Teresa wasn't sure how long they've been walking along the halls of the Dark Palace in search of Snow White, but it was Hook that eventually spotted the Evil Queen through a broken window. He walked forward, sheathing his sword, and frowned as he peered downward.

Emma noticed Hook stop walking and turned to face him, the others following her actions. "What is it? Did you find Snow?"

"I'm afraid so."

Teresa and Ruby walked over and froze at the sight before them. Their closest friend, their family, was being led towards an execution stake.

"We have to get down there before it's too late," Emma said, frantically looking between her companions.

"I don't think we can," Prince James voiced, watching as the raven-haired beauty was being tied to the stake.

"No." Teresa glanced over at Emma and found the blonde woman completely distraught. She furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion at the woman. First the ring, now her immense concern towards Snow, I will have to speak to this Leia woman.

Hook wrapped his arm around Emma, meanwhile Teresa and Ruby clutched onto each other as if their lives depended on it. The Evil Queen's palm formed a magical ball of fire, causing Teresa's heart to practially stop within her chest. With a sinister smile, the Evil Queen threw it and Snow White was engulfed in flames.

"No," Teresa and Ruby whispered in unison while clutching onto each other's hands, tears forming in their eyes.

─────

They had long since left the Dark Palace, only to find themselves camped in the middle of the woods with a roaring fire being their only source of light. Not that Teresa cared if their was light anyway. She sat furthest away from the group, staring off into space with a blank expression on her face. She was numb all over, her heart no longer filled with the happiness it always was filled with when in Snow's presence. Her tears had ceased to exist, her seeming to be completely empty. Snow White had been like her family since Teresa's abandoned her.

Teresa looked up from the fire when she heard a howl in the distance. It was Ruby, running in her wolf form in order to take pain out since running always helped her calm down. But Teresa didn't know if Ruby would calm down this time. This time it was too much, for they have actually lost Snow. They always thought they could protect their raven-haired friend the Evil Queen, but unfortunately they failed.

Teresa was pulled from her thoughts when Prince James lunged toward Hook and Emma, shouting, "Wait!"

Teresa furrowed her eyebrows as she watched the scene, confused. What did I miss?

"Don't harm that thing. When we were coming to rescue you and Teresa, Snow told me what her dust would do to the Queen. She said it would turn her into a form that could easily be squashed."

Teresa perked up as she watched the prince pick up the ladybug from Emma's shoulder. It was then that she realised what they have been discussing while she was thinking about Snow White.

"A bug."

"You think Snow turned herself into that?" Asked Emma.

Teresa smiled and jumped to her feet. She moved towards the prince, looking down at the ladybug that rested in his palm. "If she timed it right, she could have escaped that fireball and faked her death, flown away."

The bug suddenly flew from Prince James' hand and onto the back of Teresa's. Teresa lifted her hand and looked at the ladybug with a teary smile, knowing in her heart that the ladybug on her knuckle was in fact her friend. Her family. "W-We need to find a way to bring her back," Teresa said. In response, the ladybug buzzed.

"She's saying something." Emma leaned closer to Teresa's hand as Snow White continued to buzz.

Hook threw his hand up in exasperation. "Wonderful. Anyone fluent in bug?"

"She's calling for me," a familiar peppy voice said. Teresa smiled in relief when she looked up from the ladybug and to the Blue Fairy as she fluttered towards them in her shining blue form.

"Blue," Emma said in both relief and shock.

Blue nodded. "That's right. And you are?"

Teresa furrowed her eyebrows, looking at Emma, wondering how she recognised Blue, yet Blue had no idea who she was. Blue always remembered people. Who is this Leia?

"Leia."

Blue could sense her lie and shook her head. "No, that's not it. But your secrets can be yours. I sense it's better that way."

"Can you bring Snow back?" Red asked, having returned back to their campsite.

"Dark magic did this to her." Blue nodded. "Light magic can undo it." With a wave of her wand, the ladybug became Snow White, causing Teresa to stumble back a few steps.

Teresa let out a joyful laugh, but before she could do anything, Emma was already throwing her arms around Snow. "You're alive!"

Snow flinched, not expecting a complete stranger to act this way towards her. "Oh. It appears so. Thank you." Snow then pulled herself away from the hysterical blonde, staring at her confusion.

"Snow?"

Snow turned at the sound of her voice and smiled brightly. "Teri. Oh I'm so glad you're okay!" She threw her arms around the teenager's shoulders, making sure to be careful of her wound inflicted by Leia.

Teresa finched, but despite her pain, she tightly hugged her best friend. "I-I thought I'd lost you."

Snow pulled away and gave her a smile, shaking her head. "You can't get rid of me that easily." Teresa chuckled, wiping away her fresh ser of tears as Snow turned toward Ruby to hug her. before turning to Red and throwing.

─────

Some time ago, Teresa's wound had been taken care or and bandaged by Snow, but the pain was still very much there. And it was killing her. She had lost a good amount of blood and hadn't had it covered for the longest time. They feared it may be infected, but chose not to tell Teresa. But the teeanger was enough to realise what her fate may soon be.

As Snow was bidding the prince a farewell, Teresa walked over to where Emma and Hook were standing and talking. She was determined to get answers about who Leia really was.

"Okay, out with it," Teresa said, looking directly at Emma.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows at the teenager. "Out with what?"

"Well for starters, your name isn't Leia. You seem to know Snow and the prince more than I do, you knew the Evil Queen and Blue, calling them by their first names ─ seriously, who the hell are you?" Hook smirked at the fiery blonde teenager standing before them.

Emma glanced at Hook. They had a silent conversation with their eyes for a moment before Emma turned to face Teresa one again, heaving a sigh as she prepared herself to speak.

"Swan, don't."

"I need to," Emma said, giving Hook a pleading look.

"She isn't meant to ─ "

Emma cut him off as she turned to Teresa, saying, "My name is Emma Swan, and I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."

Hook sighed and briefly closed his eyes. Emma was the one who told him not to change anything from the past because it could drastically change something in their point of time. Who knows what will happen now from all that had happened.

Teresa blinked, shocked. And then she laughed, but soon stopped when she spotted the serious look on Emma's face. "Oh...you aren't lying."

"No, I'm not," Emma said.

"So you're from the future? A-And Snow and him get married. And...and they have you?"

Emma nodded. "Regina activated a dark curse which sent everyone to a created world called Storybrooke in the state of Maine, which is back in my land."

"And this land of yours. Am I there?"

Emma frowned, glancing at the teenager's bandaged shoulder. "No."

Teresa noticed the look in her eye and sighed. She folded her arms over her chest and shifting her weight from foot to foot. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

Emma nodded. "You died the day I was born. You helped my dad save me, but you were killed by Regina's Black Knights."

"Well, that just...really sucks." Teresa cringed as a surge of pain exploded down her arm.

"You okay?" Emma asked, noticing the pained look on the teenagers face.

"It's infected, I know it," Teresa replied. "But hey, I die anyway right? I'm meant to die, apparently."

The look on her face was enough to make Emma's heart clench. She didn't know about Teresa's past, but it was clear this young girl standing before her has been through a lot in her young life. She didn't deserve all this pain. Emma knew now what she had to do.

Emma defiantly her head. "No."

"No?"

"Come back with us. We have a doctor that can help you and give you medicine that specifically helps with infections. And you can see Snow and my dad, and everyone else from this land. You'll be alive."

Teresa blinked and glanced behind her at Snow. "But...Snow and Ruby ─ "

"They're back in Storybrooke, it'll be like you never left them." Emma paused. "They miss you, Teresa. And I'd sure as hell would like to get to know the girl who helped my parents through everything."

Teresa glanced over her shoulder where Snow and the prince were still talking and smiling at each other. After a moment, she turned back to Emma and nodded. "Alright, I'll come with you."

Hook sighed, hoping nothing would drastically change now that they were not only bringing Marian, but a teenage girl as well, back to their time, where they were both known to be dead for over two decades.

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