"Regina I will f-"
"Emma Swan-Mills, if you dare say what your damn DNA is telling you to, I will rip your tongue clean out of your mouth!" even in a situation such as this in which she was lying bleeding on the Main Street Road, her sass never failed and Emma couldn't help the anguished laughter mixing with the tears that were cascading down her cheeks, Henry was on the other side clutching onto the brunette's hands as if it could keep her there, hoping it would keep her there.
"You don't have much time Emma…" came Rumple's voice from beside them, it was soft for he now knew the feeling of separation from your true love, never knowing if you would ever see them again…but Emma knew she would, she could feel it, this wasn't the end for them. She would find a way back to that damned forest and she would find her wife, her Regina.
She needed to ask once more, "are you sure that's where she'll end up?" the desperation was clear in her tone, she knew everyone was watching on and usually she would become uncomfortable in such an open display of love but she didn't care, not when it could be their la- no, she mustn't think like that.
"I am absolute positive Dearie, no harm will befall her and she can recover with her magic at its strongest" it made sense but it physically pained her to think of how long it would be before they would see each other again.
"Emma…" her voice was breathy now, strained as she tried to keep her eyes open, the wound was deep and she could feel the blood running over her side, she needed to go and she needed to go now.
Frantic green eyes locked onto hers as her grip on both sets of hands tightened, she looked to her son then. "Henry, baby…"
"Mom?" his tears were falling thick and fast now, his jeans stained dark from the puddle of her blood he was currently kneeling in. It was horrific but ignored by all as the levity of the situation truly sank in. "I…I love you Mom!"
"I know honey, I know…" she coughed slightly, sounding pained even to herself, she forced a small smile so as not to frighten the boy "I love you too and I am so proud of you" he nodded at the final squeeze she gave before turning back to the blonde beside her, "and you…" her throat tightened and her lip quivered but she needed to stay strong, "stop being such an emotional wreck, pull yourself together woman," both laughed at her attempt at humour and pointedly ignored the weakening of her speech, "you promise me you'll look after our son"
"Nope, that's what we've got you for" she tried a smile but failed completely as her face contorted in grief, her forehead fell against their clasped hands as she took in heaving breaths, "I'll be right behind you baby" she managed to choke out as the portal began to open.
"Promise me Emma" she coughed, blood coating their joined hands as it spilled from her mouth, Emma's eyes widened in fear but she managed to nod, "I love you Emma…"
"I love you too Regina…"
And with an flash of white light she was gone leaving her son and her wife huddled on the cold gravel of the road clawing at where her body had last been.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" she practically screamed across the dining room, Henry barely moved but that was no different to how he had been for the past 2 weeks since Regina had disappeared. They had been inconsolable for the first few days, Emma only talking when she needed information on forms of magical transportation, other than that she spoke to no one other than her son who never replied yet she still talked.
Snow flinched when her hand came down hard on the wood of the table, David casting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"She's had it all this time and you're just telling me now?!"
"It…it wasn't working before Emma, it was useless. We didn't want to get your hopes up to have them crushed if it didn't work out…" her mother didn't look up as she spoke; she had the decency to look ashamed at their collective silence.
She shook her head in exasperation, "no, instead you just let me spend countless hours searching for God knows what when the solution has been right under my nose? Jesus fucking Christ, what is wrong with you people?!" she hissed before pointing to an unmoving Henry, "look at him," they wouldn't, "look at him!"
A tear rolled down Snow's eye as she looked to her sullen grandson, he was thinner and his skin certainly paler, no doubt with stress and possible grief from not knowing whether his mother was dead or alive and where she had ended up.
"Now tell me you did the right thing…" thankfully they remained silent, it didn't stop their daughter from glaring at them for a full minute before taking a deep breath to calm herself, thinking clearly once more she continued on, "where is it? Where is she?"
David spoke up this time, his tone held steady as he regarded his daughter, "she is waiting for you beside the well, that is where you shall depart and should return upon finding Regina…" the 'if there is a Regina to find' was left unsaid but still crossed all minds within the room, even the smallest yet bravest of minds.
Leaving her son with her parents, she exited the house and made straight for the woods in her bug, she couldn't help the flutter of excitement of the thought of finding her love. The past fourteen days had been utter torture for the blonde and her son, she thought they had exhausted every option, they had used the last of their magical bean supply during their rescue of Henry, Jefferson had long since left town with his daughter and that magical hat…fairy dust had been something they had been waiting on, Blue had been waiting to harvest for some time now but the magic here just wasn't as strong as what it was in the Enchanted Forest but now…well now, courtesy of a believing fairy, she had her own batch.
The small blonde had been pacing nervously in front of the well ever since she had spoken to the Charmings; a screeching of tires told her that Emma was finally here. The Blue Fairy had told her of the spell she needed to cast, she was still grateful for the second chance the woman was willing to give her…it was actually that turn of events that finally allowed her to restore her wings and instil her magic into the dust.
She could hear the deep breaths the older woman was taking as she grew close and looked to her expectantly.
"So how do we do this?" she asked, rubbing her hands together for warmth against the chilly air, no matter how much the fairy helped them in Neverland she still couldn't let go of the fact that she hadn't been told of the pixie dust, it hurt.
"Well, I'll cast the spell to reopen the portal that once thrived here and you simply think of where you need to be and you should end up there…sound okay?"
Emma nodded instantaneously, obviously eager to get going, she stepped back and watched as Tinkerbell got to work. Her impatience had all but won out but before she could say anything to berate the woman, Tinkerbell stood back with a triumphant smile on her face. "It's all yours"
She moved towards the well now that was emitting a green light, the same she had seen and been engulfed in before. She knew the experience wasn't going to be pleasant but it would be worth it. Emma inhaled a breath of preparation as she climbed onto the stone wall of the well, knowing the only thing for it was to jump, she clutched the wedding ring she had attached to her necklace in order to keep it close to her heart and closed her eyes. "I'm coming for you baby" and she jumped.
"Ow!" she hissed as he peeled the bandage back from her side, ignoring the rolling of his eyes as he held her top up whilst reaching behind him for the cloth he had soaked in alcohol in order to ward off any infection, she winced again when it made contact, "ever heard of compassion?" she said through gritted teeth.
"Oh hush," he responded, his tongue caught between his teeth as he wiped at the cut, "it's nowhere near as bad as it was when I found you and you barely made a sound then!"
"That's because I was practically dead you idiot, the dead can't scream!" she retorted, her face contorting in pain once more as he continued to dab away, "I think you've got it!"
He stopped then and looked up at her but made no move to stop, "you really wanna risk death by infection?" at her silence he smiled in triumph, "didn't think so, besides" he continued, "You need to be strong for your journey home"
Her face visibly lit up at this prospect, "do you know how they're doing in their search?"
"Well since the giant left for your land, it has been decidedly easier to navigate his castle but as of yet I have heard nothing," he heard the sigh of defeat fall from her lips, "but fear not Lady Regina, I'm sure we will have news soon"
From what she could tell, it had been almost a fortnight since she had been sent here. Although Rumpel had told otherwise, she had thought him to be lying for the sake of her loved ones but upon emerging in the Enchanted Forest, in the middle of Robin Hood's camp in which a healer was present and available, she had to be thankful for the imp's magic.
For the majority of her time here, she had barely been coherent enough to explain what had happened to her and so she had been regarded with contempt by the Merry Men and by Robin who she had discovered to be quite anti-magic. Luckily for her he didn't know her true identity and she planned to keep it that way until she was able to find a way home.
"Sir Robin!" he had finished cleaning and dressing Regina's wound when a call from one of his men sounded. They both looked to the man running from the direction of the former Lake Nostos; his expression was hard to read as he grew closer.
"What is it John?" the outlaw called back standing from his place on the ground and holding out a hand for Regina, she groaned as she rose slowly, still not used to moving around so much. She was barely able to walk more than a few yards without fatigue hitting her, it was a pain and many of the men had groused about her holding them up but Robin had simply ignored them much to her gratitude.
"Magic good Sir," he replied, his tone somewhat positive for one who hated the stuff, "a portal"
"A wha-what?!" her heart was pounding now as she waited for him to respond, a portal?
He nodded his head as he looked from his leader to the woman they had been harbouring, "it just opened, right in the middle of the old lake!"
"Did anyone come through?" she stepped forward now but faltered slightly, grateful when Robin's arm came up to steady her though she didn't take her eyes from the man before her.
"No," he replied and noticed the disappointment in deep brown eyes, "but we think someone is about to…"
She needn't tell Robin of her desire to move there straight away for he was already looking at her…with his arms open…wanting to "you have got to be kidding me, no!"
He raised his eyebrows at her stubbornness, "either you allow me to carry you and therefore keep you conscious or I will be forced to drag you there when you faint from over-exertion" he shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance, "I don't mind which but I'm sure you'll have something to say on the matter"
The urge to reply with language that she knew he wouldn't recognise but would dirty her mouth was extremely tempting in that moment; instead she just stepped towards him in defeat and placed her arms around his neck. "Don't get any funny ideas"
He laughed then as he scooped her light frame into his arms, "I wouldn't dream of it Regina"
Although she had travelled by portal twice before now, it still didn't stop the wave of nausea from rolling through her body as she was deposited onto the dry mud of a once thriving lake. Her head was pounding from the ferocious winds that had ripped past her as she hurtled towards another land, she could hear a similar sort of ringing in her ears as to when she had spent too much of her youth in some seedy club with music pumping far too loud to be enjoyed.
Looking around she recognised the place instantly, it looked exactly the same as it had been the last time she was here, sans her mother, a self-obsessed pirate and a heart thieving witch.
She moved a lightly trembling hand to her pocket in order to check for the second half of the pixie dust that Tinkerbell had given her, the way home didn't require a spell as the well was now active; it was just a case of re-joining the connection after she had found Regina.
Regina…she hadn't allowed herself to think of the possibility of her wife not making it, why would she? It didn't bear thinking about…but how would she know if she were? She could search forever and never find out but the blonde wouldn't give up, if searching forever was a necessity, that's what she would need to do…
As she made to move off, movement to her right caught her eye…there were people, two men. Both were dressed in the kinds of things she had seen many wearing in her time spent with Snow here yet even from this distance she could see something in the shorter man's arms, no…someone…
"I think I can walk from here" she stated as she recognised the surrounding marshlands to be part of the lake, she hated feeling like an invalid and couldn't wait until her body had strengthened once more.
"You sure?" he asked, his head moved back just in time to escape one of her hands moving to whack him, he hated when she did that. Slowly he let her legs move towards the ground as his arms moved around her waist in order to steady her at the change in position. Even if she were brash and sometimes prickly in nature, he was going to miss her, she had become something of an ally to him and she was one hell of a strategist when she set her mind to it.
Her breathing was quite shallow as the blood rushed to her head, she faltered slightly as her eyes closed from dizziness but he managed to hold her upright. He rubbed soothing lines up her sides, making sure to stop his right hand before it passed over her bandages. "You okay?" his voice was muffled as her forehead came to rest against his chin whilst she got her breath back. To anyone else it would appear an intimate gesture on would share with a lover but to them it was with companionable respect that he allowed her to regain her bearings.
"Get your fucking hands off of my wife!" both heads snapped up at the shout, Robin was simply confused as he felt Regina turning in his hands to face the source of the noise.
"Emma…" she breathed as she recognised the same leather jacket she had tried for the past few months to incinerate with her fireballs, it was just plain bad luck that her wife had gained considerable control over her magic and was able to counter the attacks. "Robin, you tell me something now" Regina demanded of the man still holding her upright, her legs had turned to jelly with the hope that the vision coming towards them was real.
"Anything…" he was still extremely confused with what was happening.
"Is there a blonde running towards us?"
"It appears that way"
"Is she wearing impossibly tight trousers" she knew he wouldn't understand what jeans were
"Yes, in fact they look incredibly painful" she laughed at this assumption
"Is she wearing a hideous red leather jacket?"
"I think it's quite becoming actually" he winced at the sharp elbow dig to his ribs, "or not"
"Is she breathtakingly beautiful?"
He stopped for a moment to view her face as she neared them, she was almost there now and running at an incredible speed, "I would assume so were she not looking so murderous"
Regina laughed at this and finally allowed herself to look up, she couldn't help the tears of joy that began falling from her eyes at the sight of her Saviour running towards her, she had done it, she had really come.
She was seething as she watched the man touching her wife, she had recognised her as soon as she had been placed upon the ground, her hair was slightly longer and in disarray due to the ordeal she must have been through here but Emma would recognise her anywhere, and she could feel her.
"Get your fucking hands off of my wife!" it came out before she could even stop it but she was glad to see, from his now raised head, that he had heard her loud and clear. Instantly she took off running as she watched Regina turning but not daring to look, it hurt her heart to think of how scared and alone she must have felt being here injured and now this idiot was trying to take advantage of her, no, that was not going to happen.
As she grew closer, she could hear talking. It seemed Regina knew the man and it didn't appear that she was attempting to get out of his grasp, nor did it appear that she would even look up at Emma…was she angry that she hadn't found her sooner? Did she not want Emma to be here running towards her? A million panic inducing thoughts were racing through her mind yet she didn't stop running. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she thought it was going to wear itself out until she looked up…
Until their eyes met, until Emma could feel the smile directed her way touching and warming every single part of her, she watched as the man finally let his arms fall away as Regina began moving forward but he kept them out to steady her should she need it.
Emma was not aware of Regina's still weakened position and so didn't think to slow herself when they were within arm's reach of one another. They both fell to the ground, Emma turning them mid-air in order to take the brunt of the blow but it didn't stop Regina from crying out in pain.
Green eyes widened in panic as she heard the noise and turned them so that Regina was lying with her back on the ground, Emma hovered over her wife. "Baby, what's wrong? What did I do?"
"Not…you…" Regina managed to breathe out as she tried to remain conscious even with darkness creeping in either side of her vision.
"Her wound, her wound on her side!" came Robin's frantic voice as he moved to pull the brunette's shirt up. Emma gasped as the gaping sight came into view, she could see she had reopened it and it had begun to bleed once more. It wasn't bleeding profusely but most of the pain her wife was feeling was due to the tearing of the newly healed skin.
She batted away Robin's hands as he gave her a look of outrage, "I've got this" she hissed at him before turning back to Regina with a small smile, it seemed she had managed to quell a small amount of pain, enough to open her eyes and look to the woman above her.
"Told you I'd f-" she was stopped abruptly when her tongue was caught between Regina's thumb and forefinger.
"Do you want me to make good on my threat?" she warned with as much severity as she could manage in her state, Emma shook her head slowly and grinned when she was released. "Didn't think so, now shut up and heal me you idiot."
It was small injuries like this that the blonde was able to heal, her magic hadn't been strong enough that day and it had broken her heart to know that she was going to have to let her wife go to where her magic was strong enough to repair her. Now though, now she could do what she had wanted to from the beginning. "You sure you can handle this?"
Regina managed to roll her eyes before soft lips were upon hers, finally. Her hands rose to cup Emma's cheeks and pull her closer as she parted her lips and met her wife's tongue with her own, the heady sensation of Emma's magic flowing through her, healing her, was absolutely incredible and extremely arousing.
It wasn't long until she felt no pain at all yet she couldn't bear to separate from the woman above her, Emma had placed one hand on her newly healed waist and another within dark locks as she attacked her wife's mouth with vigour. Both finally allowing themselves to succumb to the relief that they were together once more, the brunette only pulled away when she felt hot tears cascading down her face yet they didn't belong to her, "Emma?"
The blonde's face was downcast as she rested her head against Regina's, the older woman allowing her a moment to gather her thoughts as slender hands rubbed up and down the newly healed skin of her waist regardless of who was watching.
"I thought I'd lost you…" her voice was so small, so heartbreakingly vulnerable in that moment that Regina couldn't help the tear that fell from her own eye. She closed her eyes and pressed her head harder into her wife's for a moment with her hands clutching her cheeks, thumbs stroking soothing lines up and down her face yet Emma knew the feeling of her was a comfort to Regina also; they were actually here, together once again. It was so overwhelming and neither thought it would happen again.
"I'm not going anywhere baby"
Emma smiled before lifting her head to capture full lips once more, the task of deepening it made difficult by matching grins.
"As touching as this reunion is," came Robin's voice from above, "I think we have bigger things to deal with? Such are your return Regina?"
Emma was up and in his personal space within an instant, ignoring the shouts of warning from her wife as she glared at the stranger, "and who are you to decide for her huh?"
He was unperturbed and slightly impressed with Regina's choice in her partner, he moved his head to look at the now standing brunette with a smirk "feisty one you got here eh?" the air was forced from his lungs by the force of her shove.
"Yeah, so you can stop all your little touches and flirty looks," Regina couldn't help but feel glee at the venom in Emma's tone when she was defending her honour…until she looked to Robin sprawled on the floor, backing away from the advancing blonde.
"Emma" the blonde stilled but her gaze didn't falter when Regina placed her hand upon her arm, "this is Robin, he has cared for me since the day I came to be here…I owe him my life"
Green eyes softened slightly then as she drank in the notion that her wife may not have been here without the man she had unceremoniously shoved to the ground in her jealousy, brown eyes bore into her own and she internally groaned at the look she was being given, the unspoken demand to apologize to the man. "Fine"
Regina smiled in triumph as she watched the younger woman move forward and hold out a hand to the outlaw on the ground, he eyed it suspiciously, he had in fact just watched the woman heal Regina with her touches of love, what could she do with a touch of anger?
"I'm uhm…I'm sorry for…well yeah" she shuffled from foot to foot uncomfortably; Robin cast a glance behind her to Regina and smiled when he received a nod of encouragement from her.
"Don't worry about it…" he began, he was also uncomfortable with this type of situation, "you did what any good ma-"this garnered him a look of impending death from both women at the slip, "what any good person would do for their love"
With a nod of understanding, she turned back and pulled Regina into her arms once more, the older woman squealing in surprise as she picked her up and crushed her in tight to her chest, "don't ever leave me again!"
Regina laughed before Emma placed her back on the ground and allowed her to pull back enough to look her in the eye as she spoke, "I promise Emma" she pressed a soft kiss onto Emma's neck as she used the arms draped around the blonde's shoulders to embrace her once more.
After a few minutes of just holding one another, the blonde allowed a sigh of relief and remembrance of the boy sitting at home, "Henry hasn't spoken a word since you left…" she practically heard the brunette's heart sinking as she spoke, "he loves you so much you know?"
But she never had, although their relationship was miles better than what it had been, in response she merely tightened her arms around Emma's neck before whispering in her ear, "Let's go home"
"You look after yourself," she poked the broad chested man playfully as she leaned in to place a kiss to his cheek, Emma looked away in order to give them privacy and to quell the jealousy that still remained within her, "don't go doing anything stupid"
He laughed softly and nodded his head as she moved out of his hug, "yes well, I do believe you have taught me well enough my lady" she smiled at the term and gave his arm a fond squeeze before walking back to stand beside her wife. She couldn't help the small smirk that formed at the woman's pointed avoidance of their farewell.
She placed her hand into Emma's and automatically their fingers interlaced, the blonde sighed in comfort at the motion before pulling out the remained of the fairy dust from her pocket, "you ready baby?" her cheeks flushed at the soft kiss Regina placed on her lips as answer, her eyes were still closed when the brunette pulled away and she couldn't help the words that escaped her mouth in a whispered growl, "just wait until I have you all to myself…"
Regina chuckled and gave her wife one more quick kiss before looking back to Robin who was eyeing them with a small smile, he could clearly see the love the two shared and could only hope that one day he could find something that could match up.
"I will never be able to thank you enough for all that you have done for me Sir Robin," she shouted as the winds picked up with the opening of the portal, she looked to Emma and moved in readiment to jump, "promise me you won't allow your past to deter your future endeavours?" by her quirked eyebrow, he knew exactly what she meant for both had talked of their lost loves and seeing the blonde beside her now, seeing the look of love burning so clearly in deep brown eyes…he couldn't help the flutter of hope from within him.
"I promise you lady Regina," he replied with a soft smile and an inclination of his head towards Emma who responded in kind, "I have a feeling we will meet again at some point in time, whether it be in this life or the next I do not know but I look forward to the day"
She smiled at this before looking to find the portal fully opened now, it was time to go home. With one final look to the man who had saved her life and allowed her to return to the family she held so dear, she parted with kind words, "I do hope so and remember…love again"