Regina kicked at the sand angrily after Raya had disappeared into the surf. The ocean was churning and the waves were rising as the mermaid went to cool off. Her sister?! She didn't even know she had a sister! How the hell did she and Raya even meet?! The former queen was ready to storm into the tower and confront her so-called sister for daring to touch her beloved, but she froze when she spotted Salacia stepping outside. She was carrying a very large shell on one shoulder. Dressed in the typical scant clothing of a mermaid except in iridescent blue-green, she easily walked down to the shore and started cleaning the shell. Regina swallowed nervously and decided to approach her daughter.

"Salacia?" Regina came to stand next to her and the mermaid looked up. She held out her hand to shake. "I'm Regina." It seemed as simple a start as any.

"It's a pleasure." Salacia gave her a small smile as she shook her hand but ultimately returned to her task, gesturing for Regina to sit. The queen obeyed.

"Is it really?" She asked.

"It's a bit difficult to say actually. I only found out about less than a decade ago."

"Raya said she hadn't told you." Regina said. "But her honesty isn't something i deserve right now. Probably never deserved it." She sighed. "I'm very sorry, Salacia. For everything. Leaving you and your mother and…"

Salacia closed the shell and placed it next to her. "I've often wondered about you. What you looked like, what was it about you that made my mom fall in love. She would say your name in her sleep a lot when I was little. I don't think they were pretty dreams." Salacia crossed her legs. "I'm not gonna pretend like I don't know about you hurting my mom and leaving her for such selfish reasons. You broke her heart." Salacia looked at her. "However, I would like to know you. For however long you might be here."

Regina nodded. "I understand...and I would like that." She watched Salacia turn back to her work and silently took in the sight of her. She was as beautiful as Raya and so much like her it was almost scary. But her hair was black like Regina's own and longer than she had hers even in the Enchanted Forest. Regina had so many questions to ask but she decided to start with a simple one. "How long has Zelena been around?"

"As long as I can remember. She saved my mom's life when she first came to Oz. She took care of me." Salacia replied. Regina watched her finish cleaning the shell and she stood up, picking it up and placing it on her shoulder. "Mom isn't going to choose you, you know."

"How do you know that?" Regina asked.

"Because Zelena knows who you are. She never knew that you and Mom used to be together but she could've done the exact same thing you did: focus on vengeance. She hated you for a long time and she could have gone after you. She planned to. But Mom made her stay. When the decision mattered the most, she chose Mom, and Mom will choose her."

"A sweet story." Regina replied. "But True Love is hard to get rid of. Everything I've done since is to get back to you and your mother. I'm not going to go home without the fight of my life."

"So be it." Salacia replied. Regina followed her back into the pool room through a side door. Aria and Zeraya were in the pool with a little black haired mermaid boy who couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 years old. Henry and Emma were asleep again and the Charmings were still sitting to the table with Neal and Hook. "Bed time!" Salacia announced, jumping into the pool and changing into her tail. She placed the shell into a small alcove just above the waterline. The little boy swam over to it and pulled himself into it, sliding some kind of wet sock onto his tail before laying down on what looked like some kind of pillow. Salacia closed the shell and motioned to Aria and Zeraya. It was only then that Regina noticed the little cubbies set into the wall that they fit perfectly into. Salacia pulled herself into the one just above Aria's, her tail completely hiding the rest of her body in the tight space. Regina sighed and went over to her cot and fell beneath the sheets. The next morning she and the others went to assess the damage left by the shark-tails. The Jolly Roger was in pieces and it would take weeks of work to get it even slightly seaworthy. Regina's magic hadn't fully regenerated and Emma was too clueless to get them anywhere safely. Zelena probably could've fixed it but she refused to assist them in any way. Salacia and her siblings spent the day at sea so they couldn't even be asked, and Raya had yet to return at all. The men spent the better part of the morning chopping down trees for lumber. The women helped them cut up some planks once they were done. It was a long, arduous task and they had barely begun.

"This is going to take forever." Emma sighed, collapsing into the sand. "Hey Regima, go talk to your girlfriend and ask her to help us out."

"She's not my girlfriend, nor was she ever." Regina hated that term. Raya was and always would be much more than a 'girlfriend'. Speaking of whom, the Sea Queen was just walking out of the waves, not wet in the slightest. She paused at seeing Regina, her eyes too cloudy for the former queen to read them, but she knew that Raya had been thinking about their childhood. Growing up together and falling in love had created a bond that wouldn't be broken easily. It broke Regina's heart when Raya scowled and continued on her way.

/

Raya went into the tower and made her way upstairs to the bedroom she shared with Zelena. The witch was still lying in bed. "Z?" Zelena didn't respond. "Zelena?"

"Have you come to break my heart?" Zelena asked softly, hiding her face in her pillow.

"Of course not, I love you. We have 4 kids together, my dear." Raya sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. "I'm sorry if I ever gave you the impression I was going to leave."

"She's your True Love though. You two should be together." Zelena replied softly.

"Zelena, I love you." Raya reiterated. "You and me have been through too much. There are too many things I adore about you to just stop. Regina and I…" She sighed again. "Regina and I are no more. I am yours, as long as you are mine."

Zelena didn't respond for several long minutes. "You never told me her name."

"What?"

"You never told me the name of the one who had broken your heart. Maybe then i would've known it was my fucking sister!" She turned over and covered her head with the pillow.

"You act as though I knew but kept it a secret from you. If I had known, don't you think I would've mentioned it?" Raya demanded. Zelena refused to answer. Raya crawled onto the bed and straddled the upset witch. She snatched away the pillow and forced Zelena to look her in the eye. Zelena looked up at her and Raya kissed her on the nose. Zelena glared at her so Raya kissed her on the cheek.

"No, we are not doing this now." The witch growled as Raya started planting kisses all over her face. She didn't stop until Zelena was left in a fit of giggles, trying to get away.

"Had enough? I can do this all day."

"Yes." Zelena rolled onto her back, looking up at her.

"Say you love me." Raya commanded.

"I love you." Zelena smiled, but her smile quickly started to fade. "What are you going to do about Regina?"

"Not a damn thing. I've talked to her, that's it. I'm done with her. I promise." She said sincerely, hoping that Zelena would believe her. The witch had been forgotten, ignored and abandoned for most of her life by anyone she had ever met but Raya swore that she wouldn't be like the others. She swore to love Zelena forever, because Zelena had been with her through the pain of the last few decades. And even though they hadn't aged, with Zelena the pain steadily started to dull and Raya considered herself healed and whole after Regina's betrayal.

Zelena sighed and pecked her lips. "Thank you, Ray."

"Always, Zelena." Raya laid down in the bed with her, wrapping her arms around her. "Always." They both took a quick nap in each other's arms, before being rudely awakened by their littlest merman, Caspian, as he ran into the room and dove onto the bed. After that they decided to get up and go for a little swim. Raya lead the way down into the pool room. Regina and the other women were inside, talking with Salacia and Zeraya. Aria was swimming around the pool.

"Afternoon." Regina greeted awkwardly, albeit politely. She almost glared at Raya and Zelena's joined hands.

"Good afternoon. Salacia, we're going for a swim. Would you like to join us?" Raya asked.

"Of course, Mother." To their surprise, Salacia looked at Emma. "Would you like to swim with us, Emma Swan?"

"What?" Emma said, with a dumbfounded look. "Thank you, I appreciate it but I should really be helping with the ship. Also, I'm not the strongest swimmer."

"Swimming is easy!" Caspian said, taking her hand. "Come on, I'll show you." Emma looked up at the mothers for help as she was pulled down to the water.

"Kid, I'm not wearing clothes fit for swimming."

"Just give in, Miss Swan." Zelena smirked. "He won't change his mind once he decides to help someone." She snapped her fingers and Emma's dirty jeans and tank changed into a white bathing suit. The blonde slowly slipped into the pool and Salacia and Caspian dove into it, changing into their tail. Caspian demonstrated the best ways for her to swim and she copied the motions to oblige him.

"I guess I will come swimming with you guys after all." Emma smiled up at them. "Might as well."

"Yay!" Caspian smacked his baby blue tail in the water. "Mommy, we should let them all come."

"Now, Cas, our guests have work to do. They want to get home." Raya reminded him.

"We can spare a day." Regina suggested hopefully. Raya sighed. In the end they decided that Regina and Emma could accompany them. Snow opted out and they didn't want to bother the men and boys. Regina changed into a black bikini and slipped into the water as the other mermaids jumped into the pool. Soon, it was filled with brightly colored tails. Raya gave Regina and Emma a bracelet that would allow them to breathe underwater. With that, she took Zelena's hand and dove. Salacia took Emma's and followed. Regina fought back a scowl until she noticed Aria waiting patiently for her to take her hand.

"Thank you." She said. Aria smiled brightly and dove beneath the water. The pool was deeper than it looked. Aria pulled her to a tunnel in the wall where Salacia's blue-green tail had disappeared into. They followed it and a minute later came to a steep drop off that revealed the open ocean where just below was a coral reef filled with sea life. Raya swam at the head of their little group with Zelena holding onto her waist. Zeraya followed, swerving off to chase fish every now and then. Caspian swam with Salacia, who held Emma's hand, pulling her through the water with ease. Aria and Regina brought up the rear, admiring the reef's beauty. It didn't take long for Regina to see and understand the differences between the children. Salacia was a bit of a mystery and highly unpredictable, the most mature of the mermaid children. Zeraya must've been Raya and Zelena's first born, considering her name was a combination of theirs. She wore all of her emotions on her sleeve and enjoyed her youth. Playing, laughing and having fun were easily her favorite things. Anyone could see that. Aria seemed a bit reserved, shy and sweet. Caspian reminded Regina more of Amphitrite. At the thought of the sea goddess she wondered if Raya had told her she was here.

"Dolphins!" Aria suddenly yelled, taking off. Regina nearly screamed and she quickly pulled her hand free to watch the young mermaid chase and play tag with a group of dolphins. Regina smiled until she felt something touched her shoulder. She turned around and grinned at seeing Raya's hippocampi, her old friend. She mounted him and he took off through the water. Before long she realized that Raya was racing her. Almost like they used to do when they were kids. Not quite because Raya veered off unexpectedly to go back to Zelena, swimming around her and playing with her. It made Regina's heart ache painfully and she just wanted to burst into tears. She rode the hippocampi back to shore and sat down in the sand, letting the tears flow.

"Regina?" It must've been at least an hour later before she felt Emma's hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Miss Swan. Go away."

"You're obviously not, Regina. Talk to me." Emma sat next to her, crossing her legs. "Why are you crying?"

Regina sighed. "Raya doesn't love me anymore. She's the reason I did all of this. Casting the curse, creating Storybrooke, all of it was because I wanted to get back to her. And now that I finally have, she doesn't want me anymore. She's moved on and there's nothing I can do."

"Then talk to her, fight for her."

"And ruin this perfect little family they have? I wouldn't dare." Regina huffed, closing her eyes. "She doesn't want me. Salacia doesn't need me. What's the point? Why even try?"

"Because you love her." Emma answered. "If love isn't worth trying for, then what is?"

Regina shrugged. Emma eventually got up to go back to their little hut and left the queen to her thoughts. After the sun had set and it was too cold to stay on the beach any longer Regina rose to her feet, dusting off the sand and went inside...not knowing that her words had been overheard.

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