"You killed your own nephew?" Charming raged towards the queen.
His sword was drawn and against her neck in seconds flat. She had no time to defend herself nor did she want to. Her eyes were too wide with fear and panic was beginning to set into her bones. Her magic was going to be absolutely useless after being so long out of practice.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, hoping she sounded as innocent as intended.
"Icarus," Charming replied, "your nephew, Marian's son. You killed him with a spell, ring any bells?"
"I know my nephew's name," Regina replied.
"Then give me one reason why I shouldn't fillet you like a fish for what you've done to his mother, right now?" Charming snarled.
His face was now directly in hers. They were nose to nose and his eyes were on her throat and staring at the shiny blade there. The thirst for blood was in those eyes. He wanted vengeance and justice for his friend, her sister. He wanted blood and only hers would do.
"It was an accident," Regina explained, "A spell gone wrong. I was only trying to make her feel my pain. I wasn't trying to kill the boy."
"You made her suffer," Charming interrupted, "and I should kill you for it."
"Why haven't you already?"
"Henry," Charming replied, "He still thinks he can save you and up until right this minute he was convincing me of it. Now I'm pretty certain he's wrong. Any woman who could kill a child doesn't deserve to live especially when that child was her own sister's son!"
"I didn't mean to kill him!" Regina screamed, "That's why Marian was cursed. I wanted her to forget the pain. I didn't ever want her to remember what I did to her. God, I basically killed her! I killed our father for crying out loud!"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Charming shouted.
"Yes," Regina whimpered, "Please kill me. Do whatever you want to me! Please, stop me now before somebody else gets hurt! She's after me. She only wants to kill me."
"Your magic book," Charming realized suddenly. There was a look of horror on his face now. His hands were shaking and he quickly removed the sword from the Queen's throat. He was staring at her with terrified eyes. "You said you burned it!"
"I lied," Regina replied, "I was afraid she would come looking for it when she remembered."
"No," Charming shook his head, "You were afraid you would need it to steal Henry."
"Yes," Regina nodded.
Charming pushed Regina back up against the wall. His sword was now on the floor and his look of panic was easily masked with bravery. He had a plan of determination now.
"Where is it?" He demanded.
"In my mansion," Regina replied, "I locked it in the bureau by my fireplace."
"Thanks," Charming nodded, "Do you still have the key?"
"Yes, it's hidden in my father's tomb." Regina quickly grabbed for her coat and started putting it on. Then she turned back around to face the Prince. "I'll take you there immediately."
"Thank you, Regina. You've been an awfully good help."
Charming and Regina shared a look of horror and despair. They each slowly turned their heads towards the source of the noise. Sure enough their worst fears were realized.
Sophie Devereaux, Maid Marian, was staring back at them with a pleasant smile on her face. She closed the door shut with a simple flick of her finger. Then her black eyes turned towards the handsome prince with cold hatred and betrayal.
"You're taking her side?" She asked, "After everything I gave up for you? After everything I've done? You choose the woman who tried to destroy your true love?"
"I'm not taking anybody's side," Charming replied, "Least of all hers."
"Then why are you protecting her?" Marian asked.
She pointed her black vicious eyes towards the sword on the floor. Then she raised an eyebrow and allowed her smile to fade. She was daring the prince to take his weapon. He indulged in her request, quickly taking the sword and pointing it at her half-heartedly.
"I'm trying to save you," he replied.
"Save me," Marian laughed, "from whom? Obviously not her."
"From you," Charming said, "You're not yourself Marian and I can't let you destroy what little you have left."
"I don't need rescuing," Marian replied, "I need vengeance. Now get out of my way or I will be forced to act against you."
"I can't do that, Marian," Charming replied waving his sword threateningly just to show he meant business.
"Don't make me hurt you," Marian groaned, "I don't want to."
"Then leave," Charming begged, "Please, Marian. Leave and forget any of this ever happened."
"I can't," she replied, "Regina knows what happened to my little girl. She's also the one who killed my son. Why should I leave? Everything I want rests solely in her hands."
"Not everything," Charming replied, "What about Nate⦠Robin? What about your husband, Marian? You can still have him!"
"My husband is gone, David," Marian growled.
Her eyes flashed red with irritation. Her menacing smile was replaced with one of pure loathing. She looked far more dangerous now than she had only moments before. She was almost lost.
"And he is never coming back. He can't come back; not anymore, not after what she's done to him."
"I only sent him to this world," Regina replied.
"And you've destroyed him because of it," Marian glared at her sister with reproach, "He had a family in this world. You gave him another wife, a kind woman he loved dearly. Then he had another son with her. His name was Sam."
"What's wrong with that?" Charming demanded softly, "At least he was happy. That's something to be thankful for."
"Sam died," Sophie reported, "of cancer. He was eight years old. It destroyed Nate as well as his marriage. What do you think will happen when he remembers the children he lost before? My husband can't remember who he is. It will kill him and it's all because of her!"
"Marian, you can still overcome it," Charming said, "Give Robin a chance. Maybe Nate will provide him with insight you've never even thought of. Maybe Nate needs Robin in order to heal."
"What would you do if she had killed your precious daughter?" Sophie asked softly, "Would you just stand by and let her breathe the air around you? Would you let her get away with the murder?"
"She did separate me from my family twice," Charming nodded at the woman's statement, "but I've also learned what's important because of her mistakes. She raised my grandson for the first ten years of his life and he is healthy and has a vivid imagination. She loves him and I know she would do anything to protect him."
"Then I'm sorry it's come down to this," Marian replied.
She waved her hand and the sword immediately disappeared from the Prince's hand. She did another wave and the Prince was flying through the air and into a wall. A vase fell on top of his head and there was blood trickling from his lips.
Regina looked towards her sister with wide eyes of terror. She quickly flicked her hand with hope. Marian easily deflected the attempt with a laugh. Then she flicked her hand again and caused a giant vine to grow in the middle of the room. The vine grew razors and was slowly approaching the cowering woman on the stairs. Death was knocking on the Queen's door and there was nothing left she could do.
Then the vine and its awful razors were gone. Marian was on the ground holding her stomach and whimpering in pain. There were thick tears falling from her eyes and she looked like a drowned puppy. The woman heaved a puddle of blood on the floor and moaned at the action. Her whole body was shaking now as if she was suffering from some massive overdose. She was paler than the white walls surrounding her. She looked as though she was on the verge of stepping through Death's door.
"Marian!" Regina gasped.
She rushed towards her sister with panic in her every step. She quickly placed her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. Marian gasped at the touch and quickly moved away. Her black eyes turned red with rage and for a moment, the Evil Queen felt true fear envelope her heart again. Then a puff of purple smoke filled the air.
She blinked and her sister was gone.
"What happened?" Charming asked looking for all the world like he had just been hit by a car.
"She's gone," Regina cried, "I think she took one of Rumpelstilskin's magic vials and drank it. She had me cornered and then everything just stopped and she was coughing up blood and shaking."
"Shaking?" Charming repeated.
"It's the magic," Regina replied, "It's consuming her like it did me. It's draining her. If we don't do something soon she's going to die!"
"And she knows about your book of spells," Charming nodded.
"We have to stop her," Regina growled, "If we don't she'll consume everything. The magic in that book will make her hungry. She won't stop until she's destroyed this whole town. She'll take one huff of that magic and go after Henry!"
"We'll stop her," Charming promised, "We have to."
%%%%%%%%%%%
Hardison could feel his heart trying to escape his chest. His lungs were burning. He was even considering the sanity of passing out and letting the others go. Frankly, he'd never been more surprised by his own stamina than at this very moment. He wasn't like Eliot and Parker. He wasn't used to this constant running. Nate had to force him outside every day for fear of exercise. He only did running sporadically at best and that was simply because Sophie had that surprise bomb. He wanted to be sure he could run as fast as she did in that situation.
Eliot and Parker were jogging. He knew it simply by the lack of sweat on their foreheads. He wanted to yell at them, beg them to go without him. He knew they wouldn't. They were frightened. Separation increased the chances of something awful happening. There was an innocent life in danger and they were trying to make certain no more would be in trouble.
"Go ahead," he huffed, "I'll catch up when I can."
"It's not that much further," Parker promised, "The nunnery is just up ahead."
"We should have taken the car," Eliot cursed, "We're too late."
Hardison silently agreed with him. He just didn't want to vocalize his fears. He understood that Sophie was doing something stupid. He understood that it had something to do with her sister. He just didn't understand why Sophie would do anything stupid. Sophie and stupid did not belong in the sentence. Stupid and Nate were synonymous, but not Sophie. She was the straight-headed one out of the bunch. Plus, why would she want to hurt an innocent little kid?
"I don't get it," Hardison huffed, "Why Henry? Sure he's her nephew but what would that accomplish? Why go after him? That's not her style."
"Sophie's not stable, Hardison," Eliot growled, "She's not thinking clearly. Pain is the only thing registering. She probably doesn't even realize what's going on. She's hurting and she just wants to make the person who hurt her suffer."
"No!" Hardison didn't like the sound of Parker's voice. It was too determined. She sounded as though she knew what the grifter was thinking. He never thought one syllable could sound so horrendous. He was already getting sick to his stomach at the mere implication.
"She knows exactly what she's doing," she said.
Hardison gulped and picked up pace. He was determined to get there quickly. He wasn't going to allow Sophie to hurt a kid. He knew what that would do to her when she snapped out of her weirdness. He knew what it would do to Nate. He could already tell Parker was switching sides. Eliot had already decided what he wanted. The hacker wasn't going to let them anywhere near Sophie. He was going to save her. IF that meant he had to get hurt, he was okay with that.
"Henry!" Parker called, "Henry, you're okay!"
The boy looked at Parker as if she had three heads. He was standing in the front yard, staring at them in confusion. He even looked a little bit scared. He was completely unharmed though. Hardison was kind of disappointed. They went through all of that trouble for nothing. Sophie wasn't there.
"Of course I am," the boy shrugged, "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Sophie hasn't been here, has she?" Eliot asked. The bastard didn't even sound out of breath. That wasn't fair.
"No," Henry shrugged, "Why would she be? I thought you guys were leaving today."
"Oh no," Parker gasped, "Wrong victim."
"Regina!" Eliot screamed.
Hardison grabbed the kid and pulled him along. They were going to run again. He was okay with that. He had the kid with him. That was a good excuse to keep a slower pace. Plus, Eliot and Parker could hurry ahead while he got the car. He was sure they were going to need it.
"What's going on?" Henry asked, "Where are we going?"
"The sheriff, kid," Eliot replied, "Where else would she go?"
Henry pulled up to a stop suddenly. He pulled back his arm and Hardison felt like a ragdoll. He should have known. The kid had enough weight to pull him back. He really needed to work out. These extreme moments of running were starting to increase. He should have listened to Eliot while he still had the chance.
"She's not going there," the boy said, "My mom's office. She's heading for my mom's office."
"Why would she go there?" Hardison asked. He was getting tired of this running. Honestly it was too much for him. He really wanted to take a nap. The only reason he even bothered to keep going was his fear of what Sophie would do.
"The book of spells," Henry said, "If she's really angry, she'd want the book of spells. My mom hid it in her office to keep it out of the way. We have to go, come on!"
The boy took off seconds later. Hardison almost lost it right then and there. More running. He didn't want to do anymore running. He didn't sign up for the running, or the caring. He really hated running.
"Is he serious?" He asked.
"Come on," Parker shouted. OF course she was already passing the boy to get to their destination. "It's not that far. We should get there before they do."
"I hope we have enough time," Henry said.
Hardison turned towards the hitter. Were they really taking advice from a kid?
"What other choice do we have?" Eliot asked.
Hardison shrugged. The hitter had a point. He took a deep breath and tried not to cry. He lunged forward and began the swiftest pace possible. Sophie was one lucky grifter. He wouldn't be doing all of this running for anybody else. Only his team deserved such exertion from him. He really hoped it was all worth it in the end.
He didn't think he could handle the fallout.
%%%%%%%%%%%
Nate walked into his room at Granny's with a huge headache and an aching heart. He was exhausted by his fruitless search for the grifter. All he wanted to do was go back out there and search but he just couldn't do it anymore. Eliot was right. He needed a good night's rest with a fresh mind. Sophie would only appear if he wasn't hallucinating and seeing impossible things. He took a deep breath and nearly choked on the smell of strawberries and blood.
"Soph," he gasped.
There she was digging through his suitcase with determined speed. She was shaking from head to foot and her skin appeared transparent in the dim light. Then she jumped and flashed him a smile.
"Hello Nate," she said.
"What happened?" He asked racing towards her as fast as he could.
He touched her face and nearly recoiled at the feel. Her soft skin was ice in his hands. It was rough too and there was some dried blood on the corners of her mouth. Fresh blood was sprouting from her nose and her eyes were bloodshot and teary.
Sophie pulled away and gave him a disgruntled look.
"I'm fine, Nate," she said, "I just didn't pace myself. I'm not going to do it again, I promise."
Suddenly Nate felt anger clawing its way up and down his spine. His stomach and lungs were bursting with fire and he was fighting everything to keep himself from screaming at her. Where were you? He wanted to demand. Why couldn't I find you? What's going on with you? Let me help you.
Instead he just stepped away and gave her space. His gut was telling him that she just needed to ramble for the moment. The grifter would supply him with the information in time.
"I would have called but I didn't want you involved," Sophie explained, still rummaging through their bags. She was throwing clothes to the side as if they meant nothing to her. She didn't even seem to notice the bloodstains she was causing. She was a wreck and was too blind to notice or care. Either way it was far worse than the mastermind could have imagined.
"Ah-ha!" The grifter smiled at what she found. Then she pulled it out and stared at it. Nate's stomach just gave an unanticipated lurch at the shiny metal object.
"Your father's gun," she said, "Ever since he died you've been carrying it around with you. I never understood that, but now it's come in handy."
"Wh-wh-why do you need a gun?" Nate asked. His throat was very dry all of a sudden. His heart was slowly sinking into the floor and his stomach was knotting itself in circles. There was something inside of him telling him bad things were about to happen. He had an even darker feeling that he was going to lose the grifter forever.
"I'm going to kill Regina," Sophie replied with a bright smile. Her black eyes turned to him with such happiness in them he didn't know what to do. She was downright pleased with her plan. It was like she was someone else entirely. She was no longer the sweet, caring grifter he fell in love with. No, she was now some cold-hearted killer in need of an outlet for her destructive behavior.
"Have you been taking drugs?" Nate demanded angrily. His hands were once again on her cold, cold cheeks and he was praying to God that he was wrong. This couldn't be happening, not again, not to him.
"Well magic isn't working so I decided I'd improvise," Sophie pouted out her lips and stomped her foot. It was like she was a child caught trying to do something nice before the gesture was completed. She did not look like the grown woman planning a murder she was.
"I can't let you leave, Sophie," Nate explained softly.
"Why not?" Sophie whined acting more and more like a child with every passing second.
"Because you're tired and you need to rest," he replied. That was a lie. He was afraid. No, he was petrified of what was about to happen. He couldn't lose his grifter, not like this. He refused to believe she was so far gone. No, he couldn't believe he had lost her to her own mind.
"Liar," Sophie smiled, calling him out like always. "That's not why you won't let me leave."
Nate grimaced at the smile on her lips. It made her look mad. That paired with her pale color and the dried blood made her look dead really. It was like he had lost her already and only just now had the chance to fight the battle. He was only fighting for the remains.
"You want to come with me," she whispered, "so you can watch our salvation."
Nate nodded at the statement. He couldn't help it. A spark of hope ignited in his stomach and pushed him to do it. He was too tired to argue and he'd have an easier time bringing her back once she was aware of what she was doing. He knew he could stop her from pulling the trigger. And if he couldn't? Well, he could always step in its path. It wouldn't matter either way. Stopping her from pulling the trigger would be her salvation and if she did she was already lost. What other choice did he have? She was all he had left to lose.
"Come on, my love," Sophie said pulling him towards the door eagerly, "Let's kill the woman who murdered our son."
