Hello. I feel like every time I update I need to apologise for the delay. I really don't like that there is a delay but what can a person do. I was hospitalised and therefore had no internet. But there is some good news. As a way to make it up to you I have finished the story and will be releasing the remaining chapters today. I do suggest re-reading chapter 13 and 20 before reading this. Enjoy.
As the smoke cleared Emma saw the older Henry hold his younger counterpart close to him as her son struggled vehemently to be released, Regina sat on the stairs cradling Spencer with a dark look only undercut by the tears that were forming. Her dry sobs already starting to drown out whatever her son was screaming.
"Gina, baby. Look at me." Emma gently turned her wives chin to face her when Regina remained motionless, her left cheek was covered in blood but she couldn't find the source. When her mind finally snapped to a possible conclusion for the source of the blood her body felt cold, completely cold and she wanted to stay in that moment of disbelief if it turned out to be true. Spencer, her baby girl, had been quiet too long her mind told her and with her heart beating erratically as she reached to look at her daughter who still lay in Regina's arms.
Her rigid fingers connected with the blanket that had risen up to cover her baby's face partially and she pulled it down so slowly, not wanting to know all of the sudden. Her eyes connected with large chocolate orbs that remained still… until they blinked and her daughter made soft gurgling noises at her. She was safe, thank Poseidon seeing as the other gods were probably on their way to kill her. Emma kissed her daughter and then her wife before turning to her son and father-in-law.
"Henry, what happened?" She asked the old man.
"A woman came in here and tried to take Spencer, Regina managed to chase her away with magic." He had a hint of pride on his face and it was clear to anyone with eyes that he loved her so very much.
"It was," Regina spoke up as she pulled their babbling daughter that much tighter into her body, "Snow." After that she immediately went back to being disconnected and Emma was forced to process the information that her mother was somehow alive again.
"Ma," Henry looked filled with rage and rabid, "You have to go after her. She said that Spencer was going to be the last."
"Okay," Emma said frantically, trying not to feel as nauseous as she was. She looked to Regina's father, "Henry do you know how to drive?"
"Moderately my dear. Your father has taught me the basics."
"That's good enough. Take Regina, the kids and David," She magicked him into the room and felt bad to have left him at the docks, he had very clearly been running to get back to the mansion, "And leave Storybrooke. Drive as far away as possible from town and then tell Gina to get a room for everyone in New York. I'll deal with this here and come find you all."
"All right." He agreed as her son argued, "No ma I can help."
"I know you can kid but I need you to take care of your mother." And if she was going to die she didn't want him to see it or be in danger himself. He nodded and hugged her tight as David carried Regina to the car. She watched them drive off before poofing to the well in the middle of the forest. Snow sat on the very edge on the opposite side.
"Hi Emma." She said victoriously.
"Snow, how are you back and why are you helping Hades?" She tried to remain calm but this was a losing battle. She rounded the well with caution in case this was a trap.
"I don't know how he revived me but I'm helping him because he did. Besides it meant I could get back at you." She shrugged a little as if it was no big deal. "As I said before the heroes will always win."
"No. Just no. No more of this delusional crap." Emma muttered to herself exasperated before pushing Snow White where she landed in the water. Emma took great amounts of pleasure from the angry splutters and expletives aimed at her from the water treading bandit. "I'll give you a way out if you tell me where the gods are going to come through!" She yelled to make sure the brunette heard her.
"The clock tower!" Emma rolled her eyes, she really was starting to hate this town. Waving her hand she magicked two ice picks and threw them down carelessly into the well. The clanking and splashing sounds briefly being undercut by a gasped 'ouch'
Poofing into the beating heart chamber of her wife's vault she made a quick grasp for the edge of one of the boxes to steady herself from the sudden nausea. Her attempt though failed as the box slipped and she was left to fall face first onto the floor. "Fuck…" She grumbled. "Come on baby. I know you don't want me to use them but just a little more… please." As if in answer she threw up all over the floor. "I can't lose you-" Her mind stopped mid thought and she looked to her own stomach from where she was now sitting. "Henry."
She gave a small smile and raised her hands even as the tears started streaming. Counter clockwise her hands moved and she went back, not a few hours or days or even months, she went back to when she was eighteen and just got locked up in prison. When she stopped she found herself in a supply closet in the prison she used to be in. Or was in as she was back in the past. She looked out into the hallway taking it all in through the narrow gap of door and doorway. A couple of guards were approaching, laughing to one another as the largest female of them all dragged a skinny crying blonde by the hair. Emma remembered this day very well. It was one of the worst days she had here. She had accidently ran into a guard while avoiding another inmate that was getting too close for comfort. The guards thought it would be funny to teach her a lesson out in the yard were the blood could easily be washed away. What no one had expected was her younger self to throw up and go into seizures before they even made it out of this hallway.
"Forgive me." She froze time just when they had passed her hiding space and stepped out. Crouching down next to herself she couldn't help but wonder if some future version had done this to her also at one point or if she was the first. "I really am sorry. This… Henry… He's going to break your heart the moment he's born, you'll be afraid to look at him because if you do you know there will be no chance that you can let go. And you have to. Not for us, not for Gina, not even that godforsaken town. For him. You have to because he needs to get his best chance. And he does. He gets an insanely loving mother that would die before he got hurt and would kill anyone who even thought of it. He finds you again because even if she is the best thing to ever happen to him, she's a little misguided at times. You meet your real family, sorry that Snow is such a bitch, and find the love of your life. A life you won't even know can be as amazing as it is now."
"No, you'll only realise that in years. When you're in my shoes. First you'll suffer the tragedy of giving up Henry, a piece of your heart whether you ever will admit it or not. You'll become cynical and depressed. You'll try to end it. God, you'll try so much but somehow… just somehow you'll always be okay afterwards. You'll even start becoming optimistic and then? Then Henry will happen. Henry will whisk you away to a small boring town and convince you of magic and dragons and evil queens. Of course you won't believe him but you'll see in time. The magic. The dragons. The not so evil queen. You'll fall in love for the second time in your life and pine after a gorgeous woman for years, doing anything you can to just see her smile at you. Because when she smiles… the whole universe just stutters for a silent second. Then one day, after so much bullshit and craziness, when you are finally content that she can only be a friend, the darkness will attack her. Of course being who you are you'll jump in to save her. For no reason whatsoever, except that you can't risk her or Henry not having their best chance."
"You'll become all powerful, all knowing and you won't care on damn bit. Sure you'll enjoy it and even have fun with it, especially the parts where you poof Snow to the edge of town, but something even more- I hate myself for using this word- magical happens. It gives you courage. You confess your feelings to her and end up with the woman of your dreams. You end up with your amazing smart son and a little adorable angel of a daughter. You end up with a loving father, friends and most importantly. Family. You end up with the thing you always wanted. Family. So I know, because I already went through it all, that all the pain and torment that you'll still experience here and outside will destroy you and I know you'll barely pull yourself together after each time. But you do and you pay the price to finally be happy. You're a fighter kid, which was what you always did and always will do. I'm so proud of you." She finished speaking to her frozen self through the tiny heart-breaking sobs she emitted. Placing a hand on her own flat stomach she stroked it hoping to sooth the tiny baby she was growing.
"Just one more time kid. Then you can rest in a body that won't use magic." Henry seemed to agree as all the sickness she felt ebbed away. Her stomach started glowing under her palm and she placed her other hand on her younger self's tummy that also glowed as soon as she touched. Pain wracked her whole body so much she had to grind her teeth and screw her eyes shut. As the heat and pain left she was left feeling cold and empty, she would cry at the loss. At the loss of carrying her and Gina's child even though she had before. But not right now because she was a fighter, a fighter with a family and a wife who could support her when she fell apart again. She looked at her younger self one last time, wishing to spare the girl just a tiny amount of pain that makes her previous years look like nothing. But she can't and she needs to be strong now so that her younger self can be strong later.
Stepping into the closet she starts time again. She hears her younger self cry as the laughter continues, she hears inmates around the building start to chant and then the sirens. She hears large amounts of screaming for medics as body parts thrash against the floor. She hears footsteps and carts of equipment pound into the hallway. She hears people screaming and nurses try to save the blonde she used to be. She hears a collective sigh of relieve when they do and she listens as they carts the now pregnant eighteen year old Emma to the hospital wing where they'll draw blood and discover she's pregnant. From then on she'll have it mildly easier in hear. The beatings ranging only to her face and the verbal assaults aimed at the fact that she's with child instead of all the other things they used to yell. Finally she hears herself, this self, cry more but forces the tears back and the sounds to stop. She needs to go back to the future, to her own time, and face the gods that want her dead.