Chapter 28: Nothing Ever Hurts Again
Kat and Grace were once again at the diner. Grace sat at the counter, drinking a milkshake while her mother was working. Grace had asked if she could go with her mother to work, still wanting to spend as much time with her as she could, and Kat had agreed. The blonde was currently watching as her mother took someone's order.
RING
The ten-year-old looked over at the door and smiled when she saw that it was Kyle who had entered the diner. "Uncle Kyle!" She greeted happily, waving her arm slightly at the older boy.
"Hey, kiddo." Kyle greeted his niece as he walked over to her, once he was close enough, he place a hand on her head and slightly ruffled her hair. He then plopped down on the stool next to hers and turned towards Red, who was working the counter at the moment. "Hey, Ruby, can I get a burger and fries?" He asked.
"You have the money to pay for it?" Red smirked, joking around with the teen. Since the Willis siblings had entered the town, Red had started to consider the younger sibling almost like a brother of her own.
"Yeah." Kyle responded, digging through his pocket to get out a ten dollar bill.
"Alright then," Red said as she took the money from the teen and put it into the register and then handing him back his change, "I'll go get you burger and fries when they're done cooking."
"Thank, Ruby!" Kyle called out to the woman who had moved down the counter to go to other customers. He then turned to look at his niece, "So what's up, Grace?"
"Nothing much." The girl shrugged, "Just enjoying a day off from school."
"Guh," The teen groaned, "School…" He had just recently started to go to the high school in Storybrooke, and, like most teenagers, not really enjoying it. It didn't help that there weren't that many students in the class, many of the seniors had decided to skip school altogether since they had endured it for so long, so there weren't that many who he could even speak with.
Grace giggled before going back to her milkshake. The two sat silently for a while, Kyle waiting for his food to arrive.
"When'd you get here, squirt?" At the question, the two sitting at the counter turned around to see Kat standing there.
"Hey, sis, I got here a few minutes ago." Kyle told her.
"Heh," Kat smirked before lightly punching the teen in the arm, "Have you finished your homework yet?"
"Maybe…" Kyle said, shifting his eyes away from his sister.
"When you get home, finish it." She told him.
"Yes, sis." The blonde male groaned out.
"Glad I did my homework already." Grace teased the teen.
Kyle glanced at the little girl before rolling his eyes playfully, "Yep, you're definitely Kat's daughter." His comment caused Grace's smile to widen, taking it as a compliment while her mother rolled her eyes, knowing what the teen actually meant.
Red then came along with a plate of food, stopping in front of the teen, "Here you go, Kyle, hamburger and fries." She told him as she placed the food down.
"Thanks, Ruby." Kyle said before starting to eat his food.
BRING BR-BRIIING BRING!
"I'll get that." Kat said before walking over to the phone, "Hello? … Leroy, what's wrong? Okay, okay, I'll tell her." Kat suddenly moved the phone away from her and looked at it in worry and confusion.
"What's wrong?" Red asked as she walked over to the confused woman.
"I don't know." Kat shook her head before looking at the red-clad woman, "Leroy said there was an emergency at the mines."
"The mines…" Red repeated before her eyes widened, "The diamonds!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Cait smirked as she sat in the tree above the well. She had been behind Regina when the former queen was speaking with the Dark One in his shop. Though Regina had no idea. The assassin-for-hire now knew that the Queen of Hearts would possibly be attending their party known as life.
The Queen of Hearts… she had been the one who gave her the job to kidnap Regina's father, and it was because of that job that Cait ended up here in Storybrooke. But she felt no ill will towards her former client; a job was a job after all. The only one that she felt should be hurt was Regina. If the Queen of Hearts was going to come… maybe that would just be what the Cheshire needed to exact her revenge.
The former Queen had no idea that her tormentor was a few meters above her head, grinning like the Cheshire she was.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Red and Kat ran into the mines, they had left Granny with working at the diner, Kyle offering to help out there once he finished his food.
"Leroy!" Red shouted, "What's the emergency? Leroy." The two were confused to find the dwarf staring up at the ceiling of the mines in a daze.
"They're gone. They're all gone." Grumpy states blankly, still in shock. The two females looked up to see the diamonds missing, every single one of them.
"Who could have done this?" Kat wondered out loud.
"Regina." Regina says in realization.
Red, Kat and the dwarves entered Mr. Gold's shop, expecting to see Rumplestiltskin and Regina there, but instead only found Henry and a sleeping Charming.
"Where are they?" Red asks Henry before clarifying, "Regina and Gold."
"What's going on?" The confused boy asked.
"All the magic has been drained from the mines." Red tells Henry.
"They stole it?" Henry asked, now even more confused.
"They snuck in after our shift and took everything." Grumpy tells him "Nobody steals from a dwarf!"
"Except the Queen." Doc inputted.
"And Rumplestiltskin." Happy added, only to be glared at by Grumpy.
"If they're not helping Emma and Mary Margaret that… that means my mom lied to me." Henry said, looking heartbroken. He thought Regina had changed for the better.
"I'm sorry, Henry." Kat says sympathetically. She understood what it felt like to be betrayed by a parent.
"We need to find her. We need to stop them." Henry said, "We need to help Emma and Mary Margaret."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kat, Red and Henry ran through the forest, Red tracking Regina's scent. By then though, Kat could tell where the Queen was, she could sense the powerful magic that was flowing. Despite not knowing what kind of spell it was, the brunette's gut was telling her that is definitely wasn't good.
Soon enough, the three find Regina and Rumplestiltskin at a well. The well was flashing dangerously.
"Mom?" Henry calls out, causing the two to look at the three. Henry walks over towards his step-mother. "You're not helping Emma and Mary Margaret, are you?" He questions.
"I'm helping you, Henry." Regina responds.
"What are you talking about?" Henry asks.
"You're going to kill them." Red stated, walking forward, Kat following the girl.
"Sorry, dearies." The Dark One said before waving an arm up causing the two women to be thrown backwards and land on their backs, knocked out.
"Mom!" Henry cries out, "Wh-what are you doing?"
"We can't let Cora come through the portal." Regina tells her son, "You have no idea what she would do to us." Thoughts of what Cora had done to her and what she could do to Henry flashed through the former Queen's mind. There was no way that she would endanger Henry like that, she loved him too much.
"Emma and Mary Margaret are going to defeat her." He told her, optimistically, "They're the ones that are going to come through."
"Henry, your mother's right." Rumplestiltskin told the boy, "It's going to be Cora."
"No. It won't." Henry stated firmly, "Good always defeats evil. You should know that more than anyone."
Regina stared at her son for a moment before leaning down, needing to get it through Henry's head the danger he could be in. "What I know is my mother will destroy everything I love, and that means you. And I can't let that happen." She really couldn't, it would kill her if something happened to Henry because she allowed Cora to come through.
Henry charged forward, to try to stop whatever spell they had placed on the well, only for Regina to grab him. But the boy still struggled to reach the well. "You can't! Stop it! You can't!" He cried out, "You're gonna kill them! Please! No! They're going to make it through! We have to turn it off! You're gonna kill them!" Using all his strength, Henry finally pulled out of Regina's grasp and headed for the well. He just made it to the well when Regina pulled him back, holding him by the shoulders.
"Henry!" She cried out as she moved him away from the well, "What are you doing?"
"Emma and Mary Margaret are going to come through. I know it." Henry assures her, "You said you wanted to change, to be better. This is how. You want me to have faith in you? Have faith in me."
His words had obviously struck Regina, as she stared at him. Slowly, she let go of her son and walked over to the well.
"Regina." Rumplestiltskin called out, knowing what she was about to do.
Regina, however, ignored her former teacher and stood in front of the well. Placing her hands over the opening, she absorbed the spell that she and Rumplestiltskin had cast, removing it from the well to allow whoever was going to come through the portal safely into Storybrooke.
Henry and Rumplestiltskin watched in amazement and horror as Regina's body convulsed, still absorbing the spell. Eventually, the woman fell to the ground, exhausted. Henry stared at the well for just a bit longer. When nothing happened, the boy realized what must have happened.
"No!" He cried out in disbelief. Emma and Mary Margaret couldn't be gone, they just couldn't…
"I'm sorry, Henry." Regina said from where she was leaning against a tree, her voice breaking as she spoke. The devastation on her son's face hurt her so much, because she was partially to blame. "I'm sorry." She whispered once more.
They stared at the well for a few more moments when they suddenly heard movement from inside it. Rumplestiltskin looked at the well in confusion, having thought the spell had worked before Regina stopped it. Relief came flooding through Henry when he saw a hand stick out of the well and grab onto the ledge, followed by an arm. Eventually, a familiar blonde's head came into view.
"Mom?" He called out quietly, as if thinking that this was nothing but a dream.
Soon enough, both Emma and Snow were out of the well. Emma turned to see her son and happily called out his name, "Henry!"
"Mom!" Henry shouted before running over to his mother, the two quickly embracing.
"I missed you."
"I missed you too."
"I missed you so much." Emma told her son as Snow joined their hug.
When Rumplestiltskin started to, quietly, move away from the area Snow and Emma finally noticed their surroundings.
"What's going on?" Snow asked as she looked between the standing up Regina and exiting Rumplestiltskin, "What happened?"
As the man walked past Red and Kat, the two girls woke up and started to stand up.
"She save you." Henry told Emma, defending his step-mother, "She saved both of you."
"Thank you." Emma said gratefully as she looked at Regina.
"You're welcome." Regina said breathlessly, still tired from absorbing the spell.
It was at that moment that Kat and Red ran into their view, happy to see the two previously lost women back in Storybrooke.
"Are you okay?" Red called out. Once she was near, Red quickly hugged her best friend, happy to see Snow was alright.
Kat stood back a bit, knowing she wasn't as close to the family as Red was. The brunette was curious as to how they managed to get through, but one good look at Regina was all she needed to figure it out.
Regina caught her look and sent her back a questioning one. Kat just shook her head and sent the woman an appreciative smile. It was obvious to Kat that there was still good in Regina, and that good was mainly towards Henry's happiness.
"Where's my husband?" Snow asked suddenly, causing the twenty-seven-year-old to look at her. "I need to find him."
"Uh-huh." Red said before starting to lead Snow back towards the pawn shop.
"I'll go tell everyone at the diner the good news." Kat said, before following Red and Snow out of the forest. As she followed the two out, she couldn't help but get the feeling that while things seem to be over, they were actually just beginning.
Sorry that this is slightly late. Class this month is 1pm-5pm then 9pm-1am Monday-Friday.
Thank you, kolla00, for the review. I am glad that you are enjoying this story so far.
Thank you, Supernova13, for the review. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. (I update ever week on Tuesday, unless something unforeseen happens and I can't but then I'd update as soon as I could)
Thank you, kykyxstandler, for the review. They'll be coming eventually (though I still need to write most of those scenes out still)
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated.
