In this world without magic, Regina was surprised to see how important magic was. All these days of celebration in the name of a religion to cover the days of an older one, when the world believed in magic. A different magic than the one she used to know and practice, but a powerful one nevertheless – powerful enough to scare a bunch of new believers. Those pagan days fascinated the former mayor because she was able to understand what motivated the people to believe in Mother Nature; their survival was in the balance.
She, herself, pursued magic for survival; her rage and hatred were killing her, and she had needed to channel it, and get her revenge. For a long time she had believed the illusion that she was in control, and that magic had all the answers. Nothing will erase what she's done, and she will always take responsibility for her acts as the Evil Queen. When Henry asked her not to use magic anymore, she realised magic had made her lose herself. She let magic take control. It became her, she couldn't live without it. Like a drug.
This was so cliché, Regina huffed, comparing magic to an addiction, but in her world, this was a notion that didn't exist. People did what they had to do, and if they ended up drunk at the end of each day, they were just considered drunk useless people. No shrink therapist to tell them they had a problem with alcohol, and that they could be helped. But here in Storybrooke, she had made Archie, and had given him degrees in psychology. A creation from her subconscious? Or perhaps, because the conscience of the cricket was stronger than the curse, his annoying nature had manifested itself in this new world? Whatever the reason, she now found herself in his office once a week to get rid of an addiction.
Now she was teaching Emma Swan magic. The irony of the situation was not lost on her, and she smiled bitterly. She lost her son to Miss Swan because of magic, but when the Sheriff came back from the Enchanted Forest with the revelation that she had magic in her, that she was made of magic, as being the product of True Love, she had turned to her, the Evil Queen, and asked for her help. Henry seconded this decision, pleading her to help Miss Swan, not only in the practice of magic but in the control of it. He asked her to prevent his birth mother from becoming the monster she herself was. She felt the iron of the demand piercing her heart.
But she accepted. She would do anything to get her son back, to be the beloved mother she was not such a long time ago. If he wanted her to stop using magic, she would, even if at the same time she had to teach magic to Emma bloody Swan. If he wanted her to get help in her path to redemption, she would get it, even if it meant to sit saying nothing in the cricket's office. Nothing relevant that is. But Archie seemed confident in her progress. He even thought that teaching magic without using it for herself would be a great way for her to get rid of her addiction. She arched an eyebrow in disbelief the first time he told her that, laughing in his face as if he'd lost his mind, and wondering if the competence of his fake degrees had reached its limits.
« Regina, teaching and practicing are two different things. You'll be going back to the basics of your magic with Emma, but you will use your skills with her magic, not yours. You will be her guide in this task, you will be the one in control, and with her help, you will let go of your darkest habits.»
She had left his office conflicted that day.
The magical sessions started a few weeks before. The first one, apart from the awkwardness of the situation, had not been the catastrophe she'd imagined. Miss Swan had seen the Enchanted Forest, she had discovered a world that was real, and what she saw there scarred her more than she would admit. She certainly didn't say anything to her mother, Snow White, and her inability to call her anything but "Mary Margaret" showed enough of the state of distress the Sheriff was in. So to lighten the lessons, and to help Emma (yes, they were on a first-name basis now) in accepting her own Fairy Tale Land magic, she asked her about magic in her world.
Emma told her all she knew about Wiccan magic and druidic tradition; the "Earth worshippers," as the Sheriff called them, not really impressed by the spiritual aspects of the practice. In this world, magic didn't exist and people didn't believe in it, but Regina thought the opposite and she was drawn to one of the old celebrations in particular: Samhain.
This notion of a transition between the light season and the dark season, a period that was out of time and when the lines between worlds were so thin that anything was possible, found an echo in Regina's mind. And she found quite amusing that the festive evolution of Samhain had become Halloween. She wasn't Mayor anymore, but she thought Storybrooke needed an event that would reunite the whole city — an event from two worlds, like its inhabitants.
She wouldn't submit the idea, of course. She was tolerated since Emma and Mary Margaret came back from the Enchanted Forest, and only because Henry and the Sheriff insisted, explaining that she was saving their lives at the well, trying to cancel the spell.
«You're telling me the kids in Storybrooke never celebrated Halloween? They never got to go for trick or treating? They never binged on candy? Wow, Regina, that's the cruelest thing your curse could do! »
Regina winced. Hearing Emma talking about the curse always made her feel uneasy. She knew she was responsible for what Emma's life had been, a childhood without parents, without a home, a life without hope. A life very similar to her own, for different reasons, but in both cases it was because of her own decisions. They were in the forest, in the middle of a lesson, but Emma was not very into it that day.
«No, Miss Swan, » she sighed, «children of Storybrooke never got sick because of an orgy of candies, and they never complained about it either, because they have the healthiest mouths in this world, considering we don't have a dentist. »
The Sheriff stared at her as if she had a second head growing on her body. And for once, she kept silent. Regina finally found a way to shut Emma's mouth, and it was quite an uplifting view to see. She allowed herself a soft smile while Emma was getting her dignity back, closing her mouth as if nothing had happened
«I know what you're thinking, dear. You want to tell your mother right now they should organize Halloween in Storybrooke this year. I can see you're getting all excited at the idea. I'm sure you already know what costume you would wear, probably something allowing a duet with Henry. Let me tell you, if you manage to convince Mary Margaret and her council, if you find enough pumpkins to carve, and if our fellow citizens like the idea, I might even go with you to the party I'm sure your mother would be glad to throw for the occasion»
Regina stopped her preparation for the lesson and stood still, paralyzed by her own words. She's learnt to appreciate those lessons with Emma, especially because they took place in the forest and because she came to learn from them, too, as Archie had predicted, but in no way did they mean Emma and her were friends. They had just put their antagonism aside to join their forces. And because Henry asked her to. Without him, these little sessions wouldn't exist.
«Well, I guess I would go with you and Henry, to make sure his treasure's worth of candies won't ruin a lifetime of healthy teeth.»
Emma stared at Regina. She could so bite back at the Evil Queen right now, but she didn't feel like it; something was bothering her. It started a few days ago, an awkward feeling that someone was watching her, was watching Regina, and all her spider instincts were on alert.
«It sounds great, Regina. I'm sure Henry and all the kids will be thrilled with the idea. »
Her heart wasn't into it, and Regina noticed the frown on the blonde's face.
«What's wrong, Miss Swan? You look like someone walked on your grave. »
«I don't know, Madam ex-Mayor, but don't you feel something's changed in the air in Storybrooke? Like the atmosphere, the oxygen, has thickened? »
Regina looked at Emma, puzzled, and concentrated on their surroundings. Magic. Heavy magic was filling the air, how come she hadn't noticed?!
«It seems our lessons were successful, Emma! What you're feeling is magic. I suppose our lessons excited the already existing magic brought back, and the more people who practice, the more the air is feeding from it. »
«Yeah... but there's something else. »
She looked into the depths of the forest for a minute and shrugged.
«But let's go back to Halloween! I think we're done for today, right? »
She met Regina's interrogative brown eyes and the brunette smiled.
«Yes, we're finished for today, dear. »
xxxx
Storybrooke was gleaming with the colours of Halloween. Carved and non-carved pumpkins of different shapes and sizes were everywhere; on street corners, in shop-windows, in front of every house. The city vibrated with frantic energy, and it wasn't only because of the kids. Everybody welcomed the proposition, and everybody played the game. Oddly enough, most of Storybrooke's citizens chose to go as their fairy tale characters from this world's books, not as they actually were back in the Enchanted Forest. They seemed to like how softened their characters were, especially in the recent adaptations, where everybody got a happy ending.
Everybody except the villains, Regina thought bitterly.
That has always been her reality, no happy ending. But today was not about her, she'll not talk about it to Archie later in the week. No, today was about having Henry at her side, a fantastic smile highlighting his still boyish features. She was not the Evil Queen today, she was his mum, and Regina wanted nothing else .This maternal bliss, however, had to cope with the presence of the Sheriff, the blonde woman wearing the same kind of grin as her son.
The preparation of the festive day had kept the city busy the whole week, but Emma seemed worried all along. She wouldn't attend their magic lessons, and her car could be seen all over the town and the forest, as if she was looking for something... But today, Emma was radiant, matching her son's mood. She would not talk about their matching outfits, the only reason the Sheriff wanted this Halloween to happen, Regina thought. Mother and son were showing off in the streets of Storybrooke, like partners in crime, so proud of their idea: Henry as the blonde queen from a TV show he shouldn't be watching and Emma as the dwarf brother of said queen. Regina decided not to worry about this choice, because of the satisfied face on her son each time someone pointed at the impossible pairing.
The day had been a delight, an Autumn Festival as well as a Halloween day, better than the nuns' candle day, according to the rumours around the stalls. Granny made delicious pumpkin pies; the kids were chasing each other, comparing their loot; the evening was warm despite the season; and the citizens of Storybrooke looked like they enjoyed their day. Regina was sipping hot apple cider, enjoying the general atmosphere, when Henry came to her, running, his face covered with tears and fear.
«Henry! Henry, what's wrong? »
«Arch... It's Archie, Mom, he's just lying there, not breathing… There's so much blood! What's wrong with Archie? Is he... is he dead? »
And he burst into tears into Regina's arms.
xxxx
The creature that used to be Cora Mills looked at the young, crying boy running into his mother's arms. What was left of Cora's maternal love didn't win the battle in her damaged brain, but for a few seconds there, she felt something; she felt something for Regina, the object of her obsession. She felt something she couldn't handle anymore: not only was she heartless, but she also was no longer herself.
She'd been haunting Storybrooke since she followed - Who were they again? She was losing more and more ground in her mind every passing day - this blonde woman and the pixie brunette who escaped the Enchanted Forest. The portal was almost closed, but she took a chance and jumped after them. The magic that was re-opening the portal from Storybrooke was a different magic, though, and Cora was paying the price of it; she brought something back with her, something that was slowly taking her place, and she was losing the battle against it. Soon, Cora would disappear and the creature would take over, leaving a path of blood and destruction behind them.
The only thing Cora still had control of was her memories of her daughter, Regina. But these memories were corrupted by the mind of the creature, and Regina was now the subject of its obsession — a bloodthirsty obsession.
Cora didn't remember killing Archie; she didn't remember who he was, anyway. What she knew was that Regina talked with him about magic, and the creature wanted magic. It wanted Regina's magic to fulfill its destructive purpose. The creature used Cora's mind to understand this world. Coming from the void of the no man's land between the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke, it was from nowhere, thus, it needed a vessel to grow into existence and to understand the outside world.
The creature happened to be at the border of the portal just before it closed. A stroke of luck! It smelled life, fresh life that shouldn't have been there. It didn't hesitate and jumped on it, using its own powers and the weird magic that was emanating from it to channel the human form in the right direction. Its vessel should be thankful; without its intervention, she would have been lost to the void, a prey to all the dark creatures living there.
The creature had no form and no name; it just had a thirst, a thirst for blood and destruction, and enough conscience to take over the warm body it found on its way, this Cora, as it learnt her name in her mind.
At first, she didn't know it was there, because it needed to learn more of its vessel, of where they were going. It knew enough now to take over, and the feeling was delightful as the human proved to be a powerful witch. The creature had now developed enough human concepts and feelings to understand the irony of the situation: its own existence was the result of the use of magic. All the spells, all the deals, all the magic tricks which wands allowed left traces, pieces of magic garbage that ended in the void between worlds.
Cora was, in a sense, its mother, as she participated actively in the possibility of its existence. What a better way to thank her for its existence than to be given life thanks to her body and mind? If the creature had a sense of beauty and poetry, it would certainly stop and shed a few tears at the thought. But blood thirst was its only aesthetic, and Regina its only heroin.
xxxx
It was a bloodbath. Not only was Archie dead, but his last moments had been torture. Regina was more concerned about her son than Archie right now, because he was the one who discovered the body, and no child should be exposed to such butchery. No adult, either. Not even in her dark days as the Evil Queen had she ever killed with such barbarity.
Emma was already processing the crime scene, trying to be as professional as possible, but she couldn't help shedding a few tears when she saw Archie's corpse. It was as if all of his internal organs had wanted to escape his body, growing from within and making their own way out through his skin. His body was swollen, distorted and torn apart; blood was leaking from his ears, his eyes and nose, and from other parts, too, she realised as they moved the body. His face showed a horrible mask of pain. Whoever did that would be found and punished for that.
Emma turned to Regina, and she saw anger in her eyes. On her face she could read the wrath of a queen, and she knew the culprit would suffer if Regina was the first to find him. Emma knew she would have to deal with the Regina she didn't know, the Evil Queen of Henry's book. Thinking of Henry, she couldn't restrain her anger either. He had to witness this horror, and she felt an Evil Saviour growing inside her, the feeling expanding in her veins, boiling her blood into rage. Golden curls of smoke were emanating from her at this thought and she looked at Regina, confused.
"Your anger, dear. It's fuelling your magic. Here, let me." Regina came closer to Emma and took her hands in hers. Purple curls of smoke covered the golden ones, and Emma felt her heart quieting while the golden smoke slowly disappeared.
"Can you feel it?" Emma considered Regina a few seconds.
"Yes! The heavy magic, the same I felt in the woods. You told me it was our practicing that excited the existing magic. Is it different, now?"
"It's not our practicing, it's someone else's magic. Someone extremely powerful, who is dealing with darker magic than I've ever used myself. For what I know, even Rumplestilskin never took this path."
"Should we talk to him first?"
"Call him on the crime scene, he might know something. Not using a power doesn't mean he doesn't have knowledge of it."
Emma stared at Regina. The brunette looked concerned, and clouds of worry were darkening her chocolate brown eyes. This wasn't good, Emma thought. Rumple and Regina were supposed to be the only powerful people dealing with witchcraft in this world. Emma remembered the Enchanted Forest and the only other powerful witch she met there: Cora Mills, Regina's mother. But Emma and Mary Margaret left her behind when they escaped through the portal. Cora was stuck in the Enchanted Forest. Or was she?
The delightful evening had turned into a nightmare, and Storybrooke citizens went back to their homes traumatised. Archie was one of the nicest people in Storybrooke, if not the nicest of them all. His death was a shock for everyone, but it was the violence of it that startled people. And scared them. Doors in Storybrooke would be locked from now on, and fear and suspicion would grow among the population.
xxxx
Henry was resting on Mary Margaret's bed, deeply asleep, the kind of sleep only children are capable of, even after such a trauma. Sweaty strands of hair were sticking to his forehead. Regina gently put them back with a brush of her hand, light as a feather. If only she could erase the frown marking his features in his sleep as easily. The days to come would be difficult for him. What he saw was inhuman, and he always had a special relationship with Archie — a bond deepened even further after the curse had been broken.
They were waiting for , who wanted to be alone while scanning the place where Archie was attacked. Emma couldn't stay still, walking all over, nervous. David and Mary-Margaret were both at the station, taking care of the scared population: people were calling nonstop, reporting strange noises and suspicious movements in their houses or outside. They were afraid, and they couldn't be blamed for that.
Gold burst through the door calling for Regina.
«What have you done? » he yelled at her
«What have I done, Gold? », she snorted, «You're the one who played with magic since the curse broke! You're the one who brought magic back! I didn't do anything! »
«What have you done at the well?! »
Emma had stopped pacing when Gold arrived, Regina joining her to listen to what he had to tell them. She turned to Regina, a question in the green of her eyes. Regina looked at her, puzzled.
«What do you think I have done? » she said to Gold. «I counterbalanced your spell, the one that shut the well down, and allowed Miss Swan and her mother to come back safely! If something was wrong in that, it certainly wasn't my fault! » Regina was outraged. How dare this man put the blame on her? Thinking on it now, sealing the well was his doing. All she had done was standing beside him while he was casting his spell, and he then fled the scene and left her there. She rushed to Gold, ready to hit him when she felt a hand holding her arm.
«Regina. » Emma said gently, then turned to Gold. «We'll look for who's to blame later. Gold, tell us what you know.»
Startled by the blonde's interruption, Gold looked at both women, Emma still holding Regina, and calmed down.
«Whether one of us did it or not, it seems that Emma and her mother are not the only ones who came back from the Enchanted Forest. Or from somewhere else. »
«What do you mean from somewhere else? » Emma asked.
«When Regina absorbed the spell –»
«Your spell, » Regina interrupted
«When Regina absorbed my spell, » Gold corrected, looking at Regina with insistence, "it seems a different kind of magic came in competition with my own, struggling with it and allowing the void to open."
Regina stared at Gold, frightened. «The void? You mean …»
«Yes, Regina, this no man's land no witch or wizard ever wants to talk about. »
xxxx
The city woke up to silent streets and slow activity. Still under the shock of Archie's death, the population of Storybrooke acted like living zombies, accomplishing their everyday tasks because this routine was reassuring to them, but jumpy and always throwing an eye at their backs, fearing for anything to happen at any time.
Emma had reinforced her patrolling, helped by her father and Ruby, the brunette set on any scent she could recognize from the crime scene.
«Emma, there is something wrong. I cannot identify any scent other than Archie's or all of yours, but at the same time, I can sense someone else was there — not because of their scent, but because of their lack of one. »
They were at the station, organising the search.
«What do you mean a lack of scent? »
«There are places on the crime scene that are scentless. As if they were wiped away, or as though someone with no scent had stood there. I know it's nonsense, everybody leaves traces, and my senses were not weakened by my human form — I turned, to be thorough in the research. »
Ruby's eyes shifted away from Emma's gaze, like they did every time she was talking about her... powers. Emma smiled softly to her friend.
«That's a good lead, Rubes. Could you follow it? I mean, could you track a 'lack of scent' that could lead us to someone, or something? »
«I've tried, but it was very difficult. I couldn't go further than the well in the woods. »
«The well? »
«Yes. And I can't tell if the tracks came from the well or to the well. But this is where I found the most of the non-scent. »
«Thank you, Rubes. It might be nonsense, but added to what Gold told us, we might have something there! Did you noticed anything else while at the well? »
«I found this. »
Ruby took a little piece of material out of her pocket. It looked like a ripped piece of cloth, a richly embroidered blue rag. Emma's eyes widened in surprise, and fear. This looked exactly like what Cora was wearing at the dry lake back in the Enchanted Forest.
xxxx
Cora was completely gone. She had lost the battle, and the creature was now ready to reach for what it had wanted so badly since it felt it for the first time: Regina's magic. It was not driven by blood-thirst anymore, it just wanted more magic to feed on. Coupled with Cora's former obsession with her daughter, the creature's obsession was even more dangerous, and it was becoming unpredictable. While still in control, Cora, before giving up, had been managing to restrain the creature — holding on to enough information for it to need her for survival in this world. She had known it was only a matter of time before she would lose, but she had tried her best to delay the inevitable, hoping Regina would find her before the creature could take over. But the creature was clever enough to understand that Cora had to remain hidden, and in spite of all her efforts, Cora never got to bring its existence to light to let Regina know of the danger. Now the time had come. The creature was ready.