Temptation - Part 3

Snow was bone tired. She felt like she couldn't even move. Neal wandered over, climbing onto the couch next to her.

"Hi, Mama," he said, crawling onto her lap. Snow smiled. Neal was almost five now, and he was growing quickly.

"Where's Henry?" he asked, looking around for his favorite playmate. Now, how exactly was she gonna explain this?

"Henry had to go away for a time. He'll be back soon." Neal seemed to take it easily. Just wandered off to find a book. Snow watched him go, feeling forever grateful for the tiny hint of domestic life.

"You're worried, aren't you," David said, moving to sit next to his wife. Snow nodded quietly.

"About Emma?" Another nod.

"Emma has always found power in the mantle of the savior. It's always been a reassurance to her. That she was good."

"Snow, Emma was always a hero. Even when she didn't know she was a savior," David pointed out, trying to provide reassurance. Snow shrugged, thinking again of the "Dark Swan."

"Emma wasn't always meant to be the savior. Remember? She had such a potential for darkness as well. What if… what if she falls into the darkness again? David, we don't know how she's coping." Snow sighed in exasperation. For the entire situation.

"Look, good will always win out over evil. Yes, it's a battle. But we will win."

"David, what does it matter if we win?" Snow asked, all her hidden fears and frustrations rising to the surface. She knew she was being unfair, but couldn't bring herself to care.

"What do you mean?" David asked, blue eyes clearly puzzled. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Ever since the curse, it has been one bad thing after another. So, even if we win this battle, there are more. There are always more. There's always someone else who wants to ruin what we've built. Someone who wants to destroy the light. It just seems like the fate of this family."

"Then we won't let it," David instantly responded. NO! He refused to believe that this would be their lives forever.

"Things will change. I promise. Meanwhile, the only thing we can do is focus on the present." Snow smiled slightly.

"I guess you're right," she admitted, pulling him in for a hug. "I'm sorry." David just shook his head.

"It's understandable. It does feel like we're fighting an uphill battle at times. But, we can still live. No evil can take away our love. Trust me," he pleaded.

"Of course I do. After all, you'll always find me," Snow said, smiling again. David chuckled, thinking of their first meeting.

"Always," he promised.

Snow felt a buzz in her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"Regina?" Snow sat up. "What's going on? Really? Mulan found something? Of course, we'll be right over."

12 hours earlier…

Mulan silently cursed Gothel as she stepped through the door.

"You've gone quiet," Gothel noted, stepping in after. Mulan wanted to roll her eyes. Though, she'd been ordered against it.

"There's not much I want to say to you," she said, unable to keep the spite out of her voice.

"Well, that's a shame. Are you sure? We could have the mother to mother talks." Mulan swallowed, her anger coming to the surface again.

"Well, you would need to decide if you truly do feel like a mother. After all, abandonment is such a hard topic."

"I didn't abandon her," Mulan muttered, leading the way further into the room.

"Really?" Gothel asked, feigning surprise. "Hm, maybe I don't recall correctly. Did you not put her in the portal first?" Mulan swallowed again.

"Whose fault is it that I didn't follow." She glared at the witch. Gothel gave her a hurt look.

"Why, you cannot assume it was my fault. You had the chance to follow. But, you hesitated. That's why she is no longer your daughter." Gothel smiled sweetly.

"Why don't you just tell me what I need to do, rather than annoying me and making me want to kill you even more," Mulan suggested, in a dry tone. Gothel tutted at her disapprovingly.

"All this anger inside you. It's not good for the soul." She smirked at the warrior and led them deeper into Regina's vault. There was something here that she needed. Something to make everything fall into place.

"Start searching," she commanded. "It should read 'removal.'" Mulan didn't even bother fighting, instead, she began searching the room.

"So, this is the dark castle?" Rachel asked as the entire group approached the fortress.

"Indeed," Gold answered, already feeling at home. Funnily enough, so was Belle. She hadn't been back since… Well, a long time.

"So, we can really find Rapunzel in here?" Emma asked. Gold simply nodded, leading them into the main room. Everything seemed to be untouched. Well, guess that was good.

"We can't," Gold corrected her. He pointed at Ivy. "She can." He went to the center of the room, bending over to pick up an old staff. Emma recognized it immediately.

"Is that?" she asked. Gold simply nodded. He handed the old staff to Ivy.

"Now, I recommend that everyone but Ivy and Rachel leave for the time." One pointed look later, and they were alone in the room.

"Okay, I need you to focus. If you do, you'll find Rapunzel." Ivy nodded, gripping the staff tightly.

"So, what do I do?" she asked.

"Focus on your mother," Gold explained. "Try to remember every detail you can. Think about where she is. About seeing her." Ivy nodded, closing her eyes to concentrate.

The stick began to glow, yellow sparks leaping off.

"Woah. What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"Long ago, I enchanted this staff to find people. The only catch is that you have to be blood-related. It is a type of blood magic. When I enchanted it, I also allowed Neal to find a hidden door. Right here in this castle."

The stick began glowing even brighter, the sparks circling Ivy.

"We're almost there."

"Found it," Mulan called, seeing removal written neatly on the bottle. She picked it up, and handed it to Gothel. The witch smiled in triumph.

"What is it for?" Mulan asked, looking at the clear liquid. It literally looked like water. Some magic.

"It's a very powerful spell," Gothel said, uncorking it. "Something that will give you everything you deserve." Mulan backstepped before she was forced to stop.

"Don't worry, dear. You won't be hurt."

"What does that do?" Mulan asked again. Gothel smiled again.

"It allows a person to rip out a heart." Mulan coughed to cover her surprise.

"What?" she asked. "Why would you need that? You can already do that."

"Well, it's not for me," Gothel explained. "No, I cannot be the one to do it. It's for you in fact. The only person who can rip the heart out of the savior. Her mother."

Whew, I'm back. Updates once a week once again

Next time… With Mulan now tasked with killing Rachel, a decision is made about bringing the heroes home.

R&R

NightLightning21