It was the quiet before the storm, no one moved, no one talked, no one even breathed. They were all standing very still, looking at the motionless body of Stella lying in the middle of the street. Even the wind was still, and the leaves refused to move, as if afraid of making a sound and disturbing the quiet too soon. You could almost hear the sounds of their breaths, maybe even the echo of their heartbeats. They couldn't think, they couldn't speak, they couldn't move.
And then it hit, Regina's agonizing scream tore through the silence, and jolted them all out of their trance. She sprung to her feet, and ran to her fallen daughter, David shoved a still shocked and smug looking Rumple's into Claude's hands, and followed Regina and the others. Regina fell to her knees next to Stella, and pulled her into her arms.
"No, no, no. Please God no, come on baby, wake up" she pleaded, tapping her cheek gently, but received no response. Stella remained still and silent, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath, a cruel reminder of the harsh reality.
"Mother" she pleaded, looking up at her mother, begging her to do something to save her baby. Cora only fell to her knees next to her, and wrapped her arms around both of them. She was surprised when Regina leaned into her embrace, and her sobs became gut-wrenching whales.
Cora couldn't believe that Stella was really gone, she hadn't had a chance to apologize to her, tell her how much she loved her, she hadn't gotten a chance to try and build a relationship with her. And now it was too late, she was gone, never to return.
"Th...th...there has to be something we can do" Snow stuttered through her sobs, and Cora shook her head helplessly. She closed her eyes in pain, when Regina cried out in pain when she felt her shake her head.
Leopold had fallen to his knees, and just stared at his daughter. He didn't even dare try to take her from Regina, so he let his head fall onto her still moving chest.
"The Wraith took her soul, there is no saving her" Rumple taunted, enjoying the pain and agony he was causing all of them. He couldn't help but flinch when David's angry eyes rounded on him, and nearly burned a hole through him. His cowardice nature returned, and knowing that he didn't have magic to hide behind, made him vulnerable.
"How the hell did you get the pendant to work? Magic doesn't exist here" David barked, turning around when he heard Ruth and Snow scream, "REGINA" and "MOTHER" at the same time.
He found Regina clutching the pendant in her hand, and Cora calmly trying to take it away from her.
"Marking yourself wont bring her back, he already took her soul" she said regretfully, taking the pendant away, and to David's surprise, it didn't scorch her skin.
"Magic doesn't exist here, but I had some bottled up thanks to our dear prophesied child" Rumple stated. Normally he wouldn't be giving all of this information, but the looks of pure agony on their faces, and the knowledge that Regina lost her child forever were enough to keep him going. He wanted to add to their misery, and bask in their pain at the knowledge that they cant save her.
"What?" Claude barked, "how the hell did you manage to do that?" he yelled.
"There's blood on the pendant" Cora remarked, as she now looked over the pendant.
"Exactly, I used her blood to mark our precious queen, and she used her own to mark herself" he taunted, and smiled smugly when Regina gasped as she tried to control the tears at the reminder that her baby was gone because she was trying to save her.
"How did you get your hands on it?" Claude snarled.
"I made her father a deal he couldn't resist" he sneered.
"What are you talking about? I never made any deals with you! Certainly not one that involved her blood" Leopold yelled, without taking his eyes off his daughter. She looked peaceful, she looked asleep. If only it was that simple.
"I wasn't talking about you! Unless you had a body that you wanted to hide" he exclaimed darkly, and it was Claude's eyes that widened in horror.
"Travis's wife didn't leave him, he beat her to death!" he exclaimed, and at the smug grin on Rumple's face, he knew he was right.
"Smart guy. I made him an offer he couldn't resist, I will cover up his crime, and he lets me take some of her blood. Even at the age of two, she was very powerful"
"You knew where she was all along?" Regina hissed, and he watched in amazement as her grief was taken over by fury.
"Of course I did" he gloated.
"Why did you do all of this? You wanted me to learn the truth about her father, you knew that I would keep her away; the question is, why? Why were you so hell bound on keeping her away?" Cora yelled.
"Because she ruined everything. The greatness that our dear queen was destined to, was enacting my curse. The darkness kept eating away at her heart, and without anyone to pull her back, she turned into the evil queen. She killed Leopold, and he more than deserved it, and hunted Snow White down to stop her from getting her happy ending. She was the one to enact the curse, and that granddaughter of yours ruined it all" he shouted.
They were all stunned into silence, and just stared gobsmacked at him, "that's not possible" David breathed. He had only known Regina to be the loving, caring, and devoted mother to her daughters. He did notice that she was more attached to Stella, but he had always attributed it to the fact that she was hers biologically, and the one who was taken from her for five years. He never knew that Snow was the one who started the dominoes fall. He never knew that Stella wasn't Leopold's by blood, he sure as hell never acted like it. And he was always protective of Regina, and mindful of her feelings. So he was having a very hard time picturing a world where Regina was an evil queen, hunting his wife; and where Leopold deserved to die.
"Oh it is, that's what was supposed to happen, until little miss prophecy was born. Cora was supposed to kill Daniel, and then his baby. Our beloved King was anything but the kind man Regina came to know. He was neglectful, never paid her any attention, and only remembered that she existed when certain needs would arise" he shot back, relishing in the pained expressions they all had on their faces, "but when Stella was born, it all changed. Leopold was letting Regina mourn Daniel's death, he wasn't cruel with her, and she was never going to use the dark arts out of fear of one day becoming like you, and using magic on her own child" he added.
"Is that why you blocked her from the curse?" Ruth asked.
"Oh, no, I assure you I did no such thing. She was supposed to end up here, cursed like all of us, and back in Travis's hands. Stuck in a timeless loop, with an abusive father, and no chance of ever finding you, or you finding her. And no chance of this curse ever breaking" he bellowed.
"Her magic protected her from the curse, and since you used her blood to make it so that she ends up with Travis, Regina ended up married to him instead. And the fact that I wanted her alone, and isolated from the people who cared about her, was just like adding insult to injury" Cora added in horror, and he nodded smugly at her.
"Very well dearie, I see you haven't completely forgotten all that I have taught you" he taunted.
Before any of them could say anything, a soft moan caught their attention, and Regina's head snapped down towards Stella.
"Stella?" she called hopefully, and was only rewarded with another weak moan.
"Come on baby, open your eyes" she begged.
"Mom" it was barely a whisper, but Regina's heart fluttered at the sound nonetheless.
"Yes, baby, it's me. Just open your eyes, I'm right here" she encouraged.
Stella's forehead wrinkled a bit as she tried to pry her eyes open, as Regina softly caressed her cheek, and brushed away stray strands of her hair off her face.
"Please" Regina whispered her plea, releasing a breath she didn't even know she was holding when Stella's eyes fluttered open and met her own.
"Oh thank God" she exclaimed joyfully, before she pulled Stella into her arms and buried her nose in her hair.
She released a sob, as her body shook with a mix of sobs and laughs when she felt Stella's arms wrap around her waist, and her face nuzzling her neck.
"I'm fine Mom" she assured her weakly.
"What the hell were you thinking?" she reprimanded, without loosening her hold on her.
"I couldn't lose you" Stella confessed.
"And I can?" Regina asked incredulously, pulling back from the hug, and cupping her face.
"I didn't really think, I just acted on instinct" Stella said softly, "all I knew is, I couldn't lose you again" she added, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"And it saved your life" Cora exclaimed, and all eyes turned to her.
"Before the Wraith went back into the pendant, the light, which is supposed to be your soul, didn't go into his hand, it went back into you. He couldn't take your soul, it was too pure for him" she exclaimed.
"Too pure?" Stella repeated.
"Yes, you marked yourself willingly to save your mother's life. You condemned your own soul to eternal damnation and torment, just so your mother doesn't face that fate" she explained.
"Speaking of damnation" she exclaimed, before getting up to her feet with the help of her father and Snow.
"What the hell were you thinking? Why did you mark her?" she barked, as she moved in on a furious looking Rumple.
"She ruined my chance of getting my son back, no one walks away from a deal with me" he bellowed.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Stella screamed.
"She stopped learning magic when you returned, she was able to fight the darkness and my hold on her because of you. She walked away from our lessons, and she took my son from me" he yelled.
"She didn't take your son from you, you let go of his hand and chose power over him. You were so blinded by rage and your need for revenge, that you didn't see what was right under your nose. She was cursed, and even though she didn't remember who I was, her heart knew exactly who I am. But you, you never lost your memory, and yet you were blind. You're mad at her because she did what you were never able to do. She chose me over power, she was able to fight the darkness within her for my sake. But you, you chose power over your own son, you let go of his hand and didn't enact the curse yourself because you didn't want to be powerless. You descended into darkness, and followed your lust for power, ignoring all of his pleas and demands to stop. You hate her because she's a mother, and you will never be more than just a coward" she seethed.
"You may have been the Dark One back home, but you and I both know that you are powerless here. Cora sacrificed magic, so none exists here. And even if it did, I am the only person who renders you powerless. I may have some reservations about killing you, but trust me, that doesn't include making your life a living hell" she vowed, "if you so much as look at anyone funny, I will make you regret it" she added.
"I'll take him to the station, lock him up in the cell until we can figure out a more permanent arrangement" Claude stated, as he shoved Rumple away from the small family.
Stella turned around to face her parents, and before she knew it, she was trapped within her father's arms.
"You scared me to death" he reprimanded gently.
"Sorry Daddy" she apologized.
"We have to tell Rumple about Neal" he said, once he pulled back from the hug, and moving back slightly to allow Snow to hug her.
"What? Why?" she asked incredulously.
"Didn't you hear what he just said? He thinks that he lost his son forever, and he wont stop till he breaks us apart too" he replied , "if we tell him who his son is, he'll back off"
"We have no guarantee of that, and he did lose his son. You think Neal wants anything to do with him, he bent over backwards to avoid running into him when he came. I am not handing him to his father on a silver platter, he doesn't even know that I broke the curse" she argued.
"Stella, Rumple is dangerous, and his need for revenge is driving him mad" he retorted.
"I can handle him, he doesn't have his powers, and even if he did, I can still handle him" she assured him softly.
"Just like you did right now?!" he snapped, and she didn't bother to hide the shock.
"Leo", "Dad" and "Leopold" were chorused by the others, while Stella stared blankly at him.
"What are you saying?" she said through gritted teeth.
"That magic or not, he's still cunning and he framed your mother for murder -which he probably committed himself, or at least got someone to do it on his behalf- so do you really think that he wont be a danger to us?" he asked angrily.
"People have their memories back now, and they know where their loyalties lie. Moreover, they know that he is now powerless, and that I am not. So I don't think anyone would risk pissing me off. Not to mention that Claude is locking him up, so yes he is no longer a danger, and there is absolutely no need for me to go throw Neal under the bus like that"
"But you're willing to throw us to him?" he hissed, and she took a step back in shock and pain alike. She couldn't believe that the man attacking her like that was her father. The one who had promised to love and protect her no matter what, even though she wasn't really his by blood.
"Dad, don't" she said pleadingly.
"Leo, back off" Regina almost ordered, but he seemed to ignore her.
"I am not doing anything Stella, you are" he retorted, "you're the one who's choosing a stranger over your own mother!" he deadpanned, and they all gasped.
Stella just kept staring at him, her hurt filled gaze holding his angry one steady, before Regina saw her baby disappear before her own eyes. Her eyes hardened, and she saw the walls coming up. The warmth and love left them, and were replaced by a cold, neutral gaze as she now looked at Cora.
"Looks like you were right Grams, I should've just left and let things be" her voice was flat, neutral and void of any emotions. The sentence was like a knife to the gut for Regina, and she couldn't help but gasp. Before she could comprehend the full weight of it, Stella turned around and stormed away from them.
"Stella" she called, but it only fell on deaf ears. She ran after her, but before she could reach her, she smoked out and Regina froze in her tracks, staring at the spot where her baby was a second ago.
So, seeing as how you were all wonderful and reviewed, you gave me the boast I needed to get this chapter up.
Thank you to all who read and followed, and of course those who reviewed.
To Bluerose, I am guessing you hate him after this chapter.
To Guest, thank you.
Let me know what you guys think of it, reviews make me very very happy so keep'em coming.