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Chapter 55: New Alliance

Kurt looked around the lavish mansion, as they entered the atrium. He had never seen it, but his wife had told him about her brother's employer and his lavish estate. And about the man that was her father and later brother's employer. The man that had started all this was Aristotle Bolt. He had come from very old money and an elite bloodline. The Bolt family had always had a fascination with the paranormal and the occult, but Aristotle had taken it to a whole new level. Collecting ancient artifacts was one thing, but this Bolt had taken it to a whole new level. According to his late wife, Aristotle Bolt had tried to collect people he believed had supernatural abilities. And her father, Lucas Dernanian, had eagerly helped him. When she found that out, she cut all ties with him and then with her brother once he had gone to work for the Bolt family.

The large portrait of the man was an unsettling sight upon entering. He had not been a young man by any means, so Kurt assumed he was long gone. However, as two people came down the stairs to meet them, he could only surmise that these were the offspring of this man. He hated that Greg had been sucked into this family cult with his Uncle and he was at a loss as to how he was going to get his son away from all this.

"Welcome back, Mr. Mendell," the woman said.

"Your name isn't Mendell," Kurt whispered.

"I'm afraid it is now, Dad. When I joined the cause, I left my old identity behind for a new one," Greg said.

"The Cause?" Kurt asked.

"So you found your father, after all. It's surprising the Queen you told us about didn't kill him," the man said.

"She just locked him up in a mental ward for thirty years instead," Greg said.

"This is my father Kurt Flynn," he added.

"It's a pleasure. I am Aleister Bolt and this is my sister Marina. We are the heirs to the Bolt family empire," he said in a cultured voice.

"What kind of cult have you sucked my son into?" Kurt asked bluntly.

"Dad…" Greg hissed, but the pair of siblings only chuckled.

"It's okay Greg…many that don't understand our cause call us a cult. But we prefer to operate under an unassumed name of the Home Office," Marina replied. He raised an eyebrow.

"And what exactly does your Home Office do?" Kurt asked.

"We look for supernatural and magical places like the one you were in for thirty years and we look for the people too. We are very much eager to see this place now that it has magically appeared again," Aleister said.

"Yes…and you can tell us all about it at dinner. I'm sure you are all famished," Marina said, as they led them to the dining room. Kurt reluctantly followed.

~*~

Snow and David walked hand in hand back to town, with Regina and Merryweather following them. Once they hit town proper and Main Street, they spotted Chief Firebird and his brother, as well as young Monica and Tigerlily. Monica saw them and ran up to them.

"I was right…you are a princess!" she called. Snow smiled and hugged her.

"You were right," she agreed. David smiled at the little girl, as she took his wife's hand and led her over to her family. She was enamored with Snow and he understood it perfectly. He was and always would be enamored with her too.

"Thank you for meeting us again," Billy Truheart said.

"Of course…I'm guessing that Lucian is causing trouble," David replied.

"Yes…even more so now that we have our memories. He had exiled our families, even though my brother is the true Chief of our tribe," Billy said. Mathias nodded curtly.

"We usually do not seek outside help in matters concerning our tribe, but Billy and Monica seem to trust your wife and by extension, you. From what I have seen, they are right to do so. My daughter Tigerlily says your daughter is the Savior," Mathias replied. They exchanged a glance.

"She is…she broke the curse and we share the same goal. That is ousting Lucian and Narcissa from power. Neither has good intentions for any of us," David said.

"Finally…something we agree on. I'm Mayor and the people would have never voted me out if they had known about Narcissa," Regina said. As she said that, however, a mob of people rounded the corner and started shouting. They were being led by Dr. Whale.

"There she is! The Queen!" they shouted.

"Sure about that?" David asked. Regina was alarmed, as the angry mob seemed to descend upon them.

"Hold it Whale…" David warned, as he stood in their path.

"Are you seriously protecting the Queen!? You should hate her more than us! She's the reason we're all here!" he shouted.

"Believe me…I'm her least biggest fan, but this town still has laws and I will enforce them. We will not descend into lawlessness!" David announced to the mob.

"Then lock her up!" Grumpy said gruffly.

"She will face justice…but I'm afraid Regina is not our biggest problem. Narcissa Blake and Lucian Blackwater are a far bigger threat to all of us," Snow called over the crowd.

"Then what do you plan to do?" Doc questioned.

"We'll explore our legal options, since Narcissa was elected under false pretenses," Emma interjected, as she arrived with Neal, Henry, Gold and Belle.

"Henry…" Regina called, but she didn't receive a warm welcome from her son, who stayed beside Neal and refused to go to her.

"Henry please…" she pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

"Legal options!? You're the Sheriff…just arrest her! Arrest them all!" Whale shouted.

"On what grounds, Doctor? Are you an expert on the law? Maybe that would fly back in your land, but it doesn't fly in this one," Emma responded.

"Screw the law…we'll get our justice, even if we have to go through you," he growled. But quick as lightning, David drew his sword and leveled it at the doctor's neck.

"Wrong…you'll have to go through me first to get to her and I've been itching to kick your ass, Whale. Give me a reason," the prince growled.

"You're not my Prince," Whale hissed back.

"But I am Deputy and my daughter is your Sheriff. Back off now or you're the one going to jail," David warned. Whale smirked.

"I'm the only doctor in this stupid town…you can't lock me up. At least, not for long," he goaded.

"That doesn't give you a license to be a belligerent ass or to go around exacting your own brand of justice," Emma warned.

"Emma is right…you're a doctor, but you're acting like a lunatic," Snow said. His gaze darted to her incredulously.

"No…the lunatic came into my hospital and started shooting, while your husband and daughter proceeded to lead him down into the mental ward to retrieve a patient and here they stand, refusing to arrest the woman that put that man down there in the first place!" he shouted and a few in the crowd agreed with him.

"Arresting Regina doesn't help our situation against Narcissa. Believe me when I tell you, Narcissa is worse and I hate them both for trying to hurt Snow. But Narcissa and Lucian are far worse," Merryweather warned.

"Who the hell are you?" Whale questioned.

"She's my fairy Godmother," Snow responded. He rolled his eyes.

"Of course she is…" he deadpanned.

"Look Whale…riling up a mob of people and fighting amongst ourselves is the last thing we should be doing right now. Because I can guarantee that Lucian and Narcissa are working together against all of us," David said.

"So you say…but we both know that you just hate my guts no matter what I do, because I slept with your wife during the curse," he said smugly. David clenched his fist and instinctively, he knew Whale was trying to bait him into attacking. Snow did too and put her hand on his arm.

"Which was a terrible night for me and I would have never consented to it with my memories. It was a night I regret and wish never happened," Snow said.

"It's not your fault…we were both cursed," David replied. But Whale seemed intent on goading them further.

"I don't remember it being regrettable at all for either of us," he boasted to the crowd.

"It was awful and I faked it," Snow said bluntly. Emma nearly choked back her laughter and the others in the crowd snickered in amusement, as Whale and his ego deflated. David didn't hide his smugness, as she slid her arms around him and rested her head against his arm.

"Now that all the hot air has been expelled, we need to get back to discussing the problem of Lucian and Narcissa," Gold interjected, as most of the mob dispersed and Dr. Whale quickly made himself scarce.

"We may be able to help you with that," another voice interjected and Emma recognized them as the siblings they had freed from the basement.

"Hey…it's you. You two ran off before we could ask you any questions," Emma said.

"Sorry about that…we just needed to get our bearings and find some information. We did so and I'm afraid letting Greg Mendell go may have been a mistake," the man said.

"I told you," Regina said, but she was ignored.

"Okay…so who are you?" Snow asked.

"My name is Tia and this is my brother Tony. We're from a realm that is different entirely from this one and the Enchanted Forest," she explained.

"So how did you end up here and locked up in Regina's dungeon?" David asked.

"I've never seen these two in my life!" Regina replied in protest.

"She's right…and that's another long story. Firstly though, we should tell you about what may be coming to Storybrooke," Tony said.

"So Greg isn't going to heed our warning, I take it?" David asked.

"No…he's confident the leaders of his cause and Narcissa can protect him," Tia replied.

"His cause?" Snow asked.

"The cause is what they call it, but it's more like a cult," Tony replied.

"Tamara was in this cult too, wasn't she?" Neal asked. They nodded.

"I'm afraid so. They use the generic name of the Home Office, but they are really followers of the wealthy Bolt family empire," Tia said. Emma's eyes widened.

"The Bolt family?" she exclaimed.

"You know them?" David asked.

"Not personally, but everyone knows about the Bolt family. They're one of the richest families in the world. They own like everything in half the country," Emma replied.

"Try half the world and that includes all of Lucian's Casinos, his reservations out west, and Blake Fashions," Tia replied.

"My Aunt is in league with them?" Snow asked.

"I'm afraid so. They found her after she came to this world. You see, the Bolt family is obsessed with magic and the supernatural. They collect anything and anyone with powers or ties to other worlds," Tony replied.

"But Greg hates magic…why would he work with these people?" Emma asked.

"They found Greg when he was a lost little boy after he was separated from his father," Tia said, looking at Regina, who looked away.

"They brainwash people to their cause and get them to fear what they don't understand. They are led to help the Bolt's find magical things and people so those things and people can be controlled. The Bolt's have no intention of destroying magic. They have every intention of possessing it…and anyone that has it," Tony said gravely. Snow and David recoiled slightly.

"You mean Emma?" Snow asked in surprise.

"If you're asking if they know about her…then yes, they do. They even tried to scoop her up out of the foster system when she was a teenager. Narcissa told them about you," Tia replied.

"Oh my God…" Snow cried, as David pulled her into his arms.

"What did they want her for and how did they fail? They don't seem like they lack resources," David questioned.

"You're right…but they knew Narcissa couldn't be trusted not to hurt Emma based on her hatred of Snow. They knew of her magic and lineage and just kept tabs on her. I think they realized she would eventually lead them to this place," Tia replied.

"But I don't have magic," Emma said.

"Really? So lightbulbs didn't explode around you or electronics didn't go haywire when you were emotional?" Tony asked. Emma was stunned into silence. She had never made that connection.

"You're the product of the truest love in your land…you are magic, Emma," Tia added.

"How do you know so much about magic?" Regina questioned curiously.

"Because we have powers too…but in our land, they don't come from true love and aren't exactly the type of magic you're familiar with," Tony replied.

"Then what exactly are your powers?" Gold asked.

"They work in lands with and without magic. They are learned and all our people are born with telepathy and telekinesis. Tia didn't talk until we were almost nine, because most of our people communicate telepathically," Tony explained. They were amazed when Tia demonstrated by floating a few rocks on the ground into the air.

"And where are the rest of your people?" Belle asked in fascination.

"I'm afraid they are all gone. That's how we ended up in this land in the late 1970's. Our parents put us in a vessel that could cross realms. It was similar to what you might see as a submarine. The waters connect all the realms and if you have the right magic or technology, you can cross them in that vessel," Tony explained.

"It was only big enough for two and we were barely toddlers, thrust into this unfamiliar and at times harsh world," Tia said.

"I was angry at them for a long time, because being in the system sucked. I wished they had just kept us with them, even if it meant dying," he explained.

"But I came to realize that they sent us away to save us; to give us our best chance," he added, looking at Emma, who sucked in a breath at that.

"So…you encountered the Bolt family when you came here?" Neal asked.

"Yes…they got wind of our possible abilities. We were the weird kids in our ground home and probably should have been more careful with our powers. But to us, we didn't see why we had to hide who we were," Tia replied.

"Aristotle Bolt, who is long dead now thankfully, sent his attorney Lucas Deranian and basically adopted us. At first, it wasn't so bad. He took us to the Bolt mansion and all the sudden, we had all this stuff," Tony explained.

"Unfortunately, what we didn't have was freedom and we soon realized that it was our powers we were interested in. We think Bolt wanted to use them for his own gain," Tia continued.

"But if Bolt is dead…who is still running things?" Emma asked.

"That's why we ran off to find information. Thanks to the advance technology has had, it was easy and quick to find on a computer now. Bolt's children are and they've grown his Empire. It seems they are just as bad, if not worse," Tia replied.

"She's right…and Greg Mendell is in this deep. We didn't realize it until now, but he's related to Deranian. His Uncle is the child of Lucas Deranian. He's also a formal federal agent," Tony said.

"Great…the hits keep coming," Emma replied.

"How did you two end up in Storybrooke anyway? I was sure that I knew everyone in my town, at least until all these outsiders came," Regina said.

"We were on the run from the Bolts. Our only chance was a portal to somewhere else and fortunately, there's an old mountain where we came through that is a portal to other words, if you have the powers to find it," Tia said.

"It's in the Blue Ridge Mountains somewhere in Pennsylvania and it's been dubbed Witch Mountain, because the legends around it are that people go missing there," Tony added.

"But they're not going missing…they're just falling through portals," Belle surmised. He nodded.

"We found it and escaped to the Enchanted Forest. We assume Bolt and Deranian gave up when they couldn't find the portal. But it looks like they passed their obsession onto their kids," Tia replied.

"So you got caught up in the curse?" Snow asked. They nodded.

"We don't know why we got locked up as a curse. It's possible the spell didn't know what to do with anomalies so it automatically locked us away," Tony reasoned.

"Then we can be reasonably certain Greg is going to return with his leaders and if they're connected to Lucian and Narcissa, then we all must work together to defeat all of them," David said.

"Lucian wasted no time in banishing us and he plans to break ground on his Casino complex as soon as possible. If one pops up, Storybrooke will become a tourist trap in no time," Billy said.

"And that would risk people finding out our secrets," Gold added.

"If Bolt is pouring the money in…it might be too late to stop it," Tia said.

"We have to try. In the meantime, we'll take all of you to Granny's. She'll give you rooms for free if we ask," David replied.

"Thank you," Mathias said gratefully.

"Looks like our friend is back," Emma mentioned, as Maleficent flew overhead.

"If we can get that potion, I can end all of this," Gold said, as she landed and transformed into her human form.

"So you figured out how to change in this land, dearie," Gold said.

"I have and no…you can't have the potion," she replied. He clenched his teeth.

"We need it…the survival of the town could depend on it," he hissed.

"And I know you and her," Maleficent said, as her eyes flicked to Regina.

"Neither of you have learned anything and bringing magic here will only make things worse, trust me," Maleficent.

"Then why are you here?" Regina asked.