Chapter 24 – Home At Last At Least
At Belle's unanticipated news of the portal opening, Regina was so possessed by the urge to get to the Wishing Well that she didn't even bother disguising her use of magic while in public. She was not unaware of the continued suspicion where magic was concerned, her dark brand in particular, and normally would have foregone such displays considering the increasing crowd both inside the diner and out about town on an unseasonably comfortable afternoon. But with Ruby back home, she had neither the time nor the inclination to entertain a need for subtlety. Let the people think what they must.
The second she stepped out of the diner, she snapped her fingers, calling upon her magic to teleport herself away. As familiar purple smoke engulfed her, she made a mental note to return for her vehicle. Her love for the elegant and expensive Mercedes did not trump her pressing desire to be reunited with her wife.
Arriving a few paces from the Wishing Well itself, Regina turned toward the ancient tree that served as a sprawling, deciduous sentinel over the area. About ten feet away she spotted the open portal still swirling a sickly green. She made her way over to within a stones throw of it, not wanting to get to close lest the two-way vortex suck her in. Frame tense, she watched the glowing green disc closely for any signs of activity from the other side.
When nothing happened for an unusual stretch, Regina began to grow nervous. Biting at her lip and kneading her hands together, she began pacing to stave off anxiety – an uncomfortable activity in the best conditions while wearing four inch heels. Ignoring the discomfort the uneven ground around the well caused to her feet, she stared at the portal with pleading intensity, trying to will something – anything – to happen. She wished with as much fervor as she could muster for Ruby to come bounding through with Emma in tow, a smile of success on both of their faces as they returned in triumphed. Even them tumbling through disheveled and exhausted would have been welcome as desperate as she was to see Ruby again. Still nothing happened.
But just when her hope began to waver, the portal at last began to arc with activity. Regina gasped, ready to spring into action should either Ruby or Emma need assistance. To her astonishment, when someone did come through a moment later, it was not her wife or her son's other mother, but a young, Hispanic woman in her late 20's. After tumbling to the ground roughly, the woman raised up to her knees and then peered around in open wonder. It was obvious to Regina that it was the woman's first trip through a trans-dimensional portal from the way she had landed so ungracefully and her face then lit up upon realizing where she was as if she had experience the greatest miracle to ever occur. Simpleton.
Glaring at the stranger as if she were the one responsible for keeping Ruby away from home, Regina sneered, "Who the hell are you?"
"Oh!" The woman whirled around to face Regina, and her dark eyes widened at having finally noticed she wasn't alone. "I...oh," she stammered. "I, um..."
Regina scoffed derisively. "Oh for heaven's sake, spit it out already." When the interloper continued to fumble for a response, Regina began tapping her foot impatiently. A sable brow arched in expectation. "Well? I haven't got all day."
Nearly trembling, the young woman stood and began wringing her hands in front of her. Her face had grown a touch pale in between acknowledging Regina's presence and being chastised for her nervous fumbling. It was evident she was frightened now, which suited Regina just fine when it was supposed to be Ruby coming through that portal instead of a stranger she didn't know from Eve. The unpleasant development had soured Regina's mood, and the newcomer was the unfortunate soul who got to reap the harvest of her displeasure.
"M-My name is Esperanza...your Majesty," was the girl's disjointed reply. Now that she had spoken more than single syllable utterances, her exotic accent shone through, reminding Regina of her father's native land.
Regina bit back a smile, abnormally pleased at both being referred to by her late honorific and that she could still intimidate with the best of them.
"Well, Esperanza," she said, pointing toward the portal, "I am here because someone very important to me was supposed to be returning through that very portal right there after being missing for over three weeks. So, imagine my disappointment when you came through instead." Crossing her arms, Regina's eyes narrowed dangerously. Her magic danced at her fingertips, tickling the skin and aching for the opportunity to be unleashed. "Now, for your sake I won't jump to conclusions just yet, but your explanation for this disturbing development needs to be satisfactory. Or else."
Gulping audibly, the woman nodded her head. Her eyes were still reminiscent of a frightened doe caught inescapably between a car's unforgiving bumper and it's own paralyzing shock. "You're waiting for Ruby, yes? And Emma?"
The unsubtle name dropping certainly arrested Regina's attention. She strode forward until she was in Esperanza's personal space, her nose nearly touching the other woman's. So close, she could finally appreciate how beautiful the woman was. This Esperanza had all the hallmarks of someone hailing from the kingdom of Regina's paternal grandfather, Xavier. Her raven hair was long and wavy about her shoulders, and her olive complexion – a shade darker than Regina's – shone bronze under the unobstructed sun. There was no denying how enviably symmetrical her face was, characterized by a cleft chin, full lips, almond shaped eyes, high cheek bones, and a strong jawline that resembled people from the southern regions of the realm from which Regina's own mother supposedly originated. Being so close to Esperanza afforded Regina proximity to another link to the land of her ancestors, and she had to admit her curiosity was piqued. As interested as she was in coaxing out Esperanza's story, though, she had far more pressing concerns at present.
Tone demanding and eyes sharply narrowed, she asked, "How do you know Ruby and Emma?"
Clued in now to being under suspicion, Esperanza straightened into a much more confident posture as she huffed out her disapproval at what she clearly interpreted as a rude reception. Regina dismissed the girl's offense as inconsequential, but was glad to at least see she had a backbone.
"I met them when they were journeying to the Dark Palace," was Esperanza's terse reply. "I have been with them on their quest three days now, helping them where I could. We journeyed many long miles together; we even fought side by side. I believe they came to trust me, and they certainly earned my trust. I will never forget their kindness to me in offering to bring me back to their home with them so that I could fulfill a quest of my own."
Regina was confused by Ruby and Emma having extended such an invitation. "Why would they do such a thing? Ruby's task in the Enchanted Forest was a simple one. They would have had no need for the help of a stranger."
"As your spouse came to find out, things are not so simple in Misthaven anymore. The lands surrounding the Dark Palace have greatly changed in the years since you last departed. I was their guide, but even had I not been, they would have helped me on my quest. Your beloved esposa understood my reasons."
"That's an awfully bold declaration." Regina paused to shift her weight from one leg to the other. "And how, exactly, do you know of my relation to Ruby?"
Esperanza nipped at her lip, eyes turning hopeful that her answer would warm Regina up. "She told me about you and showed me images of your family on her strange device."
Regina quirked an eyebrow at Ruby having ferreted her cell phone into her pack knowing very well it would be useless for any practical purposes. She must have taken it for the pictures and videos, to be able to watch them during down time on the journey and feel a little closer to home. The sentimentality behind that one little detail did more to soften Regina than any earnest declarations from Esperanza ever could.
The beginnings of a smile turned up the corners of her lips. "She did, did she?"
"Si," Esperanza nodded, smiling brightly. "As I said, she came to trust me and I her. Enough for her to share her happiness with me and for me to share my motivations with her. She also understood my desire to see my quest completed, which is why she invited me into their company."
"I see," Regina said, brows furrowing thoughtfully.
Ruby having felt comfortable enough with this woman discuss their family said something that Regina could not easily dismiss. Ruby was one of the most instinctual judges of character Regina knew. If she had so entrusted Esperanza with such delicate information, the woman couldn't be all bad. That said, Regina was not Ruby. While her wife was more open with her heart and her trust, Regina was not. She needed more information.
"If I may echo your boldness," she then asked, "might I inquire as to what those motivations were?"
The inquiry prompted a strange response from Esperanza, whose eyes brimmed with an affection that had Regina fighting back the urge to reel away. Normally upon meeting her for the first time, people either gazed at her with lust over her beauty, neutrality over her unfamiliarity, or dread over her reputation. No one she had just met had ever looked at her that way before, and it was frankly disconcerting.
"To meet a long-lost member my family," was Esperanza's vague answer, though she clarified it by with a loaded gaze that had the former Queen flummoxed.
It was clear to Regina what was being implied. But even though she thought the notion absurd that she could be related to this woman, as she searched Esperanza's face, the pieces of the puzzle, as it were, began to fall into place. The resemblance to her mother was subtle, but at the same time undeniable.
"No..." Regina breathed out, stunned. The specter of her mother hung hauntingly over her shoulder, growing prominently large as she became more and more convinced that Esperanza was not simply some random stranger Ruby and Emma ran into on their trip. Disbelief fueled by logic warred in her head with the signals of acceptance coming from her heart. "I...It's just not possible."
Esperanza gave her a patiently gentle smile. "But it is."
Brushing her hand over her forehead, Regina struggled to make sense of the woman before her being an actual, living blood relative. But how? Regina knew of her father's family history only what he had told her, which was precious little seeing as how it so pained him to speak of the parents, brothers, nieces, and nephews he'd had to leave behind when his father banished Cora from the realm never to return on pain of death. As was obvious, she knew even less of her mother's.
All of her life, Cora had kept her origins purposefully mysterious due to loathing of her underprivileged background. The woman who would one day become the Queen of Hearts had been painfully strict concerning inquiries relating to her past, particularly where it concerned her own parents. What few scraps of information Regina managed to gather merely indicated that Cora was born somewhere in the south of in Xavier's kingdom. Regina had no clue as to the name of the village from whence her mother hailed, and she didn't even know the names of her maternal grandparents. All she knew was told by her mother was that she had grown up a poor daughter of a miller, and to Cora, that was too much already.
Being a naturally curious person who valued her roots, it bothered Regina that she didn't know where she came from on her mother's side. But she had long since learned to live with her ignorance at the painful end of a thick, quebracho ruler.
Just as Regina opened her mouth to press Esperanza for more details, she was interrupted by another spat of activity from the portal. Turning expectantly, her hopes rose just to be dashed yet again when Ruby failed to emerge from the swirling vortex for a second time. Emma also failed to appear, which had Regina increasingly frightened.
Her temporary fright was curtailed quickly by the pack of unnaturally huge wolves that dashed out of the portal. At their head was an enormous creature with deep gray fur. Regina assumed he was the alpha as all the other wolves looked to him for instruction. Once all the wolves were through the portal (there were nine altogether), the alpha fixed them with a stern glare that had them moving into in a tight formation, poised and ready for anything. They did not appear hostile but they were certainly wary of their new surroundings. Regina held her breath, not wanting to show any reaction at all in fear of setting them off.
After the wolves assembled in line, the alpha started to approach, coming to within a foot of her before it stopped to sit down upon its haunches. It then lowered its head once before meeting her eyes.
"Greetings, your Majesty," it said as if it knew her personally, "my name is Julius. We are here at the behest of our Prime Alpha and the Great One, who we understand to be your mate."
Regina gawked like a teenager, stunned by the astonishing turn of events. It had been surprising to enough see the wolves come through the portal in the first place, but to hear a wolf speaking to her as if a human being had rendered her mute. But then her memory sparked, and she recalled a memory lost in the shuffle of a life misspent in the pursuit of revenge. This was not the first time she had encountered such a creature. The Dire Wolves! How could she have forgotten?
"Where is Romulus?" she inquired, wondering where the Prime Alpha was. More than that, she wondered about Ruby, as the lead Dire had obviously met her, thus the presence of his pack in Storybrooke. Regina was also confused as to why Julius had referred to Ruby as 'the Great One.' "And where is my wife?"
"The Prime Alpha remained behind, as did the Great One and the Savior," Julius explained, succinct and steady in his tone. Whereas Esperanza had been afraid of Regina, this creature maintained an unflappable veneer. His fearlessness would have been admirable had not he not just told her Ruby was not back home already because she chose to stay behind. Why, though? Something had to be wrong. Regina's throat constricted as panic set in. "Fear not," Julius then spoke, having picked up on Regina's anxiety. "They should follow us through soon. There was an unexpected complication to contend with."
"What kind of a complication?" Regina asked, worrying her lip as she began to pace again.
"Nothing that is not easily handled." Julius' lips spread into a wolfish grin that faded as quickly as it came on, only to be replaced by untold sorrow. "The Fallen Ones overtook our Sanctuary, though we know not how or why. With the Valley's defenses breached, we were forced to flee. A chosen few were selected to accompany the Prime Alpha on his sacred mission to protect the Great One. These are those you see before you now. However, a few packs of the Fallen chased us back to the portal." The wolves behind him began to chatter in agreement.
Regina's pacing stopped abruptly. "What are these Fallen Ones? I don't recall ever learning of such creatures before."
Julius nodded. "You wouldn't have, your Majesty. They are a twisted mutation of our race who serve the Dark Sorcerer. They departed our world along with their master countless moons ago, though recently returned to wreak havoc upon all who oppose his demands of submission. Fierce and nearly indestructible to mortal weapons, many villages have fallen prey to their bloodthirst. Fear not, however, as they are no match to the Great One, and even less so when combined with the might our Prime Alpha and the Savior. A legion of those beasts could not overcome such strength."
Though the reassurance somewhat relieved Regina, she remained on edge. Normal wolves were a formidable foe when working together in packs, not to mention wolves that were mutated and empowered by some villainous sorcerer she'd never even heard of.
"This Dark Sorcerer," she asked, wondering if Julius knew more of the person's identity. "Who is he and why were his servants after you?"
"The Dark Sorcerer is a man of immense power," Julius answered, his eyes grave, "the most powerful of all magicians to live save one. He has conquered many worlds. Ours was only the latest to fall prey to his machinations. Why he was specifically targeting our kind is up to speculation, and I have my theories though I dare not speak them. It is not my place. The Prime Alpha will be better able to elaborate to your satisfaction when he arrives."
Sighing, Regina clenched her eyes shut and pinched her nose. It was just so painfully typical for her to be in need of answers with no one competent enough or with the proper authority to give them. Frustrated and worried beyond measure, she began to pace once more, her mind swirling with all that was happening, from Esperanza being related to her to Ruby and Emma's delay to deal with supernatural wolves bent on their destruction. Couldn't things just work out simply and easily for once? Ruby was only supposed to have traveled to the Enchanted Forest to find a pack she could bring back home, not start a conflict with the latest in an exhaustively long line of villainous magicians bent on world domination. How the hell did this keep happening to them? Where they cursed or did fate simply hate them?
"I have seen Ruby and Emma in action, your Majesty," Esperanza then said, full of confidence, interrupting Regina's internal lamentations. "We fought a small contingent of these creatures near the Dark Palace. As Julius well said, they posed no real threat to Ruby. She destroyed three of them in seconds with little effort. Even their leader could not harm her. She will return. I have faith."
"Well, I pray you're right," Regina said, wanting to believe against her own doubts born out of experience, but not quite able to. She'd been burned too many times in the past to risk that naive form of Snow-esque optimism Esperanza seemed to be channeling.
Needing some space, Regina turned from the many sets of eyes all observing her closely and walked away from her audience toward the large maple dominating the area surrounding the well. Sliding down its bark, she lifted her knees up to her chest, not caring much that she had probably ruined her expensive slacks in the process when all she could think about was what was happening on the other side of that portal. Were Ruby and Emma fighting at that very moment, struggling to stay alive against a relentless wave of attackers? Were either of them wounded? Or worse, bleeding out upon foreign soil, never to see their families again?
Regina's eyes slid closed at the wretched thought. She couldn't give purchase to such morbidity, not when she knew for a fact that Ruby was still alive. She could afford such certainty because her heart was still beating – well, the half of it which resided in her own chest. Because she had given half of her heart to Ruby, if Ruby were to die, Regina would die with her. That was the price of such magic. It was also the reason Regina had chosen not to tell Ruby what she had done.
Regina knew her wife well enough so that she could comfortably predict Ruby's reaction to learning about their sharing of one heart. If Ruby were to ever discover the truth, or even worse, learn of the consequences of that choice, it would change her way of life forever. That reckless, wild, and free part of Ruby that Regina loved so much would disappear, smothered under a sense of responsibility and a self-sacrificial nature that drove Ruby to put others before herself. Laden with the knowledge her life was literally worth two, she would be unable to do her job properly for fear of taking risks that might endanger her life. After all, it was no longer merely Ruby's life on the line, but Regina's as well. Consciousness of the half of Regina's heart beating inside her chest would color her every decision from there on out, and like a beautiful flower deprived forever of the sun, Ruby would slowly wilt until all that was left was a shell of the woman Regina loved.
Regina refused to allow that to happen, so she chose instead to give Ruby an extremely watered down interpretation of events. To preserve her version of what went down in Joshua Woods' basement, she had sworn Snow, David, and Emma to absolute secrecy – seeing as they were the only witnesses other than herself and Joshua, and that monster wasn't likely to talk any time soon. Of course, being the Charmings they had initially protested the 'creative truth' Ruby would be fed, but eventually Emma came around to Regina's view of things and proceeded to convince her parents to tow the line. Snow had been especially unhappy on the basis of her their old friendship, but Emma persisted, insisting as both Ruby's best friend and co-worker and as a sorceress herself, she was better position to grasp the ramifications of Ruby being made aware of her 'heart condition' than any save Regina.
There were still times when everyone in the know felt the weight of that decision, especially Emma since she and Ruby occasionally got into close calls at work from time to time. Sometimes when those kinds of things happened, Emma would show up at Regina's office, shaky, laden with guilt, and on the verge of tears. It wasn't difficult for Regina to sympathize with Emma's situation; she knew she had put the woman between a rock and a hard place. But what choice did she have? Ruby could never know that the heart she'd been born with was destroyed and what was currently beating in her chest was a gift from Regina to seal her eternal devotion. That Emma understood the reasoning did not preclude her from struggling with harboring such an enormous secret from her best friend.
"I come here," the Savior once said during one of her infrequent visits, "because sometimes I just need to be reminded that we're doing the right thing."
"I know it's hard," Regina had said, "But Ruby won't put herself first, so we have to do it for her. We're doing the right thing, Emma."
Regina still believed that. Ruby was free to live her life as she saw fit and that was all that mattered. The guilt of deception was a fair price to pay to preserve Ruby's freedom of choice, to shield her from self-imposed obligation to safeguard the exceedingly precious organ beating inside her chest. And besides, it had come to be a source of comfort to her that Ruby was literally carrying around half of her heart wherever she went. The song Ruby wrote for her and performed often to thunderous applause at The Rabbit Hole had literally come true, for it made Regina feel like they were always together, even when hundreds or thousands or even millions or billions of miles separated them – such as was the case right now.
As comforting as it was that her being meant Ruby was also, Regina knew that could change in the blink of an eye. Life was, after all, so easily snuffed out. Watching Daniel's heart be reduced to dust that slipped carelessly from her mother's fingers had been her hard education on the matter of human fragility. She went on to reinforce that awareness by actively participating in the slaughter of countless innocents and personally ordering the deaths of even more. Experience had taught her that someone could be here one second and gone the next, leaving their loved ones bereft and confused and lost. And although her familiarity with the abrupt nature of death began with Daniel, the infinitely precious nature of life was never more devastatingly clear to her than the night she'd found Ruby dead in Joshua Wood's basement.
The reality that Ruby could be taken away from her at any moment had fundamentally changed Regina, had forever altered her view on how best to conduct her life with regards to her loved ones. That night one of Snow's more prevalent moral sermons finally registered – that it was more important to appreciate a person while they were alive than to do so through revenge after they were gone. It was a lesson she afterward put into practice by making a point to tell Ruby, "I love you," every single day, to touch and hold Ruby whenever the opportunity presented itself, and to never miss a chance to outwardly express the inward truth that Ruby and her children were the most important things to her in all the world. And even though it was sometimes difficult, she tried her damnedest to never go to bed with anger or hurt feelings between them. So while that day had objectively been the worst of Regina's life, it was also one of the best, and not only because of what she gained in finding out she and Ruby were going to be parents. It had taught her to never take what they had together for granted.
Still, while that situation had worked out in the end, Regina was cognizant of her track record. Destiny had proven to be her enemy far too many times for her to rest all of her heart on faith, hope, and love. Though more convinced than ever of the power of those three intangible forces, she was still a realist at her core. As both a mayor and a woman prone to cynicism, Regina dealt in cold, hard facts. Facts were reliable; they were always there; they never left you or failed you. She supposed that was why she loved numbers so much. There was no faith in numbers, just intractable, immutable rationality.
But even as a realist Regina could appreciate the encouragements Esperanza and Julius were offering. Ruby truly was a force to be reckoned with in her wolf form. The wolf had grown so large in the past five years that even Regina would have cowered in fear to find herself on the wrong end of those piercing amber eyes, vice-like jaws, and razor-sharp teeth which appeared, as the fairy tale so aptly told, all the better to eat one with.
Wavering between her two opinions, hope on one hand and apprehension in the other, Regina rested her forehead on her the tops of her knees and retreated into her memories to ground herself. She didn't know much time passed as she luxuriated in the many priceless moments that highlighted her life with Ruby, such as how radiantly beautiful Ruby had been on their wedding day, or how she glowed with ethereal joy after giving birth to Amelia in spite of being exhausted and sweaty. A dozen such moments came to her remembrance and she savored each one, immersing herself in the sights, sounds, and smells that came along with each recollection.
Becoming so lost in her thoughts, Regina was unaware of the passage of time until she was being startled to her feet by a loud rumbling issuing forth from the portal. Horror stole her breath. It was about to close!
In desperation, she cried out with anguish and rushed toward the rapidly shrinking disk. But when all hope seemed lost, it yawned one last time, and just before it slammed closed, three figures emerged in turn. The first was a huge Dire Wolf with jet black fur, whom Regina instantly recognized to be Romulus, the Prime Alpha of the Dire Wolves. Once he was through, there was a slight pause and the portal gave out a prolonged groan. Her heart in her throat, Regina watched Emma Swan emerge next, her face strained and betraying fear as she carried an alarmingly limp Ruby through with her. After stepping all the way through the portal, Emma collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, first landing on her knees and then shifting back on her rear to sit, still cradling Ruby protectively in her arms.
Another strangled cry tore free from Regina's throat as she scrambled over to Emma and flopped down roughly onto her knees. She could feel the material of her designer slacks tear at violence of the impact, but disregarded what would ordinarily be a cause for anger. Brushing her hands over Ruby's matted hair, Regina took stock of her wife from head to toe. Completely still save for the labored rise and fall of her chest, Ruby's head was resting against Emma's chest while her arms and legs hung limply toward the ground. There was blood smeared all over her face which even now dripped from her nose and mouth and from a large gash above her brow. Every time she breathed, her chest made an awfully wet rasping noise.
"What the hell happened?" Regina demanded, frightened so badly she her hands quaked uncontrollably. She glanced up at Emma to find the Savior gazing down worriedly at Ruby as if searching her face for signs of life. The look exacerbated Regina's own anxiety.
"There was a fight," Emma explained after turning her eyes up. She was breathing heavily from her exertions. "Bad one. Lots of them. Killed them all but Belmordan showed up. Caught us off guard. I'll tell you...later. Just get us...to the hospital. Please!"
Emma was right, Regina realized. With Ruby in such a state, there was no time to be discussing what had happened. Act first, talk later, she told herself. After giving Emma a sharp nod, she stood and faced Romulus and Esperanza, who were standing nearby, concern over Ruby's state painfully evident.
"We're taking her to the hospital to be treated," she told them, looking first to the Dire Wolf which whom she had previous acquaintance. "Romulus, you and your pack may have the run of the forests here. Make your way to the wolf den to assess things there if you wish. I'm assuming Ruby told you why she sought you out?"
"She did," Romulus confirmed, his voice as deep and rich as she remembered it. "We shall do just that, your Majesty, though I ask that you grant me a boon and inform me of Ruby's status as soon as possible? I would greatly appreciate that. Even though her welfare is my sacred concern, I have come to care for her very deeply on a personal level, so it pains me to see her wounded in such a way. She is a very special person."
"Yes, she is," Regina replied, managing a tight smile although her voice was choked with emotion. "And I would be glad to apprise you of Ruby's condition as soon as I'm able." After a simple incline of his head to Regina, Romulus gave Ruby one last meaningful gaze before turning to the forest with a commanding bark. His pack followed after him, yipping and barking as they went. "As for you," Regina turned to Esperanza, "you may accompany us if you so desire. But tell me now if that is your wish. I'll waste no more time."
Stepping closer to Emma, Esperanza laid her hand on the Savior's shoulder. Emma looked up at her with open affection and gratitude, which only served to confirm the woman's earlier assertions of her trustworthiness. Emma was not a person to surrender her trust easily and was far more discerning in that department than Ruby, whose tender heart often overrode her rational sense.
"I will accompany you," was Esperanza's succinct reply.
Nodding, Regina placed her hand on Emma's other shoulder and waved her hand, summoning her magic to transport them as she pictured the hospital in her mind. In the blink of an eye, they were inside the lobby being greeted by the gawking stares of a small group of surprised nurses and doctors, which fortuitously included one Victor Whale.
Upon seeing Ruby, his eyes grew large with concern. "What the fu..." the incoming curse tailed off at sight of Esperanza, causing Victor to quickly amend his word choice, "...dge happened?" A sculpted, sable brow rose up at the near flub, causing Victor to turn a peculiar shade of crimson Regina had never seen him wear before. Could Frankenstein be smitten by the new girl? Interesting.
"Stuff," Emma replied tersely, struggling to hold onto Ruby due to her exhaustion. "Just help her!"
"Of course, of course," Victor said. Turning around, her waved to a nurse and called for a gurney. Two of them responded, quickly collecting one and returning in short order. After lowering it, they instructed Emma to carefully deposit Ruby on the mobile platform, which she did along with their help. Once they had Ruby all strapped in, they raised the gurney and prepared to wheel her away.
Not willing to be separated again after so long apart, Regina instinctively reached for Ruby, only for Victor to step in front of her with a placating smile on his face.
"Don't worry, she'll be okay," he said, calm and confident in tone. "I got this."
Though Victor had never been subtle about his opinion of himself or his skills, Regina had learned to appreciate both. He had, after all, saved her life that day so long ago. And the delicate care he gave to Ruby after her admittance later on showed a side of him she didn't know existed. Apparently Victor Frankenstein did in fact have a warm heart beating underneath that cold, calculating, man-of-science facade. Who would have that? Then again, the same could have been said of her once upon a time…
That said, her trust only went so far. Regina had not forgotten what Victor did to Daniel.
"She better be," Regina warned him, careful not to sound too threatening in recognition of their longstanding detente.
"You know Ruby," Victory replied, a crooked grin on his face. "She heals fast. She'll be back to her old self in no time." And with that, he turned his attention to the nurses on either side of the gurney. "Wheel her on into the ER. I'm right behind you." They obeyed the doctor without question.
When Victor started to follow the nurses down the hall, Regina grabbed at the sleeve near his elbow, tugging him back around. "Stay with her, please," she implored, kind of hating how needy she sounded. "Don't leave her for a second until she's stable and I can be by her side."
Victor laid his hand over Regina's, patting it affectionately. "I won't. I'll take care of her. I promise. I care about her, too, you know."
Tears bit at Regina's eyes that she tried her damnedest to hold back. "I know you do. You've been a good friend. Thank you for that."
Never in a million years did Regina think she would be thanking Victor Frankenstein, the very same man who had once played a pivotal role in the Rumplestiltskin's sinister production of the Evil Queen. Come to think of it, she was technically Victor's second monstrous creation, and yet here she was bestowing gratitude upon someone she'd once held in contempt exceedingly only by that she held for Snow White. What's worse, she was entrusting him with the life of her True Love. It was almost a cruel throwback to when she so naively sought him out to revive Daniel. She'd got burned back then for her trust and rewarded him with three decades of thankless servitude as Storybrooke's only resident surgeon.
But if there was one thing Regina knew about Victor, it's that the man was a consummate survivor who would not repeat his mistakes. That, and he loved Ruby like a sister. For that reason alone, she knew he would give his very best, that that was enough.
Victor gave her a grin. "What can I say? She's easy to love."
Regina returned his grin with a more muted smile. "That she is."
With a respectful tilt of the head, Victor then squared his shoulders, professional demeanor firmly back in place. "Well, then. I'll come get you as soon as you can see her, okay?"
"Alright."
With that, Victor strode away, purpose behind his steps, and disappeared down the hallway. Left to the maddening monotony of the waiting game, Regina needed something to take her mind off of her wife's battered body, so she focused in on Emma, who was still sitting in the floor with her arms in her lap as if she was physically unable to lift them. Otherwise healthy, the Savior appeared worryingly devoid of energy.
Clearing her throat purposefully, Regina caught Esperanza's attention and then gestured toward Emma with her chin. "Help me get her up?"
Nodding, Esperanza moved with Regina to stand beside Emma. Bending down together, they lifted Emma up by her arms and guided the uncommonly pliant woman through the lobby into an empty waiting room. What little help Emma could supply came in the form of movements staggered as if she was drunk, which would have been comical had it not been an indicator of acute magical drain. It took quite an effort, but they eventually maneuvered Emma into the waiting room and then deposited her into the nearest chair without anyone getting injured. It was a minor victory, but one Regina was willing to take in the hopes it was only one of many to come.
Once Emma was settled in, Regina sat next to her, angling her body so that her knees were diagonal in the chair. Now facing Emma, she tipped the Savior's chin with her finger. Sluggishly, Emma met her gaze, and Regina took the opportunity to study her eyes so that she could determine whether the stubborn woman was hiding any injuries from her. Emma was notorious about refusing to admit when she needed help, especially when she was physically hurting.
Per Emma's own confession, she'd not had many adults interested enough to fuss over her when she fell or bumped her head or got sick as a child. A few, she had told Regina, had actually scolded her for daring to catch a cold or scrape her knee roughhousing with the other kids in the group home. This meant she had learned to internalize her weakness lest it be something else for which she could be deemed unadoptable, and it also meant she was adept at schooling her facial muscles when practicing deception. Part of Emma's superpower in detecting falsehoods was derived from her intimate familiarity with convincing lies that fooled adults who should have been able to see through them considering her age. It was all very sad, and for obvious reasons Emma preferred not to even think about her past, but that deep-seated inclination of Emma's to conceal her pain served as a reason for Regina's actions.
Much like the Savior, Regina was very adept at detecting untruths. It was just one ability that made her such an effective monarch. Peasants and nobles alike learned very quickly not to approach her with yarns, however clever, meant to procure her favor unjustly. And with so much experience reading Emma under her belt, she had become an old hat at it. Those green eyes could hide many things from many people, but not from Regina's discerning gaze.
Seeing nothing to indicate Emma was concealing something, she adopted the direct approach. "Are you hurt?" she asked, still searching Emma's eyes. "And don't lie to me. You know I can tell."
Emma blinked a few times as the question rattled around in her head. She was still looking a bit hazy to Regina, dazed almost as if she'd been concussed. Whether it was from her ordeal in the Enchanted Forest or being in a hospital again with Ruby, Regina could not tell. She couldn't begrudge Emma for zoning out, though, when she was tempted to do the same herself.
When the inquiry finally registered with Emma a few moments later, she shook her head in the negative. "I'm okay. Just a few scratches."
Again seeing no dishonesty or deflection, Regina's brows furrowed. "Are you sure? Because you seem like you have no strength left."
"Yeah," Emma sighed. "I had to use my magic back there. Like, a lot. Me and the big wolf got caught up in a spell that trapped us so we couldn't move." Her eyes grew intense as she recalled the events in question. "It was so freaking strong, Regina. Like nothing I've ever experienced. It took everything I had to break it and get to Ruby before he killed her."
"What?!" Regina barked, not at all happy about learning of Ruby's near death experience in such blunt, offhanded terms.
"Damn, sorry," Emma said, clearly abashed at her faux pas. "Probably should have segued into that a bit better, huh?"
"Your talent for understatement is prodigious," Regina huffed, still somewhat indignant. "Explain."
After Emma did so in detail, Regina sat back heavily into her chair. Her earlier concern was now ratcheted up to exponential levels. This Belmordan fellow was clearly very powerful to have bound Emma and Romulus with such strong bonds. Both were creatures of innate magic, whose binding required an expenditure of power an order of magnitude greater than for normal creatures or people. Magic did not like to be constrained, in whatever form it took, which is what made the Dark One's dagger so potent and dangerous. The malevolent magicks it contained harbored unfathomable animosity toward the confinement of their bladed prison and rebelled against it in every way possible, one of which was to make the wielder as miserable in darkness as they were.
Regina's eyes narrowed as something occurred to her. "The way you speak of this sorcerer, I get the feeling that was not your first encounter with him."
"You'd be right," Emma replied, scratching the top of her head as she squinted against the light. The look on her face told Regina that she was about to come down with a raging migraine. If the wait was long, she would soon need to force Emma to eat and drink something soothing to the stomach or vomiting could be expected. "We ran into him at your castle, too."
Regina could not have expected that. The Dark Palace was not exactly an inviting abode for a traveler from afar. "My castle, you say? Was he occupying it?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
Emma cocked her head, eyes bleary. That she was not slurring her words was a good sign. "Beats me. He didn't say and we didn't ask. We just got roped into spending a night there and by the time morning came, all we wanted was to get the hell out of there. He is one creepy-ass dude."
Regina frowned, ignoring Emma's ineloquent description. "How so?"
"He seemed to have an unhealthy fixation on Ruby," Esperanza then spoke from the seat next to Emma, who nodded her agreement. Regina glanced at the newcomer who she had honestly forgotten was present. "It may have been since he was a werewolf. In fact, he proclaimed himself to be the first of them and that Ruby was the last of his descendants."
"That can't be possible," Regina said. She was no expert on the history of werewolves but knew enough that such an assertion was absurd. The werewolf race had existed for hundreds of years. "He would have to be centuries old."
"Over a thousand according to him," was Esperanza's reply. "Emma and I didn't really believe him either, but Ruby's reaction leant the impression she at least gave the idea some measure of credence. We didn't really get to discuss it further but it seemed to me like she was conflicted between revulsion at his attention to her and being drawn to him."
"Yeah," Emma affirmed, nodding her head. "She did seem weird around him, almost like her conscious mind wanted to get as far away as she could but her subconscious was resisting that. It might have just been the werewolf thing, though, like Esperanza said."
"Perhaps," Regina replied, frowning more deeply. The more she heard, the more uneasy she felt. "Did he say why he was so interested in her?"
"Not much beyond a few weird things. Like, for one, he said she was born to be a Queen," Emma said, as if the suggestion were as far-fetched as the vacuum of space being hot. However, Regina winced internally. If only Emma knew how very close that was to being true. "Said he wanted to teach her how to be more. I don't think he was perving on her, but I could be wrong."
"What is 'perving'?" Esperanza asked in confusion, causing Emma to giggle under her breath childishly.
"It's a slang term meaning an unsavory sexual desire for someone who is not receptive or is ignorant of those affections." Regina took a professorial tone yet sacrificed her austerity to roll her eyes at Emma's infantilism. Would the woman never grow up?
"Oh," said Esperanza, gaping for a moment as she processed the meaning. Her face screwed up into a grimace after she came to terms with the colloquialism. "No," she then stated, "he was not looking at her in such a way. Rather, I think he intended to use her for his own ends. He was just covering that desire up with pretty words. For what, I'm uncertain, though I do believe he thought her to possess some greater power that she was unaware of. I think his desire for her hinged on that power, to be honest."
Sitting back once more, Regina chewed on the information. She had to admit, this Belmordan fellow was right about more than one thing. For instance, Ruby was not technically a queen, but by birthright she would be upon Spencer's death. But also, and more importantly, he seemed aware that Ruby possessed far more power than she was aware of.
This was not news to Regina, who could feel that latent power just beneath the surface in Ruby whenever she shifted. It hadn't always been that way, but ever since the 'incident' with Joshua Woods, Ruby's shifts were accompanied by increasingly large surges of magic. The first time Regina felt it, it was so stimulating that she was nearly brought to her knees in ecstacy, and the effect was only becoming increasingly intense with the passage of time. Now when Ruby shifted, the fabric of reality seemed to warp for a split second, caved in by the enormous gravity of the power she exerted upon the space around her lithe form.
While the impressive displays both intrigued and worried Regina more than she would ever admit, but never enough to investigate beyond a few clandestine searches for information amidst her old tomes held beneath the family mausoleum. Now that she had such great cause for concern, though, she wished she had done more, if only to have a more clear idea of what Belmordan was after.
"Wait a second," Emma spoke up, startling Regina out of her own head. Her eyes were narrowed accusingly at Regina. "You know something, don't you? He's not just some lunatic, is he? Something is different about Ruby."
Nodding, Regina bit her lip. It was best to just tell Emma because she was going to find out anyway, and besides, Emma was the only person Regina trusted outside of herself to look after Ruby. While not at versed in magical theory as Regina was herself, Emma was incredibly powerful and had vastly improved her control and manipulation of said power since those early days of stunted and accidental displays. If something were to go haywire with whatever innate magic was growing inside Ruby, Regina was going to need Emma's help to contain her.
Still, it made her uncomfortable that Esperanza was present, but Emma did not seem to mind at all.
"Yes," she replied, eyeing the exotic looking woman somewhat warily before turning her attentions back to Emma, "but I'm unsure what that is exactly. Her shifting changed after...well, you know." At that Emma averted her gaze, eyes laced with pain at the memory and a measure of guilt at having prompted Regina to mention it. "But I didn't think it anything to worry about, just like with how her wolf started to grow. If I'd known..."
"I know, I know," Emma breathed, obviously realizing she had pushed Regina in a way she hadn't intended. "I'm sorry I brought it up. I guess I'm just at my wits end with the trip and Ruby getting hurt."
Emma had told Regina that she didn't like thinking about that day, that she couldn't imagine what it felt like to remember her True Love strung up like a piece of meat, beaten to a bloody pulp, and clinically dead. It did seem to bother her, though, that Regina hadn't trusted her enough to talk about this.
Sighing, Regina patted Emma's hand. "It's alright. We're all a little stressed out right now, but in the interest of changing subjects so we can calm down a bit, may I ask if anything at all went per plan on your trip?"
"Well, one thing did," Emma replied, sporting a wry grin and looking more like herself than at any time since returning through the portal. "We made it back alive in one piece. Home at last at least."
Regina heaved a dramatic sigh. It was going to be a long wait.