AN: See chapter 1 for story notes and summaries.
Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, eventual Swanfire, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)
Please consider leaving a review. Feedback is much appreciated and vital.
Also, feel free to follow me on Tumblr lilacmoon83. In an effort to grow my Snowing fanfiction blog on Tumblr and get more visibility for my writing, I invite anyone following my stories here on to follow me on Tumblr.
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!
I was asked to give a rough estimate of exactly what month/year it is, like I do with Finding You Always. So since it's estimated that the curse was broken in late February 2012 and it's been a few weeks since, it is now early April 2012
Thanks for awesome the reviews. Here are individual responses:
Saberius Prime: Yeah, Hook is helping, even if it is for self preservation. It was a nasty cliffhanger and I teased it, but fortunately David wasn't seriously hurt. Glad you're enjoying it!
Naomi Blue: Yeah, Hades did come through. He seems to have changed. Unfortunately, Eli has changed too and not for the better. I'm weaving a pretty disturbing web, lol. Yeah, that was a big step for Rumple. I hope so too...I hope this is a turning point for Regina.
XxThe-Crest-of-AnubisxX: Yes, Swanfire will be endgame.
Baratta Jennifer: Glad you liked it!
Theinferno1536: Phobos may appear more. It's actually not just the way I write in regards to Leopold. If a lot of people are seeing Leopold like that then there is something there that is making us see him like that. From a woman's perspective, he doesn't come off looking good. It's not just that he married a younger woman(Regina was barely eighteen by the way). It's that we find out later that he once had a relationship with Cora, which means he knew who she was. He knew she was the daughter of his former lover and if that doesn't creep you out, then I seriously question you. Maybe you haven't thought of him as the type to go too far with his daughter, but some of the way he acted around Snow could almost be seen as grooming. Older men do this to young women all the time. Women have a choice now, but they didn't back then. Yes, older men married much younger women back then, because those women didn't have a choice! Their families made those decisions for them! You don't have to agree about Leopold, but please realize this. Please realize that women didn't have the freedom and agency that we do now. That's why Leopold is a creep.
The way he doted on her was not at all in the way David would dote on Emma. Just saying that if people are seeing him as a pedo, there's something to it. Not to mention the whole reading the diary thing. Some people don't think that's a big deal, but it's a huge invasion of privacy, withholding of freedom, and stealing of a woman's agency. That's the just of why people see Leopold as they do.
Number Ten: So far, Hades has come through. No, that didn't happen in this show. But I wanted it to, because I believe that Cora already knew about Daniel and I wanted Regina to finally realize that she should have never blamed her. It's my head canon that Cora already knew and many think so as well. So I made it happen in this story. Yes, Eli has also been warped by revenge. Time will tell if he can come back the way Hades has. Greg and Tamara are where they are supposed to be...for now. :)
mrhawkprime: Yeah, Hades definitely did get the short end of the stick so to speak. It's funny you mention Kronus and Gaia. They may come into play later. :)
izzypirelli: Yeah, just a graze. I would never kill Charming, but it could have been worse. Tamara does have to go...hold onto that thought. You're going to like this chapter. I know, I love when Snow and Charming call each other "baby". It's so cute and sexy, even in a moment like that. Yep, the world needs magical Snowing babies! Lol, that's so true about Tamara. It's funny you mentioned that. With everything going on, no one caught on to Hades' revelation about not being King anymore. Not this chapter, but the next, they might be circling back to that when it's time for introspective. Yes, Eli is very tragic. Time will tell if Eli can come back from revenge like Hades seemingly has. Yeah, Phobos definitely might show up again with his sarcasm and truth bombs again. Eli has accepted Leopold's answer...for now. Yep, Henry is a smart kid. Hopefully Regina will hopefully start realizing that. She can no longer blame Snow and will have to come to terms with everything. Yep, our genius OTP here. I had to keep the part where David punches Hook in the face. Yep, Operation keep Storybrooke from blowing up is on! :)
Dreaming Out Loud
Chapter 71: Sugar, We're Goin' Down
Circe waited at the town line, as two dark vans drove over the line and stopped. Her heeled boots clicked on the pavement, as she approached the first one and the passenger door slid open. From it, emerged a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and ocean blue eyes.
"Do you have everything?" Circe questioned.
"Yes...we're ready. We just need to set up. Do you have it?" the woman asked.
"Do you doubt me, Calypso?" she answered, as she showed the other woman the trigger. The other Goddess smirked.
"Of course not...you've built your own empire and once your powers are returned, it will be the dawn of your very own dynasty right here in the Land Without Magic," she answered.
"And neither Zeus or any of his minions will be able to do anything to stop you," she added.
"Yes...it is imperative that I absorb all Storybrooke's magic. I can't have Persephone, Hades, or Artemis trying to fight me, not to mention the Dark One," Circe stated.
"They're here?" Calypso asked incredulously.
"Yes...Persephone found a way to her daughter. The other two followed," Circe replied.
"Which means Demeter could also be on her way or even Athena," Calypso said worriedly.
"Perhaps, but once all the magic in this spot is mine, they'll have nothing to fight me with, even if they manage to survive the complete implosion of Storybrooke," Circe replied.
"And our operatives that have made all this possible?" she questioned. Circe smirked.
"Your friend Tamara and her little stooge are a bit shell shocked by the truth about our operation. The heroes, as they refer to themselves, have locked them up," Circe informed. Calypso frowned.
"Pity...I truly do see Tamara as a friend…" she mentioned.
"But she only knows you as Cali Barlos, her attorney friend. She may be lost to you now," Circe warned.
"Perhaps...but I know her better than you. I may be able to convince her that what we are doing here is worth her continued loyalty," Calypso responded.
"You may try to convince her...but do not waste too much time. We must activate this trigger at once. I am so close to our goal...we can afford no distractions now," Circe warned. The other woman nodded, as they got into the first van and continued on into town. They parked as near to the mines as they could get and out of the two vans, men and women, armed to the teeth, filed out.
"Keep them busy while we set up," Circe ordered, as her hired mercenaries descended into town.
"What are you thinking?" Greg muttered, as they sat alone in their cells.
"That even though our leader may not want to destroy magic...our cause is still just. This is just more proof at the disease magic is," Tamara lamented. He sighed.
"I thought that too...but maybe they were right. We were foolish to blindly follow. They took me in though...gave me hope that I would find my father. And it's all a lie," he said bitterly.
"You still want them to pay," she surmised.
"And you don't?" he questioned.
"Of course...but you heard the leader. She's not going to destroy magic. She's going to use it to infect the entire world," Tamara spat.
"And you can still be a part of that greatness, my friend," a voice said, as they looked up to see Tamara's friend, the attorney, Cali Barlos.
"Cali...you came," she said.
"Of course...the time has come for our objective to be realized," she replied. Tamara frowned.
"Don't tell me you knew…" Tamara accused.
"You did...all this time, you knew the real objective and you didn't tell me?!" she exclaimed.
"You weren't ready to hear the truth," Cali replied.
"Who are you really?" Tamara questioned.
"That doesn't matter...I'm your friend and I don't want to see anything happen to you," she said.
"Are you like all these people? Are you from there too?" she questioned.
"Yes...but I want all of them to pay as much as you do. You have no idea what it was like for me there," she said. Tamara looked at her curiously.
"What is your real name?" she questioned.
"I am Calypso...daughter of the Titan Atlas and for supporting him in the Titan's war with the Gods, I was cursed to remain on the island of Ogygia for eternity," she explained. Greg raised an eyebrow.
"Then how are you here?" he asked. She looked at him.
"I escaped...thanks to Circe. She recruited me to her cause when she knew they were going to banish her and steal her magic. She rescued me from a lonely and cruel existence," she mentioned.
"Men...heroes mostly, would land on my island. I would nurse them back to health, fall for them and they would return my affection...for a time. Then ultimately, they would leave me behind, heartbroken," she continued.
"Naturally, I tried not falling for them after a while, but heroic men were truly a weakness for me and most of them had no qualms about using me," she added. Tamara snorted.
"That explains why you go through men the way you do," she commented, but it was ignored.
"But Circe rescued me and gave me purpose...and that purpose is finally about to be fulfilled. We will have our revenge and you can rejoin us," she offered.
"How can I? It's all lie!" Tamara shouted.
"No...the goal is still the same. Those that wield magic will pay...all of them," she said.
"Including the Queen?" Greg asked. Cali smirked.
"Especially her...swear your loyalty to Circe and I'm sure she'll even spare her just so you can kill her yourself," she replied. Greg looked at Tamara.
"You can't be seriously considering this!" she hissed.
"It's either that or we die...and this won't be dying for our cause. This will just be dying for nothing," he argued. She sighed.
"I understand your skepticism and I know how much you loathe magic. In many ways, I do too. The Gods cursed me and trapped me with magic. They cursed me to fall in love and have my heartbroken a thousand times. But they can only be made to pay by giving them a dose of their own magic...and that is what Circe will do," she said. Tamara was silent for a moment.
"Fine...we're in. Can you get us out of here?" she asked. Calypso smiled and used one of their electrically charged devices to melt the locks on the cells.
"Let's go...it's time we all embrace our destinies," she said, as they followed her.
August drove over the town line, speeding toward town proper with his passengers.
"Do you think we managed to beat them here?" August asked, as there was suddenly a rumble beneath the ground and he gripped the steering wheel hard, trying to keep control of the vehicle.
"What the hell was that?" he asked, as the brakes screeched, as he came to a stop in one of the alleyways.
"It's your answer," Mushu replied, as they got out of the vehicle. The ground beneath them shuddered again and cracked. August watched in disbelief, as roots sprouted up in the concrete and greenery started to cover the sides of the building they were next to.
"It's happening...she's activated the trigger!" Hecate exclaimed.
"You mean that's it? We're too late?" August questioned.
"I'm not sure if there is a way to stop it, but we have to try," she said. The other two agreed, as they took off to find the source.
They made it past Main street and to the alley by the Cannery when they felt the first shudder. They stopped running and watched the ground beneath them split, as tree roots sprouted up. The Cannery building was suddenly thick with forest brush and overgrowth.
"What was that?" Snow asked.
"It's already started," Persephone replied.
"Then we're too late?" David asked.
"Not yet...we can at least try to stop this," Hades answered, as they continued on. David gripped Snow's hand, as they ran and then caught her, as a particularly violent shudder rumbled beneath them. He held her close, as there was another loud crack in the ground before them.
"Do you feel that?" Regina asked.
"Feel what?" Emma asked, as she reached out with magic like she had been taught. But she couldn't feel much.
"The magic...it's being sucked out of the air," he said, as he tried to use a fireball, but it fizzled.
"We need to hurry," Persephone realized, as they started off toward the mines again, only for two black vans to screech to a halt before them, cutting them off.
"What the hell?" Emma questioned, as armed people filed out of the vans and she counted almost of dozen. They had automatic weapons and the same type of taser like guns that Circe had used on her father and Persephone.
"Let me guess...the Home Office," David surmised.
"More of her followers...how deep does this thing go?" Persephone asked her husband. But someone else beat him to the answer.
"Much deeper than you imagine," a woman said.
"Who the hell are you?" Regina questioned.
"August?" Emma called, as she saw him.
"Where the hell have you been?" Neal asked crossly.
"Later...just know that I brought help. They are Circe's parents," August replied.
"You are both a little late...your daughter has already done the damage," Hades said.
"That's funny coming from you…" the Dragon countered, as they glared at each other.
"This is no time to fight amongst ourselves. We have a much bigger problem in front of us and limited magic to deal with it," Persephone reminded.
"An army of outsiders in Storybrooke...this just keeps getting better," Emma lamented, as she tried her magic again. This time, a ball of white energy appeared in her hand and she launched it at the foes. It struck one of the vans, causing it to explode in flames. Neal covered himself and Henry, as he looked on in disbelief.
"Whoa…" he said, as he looked at her in surprise. Her eyes were as wide as his were.
"It's harder to use now that it's being sucked out of the air...but magic is still here. You just have to dig deeper," Hades said, as he tried to summon his own sky blue fire.
"Why is Emma having less trouble than the rest of you?" Neal asked to his father, as fire appeared in his hands.
"Because she is born of magic...she's a complete natural, whether she realizes it or not," Rumple answered, as he guns were pointed at him and Belle. He guarded her and disarmed two of the mercenaries of their weapons. Finally, these faceless people showed some sort of human reaction, as one stepped forward, removing his helmet.
"Stand down...our weapons are more than capable of dealing with your kind," the very large, imposing man stated.
"We're people...just like you. Yet you're here threatening us with bodily harm...because what? You don't like where we come from?" David asked angrily. The man looked at him.
"I was once like you...the hero. I served my country in the armed forces and thus saw many things unexplainable in this world. But there are always people waiting to exploit things like that and they become a great threat. Power such as that cannot be trusted in the hands of mere mortals," he said.
"Are you hearing yourself? You're turning the power you're talking about over to someone who wants to ruin everything," Persephone argued. He scoffed.
"Look around at this world! There is already ruin. There is already war, killing, disease, and not enough resources. She's going to fix everything...she will bring peace," he stated.
"You say peace...but I don't think our definitions of peace are the same," Snow countered. He smirked.
"Those who do not understand will be made to," he offered.
"There it is…" Jefferson quipped. There was another violent shudder beneath them and they saw vines crack through the clock tower and wrap around it.
"We're running out of time!" Persephone cried. Regina managed a fireball and launched it at two of them, as David rushed them with his sword. They were disarmed, but the leader got at him from behind, wrapping a brawny hand around the prince's neck. But he soon cried out, as he found an arrow in his side.
"Get your hands off my husband or the next one goes in your eye," she threatened, as he became more concerned about his wound and David wrenched away, before he took Snow's hand and they all hurried toward the mines, even as they were chased by Circe's mercenaries. The invaders fired their weapons and explosions of variously colored magic intercepted any of the blasts, as they continued to run.
"It's just ahead," Calypso said, as they met Circe in the mouth of the cave mines.
"Well...I see you've come to your senses and decided to rejoin the right side," she mentioned, eyeing the two inept charges that had somehow been the ones to lead her to everything she wanted.
"Magic is still evil...I believe that with all my heart," Tamara refuted. Circe smirked.
"You feel that for now, because that is what I needed you to feel. Soon...you'll see how great things can be when magic is used correctly. It can be the answer to all the problems in this world," Circe offered, as she took the diamond out of her pocket.
"Mr. Mendell...would you like to do the honors and welcome the dawn of a new age?" she asked, as she handed the dwarf axe to him. He swallowed thickly and tapped the diamond with the tip. It began to glow a deep, cobalt color and power emanated from it, as the ground shuddered beneath them. It spun rapid, as it began to suck in all the magic and revert the town back to what it once was.
"It has begun at last…" Circe said, with a pleased smirk.
"No!" Persephone cried, as they arrived, but she cackled.
"You're too late...Your Majesty. Soon...you'll be returned to the Underworld with your dear husband. But this time...you two will be dead like the rest of the souls there, along with your perfect little family and all their friends," she goaded.
"Mother...please tell me we can stop this," Snow said. Persephone lowered her head.
"I...I don't know, but we'll try, snowdrop," she replied, as she hugged her fiercely.
"It's getting hard to breathe," Emma mentioned.
"That's the magic being sucked out of the air...it's reaching a critical point. If we are to fight this...we must do it now," Rumple said.
"Not so fast…" Circe chided, as she stood in their way.
"Daughter please...do not do this," the Dragon pleaded.
"Save your words of wisdom, old man. They didn't soothe me back then when the Gods banished me and they will not work now," she hissed back.
"Circe…" Hecate started to say, but the witch absorbed a bit of the magic that the machinery was absorbing into her fingertips and blasted Hecate at point blank. The Goddess screamed and everyone present watched in pure horror, as she was turned to ash. The Dragon fell to his knees and filled his hands with the remains of the woman he once loved.
"Time to join her...father," Circe said, as he stared up at her. But Hades blasted her with blue fire. She cackled though, as she met him with her own magic.
"I need help!" he cried. Persephone's lavender magic joined him in his battle and Gold poured everything he had into it as well.
"It's up to you two...you have to stop that trigger…" Gold growled, as he struggled against Circe.
"I don't know if I can…" Regina cried.
"We have to try...alone, it's useless. But together...we have to do this. For Henry," Emma said, as Greg and Tamara stood in their way.
"You're not stopping this," she said, as she pulled a gun and Greg gripped the axe. David realized that the situation was incredibly grim and he gripped Snow's hand, before fishing a bean out of his pocket.
"Neal...get Henry out of here," he said, as he put the bean in his hand.
"What? I'm not leaving all of you!" he protested.
"You have to! If this goes bad, you need to protect Henry. Get back to town and get yourselves and as many people as you can through a portal back to the Enchanted Forest," David insisted, as he looked at Jefferson.
"Get Grace and Amy and go with them," he added.
"But what about all of you?" Neal questioned.
"We have another bean...we'll make it out. But if we don't...Henry will be safe and he won't be alone!" David said.
"Bae...do it. Go and take Belle!" Rumple urged.
"I'm not leaving you!" Belle protested.
"Belle...please go!" he cried.
"Come on lass...you don't have to tell me twice," Hook said, as he intended to flee with them. Belle wrenched away from him and tears streamed down her cheeks, as she took Henry's other hand and they hurried out of the mine. Tamara turned, intending to shoot at them, but David rushed her and they fought for the gun. She slipped and fell, cracking her head on a rock on the way down, as he pulled the gun from her hands.
"Tamara!" Greg cried, as he knelt down beside her. She hissed in pain, as she stood up with his help and he poised the axe at the Prince.
"You could have killed her!" he cried.
"She pointed a gun at our grandson...she's lucky to still be alive," Snow countered, as she trained an arrow on them both.
"I don't suppose I can talk to you into leaving with Neal and the others," he muttered to her.
"I'm not leaving you," she responded fiercely. He smirked.
"Then I guess we do this together," he said. She smirked and aimed the arrow.
"Together," she agreed, as she fired an arrow at Tamara, who dodged and growled, as she tried to get her hands around Snow's neck. But the Princess kicked her back and belted her over the head with her bow. Tamara glared up at her and dabbed the blood from her nose.
"I gotta say...you're definitely nothing like the movie version," she mentioned.
"Clearly," Snow replied, with an eye roll, as she evaded the charging woman again and punched her in the face.
"That's for shooting my husband," she hissed.
"It was a graze," Tamara corrected, but received another punch.
"You drew blood and now I spill yours," Snow said savagely, as she kicked her away.
David caught the blow, as Greg tried to swing it down on him and struggled with the other man.
"Why are you still doing this? The woman you follow...she won't hesitate to kill any of us, including you!" David growled.
"At least I know I'll be taking this whole damn town with me!" he growled.
"It ruined my life! The minute it sprouted up from the forest, it destroyed everything!" Greg cried.
"And killing all of us will never bring you peace," David countered.
"Yes...it will," Greg insisted, as he kneed David in the gut, but the prince countered with a punch to his face. He slammed Greg against the rock wall and wrestled the axe away from him, before punching him again. Greg growled and rushed David, as they went rolling to the ground.
Regina and Emma poured their magic into the trigger, trying to slow it and hopefully stop it.
"I don't know how much longer we can contain this," Regina mentioned tearfully. Emma looked at her and then back at her parents, who were fighting with Greg and Tamara. And then at Hades, Persephone, and Gold, who were all struggling to hold Circe back. None of it was looking good, but she had to trust that Henry was safe. That was what mattered most.
"We can't give up...we have to stop this," Emma encouraged.
"At least Henry will be safe…" Regina said.
"Stop giving up! You caused this and now you're going to help me fix it!" Emma said harshly.
"Do this for Henry or he loses all of us!" Emma cried, sobering the former Queen, as she returned to pouring her magic into the trigger in earnest.
"Fools...you won't stop me! I've waited far too long for this moment!" she growled, as she absorbed more of the magic from the machines and used it against them.
"We can't keep this up much longer...they need to stop that trigger," Gold growled.
"We just need to hold out a bit longer...they'll do it," Persephone said. Hades was quiet, as he realized the possibility of returning to the Underworld and what that would mean for him now. With a spark of rage, he dug deeply and poured more into beam of power. Persephone glanced at Emma and Regina, as she saw the latter beginning to fight in earnest.
"It's working...just a little longer," she urged.
"NO!" Circe cried, as she felt the magic being sucked away.
Snow growled and struggled, as Tamara managed to get her hands around the raven haired beauty's neck.
"Let's see...I'd say it will take about sixty seconds without air and that brat inside you will start to die. I think I'll enjoy watching your eyes when you lose your second child...like you lost the first," she hissed. Snow's hand searched the ground and found something hard. Without hesitation, she bashed Tamara in the skull with the rock and gasped for air, as she threw her off.
"SNOW!" David cried, as he punched Greg again and threw him off, before scrambling to her side. He cupped her face in his hands, as she breathed heavily.
"I'm okay...we're okay…" she promised. He sighed in relief and kissed her forehead, before pillowing her against his chest. He held her and she relished his hold, as they watched the spectacular light show before them.
Tamara growled and got up, even as blood poured from a serious head wound.
"You little bitch…" she growled, as she grabbed one of the ray guns and pointed it at Snow, intending to kill her. David blocked her way and put himself in front of his beloved.
"If I have to kill you to get to her...then so be it. Goodbye Prince Charming," she leered, as she prepared to pull the trigger. Snow screamed for him, knowing that the blast at point blank range would kill him and possibly her too. But she didn't get the chance, as August stepped in front of him.
"If anyone is going to die today...it's going to be me," he stated.
"August!" Snow cried, as he turned his head to her.
"It's time to be brave...I owe you both everything, you know. I escaped the curse, but it should have been both you. I failed Emma...I'm sorry. But I'm not going to let her lose you both again," August said.
"You two are great parents...she's lucky to have you both and so will that new baby," he added, as he prepared to sacrifice himself.
"Don't do this...we would never want you to sacrifice yourself for us," David called.
"I know...that's why I'm doing this. Too many people need you," he replied.
"And they need you too, August. It is not your day to die," the Dragon said, as he looked at David and the Prince nodded, as he caught the axe as Mushu tossed it to him. Immediately, he hurled the axe into the machine. He pulled August down and then covered Snow with his body, as it exploded in a brilliant, fiery display. Tamara screamed, as she was caught in the blast and she was electrocuted by the exploding equipment. Circe screamed in rage, as the trigger was stopped and bowled the rest of them over with a blue shock wave.
Neal hurried Henry along, as they arrived at the diner. Most of the town was gathered there and he hesitated slightly, as he looked back.
"Neal...we can't wait. We have to make sure everyone gets to safety," Belle reasoned. Neal nodded and pulled out the bean. Just as he was about to toss it to the ground and open a portal, the shuddering in the town ceased. They looked around and it was Henry that pointed it out first.
"Look!" he called, as they watched the vines recede from the clock tower. Magic returned and sealed the cracks in the ground. The roots and greenery receded from the rest of the buildings as well and everything returned to normal.
"They did it!" Henry called. Neal laughed and scooped him up in a hug. Belle sighed in relief too.
"Come on...let's go back," he said. She nodded and followed him, as Archie, Granny, Marco, and Red also followed along. Curiously Hook tagged along as well, for he wanted to see how they had actually managed such a feat.
David groaned, as he pulled himself up and looked around and helped Snow sit up.
"Emma?" he called, as she sat up too.
"Did we stop it?" she asked.
"I...I think so. I think it's over," he said, with hope in his voice. They heard an anguished cry and witnessed Circe, crumpled on her knees before them. Her hands and arms had third degree burns and she tried in vain to use magic. But once again, her punishment was returned and magic refused her call.
"You're powerless again...we're safe," Persephone said in relief, as she crawled over to her family and the four of them exchanged hugs.
"Hey...August…" Emma called, as she gently smacked his cheek. He groaned and sat up.
"Are we dead?" he asked. She chuckled.
"You don't get off that easily," she joked and then surprised him by hugging him.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?" he asked.
"I heard what you were going to do...you were willing to sacrifice yourself to save my parents," she replied. He shook his head.
"I wasn't about to let another child grow up without their parents if I could help it," he told her. She smiled, as they all managed to get to their feet.
"Are you okay?" Snow asked Regina. The other woman looked up at her and for the first time in years, it was without disdain or hatred in her eyes.
"Yes…" she answered simply, as an awkward silence passed between them. But any discussion was interrupted, as Greg Mendell cried out in anguish. They soon saw why, as they witnessed him kneeling beside Tamara's body. The woman's eyes were frozen open in death and she was badly burned, though it was likely that electrocution had been the cause of death.
"You killed her!" he cried. Emma took out a pair of cuffs.
"She did this to herself," she answered simply, as her father cuffed Circe.
"You idiots really think this is over?! You have no idea what I still have in store for you!" she threatened, as they all emerged from the mouth of the cave.
"Moms!" Henry called, as he rushed to them both. Emma and Regina found themselves side by side, hugging him together, even as thick as the awkwardness was between them.
"We'll haul them back to the station," Leroy said gruffly, as he and the other dwarves marched Greg, Circe, and Calypso, who also had no choice but to surrender, away. But the devious smirk on Circe's face was not missed.
"You really think this is over? I may not have magic...but I have a backup plan. Get ready for the dawn of a new era, Storybrooke!" she called.
"What the hell does that mean?" Emma wondered, as they watched her go and an ominous feeling settled over them. Snow looked at her husband and he met her gaze, before looking at their daughter.
"I don't know...but we'll face it together," David said, as pressed a gentle kiss to Snow's lips, before they went about the task of rounding up Circe's mercenaries. Their next task would be finding a place to confine all of them, for the Sheriff's station jail wasn't big enough. For now, the basement ward of the hospital would have to do to imprison these dangerous radicals...