Chapter 10

They had been back at the house for a few hours. The sun was down and Belle was back in the kitchen making dinner. Santana, Brittney and Rachel were outside nursing a bottle of wine. Quinn was watching them all. She looked around realizing that she didn't see Danni. About the same time that it dawned on her that Danni wasn't around them. Belle looked up giving her a knowing look. Quinn's hazel eyes met her blue eyes. They had a silent conversation.

It amazed Quinn how much she could convey with the woman, especially alter only knowing her for few days. There was just something about Belle that reminded her of Rachel and Danni both. Maybe that was the reason they got along so well. Maybe that's why they understood each other. Whatever it was it didn't matter at the moment. They were both worried about Danni and they both know that she was going to need their support.

She nodded at Belle. Walking across the kitchen, she went to the fridge. She grabbed two beers and headed up the stairs with them in hopes of finding Danni. She found her in her room packing some duffel bags. She didn't stop when she heard Quinn come in.

"Can you hand me that bag there?" Danni asked as she kept packing.

Quinn just nodded. She handed her the bag and a beer. Danni took a long pull off the bottle before setting on the bedside table. Then she went back into the closet, coming back out with her arms full of clothes. Quinn tried not to look surprised by all the leather and velvet, but she was.

"Are we going to have to wear that?" Quinn asked her, sitting down in the chair in the corner of the room, watching Danni move around quickly, efficiently and with a terrible motivation.

"That depends on you and Mom, but I doubt it. You might find it more comfortable once we get there, but I am sure that I can conjure up something for you to wear. If I don't, I know that Ma or Mom will...well, more so Mom than Ma, but you know what it doesn't matter," Danni answered.

"Hey, calm down. We're going with you, remember? You aren't going to be alone. Look, I know that going home is hard. I get it. But, do you seriously need the sword?"

"I don't know if I do or not, but I'd rather be prepared," Danni stated truthfully.

"Danni..."

"Look, Quinn, I appreciate that you are worried. I appreciate that you care, but there are things about that world that you just don't understand. Yes, I am the crown princess. Yes, I am a knight of the realm. Yes, people will bow to me and treat me like royalty. Doesn't mean that I like it, because I really don't. I don't like the popularity and what it can get for me. It isn't how I was raised. I fought tooth and nail for what I got and I've continued to do it. I earned my knighthood through blood, sweat and tears in my timeline, only to have Regina knight me in this one before she knew who I was. I thought that I could be at court and protect my family without any feelings getting in the way. I was wrong and I killed a man because of that. I let my feelings get in the way of logic. I can't do that again."

"No one is asking you to, Danni. I may not have gone thought what you've been through, but I understand going home like this. I've been there, done that, a couple of times and each time my mother welcomed me with open arms," Quinn told her.

"Yeah, well your mother isn't the Evil Queen," Danni quipped.

"Neither is yours, if what you and Belle have both told me is true," Quinn stated right back, daring her to contradict her with a cocked eyebrow.

"Quinn...are you planning on following no matter where I go once we get back there?" Danni asked as she stopped packing and turned to face the blond that was sitting in the corner.

"I don't know, maybe. Look, I owe you for Rachel. I'm I gonna help you whether you want me to or not. So, you best just tell me what I need to know an order to do that." Quinn told her.

"Well, first of all you don't owe me anything for Rachel. The guy was a creep and stupid. I am sure that she would have sprayed him or something had I not just suddenly appeared in the ally. But, that isn't the point. The point of the matter is can you handle a sword?" Danni asked her tossing one of the blades that lay on the bed at her.

Quinn caught it. It was awkward for her, but she held it up. She stood up with it, spun it around, and then tossed it back at Danni.

"I think I could if you taught me," Quinn told her.

"Could you kill someone?"

"If you'd known me in high school, you wouldn't be asking that question," Quinn stated.

"I am being serious. Quinn. I am sure for as much bravado that Santana has and the fact that she believes that she could harm someone more than just as a prank, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Could you? I need to know that. Because you see, things aren't as a gray as they can be here. Things are literally black and white, life or death. Growing up here is going to hinder your thinking. Are your going to be able to let go of everything you know and do whatever I tell you, when I tell you and how I tell you to do it?" Danni asked her.

"You're the director," Quinn quipped.

Danni shook her head. She knew what Quinn was trying to say. It didn't matter if Quinn could handle it or not, she was going to be by Danni's side. She knew that Santana would be there, too. They would go off will Danni on adventure while Brittney and Rachel stayed behind. It was some misconception of nobility and protection for them, but it was their chivalrous side. She wouldn't be able to stop them, no matter how much she tried. She'd resigned to that fact in the family vault, but it didn't stop her from trying to make them see how wrong they were about a world they thought they knew.

"This isn't a joke. Quinn. People die there every day. They don't have medicine like we do. They have magic and magic can't cure everything. Sometimes all they have is a wing and a prayer."

"Sounds like fun," Quinn quipped.

"You are being really cavalier about this, you know?" Danni replied.

"It doesn't matter if I'm scared out of my mind, Danni. We've all made a decision and we all plan on keeping it. I know that you think that you are protecting us, but who is going to take care of you? Who are you going to go when things get hard? You took your fucking heart out for Christ's sake, and that was just to deal here. What are you going to do there where your magic is stronger?"

"You've been talking to Belle," Danni said as she started packing up her clothes again.

"Yes, I have. You've been extremely vague since we met. I get it. I do. I understand why you couldn't and didn't tell us everything. We would have had your committed. We would have thought you insane, well, Brittney wouldn't have. She would've been the only one though. Eventually Rachel would have told us that you were completely unhinged. And, in a way you are, we all are, but we are friends and we help each other. We aren't going to let you do this alone and the sooner you realize that you're stuck with us, the sooner you can actually start teaching us what we need to know," Quinn told her. "And, I don't mean how to hold a sword. The important stuff, Danni, like about your heart."

"How about I tell you about my family?" Danni countered.

"If that'll help, I'm waiting to hear more," Quinn stated, getting comfortable.

"Well, as you know my Mom was the Evil Queen. Her name is Regina. This is her house. She was the mayor here before they got sent back. Ma is Emma Swan. She grew up in this realm in foster care. It is a sore spot with her that she didn't ever get a family of her own until she came to Storybrooke. I guess I should thank my older brother for that. He's Henry. Mom named him after her father. She adopted him after Emma gave him up because she was just seventeen. She was a kid and knew that she shouldn't be raising one, especially since she didn't have a real job or place to stay."

"Sounds like me. I like her already. What about Will? Who's Will, Danni?"

"That is a complicated story."

"We've got time and I'm not going anywhere."

"Will is...was...Hell. I don't know what she is to my mother anymore. Wilhelmina is Vulcannonian. She is a princess in her own right and she's the sworn knight to protect Mom. She's been at her side since Regina married Leopold, who was my great-grandfather and Snow's father."

"You weren't kidding about your family tree being really complicated, were you?" Quinn asked.

"I told you. You thought your life was complicated. Try having a mother that cast a curse and tell in love with someone almost thirty years her junior, but she never aged because of said curse. That's always fun. Oh, yeah, and my Ma parents are just barely older than us because of the curse."

"Well that's fun."

"Yeah, having a thirty five year old Snow White tell you to do something and she expects you to do it because she's your grandmother is awesome. Let me tell you all about that. Thankfully, when I was growing up in my Hellish timeline she was already older, like in her sixties, so it didn't affect me as much as it does now. It is strange to be the same age as your parents and grandparents. But, that is the least of our problems. I have to figure out what is wrong with Red," Danni told her.

"I get that and we'll figure it out. But, Danni, that still doesn't explain who Will is. Look, I understand that talking about there may be difficult for you because it is so different from what you remember and what you grew up with, but we'll figure it all out. We always have since we've been together. I am not going to let something like a stupid fairy tale stop me. Now, Rachel may not know about the nights you've woken up screaming out for Will, but Santana, Brittney and I do. San told me that she saw her in the mirror when Belle was talking to your Ma, Emma. So, care to enlighten me about her?"

"Damn it."

"Nope, start talking."

"Fine. She was my mother's personal guard for so long. She did things that Mom couldn't until she ran away. She fled because she started have feelings for my mother. Except that wasn't really it. She was drawn to my mother because of me. She couldn't leave Regina's side without causing herself pain, but she did it. Don't ask. All I can say is that it is a Vulcannonian thing. She found herself in this realm. She moved to Boston and became a bounty hunter. She was really good at it. Her knightly skills and other training from the Enchanted Forest made her uniquely qualified for the job."

"But?"

"Oh, it gets better. After Ma got out of prison and gave up Henry, she ended up in Boston. She was broke, had no place to call her home, no job, and no kid, but she did have a record and a Yellow VW Bug. She ran into Will, and for whatever reason. Will took her in. She trained her and helped her get set up as a bounty hunter, too," Danni told her.

"Okay, wait...Emma, your Ma is a bounty hunter? I thought she was the town sheriff, or she is the other queen or whatever. So...never mind...what happened between Will and Emma?"

"Nothing. Will helped her get started and they went their own ways. Will stayed in Boston when Henry found Ma and brought her back to Storybrooke. When I showed up, I went to Boston to try to find Will. But I didn't know that was her name. I also didn't know that she was Wilhelmina, either."

"Why do I feel that there is a longer story here?" Quinn asked her.

"Long story short, I went to a bar in Boston, got drunk off my ass and ended up in Will's apartment the next morning. And, yes, before you ask, we had sex. During my illustrious walk of shame, Emma called to see if Will would help her find me since they figured out where I'd run off to," Danni said.

"Oh, I am sure that was a fun a reunion."

"Will left as soon as she knew that Regina was coming or at least around then. Somehow she found her way to Storybrooke, and we reconnected. We started dating, if you will. She was actually courting me because I am a princess and such. But, Mom, well, she wouldn't release her from her contract as a Vulcannonian Guard. I think she was scared. It doesn't matter now."

"Why not?"

"Because I became the Dark One. I love Will. I do. But, I have so much Darkness inside me, now. You weren't there when I killed George. I did it in front of her. There was no remorse. There was no feeling. I did it in cold blood. Quinn. I killed a man and I don't care. I would kill him again if I had to do it over," Danni stated.

"I am not asking you that. What happened between you and Will? Why are you so afraid to see her?"

"Because I still love her, even without my heart. I still love her. There is like this missing piece inside of me and can't explain it but I feel like she is the only one that can feel that gap. But, the biggest problem with that is that I have technically been born. Remy is me but in this new timeline that I've helped create. She should be the one that Will is imprinted on, but she isn't. It is still me."

"O...kay?"

"Vulcannonians imprint of their lovers and they mate for lite. They are immortals, so...they can chose to give up their life. It's all very strange and I don't know all the ins and outs of it. Will imprinted on me after our one night stand. I figured that after I faked my death and went to learn how to deal with all the Darkness inside me that she would just imprint on Remy, but she didn't. It seems that we are really soul hates. We were destined to meet and be together, but I left after I killed George. I know that it is tearing us both up, but I can't be with her until I can trust myself with my magic and my power."

"You don't trust yourself?"

"No," Danni replied quickly and simply.

"Why not?"

"Can you not see how easy it is for me to cast a spell? I have all this power at my fingertips and I could do anything with it. Quinn, I could kill someone without a second thought just because I wished them to die l don't want that kind of power. No one should have that kind of power. Then there is fact that I am immortal now because I am the Dark One. That makes being friends interesting. I don't get hurt. I don't get sick. But on paper, Will and I are perfect for each other, but in real life..."

"Things are messy. Bad things happen. You live and learn. You get over it. You grow up and you realize what's important to you. For you, it's family and friends. It's having that loving support group that you so desperately wanted as a child. Out of the five of us, I get that. You understand why we are all so close and why we support each other so much. Danni. You need to talk to her. Explain to her your fears and feelings. How do you know that she is scared of you? How do you know how she feels? You don't, because you ran away and literally buried your heart in a wooden chest," Quinn said, knowing that she was pushing Danni, because she needed it.

"But..."

"No, you need to talk to her. I know that it may not be easy, but you need to do this for both of you. I'll be there for you no matter what. But, she should at least know that you still care for her. If she is still hung up on you, then maybe fate is trying to give you something. You shouldn't just let it pass you by because you don't think you deserve it. If I'd done that, I wouldn't have Rachel. I thank whoever up there or out here gave us a second chance. It made me get off my ass and tell her how I felt. It made explain to her why I acted the way I did in high school. Give her a chance. If you love her, tell her."

"It isn't that easy," Danni started to say.

"Was it for your mothers?" Quinn questioned.

"No...yes...I don't know," Danni answered.

"Who told who?"

"Mom finally told Ma after Red got in her face about it."

"Did Emma run?" Quinn asked her.

"No, they were too busy looking for me in that moment."

"But, they did end up together, right?"

"Well, yeah, they are each other's True Love."

"Are you Will's?"

"I don't know," Danni replied.

"I think that you know the answer to that question but you are afraid to admit aloud now."

"I thought I was. It would explain so much between us. But then again, it wouldn't."

"What do you mean?" Quinn inquired.

"True Love can break any curse in any realm. It is the strongest magic anywhere. It can transcend time, curses, realms..."

"But?"

"She couldn't break the curse of the Dark One on me when she kissed me."

"For True Love's kiss to work, don't both parties have to want it to work?" Quinn probed.

"I think so."

"There's your answer, then," Quinn stated.

"What's my answer?"

"You didn't want it to work, so it didn't. It really is that simple. See fairy tales aren't that hard. And, like you said. There is a big dose of truth in them. So, what else do we need to know, now?" Quinn asked as she watched Danni change duffels for a big backpack.

"I'll see what kind of training I think you're ready for once we get there. My first priority is Red. Nothing else. Don't sway me in that," Danni demanded.

"I won't," Quinn told her.

"Don't let them sway me either."

"Who is 'them'?"

"My family, Santana, Brittney, or Rachel," Danni answered.

"I will do my best."

"That is all I can ask for right now."

"What else?" Quinn inquired.

"Ever been through a magic portal?"

"To be honest, no...thought I had sometimes at the bottom of a bottle, but I don't think so."

"Should we use a mirror or just go?" Danni wondered aloud.

"What's the difference?"

"I've figured out how to use a mirror to my desire."

"Meaning?" Quinn questioned seriously wondering what Danni was talking about.

"I can tell it when and where I want to go."

"Then wouldn't the mirror be the logical course for us using the bean?" Quinn probed.

"You would think so, yes," Danni answered.

"But?"

"Sometimes the element of surprise can be fun," Danni stated with a strange mirth in her voice.

"Okay, do you want to surprise your family or us?" Quinn asked her with her voice full of seriousness.

"Good point."

"So, mirror?"

"Definitely mirror then," Danni stated.

"What do we need to pack besides whatever you got there?"

"Don't worry, I already packed your bags."

"You did? Of course, you did. So, what's in them?" Quinn inquired standing up to look at the bags on the bed.

"Yeah so, jeans, comfortable jeans, and loose tops, mostly plain but colorful. Nothing too fancy or too tight, and nothing that would make you stand out too terribly bad. There in those bags there. One for you and Rachel and one for Santana and Brittney. We're going light. I can just get or conjure anything else we might need once we get there," Quinn stated as she gathered the bags.

"So, we're going?"

"We're going. Now, I just need to decide where I want us to land. But, that can wait. I know that Belle is making dinner. We'll eat. We'll talk some more and then we'll head out. Sound good?" Danni asked.

"Sounds like a solid plan, but what are we going to tell them?"

"About?"

"I am sure that Belle doesn't know about the mirror thing."

"No, she doesn't. It doesn't matter. We'll get back. I'll make sure that we're in the East Wing of the castle. Once we're back, I'll make sure that we are all together. I am sure that Belle will go find Red and Mom. It will be night. I'll make sure of that. Now, let's go give them the news," Danni told her, hand two of the bags to Quinn. "I think that it's time we got on the road."

They made their way downstairs. It was quiet as they entered the dining room. It looked like they were all waiting for Danni and Quinn to come down to join them. They quickly took their seats. Quinn and Danni were noticeably quiet, but no one decided to break the silence. They ate quietly, but the entire time Belle was staring at Danni and then the bags.

Once dinner was over, Santana couldn't take it anymore. She had to know what the plan was. She'd been good. She'd gone with them to the cemetery. She'd gone into that damn crypt and she picked up books that looked like something her Abuela would burn.

"Alright. Enough. What's the plan, for reals. I've been nice and quiet. But, damn it someone better start talking right now," Santana demanded.

"We're going tonight," Danni said.

"Are you ready?" Belle immediately asked.

"It doesn't matter if I am ready or not, Aunt Belle. We need to go. I need to assess the situation. I can't do that here. If we don't go now, I don't know that I'll actually go. There is too much riding on this. It involves more than just me."

"So, how are we going to do this portal jump thing?" Rachel asked.

"Well, I'm glad you asked. I've found a way to make the jump a little more predictable. I just need to know that you all trust me or this won't work. Once the portal is open and I decide where and when we are going to go, you can't think of anything else. Can you do that?"

"Of course," they all replied quickly.

"Then let's do this."

"Wait, we're doing it in the house?" Belle asked her.

"Yeah, cause I need a really big mirror to do this. And, we both know that Mom has a crazy obsession with mirrors. The house is the perfect place to do this. So, are you ready?"

"We are going to have a really long discussion about this later. You can trust me on that one. But, let's get back. I need to see Red and I'm sure that your mothers would love to see you as well. But, that can wait. I'm going to go straight to see Red. What are you going to do?"

"I am going to go to bed once we get there. I'll deal with Mom and Ma in the morning, after I go see to Red. Until then, I am going to rest because we both know that I am going to need it."

"What do we need to pack?" Santana asked.

"Already done," Quinn said pointing at the bags.

"Then, let's get this shit going. We've got people to save and kingdoms to see. Plus, Britt wants to see her unicorn. So, get moving, Princess. Lead the way," Santana told them.