Chapter 10: Emergency

November 29th 2013

David sighed heavily as he parked the truck in the mansion's driveway shortly after nine p.m. After he had left the hospital in the morning, he had gone over to the farm where the family of the little boy lived. Thankfully, none were displaying symptoms of the Blaze but David had not taken any chances. Wearing gloves and a mask, he helped the family relocate to the quarantine section of the hospital where they would be monitored for the next week. David had also interrogated the boy's parents about their son's whereabouts in the past couple of weeks. Thankfully, the boy had not had much contact with the rest of Storybrooke. The farm was in a remote location and the boy had not gone to daycare since the establishment had closed because of the flu epidemic. The only people he had been in contact with were his family and they all seemed to be relatively healthy.

Or as healthy as the poorest in Storybrooke could be. Both parents were malnourished and had confided in Whale that they had not been able to afford fresh fruits and vegetables in the past month. Meat was also a luxury they could not afford for themselves but they had been able to find eggs and milk for their children. The couple was clearly ashamed of their current situation and David had hesitated asking them more questions. Unfortunately, the safety of the town demanded that he found the origin of the disease.

David had been angry to learn that the man had lost his job at the DA office when George had become mayor. The former King had only placed people he could trust in key positions in Storybrooke. The Prince blamed himself for the current situation with George. He had been too preoccupied with his growing feelings for Regina and his sense of guilt toward Snow to stop the election. If he had run for mayor, perhaps things would have turned out differently. For one, he would have never made a deal with KFTech.

David rubbed his face with both hands. He started to believe that Whale was right: he was pursuing a wild goose chase. The family had not bought any new items from the KFTech shipment, not even food. The boy had not been contaminated with anything coming from outside town. And after talking to Jonas earlier in the afternoon, David was certain that the boy was patient zero since none of the other victims at the morgue had a rash. However, the timing was still highly suspicious and Emma seemed to agree with him. At least, she agreed with him enough to leave for New York in the morning with Neal and Henry… if they were able to.

David finally got out of the truck and made his way toward the front door. He could see the light shining through the living room's window and he knew Regina was waiting for him. They had a lot to talk about but he was not looking forward to this particular conversation. As he entered the mansion, Regina called out for him. "David?"

"Yes." He walked toward the living room and found Regina curled on the couch, nursing a glass of apple cider. He went to the liquor cabinet to help himself with a double serving before taking a spot in the armchair across the couch.

Regina took in the haggard appearance of the man she shared her life with. He was about to be disappointed in her and Regina hated herself for it. "We need to talk."

David nodded once. "We do." He did not wait for her to start. "When and how did you contract the Blaze?" He was hoping she would not deflect his questions. He needed to know the answer to both questions since this particular subject would be closed once he told her about the emergency council meeting and the measures George had implemented.

Regina breathed out heavily but to David's surprise, she answered his question. "When I was married to Leopold… a week before Snow's sixteenth birthday."

David frowned. This period of Regina's past had been particularly dark and it always pained her to recount it. "How?" They had not had much in terms of medical knowledge in the Enchanted Forest but they had known enough to have some basic concepts of a quarantine. The royal courts had been extremely efficient at sealing themselves off from the people every time the Blaze or other contagious diseases were flaring across their lands.

Regina shook her head. "I don't know exactly. I… I was meeting with Rumple in remote locations but sometimes I would go to the nearest village under disguise… No one expected their Queen to be wearing simple dresses and no make-up. Besides, no one really knew who I was back then... It really doesn't matter how I got it."

David waited for her to continue but when she did not, he prompted her. "Leopold never asked you?"

Regina shook her head once more. "No. He was more worried about Snow getting sick. At this point, I was living in a remote wing of the palace and… had my own staff. I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone in the Palace…" Regina swallowed hard, tears threatening to fall.

David moved next to her on the couch, taking her glass away from her and setting it on the coffee table next to his. He pulled her in his embrace. "He can't hurt you anymore." He kissed her forehead and gently massaged her skull.

Regina wrapped her arms around him. She had never told her story to anyone, not even Archie. It had always been too painful for her. But David needed to know the truth. "I developed the rash on my lower back… one of the maids noticed it as she was dressing me and called for the doctor… Devin."

David gasped in shock. "My murder victim?"

Regina nodded. "He had started working at the Palace a month prior. I didn't know him… by that time Leopold had stopped trying for an heir." Regina shivered. "I only met him once before I got sick."

David remembered the little Regina had told him about the man. "You said Leopold fired him because he helped you… it was with the Blaze, wasn't it?"

Regina nodded against his chest. "He said he had a cure… but Leopold didn't believe him. He ordered me moved to the furthest tower and left there to die." Regina fisted David's shirt tightly. Her mind was being assaulted by flashes of her fragmented memories of the days following her banishment. She remembered how cold and damp the room was. The guard who had accompanied her had tried to start a fire for her but he had given up after twenty minutes: the log had been soaked through and every minute the guard had spent with the sick Queen had only increased his chances to contract the disease. He had eventually left her alone on the cold stone floor in the dark.

Regina's breathing was getting more and more erratic, prompting David to bring her out of her dark thoughts. "Regina, you're here with me in Storybrooke. He can't hurt you anymore."

His voice had the desired effect. Regina buried her face further into his chest, trying to keep her mind in the present. David needed to know the end of the story. She could feel its importance even though she could not fully explain why. "I don't remember much… after the fever came. But I remember Devin… and a maid… They came to me after the joint pain started." Regina swallowed hard. "He made me drink something and… made me promise not to tell anyone."

"The cure?"

"I don't know, David… but I survived. Leopold sent one of his guards to check on me on the eighth day. He… he brought me back to the main part of the Palace, just in time for Snow's birthday ball."

David tried to contain his anger. After spending a week battling the Blaze alone in a tower, she should have been in her bed with people taking care of her. "Honey, I..." He was at a loss for words. The amount of anger mixed with pain he was currently feeling could not adequately been put into a coherent sentence.

Regina interrupted him; she needed to give David the piece of important information. "I never said anything, not even to Sarah." David nodded, remembering a previous conversation with the nurse. She had not known where Regina had been for about a week and had hidden her journal among Snow's presents. Once more, he felt the familiar anger grip his heart at the realization that Snow has known for a long time what had happened to Regina. Regina brought him back to the present by calling his name. "David?"

David locked eyes with Regina's worried brown orbs. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry about everything Snow has done to you."

Regina simply nodded. There was so much more they needed to talk about but tonight was not the right time. "Somebody saw Devin walk toward the tower that night. Leopold banished him from our Kingdom."

David shook his head, finally understanding where Regina was going. "No, no…"

Regina confirmed his greatest fear. "He went to George's."

David stood up abruptly, pacing the length of the living room. He reached for his glass of apple cider and downed it at once. "This can't be a coincidence. The only man who had a cure is found dead just before a Blaze epidemic."

Regina sat up straight on the couch. "Claimed to have a cure… David, I don't know if he cured me or if I just survived on my own…"

David was not listening to her argument, already lost in his thoughts of trying to make the connection between the murdered doctor, George, and KFTech. "Did George know?"

Regina shrugged. "I don't know… Leopold was a kind ruler… regardless of what he did to me. Defying his order was the equivalent of state treason, yet he let the man walk instead of executing him…"

David stopped pacing. "You think Leopold made a deal with George."

Regina nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"I need to know." David starting pacing around the living room again. "How about the nurse?"

Regina had hoped he would not ask her this particular question. "She is dead."

David stopped in his tracks at the assurance in her voice. "How can you be so sure?"

Regina looked away from David. "Because I killed her myself." David closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Regina continued. "She was Santos' wife."

David's head snapped back toward Regina and his eyes widened in surprise. "The doctor who…"

"... tortured me?" Regina nodded, a shiver going down her spine. "I didn't remember her… then." She closed her eyes, trying to keep the memories of Santos suturing her without anesthesia from invading her mind. "I did… a few weeks later." David frowned. Regina finally raised her head to look at David in the eyes. She had talked to him about her dark past and he had always tried to support her. Although he would never approve of the Evil Queen, he understood better than most the path that had led Regina to her. She swallowed hard. "I wasn't… I wasn't very skilled with some of the… techniques I used later to… kill swiftly. I… I didn't sever her spine quickly enough… she screamed… She screamed so much..." Regina tightly hugged herself.

David sat by Regina on the couch. She had already shared this particular memory with him and he already knew the ending. Regina had eventually used one of her fireballs but in her panic had missed the woman and instead had set the straw bed on fire. The woman's death had been excruciating. Shortly before Mother's Day, the memory had come back in the form of a nightmare. David had tried to calm Regina down but after she had started clawing at her own skin, he had been forced to take her to the hospital where Whale had sedated her for the night. He rubbed her back soothingly, trying to keep her in the present with him. "Regina… It's in the past… You're not that person anymore."

Regina's tears were streaming down her face. "I've killed so many. How… how can anyone forgive me?"

David wrapped his arms around her. "By showing them that you've changed… by letting them see who you really are. Like you've done with our family, Archie, Whale…"

Regina interrupted him. "Not everyone has forgiven me." David knew she was talking about Jacob. Although the man had given her a job, he had never made her feel welcomed at the stables. Regina had tried several times to talk to him - she had even invited him to their Thanksgiving dinner - but the man had refused to have more than work conversations with her. Jacob was no fool: Regina was a highly intelligent woman and a definite asset to the stables but he was not ready to forgive her yet. David mentally noted to talk to the man himself.

Regina and David stayed on the couch for half an hour in silence. Finally, Regina dared ask the question that had been on her mind since their meeting in Whale's office. "You've never had the Blaze." She sat straighter so she could look at David's face. "Have you?"

David shook his head almost imperceptibly. "No." His answer was barely above a whisper.

Regina tried not to cry out at the answer. Although she had had her suspicions, she had held onto a tiny bit of hope that David had already survived. As the Sheriff in town - and the only one once Emma would leave early in the morning - he would be on the forefront, in constant contact with the disease. She let her tears flow silently.

David wiped away her tears. "Regina… this is not the Enchanted Forest. We have ways of protecting ourselves against the spread of the disease. We had a council meeting today."

"I know." Regina did not wish to hear more about the council or the mayor of Storybrooke.

David continued. "Whale outlined a plan. The good news is that the little boy who died this morning did not come in contact with a lot of people in town. His family seems healthy. Their farm is fairly isolated and Whale has already sent a medical team on site to collect items for testing. It is now a hot zone and no one is allowed in or out of the property."

"Testing for what? Whale said it himself: he doesn't know what this disease is!"

David rested his hand on Regina's thigh. "He'll figure it out and we are taking every precaution to stop the epidemic before it actually starts."

Regina frowned. "What kind of precaution?"

David recited the agreement they had reached at the meeting. "The schools and other public places will be closed until further notice. Masks will be distributed throughout town. Anyone with flu-like symptoms or a rash must be reporting to the hospital immediately."

Regina's heart was hammering in her chest. She recognized the town's emergency measures. She finished David's tirade for him. "All exits in and out of town will be sealed. David, how are we going to get Henry out of town? When is this taking effect?"

David took Regina's hands in his. "It already has. George has placed his men at the town line."

Regina gasped in shock and pain. Emma had delayed their departure until nighttime so they would not arise suspicions. But now they were trapped in Storybrooke. "NO!"

David held her firmly. "Regina! Emma and I came up with a solution. But we need your help." Regina quietly listened to David as he outlined his plan.

EC

Regina was tossing and turning on the bed in the midst of a nightmare, one she had not experienced in a long time.

Regina was following the guard leading her toward the furthest tower of the castle. Her maid had found the rash this morning and the doctor had been pessimistic about her chances of survival - as he should be. She had prepared herself for a long, excruciating death. At least, it would be over. She would no longer have to pretend to be the perfect stepmother to a girl who could be her sister or the obedient wife to a man who could be her father.

She shivered in the cold, damp air. Spring had just arrived and the sun had not had a chance to warm up this part of the castle after the harsh winter. "Where are you taking me?"

The guard turned toward her, careful not to come any closer than was absolutely necessary. "I'm sorry." Regina could see the pity in his eyes. She did not blame him, however. He was only following the orders he had been given by his King. After learning that she had been marked by the Blaze, Leopold had ordered the guards to isolate her. The doctor had tried to reason with the King but her husband had only thought about the possibility of his dear daughter contracting the disease. The doctor's pleas had fallen on deaf ears; his opinion did not matter. After all, he did not have a crown on his head.

The guard finally showed Regina to a small room without furniture or even a candle. He ordered the Queen to stand in the furthest corner while he tried to start a fire for her. After several unsuccessful attempts, he turned toward the young, frightened girl. She was shivering in her flimsy nightgown. "I'm sorry…" There was nothing he could say to her to improve on her current situation. The man could not even look her in the eyes; after all, even the poorest in the Kingdom were not left to die in such a cruel way. The disease was painful but even the small gestures - a wet cloth on a burning forehead, a massage on a throbbing join, or a simple reassuring caress - were a source of comfort. The King had essentially deprived Regina of anyone who could care for her.

Regina took a step toward the guard. "It's not your fault."

The man jumped back abruptly, stopping Regina in her tracks. She stepped further from the man. He may be feeling sorry for her but he had no desire to help her. Without another word, he walked out of the room, locking the heavy oak doors behind him and leaving a young girl alone in the dark.

As soon as Regina heard the key turning in the lock, she collapsed on the floor, holding herself tightly. She cried herself into a light, restless sleep. When she finally woke, she was shivering from the cold. Since the room had no windows, she had no idea whether it was day or night but her stomach was reminding her she had not eaten since at least the night before. Apparently, Leopold had not instructed anyone to come bring her food.

Regina slowly rose to her feet and walked in the general direction of the fireplace, hugging herself tightly. She was freezing and scared alone in the dark. She concentrated and tried to summon a fireball but the sparks she managed to produce did not stay lit for more than a few seconds. She cried out but quickly remembered what Rumplestiltskin had been teaching her: magic was tied to emotions. Regina needed to calm herself. She took deep, steadying breaths until she felt her heartbeat slow. She gasped in surprise at the perfect fireball in her hand.

Regina slowly walked toward the fireplace and threw the fireball into the hearth. The flames gently leaked the wood and Regina let herself hope. However, that hope was soon crushed when the fire died. The young Queen spent the next hour trying to lit the soaked wood without success. Tired and defeated, she curled into a fetal position and fell asleep...

She woke shivering on the floor. Her skin was hot and clammy… The fever soon pulled her back into unconsciousness...

The pain was unbearable. Regina screamed as she felt the hot, burning pain in her joints. She begged for someone to help her but there was no one around to hear her pleas… not that they would have been able to anyway...

Regina felt pressure on her lips. Despite her fever, her brain was able to process that the pressure was coming from a bowl… a bowl that contained some warm liquid. "Drink, child." She recognized the man's voice and drank the bitter liquid…

Hands washing her body. A voice telling her to relax. A woman's voice.

A heavy weight was sitting on top of her chest. Regina was suffocating. She screamed…

… and sat upright in her bed. "No! Please... Please let me die... Please no more pain… please."

Regina's screams had the same effect than a bucket of cold water. David reached for Regina, wide awake. "Regina, honey, you're home… you're in Storybrooke; you're safe."

Regina was not listening to him. She was lost in her painful memories. David could feel her panic and pain through the magic she was not fully controlling. He wrapped his arms around her shaking form and tried to calm her. Her eyes were wide with fear and her breathing fast and irregular. "Shh… you're safe… you need to calm down." He kissed her temple and started rocking them. "You're in Storybrooke… in your bed. Everything is ok."

His words were not having any effect. David tried to set aside his own fears and concentrated on the waves of magic Regina was sending. Eventually he managed to help her establish their bond. As soon as Regina felt David's love, she was able to break the cycle in her mind that had brought her back to this cold, dark room in the furthest recess of Leopold's palace.

David gently pulled Regina down to the pillows with him. He caressed her forehead soothingly all the while talking to her, trying to anchor her in the present. "It's over… He can't hurt you anymore."

Regina shook her head. "I wanted to die." Her tone sent shivers down his spine. "I wanted for the disease to take me. I wanted for the pain to end." Regina buried her head into the crook of David's neck. "But I was spared."

David ran his fingers through her hair. "I wish I could take all your pain away."

"But you can't." Regina held on to David tightly. "No one could." She took a shaky breath before telling David about the fragmented memories of the week she had spent fighting the Blaze.

David tried to control his mounting anger. The King everyone had revered for his kindness and fairness had, in reality, been a monster. When she finally finished with her tale, David placed two of his fingers under her chin, forcing Regina to look at him. "I know there is nothing I can do… or say that will take away your pain." Regina's eyes were filling with tears. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before continuing. "I'm sorry, Regina… I'm sorry you have to keep reliving these memories."

Regina shook her head. "I deserve every one of these painful memories."

David swallowed hard. "No one deserves to be left alone in the dark to die."

Regina freed herself from his embrace and sat up on the bed, her back to him. She did not have the courage to look at him. "I do." Before he could interrupt her again, she continued. "On the eighth day, Leopold sent a guard to 'check' on me." Regina snorted. "To his surprise -and probable disappointment- I was still alive. He ordered me back to my chambers to get ready for the ball."

"Snow's sixteenth birthday."

Regina nodded. "I sat there and looked at her laugh and enjoy herself. I could barely stand. My make-up could not conceal the grayness of my skin or the bags under my eyes. But she didn't notice. All she cared about was the mountain of gifts waiting for her." Regina turned her head to the side, her eyes lost in the distance. "All I could feel was anger." She chuckled. "Oh! I had felt that anger before… I had even fantasized of killing her… choking her to death with a necklace… poisoning her soup… but they were passing thoughts…"

Regina turned around to face David. "But that night, I just kept thinking about all the ways I could kill her… make her suffer. No regrets. No conscience telling me that it was wrong… just pure, unbridled anger."

David could see the same anger burning in her eyes, feel the need to inflict pain through their bond. He reached for her once more. "It's over. You're here now. You're not that person anymore."

Regina pulled away from him. Although David was aware of her past crimes, she had never told him about her most intimate thoughts, about the day she had finally decided to kill Snow White, about the day where she had finally decided to work toward her vengeance. "I wasn't back then either… but after that week, I let anger fill my heart. And, David, it felt good… it helped with the pain of being a prisoner… Finally, I had something to live for: I would destroy them both. I spent my nights fantasizing about the many ways I could torture them. I didn't care much about how I was going to kill Leopold… but for Snow? For Snow, I had the perfect plan."

David swallowed hard; the coldness and detachment in her voice making him increasingly uncomfortable. She had broken the link but he did not need to feel her emotions to see the Evil Queen in front of him. "Regina…"

Regina ignored him. He needed to know. The Prince needed to know the monster she had become. "I would do to her what she had done to me. I would rip her heart out and squeeze it slowly, letting her feel death taking her over slowly… all her dreams and hopes fleeting away as I slowly crushed her heart." Regina was holding her hand in front of her, enacting the crushing motion. She chuckled maniacally. "During the day, I would spend every moment practicing my magic."

Her hand fell to the mattress. "I was making slow progress and the lessons with Rumple somehow helped me deal with my confinement. I wanted my revenge but I…" Regina shook her head. "Rumple taught me how to take hearts… I was getting better at it. He had me freeze an unicorn and take its heart… and then asked me to crush it. I couldn't."

David knew the rest of the story. "Regina… it's in the past. You're not that person anymore."

Regina turned around abruptly. "Is this what you're telling yourself, David? I chose that path. I chose to plunge my hand into this woman's chest and take her heart. I looked directly at Rumple and crushed it to dust. I chose to let darkness win. This is who I am, David. Dark. I let evil win."

David sat up on the bed and grabbed Regina's forearm tightly, forcing her to look at him. "You made a choice and… and as much I would love to tell you that it wasn't your fault, I can't. You're right. You walked that path… you became the Evil Queen. And you massacred thousands. Nothing I can say will ever change that." Regina's eyes widened in surprise. "But despite everything you've done, no one has the right to judge you for the decision you've made… not until they walk in your shoes… I'd like… I'd like to tell myself that if I had lived your life, I'd have chosen a different path… But the truth is, that's a lie. My twin brother was raised by a monster and although I've never met him, I know he wasn't a model of virtue… If I had been in your place, I probably would have turned to darkness too… and probably a lot sooner than you have."

David scooted toward Regina on the bed. He ran his hand down her arm, lacing his fingers with hers. Regina looked down at their joint hands, tears falling down her cheeks. David moved a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I admire your strength… I admire you for fighting the darkness everyday you were in that castle… I admire you for being willing to give love another chance… for turning away from the only protection you've ever had from getting hurt." David gently pulled the woman he loved against his chest. To his relief, she did not fight him. Regina tucked her head under his chin and deeply inhaled his scent. David placed a soft kiss on the crown of her head before continuing. "I know how deeply you feel, Regina. I know how powerful the anger that consumed you was. And I know you did not give into it without a fight. You told me once that evil isn't born, it's made. You're not evil… the Evil Queen was made but you… you defeated her."

The couple did not move for a long time. Finally, Regina parted from him and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. "We have to go. We have to make sure our children can get out of town." David nodded before capturing Regina's lips into a tender kiss.

Thanks for reading this story. Hope you like it (don't forget to review). It's going to start coming together now and the small details in the previous chapters are going to make a lot more sense. Working on part 3 of this. If you want a particular scene, drop me a note and I'll see what I can do.