Prompt fic: huny-badger-mole, my 700th tumblr follower, prompted me: Zelena gets hold of Emma's dagger and tries to use her against Regina. Oh, and it turns out Robin has been a flying monkey since New York.
Author's note: Considering my headcanon has always been that Robin was working with Zelena from the beginning and he's a fake, I liked the ideas this prompt generated.
Getting A Happy Ending
Regina had been adamant that she'd be the best one to keep the dagger safe. She kept it in her bedside table, searching every day through her mother's books, and facing Henry's hopeful, baleful eyes with shameful non-progress every night before she fell into bed.
In the middle of Storybrooke's main street, Zelena waved it over her head while cackling. Still pregnant, the bitch had Robin standing beside her. Now, Regina knew it was truly over between Robin and herself. He'd stolen the dagger from her bedside table under his guise of leaning over to kiss her good morning, promise he could take Henry to school and Roland to breakfast at Granny's so she could sleep in a few hours longer.
"Dark One, I –" Zelena began.
"Stop!" Regina interrupted. "She's not Rumple, Zelena. She's an innocent. If you want to ruin my life, do it, but don't bring Emma into the middle of our feud."
"Oh, sis, how much you lack in sight, dear," Zelena cackled. She finished the summons. "Dark One, I summon thee!"
As soon as Zelena finished speaking, lightning rent the air in the middle of the street. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the bright flash.
"What do you want?"
Regina's heart thudded double-time in her chest. Cautiously she glanced up, then took in the sight of the new Dark One, Emma Swan. No longer bright-eyed and blonde, Emma's had darkened along with her new role. She was black-eyed and had honey-brown hair. While Rumple had been green-gold skinned in his fairytale form, Emma's skin glittered simply gold. And gone, too, were the jeans and cotton tanks. She was clothed in black leather, from knee high heeled boots to leather leggings, to what looked to be a satin undershirt, black leather vest, and biker's chain and leather jacket.
"Emma?"
Regina's call jerked Emma's attention away from Zelena.
Which suited Zelena just fine. "Get rid of Regina," she ordered.
Emma turned on her heel, quickly stalking toward Regina. Retreat seemed wisest. Regina put up her hands and rapidly moved backward. Her heel caught in a crack in the asphalt and she stumbled.
Emma's hand shot out, preventing her fall, but also ephemerally pinning Regina's hands to her sides and lifting her off the ground a few inches.
"End her," Zelena ordered.
Emma looked back over her shoulder at Zelena, then tilted her head up to meet Regina's eyes, wide… And afraid.
"Make up your mind. Do you want her dead… or gone?" Emma asked. Regina winced as the ephemeral and massive magic-hand squeezed her midsection.
Zelena looked at Robin, smiled slowly, then shook her head and cackled again. "Oh, wait. We'll lock her away in just a minute. I think I should torture her just a bit more first." Zelena waved her hand.
Before Emma and Regina's eyes, Robin was enveloped in a billowing cloud of green smoke. Regina shouted, "Zelena! Robin! No!"
When the smoke cleared, a flying monkey crouched on the ground by Zelena's feet, chittering away.
"Oh, darling, I missed you too, come to mama," Zelena said. The winged simian leaped into the air, wings spreading and alighted on Zelena's arm.
Regina demanded, "What'd you do that for?"
"Oh, darling, this IS his natural form. Didn't you know? Arturo here has been one of my many minions since long before you reappeared in the Enchanted Forest for your little lost year of adventure."
"So he's not her happy ending?" Emma said. She closed her eyes. Regina found herself lowered to the ground slowly and with care.
"Of course, he's not," Zelena cackled. "I promised her I would ruin her life. How could I do that if I let her have a happy ending."
"But that's why I took the dagger," Emma said sharply.
"Then you made a bad bargain with the devil, dearie. So sorry." Zelena waved the dagger in Emma's face.
Bad move. The woman's reflexes, which had always been fast, were faster now, aided by magic. The dagger slipped from Zelena's fingers and Emma snatched it out of the air.
"No!" Zelena lunged for Emma. The two grappled, the dagger slipped free again, clattering to the ground. Regina, recovering her wits, snatched it from the ground before either Emma or Zelena could reach it.
"Emma!"
Regina's possession of the dagger jerked Emma's head around at the call. With magic easily at hand, Emma froze Zelena in place and stood. "Use my title," she told Regina. "I can rid you of her once and for all."
"No," Regina said. "Zelena is still my sister, even after everything she's done."
Regina stepped forward, her fingers sliding along the top of the blade. Emma's eyes remained transfixed on her.
"There's only one thing I ever wanted," Regina said, holding Emma's gaze steadily with her own. The black was roiling, and every now and again there was a small glimpse of familiar green. Regina held on to that.
"A happy ending," Emma supplied, her voice echoing slightly, an effect of the Dark One.
"Yes," Regina answered, "but Robin isn't it. Henry is." Pain flitted through Emma's suddenly green eyes before black reasserted itself, blanking Emma's expression. "Your mother is. This town is." Regina stepped forward even closer. "You are." They were almost breathing the same air. Regina could feel the darkness swirling around Emma, whose eyes were the evidence of the inner struggle, green fighting for space among the black.
Green eyes with black specks almost begged of Regina. "Me?"
"Yes, Emma Swan," Regina stressed her name. "I told you it wasn't coincidence that I just happened to adopt the son of the Savior."
Regina risked wrapping her hand around Emma's wrist, lifting it.
"I gave you my happy ending once. And then you came back. To me."
"With Henry," Emma said.
"With you," Regina corrected. She squeezed Emma's hand in hers, passing the dagger to Emma's grip. She enfolded Emma's cold fingers around it. The shimmering gold on Emma's skin pulsed, like it was molten, attempting to melt off the real flesh beneath. "Come on, Emma. You have the most powerful magic in the world. True Love makes happiness. No darkness anywhere can undo that."
For a second Emma looked almost hopeful – and then the air was rent again with Emma's scream and some unseen force drove Emma to her knees on the ground. Swirls of black poured from her eyes and her mouth; she was flung onto her back and writhed in pain. Regina held the dagger along with Emma, against the other woman's belly, feeling her panting, hyperventilating ribcage throbbing with every breath. "Stop the Darkness, drive it out," she murmured, "Come on."
The darkness slithered into the dagger. Regina snatched her hand away when the metal got too hot to the touch. Emma's fist remained around the dagger blade. Emma screamed from the pain of the blistering Regina could see on her fingers and palms. "Regina!"
"Emma!" Regina called her, kept her here, please God, let me keep her here.
The struggle subsided, Emma's right hand fell from the dagger. Her left clutched it still against her chest. The black leather jacket was scorched almost white where the dagger had been laying against it.
Regina winced at the sight of Emma's blistered right hand. She reached toward it gingerly. Emma's hand snapped up through the air and grabbed her wrist.
"No!" Emma's tone was desperate, but the hollow echo that had been associated with the Dark One's speech was fading.
Regina waited, and watched. The remaining wisps of darkness subsided, flowing into the dagger. Then Emma's left hand, whole left arm really, from where her heart would reside in her chest, down to the fingertips wrapped around the dagger, glowed, growing whiter the longer it was visible. Then it seemed to snap and fizz at the dagger's blade until it flared up. Regina covered her eyes from the visible flash once again.
"Regina?"
Regina opened her eyes to Emma blinking her own brightly green ones. There was a small quirk at the corner of Emma's lips.
"Hey," Emma whispered, sounding infinitely tired.
"Hey," Regina replied, taking the hand Emma lifted toward her, standing and pulling the fallen Savior to her feet once more.
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