This was written in April.

First, sorry for the delay...life interrupts.

I was hoping to finish this part of the story by now, but so many elements are coming into play. A certain hatter, for instance, may play a part.

I also want to do right by Regina, Emma, Snow, and everyone in Storybrooke. Kinda seems that the producers, IMHO, do not want to steer this show in a certain creative direction because they are afraid of certain entities from the not-so-great-state-of Mississippi. This is why we have fan fiction. In some cases, the fan fiction is better than the actual show. Not this, I assure you, but most.

Thanks once again to The Boston Babe, who thinks I'm Stephen King writing this. I love you.

And I was shocked when I found that people were actually reading this! Thank you. Just do me a favor...please leave a comment on this page...even if it's a negative. Just be honest and non-snarky.

(Authors note: I was surprised too, that now that I am publishing this on FF,.so many people still like this. I hope you do...I am worried about your reactions to the next 4 chapters. after those and the interlude I'm posting after this , I'll be caught up. I need not just your comments, but your ideas as well...)

The usual disclaimers about OUAT being Disney/ABC property apply, but I was remiss in mentioning that this series is inspired by the song "something big" written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and was turned into a hit by Mark Lindsay back in the 70's. Check it out. It was also the theme for a Dean Martin Western called "something big." BTW, the lower case is intentional.

Enjoy...

something big..Part 2

Day 7 10:46pm The parlor of Regina Mills

POV: Snow White aka Mary Margaret Blanchard

You that feeling you get in the pit of your tummy when something you see...well...affects you? That's what I felt when I saw Emma and Regina come down the stairs after sending little Henry off to dreamland. Thinking about the last week. The dreams. What we have to do in the next 2 or 3 days in Boston.

Thinking way back when I was little when that same Regina was a happy woman and I was her friend. 12 years old, but her friend. I remember her holding me...being proud of me. Then I remember all the mistakes we both made. My mistake that cost her that stable boy. That sent my friend over to the darkside. Which eventually landed us all on the east coast of Maine. The daughter I gave up to save her from the hell I thought would come. The hell that turned out to be heaven.

Thinking how the impossible love between the young woman who was my daughter and the woman who was my stepmother would affect how I felt about the woman I replaced as Queen before we all landed here.

That night that Regina felt she had to confess everything. That she tried to pin Kathryn's disappearance on me. That because of my mistake long ago, she thought that happiness was denied her. That she killed her father...or at least thought she did...to activate the curse. And that because he did not love her...she killed my father.

My dad.

I still from time to time feel that twinge. but when my beautiful daughter and her beau-ette walked up to me and said that Henry was fine, and when Regina flashed that smile...not a smirk, but a genuine one...the same one she gave that first time we met when she saved my life... for some reason I forget that I am supposed to hate this witch...this woman who not that long ago wanted my death...not love her as a friend as I do now.

But then...well, I don't know. When she gave me that big wet one the other day for learning magic as quickly as I did. I remembered what she said about facing fears. And it worked. Our little war game turned out well for me. In a lot of ways.

Besides, it almost looked like she was going to give me that smooch that that day we were alone with me in jail. But that's another story...

But the truth be known, I was not that slow on magic. You see, there is one more secret between us all. This secret is mine. And that secret must be revealed tonight if we are to survive Boston.

I just hope everyone forgives me.

Anyway we're all sitting down. There's Charming and I, Emma and Regina, Ruby and Granny. Leroy who insisted he tagged along (maybe it was the crush he has for Nov...ahhhhh...Sister Astrid...maybe after tonight I won't be so careful) Anyway Sister Astrid and the Mother Superior there, just finishing babysitting Henry while everyone else was at the bar. Emma..never shy...breaks the ice.

"We need to talk to you, if you don't mind." Pause. "It's like this. Because of the curse, the only people who can leave Storybrooke are me and Henry. And I'm not putting Henry in danger. We need something that can allow the rest of us to leave Storybrooke and come back without any...consequences."

"..and what can we help you with?" The Mother Superior asked...

"Fairy dust." The reply from Regina was to-the-point. The answer back...initially...was stoned silence, especially after Regina looked in the eyes of the Mother Superior and said, "yes...fairy dust...Blue.."

The mayor remembered. Or should I say, she never forgot. After all, she activated the curse. She knew who the Blue Fairy truly was. Thing was, so did I.

The nun's faces were stone when Regina made that declaration. The Mother Superior tried to speak up, but Regina held her hand up. "Don't...remember, *I* know. Now, about that fairy dust.

Blue always had the softest eyes. She was usually all business, but I had always known she was a big heart. She started to explain what I already knew. "Fairy dust is THE most powerful substance in the world. Placed in the right place it can cause great harmony and peace. It can stop a war..." Then the Mother Superior/Blue Fairy leaned into the general direction of Emma and Regina and spoke directly to my daughter. "You have noticed that for the last 28 years the world was going pretty much to hell?"

Astrid chimed in: "wars, incivility, more hate between people...that Martin kid from a few months back.."

Then I put the punctuation mark on it myself: "9/11..."

Emma seemed confused. "Fairy dust caused all that?" Regina corrected her: "The LACK of fairy dust, princess.."

Then Leroy explained it. "Fairy dust...I wish we had a better name for it..actually is...or was created from special precious stones...diamonds, emeralds...rubies..." The last one was directed to a certain redhead who didn't blush often but did at that. Leroy continued: "they ground it into fine dust and we delivered to the fairies.

"There wasn't a lot, but just enough to keep total kaos from happening around the planet. Then the curse happened and we forgot about the mine and the dust..."

"Not all of us, Dreamy..." Sister Astrid interjected, referring to Leroy's first dwarf name. The powers of witches have no effect on fairies...and vice versa. But we knew...or at least believed that the Evil...Regina could cause us hardship, so we didn't mine for new gems for 28 years..."

"But, just a few months ago," Leroy, a vein was found...larger and richer than any we had in the realm. And it was in the same place."

That caused a few in the room to pause...mainly my daughter and my soon-to-be daughter -in-law. I guess they thought the curse really did move them to another realm. It's the same realm...only a different time.

Mother Superior continued the story, "When the curse was set, we knew that we had to protect the important things. We protected the small amount of fairy dust we had left. We also protected Emma, for reasons that we all knew were obvious, and one more person in the realm. Because where the true evil lies. I can tell you it is not with Regina."

Emma asked why not, and she got her first shock of the night. Not to mention mine.

Mother Superior...Blue...replied, "She did not know why it was important for Emma to be protected, but that even in her hatred of Snow White, she felt something for that innocent life. It was the Queen who found the wood that we used to protect Emma.

Both Emma and Regina looked at each other. They said nothing for moments. Then the tears started...then they embraced and kissed. It was kinda like maybe fate set all of this in.

Which is why I thought this might be the time to spring shock number two.

"Well, if you want to know who that other person was..."

With a sob in her voice, Madame Mayor saved me my embarrassment: "Would that person just happen to be the best teacher my son ever had. And.." She started to cry again... "The best friend a girl can have before I fucked it all up..."

And as Regina and I embraced and sobbed and smiled...I wondered...how did she know.

"The same reason I knew about Operation Cobra from the start..." And then she exaggerated her royal stance..."Because I'm the Goddamned Evil Queen, that's why!"

The room erupted in laughter so loud, we were surprised that we didn't wake Henry up. And as we recovered, we immediately focused on why we came.

I started: "Since we're now out in the open, We were kind of hoping that the dust could help us get in and out of Storybrooke...

Blue smiled broadly. "Actually, you really didn't need to ask that. You told me only five of you are going and the only one who might need it is James. We protected Snow, Red's not affected because of her...condition" (Red blushed on that one) "Regina went to Boston for Henry, and you know Henry and Emma have that get-out-of-town-and-come back ticket."

Nova added, "And for James, it would only take a little bit...its that powerful."

With an admiring glance at Nova, Leroy chimed in a more serious thought: "We only have one worry...we need to keep the existence of Fairy Dust to ourselves. You know what they say in movies...if this gets into the wrong hands...? In the wrong hands, Fairy Dust can also be used to enslave. Say what you will about Regina, the curse never killed. This can."

We all just sat there. Taking that in. I was the one who had to ask that stupid question" "I was thinking...we were wondering why Gold would attack Boston. Would the real reason be to get us out of town so they can get the dust?"

We didn't say anything. But we wondered...who would risk destroying a city for Fairy Dust? Who would be that evil?

10:27pm A bungalow on the outskirts of Storybrooke.

The heavy-set, sixty-ish, bearded man sits at his computer, silently watching the feed from the Boston TV station. he wasn't expecting anything other than the usual city council meetings, the occasional fire or arrest. Nothing else important. What he seeks is a few days away.

The woman comes behind him and wraps her arms around his shoulders. She's in her 60's, but looks younger, with auburn hair and a slight grey streak on the right side.

The woman purred in the man's ear..."You don't have to worry, dear. He's not going to jump the gun. He knows the schedule..."

Than man is apprehensive, almost fearful. "But. What. If. They. Don't. Take. The Bait?"

The grin on the woman was as wide as a Cheshire Cat...and even more as insidious. "They will. Especially her. Everything she has ever done has come out of that useless heart of hers!' She said "heart" as if it were a hideous monster...her emphasis on the word dripping with venom. Everything the woman has done was for two reasons. The prize, and the revenge on her. She spoke seductively to the man in the chair: "Come to bed, Hank. The next few days will be a challenge..."

The woman left for the light leading to the bedroom. Hank sat at the glowing screen for a few moments before he joined the woman. The one thought running through his mind: "I hate you Cora...you bitch..."

TO BE CONTINUED