AN: Here's the new chapter you've all been waiting for. Hope you like it. XD Also, I'm updating this at midnight, so if you see any typo, oh well, my bad :/

Chapter 9

Pain, was no doubt a surprising concept. It keeps you in touch with all that is around you and at the same time, it can drag out away from consciousness more efficiently than any drug. It was like an octopus, a vicious, sleazy creature that knew each corner of your being, paralyzes you and takes your sanity with it, pulling it into the depths of insanity. It was like a snake, striking hard and fast, pouring its poison into every part of you.

Sydney Glass would have loved to say that he had already felt pain in his life, being Regina genie when she was still the Evil queen. And to own up to her title, she would sometimes lose her temper, but at that very moment, he realized he was lacking cruelly in the matter. The pain he felt was one he'd never experienced before. It was like a fire, burning down her nervous system, rebuilding it and then burning it down all over again. It pulled him in all directions. He tried to scream, to relieve the pain with any way he could find, but the pain seemed to hold him down in a tight grip.

The only thing he could do was grit his teeth and try to hold on to the hope that it would end.

All around him, was panic. Emma stuck on her feet by surprise, soon got over it and bent down trying to revive the fallen man. It was the first time the smile she had been sporting since she arrived in Storybrooke completely disappeared. People had gathered around both of them; some of them had pulled out their cell phones and were asking for help. Blaring sirens were growing closer, but Emma couldn't realize it.

Nothing was going as planned. It seemed simple enough: "go to Storybrooke, take a souvenir and come back to the Enchanted forest". That was what Rumplestiltskin said. It was supposed to be easy and no one was supposed to die. Especially not Regina's best buddy. She felt stupid; she'd been tricked, by Rumplestiltskin. Of all the people who could have tricked her, it was the one person who had a habit of screwing people over that finally got to her.

Emma took labored breaths as guilt twisted her insides. How could she have been so stupid? She couldn't stop berating herself: if she'd taken a better look at the plan, she probably would have realized that it was a shitty one, especially since it was Rumplestiltskin's plan. If Regina was to ever find out what she had to do with this, hell would break loose. So she decided to keep it a secret, no matter what.

When the paramedics arrived, her mind was already made: she would hunt Rumplestiltskin down and make him eat his ears. She moved aside and tucked herself between Henry and David, letting the paramedics take care of him. He was pale and rigid, like a corpse.

"What happened?" Henry asked

No one knew except for Emma and she didn't even know all of it. For example, she had no idea of who shot Sydney, or why. She could only assume it was due to some political schemes. Probably some disappointed rival. But she wasn't going to divulge the little she knew.

"I don't know Henry, I really don't know!" she answered

On the other side of Storybrooke, there wasn't so much confusion, just a lot of anger. As soon as she was informed of the attack, Regina Mills sprang into action: one of her most valuable advisors and her best friend had been shot, so she wasn't going to lay low as the agent who informed her had suggested.

Instead, ideas and plans about how to get back at the attackers were already swirling in her mind, ready to take material form. At that very moment, all that mattered was to make them pay. And she needed to do it fast before the whole city became aware of the incident, before she had her hands tied. Because even though she was one of Storybrooke's favorite people, it still didn't mean she could walk around murdering all those who offended her, quite on the contrary, she was supposed to present a calm front and be the epitome of maturity and forgiveness.

The first thing to do was to be sure of who did it, and who commandeered the whole operation, she might have had a few ideas, but when it came to matters like this, one had to be sure, and risk wasting precious time than to make a mistake by following the wrong target.

The one person she was looking for came bursting through the all at the very moment she picked up the phone. His dark hair blowing in all directions. One could easily see the fury and anxiousness in his eyes, one that matched Regina's

"Have you heard?" he asked

Regina nodded silently, a grim expression on her face, unable to speak as bile rose in her throat.

"They're getting bold" he muttered under his breath as he put down the suitcase in his hand, opened it and pulled out a white board.

"I've got names" he continued "Well most of them actually. By tomorrow morning, they'll all be behind bars, I'm sure". He oozed confidence, which was one of the reasons why Regina always turned to him in situations like this, apart from the fact that he was terrifyingly efficient, always a step ahead of others, anticipating everyone's every move.

"We'll get them all by tomorrow morning" he repeated, as if he knew that Regina wasn't listening. Instead, she was busy staring at the names on the white board and the labels Darius had carefully scribbled under each of them. Some names were missing labels and some labels were missing names, but it didn't most of the people on the board were those who would grovel at her feet in meetings and rave on about what a wonderful mayor she was in her presence.

There were also some she'd never even heard about and couldn't help but wonder why they felt entitled to taking her friend's life, those were the ones who terrified her the most, not only because she didn't know them, but also because she would never in a million years have suspected them; they were supposed to be honest citizens, who abided by the law and minded their own businesses. They had nothing to be unhappy about, but somehow, they'd managed to mix with such things. They all had to face punishment, and their families would suffer with them, whether it was her intention or not.

But Sydney had to be avenged, and she had to secure her position as the head of Storybrooke. And if all it took was a few traitors off the streets, then so be it, and who was she to object. She turned to Darius who'd been patiently waiting for her to emerge and give out orders.

"See if you can delay the news a while longer, we'll be needing another couple of hours. Also, send some men to secure Sydney's house and office, make sure no one comes in or goes out until all this mess is cleared. Then get some more information, I want to know who exactly is behind this and why and start arresting them…discreetly of course."

"As you wish" he said

He packed his suitcase, bowed his head slightly and turned around without another word, and before he even passed through the wall, he was already whispering furiously into his phone, no doubt giving out orders.

She picked up her own phone and asked for her the head of her own security men, Thomas and asked him to dispatch his best to protect Kelly and Kathryn. He was puzzled and curious, but asked no questions, just as he was supposed to. She then called her personal driver and informed him that he would be taking her to Storybrooke Hospital in the most secure car she possessed. He too didn't ask any question, he was paid to do his job and nothing else. Regina had never felt so uncomfortable in the streets of Storybrooke, hidden behind dark and thick bullet proof windows. Even though she could swear that all those who were even remotely aware of the situation were going to keep it silent, she couldn't help but being nervous. The entire car could resist a nuclear attack, but she could bring herself to relax, knowing that somewhere out there, murderers were out for her head, and no doubt those of her friends.

If it were up to her, she would lock them up in a bunker until all the whole situation was cleared, but she couldn't. First of all because it would be a sign of weakness to her opponents, but also because none of her said friends would ever accept such a gesture. She anxiously stared at her phone, wondering who she would call first, or who would take the news better. While Kathryn appeared a lot more solid than Kelly, they both had a similar fragility deep down inside. And they would both be equally heartbroken at the news.

She decided to inform Kathryn first; the blond and Sydney had grown pretty close during the past fifteen years. She dialed her number, secretly hoping she wouldn't pick up the phone, but she had no such luck.

"Hello" she answered. Her melodious voice rang in Regina's ears causing tears to well up in her eyes. Her tone was light, joyful, and one could tell that she was no doubt expecting some small talk or some gossiping from Regina, but she was immediately alarmed by the grim tone in Regina's voice.

"Regina! Is anything the matter?" she had adopted a concerned tone, one similar to the one she often used after Henry's departure, before Regina completely got over the pain and decided to open up to life.

Regina felt sick in the stomach, but Kathryn deserved to know, so she gathered up the courage and spoke, choking on her own tears

"It's Sydney" she sobbed

Storybrooke Hospital was one of those huge infrastructures that Regina had insisted upon having in her city. It was a 20 stories building made of glass, equipped with the latest technology which counted among its staff the best doctors. People from all realms came to be healed, either with magic or with science. According to her, all those who believed and trusted her to take care of them would not be disappointed. If they needed healthcare, then all they would get from her was the very best. So Regina had put in a lot of money, she had mobilized millions to build the best for her people and she hadn't deceived herself by handing it to a less competent person. In fact, she had supervised the whole project herself.

As she walked into the reception room, she saw doctors and nurses running around, efficiently doing their jobs and breathed out in relief: at least in here, Sydney had his best chance. Kathryn and Kelly were already seated, waiting for the head surgeon to bring back news (good or bad). Kelly gingerly stood up, put her arms around Regina's shoulders and started to cry silently. Kathryn was looking downcast and barely even acknowledged her. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she would sniff from time to time.

The three of them sat down in silence, except for Kelly's sobbing. They waited for hours without any information at all. A nurse would sometimes pass by, but they would all say the same thing, like a broken record: "we don't have any news for now, please wait for the surgeon." After five nurses had passed, Regina started losing patience; it couldn't take that long to remove a bullet, right? And it wasn't as if they had never done it before, after all, it was their job. Except if there had been complications, maybe Sydney was actually fighting for his life on an operation table. The thought alone made Regina's breath quicken, it couldn't end like this, not for her dear Syd. It wasn't fair, and she wasn't going to accept it. She was just about to get up and give someone a piece of her anxious mind when the surgeon made an appearance.

He was wearing a blue scrubs and had a stethoscope around his neck. Upon seeing him, the three ladies sprang to their feet and bombard him with questions:

"Is he alive?"

"Is he going to be fine?"

"How is he?"

They all asked at the same time. The doctor had to take a few steps back to avoid being trample to death. He quickly raised his voice above theirs and declared.

"I have good and bad news. So with which do I start, the good or the bad?"

AN: I to have news, the good news is that I'm officially back. My exams went well (I think) and I'm waiting for the results. The bad news is that I'm a lazy bunny who would only post the next chapter if you send some reviews my way, so y'all better keep it coming.

XD