Disclaimer: I do not own the 10th Kingdom. This is merely a fanfiction.

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"Call the police!"

"They won't be of help here."

Virginia was pacing back and forth in her bedroom, throwing on a sweater over her tank top. Grandma Nessa was protesting.

"Virginia, you don't know what these people are capable of! If they could kidnap your fiancé -."

"I've been in worse spots."

Nessa was pointing at the doorway to the kitchen. "If they could do that to an innocent animal –"

Virginia spun around. "Grandma – I'll be fine. I'm going to get Wolf, and it'll be -."

Nessa clenched her fists. "Then I'm coming with you!"

"No! Get Evelyn and Jeannie, get back to the farm in New Jersey. I'll call you later to let you know that I'm okay."

"Virginia, I'm not about to -."

Virginia rolled her eyes. She grabbed Nessa by the arm and guided her out the apartment door into the hallway. "I don't have time for this and I'm not putting my grandmother in harm's way. I'll be fine."

She slammed the door in the protesting Nessa's face. Nessa clenched her fists. "Me missin' all the action when my grandbaby's in trouble? I don't think so!"

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Virginia rushed back into her bedroom. She peered out the window to see an orange glare. Almost sundown. She had to hurry. She wrenched open a drawer in a nightstand and peered down.

A beautiful comb lay in the drawer. The comb that Snow White's Evil Stepmother poisoned her with. The memory stabbed at her like a knife. Her mother strangling her, Virginia grabbing the comb and lashing out in self-defense. Blood drawn. The Evil Queen smiling at her, before turning and collapsing to the floor.

She had kept the comb – as a reminder of all that she had lost.

She slid it up her sleeve.

~0~

Sundown.

Virginia stared up at the loft-style old manufacturing plant in New York's Meat Packing District. She took a deep breath and entered.

~0~

Wolf languished in his cell, whining. He peered out a small window at the rising moon. It would be a full moon in a few days. He and Virginia had worked out a system to keep him restrained during the full moon. Now ... if he "wolfed out" in here ...

The three men holding him prisoner were playing cards at a small table. The leader – the blonde man with the scar on his face – was winning. He grinned as he gathered all the chips to himself.

Wolf's nose perked up. A familiar scent. Virginia, he realized. She's come to rescue me! Oh Huff Puff, why? Why couldn't she just leave well enough alone? That's just like her though – to put her own soft, creamy wool on the line for me.

Over the at the table, one of the guards nudged the leader. The leader looked over at Wolf and, smirking, rose to his feet. "She's here, isn't she?"

Wolf played dumb. "Who's here? I don't know any she -."

The leader could only smile. "I know when a wolf's nose twitches. You've picked up a familiar scent." He nodded to the other two. "Restrain him and get him out of there. I want her to see the light leave his eyes."

The other two unlocked the cell, aiming their rifles at him.

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~0~

"Wolf?!" Virginia called out. She took in her surroundings. She was in a hallway. And – hastily painted – were arrows on the walls pointing forward. Making sure the poison comb was secure in her sleeve, she followed them up a narrow, rickety stairwell.

Pressing open a door, she found herself in an old manufacturing area on the upper-level of the building. "Hello?!" she called out. "You wanted me, well here I am!" She walked further into the room.

"Stop where you are – or I'll put a bullet between your eyes."

Virginia stopped as three heavily armed men stepped out of the shadows. They threw something down on the ground – Wolf. Beaten and battered. And – a shock collar around his neck attached by a chain. A chain that trailed to the hand of the scarred leader.

"Wolf!" She threw herself down to his level, caressing his face. "Wolf, I came for you. I'm here now."

He took her in and smiled sadly. "You shouldn't have come …"

"Of course I came!"

"I'm sorry … I'm sorry for everything …"

"I'm here now, that's all that matters." She leaned in to kiss his bruised face. The leader yanked on the chain, choking Wolf, sending him sprawling backwards.

"Not so close."

Virginia rose to her feet, ready to pounce. With one hand, the leader held his rifle up under her chin. She stared at him defiantly. "Then do it if you have the guts."

"If you only knew … how many times I imagined this moment."

"Who the hell are you?" Virginia demanded.

"The more important question is – who are you?"

"I'm nobody. Virginia Lewis, waitress. That's it."

The leader yanked on Wolf's chain. He yelped, crawling around on the floor, clutching at his neck.

"I'll give you one more chance," the leader said simply.

"You're from the Nine Kingdoms, aren't you?" Virginia realized.

"I'm the one asking the questions here. Don't make use the shock collar."

"I'm … I'm the daughter of the Queen." She stared down at the floor, before glaring up at the trio.

"The Savior of the Nine Kingdoms!" the leader announced with fake enthusiasm, handing Wolf's chain to one of his partners. "But where were you when we needed you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she protested.

He was circling her now. "Years ago, children across the Eighth Kingdom would vanish. Disappear without a trace. Rumors of kidnappers, the Pied Piper returned perhaps. But we knew the truth. It was the Snow Queen."

Virginia stopped. She had heard that name before … in a dream. "Who is the Snow Queen?"

The leader still circled her. "A thief of souls. Children, especially. The more innocent her victims, the more power she gained by trapping their souls in her mirror. Oh – but not right away. The Snow Queen was lonely. She desired a child of her own. A son. An heir. She would keep the children with her, observe them. Most children were fed to her mirror. She had some she favored, but they couldn't meet her standards as to what her heir should be like. Instead, they were to grow up with her, trained by her guards to become her assassins. Until she found a boy who was perfect for her in every way. Kay. He was to be her heir. Until his sister Gerda rescued him. Him. But not us."

"I don't understand what this has to do with -."

"Kay and Gerda went to the Fourth Kingdom. They told Snow White everything. She, Cinderella and the others confronted the Snow Queen and put a spell on her – put her to sleep until some ignorant fool rang a bell in her court."

"What happened to the children?" Virginia asked. "The ones she spared but turned into assassins?"

"They tried to return to their normal lives. But when one dark power is extinguished, another rises to take its place."

"My mother," Virginia realized.

"The Evil Queen hunted us down. Found us. She wanted to make use of our talents. She performed … horrors … on us. Experiments. Forced us to ingest poison to build up a tolerance for it. Carved scars into our bodies with blades. Forced us to take blood oaths to her. Made us do magic rituals in blood to enhance our stamina, our strength. Forced us … to kill. By the time she was through with us, her magical control over us was absolute. I remember her face … I remember as my mind screamed at me to stop as I sunk my blade into the hearts of each of my family members. Against my own free will."

Virginia's face paled. She had tried to get past the things her mother had done, but this … "I'm sorry," came tumbling out of her mouth.

The leader was pacing. "She cursed us! Her magical powers – we cannot be killed. Nothing can harm us. But yet, the horrors of what she put us through – killing our parents, our siblings! When she was first imprisoned for poisoning Prince Wendell's family, her hold over us broke. We wanted to leave everything behind, forget our past. So we came here through her mirror, started new lives in New York. But as hard as I tried, I could never forget … I vowed that one day I would be the one to drive a knife into the Queen's heart. But that opportunity was stolen from me." He stopped pacing. He stared at Virginia, a hungry gleam in his eye. He was practically panting. "If I cannot revenge myself upon the Queen, I will settle for her daughter. And cub."

Wolf howled. "No! Take me! Kill me! Virginia can't help what her mother did to you! She can't be held responsible –"

"She can. And will." He gripped Virginia by the throat, held the rifle to her belly. "The last thing you will know in this world is my name. Leone Hightail. And this is for my family."

His finger prepared to squeeze the trigger.

Virginia lashed out with her arm, slashing Leone across his neck with the poison comb. He let out a yell, dropping the rifle, his fingers going to his neck, blood gushing between them. Virginia staggered back, out of his grip.

Leone turned to her, blood running between his fingers, a look of shock on his face.

Then he smiled.

He withdrew his hand. The slash marks from the comb suddenly vanished, replaced by healed skin.

"Did you think your pithy little weapon could harm us?" Leone asked. He was stepping for Virginia. "Your Mother fashioned us into weapons. Made us resistant to poisons."

Virginia grabbed the dropped rifle as Leone charged again.

KABLAM!

A hole appeared in Leone's stomach.

He simply smiled as new flesh formed, regenerated. Repulsion twisted in Virginia's stomach.

"We can't be stopped. Now, it's time to join your mother in Hell."

Wolf cried out Virginia's name. He had to do something. Anything. He acted on the first thought that came to mind. He bit the leg of his captor. The captor screamed, shaking Wolf off, dropping his chain. Wolf stood up, swinging his chain like a lasso. He released the end, striking his captor across the face, sending him flying across the room. The other captor raised his rifle – Wolf struck his legs out from under him.

Leone turned. "What is this?"

Wolf struck him across the face. He limped over to Virginia, grabbing her by the sleeve. He led her across the room to a window, smashing it.

Behind them, the Leone and his partners were rising to their feet.

"You trust me, right?" Wolf asked.

"Yes, but if you think -."

"Then don't look."

Wolf grabbed her by the shoulders and smashed his way through the mirror. The two plummeted out of the building. Wolf turned so that he would take the brunt of the fall and Virginia would land on him.

They landed on a pile of trash in the sidewalk.

Virginia was up. Wolf wasn't moving. "Wolf! Wolf!"

His eyes flittered open. He stood up. "C'mon! Central Park! The Mirror! Let's go!"

~0~

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Virginia and Wolf bustled onto a crowded subway train. The commuters couldn't help but stare at the shock collar around Wolf's neck and the long chain attached to it. Virginia sat down on a seat, Wolf panting beside her as the subway took off.

"Huff Puff, I knew you'd come for me! Oh when a wolf mates, it's for life! For better or worse, amiright!?"

"We gotta figure out how to get that collar off you," Virginia said.

Wolf tried prying it off. "It's jammed on there real good. How are you holding up?"

Virginia was trying to pull the collar off herself. "Well, having yet another revelation of the horrible things my mother did. Almost getting murdered by a group of immortal assassins." She smiled simply. "Pretty good, all things considered."

"We should be safe for now," Wolf said.

Virginia's eyes widened as she looked down the subway car. "Don't speak too soon …"

There, at the far end of the car, Leone and his two accomplices were heading right for them, shoving commuters out of the way.

"Oh cripes! Pigs in a blanket -."

Virginia stood up, grabbing Wolf. "Come on!" They hurried through the car, wading through a sea of people. "Excuse us! Pardon us!"

They reached the opposite end of the car, sliding the door open. They exited out of the car – the walls of the subway sped past them. Virginia slid open the door to the next train car. She and Wolf ambled in, pushing their way past more people.

"How'd they find us so quickly?" Virginia asked.

"They must have a magic tracker, or -."

"The collar," Virginia realized. "We have to get it off – quick!"

The subway came to a sudden jolting stop. "Is this our exit?" she asked.

Behind them, Leone and the other two were entering their car.

"Either way, it is now!" Wolf said. "Go!"

They dashed along with the crowd of people exiting the train. "Hurry Wolf!"

Behind them, Leone appeared in the doorway. He prepared to exit the train. The incoming swarm of commuters onto the train met him. "No, get out of my way! I need to get off!"

When Virginia saw Leone's expression when the subway door closed right in his face and the train took off, she couldn't help but smile.

~0~

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"Huff Puff, we're almost there!"

Virginia and Wolf were deep in Central Park, the stars shining through the trees. There – the spot where the mirror would transport them into the Fourth Kingdom. Only …

"Where is it?" Virginia asked.

"Cripes!" Wolf replied. "It was right here!"

"It's turned off," Virginia said. "Whoever is on the other side must've turned it off! It can only be turned on from the other side!"

"Indeed," boomed a voice.

The turned to see Leone emerging from behind a tree. On each side, his accomplices appeared. They were trapped. Wolf shielded Virginia with his body.

"I'm glad you led us here," smirked Leone. "No, this is a better gravesite for you. Where it all began."

The three assassins raised their rifles, preparing to shoot all at the same time.

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.

.

BEEP! BEEP!

KABLAM!

A car smashed through the trees out of nowhere, smashing one of the assassins into a tree. The car spun, its door flinging open. Grandma Nessa hopped out, staring Leone in the face.

"Stay the hell away from my granddaughter!"

Virginia couldn't contain her shock. "Grandma?!"

"Get in the car! Now!"

Virginia didn't have to be told twice. Jeannie was in the back seat with the door open, motioning for them to come on. Evelyn was at the wheel.

Leone raised his rifle at Nessa, who only smiled at him. Then, to Leone's surprise, Nessa leaped on him, claws suddenly emerging from her fingertips, razor teeth emerging from her jaws. She grabbed the rifle, snapping it in half with her bare claws. She bore her teeth at Leone, sinking them into his neck. Leone screamed out as she hurled him into a tree.

The third assassin aimed his rifle, ready to blow her head off. Nessa turned, on all fours, scampering back into the passenger seat of the car.

"Gun it!"

Evelyn floored the breaks and their car took off down the roadway.

Leone stood up, staring as their headlights vanished, his own wounds vanishing likewise.

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"Grandma – no offense – but what the hell was that?!"

Nessa had transformed herself back into a normal human. "Oh dear, I never wanted you to find out this way."

In the backseat, comprehension dawned on Wolf. "You're half-wolf."

"Yes siree." She beamed.

"You've got to be kidding me," Virginia said.

"How come I couldn't smell you?" Wolf asked.

"When you live in this world, you find ways to cover your scent," answered Nessa. "Especially from those who cross over from the Ninth Kingdom."

"Wait – why aren't Dad and I part wolf?" Virginia asked.

"It can skip a few generations," Wolf shrugged.

"Grandma, you're telling me you came from the Nine Kingdoms?" Virginia asked. She looked at Jeannie who was smiling proudly that she knew. Then to Evelyn. "And you both knew?"

"And you said I couldn't keep a secret," Jeannie teased Nessa.

Virginia sunk back into her seat. "Dad is gonna flip."