Chapter 26

Previously on Love Bites:

The magic dome spreading was what woke Regina up. She reached out to touch Emma and noticed the cold sheets which caused her to sit up and look around. "Emma?" Tears welled in her eyes. She couldn't figure out why. It was like her subconscious knew something that she did not. She felt hollow; Empty. Something was now missing. "Oh God, please no. Emma, what did you do?" She no longer felt the protection spell around the vault and knew something happened to her True Love. Bolting out of bed and magically dressing herself, Regina ran outside and put a new protection spell on the vault before teleporting to Emma's house.

Mal, Lily and Ruby all stood around the stone sword in the ground. The ash that had been piled next to it began blowing away with the breeze. Their vision blurred from the eyes welled with fat tears. "Dammit, Emma." Ruby grabbed the stone hilt and jerked her arm back to pull the sword out, but it wouldn't budge. She wanted to smash the thing in anger. She then kicked at hit and punched it, but nothing happened. The stone remained unscathed.

Lily walked up and tried using her dragon strength on the stone sword, but still, there was no movement. As Mal watched the two young women take out their anger on Excalibur, she studied the stone surface. Holding out her hand, palm facing the sword, she decided to see what effect magic would have. "Move out of the way, Girls." She then released a fire ball at the sword. No effect. Next, she sent lightening. No effect. She tried several different elements and none scratched the surface. "Interesting." She walked over and ran her fingers down the stone blade and noticed a warmth emitting from the stone where she had touched. Smiling, she did it again and again she noticed a heat extending from the stone when she touched it. "Emma?"

Regina appeared in the living room of Emma's house and took in the surroundings. Tristan was sitting in Audrey's lap with a violin and smiling like she was proud of something she had just done. Audrey was hugging the girl tightly and kissing her head while praising her. Henry was stood in the middle of the room looking around as if he'd lost something or someone. The Charmings were stood on the other side of the room with a look of confusion on their faces. Anger took over as Regina marched over to Snow and slapped her across the face as she fumed, glaring at her former nemesis.

Charming immediately stepped between the two women, "Regina! What the hell?" Snow just stood in stunned silence with her hand over her aching cheek as she stared at Regina with her jaw dropped. Henry ran over to grab his mother and stop her from slapping his grandmother again.

With nostrils flaring, Regina finally spoke, "Henry, please take your sister upstairs. What I'm about to say should not be heard by little ears." Henry knew this request wasn't up for debate so he quietly went over and picked his little sister up and took her upstairs along with her violin. Seeing that there was about to be a showdown, Audrey decided to follow them upstairs.

When a door was heard clicking shut, Snow finally spoke, "R, Regina, why?" What did I…?"

"How could you?! How does a mother allow her daughter to be raped? How could you ask Killian to do such a thing? Just to get her away from me? From Rumple?" Regina charged towards Snow again, but David held out his arm to keep Regina away.

His face paled at the words and he looked over his shoulder at his ashen wife who stood speechless at Regina' accusations. He wrapped his arms around Regina to hold her in place and prevent further violence and then turned fully around to face Snow while continuing to hold Regina with his arms around her. "Snow? What's she talking about?"

Snow stared at the floor shaking her head in denial. She mumbled so quietly that neither could hear her incoherent words. "SNOW!", David yelled again which seemed to snap her out of her state.

"What? I would never tell…"

"Killian confessed to Emma! He said you told him to make sure she wouldn't be near me or Rumple again! It's your fault she suffered at the hands of that monster!" Regina tried freeing herself from David's hold so that she could charge towards Snow once more, but David wasn't having it.

Snow continued shaking her head, "I never told him to do rrr….rrraaaa…to do that!" Tears fell from her cheeks and she watched Regina shake with rage I David's arms. "I was concerned about how close the two of you were getting and she was hanging around the Dark One for God's sake! She should've been focusing on Killian! I simply told him he needed to come up with something to separate her from the two of you." Sparks formed in Regina's hands as she listened, but Snow continued, "He would never do such a thing to Emma. He's her True Love! I'm sure you're being melodramatic."

Lightening shot out of Regina's hands and soon the room darkened from storm clouds building outside above the house. Red glowed from Regina's irises and soon, David was shocked into releasing his grip on the angry witch. Slowly, Regina approached Snow as her body began to glow white and her eyes flared red in color. David was pushed back from the sheer force of Regina's magic and he couldn't manage to get close enough to her to hold her off again. Snow began backing up until her back hit a wall. Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes and felt Regina stop in front of her, almost close enough to be nose to nose.

"That filthy pirate drugged Emma and Rumple and decided to strip them naked so that they would wake up in bed together and think something happened, but not before having his way with Emma while she laid there unconscious. When she discovered she was pregnant, she had no recollection of when she had been Killian. Before leaving town, she came to my house and kissed me. That kiss, True Love's Kiss, changed Tristan's DNA so that she became mine. True Love ensured that we could still have a child. Thank the God's that kiss undid some of the damage done by you and that piece of trash."

Snow looked at Regina in shock and then shook her head, refusing to believe the story just told. "I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding. We can find Killian once this is all over and he can explain everything."

Smirking, Regina leaned in close, "Killian's dead. Em-ma removed his head for him and turned him to dust."

Snow's eyes grew as Regina raised her hand, building up magic into a bright red fireball, preparing to finish off the woman in front of her. She failed to notice the three people that had returned behind her. A hand quickly grabbed Regina's wrist and pulled it down, ignoring the burning of their skin as they did it. Regina whirled around to blast the intruder, but then noticed it was Red holding her wrist and looking in her eyes with sorrow and pity. The magic quickly receded and Snow White was forgotten. All Regina could think about was Emma and Red's expression had her very worried. "Where's Emma?"

6 weeks later

Regina sat in the grass staring at the stone sword stuck in the ground. She had tried so hard to find a way to bring Emma back, but with no luck. She looked around the land in awe of what Emma's magic had done. Erased was the damage the battle had caused and, in its place, beautiful flowers and trees stood tall. The magic from the sword was supplying life to the ravaged land. It was truly a stunning sight. Regina could feel the warmth emanating from the sword. 'Oh Emma. My love.' Eyes filled with tears as she stared at the hilt trying to decipher its markings. Maleficent walked up next to her and sat beside her in the grass while wrapping her arm around Regina's shoulder and bringing her close in a comforting hug.

The last several weeks were spent looking for the First's wand which was believed to have been sucked up by Excalibur since it was never found. Maleficent and Regina poured through tomes with Belle trying to find a way to bring Emma's soul back.

The Charming's, meanwhile, stayed in their apartment, refusing to see anyone. Rumors had spread of Emma's and Regina's relationship and the true parentage of Tristan. Most people were accepting, but some, loyalists of the White Kingdom, were disgusted and wanted answers from their Queen. When Regina would run errands with Tristan and Audrey, mumbling could be heard all around them. One glare from the Dark Queen and the people would move on.

Tristan had been inconsolable the first few nights without Emma. She couldn't understand why she couldn't see her grandparents anymore and why she was unable to summon her blonde mother. The one night, her magic finally exploded during one of her tantrums. While Regina was holding her daughter trying to ease her tears, she heard her parents' voices behind her. She whirled around and their stood Henry and Cora Mills. Rumple stood off to the side in shock that he was back and visible. He felt around his body in shock that he was tangible.

When Regina asked how it was possible, Rumple explained that summoning spirits was like using a new muscle when she was a vampire. Though she no longer was a child of the night, she still remembered how to use that muscle. She used her magic to achieve the summoning.

Tristan seemed to settle more after more familiar faces were in the house which made Regina's life easier so that she could do more research to find Emma.

Henry refused to speak to the Charming's after overhearing what Snow had done in the past. He moved into Emma's house with Regina and Roland to help take care of his siblings and keep Tristan in a home she was familiar with.

"Where's Tris?" Regina asked while still staring straight ahead at the stone sword.

Mal winced, "She wanted to stay home and try summoning Emma again. She doesn't understand why it won't work."

Tears fell down Regina's face as she squeezed her eyes closed in pain. "How can I tell her that her mother's soul is trapped in that stone? How can I tell her that her mother will never rest in peace?"

Mal squeezed Regina's shoulder a little more, "She's at peace. Look at this land. This is her doing. Emma accepted her fate and knew the consequences. She saved the world with her sacrifice."

Regina swatted Mal's arms away and stood up, "She left us! Why did she do it? We would've found a way! What the hell was she thinking?"

Standing up and shaking her head, Mal sighed, "There was no other way, Regina. You know this." Her hand laid gently on Regina's shoulder which made Regina cry even harder. She turned and fell into Mal's arms while Mal ran her hand on Regina's hair in comforting patterns. "It's gonna be alright. I've got you. We're all here for you." She rubbed Regina's back and then noticed the sword behind Regina change color. It glowed a mysterious blue color. "Regina, look."

Regina turned around and gasped as she watched the magic around the sword. The deep blue hue smoked around the sword and eventually a puddle of water formed on the ground where the blade was buried. Regina walked up and extended her arm, about to touch the blade, when Mal grabbed her hand and pulled it back.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"It's ok, Mal. I think I understand."

Regina touched the blade with her fingers and felt a warmth enter her body and spread all over her skin. "She's crying. She's worried about me." Regina turned to Mal with a smile through her tears, "She's still in there, Mal. I can feel her. I know she's there."

Mal smiled, "Of course she is, honey. Look around you. She did all of this."

Regina's smile then faded and her shoulders fell as she let out a heavy sigh, "What are we going to do, Mal? We haven't found a way to get her back. We're running out of places to look." As Regina got herself worked up again, she became nauseous and ran to the nearest tree to vomit. Mal chased behind her to make sure her friend was alright and to try and calm her down. They failed to notice the sword change again. A white glow kept flashing from the sword in what appeared to be like morse code and then it stopped.

Regina threw up twice more and finally calmed down. Mal had kept rubbing soothing circles on her back and then pulled her up to a standing position. "Let's get you home, hon. You can lie down and rest before we research some more."

When they teleported back to the house, Tristan was in the living room with Audrey working on a puzzle. "Mama!" She ran up to Regina and bear hugged her left leg while holding her hands up, a subtle hint that she wanted to be picked up.

"Hello my little Princess." Regina scooped her up and placed a kiss on her cheek while.

"Is Mommy coming home yet?"

Regina's smile faded, "Not yet, sweetheart, but we're trying really hard. I promise."

Nodding, Tristan wriggled to get back down and run back to her puzzle that she was working on with Audrey. "Li Li, come see!" She was still so attached to Maleficent and Mal just glowed at the love the little girl gave to her. She had missed raising Lily so this meant the world to her.

"Of course, my little dragon."

Regina watched the three admire Tristan's puzzle and quietly went upstairs to Emma's room and laid on the bed, inhaling the blonde's scent and closing her eyes. The smell always calmed her nerves and it definitely helped to settle her stomach. She closed her eyes and quickly dozed off while dreaming of Emma's return.

Downstairs, there was a knock at the front door. Mal stood up, "I'll get it." When she opened the door, she found Belle standing there with wide eyes and three books in her grasp.

"Oh, thank goodness you're home. Can you help me and take one of these books? They're quite heavy." Mal quickly grabbed one of the books and laid it on the entryway table and then assisted with the other two. When Belle walked in, she couldn't believe her eyes. Across the room sat her dead husband, Rumple. She moved forward slowly towards him and he quickly stood up from his chair. "Rumple?" She knew of Tristan's power, but this was her first time seeing her husband. Her voice caught in her throat as she fought back tears. Her hand extended to touch his cheek. When it made contact, she coughed out a sob and fell into his arms. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't save you. I didn't know what had happened. If I had known…"

"Shh, shh, shh. It's ok. You couldn't have known. It's alright." He held her and rocked side to side while she stood in his arms. He kissed the top of her head while she held onto him tighter.

"Li Li, why is Belle crying?"

With watery eyes at the scene, Mal swallowed hard, "Belle loves your grandpa very much and hasn't seen him in a very long time. Those are happy tears, Sweetie."

Nodding her head in understanding, Tristan shrugged, "Oh" and went back to her puzzle. She had no idea the gift her powers had given Belle and the others.

Another knock on the door had Audrey and Mal look at each other in concern. Mal nodded in silent communication and went to the door while Audrey stayed with Tristan. As she opened the door, Zelena pushed her way in, "About bloody time, Dragon. Where's my sister?"

Mal rolled her eyes, "And hello to you too! I'm fine, thanks for asking."

Zelena rolled her eyes and then noticed the scene across the room with Belle and Rumple. She sneered at the former Dark One and quickly forgot about him when 30 pounds of little girl crashed into her legs. "Aunt Z! Aunt Z! Come see my puzzle!" Tristan then placed her hands on Zelena's tummy, always fascinated at the growing bump and knowing there was a baby inside. Zelena smiled softly at the action and then followed Tristan to humor her. She glared at Mal as if to say 'this isn't over'.

Audrey got up to run to the kitchen and pour refreshments for everyone since Zelena and Mal seemed to have Tristan thoroughly entertained. Upon her return, she handed glasses of lemonade to everyone except Rumple and finally everyone could sit down and explain their presence.

Clearing her throat, Belle spoke up first, "I found some things in my research that I wanted to ask you and Regina about, but now that Rumple and Zelena are here, I'd like everyone's opinion. Once everyone nodded, Belle opened the three books across the center coffee table. The first book had an image of the hilt of Excalibur as it appears now in the ground. The second book had a triangular pictogram shown with the First's wand inside of it. The third book had an awakening spell displaying the same pictogram as the second book. The spell was titled True Love's Triquetra Awakening.

Rumple looked at the old browned pages which he had never seen before. He recognized the book from her collection and knew he had never looked through them. He was collected them through the centuries, but never opened them. He had been too busy with other schemes, but they made nice additions to his magical collection. Knowledge was power and he liked to have stored knowledge.

Zelena grabbed the third book with the spell and read through it. "This spell would require three True Loves of Emma to complete. Have you completely snapped? No one has three True Loves let alone three with magic!"

Nodding in agreement, Belle continued, "I know, I know. I knew Regina was her True Love, but she also has Tristan and Henry."

Zelena scoffed, "Henry doesn't have magic. Who will you get for the third?"

A voice spoke up from the stairway, "I think I have an idea who the third is."

Everyone turned from their seated positions to see Regina standing on the staircase, her hand resting on her flat belly.