I feel like I'm about to disappoint a boatload of readers...
Everyone's guesses were pretty interesting, though the popular theory...is not it.
But the plot will be moving forward a lot!
Also...considering last night's episode, we'll pretend that it didn't happen BECAUSE IT MESSES THE PLOT OF THIS ENTIRE FIC UP.
Godamnit, like don't get me wrong that final scene was all kinds of glorious with Swan Mills family but...well I won't spoil things.
Also warning for character death? It's none of the good guys, I promise. At best it's the gray-area guy. Really dark gray...
Nonetheless I hope everyone enjoys it!
Whale sat down on the chair opposite Emma and Regina, unsure how to start.
"When people get amnesia, it's usually best to let the patients recuperate on their own terms. Forcing them to try and remember things can be damaging. The same goes for issues that were happening before the accident, but I fear that not letting you know about this might bring more problems."
Both women were beyond confused at the doctor's cryptic words.
"Doc, stop beating around the bush. What is it?" Emma asked.
"Regina's magic is unstable."
Regina blinked, and then frowned. "My magic is fine, Whale."
"It's fine for now while you are relaxed. But magic is emotion, and any time that your emotions get stronger, your magic is working out of whack. It's particularly affected whenever you leave the town, so I'd advise you to stay within the limits-"
"We left yesterday," Regina interrupted.
Whale did not look happy at hearing that. "That's not good."
"What I don't get is, okay Regina's magic is doing weird things, but what's the big deal? Can't Regina just get her magic back to normal somehow?" Emma, back to being the inexperienced magic user, was clueless about the problem.
"It's a big deal because with magic reacting as Regina's is, it can be damaging to people around them, or even fatal."
Regina was pale by now, and Emma longed to just comfort her.
"How did this happen?" Emma asked.
"A little over a year ago, the Dark One went a bit stir crazy. The only way to stop him was to defeat him, or more specifically, to kill him, and Regina was the one to do the deed. We believe that some of the Dark One's magic was transferred to her, and is causing her instability, clashing with her own magic, which has light magic mixed in with dark. From what we had concluded, the magic imbued within the Dark One thrived with power, and did not enjoy being caged. Every time that you would leave town, it would protest by making Regina feel immense pain at essentially being restricted. After a while, the magic began to lash out. You two have managed to keep it out of public knowledge for now, but I would advise you to be careful."
Regina was feeling light-headed. She had not only killed again, even if it was her former-mentor - as evil as he might've been, she couldn't believe she would stoop so low - but now she was a ticking time bomb for others around her? "What can I do?"
"Well, keeping yourself in check is key. If you let your emotions get the best of you, it could prove to have dire consequences."
"Have I...hurt anyone?" she asked, afraid of the answer.
Whale sighed, but responded truthfully. "One. A week or so ago, a woodsman by the name of Al Timber was out and he was going to hurt Emma, and you sort of...tried to burn him alive. He's currently secured in the hospital as he recuperates, but he is so far the only person to have suffered from your haywire condition. Now, I must be heading back, and if you feel anything strange, just give me a call, okay?"
Emma decided to take charge, seeing that the brunette was shell-shocked. She led Whale back out of the house, and once she returned to the living room, Regina was gone. She checked around the house, and didn't find her.
So Emma decided to try her cell. Her call was ignored, so Emma sent a text. After 5 minutes of no response, she left to go to work.
"Are you going to kill me, dearie?" Gold asked with a shrill giggle.
"You haven't given me much of a choice," Regina responded. They were alone in the middle of the forest. Everything was covered in snow, and flurries were falling at that moment. Under any other circumstances, this would look like a serene scene, even picturesque.
But with the two powerful magic users squaring away, this was a scene of tension.
"And pray tell, what will you do once you have my powers? Are you ready to deal with the consequences of becoming the Dark One?"
Regina whipped out the wavy blade and twirled it around slowly. "It won't be much of a problem if I'm not the one doing the deed."
"Oh? You won't get away without any bloodstains you know? I doubt that Ms. Swan will be particularly happy to know her girlfriend has become the Dark One. It's why you came alone, isn't it? You're still a villain, and you're not going to get your happy ending. No matter what, something will take it away, you'll see."
She wasn't even going to ask how Gold knew about her secret relationship, and instead gave a mirthless chuckle. "I just hear the sad ramblings of a desperate man trying to appeal to my heroic side to see if I'll bite and let you off. You hurt your wife, and worse, you hurt my son. If you value your life so much, you'll need to beg."
Something flickered in Gold's eyes at hearing about his wife. "Is...is Belle okay?"
"Oh, now you care? She's fine. She wants to rip you a new one, but she's recovering," Regina decided to at least be courteous and provide the information he was asking for.
Gold took a deep breath, leaning heavily on his cane. "Being the Dark One is a double-edged blade, if you'll pardon the pun. All the power in the world, but no one to share it with. I've lost my family, blinded by my tunnel vision in my quest for power. The least I can do is spare you from being cursed as I was."
Regina saw him step forward and hold his hand out for the dagger. She took a step backwards, hand tight on the dagger. "Do you take me for a fool?"
"Well right now I do. For only a fool would think that killing the Dark One and getting away with their light magic," - he said that last part in a mocking tone, getting Regina to grind her teeth together - "is a possibility. You have two choices. Either kill me and become the Dark One, or give me the dagger and keep your sense of self."
"Rumpelstiltskin, I command thee to not use any trickery," Regina ordered, holding the dagger out horizontally.
He gave a sigh and put his hands up as a show of good faith, letting the cane tumble onto the snow and burrow there. "If I were you dearie, I'd stand back."
Regina let go of the blade, seeing Gold continue holding it up with his magic, and she stepped back, just as he advised.
A shockwave spread out from where the Dark One fell.
Emma had been at the edge of the forest, having used her magic to locate Regina's vicinity, when she felt the tremors.
"Regina?" she called out. "Gold?"
She kept her gun tightly in her hand, and then commanded into the night, "Find me Regina Mills now!"
A bright red line shot out once more, seemingly emerging from herself, and she followed it as fast as she could while it was still active, trudging through the thick and fluffy snow, getting thicker the deeper she went into the forest. Then the line seemingly dropped and pointed to something on the ground before disappearing yet again.
"No..." Emma mumbled, heart plunging as she put her gun away and barrelled towards her girlfriend's collapsed figure. "Regina!"
Emma fell to her knees beside Regina, and checked her pulse. It was still there. Faintly, but there. She didn't have time for anything else, and with Regina in tow, she magicked herself to the hospital.
"Emma? Emma!"
"Huh what?" Emma jumped up at hearing her name, and saw David looking at her strangely.
"Is everything alright? You kinda zoned out there. You've been off for the entire day really. Is it about the date? You didn't come back last night so we assumed it went fine, but..."
"It's not the date, I'm just feeling tired," she responded vaguely. Emma couldn't focus on her work and she begun daydreaming to what she was sure was a memory. It was probably related to what Whale was talking about earlier. She had to find Regina. "Actually, I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off. Give me a call if there's an emergency."
"Alright, take care and get some rest. You look tired," David suggested, giving Emma a hug as she stood up.
"Yeah thanks dad."
Once Emma was outside and beside her car, she released a deep breath and shook her hands. She wasn't sure it'd work, but if past-her could, then present-her could do it too.
"Find me Regina Mills."
Nothing happened. Silently cursed she tried again.
Again nothing. Emma would not give up. She racked her brain for the exact wording and intonation she had used. With as much concentration as she could muster, she focused and squeezed her eyes shut. "Find me Regina Mills now!"
She cracked one eye open and saw the familiar red line shoot out. She took after it in a run, going wherever it'd lead her.
Whale locked the door to his office and sat down. The blinds were closed so he was free to take out his whiskey and fill up a generous glass before downing it in a gulp. He was so far out of his league. He should've told them the entire truth.
He looked at the files for Emma and Regina, where the falsified information was in place. He and Blue had decided, after the fairy had found ample amount of magic surrounding his patients, that panicking anyone was not a good idea. As far as everyone knew, the couple had suffered brain trauma that led to the amnesia. After all, people didn't have to know that their heads hadn't been damaged at all.
Or that in all likelihood, Regina's corrupted magic was the cause for their amnesia.
And yeah!
No magic!baby, sorry to say! I was actually pretty surprised people were thinking about it, maybe in the future?
Also, I'm not a doctor, so take Whale's info as complete and total BS. Well not entirely, but there's no medical accuracy to it.
As is my plan, for the holidays, I'm doing double updates for all my fics! So in a few days you'll get another chapter of this fic! It's much lighter than this one was.
So that's what's coming up! As well as daily updates to Coldly Calculated!