Well here we go., There will probably be one chapter after this...the beginning of the end!
I woke up the next morning to the sun streaming in through my open curtains. The clock on my bedside table said 10:00AM. I threw the comforter off, letting it collect in a pile on the floor. On any other day I would carefully make my bed, smoothing the sheets out, tucking the corners of the blanket in, and arranging my pillows so carefully that my bed looked like the cover of a Bed, Bath and Beyond advertisement. But today wasn't just any other day.
I stalked through my bedroom, pulling on a typical Mayoral outfit, even though I was likely no longer the mayor. I slipped into a pair of heels, not even checking to see if they accessorized correctly with my skirt and jacket. There were still two hours until Emma and I were scheduled to open the portal and I needed to get ready. There was only one way for me to gain the magic I needed to help Emma: My mother's book. I left my room, walking down the hall to Henry's room. "Henry?"
"Yeah Mom?" He asked, looking up from his fairytale book, which he was still reading.
"Come on. I'm going to drop you off with Ruby." I looked away from him.
"Why?"
Avoiding his gaze, I responded. "I have to do something today, and I need you to be somewhere else."
He jumped off his bed. "Where are you going?"
I kneeled in front of him, bringing myself down to his level. "I am trying to bring Emma back. And it might not work. But if it does, I'll be opening a portal, and that could be dangerous. I don't want you around that." I paused. "And I'm going to be using magic. I don't want you to associate magic with me anymore."
"But, I want to see her!"
"Henry." I said sternly. "This is not up for discussion. This is me telling you. Just listen. If it works, I will bring Emma to you right away." He looked doubtful. "I promise you."
He shuffled his feet and looked down. "Fine." I hugged him. "Alright, fine!" He pushed me away, not in revulsion, but more so in embarrassment. As if he was growing up too fast. I drove Henry to Granny's, leaving him with Ruby with no explanation. I considered driving to see Charming but time was short and I didn't want to get his hopes up along with mine. Why should everyone be disappointed at the same time? If things went well, he would know by the end of the day. After leaving Henry at the diner I got back into my car and drove to the one place I knew there had been a portal into Storybrooke; The crypt where I had kept Daniel.
I was ripped from sleep the next morning by a loud, unidentifiable noise. "Just one more minute, please." The noise happened again and I rolled over, growling and finally opening my eyes. The door to the castle was opening and closing, and every time it met the door frame it slammed shut with an echoing boom. I looked around and realized that Snow White and Mulan were already awake and discussing strategy.
"I don't even know where to find fairy dust these days." Snow whispered.
"There are no fairies in this land anymore." Mulan replied, voice low.
I sat up straight, launching myself out of my makeshift bed. "What time is it?"
Mulan looked at the position of the sky and then walked over to a sun dial mounted in the middle of the court. "It seems to be about ten hours past the beginning of the day." She nodded in time with her words.
I looked at Snow, hoping for an English translation. "It's ten am, Emma. Why?"
"I have a plan." Snow sat up straighter.
"What is it?"
"I think I can open a portal." I explained to her what had happened in my dream with Regina, leaving out the fact that our magic being specifically connected was the most important part of opening the portal. I love her. I love her. I kept thinking that repeating thought as I explained to them what was happening. At some point Aurora woke up. She silently listened to us. When I finished explaining, no one said anything for a few minutes. It was then that Aurora spoke.
"If this works, I want to come too." There was a moment of stunned silence before Mulan spoke as well.
"If Aurora goes, I do too. I go wherever she does."
Snow White and I shared a look. "Guys, this world is very different-" Snow began, in an obvious, 'you shouldn't do this' speech.
I cut her off immediately. "Of course you can come."
"Emma." Snow began, in her 'Mom' voice.
"No, Snow. They can."
"Ok…" She sounded unsure.
"As long as you are sure." I looked back at Aurora.
"I am." Aurora said, as certain as ever.
"Me too." Mulan nodded in that quiet warrior way of hers.
"So it's settled. We're all going." I looked up at the sky, and the way the sun was creeping closer and closer to the center. "Hurry up. At noon I have to be ready to open the portal. Whatever you want to bring with you, you have to be able to carry it. And that's all that you'll have in Storybrooke." Mulan and Aurora seemed like they understood, so I let the conversation drop as they gathered their possessions. Snow grabbed her bow and arrows, bringing them to the nursery with her. I kept the sword fastened at my hip. They weren't exactly things we'd need in Storybrooke, but we both wanted them. Snow led the way back upstairs while slowly looking around and secretly saying good bye to everything she was going to miss. I felt terrible but at the same time I needed to get home to Henry. We stood in the nursery and Mulan looked out the window until the sun was in the center of the sky.
"It's time."
By the time I got to the crypt, it was ten till noon. I hurried down the stairs and opened up the door to the crypt. I took a moment and looked at the empty case that used to house Daniel's preserved body. I spared it no more than a look. I would never forget Daniel but I needed to be there for Emma. I now needed to be her savior. I pulled my mother's book from where I had hidden it. I flipped through the pages, looking for one page in particular. Most of the pages contained spells with specific purposes, but I needed one specific page that had a different purpose; to empower the user for a period of time. I reached that page and looked down at it. It reminded me of my mother; a memory I always tried hard to avoid. There was no way to avoid this, however. I brought the book close to my face and smelled the page. The magic coursed quickly through my body, bringing clarity to the world and a power I loved and feared at the same time. I was rooted to the spot as my body absorbed it, and then, just as quickly, I was free. I moved to the second room in the crypt where Jefferson and I had opened a small portal to summon an apple. It wasn't much but I hoped there would be enough leftover magic to open a portal.
The room now looked desolate, and in truth, it was. The pieces of my Fairy Tale Land life were all over the walls in this room. There were trinkets, boxes and little statues all around the room. They lined the walls. I wished I could bring Emma back to this land under better circumstances but this was the only place that a portal had been opened in Storybrooke and it couldn't be helped. I looked down at my watch. 11:58 AM. I stopped, knowing the only way to make this work was by establishing a connection with Emma. And through all this planning, I hadn't exactly considered how to do that. Before, we were always afraid. I tried to summon some kind of fear and when I allowed that thought, it all came back to me. What if I can't do this? What if we fail? What if I have to spend my entire life alone with nothing more than nighttime visits to tide me over? That fear, the fear of being forever alone was all I had. I wasn't sure if it was working, but it felt real enough. So I did the only thing I could think of. Imagine being alone, Emma. Imagine life alone. That could be enough.
Imagine being alone, Emma. Imagine life alone. That could be enough. I heard Regina's thoughts in my mind and I did as she told me to. I found that fear and I latched onto it. Being connected to each other at the same time was a new experience. Previously, when we had entered each other's minds, it had been like looking through the one way mirror in a police station. I could see what she was seeing, hear what she was hearing, but she couldn't hear me. Now, it wasn't anything like that. It was like using a walkie-talkie in a cave. I could hear her thoughts and she could hear mine. As we continued to think of each other thoughts, I could hear my thoughts, and then hear them again as Regina heard them. I let the fear remain in me, just enough to sustain our connection. Are you ready? I asked Regina in my mind, as the word 'ready' echoed through my mind.
Of course I am. She replied in her matter of fact way and I could hear that thought echo in both our minds. Then let's do this. I replied. "We're going to try it now." I spoke aloud to Snow, Mulan, and Aurora. Those words echoed as well, as Regina could hear the same words I was speaking.
"Ok." Snow replied, as she, Mulan and Aurora backed up, giving me space.
Regina and I both gathered ourselves. I could feel the way she was gathering her magic and through her thoughts I figured out exactly how to gather mine as well. Magic comes from the center of your being. It flows from the inside of your soul and you have to figure out how to own it. Regina had known for years how to do this and through her I could do it too. I gathered myself, focusing my attention on the wardrobe. This is where the last portal had been and this was where the newest portal needed to be. Regina's thoughts echoed mine, though she was focused on a small spot in the center of the room she was in. She seemed to be trying to hide a portion of her thoughts, but with our connection, that was impossible. I'm sorry Emma. This is where I brought that apple through. I laughed to myself. If we can get these portals to open again, all is forgiven. I felt the smile on her face, almost as if it was on my own.
"Let's try it now." Regina spoke aloud.
"Ok." I replied, feeling odd speaking out loud. "Let's go."
I closed my eyes, focusing only on opening a portal. Though my eyes were closed I could still see what Regina was seeing. She closed her eyes too, and we both focused on releasing our magic.
Bring me to Regina.
Bring me to Emma.
Those two thoughts bounced around in our shared minds and we both released the magic from our hands. There was a loud whooshing sound in the room I was in and the surprise at the noise almost overtook the fear I was holding on to. Regina had the exact same emotions, though whether because she was sharing mine, or because she was genuinely having the same feelings, I couldn't tell. My eyes flew open at the same time as Regina's, and I could see my portal and hers.
It worked! We thought at the same time.
"Go!" I shouted, and it sounded as if my voice was echoing through my head as well as Regina's. "Go!" The fear in me turned into a powerful thrill feeling, as if I was at the top of a rollercoaster looking down. Regina could feel it too, and that doubled the power of the emotion. Aurora and Mulan quickly jumped through the portal with reckless abandon.
"Emma!" My mother called my name. "Come on!" Wind whipped around us, throwing my hair in my face. Through Regina's eyes I could see Mulan and Aurora arriving, collapsing into a heap on the ground in front of her. Regina rushed to them, helping them up and pulling them from the portal. The power of magic continued to flow through my veins, putting a slight strain on me. "Please Emma, I can't leave you!" Snow shouted to me.
"You won't! Go Snow. Go through the portal!" I continued to watch the portal, both through my eyes and Regina's. "I'll be right behind you!" She gave me one last, long look before tightening her grip on her bow and jumping through. Now you, Emma. I heard Regina think. When you go through I have to hold this on my own, and I don't know how long that will last. Now you. I watched Snow come through in front of Regina and I prepared myself. I kept my hands up, maintaining the portal as I stepped closer to it. I'll see you soon, I thought to Regina, and took the last step before jumping through.
I felt the immediate change in the magic when Emma jumped through. Through her eyes I could see what she was seeing. The swirling nothingness of a portal surrounded her. She was afraid but she was also thrilled. I tried to focus on Emma's thoughts, on the way she was mesmerized and terrified at the same time, and tried to shut down the fear that was creeping into my heart. Without Emma to help me, I was losing the portal. The magic required to keep it going was easy to find between Emma and I, but alone, alone I was struggling. It began to feel as if the magic itself was coming from my life force. Magic always comes at a price. I'm paying mine. I thought to myself. No! Emma's thoughts rang throughout my head, in that twisted, cavernous echoing way. Hold on Regina, hold on! My knees gave out from under me, and the hard stone floor they collided with anchored me for a moment longer, and I maintained the magical connection. My hands started to fall, as if holding my arms up was too much for my exhausted muscles. My head started to fall as well, and I closed my eyes, focusing on getting Emma home. Just a moment more. Just a moment more. I chanted in my mind, as Emma's fear mixed with mine, almost paralyzing me. My heart beat faster and harder, as if it was on the verge of giving up. The portal continued to swirl before her eyes, and I could feel her excitement as she saw the end of the portal. She could see me from a distance, and I looked withered, on the verge of collapse. Emma came crashing through the portal, landing on her hands and knees, graceful as always. She crawled to me, grabbing me by my shoulders.
"Regina!" She shouted. I wasn't sure when our connection severed, but it did, and I found myself trapped in her vice grip. "Regina, let the magic go. Let it go!" I dropped my hands as I pitched forward. "Oh God, Regina no." I opened my eyes to see Emma cradling me in her arms. "Please, please don't leave me like this. I'm home." She started to cry. "I'm home." She repeated to herself as if I couldn't hear her. "Regina, hold on. Somebody help me! Please, go and get some help!" She shouted at Snow White, who ripped her gaze from me and ran from the crypt. Emma smoothed back my hair which was falling in my face. "Just hold on. Please, hold on Regina."
"Emma." I tried to say, but my voice sounded weak, even to my own ears. I reached up and caressed the side of her face, but only for a second, as my arm gave out and fell back to my chest. I couldn't move anything. My legs felt like Jello and my head was supported only by Emma's arms. Her tears fell down her face and onto me like rain, my own personal storm in the weakest moments of my life. I could feel myself slipping out of consciousness as Emma shook me, trying to keep me awake. I took a deep breath, knowing it would be hard to get the words out. "I love you." I coughed, and the motion wracked my entire body. "I love you."
She smiled at me and whispered back, "I love you too. I tried to tell you earlier that I love you too." Emma's smile was in stark contrast with her tears, and provided me with one last confusing image before I was consumed by the darkness. From far away I could hear, "Regina? Regina!? No, please, please no." And then nothing.
Ohhhhh snap! Review?