Author's Note: So as annoying as this is, I know this fandom gets sensitive so I'm just going to nip it in the bud now. Do not complain to me that you thought this was SQ and now it isn't. Because this is a story and Emma and Regina will have ups and downs and make decisions you don't agree with and some you do agree with. Just probably not with this update. Things happen and I like to keep you on your toes. Otherwise feel free to write a review.
Chapter Nine
"Did you know my dad?" Henry asked Regina.
"Um…not too well I'm afraid," Regina told him. "He'd only just arrive into town last year and I only got to know him for tiny bit before I left." Henry nodded as they hugged.
"It's just so weird to lose him just when we've only just been so close."
"I know," Regina told him kissing his forehead. They were sitting in the booth at Granny's for Neal's wake. It had been a very somber funeral. He had sacrificed himself so that Rumple could finally tell them who was after them. And now she knew why the movie the great and power oz had triggered her so much and why a flying monkey had been after her son. It had been no coincidence. She may not have all her memories, but some part of her must have done what was needed to make sure she was around to protect Henry.
"Hey can I have a minute alone with Henry," Emma told her coming up. She was frowning at them, and it was clear to Regina that while Henry didn't have his memories, them being close bothered Emma immensely. A part of her still only saw Henry as her son, and not Regina's as well.
"Yeah," Regina answered. She gave him one last hug before she stood up and Emma sat down. She saw Emma cringe as he pushed her away, but Regina wasn't surprised. Like Emma, Henry had a good sense of when bullshit and lies were being dealt out towards him, and she imagined every other thing Emma said was a lie. Regina went to the bar and ordered a drink.
"Scotch on the rocks," Regina told Granny. She got her a glass with some ice and poured her a scotch. Tinkerbell came over.
"Regina did you see him?" She whispered. Regina sighed she had hoped that Tinkerbell hadn't seen Robin Hood at all. But since he was strutting around in the same old forest green shirt and no jacket, his tattoo was super obvious.
"See who?" Regina asked playing dumb. Tinkerbell put her hands on her hips.
"Regina, you know who, the guy with the lion tattoo he's here in storybrooke," Tinkerbell told her completely excited.
"Yeah we've met," Regina told her. "We broke into Zelena's house together, but she wasn't there obviously."
"And?" Tinkerbell asked excited.
"And then I went home," Regina told her seriously.
"Regina!" Tinkerbell quietly exclaimed. "This is your chance to find happiness."
"I have happiness with my son," Regina told her with a sigh as she rubbed her head. How was she ever going to explain to Tink that she was wrong, she had to be wrong, he was a man, she wanted a woman.
"Regina, you need love," Tinkerbell told her. Regina twisted her mouth, there was that stupid fucking L word again. Romantic love was not in the cards for her at all. If the fucking Savior couldn't even love her romantically who could?
"Romantic love will never be in my grasp," Regina told her.
"You're wrong, you just have to take a chance and try," Tinkerbell told her. Regina groaned and looked at Robin again as she cocked her head to the side. She just shook her head and turned to Tinkerbell.
"Hey," Robin said. He was holding two scotches. They both turned to look at him neither of them speaking.
'Ah fuck me,' Regina thought. 'She's never let me go if the thief actually has a crush on me.'
"Hi,"Tinkerbell said grinning as she looked from Regina to Robin, who was clearly waiting for her to give some sign.
"So I brought you a drink," Robin said to Regina.
"My drink is still full," Regina told him indicating her glass. He cleared his throat.
"Um… yeah I see that now," He said as he looked down for a moment. Tinkerbell quickly took the second drink.
"So uh…I…" Regina just stared at him and hoped the next words out of his mouth weren't to ask her out. Regina shifted from foot to foot as the silence just spread between them. "I'm gonna go." He quickly walked away.
"Regina!" Tinkerbell quietly exclaimed.
"What?" Regina asked. "It's not my fault." Tinkerbell glared at her.
"You could have been more welcoming," Tinkerbell told her. Regina shrugged.
"Well if he's afraid of me, he's not for me," Regina remarked. Tinkerbell nodded her head to the side for a quick moment.
"I suppose so, but doesn't mean you can't be nicer," Tinkerbell told her. Regina shrugged as she took a drink from her glass. Suddenly the door banged open and Zelena appeared holding Gold's dagger. Everyone stood up on edge.
"Sorry I'm late did I miss the speeches about poor dear, departed Neal?" Zelena asked them. Robin got in her face immediately. She wrinkled her nose at him and walked to the side. "I never was one for funerals, but I do enjoy the wakes." She stalked towards Mary Margaret, David, and Emma. Regina stood up as well ready to attack her from the side. She saw Henry was safely behind Hook, and she didn't care if the pirate gave his life for her son now he was a drunk. David put a hand on Mary Margaret's belly.
"Oh don't worry I'm not here for the baby, today anyway," Zelena told her. Emma, David, and especially Mary Margaret took a step back with open mouths.
"Why are you here?" Regina asked her not at all intimidated by the wicked witch of the west. Zelena turned and grinned.
"Oh well now that the Dark One has spilled the beans, I could never pass up a chance to visit my little sister now could I?" Zelena asked her.
"And who the hell is that?" Regina asked her a sneer all over her face.
"Why you of course," Zelena informed her.
"I'm an only child," Regina told her. "You're lying."
"Cora lied to you, I was born first and unfortunately she gave me away," Zelena told her. "But I have a gift for you, take this day to find out the truth, and see that what I say is true. Afterwards meet me on main street tonight say sundown."
"And then what?" Regina asked her giving her an amused chuckle, but she was far from it.
"We fight, and I want everyone to be there to watch the Evil Queen lose," Zelena told them.
"I don't lose," Regina told her threateningly.
"Neither do I, wicked always wins," Zelena told her before she stomped towards the door, opening it with her magic and leaving. It slammed behind her.
"Regina is she telling the truth?" Emma asked.
"I don't know, I'm going to look through my mother's things," Regina told her.
"Wait, I'll come with you," Mary Margaret told her.
"And me," Emma said. Regina glared but they wouldn't back down so they took her hands and they disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Regina reappeared at her vault.
"You're sure, Cora never said anything about her."
"Pretty sure I would remember an evil big sister," Regina told them as she went through Cora's things for any indication that Zelena existed. Emma and Mary Margaret looked around.
"Um…is it safe, maybe Cora put a curse on her things," Mary Margaret commented nervously.
"If you're that worried you should have butted out," Regina told her rolling her eyes.
"Regina," Emma told her in a tone that said behave.
"And you don't have any rights to use that one with me," Regina told her as she found a letter. She read it again, but she didn't really need too. She had read it a dozen times in the past and she had always thought that it had been about her, but really it had been about Zelena. Regina had never been a secret, but Zelena she had. Regina turned and stomped out.
"Zelena is my sister," She told them. They followed her out and she made sure it sealed behind them. She disappeared in a puff of smoke without them and reappeared in her house. She took several deep breaths all her life she had longed for a sister, and thought maybe she'd have someone on her side besides her father who loved her, kept her secrets, spent time with her. She looked around her empty house, it was so empty without Henry.
"And Emma,' Regina thought. "Grr stop thinking about her, she will never love you!' Regina growled and shot a fireball at the wall. It left a large black mark. After a moment she took a deep breath and passed her hand over the area and the wall was fixed.
"Stupid you'll always be alone, even your own fucking sister hates you for some reason." Regina sighed, tonight would be a fight for sure, she had to prepare and that started with hiding her heart. One thing her mother always said, never bring your heart to a witch fight. She disappeared to the forest and pulled her heart out.
"What are you doing?" Robin asked Regina turned startled with her heart in her hands.
"Hiding my heart," Regina answered him after a moment.
"And then what you're just going to leave it unguarded, what if one of her flying monkey things are around. You saw what she did to little John and she'll do far worse to you."
"Well what else should I do?" Regina asked him.
"Nothing, I'm just simply stating you should leave a guard up," Robin told her.
"Are you offering?" Regina asked him as she placed her heart in a bag.
'God it feels so good not to feel so deeply,' Regina thought. 'But I can't stay like this forever, for Henry's sake, that's what destroyed me and my mother.'
"If you want my services," Robin told her.
"Yes, I think I do, thank you," Regina told him. He nodded.
"I know just the place by the way." He led her to a large tree stump, and she dug a whole and covered it with a rock. The sun began to set.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have green bitch to kill," Regina told him. She disappeared after a wave of her hand over her heart. Just so she would be alerted if it were touched. She went home and changed clothes into a pant suit. She topped it with a black trench coat, brown scarf, and red gloves. When she arrived no one noticed as Emma was telling Zelena she would fight her, and she was hardly surprised as Emma went flying back. She was so weak with her magic she didn't even try to defend herself. But even so she was useless against Gold. Her family quickly helped her up and Regina hated herself for even still thinking Emma looked cute in her little black cap.
"Anybody else wanna try to defeat me?" Zelena asked the spectators.
'My cue,' Regina thought and she strutted forward in all her gloriousness as the Evil Queen, and the Evil Queen did not lose.
"Yes me," Regina told her as the crowd parted and gasped. "Didn't anyone tell you sis, black is my color."
"But it looks better on me," Zelena told her. "And it's good to see you've finally accepted me into the family."
"The only thing I've accepted is that we share blood," Regina told her. "So I've got only one question for you, why all this, I didn't even know you existed."
"Isn't it obvious sis, you were born," Zelena told her.
'So unloved your very own sister wishes you weren't born,' Regina thought. She took a step back and took a street light flying at Zelena but she knocked it away. She sent Regina flying back into a car so hard she left a dent. She got up and created a fireball, and Zelena made it disappear. Zelena's magic began to choke her.
"You got everything and it should have been mine, you never knew what you had, this curse I should have cast it!"
"Jealous much?" Regina asked her even though she was choking her. Zelena glared at her.
'So jealous and of what, God, she was stupid, she could have been free of this fucking town and happy somewhere in oz or wherever the fuck she wanted to be. Instead she was kicking her while she was down.'
"Agh!" Zelena tossed her with her magic up and through the glass clock face.
"Ah fuck," Regina groaned. It didn't take long for Zelena to arrive.
"Go ahead kill me," Regina told her thinking that would be a fucking blessing not that she could while her heart was out of her body.
"No, I didn't say I was going to kill you, I want to destroy you, and to do that I'm going to take your heart." She plunged her hand into Regina's chest.
"Ah!" Regina cried at the tightness it created in her chest as Zelena searched for something that wasn't there.
"What no, what have you done!" Zelena demanded to know. Regina had to laugh at getting the drop on Zelena.
"One thing my mother always taught me is never bring your heart to a witch fight. You might know that if she hadn't abandoned you." Growling Zelena called for her broom and flew off.
"I'll get you," Zelena told her tightly.
"Yeah and my imaginary little dog too," Regina laughed. Zelena growled and flew off. Emma, Mary Margaret, and David ran into the clock tower a bit too late for Regina's tastes.
"Are you okay?" They asked.
"Yeah I'm alive if that's what you really mean," Regina told them rubbing her chest. She couldn't help but think if she had been anyone else they considered family they would have been in the clock tower to defend her as soon as she had gone in. But no they had waited for Gold to leave.
"Gold left so we thought that had meant she had…" David started.
"Killed me, no, sorry to disappoint," Regina told him. "Unfortunately for you, I wasn't stupid enough to bring my heart which is what she wanted."
"What could she possibly want with your heart though if not to kill you right away?" Emma asked her.
"Well she got David's courage and she wants my heart, those are ingredients in a spell," Regina commented as they looked out over the town of storybrooke.
"Another curse, but we're already in storybrooke," Mary Margaret commented. "And we've lost our memory what more does she want?"
"I guess we'll find out," Emma commented before turning to go. Regina came behind them limping a little, no one even glanced back to help her as they helped Mary Margaret. Once they were outside she sat on a bus stop bench as the people looked Mary Margaret, David, and Emma for answers.
'Ungrateful as usual, I get hurt and they get the glory,' Regina thought as she took stock of all her injuries and ran a hand over her body. She wanted to puke as she saw Emma smiling at Hook as he made eyes at her. 'Ugh seriously they'd rather accept Captain Guy liner?' Regina glared at them again before she disappeared to her heart. She hurried through the forest to make sure Zelena hadn't figured out her hiding spot.
"Whose there?" Robin Hood asked appearing with a state of the art crossbow. Regina turned on her flashlight and showed herself. "Did it work?"
"Where is it?" Regina asked him.
"Exactly where you left it," He told her. Regina dug it out and didn't relax until she had it in her hand.
"Thank you for guarding it," Regina told him. He nodded.
"It was my pleasure to guard a lady's heart," Robin told her smiling at her. She forced herself smile back as she sat back as she did her eyes fell on the lion tattoo. Maybe Tinkerbell was right, she just needed to take a chance, perhaps she really hadn't met the right guy, and she just had to give Robin a chance. Regina's stomach churned but nothing too bad.
"Would you mind keeping a hold of my heart a little longer?" Regina asked him.
"You'd trust a common thief with your heart?" Robin asked her.
"You can't steal what you've been given," Regina told him seriously.
"Then I will guard it with my life," He told her. She nodded and handed him her heart. They nodded to one another.
"Hey you owe me a drink," Robin told her. Regina paused in turning to walk away.
"You know what a drink sounds perfect tonight, I think I will take you up on that drink this time."
"Great and I'd love to get it for you when your heart is back in your chest. I don't want to have drinks with a heartless woman, but one capable of so much more. Regina took her heart back from him and put it in. "Good now how about I show you the best bar in the woods." Regina nodded and they went back to his camp. She had a great time drinking with the guys, and she met Roland his son before she got drunk at all. He was very handsome.
'Seriously I could date him just for Roland,' Regina thought to herself as she consumed yet another mug of whatever they were brewing out in the woods, whatever it was it was stronger than anything she had or could get at granny's and that's what she needed after her troubles. She clapped along as they danced to a fiddle.
"You wanna go for a walk?" Robin asked her. She nodded. They walked and drank some more and laughed about how she held a grudge against a ten year old and created storybrooke. It all sounded so hilarious when you were drinking. They even laughed about that stupid fucking pixie dust.
"Haha…ooh …hmm…." Robin said as he paused. "So you like wanna fuck or is that still frowned upon here?"
"Depends on who you ask," Regina told him with a burp.
"On if we can fuck or if it's frowned upon?" Robin asked her seriously as he swayed on his feet. Regina took a moment to think about that.
"In theory both I guess," Regina told him finishing off her beer and she leaned back against a tree and burped. They both laughed.
"Oh real sexy my Queen," Robin laughed.
"Hey show some respect, bow when you say my Queen," Regina hiccupped as she laughed as well. Robin Hood swayed a little more heavily before he managed a curtsey. Regina laughed. "No, I said bow." He saluted her before stumbling and tried again. This time he bowed to her.
"Yeah?" He asked from a bent position. Regina chuckled.
"Yeah," Regina told him.
"Cool," He stumbled forward and kissed her. Regina turned her head away from him not into it.
"Hey come back here," He murmured running his hands over her body.
"No, if we're going to do this, just keep your lips below my neck, and just stop fucking talking, I don't wanna hear your voice until we're done." Robin nodded and he barely got her clothes off or did any foreplay she noted before he was inside of her. He thrust into her a few times before he was already finished and telling her how amazing it was as he stumbled back and fell onto the ground. Regina just leaned against the tree and fixed her clothes. Tears welled up inside and she disappeared. She appeared in a house that was half finished. She had spent twenty- eight years building it herself from the memory of her vision. Her body shook with every breath she let out.
"AGH!" Regina screamed before she threw things on the floor breaking them. She stomped outside and picked up an axe and swung hard at her apple tree in the garden. She swung over and over until it toppled over. She watched it fall before she threw down the axe next to it and turned to the line of cherry blossom trees, she had planted. She used magic to send them all toppling over before she fell to her knees and cried.
"You gave up," Henry told her sadly when he walked into the back of Granny's and caught her making out with Robin. Regina just looked at him sadly and he ran off.
"Henry…" Regina started, but he was already gone. She turned to Robin, "I have to go after him." She left quickly, but she couldn't find him. She searched all his usual spots before she tried to think about his unusual spots.
Meanwhile Henry had made his way into the forest. He stopped and wiped his tears. He had been so hopeful of getting Emma and Regina back together, but every day was bringing them farther apart. He walked and found himself on someone's farm it seemed. He got to the road and looked confused that there was tree after tree lining the road up to the house and blocking it.
"Maybe someone's hurt." He walked up to the house surrounded by hedges. He climbed over the last tree and into the backyard. He looked around and saw the garden was lovely.
"Hello?" He called, but no one answered. He saw the apple tree had been deliberately chopped down.
"Hmm…looks like Regina's tree," Henry muttered to himself. He stepped over the tree and tried the back door. It fell off the hinges. "Hello?" No one answered as he walked through the house. It had been absolutely destroyed mostly. He went upstairs looking for a sign of the owner. He was checking the closets for someone hiding when something caught his attention in a corner. He pulled up a folded tarp and he gasped seeing it was a book for fairy tales.
"Oh my God, I found it," Henry gasped in delight. He grabbed the book and opened it and saw Regina's face on the first page opened. His pupils dilated before his eyes rolled back into his head and his memory returned.
"Henry thanks for finding my book for me," Walsh told him at the door. Henry looked up startled.
"Walsh, what are you doing here?" Henry asked him closing the book.
"Coming to get you and Emma, aren't you two ready to go home yet?" Walsh asked him.
"But we never told you where we were going, how did you know where we are?" Henry asked weary of him.
"Henry that's unimportant, what's important is I'm here now and we can be a family. Why don't you give me the book and I'll give you a ride back into town." Henry nodded his head and smiled at him.
"Of course Walsh." He walked forward and Walsh walked out with him, a hand on his shoulder, but as soon as he went to put his key in the passenger car door, Henry took off running back into town.
"Damn it Henry!" Walsh yelled before changing rapidly and flying off after him. Henry turned to look back as his eyes went wide as he ran. He was now regretting the fact that Regina didn't have a slight clue where he was now, and hadn't followed him into the woods.
'Think, think Henry, how are you going to get out of this,' Henry thought. 'Magic is believing right, so I believe that my mom can hear me if I call her.'
"MOM HELP!" Henry yelled. "MOM!" Walsh stopped and took pause as Henry still ran, but he didn't see any sign of Regina or Emma so he returned to his pursuit of Henry.
"Just come with me Henry don't fight it!" Walsh screeched at him his face turning human for a second before back into a monkey.
"MOM!" Henry yelled as he fell over a fallen tree. The book fell, and he scrambled for it and grabbed it again. In doing so Regina's protection potion fell from his jacket. Frantically he grabbed for it and pulled the stopper out. He made a circle around himself as he glanced up several times to see Walsh diving for him.
"MOM!" Henry yelled. "I believe!" The line glowed a bright purple and Walsh was knocked back into a tree. And Regina appeared her hand out as she choked Walsh.
"Stay the hell away from my son," Regina told him. The flying monkey struggled against her magical grip. "You tell my sister that if she comes after my son again, I'll give her a fate far worse than death." She threw him hard and he exploded against the tree in a cloud of white smoke.
"Mom!" Henry cried running to her. They hugged tightly. "I remember, I remember you!"
"Oh Henry, I'm so happy I swear I will never leave you again I promise. I love you more than anything in the world." She kissed his forehead and they both gasped a wave of magic spread out from that kiss.
"True love's kiss," Henry smiled. Regina smiled back at him, but inside she was crumbling as her memories flooded back from the last year. "Zelena cast the curse right?" Henry had chalked up Zelena's little speeches to town commitment. He had even decided that her and Zelena either weren't really sisters, or really good at faking about not knowing about one another for the sake of the game.
"No, Mary Margaret and David cast it and I made it. We couldn't defeat Zelena without great light magic, so we had to get back to you and Emma. I refused to pay the price with another Henry." He smiled at her but then frowned.
"But Grandma loves Grandpa the most, he should be dead," Henry realized. Regina grinned.
"I pulled a pretty awesome piece of magic," Regina told him proudly. "I split her heart in two and he lived."
"Oh mom you're so cool," Henry smiled. Then he had a look a thought that made him grin.
"What?" Regina asked seeing the mischief in his eye.
"I really believe now, like really believe so that means fireball!" He held out his hand and concentrated really hard. Regina waited and bent down and squinted on purpose, but there was nothing. "Oh mom, don't tease me like that!" He gave up for the moment as Regina chuckled.
"Come on let's go, everyone will be freaking out." He nodded. Regina groaned and fell forward.
"Mom, mom what's wrong?" Regina grabbed Henry unwilling to leave him unprotected and they transported to another location in the woods. Robin had given her heart a little squeeze and she knew Zelena had found it. She hurried forward and Robin was hugging Roland tightly.
"I'm so sorry," He told her teary eyed. "Gold came for it, he threatened Roland, and I had to give it to him. You trusted me and I failed you."
"No, it's okay," Regina told him as she pulled Henry close and looked around in case Zelena or any flying monkeys, or Gold were still around. "My heart isn't worth the loss of a child."
"She has your heart, why?" Henry asked suddenly worried Regina was about to drop dead in front of him.
"I don't know yet Henry, all I know is I'm not dead yet and I should be if that were her intention. She must need it for something else. Come on we have to tell the others." Regina disappeared with Henry.
"Henry!" Emma yelled coming to them on mainstreet. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine now, mom saved me," Henry told her as he held the storybook.
"Henry I told you not to go looking for the storybook alone," Emma scolded. Henry shrugged.
"I wasn't I went to ask mom to go with me, but then I got upset because she was…" He paused. "She was busy."
"I told you I would search with you," Emma told him hurt knowing that she had stepped out for a walk with Killian. Henry had apparently not been interested in waiting for her.
"I wanted to go with Mom," Henry told her simply.
"Fine, anyway let's get home, I'm sure Zelena will be around soon now to fight."
"I'm going with mom I haven't seen her in a while and I wanna catch up with her properly," Henry told Emma. Emma frowned, but nodded. Regina frowned as well and looked away. Even with his memory back Emma still refused to accept her on some level.
"But aren't you angry at her for lying to us in New York?" Emma asked her.
"She didn't lie," Henry told her. "You might want to think that but I don't now if you will excuse me I want to have dinner with mom and I'm staying the night." Henry shook his head at Emma.
"She did lie, damn it, why can't you just get your own kid!" Emma yelled at Regina angrily. Henry and Regina looked at her with wide eyes and took a step back at her outburst.
"I did get my own kid," Regina told her as calmly as possible. "I went all the way to Boston to find him remember"
"No, Henry is my kid, I had him," Emma told her. Regina leaned in close and took a breath.
"You had him and then you gave him up and then I took care of him. You forget all those nice warm memories you have those are ALL mine, every single last one you have of him, every late night, every tear shed, every bottle, every diaper, every stomachache, and nightmare was soothed by me. Just me, you weren't there. So you maybe feel very strongly about him being your son, and understandably, so but it will never change the fact that I am his mother too."
"…." Emma started to reply.
"Save it, nothing you say can dig you out of the hole you just dug for yourself. Now if you weren't so determined to ruin my relationship with Henry, we have an actual problem , Zelena has my heart and since I'm not dead yet that means she's got something else in store."
"Then I'm not leaving you alone with Henry unless she compels you to kill him. If she can control you and Gold who knows how much more trouble she could make." Regina frowned at her, but her face betrayed her when she said the possibility had crossed her mind.
"Swan!" Hook yelled hurrying over. "Swan!"
"What?" She asked turning.
"Baby coming!" He got out. They all ran after him back to Mary Margaret and David's apartment.
"No, no it's a little too early!" Mary Margaret cried. "Regina, the baby, Zelena!" Regina hurried over.
"You let us worry about that, you focus on pushing that out," Regina told her and waved her hand. They were all taken to the hospital. Soon they were rushing Mary Margaret off.
"Emma with me, we need to set up protection spells," Regina ordered. Emma didn't hesitate to follow her lead as they bid Henry to stay with Hook, Mary Margaret, and David. Regina sent out messages to Robin hood and his men as well as the dwarves to surround the hospital as their first line, before she and Emma raised various barriers each, anything to slow down Zelena before she could get to the baby.
"I'm not waiting around for her to come to us, I'm going to go stop her, you guard the hospital."
"You can't go alone," Henry cried.
"Well don't look at me I have to maintain the protections," Regina told him.
"I'll take Hook," Emma assured him.
"Don't worry lad I have her back." Emma and Hook ran out after Emma kissed Henry goodbye.
"Regina!" Mary Margaret yelled. Regina went in and she grabbed her head.
"You have to promise me, you'll help protect this baby at all costs if I die," Mary Margaret cried. "I'm gonna die!"
"Calm down you're not going to die," Regina told her. "It's just childbirth." Mary Margaret shook her head furious.
"No, oh my fucking God, I'm going to die," Mary Margaret breathed heavily.
"You made it through last time," Regina reminded her.
"I died," Mary Margaret insisted. Regina ran her hand over her body, but the magic didn't work.
"Oh fuck, magic this baby out of me!" Mary Margaret yelled and she punched David hard. "This is your fault." David shook his head a little bit dazed. Regina chuckled and encouraged Mary Margaret further and David took a few hits for all his efforts. Belle arrived with Dr. Hopper.
"I came to see to Henry," He told her.
"I have to believe that my love can stop Rumple, she'll bring him," Belle told her.
"Okay fine," Regina told her.
"Incoming!" They heard Grumpy shout. Belle hurried away.
Henry go with Dr. Hopper and lock yourselves in a closet, don't come out until it's safe. Go run!" Dr. Hopper dragged Henry away. Regina wasn't surprised when Zelena had broken through everything; or rather Gold had broken through everything.
"Come any closer and I'm going to make you taste my fireball," Regina warned her. Zelena waved her hand with Gold's dagger in her hand. Regina was standing too close to her last barrier and spell and it sent her flying into the wall and knocked her out.
"You're as pathetic as the savior, if not more," Zelena grumbled before she walked over Regina followed by Gold. They burst into the delivery room and she knocked out Dr. Whale. David went for his sword but she froze him as he moved to strike her. He hadn't even got it half way out of the sheath. Mary Margaret looked terrified as her baby disappeared from her arms and into Zelena's
"No!" Mary Margaret cried and tried to get out of bed, but Zelena froze her before disappearing. Outside of the room, Henry was waking up Regina. She stood up and hugged him closely. She had failed, now she could only hope that Emma caught Zelena and defeated her. David came running out with his sword.
"Where are you going?" Regina asked stopping him.
"She has my son, I'm going to get him back," David told her determined.
"You'll be killed!" Regina told him not that she cared about him exactly, but Emma wouldn't appreciate it.
'Grr why do I even still care about her and what she thinks.' Regina thought.
"You need to stop and think about this," Regina was saying as Emma and Hook ran in.
"What are you doing?" Emma asked them.
"She took your brother, and Regina is trying to stop me from saving him," David told her.
"No, I'm not I'm trying to preserve your life at least," Regina told him annoyed.
"Because I failed," Emma said looking upset.
"You didn't fail," Hook told her.
"It doesn't matter we're going back now and we are not giving up," David told them.
"Oh wait I can't, Zelena took my magic," Emma admitted.
"What!" Regina asked upset looking at Emma. "How the hell did that happen?" Emma looked down unable to meet the eyes of Regina or David. "Great then we've already lost."
"No, there must be some other way," Hook told them.
"Fuck no, Glinda was very specific that only a purveyor of great light magic could stop Zelena," David told them as he paced. He didn't know what he was going to do, first he lost his daughter, who was now the same age as him, and now his son. Was he not meant to be a father?
"Mom you can defeat Zelena," Henry said. Emma looked at him, but then they realized he was looking at Regina and Regina was looking at him sadly now.
"Oh Henry, I don't have light magic, and I think if I go toe to toe with her again I won't survive."
"But she only won because you were using dark magic, and I know you can use light."
"Sweetheart…" Regina started.
"No, he's right," Emma told them. "You kissed Henry and the curse broke, you used true love's kiss, and that is light magic."
"See, and you can do it."
"But without my heart….."
"We've got your back," Robin told her coming in with his crossbow. "I lost your heart in the first place and I damn well intend to retrieve it and the baby."
"You broke the curse without your heart, that's a lot of magic, most people don't feel anything when their he art has been ripped out. Think of Graham," Emma reminded her. "But you, you broke the curse."
"Believe mom, you told me that to do any magic you have to believe, now I believe in you so you believe in yourself." Regina smiled at him and hugged him close. "You're not a villain anymore, you're my hero." Everyone couldn't help but smile at him even Emma, even though deep down a seed of jealousy was planted.
"All right let's go get this bitch," Regina told them. They nodded and Henry went to stay with Mary Margaret while Hook, Regina, Emma, David, and Robin went to confront Zelena.
"A time spell," Regina murmured. "We have to hurry." They hurried in and Emma pulled out her gun.
"Zelena stop!" Regina yelled as they walked into the barn.
"Why, no one's left to stop me sis, certainly not the savior." Regina nodded to Robin and Emma and they both moved off to the side Robin taking David towards the west point where the baby lay, and Emma and Hook towards the right.
"Take care of them." Zelena told Gold as she knocked Robin and David over and sent her flying monkey at them. Regina stood her ground in front of her sister, she had to get her necklace off of her. Regina tried to take it but she got thrown back, but she expected that, had planned on that. With Gold focused on Emma and Hook, David on the flying monkey, and she on Zelena, Robin Hood stole her heart. He nodded to her as he tucked it away. Zelena choked her.
"Only light magic can hurt me, and you are too weak with dark magic to even try," Zelena told her. "You're as evil as they come."
"Don't tell me what I am," Regina told her. She was so sick and tired of other people telling her who she was. She took a deep breath and believed with all her heart that she could be good, and was more than worthy of Henry's love as the words echoed in her mind that she was his hero, and heroes had light magic that defeated the darkness.
"Stop it what are you doing?" Zelena asked her. "No, you can't have light magic, you are evil."
"I choose who I am, no one else," Regina told her menacingly. And she blasted Zelena back hard. She skid and dropped the dark one's dagger. "You are finished." Regina walked forward as Robin trained his bow on Zelena. Regina ripped off her pendant and her magic flowed into it.
"Dad, the baby?" Emma asked.
"He's perfect," David told her. "He's as strong as his big sister." They looked relieved as Robin returned Regina's heart. She pushed it back into her chest with a groan, it was never easy taking your heart out and in.
"What are you waiting for, kill me," Zelena told her angrily.
"No, I'm not going to kill you," Regina told her.
"Well I will," Gold told them. He dragged Zelena over with magic, "Time to pay for everything you did to me." Regina quickly grabbed the dagger.
"No stop!" She ordered. He paused upset. "Heroes don't kill, she's going to jail."
"What so you're a hero now?" Gold asked her.
"Today yes," Regina told him. "Now get that baby back to Mary Margaret." David nodded and hurried off. And you go see Belle." Regina didn't mean it as an order as she forgot she now held the dagger, and Rumple disappeared. Regina took Zelena to jail.
"You are so ungrateful you know that, you think your life was so sad, when you got everything," Zelena told her.
"Right my life is perfect," Regina grumbled annoyed. "Did you miss the part where my mother crushed the heart of the person I loved?"
"Mother did all that so you could be great," Zelena told her. "She wanted everything for you and nothing for me. You had to be Queen what was so bad about that."
"You are so blinded by power that you actually think that my life was perfect." Regina shook her head if people really knew how deeply she despaired inside. "You may have fallen quite far sis, but no matter how Evil I got I never once thought my mother was right. All it did was put me in an optimal position to do evil. You've never truly cared about anyone in your entire life so it must be a truly foreign idea to you that the life of the person you love is not worth whatever power you think you will gain. That is a hard lesson that even Gold knows."
"Love, you have all that, I never had love."
"Then have it now, take the second chance I'm offering you, I have no regrets because I have Henry, but I would have wasted that second chance if not for him."
"What if I don't want your second chance," Zelena told her.
"Then I will be there to rip out your heart and crush it," Regina told her before she disappeared in a puff of smoke. She appeared in her vault at first and locked away Zelena's pendant in a box that she usually stored hearts in. She locked up her vault and left again. When she returned home she had a message that there was a party at Granny's to celebrate the arrival of the baby. She was getting changed when there was a knock at her door. She went downstairs and was surprised to see Roland and Robin.
"Regina!" He exclaimed. He gave her a big hug and smile. She couldn't help but smile back as they hugged. She had ended up spending a bit of time with him as the loss of Henry had taken a toll on her heart.
"Hey Roland, what are you guys doing here?" Regina asked.
"Uh Roland, why don't you play out front for a moment," Robin suggested. Regina put him down and he went. They left the door open, but stepped a bit further inside.
"Yeah so this is quite awkward." He nodded.
"Look I know what you said in the enchanted forest and I'm a little confused about your actions here." Regina nodded.
'How can I tell him he's just a distraction?' Regina thought.
"Was the sex at least good?" Robin asked her. Regina frowned and gave him an apologetic look.
"Eh," Regina told him raising her shoulders.
"Really eh that's all?" Robin asked.
"Sorry, but like come on, what am I supposed to say about your drunken effort in the forest?" Regina asked him.
"Fair enough, although you're definitely not going to give me the chance for a sober encounter." Regina shrugged.
"I don't know, I'm tired of getting in my own way of being happy. You're a good man and Roland's a good kid, and we're friends…so I guess what I'm trying to say is if you're willing to try so am I."
"But the pixie dust?" Robin asked his eyes were wide, but Regina could see he was delighted. She even watched him look behind himself to make sure she wasn't talking to someone else.
"Was showing us a possibility, I think it was just saying that maybe I could have learned to love Snow White if never her father. Instead I chose Evil," Regina lied. "But not this time." Robin nodded.
"Well my Queen I am more than honoured to be your new boy toy." Regina laughed. "May Roland and I escort you to the party tonight?"
"You may." He held out his arm and she grabbed her jacket. They left and Roland ran over to walk between them and hold their hands. Aside from Henry she was sure that Roland was the only man she'd ever truly love.
'Can't get it for real, then you may as well fake it Regina, you'll get a whole family, what's better than another son?' Regina thought. Robin treated her quite well, just as well as David treated Mary Margaret if not better. Roland would make a great son and little brother to Henry, and her house wouldn't seem so empty when he was visiting Emma.
"Regina, you think you can make cake again tomorrow?" Roland asked. Regina smiled at him and nodded feeling reminded of when Henry was that small.
"Yes, I think we can make it together," Regina told Roland. He smiled and his little dimples appeared. She loved his little dimples. They walked into Granny's and joined the party. Roland ran to talk to some other kids in attendance while her and Robin got drinks. Mary Margaret and David were already sitting with Henry as he read from the fairytale book.
"I thought living on the farm was perfect, I just thought running away and leaving everyone I know and love behind was best."
"Hmph, like mother like daughter," Hook commented. Regina turned from the bar fire in her eyes.
"Hook," Emma said hitting him. He looked at her confused.
"You're leaving?" Henry asked her.
"Henry now is not the time or place to talk about this," Emma told him, knowing he would protest. But the battle was over, everyone was once again safe, she wanted to get away from storybrooke, fairytales she was not a part of, and most importantly Regina. She didn't think she could watch Regina dating Robin nor did she want every day to be a constant battle with her over Henry. She definitely had to nip that in the bud before she left.
"No, I think now is exactly the time, Ms. Swan," Regina told her upset. She turned to Henry. "You are not going back to New York, right Ms. Swan."
"Actually it's complicated," Emma answered.
"No, why would you leave our home?" Henry asked her.
"Our home is in New York," Emma told him.
"No, it's not," Henry told her. "I grew up here, I go to school here, I know everyone here." He indicated the room that held practically the entire town. "My mom is here."
"I'm your mom," Emma told him.
"Oh and what am I the nanny?" Regina asked her. "Ms. Swan I remind you that you don't actually have the right to take Henry anywhere now that storybrooke exists again."
"I have every right," Emma told her frowning.
"Actually you don't," Gold chimed in from behind her. "You see you gave Henry up in the real word and in that world Regina signed custody papers. You shouldn't even have contact with the boy, so you can't technically take him anywhere and any records you have from him to prove otherwise are fake."
"Well there you go, Henry you're staying and by default unfortunately Emma. She forgets I let you stay with her as courtesy." Emma stomped out.
"I'll go talk to her," Hook told them. Regina rolled her eyes.
"Here take the storybook, she needs to be reminded who she is that this is her home too," Henry told him. He took the book and left to find Emma.
"Maybe she got your determination to keep me all to herself," Henry said to Regina. Regina made a face.
"No, I just think she's jealous," Ruby replied.
"Jealous of what?" Mary Margaret asked.
"This," She motioned to her and the baby, and Regina and Henry. "She never got you as a mother, and then to top it off, Regina's so close with Henry even without his memory you can tell that he loved her. It was so unspoken, so like you and the baby. I'm not surprised she wants to run away and take Henry, because if Regina's not around well then Henry's got no choice but to love her right." They all looked thoughtful.
"Maybe she shouldn't act like my friend then," Henry murmured. Regina hid a smirk. Louder he said. "I'll just have to show her we're close." Henry looked up and outside and saw a light.
"Uh oh, that can't be good," Henry commented as he pointed. They all turned.
"Well fuck it's Zelena somehow she escaped and opened the portal," Regina commented feeling the power coming from the portal just like Rumple. They were about to head out to close it and stop her when it disappeared.
"Emma's not picking up," David said as he watched it disappear.
"Let's hope she just stopped Zelena," Regina told him.