Author's Note: This chapter is to give a little more backstory and understand just why everyone is soo much closer in the alternate dimension. I also just wanted to write about why Sarah and Snow's relationship is soo different and how both Regina and Zelena are a huge reason for the family being so close. Plus...I like writing my versions of these characters!

***************Alternate Enchanted Forest PAST***************************

Zelena held tightly to little Sarah's hand, looking up at the castle before her and trying to remain calm.

It didn't matter that she had done nothing to Sarah in the time she had been in Oz with her. She knew that what mattered was that SHE was the one bringing her back. The implication alone would ruffle feathers since her reputation had reached the many different lands.

All the same, she knew this moment had been arriving closer and closer the more she had grown to care for Sarah.

Her appearing from nowhere in Oz had made little to no stir as she had appeared in Walsh's Wizard Acceptance Hall. Zelena had found her and had immediately tried to be awful to the girl, manipulative even.

But Sarah had been smart and incredibly witty. Funny. Something she had not been accustomed to at all from a child.

After so few hours Zelena had been entrapped by Sarah's personality and sweetness.

Holding her tongue about her opinions were impossible and yet she did not judge her at all when it came to her green appearance.

If anything she had marveled at it.

She was...amusing. A spitfire of sunshine and a bundle of pure life that had forced Zelena to feel an instant affection for the girl.

And over the course of days, she had known she loved Sarah.

As days turned to weeks, her love for the little girl had grown to the point that she realized that the blood they shared only strengthened her affection for Sarah. Doting on her with toys and dolls.

One doll in particular she had grown to love dearly, she had named Tabitha.

The doll had become her favorite and she brought it with her everywhere. Slept with it at night and played tea party with Tabitha when Zelena was 'busy.'

Sarah had never said the words to her, but she knew the little girl had become attached to her as much as she had the doll.

Knowing that Regina's daughter cared for her in return only filled her with a feeling of happiness due to the affection shared made Zelena's hate for Regina reduce with each day that passed. The subconscious knowing that with out Regina Sarah would have never been born was causing her to appreciate in a small way that her sister had been born.

Yet Sarah's sadness had only increased as time passed, though she only showed that sadness in the early mornings and night when going to bed.

At first it hadn't been so significant that Zelena had noticed. But as days turned to weeks...the sight of the girl feeling so much sadness had affected her.

There was only soo much she could do to distract her.

It had started to hurt her to see Sarah so miserable at night. It was hearing her nightly prayers that had broken her.

Hearing her sweet little voice pray for a blessing for her family and then for her had made Zelena smile. But when Sarah had begun to ask to be able to hug her mother and sister just once more made Zelena feel like she wasn't truly just keeping Sarah to hurt her sister...she was hurting the little girl too.

Yet Sarah barely showed her the sadness she felt.

It should have made her angry. To know that Sarah was keeping her true feelings hidden from her.

Lying. It felt like the little girl was lying to her.

Thinking back on the moment she decided to confront Sarah she remembered the instant she knew Sarah really loved her.

Staring up at the castle just then she couldn't help but smirk just ever slightly.

It had been an awful thing to do...but she had told Sarah that the only way for her to get back to her lands was a spell. That to perform the spell she would need to sacrifice something she loved. Playing on the dark curse and feeling vindictive when she saw the horrified look on her face caused a slight pain, but she needed to know the truth.

She had wafted only slightly when Sarah had asked what sacrifice meant. It was after she had explained that it meant something being taken away forever did Sarah's eyes fill with tears and she began to cry and had run over to her doll Tabitha.

Zelena had felt hurt and her insides trembled with anger when Sarah had grabbed the doll and ran back to where she had been kneeling down so that she could stare into her eyes.

God even remembering it now brought tears to her eyes.

'You take Tabitha back!" Sarah demanded.

Zelena shook her head. "It doesn't work that way. You need to sacrifice it by destroying it."

"No! You take her back so I can hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Sarah had screamed as she cried trying to hit Zelena for the first time showing that she was indeed a child.

It wasn't until Zelena had stopped Sarah's arms and held her still to look in her eyes did she let what Sarah was trying to do sink in.

"Are you trying to give Tabitha back...so you can hate me?" The question was said with searching eyes as she looked at the young princess.

Sarah had nodded her head as she cried. Then Sarah had begun to sob and Zelena felt beyond foolish as she took Sarah into her arms and kissed her head as she shushed the girl who held onto her so tightly that Zelena had known she would have small finger bruises in a few hours.

That moment had unlocked something inside Zelena she had thought long gone. Joy. A pure joy she had only ever experienced as a child with who she thought was her mother.

And that's why she was here. In front of Regina's castle and wondering how she was ever going to be able to let go of her niece - now that she knew that joy once more.

Explaining to Sarah that she had found another way had made the little girl so happy that she felt her heart give slightly. Just knowing it would make Sarah happy was enough for her to bring her back to Regina.

The sudden sound of fighting hit Zelena's ear and she quickly pulled Sarah away and wrapped her arms around her as suddenly a man who was in a palace guards uniform fell backwards through the gate and began to crawl backwards in obvious fear and quickly tried to turn and right himself when a man flew through the gate and grabbed the man and spun him around.

The disheveled look of the man only caused the scene to be more unbelievable.

"HE HAS HER BECAUSE OF YOU!" The man screamed into the quaking guards face.

"JAMES STOP!" Came the yell from the distance.

The crowd grew yet pulled back from where another man came flying and tried to pry the man's hands from around the guard's throat.

"HEWASSUPPOSEDTOWATCHHERRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!" James screamed out from the depths of his soul the words in a rage that even caused a shiver to go down Zelena's back as she felt the rage even from the great distance from the man.

The guard for his part tried to pry the man's hands away as did the other man.

But the man, James, was choking the guard and not a soul moved to help the other man.

"JAMES STOP IT!" A female voice boomed in authority from where they had come from, but it did nothing to stop James.

James only growled out like an animal as he put his entire strength into choking the man now almost beneath him.

"DAVID!"

"SNOW STAY BACK!" David watched horrified as the man's color began to change under his brother's hold and with little choice left he did the only thing he could do.

Knowing that the man was seconds from dying, David pulled back and punched his brother in the face even as he gasped at the exertion.

"Snow? Uncle David?" Sarah whispered out as she turned her head from Zelena's side and looked to the scene.

Suddenly Sarah's eyes brightened.

"UNCLE DAVID!" Sarah screamed and before Zelena could stop her, Sarah had woven through the crowd and stopped as she saw the scene of her uncles.

David's whole body that had been fighting to keep James from killing the guard for the past ten minutes stilled.

He didn't even breathe as the voice of the scream penetrated his mind.

Even James had stilled as the voice he had thought never to hear again filled the empty air around them.

James moved first, disregarding the pain to his face, and stared across the way.

James found himself trying to lift himself off of the ground on what became obvious to everyone on drunken legs.

David turned slowly and stared at the girl, at first...his eyes didn't recognize the little girl who had grown some in the three months that she had been missing, but when he did recognize her he stopped breathing.

James stared at Sarah, almost as if he didn't believe his eyes. As if he had been hallucinating seeing her so often that he was disregarding his eyes in these moments.

It was when Sarah slowly approached him with a furrowed brow that made her look so like Regina that James stumbled back a few steps.

"Uncle James? Are you alright? You look...sick." Sarah's worried voice warbled. With that David moved towards her but before he could reach her James' arm shot out and grabbed Sarah's face with a look of anger that immediately melted away as he touched her flesh.

Blue eyes immediately lightened and began to water, as his hand immediately began to tremble.

Sarah stared for the first time scared at James and then found herself crushed by his arms around her as he was suddenly crying against her neck like a broken man.

"Sarah?" The shocked and hopeful voice of Snow was heard and everyone looked over at Snow who looked disheveled in a way Sarah had never seen before.

And it only took Snow's eyes finding Sarah's that she ran to her sister, James was still wrapped around her but Snow's arms wove through his and didn't care as she wrapped her arms around her baby sister just as tightly as he was and immediately started crying.

David had begun crying as he too couldn't believe the sight of the little girl.

"OWW! Snow I can't breathe!" Sarah yelled and it caused James, Snow, and David to laugh.

Zelena began to make her way towards Sarah and reached her just as Jame and Snow pulled away and saw Zelena place her hand on Sarah's upper back.

"Are you alright?" Zelena quickly asked as she had never heard Sarah exclaim in pain before and it had irked her immediately.

Sarah turned her head back and rolled her eyes in the way she had learned from Zelena and smiled.

"Now that their not squeezing me to death, I'm better."

Zelena slowly smiled at Sarah when commotion from where the three adults had appeared from earlier caught everyone's attention.

Guard's barely had cleared the entry when Regina came barreling out into the open and stopped as she looked towards the small group that stood apart from the crowd.

Her own clothes and appearance disheveled, as if she had been wallowing in misery in her room with noone able to make her give a damn about propriety.

"MAMA!" Sarah yelled happily.

Both mother and daughter ran towards each other at full speed! Sarah jumped into her mother's arms which instantly hugged her tighter then both James and Snow as she was balling her eyes out the instant her daughter was in her arms as relief finally replaced misery and despair. Landing on the ground did little to stop Regina from squeezing her daughter to herself with the intention of never letting go.

Regina pulled back her head and stared into the happy bright face of her baby girl and kissed her face all over and resumed holding her tightly and rocking her as if she were a baby once more.

Zelena felt a pang in her heart but looked away from the sight to keep from letting the sight provoke her jealousy.

She loved Sarah. Sarah loved her. But Sarah missed her family and was miserable without them. And now she could face the pain in losing her, as long as it meant Sarah was happy. Wanting her to have what she never really had.

A loving home.

"Oh my baby! My beautiful baby!" Regina murmured against Sarah's forehead, not able to let go of her yet, and not the least bit urked when Snow had dived into hold Sarah between the two of them.

"Thank God." David whispered out as he fell on the ground and lay up looking at the sky as his own tears of relief left his body. His own guilt had been pushed aside for soo long he was able to release his own pain finally.

Trying to keep everyone from going insane as everyone had placed the blame on themselves, but David had been left to console everyone. He had needed to be the strong one for everyone.

For Snow.

For Regina.

For James.

Everyone including his mother had crumbled from the grief of Sarah being 'taken.'

"Where did you find her?" James asked with slurred speech as he looked over at Zelena with a look that could only be described as...thankful.

He looked at her with this look... as if Zelena had killed a dragon or Ogre to free the small princess. The gratitude he felt was clearly visible and Zelena for the life of her couldn't even respond.

And unfortunately for her, she wouldn't need to.

Soldiers moved from the same hallway once more and a very raggedly looking Cora came speeding through the archway.

"NANNA!" Sarah screamed and Regina had no choice but to let go as Sarah ran the short distance and jumped up into her Grandmother's hold, who fell just as Regina had causing everyone in the family to move towards the two. All afraid that a fall like that could have seriously injured Cora.

Cora, who always seemed to be talking her way into or out of a situation said nothing as she cried holding her granddaughter.

Zelena felt her hands fiddle with the cloth of her cloak as she watched with a sudden anticipation of meeting her mother for the first time.

Cora pulled back and seeing her own granddaughter's eyes filled with tears wiped them away as the little princess began to wipe her nose with her sleeve.

"Sweetheart don't get your dress dirty." Cora immediately scolded, it was instinct to do so, and it caused an immediately smile on Sarah's little face.

"I missed you Nanna!" And with that threw herself back into Cora's arms who fell back down and held her grand daughter tightly to her chest as they lay on the dirt floor. Cora not giving two wits about her clothing now that she knew Sarah was safe and sound.

"We are indebted to you for all eternity." Snow said as she stood helping her mother and wiping at her mother's face and vice versa as they turned to thank the woman that had obviously been conversing with Sarah earlier.

Regina wiped at Snow's face and turned to continue to stare at her daughter laying on top of her mother. Snow as well as James were the only two that paid Zelena any attention as they wanted to know how this stranger had found Sarah and how they could repay her.

Zelena opened her mouth about to speak when Regina finally turned and looked at her.

"No matter what you need, I swear I will spare no expense repaying you for brining my daughter back to us."

It was how the words were said with conviction as well as sincerity that had Zelena close her mouth. Seeing Regina face to face with tears in her eyes out of relief and joy caused something strange in Zelena's chest.

That's when Cora finally was able to lean back up with Sarah still holding onto her and about to curb Regina's generosity when her eyes landed on the red headed beauty. And without her mouth consulting with her brain due to the pure shock of seeing her after so long, the name slipped from her lips.

"Zelena..."

All eyes turned to Cora as she stared from the distance at her first born child with worry and joy she couldn't express - because she knew what road her daughter had decided to travel down.

Zelena was shocked for only a second, and then the fact that her mother knew her on sight bristled her anger in a way that not even Regina's fortune had done.

"You know her mother?" Regina asked with the furrowing of her brow, interested in the tidbit of information that caused a shiver to run up her spine without any real reason.

"Intimately." Zelena said loudly with a snarl to form on her lips, showing just a little bit of the anger in her body.

Regina's head as well as Snow's swiveled to look at the woman with furrowed brows.

Cora began to stand as Sarah felt the undercurrent of worry and fear in her grandmother's hold.

"Nana you know Zelena?" Sarah asked with a furrowed brow of her own, not understanding why her Grandmother was pushing her behind her.

"Yes sweetheart. She knows me." Zelena answered as she walked towards her mother and closer to the two women that looked even more confused at the response to the question.

"Zelena I know you're angry. But if you're going to hurt someone..."

"OH! You KNOW?! You KNOW how I feel?!" Zelena grit her teeth as she spoke the last word as she continued forward with the anger growing in her body, and the green envious magic within began to gleam from her fingertips.

Regina didn't know what was happening but immediately went to block off Zelena from approaching her mother and daughter.

"Stop!" Regina quickly commanded and finally the soldiers that had been completely lax until that moment began to become rigid as they eyed the woman approaching their Queen's mother.

"I don't know who you are, and frankly all I can say is that whatever grievances you have with my mother, I... beg you... not to do this in front of my daughters." Regina pleaded with who she thought to be a stranger.

James having heard the name from his mother immediately knew who the red head that now stood in front of him was. It sobered him ever so slightly.

A stolen glance from his mother to him and he knew that what was about to happen was going to be an epic slap in the face to both of his sisters.

Neither of them knew the truth and his twin was going to be just as stunned when he found out the news.

It didn't matter that Regina and Zelena weren't related to him by blood. They had all been born from Cora's womb.

The semantics of who his real mother was were irrelevant to him.

They had been sold. He and his brother had been sold to Cora. He could only imagine what kind of woman would sell her own children.

Cora was a surrogate, but she had been the one to share her heart and body with both he and David.

Which made Zelena and Regina his sisters. He wasn't about to let jealousy be the reason his family become torn apart.

Oh he could see it in her eyes.

It blazed Zelena's blues, stormy to the point of turning grey.

He knew that feeling all too well.

"Snow...take Sarah inside right now." James said with all the authority he could summon in that moment.

The strength in the command had Snow look at James with a look of shock, but Snow quickly moved to grab Sarah from behind her Grandmother with Sarah instantly protesting.

"NO! SNOW WAIT!" Sarah immediately protested as Snow sweeped Sarah into her arms - even though Sarah was no longer a small child. Snow knew with the way James spoke that she needed to get Sarah to safety.

"STOP!" Zelena screamed but the guards immediately formed a gap to allow Snow and Sarah to be quickly hidden from sight.

"LENA!" Sarah's childish voice was heard yelling out, which made Zelena bring up a green fireball.

At the sight of the green fireball it caused Regina to form o ball of purple fire in her own hand. Readying herself to throw at the woman that not seconds ago she thought to be her daughter's savior.

"Zelena please," Cora moved between Regina and Zelena as she exclaimed with her hand extended in a stop motion, "don't do this... LIKE this!" and a pleading look in her eyes that Regina had never seen before as she looked between the two of them.

"And why shouldn't I?!" Zelena's voice cracking as the emotions got the best of her. "Why should I let you live this lie you created?!"

Everyone heard the hatred and hysteria in her voice.

"What is she talking about?" Regina asked as David had finally moved slowly towards his mother and sister.

"Zelena please..." Pleading in Cora's voice sounded wrong to everyone. It wasn't that it wasn't genuine. Quite the opposite. Anyone that heard her voice could feel the heartbreak.

"You don't have the right to say my name! SHE gave it to me! Twice the woman that you've ever been!" Zelena couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes. The pain of losing the only woman she had ever called mother increasing as she saw the way Cora was trying to stop her from hurting her REAL daughter.

"I know that! I...I know that." Cora reiterated in a calmer voice. "It's...it's the only reason...it's the only comfort I had. Knowing that she was."

Zelena's frame trembled at the admission.

"Zelena...I know who you are..." James said softly and waited as the blue piercing eyes turned to look at him before immediately looking back at Cora in disbelief.

"You're lying..." Zelena said but James moved slowly to face her. Zelena watched for any motion to hurt her when he did something that shocked her.

He kneeled down in front of her, his arms lax at his sides incomplete submission.

Zelena's fireball became smaller without her noticing as she stared at the disheveled man who knelt before her.

"She didn't want me to look for you because she was afraid that you'd be destroyed if you found out the truth. That somehow she would be taking you away from a happy home. So...I didn't. I didn't look for you because I couldn't stand the idea of having to tell our mother that my sister was in pain because of finding out the truth about who she really was. But I knew...I knew if you were anything like me. And...I needed to know... so I went to Oz anyway. But I didn't find you where she said you use to live. Just...and old man who..." James shook his head, not wanting to repeat what the man had said. " No one knew where you were and...I didn't even know where to look. I should have kept looking. I should have...I should have done more..." James lowered his head as he felt shame for is failure.

Zelena had stared into his eyes until he lowered his head and saw the pain there. With it she knew he was telling the truth, her fireball extinguishing and her hand lowering as she saw the tears fall down his face.

"Sister?" Regina's voice whispering as her own hand lowered as the flame completely extinguishing itself.

Both David and Regina's face showed the shock the word had produced coming for James' mouth.

But neither of them got the chance to even confront their mother or even utter a word towards Zelena.

Neither of them even moved as James who had begun to stand suddenly felt a whooshing sensation as his blood seemed to strangely move through his veins. Zelena didn't even have time to think as James fell forward and she grabbed him as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

James barely heard someone scream his name as the darkness enveloped him.

****************************Storybrooke Present Day******************************

They had barely caught their breaths when Zelena popped back into the room and quickly her eyes zoomed around the room as she saw everyone gasping and looking as if they had just fought off an opponent.

"I WAS GONE FOR LESS THAN 20 MINUTES!" Zelena screamed as she realized that she had missed something that had caused harm to her family.

And they would have laughed at her outburst if not two seconds later a red electric cloud which became a man was suddenly standing over Sarah who still held Demented Rum to her.

"YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO MAKE HER A DEAL!" His voice boomed in the room causing everyone to stare wide eyed at the tall prominent black man.

Mrs. Charming bounced Baby Snow as the yelling had upset her and she was struggling from her arms.

Sarah closed her eyes and let out a breath as she tried to control herself.

It was becoming harder and harder with every hour but she knew she couldn't give into the darkness that always tried to reach for her.

Opening her eyes she stared at Poseidon and grimaced as she responded, "It was either I make the deal or you never would have seen your daughter! What options did I have?!" Sarah exclaimed as she stood and helped Demented Rum up as she did so.

Poseidon glared at her and huffed out a laugh that spoke of no humor whatsoever. "So I'm to just allow my...my...THAT...woman...to take my child from me once more without ANY repercussions?!"

Sarah closed her eyes and lifted her arms and made fists with her hands trying to calm herself with the emotions that had surged through her not but a few seconds before as Poseidon caused a surge of anger to rip through her.

Then she felt his hands on her and the instant feeling of comfort came over her as if his touch had been ingrained into her very being as her point of peace.

Opening her eyes she stared back into Malcolm's eyes. It was like all the years they had been apart didn't matter.

Malcolm turned and stared at Poseidon with a look that instantly said...'back up.'

Poseidon not even knowing who the man was involuntarily stepped back from Sarah, while staring at the man.

"If Sarah made a deal, I know personally that it was the only one she could make with hurting the least amount of people possible. And if she did it so you could see your child...I don't think yelling should be the response...but a 'thank you' sounds more apt."

The family exchanged looks at the way Malcolm had instantly come to Sarah's defense, the silent communication between all of them solidifying a bond that none of them had even come close to talking about.

Poseidon kept his mouth closed as he studied the man and then looked back at Sarah, who's face crumpled as her hands fell to her sides as a wave of sadness hit her.

"You have another daughter Poseidon. One you have the opportunity now to get to know. You KNOW that I love your daughter as if she was my own blood. And the thought of her having a true blood sister that she had no idea existed hurt me more than the cost of securing Amphi coming here. And...I'm sorry you're in pain! I swear I would never wish this kind of pain on anyone! Least of all a man that has acted like an Uncle to me in times of great distress. I would never want to hurt you..." The last words barely making it out of her mouth as she began to cry as she looked into his cold eyes that had never looked upon her in such a way.

It took a few seconds of Poseidon staring at Sarah before he closed his eyes and let out another huff of air, looking back at Sarah he spoke softly. "I know that."

Sarah just stared back at him until Poseidon opened his arms and Sarah flung herself into his arms. "I'm sorry." She mumbled against his chest.

"No, I am!" Poseidon said as he nodded his head and then shook it. "I shouldn't be upset with the one person that I know from experience would do anything for me and my family. Who I couldn't help when they needed it most."

Sarah pulled back. "THAT...was not your fault."

Poseidon shook his head again and fixed Sarah's hair so the loose lock was tucked behind her ear, and then truly huffs out a laugh. "I still see the little girl that made me show her where fish laid their eggs and how coral shaped into homes."

Sarah just smiled up at him as the remnants of tears remained in her eyes. He placed a hand on her cheek and caressed it with his thumb across the cheek bone that made her look so much like her mother.

Withdrawing his hand with a wince he turned to Ms. Mills who happened to be the closest to him and grimaced and gave her a nod. "I hope you know that despite everything I would never harm a hair on Sarah's head. Despite the way I yelled she holds a place in my heart that no amount of mistakes could ever remove her."

The smoothness and depth of his voice letting everyone know that he was speaking from that place he held Sarah.

Turning his head back to Sarah he gave her a small smirk. "You've raised incredible daughters Queen Regina. When did they both grow up?" Poseidon's melancholy words as his eyes took on an inward introspection of his words for his own daughters.

Ms. Mills said nothing to the man but then turned and stared at the one everyone had been calling her daughter and felt such an overwhelming feeling on pride fall over her at the way Sarah was being looked at by the people around them.

Most everyone had this look on their face of love evident in their eyes as they looked at her.

A sudden sparkle of white appeared in the room and an umbrella with a parrot at the end allowed all who knew the odd object to know who it's owner was.

"NO WAY!" Henry Swan exclaimed as he saw the very famous outfit that only Ms. Poppins wore.

"I knew if I followed the yelling I would find everyone else. Honestly Sarah...how you manage to get into even more trouble as a young woman than you did as a child I will never understand!" The very British accent of Ms. Poppins rang out as she took off her gloves and gave a pointed look to Sarah.

Bounty Hunter Swan as well as the other two modern day Swans had their mouths dropped open in shock at the appearance of the very famous Mary Poppins. Even Recovered Neal looked shocked at her appearance.

"I hope you've found the children Ms. Poppins. They'll need a sense of stability here that I'm not sure they would have without you." Sarah said in such a formal and pleasant way that Mary Poppins straightened and really looked at Sarah.

Without waiting a second she strode forward and grabbed Sarah's face with both hands and verified that Sarah had indeed been crying.

Sarah felt embarrassed that even at 28 years old her nanny could make her feel as though she really were a child again at her mere presence.

Mary Poppins turned hardened eyes at the man she assumed had caused Sarah's state.

"Are you, sir, responsible for causing my...for causing the Princess such duress?" Mary Poppins stopped herself from calling Sarah her charge. Sarah had not been such a thing for over fifteen years. Yet the same protective urge she felt for Princess Snow's children would never compare to the sense she had with Sarah.

"Embarrassingly...yes I did. And like I should have expressed before...I'm sorry." Poseidon said as he looked at Sarah intently.

Sarah gave a small smile and a little nod.

All was forgiven.

Mary Poppins inspected the man that held onto Sarah's arm on one side and quickly concluded one thing.

"Sir if you would please remove your hand from the Princess. It is in poor taste to mar her clothes with soiled hands."

Malcolm immediately removed his hands and looked down at said hand, realizing that he had yet to bathe as had been instructed by Sarah earlier.

Emma rolled her eyes as she realized she had yet to help Malcolm the way she promised her Aunt, "All right. I think everyone needs to find a place to sleep and clean up. It's been a really long day for a lot of us. We definitely need to decompress."

And despite everything, within hours everyone had been situated into different rooms, apartments, and even houses.

Emma had stayed to make sure her Uncle Malcolm and her cousins knew how to clean themselves and where everything was. Clean clothes as well. It wasn't too long until she was back in her parents apartment.

It was when Mary Margret showed Sarah what the shower was that without hesitation Sarah had removed her clothes in front of her without embarrassment and went into the shower that things finally calmed down. Though magic had been used on Sarah to heal her earlier, some bruising remained and it distracted Mary Margret enough that Sarah turned on the cold tap and screamed from the cold before Mary Margret moved the lever to become hot for Sarah.

"Everything ok in here?" Pregnant Snow asked as she had heard the yelp Sarah had given out.

"OH GOD YES!" Sarah exclaimed causing both Mary Margret and Pregnant Snow to instantly laugh and immediately try and suppress that laugh as Sarah enjoyed the hot water pouring down her head.

Sarah looked over at both versions of her sister and said simply, "I am never going back to the enchanted forrest! This is incredible!"

It only made both of them suppress their laughter again as the water had continued to pour down over her face as she made the statement.

"I forgot about the antique bath tubs and boiling water." Pregnant Snow said as she shook her head at herself.

"Snow can you wash my hair?" Sarah asked as she scrubbed her face with her hands as the water poured down her face.

Mary Margret rolled her eyes, "Why do I have the sudden feeling that I have done this for you before?" Reaching behind and over she picked up her shampoo and pushed up her sleeves, even knowing she was going to get her top wet.

Sarah laughed. "Because you used to wash my hair all the time when I was little. I use to bathe WITH you."

Pregnant Snow laughed, "That's why no modesty in front of me?!"

"You do realized I've watched you give birth so many times I know probably know your flower petals better than mine...right?!" Sarah said causing Mary Margret to slap her shoulder with a slack jaw.

"OW! Well don't look at me with those looks! I trust you more than anyone about everything about me. You're my sister. It's just not something I ever thought about before. You've always taken care of me." Sarah said with a shrug as the water continued to run down her head and body.

Pregnant Snow just stared back into Sarah's eyes and felt something in her know for certain that this woman was just as important to her as Emma. That the woman before her was as much a part of her world as her husband and child.

Mary Margret just let out a sigh. Sarah made her feel a part of herself she thought long dead. Her sense of childhood and laughter she received from nowhere else. Smirking she opened the shampoo bottle and reached over and poured some on the top of Sarah's head with one hand and with the other began to scrub her scalp.

"Ooohhhhh, smells like strawberries." Sarah cooed as she closed her eyes.

Mary Margret and Pregnant Snow rolled their eyes at the childish wonder in Sarah's tone. Both wondering how they can be amused and annoyed at the same time.

Pregnant Snow finally moved her hand from her extended belly and reached for the loofa that hung from the valve and poured her favorite soap on to the natural sponge and placed the sponge in Sarah's hand.

"I am not scrubbing you down like a toddler! Not with this kind of mobility issues." Pregnant Snow said with a smirk slowly spreading across her face.

Sarah just smiled at her. "You're not as freaked out as you've been the other times you've met me."

Mary Margret paused just a second before continuing her shampooing of her sisters hair. It felt natural. Like she really had done this hundreds if not thousands of times. But this other version of herself was indeed acting less skittish than she had.

"Let's just say that after waking up without knowing what happened in the last year and how I am suddenly pregnant...this really isn't so strange!" Pregnant Snow pursed her lips with a little nod.

Both Mary Margret and Sarah stared at her in disbelief.

"You don't remember a whole YEAR?" Sarah asked as Mary Margret continued to wash her hair.

"Not a thing! We assumed it was because of ...Aunt...Zelena? But she was pretty forthcoming to her plans earlier. And she didn't really say anything about enacting a curse, but I'm assuming she did."

Sarah looked over at Mary Margret and both didn't need to speak as they understood that this Snow White had no idea why Zelena could have never enacted the curse.

"Um...Snow...Zelena is your Aunt too! She's mom's sister! And her true love is still very much alive!" Sarah said slowly trying not to wince at having to explain the whole family dynamic again.

Pregnant Snow's head jerked back with a smirk, "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah...um...it was kind of strange to wrap my head around it too but, Jimminy is married to Zelena. And if he's her true love, and everyone else in the family is still alive...who was sacrificed to enact the curse?" Mary Margret asked as she knew deep in her soul that Zelena wouldn't destroy something she loved for anyone.

"So who enacted the curse? Why don't we remember anything?" Pregnant Snow asked as her agitation became apparent.

Really the answer wasn't as important as all of the other questions on how everything else was happening.

Sarah said nothing but let out a huge breath and reached for her sister's hand in her hair, and held it as she shared another look with her. "We need to go to mother's house...and make sure...your mother is safe. It's been hours since we last saw her and I didn't like how Jason tried to hide the fact that he knows her."

Mary Margret felt the shock travel through her system, but nothing the way that Pregnant Snow felt hearing 'your mother' being said.

"What do you mean she know's Jason? How could she know Jason?" Mary Margret asked as the implication of Sarah's words cause a dread to settle in the pit of her stomach.

"My...my mother is here? Here in Storybrooke?" Pregnant Snow asked as tears appeared in her eyes and a smile began to blossom across her face.

Mary Margret winced and hid her face to let her other self see, but she had. Lips dropped from a smile to a distinct open look of curiosity. "What is it?"

Sarah blinked a few times looking down and then up into her sister's eyes. "She's not the woman you thought she was. We've...seen her do things that..."

"We watched her hurt the baby right in front of us." Mary Margret managed to say as she pulled her hands away from Sarah's scalp.

Sarah winced then, trying to not to let her anger at Queen Eva fill her being at the idea of someone hurting her sister when she had been at her most defenseless.

Pregnant Snow said nothing as she understood without being told that the 'baby' was her. The one she saw her other self holding.

"Where is the baby?" Sarah asked as she realized that she hadn't seen her since everyone had scattered to different areas to finally sleep.

Mary Margret gave a pleased little smile. "Mary Poppins had her but she wanted Regina almost immediately. The others went with Mary and are staying next door, while one of the Regina's took the Henry's back to her home along with the Baby Snow and Baby Henry."

Sarah laughed and turned her head to look straight at Mary Margret. "You've known what you've wanted since you were a baby. It's adorable the way how you already try to talk to me and mom."

"Yeah well...Regina seemed to act more than a mother to me than my own did apparently." Mary Margret said with a visible wince as she reached in front of Sarah to disengage the shower wand and forcibly turned Sarah's head as she began to rinse her sister's hair, obviously not wanting to talk more on the subject as she then instructed Sarah to 'start scrubbing.'

Sarah said nothing as she began to scrub the loofa over her body without any sort of shyness as both women helped clean their adult baby sister - both realizing just how very ordinary the task seemed.

"Did you clean your ears? God knows you never really listen! Maybe they're blocked with so much wax it might make me feel better." Snow said from the doorway that no-one had noticed was open.

"Can we please not show my entire body to the family please?!" Sarah glared at her sister hoping she would close the door, but it was not to be as before she could move Princess Emma stuck her head into the room around her mother and gave a huge smile.

"Consider this revenge for every forced bath you gave me!" Princess Emma said as Emma and Bounty Hunter Swan walked up to the door as well.

"God how the hell did you hide those bruises from Mom?!" Emma asked with a look of anger on her face.

Bounty Hunter Swan also getting this look of anger on her face that someone had caused such harm to her Aunt.

Sarah would have groaned in frustration if her Grandmother didn't appear in a puff of smoke in the bathroom between Pregnant Snow and Mary Margret.

"I brought some salve from the Regina's vault. As you can imagine your mother instructed me to search for anything that might help with...the bruising." Queen Cora said as she halted at the last two words as she saw the extent on Sarah's body.

Sarah said nothing as she exited the shower and immediately Mary Margret and Pregnant Snow helped dry off Sarah, knowing from just the sight of her that she would be in pain bending in any way.

"Snow you're pregnant!" Sarah scolded as Emma who had thought the same thing entered the bathroom and took the towel from her heavily pregnant mother.

"Mom go sit down. We've got this." Emma said to both Mary Margret and Pregnant Snow.

Bounty Hunter Swan entered the room at the declaration with a little nod. "She's right mom. Plus...my...brother's and sisters... are waiting for you to tuck them in goodnight." The little smirk after having seen and listened to the children who were her siblings had filled her with a feeling of rightness she had thought was impossible.

Pregnant Snow's eyes widened and then shook her head as she had seen and her older self take the young one's into bathe earlier and had marveled at how many children they had.

"They have their real mother...why do they want me?" Pregnant Snow spoke with a tinge of fear in her voice and Princess Emma laughed at what she thought was an absurd statement.

"Because they don't believe that you're actually pregnant. Christopher's convinced the other's that you and dad are too old to have children." Princess Emma tried to stop the huge smile and laugh from spreading over her lips but failed miserably.

"I'm not THAT old!" Snow exclaimed as she looked at her daughter and caused all of the Emma's to try and stifle their laughter.

Emma noticed Sarah wincing and stopped her laughter and went to help her get out of the shower and rubbed the towel gently over her Aunt as Bounty Hunter Swan took the other towel from her mother and dried off Sarah's legs.

Queen Cora waited until everyone escorted Sarah out of the bathroom where all of the David's turned around at the towel clad niece that entered the living area.

"You ok there rose petal?" James used his term of endearment on Sarah as he asked immediately as he saw how stiffly his niece was walking, not turning away from her and moved forward to help her walk.

"Yes. Just...need to see how mom's doing and then I can sleep."

"Young lady you need to let me put this salve on you before you even think of putting on clothes." Queen Cora warned as Sarah rolled her eyes at James as he brought her over to the bed.

"James go by your brother. And make sure that front door is closed!"

"Yes ma'am." James said as he let go of Sarah's hands as she sat down and moved to lie down on the bed and jogged over to make sure the door was closed.

"Now you are not to move until this dries!" Queen Cora said as she began to place the salve on Sarah's back and slowly moved down to Sarah's bottom.

Sarah jerked and screamed, "NANA!", when Queen Cora placed some salve between her butt cheeks making all of the women laugh.

"Young lady I have placed medicine on this part of your body as well as the front since you were a baby! Do not give me lip!" Queen Cora admonished as the men chuckled as they understood what had caused the yelp, knowing better than to turn towards the noise.

Sarah grimaced then laid back down as the jerking up had actually hurt.

"Nanna...I need to check on Baelfire and mother at the hospital. Make sure Little Snow is alright. See if you can find Mulan and make sure King Richard hasn't left. See if Pinhead is alright."

"Sarah...you need sleep! I know you haven't been sleeping from the little bags under your eyes. Sweetheart you can't keep track of everything if you don't take care of yourself first." Queen Cora caressed the still damp hair of her granddaughter as Sarah laid her head down on the bed.

Bounty Hunter Swan moved and grabbed a pillow and placed it under her Aunt's head as she had laid down with her face towards the foot of bed so the salve could be applied.

"I'll go. Aunt Sarah you try and get some sleep. Me and...the others will make sure everyone's alright tonight," Emma said as she leaned down and kissed Sarah's cheek, "Don't worry tonight." Not feeling uneasy about showing her Aunt affection, especially after seeing what King George had done to her.

Sarah opened her eyes that had immediately closed as she had snuggled into the pillow that was placed under her face and smiled at Emma. "I love you my little swan princess."

Emma just smiled back with a look affection in her own eyes and gave her Aunt another kiss before leaning back up and looking at the other versions of herself who immediately nodded their heads.

"Night Aunt Sarah." Ms. Swan said as she bent to kiss Sarah on the cheek as well, feeling closer to this Aunt then she sometimes felt to her mother.

Princess Emma bent and gave her Aunt four consecutive kisses the way she always tended to do with her and whispered 'Goodnight' to her Sarah.

Standing up she turned and looked at the only remaining one of them that hadn't kissed Sarah.

Bounty Hunter Swan saw the way the other Emma's were stanring at her and felt put on the spot. She didn't really know Aunt Sarah. But seeing the look on the others faces she gave them a look that spoke of not being content to be put in the situation.

Bending down she kissed Sarah's cheek, but this touch caused Sarah to open her eyes and tilt her head up to look at this Emma.

"It's ok Emma. You don't need to kiss me if you don't feel it. I can feel you don't love me yet."

Bounty Hunter Swan didn't know how to respond to that as the other Emma's felt like they had been slapped and looked accusingly at their older self.

"I...don't know you." Bounty Hunter Swan admitted as she looked at the woman currently falling asleep.

Sarah gave a very small smile. "And you don't want to either."

Those words made Bounty Hunter Swan stiffen and mouth drop slightly, the truth in her statement making her realize that this woman indeed knew she did NOT want to know her.

Sarah gave a humorless huff of a laugh and laid her head back down. "It's ok sweetheart. I love every version of you. Even if you can't return it. Especially then."

No noise was heard in the room after those words. Everyone was staring at Bounty Hunter Swan, trying to understand why Sarah said that to her.

Bounty Hunter Swan didn't know how this Sarah could sense she didn't want to tie herself down to these people, but with the younger versions of herself not understanding why let her know that they had not had her experience of living in New York with Henry for the last year.

Feeling everyone's eyes on her, she did the only thing she knew to do.

She left.

But the other Emma's were there almost instantly right outside of the apartment building.

"What the hell was that?" Ms. Swan asked immediately.

"Don't try and say nothing, because obviously we know it was something!" Emma said trailing behind with Ms. Swan right beside her with Princess Emma behind them.

"Why wouldn't you want to know Aunt Sarah?! That's just crazy to even think!" Princess Emma said as she walked just as swiftly as the others.

Bounty Hunter Swan didn't want to discuss it, but SHE was literally tormenting HERSELF!

"Look I don't want to talk about it. Right now I want to make sure everyone is ok and find a place to sleep tonight!"

Emma quickly said, "We could stay at Grandma's. She had more than enough rooms in that house."

It was with those words that Bounty Hunter Swan as well as Ms. Swan stopped and turned with shocked eyes at Emma. It didn't matter that they were literally in the middle of the street.

Everyone was already in bed or trying to find a bed to sleep in with all the additional people.

"What did you just say?" Bounty Hunter Swan asked with a highly suspicious look on her face.

"What?" Emma asked immediately as she looked between the older versions of herself.

Princess Emma said nothing. Not understanding what had caused the sudden stopping.

"What did you call Regina?" Ms. Swan asked with her own scrupulous look on her face.

Princess Emma rolled her eyes. "Is it really that strange to call her..."

"Yes!" "Yes!" Came the instant reply from both of the other Emma's, not even letting the young Princess to finish her question.

Emma knew she had messed up. It was something that she had never actually said to anyone, but she had sworn to herself as a little girl never to call anyone those titles that were not. She had made a deal with herself to call whoever adopted her and their family other terms...but not those sacred terms she had always held so dear.

Emma looked between the two, knowing that they had made the same vow, knowing she couldn't dissuade them it was a slip.

"Not here. In the woods...so no one can hear us." Emma whispered as she looked between the two who now looked a little more than suspicious...but shocked.

Princess Emma moved her arms and transported them into the not so distance forrest that surrounded the town.

"Little warning next time!" Ms. Swan said as she let the little wave of dizziness pass.

"Sorry." Princess Emma said as they all turned and looked at Emma.

Emma stood there moving just so slightly in agitation, not knowing how her other selves would react without having witnessed the magic portal themselves, but she couldn't lied to herself.

Her Grandmother had entrusted her not to tell anyone else but...it was still her she was telling it to. Technically she didn't lie and in all honesty, she needed to tell someone who could help her and the family. She knew she couldn't do it by herself.

"Spill." Bounter Hunter Swan said, but Emma shook her head.

"First all three of you have to swear that no one...NO ONE...but any other versions of ourself is to ever find this out. Ever!" Emma said looking into her own eyes and waiting to see the relenting in their eyes.

Each of them gave a little nod.

Emma closed her eyes with a sigh and began to tell them everything she had seen, and what Regina and she now knew to be true.

To say that all of them were shocked was putting it mildly. Everyone moved into different directions as they felt blindsided by the truth.

Bounty Hunter Swan felt like she had been hit in the stomach as she wrapped an arm around her middle and leaned against a tree. had moved to sit on a log and was currently holding her head. Princess Emma leaned against a tree and just stared at Emma not truly believing what she had been told.

Emma knew that they had been shocked but, now they knew what she had winced earlier in the day.

And of course, there was the statement that caused all of them to truly understand why she was divulging the secret to them.

"She needs us! She can't...she never wants either mom or dad to know. Two of you know exactly what it feels like to give up your kid and pray they are never harmed. Can any of you imagine if we were the ones that hurt Henry without knowing he was ours?"

No one said a word as they came to terms with their reality.

"I was thinking of taking Henry back to New York and leaving Storybrooke behind." Bounty Hunter Swan said, shocking the other three as she turned and looked at them.

"I thought...I thought I didn't belong here. That...I didn't really relate to anyone here." Expanding her reason for wanting to leave. "Obviously...I was wrong."

"Wait...so why was...Grandma freaking out about this King Richard guy?" Ms. Swan asked as she looked up from the log she was sitting on towards Emma.

"Um...I happened to hear something," Princess Emma said with a little side smirk, "I heard mom...one of them mumble how he looked like someone named Daniel."

"Daniel? As in Sarah's dad..." Emma shook her head as reality hit again, "Mom's dad?! King Richard look's like mom's real dad?! That Daniel?"

Emma and Bounty Hunter Swan squeezed their eyes shut and moved nervously as everything started to make sense. Ms. Swan placed her hands back on her head as she tried to stop herself from being overwhelmed by it all.

Princess Emma looked at Emma with an open mouth stare that showed that she had known nothing about that tidbit of information either.

"No wonder Grandma fainted." Ms. Swan said as she shook her head at the craziness.

"So wait..." Bounty Hunter Swan said as she turned towards the others. "King Richard is supposed to marry Aunt Sarah?! The guy that looks like her father! And they haven't stopped her from seeing him?!"

"Our Grandfather." Ms. Swan said looking down at the ground in horror as the connection was made causing all of them to turn and stare at the others with a look of disgust on their faces.

"It's complicated. King Richard is the only one with enough soldiers to help us defend against King George!" Princess Emma stated simply with the look of disgust still on her face, causing the other three to shake their heads at how truly complex of a situation they found themselves in.

"So how do we fix this?!" Bounty Hunter Swan asked.

"I have no idea!" Ms. Swan said as she shook her head trying to think of anything that could help.

"Maybe we could try and convince King Richard to supply his soldiers for something besides marrying Aunt Sarah! What kind of deal is that anyway?!" Bounty Hunter Swan asked.

Princess Emma let out a heavy sigh as she realize the others had never heard the whole rant Sarah had given back in the Enchanted Forrest.

Keeping her eyes closed Princess Emma explained. "King Richard doesn't need money, or trade, or alignments with other kingdoms. His kingdom is vast and rich in goods. The only thing he really needs...is an heir to his throne." With that she opened her eyes and allowed the other three to truly process EXACTLY why Sarah was negotiating marriage.

"OhGOD! There's no way we can let her go through with this!" Ms. Swan said as she shot up from the log at the implication that her Aunt would be having a baby from a man that looked identical to her biological father.

The disturbing thought entered the other's minds as well and nodded their agreement.

"Ok. Tonight we make sure everyone's alright, and tomorrow morning we figure something out. We're not going to let this happen." Emma said as everyone nodded their head in agreement.

"So...are we going to Grandma's house first? Or are we going to the hospital...to talk to Grandma?" Ms. Swan asked as she had the urge to confirm what Emma had told them was true.

Emma breathed in slowly and looked at each of them, knowing exactly why they wanted to speak with her Regina.

"First we do what we promised Aunt Sarah and make sure everyone else is fine...then we'll go to the hospital." Emma said with finality.

"Not so hard calling her Grandma now right?" Princess Emma said with a waver in her voice indicating she was on the verge of tears.

"No. No it's not." Bounty Hunter Swan said with a shake of her head.

"So...you're staying right?!" Emma asked her older self, not knowing if she could handle having a bit of normal with Henry and then coming back to all this madness.

Bounty Hunter Swan just looked each of the other three women in the eyes, showing them she was being honest when she said, "I can't leave my family again. Especially because they need...us. I'm not going anywhere."

"So...Uncle Malcolm first?" Princess Emma asked, and the other three nodded.

"Are we close to the pawn shop?" Emma asked as that is where she had taken her Uncle, knowing that despite everything - being close to their son would be what Aunt Sarah would want.

"I can transport us..."

"No. Sorry but I'm a bit queasy. Walking is better." Ms. Swan said as she stopped Princess Emma from using magic again.

All of them began to walk towards the town as the lights in the distance from the street easily showed them the way.

None of them realizing that a person had been listening in on their entire conversation.

Waiting until the four blondes left the small clearing did he step out and stare at nothing as the information he had just heard shocked him to his core.

"My King...are you alright? We were worried you had lost your way to camp."

Startled by the voice he looked over at the person, and knew that he could not divulge the information he had just heard. As much as he needed council on what to do...he knew he couldn't let anyone else know what he had heard.

"King Richard..."

"I'm fine Mulan. Please...I will be back at the encampment soon. I need a moment to think."

Mulan stared at the King and knew he was deeply troubled by something, but she said nothing as he had asked for her to leave without truly asking.

"Yes my King." Mulan nodded and left without glancing back.

King Richard let out a breath and closed his eyes and opening them again as he began to formulate what he would do come morning.

He stood in that clearing for hours before finally returning to camp.

A plan formulated for what he would do.

Come morning, his future would be sealed.


Author's Note: Well...was it worth the wait?! Did you expect the end of this chapter?! Reviews tell me you want more...and they let me know what you think so...review and do both! 😉