Chapter 54

Regina awoke the next morning after a restless night and scowled when she realized the Savior hadn't replied to her messages. Not only that but they also remained unopened. She dropped the phone on the empty side of her bed and bit her bottom lip in consideration. How long would the blonde need before she was allowed to discuss it with her? She pushed the phone away from her with irritation as she imagined the blonde throwing her away the first time things get heated! She didn't truly wish to push Emma away, no matter how her darker self-loathing side felt, she loved the Savior and regretted the harsh words she spoke to the woman.

She's said worse to Emma out of anger and fear, but not recently. Intimacy changed them, and she worried what would happen if perhaps the woman just refused to discuss it. If she was simply discarded. What would happen to their family? Could the blonde just drop out of her life? Henry is getting older, and there isn't much in the way of parenting left.

She decided to put away her fears about the damage she's caused and focus on her day. She got up and got dressed and made her way down to the pawn shop to see Rumpelstiltskin.

She is in no way pleased to be seeing the imp, however, she knew he knew more about making potions to manipulate the curse, and it would be far easier to barter than to start from scratch.

"Goodness your Majesty, you've looked better, trouble in paradise?"

"I am wholly not in the mood, Gold. I need…"

"Yes, I'm sure you do dearie. But I am not… in the mood… to deal."

She stood up to her full height and folded her arms and eyed him down. The strain in his voice, the size of his pupils, caused her to ask, "Are you feeling, angry Rumple?"

"We always feel anger, Regina. You know that." He looked up at the Queen when she asked with scrutiny, "Yes, but are you feeling it more?"

He wrinkled up his nose and blinked slowly, and the Queen accused, "You are!"

"Are you quite through?"

She looked over the man and asked, "You dumped a spell and directions to Storybrooke into a strange realm, why?"

"I think it's obvious dearie, to help the Savior get home."

"I've known you longer than most Rumple. You knew I knew that spell. What am I missing?"

"Perhaps your sanity," he offered with bemused snark.

She looked him up and down then asked, "You wanted one of their gods to come here. Why?"

He started to protest, and she cut him off and said, "Save it. I don't care what self-serving thing you have cooked up. Whatever it is Gold, you need to find another way. You have no idea what these things are."

"They are basically fairies, Regina."

"They are nothing like fairies," she scoffed.

"They simply wield the power they have in different ways. I think you've gone soft in your old age, dearie." The smug look on the Imp's face triggered the Queen's damn of emotion, and she barked back, "And I think you don't know when to quit while you're ahead. You've got the girl Rumple, you've got a chance at a real life with her, but she's not enough, is she?"

Large dark eyes pinned her as he hissed, "Do not push me, Your Majesty."

She rolled her eyes and demanded, "I need false memories for our newest Storybrooke residents. Now."

He exclaimed in shock,"I think you have lost your sanity!"

"No, but you owe me one."

His grip on his temper strained, "How on earth do you suppose that?"

"Because whatever it is that you brought to town, I'm going to have to help stop and contain so it doesn't kill every human on the eastern seaboard!"

He pursed his lips together and quipped, "It was your choice to join the heroes." He waved his hand over the counter with flare, and two vials appeared from the black smoke.

"It was." She picked up the glass vials and carefully put them into her purse. "Seriously Rumple, go to plan B, this is going to be hard enough as it is." She put her hand on his in an unusual show of concern and said, "She'll change you if you allow her." Turning from him with teary eyes she left the shop.


With her vision blurred, she came to with a jolt. She coughed as her breath puffed a dust cloud from the dirt floor and she realized her hands were bound behind her.

"What the fuck?" The Savior's mind was foggy, but she's aware she's in trouble. Doing her best to sit up she tried to focus her eyes in the dark. She felt with her fingers the thick cold bars of a cage, and she then inspected the bindings.

Plastic zip ties.

They were tight, but at the wrists which is an amateur move. She tried her best to get her body through the hole of her arms and after considerable time battling, her hands were finally in front of her. She untied her shoelaces then slipped one between the gap between her wrists and tied the other shoelace to the end. She leaned back and pedaled her feet in the air using the friction and heat generated by the quick lace-action the plastic melted and the ties popped off her wrists.

She re-tied her sneakers and started looking for a way that the cage opened. The cellar door was noisily ripped open, and a worse for wear warrior man came down into the room that held Emma's cage.

He had an animalistic sense to him, and Emma instinctively took a step away from the front of the cage. He held a small dagger she could see more clearly as he opened the door to the cage and hunched down to get in. She held up her hands defensively, and the blade lit up in a bluish white tint that lit up the entire cell and cast bold shadows across the god's face extenuating his menace.

Emma looked up into the man's dark features and said, "You're Ares god of war aren't you?"

"I am going to devour your godhood, and I'm not going to lie, it is going to really hurt." The pleasure he felt at the idea of causing her unimaginable agony struck the Savior and she backed away from him with caution.

His smile faded when the dagger pulsed the air with energy and dimmed and finally cut out. Emma couldn't hold back her surprised laugh at the god's magical dysfunction. Her laugh was cut off when thick meaty hands wrapped around the Savior's thin neck. Darkness closed in around her and the rage held dark man's face grew blurry, Before unconscious took her, she thought, "Okay, so I do make really bad decisions sometimes."


Regina rode out to where Xena and Gabrielle have been held up on the stables estate in order to give them each their potions and potentially bring them back into town. No matter how little the Savior was speaking to her, they needed to know what they could be up against with one of Xena's gods.

With hesitation, the warrior women each took their potion, and as the rainbow shimmer cascaded down their bodies, they both looked at Regina in disbelief.

The Mayor asked hopefully, "Did it work?"

"By the gods!" Gabrielle exclaimed and looked over at a curious looking warrior princess.

Regina stepped over to the raven-haired woman and asked, "Are you alright Xena?"

Gabrielle went straight to Xena's side and made physical contact with her warrior. Blue eyes met green, and the warrior said with an easy smirk, "I'm good."

"Are you sure dear?"

"We're good," Gabrielle reassured then her eyes grew wide with what dawned on her, "Do you have the internet?"

Regina chuckled and said, "Of course darling. Let's go home, and I'll hook you up with anything you could need."

"Can we stop at the market, I'd like to cook us dinner if I may," Xena asked softly.

The Mayor smirked and drawled, "How can I refuse?"

"By saying no," Xena replied with a teasing grin.

"I wouldn't dream of it, dear."


Regina led Gabrielle into her office and set her down at her desk. She opened up her laptop and signed into her personal account. "How much knowledge did you gain about technology?"

"I don't know, I know I want to start at Google. Is there really the answer to life, the universe, and everything?"

"I believe the answer is 42, but yes Google will get you everywhere. Where would you like to start?"

"Real estate." Gabrielle looked up to her lover and beamed with joy. "We need a house. Oh Xena, we could have a dungeon!"

"I'm sorry, did you say dungeon?"

"It's a sexual thing, Regina, don't worry."

"I'm aware of that dear, and am unconcerned." Regina cleared her throat and schooled her features then opened the top drawer of her desk and pulled out her platinum card and slid it to Gabrielle.

"Really?"

"Enjoy. Now, Xena, I do believe I was promised a home-cooked meal. Let's go start dinner shall we?"

Xena held out her elbow to the Queen and ushered her out of the office and said, "You are on wine duty, I've got the rest."


As promised the Mayor stayed out of the way as the warrior princess fluttered about her kitchen. She opened up a bottle of wine and got comfortable at the counter. She watched as Xena chopped up vegetables and browned meats. Her skills with a knife had Regina entranced.

Xena asked casually, "So where's our Sheriff? Will she be by before dinner?"

"I'm afraid I'm in a bit of trouble with the Savior, I don't anticipate her arrival since she hasn't even returned my calls." The Mayor downed the rest of her glass and poured herself a second.

Xena smirked but asked seriously, "What did you do this time?"

Regina blushed and mumbled, "My temper may have gotten slightly out of hand." Xena looked up knowingly at the Mayor, and Regina admitted, "Perhaps more than slightly."

"She'll get over it."

"I'm none too confident." Truth fell from the Mayor's lips, and she drowned that fact in a large gulp of her drink.

"The universe is vast. Far larger than I ever imagined it to be. Think of everything it took to shape each of you to be able to live this life you have with a person who is made for you in every way you are made for them. How impossible it seems that every choice in your life was the right choice because it got you here. Now. With her. It is simply miraculous."

Regina sighed and said, "Oh crap. Rumple made you into a hippie."

"The world is magical Regina. You are a miracle." The raven-haired woman winked.

"Yes, well, having magic certainly helps in the miraculous department."

"Here taste." The warrior held up the wooden spoon with a bit of the bolognese sauce she is making.

"Mhmm that has a unique flavor, what is that, lemon thyme?"

"Citrus Indica," the warrior replied casually.

The Mayor held a look with the warrior princess and asked, "Indica?"

"Yes, it's…"

"I know what it is Xena," the Mayor cut her off then calmly explained, "I work potional magic. Where did you get it?"

"Granny. I was having anxiety in this new world. That woman has serious healing knowledge," Xena praised then wiped her hand off on a tea towel.

"She has something alright," the Mayor grumbled and wondered how often Granny gave out healing tips to the residents of Storybrooke.

Xena took another taste herself and then banged the spoon against the side and set it across the open steaming pot and turned to look at the Mayor. "My point is, there's a lot going on in that girl, just below the surface."

"Don't tell me about Miss Swan, I know what motivates her," the Queen snapped.

"I would imagine you would." A patient smile parted the warrior's lips.

Regina shook her head at herself and admitted, "She sometimes doesn't think before she leaps. How am I supposed to-"

"Strategy is the cornerstone of every successful campaign, but there is much to be desired for the in the moment guttural response. Thinking on your feet, playing off the environment."

Regina lifted her glass and added before gulping down her drink, "Getting yourself killed because you run after a magical enemy into a dark alleyway, unarmed."

"Oh well no, that's suicidal," Xena agreed.

Dark eyes looked up and expressed honesty, "I question my own sanity."

"For what?"

"Lo-loving her. Gods, I've never said that out loud."

"You do though."

"I do," Regina wiped the tear that fell, and she added with a sniffle, "and I believe I've hit my wine limit."

Noting the stress in the Queen's face, Xena turned back to stir her sauce and said, "One of the hardest things I had to deal with when I finally let Gabby in was sharing my fears with her in ways that were constructive."

Regina scoffed, but Xena continued, "It's a learned skill."

"Yes well, she needs to answer her damned phone."

"She will. Give her time."

"Well, time is all I have," the Queen deadpanned then poured herself another glass of wine.