#this kind of turned into a midas rant sorry

[itsmerachael5]

alright my review below

well.. its.. Certainly an episode.

my problem, and this is consistent with the later half of nsp (after chapter 2 season 3). Is that everything revolves around Midas. Everything happens for the purpose of Midas, other characters are just props to push Midas forward on his goals, even Jules, who i would have hoped would become more than "the daughter of Midas".

But I digress,

Basically this episode, the old Agency gang gets back together again to rescue Midas from Hades' prison, all the gods hate Midas for killing Oro, way back during the Device event, even nicknaming him God Slayer. Even Tek (who is working for Authority again, and by extension Jones) is here to help break Midas out.

The problems are instantly evident when it starts. The pacing this episode is so fast, characters are hardly given a moment of silence, except for in a battle scene. Now this maybe is because of the 30 minute time slot of the episode, but I honestly preferred the shorter 10-13 minute episodes in chapter 2. i hated when they started to do these very very long episodes.

Now, i normally dont have such a problem with the longer episodes, but this the pacing. it does not mesh well with the fact that SO MUCH of the dialogue this episode is just lore dumping. idk.. its just so strange to see this and compare it to older episodes, back then it felt like things weren't just pointed out obviously for the viewer.. maybe im just biased.

With the help of Aphrodite a few groups together save Midas (by distracting Hades and Cerberus) Midas does his part to distract as well by making the island flood with molten gold.

Marigold, Jules, Aphrodite and Midas return to the yacht now needing to fix the lava, since Midas is safe.

Midas still has yet to cordially meet Marigold (who is unexplainably separate from Jules now, retcon maybe). After Jules and Marigold leave Midas and Aphrodite alone, she explains why she's helping him.

She had spoken with the Oracle Pool, who predicts that Midas is the key to everything, and the key to ending the war between gods and mortals. So she was totally on board with saving him (i wont even go on the fact that she has a crush on Midas too).

But after that they go to Poseidon, who explains he had been attached to Rippley when he first got turned into a blob. Midas is on good terms with him already as Poseidon had known him when Rippley breifly worked for Agency and his giant wave from the device event ( i find odd since Rippley was one of the 7 who were turned to gold unwillingly but i guess the flood is what won him over).

But the lava is gone with his help and the episode concludes.

Now, i do have some thoughts on the Tek appearances, and because i cant help but explain ill do that. He for some reason is totally OK with working for Midas now, even being alright with the possibility of DYING just for Midas to escape. Now, keep in mind, the last time Tek and Midas interacted, he was not very kind to Tek, and both know this. He had told Jules, even just being reminded of Midas in her angry grumble was bothering him, "I swear i've got PTSD from hearing it!"

Mind you, not just Midas would bully Tek during his time in the Agency. Meowcles would, as well. And Rue just doesn't like him "oh that buffoon? Always slacking off at his post. And did you see his haircut when he first joined us?"

Tek even acknowledged that Midas didn't like him "Don't know why M but me on duty with [Midas disgused as a henchman], probably to punish me again." And even after the fact, when Tek worked for Chaos Agent he brought up being hurt that he was tricked into creating The Device. And they haven't seen each other since then, so i dont know what happened to make Tek so enthusiastic about working under Midas again.

It just... particularly enrages me that Tek had been given this liking to Midas, as it just proves that in modern NSP Midas cannot have haters. Everyone is either positively neutral on Midas or idolize him, unless they are villains of course, then they can hate Midas all they want (the gods against him being proof). Like yes, Midas is a big deal, but he is also controversial. It just.. Frustrates me because the writing feels so In Favor of Midas, he's been given everything (except for pre-Jules recovery) and it feels as if he can never fail.

A moment i particularly remember is when he was trying to get his wife back, she didn't recognize Jules. So Midas decided to ask Jules to transform into Marigold (which she stated is not a form or name she's comfortable with because it reminded her of being frozen gold) and Jules was portrayed as in the wrong just because she opposed this idea. They did end up getting her back anyways. And iirc this was because they found a way to get Midas' body back.

Overall.. this whole episode is a whole mess. I'm glad for the appearances of Rue and Tek, but dread what's to come. (Oro coming back AGAIN, Midas ect ect.)

i would rate it... 4/10 maybe.. idk my thoughts on it are mixed

[tammyhybrid21]

THybrid’s Mummy Rant(pt 1)

ALRIGHT!

Sooo…

I kind of said I would be organizing a big giant analysis and rant on this character-- Because I have many, many feelings. Buuut I think this is probably going to be something that just ends up diving into a lot more for the context I do have. Both in terms of the movie, and the research I've been rolling around in--

So-- before I put this under a cut/readmore, can I put some context into this?! And by context--

I mean in general I would not be here if Mummy hadn't been the one Netflix had for the Movie's preview. Mummy is why I'm here, just because whoop. That's a character design that CALLS ME! So yeahh-- that out of the way…

First Impressions:

Sooo… in the first movie Mummy is… only in the last third, roughly of the movie. Which is a crying shame in all honesty because for me he steals the show from that point. AND we get to see SO MANY Sides. Like, just… there's a bit to unpack here, and it also leads into more of my Autism squee talk--

But I don't think I could even really articulate everything in a straight cohesive manner so I'll sort of sum it with the most important screencaps.

Soooo, I have a lot to say… and a picture says a thousand words… but especially here and okay, so those screencaps are… not exactly all the story, but they say a lot for what they say. And then you can compound that specifically with the research that I have… again, been just rolling in. Because GIMME!

Sooo anyway, let me talk about these screencaps while my brain is turned on. Because I feel that all of these are important! Including that first glimpse! Because like-- what you need to understand is-- Do you know how hard catching something like that is?! And how did he notice it. Which like, that's probably a sensitivity thing, but specifically! That would whistle on the way down!

Then!

LET ME TALK ABOUT MASKING!

Like just-- all these next pictures and moments! They bring up Masking. Because look at him when he's first approaching, first seen in full. He's threatening, intimidating(up until Tadeo spots him and it's just scream for them both) BUT THEN IN PRIVATE! Clapping, flapping, and well, we can watch Movie 2 with a very specific lense based on a piece of WoG I found…

But even those next few screencap moments--

Like, Mummy is important, BUT there are rules of how you're supposed to present yourself. Like look at him! Look at him in front of the guards! How Paititi is revealed and even the lead up, like, he has a good shift from the slight goofball to commanding and then to intimidating and just…

Snap fingers and the guards respond(which then with movie two… boyyyyy I want to know what happened). And as much as we think that hug is intense…

And then look at the shy nervous child. WHICH I'm going to bring in a moment or two from the Series, Descubre con Tadeo(which is a fun watch even if I only get like, maybe a fifth of the content).

He's insecure and nervous… and we related it to being like… first day of school jitters. BUT THEN he-- also has a perfect shift here as well.

Put on your professional voice! And like, I suppose some things could be argued in terms of Mummy's antics in the second film. But I just… have too much more to say that the whole movie kind of feels like.

"FIRST TIME I AM FREE!" in terms of how Mummy is running around and just having fun! You ever just want to cut loose mate?! Scream, or go wild… but like… with the second movie I have other places to just go, WAIT?! What happened?! And also just analyze moments that are… well…

But like, number one is a background moment actually(and I hope so muuuuch that it means something in movie three please)

LOOK AT TADEO'S CONSPIRACY BOARD!

Like I'm just here like, Mummy?! What did you do?! On his trip over, which for all is kind of implied/feels like a B-Line, and I have… other thoughts and feelings on that. But like, the conspiracy board! Mummy! Also considering that the English Localization has Tadeo in Chicago(and I want to know if that's true for everywhere--) As an aside in this moment, can we just appreciate the jump of quality in the animation between the movies?! Like ahhhh the details! I just hng-- And some things in the whole animated series as well…

Edutainment.

WHICH features BOTH Mummy and Tadeo just special interest dumping. And it's A++

He also hums the theme song in his take over episode, and dances and is just ahahahahah

Which, this is one of the two Mummy just-- yanks the show for himself moments… The other has him playing with everyone else as dolls and I just--

Yes

Gender

Which look, I've been going off some level of fluidity for him! Since I watched the second movie and he just-- STOLE THE SHOW! And the credits sequence, I have… a lot to say about his around the world trip but most of that ultimately amounts to disorganized screaming about the fact that he starts the travel with only one dangling earring and ends it with two to speak to the guards--

And that then goes into--

ANYWAY--

Genderwise, I've been informed that there's a WoG confirmation of nb, which… Good Representation! Even if I have personal… bad, yucky, awkward feelings about the term, if that's the confirmed canon term. Well. My personal dysphoria with the term specific aside.(Non non, it always feels like--) NO WONDER I HELLA RELATE!

For those not caught up-- I myself identify as Agender. Which is a nb-spectrum gender, or as I refer to it as when trying to explain. "Gender, yes". I have a gender, and that gender is yes it's something and exists. But like, I'm not tied to the binary of Male-Female, not really. Sooooo--

If Mummy is confirmed nb, which, I will be source hunting for sure.

Well, his relatability to me just skyrocketed EVEN MORE!

Like I'm sorry, you don't understand! That's super important on MANY levels. Not just for the rare gender to be highlighted. BUT!

Mummy is very Autistic Coded. More on the female stereotyped Autism as well-- and then FOR THE BIG THING! He's Inca!

Like, do you people even have a scale for the important points that he's hitting here?! (And if we add apparently spoken about Asexuality?! Excuse me!)

Like I don't know how much I could say on how important this is representation and character wise…

Sooo

Moving on.

Inca

Sooooo… this is probably something dumb to tack onto the end but. I'll be the first to admit it. I'm… coming from a culturally blind/naïve perspective but-- it's something intrinsic and important to understanding Mummy as character. He's from a cultural background I honestly don't yet know enough about. (Can I ever know enough though?!)

He's an Inca. And more than that-- WoG seems to have implied, he's Royalty, whiiiiich puts into perspective some of those screencap moments and brings about a host of interesting research topics for me to just gleefully dive into and roll around in.

BUT

With that contextual framing.

This dork, and this moment-- and thinking about how he's got the pull in the first movie to boss the guards around. Just like-- Make decisions and call the shots… and more to me…

Who put the cufflink there?! SPECIFICALLY?!

Because like, all he said was "keep it safe"

I also really, really want to know if there's some cultural significance and nuance I'm missing here, because hooo boy. As far as I have, this is basically just subtle nods and confirmations that he's royal, possibly even the recognized Auqui of their set up here(which as of movie two, possibly no longer the case).

I also have a lot to say about THIS:

In terms of the half a dozen or so resources that have STUFF to say about Handshakes to the Inca(albeit there is more than just a handshake buuuut). But this is already 11 pages in word and honestly, I don't think I could explain things in a nice and tidy context for all my FEELINGS that I have.

Sources:

Screenshots taken by myself and a friend

Tadeo Jones & Tadeo Jones 2: El secreto del Rey Midas

https://www.telecinco.es/tadeojones/descubre-con-tadeo/16940/ For additional character screenshots, albeit had to find some of it on Youtube.

WoG on Mummy's implied Royalty: https://www.animum3d.com/blog/animacion-3d-tadeo-jones/ (And English translation C&P feat. Google Translate: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DPhIuurqtx7QJm1df31cviHsqDEgKH5t9MVstJZHpRw/edit) Point of NOTE

With the designs and the script in front, you start to shuffle ideas, by his golden dress, his hat and his cape you imagine that he is someone important within his clan, that should give a sublime aspect to his behavior, as if he belonged to royalty, someone with a refined attitude and manners, are ideas that do not have to be evident or definitive, but in some way help to set parameters when shaping your personality.

WoG on Gender & Sexuality: Still on the hunt, right now more fandom news(please gibe me the source!) FOUND: https://elcultural.com/Enrique-Gato-y-David-Alonso-El-reto-ya-no-es-sorprender-sino-crear-empatia-con-los-personajes & https://www.ecartelera.com/noticias/41656/pelicula-aventuras-definitiva-tadeo-jones-2-equipo/5/

My son asks me many times if Mummy is a boy or a girl and it's all at once. It's absolutely ambiguous and that also makes it a lot of fun.

“For us he is asexual and we really like playing with it.”

Conclusion:

WATCH THESE MOVIES PLEASE!

And get the culture being represented by one of the characters RIGHT!

[rayshippouuchiha]

To start with, I would like to tell you that I absolutely love all of your writing. It’s like you have Midas’ touch for stories, every single one you touch turns to gold and are just so wonderfully written, so moving, with such beautifully worded character dynamics that I can’t help but reread every single one of them every so often. I’m particularly fond of tLoW and tGoD, both of which I have reread at least 5 times each. I didn’t even know that I could appreciate fem!Character fics until you! Before, I saw authors turn my favorite male characters into helpless blushing damsels in distress, for a “perfect” stereotypical heterosexual couple, all but abandoning everything which made their male counterpart great, which frustrated me to no end. I had all but blacklisted that tag until I found you, and you made me fall in love. Your Toni is no weak girl; she is a Queen, with all of the sass and intelligence and love for her precious people of her cannon counterpart, and I love her to pieces. Also you have this tendency of adopting abused/neglected/underappreciated sad bois and I live for it. ALSO also, your blog is a treasure, and even though you haven’t made them formal stories your AU ideas for Naruto make my day every time (seriously, what was Kishimoto thinking with that ending??)

Secondly, I would like to apologize for gushing like this, but I saw an anon ask you about Undertale a while back and I just can’t help myself, since it is one of my favorite games of all time. You responded that you weren’t opposed to playing it, but it makes me a bit sad that the fandom might have put you off the game. Hopefully you haven’t had too much spoiled for you, because this game is an Experience, an epic adventure, and I would like to share with someone like you, whose opinion I value and admire and who I believe would really appreciate a story like this, what I love about it 😊

The difficult thing about trying to explain my love for Undertale to others is that practically the entire game is a spoiler. There is something surprising that happens literally within the first 20 minutes of gameplay, and if I try to explain anything about the main characters (who all have complex motivations, diverse personalities and lovable hidden characteristics), I would probably end up spoiling something for one of the routes, but here goes nothing!

The premise is that you are a human child that has fallen into the underground, where monsters have been sealed for generations. The slogan of the game on Steam is “the game where nobody has to die” and, true to its word, you don’t HAVE to hurt anyone. You can go through the game befriending the monsters, learning their quirks, getting them to like you enough that they don’t wish to fight any more. You can encourage them, cheer them up, date some of them, and even make their dreams come true… but then again, if you want to do the opposite thing, you can play it like a traditional RPG, and murder literally EVERYONE in every corner, LV grinding until you are as strong as can be, which drastically alters the course of the game nearly from the beginning. Your every choice in this regard Matters, and there are at least 3 main endings, with the “Neutral” routes varying depending on who and how many you killed, for a total of about 30 different endings + variations.

Aside from that, there are other surprises at every corner, quirky humor, memorable NPCs as well as main characters, an unbelievably good soundtrack that matches the mood perfectly, and more. I also really love how the game doesn’t just spell everything out for you; much of the stuff you have to find out for yourself by paying attention, talking to the NPCs, reading books, talking on your phone, inspecting objects, and putting the puzzle pieces together. This is specially true when it comes to the struggles and stories of some of the main characters.

Also, something both cool and cruel about it is that in order to understand everything about all of the main characters, to see them at their best, you would have to betray these monsters you inevitably fall in love with in the worst possible way, or watch someone else murder them for your curiosity.

Without spoiling too much (hopefully), I can tell you that the cast includes; a badass who is not-so-secretly completely sweet and devoted to her loved ones, many GNC and LGTBQ characters, several 4th wall breakers, otakus, pettable dogs, many fluffy bois, and most importantly 2 subtly codependent sad and lonely bois, at least one of whom you will want to protect at all costs, he is so pure (I just don’t understand how he doesn’t have ALL of the friends. The people there are BLIND). The other is exactly the kind of smart, tragic, sad trash person you would like I think, and his story has SO much potential for the kind of angsty gold you provide

Once again, sorry for ranting for so long, but hopefully you’ll maybe try out the game sometime (no pressure though). If you do, could you please tell us your thoughts? I would love to hear them. Thank you again for your time and your beautiful words 😊

[lilacmoon83]

Dreaming Out Loud

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 115: Only You

Imagine a world where everything you thought to be fiction or myth turned out to be real. Imagine a world, larger than life, where Gods ruled, a simple kiss from a Prince really could wake a Princess, and the lines between good and evil were not as defined as one might think. Imagine that all the stories you think you know so well turned out to be much different than you thought. Imagine if magic was as real as science. Imagine if you didn't have to imagine any of that and it was all true…

"This is what you have so far?" Greg asked, as a barrage of real footage they had collected and images they had captured played on the screen after Landon's voice over ended.

"Yeah...it's great, don't you think?" he asked.

"It looks like a movie trailer. No one is going to think it's anything other than that," Greg complained, as he paced the room.

"I can't believe that three years of work and this is what we have," he growled.

"Hey...this is good. We have some really damning footage of real magic being performed and real life depictions of actual people that are thought to be fictional characters," Landon admonished.

"That no one will believe!" Greg argued.

"After three years...we have nothing! My father's bones are buried in the FBI crime lab, because no one cares about a thirty-three year old crime! And you've just made a fancy movie trailer that I'm sure any Hollywood studio would love to fund, but I have nothing!" Greg raged.

"Calm down...we can take a different approach with the footage. Maybe I got a bit cinematic with the voice over," Landon agreed.

"You think?" Greg snapped. Landon sighed.

"The crime lab is still our in with all of this. I know it's been a long time, but they will get back to us. They'll get a match. They may already have, but opening a cold case will have to go through proper channels. But that's good for us," he continued.

"How?" Greg asked.

"Because if they do match your DNA to the remains and identify him as your missing father...that will attract the attention of some of the higher ups. Opening a cold case that's over thirty years old doesn't happen every day," Landon replied. Greg sighed.

"Fine...just do something about that silly voice over," he said.

"Relax…I'll get rid of the voice over and turn on the regular audio. Maybe if we just go with the bare bones footage, people will see that it's completely unedited," Landon replied, as they watched some of the unedited footage.

"I just want her to pay…" Greg growled.

"I mean...she killed my father, but they allowed her to remain free and move on. All this bull about how she's redeemed herself and even found love! It's ridiculous! She deserves to be in prison!" Greg ranted.

"I agree with you...and maybe we can take a different strategy," Landon said.

"Like what?" Greg asked.

"Well...we've managed to acquire a few beans without them knowing over the years. Hell, they've grown so many that they'd never miss them even if we took a bushel. Maybe it's time to go to the FBI and make them listen. Maybe it's time to find a way to make her confess. We get her outside Storybrooke...there's no magic there to protect any of them," Landon replied.

"How are we going to do that?" Greg asked.

"She has a son...she has someone she loves now. We can use them to get her to do whatever we want," Landon replied.

"We'd have to lure them away from the rest," Greg reminded.

"Not easy...but not impossible either," Landon surmised.

"Okay...let's do it. Let's make her confess and then take her to them," Greg agreed.

"Great...in the meantime, I'll shop this tape around the Internet. No credible documentary company will pay it any mind. But on the dark web...that will be a different story. If we can get people talking about it...then eventually, it will go viral," Landon said.

~*~

Snow's emerald eyes opened and she smiled, as she found herself firmly ensconced in her husband's arms.

"Good morning," he said in a husky tone, as they shared a kiss.

"Good morning handsome," she purred back, as he held her close and they heard some babbling coming from the baby monitor.

"Sounds like someone else is awake," she mentioned. He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"I'll get her," he said, as he ventured off to the adjoining nursery. She heard their bedroom door open at that point and smiled at the sound of tiny feet beating it toward the bed. She leaned over and pretended to jump in surprise.

"Boo!" little Xander exclaimed and Snow gasped, as she helped him climb onto their large, King sized bed.

"Good morning sweetheart," she cooed, as she settled him in her lap and kissed his blonde haired head.

"Morning mommy…" he cooed in return, as he was focused on playing with the toys he had brought with him. About that time, David returned with their baby. Ten months ago, Snow had given birth to their third child, a little girl they decided to name Iris. While their son had inherited David's coloring in hair and eyes, their second daughter had very fine raven colored hair like Snow and David's blue eyes as well.

"Daddy!" Xander called, as David sat down on the bed with them and let the baby crawl between them, while his son jumped into his arms.

"What do you have there, little man?" he asked, as he noticed the toy horse in his hand.

"Horsie," he replied, as his baby sister had crawled into Snow's lap. David had changed her, but she was ready to nurse. He helped her settle down in bed and she began to nurse their daughter. These were their typical mornings, spent quietly together, before their daily routine would set in. They ruled together equally. David spent much of his time overseeing the defense side of their Kingdom and Sheriffing all the Realms with Emma, which he greatly enjoyed. Snow handled the day to day tasks on the diplomatic side, though there were many meetings they attended together, especially when military officials visited from other Kingdoms.

During the day, Ruth, Serafina, and Robert happily watched their grandchildren, as did Hades, Persephone, and Eli when their ruling duties allowed it. But Snow and David's children weren't the only ones keeping their six grandparents busy. There had been many changes to their family and it had grown in more ways than one.

"You go ahead and clean up first. And then we can switch," Snow said.

"You sure?" he asked. She nodded and cuddled the baby and their son, who was very occupied with his toys.

"Okay...then I'll get the munchkins dressed while you clean up. Then we'll go get breakfast," he said, as he kissed her tenderly.

"Granny's?" Xander asked. David chuckled.

"Yeah...we'll go to Granny's," he agreed.

"I want pancakes," he announced.

"Mmm...pancakes sound good. With blueberries," Snow said.

"No...chocolate chip, like Emmy has," Xander replied, making them chuckle.

"Okay...chocolate chip it is," Snow agreed, as he smiled at them and went to shower.

~*~

James looked out over his Kingdom from the balcony of the King's bed chambers. It was almost mind boggling how much his life had changed in the last three years since he had been miraculously resurrected. He was sure now that if Cronus knew for certain that he couldn't count on James' loyalty, he probably wouldn't have chosen to bring him back. But the God of Time had much bigger problems than him. He didn't know much about Cronus' original plan, except it had involved eliminating Zeus and then claiming the power of the skies. But that power had chosen Persephone as its new champion and had almost guaranteed that Cronus would never rise to power. He had settled into ruling his own Kingdom for the last three years and while they would always be leery of him, he was not the biggest threat out there.

After Leopold unfairly took back his own Kingdom, James had opened his castle to Regina and Henry, giving them a place to stay close. While they could have returned to the mansion in Storybrooke, Regina knew Henry wanted to be close to his biological family and Regina was sincerely working on repairing her relationship with Snow; much to his sister-in-law's delight.

It was a surprising thing to see Regina and Snow become good friends, especially after all the bad blood between them. But Regina had really committed to becoming a better person, for herself and for Henry. He understood her journey better than anyone, so it probably shouldn't have surprised them when they fell in love. But they did and after the shock had worn off, they had entered into a loving relationship, one like he had never had and never expected to have. And one she like she hadn't experienced since Daniel, except for what she found with James became far more powerful. With Daniel, it had been true love, but quite innocent and unburdened. But with James, they both still had darkness in them and would always struggle with it. But among all that, they had found kindred spirits in one another and ultimately a love neither of them expected or was even looking for, or so they thought.

"Why are you up?" Regina complained sleepily, as she put her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back. He smirked and turned so he could put one arm around her.

"Sorry...you know I get this way before we have big diplomatic meetings with the other Kingdoms," he said.

"Yeah...I kind of miss the days where I could just storm in and they would agree to whatever I want," she mused.

"This democracy thing definitely comes with more bickering than I like and having to be in a room with Midas and Leopold for hours makes me want to drink," he agreed. She smirked.

"Well...we still have a while until we have to be ready. I can give you something to think about during the meeting," she purred. He smirked and turned to her, as they engaged in a passionate kiss.

"We're supposed to meet everyone for breakfast," he reminded, as she led him back inside.

"Henry is with Emma and Neal so we can be a little late," she replied, as he eagerly followed her back to bed.

~*~

Henry sat in front of the television that morning in their sitting room, playing video games, while his parents shuffled around. The blonde baby girl in Neal's arms fussed a bit, while he dug through her diaper bag.

"Henry...have you seen Tallie's stuffed unicorn?" Neal asked.

"Nope," the teen replied and Neal rolled his eyes.

"Then stop playing the game and help me look. You know how fussy she gets without it," he said. Henry paused the game and started to look around, before finding it behind the sofa.

"Hey...big brother to the rescue," Neal said, as he showed their six-month-old daughter the stuffed toy. She grabbed onto it with chubby hands and calmed down, allowing him to put her in the stroller, as Emma came downstairs.

"Okay...let's go have breakfast and then we'll get you off to school, kid. Do you have your homework?" Emma asked.

"Yep," Henry replied, as he grabbed his backpack and turned the television off.

"Hey sweetheart...are you giving Daddy a rough time?" Emma cooed to their daughter.

"Like her mother," Neal deadpanned.

"Please...you love it," she said, nudging her fiance.

"Yeah...I do. I probably should have my head examined," he joked.

"Wouldn't do any good. No doctor can fix you," she joked back.

"Haha," he mocked sarcastically.

"Are we going or not? I'm starving," Henry complained.

"You're fourteen. You're always starving," Neal quipped, as he pushed the stroller out and they walked through one of Hades insta-portals, as they had come to call them, and arrived in front of Granny's for breakfast.

~*~

"Okay sweetie...there all cleaned up," Belle cooed, as she blew a raspberry on her little boy's tummy and he giggled. Rumple smiled from the doorway of the nursery in their castle.

"Everything in order?" he asked.

"Oh yes...we just had a bit of a diaper emergency. I don't think we'll be having anymore strained apricots for dinner anymore," she replied, as she finished dressing him and picked him up.

"You know, I could have cleaned him up with a wave of my hand," he quipped. She shot him a look.

"And I told you I don't want you changing Gideon's diapers with magic," she chided.

"Fine...but can I at least get rid of the dirty one?" he countered.

"Now that would be okay," she agreed, as the dirty diaper disappeared. She looked at him suspiciously.

"Where do all those dirty diapers go when you poof them away?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Who says that I don't just disintegrate them?" he answered with his own question.

"Because the other day, when we were at Snow's and David's, you made one disappear and Hades seemed to think it was funny," she responded. He smirked.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"You're right...it's probably best that I don't," she replied, as she handed their son to him and got his diaper bag. An insta-portal opened and they stepped through, arriving in front of Granny's.

~*~

"Ohhh...there they are. Come to Nana…" Persephone gushed, as Snow and David arrived at Granny's with the little ones.

"Nana!" Alexander called, as he rushed to her and she lifted him into her lap.

"Hello my handsome boy," she cooed, while Hades poofed a stuffed three-headed dog for him to play with you.

"You three spoil them rotten," Snow admonished, as she hugged her father.

"That is what Grandparents are for," Eli said, as eagerly took his tiny granddaughter in his arms. Snow shook her head in amusement and sat down beside her husband. Since her father's royal role these days was simply as an adviser, he had been very happy. The stress she had seen upon him while she was growing up, at least in the alternate reality, was gone and for that, she was very happy for him. Surprisingly to some, Hades was happy ruling beside her mother and gladly maintained his supportive role to her. He had naturally worried about his former Throne and who was taking care of the dead. It was very big job and one he took seriously. He regretted the years where he had ruled unjustly, but when they managed to learn that Prometheus had exited Elysian to take up the mantle, that had been a relief to him. Prometheus was a fair man and had always been an ally to mortals, being that he had gone against Zeus long ago when he gave fire to mortals. He had paid for it dearly, but had been rewarded a hero's afterlife in Elysian by Hades, centuries ago, much to Zeus' chagrin.

Persephone had proven equally that her new role as God of the Skies was very well suited to her as well. The last three years in the United Realms had yielded peace and for that, Snow was incredibly grateful. There were still conflicts, crime, and the normal day to day strife that any society faced, but peace had mostly reigned.

"Hey…" Emma called, as they were the next to arrive.

"Hey sweetie," Snow said, as she hugged her parents, while David eagerly lifted Tallie out of her stroller.

"Hey there peanut…" he cooed and patted his grandson on the arm.

"Oh...that reminds me," David said. Snow smiled and dug out some comic books from the pocket on their stroller.

"Wow...thanks Gramps," Henry said, as he accepted the gift.

"And Nana and Papa didn't forget you, sweetie," Snow cooed, as they presented her with a new stuffed sheep.

"You seriously just lectured us about spoiling our grandchildren," Hades mentioned. Snow smiled at him.

"Well, like you said...it's what grandparents do," she mused.

"Grandparents usually don't have kids the same age as their grand kids though," Emma teased.

"You shush and Iris got a new stuffed toy too when we picked out one for Tallie," Snow replied, as Rumple and Belle were next to arrive with Gideon.

"Hey…sorry, we're a bit late. We had to change clothes already this morning," Belle mentioned. Snow winced.

"We've had those mornings too," she replied. Gideon and Iris were only about a month apart. Snow and Belle had gotten pregnant nearly at the same time and being pregnant together had made them even closer friends. It had served to do the same for David and Rumple as well.

"Sorry we're late…" Regina said, as she and James finally arrived and she kissed Henry on his head, as they sat down.

"It's okay...our order is already in," Snow said.

"How do you know what I want?" Regina replied.

"Apple pancakes, mom...you're kind of predictable," Henry teased, making James chuckle in amusement. She nudged him.

"Very funny, you...new comics?" she asked. He smiled and slid one over to her.

"Yep," he answered, as she opened it to read, while they waited on breakfast and conversation flowed effortlessly as usual when they all managed to get together. Robert, Ruth, and Serafina arrived last, completing their family gathering, just as breakfast was delivered.

~*~

Ravenna paced in the secluded chamber of her palace, where Claude Frollo had conducted his work and experiments for the past three years. It was painstaking work and she felt no closer to any of her goals. If she didn't hold control over him, then she might think he wasn't doing what she asked. But unfortunately, the particular thing she was asking for was not easily accomplished.

Originally, she had wanted to find a way to curse her former step-daughter. She wanted her to suffer a fate worse than death, but she had quickly learned that there was no curse that existed that true love could not overcome. It became clear that death was the only thing that true love could not save her from. And so the search to find the perfect way to kill Snow White began. She wanted her to suffer and she wanted those around her to suffer losing her. She was so tired of her being the one that all the Kingdoms adored. She had everything. True love with a handsome, loving husband, who thought the sun rose and set with her. Three beautiful children and a large family full of people that would do absolutely anything for her. In addition to that, most of the people in the Kingdoms, particularly her own adored her and still called her the fairest of them all.

Her jealousy had steadily grown and her hatred with it. Hans had implored her to let it go, as he could see nothing good coming of it for their Kingdom. His older brothers agreed as well, but with Arawn still imprisoned for war crimes, Ravenna was next in line and had ruled flippantly. Her own interests were first, while the people did without. She was a very unpopular Queen and their own people constantly discussed how much better the rulers of some of other Kingdoms were. Snow White was always mentioned among them, which only further enraged their sister.

But Ravenna refused to work for her people in favor of fulfilling her own interests. She was always harshly criticized at the United Realm Council meetings and Hans was sure today would be no different.

"We may finally be onto something today," Frollo said.

"You've said that before and it always goes up in smoke," Ravenna retorted.

"And without this cauldron, you may never have gotten this far," he argued.

"Fine...do you have it then?" she asked.

"Not yet...but my research has revealed one crucial ingredient we need for success. Unfortunately, it is not available in our Enchanted Forest," he replied.

"Then where can we get what we need?" she demanded to know.

"Another magical forest...across the ocean," he answered. She had heard of this place and could even see it in the distance from her vantage point. It was still a mysterious place and the only place that had not sent a dignitary to join the United Realms Council. Very little was known about it still and there were even plans to send a group of diplomats there to make contact. No one was certain of why no one from this land had sent their own individuals out, but they had so far respected their obvious desire to remain isolated. If they still planned to send a team, she knew they would never choose to send her. They were always claiming she was too volatile and had an irresponsible rule. But that would not stop her from going there if the ingredient she needed was somewhere in that forest.

"Then we will leave for this new land, in secret, after today's Council meeting," she decided.

"Yes, my Queen," Frollo agreed, though he had little choice. As long as she held the Promethean flame, the very first and famed flame the God Prometheus had given to man, she would be able to control his every move.

~*~

Breakfast was finishing up and they paid their checks, while preparing to hand off all the little ones to Ruth, Robert, and Serafina, who were happily watching all of them, while they were attending the monthly Council meeting that morning.

"Okay kid...bus is pulling up outside," Emma said, as she hugged him and Regina did as well, as she kissed him on the head. He and Neal bumped fists, as he headed out to the bus

"Have a good day sweetie," Snow called, as he waved to his family. Just as they prepared to head back to the castle, Emma's phone rang.

"Sheriff," she answered, as she listened to the complaint on the other end.

"All right...we'll be right there," she said, with an eye roll.

"Another active bar fight at the Rabbit Hole," she said, as she put her jacket on.

"I'll give you a hand," David said, as he kissed Snow quickly.

"I'll catch up to you at the meeting," he promised. She nodded.

"Be careful," she called to both of them.

"Need an extra hand?" James asked.

"Couldn't hurt," David agreed, as his twin kissed Regina and followed them out. Snow smiled, as she watched her husband and daughter do what they did best. Helping and protecting people. She kissed her little ones and Ruth smiled at her.

"Off to save the day again, those two," she said fondly.

"As always. Thanks for watching them," Snow said.

"You know we love it," Seraphina replied. To have the three of them to help out was invaluable. Snow was not a fan of hiring a nanny and since her children had so many grandparents to help out, such had not be necessary.

"Well, I guess we better get to the Council meeting," she said, as they left the diner as well. She couldn't say that they ever accomplished a lot in their meetings, but they were still important to get all the leaders together in order to discuss the issues. She always hoped for less arguing and more solutions, which she did not always receive. Thus was the reality of politics. David usually got even more annoyed than her, for her husband was always one for action. But the diplomacy and this process were important and necessary, even if the results were slow to be realized most of the time. But she felt that the future had never been brighter as far as she was concerned and she only hoped that their relative peace continued to reign...

[disparais]

dear ma-ma,

where do i even start?

i didn’t know it, but you are one of the most important people in my life - one of my constants that accompanied me from childhood through young adulthood. i know you will be with me for the rest of my life.

there are so many golden memories we have shared. i wish there had been someone to capture them all - your primness and fussiness, your faux annoyance, your doting smile.

you were here before my memories even began, holding chubby little me and looking at me like i was the most precious thing you had ever seen. i take pride in being able to squeeze a proper smile out of you on camera, because of the prim barely-there smiles you favour.

in my early childhood, you came over just about every other day. you’d drive your manual nissan sunny carefully, wearing your sunglasses and looking more chic than i could ever hope to. you always had fisherman’s peppermints and fox sweets in your handbag, and always slipped me a sweet treat before afternoon naps on my dreamy blue mattress. afternoons with you were the best, where you’d close the heavy curtains and turn on the air-conditioner, and pat-pat me to sleep.

i remember fighting with you over the channels on every single television available to us. you always wanted to watch teletext, astute investor that you were, and i always wanted to watch little bear (but also i just wanted to annoy you sometimes because it was hilarious getting you riled up). that’s how you became mama bear to me. (and yes, you more or less always gave in to me. i know you enjoyed these little fights too.)

yes, i also definitely deliberately aimed the fan at your hair occasionally, delighting in your ruffled feathers as you crossly patted your hair back into place.

thursday lunches with you and kong-kong were the best. i felt like a little princess going out with you both to the hotel, eating my favourite dim-sum and scampering around the hotel between courses. some days we’d eat at jack’s place too - it will always have a special place in my heart because of how much you enjoyed the experience of eating there.

whether at thursday lunches or sunday dinners, you always checked to make sure i was enjoying the food, and that i had eaten enough. you always advocated to order the dishes i really loved, and made sure to take note of what i liked so that you could remember to order it again the next time round. you always gave me the last coveted piece of food.

i definitely get my love for ice-cream and grocery shopping from you. perhaps my favourite memories are the golden afternoons where we’d share a 25-cent vanilla cone, then go to ntuc where i’d push your trolley around and take pride in carrying your groceries. i still do this for amy all the time, even though she complains that i’m too obsessive about keeping the trolley neat.

on the drives home, you’d always complain about everything under the sun. i have no idea why, but your complaining is the funniest thing ever and you’d always ask me faux-sternly what i was laughing at. i don’t know if you knew that sometimes i’d tell you a triggering detail just to provoke another mini-rant, just for my entertainment.

your home was more or less my second home. so many of my sun-tinged memories were forged here. i’d delight in digging up your tiny garden, only to hit the paving of gravel perhaps 20 centimeters into the ground. i certainly felt like a little adult, wielding the little trowel and thinking i was helping the plants flourish by “turning the soil”.

somehow, you’d allow me back into your spotless house (i always tell people i’d be willing to eat an entire meal off your floor, it was that clean), sternly instructing me to scrub my hands and feet clean before continuing to run amok.

you allowed me to drape a mattress and your comforter over the clothes rack in the spare room, where i loved to build my own blanket fort and hide out. even though you probably thought it was silly, you indulged me anyway, just like you did my soft toy show-and-tells. i am so glad some of my soft toys got to meet you; i loved shocking you with fog, and i am sure he will remember you always too. fatty will probably remember you, since he remembers anyone who calls him out for being fat.

perhaps the adult in my life who was the most supportive of my sweet tooth, you always offered me chocolates from your fridge. fearful of my mother’s reproach, i started to decline when i grew a bit older, but looking back, i wish i had accepted every one. it’s not like i didn’t sneak a truffle or two sometimes, when my cravings overcame my ability to resist.

you were always so happy when i slept over. only upon looking back that i realize your half-jokes about when i would sleep over again were not as much jokes as much as they were your way of expressing that you love and miss tiny me. i’m so sorry i didn’t realize before it was too late.

you’d complain that i was a “lazy pig” who was hard to rouse from bed and loved to nap, but you did so with a smile - and you were the one who would always turn your air-con on on full blast and ask me to sleep, you totally set me up! somehow, sharing a room with you, sleep was never far from me, even though the same cannot be said about the mosquitoes.

but my favourite memories of you have to be family dinners. not the sunday dinners, where i had to dress up in stiff frocks and be on my best behaviour as the littlest hotel heiress. just the regular dinners at your house, where you captured my heart with your food, which has always been and likely will always be the best home-cooked food to me. where dinner always started at 6pm, and being the playful kid that i was, it’d take multiple shouts to tear a reluctant little me away from my blanket fort and trot down the stairs.

i used to clamour to eat at your place all the time. i probably upset my mom because i said nowhere else had food like yours, especially the food at our own house which was way worse. (this is objective and i still stand by it - you’re the only person that consistently cooks vegetables so delicious you have me scrambling to finish the entire plate.) she commented that you probably added msg to your dishes, but i always believe you didn’t - your dishes were always delicious in a way that no artificial flavouring could achieve.

i promise i will learn the recipes that are close to our hearts. it is so fortunate that you passed a few on to my helpers - much as you disliked them, i know you wanted me to be able to enjoy the dishes i loved so much. i regret that you never got to try food i personally prepared, but i will always vividly remember the taste of your cooking, and strive to recreate our dinner classics. please excuse me while i list them:

- finely chopped chinese cabbage / phuay leng with sukiyaki beef stir-fry - phuay leng and garlic stir-fry - prawns in tomato sauce with white onions - sausage or scallion omelette - chicken abalone chinese cabbage button mushroom soup - crab meat ball and bamboo shoot soup

there is no price i would not pay to get to eat a dinner together one last time, and perhaps even be the one to cook it for you.

you are so inspirational. i do not know any other person who truly started with hardly anything, lived through the horrors of the japanese occupation, then turned their lives around to become so wildly successful. amy says during your first job as a cashier, you began dabbling in investments, and subsequently ended up fired because you were checking stock indices and planning investments on the job. she says you have the midas touch, and i definitely believe that - everything you touched is cast with a golden hue in the halls of my mind. you got to fall in love with kong-kong, and travel europe and america, and have two beautiful daughters who love and care for you like no other. i wonder how ruby feels about this loss - surely your broker had to be close to you in some way, given how often i saw you calling her.

despite starting with nothing, you worked and saved and invested to build up your reserves. you even kindly offered to sponsor my school fees, knowing that my brother is such a financial stressor on my family. i dearly wish you had been able to see me graduate - i wanted to tell my parents to give up one of their tickets to you at my graduation, because i know it was such a dream for you to see me become a fully-fledged doctor. i will study hard and strive to be a good doctor in the years to come. i will do my best by all my patients, and strive to have a heart for them and their family just like your doctors did for you and ours.

in spite of your family turmoil, you were the only one who had the heart to check in on aunty betty, calling her daily to engage her, even when her own children had disowned her because of what she had done to them. you made amends with your other remaining siblings in your later years, and i hope that was healing in some way.

you definitely have a place in the hearts of the old ladies in church, who always ask after you. even though church may not mean the same thing to you that it does to amy, pauline or even myself, i know it was special to you, because you made time for it - and you were never the kind to spend a moment frivolously (well, besides watching those awful channel 8 dramas. not that i will ever admit i would be riveted to the terrible acting whenever i was sprawled out on the sofa after dinner).

i have no idea how i missed all the signs that you were getting older. perhaps i didn’t want to see them.

when you fell in january 2019, i thought that might be the end of the road. i am so grateful to the surgeons for bringing you back from the brink that time. it was touch and go, but you were always such a fighter. i admire your zest for life and your willingness to cling on for dear life to any chance to survive. i am so thankful that you were able to get discharged last july/august, and that we had almost a full year more where we could still spend time with you, and bring food to you.

you fought so hard to get this second operation. i will always think of the what-ifs and wonder how long more you could have had with us, had you not gone - but deep down inside i know this is exactly what you wanted. you always were so bold and proactive about wanting to get the best out of life, and i know that given a second chance you would still have gotten the operation. you were hopeful almost all the way, and it breaks my heart that while you were still conscious at the end, you were aware that the surgical outcome was not as we had hoped for. it breaks my heart that your last days were spent in the hospital, not in the comfort of your warm and cosy home that you had worked so hard to maintain.

you are so loved. i’m so sorry i never had the courage to tell you this while you were still awake. i wish i had known that last weekend was the last time your eyes would be open. yesterday, i told you all the things i never dared to say while you were still awake. i wept over the seeming unfairness of it all, and how fast it all happened. i begged for another dinner together. i told you it was okay to let go; you had to be tired - if not in spirit, at least in body.

at the time, i wasn’t sure if you could hear me, but after steven and joel went, i am sure you were there. amy told me that your blood pressure was fluctuating but still holding up when gemma left 10 minutes prior to their arrival. by the time they entered the room, the blood pressure dropped to 50/30, and your heart rate had slowed from your usual tachycardic state to 55. joel said a prayer over you, and then amy watched as your vitals dropped to zero. amy said it took less than 5 minutes. the timing is nothing short of miraculous. i knew then that even when the time was up, you fought so hard to stay, just to say goodbye to steven and joel. your spirit and tenacity always astound me.

i miss you so much already. you loved me so much and so well and i’m so sorry i never made enough time to show you how much you mattered to me as well. but you have fought the good fight, and finished the race. you spent your whole life working and striving for a better life. you deserve eternal rest and peace.

i hope you are somewhere better now. somewhere where you get to eat everything you wanted to, somewhere sparkling clean and comfortable, somewhere nice and fancy, where the breeze is gentle and won’t mess up your hair. i hope you’re able to walk arm in arm with kong-kong again, and embrace eternity with him.

in time, i too will join you. one day we will have sunday dinners again. until then, safe travels and rest well. i love you.

love, isabel

p.s. don’t be a worrywart. we will be fine, i promise.

[lilacmoon83]

Dreaming Out Loud

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 53: Roots

David's legs burned in protest, but he ignored it, as he chased George. Fortunately, he was much younger and faster, so it didn't take him long to catch up to the disgraced King. He pulled his gun and cocked it, making the King stop, as they reached the beach.

"Put your hands where I can see them. You're under arrest for murder," David stated, as the King did so and slowly turned to face him.

"You think you've really won, shepherd?" George goaded.

"Good always wins...even if our victories are harder to achieve," David retorted.

"So sure of yourself...so sure that you're good," the former King spat.

"As opposed to you...yes. The people have never come first to you. Power is all you care about," David countered.

"You are such a fool...power is how you get everything in this world...in any world, boy," George spat.

"I tried to barter a deal that would have made my Kingdom prosperous for centuries to come. But you ruined it all and just so you could be with your precious Snow White. Who is really the selfish one here?" George challenged.

"Some saw what I did as selfish, you're right...but I never stopped fighting for the people. And don't act so noble...you wouldn't have lent any of the riches you acquired from Midas to the people. Only the nobles and elite would have benefited from that deal," David argued.

"If that's what you need to tell yourself every night when you lay next to your precious Snow White, then so be it. That doesn't change the fact that you will never be fit to lead anything, let alone this town," the disgraced King spat.

"You're wrong," Snow interjected breathlessly, as she and Red arrived behind him.

"Am I, Princess? Just because you say so?" George goaded.

"No...because of the kind of man my husband is. The opposite of you. You have to use fear and lies to get people to follow you. Such leadership would only lead this town to war and ruin. David leads by example, as a man that gives his all to protect his family and the people of this town. He doesn't need to rally them into a frenzy to get them to follow him," Snow countered, as she looked up at him.

"They follow him, because they see themselves in him. He's a person that cares about others and loves his family. You could have had that. But you chose hate over love and family," Snow implored.

"Love is for children, you foolish little girl. Even your father knew that. He was well known for saying that love makes people do very foolish things. Too bad he did not manage to impart his wisdom to his naive daughter," George hissed.

"As much as it hurts...my father, the man that raised me is no role model. He is not a man I look up to now that I know the truths about the things he did in his past," she admitted, but then smiled.

"Fortunately, my husband is the kind of father that my daughter can and does look up to. This town's protection is in good hands with both of them," she said.

"At the end of the day, despite anything else, you're just a cold blooded murderer that deserves nothing less than to be locked up for the rest of his life," she added. David smirked.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," he agreed, as he holstered his gun and cuffed the old man.

"You think you have won? With Cora and the Queen on the loose?" George challenged.

"Or what about your mother's husband? Do you really think Hades will not come to finish what he tried to do upon the day of your birth, Snow White?" he ranted.

"Shut up," David snapped.

"Yes...your precious wife won't be ruling this town long if he has his way. With the Queen gone, I'm sure the Underworld could use a Princess to lord over them," George growled.

"If you don't shut up...you'll be the one going to the Underworld," David growled back, as they marched him back to town.

"I need to get back to the library. I kind of chained your mother up with magic proof chains. She is probably not happy with me at all," Red stated. Snow winced.

"Probably not...I'll go with you," Snow agreed, as she kissed David tenderly.

"I'm going to lock him up and then I'll meet you at home," he said, as he put George in the patrol car, while Red and Snow set off for the library.

~*~

Emma tried to calm her heart, which was pounding, as they walked back to his apartment building in silence.

"So you're not going to tell me what exactly I need to see? Surprises aren't my favorite thing, you know," Neal mentioned.

"Oh, I'm sorry...did I forget to tell you that I give a damn about your sensitivities?" Emma snapped coldly.

"Damn...okay, maybe I deserve that," he said and then winced, as she looked at him sharply.

"You think?" she growled. He sighed.

"Emma...I told you that I'm sorry. But you know as well as I do that I could have never known that you knew your parents or that you were from there," he replied.

"But you did know after August told you. So what that you hated your Dad. I hated my parents at the time. We still could have found them together," she said.

"It's not the same!" he snapped, as they stopped walking and faced each other.

"The difference is that you really didn't hate your parents. I really do hate my father! Do you have any idea what I went through?" he questioned. She crossed her arms over her chest and cast her gaze downward for a moment.

"There is a book...it has all the stories in it. From everyone in town, so yeah, I read it the first chance I got, cover to cover. So yeah...I'm familiar with the story of Baelfire," she admitted.

"Then you know what happened. He chose all that crap over me! And before I got to this world, I had some pretty unpleasant experiences in others," Neal explained.

"He screwed up! Don't you think he at least deserves a second chance?" she asked and he looked at her in disbelief.

"Are you defending him?" he accused. She sighed.

"No...what he did was messed up! It destroyed my family!" she assured.

"Then why the hell does it sound like you're defending him?" he shouted.

"Because...he helped my Dad," she confessed. Neal rolled his eyes.

"He doesn't help anyone unless there was something in it for him," he stated. Emma sighed.

"You're right, but it went down in a way that I think helped your Dad realize that friends and family might actually do things for you without expecting something in return. That's who my parents are...they help people without expecting to be rewarded for it," Emma explained.

"That's nice for you, Emma, but my Dad isn't like that. If you need his help, then you better expect to pay the price," Neal argued.

"But my father didn't pay a price...that's what I'm trying to tell you," she argued back. He seemed intrigued and nodded his head for her to continue.

"A man named Jefferson, who worked for your father back there was cursed to be awake during the curse. It was his punishment to remember everything and have to watch another family raise his daughter. But that also meant he had time to discover things that Regina was hiding," Emma began.

"Like what?" Neal asked curiously.

"Like the fact she told your father that a woman he fell in love with died, but really she just locked her up in the psych ward," Emma replied. He chuckled and Emma looked at him incredulously.

"Are you laughing at me?" she demanded to know.

"Yeah...because you're crazy if you expect me to believe that my father, Dark One extraordinaire, fell in love," he drawled.

"No...no...I amend that. You've cracked if you expect me to believe someone actually fell in love with him!" Neal added.

"The only thing that's going to be cracked is your teeth if you call me crazy again," she growled, as she started to walk away.

"Okay...I'm sorry, but come on! My father loves power and power only," Neal told her.

"Yeah, I know he loves power, but it's not the only thing he loves. Trust me, based on everything I knew about him before I got to Storybrooke, I would have agreed with you," she said. He shrugged.

"Then what changed that?" Neal asked.

"My father...he gave my father back his real memories when he woke up from the coma and gave him a potion to keep him immune to any false memories Regina would have tried to plant. She planned to give him false memories of being married to someone else to keep my parents apart," she explained, as tears gathered in her eyes.

"He gave me my Dad back...and not just in my dreams. For the first time since you...I wasn't alone," she choked, as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

"My Mom didn't remember yet, but it didn't matter. She was so lonely and thought she was nothing...a feeling I know all too well. But Dad swept in and became her Prince Charming again," she added. Neal let out a breath.

"And that's great, Emma, but I know him. He got something out of it," he replied.

"He did...he got Belle back. My father helped him get back to the woman he loved, because your father helped him. But it went further than that...they actually became friends," she pleaded. He chuckled.

"My father doesn't have friends and if your Dad actually thinks my father is his friend, then he's an idiot," Neal said.

"Don't call my Dad stupid!" she snapped, taking him aback a bit and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay...I'm sorry," he apologized again. But she scoffed.

"You know what...I'm starting to think that you don't deserve to know the other thing I have to tell you," she said, as she turned away.

"It will be hard to here, but I'll tell him the truth about what you really are," Emma replied.

"Who are you talking about?" Neal asked in confusion.

"I already told him the truth...thanks to my Mom. I wanted to lie...I wanted to tell him you were some firefighter that died a hero. But nope...I told him the truth and he took it pretty well. Better than me," Emma replied.

"Emma...what the hell are you talking about?" he asked.

"I told him that you sent me to jail. I was honest and said I wasn't completely innocent in the whole thing, but I'm pretty sure all he heard was you sold me out and he was born in prison," she answered. His eyes widened.

"B...born?" he questioned.

"And now...I get to tell him that Baelfire is actually Neal Cassidy and he decided to abandon us again, because he can't get over his daddy issues," Emma spat.

"Emma!" he shouted and she turned back to him.

"What do you mean...by born?" he asked, with bated breath.

"I mean my son...our son," she replied. He was stunned to speechlessness.

"We...we have a son?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yep...but I didn't get to raise him. I was in prison, remember? And I knew that I couldn't give him what he needed when I got out. So I gave him up...and guess who adopted him? None other than Regina Mills," Emma replied.

"The Queen adopted our son?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yep, we share a son with the Evil Queen...so thanks for that," she retorted.

"Emma…" he started to say.

"You know what? I'm done...I don't care anymore. Come, don't come...I'm over it. I'm going back to get my son and we're going home to my parents, because we're a family and it's pretty great," she admitted.

"Once I worked through my anger and hurt with them...things were wonderful, even when we were only together in our dreams. Too bad you're too good to give your Dad the same chance," she said.

"It's not the same!" he insisted again.

"Dammit...your parents are good! They didn't want to give you up, did they?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No...they only did, because of him! Because he wanted to get me back! Never mind that he destroyed countless other lives to do it!" he cried.

"Fine...so what do I tell him?" she asked.

"Oh, I'll tell him to piss off myself...I'm still going with you," he replied. She looked at him in surprise.

"You are?" she asked.

"Emma...I just found out that I have a son. Do you really think I'd do the same thing to him as mine did to me?" he questioned. Her face was a mask of indifference.

"You want me to really believe that it would have changed things if you knew that I was pregnant?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No...I don't. I don't deserve that belief from you right now, but I'm going to earn it," he replied. She actually looked impressed by that, as they started walking again.

~*~

After locking George up in a cell in the basement of the hospital, David headed home and found a quiet loft when he got there with takeout ready. After the three of them enjoyed dinner together, Persephone retired for the evening, leaving Snow and Charming to their own devices. Snow kissed him deeply, moving her lips over his in a passionate rhythm, as her hands busied themselves on the buttons of his shirt.

"Not that I'm complaining...but you're especially feisty tonight," he purred, as her lips were busy on his neck. She smirked at him and pushed a hand to his chest, as he lay back. She straddled him and then leaned over him again.

"What can I say...I can't seem to keep my hands off you, handsome," she purred. He sought her lips at that and kissed her passionately.

"Like I said...no complaints here, my darling," he said in a husky tone. She bit her bottom lip, as she got his shirt off and let her hands roam his bare torso.

"Mmm...then you won't mind if I have my way with you, Prince Charming," she purred, as they melted into each other...

~*~

When Emma and Neal got back to the apartment building, they walked into the lobby.

"You're back!" Henry called, as he ran up and hugged Emma. She smiled and hugged him back, dropping a kiss on top of his head. The boy poked his head out to look at the person that was with her and his expression was brimming with curiosity.

"Are you Baelfire?" he asked. Neal could only stare at him for several beats.

"Uh...yeah, I suppose I am. I don't really go by that name anymore though," he answered when he found his voice.

"What do I call you then?" Henry asked. His eyes darted to Emma, who gave him a curt nod, while not looking very happy at all.

"Well, in this world, I've been going by Neal Cassidy," he replied. Henry looked at him in disbelief and then up at his mother.

"Isn't that the name of…" he started to say, as he trailed off. She nodded.

"Yeah kid...I'm as surprised as you, believe me," she replied.

"So...you're my Dad?" Henry asked, as Rumple took a sharp intake of breath. Neal glanced at him, only to see pure shock on his face. There was some small satisfaction at that. For once, his father had failed miserably to predict the future and thus control it.

"Yeah, it would appear so, kid," he replied.

"Bae…" Rumple interjected, but Neal put his hand up to silence him.

"Firstly, it's Neal...and don't even for a second get the idea that I came back here for you," he said harshly.

"I'm here for him, because now that I know about him, I won't abandon my son like you did yours," Neal hissed, as he turned to Emma.

"It's getting late...I have a guest room for you and the sofa folds out into a bed for him if you want," he told her. Emma sighed and looked at her son, who clearly wanted to know the man before him. So she nodded in acquiescence.

"Henry, go on up to the apartment with Neal. I'll be there in a minute," she assured. He nodded, as he got on the elevator with Neal.

"Emma...you have to talk to him for me," Rumple leaded.

"I have...why do you think I was gone so long?" she countered.

"The only reason I got him here at all was when I told him about Henry. Otherwise, he'd be in the wind again. I tried to get him to give you a second chance. I even told him how you've made friends with my father and found love...but he's not budging," she lamented.

"Rumple...let him cool off a bit and spend some time with Henry. Maybe he'll start to see things differently," Belle suggested.

"And if he doesn't?" Rumple asked brokenly.

"Then you back off...at least he'll be close. He'll be coming home with us now that he knows about Henry," Emma replied and then sighed.

"Look...go back to the hotel and I'll see if I can get him to agree to meet you for breakfast in the morning," she offered. He nodded.

"Thank you," he offered back, as he started to hobble toward the exit.

"Emma...are you okay?" Belle asked. The blonde smiled thinly and blew out a breath.

"Yeah, I guess...it's a lot to take in," she replied. Belle nodded.

"I can't imagine...and I'm here if you want to talk, but I think you might benefit more if you call Snow," she suggested.

"Yeah...it's late," Emma said. Belle squeezed her hand.

"Emma...call your Mother. She won't care what time it is," the brunette replied, as she left. Emma sighed and pulled out her phone. She pressed a button and Mom appeared on the screen, as her phone dialed.

~*~

Regina sighed, as they rummaged through Gold's shop, but turned up empty again.

"We've searched everywhere...the woods, the clock tower, this entire damn town and it's not here!" she complained.

"No...I'm beginning to think it's not anywhere at all," Cora responded.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Are you sure he wouldn't have taken it with him?" Cora asked.

"Sidney said that his phone records show a call to the airlines. He would have never gotten something like that through security and onto an airplane," Regina replied.

"Unless that was a ruse or there was a change of plans," Cora surmised. Regina looked up at her.

"And they decided to drive...he took it with him," she realized. Cora pursed her lips.

"What are we supposed to do now? If he has it with him, we'll never get it away from him now," the former Queen said.

"Patience darling, this is just a minor setback. There are still ways to get what we need," Cora replied.

"We can't kill the Charmings...no matter how much I wish we could. Even if Persephone wasn't standing in the way...Henry would never forgive me," Regina said.

"And we will get the dagger and do away with all of them. Then Henry won't blame you," she assured.

"Then we need to be ready for them before they cross the town line and somehow get the dagger away from Gold. Cora smirked.

"Which shouldn't be too difficult," she responded.

"How do you figure? Even outside Storybrooke, Emma is armed with a gun," Regina warned.

"Because love is weakness, dear. We threaten Rumple's little bookworm and he'll do whatever he must to save her," Cora responded.

"And Emma...she'd do anything to save her parents," Regina realized.

"Yes and fortunately, we have Hook at our disposal as well. If he were to take Henry's grandparents hostage, the boy would still see you as blameless," Cora added. Regina smirked.

"The Captain should be with his ship...but we'll need a diversion for Persephone," she said.

"And I have just the one," Cora replied," as she poofed them to the harbor. But they frowned when they arrived, finding the Jolly Roger to be missing.

"He's gone…" Regina uttered. Cora's face was marred by a deep frown and she clenched her fists. She regretted now not keeping Hook on a tighter leash.

"He's gone to New York...he's gone to skin his Crocodile. He could ruin everything…" she hissed. Regina sighed.

"What now?" her daughter asked.

"The giant I brought along would have been a nice distraction. Fortunately, I have another one that might just drive a wedge between Snow and her mother. It's a start anyway until we figure out what do and what damage Hook might do to our plans," Cora replied. It was a setback for sure, but it only delayed the inevitable as far as she was concerned. And that was her possession of the dagger and the complete destruction of Persephone's entire legacy…

~*~

Snow giggled, as she lay entangled beneath the bedclothes with her husband and he kissed her neck.

"You do know I'm not food, right?" she teased, as her husband seemed intent on nibbling on her all over.

"Yep...you're better. You taste like cinnamon...and vanilla...and Snow…" he purred. She giggled.

"I taste like Snow? What does that even mean?" she asked playfully.

"Mmm...I don't know. You taste like you...and it's heaven," he replied, as his head disappeared beneath the blankets and she gasped, as he made his way down the valley between her breasts.

"David…" she whimpered, as she raked her fingers through his hair, while he busied his skillful mouth on her chest. Snow lost herself in the sensations and writhed beneath her husband's hard body. Gods...this man knew exactly how to bring her unspeakable pleasure. Unfortunately, her phone chose to ring at that moment and she grappled with it on the nightstand.

"Charming...it's Emma…" she warned, as he emerged and spooned her against him, as she answered the phone.

"Hi honey…" she said, as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

"Hi Mom...sorry, I know it's late," Emma replied.

"It's never too late for you to call me, sweetheart, ever," Snow assured.

"I found Baelfire," she revealed.

"That's wonderful…" Snow replied, but heard silence on the other end.

"Isn't it?" she asked.

"Uh...yeah, there's just way more to it and I'm kind of freaking out right now," Emma fretted.

"Honey, say the word and your Dad and I will leave for New York right now if you need us to," Snow assured.

"It's tempting, but I don't think there will be much reason to stick around New York much longer. We should be heading home tomorrow," Emma said.

"That's good...does that mean Gold worked things out with his son?" Snow asked, as Charming listened with her.

"No...he wants nothing to do with his father. But that's only half of it. Baelfire...Mom…" Emma started to say.

"It's okay Emma...whatever it is, your Dad and I will be here for you," Snow assured.

"Baelfire is Neal Cassidy…" she blurted out and Snow was silent for a moment, trying to process that statement.

"Neal Cassidy…" she uttered and she saw her husband's face darken at that name.

"Baelfire is Neal Cassidy?" she continued, as her eyes met Charming's and she watched his blue eyes widen.

"Yeah...insane, right?" she fretted.

"A little bit...how did Gold take it?" she asked curiously.

"He was as shocked as me. He and Belle went back to the hotel. We're at Neal's apartment and Henry's getting to know him. He wants nothing to do with Gold, but Neal said he won't abandon Henry now that he knows about him," Emma explained.

"Well, that's noble...so he'll be coming home with you?" Snow asked.

"Yeah I guess...I have no idea what any of this means. I never expected to see him again," Emma replied.

"I know sweetheart, but your Dad and I are going to be here for you, no matter what. And we'll figure all of this out together," Snow promised.

"Thanks Mom...I love. Tell Dad I love him too," Emma said. Snow smiled.

"I will...we love you too, sweetheart. Be safe and call us when you're on your way home," Snow requested, as she hung up the phone and blew out an unsteady breath.

"You realize what this means, right?" she asked him and he gave her a questioning look.

"We share a grandson with Rumpelstiltskin," she said. He blew out a breath too.

"Good thing we're friends now or that might suck," he quipped. She hummed in agreement and chuckled, as he kissed her cheek.

"I will feel so much better when our baby and our grand baby are home," she confessed.

"Me too, my love," he agreed, as they settled down in each other's arms and finally let sleep take them. At least in their dreams, they would see Emma and Henry.