Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT or anything as a matter of fact.
A/N: This is so exciting! Every time I see a new FOLLOWER, REVIEW OR FAVORITE I feel like jumping around in joy, and doing it in the office could probably get me a couple of odd stares.
I want to give SPECIAL THANKS TO all the readers that answered my last question. Souumlemure, Melina, Kristricks, ShadowCub, MayhemPrincess and Nico. Thanks for your answers. I honestly thought most of you would say "annoying Snow", but it seems I was wrong. I'll try to please everybody with this and I kind of have an idea of how to do it. I only hope you guys like it.
Also I will APOLOGIZE now for a possible delay with the next chapter. My computer died a couple of days ago. Bye bye MAGI, I'll miss you my dear! (the name was my brothers idea he he) I'll get another one soon, and hopefully I'll be able to write more often.
When I get a new computer you are all invited to the nuptials. Nah just kidding *coughing awkwardly* (I have to think on a new name though.)
Ok here it is!
Enjoy! =3
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Disguises
It was late at night. The deep forest was consumed by darkness and silence. The dim light of the moon broke through the deep foliage enough to illuminate her way. In her ears, only the sound of distant crickets and Rocinante's hoofs kept little Regina alert and aware of the impending nightfall and all the dangers that came with it.
She had followed the dark pirate ship to the coast and had watched as a group of rough looking pirates had taken down a glass box that kept the auburn mermaid trapped inside.
Fear and uncertainty filled Regina's mind, but she was determined to help the mermaid at all cost. Silently she was walking through the forest, following the tracks of the pirate's horses. She didn't know how she was going to help the red-haired girl, but she was determined to try.
She froze in place, when she heard laughing and voices coming from deep within the forest and not far at all from where she was. Steadying herself, Regina turned around and ordered Rocinante to stay still while she walked closer to the pirate's camp.
Thanks to her small body and light feet, Regina was able to get close enough to watch the group of criminals from afar, without been discovered. Quickly, she noted the mermaid's cage of glass and frowned when she noticed that Ariel was hitting the glass walls in an attempt to free herself of her prison.
She wanted to help. But she needed to wait. There was no way she could fight against the pirates. She needed a way to take Ariel away from them. But she couldn't do it by force, so she waited. The black-haired girl waited until all the pirates fell sleep or collapsed after they had drunk too much.
"It's time." She whispered to herself, as she walked silently to the camping zone. When she got closer, she was able to see that all the horses the pirates had been using were on the side of the camp. They were all tied together with a lose rope. When she spotted a second rope, this one lying on the floor, next to a small but thick piece of wood, she changed direction and took them both in hand before retracing her steps towards the glass cage.
Ariel gasped, surprised when the little raven girl appeared in her line of sight and already had her mouth open to speak when Regina motioned for her to stay quiet.
With a swift move, Regina buried the piece of wood just to the edge of the glass box and used all her strength to push it deeper, so the object fit under the glass cage. Using a rock and the piece of wood as a lever, the little girl put all her weight on it, in order to lift the glass cage; unfortunately, the lever didn't yield. She was just a little girl, after all.
Suddenly, Regina backed down, surprised and momentarily scared when two strong hooves stood over the piece of wood, easily lifting the glass cage in the air. The little girl turned to smile at her faithful stallion and moved to wrap the rope around the glass prison. She made sure to tighten the rope fast and secure and she did a final knot by fastening the rope around two handles that were used to lift the cage.
When she was done, she turned around and tied the other end of the rope to the saddle of her beloved horse. Stealthy, she moved to the group of horses and took the rope that kept them together and tied it to another part of Rocinante's saddle.
Regina sent a smile to Ariel, and the red-haired mermaid nodded with gratitude to the little girl. Regina went over to Rocinante and leaned over to whisper something to her faithful companion.
"Now, quietly put the cage back down Rocinante." Regina commanded and the stallion obeyed her command. As soon the glass prison was settled back to the ground she removed the piece of wood and the rock out of the way and climbed over her horse.
The little ridding girl maneuvered her horse so she could start dragging the prison away from the pirates, but unfortunately one of the pirate's horses neighed loudly. The sound woke up one of the pirates, who was startled to see a little girl over a big horse.
"Hey!" The pirate called out, and Regina took that as a signal for her escape.
"Heya!" Regina called and Rocinante sprinted forward, while dragging the glass prison. The pirate screamed at Regina, but was perplexed when he saw how the ridding girl was taking their horses as well.
Unexpectedly, a sword flew over the pirate's head and cut down the rope that kept the pirate's horses attached to Rocinante. The pirate turned around and watched as a black clothed pirate with a hook in place of his right hand came walking to him menacingly.
"Fetch my horse, you bilge rat!"
"Aye, Captain!"
"It seems that I'll have to teach that little lass a very important lesson. Ye shall never steal from a pirate." The captain said, while mounting his horse and rushing forward to catch up with Rocinante.
Regina felt her heart hammering wildly when she saw that the horses that she had taken hostage were now returning to their masters. She had planned everything, so she didn't have to face the pirates, but with their horses, there was nothing that stopped them from coming after her.
"C'on Rocinante, I know she is very heavy, but we need to escape from them." Regina pleaded and Rocinante obediently increased the speed of his galloping. Regina looked over her shoulder and winced when she saw the distress written all over the mermaid's face. The shaking and violent bumping the glass cage was suffering as it was dragged by Rocinante over the uneven ground of the forest, had to be terrifying for the mermaid, but Regina's biggest concern was to arrive at the coast before the glass prison broke.
The forest was dark and Regina trusted her instincts while she guided Rocinante. However, the screams and shouts of the pirates that were chasing her were getting nearer and nearer.
Out of the blue, Rocinante jumped a big group of bushes, and in the other side there was a huge cliff that fell to the ocean.
It was too late to stop, and Regina felt herself falling down the cliff. Quickly, she turned around and cut the rope that kept the mermaid tied to the saddle of Rocinante, and before she even realized what was happening her body hit the water.
The group of pirates watched how the black stallion jumped down the cliff and waited for something to emerge from the water.
"What now Captain?"
"There's no way the rider survive that." The man said, pointing to the sharp rocks down the cliff with his hook. "And the mermaid is probably free by now. It is time, mate, we got back to camp. We lost our loot."
Down on the coast, Rocinante emerged, struggling against water and rocks to make his way to the shore. The horse stood watch over the ocean and pounded his hoofs upon the wet sand, as if he expected something and was growing impatient with the wait. It wasn't long at all for Ariel to emerge from the water, dragging an unconscious Regina as close to the cost as her tail allowed her to.
"Please, please, wake up." Ariel begged, caressing the face of the little girl in her arms. "Please, wake up."
Rocinante neighed loudly and suddenly Regina's eyes were open with a start. Ariel smiled immediately after seeing the brown orbs of the girl looking back at her quietly.
"Hi." Ariel said shyly.
"Wow, you are beautiful." Regina said in awe. Ariel was stricken by the sudden praise, but laughed happily when she saw the little girl blush.
"Thank you and thank you for saving my life." Ariel said with a little bow of her head.
"Oh gods, papa must be worried…." Regina said happily. "I'm happy mama is not at home, though. I'm Regina", the little girl said, extending her hand to the mermaid. Regina beamed at her with so much innocence that she couldn't help but smile back with the same intensity. Ariel grabbed the hand of her new friend and squeezed it softly.
"I am Ariel, nice to meet you, Regina."
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"I'm sorry, Ariel." Belle said, as she reached to grab the auburn girl's shoulder. Ariel, Belle and Ruby were standing in Regina's office. They now were before the bean stalk and Ariel was devastated when she noticed there weren't any seedlings left.
"Where can I find more of this bean?"Ariel asked, sternly.
"There are none left anywhere. You will have to wait and see if the plant gives us something with time." Belle said, looking at the mermaid with sad eyes.
"I don't believe that. I have to find another way. I can't wait too long. Regina needs me!" Ariel shook her head, looking at the two other girls with flaring eyes. She was determined. And she was desperate.
"Look, Ariel, I know you are worried about her, but Regina is a strong woman. In fact, she is the strongest person I have ever met, that's why she is so goddamn scary. And she's with Emma. Messing with one of them is foolish, but messing with both at the same time is simply suicidal." Ruby said reassuringly.
"What Ruby is trying to say, is that we cannot rush things. The only thing we can do right now is wait for the plant to give us a small seedling, and after that you can use the magical object that Regina gave you to store it."
"Do you really think so?" Ariel asked, now a little calmer.
"Regina and Emma can wait until we get to them, I promise." Ruby said soothingly.
"We?" Ariel asked, surprised at the werewolf words. Ruby blushed when she noticed her slip of words and rubbed the back of her neck nonchalantly.
"Well, yeah. You said that Neverland is dangerous. And someone like… fragile… You need umm… protection." That was super smooth. Ruby scolded herself while biting the inside of her cheek.
"Thank you for your concern." Ariel said, face clearly beaming and Ruby flushed bright red in an instant.
"And I will be an effective third wheel, since I want to go and see Rumple." Belle laughed at the scowl her best friend was giving her. "As soon the seedling is ready, we'll go to Nerverland, Ariel."
"Thanks, I just hope we get there in time."
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"When you said that we had a method in hand, I didn't think you were referring to this." Emma Swan complained when she found herself in this surreal situation.
She had grabbed Regina's hand, trusting that the woman knew what she had been doing, but now, Emma was regretting her choice. "And why I'm I a rat?Of all animals!"
That was it. Regina had used her magic to turn them into small animals that could walk through the Lost Boys' camp unnoticed. The problem was that Regina Mills had turned Emma Swan into a little and furry rat. Regina had chosen the form of the black ferret for herself, and she had turned Emma into a small golden rat. How was that fair!
"You are not a rat, dear. You are a mouse." The black ferret talked telepathically to Emma.
"It's the same thing. You said mousses were degrading." Emma mumbled with a pout.
"We don't have time for this, Miss Swan. Let's split up. We have to search the entire place and look for Henry. If you find something, call my name. I'll be able to hear you no matter the distance between us." Regina's voice commanded inside Emma's head. The golden mouse turned her head around to look at the black ferret, but the stealthy animal had already disappeared inside the camp.
So Emma did what she was told to do. She moved all around the camp, looking for any sign of Henry or the Lost Boys; nevertheless, the place seemed to be completely empty. She visited all the small shacks on her side and they were all empty. When she spotted a bigger hut she walked rapidly towards it. She sneaked in silently, and looked around with curiosity. The place seemed to be some sort of cellar. While the other cabins were completely empty, this one in particular seemed to be filled with stuff.
"Regina, I might have found something. I'm in the big hut at the end of the camp." Emma called in her mind while she wondered around the hut. She jumped, startled, when her animal's nose caught the smell of something sweet. Food! Her mind screamed joyously.
Following her newfound instincts, she found a large basket under a wooden table. The basket was filled with fruit and she eagerly jumped over to reach it. She took the first fruit she saw, which was a small dark blue berry and nibbled it contently before she was startled by a loud scream.
"No!" Regina's voice ringed on her head and she turned around to see, the now human witch, stalk to her in a mad rush. Before she could even blink, Emma was back to her human form and Regina had punched her in the stomach making her spit the bite of fruit she had just taken. "Spit it out, Emma!"
And once again she obeyed. Soon after, Regina's hands were cupping Emma's face while the witch's eyes ran over her face with fear and uncertainty.
"That was Black Belladonna; it can kill you almost instantly!" Regina screamed, terrified Emma reached to hold Regina's hands over her face and looked at her with yielding eyes.
"It's ok. I'm ok… nothing happened." Emma reassured.
Regina closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. The moment she saw Emma biting down the poisonous berry, was one of the scariest moments in her life. Her heart was beating erratically and she wasn't sure if she wanted to hug Emma, or punch her in the face for scaring her like that.
Emma, on the other hand, was surprised. She still hadn't processed the thought that she had almost killed herself by eating one stupid berry, but she was very much aware of the Evil Queen's reaction when her life had been in danger. It was a pleasant surprise. She might not have known before, but now she was completely sure that the black-haired woman cared about her wellbeing. The simple realization of that fact made her smile widely like a fool.
"What are you smiling about? Do you have a death wish I'm not aware of?" Regina asked, exasperated. She hadn't expected to open her eyes to find such a huge smile on Emma's lips.
"By your reaction, I might start thinking you actually care about me." Emma teased lightly, smiling even wider when she spotted a flush on the former Mayor's cheeks.
"I can't. I'm dead inside." Regina said, retrieving her hands from Emma's grasp and turning around to walk away. Emma laughed and without thinking much about it, reached for Regina's arm and turned the black-haired woman around and towards her.
Emma's laugh halted when she felt Regina's body crashing to her front. The Sheriff looked down and her breath hitched when she noticed that Regina's face was but a few inches from her own. She could even feel the warm breath of the witch hit mercilessly against her open lips.
Emma's body was in overdrive. Or to be more precise, her whole body had crashed. She couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't talk, couldn't breathe… she couldn't breathe!
Regina was in a similar state. She was surprised at first, and she was ready to snap another snarky comment when she found herself getting lost in the mesmerizing eyes of the blonde. Not her, oh please not her. Regina was panicking. They had been quiet and gazing into each other eyes for way too long. Wait… both of us… does Emma? ... does she…? Regina's mind snapped her from her reverie, when she noticed that Emma's face turn paler with every second.
"Emma?" Regina called softly.
What the fuck is going on? Breathe stupid body! Breathe!
"You are little." Emma blurted out, allowing her lungs to claim some oxygen. Regina frowned when her mind finally processed Emma's words and Emma quickly jumped trying to fix her statement. "I mean… you look shorter… where are your shoes?"
"Did you really think I would be walking through a jungle in high heels when I'm complaining of being tired and dehydrated? I might be obstinate, but I'm not stupid, dear. I lost the shoes miles ago." Regina allowed the harsh answer to sooth her inner insecurities and made the current situation way more bearable.
With a little reluctance, she stepped away from the blonde and walked to the basket with fruit. "Here!" She said handing the blonde a red plump apple. "Eat the ones in the bottom, the others are poisonous."
"Ok." And that was how both women fell silent. The two women ate in silence for a while – no mentions of apples and the past –, before getting up and moving around the big hut to look for water and provisions.
There were two big barrels of water, a crate with clothes, a couple of satchels and canteens.
When the Sheriff moved to fill the canteens of water, Regina stopped her soundly.
"What now?"
"We don't know when we'll find water again, its better if we preserve it" Regina passed her hand over the canteens and the satchels and signaled the woman to continue. Emma curiously opened one of the satchels and deep her hand went in it. She released a gasp when she found that her arm was shoulder deep in and she still hadn't touched the bottom of the bag.
"Wait, did you Mary Popins this?"
"…if you are asking me if I cast a spell in them, then yes, dear." Regina rolled her eyes, exasperated by the blonde's choice of words.
"Why didn't you do this the first time?" Emma asked annoyingly. Regina considered dismissing the blonde with one of her snarky responses, but she reminded herself that she was to play nicely with the annoying blonde.
"Using magic has its rules, dear. Before, I created the canteen from tin air. It was a product from my magic, but I can't create an object like this and give it a magical ability. However, if I have a real object, I can enchant it and give it magical qualities. I can't enchant something already magical. The apple I gave you wasn't created by my magic; I summoned it from my apple tree in Storybrooke. I was able to do so because I have a strong connection with my tree; unfortunately, the two dimensions are too far away and I can't seem to do anything like that again." Regina walked past the blonde while Emma stood looking at the satchel curiously. Regina ignored the blonde and proceeded to take her blazer off.
"Oh… cool."
"Move all the food to the satchels." Regina commanded and Emma sighed in defeat.
"Why do you always have to be so…bossy?" Emma had turned angrily, but as soon her eyes fixed on the ex-Mayor her jaw dropped wide open. Regina stood next to the water barrels giving her back to Emma while clad only in her underwear.
Emma's eyes were drawn immediately to the newly revealed pale skin and the sexy and revealing silky black underwear. Smooth thighs. Toned stomach. Slender legs. Emma felt the blood rushing in her ears as she looked the woman up and down once more.
Emma tried to shake the cloud of heat out of her head, but she couldn't. She simply couldn't look away from the woman.
Not yet.
God she is beautiful.
When Regina glimpsed her over her shoulder, Emma gulped. Realizing that she was ogling the very half naked Regina Mills, she turned around and gave the woman the deserved privacy.
"I'm sorry!" Oh God, please don't kill me.
Regina smirked mischievously after identifying desire tinged within ocean green eyes. Regina finished putting on her new clothes while watching the woman squirm under her gaze. Then she kneeled and grabbed a couple of clothes from the floor and tossed them to the blonde.
The buddle of clothes hit the back of the Sheriff's head. Emma grabbed them before they touched the ground and inspected then curiously. They were Lost Boys' clothes.
"Put them on." Regina said in her usual stoic voice and Emma released a relived sigh when she knew the woman wasn't going to slit her throat for staring at her perfect underwear-clad-body. Perfect? Snap out of it Swan!
"Why?"
"Disguises, dear."
Emma didn't bother to reply. She simply proceeded to take off her clothes. Oblivious, to the blonde, Regina turned around at that precise moment to watch the Sheriff undress with amused and inquiring eyes.
Emma took her tank top off and pulled her tight pants down while Regina's eyes worked over the slim waist and curvy bottom. Yes, the woman was annoying, but Regina couldn't deny that the blonde was beautiful.
"By the way, I don't believe you need to take your pants off." Regina watched Emma shrug and bend down again to move her pants up, not without giving the former Evil Queen a full view of her back side.
"Can I turn around now, dear?" Regina said while giving a lustful glance to the blonde's assets.
"No, wait, give me a second!" Regina almost laughed out loud when she watched the blonde literally jumping on her feet, trying to fit her tight jeans once again quickly. Emma took the Lost Boys' clothes and put them on. It fit her like some sort of poncho, the material was harsh and dirty, but it was comfortable and fresh for the hot weather in the island. "I'm ready." Emma announced before turning around to face the witch. Emma stopped surprised when she found the woman staring at her with her arms crossed over her chest.
Was she watching me change? Emma asked inwardly and she got a perfect sculpted eyebrow rise as the older woman's answer.
She honestly rather not know.
Emma's eyes studied Regina's appearance and noticed that the ex-Mayor had put on even the messy version of Lost Boys' shoes. She was clad fully in the messy wardrobe of the habitants of the island and she couldn't help but smirk knowing that the woman didn't enjoy being dressed like a bag of potatoes.
"Aren't we missing something, Madame Mayor?"
"And what would that be, Sheriff?" Regina asked smiling knowingly.
"Well these disguises won't work, Regina. They are the Lost Boys, after all." Emma shrugged scanning her own appearance with wariness.
Regina's smile widened dangerously and she beckoned Emma with a luring flourish of her fingers. Emma squirmed a little, but opted to walk cautiously to the older woman. When Emma stood right in front of her, Regina put her fingers leisurely over the blonde's jaw and made her tilt her head to the side.
Emma followed the movement and her eyes fell over the water barrels; surprisingly, where she expected to find her own reflection, she found something else.
Instead of her, the water reflected the vision of a young man, with short blonde hair and her own misty-green eyes. It was herself, she could see some of her own features reflected in the young boy, but they were more manly and younger.
"Holy shit…" Emma said while raising a hand to touch her face and watching the young boy in the water follow her movements.
"Hum…" Regina said near Emma's ear as Emma watched a handsome young boy with darker features appear in the water. "Who would have thought? I'm hotter than you even in my male's appearance." Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes; however, deep down she agreed with the dark-haired woman.
"Would this work against Pan?" Emma asked without reaping her eyes away from her reflection.
"Only people who have deep feelings for us will see us. Which includes hatred, fear, annoyance, among others, so don't be afraid about your parents, they will recognize us if we cross paths. The Lost Boys do not know us, so it will work with them, as for Pan, I'm not sure, since apparently we have a history together." Regina explained. "Now finish packing, dear. I don't want to stay here for long. It's obvious Henry is not here, we have to keep looking."
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Deep in the jungle, in Pan's camp, Henry walked around nervously. When Pan had given the order for the Lost Boys to hunt Emma and Regina down, the boys in question had left the camp in a hurry. All of them except for Pan. Henry was surprised when Pan didn't lock him again in a cell, but he soon discovered why.
The whole camp was surrounded by some sort of magical barrier. Henry had walked through all the camp and he always came against the magic barrier eventually. Henry was indeed trapped, and Pan knew it, so he didn't bother to keep an eye on him.
The young boy was scared and anxious. He needed to know if his mothers were safe, and if they were, he needed to warn them. He needed to tell them what he had learned about Pan, about the White Heart, about his own heart and about the threat Pan signified for both of his mothers.
Since Pan didn't bother to keep him at bay, Henry had witnessed a couple of interesting conversations between Pan and evil Tinker Bell. Henry had learned that he had the Heart of the Truest Believer, something that was quite rare in the magical world… apparently. But what had surprised him the most was that both his mothers had what Pan called a 'White Heart'. Henry could understand that Emma had one, but the fact that Regina seemed to have one as well unsettled him.
But that didn't matter. The important thing was that Pan needed both the Heart of the Truest Believer and the White Heart to accomplish his evil plan. What was the plan per se? Henry didn't know, but it was obvious Pan was the bad guy in this story and since he was one of the good guys, he needed to stop Pan at any cost.
He had walked for hours around the camp looking for some kind of object that would help him escape the camp or at least would allow him to communicate with his mothers, but the search had yielded no results.
Physically and mentally exhausted, Henry walked to the small pond where he had last seen his mothers. He felt a shiver travel down his spine when the memory of what happened flooded his thoughts. He had been so close to losing his mothers. He still was, actually.
His own decision of saving Regina over Emma had surprised him, but at the same time was quite obvious for him. Regina was his mom. Although, he always thought Emma was his real mother, it was obvious that his heart thought the exact opposite. He didn't care if Regina was the Evil Queen, she was still his mom. Why hadn't he seen that earlier?
Pan had been right. Henry had hurt Regina, probably more than nobody had hurt her before. Henry knew that he needed to make everything right again. He needed to talk to his mom and say sorry for all the hurtful things he had said to her. He never apologized. He had given up on her, when Regina had never given up on him.
Henry let a tear slid down his cheek with sorrow. He plugged his hand inside his collar and took out a beautiful golden locket. When he opened it, he watched with watery eyes a photograph of himself and Regina when he was younger. When he had been happy.
"I'm so sorry, mom." Henry said between a sniff and a half sob. His body rocked with a powerful sob and accidentally the locket fell from his hand to the pond.
"Oh no!" Henry squealed, leaning over the pond and trying to reach for the small locket, but when he was about to dip his hand into the water, he was surprised by the vision that appeared before his eyes.
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Regina and Emma had been walking a while in the jungle, and every second took them away from the Lost Boys' camp. Emma was crestfallen. When she had first seen the camp, she had been sure that Henry would be somewhere inside; nevertheless, Henry hadn't been anywhere to be found and now they had to resume the search.
The feeling of disappointment didn't hit her until they were ready to leave the camp. In a way Emma was scared to leave the place. What if Peter Pan returned with Henry to that camp later? However, Regina seemed sure that Pan wouldn't come anytime soon. That this quest was far from coming to its end, and she was willing to trust the witch's instincts.
And yet, the dreadful feeling of not knowing Henry's condition was consuming. She was scared and a nervous wreck, while Regina seemed to be simply stubbornly determined, like she knew, without a doubt, that Henry was safe somewhere else. Was he?
"Is he?" Emma asked out loud, earning the attention of the darker woman.
"What, dear?" Regina asked curiously while looking at the blonde over her left shoulder.
"Is Henry alright?" Emma asked with trembling voice. Regina stopped in her tracks to address the blonde directly.
"Emma?"
"Is he alright? We are going to find him in time, right?" Emma asked again, letting her insecurities come to the surface again. Regina could see her own fears reflected in the younger woman's eyes, but the difference between them was that Regina couldn't allow herself to be weak. She couldn't allow herself to doubt. Not now. Not while Henry was in danger.
"Yes, he is alright, dear." Regina confirmed with determination.
"How do you know that?" Emma asked fiercely stepping closer to the older woman.
"I don't know Emma… I just know he is alright." Regina said, clenching her hand over her heart. Emma noticed a golden necklace around Regina's neck and she stepped closer, eyeing the object with curiosity.
Regina noticed the piercing stare and moved her hand away, allowing a prying hand to grab the necklace and pulled it out of its hiding spot beneath her clothes. Emma played with the golden locket in her hand curiously and Regina allowed her to do so while watching slender fingers caress the object with utter flimsiness.
When chocolate and ocean green eyes met, they were surprised when a loud squeak came from the locket.
"Mom! Ma!" Henry's voice emerged from the locket and the two mothers jumped in surprise.
Emma was the first one to react, so she quickly fumbled with the locket and opened it as fast as she could. Regina, on the other hand, was surprised when a sudden pull of magic inside of her happened at the same time she heard her son's voice calling for her.
When Emma opened the locket, she was surprised when she saw Henry's face reflected in a magical surface on the locket.
"Henry!"
"Emma!" At the other side of the island, Henry leaned over the pond to see the reflection of Emma's face in the water.
Regina woke up from her stupor and moved next to Emma to see the face of her son smiling at them with relief.
"Mom! Hi!" Henry smiled letting tears of happiness fall from his eyes.
"How did this happen? It's impo-" Regina said in shock before an answer popped into her head. "A magical bond? How?"
"The locket, mom!" Henry said cheerfully. "The locket you gave me for my birthday! It fell into Pan's pond and now it works like some sort of magical TV."
"I'm so glad you are ok, kid." Emma said to Henry with a watery smile.
"I was so scared, ma, Pan wants to kill you both!"
"Henry, do you know what Pan wants?" Emma asked warily.
"He wants my heart and yours as well. He said that the Heart of the Truest Believer and the White Heart of one of you can grant him great powers! You can't come here! He is very dangerous!" Henry said in a rush, not knowing the effect his words had on his mothers.
Emma felt a shadow of fear creep over her entire body when she heard that Pan wanted Henry's heart. The fact that he could take it at any moment terrified her.
Regina felt the same dread and at the same time was flabbergasted when Henry confirmed Ariel's history about the White Heart. A million questions popped in her head, but she knew that she didn't have time for those questions now.
"Henry, are you hurt or trapped?" Regina asked with a serious tone of voice.
"No, he said he wants to wait until you're hurt to take my heart."
"Good." Regina said, surprising Emma, who looked at her in shock. Before she could say anything about it, Regina interrupted her again. "Listen to me, Henry, you have to be a brave boy and wait for a little bit longer, ok?" Emma stared at her in surprised, but she understood that this wasn't Regina being careless and indifferent… this was Regina being in charge.
"Emma and I need to come up with a plan to get you, Henry."
"No! He is dangerous!"
"Trust us, Henry! We are getting you home. Now try not to taunt Pan and don't get in trouble until we get to you. Do you think you can do this for us?"
"But, mom…"
"If anything happens, you can come to the pond and call my name. I'll respond as fast as I can, but just in case of emergencies, ok?"
"Ok…" Henry answered with doubt.
"We love you, Henry, and we won't let Pan hurt you." Regina assured with a loving and caring tone of voice, a stark contrast to the all-business tone she had been previously using.
"Yes, you just wait and before you know it, we'll be kicking Pan's ass." Emma said with a reassuring grin."
"Now go, Henry, and stay safe." Regina commanded seriously.
"Wait, mom, I need to tell you something!" Henry pleaded, not understanding the rush, as his mother ran to end their meeting.
"We'll talk later, Henry, I promise." Regina said dismissingly. Emma didn't understand Regina's behavior, but when she glanced at her, she noticed that the witch was paler than usual and a thin layer of sweat was permeating her forehead.
"Mom! I'm sorry for everything! I love you, I really do!" Henry called urgently. Regina's gaze softened with his words.
"I love you too, Henry, more than anything in the world." Regina said truthfully. The auburn eyes moved from her son to the woman that shared her title as mother and gave her a soft smile. Emma smiled in returned before looking at Henry with a similar smile on her lips.
"We both do, kid. Now take care."
"You too!"
All of the sudden, the image of the locket disappear, leaving only the photo of Regina with a younger Henry. Emma let out a deep sigh out and gasped when Regina's body collapsed against hers.
Emma cradled Regina's body as best as she could and helped the woman to sit down while the blonde remain positioned with her front pressed against the Mayor's back.
"He's ok…" Emma heard Regina whisper in a weary voice. "He's ok…"
"Yes, he is." Emma assured her, watching how the black-haired woman slowly drifted into a deep slumber. Emma could just assume that talking to Henry through the locket had consumed the witch's energies and that she had reached her limit for the day. "And he will be."
Emma smiled calmly, while hugging the other woman's body closer to hers and allowing her back to rest softly to the side of a fallen tree.
"We will make sure of that."
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Omake (Funny mini story)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Chapter 6
Location: somewhere in Europe.
Emma: OMG! Are you seeing this? Regina, pinch me! I must be dreaming. Or dead. OMG. OMG!
Regina: Oh for Gods' sake shut up! *Regina reprimanded in annoyance.*
Xena: Ares, what do you want from them?
Ares: Oh Xena, as always so eager to help. *In that moment a blonde beauty came running and stood next to tall brunette woman*
Emma: OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG…
Gabriel: Leave them alone, Ares!
Ares: Why don't you come here and make me? *Ares challenged with a smirk.*
Xena: It would be my pleasure. *Xena drew her sword and jumped in the air screaming her war's cry.*
*The fight began and Emma stared dumbfound at it next to an annoyed Regina*
Emma: It's like watching porn.
Gabriel: Are you two ok? *the blonde asked with concern*
Emma: Yes, we are thanks to you and Xena! *Emma exclaimed excitedly* Can I ask you something?
Gabriel: Yes, what is it?
Emma: Are you and Xena lo-
*Out of the blue, Ares jumped in front of Gabriel grabbed her and throw her towards Xena. Emma frowned at the interruption and turned to send a pleading look to Regina. The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes and with a flick of her hand Ares was enveloped by a purple fog and transported away from them.*
Gabriel: Did you do that? Are you a Goddess? *The Amazon asked warily.*
Regina: Well I am a -
Emma: Fans! *Emma jumped in ignoring the flaming glare Regina was sending her way.* We are huge fans of you Xena!
Xena: Oh… thanks *the warrior said awkwardly, ready to move away from the two other women*
Emma: Can I ask you something?
Xena: What?
Emma: Xena, are you and Gabriel lov-
*Suddenly, a group of men jumped out the bushes and started fighting the two medieval warriors.*
Emma: O C'mon! What is going on?! *Emma exclaimed exasperated.
Regina: I think that they can't say it, Emma.
Emma: What do you mean?
Regina: I think that since they never said it in the show they can't say it to us now. We are after all inside the show. *Regina explained calmly*
Emma: Can you fix it? Cast a spell on them or something, just for them to give me an answer. *Emma begged and she noticed Regina's frown* Please I won't ask anything from you ever again.
…
Emma: I'll make your garden… I'll kick Neal's ass for you… I'll cut Mary Margaret's hair when she sleeps so she could never grow it back.
Regina: You got yourself a deal, dear. * Regina lifted her hands and with a flick of them, the opponents of the warriors disappeared and the two warriors stood surprised after being affected by the spell.*
Gabriel: What was that?
Emma: Nothing. May I ask you something?
Xena: Ask it already! *Xena shouted angrily.*
Emma: Are you two lovers?! *Emma blurted out and smiled when she noticed nothing had interrupted her.*
*Xena and Gabriel gasped in surprised by the question; however, soon enough both woman found each other's gaze and smiled softly in happiness.
Gabriel: I don't know what makes you ask, but if you really most know… *Gabriel smile widened and she blushed in embarrassment.*
Xena: Gabriel and I are
TBC
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Emma: You have to be FUCKING kidding me! I can never catch a break!
Regina: Ups, sorry.
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A/N: Thanks for reading!
Black belladonna is my FTL type of belladonna is fifty times more poisonous than our belladonna which says enough.
Thoughts? I'd love to hear them!