Mal collapsed to the ground, writhing and convulsing, screaming at the top of her lungs. Zelena fell to her knees next to her and tried to assess her wounds, but the dragon was in too much pain to lie still. Eric lifted her up and carried her to the kitchen table. He pinned her down and they found two bullet holes in the blonde's chest. The third had only grazed her ribs. Already, black veins were stretching from the wounds. Eric tried to pull the bullets out with his hand, but he hissed in pain when he touched them.
"What is this?" Zelena asked. She'd never seen a wound like this before.
"Dragons call it the Black Death. It's a poison deadly to our kind." He looked gravely down at his former mate. "There isn't much I can do for her. It's almost always fatal."
"Don't say that!" Zelena cried. "She can be saved. She can't die." She looked down at Mal, struggling to breathe. "I need her."
Eric started to pace. "I'm guessing your ex is the one who shot her."
"I wouldn't put it past him. He's dangerous and delusional."
"Find a way to stop the poison from spreading. I'll be back soon after I kick Hades' ass." The dragon stormed out and Zelena turned to her love. Lily was calming her down at least. It broke her heart to see Mal in so much pain. She forced herself to focus and get her magical equipment. Lily and Ruby carried Mal into her magic practice room and laid her on a long table that Zelena cushioned. She magically pulled out the bullets and made sure the dragon was comfortable before she started to try and test a variety of methods of drawing out the poison or curing her altogether. It was a long, arduous process and nothing seemed to be working. She screamed and threw her last attempt, a glass vial of healing elixir, at the wall and shattered it.
"Lily." Mal said weakly. She stretched out her hand to her daughter, who quickly came forward to take it and press it against her cheek. "I need you to know that I never meant to lose you. I fought my hardest."
"Mom, don't-"
"You are what am I most proud of." Mal sighed, growing weaker by the second. "You were born into greatness. Never forget that. You are my legacy and one of the last full blooded dragons."
"Please don't say goodbye." Lily whispered.
Mal smiled weakly. "You are so beautiful, and so strong. I love you, dear."
"I love you too." Tears streamed freely down the dragon's face.
Zelena buried her face in her hands. Why couldn't she have one happy ending for once? She could feel her heart breaking as the life slowly drained out of her dragon. She had to talk to Hades and beg him to save Mal.
"Zelena." The dragon called out to her and she moved forward to stand next to Lily. Mal smiled when she saw her. "You are Mitt Hjarta. My heart, my soul and everything in between. I am honored to have met the real Zelena, and honored to know that she loves me."
"She does." Zelena assured her. "I do love you. More than anything. I'll stop this, Mal. I won't let you go."
"There is nothing that can be done." Mal said softly, her eyes slowly closing."Take...it...out. Buy you time."
"Mom?!" Lily screamed.
Zelena checked her pulse. "She is alive, just gonna be in a coma for a while." She flexed her fingers before ramming her hand into the dragon's chest to pull out the surprisingly large and soft heart. She could feel it flexing as though it were a pair of lungs breathing. "That is fascinating."
"Why'd you do that?" Lily demanded.
"The poison can't reach her heart and kill her. Still, if we don't get rid of it, there won't be anything to put the heart back into. It'll buy us some time, but not much." She conjured a silk lined gold box and placed the precious organ inside, followed by the most powerful spell she could muster to protect it. Lily went to hide it and she teleported to her mansion. "Hades! Come out!" The god answered her call almost immediately. She raised her hand for silence before he could speak. "Save her. Save Mal and I will give you whatever you want. Just don't let her die. Don't take her away."
"Then come with me. To the underworld." He held up his hand for her to take. "We will have it all."
"Heal her first." Zelena commanded. Hades made a motion with his hand, summoning a mirror so she could see that he'd done as he promised. Mal woke up almost immediately as the black veins tracing her flesh started to fade and her skin returned to its normal, healthy color. Lily threw herself over her mother and gave her back her heart. Hades ended the spell and held up his hand again.
"Your turn."
"Hades, you know I'll never love you as I once did." Zelena said, hoping that he would see reason. Mal was safe now. Everything would be fine as long as her dragon was safe. A part of her believed that it was merely an illusion, but she could only hope.
"True love never dies, Zelena." He replied. "Take my hand and come away with me. I will show you just how much I love you."
Zelena could see he was losing his patience. She could try to escape, but that would infuriate him and he could probably poison Mal again or reverse the spell that healed her. She had no hope of defeating him in combat. There was really only one option. She took a deep breath as she placed her hand in his, shedding a tear for her love as she was taken away. No one expected for Eric to suddenly appear and tackle Hades before he could enact the spell. Zelena backed away as the dragon god set about punishing the man who hurt his soulmate. It would seem they were evenly matched, but only for a moment. Hades was not a god known for fighting. He was better acquainted with subtlety and cunning. Eric, in his rage, was vulnerable to Hades' dark mind. He blew the dragon straight through her wall before grabbing Zelena's wrist and teleporting them away. She found herself near the clock tower of Storybrooke. A very dark version of Storybrooke.
"What is this place?"
"Your new home." Hades smiled, fixing his appearance from his small battle with Eric. "I crafted it just like Storybrooke. So you could have all that Regina has. All that she doesn't deserve. Do you like it?"
"It's um…" Terrible. "Wonderful." Zelena offered a small smile as she continued to look around the town, noticing the strange faded hue to everything. This was nothing close to what she wanted. She wanted her dragon. She needed to find a way to end this. Looking at Hades as he proudly displayed his creation for her, made her feel sick remembering that what they had was pure and true. What they used to be. Two people who knew nothing about love but had been caught under its spell anyway. Then she had ruined it all...to a lovely effect actually since she ended up with Mal. The witch took in the sight of Underbrooke as Hades called it, and noticed a black and white car flying down the street. Cruella DeVil. A Queen of Darkness. She bided her time, following Hades around, until he was called off on some business and she asked to continue the exploration on her own.
"Of course, Zelena." He smiled. "As the new queen, you should get to know your domain." He teleported away and Zelena snorted at the idea of being a queen. She would rather be called a peasant. Every queen she'd met, besides Mal, turned out to be either crazy or a bitch. Never mind, Mal was still a bitch. A loving, beautiful, cunning and insatiable one...but still a bitch.
The witch asked a nearby citizen of this dead town for directions to Cruella's home and quickly conjured her broomstick to head off. She found the familiar black and white car parked outside a large white mansion. A maid answered the door when she knocked.
"Mistress DeVil has company. She is busy at the moment. Please come back later."
Zelena rammed her hand into her chest and sent an electric pulse through the woman's body, since there was no heart to rip out. "I don't have a lot of time so take me to Cruella." She hissed. The woman gasped and quickly scurried off. Zelena followed her into the home and found Cruella relaxing on a lounge chair with James, the new deputy of Underbrooke, laying across her lap. She was feeding him grapes while she sipped a glass of wine. "Cruella DeVil." She said, announcing her presence. "I require your assistance."
"Come back another time Dahling. I'm busy." Cruella said. She looked up and slowly smiled. "You must be the Wicked Witch. I've heard so much about you from the God-Mayor."
"Maleficent is your friend, isn't she?" Zelena asked.
The smile faded at once and Cruella stood up, throwing James to the ground. "Maleficent is here? I would've felt her enter this world. She can't be dead though-"
"She's not." Zelena assured her. "But soon she will be. Hades poisoned her."
"Tell me it wasn't the Black Death."
Zelena nodded and Cruella blew heavily, putting a hand on her forehead. "He promised to heal her if I came with him but I'm sure it was just a trick. I need to save her, and I need your help."
"The Black Death is untreatable and especially potent against dragons." Cruella started to pace as James picked himself back up and glared at her. "It's one of their weaknesses."
"There's no other way?"
Cruella paused and looked up at her. "What is your connection with her?"
"She's my...mate. We're together." Zelena answered. "Hit a bit of a rough patch lately, but I love her. I only left so she would live but she doesn't have a lot of time. Hades probably removed the healing spell as soon as we left. He's crazy."
"Because of you, dahling. No time to chat about that now." Cruella grabbed her fur coat and threw it on. "James, be a dear and distract Hades as long as possible. He has a vault with something in it we can use." She grabbed her car keys and lead the way outside to her car. Zelena's foot was barely in before she hit the gas pedal, speeding out into the road like a madwoman. She hung on for a dear life as they sped through town and skidded to a screeching halt in front of the library. Cruella got out and lead her inside to the elevator door. "Down there, dahling. It's a small bottle with a red liquid in it. A single drop of it could cure any sickness. However, I must warn you, it's guarded by Cerberus."
Zelena scoffed. "It's a dog."
"A three-headed demon dog. Have fun. I'll go with James." Her expression turned very serious, and yet soft at the same time. "I know you'll save her in time. Dying isn't something Mal is good at. Tell the dear, thank you, and I am sorry for leaving Lily all those years ago."
"The three of you were friends, weren't you?" Zelena asked. She thought the Queens of Darkness was merely a necessary alliance to stop Regina's curse. Now though, she could see that it was much more for Cruella to risk everything to help Mal.
"They were the first friends I ever had. Unfortunately the darkness came before them and didn't like to share. That's why I'm here and they're not." Cruella pulled a ring off her finger. "Find a way to give that to Ursula, will you? She'll know what it means."
Zelena nodded and took it, conjuring a string around her neck with a tiny pouch on it. She put the ring inside and magically sealed it. "Thank you. I better get to it or Hades will come looking for me."she checked the area for any spells that would alert him to her presence. Finding none, she stepped into the elevator and Cruella activated the switches that would send her down. She swallowed nervously and took a deep breath. This was for Mal. She had to get home to her beloved. She was strong. She could do this. Mal was going to be waiting for her.
"She'll probably ask what took me so long." Zelena chuckled to herself as the elevator came to a grinding halt and the doors opened. The chamber was the same as the normal Storybrooke's, except it was overflowing with priceless artifacts, gems and gold. It practically dwarfed Mal's stash. Mental Note: Mess with her about that later. She took a few steps forward, but she didn't see Cerberus, so she quickly ran up to a table with a lot of bottles on it and took anything that had a pale red color to it. As well as a piece of something that was glowing with magical energy. It looked like a giant piece of gooey candy, but she sensed the healing magic, so it came with her. She looked around for anything to carry the stuff away with and found the Golden Fleece. She used magic to turn it into a bag and gently placed everything into it before racing back to the elevator. The cavern started shaking and a giant paw was all she saw before the elevator closed and she was taken to safety.
Cruella was waiting. "Did you find it?" Zelena presented her with the stolen treasures.
"That's it, dahling."
"Now I have to find a safe place to hide these before Hades finds out while I try to come up with a portal." She knew just the place to hide them too. Cruella drove her out to her farmhouse before taking off again and Zelena went in. Her house was so much darker and she hated every inch of it. She went into the bedroom, pushed aside the bed and found the hiding place beneath the floorboards. She slid the bag inside and placed a preservation and concealing spell over it and its contents before putting everything back in its place. She grabbed the nearest mirror and tried to scry Maleficent, but the happy healthy image it showed was nothing more than a fake. Hades was trying to cut her off from the other world and convince her that Mal was happier without her.
"Zelena." Speak of the devil. Hades stepped into the doorway. "What are you doing here? Your house is the mansion in the middle of town." He grinned, obviously thinking that that would please her.
"I was just…"
Hades looked at the mirror that was showing Mal being held by Eric. He was kissing her hair and she was laughing and smiling. Hades clicked his tongue and offered his hand. She took it and stood up. "I told you animals cannot be trusted. Come with me, I have someone I want you to meet." He teleported them away to someplace underground and lead her down a long corridor. It was dimly lit and the air was cold. She rubbed her shoulders, noticing the steel doors that they passed with only a small rectangular peephole to see the cell occupants.
"What is this place?" Zelena asked. "Why are we here?"
"Relax. You'll see soon enough."
She tried to see into the various cages, but the holes weren't big enough and Hades kept her moving. Finally, they arrived at a door, unlike the others except for a large white x painted on the front. Hades opened it, revealing a large house tucked into the room. Zelena followed him into the mansion-like building. It was beautifully furnished. Quite extravagant in fact. She found it distasteful after spending so much time in her simple farmhouse. Even Mal's mansion was not so gaudy and compensating. Hades lead her through it to the backdoor. Outside was a lovely garden with a woman in a white dress tending to it. Zelena took a step back and Hades had to catch her. It was her adoptive mother, Adriana. Her mother was hard at work, dirt covering the thighs of her dress and her hair, long and brown, was falling everywhere. She was younger than Zelena had ever seen her and so beautiful.
"Mother?"
Adriana looked up, her jaw falling open. She stood up and pulled off her gloves. "Zelena? Is this a dream?"
"No." Zelena took off. Adriana ran to her as well and mother and daughter embraced. It was a long awaited reunion and Zelena never wanted it to end. Never had she ever believed she would feel the embrace of her mother again. And yet here she was. "I missed you so much."
"I'm so sorry I had to leave you, my dear. You know it wasn't my choice." Adriana whispered. Just hearing her voice made tears spring to Zelena's eyes. "You are so beautiful." Her mother leaned away to look at her. She was crying too and her voice kept cracking. "My little Zelena is all grown up."
"Do you know? Everything that happened since you left?"
"Hades spoke to me about it." Adriana said. "He didn't go into detail but...he didn't need to. I should've been there to protect you. If only your father was here, I would kill him all over again for what he did." She smirked wickedly. "With a woodcutter's axe."
"It would be fitting." Zelena whispered. "But we can talk about that later." She turned to Hades. "Thank you."
He dipped his head. "I will leave you alone so you can speak privately." He teleported away and Adriana lead Zelena back into the house.
"I want to know everything. Don't stop with anything." Her mother said excitedly, pushing her into a chair at the kitchen table. She poured them both glasses of iced tea. "Sorry I don't have anything better. Hades keeps all the good wine for himself. He tells me you two are true loves."
Zelena ignored the question for a moment before she got up to check the room and make sure the god couldn't hear them. She then cast a sound barrier for good measure. "Maybe we once were, Mother. But not anymore." Adriana frowned in confusion. Zelena decided to start at the beginning. She told her mother everything. From being abandoned by Cora, to living with her bastard father to fighting with Regina and casting the time travel spell to being imprisoned by her sister. When she got to the part about meeting Mal, she couldn't help but smile and her cheeks kept burning. "She's everything I could ever want, Mother."
Adriana smiled. "You're in love."
"I am, and I couldn't be happier. In fact...I think I might be pregnant."
"What?"
"I don't know for sure, and it won't matter unless I get home. Mal is dying because of Hades and I need to help her. This is all my fault."
"Then you must get home. And it's not your fault." Adriana touched her cheek, gently stroking it with her thumb. "Now that I know Hades is out of his mind and tried to kill my daughter's lover, well, I'll just have to do something about that."
"Like what?" Zelena asked. "I have the stuff that will heal Mal but no way to get it or myself home."
"Leave that to me." Adriana went to go change into another clean white dress and lead her out of the room and back to the cells. "You see, my love, I was always a little more than a simple Woodcutter's Wife." She counted the number of doors they passed until she reached 8. She stepped back and Zelena easily blew the door off its hinges. Inside was a large, dark room made of stone. A single woman was chained to the floor in the center of the room. It was a blonde, tall and beautiful wearing a white dress with a golden jewel encrusted girdle. "Cynder." Adriana roughly shook the woman awake. Bright blue eyes looked around groggily until they fell on Zelena.
"Who are you?"
"This is Zelena. My daughter. We need your help." Adriana pulled a pin out of the girdle to start picking the locks of the chains. "It's about Maleficent. She's in trouble."
"Cynder." Zelena whispered. Where had she heard that name before?
"Maleficent?" Hearing the name stirred Cynder to full focus and she tried to get up but the chains held her down. She growled and her wrists clicked as she dislocated her thumbs to slide out of the chains. Even Adriana looked shocked. "Where is my daughter?"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mal could feel the darkness closing in. Lily held up her head to try and get her to drink something but the dragon couldn't swallow it. She felt like she was starving, fatigued and dehydrated all at the same time. Her coma didn't last. She was too afraid to allow herself to stay in the subconscious state. She didn't want to die. Not now. Not yet. Not when she had something to live for again.
"Mom, what can we do?" Lily asked. Eric appeared in her field of vision next to her daughter.
"The...vial." Mal said, struggling to speak clearly. "The white vial...in the vault."
"White vial?" Eric raced off to get it.
"What does it do?" Lily asked.
Mal swallowed. "Turns an immortal...mortal."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"If you could get out before, why didn't you ever contact Mal?" Zelena asked, watching Cynder draw lines on the farmhouse living room floor to create a portal.
"I thought she was dead. What was the point of living without my daughter?" Cynder replied. "Even if I could, I am dead. She is alive." She stood up, dusting off her dress despite there being nothing on it and conjured a white staff. Adriana stood ready with the Golden Fleece full of healing agents. "Hades must be on to us by now. Don't have much time." She closed her eyes and the drawings on the floor started glowing. The wind quickly picked up.
Zelena pulled off her charm bracelet and tied it around the bag. "Please save my dragon."
"Now!" Cynder yelled.
She pushed the bag into the portal and Cynder closed it immediately. She suddenly lashed out with her magic, tying Zelena up in rope and dragging her across the room. "What are you doing?!" Cynder tied up Adriana as well.
"You have to stay on Hades' good side. He can't know about your involvement in this." She closed the portal and spun around as Hades appeared. He took one look at a tied Zelena and launched his magic at Cynder, who unleashed hers.
"You are in my kingdom, Cynder. You are dead. How dare you lay a hand on my true love?" Hades hissed.
"And your heart no longer beats. How can you love her?" Cynder asked, exerting more of her power. Zelena couldn't believe it. Hades actually fell to his knees, struggling to withstand the spell. "I couldn't protect my daughter before, but I will this time. You will not take her from those that love her." Cynder abruptly ended the spell and teleported away. Hades all but collapsed as he caught his breath.
"Zelena, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Zelena sighed. "She's pretty strong." She commented as he got up to untie them.
"She's always been strong. She's older than me." Hades looked her up and down, assessing her for any injuries. "And she'll need to be taken care of for laying a hand on you. What did she do?"
"She threw a bottle into a portal after she tied us up and demanded to know where Mal was." Zelena lied smoothly. "I wouldn't tell her so she took my charm bracelet, the one Mal made me and used it to find her."
Hades scowled and suddenly teleported away. Adriana quickly came to Zelena's side. "Are you alright, dear?"
"I'm fine, Mother." Zelena sighed. "You know, I feel terrible about all of this. Not only because I hate him so much for what he did to Mal, but…"
"Because he's doing it all because he still loves you." Adriana finished. "The love he thinks is there is gone, Zelena."
"I know. What if Mal doesn't receive the elixir in time? What if I'm stuck here? You'd be the only good thing about it and you'll probably be tired of me by the first week."
Adriana scoffed. "Nonsense. You are the love of my life. I will never tire of having you around my dear." She paused for a moment. "How about dinner at the diner tonight?"
Zelena nodded. She looked back at the floor and prayed that Mal received the Golden Fleece in time.
/
Mal had. She pushed her heart back in her chest and growled deeply as the sickness' effects started to diminish, but not before she filled a vial with her tainted blood. She dressed herself in black battle armor and got ready to go get back her mate.
"Mom, I know you want to get Zelena back, but shouldn't you at least have a plan?"
"I have a plan. Hades' heart is still in his chest. I'm going to rip it out and make him eat it." Mal replied. She conjured her staff.
"You don't even have a way to get to the underworld." Eric added, watching her curiously.
Mal responded by going to the bag of potions Zelena had sent. She noticed the charm bracelet and put it on. Zelena was hers. She was her mate. Hades was going to pay for taking her. She tore open the bag and frowned upon feeling a curious aura flowing off of a piece of paper. She picked it up and unfolded it. Inside was what looked like a piece of gooey candy. "Zelena, you didn't." She gasped. The witch must not have known what it was. Ambrosia. Coveted food of the gods.
"Maleficent?" Eric said.
"Hmm?"
"How are you going to get to the underworld?"
"Same way Hades came here. As all gods do." She popped the piece of candy in her mouth and purred when she felt golden light wash over her. "That feels good." It was like her blood was on fire, every nerve was electric, and a power like she'd never experienced before ripped through her. Then it was gone.
"Mom?" Lily whispered.
"Yes, dear?" Mal turned around to go into the bathroom and examine herself in the mirror. There was really no difference as far as she could see. But she could feel it. Like a gentle buzzing in her fingertips. Oh yes, she felt her new power surging inside her. "Hmm. Are you coming to the underworld with me, dear? Or not? I plan to leave in 5 minutes so you can call Ruby." She stepped back out and looked up at Eric. "Are you coming too?"
"Of course I am. Just one battle you and I have to win." He smirked. "Only another notch in your staff."
"I dumped that staff years ago." Mal scoffed.
"Ready." Lily said as she came back into the living room.
Maleficent took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and envisioned Zelena. Warm and soft in her arms. Her fiery hair, those beautiful blue eyes, that wicked sarcasm and that lovely accent. She remembered their relationship from the beginning. The uncertainty and the fear for them both. Then the peace when they finally got beyond on it and the joy she felt every day just from being with her. After 3 centuries of being alone and fighting for her very existence, the Dragon Queen finally had a family, finally had a happy ending. She'd fought too long and too hard to let it go now. She envisioned Zelena, holding her in her arms, kissing her lips, listening to that little giggle of hers that she always let out when they kissed. Two people, broken and defeated finally finding love and learning to trust again. "Zelena." She whispered.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Mal opened her eyes and found herself in a very dark and ugly version of Granny's Diner, with Hades glaring at her. "You should be dead."
"Where is Zelena?"
"In the bathroom. She got sick." Hades answered. "What are you-" Eric suddenly tackled through the front window of the diner.
"Lily, go help your father please." Mal turned and made for the bathrooms. "Zelena?" She pushed open the doors on the stalls until she came to the last and largest where Zelena was vomiting into toilet with a woman holding back her hair.
"Hi, I'm Adriana, Zelena's mother."
Mal immediately straightened up. "I'm Maleficent. It's an honor."
"My, she is very ladylike." Adriana smiled. "Z has told me so much about you." She reached behind her to shake Mal's hand. "Zelena told me about how you two met. About you giving her a chance."
Mal nodded. "I just wanted to get to know her. It was really nothing big."
"You saved her life, possibly yours as well."
"Um, excuse me, but I am slowly hacking up my intestines at the moment." Zelena cut in. She lowered her head and threw up again.
Maleficent knelt at her side. "What's wrong? Is it your stomach again? What the hell is wrong with your stomach?" She noticed Zelena glance up at her mother, who appeared confused. "There's something you're not telling me. Are you sick? Is it serious?"
"We can discuss it later." Zelena sighed, turning back to panting over the toilet. "Go deal with Hades please." Zelena remained where she was while she heard Mal and Hades battling outside. She felt her ribs let out an audible crack as they snapped. Her mother helped her up and lead her outside. She saw Mal and Hades locked in a deadly dance with a pair of swords. Mal looked in prime condition and enraged at Hades' gall for stealing her mate. She had to stop and watch a moment, smiling at seeing her dragon work. Lily approached them and handed a couple vials, one black and one white and whispered to them of what they were for. She knew what she had to do now. "Enough!" Zelena roared. "Stop!" Hades and Mal froze mid-swing and turned to look at her. "Just go away. I'm happy here." She said, looking at Mal. "I don't ever want to see you again."
"Zelena, what are you saying?" Mal asked. "You sent me the healing elixirs and the Ambrosia."
"No,I didn't. Your mother did. She's here. You have one day." Zelena hissed. "One day to see her and then I want you gone." She took Hades' hand and teleported them away to their mansion. "Are you alright?" She asked in concern.
"I'm fine." He had quite a few wounds. Most likely from Eric.
She pulled him into the kitchen, leaving the black vial on the table by the door, and made him sit down so she could fix them some tea. "I hope she gets the message."
"What's stopping her from coming straight here?" Hades asked.
"I told her not to. She won't." Zelena sighed, slipping the white liquid from the vial into the tea. Hades didn't seem to notice.
"You've been so sick lately."
"Just a stomach virus. I'm sure everything will be-" Pain suddenly erupted in her stomach and she hissed, trying to pretend that she was fine. Hades asked if she was okay and she quickly said yes, hoping that her eyes weren't watering too much. She really needed to go to the hospital as soon as possible. She handed him a cup of tea and pretended to sip some of her own. There was a moment of silence before he suddenly stood up, knocking over his chair. Blue fire appeared on his head before abruptly burning out.
"What have you done?" Hades looked up at her.
"I don't love you anymore. I don't want you. You nearly killed the woman I love. That is a crime that will not go unpunished, especially to a dragon." She answered. Eric suddenly stepped into the doorway, throwing himself at Hades and trying to stab him with a syringe full of the tainted blood. Hades reacted to quickly, flipping Eric and sending him crashing through the table. Zelena backed away as Hades grabbed a nearby knife. "Hades, no!" He hesitated for only a moment. That was all it took for Maleficent to teleport in and stab the god in the back with her sword. Eric stabbed the god in the neck, injecting him with the Black Death. Payback for what he did to Mal. Zelena didn't even wait to hear or see anything else. She walked out of the house, rubbing her arms. She hated this, all of it. She just wanted all of the drama to end, to just curl up in bed and sleep until she got tired of sleeping. When she felt warm hands touching her arms, she expected them to belong to Mal, but it was Cynder. Across the street, she hadn't even known it, but Cerberus was laying dead on the sidewalk. The older dragon and her mother escorted her to the hospital.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A few hours later and after numerous tests, Zelena finally knew what was wrong with her. She was laying on her back while the doctor gave her an ultrasound. It required a special kind of ultrasound in order to see through the egg. There on the screen was none other than her child. It was too early to tell the shape, but it was well developed. But it was her child. Her baby. Adriana had not left her side for a moment and Cynder was with her for about an hour after she went and talked to Mal. Eric and Lily were keeping the dragon away for the time being until Zelena decided when to relay the news. Meanwhile, Underbrooke was shaking under the weight of the Mal's magic. Zelena had no idea what she was doing, but she hoped she wasn't upset.
"My little girl is having a baby." Adriana smiled and kissed Zelena's forehead. "I can't believe it." Underbrooke suddenly shook again and the door opened. A handsome man stepped in, showered in golden light. "Zeus."
"The souls are moving on. Another god must be appointed in Hades; place." said Zeus. He looked at Zelena and moved forward to place his hand on her stomach. "This will be a beautiful child." He said with certainty. "Aphrodite will be jealous."
"It'll be a girl?"
"Forgive me for spoiling the surprise."
"But we just found our daughters again." Cynder pleaded. "Not yet. Just one more-"
"I'm sorry." Zeus took a step back and touched her cheek. "You have been here more than long enough, my dear. Slowly going mad, locked in chains, worrying over your daughter." He nodded to Zelena. "She will soon have a child of her own. Your heart should be at peace knowing that you will be able to watch her from beyond."
"I am a dragon. I have done terrible things. Not even you can guarantee that I will be able to cross over."
"Your business is finished." Zeus said firmly. "It's time to say good-bye."
Adriana looked on the verge of tears as she hugged Zelena tightly, afraid to let go. Zeus left the room and Mal came in then, no longer in her armor, but a simple outfit of jeans and a long sleeved black shirt with black boots. Her eyes met Zelena's before turning to the ultrasound machine.
"Mitt Hjarta?" She said softly. "What is this? What is that thing?" She demanded, gesturing at the machine, growling at seeing the doctor's hands on her mate.
"Look again, my Maleficent." Cynder whispered, her voice cracking. "At the screen."
Mal growled at seeing all the sadness in the room and not really understanding it. She looked at the screen again. "It looks like a head with very tiny limbs." Zelena smiled at the dragon's confused expression. The it seemed to hit her and she looked at the redhead in shock. "You are pregnant?" Zelena simply nodded and laughed as the dragon ran to hug her, whispering words of affection in her ears. "This is wonderful. So wonderful, my witch. I guess I can't be so mad at your stupid stomach now." Zelena rolled her eyes and kissed Mal. The dragon watched excitedly as the doctor printed off a picture for them. Zelena went to clean off and got dressed. As wonderful as this day was, they couldn't celebrate much. Now it was time to say goodbye.
Entering the great cavern with its stone bridge and fiery pit just below it, neither daughter wanted to say goodbye to their mother. Lily didn't want to say goodbye to her grandmother either.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you." Cynder said to Mal. "I wish I had been. Even without me, you have grown into a beautiful, strong dragon queen." She looked at Zelena. "With a more than worthy mate." Zelena blushed at having the approval of her mate's mother.
"I couldn't be more proud either." Adriana added. "I just wish I could be there for our granddaughter. Name her after me."
"No, me." Cynder smiled.
Zelena wiped her eyes as she hugged her mother one last time. Adriana gave her hand another squeeze and stepped back as Zeus appeared on the end of the bridge, calling for them. "I love you. I will always love you."
"Don't worry about me." Adriana smiled sadly.
"At least you'll have the silk you could ever sew with and as much sweet bread as you could eat."
Both mothers took a step back and Adriana stepped onto the bridge first, walking towards the white light and Zeus' outstretched hand without fear. Cynder was apprehensive. She stopped in the middle of the bridge as a tendril of fire climbed out of the lava below, trying to pull her down. Zelena and Lily held onto Mal when her mother screamed. "No." The dragon whispered. "Keep walking. Please." Adriana turned back when she heard the scream and went back to take Cynder's hand. The fire dispersed almost immediately. Adriana smiled and lead Cynder across the bridge, not once letting go of her hand. Together, they walked into the light, looking back at their daughters with dazzling smiles, Then they were gone.
Zeus suddenly materialized next to Zelena. "There is one more person here I thought you would want to see." She didn't need to be told who he was talking about. She looked at Mal, silently asking her for a moment alone.
Mal touched her belly and kissed her forehead. "We'll catch up with you later. Come on, Lily. Let's go steal all of Hades' stuff."
Zelena fought back the grin that threatened to burst on her lips. Both of the dragons departed, leaving her alone with Zeus. "What will happen to the underworld without Hades? Surely all of the souls can't be judged without taking care of their unfinished business."
"They will be fine." Zeus assured her. "Another god will take Hades' place once Mount Olympus has voted and Underbrooke will probably change form, but still remain the underworld. Did you take any more of the Ambrosia?"
"No, just what Mal ate. Why? What even is Ambrosia?"
"Food of the gods." He answered. "Food possessing the ability to turn a mortal into a god."
"So Mal's a goddess now?"
"Sort of. Not quite. I prohibited the change. Making new gods is against the cod of Olympus, but I understood the need. Hades was willing to revert all of his power to destroying Maleficent and taking you. We found plans of his to destroy Olympus as well. You did the gods a favor."
"Yeah." Zelena crossed her arms. "I feel so pleased that I helped."
"You feel badly about causing his demise."
Zelena sighed and bit her lip. "He loved me. One time, it was pure, and he was good."
"Love would have never been enough for him. Even when he had you, he wouldn't have stopped. He wanted it all, remember?"
She nodded. "Where is she?"
"Right here." Zeus motioned behind her and she turned, watching Cora Mills approach her, dressed in the ugly, robes of a simple miller's daughter. "I should give you some time alone-"
"No." Zelena said curtly. "This won't take long at all." She walked up to Cora. The look in her eyes told her that she knew exactly who she was. "Cora Mills. Mommy. I expected more."
"Zelena, I-"
"Don't!" Zelena roared. "Don't even try to justify what you did to me. You left me, your child, to die in the middle of the woods! You gave everything to Regina. You turned me against her. You made me feel like dirt, unwanted, not needed. Everything terrible that had ever happened to me has been your fault. You took away any chance at life I might've had. You gave me the cross of envy that I bear. Those dark thoughts I hear in my head, half of them belong to the bastard father that beat me and the other half belong to you, the mother that didn't want me. I hated you, so much." She paused to catch her breath after her rant, feeling the tears start to feel. "And all I can really say to you is...thank you." The look of shock on Cora's face made her stomach turn. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I would've never gotten to be with my real mother, Adriana. I would've never broken a law of magic and I would've never met Mal. So, thank you, for everything. Every scar, every tear, thank you for it all. And I, uh...I forgive you. You don't know how hard it is for me to say that you of all people, but I do. I hope your best chance was everything you worked for." Cora started to speak, but Zelena raised her hand. "There is nothing you can say that I want to hear. You missed out. Goodbye, Mother." She drew her hands, teleporting to town square next to Eric. There was a giant cyclone sucking all of the gold and jewels out of the vault beneath the library and into a portal. Mal and Lily walked up with their arms full of wines and liquors from Hades' private stash. She rolled her eyes at them.
"Ready to go home?" Eric asked.
"Very much so. Can we go now?"
They stepped into the cyclone and the next thing she knew, she was in her ruined living room. Eric repaired everything for her and she walked off to her bedroom. She froze at seeing a present on her bed. It was a small green box with a white bow. Inside, was her mother's music box, newly repaired as though it were brand new. There was only a little card with the symbol of a thunderbolt on it. Her gift from Zeus. She smiled and placed the music box on her bedside table and collapsed onto the bed. A little while later Mal joined her.
"Are you okay, Zelena?"
"I'm fine." Zelena sighed. "I just want to go to sleep and pretend like I didn't almost lose 2 days ago."
"We're going to have a child." Mal whispered excitedly.
"I know."
"You know I'm going to be incessantly protective of you now, right? Is there anything you need?"
"Mind sitting on my face."
"You're so crass." Mal snorted, kissing her hair. She magically got rid of their clothing and rolled Zelena onto her stomach to start giving her a massage. "I'm glad you're home and everything is fine."
"This is Storybrooke, dear. How long is it gonna stay that way?" Zelena replied. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the blonde. "I don't want a massage, I'm exhausted, but there's something we have to do before I can relax."
"What's that?" The dragon purred.
"Bond."
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Read and Review! Sorry for any mistakes or it's a little rushed.