Chapter 2: Before the Metamorphosis

Ontario, Canada

Everyone had arrived at Bo and Kenzi's place at the crack of dawn to get ready to leave for their road trip. Kenzi had bought a Cadillac Escalade to seat everyone more comfortably and for more storage for their luggage. It was parked out front of their house and everyone was loading up their luggage; for they hadn't given a specific time frame on how long their wandering trip would be.

They had decided to make their way down the East coast of the United States, none of them had really ever spent a lot of time in the United States recently, if ever and they thought it would be a good experience for all of them but, especially Dabny.

After everyone had loaded their luggage, they all climbed into the SUV and Kenzi said, "Is everyone ready for the road trip of their lifetime!"

The passengers just shrugged as if they weren't excited. But, Kenzi knew that they all were. They were just a subdued bunch and even though they never said it, they appreciated her enthusiasm.

"I made a playlist for this trip. Our first vacation as a family!" Kenzi shouted as she began the playlist for the road trip.

"Yay!" Dabny replied less than enthusiastically.

"Where to first?" Kenzi added ignored Dabny's smart-alecky response.

"Let's go to LA first and then fly to the East Coast and make our way down the coast." Bo suggested.

"Good idea. Bo, Bo." Kenzi chirped.

"Anyone opposed to the plan?" Kenzi asked?

"What about passports and licenses?" Dyson asked.

"Those are already taken care of." Kenzi said beckoning towards Bo to reach in the glove compartment.

Bo opened the glove compartment and pulled out a thick manila envelope, she opened the envelope and saw passports and identification for everyone. She handed them out individually to everyone and sat back to enjoy the ride. They weren't that far from LA. She was happy that Kenzi had come back, right in the nick of time to help save everyone from themselves.

This gave Tamsin and Dabny time to reconnect, it gave herself time to get over her heartbreak, hopefully Kenzi would have a couple of flings along the way since she hadn't dated anyone since Hale, and Dyson needed to stop brooding and to have some fun.

"I say first LA, next Vegas, and then we fly to the East Coast. Everyone here needs to have some fun." Bo said.

Tamsin laughed, "I agree and this coming from the person resurrected from the dead. You people are depressing. Yes, responsibilities and all of that are important and I intend to take care of mine." She said turning to Dabny.

"That still doesn't mean you can't have fun and enjoy life. It doesn't last forever. Trust me I know."

"You weren't all full of sunshine and rays before you died the last time. Let's not pretend." Bo replied.

Tamsin chuckled, "I know, and I probably never will be. But, let's just have some fun while it's quiet. You know we are always thwarting world ending danger. It might never come again."

Dyson grunted in agreement, Bo acquiesced, Dabny looked at her mom and smiled, and Kenzi clapped her hands.

This was the beginning of the journey that they would have never expected.

Storybrooke, Maine

Regina had ruminated over what Emma had said for the past week. That Hope was her child and not Hooks. It changed things but, it didn't much seeing as how Emma was still with that insipid pirate. However, Regina had a plan and she was about to execute that plan. It seems as if people had forgotten who she was. No, she wasn't about to go on a killing spree but, she would channel some of her inner deviousness.

Regina picked up the phone to call Emma it rang once before she picked up, "Hello." Emma said tepidly.

"Mrs. Swan. You are needed in my office immediately." Regina said and hung up the phone.

Regina smirked to herself as she knew Emma was terrified of her reaction after she had told her the news, so she had let her stew for a week. Regina was upset with Emma for not telling her sooner, but she could emphasize with her and understand where she was coming from, at least Emma had the courage to tell her before Hope was too old. Hope, she didn't like that name, it represented the whole Charming family and their hope brigade. She would see to it that at least Hope's name was changed to reflect that she was a Mills and not a Jones.

That her child would not carry the name of the pirate that had her tortured. She never understood how Emma could be with her after that and still claim that they were best friends, but she buried that anger because what good would it have done. She was supposed to have been a "hero" now, she preferred the term anti-hero. It suited her quite nicely. Regina was never going to play by the same rules as the so-called heroes but, she would still do the right thing for her children's sake, after all she was almost to half of a soccer team of children and she secretly loved it. She didn't mind that she would never carry a child but, the knowledge that she could still create them left her feeling a joy she hadn't felt in a long time.

It had only been ten minutes before Regina heard a quiet knock on her door.

"Come in." Regina said.

Emma walked in slowly, looking around to see if it was a trap. Regina rolled her eyes.

"I didn't set a trap for you and I do not wish to harm you. I only want to speak to you." Regina said.

Emma relaxed ever so slightly still unsure of Regina's motives. After all, she knew the woman and wouldn't take what she had been told without some sort of repercussion.

Regina gestured for Emma to sit down and Emma slid into the chair slowly and carefully, for all she knew Regina might have rigged some sort of bomb to it.

Regina hid a smirk as she lifted her mug to her lips and took a drink of coffee, once she set it down, she sat back in her chair and looked at Emma as she was fidgeting in her chair. She waited a full five minutes before she spoke.

"Emma would you care to explain about the circumstances that we find ourselves in?" Regina said coolly.

Emma looked up at Regina, she really studied her face, she couldn't find any anger or irritation because those were faces, she was all too familiar with.

"Umm…well, you know that night we shared when Hook and I were thinking about divorce and we had drinks and ummm…you know what happened. I believe that's when Hope was conceived."

Regina raises an eyebrow at Emma and responds, "Let me understand this clearly Mrs. Swan. This was approximately a year and a half ago and you are only finding this information pertinent to me now. Why now?"

Emma was fidgeting and didn't really have a good response, "Regina, I don't know. Maybe because the baby fuckin looks like you and is starting to show that she has magic and the magic signature is purple and white. It kind of seemed obvious to me at that point, not to mention that she is beginning to look a lot like you, and I'm sure Hook has noticed although he doesn't say anything."

"Hope, what an awful name for a child. She is using magic already?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded her head, "It just began a few weeks ago. I was feeding her, and she ran out of cinnamon apples and the jar kept refilling until she was hungry."

Regina couldn't help but look smug. Her daughter, their child was showing a natural gift for magic at such a young age.

"What do you intend to tell the pirate?" Regina questioned.

"I don't know Regina things haven't been good for a long time."

"I can tell by your wardrobe." Regina said smugly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You figure it out. Until then I expect more time with Hope. I won't miss seeing another child of mine growing up. You also better determine what you are going to tell Hook because I won't wait long until I begin telling other's that Hope is mine. I will not, I repeat will not have that dirty pirate who handed me over to be tortured claiming my child as his own." Regina exclaimed.

Emma didn't know how to respond to that she supposed she had forgot about Hook handing Regina over to Tamara and Greg to be tortured. There had been one thing after another since that happened and Regina never addressed it after that. Emma nodded her head, stood up, and walked out of the office. She had a lot to think about, the primary issue being how to tell Hook that Regina was Hope's mother.

Emma had hoped that Hook was Hope's father and not because she loved him so much but, because she didn't want to disappoint everyone. They supposedly had true love but, it didn't feel how it should. When they were in the Underworld, they had proved their true love however, now she wasn't so sure that was the truth or something Hades told them as a trap. Everyone else had proved their love with true love's kiss and Hook and she had proved it with some weight and scales shit in the Underworld. It never felt right and it still didn't feel right.

Las Vegas, NV

Bo, Kenzi, Tamsin, Dyson, and Dabny had just left LA and were headed to Vegas next. They boarded a private plane to Vegas.

"Sin City here we come!" Kenzi exclaimed as they got seated on the plane to head to Vegas.

Bo laughed, "Maybe, we can get you laid while we are there."

Kenzi scoffed, "I am not like you Bo-Bo. I need to date, have a little romance, fall in like at least like before I give them the goods."

"I know Kenz, I just want you to be happy. "

"I am happy. I'm happy here with you and our family."

"Alright buckle up people! 1 hour until we are in Vegas baby." Kenzi yelled at everyone.

Kenzi had always been the one to rile the team up but, since she had left to raise Dabny she had turned into the fun Mom, that embarrassed everyone but, she was still herself, supportive, and very fun.

Dyson groaned he hadn't been on an airplane in his hundreds of years of existence. Tamsin smirked at her daughter and they all buckled up for they knew what Vegas had to offer a group like them was only trouble.

The crew landed within an hour to Vegas and headed to their hotel where Kenzi had booked them a suite at The Venetian. They had taken a limo from the airport hangar to their hotel, it was the best option to accommodate all of them.

They all arrived at the hotel and stared around in awe. It was beautiful. Bo was taking in the scenery and then noticed all the beautiful men and women that surrounded them. She was getting hungry. Women and men walking around in their best dressed, a lot of women with skimpy outfits and men in some of their best dressed clothing.

Dyson noticed Bo's reaction and walked over to her and whispered, "We should take care of that before we leave the room. We don't want to cause a scene or have any accidents."

Bo nodded her head in agreement. Kenzi checked them in and they walked to their room. Kenzi had not just gotten them a suite, she had splurged for the Chairman suite that had four bedrooms and was 7,900 square feet. It was bigger than their house, three or four of their houses could probably fit into the size of this suite. When they walked in there was a double entrance with Italian marble, a waterfall feature, a living room with a piano, a bar, a desk, a flat screen TV. As they went to explore further, they noticed the that each bedroom had seating areas separated from the dining and living room, jetted hot tubs, a theater room, steam room, and gym.

They all met back in the living room once they were finished exploring the massive suite. It was decided that Dabny and Tamsin would share so that they could have bonding time. Bo, Kenzi, and Dyson would each have their own room. They decided to unwind and meet in the living area in an hour.

Once they all retreated to their rooms, Bo left her room and went to find Dyson. She knew she needed to have herself under control before they left the room and she immersed herself in the general population of Las Vegas. She knew that the Fae community had a leader and presence throughout the United States and throughout the world but, she wasn't in the mood to get on anyone's radar.

Bo quenched her thirst with Dyson in enough time to sneak back to her room, shower, and change before it was time to meet back with everyone.

Bo came out of her room ready to go. "Alright, who's ready to see Vegas?"

"Someone's pretty preppy." Tamsin commented knowingly.

Bo ignored it and they all left the room. They stayed in Vegas three days touring everything, they went to the Stratosphere, hit all the casinos, rode the Monorail, went to the Miracle Mile shops. They had a blast and made a lot of memories, of course Bo didn't just stick to feeding from Dyson she had entertained a few men and women along the way, enough to keep her satisfied for the next few days. The crew picked up a lot of mementos and took hundreds of pictures.

Dyson even appeared like he had a good time. Tamsin and Dabny spent a lot of time bonding together and it was good for the rest of the group to see. Tamsin was drunk the entire time but, she still never left Dabny's side.

When it was time to leave, they boarded another private plane. Bo still feeling the extra pick-up from her small feast in Vegas boarded the plane and sat down across from Kenzi.

"NYC here we come! Whoo." Bo exclaimed.

Kenzi rolled her eyes before a grin burst across her face. She had really missed Bo and their time together. The sad moments of missing Hale were still there but, they weren't as soul crushing. She needed this vacation just as everyone else needed it. She felt like she was almost ready to move on, stop grieving Hale, and to open her heart to love again.

StoryBrooke, Maine

Regina was in her kitchen preparing Sunday dinner. It had become a tradition; everyone would come to Regina's house. By everyone, she even meant the Charming clan, Snow and David. She had begun to tolerate them more only because she loved Neal so much. Although, this toleration of hers didn't stop the snide comments. Usually, it was Henry, Jacinda, Lucy, Henry Jr., Emma, Hope, Snow, David, Neal, Zelena, Robyn, Alice, Lily, and Maleficent. She loved having a houseful of people and she got to spend time with her children. She didn't mind that cooking for a houseful of people took most of the day. She had forbidden Snow from bringing food because she couldn't cook. Mal wasn't to bring food either because what she thought of cooked meat was charring it to a blaze. So, she settled on cooking the entire feast herself every Sunday. She could have magicked up the feast but, she felt like that was cheating.

She had settled into cooking when her phone rang and who was it none other than Emma Swan. Regina sighed and picked up the phone, she wasn't mad at her she was just tired of her taking her time to figure out what she wanted. It had been years now and they had been in this little dance for far too long.

"Hello." Emma said into the phone.

"Hello, Mrs. Swan."

"Well, umm…I just wanted to make sure that I was still invited to dinner today."

Regina shook her head although Emma couldn't see it, "Of course you are Mrs. Swan. When else would I get to see my daughter? Have you made arrangements yet for me to see her more?"

Emma sighed, "Not yet. Please give me until the end of the week. I'm working on it. I promise."

Regina knew that there was nothing she could do short of using magic to speed the situation along and that wasn't something she would do in this case.

"Okay, Emma. See you later." She said exasperated and hung up the phone.

Emma looked at the phone after the call ended, had Regina just called her Emma? Emma knew she needed to tell Hook but, she wasn't sure how. She knew he had already suspected but, she just didn't want to fight with him. He was good at making her feel guilty and like she needed to give more to their relationship. She was at the point to where she had given enough. She should have never let it get this far, especially after they were both the Dark One and the way that he treated her. However, she had just continued thinking that she deserved that type of treatment and she didn't want to disappoint anyone. Emma decided that she would tell Hook in the next day or two. She knew he had been cheating on her for a long while, it was just another battle she had avoided.

New York, NY

When the crew landed in New York they went to their hotel at The Knickerbacker, they group went in and checked into their suite. It was nice but, not as nice as the one they had in Las Vegas. But, no one was complaining about it was still miles nicer than where they lived at home.

The group put down their luggage, Bo fed from Dyson, they explored New York City for the next few days, they visited Times Square, the Diamond District, China town, they experienced the nightlife, and made many great memories together. Memories that none of them would ever forget. They got moments and made sure to take plenty of photos together. After they left New York they were going to make their way down the Eastern seaboard by car until they made it to Florida.

The group had stayed in NYC for four days before they decided it was time to continue their travels. They figured they would make their way to the coast, Maine and then start beginning to make their way down the Eastern seaboard.

They had decided it would be better for them to buy a car in case they wanted to travel back to Canada by car and they didn't want to draw too much attention to themselves, they paid cash for things when they could. They were always aware that there might be potential danger for them as they embarked on their vacation.

They made their way to Maine and got lost when, it appeared to be nothing but woods and no surrounding town near. It was when they saw a sign that said StoryBrooke, Maine that wasn't on any map or GPS that they could find, that little did they know that their lives were about to change forever.

StoryBrooke, Maine

Regina was asleep when she jumped up from her bed at the recognition of unique magical signatures that had just crossed the town lines.

She fumbled for her phone and called Emma, "Meet me at the town center. We have unexpected visitors."