Dark Spark

Lily went to the cabin where Merida was staying. She knocked on the door with the tip of her dragon tail and the red-haired princess came out to meet her. She joined her by the fire pit and began stroking her face gently as she saw a tear roll down the dark scaly skin.

"You're stuck again." The brave princess continued petting her.

Lily only let out a weak growl in response.

When Lily was specially upset, she wouldn't be able to change back to human easily, but she hadn't told her mother about this, as this usually happened when she remembered what Snow and Charming had done to her, or when she saw Emma and Regina having lunch together at Granny's every other day. It made her stomach churn for more reasons than just her old crush on the Savior; she believed Regina was only playing with her mother, so she didn't like bringing it up because it would also hurt her, and seeing Maleficent work so hard to make up for their lost time, made her feel empathy and not want to see her sad, and neither did she want to worry her.

Lily had always felt different and misunderstood, trapped in a life that wasn't her own, and her adoptive parents could never get through her shell no matter how hard they tried. Her adopted father was a prominent real estate agent and her mother an architect. But as Lily grew, so did their business, and they became more and more busy when they gave birth to a new baby: an architectural firm. She felt invisible and alone for the most part; her loneliness and anger becoming too unbearable, and so she ran away. She flee because she felt like a bird trapped in a golden cage. It wasn't luxury or spring trips with her fake friends what Lily wanted from her parents; it was time, company, and patience.

And that was exactly what living with Maleficent was providing her. Her mother didn't want to miss a minute of their time together; she would always put her first, even before Regina her lover. And though she appreciated it, being this special to someone; some times it was overbearing. Lily wasn't used to so much attention, but understood Maleficent needed this as much as she did, so she tried to turn it back a notch with her coldness. She wished she knew how to reciprocate some of that warmth and love radiating from Maleficent, be more affectionate; she wasn't very open but she was trying.

Their flying lessons were Lily's way to bond, her gift to her mom, as much as Maleficent thought she was doing this for her daughter; in her mind it was Lily who was doing it for her mother. Even when her muscles would become sore too quickly, she still tried to keep up with the older dragon and act like it wasn't straining at all. She wanted Maleficent to feel proud of the strong person she'd given birth to, even when she personally might not believe it.

Oh blow ye the winds o'er the ocean
And blow ye the winds o'er the sea
Oh blow ye the winds o'er the ocean
And bring back my Bonnie to me

Merida sang a lullaby as she caressed Lily, and after some soothing notes there was a flicker of light and the dragon became a woman again inside her friend's arms. Merida covered her with a quilt she had carried outside with her, and rubbed her arms gently.

"Thank you," Lily smiled to her.

"What happened now?"

"Had a small go at Regina… Wish I had really given her a piece of my mind, but my mom stopped me before I could."

"And? Did she… hurt you?"

"No! She would never. She didn't really yell at me or anything… guess I'm not used to her being angry with me. She had never looked at me the way she did today and I felt like crap."

"I'm sorry," Merida squeezed her hand.

"I just can't find my place, I don't fit anywhere. I thought I did here, but I'm not so sure anymore." Lily huffed.

"That's two of us. I miss DunBroch. When I left home looking for a new adventure, I never imagined I would end up being carried over to this world in a curse. I thought I'd be back before a new moon."

"We haven't found a bean. And after today, I wont ever be able to gain Regina's trust so we can have a look in her vault."

"Guess we'll have to break in," Merida arched her eyebrows playfully at Lily.

"You really want me to come with you to your kingdom?" Lily looked into her eyes.

"Pfff… want? I demand!" Merida tickled her. "I'll be the first dragon rider in me land."

"Silly." Lily slapped her hand playfully.

"You would like it there. We don't belong here."

"Yeah…"

"Let's get inside. It's very chilly now the sun's down." Merida offered her hand, but as soon as Lily was up, she set for the run. "Last one's the bottom!"

"Hey! That's cheating! You know I like the top."

Lily had to sleep in the bottom bunk bed.

Maleficent couldn't deal with the weight of guilt, with Regina's anger and possible hate, and neither did she know how she would be able to tell Lily the truth about her other parent; tell her it was the same woman she loathed with passion. This was the worst night of her life and the only thing she could do to somehow cope, was to recur to an old ally: her Nightshade elixir.

When Lily found Maleficent passed out in the kitchen the next morning, she was even more furious at Regina because this had obviously been her handy work. She hated her more than ever and she wanted to hurt her the way she had hurt her mother, and decided to pay her a visit. She didn't even give a chance to her mother to explain anything, as soon as Maleficent had told her she was fine, she set out on her witch hunt.

When Regina answered to the knock on her door, she never expected to find Lily. The scene of last night's revelation had kept her awake through the entirety of the night, thinking so many things and what could have been, and she didn't feel ready to face her daughter again. Not so soon. And yet here she was; looking at her with fire burning in her eyes, hating her even more than she was accustomed to see reflected in those brown eyes, which she now saw were her own mirror.

Had Maleficent told her the truth?

"Lily…" Regina breathed out. "How may I help you?" She asked nervously.

Regina opened the door and took a step back so Lily could come into the foyer. She was still in her nightgown, wrapped in a silk robe, and wanted to keep the drama and sight from prying eyes outside. Her hickey didn't go unnoticed however, now there was no scarf to hide it, which only added to fire burning behind her daughter's eyes because her mind went immediately to the woman Regina shared a child with.

"How about you leave my mother the fuck alone and stay the hell out of our lives!"

"Excuse me?" Regina was shocked.

"Go fuck yourself!" Lily spat.

Regina was ready for it, but actually hearing all these insults come from her own flesh and blood was a different story. Lily's words now had a different impact than they did before and Regina wasn't sure how to receive it; she didn't know whether to take it all in, let her vent, or actually put limits because she was her mother, too, and she had to respect her. But then again she hadn't done much in her brief time knowing her to earn Lily's respect, especially about how they met.

Lily's loath hit her more deeply than she initially thought it would. It hurt almost as much as when Henry kept calling her the Evil Queen and running to Emma's side; an old wound was tearing open again and she felt her heart bleed.

"You have no right to give my mom hope and then come and fucking tear her heart to shreds. Who the fuck do you think you are? Just because you run this fairy crap hellhole that doesn't give you the right to play with people, use them as you please and then throw them away like an old toy that lost its spark!"

That answered Regina's first question: Lily didn't know. And the unfortunate choice of words struck a chord.

"I've never seen your mother as a toy," Regina refuted. "And I would appreciate it if you stopped insulting me in my own home," she said firmly.

"Pretty sure you've heard worse, witch!"

"Enough!"

Regina raised her hand but stopped before actually slapping her. She curled her fingers back into a fist and lowered her hand, feeling impotent and regretting immediately she even raised it at all, because she reminded herself of Cora and her punishments. She had never hit Henry and she was not about to start with Lily. This made her deeply ashamed and revived painful memories.

"Go on, I'd like to see you try," Lily pushed her with her palms.

Regina answered with a deep, low tone, "You have no idea who you're dealing with, child," holding up her hands with magic glowing in them, but only in defense if she tried to shove her again. But when she saw Lily actually blink her eyes in fear, though she tried to mask it, she softened and withdrew her magic.

"I thought you were the Evil Queen but now I see you're just a glorified cunt. Come on, I dare you; hit me."

Lily just didn't know when to back down from a fight. She was always looking for problems, getting herself in trouble, and Regina remembered she still had Emma's forced darkness inside her: this wasn't Lily's pent up rage, so she took a deep breathe and then exhaled. Now she understood Maleficent's heartache and the reason behind her overprotectiveness and overindulgence; their daughter needed as much love and patience as she could get, because she had two dark forces fighting inside her to coexist, not allowing her light to shine. It affected Lily's mental, emotional, and physical state, and flying was how she quieted this never-ending battle within her.

Regina took a step forward and brought her hand to hover over Lily's forehead, and with her magic she made her hectic mind pause for a moment. Lily just stood there, unable to move, but feeling how some of the excess heat in the back of her brain was being sucked out to allow her too cool down.

"What are you doing to me? Am I going to die?" Lily asked weakly.

Anger and heat and electricity was all she'd ever felt trapped in her body, imploding and rebuilding only to burst again, so this lighter feeling she only felt when she was flying, and it made her think she was floating, like her spirit was drifting away, and then she blacked out.

Regina caught her in her arms.

Maleficent appeared in a smoky cloud, almost tripping as she came to her side.

"What have you done?!" she cried out.

It had cost her too many attempts before she managed to use magic.

Regina looked at Maleficent, at her terrible shape, and was reminded of the day she met her; when she found her in that forsaken fortress, half awake and half asleep in a self-inflicted trance with her gruesome concoction.

"I thought you had stopped doing that!" Regina yelled at her, letting her tears fall.

"I can't…" Maleficent cried weakly. "My daughter. What did you do to my Lily?"

"She's only sleeping. There was too much energy inside her head and I absorbed part of it," Regina answered slowly, feeling her heart break with Maleficent's pain, but tense again at seeing her in this condition she hated, and after yesterday that was the last thing she needed to see.

"Healing spell?" Maleficent looked innocently into Regina's eyes, almost child-like.

"Yes," Regina huffed. "She will be out for a while, but will wake up much lighter."

"Thank you."

"There's no need. She is my daughter, too."

Maleficent smiled at that, but Regina was still mad at her. She looked at their precarious situation and decided it was easier to just engulf the three of them in her magic and poof to her vault, where she had magical supplies to tend to magical injuries.

Regina appeared Lily on the small mattress she kept near her magical stock, and pulled a chest out from a nook, looking through the assortment of ingredients. "We need to sober you up," Regina grumbled at Maleficent as she mixed some ingredients in a silver cup.

After the brew let out some steam and cooled down, she handed it to the disheveled woman.

"Thanks," Maleficent took it in her hand, pinched her nose and had a sip.

"I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for her," Regina was sharp.

"Regardless," Maleficent swallowed the nasty bitter liquid in a gulp. She offered the cup back and when Regina took it, she caught grasp of her hand.

"It's the first time since you saw me quit it, I swear."

"Save it. Nothing you say, I can believe anymore." Regina pulled her hand away.

"Regina, please," Maleficent's eyes clouded, "Don't be so cruel."

"You're the one who was cruel! How could you keep this from me?"

"I had to put my child first, you can understand that."

"You knew you were expecting: you lied. You hid my own child from me."

"You were too far-gone, Regina," Maleficent's voice recovered her edge.

"But I would never hurt my own flesh!" Regina shouted enraged.

Maleficent looked at her in disbelief, and didn't even need to speak to remind Regina she had killed her own father to cast the dark curse.

Regina paled, and cooled down. She went to pour herself a drink and her hand was shaking as she held the glass. Maleficent was right. She had been drowning in resentment and all she wanted was to get her revenge no matter the price; make Snow White and everyone suffer the worst pain: hers. She had even made it her "to-do list" to kill the newborn savior if she found it. An undesired child born from her might not have been enough reason to stray from her vengeance.

"I didn't want you to cast the curse because I needed to look for our daughter, but then- well… it's not worth remembering such depressing memories, or hurting and yearning for what could have been if we had taken a different path."

Now that Maleficent was back to her full senses, Regina could actually look at her and even listen. But she couldn't stop pondering about how different things might have been if she'd know. Regina didn't like the dark truth that she had indeed gone too far. The woman she had become, she did not like; The Evil Queen. But young Regina longed for a family, and there had been a time she'd wanted that to be with Maleficent, and she denied her this. Time was never in her favor.

But then she wouldn't have Henry.

If she hadn't been infertile, she wouldn't have adopted. If she hadn't cast the curse, she would never have met her son, or her daughter. The goods would always outweigh the bad. Having Henry in her life was a blessing. And now Lily, she wanted to get to know her.

Regina drank the scotch from a gulp and then poured herself another, keeping her back to the woman that had managed to make her feel murderous again.

"I'm so angry at you," Regina told her.

Maleficent walked up to her and gently touched her shoulder.

"I'm very angry at myself, too. Do with me as you may."

Regina turned around and braced Maleficent, burying her face in her chest to hide her tears. Maleficent held her gently, caressing her hair soothingly.

"I didn't mean to steal your spark for my own benefit. Believe me when I say everything I do, I do for love. I just… never get it right. I failed both of you, but I want to do better in the time I have left."

"What?" Regina looked up to meet her eyes.

Maleficent smiled, brushing away Regina's tears with her thumbs.

"My spark is dying. I'm living on borrowed time. Rumple brought me back from the ashes, but he did not breathe new life into me and I'm decaying."

Regina felt a knot form in her throat. "Show me." She took a step back.

Maleficent hovered a hand over her chest and a brilliant yellow and red light- fire -moved forming a circle, drawing a window to see the blue spark inside the dragon's ribcage. It was glowing weakly; barely scintillating. The window swirled again, shrinking in size until it was gone.

"Mal…" Regina was worried. "You have to stop shifting, save as much magic as you possibly can until we find a new spark," she said as she placed her hand over her chest.

"We won't be finding it in this land," Maleficent covered Regina's hand with hers. "It's fine. I just never thought I'd be forced to live my last days as a weak human. But it wouldn't be the first time, so it's not too bad."

"How much time do you think you have?"

"Afraid not much…" Maleficent offered an apologetic smile. Regina wanted to cry.

"Could be thirty, maybe forty years the most."

Regina slapped her in the arm then. "You were worrying me for nothing!"

"What? Dragons can live up to a thousand years. I'll be lucky if I make it to five hundred."

"How old are you?"

"Does it really matter? I may have lost track…"

"I guess not." Regina rolled her eyes, but she was almost smiling, her mood was much better than how they started.

They heard noise as Lily stirred in bed, but only to turn to a side and continue sleeping. Or so she appeared to do.

"We need to take Emma's darkness out of her urgently," Regina said, walking to their daughter's side.

"I've been doing everything I can. That's why I've pushed myself so hard and taken Lily flying and hunting almost daily so she can focus some of those destructive impulses and let it out."

"Tell me about it. I've already had my own share—Wait. You've been hunting? When did you plan to tell me?" Regina snapped.

"Relax. Only rabbits and the occasional deer in the forest."

Regina gave Maleficent a look that she wasn't buying it.

"And maybe a sheep, a cow… or two."

"Mal! Cattle are private property. No wonder there's so many complaints." Regina remembered flipping through the reports and seeing Bo Peep's name amongst the archive.

"We have an appetite."

"So stop turning into a dragon!"

"Fine. I promise I'll stick to this feeble form."

"Good," Regina inhaled deeply. "So how do we help Lily?"

Maleficent shrugged. "Rumple would come in handy nowadays, but."

"No chance. And I wouldn't want him anywhere near our daughter." It came very natural to Regina.

Lily would have jumped at that, but she had to keep pretending she was sleeping.

What the fuck had she just heard?

Maleficent warmed at that. She put her hands on Regina's shoulders and squeezed softly. "It feels so nice to hear you say it," she leaned down lightly, hoping for a kiss, but Regina took a step back.

"I'm still mad at you, don't get me wrong."

"If I could, I would help you heal and recover what I took from you."

"No. I'm more than just my ability to conceive. I didn't need it to experience motherhood and it's just as real," Regina responded promptly. "I just wish I could have been there for Lily as I've been for Henry. She did not deserve this life."

"I know. But she can have us now," Maleficent said softly. "I mean, if there's hope in the horizon for an us?"

Regina took a deep breath and looked back into longing blue eyes. After a moment that felt too long, she nodded.

"May I kiss you?" Maleficent asked, a range of emotion in her semblance.

"You may," Regina responded.

Maleficent smiled warmly. She gently cradled Regina's face in her hands and slowly brought her lips closer. Regina closed her eyes, lips parting to meet with Maleficent's in a tentative kiss that was too painful, and tears streamed down their faces. Their past hurt too much, but it hurt even more to think of never sharing a kiss in the future.

Regina held tightly onto Maleficent's back, pulling her much closer. Maleficent deepened the kiss, lifting her from the floor and Regina's legs came to embrace her hips as the dragon carried her to the room beside this. Not as feeble as she claimed. Perspective.

When they disappeared behind the door, Lily turned around to check. "Ugh," she was mortified by so many things, but right now the thought of her mothers daring to have sex right beside her while believing her asleep, made her nauseous. But it was a great opportunity to do what she had planned to do with Merida: steal from Regina's magical vault. Easy peasy!

When Maleficent's lips made it to Regina's neck, she stopped momentarily. Regina tensed. She had forgotten about Emma's mark on her, but it wasn't like Maleficent had demanded they be exclusive, quite the contrary. Maleficent licked over the bruise and made it vanish. "Better," she said before resuming her kissing. She was removing Regina's robe when they heard a loud thud and some glass break.

"Lily!"