Disclaimer: I own nothing beside my crazy mind and my computer… and sometimes it's more them owning me…
Note: evilneverfeltsogood and obsessivelyaddictive, thanks for beta-reading it and sharing ideas!
Note 2: so this the last chapter... enjoy!
Please, dear readers, let me know what you think about it. It's really important to me.
"Mom?! What's all that noise?! Oh MOM! REGINA! You have to save her!" your son's first reaction was to run into the light. You grab him just in time.
"Mom! What's happening?!" you see tears in his eyes as you hold him closer to you.
"Regina has to make a choice, sweetie." and you hope with all your being that she will make the right one. Not for you. For her.
"I don't understand! What is the meaning of this?!" you yell at the emptiness of this light. You should be back in the Enchanted Forest right now. Crying over a love you lost. Again. What have you ever done to deserve this? To be life's personal punching ball!?
"Don't yell, Regina, I can hear you. I am here." you turn around and there is the Blue Fairy. The one being you can't stand. The only one you hate more than Snow.
"What do you want, Fairy?!" you growl at her.
"Peace, Regina. I am here because I have wronged you in the past. And I want to correct that mistake by giving you a choice today." you're listening but keeping your guard up. You never know with them fairies. They can ruin a life with a snap of their fingers, or no snap at all actually.
"Speak. What choice?" you ask carefully.
"The choice is your happiness. On this side" she points at the beautiful forest on your left "you are a Queen. Even though the kingdom doesn't worship you, you are important to them. You protect the people from war and hunger. You are respected. You are needed. You have great powers and you rule." you look at your kingdom with pride but also sadness.
"I could bring so many things to them. The things I've seen here would make their lives so much easier..." you say dreamily.
"Yes. You could. But there is another choice. On this side" she points to Henry and Emma looking at you, their faces full of worries even though they try to hide it behind a smile "you are part of a family. You don't have powers, you are not a queen. You are merely human. They will love you unconditionally but you will never rule them." you look at them and your heart breaks.
"How could I make them happy?! How could they love me?! With all the terrible things I've done. I don't deserve their love. I don't deserve anyone's love." you say, breaking eye(s) contact.
"Everyone deserves a happy ending, Regina. Evil Queens as well. Could you find it in you to forgive Snow for the harm she did to you?" she simply asks.
You take a long minute to think about that. Forgive Snow?! She got Daniel killed. You are the Evil Queen because of what she did! All the things you've done are because of her. She made you who you are!... She made you who you are... but if you weren't who you are now, would you have met Emma?! If Daniel was still alive, you'd probably be married to him.
"Could you tell me what would have happened if she didn't break her promise?"
"Yes. You would have escaped with Daniel. And got married. And have 3 children. At first, you would have been happy with him. But Regina, Daniel wasn't your True Love. After ten years, it would have been impossible for you to live like that anymore... and..." she stops talking. Suddenly worrying her lip.
"And what?!" you ask impatiently. The thought that Daniel wasn't your True Love exploding in your mind. You've done all this for nothing?! You ruined your life for what was just love?! No. Your mother ruined it for you. She did this. But you let her...
"And you would have killed yourself eventually." she whispers.
"Oh..." could it be that your mother helped you in some way?! You refuse to think about that.
"What would happen if I go back? What happens to Snow?" you ask
"Oh you will fight her. For years. And she will fight back. Many will die. Including you, at the end. So will she, eventually." could she be more cryptic?!
"What would happen if I stay?"
"I don't know the future of this realm. I can't read it. I can only tell you about the past, about what you've experienced so far. Your powers don't work correctly here and they're fading. Your powers fuel your hate for Snow and your hate fuels your power. But you know that already, don't you?"
"Yes. I do." you've been feeling lighter and happier day after day. What Snow did, what your mother did, you have not forgotten. But it seems like a very distant memory. A memory that can't hurt you anymore.
"You have to make your choice now, Regina." she warns you.
"Why are you here? Is this some kind of trick?" you are suspicious. Maybe she is slowly trapping you with her fairy magic.
"This is not a trick. I am here because I wasn't by your side when you needed me the most. I heard your wishes. So many of them. And so loud. But I... I let you down and I want to make it up to you." in another time, in another place, you would have killed her on sight.
"Then my choice is made..."
The End.
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Or is it?
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STOP THROWING THINGS! I WAS KIDDING! There is one last part!