The mine wasn't all too difficult to get into. Charming expected that. He even expected Snow's expertise in theft to come in handy. He did not expect for the rest of the journey to be so difficult.

The first challenge occurred when they actually landed on the ground. The earth below their feet began to crack and a terrible tearing sound reverberated off the walls. David felt a small tug at the back of his neck. He jumped in the direction Snow order without complaint. Seconds later the ground he stood upon was gone, vanished into a giant pit that hadn't been there before.

"The ground's unstable," Snow said. "The walls won't support us properly. We're going to have to keep our eyes peeled."

"It's a good thing I brought a flashlight," he replied. He even turned on the only light source they had. The beam wasn't nearly as big as he hoped but it would be enough. He just had to shine it and hope it did the trick. "What are we looking for?"

"Divots," Snow advised, "and sloping in the ground. That's not the worrying part."

"Of course not," he cursed.

"Point the light toward the wall." He did as told. He knew he shouldn't have the moment his wife unleashed a string of curses. "Yep. Those are hairline fractures. We're going to get buried alive if we make the wrong move."

"Just another day in the lives of Snow White and her precious Prince Charming," David sighed. He waved the flashlight over the mine in a perturbed motion. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"What other choice do we have, David?" Snow asked, "If Cora really is back, we need to keep her away from Emma! She could destroy the whole town. We have to."

David nodded. What other choice did they have? He shined the light ahead and stepped forward as carefully as possible.

"What was it like being home again?" He asked to pass the time. He regretted the action when his wife took in a deep breath of dread and despair. "Sorry. That bad, huh?"

"The ogres are back," Snow shrugged, "and half of the Forest is practically gone. But… David, watch out!"

David felt a weight on his back. He twirled around in time to pull his wife against the wall. He watched as the ground began to crumble away. A loud bang hinted at another problem about to occur. The prince used his thinking skills quickly. He pulled his wife further down the abandoned mine. He pushed her against the ground and lowered himself to cover her. He felt great chunks of rock falling over him. He bowed his head and prayed enough of him was covering Snow White.

%%%%%%%%%%

Eliot was not a happy camper. Rumpelstilskin could tell the boy wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't comfortable with magic. He'd been raised in this world. Even if he remembered the spell, he still didn't believe in it enough to care. The Dark One had a personal theory his family was his sole purpose for doing this.

"Keep your mind clear," Rumpelstilskin ordered, "You need to focus on the spell and the spell alone."

"My mother always told me it worked better if you focus on the reason why instead," Eliot replied, "Focus on the feeling and everything else comes naturally."

Rumpelstilskin slammed his magic potion on the table and glared. The boy didn't know magic like he did. He didn't understand what power was involved. He was the Dark One, the expert. He knew what needed to be done. He knew how magic was won. He didn't care about anything else.

"You haven't used the magic in a long time," he growled, "You need to focus on the spell first. The feeling will come as it casts. I'm trying to keep you from blowing up the whole town."

"And I'm trying to save my friends!" Eliot replied, "You want me to do it right? Then let me do it my way."

Rumpelstilskin raised his hands in the air. He'd forgotten what it was like to deal with a temperamental child. Even if that child was a full-grown man, it didn't matter. He was well set in his loyalties. If he wanted to screw up that was find with him. He was the one who would be missing out. It was his family that was about to be torn apart.

"Breathe in deeply," he commanded, "Feel the magic in the air and focus on the words of the spell."

The hitter scowled at his order. He tugged the sleeves of his shirt up his arms and closed his eyes. His hands immediately did as they were supposed to. The potion fell between his fingers and didn't even drip. It floated in the air just as he commanded.

Impressive, Rumpelstilskin thought.

%%%%%%%%%%%

Things were getting worse instead of better. Charming knew it the very moment he rose to look up. Behind him there was a wall of rock. Dust settled in the air easily. That was good. There was still an exit. They didn't have to worry about their air supply. But they definitely weren't getting out the way they came in.

"David," Snow gasped.

He helped her up and nodded his head. "We'll have to follow the air," he said. "Let's find that vase and we'll worry about everything else afterwards. All of this will be useless if we don't' get that vase back."

Snow didn't say anything to prove him wrong. She merely nodded her head and kept to the edges of the mine. David couldn't help but smile in pride. He was often amazed by what his wife could endure. He also just realized he wasn't the one holding the flashlight. He quickly sped to catch up to her. He didn't want to be in absolute dark.

"Where did you see it, David?" She asked.

He shrugged. The mine's rock was constantly shifting. This was the only unsafe portion and he hadn't been there for long. He only saw it out of the corner of his eye when he was rescuing Henry and Archie. At the time he didn't even know what it was. He didn't know who he was. Now he knew what he saw, what he almost missed. If that couldn't contain Cora, nothing would.

"Near the elevator shaft," he said, "At the bottom I think."

"So we have to go lower?" Snow curse, "David, why didn't we try looking in the safe portion of the mine?"

He shrugged. "Because the safe portion of the mine isn't where it's stored. If it was, we'd be finished already and able to help our friends."

"Dammit," Snow cursed, "One of these days our lives better be easy. I'm so sick of all this running and danger and losing friends. Honestly, I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Don't give up just yet," Charming was smiling. He didn't move to follow his wife or anything. He was too excited for that. "Look."

Dead ahead, not even minutes away, stood the very object of their desire. The vase wasn't even shattered. In fact, it looked completely untouched by the fallen debris. It stood on a precipice connected to Snow's old glass coffin. The sunlight filtered off of it to point the way out too.

"David," Snow gasped.

She pointed the flashlight down, making both of their hearts drop in despair. The coffin was the only path they had. It acted as a bridge between the precipice the side of the vast cavern they were in. The rest of the floor had long since collapsed, probably around Henry's visit. The coffin didn't have much supporting it. The rock holding it up looked shattered, on the verge of disappearing altogether. They didn't have much time if they wanted to get the vase safely.

"Alright," David sighed, "it's a good thing we decided to grab the rope before we got here."

"I don't think that will be enough," Snow whispered.

She had a point. The entire cavern looked on the verge of collapse. They wouldn't be able to use any of the multiple rocks as a counterweight. They were going to have to once again rely on each other and each other alone. The prince tied the rope around his waist and took a deep breath. Hopefully they brought enough rope after all.

%%%%%%%%%%

Rumpelstilskin knew the very moment the spell worked. He could sense it in his very bones. The familiar hum in the air made everything hot and cheery. He could barely stand the happiness in the air. He turned towards the boy who made the spell.

The liquid in his hands was completely gone. It was currently on the boy's shirt, absorbing the newly formed wound with vigor. A great light emanated from the young man. His hair waved with the invisible current of magic. His face was purely serene. He didn't look in pain at the memories or his physical condition. He didn't even look phased by it. He looked happy.

The potion finished its job seconds later. His skin was no longer dripping blood. His clothes didn't even show a scratch from the wounds it healed. The light began to disappear as he opened his eyes. It moved towards those eyes. Those formerly blue eyes were now gold with the light pouring out. Then that too faded and Eliot Spencer was normal once again.

"It worked," he said, "He's alive."

The Dark One nodded his head sharply. He expected that. He reached behind the counter for the very thing he'd been looking for. He tossed the old bow and arrow to the boy. He wasn't surprised at how quickly they were caught. He was, however, astonished to see the child-like wonder on the younger man's face.

"You know where to find them?" He asked. Eliot nodded. "Good," he said, "because now comes the tricky part."

He tossed the younger man the scarab he had in storage. The bug hungered for him. It always had. He had to keep it contained in the black bag just to protect himself. He was glad to finally be rid of it. It was taking up too much of his precious shelf space.

"You're going to have to put that on Cora's neck without her noticing."

"What about Sophie?" Eliot asked.

Gold shrugged. "You've got to choose the greater of two evils I'm afraid." He said, "This happens to be the case where her Mother is far more dangerous. Go. I have other matters to attend to."

The hitter left without another word. He raced out of the door without a pause. The Dark One could even hear the pitter patter of his feet as they entered the forest, ready for battle. Rumpelstilskin closed his eyes in relief. He found the globe Cora gave him as a peace-offering. He gently placed it upon the counter and spun it round. He gently pricked his finger on the top and watched as his blood fell on top of it.

"Point the way," he said.

%%%%%%%%%%

David stretched out a little closer to the edge. He was almost standing tip-toe. His balance was on the verge of becoming undone. But the rope wasn't quite beyond its limits. Snow's tiny waist didn't use to much of it up. It wasn't quite stretched taut and she was almost there. Things were going well compared to what they could have been.

"A little bit further," Snow ordered.

He quietly obliged by gently stepping one toe onto the glass coffin. He could hear it cracking under his weight. Time was once again not on their side. He strained to keep his balance and allow his wife enough rope to find her way without incident. It did the trick. She found her way to the vase without incident.

"Okay," Snow said. She had yet to touch the thing. Charming wasn't sure what the hold-up was. He could hear the cracking getting louder. "Now, what's the catch?"

The wall was starting to show some strain. The coffin was nothing but cracks. His weight was tilting a little too far off the edge. The rope was as far as it would go. He could hear the wall above shattering somewhere close.

"Snow!" He called, "We really don't have the time! This place is about to blow!"

Snow White looked back towards her husband. He could tell by the thin line on her lips that she was about to reply with a very witty retort. A giant cracking sound must have changed her mind. Her eyes grew wide with fright. She tugged on her rope a bit and placed the flashlight into it.

"Right," she breathed. He could hear the fear in her voice. He felt it in his heart as well. "I hope I don't regret this."

She picked up the vase, closing her eyes tight in the process. She seemed absolutely surprised that nothing crumbled. She looked back, nearly jumping in joy. The excited happiness was nearly blinding to the prince.

"Okay," he called, "Now come back slowly. We'll find our way out together."

Snow nodded. She secured the vase in her arms and started walking forward. The very moment she stuck her toe off of the precipice, trouble began. A great tearing sound began to vibrate through the whole cavern. David panicked and pulled on the rope. He was hoping that would speed his wife up, instead she had other plans.

"David, look out!" She shouted.

Snow stepped back onto the precipice and shook her head. David took heed to her words. He looked up and felt his heart drop. There was a giant boulder hurtling towards him at the speed of light. He silently cursed his overly adventurous life. He then broke out into the fastest run he could muster.

His feet flew on the glass coffin beneath. Tiny cracks indented themselves with every step he took, but he didn't care. He ran towards the precipice. He could see the panic in Snow's eyes. He was absolutely amazed she was able to keep hold of the vase while she was doing it. She was ushering him closer with a simple wave of her hand. He forced himself to run faster.

They were within arm's length when the rock finally hit. He felt the giant quake as it made impact. There was nothing as far as sound went. There was just a moment of absolute silence as he struggled to grab onto his wife's dainty wrist. Then the noise came.

Ka-Boom! The glass shattered beneath his feet. The walls echoed with a giant shutter. Wind brushed against him and forced Snow to look away. Their hands were only inches apart. Their ring fingers brushed briefly. The ground became air. Gravity took effect.

"No!" Snow screamed.

David had a likewise thought. He was just completely unable to voice it. He was currently screaming at the top of his lungs. He was forced to watch as the rope around his waist began to grow more and more taught. He didn't have time to untie it. His weight alone would push Snow to her end. The rope tightened and then became just as loose as it had been before the fall.

He heard her screams mix with his own. He felt his stomach lodge itself in his heart. He saw the love of his life fall off the precipice towards him. The giant boulder that caused their doom had already hit the bottom. The giant walls were becoming longer with every breath. He closed his eyes, waiting for his demise.

And waited.

"David, open your eyes."

He wasn't exactly one to deny his wife anything at the moment. He opened his eyes and was quite amazed to find himself floating in midair. He looked to his right and found his wife's smiling face. She was just as alive as he was. She was also still holding onto the reason for their troubles.

"We're going up," he noticed.

She nodded her head and smiled wider. "Apparently our friends decided to help," she said.

She was right. Ruby was the one standing at the top of the giant hole. Blue was holding her magic wand. She looked strained and slightly out of breath. Charming sort of felt guilty. Those diamonds were supposed to fuel the magic to go home. Now they were going to have to find a new way to get everybody back to their rightful places.

"Ruby," David said. The werewolf pulled him up with great ease. The dwarves swiftly helped Snow back to her feet. The vase was safely in the Blue Fairy's hands now. She stared at it with mixed emotions.

"Why would you risk your lives for this?" She asked.

"Cora's back," Snow replied, "David thinks that will work to keep her from killing us while we think of how to best take care of her. Killing her isn't exactly an option."

Blue looked slightly relieved. "Oh," she laughed, "I feared you wished to entrap Marian in here. Cora is far more deserving of this fate than her youngest daughter."

"You think we can save her?" Charming asked.

"Yes," Blue said, "but you're going to have to act fast. The magic is about to fully consume her. The dwarves were kind enough to get your weapons and your horse. I hope it isn't too late."

Charming grabbed his wife and pulled her onto the horse. He sent a wink of gratitude his friends' way. The vase was safely tucked away. His sword was by his side. His wife's bow and arrows were strapped to her back. They were ready for war.

"Be careful," Blue warned, "I think Henry, Hardison and Parker are on their way to the forest as well and Dopey saw smoke earlier. You haven't much time left."

Charming urged his horse to move. He wasn't disappointed.

%%%%%%%%%%

Regina stared at her sister's fallen body. She was in absolute shock of the move. She had never expected that. She expected to die by her sister's hand but instead she lived and her sister slept. Then a fabulous idea occurred to her. She would bite from the apple as well and end her misery.

The Evil Queen immediately began her search of the poisoned apple. She had watched it clatter to the ground and it should have been directly beside her sister. It was not. The apple had vanished without a trace. Such a cruelty her sister designed. Marian had made certain the apple disappeared before she tumbled into the abyss. Now Regina's fate was sealed. She would live with the knowledge that she killed every single person she had ever loved.

"Marian!"

Regina looked up in surprise of the voice. Robin was moving towards his wife with horror on his features. He looked pretty spry for a dead guy. His open wound was healing itself and there was panic in his voice. He was alive and at his wife's side in moments. He cradled her face gently in his hands. Then he slowly moved towards her lips to give her true love's sweet kiss.

"Get away from her!"

Regina spun around in time to see her worst fears were true. Cora waved a hand through the air and Robin sailed backwards ten feet. The Evil Queen tried to summon up the strength to cast a spell. She was too late and flew through the air for her trouble. Pain stretched through every inch of her body as she landed on the ground. She lifted her head up and blinked away the tears.

Cora was cradling Marian in her arms and weeping. The cold-hearted shrew actually looked downright disheartened by her second daughter's position. Regina would have believed it if the woman wasn't her mother. Cora would have allowed Robin to kiss his true love if she cared about Marian at all.

"What have you done?" Cora screamed towards her eldest child.

Regina blinked in confusion. She didn't do anything. This was something by Marian's design. How could she be held responsible? Her mother was evil but she wasn't stupid. Couldn't she tell a spell when she saw it? Besides, if Regina had cast the spell she would have most certainly been able to defend herself against her own mother.

"What do you mean, Mother?" Regina asked.

"The knife," Cora hissed, "Did she at least find the knife?"

Regina rolled her eyes. Why was she even surprised? Of course her mother would only care about the power. She didn't care that Marian almost lost her life and chose to save the world by falling into an eternal sleep. She would ignore that completely. Her only concerns were if her precious plan actually worked.

"Of course not, Mother," Regina growled, "Do you think she'd be in an enchanted sleep if she had?"

Cora looked at her eldest daughter with scorn. The tears she pretended to shed were no more. There was only anger and disappointment. She dropped Marian instantly and huffed in annoyance. Her arms crossed impatiently. Her head twitched round and round, searching for the culprit responsible for her failed plan.

"Get away from my wife!" Robin shouted at the ultimate evil holding his precious maiden captive.

"Your wife?" Cora gasped arching an eyebrow at the statement, "Who are you?"

"Robin Hood," the man replied. He carried a branch as if it were a useful weapon he could bludgeon his mother-in-law with. "Now get away from my wife!"

"I'm her mother," Cora replied, "You're nothing more than an imposter. My daughter would never marry a peasant like you."

"You weren't there to stop her, Mother," Regina hummed at the evil wretch, "Now get away!"

"I guess I'm going to have to kill you both in order to save my child," Cora shrugged.

Regina braced herself as Cora began to grow in size. Her entire form twisted and changed into many different directions. A giant tail extended from her backside. Her hair grew into giant horns at the top of her head. Her nose shot outwards, morphing into a giant muzzle of scales. Her arms extended out and created giant wings that extended towards the forest and beyond. She flew up into the air to complete her transformation.

She fell towards the ground seconds later. It's mouth extended as one would expect. A shrill scream erupted with a cascade of fire soaring into the air. A giant dragon was now in Storybrooke.