Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.
So, I wanted to get this chapter out the day that 'Goodbye Means Forgetting' turns one... but since this is the last week I'm in Italy, I've had no time for anything other than schoolwork... so one day late isn't that bad. Hard to believe it's been a year since I started this and almost two years since I stared 'Say You'll Remember'...
This is another long chapter, so have fun!
Chapter playlist: 'Approaching Target 1' by Jesper Kyd and 'Raptamei Pi' by E.S. Posthumus.
"Stars are beautiful, but they may not take part in anything, they must just look on forever."
― J.M Barrie, Peter Pan.
Magic infused her body, cloaking it, enshrouding it in the familiar, welcoming thrum as the energy beneath her skin came alive. The only thing that grounded her from the storm of sensations, was Henry's arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and she forced her own to move, to wrap around him in return, as Emma pulled them both into the circle of her arms.
Lillian wanted to tell her that it wasn't necessary, that the cloud wouldn't do any harm to them, but her tongue refused to work. Besides, after everything that's happened in the past few hours, far be it from me stop her from comforting herself however she can.
While Lillian didn't, and probably wouldn't for the near future, harbor any particularly warm feelings towards the blonde Savior, she knew the older woman, despite her seemingly calm acceptance of the truth, was more than likely going to dissolve into conniptions very, very soon.
As the cloud began to lessen, Henry squirmed from Lillian and Emma's combined grasp, darting towards the door of the room.
"Henry!" Emma ran after him, panicked at the thought of him going anywhere without protection. Lillian followed at a more sedate pace, rolling her eyes at the woman's actions.
Before exiting the room, she shared a long look with Mother Superior, smirking sardonically at the nun's stunned expression. "I don't need to tell you what that was, I trust?"
Releasing a shaky breath, the head nun nodded mutely. Satisfied, Lillian turned and stormed out of the room, leaving a crowd of confused, relieved, townspeople.
Catching up to mother and son was easy, though it wasn't so easy to stop Henry from charging off to find Snow White and Prince Charming. Despite her protests, Emma did nothing to try and physically stop the boy from hunting down her birth parents, with Lillian offering her little help. In fact, when the brunette dryly offered that everyone seemed to find one another at Granny's, earning herself a heated glare from Emma, she merely gave an impish smile before trailing after Henry.
Shaking her head roughly, Emma stormed after the two as they headed down Main Street, arriving at Granny's in time to see the reunion taking place. As Mary Margaret and the Dwarves shared a rather large group hug, the three hung back, Emma moreso than Henry or Lillian. The teen herself was smiling, just a twist of her lips, but Henry beamed at the sight, gripping her hand in his own tightly.
"Now?" Mary Margaret echoed Leroy's words, eyes shining with determination, "Now, I find my daughter."
"So it's true," Emma said before she could stop herself, too shocked to wince when every eye turned to her.
Eyes wide, shining with unshed tears, Mary Margaret swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat at the sight of her daughter, all grown up and terrified. Knees shaking, the dark-haired mother took several hesitant steps forward, placing her before Emma, and she merely gazed at her daughter's features. Her gloved hands rose, cupping the cheeks of her daughter's face tenderly, as the tears suddenly overwhelmed her, lips splitting into a sad smile.
"You found us."
Lillian watched Mary Margaret draw an unresponsive Emma into her arms, tears now dripping from the mother's face. David, eyes wide with wonder, slowly approached the pair, and though she couldn't see her face, Lillian could all but taste Emma's unease with the whole situation as, cupping the back of his daughter's head, David drew his wife and child into his embrace.
"Grandpa?" Henry piped up from beside her, drawing chuckles from the group, and the hugging Charming's, though Emma stood stiff and straight in the embrace, pulled away enough to look at the little boy.
David chuckled faintly, the irony of the situation finally hitting him. "Yeah, kid," he agreed easily, smiling at the practically vibrating boy. "I suppose so."
As Henry joined the group hug, Lillian was almost tackled by a blur of fur and dark hair, though was suddenly too excited to care. As she and Ruby hugged, the former handing her off to Granny, who bussed her cheeks affectionately, Henry began to speak.
"She did it." He smiled up at his grandfather, happily snuggled to his side. His mother, who was still standing stiff, clearly in shock, stood with her mother's hands on her arms. "She saved you."
"She saved all of us.
Emma blinked at the attention she received, eyes wide with a growing panic she couldn't conceal. "I… well… "
She almost kissed the burly man when Leroy spoke up, his brow furrowed. "Uh, then why are we still here?"
David turned to him, his eyes landing on Lillian as the teen stood between Granny and Ruby. He offered his hand to the sorceress, who took it after several moment's hesitation, and he gently but firmly yanked on it. Gasping, the teen stumbled forward, her eyes widening when David caught her in a hug, arms folded tightly enough to be comforting, yet still loose enough so that she could escape.
However, her eyes misted over and she closed them tightly, pressing her face into the leather of his jacket, returning the embrace. After several heartbeats, she pulled back with a wobbly smile, one that David returned widely, before she glanced at Mary Margaret, who was watching with a grin of her own.
"That, my friend," David directed at Leroy while his wife and Lillian hugged beside him. "Is an excellent question.
Clark sneezed. "Well, what was that smoke?" He asked first, over the mutterings of his brothers, then: "Who did this?" Another one asked. "What was that smoke?"
"A-and why?" Walter added.
"And what was that smoke?!"
All eyes turned to Lillian, who was looking at her hands, studiously averting her gaze from everyone else as Ruby rubbed a hand along her arm soothingly.
She was saved from answering, from reacting to the accusations none were bold enough to voice, by a soft, calming voice that spoke up behind the small group.
"Magic," Mother Superior said simply, her eyes locked on Lillian, and Lillian alone. "It's here. I can feel it." She smiled, attention drawn to Mary Margaret, when the other woman reached out to take her hands.
"Magic? In Storybrooke?" Henry stood between his grandparents, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as the newest excitement became clear. While he'd heard Lillian say magic had arrived, he'd yet to see anything that had proved it, and now that the Blue Fairy had agreed... "You're the Blue Fairy," Henry rounded on Lillian, who looked quite startled. "And the Dark Lilith. Do something, like you used to tell me about."
"It's not quite that simple, Henry." Mother Superior saved Lillian once more, her brow creased in concern for both the situation, and the suddenly ashen pallor of the sorceress' skin. "No wand, no fairy dust… matters are complicated, now."
"Let's go to the person responsible for bringing it – the Queen." Leroy snarled, unable to forget his hatred of the woman, no matter what title she went by.
Emma's eyes widened at the sight of the others beginning to agree with the dark-haired man. "No, wait. It wasn't Regina."
Tucked away safely at his Thinking Tree, Peter lounged against the branches, his entire body tense despite the leisurely pose. While he knew it took time to traverse through realms, especially from the Land Without Magic to Neverland, it didn't make him any less impatient for the return of his Shadow.
The Curse had broken in Storybrooke, allowing the citizens to regain their memories and, if what he'd felt through the strengthening connection he shared with Lily, magic had been returned as well. He could feel her presence, distant and weak, but stronger than it had been in the past few decades. Even when she'd been in the Enchanted Forest he'd felt her, as if she was beside him.
Then, once she'd been cursed, he'd scarcely been able to feel her; only enough to tell that she was still alive.
Now, her magic, her soul, felt like a flickering flame, growing stronger with each passing second. His Shadow would be careful, moreso than it had been in the past few years since he'd found her. A cursed resident would likely dismiss it as a trick of light if they glimpsed the Shadow, but he knew that if any saw it now, it would only spell out trouble for him.
Can't have the laddie finding out about my plans too soon, it would ruin the game. A shudder rippled through him, signalling that the Shadow had returned to Neverland. Silently, he raised a hand, fingers turned upwards. As it approached, hovering above his head, it reached down, touching the tips of its fingers to his.
She washed over him; her presence, her magic latching onto his own, searing through his body like fire. Eyes closed tightly, he grit his teeth against the onslaught, though relished the burn as Lily's face, red eyes and all, flashed through his mind before she was enveloped in a cloud of dense, purple smoke. Relief surged through him, so powerful that it almost brought him to his knees.
She's back. She has her magic and the Curse is broken. He lowered his hand, breaking the connection with the Shadow, who flew away at the absent nod of his head. And soon, a smirk formed on his face, longing echoing in his eyes as he turned to stare up at the moon. She'll be home and where she belongs.
With him.
Despite the quiet urging of her husband, and of the warning looks both Ruby and Granny were sending her, not to mention the mutinous looks Lillian was tossing Emma, Mary Margaret was unable to stop herself. Her daughter was here, in the flesh, and, while the fact that her daughter was a few years older than her was a bit disconcerting, it wasn't going to stop her from finding out everything there was to know about her daughter.
"Is there anything that you want to ask us?" Mary Margaret asked, longing infused with her words. "You must have questions."
Emma didn't even spare her a glance. "The only questions I have are for Mr. Gold." She strode purposefully, refusing to stop and look at her... her mother... "Why did he double-cross me, and what did he do to this town?"
Mary Margaret shared a look with David, who had been silently staring at their daughter, a look of awed devotion on his face. "Uh… shouldn't we talk about 'it' first?"
Emma stopped. "What?"
Delighted by her daughter's attention, Mary Margaret shrugged with a smile. "Us, your life, everything?"
"Can we do everything maybe later?" The blonde asked desperately, aware of the delight and love in their eyes, and shied uncomfortably away from it. "Like, with a glass of wine. Or…several…bottles." She muttered the last words under her breath.
"I know it's a lot to take in – for all of us." David said quietly, still smiling.
"And we don't want to push, but we've waited for this moment for so long- "
Emma stopped again, whirling around to look at them. "Yeah, so have I." She retorted. "I've thought about this moment my entire life. I've imagined who you might be. But, of all the scenarios that I concocted, my parents being… " She stopped herself, catching sight of the looks on her parent's faces, of the expression on Henry's face from his spot by Lillian's side. "I-I just need a little time. That's… that's all."
Lillian's head shot up at the sudden sound of shouting. Without waiting for the others, she took several steps behind them, Henry trailing after her.
"Come on!"
Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Whale at the head of a large, and very angry looking mob.
"Snow," she said urgently, spinning to look at Mary Margaret, whose eyes were likewise fixed on the scene.
Catching sight of them, Archie sprinted towards them, panting as he tried to form the words. "There you are!" All eyes turned to him. "Come with me; I need your help." Using his umbrella, he pointed to the rapidly growing mob. "Dr. Whale's whipped everyone into a frenzy. They're going to Regina's house and -"
"They're going to kill her." Henry whimpered from beisde Lillian, who immediately wrapped her arm around his little shoulders tightly.
"Great," Leroy said, oblivious to the small boy's despair. "Let's watch."
"No." Archie began to shake his head, eyes wide and earnest behind his glasses. "No, we cannot stoop to her level. No matter who she is or what she's done, killing her is wrong."
"He's right. Please." Henry begged from Lillian's arms, suddenly realizing the severity of his mother's actions and what the consequences of breaking the Curse were for her. "She's still my mom."
Despite herself, Emma found herself agreeing with her son. "We have to stop them."
"If the Blue Fairy is right and magic is here," David spared a glance at Lillian, whose lips were pressed together so tightly he could see only a thin line. "Regina could have her powers back. They'll be marching into a slaughter."
Without waiting for another word, Lillian lightly tugged Henry and led the group through the streets, following the angry mob.
"She is beautiful," Jacquimo smiled at the baby nestled within her nests of blankets and pillows. He'd barely been able to get away from his duties to come and visit the newest addition to the nursery, though was glad he'd managed it. Sleepy eyes, dazed and wide, fluttered open and he smiled warmly at the child, chuckling when she merely yawned before falling back to sleep.
"Yes," Katerina agreed quietly, tucking the blankets around her daughter, frightened that the child would catch a chill and not shake it off. While not a weak child by any means, it was obvious that she hadn't inherited the legacy of the woman of their family, as her hair was a mass of dark curls instead of the golden locks every other woman in their family had inherited.
Even her.
Unconsciously, her hand went to her own dark, curly locks, twisted and perfectly coiffed upon her head. She'd mourned the loss of her golden hair, almost as much as her mother had. While the story told throughout the realm was that she'd been disinherited for marrying below her station, it was far more complicated than that.
Corona could not have a Queen not expected to live long enough for her eldest child to reach maturity, especially when their eldest was a boy. Had Lily been born first, it might have been different, but the birth of Damien had sealed her fate in that aspect. For her, it had been a relief when the midwife pronounced her child a boy, as he escaped the notice of both Queen Tabitha and him. With Lily's birth, her mother had taken notice, sending advisers to 'inspect' her child, as if she was a prized sow.
Katerina had refused in no uncertain terms, as had Beau, and they'd banished those sent by her mother from their lands.
Her husband had welcomed their daughter with wide, open arms, delighted to have a daughter he could spoil and cuddle, and as the weeks passed, with no sign of Pan or his Shadow, they'd begun to relax. While the daughter of Duke was less prestigious than that of a Prince Consort, the wealth of Beauregard's family allowed them to live comfortably, much more than others in their social class.
"Are you sure you can't stay?" Katerina asked, smiling when Jacquimo lifted Lily from her cocoon of blankets, cooing softly at the babe. "We could arrange for -"
"No," he smiled faintly, expression and eyes pained, but he was resolute. "Thank you my dear, but my duties have pulled me away once more." He turned to Katerina, who watched him with sad, accepting eyes. "Please, give my brother my regards and tell him..." Lily began to shift in his arms and her wide blue eyes opened, little fingers grasping for his own finger as he trailed it down her rounded cheek. "Tell him I will do whatever it takes to protect my niece."
At the head of the mob, Whale led them up the pathway to Regina's mansion, the sight of the large house only serving to inflame the anger of the mob. Fist extended, Whale roughly pounded on the pristine, white wood of the door.
"Open up!" He shouted over the din of the mob behind him. "Open up, or we're coming in!"
His hand raised once more, fist poised to beat against the wood, when the door opened, revealing the source of their ire. Taking in the large crowd, Regina stared calmly, almost smugly, and she casually stepped out of her home.
"Can I help you?"
"That smirk isn't going to last forever, Regina." Whale snarled, infuriated by said smirk the woman's painted lips were twisted up in. "You took everything from us, and now- "
"What?" Regina cut him off, smirk widening. "Now you're going to kill me?"
"Eventually. But first, you need to suffer." He snarled, pushing closer to the still amused woman.
Regina raised an eyebrow. "Listening to you has been enough suffering for all of us." Hands pressed to his chest, she shoved Whale off her stoop, advancing on the crowd that had calmed somewhat, fearful mutterings rising in their wake. "That's right. You wanted to see your Queen?" She asked, beginning to descend the stairs threateningly. "Well, my dears. Here… she… is."
When she threw out her arms, the entire crowd flinched, their fear obvious. However, as the seconds passed, and as nothing happened, Regina felt the first stirrings of panic begin to swell within her. The crowd stared, seemingly as stunned as she was.
And then: "She's powerless!"
"What?" She muttered, looking down at her palms with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Get her!"
"Don't let her get away!"
Whale grabbed hold of her, pushing her back up onto one of the pillars that lined the doorway, face inches away from her own. "Now… where were we?" He snarled out, hands creeping towards her unprotected neck.
Lillian felt her magic swirling underneath her skin, just waiting to be unleashed, when the hate and the animosity and the pain coming off the large crowd hit her. Almost doubled over, she shut her eyes tightly, able to feel the magic gathering behind them, blue giving way to red. Panting now from the effort, she straightened to meet Ruby's concerned gaze.
The older woman watched the teen, eyes widening in realization, before she pulled the zipper of Lillian's hoodie down, reaching for the necklace beneath the layers, both deaf to the cacophony of voices behind them.
Emma pushed through the crowd, elbowing and shoving. "Let her go." She snapped, faint stirrings of dread at the sight of Whale's hands on Regina's neck. "Let her go!" Whaledidn't react, only when she reached out and roughly yanked on his arm did he turn his attention from Regina. "Let her go!"
"Why should I listen to you?" His features contorted into a snarl..
"Because I am still Sheriff." Emma retorted snappily as Henry watched on in horror.
David, Mary Margaret at his side, sprinted to reach their daughter. "And because she saved you," he yelled to the crowd as he, Leroy, Archie, Mary Margaret and Granny made a half-circle, protecting Regina from the crowd. "All of you!"
"And because no matter what Regina did, it does not justify this." Mary Margaret added, arms holding Henry tightly in front of her to protect him from the crowd. Her eyes scanned the faces, landing on Ruby and Lillian, the latter still hunched over, and her brow creased in worry.
"We are not murderers here."
Whale merely sneered at Emma's words. "Well, we're not from this world."
"Yeah, well, you're in it now." Emma replied coolly, meeting Whale's stare flatly even when he pressed closer.
Reaching the end of his rope with Whale's behavior, and his proximity to his daughter, David launched himslef between Whale and Emma, shoving the former in the chest. "Okay, Whale. We're done."
"Back off." Whale snapped with a shove of his own. "You're not my prince."
As David eyed the doctor suspiciously, Mary Margaret turned to check on Lillian, who had joined them at the head of the crowd, leaning slightly on Ruby. "Who are you, Whale?"
"That's my business."
David scoffed lightly. "Well my business, is making sure this town doesn't go to hell." His blue eyes narrowed. "So, whether or not I'm your prince, isn't the issue. We have a lot to figure out, and this isn't the way to do it."
Handing off Henry to Ruby and Lillian, Mary Margaret lightly leapt up onto the porch beside Regina, who had been watching the proceedings, bewildered. "And Regina's death won't provide any answers!" She addressed the whole crowd now, who watched her intently. "She needs to be locked up," at that, a sardonic smirk formed on Regina's lips. "For her safety and, more importantly, for ours."
As David shut the cell door behind her, locking Regina inside, Lillian raised both her hands from her perch on the nearest desk. Strands of magic, shimmering and pale, slipped from the tips of her fingers; the protection spell was simple, easy enough for a child taking their first, stumbling steps at magic could break. Which Regina was all too aware of, given the angry flush that began to creep up her neck.
Lowering her hands, Lillian drew her knees up to her chest and watched the others closely, Henry's little hand resting on the top of her knee.
"What was that back there?" He whispered quietly, knowing that she wouldn't want attention drawn. Lillian shrugged in response, keeping her mouth firmly shut. While she knew it had just been backlash, too much hitting her at once in terms of her magic and empathy, it still unsettled her.
Thankfully, Regina chose that time to start her bitching. "So, I'm a prisoner now." She observed quietly, unable to break out of the cell even if she wanted to.
David leaned close to the bars, his wife at his side. "If the Curse is broken, why didn't we go back?"
"Because there's nothing to go back to." She snapped in reply. "That land is gone."
Mary Margaret felt the blood drain from her face. Eyes shining, she tore her gaze away from Regina, as if the sight of the woman disgusted her, and spoke to David. "We should get to Gold."
Without a word, the small family left, Emma's hand around Henry's small shoulders. The boy stopped at the entrance to the office, turning back to look at Lillian, who hadn't moved from her spot on the desk.
"Lillian?" He asked, and Emma and her parents turned to look at her as well. "What is it?"
"You go on ahead," her voice sounded strange even to her own ears, but if they noticed, no one mentioned it. "I'll stay here and make sure Her Majesty can't escape."
Regina eyed the young woman, eyes burning, as, once the Charmings had left, Henry having to be almost dragged, Lillian hopped off the desk and approached the bars. With a jerk of her chin, she lowered the protection spell on the cell silently. Watching her closely for several silent heartbeats, eyes darting from the silent, stone-faced teen, to the empty doorway, Regina acted cautiously.
She extended her hand, clenching it into a fist, despair rising in her when her magic didn't react, didn't unlock the cell. Fingers uncurling, she began to reach for the lock, just to see if she could unlock it by touch, when a soft voice startled her.
"Magic is different here, dearie." Gold observed, entering the room from another doorway. He strode in slowly, coming to stand by Lillian, who was still staring at Regina silently, her face carefully smoothed of any expression.
She eyed the teen oddly for a brief moment. "I noticed, though clearly not for Lilith, here." She focused her narrowed gaze on the man before her as he passed his assistant, blocking her from view. "I assume this is all your doing."
"Most things are."
Regina frowned at his flat tone. "Get to it, Rumple. What do you want?" Despite herself, she felt her eyes prick with tears, though she refused to let them fall. She refused to show any weakness in front of anyone. "You're here to finish the job?"
"No, no, no." He chided her in those same, even tones that were making the hair on her neck raise. "You're safe from me."
"I would feel more relieved if you didn't have your assistant in arm's reach."
Gold ignored the sharp retort. "I made a promise to someone that I won't kill you."
"Who could elicit that from you?"
"Belle."
Lillian straightened, the first sign that she had truly been listening. Her eyes, dark and searching, raised to meet Gold's when he turned to look at her. Her eyes slid once over his shoulder, meeting Regina's gaze head on, and easily reading the brief flash of panic that shone in the other woman's eyes. Turning her attention back to Gold, Lillian nodded once, slowly, and then turned on her heel, crossing the room in long strides before she was gone.
"She's alive?" Regina asked, barely keeping her voice steady after watching that exchange.
"You are a dreadful liar." He snarled, rounding on her. While he believed Belle's claims, having Lillian use her empathy to search out the truth had only strengthened his resolve.
Regina bared her own teeth in return. "I could've killed her, but I didn't."
"Yeah, you did much worse than that. You kept her alive, so you could kill her when it suited you." He stepped closer to the bars. "A fate worse than death. Which, incidentally, is exactly what I've got in store for you." Quicker than she thought possible, Gold lashed out, catching her wrist and yanking hard. Stumbling into the bars of the cell, she had little time to react before he pressed a medallion into the palm of her hand.
(Mr. Gold grabs Regina's arm and pulls it through the bars. He takes the medallion and pushes it into the palm of her hand.)
"Is that… " Regina trailed off in horror, suddenly wishing that Gold had just killed her when she felt the searing brand of the medallion press into her flesh. Trembling, she repeatedly tried to rip her arm from his grasp, with little result.
Gold was smirking maliciously at her clear terror, steadfastly keeping her hand in his grip. "Yes, dearie." He agreed. "The one thing no one can escape – destiny. And, I promise, yours is particularly unpleasant."
With that, he pulled the medallion away and slunk off, smiling now. Still shaking, Regina twisted her hand around, frantically eying the unblemished skin with wide, frightened eyes.
Lillian left Gold to do his work, shivering when she felt the dark, sucking presence of the newly summoned Wraith. Dark magic was one thing, something she'd never shied away from, but Wraiths were a whole other force that she wanted nothing to do with. Quickening her pace, she raised an eyebrow at the sight of Emma attempting to convince Henry to go with Ruby, who was waiting in her car, parked on the curb in front of Granny's.
"Hey!" Lillian jogged forward, not surprised when Henry ducked underneath the blonde's grip and sprinted to her, tackling her around her midsection.
"Henry!" Emma called, stalking toward them, brow creased in a deep frown. She didn't want Henry anywhere near magic, especially not someone who was a practitioner the art, at least not until she herself had come to terms with the situation. Ignoring how horrible that sounded, she approached the pair, softening ever so slightly at the sight of them embracing one another tightly. "Kid, you need to go with Ruby; she'll keep you safe -"
"I'll keep him safe." Lillian snapped back, eyes suddenly red with fury.
Taken aback, Emma couldn't stop herself from take a wary step backwards at the sight. She turned to her... parents... who were watching them, muttering to one another. As she obviously wasn't going to get any help from in that corner, she turned back to Henry to see him tugging Lillian to his level so he could look at her oddly coloured eyes more closely.
"Cool!" He enthused, tracing his fingers along the underside of her blood-red eyes. "How does that work?" He'd never gotten a good look at them
"Magic gathers in my eyes," Lillian explained simply, never taking her eyes off Henry when she next addressed Emma. "I've spent the past ten years keeping him safe - and nothing is gonna change that." She slanted a sharp glare at a ruffled looking Emma. "Or anyone."
The threat was fairly obvious, though Emma scowled darkly in return. Unmoved, Lillian stood, gripped Henry's hand, and walked toward Ruby's idling car. As Lillian and Ruby talked quietly, the latter's eyes wide with concern, Mary Margaret stared at her daughter helplessly.
"Don't push it, Snow." David cautioned from the corner of his mouth, eying his wife as she stared with undisguised longing.
"I'm not… " she trailed off when Emma turned away from Lillian, whose hand Henry still had in a death grip, annoyance plain on her pale features.
"You guys ready?" Emma asked, sending Lillian one last glare, though the brunette didn't even blink as Ruby drove away.
"We need to talk." Mary Margaret said before David could stop her.
Their daughter went stiff, eyes wide. "I… well," she looked away from their pleading stares. "I don't… I just… I don't want to talk."
"Well, I do, okay?" Mary Margaret shot back, fed up with the thought of waiting for any longer than she had to. "Gold can wait. I can't." She barely noticed Henry and Lillian when they moved to stand beside her and David, facing Emma. "I mean, you're my daughter, and… I want to talk to you." Said daughter stared at her, looking seconds away from bolting. "I know that we have talked. But, we didn't know that we were talking. And we talked about things we probably shouldn't even have talked about – one night stands and the like."
"One night stands?" David interrupted incredulously, allowing his wife to catch her breath, as Lillian casually covered Henry's ears.
"Whale." She replied absently, still too focused on her daughter to pay her now scandalized husband any mind.
"Whale?!"
Rolling her eyes, she pinned him with a flat look as Henry batted his 'sister's' hands off him. "We were cursed. That is neither here, no there." She chided, turning back to Emma. "The point is, we did not know that we were mother and daughter and, now, we do. And, so… please, let's talk."
Still unsure, but feeling her resolve weaken at the pleading in Mary Margaret's voice, Emma began to nod slowly. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"
"We're together – finally." Mary Margaret began cautiously, watching her daughter carefully. "And I can't help but think you're not happy about it."
Both were aware of Lillian watching them closely, Henry following suit. though only Mary Margaret was aware of the reason for the teen sorceress' scrutiny. The Dark Lilith's abilities as an empath had been rather useful during the fight to take back the kingdom from Regina, allowing her to suss out any discontent or lies with those they took as their allies.
"Oh, I am." Emma corrected her mother after several heartbeats of silence. Eyes prickling once again, she pushed on quickly, wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible. "But, see… here's the thing – no matter what the circumstances, for twenty-eight years I only knew one thing. That my parents sent me away."
"We did that to give you your best chance."
"You did it for everyone, because that's who you are." Emma replied softly, looking between her parent's, their sorrow clearly mirrored in her own gaze. "Leaders, heroes, princes, and princesses, and that's great. A-And amazing, and wonderful." She said softly, shaking her head when they looked ready to correct her. "But it doesn't change the fact that, for my entire life, I've been alone."
"But, if we hadn't sent you away, you would've been cursed, too." Mary Margaret reminded her gently, not daring to add that, in all likelihood, Regina would have had baby Emma smothered the moment she got the chance.
"But we would've been together. Which curse is worse?" Turning away, Emma began to stalk down the sidewalk, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. "Come on. Let's just… let's go find Gold."
"Have you been able to make contact with Tiger Lily?" Felix asked, prowling from the shadows of the jungle. When Pan had ordered not to be disturbed, he'd included his second in command, something that didn't usual happen.
Now, sitting in the lower branches of a large tree, the immortal glanced down from the night sky to meet the blond boy's gaze. "Not yet, Felix. She's around others, things could get... messy." He smirked, gripping hold of another limb and swinging down from the branches to the ground. "I'll have to invade her dreams again." He frowned now, knowing how much it bothered her, mentally at least, to see him and touch him in her mind, but to wake up alone.
"Is that a wise choice?" Felix ventured to ask, erring on the side of caution. "Her mental state hasn't been exactly sound, as of late."
"The return of magic will have fixed that," Peter smiled cockily. "Lily knows her own mind now, thanks to Rumple's meddling with her psyche." Which damaged their relationship more than the Dark One could have foreseen. "She'll be home soon."
"With the boy."
Peter nodded at Felix's dry addition, both wearing matching smirks.
"It'll be a real homecoming." He glanced up at the sky once more, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
Felix, recognizing his leader's moods, nodded his head and slipped back into the jungle, leaving Pan alone with his thoughts. Without much thought, Peter closed his eyes and reached out, smiling, breath catching in his chest before it quickened, as Lily's aura stroked his own, stronger and brighter than it had been just a few hours ago. She was using her magic.
I'll bring you home, love, he thought heatedly. Just like I promised."
Lillian led them into the shop, easily unlocking it with her key despite the puppy-dog eyes Henry sent her. Even though her magic seemed to be working, it was still shaky and somewhat unstable, and she didn't want Henry around when the inevitable backlash occurred. Gold was making tea when they entered, and Lillian's eyebrows shot up into her hairline when she saw the chipped teacup resting on the counter.
"Is she... " Lillian trailed off, suddenly remembering the trio of adults behind her, and settled for nodding toward the back room pointedly.
Gold nodded once. "She is indeed."
Satisfied by his quiet answer, Lillian turned and led Henry toward the other end of the shop, pulling down a spellbook she'd studied as a child. Handing it to him, she fondly traced the simple cover before she opened a page and left him there, knowing he'd been distracted long enough for the upcoming confrontation to run its course.
"What you can do," Emma was snapping when she approached, already attempting to order the older man around. "Is tell us what you did."
"I'm sorry." He looked between the three Charmings, unimpressed by their attempts to intimidate him. "You're going to have to be more specific."
"You know damn well what we're talking about." David's blue eyes narrowed in dislike.
"You double-crossed Emma, you, uh, took your… potion," Mary Margaret looked to Lillian, who nodded once. "From her."
"And did who knows what to this town."
Emma jumped in then, face twisted with anger. "And, worst of all, you risked Henry's life."
"Well, that is quite a litany of grievances now, isn't it?" Gold asked airily, sharing a look with Lillian, who withheld the urge to scoff.
"Maybe I don't need answers." Emma replied sharply. "Maybe, I just need to punch you in the face."
Gold merely raised an eyebrow at the threat. "Really, dearie?" The incredulous note in his voice did nothing but rile Emma up further. "Allow me to answer your questions with some of my own, alright? Did your dear boy Henry survive?"
Emma's scowl was black. "Yeah."
"Is the curse broken? And let's see. Uh, Miss Swan, how long have you been searching for your parents?" He continued, relishing in the bemused expression that overcame Emma's fury. "Looks like you're reunited. Seems like, rather a punch in the face, I deserve a thank you."
"Twist my words all you want." Emma snapped, shaking her head once before she leaned closer. "What was the purple haze that you brought?"
It was Lillian who answered, voice filled with annoyance. "I already told you - it was magic." She raised a hand and, with a twist of her fingers, fire sprang to life on the tips of them.
Mary Margaret barely paid any mind to the trick, while Emma watched in abject horror. "Why?" The dark-haired woman pressed.
"Not telling." Gold muttered seconds before a loud explosion made them all stumble.
"What the hell was that?" Emma demanded as Lillian rushed over to Henry, pocketing the spellbook as she did so.
"That… "Gold began from behind the counter as they rushed to the window in time to see the transformers outside explode. "Is my gift to you. That… is going to take care of Regina."
Henry paled, beginning to shake beneath Lillian's hold, and the teen glanced down at him before she raised her head to meet Gold's unflinching stare.
"Emma, come on." Mary Margaret urged her daughter once they'd regained their footing.
David nodded. "We need to go take care of this."
"We're not done." Emma told Gold in a low, threatening voice, staring hard at the man's calm features.
"Oh, I know." He agreed, too easily for her liking. "You still owe me a favour."
Arm wrapped around Henry, Lillian stormed out of the pawn shop, easily whisking them both away, her fear of magic's temperamental state here giving way to her desire for Henry's safety. Emma stopped at the sight of them disappearing in a cloud of smoke, eerily similar to the smoke Gold had brought, and jerked when her parents nearly ran into her.
"Where the hell did -" She startled again, bumping into David when the smoke reappeared, clearing to reveal only Lillian this time. "Where... what -"
"I took Henry to Ruby." Lillian replied, shaking off the blonde's sputtered questions. "He doesn't need to be anywhere near what Gold conjured."
"And..." Mary Margaret began cautiously, refusing to be put off by the foreboding look on Lillian's face as they rushed toward the Station. "What exactly did he conjure?"
Back in the pawn shop, Gold turned at the sound of footsteps to see Belle, out of the hospital gown and hair brushed. "Hey." He greeted quietly, sensing the storm that was about to break the moment she raised blue eyes toward him, wide with hurt.
"You lied to me."
"No, I-I kept my word. I, will not kill her."
She shook her head, accent thickening with her distress. "No. You toy with words like you do people." Her eyes narrowed. "You're still a man who makes wrong choices. I thought you'd changed."
Gold scoffed, unable to help himself. "What? In the hour you've known me?" He asked, regretting his words the instant he saw the hurt in her eyes, the way she physically recoiled from him. Stepping around the counter, giving him a wide berth, she stormed toward the door, and he felt panic seize his insides. "Belle, I… I'm sorry. Belle, I'm sorry. I am."
Belle threw him a last, betrayed look over her shoulder, hurt glittering in her eyes, before she turned and slipped through the door.
When the lights flickered off, the dread that had been slowly building within Regina increased tenfold. Standing up from the small cot, she cautiously approached the door of the cell.
"Hello?" She called out faintly, swallowing thickly. "Who's there?"
The Wraith entered then, the temperature of the entire room dropping along with its entry. As it ripped open the door, Regina stood her ground, well aware that running would solve nothing. As it began to suck out her soul, tearing it out of her, Lillian sprinted into the room, skidding to a stop at the sight of the black robed creature.
Emma, David and Mary Margaret were just behind her, all stopping in surprise, before David reacted.
"Hey!" He shouted, the noise gaining no reaction from the Wraith, before he grabbed hold of the spindle chair at a nearby desk, slamming it against the creature's back.
Eyes wide with horror, Lillian grabbed hold of Emma and forced her into a crouch, Mary Margaret following suit, when the furniture in the station began to rapidly spin around the space. Cursing loudly, Lillian dove out of the way of a filing cabinet, before rising to a crouch, snapping her fingers.
Fire sprang to life in her palm and, praying to any deity that was listening that it would work, sent a stream of fire at the Wraith. It let out a wordless shriek of pain, and as she intensified the fire, careful not to lose control, it began to writhe. Regina fell to the ground in a crumpled heap as Lillian's attack chased the Wraith out of a window, shattering the glass.
Closing her hand, Lillian fell to her knees, shaking with adrenaline. Arms crossing over her chest tightly, she closed her eyes and began to breath deeply, shivering when something familiar and heated stroked against the churning magic inside her. Peter...?
"What the hell was that thing?" Emma demanded as Regina shakily rose to her feet.
"A wraith." She muttered in reply, elaborating when she earned a blank look from the blonde. "A soul sucker."
Mary Margaret knelt beside Lillian, helping her rise, and looked between the two sorceresses. "Did she- "
"Kill it?" Regian finished, already shaking her head. "No, it's regenerating."
"She's right," Lillian agreed faintly. "It'll be back; it will always be back until it devours its prey -"
"- Me."
Emma was frowning. "So, how do we kill it?"
"There's no way." Regina replied in resigned tones. "Can't kill something that's already dead."
"Then, we have a problem."
"No, we don't." David corrected his daughter, who turned to stare at him in shock. "Regina does."
"What?" Regina asked, flabbergasted, then same moment Mary Margaret gaped at her husband, "David?"
"You want to let her die?" Emma asked, disturbed by the thought, and it reflected clearly on her face.
Lillian, however, was giving David an appraising look. Despite her own promise to Henry, if they couldn't stop the Wraith, which she knew they couldn't, then she didn't see the harm in letting the creature take what it wanted and go. "Why not?" She finally asked, leveling Regina with a glare. "Then it'll be on its merry way, and we'll all be safe."
Regina glared at both the teen and David, who was nodding along with Lillian's words. "Well, that's quite the example you're setting for your daughter, there, Prince Charming."
Something within him snapped and he took a threatening step forward, features contorted into a snarl. "No, you don't get to judge us."
"Let me ask you something," Regina began, ignoring him, and her eyes settled on Lillian. "Where do you think that thing came from?" She didn't wait for an answer from the Charmings, or an admission from the sorceress before her. "Gold."
All eyes slid to Lillian, whose face was wiped clean of any and all expression. Emma eyed the teen searchingly, frowning when she was unable to detect even a hint of emotion. It was as if the young woman's face had been made from stone.
Turning to David, Emma began to shake her head. "I made a promise to Henry. She's not dying."
Mary Margaret immediately picked up on the 'save Regina' bandwagon, shooting her husband a glare while she was at it. "If it can't be killed, what do you suggest?"
"Send it somewhere it can't hurt anyone." Regina responded candidly.
So, with Regina leading the way, Emma sticking close to her, they crossed Storybrooke, ending up in the Mayor's office. Lillian hung back, twisting her hands together, until David placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Lillian?" He asked softly, feeling her tense beneath his touch. Frowning now, he tried again, whispering, "Lilith," this time.
Lillian's muscles loosened beneath his touch, her eyes losing their guarded, haunted look, and she didn't protest when he gently steered her after Mary Margaret.
"So, Wraiths don't like fire?"
Emma watched them go, frowning at the easy manner David had with Lillian, something she'd never seen before. Not even Gold, or at least from what she'd seen in their interactions, could make the teenager look so at ease with just a touch and a whisper. Something twisted in her gut - though she refused to name the bitter, hurt emotion - and she turned back to Regina as the woman pulled a hat box out of her desk.
"Did Henry really ask you to protect me?" She asked faintly, keeping her eyes on the box instead of the blonde beside her.
Emma nodded simply. "Yes." Her gaze was drawn to the box Regina placed on the table, eyes widening when the mayor opened it, pulling out a top hat. "The hat." She breathed, turning her eyes to Regina, accusation in their depths. "You had it all along."
Regina stared at her blankly. "What do you mean?"
"That's Jefferson's hat."
"Who's Jefferson?"
Emma stared suspiciously, Regina innocently puzzled, until the door behind them opened and David, Mary Margaret and Lillian reentered the room, each carrying at least one broom.
"Torches – for when it comes back." David said by way of explanation when he received bewildered stares from the two women. "I know it's old fashioned, but so am I."
Mary Margaret threw him a faint smile before she turned to Regina. "So. How does it work?"
"It will open a portal to our land." Regina explained as they relocated to another room, an open area, with much more room to move around than her office. "All we have to do is send the Wraith in there."
David rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah. Just that."
"I don't understand," Mary Margaret looked from Regina to Lillian, whose face had tightened at the mention of their land. "I thought our land was gone?"
Regina nodded, hat still in hand. "It is." She agreed easily, glancing at Lillian and wondering why the other woman had yet to call her out. "But, sending it to a place that no longer exists… well, that's banishing it to oblivion."
The moment the words left her lips, the lights around them began to flicker. Lillian looked around wildly, eyes red once more, and Emma winced at the sight of the demonic color. As their makeshift torches were lit, the sound of the Wraith began to echo, and the blonde turned toward Regina, who knelt in the center of the room, hat on the floor.
"Regina."
Said woman spun the hat, attempting to open the portal the way Jefferson had taught her, only to watch in frustration as it merely spun several times. "I'm trying."
Lillian spun in horror as the doors burst open, a sudden wind whipping up out of nowhere and tangling her dark curls across her face. "Regina!" She shouted over the gale, jerking around to see the other woman still unsuccessfully trying to get the hat to work.
"I know." She snapped back as David began to wildly wave his broom torch, trying to keep the Wraith at bay.
It hovered before him threateningly, and, seeing that her husband's efforts wouldn't last, Mary Margaret grabbed hold of a bottle of cleaning solution left on a nearby table.
As she raced along the barrier in the room, she turned and shouted for Lillian, who was staring at Regina, hands clenched into fists. "Lillian!" The brunette's head snapped around, eyes widening at what the other woman was doing. Turning back to David, who was still swinging at the creature, she now called for him. "David!"
Chancing a look behind him, his eyes widened before he darted behind the railing in time for Lillian to shakily light it on fire. Grabbing hold of the teen, David tucked her protectively under his arm, unaware of Emma's surprised stare. "Hurry!" he shouted at Regina, who had had just about enough of being yelled at while she was trying to concentrate.
"It's not working!"
Through the Shadow's eyes, Peter could see what was happening in Storybrooke, down to the last detail. He could see Lily's shaky control on her magic; the events of the day hadn't let her try out her magic, leaving it unstable and volatile.
As she set the wood before her on fire, his jaw clenched when her pale, taut features were shrouded by the chest of Snow White's Prince, the man protective of her. The sight of the jealousy that flashed over the Savior's face made him smirk tightly, though worry overcame him once more when the fire proved to be little help in keeping the Wraith at bay.
Just a little longer...
"It's not working!" Regina yelled over the din, her eyes wide with dismay as the hat spun uselessly once more beneath her hands. She could feel the magic, trapped under the surface, but there was something blocking her each and every time she tried to grab hold of it.
Emma turned from trying to keep the Wraith away, brow creased in a deep frown. "What is the problem?"
"Magic… it's different here." Regina yelled back.
David threw another glance over his shoulder as Lillian slipped from his side, joining Emma at Regina's. "Now would be the time!"
Lillian watched, eyes widening with astonishment as, when Emma absently touched Regina's shoulder, magic suddenly surged from the mayor's hands into the hat. The hat began to spin, picking up speed, and formed a purple vortex in the middle of the floor just in time for the Wraith to push past David and Mary Margaret, throwing the former to the floor.
"It's coming!"
Emma turned, eyes flaring with alarm, as the creature rapidly approached Regina, who slowly turned in time to see the Wraith approaching. "Regina!" Without a though, the blonde woman charged the other, knocking her out of the way. The Wraith was sucked into the portal, though Emma had little time to celebrate, as something hooked onto her ankle and began to drag her down into the vortex.
"Emma!" Her head snapped up to see Lillian diving after her, catching hold of her wrist at the edge of the portal. Gritting her teeth with the effort, as her magic still eluded her, Lillian's eyes filled with terror as both she and Emma were yanked into the portal after the Wraith.
"No!" Mary Margaret and David's cries, rife with agony, filled the air seconds before the mother tensed.
"I'm not losing her again!"
David watched his wife jump after their daughter, determination lining her delicate features. "Neither am I!" He shouted in return, jumping onto the now unlit barrier and toward the vortex.
However, instead of slipping into the portal, he only landed hard on the concrete floor, panicked apprehension gripping hold of him when he saw no trace of the portal beneath him no matter how hard he looked. He stared at the floor in disbelief as Regina watched, mildly stupefied by what had just occurred.
She'd forgotten just how much she hated travel between the realms.
As it had been with the portals she'd taken to and from Neverland, she felt claustrophobic, pressed in from all sides, as the very breath was squeezed from her lungs. Closing her eyes against the onslaught, they snapped back open, and she rapidly looked around, breath quickening and chest heaving, as something gripped her shoulders.
On Neverland, Peter raised his hands, gripping them into fists as they closed tightly around Lily's shoulders. He tugged, hard, teeth clenching when he was met with resistance. His own magic had been steadily weakening, though he hadn't thought it had waned this much. Focusing, he held on tightly, projecting himself as Lily's wide, terrified eyes flashed in his mind.
Peter's form, hazy and distorted in the portal, began to form before her eyes and, heart in her throat, Lillian gripped hold of the hands on her shoulders. "Peter?"
"Lily." Eyes, bright and wild, met her own as the vortex around them threatened to pull them apart. Face filling with fear when there was a particularly vicious tug, Lillian looked behind her to see a white light approaching.
She didn't know where Snow and Emma had gone, and she wasn't sure she cared at the moment. Horrible as it was, all she cared about was the boy before her, and as his already hazy image became more and more distorted, sudden hysteria gripped hold of her. Without a word, she pressed her lips to the image before her, only for it to be ripped away from her.
"PETER!"
"LILY!"
His shout echoed in the clearing, eyes snapping open, chest gasping for breath, as he stared at the empty space before him, the empty space between his fingers where Lily had once been. Breath quickening in fury, Peter turned and raised a shaking hand wordlessly, summoning the Shadow to him, his entire body shaking with rage.
David frantically began to swipe at the floor, shaking hands landing on the crushed hat that he hadn't even realized he'd been laying on. Holding onto it, he stood up and stalked toward Regina, body radiating with a mix of rage and fear.
"Where are they?!"
"I have no idea."
Undeterred by her attempts to play dumb, David pressed closer to her. "Are they dead?"
"The curse – it destroyed all the lands." Regina answered, sidestepping his questions, only incensing him further.
"Are they dead?!" He demanded again.
"I don't know." She finally snapped.
His blue eyes grew hard, a cold glint entering them. "I should've killed you myself."
"Well, then," she took a threatening step of her own. "What's stopping you?" She threw her arm out, sending David toward the opposite wall. Vines slithered out from it, wrapping tightly around his body, and inching their way to his neck. "You think you're some heroic prince?" She demanded now, smirking maliciously as his face began to redden. "Please. You're nothing but the son of a shepherd. I should've killed you when I could." She moved closer, tightening her hand into a fist. "And now… now I can."
"Mom?" Henry breathed out, shivering in Ruby's tight grasp, as he saw the dark, daunting look on his mother's face.
However, when she heard his voice, her features lost the malice, lightening so quickly that he had to hold back the urge to take a step away from her.
"Henry, what are you doing here?" She asked, voice and features soft with concern even as she held David on the wall, still in a choke hold.
"What are you doing?" He demanded, refusing to move any closer to her.
Regina remained oblivious to her son's wariness. "It's okay," she whispered in return, moving closer to him, releasing her hold on David. "You're safe now."
As David fell to the ground, clawing at his throat and breathing in deep gulps of air, Ruby hurried over to him. Henry stared Regina down, his little brow creasing in agitation.
"W-where's my mom and where's - " He looked around, features paling rapidly when he saw no trace of Lillian. "Where's Lillian?" His voice pitched in distress. "Where's my sister!?"
"They're gone." Regina answered quietly, heart aching at the sight of the agony that flashed over Henry's features. "They fell through a portal. They're… Henry, I'm sorry."
He backed away from her attempts to sooth him, jerking as if her touch burned him. "No, you're not. You really are the Evil Queen." He spat, anger overcoming any other emotion. "I don't want to see you again."
"No," Regina whispered, hurt coloring her words. "Don't say that. I love you."
"Then, prove it. Get Lillian and Emma and Mary Margaret back." He demanded of her, eyes swimming with tears. "And until then, leave me – leave everyone – alone."
"But where will you go?"
"With me." She turned to David, who was on his feet, Ruby by his side.
The once prince strode past her, Ruby at his heels, collected his grandson, and the three stormed out of the Mayor's office, leaving Regina alone in the dark.
David peered into the bedroom, features softening when he saw Henry sitting on the bed, staring at a picture of Emma, Mary Margaret, and Lillian. It looked like it was taken shortly after Mary Margaret's release from prison, after Katherine had been found alive.
"Henry?" He asked softly, eying his grandson's slumped shoulders with concern.
"Yeah?"
He sat down next to him. "Don't worry. Emma and Mary Margaret and Lillian – they're alive."
Henry's brow furrowed. "How do you know?"
"I have faith." David replied, with more conviction than he truly felt on the inside.
"But…"
"Henry, come here." He waited for his grandson to settle beside him, wrapping an arm around his slight shoulders. "I will find them." he swore, smiling down at Henry's upturned face. "I will always find them."
As they readied to leave for the safe haven Mulan had spoken of, a loud noise echoed around the abandoned palace. Sharp eyes searching for its source, Mulan stared toward the hole where the Wraith had originally appeared from.
"Something's in there." Aurora said unnecessarily, looking from the hole to her new protector.
"Stay back." Mulan cautioned, taking a few steps toward the hole, hand on her sword.
Aurora did as bade, staying put as the other woman peered into the hole. "What did it bring?" She asked, torn between curiosity and dread as the silence stretched on. "What is it? What do you see?"
Mulan didn't answer, instead knelt to shift aside the rubble that surrounded the hole, and Aurora caught the stiffening of her shoulders beneath the armor the other woman wore.
"Mulan what is that?"
Without a word, Mulan slowly stood, staring down into the hole, and she didn't stop Aurora from coming to her side. "That… " She pointed with a glove hand to what rested in the rubble near the hole. "That, is what brought the wraith here. That's what killed our prince."
Laying within the rubble, unconscious and bruised, were three women, two dark-haired, and one fair.
Thoughts? Comments? Questions?