Hello! My 10 straight days (an accomplishment in of itself *inner squeal*) of posting was broken yesterday and I'm slightly sad about it but I took the day off for several reasons, but mainly to make sure that the story wouldn't be rushed into. Though I have an outline, I still want everything to flow nicely :)
Besides, I'll be making it up to you all by having today be a….TRIPLE FEATURE! Chapters Twenty and Twenty-One will be posted congruently while Twenty-Two will be up later in the evening :) It'll keep my timeline on track as well as show you guys how serious I am about finishing this story. Again, you've all waited long enough :)
Please enjoy!
-FantasyWriterFoSho
Summary of the Previous Chapter: Killian's heart was taken by Gold while the Snow Queen's spell began to rain down on Storybrooke.
...
Chapter Twenty: Shattered (Part One)
…
6:19PM -By The Well; The Forest
The moment the spell was released, Emma and Killian had just arrived at their destination with an unconscious Kristoff between them, their shoulders pulled down heavily due to his slumped over postures.
The first person to see them was Belle, who, after alerting the others, rushed over and took Emma's position while a sympathetic Robin quickly took Killian's spot.
"Kristoff!" Anna then exclaimed, stopping right in front of the three to gently grab at his face. He didn't move. He was unresponsive to her touch, which made her shake him. Pulling away so they could continue forward, she felt something sticky on her fingers. Immediately looking down at them, she gasped. They were painted red.
"H-he's...b-bleeding," she announced, her whole body shaking. "W-why is he…bleeding?" She watched as they gently placed him down by the well, the cobblestones slightly propping his form up, before she instantly settled herself beside him. Wiping the blood onto her skirt, she gently brushed the hair from his face before looking at the newly arrived pair. "W-what happened?"
Sinking down in front of her, Emma sat on a pile of leaves, her body screaming. "We never made it to the hospital," she announced, breathing heavily. "I'm so sorry, Anna...we were, uh, ambushed on the road by...by Gold."
"That's not possible," Robin said, his brows rising in shock.
"But he...he," Belle whispered, her eyes wide and her emotions high. "He was trapped inside of an enchanted cell. How could he have gotten out?"
Killian moved to stand close to Emma, who tiredly leaned against his thigh. "We aren't sure. We wanted to ask Regina if..." he then stopped, noticing that several people, including the one they were looking for, were missing. "Where's Regina? And Elsa?"
"They went to go see if they could bring more of the potion here to try expanding our shield. The spell didn't spread to the town because it's wasn't potent enough," Robin explained, pointing up at the purple cloud above them. "We're the only ones who are protected…"
"We saw," Killian answered, dolefully. "We were at the docks when it was cast."
That means my mom, Henry and everybody are under the Shattered Glass, Emma thought morosely, too tired to voice it.
All that hard work they did to make sure they would be safe was basically for naught. Not to mention the energy she had just spent assisting Killian with Kristoff then speeding as fast as humanly possible to a nearby road so they could trekk up small hills in order to escape the curse...
Emma sighed, knowing how petty that sounded. I'm just bummed that everything we fought for doesn't seem to count in the grand scheme that is Storybrooke...
"I thought you were on the roads?" Robin then asked, furrowing his brows.
Killian slowly nodded his head. "We were until—"
A purple cloud suddenly appeared off to the two men's sides, pulling their focus from the conversation. When it revealed Regina and Elsa in the dwindling smoke, everybody breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Cutting it close," Robin said, looking over Regina as he approached her; worry clear in his eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," Regina said, responding as she walked up to him, a quiet Elsa following close behind her. Looking at Robin, she gave him a defeated smile. "But we have bad news. The Snow Queen had been in my office sometime after we left and ruined the potion as well as the ingredients. There's nothing left...She was a step ahead of us."
"So, the town is officially…?" Robin trailed off, both of them already knowing the answer.
At that moment, they all heard various sounds emerging from the town. Cries of anger, honking cars, loud rings and other indistinguishable tones were blending together to create what the Snow Queen wanted all along…
Chaos.
"This is awful," Belle whispered, her heart whimpering at the unusual noises.
Elsa absentmindedly tugged at the yellow ribbon around her wrist. "I hope Kristoff, Killian, Emma and her family are alright..."
"Two of those you just listed could stand to be a fraction better," Killian said, alerting both Regina and Elsa to his presence.
"Hook? ...Emma?" Regina said, tilting her head in order to see the two of them. They look exhausted, she thought, slightly sidestepping a now turning Robin in order to get to them. "I'm glad you guys made it back. How's David?"
"We didn't get a chance to see him or anybody else at the hospital," Killian responded, evenly.
Regina looked surprised and concerned. "Why not?"
Killian then pointed into the direction of Kristoff and Anna.
"What happened?" Regina asked upon seeing the injured man, her tone turning serious when she approached him and a frantic Anna, who was tearfully brushing his hair from his pale, clammy forehead. He was bleeding profusely from a gash on the left side of his neck. He also had some small lacerations on his cheeks, with spots of bruising surrounding them, along with road rash on his hands.
"Oh no," Elsa gasped and quickly made her way over to soothe her sister. Standing behind her, she gently began stroking Anna's hair.
Moving to kneel directly in front of him, Regina coated her hands in healing magic and held them out, her powers gliding over his entire form. Allowing it to seamlessly pull everything back together, Regina glanced over her shoulder at a sitting Emma, who also, she determined with a glance, needed some magical help. "I need the full story."
Still leaning into a nearby Killian, Emma winced in pain before she breathlessly reiterated how they were attacked by a free Gold, who then kidnapped Killian to the Harbor; where she had barely managed to follow them by jumping through. But before she could prevent anything from happening, the Dark One took his heart; all the while taunting her to stop him before 9:20pm.
Everybody had been listening to the story closely, particularly Belle, whose expression had darkened as the story progressed.
"What happens at 9:20pm?" Elsa then asked, looking from Killian to Emma, moving her hands down to rub at her sister's shoulders. "What's Gold going to do then?"
Emma could feel Killian tense at the question. Heart pounding, she looked down, her emotions thundering inside of her. "He's going to fulfill his plans before...killing him," she whispered, the idea unbearable to her. "He's going to murder Killian."
Regina, who had just finished with a now stirring Kristoff, made her way over to the couple. Emitting her magic onto Emma first, she shook her head. "No, he's not because we're going to stop him before he can even get the chance to do that."
"How?" she asked, meeting the other woman's determined gaze. "We honestly don't really know the details of his plans, except that I'm no longer a part of them and that he doesn't want the dagger in his life anymore..."
"How are you no longer a part of his plans?" she asked, confused. "He's gone through a lot to try and get to you and now, he's just not going to? That's suspicious in of itself."
"He didn't say," Emma replied, feeling the warmth of her magic spreading throughout her body, taking away all of the aches and pains. "But I do wonder how he's going to accomplish it without the hat..."
Regina's memory then stirred.
My desk, she recalled, remembering how clearer it had been before she got distracted by the spell. Probing her mind, she pushed it, trying to decide if it was just because things had been moved away or if it was something much worse. As she looked back...there were two things unaccounted for.
The green book and…
...The Sorcerer's Hat…
Shit, she thought, closing her eyes in anger. They had both been in my office at some point and I was too stupid to not bring them with me...this is all my fault.
"He does have the hat," she said, her tone a mixture of anger and reflection. "Other things had been taken from my office: that green book with the Nordic King and...the hat...shit...well, that's another stab to my conscience."
Everybody showed signs of irritation, puzzlement and resolve. Instead of dealing with one problem at a time, they now have to juggle with two...and all within the same day.
Moving to see if Killian had any injuries that needed healing—it was just some minor soreness—Regina then continued. "The bad news is that since he's the Dark One, there's a good chance this spell will have no effect on him and he's free to collect as many people as he needs, but the good news is..." she then looked at a standing Emma and a watchful Elsa. "We have two people who'll be unaffected because of the Snow Queen as well as somebody who has lost his heart...
Killian looked at her in surprise. "The spell will have no effect on me?"
"That is correct since you're already under somebody else's influence," she explained. "So, we have three people who'll be able to stop them, if they're willing."
Emma looked at Elsa then at Killian, who both nodded their willingness to help. Opening her mouth to ask where they should start, she then stopped, remembering something important. "Wait," she said, digging into one of her pockets. Surprised to feel it intact, she pulled out the vial that she had been given.
Inside, sparkled the light purple counter potion.
Lifting it up and into Regina's direction, she offered it to her. "Four people."
"After all that you've been through, I'm surprised that it's still there," Killian commented with amazement.
"My thoughts exactly," Emma returned. "I practically swan dived on top of it, but that's not the point. Here, Regina. Take it."
Regina couldn't help but to hesitate, her guilt-stricken thoughts travelling to Henry and the rest of the town.
"I know what you're thinking," Emma said, making the other woman look at her. "But they've already been corrupted and you said that there's no more ingredients to make more, so, don't feel too beaten up about it. We're going to save them in the end."
Regina considered the vial thoughtfully before agreeing. "Damn straight we're going to fix this. Nobody threatens my friends and family as well as steals from me without paying for it." Moving to take the potion, she held it in one of her hands, uncorked it and drank it, the liquid going down smooth.
"Now," Killian began, looking at his company. "Where to? Are we splitting up or tackling one task at a time?"
"I think we should split up," said Elsa, who moved closer but only after making sure her sister was okay. Anna had laid Kristoff onto her lap and was stroking the top of his head, her attention solely on making sure he was getting better than on their conversation. "The Snow Queen wants me and Emma and I think we should confront her. I'm tired of running away from my issues. She's probably out there waiting for us anyways..."
"I agree," Emma said. "I'm sure she's somewhere down in Storybrooke enjoying the mess that she made. So, let's go show her that she can't just use us as energy plants."
Elsa gave her a smile.
"Ok," Regina began, her mind turning as she tossed the empty vial into the well. "While the rest of you stay under this shield, Killian and I can go find Gold and—"
"Actually," Killian interrupted, changing his mind. "I believe that I should stay here." When the other three looked at him curiously, he calmly raised his hand up. "It's me, I promise. I just think that somebody who's now magically resistant should stay to make sure everything is safe. "
"...Are you sure?" Regina asked, suspiciously.
"Aye."
She gave him one more look before moving to stand over by the two blondes. "I'll drop you two off in the main part of town, after that, I'm going to look for His Highness. Call me if anything happens, good or bad...or if you just need some help. Understand?"
They both nodded.
Regina was about to lift her hand but then Emma stopped her. "Give me one moment."
She then walked over to Killian, who raised a brow at her approach. "Are you sure you don't want to come?" she asked, making sure that it was him and not Gold.
"Swan, I'll be fine," he confirmed, giving her a soft smile.
Emma held his gaze. She could feel him holding something back. It took her a few seconds before she was able to read it in his blue eyes. He doesn't want to be a liability to us. If they do run into Gold, he doesn't want to be turned against them before he...she didn't finish that sentence. She didn't want to think about him not making it to another day. If their breakup nearly destroyed her, she couldn't imagine what his death would do to her.
As if reading her thoughts, Killian moved closer and cupped her cheek, slightly startling her out of her daze. "Go, love," he whispered. "I'll be here waiting for you when you get back."
"You promise?" she asked quietly.
Killian smiled at the phrase. "Aye, always."
Believing him, she leaned into his hand before turning around and walking back over to Regina and Elsa, both of whom had waited patiently during the exchange.
Waving a hand, Regina then summoned her magic, purposefully ignoring the look Robin was giving her. When she had walked over to Emma and Elsa, he had moved to stand behind Killian and since then, he hasn't taken his eyes off of her, which was making it very difficult for her to breathe. "Come on," she rasped, finally sweeping her magic around them.
The moment they had entered into town...they wished they hadn't.
The street was littered with abandoned cars, there were tons of arguing and fighting as well as some vandalism. Noise seemed to come from every direction, making it hard for them to concentrate.
After looking around, Regina then disappeared to find Gold, her determination masking the horror she was feeling at all of the chaos around her.
Emma and Elsa walked around for a while, both of them trying to avoid the many rage-induced people that seemed to be everywhere. Then, as they wandered in the middle of the street and turned a corner, they arrived just in time to see The Snow Queen enter into an ice cream parlor shop. Running to the door, they followed suit and tried trapping her inside by physically blocking the door; however, she seemed to have been expecting their sudden intrusion.
Staring at them from behind the counter, she leaned forward, her hands clasped. "It's lovely to see the two of you together. I've missed you both."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Cut the crap. We're only here to stop you, not to have a twisted family reunion."
"We will never join you," Elsa said, taking a step further inside. "Not after what you did."
"You'll have to be more specific," the Snow Queen remarked, straightening back up. "I've done a lot of things in my life, but we can mull those over later." Unclasping her hands, she then outstretched them into their direction. Never wavering her gaze, she then flipped them over, revealing her closed fists. "Do you know what these are?" she asked upon opening them.
Inside, sitting on her palms, were two round pebbles.
"Lucky rocks?" Emma answered sarcastically, moving forward to stand beside Elsa. Not feeling threatened, she kept her hands down at her sides; although, she could feel the defensive tension radiating off of Elsa in spades. "Or are you showing us your pet rock collection?"
"No," she answered evenly. "These contain your memories of me. Our happy times together."
At that, Emma immediately raised her hands up with Elsa quickly following suit.
"I want you both to have them," the Snow Queen continued, a soft smile gracing her lips. "I need you to remember your love for me and to become..." she paused, her heart pounding. "...my sisters..."
"Excuse me?" Elsa asked, taken aback. "Your 'sisters'?"
"That's not creepy at all," Emma commented, shifting her eyes back to the pebbles.
"No chance," Elsa said, her tone firm. "Not after what I've discovered about you. I know that it was you who was responsible for trapping me in that urn so you could tear me and Anna apart." At the lack of reaction on her aunt's face, she continued, "She's my real sister. I have no other."
"Your faith and devotion is misplaced," the Snow Queen said, her tone sweet but her words venomous and manipulative. "Your sister isn't even here to support you. In fact, I'm pretty sure that she's rejoicing at the fact that you are no longer in each other's company. She's probably celebrating wherever she is right now."
Emma and Elsa exchanged a look, both thinking the same thing.
She doesn't know that she's in Storybrooke.
Good, Emma thought. The less she knows, the better our advantage.
"You're a liar," Elsa then said, her eyes darkening regardless, the room beginning to turn cold. "No matter what you say or what you do...I will never love you the way I love Anna."
"On that note," Emma followed. "Those 'memories' that you have been holding onto...mean absolutely nothing to me. I have real people who love and care for me." Looking deep into her eyes, she continued, but more harshly. "I don't need to play make believe nor do I want to."
"Are these the same people who abandoned you when you were a baby? Or who selfishly wagered you away because he was unable to fight for you?" the Snow Queen asked, obviously talking about Emma's parents and her relationship with Killian. "Those aren't the kind of people who really have anybody's best interests at heart."
Emma's top lip twitched in anger. "My parents had no choice but to give me up and Killian was forced into a deal with a crazy person, whose obsessive nature apparently knows no bounds." Feeling herself move forward, Emma could feel her fingers spark. Trying to maintain control, she breathed deeply though her gaze never wavered from the person in front of her.
"Would it have been nice to have grown up with my parents? To not be kept in the dark? Yes, I would have loved that," she reasoned, her tone sombering. "But you know what? That was then and this is now. Now that we're together, I know how deeply they care about me and unlike you...they're not seeking ways to hurt me; whether directly or indirectly—they're not trying to sway me to their side by injuring a loved one..."
The Snow Queen had been quiet the entire time, appearing to take all of what they had to say to heart, but when she spoke again, she proved otherwise. "Rest assured that I never intended to hurt you, regardless of what I insinuated or the magical actions I resorted to. It was a tactical choice I used to get to my ultimate goal, which is to make you understand how powerful and special you are. You have shown extreme promise, particularly in the forest when you were talking to the Captain. You demonstrated potential with your restraint and control...something I can show you more of..."
The Snow Queen then shrugged when she moved from around the counter, her eyes steely. "Though your concerns have officially been noted, I think that it's time for you two to come with me...to come home."
"That's it," Emma muttered, her eyes and hands simultaneously flashing. Propelling her magic at the Snow Queen with a push of her wrists, she then watched as her's then Elsa's silvery blue stream honed in on their adversary, but before it got within a foot of her, it stopped.
"What the hell?" Emma breathed, mystified by how their combined magic had been blocked without the Snow Queen raising a defense. Suddenly, she felt a warm sharp pain in her left wrist and pulled back, the unexpected burning hindering her ability to focus on her powers. Glancing over at Elsa, she saw that the same thing had happened to her too.
"You will find it rather difficult to lash out at me," the Snow Queen said, acknowledging the two with a hard glare. Magically stowing the pebbles away, she lifted up one of her long sleeves, revealing a yellow ribbon tied to her own wrist. "We're protecting each other," she then added with a smile.
Dammit, Emma thought, reevaluating their new situation. How? How did that happen?
The answer then hit her hard in the gut.
'We're protecting each other…'
Love. Dropping her hands down, Emma's mind spun. Her love for us is what's saving her from our attacks...
"When I think about it," Elsa then said, her appearance visibly softening. "When I actually consider everything that's happened...you, are right. We've judged you too harshly," she took a step closer to an unreadable Snow Queen. "You've only been trying to protect us from ourselves and from the cruelness of others. We should be thankful for that, not stubborn or pigheaded."
"Elsa?" Emma questioned, her mouth falling open in shock. "What—"
"You know that it's true, Emma," she responded, forcefully. "The sooner you accept it, the better off we'll all be. The sooner we can become a family."
What is she saying?! Has she lost her mind too?! OR...Emma thought, her eyes widening. Is she playing her game? That has to be it…
Getting an idea, she then turned around. Pulling out her phone, she sent two quick texts, with minimal movements, before putting it away: one to Regina and one to Robin. Heaving a sigh, she got herself into character with a snap of her collected wits.
Let's hope that I'm right and this works...
"You have to understand why we've acted the way that we have," Emma began, changing her expression to a pleading and saddened one when she slowly turned back to face the Snow Queen. "We've been hurt many times in our lives to not know the difference between pain and affection. As you know, I've been alone the majority of my life..." Emma paused when she saw pain flicker in the Snow Queen's eyes. "And...I thought I found something here, but now I know that it was fake. They didn't mean it. Like you said...they willingly abandoned me before, what makes me believe that they won't again?"
Swallowing hard, Emma looked down, hoping that she was able to deliver a convincing performance.
"Do you mean it?" the Snow Queen asked, her voice softer than they've ever heard it. Not calculating. Not hardened with rage...but faint and delicate.
Glancing back up, Emma could see that she believed them. "Yes," she replied, her tone just as gentle.
"We're ready," Elsa then said with a genuine smile, her eyes brightening. "Let's go somewhere. We deserve to watch our victory..."
The Snow Queen watched them for any kind of trickery, but couldn't find any. Have I finally won them over? Are they accepting of me now?
She then moved closer to them, her thoughts easing at their kind expressions. Stopping directly beside Elsa, but a few feet in front of Emma, she lifted a hand up. "Think of a place."
"I have one in mind," Emma immediately answered, needing to lure her to somewhere specific.
Light blue mist soon surrounded them, whisking them away to the chosen location with ease, and when the magic dissipated in spirals, the three women found themselves standing in the forest.
…
Please Review, Fav and Follow! :)