A/N: Sorry for the slight delay. I was sick but now let's get on with some magical fighting shall we? This chapter describes deaths but I don't think it's too graphic so I'm leaving the rating where it is.
"Erm, where's the lake?" Emma asked, looking over the dusty, dry ground from the edge of the forest.
""What do you mean?" Regina asked as she walked up behind Emma. "It's right … Oh shit."
"Great," Emma sighed. "I'm guessing your Dark Curse destroys even magical lakes."
Regina didn't answer, instead staring out over the desolate basin, not a drop of water to be seen. There was no hope. They were never going to get back to Henry. They were never going to return home.
The brunette walked forward, towards the faint line in the earth which marked where the lake had once lapped at the shore. Crouching down, she ran her fingers over the soil. There were still traces of powerful magic, she could feel it dancing against her skin. But she knew it was no good without liquid. Reaching to her water bottle, Regina poured a few drops onto the dust. The ground shimmered and darkened for a moment before the water was absorbed. Nothing. The magic must have been within the water of the lake, not the soil itself.
Emma walked up behind Regina and watched as the older woman moved her hand slowly over the dry ground.
"Well?" Emma asked tentatively.
"There's magic in the soil but no water," Regina replied. "We need the water to revive the bean."
"So we're screwed?" Emma asked, laying her leather jacket on the ground and sitting beside Regina.
The brunette didn't answer, instead sitting next to Emma and joining the blonde in staring out over the dry lake. Neither needed confirmation that their plan had failed. Emma watched as Hook walked around the lake, scuffing up dust and bending down occasionally to pick things up from the lake's floor. She hoped he kept walking and never came back.
"Hello Regina."
Both women whipped their heads around at the voice.
"Mother?" Regina asked, scrambling to her feet and standing tall. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to make sure you didn't do anything stupid. Although it seems your Dark Curse saved me the trouble. Tell me, how did you plan on leaving here without me knowing?"
"I have to leave, Mother," Regina implored. "My son, our son," she added, glancing at Emma who was also now standing, "needs us. I have to get back to him."
"Nonsense dear," Cora laughed. "I'll bring him here, that way we can all be a family. Together."
"You want to go to Storybrooke?" Regina asked, wide eyed.
"I want my family," Cora said simply.
"And what would you know about family?" Regina spat. "You hated Father. You treated me with distain my entire childhood. You crushed the heart of my true love right in front of my eyes and forced me to marry a man three times my age. You don't know what the word family means. I need to get back to the people that do."
"People?" Cora questioned.
"Person," Regina corrected, her cheeks slightly flushed. "My son. Whatever, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that I do not want to be playing happy families in the Enchanted Forest with you. Emma and I are going back home and there's nothing you can do to stop us."
"I wouldn't count on that love," came a deep voice from behind them.
"What do you mean?" Emma asked, turning to Hook who had sidled up behind the two women. He was grinning widely.
"I mean that you're not going anywhere. Cora and I are."
"You … you're working together?" Regina asked, her eyes widening further.
"I work for me," Hook corrected, walking to stand beside Cora. "I ally myself with anyone who can help me. And right now, Cora is the one who can get me to Rumplestiltskin."
"Hate to break it to you Hook but none of us are going anywhere," Emma said, gesturing to the lake.
"Oh I wouldn't say that," Hook grinned as he reached behind his back and held out a snail shell.
"You're going to ride to Storybrooke on a snail?" Emma scoffed.
"The water within it," he explained, before he handed it to Cora.
"You found water?" Regina breathed, her eyes on the shell now resting in her mother's hands.
"I'm a pirate love," Hook leered. "I can always find water."
"Give it to me," Regina demanded, holding out her hand.
Hook and Cora both laughed. Regina glowered and slowly lowered her outstretched hand.
"You can't do anything without the bean," Emma pointed out, her hand moving to the pouch tied to her belt where the shrivelled seed was kept.
"True," Cora said, nodding slowly, a glint in her eye.
In an instant, Emma felt herself pushed aside. Regina flung herself in front of the blonde, a wall of fire radiating outwards to deflect her mother's magic. Emma watched, wide eyed, from the ground as the two brunettes sent spell after spell at each other, the deflections dancing away in different directions.
"Give me the bean now," hissed a low voice in Emma's ear. The cold blade of the pirate's sword pressed hard against her windpipe as Hook crouched over the blonde's back.
Emma gasped and brought her hands up to clutch at the sword, trying desperately to pull it from her neck. Hook laughed at her struggle and pressed harder.
"Give me the bean and you live," he stated, twisting the sword so the sharpened blade dug further into Emma's flesh.
Regina spun around as she heard Emma cry out. Eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. Emma was sprawled on the ground, the pirate kneeling over her with his sword to her throat. Spinning back around in time to deflect yet another spell from her own mother, Regina concentrated hard, willing what she was imagining into existence.
Something hard pressed against Emma's hip. Slipping her hand down, her fingers touched cool metal. The hilt of a sword. Grasping it firmly, Emma pulled the weapon free and flipped over, throwing Hook from her back. The man rolled away, down the slope of the dry lake bed and Emma sprang to her feet, chasing after him.
Hook recovered himself and stood too, smiling widely as he saw Emma standing before him, her sword raised.
"Do you know how to use that love?" he asked.
"I'll figure it out," Emma shrugged, stepping closer to the pirate as she did so.
The clashing of metal against metal reached Regina's ears and she breathed a sigh of relief, just as she ducked to avoid an immobilising spell her mother hurled at her. Casting a shield once more, Regina flexed her fingers, feeling the magic build there as she watched her mother appraise the situation. The two women were evenly matched. This duel would go on for hours without some sort of game changer.
The fireballs flew from her hand as her mother twisted on the spot, surrounding herself in a deflecting curse until Regina dropped her arms, panting heavily. Cora grinned and raised her own arm, ready for the counter attack.
Hook stepped neatly out the way as Emma lunged at him, turning on the spot and blocking her next strike. Their blades danced through the air, each of them unable to outwit the other. The pirate had to admit though, the blonde was putting up a good fight. Just as he thought that, Emma moved towards him once more and Hook seized his chance. Dodging the blade and gripping her shoulders, he threw the blonde to the ground, the sword flying from her grip. Emma scrambled desperately towards the weapon but Hook grasped her foot, pulling her backwards. The blonde kicked out, connecting with his knee and making the man yelp in pain. As she felt her fingers close around the hilt of the sword, Emma rolled over, ready to fight again.
She gasped as she looked up into the dark eyes above her. Hook easily blocked her swing and curled his hook around her sword, sliding it down the blade as he knelt over her. Her heart was racing as he leaned further down, his hot breath puffing over her face.
"Normally, I prefer to do more enjoyable activities with a woman on her back," Hook leered.
"Me too," Emma gasped, her hands shaking in the effort to hold her sword.
Hook frowned. "You lie with women?" he asked, momentarily distracted.
Emma grinned at him. "Yes, so you can stop trying to woo me and get on with trying to kill me."
The pirate's eyes darkened further. "As you wish," he said, his hook sliding a few inches further down Emma's sword.
Regina spun around, avoiding her mother's latest fireball by a millimetre. As she did so, she spotted Emma and Hook. The blonde was lying on her back, the man poised over her.
"No," she gasped.
Ignoring her mother, who was regrouping her powers again, Regina focused on Hook. Raising her hand, she narrowed her eyes and aimed.
Hook screamed as fire engulfed him and blasted him away from Emma. The blonde scrambled up, wide eyed as she watched the flames grow into an inferno as the pirate rolled around on the lake floor. Without looking back, Emma turned to run towards Regina who was now dodging a myriad of fireballs from Cora's hands.
"Emma, stay away!" Regina cried as she saw a flurry of blonde hair charge past her towards her mother.
Emma ignored her. She continued running, straight towards Cora, her sword raised.
The older woman quirked an eyebrow at her new attacker and watched with a sneer on her face as Emma drew closer. Just as the blonde drew her sword back, ready to strike, Cora redirected her fireballs straight towards Emma. The blonde threw herself to the floor, the heat from the magical balls scorching her back.
"NO!" Regina cried, magic coursing through every fibre of her being as fire exploded from her fingertips.
Cora was thrown backwards, her arms flailing wildly as her body rose fifty feet into the air before falling back to earth where it lay, lifeless and broken.
Regina ran towards Emma, crouching down beside her and rolling the blonde onto her back.
"Emma! Are you ok?" she asked desperately as she looked into the ashen, bloodied face below her.
"Yeah," she gritted out, "I think so, thanks."
Regina reached out to pull Emma into a sitting position. She then moved the palm of her hand over the cuts and abrasions on Emma's face, healing them with magic.
Emma visibly relaxed, the tension easing. "Thanks."
Regina nodded before looking up from the blonde and towards her mother's body. Emma followed her gaze.
"Is she-,"
"I think so," Regina whispered, rising to her feet and moving towards Cora.
She looked smaller in death. Less threatening. Less powerful. Her hair was tangled and unruly. A small trickle of blood dribbled from her open mouth. Her eyes were glassy, staring unseeingly into the sky.
"I'm sorry mother," Regina whispered, dropping to her knees beside the corpse. "I'm so sorry."
Regina felt a hand on her shoulder and raised her tear-streaked face to Emma's. The blonde squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before stepping away and walking towards Hook's burnt body. Regina sat on the dry earth, her body shaking as she allowed her emotions to overtake her. Years of emotional abuse at the hands of this woman and yet Regina was still distraught at her death. She had never wanted her mother dead, not really. She had just wanted Cora to allow her and Emma to get back to Henry. Her mother had never understood family. She had never understood how deeply Regina loved. How she would do anything for the people she loved.
Emma returned a few minutes later.
"He's dead," she informed.
Regina nodded. She had known no mortal would be able to survive her fireball.
"Are you ok?" she asked Emma.
"Yeah," the blonde nodded. "You did what you had to do."
"I didn't want her dead, either of them," Regina added.
"I know," Emma nodded. "You did this for Henry."
"And you," Regina added. "I killed Hook so he didn't kill you. I killed Cora so she didn't kill you." Emma waited for Regina to continue. "You're Henry's mother too. He needs us both."
"Then let's get back to him," Emma said with a smile, squeezing Regina's hand.
"The snail shell," Regina remembered, turning to Cora's body and searching her pocket. Locating it at last, she peered inside. "Damn it," she sighed. "The water's spilled out."
"Then we'd better find another snail," Emma said, getting to her feet and holding out a hand to pull Regina up too.
