I don't own these characters.
3: Holy crap
Regina could hear the Charming clan and that Blue bitch exiting her house. She had barely made it into the upstairs hallway when she heard the door open and shut, signaling that she was thankfully alone. Inhaling deeply, she managed to stay upright and swallow the ache of her curse; her curse that the Charmings and the Blue Fairy now knew of. It was only a matter of time before the idiots of Storybrooke were back at her front door, but instead of torches and pitchforks, they would have chairs, popcorn, and drinks to watch her die the most horrible death a single individual possibly could.
"Damn you, Rumple," she hissed before another coughing fit racked her body. Her chest hurt now, small aches rippling through her body. A sign of things to come.
Part of her had always known that damned imp would be the death of her, but she had always imagined it would be far more glorious and spectacular, like being burned at the stake or crucified. Or maybe that was the fever talking. She was not sure which it was now.
Regina took a deep breath, focusing herself. She placed a hand on the wall to steady herself and then marched to her bedroom, but then thought better of it. She was not going to just lie down and die. I'm Regina Mills, damn it! I've been through Hell and back and always come out on top! I will not allow Rumple to win this one.
So, she went to her office. She poured herself a tumbler of cider and then sat at her desk. Running her fingers along the polished mahogany, as if trying to soak up the power she felt when she sat there. She wanted to take all of her essence from the room, put it back inside of her, and then rise like a phoenix from her own ashes. Inhaling, she did her best to feel that inner strength and stand as tall as she always had.
"There has to be a way to beat this. I can't let this be the end. I still need to make Snow White suffer, damn it," she growled. There was still so much to do and no way to do it in the time she had left, a couple of weeks. She snorted. "A couple of weeks if I'm lucky."
She shook that thought away. She would make it a couple of weeks and more because she was Regina Mills. She would make it through this.
"I will make it through this and then I will crush that imp," Regina declared before swallowing her drink and enjoying the burn.
"Regina?" she heard Miss Swan call.
She snarled at the sound of the damned sheriff. The woman had saved her and witnessed her weakness. She wanted nothing more than to destroy that demon spawn of self-righteousness. She would put that on her list. It would give her all the more reason to beat this curse. That no one has ever beaten before. No! I am Regina Mills and I will live.
"Regina," Miss Swan called once more. She sounded a little more urgent this time.
"I will live," Regina swore in a low tone. She made a tight fist. "And I will crush my enemies."
"Regina! You better not be passed out again!" the sheriff's voice seemed to echo through the empty house. She should have sounded threatening, but there was something else in her voice, something that Regina was not accustomed to hearing and was not sure how to identify.
Regina rolled her eyes. How many times has this woman seen me passed out on the floor? She dismissed the question and decided to stay quiet. It was possible that the sheriff might not see her and leave, like that dinosaur in the movie she specifically told Henry not to watch, but he did anyway with Miss Swan and was now half-certain there was an island with dinosaurs off the shore of Costa Rico.
"Regina?" The sheriff poked her head into the room, looking like a curious cat with her blonde curls spilling in.
Regina realized her thoughts were rambling. She wondered if that was the curse or if she was just out of sorts. Blinking, she managed to drop that line of thought and brought up the proper outrage from having her enemies in her home.
"What are you doing here?" Regina demanded, jumping to her feet. She swayed a bit, but managed to stay on her feet. That was the alcohol and not the curse! Of course, she doubted it was a good sign if she could not handle a single glass of cider.
"What do you mean what am I doing here? If it wasn't for me, your brain would've boiled and you'd be dead!" the sheriff felt the need to point out.
Regina growled. "I would be fine. I don't need you." I will be fine!
Green eyes gaze her a smug look and a smirk tugged at the sheriff's lips. "But, you will when you pass out in about an hour."
"I will not," the mayor proclaimed, holding her head up high. She would not pass out. "I will beat this!" she roared and the sheriff actually stepped back. Wait, I said that out loud? It's the alcohol, not the curse. I will beat this. But, again, it was not a good sign for her if she could not keep her thoughts in her own head.
"Is there a way to beat this?" Miss Swan demanded, marching deeper into the room. Her eyes were locked on Regina's with a familiar determination in her gaze.
"I will find it," Regina stated, making a fist. "I will not let that bastard end me like this." I will not let him have the final say in our twisted association.
"So, Rumple – Gold did this?" Miss Swan frowned, as if this bothered her for some reason.
"Who the hell else would do this to me?" Regina thundered, pointing to herself while moving to get into Miss Swan's face. Unfortunately, she did not make it exactly because her legs were not listening and she stumbled a bit. Thankfully, she did not fall over, but that was only because she was not wearing her heels.
"Why would he do this to you?" the sheriff asked only to receive a harsh look from Regina. Miss Swan scrunched up her face and nodded. "Right. I guess I should just be happy he hasn't managed to take Henry. But, then again, you'd be the one to guess his name."
Regina scowled, even though she was certain there was a compliment in there somewhere. "Is there a point to your incessant ramblings?"
"The point is he could probably cure you! Let's go see him," the blonde insisted.
Russet eyes narrowed. "Yes, because the bastard that cursed me is dying to cure me of said curse he only enacted five minutes ago!" She left the "idiot" unsaid, but it probably did need to be said considering the sheriff's lineage.
Miss Swan threw up her head in a fit. "We need to do something! You fainted like eight times in ten minutes, had a high fever that made you think you were freezing, and you've vomited blood. I don't want to see what you have in store for tomorrow."
Honestly, Regina did not want to see what tomorrow had in store either. The curse was already wreaking havoc upon her. What would it be like tomorrow, or next week, or near the end? Would she make it to the end? She shook those thoughts away. She would not let Rumplestiltskin beat her.
"Regina, tell me how to help you," the annoying blonde pled. There was an odd look in her eyes that Regina did not totally comprehend.
"I don't need your help," Regina snarled. "I don't need anyone's help!" She held her breath, keeping in a cough.
"Regina—" The sheriff probably wanted to pled her case, but Regina did not want to hear any of it.
"Leave, Miss Swan! I don't need nor do I desire your help!" She would do this on her own, as she did everything else. Trusting someone never did her any good. She trusted Snow and it got Daniel murdered along with her life ruined. She trusted Rumple and he was the one trying to kill her. She would not trust anyone ever again.
"Regina—"
"Leave!"
Regina was tempted to throw her hand out, test her magic once more, but it did not have to come to that. Thankfully, the sheriff left on her own. Regina was not sure what the sheriff was playing at with her bullshit about wanting to help, but Regina was not going to fall for it. She would beat this thing on her own.
"I just need to do some research," Regina muttered and then she began coughing. Reaching for a nearby tissue, blood poured out of her mouth and her back shook. "I need to move fast… while I can still move." She had to go to her father's crypt.
-8-8-8-8-
Emma was tempted to go to Gold's shop the second that she left Regina, but it was late. She was not sure when Gold closed up his shop, but she doubted it was opened late considering it was in Storybrooke. Of course, maybe with the curse broken and magic being real, time might not matter… and she did not even know where she was going with this thought. She let it go and wandered by Gold's store anyway because she did not feel the urge to go home.
"Why the hell am I bothering? Regina doesn't want my help and she was willing to kill me not even two days ago. She damn near killed the kid and, yet, in my fucked up head I still think of her as his mom, but probably because the kid sees her that way. Am I going through all of this trouble for the kid?" She knew the answer to that.
Yes, Regina was her kid's mom, but there was also the fact that it felt like Regina was the only person she now knew in town. Regina was the only one who did not suddenly become someone else yesterday. Was it yesterday? She was pretty sure it was yesterday, but it felt like decades had past since the Curse broke. So, right now, Regina was the only person that made sense and kept her grounded in something that resembled reality. She could not let anything happen to Regina or reality itself could slip away.
"Reality's already slipping away," she sighed, realizing she was talking to herself. Regina was dying of magical cancer, after all. Groaning, she doubted she would ever get used to that.
After finding out that Gold's store was, in fact, closed for the night, Emma slowly made her way home. Home? The very idea made her scoff. She did not have a home. She had learned that lesson early enough in life. But, it had been home when Mary Margaret was there. But, she's gone now. She had also learned that people leave all the time. That was just a fact and it hurt, each and every time. Eventually, instead of being left, she did the leaving… except one time when she had been stupid. But, that only enforced the idea that people left and she would never be that stupid again.
Her parents left. Neal left. Mary Margaret left. Even Henry left. Sure, the first one was not his decision, but he did decide to leave Regina. So, people left. Hell, Regina was going to leave. This bothered her, not because she particularly liked Regina, but because Regina was a constant in her life for a year. That was better than most people she met. I should leave first. I should go before they do, so it won't hurt as much.
Her plan had been to walk to her car, yet somehow she ended up at the apartment door. So, her brain wanted to leave, but not her feet? It made little sense to her and she dreaded the idea of going inside. Her friend Mary Margaret would not be waiting inside and she would not get a moments peace. She leaned her forehead to the door while again pondering flight. Taking a deep breath, she put her key in the door and decided to take the plunge. It would not be right to just abandon the kid, after all. She would be a hypocrite.
"Emma, thank goodness! We thought something happened to you!" Snow White rushed her and embraced her, as much as she wished Snow White would not do that. She could easily feel that Snow was not Mary Margaret and she hated that. Mary Margaret left. Everybody leaves.
"Like what? Most people are home at this time," Emma pointed. Storybrooke was probably the safest place that she had ever been.
"That was before the curse broke. Now, you don't know what could be out there," Henry proclaimed from his spot at the counter. He had his book in front of him for whatever reason.
Emma blinked as she realized something. "Kid, what are you doing here?"
"We thought it would be best for Henry to stay with us, his family," not-Mary Margaret answered, glancing at Henry in a strange way.
Emma quickly shook that thought away. It was not fair to think of Snow White as "not-Mary Margaret." It was not Snow's fault she was not her cursed self. But, it was Snow's fault Emma had grown up an orphan, being left, being used, and being hollowed out by the rest of the world.
"Yeah, my family," Henry concurred with a nod, taking Emma from her thoughts.
Emma felt her face twitch, but she was not sure why. It made sense for Henry to stay with them. People were trying to kill Regina, after all. Not to mention, Regina had the whole "death curse" going on. It was probably for the best right now, but she had a feeling they were talking about something much more permanent. The very thought made her teeth itch. Or maybe it was the word "family." Another word and concept that was foreign to her. I don't want to deal with this right now.
"Well, it's late and I'm tired. Gonna go to bed," Emma declared, going so far as to feign a yawn and exaggerating a stretch. Truthfully, she was exhausted, but it was mental. Her mind ached from the world crumbling around her and the very foundation of the earth shifting.
"Emma, wait—" David – Prince Charming – whoever the hell he was tried to stop her.
"Really tired," Emma insisted, rushing upstairs. Out of everyone, Prince Charming was the last person in the room that she wanted to talk to because she did not like him much when he was David Nolan.
She basically barricaded herself in her room. She could hear them talking, but she had no idea what they were discussing and she really did not care. She hated this change. She wanted everything to go back to normal, back to the way it was before. Before everything changed. Change was bad.
She did her best not to think about it and willed herself to sleep, something that she had not done since living on the streets. She only slept for a couple of hours; something else that was a throwback to her life on the streets and some of her more horrible foster homes. Quietly, she checked to see if anyone else was up.
The apartment was dark, just like outside. Henry was asleep on the sofa. For a moment, she saw herself at his age and in that position. She had only slept on the couch a week, but it felt like a lifetime ago, several lifetimes. Those people had gone away, giving her up, just like these people. Shaking her head, Emma exited the apartment, figuring now was as good a time as any to check on Regina.
"With luck, she's not dead yet," Emma muttered.
She contemplated taking her car, but she knew that the temptation to drive out of town would be too great. Besides, walking would kill time. Of course, showing up at Regina's house at four in the morning was not much better than being there at three in the morning. On the way there, she could feel the change in the air, even though nothing appeared different. There was an extra chill to the cold air. Storybrooke suddenly felt like an alien planet. She was scared to breathe, lest she become infected with the same madness as everyone else. It almost felt like it could soak through her skin and turn her into another person. Hasn't it already done that?
The Emma that she knew she should be would have fled the scene of this asylum a long time ago, but here she was. She did not know what to make of it. Was it magic? Shaking her head, she rid herself of these thoughts and focused on her environment.
She could sense movement every few blocks. She felt like she was being stalked. She noted movement in the darkness, but there did not seem to be a threat. She wondered if there were any mythological beasts out there aside from witches, fairies, and imps. Honestly, she would not care if she found out by each one jumping out of the bushes to challenge her. She felt like she would tear them limb from limb, but would simply lie down and die if they did the same to her. Distraction or escape; both would be welcomed by her. Neither came.
She made it to Regina's house without discovering what lurked in the waning night. She found the mayor sitting in the darkness of her office. She was glad that Regina realized it was best to not turn on the lights. But, she was trying to read by a single candlelight, which could not be good. Suddenly, Regina turned sharply, revealing that she was wearing glasses. Emma gasped, surprised by the sudden movement, she told herself. Nothing to do with her being sexy in glasses.
"You're back," Regina hissed, glaring at the sheriff. She sat up at her desk, looking almost normal, but not quite.
"I wanted to make sure you're all right, not dying of a fever or anything." She shrugged and had to the fight the urge of kicking at an imaginary pebble. Something about the way Regina stared at her made her feel silly, even though she knew Regina needed her help.
A scowl cut across Regina's face, thoroughly insulted from being checked up on apparently. "I'm fine as you can see. I'm not a sick child. Now, you can see yourself out."
"Fine" was not how Emma would describe the woman in front of her. She could see the pile of paper towels next to Regina and assumed that they were full of blood. Even though the lighting was poor, she could see sweat rolling down Regina's face.
"Hunting for a cure?" Emma guessed, taking in the books littering the desktop.
"That much is obvious," Regina growled. She sounded like her usual self, but she should have been on her feet by now and in Emma's meddling face. Looking harder, she could see how weary and drawn Regina appeared. The mayor probably could hardly sit up.
"Found one?" Emma hoped she did. She wanted their little bit of normalcy, their back and forth, their "thing." She knew their "thing" was unhealthy and crazy, but it was better than everything happening now.
Regina scowled. "The Holy Grail."
"That's a real thing?" Emma blurted out and then immediately realized what she said. "I mean, isn't that supposed to Jesus' cup and all and I didn't think Jesus was from your world."
Regina shook her head. "He's not. Like everything about the Old World here, the Holy Grail has become part of a story or legend, but it does exist. Supposedly, if you drink from it, it cures you of any illness."
Smiling, Emma made a fist. "Awesome. Let's do it."
Regina arched an eyebrow. "So, you have the Grail on you right now?"
Emma felt her face screw up. "Why the hell would I?"
"Then we can't do anything."
Now, Emma frowned. "You don't have the Grail? Do you know where it is? I'll go get the damn thing." Things are about to go back to normal. I just need to get the Holy Grail. Mentally, she groaned. Imagine, I've gone my whole life without having that thought.
"Don't you think that's the first thing I would've done if I knew where the damned thing was?" Regina growled, slamming her fist on the desk.
Rolling her eyes, Emma scoffed and threw her hands up in frustration. "You don't know where it is? What the hell? I thought you were in charge and the Evil Queen and all of that bullshit! How don't you know where it is?"
"I never had the Grail in my possession. It was guarded by knights of The Fallen Kingdom and they refuse to tell anyone where it could be found, especially the Evil Queen."
"Well, shit, Regina, what the fuck are we going to do?" Emma demanded and she began pacing. She needed to move; it helped her think.
"I don't know!" Regina roared right back. "I don't fucking know! Rumple has me here, all right? I've searched these books for hours and all I have to show for it is a myth from the Old World and the knowledge that I will be dead before the month is over!" She violently shoved the books from her desk. They hit the floor with soft thuds that seemed to echo through out the room, but overshadowed by Regina's heavy breathing.
"No, Regina. I won't let that happen," Emma vowed. She needed to hold onto Regina, to hold onto normalcy. "You have to keep looking and I'm going to go try something else. But, before that, you need to get some sleep."
"No, I can't sleep. I need to beat this thing." Regina's eyes shifted back to her desk, looking for another book probably.
"And we will. But, you're not going to do it if you pass out again. Besides, do you really want to pass out in front of me again?" Emma gave her a teasing, lopsided grin, taunting her, goading her because they both needed it.
Regina snarled and leaped up, clearly ready to give Emma a piece of her mind. Unfortunately, her inner ear did not seem to agree as she lost her balance and her body swayed. She ended up leaning against Emma to catch herself. Emma decided to pretend that was perfectly normal as Regina glared up at her.
"That was nothing," Regina stated.
Emma did not even acknowledge that. She glanced at the ceiling as Regina righted herself. Regina cleared her throat when it was safe to stop acting like she could see the designs above her. That single candle was crap. How the hell did people live without light bulbs? Why would people want to live without light bulbs? She did not have the answer to that and Regina speaking distracted her from that line of thought.
"I will eat something and then sleep just to have fresh eyes when I continue my search. You may show yourself out," Regina dismissed her.
Emma shrugged and pretended to leave. She walked around the block a few times, continuing to note the way the air seemed different in Storybrooke now. Something underneath that, almost like low voltage electricity felt like it danced just underneath her skin. She did not know what to make of it and did her best to ignore it. There were other things to worry about, after all.
There were things like parents to worry about and a kid. A kid that was going to lose the woman that raised him for his whole life. A kid that wanted her to be something that she had never had the pleasure to even experience. How could she be something that she never had? That was another reason why Regina needed to live. Despite all of the crappy things Regina might have done, the evil things, she damn sure seemed to know how to raise a child if Henry was any evidence of that.
"I definitely can't do that alone," Emma muttered. And despite how much family she suddenly had, Emma still felt very much alone. Everyone was different, but she was the same… and Regina was the same. She needed Regina to stay the same.
As the sun began making its existence known, Emma turned back. She just wanted to make sure Regina made it to bed. Surprisingly enough, the smaller woman had made it to her bed. She even put on pajamas. She did not make it under the covers, but she was at least resting across the mattress. Emma put her head on the pillows and placed a sheet over her, not wanting to put more in case Regina had a fever again before she woke up.
Emma grabbed herself some breakfast from Regina's fridge, not really wanting to see if Granny's had gone through any changes yet, before deciding to see if going to Gold was as useless as Regina made it seem. By the time she made it to the shop, he had only just opened, like everything was normal. She entered and there he was behind the counter as if nothing was different in the slightest.
"Miss Swan, to what do I owe the pleasure? I would have thought that you would be spending your time getting to know your parents and enjoying your son," Gold remarked with that infernal smirk of his.
Emma did her best not to frown. She did not want him to know her feelings about having parents. The glint in his eyes seemed to already read her, so she put on her best poker face. She refused to let him in, refused to give him any sort of advantage. I already owe this dirt bag a favor and that was before I found out he was an imp.
"I was just wondering about the stuff in your shop," Emma commented. "You have a lot of junk." She made a show of looking around.
A shadow crossed his face before his smirk returned. "I can assure you, Miss Swan, none of this is junk. Everything has its place. Is there something here that has your interest?"
She shrugged. "Not really. I guess I was just wondering if all of this junk comes from deals you've made with people or stuff you happened to own before."
"Sounds like you're fishing for things, Miss Swan. How about you tell me what it is you want? It'll take up less of my time."
"Fine. You wouldn't happen to have the… Holy Grail, would you?" Emma inquired and did her best not to sound as stupid as felt in requesting such an item.
The glint in his eyes teased her. "Now, what would you need that for? You know someone facing a life-threatening illness that you wish to cure?" He smirked again, as if he knew what she was trying to do.
She decided to call his bluff and looked him straight in the eye as she did. "Henry was just poisoned. I wanna make sure he's all right."
He raised a finger. "Ah, but True Love's kiss already saw to that. It is the most powerful magic of all, so you shouldn't need the Grail."
She waved that off. "I don't know how this magic junk works. I want to be sure. We can make another deal."
Wagging his finger in her face, he chuckled. "I don't think so, Miss Swan. I only need the one favor from you. You might try something else if you wish to save the Queen, which I can assure you won't happen," he declared and then his voice got dangerously low. "And I don't recommend you trying to trick me ever again. This is my game."
"Regina's life is not a game," Emma proclaimed with a glare of her own.
He leaned in a bit. "What do you even care? Is she not your mortal enemy? The woman who has kept your son from you? Separated you from loving parents? Why not relish in her demise?"
"Like you?" She could not imagine enjoying watching anyone die.
He smiled, obviously delighted, and then he let a high giggle. It was unnerving and demented. "Oh, yes, I will. The Queen has overstepped her boundary. She will die a hideous death. Enjoy the show. Everyone else will." He giggled once more.
"How can you just watch someone die?" she demanded. What kind of sick person is he?
She wanted to tear his lips off when he smiled again. It was like having the devil smile at her. He had always been creepy, but now there seemed to be more to it. There was a sinister vibe to him.
"So, you won't lift the curse?" she inquired.
"Why would I do that? I'm going to happily watch as she fades into nothing, feeling the worse pain imaginable. It will be glorious," he declared and he laughed.
She could suddenly picture him breaking the necks of rats and drinking their blood. It made her skin crawl. Backing up, Emma practically ran out off the shop. She felt like she could still hear him laughing from blocks away, laughing that he had killed her kid's mother, laughing that he shattered their reality.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Emma tries to get Regina to understand she's going to help her. Regina is, as one can imagine, defensive and suspicious.