Even though he tried to hide it from them, Alice could tell Rumple had been crying. It wasn't obvious but Alice probably knew him best out of everyone in the room, including his own grandson, and she could spot the signs almost as soon as he turned to face them when they entered the room. Alice bit the inside of her lip, wandering with Robin to the other side of the table as her father stormed ahead. She wanted to say something to him, but she also knew well enough to know it wouldn't help.

Nothing would help now that the power of the Guardian was gone.

"Please tell me you have something," Killian all but begged.

"We may be in luck." Rumple explained, walking across the room. "As I did, this Dark One-" He reached for his spinning wheel, lifting off the end and revealing a small vial of a dust like substance tucked away inside. "-hid some magic for a rainy day."

The others watched in silence as he poured the strange dust over his hand, rolling his wrist in order to cover the back of his fingers as well as the front of his palm. Immediately his skin began to glow a stunning golden colour, brightly enough to make Robin squint and temporarily look away while Alice found herself strangely transfixed with the sight of it. She could sense what kind of magic that was. After all, she had used it herself, but only once before when Rumplestiltskin was testing her to find out if she was really the Guardian…

Another pang of guilt hit her at the knowledge that the power was truly forever gone. She forced herself to look up, to pay attention to Rumple and her papa instead of her own worries. After all, if Rumplestiltskin could put those thoughts behind him while they dealt with his alter ego, then so could she.

"All I have to do now is get close enough to that…" He paused, looking at Killian and giving a small smile. "Crocodile, to rip his heart out. And this whole thing will be over."

"Too late, dearie," Came an all too familiar voice. Everyone turned sharply to find WishRumple standing patiently in front of the fireplace, grinning as he took a step forward, looking at Henry. "Already have it. An author. With a darkened heart."

O*U*A*T

At the same time elsewhere, deep in the forest, WishHenry stormed furiously down the open path with two remaining loyal guards by his side. He had no idea how Regina had done it, but she had escaped his castle dungeons and taken over with her little team, including the alternative version of himself. They had even taken most of his guards with them somehow, though none of those who had returned to WishHenry's side had explained how. All they knew was that they had been overpowered by a sudden new set of arrivals who charged in to save the Evil Queen from them.

"Split up." He told his guards, pointing them off in separate directions with the two swords he held in either hand. "She couldn't have gotten far."

He came to a pause as they disappeared from his sight; turning into a slow circle and watching them go. He was positively fuming, knowing he might have been cheated out of his revenge after all this time. The more he thought about it, the angrier he came. No doubt it was powering WishRumple's new little spell but WishHenry didn't care. He didn't care about any of those people. All he cared about was hunting down the woman who ruined his life and making her pay.

"No need for the cavalry."

WishHenry turned sharply to find Regina walking towards him. She was still dressed in those silly clothes he found her in, hiding the true evil he knew was beneath that meek and mild little expression she wore. It was pathetic. And it just succeeded in making him all the more angry with her for daring to pretend she was anything other than what she really was. A monster.

"I'm here." Regina said, waving at herself.

"Turning yourself in?" WishHenry asked, then sneered. "Or are you here to mother me some more?"

"I know you might find this hard to believe, but there are people out there… A good, kind version of your family that can help you heal." Regina explained, unable to help trying one last attempt to get through to him before it was too late. "Just as they helped me."

"The only way I'm going to heal," Henry said, advancing on her sharply and raising the sword to point at her throat. "Is by killing you!" He snarled, staring into her face. It annoyed him how unafraid she was. She just looked sad for him, and that was infuriating. She had no right to feel sad for him, not when she was the cause for all his pain. He paused, taking a step back and digging the second sword into the ground by her feet. "But I'll give you a chance to defend yourself. 'Cause I'm better than you."

"Henry, I won't fight you." Regina said, feeling a crushing weight push down on her at the very idea of it.

"As long as you die, I don't really care." WishHenry said coldly.

Regina had been prepared to stand there in defiance, but then she hadn't expected WishHenry to actually attack her. When she saw him moving in, she had no choice but to grab the sword in order to defend herself. Lifting it up just in time, she blocked the blow he threw down on her, stepping forward and pushing him back.

O*U*A*T

The others didn't have much chance to consider what WishRumple meant, when suddenly the armour in the room began to shake and the wind around them picked up, knocking some of the more lighter objects from the shelves and onto the floor at their feet. They could all feel the magic building up and pulling at them, wiping at their bodies just as WishRumple waved his hand through the air gently in front of him. Suddenly all the books they had brought with them sitting on the table began to flip open in front of them, spinning through the pages without ever coming to a stop, and at the same time a series of dark portals appeared around the room behind each of them.

"What's happening?!" Robin cried, looking around before she caught sight of the black abyss twisting behind her. She shrieked in surprised and moved forward at the same time as Henry ran back for her, grabbing her arms and pulling her to the table secured in the middle of the room.

The four of them reached out, grabbing onto the tables edge and clinging on as the force of the wind picked up around them and began pulling at their bodies. They all felt the magic trying to drag them back to their separate portals, so fierce and intense that it felt like nothing any of them had experienced before. They could almost feel the lonely threats that were hovering behind them. The promise of never having a happy moment ever again. And all the while knowing what lay in store which somehow made it worse as they fought against the future WishRumple was attempting to force onto them.

O*U*A*T

Regina wasn't as skilled a swordsman as this version of WishHenry was, but desperation could take you a surprisingly far amount of way when you needed it to and she was able to duck down and spin around some of his worst blows that would have surely ended her. She lifted the sword to protect herself against his swings, trying to hold him back and struggling to keep up with the younger boy at the same time. All the while her heart felt like it was shattering with every attack he launched. She once again had to remind herself that this was not the son she had raised, nor the son who loved her. This was a new boy. A boy whom she had destroyed when she killed his grandparents and ran away with his mother. This was all her fault…

Regina forced those thoughts away. Robin from her dream had been right. She couldn't change the past and she couldn't wallow in self pity at her mistakes. All she could do now was try and make up for them here and now. To fix the bad she had done by bringing the good back into the world, starting with her son. The feather he had given her was safely tucked into her bra, right over where her heart beat rapidly in her chest. Regina took strength from the soft tickle against her skin and pushed on.

"Henry." She said desperately. "This isn't the way."

"You don't get to decide that!" WishHenry snarled, pulling his sword back and swinging at her again.

O*U*A*T

Rumplestiltskin wished he had magic back. Now more than ever before. He was so weak and helpless and couldn't even do anything to help the others to get away. At this point he no longer cared what happened to him – he had already lost out for his chance of happiness – but the others – Alice, Robin, Henry, even Hook – didn't deserve any of this. Unfortunately, without his powers, there was nothing he could. In fact he was left to do what he always did best; focus on his own survival. Like a true coward.

Henry reached across the table desperately as the wind picked his feet up right from the ground. He shut his eyes, thinking of Lucy and Ella out in the world, hoping they weren't suffering a similar experience. Hoping they were somewhere safe with his grandparents and the others. As he focused on his family, pushing out the thoughts that this was all happening because of him, he found the strength tighten his hold on the table, but already his arms were beginning to ache and he knew he couldn't last long.

At the sound of her love's screaming, Robin glanced up. She was strong, but the magic behind her was stronger and she could barely hold on even with all her concentration and strength, but she couldn't resist checking on Alice when she heard her cry. With the wind slapping her hair into the face and almost blinding her, Robin caught sight of Alice being lifted far higher than everyone else. Was it just Robin's imagination, or was the magic pulling onto Alice harder than it was anyone else?

"Alice, hold on!" Robin shrieked, watching the magic pull at Alice so her fingers slid along the wood of the table.

It wasn't her imagination. She could tell now, WishRumple was putting more magic into Alice's portal. Maybe because she was The Guardian, or maybe because he knew she meant a lot to the RealRumple, or maybe just because he was going to pick them out one by one and happen to start with her. Whatever the reason, Robin couldn't bare to let Alice slip into that portal and be alone. But she couldn't let go of the table to help her either. All she could do was continue to yell encouragement and hope they found a way out of this nightmare before it was too late.

"Alice! No! Hold on!" Robin screamed over the roaring of the wind, trying not to look to where WishRumple was clapping his hands like a giddy child in front of them.

Alice was doing everything she could. She squeezed her fingers down hard but the magic wind was ripping at her body with such intensity, she could barely breath. She tried to will her own magic to work but she couldn't concentrate enough. Not on holding on and using magic at the same time. She should have trained more. Should have worked harder at becoming a better Guardian. Instead she ran to live a happy normal life and now everyone was going to suffer for it.

By her side, Killian had his hook locked around the other side of the table, making it easier for him to hold on but even that began to strain against the pressure. He glanced towards where his daughter was screaming by his side, her legs lifted high into the air and her fingers visibly slipping. She wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer and there was no saying when this torment would end.

Knowing what was at stake and the only way to keep her safe, Killian ignored the steadily growing ache in his chest and began to shuffle down the table towards her. This was what he had been preparing for. Somehow he knew it would come down to this. His life had been an endless stream of revenge and misery, either for him or for others. If he was going to end it, he was going to end it protecting the one perfect thing he had ever created in his life. His daughter.

O*U*A*T

Their battle continued.

Regina was gradually losing the strength in her arms and her defence became weaker and weaker. It wasn't just a physical toll, but an emotional one as well that weighed her down and made her sluggish. Even if he wasn't her son, he looked the part and that alone was enough to feel like a real stab to her heart.

And then WishHenry was rushing at her, and Regina was barely getting her sword up in time. Their blades clanged together loudly and Henry suddenly caught her off guard as he twisted the pair of sword around against one another. With a firm flick of his wrist like a true pro marksman, suddenly Regina's grip on the sword broke and it flew from her fingers, landing on the dirt away from them, out of her reach. It skidded across the ground and Regina immediately made to dive after it, only to stop when WishHenry's sword lifted up and stretched out between them, forcing her to back up.

Then WishHenry was grabbing the front of her coat in his fist. He pushed her back against the tree so she was pinned and lifted the sword, pointing it at her face. Regina could have used magic, either to beat him or simply escape his hold but she wouldn't do that. That was what she did when she murdered WishSnow and WishDavid. She ran away and left him with his misery and it was that misery that consumed and twisted him and led him to the man he was now.

Regina would not run away. Not this time.

"Henry… I'm so sorry." Because what else was there left to say?

"You knew I wouldn't listen to you! So why did you come here?!" WishHenry demanded angrily.

"I had to!" Regina insisted.

"No you didn't! What do you want from me?!" WishHenry shouted, his voice breaking slightly in his desperation for answers. It was just a slim sign that there was still some good in him but it gave Regina a great bound of hope.

"I just want you to know that you aren't alone." Regina said. "Because I know what that's like too."

"You deserve to be alone. And that's how you're going to die!" WishHenry snarled.

"I know-" Regina began, ready to give her last plea to the boy who looked like son. Her last plea for WishHenry's soul.

"SHUT UP!" WishHenry shouted, pulling her from the tree and slamming her back again, winding and silencing her all at once. "I am done listening to you. You stole everyone I cared about, ruined countless of lives, and now you are going to finally pay for all of them. I don't just do this for me. I do this for all the people you've hurt in your own selfish desires!"

Regina wanted to try again, but her back was bruised as she was struggling to catch her breath. And in that moment, she saw the look in his eye and knew it was over. This wasn't her Henry. This was someone new. A young boy that was lost to her forever.

As WishHenry pulled back his sword for one last final swing – to give her the finishing blow… Regina tearfully shut her eyes.

At least she'd finally be reunited with Robin.

Maybe this was her happy ending after all.

Peace.

O*U*AT

Alice let out one last scream as her hand finally slipped and he grip on the table broke. She cried out loudly as she felt her body lift completely up and fly backwards, a cold fear holding so tightly onto her as she realised what was going to happen, and she didn't know how she would survive it a second time round. But then, at the last moment, she felt something suddenly grab onto her hand, pulling her to a stop. Her shrieking died down in relief and surprise, only to rise back up again as she saw what it was that had caught her. A familiar bright green glow shone in her face as she looked towards where her father had moved up just enough to reach out and grab her hand in time. His hook was still locked around the table, holding them both on, but now his face was twisted in agony as he gripped her hand so tightly, it felt like her fingers might snap.

"Papa, let go!" Alice shouted, not having to think twice about it. She couldn't bare the thought of him dying, even if it meant giving up her happiness and returning to the loneliness of the tower.

In return, her papa didn't need to think twice about his answer either. "Never!" He shouted, with such conviction Alice knew there was no point arguing. Even as the pain began to spread from his heart through to the rest of his body, he gripped her hand like there was nothing else in the wood, even while his hook pulling fiercely on the end of the table. It scratched and swung against the magic, but thankfully did not break and remained firmly locked down.

But even that wasn't enough. He could feel Alice's fingers slipping out of his grasp, no matter how tightly he clung on. Both of them were sweating hard and that mixed with the magic winds made it near impossible for them to keep their grip. Alice was going to slip free and then he would lose her forever to a fate worse than death.

O*U*A*T

"Henry, stop!"

WishHenry froze just before he could strike and Regina's eyes snapped open. She looked up and nearly burst into relieved tears and two familiar figures broke through the clear and stepped into the wide space around them. As they did, WishHenry released her, taking a stunned step back and staring at the two of them like he had seen a ghost.

"Grandma… Grandpa…" WishHenry croaked.

"Henry," Snow smiled sadly at him, sounding very out of breath. "You don't want to do this."

WishHenry blinked at her before shaking his head. "No. You're not my grandparents." He rounded on Regina, snarling and pointing the sword back at her throat. "You're from her world! That other place!"

"That's right!" David said quickly, holding out a hand and slowly walking around him, they had both put their weapons away on their quick approach and had no intention of drawing them again. "We're not your actual grandparents… But we are a version of them."

"And we're here to stop you from doing something very foolish." Snow said, walking around the other side, stepping closer than David dared and smiling softly at the young boy.

"Foolish?" WishHenry frowned, not taking his eyes off of Regina.

"Yes. Because it would truly be foolish, to darken your heart for the sake of revenge." Snow said, reaching for him but stopping short when he moved slightly closer to Regina, the blade now pressing against the side of her neck.

"Why should I listen to you? You're not my family!" WishHenry snapped. "She took my family! And now she has to pay! She killed everyone I cared about and ruined my life! And she's ruined countless other lives as well!"

"Yes. Yes, she has." Snow said quickly. "Regina has made more mistakes than anyone else. And she has suffered for all of them. She had taken people from their children, and then she had to live without her own son. And she has murdered loved ones and broken hearts. And in return she lost her own love." Snow moved closer towards him. "Henry, Regina has paid more times over for her sins than anyone else."

WishHenry wavered, glancing at her weakly. He couldn't help it. When he looked at her, he saw his own loving grandmother. Though she was much younger, she had the same kind eyes and soft smile in the way that she looked at him.

"Put the sword down, Henry." David said. He too, looked exactly like his real family. So much like the man who had taught him everything he knew about being a noble knight.

A noble knight who would never make them proud. Because these people weren't his family. They were fakes. His real family was gone.

"Not until I kill her!" WishHenry snapped, rounding back on Regina who was frozen to the spot. She knew her life, and Henry's, was relying completely on the Charming's.

"And then what?" Snow pressed, moving even closer until she could have touched him if she wanted. But she held herself back. She waited for the right time to close the gap between them. "And then what, Henry? What comes next?" She stressed the words slowly. When WishHenry didn't answer, she went on. "Henry. If you kill Regina, then you get your revenge. But revenge wouldn't make you happy. It won't bring back your grandparents and it won't fix the pain that is filling you up inside. It will only make it grow because without Regina, you won't know what to do. Revenge is foolish but powerful and it can keep someone going until the end of time but once it's gone, there's nothing."

WishHenry swallowed. He was shaking so hard, Regina was afraid he was going to cut her by mistake. "Then what do I do?!" He demanded.

"You heal, Henry." Snow reached up, finally placing a hand on his shoulder. "The greatest revenge is to get your own happiness and you can only do that by letting go of the pain and allowing yourself to heal. I know things seem dark right now, and it feels like the pain will never go away and the world will never stop just throwing more misery down on top of you. But I promise you, that feeling is temporary. The world keeps turning, even while you suffer, and if you let yourself turn with it, then that pain will get easier to manage." Snow squeezed his shoulder. "And once you heal, you can be happy, Henry. You can start your life a fresh. Do things right. Show Regina, and all other villains in the world, that their evil ways won't affect you and they won't stop you from living your life as a true and noble knight."

Noble knight. That was what he was always meant to be. Noble.

Yet here he was, threatening to cut Regina down… But she deserved it! She took away his family!

"I lost my mother," Snow said suddenly, drawing his attention back to her. "When I was just a child. Even younger than you. And then later my father and David lost both his parents too. We know the pain you're in Henry. We understand how it feels and, trust me; I know what it is like to seek revenge. But it does not make you happy. It will never make you happy. The only thing that can is by being who you were always meant to be." She stepped until she was right beside him. "A hero. One who does the right thing. Even if it doesn't always feel like it."

Tears had filled WishHenry's eyes and he glanced at the woman by his side. She didn't just look like his grandmother, but sounded and acted like her to, making it impossible for him to ignore her. "What if I can't be a hero?" He asked, shakily.

"I know you can. Being a hero doesn't always mean slaying the dragon." Snow said quietly. "Sometimes it's a simple… As setting an example." She looked to Regina and smiled. "Sometimes it can simply be showing mercy. And forgiving those who wronged us most." She looked back at WishHenry. "Be a hero, Henry."

David moved up the other side of him, taking his free hand in his own. "We're not worried about you, Henry. We both know you will do the right thing. We're just here to let you know that you don't have to do it alone. We may not be your real grandparents, but we are here for you."

Tears were now flooding free, streaming down he cheeks as he looked between his grandparents, openly sobbing. There was a tense moment between the four of them as they all held still and waited before WishHenry finally slackened, dropping the sword down by his side without a second glance. Then he turned to the two grandparents he had lost and threw himself at them, bursting into tears against their comforting and familiar shoulders.

Regina felt herself relax and smiled at Snow over WishHenry's shoulder. She watched grandparents embrace and comfort their alternative grandson. And even though Regina had been unable to get through to him… She was just glad someone had.

O*U*A*T

With one final scream building in Alice throat as she prepared for the inevitable, she knew what was coming next. Looking to her papa once more, Alice felt the tears fill her eyes, wishing she could say everything she was feeling… Instead, she could say nothing as she finally lost her grip, their hands breaking free…

Only for the portals to die down at the exact same time.

To Be Continued...

So the usual adding detail and thought but let's get to main change! The one I have wanted to do since I started this story.

Fixing that complete and utter trash of a scene between Wish Henry and Regina.

Now, if they had Regina get through to Henry by talking him down, I might not have minded so much. However I refuse to accept the way they did it, which included WishHenry hugging her the woman who destroyed his life. But more than that, it seemed almost logical to have Snow and David be the ones to get through to him. Even Regina's line "but there are people out there… A good, kind version of your family that can help you heal" made it sound like it was foreshadowing Snowing showing up and saving the day.
That just made the most damn sense to me! Have the grandparents Henry lost convince him to do the right thing... I am generally annoyed they decided to go with the fanservicy option of having Regina save the day even though it made no logical sense.

So I fixed it. I had Snowing come in and talk Henry down by reminding him of the man he could be and the grandparents they were to him. And I replaced that god awful WishRegalBeliever hug with a proper WishSnowingBeliever hug instead.