The world gradually began to become clear one and Esme saw that she was standing outside Regina's house; although the sky was black, the warm glow from the light on the porch ensured the white house looked welcoming and warm. There was no sound except the deep drum of crickets and the gentle rustle of bushed as the wind blew through them and Esme found herself enjoying the fact that the entire scene oozed serenity and her Esme with a sense of calm she hadn't felt in quite some time. Incredible as it was, Esme couldn't quite shake the terrible thought that it was all too good to be true; in Storybrooke there was always some disaster that was right around the corner so this was clearly the calm before some storm. It was then that it all began. Just as Esme was about to step into the yard that looked so peaceful, it was suddenly bathed in a harsh green light which Esme attributed to the huge beam of green light that had manifested in the distance, the one that stretched all the way up to the dark black clouds that had gathered overhead. She remained at the gate of the house, confused as to what was happening, but she heard a horrific, blood curdling scream come from around the same area as the portal and Esme ran. She ran as fast as her legs could take her but within seconds of her beginning to run, the huge beam of light that had lit the path for her disappeared; it was a portal. Esme wasn't sure why, but she couldn't stop, that scream was still ringing in her ears, and so even though she had no idea where she was running to, the person behind the terrible scream that she heard needed her; so she just kept running. She ran until she got to the clock tower and then was forced to stop when her heart let to her mouth.

"Zoe," Esme whispered to herself as her head began to spin. This couldn't be right. She couldn't be here. There had always been signs before. But it was. Her long, blond hair was wrapped into her signature plait crown, that ensured to wrap itself around her actual crown, her clothing was was indigenous to Messene and, even though her back was to Esme, Esme could tell there was an evil smirk that likens itself to a cat who finally caught its mouse. As she studied Zoe further, trying to convince herself that it wasn't her, Esme realised was something at her feet; a foot. Zoe's body was shielding who it was, and it was too dark to really see, but there was definitely someone on the floor; and all Esme could do was stand and stare.

"Come on now Esmerelda. Don't i get a hello? After all, i have been searching for you for quite some time," Zoe said as she turned around and a loathsome smile spread across her face, and with that smile, all of Esme personal progression receded, and she digressed into being the terrified, lonely girl she was long before she came to Storybrooke.

"How did you find me?" was all Esme could muster, and even with that, it came out of her mouth in a pathetic tone that emphasised how terrified she was. Her useless attempt at conversation amused Zoe, and her sickeningly green eyes lit up with a sig she could see Esme's heart sink to the pit of her stomach.

"You have you're connections here. I have mine," Zoe teased as she began to walk around the body she had been guarding.

"Although, i suppose you may have one less now," Zoe teased as she shot Esme a sarcastic look that resembled the look a child gave his parent when he made a mistake, but what she said was enough to stop Esme's heart. The person on the floor was one of Esme's 'connections', that's what she said. Henry? Roland?

"Oh don't worry my dear, my mother died when i was young and look at me? I turned out just fine," Zoe teased, elongating the 'just fine' part of the sentence and with that she smiled with utter glee as she saw Esme's eyes fill with tears and her knees grew weak. Happy she had diminished the girls spirit just enough, she poofed away into the night air and left her there.

"My m- my mother," Esme cried. This was all her fault; she brought Zoe here, she brought this on Regina. The boys. Oh god, she had made them lose their mother. And Robin. Oh poor Robin, he lost the other love of his life and it was all down to her.

"Oh pull yourself together little girl, she was collateral damage," Zoe's said, as her voice echoed through the streets.

"C..Collateral damage?" Esme cried, even though she knew that Zoe wasn't there to hear it. How could she do that? Be there but not be there? She had never been able to do that before; she was stronger.

"This isn't real. This can't be real," Esme repeated to herself as she desperately tried to run towards Regina, but just when she was close enough, she wished she hadn't because when she saw Regina's face, with her eyes staring at her, it felt like her body couldn't physically remain standing.

"Nooooo!" Esme screamed, as her heart felt like it was being ripped form her chest, and she felt like she was going to be sick. She couldn't stand any more, and when her knees gave way, she fell beside her mother but gasped at how cold her hand was. She had to do something; she couldn't just let her lie there on the cold, wet pavement on this dark, stormy night, all by herself and so she lifted her mother's torso and cradled her mother's head like she saw her mother cradle her.

She slowly ran her hands along her mother's perfect, porcelain skin and watched as her tears fell onto her mother's deathly white face, and cascaded down her colourless cheeks.

"Please don't be dead. Please, come on you can't leave me. I promise i'll do better, i'll try harder, just please don't leave me. Regina? Regina!" Esme sobbed.

"Regina? Regina!" Esme felt herself mumbling as she slowly woke up. She was lying on a soft, luxurious bed, that much she knew, but other than that, she wasn't very aware of her surroundings. The walls were a sage colour, with beautiful white furniture and Esme smiled as she noticed the dresser was decorated with at least eight pictures of Henry throughout the various stages in his life. The one thing she did recognise was the white mouldings; this was definitely Regina's house. That was all the information she needed; she was certain that she had had a vision, but she desperately needed to make sure Regina was safe.

"Regina? Regina!" Esme called as she slowly tried to get up out of the bed. As usual, her head felt dizzy and she was a lot weaker than she usually was but that didn't matter; seeing Regina lying on the dank ground like that put everything in perspective. She had been worrying for weeks about facing her mother, and complained about the lack of a relationship between the two of them but when Esme was faced with the possibility of losing her, Esme was destroyed. She could remember thinking of all the things she wouldn't get to do or say to Regina and she was devastated. She remembered everything Regina had went through, everything she had survived, yet Esme didn't give her the time of day, she didn't even give her a hug, and she was consumed by regret as she sat at the edge of the bed. Esme knew it would take time, but she was tired of complaining about a relationship that wasn't there; her vision made her realise that there was nothing she wanted more than to make one.

"Regina? Regina!" Esme cried again, this time wishing with every bone in her body that she heard a reply. She tried to stand up but her legs felt like jelly and so she was forced to return to the comfort of the fluffy white bed, and as she did so, a figure appeared in the doorway. There she was; a very concerned Regina. She was panting slightly having run up the stairs but she looked healthy; concerned, but happy. Regina ran into the room in seconds and wrapped her arms around Esme, only this time, Esme stood up returned the gesture. As Esme's head rested on her shoulder, Regina couldn't prevent the smile from spreading across her face; she had been waiting for this moment since the second she woke up. She dreamt of Esme almost every night; she dreamt of the conversations they would have, the shopping trips they would take or the spells they would cast. Yet prior to tonight, she felt that they were exactly that: dreams. Esme seemed so distant now that she knew they were her parents - she actually seemed more welcoming when she didn't know - and Regina didn't blame her for that, she just wished she could somehow open herself up to the idea of being looked after, of being loved. Regina saw a lot of herself in Esme, and dreaded to think of what made her so lonely, but she didn't want Esme to end up like her, and now that Regina was there for her, she wouldn't let that happen. Both Robin and Regina understood that Esme would have dozens of questions, and they discussed them at length when they were in hospital, but the only thing they wanted her to truly know was that even though they couldn't raise her, that doesn't mean they don't love her.

"I'm so sorry," Esme said as she buried her head in her mothers neck, seeking great comfort in the familiar smell of the musky perfume she generously doused herself in every morning. The relief she felt was overwhelming and when she was with Regina and in her arms, she felt like she wasn't alone in the world, and that was a feeling she had only ever dreamt about.

"What? What for?" Regina said as she held Esme's face in her hands, and noticed how, this time, Esme didn't recoil at her touch.

"She's coming," Esme said but before she knew it, she was crying. In that moment, she allowed herself to be vulnerable, to relinquish some control and simply cried as Regina soothed her, held her and rocked her till she stopped.

"Shhhh, it's okay. Everything going to be just fine," Regina soothed as she stroked Esme's long, brown, damp hair.

"No it's not," Esme said, raising her head from Regina's shoulder and staring into huge brown eyes that now had life in them.

"Who's coming, Esme?" Regina said with a calmness that frustrated Esme. She didn't want to tell Regina about her vision, but she had to do something to make sure she understood the threat Zoe posed; she was ruthless, felt absolutely no remorse and had a carefully selected and incredibly powerful inner circle. Although they were always taught that magic didn't exist in Messene, Esme suspected that at least two of her five closest advisors were witches and she knew that two were psychics and one was an empath, as they were sent by Zoe to encourage Esme to join her; all were completely devoted to her so she never needed to get her hands dirty.

"Zoe. We have to get ready we have to-" Esme said as she started to get up from the bed but Regina held her hands and puled her back down again.

"Is that what your vision was about?" Regina asked.

"Yes. She found me and she's coming. You need to help me pract-" Esme said as she tried standing up, only to be sat back down Regina, again.

"Well we aren't practicing anything two seconds after you wake up after passing out, so there's no rush. Did you see just her?" Regina replied.

"I only saw her, yeah but-"

"Oh hunny, i've killed worse than her before breakfast," Regina laughed.

"No Regina, you don't understand. With or without her cronies, she is a monster. I have seen that woman slaughter villages with just a handful of men as an army. I've seen her torture innocent people with her bare hands. She is evil to her core and she will kill everyone who stands in her way," Esme said as she unwittingly tightened her grip of Regina's hands.

"In her way of what?" Regina asked, removing her hand from Esme's painfully tight grip before carefully taking her daughters hand in hers.

"Me."

"And what exactly is her obsession with you?" Regina asked. Esme sighed, as she knew it was a very long story, but she also understood that to keep Regina safe, she needed to know everything so that's what Esme would do.

"There was talk of her half of Messene revolting. Cyrus, her brother, was a fair ruler and his half of the island was thriving whilst Zoe was pushing our side into an economic depression. People were starving in the streets while she decorated her palace with ornate decorations and draped herself in diamonds and jewels. When she heard i was a seer, she initially isolated me so that i couldn't expose magic to the people, but when they developed, she thought i could compel the entire island to follow her,"

"Eugh Idiot. The amount of power that would take-"

"Yeah but that's a very rational answer for a psychopath like her so that didn't cross her mind. Look you just have to let me deal with her okay? I'll practice and i'll deal with her but you can't go near her okay?"

"Esme, i-"

"Promise me!" Esme shouted. She felt bad that Regina looked so shocked at her outburst, but she needed her to understand the danger she was in without her having to tell her about the vision. This plan would also have worked if Regina wasn't such a good mother; she saw right through Esme's pathetic attempt at trying to dance around the truth.

"What exactly happened in your vision?"

"What? What makes you-"

"Okay i know i've been under a memory spell the last, what thirty-ish years, but i wasn't born yesterday. So tell me, what happened, hmm?" Regina said as she stroked Esme's cheek, revelling in the fact she could now do so without Esme squirming in discomfort.

"Regina-" Esme began but Regina was just as determined to hear the truth as Esme was was to hide it.

"Tell me."

"She killed you. I heard you scream, and i tried to help, i swear but i got there too late and.." Esme said but she struggled to get the words out as the images of Regina's beaten body forced themselves into her brain and suddenly the strength she had been instilled with left her body again, and tears pricked her eyes, which Regina promptly wiped away.

"We will practice in the morning. But right now, you should rest," Regina said, as she stood up and extended her hand for Esme to use to steady herself, which she did. She then lowered herself into bed and smiled at how comforting she found it when Regina pulled the covers up around her.

"I'm actually kind of hungry. Is there any of Granny's lasagne left?"

"That was Granny's? Funny, i thought it tasted bitter," Regina mumbled to herself and Esme couldn't help but laugh at the bickering the two women did even when they weren't together.

"Umm yeah. Did the boys eat it all?"

"I'm sure we can get you a piece," Regina said with a smile. "I'll just get your Da- Robin to heat it up for you. I'll bring it up okay?" Regina said.

"Perfect. And.… ummm…. thanks. Ya know, for the whole…. comforting thing," Esme said, to which Regina simply smiled at and left. She did close the door after she left, but that was utterly pointless because within seconds of it closing, Henry and Roland came sprinting through the door and jumped straight onto the bed Esme was getting comfortable in.

"Hey! You better not have eaten all that lasagne," she said as they both wrapped her into huge bear hugs.

"We didn't!" Roland giggled as Esme tickled him. "We left you the biggest piece. The Doctor said you would need some for when you woke up."

"The doctor?" Esme asked, as she looked at Henry for an answer.

"Mom was worried when you didn't wake up after like 10 minutes so she kinda… well, made him come," Henry explained as he reclined on the right side of Esme while Roland lay on her left.

"Why did you fall asleep?" Roland asked.

"I was just really tired, sweetie. But i'm better now," she said and placed her arm around his shoulder and he snuggled onto her belly.

"How's the invalid?" Robin said, after he knocked the open door and stood in the doorway awkwardly.

"I'm fine, thanks," Esme said as she tried to sit up in the bed, but her stomach gargled and gave away how she truly felt; starving.

"She's hungry," Henry said, as he patted her stomach. Esme laughed and playfully slapped away his hand, just as Regina came through the door with a gorgeous, steamy piece of lasagne which Esme wasted no time tucking right into. When she paused for a momentary breath, she looked up and realised something; her entire family was here and she actually felt happy. She wasn't naive she fully understood that being a part of this family was going to take some time, and that that maybe wasn't something she had an awful lot left of, but she also knew that it was what she wanted. She wanted her picture to be on the dresser, she wanted the walks in the park and the family dinners. For the first time in her life, she realised that she wasn't alone in this big bad world, and she wanted it to stay that way.