(okay, so i don't know if there is something wrong with my fanfiction, cause once again i got a private message saying that someone couldn't look at the newest chapter :/ Hope this fixes it!)
I'm so sorry that this has taken so long. I REALLY struggled with this chapter, though I hope that what happens sort of makes up for the delay.
This hasn't been through beta, so I have no idea whether this is any good or not.
Oh and, by the way, I wanted to try my hand at a little Frankenwolf, so the first seen is a little different than usual. I just think that the discussion they had in the show was too important to leave out. While I'm not 100% sure that I ship them, I do think that it is likely that they will end up together on the show.
Please review!
Chapter 7
Dr Whale, or Viktor Frankenstein as he was known in his own world, lowered himself carefully onto his stomach and turned his head, gazing through the gap under the car at Cora, not four metres away. A wind had whipped up, tugging the woman's skirts around her as she spun on her heel and paced away from their position. He raised his hand, signalling to the woman beside him. Red raised her head just enough to look over through the car's widows, and remained there for a moment, quickly summing the woman up. She wasn't very tall, and despite the heavy skirt and overwrap she was probably quite thin. So she probably didn't have much physical strength. Which didn't really tell her anything, considering that apparently her magic would lend her super human strength if she needed it. Red ducked down again and leaned her back against the car, bitting her lip thoughtfully as she tried to think. She glanced down at Whale, just in time to see that he had been staring at her. Her eyes narrowed. She could vaguely remember that the man had done similar things when they'd been cursed, though she couldn't exactly remember the exact moments. A lot of what had happened before Emma's arrival in Storybroke was a blur.
Whale could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head as he kept his eyes averted; embarrassed that she had caught him watching. He couldn't help it. She was so different to anything that he'd ever seen in his own world, so bright and vibrant compared to the black and white that coloured his world. As a cursed man, he'd always been fascinated by the red steaks in her hair, though it was only now that he understood why.
Sensing the man's embarrassment, Red chose not to comment. A gust of air whipped around them, and Red stiffened abruptly, her mouth thinning into an angry line.
Whale jumped when he heard her voice barely inches from his ear. 'Tell me, does staying late at the hospital usually involve drink? Or were you somewhere else and are you actually working for Cora? Cause heaven help you if you are'. Her voice was low and furious; partly to ensure that there was no chance of Cora hearing them.
He could feel the shame rising as he turned to look straight into her dark eyes. He understood perfectly well why she was asking, and it was clear that it was not to spite him, but rather that she actually did suspect that he might have deceived them. He decided that the best way to avoid an argument, or a future one, was to go for the truth. Speaking as calmly as possible, he whispered, 'I drank because I'm ashamed of myself. I'm ashamed that I brought an innocent stable boy back to life and that the process turned him into a mindless monster, all for my own gain. I had a few glasses because I feel guilty that I hurt the woman that has caused me pain. And I hate myself because she had a perfectly good reason to cause me pain, and I can't forgive her'. He looked down at the rough pavement beneath him, realising that he had said far more than he had intended. There wasn't much point in stopping now. 'I drank because I wanted to forget the pain of my past, for however a brief a time'. He looked up again, his jaw set with defiance and his eyes sparkling with anger. 'But I am not working with Cora'.
Red blinked rapidly, entirely unprepared for the heartfelt speech. She hadn't expected more than an embarrassed, half-true excuse and a declaration that he hadn't been working with Cora. Instead, she'd learnt far more about him than she had before. 'Who are you, Whale? Why does Regina hate you? Why do you hate yourself?' She was very familiar with the concept of self-loathing.
Whale hesitated. Through the gap, he could see that Cora was still alone, still pacing, and he wondered what was taking Regina so long. Keeping Cora unsuspicious while Blue and Gold worked was the core of the plan, the others merely backup. Aside from Regina and Gold, no one else knew his name, and he wondered whether Archie would say that revealing his identity was the first step towards making amends with what he had done. Those that knew what had happened with Daniel, and knew his involvement, would probably know, or be able to guess, who he was, but they were few and far in between, as Regina hadn't revealed the true extent of what had happened to anyone, aside from James. And Hook, though Whale didn't know that. And James had been asleep for the majority of the curse, so he was probably lacking the right memories to recognise who he was if he told he heard the story. 'My name is Viktor. Viktor Frankenstein'. Red's eyes widened and her forehead creased in a puzzled frown. 'I hate myself because my brother died because of me. And I wasn't…skilled enough to bring him back. So I made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin. I would help play a…prank on a friend of his, and he would give me a heart for my brother. The prank was far more than a good natured joke. There was a young woman Rumple was trying to tutor in the dark arts, a woman that he needed to become a monster. But she was resisting because she couldn't let go of her dead lover. Through a series of events, a co-conspirator of Rumple's got her in contact with me, and then agreed to attempt to bring her lover back to life. My 'attempt' was a fraud. I informed the woman that I was unable to do what she wanted, and the knowledge, combined with the hope that she had tried to resist, broke her. She returned to Rumple's side while I returned to my land with the heart I required and attempted to revive my brother'. Whale met Red's puzzled eyes. 'That woman was Regina'.
Red's mouth fell open, horror and shock showing in her eyes. Her thoughts immediately went to what James had told her, about Daniel's sudden unexpected resurrection and the way he had been a monster. She felt suddenly sick, and she pressed a hand to her stomach in an attempt to quell the violent heaving. Not only had Regina lost the man she had loved again, but she had had to go through hoping desperately that the slim chance of a happy ending would not escape her twice. And she'd had to suffer the bitter disappointment each time. No wonder she looked so broken. No wonder she had been so desperately trying to prevent Hook from coming with them. It was a miracle that she had even considered the possibility of loving the pirate.
She could see the humiliation in Whale's eyes as he saw her expression and she hastily attempted to school her features. She needed to hear his whole story now that he had begun, and she had the uneasy feeling that the worst was yet to come. 'Go on', she breathed, half expecting that her voice wouldn't work.
Whale rested his chin on his arms, watching as Cora continued to pace, and went on. 'I returned to my land, a world of black and white shades, where the concept of colour was foreign to most. And I brought my brother back to life. It was the happiest moment of my life, that I had been able to bring back my brother, and that I had fulfilled my dream. I had always wanted my name to be associated with life. I wanted to be known as the man who could bring back the dead'. His smile turned bitter. 'Instead, everyone believes I am a monster because of what happened. Perhaps I am. The process wasn't perfect, and my brother turned out to be a monster, no matter how I tried to look at it. He killed my father. And I didn't learn my lesson. When the curse broke, when Regina refused to send me back, I took Daniel's preserved body from her mausoleum, along with one of her hearts, and brought him back. And, like last time, he was a monster. She was forced to kill him'.
There was a long silence. Red was unsure what to say. Hesitantly, she placed a hand on his arm. 'Hey, I get it. I do. I'm a werewolf; I'm basically the original monster. I killed my boyfriend. I get what it's like to hate yourself and what you've done, and I get that you wanted to escape from it. Look, your name may be associated with death, but at least you originally had good intentions right? I'm pretty sure I was just hungry'. She gave him a bittersweet smile.
He smiled back. It was nice to have someone who understood. 'Thank you. I know it doesn't exactly make up for what I did to her, but I'm here because I want to help Regina defeat her mother'.
Red nodded. 'That's all that matters; that you're trying to make up for what you've done. It's what Regina's trying to do'. She hesitated, but her curiosity got the better of her. 'Monster to monster, why did you bring Daniel back the first time?' There was a slight hostility to her voice, as if she thought he'd done it simply to hurt the woman. Red could hear the tone of her voice, and she was surprised that she was feeling so protective of the woman. But they were far more alike than she had originally thought, and she was pretty sure that she might hit Whale if it was simply for revenge.
Whale sighed heavily. 'I did it because…I thought that if she had her true love back and she knew it was because of me then she might send me back to my world. Truthfully, I didn't know that he would be a monster, though I should have guessed'.
A movement across the street caught his eye and he jerked his head around to gaze under the car again. A column of purple smoke was evaporating in the street. A pair of legs began to walk towards Cora, who had stopped and was now facing in the newcomers direction. Whale nodded to Red. 'She's here'.
Red expression had become friendly during their conversation, but now it hardened, her eyes becoming dark and deadly. She reached for the gun Emma lent her and cocked it. 'Well, I'd say this is your opportunity to make up for what you did to Regina'.
Whale sat up and pulled the walky-talky from his belt. He picked up the second gun and handed the walky-talky to Red before turning on his heal so that he could look through the window of the car. Regina was facing in his direction, standing stiff and straight, and a safe distance from her mother. This close, Whale could distinctly see the barely suppressed dread in Regina's eyes.
The tension was so thick that Regina was sure that if she tried she wouldn't be able to move. Strangely, she didn't feel as afraid as she had last time. Henry was safely out of the way, and Cora didn't know where Hook was. She was still scared, but she wasn't trembling. She could stand straight, looking directly into her mother's eyes, and not back down. Unlike last time, she had something worth fighting for. It was as if Henry's belief and Hook's love had given her strength. She closed her eyes briefly. Killian. Henry. I love you both. Then she opened her eyes again. 'Hello Mother'.
Cora smiled at her daughter. Regina was slightly taken aback by the lack of amnesty in the woman's eyes. 'Regina. I…' the woman hesitated. Regina found herself frowning. Cora never hesitated. Cora cleared her throat. 'I need to tell you something. I'm not sure if I've ever said it, and I realise now how wrong that is. I love you Regina'.
Regina's entire body froze. When she was young, all she had ever wanted was her mother's approval. She could feel that desire rising inside her now and she tried desperately to squash it. 'I know what you're doing', she hissed, 'but how can you expect me to even consider believing you after what you just did to me?'
Cora looked away, and Regina jerked back as the light from the moon glinted in her mother's too bright eyes. Surely that couldn't be tears? 'I honestly thought that I was helping you, dear. I...I know now that I was doing it all wrong. I wanted you to have power and position because I know what it's like to have exact opposite. To have nothing. I thought that that was more important than happiness'.
Regina's eyes flashed. 'You had my father! You had me! How is that nothing?!' The anger was overtaking her reason now, and she could feel the horror at how similar they had become. This had to be an act. She couldn't see how all her hopes could be becoming a reality. And Cora hadn't even mentioned Hook yet.
Cora shook her head slowly. 'I had to make many…deals to even get your father to notice me. I was the daughter of a miller Regina, you know that. Our world is different from this one. What would you have had if you hadn't married a powerful man? There was nothing else you could have done. I wanted to make sure that you didn't end up on the streets, scrabbling for money however you could'.
Truth. It shocked her into silence. There was practically nothing for a woman to do in their land, not if you weren't married. Cautiously, Regina let her defensive posture relax slightly. Despite the voice screaming at her not to believe Cora for even a moment, she wanted to hear what she had to say. She couldn't help it. Because no matter what her mother had done, she was still her mother. And Regina still loved her. That was why she was so scared of Cora, why she shook at the very mention of her mother. Because, really, what did it say about her, if she could still love this woman? She wasn't scared that Cora would hurt her; she was scared that when Cora did, she still wouldn't be able to hate her. 'Mother… there were other ways. You didn't need to kill an innocent boy simply because he loved me. You…' she shook her head helplessly, fighting back the tears and the misery. She couldn't let her mother get to her. 'No matter what your motives were, you hurt me so badly that I never recovered. No scratch that', her voice darkened in anger, 'I was hurt long before you killed Daniel. There were cracks in the glass long before you struck the final shattering blow. Even beyond the physical abuse, do you know how much you damaged me mentally? God, I mean, love is weakness'. Regina threw her hands up in the air and turned her back on the woman as all the supressed anger and sadness and insecurity gathered in her like an oncoming storm. 'You must know how wrong that is! True love broke this curse mother. True love saved my son. True love woke me from that blasted curse! Did you intend for me to turn out the way I did? Was that your plan all along, to hurt me so badly that I was like putty in your hands?' a sob broke the tirade, and Regina wasn't even aware that her voice had risen to a shout. She'd forgotten all about the plan. She couldn't think of anything except the physical pain gripping her heart. 'Did you know that I would hurt a young girl, a girl that I loved? Did you know that I would ruin her life? Did you even pause to consider what you might be doing, giving the throne to a damaged woman and unleashing her on the world?' Regina stopped, breathing heavily as she desperately tried to shut off her emotions. Wave after wave of bitterness was rolling through her, and she could feel the woman locked at the back of her consciousness stirring. Regina closed her eyes and tilted her face up to the sky. 'And you know what; I don't even blame you for everything I've done. You may have brought me up so that there were only several paths for me to take, but I still took them'. A frown creased her brow and she clenched her fists to stop them from trembling. 'Did you know that all I ever wanted from you was your love? Your affection? The knowledge that I made you proud in some way?'
Cora was silent. Regina wasn't even sure if she was there anymore. Slowly, the brunette turned to face her mother. She felt something twist in her heart at the expression on her mother's face. She'd hoped that her words would shake Cora, that she would be able to see through the scam. Instead, Cora looked ashamed, and her eyes closed as an expression of pain crossed her face. 'Regina, true love may be powerful in its own way, but it is still weakness. Because when you love someone, you have something to lose'. Cora shrugged, and her lips twisted as if she was trying to keep in tears. 'I am truly sorry for hurting you so, but you must understand that that was never my intention. I thought that I was making you stronger. Regina…I know that you want your son's forgiveness and his love…'
Regina cut her off, anger ripping through her body. 'Don't you dare bring Henry into this'.
Cora held up her hands in defence, her eyes sorrowful. 'Regina, all I want is to prove a point. I want to correct my mistakes. I want to be a better mother. And how can you expect Henry to forgive you, when you still can't forgive me?'
Across the street, Emma froze. Shit. Cora just found Regina's weak spot. Her palms were sweating, but she didn't dare put either the gun or the walky-talky down. Instead, she lifted the machine to her mouth and hissed, 'is everybody hearing this?'
When she received everyone's assent, she continued. 'What should we do? Cora is lying, she's very good at it, but I can tell. If she gets through to Regina I don't know what we can do'.
Grumpy's voice came over, barely understandable for all the static. 'I don't understand why she is falling for this'.
Hook's voice was threatening, tinged with a little desperation. 'Cora knows her daughter better than any of us. She knows where the cracks in her armour are'.
Regina was standing completely still, her head ringing with her mother's question. How can you expect Henry to forgive you, when you still can't forgive me? Was she that similar to her mother? So similar that she had hurt Henry in a way that put her in the same place as the woman standing before her. What if she was right? What if her past deeds came between them in the future? 'I…' her voice choked and she found that she couldn't continue. Out here, away from Henry and Hook, away from the people who loved her and who could remind her of who she really was, she could feel her walls slipping. She could feel the vulnerability and misery rising inside her. Most of all, she could feel that desire to accept Cora's apology, that wish to have her mother's love. She tried desperately to resist. She wanted to scream at her allies to abandon the plan. Because she was slipping, and the more she slipped, the more she could feel the Evil Queen stirring.
As if sensing her inner turmoil, Cora stepped forwards. Regina stepped back, revolving on one foot so that her back was to the clock tower. Again, Cora stepped forwards, and before Regina could react, Cora had placed her hand against her cheek. The touch seemed to break something inside her. The suffocating presence of Cora's magic blocked her senses and numbed her ability to think clearly. It washed away all memory of the plan, all memory of Hook and Henry and the people surrounding their position. All that remained was the desperate need to feel her mother's love. And before she knew what was happening, she was leaning forwards and Cora's arms were wrapped around her, and her face was pressed against her mother's shoulder. This close, Cora's presence seemed to wrap like a cocoon around her, and if she had been thinking clearly she would have tried to pull away. But she couldn't. All she knew was that she was finally getting what she had always wanted. Her vision blurred and the silence was deafening. Her mother had no heartbeat, something that Regina had always been aware of as a young girl.
Emma could feel herself shaking violently. She had practically been able to see the way Regina's resolve had slowly crumbled. She wanted to hit Cora. That manipulative…She took a deep breath and said into the walky-talky, 'okay, everyone get ready to move. If this goes wrong we'll have to put the plan into motion very quickly. Wait for my signal'.
Cora stroked Regina's hair gently, but to all those watching it was far more possessive than affectionate. 'Regina…I recognise how wrong I have been in believing that I knew what was best for you. If happiness and love is what you want, then I will support you. If I could just see Hook, then I will give you both my blessing'. Something strange glinted in her eyes, and Emma felt bile rise in her throat at the lie.
Regina went very stiff. That sounded very familiar. Through the thick haze clouding her mind, a memory of a young stable boy being led away by her mother, as she talked about giving them her blessing, rose behind her eyes. With a surge of strength, Regina shoved Cora away from her, her eyes flashing with anger and betrayal. 'No! How stupid do you think I am mother?! You won't get anywhere near Killian!'
Cora's eyes narrowed. 'Are you choosing that pirate over me, darling?'
Regina held her ground, even though she inwardly cringed at Cora's tone. 'Yes. I am choosing Killian and Henry over you. I can't have both, and so far I've seen far more love from them then I ever have from you. I'm sorry'.
And just like that, all sadness and regret and guilt were wiped from Cora's face. Now, her eyes were dark and hard and her face was a mask of blank fury. Regina flinched. She'd never seen her mother look so angry. And she knew the reason. No one had ever put Cora second. A low, dark chuckle slipped past Cora's lips. Her eyes glinted with something like triumph. 'Like you say, my dear, you can't have both'.
Regina's eyes widened. 'What have you done?'
Cora stretched her hands out as if she was going to embrace Regina, and her daughter took a step back. As she watched, smoke gathered at her mother's fingertips and before she could blink, the two people she loved most were standing mere inches away from Cora. And as she looked from Henry's completely terrified expression to Hook's astounded one, she realised the fatal flaw in their plan. Gold had prevented Cora from transporting herself away. He had not prevented Cora from transporting others here.
Hook's body was wrapped in thick purple smoke, preventing him from moving. Henry's entire body was frozen, suspended a foot off the ground, and the only thing he could move was his eyes. Right now, they were rapidly filling with tears. Cora laughed openly at Regina's terror. 'Oh Regina dear do you really think that I didn't know where you all were? Really I must be out of shape. I've known where you've been ever since this confounded man', she squeezed her left hand tightly and Hook gasped desperately for air, 'woke you up. What on earth possessed you to leave your son alone with people who can't even perform the most basic form of magic?'
Regina couldn't breathe. Fear was constricting her throat, pushing down heavily on her chest. 'You shouldn't have been able to take him from the diner. It was protected…'
Cora's grin was Cheshire like. 'But the area around it wasn't, was it? All it took was an illusion outside the diner to lure him out, and the moment he stepped foot outside the wards I was able to bring him here'.
'Please', Regina's own voice sounded foreign to her. She didn't think that she'd ever sounded so desperate. 'Please, just let them go. You can take me; you can do whatever you want to me, I don't care if you place me under a sleeping curse that brings me excruciating pain. Just…let them go'.
Hook struggled violently against his bounds, his eyes wide as he stared at her. 'No Regina! Don't…' a coil of dark smoke snaked around his mouth, silencing him. The pirate choked at the strangely suffocating sensation, and a dry sob escaped Regina's lips as she watched him.
Cora shook her head, tutting gently under her breath. 'Like you said Regina, you can't have both. Choose'.
Regina felt as if her whole world was slowly crumbling. No, she can't do this, she can't make me choose. 'I…' her words died in her suddenly dry throat as she looked from her son to the man she loved. 'I can't…'
Cora arched an eyebrow. 'If you don't choose then I will just kill them both'.
Regina closed her eyes in pain. Her desperation was mounting, and with it came the fear. It crashed down on her again and again, like an ocean wiped up by a gale, and the pressure in her head was mounting. Blood pounded in her ears and when she opened her eyes, she couldn't see anything. At the very back of her mind, something began to wake. And she remembered her own thoughts. Fear was exactly what might force her to wake up.
Emma couldn't move. She was frozen. She could only stare in horror as her son stood helpless across the street. How is this possible? She was jolted out of her thoughts as Gold reached across her and snatched the walky-talky from her trembling hand. He pressed the button and hissed into the machine, 'now would be a very good time to move, dearies!'
Across the street, Regina was standing frozen to the spot as she desperately tried to repress the woman slowly awakening at the back of her mind. And then, without warning, chaos exploded.
With a crescendo of raucous sound, all the car alarms in the area went off. Cora cried out as the unfamiliar sound assaulted her ears. The binds keeping Hook and Henry in place vanished as Cora slapped her hands over her ears in a vain attempt to block out the racket, her face screwed up in pain. Hook picked Henry up without hesitation, backing away from the woman towards the clock tower, shouting, 'Regina! Come on, move!'
But she couldn't. She felt that if she moved the pressure would break. Vaguely, she was aware of movement. The dwarves rushed out of one of the nearby shops, shouting at the tops of their lungs as they brandished their assorted weapons over their heads.
Granny stood from behind one of the cars, her crossbow raised as she fixed Cora with a piercing glare. Blue stood beside her, muttering quietly under her breath as she readied the spell that would subdue Cora. Red and Whale dashed out from behind a car, planting themselves firmly beside James, Snow and Emma. Gold stood a little back, leaning against one of the cars, smiling as he listened to the work of his magic. He'd had a suspicion that Cora wouldn't yet be used to modern technology, and he was right.
James stepped forwards, his sword levelled at Cora's heart. Snow stood a little behind him, her bow raised and aimed at Cora's head. Emma stood beside her, her gun held steady, though she was inching slowly around her towards Henry. 'It's over Cora'.
Wincing, her expression twisted, Cora held out her hands, palm down. 'I congratulate you on your victory. Now would you be so kind as to turn that blasted sound off'.
Gold smirked. 'Not until your effectively subdued, dearie'. He was actually enjoying this. His hand was raised, and Cora could clearly see the dark magic gathering in his hand.
Cora narrowed her eyes at her former master. 'Well then, let's get on with it'. And she held out her hands, clearly expecting to be tied up.
James lowered his sword slowly, glancing over his shoulder at his wife and daughter. Snow nodded, keeping her bow up. 'I've got your back'.
James sheathed his sword. He drew a pair of enchanted handcuffs from his belt and stepped forwards wearily. The spell on the handcuffs was not permanent, but it would serve to subdue Cora's magic at least until they found a more suitable way of containing her. As the prince stepped forwards the cuff her wrists, Hook felt trepidation seize him. There was no way that it could be this easy.
As James stepped forwards, Snow realised a split second too late that her view of Cora was now blocked. From across the street, Gold saw it too. 'Charming!'
Gold's warning came too late. Cora lunged and her hand went straight through the prince's chest. James cried out in pain, falling to his knees as Cora withdrew her hand swiftly, his heart held tightly in her grasp. Granny, Snow, Emma, Ruby and Whale fired their weapons simultaneously, only to watch with horror as Cora raised her free hand and blocked them with magic. Snow screamed in horror as dark purple smoke surrounded her husband's heart. 'James!'
Cora grinned wickedly. 'Let's see how well you can really fight, little Snow'. The dark purple smoke sank into the glowing heart, and the woman shoved it beneath her robes.
James stood. Hook started in shock as he saw that the man's eyes were completely black, the irises swirling with purple smoke. The prince drew his sword and turned around. Snow stared in horror. 'James?'
Without hesitation, the former prince launched himself at his wife, raising his sword to bring it down on her head. Snow screamed and ducked out of the way, barely avoiding the wickedly sharp blade. The young woman backed up, dropping her bow and shrugging off her quiver. She held up her hands beseechingly. 'James, it's me, Snow! Come on, you can fight her!' She jumped back as he aimed another swipe at her head. 'Fight it!'
'You're Majesty!' Gold snapped his fingers, conjuring a sword out of thin air, and threw it towards Snow. Snow ducked under James's blade, turned, and caught the sword. She spun and their swords met with a resounding clang that send a high pitched note echoing down the street.
'Attack!' The dwarves charged forwards at Grumpy's command.
Stray bullets rocketed around the street as Cora deflected them, and arrows whizzed through the air like stray hornets. Explosions of black magic and purple smoke sent pieces of concrete high into the sky, filling the air with a thick, foul tasting ash. Fire caught alight on whatever surface it struck, the dark flames roaring high into the air. Cora took several steps towards Gold as the man pushed himself off the car, his hands moving in a blur as he conjured curse after curse at the woman that had once been his apprentice.
'Regina!' A body tackled the brunette's, sending her crashing to the ground, just in time to avoid the spell that went flying over their heads. A shock wave pushed them to the ground again as they attempted to stand, and Regina's head knocked sharply against the concrete. Everything blurred as she tried to shake away the dizziness, Red's anxious face swimming in and out of focus. She was vaguely aware that Whale was crouching beside them, firing continuously at Cora's blurred form. Thank goodness those guns won't run out of bullets.
Groggily, Regina lifted her head, planting her hands on the ground as she started to push herself upright. And she froze. Through the smoke and flames, she could see two people lying sprawled on the pavement below the clock tower. Hook lay on his stomach, his body curled protectively around the small boy in his arms. A trickle of blood leaked slowly from a cut on Henry's cheek.
Time seemed to stop. Everything faded out of existence, the explosions and shouts blocked out by the sudden thundering sound of her heartbeat. All her senses were focused on the terrifying sight. Everything narrowed to a single point in space and time, as a horrible realisation filled her mind.
She screamed. The scream came from deep inside her chest, ripping from her throat with a force that knocked the car across the street onto its roof. It was a scream of horror and terror and despair. It was a scream that attracted the attention of everyone present, a scream that burst the glass in the windows and forced several people to their knees.
It was a scream of a woman who had just lost everything.
Cora lowered her hands in time with Gold, turning around to face her daughter. Her eyes flashed with triumph as she saw what her daughter was looking at. She had finally succeeded in breaking her daughter.
Regina's eyes closed. The pressure in her head was gone. The fear filling her body flowed away. In one moment, all her weaknesses were gone. She felt numb, empty, as if all emotion had just been ripped from her. Her heart shattered into a thousand tiny pieces as the being buried deep inside her chest lifted its scarred head. There was no point resisting anymore.
Regina stood, her eyes still closed. Tears were pouring down her face, and with them fell the woman trying to be better for those she loved. And as she turned her back, wrenching herself forcefully away from Red's consoling hands, she missed the way the bodies across the street moved as they slowly regained consciousness.
When she opened her eyes, there was nothing of Regina Mills left in her gaze.
Her eyes were black and empty, and no light reflected off the darkness. Her lips twisted into something resembling a smile, her eyes flashing with fire. Purple smoke gathered in her hands, sparks of lightning and fire snapping down onto the pavement. Her lips parted, and an inhumane laugh rolled from her tongue and into the night air.
Her eyes were full of a malice and hatred that Snow had not seen in twenty eight years. A cold shiver of apprehension and fear flowed down her spine as the woman's cruel laughter resonated through the air, the boom of thunder and lightning in the dark clouds above only serving to underline the horror of the situation.
The Evil Queen had returned.
So, what do you think?
Before anyone brings it up, I know that Cora's transition from placing her daughter under a sleeping curse, to attempting to win back her love, and then to trying to get her to choose between Hook and Henry, was a bit…odd. But the thing is, nothing Cora does makes sense. I mean, first she wanted to rip her daughter's heart out, then she wanted to tell her that she loved her and went to all that trouble to get to Storybroke. We have no idea what her motives are yet, and until we do there is nothing we can to but speculate. Yes, I know that it was sort of out of character, but we actually don't know that much about Cora's character, at least, not her true one. And honestly, I think that if Regina hadn't given in to her mother on that drive, Cora would have gone for a more brutal approach. She switches her approach depending on the situation.
Oh and, what do you think of the little Whale/Red moment? Do you think that it was unrealistic? In truth, we don't know that much about Whale's actual character, so I kinda guessed. And I wanted to explain the reason why he always seems to be staring at her. I don't think that its creepy or stalkerish. I think that its literally because there is nothing like her where he comes from.
Please review! Let me know what you liked, what you didn't like, and what you think might happen and what you want to happen. The next chapter isn't written, so I will most likely include your suggestions :)
