Desperate Act

Bae sputtered, coughed, and looked over his shoulder. The slime was thick on his clothing and the flesh of his face and neck, and he thanked the gods that he was wearing long sleeves. Rumpelstiltskin walked over to Morraine, who had abandoned Fallon's body to stand by the door and study it intently. "What do you mean, we're trapped?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

With one hand on the wall to steady himself in case anything happened, Bae stood. He turned slowly toward them. Rumpelstiltskin tried the lock and paused, waiting. The door wasn't responding, Bae realized, somewhat dimly. Something was working against him. Bae's hand drifted off the wall as he continued to turn. "I guess we are trapped," Rumpelstiltskin said.

"Regina," Bae managed. He walked toward the door and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath despite the scent of corpse all over him. The feeling he got from the door definitely reminded him of the woman he'd seen off and on throughout town. "She seems to have been in a hurry," he said, "but it's pretty good for a rush job. She expects us to be here a very, very long time."

"Is there a way around it?" Morraine asked.

"I'd check the hinges."

The smell was starting to get to Bae. He stumbled in an effort to keep himself from falling over, and he felt his father grab his arm. He cleared his throat and shook his head.

Rumpelstiltskin flicked his wrist, and the door split in two lenghtwise. The half that used to be attached to the hinges fell, leaning against the opposite wall. The half containing the door handle was still firmly in place. Morraine stepped onto the plank and then into the hall, followed closely by Bae and Rumpelstiltskin. "The question is," Morraine said, "why would anyone want to trap us down here in the first place?"

"Excellent question," a woman said from behind them. All three turned to find a black-haired woman in a black suit standing past the broken door, her weight on one foot and her arms folded.

"Regina, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever catch you with that knife. And oh, look. It's those two kids you're trying to protect."

"How do you know that?"

"You're not the only one with eyes and ears in this town."

"What do you think I'm going to do? Kill myself?"

She gestured to Bae. "Kill him."

Rumpelstiltskin laughed, slipping into a shrill, insane-sounding chortle that could curdle blood. Bae had to smirk, though. The thought of his father even thinking of such a thing seemed absolutely laughable, if not for the circumstances during which the subject was brought up. Eventually, Rumpelstiltskin recovered himself. The knife dangled in his hand, and he was still smiling. "Dearie, I hate to burst your pretty little bubble, but that's not going to happen."

"Then why the hell did you cast the spell in the first place?"

"I told you. Figure. It. Out."

"You're not exactly giving me any hints here."

"Are you even trying? Don't you see anything? Little clues left behind? Anything strange in the nature of the curse? Anything at all? There's no wrong answer." Regina narrowed her eyes. "Oh, no guesses? Not one? For a woman who seems to know everything, you're not very perceptive most times."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I want you to tell me why I created this curse, designed this place. Of course, I know why I did it, but do you?"

Regina righted the door with a wave of her hand and walked toward Rumpelstiltskin. "You know what? I don't care why you did it. I'm going to make it last forever."

"Good luck with that."

"Thank you." She rushed him, one hand shooting straight for the knife. He tossed it behind him, and Morraine snatched it from the ground before Bae could get to it. Morraine gestured Bae toward the stairs, and Bae looked back at his father. He looked back at Morraine and shook his head.

She gestured frantically, casting glances at Regina and Rumpelstiltskin, engaged in some sort of standoff. He looked at Rumpelstiltskin and swallowed. Then he looked back at her and shook his head. "I can't leave him," he mouthed.

"Bae," she mouthed back. Fear seemed to possess her.

"Get the knife out of here."

Morraine shot forward, grabbed him by the shirt with her free hand, slammed him back against a wall, and kissed him. He let out a muffled oomf, causing both combatants to turn their attention toward them.

Rumpelstiltskin took advantage of the opportunity and reached for the nearest fire alarm. And pulled.

Piercing sound ripped through the corridor. Bae and Morraine both cried out, clapped their hands over their ears, and dropped to their knees. Rumpelstiltskin rushed to the kids and said, "Come on." The three stood and moved straight for the stairwell, and Rumpelstiltskin turned back toward Regina, who moved to follow them. He smiled. "Please. Hold down the fort for us."

She froze. "Damn you," she growled. He turned and hurried up the stairs after the kids.

OUAT

Something on Emma's computer beeped, and she snatched her jacket off the chair and rushed out of the office without looking back. She reached the hospital in record time, and she listened for anything unusual. So far, it seemed as if the hospital was operating as normal. As far as they were concerned, nothing had happened other than the usual.

Slowly, she walked about the lobby, and as she passed an exit door, she heard it. The muffled sound of a fire alarm. She drew her gun, opened the door, and slipped inside, only to be met by a shower from the sprinklers overhead. She descended the stairs, shoving any questions she had about them to the back of her mind.

Regina stood in the center of the hall, seething. Her mood worsened upon seeing Emma, especially when the latter seemed almost...smug. "What? Here to arrest me?"

"Call you in for questioning," she replied. "After all, somebody pulled this fire alarm, and the fact that you're down here tells me you know more than you're letting on."

"About what?"

"Judging by the looks of this place, a lot of things. You're coming with me."

Emma pulled Regina along by the arm and pulled her up the stairs.

OUAT

The first sign of trouble came when Regina slipped out of Emma's hands and bolted down the street at the first opportunity. "Hey," she shouted, giving chase. Two armed men appeared out of an alley and began shooting at her. She dodged as best she could, but she couldn't let Regina disappear. Not this time. Not when she felt the other world so close.

Focus, she told herself. This is the real world. Real world rules still apply.

No, a voice in her head said. This isn't the real world. It's the fairy tale world brought to the real world. Real world rules do not apply. Fairy tale rules do.

She pushed this thought from the front of her brain, but the train tugged at her, driving her forward. Regina continued, turning onto a side street leading to a very familiar mansion.

Emma unholstered her gun.

OUAT

Bae and Morraine had barely gotten through the back door of Jefferson's mansion when the front door was kicked open. The kids froze. Belle appeared from the living room, and Jefferson stopped on the landing. Regina stormed through the foyer, producing something Bae and Morraine didn't recognize. She aimed the thing, and it cracked.

Pain tore through Bae's shoulder, and he immediately worked to control his breathing. Morraine pushed him into a closet and examined the wound, helping Bae breathe.

OUAT

Jefferson held his hands up and eased his way down the rest of the flight of stairs. "Put the gun down," he said. "There's no use shooting anybody."

"Give it up, Regina," Emma said from the doorway, aiming her own weapon and holding it with both hands.

"I'm not going anywhere until I get that boy alive," Regina said.

"Whatever you need him for, he's not gonna do you any good if he bleeds out," Jefferson replied.

"Regina, put the gun down and back up slowly," Emma said, struggling to keep her tone even. How did it get so bad? she wondered. Regina didn't drop the gun, but she did put both her hands up. Emma inched closer. "No sudden moves, or you'll get shot."

"Then I may as well stand here," Regina said bitterly.

"You can do that, too, but don't shoot anyone else."

Emma reached Regina and gestured with her head. Jefferson snatched the gun out of her hand, and Emma slapped a pair of handcuffs on the other woman's wrists. "What are you doing?" Regina snapped.

"You did try to kill someone," Emma replied evenly. Then, she read the mayor her rights.