I had a few requests regarding what Regina saw in her dream-like state, so here it is. Let me know what you guys think and I hope you enjoy it.
Regina had been fighting the overwhelming need to slip into everlasting darkness for days; after all she had no idea if David's plan to kill her mother would require her help or not, now that Ariel was gone. Her mother was constantly torturing her; reminding her of her baby's death –as if she can ever forget- constantly telling her that she did what was best and that she will thank her later. How could she ever thank her for killing her baby; for torturing her for two weeks; for torturing her her entire life; and for starting the events that led to her doom?
Her body ached all over; and breathing was an extremely painful task. She knew her mother broke a few ribs, along with some other bones in her body. She remembered her 'lessons' from her childhood, but this was even worse. But she was grateful for the physical pain nonetheless; it gave her something else to focus on other than the aching pain in her chest; it provided a distraction from the harsh reality. The reality that she will have to go back to a life where her daughter no longer exists; the reality that she will have to tell Snow and Henry that their sister is dead, and that she failed to protect her.
When she felt her mother hoist her up to her feet, every fiber in her body objected and a scream escaped her against her will. Her mother ignored it and practically dragged her out of the cave and into the blazing sun. When she saw David sprinting in her direction and her mother trapped under Ruby; she tried to use her magic to help them, but found that she was still unable to. She screamed in pain when David tried to pick her up and put pressure on her broken ribs.
When she was finally in his arms; her mind decided that it was time to surrender to the darkness and allow it to envelop her. The noises became nothing more than just distant echoes; David barking out Ruby's name; Ruby's angry growls and her mother's frustrated screams.
When she came to once more; she was standing in the middle of a deserted street in Storybrooke. She was no longer in pain, and the wind was blowing around her. She looked around her for a few moments, trying to gather a coherent thought, trying to determine her location. She was standing outside the cemetery; a group of people were standing in the distance, huddled around something she couldn't see while dressed in black.
Her breathing became shallow and fast; she had a sinking feeling that she knew exactly what this was, and when she clenched her fists to try and calm her nerves; she felt the presence of a foreign object in her hand. She looked down; and it only confirmed her fears, as the teared start cascading down her cheeks.
The scarlet, velvet blanket she made Ariel was in her hand; with her thumb caressing the dolphin logo. She pressed the blanket against her chest; as she approached the crowds, still in denial and holding on to whatever shred of hope she had that this wasn't really happening.
Archie was standing with his head bowed down; Hook standing with tear-filled eyes, and a devastated expression on his face while Aurora had a reassuring hand on his shoulder in silent condolences; Snow was sobbing hysterically in David's arms, the latter had silent tears making their way down his cheeks; Ruby's shoulders were shaking with muffled cries in August's arms who was trying to stay strong; Henry's heart wrenching sobs could be heard, while Emma just stood there silently holding him, not even trying to comfort him or calm him down; Granny had a hand pressed to her mouth to try and muffle her cries, as Mulan rubbed circles on her back; Gipetto was standing in silence next to Archie; Rumplestiltskin rubbed comforting circles on the back of a silently sobbing Belle. The dwarfs all standing there with tears making their way down their cheeks.
With every step she took, one of the residents would become aware of her presence and look at her with sympathy and sorrow. Henry called her; but Emma shushed him and whispered to him to let his mother be at the moment. She looked on with vacant eyes and then looked straight ahead once more; instantly wishing she hadn't. She instantly wished her mother had killed her and spared her this moment; she wished the King had found out about her affair with Daniel and had her killed long ago, just so that this would not be the result. If she hadn't lived; she wouldn't have become bitter; no curse; no threats; no deaths. If he had killed her then; he would have sparred her the moment when she had to look at her daughter's dead body lying cold and still in a coffin.
The white interior of the coffin contrasted beautifully with Ariel's ebony hair, olive skin and the black dress she wore. She had a single red rose tucked in between her fingers, while her hair was brushed back and her locket still wrapped around her neck.
She approached the coffin with slow, unsteady steps. She cupped Ariel's cheek and a sob escaped her lips at the coldness of the skin. The sobs were hard to stop now and breathing was becoming more and more difficult with every passing second. She put the other arm around her, and shook her gently; begging her softly to open her eyes and look at her.
Her knees buckled, and her entire weight fell on top of her daughter. She buried her face in her chest, and the lack of heart beat caused her silent sobs to become gut wrenching wails. She tightened her hold around the body, and tried to pull her closer towards hers.
She had no idea how long she stayed like that; but when someone tried to pull her off the body, she clung to it more, not wanting to let go of her baby and lose her forever. She knew if she let go now; she'll never get another chance to hold her again.
"Regina, come on. You need to say goodbye; this won't help." David orders gently, as he tries to pry her away from the body.
'Help?!' does he actually think that anything in this world will ever help with the pain? She lived with it once before and it destroyed her, and now it was even worse. How is expecting her to say goodbye to her daughter? Her baby girl? How is expecting her to let go of her willingly and allow them to bury her?
She clung to the body harder and that only made David pull harder; "David, let me go" she half screams, half orders; and to her surprise he actually complies and lets her go. She froze in her spot and turned around to face him; David would never let her go no matter how hard she screamed and cried. He instantly let go of her per her request, as if he's under some sort of spell.
She turned around to look at the body and noticed that it is in perfect shape, 'how did they get the body? My mother threw it to the sharks.'
"Go back to Snow." She orders coldly, and to her surprise he walks back to the still sobbing Snow.
"How did you get the body?" she now demands, and they all look at her in confusion. She stood there for a few seconds waiting for an answer; and when no one provided one, the truth finally sunk in.
This is all in her head; she's in control and this funeral is only in her head. She can have her baby back. At least for a while; she can go back to a time when her baby was still alive and spend more time with her.
As those thoughts settled into her head; the scene before her started to fade. She turned around in a panic when she realized that she can't hold on to it; and ran to her daughter's dead body once more. She hugged her, and kept holding on till the coffin disappeared and she found herself standing alone in the darkness.
She looked down at her hands, and to her surprise; the blanket was still there. She pressed it to her nose and fell to her knees sobbing once more.
She had no idea how long she was like this, when the scenery changed once more. The black surroundings gave away to the creamy walls of her room; and she found herself staring at her reflection in her full sized mirror. She was still holding the blanket; and dressed in a dark purple dress that ended mid-thigh. Loud music could be heard from the first floor, and she could see the hue of flickering, bright lights reflecting against the window. She stood at the window, watching as groups of people came into her house.
"Mom, you coming?" a voice calls from behind her, a voice that she knows all too well, one that she thought she'll never hear again.
Her head whips around and true to her suspicions; Ariel is standing in the doorway, one hand resting on the doorframe. She stares at her and refuses to blink out of fear that she'll disappear. She opens her mouth to try and talk, but finds that she in unable to find her voice.
Ariel's face immediately contort in worry and she walks over to her mother, "Mom, are you okay?" she asks softly, taking her mother's hands into hers, "what are you doing with my baby blanket?" she asks softly.
"I was just remembering the day you were born, and how I used to spend your birthday." She finally finds her voice; though she still refuses to blink.
Ariel sighs and smiles softly, and it takes all the self-control in the world to stop the sobs and tears from escaping.
"I know that it is a bitter-sweet day for you to remember; but you don't have to spend it the same way anymore. I am right here; and I am not going anywhere, so if you're not ready, we can call off the party and wait till next year. I won't be upset; I will be content with a nice family dinner." She soothes, and Regina has to stifle a sob at her words; if only she knew that she won't live to see the next birthday; that Regina will only get this birthday to celebrate, before she has to go back to spending the day at her grave, mourning her death instead.
She untangles one hand, and cups her cheek; "I have dreamt of this moment for far too long; I want nothing more than to celebrate it."
Ariel smiled at her, before she wrapped her arms around her waist and buried her face into her neck and hair; Regina was only too happy to reciprocate.
"I love you, Mom."
Regina tightens her arms around her, "I love you too baby, more than anything." She whispers past the lump in her throat.
A few moments later, the both let go and exit the room. They descend the stairs, hand in hand, and round the corner to the first floor in time to see Cinderella, Thomas and baby Alexandra entering the house.
"There's the birthday girl" David announces loudly, and people clap and cheer. Ariel giggles and her face turns red from all of the attention.
Alexandra stretches her arms out for Ariel to take her, and Ariel is quick to comply; tickling and cooing with the little girl as she did.
Regina watches the scene unfold around her, and she wishes she can just freeze this day and repeat it over and over again till the end of time. Hook walks over to Ariel, gives her a long kiss on the lips that had David clearing his throat loudly, and earning cheers from the rest of the crowd. Before he joins her in playing with the baby.
She jumps slightly when a hand is placed on her arm, and she finds Snow's blue eyes looking back at her with happiness and content, "I think it's time for cake" she says softly and Regina nods approvingly.
They both walk to the kitchen and carry the cake to the dining room, where people had already started to gather around. They all made room for Regina and Snow to stand next to Ariel, before they started singing.
Ariel blows the candles easily with one huff and everybody cheers. She turns around to hug her mother and Regina clings desperately to her.
"Thank you for all of this, Mom." she says softly.
"Happy birthday baby" Regina chokes back.
To her dismay the voices start to become distant, and she can feel Ariel fading away from her arms. She clings to her harder, wishing that she will be able to stay in this memory; only to break down sobbing when she only the darkness is left.
She looks down at her hands, and realizes that the blanket was still in her hand; and that is when the pieces fall into place. The blanket was the only thing she had left of Ariel when she thought she was dead all those years, and therefore it is still her only link to her now. Which means she can go back and revisit all the memories that involve that blanket; and therefore she concentrated as hard as she could on a specific event that she wanted to end differently.
Her surrounding started to change, and she found herself standing in her childhood bedroom. She half jogged to the full sized mirror and to her delight, she was wearing the dress she had in mind; which means this was the memory she wanted. She turned her head towards the balcony doors when a fierce strike of lightening illuminated the dimly lit room; further confirming her suspicions. She lifted her dress in a very un-queen manner; but she couldn't care less about what was acceptable of queen and what wasn't. Right now she wasn't the queen; right now she was just a mother who wanted nothing more than to get to her child, hold her and comfort her. She sprinted out of the room; completely ignoring the warnings of the guards that it is pouring rain outside. She blew the doors wide open with magic and sprinted out of the house towards the stables.
She made it there in record time and once more used her magic to push the doors wide open, "Ariel?" she calls frantically, only to receive no response. Her heart sank at the lack of response and she sprinted in the direction of the stall she saw Ariel in. She pulled the door open and her breath caught in her throat.
Ariel was curled up, hugging her knees to her chest, her dress soaked and her hair dripping water on her face as she stared back at her wide eyed with shock. They both remained still and silent for a few moments, just staring at each other. Both chests were heaving and Regina could have sworn that if it weren't for the sound of thunder, she would have heard the pounding of their heartbeats.
"Mommy?!" her voice was so small and filled with hope, and that was the last straw for Regina. A sob escaped her lips and she fell to her knees in time to catch her little girl. She could feel her small arms wrap around her neck, and her small fingers taking fistfuls of her dress, as she nuzzled her neck. She wrapped her arms around her just as tight, if not tighter while her body shook with a mix of laughter and sobs.
"How did you know I was here?" she spoke into her neck, "I thought you didn't know I was alive."
"A mother always knows" Regina chokes back.
Ariel stands straight again, but doesn't break out of her mother's hold. Her big brown eyes move between her mother's tear-filled ones, "why are you crying?" she inquires softly, using one hand to wipe the tears.
"Are you not happy to see me?" the amount of fear in her voice shreds Regina's heart to pieces.
"No baby, don't ever say that. I am very happy to see you; I just missed you that's all." Regina is quick to assure her.
"I missed you too." Ariel says softly, "but I'm here now."
"Yes, you are, and you're shaking" Regina agrees softly.
"I'm kinda cold" Ariel remarks softly.
"Come on, let's go inside and get you out of these clothes and into something else, okay?"
"But what about the King? Won't he hurt you if he finds out about me?" Ariel asks frantically.
"I don't care about the King, you are my daughter and you are coming with me" Regina states determinedly.
She takes Ariel's hand into hers, and they run back to the house. She ignores all the questioning gazes and unfinished sentences from the guards, and makes her way to her room. A few minutes later, Ariel is out of the wet dress and into something Regina conjured. Regina uses a towel to dry her hair as much as she could, before she tucks her in under the heavy covers.
She gets under the covers with her and gladly welcomes the little girl into her arms. She keeps her arms wrapped tightly around her daughter, with her fingers running through her hair. It doesn't take long before Ariel's eyes get heavy, "I love you, Mommy" she mumbles sleepily.
"I love you too baby" Regina whispers back softly, and when she is sure Ariel is fast asleep and can no longer hear her; the dams finally break and she clings to Ariel's sleeping form as her body shakes with sobs.
She closes her eyes for just a moment and when she opens them, her arms are empty and she is no longer in her childhood room. She is in Henry's room, drying her hair. It only takes her a few seconds to realize what day it is; the last day she saw Ariel, the day her mother came and took her back to the Enchanted Forrest.
She turns off the drier and runs back to her room; and true to her thoughts, Ariel is fast asleep. She and Ruby were still staying up late during the night, using the magic that exists at night to their advantage to work on Ruby's control of her wolf side; with Ariel also trying to break the spell on the border. She had no idea what time it was when Ariel crawled into bed next to her, she just automatically put an arm around her and allowed her to snuggle into her. When she woke up the next morning, she had snuck out of bed, careful not to wake her and went to shower and get ready in Henry's room.
But right now, work doesn't matter anymore. She walks over to the bed and sits carefully on its edge, and uses one hand to brush Ariel's long hair onto the pillow. She stops when Ariel turns around to face her, and snuggles more into the pillow. Regina pulls the covers around Ariel, and softly caresses her cheek. A soft sob escapes her lips at how warm the skin feels under her hand, how flushed it was. She keeps one hand on her head before she bends over and presses a lingering kiss on her rosy cheek. She tightens her hold on her and rests her head against hers.
All she wants right now is to feel that warmth again; to see her cheeks flushed with a nice rosy color instead of the blue one; to have those big brown eyes look at her once more with more love and warmth than she ever thought existed.
She could feel her surroundings fade away once more, and this time she could also feel the hold of darkness on her weaken; and she knew that soon enough she might wake up. She held on to her daughter tighter than she thought possible and called out her name.
"Mom"
She jolts back and looks at Ariel, only to find her still sleeping. She knew that voice all too well; but she is asleep right in front of her, so how can she call her? She whimpers out her name again and moves back to hug her.
"Yes, Mom it's me; come on"
She's pleading with her, begging her to come to her; which is what she wants more than anything, but how?
She calls out her name once more; but it was only an incoherent whimper this time.
"Come on Mom, it's okay, you're safe"
Her hand flies to her cheek, when she feels the warm loving touch she would recognize anywhere.
"Come on Regina, you can do it"
That's David's voice, but that's not where she wants to go; she wants to go to her daughter, so she pushes his voice away.
"Come on Mommy, please"
The tears and held back sobs are evident in her voice, and she is unable to withstand it any longer. She holds onto Ariel's warm voice and touch and allows them to pull her out of the darkness.
Since it is after midnight here and I am basically falling asleep on the keyboard, excuse any grammatical errors in this and I will review it again in the morning and correct the mistakes.
Thank you all, and let me know what you think.