Chapter 11

Hat's Off

Emma's head was pounding so hard that it took her a whole minute to notice her hands and feet were bound with duct tape. There was no sign of Regina and she worried about what Jefferson might have done to her. The couch she rested upon was soft and low to the ground, which was good considering she was likely to fall trying to get her hands free.

And she did.

It wasn't easy twisting her belt completely around to her back but she finally managed it and, once she did, she was able to unbuckle it and use the prong to tear open the tape on her hands. Working quickly, she then tore away the tape from her ankles and got to her feet. Slow, soft and careful steps took her closer toward the hall where she could see her crazed kidnapper sharpening a pair of scissors in the room just across from her own.

She had to be quick, she had to be careful, and she had to find Regina and Mary Margaret before anything else went wrong that day. Trying to avoid any creaky floorboards, alert ears listened closely for any sound that might help her in her search.

And it wasn't long before the low, insulting, infuriatingly intoxicating voice of the Mayor was heard just down the hall.

"I wouldn't help you remove that gag even if I could," Regina said as she rolled her eyes at Mary Margaret's distress. "Frankly, I'd say it should be a permanent accessory to your school marm wardrobe."

"Mghmgmghgmg?" Was the response she received.

"Isn't it obvious?" Regina answered. "You were silenced because your incessant droning makes people suicidal whereas my silver tongue could charm a smile from a statue."

"Mmmmaahhhh! Wwwww unns Mmmmaahhhh?"

"Oh, she's fine. Knowing her capacity to annoy her foes and her unending resourcefulness, she's likely to walk through that door any moment," she answered, hoping against hope she was right.

Then, at that exact moment, the door opened and Emma appeared in all her swangun glory. That spaghetti strapped black tank top showed off her well-toned frame, making Regina think about how she couldn't wait for summer to arrive.

"See," Regina said with a quirk of her head.

"Mmmmmaaaah!" Mary Margaret tried to be quiet in her surprise but she wasn't quite so successful.

"Mary Margaret!" she whispered and then shushed the teacher before coming closer to take off the gag and untie her.

"Mary Margaret!" Regina admonished with indignance. "Do you really think that she's going to be more useful against the psychotic seamstress than me?"

"Dear God, Regina, do you always have to be so difficult?" Emma said as she turned to free the Mayor as well.

The click of the pistol hammer, however, locked her in place.

"She may be difficult but she was probably right," Jefferson said as he entered the room, a fresh shiner coloring his right eye. "Regina put up quite the after she saw what I did to you. I wasn't aware you two were so close."

"We're not," the two answered in unison as Mary Margaret wore a confused look on her face.

"Right," Jefferson said sarcastically as he motioned once more to Mary Margaret. "Now, be a good girl and tie her back up."

"Don't forget the gag, dear," Regina noted dryly.

Emma gave her a disapproving glance as she complied and then turned to face her captor.

"Exactly what the hell do you want, you lunatic?" she asked as she stepped into his space.

"I just want to see a magic trick," he deadpanned, his eyes tired and his tone lazy. "Now, let's go."

Regina's gaze may have raked over Emma's retreating form a little too long as she was guided out of the room. She wasn't particularly worried after she started to realize what it was that Jefferson wanted from the Savior. He wasn't a cruel man and he didn't have murder in his heart. Emma would be fine. She'd best him soon enough. And Regina was good at waiting.

"Ugh, thank you, Emma," Mary Margaret lamented after she spat the gag from her mouth.

Well, she was good at waiting until that happened. The sound of Mary Margaret's voice caused her to fight against her restraints and try to accelerate their eminent escape.

"What's going on between the two of you, anyway?" Mary Margaret asked as she tried to work loose the ropes at her wrists. With any luck Emma had done a purposefully crappy job tying those as well.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Regina lied, cracking her neck.

"You think I didn't see that look you gave Emma when she walked out of here?" the teacher asked as she struggled against her restraints. "You practically devoured her with your eyes. Plus, Ruby told me about your 'seven minutes in heaven' on New Year's Eve."

"That little bitch," the Mayor's multi-meaning reply dripped with disdain but, still she kept her cool and said nothing more.

"Honestly, it's a relief to see you two getting along," Mary Margaret continued. "The fighting was driving us all a little crazy. And I'm probably not as close-minded as you might think."

"Oh, you closing your mind has never been my problem," Regina replied, shaking her head. "No, it's always been your mouth that's caused me grief."

"Yeah, well," the teacher grunted as she pulled free of her wrist ties and made quick work of the ropes at her feet. "You can thank me with yours later when we escape this place."

"Trust me, dear. If I'm going to thank anyone with my mouth it's going to be Emma."

"Ew!" Mary Margaret lamented as she approached and worked quickly to untie the Mayor. "I don't actually need details!"

Unsavory as she knew it was, there was something so incredibly satisfying about the possibility of Snow having to deal with the idea of her greatest enemy defiling her daughter. If her visions of the future were real, that would be one of the parts she enjoyed immensely.

"You know, you are awfully cavalier about this whole kidnapping situation," Mary Margaret noted as she finished off the last of the ties and watched Regina rise, massaging her wrists. "Is there nothing in this world that scares you?"

"Of course there is, and it's currently in this very house," she replied, brushing past the school teacher and grabbing a nearby candlestick as she stalked slowly toward the sound of Jefferson regaling the sad story of how he'd lost his daughter… how she had caused him to lose his daughter.

Meanwhile, Mary Margaret wondered at exactly what, or who, Regina was afraid of inside the house. Obviously, there was the madman who'd kidnapped them all but that just seemed far too predictable for the Mayor's countenance. The last person on Earth she'd ever be afraid of was Mary Margaret so that really only left Emma. She'd have to ask her later though, it would be stupid to risk getting caught over a little gossip seeking. A raised hand halted her steps and both women peeked through the small opening in the door to watch as Emma tried, incredibly convincingly, to gain Jefferson's trust.

"If what you say is true, that woman in the other room is my mother," Emma explained, tears in her eyes. "And I want to believe that more than anything in the world. So, maybe you're right. Maybe, I need to open myself up more. Maybe, if I want magic, I have to start believing."

"Mother?" Mary Margaret mouthed to Regina as she pointed toward her.

"No!" Regina mouthed and pointed back at the annoying woman. "You!"

"So, you're… You're going to help me? You can get it to work?" Jefferson asked, hope starting to gather in his voice.

"I can try," the Sheriff replied with a hopeful smile and then waited for him to turn before grabbing the telescope and landing a heavy swing to his temple. "Crazy son of a bitch."

A proud smirk covered the Mayor's face as she pushed open the door and stepped inside, knocking the other side of Jefferson's face with the candlestick. Her action was met with two, simultaneous cries of 'Regina'. Charming disapproval hung in the air and was reciprocated with a simple side cock of the head.

"It's called a double tap, dears, better to be safe than sorry," she stated and locked eyes with the Sheriff. "Did he hurt you?"

Emma looked as if she was almost afraid that an affirmative answer might cast a death blow from Regina so she simply shook her head and said 'no'.

"Good," Mary Margaret chimed in. "Then we should get going before he wakes up."

"Agreed," Emma replied as she watched Regina stalk slowly around the room, eyeing the hat on the table. "He's already gotten the drop on us a couple of times. I think I should probably find my gun and come back with backup at this point. I'll tie him up for now. Mary Margaret, can you hand me some of the fabric?"

Mary Margaret did as she was instructed and then noticed Regina placing the hat in an old hatbox.

"Regina, what are you doing? We can't just steal from him!" she admonished.

"Maybe you can't," Regina replied with disdain as she closed the top of the box. "As far as I'm concerned, he's lucky I didn't finish him off with the candlestick. This is my reward for not doing so."

Green eyes rolled and Emma shook her head as she grunted and finished off the last knot.

"As long as it doesn't slow down our escape I don't care what she takes," she said to the teacher and stood, grabbing Jefferson's gun and ushering the two women out the door. "Let's go, now!"

They made a hasty escape to the police cruiser and, luckily, the keys were sitting right there in the driver's seat. Mary Margaret was the first to reach for the passenger side handle but her hand was swatted away as Regina took her 'rightful place' next to Emma.

"I don't think so, dear," she warned as she sat down. "I'm calling shotgun for this little joy ride."

"Of course," Mary Margaret replied with a shake of her head as she took her seat in the back behind Regina. "Emma, what did you mean back there about me being your mother?"

Swallowing thickly, Emma hazarded a quick gaze to Regina before starting the car and putting it reverse.

"Nothing," she replied tersely. "I just told him whatever I could think of to get him to trust me. Now hold on."

And, with that, they sped away from the large mansion and back toward town.

Dark amber liquid rolled around in the heavy tumbler as green eyes got lost in the waves. That is, until they were drawn to the rather large hat box that was set on the stool to her right.

"Rough day, Sheriff?" Regina asked as she stepped behind Emma and took the seat to her left, motioning for Ruby to bring her an order of whatever the Sheriff was drinking.

"Always is when the bad guy gets away," Emma replied, taking a small swallow before turning toward her new guest. "Jefferson was gone by the time we got back to the mansion."

"Yes, well, I highly doubt he'll be showing his bruised face around you again anytime soon," Regina replied, thanking Ruby for the drink once it was deposed in front of her and then taking a sip. "And, inconvenient as it was to be kidnapped and stuck in a room with Mary Margaret, he might have actually done us a favor."

Once again, Emma's gaze fell on the hat box before returning to Regina to watch her sip from her own glass. She made sure her words were vague in her head before speaking them aloud.

"You sure?" she asked. "I couldn't quite get that style of hat to work for me. What makes you think you can?"

"Well, sometimes it's not so much about what you're wearing as much as it is where you wear it to," Regina explained. "It's not exactly a hat for all occasions but I think I know of a place where it just might light up the room."

"Really?" Emma asked, her heart started to race at the idea of real, solid proof that everything she'd been warring with accepting was real. "And where might that be?"

"Come now, dear. There's not fun in me just telling you," Regina replied with a sly grin. "No, I'd much rather lead you down that particular rabbit hole. If you're ready, that is."

"Trust me, I'm ready," Emma replied, tossing back the rest of her drink and slamming the glass on the table. She reached into her jacket for her wallet and left some cash on the counter for Ruby before standing and suiting up. "Let's go."

Regina's grin grew into a full-on smile as she too finished her drink in one large gulp and stood to join Emma.

"Let's take a walk, Sheriff," she said as she brushed past Emma and grabbed the hat box.

Sauntering out of the diner, she led the blonde down the sidewalk and then abruptly stopped to pull her into one of the darker alleys.

"Regina, what are you-"

Emma's question was cut off by full lips pressing desperately against her own. The soft sound of the hat box hitting the ground combined with her own soft moan as she felt the warm body press against hers. Regina's mouth claimed her own, her hands gripped her face and her breath was shaky as they parted. Emma felt the hand on the left side of her face slowly move as nimble fingers gently brushed over the wound at her temple. A thin layer of tears misted over dark eyes as Regina addressed the wound in the only way she could.

"You're reckless and stupid when it comes to protecting others," the Mayor said, her voice serious and stern. "I need to you to be more careful if you're going to continue to follow me down these rabbit holes."

Turning the tables, Emma twisted them so that it was Regina's back that was pressed against the brick wall of the building.

"All due respect, Madam Mayor, I hardly ever obey your orders and I still always end up on top," she said before diving in to lay a passionate kiss on Regina's lips. She loved the way Regina clutched her in that moment. Like she was holding on for dear life so that Emma wouldn't be ripped away. Once the kiss ended, Emma spoke softly against plush lips. "You of all people should know that it's nearly impossible to get rid of me. I can handle myself."

"I hope so," Regina replied, somewhat sadly, as if her thoughts had just gone somewhere dark. "Come on, let's go. I have something I want to show you."

Only Regina would kiss her like that and then take her to a cemetery.

...At least she did so before they found themselves staring at the Mills family mausoleum. Emma couldn't fathom how disturbing it would have been to kiss in there.

"Alright, I know that you like to give off the creepy vibe to scare the rest of the citizens of Storybrook but I think we both know that doesn't work on me," she said with a quirk of her head as she read the 'Mills' engraving. "Please tell me there's a very good reason we're here with your newly stolen hat."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts, Sheriff," Regina said, taking Emma's hand and guiding her through the door. "If so, you'll never be able to fight the dragons."

She moved the coffin to reveal the staircase that led below and started down the stairs.

"Dragons? Great. I can't wait," Emma replied as she followed.

Her eyes widened in awe as he noted the elaborate design of the tomb. Regina had essentially built an evil lair beneath the mausoleum. It was impressive.

"Did this come with the curse?" she asked.

"Of course it did. What? Did you think I just commissioned one of the dwarves to build it for me?" Regina joked as she opened the hat box and then placed the contents of it onto the ground.

"You don't really think that's going to work, do you?" Emma asked. "I mean, you're the one who explained the rules of this place to me. It seemed pretty clear that there wasn't any magic just laying around."

"There's not much," Regina said as she pulled the precious ring out of her pocket, Daniel's face smiling back at her through the center. "But hopefully there's enough in this ring and this room."

Emma drew closer, looking at the vision from the past.

"Is that…"

"Daniel? Yes. This is the last part of him I have," Regina answered, tears now leaking from her eyes. "It's the love that makes it so powerful. I just hope it's powerful enough to at least reach through to the other world."

"Reach for what?" Emma asked, watching as Regina dropped the ring into the hat and spun it to life.

An amalgamation of light and color filled the room and a smile started to grow on the Mayor's face. She reached inside the hat all the way up to her shoulder. Her face changed from determination to frustration and then finally to triumph before she pulled back, fist closed over whatever it was she sought. The light from the hat dimmed as she stood and opened her hand for Emma to see the bounty she'd pulled through.

"Our way through to the other worlds," Regina answered, the opulent beans glistening in her hands. "Before, you told Jefferson that you wanted to believe in the book more than anything in the world. I'm assuming you only meant this one."

Reaching up, Emma hesitantly picked up one of the beans and held it in front of her face, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"We really are going to Neverland, aren't we?" she asked.

"Yes we are, Emma," Regina said with a nod. "Second star to the right and straight on til' morning. We just have to find that scruffy pirate first."