A/N: Another semi-short update for you here...I promise there will be some Regina/Emma interaction in the next chapter...you've all been very patient! Thanks for all the favorites, thanks for all the follows, and thanks for all the reviews! Enjoy!
In her kitchen, Regina leaned the small of her back against her counter, her chest aching as her mind tried to process how she could manage to retrieve Emma from Cora's grasp. It was peaceful now that Snow had left to retrieve Henry, leaving Regina with much-needed room to think and analyze the situation. She promised herself she wouldn't stay there for long, as Henry and Charming had not yet made their locations known, and Regina just didn't trust Snow White to bring them home safely. In fact, a part of the dark haired woman wondered if she might find Cora with the rest of the Charmings in her clutches by the time Regina got to her. The woman was nothing else if not astute and, although Regina was indeed Cora's daughter, that genetic ingenuity would be no match for the experienced sorceress. Her mother would see right through any guise—unless she took drastic measures.
As another stab of pain swept over her, Regina clutched at her breast and gasped, still not entirely certain as to the explanation for both hers and Emma's...conditions. She'd not seen Emma since she'd left the mansion that morning, but judging by the way Snow had stormed through her doorway, she imagined the blonde's injury was substantial. Regina had heard of magic involving the linking of two individuals, but it was typically reserved for those who were in love. And, in spite of Gold's claims that Emma could bear a portion of Daniel's soul, Regina could safely say that neither herself or the Savior were interested in one another. At least, not that way.
Then the dark eyed woman's mind shifted back to the previous evening, considering the way Emma had volunteered to stay, to help her sleep...the way she had felt with the Savior's body against hers on the couch as she cried...the way Emma had indicated she had not been bothered by the touch—however inadvertent—of a fallen queen.
Suddenly another sensation came over her—a tightening in the pit of her stomach—and Regina found herself wishing she could go back to that night, to the security of a just few moments' time enveloped in another's arms. It had been so foreign to her then, a need so buried beneath anger and hatred that the former queen had nearly forgotten such a feeling existed. But did it truly mean she felt something for Emma? Or was it merely the need she had filled at the time? After all, that's all Graham had ever been. A filler.
Regina shook her head. No. She could not be deliberating on this now. She needed to get to Cora, needed to get Emma's heart back, needed to get to Henry and ensure her family was safe.
Family?
Again, she shook her head, more insistent this time. She needed a clear mind to pull this off. She needed her cold, calculating brain to figure out exactly how to trick Cora into thinking she was happy for Emma's capture. And, to get Emma's heart back, that trickery was going to be very, very important.
But Regina had a plan.
Her eyes fell to the bowl of perfect, shiny red apples that lay in the center of the island.
"I don't think my mom is in here," Henry issued as he stood looking up at the closed doors of the Mills family mausoleum. David jogged up beside him, his hands on his knees, his body bent at the waist while he tried to catch his breath. Henry looked back at him briefly, then back to the the doors.
"What makes you say that?" Charming asked, still breathless.
"When she's here, she doesn't seal the doors with magic."
Charming looked at his grandson strangely.
"Why do you think they are sealed with magic?"
Reaching out a finger, Henry pointed to the very top point of the arched doors. After a moment of squinting and closely studying, David's eyes widened. A faint, glowing blur was present there. They were magically sealed.
"Okay," David said then, changing tactics, "so who do you think is in there?"
Henry shook his head.
"I don't know, but whoever it is shouldn't be here. We need to find out!"
"Henry, what we need to do is to get us home before your mother starts to—"
Suddenly, the doors swung open, forcing them to jump back out of the way.
"Well, well, well," came an unfamiliar voice, as an equally unfamiliar woman stepped out into the near-darkness. "Hello Henry."
"I'm afraid I can't help you my dear," Rumplestiltskin told Regina with a shake of his head as they stood on opposite sides of the counter in the pawn shop. An apple sat between them, and to the ordinary person it would have seemed quite innocent, but in the context of Regina and Gold it was quite the opposite.
"Why not?" the once-queen demanded, the pitch of her voice lowering in scorn for the shifty man before her. "Surely you want a part in taking down Cora."
"And in that assumption you are correct, Ms. Mills, however, I know better than to dare risk the life of the Savior. She is rather important, you see." He let slip a small, snide grin that made Regina want to slap him.
"I am aware of her importance, Mr. Gold," the brunette bit back, slamming both palms onto the counter and leaning into the imp's personal space. "And that is why you need to help me get her back."
"Do you truly believe Cora would kill her dearie?"
"As she is currently holding Miss Swan's heart, yes, as a matter of fact I do."
"And just how might you have come to such a conclusion?" Gold raised an eyebrow, interested, and at his question, Regina recoiled somewhat. She crossed and then rubbed her own upper arms with her hands, glancing upward for a moment before relenting to his inquisition.
"Miss Swan and I seem to have developed a more direct...connection...than two semi-friendly individuals would otherwise experience. Since she left the house this morning, I have been experiencing pain in my chest not inconsistent with a linking spell. I can't quite explain it, but there was a point earlier this afternoon that made me understand without a doubt that my mother was able to remove Miss Swan's heart."
Now Rumplestiltskin's eyebrows threatened to disappear into his hairline, and he seemed much more interested than he had before. His gaze fell to the apple, then back to Regina.
"So, what is your plan, Regina?"
"A sleeping potion."
"That will never fool Cora."
"Which is why I need your help. I need something to make it stronger."
"Stronger than what, dearie? Anything stronger than what you used on Snow White will kill Miss Swan."
Regina raised an eyebrow at him, mocking his earlier expression. The man suddenly seemed to understand.
"I see," Gold acknowledged, and then disappeared into the back room. When he returned, he bore a vial of orange liquid and another vial of a thick, oily, metallic-gold substance. "Mix these together, and boil the whole apple in them once you have. She won't even need to eat it. The moment it touches her skin, the potion will take effect."
Regina studied the man before her now, trying to determine his motivations for so easily agreeing to help her.
"And how to ensure I myself do not fall victim to this potion when I touch the apple?"
Rumplestiltskin shrugged.
"Why, you may don your signature gloves, Miss Mills. The ones you wore as the...evil queen." The imp grinned.
"And what is it that you expect in return?"
"All in good time, dearie."
"That's not how I operate," Regina snapped in return, refusing to take the vials until he explained himself. "I know your tricks, and I know your slogan, Gold. What is it I shall owe you?"
For a long moment the two remained locked in a staredown. Then, at last, Gold relented.
"Your connection with Miss Swan is most intriguing," he began, starting to pace, the clack of his cane making Regina's teeth grind subconsciously. "But as it stands now, neither of you can survive it."
"What do you mean?" the brunette asked, her stomach dropping.
"You know that this is more than just a sleeping potion, Regina."
"Indeed I do."
"What makes you so confident she will come out of it, especially given the fact that Cora holds her heart?"
"You told me yourself, Gold. Our loved ones have an uncanny ability to find their way back to us." With a jolt, a part of her wondered whether she was talking about Daniel, as she had intended Gold to assume, or someone...else. Evidently, Gold had not taken the bait.
"And you believe Miss Swan will find her way back to you."
"I do."
"And if she does not?"
Regina's lips thinned and straightened.
"Then she will have had a death much preferred to the sort Cora would have given her."
With another raised eyebrow and a slightly brighter grin, Gold handed her the vials. Regina hesitated, just for a moment, and then wrapped them in her grasp.
