A.N. The song R/E dances to is, Everything I do, I do it for you, by Bryan Adams.
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Emma knows what she has to do. It had come to her in a dream. A faceless voice; a conversation she can barely remember. Just a brush of words remain whispering to her as she opens her eyes.
The underworld is something that Hade's created. That is until you came along. Your magic was powerful enough to break through his barriers.
She feels Regina stir awake, pulling her close and Emma wishes for a lot of things in this moment. But none of those wishes can come true and she feels her heart splinter inside of her chest as she watches the blissful look on her wife's face begin to crumple and be replaced with the cold hard reality instead.
Still she leans forward and kisses Regina's lips, before holding her in a tight embrace. Regina sniffles into her neck and Emma feels the heat from her own tears crisscross down her cheeks. She doesn't tell Regina about the remnants of the dream she had. Or what she knows she has to do. She knows it will only break Regina's heart and she just doesn't have it in her to be the one to do that. Again. Instead, she just hold's her wife and silently wishes that it didn't have to be for the very last time.
They eventually get out of bed and Regina pulls her toward the shower. They don't speak as they wash each other's hair and skin. It's intimate enough that no words are needed. Just each other's touch is enough for them in this moment. A moment that both women wish could last forever. Emma watches as Regina slips on one of her sweaters and she feels herself smiling at the too baggy fabric that wraps around her wife's small frame. She is stunning, Emma can't help but think as brown eyes meet hers in the mirror before her hand is grabbed and she is led out of the room.
Regina makes them breakfast and Emma watches her as she sips from a cup of coffee at the table. She wishes time could just stop for them. She wishes for one more day. She wishes for a lifetime of days. She quickly brushes a few tears away before Regina can turn around and see them. There's already been enough sadness between them, that all Emma wants is a few hours of normalcy. Even if it's just pretend.
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They go for a walk and Emma holds her hand as her side brushes up against Emma's. Their footsteps match in stride. Every once in a while, Emma kisses her cheek or her lips brush across raised knuckles before being brought down to Regina's side again. They still don't really speak. The silence between them feels like a warm blanket woven out of love and a sense of belonging to something so powerful that mere words simply can't describe it.
They come upon a field, a field that Regina quickly realizes is the same one she had woken up in, just yesterday. She begins to turn herself around, shaking her head at Emma but she grabs her wrist; pulling her close. A sea of wild blue flowers begin to bloom up all around them out of the ground and Regina's eyes widen at their beauty before Emma tilts her chin back and kisses her. Soft and gentle, Emma's lips feel like rose petals brushing along her own and she cant help but sigh into it all before she deepens the kiss.
"Dance with me .. " Emma whispers against her ear.
"There's no music." She chuckles in response.
Emma's eyes seem to sparkle against the sunlight as a melody begins to play around them. It's a song they have danced to before, Regina muses as she remembers a cold winter night in Storybrooke.
'Look into my eyes ..and you will see what you mean to me. Search your heart, search your soul and when you find me there ..you'll search no more.'
"Do you remember?" Emma asks.
"Yes, if I recall, you were insistent that the moon and stars were watching us that night." Regina laughs as Emma twirls her around before pulling her close again.
"Well, maybe they were." They kiss again as they continue to sway to the music.
'I would fight for you ..walk the wire for you ..'
"Regina .. "
"Hmm .. "
"I love you."
'You know it's true ..everything I do ..I do it for you ..'
Regina opens her eyes, pulling back to look at Emma and she catches the sun peeking out from behind a cloud. She feels it's warmth tickling her cheek while Emma kisses her forehead and then all goes black.
Yes, Emma knew what she had to do from the moment she had awoken that morning but it still doesn't stop the steady tears from falling as she lays a sleeping Regina down along the bed of flowers. She slips a folded piece of paper into Regina's pocket before she leans down and kisses her lips. Tears touch Regina's skin and Emma slips her fingers around the necklace her wife is wearing. It's the talisman that will open the gateway to back home and Emma focuses all her concentration and magic into the one piece of jewelry. A wave of light branches out from it not long after Emma's fingertips touch upon it and when she opens her eyes; she is holding a sunflower and Regina is gone.
She lays down along the crushed flowers and stares up into the sun but has to quickly shield her eyes because it's actually the sun. She sits up and glances around the field where there are shadows being cast as a few clouds drift across the sky from up above and she realizes, everything is awash in color. From the bark on the trees, to the tips on the blades of grass. She scrambles to her feet and twirls around, catching the horizon that is bouncing on all sides of her, as far as she can see, and yes, even that is real. No longer dull and lifeless. The mountain peaks are sharp and vibrant against the skyline. A bird skims along a distant pond and it's feathered belly shines a pearl white. She laughs and jumps in the air and then she wills Hades to her.
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Regina wakes up and everything is spinning around her as she tries to still her vision. For a moment, she thinks she is suffering from the bed spins after drinking too hard. Emma's death washes through her and with that comes all the sorrow and pain as it crashes against her body like waves against a shoreline. She quickly realizes that she really is hearing the sound of waves hitting sand as she sits up and shields her eyes from the too bright sun. She is in her hammock. Well, that explains the spinning she thinks, as the hammock continues to sway. The wind is powerful today, no doubt a storm is brewing along the horizon. Her mind is fuzzy, like it's filled with cotton before she closes her eyes and it doesn't take long for sleep to claim her once more.
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Hades does come to her and all his wrath and fury comes along with him. He appears before her among the flowers and trees and it only takes about five seconds before he is cursing up at the sky and shaking his fist toward the very real intense sun.
"You have no merit here! Away with your holier than thou self!"
"Some could shout the same thing to you, Hades." Emma's voice cuts into his petulant rant and he spins around to look at her.
"Oh, well, look at miss goldilocks, hair shining so bright and lips pink as a daisy." He scoffs. "Don't get used to it."
"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing to you."
He squints at her, and magic's himself a pair of sunglasses. "None of this is going to last, Savior. It never does. Your magic has no life here. Not long term anyway. This is my domain and I will whatever I want here. I have the power."
"Not anymore." Emma raises her hands and her trusty light magic springs forth, spiraling towards Hades and then she pushes it down, between them. Hades smirks while laughing and spinning around before facing her again. "You missed me. I think you need glasses." He turns back toward the sun and raises his own hands, bringing forth his magic but a sound behind him, stops him still. He swirls back around and gulps.
A portal has opened, and Hade's knows where it goes. All too well. The black and red colors twists before him, licking at his feet and he glares across at Emma. He knows that magic can't travel across an open portal, so he is helpless in striking out at her. But this means, as he grins to himself, she can't touch him either. They are both at a stalemate but what he doesn't anticipate is what happens next.
"Oh, Hades, darling, I packed you some cookies, have a nice trip home." He spins around and barely catches the paper bag before it hits his chest. A powerful gust of magic surges forward and pushes him backward into the portal.
His scream echoes as he falls down through the abyss and then the ground seals up again. Emma stares at the patch of rose bushes that are now jutting up from the ground in its wake. "Well, they say every rose has it's thorn and Hades was certainly a thorn." Emma mutters as she makes her way to Regina's mother. "Thank you, Cora."
Cora nods her head at the woman; her daughters wife and Savior. "Regina .. is she - "
Emma glances at the spot where her wife had laid before her eyes capture Cora's. "She's back where she belongs."
Cora nods her head before stepping forward and pulling Emma into an embrace. Emma's eyes widen with surprise before she feels herself wrapping her own arms around her mother in law. "It's weird how sometimes it takes a death to bring people together, huh."
Cora rolls her eyes at Emma's quip but finds herself holding the younger woman tighter. When they break apart, Emma wipes at her eyes before throwing her arm around Cora's shoulders. They walk out of the field and turn onto the road that will take them back into town before Emma asks, "You saved me some cookies, right?"
Emma never gets to have those cookies dipped in milk. When they get back to her house, well, her house is no longer there. There's a field in its place. One Emma has seen before. The field she had described to Regina after she had died. Cora squeezes her hand and Emma catches her gaze. "You knew about this, didn't you?"
Cora only nods her head but Emma notices the unshed tears in her brown eyes and she can't help but think of her wife. "It's time for you to go, Emma."
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Henry stirs her awake and this time, Regina's mind isn't so foggy as her eyes regain focus. She sees her sons face peering down at her, and it's Emma's eyes and smile too. She sits up and pulls Henry into a hug and begins to weep. Henry holds her, crying with her and after awhile they both compose themselves while walking into the house as the hammock sways gently behind them.
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"So .. you're like the One?" Emma's eyes widen as she takes in the older man's features before muttering, "A lot of people are gonna be disappointed that you aren't a woman."
The white haired man laughs, a boisterous sound that echoes around the sky and Emma feels a wave of peace crash against her. It almost feels like it's tickling her soul and a shiver quickly runs up and down her spine.
"Well, the jury is still out on that theory, Emma Swan." He watches as she tilts her head and a nose scrunches up in confusion. A look that could be classified as quite charming he can't help but think as he smiles at her before continuing, "I am a God .. one of many actually. I am the God of Time but most refer to me as Father." His gray eyes bare into her own and she feels that shiver tickle her bones again.
"Like in the Father of Time?"
"I suppose." He shrugs and Emma can't help but chuckle at the casualness of it all. "So, any chance you could pull a Superman and spin the Earth back? Say, about two years ago?"
He studies her and after a few minutes, Emma begins to fidget under the intense scrutiny. She's about to speak but he beats her to it. "Time doesn't move backwards, only forward. I fear dear child, that you are missing the point to all of this." He sweeps his hand out in front of himself, signaling the wide open space of clouds before them.
"That I'm dead? I got that loud and clear. 10 - 4 .. roger that." She stiffens her body while crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"You're angry." It isn't a question as Emma hears the man's voice soften over those simple two words uttered and she shakes her head slowly.
"I'm sad." She looks away now and wills the unshed tears that are blurring her vision to just disappear.
"It's uncommon. I'm .. sorry." He studies her and Emma's eyes widen once more.
"Uncommon? I'm not following you here .. I surely can't be the only one that is sad when arriving .. " She glances around, taking in all the majestic beauty that radiates on all four sides of her before she mumbles, "In heaven."
"But you are. Again, my apologies for not really knowing how to proceed, Emma."
"Why don't we start at the beginning and work from there .. sound good?" She watches as he ponders the suggestion. Can witness with her own eyes as he mulls it over and she finds herself holding in a chuckle because this whole predicament is starting to feel like just another cruel joke being played against her.
"You're just gonna have to trust me, Father." She inches a step forward while raising up her hand; placing it gently along his forehead.
His eyes close instantly as the warm touch of her fingertips brush his dark skin, finding purchase along a wrinkle or two in the process. Hundreds of images flash through his mind. Taking over all of his senses at once.
Sight.
He sees a front door being flung open as Regina runs down a path toward a young child and Emma Swan.
Sound.
He can hear the desperation in the woman's voice as she pleads, "Let me die as Regina."
Smell.
The earthy scent of the jungle invades his nostrils as Regina points down at a pile of twigs before smirking back at Emma. "Smell that? Smoke."
Touch.
He can feel the thick twines of darkness as it swirls around Regina, trying to claim her before Emma sacrifices herself.
Taste.
The rich flavor of their wedding cake bursts across his taste buds as Regina feeds a small bite of it to Emma.
Five years worth of memories play out before him in quick succession and yet he retains all of it in slow motion. She takes her hand away and the tears travel free now. There is no willing them away and she doesn't even bother to wipe her cheeks dry. She steps back and she watches as Time, himself, stumbles backward and quickly drags a finger under each eye, turning away but Emma sees it; registers the tear stained skin that is mirroring her own.
"I am sorry, Emma." He seems smaller now, his shoulders slumped and Emma begins to feel bad for showing him what she did.
Was it too much? Probably.
"I've never witnessed .. felt .. well, it has rendered me." He takes a step back and then sits down, resting against a wide oak tree that has suddenly appeared.
"Yeah, and those were just the cliff notes." He nods his head in understanding, knowing full well what Emma means without her having to say it. Because Emma holds so much more inside her heart and mind. Inside her very soul.
"People get sick, Emma. Humans .. they are mortal - "
"You can't categorize Regina and I with the rest of humanity. We have magic. We .. know things. We have witnessed events that the everyday Joe only experiences while watching some movie or reading a book. We are what's inside the damn book. We are the story."
"The Universe - "
"What is the Universe anyway? Whose the wizard behind the curtain, Father? Whose the one pulling all these strings?"
"Everyone, Emma."
She stops pacing and takes a breath, calming her throbbing heartbeat as she slowly turns to face him. Her eyes narrow, festering with impatience as she stares at him and waits for him to explain.
"The universe is .. well, universal." She scoffs and rolls her eyes at him and he realizes she is just as feisty dead as she was alive. He isn't used to dealing with someone like this. Not here. Not in heaven. Everyone that crosses over into this plane, is instantly mellow. Calm, at peace. It's just how it is. Heaven is light for a reason and when you step into that light, the human façade washes away and you are merely a soul again. Your human shell sheds away like a snake rids it's skin. But Emma .. her soul is still trapped inside of her. Her human self is still present and intact and he just doesn't know how to handle the insolence. The stubbornness. The personality.
He takes a breath and tries to begin again. "Sit down, Emma and listen, please." He motions for her to sit and his voice takes on a no nonsense tone. Like a parent would to a child and she thinks of Gracie. Her little girls face washes over her and she feels her heart squeeze inside her chest. She sits across from him and bites her tongue to remind herself to stay quiet.
"When you died, if you had followed the light, you would have been led here where you would have met up with loved ones that had passed on before you. Everyone that your soul has crossed paths with on Earth in a fundamental way. The light washes the human façade and you are what everyone fundamentally is .. a soul. The human personality traits that you had come to possess disappear. Heaven is a whole new ball game if you will. The score card is wiped clean. You can choose to look like your human self and most do in the beginning. Over time, most just let their souls shine through."
"What does a soul even look like?"
"A light. Some people have witnessed a soul on Earth, these are ghosts or spirits. There is a veil hindered but some mortals are gifted however and can see things that most simply can not see. The veil is in place for a reason. To protect us as well as them. If mortals were born with certain knowledge and sight, well, it would tip the scales and not in our favor."
"You're talking about the flip side to heaven."
"Yes. Hell. Hades for one. Lucifer. The list is long, I'm afraid." He sighs, a deep resonating sound escapes his lungs and Emma knows the sound of defeat all too well. She finds herself nodding her head, silently agreeing with the older man.
"What about demons? Do they exist?"
"Unfortunately. They are hell's soldiers so to speak. Everyone chooses to follow something, Emma. Some follow the Lord. Other's follow .. him. It's the way of the world down there. All we can do is offer a way up. It's a persons choice to take it or not."
He stares at Emma and she looks away. She knows what he is saying to her. It's time.
"But wait, what is the underworld then? If lost souls roam Earth, then why even have an underworld?"
"The underworld is something that Hade's created. His own devil's playground. Something for him to rule over. He collects lost souls and guides them there, where they remain trapped under his thumb. That is until you came along. Your magic was powerful enough to break through his barriers."
"And I was able to grant some a path back to the light." He nods his head at her statement before she continues, "I was never going to be able to fully defeat him, it was a mission doomed from the start, wasn't it?"
A sadness washes over his features before he answers her. "Hades is immortal. There is no defeating him. You can no more best him than you could best the creator himself or the other one, Lucifer. The battle against good and evil .. there would never be a clear winner, Emma. Just many, many casualty's. From both sides. But, because of you and help from Cora, he was sent back to hell and to a very tight leash. And his prisoners, for those who want the light, they will be shown the way."
Emma nods before quietly asking, "Am I a casualty?"
He doesn't answer her. He looks away instead and that's enough of an answer anyway.
"It's time, Emma." His eyes find hers and she takes a deep breath.
"I know."
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Regina tucks Gracie into bed and little arms pull her down for a hug. She goes to raise herself up a few times but Gracie holds onto her each time; not letting her go. She laughs at her little girls strength and determination. A mix of love and pride bellowing inside her heart as Gracie finally concedes. "Okay, time for prayers and then we go to sleep."
Gracie shakes her head no before saying, "I'm not talking to God anymore, Mama. He took Mommy away and didn't let her come home." She turns herself over and grips her stuffed rabbit. "Night, Mama .. I love you."
Regina feels tears sting her eyes as she slowly backs away from her daughter and leaves the bedroom. The memory of Emma saying, 'I love you' before she sent her back grips her around the heart and throat. She gasps for air as she stumbles down the stairs and into the living room. Henry comes in from the kitchen and helps her sit down on the couch before going to fetch her a glass of water.
When he hands her the glass, it shakes until Regina steadies herself and takes a few sips. "Gracie refused to say her prayers. How am I fixing that?"
"You don't. Maybe that isn't such a bad thing anyway."
"Henry Daniel."
He looks at her and shrugs before kissing the top of her head. "I'm going to bed. Try not to fall asleep in the hammock tonight. Your back will thank you in the morning." He slips under the covers a few minutes later and wipes at his eyes before reaching to turn off his bedside lamp. He can't help but feel like he had his hope crushed as he succumbs to sleep. The last thought he has is one he's had a few times in his life since taking that bus to find Emma all those years ago.
Sometimes, having the heart of the truest believer, sucks.
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Emma had a request before fully stepping into the light with Time. A request that was met with a sad smile from the ageless man but he simply didn't have the heart to tell her no. She hugs him tight and her eyes sparkle at him as he touches her forehead.
"Hi Monkey .. " Emma sits down next to her little girl in the sand.
"Mommy!" She jumps into Emma's arms and kisses all over her cheeks. Emma can only laugh as she squeezes her tight. When Gracie pulls back, her green eyes glisten against the sun's light. "Maybe, if you make a really big mess God will let you come home, Mommy." She pulls Emma's face close and whispers, "Misbehave."
Emma laughs, a rich sound echoing around them both because her little girl's voice and features are the pure embodiment of Regina in this moment. "Well, what do you suggest I do?"
Gracie purses her lips together before sticking her tongue out a little bit, her deep thinking pose, Emma muses as she watches her daughter. Gracie covers her ear and whispers into it, "Dump a bunch of lego's all over heavens floor and color all the clouds with markers."
Gracie leans back in Emma's arms and nods her head with a bright smile. "That oughta do it, Mommy."
"I don't know, monkey, I think God might like the rainbow colored clouds after all."
"Oh." Her eyes dim a little and Emma feels her heart squeeze.
"You know, Gracie .. God's very sad you aren't talking to him anymore."
Gracie's eyes widen in surprise as she whispers, "He is?"
"Yes. He loves you very much. Almost as much as I do."
"Really?" Her eyes widen even bigger. "But, he .. if he loves me then why did he take you away from me and Henry and Mama?" She tilts her chin up and narrows her eyes at the sky before meeting Emma's gaze again.
Emma sighs and brushes a fallen tear away from her daughters cheek. "It was time for me to go, love. It's not God's fault."
"But, my story book .. it said Mama would save you - "
Emma cups Gracie's face and kisses her forehead before leaning back and looking into her little girls eyes, "She did save me, baby .. she helped me find my way back to heaven. I lost my way and God needed help getting me back. Your story book helped too, monkey."
Gracie looks up at the sky and Emma mirrors her daughters gaze as Gracie asks, "Can you fly now .. like Super Girl?"
Emma chuckles, remembering how Regina had filled her in on Gracie and how Super Girl was her new superhero. Spiderman being dethroned from that prestigious role a month ago. "Not as fast, sweet pea, but yes."
"Show me!"
Emma laughs and runs after her daughter who is already heading to the water's edge.
Gracie is flying high in the clouds, while her stuffed animal, patches the rabbit grips one of her hands. Emma is holding the other one as they both dip down, soaring above the ocean now and Emma lets her fingertips skim along it's pristine surface. Her touch sending ripples through the foamy waves. Her little girls laughter echoes against the shore.
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While Grace is flying with Emma, Regina is curled up in the hammock with Gracie's storybook open in her lap. A full moon shines bright over her shoulder casting the pages in light as she combs through them. There's still no ending. Just a few missing pages stare back at her as she slams the book shut. She leans over and pushes the book underneath the hammock before laying down. She absently plays with her necklace as she falls asleep to the sound of the wind kissing the ocean's waves.
In the early morning dawn, when the sun's first rays of light reflect across the horizon, the forgotten storybook flips open while a gentle breeze blows a few pages back. A shadow moves across Regina's features before a kiss is placed on her forehead. She opens her eyes upon the touch and catches a glimpse of her mother before she fades into the sun's gaze. Her father's face disappears inside the swirl of a cloud as her eyes open wide and she jumps off of the hammock. She stares up into the sky for awhile, hoping to see something more. What she's waiting for she's not quite sure but she knows whatever doorway was open is now closed. She saw a glimpse and it was somehow enough to make her heart feel lighter as she takes a deep breath.
She jumps at the sound of paper rustling and glances down to see the storybook open under the hammock. She bends down to pick it up but her eyes widen as she takes in the new illustration that has been sketched onto a page as she slowly slinks down to the ground before looking back up at the house.
She turns the page, taking in the fresh words before leaping to her feet and running into the house.
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A few hours earlier ...
God watches on as Emma plays with her little girl, building sand castles as high as they can go when Time steps up next to him. "Life is quick, Time. And cruel. Sometimes, I wish I had never created humanity but then I hear a child's laughter .. " He pauses and Time watches as his features twist up in sadness before going neutral again. "But then I feel a widow's tears .. "
"The balance doesn't hold up, does it?"
"No. It doesn't." God clasps his hands behind his back and begins to pace across the night sky. A star shifts under the vibration and starts to fall across the darkened sky. Gracie's dream floats like a mirage in front of him as her laugh makes the remaining stars twinkle. He stops and glances back at Time with a glimmer of blue bouncing inside his gray eyes before he smiles and raises his hand. He sketches up a few clouds. Time places his hand on God's shoulder before asking, "Are you sure?"
God shrugs while they both watch as a gentle wind blows through the mirage that holds Emma and Gracie inside of it and their images begin to disappear inside the puffy clouds. He turns back to the ageless man before putting out his hand. "I won't tell if you won't."
Time smiles and shakes God's hand. "Deal."
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Regina runs up the stairs but stops right outside Gracie's bedroom. She closes her eyes while she takes a few deep breaths trying to still her rapid heartbeat before she slowly pushes open the half closed door. She's gripping the storybook so hard in her hands that it's edges are digging into her palms as she feels tears begin to fall down her face. What she sees presented right before her eyes matches the picture now etched inside Gracie's book.
Emma is curled up with their little girl, both fast asleep and Regina blinks a few times. With each blink, she thinks Emma will disappear. Fall away inside a cloud or inside the sunlight like her parents seemed to do just a short while ago but Emma is still here. Each time. She inches a few steps closer, fingers reaching forward, achingly slow and the book drops out of her other hand when her fingertips brush against Emma's shoulder.
Blue smoke swirls around them and then the rest of the bedroom, before it sweeps up and out over the entire house.
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They all wake up in the town of Storybrooke. Inside the old mansion to be exact. After spending time with Snow and David and everyone actually comes to grips with the miracle that has bestowed them; Regina, Emma and Gracie make a home for themselves inside a small town in Vermont. Henry takes a teaching job in Burlington and visits his family as much as he can. Gracie still adores Super Girl and remembers flying with Mommy. Her storybook sits on a shelf in her new bedroom next to her Tinkerbell clock. And one night not too long after settling into their new home, while curling up by the fire, Regina finally concedes to Emma that her smoke did indeed turn blue and is no longer purple. She also gives up in trying to figure out how and why the color had changed in the first place.
She has learned, some things you just don't question.
And God peers down from the heavens and chuckles as his gray eyes shimmer with blue.
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"Yesterday's a closing door, you don't live there anymore. Say goodbye to where you've been and tell your heart to beat again. Step into the light of grace ..cause your story's far from over and your journeys just begun .." - Tell your heart to beat again - By Danny Gokey