A Fury From The Deep, A Zipperhead, a Psychic Lion and a Baby Cookie Monster

Author Notes: For those of you reading CJ's The Heart of Everything there are more massive spoilers in these coming chapters.

Storybrooke Five

"A MONSTER!" Leroy bellowed from the docks.

"No shit Sherlock," grumbled his Nonestica counterpart as a creature with six enormous serpent heads with three rows of the fangs of a shark on each head rose from the depths. Rhea quickly cast protection spells on the Pearl and their allied vessels, praying they would hold against one of the most fearsome beasts created by the sea god Poseidon to destroy the enemies of the Greek gods.

"Rhea love, any ideas on how the hell we can beat that bloody thing?" Jack inquired of her.

"Poseidon's trident," she replied.

"Any idea where it could be?"

She smiled. "Possibly with the one person who still owes my brother a favor."

Loki cursed angrily in Norse. "As if today couldn't get any worse, we have this bitch polluting the waters. Great grandson darling, that favor a certain sea goddess owes you…might I suggest you ask her to repay it please?"

"You need Poseidon's Trident," they heard Rum Strogoff say as he monitored them through his seeing globe in Florida. "And Ursula, or as we know her, Calypso, is the only one who can talk her father into parting with it for a day. Just pray her other half doesn't show up or your day could get much worse dearies."

Rumple groaned. "You don't mean…?"

"Aye. Charybdis. You see a whirlpool in that sea, you know it's coming."

Suddenly a large whirlpool began to form in the sea and the captains of all the vessels took the helms to steer the ships away from it only to find themselves sailing directly into Scyllas's path.

Meanwhile in the town Zorinda's zombie was slowly being defeated as new arrivals began teleporting in from different realms including a Seattle Police department squad car with its lights flashing. The Emmas and Baes were shocked to see yet another version of Rumple dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a brown leather jacket get out of the car with a Captain Hook at his side.

"Bloody hell, Weaver! Zombies! It's not Halloween yet!"

"Rogers, will you shut up and shoot dammit!"

"Why do I put up with you?"

"Because I basically raised your ass and saved it more times than I can count," the Rumple known as Weaver retorted before he blew a hole in a zombie's forehead.

"What the hell is HE doin here?" Jimmy demanded when he approached them with Miri at his side. "That's Captain Hook!"

Rogers scowled. "Captain Hook was my sperm donor and that's all. My name is Killian Jones Junior, but I prefer my cursed name of Killian Rogers."

"Rogers is cool even if he is a pain in my ass," said Weaver.

"You're a pain in mine," Rogers said and shot two zombies sneaking up behind Miri and Jimmy. "Oh hell…I TOLD her to stay back in Seattle!"

Suddenly a yellow truck with the words Rollin Bayou sped past them and a group of women jumped out including another Zelena, Regina, one carrying a bow and quiver of arrows, two with swords, and one that blasted several zombies back with magic.

"Kelly and Roni Weaver! I told ye to stay out of this!" Weaver yelled at the Zelena and Regina counterparts, his twin daughters by his world's Cora. Zelena had changed her name to Kelly while Regina's new name was Roni.

Kelly was dressed in army gear carrying a gun and Roni held a baseball bat.

"Did you really think we'd let you fight alone Papa?" Roni asked him and started bashing a zombie. "Belle, Bae and Gid are on their way."

"Ye never listen to me, any of ye!"

"Whoa….I think the zombies are gonna explode from confusion," Bae joked. Emma glared at him and reloaded her gun.

"Just shut up and start bashing brains in Gold! Hey, Regina! Love the bat."

"Name's Roni!" Roni grunted and swung at another zombie sending it flying.

"Homerun Roni!" Bae crowed. Kelly was running down the street when she spotted a familiar face among the fighters, one she'd admired from afar for years…Robert MacNamara. His declassified missions were the stuff of legends even among the lowest ranked soldiers in the Armed Forces. She'd only risen as high as captain in the United States Army before her honorable discharge.

"Alice, why didn't you and Robin stay at home? You're on your honeymoon!" Rogers demanded of the newly arrived blond magician and the female archer at her side.

"We fight together, Papa!" Alice Rogers insisted and blasted another zombie. Her spouse Robin fired a volley of arrows and killed a few more.

He threw up his hands. "I should know better. You're as stubborn as I am. But…Alice, starfish, please do not blast anyone who gets upset when they see me. I'm probably the only 'good' Hook there is."

"You are. Because you didn't go down the path your father chose for you," Alice said. "They'll see it."

The Storybrooke residents were grateful for the assistance, even if it was difficult to keep track of everyone and Jimmy, distrustful at first of the man who was the mirror image of the man he didn't think of as a father any longer, soon came to realize that this Killian Jones was not like the others. He was curious to learn the man's backstory once they were done ridding the town of the zombie menace.

"Weaver! I'm commandeering the Jolly Roger! Looks like our friends at sea need help!" Rogers called out, pointing toward the sea where Scylla was attacking the allied ships with a vengeance.

"Hey, wait for me!" yelled Jimmy and ran after him.

"You're not going without me handsome," said Miri. "Modi! You might want to find your sea legs! We're going after Scylla!"

"Papa, wait!" Alice teleported onto the Jolly Roger with her wife and changed the ship's flag to the symbol of a tower. Moments later Weaver joined them on the ship along with his sons Bae and Gideon and his wife Belle. Emma Weaver, never comfortable at sea decided to join the fight on land.

"Loki is gonna kill us," Modi muttered.

"No but we ARE going to have a long talk about disrupting the balance," he scolded them when he appeared on the ship with Rumple. "Rogers, could you sail us closer to that whirlpool please?"

"Are you insane? We'll get ripped apart because that portal is a gateway to Charybdis's lair! And I don't know about you, but I'd prefer NOT to be a sea monster's lunch today."

"It's also the portal to Poseidon's castle dearies," Rumple said. "And I need to see Ursula. She has something we need to stop Scylla."

Loki grinned. "And Charybdis can't touch you as long as I'M on board. She pissed me off once and got her ass handed to her for her troubles." The Norse god gestured and began moving the other vessels away from the whirlpool.

Jack steered the Black Pearl toward a ship belonging to Hook's allies while Will and Elizabeth Turner steered their own vessel to the opposite side of them, their crews loading their guns to sink the ship into Davy Jones' locker.

"Stop blowing holes in my bloody ship!" Jack yelled when a cannon ball slammed into the starboard side of the Pearl.

Rhea shook her head. "Honey, do you really think they're going to listen?"

"They bloody well better! I just repaired it…oh hell…boarders! Look out Rhea!"

"I don't think so," she snarled and hit them with a blast that sent them flying right into the path of DG Cain her dragon form.

"Lunch!" she cried.

"They'd give us indigestion," chuckled Wyatt and blew a blast of fire at them, burning them to a crisp.

The Sparrows and their crew drew their swords and boarded the deck of the rival ship to fight the surviving crew members while DG and Wyatt flew over to two of the other ships that were sinking due to severe cannon damage.

"Hold on tight. We're gonna drop you off so you can help your friends kick ass!" DG called down to the crew and they cheered. "Okay, Tin Man….ready when you are?"

"I'm ready."

They flew one of the ships over to where the Black Pearl crew fought against a band of rival pirates and their friends jumped down, swords drawn to assist them.

"DG! Six headed bitch headed your way!" Wyatt yelled to his wife.

"I'll try and hold her off as long as I can…get those crews to the ships!"

Scylla advanced toward the dragon demigoddess and opened her six mouths to reveal their fangs.

"I've fought worse than you bitch and won," DG hissed and blew a blast of fire at her.

"Come closer little demigoddess and I'll show you why little girls wet themselves in fear of me."

The crew on the Jolly Roger heard an angry growl as Rogers steered the ship deep into the whirlpool.

"Oh, quit crying Biddy," Loki taunted.

"Norse scum!" they heard a voice snarl.

"Sticks and stones darling!"

"I may not be able to kill you, but I can kill them!" Waves splashed onto the deck of the Jolly Roger, sending all the occupants but Loki into the portal.

Loki summoned them back and strengthened his wards on the ship. "Nice try Biddy. Wanna try again?"

A second wave slammed against the ship but was unable to dislodge its occupants.

"Loki! Poseidon's castle! I can see it!" Rumple cried, pointing to a shimmering blue vortex at the bottom of the whirlpool.

"Go! I'll handle this worm! Yes, I mean all of you! Go!" the god ordered.

They jumped into the portal.

"Now Biddy, what do you say you and I have a rematch in your true form?"

"I am going to ENJOY sending you back to your papa in pieces!" the monster laughed, taking its true form.

"Couldn't do it then, can't do it now, you worm."

In its true form Charybdis resembled a giant parasitic worm with a mouth of a thousand fangs, eight large crablike claws and eight eyes.

"Maybe so but I did have sooo much fun eating your friends. They're still digesting."

"You bitch!" Loki hissed as the creature seized the Jolly Roger in one of its massive claws and raised it to its mouth. Loki began blasting at its fangs, laughing as they fell out of its mouth and into the sea.

"Well would you look at that, Biddy! Better get fitted for falsies, darling."

Seconds later the missing fangs grew back in.

"Learned my lesson the last time! Try again, loser!"

"I've got a whole new bag of tricks for you!"

"Aww you mean you're not gonna summon Thor to save your sorry ass this time? Damn shame. I was looking forward to seeing him."

Loki snorted. "As if he'd go for you! Face it, Biddy you look like this for a reason! And for your information, Foul Breath, the only god whose powers are greater than mine are Ovid's and he knows I can take care of myself. So, Biddy if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna take a walk."

"Oh, this is too easy!" she laughed, tasting leather as he walked across her tongue.

She rose up and he began to slide down into her stomach.

"Say hello to your friends for me...if they haven't digested yet."

Okay bitch, get ready for the worst case of acid reflux, the trickster god thought and chuckled.

He moved his hands along the lining of the beast's stomach, cringing and the flesh beneath it began to heat up.

"Wh...what are you...doing in there!" Biddy howled.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Loki yelled and teleported out of the beast's stomach. He hovered above her, laughing as smoke came out of her mouth.

"Try blowing a few rings with that."

"N...Norse SCUM!" she howled.

"Ah chill out!" he laughed and gestured.

Now a large ice creature stood in the center of the whirlpool.

"You look good frozen Biddy."

Then he shattered it to pieces.

He lowered himself down into the whirlpool and passed through the portal to Poseidon's Castle.

"...Like he said...he can take care of himself," Odin murmured, a seeing globe in his hands.

"YAY! He did it! He killed the drowning monster!" Loki's excited daughter, cried, bouncing on Odin's knees.

"Astra, please my knees!" Odin moaned. There was nothing worse than a hyperactive toddler jumping up and down on one's lap and even the gods got knee pains once in a while.

"But I wanna see him kill the monster again,"

"Not now, young lady. Now go to your mama."

"Okay..."

"Chip off the old block, isn't she," Frigga giggled.

"Please, don't remind me."

He was already dreading what mischief she would get into. But then again, he always enjoyed seeing their children have children to give them the same gray hairs.

All he had to do was spoil them rotten then send them home. And soon he would have more of them to spoil and send home once Scylla was dealt with.

The portal opened into the throne room of the sea god himself but unfortunately, the god was in a rage at the condition his daughter had been returned to him in and determined to unleash his wrath and unleash it he would on the people the Jolly Roger brought to him. He was getting ready to blast them as they struggled in his hunting nets when he was suddenly frozen.

"Stay out of this Loki! That man and his crew violated my daughter."

"That is not the Killian Jones that violated your daughter nor or any of those who came with him. Three of them are my kin and they are ALL under MY protection. Harm them and you deal not only with me but my entire pantheon."

"He speaks the truth, Papa," an exhausted Ursula said when she walked into the throne room. "Please…let them go."

"Why are you here?" Poseidon demanded of them.

"The Ozian demigoddess Zorinda has summoned Scylla to destroy my great grandson's town and all those in it. You know there is only one way to defeat her. With your trident," Loki replied.

"And this man saved my life," Ursula said and stood beside Rumple. "I owe him a debt Papa, and this must be how I repay it. Please….give them the trident."

"And in return I will secure your daughter's release from the Brethren Court," Rumple added.

"Dare I hope?" the god asked sadly. "For years I have been searching for a spell to break those bastards' hold over my child and failed."

"I will not fail," Rumple said firmly. "I am the former Dark One and I don't break deals, dearie."

"Free my daughter and then you will have my trident. Now you must go."

The god summoned another portal. The group jumped through it and landed back on the Black Pearl where Jack and Rhea were fighting another group of pirates. Rumple flicked his wrist and threw them overboard.

"Well it's about time old dragon!" Rhea teased.

"Rhea there's no time…we need to free Ursula or we'll have no chance of defeating Scylla! How do we do it?"

"I know," said Jack. "Bring the pirate lords to my ship."

Seconds later a group of men and women appeared on the deck of the Black Pearl.

"Ladies and gents, centuries ago a great wrong was done. We captured the sea goddess Calypso and bound her in her bones. We must release her, or we will all go to the locker today. Now hand over your Pieces of Eight!" Jack ordered. Rhea summoned a bowl and approached each pirate lord, all of them placing an object in the bowl. Jimmy was shocked when he was the last to be approached.

"I'm not a pirate lord!" he protested.

"But your grandfather was, and Hook hid his piece of eight with you. Your ring," Rhea explained. Jimmy pulled the ring off and dropped it in the bowl. His grandfather had been no better than his father.

Rhea and Rumple held the bowl between them and began chanting. Plumes of smoke rose as the pieces of eight caught fire and when the last object burned a glowing golden trident appeared on the deck.

"You must throw the trident at the heart of the beast," they heard Ursula say when she appeared on deck and handed the trident to Rumple. "Your heart is pure and true as will be your aim. Thank you, my friend. You have given me my freedom."

"Until next time dearie," Rumple said softly as she vanished. "Now get me close to that monster."

"Hold tight everyone!" Jack called out.

Wyatt and DG were trying to subdue the beast as best they could until Scylla bit into Wyatt's neck.

"D…Dreamshade…. Archie!" he yelled.

Jiminy flew over them in his cricket form and sprinkled an amber colored dust onto them and the wound on Wyatt's neck was healed. "Ambrosia. Never leave home without it," he mumbled. Scylla lunged toward him. "Oh, for the love of the goddess will someone KILL THIS DAMNED BEAST!"

"Who better to kill a beast than a former beast," Rumple giggled as the Back Pearl sailed toward them. "Closer, get us closer!"

Rhea activated her wards.

"Throw it old dragon!" she cried the moment Scylla was in range. Rumple drew back his arm and threw as hard as he could. The trident soared through the air, its forks impaling the creature in its torso. Scylla screamed in agony and fell backwards into the sea. Then it turned to dust and vanished.

"You did it, Papa! You did it!" Jimmy cried and threw his arms around his father.

"I never doubted he would darlings," Loki teased as he lounged in a hammock in just a pair of shorts and sunglasses on the deck. Rumple frowned at him.

"Can't you get your tan someplace else, and at a better time?"

Now he lay on the deck in a lounge chair. "And miss these rays?"

Rhea laughed. "That's something you'd do."

"And once I'm done you and Modi have some explaining to do, Miri." Loki said sternly.

"We were only helping," Miri protested.

"We'll discuss it later."

They lowered their heads upon seeing his You're In Serious Trouble Look while Jack steered the Pearl toward the harbor.

Back in town the others were cleaning up the mess left by their undead visitors and getting to know their counterparts from other lands, marveling in the similarities and differences between them. Rumple's mouth dropped open seeing a version of Archie in a black suit and sunglasses dancing to Will Smith's "Men In Black" with a woman wearing another black suit and sunglasses.

"Who the hell…?"

"Oh, that's our Jiminy Cricket but his name's Isaac Wallace," Weaver giggled. "Used to work for the NSA."

"Ain't no MIBs, can I please

Do what we say, that's the way we kick it

D'ya know what I mean

I see my noisy cricket get wicked on ya…" Isaac sang and lowered his sunglasses.

"Now I've seen everything," Rumple muttered.

"Well, now that you've taken care of that mess….get yer arses over here so we can celebrate!" Rum Strogoff's voice boomed and a door appeared on the street.

"Wooo hoo….party at the Grille amigos!" Edgar Navarro hooted.

"I'm not one to miss a party," Loki laughed and ran through the portal and soon the others began to follow him.

Juno Beach, Florida

That same day

The Nonestica residents that stayed behind in Juno were true to their world that they would make their Storybrooke Five counterparts as comfortable as possible by opening their homes to them. They had been taken to the beachfront community of Seaview, now owned by Rumple Strogoff and the first safe haven created for displaced people from the Realms of Story.

Belle had been invited to stay at Avonlea, the Strogoff estate. Alina, Henry and the twins were getting along fabulously with the Strogoffs' youngest children; Hope, Nathaniel, Ian and Fiona. Hope was only a few years younger than Alina and Ian and Fiona were only a year older than Daria and Dylan. Henry was also able to meet his counterpart. Henry Mills Strogoff was eighteen and studying to become a chef while working at Granny's Diner and a club in Miami called Casa Miranda.

"All the realms together. This has been a dream of Rumple's for so long," Belle Strogoff said. "He feels as I do that we're one big family and we should support each other. That's why he's been traveling to the other realms to check on them, especially his other selves. They seem to be doing well in all places except Storybrooke Two. He calls it Hellbrooke with good reason." She summoned a seeing globe and handed it to the other woman.

Belle was horrified by the images she was seeing; the constant separations of her other self and Rumple's, the loss of his first son, his captivity by another Zelena, the near loss of his second son and her other self's strange alliances with people who seemed to take advantage of her.

"That woman…that's not me. That's not…us," she murmured.

"Indeed, it isn't and one day I'd like to have a talk with her, with both of them actually. Their union is still on shaky ground."

Belle smiled. "I'd love to know your story."

The seeing globe glowed again.

"See it," Belle Strogoff coached.

Belle couldn't help feeling slightly envious of her counterpart, starting out as she had as Rumple's prisoner and going on to becoming his strongest defender but while she did so without magic, Belle Strogoff now had powers that were nearly equal to her husband's and something else…a piece of his heart merged with hers.

"Would we be able to do that?"

Belle Strogoff smiled. "Oh, I think my husband is going to suggest it. After all, we Belles did make a deal that we would go with our Rumples forever, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did. And forgive me for saying it but I…I envy you. You've had all these adventures…"

"Honey, I am much happier now running my bookshop and taking care of my family than fighting one battle after another. We had eight years of peace and we'd like to keep it that way but not at the risk of letting our friends elsewhere fight alone."

Belle looked down and smiled as she watched Alina reading one of her favorite stories to the twins and Ian and Fiona using voices as her husband often did.

"Yay!" Ian clapped his hands. "Can ya read another one, please?"

"I sure can." Alina answered happily.

"She's a bookworm like me," Belle said proudly.

"Hope's more like her father. Nathan is my bookworm," Belle Strogoff nodded to where her second son and Henry were having a discussion on the Harry Potter books and films. Hope created a hologram of the characters from Alina's story for the toddlers to watch while Alina read to them.

"They seem to have a lot of control over their magic."

"Sometimes but Hope scared the daylights out of us the first time she teleported. She was out shopping with Bae and had to use the potty and ahhh…she happened to overhear me talking to her father about how filthy public restrooms were so….so she teleported herself back to Rumple's shop to go!"

"Oh my God!" Belle exclaimed.

"We didn't even know she could do it until that day, but we had the whole Juno Beach PD looking for her until then."

"Is anyone still in your Storybrooke?"

"Oh yes but the family moved here…well except for the Molks. Jiminy's brother prefers living in Pennsylvania now since our hurricane seasons have gotten worse over the years. Beth grew up there during the Dark Curse. They stay here for a little while over the summer than come back up here and we always go back to Storybrooke to see everyone over the holidays."

"I hope Rumple is alright."

"He is dearie," Rum said as he limped into the room. "And he and the others will be coming through soon."

"Well then I guess we'd better get a welcoming feast ready," Alice said. "If you don't mind my invading your kitchen."

The Strogoffs burst into laughter.

"What?"

"You'll have to fight Mrs. Potts for it. Evangeline is OCD when it comes to her kitchen," Rum replied.

"Oh, so is Mr. Gold but I'll manage. He'll be famished after all that fighting, and so will his brother and I know just what to make."

"I've already sent an announcement that we're going to be having a get together on the back lawn. There's enough room and you'll all be staying here for a few days to rest up. I insist."

"But…the whole town?" Alice gasped. "Good Lord Mr. Strogoff!"

"We have the room dearie. I own this whole block!" He laughed.

"And he's working on owning half the town!" his wife exclaimed. "Come on Belle. Let's help make a feast!" The two Belles followed Alice into the kitchen.

Snow had been happy to accept Azkadellia's invitation to stay at her house while she waited for Charming to come back and kept Meredith with her while Archie and Lilly took a much needed rest after their long journey. Beth Molk brought along her six children for Regina and Meredith to play with since most of them were close to the girls' ages while Az's Ambrosia and Andrew went over to the Strogoff house to meet with Henry and Alina.

"That is lovely!" Snow exclaimed, pointing to a porcelain figurine of the Ozopov family on the dining room table. "Did you have that custom made?"

"I made it myself," Az said proudly. "My father was an artist who taught me and DG everything he knew. DG draws and paints when she's not catching cheating spouses and God knows what else at the PI office. She also does tattooing as a hobby. Some of my other works…they're geared toward adults but tasteful. I can make one for you and your family if you'd like."

"Oh, I'd love one!" She glanced into the living room where Ambrose, the former Ozian royal advisor was helping keep the younger children entertained along with Raw, a half man, half lion psychic and empath. "They seem to be getting along well."

"Ambrose loves children," Beth said. "We were hoping he'd find someone to have a family with, but it never worked out."

Az looked away, her eyes filled with tears. "He denies it, but I know he still mourns my mother. I was so angry when I found out about their affair…Jiminy and I both were because we didn't think it was anything more than a passing fancy. And now the more I look, the more I see him in DG. Mother gave her Daddy's artistic talent so that he wouldn't suspect the truth. And DG's youngest son likes to invent things like he does." She smiled. "Now Ambrose spoils all our children and sends them home."

"Why you have a big zipper in the middle of your head?" Regina was asking him.

"Ummm….well…do you know the story of the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz?"

"Yeah. He didn't have brains and hadta go to the wizard to get 'em."

"That's kinda what happened to me, doll. Someone stole my brains and put this big ole zipper in my head."

"Ewww! Gross! Didja get 'em back?"

"Yes."

"So, when your zipper goes down, do your brains fall out?"

"Regina!" Snow exclaimed. Ambrose started laughing.

"No, but you can see them and I'd rather you didn't, okay?"

"Yeah cause that's kinda gross," Meredith muttered.

"Little Regina smart but mean no harm," Raw said softly.

"And you're 'sposed to be the Cowardly Lion?"

"Raw needed courage. DG, Tin Man and Glitch help Raw get courage."

"Ya know you kinda talk like Yoda but not so backwards. That drives me nuts when he does that." Regina made a face.

"Regina, please!" Snow groaned.

"Regina just curious," Raw said softly. "Learning much in this life." He placed his hand on her head. "Old soul with much pain being healed with a good mother's love and a friend like a sister."

"I hope Unca Rumple kicked that mean lady's butt good! She scared me a lot!"

"Mean lady gone, Won't hurt little queen anymore." Raw confirmed.

"Did she go where the goblins go?" Meredith wanted to know.

"Bad Zorinda sent back to the bad world and trapped there."

"Good. Hope they scare her so bad she pees herself and hasta clean it up!" Regina laughed wickedly. "Kinda like when I peed on that green skinned witch!"

"Hey, you're not 'sposed to pee on people!" spoke up Cami Molk. "Mommy and Daddy say it's bad!"

"Yeah but she asked for it!"

"It's Sesame Street time," Beth announced and turned on the TV. The younger children gathered around the TV.

"We watch every morning, huh Elsa?" Aurora Molk asked her youngest sister.

"Uh-huh cause we gotta learn how to count n'stuff but DJ wants to see Cookie Monster."

"Oookie!" DJ Molk cried and waved his arms.

Beth brought in a tray of cookies and set them on the coffee table for the children to eat while they watched.

"Wait for it…" she said to Snow and Az.

"What am I waiting for?" Snow inquired.

Az grinned. "You'll see."

Regina grabbed a handful of Oreos and was about to eat one when she felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked down to see a baby Cookie Monster with blue eyes wearing DJ Molk's clothes staring up at her.

"Oookie?" it asked and pointed to its open mouth.

"Huh?"

"Oookie?"

"Hey, where'd the baby Cookie Monster come from?" Meredith asked.

"Oookie?"

"I dunno but here ya go Baby Cookie," Regina said and handed an Oreo to it. It shoved the cookie into is mouth.

"Om nom nom!" it cried happily while it munched.

"It's cute!" Meredith picked it up. "Ohh, Regina, feel its fur. It's real!"

"He's cute but where'd DJ go? I don't see him. What?" Regina asked the grinning Molk children.

"That is DJ," Cami Molk announced.

"No way!" Regina glanced down at the Baby Cookie Monster again.

"Way. DJ turns into a little Cookie," Devon Molk confirmed. "Been doin it for months now."

"Oookie?" the baby asked her again.

"Ummm…Miss Beth can he have one?"

"Just don't give him too many, honey."

"Your son is a real, live Cookie Monster? How did that happen?" Snow asked Beth.

"Well when you cross the daughter of Sleeping Beauty with the twin of Jiminy Cricket you get two earth mages in my sons Jasper and Devon, snow mages in Elsa and Cami and Aurora and a baby Cookie Monster with my DJ. I should have known something was up when I was a cookie addict while I was pregnant with him, but he didn't start shifting until recently."

"He could have a career on Sesame Street if he wanted it and no one would be able to tell the difference! Ohhh would you look at that!" Snow pointed to DJ sleeping with his furry head on Regina's shoulder, purring like a cat while she stroked his back. She snapped a picture.

"He sleeps like that with Daddy all the time," said Aurora.

"How come he purrs like a cat?"

"Guess he gets it from Dak. He's our cat. We named him after a Dallas Cowboy," spoke up Jasper.

"Daddy says the Cowboys suck," Regina laughed.

"Well you won't hear me arguing with that!" Beth laughed.

"Who's he follow; the New England Deflators?" Jasper countered. "And Mommy you signed the bandwagon form. Daddy still has it."

"I only signed it because I married a die-hard Cowboy fan, but my blood still bleeds Steeler black and gold on Sundays and Penn State blue and white on Saturdays." She sighed. "And after SIX of you I was hoping to have one Steeler fan but no…you're all like your father!"

"This is a running joke in their family," Az explained to Snow.

"Cause they suck Mommy."

"God help me!" Beth groaned and threw up her hands.

"Grampa doesn't watch football," Meredith said. "Neither does Gramma but my daddy does and yes he likes the Patriots."

"I don't watch football. It's boring. Me and Mommy do other stuff but Daddy scares Princess all the time when he starts yelling at the TV and Mommy goes in and yells at him for being stupid 'cause the players ain't gonna do what he's tellin em."

"That's because your father acts like he played football when I know he didn't. Oh, he drives me insane during football season!"

"And baseball season, basketball and hockey too Mommy," Regina reminded her. "But you get him back during that Christmas movie thing."

Snow smiled evilly. "I make him sit through some of my Hallmark Christmas movies every year."

"Dearies!" they heard Rum Strogoff call out and his image appeared on the mirror above Az's fireplace. "It's all over and everyone is to be at my house in an hour for a little get together."

"YAY!" the children cried.

"C'mon DJ," Regina said and stood up, still holding the sleeping Baby Cookie. "Our daddies are comin home."

"Well I'm banning Rumple from watching football because he broke the TV once," Belle said.

Loki laughed as he came through a portal in Az's living room.

"He sounds like my brother. Last season some of Thor's hardcore worshippers invited him for a Superbowl party. It was the worst mistake they ever made. When Thor gets mad he throws things-it's why Odin gave him a hammer. So, the Eagles were winning, and Thor was ticked and next thing you know he picks up the flatscreen and sends it into orbit. I think it's still floating around out there." Loki said and laughed.

"Loki!" Regina cried, waking DJ. "Ooops! M'sorry. You can go back to sleep DJ."

DJ closed his eyes and went back to sleep still in his monster form.

"Where'd the baby Cookie Monster come from?" Loki asked, ruffling the boy's furry head.

"He's Miss Beth's baby but he changes into a baby Cookie," Meredith replied. "Did you guys kick butt?"

"We certainly did."

"You shoulda seen it Regina," Jimmy said when he emerged with Miri and Modi. "We beat the scales off the two scariest beasts of the sea. Scylla and Old Biddy. I used to see them in my nightmares all the time. Papa beat Scylla and Loki beat Old Biddy. And the dragons were a really big help."

"Dragons?" Meredith's eyes widened. "Where did you see dragons! I love dragons!"

"My sister and brother in law can shift into dragons," Az said. "My niece Adora and her brother Junior can too. DG is a red dragon, Wyatt is blue, and their kids change their scale colors depending on their moods."

"The legend himself returns. It's been a long time Loki. You probably don't remember me because I look different in this life," said Ambrose.

"How could I forget…Scarecrow. The last time I saw you, you were serving as royal advisor to Queen Dorothy. I did check up on Glinda's protégé once in a while but in another form. And the Lion," he nodded at Raw.

"Raw still cowardly in this life until DG helped me find it again," he said.

"You had it in you, just needed a reason to bring it out. We'd better get going. Your husbands will be coming through soon and you need to be the first faces they see."

He gestured, and the group vanished in a puff of smoke.

Avonlea (Estate of Rumplestiltskin Strogoff)

Juno Beach, Florida

In less than twenty minutes Rum Strogoff's back lawn was decorated for a grand celebration. There were six buffet tables set up with food prepared by Alice Carstairs, Evangeline Potts, the Belles the staff at the Juno Beach branch of Granny's Diner and The Spinning Wheel Bar and Grille. A large film screen was set up to watch movies later in the evening. Those left behind waited impatiently for their loved ones to emerge from the portal, women and children weeping tears of joy upon being reunited with them.

"There's my swan chick!" Emma cooed and picked up Ilyssa, covering her small face with kisses. "Hey Regina!" She hi-fived her little sister and kissed Cas in his mother's arms. "Hey Mom. You missed all the fun. Your other half was shooting zombies with fire arrows."

"Remind me to add that to my arsenal."

"It was scary for a while," Charming confessed. "We thought we were gonna get overrun by those zombies until more people started showing up."

Rumple kissed his wife softly and hugged Alina.

"Jimmy said you killed Scylla!" Alina exclaimed.

"It wasn't easy dearie. We had to escape Charybdis' whirlpool and steer the Jolly Roger close enough for me to throw Poseidon's Trident and Loki defeated Charybdis himself."

Miri remained at Jimmy's side while Modi stayed close to Loki, fearing the elder god's wrath.

"…Colonel Robert MacNamara, long time no see."

Bobby flinched and turned around to face Isaac Wallace.

"Never expected you to come out of the woodwork, Wallace. Heard you retired."

"I did but I kinda miss the good ole days. Where the hell have you been?"

"Trapped in Oz for eighteen years."

"I thought maybe you got captured during a mission."

"Came close a few times but got lucky. Who's the woman?"

"My wife. Jo."

"You? Settled down? What's this world comin to?"

"Maybe you should think about it."

"Maybe," Bobby muttered. "I want to get to know Rumple and Rhea a bit first and now I can since those two evil bitches are gone."

"Well you know where to find me when you're ready to go for a drink and talk about old times." Isaac walked away and rejoined his wife. Bobby walked over to the table where his family was sitting, listening to Bae and Emma recounting their experiences with the walking dead.

"And then SHE steals my Bug and starts blowing them all away in it!" Emma said pointing to Emma Strogoff.

"Yeah well mine's retired in my backyard and being used as a huge flowerpot!"

"If I ever see a zombie again it will be too soon," Bobby muttered.

"All right everyone, get your backsides out of those chairs and eat!" Belle Strogoff ordered and laughed.

"You know, I think we're all gonna get along just fine," Rumple murmured and followed his Belle to the buffet tables while in his mind a plan was forming to unite the realms as one family, but he would not need a curse to do it.