idea. "Even as Leopold's Queen she'd worn makeup, well some of it was to cover up any bruises, but she'd found her own style.

"Well things are going to have to change, my beauty is legendary, and it will be so in your world too. There's a new Evil Queen in town and the masses are going to both rave about my beauty and my cruelty."

"We shall see," Cora said as she sat.

"When do we leave, I came prepared to leave at a moment's notice, I'm so ready to exit this land." Cora sighed.

"It pains me, but you will have to open the portal, your magic comes more easily to you here then mine to me." Regina nodded and listened to Cora explain, and Regina ever so studious managed to open one immediately and please her mother. All three of them walked through the portal with Cora leading the way. When they appeared again Regina recognized her room in the castle, but she frowned upon seeing it full of wedding gifts.

"Mother," Regina said.

"Time is so irrelevant in those portals dear," Cora said. "Now my mistakes will be fixed, quickly get ready for his majesty, charm him, Regina. Be the Queen." Cora disappeared just as there was a heavy pounding on the door. Regina practically jumped as Ruby growled.

"No, hide Ruby," Regina said suddenly changing into the white nightdress she had worn. It was way too short because it was made for her thirteen-year-old body. She created an illusion of herself and Ruby whined a little.

"I know, I know, but I still have my magic, just hide we cannot blow this." Ruby went to hide behind the tub. Regina gulped. The king entered and she hated him the moment she saw him stumbling in drunk as ever.

"Lay down bitch," He ordered. Regina stood there, tense as she tried not to kill him, he approached her, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath as he tried to kiss her roughly, but she turned her head.

"How dare you turn away from me your king!" He shouted. Regina plunged her hand into his chest.

"You are not my King and I am not your Queen," Regina whispered. She pulled out his heart and made him make sexual grunting noises.

"You will forget this happened, whenever you think about having sex with me, you will think that you've just come from being with me and don't need to have sex with me until the next day. Now go to your room and be a good King and sleep. From now on you bend to my will." He left out taking a cloth she had used magic to put blood on. She ordered the maids to leave her be before Ruby appeared and nuzzled the bag for her cloak.

"Well that's not quite what I had in mind, but I suppose it will do for now, eventually you'll have to produce an heir dear."

"Not from him, in my timeline, I didn't need him, and I still don't. I was happy to rule by your side without him.

"There is nothing to rule in my search to bring you back, I lost everything," Cora said. "There was only you." Regina frowned.

"What have you done Mother?" Regina asked. "What did you do, why are you so desperate for me, you spent most of your life telling me, you ought to replace me." Cora rubbed her head; she still didn't seem one hundred percent. "What aren't you saying?"

"Nothing, just do your part, I will be in my rooms." She stalked out and a slightly younger version of her father just looked at her with wide eyes and tears upon seeing her. It was weird to know that an older version of him was in Storybrooke, but she supposed perhaps not now, he might have disappeared, they were changing the past after all.

"Fuck," Regina whispered. He rushed in and shut the door. He gripped her hard and searched her eyes trying to recognize his daughter.

"I'm real daddy you aren't dreaming."

"Mi cielo," He cried falling to his knees. "But your mother, your mother…." Regina sank with him tears in her eyes. This version of her father had just secretly buried his daughter and could not tell anyone. He sobbed so hard and she just comforted him as he would her.

"I can't tell you everything tonight, but I promise you things will start to make sense later, okay?" He nodded.

"Does this mean your mother has broken the curse on herself?" He whispered.

"Daddy what curse?" Regina asked.

"Well, I won't let her break it let her forget until she does better by you," He cried. Regina looked confused but he only exited her rooms, making sure to close the door behind himself. Regina locked her door against any other visitors and just in time too as Snow asked to be let in but was told she was already resting. She wanted to say goodnight, but they insisted another night she was not feeling well. They all knew of the King's brutality and didn't have to see her, to know he hadn't been gentle. Regina immediately gave her the red cloak.

"What the fuck, Regina, you said you were sixteen, showed me even you were older when you married the King. Now, look at you!" Regina frowned.

"I know, but Emma can never know, she's so angry about both of our paths, I just wanted to protect her from the horrors of mine." Ruby let out a breath. "Well it's too late now, she will find out when she gets here, no way you can go around not looking thirteen years old." Regina made a face.

"I know, I hadn't expected this at all, and something is wrong with Mother, she needs my magic now more than ever, I think. She seemed off."

"She was off, I'm honestly surprised she didn't punish you for what you did to him, because she wants you to have an heir." Regina nodded.

"I will try harder to get it out of Daddy now, he mentioned a curse, I can only assume it has to do with me, and my death here." Ruby nodded as Regina pulled out her compact. It was silver still. She sighed and tried to look in on her children, but the picture was fuzzy. She knew they were sleeping though and safe. She sighed and tried to contact Emma but could not.

"Maybe in the morning it will show them here, we'll just get some rest," Ruby said. Regina nodded. Neither of them slept though for exceptionally long or deeply. The morning Ruby changed back just before the maids and Cora entered. It was nothing for Regina to make people think of Ruby as her loyal protector, spelled by her mother to protect her from the King's enemies.

"Go find out whatever you can, I'll just play the new Queen," Regina whispered to Ruby, before she slinked off. No one stopped her or even realized that their whispers were heard. She was astounded by the amount of bad talk that followed Regina from the start for simply being a foreigner. They even turned their noses up at her as she passed, and she knew from Regina's face she was aware of it all. She didn't find anything useful on Cora, what magical things she had brought were hidden away from her, she could smell it. Snow was horrifyingly trying too hard to be the child of another child. Regina did her best, but no amount of attention was enough she could see that. Twice Leopold had yelled at her for not being a good enough mother to Snow when she frowned in even the slightest. She could see the way Regina flinched when servants were around, because she couldn't use her one defense. Attending court was no better, even the nobles looked down on her, the few that did not she realized were in part some of Regina's neighbors, or were well respected in Storybrooke. Others who were already so harsh now to an innocent child ended up being not as well off particularly during the curse. Ruby was disgusted by the slights Regina endured, not being able to sit on Eva's throne and having a new one brought in and made to sit on Leopold's left and not his right, that's where his precious Snow sat now. And the throne, was clearly less than as if made for Snow originally and it might have been to show her status as Princess, as she would one day sit on her father's throne as King. Not one person saw anything wrong with it, except Regina's mother.

"Why do you let him do that to you when you have his heart?" Cora asked her.

"I'm just getting my bearings, this was not a pleasant time for me mother, and now you've sacked me with his brat again," Regina said taking away her illusion as she sat down, there was a knock on the door and her illusion went up. Ruby came in and on her heels were maids with lunch. She had opted to dine alone ordering a bit of a feast.

"What is that?" Regina asked wrinkling her nose at what was likely dog slop.

"For your dog madam."

"It's my Queen," Regina told her a hint of a threat in her voice if the maid didn't respect her. "And you will always feed my wolf as if she were me, understand. That means from your best plates, with the best pieces of meat and everything else I would eat. Understood?" She curtsied deeply.

"Yes, my Queen," She said.

"Well set her a place at the table too," Regina said her eyes on fire. Once Ruby had a place she sat in the chair and ate her meal without further ado making sure to growl at the maid too on purpose. She was famished, having skipped breakfast. Regina ate as well lightly as she remembered the bland fare of the Kingdom.

"Eat up dear, you need to keep up your strength," Her father said when he had joined them. Finally, though once he was served, the maids left them alone. She became her normal self and her father paused.

"What is going on, where is my baby," He demanded.

"I am Regina, just older," Regina said.

"So, you're not back from the dead?" He asked as tears welled up in his eyes.

"No, Daddy, I'm sorry, I come from an alternate universe, mother tricked me and brought me here, but you know what, in the future, you got pulled into my universe and we were reunited again."

"I hope I didn't step on my own toes." Regina frowned.

"No, Daddy, in my world you were already gone, so it is a blessing for us both, but now I'm afraid that with mother bringing me back to here and not the point at which she left that you won't go there."

"It's okay we're together now, I don't need to go there." He took her hands in his and Regina stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.

"Now would someone like to come clean to me about this curse?" Cora's eyes went wide before she glared at Henry Sr.

"Yes, I told her, I won't let you get out of this," He told her.

"Someone had better explain it to me," Regina said. "I assume this has something to do with me, and my recent death." Henry nodded.

"Before you died your magic flared and you cursed your mother to lose everything until she could learn to love you. Her heart disappeared from its hiding place, but yet she's felt every emotion sense. It wasn't until I took one last look at you before our departure in the family crypt that I found her heart in your hands locked in with the last of your magic. It won't let go. It will kill her because she can't learn to love you right."

"So, I need you to break your curse, give me true love's kiss," Cora said.

"So, your answer was to bring me back here, the start of such a dark period of my life," Regina said.

"It isn't dark, you have me if I just had better use of my magic now, we would be in power, you would have everything, you would be Queen." Regina sighed.

"You know mother I never felt like a Queen married to Leopold or even after I killed him. And certainly not growing up under you. The day I felt like a Queen was when I found true love, and you will never be able to understand that. I cannot give you true love's kiss because that will not work. You have to learn to love me as I am not the other way around." Regina stood up and indicated for Ruby to follow her out. She left her parents alone.

"Where the fuck, are we?" Emma demanded of Anton. He looked sheepish.

"Uh not the Enchanted Forest for sure, I'm sorry I think we're in the Scottish Highlands or the romance novel I was reading. It fell in first you know." Emma facepalmed as she squatted down breathing hard. How the hell had she ended up so far from her true love and children. She tried the compact, but it was fuzzy, she could hear Regina sighing and saying Emma where are you, but that was it. She screamed at the damn thing trying to get Regina to hear her before she only saw her reflection again.

"AGH!" Emma yelled. David put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll get there Emma, don't worry, we always find our true love's in this family." Emma sniffed.

"Regina's going to be so upset when I tell her you said that," Emma said as she laughed a little wiping her tears.

"Maybe this is a good time to tell you that, I went back out to the field and found one last bean for us," Anton told them pulling it out.

"You should have said immediately!" Emma told taking the bean. "Let's go, Regina needs us!" This time Regina focused solely on Regina and the fairy entrance, she threw the bean and jumped.

'I'm coming baby,' Emma thought.

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