This is just a little post-finale reaction piece in preparation for the upcoming season premiere. Thank you all again for the reviews, follows, and prompts both here and on tumblr (I'm Em-Temple on tumblr if any of you want to send prompts there). I am currently in the process of moving so updates may be less frequent, but I will try and post as often as I can. Comments, criticism, and prompts are welcome as always. Xx
The silence that overtakes the diner is deafening. No one is quite sure where to look or what do to in the wake of the life changing events that have just taken place. Emma is still standing in the middle of the diner staring into the receding purple vapor that mere seconds ago was Regina. The clatter of forks and knives against plates filled with burgers, fries, lasagna and assorted other fattening foods has stagnated into a stale awkwardness that is creeping into the air, practically suffocating the patrons who moments ago were toasting and laughing in celebration. Every eye in the room flickers between the abject horror printed across the savior's face and the newly reunited family huddled against the booth mere steps away from her. The word 'monster' lingers in the air like a poisonous echo that cannot be erased nor refuted.
"What have you done?" The question sounds from the back booth in the broken, voice-changing cadence of a teenager. She isn't sure when he came back in the room, or how much he saw, but the heartbroken look on Henry's face tells her that he's seen enough.
"I just tried to do the right thing. I couldn't leave her there to die…" the savior brokenly replies, shock and guilt still clearly written across her countenance.
"Where has she gone? Where is my mom?" The panic in his voice clearly showing in the way he squeaks on the end of the sentence and desperately looks around the room, finally resting his eyes on Robin Hood who still stands holding his child and recently resurrected wife. The betrayal and hurt shining through his eyes is clearly apparent, and for a split second she can see an echo of Regina in that stare. He may not be her blood, but he is certainly her child, especially with the way his eyes turn from broken and panicked to cold an accusatory in a split second.
"She trusted you!" He practically growls, and it's unclear whether he is directing it at his other mother or the archer a few feet away. "She's a hero now, she deserves better than this, from all of you!" He's shouting now and irrational with tears glittering in his eyes. That's what finally breaks it for her. Turning quickly from her place at the bar she grabs her coat and gloves off of the rack in the back and circles in front of the counter towards the door.
"We're closing early. Everyone finish your drinks and clear out, I expect this place to be empty when I get back. Red, I trust you can clean and lock up on your own?" She glances over to see her granddaughter nod at her before she pushes out the front door and heads down the sidewalk into the cold autumn night, away from the chaos and confusion inside.
…
She knows exactly where she will find the queen so she doesn't bother using her wolf senses to try and track her. The sidewalks are familiar and the night sky is oddly clear so she allows her mind to wander as she traces her way down alleys and across side streets to her destination. In her mind's eye she conjures the image of Regina as she crossed into the diner that evening and the way she practically sparkled with happiness. There was an ease and a comfort to her movements as she settled into a corner booth, greeting people from the town, smiling and chatting with an effortlessness Granny had never seen from her before. She remembers the way they had nodded to each other from across the room. No words had been necessary to convey the depth of their feelings; all they needed to communicate was present in the warmth of their eyes and the understanding of a simple gesture. It's odd to think how quickly that moment had been shattered.
She finds her exactly as she expected to, with one arm braced against the rough bark of her beloved apple tree, shoulders shaking with sobs. Her coat and scarf lay crumpled at her feet along with her five inch heels. She has never seen her look smaller or more fragile than she does in this moment of superficial solitude. Granny takes a few silent moments to observe the woman in front of her before she steps into the clearing, purposely snapping a twig on the ground to alert the queen to her presence.
Regina turns sharply at the sudden sound, eyes wide and surprised, with one arm protectively curved around the middle of her body. When she focuses and sees who has encroached upon her privacy her eyes soften and the tears start anew, steadily leaking down her face. The arm defensively wrapped around her middle drops to her side like a heavy weight and her shoulders sag in resignation, every ounce of light and happiness from earlier in the evening is completely absent, the glow from before replaced with an empty brokenness mimicked by the moonlit shadows in the garden.
Without a second thought she crosses the grass and folds the younger woman into her arms, holding her steady as her body is wracked with sobs. One of her hands comes up and gently coasts through her hair as she tucks the queen's head into the crook of her neck. She rests her cheek against the ebony softness there and she can't help but notice the faint scent of forest that clings to the queen's skin and the stickiness of chocolate ice cream that stains her right hand where it held Roland's earlier. Internally she despairs for the woman in her arms because she knows these subtle remnants of happiness and love will never mark the queen's immaculate skin again. Her heart breaks for this woman that has somehow found a place in her heart, and she allows her own tears to mingle with the queen's as they silently grieve together beneath the protective branches of their apple tree.