Co Written with Angelfan984

Chapter 35

Struggling through the haze Killian tried to open his eyes to the voices talking around him. Bits and pieces of conversation drifted over him.

"What do you mean—" Was that Emma's voice? He wondered as blackness washed over him.

"He is healing as well as we can expect—" A male voice told someone, and then he felt the wave coming for him again. He fought against it and felt Emma's hands on him trying to calm him.

Her whispers sank into his mind, they floated around almost tangible. "Come back, Killian. Come back." Then the silence of sleep spread through him pulling him back down.

Emma looked up to Dr. Whale. The exact carbon copy for the disgusting man she had to deal with in Storybrooke, except for his personality, he was different here. Serious. Level-headed. Almost kind. "What was that? Why did he start struggling like that? That can not be part of the healing!"

"Princess, I honestly have not studied the how's and why's of coma's. It is not my area of expertise." He folded his arms across his chest before continuing. "But if I were to guess I think he was trying to fight his way out of it. With the way he calmed with your words and your voice, I am almost certain of it. I think he will wake soon. In the next 48 hours tops."

Emma looked back to Killian his head rested in her lap. She smoothed down the hair she could see as tears filled her eyes. A tear fell to his shoulder when she blinked and she held back her words in fear of the floodgates opening again. "Thank you." She murmured without looking back up and the sounds of the doctor leaving filtered into her awareness. The doctor had given her hope, and she had learned from her parents that hope was the strongest magic of all.

Regina paced in the shadow of the castle walls waiting not so patiently for Dr. Whale to emerge. If the source she had could be relied on he had gone into the castle an hour ago. It shouldn't be long now. Her mother had convinced her this was a good idea. The perfect plan her mother had called it. She wished she were as certain. Her time for doubts was gone as the Doctor appeared at the gate.

"Doctor!" Regina called out to him as soon as the gates closed behind him. Her steps carried her to his side in a few steps.

"Regina!" Dr. Whale startled when he heard her voice.

"I need to talk to you."

"What can I do for you today your majesty?"

"Well we have had dealings in the past and I have need of your services once again." She told him with a fake smile.

"If it is trying to bring your love back to life, I have to tell you I have given up that life endeavor. It has been a complete failure." He responded and started to walk. She quickly took up his pace and walked next to him.

"Oh no nothing like that. I have a favor to ask. I have heard that the Princess's husband is sick." She supplied trying to open the line of conversation.

"He is." He told her cautiously. His eyes traveled her form before he stopped and lead her to the side of the path they were walking on. "What concern is that of yours?"

"I want to keep it that way." Regina said bluntly.

"I'm sorry but I am not following. What would 'I' have to do with that?"

"I want YOU to help me keep it that way." She replied and then pulled out a small vial of a silver liquid. "All you would have to do is give him this. It won't kill him."

"The Princess is very much in love with the man. I cannot in good conscious do something so vile to her or her family. They have been good to me."

"I don't think I was clear. You owe me, and you WILL do this." Regina said letting the ice trickle into her tone.

"What would Daniel think of what you've become?" Dr. Whale said as he snatched the vial of liquid from her outstretched hand and stuffed it into one of his pockets. "The woman that I tried to help all those years ago, that woman was nothing like what you are now."

Her mouth fell open in shock at his cold words. They slapped her hard and were compounded by the recent loss of Eric. What would Daniel think of her now? She knew she wasn't pure anymore, and she wasn't sure where she went wrong. The doubt she felt earlier started to stir as the doctor turned his back to her and hurried away into the morning light. In seconds she was standing in her sitting chambers, staring into the blazing fire.

After it was clear that Killian was resting peacefully Emma silently slipped from the room. She hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours, because she had been hoping he would wake. But it was clear now that it would be longer than that. Not wanting to be gone long she practically sprinted down the halls to the dining room.

Her mom startled as she flew into the room. The drink in her hand sloshed out and onto the table. "I'm sorry!" Emma told her, "I just didn't want to leave his side for that long."

"Oh, honey, I thought your father had brought you something up when he had checked on you earlier."

"I must have been asleep." She told her as she stacked fresh fruit up on a plate and then sat down on the edge of the seat across from her mom. Emma proceeded to stuff the food into her mouth chewing quickly, making further conversation impossible.

"Dr. Whale said he would be around a little later—He said he might have a cure for Killian's condition." Snow told her daughter hopefully.

Holding her hand in front of her half full mouth she said, "what kind of cure? If it is a magic cure I don't want it." Magic had done so much harm already, she thought, there was no way she would chance it with the person she loved most.

"Emma, not all magic is bad. But the Doctor is calling it science."

Emma found herself snorting, not like the princess she was before she responded. "Science? Yeah, I'm familiar with science, is that something you all don't know about here?"

"Good then you will be familiar with what ever it is he thinks will work." Snow replied setting her hands happily on her lap. The conversation continued, lulling Emma into a sort of peace she hadn't felt in what felt like months, until the doors burst open revealing Ruby, completely out of breath.

"Emma, come quick!" She gasped out, and Emma was on her feet running back to Killian's chambers before she could utter any other words.

"I trust you completed the task I sent you on?" Cora's voice traveled over her, leaving a growing feeling of unease.

"Would you expect anything less, mother?" Regina asked her voice dripping with venom. "After all my parents taught me everything they knew."

"Oh, sweetheart, I never had any doubts." She responded with fake sincerity, that might have had some effect on her had she not killed Eric so recently. What was it about her mother that always drew her back to her? The woman was the reason for the way she was. She had killed Daniel in front of her. For years, more than she could count, she had blamed a child for that crime. Even in knowing the truth, of seeing the truth before her very eyes. But it hurt too much to think her own mother would rip her happiness away from her so cruelly. She had no choice but to blame Snow White for the actions of her mother. Now the haze was starting to clear and she was starting to see the full picture.

"I don't know mother, you seem to always think my choices are poor." Regina told her as she ran her hand across the mantle to the fireplace. If she had it in her she would kill her mother and be done with it. She thought she could be rid of her when she pushed her through that mirror, but she came back. She always came back.

"No, not all of them." Cora corrected her with another of her fake smiles. She picked up one of Regina's bottles and poured out two glasses of the liquid before crossing the room and handing one to her.

"Well, you will be disappointed in me once I tell you what I feel." She grasped the drink in her hand and stared down into the liquid. Her thoughts drifted back to Emma's wedding night and how easy it had been to drug her. Rotating the glass she watched as the liquid stirred itself. She regretted what she did to Emma. If she was honest with herself, Emma had been one of the few people that had accepted her for who she was. But she seemed to hurt those she was closest too.

"Oh and just what is it you feel?" Cora purred. Then she lifted her hand and lightly ran it down her arm to her hand holding the glass. Her mother grasped her hand and glass lightly before adding, "Drink, it will make you feel better."

Glancing down at the drink she paused and then looked back at her mother again. "I can't let Doctor Whale do it. I can't let him use the potion on Emma's husband. I have already went and retrieved it from him." Still she didn't drink.

"What? You can't? Why not?"

"It isn't right."

"It isn't right?" Cora repeated her words. "How can you possibly say that when he killed your father? Your father needs avenged." She practically growled the words at her.

"I know that—" Regina admitted sorrowfully "but I just want to live my life. I don't want revenge and vengeance to rule me anymore. Can't you see mother? I've wasted my life. I could have been happy."

"You are a Queen! You are what you were meant to be! Enough of this nonsense, you do not need happiness." She told her. "Happiness isn't going to get you what you want, but fear and power will."

"You are not understanding." She replied frustrated now. She set her untouched glass down and started to pace before the fire again. "Power and fear are not making me happy. I want to be happy."

Cora's tone changed, she took on a more caring tone. Her voice almost carried a hint of understanding. "So, what do you want me to do to help you?" She asked as she picked Regina's glass back up and placed it back into her grasp.

Finally, she had broken through to her mother. She smiled then, a real smile, one she hadn't shown anyone since Daniel had died. "Thank you." She breathed and then brought the glass to her lips and took a drink. Then the rage that had been missing, the urge for revenge, it all came back, it washed over her and carried her with it.

"Are you alright Regina?" Her mother questioned.

"I—I- am not sure." She replied as she shook her head to clear it. Her hand came up to rest against her forehead and she looked up at her mother. "All of a sudden I am not sure forgiveness is what I really want." Cora's evil smile met hers.

"Maybe you are just tired. We can talk about it in the morning." Her mother suggested taking her now empty glass from her. When had she finished it? Hadn't she just taken her first drink a moment before?

"I think you are right. I'm going to go to bed mother." Regina told her before retiring for the evening.

The doors to his chamber were open and servants were flowing in and out of the room. Emma pushed past them all. Oh god, what happened? She hoped he was okay. She needed him to be okay. Flying across the room she stopped at the bottom of the bed when she realized he was awake and talking. He was talking to a servant, asking for some food.

Killian's attention was away from her and she knew he couldn't see her. In what felt like slow motion she walked to the side of his bed, and into his view. Then time speed up. He looked up at her and smiled, one of his sardonic grins that she thought she would never see again. And she felt herself breath for the first time since entering the room.

"Killian! You are awake!" She said needlessly, her happiness flowing from her eyes in the form of tears.

"I'm sorry lass, but who are you? Are you here to feed me my food?" He said flirting with her. His words hit her and she took a shocked step backwards, he didn't remember her.