Chapter 10 – Family Matters
"What do you want?"
"What, no hello for your not dead big sister? Shame." She laughed and Maleficent cut in.
"I think you know exactly what we want. Your baby my dear. She is mighty powerful isn't she?" Maleficent reached out to touch Regina's stomach, but Regina shoved her hand away.
"Don't touch her!"
"You thought she was protective of those boys, look at her now darling. Have your ever seen such anger?" Cruella and Ursula laughed.
Regina knew exactly what they were after, they wanted to hurt her baby. What she didn't know was how they planned on doing that. Were they planning on killing them both now? Keeping her locked up here until she gave birth and then killing the baby in front of her? What did they think would cause her the most pain? And why had they waited until now?
All of this was running through her mind at a million miles an hour as she tried to figure out where she was. She couldn't see much laying flat on this bed with them all crowded around her, but she could feel it. It was cold. There was only one source of heat in the room and it seemed to be the fireplace on the opposite wall. The door was down the wall from her feet, and there was a doorway to her right, behind Maleficent. Then it dawned on her, Rumple's cabin. She was in the woods.
She almost laughed before she caught herself. Did they really think that they wouldn't check for her here? That Robin wouldn't come crashing through the woods to find her? But that was just it, they knew he'd come after her, that they all would. She was too important to loose. This was a trap, and she was the bait!
"Bait huh?" She put on her most snarky tone. "That's a little weak isn't it? What were you to scared to face us all in town at once? You had to kidnap a pregnant woman in order to lure the heroes to you? That's cheating don't you think?" She smiled sweetly and moved to sit up.
"I don't think so Regina." Rumple's magic hit her full force, pushing her back down onto the bed. "You're not going anywhere."
"Rumple you honestly don't believe you all can kidnap me and not expect me to have to pee? There is a person sitting on my bladder! Let me up!" She could feel the magic inside of her, both hers and the baby's but she was wearing the cuff. It wouldn't do her any good now, she just had to outsmart them.
"Oh let her go Rumple," to Regina's surprise he let off the magic, "Do you know where the bathroom is?"
Regina just gave her a dark look and stalked off to the bathroom. She needed a plan, she had to make sure the others didn't come running into an ambush. But how? She didn't have magic, not with this thing anyway. She pulled on the cuff on her wrist absentmindedly, she gasped when it came off in her hand.
She wiggled her fingers and watched the sparks dance around the tips. She could still do magic! For some reason the cuff wasn't working on her! She reached down and lovingly rubbed her bump. "Thank you precious." She had to find a way to make sure that they didn't all come charging up here looking for her in the morning, but how was she going to do that? She stopped and listened to what was happening in the other room.
"Why didn't she fall asleep?"
"I don't know. I bet it has something to do with the child though."
"I told you we shouldn't underestimate her."
"It doesn't matter! What matters is that she is here, and while she is here we are going to get all the information we can out of her. When we take away their happy endings I want to know what we are up against."
She heard murmurs of acknowledgment. She had to admit Maleficent had gotten better at controlling a situation. Her memories over took her as she thought back to the first time she had met the monster. No stop! Regina shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now wasn't the time to reminisce, it was the time to get to work. She slipped the cuff back on and tried her magic once more. Her fingers lit up like fireworks. Good, she wasn't defenseless.
"Regina!" She heard Maleficent calling for her, she reentered the main room with her head held high, every bit the queen. Even in her nightgown and pregnant.
"Yes dear?"
"Have a seat." She pointed towards the lone chair in the middle of the room. At least this interrogation didn't involve strapping her to a table like the last one had. She looked around at the villains surrounding her. Her teacher, her one time best friend, her older sister, the sea bitch and the pound puppy. Well this was going to be a long night.
They spent hours trying to get her to talk. To tell them anything about the people she considered her family, Regina never said a word. Finally they had had enough.
Cruella grabbed her hair and forced her to look up at her, "Why won't you talk?"
"She won't talk dearie because she doesn't have proper motivation…" Rumple had reentered the cabin. She had seen him leave a little while ago, but thought nothing of it, until now.
"Mama…?" She heard Roland before she saw him, hiding behind Gold's legs.
"Roland!" She tried to stand up but Cruella was still holding her hair. "Let me go!" She fought the taller woman off and moved towards her son. "Roland! Gold no! He has nothing to do with this!"
Before she could get there Zelena scooped Roland up off the floor, "Mama!" He was crying now and trying to get to her just as hard as she was struggling to reach him.
"Now, now little one don't worry. I'm your Auntie Zelena and you're just fine."
"I want Mama! Why are you hurting Mama?" Zelena stood there and held him as Maleficent forced Regina back down in the chair.
"Okay Regina, we have you, and we have two of your three children. Are you ready to cooperate?"
"Please, don't hurt him…"
"Oh I don't make promises dear, you should know that by now."
"Gold! Please!" Regina was on the verge of begging, on the verge of letting them see her cry, but she knew she couldn't. Not with Roland right there. He was so scared. She had to be brave for him, she had to protect them. Her hand fell to her stomach, she had to protect them both.
-o-o-
Robin had finally slept off the last of the sleeping curse. Before he even opened his eyes he knew something was different. The bed wasn't as warm as it normally was. He reached out a hand towards Regina. His eyes shot open when he found nothing but air. He ran a hand over her side of the bed. Cold. It was cold, wherever she was she'd been gone quite awhile.
He went downstairs and checked the kitchen and her study, he was calling her name as he climbed the stairs back towards their room. Not caring if he woke the boys up or not. "Regina! Regina, where are you?"
Henry came out into the hallway and looked at Robin. "Why are you yelling? It's early…"
"I can't find your mother, her side of the bed was cold, and her phone is still there. She's just gone!"
"What? She can't just be gone! Is her car here?"
"Yes!" Robin opened the door to Roland's room, "No!"
"What, what is it?" Henry came rushing across the hall. "He's gone too…"
Robin immediately switched gears, he looked at Henry, "Get dressed and call Emma tell her we are on our way."
Five minutes later they were in Regina's Mercedes headed for the Charming's loft. As they pulled up out front they saw Hook heading for the door. Together the three of them ran up the stairs and pounded on the door.
"They are gone!" Henry shouted when his grandfather opened the door. Emma and Snow were standing in the kitchen and they exchanged a confused look.
"Who's gone kid?"
"My mom and Roland! We woke up and they are just gone! We can't find them anywhere!"
"Wait, slow down. Regina and Roland are both missing at six thirty in the morning? That doesn't sound like Regina?"
"It's not." Robin ran his hand over his face, and that's when he saw the cuff that Regina had put there last night. He gasped. "It was Rumple! Or at least one of those evil villains!"
"The burn! Did Mom explain to you what was going on after Roland and I went back to bed?"
"Yeah," Robin wrapped an arm around Henry's shoulders, "yeah she did." He told them everything that Regina had told him last night. He left out the part about the baby glowing, but he did tell them about about the burn and how Regina thought it was a warning that Gold had gotten his powers back. When he finished everyone just stared at him. Finally Emma spoke up.
"Well, where is the dagger now if she's not wearing it?"
Robin held out his arm, "I'm wearing it." He took the cuff off and handed it to Emma. "Can you turn it back? Can it help us find them?"
Emma ran her hand over the cuff and when she pulled away she was holding the dagger. She had been learning things from Regina's lessons after all. She handed the dagger back to Robin.
"She gave it to you to protect, that means it's yours." She smiled at him, she was happy for Regina, Robin was a perfect match for the hot headed queen. "You have power over the Dark One."
"I don't think he needs to know that. Not yet anyway. I have to find my family, and if those witches find out that we are controlling the Dark One, well, I just have to find my family."
"Alright mate," Hook moved towards the door, "let's go."
The Charmings all gathered their various weapons and moved towards the door. "Neal!" Snow had almost forgotten about the baby sleeping peacefully in the crib. "We can't just leave him here!"
David went to scoop up the little prince, "We can take him to Belle."
"No, I'm going to need your help mate," Robin turned, "Henry, you and your uncle go and wait this out with Belle." Henry opened his mouth to protest but Robin stopped him. "I've already got one son in the hands of these monsters, not to mention my daughter and the woman I love. You are staying here, where I know you are safe. Do you understand me?"
Instead of the fight Robin was expecting Henry simply put his arms around him. "Go get 'em Dad." He pulled back and took Neal from his grandfather. With a kiss to Emma's cheek he walked past them all and headed for Belle's.
Robin stood there dumbfounded, "Did he just? I mean, did anybody else?" He couldn't even get the words out.
Emma smiled and touched Robin's shoulder, "Yeah he did. Come on, let's go get the rest of your family back."
-o-o-
They made their way up to the cabin in silence. Even Killian had somehow perfected the art of being quiet in the woods. Emma shot some magic at the cabin, not enough that those inside would notice, but enough to hear what was going on in there. They could hear Roland's sobs and they could hear Zelena comforting him. They could hear Ursula and Cruella laughing as Regina cried out. But most of all they could hear Rumple and Maleficent, and the chilling screams that were coming from Regina whenever they stopped talking.
It was making Robin's blood boil. That was his family. His son, his daughter, his soulmate and they were hurting them. All of them. Why didn't Regina fight back? He heard her scream again. What were they doing that was causing her to scream?
"Mama!" They all turned to look at Robin when they heard Roland shout. "Mama wake up!" There were no more screams, only the sound of Roland crying and Zelena comforting him.
"Let her be." Maleficent seemed to have had enough for now. "Let her rest, we can continue later on. After all the sun is just coming up. I'd bet that her thief hasn't even noticed they are missing yet."
Cruella spoke up, "Really Rumple, how did you know bringing the boy here would help? She still hasn't told us everything, but she's told us way more than she would have before."
"That's the thing about being a parent dearie, you will do anything in the world, to protect your child. And that woman. Well, she has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. She loves that boy like he was her own, and I'm willing to bet she will protect him as such."
"You're not actually going to hurt the child Rumple?" Even for villains that was low, and Maleficent was going to call him on it.
"No, no, of course not, but she doesn't know that. And when she's not paying attention, when she's too worried about the boy to watch out for the child inside of her, well that's when we will take care of it."
"No…" Snow's hand on Robin's arm was the only thing stopping him from charging into that cabin bow at the ready. She put a finger to her lips and led them all away from the cabin. When they came to the clearing they all let out a breath.
"Okay," Emma was ready, "first things first. We get Roland out of there. They are going to try and use him against her. Then we try and take them out. One at a time."
"Why should we do that? Why don't we just have Rumple take them all out? I mean technically he is on our side, even if he doesn't know it."
"Because that'll never work. They will take him out, and all together they are extremely powerful mate." Hook didn't look convinced that anything was going to work. "We need a better plan. One that will separate them." He looked up at Emma, "I know how to give the sea witch her happy ending."
"What? How?"
"I took it in the first place. Well I took them actually." From one of his pockets he pulled a leather lace, and from it hung four miniature tentacles.
"What are those?"
"Four of the sea witches tentacles. Four of her gifts." He pushed each one to the side as he counted them off, "Her siren's voice, her control of the sea, her ability to love," he held up the final tentacle, "and her immortality." Maybe if we give them back, give her her happy ending, she will back down. Leaving us one less villain to face."
"It's worth a shot. How are you going to contact her?"
"I'm a pirate mate," he smiled at the Prince, "I have my ways."
"Okay, then go back to town, have Tink and the other fairies help you, whatever you need. Just get that sea creature out of here."
"On it." And with that Killian disappeared back in the direction of town.
"Your father and I will take Cruella. I know what she wants." They all looked at Snow with surprise. "Regina isn't the only evil I've ever faced." She shrugged. "That leaves you two with Maleficent and Zelena. Can you handle that?"
Emma and Robin exchanged a very determined look, and Robin nodded to Snow. "Thank you."
"Of course, what is family for?" The Charmings left the same way Killian had. What was left was up to them. They moved back towards the cabin. They watched as first Ursula made an excuse and left, with Cruella following shortly after. Whatever Hook and her parents were doing, Emma knew it was working.
She looked over at Robin, who was clutching Rumple's dagger. He looked like someone had torn his heart out and was dangling it just out of his reach. She touch his shoulder. "Are you ready?"
He turned to look at her, straight in the eyes, "As I'll ever be."