Chapter 53
"Is that what I think it is?" Emma asked.
"The better question is whose heart is it?" Jefferson backed away disgusted from the beating box.
"Is it really hers?" Aurora asked moving to take it, but Snow moved it back.
"I believe so."
"Then give it here," Aurora demanded as the whole room broke into a fight.
"No!" Rumple and Jefferson disagreed wanting the heart nowhere near Aurora.
"I can stop this all here and now. Where is the candle?" Aurora demanded.
Snow looked embarrassed, "I…I must have left it when I found this."
"You left it, in Regina's vault?" Aurora couldn't believe it. "If they don't kill us today they could use that candle to kill any of us at any time!"
"Everyone stop, we are not seriously going to use her heart to control her." David's question seemed to hang over the whole room a moment.
"I think Aurora's thinking of a more permanent solution." Neal raised an eyebrow at her.
"Don't everyone look at me like that. I can't be the only one who realizes this has to happen. Now give me the box." She demanded holding her hand out to Snow again.
"Snow will do no such thing." Rumple started coughing and fell back against the bed, Neal quickly going to his side.
"You don't have time to discuss this. You just told me to start issuing orders like a Queen," She turned back to Snow. "Give me the box, it will be the last time I ask."
"You forget I am a Queen too. I don't take orders from you." Snow closed the box.
"You are forgetting I have magic."
"I grew up with Reinga and Cora, I know how to deal with an evil witch."
"Woah!" Emma stepped in between the two of them stopping Aurora short from whatever her reaction was going to be. "We need to calm down a moment. We are all the good guys here. We need to focus. We have her heart, we need to figure out how to best use it."
"I didn't bring it here to use it as a weapon." Snow told her daughter.
"Then what did you bring it here for?" Jefferson wondered out loud and the room fell silent for a long moment before Snow answered.
"It's a bargaining piece."
"That isn't going to work. Cora will just poof it away." Neal stood up in front of his father, doing an over the top magical wave of his hand. "I hate to say this but maybe Aurora's plan is the correct one."
"So far my plan is the only real plan I have heard." Aurora looked around the room. "Cora will kill any and all of us to get what she wants. I am not willing to let that happen. Are any of you?"
"Maybe she is right." Emma agreed. "Henry is safe with Granny for now. But if something happens to us all here…" she trailed off not wanting to finish her thoughts out loud.
"Emma we are the heroes. We find a way without killing." Snow reminded her daughter.
"Sometimes it is kill or be killed, there is no other ending." Aurora put her hand out again waiting for the box.
Emma moved closer to her mother and took it. "I am sorry I can't see any other way."
"There is always another way Emma you are just not trying hard enough." But she let her take the box. Emma started towards Aurora but a blast of magic from Regina and Cora breaking the protective spell on the door blew them all back. The box and each of them standing in the room were blown to the ground.
"Where is it!" Aurora screamed.
"Where is what?" Cora asked stepping into the room. Both she and Aurora spotted the open box with the glowing heart laying on the floor at the same time and extended their magic to it. It disappeared and reappeared in Aurora's hand, for she had been the quicker one.
Aurora gave it a squeeze without any warning or threat, dropping the box to the floor.
Cora let out a scream dropping to her knees before releasing another spell pulling the heart from Aurora's hand. She had tried to summon it to her, but Aurora quickly fought back and the heart was suspended in mid-air.
"You stupid girl, when will you realize you are no match for me?"
"You once again have gotten distracted with me and forgotten I am not alone." She watched as Jefferson threw the hot cauldron, he had been using for his unfinished confusion potion across the room at Cora. Regina stopped it and its hot contents from hitting either of them but it was enough for Cora to drop her spell and Emma moved forward using the heart's wooden box to trap the heart. Clutching to her chest she screamed "Enough!"
"You are right, Emma, it is enough of that." Regina waved her hand the wood box and heart disappeared in a puff of purple smoke into Cora's hands.
"Thank you, dear." She told her daughter. "I think I will put this somewhere even safer than it was." And in another puff of smoke, it was gone.
"No!" Neal and Aurora both screamed.
"I have what you want Cora, let them all go. They mean nothing to you." Rumple tried to reason.
"Oh Master, everyone and thing has a meaning, or do you not recall your teachings? You have collected items and people to be used to your own personal advantaged." She waved Neal away beside Emma as she walked closer to Rumple.
David gave a scream rushing Cora. Cora didn't even give him and Snow a backward glance as she waved her hand and they disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.
Aurora moved closer to Jefferson whispering. "Give me your hand."
He gave her a separate worried looked from the one he was already wearing but did was he was told taking ahold of her hand.
"Regina you don't have to let this happen. Think of Henry. What would he…" Emma's voice cut off with a wave of Cora's hand.
Cora continued on ignoring Emma's outburst. "As much as I would love for your little makeshift family and friends to be here when you die, I need to have a private conversation with you. So, you two can join Emma's parents." With a wave of her hand, Emma and Neal disappeared.
She turned back towards Aurora and Jefferson, "Don't worry Rumple you won't be alone in the Underworld for long. These two are next on our list." She threw out the spelling hoping to stop Cora's magic, but she was too slow and she felt the spell wrap around them both.
"No!" She hissed closing her eyes fighting with all her might against it. When she opened them again, they were standing just outside the Pawn Shop. The others were nowhere to be seen. She quickly realized she had kind of been successful in her blocking of Cora's spell, for they were not wherever she had sent everyone else. "We have to get back inside." She started forward.
Cora laughed seeing Aurora and Jefferson appear outside the shop on the dreamcatcher they had been using earlier to keep eye on her and Reinga. She quickly threw up her own version of a protection spell and Aurora was blasted back into Jefferson when she hit it.
"Oh, she is a fighter, I supposed I must give her some credit, but you know she isn't a match for me. You kept her in the light, and in the end, that will be her undoing."
"Light destroys darkness dearie."
"No, I will destroy the darkness that is you and I will be the new Dark One. Then everyone in the town will pay for what they did to me and my daughter."
"Are you alright?" Jefferson asked her helping her get back up to their feet. "Where is everyone else?"
"I have no idea. I was trying to use my magic to keep us there with Rumple, but we are trapped outside. We have to get back in there and stop them from killing him. You heard him in there. Rumple loves you and me. We have to get back in there and protect him."
"Are you seriously still siding with Rumple after all the pain he has caused us?"
"You heard him in there, he gave us his blessing."
"Only because he is dying!"
"True Love is forgiveness and working through problems."
"You want me to forgive him for what he has done to us? To me?"
"Yes! I am sorry Jefferson, but I love him and I hate him and I don't know which I will finally settle on, but like it or not we are still alive because of him. We need him. Storybrooke needs him. If we are to survive whatever Cora is planning, Rumple needs to live. We have always been safer with him."
"We were never really safe. It was just an illusion. One he told us over and over again until we believed. I held on to the falsehood much too long."
"It isn't a falsehood, it is the truth. In his own twisted way, he loves us."
"Have we been living the same story here? Everything in there was just an act to get us to do what he wants one more time. He could have told us what we wanted to hear any time for years. But he never really did because it is all lies. Reality is he hates me, if not for what I did with you, or Belle, it would be as simple as being his dead wife's child with the pirate who stole her away from him."
"If he didn't care for you, truly love you, then you wouldn't be here any longer and he wouldn't have given us his blessing to be together. And a part of you knows that to be true."
"Use your head, he only said those things as Cora pointed out to be able to manipulate us one more time, into doing something dangerous to help him out. Which you almost did with the heart."
"Don't you dare start about the heart; you know that was the correct play."
"You didn't even say anything to her, to give her a chance."
"This is Cora we are talking about. Did she give you any kind of chance before cutting off your head or killing Alice?" Aurora watched pain flicker across his face at her harsh question. Trying to backtrack she added in a more normal tone. "You know your brother was right when he said talking wasn't going to work."
"Even Regina used words before squeezing a heart." Jefferson hissed clearly upset by the whole matter.
Aurora took a sharp step back, shaking her head at him, not believing they were having this conversation let alone right this second. "No, I don't regret it. The woman who killed your daughter's mother is moments away from becoming even more powerful and unstoppable my only regret is not squeezing it harder faster. I should have just crushed it and ended this nightmare then and there."
He grabbed her by the shoulders. "You are right that woman is my nightmare. But Rumple is as good as dead. She stated we are to be next. We need to run and..."
"And what?" She threw this hands off of her. "Hide?" She questioned him. "Don't you get it? If he dies there is nowhere to run and hide away at. If he dies we WILL be next. Maybe Emma and the Charmings will get in the way and die first but they won't stop until we are dead. Do you want to see Cora kill another person you love? Because we both know she is cruel enough to make sure you live long enough to see me die first."
He stood there a million thoughts, memories, and comments rushing through his brain but his mouth couldn't move to express any of them. Finally, she pushed him off to the side so she could face the barrier spell. "I am going to find a way to stop this mess before it becomes a living nightmare for everyone, not just you and me."
Ruby had been right. She had been much quicker going alone in wolf form and was back way sooner than Victor would have thought possible. He had taken the poisons and started running his tests to see if his theory was possible.
While the tests ran he turned his attention to the antidotes that Ruby had brought. One was completely empty, one had a few drops left he could use to create more, and the last bottle was full.
The computer dinged and the first poison had failed. The second one was looking more promising than the third, which was battling out for control over each other. "Which ones of these match up to which poisons?"
Ruby joined his side looking at the computer screen. "The one with a few drops was the first one you tested. The one which is full is the second one."
"We couldn't get that, luckily could we?" He asked holding up the second bottle full bottle to the light a moment.
The computer dinged again the third poison had failed, the Dreamshade overpowering it at last.
"We are down to our last hope," Victor muttered as Ruby came over putting her hands on his shoulders and starting to rub them trying to help relax so he could think.
"If this doesn't work, I am sure we can…" She started trying to find some encouraging words but the computer dinged a third time showing it was finished.
"The Faiths must be on our side after all." Victor stood up excited. "The second one worked, and we have enough of a cure for it. I just have to get the new poison ready and we can actually save Rumple."
Cora felt her spell weaken for a moment and then fall as the windows to Gold's Shop shattered spraying Regina and herself in shards of glass.
"Damn it!" Cora hissed moving back from Rumple turning to her daughter. "Get out there and finish those two off once and for all."
"Yes, mother. It will be my pleasure."
Aurora started for the door when Regina blew it open knocking her and Jefferson to the ground. They watched as she exited the building and they felt Cora's magic as the protection spell fell back in place.
"Regina." Jefferson started getting back to his feet first, helping Aurora up. "You don't have to do this."
"You." She glared at Aurora before advancing on her. "You are always messing up my plans, and I won't let you do it to my mother." With a wave of her hand, Jefferson was blown back across the street and she grabbed Aurora in spell freezing her in place.
Jefferson started to jump back up to try to do something to help Aurora, but he froze seeing Ruby and Victor coming down the street.
"Your mother doesn't love you. She is using you. Can't you see that?" Aurora chocked out. "You shouldn't be defending her. You should be on our side stopping her."
Regina laughed. "You are one to talk. Whatever did Rumple tell you two to keep you here fighting for him?"
"Rumple has his heart, your mother doesn't," Jefferson yelled at her. "She can never really love you without it." He called trying to get her attention on him as Ruby dropped to all fours changing into her wolf form.
It worked and Regina turned facing him. "Whatever is Hook's excuse for not loving you then? Because last I checked your father still has his heart."
Jefferson didn't have a chance to answer as the wolf hit her from behind knocking her down. Regina lost control of the spell on Aurora and she staggered back. Victor was there to keep her from falling to the ground.
"Victor?" She questioned surprised to see him.
"I was able to do it. Is Rumple still alive?"
"Yes in the back room of the Pawn Shop but Cora's locked herself in. We have to weaken her to get inside to him." She bit her lip thinking about what their next move should be as Regina screamed and Ruby went flying up into the air and hit the road hard not moving. By the time Jefferson reached her side she had turned back into her human self and was trying to shake off the pain, as Regina walked to stand over top of them.
"Ruby!" Victor called her name starting for her but Aurora grabbed his arm.
"I know what we need, keep Regina busy, I will be back as soon as I can.
"Keep her busy? I am sorry how? By having her kill me?" Victor asks as Aurora disappears. "Aurora!" He screamed in panic.
Regina's laughter cut through Jefferson like a knife as they both watched Aurora disappear in a cloud of purple smoke. "She left you." Laughing again. "She actually left you." Her voice turned even crueler, "I thought she loved you."
"She does Regina. I am more than a hundred percent positive she left to get something to destroy you and your mother."
She stepped over Ruby who was still trying to recover, pushing Jefferson back two steps before leaning in close to whisper in his ear. "Keep repeating that lie Jefferson and maybe you will actually believe it. Because correct me if I am wrong but your track record is filled with people abandoning you."
Aurora appears in Regina's crypt, where Cora was storing her magical items, looking for the Enchanted Candle Snow had left.
Tossing things aside she screamed. The bottles closest to her exploded and the candles on the wall burn brighter for a moment before Aurora was able to center herself. Her mind drifted back to a lesson at Rumple's Castle.
"You are letting your emotions get in the way and it makes you powerless in the given situation," Rumple remarked.
"I have my magic; I am not powerless." Aurora corrected him.
"True Power comes from restraint. Don't let someone's words control you. You need to learn when to stop and observe and use your logic to be the one in control no matter the situation. If you can do that you will always be the one in power even if you are up against someone more powerful than yourself."
Aurora opened her eyes suddenly realizing what she could do to find the Enchanted Candle.
"Accio Candle" and she had just enough time to think oh shit that was a very stupid word choice, before all the candles flew across the room at her, including the lighted ones on the candle holders. She managed to avoid catching on fire but a box that had flown out of one of the wooden cabinets smacked her in the head knocking her down. She quickly sat up rubbing her head coming away with blood. "I suppose I deserved that for my poor word choice. Word choice was one of the first lessons, Rumple and Jefferson did teach me."
She created a fireball to light the now darken crypt. She tossed the box aside looking at the candles now all at her feet. Then she saw it. It looked like two candles put together. One end black and one end white held together by a gold ruby-encrusted center. "Accio Enchanted Candle." She whispered just to make sure, and sure enough, the candle flew up out of the open box into her outstretched hand.
"Yes!" She smiled putting out her fireball and disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.
Victor rushed over picking up Jefferson who Regina had once again thrown across the roadway.
"My God, Jefferson, are you alright? Where did Aurora disappear too?"
"No one is alright, and I don't know where the fuck Aurora disappeared too…" He stopped realizing what Victor being here meant, grabbing him sharply by the arms. "Victor, you are here, not at the hospital, you didn't? Did you?"
"Of course I did, Magic is just science I haven't figure out yet."
"There is the cocky side of the good Doctor that I so do love." Jefferson's smile disappeared as Regina's magic wrapped itself around him and she started to pull him back to her.
"No, no, no... Victor!" He tied to hold on to his friend but Regina's magic brought him back to her.
"No time for chatting." Regina mocked him. "I am not finished with you."
"How many times do I have to tell you to leave my boyfriend alone." Aurora hissed appearing behind Regina making her drop the spell to turn to face her.
"Boyfriend is a pretty strong word," Regina smirked putting a few steps between her and Aurora. "I heard he's taken you on a few little dates. Have you seen his bedroom yet? Do you even have any idea what do in it?" She laughed. "Did he ever tell you how he once fucked me in his bedroom at Rumple's castle?" She watched as her words did the damage she wanted. "Oh, he never did tell you that. Sure it was before the castle was your home. But how many times were you in that room with him not using that four-poster bed for all it was worth?"
"Regina." Aurora growl placing her hand out in front of her gripping the candle. "I hope you said whatever you needed to your psychopath of a mother because I am ending this, and hopefully her."
"With a candle?" Regina laughed, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Aurora brought her other hand up lighting the dark end first. "You are dumber than I thought. Didn't you learn anything from Rumple's lessons?" She mocked as she lit the white end.
"You are holding a candle. It's made of wax and it is already melting away. But I am the stupid one."
"It is the markings and ingredients in the wax which make it deadly. Potions that combine spell power really are more powerful than any witch."
"What are you waiting for?" Jefferson screamed.
"Oh, is that enough talking for you now?" She turned her head giving him an over the top look of annoyance.
"DO IT!" He screamed at her.
"Do what?" Regina asked confused.
She turned back a wicked smile flickered across her lips for a second before she whispered. "Cora."
Rumple felt a warming feeling in the center of his chest and as it grew the pain he had been feeling suddenly stopped. His breathing was getting easier with each breath. At first, Cora didn't seem to notice she was running on about her plans but then she stopped and grabbed her head. "Did the thought of all that power make you light head, dearie?" He asked feeling strong enough now to sit up.
"How?" She muttered summoning the dreamcatcher to her from across the room. She saw Aurora with the Enchanted Candle. "It won't work. Enjoy the burst of energy Rumple but they don't have my heart the candle won't kill me, but you can watch me kill your little pets." She tossed the dreamcatcher at him as she disappeared in a flurry of red smoke.
"Why did you say my mother's name?" Regina demanded.
"I don't think it will do what I really want it to without her heart, but I think it will give me just what I need to save Rumple, and stop your mother's insane bid to be the new Dark One."
"Regina what did you let her do?" Cora grabbed her daughter sharply by the arm.
"Mother I have this. Finish Rumple off, so we can kill them all, and be done with this town forever."
"No, you stupid child you don't understand what that candle can do. She is stealing my powers to save Rumplestiltskin's life!"
She stumbled forward and Regina caught her. "It won't work Hook got him with Dreamshade there is no cure."
"Jefferson!" Aurora looked behind her looking for him and Victor.
"I am on it." He yelled back picking up Ruby and following Victor back inside the Pawn Shop now that the spell was broken.
"No, there is no magic to cure him."
"Magic being the keyword." Aurora taunted her.
"No! That damn want-a-be Doctor didn't!" Regina muttered.
Aurora's smile was all Regina needed to know that Victor had been successful at finding a cure. She screamed rushing at Aurora, tackling her back causing Aurora to lose the candle. It fell burning itself out breaking the connection.
Regina wraps her hands around her throat. "You want to steal powers? I am going to finally finish what Maleficent started." She started to drain Aurora's magic. Keeping one hand on her throat her other moved back towards her mother sending what she was taking from Aurora to help her regain her strength.
"You keep forgetting I don't need magic to best you!" Aurora chocked out before she let go of Regina's hand on her throat and brought both hands up smacking her hard on both sides of her head.
Regina fell back completely out of it from the hit.
"Get away from her!" Emma shouted running down the street at full tilt. Followed closely by her parents and Neal.
Regina felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up seeing her mother once again standing and talking but unable to hear what she said due to the ringing in her head from Aurora's hit. The pain started to fade and she heard Aurora's words first.
"Regina you of all people have to realize what a mistake it would be for your mother to be the bloodily Dark One."
"You foolish children he doesn't care about you yet after everything he has done you still stand with him?" Cora tried to make herself seem more powerful than she was currently feeling, as Emma came to a stop two steps behind Emma and her parents and Neal were close behind.
"We know he cares about us." Aurora declared still on the ground.
"He has a funny way to show it."
"No funnier than how you treat your daughter," Jefferson answered. He had seen what was happening and he couldn't leave Aurora to face them alone.
"Oh, Hatter you came back and you found your tongue. I was worried you lost it in Wonderland, another one on the list of things being friends with Rumple cost you."
"Rumple and you both fear giving in to your feelings where we both" He pointed to Aurora and himself. "know feelings make us stronger."
"Feelings or no feelings you two are not strong enough to save him."
"It appears you are incorrect," Rumple announced behind her, summoning his dagger back to him.
"HOW?" Cora hissed stepping back behind her daughter, knowing she was not strong enough to face Rumple alone.
"It appears the good Doctor was the correct this time. Science can be greater than Magic." Rumple stood up straighter his cane in front of him, the dagger with his name clearly written once again on it in his other hand. Aurora was sure everyone, not just her, could feel a wave of his magic wash over them for a few seconds.
"This isn't over. You haven't won. You have just delayed the improbable." Cora insisted.
"Regina," Emma stepped forward. "You don't have to side with her. Think of Henry! He needs you as much as he needs me."
Regina looked like she was going to agree but Cora stepped forward finally helping her daughter up and Regina's face grew colder before she told Emma. "Henry has never needed you."
"We will destroy each and every one of you, and then with a simple forgetfulness potion Henry will never remember any of you existed." And with that Cora and Regina disappeared in a cloud of red smoke as Emma threw her sword at her in a last-second effort to stop her. They all watched as it sailed through the red smoke and hit the ground.
"My God Aurora, what happened?" Emma asked helping her back to her feet looking at the cut on her head.
"The cut was my own stupid fault. I think we won the battle, but we have a full-on war brewing here in Storybrooke."