❃
|Storybrooke|
❃

Lily and August were arguing about what villain would end up in Storybrooke next when there was a knock on the door. Lily and August glanced at each other. Marco was upstairs, so who was knocking on the door?

"August? Marco?"

Emma.

August walked past Lily and opened the door. "Do you need something?"

Emma nodded. "Hades is searching Storybrooke for Gold's kids and Meg. Can you help me spread the word? We're hoping that if everyone just tells Hades they aren't hiding anything, he'll leave them alone. He doesn't have reason to suspect anyone here besides anyone related to me."

August glanced back at Lily. "Want to help me tell people Hades is here searching for select members of the Charming-Locksley-Swan-Jones-Gold family?"

"Who...?" Emma's voice trailed off when Lily joined August in the doorway. "Oh. Hi, Lily."

"Hey." Lily turned to August. "Sure."

"We'll help," August told Emma.

❃

Hades was not expecting to see Maleficent in Storybrooke. As far as he knew, she was still somewhere in the Fields of Punishment. But when he knocked on the door of a room in Granny's that he thought belonged to someone else, she answered.

"What do you want?" She asked. Obviously not pleased that she was being disturbed.

"Mal?"

Maleficent stumbled backwards. "No..." A flood of memories that Hades had taken away rushed back into her mind. A flood of memories that included information on Lily's father.

"Why are you here?" Maleficent's voice had gone from annoyed to terrified to defensive in a matter of seconds.

"It has nothing to do with you," Hades assured her. "I'm searching for a child of Rumplestiltskin's or Meg. The Dark One made a deal centuries ago and I'm here to collect."

"I'm done helping you, so I hope you don't want another alliance."

"What happened last time that puts you so on edge?"

Maleficent didn't answer.

"Fine, I'll continue searching myself."

"Good." Maleficent swung the door shut. And turned so she was leaning against it. She needed another way out of Granny's. No one would appreciate a dragon, but Maleficent didn't have another choice. She stepped swiftly towards the window and transformed as she jumped out. As she hit the ground, she changed back into her human form and hurried towards her destination.

Lily needed to get out of Storybrooke immediately.

❃
|The Enchanted Forest, Long Ago|
❃

A cloud of smoke blew through Maleficent's castle and Hades materialized with it. "Mal."

Maleficent looked up from the potion she was brewing. "I thought this," she motioned between herself and Hades, "was done? We made our deal."

"I need your help with something else. And there might be something in it for you."

"What could you possibly have that I would want?"

Hades held a mirror. "This. It's a portal to a land called Wonderland. One step through the looking glass and you can be in a different world."

"I know plenty about Wonderland," Mal replied, clearly not impressed. "It's unruly and the Queen is not a very good one. People speculate it will only get worse."

"Unless you step in and take over. Your magic will have people bowing at your feet the instant you summon a fireball."

Maleficent shrugged. "Fireballs aren't really my thing. I breathe fire, I don't summon it with my bare hands. You're confusing me with Regina."

"Ah yes, the Evil Queen. Speaking of her, I need you to help me take her down."

"No," Mal said simply. She turned from Hades and continued pouring a blue liquid into her potion.

"Not even for a claim to the throne of Wonderland?"

"Nope. Regina helped me find myself again after I had given up. I will not overthrow her."

"Such a shame," Hades sounded disappointed. "I would have let you keep her. I just need her off of the throne so the rightful heir can take her place. Cora's true firstborn."

Mal looked up again, suddenly interested. "Regina has a sister?"

"Yes. She would be the true heir to the throne, but she was abandoned. I want to help her climb to power."

Maleficent hesitated. "And you won't kill Regina?"

"No," Hades promised.

"Why do you need me?"

"I need a dragon. Any dragon would do, but you are one I can reason with."

"Fine," Mal gave in. "I will help you, but you do not kill Regina and I get both her and the looking glass. We're going to rule over Wonderland together since no one here likes either of us."

"I knew I could get you to see sense."

❃
|Storybrooke, Present Day|
❃

August and Lily had just finished warning Jefferson and his daughter when a man approached them. "Hello."

August was instantly on guard because he had never seen the man before.

"I was wondering if you know where the mayor is?"

August and Lily shook their heads in unison. "Nope, sorry," August lied.

"How about Megara or Neal Cassidy?"

"No," Lily replied, even though she and August both knew Regina and the others were in Neal's apartment.

"What a shame. I bet you don't even know who I am."

"You're Hades," Lily answered, despite the fact that everything in her was screaming at her to not answer.

"I'm more than that." It didn't take much for Hades to realize why Maleficent was so guarded around him. He simply needed to put two and two together.

"Lily!" Maleficent called. Lily and August both turned to see the dragon rushing towards them.

"Mom!"

"Just what I needed," Hades frozen both Lily and August in place, but allowed Maleficent to approach him. "Why didn't you tell me?" Hades kept his eyes on Lily, but the question was directed at Maleficent.

"You made me forget our encounter before I knew."

All Lily could do was glance back and forth between her mother and Hades.

"Is she really...?"

Maleficent nodded, defeated. "Yes."

The magic on Lily broke and she was finally able to speak. "What?! Could one of you explain what's going on here?!"

"Lily..."

❃
|The Enchanted Forest, Long Ago|
❃

The Evil Queen knew about Maleficent's plan, but she didn't know who the dragon was working with. And she definitely did not like the idea of going to Wonderland. Because Wonderland meant Cora and Cora was bad news.

She managed to thwart the plan to overthrow her, but Regina did not know as much as she thought she did. She knew Maleficent had made a deal with some other person and if she helped overthrow Regina, they could both start anew in Wonderland.

Regina did not know that Maleficent was working for Hades and that they had a bit more than just an alliance. She did not know Hades wanted her half-sister on the throne, and she certainly did not know that she caused Maleficent to lose her memories of the occurrence.

After Hades' plan failed, he turned on Maleficent. He took her memories of their second alliance, but he couldn't bring himself to completely leave her empty handed. So he left the looking glass, only for it to later be stolen by a thief who needed a new start with his wife.

Maleficent knew very well who stole the mirror even though she didn't know why she had it. She also knew the thief and his wife were already on the run from the infamous merry men, so the best she could do was threaten the group of thieves. She would have done more, had she not noticed who their leader was.

Robin Hood.

Also know to Regina as the Man With the Lion Tattoo, even though the Evil Queen didn't know that yet. But Mal knew and Mal also knew about Regina's run in with Tinker Bell. She made no move to lead Regina to her soulmate, but she spared his life.

But before Will Scarlet stole the looking glass and before Maleficent decided to not kill Regina's soulmate, she found out something much more life changing.

She was going to have a baby.

❃

Hades looked into the glass orb in his hands. He could see Zelena, who was trying to collect ingredients for a time travel spell. She already had the brain of a scarecrow, which meant only three ingredients were left. Symbols of love, courage, and innocence.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, though Zelena couldn't hear him. "I tried to give you what you deserve."

❃
|Storybrooke, Present Day|
❃

"Hades is your father," Maleficent admitted.

"What?" Lily took a step back from the lord of the Underworld. "But that means..."

"You're a demigod who can turn into a dragon and you're probably a threat to everyone here," Hades finished. "And your boyfriend is probably terrified now."

"August is not my boyfriend! But seriously, just let him go."

Hades sighed and waved his hand so August unfroze. "Your words contradict themselves, my dear daughter."

"Lily--"

"I'm not too thrilled about it either," Lily cut August off. "If you want to go, go now. Tell Emma or something, I don't care."

"No. Lily, just because you know Hades is your dad now doesn't mean he wasn't before. Your past doesn't define who you are."

"Weakness spotted," Hades said aloud before ripping August's heart from his chest.

"No!" Lily cried, but before anyone could move, he froze the three in place again.

"Either you help me find Regina and the others or I crush his heart."

"I..." Lily glanced over at August. He mouthed the word, 'No,' but Lily didn't listen. "I'll help."

"Wonderful. I think I'll keep this just in case..." August's heart disappeared from Hades hand and Lily knew that wasn't because it was back in his chest.

"Lily, no!" August said, but he was too late.

"I'm not going to let you die!" Lily shouted back and Hades' spell shattered. "You, Marco, and my mom are the only ones in this town who don't have a problem with me because I can turn into a dragon! I'm not going to lose you!"

"Hades, don't do this," Mal plead.

"I'm no worse a mother than Cora was to Regina."

"If you're comparing yourself to Cora, you are a terrible parent. You--"

Hades was fed up with Mal, so he waved her hand and caused her to vanish. She appeared in her room at Granny's seconds later.

"Now, daughter," Hades turned to Lily. "Perhaps you should say your final goodbye to August before you come with me."

Lily turned to August. "I'm not going to let you die," was all she said. She was about to step back when August pulled her closer to him and crashed their lips together, pulling her against him.

Lily broke the kiss and stumbled backwards towards Hades. "And that's why I can't let you die."

Before August could respond, Lily and Hades had disappeared. August turned to go find Emma and hopefully get help to get his heart back so Lily could stop working with Hades.