Okay, first of all, let me apologise for the lateness of this chapter. I was not expecting the reaction to the first chapter (39 reviews! 39 REVIEWS!) so I had none of this one written. I had to write it all from scratch, and I tried to incorporate a few things from the newer episodes. As usual, this has not been through beta, so you will all have to tell me what you think :) I hope you like it! please leave a review!
Her body was refusing to cooperate with her wishes. Her muscles remained frozen in position and the sound of her erratic heartbeat was far too loud in her ears. Her mother had Henry. And unless she gave herself up she would never see her son again. Fear churned in her stomach, seeping into her veins, numbing the nerves in her brain. She was terrified. She always had been. Even when she had been at the height of her power as the evil queen, the very thought of her mother had still been enough to send her into a whimpering mess.
Vaguely, she was aware of the two men talking to each other, but she could not bring herself to care. She also knew her mother well enough to know that even if she gave herself up, that did not mean that Henry would be allowed to walk free.
She tried to conjure up some other emotion, anything she could use to stall the fear. But she couldn't. The panic and terror and hopelessness filled her up. Yet, it was the first real emotion she had felt in a long time and part of her relished it. It proved that she was still capable of feeling something aside from the emptiness of loss. Instead, she concentrated on the weight of the hand on her shoulder, the warmth she could feel even through her shirt. It anchored her a little, the meaning behind the gesture helping to chase the fear into the back of her mind.
'Regina?' She snapped back to reality. Both James and Hook were staring at her. She was slightly surprised to see concern in the prince's eyes. While they did consider each other enemies because of Regina's rivalry with Snow, they had come to some sort of mutual understanding over the last few weeks. James had been witness to Regina's efforts to redeem herself, her devastation at the death of her lover and her efforts to protect Henry. Thanks to Henry's strange connection with Aurora as a consequence of the sleeping curse, they had had some warning that Cora would be arriving, and James had been witness to Regina's efforts to prevent her mother from ever reaching here. Though, he had known that deep down Regina had known that her efforts wouldn't be successful.
'What do we do?' asked James, his voice laced worry and a ting of fear that she could tell he was trying to hide.
'We'll need help'. Her words sounded hollow, empty. The spark that had set a fire burning in her chest when Hook had first touched her had been drained by the fear of losing her son. She frowned. 'The problem is that if I do give myself up…' she tried to ignore the way Hook visibly stiffened at her words, 'there is no guarantee whatsoever that Cora will let Henry go. If Emma was here we could get him out of town'. She had come to the conclusion that Emma and Henry were the only people that could leave the towns boundaries, considering that they didn't have any memories of their previous lives to loose.
Hook frowned. 'Emma? As in Emma Swan?'
James turned to him, his expression a mixture of surprise and suspicion. 'How do you know my daughter?'
'I am – I was working with Cora-' Hook began.
'so you had a part in endangering my daughter and my wife?' James's voice rose as his anger increased, brought on by his feeling of helplessness towards the situation. 'Where are they? Are they hurt? I swear to god, if you've hurt them-'
'James!' Regina snapped impatiently. For a moment, she felt anger flare inside her. She tried to latch onto that, to hold onto the emotion and use it to her advantage. But it was gone as soon as she was aware of it and she felt empty once more. She felt the urge to grab Hook by the shoulders and press her lips against his again, felt the urge to feel that fire and… she pushed that thought away. She couldn't think about that right now.
Hook, unaware of her sudden urges, was speaking again, his voice slightly disdainful. 'They're fine. And actually, I saved their lives. I managed to convince Cora to bring them along and use them as bargaining chips. She was all for ripping their hearts out to add to her collection'.
'Wait…so they're here?' asked Regina. Her plan might be a lot easier than she had originally thought. At Hook's nod she said, 'where?'
'We left them at the well. Cora didn't really know where to put them, though she never would have admitted that, and she thought that there was little risk of them being discovered there at this time of night'.
Regina saw the excitement spring up in James, saw the light brighten in his eyes. The prince wore his heart on his sleeve. Cora would definitely exploit that if she ever met him. The prince turned, clearly about to rush off to reunite with his loved ones. Regina moved quickly, grabbing his arm and yanking him back with enough force to make him stumble. She was surprised; she didn't feel like she had had the strength required for that. 'James, for god's sake will you just stop before you go rushing off? I need you to go to Gold. After Henry's nightmares informed us of Cora's impending arrival he promised to help us, and we will need that help'. When James opened his mouth to protest Regina held up a hand. 'I will go and free them. But the sooner we act the more chance we have of saving Henry'.
Nearly every instinct James had was urging him to ignore Regina's words and instead find his love. But he knew now, if he hadn't before, that Regina loved her son dearly, and that right now saving him was the first and foremost priority. He took a deep breath. 'What if he refuses? Cora can't defeat him, apparently. What if he decides to find a safe place and focus his energy on protecting Belle?'
Regina closed her eyes, trying not to even consider that scenario. 'Just remind him that Cora will find a way to get to Belle. Cora is a professional when it comes to exploiting other's weaknesses. And Gold has possibly more to lose than anyone else if she gets to Belle'.
James nodded. He turned to the door way but then he hesitated and turned back. 'Tell Snow that-'
'I know, James. I will tell her'. Her voice was surprisingly soft and gentle. She sounded, just for a moment, like the young girl who had thought she was immune to the world's evils. Because, no matter how much they had been through, James and Snow did remind her of herself and Daniel in the way they believed that nothing would ever keep them apart.
James had made it to the door before he turned his head to look at her over his shoulder. His expression was full of pity and something like sadness. 'I am sorry, Regina'. He knew exactly where this was all going; he knew exactly what was going to happen to Regina. And, despite the past aggravation between them, he couldn't help but wish that it didn't have to come down to that.
Regina clenched her jaw and didn't reply. She could guess why James was saying that, and she had no wish to think about his reasons. There was too much at stake for her to begin regretting what she was going to do. When the prince had left, Regina turned to Hook. He'd been silent during most of the preceding. He gave a long look. 'This Gold is Rumplestiltskin isn't he?' Hook couldn't think of anyone else that would have the power to defeat Cora.
Regina nodded, too tired to even bother to deceive him. 'I'm sorry, but he is the best chance I have to save my son'. She ran a hand through her hair, the exhaustion evident in her slow movements. 'You should go back. You don't want to be on the wrong side of my mother, trust me. Go back and tell her that I-'
The rest of her words were lost as Hook sealed her lips with his own. She stiffened briefly before allowing herself to lean into him, her hands moving up to grasp his collar. He drew her closer by her hip, his other hand tangling in her sweat smelling hair. The world around them and the terror in it faded away as they lost themselves in the smell and feel of the other.
Hook wasn't really sure what this was. He didn't know what caused the explosion of sparks in his chest. He didn't know what was causing him to let down his walls, or what magnetic force was drawing him to her. But whatever it was, he was definitely going to stay around to find out, especially if it was anything like love.
Regina was the first to pull away, albeit with extreme reluctance. She leaned against him for a heartbeat, allowing him to hold her. It was amazing how alive he made her feel. With a sigh, she drew away and took his hand. The contrast between their hands was strong; his was rough and calloused while hers was soft and delicate. Yet it was impossible to ignore the way their hands seemed to fit perfectly together when their fingers laced.
For what felt like the hundredth time, Emma struggled fruitlessly against the roots binding her to the ground. And once again, they didn't loosen. She was beginning to suspect that it was actually making it worse. The fear was beginning to break through her barrier. She could still remember Cora's last words to her. 'Oh no dear, Hook is going after my daughter. I am going to pay a visit to my grandson'.
Beside her, Snow sat with her head resting against the tree, gazing up at the sky. She'd lost count of how long it had been since Cora had left them. The frustration inside her was building gradually. Being so close to James and yet knowing that it could only get worse from here made her feel sick.
Opposite them, Aurora sat with her eyes closed and her bound hands resting in her lap. The tree roots sprouted out of the ground, and the only part of her that wasn't covered in them was her head. She was breathing deeply, trying to keep calm. The hopelessness was suffocating, and she was trying to stop herself from panicking. She was thinking, not of their current predicament, but of Philip, allowing his memory to calm her.
Mullan was sitting absolutely still, her eyes fixed on the sword resting against the well, as if she could will it to move closer. She was full of anger and resentment, most of which was directed towards Snow and Emma. Thanks to them, they had been sucked into a portal from their only home into this place. Thanks to them, they were no more than objects to be used as bargaining chips by the woman who had killed Lancelot. She still felt like the quest had rapidly escalated until it was out of hand and that they should have pulled out earlier.
There was no sound in the quiet clearing. The moon was surprisingly bright, throwing their predicament into mocking clarity. No one spoke. Really, what could they say to each other that hadn't already been said?
Without warning, purple smoke billowed up from a point in front of the well. The three of them, not including Snow, shrieked in surprise. They exchanged looks of frustration and fear. What did Cora want now?
And then the smoke cleared. Emma and Snow stared in shock. 'Regina?'
Regina released Hook's hand and stepped forwards. Immediately, both Snow and Emma were struck by the difference in her. While her appearance was relatively the same, she looked at them with eyes that were completely empty, as if all emotion had been sucked from her. And yet, there were clear tear tracks on her face. Emma felt the trepidation and worry growing inside her. The only person she knew that could reduce Regina to tears was Henry. What had happened?
Regina waved her hand and the roots binding the women fell to the ground. They stood up immediately. Emma stared at Regina, trying to understand what had happened to her, when she recognised the man standing a little in the shadows behind her. Without really thinking about her actions, she lunged forward, her fist drawn back to strike. Regina stepped in front of her and caught her other wrist, wrenching the blonde around to face her. Emma glared, wincing a little at the tight grip. 'He can't be trusted Regina!'
The other three women stepped forward, voicing their agreement. Regina could feel the pressure building in her head, a headache that was not being helped by the current noise. Mullan moved forward and picked her sword up from beside the well, tossing Snow her quiver and bow.
Regina glanced at Hook. He stood straight and impassive, watching the aggressive women with little more than a slight smirk. And yet, she could tell that he was a little apprehensive.
Emma shifted uncomfortably as Regina turned back to her. The mayor's grip was so tight that she was beginning to lose circulation in her hand. 'I don't care whether he is trustworthy or not. Cora has Henry, Miss Swan'. For the first time, Snow detected a hint fear in Regina's voice, the first emotion she had seen from her since she had first appeared in the clearing.
Regina watched Emma's face transform in fear and reflected that the mask Emma usually wore had fractured and crumbled a lot during her absence. Emma took a deep breath, clearly trying to concentrate. 'What do we do?'
'Regina!' Snow's voice was sharp and shocked. She had just noticed that Regina was gripping Emma's wrist so hard that her knuckles were stark white. Regina followed the direction of Snow's gaze and looked down. She released Emma hastily, blinking rapidly, clearly surprised. It occurred to Snow that her step-mother hadn't even realised that she was still holding onto Emma.
Regina shook herself. She was so out of touch with her emotions and her body that she hadn't been aware of what she was doing. 'James came to find me. Cora is at my house and she wants me to go to her. I will, but there is no guarantee that she will release Henry once I am there. I sent James to get Gold. He is possibly the only person who can defeat my mother. Oh and Snow, James wanted me to tell you that he loves you'. Snow stared at Regina, shocked at the lack of bitterness and scorn in Regina's voice as she spoke. What on earth had happened while they had been gone?
'So what do we do?' asked Aurora. She might not know this woman, but she had spent some time with Cora. And within that time, she'd seen how much of a monster the woman was. She didn't like to think about what this woman must have gone through as a child. And yet…unlike the others, Aurora could see something in Regina's eyes. Something very familiar. She looked… broken. She stood straight yet she seemed hunched, drawn in on herself, as if she was carrying a great burden that was slowly crushing her. She spoke with a blank expression yet there were tears on her face. She looked at everyone with empty eyes. And Aurora knew exactly what could cause that emptiness.
Regina turned her eyes away from the young woman, sensing that she could see the truth, or at least part of it. 'I need your help. Cora knows that I won't willingly give myself up until I know that my son is safe. Once I know where he is I can use my magic to teleport him out of there. But I need something to latch on the other end. If I don't then it won't work'.
'What do you mean, 'latch on to'?' asked Emma, not understanding.
'I need to know the exact place I intend to send him to. To do that, I need something that I know, or something I am familiar with, that I can focus on'. She turned back to Aurora. 'That's where you come in'.
Aurora was surprised. 'Me? How can I help?'
Regina gave her a long summarising look. 'You've lost someone, haven't you? Someone you loved'. She'd originally been planning on using her hate for Snow. But that wasn't going to work; she couldn't feel enough hate to use. It was gone, just like every other emotion. Except one. Loss and grief could bring hate just as much as it could destroy it.
Aurora's back stiffened. 'I don't see how that concerns you'. She spoke sharply, her defences slamming up, angry both at the woman for bringing it up and herself for letting it show.
In response Regina stepped forward until they were practically nose to nose, so that Aurora looked straight into her dark, fractured eyes. There was a hiss of metal as Mullan drew her sword and levelled it at Regina. Ignoring the warrior, Regina took a deep breath and allowed her walls to fall, letting the void inside her be visible for just one moment. Aurora gasped. Pure anguish and pain swirled in Regina's eyes, mixing inseparably with unshed tears. The misery and sadness radiated from the former evil queen, seeping into the people around her.
Snow stared, shocked. She had caught a glimpse of this when Regina had first told her of Daniel's fate, but the level then had been nothing compared to now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hook flinch visibly and move forwards slightly, as if he wanted to comfort her. She didn't have time to wonder about it though, because the next moment it was gone, replaced by a look of indifference.
At the same moment, Regina stepped away from Aurora and let the mask slip back over her face. It was different though. The emptiness was still there in her eyes, but now they knew why it was there it made her look broken rather than emotionless.
Aurora took a deep breath, still reeling from the grief in Regina's eyes. 'I…his name was Phillip. He was my true love. A wraith took his soul'. Aurora's voice broke a little on the last word and Snow placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, understanding her pain to some degree.
Regina frowned. 'A wraith? You mean, he was marked by the amulet?' she felt something else now; guilt. She hadn't known this woman or her true love, but she truly hadn't meant to send the wraith to kill anyone. When Aurora nodded, still unable to speak, Regina said, 'do you have the amulet with you?'
Aurora nodded again and lifted her wrap aside so that Regina could see the cloth bag that hung from her waist. Regina bit her lip, her brow furrowed in concentration. Should she tell Aurora that her true love wasn't actually dead, that there was still a way to save him? She shook herself. The information could do nothing for Aurora at the present. Perhaps, if by some miracle they got out of this, she would tell her then. 'The grief that comes after loss is something that I am very familiar with. I can latch onto yours and send Henry to you. But I need you to stay in one place'.
Emma interrupted. 'But Henry still mightn't be safe'. Regina turned those empty eyes on her and she felt a shiver run down her back. She was almost desperate to know what had happened here, what had finally broken the strong woman.
Regina nodded. 'I know, that's where you come in. I need Aurora to go to the edge of town, the very edge – you will know it because there is a line of spray pain marking the border'. She looked at Aurora. 'Whatever happens, do not cross the line, do you understand me? While you were gone, it was discovered that if you do leave, you forget your memories of the enchanted forest. Do you understand? Whatever happens, not matter how bad the situation gets - Do. Not. Cross. The. Border'.
Regina turned back to Emma. 'This is going to sound confusing. When Henry appears, I need you to take him out of town. You should both be able to leave because you have no memories of the enchanted forest. Henry was able to leave to fetch you and bring you here, so I believe that nothing will happen to either of you. And if Cora tries to follow you, she will forget why she did in the first place'.
Emma hesitated. 'But what if we do loose our memories? What then?'
Regina shrugged slightly. 'You will be alive. Besides, true loves kiss will probably work. Make some sort of note or something, telling you to come back into town after a few hours. Snow loves you; you love Henry, so it should work. And if it doesn't…well, Henry will be alive, and that is all that matters'.
Emma nodded, understanding Regina's reasoning. Right now, Henry's safety was all that mattered. Regina turned to Snow. 'I don't particularly think that Cora will go after anyone else, but it might be prudent to warn everyone not to piss Cora off'.
Snow dipped her head, a little surprised by the lack of loathing in Regina's voice. 'What about you?'
Regina turned away from the group, folding her arms protectively over her chest. 'I will do what my mother wants. I will go to her, get Henry to safety, and then let her do what she will. It's the only way'. She hated the way her voice trembled at the prospect, hated the way the fear immediately began to churn in her stomach.
The entire group stared at Regina. 'You can't!' gasped Aurora, knowing exactly what would happen to the broken woman. 'She'll kill you, once she's put you through a lot of pain at least'.
Regina couldn't help but wonder how on earth Aurora knew that. 'Does it matter? I am the evil queen. I cast this curse, I destroyed your land, and I am in part responsible for everyone's misery. I deserved to be punished'.
Emma shook her head, annoyed and exasperated. God, everything was so black and white to these people. It was so abundantly clear that whatever had happened to Regina during their absence had been punishment enough. 'You're Henry's mother, Regina. What would your death do to him?'
Regina choked back a laugh, tears stinging the backs of her eyes. 'Henry neither loves nor cares for me. All he wants is to live happily ever after in a palace with his royal mother and grandparents. He has no interest in the evil queen'.
Snow stared, realising that Regina really believed that. 'That's not true, Regina. No one deserves what Cora will do to you. And…I think you might have suffered enough'.
This time she did laugh, long and loud, letting the bitter sound roll from her mouth and into the night air. It was just so ironic that Snow would still be willing to forgive her. 'It doesn't matter. I have nothing worth living for anymore'. She turned back to face Snow, the pain clearly visible on her face. 'Do you know what happened while you were away? Through a complicated series of events, Daniel was brought back'. Snow gasped and covered her mouth. She didn't understand why that had caused Regina so much pain…unless. 'But it wasn't Daniel. He was a monster. He'd forgotten that I loved him, that he loved me'. Regina pulled down the collar of her shirt to reveal the startling bruises. Snow stared in shock, feeling horror rise like bile in her throat. 'He tried to kill me. I managed, just for a moment, to get him to remember. But he was in pain. He asked me to kill him before he turned back into the monster. And I did'. Her voice broke as fresh tears began to flow down her face. Snow's expression was a mixture of horror and pity. She hated it. 'I haven't suffered nearly enough Snow. You know, I spent so much time blaming you, when in fact it was my fault in the first place that Daniel was killed. If I hadn't been stupid enough to believe that love was anything but weakness, if I hadn't been foolish enough to love him, he wouldn't have died. I killed him, twice. And because of that I will let my mother do to me whatever she sees fit'.
It seemed that fate itself was against Regina. Snow reached out a hand, her own guilt rising to the surface, and placed it on Regina's arm. Her step mother stared at it as if the comforting gesture was entirely foreign to her. But Snow's words were gone. The sheer level of grief and loss in Regina's expression had left her speechless. Here, finally, was the real reason why Regina had blamed Snow. Because deep down, she had always blamed herself. 'It wasn't-'
'Don't'. Regina's voice was harsh, commanding. She had resigned herself to her fate, and she couldn't let anyone make her reconsider. 'Just don't'.
She stepped away and Snow let her hand fall to her side, feeling helpless. Emma watched the former evil queen turn away again, unable to say anything. All she knew was that when she found Henry again, she would do her best to make him see that Regina was not evil. Regina suddenly turned back to Aurora. 'Can I borrow that amulet?'
Aurora handed it over without a word. There was nothing she could say. Regina stepped up to Hook and took his hand again. Hook grasped hers tightly. Emma blinked in surprise as she saw the almost imperceptible movement. Regina looked at her. For one moment, there was no amnesty between them, just an understanding. 'Tell Henry that I love him'.
Emma nodded, a lump in her throat. Regina was actually going to do this. Snow stepped forwards, an urgency filling her face. 'Regina, wait! I…no matter how strange this might seem, I don't want this fate for you'. And she didn't. She couldn't explain it, but when she thought of what was in store for the woman who had ruined her life she didn't feel any kind of triumph.
Regina stared at her step-daughter. She felt a twinge of regret. Everything could have been so different. For the fraction of a second, she remembered the love she had once felt for the girl, the nights she had rocked her to sleep, those days when she had tried desperately to hold onto that love before Rumple had corrupted that too. Still grasping Hook's hand, Regina stepped forwards and wiped an escaped tear from Snow's cheek. 'Live your life Snow. Live, love and be happy. Take your happy ending and hold onto it. You never know when it might be taken from you'. She stepped back, even as Snow's tears began to truly flow. Regina's last words were soft and gentle. 'I have done terrible things Snow, and no one morns the wicked'.
And then, in a burst of purple smoke, Regina and Hook were gone.
Just to clear a few things up, Henry and Aurora still shared dreams and Cora still captured Aurora. However, Regina and Rumple did not place a barrier on the well, and Cora didn't take Aurora's heart. Oh, and obviously James didn't go under a sleeping curse.
So please leave a review! Tell me what you think, what you want to happen, what you would like to see, etc. and thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, you have no idea what you've done for my self-esteem! :D
