Chapter five

As the light faded in the street, Henry held on tight to his girls aware that any moment he could return to the bones and rubble he once was. He was hoping that for now, he was going to be given the chance to be reunited with them just for the moment.

Behind them, the light began to disappear as Snow and David appeared beside Leopold's side, which had begun to wake from his unconscious state. Ella held on to her grandfather's hand as they disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Robin was starting to clean up the mess from the guests as Emma arrived back down the stairs, after putting Imogen back to bed. She had yet again put a magically shield on the little girl's bedroom. Hook was laying sound asleep on the sofa.

"Robin, I am sure they are fine," Emma tells him as she walked towards him, helping to clear the last of the glasses.

"It's not them I am worried about, it's Leopold, he has some sort of hold over Regina, and you said she went silent." He stopped as a purple cloud appeared in the hallway, which contained his girlfriend, daughter and a man he couldn't say he recognized. The bang as they landed caused Hook to stir.

"What was that?" Hook asked as Regina stepped forward, followed closely by the man. Ella sighed as she looked around for Jack, who walked down the stairs towards her.

"Henry.." Jack held his hand out for the man, who he had many a dinner with in Ella's younger years before Elliott had come along.

" Hello. Glad she finally found you. I could always see that you two were meant for each other.." Henry said to the boy as he shook his hand. Ella smiled fully aware, that Henry wanted her to go with Jack from the very start.

"Regina. Who is this?" Robin asked as she kissed him gently on the cheek.

"This is my father.." Hook stood now confused. As Henry walked towards Robin and shook the man's hand.

"Back from the dead… are you saying?" Ella approached Hook and smiled.

"That someone. Or your old friend Cora has awoken the dead. For what reason, We don't know.." Ella told him as Jack gentle stroked the girl's arm which was starting to bruise.

"Who did this you?" Jack asked his girlfriend as her mother appeared at her side.

"My husband… I think we better get some ice on that." Regina told Ella as she took her hand.

"Don't you think we should go and see who else has come back…" Hook asked as he followed them both into the kitchen.

"Do you mean all the people that we hurt in the past… Hook for now the light is off. Which is making me think this is my mother's doing. Bringing Leopold back to hurt me and my father back to please Ella and destroy me." Robin flicked the kettle back on.

" Why would she care if I am happy? She died because I found you.." Ella tells her as she guided Henry Senior to a sit on the kitchen table.

"I also died because of that Ella, if I'm here so is she," Henry told the girl as he glanced at Regina.

" Exactly, she wants me dead. Leopold did this to you because he thought you were me." Regina told the girl as she passed some frozen vegetables to the girl

"But Grandpa, he is here. He wants to be with us both of us. What would Grandma achieve from doing this?" Ella asked as Jack applied the vegetables to the girl's arm causing her to flinch.

"She wants to take you with us. She has unfinished business, She thinks that you shouldn't be in the land of the living if she is not. " Henry tells the girl as she looks across at him.

"Why? Does she not realize that the damage she has done can never be undone." Ella asked again.

"I don't understand that woman any more than you two do. I was married to her and didn't try to stop what she was doing to Regina." Henry said as he stood up and looked at his daughter.

" I understand what she wants. She is jealous.. of us. Of the relationship she never wanted us to have." Regina tells Ella, as she sighs.

"After all this time. She still wants me.."

Regina looked out of the window, into the darkness the street upside down again. She had tried to sleep, but it wasn't happening as all she could think of was that someone was after her child again, her family was in danger and it was all she could think off. She turned to look down at a sleeping Robin, who didn't seem as concerned, as he said "Ella has saved herself and others before. She was a big girl she would be fine." To Regina, her little girl was not ready to face another threat, Cora wanted what she had taken from her before, but it wasn't just Ella. It was Imogen who couldn't seem to control where she was transporting herself too, last night it was just lucky that Ella had managed to catch her before Leopold had. Leopold, the man that Cora had forced Regina to marry, the man who had done so much, so much to damage her, change her make her that person she never thought she could have been. The Evil Queen.

Regina stopped thinking for a second as she heard a loud crash from down the stairs, she kissed Robin on the head as she walked through the door of their bedroom and down the stairs.

Ella sighed as she attempted to stand back up, she knew trying to make coffee in the dark was a bad idea, especially when Imogen had a bad habit of leaving movable toys lying around. She shook her head as she pulled herself up using the counter, her head hurt and she knew it was all her own fault, she should have forced herself to sleep but she couldn't. She turned as she heard someone come down the last step, she flinched as a fireball appeared in her hand.

"Ella… Ella Mills Why are you not asleep?" Regina said as she jumped as Ella's fireball narrowly missed her head.

"I could ask you the same question…. Sorry I am bit jumpy right now.." Regina switched on the light, as she watched Ella flick the switch on the kettle.

"I can't too much go on in my head.. Your excuse?" Regina asked as she passed Ella two cups and the coffee pot. She noticed the bruise that had appeared on the girl's arm, the first for months, the bruise that meant that Leopold had caused Ella's heart some pain too.

"Same thing I suppose. I'm dreading seeing her again, knowing its coming soon is worrying me. She said some horrible things to you the last time we were together. I just can't bear the thought. She might be my Grandma, but she tried everything to make me hate you.. and now I'm scared she could do it again… especially with this black soul of mine." Ella said as she reached into the fridge for the milk. Regina grabbed the younger girl's hand.

"She will not harm either of us… We just need to concentrate on us. And remember that we've come through worse.. or are we forgetting you knocking me out cold?" Regina tells her as put the boiling water in the cups.

"I try to forget, besides I only did that to protect you, Mom," Ella told her as she stirred both cups and took her own and walked towards the comfort of the living room. Regina followed Ella and flicked her wrist to light the fire with her own fireball.

" I know sweetheart, but all I am saying is we've overcome worse…" She took Ella's hand as they placed their cups on the table.

"I know. Why we are on the subject. Why don't you want me to leave you really?" Ella asked as she Snuggled into her mother's arms.

"I get why you want to leave. You are ready to start your next chapter but I suppose I don't want to be left behind." Ella shook her head as Regina began to stroke the young brunette's hair.

"I would never leave you behind.. who else would let me borrow their favorite pair of boots to go to a cemetery. ." Ella laughed as she looked up at her.

"I don't want to lose these moments because I suppose deep down you're the little girl I never had this moment with."

In the center of town, it began to shake again as two familiar faces appeared again, ready to begin the next process of killing Ella and dragging her back with her grandmother to the underworld.