THE ENCHANTED FOREST – MANY YEARS AGO
They were going to be separated.
While the enchanted tree would allow Snow and Emma to escape, the magic would only allow two to escape the wrath of the Curse. So either way, tonight Snow White's family was going to be torn apart.
Charming would miss everything, he wouldn't see his little girls grow up, he would be ripped away from them.
For 26 years they would be cursed and separated, unable to reach each other.
Staring out of the window, Snow inhales tightly before glancing down at her young daughter who was napping quietly as Geppetto and Pinocchio hurried to finish the wardrobe.
Hearing her husband enter the room, the raven-haired beauty quickly turns to face him, and the second her eyes met his tears began to stream down her face as she thought about what her life was going to be like without him "I don't want to do this."
Holding in his own tears, Charming glances at his young daughter before pulling his wife into his arms, knowing it may very well be the last time "It has to be you."
"I'm not leaving you."
"It's the only way." He reminds her cupping her face in his hands trying to force out the despair filling him knowing he would never see his youngest daughter's birth or Emma's first dance.
He would miss everything and it killed him inside, yet this was the hand they had been dealt "It's the only way. You and Emma will go in there, and the three of you will be safe from the curse."
The heartbroken woman before him merely shook her head wanting to believe desperately that there was something else they could do, she didn't want to live her life without him in it "He said it would be on Emma's 28th birthday."
"What's twenty-eight years when you have eternal love?" He argues trying to remain strong for them both "I have faith you will save me, as I did you."
With that, he pulls his wife into a passionate embrace, kissing her for what could very well be the last time for three decades.
However, as she leans into the embrace, a familiar tightness around her stomach that she had only felt once before caused Snow to gasp before wincing as the pain quickly followed.
This was the worst possible timing in the world yet it was happening.
"What is it?"
Letting out a loud gasp of agony as another wave of pain fills her, Snow clutches onto her husband desperately "The baby. She's coming!"
***
OUR WORLD – STORYBROOKE, MAINE
Sure enough, as things always did in Storybrooke, their original plan to go and speak to Gold about the magic in town went awry.
Between Dr Whale building up a mob of the townspeople to go after a magic-less Regina and then having to lock her up in a cell, today had definitely not been easy.
But now, Emma's mind was focused on only one task.
Her sister.
With Henry now safe with Ruby, the Savior was a woman on a mission, she wanted to get her baby sister back and she didn't care what she had to do to make sure that happened.
Turning to David and Mary Margaret who she was still struggling with the reality that they were her parents, she swallows down all her curiosity trying to focus on the task at hand "You guys ready?"
Immediately, Mary Margaret despite being warned not to push her daughter by her husband does exactly that "We need to talk."
"I...well..." Emma stutters out completely thrown off guard, she could barely process all of this, she was so not ready to talk, to be honest, she wasn't too sure if she would ever be able to "I don't...I just...I don't wanna talk."
"But I do, okay?"
"No." Emma snaps this time, whatever they had to talk about could be spoken about after Gold, plus if they were going to do this then they would do it when it was all of them together "Look...I get it you want to talk but...for my entire life, I have been alone, my one focus was finding who took Buffy. Now we have that chance. I couldn't protect her once, I can't do it again. Talking can wait."
When Mary Margaret hesitates David quickly places a calming hand on her shoulder as the two watch Emma walk ahead of them "She's right. We will talk. With both our daughters, but first we need to save Elizabeth. Then we will be a family again."
***
THE ENCHANTED FOREST – MANY YEARS AGO
Snow White's screams echo through the castle as she clutches onto her husband while Doc stands at her bedside.
She was in the final stages of labour and the curse was now on its way, it wouldn't be long till their happiness was taken away from them.
"Ah!" Snow cries as she sobs onto her husband's shoulder "I can't have this baby now!"
Charming exhales in worry before glancing in the doorway where Red was stood with a crying Emma in her arms "She's okay, Emma." He assures the confused little girl before turning to Doc "Doc. Do something." He practically begs before turning his full attention back to his terrified wife, trying his best to soothe her panic "It's going to be okay. The wardrobe's almost finished, just—just hold on."
Despite their wishes though, childbirth was not something they could control, their baby was coming and time was quickly running out, if she was born here then all hope was lost.
While his wife's screams continue to fill the room, Charming's eyes widen in relief as a dishevelled Geppetto rushes into the bedroom "It's ready."
"It's ready." Charming breaths before hope fills his eyes, quickly wrapping his arm under Snow's legs he moves to lift her only for the raven-haired beauty to scream in agony.
"It's too late." Doc explains as he gestures for the prince to place her back down, her labour had progressed, this child was coming, moving her now, it would be too dangerous "We can't move her."
With that, their plan was demolished so for now, all the Prince could do was hold onto his wife's hand and support her as she began bringing their newborn into this world.
"Push!" Doc tells the screaming princess as he continues to try and deliver the couple's secondborn safely before the Queen or the Curse could arrive.
After what felt like an eternity, the couple found a new screaming bundle of joy placed in their arms. With bright green eyes and strands of blonde hair, they had a perfect little girl.
Tears drip down Charming's face as he stares down at his little girl, pure happiness filling his heart. Reluctantly pulling away from his wife he makes his way over to Red taking his eldest daughter into his arms.
The little blonde princess wraps her tiny arms around her father's neck before looking over to her mother, staring at the small baby wrapped up in a white and yellow cotton blanket in her arms.
Snow finally takes her eyes off her precious newborn to meet the green eyes of her young daughter "Emma, do you want to meet your baby sister?"
Emma giggles happily as her father places her on the bed allowing her to crawl up to her mother's side. Carefully Snow leans forward lowering the crying newborn onto her lap, allowing Emma to finally see the little girl.
Emma's eyes widen gleefully as she stares down at her little sister "Sissy." She giggles before holding out a finger, allowing the newborn the wrap her tiny hands around the toddler's finger "Buffy."
Charming couldn't help but chuckle at Emma's absolute refusal to call the baby Elizabeth, despite the fact it was even stitched across the baby blanket in yellow cotton, much like Emma's own baby blanket had.
"Where's your present for sissy, Emma?"
At her father's question, the little girl smiles brightly before reaching into her silk pyjama pocket pulling out a silver necklace, with a bright yellow sun charm hanging from the end of it "For sissy." She whispers holding the charm towards her baby sister who gargles as she reaches for the shiny object.
Both Snow and Charming couldn't help but smile proudly at their eldest daughter, even at two years old they could see that protective sisterly instinct filling her eyes.
Kissing his wife's forehead, Charming smiles at the three beautiful women in his life, enjoying this brief moment of bliss.
However, that was all it was. A fleeting moment.
The sounds of screams from the guards coming from all corners of the castle disrupted the family moment, reminding the two parents that the Curse was coming.
"The wardrobe." Snow mumbles groggily, still weak from the painstaking agony of childbirth "It only takes two."
At her words, the two share a defeated look before a loud blast echoes from the halls causing them both to glance at the doorway, they could hear the Queen's men breaking into the castle.
They were almost out of time.
With their failure imminent, Charming picks up Emma placing her on his hip before wrapping an arm around Snow "Then our plan has failed. At least we're together."
"No." Snow breaths suddenly, the sound of her heart shattering into a million pieces almost echoing through the whole forest.
This was the one thing she never wanted, the let her girls go, but it was the only way, not just for them but for the entire kingdom to be safe. If there was any chance of breaking the Curse, they had to give the girls their best chance.
Turning to her husband, Snow begins trying to place the newborn into his arms "You have to take them. Take the girls to the wardrobe."
Charming's eyes widen in disbelief and he shakes his head as Emma clutches his arm, he couldn't send the girls to an unknown world all alone, he wouldn't "Are you out of your mind?"
"No. It's the only way, you have to send them through."
Realising that she was completely serious about this, tears began to fill the Prince's eyes as he began to imagine a life where both his girls would grow up without either of their parents, it was wrong "No, no n-n-n-n-no. You don't know what you're saying."
"No, I do." Snow assures him strongly, trying to keep her voice from cracking as she glances between her newborn and her toddler, both girls were everything to her, but this was the only way "We have to believe that they'll come back for us. We have to give them their best chance. They're sisters. They'll have each other."
As her husband allows tears to escape him, his own heart-shattering at the realisation that his wife was right, he carefully hands Emma over to Snow.
Allowing them to share one more embrace and while the confused little girl started crying in her mother's arms Snow strokes her hair before glancing down at her newborn, while Charming places a soft kiss on the baby's forehead.
"Goodbye, my sweet girls." Snow sobs through her tears as she kisses Emma's forehead before allowing the now screaming girl to be pulled into her father's arms. As Charming places Emma on his hip, Snow through her sob and finally hands over their newborn, knowing that this would be the last time she would see her girls.
As he holds onto his two girls, Charming throws one last look of reluctance towards the now sobbing Snow before finally exiting the room, keeping a tight hold of Emma who sobs loudly as she is torn away from her mother.
"Mama!"
***
THE DEMONIC WORLD - UNITED STATES PENITENTIARY, ADMINISTRATION MAXIMUM SECURITY FACILITY
Water was quickly filling her lungs causing Buffy to gasp for air only for more water to rush into her mouth.
The blonde couldn't help but find herself completely done with this, she was really sick of the whole shoving someone's head into a bathtub of water as a torture device. She had drowned enough in her life and even died once because of damn water. She would rather have hot pokers shoved into her eyes on repeat.
As the hand that was holding her head finally yanks her out of the frozen icicles of water, Buffy gasps loudly taking in as much air as she possibly could. Sputtering out the freezing water she coughs up violently before glaring up through her wet hair at General Ward who was sitting opposite her, merely watching her torture as though it was a damn NBC sitcom.
"You know..." She forces out, her voice completely hoarse from the struggling "I hate it when you guys drown me. Causes all kinds of flashbacks, very unpleasant, but hey it's a free facial so..." Before she could finish her sentence, the blonde's head was promptly shoved right back into the ice-filled tub of water.
"Miss Summers..." She vaguely hears Ward pipe up through her struggle "You know the rules, you tell us where you hid the others like you and this all stops."
Gasping for air as she is released once again before being tossed to the ground, the blonde coughs up the water filling her lungs before glaring up at Ward.
However, the second she turns her head his boot connects with her face causing her to hit the floor painfully once again.
Spitting the blood out of her mind, Buffy clenches her jaw tightly before smirking up at Ward, while she knew what she was about to say would likely get her electrocuted again, she did enjoy pissing him off "Oh, I'm sorry, the club of Buffy has a strict no snitching policy. But I will happily validate your parking."
Sure enough, her humor did the trick in ticking him off as her face was then slammed against the floor once again.