Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and all the characters belong to ABC and the creators. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: I just want to thank you all for the follows/favorites/reviews! And a special thanks to my beta.


Chapter 7: The Well

Emma studied Regina as she said her last words, she was intrigued by the fact the woman hadn't said anything else about her past with Jefferson, just mentioning the things that had happened back in Storybrooke. She was even tempted to interrupt her a few times – with more questions than she thought possible for her brain to come up with – but decided to ignore them for the moment, focusing on the subject at hand.

"Ok, so you were your Regina self and delivered an innocent man to Gold, knowing what he could do." Emma rolled her eyes, what else could she expect of Regina anyway? What to expect of anything after all that had been happening in her life those past days? She was in fact relieved the woman hadn't killed him herself. Emma decided not to go any further into the details of the woman's story. She still remembered how Jefferson had tied Mary Margaret up and got her locked up too, so even though she didn't agree with Regina's way of doing things, the man had it coming. He was no prince Charming, that was for sure. Staring at the woman beside her, she pondered, "That still doesn't explain why you lied that you didn't know him." Emma chose to say instead, not really sure why that was the question she opted for among so many others, that seemed more important.

Regina let out a frustrated sigh, "He is no innocent man, Miss Swan. Didn't you hear everything I just told you?"

And Emma had listened. She paid attention to every word Regina said with a lot of care. After all it was the first time she had Regina admitting something she had done, and if Emma really looked, she'd see bits of regret on the other woman's eyes. It was so out of character, having the woman willingly telling her what she'd done to the Jefferson, so the blonde inhaled deeply, not wanting to spoil the moment with their bickering, ready to ask again, more softly now.

"I didn't want to answer questions about him." Regina interrupted her thoughts.

"What?" Emma puzzled, turning to look at the woman again.

"When you asked if I knew him, back at my house, I didn't want you and your parents asking about his whereabouts. It would make things… even more complicated." The 'for me' part of her sentence was omitted, but Emma could hear it nonetheless.

Even though what the woman had said made complete sense, Emma couldn't help the feeling in the pit of her stomach that was telling her this was not the whole truth. Regina was still hiding something, but the younger woman could not point out what is was. Staring deep into the brunette's eyes, she could see there was something else she wanted to say but wouldn't. And why wouldn't she? Emma Swan would not let it go. So she pushed again, watching the protuberant lines in the woman's forehead harden at her new question, her hands closing into tight fits on top of the table.

"So why tell me the truth now?"

As expected, Regina stood up, moving away from her gaze. "I believe we are done with this conversation, dear." was the simple reply.

"No." Emma said suddenly, one hand outstretched to hold Regina's writs. "We are not, Regina."

"Excuse me?" Her tone matched the glare she threw Emma's way, abruptly pushing her arm free.

Emma was certain she had crossed a line right there, but pushed the feeling away, standing up just to stop right in front of the other woman, not daring to break eye contact.

"It's the least you could do." Emma walked a bit further, cornering Regina in front of the cupboard, afraid the woman would just walk away from the kitchen, "If it wasn't for you and your insanity, I wouldn't be here to begin with. And God knows I'm not just talking about being in the middle of a fairytale land!"

"What in heavens could you possibly be talking about then, Miss Swan?"

"This." She motioned her hand at Regina and then back to herself, "This need to believe you are not some crazy murderer that shows no remorse whatsoever. But that you actually have something else underneath this Evil Queen façade. That you are human."

Regina chuckled in disbelief. But Emma was not fooled by it. She could finally see a crack under the woman's walls. The way her eyes blinked, slightly shocked at her words. And how her lips parted a bit as if she needed to argue in her own defense at being human, or even how she'd stepped back a little to avoid any more personal contact. Emma saw it all in a flash. But as soon as the vulnerability came it was taken away from her. It took only another second for Regina's features to darken again, causing Emma to sigh deeply.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, dear. But that's all there is." Regina's stoic words did nothing to remind her who she was.

"Damnit Regina, you are so frustrating!" Emma glared at her, hands up in the air in surrender. The woman was impossible. So Emma did the only thing she could do and stooped down to her level, "If we want to go back to Henry –" And there it was again: the vulnerability, as soon as Emma's lips pronounced their son's name. Regina took another step away from her, crossing her arms on her chest. "If you truly want to go back to him, you need to swallow up this ridiculous pride of yours and trust me. That is the only way I'll give you a chance and trust you back. And looking at our possibilities here, I dare to say we need each other. We have no one else."

"I work alone." The response was automatic, and she didn't sound as sure as she certainly wanted.

"Well, too bad." Emma replied sincerely, "Because Henry needs both his mothers and I'm not letting him down this time, so you can get this bad attitude and shove it." Emma ignored the woman's body language and stepped forward, inches away from her face, "Because you know you need me, at least for now when, let's be honest here, you don't even control your own magic." She watched as Regina's eyes moved, conflicted at her words, and before she could snap back, she continued, softer this time, "I'll leave you alone now, but next time I ask you something you will answer me without a second thought, because until we step foot in Storybrooke we are a team, whether you like it or not."

Moving slowly away from the woman, Emma left the room.


Snow couldn't believe her eyes. Her grip on her husband's hand tightened significantly as her gaze travelled at the sight in front of them. Her eyes following from the bright glow at the tip of Gold's wand to the green mist surrounding the well. She had no idea what was possibly going on, but she could tell by the frightened look on Jefferson's features that it wasn't anything good.

She was about to step forward when she felt David pulling her back, they exchanged a brief look; the woman understood his need to protect her. It was definitely the David Nolan part of him showing its personality, that part that believed Mary Margaret was some sort of porcelain doll that needed protection. So she smiled at him, reassuringly, causing him to smile back in return, seeing the fierce Snow White standing in front of him, not the school teacher he had grown so found of, and with a small nod he let her go.

"Gold! What are you doing?" Snow approached them almost running into the well herself, "You did it. You opened a portal!"

Mr. Gold turned his gaze at the couple, smiling widely as if he knew they'd be there somehow. "It seems like I did, didn't I?" If it was possible to smile even wider he'd surely do it.

Snow locked eyes with him, she despised the man. And as much as she wanted not to be touched by that feeling she couldn't help it. He was the reason behind all of this, he had manipulated Regina from the start, not to mention herself, she was also nothing more than just another piece in his terrible, terrible game.

"The hat –" she connected the dots as her eyes locked with Jefferson's. The man seemed frozen in his spot, not able to communicate with her. Snow turned her attention back to the older man, the last events crashing in the back of her mind. Gold knew where Jefferson had been all this time, he watched them turn the town upside down after him. He also knew how to get the hat to work. Not to mention the well. They were being manipulated yet again.

As if reading his wife's mind, David stepped forward, standing right beside her. "What is this, Rumplestilskin?"

"It is exactly what you think." The man limped slowly towards them, "Now, dearies, the correct question is: are you ready to accept my deal?"

Snow didn't even flinch. As soon as she saw the scene playing in front of her, she understood it all. So the question didn't surprise her at all, in fact, she was just waiting for it to come out of the dark one's lips, it was just a matter of time. And in spite of herself, she also knew the answer that left her lips seconds later.

"Yes."


The bar was empty, as it was every single night for as long as he could remember. Hook sat with his feet placed on top of the table, holding a bottle that was now half empty. Adjusting himself in his position, he took a long gulp from his drink, wiping his mouth clean with the back of his hand. After Cora had forbidden him to stay in his own ship, he'd kicked – quite literally, plus punched and threatened to death – every person who'd dare walk in the bar and named himself the new owner. And for what seemed liked years, he would come to his new home and drink himself to sleep, until the day he decided to man up and face the witch, he would get his precious Jolly Roger back or he'd be damned.

Little did he know, because you see, the plan did not go as the captain expected, and he will forever blame the amount of alcohol he ingested that day for losing the battle. Moving again in his seat, he grimaced, still feeling the pain in his bones from that gloomy day. Cora had him beaten up so badly that his only memory is from the moment he woke up: blood-faced and tied to an old tree in the middle of the forest.

It took him three long days before he'd untied himself, another three more to find Regina's palace. And once he did, he never left. Well, that was until Regina herself came back claiming the place as her own.

What's with these Mills women and their need to leave him homeless? The man chuckled again, his inebriated state taking over his body and mind.

"Bloody witches." He mumbled before taking another sip.

His last conversation with Cora did nothing to calm his nerves. He was tired of waiting, tired of being told what to do. So many years had passed and he still had to live with the knowledge that the crocodile lived. At least back in Neverland he had Peter Pan to make things more interesting, not to mention the adorable Tinkerbell. He chuckled loudly this time, taking another mouthful, reliving the memories in the back of his mind. Who would know he'd end up trapped in yet another land where time was stuck still? And who would say he'd be in this place again, drinking his sorrows away? Mourning over the loss of his dearest Milah and the way he'd failed her in his revenge.

But tomorrow would be different. He had gotten himself another chance. He'd go to the dark palace and convince the two women he was at their side. For once, he'd stick to the plan and follow Cora's rules. Help the ladies get him the compass and finally kill Rumplestilkin.


Regina finished her dinner, she didn't call Emma when it was ready nor did she wait for her when the blonde showed up behind her – probably smelling thefood from God knows where she had spent the last two hours. Regina didn't care anyway. So Instead, as soon as the sheriff's form crossed her sight line, she grabbed her plate off the rustic kitchen's table and left to the dining room.

Now, Regina stared at her empty silverware, surprised – not to mention a bit intrigued – that Emma Swan hadn't followed her. It had been what, almost forty minutes since she left the woman behind?

The former Queen tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to get a glimpse through the long corridor that led to the kitchen. Nothing, no sign of the idiotic blonde. She sighed absent-mindedly.

Regina couldn't remember the last time she had a true ally. Most of her accomplices were forced to help her, but Miss Swan was different, maybe it was part of her knightly personality, but her insistence to get Regina to believe she wanted nothing more than to help was overwhelming. The woman's eyes rested at the chair across from her, at end of the table, causing her to stiff immediately. That was the place where her dear father used to sit and join her for their meals together. Henry Mills Sr. was a good man, one that willingly wanted nothing more than to be by his daughter's side. Just like the Savior herself.

The memories of her father brought tears to her eyes, which she instantly held back, preventing them from falling. The images of his blood on her hands burning in her irises, constricting her airways, it was suddenly very difficult to breathe. So was that what remorse felt like? Regina closed her eyes shut, with as much force as she could manage. Her hands closed into fists on her lap, she tried to concentrate, to ease the pain away.

The woman could feel her heart pounding loudly and fast inside her chest, small drops of sweat started forming in her forehead, and she wouldn't dare open her eyes. It was too much. What was happening to her? Regina felt like she was having a heart attack, she tried hard to inhale but something wouldn't let her and, if she wasn't sitting, it was most likely that she'd pass out. Her legs and hands were trembling, hell, her whole body was shaking.

Breathing rapidly to try to gain control of her body again, she dared to open her eyes, just to lock them with jaded ones. How long had Emma Swan been watching her?


This turned out to be the longest day ever, Mary Margaret realized as she played absent-mindedly with the napkin in front of her. After the latest events, they had called Ruby and quickly told her about the change in their plan: they would meet back at the diner instead of the forest. Blue could join them there.

As soon as they arrived, they filled the other two women in about what happened at the well. Blue decided she'd go to the mines and inform Leroy about it too, they would need to be more careful protecting the fairy dust now that they knew the well had such strong power. So she left, leaving the three old friends alone.

"There was no escape, Red. He tricked us. Again." Mary Margaret took a sip from her hot cocoa, defeat getting the best of her. She was still very much in shock regarding what she had to do, blaming herself for not realizing Mr. Gold was playing them all along, "If I said no, God knows what he would've done. The portal was already open and we were running out of time. We had to be sure Emma was safe."

The waitress smiled sympathetically, reaching across the table to hold her friend's hands in hers, "I understand. You don't need to explain yourself to me, Snow, never. You always do the right thing."

Snow smiled in return but it didn't reach her eyes, "How am I going to tell Henry about it? How am I supposed to tell my grandson that we might as well have killed his mother?"

"You won't." Red replied simply, like she was saying that the sky was blue, preventing Snow to go any further, "First we will figure out a way to save Regina." She paused, "Did I really say that out loud?" Then she flashed one of her most honest, big smiles, and this time, her friend smiled back truthfully, causing Red to squeeze her hands a little bit. "There you go. We'll find a way, we always do."

David approached them, his own hot chocolate in hands.

"Henry is sound asleep." He told them before sitting next to his wife.

They remained silent for a while, each one lost in their own world. Neither imagining they'd be in such a mess after the curse broke. Wasn't it supposed to restore everyone's happy endings?

Ruby was the one to break the quietness, "We should try talking to Belle."

Husband and wife exchanged puzzled looks, the name sounding unfamiliar to both of them.

"She is Gold's girlfriend. Or at least I think she is." The woman explained, "She stopped by at the diner the other day, she acted a bit strange, I've got to give you that, but seemed more lost than dangerous."

"Do you think she'd help us?" Snow asked.

"If this Belle is associated with Gold in any way, I don't think we should trust her." David added quickly.

Ruby shrugged, "We should give her the benefit of the doubt at least. I can talk to her, see what her deal is."

Snow immediately flinched at the word, causing the other woman to mouth a small 'sorry'.

"I don't know, Ruby." David was about to continue, but stopped when Mary Margaret touched his hand.

"She is right. Belle can be our way out."