Here's an update!
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Regina nudges Henry, nudges her hips against him. He doesn't move, she nudges him again, still half asleep.
"Go on Henry." She mutters, her words slurry from sleep. Henry still doesn't move. "Henry, go on, back to your own bed." She nudges him with her hips again, then she feels him rise, pulls the cover away from her sleeping form for a moment before they fall back to her when he's gone.
Henry.
Henry.
Regina opens her eyes wide, sits bolt upright suddenly. Realises she's still on the sofa, still in this flat. Still not home. Just a dream. A dream that reminds her that her baby is waiting for her at home, and she needs to get back there. She drops her head into her hands, letting out a deep sigh, a tear slips out, caught quickly by the hands rubbing at her face, almost willing herself to wake up and go home. But home doesn't come.
She speaks in a small voice then, a message just for Henry, a message to make sure he knows she's okay.
"You wait for me Henry. I need a plan to trap Jefferson. Trap Jefferson and then I can come home."
She falls back to sleep, plagued by unnerving dreams that keep her sleep restless, but enough to sleep off anything resembling too much of a hangover. When she comes into work the next morning she looks over the case files. She knows she's just got to find something that will help them catch Jefferson in the act, that's what is going to help her go home. The only solid information they have is what Whale gave them in return for his freedom, although she knows none of that could incriminate Jefferson, they're too smart for that. She looks at the notes from his interview, there's a list of dealers. They could bring one in? They would probably all be too under Jefferson's thumb to reveal any information. She flicks through some more, finds the message drop offs. How could she work with that? She thinks. Surely if a message was left in a spot Whale revealed to them someone would pick it up? What if they left a message explicitly for Jefferson, see if he came to get it, that could be the connection they need to prove he's behind all this.
She recruits Will and Belle, they seem most willing to follow her leads, gets them to go over to the message drop off, with a fake message, tells them she'll keep in contact via radio.
She radios across, checking up on the pair;
"Will, are you in position?"
There's a fumble, and then Will's voice comes across the radio.
"Roger that ma'am. You said you'd square this with the Guv over brekkie?"
She doesn't need Robin, doesn't need him if he's not going to help her.
"I don't have time for that Will, I have to nail Jefferson now. Look we got the drop off point for Whale's messages, are you at it?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, message in place?"
"Belle has just set it up."
Regina sighs, "if they take the bait…"
"They'll read the fake message, to meet at Jefferson's place, and we follow them." Will continues.
"That'll prove Whale works for Jefferson, and we'll have reasonable connection, we arrest Jefferson, and then I go home."
"Roger that ma'am."
Regina waits, watches the clock tick, Jefferson's file open in front of her, his eyes staring out from his mug shot. She glances down at it, frowns, then closes the file, his face now hidden from view. She reaches for her radio again, calls out for Will. There's no answer, she tries again. She sighs heavily at the way she is lacking in technology here, totally helpless. She gets up, makes herself a coffee and returns to her desk, her radio having still not made a peep. When she sits back at her desk, the door of her office slams open, and in comes Will, panting heavily and completely panic-stricken.
"Is every radio in this place knackered? They've taken her, they've taken Belle." Will turns to Regina, "Whale and some big bodyguard bastards."
John speaks across the room,
"Tuck, mobilise all units in the area, give us the description of the vehicle…" He gets to work with the rest of the team, officers gathering round. Regina looks back to Will, his eyes still on her.
"If she dies, it's all your fault boss." Will tells her, accusingly. Regina goes to speak but he interrupts her, "just…just how do we stop them?"
There's a noise from Robin's office at the top of the room then, a chair scraping. None of the team have seen or heard him all day, and the noise causes them all to look up towards his door, silence falling across each member of the team. His door slams open, the picture of bravado.
"Right, lets fire up the quattro."
Regina rolls her eyes, of course if she was going to create a stereotypical male for her fantasy he would have a love for cars, a certain bright red Audi in particular. It's the car he had been in when they had 'saved' her from Whale right at the beginning of this mess. A 1980s red Audi Quattro rally car, as loud and garish as the name suggests.
Once Robin, Regina, Will and John are piled in, they speed off, taking the streets by force. They receive a radio message from Tuck;
"We've had confirmation, the registration Will gave, the car is in Jefferson's name."
Regina feels a smile growing across her face, this is it, it's coming together now. Robin grabs the radio, answering Tuck;
"Get me everything you've got on Jefferson."
"It isn't much Guv, just some surveillance. Some at his yard, some at the docks."
Regina joins in then, they aren't going to lose this lead on lack of surveillance.
"He keeps boats."
"What's the name of his boat?" Robin asks Tuck, speaking into the radio.
"Looks like the Prince Charlie, Guv."
Robin speaks to Regina then;
"Charlie…Those times in the notebook are tide times. Jefferson's shipping in the drugs on one of his own boats." He tells Regina as she shifts around, grabbing the notebook from the glove compartment and flipping through. He speaks into the radio again.
"Everyone, round up the troops, we're heading to the docks."
Regina looks at him, triumphant smile plastered across her face now.
"I could kiss you."
He looks at her, small smile not so well hidden.
"Don't hold back."
The cars speed towards the docks, park round together in movie style fashion, the sandy ground flying up in the air, the officers exit their cars, gathering round, guns poised. Regina gets out of the car and Robin stands at the other side, watching her over the red rooftop.
"What?" She asks him.
"You, in leather." He tells her, with a grin. Regina just rolls her eyes, she'll let Robin be his 1980's self if it means she's going to get out of here. "Right, three units. I'll lead the first unit, hopefully we'll flush them into the arms of the second unit, led by my esteemed lady colleague here. Uniform, you can mop up"
"Which teams which?" Will asks.
"Uniform you're C team, DI Mills, you lead the B team. I'm the A team." Robin tells them, all macho, all bravado. Regina watches him cock his gun, dramatically.
"Lord have mercy." She mutters to herself, under her breath, turning to lead her team off to their side of the docks.
Regina approaches their viewing point, her team behind her. She can see Whale ahead of her, accompanied by a few other men she doesn't recognise, all of them working around boxes of what must be the drugs.
"Radio silence everyone." She tells the team, bringing her binoculars up to her face and watching. A car approaches the group then, before pulling up, the back seat window winding down. Whale wanders over to the car, taking a packet of the white drugs in his hand and passing it into the car. Regina sees it passed back to him and then the car door opens, and much to Regina's happiness, Jefferson gets out.
"I need Jefferson alive, understand? Alive. He's my destiny." Regina tells the other men. They don't answer, just exchange confused glances, glances Regina catches. "Sorry, not really helping is it?"
She picks up the binoculars again, watching the scene unravel before her. Sees Jefferson and Whale walk together. She pans her binoculars across, watches a tall, broad man reach into the car. He pulls out Belle, Regina takes a sharp intake of breath, sees that Belle is frightened but is fighting to stay brave, to stay strong. Regina mentally wills her to carry on, mentally sends her praises and encouragement. They're going to help her out of there. Regina's radio buzzes, she picks it up, puts it to her ear, Robin's voice crackling through;
"Right, this is the A team, we're going in."
Regina can see Will then, across the canal, he shouts to them.
"This is the police, you are surrounded." With that, he lifts his gun, points it across the water.
Suddenly, two men aim guns, and open fire towards Will. They possess machine guns, the constant drilling of rapid fire ringing through Regina's ears. Will is no match for this onslaught, Regina watches him quickly run back towards the barrels she knows Robin and John are hidden behind. Her breath catches as she watches Will dive out of sight, lucky to be alive.
Regina calls out to Robin through the radio, trying to grasp some sense of the plan now that Will has initiated a slaughter.
"Locksley, do you read me?" Regina asks to no answer. The guns continue to fire but there is no sign of Robin. "Locksley! Do you read me?"
Regina watches the men fire, still unable to see Robin or his team. She sees Belle panic, sees Jefferson grab her, and usher her towards a car. Whale quickly follows, jumping in the car as well, leaving the gun fire to continue. As the car reverses, she hears the loud bang of a gun take three shots, hitting the car, causing the bonnet to shoot up and begin to smoke. Robin, she thinks with a smile.
"Locksley, do you read me?" She tries again, having recognised his shot. Still nothing.
Regina sees Whale abandon the car, looking lost, choosing to sprint away from the scene. She gives Robin what he wants then, plays along with his game.
"B Team to the A Team. Do you read me?" She says with a sigh.
A voice comes across the radio then, Robin's.
"All teams, they're heading your way on foot. Mills, we're cut off, even I can't walk on water. Keep Jefferson in sight but do nothing."
She leads her team away, taking Robin's cue. They split up further down the canal, Regina having convinced them she can talk down Jefferson, she follows Jefferson and Belle, and the others follow Whale.
She follows them through a dark tunnel, she can hear Jefferson shout orders at Belle, forcing her to keep going, a hand wrapped around her. Once again Regina wills Belle to stay strong, to find the courage she knows she has and to stay strong. She comes face to face with Jefferson in a clearing near the canal, it's a showdown now, and Regina knows it. Not only Belle, but her own life is at stake now. She shouts him, causes him to stop and turn to face her. Regina's struck by this situation. Here they are again, Jefferson having taken someone hostage and Regina is to talk him down. He lifts his arm, gun in hand, pointing towards her. This time it's different, this time it is on Regina's terms, this time, Regina wins.
"Hello again, Jefferson." Regina greets him, confidently. "So, what happens?"
"Look this is my show. You try and follow me and I'll kill her." Jefferson says, holding Belle tightly.
Regina just lifts her gun;
"This isn't your show Jefferson, it's mine."
"I'm running this!" Jefferson shouts, causing Belle to whimper slightly at the outburst.
"I have to reclaim my destiny. Somehow, I'm going to stop you, and go home."
"What you talking about…What's she talking about?" Jefferson asks, crazed now.
"I'm facing up to you, I'm strong enough" Regina approaches him then, gun poised.
"Please Ma'am, please!" Belle cries, causing Jefferson to turn his gun towards her then, tears begin to stream down Belle's face.
"I'm strong enough to wake up." Regina tells them.
A voice comes through Regina's radio then.
"Oi! The A Team are back in business."
Regina hears humming, she looks out, looks to the canal. Suddenly, a boat is rounding the corner, at speed. Robin, Will and John on board, guns poised. Jefferson sees them too, his gun switching again to aim at them. The boat comes into their port, pulls up. Jefferson changes his mind again, his gun turning back to Regina.
"You tell them to go fishing, otherwise I blow her brains out." Jefferson warns Regina.
Robin descends the boat, having somehow claimed the machine gun from earlier, the weapon slung over his shoulder. Regina turns to him.
"Stay back! I need Jefferson alive."
"Mills!" Robin tells her, his tone warning.
"Nobody stares at me, you know that, nobody stares at me." Jefferson says, frantically, his manner turning delirious. "He's staring, he's staring."
Regina takes a step forward then, this is her fantasy, she has to do it.
"You are under arrest, for drug trafficking, abduction, and for shooting me in the head."
Suddenly Jefferson pushes Belle to the ground next to him, making his decision, leaving her to crawl away to safety. He goes to shoot his gun, Robin's reflexes proving to be faster however, starting the rapid drill of machine gun fire, shooting all around Jefferson until he tumbles to the ground, his gun lost from his grip. When he's down, Robin ceases fire, speaking with a firm tone.
"There'll be no more drug addicts made here Jefferson."
Regina hurries towards him then, his face a little bloody from shrapnel having fired up and cutting his skin, she speaks close to his face.
"You said you had an empire back in the day. Well you've had your day. You're under arrest."
She pulls him up, his front slamming against the disused barrels he was slumped against, snapping some handcuffs onto his wrists. This is it, she's done it. She looks about her, waits for this world to fade into black and for her to wake back home.
But it doesn't happen.
She shouts then, tells the sky around her.
"He's under arrest! He's under arrest."
She looks all around. Nothing. This world still feels just as real as it had the moment she woke up. She can hear Jefferson panting heavily in front of her, can hear the cars of the other police officers arriving. Can hear Belle being taken care of, Will having rushed over to check on her. Nothing. But then of course, she hadn't been the one to fully apprehend Jefferson. Robin had fired the shots that sent him to the floor, that stripped him of his weapon. That was her moment and he had taken it. She looks across the concrete around them, spots him in the now gathering crowd of officers. She stalks over, her rage simmering.
"What was that? With the machine gun? And the speed boat? Did you think that was impressive?"
Robin turns to her, steps towards her, closing the distance.
"Pardon me, I just saved your live. A simple thank you would suffice."
"You may have stopped me getting back, I was supposed to face this alone." Regina practically growls at him, her teeth bared and gritted.
"Listen your majesty, you were seconds away from death just then. It's a nasty, vicious, messed up world, but if you listen to me you just might get through it." Robin says, squaring up to her, but she doesn't back down, stays equal. In her heels they are almost nose to nose, and neither one has the upper hand. "All right, here goes. You were right, okay? About Jefferson. You have a knack for knowing how folk tick. Psychiatry."
"It's Psychology!" She corrects, not letting up.
"Same thing!" Robin cries.
"I had a plan, I wanted to go home." Regina growls again, leaning in, her eyes wide, the vein in her forehead showing.
"Well, maybe your presence is required a little bit longer round here, by me." He accents the last word with a jab of his sunglasses in her shoulder, causing her rage to boil, nearly spilling over. But before she can retaliate he turns and walks away. Something that has her even angrier, how dare he walk away from her. She looks across to him, and notices his red Audi, Belle sitting in the passenger seat, Will crouched next to her. Her rage simmers then, melting away, replaced with relief as she takes in Belle, safe and sound. She wanders over to her instead. She sees Belle suddenly lean out and pull Will into a fierce hug, surprising him. When they part, she sees Will's smile, the genuine look of happiness on his face. Then something catches Regina's eye, as it does Will. Whale. Will gives chase, catching up with him, Regina joins him, running. Whale turns around then, facing Will. Regina stops a few metres behind, lets Will take this one.
"Oh come on, there are chaps that can pull the trigger, and chaps that can't and you my friend…"
Before Whale can finish his sentence Will takes one shot from his gun, aiming it at his foot, rendering him unable to escape. A smile spreads across Regina's face. Will turns to looks at her then.
"Not nervous. Just cautious." He tells her, and her smile turns into a grin, and they walk back to Belle and the car together as uniform cuff Whale.
When she reaches Belle, she crouches next to the open car door.
"I thought I was going to die Ma'am."
"Well, you're still here Belle." Regina looks down slightly then, says quietly, "and so am I."
"I saw my life passing in front of my eyes. They say that don't they? When you die, you see all the mistakes you've ever made. In that last moment. Somewhere between life, and death." Belle tells her with a nervous laugh.
Regina gives Belle a smile, and begins to walk away, allowing Will to take her place. She thinks on Belle's words, how poignant they might be, without Belle even knowing it. Maybe this is it. These are her mistakes, and she has to fix them. Her challenge between life and death.
Later, when Regina has returned home, she turns and locks the door behind her. Reaches down, unzips her boots, her feet relishing in hitting the flat carpet. She breathes out a heavy sigh, trying to stop her head from replaying today's events over and over. Trying to rest, even just for a moment. She grabs a bottle of red wine from the kitchen counter, pours herself a glass. She takes long gulps, the bitter taste satisfying on her tongue, the liquid slipping down her throat. She places the glass back on the counter, pouring herself another helping and taking it over to the sofa, flopping down in front of the TV. She switches it on, watches the news. Still 1981 news, still wrong.
She gets through the whole programme, sipping on her wine until her second glass is drained, and abandoned on the coffee table, her eyelids feeling heavier. As the news bulletin finishes, the TV suddenly switches, goes black, the echoing sound of water coming out of it. Then, she hears Henry's voice;
You've just been shot. A second ago.
Regina's eyes go wide, she stares at the TV in disbelief. She slides off the sofa, crawls towards it, almost in a trance.
You're lying on the wet ground. Don't try to wake up. It'll hurt too much.
Regina feels it again, the overwhelming nausea, as she fights to keep her eyes on the TV. She sees the picture change from black to a faint orange glow. A glow that turns into candles, Henry's face coming into focus, before going black again.
You'll never make it to his birthday party.
"Henry?" Regina breathes out, continuing to approach the TV. "I'm so sorry."
All those memories.
Suddenly the TV shows a car, an explosion, a flash of light and smoke.
Regina knows this, she recognises this.
"Mother?"
"Daddy?"
Regina's breath is heavy, tears beginning to stream, uncontrollably. Then Henry's voice again.
But it doesn't have to hurt.
Regina frantically presses at the buttons of the TV, using every strength to find some way to turn it off, to stop the pain. Her tears blur her vision, her fingers working blindly, the noise of water getting louder and louder until it deafens her. Finally she is able to find the button to switch it off and the noise stops. She leans back on her heels, her body slumping over, feeling emotionally drained. The tears stop, her hands helping her eyes come back into focus as she lets her emotions out. She breathes deeply, in and out. She feels raw, every emotion she has built and built while she has been here having been wrung out now. When she lifts her head, she looks around her, looks at the apartment, her current home.
She pulls herself up, grabs the voice recorder she had brought back to the flat along with a single police radio. Bits of technology she had planned to try and get some sort of contact with home from. She walks to the mirror on the wall, takes in her appearance. Fashions a more composed look on her face, becomes Regina Mills again. She brings the voice recorder up to her mouth, and speaks.
"My name is Regina Mills. I've just been shot and that bullet has sent me back to 1981. I may be one second away from life, or one second away from death. They say that as you die, your life flashes before you. All those memories, and mistakes that form us." Regina thinks of her parents, then composes herself once more, and continues. "Well bring it on. My life can flash away as much as it wants, because I am not going to die." Tears fill her eyes again, her strength slipping. "I'm coming back to you, Henry." She clicks off the recorder, brings her mouth to her lips, her eyes closing shut. She imagines Henry, the last time she saw him. She blows a kiss, sees him catch it, but, when she opens her eyes she's once again greeted with her own reflection in the mirror, and he's still gone.
Thoughts? x
