So this is a big chapter, I really enjoyed writing it and would love to hear what you think. Also the story is very close to its end and I have a couple ideas on how to wrap it all up. If you would at all like to have a say in this PM me or say something in a review and I will PM you saying what I have in mind and asking for your thoughts. Thanks for the support and enjoy the chapter.
Cora grabbed Mary Margaret by the arm and dragged her out to the door, turning around to Gold before storming out the door and hissed, "Just don't let her die, I'll be back soon."
"What are you doing?" Mary Margaret asked shaken as they left the mansion.
"I am going to find Danielle, but I know my…limits. You are more well…you. People love you, you almost reek of good and that is something that I need right now. So we are going to get Danielle and bring her to her mother. I'm afraid I might have made a mistake all those years ago…but I can have my family back together again. I will have my family back together again." Cora finished.
"But Gold said…" Mary Margaret started.
"I don't care what Gold said. We did what he said, and it seems as if she remembers but not that she is in a better state, so now we are going to go by my plan." Cora said aggressively.
Mary Margaret shrugged, not knowing how to argue with the infamous Cora Mills.
"Now that we are agreed my dear, have you ever traveled by magic before?" Cora asked.
"No" Mary Margaret replied, as if she was surprised it could even be an option for a non-magical person such as herself.
"Well then this could be slightly unpleasant" Cora said before she placed her hand on the younger woman's shoulder and the pair disappeared in a cloud a purple smoke and reappeared in front of Danielle's home moments later.
"I talked to her father earlier, he knows about Regina being Danielle's mother and is supportive of her getting to know her family." Cora said before knocking on the door, Snow nodded her understanding.
Peter was at the door moments later, "You're back so soon." He said and after seeing Mary Margaret standing with Cora gasped, "I didn't even put it together…you were Snow White right?" Peter asked.
"Yes" Mary Margaret replied.
"So that would mean you are…"
"Her sister, yes" Mary Margaret replied.
"Forgive me, it is a lot to take in. When Danielle was younger she used to go on about how she was a Princess…we would insist she was lying, my late wife even used to punish her. But it was true all along." Peter said.
"Yes, but it is very important that Danielle come with us now." Cora said.
"Why?" Peter asked in a defensive tone.
Mary Margaret stepped forward a bit, in front of Cora. This is what she had brought her here for after all. "I can see you care for Danielle. And I do too…she is my sister after all and I just found out that she is alive. And so did her mother, who loved Danielle unconditionally, they were inseparable, I saw it. But Regina, Danielle's mother, needs her daughter now. Regina is sick and could very well be dying, and seeing Danielle could just be the thing to save her."
Peter looked at Mary Margaret separately.
"And if nothing else it would be good for her to see her daughter one last time." Mary Margaret said. Hoping that it was not going to come to that, but knowing that the one phrase could be enough to persuade Danielle's father and save Regina.
"All right" Peter said as he stepped further into his home and called upstairs for his daughter.
A minute later Danielle ran down stairs, her hair bouncing behind her. Mary Margaret couldn't help but cover her mouth to contain her shock and excitement. She hadn't realized how much she had missed her sister and hoped she could see her again someday. She had assumed that when she saw Danielle she would look like a stranger. She had prepared herself telling herself that the girl she would see was 13, not the five year old Danielle she remembered. But when she saw Danielle run down the stairs she couldn't help but see her five year old little sister in her as she ran excitedly around the castle. Cora looked on as well, with something that almost looked like a smile on her face.
Danielle stopped when she got to the landing.
"Danielle do you know these people?" Peter asked.
"I…I think I do, but I just can't place it" Danielle responded.
"You knew us back in the Enchanted Forest" Mary Margaret said gently, "we were a family."
Danielle's eye grew wide, all of a sudden as she realized who they were and who she was as well.
"Snow?" Danielle said.
"Yes" Mary Margaret replied with a laugh, "but here I go by Mary Margaret."
"And Grandma Cora" Danielle said turning and looking towards her grandmother.
"Yes dear." Cora said.
"I remember, you took me to live with them." Danielle said then turning to her father, "you told me that my family was dead, that I was making it all up. I am a princess" she said defiantly.
"Yes honey and I'm sorry we didn't know." Peter answered.
"And you never came to get me." Danielle said turning back to Cora and Mary Margaret.
"I thought you were dead." Mary Margaret said sadly.
"Why, why would you think that?" Danielle asked.
"Because I tricked them" Cora said, "Your mother wanted to run away with you, and I couldn't lose my daughter."
"So you gave me away?" Danielle asked spitefully.
"I always meant to come back." Cora said.
"You told me that my mother was dead, that she died in childbirth. Is that a lie as well?" Danielle asked.
"It was necessary" Cora replied.
"So she is alive then, my mother is alive?" Danielle asked.
"Yes, and that is why we are here Danielle. You see your mother is very sick and we think you might be able to help her."
"She is sick? Why?"
"She forgot you, after she thought you died she was in so much pain she used magic to forget you. But she started remembering…her love was too great. But magic is strong and dangerous and it made her sick. But seeing you just might be able to fix it." Mary Margaret explained.
"My mother is the mayor isn't she, I ran into her in the library. She seemed so familiar and when I touched her hand it was…like magic." Danielle said finally, not knowing how else to explain it.
"Yes your mother is Regina" Mary Margaret said, "now can you come with us?" she said holding out her hand.
Danielle started to hold out her hand as well, before pulling it back.
"She is the Evil Queen." Danielle said.
"I told you magic is complicated and dangerous. The potion she took to forget you changed her, changed her soul. But remembering you could bring it all back. And here she is different. She is just Regina, she is your mother" Mary Margaret said again holding out her hand.
After thinking for a moment Danielle reached back and grasped Mary Margaret's hand.
When they walked back in the door of 108 Mifflin street they found Regina laying where they had left her in the same state.
"No change" Gold said looking over and realized the party had gained one member, "still breathing."
Danielle walked over to her mother slowly. On the way over she had thought of everything that she wanted to say. She wanted to scream and hit her. Ask why she never came to find her, why she had let her live her life believing she was a princess but being told otherwise by everyone she meet, until she felt crazy and didn't know who she was. How she could choose to forget her. She had promised that they would go on adventures after she got better, but she never came. And she had assumed that Cora was right, that her mother had died. But she had been alive the whole time and on the walk over after a wave of relief that she did still have a mother she started hating her for her needless abandonment. But then they walked in the door and she was lying on the couch. Everyone else around her seemed so worried, but all Danielle could think was that she was real. And all she wanted in that moment was to have her mother back, not to yell and hit her, but just have her mom. And hug her, and feel what she had heard a mom hug could be like. Full of magic and warmth like nothing bad could happen.
"Mom" she said quietly as she neared Regina. "Surprise I'm not dead." She said again. "They told me what happened. I thought you were dead too." She looked down at Regina hoping to see some kind of recognition but she didn't move.
"Mom?" Danielle said again a little more frantically this time. Still Regina did not move. She bent down and shook Regina gently by the shoulders, but her mother's body just moved limply.
"You said we would have more adventures. I know a lot of time as passed since you last said that. I learned to read and write and stuff…now we're in Maine. But I think that can still happen what do you think?" She asked, tears forming in her eyes as she spoke.
Danielle looked up at the group. They were all standing together watching her hopefully. As if she was supposed to be able to solve this problem. Wake up her unconscious mother who she last saw when she was five and in another land. She had no idea what to do and she was starting to get scared.
"Keep talking to her" Mary Margaret said gently.
"Mom, do you remember when I was little you used to tuck me in before I went to bed. And before you left the room you made me kiss you on your cheek. I think you told me once you couldn't sleep without it? Well we are in a different place now and I'm really hoping things work the other way around, because you are sleeping pretty soundly right now, but I would love it if you could wake up." She leaned down and kissed her mother's cheek gently and then sat back up, looking desperately for a change.
"Should that have worked?" Danielle could hear Mary Margaret whispering in the background and she turned around. About to ask them if that was what she was supposed to do all along why didn't they just tell her that, not like it seemed it did any good.
But suddenly she was interrupted when she heard a gasp coming from were Regina and lying and turned around to see her mother's eye open.
"Danielle" Regina said, her voice did not hold any tone of questioning as it had before. She knew it was her daughter.
"Mom" Danielle said.
Regina pushed herself up. Her body felt sore, but the most of the pain had dissipated. She reached out her arms and Danielle happily went into them hugging her mother back. And it was true, the hug was magical, she felt safe, warm, accepted and loved.
Thanks for reading. Like I said PM me if you would like to give your opinion on where the story should go/how it should end. Although I said I have some ideas I am also open to suggestions.
