When Teresa Holmes was a little girl, she used to always say that she was more alive than ever with her bow in her hand. Robin Hood would always smile, saying how the young girl he had rescued from starvation and homelessness was a Hood through and through, despite not being his actual blood. But now, as Teresa Holmes lay on a cool, metal table in the morgue of Storybrooke, Maine, clothed and the color returning to her flesh, she had never felt more alive.

With a gasp of breath, she was alive. Her eyes shot open and she took in the strange scents around her. It smelled like cleaning products and flowers. With furrowed brows, Teresa peered up at the perfect white ceiling, wondering where she was. She sat up, finding herself laying on a cool, metal table in a tiled room with two doors on her right. And to her left, on the floor, Alice was also rising into a sitting position, appearing just as confused as she was.

"Where are we?" Alice asked, glancing around.

"I have no idea," Teresa muttered.

Before they could start guessing where they were, the doors opened and a woman wearing a white doctor coat entered the room, a book and a cup of coffee in her hands. As the door closed behind her, her head rose and her eyes widened at the sight of them. She froze, hands trembling. Her book clattered to the floor, damp with coffee as the contents of her cup was soon to follow. She hyperventilated, breaths loud and scared, and then she passed out. Their eyebrows shot up, having not expected that at all.

"Okay..."

"Let's go," Alice suggested.

The teenager gave no argument as she slid off the metal table, abandoning the white sheet that had been covering her body. As her feet touched the ground, Teresa glanced down at what she was wearing, finding the same clothes as when she died. She lifted her shirt, finding a scar. She ran her fingertips over the area, expecting to feel pain, but she was completed healed.

"We should teleport outside of Granny's in case whoever is outside that door reacts the same way."

"Why Granny's?"

Alice shrugged. "I just assumed that's where everyone would be."

"Fair enough."

With a wave of her hand, Alice teleported them in a cloud of purple smoke. Their feet landed on the pavement outside of Granny's Diner, where the streets were empty, only a few people out and about. But at least they knew they were home, for this Storybrooke was nothing compared to the Underworld's grim version. They glanced at each other before turning to face the door.

"Ready?" Teresa asked the hesitant Alice.

"Y-Yeah," the woman replied, gnawing on her bottom lip while playing with her fingers.

Teresa noted how nervous she sounded and nudged her forward, giving her that extra boost of confidence she needed to show her face again after being dead for so long. "You'll be fine. Just go up to Regina and kiss her like there's no tomorrow."

A breathless laugh fell from Alice's lips. "You make it sound so easy."

"Just go," Teresa laughed, pushing her inside.

The bell above the door chimed as they entered the famous establishment. The place was far more quiet than usual, and some ─ if not all ─ of the people seated around them looked sad. At the sound of the door opening, their heads lifted to see who had arrived, and their eyes widened. Gasps filled the air, and everyone kept still, no doubt wondering how they were alive.

"Uh, hi," Teresa greeted nervously. "I know this is probably a shock to you, but ─ "

"Teresa?" The voice belong to Calista, who sat to their left with her husband and brother. Their eyes were red from crying over the teenage girl that had saved their lives in the woods. "What... I... how are you alive?"

"It's kind of long story," she replied.

"Regardless," Calista began as she jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around Teresa, practically squeezing the life out of the girl, "I'm just so happy to see you. We all are. You had no idea how worried and devastated we were to hear about what happened."

Teresa hugged back, closing her eyes and welcoming the body heat of another person. It had felt like an eternity since she was this warm. She always felt so empty and so cold in the Underworld. Teresa opened her eyes after a moment, sending a smile to Kit and Soren, who smiled at her. She knew that Calista and her family relied on her ever since she and Henry saved Calista's life the day the dirigible crash-landed in the woods. It was good to see them again.

The sound of a plate shattering drew them apart. They released each other and turned to face where it had come from, finding a wide-eyed Granny standing with glass shards and spilled food at her feet. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, gray hair a mess, and skin pale. She looked as though she was seeing a ghost. Which, she was. Two of them, in fact.

"Oh my god," Granny whispered.

"Granny," Alice smiled, tears in her eyes. She rushed forward, wrapping the woman in a hug.

Granny hugged the woman back, running her hand up and down Alice's back. A tear slipped down her cheek, and her eyes flickered toward Teresa. The platinum-blonde did not hesitate to walk across the diner and throw herself into Granny's awaiting arms, and the gray-haired woman sniffled as she held the two people she had loved and lost and never thought she would see again.

After what seemed like an eternity, they pulled back and wiped their faces. Granny was the first one to speak, saying, "So do I have to ask, or are you going to tell me just how in the world you're both alive?"

"I died, which you all know. But then I ran into Alice in the Underworld."

"The Underworld?!" Granny's eyes widened. "I thought that place disappeared when we defeated Hades?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too."

Granny, with furrowed eyebrows, flicked her gaze toward Alice. "Killian told us you fell into the River of Lost Souls..."

"I did, but Merlin was there and he ─ "

"Merlin?!"

" ─ told me he wanted me to do something for him."

"Do what?" Granny asked.

"To help Teresa return here," Alice replied. "He knew that she would die and said that the prophecy foretelling her and Henry's love does not end now. That I needed to help her find a way out so she could return here. I just... never expected to return myself."

"Hold on." Granny appeared angry. "He knew Teresa would die? Why didn't he say anything in Camelot?"

"Yeah, I wasn't too happy about it either," Teresa muttered, "and I'm still not."

"Well," Granny sighed, "I'm just happy to see your faces again. I missed you both so much." She turned to face Teresa. "We were all worried sick about you! Killian found you on the docks, laying in your blood, and he rushed you to the hospital. What happened?"

"I was stabbed," Teresa replied, her thumb brushing over the material of her shirt where her scar was. "And no offense, Granny, but I would rather not talk about it."

Granny's eyes saddened, and she stared at her in understanding. "Then we won't. But I do have to ask: who killed you? Emma and David haven't stopped interrogating the town and setting up search grids in the woods."

"You don't have to worry about that," Teresa replied, "he's long gone."

Granny wasn't sure what that meant, but she would not prod for more information. Teresa had been through enough and didn't need anymore questions thrown at her.

"Where are the others?" Alice asked.

"Planning a funeral," Granny replied with a hint of a smile as she pictured what their faces would look like in her head.

　
｡｡｡
　

Teresa Holmes and Alice had never been more nervous to be standing outside Regina Mills manor. Their hearts were like wild horses galloping in their chests. Neither of them seemed to know if they should knock or just walk in. It took them a few minutes before they mustered up enough courage to open the door. They walked in, and the door clicked as Alice pushed it shut. Silence greeted them, but as they strained their ears, they picked up distinct voices coming from the kitchen. Smiles stretched onto their faces.

Teresa didn't wait for Alice as she began making her way towards the kitchen, following Snow White's sweet voice. As she rounded the corner, she found their backs turned to her. Regina, David, Emma, Killian, and Zelena were all huddled over Snow's shoulders as she showed them flowers, insisting that they help her decide which one to go with. Teresa frowned when she didn't see Henry with them.

"I just don't know which one to pick." She could hear the sadness in Snow White's voice.

"Well, which flowers has Teresa commented on before?" Zelena asked.

"She's never liked flowers."

"That's not true, Snow." Upon hearing her voice, they all froze, muscles visibly tensing. Teresa smiled. "Didn't I used to tell you that my mother had winter carnages by our home? They weren't supposed to grow in the winter, but she spelled them with magic to make them bloom during our favorite season."

It took them a moment to turn around, and when they did, their eyes grew in size and they gasped. Snow White rose from her seat, a hand cupping her mouth as she cried. The others remained standing, though unmoving, as they stared toward her.

"Hey, Snow," Teresa smiled. A tear slipped down her cheek and she walked forward to hug her best friend, but, suddenly, she was being propelled backwards by magic and slid across the floor.

"Zelena!"

"Teresa!" Alice exclaimed, rushing to her aide. She had still been standing by the front door, too scared to move, when Teresa came sliding in across the floor.

"Oh my god."

"Is that ─ "

"Alice?"

Teresa allowed Alice to help her to her feet. She fixed her jacket before glaring toward Zelena. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Sorry," Zelena apologized, "but how can we be so sure this is actually Teresa... and Alice? They're dead and have been for a while now."

"Yeah, you'd know all about that," Alice muttered.

Zelena frowned, feeling guilt wash over her for having killed her.

"Look, I get it, this is a lot to take in," Teresa said, "but we accepted the fact that Killian came back, didn't we? We had a funeral for him, and not even an hour later, he was back. But when I come walking in, I get greeted by magic?"

Snow White was quick to close the space between them and wrap her in a hug. "I missed you so much!" she sobbed, clinging to the teenager as if her life depended on it.

Something between a sob and joyful laugh fell from Teresa's lips. "I missed you, too."

It took a little while to pry Snow White away from her, but they eventually did. Others came forward, pulling Teresa into their arms and telling her just how much they missed her. Neal even padded into the room, and a squeaky laugh fell from his mouth. He pointed toward her and voiced her name, and Teresa chuckled as she leaned down to hug the toddler that had grown rather attached to her other the months. But between them all, it seemed Snow White and Killian Jones didn't want to let her go.

After hugging Teresa, they were quick to do the same with Alice. And when it came down to Regina Mills, the room stood still. They stared at each other for the longest time before Alice closed the space between them, wrapping the love of her life in her arms and sinking her face into her neck.

"You cut your hair," Alice commented, earning a laugh from Regina.

While they reunited, Teresa glanced toward the others and asked what she's been itching to ask since she walked through the door.

"Where's Henry?"

"He's upstairs," Emma replied.

"He hasn't really spoken since it happened," Snow White informed.

"And we haven't been able to get him to leave his room, or eat anything, for that matter," added David.

Teresa frowned. It broke her heart to hear what he was going through without her. That he was choosing to decline his own health because he missed her. But she kind of expected this would happen. He loved her more than he could describe, and she had left him after promising him she would come back to help look through the storybooks that day.

She turned away and ascended the stairs in silence. Teresa took her time, her nerves setting on fire the closer she got to Henry's bedroom. When she reached his door, she hesitated. Her heart was racing, thumping in her ears, and her hands were sweaty and trembling. She reached for the doorknob, and the metal shook as her hand continued to tremble. Teresa opened the door and peered inside.

Henry Mills sat on his windowsill, his forehead touching the glass. Something hung around his neck and he clutched it tight in his hand. She couldn't see his face, but Teresa knew that he was crying by the sound of his shaky breathing. She frowned, feeling her heart tighten in her chest at the sight of him. For this Henry Mills that sat before her was not the one she remembered and loved. He wasn't the boy that always smiled and radiated with hope and positivity.

"I already told you, I'm not hungry, grandpa," Henry mumbled. His voice was so quiet that she could barely hear him.

Teresa smiled at the sound of his voice. She never thought she would hear it again.

"Well I am," she said.

Henry whipped around at the sound of her voice, lips parting in shock. Neither one of them spoke as they soaked the sight of each other in, and Teresa's heart broke at the sight of him. There were dark bags beneath his red, puffy eyes. His face was pale and stained with tears, lips trembling. And in his hand, he clutched her crystal pendant, which hung around his neck. He looked terrible.

He wasn't sure if it was a figment of his own imagination or not, but Henry Mills slid off his windowsill and approached her. His fingers move with hesitance as he reached out to touch her, and his breath hitched when his fingertips brushed against her cheek. He could feel the warm blood beneath her flesh and the warmth of her tears as they slipped down her face. She was real. She was alive. He threw his arms around her, burrowing his face deep into her platinum hair and breathing in her woodsy scent that he had missed so much.

"Turns out dying really makes you hungry," Teresa said jokingly, though it was the absolute truth. She was starving. She heard something between a sob and a laugh fall from his mouth, and could feel his tears run down her neck. That would bother her, but right now she didn't care. Teresa clung to him with all her strength. And, together, they sobbed while saying nothing, relieved to be back in each other's arms again. They stayed that way for a long time, and no one came up to bother them.

When dinner came around, they walked downstairs to join their family. As everyone took their seats around the table, Henry noticed a familiar blonde seated near his mother at the table. Alice had been like another mother to him; so kind and caring toward him. Losing her had devastated him, when she and his mother had almost been done planning their wedding. Maneuvering around the table to hug her was the only time Henry left Teresa's side since she came back into his life.

As they ate, they threw questions toward both blondes, which they answered. Teresa and Alice told them all about Merlin's secret mission for Alice, before revealing how Teresa reunited with the man who murdered her and his family. After hearing that, everyone seemed to understand the events that occurred with Teresa lay dead in the morgue. The second body they had found had been Inman, who took his own life after murdering Teresa to be with his family again. When the shock passed, they told everyone about even about facing Narissa and sacrificing their souls for Giselle and Edward. Everyone was shocked to hear that Alice had to suffer that pain again, though grew relived when Alice said Merlin pulled them from the River of Lost Souls, congratulating them on their act of selflessness and compassion. They told them everything.

After a dinner, they headed to the living room to keep talking. They filled Alice and Teresa in on everything they had missed since both of them had died. Alice got to meet baby Neal and even little Robin, who she both thought were adorable. They seemed to enjoy her company, for they barely cried considering she was a stranger to them. They talked for hours upon hours, laughing and smiling and relishing in the company of one another.

When the clock struck ten, Zelena had put her daughter to bed in the room Regina made up for her them, while Neal grew cranky. He laid against his father's shoulder, rubbing at his eyes while fussing. David suggested they head home to put him to bed but his wife didn't want to leave, for Teresa had fallen asleep with her head on her lap, returning to life having taken its toll on her body. But after Regina assured her that Teresa could stay here for the night, that she would keep a watchful eye over both her and the sleeping Alice that lay against her shoulder, Snow White gave in. The obsidian-haired woman was careful while lifting Teresa's head from her lap and placing it on the sofa cushion. Snow draped a blanket over her shoulders before kissing her on her forehead. They said goodnight before leaving.

By eleven, there were only five of them left, Emma and Killian having left not long after Snow and David's departure. Those who remained awake ended their day, for it was safe to assume that it would be another long day again tomorrow. Zelena headed up to her room for the night, offering to make breakfast in the morning, which Regina didn't seem to mind. She was just happy to have everyone back in her life again. The more company she had, the less she had to think of how she lost Robin.

While Henry disappeared upstairs, claiming he would be right back, Regina glanced toward Alice and smiled when she heard those snores she had missed so much. Alice didn't like that she snored, but she had always found it adorable. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to carry the blonde upstairs, she carefully stood up and laid her down on the couch. She covered her with a blanket and brushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind Alice's ear before leaning down to kiss her temple. When she turned to leave, Regina noticed her son returning to the living room in his pajamas with a pillow and a blanket hooked under his arm.

"Henry, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to sleep down here," he replied. He just got Teresa back, and he would not leave her side for a second. Henry laid his pillow on the floor by her head and glanced up at her peaceful expression. A smile stretched onto his face before he closed his eyes, those three days of not sleeping lulling him into a deep slumber.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

a/n: THANK GOD THEY'VE BEEN REUNITED 🥺 my heart just soars for these too!! They're adorable babies and deserve the world and I hate myself for causing them pain in the last few chapters. Also, I know some of you ─ *cough* Liz *cough* ─ are a little disappointed that they didn't crash Teresa's funeral, but Snow was still planning to soooo. But I thought it worked out well? I mean they made the lady at the morgue pass out, which was priceless. Anyway, now I will be diving back into season 6 episodes and start writing for them again. The rest of the act will follow season 6A, howeve, with another new villian as well so be prepared for that. Anyone want to guess which villian I'm adding? HINT: This villian has been in not one but TWO films