It didn't take Dagian long to get off that ship. She practically raced down to the dock where Jefferson was waiting. It felt good to get on solid ground again….to put that ship behind her, hopefully for the last time. Dagian would honestly be a lot happier to see it sink but Storybrooke didn't exactly have deep waters in its border.
Jefferson embraced her and they kissed, "I missed you."
Dagian smiled and brushed her thumb down his cheek, "Missed you too."
He gently took Lily from her and smiled at the little bundle, "So I Heard a little one went on quite a little adventure."
"Jefferson, it's not cute if she doesn't understand you."
"Grace missed Lily," he told her, "I think she missed you too but she was more vocal about when she'd see Lily again."
"I'm touched," Dagian muttered.
He smiled and rested his lips against her temple.
"I drove a ship!" Henry bragged to Charming as he and Bae helped Rumpelstiltskin walk.
"Did you now?" David humored him."
Jefferson wrapped an arm around her, "That's your family."
"Yeah," Dagian said and tried to swallow back some pride at her grandson and how he turned out even with their genes and Regina raising him, "It is."
"Yeah," Henry continued, "My dad showed me how."
""That's…me."
He and Charming sized each other up and helped Rumpelstiltskin sit on the back of the truck. Dagian and Jefferson went forward as Rumpelstiltskin thanked them.
"Is Cora trying to control you with the dagger?" Charming asked.
"Oh, you'd know if she was," Rumpelstiltskin said, "Cause most of you would be dead by now."
"Well, then we'll just have to take the fight to her before that can happen," Snow said in determination."
Dagian blinked. Well that was certainly different from the Mary Margaret. Of course, Snow could always have been this way but Dagian hadn't paid attention till they were practically family.
"We will," Charming assured her.
"And this time, we finish it,"
Well, Dagian was on board with that.
"Mary Margaret," Charming started.
"She needs to be stopped. She needs to be killed. This is our family. We are going to protect it."
"Snow's right," Dagian said, "You get a pissed off sorcerer on your hands, it's a hard thing to get rid of them. It'll be a hard enough job to fight two of them, do you think it'll be simple to just defeat or imprison them? It'd be easier to kill them while you have the chance. Because if you don't then you're just letting them live another day to come at you."
"What you're talking about goes beyond that."
"Does it?" Snow demanded, "Because she's the reason you've never met my mother."
Dagian wondered if she missed something and looked at Jefferson who shrugged.
"I know," David said, "I know what happened to Queen Eva, and I have zero problem with Cora dying for it. But not by your hand, and not out of vengeance."
Dagian sighed; she missed all the good stuff.
"Why?" Snow demanded
"Because you wouldn't be able to live with yourself," Charming continued, "You have the purest heart of anyone I have ever known. That's who you are, and that's who you're going to stay."
Dagian looked at Jefferson. She supposed royalty could afford pure hearts. For those outside the castle…keeping a pure heart was a bit harder. Dagian did wonder how Snow retained one if she truly lived in the forest all those years.
Emma finally noticed the dying man in front of her because she looked at Rumpelstiltskin, "You okay?"
"Ah, I'm beginning to feel a bit stronger," But Dagian could tell that was a lie, "Take me to my shop. There's magic there that can protect us."
He looked at Dagian and he honestly didn't have to say anything. She wasn't going to the shop. To do so would put her in the line of fire that he was desperately trying to keep her out of so that their child could have at least ONE parent.
She looked up at her son. But did that mean that he would stay and…?
Well of course it did. That was his son whose life was in danger if Regina won. That was his father that was dying. He had as much a claim to this fight as anyone. Much like she would if it weren't for Lily.
She felt her heart clench as she thought more of it. No! No they just got him back though! He was her son! There was still so much that she didn't know.
They were talking about who Henry would go with. Dagian would be more than happy to take her grandson with her but once again…that would be the opposite of what she was going for. Besides, Red was a wolf. She was more than capable of protecting him if need be.
Hopefully.
But Dagian didn't pay attention to the talking; she met her eyes with her son. She hoped that her eyes told him how much she loved him because gods knew if she would see him again