The Curse of an Imp
Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, then the events of the end of Series 2 would never have happened that way. Ever. Once Upon a Time and all related concepts belong to Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis.
Summary: What if Regina, in one act of humane kindness, had been unable to sacrifice her father and cast the curse? What if Rumplestiltskin had sacrificed something very dear to him to cast it? What if the curse had created other effects too?
Thanks to xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx - who is awesome - for being my beta, for suggesting some of the ideas in this story (and letting me use them) and for helping me plan this story.
Chapter Two: The Thing You Love Most
The next morning at the Mayor's house, Regina sat in her study, flipping through the pages of Henry's storybook. She had just reached the wedding of Snow White and Prince Charming when one page in particular caused her to freeze. No wonder he viewed her as the Evil Queen, this book was an exact duplicate of the life she had before the curse.
Feeling the panic settle in her chest, Regina turned to the last few pages of the book, and stopped dead. They were there. The story had ended completely with the honeymoon of Snow and Charming, whatever happened after that was not in the book - the only thing that was in the book, however, were the four shredded pieces of paper. Someone had ripped the final pages from the book, and she had a pretty good idea who.
"Regina?"
Regina jumped and looked up. She'd been so enthralled with her thoughts that she hadn't heard her study door being opened, or anyone approaching her. "Daddy," she said, with a watery smile.
"What's the matter, darling?" Her father, Henry Mills Snr, asked.
"He think I'm the Evil Queen, daddy," Regina said, her voice cracking as she tried to conceal her tears. Henry Snr, balding and in his late fifties, set the mug of hot chocolate down on the table, and knelt beside his daughter, taking her into his arms as she sobbed. He had never been able to control her power hungry and abusive mother, but he had always been a constant force in her life, and had done his best to keep her safe and happy.
"It's alright, darling," Henry Snr soothed. "He's just rebelling."
"He wouldn't be rebelling if he hadn't received this book," said Regina. "It's that teacher's fault. Mary Margaret."
"No, my dear," said Henry Snr. "No it's not."
"Then how would you explain it, daddy?" Regina asked. "She gave him the book! She put these ridiculous ideas in his head!"
"Yes, she gave him the book," Henry Snr nodded. "But that is all she did. The rest is his imagination. You know, talking always helps."
"I didn't work with mother," said Regina.
"No, but she was a monster," said Henry Snr. "But your son is innocent. Go and talk with him, Regina, and don't yell, it will only make matters worse."
Regina sighed, nodded and shut the book. "I will do as you ask, daddy," she said, tucking the book under her arm and heading upstairs. She found her son, Henry Jnr, dressing for school in his bedroom. He was buttoning up his shirt, and tying his tie when she entered.
"The missing pages," said Regina, opening the book. "Where are they?"
Henry turned to her and gave her a glare of disdain. His slightly pudgy stomach strained against his school trousers. "It's an old book," he said. "Stuff's missing. Besides, what do you care?"
"I care because you think I'm some Evil Queen," Regina said. "And that hurts me, Henry. I'm your mother."
"No, you're not," said Henry, picking up a book from his desk, and stuffing it into his backpack.
"Well then, who is?" Regina asked. "That woman you brought here? I don't like what she or this book is doing to you," she pulled herself up to her full height and smirked. "Thankfully, both are no longer an issue."
Henry cast his gaze down, a look that Regina failed to miss.
"What?" she asked.
Out in the small town, the Clock Tower chimed twice as an elegant clang of metal on metal echoed. Regina whirled around, staring out of the window, as Henry seized his chance of escape. He grabbed his backpack, flung it over his shoulder and ran for the door.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Mr. Gold and Isabella left their house at 8:20 that same morning with Mr. Gold closing and locking the door of his pink mansion behind them. Looping their arms together, the two made their way down the road, passing William Theroux, a blonde haired nineteen-year-old slightly muscular tramp with a drug addiction, slightly small, tattered clothes and an apple in one hand.
"Mornin', Mr. and Mrs. G," William said as they passed.
"Good morning, William," Isabella said, smiling, as Mr. Gold acknowledged him with a nod of the head. Both Mr. Gold and Isabella knew who William actually was, but even under the curse he had never been much of a nuisance to them and hated Regina with a vengeance, so befriending him to annoy Regina was more than worth it, as was allowing him to sleep in the alleyway beside Mr. Gold's pink mansion.
As they approached the Clock Tower, it gave a metallic clang and moved to 8:25; they saw Regina, briefcase in hand, approach and look up at it.
"Well, would you look at that, Bella!" exclaimed Mr. Gold, pointing at the clock face with his cane. "They finally fixed the clock! I guess those rusty old innards finally sorted themselves out, huh?"
Regina whirled around, glaring. Across the street she caught sight of a sickeningly familiar yellow beetle. "Yes. It seems someone has fixed it."
"Lovely," beamed Isabella. "Maybe now I won't have to keep checking my watch when I do story time with the first graders. Well, good day, Madame Mayor."
Kissing Mr. Gold lightly, she pulled the keys out of her pocket, twirled them around her finger and disappeared into the library.
"All happy families with you, I see."
"Not really, Madame Mayor," replied Mr. Gold, evenly. "Bella and I are happy enough, but the disapproval of her father constantly lingers. Well, good day, Regina. I have rent to collect and people to terrorize."
"Don't be too evil."
"Said the pot to the kettle. Anyway, I digress. I have to have fun in some way, don't I?"
"Hmm," Regina chuckled. "Indeed. Good day, Mr. Gold. I'm cooking dinner for Henry; he needs to lose some weight so I'm making apple pie."
Mr. Gold watched her go, smirking gently to himself. Nodding to Isabella through the window of the library, in which she had just opened the curtains, he headed down the road to his Pawn Shop, mentally congratulating himself on a job well done. He paused at the door of his shop, and nodded to himself.
"Must remember milk."
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Emma paused and turned to her bedroom door, cup of coffee in hand. Grasping the handle, she pulled it open and, much to her surprise, found Regina on the other side, a basket of apples in her arms.
"Did you know the honey crisp tree is the most vigorous and hardy of all apple trees?" asked Regina. "It can survive temperatures of forty below and keep growing, it can weather any storm. I have one that I've tended to since I was a little girl," Regina knew, as clear as day, that her words were lies, but held out a bright red apple for Emma nonetheless. "And to this day, I have yet to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers."
"Thanks," said Emma, accepting the apple despite being confused.
"I'm sure you'll enjoy them on your drive home," Regina's words and the meaning behind them, namely that she wanted Emma out of town as soon as possible, were very clear as she offered the whole basket of apples to Emma.
"Actually, I'm gonna stay for a while," replied Emma.
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Regina said, her voice low and threatening. "Henry has enough issues; he doesn't need you confusing him."
"All due respect, Madame Mayor, the fact that you have now threatened me twice in the last twelve hours makes me want to stay more."
"Since when were apples a threat?"
"I can read between the lines," Emma informed her. "Sorry. I just want to make sure Henry's ok."
"He's fine, dear," Regina said. "Any problems he has are being taken care of."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I have him in therapy and weight loss classes," smiled Regina. "It's all under control. Take my advice, Miss Swan, only one of us knows what's best for Henry."
"Yeah," Emma agreed, almost as if seeing Regina in a new light. "I'm pretty sure you're right about that."
Since sneaky tactics weren't working, Regina took the direct approach. "It's time for you to go."
"Or what?"
Now, Emma's words were not just defensive, but offensive too, and Regina noticed both, her smile becoming as fake and fixed as it had the previous day when Emma has asked if she loved Henry.
"Don't underestimate me, Miss Swan," she threatened, leaning forward so that she and Emma were within whispering distance of each other. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."
And, with that, she marched away, leaving Emma to slam the door of her room shut.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
As the Evil Queen reappeared within the walls of her castle, Prince Charming's sword embedded itself in the wall behind her.
She whipped around, and strode across the room to her mirror. Her valet, a small man in his late fifties, entered the room carrying a tray with a single glass of red wine.
"Would you like a drink?"
"Do I look like I need a drink?" the Evil Queen snapped, causing the man's features to soften into a concerned yet scolding expression.
"I was only trying to help," he replied, holding out the drink for her.
"Thank you," said Regina, her voice loving and affectionate as she took the drink.
"Now, that was an awfully big threat!" said a sarcastic voice from the Mirror. The Evil Queen turned to see a dark-skinned, bearded face appear. "'Destroy everyone's happiness'. How do you plan on accomplishing that?"
"The Dark Curse."
The face in the mirror faltered, his smirk sliding from his face as the valet looked deeply concerned.
"Are you sure, Your Majesty?" asked the valet.
"You said you'd never use that," the man in the mirror said, fearfully.
"You made a deal when you gave away that curse."
"You traded it away."
Both the mirror and her Valet were talking over one another, but it was the Valet's words that made her react. "She won't be happy to see you."
"Since when do I care about anyone else's happiness but mine?" the Evil Queen growled. "Prepare the carriage; I'm going to the Forbidden Fortress."
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
"Are you still here? Wouldn't you normally have moved on by now?"
"I don't even warrant a hello anymore," William Theroux said, looking around to find a dark-haired, curvy woman standing behind him. "Morgane?"
Morgane Morrison, a woman no older than twenty two years of age, smiled patiently.
"So, now it's the silent treatment?" William asked. "I'm offended. But, if you must know, Mr. and Mrs. Gold have offered me the alley to live in."
"You know I was only joking," Morgane replied, pulling up a chair from the corner of the alleyway; her brother used them to keep the old tattered bed quilt he slept under in place. "And I'm glad you have somewhere."
"Indeed," William replied, sitting opposite her. "How's Dominic?"
"Same as ever."
"Grouchy, horrible and sexist?"
"That's it," Morgane said, her voice full of laughter. "He doesn't know I'm here."
"Where does he think you are?"
"At the store."
"Wait here," said William, climbing over the fence into Gold's garden. Morgane frowned as she heard the rattling of the back door, and then minutes later her brother was back, carrying an eight pint bottle of milk. "Here."
"I can't take this," said Morgane.
"Mr. Gold won't mind," said William, waving her off.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Now, hadn't you better be getting back?"
Morgane smiled and nodded. "If you ever need anything, William," she said, getting up.
"I know where to find you," William nodded.
"Yes," Morgane said, kissing his cheek. "You need a shave."
William smiled at his sister. "Now, shoo!" he said, waving her down the drive. He knew most people in town complained about him, and often wondered why he didn't live with his sister, when the true fact of the matter was if it wasn't for her horrid husband, he would be with her.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Lounging around a cell in the dungeons of Camelot, King Arthur looked up as the door the opened with a loud creak. A dark haired, curvy woman leaned inside and held out a long, thin hand for him.
Taking it, he got to his feet and exited the small damp room.
"What are you doing here?" he asked the woman.
"What does it look like?" the woman asked.
"Does his 'Majesty' know you're here?"
"No, he doesn't," the woman answered. "Hurry. I've managed to overpower the guards, rendering them unconscious, but that doesn't mean you are safe yet. There's a horse waiting for you in the courtyard, you don't have much time."
"Thank you," said Arthur, taking her hand and kissing it. "Look after yourself!"
"Oh, don't worry about me," the woman smiled. She summoned a ball of fire, allowing it to hover in the palm of her hand, and smirked at the rightful King. "I'm going to have fun turning the guards into shish kabobs."
Arthur smiled, nodded and then kissed her cheek, as he fled the dungeons. As promised he found a horse waiting in the courtyard, but there was also a lantern lit in his brother's bedchambers. "Shit," he swore, as he clambered up onto the horses back.
No sooner had he done so, the grand doors of the castle burst open, and Arthur's sixteen-year-old brother, Alexander-Eduard, wearing no more than a pair of sleeping shorts, burst outside. "STOP HIM!" he bellowed as several guards came running outside.
"CLOSE THE GATES!" the guards yelled.
"Oh, no you don't!" yelled the woman who had helped Arthur escape. She appeared in the window of the North tower, and pointed at the gate, watching as it halted, allowing Arthur and his horse to disappear into the night.
"Seize her."
But before the guards could make do on their orders, the woman began firing fireballs from her window; out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Arthur and his horse disappearing into the nearby forest.
Assured that her brother was safe, she focused on the image of her half-sister and, as the door to her bedroom burst open allowing guards to spill in, vanished.
Her name: Morgan Le Fay.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Hidden amongst the mountains and overlooking the Infinite Forest, the Forbidden Fortress was a truly terrifying sight; large, massive and dark, with colossal towers and metal gates.
"How are you, dear?" Maleficent, blonde, dressed entirely in purple, holding a jug of wine in her right hand and a long wooden staff with an orb on top in the other, asked.
"I'm doing fine," Regina answered.
"Are you?" Maleficent asked, pouring herself a drink. "If it were me I'd be simply tortured, watching that flake of snow so happy." She settled herself into one of the chairs by the fire with a miniature unicorn by her side. "Weren't you about the same age when you were to be married, before she ruined it all?" Maleficent raised her goblet in a mock salute. "Yes, you were."
"Yes," Regina agreed. "It was about the same age you were..." a smirk crept across her face. "When that Sleeping Beauty got the best of you, my dear Maleficent."
"I soldiered on," assured Maleficent. "As you will too. Hopefully."
"Enough games," Regina broke the reminiscing between the two. "You know why I'm here. I need my curse back."
"It's not yours anymore," Maleficent's reply was swift and sure. "A deal's a deal. I traded you my sleeping curse."
"Which failed," Regina said to Maleficent, who huffed in annoyance at the continued outcome of her curse. "Undone by a simple kiss. Now, please return what's mine."
"The Dark Curse?" asked Maleficent, almost disbelievingly. "Really? You must know that not even its unholy power can bring your loved one back from the dead." Regina's face was almost like stone; hard and impassive, as Maleficent continued, leaning down to stroke the miniature unicorn by her throne. "Have you considered a pet? They can be quit comforting."
"The only comfort for me is Snow White's suffering."
"Well, it's her wedding night; I doubt she's suffering right now." The mirth in Maleficent's voice was evident as she smirked.
Regina leaned forward in her chair. "I need that curse. I know you keep it hidden in the orb above your staff."
"Hidden for the good of all, old friend," said Maleficent, as Regina's face faltered into a sneer. "Whoever created that monstrosity makes the two of us look positively... moral." Maleficent's eyebrows rose, showing that she considered neither herself, nor Regina, to be anywhere near moral. "Who did give it to you?"
"Where I got it's none of your concern," Regina rose elegantly from her chair; as she moved to the fire, the flames of which filled the entire hearth, wind began to blow throughout the room. "Hand it back."
"Must we do this?"
"Alas, we must," Regina replied. She summoned the fire from the hearth into a massive fireball as Maleficent vaulted to her feet and around her chair, turning in time to easily deflect the fireball with a shield from her staff.
Regina raised her arm at the far wall, causing all of the swords and spears to form behind her, ready to fire. The miniature unicorn neighed, feeling the shift in magic.
"NO!" Maleficent cried, as Regina launched her weapons at the horse. She leaped forward, summoning her shield and causing them clatter to the floor.
Regina sneered angrily, and then looked up; she raised her hands above her head, pulling the chandelier out of the ceiling, and crashing it down onto Maleficent. Her staff flew from her hand and the chandelier, being manipulated by Regina's magic, wrapped tightly around her. Regina used magic to throw the chandelier against the wall, defeating Maleficent, then leaned down and picked up her staff.
"Love is weakness, Maleficent," Regina smirked. "I thought you knew that?"
"If you're going to kill me, kill me!" Maleficent snapped.
"Why would I do that?" Regina looked up from the staff to her. "You're my only friend."
"Don't do this," Maleficent begged as Regina sneered and turned her staff upside down, smashing the orb. "This curse, there are lines even we shouldn't cross! All power comes with a price! Enacting it will take a terrible toll. It will leave emptiness inside you, a void you will never be able to fill."
"So be it," Regina said, sifting through the broken shards and picking up the parchment.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
"Who among us is tired of losing?" Regina, her Valet and a hoard of villains stood around a stone circle in which flames burned brightly. "That's why I called you here. To put an end to our misery," using magic, she made the fire increase in size and held out a hand to her Valet who handed her the first ingredient to make the Dark Curse work. "Today, we claim victory, and move to a new and better realm. A place where we can finally win."
"And we'll be happy?" asked an elderly blind witch.
"I guarantee it," Regina smiled. "But first, I need something from you. A lock of hair from those with the darkest souls. You must trust me, because if you don't there are other ways," she flicked her hand and massive trees, spindly and foreboding, grew around them all. The blind witch pulled on a braid of her hair to separate it from the rest and then pulled out a knife, slicing off a lock of hair. Nearby, a dwarf did the same. "Wise choice."
Regina walked around the group with a bucket, into which they deposited the hair. Handing it back to one of her guards, she turned to her Valet. "All that remains is the final ingredient," he opened the box for her and held it out. "A prize heart, form my childhood steed. A glorious beast who's passing will fuel our victory. Let my wrath be unleashed."
Regina leaned down and threw the heart of her horse into the flames. Wind began to blow and the flame promptly turned purple, smoke rising higher and wider into the sky. Then right before her eyes the smoke died.
A small goblin laughed wildly. "Yeah, you really unleashed something there!" Regina turned him to stone with a flick of her wrist.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Regina walked in her garden, a happy contended smile on her face and a basket over one arm as her father sat on the porch of her back garden, reading a newspaper. She reached up and plucked a single, red succulent apple from the tree.
"The mirror strikes again," Sidney Glass, a dark skinned, greying man with no beard, approached, and holding a newspaper between his hands. In his happiness, he failed to notice that the newspaper on the porch lowered slightly, though Regina did not.
"You're late."
"Sorry," Sidney apologized. "I wanted to bring you the latest edition. I assure you, it's one of my better hatchet jobs."
"That's not what I asked for." She took the paper from him and began to read it, walking away with him scampering along behind. "What did you find out about her?"
"Well, the truth be told, there wasn't much," Sidney skirted around Regina, so that he was in front of her, now holding the paper. "She spent a lot of time in foster homes. She got into some trouble when she was a kid, but the details are locked up pretty tight. Since then, she's clean. Bounced around all over. The only thing I really learned was that she doesn't like to sit still."
Plucking another apple off of her tree, Regina turned away from him as she stuck it into her basket. "Well, that appears to have changed."
"I-I didn't know that, um, she had Henry while she was in Phoenix?" He skirted around her again. "How'd he wind up here in Maine?"
"So if I understand you correctly, you've found nothing of value. This means you have no value, Sidney. Do you know what I do with things that hold no value to me? I throw them away."
"I-I'll keep looking."
Sidney dashed away, leaving Regina with her tree. After watching him go, she eyed her father wearily at having to deal with incompetent people and then returned to picking apples.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
At Granny's Diner, Emma sat reading the paper, an apple in hand. As she lifted it up to take a bite, Ruby placed a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon down in front of her. "Thank you... but I didn't order that."
"Yeah, I know," smiled Ruby. "You have an admirer."
Emma turned and saw Sheriff Graham Humbert sitting on the opposite side of the room. She sighed, picked up the cup and walked over to him.
"Ah," Graham smiled. "So you decided to stay."
"Observant," Emma noted. "Important for a cop."
"It's good news for our tourist business, but bad for our local signage." At the look Emma gave him, Graham began to explain himself. "It's-it's a joke... because you ran over our sign."
"Look, the cocoa was a nice gesture, and I am impressed that you guessed that I like cinnamon in my chocolate, 'cause most people don't, but I am not here to flirt, so, thank you, but no thank you."
Emma sat the cup down onto the table in front of him, her point made.
Graham looked confused. "I didn't send it," he said.
Henry, just finishing a slice of toast, swallowed and turned to Emma from his booth behind Graham's. "I did. I like cinnamon, too." He got up, sliding his backpack onto his shoulders.
"Don't you have school?" asked Emma.
"Duh, I'm ten," Henry said. "Walk me."
"So, what's the deal with you and your mom?" asked Emma as she and Henry crossed the road from Granny's Diner.
"It's not about us," Henry said, dodging the subject. "It's about her curse. We have to break it. Luckily, I have a plan. Step one: identification. I call it, "Operation Cobra".
"Cobra? That has nothing to do with fairy tales."
"Exactly, it's a codename. It'll throw the Queen off the trail."
"So, everyone here is fairytale character," Emma frowned. "They just don't know it."
"That's the curse. Time's been frozen. Until you got here." Emma began to take a bite of the apple she had brought with her from the diner. "Hey! Where'd you get that?"
"Your mom," Emma replied.
"Don't eat that!" Henry took the apple from her and threw it over her shoulder.
"Okay... Um, uh, alright." Emma blinked, confusedly, and then looked down at Henry. "What about their pasts?"
"They don't know. It's a haze to them. Ask anyone anything and you'll see."
"So..." Emma began to mull the information over in her head. "For decades, people have been walking around, in a haze, not aging, with screwed up memories, stuck in a cursed town that kept them oblivious.
"I knew you'd get it," Henry beamed. "That's why we need you; you're the only one who can stop her Curse."
"Because I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming?"
"Yes! And right now, we have the advantage. My mom doesn't know that." Henry unzipped his backpack. "I took out the end," he took out the pages from his book and handed them to Emma. "The part with you in it." Emma took the pages from him and glanced at one of them; an illustration of Prince Charming placing baby Emma into the Wardrobe shone up from the page; baby Emma was clearly wrapped in a white blanket with her name on it. "See? Your mom is Snow White!"
"Kid..." Emma began to protest.
"I know the hero never believes at first," said Henry, staring up at her with obvious adoration on his face. "If they did, it wouldn't be a very good story. If you need proof, take them, read them. But whatever you do, don't let her see these pages. They're dangerous. If she finds out who you are... then it would be bad." As he finished speaking, he and Emma reached the school. "I gotta go, but I'll find you later and we can get started. I knew you'd believe me!"
"I never said I did!" called Emma as Henry headed towards the school.
Henry ran off towards the school as he called back to Emma. "Why else would you be here?"
Mary Margaret Nolan caught sight of Emma over her shoulder and walked over to her, smiling. "It's good to see his smile back."
"I didn't do anything."
"You stayed. So, does the Mayor know you're still here?"
"Oh, she knows," Emma's tone of voice in her reply indicated that she wished Regina did not know. "What is her deal? She's not a great people person, how did she get elected?"
"She's been Mayor as long as I can remember," said Mary Margaret bluntly. "No one's ever been brave enough to run against her. She inspires quite a bit of... well, fear. I'm afraid I only made that worse by giving Henry that book and now he thinks she's the Evil Queen."
"Who does he think you are?" asked Emma.
"Its silly." scoffed Mary Margaret.
Emma laughed. "I just got five minutes of silly. Lay it on me."
"Snow White." Emma looked stunned as the school bell rang in the distance. "Who does he think you are?"
"I'm not in the book," still slightly stunned, Emma changed the subject. "Can I ask you a favour? Regina mentioned the kid's in therapy; do you know where I can find the doctor?"
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Archibald Hopper, the therapist that Emma and Henry had met on Henry's return to Storybrooke, was sat in his office, reading a newspaper when there was a knock on the door. It swung open revealing Emma to be on the other side.
"Hey."
"Emma Swan," Archie stood and tossed the paper aside. "I was just, uh, reading about you. Let me guess, you're here for help with a little post-traumatic stress?" he chuckled. "That diagnosis was free, by the way."
"I'm here about Henry."
"I'm sorry, I-I-I really shouldn't..."
"I know, I'm sorry," Emma apologized sitting on the edge of one of the leather sofas; she knew she was putting him in a difficult position. "I just... just tell me something. This fairytale obsession, what is causing it? I mean, he thinks everyone is a character in his book. That's... crazy."
"I-I hope you don't talk that way in front of him," Archie frowned and seemed concerned. "The word "crazy" is um... quite damaging. These stories - they're his language. He has no idea how to express complex emotions so he's translating as best he can, this is how he communicates. He's using this book to help deal with his problems."
"But he got the book a month ago," Emma informed him. "Has he been seeing you longer than that?"
"Um- Yes, he has."
"So it's Regina, isn't it?" Emma's reply was swift and to the point.
"Uh- his mother is a... very complicated woman, and uh- over the years, her attempts to try and bring Henry closer have only backfired." Archie moved to the filing cabinet and opened it, flicking through the 'M' section and removing a file. He handed it to her. "Why don't you take a look at the file? Um... see what I mean."
"Why are you doing this?" asked Emma.
"Well, he talks about you a lot. You're very important to him."
"Thank you," Emma took the file from him.
"Just uh... see that I get it back, okay?" he opened the door for Emma and she moved to edit. "Miss Swan. Just for the sake of the boy, be careful how you handle his... belief system. To destroy his imagination would be... would be devastating." Emma departed and Archie closed the door behind her. He sat himself back down into the chair and dialled a number on the phone. "You were right. She was just here."
"Did she take the file?" on the other end of the phone was the devil incarnate, Regina.
"Yes," he replied. "H-how did you know she was gonna come here?"
"Because I'm the one who gave her the idea."
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Back in her room at Granny's, Emma read through Henry's file. There was a knock at the door and she sighed at being disturbed. Opening it, she caught sight of Graham. "Hey there... if you're concerned about the "Do Not Disturb" signs, don't worry; I've left them alone."
"Actually, I'm here about Dr Archibald Hopper," Graham replied, though he did smile at her joke. "He mentioned you got into a bit of a row with him earlier?"
"No."
"I'm shocked, too, given your shy, delicate sensibilities," Emma couldn't help but smile grimly at Graham's joke about her. "He says you demanded to see Henry's files and when he refused you came back and stole them."
"He gave them to me," Emma informed him.
"Alas, he's telling a different tale," Graham smiled grimly. "May I check your room? Or must I get a search warrant?"
Emma opened the door fully, walked over to the bed and gestured to the files that were strewn around. "This what ya lookin' for?"
Graham picked up a file and looked over it. "Well, you're very accommodating. But, I'm afraid, Miss Swan, you're under arrest. Again." He began to cuff her.
"You know I'm being set up, don't you?" Emma asked.
"And who, may I ask, is setting you up?"
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Regina approached Storybrooke Elementary, where Mary Margaret was giving a class.
"Water... synthesize," Mary Margaret was teaching Synthesis to her class.
Regina coughed; Mary Margaret stood and approached her. "May I speak with my son?"
"We're in the middle of a lesson. Is it important?"
"Do you think I'd be here if it wasn't?" Regina's voice took on a steely tone and she walked away from Mary Margaret, taking Henry with her. "Henry, sweetie, I have some bad news. The woman who you brought here... she's been arrested. She broke into Dr. Hopper's office and stole his files. She's a con woman. She's trying to learn about us in order to take advantage of us. That's why she's sticking around. I'm sorry."
"No, you're not," Henry's words stung Regina.
"I know you think otherwise, but all I'm doing is trying to protect you. This is gonna be good for us, you'll see. Things will be better."
The school bell rang. "I gotta get back to class."
Henry left, leaving Regina hurt and sad.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Graham snapped a picture of Emma as she stood in front of a mug shot board.
"You know the shrink is lying, right?"
"To the right, please," Graham asked. "Why would he lie?"
"The Mayor put him up to this," Graham snapped a picture again after Emma stopped speaking. Then, once the picture had been taken, she continued. "She's gotta have something on him. He's terrified of her, like everyone else in this town."
"To the left," said Graham. Once again, Emma turned. "Regina may be a touch intimidating, but I don't think she'd go as far as a frame-job."
"How far would she go? What does she have her hands in?"
"Well, she's the Mayor. She has her hands in everything."
"Including the police force?" Graham knew immediately what Emma's words meant. He gave her a look and started to reply, but his words were cut off.
"Hey," Henry called as he run into the station. He was followed by Mary Margaret.
"Henry," Graham exclaimed, as the pudgy boy pushed past him. "Henry, what are you doing here?"
"His mother told him what happened," explained Mary Margaret.
"Of course she did," Emma eyed Graham, giving him a look as if to back up her previous point. Then, she turned to the brunette boy beside her. "Henry, I don't know what she said-"
"You're a genius," Henry said trying his hardest to keep the smile off his face.
"What?"
"I know what you were up to," he said. "You were gathering Intel," his voice dropped to almost a whisper. "For "Operation Cobra"."
"I'm sorry, I'm a bit lost," Graham interrupted.
"its need to know, Sheriff," said Henry. "And all you need to know is that Miss Blanchard's gonna bail her out."
"You are?" Emma asked. "Why?"
"I-uh—trust you," Mary Margaret replied. She looked determined in her words and a grinning smile stretched across Henry's face.
"Well. If you could uncuff me..." Emma extended her cuffed wrists to Graham. "...I have something to do."
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Regina sat in her office working on official town documents, when the sound of a chainsaw echoed through her office. She vaulted from her chair, staring out of the window with a horrified expression. Her father was protesting at Emma's actions in the garden, but Emma paid no attention to him as she sliced off a branch of Regina's apple tree.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Regina raced across the garden towards Emma.
"Picking apples," Emma shut off the chainsaw and dropped it to the ground.
"You're out of your mind?" Regina demanded. She felt her father's hand clasp on her shoulder and though she wanted to throw it off, she kept her attention on Emma.
"No, you are if you think a shoddy frame job's enough to scare me off. You're gonna have to do better than that. If you come after me one more time, I'm coming back for the rest of this tree. Because, sister, you have no idea what I am capable of," Emma left her threat hanging and walked off, leaving Regina and her father behind. "Your move."
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
The Evil Queen stood brooding in the place where she had failed to cast the curse.
"Perhaps it's for the best," said her Valet. "The forces you're summoning are darker than we can conceive."
"Oh, now you're trying to protect me?" the Evil Queen's words were as hard as steel.
"It's what I do."
"I know," the Evil Queen's voice became softer, more affectionate. "You're the only one who does."
"Helping you is my life."
"Well then help me understand why this curse isn't working."
The Valet eyed her shrewdly. "If you want to know that, then you need to go back to the person who gave it to you in the first place." Regina looked away, sneering at the thought. "Revenge is a dark and lonely road. Once you go down it there is no heading back."
"What is there for me to head back to?"
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Several days later, Rumplestiltskin smirked as a rat scrambled up to the cage.
"It's just us, dearie. You can show yourself."
In a cloud of purple smoke, the rat transformed into an elegant and beautiful woman dressed entirely in black. Rumplestiltskin made a sound indicating that he was pleased as he leaned closer.
"That Curse you gave me..." the Evil Queen said, showing him the scroll. "It's not working."
"Oh, so worried," Rumplestiltskin taunted; the mirth in his voice touched Regina's anger, but she kept it in check and he continued. "So, so worried. Like Snow and her lovely new husband!"
For seconds, Regina's eyes bulged; Rumplestiltskin saw her jaw tick; as she spoke, her voice was filled with utter fury. "What?"
"They paid me a visit as well," clarified Rumplestiltskin for her, gloating both outwardly and inwardly as her face filled with colour and anger. "They were very anxious. About you and the Curse."
Regina stepped closer to the bars. "What'd you tell them?" she asked.
"The truth!" Rumplestiltskin trilled. "That nothing can stop the darkness. Except, of course, their unborn child. You see, no matter how powerful, all curses can be broken," he paused. "Their child is the key. Of course, the curse has to be enacted first."
"Tell me what I did wrong," Regina commanded.
Rumplestiltskin was back in his element; deals were his specialty. He smiled as he spoke. "For that, there's a price."
"What do you want?" the Evil Queen asked. As evil as she was, she wasn't stupid; she knew that Rumplestiltskin was determined to come out on top in whatever deal he was intending to make with her.
"Simple," his voice was almost serene as he leaned his head through the bars to be almost nose to nose with her. "In this new land, I want comfort, both for me and Belle. I want a good life."
"Fine!" the Evil Queen snapped, thinking she'd won. "You'll have an estate, be rich."
"I wasn't finished!" clucked Rumplestiltskin impatiently. "There's more!"
"There always is with you," Regina replied, bored with his delaying of her answer.
"Yeah, yeah..." sighed Rumplestiltskin, happily; his face broke into a smile that made even the Regina shudder inside. "In this new land," he paused, mulling his thoughts over for less than even a blink. "Should I ever come to you for any reason, you must heed my every request. You must do whatever I say. So long as I say "Please"."
"You do realize that should I succeed, you won't remember any of this?" inquired Regina; in her time she had made many a deal with Rumplestiltskin, but in her eyes this was the one most beneficial to her.
"Oh well, then what's the harm?" said Rumplestiltskin as he languidly reclined back into his cell.
"Deal," said Regina, wanting her answer more than ever. "What must I do to enact this Curse?"
"You need to sacrifice," began Rumplestiltskin with one of his familiar and alarmingly eerie flourishes. "A heart."
"I sacrificed my prized steed," Regina hissed.
Rumplestiltskin leaped against the bars of his cell, grabbing Regina's neck with one very clammy hand; "A horse?" he whispered, disbelievingly, "This is the Curse to end all curses! You think a horse is gonna do? Great power requires great sacrifice. The heart you need must come from something far more precious."
"Tell me what will suffice," ordered Regina.
"The heart of the thing you love most," replied Rumplestiltskin; both he and the Regina knew whom she loved most.
Regina moved Rumplestiltskin hand from her throat and he recoiled it inwards, almost like the tongue of a frog snapping backwards into its mouth. "What I loved most died because of Snow White!" boomed Regina, furiously.
Rumplestiltskin reached out a comforting hand; something about his motion and voice, however, indicated mocking on his part: "Is there no one else you truly love?" he asked; Regina merely stared at him and he continued, now in control of the conversation. "This Curse isn't gonna be easy. Vengeance never is dearie. You have to ask yourself a simple question: How far are you willing to go?"
Regina brought her face as close to Rumplestiltskin as she could stomach, locking eyes with him. "As far as it takes."
"Then please stop wasting everyone's time and just do it!" tittered Rumplestiltskin, smirking at her. "You know what you love... now go kill it!"
Regina didn't even deign him with a reply; she turned and walked away, vanishing in the same puff of smoke she had used to transform from the rat.
Seconds later, the door to his prison, but not the cell - much to his annoyance - opened; rain poured down from outside and thunder and lightning flashed and boomed across the sky. He glanced up as a cloaked person appeared at the end of the cave. He didn't even need to truly look at the person to know who it was: "Hello... Belle,"
She almost ran to the side of the cage and flipped down her rain-sodden hood. To Rumplestiltskin it was obvious she had been waiting for the Queen to leave before coming in; her long dark hair tumbled in ringlets down her back.
"Is everything done, my darling?"
"Everything is done," she replied; she held up a hand and began to tick off the things she'd done. "I've packed the trunks, all your magic potions and bargained items are packed in their cases, all the remaining deals have been struck - no loopholes, of course -" Rumplestiltskin smiled and she continued. "All the servants have been paid... Oh and I've packed my books and clothes - they may come in handy; I've got one on sailing that might be useful in the future - and I've made sure that your leather pants are firmly tucked in their boxes. Just for a rainy day."
"Well done," he smiled. "Well done, indeed."
There was a scuffing in one corner as someone approached and Belle whirled around, flicking up her hood.
"Brace yourself, dearie," said Rumplestiltskin in her ear. "I'm going to teleport you back to the Castle... and soon, I activate the curse and we go to a new world."
"I can't wait," she said, kissing him. He kissed her back and, seconds later, she was gone.
King Arthur emerged from the darkness. "Rumplestiltskin. I wish to make a deal."
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Emma unlocked the door to her room at Granny's.
"Miss Swan?" Granny's voice spoke from behind, and Emma turned to her.
"Oh my, this is terribly awkward, but I need to ask you to leave." Emma looked stunned at the old lady's words. "I'm afraid we have a "No felons"-rule. It turns out it's a city ordinance."
"Let me guess: the Mayor's office just called to remind you."
"You can gather your things, but I need to have your room key back."
Emma handed her the key.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Having been summoned by the devil incarnate, Graham approached a crouched Regina, who was picking apples off the floor of her garden.
"Couldn't your father do that?" asked Graham.
"He's not a servant," Regina replied, then moved on to the subject she had summoned Graham to discuss. "She destroyed city property. I want her arrested."
"Again?" he questioned.
"What are you waiting for?"
"I'm just not convinced arresting her is the right plan." Regina stood up at his words, plenty of apples filling her basket. "And I'm not talking about your tree. We both know she didn't steel those files."
"Oh, do we?"
"I mean, she looked pretty shocked when I levelled the charges against her."
"That's because she doesn't like being caught," Regina knelt down again.
"Or because she was set up. And if she was, that means Dr. Hopper was lying. If he's lying that means that someone asked him to." The tone of Graham's voice on the word 'someone' indicated that he meant her and she stood up, glaring at him. "Are we really confident that the man's conscience won't eventually get the best of him?"
"I think your schoolboy crush is clouding your judgment. Remember, I made you Sheriff. And I can take it away just as easily."
"You want me to arrest her again? I will," Graham was back on the defensive.
"Good," Regina knelt down, pulling another basket towards her, throwing another apple into it.
"But she is gonna keep comin' at you," Graham stated. "And I know you, you are gonna keep comin' at her. You will do whatever it takes to get her out of here. And you may succeed."
"I will succeed!" Regina whirled around to face him and got up. "He's my son! It's what's best for him."
"I know that's what you believe. But if this escalates, it seems to me the only one who will get hurt is Henry."
Regina sighed, defeated.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Emma answered her phone as it rang. "Yeah?"
"Miss Swan," the devil incarnate was on the other end. "I'd be happy to continue demonstrating my power, but am I right in guessing your resolve to stay is only growing?"
"You have no idea," Emma crossed the road to her car and threw her red leather jacket into it.
"Well then. I think it's time we made peace. Why don't you drive over to my office" Emma slammed the car door. "Or walk, whatever suits you."
Emma hung up the phone and rolled her eyes.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
"I'd like to start by apologizing, Miss Swan," Regina settled herself into a black chair in her Mayoral office with a glass of wine in hand.
"What?"
Regina put her glass down onto a coaster and folded her arms into her lap. "I just have to accept the reality that you want to be here."
"That's right," said Emma. "I do."
"...And that you're here to take my son from me."
"Okay," continued Emma. "Let's be clear: I have no intention of taking him from anyone."
"Well then, what are you doing here?"
"I know I'm not a mother, I think that's pretty self-evident, but I did have him, and I can't help that he got in my head and I want to make sure he's okay. The more you try to push me out, the more I want to be here, especially after seeing how troubled he is."
"You think he's troubled?" asked Regina. For one moment, both women were on the same page and both looked concerned.
"Well, he's in therapy, and I only got through a couple pages of his shrink's notes before you had me arrested. But putting all that aside, he thinks everyone in this town is a fairytale character."
"And you don't?" asked Regina. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something moving at the door.
"How can I?" questioned Emma. "The poor kid can't even tell the difference between fantasy and reality and it's only getting worse. It's crazy and he's just getting fatter and fatter, or so it seems from Archie's notes, due to using food as a comfort."
"You think I'm fat and crazy?" Henry, stood in the doorway, looked hurt and wounded.
"Henry," Emma gasped. She looked over her shoulder to find him standing in the doorway. He turned and ran out of the office. Emma stood, almost as if to follow, then placed her hands on her hips at the slamming of the door and addressed Regina. "How long was he there?"
"Long enough," Regina smirked evilly.
"You knew he would be here."
"Did I know that my son comes to my office every Thursday at precisely five P.M. so I can take him for dinner before his therapy session?" Regina framed her answer in the form of a question. "Of course I did. I'm his mother." She reclined in her chair. "Your move."
"You have no soul. How in the hell did you get like this?" Emma stalked from the office, passing Regina's father.
"That was harsh," he said, entering the office and watching his daughter. Her smirk faltered for a moment. "You may have gotten rid of Miss Swan, but you've also hurt Henry."
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Regina stalked along the promenade of her castle. The face of the mirror appeared, following her through mirrors along her route. "What happened? Did you get your answer? What's going on? Your Majesty? Your Majesty!"
She entered the great hall, where her father was lighting candles. "Did Rumplestiltskin tell you what you needed to know?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"I'm not sure I should say. I'm conflicted," she said, as she began to pace.
"How bad is it? Maybe I can help."
She stopped pacing. "I have to cut out the heart of the thing I love most."
Realization dawned on his face. "Me," he said, completely stunned by the unexpected answer.
She turned to him. "Daddy, I don't know what to do."
"My dear, please, you don't have to do this."
"I have to do something." She resumed her pacing and he followed her.
"Then move past this. I know this may sound self-serving, but you don't need to enact the Curse."
She addressed him, face to face. "But I can't keep living like this! What Snow did to me, what she took from me? It's eating me alive, Daddy. Her very existence mocks me. She must be punished."
He began to protest as she walked away. "But... If the price is a hole that will never be filled, why do it?" She stopped. "Stop worrying about Snow White and start over. We can have a new life."
"But what kind of life?" she asked. "All I've worked for, all I've built will be gone. My power will disappear. They already think I'm nothing."
"Power is seductive - look at what it did to your mother - but so is love and you can have that again." He held open his arms. After a moment, Regina stepped into his arms and he enfolded her in an embrace.
"I just want to be happy."
"We can be. Of this, I'm sure." He said. She began to cry as he continued to speak. "I believe, given the chance, we can find happiness together. But the choice is yours. Kill me and lose a chance at happiness or spare me and be happy."
"But the curse?"
"Rumplestiltskin will stop at nothing to cast this curse. You know as well as I, dear, that he'll find a way." He released his grip on her and stared hard at her, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "What we need to do now... is to prepare for when he does cast it. And, when he does, you can be happy. With your soul intact. And with me. You won't be here, and, as Rumplestiltskin has agreed, you'll have the power you want as well."
"I think you're right."
Her father enfolded her in an embrace again, allowing her to continue crying.
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Mary Margaret got up as she heard a knock at the door to her apartment. Opening it slightly, she caught sight of Emma.
"Hey," Mary Margaret opened the door fully as Emma continued. "Just wanted to say thank you and, um," Emma handed her an envelope. "Pay you back the bail money." Emma, looking exasperated, sighed.
"You look like you need to talk."
Mary Margaret let her in and made two cups of hot chocolate with cinnamon.
"Cinnamon?" asked Emma as she sat at the table, sipping her hot chocolate.
Mary Margaret brought a plate of cookies to the table. "Oh, I'm sorry. I should have asked. It's a little quirk of mine. Do you mind?"
"Not at all," Mary Margaret offered Emma a cookie. "No, thanks. When you bailed me out, you said that you trusted me." Mary Margaret nodded. "Why?"
"It's strange ever since you arrived here; I've had the oddest feeling, like we've met before. I mean, I know it's crazy," Mary Margaret raised her own cup to her lips and took a drink of it.
"I'm starting to re-evaluate my definition of crazy," Emma informed her.
"For what it's worth, I think you're innocent," Mary Margaret looked at Emma over to top of her cup.
"Of breaking and entering or just in general?" asked Emma.
"Whichever makes you feel better?"
"Doesn't really matter what anyone thinks I did or didn't do," said Emma. "I'm leaving. Thank you for everything, but I think it's for the best. If I stay, Henry's only gonna keep getting hurt."
"What happens if you go?" asked Mary Margaret. At Emma's silence, she continued. "I think the very fact that you want to leave is why you have to stay. You care about him. Who will protect Henry if you won't?"
~~~The Curse of an Imp~~~
Henry, face splattered with chocolate smears and looking visibly distraught, sat in the chair in Archie's office, clutching Archie's umbrella, his thumb running up and down the handle.
Archie sat opposite him. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Henry said nothing and continued fiddling with the umbrella. "You know, that umbrella is kind of my good luck charm. Is that why you think I'm Jiminy Cricket?"
"I don't think you're anyone," sighed Henry, defeated.
Henry placed the umbrella onto the desk with a long, drawn out sigh as the door opened revealing Emma holding the storybook pages Henry gave her.
"Miss Swan," Archie was on his feet in an instant, rounding the chair. "Look, I can explain. The Mayor forced me-"
"I know, don't worry about it. I get it," Emma interrupted, just shy of physically shoving him out of the way. "Henry, I'm sorry."
"I don't wanna talk with you," Henry's head lay on the back of the chair.
"Miss Swan, if she knew you were here-"
"To hell with her!" snapped Emma, causing Archie to stop. Sitting down in the chair that Archie had vacated, with the rolled up storybook pages in her hand, she addressed Henry. "Henry, there is one simple reason I stayed here - You. I wanted to get to know you."
"You think I'm crazy and fat!"
"No, I think the Curse is crazy. And it is," Emma sighed, momentarily locking eyes with Archie. "But that doesn't mean it isn't true. It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in, but there are a lot of crazy things in this world. So, what do I know? Maybe it is true."
"But you told my Mom-"
"-What she needed to hear." Henry blinked for a moment, his head tilting up to look at Emma. "What I do know... is that if the curse is real, the only way to break it is by tricking the Evil Queen... into thinking we're nonbelievers.'Cause, that way, she's not on to us. Isn't that what Operation Cobra was all about? Throwing her off the trail?" Emma locked eyes with Archie again to see that he was smiling down at her.
Beaming a true, happy smile, Henry sat up to face her. "Brilliant!"
"I read the pages," said Emma, gesturing to the rolled up pieces of paper in her hand. "And Henry, you're right - they are dangerous. There is only one way to make sure that she never sees them." She took the pages and threw them onto the fire, the pages setting alight instantly. "Now, we have the advantage."
Henry leaped from the chair and threw himself at her, hugging her tightly. Her arms closed around him, though the hug was still awkward. Henry sighed, happily. "I knew you were here to help me."
"That's right, Kid, I am." Emma stroked Henry's hair affectionately as she spoke. The two parted, Henry staring straight up at her. "And nothing," she said, mopping his chocolate smeared face with a tissue from her pocket. "Not even a curse, is gonna stop that."
Henry grinned and then hugged her again.
Hand in hand, the two walked out of Archie's office and down the street, blissfully unaware of Mr. Gold and his wife watching through a pair of binoculars on the street corner.
"Oh, this is really going to annoy Regina," smirked Isabella.
"That's what I'm counting on, Belle."
"Will you tell her?" asked Isabella, looking to her husband.
Mr. Gold did not even lower the binoculars as he spoke. "Of course."
~~~The Curse of the Imp~~~
In her garden, Regina tended to her tree, wiping and blowing off any chipped remains.
"What a mess."
"Not for long," Regina said turning to Mr. Gold, who was approaching. "What can I do for you, Mr. Gold?"
"I was just in the neighborhood, thought I'd pop by," Mr. Gold replied, walking away from her and circling the tree to look for the perfect apple. "Lovely to see you in such high spirits."
Regina chuckled. "Well, it's been a good day. I just rid the town of an unwanted nuisance."
"Emma Swan?" he queried. "Really?"
"Yes. I imagine she's halfway to Boston by now."
Mr. Gold finally found the perfect apple and plucked it from the tree. "Oh, I wouldn't bet on that." Regina turned to scowl at him. "The wife and I have just seen strolling down the main street with your boy. Thick as thieves, they looked. Interrupted our bird watching too; there's a rare peregrine falcon living in the guttering of Granny's."
"What?" questioned Regina.
Mr. Gold walked around her, so that he was in front, and turned to face her, apple in hand. "Perhaps you should have come to me. If Miss Swan is a problem you can't fix, I'm only too happy to help, for a price, of course."
Regina chuckled. "I'm not in the business of making deals with you anymore." Regina turned back to her tree and continued to tend to it.
"To which deal are you referring?"
She turned back to look at him. "You know what deal."
"Oh, right, yeah." He grinned. "The boy I procured for you." She turned away from him. "Henry. Did I ever tell you what a lovely name that was? No doubt named for your father - I assume that's where you got it?"
Regina's eyes bulged for a moment. Composing herself, she turned back to Mr. Gold. "Did you want her to come to town? You wanted all this to happen, didn't you? Your finding Henry wasn't an accident, was it?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Where did you get him?" asked Regina. Mr. Gold remained silent. "Do you know something?"
"I've no idea what you're implying."
"I think you do," said Regina. Mr. Gold still remained silent, but a smirk was creeping itself over his lips. "Who is this woman, his mother, this Emma Swan?"
"I would say you think you know exactly who she is," he replied. Regina stared, stunned, at him. "I really must be going."
Regina dashed around him, blocking off his path. "Tell me what you know about her!"
"I'm not gonna answer you, dearie, so I suggest you excuse me," Mr. Gold's answer seemed adamant enough, but Regina did not budge. "Please," he took a bite of the apple and walked away.
Regina, stunned at his use of that particular word, turned and watched him go as he threw the apple over his shoulder.
To be continued.