Once Upon A Time, and its characters are property of Disney/ABC. This is fan fiction for fun only. No monetary gain or copyright infringement intended.

Orientation Part 2

Henry "Hank" Mills' room
Storybrooke General Hospital
Regina's POV

I never knew it would come to this. This moment. Where I sit.

I am holding the hand of the father I killed. The father who heart I ripped out to exact revenge on one girl. The one that helped me create all...this.

I should be running. I should get in the car, drive out of town. Save myself.

But there I am holding the hand of the father I killed...who is fighting for his life.

I know would sound strange...to anyone outside of Storybrooke. What is stranger is the fact that I am not alone.

Emma is with me, holding my other hand. I ruined her first 28 years. Yet she sits by me waiting with me. Loving me.

And so is her mother. Snow. Mary Margaret. It gets confusing even for me. Especially considering Snow was the woman I wanted revenge on. We declared uncivil war on each other. We tried to kill each other many times. Until we realized that we could not, because I still loved her, and she loved me.

And so the three of us sit and wait, Wait for Daddy's eyes to open. For him to see me again. For his judgement.

The door to the room opens. It's Blue. Damned fairy always picks the wrong time to bust in. She's asking Emma to come to the door. Sheriff business...something about a rescue operation. Snow, bless her, tells Blue to check with Charming, he's in charge right now. She leaves. Trying to like that fairy, but sometimes its impossible.

Now just the four of us. Part of me wishes my other Henry was here to he great-grandfather. but then, there was so much effort in getting him to love me again I did not want to risk it.

Emma kisses my cheek and Snow rubs my wrist. I keep looking down at Daddy. He's still bald, but his side hair is shorter and he has a goatee. Rather distinguished, i must say... but then I'm biased. He actually looks younger than he was before he looks...

Oh gods. His eyes. Fluttering...

He's trying to get them open...

Snow sees it too...she runs to the door, opens, and yells for a doctor,

Emma holds my hand tighter. She knows this is the moment.

I whisper, "Daddy...?" I don't even try to stop the tears. I keep holding his hand. "Daddy...?"

Then his hands...tighten around mine. Daddy is holding my hand.

He's holding MY hand. I turn for a moment, and I see Emma. She's beaming. She doesn't stop her own tears. Neither does Snow.

I think i hear footsteps...it doesn't matter anyway. And then I hear a whisper. My daddy's still holding my hand...

"Regina..."

I bend over to hear...

"I missed you...so...much.'

I pull my hand from Emma's and I embrace Daddy's head.

'I...still...love you...angel..." And Daddy's words, I lose it. 30 years of fear have gone away. I hear both Emma and Snow sobbing uncontrollably too Doc races in...

It's going to be alright. I have Daddy back.

Storybrooke City Limits
Holly's POV

Now I know Maleficent and I are in love...because we've been bickering like an old married couple for the last 6 minutes.

"So why can't we just start the car up and ride on in?," I say.

"Because we have to be let in," she says

"LET in? What the fuck are you saying? LET in? I don't see any palace guards! There's no barriers! I don't even see any fuckin' toll booths!" (All that time in Boston can teach one the proper usage of the word, fuck. Quite an art, actually...)

"Language, dear...language! Now, the curse is actually an intelligent one, Holly. Storybrooke will allow only those it wants in. The fact that you saw the sign proves that. Now we can come in, but someone who's already on the inside can allow us in. And don't worry, baby...someone's coming..."

And sure enough, a car drives up, then makes a U-turn. Now, I am pretty up on cars...I had a cousin who was a restorer. But I wonder if he would be up on restoring this. A cherry 1983 AMC Eagle 4 wheel drive. Red with black trim. Out pops this cute blonde in Wrangler jeans and a Be-A-Pepper tee.

She stops right in front of the three of us, makes a big wave-like arm movement, then yells, "OK, guys, drive thru!"

Mal, Chicken, and I jump into the Scion. Mal tells me just move up to in front of the Eagle, When I do, Mallie signals me to stop, then my witch of a lover gets out and hugs the younger-looking blonde. Mal signals me to get out, and introduces her friend.

"Holly...Maddie...this is my friend Kathryn." The younger blond shakes our hands. She has the cutest smile...she's pretty much beaming. She also seems to know what's what.

Hi, guys...I'm the town lawyer, ex-of-Prince-Charming, and best friend of the Mayor...non-dragon division." On that last, she winks at Mallie, who just grins and rolls her eyes.

I introduce myself and Maddie, and mention that I pretty much have a million-zillion questions. Kathryn...or shall I say Little Miss Sunshine responded, "All in good time. But let's get you into town, first."

It took a good ten minutes to get into Storybrooke proper, but when we did I thought I stumbled into one of those Norman Rockwell paintings. The place looked so much like Mayberry I almost expected Barney Fife to come out and give me a ticket.

No Barney...or even a Sheriff Swan. But there was a tall, scruffy-looking guy who was wearing a star stepping out of one of the buildings. I took one look at the guy and I started to ask a question to myself...is this a small town, or the farm system for GQ and Cosmo?

Mal got out and gave this deputy person a rather enthusiastic hug, then he introduced himself. "August W. Booth, at your service." Introduced Mr. Booth to Chicken and myself, blubbering all the way. Mal just smirked and said something August having that effect on every female. Then, Mr. Booth took Mallie aside and whispered something to her. Mallie's face went pale. Very, very pale.

She then turned to me and Chicken with urgency. "August will take you to Granny's Inn. You'll stay there for a few days while I set something up for us. Meanwhile, I have to go do something." Mallie was almost in a panic, and I asked why.
"Do you believe in fairies?"

"72 hours ago, I'd would have just said 'huh', but after all me and Chicken's been through...Ok, I'll bite.."

"They've kidnapped one. a good one. Her name is Nova. We're going to try to rescue her tonight."

Oh, that sense of adventure was coming on. Danger. Intrigue. Batman and Robin, The Lone Ranger and Tonto. The Dragon and...oh, I'll figure a name for us. anyway, I was beaming when I asked...

"Can I come?"

"Absolutely NOT, dear!" Mallie was firm on that one. Then , taking a composing breath, she explained. "You have powers, but you and I don't know how strong they are. That's one of the reasons I brought you here...because you need to know what you have." Mallie paused. She closed her eyes, then her eyes met mine. "And besides dear... I don't want to lose you before whatever we have just started..."

And then she kissed me on the lips. That woman's going to melt my heart. And I just got it fixed.

The empty shack outside of town.
POV: Nova, tied up in a dark room.

I'm tied to a dusty wooden chair. Room's locked. There's a fireplace, a few more chairs, a table. So much dust in here you can plant crops on the floor.

Ex-trolls and ex-ogres, all dresses in black shirts and jeans, come in and out of the room. Never less than two in the room at one time. All of them looking at me as if they want to beat me or kill me or...I can't think of it. I don't want to.

Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Dreamy. Dreamy smiling at me. Dreamy kissing me. Dreamy. Dreamy. Keep thinking of Dreamy. Blue. Not Blue...yes, Blue. Even though she's tried to keep Dreamy and I apart, she did it because she cared. She IS my mom, or at least to me she is to me. Henry. That cute little kid. Snow and Charming. Red. Kathryn. Granny. Even Regina. Happy thoughts of the people I love. Happy.

Oh Gods. Its...him. He walks up to me. He grins. I want to shrink, but I can't. Ropes are probably enchanted. He walks out the door. I hear instructions behind the door. Keep her tied, he says. They'll come at any time to take her. Keep her here. He walks out.

They'll come to take her? Meaning me? Recused? Who? Is Dreamy coming? Charming? I hope they do. I know that man. Blue knows him too. Everyone here thinks he's Spencer, but he's not. The forest knew him as King George, but he's not.

But I know who he is. I know exactly...exactly who he is. He controls the Dark One. The only one who can.

I know exactly who he is.

The word terrified does not even begin to describe how I feel. Please gods. Help me. Help us.

TBC

A/N: Sorry, not one of my best efforts, but I wanted to get this out and going before my beta and OC namesake goes to Florida and flashes her hot bod for all to see. Stay safe love, and we'll cook up 28 when you get back.

Note to all OUAT characters, no matter what happens on TV, you are safe here. All of you. Maybe with one exception.

Hint, if you think you know who the bad guys are in this one, think again. You may be right and wrong!

Happy New Year. Click review and feed the pigeons, please.