Notes at the end; again, thanks for all the reviews!
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She knows, come the morning and her front yard is still barren, she can't realistically put it off. Hook sits at the kitchen counter, nursing a mug of coffee, his brace and hook attached because after she'd called Swan, knowing that Charming would accompany her, she'd had to call Gold. The thought alone of Gold and Hook being in the same room is enough to make Regina apprehensive, combined with the fact that she is involved with Hook so obviously now? There's no telling just what might come from it.
It doesn't take long for each of her guests to arrive, only Gold looking moderately surprised at Hook's presence, while the apparent call for them is evident as they entire, the fact that Gold looks ready to question Hook's presence is not something Regina wants to allow.
"You can likely see why I called." She's sure that this is all the constructs of some magical person, and while normally she wouldn't put it past Gold to pull something, this isn't his style. If he'd wanted to kill Hook, he would've just done it, if he'd been planning on goading something out of Regina, he'd have been more obvious in his ploys. There are too many unanswered questions.
Whatever is going on, it's likely to escalate, and there's only so far Regina can let it go. There's already been an attempt on Hook's life, her own safety was compromised, the next target is likely Henry, and Regina would turn the town inside out before she allows her son to be threatened.
"Whatever this is, it's powerful." Gold lingers by the window, and while Hook isn't actively watching every step the man takes, Regina is aware of every line of tension in her lovers form. He's still hunched over the counter, still holding a nearly empty and definitely cold mug of coffee, but his jaw is clenched tight, his shoulders a rigid line of coiled tension and eyes almost constantly down at his drink. She wants terribly to place a hand on his shoulder, to offer some sort of physical support, to commend him his control. But she can't, not in front of Rumplestiltskin. Hook wouldn't thank her for giving the man more to use against him. "The concentration of magic would have to be beyond anything a novice could manage, whoever this is? They're skilled."
"Okay, so, who do we know with this kind of power?"
The list, shockingly, is exceptionally small. Barring herself, the Blue Fairy, Gold and Maleficent, there really aren't many skilled magic users in Storybrooke. "None of the fairies under Mother Superior could do this?" It's almost laughable to think that any of them would never mind could. Fairies coveted their magic, and the power of love. To drain something so thoroughly of life would be utterly against their belief. "So, unless you did this, Gold or Maleficent?"
"She's still under the library; she can't shift from her dragon form." And Regina still feels somewhat bad about that, but it was necessary. "It's unlikely that she's able to cast."
"Okay, so that leaves us with no one? There has to be someone, I mean, your entire front is a barren wasteland of death!" Emma is getting dramatic, Charming is clearly getting frustrated, and it seems like Hook just checked into the conversation.
"What?" There's a frown on his face, not one that she'd associated with pain or discomfort, not even the distaste at being so close to Rumplestiltskin without attempting to embed something in the man's head. "A wasteland of—Regina how far cast was the curse?"
"Parts of the Enchanted Forest, as you know, Cora shielded some of it, but a majority of the Enchanted Forest was torn from the land." She hadn't gotten the full details on things; Gold hadn't been specific on how vast the curse was. Turning to him for clarification only got a shrug and casual roll of the eyes. "Why?"
"There's a place, dark and festering, worse than any land I've ever heard of. It's for forgotten and tormented souls. It exists only in the depth of despair and only for those with a chasm of darkness. It's off the edge of the worlds, a hollow place that doesn't really exist, but is entirely real." He's got everyone's attention, something that she's noticed he's decidedly good at. Henry isn't the only one that gets wrapped up in his tales; she's seen Charming sit on the edge of his seat listening from time to time as Hook regales his adventures for Henry. "The rather strange fellow that rules it calls it Wasteland."
"I've never heard of it." Rumplestiltskin scoffs, turning his attention back to the window, although there's a tell that even he is interested, despite the fact that it's Hook talking.
"A few months after… Well, a few months in Neverland, there was a calling, drunk off my arse, I took the Jolly along the coast, and fell right off the edge of a waterfall that was never there before. Wasteland doesn't have a sun, or even stars, there's no moon, no light, just a bleakness over the entire land. Small pockets of islands that make up the place. It's broken and shattered and only those lost beyond all hope end up there." She can only imagine why he'd wound up there, after Milah, after his hand, after Gold tore it all away from him in under five minutes. "Oswald might rule the place, but Mizrabel is where the power lies."
"Who is-" Emma starts to interrupt, but halts herself already, she and Charming sitting closer to the edge of their stools as Regina shifts to stand by Hook.
"She's a sorceress of sorts, shape-shifter by talent, but a witch by trade. She's about as hollow as they come, twice as deadly and entirely destructive. During my time in Wasteland she obliterated two of the seven islands connecting to the main of the place." She's starting to see why the frown. Regina's never heard of this sorceress, but Hook has been to her land. She already knows he has a track record of leaving some hurts behind him; betraying her, betraying Cora, his stint in Neverland leaving the pixies furious with him.
"What did you do?" She doesn't mean to sound accusing, not really. But she can't exactly help the mild exasperation building there.
"Stole a gem from her castle to deplete her power," he doesn't even deny it, one shoulder shrugging slightly. "Oswald, who is a giant rabbit, told a tale of Wasteland as a final haven for lost souls just seeking rest. Until the five gems of the Dark Castle were stolen by a witch looking to reclaim her power and return to her land. Over time, the gems were retrieved, until there was just one left in Mizrabel's possession. I got the gem back for Oswald, he fixed up the ship and…" Hook stops for a moment, fiddling slightly with his hook before shaking his head. "I imagine she's not best pleased."
It could make sense, although Regina cannot fathom how the sorceress could make it to their world now. Emma voices that question herself.
"It's not hard, escaping Wasteland; it's not really Neverland after all. The despair and hollowness just has to ebb enough and the exit reveals itself. It's a realm that doesn't truly exist in any one place, but in all places." It sounds like limbo, like some sort of in between state that can be achieved midway to giving up on everything.
"If this sorceress is behind things, she'll be easy to spot." Gold shifts away from the window, circling around to the counter, wisely remaining away from Hook until he's behind Emma. "Shape-shifters leave a very distinctive tell in their magic, threads of it will be everywhere, given the right tool, it'll be traceable." Placing both hands over his cane, Gold lets a sly smirk sit on his face. "For a price, of course."
"For god sake Gold, what kind of deal do you want now?" The annoyance is clear in Swan's tone, her tolerance with Gold's games likely almost at the end of its thread. Regina doesn't blame her; Gold always picks his moments after all.
"Oh, nothing from you, dearie." The smirk doesn't move, but Gold's gaze shifts significantly, settling directly on Hook. "It's simple, the good Captain agrees to relinquish his vendetta, and I shall locate your sorceress for you." It's not even an agreement to help stop her, or get rid of her, just find her. And that's even if she is the one they're looking for.
It's decidedly flimsy, but then Gold's deals are always much more beneficial to him than to anyone else, even when they look like they aren't. Regina can't keep a lid on the scoff, or the roll of her eyes, because does Gold honestly think that—
"Fine."
"What?" She's sure she heard him, but she can't believe it. Emma and Charming are staring all the same and she doesn't even care about the triumphant grin or stupid giggle that Gold lets loose. But there's no tension left in Hook's shoulders, just this sag of defeat and a tired look in his eyes.
"Whatever the bloody imp wants."
She's not sure she understands entirely, because how can he possibly believe that Gold is doing this for anything other than to prove something? Something that doesn't need proving considering Gold's already taken everything that Hook held dear, so long ago.
There's no contract signing, Regina knows that this is something Gold can hold over Hook without a contract, likely more easily because there's no contract. Gold springs off to start conjuring the tracking spell while Emma and Charming slink off not long after, leaving her with a sullen pirate and nothing but confusion.
"How could… Why would…" She's not even sure what to ask him right then. "Why?" It seems like the easiest question, even though it specifies nothing. Hook just sighs at her, rubbing his hand over his suddenly weary looking face.
"Why what?" He's never really been this terse with her, never short or brash, not even when her emotions were highly unstable and all over the place, not even when he was in pain constantly from the injuries. Now, he just seems drained of any attempt of staying polite.
"I promised to help, I would've helped. Why would you just—" She knows better than to accuse him of giving in, of quitting or giving up or anything similar. It wasn't who he was, and the three hundred years he spent trying proves that point. "We don't even know it's her."
It likely is though, of all the people possible, she sounds like the only viable suspect at this point. They can't exhaust themselves looking for suspects in a land where they are the usual suspects.
"Wasteland used to be a place where illusion reigned. Oswald called it the island of the discontent. It wasn't meant to be so bleak, it was meant to be peace." She's not sure she sees where it's going, not entirely sure she understands the point. "After the gem was recovered, after he had all five to replace in the castle, the magic of the gems returned to the land, casting the illusion over all the inhabitants again. It's a place where the lost can be found, if only in their minds."
"It made you believe that…"
"It gave the illusion of whatever your heart desired." She could read between the lines on that, understand what he hadn't been saying before. This time, Regina didn't fight the urge to place a hand on his shoulder, feeling the muscle give under her touch only impelled her to shift closer, both her arms around his shoulders and her chin resting by his neck. "I couldn't stay; I knew that it wasn't real, so I couldn't… The drive for revenge was what got me out of there."
Revenge that he'd just agreed to give up. Regina was stuck trying to figure that out, trying to work out where he felt that need came from. Ultimately, the 'why' was what she was asking. Why give it up? Why agree to Rumplestiltskin's demand? If the tracking could be so easily done, surely she could've worked it out herself? Although the time spent figuring it out would likely be time wasted, it wasn't impossible. She'd spent many a year under Rumplestiltskin's tutelage; she knew she'd be able to work out what he planned to do to track the sorceress given some time.
"If revenge is what drove Mizrabel to leave Wasteland, then it's directed towards me." It was the same tone he'd answered Gold in; void and empty and lacking anything like his usual personality. "I won't put your son in danger, Regina."
Her arms instinctively tighten around him, because of course he'd come to that conclusion. The escalation in attacks would eventually lead to Henry, if not on purpose then as a by-product, they'd affect him in some way, something more than simply witnessing attacks on his family. And Regina would give anything to keep Henry from harm's way, keep him from feeling the effects of their past choices. It warmed something in her that Hook would do the same, had done the same, to keep Henry from danger.
"And I won't let anything happen to you. Not now, not ever." It's painfully close to admitting something, Regina can almost feel the desire to vocalise it right there. But it's not the time, things are too uncertain and too raw, she can't open like that right now.
But there's hope. Little clues left for her, beyond Snow's optimism in her observations, beyond Henry's approval and Hook's friendship with her son, the worry and the concern that he's shown, the almost casual affection that built up along the way, the sacrifice he's made. There's hope scattered all along the path of their current relationship that maybe things can work out well, that she doesn't need to worry about opening the lid on that part of her heart.
She's almost convinced it would be more than worth it to take the chance on him.
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Emma calls later to inform them that Gold has found a method to track Mizrabel's magic, but it won't be ready until the morning. With an agreement to meet in the morning at Gold's shop, they are left with most of the afternoon to waste. Upon assurance from Hook that he will be entirely fine if left to his own devices, Regina opts to check in at the office to make sure no one has been crying for budget releases or permits or whatever else these people feel is important at any given time.
But Storybrooke is slow, it's dull and boring and as usual, the most that Regina needs to do is file a few reports and schedule a meeting. It means she wasted the trip and the cab fare because her car is naturally a disaster, but it allows her time to think. Time she's not really sure she wants if she's honest.
She can still hear Snow's words, urging her to confide in Hook about her feelings, to tell him that it's changed, it's not just a simple arrangement now, it's not just another deal. She understands better that she might not face the rejection that she's so worried she would, because it's entirely likely that she's not alone in feeling such things.
Since Daniel, it's been difficult to open up. Since Daniel it's been near impossible to let another man into her life. Beyond the coldness of Leopold, the lovers she took were simply tools, useful for an hour and then meaningless. Graham was the only one she kept around for long term and she couldn't develop deeper feelings for him, because he never could return them, not without his heart. Hook is, naturally, entirely different.
She hadn't been expecting to need to stop herself; she hadn't been expecting that she'd like him beyond his use. She shouldn't have been so complacent; he was too charming, too charismatic, far too attractive, and he knew it. And maybe it was because he knew what it was to lose his first love, or maybe it was just because he'd once been a navy gentleman, or maybe it was because he understood the depth of darkness a person could fall to. It didn't necessarily make them evil, although she coined the phrase 'evil queen' after all, but she stood by her own belief that evil wasn't born, simply chipped away at over the years, twisted and turned and made into a being so consumed that evil slept inside them.
And even then, he had to be the worst villain she'd ever heard of. If anything he was little more than a danger to himself at best, he routinely appeared to come out of skirmishes with one fewer ally and two more enemies and frankly, the fact that he was still alive and only missing a hand was astounding at times. His ability to survive even the fabled darkness of Neverland spoke only to his unwillingness to allow himself to die and his survival abilities, and considering what she had heard of the mystical Peter Pan, he couldn't even claim to be the true villain in his own story.
So wrapped up in her thoughts, Regina didn't notice the small knock on her door until Snow White was all the way into the room and standing in front of her desk, holding a flask and plastic box and a small smile on her face.
"Hook said you'd come in to catch up on some work." Regina doesn't startle, but she's slightly surprised, "I came across him in Granny's, he was talking with the dwarves, Henry's with him, they're going up to the station to see David and Emma and then coming back to the loft, I thought maybe…" Snow holds the container and flask up, as if it's an explanation, and Regina belatedly realises that she hasn't actually eaten since breakfast.
"Oh, right, yes." Clearing a little space for Snow to sit and to deposit whatever it is she's brought, Regina tries to reclaim her focus and stop drifting off into thought. "Sorry, I was just…"
"It's okay, David filled me in on things." Of course he did, although it made much more sense, "And we're trying to work out things on this bond too, but we figured that leaving Gold to focus on tracking down this witch was better for now." Regina just nodded, watching as Snow uncapped the flask to reveal two small plastic cups, unscrewing the lid to pour out two cups of coffee. The plastic dish opened up to show another two dishes inside, with napkins and plastic forks on top and a few small containers of creamer for the coffees.
"Planning a picnic?" It was becoming obvious that this was not a spur of the moment visit from Snow, she'd put some level of planning into the matter, even as she set out a small container of apple pie for both of them. Snow had the decency to blush slightly.
"Well, you've been distracted, right? And I guess I figured, after David mentioned that Hook had something to do with whoever this—"
"Gold agreed to help because Hook gave up the vendetta." She can't believe she's just blurted it out, like she has no control over her mouth at all. "Just like that, didn't even fight Gold on it. Just agreed to stop trying to kill him, to stop trying to get vengeance for Milah and…What does that mean? How can he just… I don't get it." It wasn't exactly true, she had an idea, she just wasn't sure about accepting that idea just yet. And why she thought Snow White might be the person to talk to it about, she had no clue.
"I think," playing with the pie, Snow avoided looking at Regina, although they could both tell from the emotions running around in Regina that she knew exactly what was going to come out of Snow's mouth, "that Hook has realised there's something worth letting it go for. He's a smart man, there's no denying that, even if his choices don't always demonstrate that. But I think there's a lot more that goes on inside that pirates head than we really know." Which was true, really. Not even Regina claimed to know what was going on with Hook most of the time. "He spent three hundred years holding on to the ghost of the woman he loved, he vowed vengeance on Rumplestiltskin, he almost died for that time and time again, and he gave it up. I suppose, the question you have to ask is, what could be important enough to him to let his life goal go unaccomplished?"
Her son. Her son's safety was enough. She's almost sure that if the target was him and him alone he wouldn't have even entertained the deal, but with her and Henry in the crossfire it made all the difference. It was far too much to over analyse, and Regina was quick approaching just having to accept things for the confusion that they held.
"I don't know what to do." She'd never been in a situation like this; she'd never been knotted up like this over a man before. Daniel was easy, he was sweet and tender and wonderful. He was careful and shy and open with her and she knew what he felt because he said it. But Hook, she almost doesn't want to know, because she's sure it will overwhelm her. He's deep and complex and charming and multifaceted and she's unsure just how quickly and deeply she could drown in that. It almost scares her how much she wants to.
"Take a leap of faith. You might be pleasantly surprised. And isn't it better knowing than torturing yourself?" Snow gives her a small smile; she can feel the encouragement building out of her, the optimism, the hope and compassion. The love. Regina needs to bite down several pieces of pie just to keep herself composed. "You might not think I believe this, but everyone deserves to be happy. Even Evil Queens and villainous pirates."
Did they? Was there really such a thing as a happy ending for villains?
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Mizrabel, Wasteland and Oswald the rabbit are all borrowed lovingly from Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion. Although details are altered greatly.