Standard Disclaimer: These lovely characters ain't mine, I just play with them gently. Please don't sue me. The mistakes are mine, though.
Chapter 34 – Reawakening
"Move out of the way!"
A harsh voice snaps Regina out of her hopeless trance. She glances over just in time to see Victor push Snow and Charming away from the bed to make more room. She shifts furtive eyes over to Granny, who remains seated, having gone pale as a ghost while clutching white-knuckled at the fabric of her dress around the neckline. Regina worries for a moment that stress might induce the older woman to have a heart attack, though that fades swiftly when her attention is again arrested by a movement from Victor. She watches him frantically roll Red onto her back and levels him with a harsh glare. Uncertainty as to what he is doing blends with irritation that he has so rudely interrupted her futile attempt to reconcile herself to Red's death.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asks, voice strangely devoid of emotion.
"Saving her life!" Victor barks back, then straddles Red's torso.
It is only out of respect for his vast medical knowledge that she does not protest, although seeing his current position has her vision tinting red. It only gets worse when he places his hands just above Red's sternum right between her breasts. Incensed, she intends to retaliate only for her anger to turn into pure confusion when Victor begins pressing down on Red's chest with enough force to compress her rib cage at least two inches inward before relenting. He repeats this movement over and over before stopping abruptly, pinching her nose closed and then breathing forcefully into her mouth. For what seems like an eternity, Regina watches numbly as Victor continues his mysterious efforts, working up a sheen of sweat upon his brow as he counts out compressions and then breathes into Red's mouth again.
Finally, having had enough and determined to stop the desecration of her wife's corpse, she grips the physician's arm. "Victor, stop."
He shrugs her off violently to continue his efforts. "No! It can't end...like this," he says, his face hardened with resolve as he pants in time with the compressions. "I won't...let it."
Fed up with everything and everyone, Regina is just about ready to explode when something utterly shocking happens. After another three compressions, Victor reaches for Red's nose just to wrench back when she suddenly springs back to life, surging forward with a hoarse gasp. For a brief second, her expression is pure shock characterized by huge eyes and a mouth hanging open. But then the assault on her body registers, pain contorts her features and she begins coughing ferociously. Unable to believe what she is seeing, Regina stares on in wonder as Red grasps at her chest and hacks until her face turns beet red.
"What the hell?" Red groans when the fit ends. She peers around the room as she struggles to hold herself upright. Victor, who is grinning at her from ear to ear, helps keep her propped up.
Her eyes first land upon Snow and Charming, who are nearby to Red's right, tightly embracing to share their mutual relief. Red seems flabbergasted to see her friends there, but doesn't say anything as she next turns to Mulan's. The normally stoic warrior is beaming back at her without restraint, causing Red's brows raise in surprise at the rare show of emotion. And then she catches Granny's azure gaze.
"Gran?" she asks, voice rough from lack of use.
"I'm here, girl," Granny replies, choked with emotion, clutching tightly to Henry's hand. Regina's father is beaming joyously, with almost as much intensity as he was after she and Red finished their vows and were proclaimed wedded before the gods and most of Misthaven's elite. Eugenia's expression is not quite so exaggerated, more muted with a relief that Regina understands too well. They woman they both love more than all else is alive and they can both breathe again.
Red stares at her grandmother for a minute, half-smiling and half-confused before shifting to Regina. For her part, Regina is still so shocked by Red's sudden resuscitation that she is sure she more resembles a fish dangling from a hook than the regal monarch she is supposed to be.
"Why am I -" Red begins, only to trail off as another fits of dry coughs wracks her chest. The intensity of them contort her entire frame, and weakened as she is because of the curse, she seems to curl further in on herself with every convulsive hack.
Needing to do something, Regina shuffles forward to rubs her back soothingly until the spell passes. When it does, she snaps her fingers to summon a glass of water into her hand.
"Take a sip of this, sweetheart," she tenderly yet firmly commands, smiling gently to Red, who shakily unfolds herself and sits up. Once upright, she reaches out to grasp the glass with quavering hands. Regina places her own over the trembling appendages to still them and then helps Red to lift the glass to her mouth. "There now. Easy," she says, keeping her hands in place to aid Red until she has consumed a quarter of the water in the glass. "Better?" she asks once Red pushes it back into her receptive hands.
Red smiles at her gratefully. "Much. Thank you." Her voice is much clearer now, which is a welcome sign.
Although the gratitude was unnecessary, Regina returns the smile and inclines her head in acceptance. "You're welcome, darling. Just let me know if you need more."
"'Kay. I will." Red then looks out over the room, again noting her location and her guests. "Why am I in the guest room?" she queries, her hand lingering over her chest, every once in a while rubbing it ever so slightly. "Not that I'm complaining, 'cause I'm so happy to see you all, but what's everyone doing here? Also..." she returns worried green eyes to Regina, "why do you look like you're about to pass out?"
"It's a long story, honey," Snow says, drawing Red's attention. The joy painted across her face is indescribable. "The condensed version is that Regina reached out and told us you were in danger, so of course we all came. As it happened, she needed me to accompany her on a mission to save you, and that's exactly what we did. We saved you...with the good Doctor's help, of course," she then adds, gesturing to Victor. "You would be dead right now if he hadn't revived you."
"Wow. Thank you, Victor," Red says, effusive with gratitude toward her dear friend in spite of the obvious discomfort she is dealing with.
"It was nothing," he says, mostly shrugging off the praise, as if his part in saving her life was minimal. That his actions were merely a part of his duties as court physician. His humbleness is not in tune with the character Regina knows, though she does not comment on the abrupt change because she knows why he is acting that way. Red brings out the best in everyone, even in a cold man of science like Victor Frankenstein.
"It wasn't nothing," Regina insists. "And I would like to extend my thanks as well. I am forever in your debt for what you've done. You have more than earned my trust after this, Victor. I think you ought to know that should my opinion change tomorrow." The corners of her lips turn up at the last part, eliciting a mirrored response from him.
"I'll try to remember that," he says, and then to Red responds, "And I accept your thanks, but only because you're my friend. There's nothing I wouldn't do to help you." He glances back up at Regina. "Either of you. You both know that, right?"
"Of course we do," Red replies, eyes shining with affection. Regina adds a nod of agreement. "It's one of the reasons I love you, Frankie. You try so hard to hide how much you care but you just can't. Not from me."
Victor sighs. "Are you still determined to use that terrible nickname?"
"Yep. And that won't change any time soon." Red grins impishly. "You'll always be my Frankie!"
"Oh, my God," he groans in exasperation, the oath a reference to the monotheistic religion that dominates his homeworld. "Remind me again why I saved your life?"
Red's grin intensifies by an order of magnitude and then she sings out, "Because you loooooove me!"
"Be glad that I do," he replies after a fond chuckle. "I have to admit, though, Regina and Snow did most of the heavy lifting by going to Oz to get the ingredients for the counter potion."
"They went where?" Red replies, eyes wide with wonder as she turns to Regina and then Snow. "You guys went to Oz?"
"We did," Snow replies. "You're my not just my best friend, Red. You're my sister." Regina's breath catches at the emphasized word, but she quickly masks her envy of what Snow and Red share. Not for the first time she returning to Misthaven, she wonders what she might have had with her own sister had their mother not been a selfish bitch. To keep from ruining the moment with her bitterness and regret, she bites down on her tongue as she listens to Snow add, "To be honest, Regina didn't even need to ask for me to tag along. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she did. But I would have gone anyway whether she wanted me to or not. For you, there isn't much I wouldn't do."
Red's eyes widen as she shifts back to Regina. "You actually asked Snow for help? I almost can't believe it." Because of how ridiculous that would have sounded before this ordeal, she makes a show of pinching herself and then yips at the pain she feels. "Nope," she says after, rubbing at the spot she'd pinched, "I'm not still asleep. Guess it really happened. Is it raining cats and dogs outside? Or has the moon turned into cheese or something? 'Cause I think I must be dreaming or in some alternate dimension..."
Regina scoffs at Red's playful sarcasm, though the tender affection in her expression gives away that she is not terribly offended. How can she be really considering she'd been just as surprised at the development? A month ago she would have reacted with just as much disbelief.
"I did it for you," she says, tone a little too harsh. "So don't go making light of the situation. In case you hadn't noticed, you nearly died. I almost lost you. And while Snow may consider you a sister, you are my wife. Do you really think I wouldn't span the very heavens for you? Teaming up with Snow was a minor compromise compared to the lengths I would have gone. I would have bargained with Hades himself if that's what it took!"
By the time she finishes her diatribe, her face is slightly reddened and her heart is racing, both of which Red picks up on instantly. It takes only a heartbeat for her expression to shift into something so adorable that Regina's irritation eases.
"Aww, don't be cross," Red soothes, taking Regina's hand in her own, and Regina is beyond relieved that her skin feels warm as it should instead of the blistering heat produced by the fever. "I wasn't trying to offend you. I know how much you love me. I'm just surprised is all. You know...considering how things have been between you two for the past decade." She gestures between Regina and Snow, a loaded look on her face.
"Believe me, I was surprised, too," Regina admits. "But I was desperate and she was the only person qualified to help that I knew would be willing to go do what was necessary to save you."
"What did happen to me, by the way?" Red then asks, as if she can't remember her time in the Burning Room or how she landed there in the first place. "I mean, you say you were desperate, but why? The last thing I remember is eating a bite of the apple Iris left for me on the morning snack tray."
Regina tenses tight as a drum. "Iris didn't leave the apple, sweetheart, and it was no ordinary piece of fruit. It was enchanted with a sleeping curse."
"That explains that, then," Red stays darkly, not elaborating before her expression turns inquisitive. "Who left it and why did they want to curse me?"
Regina sighs and then pinches the bridge of her nose. "It was my sister," she answers, "and she hurt you to hurt me."
"Your sister?!" Red screeches. "Regina! You have a sister and you didn't tell me?"
"In her defense, she didn't know either until Zelena crawled out of the woodwork," Snow supplies.
Regina rolls her eyes at Snow's unnecessary defense. "While I am fully capable of answering for myself," she says, pointedly glancing at Snow, who flushes a bit but does not apologize. "Snow is correct."
Having observed the silent interaction, Red chuckles despite the situation. "Glad to see some things haven't changed."
"Some things haven't," Regina admits, "but others have." She pauses, thinking of the progress she and Snow have made in their relationship during the journey to Oz and all that ensued upon that retrospectively reckless excursion. By no means have they become friends, but what they have done is built the foundation upon which a friendship could be built. That alone is a monumental achievement considering their beleaguered past. "Over the course of our...adventure, Snow and I decided it would mutually beneficial to extend the unspoken ceasefire between our kingdoms into a more permanent and official solution."
At hearing this news, Red's entire visage lights up as if she has revealed the grandest secret of the universe to her. "Are you seriously telling me you guys finally made peace?" she asks, voice breathless with wonder.
"We did," Regina confirms as Snow nods and beams back at Red. "There will be a formal détente between our nations until such a time as a treaty of alliance can be drawn up, signed, and ratified. That will take some time, though, due to some exciting developments in Oz."
"What we went through there," Snow adds, "well, it made us both realize that we've been operating under false assumptions. Turns out we have a lot more in common than either of us thought. There are solid, imposing mountains of hurt between us that will take time to work through, but I think we've got the beginnings of a bridge to cross those troubled waters."
"Indeed. Well said, dear," Regina nods in agreement, causing Snow's sunshine to intensify.
Charming, however, huffs his general disbelief, hands going to his hips. "I have to admit I find this sudden reconciliation to be almost inconceivable considering what's happened in the past between you two. An alliance of convenience is one thing, but..."
"To be fair," Regina interrupts, "that was all it was intended to be. We were working together to save someone we both love more than our...mutual disdain." She glances up to see Snow frowning and knows what the woman is thinking. "Or at least, my disdain and her well-founded mistrust. I hadn't expected to discover that she is not the same naive little girl who trusted someone I warned her not to. You should be proud of your wife, Charming. She has become a woman worthy of my respect as much for saving my life as for braving her own doubts to procure the ingredients for Red's cure. For the latter alone, I owe her more than I can ever repay."
"While I am as surprised as Charming to hear about this unexpected development, especially after listening to you complain about Snow all these years, I'm also very pleased," Red says, looking happy as a lark. "This is something I think you both know I've wanted for a long time."
"You're not the only one. I wanted it pretty badly, too," Snow admits with an almost timid smile to Regina and a fuller one to Red.
With Red watching closely to gauge her reaction, Regina smiles back, though it is with notably less enthusiasm. To her credit, Red seems to accept that a positive response – even if it is a bit muted – is a step in the right direction.
"So…did anything else interesting happen while I was out of it?" Red then asks, changing the subject in a display of tact she would not have had prior to becoming a queen. Regina squeezes her hand gratefully.
In response to the question, Granny takes a deep breath and then lets it out slowly, then grumbles under her breath a bit before finally speaking aloud. "I suppose you ought to hear this from me." Red raises a brow at her grandmother's worrying rejoinder while Regina braces herself for the confrontation that is likely to follow. "I may have...overreacted when we were first brought us back to see you."
Red scowls sharply at her grandmother. "What did you do, Gran?"
"I may have slapped the piss out of your woman," Granny confesses, looking mostly proud of herself and only an iota chagrined at her knee-jerk reaction to Red's condition. Henry's lack of a reaction tells Regina that he has already been informed of this by his new friend. He certainly hadn't heard it from her.
"Granny! How dare you!" Red shouts, and then clutches at her chest with a grimace of pain from overexerting her voice. Regina leans forward to rub her shoulders as she coughs a few times, but those fiery green eyes – burning hot with indignation – never leave her grandmother's.
Granny holds up her hands to preempt Red from continuing to castigate her, which she knows just as well as Regina does would further irritate Red's protesting ribs and chest. "I know, I know," she sighs in an admission of guilt that is uncommon if Red's recounting of her childhood is any reliable source of information regarding her grandmother's obstinance. "I was wrong, and I told her that."
Regina rubs Red's shoulder again. "And for my part, I hold no ill will," she tells her furious wife, keeping her voice even to help calm Red down. "Your grandmother made an assumption that was not without basis. But we sorted all that out, didn't we, Eugenia?"
"That we did, Regina," Granny smirks. "I think we've come to somewhat of an understanding."
"Well," Red drawls, still pouting at her grandmother, "I'm glad you two smoothed things over, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with you assaulting my wife, Gran. 'Cause I'm not by a long shot."
"I'm a big, girl, darling. I can take any punishment your hot-tempered but well-meaning grandmother can dish out," Regina smirks, doing her best to look nonplussed by memories of having been slapped in the face by a member of her family, which Granny is by marriage. And in her own home and bedroom at that. To be honest, she is still a bit pissed about it but now is not the time to have it out with Granny. There will be plenty of time for that later. "The important thing is that she loves you enough to stand up to me, which is no small feat. Focus on that for the time being instead of a transgression that is in the past for everyone involved. It does you no good to brood on a simple misunderstanding after what you've just been through."
"Agreed," Granny adds, eyes narrowed and peering at Red over the top of her glasses. "Listen to the woman. She's not nearly as dumb as she looks." Regina sighs almost affectionately when Granny winks slyly in her direction, letting her know that the slight was in jest.
"Fine," Red relents, looking sullen for a moment about her wife and grandmother ganging up on her. "Anyway, back to your sister. Tell me about her. I want to know why she wanted to hurt you." After Regina takes a few minutes to explain things, Red goes silent as she digests what she has heard. "Seriously?" she eventually breathes out after a minute. "She was upset about not being raised by Cora? Wow. Suddenly I've never been more grateful to be an only child."
A bark of laughter erupts out of Regina's mouth before she can stop it, and it is followed by peals of giggling from Snow. Before she knows it, everyone is laughing at Red's unique way of seeing things – including her father, who normally takes jokes about his deceased wife poorly. The moment of levity diffuses the dark clouds lingering in the atmosphere from Red's near death experience, and Regina is once again stricken with gratitude that Red entered her life that day in the mountains on the fringes of her kingdom. Not only has Red filled her life with love but she brought with her a singular ability to dispel tension with a kind word, or a mollifying gesture, or as just happened, with a humorous comment.
Regina regards Red for a long pause, her eyes glittering with an indescribable fondness. "I love you," she says, and isn't surprised that the words sound breathless with wonder because they are.
"I love you, too, mi linda esposa," Red replies, a grin stretching across her lips like it is perfectly at home there, which to Regina's eternal delight, it is.
"Well," Snow then interjects, "as much as I'd like to hang around and talk, I'll let you two spend some time alone. You've both earned it." She steps to the bed to kiss Red's cheek, and Red returns the kiss and then gives her best friend a long hug and a hearty thanks for all she's done.
"Snow's right," Charming says as he replaces his wife to hug and kiss Red. "We'll be here for a while yet if that's alright with Regina."
His eyes seek out Regina, and she gives him a nod of approval. "Fine by me. You both are welcome to stay here as long as you wish. Extending our hospitality is the least we can do considering what you both have done for us."
"It was our pleasure," Charming replies, appearing to actually mean it. "I don't think a herd of wild horses could have kept Snow away. As far as I'm concerned, I have to admit to enjoying the battle more than I should have, probably. I've had to retire the sword for the most part after becoming king, but it was nice flexing those muscles again. Especially in defense of a friend." The genuine smile on his face as he speaks is rather strange considering how he feels about Regina, but not unwelcome since the peace between their kingdoms must be endorsed by Charming also.
Out of everyone in the room, Regina has the most contentious relationship with Snow's husband, which is remarkable considering how much grief Granny tends to give her. But whereas Granny's stinging barbs and general orneriness spring from her love for Red and, Regina thinks, a grudging respect for her, Charming has harbored a deep hatred of Regina that up until now has been mutual.
"What do you mean by that?" Red asks the sandy-haired king. "There was a battle?"
"You could say that," Charming replies, and then briefly explains the epic contest that raged within the citadel, and how Mulan had rode to the rescue.
At hearing Mulan's name, Red perks up, then gestures toward her stoic friend who has been lingering out of the way as if fearing she was intruding. "Mulan? Come here," she then softly orders, and then pats the space beside her that Snow has just abandoned. As the warrior obeys her sovereigns command, everyone else sneaks out of the room, but not before reassuring Red that they will remain close by.
Granny in particular wavers to be the last one to leave so that she can finally feel free to show affection without her sovereigns present. The woman is even more prideful than Regina, which is an accomplishment. It also speaks for why Red is so capable of dealing with Regina's pride without causing strife between them. She's had a lifetime of practice with the woman who raised her.
Before leaving, Granny makes her way to Red, wedging herself between Regina and the nightstand tucked up against the wooden bed frame. Bending down as well as she can due to her age, she embraces Red more tightly than she ever has and whispers something in Red's ear to which Regina is not privy. Whatever is said, Red blushes, bites her lip, and then nods.
"Just remember that the next time you decide to get yourself into a pickle. My poor old heart can't take much more of this stress," Granny says after pulling away.
"Like I planned this?" Red counters, hardly amused by the reference to her grandmother's advancing age. "How could I have known the apple was poisoned? It didn't smell bad or anything. I wouldn't have ate it otherwise!"
"We know that, sweetheart," Regina interjects. "My sister was aware you are a werewolf. She accounted for that when she made the curse, flaunted it even." She then pointedly glares at Granny. "Stop goading your granddaughter, Eugenia."
Granny simply smirks at that. "I couldn't resist, woman. It was easy pickin's. And besides," her expression softens, "she needs to remember when she's out amongst the unwashed masses or picking fights with rabid wolf packs that there are people who love her too much to lose her. People that need her around to remind them that there's still good in this world and that life is worth enjoying."
Red wilts at hearing her grandmother openly express how worried she'd actually been over some of the incidents during which Red was injured, and that she continues to worry because Red refuses to use caution where her own well-being is concerned as she should.
She ducks her chin down and plays with the blanket covering her lap. "Aw, Gran," she says, then bites her lip. When she raises her head, her eyes are swimming with tears. "I'm sorry I worried you. I wasn't trying to – I mean, I don't try to. I just..." she pauses and sighs. "I guess I take for granted that me being a werewolf will protect me from everything when it won't." But then her expression shifts a bit, resolve washing over her, and when Red next speaks, Regina knows she is being addressed just as well as Granny. "But I refuse to live my life in fear. I won't be caged, not even after this. So don't ask me to be someone I'm not."
"We're not, Red," Regina answers calmly, understanding why Red feels that way. "All we want is for you to be more cautious. I love you just as you are and have no intentions of asking you to change. But in exchange for that leeway, I...we," she amends as Granny nods along, "need for you to be cognizant of your impact on our lives."
As she meets Red's green eyes, Regina holds out her hands for Red to take, which she does immediately, slipping their palms together so that their thumbs intertwine and their fingers close around the back of the others hand. Regina raises their linked hands to her mouth and places a kiss upon each of Red's before meeting her wife's shining eyes once again.
"As Eugenia has so ineloquently but aptly stated," she then says, "you are integral to our continued existence. Speaking for myself, I don't want to occupy a world in which you are not here, alive, standing by my side and loving me in that way only you can." Red blushes deeply at the earnest declaration, and Regina can see by the remorse in those green eyes that she is getting through to her obstinate wife. "So, please, from henceforth use wisdom. I won't go to extremes like I have in the past and demand you allow an entire squadron of guards to accompany you any time you wish to leave the castle. But would it really be so bad for a couple of knights you trust to keep proximity on your weekly excursions into the village? Would it really be so terrible for you to use discretion when you're running as the wolf? I want to live a long and happy life, but I can't do that if you're not with me. So if you exercise caution do it for own sake, do it for mine. Or for your grandmother and your friends. We all need you here, hale and whole."
After a heaving breath, shoulders slumping, Red bashfully shrugs. "I get it. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if Mulan came along when she can. If she's willing."
From where she stands on the other side of the bed, Mulan gives a respectful bow, a pleased grin on her face that is barely noticeable, but definitely there. "I am ever at your disposal, my Queen."
Red smiles her thanks. "And," she drawls to Regina and Granny both, "I suppose I can be a little less negligent in my fur. But sometimes I have to pick fights so that the pack remembers who is the real alpha. I'm gonna get in scrapes from time to time just because of the nature of the wolf. I can't help that."
"That's child's play to the wolf, though, Red," Granny says. "Regina is talking about you being stupid by taking on several packs at once – rabid packs at that. I still can't believe you pulled that bone-headed stunt."
"I know," Red winces. "It wasn't my finest moment, I'll admit. But I like to think I've learned from it. I haven't done anything stupid since."
"To be fair, she hasn't. She's mostly been a very good girl," Regina adds, earning her a commiserating kiss on her cheek.
"Well," says Granny, stern as ever, "see that it stays that way, alright?" She adjusts her glasses on her nose and nods when Red promises to stay out of trouble as best she can. "Good. Now, I'm gonna go find Snow and Charming before I retire for a nap. These old bones need some rest after all this excitement."
"Just call for Iris if you need anything," Regina tells Granny before she can move to depart. She doesn't bother instructing the elder werewolf where her chambers are, as Granny's memory is still keen and she has not forgotten the space Regina set aside for her long ago.
After giving Regina a tilt of the head in acknowledgment, Granny wraps her granddaughter in a final hug and then kisses her brow before making her way out of the room. For the first time, Regina is almost sorry to see her depart. It won't be the last.