It was Emma's choice. That was what David told her before he hung up. He'd explain the situation to Emma, let her weigh the options, and she would decide what to do. In some ways she was almost happy he'd said that. Now it was out of her hands. She didn't feel like she was condemning Anna or making the choice to go after her. In other ways she hated that she'd just knowingly passed the guilt on to Emma like that. She should have been cruel and just demanded the necklace. Or better yet she should have used her new found ability to lie and told them that they would give the necklace back when they were done with it. That surely would have been better than the choice that she'd just forced them to make.
"There was nothing you could do," Rumpelstiltskin muttered, leaning forward and taking her hand again. "Dark Magic never plays fair. You know that better than anyone."
She did. They both did. But that didn't make it any easier. So she nodded, squeezed his hand before letting go and wiping her eyes before anyone could see just how much doing this again killed her. Later. They could add it to the long list of things they needed to talk about later. "I, uh, I have to go check…something," she muttered.
"Belle we should go," he insisted reaching for her again. "You've done all you can, they can handle it from here! We need to get you safe!"
No. No they didn't. They were right on the brink of figuring this all out. Fairies were moving around the room like wasps, going to and from the vans as they gathered the necessary ingredients to make the extraction, she couldn't be positive but she was almost sure she'd even seen a few of them outright get in the van and leave without anyone noticing, probably to get more. They were close to being able to handle it all, but not there entirely. And yes, they were older and wiser and it wouldn't make a difference to them if she left, but it would make a difference to her. There was an hour still to go before sundown, for all she knew she could use the cure in the next minute or two! No. She had to see this through. "Just a little more time," she insisted with a small voice. "Please." And without waiting to see whether or not he agreed with her she left to check everything they had again, to go over the apparatus, to wonder what would happen if Emma chose Anna over the town? Somehow, if she did that, she didn't think she could blame her. Besides, everything was set up, Emma had magic, maybe they didn't need the necklace, maybe they just needed to leave everything alone and she could leave instructions for her on how to make the counter spell after the Spell of Shattered Sight hit and they had Anna!
But then the door finally opened and everyone seemed to come pouring in! Well, everyone except Anna…and Elsa. She couldn't blame them, so long as they hadn't given up completely. It wasn't how she wanted this to turn out, but for the good of the town she had to put this behind her for now.
"The necklace, do you have it?" she asked running over to Emma.
"It's right here," she said handing her the blue pouch.
"Thanks," she breathed taking it from her and hurrying back to her work space. Mother Superior gave her a reassuring nod and held out her hand for it. It wasn't perfect, but everything was ready. Just in the nick of time, but still everything was-
Wrong. Very wrong. When Mother Superior turned the bag over for the necklace what came out wasn't the charred snowflake, but stones.
"Its pebbles from the mine," Mother Superior announced, looking around confused. Was this a joke?
"What?!" Emma gawked. No, apparently not! She looked genuinely confused.
"Where is it?" Mary Margaret questioned beside her.
"She tricked us so she can use it to keep tracking down her damn sister!" Regina accused quickly…and probably correctly. She couldn't say she was surprised. "I should know better than to trust blondes by now," she muttered after taking a deep breath and getting herself under control. Oh, if this spell hit and there was no cure…she didn't want to be anywhere near Regina.
"We have to go back and get it," Emma insisted.
She glanced at the clock, remembering what Superior had said about it before she'd made that call. Time was up. "No, it's…it's too late," she said sadly. She wished it wasn't. She wished so much right now, but she couldn't change any of it. They'd had two chances, two opportunities to get this right, and now both had slipped through their fingers.
"Too late!" Mary Margret shouted. "Already?!"
"By the time you get back here, yes," she pointed out. Could they really not hear the thunder getting closer, see the sky getting darker…it was over! Unless Elsa turned up with Anna in the next fifteen minutes or so…this was all useless. They'd have to think of something else at this point, she just wasn't sure what that would be. "Without Anna being here, physically, there's no way to make a counter spell in time." She'd never regretted that choice she'd made on the mountain more, to just accept Anna's death and move on with her life; to not tell anyone! Maybe if she hadn't none of this would have happened. She'd just condemned an entire town because of one childish, selfish choice.
"Time for a hope speech?" Regina taunted looking at Mary Margaret. "Virtues of blind faith?"
"Well, it seems Elsa's blind faith is exactly what's screwing us right now!" Mary Margaret shouted unexpectedly. The words were shocking, she felt her jaw drop at the proclamation. She'd never heard Mary Margaret sound so desperate or hopeless before, not even when they'd been up against Zelena in the Enchanted Forest.
"Coming from you that's just terrifying," Regina stated, looking strangely at her. Apparently she wasn't the only one to notice the change.
"Well I'm not giving up," Emma muttered beside her. "I know she's down in the mines looking for Anna, I'm gonna go help find her."
"Well then go," David sighed at his daughter, "because right now that's our only shot."
With his encouragement Emma didn't waste any time, she was out the door like a rocket. But still no one else moved. It didn't matter if she found her or not, though she did hope that she could, for the rest of them it was already too late.
"I uh…maybe I could leave them a note. Leave everything the way it is," she suggested. "Emma and Elsa, they have Light magic. If they're so confident they'll find Anna then…they could finish the cure after it's hit. Couldn't they?" she asked Superior.
"If they find Anna," Regina corrected.
"No," the nun muttered beside her. "They might be able to but this…this is delicate work. It doesn't just take Light magic it takes skill and precision. She may be the Savior, but her magic is only in its infancy. If she's lucky she'll get to work. But if not…"
She didn't need her to finish to know that it was hopeless.
"So…what does that leave us with?" David questioned. "Isn't there some other way to break the curse? True Loves Kiss?"
She shook her head. "The curse can be reversed by the original caster only or be ended like all other curses if the original caster is destroyed."
"Our future depends on two women who are magically bonded to the original caster…great," Regina drawled.
"No…" Mary Margaret breathed. "No, David this is not our only shot! So long as we have Emma we have a chance!"
"Mary Margaret it's-"
"Small I know! But…David the last time we didn't trust our daughter we ended up regretting it. She can do this. I believe in her. And Elsa...she'll get her and convince her to do the right thing. They'll figure it out, they'll destroy the Snow Queen, they will reverse this." Reverse it. That still meant that they were planning on it hitting. Maybe it was good Rumple had made preparations for her. She shuddered to think about it, after what happened last time but if this was what they were left with…she had to believe that it would break.
"That's the Snow White I know," Regina drawled from across the room, though she couldn't say if she was glad to hear that or not.
Mary Margaret nodded as she looked at her almost sadly. "But, Regina...in the meantime-"
"We have to be as far away from each other as possible," Regina finished for her. "I need to be as far away as possible." Isolation. That was exactly what the towns people had done with the ones that were infected in the story she'd read. For their own good and the sake of everyone else's, they all had to be apart.
"We have to be where we can't harm others and they can't harm us," she explained. "All of us."
Everyone was quiet. No one had anything to say it seemed. How many places in town could someone be completely alone? How fast could they spread this news?! They couldn't. People would die tonight. Without a doubt, there would be losses. And she hated to think about what would happen the longer it went on.
"I have to get Neal from Granny," Mary Margaret commented, with a small sniffle before moving around them and leaving the diner for the Inn. At least Granny and the Lost Boys would be warned. At least Ruby was worlds away and safe.
"I'll make phone calls," David added sadly. "I'll reach as many as I can."
"I need to go get back to Henry," Regina commented. "Lock him away somewhere safe, somewhere even I can't reach him!"
"I can take care of that for you." Nearly every face in the room turned to look at Rumple, still there, sitting in the corner with her bag and jacket. It was the first thing that he'd said since they'd marched in and the truth was that she'd completely forgotten he was there as they spoke.
"Really?!" Regina reeled. "Have you really been here this entire time?!"
"Unfortunately," Mother Superior muttered under her breath.
"I can hide Henry if you like," he offered again. "My magic is stronger than yours," he pointed out.
"Over my dead body!" she cried out. "I will take care of my son just like I'm sure you'll take care of your wife! Unless of course you are willing to make a trade?" No one said anything as the pair of them glared at each other, an evil smirk on Regina's face and a tightly clenched jaw revealing all the anger they had for each other in their complicated relationship. As much as she hated to be used like cattle she had to admit that Regina had played her cards well enough. Rumple would leave her protection up to Regina over…well, like Regina, over his dead body. And she knew it.
"Didn't think so," she muttered quickly at his silence before striding out of the diner. Henry would remain under Regina's protection.
I actually kinda like writing these brief little scenes where the plan is made before it's revealed...if that makes sense. And I really like this one because I feel like I got the characters right, even the ones I usually suck at like Mary Margaret. With any luck I hope you'll agree with me! And honestly I had to throw that little attempt of Rumple's to get Henry into the story line. I felt like it was something he would do at this point and made a lot of sense. I hope that you liked that as well!
Kathryn Claire O'Connor, Deweymay, Curly J, Ladybugsmomma, Raizen Yusuke, and Skitzoeinhoven thank you for your continued reviews and unwavering support! Ya'll are awesome and amazing and really...what would I do without you! Peace and Happy Reading!
