CHAPTER ONE: pilot

★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

RAQUEL WHITE HAD GONE BY THE NICKNAME 'ROCKY' BY HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS. At that moment, Rocky wrapped her arms around her best friend's waist, both having jumped onto the horse, racing to try and rescue Rocky's older sister—the Prince's true love.

They had heard the news that the Queen successfully attacked the other, younger woman. Snow was dead. Or was dying?

Truthfully, Rocky hadn't listened. All she had heard was that the Queen had succeeded in attacking Snow.

Although the prince could feel the girl's face placed between his shoulders. He could hear and feel the panic muttering.

Rocky felt the snow melting in her hair, her face cold from the icy and wet vapor.

It seemed as if they arrived too slowly but somehow quickly at the same time.

Once they had arrived there, they immediately to the jump off the horse. Prince Charming rushed to the dwarves, Rocky only a step behind him.

"You're too late," Doc tells the two, all seven parted, revealing the glass casket.

"No!" Prince Charming yelled in agony, rushing to the casket.

Rocky stayed, frozen in shock. "No. No. She's not- she can't be..." Rocky cut herself off. "No! What happened?"

"Open it. Let us say goodbye," the prince begs, starting at the woman in the glass coffin.

"I'm sorry. She's gone," Grumpy says sadly.

"Open it," Rocky demanded. "Please, let me say goodbye to my sister."

The dwarfs turned to the girl, their friend—the girl the seven men had seen as a younger sister. Grumpy turned to the other six dwarfs, nodding his head. He and the six other dwarfs grabbed onto the top of the lid, lifting it off.

Rocky had moved directly to her sister's side, hand reaching inside the casket and grabbing her sister's hand, twisting her fingers to slide over the pulse point in Snow's wrist. Prince Charming leaned down, gently placing a kiss on Snow's lips.

"You..." Snow's sudden voice had Rocky's head snapping up. "You found me." She smiled.

"Did you ever doubt I would?" Chanting asked.

"Truthfully. The glass coffin made me pause."

Snow had tightened her grip to be grasping Rocky's hand in return. Immediately, Rocky pulled her older sister up, forcing her to remove her hand from the Prince's face.

"Snow! I was so worried!" Raquel was halfway in the coffin, while Snow sat up straight, having returned the hug.

"You never have to worry. I will always find you, Charming spoke at the same time.

"I would never leave you," Snow tells Rocky. "Nothing could happen to make me leave you." But then she turned to the prince. "Do you promise?"
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

"I do," the prince says, now standing in front of
Snow, hands clasped in hers.

Rocky smiled as she saw her sister in her wedding dress. She had talked to James before the wedding started. And yet another threat is that if he hurts her sister, he will die. But he said the same thing; he always said he would never hurt her.

"And do you, Snow White, promise to take this man to be your husband and love him for all eternity?" The Bishop continued.

"I do."

Rocky's smile grew. She had seen the look on her sister's face, and she loved it. She always was happy when her sister was, even if she had wanted to kill her when she got them caught.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The bishop spoke.

At those words, everyone clapped and cheered. Rocky being the loudest as she could be, her hands would hurt from how loud and hard she was clapping. The two newlyweds lol into a kiss, only for it to be interrupted as the doors were swung open. Everyone gasped, shocked that the scene was interrupted before all turned to see that it was the Evil Queen.

"Sorry, I'm late," the evil Queen speaks.

Rocky's eyes widened as she saw the evil queen standing there. Snow stared, reaching mindlessly for her sister, while Charming grabbed Rocky and Snow, pulling them behind him.

Rocky stared, wishing she had brought her weapons. But Snow said the guards would be enough, and she had nowhere to hide it in her dress. "See why I wanted to bring my bow and arrow!" Rocky panicked.

The evil Queen began to walk down the aisle. Everyone was frozen in shock or fear when guards ran forward, pulling their swords on the Queen, only to have their weapons fly out of their hands with a flick of the evil Queen's wrist.

"It's the Queen!" Doc announced, him being the first to be out of the fear trance. "Run!"

"No, f-" Rocky began, sarcastic tone towards the dwarf.

Snow pushed her younger sister behind her, pulling the sword from Charming's hip. "She's not a Queen anymore. She's nothing more than an evil witch!"

Rocky tapped her sister's shoulder. "Look, I'm a fool for dramatic flair as the next person, but I don't think calling her a witch is the best idea."

Snow glanced at her younger sister; despite knowing she could care for herself, she still worried for her.

Prince Charming moved forward, placing his hand over Snows. "No. No. Don't stoop to her level. There's no need." He takes the sword from Snow. "You're wasting your time; you've already lost. I will not let you ruin this wedding."

The man stood in front of his new wife and sister-in-law.

"Oh, I haven't come here to ruin anything," the woman in all black days. "On the contrary, dear, I've come to give you a gift."

Rocky opened her mouth to remark sarcastically, only for Snow to speak before she could. "We want nothing from you."

"But you shall have it. My gift to you," the woman turned dramatically. "of this happy, happy day. For tomorrow my real work begins. You've made your vows, now I make mine. Soon, everything you love, everything all of you love, will be taken from you forever. And out of your suffering will rise my victory. I shall destroy your happiness if it is the last thing I do." The woman, once again, turned.

"I don't think you understand how a gift is supposed to work. Would you like for me to explain it?" Rocky sarcastically called out.

"Hey!" Charming yelled out to the woman. And then threw his sword, but before it could hit her, the woman disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Snow wrapped her younger sister in a hug, and the Prince pulled both of them into his arms.
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

"I don't understand how I could make this longer. Stupid thesis," Ashley muttered. "And why does it have to be a current limit of words and pages? I once had an assignment that the paper had to have at least four thousand words. Four thousand!"

"Okay, Ash, calm down, take a deep breath," Ruby smiles softly, trying to calm the other woman. "We'll get this over with. Now, what's it about?"
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

"Oh, I can't believe this! It's wonderful! I am going to be an aunt!" Rocky grinned, practically jumping up and down.

Charming playfully rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed with the younger one. "You would think, given the amount of time you've known, you would've calmed down the least bit."

Since they had told, Rocky-who was the first person they told-the, the girl had been bouncing off the walls. She already had half of her room filled with belongings for the baby. She had said for Snow to stay out of her room so the baby wouldn't see anything she had gotten. Charming kept joking about how the baby couldn't see anything at the moment and the baby wouldn't know anything of the things that she had gotten

Snow had gone towards the balcony, leaning against the doorway of it.

Once the two entered the room, still bickering about the many, many items that Rocky had gotten the unborn infant. Before, both paused at seeing Snow. It was clear to both that the woman was in deep thought.

Rocky crossed her arms. "Is it you that's asking, or me? Who will she most likely listen to?" She questions. "You."

"What's wrong?" Charming asked his wife.

"Nothing," Snow lied.

"For an ex-con, you're not a good liar," Rocky told her sister. "Come on; you're not thinking about what the Queen said again, right?"

"Snow, please. I can't keep having this conversation. You have to let it go. We're about to have a baby," Charming told her softly.

"I haven't had a restful night since our wedding," Snow announced, walking towards the cradle.

"That's what she wants – to get in your head. But they're only words. She can't hurt us." Charming had followed her inside.

Rocky wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders. "Plus, you think I'll let her anywhere near this family?"

"She poisoned an apple because she thought I was prettier than her," Snow reminded before she looked at Charming. "You have no idea of what she's capable of."

"What can I do to ease your mind?" Charming asked.

"Let me talk to him."

It was silent momentarily as Rocky stared at her sister in bewilderment.

"Him?" Charming questioned. "You don't mean..."

"I do."

"Did the Queen hit you in the head?" Rocky questioned sarcastically. "That man can't be trusted. He's dangerous."

"No, no, no. It's too dangerous." Charming says at the same time.

"He sees the future." Snow says as if to remind the two.

"There's a reason he's locked up."

"Can you promise me that our child will be safe? Can you guarantee it? Because he can."

"She won," Rocky lowly muttered when seeing the prince's face.

"Alright. For our child."

★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

Ashley sighed loudly, throwing her head back in annoyance. Ruby had to leave, claiming she had to go as she had a shift tomorrow.
Which is true. But, typically, Ruby is late either way; Ashley didn't see the point.

Not that she believed Ruby had to help her; she was thankful the others helped her as much as she had. She didn't like being lied to. "Okay," Ashley sighed again. "Only a hundred words left. You can do this."
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

The three walked into the basement, where all the jail cells were. It was where they placed anyone who had broken the law. Rocky used to joke that it would be the place that Snow and herself would be if they hadn't met Charming. And after the hundredth time she made that same joke, Charming said that he would have her arrested because, clearly, she was insane.

Rocky gasped, over dramatically. "Me? Insane? How?"

"Both of you, listen," Snow ordered.

"When we reach the cell, stay out of the light. And whatever you do, do not let him know your name. If he knows your name, he will have power over you," The guard warned.

"Rumpelstiltskin. Rumpelstiltskin!" The guard yelled out. "I have a question for you."

"No, you don't. They do. Snow White and Prince Charming... Raquel White...You insult me. Step into the light and take off those ridiculous robes," Rumplestilskin speaks, which leads to both Snow White and Prince Charming revealing themselves. Rocky shifted uncomfortably before she removed her hood. "That's much better."

"We've come to ask you about the..." Prince started.

"Yes! Yes! I know why you're here!" Rumplestilskin yelled, interrupting him. "You want to know about the Queen's threat."

"Tell us what you know," Snow ordered.

"Ooh, tense, aren't we? Fear not! For I can ease your mind. But... It's going to cost you something in return."

"No! He's just a waste of time." Charming says.

Snow White took a few steps up to the cell. "What do you want?"

"Oh... The name of your unborn child?" Rumplestilskin suggested.

"Out of the question, lizard," Rocky snapped.

"Absolutely not!" Charming disagreed.

"Deal!" Snow agreed. "What do you know?"

"The Queen has created a powerful curse. And it's coming. Soon, you'll all be in a prison. Just like me, only worse. Your prison, all of our prisons, will be time. Time will stop, and we will be trapped. Someplace horrible, where everything we hold dear, everything we love, will be ripped from us while we suffer for all eternity. While the Queen celebrates, victorious at last. No more happy endings."

"What can we do?"

"We can't do anything."

"Is there anyone who can?" Rocky questioned, crossing her arms in annoyance.

Rumpelstiltskin reached through the bars. "That little thing, growing inside your belly," Rumpelstiltskin gestures to Snow White's pregnant belly.

The prince slashes his hand away with a sword. "Next time, I cut it off."

Rumpelstiltskin clicked his tongue. "The infant is our only hope. Get the child to safety. Get the child to safety, and on its twenty-eighth birthday, the child will return. The child will find you, and a final battle will begin."

"We heard enough. We're leaving," Charming placed a hand on the back of Snow White, gently taking Rocky's arm and pulling them both back down the hall to the dungeon's exit.

"Hey! No! We made a deal! I want her name! We had a deal! I need her name! I want her name!" Rumplestilskin yelled, trashing against the cell bars.

"Her? It's a boy." Charming replied, moving to walk forward.

But Snow has stopped walking. And Rumple started to speak in a sing-song voice as he called out to her. "Missy... Missy... You know I'm right. Tell me, what's her name?"

"Snow," Rocky softly called.

Snow White turned to face the man. "Emma. Her name is Emma."

★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

"Finally! Got it!" Ashley yelled, downloading the document and linking it to her class. She then threw herself on top of her bed, sighing aloud. "I can go to sleep."
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

They were all gathered around a circular table, trying to devise a plan to defeat the Evil Queen before she could go through her procedure.

"I say we fight!" Charming yelled, hitting the table, and he stood up.

"Yes!" Rocky cheered.

"Fighting is a bad idea," Jiminy the cricket spoke up, a magnifying glass placed above him so that he would be seen. "Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

"Then how many wars has a clear conscience won? We need to take the Queen out before she can inflict her curse," Prince replied.

"Can we even trust Rumpelstiltskin?" Doc questioned, his hands on the table and intertwined.

"I've sent my men into the forest. The animals are abuzz with the Queen's plan. This is going to happen unless we do something," Charming spoke.

"There's no point. The future is written." Snow says.

"No. I refuse to believe that. Good can't just lose." 

"Maybe it can," Snow says depressingly.

Rocky stands behind her sister, moving to her side and pulling her into a hug as Prince Charming crouches. "No. No, not as long as we have each other. If you believe him about the curse, then you must believe him about our child. She will be the savior."

When a loud sound erupted, the doors banged open. Multiple guards entered, pulling a large section of a tree.

"What the hell is this?" Charming questioned aloud.

The Blue Fairy flies into the room. "Our only hope of saving that child."

"A tree? Our fate rests on a tree?" Grumpy asked angrily and annoyed. "Let's get back to the fighting thing."

"The tree is enchanted. If fashioned into a vessel, it can ward off any curse. Geppetto, can you build such a thing?" The blue fairy turned to the oldest in the room.

Geppetto reached down, caressing his son's hair. Or, well, the hat that was placed on his head. "Me and my boy, we can do it."

"This will work. We all must have faith. There is, however, a catch. The enchantment is, indeed, powerful, but all power has its limits. And this tree can protect only one," the Blue fairy announced.
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★
Everything was being set; Geppetto and his son were making the tree into a sort of small compartment to send Snow and her unborn child through it.

There was only one problem. Snow didn't want to go into it.

Snow had pulled Rocky into a hug and hadn't let go. She kept repeating how she didn't want to go, not leave Rocky and Charming. "I don't want to do this."

"It has to be you," Charming told her.

"I'm not leaving you two," Snow says.

"It's the only way. You'll go in there, and you'll be safe from the curse," Charming tells her softly.

"Plus, you need to go to raise her. So that she can come back." Rocky tells her, trying to convince her quickly.

"He said it would be on her twenty-eighth birthday," Snow reminded the two.

"What's twenty-eight years when you have eternal love? I have faith. You'll save me as I did you," Charming tells her before she pulls him into a kiss. "What is it?"

"Snow, is something wrong?" Rocky took hold of her sister's arms.

Snow is looking down at her stomach. "Baby... She's coming."

"Well, tell her not to!" Rocky says, hands thrown wildly into the air.
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

The sound of the bell was set off.
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Ashley had gone to Granny's diner, wanting a simple breakfast. She figured to get breakfast there before her shift. The young woman smiled brightly at the older woman. "Hey."

"Wonderful, Ashley; Ruby's not here." The woman says, throwing the dish towel onto the counter.

"I've still got thirty minutes. Can I quickly grab something to eat before I start my shift?" The girl questioned, sounding unsure.

"Of course, I'll get you something."
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Rocky held her older sister's hand as she yelled and screamed; Prince held her other hand.

"I can't have this baby now!" Snow yelled.

"I don't think you have much choice," Rocky tells her.

"Doc, do something," Charming ordered. "It's gonna be okay."

Doc had placed a damp rag up to Snow's forehead.

"The wardrobe's almost finished. Just hold on."

Snow screamed in pain.

"It's ready," Geppeto had rushed in, smiling.

Charming wrapped his arms under his wife, going to lift her, only to be stopped by the dwarf.

"We can't move her," Doc says.

"What? How the fuck- how far is the wardrobe? Can we move it instead of her?" Rocky asked quickly.
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

Ashley put on a smile, walking up to the table. "Hello, have you decided what you would like to have?"

Rumplestilskin looked up from the menu, at the girl.
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

Emma cried, reaching out as Snow held her.

"Guys, hate to break this moment up," Rocky says, swinging her bow on her back.

"The wardrobe... It only takes one." Snow whispered lowly, realization.

Outside, they heard the sounds of pained screams. The sound of people dying, explosions were heard.

"Then our plan has failed. At least we're together."

Emma cries again.

"No. You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe." Snow demanded lowly, staring at her newborn baby.

"Are you out of your mind?" Rocky asked her.

"No, it's the only way. You have to save her," Snow says.

"No, no, no. You don't know what you're saying," Charming tells his wife.

"No, I do. We have to believe that she'll come back for us. We have to give her her best chance."

Charming drops a kiss onto Emma's forehead. Before Snow does the same, crying softly. She hands Emma to Charming. "Goodbye, Emma." She says softly.

Charming quickly kisses Snow before he rushes to grab his sword; he turns back to look at his wife.

"Go with him," Snow tells her sister.

"What? I can't leave you-"

"Please- Rocky," Snow begs. "It's the queen. He may not be able to protect her alone."

"Damn it!" Rocky yelled as she ran down the hall. Charming was already ahead of her, fighting off two guards. One cut his neck. Rocky lifted her arrow, shooting the guard in the neck.

The new father ran to the room, kicking open the door. He gently placed Emma into the wardrobe. He then kissed her on the forehead. "Find us..."

He quickly closes the door, and immediately the guard enters the room. Rocky shoots him with an arrow. Two enter behind him, one directly going for Charming. Rocky shoots the other one, once in the abdomen and then in the throat.

Only one had stabbed David. Rocky heard his body drop. "David!" She yells out before putting two arrows into her bow and shooting the one that stabbed David. One arrow buried itself into the guard's collarbone while the other found his throat.

Rocky dropped down to her knees, placing her hands over David's wound. "Dave-"

David reached up, pushing Rocky over, a sword piercing her arm. She yelled, grabbing the sword Charming had used before twisting around, the blade slicing her arm, and she brought the knife through the guard's stomach. The guard quickly brought his sword back to her, through the abdomen. Rocky yelled out, ripping the sword from the man in all black's stomach and thrusting it through the bottom of his jaw.

Rocky removed the sword, and the body dropped. She looked over, seeing that the wardrobe had been opened, but Emma was nowhere in sight.
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

Ashley had this odd feeling, has had it for years. She didn't know what brought this on, and it would just suddenly be there. She looked around, wondering where Mary Margaret was.
★·.·'¯'·.·★ ꇙꋬꊰꏂ & ꇙꄲ꒤ꋊ꒯ ★·.·'¯'·.·★

Rocky pulled herself over, hardly able to control her hands as she tied the wound before she forced herself over to David.
Rocky held David's body, crying. "I'm so sorry." The younger one whispered repeatedly.

And when she heard footsteps, she immediately had the sword in her hand, ignoring the blood dropping down her arm. The sword feels heavy in a way it never had before. The blood dripping onto her fingertips made her readjust her grip, feeling the movement pull at her injury and make it bleed more.

Only to see Snow enter the doorway, holding her stomach. "No! No!"

Snow fell to the floor, shaking him. "Please. Please come back to me." Snow whispered before she leaned down, kissing him. He didn't wake. The woman's face fell, confusion. She leaned down again, kissing his lips.

Then the two heard footsteps.

Rocky turned again, hoping it was not another guard and one of her people instead; of course, luck wasn't on her side. As instead, it had been the evil Queen who walked in. "Oh, don't worry, dear. In a few moments, you won't remember you knew him, let alone loved him."

Snow has pulled Charming to her, reaching out mindlessly to pull Rocky by her side. She didn't remove her eyes from the evil Queen. "Why did you do this?"

"Because this is my happy ending," She says as a guard enters the room, holding his arrow wound. "The child?" The Evil Queen asked.

"Gone. It was in the wardrobe; then it was gone. It's nowhere to be found," The black knight answered.

The Queen glared down at the grieving wife. "Where is she?"

Snow smiled softly, still holding onto David and her sister. "She got away." She then looked up. "You're going to lose. I know that now. Good will always win."

"We'll see about that." She laughs evilly, looking up at the ceiling. The ceiling began to shake, cracking as it did. The wind howled as the roof was sucked away. A twister starts to form in the room. Rocky leaned over, making Snow cover Charming as she covered them both.

"Where are we going?" Rocky asked, looking up when she realized that she wasn't being hit with the crumbling roof.

"Somewhere horrible. Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending will be mine," Regina answered as the windows began to shatter.

"You're insane."
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Ashley hated that, despite everything, no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember why or how she had a scar across her stomach and arm. And the scar looked to be from a severe injury. But she doesn't recall
How she had gotten it.

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