Nightfall came quickly in the Enchanted Forest. Emma and Regina had both been silent for the majority of the rest of that day. Emma felt like she was contemplating everything, but she also felt like she wasn't thinking about anything at all. Deep inside she knew that she just needed to go home. She needed to see her son. She needed to talk to her mother and father. Emma knew that no matter which avenue she took, she needed to spend the rest of her life with Henry and Regina no matter what path she had to take to make that happen.
They had made plans to go into the forest the next day to cast the spell. Regina swore that only two people who be able to go through the portal using the incantation she knew. There was no way that any strange animals or any other creature would follow them to Storybrooke. Regina seemed lost in thought. She seemed nervous.
When they got in bed that night, Regina clung to Emma tightly like this might be the last time she ever got to hold the blonde. Emma didn't want to say anything. She knew Regina had been through a lot earlier that day to tell her about Daniel, and she didn't want to push her too far. Regina needed her strength for the next day. When a cold tear slide down Emma's bare arm, she looked down at the woman below her.
She used her hand that wasn't wrapped around Regina to pull the brunette's chin up so that their eyes met.
"What's wrong?" Emma asked searching Regina's face for some indication to what was bothering the brunette.
Regina was trying to stop her sobbing to answer the blonde, but it took some time. "I appreciated your reassurances earlier." Regina began. "I know in your mind we will go back to Storybrooke, you will tell your story, everyone will forgive me, and we will live happily ever after. But, that probably isn't going to happen."
"What do you think will happen?" Emma asked knowing that what Regina had just said was one hundred percent true. Emma didn't see why it had to be any other way other than the way she had been picturing it since they had arrived here.
"I don't know. There is no question that they will want their vengeance against me. You might be able to convince Snow and Charming not to kill me, but that doesn't mean they won't lock me up for the rest of my life. That also doesn't mean that anyone else will allow that. We don't know how much say your parents will have. They are rightfully royalty here. There is no question about that, but the world you grew up in is different. In Storybrooke, they weren't owned or dirt poor. They had jobs, food, homes, and at least a little bit of money to spare. It isn't like that here. Here most of them were poor farmers or people who did hard labor. They were controlled completely even by the most benevolent king and queen." Regina's explanation surprised Emma. She hadn't thought of it from that perspective.
"They all trust my parents." Emma countered weakly, but it was the only thing she had.
"They do trust them. Here, they loved them. There wasn't a person in this land that didn't want Snow to be Queen, but they aren't in this land anymore. If it were up to all of them, I would have been dead before I cast the curse. Your mother stopped it every time. They won't trust her to deal with me."
"Maybe not, but they'll trust David." Emma answered.
Regina laughed then. It was the bitter laugh of the Evil Queen, and Emma wouldn't lie that it sent a shiver down her spine. "Your father is spineless. He will go along with anything your mother says, and they all know that."
"What about Archie? Ruby? They won't just let you die." Emma answered frustrated now.
"We should rest dear." Regina said. "Whatever happens, you make sure you take care of Henry."
"You know I always will, and I will take care of you too." Emma answered before placing a quick kiss to a tan forehead. Emma held Regina tight as they both drifted off to sleep.
It was still dark out when Emma and Regina both bolted upright in bed. They looked at each other in complete panic as another boom similar to the one that had woken them up sounded near the outside of the castle. They were both up in seconds pulling on clothes and grasping for their supplies. If anyone knew they were there, they certainly might be seeking their own vengeance against the Evil Queen. Mulan and Aurora could have figured out who they were easily.
They were about to leave the room when Emma grabbed Regina's hand. "What the hell is that?"
"I don't know, but I can honestly tell you that it probably isn't good." Regina answered. "The only things that can make that loud of a sound in this land are cannons, ogers, and magic."
"Which one should we hope it is?" Emma asked trying to calm herself down.
"Honestly none of them are good." Regina began. "Ogers are dangerous, but they are also blind. If we are quiet, we can get past them. Cannons are dangerous too, but we can take out the person firing it if they are indeed firing it at us. Magic is the one we should be afraid of because it is so unpredictable."
Emma pulled her gun out of its holster. She didn't care if there was a magical person outside. If she shot them through their head before they could cast a spell, everything would be alright. She forced Regina behind her even though Regina could probably protect them much better than Emma could. It was in her nature to go above her own abilities to protect the people that she cared about.
The two inched out of the castle and stuck close to the structure. They were masked in the darkness of the castle's shadow as they made their way around to the front grounds. Emma stopped Regina immediately when she heard voices. They both listened carefully. Emma could make out the hushed whispers of a man but that was it. She pushed Regina back a few feet so they could speak hoping that the strangers couldn't hear them.
"You know there are others here." Emma said in a hushed whisper. "Maybe they just found the castle. We should show ourselves."
"Emma we don't know who it is. That could be incredibly dangerous." Regina said trying to urge Emma to think rationally about a world she couldn't even begin to understand.
"Or maybe they are just lost. We can speak, offer them a place to stay if they seem alright, and leave tomorrow to go back to our son." Emma answered. Regina was contemplating Emma's words wondering if she really was overreacting. "Plus" Emma began "I can't wait to get you back to your mansion. I have always wanted to sleep in your bed."
Regina laughed quietly then. Leave it to Emma to make a sex joke when they could be in a potentially dangerous situation. Regina decided eventually that it was best if they show themselves.
They moved slowly around the castle towards the voices trying to get a peek at them before they revealed their presence. All Emma could see was a man in what appeared to be a black coat.
"Who is there?" Emma finally shouted stepping out into the light streaming from the moon that wasn't blocked by the castle pulling Regina behind her.
The two people turned slowly at the sudden intrusion. A man and a woman were standing there. Emma obviously didn't recognize them, but she could tell Regina did from the quick intake of breath that she took in. It was obvious from the way the woman looked shocked that she also recognized the brunette that was now holding tighter to Emma than she ever had before.
"We come in peace." Emma said. She would have laughed if there wasn't so much tension in the air.
"Who are you girl?" The older brunette woman said stepping closer.
"Emma Swan." Emma answered quickly. She couldn't think of a reason why she shouldn't be honest about that.
"What exactly are you doing here with my daughter?" The woman barked out effectively stunning Emma into complete silence. Regina stepped to her side then.
"Mother." Regina said sharply causing Emma to chance a glance at the brunette's face. She looked completely shocked and completely terrified.
"Well isn't this lovely." The man finally began to speak. "The mother and daughter reunion we have been wasting all of our time on. Came a little earlier than I imagined, but I am thankful for the delicious blonde by your side Regina. Where did you get her?"
Emma scoffed at the man, but Regina gave her a stern look to let her know that answering wasn't in her best interest.
"Captain." Regina said sternly. "I don't think this is any of your business."
"Oh it is love." He began. "See your curse cost me twenty eight years of being frozen. Now that I have found your mother I want my crocodile. Where is he?"
"In Storybrooke." Regina said bitterly.
"Don't lie to me." The man said stepping forward and Emma mirrored his movements to move in front of Regina again. Emma chanced a glance at the woman by his side. She was older, but there was no questioning her relationship to Regina.
"We aren't lying." Emma said speaking up. "We came here by accident. Everyone else is in Storybrooke."
The older brunette stepped closer then examining Emma closely. "She can't be." She said looking surprised as realization was clear in her eyes. "You are Snow White's daughter."
Emma nodded only. "Well dear, I didn't realize that kidnapping Snow's daughter would ever be a part of your plan. I knew your curse had been broken because life resumed here, but I honestly thought they would have killed you by now." Then, Cora saw it. She took in both of their outfits. Emma's jeans and tank top a contrast to Regina's riding pants and button up shirt. Cora remembered very well the last time she saw her daughter wearing that outfit. Her daughter had been in love then. They looked to comfortable standing so close to each other. Emma's stance was without question protective as she stood between Cora and Regina.
"You fell in love with Snow White's daughter?" Cora asked with laughter present in her voice. "You foolish, foolish girl. No one from the White family will ever accept you after all that you have done. I thought you learned from the stable boy that love was weakness."
Cora lunged forward before either woman could react then sticking her hand right into the upper left of Emma's chest. Emma gasped. Regina dissolved into tears immediately. There was nothing she could do to stop this again, and she couldn't believe it was happening for a second time. Cora tugged. Regina expected to see Emma's glowing red heart in the darkness of the night, but that isn't what happened at all. Cora's hand remained in Emma's chest as she tugged again. Nothing happened. Regina regained her strength then.
"Love isn't weakness. Love is strength." Emma said. "I love your daughter, and she is nothing like the person you crafted her to be. She is stronger than that, and she will always be stronger than you." Then, Emma swung landing a hard blow right to Cora's mouth. In the second that Cora stumbled and her hand left Emma's chest, Regina grabbed her hand. Ten seconds later they were standing in the complete darkness of the forest. Emma had no idea how far away they were from the castle, but she knew she couldn't see it due to the thickness of the trees around them.
Regina seemed panicked, and Emma tried to ground her by grabbing both of her shoulders. "Who was that guy?"
"Captain Hook." Regina answered.
"Who is the crocodile?" Emma asked.
"Rumple. Hook has wanted to kill him for a long time." Regina answered trying to catch her breath.
"What do we need to do?" Emma finally asked as she herself felt the panic in her start to decrease.
"We have to go." Regina said pulling the bean from her pocket. "We have to go now."
"You aren't strong enough to cast the spell." Emma said. "We can rest here. You will sleep, and I will protect you. At day break, you can open the portal."
"I may not be strong enough, but we are." Regina said confusing Emma. "You don't realize what you just did, do you?"
Emma shook her head.
"My mother is one of the most powerful witches that has ever existed. She should have been able to take your heart without a problem, but she couldn't. You have magic inside of you Emma." Regina said smiling at the blonde.
"But I don't know how to use magic." Emma said feeling a little terrified about this.
"You do. The product of true love. I can't believe I never thought of it before." Regina clasped their hands together then. "You have to think of something that has made you feel the purest joy and love that you have ever felt. Concentrate Emma. I know you can do this."
They stood there for a few minutes in silence. Emma's face scrunched as she concentrated hard on Regina's words. Nothing was happening, and she could tell that Emma was getting frustrated. Regina spoke to Emma then trying to get her to remain focused. "Tell me what you are thinking about."
"It was my second day in Storybrooke. You had already tried to get me to leave once." Emma said. "I saw you and Henry sitting in the diner having lunch. He was talking animatedly about something, and you were looking at him like he was the best thing in the world. You were looking at him like no matter what he was actually saying that it was the golden rule. I wanted to be a part of that so bad. I knew in that moment that the only place for me was sitting right next to you. For the first time in my life, I didn't really feel afraid. I didn't want to run. No matter what you threw at me, I knew that you were the one."
Emma opened her eyes to look down at their hands. She gasped at the glow that passed between them. She felt the magic bean between her and Regina's palms. As the seconds passed, the hand with the bean in it began to glow various shades of blue and purple in their palms. Regina began to chant something that Emma couldn't understand at all. The two were thrown back in opposite directions as a portal opened between them.
Regina stood and grabbed Emma's hand before looking up at them.
"Are you ready to go home?" Emma asked.
"Trust me dear. I am more ready now than I have ever been." Regina answered before the two stepped forward ready to return to their son.
As her concept of space and time was taken away from her, Emma knew in that moment as she clung desperately to Regina's hand that she would do anything to make sure they would be and would remain a family.