Hey, remember me? I know it's been a long while since my last update, but I'm back! I thought everyone might need something positive during these crazy times. Now, I'm totally aware that I left this story in a sort of weird place- I definitely recommend rereading the last chapter or two so things aren't too confusing. This one is pretty intense, not gonna lie!
Eyes shot open in the dark. Suddenly the terror Regina had faced was replaced by pure tranquillity in the dead of night and a warm, comfortable bed. For a second, before she knew where she was, Regina truly felt like she felt nothing; dead.
Robin lay next to her, his breathing rhythmic and steadfast, just like it had always been. A few seconds ticked by. Regina could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins. If she didn't move fast, she feared her heart would explode in her chest. In quick, stunted movements, Regina sat up, careful to not make a sound as she moved one leg at a time over the edge of the bed. After that, she was on auto pilot: pants, shirt, shoes. Everything in her mind was direct and clear.
Starting down the hallway, Regina walked past Roland's room, then Caroline's. She was a ghost in the dead of night, unseen and undetected. Although it was pitch black, she paused directly in front of the hall closet, wrapping her hand around the doorknob and opening slowly. Kneeling down, she began sifting through objects that cluttered the floor: well-worn board games, loose files, coats that were carelessly tossed without a second thought. Behind all the clutter revealed an auspicious looking cedar chest. Regina used both arms to drag it towards her body, softening the creak as best she could as she opened the lid. The first items seen in the chest were pleasant ones, items that could easily fool a prodding stranger- Roland's adoption papers, Caroline's birth certificate, a few framed wedding photos. After that layer was removed, however, it revealed something dark and forbidding. Regina swore she felt a dull shock to her fingers as they grazed past a purple satin dress that once belonged to her mother. The thought of Cora was enough to send her out of her focused trance. She could never truly be free of her, nor rid of the demons that she passed on. Regina's own daughter felt just as betrayed and alone as she herself once did.
She forced the thought out of her head and continued digging, concentrating on the rhythmic sound of her exhale. The farther she dug, the nice, mediocre life she had foraged for herself became more and more disillusioned. Finally, her fingers found a worn piece of parchment paper. She pulled it out of the chest and directly pushed it into her back pocket, knowing exactly what the words on the parchment read. Uncharacteristically leaving the hallway mess as it was, Regina raced down the stairs, grabbed her keys, and headed out the door.
Headlights cut through the misty air, cold still hanging around in clouds of breath. Although Regina had created every cubic foot of the town of Storybrooke, she still found herself at a loss at where exactly to find the alluring red headed woman who lived somewhere in the woods. Anger continued to fuel her motivation to peruse the woman; if Caroline's safety was in danger, she would do anything in her power to put a stop to it. Her stress deepened with every blind turn, hardly noticing the increasing speedometer. In no time at all, she was surrounded by trees. Panic blurred her senses, unearthing a version of herself that had not been seen in a decade.
However, everything became suddenly clear when the outline of a farmhouse appeared at the end of the road, a single light glowing through the window. She exhaled, feeling a chill within her as she stared back at the ghostly house. What she going to do was still a mystery- the Evil Queen would surely know how to handle this situation. Sadly, Regina wasn't sure if she still existed. Living in suburbia took more of a toll than she realized. A shadow moved behind the curtain drawn front windows, snapping Regina out of her wary state- she found herself marching up to the front door within seconds.
The door opened, revealing a red haired woman in an emerald green blazer. She had been awaiting her arrival, clearly.
"Bit early in the morning for guests, don't you think?"
Regina withheld a response as she continued to analyze the person who was trying to sabotage her family. "I'm guessing you enchanted the soup? The hallucination spell?"
Zelena revealed a menacing smile, accepting the challenge. "Thought your little housewife routine might need a little sprucing up," she quipped, opening the door wider, "won't you come in? I make a wicked gin and tonic."
Unamused, Regina stepped into the house, grateful to get out of the cold. She could tell Zelena was putting on a mean face for show, and it wasn't convincing for one second. It may have been a while since she had to bring out her tough side, but she was still the baddest bitch in Storybrooke.
"So let's cut the bullshit, shall we?" Regina began, watching her pour the liquor, "why do you want my daughter's magic?"
Zelena simply laughed in response, handing her a glass. "Now why would I tell you that? There's so many other things we could talk about."
Tossing back the gin in a single shot, Regina wasted no time in making herself intimidating, leaning in towards the other woman with her menacing glare. "I'm not here to chat. You are a threat to my family, and I can't have threats in my town."
Unfazed by the power move, Zelena sipped her drink with one hand and reached forward with the other, grabbing the paper that was sticking out of her back pocket. When Regina tried taking it back, she was instantly hit with a quick burst of magic that froze her in place. Zelena took a few steps backwards and began reading the letter out loud.
Cora dear I finally got my hands on your first born. Never thought I'd find her, did you? Now I know why. She's the most powerful sorceress I've never encountered, even more powerful than you. Stunning, in every way.
Finishing her drink, Zelena locked eyes again with her statue of a guest, amusement glowing in her complexion.
"All this time, you thought this letter was about you, how sad... do you believe me now, Sis?"
She noticed the anger flare across her face, jaw tightly clenched and hands ready to attack.
"Everything I told you in that dream was true- Cora had me before she married your father, and she gave me up without a second thought. And you..." she glowered, her voice dropping dangerously low, "you took everything that was meant to be mine. I'm going to take it all from you, everything. You really thought that the Evil Queen could have a happy ending? I've seen what you've done; you're not fooling me for a second. I wonder- does your precious daughter know how many necks you've broken with that magic of yours, how many lives destroyed by your delusion over Snow White? Oh, and don't even get me started on that stepson of yours- he practically begged for more information on his birth mother. Quite the tight ship you run Regina. You can play the role of loving mother and doting wife all you want- but we both know who you are deep inside."
Regina then lunged forward, breaking through Zelena's spell and going straight for a chokehold. The redhead looked stunned as Regina slammed her against the wall, knocking the air right out of her.
"I will not have anyone else tell me who I am and where my place in the world is," she demanded hotly, seething with anger "- and I've come too fucking far for someone like you to take it all away!"
Slowly Regina began to squeeze, dark magic running through her fingers. "If stopping you from taking my daughter means killing you right here, then so be it."
A swift kick to her middle gave Zelena the upper hand once again, sending a surge of green magic towards the other woman before she regained her footing. In a flash Regina was on her back, her face grimacing in pain. Zelena quickly had her pinned down with magic, violence gleaming through her eyes.
"If you kill me, Caroline will never forgive you," she responded, "I'm the only one who truly understands her- I haven't been feeding her lies like you have."
"I'm her mother." Regina shot back, feeling herself weaken by the second. "And I'd do anything to keep her safe."
Towering over her, Zelena conjured up a small vile and syringe, taking pleasure in filling the syringe with the mysterious liquid. Regina watched the needle in terror, knowing there could be a million things it could do to her. Just as Zelena opened her mouth, the door swung open, revealing a very disgruntled and out of breath thief.
"Regina!"
He seemed stunned walking into such a chaotic scene. Lunging forward, Zelena stopped him in mid motion, giving Regina the chance to break free from her grasp.
"Try anything and I'll kill him," the redhead said swiftly, "he's not necessary for what I have planned."
Regina felt a jab to her chest that no magic could initiate. She wanted nothing more than this horrific night to end. "Let him go and we can talk this out without magic," she said calmly, her gaze never once leaving that of her husbands.
Zelena let out another obnoxious laugh. "I can't believe how pathetic you sound. Caroline deserves far better than you two."
With that, the hold on Robin was released, just as the syringe Zelena was holding came crashing into contact with Regina's neck. The liquid in the vile was injected into her system. Robin shoved Zelena out of the way as his wife fell to the ground gracefully, like the floor beneath her disappeared entirely. In a matter of seconds, his life was torn to shreds.
"What did you do to her?" Robin demanded, all of his emotions erupting at once.
Zelena seemed lost in her thoughts as she observed the two- the man shot up and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her roughly. "God damnit, what did you do?"
She seemed unfazed by this act. "Don't worry, she's not dead," -much to her dismay- "and it's not a sleeping curse, if you were wondering. It's something I came across from a new land- the victim is forced to relive their worst day over and over again, until the person who put them there releases them."
Pulling away from his tight grasp on her, she returned her focus to Regina. She instantly hated how peaceful she looked, given the nature of the curse she had just been out under.
"W-why are you doing this," exhaled Robin, his voice hoarse. "And what the hell do you want with our daughter?"
"Funny you should ask- I have the perfect proposition for you, Robin Hood. What I have planned requires more magic than I can create. Caroline, however, has exactly what I need. If you and her accompany me on a journey, I'll bring Regina back."
Back on his knees, Robin cradled his wife's head in his hands, tears forming in his blue eyes. "I can't put my daughter in harms way- I won't. Find someone else with magic."
"Do you not want to ever see your wife again?" Zelena demanded, quickly grow in irritated, "it has to be her. She has the strongest magic in this godforsaken town. Emma Swan, well she hasn't exactly been exercising her abilities. Rumplestiltskin is too old to do anything. This town is full of weak, pathetic people who've forgotten where they came from-"
"And what is your plan? Surely it wouldn't end well for my daughter."
"I'm going to go back in time," she replied curtly, noticing the look of confusion on his face, "I was robbed of a chance to be with my mother and claim the destiny that was meant for me. By going back to the moment when my mother left me, I can change history. And Caroline will be fine- I'll just take her magic."
By then, Robin's head was spinning. "You want me to leave my son without warning to follow you, with my daughter, back in time to the Enchanted Forest? And you expect me to go along with this?"
"No one else here can save her but me- there are infinite amounts of cursed realms out there, only I know which one her soul is in. As for your son- Roland, was it? You can write him a note explaining everything, I'm feeling charitable. But we're leaving tonight, as soon as possible."
Robin couldn't think over the sound of his heart pounding. Protecting his family was his only priority- and he knew this was not the way. Surely Emma could save Regina, or the fairies...
With a swift flick of her wrist, Zelena watched as the man lost consciousness and fell down next to his wife.
"Heroes," she scoffed, observing them for a moment before heading out the door. The next step in her plan was underway.
Told you it was a crazy one! I really chose the worst place to take a three year break from writing... but I'm here to stay. I'll be updating every Monday. Shoutout to all the OG fans of We Can Love Again and Cursed Hearts- welcome back! And a big huge hello to all the newcomers joining in. It's gonna be a wild ride! Where do ya'll think Regina went? Get ready for Caroline's first trip to the Enchanted Forest!