Immovable Objects and Unstoppable Forces
Extended summary:
Snow Queen AU / End of season 3A / Regina tries to stop Pan's curse at the town line, but she's not powerful enough, so with Emma and Henry gone and Pan and Rumple dead, the rest of the town falls into another set of alter egos, including Regina. With the caster of the curse gone though, it's unstable and the people in this small town have cruel and manipulative intentions, everyone just a little meaner—a little darker.
Everyone, it seems, except for Mayor Mills. But her hold on innocence and honesty changes when she crosses paths with a call girl that goes by the name 'M'.
Warnings: I don't think I delve into anything too triggering, this story is surprisingly not that dark considering the story line. But there is drug use, and violence. I'll give out specific warnings when they apply at the beginning of the chapters.
Pairings: Obviously Regina/Snow, and there's also Snow/Charming. There's mentions of Emma/Neal, Kathryn/Charming, Sidney/Regina, and Regina/Charming
AN: Please note, this story is a little slower moving than my other stories. It has a different pace and tone, it's in third person, which I don't usually do, so I'll understand if you're not interested in it. I pushed to start posting for this story, for a friend's very belated birthday present. I hope she enjoys, and I'm so happy to finally be making progress, since I've been developing this story for so long. I would love to hear feedback and reviews! Enjoy!
The image of her son and Emma driving past the town line was still burned in her mind, as her hands were raised up in the air, magic pouring out of her. She saw the cloud of green smoke, the curse, coming closer by the second, and her focus doubled. Her efforts tripled, feeling every ounce of magic she had being forcefully pulled from her body. It wasn't enough though. It wasn't working. The realization struck her that as powerful as she was, she couldn't stop the curse. Still she wouldn't give up, even as she felt her body burn and her mind become scattered. Regina had never used this much, this fast. There was pain shooting through her limbs, but she couldn't give up.
"Regina." She vaguely heard a familiar voice cry out for her, as Snow pulled herself away from Charming's embrace.
He tried to keep her close, to hold her back, not knowing what would happen if she stopped the former queen now.
"Snow, don't—"
With a forceful jerk of her arm out of his grip, she looked at him desperately.
"It's killing her." She yelled back, the magic of the curse almost on them, less than a mile away, and moving faster by the seconds, winds picking up in the boundaries of this town. With some effort against the wind gusts and the power of the magic coming from her, Snow reached Regina, calling out her name.
"I can't stop." The older woman spoke through gritted teeth, even as her vision started to blur.
"It's not worth your life."
Finally she reached Regina, moving a hand to grip her shoulder desperately. The magic from her started to dwindle and fade, and she felt tears sting her eyes as she finally spared a glance at the former princess next to her. Once their eyes locked, Snow smiled a little.
"It's not worth losing you."
The power faded from her hands, until there was nothing at all, it took all she had not to collapse on the road beneath her feet. Snow was there though, gripping her arms tightly, keeping her standing.
And as the green cloud engulfed them, the last thing Regina saw was Snow's face, tears shining against an expression of sad understanding.