A/N: Paleyfest panel... tie... I'm feeling faint. And seriously, could the Paley people have seated Parilla and Morrison farther apart? Yeesh... (plus, Tea and a Sucrets for JM, Stat!)

"Glinda... what?"

Glinda collapsed next to Emma and lay her head against the castle wall. "East and West... safe... but..."

Snow carefully put James' head back on the ground and made her way to Glinda's side. "Hey... get another healer out here."

One had already started working on Emma's gashes, and was on his way inside to get bandages. "Yes your highness."

Glinda tried to wave away Snow's hand, "No... fine..." She frowned, "A child... a child is dying..."

Snow's hand went to her own belly, "I feel fine."

Glinda shook her head, "No..." Her gaze went to Emma and she placed her hand above Emma's gashes. "Yes.. I can... I can save her, she's young enough, but..." Glinda shook her head, "I'm weak, I don't know what will happen. It... it could g-go wrong." Glinda paused, "It could go... green."

Regina put her hand over Glinda's, "I can heal her inside..."

Glinda gave a little shake of her head, "You can't. It wo-won't work. It's your child." That got everyone's gazes on the three women, but Glinda paid no attention to Snow's flashing eyes or Red and Phelan's mouths dropping open. "You're the only one who can take the little one though. Take Emma's pregnancy. Will you?"

"Yes."

"Regina, it's just.. we can..."

"Emma. Shut up. Not it, she... Glinda, if you think you can do it without hurting Em."

Emma spoke up, "Or Regina."

Glinda put one hand on Regina's belly and one on Emma's and closed her eyes. After a long minute when no one moved and they all barely breathed as pink enveloped both of Glinda's hands. Finally Glinda opened her eyes, "Done." Then those eyes rolled up in her head and her head lolled to one side.

No one had much time to worry about Glinda as Clark came rushing outside. Half of his hair was singed off and his arm in a sling, but neither facts seemed to phase him as he came to attention. He looked to Snow, "Ma'am..." Then Regina, "Ma'am... ah, Ma'ams. Message via bird... the village, the one with your son Henry in it ma'am, it's under attack in the North."

Regina went white, "Henry... we have to-"

Phelan managed to catch Regina before she fell to the ground, "Regina, take my car."

Emma and Regina stared at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Not funny Wolf." Emma took Red's hand and let herself be pulled up, "The horses..."

"I'm serious. It's in our yard. It's more like an amusement ride than a car at the moment, but it goes forward, and it'll get you there faster than any horse in this world."

Emma frowned, "And we make it go... with what?"

Phelan smiled, "If all those green-ifying crazies in the other world can use fat... so can I..." She shook her head, "Biofuel in Fairy Tale Land. Can't get weirder than that."

Emma grabbed Phelan's face and kissed her, full on the lips. "Thank you. Regina... are you sure you want..."

Regina cut Emma off, "He's my son Em. Phelan, Red and the castle healers can take care of the pink witch. Let's go."

It was not a good landing for Elphaba. She stumbled to a halt as Gulliver practically threw himself at the two soldiers holding Belle captive, freeing her and yanking her back to where Maleficent and Elphaba were standing.

The center of the village went totally silent. Of all the people who could have stepped forward Maleficent never guessed it would have been the young Henry who did first.

"We'll stop you Maleficent..."

Maleficent laughed, "You can't stop me." Henry frowned as Maleficent waved her hands around. Nothing happened.

Elphaba saw her opening and stepped forward, kneeling so that she was nearer to Henry's height, "Your name is Henry?"

Henry nodded quickly and swallowed down his fear. "Are you... are you going to hurt me?"

Elphaba suppressed a sigh, "You mean because I'm green?"

Henry frowned, "No, 'cause, Maleficent wants to hurt my Mom... Moms... and, you came with her. And you're wearing scary clothes, not happy clothes."

"Oh."

"Um... yeah, and why are you green?"

Elphaba's chin jutted out despite herself, "I was born like this."

"Oh." Henry managed to look sheepish instead of afraid for a moment, "Sorry. I just wondered. I mean. Phelan's all wolf-ish sometimes. And my Mom can make things go poof, and the black smoke and stuff, so I just wondered if someone cursed you or something."

Elphaba sighed, "No. No curse."

Henry took a step towards Elphaba, then another and put his index finger through a hole in her dress. "Do you want me to get one of my Mom's dresses." His eyes twinkled, "I'm good at giving away my Mom's clothes.

"Move from him Elphaba."

Elphaba looked over at Maleficent as the woman stalked towards them. She took a step back as she thought that Maleficent was going to put the pain mojo on her again. Instead Maleficent jerked Henry to her. "You- you shouldn't exist." Maleficent's nose twitched, "I can smell it on you."

Elphaba frowned, but stayed silent and still.

Maleficent wasn't done, "Soon, you won't. Your- mother- and her pet blonde whore, they're no longer on this plane."

Henry's eyes went wide, "Mom and Emma are... are de-dead... No, please."

Maleficent laughed as Henry tried to keep the sobs in, but they bubbled from his chest, tears running down his cheeks, as he repeated no over and over again.

When Maleficent laughed again it bordered on a cackle. Without thought Henry threw his hands out and they were both pushed back a few inches. Everything in the village center stopped again.

The primitive car crashed through old growth and new, Emma behind the wheel and Regina hanging on for dear life. "Did you feel that?"

Emma ducked as a branch nearly took her head off her shoulders, "No... what?"

Regina rubbed at her chest, "I.. I don't know. Can this thing go faster?"

"Next time I'll tell Wolf to make it a Porsche instead of a Model T."

"What did you promise your mother?"

Emma glanced over at Regina for a moment and nearly got one of her eyes poked out, "Planning on dying today?"

"Aren't you?"

"I promised to take the throne without drama if they both die." Emma's teeth ground together, "I'm halfway there, right?"

There was silence Regina's seat until Emma slid the car to a stop and got out. Regina put a hand on Emma's arm to make her stop moving, "I thought... I mean. I thought it was something like, you'd kill me if, if I did something they didn't like... or..."

Emma grasped Regina's hand in a death grip, "Never. Good, Evil. Whatever comes, whatever happens I'm at your side."

"Emma, you're the..."

Emma cut Regina off, "I'm no white knight, and you know it Regina. I don't want to lead a kingdom, or a palace staff. I don't even want to lead our band of merry men, that's your job. But, they wanted me as their heir. They don't remember the other world, just this one. And they were dead set on it. I wondered if they were going to kidnap me and hold me in the palace if I kept saying no. I would rather be anything else. But they were going to kill you. Hot iron shoes, dancing spell 'til you died. That sorta crap. I said that if they let you live I would take the throne after their death with no muss, no fuss."

Regina pulled Emma closer, "Thank you." And kissed her. A shower of black, white and red sparkles descended on them and when they broke apart Regina was dressed in her most fearsome black get-up and Emma in a white suit fit for a prince or some US Navy officer. "You're my white knight."

Emma was about to tell Regina to change it, the gold braiding was giving her hives already, when they both heard a yell. Neither spoke and both ran towards Henry's voice.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

The voice boomed across the village and beyond and Belle, Elphaba and Maleficent all looked up as Regina in all her Evil Queen splendor stalked towards them and her son.

She had on a midnight black dress that went to the ground and swirled around her feet as if it were alive. Her hair was somehow as long as it had ever been and intricately made up and her eyes. The look in her eyes struck fear into all three women. Though the boy didn't seem to notice. "Mom! Emma!"

Indeed Emma was behind Regina by a few steps. White pants, a buttoned up white shirt, gold braids on the shoulders and ribbons on her chest. She had a sword at her side and her blonde hair done in a braid at her back.

Their appearance only made Maleficent put the dagger closer to Henry's throat, "You are powerful Regina, but you are not powerful and fast enough to prevent me from killing him before you can stop it."

Regina stopped, her eyes going from Elphaba to Belle and finally to Maleficent. She didn't move or speak. It was Emma who spoke, "You're not going to win. Not here. You know that."

Maleficent laughed, "Oh, good doesn't always win here. I will defeat you."

Emma tilted her head to one side. "Right, sure... you, alone? Then why do you have two lackeys in tow." Emma glanced towards Elphaba, "Including your hired gun."

Elphaba frowned, "No one hired me."

Emma met Elphaba's eyes, "Then why are you here?" Elphaba didn't speak, and Emma didn't let up, "Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game."

Elphaba inclined her head, "Voltaire. I've always preferred, 'Prejudices are what fools use for reason'. Or, 'It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong'. Are you the brains of those in... Happily Ever After?"

Maleficent had heard enough. "No more talking. I'll finish this right n-ggg-mmm..." Her voice was reduced to mumbles and unintelligible sounds. She touched the knife to Henry's throat, but then that disappeared too. Happy, Sleepy and Doc grabbed Maleficent before she could move. Grumpy wasn't so lucky with Belle as the small woman struggled and punched, and with a right to Grumpy's eye and a left to his nose she was off and running through the trees.

Someone laughed. It was a small thing. Barely more than a snort of laughter, an escaped sound that seemed to float in the air. Elphaba gave Maleficent a glance, but the dwarves had her in strong ropes already and she hadn't counteracted the spell on her mouth. "You haven't answered my question yet... Emma is it?"

Emma smirked, "If I'm the brains, this little kingdom is screwed. You're powerful. Still not as powerful as Regina, but..."

"Are we going to test that theory?"

Elphaba met Regina's gaze and neither looked away. Silence fell over the middle of the village. No one moved, waiting to see if there was going to be quite the explosion or what was going to happen.

Regina took a step forward and Elphaba did as well. They both took another step towards each other and stopped. They were close, either could have touched the other without stretching. It was Regina who put out her hand, and Elphaba stared down at it for a long moment, then back up to Regina's face. "You give me a sign of peace."

One side of Regina's lips curled up, "I want to know how you did that spell on Maleficent."

Elphaba still didn't move, "Your son has magic in him."

"He's not my son."

Elphaba frowned, "What?"

Regina glanced over at Henry with narrowed eyes, "Not by birth anyway, and so should have no magic in him at all. We'll be talking about that later young man." Regina looked back at Elphaba, "So?"

"If you're as powerful as your... very shiny white knight... claims, you could use that hand to kill me."

Regina nodded, "Yes. And you could have done nothing while my son died."

"I'm not wicked. Not really."

Regina's hand was still stuck out towards Elphaba, "For the past thirty years the only way I've heard wicked used is as a substitute for... great and awesome."

Elphaba frowned, but finally she shook Regina's hand and a good portion of the tension in the village's center left it.

Regina let go first, "Nice hat."

"Nice entrance."

Regina nodded her head towards Maleficent, "Are you as powerful as you look?"

"More." She paused, "You two were at the castle, with the dragon. Is... what happened to the woman in pink?"

Regina looked Elphaba up and down, "Why?"

"Is she alright?"

Regina looked down at her abdomen and over at Henry for a moment, "No... I left her with friends, but I'm not sure if she's okay or not."

Elphaba took a step towards Regina, "Take me to her."

Regina shook her head, "Today... after enchanting the fire. If I'd had anything left I wouldn't have needed the car. I have nothing left."

Elphaba's eyes went to Henry, "He does."

Regina bristled, "Don't you dare touch my son."

Elphaba made a face, "No, that's not what... use his power and your focus. Please."

Emma met Regina's gaze. "I'll stay here and help Grumpy and the boys secure Maleficent and Gulliver for transport back to the castle. Go..."

Regina crossed the distance to Emma and kissed her for so long that Grumpy just had to give the two of them a whistle. Regina whispered, "I love you."

Emma smiled, "Love you too... wait for me to tell Henry about... you know."

Regina nodded and pulled herself away from Emma. She collected Henry against her leg and took a hold of Elphaba's arm. "I've been thoroughly mush-ified."

Elphaba tilted her head to one side, "Embrace it. It can only make you a better person."

Regina took a breath and looked down at Henry. "Any last words young man?"

Henry smirked, "Up, up and away?" and they were gone.

Snow sat next to James. His cold hand in her warm hands. "I'm sorry James, so sorry..." She put one hand to her belly, "If this one's a she, she'll be Ruth, if he's a he, James." She kissed the cold hand and gently laid it down.

Clark held out his hand and Snow accepted the help up. "Thank you Clark."

The young guard tucked a lock of blond hair behind his ear, "You're welcome your highness. Is there anything else you need?"

He was cut off and they were both thrown backwards by the arrival of Elphaba, Henry and Regina. Henry was the first one who saw James. "Oh no-" He ran to his grandfather's side and fell to his knees. He looked up at Snow, "What happened?"

Snow knelt down next to Henry and put an arm around him. "He- he helped defeat a dragon."

Henry sniffed and wiped at his eyes. Snow kissed the top of his head, "It's okay to cry Henry."

He did. Curling into Snow.

Regina frowned, her gaze going between Elphaba and her son. It was Elphaba who finally gave Regina a literal push. "I'll be fine, go look after your son."

Regina joined her son and Snow on the ground and Henry switched from Snow's shoulder to Regina's.

Regina and Snow's gazes battled, and it was finally Regina who gave in and held a hand out, "I'm sorry."

Snow looked at it for a moment, "Emma?"

"She's on her way. Snow... What you said to Henry, it applies to you too..."

Snow swallowed once, then twice. She shook her head shortly. "I'm..." Regina didn't move, "You're..." She closed her eyes, "I have... I have no one."

Regina put her hand on Snow's elbow, "You have us."

"Regina..."

"We were family once, weren't we?"

There was a hitch in Snow's breath, and a tear fell to the ground. Regina put an arm around the younger woman and they sat there like that.

Elphaba studied Glinda. The blonde woman in pink and Elphaba were alone by the castle wall. Red and Phelan talking nearer to the doorway into the castle, and Henry, Snow and Regina having their moment.

She put her hand on Glinda's cheek. It was warm. She brushed away a lock of Glinda's hair, "What's the worst that could happen. Wakes up, slaps me..."

Elphaba put her other hand on Glinda's other cheek and closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them and leaned in for a kiss.

When she finally pulled away Glinda's eyes were open, a tired smile on her face. "It took you long enough Elphie."

"What do you..." Elphaba frowned at the twinkle in Glinda's eyes. "You were awake before I kissed you, and, and you didn't stop me?"

Glinda smiled and changed position, kneeling on both knees just as Elphaba was, "Of course I was. You revived me when you placed both your hands on my face. But... true love's kiss is a better story, wouldn't you say?"

"Wait..."

Glinda kissed Elphaba quiet. "Not this time. I was a coward and all I thought about was being liked, being popular. But, all that mattered in my heart was being liked... loved, by you Elphie."

"For whatever reason. You're blonde, and loud, and so, so much of an extrovert, and yet..." Elphaba shook her head, a small smile on her face, "I do love you Glinda."

"Gah... you forgot the Gah Elphie."

Elphaba laughed and just wrapped Galinda in her arms, pulling the blonde witch as close as she could.

A/N #2: Nearly to the end.