The station was what Regina would've described as barely controlled chaos when she came to, her head pounding and almost every inch of her body in pain in one way or another. She hardly remembered the ride to the station, but she did ever so vaguely remember Emma holding on to her and barely letting go the whole way.
Now all she felt in the din that filled the small station was the sting of antiseptic being lightly dabbed to the cut just above her eyebrow by the steady hand of Ruby Lucas. Regina blinked through the tears that spring to her eyes as she had came to and found herself to be in Emma's office, seated in her desk chair with Ruby kneeling in front of her.
"Hey," Ruby said, offering a friendly smile as Regina sat up a little straighter in the desk chair. Ruby dabbed at the cut with the gauze once more before placing a few butterfly stitches over it to hold it together. "Good news, it's not as bad as it looks."
"It feels as bad as I'm sure it looks, dear."
"You should've gone to the hospital, but Em told us she didn't think that was such a great idea."
Regina sighed and brought her fingers up to her left cheek, tenderly running the tips over her swollen jaw. "Well, nothing is broken, so a trip to the hospital would've been a waste," she replied and noticed then that the blinds all around the office were closed. "Where is she?"
"She was dealing with that hell-bitch," Ruby replied as she wiped her hands and scooped up the garbage and bloody gauze off the top of the desk and dumped it into the small garbage. Upon Regina's look of concern, she stopped her from getting up from the desk chair. "Don't worry, the dwarves and the fairies worked together pretty quickly to secure one of the cells to hold her and the cuff is still on and effectively keeping her from doing any magic right now."
"And how long have I been—"
"Out?" Ruby asked and she glanced at the clock behind Regina. "Emma brought you in about an hour ago, give or take."
"An hour?"
"Give or take," Ruby repeated. "Been a long day, huh?"
"That is one way to describe it," Regina replied tiredly, feeling far more drained than she knew she should be. She tried not to let the fear show, especially not in front of Ruby, but she feared how her body would continue to react now that her magic was gone. Completely gone.
"Regina—"
"Emma is in the other cell, isn't she?" Regina asked without having to see for herself.
"How did you—"
"She killed that man."
Ruby frowned and when Regina went to stand up, she wasn't stopped that time. She felt woozy and unsteady on her feet, but she pressed on and opened the office door, the sounds of the shouting she'd heard when she woke up becoming clearer and louder. In the cell to her right was Lily, who was pacing by the cot and furiously pulling at the cuff on her wrist to no avail and in the cell to her left, Emma sat on the cot, her elbows on her knees and her head hung low with her hair falling over her face.
Snow White and David stood arguing at the desk closest to the cells while Leroy and several of the other dwarves tried to put their two-cents in as well.
Regina could hear a crown gathered outside as well and yet her focus was on Emma and she wanted nothing more than to open that cell door and take Emma into her arms and hold her. That option was off the table, clearly, but it didn't stop her from wanting just that. She was also in the middle of struggling with a new wave of anger towards the brunette in the other cell and she clenched her jaw, struggling to remain as calm as she appeared on the outside.
"Regina, you should be resting. You might have a concussion," Snow said once she'd turned to her mid-conversation with David and the dwarves. "We have a situation on our hands."
"It is blatantly obvious that we do," Regina snapped. "The question is what are we going to do about it?"
"That is what we're trying to figure out."
Upon Snow's insistent look, David ushered Leroy and the rest of the dwarves out into the hallway, leaving just the women there alone. Regina placed a hand on the desk just to her left, a sudden bout of dizziness hitting her. She wasn't used to feeling so weak and even during the first curse it had never felt quite like that. She knew during that first curse, for twenty-eight years, her magic wasn't gone but dormant. It was different now as her magic was very much gone completely and she could feel the emptiness in every last inch of her body.
She turned to look over at Ruby as she exited the office, her phone to her ear and talking quietly. Ruby motioned to Snow that she'd be right outside before she slipped out into the hallway. From the sounds of the crowd that was gathered outside, Regina figured that David was out there trying to do some crowd control, give the people answers they didn't really have themselves yet.
"Why is Emma locked up?"
"She put herself in there," Snow replied quietly. "She said she needed to be in there. We tried to convince her otherwise but she—" Snow said emotionally, choking up as she looked over at the blonde in the cell who was unmoving from where she sat. "Did she really kill him?"
"I tried to get through, there was a barrier in place," Regina said and her hands shook and her legs felt weak. She pulled out the chair and sat down behind the desk. "I was just too late."
"But why would she—"
"She was under a spell, being controlled by Lily and Gold. I'm unsure of how long she had been under their control, but I suspect it was ever since Lily made her presence known the morning after that tragic accident."
"And now?"
"I believe the control they had over her ended when she did what they needed her to do."
"When she killed that man," Snow whispered, her voice wavering slightly. "Why? Why him?"
"I do not know, he was nobody special, just the driver of that bus," she replied and she cast a glance over at Lily as she continued to pace and claw at the leather cuff on her wrist. "Gold is or already has cast a spell that will break the barrier around this town. It is imperative that we find him and if he has yet to cast it, we need to stop him."
"That's what this is all about? Breaking the barrier?"
"It's more than that," Lily said as she suddenly stopped pacing and grabbed onto the bars. "This world once knew magic, but as the centuries passed, it all but disappeared. Now this town is full of magic and it's just bursting at the seams. Breaking the barrier is going to do a lot more than to allow you people to come and go freely instead of being rats stuck in a cage."
"You're releasing magic to the rest of the world," Snow stated in understanding. "But why?"
"Why not?" Lily laughed and it was a sound that made Regina's skin crawl. "Do you honestly think that I would tell you everything? Hmm? You are all just pawns in the game, my game, his game."
Regina's mind was swimming with possibilities, theories of why they felt the need to release the dense supply of magic that was in Storybrooke to the rest of the world. The result could be catastrophic, but she also knew that releasing the magic that resided safely in their town may all but disperse before it could affect the rest of the world all around them. That was a chance she knew they were taking and it was a big one at that.
Snow shook her head and with just a look exchanged between her and Regina, they retreated to the office and shut the door to allow just a small semblance of privacy between the two of them. Regina leaned against the desk with an uncertainty she'd have much energy to stand if she sat back down again and Snow opened the blinds, staring out at both women locked up before turning her attention towards Regina.
"Who is she, Regina?"
"Pure evil."
"But—"
"A more accurate term people in this world would use would be the devil," Regina reply lowly and if they weren't in that current situation, she would've laughed at the ridiculousness of it. "She possesses power far greater than anything I have ever seen. I do not understand the lore that revolves around what she is, but I believe she has lain dormant for many years until Gold reached out to her and brought her here."
"Why would he bring her here?"
"The barrier, Snow, why else? We are dealing with a man who has clearly lost his mind. What he is doing doesn't have to make any sense because it makes complete sense to him."
Snow sighed tiredly. "I think you need to explain everything to me right now because none of this is making any sense, Regina."
"It started the morning after the tragedy…"
[X]
It was just past midnight when Regina returned to the station. After she had told Snow the finer details of their current situation, they had to do some damage control with the large crowd that had gathered just outside the station. The people of Storybrooke had somehow found out that their very own Sheriff and Savior had killed that man and were demanding answers and placing blame, pointing fingers, some of which were pointed at Regina herself.
She had returned home to rest after refusing to be taken to the hospital to further treat her injuries. She had also refused protection and the only ones who were fully aware that Lily had taken every last ounce of her magic was the Charming's and Ruby Lucas. They all agreed that it was best that absolutely no one else found out for the time being.
She had been unable to settle long after she'd returned home and it wasn't because of her obvious injuries, it was because of her concern revolving around Emma being locked up in the cell next to Lily. The woman was already broken and there was no telling what the other brunette would try to do, the things she would put into Emma's head once they were left alone in the station.
"What are you doing here?" Leroy asked once she'd let herself into the back door and found him seated in a chair in the hallway. "Regina? You shouldn't be here."
"Neither should Emma."
"She killed a man," Leroy replied. "She should be in there according to the law."
"I don't give a damn about the law, dwarf," Regina snapped angrily. "She is in a cell beside that evil, vile woman. They are alone. True, that woman has been rendered powerless for now, but words can be just as powerful as magic."
"And you're what? Afraid of what—"
"I'm afraid of what that woman will say to her to further break her already broken soul," Regina muttered and Leroy tilted his head curiously before letting out a quiet chuckle. "What?"
"Even if I let you have the keys to the cell, Emma won't leave, Regina. She believes she belongs in there and she does."
"She killed that man under the influence of a spell!"
"Hey, I ain't the law here. I'm just on night guard duty!" Leroy said as he held his hands up before deftly crossing them over his chest. "I can give you the keys, but she ain't leaving. We both know that now, don't we?"
Regina sighed tiredly and turned on her heels, walking down the hallway quickly. She heard nothing as she turned the corner into the nearly dark room, the only light coming from the full moon that shone in the windows. She walked over to the desk near Emma's office and turned on the desk light, bathing the room in a soft glow that allowed her just enough light to see into the cells where she found both women on the cots and seemingly fast asleep.
She stared at the brunette woman, unable to see her face as she lay on her side facing the wall. She was uncertain if she was sleeping or not, but knew that the only thing she could do was spout words that meant nothing. Emma was on her back, her eyes closed, but her face was far from being as relaxed as it should've been in a perpetual state of sleep.
Regina knew what taking a life felt like, she'd done it more times in the past than she cared to think of, and she knew what it felt like to shed blood on her hands even if she'd never had the blood of her victims on her own hands, it was still the same feeling. Guilt. Despair. A crush of power that felt far more addictive than the darkest, most powerful magic to ever feel and taste inside one's own body. For someone like Emma, dealing with the fact she had taken a dagger to a man's throat and slit it open without even a blink of an eye, the ramifications would be dire and there was no telling just how in the days to come she would react and behave.
Regina stepped towards Emma's cell, frowning as she raised her hands and wrapped them around the cool iron bars. She sighed quietly, her eyes not leaving Emma's restless, sleeping face. Things had been so very complicated between them as of late, even before the tragic accident. It was hard for her to believe it had only been just shy of two and a half weeks since that night things had gone so very far between them, a night that Emma had forgotten due to the amount of alcohol she had consumed.
Like she had thought of many times since that night, she wondered if anything would've been different if Emma had remembered what happened between them. Would she have pushed her away as she'd done or would they have started to explore a relationship of a loving nature with one another? Regina knew how she felt about Emma and was quick to not deny her feelings, especially around her, but Emma had been struggling and she was more than certain she still was. The timing now, however, was all wrong and she knew the last thing she needed to do was to further complicate things between them.
Emma needed her, but not in that way. Emma needed her to get through what she had done. Emma needed her there for support, for strength. She wouldn't be able to do this alone.
Regina trailed her fingers over the cool iron bars, her eyes not leaving Emma as her thoughts barreled through her mind endlessly. She needed to focus on the current situation and she was focused, but when it came to Emma, it always sent her thoughts in the direction of where they now stood, where their relationship had evolved to and where they went from there. She was in love with her and it hurt, it hurt is so many different ways, but it hurt mostly because she had thought that things could've been far less complicated when she landed in her bed with the intoxicating beautiful blonde Savior.
Her fingers wrapped around the bars tightly as she stole a glance over at Lily in the other cell. Her back was still turned to her and the way her torso raised and fell in a steady pace indicated that she was at least sleeping. With a small sigh, Regina turned her gaze back to Emma, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw Emma sit up slowly, her eyes catching hers over the short distance that was between them.
"What are you doing here, Regina?" Emma whispered as she got off the cot and moved to stand in front of her on the other side of the bars. "Regina?"
"I came to get you out of here."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"I know," she sighed sadly. "I don't trust her," she said without having to look over at the other woman. "She cannot get to you with magic, Emma, but she can with her words."
"She tried to earlier. I shut her out."
"Good."
Emma cast her eyes down to the floor as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Did you really think I'd let you take me out of here? I belong in here, Regina. I killed a man."
"While under a sp—"
"It doesn't matter, I still killed him."
Regina frowned, watching a host of different emotions flicker in Emma's eyes and just for a moment she held her breath, wondering if she'd see the signs of the dark magic she had no doubt still resided inside of her, but when she saw nothing but the tears that slowly began to fill her downward cast eyes, she reached through the bars for Emma's hands and held on tight.
"Emma, I'm here for you. I just want you to know that."
"You are?"
"Of course," she said softly, offering a small smile when Emma's gaze finally met her own once again. "I'm here for you. Whatever you need, even if just to talk, I'll be here to listen, okay?"
"Why?" Emma asked as she pulled her hands free. "Because you know exactly what I'm going through right now?"
"Emma—"
"Don't," Emma snapped, still keeping her voice low. "Just don't, Regina. Not now."
Regina nodded, but didn't step away from the bars. "I understand," she said after a moment when Emma said nothing, her gaze faltering as she struggled to hold back her tears. "I just wanted you to know that I am here for you. I want you to remember that."
"I will," Emma said with a small nod and Regina reached out for her again, one hand taking one of Emma's while the other slowly moved to cup her cheek. "I don't deserve this."
"You don't deserve what?"
"Having you care enough to want to be here for me after what I've done."
Regina wanted to point out that they were not so different after all, but she kept her mouth shut, knowing now was not the time to get into a heated discussion or a heart-to-heart. She let her hand fall away and she gripped one of the bars, unmoving from the spot.
"Why?" Emma asked, pausing to glance down at their still joined hands as she easily intertwined her fingers with Regina's. "Why do you care about me so much, Regina?"
"Do I need to tell you when you already know?"
Emma didn't look up at her. Regina just gave her hand a gentle squeeze before reaching between the bars to place her fingers under Emma's chin and she lifted her face up until their eyes met once again. She watched Emma wet her lips before she moved as close to her as the bars would allow, Emma mirroring her until their lips were mere inches apart.
"Please let me take you out of here," Regina whispered and she groaned when Emma suddenly let go of her hand and reeled back. "Emma, please?"
"You can't."
"Please?"
"No," Emma said with a sharp shake of her head. "I can't. I belong here. I killed him."
"Emma—"
"I belong in here," she said lowly as the tears fell, one after another. "I'm where I deserve to be."
Regina shook her head and she was about to try again to convince Emma otherwise, but she stopped when she heard a soft creak coming from the other cell. She turned just as Lily rose from the cot, a salacious yet evil grin curling over her lips as she stalked towards the bars that separated one cell from the other.
"You heard her," Lily said as she stared straight at Regina and grasped onto two bars tightly. "She is where she deserves to be. Can't say the same for you now can we?"
"Why don't you mind your own business?" Regina snapped. "Why I am here is none of your concern."
"I know why you're here," Lily chuckled as she glanced at Emma with nothing but pure lust in her brown eyes. "Didn't you get the memo earlier, Regina? Emma doesn't want you. She won't even leave that cell for you. She is exactly where she deserves to be whether you like it or not."
"Psst, Regina," Leroy said with a slight whistle from behind her. "Step to the left."
The moment she stepped to the left, a tranquilizer dart whizzed past her and sunk deep into Lily's left shoulder. She watched Lily yank the dart out of her shoulder as she stumbled backwards and hit the wall, moaning incoherently as she slid to the floor in a heap.
Regina barely blinked when she heard the hiss of a second dart escape the gun and with wide eyes she watched as it sunk into Emma's right thigh. She gasped as Emma fell down to the floor, just missing the cot by mere inches and time seemed to tick by twice as slow as it had before. She blinked through the tears that filled her eyes as David rushed towards the cell with the keys in hand and two other men followed him inside that Regina didn't recognize. They picked Emma's limp body up and carried her out while Leroy pulled Regina aside.
"She's not safe here. We're going to take here someplace she will be, whether she wants it or not."