Finding You Always

Open Hearts

"And you think her husband will be so forgiving?" Regina challenged. He smirked.

"David and I have become good friends and I think he'll do what makes Snow happy," Robin replied. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Do you know what she did to me?" Regina snapped.

"Yes...she told a secret. She was a little girl, Regina," he sighed.

"Like that makes it better?!" Regina shouted. He took her hand.

"No...but it's easier to blame her, perhaps, than the real culprit. But say she was your own child, who thought they were protecting you by telling. Would you hold it against your own child?" He asked.

"Of course not," she snapped.

"Then why hold it against Snow?" he asked.

"She's not a child! She's a monster!" Regina cried. He sighed.

"She was a child, Regina. And I think you know who the real monster was," he said softly. Tears brimmed her eyes. Her mother...her own mother was the monster. But it was so much easier to make Snow the monster, so much easier to punish her. There was so much hate between them. She doubted it could ever be repaired. But...maybe she could move on.

"You don't know how to be happy. You're the one that gets in the way of your own happiness," Rumple's voice echoed in her head.

"Pixie dust is never wrong," Tinkerbell's voice also echoed in her mind. He gave her another half smile. He knew who she was and for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why he wasn't running in the other direction. She had once been afraid that if she let go of her need for revenge that she would be nothing...but perhaps that was not the case. Maybe she could be more than just the Evil Queen.

Snow and Charming were stunned when Paul finished his story. Never had either of them imagined that there could be someone as well versed in the ways of magic other than Rumpelstiltskin.

"How could he know about us a thousand years before either of us were even born?" David asked, baffled by it all.

"He's a seer, much like Rumpelstiltskin. He himself trained with a Dark One," Paul replied.

"And he stole this power from the Dragon King?" Snow asked. Paul nodded.

"The power was contained in a magical staff and the King only used the power for light magic. He and his Queen were the last pair to hold the title of truest love in all the realms...until the pair of you," Paul replied.

"What exactly does that mean? Snow is my true love, but we're not the only people to find true love. It's not exactly common in our realm, but there are others that have found it. Thomas and Ella are true love's," David said.

"It means you two are unique even among other true loves. Do you really think Thomas or Ella can feel when the other is pain? If you two weren't special, then why did Rumple go through so much trouble to make sure it was your true love that was woven into the curse? Why is Emma the Savior and not Alexandra?" Paul asked. Snow and Charming exchanged a glance.

"Then if he killed the last pair, he wants to kill us too?" Snow asked.

"On the contrary. He is adamant that no harm come to either of you or Emma. He was young and foolish a thousand years ago. He thought once he had the potion, he didn't need them," Paul explained.

"But once he killed them, the potion turned to ash?" David said, trying to understand.

"Exactly. The potion is useless if the source does not live. The Dragon King used the last of his power to open a portal to the this land to ensure he couldn't hurt anyone. The Dark One pushed him through the portal, but he still had the staff. Magic works differently here, but he figured it out after a few centuries. He used his magical cures to become a very rich man," Paul said, pausing for a moment.