The Storm and the Teacup

Hello again! Thank you for all the love for this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Bit of Rumbelle here because I haven't really focused on them but in the next chapter we'll be back to Emma, Henry and the gang as well as whatever Alexandra's doing here! Also, just curious, did anyone spot the line from Disney's Hercules in the last chapter? I'd love to know. Enjoy xx

"Hey!" yelled Emma, making the mob turn. She dashed up the steps with Henry, closely flanked by James, Snow, August and Saskia. She pulled Dr. Whale off of Regina "What the hell d'you think you're doing?"

"Teaching this witch a lesson" he answered coolly "We're all grateful to you Emma but you have to understand, she destroyed our lives, ripped our happy endings from us all because her mother destroyed hers"

Emma looked at him hard, before prising his fingers off Regina's jacket. "Thank you" Regina said with a chilly gratefulness. Then she spotted her son at Emma's elbow "Henry!" her arms went out automatically. Another set of hands claimed him first. Snow White's arms wrapped around Henry's shoulders from behind. A reminder of who he belonged to. Biologically at least. Regina's arms dropped to her sides. She would never hurt Henry, when would they see that?

The thing is; as Alexandra knew all too well. They did see that. But they also knew what Regina had done to their family as well as what she would do to them once she got Henry away from them. And they had all separately, silently, made a vow to never be parted like that again. Regina smiled coldly, unafraid. She did, after all, have a plan.

Whatever was wrong with her magic would soon be remedied and Emma had foolishly bought her that time. Time to grow strong enough to kill Emma and her parents so Regina could take back her son.

"Get inside the house" Emma growled, emphasising each word, with the same tone, the same ferocity as when she had believed in magic and remembered the truth and the atrocity of Regina's crime, when she had pinned Regina in the supply cupboard. Regina, hating herself for the fear she felt as she looked into Emma's eyes, scurried to do as she ordered.

As soon as the door was closed, Emma looked round at all the angry faces of the townsfolk. "Look, I get it. I do. But we can't kill her. We're better than that, better than her. You said that I should understand well I do. Better than anyone. I never even had a chance at happily ever after or true love or any of that. My whole life I've been alone. And now, I've got my family back, found my true love and, if you believe in me at all. Just a little. Believe me when I say this: I will get us home safe. I will, whatever it takes, I'll do it. But the only way I can start is by questioning her."

For one scary moment, Alexandra thought Emma meant her, but then she saw Emma's finger pointed dismissively at Regina's front door. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"And that is why we need her alive" Everyone gazed up at Emma for a long moment before moving away, the blood lust fading as they realised what she was asking of them made a good deal of sense.

"And now, for Gold" Emma tripped lightly down the steps and asked her father to go get Regina so she could be escorted to the station.

Regina sat at her dining room table, clutching the book Rumpelstiltskin had given her all those years ago. Her first spell book. The tool by which she had learned to yield magic. She had tried to deal with those fools out there and her magic had, for the first time in many years, failed her. It wasn't like the beginning, where she couldn't get into the right mindset, where her anger, her hate gave way to grief and love. It just hadn't come. Her magic was more powerful than their's Regina assured herself. More powerful than Emma's innate, genetic magic, more powerful than true love, which grew like a flower. Flowers can be crushed. Flowers wither and die. Mine did. Regina thought. I am more powerful because I had to learn it. I had to earn it.

That's why she didn't hear Charming as he opened the door, sword in hand and strode towards her.

"Regina. You're coming with us"

She turned surprised to the handsome prince, standing up, "Where to?"

"Where do you think? Jail" and with that he gripped her arm and steered her towards the door. Regina noticed they kept her well away from Henry. Or rather, Henry kept well away from her. The entire way to the jail he looked right ahead of them, or at the strange young blonde woman Regina didn't recognise who had been given charge of him. Like he knew her from somewhere. She thought she heard August or whoever he was call her Saskia.

Once they were there, James pushed her inside the cell and locked it securely behind her. Her eyes came to rest on Henry. He looked wary of her, as he always did ever since he'd read that damned book. And sad too. Like he pitied her. Like he was afraid of her. And he was. Afraid of what she would do, after everthing she had already done, to win, to defeat Good, to destroy all the Happy endings all over again. But he did pity her too. This woman who had been his mother, who must have had some love of him, he saw that now, when she wasn't scheming, she looked softer, younger, the woman Daniel the Stable Boy had loved. The Girl who had known love.

It was the blonde girl, Saskia someone or other, who tugged him away as her enemies left her alone. He went willingly, smiling up at her whoever she was. Saskia looked at Regina like she was a dangerous animal. Like she knew about the magic bubbling quietly in Regina's veins. Like she knew her plan. No, no way. Regina shook her head at the insanity of it all, keeping her eyes locked on the door as Saskia ushered Henry through it. The minute they were gone, her hand slid through the bars towards the lock. Regina focused. All she could focus on however, was Henry's little face. And then that girl's protective hold, that wary glare she fixed Regina with found it's way into her head too. That was when that flea, that worm, that parasite who plagued her life, chose to reveal himself.

And boy, did he look mad. Regina rolled her eyes. Fabulous.

He smiled coolly "Magic here is unpredictable, Your Majesty" Regina kept quiet. She would have to wait. Wait till her power returned, when she could kill them all. Emma, Snow, James and Rumpelstiltskin. No, no, she chided herself Belle first. Let him rejoice in finding her alive before I slaughter her in front of his eyes before I kill him. The part of Regina that could still love, that loved Henry and Daniel and enjoyed Maleficent's company recoiled at this idea. Belle was after all, an innocent young girl, in love. That was the only reason Regina had abducted her the first time instead of killing her. That and the hold it gave her over the slime standing right in front of her.

Her own calculated smile grew "Hello Rumpel. Now," her smile grew as she found the chord "you may have noticed I'm inconvenienced. How about we make deal?"

Rumpelstiltskin paused, coming closer to her cage, intrigued.

"You let me out, help me get rid of Emma, her allies ad family and I give you anything you want"

"Family? Even little Henry" his smile grew as he twisted her words

"He's not her son"

Rumpelstiltskin chose to repeat his words from earlier "All due respect but he is her son. Perhaps not by the rules of this world but what you're forgetting, Your Majesty, is that we're none of us of this world. And now everyone out there" he pointed to the doors "remembers that. As far as we're concerned, you have no claim to the little Prince whatsoever"

Regina's cool slipped. "I can give you Belle back" she cried desperately.

Rumpelstiltskin looked at her carefully. He had planned what he wanted to say to her, how he wanted to play this. Belle being alive changed everything. Everything. Looking suitably confused and disgusted that she would mention such a painful subject.

"She's not dead." Regina practically whispered

"I know."

"You-"

"Yes. She found me. Escaped after the curse somehow. She's safe. I also know what I'll do to you if you every get out of here. The storm I will unleash on you" he ran his cane across the bars " And I know I'll never deal with you again as long as I live. Especially not for Prince Henry."

Once she realised Belle was useless she changed tack "We? Wait – you're truly going to ally yourself with Emma? With them?!" she spat, right up against the bars now, feral anger bursting through.

"One thing you can always count on is that hearts change, Regina."

And turning on his heel with a snap of his fingers. He disappeared, leaving Regina alone, powerless and confused at Rumpelstiltskin's final question: 'You don't really understand true love do you?'

As his foot hit the floor, he had stepped into his living room. He smiled happily. The smile grew when he spotted Belle waiting for him. "Belle" he stepped forward to greet her, taking her hands in his.

"Rumpelstiltskin. What happened?"

"Well, Emma and the others seem to be planning to apprehend me. Don't worry, I'll answer their questions honestly enough, try to get them to see I want to help them." he wondered if Belle could tell which of his words were carefully chosen lies "They've dealt with Regina before I had the pleasure though"

Belle looked at him, she stiffened and his hands gripped hers tighter as she stepped away from him.

"Please, please don't give into you're hate"

Ever since their conversation by the wishing well, Rumpelstiltskin had been grappling with his thirst for a twenty eight year old grudge against Regina, being trapped by his own curse no less, alone, and the healing effect of Belle's love.

"I- I will try." Trying, he thought satisfied, left room for error.

"And...maybe this will help you remember." Out of the folds of her new blue dress, one out of a selection of such dresses in a distant room of the house, which Regina must have intentionally planted there as a cruel reminder, came a cup. The chipped cup.

Automatically he reached forward, cradling Belle's hands in his own as they held his only reminder of her.

She looked up into his face, eyes shining "I can't believe it...you kept it"

I will try and update tommorrow (bearing in mind with the addition of Alexandra this is AU) and depending on when I manage to catch it, the next chapter probably will include quite a few snatches of Broken. Thank you again for all the love for this story, it's very encouraging. Hope you've enjoyed this. Please do take 2 minutes to review, it's much appreciated.

Child of Galifrey xx