AN: Hello everyone! This is a story I've been working on for awhile now and I'm so elated to finally be posting it! I did something a little different with this in that I kept some of the original dialogue from the movie. Why? Because I wanted my story to make an intimate connection with the movie yet give it my own flair. Plus the idea of hearing Regina say the same words as Jareth just does things to me. You'll see...it'll happen to you too. This is a completed story (four chapters total) so do not fear this not being finished.
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone from Once Upon A Time or Labyrinth. Just borrowing them!
Happy reading :)
No one can blame you
For walking away
Too much rejection
No love injection
Life can be easy
It's not always swell
Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl
'Cause it hurts like hell
The screams of a newborn pierced the once quiet night air and a grumble followed by something falling to the floor could be heard in response.
"Alright, alright already," A frustrated voice strained out as a bedside lamp was flicked on, illuminating the tiny, cramped bedroom that housed a portable crib and a futon on opposite walls.
Three-week-old Henry continued to wail as his eighteen-year-old mother scooped him up and cradled him against her chest. Stumbling through the small apartment with the crying child, Emma grabbed a prepared bottle from the fridge before she stuck it in the bottle warmer that sat in the center of the barren, worn-out counter. The electric warmer was a gift from a prison guard before she was released from jail when Henry was just two-days-old. Aside from a few cans of formula, three bottles, the used pack and play that served as his crib, the car seat she received from the hospital, and the bottle warmer, Emma didn't have much else to really provide for the child she was now burdened to care for.
Once the bottle was ready, she stuck it in the hungry child's mouth before she carried Henry over to the french doors that led out to the balcony. The apartment was a complete shit hole, but the balcony was what made the living quarters worth it. The night air was warm as she opened the doors and stepped out, sitting on the single plastic lawn chair that was abandoned there from the previous owner. The city lights of Boston twinkled around her like stars fallen from the sky as the jostling noise of sirens and traffic buzzed along the streets below.
After she was released from prison, she packed up her two boxes of possessions and her son and left for the northeastern city to get as far away from Phoenix as possible. Henry's father had abandoned her months ago and was the very reason that she was sent to prison. She had informed him of the unexpected pregnancy and his response was to hand her a wad of crumpled twenty dollar bills with the demand that she use it to get an abortion. Her response to his forced suggestion was to beat the shit out of him and he ended up pressing charges. Somehow she managed to awarded the money and after her release, she used it to drive across the country and put a down payment on the rundown apartment until she could figure out what to do with her recently altered life.
Henry startled her from her reverie when he spit out the bottle nipple and started crying again. The young mother huffed in frustration as she set the empty bottle down before she brought him to her shoulder and patted his back. A few air bubbles were released, but he continued to rattle her eardrums with his powerful set of lungs.
"Geez kid, stop it already," she snapped as she left the balcony and returned to their bedroom.
He continued to scream as she placed him back in the crib and tucked him in. "How about a story, huh kid? Would that help?"
The newborn didn't answer of course and Emma leaned over the crib and smiled.
"Once upon a time in the Enchanted Forest, there was a beautiful young girl whose wicked mother forced her to marry an old king twice her age. After she became queen, she was required to take care of her stepdaughter who was five years her youth. Her stepdaughter was a spoiled child and she wanted everything for herself. But what no one knew was that the queen was a witch and she had special powers. So one night, when the king and her stepdaughter had been particularly cruel to her, she cast a magic spell upon the kingdom. But what she didn't know was that her wicked mother, who was also a witch, had overheard her plans and changed the words to the spell. 'You didn't say the right words' her mother sneered. 'And for that you must be punished.' The young queen realized too late that the spell she cast was altered and she disappeared from the Enchanted Forest forever.
She found herself in an alternate world and became Queen of the goblins, forever fated to never have a child of her own. She learned that any child wished away to her would become a goblin themselves and so she spent her years brooding in her castle until one day she fell in love with a beautiful young maiden and gave her certain powers. 'Bare me a child,' she said 'say the right words and I will take the child to the Goblin City and free you of its burden.' But the young maiden knew the Goblin Queen would keep the baby because the child was special and would remain human forever and ever. So the maiden suffered in silence until one night, when she was tired and could no longer take the insufferable crying…"
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
"Shut that goddamn kid up!"
Emma sighed as she picked up Henry and rocked him in her arms as he continued to scream. Every night the neighbor pounded on the wall because of Henry's cries and she didn't know how much more she could take.
"All right, all right already; knock it off," Emma grumbled as she continued to rock and sway the screaming infant. "I wish I did know what words to say to make the Goblin Queen come and take you away."
Lack of sleep and the stress of being a new mother fresh out of prison were starting to take its toll on the teenager. The story she had told Henry was based off of a dream she used to have regularly when she was pregnant with him and now her sleep deprived brain was almost hoping the Goblin Queen was a real person.
"Oh Henry, stop it!" Emma begged the child in desperation.
She put him back to bed and covered him, hoping he would just cry himself to sleep. Turning out the light, the blonde collapsed unto her futon as she ignored the banging on the wall from next door. With a glance to the crib where her son continued to wail, she turned away from him and murmured aloud, "I wish the Goblin Queen would take you away…right now."
As soon as the last two words slipped from her mouth, Henry's cries abruptly halted and an eerie silence fell over the darkened room. Looking back towards the crib, concern started to well up inside the blonde as the infant remained quiet.
"Henry? Henry?" Emma called out as she sat up from her bed and crossed the room. "Henry, are you alright?" The young mother reached the crib's edge and peered down. "Why aren't you crying?"
The room was dark, but the city lights filtered in through the single window, allowing the girl to just make out the rumpled baby blanket on the mattress below. With shaky fingers, she reached down and snagged the material up in her hands, only to find the crib empty.
The young mother gasped in shock as she looked around in fear. Snickers of laughter from various places suddenly filled the room and she whipped her head around frantically to try and see what was lurking in the confined space with her. Running for the light switch, she flicked it several times up and down, but the room remained basked in darkness. Snickering voices continued to taunt her and she quickly scrambled out of the bedroom to try and escape it, but the chorus of laughter only grew in volume until she was forced to clap her hands over her ears. Her back hit the kitchen counter and she jumped in fear when she witnessed the balcony doors fly open in front of her, revealing a lavender smoke that twisted violently until a figure materialized within it and took form. All the noise suddenly ceased and she slowly removed her hands from her ears as she took in the beautiful creature before her.
A beautiful woman in a long, regal dress stood before her as a purple fog swirled around her lithe body until it slowly dissipated into the air. Her lengthy hair was black as night, matching the darkened eyes that glared beneath long lashes. A feathered cape billowed out behind her in an invisible wind before it settled around her heeled boots. The instant magnetism Emma felt towards the woman was intense, but her need to find her son was more pressing.
"You're her, aren't you? You're the Goblin Queen?" Emma managed to say as she gazed upon the woman with a starry-eyed expression.
"Regina," the woman introduced with a slight bow before she sauntered towards the fair-haired woman.
It was then that the young mother noticed the dark leather pants that donned the lower half of the queen under the strips of floor-length skirt before they disappeared into knee high boots. The blonde felt a twinge in her stomach as Regina approached her and she nervously licked her lips as the queen invaded her space.
"Please…I want my son back," Emma pleaded.
"What's said is said," the queen responded in a rich tone.
"Please, tell me where he is?"
"You know very well where he is," she answered in a deep, husky tone.
"Please, Regina…," Emma begged.
"Forget about Henry."
"I can't. Please, I didn't know you were real!"
"Emma; don't defy me. You have no idea what I am capable of," Regina warned as she stepped impossibly closer to the blonde, pleased to see the flustered reaction she had caused the younger woman.
"He's my son. I want him back," Emma stated defiantly.
Regina's hand snapped out and she seized the blonde's upper arm before they disappeared in a purple cloud only to reappear on a hillside in a different world. Emma blinked her eyes in disbelief as she gaped at the huge labyrinth that stood before her. A warm hand suddenly rested on her shoulder before a sultry voice filled her ear. "He's there, in my castle."
The blonde followed the slender finger that pointed out in front of her and she peered at the castle that stood in the middle of the labyrinth.
"It doesn't look that far," Emma countered bravely.
"It's further than you think," Regina purred, sending shivers down the younger woman's spine before she withdrew from the teenager and took a step back. "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth before your son Henry becomes my child…forever."
Emma watched as the queen vanished in a plume of smoke, leaving her alone on a hillside in a world she knew nothing about. Contemplating whether it was even worth the risk to enter the complicated labyrinth, she thought of Henry and sighed heavily as she knew she had to at least try.
Walking down the winding path that led to the imposing stone wall that guarded the colossal maze, she was surprised to encounter a short man resting against a water fountain as he loudly snored. Seeing no one else around, she approached his side and cleared her throat.
"Excuse me?" Emma called out.
The man snorted as he blinked his bloodshot eyes open and looked around. "Who's there?" His gaze focused on the girl before him and he scoffed before he closed his eyes once more. "Oh, it's just you."
"Can you help me get through this labyrinth?"
The dozing man growled as he opened his eyes again and reluctantly got to his feet. Reaching for the flask on his hip, he took a quick swig and gargled with it before he spit it out in the fountain.
"I was having a pretty decent dream before you came along," he snapped as he picked up an unlabeled aerosol can by his feet and walked over to the flowers along the towering wall.
It was then that the blonde woman noticed the little flying creatures that hovered over the plant life. Shaking the can, the dwarf held it out and sprayed it on one of the fairies. A tiny cry was heard before the fairy dropped to the ground.
"Fifty-seven!"
"How could you?" Emma questioned in horror as she ran over and carefully scooped the fairy up into her palm.
"My life is forever ruined because of those meddling insects."
"You're a monster…ouch!" She cried out as she dropped the tiny creature. "It bit me."
"What did you expect fairies to do?"
"I thought they did nice things like granting wishes and being godmothers."
"Shows what you know," he scoffed before he sprayed another one. "Fifty-eight!"
"What did they ever do to you?" Emma pressed.
"What do you care, sister?"
"I'm just asking."
"Well I'm not answering…fifty-nine!"
"Why are you so grouchy?"
"I'm not grouchy, I'm Grumpy."
"Seriously?!" Emma scoffed before she blew out an exasperated breath. "Look, do you know where the door to the labyrinth is?"
Grumpy shrugged. "Maybe."
"Well, where is it?"
"Where is what?"
"The door!" Emma shouted in frustration.
"What door?"
"Oh for the love of God…"
"Ask the right question and you might get the answer you seek," Grumpy offered before he sprayed another fairy. "Sixty! Woo hoo!"
"How do I get into the labyrinth?"
"Ah, now that's more like it, sister," Grumpy stated as he pointed to the wall. "You get in through there."
The young woman watched as two menacing doors that weren't there a minute ago slowly swung open.
"You're really going in there?"
"I have to," Emma answered as she cautiously entered the maze.
Looking both ways, the blonde was surprised to see it go on indefinitely. Her brow furrowed deeply as she tried to decide which path to take.
"Cozy, isn't it?" Grumpy asked as he startled the younger woman. "So are you going to go left or right?"
"They both look the same," Emma muttered.
"Well you're not going to get very far."
"Which way would you go?" she challenged.
"Me? I wouldn't go either way," Grumpy answered. "I'm stuck in this hell hole for all eternity thanks to an overzealous fairy. So believe me sister, if I had a choice, I'd choose not to be here at all."
"Thanks for nothing, Grubbles," Emma quipped before she moved towards the left path.
"Argh! It's Grumpy," he corrected before he called after her, "Keep in mind that even if you do make it to the center of the labyrinth, you'll never make it out again!"
Emma ignored the bundle of angry dwarf as she continued to walk down the stone corridor. She heard the doors slam shut behind her and wasn't surprised to see that Grumpy had left her to fend for herself.
"Guess I'm on my own," she mumbled.
Minutes turned into hours as she walked persistently along the never-ending straightaway of imposing walls. Nothing changed the entire time she followed the monotonous path and her temper grew shorter and shorter with each step until she stopped walking and screamed out in anger.
"What the hell kind of labyrinth is this?! There are no turns or corners or anything!"
Emma kicked and punched the wall a few times until she slid down the surface in a slump. Leaning back against the cool stone, she tried to will herself to calm down, but she was starting to feel hopeless in getting to her son before time ran out.
"Hello there," a small voice to her right greeted.
Looking down, Emma was surprised to see a cricket dressed in Victorian clothing.
"Did you just say hello?" Emma asked as she suddenly felt stupid for thinking the bug could talk.
"I did indeed," he answered. "The name is Jiminy."
Recovering from her shock that the cricket was in fact speaking, she cleared her throat and questioned, "You wouldn't happen to know the way through this labyrinth, would you?"
"No, I'm just a cricket," Jiminy replied.
"I'm stuck," the blonde confessed as she dropped her head back. "There aren't any turns or openings or anything. It just goes on and on."
"Well now, that is a problem I can assist with," the cricket cheered. "There are openings everywhere; you just have to know where to look."
Emma leered down at the bug and growled, "What are you talking about? I haven't seen any openings anywhere!"
Jiminy pointed his tiny closed umbrella to the wall across from them. "There's an opening right there."
"No there isn't."
"Things aren't always what they seem here, so you can't take anything for granted," Jiminy explained.
Emma got to her feet and carefully approached the opposite wall with her hands held out in front of her. She was starting to think she was stupid for trusting a talking cricket when she realized she didn't make contact with the wall like she expected to. The blonde shrieked in surprise as she continued stepping forward until she did hit the wall and turned to see a portal to another part of the maze.
"Thanks Jiminy!" the blonde called out before she stepped through the secret passageway and disappeared.
She blinked against the harsh sunlight as she focused on the tall, square-shaped hedges that surrounded her, giving her a clear indication that she was definitely located inside the labyrinth. Picking a path, she had started to walk when she heard the cries of her newborn son suddenly punch through the air. Looking up towards the imposing castle that seemed hundreds of miles away, she frowned.
"I'm coming Henry," Emma murmured before she strode with more purpose through the maze.
The infant howled as the goblins took turns holding him while Regina sat in her throne with a scowl etched into her features as she tapped a riding crop against her booted foot. She had changed into a more comfortable outfit, sporting a white bloused shirt adorned with a leather vest and tight grey pants that slipped into lengthy black boots. Her dark hair was pulled up into a high ponytail as the long tresses hung over one shoulder and down to her waist.
Years of watching children turn into goblins before her very eyes, children she was only blessed to love for a brief moment of time, had slowly hardened the queen's heart until she felt she had no more love to give. Her physical appearance was that of a twenty-five year old, but her mind belonged to someone much older; someone who lived through decades of heartache, fear, and abandonment. She never thought the time would come for the chosen one, the one child who would remain human, and yet here he was in her castle and she didn't know what to do with him. She remained rooted to her chair while the goblins passed the infant around as she tried to process on how to love again, but the more Henry cried, the more she felt the need to comfort the child until at last she couldn't take it anymore.
"Enough!" The queen bellowed out before she marched off her throne and took the howling baby from the frightened goblin that held him.
The minute Regina scooped Henry up into her arms, he immediately settled down and stopped crying. Unfocused hazel eyes gazed in the direction of her face and the brunette couldn't help but smile as she carried him over to the throne and returned to her seat. Her heart swelled for the child and the fear of not being able to love him seemed to vanish as she held him close. Looking up towards the imposing clock on the wall, she couldn't help but grin in anticipation.
"In nine hours and twenty-three minutes, you'll be mine," Regina cooed as she traced a finger down Henry's soft cheek.
