AN: I discovered this little thing on my computer. It's been sitting here for nine months just languishing the time away...
Some things to clarify the story:
Emma's personality is closer to what it was in Season 1. Zelena is alive, so no Regina-Robin-Marian tensions. After arresting Zelena, Emma returned to New York with Henry. Henry escaped back to Storybrooke, and it took Emma a week to come back for him. She isn't disclosing what she was doing during those seven days, but she seems to be in Storybrooke to stay. Henry's been showing favoritism towards Regina lately, and Regina isn't happy that Emma hurt him by not immediately returning. Hope you enjoy!
She met him for the first time getting out of that blasted Sheriff Emma Swan's patrol car. He was tall, taller than her, at least, had an oval face, quaking limbs, and the obnoxious nervous habit of grinning and then taking off his spectacles to clean once every few minutes. His name was Archibald Hopper, and he would become her captor for, well, however long her 'Sister-Dearest' wanted to torture her for. Later, he would become a perpetual scourge of her life, even after she was removed from house arrest.
"Well, well," Zelena intoned, aloof with lazy arch of brow, "I suppose there's just 'no place like home'!"
Emma suppressed the urge to slam her face into the steering wheel, and instead turned around in favor of barking a command.
"Get out of the car, Zelena."
"Ooh," Zelena mocked in an offended voice, fake or genuine, Emma was unsure, but at this point she no longer gave a damn, "Someone's awfully demanding today."
The blonde opened the driver's side door and climbed out with a stretch. Emma had put up with Regina's half sister for two weeks after taking a brief hiatus in New York, and was out of 'fucks' to give when it came to the psycho-lady's incessant complaints over just about everything ranging from the amount of sunlight coming into the jail cell, the smell of her lunch, and the amount of noise the scratching of Emma's pen made while doing paperwork. Yes, putting Zelena under house arrest was probably the kindest thing Regina had ever done for Emma, the blonde surmised.
The back door of the patrol car opened and out came two long black cotton clad legs followed by an equally black clad torso and a flash of long, red hair. As Zelena made to rise out of the car, he approached her.
"Hello, Zelena, my name is Doctor Archibald Hopper. You can just call me Archie. I understand you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together, yes?"
She looked up and found herself uncomfortably close to an arm outstretched. She casually knocked the offending appendage out of her face and rose to her feet.
"Well, I suppose you know everything about me now, don't you?" She sneered, wiping her hand off on her pants, "Bug-Eyes!"
Emma clapped him on the shoulder, and Zelena felt her infamous rage begin to boil beneath her skin, because this man was friends with the 'Stupid-Swan'. She began plotting his murder almost immediately.
"She's yours now, Archie. Good luck!" Stupid-Swan said.
He continued to smile nonetheless at Zelena, which she found quite alarming and thus began to head back towards her house.
"Oh! Zelena!" Archibald called to her, "You forgot your bags!"
Pretending she didn't hear, which was not difficult to do since he did have a rather soft voice, Zelena continued to trek up the long gravel driveway to the ramshackle house she was placed in via curse. She hated the ranchhouse. It resembled the farm and home she kept in Oz with a fake-mother and an abusive non-father. It was one of the reasons she hardly spent any time in the house if she could help it. It was the primary reason she wanted to enact the time travel spell in the barn. It would be just fitting that the source of all her childhood misery could provide her with what she needed…But that was all ruined now because of Perfect-Little-Sis' and her Perfect-Little-Lapdog-in-the-Forest and her stupidly Perfect-Family.
She reached the screen door and wanted to retch. Now would be the most perfect time for her powers to flare up, conjure a storm to take her far off where she didn't have to worry about the Stupid-Swan, Sister-Dearest, or Mister-Bug-Eyes back there. Why hadn't Regina killed her when given the chance? If their roles were reversed, Zelena wouldn't have hesitated to deliver the killing spell, watch the person who got everything shrivel up and die like a maggot in the sun. It wasn't as if the infamous Evil Queen was capable of showing mercy, not in Zelena's estimate in the slightest. So, the reason Regina must have spared the Wicked-Witch-who-Terrorized-Storybrooke was to make herself look good, that is, better than the person she was, and, ever will be.
It was all because Sister-Dearest was a HERO now, and HEROES don't kill the enemy if they can help it, or some bullshit like that. And let's not forget that tear-wrenching speech about SECOND CHANCES, oh my!
Zelena wrinkled her nose as Archibald stepped beside her on the porch with a duffle bag of clothes from her time in jail and a plastic bag of toiletries.
"It's a lovely place, Zelena," Archibald said, reaching for the screen door.
Zelena's arm whipped out and she grasped the handle before he could, delivering a glare.
"You have bug-eyes," She was referring to his wide, bright blue eyes. He blinked a few times.
"I suppose that could make sense. I was a cricket back in the Enchanted Forest."
Zelena swung the door open in a wide arc and stepped through the threshold.
"A bug!" She laughed on her way through, "I could have stepped on you!"
She made to slam the door in his face as he walked in, but he stopped her with a cautionary glance.
"Please don't do that, Zelena." He said.
She left him be, walking into the cluttered dining room, casting a note over her shoulder, "Just put the bags down anywhere. It doesn't really matter since this place is as big a pigsty as my life has been."
The fact that the inside of the ranch house was practically identical to her old home worsened the sick feeling in Zelena's stomach. There were kitchen knives lying around, newspapers scattered all over the oak table at odd angles just like her non-father used to spread them out, there was the rocking chair in the far corner of the room beside the stone chimney where fake-mother would sit and rot away, and then there were the alcohol bottles. The bottles were everywhere. The damn bottles had infested every flat surface of the house: The floor, the table, the counters, the cupboards. She felt as if she were practically swimming in them.
Archibald placed the bags on the countertops where two bottles clinked as he moved. Zelena regarded him coolly.
"So, Zelena," he began, wiping his glasses, "I take it Regina has already told you about the arrangements?"
Zelena's lip curled in a snarl. God, was his voice irritating. And what was with cleaning his glasses all the time?
"No-o," She said with dramatic flair and sarcasm, "My sister? Rubbing it in my face once again that she's won?" She snapped at him, "Of course she told me about the arrangements, you stupid bug! And I'm none too pleased that I have to spend an indefinite amount of time locked away here, and I am even less pleased that that time will be spent in your company!"
He swallowed, but otherwise did not respond to her outburst.
"Ah, alright then," He said after a pause, "Well, I guess things are, well, what they are. We will just have to make the best of it all. Shall we clean things up in here for lunch?"
At Zelena's lack of response, Archibald began stacking the newspapers one on top of the other, then sifting them together. The swishing and stacking noises that assaulted Zelena's ears made her want to throw something.
So she did.
The liquor bottle that went sailing past Archibald's ear in a whoosh exploded and noisily fell to the floor in a pow, splat, and tingle.
There was bottle all over the floor, and what a mess. But ooh, that was fun!
Archibald whirled around just as Zelena grabbed two more bottles off the shelf.
"W-w-wait! Zelena-!"
Both bottles exploded simultaneous against the table, soaking the newspapers with the potent scent of fermentation, dripping all over the floor. The smell was nauseating and only furthered Zelena's fervor as she began smashing bottles at random, no longer worrying herself over aiming specifically at the infuriating man in front of her.
She carelessly tossed them at doors, the floor, the counters, windows and chairs. She dashed them on the ceiling and over the rocking chair. She threw boxes of them down just to hear them shatter. It was exhilarating. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this invigorated, so alive. She stood, poised, dripping in whisky, three bottles in one hand above her head ready to smash them into oblivion against the table leg.
"Zelena!"
She looked up. There was Bug-Eyes, standing with his hands up like a coward. His glasses were splattered, and he stared at her with those wide, blue eyes.
"Zelena." He said again, how long had he been calling her name, exactly?
"That's very dangerous. Please," He pointed, with a frightened, stern expression on his face, "put those down and we can sort this out. "
She shrugged with a wicked smile, and, just to spite him, threw her hand down as hard as she possibly could. A percussive explosion of glass and liquid filled the air. The rush of adrenaline went out of her as Zelena staggered and clutched her now profusely bleeding hand to her chest. The red liquid dripped down the length of her arm and made her feel giddy. Her body would normally heal itself with magic the moment she had an injury, thus, the amount of blood leaking from her hand was significantly more than she could recall seeing herself bleed in her entire lifetime. Although to any other person this would seem horrifying, she was suddenly entranced by her ability to bleed and came to a new depth of understanding of her own mortality.
She was just like everyone else now, able to sustain injury, feel pain, and could not heal herself on a whim. Content, she sat back on the couch and accepted Archibald's handkerchief.
"Hold pressure on that," Archibald said, "If that bleeding doesn't stop soon, I'll have to take you to see the doctor."
"I thought that you were a doctor," Zelena accused, still admiring her own blood.
Archibald wiped his glasses as he took in the state of the house around him. The table was covered in soggy, shredded newspaper with pieces of glass sticking up in the pulp every here and there. The floor was in a considerable state: knives and brown bottles littered it, and a coating of alcoholic beverage covered everything and permeated the air in a thick cloud. It was getting very difficult to breathe in it. The rocking chair was overturned with glass sticking in the cushion which had been slit by a knife so that most of its stuffing was coming out. Archibald sighed to himself, staring in wonder at what Regina had gotten him into.
"Not that sort of doctor," Archie replied.
She watched as he went back, rifled through some cupboards, and came back with a box of trash bags.
"I'm going to take all of these bottles," He gestured to the few which had remained undisturbed in the face of Zelena's wrath, "And I am going to take them away so you don't have to see them."
He did just that, very cautiously, and gathered the bags up into his arms to take out into the barn. The barn which had been made very clear to Zelena by a loud Sheriff that was off limits to her.
By the time he returned, Zelena had become painfully aware of the throbbing in her hand. She decided that she did not care for much for the feeling at all. The severity of her actions began to settle in as he continued.
"I'm going to take the newspapers out," He informed her, "Is there anything else you would like for me to take out?"
"The knives."
"Ok," he began picking them up, "The knives."
"And that rocking chair!"
He nodded and strode over to the object and lifted it to set outside. When he returned, he asked, "What else?"
Zelena choked back a sob, "All of this damn blood!"
Now that she thought about it, she didn't like being human after all. Humans feel pain, and if there was one thing she wished never to feel again, it was that.
The amulet was the only option. She would get her powers back, heal herself, and then go after Sister-Dearest for subjecting her to this torture.
Archibald took a step closer and offered his hand, "May I see?"
She gave him a sour look but offered her injured hand nonetheless, hissing and letting out a growl when he took it.
"Have you been holding pressure?" He asked in the least accusatory manner.
"Yes, of course I have," She insisted, "What else could I be doing? Re-cursing all of Storybrooke?"
"No. No, of course not," Archie conceded, releasing her hand, "I'm going to take you to the hospital to have that looked at. There might be some small shards of glass still wedged in your skin which is making it hard for your blood to clot."
He took a sweeping glance at the state of the room once again.
"We would also do with some cleanup while we're gone. Are you able to stand?"
Zelena slowly took to her feet and nodded. She tested her weight from foot to foot.
"Do you feel any dizziness?"
She shook her head.
"Can you walk with me?"
A nod. He offered his arm, which she looked at as if it were a piece of modern art before grasping it in a cold fingered grip. He led her back outside through the screen door and onto the peeling front porch. He bade her to sit. She plopped down as Bug-Eyes wiped his glasses once again and fumbled with his cell phone.
"Yeah, hello, Emma? Yes, this is Archie. I need you to come take us to the hospital – no, no! It's Zelena who's injured, I'm just fine – yeah, do you mind? Also, bring a few spells. The house is in need of some clean up – no, it's too dangerous to live in right now, and it would be difficult to clean without magic. Ok, thank you. We'll see you in a bit – please hurry."
"Ok, when you said you need cleanup, I thought you meant mold."
Emma's jaw dropped as she walked into the house. She was carrying a small book of simple spells Regina had given to her. Even though she still couldn't access her own magic due to kissing a pair of cursed lips, she could still use spells bound to a book. The use was purely domestic: sweeping up a mess, washing and doing her hair, makeup in a snap, and, her personal favorite, conjuring a quart of beer. She swooned.
"Ugh, okay, I'm getting out of here. I think it's killing brain cells," She said, turning back to the porch.
She helped usher Zelena to her feet. Archie gave a deep sigh of relief he didn't know he had been holding. Emma took Zelena's shoulder and directed her in the direction of the patrol car.
"In," She commanded.
Zelena rolled her eyes.
Emma glared at her retreating form. The thing about the Mills women was that they always had to pull slights and add unnecessary sarcasm to everything they did, as if they were actively searching for conflict.
Emma returned her attention back to the house and her friend.
"Archie?" Emma tugged him over to the side as they made their way down the gravel path, "What the Hell happened in there?"
"Zelena had a fit and hurt herself," Archie said, " You can see for yourself what she ended up doing. You know, I'm really starting to have concerns about Zelena's house arrest arrangement. I really don't think it's the right solution for her. There's something about the house that she finds very unpleasant."
Emma nodded, "Okay, I'll try to talk to the mayor about it. I'm just glad you didn't get hurt," her countenance turned grave at once, "She didn't try to hurt you, did she?"
He paused, because he did not want to put words in Zelena's mouth. He honestly couldn't be sure if she intended to hurt him, specifically, or if the bottles flying in his general direction were the result of something going on during her meltdown. Any injuries he may have sustained may not have been so much premeditated as simply collateral damage.
"Yes," He finally admitted, somewhat reluctantly,"She threw some things at me. I could have been badly injured."
Emma pressed a gloved hand to her forehead, "Archie!"
"But I wasn't!" He insisted with a pointed look, "And right now the person who is hurt is Zelena."
"Yeah, well," Emma groaned, "It looks like I'm going to have to terminate the arrangement and get Regina's approval to hold her at the Sheriff's department again. Clearly, this was a bad idea."
Archie paused at the mention of the mayor's name, "How are things? Between you and – "
"We were focusing on Zelena, right?" Emma cut him off dismissively, reaching the patrol car, checking it, "Zelena?"
Archie looked up, seeing that their wicked witch was not in the patrol car. Dread pooled in the pit of his stomach. There was a trail of blood droplets leading into the forest.
"Damnit!" Emma hissed, "I literally took my eyes off her for a second! What is she, a three-year-old? Come on, Archie," She gestured for the passenger seat, which he immediately galloped to the other side of the car to jump into, "Where would she have gone?"
He quickly shut the door as the engine roared to life, "She's probably going after Regina's vault."
Emma hissed, planting a hand on the shoulder of Archie's chair as she reversed out of the driveway, "Right, the vault – makes sense. It's pretty far away. How badly was she bleeding? Do you think she'll make it, or will she pass out before then?"
"I couldn't tell you for certain," Archie admitted, nervously, "Do you think we should search the wooded area?"
"We'll do what we can in the patrol car on the way to the cemetery," Emma decided, "Here, keep your eyes peeled for any movement. She was wearing dark clothing and she's fairly tall, so she'll have trouble hiding in the foliage if she's still on the move. I'm going to call.." She cuts off.
He glanced at her, "The mayor?" He asked.
She shook her head, "No, my mom. She's our best tracker."
She whipped out her cell phone and began dialing as they moved through the forested roadway, "God, why Hell would she take off? She can't accomplish anything!"
Archie's eyes roamed the forest passing in front of him, "Given her track record for emotionally driven irrational behavior, I think she just wanted out of the house, even if that meant risking her health to do so."
"Yeah? Well, it's stupid," Emma grunted, pressing the phone to the side of her face, "Hello? Hi, Mom. Are you busy? I need your help with something."
Archie hazarded a glance towards the blonde, then continued searching the passing scenery.
Regina was on cloud nine. For the first time in her life, she felt loved, respected, and had everything she wanted. On one side of the booth at Granny's, Henry sat beside her, eating fries and tweeting with friends, and across from her sat Robin of Locksley and his mop-headed son, Roland.
"This is really nice," Regina commented, tossing her napkin down on her empty plate.
The brunette's mayoral duties had been taking an increasingly hungry portion of her time, particularly after her Sheriff went missing for two weeks in the wake of taking down the Wicked Witch of the West, Zelena. No, she didn't hate it. As a matter of fact, she relished her duty to the town. Sure, being in a position of power, owning a lovely mansion, and not having to worry about such material affairs as money was not something she could complain about. However, after the awakening of certain 'Light' magics within her, she suddenly went from being highly untrustworthy, to practically worshiped by the town overnight. Then, suddenly her job as mayor was not something done grudgingly simply because it had to be done, but one she did because she was enjoying watching the benefit it held to the townsfolk who would now willingly put their lives in her hands. It was something which certainly felt good, a feeling Regina certainly wouldn't mind getting used to.
"Yeah!" Roland agreed enthusiastically, and both Robin and Regina shared a chuckle.
"Is that right, little man?" Robin asked, wiping Roland's chin of ketchup with a napkin, "Do you think we should do lunch more often?"
"Of course!" Roland shouts, and Robin turned his gaze upwards to his soul-mate with a smile.
"What does the Queen have to say?"
Regina felt warmth flood her chest as he looked into her eyes. She sat up a little straighter.
She smirked, "The Queen says Granny's for lunch as often as she is able to make it."
"And how often would that be?" Robin asked, folding his napkin.
"Every other Tuesday and Thursday, eleven o'clock to noon, Saturdays at one, and every first Sunday of the month anytime from nine to three," Henry rambled with a smirk to match his mother's.
"Well, there you have it," Regina responded, impressed, and very suspicious, "When did you memorize my schedule, Henry? You're not having a secret girlfriend over at the house while I'm out, are you?"
Henry threw his hands up, "No need to act so accusatory, mom!" He said, "When you uploaded your calendar to the cloud it appeared on my phone. Here."
She showed her as she peered over his shoulder, "Oh, really? How do I get it off of your phone and onto mine?"
"Don't worry about it. I can fix it right now." He replied quickly, "Here, give me yours; I can get your schedule displayed by logging onto our account."
He took her phone and began working immediately. As he slid screens and tapped icons, Regina returned her attention to her boyfriend.
"Are we still on for Friday evening?" he asked.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world.
He took her hand across the table, "This is really nice."
Another smile tugged at her lips.
Yet there was always that little part of her. That little, dark, simmering part of her that would never go away and never cease wanting to be let out. Sure, evil isn't born; it is created. But once it is created, completely getting rid of it is practically impossible. She managed to keep the darkness in check for the duration of the last month, no matter the stresses which befell her as mayor. After all, she had Robin, her son, and the whole community rooting for her to be good now.
However, lately she found her temper growing shorter and shorter like a fuse. At night she would wake up in her vault, not remembering when, why, or how she had gotten there. If someone she found irritating suddenly had the audacity to bother her with some trivial issue she had no interest in solving, a glass trinket on her shelf would shatter. It was if all of this goodness was suddenly too much for her body to handle, and the darkness was beginning to manifest in odd ways, waiting for her to break. Waiting to be let out once more, like a caged animal ready to tear its restraints off. All it needed was a little provoking.
Her phone buzzed in Henry's hand. He turned and tapped his mother's shoulder impatiently.
"Hey, Mom. It's from Grandma."
Brow furrowed, Regina took the phone from her son's fingers. Strange. Snow rarely called unless it was an emergency needing her magical expertise. She answered.
"Hello…"
The mayor became still, eyes narrowing coldly. Henry and Robin stopped their idle chatter to exchange worried glances. Even Roland quieted in the new atmosphere.
Regina's hand slammed down onto the table, plates, cups, and silverware rattling.
"She did what?!" Regina snapped, sharply.
Henry and Robin both flinched at the mayor's words. The diner stilled. Heads turned, waitresses stopped their taking of orders to gape with open mouths, Granny looked up sharply, staring down her spectacles at Regina. The brunette rose immediately.
"Her escaping is no fault of mine, Snow! If anyone is to blame, it's Emma! – Oh, and don't you lecture me about what it means to be good, Snow Grey! … You know what, nevermind! I'm on my way to the vault…Just keep your daughter out of my way."
"Who escaped?" Robin mouthed to Henry, face falling "not…"
Henry nodded slowly, watching his mother shout into the mouthpiece of the phone. The adolescent's face began to pale at the thought of his murderous half-aunt.
Robin pushed himself to his feet to join Regina as the brunette angrily ended the call.
"I'm going with you."
She turned to him to tell him to stay back as he took her hand. He put a hand up to stop her.
"I'm not letting you go alone," He said, "Zelena's attention will be split if there are two of us. We'll have her outnumbered, and I always have your back."
"Go on," Henry called to both of them, "I'll look after Roland while you're out."
Regina nodded towards her son, squeezing Robin's hand, "Alright, Henry. Remember what we talked about? Keep your cell phone on."
Henry scooted out from behind the booth and gave his mother a quick hug, "Go get her," He said, "Keep Storybrooke safe, okay? I believe in you."
"Thank you, Henry," She nodded before raising her hands to transport both Robin and herself from the diner in a plume of dark purple smoke.
"Are you going out there?" Charming asked, rocking in the doorway with little Neal squirming in his arms, "Shh…Neal, it's naptime."
There were dark circles under the eyes of both Charmings. Although they tried to keep their space neat, bottles, new diapers, and afghans found their way onto nearly every flat space.
"I haven't much of a choice, now, do I?" Snow replied determinedly, pulling a pair of running shoes on and reaching for her bow leaning against the far wall beside a full length mirror, "Zelena's out there, injured, probably going for Regina's vault, and if she gets there and finds her amulet, then it's game over for all of us here in Storybrooke…"
"And you're our best tracker," Charming finished, "Do you want to bring Red with you? I could text her."
She glanced up, casting long, dark bangs from her forehead, "I don't think we have the time. Text her if you want, but I'm heading out now."
She walked forward and embraced her true love. He leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips.
"Come back safely, okay?"
"Always."
"I love you."
"And I love you, and you," Snow kissed her son's forehead before making for the door and rushing out.
"What the actual fuck?"
Emma swore and Archie cleared his throat. Emma pulled off to the side of the road to evade the leather clad, one handed pirate standing in the middle waving his arms over his head.
"Killian!" She called, rolling down her window, "Get out of the street!"
He sauntered over, pointing over his shoulder using his hook, "I just thought I would inform you, love, that our Wicked Witch was seen running that way."
"Yeah? No shit, Sherlock. She's headed for Regina's vault."
Hook's smile faded immediately, "Oh… Who is this Sherlock? Should I be concerned by him?"
"How long ago did you see Zelena?" Archie leaned forward in his seat, "Did you say she was running?"
Hook sighed, "Well, when I said 'running' it was a figure of speech. Now, are you going to let me in to help you?" he made a gesture towards the car with his hook, "Or are we going to sit out here and serve tea? I'll have you know that I'm not in the mood for crumpets today."
Emma groaned, pressing her forehead to the steering wheel. Archie placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Emma?" the psychiatrist prompted.
"Fine!" Emma snapped, sitting upright and jabbing her thumb in the direction of the back seat, "Get in."
"Lovely," Hook commented with a wide grin, climbing into the back seat.
Emma switched the lights on and floored it. Archie instinctually grabbed for the handle beside his head. Hook was thrown backwards into his seat.
"What are you doing?" Hook demanded.
"Well, since we know she's not passed out in a field somewhere, we can stop cruising and meet Zelena at the vault," Emma raised her head to glare at Killian in the back seat, "Put your seatbelt on, would you?"
Killian clicked himself in, "Noted," he grumbled, "Love."
"What the hell were you doing, anyway?" Emma continued.
"I saw Zelena going off yonder and I signaled you over to tell you," the captain replied, boredly.
"No," Archie jumped in before Emma could whip around and hit him, "I think she meant before that. What were you doing in the woods?"
"Well," Killian dragged on, much to the blonde Sheriff's chagrin, "I'm sitting in town on a park bench and I see the patrol car leave with Zelena in it, return, then leave again burning rubber at thrice the speed it was moving at before – does that scream 'emergency' or is that just me?"
"Does that scream 'stalker', or is that just me?" Emma mimicked Killian's accent.
"You didn't seem to have a problem with it when I came and brought you back from New York," Hook rebounded.
"Excuse me? I had you arrested. The only reason I bailed you out was because I was concerned for my son. And then once I got my memories back I knew I had to come back because Storybrooke inevitably found itself in jeopardy once again."
"A simple 'thank you' would suffice, love."
Archie cleared his throat, turning to Emma, "You were speeding?"
"Uh, yeah?" Emma rolled her eyes, "Well, you call and tell me to hurry. My response is to hurry. It's my job. Savior, right?"
"That's right," Archie nodded, slowly, "Do you have a plan for once we get to the vault?"
Emma quieted. Hook leaned forward in his seat, resting his forearms on the shoulders of Emma and Archie's seats. Archie swallowed in discomfort, tugging at his collar.
The blonde sheriff took a moment to think. When it came to predicting Zelena's movements, Emma was practically incapable. Every offensive move she and Regina had taken against the Wicked Witch in the past had been foreseen and brutally countered with lightning fast efficiency. And even after having cancelling out Zelena's magic, Emma's powers as Savior had yet to return to her, so blasting her with white magic wasn't going to work.
"I take it, love," Hook voices after a heavily pregnant pause, "We'll be charging in guns blazing? 'Guns' being a figurative word seeing as you've confiscated mine, forgotten to bring yours, and haven't given our town psychiatrist one to carry."
Emma swerved. Hook clutched the seats and Archie renewed his grip on the handle.
"Can it, Hook. That's not funny."
"Where is your gun, anyway?"
"Like I said before, I was in a hurry. I left it at the station. Damn!"
"Did you at least call for backup?"
"I called my mom, she seemed dismissive. Shut up a moment - I'm trying to think."
Archie shook his head, cleaning his glasses, "You know, we're speaking as if Zelena's already gotten a hold of the amulet. Considering that the skies are still blue, and that we are all still alive, I think she hasn't even gotten to the vault yet. I think we all just need to calm down, stop arguing over things that, given the situation, are irrelevant, and focus on ways to get Zelena back without anyone getting hurt. And then after we're done solving this problem, we can move onto whatever it is that's going on between the two of you. Are we clear?"
Both the blonde and one handed pirate voice an affirmative grumble.
"Good," Archie said firmly, "Now, Emma, please drive straight. You are giving me a stomach ache."
Zelena's lungs were burning for air by the time she reached the cemetery. She was unused to having to physically run from a threat or enemy, having spent most of her life relying upon her magic. She clutched her right hand with the left – it was still weeping blood. She had lost the handkerchief somewhere in the woods, and blood was beginning to make dark stains down the sleeve of her black turtleneck.
The witch's eyes scanned the scene until she came upon the Mills family mausoleum. She approached, hurrying up the stairs. She was still panting hard, but refused to give up any time to rest. With all her might, she pushed against the large double doors of her sister's vault.
She took a step forward and faltered, eyes catching the name on one of the plaques.
Cora Mills
She let out an inhuman scream of frustration and despair. Why had her mother given her up? Was she so undesirable, so inconsequential, to deserve to be cast out in the middle of a road?
"Not another step, sister," Regina's obnoxious voice rang out behind her in the doorway, "That's my vault. No one goes in there without my permission."
Zelena turned, snarling. There was Sister-Dearest with her Lapdog again. She took a few cautious steps back. Regina had her hands out, as if to conjure magic of some sort. Light or Dark, it didn't matter anymore; Zelena was powerless. Zelena took a deep breath, concentrating. She'd gotten out of stranger situations before, hadn't she? It all hinged upon being in control of the moment. Something she clearly was not, however if she could turn the tides in her own favor, then, perhaps, there was a chance she could go for the amulet. Then, she would get her revenge.
Revenge was a funny thing. It was elusive, but always right there. She could practically taste it on the tip of her tongue wherever she went. Even when she was sitting in the cell at the sheriff's station, the thought of how close she had been plagued her mind and nearly drove her mad. She wrinkled her nose as Regina came closer. Why couldn't she have run a little faster? Gained a little more time to figure out how to access the vault?
"Funny," Zelena countered, shuffling back around the graves, back towards the entrance, "Cora's my mother. I should deserve the honor of paying a few respects."
Regina smirked, cruelly, conjuring a raging fireball, "Not happening, sister. Don't think you can escape. Besides surrendering to me and returning home, your only option is to run, and it's only a matter of time before I catch you again. I have magic. You do not."
"Regina…" Robin placed a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, "Let's not provoke the most powerful witch in Oz, please?"
Regina shrugged him off. She had been waiting for an opportunity like this to present itself to her. The feeling of dark magic coursing through her veins was like shooting up on a drug she so badly craved over the past weeks. It was incomparable to anything else.
"And what can she do?" Regina continued moving forward, gleefully pushing Zelena back towards double doors, "Oh, that's right. Nothing."
Zelena reached the double doors. She hazarded a glance behind her before taking the stairs back out into the cemetery.
"It's not fair!" She screamed, feeling the back of her throat tear, "You don't deserve this life! You don't deserve any of it! You were Queen!"
"No, dear," Regina stepped out of her vault, followed by a cautious Robin, "I am Queen. And I've worked to get to where I am now. What did you do again?" She asked rhetorically, voice darkening, "Sabotaged the witch community of Oz and played peek-a-boo with a girl and a pail of water."
Zelena forced her features back into a mask of control. She did not shed a tear, no matter how much she wanted to break down and cry, but stared out coldly at the mayor. Putting up a mask was something she was rather adept at, even if it did fill her with a wild rage in memory of an abusive non-father. She needed Regina to make a mistake, not the other way around. Zelena knew she had already made one mistake today, losing control in front of Bug-Eyes. She needed something to redeem herself. Anything. A quip that would give her an edge.
"Says the lady who was married off to our mother's fiancée," Zelena stated, struggling to keep her voice below a scream, "How messy is our family tree, sister?" She spat, "What with that bastard son you've adopted?"
Zelena ducked as a screeching fireball scorched the top of her head.
You leave my son out of this!" Regina screamed in return, conjuring a fireball in each hand.
Zelena threw herself to the side, dodging behind tombstones and flower baskets as hungry flames sought her out. Robin gave a start.
"Regina! Stop!"He called, reaching out for her.
Zelena kept going, crouching as she moved behind gravestone to gravestone, "I should have killed the little brat when I had the chance!"
A new voice broke into the quarrel, interrupting the momentum of the situation quickly spiraling into oblivion.
"Stop! Stop! Right now, all of you!"
The three figures in the cemetery turned as sheriff, pirate, and psychiatrist jumped out of a flashing patrol car. Emma rushed forward, comrades in tow, a pair of handcuffs swinging between gloved fingers.
"Zelena, put your hands in the air where I can see them," Emma roared, "Now!"
Zelena did not budge.
"Or what?" She sneered, glancing between the two fronts of so-called heroes she faced, "You don't have any magic to use on me. You don't even have your gun."
"Yeah? Well, there's a pissed off mayor standing behind you ready to rip your heart out if you so much as move – I suggest you stand down."
Zelena threw her head back and cackled. She rose to her full height and returned her attention to her brunette sister.
"If you want it so badly, why don't you come and get it?" Zelena mocked, placing a hand over her heart, "You know you want to take it. Crush it. Kill me and destroy the remainder of the problems you seek to hide away from, Regina. And you know it. You've known this your whole life. After all, what was the curse but a way to escape from all of your problems as Queen?"
Regina waved her off, "Not this again."
"You were always unworthy. You never had the desire to be more than you ever were. Unlike me, you had everything given to you. And the moment you have that taken from you, what happened?" Zelena continued, "How can you even call yourself a villain? What you did to the Enchanted Forest and its people, that wasn't revenge. No. You had your chance at a second ending. Now it's my turn."
"Regina?" Robin hazarded, praying his girlfriend would not fall for her sister's mocking.
The mayor extinguished the flames in her hand. She laughed. Zelena had nothing. This was a waste of her time. Robin wrapped an arm around her she swayed, having nearly exhausted her magic reserves.
Archibald stepped forward, speaking circumspectly, "Zelena. Look at me, please. Zelena?"
Zelena turned. Barely. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he attempted to extend an olive branch.
"Zelena, I'm not here to hurt you. Ok, I'm not like the others. I don't have magic. I don't know how to use a gun or a sword or bow. There is literally nothing I can do to you that can harm you, do you understand?" He continued, "Right now you have a set of choices in front of you. I can't choose for you, that's up to you. It's all in your power, Zelena. Now, you can either stand down and let us take you in again or you can fight us. And if you fight us, I have no way of knowing for certain how things will end up."
She scowled, "That doesn't sound much like a choice to me."
"It's what you've got," Emma butted in, "You can either take it or leave it. What's your answer?
Zelena's shoulders drooped. She was looking very pale, red eyes brimming with tears. A few drops of blood fell to the ground from her injured hand and disappeared into the dark soil. Emma relaxed and so did Hook. Regina took a deep breath of relief. Archibald came forward ever so slowly; ready to take Zelena's hand. The witch suddenly looked up. She flicked her wrist, procuring a knife from her sleeve, and leapt towards Archibald.
"How about a 'no'," She hissed.
An arrow sliced the air before her face, separating the Wicked Witch from the psychiatrist, landing dully in a tree behind them.
"Nobody move," Said Snow White, bloody handkerchief dangling from her hand, another arrow knocked and ready to let soar.
The White Princess crept forwards with the elegant grace of a deer. She made eye-contact with her daughter, making sure everything was alright. Good. Snow continued pointing her arrow at Zelena's heart as she cast a look around the clearing, surveying the damage done by Regina's fireballs.
"Zelena," Snow said, standing not five meters from the knife-wielding witch, "I am only going to ask you very nicely, once and only once, to put your hands up and give yourself up."
Snow glanced up at Emma once again, an eyebrow quirked. Emma fumbled around in her pockets for something behind Zelena's back.
Zelena's hands shook. She dropped the knife. Her eyes wandered rapidly in search of an escape. As Snow eased the tension from the bow, Emma drew her hand back and cast a layer of poppy dust over the elder Mills daughter. Zelena fell forward, unconscious, and Archibald caught her.
"I am still very uncomfortable with this," Archie voiced as Snow and Emma joined him in the hallway outside of Zelena's bedroom, "Zelena reacted the way she did for a reason. If she did it once, there's little stopping her from trying to break out again."
The mother daughter duo exchanged uncomfortable glances. Archie crossed his arms. What was it with this family and having communication issues?
"What did Regina say?" He prompted.
The brunette in question was downstairs with her boyfriend magically cleaning the mess her older sister had made because, in her words, Emma was "an incompetent fool".
Emma sighed and crossed her arms, blonde hair falling out of her ponytail and into her face, "She's refusing to allow Zelena spend any more time at the station. She says that she thinks it about time her sister learns how to coexist with the rest of us here in Storybrooke."
"Well, I agree," Snow supplied, leaning against the wall, "I think that so long as she's in town, she does just that. I also agree with Archie, though, in saying that this is not the right method. Obviously, with what disaster almost happened today, all starting with a couple of bottles and newspapers, something has to change. Maybe if we kept her with the nuns - "
Emma shook her head, "What? We can't just change the whole plan. Zelena would be more averse to staying with the nuns than if we kept her with Gold, which we already know is a bad idea. No, we need a neutral third party. It's the reason why I recommended having Archie watch her during house arrest. In addition, I mean, where else would we put her? Sure, there are empty apartments in town, but it's not likely that Gold is going to let us put her in one considering how she had him locked up in her fallout shelter for a week. The Bed and Breakfast is out since we want to keep her from being harassed by the general public every day. I sure as hell am not willing to share my apartment since she'd probably try to kill me in my sleep."
The trio quieted as Regina's footsteps made their way up the stairs towards them. The brunette mayor brushed her hands as she came into view.
"Finished. Are we allowed to go now?"
"In a hurry much?" Emma responded, bluntly.
"I have important things to be doing. Things only I can do as mayor," She paused for effect, "Things which should take precedence over roaming over to your jurisdiction of taking out dangerous criminals, isn't that right, sheriff?"
Regina's phone buzzed and she paused the conversation to check it. Snow pressed her fingers to her weary eyes, wishing for the day to be over. Archie watched, failing not to cringe, as Emma walked over to stand beside the texting mayor.
"Is that Henry?" Emma asked, tentatively.
Regina finished her text, put her phone away, looked up.
"No, it was my secretary."
"Can I see him, please?"
Regina flicked her hair and rolled her eyes with annoyance.
"He's my son too," Emma asserted with force.
"Does a mother walk away from her son to return to New York?" Regina glowered, "You hurt him, and I am not ready to forgive you for the stint you pulled. That being said, I'm not the one keeping him from you."
Emma's brow furrowed, and she crossed her arms, "What?"
Regina laughed, "Well what did you expect? I am not your enemy here, for once. Or did you immediately just assume it given our history together? No, Sheriff, you have not seen Henry because Henry does not want to see you." She lifted an eyebrow pointedly, "Now get out of my way. I'm late for a meeting."
The brunette mayor pushed past Emma, who stood with mouth agape. As the front door to the farmhouse slammed shut, a leather clad pirate came up beside the blonde and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. She stiffened beneath Hook's fingers.
"Sorry, love. That looked messy," He gave her a puppy dog look.
"Go away, Hook," She snapped, turning and stomping down the stairs, taking her turn to slam the front door to the house.
Snow breathed a deep sigh, pulling out her phone to text Ruby, who was prowling around the ranchhouse, to stand down and return to the diner. Instead of putting the device away, she called home, an overwhelmed smile spreading across her features as Charming answered.
"You'll never believe the disaster we just stopped," She laughed, "Zelena's been detained. I'll be back in few."
"Thank God you're all alright," Charming breathed over the line, the drowsiness apparent in his voice, "Was anyone hurt?"
"No," Snow yawned back at him, "Zelena cut herself, but Regina fixed it with a healing spell. Emma knocked her out using the last of Tinkerbell's poppy dust, so she's resting now. Emma and Regina are still having communication issues, life's as normal as it's going to be."
"Never a dull moment, is it?" Charming intoned with humor.
"Never," She agreed, with a groan, "Those three can act like such children sometimes."
"Who?" he inquired.
"Emma, Regina, and Zelena," Snow shook her head, "They refuse to stay out of trouble."
"I suppose living with the three of them around will be good practice for this little munchkin here," Charming grinned over the line, holding Neal as he spoke.
Archie approached the White Princess, nervously wiping his glasses.
"Right. I'll see you soon, I love you," Snow concluded with a smile, terminating the call.
She turned to her friend, "How're you doing Archie? That was quite the first day on the job, wasn't it?"
Archie nodded, "Well, I can't complain, can I? It's my job as both a conscience and the psychiatrist to make sure she's alright. Speaking of things being alright, no offense, but you look horrible. How have you been sleeping?"
"I haven't really," Snow gave a soft chuckle, "Thanks for looking out for me. Neal's been keeping us awake most nights, I don't know how Regina did it while balancing mayoral duties, it's all so exhaustive." She offered Archie a tight hug in farewell, "Good luck, Archie. If anything comes up, don't hesitate to call, alright?"
As she made her way downstairs with much more grace than both her daughter and step mother, a scowl crossed her face upon encountering a one-handed pirate still standing in the kitchen.
"What are you still doing here?"
"I could ask the same of you. I was helping today, I have every right to be here as you."
"Well, I'm leaving. Come along." She made a gesture towards the door and led him out, shutting the door lightly.
"Tell your daughter to bring down those high walls," Hook voiced to the warm air as the two walked down the long gravel driveway.
Snow shook her head, "That's not for me to say. As her friend, I would gladly tell her to follow her heart and engage in a relationship as long as she was willing. But I'm not sure of where her heart is right now, and it really isn't my business as much as I hate to admit it. As her mother, it's my duty to protect her vouch for her wants and needs." She turned to him, looking him straight in the eyes, "Until she comes to you, stay away from my daughter, Hook. This is not a threat or a warning. I am simply telling you: you will give her space. She's in the process of sorting something out, and having you breathing down her back every step of the way is detrimental."
"Detrimental?" He gave an uncomfortable laugh, "I can see you still don't trust me even after all I've been through to help you and your family."
"This isn't a matter of trust, Killian, and you should know that. I have you to thank for my husband right now, and I will not forget that."
"Then why are you fighting me now? I can walk with your daughter with these problems she's facing. It would be my pleasure to do so."
Snow slowed her pace, contemplating her words, "I know that you care about Emma, Killian," She finally said after a lengthy pause, "But I'm standing by my words. Wait for Emma to come to you."
Hook ran a hand through his black hair, grimacing, "Fine, so be it, then."
He left, heading for the wooded trails leading back to town, the usual confidence of his step severely lacking. Snow watched him with a sadness in her eyes. It wasn't her intention to hurt him so much as look out for her daughter's best interests.
At least, that's what she was telling herself. She herself had come to Emma time and time again: right after the breaking of the first curse when she'd recovered her memories, back in the Enchanted Forest when they had taken on the Queen of Hearts, in Neverland. Always, it was the same two steps forwards and one step back waltz they'd been dancing since Emma had rolled into Storybrooke nearly two years ago.
It was, perhaps, more advice to herself that she was giving than to Killian. After all, she had another child to look after now. No, it was time for her to let go.
It was time for Emma to come to her.
Emma let out a groan, spreading out on her new bed. After returning Zelena to Archie's care, she'd gone off to the department to try to do some paperwork. Although she worked as glacially slowly as she was able - getting up to use the restroom three times an hour, watering the plants which had already died but who could say for certain, idly write "fuck you" in the margins of her reports and then scribble them out again - she found herself at the Mayor's desk with reports in hand before the end of the day. She once again requested to see Henry, and Regina had laughed – no, not laughed, cackled, like a damn witch – and poofed Emma out of the office.
It was the mayor's equivalent to the middle finger. Emma knew she had it coming, but really, she could only hope that Regina would show her some kindness, especially after their recent history of actually getting along and collaborating with one another both in Neverland and in Storybrooke when they teamed up to restore Henry's memories and take down Zelena.
Why?" She groaned into her pillow.
She supposed it could have been a lot worse. Only a year ago, if she had to walk into the mayor's office, she'd do it with a loaded gun, 50% sure she would have to use it to threaten the other woman.
Emma knew Regina was changing, in what ways she could never be entirely sure. This time it felt different. For once, Regina seemed to stay put on the side of good. And it was so infuriating to Emma, who knew the other woman was right, but refused to let her be right.
She wanted to see her son.
But had Regina done the same thing Emma did, Emma would have responded the exact same way. So now the blonde was left stewing in her very lonely apartment in the outskirts of town, waiting for someone to need her so that she could redeem herself. She just needed something to happen.
She felt her phone vibrate beneath her pillow and drew it out to put it on silent. The name flashing on screen stilled her hand for just a moment. She answered it instead.
"Archie? Is everything alright?" She croaked over the line, grogginess weighing down her consciousness, "It's almost 2 in the morning."
Yeah, Emma, I need your help," Archie sounded frantic on the line, "It's Zelena."
Emma's eyes widened, "What now?"
"I don't have much time to explain, but she's in dire condition. Please, I need you to take us to the hospital."