Red as Blood, White as Snow, Black as the Shadow of Death
Drip, drip, drip.
Time seems to have slowed down as she stares at the hot drops of bright red blood which are dripping down her fingertips.
Drip, drip, drip.
The knife slips from her saggy hand down into the pool of blood beneath her feet. There is a little muted splash as the knife lands in the pool, close to the blood soaked dark fabric of his suit.
Drip, drip, drip.
She's sweating, panting, her body is hurting. The past few minutes are a complete blur as she tries to remember what exactly happened here.
Drip, drip, drip.
fuck, her stomach turns and before she can stop herself, she leans forward and chokes out what little food she'd eaten that night. Her vomit lands on the lifeless body in front of her. Her stomach is clenching as she retches and retches, hands propped up on her thighs. The biting smell of blood in the air mixes with the sour taste of puke, making her feel sick all over again. The blood stops trickling down her fingertips, now half wiped off on her jeans.
A soft whimper, barely audible through the ringing in her ears, alarms her subconscious. Her head is spinning, pounding from when his fist met her left eye, resulting in her stumbling backward, falling and hitting the back of her head on the edge of the wooden table. She can already feel her eye swelling and the bulge growing on the back of her head, there is a fair chance she might have a severe concussion. Another whimper, and her attention can finally focus onto the portacrib in the corner next to the wooden twin bed with a colored patchwork blanket and knitted cushions.
Her baby boy is standing there, has pulled himself up with his tiny hands clutched tightly against the frame. He's too small to peek over the edge of the crib, so his face is pressed against the see-through net fabric, blue-green eyes full of curiosity, corners still red from the tears he'd shed earlier.
"Henry…" she whispers breathlessly, rushing over toward the portacrib. Her legs and feet feel numb, she doesn't pay attention to where she's stepping, because all she can think about is her son. That's why she doesn't see the leg of the fallen chair, why she stumbles and her knees hit the hard wooden floor while her hands try to catch the rest of her shaking body.
She wants to reach out to him, wants to touch him, but the second she touches the white net-fabric, she realizes there's still blood on her hands. His blood. From the man she murdered. A sob escapes her throat as she stares at her hands, realizing what she's done. What her son saw her do. Henry lets go of the frame which immediately results into him plopping back onto his butt. There's a muted squeal before he leans forward, hands pressed against the fabric of the crib, reaching out toward his mama.
"Jesus Christ! Roni! Child, are you alright? What… Where is…" Someone else is calling from downstairs. "We're up here in the attic!"
xxxxx
A few hours earlier
"Roni stop watching the snowflakes fall! There is some silverware that needs polishing and plates to be inspected for chips!" Granny calls from the kitchen out into the dining room where Regina is wiping the tables for what it feels like the second time today. Even after seven months, she is still not very used to her new identity, her new looks with curly hair and ripped jeans as well as her new home for the time being until her appearance in court as crown witness in the Blanchard-Spencer Affair.
The witness-protection-program isn't as exciting and thrilling as several action movies make it out to be. It's leaving everyone you love behind, it's putting your child's needs before your own. It's staying below the radar, not talking to many people and even more so, no extended appearance in public. FBI Special Agents Fireberg and Swan hadn't prepared her for this life. One moment she'd witnessed the murder of Mary Margret Blanchard's fiancé, the next she is sitting in an old truck with her infant on her lap, heading for Granny's diner in the Rocky Mountains. It's the perfect hiding place, really. The diner is situated in the middle of a serpentine road between the small town called Storybrooke down in the valley and a run-down skiing area called Mist Haven, only few people interested in winter sport check out nowadays. That being the case, passerby's usually visit the town or drive all the way up to Mist Haven. There are just a few regulars Granny's diner serves as well as the occasional rest room stop for a few lost souls. During her time here, Regina has barely seen twenty different people, most of them being rather indifferent to Granny's long-lost "niece" and any time there is a new face which seems like it doesn't belong, she is being sent upstairs so no one will recognize her.
Regina's picture had been plastered over all new channels for the first few weeks during her time here, however the hype about the case has died down for now. While she is sure that Leopold is still looking for her - he should have been in prison but he'd paid the exceedingly high bail the judge had set - she thinks he will not make a move until she has to leave her hiding place. The FBI has broken contact with her directly in order to make the connection even safer. Everything that needs to be said and done is passed on to Granny.
The past few weeks have been uneventful. Her day consists of a stubborn routine down in the diner, but Regina is not one to complain. Working only a few hours a day leaves her enough time to spend with her son who is growing bigger and bigger by every minute. The brittle wailing infant has turned into a chubby baby with a big smile on his face whenever he spends time with his mama. She cherishes every moment with him, is glad that he's safe and doesn't care staying in this safe bubble forever if it means her son will grow up without the threat of danger and death breathing down his neck.
"Roni!" Granny calls again, this time sticking her head through the pass-through between the dining room and the kitchen. "Get your head out of the clouds."
"Something is brewing up there. I think we will be snowed in soon should the snow fall increase," Regina mumbles, tearing her eyes away from the thick flurries the wind blows through the air.
The older woman chuckles. "Then we can call it an early night. Don't worry, child. We have enough provisions and frozen lasagna in the freezer to survive until next spring and an emergency generator in the garage should we run out of power for some reason. You might want to consider moving down from the attic into one of the two smaller guest rooms though. Just in case it gets too cold up there for the babe. We never have any customers anyway and winters in the mountains can get quite rough."
The smile Regina gives her host is small but grateful. While Granny and her did not start off on the right foot the first time they met, it soon became clear that while the older woman had a tough appearance, she was made of a soft core especially when it comes to children. It took a while for Regina to realize Granny only had her best interest at heart, so after a fight as well as a long conversation, the two women decided on a truce based on trust and a newfound understanding for each other.
She finishes wiping the tables before she heads into the kitchen where Granny is peeling apples. Right, she's talked about cooking apple sauce for Henry so he could try his first 'solid' food in the upcoming weeks. Regina smiles at the old woman who has her back turned toward her before she notices a squeal coming from the carrier seat on the large prepping table. Her son is happily munching on his foot, a small thread of spit connecting his mouth and the tiny toes. He's only discovered his feet about a month ago and ever since then he's perfected the art of wrangling off his sock and finding something to munch on. Henry's almost nine months now and she'd be lying if she denied being proud and sad about him growing up so fast.
"There's my little Prince," Regina grins and heads over to the carrier seat right next to Granny.
"If I wouldn't know any better I'd say he's going to be hungry soon. He's been sucking at his foot ever since you started wiping the tables."
A quick glance at the clock on the wall shows that it's almost past 2 pm. "I should go feed him and put him down for a nap - and then I will start polishing the silverware if that's okay?"
Regina waits for the curt nod in her direction and starts preparing the bottle, Henry's eyes following her every move. It doesn't take long for the formula to heat up to the perfect temperature and when the bottle is prepped, she walks over to take her son out of the carrier. He looks delighted, queals when she lifts him high up and pulls him close, peppers his face with soft little kisses. He's so beautiful, her tiny baby boy.
After feeding him, Regina takes him upstairs ready to put him down for a quick nap. It's why she doesn't hear the door of the diner opening. Two strangers step inside, a man and a boy. They look around a bit insecure before taking a seat on the bar stools. Granny's perks up her ears, surprised someone has found its way to her little sanctuary. She wipes her hands on her apron before she heads into the front, grabbing two menus from the pile. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be the last strangers to arrive today.
xxxxxx
When Regina comes back down the stairs she's confused by the buzzing, talking, clinking of silverware, plates and glasses. The diner is… crowded. Except for one booth and a hand full of tables, a lot of people are waiting on food and beverages. Regina quickly heads into the kitchen where Granny is busy frying burger patties and heating up lasagna.
"What's going on out there? Where did all these people come from?"
"A snow slide has cut off the way up into the mountains. Apparently they're already working on clearing the road but it's dangerous under these conditions. The workmen are sending them all back to me, hoping they'll be done within a few hours… Roni I normally wouldn't ask you, but I cannot handle these people all by myself…"
Regina smiles and grabs an apron as well as a waitress belt with change. She puts the baby monitor onto the counter, silently asking the older woman to watch the phone should Henry wake up and make noises. Granny smiles, nods and rolls her eyes when the bell rings once again. "I'll get the drinks and orders, you take care of the kitchen."
Time flies as Regina works the orders and waits on the more than grumpy customers. It's not her fault that the road is closed, why take it out on her? But she bites it down, tries to push a fake smile on her face and keep herself from snapping at the kid who complains about the milkshake tasting not chocolaty enough or the burger having a slice of tomato although they apparently ordered it without.
The doorbell rings again. Regina is about to roll her eyes when she spies a well known green-brown winter jacket with matching snow pants. The dimpled smile that greets her when he catches her eye lets her stop in her tracks immediately. The ranger pats off the snow which got caught on his clothing and takes off his hat. He looks more than surprised at the crowded diner and heads for the kitchen. She knows he'll say hi to Granny and wait in there for her which is why she hurries with writing down the order, brings a coke and coffee to table two and rushes over to the kitchen in a heartbeat.
Ranger Robin is leaning against the table on which Granny worked the apples just a few minutes earlier. While he smiles at her when he entered the diner, he now looks more concerned than she's ever seen him. The situation up the road must be worse than they initially thought.
"What brings you here, Ranger Robin?" Regina grins, catching her lower lip with her teeth. She shouldn't be flirting with him, not when there is so much on the line.
"I missed that lovely smile of yours. Do I need another reason?"
He doesn't know who she really is, but solitude is lonely and although she didn't intend for the ranger to become her only somewhat 'friend' next to Granny, his constant presence, charming smile and faded British accent have become something she longs for more and more often. Perhaps it's the all-over situation combined with instant attraction that made her start to flirt with the witty ranger after a few months of knowing each other. Robin is good with Henry and for some reason, he makes her feel… safe. Regina knows they can never be more, which is okay… but a little flirting doesn't hurt, right?
"Missed my smile or my malt cocoa with whip?"
"You know I'm always game for that special treat of yours." His voice is low and humming, sends a warm feeling down her belly. She likes their little dance which never leads anywhere… at least in reality. He's not playing his A game today though. Something is on his mind, distracting him from the present, distracting him from her flirtatious comments.
"Oh is that so, ranger? You'd like some special treatment, hm?" It's bold, much bolder than usual but she's trying to get a reaction out of him… any reaction. Robin's smile doesn't quite reach his eyes which is one more reason to worry something is going on in here. It's not just the snowslide, Regina can tell. Granny hasn't said a word, which is unlike her, instead she just stubbornly continues chopping the chicken for an ordered caesar salad.
"You seem quite busy this afternoon, Roni," Robin remarks. He's giving her a welcome out of this situation.
"Yeah, well… I've never seen so many customers in this diner at once except for when Leroy invited his brothers up here for his birthday. Is the snow slide which covered the road really as bad as everyone out there says it is?"
"I was on my way up there when I saw all the cars parked in front of the diner. I just wanted to check up on you guys before I drive further up. Problem is, the weather outside is getting worse. I'm not sure how long it'll take to clear the road or if we should continue to try."
Regina raises her eyebrows. "This sounds really bad. Are the workers up there in danger?"
The ranger nods concerned. "The Official National Park Website has just given out a warning with a relatively high snow slide alert. If people are clever they'll take the road back down into the village as long as they still can before they get snowed in here."
"Perhaps that's for the best," Granny finally says. She's been quiet so far but the prospect of sending away her customers confuses Regina.
"This is the best day the diner has had for months, Granny. You've made more sales today than in the past two months combined."
Granny shakes her head, putting the knife aside. "You know why I don't like that many strange customers on one spot, Roni. I'll do as Ranger Robin said and send them down into the village. There is an inn down there with enough rooms to accommodate the travelers."
It hits Regina the second Granny says it and damn it, the old lady is right. Strangers are dangerous. She doesn't know who these people are, whether they've seen her picture on the news and if they recognized her. How could she have been so stupid? Instead of waitressing around, enjoying the chattiness of her customers, she should have made sure to stay out of sight and be with her son.
"What do you think, Ranger Robin? Should we tell them to head down to Storybrooke?"
Robin nods before he gets up, smiling at Regina. "It will probably be the safest for now. How about you start giving them directions into the village and I'll see that their cars are safe enough for the journey down the road. It's pretty slippery as the snow which melted last night is now freezing under the new snow blanket. I hope some of them have spikes or at least snow chains."
"They'd be silly to dare a drive up into the Rocky Mountains without emergency winter gear."
"You'd be surprised," is all Robin answers before he puts his now dry ranger hat back on. Granny pushes the caesar salad over toward Regina who picks the plate up immediately, ready to head back outside while Robin and Granny stay inside the kitchen for a moment longer.
Although she hasn't felt uncomfortable earlier today, now that she is back out with the order, Regina cannot help but wonder if she's still safe. People are looking at her, some are calling her over, ready to pay the bill while others want to extend their orders. Who are they? What happens, if any of them recognizes her? The smallest gesture can easily be misinterpreted now. Who is the moody looking father with his child in the booth? Why is he glaring at her? Did she forget about an order? Or does he know Leopold and carries a gun under his heavy shirt and vest, ready to shot her? What about the colored woman with the dark long hair who is neatly dressed and doesn't look like she is going on a skiing trip?
"Excuse me, Miss? Could I get the bill please?" someone from the front of the diner calls her over.
Regina nods at him, ready to head over when her wrist is grabbed by the man she's just served with freshly brewed coffee. She freezes, eyes turning wide as the man keeps a firm grip and won't let go. His face has the features of a weasel and darn, she thinks she knows this guy from somewhere. He looks familiar but she cannot point her finger to it. Recognizing someone is bad when it comes to the position she finds herself in at the moment. "I wasn't done yet, Regina."
Shit. Shit, this is bad. He knows her name, knows who she is and if he knows… Regina tries to wrangle herself free and takes a step back. The weasel lets go of her the second she bumps into someone who is standing right behind her. Two dark hands catch her shoulders and that's when she recognizes the significant smell of black opium incense sticks. Her heart stops beating for a mere moment as she turns her head looking directly into the cold and empty eyes of Sidney Glass.
"Miss me?"
"I'm still waiting for the bill," the customer from the front of the diner calls. Fuck him, she has worse problems right now!
"I admit it was quite tricky to find your hiding spot out here, but when you know the right people in high positions, everything is possible. Even one of the FBI's most well kept secrets has a price." His grin is sly and shifty, making Regina's heart sink even lover. Someone has sold her out. Someone of the people who were supposed to protect her, who she trusted with her and her son's lives rotted her out.
Panic boils up inside of her, frightens her like a deer who smells it's predators track. Should she run? It's cold outside, it's snowing. She might know the general area from her walks with Henry but she will never survive long out there with the little layers she's wearing. Furthermore, what about her son? She cannot just leave him here! So even if she makes it out without getting shot, what would hold Glass and the weasel back from searching the whole diner for her baby boy and using him as leverage against her?
"Let me go!" Regina yells, throwing her head back hard so she hits Glass's nose with the back of her head. There's a crack, a howl and suddenly she's free as her capturer presses his hands against his bleeding nose. The brawl is drawing the people's attention. Some are whispering, some talking loudly, telling Glass to leave her alone, but Regina doesn't hear any of it. Instead, she's running darting toward the back of the diner and up the stairs into the attic.
There's a gun somewhere up there, she knows Granny gave her one but she put it away because back when she first arrived here she didn't think she'd need one.
"REGINA!"
A rumbling and banging is following her. She doesn't dare to look back even though it's what she should have done. Then she would have seen the weasel catching up behind her, darting up the stairs, so close he gets hold of her ankle. Regina yelps, kicks and stumbles forward, barely catching herself with her hands on the stairs.
"Running will get you nowhere Regina. Give up."
"Never!" Regina hisses, kicks again and this time manages to free her ankle.
A bang echoes through the staircase. splinters of wood are flying around, freed by the bullet which is buried inside the wood right next to her. Screams are coming from inside the diner. Sidney is standing at the bottom of the stairs, face run over with fresh hot blood. He is pointing a gun at her. Hell is loose.
Quickly, Regina tries to pick herself together, scrunching down just in time when another bullet hits a spot in the wall close to her. Sidney is shaking, one hand is still pressed against his - hopefully broken - nose.
"Don't shoot while I'm standing right in the fireline you idiot!" the weasel yells at Glass, but the other man just shrugs, points a gun at him and pulls the trigger. Blood splashes everywhere, sprinkles the wall, stairs and Regina's face as the weasel's lifeless body drops down the stairs backward. She's too stunned to scream, too stunned to do realize she's just witnessed how a man was murdered right in front of her. Why would Sidney Glass just kill his accomplice she doesn't know, but then, there's no need to. Not when she knows she's next.
"Stop running, Regina. It's pointless."
No, she won't. Regina drags herself up the stairs with shaking knees, expecting the one bullet to end her life any moment. Her head is pounding from hitting Glass's nose with it, her vision is blurry from tears. Will she be able to see her son one last time?
Although Sidney is following her up the stairs, he doesn't shoot. No, he's enjoying himself. He is following her every step, forces her further and further into her corner until she reaches the end of the stairs and the door toward the attic. Her son is awake, standing in his little crib, looking expectantly at her the moment she comes in through the door.
What was she thinking? Why did she come up here? Why did she dare to bring danger right up here? She should have run far away and hope Granny would check up on her baby, bring him to safety. It's too late though. Henry stares at her, eyes wide open. He still seems tired, his lower lip wobbling dangerously.
"One more step and I'll kill both of you," Glass sneers, gun pointed directly toward Henry. "Step aside."
"Please don't hurt my baby. Please," Regina whispers as Sidney passes her, gun pointed at the crib. "I'll do anything you want."
"You're not in the position to make deals, Regina. Not when I'm the one with the gun," Sidney smirks, gun still pointed at her while one hand reaches down to touch Henry. The little boy squirms away from him tough, eyes filling with tears as if he's actually aware of the danger he and his mother are in. "I do have orders to kill both of you, you know? But then, where's the fun in killing you first when I can make you watch me putting a bullet through the brat's head instead?"
Something clicks in Regina. She's heard about it, she's read about it, she felt it in her heart the moment Henry was born and put into her waiting arms. Love. The love of a mother for her child. The fact she will do anything for and to protect her baby. This is the moment when she changes. The moment Sidney points the gun at Henry's head, she grows the fangs of a wolf and the claws of a dragon because nothing and no one, no Leo, no Sidney, no gun, will stop her from protecting her child.
Wild and blind rage wraps its coat around her. Later, she doesn't remember where she grabs the kitchen knife from. It must have been lying on the table or, well, somewhere. She doesn't know how she manages to wrangle Sidney down to the ground when he's almost two feet taller and much, much stronger than her. She remembers the surprised look on his face though, when she buries the knife into his stomach, then his chest, then his heart. Again and again.
Stab, stab, stab.
She will not let him threaten her son ever again.
Stab, stab, stab.
He will never even come close to touching him ever again.
Stab, stab, stab.
Die. Die. Die!
xxxxx
Granny forces her to wash her hands clean and wipes her face with a wet piece of cloth. It feels good, the cool cloth against her skin when all she feels is numb and weak. Regina is clearly in shock.
"I killed him," she whispers over and over.
"You did what you had to do," Granny reassures her. The old woman is being so gentle with her, so gentle she's only seen her being with Henry before.
"I still killed him."
Heavy footsteps are stomping up the stairs and while Regina didn't expect Ranger Robin of all people, she is also not surprised. Why is he here? What is he doing?
"She's in shock," Regina hears Granny say and she wants to yell at the woman, tell her she is sitting right here, she can hear them but no peep escapes her. Instead, she watches how Robin gives her a good long look as if he's contemplating something. He checks his phone, puts it back into his pocket and kneels down next to her, hands close next to hers but not touching.
Granny is picking up Henry from his portacrib. The little boy hasn't made a sound ever since. Granny places the child into her waiting arms and Regina presses Henry so close against her, she's scared she's going to hurt him. She will never let him go again, not after almost losing him just mere minutes ago.
Has it been minutes? It could have been hours. She doesn't really remember. Everything that keeps her grounded is the little boy in her arms who is clutching his tiny hands into her shirt as if to say 'I won't let go of you ever again either.'
"I have a place," the ranger mumbles. "They'll be safe there for now. We need to get them there as soon as possible. I don't know how much time we have but after what happened downstairs and up here, I don't think Blanchard will wait for long to send others."
Granny is arguing something, however Regina keeps staring at him. Blanchard. What does he know? How does he know? Who is he?
After what feels like an eternity, Robin finally looks directly into her eyes. He can see the confusion and fear she is feeling, but for some reason he is able to calm her down without having said anything just yet. Henry is calm, too. His head is resting against her chest, but he seems quite alert and aware of his surroundings.
Robin takes a deep breath. "Roni... Regina. My name is Agent Robin Locksley, FBI. I know that after what happened today you have no reason to trust a word I say, but I'm here to protect you and your son with my very life. We must leave for the safe house immediately if we want to keep Blanchard off our trail. I cannot guarantee you and your son's protection if we stay here. So… are you coming?"
Regina's head is spinning. She doesn't know who to trust anymore, doesn't know if the choice she makes next will safe or destroy her. Then again… what does she have to lose? Her eyes search for Granny who seems a little downcast. The old woman nods at her with a short smile.
She wants to get out of this hell, out of this room, away from the body of the man she murdered. One deep breath and her decision is made: "We're coming."
xxxxx
Robin keeps his promise and keeps them safe for the next two months until the trial. They need to move their location a few more times - this time picking a state a little bit warmer than the icy heights of the Rocky Mountains. The day of the trial is one of the scariest days in Regina's life. She survives an assassination on her way to court and when she is finally able to leave the stand, she feels like a huge weight is lifted off her shoulders. If Regina has learned one thing during her time on the run, it's to never look back. Instead, she is ready to start a new life in a place no one knows her, with the two people she loves most.