A/N: This is probably the fastest I have updated anything in a long while! Thank you for your response to the last chapter, your reviews warmed my heart so much! The action is finally moving here and I would really love to hear what you think about this update! Big thanks to Lillie Grey and Lolymoon for their support mwah :*
Chapter 2
Almost a week after her heart to heart with Robin's grave, Regina had come to a decision, she would to go ahead with the Queen's plan, but she wanted to be sure that she had no other alternatives first. She had raided the library in search of new books since hers had been confiscated, and had spent every evenings after Henry had gone to bed pouring over them with renewed vigour. Since her son was spending the weekend at Emma's place again she had every intentions of finding the final piece of the puzzle, she knew she was close to a breakthrough, she could feel it.
As she parked her car after a long day in the office, she was surprised to find the lights on inside the manor. Looking down the street she noticed a familiar yellow bug and heaved a deep sigh.
"You know when I sacrifice a weekend with my son to your benefit, I actually expect you to spend time with him instead of standing here in my living-room… with your mother," Regina announced, trailing off as she walked in and faced the two home invaders. Both of them were fidgeting while trying to appear determined, and it was such a strange combination that it immediately made Regina head to her liquor cabinet.
"For some reason I feel like whatever this little intervention is about I'm going to need a drink," she stated while pouring herself a glass of cider.
Emma exhaled, looking down at her feet, shuffling them. "Henry was worried about you," she started and Regina snorted in her drink.
"Alright this should be good," she said. "I'll bite. What could he possibly be so worried about that he felt the need to talk to you instead of me?"
Snow gave her a pleading look. "Please Regina, don't react like this. Henry found some books and he was concerned about what you are intending to do, so he came to us. He just wasn't sure how to bring it up to you, and I have to admit that it made us a bit uneasy as well."
Regina put down her glass, leaned back against her cabinet, crossed her arms against her chest and narrowed her eyes at the volume in Snow's hands. It was one of her original ones which she thought had disappeared after the Queen's loot. Henry must have been holding onto it for a while.
"This book is all about spells that could rise up the dead. You are not seriously considering it, are you?" Snow asked, her tone gentle as if she was trying to soften the blow.
Regina's eyes were studying Snow while she reached for her drink, clutching it tightly. She took a long sip and put it back down. "What if I was?" She inquired, a hard edge in her voice that left no doubt that they better tread carefully.
Emma raised her hands defensively. "Hey, don't shoot okay. As we said we're only here because Henry was concerned and didn't know how to approach you. He was afraid you would do something rash because some things in this book are kind of graphic," she winced, inclining her head towards said tome.
"Well then we can end this conversation right here, right now, because I have no intentions of doing anything rash or dangerous, and this is really none of your business. Should I walk you to the door or will you find the way on your own?" Regina replied, losing all patience.
"Regina, please, we only want to help. We know you miss Robin, but this is serious. You're not thinking straight…" Snow implored but Regina cut her off.
"Get out," she demanded, her eyes flashing.
"Regina, just listen for a minute," Emma insisted but Regina raised a hand and the two women were rendered mute.
"No, you listen and you listen well. I haven't asked anything of you, from any of you. I am doing my researches on my own, and whatever I decide to do won't involve anyone but me. I don't need your help, I don't want your help and I certainly don't want your opinion," she enunciated slowly and clearly. "I can't believe you would come into my house and talk to me that way while the only reason you can go home to the person you love is because of me," she added, addressing Snow and then she turned to Emma.
"And you, you… How dare you judge me? How dare you question me after Robin and I went to the Underworld for you? We stood by you even when you decided to bring back someone who had just tried to destroy us all, including our son. You can argue all you want that he was a Dark One and not really himself, but we both know that's not true. He never tried to struggle against the darkness, he let it consume him and we could have all paid the price for it, but still we accompanied you, we supported you, and in the end it caused Robin his life. Are you telling me that Robin is less worth saving than Hook?" She exclaimed. She was pretty much rambling at this point, but now that all the frustrations and buried bitterness of the past few months had come to the surface she found that she couldn't stop.
"Robin was a good man, he left two children behind to save me, he sacrificed himself for me and his soul was destroyed. There is no way in hell that I'm going to just accept it, no way, not until I have tried everything in my power to bring him back, because if there is someone who should be dead it's not him. So now that we have cleared things up, get out of my house," she demanded again, releasing the silencing spell.
Snow was near tears, Emma was shaking her head. "We're sorry Regina, we didn't mean it this way, we just wanted to look out for you," her former stepdaughter whispered.
"I don't need this, Snow, I need you all to back off and trust me, or has everything you've been saying about believing in me was just empty words?" Regina told her and the girl immediately protested.
"Of course it wasn't empty words!" She assured. "We do trust you, we just wanted to be sure you were safe and we probably didn't go at it in a good way. We're leaving and we'll tell Henry that everything is alright. Come on, Emma," she stirred her daughter away.
Regina waited until the door had clicked shut to release the tension in her shoulders, she turned around towards her cabinet, leaning on her hands, her head hanging down, and breathed out slowly.
The sound of hands clapping in the hallway caused her to straighten up instantly.
"I must say I'm impressed. I really didn't think you had it in you anymore," the Queen enthused, smiling widely, clasping her hands together beneath her chin. "I don't think I could have gotten rid of them better myself."
Regina rolled her eyes. "Of course it was you, I should have known. You arranged for Henry to find that book, didn't you?"
The Queen shrugged a shoulder, cocking her head to the side, trying to appear innocent. "You have no proof of that, do you?"
"I don't need proof, I know you, we share a brain remember," Regina snarled.
"No need to get on your high horses, dear, I just thought it was necessary to show you just how helpful..." The Queen drawled, using air quotation for the last word. "... your so-called friends are when you really need them."
"Not that I wanted their help in the first place but I think you've proved your point," Regina replied, wrinkling her nose. "You didn't have to use all those theatrics, I was about to come to you anyway."
"Well, good," the Queen cried out, gleefully, tapping the tips of her fingers together. "I saved you a trip. I'm glad we're on the same page because I've got great news. I found the mysterious urn that is essential to accomplish the ritual," she declared, flicking her wrist and said urn appeared in a cloud of smoke.
Regina arched an eyebrow, from her research she had found out that it was near to impossible to get hold of this artefact. "How did you manage that?" She asked, genuinely curious.
"Well, this world has some wonderful inventions, Ebay among others. Do you have any idea what people sell on there without even knowing what they really possess?" The Queen remarked, her eyes widening in disbelief, as she spinned the urn around, studying the hieroglyphs covering it. "Anyway, it's just as well because this is the only remaining one and I got it cheap. So, are you in?" She added, turning to Regina with an intense gaze.
The short-haired woman nodded slowly.
"Marvelous!" The Queen chortled. "Well, we shall reconvene tomorrow before midnight at the cemetery and get this show on the road. Robin has spent far too much time down there already," and with that she vanished.
Regina joined the Queen at the graveyard the next evening and found her hard at work. She had already digged the ground, uncovered and opened Robin's casket. Regina felt nauseous at the sight of him lying so still.
The Queen was lighting up candles and placing them carefully around the grave when Regina made her presence known.
"Right in time, perfect," the other woman greeted. "Did you read up on the ritual? You know what to expect?" She asked, studying her other half intently.
Regina nodded, her gaze fixed on the coffin.
"This won't be a walk in the parc, you realise that? Are you sure you're ready?" The Queen almost sounded concerned and Regina teared her eyes away from her contemplation and turned her full attention towards her.
"This is for Robin, of course I'm ready," she replied, no hesitation in her voice.
"Well, let's start then, the clock is just about to strike midnight."
They sat cross-legged, facing each other, at the foot of the grave, palms open on their knees, the urn between them. The Queen produced an ancient blade and Regina extended her hand to her. She bit her bottom lip, stifling a hiss as the blade slashed her skin. They exchanged the knife and Regina repeated the action on the other woman. They joined their hands over the urn and let the blood drip into it.
They closed their eyes and started reciting the incantation. Soon, they felt the air shift around them, their hands seemed glued together, their flesh burned but they carried on, knowing that breaking the rhythm would undo the whole ritual.
Their grip tightened as an unnatural wind rose and guttural voices resounded. They didn't understand the words and pushed through, ignoring the pain, even as invisible edges cut into their skin. The voices became louder but they stayed focused. Focused and determined, even as they felt hands squeezing their throats, they continued.
They were tested again and again until it stopped. Suddenly it stopped, only the wind remained. Their hearts were glowing through their chests, white blinding lights rising from them and joining above the urn before heading to the open casket.
It was nearly done, Regina thought, the last phase of the ritual almost complete as they pronounced the final words, but something didn't feel right. Her energy was depleting rapidly, absorbed by the Queen, and as she opened her eyes she could see the bright light, the joined part of their soul linked to Robin, becoming darker.
"What are you doing?" She asked breathlessly, trying to break the connection but the Queen wouldn't let her.
"I'm making him stronger, I'm doing what you proved unfit to do several times: I'm protecting him. Did you really think I would let you have him after everything that happened? You pushed him out of town with that impostor, left him be a prey to our deranged sister, you let him die, one of the very few people who ever truly loved us and you let him be killed," the Queen scathed, her voice like ice, her eyes like steel. "He is better off without you, but don't worry I will take good care of him," she sucked out Regina's remaining strength and watched impassively as she fell to the ground like a ragged doll.
She stood up when she heard a sharp intake of breath coming from the coffin and her face broke into a genuine smile as Robin's eyes opened. He was disoriented, watching his surroundings with wide eyes but when he caught sight of her, he calmed down and sat up.
"My love, my Queen," he rasped, reaching for her and she helped him heave himself up from his wooden prison.
Regina watched helplessly from the ground as they embraced and kissed passionately. She was struggling to remain conscious, to speak, to get Robin's attention, but she was too weak, and this image of the Queen and her Thief was burned into her mind as her world turned black.
Reviews are always appreciated ;)
