AN: See chapter 1 for story notes and summaries.

Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, eventual Swanfire, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)

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For one face claim reveal, I will tell that I chose Gal Gadot as the face claim for Persephone...cause she's perfect as Persephone!

Please consider leaving a review if you're reading. It is very much appreciated!

Thanks for awesome the reviews. Here are individual responses:

Grace5231973: Yep, we've had a couple low key chapters and now it's time to ramp things up again! :)

Baratta Jennifer: Yep, Hermes is dead meat when Persephone gets her hands on him.

Theinferno1536: You mean the spinning wheel needle? Because no, the same sleeping curse wouldn't work, because Snow has already been under one. She's immune.

Naomi Blue: You're right, Regina is being short sighted. Her grief is blinding her right now and she has a few things to go through before she starts to realize that her current path will only cause her to lose Henry forever.

Saberius Prime: yeah, no break for the Charming family. Things are going to get crazy again. Greg and Hermes are only the beginning. :)

Paulaa90: Glad you're enjoying Emma and Snow's relationship here. I agree, it did feel like it was pulling teeth when they talked. Thankfully, that's gone here, thanks to the dreamscape. Yeah, Hermes is trouble and dead meat when Persephone gets her hands on him. And this will probably backfire on Regina. As if that wasn't enough, there is now Greg and Tamara on top of it. I am going to try and offer a better resolution for Greg's father.

Number Ten: I agree, what Regina did made Greg what he is, just like what Cora did made Regina what she is. I will be making those points for sure. Tamara attempted to kill the Dragon in late season 2. But as we find out later, he survived his encounter with her. We don't really get why she hates magic in canon. It was kind of a dropped storyline. I'm going to see if I can offer an actual reason that she's doing all this. Regina will get her break, but not quite yet.

Sara K M: Yeah, I felt that the moment she had the chance, Snow would be prodding Emma about Neal. Snow's pushing and Emma's deflecting. :) Glad you liked that Emma encourages Snow's optimism though. I felt it was needed since we know Snow was feeling insecure after what happened with Johanna. Hearing it from Charming is one thing, but hearing it from Emma really affirms it. Glad you liked the bit with Neal. He actually has another bit with Tamara here in the form of a phone conversation and I think you'll find it interesting. It starts to expose the cracks in their coupling that we know are there. Yep, Hermes has made his move and it goes downhill from here. Regina is making a mistake, but it's part of her journey. Yes, Tamara wanted them to take separate cars for the reason you mentioned. I didn't state that, but felt it was implied. The drunk thing is just a bonus to make it seem like he didn't purposely drive into town. :)

izzypirelli: I know, I love all the mama Snow! Yes, in this story, the Snow and Emma relationship won't get lost. Glad you enjoyed their conversation. I don't know how anyone could not love Snowing, that's incomprehensible to me too. :)

Glad you enjoyed Neal's musings. He has more in this chapter. His development will be interesting for sure. Yep, I think that's Neal's subconscious trying to tell him that Emma's the one. Yep, Hermes is making his move and Regina is about to take a big misstep. I feel a bad for Greg too. I'm not going to gloss over the part where he is a monster of Regina's own making and how she actually has to face that she did that to him, just like Cora did to her. It's going to be powerful. Tamara is a tough nut to crack. The show left her story so vague. I do think she was using both Neal and Greg though. I won't be leaving her so vague. Whether her back story will be tragic or she's just a bad seed will remain to be seen. Yep, we had a nice Charming family night at the diner, so of course, let's have chaos now! Lol. :)

beth1980: Yeah, Emma should know Regina is not completely ready to do the right thing yet. Neal's a little unsure at this point with a fiance that's an outsider in all this and how he's going to deal with that. Unfortunately, he hasn't seen Tamara's true colors yet. Glad you liked the interaction with Henry and Persephone. Glad you enjoyed Snow's reflection too

You're right, Tamara is using him and that becomes more apparent in a phone conversation they have in this chapter. I love that Emma and her parents are so close too. I love writing this dynamic. I know, people are very torn about Greg. It's hard not to feel bad for him since Regina made him like this and there will be a big realization about that and not just glossed over like it was in canon. Yep, Regina's making another big misstep in her journey that hopefully will eventually have her realize that revenge will only get her lonely misery. :)

Dreaming Out Loud

Chapter 58: Walking the Wire

They entered the loft, after a very nice evening at Granny's.

"All right, kid. Shower and then bed," Emma told him, as she ushered him off into the bathroom. Snow smiled and sighed, as she looked forward to decompressing. She felt her husband's arms around her waist and leaned back against him. He kissed her hair and was very much looking forward to sweeping her behind the curtain where their bed was for some much needed alone time. But as his phone rang, he realized their bliss would be interrupted and any time alone would have to wait.

"What is it, Leroy?" he asked, as he answered and then pulled the phone away, as Leroy proceeded to scream in his ear.

"Whoa...calm down and take a breath!" David said into the phone, as he continued to listen to the dwarf talk a mile a minute and his expression slowly become more and more concerned.

"All right Leroy, stay put. We'll be right there," David said, as he hung up the phone.

"What's happened?" Snow asked, as he looked at the three of them.

"There's been an accident at the town line," he stated.

"An accident?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A car crashed into a tree just inside the town line...a car coming from outside Storybrooke," he announced gravely. Emma closed her eyes, as some of the fears she had earlier were suddenly ringing true. Snow swallowed nervously.

"So there's nothing keeping people out anymore," she realized.

"No...just in I guess, unless you're us or you've had your ties to the curse magically removed like you two," Persephone deduced.

"We need to go...Leroy already called an ambulance. The man in the car is alive, but injured and unconscious," David said. Emma nodded.

"I'm coming with you both," Snow said, as she looked to her mother.

"Do you mind watching Henry?" she asked. Persephone smiled.

"Of course not...but please be careful, all of you," she implored. They nodded, as Emma headed out and her parents followed suit.

Neal stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of pajama pants and a tank top, as he rubbed a towel through his damp hair. His phone began ringing and he answered it, seeing as it was Tamara.

"Hey babe," he answered.

"Hi...I was just getting ready to go to bed when I decided that I need to hear your voice first," she cooed sweetly. He smiled and instantly felt guilty about his earlier musings about Emma. This just confirmed what he already knew. He had moved on with Tamara and things between he and Emma were over.

"Yeah...I miss you," he offered.

"How are things there?" Tamara pried.

"Good actually...really good. I had dinner with my son at the diner. I met Emma's parents and they were great. They didn't try to kill me, even though they'd have reason to," he mentioned.

"Honey...Emma wasn't innocent in your past. Surely they know that," Tamara said sweetly. He had told her about his criminal past and how he had once had a partner in crime. When he told her that he also now had a son, she had asked if Henry's mother was the woman he loved and had done the Bonnie and Clyde act with. So he had explained to her that she was and that in a moment of poor judgment, he left her holding the bag to save himself, carefully omitting key facts. He thought she might react badly to his actions, but surprisingly she didn't blame him. She didn't say it aloud, but she kind of got the feeling that she had the impression that it was Emma that was the bad influence on him or maybe that was what she needed to tell herself.

"Yeah...I think so. They're definitely not what I expected. You know me...it took me forever to propose to you and even then I've always been skeptical about marriage as a whole," he mentioned.

"And now that's changed?" she asked curiously.

"Actually...yes," he admitted.

"Well...do tell," she said with a pleasant note in her tone. He snorted. Admitting that he might be wrong about marriage was something she'd never let him live down.

"I don't know...they weren't like any married couple I'd ever met. Emma said they've been married for almost thirty years and yet they're like newlyweds. But I guess it was more than that. They were just so in sync, you know? And I realized...that man, I really want that," he said.

"Sounds like it's true love," she mentioned.

"Definitely...and it's what I want to strive to have with you...a marriage like that. It wasn't just the love, but the trust and sincerity between them. I realized that I know that I have that with you and that I can't wait to marry you," he admitted.

"Well...I am definitely going to have meet Henry's grandparents for sure," she mentioned.

"I actually did talk to Emma about that. We were thinking about a trip back with me to New York soon, you know, so you can meet Henry," he said.

"Actually...I have a bit of a confession to make and I hope you're not angry," Tamara replied.

"Why would I be angry?" he asked.

"Well...I have a bunch of vacation days built up so I put in for my time and I was going to drive up to Storybrooke and surprise you tomorrow," she confessed. His eyebrows shot up into his hair.

"Tomorrow?" he asked, trying not to sound panicked.

"Yeah...I thought a romantic getaway in Maine with my fiance sounded like a great vacation," she said. He sighed.

"Are you mad?" she asked and he could hear the wince in her voice.

"Of course not...I just need to run this by Emma. I have to tell you, she got really weirded out when I told her about you getting me a family law attorney," he replied.

"Oh...well please tell her that I didn't mean to scare her. I just want you to get your fair share of rights when it comes to Henry," she said.

"I know and I will. Emma and I are working it out. Her parents are being great too and I was in the same room as my Dad tonight without trying to escape," he replied.

"So you've worked things out with him too?" she asked with a hopeful note in her voice.

"Not entirely, but I think we might actually be able to get there. It's kind of weird, but in a good way, but Emma's parents are actually really good friends with my Dad and his girlfriend. Which is even weirder," he explained.

"They sound like one big happy family," she said and if he noticed the hint of jealousy in her voice, he didn't show it, though there was now an awkward silence between them.

"So...what time do you think you might be here?" he asked.

"I actually have an early flight to Portland and then I'll have a rental waiting for me. I should be rolling in around mid morning, so I'll call you when I hit the city limits," she said. He chuckled.

"Try town limits, sweetie. Storybrooke is not very big...there's no Starbucks or even fast food joint from what I've seen," he warned.

"Just a quaint small town diner, I'm guessing?" she asked.

"Yeah...the food is good though, so you won't starve," he joked.

"I can't wait...I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

"Okay...goodnight," he said, as they hung up and he immediately dialed Emma. She was going kill him when she found out that his fiance was taking it upon herself to drive to Storybrooke, but it would be worse if she found out when Tamara got there tomorrow.

"Hey...can I call you back? I've kind of got a serious situation going on here," Emma answered.

"Uh sure...is everything okay?" he asked.

"I hope so...it's kind of a police matter," she replied.

"That's fine. I need to talk to you about something, but it can wait. Is breakfast still on for morning?" he asked.

"Yeah...it should be. Hopefully this is nothing," she replied.

"Okay...see you in the morning," Neal said, as they hung up. Maybe this was better. He could tell Emma about Tamara's visit while in the presence of their son and her parents. She wouldn't kill him in front of them...right?

Jefferson peered out at the town through his telescope. While he had his daughter back and his life was better now that it had ever been, complete with family and friends, he still felt the need to keep an eye on the town. After all, now that he had things like family and friends, he felt the overwhelming need to protect them. And not just Grace, which was very new for him. After so long of looking out only for himself and Grace, he almost found it odd in caring about other people at all. But his time without Grace and subsequently, his sometimes unlikely and odd friendship with Prince Charming and the Dark One had made him look at the world very differently.

Protecting your own and looking out for those in your circle was a trait both David and Gold shared, though Charming was more likely to see to the protection of others out of the goodness of his heart, which was why the occupation of Sheriff's Deputy was perfect for him. As for Gold, his approach to protecting those he cared for and loved always had a more selfish note, but had often seen the hero and anti-hero not only team up, but develop an amiable relationship. Of course this was only possible, because they both had a good amount of respect for each other. Jefferson had been allowed into this circle and he was still getting used to such acceptance at times.

He was sure it was more toleration on Gold's part, though he had always done good work for him in the past. But with David, it was real friendship. The Prince was undoubtedly a good man; the kind that Jefferson would have once thought would never tolerate him, let alone befriend him. As he got to know David and watched him with Emma, he found himself envious. He had a wonderful relationship with a daughter that obviously adored him and it was definitely reciprocated. And so David became the kind of father that Jefferson aspired to be, despite failings in the past. It was David's encouragement that helped him find the courage he needed to reunite with his daughter and thanks to Grace's sweet, forgiving nature, she never once blamed him for leaving her, understanding that it was never intentional and that he had made mistakes. So the fact that he had the urgency to still keep watch over their town to protect their families should have come as no surprise to him. And what he saw tonight, he didn't like at one bit.

"Amy…" he called, knowing she would be just finishing tucking Grace in.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, poking her head into the room.

"I hope not...but it looks like there might be some trouble. Can you stay here with Grace? I think I need to go see David," he said. She nodded.

"Of course...what's happened? What do you see?" she asked. He sighed.

"Well...first I saw Regina talking to someone suspicious earlier, but I think that might have to wait. There's something else...something bigger," he said in a worried tone, as he stepped away from the telescope and let her see for herself. She pulled away.

"An accident at the town line?" she asked. He nodded.

"Except I saw it happen," he replied.

"The car that crashed came from outside Storybrooke," he revealed. Her eyes widened and she nodded, understanding exactly why he needed to go.

"Yeah...you should go," she urged and he headed out. He was sure David and Emma knew by now, but he still felt the need to join his friends, likely at the hospital, if for no other reason than to offer support, not to mention Regina's little meeting with the mysterious man earlier was definitely something noteworthy of mentioning.

The scene at the town line was one of chaos, as the lights of the ambulance flashed. They arrived with the cruiser's lights flashing as well and the three of them got out to inspect the scene. The paramedics had extracted the injured man from the car and had him on the stretcher. They watched them perform a quick vital check.

"Do you think he'll make it?" Emma asked.

"He's got a concussion and we think some internal bleeding. If he gets right into surgery though, he has a good chance," the paramedic responded.

"Okay...get going and call the hospital on the way. Have them page Whale and make sure he's ready," Emma ordered, as they loaded him into the ambulance, while she examined the car and her father knelt down, trying to find any skid marks.

"There's no skid marks, like this guy didn't even try to break," David reported, as he joined Emma at the car with Snow's hand in his.

"That would be really odd, if not for this," Emma replied, as she picked up an open bottle from the passenger seat with a glove.

"Drunk driver…" David said bitterly and Snow squeezed his hand. She knew drinking was a touchy subject with her husband. Sure, he was no stranger to enjoying a social drink and they had gotten tipsy together plenty of times. But David never drank regularly or alone for that matter. He had always vowed that he would never be like his father and let drinking hurt his family or take him from them.

"Looks like it...that might be in our favor though," Emma said.

"How so?" Snow asked.

"Well...he likely won't remember anything and because I could easily have reason to charge him with all kinds of things, I can pressure him to leave town quickly instead, once he's healed," Emma replied. David nodded.

"Yeah...leave town or go to jail. I'm sure he won't be able to leave here fast enough," he agreed. She nodded.

"We should probably get to the hospital," she said. He nodded.

"I'll have Leroy and Happy process the rest of the scene and tape it off," David said, as he let go of Snow's hand, kissed her cheek, and then went to give instructions to Leroy. Snow sighed.

"You okay?" Emma asked. She nodded.

"Just glad that this is probably just a freak accident," Snow replied. Emma snorted.

"Yeah and not some nosy tourist or worse," she agreed. With the dwarves knowing what to do, David rejoined them and they got back into the cruiser, before driving back into town with the hospital being their intended destination.

"Paging Dr. Whale…" the nurse said over the intercom. Whale heard it, as he continued to drink from his flask. Since his experience with reviving Daniel, he had slowly slipped into a depression. The procedure had worked, but similarly to the way it had when he attempted it on his brother back in his land. Even if ever did find a way back to his world, the likelihood that Gerhardt could be brought back as anything other than a monster was not truly possible. It was a harsh reality for him to accept. He was a doctor and yet even his gifted hands could not save him.

"Paging Dr. Whale…" the nurse called over the intercom again, as he took another swig from his flask. He supposed he should answer the page, but he couldn't find it in himself to move. Unfortunately for him, Red's wolf nose wouldn't keep him hidden.

"Hey...we've been looking for you," she said.

"So I hear," he deadpanned.

"There was a situation at the town line. There's a man that needs surgery or he's going to die," Red informed him.

"Who is it?" he asked curiously.

"I...I don't know. David said he came from...outside town," she replied. Her perked up at that with intrigue. That was definitely different and maybe a little exciting.

"All right...take me to the patient," he said, as he stumbled back inside. Red watched him go wearily. When David found out that their only surgeon was drunk off his ass, he was going to flip out.

Snow and David followed Emma into the hospital, hand in hand. The lobby was fairly vacant, though they were surprised to see Gold, Belle, and Jefferson there.

"Hi...I didn't expect to see you two here," Snow mentioned.

"Leroy called us and told us what happened," she said, as she looked around.

"Is it true that the car that crashed came from outside town?" she asked. Snow nodded.

"Great...I wonder how many other people Leroy has blabbed to," David said irritably. Snow winced, as she saw several people now curiously milling about the lobby.

"Probably more than we hoped," she mentioned.

"That's it...I'm gonna muzzle him," David said.

"David…" Snow chided.

"I don't know, muzzling him sounds pretty good," Emma agreed. Snow gave her a look.

"I know Leroy has a big mouth, but I don't think muzzling him is the answer," she reasoned.

"I beg to differ, but he's lucky, because I don't happen to have a muzzle," David said. Gold was silent still and poofed a muzzle into existence, before handing it to the prince. He smirked.

"Thanks...this will work," he said, as Snow gave him a stern look.

"No…" she chided. He frowned, though it looked more like a pout to Snow and she had to bite back a smile.

"Fine…" he grumbled, as he looked to Jefferson.

"I suppose he blabbed to you too," David said.

"Actually no...I sort of saw it happen through my telescope," Jefferson admitted.

"You're still using that thing?" Emma asked.

"Yes, but not in a creepy way," he replied.

"I'm just...you know looking out for the town...for us," he said. David smirked.

"And we appreciate that," he said. Jefferson was about to tell him what else he had seen, but it would have to wait, as Whale walked toward them.

"Whoa...get a whiff of him," Jefferson commented.

"Drunk…" David hissed.

"Not drunk...just buzzed," he corrected.

"There's a man being prepped for surgery and you've been hitting the sauce? He could die!" David snapped, as Snow put her hand on his arm to calm him.

"Well...maybe that wouldn't exactly be the worst thing," Whale replied Snow's mouth dropped open.

"How can you say that?" she squeaked.

"Because I'm not a naive little Princess that goes around planting snowdrops and thinking Evil Queens can be redeemed," he shot back. David lunged toward him, but was held back by Snow and Jefferson.

"That's it...I'm gonna rip your head off, Whale!" the prince growled.

"No you won't...the princess has you on a short leash," he goaded.

"Oh, that has to be the booze talking, because it's making you say some really stupid things. I've seen this guy fight and he'll destroy you...easily," Jefferson warned. Whale still seemed un-bothered by it all.

"Look...I'll operate if that's really what you want me to do, but it seems to me that saving an outsider could come back to bite us all," Whale reasoned.

"He's right...we've all see the movies," Leroy agreed, as he arrived.

"Yeah...I have no desire to end up in a lab somewhere or as a circus attraction," Happy commented.

"Guys...calm down, that's not going to happen. The guy was drunk. We save him, keep him isolated while he recovers and then I tell him that I'll let him off easy if he agrees to leave town. With jail time hanging over his head, he'll be eager to oblige," Emma reasoned.

"Since when is anything ever that simple for us?" Leroy questioned.

"The dwarf does have a valid point," Rumple commented.

"Rumple…" Belle chided.

"She's right...this is a human being we're talking about. Suppose we do the unthinkable and let him die. Do you really think it ends there?" Snow asked, as they were all silent.

"This man could have a wife or partner...he could have children or people that care about him. Do I have to tell you that his death could draw all the wrong people into town?" she questioned.

"She's right...a missing person's case could draw authorities...even FBI. Trust me, we don't want to go there," Emma added.

"Get some coffee quickly and then scrub up, Doctor," David ordered. He put his hands up and walked away, intending to follow orders.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing," Leroy grumbled. Snow sighed and turned in his arms, as he hugged her close.

"I guess we just wait now," David said to her, as he kissed her hair. She hummed in response.

"Yeah...the coffee at the nurse's station is really bad and I know you and Em have all kinds of paperwork to do. Let me run down to the cafeteria and get us some real coffee," she offered. He smiled and pecked her on the lips.

"That'd be great," he agreed. She smiled.

"I'll be back soon," she replied, as she kissed him again and headed for the elevator, as David stayed to deal with this situation.

"Here are the patient's personal effects, Your Highness," the desk nurse addressed him and handed him the clear plastic bag.

"Thank you," he replied, as he took out the wallet.

"ID?" Emma asked. He nodded.

"Greg Mendell. It's a Pennsylvania driver's license," he said, showing it to her.

"He's a ways from home…" she mentioned, as she took out the phone.

"Do you think that's suspicious?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Maybe...but then again he could just be a tourist too or traveling on business. If he was drunk, he could have easily veered off course," she replied.

"Is that what your gut is telling you?" he asked. She sighed.

"No...my gut is telling me to get him the hell out of this town as soon as he's well enough," she replied. He nodded and put his arm around her, as he kissed her hair.

"Everything's going to be fine...you think you can crack into his phone with that thing you do?" he asked. She smiled, still loving her father's general bewilderment when it came to most technology.

"You mean this?" she asked, as she held up a USB device that was attached to her keys and inserted it into the phone. She "did her thing" as he always called it and bypassed the password.

"We're in," she said, as she looked through his photos, which was some scenery and a lot of pictures of food.

"Well...he likes to take pictures of his food," she commented.

"It kind of seems like he's on vacation," David surmised.

"Maybe…" she said, as the phone started ringing and the name on the caller ID simply said "her".

"Her…" he said.

"Could be a girlfriend or wife…" Emma guessed.

"Do we answer it?" he asked.

"And say what? If this is a girlfriend or wife and we tell her that Greg was in an accident, then we have another stranger coming to town," she replied. He nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" he agreed.

"For now, we just wait and hope we can get him to leave when he's well enough," she replied, as she looked at him and then watched him look over toward the elevator.

"Dad?" she questioned and started to get worried when he put a hand to his heart.

"Dad…" she said, a note of panic in her voice.

"Something's wrong…" he uttered.

"Are you in pain?" Emma asked, but he shook his head.

"Not me...something's wrong with your mother. She's in trouble!" he cried, as his blue eyes were wide with fear and he took off running for the elevator. Emma followed him frantically, as he hit the button, but found it unresponsive.

"Why isn't this working?!" he cried, as he slammed his fist on the controls.

"Dad...calm down. Let's take the stairs!" Emma called, as she tugged him along toward the stairwell.

Snow hummed that familiar tune she always did softly, as she waited for the elevator to take her down to the first floor where the cafeteria was. It had been a long night and they were definitely going to need good coffee to get through it. She was a little worried about the presence of this stranger, but confident that Emma could convince him that it was in his best interest to leave sooner rather than later when he was well enough. After all, she would be well within her right as Sheriff to charge him with several crimes and send him out of Storybrooke anyway. If he really was just a tourist or passerby, she was sure he would take the good deal her daughter was prepared to offer. She smiled when she thought about her husband and daughter as the town's law enforcement. Protecting people was hardwired into her husband and their daughter was so much like him that it made her heart swell with pride and love. Charming, despite being raised as a shepherd, had become a natural Knight in their land and she knew that if they had raised Emma in their land, she would have followed in her father's footsteps. Law enforcement was this world's version of that, sort of and so it came as no surprise to her that it was the perfect profession for both of them.

As the numbers ticked down, the elevator suddenly came to a halt. She thought at first it was because someone else was going to get on, but soon realized that it was between floors. She pressed the button for her floor a couple more times, but nothing happened. Sensing that something wasn't quite right, she was about to press the emergency button when the elevator plummeted toward the ground floor. She screamed and fell to the floor of the elevator and feared for her life once the elevator reached the bottom floor at the speed. But she noticed it started to slow slightly and she stood up, as it came to a halt again. The door dinged and opened, as she found herself in the basement hospital ward. She peered out and noticed empty, stark white hallways. She didn't panic, but instead hurried through the halls, hoping to find the exit. But as she rounded the first corner, she bumped into a man.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry…" he said.

"That's okay...can you just point me toward the exit? I need to get back to the first floor," Snow said, with an edge of frantic in her voice.

"Oh, I don't think you're going anywhere, Princess," he said dangerously. Snow looked up at him and though she didn't recognize him, she was sensing something unmistakably sinister from him. She kneed him in the groin and tore away from him, but suddenly found herself frozen in place. The man groaned in pain and stumbled toward her, as Regina appeared before her as well.

"Definitely the daughter of Persephone," Hermes growled.

"Regina…" Snow uttered.

"Why?" she asked tearfully.

"Why?!" Regina growled.

"You have the nerve to ask me why after what your mother did to mine?" she hissed.

"She did it to protect us...even you…" Snow cried, as she struggled to move.

"No...she did it to protect her precious Snow White...it's always about you," Regina countered, as she caressed Snow's fair face, while she struggled to move.

"And the only way to make her pay for what she did is through you," the former Queen added. Snow's eyes flicked to the man beside her.

"Yes...I'm sure you are wondering about my part in this. I am Hermes and I have been sent by Hades for a very specific purpose, Princess," he goaded, as he grabbed her arm.

"Wait…" Regina called, halting him. There was a flash of hope in Snow's eyes at that.

"What do you mean?" Hermes questioned.

"Not here...if I know her husband, he's already felt that something is off and we probably only have minutes before he's tearing this hospital apart," Regina warned.

"How would he know?" Hermes questioned. The former Queen rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Because true love...I don't know how to explain it, but when she bit into my poison apple, he somehow felt it all the way back at my palace. And even if magic does work differently here, he may still get impressions if she's in mortal danger. Let's not take that chance," Regina replied.

"I guess we can relocate to do what needs to be done," he agreed. Snow's eyes were wide with fear.

"Charming!" she called out, as they disappeared in a puff of magical smoke.