Just a short update because I don't want to leave too much time in between each one, I'm not sure how long this story will go on…I have two outcomes for the accident in mind – one will lead to a quick ending, the other to a possibly more complex story…hmm…ideas?
"There is no way dearie," he stated, his tone lacking in its usual arrogance, today it sounded to be laced with something equal to guilt. Snow's brow furrowed once more, she had known the answer before arriving – if he could do it then why hadn't he broken the border when he wanted to search for his son? Simple, he couldn't. "I truly am sorry." Her head snapped up with shock, the honesty in his voice was something she was sure she would never become used to.
She regarded him quietly for a moment before deciding, "Then…come with me, to the border." Even if they couldn't break the barrier they could at least rally round for the two women, show their support at this terrible time. He studied her features as if trying to fathom why she would ask him to go with her, he could tell she was harbouring the false hope that somehow, with the help of any kind of God; they would succeed in reaching them. He pitied the woman, if Regina could hear her sickening optimism now she would…his heart dropped slightly at the thought. She couldn't hear her now; she could barely breathe if the rumours already spreading around the town like wildfire were to be believed. His student, his monster…was lying, crushed underneath something as trivial as a car – it didn't fit well with him that such a powerful woman could be made vulnerable so easily.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
He sighed deeply, no wonder Regina repeatedly tried to kill these idiots, and they truly were insufferable. "Yes, now let's get going shall we Your Highness?" he used his cane to point towards the exit with a practised roll of his eyes. As they moved through the shop he couldn't help but look when a small trinket caught his eye as the light hit it.
"No."
"No?"
"No." Her answer was final, it was the only thing she had left of him and she sure as hell wasn't going to hand it over to her malicious tutor – he would most likely find some way of hexing it to control her or something…her grasp on magic and its properties still wasn't strong and it was frustrating her. She looked up as he shifted from foot to foot, watching him sometimes verged on nauseating – he never seemed to keep still and it disorientated her.
"I will give you anything but this." She fiddled with the brass ring that remained safely attached to a delicate gold necklace, it usually remained hidden underneath her clothes but today's lesson had been taxing on her, she had asked to take a couple of minutes to gather her thoughts and, as usual when she was in one of her moods, she calmed herself with the touch of her engagement ring. The conniving little imp had spotted it almost immediately and formulated some little scheme to take it from her.
He rolled his eyes at her innocence, she still wasn't in the place he needed her to be, she wasn't broken enough to carry out his grand plan yet but she would – all in good time. "Magic is bore from emotions dearie, the stronger the emotion the more powerful the magic." He quirked an eyebrow mockingly as she glared up at him from her seated position on the tree stump. "If I'm not mistaken, that little trinket around your royal neck," he pointed towards the ring she was threading back and forth on the chain, "holds a wee bit of sentimental value does it not?"
"You know it does!" she spat back at him rising from her broken stool in her fury, "you know it does." She would not let him see her cry; it would do no good to show him her weaknesses. He watched with interest at her reaction to the memory of her lost love…now may be the time to bring in that insufferable realm jumper, yes. His eyes twinkled as his plan came into formation in his twisted little mind.
It only took a trip across worlds and a fake failed revival to gain the necklace from her, she had finally cracked – now the real fun would begin.
He winced as he remembered the power and sheer lust for magic in her eyes the day her heart began darkening, a complete contrast to the woman he was going to watch die today. With initial hesitation he plucked the necklace from the shelf, placed it in his pocket and limped after Snow White.
"M-Mom?" Her already weakening heart almost stopped at his voice.
"H-Henry?"
"Mom!"
"Regina!" Henry and Emma exclaimed at once at hearing Regina's breathy tones, she was awake. The relief that flooded the blonde however was short lived as she watched how Regina's hand trembled on its way up to find Henry's cheek. The brunette was weakening significantly, Emma wasn't sure she was even fighting anymore. She glanced over to the border to find her mother and Rumple had arrived and joined the line flanking the town's edge, steadily townsfolk had made their way to the area in order to offer the help that was absolutely pointless. She looked back down to see Henry resting his forehead against his mother's as they both let silent tears trail down painfully scrunched faces.
"I'll be back in a second," she whispered as she rose, they needed their time together and she needed to find out if any progress had been made. The Blue Fairy, although stating that she couldn't take down the magic holding them in place, had been working tirelessly with the other fairies, waves of pale blue and white shimmered against the cursed surface, trickling to the ground simply like rain down a window.
Snow caught her eye first and out of maternal instinct and concern she instantly stepped to embrace her daughter, luckily David was well aware of her nature and was more than ready to catch her before she fell prey to the curse, "thank you." A blush crept across her cheeks as she realized her stupid mistake. He only nodded in response before they brought their gaze back to Emma.
"Anything?" she raised her eyebrows in hope only to have it dashed by Charming's grim smile, he was trying to reassure her, she wished he wouldn't.
"Emma…" Snow started tentatively knowing this wasn't going to be taken well, "it's starting to get late, you must be exhausted…you should get some sleep." Instantly her hesitation was justified, the blonde's eyebrows were almost lost to her hairline as she laughed incredulously as the suggestion.
She took an automatic step back as though she had been burned, "are you fucking kidding me?!" a few of the bystanders turned to watch in surprise as the expletive from the sheriff met their ears, Ruby and Granny looked on sympathetically, their wolf hearing enabled them to hear the cause of Emma's outrage although they wished they hadn't, how could she be so tactless at a time like this?
Emma stepped abruptly to the side and pointed towards the overturned car, "do you see that?" she practically shouted not caring who was listening in, "can you see your Grandson sobbing his heart out over his mother who by the way is trapped under a fucking vehicle slowly dy-"her words caught in her throat as the reality hit her…there was no known way of getting her out but she couldn't voice the admission, her chest constricted as she fell to her knees.
"Oh, Emma please come over here," Snow whined, her daughter was almost at her fingertips but just out of reach, she could do nothing and she knew that Emma wasn't going to comply with her – she felt utterly helpless as she turned her face into David's embrace.
"…she can't leave me."
Gold watched the display in front of him with bile in his throat, why did he feel so moved to want to help her? ….because you created her, he reminded himself internally. His sick little mind games had led them all to this point. Absentmindedly he fiddled with the ring still attached to the necklace in his pocket, it began burning slightly as he watched the woman laying still on the ground on the other side of the border…could it work?
"H-hey my darling…boy" Regina used what little strength she had to soothe the heartbroken boy clinging to her upper half as he nuzzled into her neck as gently as possible. "It's…o-o-okay."
The sound of her broken sentences scared him, she could barely talk now. "Mom?" He didn't look up to see if she was listening, he knew she would be. "I…I'm sorry." He felt her hand move through his hair once more as she tried to speak but couldn't find the breath; he lifted himself to rest on his elbow so he could take in her face. She was fighting to keep her eyes open for him, the lump in his throat only grew but he had to tell her, she had to know. "I'm sorry for wasting these last few years, for all the times I told you I h-hated you. It wasn't true! I l-lo-love you so much." The sadness in his eyes was breaking her already faint beating heart, "but please…please don't go." His emotions were beginning to get the better of him as he strived to push through them. "I p-promise I'll ne-he-ever say it again, I'll cl-clean my r-r-room," his bottom lip was quivering violently as he made insignificant promises like any young child, he didn't know how to deal with this. He had told himself he needed to be strong for her but he couldn't, not when she was giving up, he could feel it…she wasn't trying anymore!
"You've g-got to keep figh-fighting Mom, please!" he dropped back down onto her chest, dampening her bloodied top with his tears. Due to the shaking of his despair ridden body he hadn't noticed the stillness of hers.
