*insert Regina's voice* Sorry I'm late! This one it's been quite fun to write and it took an unexpected turn - and it's for the lovely justfangirlingit who, if my memory serves, loves this movie as much as I do, and for my fella, Queen of Darkness, Alycia De Vil, aka walt-of-misthaven! Oh and, I KNOW, it's not Disney. But it's a masterpiece. Period.

DAY 5 - FRIENDS AND EXTENDED FAMILY

- And bring me home, at last -

Emma was sitting on the sofa, rubbing her swollen belly gently, when Henry entered with Hazel.

"Oh, hello, guys" she greeted.

"Hi, Auntie Emma" greeted Hazel, going to kiss her cheek.

"Hey kid" she answered. "Are you ready for some magic?"

"Yes!" she said happily. "What will we do today?"

"Oh, it's a surprise" whispered Emma in her ear. "Henry, what are you doing this afternoon?"

"Ehm… Killian asked me to help him with something, so we're going out, I guess" he said evasively.

"Okay…" frowned Emma, looking at him suspiciously. "I guess it will be a girls day then" she smiled at Hazel.

"I'm going now" announced Henry, taking the keys of the car. "Bye mom, bye Hazel!"

"Look after Killian" Emma said over her shoulder. "Now, Hazel, let's begin!"

The little girl sat on the couch next to her. Emma took a candle from the table and placed it between them, putting a white plate under it to collect the wax.

"Okay kid, if I know your mother and Maleficent, they have already taught you how to light a candle, right?"

Hazel smiled and closed her eyes, lifting her hand. With a flick of her wrist, the candle came alive, a little flame dancing on top.

"Wow" breathed Emma. "You're a natural! Okay, now, I want you to make the candle burn a little more and release some smoke, can you do that?"

"I can try" answered Hazel, squeezing her eyes and concentrating. A filament of white smoke lifted from the candle.

"Great," said Emma. "Today's lesson is about something your mother taught me a long time ago… I want you to focus on the smoke and on a message for, let's say, Regina, okay? Something simple, like, I don't know, I love you mom?"

"And the smoke will take the message to my mom?" asked Hazel, a wide smile on her face.

"Exactly," answered the blonde.

Hazel closed her eyes and waved her hand. The smoke changed of color: now it was a purple string, thin and elegant, and it lifted from the flame to the ceiling, then it coiled and disappeared with a light puff.

"I think you did it, kid!" said Emma, ruffling her hair.

"Really?" smiled Hazel, pride in her eyes.

"I guess we'll have to call… oh, no, there's no need," Emma looked at her phone on the table: it was already buzzing, Regina's name appearing on the screen.

"Yes, madam mayor?" answered Emma, tapping Hazel's nose.

"Did you just teach my daughter the Ambassador Spell, Miss Swan?"

"I may have" laughed Emma. "Have you received something?"

"Oh, no, I was calling to talk about the weather" sassed the queen. "Of course I did! Can you give the phone to Hazel for a second?"

Emma handed the phone to the girl and she leaned back on the sofa, still laughing, while Hazel lifted it to her ear. "Hi, mommy!"

"Sweetheart, I love you too" said Regina. "You have been very good, you know that? I'm proud of you"

"Thank you" smiled Hazel. "I'll see you later!"

"Okay, I love you" answered her mother, and Hazel closed the call. Then she looked at the phone. "Auntie Emma, the phone is dead"

"Oh, don't worry," said Emma. "Try and look in that drawer, there should be a battery charger"

Hazel opened the drawer and moved some objects. "There's only a telescope and other things, but no charger"

"Never mind, it must be upstairs" she dismissed. "Feel like watching a movie now? And we should have some ice cream in the fridge, if you want to take the tub and two spoons"

"Okay" agreed Hazel. She looked at Emma's stomach, smiling. "Is the baby hungry?"

"I think so" laughed Emma. "Come on, take the ice cream and choose a movie" she motioned towards the television. Hazel went to the kitchen and brought back the tub, and then she sat in front of Henry's old collection of DVDs from the year in New York.

"Oh, I have never watched this" she said, taking Anastasia and showing it to Emma.

"That's between my favorites" approved the blonde. "It reminds me of my story"

"Really?" Hazel widened her eyes, and she turned towards her. "We must watch it then" she decided, putting the disc in the DVD reader.

She sat next to Emma on the couch, as the movie started, and she grabbed a huge spoonful of ice cream.

There was a time, not very long ago, when we lived in an enchanted world of elegant palaces and grand parties. The year was nineteen hundred and sixteen… and my son Nicholas was the Czar of Imperial Russia.

"Is it a real story?" asked Hazel.

"Well, the things it says are true" explained Emma. "There has been a Revolution in Russia… but Anastasia died with her family, even if some people believe she was lost" she said. "So her story in this movie is invented"

"Oh" nodded Hazel, and she watched as Queen Marie gave Anastasia her necklace.

But we would never be together in Paris. For a dark shadow had descended upon the house of the Romanovs. His name was Rasputin. We thought he was a Holy Man. But he was a fraud, power-mad and dangerous.

A thin, old and bearded man appeared in the middle of the Great Hall, darkening the atmosphere.

You think you can banish the Great Rasputin? By the unholy powers vested in me. I, who will banish you with a curse. Mark my words. You and your family will die within the fortnight. I will not rest until I see the end of the Romanov line forever!

"I bet my mom was classier" snorted Hazel, and Emma laughed, a wide grin on her face. "Yeah, Rasputin is kinda funny, I suppose" she agreed.

Then, Dimitri was helping Anastasia and her grandma to escape, and Hazel continued to watch, sharing the tub of ice cream with Emma.

"So she kept the necklace to remember her family?" she asked.

"Yes, and I kept my baby blanket" answered Emma. "You see that the story is similar?"

Anastasia exited the orphanage and found a dog, and Hazel had to hold back a laugh. "I suppose the dog would be Henry then?"

"Oh my god, don't let him hear you" smiled Emma.

Home, love, family
There was once a time
I must have had them, too.
Home, love, family
I will never be complete
Until I find you

One step at a time
One hope, then another
Who knows where this road may go

Back to who I was
On to find my future
Things my heart still needs to know
Yes, let this be a sign!
Let this road be mine!

Let it lead me to my past
And bring me home...
At last!

"How did you know you had found your home?" asked Hazel.

"Well… did Henry tell you about that time I went across a time portal with Killian?"

"Yes, when you were Princess Leia" she answered.

"Exactly… well, I spent two days in the past, with my parents, Rumple, Belle, your mom" continued Emma. "But it was all different, because those people, the people I love… didn't remember me" she paused, reviving her adventure for a second. "And when we were about to get back… I realized I just missed my home, and that I had found it, here"

"I would miss my home if I were trapped in the past" said Hazel, shivering.

"Stay away from time portals" warned Emma.

Well I don't know ... it's kind of hard to think of yourself as a Duchess when you're sleeping on a damp floor. But sure, yeah, I guess every lonely girl would hope she's a Princess.

"Okay, it is totally your story" smiled Hazel. She shoved the last spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, as Dimitri and Anya were leaving the palace and Bartok was finding his master again. "Is Dimitri similar to Killian?"

"In many ways" said Emma. "When I met him, we spent all day fighting – and all the days which followed… but, given time, I realized I could count on him, and he waited for me until I was ready… I think your parents have a similar story, too"

"So Anya and Dimitri are gonna end up together?"

"Spoilers" smiled Emma.

"I really hope they do"

Dimitri...
Mm hmm?
Do you really think I'm royalty?
You know I do.
Then stop bossing me around!

"Okay, these are your parents at the old days" said Emma, watching as Anya showed her tongue to Dimitri.

"Even now, sometimes" confided Hazel, and Emma started to laugh, but then stopped.

"Auntie Emma? What's wrong?"

"Kid…" breathed Emma, turning towards Hazel's concerned face. "Take the phone, call Killian, please" she placed a hand on her stomach, "I think the baby is coming" she muttered, biting her lip. Hazel jumped down the sofa to take the phone, and she pressed a few buttons.

"Auntie Emma, the phone is dead!"

"Bloody hell" cursed Emma, trying not to scream. She could felt a certain wetness under her legs – and she knew all too well what it meant. She closed her eyes, Hazel looking at her, almost in panic.

"Wait!" exclaimed the girl, and she took the candle from the table. "I could use this"

"Kid, you're a genius" Emma managed a smile, but then she let out a scream, completely in pain. "Please, hurry up"

Hazel shot her a glance and she lightened the candle, making the smoke lift from it. Emma screamed again, and the girl lost her concentration.

"Auntie Emma, I can't do it!" she panicked.

"Hazel, listen" Emma said, taking a deep breath. The pain ceased temporarily, and she started to talk slowly. "I really need your help, I need you to be brave" she whispered. "You can do it"

The girl looked at her, and Emma squeezed her hand. "Okay" whispered Hazel. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her mother, and the purple spiral lifted and disappeared.

"Thank you, kid" smiled Emma.

After a few seconds, a familiar purple cloud appeared in the middle of the living room.

"What the hell is happening?" Regina said, and watched at the scene in front of her – Emma with a hand placed on her stomach, forehead covered with sweat, and Hazel with a worried face, the candle still in her hand.

"Regina, the baby is –" began Emma, but a new wave of pain hit her, and she screamed again.

"Oh god, already?" Regina approached to the sofa, concerned, "Come on, I'll take you to the hospital" she took Emma and Hazel's hands and the three women disappeared.

Hazel was sitting outside Emma's room when Regina exited, and she heard a piercing scream through the thin walls.

"Is she okay?" she looked up at her mother, who sat next to her.

"Doctor Whale is taking care of her, and I called Snow and Killian, don't worry" she said, passing an arm behind her shoulders. "You saved them, you know that?"

"Did I?"

"The baby could have been in danger if you didn't call me" smiled her mother. "I know I've already said it, but I'm very proud of you".

"Thank you, mommy," she said, and she hugged her, as they were waiting for little Liam to be born.