2236 words this chapter

Chapter Four

The first thing Emma noticed was the slow, relentless creak of the rocking chair. She glared into the occupied jail cell.

The witch greeted her with a smile. "There you are dear. I was wondering where you were. I hope everything is alright at home."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Thanks for the concern."

"Oh, no 'thank you' is necessary. You've been very hospitable: getting me this chair, bringing me warm food. Your boyfriend was ever so helpful escorting me here. How is the captain?"

David, sitting on his desk looked at Emma. "See what I mean?"

Emma nodded. "Why do you care?" she asked.

The woman shrugged. "I was just wondering, my dear. You and he work so well together. You are such go-getters, so active, full of energy and loving life.."

Emma raised her eyebrow. Killian had been acting the exact opposite.

"I do hope his absence isn't do to illness or...a change in behavior," she said, smirking at Emma. "I mean, he is the same attentive, affectionate, robust pirate you know and love, correct?" She smiled an oily grin.

Emma charged the cell. "What have you done to Killian? What kind of spell is it? How do I undo it?"

The witch cackled and clapped her hands together, looking very proud. "Oh, I'm surprised at you, dear. Isn't that too easy?"

"You admit it then," said David, climbing off the desk and joining Emma at the cell. "You're the cause of his strange behavior."

She smirked.

Emma boiled with rage. She opened the cell and walked inside. "I've recently dealt with my dark side," she said in a cold, hard voice. "I don't think you want to meet that part of me."

The witch laughed. "I'm sorry, but you don't really scare me, child. You didn't give in totally to the darkness. You battled the forces of the dark place itself and returned. No, I don't think I'll be meeting the Dark Swan. Pity too."

Emma clenched both fists. She felt her father's hand on her shoulder. "Undo it or tell me how."

The witch stretched her bony fingers out over her lap. "You know, it's amazing how easily a small hex bag can be concealed. I am a little surprised the pirate didn't notice me slipping it inside his sleeve. He should have felt it. Ah, but I suppose he's rusty at sleight of hand now that he is on the good path."

Emma growled. Her hands glowed with magic.

"Now, now, calm yourself," warned the witch. "You don't want to do anything rash, dear."

"She's right, Emma," said David.

Emma shook her head. "Undo it."

"Well, you would have to remove the cuff." She smiled sweetly.

Emma scoffed. "Not happening, ever."

"Why not?" asked the witch sweetly. "You'll be rid of me. I'll give you the name of the spell and tell you all about it in return."

"All I have to do is let you free so some other place can deal with you, huh?" she asked with disgust. "No, I won't do it."

The witch's smile grew bittersweet as she resumed rocking. "I'm not surprised, honestly. That's the trouble with goodness. You're a slave to your own morals. Very well, leave me to my fate, rocking my life away in this cell." She looked up at Emma and a cold, poisonous glow flashed in the witch's eyes. "I leave your pirate to his fate."

Emma shook her head. She swore, several times. She stomped out of the cell, slamming the door. Then she let out a loud, primal scream and disappeared in a whirl of white smoke.

"Emma!" cried David to the smoke.

The witch cackled. "I believe I upset the poor thing."

David glared at her.

Emma reappeared next to Regina in her crypt, making her drop a large book. "Emma! What the hell are you doing?"

"It's a spell alright," Emma told her. "That evil witch did it."

Regina sighed. "How? She's cuffed."

Emma shook her head. "Apparently she managed to conceal a hex bag and planted it on Killian."

"Didn't you search her?"

Emma groaned. "I...I was so angry with her and a little distracted by Killian," she admitted. "I screwed up." Suddenly her eyes lit up. "The bag...if I get it, can you undo it?"

Regina frowned. "Hex bags burn up after use so you can't use them to undo the spell."

"Great," Emma said, pacing. She kicked an old crate.

"Easy, Emma! Some of the things in here are volatile."

"Ugh! I'm so stupid!" screamed Emma. "It was her all along! Why didn't I search her? It's all my fault!"

Regina sighed and rolled her eyes. "Mistakes happen. You may be the savior, but you're not perfect."

Emma stared at her. "You're trying to make me feel better? Really?"

Regina scoffed. "I don't think you can feel much worse. As for you not suspecting the witch, you had her restrained with magic protection in place. It's always easy to blame yourself after you know what's the cause."

Emma sighed and calmed a little.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter. It's done. What's important is finding out exactly what she did and reversing it."

"Right," Emma said, taking a deep breath. "Why Killian and not me?"

"She gets him, she gets to you," said Regina, "and he doesn't have magic." Emma nodded. "I don't suppose she gave any hints as to what kind of spell it is?"

"No."

Regina sighed. "I should talk with her."

Emma nodded. "Yeah. I'm too close to this, but Regina, she's tricky and...poisonous…"

Regina gave a small, ironic laugh. "Remember who you're talking to, Emma."

The savior chuckled sadly and nodded. Her cell phone rang. "It's Belle," she said. "She thinks she found something."

The ladies appeared in the library in a combination of purple and white smoke.

Belle smiled at the front desk, a pile of old, tattered books in front of her. "How is he?" she asked

Emma shook her head. "You said you found a similar spell?"

"I think so," she said, patting the oldest book. "It's a story, but that doesn't mean it isn't true," she said with a smile. "In it there is a reference to a Spell of Apathy."

Emma looked at the old, yellow page. A man was drawn slumped against a tree, his clothes dirty and tattered. It was the look on the illustration's face that drew her attention. He had hollow, blank eyes and a careless, dead expression. "It's Killian," she said softly.

Belle nodded. "It's horrible. The story said it was a perfect weapon of destruction."

Regina scoffed. "No spell is perfect."

Belle shook her head. "It describes how the victim had no cares, no worries to the point of not taking care of himself."

"Just like Killian," Emma said, worry embedded in the words. "Death by sloth."

Belle looked sadly at her and continued, "It's especially nasty because it's almost impossible to cure."

Again Regina voiced her disagreement. She snorted. "Nothing is impossible."

"Did you find anything else?"

"Not yet," Belle said. "I have a few more sources to check, even older ones."

"Spell of Apathy, huh?" asked Regina. "I think it's time to talk with that witch, a former evil woman to a current one," said Regina. "I'll get her to reveal more about it and how to undo it."

"Be careful," Emma said, "and...thanks."

Regina gave a quick nod and dissolved into magic.

David was at his desk, staring angrily at the witch as she rocked and sang. Smoke formed in front of the cell.

"Regina," David said.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Take a walk."

He looked at her, then the witch, nodded and left.

Regina waved her hand and a chair scooted itself over to her. She sat, smiling at the witch. She waved her hand and a small table with tea service set for two appeared. "Let's chat," she said.

She handed the witch a cup through the bars. The witch took it with a chuckle. "My magic may be restrained," she said, "but I can still discern the signs of a harmful spell or truth serum." She looked carefully into the cup. She chuckled and took a sip. "It's refreshing to see you aren't wasting my time with useless magic."

Regina smiled and took a sip from her own cup. "So, this Apathy Spell," she said watching as the witch reacted with a very small pause. It made Regina smile. "It's pretty nasty."

The witch laughed. "It is."

"Oh, so you admit it?"

The witch shrugged. She looked Regina in the eyes. "I know why you're here. Don't waste your time."

"It's mine to waste."

The witch snorted. "You're a hard, well-practiced witch yourself. I admire your early work very much."

Regina winced.

"But now, you've reformed," she spat. "What a waste of evil." She took several more sips. "I won't even bother trying to get you to remove the cuff. The truth is that I cannot undo the spell. As for you and the Savior of Storybrooke, you are helpless as well."

Regina took a sip, eying her carefully.

The witch continued, "Once it's set motion it's like a baby bird, all you can is watch it fly. That's what's beautiful about it. It's simple in it's execution but creates total devastation." The witch giggled as she sipped.

"Is that so?"

The witch leaned forward, her eyes burning with pride. "Do you know where it comes from?"

Regina shook her head.

The witch scoffed. "Of course you don't. It's very ancient, almost mythical." She took another sip and sighed happily. "Legend has it that it was forged in the very fires of hell."

"Oh, well, we've been to hell," Regina said nonchalantly. "We defeated it's powers once, we can again."

The witch choked on her tea as she laughed. "I heard! I am sorry I missed that adventure!" She rocked and chuckled.

Regina gave her a calm, unfazed smile. "You really beleive the Apathy Spell is incurable? Come on, no spell is perfect"

The witch smirked. She gazed at Regina and slowly rocked. "You're fishing." She gave a long laugh. "You are right though. No spell is infallible. There is supposedly a tiny speck of hope."

Regina raised her eyebrow. "That is the annoying thing about magic, isn't it?"

The witch leaned back. "Honestly, I think the 'silver linings' to these spells do more harm than good. I'd like to think they're an ironic twist, something that leads to more ruin in the end." She gave Regina an evil smile. "Be sure to tell Emma all about it." She cackled.

Regina frowned but stayed steady. "I wouldn't dismiss her so easily."

"Oh, I do not, I assure you! She is the epitome of a true heroine and I am sure she will have a lovely, suffering life as all heroes do."

"I wouldn't bet on it."

"No? Well, we shall see," said the old hag, sipping her tea. "According to legend, only an act of true, selfless sacrifice can undo the devastation of the Apathy Spell."

Regina stared at her. "That's it?"

The witch nodded, smiling. "It's a very old, vague legend, Child. Much has been lost to time. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with that."

Regina sighed. "It's hardly original." She noticed that the witch was reaching the bottom of her cup. She waved her hand, dissolving the tea cups and table with her magic.

"Oh, is the tea party over?" the witch asked sadly.

"It is for you, as is your evil doing."

The witch snorted. "Is that a fact?"

"Hm, it is. You see, maybe you can detect a harmful spell, but apparently you don't have too much experience with good spells."

The witch looked at her. 'What do you mean?"

Regina smiled. "That tea you drank contained the Karma Spell."

The witch's eyes doubled in size and she began to wheeze. "Karma?" she asked in alarm.

Regina smugly nodded. "You will cast no more evil, cause no more harm. Why? Because you'll no longer want to."

The witch grabbed at her throat and began to gag. "No! Oh, I can taste it! That's the awful, horrible sweetness of good! Oh, you sneaky, treacherous brat!"

Regina backed away, laughing. The witch glowed with a light white aura. Her black hair lightened to a pleasant shade of light gray. Her back grew straighter and the twisted crook in her back evened out.

As she cried, her voice lightened and it changed from rants and yells to a light, sweet laughter. "Oh, that does feel so much better," she said in an airy voice. She looked at Regina. "Thank you."

Regina smiled and nodded.

David returned and stared at the witch. "What happened?"

Regina smiled. "Karma. Her last spell was a wicked, personality destroyer. My spell cast the opposite, a personality improver. She made Hook apathetic, the Karma spell cast the reverse on her. She'll be a helpful, annoying ray of sunshine from now on."

David looked at the witch, you was tidying up the cell. "Are you sure?"

"Sheriff dear," the witch said, "do you have a broom or perhaps a mop and some lovely soapy water? Idle hands do demons work you know. You've been such kind children. How about once I'm done with my cell I knit you all some cozy socks?"

End of Chapter Four