Chapter Ten

Regina couldn't make herself look at Robin; couldn't even imagine what he must be feeling right now. Well, she supposes she does: fate has been cruel to her about Daniel, as well.

After Emma's exclamation, the five of them had hastily travelled to Granny's diner – only to find that they had moved Marian to Mr. Gold's shop. No one was really saying much of anything, to which Regina was very annoyed about that.

All David said before Regina, Robin, and Emma had left for Gold's shop was that it wasn't like the others. They had left both Roland and Henry to the care of the Charmings. Robin not really wanting his son to be a part of this, until he absolutely has to be.

They entered the shop abruptly, moving into the back room quickly to find both Hook and Belle standing there.

Robin, seeing his wife laid out on the small cot – unconscious and unmoving, quickly dropped to his knees by her side.

Regina looked on, try to swallow the bitterness she felt when she saw him hold Marian's still hands. She wasn't encased in a glass of ice like the others, she realized. She just didn't know if that was necessarily good or bad.

Emma reached out to Hook, "What happened?"

"I was out on patrol with David," he answered, "We happened upon her in the middle of the street, unconscious. And no matter of our tactics with waking her up was working."

"I left her at the school," Robin said, tears stinging his eyes.

Regina felt his pain, "She must've wanted to follow you…since, you took longer than expected." She wanted to reach out, to comfort him in his grief – but she couldn't, or perhaps shouldn't.

Just then, the door burst open and Rumple came in, fully expecting to be met by this group.

He gently asked the thief to move aside, replacing his hold on his wife. Suddenly, he looked up at them all, "She will be fine."

"You can fix it?" Robin asked, his voice filled with hope.

"Yes, it seems Elsa only hit her head," Rumple explained. "Thankfully, it's not the heart. The head has always been a little easier to sway."

He turned to his former student, "Regina, just like I taught you."

Regina was taken aback, "Why me?"

Rumple shrugged, "I need to conserve my magic, dearie. It's simple enough, remove her memories of the ice, and change it anew."

Regina nodded, understanding what she must do. She looked at Robin briefly before waving her hand above his wife's form. Instantly, a cloud of purple smoke appeared above her – Regina focused, trying to find her memories of the ice…sifting through the woman's mind, watching it all play out in fast moving images emanating bursts of sounds on the cloud above her body.

Suddenly, there was something wrong, Regina could feel it, she knew she was close to their current time now – the memory should be coming up; but something was amiss.

Her face contorted as she willed her magic desperately. "Something isn't right," she cried out, looking to Rumple. And then everything went dark.

What the people in room saw was Regina quickly crumpling to ground after uttering those three words. Luckily, Hook was quick enough to catch her falling form.

Robin was beyond himself, quickly taking Regina into his arms. Kneeling on one knee, he rested her head on the other, cupping her face. "Regina," he said softly, he could see her eyeballs were moving erratically behind their closed lids.

"Rumple," Belle cried out, "what is happening?"

The Dark One was beside himself, there was no reason for anything to go wrong – it was a simple spell.

Suddenly, Emma said, "Uh, guys…look." Her gaze was fixed upon the purple cloud Regina had conjured – at the images that were once flashing upon its surface.

They all watched, transfixed, as the images finally slowed, to one showing Marian sitting in cell, in what looks to be a dungeon.

Emma's eyes widened, recognizing the surrounding, "Oh my god, that's where I met her. I don't get it, I should be in that cell right beside her – but its empty."

Finally, Rumple understood. "That therein lies the problem. Regina encountered all of the woman's memories with her magic."

"What do you mean?" Hook asked.

"Her mind still seems to be conscious of the previous timeline, Regina was expecting a linear stream of memories, which is what most have – but right now both memories are playing in Marian's head simultaneously ," Rumple elaborated

"But the other time didn't happen anymore," Emma countered. "We saved her."

"You did, Miss Swan," Rumple continued, "But, the mind is a versatile thing – it does not easily forget the moments we lived through. And argue all you must, she lived that life, too."

"And Regina?" Robin asked, still looking at the woman he was holding.

"Her magic binds her to your wife's mind at the moment," Rumple said. "I can only speculate, but I believe she will wake once she gains control of the linearity of the memories again."

At that moment, they all turned back to the cloud as Regina's voice rang out from it.

Hook had to do a double take, making sure the sound was indeed coming from the purple cloud and not the woman in the thief's arms. He looked to Swan on his left, but all she mumbled was: "It's like a movie."

"Your freedom for Snow White," the Evil Queen offered graciously, standing by the closed door of the woman's cell. "Last chance," she taunts.

Marian looks up then, silent as ever.

Regina looked angered. Finally, they see her nod to the guards beside her. They entered Marian's cell and at the Queen's nod, knocked the woman unconscious and covered her head in a burlap sack.

Belle watched as Robin cringed at the sight, but his hold on Regina's form didn't falter.

Suddenly, the image changed. It was now one of the Queen and two guards in a moving carriage. And at their feet, was Marian – though her head was still covered, she must've been conscious at this moment, and was just pretending to lie still.

The Evil Queen was seething. "Are you sure you didn't see her?" she bellowed to her guards.

"No, Your Majesty," one replied hastily, avoiding eye contact.

"Then it didn't work," they hear her mutter. She lightly kicks the form at her feet, "Staging this imbecile's execution failed to draw out Snow White."

"What is your plan now, My Queen?" asked one of the guards.

"She goes free," Regina replied easily.

"Free?"

Regina glared, "Yes, are you deaf? She was never good to me dead – I'm beginning to find that to be a less useful state. No, you will keep an eye on her once she's released." Glancing down menacingly at the woman, "She'll lead me to Snow White."

"And if she doesn't?" one of the guards persisted.

"She will," Regina answered confidently. "Or at the very least, she'll lead you to someone who can. You two will follow this trail, and you will only return to the castle if you are dragging my darling step-daughter behind you. Am I clear?"

The two guards nodded their heads – looking at one another and their Queen.

At that, Regina opened the carriage door, and swiftly kicked Marian's form out of the moving carriage – Emma winced, Belle closed her eyes, Robin breathed deeply – the Queen then raised a brow to her guards, who both quickly followed the woman out.

"She didn't do it," Robin breathe out, looking down at the woman in his arms. She had ordered Marian to go free, with not even a threat of death.

Emma looked at the man, finding herself pleased that Regina didn't kill Marian – but also now wondering who did. She – well, all of them – got the answer in what would be the last memory.

"Ogres," Hook whispered, after they watched the tragic event. "She had no chance, and neither did Regina's Black Knights."

Robin felt sick to his stomach, and he looked down a moment; suddenly, Regina's eyes popped upon, just as the purple cloud also disappeared.

Brown eyes met blue ones, and they stared at each other for a beat before he spoke her name, "Regina."

She noticed his tear-streaked face, and from it knows that they were all witnesses to the memories she herself practically lived through. Relief was the look mirrored on both of their face.

Suddenly, noticing herself in his arms, she quickly made a move to stand; waving his hand away for support.

Everyone stared at her, until Rumple spoke, "Shall I do the spell, after all, dearie?"

Regina glared at him, holding her head in her hands, "I think that's best."

Everyone watched as Rumple began the spell again; anticipating the trouble Regina ran into, and finding the solution quickly. They finally witness the moment Elsa had caught Marian in the street – which Rumple quickly altered.

"That's it," Rumple said, "She will be fine when she wakes in the morning. I put her in a deep slumber, so as to allow her mind to heal from the intrusion."

The group began to shuffle out of the back room then, until only Robin and Regina remained – Regina, because Robin had taken a hold of her arm and had yet to let go.

They stared at each other, so intensely – and his gaze filled with such longing that Regina could almost believe that maybe, maybe they could. Maybe it will work.

But a slight sound from woman in the cot behind Robin broke all hope from Regina's mind. No, it will never work.

She pries her arm from his grasp, and practically runs out of the back room and out of Gold's shop, stopping only when she bumped into Miss Swan and her pirate, who were standing in her way on the sidewalk.

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Emma's head had been a jumble of thoughts as she walked out of Gold's shop with Hook. It would seem their meddling into the past really truly messed things up. She was going through all the scenarios in her mind, hence why she was stopped at the sidewalk – she had been unable to move, thinking about all the ramifications of their actions.

That's when Regina bumped into her. The two looked at each other, Regina already seeing the words that's going to come out of Emma's mouth.

She sighed, exasperated. "Yes, I know, Miss Swan," she said, "you didn't know."

"How could you anyway?" Regina continued. "Evil Queen, of course I killed her – never mind that you failed to notice I also possess a brain. There was a method to my madness."

"It didn't help you catch Snow White," Hook mumbled to the side.

Regina narrowed her eyes at the pirate but ignored his pathetic comment.

Emma swallowed; eyes wide like back in the diner weeks back.

Regina, seeing as she wasn't about to start talking, continued, "You know, I actually found myself thankful for your actions. I thought, in a way, you had done me a grand favour in stopping my murder of his wife. But it would seem now, that you are truly the root of the whole problem."

"Now, Regina," Hook intervenes, "all Emma did was save a life – whether it was not by your hand, as we thought; it is still a life saved."

"At my expense," Regina spat out.

"A family was reunited," Hook exclaimed.

Emma grabbed his arm then, that was a low blow; as she watched Regina's face change from seething anger to that of an undeniable ache.

Regina balked at the pain she felt at the pirate's words – in all the truth it contained. She closed her eyes, not even realizing both her hands were now holding two blazing orbs until she hears Emma's worried cry.

She snaps her eyes open, extinguishing the flames – finding herself back in control. "Fear not, Miss Swan. As much as I would enjoy watching you erupt in flames, you are not worth losing my son over!"

Emma stared at the woman before her, watching her move past her and Hook before turning around, "Consequences, Miss Swan – always think of the consequences – because it's always there, regardless of what you believe is right or wrong."

A/N: Good? Bad? Completely ridiculous? Tell me what you guys think.