Chapter Nine - Intent
"All the reasonings of men are not worth one sentiment of women."
-Voltaire
"Give it a rest already!" Regina grimaced as the globe in her pocket violently shook against her leg again. That had to be the third time in the past couple of hours. Good god, what was he doing to her, she thought with a pang of jealousy and resentment deep in her heart. Leave it to Miss Swan to get a piece while she had to slink around dark alleys and save the Savior's well-fucked ass.
Oh, bad choice of words. And now that image was stuck in her head. Great. Just great.
She was at the back entrance to Gold's shop, her hands held up before her as she checked for any magical security systems or modern ones that Gold might have installed. Focused on not getting caught, she didn't pause to pull the sphere from her pocket, instead taking two seconds to roll her eyes in annoyance before turning to the door in front of her.
Several minutes later and she'd come up empty. There weren't any spells in place to keep people out and there weren't any cameras or alarms at the back of the shop. Regina paused before reaching down to grab the doorknob in her hand, inserting a key into the lock.
When she was mayor, she'd had keys to several different places throughout the town in her possession, not typical behavior for a mayor, but she'd been an Evil Queen long before she'd been a politician and old habits died hard. Mary Margaret had passed her the key to Gold's shop after they'd swung by the Mayor's office, for once not passing judgement, perhaps wisely understanding that Regina's prior devious behavior was currently helping to save her daughter's life.
Regina was cautious as she entered the shop, knowing that a man like Gold had to have some type of trap in place to catch intruders, even if she couldn't easily detect it. There was no way he trusted anyone in this town not to rob him blind while his back was turned and rightly so, after all he'd done to them over the years.
But it was Storybrooke, stuck in time and limited in technology, so perhaps he'd simply resorted to trusting people's fear of the Dark One to keep his shop safe. She moved carefully all the same, keeping her eyes and ears peeled for any sign that he was watching her or a that a spell was about to poof her out of existence.
She closed the door quietly behind her, twisting the lock back into place. Looking carefully around, she saw nothing amiss before she moved deeper into the room. She knew she'd have to be mindful once she made it into the front part of the shop since anyone could look into the windows and see her there, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. She could crouch down behind the counter and if she remembered correctly, the book was on a lower shelf; it should definitely be within her reach if she stretched up a bit.
She reflected that it should seem more odd to her that she was working to save Emma, the woman who had turned her life into chaos since entering it. Ever since the Savior had come into town, life had been anything but ideal. Even knowing that, though, she had to admit that she had found happiness amongst the pain. She was closer to Henry and she'd even managed to find peace with Mary Margaret, understanding the woman better now than she ever had when they were in the Enchanted Forest.
Forgiveness was a marvelous thing, she reflected, knowing that its grace was making her a different person, giving her a whole new chance at life, and making her more than just a one note villain. Perhaps it was because she knew she had Emma to thank for that that she found herself sneaking through Gold's shop to find out how an incubus and an endless night of passion were going to harm the Savior.
She was able to make her way to the front of the shop, where she crouched down behind the counter and inched closer to the bookcase. Hearing a noise outside the shop, she dropped fully onto her knees, silently cursing as her pant leg snagged on a nail. The voices came and went as a couple walked past the shop, enjoying an evening stroll along main street.
She exhaled in relief then moved forward again, promising to bill Emma for a new pair of pants to replace the ones she'd just ruined. Once she was under the shelf she wanted, she reached slowly up, pausing with her hand before the right book, her eyes sliding shut in concentration as she again checked for any magical entrapments.
She couldn't fight the feeling of unease when she again found nothing.
What are you playing at Rumplestiltskin, she questioned silently, biting her lip before deciding that she didn't have any other option and grabbing the book off the shelf. Clutching it to her chest, she brought her hand up to body, ready to cast the spell that would transport her home when she stopped.
Gold wasn't a stupid man and anything in his shop that was of real value could probably only be taken by someone with powerful magic. If she used any magic within this shop, he'd know, instantly. That was the security system he'd set up, she was sure.
It was what she would do.
Gotcha, she smirked with the realization. Now ready to make quick tracks to the exit, she paused as she felt the globe vibrating in her pocket again. It started off slowly, but quickly rocketed about, heat radiating against her thigh. She jammed her hand into her pocket, annoyance and jealousy twisting her mouth as she grabbed onto the orb, yanking it from her pocket to stare down as it broke free from her grasp and hovered above her palm again.
She watched in awe as tendrils of white light broke under the surface, stretching out like the branches of a tree, the glow and heat warming her face as it expanded and temporarily overwhelmed the blackness swirling inside the sphere. Once the shaking stopped, half the globe was filled with a quickly revolving white light, the heat never completely leaving now.
It was beautiful, she had to admit, the sophisticated bit of magic well protected inside the globe. She reached back into her pocket, now pulling out her phone to snap another picture of the slowly rotating sphere to send to Emma. Once the picture was taken, she moved to slide the phone back into her coat, stopping when her eyes landed on the book she'd set on the floor to take the picture.
An idea occurred to her as she glanced from the book to her phone. She opened the book where it lay, searching quickly for the pages she needed and sighing in relief when she found them all there; her assumption that Gold wouldn't deface his own copy of the book had been correct. She flipped her phone back open, snapping quick shots of the pages before setting the book back on the shelf. She grabbed the orb and her phone, shoving both down into her pocket before making her way carefully to the back door.
She surveyed the shop one more time before opening the door to exit, confident she'd left no clues as to her presence in the shop. She relocked the door with a twist of her key, moving quickly into the shadows of the night. She made sure to walk several paces away from the building as a precaution before using her magic to transport herself to her living room.
Once there, she quickly texted Mary Margaret, letting her know she'd arrived safely home before sending another text to Emma, her mouth twisting up in dark humor as she attached the picture of the glowing orb to it and typed a message before hitting send.
When Mary Margaret arrived at the house, Regina made them a quick meal. It'd been hours since she'd eaten and she had a feeling that this night was going to continue to drag on before they were finally able to solve the riddle of the incubus. Mary Margaret settled at her kitchen counter, thanking her profusely for the leftover lasagna, turning her nose up at the homemade applesauce Regina had thoughtlessly heaped onto her plate.
"Oops," she said, smiling sheepishly and shrugging in apology before settling down next to Mary Margaret, her phone open between them, the picture of the book text on the small screen.
"Do you think anyone saw you?" Mary Margaret asked around a mouthful of pasta, chewing and swallowing in obvious pleasure. "I've barely eaten all day. This is so good, Regina, thank you."
"Slow down. You're going to end up dribbling on yourself if you continue to eat that fast. And no, no one saw me. I may not have lived as a thief for a major portion of my life, but I still know how to steal a thing or two without getting caught," Regina sniffed.
"Oh, simmer down. You've got mad skills," Mary Margaret said, rolling her eyes sarcastically before nodding to the phone on the counter. "What does it say?"
Regina picked it up, squinting as she slowly read the text aloud,
"'Let it be known that only a night of uninterrupted passion can fully sever the hold that Laurentinus will have on the victor. But if there be love between the victor and the object of her desire, a love deep and unconquerable, the life they will create will be the product of True Love, and more powerful than any demon spawn that Laurentinus could have produced. A child like this will be infinitely good, bringing a light to the world unparalleled in its strength and power, a source of fear for those that revel in evil, a beacon of light in the dark.'"
Regina paused here, looking to the orb where it hovered above the kitchen counter, the white and black swirling sluggishly around each other. Mary Margaret looked at it as well, fear bringing her lips down in a grim line.
"What does it mean?" she asked, her eyes flicking to Regina's before going back to the sphere. Regina moved back to her phone, repositioning the image, so she could continue to read, a feeling of dread turning the lasagna she'd eaten into a hard lump in her stomach.
"'The final threat, the ultimate menace to the life of the victor and her child, will come in the form of a Sphere, which can house the essence of the babe's soul, imprisoning the product of True Love before it is born into existence. If one were to posses such a Sphere, one would own a power unlike any the world has ever know, becoming the master not only of the babe, but of the world that the child would rule in the name of the master.'"
Regina sat back, her eyes wide with horror at the information she'd just gained. It was Gold, she knew it without a doubt; the Dark One wouldn't be able to pass up ruling the world as well as a being as powerful as the product of True Love.
Mary Margaret hadn't moved as she read, her mouth sliding open in horror as she listened to Regina. All the color had drained from her face, making her skin even paler than normal as she digested what she'd heard.
"So, let me get this straight. The incubus was called forth to seduce and impregnate Emma, so that someone could control the resulting baby, ruling the world with a demon spawn. But really though, that was just Plan B because the bigger goal was to have Emma and Killian conceive a baby, a baby that would be the product of True Love. A poor, innocent baby that could then be controlled, if its essence was captured in that little globe over there. So once it's born, someone can just swoop down and steal it away from Emma and Killian, forcing their child to do evil things. Is that about the gist of it?"
"A little wordy, Madam Mayor, but yes, your summary is correct," Regina confirmed. "And, while the book doesn't specifically mention this, I have a feeling that since the baby would be the product of True Love twice over, it would probably be even more desirable to the person orchestrating this whole situation."
"It's Gold, isn't it? He's the only one powerful enough to call a being like the incubus to Emma, the only one that can so easily manipulate us to get us all exactly where he wants us to be, where he needs Emma and Killian to be."
"Yes, that devious little imp has much to gain from such a plan." Regina sighed, dropping the phone down beside her plate, staring with disdain at her half eaten meal.
"Can we just smash it?" Mary Margaret asked, nodding to the sphere as it rotated on its axis. Regina shook her head, picking the phone back up to scroll through the text, searching for any reference on how to thwart Gold's plans now that they'd been set in motion. She was extremely concerned about their options, though, suspecting that he never would've allowed the orb out of his possession if there was a way to stop him by harming it.
She moved to the last section of the text, the words she read there twisting her gut, which she carefully hid from her companion. She swallowed and read aloud, watching out of the corner of her eye as Mary Margaret listened hopefully to her.
"'If the incubus is to be thwarted, the victim must partner with the object of her desire, experiencing uninterrupted bliss, killing Laurentinus with the joining of their bodies and souls as one. The victor, ready to receive her lover's seed will conceive a child. If that child is born of True Love, it will have the power to save realms or destroy them.'" Regina paused before speaking the last few sentences, trying to keep the ominous tone from her voice and failing miserably. "'If the Sphere of Laurentum has been used to trap the essence of the child, fear the end of days, for a dark evil is at work in the world. Guard the Sphere well for destroying it will destroy the child. The only one who can save the child and ultimately, the world, will be the victor, the savior of realms, and the victim of Laurentinus's dark desire. Only her sacrifice can break the grip of evil, force away the dark, and bring light into the world.'"
"Emma," Mary Margaret breathed, an infinite sadness in her voice. When Regina looked at her, she found tears gathered in the younger woman's eyes.
"It's not fair. When does my daughter actually get to enjoy her happy ending? She's found love, found her family, a home, but even having all of that doesn't mean she gets to rest. She has to sacrifice...she has to be the one who saves us all. Again. When does it end? Please, Regina, tell me because I'm beginning to lose hope."
Regina reached out, the gesture automatic as she gripped Mary Margaret's trembling hand in her own. "If there's one thing I've learned since meeting your daughter is that she's a survivor. She'll get through this, Snow, just like she always does."
"But at what cost? Will she lose her baby or Killian or someone else? Will she have to sacrifice herself to defeat Gold? What?"
"I don't know, but what I do know is that this time Emma has us to back her up. We'll figure this out. And if there's one thing I've learned since meeting you, it's that there's always hope."
"How can we just let Emma and Killian keep going, knowing what will happen once they conceive this baby?"
"If we stop them, the incubus will go after Emma again and he'll win this time. He'll seduce her, impregnate her and she'll bear an evil child that Gold will control. We can't allow that to happen. At least this way, Emma will be able to break free from the incubus and the baby will be good, will be a purveyor of white magic. She'll be able to save it and the world, if we give her half a chance."
Mary Margaret said nothing in response, not willing to speculate any further on exactly what sacrifice would be required of the Savior this time. They both stared over at the orb, rotating slowly above the counter, understanding its power in a whole new way now.
Regina finally stood, moving to the sphere, waiving her hand over it to create a protection spell. She knew it wouldn't ultimately be powerful enough to keep Gold away, but it was better than nothing. She stared down at the Sphere of Laurentum, finally understanding that within its glass surface was the visible embodiment of True Love, surviving against the darkest of odds. The beginning of life.
"I'll keep you safe until Emma can do so herself," she murmured to the white light pulsing within the glass, pulling the orb back into her hand and gripping it tightly as she made her vow.
She didn't know how she'd fix this, but she would. No one messed with her family, not even a magic addicted little dick like Gold. Especially not him.