"What are we going to do?" Henry asked, looking up at his mother. Emma simply shrugged, glancing down at her new knee brace. It caused her to walk a bit awkwardly but it allowed her to loosen her reliance on her cane. Storybrooke was quiet and looked less like a deserted town after the Queens of Darkness had arrived. People were still wary about their return however. The pair decided to take a walk down main street to see everything the Mills family had done. So far, the buildings had been revamped and repainted, broken windows had been fixed, flowers had been planted. Everything looked clean and bright again, perhaps even better than before. "What do we-"

"Henry, I don't know any more than you do. I care even less."

"That's not true. You want them to stay." He muttered. "Even though she doesn't care about us."

"No." She scowled. "I don't. As you said, she doesn't care. So why should we?"

Henry chose not to reply. Just ahead they could see the park coming into view. It too had been revamped. The grass was green and cut short and a whole host of new flowers and new trees had been added. Along with it came a shiny new swing set, sandbox, and a giant, interconnected jungle gym that already had kids running around on it. When they got closer, Emma realized it was Regina's kid. Melisandre was climbing up the rope web with Jade while Roland looked down from the top. Another girl that Emma had never met before was walking towards them with a ball. She guessed that it was Ruby and Lily's kid since that was the only one she hadn't met yet. For a moment she didn't see anyone watching them. Then she noticed Regina sitting on a bench nearby, radiant and regal with one leg delicately crossed over the over. She had a bright smile on her face as she watched the kids play and if it wasn't for her hair color Emma could've mistaken her for Lily. She wasn't wearing her usual pantsuit. Instead, the former mayor was dressed in blue jeans and a loose white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and dark boots. Emma hated how good she looked, how she seemed to glow with this beautiful new energy. She hated how just the sight of her was enough to make her heart skip a beat or forget how to breathe. 10 years of wallowing in grief over this woman, only to find out that she was never dead should've made her hate Regina. A part of her did, a vicious and angry part of her despised the woman for all she'd done to Emma and how she made her feel, how she'd given Emma love and a family only to take it away and give it some blonde bitch of a dragon. And yet, another stubborn part was just as in love with Regina as ever and was happy she was alive and back in Emma's life. She hated how conflicted she was.

"Head home." Emma said, limping towards the bench. Henry backed away before spinning around to obey her command. He wanted to see what happened, but he knew better than to argue.

Emma made her way over to the bench and sat at the other end. Regina didn't acknowledge her at first, just kept her eyes focused on the children, her smile never wavering. Emma cleared her throat. "Hello, Regina."

"Hello, Miss Swan." Regina said, still refusing to look at her. "Something you needed?"

Emma swallowed, unable to find her words. She'd wanted to talk to Regina for a while but now, she didn't know what to say. She didn't know how they would ever move forward. "You...have a beautiful daughter."

"Thank you. I know, as does she."

"Why have you been ignoring me?"

"I haven't." Regina replied. "Avoiding you would be more appropriate. Besides, I had nothing to say to you. Still don't. You seem to have said all you needed back in the diner with Mel. I assumed that was the end of the conversation."

Emma ground her teeth together before taking a deep breath. "I missed you." She said softly. "For a while, I wasn't sure I wanted to live in a world without Regina Mills. Thinking you were dead, feeling like I played a part in causing it...You didn't have to fake your death. On top of that, you left Henry. Your son. I can't believe you just left him behind like he meant nothing. I thought he was everything to you."

"First of all, Miss Swan-"

"Emma."

Regina arched an eyebrow and only then did she turn her body to face Emma and look her right in the eye. "You left me no choice, Emma. I couldn't stay here with you losing your mind. Yes, I could've just left, but you are trained in finding people. How long until you found me and started harassing me there?"

"I wasn't-"

"You were calling and texting me 50 times a day and when I didn't answer, you lied and told me that Henry was sick, using my son against me, something you and your family are known for doing. You would've used him then, if you knew where I lived. We both know it. He's just a pawn to get me to comply with your demands." Regina paused to look around, checking on the children. By now Roland was chasing the girls with the ball. She smirked before turning back to Emma again and dropped that same smirk. "As for Henry, I left him here because that's where he would've wanted to be. He wouldn't have been happy with the other Queens and we both know it. On top of that, if I revealed to him my true plans, he would've told you. If not you, then your idiot parents who guess what, would've told you. Then you would've tried to find me and that's the last thing I wanted or needed. We both know that you weren't you then, probably still aren't. I don't know what the hell is wrong with you but Henry would've wanted to help you. Family doesn't abandon each other, right?" Her tone was mocking and it made Emma scowl. "I don't care why you tried to kill Mal. All that matters is that you did. I could've lost her and my daughter because of you. Because of that, I say fuck helping you. Ever. You should be thankful. Mal was going to burn you alive and I was struggling to find a reason as to why she shouldn't."

"You still had to go something extreme like faking your own death?"

"When I was being harassed and damn near stalked every day, yes. You couldn't let it go so I did what I had to do. What's done has been done. I could've sworn I explained all of this in the diner."

Emma let out a sigh, leaning back on the bench. Regina turned back around to face the playground. "You can't just drop this." Emma said after a few moments of silence. "You need to fix things with Henry. He thinks you abandoned him and replaced him."

"I've spoken to Henry half a dozen times. He doesn't believe me."

"Talking isn't going to fix this."

"That's funny because that's all you seem to want to do and you've spent the last decade destroying things instead of fixing them. Henry won't listen to me. He only listens to his mother, the Savior who is an attempted murderer. I wonder why no one gives a damn about that."

Emma scoffed. "And you are a murderer. A fucking mass murderer. Are you really one to-" Regina abruptly stood up and dusted off her pants. "Running away again?"

"No, Miss Swan, I am leaving before I kill you. I've stated that you tried to kill my wife and almost killed my daughter, possibly more of the Queens in that little stunt you convinced Robin to pull, quite a few times now. It never really seemed to sink in for you and I realize why. It's because you don't really think it was wrong. You're just angry about the consequences. In which case, my original statement stands once again. I have nothing more to say to you. Ever again. When we're done here, I won't have to see you ever again." She stepped away but Emma was on her feet before she knew it and had grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving. Regina instantly whirled on her, one hand igniting into flames, and she leaped backwards before she could be burned. "Do not ever touch me."

"I'm sorry. Alright? I didn't mean it."

"Of course you did. Is your arm still green? Still feeling envious?"

"You think I want to feel this way?" Emma demanded. "You think I want to love you and hate you at the same time?"

"You act like I did this to you. We dated for 2 fucking months, Emma."

"That wasn't just 2 months with everything that came before it!" Emma snapped. "We fought monsters and villains together. We traveled to different worlds for our son and our family. And then she shows up and lays claim to you like you're a possession and you forget all of us and everything we've been through together."

"You can't keep blaming Mal for a relationship that didn't work. It's no one's fault. We just weren't meant to be." Regina said.

"At the very least, Regina, you could've given me some answers. You wouldn't even talk to me after we broke up."

"I'm sorry," Regina scoffed. "But is this argument about Henry or our relationship?"

"It's about you." Emma growled. "It's about you cutting ties with people you supposedly care about."

"Supposedly?!" Regina exclaimed. "Because we stopped dating you thought I didn't care about you? Emma, if I didn't care about you-"

"You would've killed me a long time ago. I know. I've heard it before." Emma said, crossing her arms.

"Obviously talking wouldn't have been enough because you went crazy anyway! In your mind, this is all about Mal. This is all because of her, isn't it?" It was, but Emma wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of an answer. Regina took a deep breath, glancing back at the children again. They'd gone quiet in the midst of their arguing and were sitting in the sandbox. No doubt eavesdropping. Regina made a hand motion and it was like a switch had flipped and they went right back to playing without a care in the world. One of them threw a glare in Emma's direction. She believed it was Lily and Ruby's daughter. It only then occurred to her that they probably stopped playing to see if Regina was okay. When they went into beast mode she nearly rolled her eyes. Regina's daughter looked just like a mini version of Maleficent in dragon form, although her scales had a bit of purple in them when struck by sunlight. Jade took the form of a golden monkey and Roland took the form of a bright red with dark red markings. Lily and Ruby's daughter looked like a wolf with horns but her tail was much longer. Almost like a dragon's tail except covered in fur. The four started chasing the ball across the soccer field and once Regina was satisfied that they were fine, she turned back to Emma and sat down. Emma did the same, though she noted Regina wasn't as relaxed anymore.

"Why are you fixing the town?" Emma asked.

"Emma, I think we should stay as far away from each other as possible. I think it would make both of our lives so much easier. Just go back to pretending I'm dead."

"I know you're treating this like some sort of funny joke but I was heartbroken."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I don't find it funny at all that I had to pretend to be dead just to get you to leave me alone. You want answers?" Regina neatly crossed her legs again and turned her entire body to face Emma. She had a little smirk on her face that Emma didn't like. "Our relationship was fine. You were sweet and kind and funny. 2 months into that relationship I met someone else and I decided to pursue a relationship with them. That's why I broke up with you. Yes, that person was Mal and no, my decision was not based on anything you did wrong. Then you decided to go nuts and help Robin murder her. Naturally that pissed me off. Despite our efforts to spare you and him for your children, you wouldn't stop, so we said fuck you and left. Do I need to clear up anything else or are you good?"

"Fine? Just fine?"

Regina rolled her eyes again. "That's what you took from that?"

"Were you seeing her when we were together?"

"No. I told Mal that I would not pursue another relationship if I was already in one. So I broke up with you."

"To make room for her."

"To be with her." Regina sighed yet again. "I love her, Emma. I have for a long time and that is just something that cannot be helped. It won't ever change. As for your...affliction, perhaps you should try-"

"I don't want your advice on it. I'm dealing with it."

"So was Zelena and it nearly killed her and countless people. She overcame it because she learned to love herself and trust her family. You have a great family. An irritating one, but a great one and they want to help you."

Emma scoffed. "Don't pretend like you care about that family. You lied to them, tried to kill them-"

"I've done the same thing with Mal and my sister. This is about you, Emma. It's all about you. You need help. Your family is willing to help you. You need to accept it."

Emma was about to reply when a great shadow passed overhead. Both looked up at Maleficent as she circled above the park, blasting them with the wind of slow flaps of her wings. Emma glanced at Regina and found her grinning as the dragon landed. The children came running up to Maleficent and she lowered her head, letting each of them greet her, but her eyes were on Regina. The children changed back into human form to clamber onto her back once she'd lowered her shoulder.

"We're ready." The dragon said. Regina was on her feet instantly and walking towards her.

"When are we going?"

"Tonight."

"What's happening tonight?" Emma asked.

Maleficent raised her head over Regina to look at the blonde. Emma could almost hear her suck in a breath. Regina and the kids all covered their ears just before Maleficent let out a roar that all of Storybrooke must've heard. Emma quickly covered her ears against the thunderous sound, feeling nothing but hatred for that stupid beast. Maleficent licked her lips and turned away, lowering her shoulder again so Regina could climb aboard. With another flap of her wings she was airborne and gone, disappearing over the buildings. Once they were gone, the town felt quite empty. What was happening tonight?

/

When Regina walked into the Queens of Darkness mansion, she was met with the sight of preparations underway. Zelena had the kitchen filled with elixirs and potions and Lily and Ruby had armor and weapons all over the living room. Belle was sitting in a recliner with the map that would lead to Mal's parents. Tonight was the night they were finally going to go get them.

"What's all this?" Regina asked.

"Just preparing for the worst." Lily answered. "Hoping for the best. How was the park?" She asked, ruffling Sarai's hair.

"It was fun until Swan showed up and messed with Grandma."

Lily immediately looked at her mother, but Regina waved the matter away. They had too much to do right now and worrying about Emma Swan was the last of those things she wanted to focus on. Within the hour, Mal, Ruby, Lily and Zelena were outfitted in enchanted suits of armor. Regina helped Zelena create a special backpack that would carry her selected elixirs and prevent them from breaking. Once equipped with their staffs and sword, they were ready.

"Be careful, Mommy." Mel said, hugging Mal.

"Yeah, come back safely." Sarai said to her own mothers, who both bent down to cover her in kisses until she had burst into a fit of giggles. Jade was buried in Zelena's arms and had been there for the past 10 minutes.

"Children, we will be back soon. Before you know it." Mal assured them. She looked at Regina and smiled.

"Remember not to eat or drink anything. Hurry home."

Mal nodded, but took her hand and pulled her upstairs into their bedroom. As soon as the door closed, she found herself being pressed against it and Mal attacking her lips. She kissed Regina like she wasn't sure she ever would again. "Mmm, Mal, wait." Mal paused just to take a breath. She took Regina by the chin and kissed her again, this time slower and with purpose, making her ache for more and knowing that they didn't have the time to do anything more and wouldn't either way because of their bet. "You're such a bitch." Regina panted when Mal paused to take a breath.

"It needed to be done." Mal smirked. "I don't know how long this is going to take so I wanted you to have something to think about while I'm gone."

"Such a bitch." Regina muttered.

Her wife chuckled softly and gave her another peck. "We should get started or we might never leave."

"I agree." They had been preparing for this for too long to back out now. When they returned to the others, those departing gave the children one more hug before teleporting away. Regina and Belle immediately set to work. The children cleaned away the extra weapons and armor and Regina placed a clay bowl on the coffee table. Belle disappeared behind the tv and began pulling out wires and mixing cords. Sparks flew at one point and a number of screws and bolts bounced off the floor. Jade returned holding a glowing blue crystal with thick gloves on. Regina conjured some for herself as she took the crystal and thanked her.

"What are you going to do?" Sarai asked.

"Well," Regina explained as she worked. "The others are going to go through a portal to the Forbidden Lands in about 10 minutes. We are constructing something that can give us a connection to them while they're in the other world. That way we can keep an eye on them and offer our assistance." She carefully placed the crystal in the bowl and cast a spell. The bowl cracked and splintered, forming a new cocoon shape around the crystal. "Ready, Belle?"

"One moment." Sparks flew again from behind the tv, followed by a strange golden glow. "Done. Hand me the crystal." Regina nodded to Jade, who carefully picked it up and carried it to her mother. "Thank you, darling."

"What's next?" Sarai asked.

"We wait for Belle to hook us up and for Mal to give us the signal. She'll call us when she's about to go through the portal. We have to activate the crystal just before they do to ensure we have a strong connection."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"We just hope that they can make it back on their own. To be honest, this is more for our benefit than theirs." Regina admitted, already moving on to the next stage of the plan. She pulled on her magic, on the connection she now shared with Mal as her mate. Everything going well?

She instantly felt Mal's purr. Just finishing up making the portal marks. Did you get the crystal under control?

Yes. We're almost ready. Remember, don't take any unnecessary risks. Make it home. I know that sounds bad, but you and our daughters have to get home. Not just for me but especially for Sarai.

I know. We will come back. I promise you, Mrs. Mills.

Regina felt the sincerity in her promise, although it did little to ease her worries. She was going to worry anyway until they returned home. There was no point in thinking about that now. She teleported out to her vault and grabbed a couple hearts. Exactly whose hearts they were, she wasn't even sure. She didn't even know if she was the one to rip them out or if they were from her mother's collection. Either way, they were needed today. She returned home and helped finish setting up the spell. They would use the crystal to create the connection and the hearts to power it, ensure its strength. It was Lily's idea to transmit it to the tv instead of using part of the spell to create something they could see. It was ingenious really.

"Mommy texted." Mel called, running back into the room. "She said they're going in now." As if on cue, the earth shook beneath their feet for a long minute. Regina and Belle both ignored it to check the enchantment on the tv. When the shaking stopped, the tv came on and for a moment all that was visible was a barren landscape. The earth was dry, cracked and yellow, with not a speck of water in sight. Their field of vision was limited and blurred whenever Mal moved.

"Mal, can you hear me?" Regina asked.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She heard Mal say, spinning around and letting them see the cause of her confusion. Crouched on the ground, was a little boy. A very familiar one.

"Henry."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lily growled. "What are you doing here?" She demanded.

"I-I heard Mom say that something big was happening today and I overheard one of-"

"You were eavesdropping and decided to follow us through a fucking portal?!"

"Another of your operations?" Zelena asked. Henry cowered away from both women and Mal rolled her eyes. They didn't know this world or its dangers and now they had to watch out for a child known to disregard rules and the words of his superiors. They didn't have the supplies to account for another person or the magic to send him back without stranding themselves in the Forbidden Lands.

"Mal?" She heard Regina calling to her and pulled the magical transmitter off her armor. With a word of magic, she transformed it into a large raven that jumped out of her hand to the ground and hopped over to Henry. "Still meddling I see. Just like a Charming."

Henry glared at the bird. "I was just-"

"I don't want to hear it. Just listen. You are in a foreign world and there is no way we can bring you back. I will notify your mother and grandparents, but you are going to have to do everything Mal and the others say to you. Do you understand?"

"Why can't you just open another portal?"

"Because we only planned for two trips. One to get there and one to get back. If we send you back now, no one else can get back. As much as we would like to send you home, we will not risk not being able to complete the mission and being stuck here because of it."

Mal growled to herself and looked around. They didn't have time for this. She didn't want to waste a moment in this world or be here any longer than she had to be. "Alright, enough." She said sharply, silencing everyone. "Zelena, can you adjust your supplies for another person?"

"Give me a moment then." She sat down on the ground and pressed a button on her bag that opened it. It was modeled after a layered cosmetics bag and was filled with various potions and elixirs. She began moving them around to different places, using a system only she knew.

"Belle, Regina, go tell the idiots what's happened. We'll just have to keep an eye on him. Plan accordingly for their arrival."

"Move the tv. Got it." Regina said. "Be careful, guys."

"Always, your majesty." The raven hopped over to her and she placed it on her shoulder.

"Hi, Mommy." The raven whispered.

Mal smiled. "Hello, dear. Are you being good for your mother?"

"You've been gone 20 minutes."

"Doesn't matter. Keep an eye on her for me, will you?"

"Always, your majesty." Mel replied.

"Done!" Zelena announced, standing up and putting her bag back on and passing out three small discs. "Ready to go. Who are we picking up first?"

"Cynder was the more powerful of the two, right?" Ruby said.

"Then we go get the other one first." Lily smirked, throwing the disc on the ground. It transformed into a bright red motorcycle. Ruby did the same and it became a blue one. "Why'd you pick blue?"

"Because you stole my color."

"Actually, it's mine. My scales are red."

"My name is Red."

"Not anymore."

Mal rolled her eyes and threw her disc on the ground. It expanded into a black motorcycle and she climbed on. She pulled out her map and checked the direction. "We're going south. Follow me. Henry, ride with Ruby."

"Mommy, you need to go." Mel said, her voice suddenly urgent.

"What is it?"

"The transmitter says something is coming. It's really big and really fast."

Mal looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Grandma, it's behind you. You have to go." Sarai yelled. The raven bounced up and down on her shoulder and she looked behind her. A figure was in the distance, running. Running fast towards them. Mal hit the gas and the others followed.

"What is that thing?" Lily called above the wind.

"You want to find out?" Mal asked. "Keep moving."

Meanwhile, back in Storybrooke, Regina couldn't keep the scowl off her face as she walked up to the Charming home. Sarai and Roland walked behind her, but quite close. Not out of apprehension of course. The only thing that scared Sarai was spiders and she was very protective of her family. Regina could feel her aura pulsing dangerously as she knocked on the door. "Calm down, Rai."

"I don't like this place. It makes you uncomfortable. Your back is tense." Sarai replied.

"I don't like it either, but thanks to Henry, we have no choice." Regina patted Sarai on the head and her aura calmed down.

The door of the Charming household flew open and a smiling Snow appeared in the doorway. "Evening, Regina." She looked down at the children. "Hello, Roland. Who is this?" She asked, looking at Sarai.

"Bodyguard." Regina answered. "Where is Emma?"

"Out looking for Henry. He hasn't come home."

"Call her back please. We know where he is and I'd prefer to wait until she is here to tell her where. I do hate repeating myself." Snow seemed surprised but stepped aside and allowed her and her companions inside. Sarai and Roland both looked around the room with interest but considering the house had hardly changed in the last decade, Regina didn't need to.

"Sit, Regina." Snow offered. "I can get you something to drink-"

"No thank you." Regina said curtly. She did choose to sit however and thankfully, Emma arrived shortly.

"Where is he?" The blonde demanded. "Where is my son?"

"Another world." Regina answered. Within moments she had the whole clan gathered in the living room, looking at her anxiously. "Henry followed Mal to a site in the forest. Perhaps he was gathering information, spying, it doesn't matter. Still meddling in things he shouldn't. Mal opened a portal to a world called the Forbidden Lands. He was probably further back, hiding, but the portal expanded beyond what we expected and sucked him in."

"We have to go get him." Emma instantly said.

"That is impossible at the moment."

"What are you talking about?!"

David reached out to comfort his daughter and she pushed him away, quickly becoming frantic. Regina waved her hand, forcing Emma back into her seat and keeping her still. "We can't create another portal from our side. The Forbidden Lands is meant to cage Mal's parents who happen to be very powerful dragons. Only those with their blood can even enter and Mal doesn't have the supplies and energy to create an exit from her side and still do the mission."

"But Lily is their descendant." Snow said.

"As are Melisandre and Sarai." Regina replied. "Mal is different because she is her parents' daughter. She is the only one directly descended from the both of them. Lily is my daughter, as is Mel and Sarai is my granddaughter whose mother is a werewolf. They can go through the portal but they cannot open one. That means Henry is stuck there until Mal and the others finish their mission. Only Mal or her mothers can open a way out."

"No." Emma snapped, straining against her magical binds. "You have to bring him back. You have to."

"I can't."

"That world could be dangerous."

"Considering someone went through the trouble of creating an entire world to imprison a pair of dragons, it most certainly is a very dangerous place and Henry is in the safest hands possible."

"Why would they protect him?" Emma scowled. "They hate him. They hate anyone you don't like."

"Regardless of whether they like him or not, you really think they're going to let him fend for himself?" Roland asked. "Whether they love him or hate him, they'll take care of him."

"If he wasn't spying on us then this wouldn't have happened. There is nothing to be done." Regina added.

"So we just wait for them to get back?" David asked.

Regina let out a sigh. "Using a very complicated spell, we are able to monitor their progress and assist where we can. We have it hooked up to the tv and we can control the transmitter using a remote control."

"I want to see him." Emma said.

"You can do so in an hour."

"An hour?! Why?"

"Because we have to move the tv." Sarai answered. "We're not letting you into our house. A dragon's home, their den, is sacred. We're not going to invite an enemy inside when the matriarch is gone."

"And who are you supposed to be?" Emma curled her lip at her, still trying to break Regina's spell.

"Hired assassin." Regina replied. "I'll contact you within the hour." She stood up and Roland led the way to the door. She already knew this was going to be a bad idea. Belle texted her their new location and she drove out to where her old mansion once stood. It had been rebuilt in her absence. She led the kids inside and found that Belle had already moved the tv and all of their monitoring equipment. For the most part, the house was bare and only the living room seemed to have any kind of furniture. It made sense considering Belle had never spent any extended time in her old home. "Anything new?" She asked, scratching Mel on the head, who was staring at the screen of a small device that acted as a sonar around the transmitter that was still with Mal. That way they could notify her if something was amiss.

"That thing is still after them." Mel answered.

"And they're going north now." Belle added. She held up a notebook over her shoulder, which Regina took and opened, scanning the notes that had been scrawled around a copy of Mal's map. "I determined that the world is split in half so to speak, with what looks like a belt of sand in the middle. Cynder is on one side, Millicent on the other and their environments are based on stopping one from helping the other should they ever get free."

"Their environments? You mean mountains or mist or something?"

"Cynder is a fire drake, but Mal said she always used ice magic. Therefore, she would be located in the south and based on the map," Belle handed her a copy of the original. "Her prison is covered in sand and rivers of lava."

"Mal said Millicent couldn't fly."

"Indeed. Getting around that would be difficult for her. However, I warned Zelena that there could be a catch with it. Just a hunch."

"What hunch?"

"Well, Cynder would still be able to traverse rivers of lava and sand, so if she got free she could just fly right out of there. There must be something else there to stop her. Otherwise, this entire world is poorly planned." Regina silently agreed. "As for Millicent, her prison is barren and mostly stone. As you guessed, it's covered in an impenetrable mist that would make it difficult, if not impossible to fly through."

"So it would be hard for Cynder to rescue her. She'd have to be grounded and that would only make her vulnerable."

"I warned Zelena of that too. So far there's been no signs of life but there has to be something or someone there."

"Well, they are being pursued."

"Oh that thing isn't human or dragon. It's not even really alive." Belle said nonchalantly.

"Are you going to explain it or are you going to make me ask?"

Belle looked up with a smirk. "I used the transmitter, flew over to see what it was. It is a…"

"Golem." Jade said, seeing that her mother was stumped for an explanation. "One made of stone. Probably to combat any fire breathing."

"It's as big as an ogre and it's carrying some kind of club." Mel added, not taking her eyes off of the sonar.

Regina looked up at the tv. Belle was controlling the raven and it was flying high over Mal and the others, keeping watch for anything that could prove to be trouble. So far, not much had changed since she'd been gone. She took a seat on the couch and watched the screen for a few minutes.

"Um, Mommy?" Mel said.

"Yes?"

"The golem is getting closer."

"What?!" Belle and Regina both rushed to the sonar and sure enough the creature was gaining ground.

"Mal, look out!"

/

Mal looked over her shoulder and gasped when she saw the golem right behind them. It was a huge monstrosity, bearing down on them with a speed that should not have been possible. "Break off!" She called to Lily and Ruby, who immediately veered away. The golem turned its head to watch them and without warning, swung the large stone club it carried as if it were weightless. "No!" Mal shifted into dragon form and teleported all at once, moving just in time to catch the club before it could crush her daughters. "Zelena!"

"Here!" A blast of green magic knocked the golem off its feet. Mal shifted back into human form and summoned her staff. A single swing sent cracks splintering through the animate stone before the entire thing exploded into pebbles. She looked around for the others and let out a sigh when Ruby and Lily rode towards her.

"You guys okay?"

"Yeah."

"Zelena?"

"Here." The witch was examining the pebbles on the ground.

"Let's get a move on before something else decides to chase us down."

"Mal." The raven landed on Mal's shoulder. "You're surrounded." Regina said.

"By what?" Lily asked, looking around and seeing nothing but the endless expanse of sand that they'd been driving through all day.

"Must be underground. Get on." Mal shifted again and crouched down, allowing them to climb onto her back. She took to the skies just as the earth fell away beneath her feet. She flapped hard to gain altitude and when she believed she was at a good enough height, she looked down and found that the ground had fallen away to reveal a pit filled with large serpents of some kind.

"Stay low." Regina advised. "If something's underground then there's probably something in the air."

"On it." Mal adjusted, gliding lower over the sand. She flew as fast as she dared, resisting the urge to scratch her back with all the people riding on it. It was always a weird sensation. Several minutes passed and there was no end to the desert in sight. It was just a flat unbroken expanse. There were no hills, no dunes, no plants, no animals, no water. Why were they warned not to eat anything if there was nothing to eat?

"Mal?" She heard Belle's voice come through the transmitter. She grunted to let her know she'd heard. "You said your mother, Millie, was different. Why was she different?"

"She didn't often take dragon form and when she did, she was either really big or really small. I don't know why. She didn't have wings either."

"Did she ever eat meat?"

"Not that I can remember." Mal realized. "Why?"

Belle didn't reply and instead all she heard was Emma's voice yelling into the transmitter.

"Henry?!"

"I'm here, Mom."

"What the hell did you think you were doing? I can't see him."

There was more arguing from the other end and Mal soon tuned it out to focus on flying. Regina could handle Emma. She turned her thoughts to sweeter memories. To a human, she was ancient, but to a dragon she was still considered young and her memories of being a dragonling were fading or lost. She remembered only pieces of her life with her mothers. They were disjointed and broken and soon, she probably wouldn't remember them at all. Regina gave her an opportunity to make new memories. A piece of her desired nothing more than to show her mothers her life, all she'd done, the family she'd built. They would be so proud.

The dragon flew for hours. Days passed on Regina's end but for Mal, the sun never set. She flew until her wings ached and Lily had to take her place so she could rest. There was no wind to glide on, no breeze to ease the harsh heat of the sun and they dared not land, lest they awaken some other creature. There was just nothing here. Then, abruptly, the desert ended and the sand gave way to stone. Fog descended on them, almost blinding them.

"Lily, be careful. We're getting close." Mal cautioned.

"I know how to fly, Mom- oh, shit!" A mountain came out of nowhere and Lily tilted hard to avoid it, almost throwing everyone off her back. "Sorry about that guys. Turbulence."

"Slow down and relax." Mal said, seeing the nervous quiver in her wings.

"Yeah, okay." Lily shivered underneath her and tilted again to avoid another mountain that came out of nowhere. In doing so, her left wingtip came into contact with a tower of stone. Mal heard the crack and just before they slammed into the ground, she raised a shield around them. It threw them off Lily's back, but they were unharmed.

"Lily?"

"I'm fine. Just a broken wing." Her daughter stood up and Zelena moved to heal her.

"Stay with Ruby." Mal said to Henry, raising her staff. She struck the ground, casting a wind spell that began to push away the fog, unearthing the ring of small mountains surrounding them. The tower of stone Lily hit wasn't a tower at all. It wasn't even stone. It was part of a body. Mal spun in a circle, following the serpentine form that weaved through the mountains until she found the head in the center, wrapped in chains. It looked like a giant serpent half buried in stone. She recognized the scales. They were dull and lusterless now, but in the light, she remembered they shimmered like gems. The brightest of blues and greens and speckling of purples, each scale a different shade and hue. "This is her."

"Wait, so the giant snake is your mom?" Ruby said.

"Apparently so. I told you, she was either really big or really small. I guess it was a trick she learned, or a trait specific to her breed of dragon."

"Really big is kind of an understatement." Indeed, Milicent was enormous. Whether she had grown in her isolation or was always so large, Mal couldn't definitively say.

"Yeah, well the mountains are sitting on top of her. So how do we get her out?" Lily asked. It would appear that the mountains had actually been placed on top of Milicent or probably magically grown over her. Chains wouldn't be able to lock down a dragon of her caliber without a significant enchantment.

"Let's start with waking her up." Zelena suggested.

"Be careful. There are odd designs in the ground and it's a wide area. You'd been in the open." Belle said through the transmitter as she flew over. "It could be a trap."

"It most certainly is. That's why we're not going down there." Mal said, looking around again. "Ah." Her mother's gargantuan size made it difficult, but a quick search allowed her to find her mother's tail tip that was jet black. If she remembered correctly, her belly was also jet black.

"What are you doing?" Zelena asked.

"My mother always had a weird place on her tail that was never as bright as the rest of her scales." Mal answered as she crouched next to the tail, searching for the odd spot. "I never asked about it, but it could be that whatever was here, wasn't actually a scale and instead was a fake scale. To protect the weak spot. And here we are." True to her word, there was one such place, a chink in the dragon's armor. She had to conjure a sword to pop out the fake scale. Underneath it was the soft yet scarred flesh of a great serpent.

"That was a pretty weak way to hide a soft spot." Lily commented.

"I told you, she wasn't the fighter of the two. I don't believe I ever saw her fight at all. Stand back." She conjured a pin and handed it to Zelena, who pulled a vial of purple liquid out of her pack and dipped the pin into it.

"Mal, no." Regina said. "Anything but that."

"You'd rather I walk down there into a trap?"

"This will not end well."

"It will end quickly."

"What is that?" Lily asked.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Mal replied, sticking her mother with the pin. The response was instantaneous. They teleported back to their original position to watch Milicent awaken. She awoke with a fury, spitting sparks and furiously shaking her great form, tearing herself free from her restraints and bringing down all of the mountains as she ripped through, pulling her body into the center of the prison and unwittingly activating the trap. Golems began to rise all around them out of the rubble but they were almost instantly crushed by Milicent's moving. Mal summoned a shield around them as her mother's tail slammed into them with brute force. "Shit!" They were knocked backwards several yards but her shield held. "Zelena, Lily."

"On it." Zelena raised her hands, adding her strength to the shield. Lily did the same and brought her hands down with a sharp snap, firmly planting them on the ground so they couldn't be knocked around anymore. "How long do you think she'll keep this up?"

"I have no idea." Milicent's body again struck the shield and Mal's jaw dropped when she suddenly left the ground, slithering away from her prison. "We have to stop her."

"Wait. Let's worry about that first." Ruby gestured to the rubble that was moving on its own, all of it coming together, building something new. Mal growled when she felt the dark sorcery surrounding this structure and it didn't surprise her to see that all of it came together to create a much larger golem. "What's the plan?"

"The plan is you stay with Henry."

"I didn't come here to play babysitter." Ruby growled.

Mal looked back at her mother. Milicent hadn't seen the new threat and was still twitching and convulsing as she moved away. That potion would wear off soon but not soon enough.

"Mal." Regina said. "Your mother is fine and she can wait. We need the leader of the Queens of Darkness right now."

Mal nodded and lowered the shield. Her mate was right. She needed to focus. She looked at the golem. It was standing up… "Lily, shooting star. Aim for the chest. Zelena, meteor strike. Ruby, get Henry away from here but keep an eye on Mother." Zelena pulled two bottles from her pack for her and Lily to drink.

"I don't think you can miss her."

"Do it anyway please." Mal grabbed Lily's arm and shoulder as Zelena shot into the sky on her broomstick. "Just like we practiced." Lily nodded. Mal spun them both and threw Lily as hard as she could. Lily let out an explosion of fire from her feet, boosting her speed and power. She slammed right into the golem's chest and Zelena's potion allowed her to take no damage. The golem tilted backwards and Zelena came in from above, a glowing green ball of fire that struck it square in the forehead. Mal raised a wall of magic to protect against the wave of dust and rubble that flew towards them from the blast. "Separate the pieces and grind the stone." She, Lily and Zelena lashed out with their magic and ground the stone golem into dust. Mal swung her staff and scattered the dust far and wide. If the golem ever regenerated, it would not be in this lifetime. "Let's get Mother before something else decides to attack." She turned around to find her mother nowhere in sight and Ruby furiously digging in the dirt. "What the hell, Ruby?!"

"She turned tiny and slid through a crack." Ruby said. "Here! Someone grab her!" Lily teleported to her side and stuck her hand down the hole, only to immediately pull it out with a scream.

"She bit me!"

Mal ignored her. "We have to find her before she escapes through a hole or something." She heard a screech and turned around just in time to catch her mother as she flew out of a small hole between her feet. The earth split as she was followed by one of the underground serpents. Mal turned to the side and lit the serpent up with a controlled blast of fire. She cradled her mother to her chest and slowly opened her hands. Almost instantly razor sharp teeth sank into her finger and she nearly threw her mother. Milicent continued to struggle and coiled herself around her thumb. A sharp stab of pain erupted in her hand as the tiny dragon broke her finger. "What the fuck?!" There was a burst of blue smoke and Milicent stood before her in human form. Her mother looked exactly the same as when Maleficent saw her last, even down to the blue grecian dress. Milicent's eyes were green and her skin was usually tanned and gold, but in this dreary place she looked paler than normal, although she didn't look malnourished. She had plump pink lips and small freckles covering the bridge of her nose. Thick brown hair so dark that it looked black nearly reached her waist. Mal remembered so much of her so well. "Moth-" A hand clamped around her throat. Milicent waved her other hand, blasting away the earth behind her and revealing a huge pit filled with more of the angry serpents.

"You stabbed me with something coated in the poison of a purple toadstool?!"

"Wait, stop!" Lily yelled. "We had to wake you up. Listen-"

Milicent suddenly released Mal and tilted her head. "You look like...Cynder. Why?"

"She's my mother." Mal said, daring to smile.

"Is she now?" Milicent growled.

Mal frowned slightly when her mother expressed no happiness. Then it occurred to her that her mother could be unaware that Cynder was also locked up. "You're my mother too. I'm Maleficent."

"That's impossible."

"It's not." Mal said. "You must believe me. You are in the Forbidden Lands. Mother, eh, Cynder is imprisoned on the other side of this world. I am Maleficent. Check my blood, my memories, anything you want."

"I would heavily advise against that." Regina whispered.

"Knowing you two, I agree." Zelena added. She carefully approached Milicent and raised her hands to show she meant no harm. "Only those with your blood can wake you anyway. Mal used the toadstool poison because if we didn't, we would've set off dozens of traps. All of which you destroyed in a couple of minutes."

"Well, I'm glad." Came the sarcastic reply.

Mal frowned slightly. "What happened then? To your family. How did you get here?"

Milicent rubbed her temples and let out a frustrated growl. "I don't know. All I remember is a lot of fire and a lot of ice. Cynder was fighting…My...my baby was crying." Her mother broke down in tears and fell to her knees. Mal wrapped her in her arms. She didn't remember anything about what happened to separate her and her mothers or who did it. She was quite young when it happened.

"It's okay. We're going to get to the bottom of everything and get you out of here." She promised.

Milicent leaned away from her and hastily wiped her eyes. "If you are truly Maleficent, then tell me, what is the code to the vault?"

"Code?"

"Yes. The code to enter our vault. What is it?"

"I don't…" Milicent stood up and Mal slowly followed, racking her brain for a memory. Her mothers shared one massive vault and the more she thought about it, the more she remembered playing in it. She and Milicent would slide down the hills of gold on silver shields or splash around in her private bath. Cynder would chase her through the halls and play hide and seek with her. Those memories, however sweet, were faded and incomplete. She remembered seeing her mothers open the door to the vault but whatever they said or did was lost on her.

"Tell me what it is, Maleficent, or I will kill you here and now for impersonating my child." Milicent growled.

Mal narrowed her eyes at her mother. Milicent wasn't the fighter. She tended to shy away from conflict as far as Mal could remember. "You're bluffing."

"Excuse me?"

"You're bluffing. I've never seen you kill so much as a mouse."

"I am willing to make an exception for you."

While mother and daughter glared each other down, things in Storybrooke were just as tense. Except for Belle, who was furiously flipping through a bunch of books she'd been pouring over all night.

"You really think now is the time for reading?" Emma scowled. Belle paused but ultimately chose to ignore her and continued looking through her book.

"Do you have something, Belle?" Regina asked.

"Maybe. Mal didn't know many dragons growing up, right? She collected books on them from wherever she could find and I think she might have one on Milicent. She's the one we don't know anything about." She threw the book she was reading to the side and pulled out another one. "Children, look for anything you can find on the Blue Serpent." Roland the girls dug through the pile of books while Belle dug through her memory. "Cynder is the more famous dragon. The bigger and more destructive one, the powerful queen, conqueror and destroyer, so on and so forth. There are plenty of writings on her, but hardly any on Milicent. Milicent is depicted as a weaker dragon but I don't think that's the case. I think she doesn't want her history to be known. If I remember correctly, it's something about a massacre."

"That's not surprising." Regina said.

"Well, that's true, but why would she want it erased?"

"I got it!" Roland exclaimed, bringing an old book to Belle. He turned it around and pointed out a small passage at the bottom. "She was captured by dragon hunters and Cynder rescued her."

Belle turned the page and read the passage. "There was a massacre when the Blue Serpent was freed. She basically destroyed everything and felt so terrible about it, she swore to never kill again. Not even to eat."

"Really? That's a bit odd for a dragon. How is she alive?" Regina commented before waving the matter away. "How does this help figure out the code to the vault? I don't think Mal remembers it."

"I think I know what the answer is." Belle said. Both of them flinched when they heard a crash from the transmitter and turned to the tv. Milicent and Mal were going at it and Milicent proved their theory by doing something Regina never thought she would see. Mal was pinned to the ground, her mother's hand clamped around her throat again and Mal couldn't break her hold. She strained but Milicent didn't move an inch.

"Mommy." Mel said. Regina moved to look at the radar.

"Mal, something big is coming for you. You need to get out of there."

All of the dragons seemed to react to something. Milicent released Mal and pulled her back to her feet.

"Lily, fly. Get Henry out of here." Mal commanded. The earth started shaking and she shifted into dragon form.

"Maleficent?" Milicent whispered. Mal looked down at her and found her mother staring at her horns.

"Yes! You remember?"

The earth shook again and this time, it didn't stop. Lily took off with the others on her back and Milicent shifted into dragon form as well. She began to expand, growing larger and larger. It was just in time as the head of a monstrous dragon burst from the stone below. He was bigger than any dragon Mal had seen before. Great and terrible with brown scales that were thick and broad like armored plates. Spikes covered him from head to toe. The ground split apart, falling away as he clawed himself out of the chamber he'd been submerged in. A pair of great wings unfurled.

"You think I would let you leave, Milicent?" He growled. "You will never escape this place!" The dragon attempted to pull himself out of the trench he'd created and before he could, mother and daughter attacked. Mal leaped onto his head, sinking her teeth into the back of his head while raking at his eyes with her back claws. Milicent curled herself around his exposed neck and began to squeeze, careful to avoid his spikes, although many still punctured her scaled hide. The dragon struggled to pull himself up and Mal knew that if he did, he would kill them all. He was probably the failsafe in case her mothers awoke, although she couldn't possibly understand why he would devote the rest of his existence to keeping them caged. A strangled roar erupted from the dragon and Mal looked up. Lily had already ripped through one of his wings. She landed on the dragon's back and locked her jaws around the base of the other wing, trying to break it. Dragon wings were fragile, the bones thin and delicate, but this dragon was so large she could barely fit her jaws around it. Luckily, his size was preventing him from maneuvering as well. Then Mal got an idea.

Mal released the dragon and grabbed Lily. Lily let go as well and both shifted into human form again. "Zelena, Ruby!" Both of them appeared in front of her. "Lily, take Ruby up." She conjured a steel spear and handed it to the grinning werewolf. "Do you-"

"I know what to do."

"Zelena, with me. I need a shield. Lily, land quickly to help us."

Zelena moved to her side as Lily flew off with Ruby. They moved in unison, summoning a wall of green magic in front of them. A barrage of fire exploded from the dragon's maw, washing over the shield. Flames surrounded them on all sides but they managed to hold it. Another roar of roar of pain rose from the dragon and the earth shook again. Ruby had landed perfectly, spearing him straight through his left eye. She leaped down and narrowly avoided being crushed as the dragon tore himself free. His claws rubbed against his injured eye and his wings flapped uselessly.

"Lightning bolt." Mal commanded. "Before he recovers. Mother!" Milicent instantly released the dragon's neck. She dropped to the ground and slithered one way before spinning back around, striking out with her tail. It struck the dragon's face and elicited a thunderous crack, stunning him long enough for Mal, Lily and Zelena to power up the lightning bolt spell and fire it. It hit the metal spear and sent electricity coursing through the dragon's body. Mal lashed out with a fire wind spell that blasted a hole beneath the dragon's feet and he fell through, disappearing from sight.

"Is that it?" Lily asked. "You guys sure he's dead?"

"We won't be here if he isn't. Let's move before something else tries to kill us. Please. Where is the idiots' son?" Mal turned around and froze when Milicent suddenly hugged her. "Mother?"

"Your horns were always unique." Milicent whispered.

"I probably should've started with that then." Mal smiled, returning the hug.

"Cynder is also the only one fool enough to use the fire wind spell." Milicent growled softly. "I know you got it from her." Mal purred. "Let me see how much you remember."

"Try and stick to the childhood years." Milicent smirked and touched her forehead. She ran through Mal's memories in only a minute and by the time she stopped, tears were staining her cheeks. "Mother?"

"You don't remember. That's good." Milicent whispered.

"Remember what?"

"Cynder should explain that. It would make more sense from her."

Mal nodded slowly. "Well, I have much to tell you. And show you when we get home. You have grandchildren and a great-grandchild." She dragged her mother over to Lily. "This is my first born, Lilith. That is her mate, Ruby and the lovely redhead is my sister-in-law, Zelena." She purred to herself as she watched her mother fawn over her family. She wanted to scream with joy at having her back in her life.

"It is an honor to meet you, Milicent." Zelena said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Please, call me Millie."

Mal looked around until she noticed the frightened boy hiding behind a rock a good distance away. "Come on, Henry. Let's go."

"Who is that?" Millie asked.

"The son of a hated enemy." Zelena replied. "It's a bit of a long story. We'll tell you on the way." She looked at Mal, who gave a small nod. Zelena sat down on the ground and opened her pack to pass out vials of a bright red liquid. Mal downed hers and felt her magic resurge. Any aches or bruises were erased and she was full of energy.

"Mother?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"That dragon." Mal said. "Who was he?"

Millie let out a sigh and scratched her arm. "He is...was...your father. Your real father."

"What?! Are you serious?" All heads whipped around to look at the older dragon in disbelief.

Millie snorted. "Of course not. Can you imagine?" She chuckled. "I have no idea who that is. Probably someone Cynder pissed off."

"Or the Blue Serpent." The raven landed on Mal's shoulder and Millie tilted her head at it.

"This is a transmitter." Mal explained. "The rest of the family are home and they're using this to keep an eye on us. The one who spoke is Belle, Zelena's wife."

"And you know my history."

"Don't worry about it. I know people who've done worse." Belle said. "We don't judge people here. Not in this family."

"Unless you're a fucking Charming." Lily grumbled to herself, although Millie managed to catch it and looked confused at her tone.

"We'll explain that on the way too." Zelena smirked.

"I'll take first flight." Lily offered, already shifting forms. The others climbed aboard and Lily took off, leaving behind the broken chains, fallen mountains and massive holes. The landscape looked nothing like it did when they arrived. Even the sun was finally starting to set.

One down, one to go.

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