Note: Well, guess this is going to be my last update of the year! Happy New Year everyone!


Chapter 7

Regina looked at the group of people that had gathered at Lake Nostos. She saw anxiety etched across their faces but she also heard the whispers of hope. The group was larger than she had expected as it seemed the threat of Elphaba looming at the Kingdom's borders was frightening more of the Kingdom's population than she thought. The villagers had travelled from far and wide, most of them by horse drawn carriage, and now they anxiously waited at the shores of the Lake for what would come next.

David and Snow broke free from the crowd, closely followed by Ruby. They had travelled across the Kingdom in the last few hours, telling people it was time to go. The news had spread fast and now the final hour was almost upon them.

"Everyone's here," Snow said when she reached Regina. Her heart pounded in her chest. The thought of returning to the other realm, to Storybrooke, was both frightening and exciting.

Walking away from the Enchanted Forest, this time by choice, wasn't something she did lightly. This had been her home for a very long time but Storybrooke had become her home too and it was in Storybrooke that she found Emma. Emma wasn't going to find them here. If they wanted a chance at being a family, they would have to do it in a world where she would become Mary Margaret instead of Snow White. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

Regina nodded and pointed at the surface of the Lake. The sunlight, albeit weak, reflected in her dark hair. "The Portal is opening," she said, her voice strangely hollow. Not far from the shores a small circle was forming in the water, glowing a pale shade of green just below the surface. "It's small but I can feel the magic growing stronger."

A loud rumbling noise in the distance made their heads whip around. Far away, against the horizon, dark clouds gathered. Elphaba's Curse was approaching faster than Regina had expected but there was still time to escape. It didn't bear thinking about what the Curse would do the land they were leaving behind and those few who chose to stay. They were the ones too angry at Regina, the ones who had not forgiven her for the first Curse, to accept her help now and they were the ones who were too sick or too old and wouldn't cope with the strain of travelling through the portal. Death was almost upon them and they were brave enough to face it in the shadow of Elphaba. And then there were those who believed that nothing could be worse than what Regina had done and simply refused to leave and Regina hoped, deep down, that they were right.

"Are you ready?" Snow asked and she put her hand on Regina's arm.

The Queen looked down at the unexpected touch. A lot had changed in the last year and her relationship with Snow was one of those things. Somehow their mutual loss had brought them closer together and the grief and the pain of losing Emma had given them the forgiveness they both sought. They had both loved and lost.

"Yes." Regina's voice was somewhat croaky, as if constricted by tears. Her eyes were fixed on the ever growing ripples in the water. The colour green got brighter. This was her way out of this world, away from the last remnants of the Evil Queen. In Storybrooke she could just be Regina, just like Emma had always said. She wouldn't be as haunted.

"She'll come back," Snow said and gently squeezed Regina's hand. Her eyes met those of the woman who had been her nemesis for so many years. They had both missed out on so much. "When somebody leaves you, it's like a death in your heart. But when they come back, it's the most beautiful feeling. It can make any tears go dry."

Regina didn't answer, keeping her dark eyes peeled on the water in front of her. The sun broke through the cloud and cast golden rays onto the surface, making it glisten with stars made out of gold. She dint know if Snow was right. She had left people. People had left her. None of them had ever come back.

Eventually she tore her eyes away from the Lake and looked around the large group of people gathered on the shores. The portal had begun to open, causing the water to spin rapidly. The sides were still glowing green, with swirls of purple, pink and blue. She stepped away from Snow and let her eyes wander across the faces of those who had chosen to come. "It is time."

"Ok, Regina," David said, his hand briefly touching his sword. "Tell us what we need to do."

"I'm going to cast a replica of the Curse that sent us to Storybrooke the first time," Regina said. "The spell will make Storybrooke appear the same way it did before but we will keep our memories. The portal will only take us there and not to any other realm. When we arrive, it will be like we never left. We may find ourselves in different places, perhaps even in our old homes. I don't know." She briefly met his eyes. "All I know is that it will take us home."

"And back to Emma."

"Yes." The echo of hope in her voice was heart breaking. "And back to Emma."

She raised her hands and from the tips of her fingers dark purple shots of lightning erupted. They found their way up into the sky before landing in the ever fasting spinning portal. In the distance the loud rumbling noise grew stronger and Regina glanced over her shoulder. Dark clouds began to gather, slowly masking the sun.

"She knows we're leaving," she said when she noticed Snow's worried look. The magic was still filling the portal, transforming it into a single passage way to Storybrooke and rebuilding the town that had been destroyed. "We've got to hurry! Bring everyone as close as you can. Once this is done we've got to get out of here."

Snow, David, Ruby and Granny began lining the people up into four groups. They waited patiently as Regina completed her magic and when the Queen finally lowered her hands, purple clouds danced through the portal. She slowly turned around and her eyes found Snow's. She merely nodded and stepped aside, freeing the way for everyone to jump through the portal.

People moved fast and in an orderly fashion, holding hands where they could. Regina watched their faces as the fear of the threat of Elphaba slowly disappeared and was replaced by the hope of going home. They had come from all over the Kingdom and some had travelled from beyond its borders. They were all ready to give up the fairy tale life they led for a life away from here.

It took twenty minutes for everyone to move through the portal and eventually, after the dwarfs had gone through, only Snow, David, Ruby and Granny remained. Snow slowly turned around to see Regina looked around, her gaze lingering on the tall trees. The sound of the birds singing had been silenced by the threat of the oncoming curse. For the first time Snow really saw how lost Regina was. Her broken heart was there for the whole world to see. The Queen had lost her mask.

"Are you coming?" she asked, drawing the Queen's attention.

Regina's eyes snapped in Snow's direction. "Yes," she said as a sad smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "But I need to be the last one to leave I can close the portal to stop her from coming through."

"Regina, this isn't your fault," Snow said as behind her Ruby linked arms with Granny and walked towards the portal. "I know you're worried about what will happen to this land but Elphaba coming here wasn't something you caused. It was something Cora did. You can't blame yourself for what is about to happen here."

Regina swallowed hard but didn't answer. Instead she silently followed Snow and David to the shore of Lake Nostos. Ruby and Granny looked over their shoulder. Ruby was beaming and she waved at them before stepping into the portal. They vanished into the water. Snow reached for David's hand and their fingers linked together. They took the last three steps that separated them from their journey home. The portal made a soft whizzing noise.

"We'll see you back in Storybrooke, Regina," David said as he tightened his grip on Snow's hand. When they arrived back she would be Mary Margaret once again. They looked at Regina still standing behind them, smiled and then disappeared into the portal. Once they were gone Regina was alone.

She felt the wind pull at her hair. It cherished her face and drew the tears from her eyes. She had walked away from this land once, filled with hatred and pain. Now she walked away again but this time she had hope. Many years ago she'd cursed every person living within these lands and trapped them within her own madness and her own despair. They became the pawns and she was the one in charge of their lives. But the Curse was broken and they were different people now. When it first broke she had nothing left but slowly things somehow fell into place. All because of Emma.

Regina glanced up to the sky. Black clouds were packing together above her head. She smirked. "You can have this land, Elphaba. You can have it because there is nothing left. I took what makes me happy and you can't have it. You won't take that happiness from me. Destroying a land isn't going to do that." Her hand covered her heart, fingers digging into the fabric of her dress. "Because my happiness lives in here."

With those words dying out in the wind, Regina stepped into the portal. It immediately pulled her down and she let her eyes fall shut as the sensation washed over her. She didn't even try to hold on. Her arms and legs moved beyond her control. She spun faster and faster and the bright colours slowly faded into black.

And then it stopped.

Regina's eyes opened and she looked around. The wind was in her hair again, caressing her cheeks. It was colder too, cutting through her clothes and chilling her bones. It was dark and a full moon shone down on her through the snow covered trees. She stood in the forest, snow three inches thick surrounding her, and she spun around to face the well from which she had appeared. Purple smoke still billowed up into the air. The magic had not yet died and the portal was still open.

She took two steps towards the well, held her hands over the purple smoke and clenched her fists, trapping the smoke between her fingers. It slowly faded and the water that sat right below the edge slowly dropped down into the darkness where it eventually disappeared. Darkness was all that remained. The portal had been closed.

She allowed herself a moment to feel the change. Her hair had been cropped short again, reaching just above her shoulders. The heavy dress she'd been wearing had been replaced for a pair of simple but elegant black slacks, simple boots and burgundy red woollen sweater. A simple black button up coat sat snug around her body in an attempt to shield her from the winter cold.

Regina slowly walked away from the well, following the footsteps already left behind in the snow and headed into the direction of Storybrooke. The wind was bitter and robbed her of her breath and she pushed her hands deeply inside her pockets to keep her fingers warm. When she eventually left the forest her breath died in the back of her throat. There, just at the bottom of the hill, lay Storybrooke, lit up by the streetlamps and covered in a pure white dusting of snow.

She was home.

~()~

Emma stared out of her hotel room window. Darkness had fallen an hour ago. The website through which she'd booked the hotel hadn't lied. It truly did have a stunning view over the ocean and she'd been watching the waves roll in for the past half an hour, illuminated by the large silver full moon. There was something comforting and soothing about watching the sea. It helped her calm down and ease the strange kind of anxiety that had settled in her stomach.

Henry's room was next to hers, separated only by a door. He'd barely spoken more than ten words to her since getting back into the car. All he'd done was staring at the sign with STORYBROOKE written on it in his lap. She tried to talking to him but was met with only silence. The hurt in his eyes, the betrayal etched across his face, was something Emma knew she would never be able to forget.

When they arrived at the hotel Henry went straight to his room. She knocked the door a couple of times asking him if he would please come out but the door remained locked. It was then that she had climbed into the window sill of her room, her knees pulled up to her chest and her back against the wall. Snow covered large parts of the world outside and it looked like a magical winter wonderland but to Emma it felt as if Christmas was already gone. The thought of spending Christmas here together with Henry suddenly just felt like a horrible idea and she wished they'd stayed at home in New York City.

She rested her head against the cool glass and her eyes fluttered shut. She hurt inside.

The woman's face flooded back into her mind. Dark eyes stared back up to her from underneath the water, the soft voice calling her name in the wind. She was there, wherever she looked and wherever she went. It felt as if she knew her, as if she had somehow seen her before, but Emma didn't know how or why. She heard the echo of her own voice, much like in her dream, calling out again. Regina.

Her head snapped up when the door separating her room from Henry's opened and her son walked in. He carried his book under his arm and the Storybrooke sign in his hand. His eyes met hers from across the room and he put the two items on the bed before climbing on it. Emma watched him for just a few moments before gently slipping out of the window sill, padding across the room, and joining him on the bed.

"You ok, kid?" she asked, giving him a sideways glance.

He nodded. "Yeah."

Emma picked up the piece of wood Henry had found and turned it over in her hands. "How could this have ended up by the well?" she wondered.

"Because Storybrooke exists," Henry said, rather matter of fact. "Or at least it did, once."

Emma furrowed her brow. "What do you mean, it did once?"

Henry opened the book and turned to the very last page. There was a drawing on the last page. A group of people, their faces impossible to see, seemed to disappear into a cloud of purple smoke as they watched something else fade in the distance. The picture didn't show what that something was. The road just seemed to end.

Just as she was about to look away and brush her son's comment off as his imagination, Emma noticed the sign behind the group of people. It was the type of sign you'd pass on your way into or out of a town. It was green with white letters and almost hidden from view. But it was there and the name written on it was a name she had heard more than once recently; Storybrooke.

"Ok." She leant back against the pillows on the bed, the Storybrooke sign in her lap. She looked at Henry. He looked back at her with great expectation. "So let's say you're right and this town actually existed. Where is it now and how did it disappear? Why can't I find it anywhere when I try to look for it?"

"Because the Curse made it disappear."

"The Curse?"

Henry nodded and his eyes lit up. "Yes, Peter Pan's Curse. He was trying to imprison everyone in Storybrooke and turn them into his slaves. But the Evil Queen turned the Curse around and saved everyone but it meant it destroyed Storybrooke, sending them all back to the Enchanted Forest."

Emma's gaze dropped down to the book her son was holding. "The book told you that?"

"Twenty-eight years ago the Evil Queen cast a terrible Curse that sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest to our world," Henry continued. "They lived in a town called Storybrooke and had no memory of who they were. When the Curse was broken, they fought against different enemies but eventually Peter Pan almost became too strong. The Queen saved everyone."

Emma sat up and reached for the book. The story Henry was telling her seemed somewhat strange. "What kind of fairy tales are in even in this thing?" she asked as she flipped through the pages and looked at the various drawings. They were very detailed but looked nothing like the few fairy tales she'd heard when she was growing up.

"They aren't stories!" Henry objected, seemingly annoyed that Emma wasn't getting his point. "Everything in this book actually happened."

Emma heaved a sigh. "So you're saying that all these fairy tale characters came from another world, lived in ours for a long time, then went back and nobody knew about it?"

Henry nodded. "Yes."

"So where are they now?"

"I don't know but I think they're waiting for the Savior."

"The Savior?" she asked and arched an eyebrow. "Who's the Savior?"

"The person who broke the Curse," Henry explained. "The Savior is mentioned by name but I can't find a picture anywhere." He took the book from Emma and turned the pages as if to look for something. He seemed disappointed when he didn't find what he was looking for. "The Savior broke the Curse with True Love's Kiss. That's the way to break the spell."

"Ok," Emma said and she got off the bed. She brushed her hands along her jeans. "I think it's time you and I go and get something to eat."

Henry didn't say anything but willingly got off the bed too. He left the book however as well as the Storybrooke sign and started for the door. Emma followed him, double checked she had the keys to get back in and then closed the door behind them. They stared down the hallway and missed how behind the closed door of their room, a little piece of magic happened.

Another page was added to the book left behind on the bed. A soft gust of wind made the page turn and the picture showed a drawing of a town emerging from a cloud of purple smoke. Storybrooke had appeared again.