It was good to be back home, but they couldn't rest. For Lisa and Emma, training was only part of their ordeal. They needed to find the third member of the prophecy before any of this training would mean anything. Regina could only watch her mate work her ass off to get better at fighting, learning to control her suit, shifting and using her magic. She knew Lisa wanted to end the threat as quickly as possible, but she also knew that her mate needed to slow down. Overworking herself was not the way.

She was in the kitchen fixing breakfast with her mother, trying to listen on in the conversation between father and daughter in the living room.

"What was my name going to be originally?" She heard Lisa ask.

"Elise." Marcus replied.

"Really? That's not too far from my name."

"Your mother chose it."

"Hmm...what was the purpose of the Guardians?"

"Protection of magic, of ancient lore and a home for those who didn't have one. Magic was seen as evil, mostly because of its users, but we tried to teach that magic was nothing to fear. It's like a sword. A sword isn't evil. In the hands of an evil person, then that's a different story."

"So it was like a school?"

"A kingdom." Marcus corrected. "Just with no king."

"Right, because you were the Lord Commander or something."

"Yes."

"Is that why Regina attacked you?" Regina noticed Lisa's voice drop slightly and felt a little uneasiness from her mate.

"There were a lot of powerful people amongst our ranks. She probably considered them threats."

"Oh."

Regina sighed and leaned against the wall. She would never be able to take that back, never be able to wash that blood off her hands. Cora pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. She was glad her mother was back. She was glad that she had her heart back.

"I've been thinking." Cora said. "Lisa and Emma escaped your curse. They were sent through a portal before the curse hit. Is it possible someone else did?"

"I don't know."

"Well…" Her mother looked away as she thought. "Lisa knew Emma and Neal, what if someone else that she knows is the person we're looking for."

Regina slowly thought it over. It did seem a little too much for it to just be a coincidence that Lisa, Emma, and Neal, all children who left the Enchanted Forest, seemed to find each other again in this world. She tried to think. Lisa had told her about her past, claiming that it was nothing special: she was an orphan who grew up in foster homes and eventually ran away, making a living on the streets before meeting Emma. The two would spend the next 10 years looking out for each other and eventually got a regular job as a bail bondsperson. Lisa never really liked the job, but that didn't surprise Regina considering she only spent a couple days working with Emma at the station before quitting. There was a childhood friend she mentioned who was like a sister to her but for the life of her Regina couldn't remember the name. Perhaps they could look into her.

Regina walked to the doorway and paused at hearing Marcus' next question. "What happened to Anita?"

"She died. Snow lead Regina's soldiers to her den and they killed a good number of her pack, including her beta, Quinn. She tried to kill Snow but Ruby defended her and killed her."

"Who is Ruby?"

"Her other daughter. I'm guessing you didn't know that…" Lisa said. Marcus had turned away, chewing on his bottom lip as he thought. "You can meet her later if you want."

"Perhaps, but on to other matters. I may have another way the Guardians can help us."

"I'm all ears."

"We don't know what we will be fighting when this supposed great darkness comes, but I can help you a little better. I just need to get back to the Enchanted Forest. Is Maleficent here?"

"No, Emma killed her." Lisa said.

"Actually, she didn't." Regina interrupted. Father and daughter looked up at her. "Mal is actually in the Land Without cursed herself before I could and only after she told me about her losing her child. She wouldn't tell me anything about it though." She looked at Lisa. "Mother and I were just thinking that if Maleficent plays a role in this, then her lost daughter probably does too, and is probably someone you know considering you knew Emma and Neal beforehand." Lisa suddenly grinned.

"I know exactly who you're talking about then."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You knew her too?" Emma asked as Lisa parked the car. "Last time I saw her she was begging on the streets and stealing."

"When I knew her she had a mom. Met her when I was...14, I think? That was a fun time." Lisa said, getting out of the car. Lily Page. Her best friend growing up. They did everything under the sun. As teenagers, they considered themselves invincible. When they met, they stole things, robbed places. By the time they were 21, they were always partying and drinking. They stole cars, vandalized stuff, did drugs, had tons of sex, even did some street racing.

"Sheesh, glad we met when you calmed down."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "For your information, that was the best fucking time of my life...besides when I'm with Regina. No worries, no problems, just me and Lily having fun. You could use a little fun. Whether you like it or not, even if she isn't part of the prophecy, we need her."

"And if that Guardian shit doesn't exist? We're wasting time."

"How do you plan to fight something without knowing what it is? Hell, Maleficent might know what's going to happen and she's not going to help us if you don't learn that you can't force people to do what you want because you're some kind of Savior. I guarantee that Lily nor Maleficent gives a shit about that."

Emma rolled her eyes and looked around. "You sure this is the place?"

"Yep." Lisa looked up at the massive nightclub in front of them. The Dragon's Lair, it was called. One of the biggest clubs in the world, both literally and figuratively. Lisa lead the way to the door and told the giant bouncer their names. He gave them VIP stamps and ushered them. Inside, the place was gorgeous. Clearly, no expense was spared to build it. Even among the many lights and colors, there was a certain elegance to the place as well. The bar was huge and situated in a circle with 10 bartenders behind the bar and 6 rows of alcohol. If you wanted to have a good time, this was the place to be. It didn't just appeal to the teenagers either, there were people of all ages here, most of whom Lisa knew came from the underbelly of the world. Thieves, gang bangers, street racers, mob bosses, underground fighters, gamblers, let's just say that if you were on the wrong side of the law and wanted to have a little fun, you were in the right place.

"This place smells like sin, debauchery and lawlessness." Emma commented, almost hugging Lisa's backside to avoid coming in contact with anyone else.

Lisa smirked as she was approached by a gorgeous latina in a red dress who said something in the sexiest spanish accent she had ever heard. "I'm sorry, no Español."

"How's about a drink?"

"You know, I would love to, but I kinda have a girl. Maybe some other time."

The woman only smirked. "I'll buy her a drink too."

Lisa fought off a grin, just in case Regina was feeling her emotions right now. "I'll have a chat with her. If she's down, I'll let you know. I'll find a pretty thing like you again."

"Flatterer." The woman brushed her shoulder as she walked off.

I'm going to fucking kill you.

Lisa sighed and went into the bathroom where it was quieter, although she could still feel the bass pounding through the floor and called her mate. "Regina-"

"What the fuck was that? You go back to your old haunts and you just forget who you belong to?! Should I have come with you?" Regina demanded.

"Mama, relax. I was just being polite." Lisa defended, glancing up as Emma locked the door.

"You were flirting." Regina almost growled.

"To be fair, she invited you too."

"Don't expect any sex when you get back."

"Regina! You're overreacting just a little bit, don't you think? Woman, I don't want any other woman but you. Sure, she was beautiful, but if you think there is any woman on this earth that can compare to you then I don't know what to say. You're everything to me, baby. I'm fighting for a future with you right now." Lisa smiled when she felt Regina calm down.

"Can you two wrap this up this little love fest?" Emma sighed.

"Can you go fuck off?" Lisa replied. "I'll call you back later, baby. I love you."

"Love you. No more flirting."

"Yes ma'am." She hung up and glared at Emma. "Why don't you pick one of these women or guys in here- No, how about you pick up a few, buy a hotel room and go have a little fun for once. Maybe then you'll lay off." She lead the way out of the bathroom and took the lead again through the throng of people, making their way to the VIP section. She asked another bouncer if she could speak to the owner.

"What's the problem?"

"Um, no problem, my good man. I'm just a friend visiting the owner."

"Boss doesn't come in on mondays. Check the penthouse across the street. Top floor."

"Thank you." The pair left the club and walked across the street. While they rode in the elevator, Lisa did some digging on her phone and her jaw dropped.

"What?" Emma asked.

"Lily owns this entire building. What the fuck?" When the elevator stopped, they got off and walked to the end of the hall. "This is insane." She commented, knocking on the door. It was opened by a handsome, large, shirtless Mexican man. "Um, is Starla here?"

"Who's asking?"

"Lisa Stone."

"One moment." He called over his shoulder, speaking spanish. A woman replied to him and he invited them into the beautifully furnished office. At the end of the room, seated in a large throne-like chair behind a great desk, was none other than Lily Page. Dressed immaculately in a little black dress, she was hard at work furiously writing.

"It's Starla now, is it?" Lisa asked.

The brunette looked up and grinned, getting up, running around the desk and leaping into Lisa's arms. She gestured to the man and he left the office. "It's still Lily, I had to change it because of some assholes wanting to kill me."

"I wonder why." Lisa scoffed. Lily smirked and bid them to sit.

"What's with the half naked guy?" Emma asked, taking a seat on the black chair in front of the desk while Lily poured herself a glass of dark liquor.

"Usually there would be a lot more people and they would be completely naked but when Lisa said she would be stopping by, well a bunch of naked people might be too much for a friendly visit." Lily replied, retaking the seat at her desk. "But I'm guessing if you're here, then this isn't just a chat between old friends. So, what are you guys doing here?"

"Bit of a long story." Lisa said.

"I have all the time in the world."

It took a good half hour to explain everything to Lily, beginning with finding Storybrooke, going to the Enchanted Forest, fighting Cora, Mendel and Tamara, going to Neverland, everything with the Guardians and Lisa's family, the prophecy and finally...her mother. "We think you might be the third member of the prophecy." Lisa said. "And that only Mal can help us find the second Guardian headquarters, if they survived the curse that is. I know we're grasping at straws right now and have no idea what's coming, but it's our best bet."

"Will you come to Storybrooke with us?" Emma asked.

"You don't know, do you?" Lily narrowed her eyes.

"Know what?"

"That your parents are the reason why my mother cursed herself. They took me from her just after she'd given birth and cursed me with your darkness because they wanted you to be perfect and since I was the child of a villain, I wasn't as important, I was automatically a monster like they thought my mother was." Lily tilted her head. "And now you're asking me to bring my mother, who hasn't forgotten a single thing back to your pathetic little town where your pathetic parents await for her to save them. Mom is a dragon and she's going to want blood. Even now, I would love to rip your parents limb from limb."

"Just try it." Emma growled.

"Enough, guys." Lisa intervened. "Lily, I had no idea the Uncharmings were that stupid and cruel, but right now there are bigger things at stake. My dad says that there is another Guardian headquarters that may have survived the curse. If they are still there, they can help us but we need some sort of leverage. We need Mal. The headquarters is in her territory."

"Mom won't help you. She knows about the prophecy, she was there when the damn thing was created." Lily scoffed. "Because of you, Lisa, I'll think about it."

"How do you know what Maleficent wants?" Emma demanded.

Lily sighed and got up. She left the room and returned minutes later with something that looked like a hunk of dirt hanging off a string. "This is a piece of my egg. Mom cast a spell on my egg. As long as I have a piece of it, I can communicate with her. She's been with me ever since Merlin's apprentice activated it for me, unlike your bitch of a mother who just tossed you into a tree and hoped for the best. She walked me right to her and she raised me to be what I was always meant to be, what I was denied by your idiot parents."

"Look, Lily, I get that-" Lisa said.

Lily raised her hands. "You know what, why don't we forget this little prophecy stuff for tonight. You join me for dinner at my restaurant and tell me about your girlfriend, because if she could tie down the Great Lisa Stone, then I wanna know about her."

"Would you excuse us for a second?" Emma asked. She quickly pulled Lisa out of the office and slammed the front door. "This is pointless and a complete waste of time."

"You got a better idea?"

"If we bring the dragons back to Storybrooke, they will destroy it."

"No, they will destroy your parents, who would completely deserve it. But you're forgetting that they live in this world too. They might not help because it's a noble thing to do but if they want to stay alive, they will help us. Common sense, Em. I would think you would be a little more upset about your parents being baby snatchers."

"I am, and I'll call them later, but right now we're wasting time."

"Then make time, Emma. I didn't force you to come with me. We need her. So we have to play her game right now. And I don't know about you but I'm more than ready for a free dinner." She could tell Emma was still annoyed and probably a lot more angry at her parents than she had acted, but ultimately she agreed to Lisa's logic. However, she wasn't actually invited to the dinner so she went back to the motel room and Lisa accompanied Lily to an upscale restaurant across town. "This doesn't seem like a place you would normally frequent." She commented, taking a seat. The restaurant was completely empty except for them, but it was beautiful, reminiscent of a castle that had been modernized.

"It's not, but since I found Mom, I've developed a taste for the finer things. So, how've you been?" Lily asked.

"Fine. I'll admit I was a little bored until the whole Storybrooke thing, but for the most part, fine."

"You and the Evil Queen?"

"That woman is a goddess!" Lisa said, making Lily laugh.

"Tell me all about her."

Lisa happily did so. She wasn't aware of it at that moment because she was so focused on Lily, but Regina was listening to her every word and was almost purring with pleasure at hearing her mate speak so fondly of her. It almost made up for her flirting earlier. Almost…

For Lisa, it was amazing to catch up with an old friend. It was just like old times again...without the illegal stuff. Halfway through their exquisite dinner, Lily paused and looked at something behind her friend and stood up. Lisa turned around, mouth falling open at the sight of the gorgeous blonde making her way over. She was dressed in a form fitting black gown that trailed the ground as she walked with a purple piece of fabric draped over her shoulder. Diamonds glittered in her jewelry, probably more expensive than Lisa was worth. Beautiful blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes. Lisa stood up, for some reason wanting to bow.

The woman walked to Lily and kissed her cheek. "Hey Mom."

"Hello, dear. Is this your friend?" The woman who must be Maleficent turned to ask.

"Um, yes, ma'am." Lisa dipped her head respectfully. Maleficent took her arm and pulled her away from the table before walking around her, examining her, but the intensity in her gaze made it seem as if she were a predator sizing up her prey. "Um…" Lisa looked at Lily for guidance but the brunette merely shrugged and sipped her champagne.

"You are one of the three that will save us all?" Maleficent asked.

"Um, apparently."

The dragon looked at her daughter. "We're going to need a lot of work. You both may sit."

Lisa quickly sat down. Maleficent moved to sit to her right and the waiter brought her a glass of wine and a menu. She looked over it for barely a moment before choosing something in french and the waiter quickly rushed away like his life depended on it.

"You can relax, dear." Maleficent said, sipping her wine. "I'm not going to eat you."

"Are you sure?" Lisa asked.

"Positive. Besides, from what I heard walking in, Regina already does that." Lily almost choked on her drink and Maleficent chuckled softly to herself. "You are my daughter's friend, so you are my friend. Relax, eat, drink, tell me more about the two of you." The pair did, detailing all of the crazy things they had done in the past, ranging from stealing a police car to illegally scaling skyscrapers. Their antics only caused the dragon to laugh. "If the two of you were so happy together, why did you part ways?"

"We got arrested." Lily answered.

Lisa smirked and nodded. "Yeah, we realized that the punishments would get worse as we got older, so once we got out, she found you and I took a steady job with Emma."

"Emma… Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter?"

"Yeah."

Maleficent leaned back in her chair. "I suppose you know what happened."

"Yes ma'am."

"Then you know that I'm going to attack them as soon I see them."

"I figured. I mean, just don't kill them and everything should be fine."

Maleficent smirked. "I like you, but call the Savior so I can tell you about this prophecy." Lisa quickly called Emma and gave her the address to the restaurant. The blonde arrived not too long later and immediately sat down. Lisa nudged her shoulder.

"What?"

"This is Maleficent. Dragon Queen." Lisa growled. "Bow, kneel, shake a hand, something!" She hissed softly.

"It is not necessary, my dear." Maleficent said. "She is not one of my subjects, I do not need her respect. But on to this prophecy, it was given to Merlin when he drank from the Holy Grail and received his magic. That was a very long time ago. It foretold of a great darkness that would engulf every world. The Dark One's dagger serves as a sort of barrier against the Dark One themself, but according to the prophecy, one day it will break and every single Dark One from the past will rise from their ashes."

"How many is that?" Emma asked.

"I don't know." Maleficent scoffed. "You think I spent my life counting the number of Dark Ones in the world? There must be thousands."

"But that's impossible. Gold-"

"Is not the only Dark One. Your world is not the only world." The dragon snapped. "I keep forgetting that you humans know nothing and think you know everything. Notice that I said 'every world'. That is why you three are so important because you don't hold the fate of the world on your shoulders, you hold multiple worlds."

"Is there a way to stop the Dark Ones from rising?" Lisa asked.

"It has already been foretold. It will happen, but you can stop it before it gets too far. There is way to end it quickly, if you can. The Dark One's dagger is a part of a sword, Excalibur. Reforge the sword and kill the First Dark One with it and the rest will die. The darkness will die. The only problem is, Excalibur is in the hands of a madman. King Arthur."

"I thought King Arthur was a benevolent and wise ruler." Lily said.

"He was, until he lost his mind trying to find Excalibur to prove he is a worthy king. He let his kingdom rot, his wife left him for his best friend and his citizens tried to dethrone him. It was quite amusing to watch actually. It was like the Enchanted Forest's version of a soap opera. Now though he used magic sand, I forget the name, to brainwash all of his people and his wife into thinking he is that benevolent and wise ruler that you know him as. He will die, take his kingdom down and you with him before he relinquishes that sword."

"Okay, then." Lisa said, thinking over her words. "So this First Dark One, how do we find him when they all start to rise?"

"Her." Maleficent corrected. "Nimue was her name. She was Merlin's true love until she chose vengeance over him. And she will not need to be found. She's going to be right in the middle of things. So, I trust you have an army?"

"An army? I thought it was just going to be us."

"Well, of course, you three are special for many reasons but if you honestly believe the Dark Ones aren't going to conjure a fucking army along with them, you're deluded and we're all dead."

"Son of a bitch." Maleficent sat quietly, allowing them to take in this information. Lisa was sure that Regina was listening in as well. Special for many reasons? Ask her to elaborate. Lisa repeated her mate's questions aloud.

"The rules of magic don't necessarily apply to you." The dragon answered. "Breaking curses, powerful enchantments, going to different worlds, etc. It's needed. A regular person would not be able to kill a Dark One without having the dagger and ultimately taking on the mantle themselves."

"That's how I brought Cora back to life." Lisa whispered.

"Cora? Cora Mills?" The werewolf nodded. "That bitch stole one of my magic books."

Why would the dagger break? Regina asked. Lisa repeated her question for her.

"Because darkness is only going to wait so long. The dagger isn't caging the Dark Ones, but it will be like a beacon. As soon as it breaks, they will claw their way back to life and destroy everything. Although, I remember Merlin saying that a green light will crack the dagger, opening the way."

"A green light?"

"Yes."

"How do you know all this?" Emma asked. "You talked to Merlin then?"

"He wrote down the prophecy and entrusted me with it before his untimely death at the hands of King Arthur. As I am immortal, he knew that I would be alive long enough to tell it to whoever needed it. As a safety measure, I spread it to the Guardians, just in case something happened to me."

"You two were friends?" Lily asked.

The dragon paused and seemed to think carefully about her answer. "We were very good friends. He's actually...your father…." All eyes turned to Lily.

"Are you serious? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I told you everything about him, just not his name. Besides, he does not bring up good memories for me. Especially since I can never see him again. It's hard when you're immortal and have no choice but to watch everyone you love die. Merlin was the only one who stayed." That meant Merlin must've been much older than anyone thought and the clear sadness in Maleficent's eyes spoke volumes to how many years they must've known each other.

Lisa looked down. It made her wonder how life would be if she never got to see Regina again. She didn't want to think about losing the woman she loved or how she would ever move on from it. It seemed impossible. She excused herself and went to the bathroom to call Regina.

"Hello, dear. We wrote down everything and Mother is watching Gold to make sure there isn't a green-"

"I love you."

"I love you too. You're on edge, what's wrong?"

"I just want you to know that and always know that. Being with you is like a dream come true and I love you so much. All of you. The good parts, the bad parts, the parts you hate. I just...need you to know it. Please?"

"I know, my love. Now that we know what we're facing, we can better prepare for it. We will get through this and then we will go away, to a deserted island or something, just you and me making love all day every day. Then we'll have kids. As many as possible. Okay?"

"Okay." Lisa whispered. "I just...honestly, I'm scared."

"You have us right behind you, dear. You're not going to fight alone, I promise that."

"I know." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I'll call you back tonight."

"Okay, but you do realize that you can talk to me without a phone, right?"

"I do, but force of habit, I guess." She said a quick bye to her lover and headed back into the dining room. Maleficent was on her feet, as was Lily. Emma remained where she was. "So, what's the plan, your majesty?"

"Please, call me Mal." The dragon replied. "We will accompany you to your home in Storybrooke. I will punch the shit out of the Charmings, lock up Rumpelstiltskin and his dagger and then we will get started on building a defense. Nimue was born, lived and buried in the Enchanted Forest, so most likely that is where she will arise."

"We should make our stand there." Lisa said.

Mal nodded. "Indeed. As for the Guardians in my territory, they live. I protected their tower. Their ages might be a little misconstrued, but besides that they will help if I ask. Just talk to your father and make sure he knows that he will not be welcomed as the Lord Commander or the Grand Guardian there."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"He sent them to build a home from scratch up in the northernmost region of the Enchanted Forest. Right in the heart of land claimed by a dragon. Combine that with the problems of finding food and keeping warm. Wouldn't you be pissed if your leader sent you to a frozen hell?"

"I guess I would." She commented.

"I have some matters of business to attend to, but I will return in two days. In the meantime, Lily will show you to our hotel. Make yourselves at home, go shopping, enjoy your stay. Everything is on me."

"That's not necessary, Mal-"

Mal put a finger over her lips. "Does Regina still have that birthmark on her left thigh?"

Lisa frowned. "Um, yeah."

"It's actually not a birthmark, but anyways, I'm rich and a dragon. I will be paying for your trip. Ta-ta." She turned to leave and Lisa pulled out her phone.

"Regina."

"Yes…"

"What's that on your thigh if it's not a birthmark?" Regina instantly hung up the phone and Lisa took a deep breath. Someone was getting a spanking later… She looked at Lily. "So...your mom's pretty hot."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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