"There you are." Regina sighed when Emma and Amorie walked through the front door.
"Told you she'd freak out." Amorie said, getting Emma to roll her eyes.
"I am not freaking out. I simply worry." Regina crossed her arms over her chest. "Excuse me if my daughter jumping twenty years into the past to ask for our help gives me a little anxiety."
"It's okay." Emma said, approaching Regina and placing gentle, soothing hands on her shoulders as she kissed her cheek. "Mom understands, she told us to do what we gotta do, and that wedding plans will be ready for us when we get back."
Dropping her arms, Regina let out a sigh of relief. "Okay."
"I don't wanna rush you guys, but…" Amorie began.
"I'm way ahead of you." Regina cut her off. "I've been making a list."
"Have you been checking it twice?" Emma teased, immediately getting whacked on the arm with the notebook that was now in Regina's hand. "Ow!"
"As I was saying." Regina glared at her finacée before looking back at her daughter. "The first step is figuring out how the hell Rumplestiltskin managed to get to the Enchanted forest from a land without magic."
"So what's your list about?" Amorie asked.
"It's more of a timeline, I've been trying to track back to any point in time where anyone could have helped him get back into town." Regina said.
"Well Belle banished him around the time Robin and Marian left." Emma said, getting a nod from Regina.
"Ursula and Cruella showed up about six weeks later." Regina said.
"Weren't they working with him?" Emma asked. Regina nodded.
"Only I convinced them not to." she said.
"How did you manage that?" Emma asked.
"A promise to find a way to resurrect Mal, which I did." Regina shrugged. "And gin, lots of gin."
"How did you resurrect Mal?" Emma asked. Regina's eyes shifted around, suspiciously enough to get Emma to quirk a brow at her.
"We have a complicated history...I...wronged her once and she never really got over it so...a drop of my blood did the trick." the former queen shrugged nervously.
"I'm not even going to ask." Emma said.
"I mean, she did trap her in an underground cave." Amorie shrugged. "Seems like that would be enough."
"Fair point." Emma nodded.
"Getting back on topic?" Regina asked, getting mumbles of agreement from both women. "They gave me the scroll when Mal came back. And I handed it back to Belle and told her to keep it safe."
"Right, and then her sleaze ball ex-boyfriend stole it from the shop to give it to my sleaze ball ex-boyfriend who used it to bring Robin back to town where he proved himself to be a decent guy." Emma summarised.
"And Robin gave the scroll back to me." Regina said. "And I gave it back to Belle...again."
"Hopefully along with some tips to keep it safe?" Emma asked.
"I gave her the recipe for a potion that can duplicate a blood magic binding spell - told her to use it on the safe so only she could open it." Regina explained.
"And we've been incident free so far, so is it safe to assume it worked?" Emma asked.
"Well it was before we found out that apparently all that back and forth was for nothing." Regina sighed. "Maybe we should ask Belle about the scroll?"
"We have to start somewhere." Emma shrugged, looking at Amorie. "What do you think, kid?"
"I gotta be honest with you guys. I'm winging it here." Amorie shrugged. "All I know is we have to find a solution and the kick Rumpelstiltskin's ass."
Regina looked from her daughter to her finacée. "She's definitely yours."
"Well shit, you nearly broke my hand giving birth to her, I freaking hope she's mine." Emma teased, getting whacked with the notebook again. "Ow!"
"God, the shop looks awful." Amorie commented. "No wonder Aunt Belle refurbished the whole thing and turned it into a bookshop."
"She did?" Emma asked.
"You're surprised?" Regina asked. "I thought you dubbed Belle 'the town nerd.'?"
"She still keeps all the magical artifacts and stuff in it, she just decided that the library was gathering too much dust, since people needed her to run the shop." Amorie shrugged.
"So she took government property to sell for a profit?!" Regina demanded.
"Actually it's this weird collaboration thing. The library books are still owned by the town, the town in turns funds part of her shop instead of the library." Amorie explained. "It's weird and complicated and I was too young to remember when it happened. I hardly remember the store being so...dumpy."
"So what did we do with the library?" Emma asked.
"I'm sorry, 'we'?" Regina quirked a brow.
"I'm sorry, I mean, what did your mom, who is only mayor via a dark curse and no one actually knowing what the fuck they're doing, do with the library?" Emma asked.
"Do you enjoy having sex with me?" Regina asked.
"Gross." Amorie cringed. "And actually, mom, ma did have a lot to do with what happened to it."
"Oh?" Regina asked.
"What did I do?" Emma asked.
"You made this town better for kids who don't have it as good as Henry and I did." Amorie said, giving her blonde mother a proud grin. "You turned it into a youth centre, any kid who just wanted to hang out in a safe space or needed to get away, needed to talk...There were kids who wouldn't have had a meal every day if it weren't for you."
"Oh." Emma said, her eyes suddenly teary. She blinked and looked away, taking a breath and trying not to let her emotions show.
"Everyone always said that this town got better when you guys got together and the constant trouble stopped. Life got peaceful." Amorie shrugged. "Everyone in town is happy, most of the time anyway. Something or other happens now and again but no life is perfect."
Regina gave Emma a proud grin matched only by their daughter's, and Emma gave her a smile as Regina wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist.
"I'm proud of you." Regina said.
"I haven't done anything yet. Besides, you're gonna help, apparently." Emma shrugged.
"I can be proud of you in advance." Regina shrugged and kissed Emma's cheek. The sheriff made a soft grumbling sound and rolled her eyes.
"Are we going in there or what?" Amorie asked.
"Yes." both her parents answered at the same time, getting an eye roll from their daughter as she went over to the door and opened it, waving a hand to guide them inside.
"Belle? We need- Oh my god!" Regina had begun, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Belle sitting up on the counter, her skirt hiked up around her hips and her head thrown back as Ruby's face was buried in her neck, one hand on the back of Belle's head, buried in long, cascading brown locks, while the other hand was...nowhere that could be seen.
That is, until Belle jumped at Regina's outburst.
"Regina!" she exclaimed as she looked behind her to see who was standing there. "I'm sorry...I was- we were just-"
"I have a fiancée dear, I know what you were just." Regina rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath. "Every time I walk into this goddamned shop."
"Hey Rubes." Emma said.
"Hey Em." Ruby squeaked.
"Since when are you two a thing?" Regina asked curiously.
"Since you two pulled your heads out of your asses." Ruby shrugged. "And I figured if you can do that long enough to be together, then just about anything is possible."
"Excuse me?" Regina asked in indignation.
"She's joking." Belle rolled her eyes at Ruby and slapped her shoulder lightly for laughing at Regina's face.
"I have no time for jokes, we have a situation on our hands." Regina crossed her arms.
"What's going on?" Belle asked, her eyes going to Amorie. "Who's this?"
"She's uhh." Emma stumbled. "It's a long story."
"Wait." Ruby's ears perked up as she walked around the counter and towards Amorie. "You smell familiar."
"God, that never stops being weird." Emma shook her head.
"Do I know you?" Ruby asked. Amorie couldn't help but chuckle.
"Know me? You're the reason I learned what tequila tastes like." she said.
"I don't think that narrows it down, dear." Regina teased.
"Regina?" Belle asked, the rest of the question visible in her eyes. The former queen sighed.
"Belle, Ruby, this is...Amorie..." she said. She waited for the gasps of shock, but they didn't come. Instead, Belle started laughing.
"Oh come on, Regina." she said in between giggles. "I know magic is crazy sometimes but you don't expect us to believe that a baby can grow into a twenty something adult in a matter of hours."
"She's from the future, genius." Regina rolled her eyes.
"Nice save." Belle nodded. "But I still don't believe you're not trying to get us back for that one time we made you believe you accidentally swallowed a magic bean as opposed to a jelly bean."
"First of all, I'm never drinking with you two again, second of all-"
"She's telling the truth." Ruby spoke up, having so far not taking her eyes off of Amorie throughout the whole exchange. "That's where I know her from. Her scent. It's Amorie. I was just a little unsure because, well, a person's scent alters slightly between being a baby and being an adult. I'd be able to tell easier if it wasn't such a sudden change."
"I bet the change of scent has something to do with the diaper." Emma said.
"Ma!" Amorie cringed.
"She's right." Ruby shrugged. "Sorry kid."
"Okay so Amorie has...time travelled? Into the past?" Belle asked.
"Yes."
"Okay...why?"
"Oh, right." Emma sighed. "Apparently things go to shit in the Enchanted Forest in like twenty years."
"It takes twenty years? As opposed to the usual twenty minutes?" Ruby asked.
"Things got better, but then they got bad again." Amorie said. "We only find out by chance."
"How do you find something like that out by chance?" Ruby asked.
"Henry and I realm hop." Amorie shrugged. "It's not as big a deal in the future as it is now."
"That's scary." Ruby said.
"No, what's scary is going to the palace you think belongs to your parents and finding Rumpel-fucking-stiltskin sitting on the throne, wearing your mother's high-heeled, thigh high boots."
"Rumpelstiltskin?!" Belle and Ruby exclaimed in shock.
"My boots?!" Regina's eyes went wide and flashed with rage.
Emma just started laughing.
"It's not funny!" the other three women yelled at her.
"I'm sorry." the blonde wiped at her eyes. "I just can't get the image of him in those boots out of my head."
"Ignoring her." Belle turned to Amorie. "What do you mean Rumpelstiltskin is on the throne?!"
"He took over, forcefully." Amorie said. "Some crazy lady called the black fairy is helping him."
"Oh no...not her." Belle's eyes went wide.
"You know her?" Emma asked. Belle gave her a dreadful look and a nod.
"Rumpel told me about her...ages ago." Belle shook her head. "I thought she was dead. We both did."
"She must have found him." Amorie said. "We're just not sure how Rumpel managed to get to the enchanted forest."
"Yeah." Emma said. "All we know is that he's out of town. How did he manage to get in?"
"I have no idea." Belle shrugged.
"Do you still have the scroll with the spell to cross over the town line?" Regina asked.
"I sealed it up just like you told me." Belle shrugged. She pushed her hair behind her ears before she crouched down, picking up a book from a low shelf in the counter and pulling out a book, opening it up to fish a key out of a cut-out space for it.
"And no one can find that key?" Regina asked in concern, stepping closer to examine the magic used to seal the safe that Belle was revealing now by moving the painting behind her away.
"Even if they did, the key is enchanted with the same blood magic, just like you showed me." Belle said. "No one but me can use it."
"Alright." Regina nodded. The younger girl turned and pushed the key in the lock. Suddenly, the safe and the key started glowing with a distinct purple hue as Belle turned it in the lock. The door clicked and unlocked, swinging open slightly. Belle looked at Regina, subtly searching for approval. Regina ran her hand gently over the door and nodded.
"The seal is strong. There's no way around it beyond the way it's meant to be opened." she said. "Good job, Belle."
"Thanks." the younger brunette gave her a small smile. She reached into the safe and picked up the small scroll wrapped in red velvet. "Here it is."
She handed it gently to Regina, who picked it up and examined it as well.
"What are the chances it could be a decoy?" Emma asked.
"Impossible." Regina shook her head. "This is the exact same one I gave her. The one I got from Robin. It wouldn't have worked for him if it were a decoy."
Emma nodded. "You recognise it then? The magic in it?"
"Yes." Regina nodded. "It's the right one."
"Then how-"
"Wait." Amorie spoke up, getting her mothers' attention as she stepped up closer to Regina and took the scroll in her hands gently. "Of course...ugh I'm such an idiot."
"No you're not." her mothers jumped in. She rolled her eyes, looking up at Regina.
"I know this spell because...well because we used it. Some time in the future." she said.
"What did we use it for?" Regina asked. Amorie gulped.
"I can't believe I didn't think about it." she sighed. "We brought down the barrier around the town line for good."
"What?" Emma asked.
"It was years ago. I was a little kid when we did it, it was when Henry wanted to go to college and travel around. The town took a vote because, well, a lot of kids his age wanted to go see the world. So everyone voted to finally bring the barrier down for good." Amorie explained "I remember it, I was...maybe five? You put the scroll in my hands and held me out by the town line. You needed really strong magic and the only thing strong enough to ensure it went right was...well...our magic, the three of us."
"So anyone could leave." Regina said.
"And anyone could come in." Emma added.
"Rumpelstiltskin must have snuck in." Amorie shrugged. "I can't believe I forgot about it. I was just a kid, I got so used to the town being open to everyone…"
"It's okay." Regina placed a hand on her shoulder. "We have our answer now."
"Wait." Belle looked at Amorie. "Rumpel...does he...come back...for me?"
"I don't know." Amorie shrugged. "What I do know is that no one ever saw him around town. Or at least if they did they never said anything. But you're safe...You and Ruby...you're still together in the future."
"We are?" Belle asked, her eyes falling onto Ruby, who immediately lit up.
"And still as gross." Amorie muttered under her breath, getting a chuckle from Emma.
"Well, now that we know how he got in, let's go the future and get him out of the Enchanted forest!" Emma said.
"And out of my boots!" Regina said, pulling her jacket tighter around her and marching out of the store, ignoring the snickers coming out of Ruby and Emma.
"Why is Rumpel wearing mom's boots?" Henry asked.
"I don't know, I don't care, I want him out of them" Regina griped in her spot on the couch.
"So you two are just going to frolick off to the future?" Zelena asked. "What about the kids?"
"I'm right here." Henry said.
"Yeah, me too." Adult Amorie said as she rocked the baby version of herself. "See?"
Zelena rolled her eyes. "You really are Emma's daughter."
"Glad we're not questioning that, can we move on?" Emma said. "Zelena, you can watch them. Besides mom and dad will help."
"Uhm, I love you both." Zelena said towards her niece and nephew. "But I'm not babysitting while your parents play Marty McFly."
"Hey, you did see that movie!" Henry grinned at her.
"I took your suggestions seriously." Zelena shrugged.
"Back to the point." Regina said, grabbing their attention again. "Zee, we really need all the help we can get."
"The last time I held a baby in my hands, I was going to sacrifice it." Zelena said. "You really want me to take care of your infant daughter?"
"I'm a toddler!" Adult Amorie complained.
"Don't you have godparents?" Zelena asked. "Oh gods, they didn't make me your godmother did they? I can't see that going well."
"No, you're not my godmother." Amorie rolled her eyes at her teasingly. "And I can see why."
Zelena stuck her tongue out at her adult niece and Emma groaned.
"We're getting nowhere." she sighed, flopping down on the couch next to Regina. The former queen moved to rest her back against the couch and look at Emma.
"We still need to pick out Amorie's godparents." she said. "And if we're going into a dangerous situation…"
Emma sighed. "We need to do it now in case something happens to us."
"Do you two need a minute?" Zelena asked. Emma dropped her head into her hands and Regina gave her sister a gentle nod. Zelena nodded, turning to the adult version of her niece and holding her arms out to take the baby version, who cooed as she was passed off to her aunt. "Hello little one, come, let's go play in the garden while your parents deliberate."
"I'll come with you." Henry said, getting a nod from his aunt and following her out with one last lingering look towards his mothers.
The adult version of Amorie lingered by the door, unsure if she should follow her aunt and brother or stay with her parents. Emma finally pulled her head back up, staring at the future version of their daughter for a moment.
"What do we do?" she asked.
"what?" Amorie asked, uncertain what her mother meant.
"In the future...or well...in your past. What did we do? Who did we pick?" she asked.
"Emma…" Regina began softly.
"I don't know what to do, Regina." the blonde sighed, desperation obvious in her eyes. "it's killing me that we even need to have this discussion. The idea that we won't see that little baby girl turn into...well…"
Emma gestured to Amorie and the brunette dropped her arms at her sides in mild defeat, approaching the versions of her mothers that looked so different in her eyes, yet exactly the same. She looked from one mother to the other, until Regina finally looked over from Emma and into her eyes, giving her a nod.
"Who did we pick?" she asked.
"Aunt Ruby and Aunt Belle."
A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review :) And as always if you'd like to show some love in other ways you can always share this fic with whoever you think might enjoy it, or maybe buy me a coffee at ko - fi dot com / bluehoneybee