Chapter 29

Emma sat that banquet table and stared at the four women that came back with Belle and Danni. She wasn't angry with them. She wanted their help. Her eyes swept over the table again and met Danni's, then Will's. She gave them both a smile, before she turned back to face Regina.

"Now that everything has calmed down some, how are you all fairing?" Regina asked them.

Quinn caught Emma's eyes and then cocked an eyebrow at the question. She could tell that there was more going on and they were holding back. She turned and looked at Brittany. She could tell that Brittany was worried about something. She could also tell that Santana knew that Brittany was upset, too. She looked over at Danni and then Will. Both of them gave her a quick nod as she grabbed Rachel's hand.

"Everything seems to be well, Majesty," Quinn finally stated.

She waited and she watched. She could always tell when someone was lying to her and Danni knew it. They could all tell that there was something on Regina's mind. They were waiting for her to finally tell them what was wrong.

Quinn turned to Emma. They had been spending time in the armory and on the practice fields together, sparring, learning, and training. When she saw the look cross Emma's face, Quinn broke. She decided that she was going to break the tension and figure out what was going on.

"Alright, what's going on?" Quinn asked breaking the silence.

"Quinn…" Danni urged.

"Nope, she's right. Something is definitely wrong and they are dancing around it. So what gives? What are you telling us?" Santana questioned.

"There's a dance?" Brittany inquired.

"No, babe, they are being truthful about something."

"Oh, I know," Brittany replied looking both Emma and Regina in the eye.

Emma hung her head. She knew that this wasn't going to be easy. Her daughter had befriended a High Elf, a Werewolf, and an Empath. They had been known as the Unholy Trinity in high school and seeing them together, Emma got it. They ruled the school for the most part and they were used to getting their way. If they didn't, heaven help whoever was in their way.

"The problem of the matter is we don't know what's going on," Emma finally said when she realized that Regina was trying to find a way out of this conversation.

"What does that mean?" Danni asked, giving them both a pointed look.

Regina sighed. She knew that as soon as Danni knew that there was something wrong, she was going to demand more information. The problem was they didn't have the information that she would want. And, knowing that, Danni would go find out for herself.

"It would seem that there might be a threat to the North, near the borders of Ulfland and the Dark Kingdom. We aren't sure if there really is a threat or it is just a group moving through to some other kingdom. Our sources haven't been exactly forth coming," Regina told them.

Danni looked at her mother. She knew exactly why they didn't tell her about this. She could see the fear in her eyes. She could the haunting sorrow that she was going to lose her daughter, again. And, as much as Danni wanted to tell them that she wouldn't go off and fight, they all knew that it would be a lie. She would be the first on the battlefield, sworn drawn, battle cry screamed as she charged their foes, looking for the heads of their leaders to present in victory to her mothers. She nodded at her mother, wiped her mouth and sat back, thinking about what she was about to say, knowing it would officially end their dinner.

"How long?"

Will bristled next to her. Emma hung her head, but Regina met her eyes and held them. Chocolate fire warred with mahogany, and they each held their ground.

"How long?"

Regina still didn't answer. The fire was brewing in her. The anger rising. It was the first time that the four women that came with her witnessed her vigorous passion as the fire began to dance in her eyes, swirling and turning into a light purple.

"MOTHER, HOW LONG?!" she demanded almost at a roar.

Regina still held her eyes, refusing to answer. Emma grabbed Regina's hands to keep her from acting out at Danni, as she watched Will's hand batted away by Danni as she tried to calm the Dark One. Emma pushed Regina away from the table and stood up, pulling Danni's eyes towards her instead. Santana stood along with Quinn, who both were immediately at Danni's side, pushing Will away.

"Danni…" Emma said in warning.

"HOW LONG?!"

"A fortnight at best," Emma replied.

"AND, YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"

"It isn't the Blackness, Danni. We know that much. The Darkness doesn't exist here because of you. You stopped it, remember? You sacrificed yourself to save us all. You gave your heart to your uncle to save his life. You took the Darkness from me so I would live to help your mother raise Remy and give her the life you never had," Emma told her.

"I KNOW ALL THAT," Danni's voice boomed in the banquet hall.

"Danni, please."

"NO. Don't think that I am just going to sit here and listen to this. What is going on?" Danni demanded as her jaw set, waiting for someone to tell her what she didn't know.

"Danni…" Brittany said, joining them.

When Brittany touched her, she visibly calmed. Santana and Quinn backed up from her just enough to allow Brittany to move closer. Rachel watched the scene unfold before her with rapt attention. They were all mesmerized as Brittany slid her hand down from Danni's shoulder over her right arm and into her hand. She held her hand and pulled Danni off balance so that she had to rest against the taller blonde. It gave Brittany the position that she wanted. She changed her hands so that she had Danni's right hand in her left, still holding it tightly. She left her right hand circle around until she had her hip firmly in her grasp, still keeping her off balance. She whispered into Danni's ear just a few words and the riled brunette melted into her completely.

"Highness, I believe she is now ready to hear the news," Brittany told Regina, holding her gaze over Danni's shoulder.

Regina coughed and cleared her throat. She watched as Brittany tightened her hold on her daughter. The look in Brittany's eyes went from pleading to anger and back so quickly that Regina thought she dreamt it. Emma moved enough to the side that Regina was completely visible to them all again.

"Danni..."

"Just tell me," Danni stated.

Her voice sounded broken and forced. She didn't fight Brittany, but Emma could see the pain her eyes. Danni's duality was at war and Brittany was the only thing keeping her in check at the moment. Emma grabbed Regina, hoping to keep her grounded as well. She could see that they might say or do something they would all regret later. Brittany gave Emma a nod and Emma squeezed Regina's hand as she pulled her up next to her.

"Danni, you were sick…"

"Just tell me!" she hoarsely screamed.

Brittany held her closer. Santana took her free hand and held it. Quinn stepped closer, but didn't reach out to touch her. Rachel took that moment to stand up. She looked between them all. She then reached up and grabbed Danni's face, making her turn to look into her eyes. It looked awkward, but Danni completely deflated.

"Danni, you were sick and things happened," Rachel started.

Regina cocked her head at the diva's words. Did she know more than she was saying? Had the Wolf and Elf told her what they had encountered in woods of Ulfland? She watched wondering what was about to unfold before her. She knew that they were close, but this was shocking to her. Her daughter, the Dark One, had four women that could tame her, each their own way.

"Rachel…"

"Shhh," Rachel told her putting a finger on her lips before continuing. "You were feverish. You were never sick in New York and we didn't know what to do. Will knew what it was. It was partially because of your heart being back in your chest, which by the way we are totally going to have to talk about later."

"Rachel…" Quinn whispered.

"Sorry. Right. You were sick. No one knew how to help you but Will."

Will was standing now. She watched as Danni's eye scanned the room until they found her sapphire eyes. They held and she waited to see if Danni was going to say something to her or even ask her what happened. When she broke Danni's gaze, she turned to Regina. The look she gave her queen was accusatory. She couldn't believe that Regina hadn't told Danni anything.

Rachel just held her face, staring deeply into her eyes, until she felt the anger leave her. It wasn't Brittany that could do that. And, no one, least of all Rachel, understood how she could get the woman to calm so easily with just a look and stare. Quinn and San had seen her do it a lot after they brought her back to New York. Rachel was the only one she confided in and Danni could tell that Rachel was hurt by not knowing the full truth of her life.

"Rachel…"

"Not now, Danni. Right now, you need to know what happened and you need to be calm. If you can't do that, then we aren't going to tell you."

"But, Rachel…"

"No, Danni. You know that I don't condone violence, but I am still thankful for what you did for me that day in alley. Will you sit back down and let us tell what happened? Can you do that for me? I need you to be calm, Danni. Will you do that for me?" Rachel asked her, hands still on her cheeks and pleading look in her eyes.

Danni just dropped her head. And after a few seconds of hanging her head in shame, she nodded. It was slight and Rachel may have been the only one to perceive it but it was enough. Danni's body, once rigid in Brittany's arms, went limp and they helped her back into a seat.

Once she was seated and settled, Rachel sat down beside her. Santana grabbed chairs for her and Brittany to sit behind Danni. Quinn just moved behind Rachel and waited.

"What happened?" Danni asked, now calmer.

"You were sick, like we said. Will knew where a plant was that could help you. She was the one who told us that you had Magic Fever."

"Magic fever?" Danni questioned, her face contorted in question.

"Yes," Regina stated and noticed that Danni looked up at her. "It happens when too magic builds up without expulsion. You hadn't had your heart in your body, but it still possessed magical build up. Upon travelling back here, the magic build up became too much for your body to handle and it went into shock."

"And, Will knew how to help. She took Santana and Quinn with her to find the plant needed to make a tea to help you. They had to go to Ulfland to get it," Emma told her.

"I don't care about any of that and you know it. What happened? Did something happen while you were all in Ulfland?"

"Karam a kar. Malek for san. Karam al forsek mashick," Will muttered.

"This is not the time to be speaking gibberish. Someone needs to tell me what happened in the woods and someone needs to do it now. What the fuck happened?" Danni demanded.

"Language," Rachel chided softly and Danni was good enough to look scolded.

"What happened?"

"Will," Rachel said, knowing that it would come better from her.

"We found the Randae."

"And they led us towards the mountain pass into the valley where the Red Lion could be found."

"Will…" Rachel urged.

"On the way, I noticed that the Randae were acting strange. I knew that Ruby had been absent from the lands for a while, but I didn't want to believe it. The Randae had split into two factions, one style loyal to the Brannon and one not. They were mixed and they knew that I was the Champion of the Swan Kingdoms and Vulcannonian. They were going to try anything while I was in Ulfland, but I could tell that there were hard feelings that Ruby had not come home."

"So…"

"I sent Santana and Quinn along, just a few hours ahead, and I followed the Randae. I confirmed the split amongst the Randae. It wasn't hard to see who the leader of the faction against Red was. I followed him, but I knew that I needed to get back to Quinn and Santana. They were…not used to the environment that we found ourselves in and I didn't want to leave them alone too long without help. It wasn't that I didn't trust them to be okay on their own, I knew they could, but it was that I didn't trust the Randae anymore," Will stated.

"Is that all?"

"No," Quinn answered.

Rachel tensed and she knew that Danni saw it. Danni knew that whatever came next was going to be hard for her to hear or it was violent. It was the only reason that Rachel would be so tense about it. She turned from looking at Will back to her mothers. When she didn't get any further information, she turned to face Quinn.

"So?"

"We found out that I am a Wolf and Quinn is an elf," Santana told her.

She couldn't help herself. She laughed. It was loud and boisterous. It took everyone by surprise.

"What's so funny?" Emma dared to ask breaking up her laughter.

Danni looked across the table at her mothers, again. A smile crept across her face. Rachel gave her a worried look while Santana and Brittany moved closer to her. She reached out with her hand and Rachel took it. She could tell that they were worried that she was about to do something stupid and unleash her fury, but Rachel could see something in her eyes. Rachel dared to wonder if it was mirth.

"The fact that even in a land without magic, I would be the one that found magical beings to surround myself with. Of course they are. It makes so much more sense to me now. It would explain why I was drawn to them so much. It also explains why they are all so defensive when it comes to Rachel."

"Excuse me?" the diva questioned.

"They wanted to protect you and they knew that they could. It is ingrained in them. Their strengths, their powers, they couldn't deny them. Even though they didn't show any outward signs of their magic, they still had it. And in their own ways they manifested in your world," Danni stated.

Quinn smirked. She understood what Danni was saying. But, when she looked at Rachel, she could see the hurt on her face.

"That doesn't make you any less, Rachel."

"I have no powers," Rachel mumbled.

"Sure you do," Danni replied.

"What?"

"Your voice," Danni stated simply.

"It's true," Santana added.

"You can move people with your voice," Quinn said.

"You make people feel, from deep within their souls. You draw out passions with your songs, Rachel. Hell, you've made San cry on more then one occasion. Now, that's saying something," Brittany told her, taking Rachel's hand.

"So what you don't have magic, Rachel. It has never stopped you. You go after what you want and you get it. You fought tooth and nail to make sure that I was okay and you've never...ever...let me wonder if you loved me as a friend. You helped me find work and taught me to live again when I came back to New York this last time. So don't doubt your powers, Rachel. You have them and they are beautiful."

Rachel smiled at her. She didn't know when the conversation changed so drastically, but she knew that she needed to get back on point. She let go of Brittany's hand and took both of Danni's in her hands. Her mind was flooded with tales and information that she had managed to get from Belle and Regina. She looked to Regina and could see the worry in her dark eyes. She swallowed hard.

"That's not important now, Danni. You want to know what happened, and I'll tell you. Quinn and Santana went with the Will to find you that flower, to heal you. Yes, they stumbled upon the Randae and their plots against the throne or whatever for Ulfland, but that isn't the problem. On their search through the forests and mountains, they came across an unknown force," Rachel started.

Danni's whole face changed. She went from happy-ish to angry in a flash. Rachel could see the purple starting to swirl in her eyes. Brittany moved closer and put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to keep her calm. San and Quinn shared a look, wondering if they were going to have to fight their friend after all.

"Tell me," she demanded.

"They don't know who they are or where they are from, but they wear silver armor. It is highly polished and they are highly trained. They left the Randae in hopes to find the flower and to find out more information about this 'Silver Army.' In their travels, they hid. Quinn and Santana were ready to fight, but stayed hidden at Will's orders. It was then that they got to see Will in all her true Vulcannonian glory. Thankfully, they didn't have to fight, but they kept their guards up. Opting to forgo many things in order to find the flower and get home as quickly as they could to help you."

"What happened?"

"I was attacked while Will and Quinn secured the flower for you," San answered quietly.

Danni stood up, breaking free from Brittany and Rachel. The fire in her eyes was evident. They all took a step back to give her some room. Will jumped out of her chair and worked her way across the room and to Danni's side. Her hand went to her sword when she saw Danni's hands rise with fire in them. Rachel was the only one who didn't move now. She stood her ground in front of her, staring into her violent and fiery purple eyes.

"Rachel..." Quinn hissed as she reached out to stop her when Rachel took a step towards her.

"Danyel Koraline Gallia, kuk in mir!"1 Rachel called out.

Danni turned her focus down to Rachel. The little diva didn't waver. She stood her ground in front of her. When Rachel reached up to touch her face, Danni pulled back. She was not deterred though and grabbed Danni forcefully by her cheeks.

"Fokus aoyf mir. Das iz nisht ir. Kukn in meyn aoygn. Tsi ir viln zey tsu zen ir vi dem?"2

"Num," Danni replied.

"Stay with me, Danni. Look at me. You are safe. We are safe. There is nothing that is going to hurt us. Bleyb mit mir. Fokus aoyf mir. Das iz gut,"3 Rachel told her, still holding her face.

Danni dropped like a ton of bricks onto her knees. Rachel descended with her, but didn't let her go. They were still staring into each other's eyes.

Regina and Emma moved around to join everyone else as they watched helplessly as Rachel calmed Danni down. Regina realized that Rachel had to have some sort of magic. Maybe she could glammar or something, but she was definitely more than just a voice by the way she was staring into Danni's eyes. She purposefully hadn't broken contact with her. Maybe that was it. Maybe she needed contact with a person to do something and that is why her powers hadn't manifested yet for them to see.

"She has magic," Regina breathed out.

They all looked to Regina. She just pointed to Rachel as she held Danni, never breaking their gaze. It looked like they were having a silent conversation. Quinn saw it. Will saw it. Emma wasn't sure that she understood it, but she saw it. Brittany and San just smiled as they watched Rachel work.

"Danni?"

"Antshuldigt. Ikh kenen nisht… Ikh kenen nisht haltn zikh. Ikh kenen nisht helfn es. Bite helf mir. Hilf mir kemfn dem. Hilf mir kemfn di fintsternish, Rakhl."4

Rachel nodded. A slow smile crossed her face. The purple, swirling fire in Danni's eyes disappeared.

"Ikh shtendik vet, Danyel. Ir visn az. Khl ir hobn tsu ton iz fregn aun ikh vel,"5 Rachel told her.

"Dios mio," Santana stated as Rachel finally let her go.

"Please, Rachel," Danni pleaded.

"We all will, Danni. You don't have to ask. We are here for you, remember?"

"Yes..."

"I know what you want to do, but you can't. You can't lose your head like that. Use your heart, Danni. I know that you want to go destroy this army, but we don't know anything about them or why they are here. You can't just go off half-cocked."

"I am not-" Danni started to say trying to defend herself.

"I know about George, Danni," Rachel said quietly.

Danni deflated again, but Rachel, with her deceptively strong arms, held her up, not daring to let her go. Danni closed her eyes, trying to hide the tears that were forming. Rachel removed her hands from Danni's face. She didn't move from her spot on the floor in front of her, though.

After a few moments, Rachel reached out and tipped Danni's head back up to meet her eyes. Her dark mahogany eyes reminded Rachel of Regina. Their was a quiet calm to them now, but she could still see the worry clouding them. Rachel held her eyes before speaking again.

"You are not the same person, Danni. You are better than that and you've proven that to everyone here. I know that you want to go off and do something, but we need to gather more intel. I will not allow you or anyone else to go out there without some sort of plan."

"But, I can handle them..."

"And, so can Will. But, that didn't stop them from shooting Santana and almost killing her. Why do you that San had such a limp when you woke? She risked her life for you and you didn't even know. You've fought through your anger before. I know that is why you left me in New York. You were afraid of me," Rachel told her.

"I wasn't afraid of you. I was afraid for you. I can't control it sometimes," Danni replied.

"That's a lie and you know it. You choose to give into anger and fear. You weren't afraid for me. I know that you wouldn't hurt. I know that you wouldn't hurt anyone in this room. You were afraid of how I would look at you if you did something to anyone else. I know that you almost beat that man to death in that alleyway, Danni. I knew what you did when you sent me away. I didn't want him to die and that is why I called the police. But, I also didn't want you to get into trouble, which is why I took you home. I wasn't going to let you get into trouble for helping me."

"I might have killed him," Danni said regretfully.

"You may have. We might never know, and honestly, I don't care. I do not condone violence and you know that, but that man tried to rape me and you stopped him. He knocked you out with a 2x4, but you didn't let that stop you. You fought him for me and I have tried to thank you for that everyday."

"You don't need to thank me for that," Danni murmured.

"And, you don't need to be afraid of your family. They know that the Darkness lives in you. Your mother, Regina, knows first hand how easy it is to give in, but you both fight it, handsomely. I know that you are scared because there maybe a threat in this Silver Army, but that doesn't mean that you get to go riding out there and destroy them," Rachel stated.

"I know."

"Then you will stand down and you will wait until your mothers have more information."

"But, how are we going to get it? I don't want anyone to risk their lives for something that I can do. I'm immortal now. I can go and get the information that we need."

"But, you don't trust yourself to get it, alone. And, Regina doesn't want to ask us for help. Will wants to go. Don't deny it, Wilhelmina. I can see it in your eyes. Regina doesn't want to lose you. Let Will go. Let Santana go. Let Quinn go. Stay here and prepare the troops if need be with your Ma, Emma. And do not for one second think that you are going to fight this alone. We are here for you and we will fight by your side if need be," Rachel told her.

"But, Rachel, you don't fight."

"I do for what I love."

1Yiddish for "Danielle Coraline Gallia, look at me!"

2Yiddish for "Focus on me. This is not you. Look into my eyes. Do you want them to see you like this?"

3Yiddish for " Stay with me. Focus on me. That's good."

4Yiddish for "Sorry. I can't… I can't stop myself. I can't help it. Please help me. Help me fight this. Help me fight the Darkness, Rachel.

5Yiddish for " I always will, Danielle. You know that. All you have to do is ask and I will."