Chapter 9: Final Fate
In which Emma helps Henry in more ways than one
After Mr. Gold's explanation, everyone is silent for a while. With true love's kiss not being possible, Regina's fate is sealed. Her true loves in life, are long gone. Henry's love is not strong, or true, enough, even though he is burdened with guilt. "So, there is nothing we can do?" Henry's voice falters. "I'm afraid not," Mr. Gold answers, still feeling very weak. He is sorry for the boy, but silently longing for the ambulance to arrive.
"I can not think of any other course of action either," Mary Margaret says, when Henry looks hopefully up at her. He looks at Dr. Hopper, but he shakes his head as well. The undertaker and his assistants are respectfully waiting at some distance. They have unloaded the stretcher from the hearse and are expecting a sign at any time.
"Come on, Henry," Emma nudges him. "We really need to let them do their job." Emma kneels next to him and takes his hand. He does not want to let Regina go, but gives in to his birth mother's request eventually. "Shall we close her eyes together? You and me?" she asks. "Ok, if we really have to…" He tries to stall the final moment of saying goodbye. "We'll do it together, your hand in mine," Emma says, feeling awful that her young son has to go through so much pain. She knows Henry is carrying an immense guilt and that she played a part in that.
Emma reaches for Regina's forehead, holding Henry's hand in hers; his hand feels so cold and she shivers. When she touches Regina's head and wants to close her eyes, she feels a strange tremor. Emma imagines it's Henry, feeling utterly spent. She looks at Regina's face, and gasps; Regina is looking straight at her!
"What, how," she stammers, looking into Regina's eyes. "Emma, what's going on?" Mary Margaret inquires. "Your powers are very impressive, Miss Swan." Emma is too baffled to respond to Regina's compliment. "Mom, mom!" Henry almost smothers Regina with his hug. "How, what?," Emma is still overwhelmed. "I didn't do anything," she says to no-one in particular. "That seems to be working very well for you though," Mr. Gold chuckles. "Welcome back, Regina," he continues, "good to see you all in one piece again." "Likewise." "Glad we can go our separate ways now…" "Indeed."
"You can wield magic?" Belle is surprised. "Apparently, yes, though I don't know anything about it," Emma answers. Nor do I want to, she thinks. I never asked to be the saviour, or to have the power to break or make curses, or to reclaim people from the death. It's a situation that she has been manoeuvred into, a fate she is destined to fulfil, and a terribly distressing one at that.
The ambulance has arrived and both Regina and Mr. Gold are taken to the hospital, joined by Belle and Henry. Emma, Mary Margaret and Dr. Hopper will follow them. Regina seems perfectly fine, but after a quick check-up, the ambulance personnel are concerned about the condition of Mr. Gold's heart. They whisper about pacemakers and Belle gets agitated when she overhears them discussing it.
Emma, Mary Margaret and Dr. Hopper are all cooped up in Dr. Hopper's car. They are on the way to the hospital, following the ambulance. The hearse has left sometime earlier when it became apparent that their services were no longer necessary. Dr. Hopper and Mary Margaret are in a good mood, but Emma is very quiet. Mary Margaret touches her arm. "Emma, are you ok?" she asks, getting worried. "No, I'm not. What is this power, this magic?" She almost spits the words out of her mouth because of the bad taste they leave behind. "I hardly know anything about it, and what I do know isn't good." "Just because it got to Regina's or Rumplestiltskin's head doesn't mean the same is true for you," Mary Margaret soothes. "The fairies have magic and they don't abuse it." "You hope," Emma responds, feeling grumpy.
Dr. Hopper is eavesdropping ―it is really impossible not to anyway― since his car is very small. He is debating whether he should join the discussion or not. He decides to take a shot at it. "Magic itself is not something to be afraid of," he begins. "It's what people use it for that makes it bad or good. You have broken the curse, you've kissed Henry back to life and now you have saved Regina, even though you two weren't exactly friends. Seems to me that you are definitely using magic for all the good reasons." "But I didn't do anything, I didn't mean for Regina to live." Realizing that doesn't sound too friendly, she continues, "I mean, I wasn't even thinking of Regina, I just felt so bad for Henry having to live with this guilt and suddenly Regina is staring at me, with these cold eyes…" She shivers. "So you did the right thing without intending to, that's even better right?" Archie is totally in his element as a conscience. "It means that you subconsciously make good moral choices." He wants to elaborate on this subject but Mary Margaret stops him.
"I think Emma is upset enough about this without being declared a great moral example as well," she tells Dr. Hopper. "Oh, yes, sorry about that, I got a bit carried away," he apologizes. "I don't want this!" Emma says loudly with emphasis on every word. "Do, either of you, know of a way to get rid of magic? Mr. Gold doesn't have magic anymore, I think?" "The dagger was destroyed, so that's right, in his case. But your magic is a part of you. You were born with it. Emma, you should be happy with this gift!" Mary Margaret tries to persuade her. "We've had such trouble with dark magic in the kingdom. It will be so nice to see all the things that good magic can bring!" she continues excitedly, not taking her own advice of merely two minutes earlier.
Regina had a hard time adjusting. She was taken to the hospital for a check-up, but had been released almost immediately. The doctor said she was in perfect shape. But the events of the last few days had taken it's toll. She was fidgety and restless, pleased with still having magic ―it had been the first thing she checked, once she was by herself― worried about Emma's magic, relieved about Henry's concern for her, but saddened by his pain; in short, she had been through an emotional rollercoaster.
A knock on the door takes her out of her thoughts. It's Henry and Emma. Regina is a bit startled, but doesn't let on. Henry is carrying some flowers. "For you," he says. "We need to talk!" Emma bursts out. "Sure, ok, do you want to begin?" Regina will never appreciate this rude behaviour but since Henry is present…
AN: I figured that Regina and Emma have magic inside them, whereas Rumpelstiltskin needed the dagger as a source of magic, which is why I decided to keep Regina's powers, but not Rumple's.
