Last Stand

Post 'The Cricket Game'. The battle for Storybrooke has begun and the Evil Queen is staying out of it. Do the Charmings and their allies have any hope of defeating Cora? Will a certain little boy be able to convince his mom to join the fight? What will the true cost of victory be?

Disclaimer: I do not own.

A/N: I've had one part of this chapter in mind for a while now and it was only a little while ago I connected it to the beginning part of this story. I hope it fits well and it seems as good as it did in my head.

Here's part two of this story. Hope everyone likes it.

-/-

Chapter Two

Emma grunted as she pulled her sword from the Wonderland soldier—Ninth Regiment, judging by the armor insignia—she had just slain. She had no idea what half the things that made up Cora's army even were, only that they were attacking her town and had to be stopped. She chanced a glance around as she caught her breath, her back to a crumbling wall. Snow was on a roof, raining arrows down on the enemy, Granny next to her—the mismatched pair deadly in their aim.

David was farther down the road, fighting his own creature. Ruby was about halfway between them, in wolf form, viciously attacking a pair of Cora's soldiers. The dwarves were in a circle, backs to each other as they battled a whole group, two of their number down—for the count or not she couldn't tell.

She reached up her arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead, only to wince and pull it back. When had she gotten cut there? She shook her head. It didn't matter. She needed to find Cora and stop this battle before anyone else got killed.

Then she got a strange prickly sensation, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. Of their own violation, her eyes were drawn to an empty spot at the edge of the battle zone. Regina. Her breath caught in her throat.

Sure enough, the former mayor winked into existence before her eyes. Emma couldn't help the wave of relief at the sight. She'd been worried about the brunette after everything that had happened and it was good to see her. Then she frowned, but what was she doing here all of a sudden? She hadn't been part of the battle previously and Emma had assumed she had thought screw everyone and was content to let them destroy each other. Which they probably deserved. Emma had been counting on her to be fine, so if anything happened, Henry would still have a parent.

Regina certainly didn't appear dressed for battle. Even Emma had donned some leather armor, but the brunette looked her usual mayoral self in a crisp white blouse and black skirt complete with high heels. Something was different, Emma squinted, but she was too far away. No one else seemed to have noticed her appearance; Emma automatically began to make her way to her.

Then, Regina began to glow slightly and walk forward, calmly striding onto the street turned battlefield. A creature turned, her presence finally registering with someone else, and snarled at her before lunging. Emma barely opened her mouth to yell a warning, fear shooting through her, when an arc of bright green magic shot from Regina's hand, sending the beast into a wall where it fell and did not move. Regina hadn't even spared it a glance, didn't even break her stride, as she continued down the street.

Emma couldn't help the smug smirk that showed up on her face. It appeared the Queen was here to fight. She felt a new wave of confidence. Before it had been a close contest—now though? They would stop Cora, she was sure of it.

However, her brief reprieve from fighting was over as she instinctively caught an attacker's sword with her own, focusing back on her immediate surroundings. Her face darkened as she saw the number of enemies that taken advantage of her momentary distraction to sneak up on her. She silently thanked whatever savior magic had allowed her to master sword fighting so quickly.

She lost track of what else was going on around her for the minute as she fought rather intensely when suddenly she felt a warm wave of magic wash over her, like a soft blanket had been thrown on her. The sensation was just distracting enough that she faltered ever so slightly. Her opponent grinned triumphantly as she missed her block, their blade coming down on her arm.

To both their surprise, it hit and slide off, as if she was wearing glass armor. She quickly took advantage of the other's shock, finishing him off. Then she looked around, what had happened?

Regina. Of course.

The woman was only a few feet from her, casting spells, including one that shot to Ruby and covered her in a thin layer of purple before vanishing. Emma could see a man hack at Ruby's side only to have the blow slide on down. Regina was not only fighting, but also casting protection spells.

To Emma's great surprise, after protecting Ruby, she sent one to Granny, David and even Snow. None of the others had really even noticed, though she thought Snow may have looked to the Blue Fairy. A few monsters seemed to connect the new obstacle to finishing off their foes with the witch and attacked her. Each time however a bolt of green lightning came from Regina and jolted the enemy either into each other or the ground. Nothing that was hit moved afterwards.

Emma's confidence surged again, trusting the magic shield around her, she moved a bit more quickly and recklessly to finish off the remaining soldier. Luckily the magic held. It was only when she briefly caught Regina's eyes that she felt her first doubt surface. The brunette's eyes were mismatched purple and neon green.

Emma had done a surprising amount of reading since returning from Fairytale Land and especially after the whole Archie fiasco. She knew purple was Regina's signature magical color, or whatever. But what was with the radioactive green?

Emma moved closer towards her, frowning in concern even as Regina's eyes slid on past her, continuing to cast protection spells on whoever was on their side. Regina turned forward with a snap, eyes fixated on a small grassy area with trees and a bench set back from the road. She moved to stand in front of it, Emma drawing closer on her left, and stared expectantly.

She didn't have to wait long.

There was a poof of blue-ish purple smoke and suddenly an ornately dressed Cora appeared. Regina stayed where she was on the road, over a lane between. Evidently they'd been expecting each other as neither woman flinched or seemed surprised to find themselves face to face. The rest of the battlefield grew quiet, fights ceasing, as everyone waited to see what would happen next.

"Regina," Cora said with a sickly sweet smile.

Regina sent her her politician's smile, "Mother."

"I was so hoping you would turn up soon," Cora said in a deceivingly pleasant tone. Regina merely continued to stare at her. Surprisingly, either she managed to out wait her mother or even Cora found her new eyes unsettling. "What is that strange magic you seem to have gotten yourself filled with? Is that why you seem confused?"

"None of your concern, Mother," Regina said dismissively.

Emma was only a few feet from Regina now, but decided to stay where she was. This was Regina's fight—Emma still had no real control to speak of over her own magic—and she was worried she might somehow get in the way of Regina's plan, or focus, or whatever she was doing. Therefore, unless she thought she was needed she was going to stay out of it.

Still, she was close enough to study each woman's expression and she could see that Cora was taken aback by Regina's attitude. Regina on the other hand looked even more unreadable than usual. Then again, her eyes were normally what gave her emotions away and that wasn't exactly an option at the moment, what with them glowing and all.

Cora seemed to stiffen, her eyes going cold, "I believe it is my concern. After all, I am your mother. That must be what's making you act so strangely. In case you haven't noticed—you're helping the wrong side, my love. Come here, I'll fix everything."

"No, Mother. I am not here to join you."

"What are you talking about, you foolish girl? I am here for you. I knew your curse would fail and you would need me." She shook her head, "You can be so much more and yet I'm always left cleaning up after your mistakes, my daughter. I shall do what you could not and once again, I shall fix everything—starting with burning this town to the ground and ridding it of all of its inhabitants."

"No, Mother." Regina's face remained impassive, none of her true feelings leaking out.

"No?" Cora repeated.

Regina shook her head once and repeated firmly, "No. This town is mine and under my protection. Please, leave." It was phrased as a request and yet clearly was not one.

Cora couldn't seem to grasp this though. "No." She seemed to taste the word in her mouth, as if for the first time. She couldn't seem to decide how to respond. Her eyes glinted as she settled on unacceptance. "Nonsense, daughter. You and I shall raze this place to the ground, find a new land, and conquer it for our own. Just like we always planned."

"You are not listening, Mother. Those were always your plans, not mine. This town is not yours to destroy. Leave, now." Finally a bit of anger seemed to seep into Regina's tone. It reminded Emma of when as the mayor she would ask Emma to perform some task or other and Emma refused—mainly because she hated how Regina always got her way. It was an edge tone, a warning tone.

Cora disregarded the warning if she even recognized it at all. She fixed a fake smile on her face and her voice became smooth and slippery, "Come now, do you think this will redeem you in front of these people, that it will help you get your son back? I love you," Emma could see the stiffening of Regina's posture at that and Emma hated to think of what could make anyone react like that when their mother told them they loved them. "They do not. You should be happy you have a mother who wants to do so much for you."

"You never did listen very well, Mother." Regina had a disappointed sigh now in her voice, as if she were the parent and Cora the child. "I do not care about the opinions of the people who inhabit my town, but it is still my town. You do not know me or my son nor either of our desires." Her voice grew in confidence, "He asked me to help him, and so I shall. Truthfully, he did not have to work very hard to convince me to stand against you."

As if on cue, a sudden movement in the stillness of the frozen battlefield caught Emma's eye. Henry. He glimmered a light purple, signaling his own protection spell, although given that it was still visible while most people's had faded when activated, it was most likely the strongest. Emma glanced down and was surprised to see that she too still had a slightly purple glint—though hers wasn't as strong and seemed mixed with blue.

Henry had somehow gotten out and found Regina, she shook her head. That kid… She was grateful he had convinced Regina to their side, but he should not have come here. At all.

Cora's voice drew her back to the confrontation unfolding in front of them. "Stop this at once." Cora seemed to have given up on convincing and moved on to ordering. "I will not tolerate any further disobedience from you. You will come to my side and we shall end this town."

Regina gave no sign that she was aware Henry drew nearer. Emma gave him a stern look when he reached her and grabbed his arm, very firmly, too make sure he got no closer. She gave him her own parental look, one that said he was in trouble when they got home, but his obvious worry for his brunette mother and her own worry for her as well, kept her from doing anything more than make sure she was between her son and Cora.

"No." Regina's tone was absolute, no longer particularly angry, merely stating a fact. "I will not. And neither will you."

That seemed to be the last straw for Cora. She stood up suddenly, drawing herself to her full height and letting her presence fill the street. "You will obey me, you insolent child!" She pushed forward with her hands, her face transformed in her rage.

Magic shot out towards Regina and every one of the Queen of Heart's soldiers howled triumphantly as Regina flew backwards. Emma's grip on Henry must have been painful, but he gave no sign of noticing as they both cried out.

Regina landed with a loud crash though a store front window and the magic wrecked a great deal of it and the surround two stores. Emma's confidence plummeted. This was not how she had expected this fight to go—especially not with how kickass Regina had been acting. Emma's gaze was drawn back to Cora, wanting to see how Regina was but knowing she needed to watch the older witch instead.

Cora was smirking condescendingly as she strode out into the middle of the street. "You see my dear," her voice was easily heard throughout the surrounding vicinity. "You cannot stand against me. You were never able to when you were younger. You cannot hope to defeat your mother. Your time away from me has made you foolish and weak."

Emma could feel anger swelling up in her at those words and then, that sixth sense that let her know when Regina was near, surged and she turned back to the destroyed store front.

She could just make out the faint sound of glass tinkling, and then a figure rose up from still the swirling dust. They took a step forward—Emma even thought she could make out a hand reaching up to fix their hair. She smiled and Regina stepped out of the wreckage.

Regina brushed off a few pieces of debris, her gaze on her footing as she stepped completely away from the broken glass and brick. Despite the dust streaks on her clothes and her hair in slightly disarray, she looked remarkably put together for someone who had just been magically shoved through glass and had parts of a building dropped around her. She still hadn't spoken or looked up, and Emma chanced a glance at Cora.

Her lips were pressed tightly together and her eyes narrowed—it seemed mommy dearest was not happy. Emma could tell she had not expected Regina to get up so quickly—if at all. Not that Regina was completely unharmed—a number of scratches could been seen from where she stood and the brunette was probably sore as hell—but she was standing and that had clearly not been part of Cora's plan.

Finally Regina stood still, her body facing her mother, but her head still facing the pavement. Emma could feel a change in the air though, something big was coming.

Regina's head snapped up, her hands tightened into fists. Her eyes seemed to glow more strongly than ever and her face had lost its controlled blankness. "You should not have done that, Mother," she hissed. "I gave you your chance. Now, it is time that I do what I should have done decades ago."

Cora was taken aback by this fierce woman and tried to tell herself her daughter was simply throwing a tantrum like she used when she was little. She was definitely denying the sense of power that was coming from the former evil Queen. "And what is that, daughter?" her voice remained mocking and condescending.

"End you."

This time it was Regina who struck first with magic—a brilliant neon green lightning strike—headed straight for Cora. Cora held her hand up, a bubble of magic appearing around her, almost a split second too late, but it held. Cora was safe. However, the lightning bounced off of the shield and scattered—striking a couple of her nearest allies and missing anyone not aligned with Cora.

The few it touched barely let out a yelp before stumbling back and falling—dead. Cora's eyes were wide as she swallowed shallowly, seeing the destruction, before turning back to Regina.

Regina's hands were covered in a ball of the sickly, bright green magic—Emma could hear it crackling from where she stood a few yards away. She stepped more fully in front of Henry, just to be on the safe side.

A wicked grin grew on Regina's face, her hair beginning to hover around her as the light of the cursed fairymagic lit her face from below. "You wanted to do this, Mother? Let's."

She sent another sinister bolt that made Cora pale, but it too scattered—taking down another clutch of enemies. Everyone besides the two witches seemed frozen in place. This time, as soon as it dissipated, Cora struck back, flinging stones from her previous attack zooming towards her daughter, but when they got within a foot of her they too shot away. Half downed another pair of beasts while the others hit two of their own fighters.

However, much to their delight, Regina's earlier protection spells held and they were left unharmed, if rather shaken.

Now, Cora was beginning to look frightened. "Regina—" she began.

"No," she cut her off and took a step forward. Suddenly, Regina's clothes had been replaced with a red, knee-length dress with a pattern of black feathers on it, sleek and fitted perfectly to her frame. She looked every inch the angry mayor and mother Emma first met. A cold polished voice, dripping with derision and contempt, spat at the Queen of Hearts, "This is for coming back into my life to threaten the people I care about."

Another large bolt shot out from her, pushing Cora's bubble further into the pavement, which cracked around it. The scattering green lightning went further than before, as most close opponents had already been felled. They were just as accurate, despite the distance, and just as deadly as all that were hit shared the same fate as their fellows.

Abruptly, with another step forward, Regina changed again, from her mayoral clothes to a dark black, elaborate outfit, complete with a dramatic hairstyle, heavy makeup, and leather pants. Her voice changed too, mocking and harsh—filled with a hissing rage. "This is for taking Daddy from me!" This bolt actually moved Cora's whole bubble back a foot, Cora clearly gritting her teeth to maintain her position.

Another step, another change; this time Regina wore a medieval gown, but white and glittering. She looked younger too. Her voice was slightly higher, equal parts sorrow, fear, and disgust. "This is for forcing me to marry the King!" This time Emma could have sworn the bubble flickered for a second.

Another outfit change. This time a fancy riding outfit, her hair done back in a braid. Regina's voice was young and full of bone aching grief. "This is for murdering Daniel!" Now, Cora looked well and truly panicked, three-fourths of her combatants were down, her own protection faltering and Regina showed no sign of stopping.

Now the age change was dramatic, a furious young teenage girl, dressed in a subtle, but fine dress, hair long and free. Her voice was high and angry, "This is for every punishment and cruel lie you told!" The bolt hit and all of Cora's other allies fell. Cora's bubble flickered out of existence entirely. The older witch tried frantically, but futilely, to conjure another barrier.

Somehow, Emma could tell this was the last change. A young girl, Henry's age or a bit younger. She looked heartbreakingly innocent and yet, the way her hands were clenched into tight fists that shook with fury at the bitter unfairness of the world was something she shouldn't have had to learn at such an age. "This is for the girl you ruined!" Her voice cried out, high and clear. The last word was screeched, full of such betrayal and rage at the injustice of who her mother was and what she had done.

A brilliant rush of magic surged out of her, purple and green swirling together in a twisted spiral of vengeance and vindication, finally paying Cora back for all the lives she had taken and all the people she ruined. The magic struck and surrounded Cora, creating a sphere of pulsing power. It didn't stop as the other attacks had and she knew the very second it completely obliterated the witch's final defenses.

A sound echoed through the air, like a bell being struck, and still the magic did not stop. The beam of purple and green focused, and slowly the bright green began to fade leaving a thinner stream of purple. Yet still the magic continued, masking Cora in its cloud, the little girl that was Regina staring intensely, as if there was nothing else in the world.

After a few more seconds, Henry tugged on Emma's sleeve, his eyes wide as he stared at his mother. "Something's wrong." Emma didn't need him to say it though, she could feel it, deep within her. "She should stop."

The purple stream thinned and the color began to leave Regina's face as a thin white tendril joined the purple magic. Emma stared at it. She didn't know why, but she could feel that that strip of white magic should not be there.

"Please," her son was crying. "Make her stop. Please."

"Stay here." Emma knew that was the right thing to do. She went over to Regina, carefully, but resolutely. She didn't want to disrupt Regina's focus or get accidently hit with that magic, but a sense of urgency was welling up within her. This needed to stop. Now.

The other magic user didn't even give Emma a sideways glance when she finally ended up beside her. The magic continued to pour from her hands.

"Regina," Emma said slowly and calmly. No response. "It's over. You can stop now."

"It's never over," came a small voice from the girl who continued to focus on the magic soaked area the witch had once stood. Emma couldn't imagine that Cora could still be there.

"It is, though." Emma's voice was gentle, growing more concerned by the second, fighting her panic, as girl-Regina shook, deathly pale with blood shot eyes and a determined look on her face. "She's gone. It's safe."

The girl shook her head, as if she couldn't believe that, although the stream of magic got thinner. "It's not. She always comes back and this time she'll be really, really mad. I need to make sure she stays away. I won't let her hurt my family ever again."

Emma's heart broke for the girl as a silent tear fell down her face and Emma realized with a start she had let a tear fall as well. "Everyone goes eventually. She's gone, for good."

"I can't let her hurt Henry," it was almost startling to hear Regina speak of her son while looking this young. "I can't let her hurt you."

"Me?" that was somehow the most shocking thing all day.

Girl-Regina nodded. "Henry loves you, he belongs with you. I won't continue to hurt him, like my mother hurt me. And you love him. You will protect him."

That made a bit more sense though Emma stamped down the part that had thought it might have had something to do with Emma herself. "You are not your mother. Henry belongs with you too."

Girl-Regina shook her head. "No," the word was filled with heartbreak, "He doesn't love me. No one can love me. He belongs with the mother he loves. And how could he not love you?" There was something pointed about the way she said 'you' that made Emma think she really did mean Emma specifically.

Emma pushed aside how that made her feel and focused on getting Regina to stop. "Of course, he loves you. You're his mother."

For the first time since Emma had come over, the brunette turned to look at her. Her eyes were purple with white pupils. They looked so strange. "No, he doesn't love me. I am a danger he must be protected from. So it is better this way." Her eyes focused back on the cloud of magic. "Two evils for one good."

The magic stream grew back from the trickle to a river and Emma identified the look in her eyes. It was the look of someone who knew they were going to die.

Finally, Emma got what Regina was doing to make sure her mother was gone and all she could think was one thing. No. No, no, no.

With that singular thought in mind, Emma was done talking. Emma Swan was a woman of action. So she reached forward and placed a hand on the outside of each Regina's own. The girl's eyes were almost completely white and she could offer no resistance. Emma brought their palms together, pulling their hands back to both of them, her arms around Regina similar to a hug.

The magic rope snapped and a loud crack resounded through the entire town. A brilliant flash of blue filled the air as the pair flew back.

-/-

A/N: I'm still not positive if I like the way I'm splitting up this story, but this is what I decided to go with. There's still a final part left, can't leave you hanging like this-don't worry.

Let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading (and reviewing, and favoriting, and following to those of you who did-those always make my day). :)