Arthur note:

Guess who's back!!? :3 ENJOY!

Chapter 11.

After everyone agreed with Reginas plan, all there was to do was execute it. Snow decided to go and get Charming and Neal and start settling in Reginas house while Emma and Eugenia left to start spreading the word in town of a mandatory town meeting later on in the day. Regina hoped her plan worked, if she was correct, which she usually was, then all the most powerful residents of Storybrooke will definitely be targeted first. Truthfully, if she was her old self that would be how she herself would plan it. If they already got to Ruby, a powerful werewolf, then that in itself triples the threat this individual or individuals create. They had to be dealt with sooner rather then later.

Speaking of Ruby.

Regina lowered the book she was reading while simultaneously looking up towards her stairs. After the plan was set in motion, Eugenia had dragged a pouting Ruby up stairs to the guest room. Claiming that the girl needed a little bit more rest to fully heal from her injuries, that despite Ruby's extraordinary healing factors she needed rest for the serum to take full effect and have her back to her usual self. Not long after that Granny came back and left with Emma shortly after, Snow right behind them.

As much as Regina had been trying to distract herself from the fact that she was completely alone with the gorgeous wolf, her mind could not process any of the words she was reading. Her eyes kept straying up her staircase, wondering if Ruby was okay, what she was up to, if she was up or if she was sleeping soundly. She had even tried to tap in to her connection with Ruby, trying to see if she could get some sort of idea of how the other girl was doing or what she was doing up stairs. But she seemed to be lacking practice with this new found connection with the wolf, she could feel Ruby, she knew where in the house she specifically was, she could sense she was okay and not in any sort of danger. But that is how far it went. Regina didn't know why, but she had a feeling her connection to Ruby could be a lot more powerful then this. Whenever she tried to reach out to the other girl with her senses, she still did get plenty of information on her that she wouldn't have been able to get otherwise thanks to this magical connection they somehow got, but Regina could still feel a wall. Almost like there was still something preventing them from fully unlocking the potential of whatever it was that was connecting them. And now that she had finally talked with Emma about it, and her true love had giving her the green light to pursue this new development with Ruby, at a slow pace of course, then Regina had every intention of seeing it through to the end.

It might not be love just yet. But Regina felt it in her heart that it can definitely turn into love with Ruby. After that night of finding the girl in her backyard, after everything since then and the sudden feelings that the wolf awoken in her, Regina was falling in love and she knew it. And the most surprising fact of it all, besides the fact that she already had a true love to begin with, was that she was completely satisfied with that outcome. If anything she was extremely excited for that prospect, seeing how a life where she had her true love and whatever Ruby was in her life made her happy.

" Hey". The voice came so suddenly and unexpectedly that Regina felt herself jump a little at the sound. Ripping herself out of her thoughts and turning around in her comfortable seat on her couch to look behind her.

Ruby was standing in the threshold of the living room. Regina noticed the girl had changed her outfit from earlier, now instead of pajamas she sported black jeans and a red t-shirt with her long hair up in a ponytail similar to Reginas own. Regina felt her lips go a little dry at the sight, how she was able to resist Ruby's attractiveness all these long years of knowing the girl was a mystery to her. Ruby looked more like herself then she did earlier, less Alfa wolf and more Ruby Lucas. Even though Regina could still clearly see spots of amber in her beautiful blue eyes. Regina felt herself gulp a little, remembering how Ruby was acting with her earlier in the kitchen, how possessive of Regina she was. It sent a shiver down her spine at just thinking about it. Seeing Ruby in alfa mode really did things to Regina that she couldn't describe.

" Hi", said Regina back. She fully put down the book she wasn't reading and set it on the side table. She smiled at the taller girl, eyes twinkling over a little as she took her in.

Ruby looked a little unsure of herself, shifting her weight from foot to foot, almost like she wasn't sure of what to do in that moment. And sure enough, she was panicking a little on the inside. She didn't remember much of what happened after she passed out from her injuries, she remembers bits and pieces of it. Fighting that hooded looking monstrosity in the forest, Reginas beautiful face coming into focus for a second before she succumbed entirely into darkness. Then waking up hours later, but almost like she wasn't entirely in control of her body. She knew granny most definitely had giving her the serum, she's done it before whenever she got into really bad fights. But what terrified her the most was how her alfa took over whenever her body was under the serums effect, and with Regina around who knows what her alfa had said or done to her mate. She knows her wolf was not agreeing with her on how she was going to handle the situation with her mate, she's made her disagreement very obvious. So her wolf taking matters into her own paws when she was in control was not out of the realm of possibilities, and that shook Ruby to her core. She could only pray and hope Granny had stopped her from doing anything that could reveal the truth to Regina, or Emma.

" Are you going to stand there all day pup, or would you like to join me?", came the enticing voice of her mate from the couch. Ruby snapped out of her thought bubble and focused on her mate across from her. Regina was looking at her with her beautiful brown eyes, a small smile on her lips as she stared at Ruby.

Ruby let out a small nervous chuckle, her hand automatically coming up to rub the back of her neck nervously. " Yeah of course, sorry I sort of spaced out a little there", she replied back as she walked over to where Regina was and took a seat next to her on the couch, making sure there was at least a tiny gap between them.

Regina looked her over, eyes scanning the entire length of her body. She wanted to make sure Ruby was completely fine, she couldn't for the life of her take the image of her wolf laying on that forest floor, beaten and bruised, out of her mind. Just knowing that she wasn't there to protect her, that Ruby got so hurt to the point of almost death made tears spring up to her eyes immediately. The happiness she felt at seeing her disappearing at the thought of what almost could have happened to her.

Ruby immediately sensed something wrong with her mate and went on full protective mode. She erased that last inch of space between them and put an arm around Reginas shoulders, pulling the other woman closer to her. " Hey, what's wrong Regina?", she asked. Looking deep into her mate's eyes.

Regina tried her best not to break down, this feeling she was feeling of thinking on how close she was to losing Ruby, it was almost overwhelming. But feeling the other girl's touch, her warmth, feeling her heart beat loud in her ear as she let herself be pulled closer and laid her head out on the wolfs chest. Her intoxicating scent surrounding her like a warm blanket on a cold day, Regina kept the tears at bay and enjoyed the comfort Ruby's presence brought her. She made a silent vow to herself that she would do anything in her power to protect Ruby, she couldn't bare the thought of seeing the wolf in the same shape she found her in that godforsaken forest. Her and Emma, Henry and Snow and her entire new found family will be her top priority always, she would make certain of that.

" Regina, are you alright?", asked a worried Ruby. She didn't know what could have possibly made her mate get in this state. All she knew was that she could feel Reginas emotions, and the other woman was feeling a heavy dose of anguish and guilt, with a underline of protectiveness thrown in there. Whatever the reason may be, Ruby's first instinct is to protect and comfort her mate at all cost. She didn't care what the reason may be, as long as she was there to physically and emotionally support her mate always.

Regina snuggled up closer to Ruby, taking in all the comfort the other girl was giving her, basking in her warmth and scent. " I will be honest with you Ruby, seeing you in the state you were in when Emma and I found you in the forest has shaken me to my very core. I've come to care a great deal for you and Eugenia for reasons that i will not explain at the moment". She confessed. Regina still felt like she couldn't fully explain their situation to Ruby regardless if she was certain the girl already knew about it, she didn't understand why but she felt like Ruby wouldn't be honest with her. Regina was going to have to find the missing pieces of this mystery on her own, and then when she had all the facts she needed she would confront Ruby and not give her a way out.

Ruby looked down at Regina, her arms still encircled around the other woman firmly, a look of pure adoration on her face as she gazed down at her mate. Regina did not see due to the fact that her face was securely buried in her neck. The admission made Ruby's heart skip a beat, it was almost like Regina was admitting something without admitting it. And that thought was almost enough to make her throw her entire plan out the window, god this is so fucking hard. Why did her mate need to be so fucking perfect?.

Ruby leaned down and placed her head on top of Reginas, tightening her hold on her. " I'm sorry, I wish you didn't have to see me like that".

Regina took a small breath, closing her eyes momentarily. "I can't say I agree. I'm extremely thankful that I was able to find you and help you. I just wish I could have been there to assist you, maybe then you wouldn't have been so hurt", she admitted, sadness coating her tone.

Ruby also closed her eyes and signed. " Even though I know for a fact we could have both handled that hooded freak. Im really glad you weren't there, I…." She paused for a second, not sure if she should continue or risk saying to much. But she sensed that Regina needed it, needed to hear her say something. So mustering some courage, she continued. " I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you, I've also come to care a lot for you", she admitted, her heart beating a mile a minute. She wasn't sure if Regina would be able to figure her out based on that statement alone, but at the moment all she wanted to do was make sure her mate knew she was cared for.

Regina felt her heart flutter at the statement, she also sensed as well as heard in her own ear how Ruby's heart increased in tempo.

" Thank you Ruby", was all Regina said, feeling like there wasn't a need to say anything else, she was sure she was portraying enough feelings through their shared connection and she knew Ruby understood her.

Ruby and Regina sat there on the couch for a couple more minutes, each needing each other. Enjoying the moment as much as possible without the need of conversation. But as all good things come to an end, so did this moment between the two women.

Reginas cellphone rang, interrupting the moment and dragging both of them back into reality. Regina felt sadness creep in to her heart, this moment with Ruby felt extremely special and she was sad watching it be destroyed. But she needed to get her head in the game, they had bigger problems at the moment. She hadn't forgotten her anger and need to bring the people responsible for hurting Ruby to justice, after that was dealt with, she would dedicate all her time to explore this new development with the gorgeous wolf.

Ruby also felt the same way as her mate, any moment she got with Regina felt like a breath of fresh air, she's come to treasure them like a lifeline. But she also needed to remember herself, remember what her plan was after they dealt with whatever threat was coming their way. After that was done, she would have to renounce her mating with Regina so that her mate could be happy with her true love. She had to remember that, as much as it pained her.

Regina didn't get out of the comfort of Ruby's arms as she reached behind her to grab her phone out of her back pocket, she saw Snow calling her and answered while putting it on speaker for Ruby to hear as well.

" Hello dear", she said into the receiver.

Snows clear voice came a second after, " Hi mom, I'm all set to move in to the mansion with Charming and Neal", she said.

Regina smiled, " Splendid dear, just leave your belongings home for the time being. Me or Emma can stop by later and teleport your things directly to your rooms in the mansion. We will deal with that once we have gathered the towns people and informed them of recent events", she said, not once did she move out of Ruby's embrace, squeezing as much of the other girl's touch as possible.

Snow made a sound of agreement on the other end, " Sounds like a plan, also Granny called. She said that her and Emma have almost gathered everyone down at city hall. I think we should meet them there", she informed.

" Very well, I will give Emma a call and I shall meet you there in 15 minutes", said Regina.

Another noise of agreement from Snow, " Okay mom, also, is Ruby up yet or is she with you?, if not then please wake her up and bring her with you", said Snow.

Regina and Ruby shared a brief glance at each other before Ruby ultimately decided to speak up. " Hey Snow, I'm here with Regina", she said.

" Hi Ruby, I'm glad your up. You sound like yourself again", said Snow enthusiastically, she was glad her friend was feeling better again.

Ruby smiled softly at her friend, her and Snow have been through everything together, the little pixie haired will always have a special spot in her heart. " Thank you Snow, I'm feeling a lot better. I will meet you at city hall with Regina", she replied back.

Snow acknowledged her before saying her goodbyes and hanging up.

Ruby and Regina did not move from their spot in each other's arms even after Snow had hung up. Their bodies and heart did not want to separate, especially after everything that's happened so far. Regina had a feeling that whatever threat was on the horizon wasn't going to be easy, and that made it the more difficult to want to extract herself from the wolfs embrace. But she knew she had to, she missed Emma dearly and they needed to get a handle on the situation before anybody else got hurt in her town.

So without further more stalling, she removed herself from Ruby's arms. The taller woman resisting just the tinniest bit before letting Regina go completely, knowing they had business to take care of.

They made it to town hall exactly 15 minutes later, just as Regina said they would.

The entire town was already inside, the place buzzing with talk and whispers about what could possibly be the reason for this unexpected meeting. As Regina and Ruby walked through the giant double doors, they saw Emma, Granny, Henry, Snow, Charming and Neal up on the stage in front of the crowd . They moved their way past everyone and joined them up on stage, Regina going over to her blonde true love and giving her a quick kiss.

Regina then turned to look at the crowd of the residents of Storybrook, everyone falling into silent a few seconds later as they noticed her stare of expectantly waiting for them to settle down.

" Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for your presence today, I know this last minute gathering has come as an unexpected surprise for you all. But there are some recent events that have transpired within our town that are of the most importance", started Regina. She looked around, making sure she had their full attention before continuing. " Yesterday afternoon, there was an attempted attack on my life", she said.

Small murmurs immediately started as soon as the statement left Reginas mouth. Regina looked around at the room with focused eyes, trying to see if she could catch anyone acting suspicious. She would assume that if the one's responsible were here, hiding within the crowded room, she was hoping to catch some kind of reaction that would give them away to her. She felt on her right side as Emma walked up to stand next to her slightly behind her shoulder, her support clearly felt by Regina while also keeping a close eye on the crowd in front of them, Regina knew she was most likely doing the same as her and trying to catch something out of the ordinary. But then a second later she also felt on her left side someone else walk up to stand behind her shoulder protectively, she didn't even have to turn to see who it was, she knew exactly who it was. Ruby stood there, also staring intensely at the crowd of Storybrook residents, if there was absolutely anything suspicious about anyone in there then her wolf senses would surely pick it up. And if not her, then Granny behind her definitely will.

Regina never felt more powerful then she did in that moment, having both women behind her in support gave her strength she didn't know she could feel. With that feeling she silenced the people and continued. " Fortunately, Ruby wasn't too far away and was able to assist me in my time of need", she said, giving said girl a quick look over her shoulder. " Afterwards we made the discovery that my accident was not accidental by any means, and it was in fact on purpose. We firmly believe there are dark forces at work, we have evidence to prove that fact", she said.

" What evidence have you found?", asked Mulan, who was standing next to princess Aurora holding her hand tenderly.

" My vehicle was flipped upside down in a ditch not far from Granny's diner. After Ruby rushed me to the hospital and the suspicion of foul play arouse, we all came to a unanimous agreement that she would return to the scene and investigate. As you all know, her werewolf heritage gives her the advantage of picking up things out of the ordinary. There, she found crucial evidence to confirm our suspicions", informed Regina.

Granny decided to talk next and walked up to stand next her to granddaughter, her trusty bow and arrow slung securely behind her back. " Ruby found a smear of inky black goop around Reginas vehicle, once she brought it back to us the stench of death was evident, which to us wolfs signifies dark magic. Unfortunately after that discovery whoever is behind this decided to try and take out my granddaughter", she said, her stern eyes moving across the room as she talked, anger evident in her gaze and tone of voice.

Regina also felt her anger rise at the reminder. Emmas eye twitching a little also gave away her anger at the reminder of her best friend almost getting pummeled to death.

Everyone's eyes turned to Ruby then, the tall girl standing next to Regina with her arms crossed and a permanent scowl plastered on her face. She knew it was her turn to speak up next so she took a deep breath before starting. " After I found that strange goop, I was attacked. Whatever attacked me was definitely strong, and very dangerous. I held my own but I was soon overpowered until I fell unconscious from my injuries. Next thing I knew I was waking up in Reginas mansion", she said, her eyes flashed amber for a second, causing some people to take a few steps back in fear of the powerful wolf.

" Do you have any idea of what attacked you Ruby?", asked Anna worriedly, her and her sister Elsa were one of the one's at the very front of the crowd. The Queen of Arendelle wrapped a protective arm around her sister, her icy blue eyes staring ahead.

Ruby shook her head, " In the moment, no. All I knew was that I was fighting a hooded, floating, black skeleton and losing. But the one thing I was sure of is that it was definitely the cause of Reginas accident, and it didn't look too happy that I was poking my nose around". She said.

Grumpy snorted from his spot, his other brothers surrounding him. " I still don't get how this is any of our business. All I'm hearing is that Ms. Mayor over here pissed off the wrong people, and now their taking a swing at her. Is everyone actually surprised that people are going after the ex evil queen?, I'm not". He said with an eye-roll.

Emma glared at the small man and Ruby let out a small growl of warning. The blonde sheriff spoke up then, her green eyes hard. " Well maybe if you listen to what we have to say, you'd actually understand how fucked this situation is, tiny. Not only to Regina, but to everyone here", she said while glaring down at him, the small man scoffed but didn't say anything else. Regina put her hand on Emmas arm in thanks, giving her true love a small smile.

" Regardless of how rude he might have said it, Grumpy does have a point. What those all this have to do with all of us?", asked Tinkerbell, her and the other fairies floating above everyone else.

" That my dear, is what I will be revealing", stated Regina. After that she went into full detail of everything she found in her magic book, the two brothers, the cloning, the dark magic, the Sentient, everything. She watched closely as a look of horror and terror took over everyone's features while she spoke.

After she was finished, she took a small pause to let the information sink in before continuing. " As you all see, this situation is a lot worse then what we imagined. These individuals obviously have an agenda, and I fear it doesn't end with just attacking me and Ruby". She stated.

" Do you have some kind of idea of what they could possibly want, or even who it could be?. Unless your telling me that their doing this just for the fun of it", Kathryn asked her friend.

Regina shook her head. " As to the identity of these people, unfortunately I'm as clueless as everyone else. Their motive on the other hand, I have a theory. As I've said, this cloning magic was used to take over an entire kingdom. I believe these people are trying to do the same here. I don't believe it was a coincidence that myself and Ruby were targeted first, everyone here can agree that we are two of the most powerful residents of Storybrook. So obviously targeting the more powerful threats are their main objective at the moment. In due time that could easily change, but for the time being we can at least be certain that is what the plan is currently", she said.

Everyone looked around at each other, talking amongst themselves for a couple of minutes.

" If that is so, what would be the plan?. We obviously can't let that happen", asked Rapunzel.

" Of course we can't. That is why we held this meeting, to come up with a with a plan to stop them. Starting of with identifying who the more powerful residents are, if we can do that, then we can take precautions in ensuring we're ready for the next possible attack", said Snow, walking up to stand next to her daughter.

" Luckily, I've already listed who I believe are possible targets within Storybrook. My suggestion would be for the possible targets to come and stay at the mansion. Emma and I can use our magic to make the mansion bigger to fit us all comfortably while we deal with this threat once and for all. The rest of you, I suggest you arm yourselves, and get ready for a possible fight. Report anything or anyone that looks suspicious to any of us, and be aware that anyone who you come in contact with could potentially be a clone. We will have daily meetings, anyone who does not attend will be looked into immediately", informed Regina, her plan was very last minute, but she couldn't think of another solution. At the very least, with all the most powerful people in one place, it could possibly derail any future attacks for the time being until they could figure out who was responsible.

After a couple of minutes of talking within themselves, the people of StoryBrook saw the logic in Reginas plan and agreed.

Regina was satisfied with this outcome. " Splendid, now. I will now list all the people I believe are possible targets",. She said.

" Elsa and Anna".

" Ruby".

" Genie".

" Repunzal".

" Mulan".

" Jack Frost".

" Hercules".

" Belle".

" Kida".

" Moana".

" Tinkerbell".