Trevor washes his hands in his sink, nearly scraping the skin raw. There's too much blood. Too much. He starts to panic. It wasn't supposed to go like that. He was just supposed to make the poison and get out, but they- they- Trevor stops. His body goes cold, and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Trevor turns slowly. He trembles, and tears build in his eyes. His Princess, the Princess, stands at the threshold dressed as one of the guards with a black sword strapped to her back. Even though she smiles at him, he can see the coldness in her eyes, and he drops to his knees.
"You know why I am here, yes?"
Trevor nods shakily.
"Good. I only have one question for you. The details of why do not matter to me. Just what you did."
"They made me brew the poison strong enough to paralyze but not to kill. I was ordered to make it last at least for a few hours, which would be the end of it. But they made me come with them in case-
Trevor chokes from the hand suddenly around his neck. He looks into the familiar eyes of his Queen as she lifts him off the ground. The Princess leans against the wall with her arms folded. Trevor gasps for air and clutches the Queen's wrist.
"Y-Your Majesty," he wheezes. "P-please!"
"Where?" she growls.
Trevor struggles to speak, and the Queen loosens her grip.
"I don't know! But they threw me out on the road near the old factory," he pants. "That's all I know!"
The Queen snarls and drops him to the floor. He greedily takes in the air and looks up in shock as the Queen leaves him on the floor, but his shock turns to fear as the Princess unstraps her sword. She grins at him wickedly, her eyes flashing orange, and the Queen gestures dismissively.
"Leave him alive. Other than that," she glances at him, "enjoy yourself."
Outside, Regina inhales deeply and tries not to enjoy the sounds of Trevor's screams coming from his house. It's been so long. Regina waits patiently for her child, and when Isabella hops down the stairs, bloodstains on her shirt and bruises on her knuckles, Regina absentmindedly goes to clean her off. Isabella stops her and smiles.
"Rosalie said I looked hot like this," she says.
Regina rolls her eyes and grabs Isabella's hand. They disappear in purple smoke. When they re-appear in front of the house, quite literally everyone is there, minus Belle, who would keep an eye out in town with Vincent and Jax. Regina glances at Hook, and he tightens the hold on his sword.
"Swan is my best mate," he says stiffly.
"I know," she says.
Hook nods and Regina notices he's actually stone-cold sober for the occasion.
"Do he said anything?" Alia asks.
"The old factory near the edge of town. That is our best lead."
"Which direction?"
"East. But I have no idea if there are traps or how many people are-
Alia disappears.
"-there," Regina finishes. "Where did she go?"
"Probably to catch Emmerson's scent now that we know an area," Rosalie says.
"She can do that?"
The remaining vampires, Ruby, and Isabella, look at her, and Regina rolls her eyes. Moments later, Alia returns with two bodies in hand. Both are alive, barely, and in an obvious amount of pain. The smell of blood makes Rosalie and Emmett both growl, yet neither does anything more than move to the side. The two men wear the Queen's insignia, and Regina tempers down her rage once she recognizes them.
"It would seem I need to have a chat with Laurence when we get back," Regina says coolly.
"Until then, let's go get our boy back," Alia says darkly.
Emmerson groans as he comes to. He coughs up blood and mutters, "Why the fuck is it always me?"
"Because you are the lynchpin."
Emmerson scoffs and looks at Blue.
"You sound like a cheesy cartoon villain," he says.
"I performed a few spells on you, and it would seem our resident Queen has been busy."
"Can you be any less cryptic?"
"You think she cares about you?" Blue laughs. "She does not care about anyone but herself! She will come for you, yes, but only because she sees you as a nice and shiny toy. She knows our goal to return to the Enchanted Forest remains in limbo with you at her side. But, thankfully, I have found a way to remove those pesky little spells and that awful tattoo."
Emmerson freezes.
"I know her Majesty likes to think I am magically inept, but I have my strengths. Your mother made a wish, and with that wish, I was given complete and total control. After today, you will no longer be," she pauses, "connected to the Queen. You shall be of your own mind and actions. Unfortunately, the spells I used might hurt a little. I expect them to kick in -"
Emmerson tenses as something spreads through his body. It feels fire coursing through his veins. He gasps and strains against the chains holding him upright.
"-now," she finishes. "When I see you tomorrow, I hope you are ready to talk business, Your Highness."
Blue turns on her heel and walks away. Emmerson lets the weight of the chains take over as he cries out. It feels like his skin is peeling from his bones, and he glances down at his hip. The bitch tore his shirt just so Emmerson could watch the tattoo quite literally disappear. Emmerson screams in anguish and anger as he feels the connection to Regina quite literally…vanish. Suddenly, all he feels is cold, and he sinks into darkness.
Regina stops suddenly, clutching at her heart, which means Isabella does the same.
"Whoa!"
Rosalie catches Regina while Emmett catches Isabella. The two of them gasp for air, clutching at their chests, and the others pause, confused.
"What's going on?" Alia asks.
"I can't smell Emmerson on them anymore," Ruby says.
"What? What do you mean?" Hook asks.
"I could smell Emmerson, like his scent was always around them, like the inside of them, but now, I can't."
Regina whimpers out, "Tattoo."
"Em, lift her shirt," Rosalie orders.
With a quick glance at Alia, Emmett carefully lifts Regina's shirt.
"There's nothing here," he says, confused.
"Fuck," she whispers.
Rosalie rips the sleeve of Isabella's shirt, and there's nothing there as well. Acting on impulse, she hesitates before she lifts her sweater and finds her chest clear.
"What's going on?" Alia asks.
"I- I don't know," Rosalie answers.
Regina and Isabella lie flat on the dirt, still struggling to breathe, and the group is unsure how to proceed. A scream catches their attention, and Alia whines under her breath. Emmerson was her friend, one of her best friends, and Rosalie nudges her cousin.
"Go. I need to stay here."
"I'll stay with them," Hook says.
"Then I guess it's just the three of us," Emmett says, clenching his fists.
"Let's go," Alia orders.
"We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" Ruby says.
"Leave one alive!" Rosalie shouts.
The werewolf and two vampires speed off into the woods.
Hook kneels between the trio. Rosalie holds Isabella to her side, and Hook puts his hand on Regina's shoulder.
"What can I do?" he asks softly.
"Nothing," Regina whispers sadly. "There is nothing you can do."
Hook pretends not to notice the tears in her eyes. He simply gets down on the ground and remains close, hoping the others get to Swan in time.
Alia full-on crashes through the wall and skids to a stop. Emmerson hangs on the nearby rafters, unconscious, and the sight of blood on his temple makes her roar in anger. Ruby and Emmett come up behind her when five guards run out into the open, guns trained on them and blocking them from Emmerson. One guard lowers his gun.
"Ruby?" he asks. "What are you doing here?"
"You took my brother," she says coldly. "Why wouldn't I be here?"
"Brother?"
The guards scramble back when Ruby shifts into her wolf, snarling and scratching at the floor.
"Remember. Leave one alive," Alia says under her breath.
As soon as the first shot is fired, Alia doesn't even bother to go easy on the first one she grabs. She snags him and rips into his throat. His blood is sour. She spits it out and gags before she feels something hit the side of her neck. Alia turns slowly, and the guard stares at his broken sword in disbelief.
"W-what are you?" he stammers.
Alia punches him in the face with the least amount of strength possible. Even still, he crumples to the floor. She moves him off to the side to take back with them later. When she turns around, Ruby has a guard by the head, shaking him so hard his spine snaps. The wolf drops the body on the floor and steps over it. Emmett tosses the last two on the ground beside their fallen comrades and spits out the blood.
"Did they taste funny to you?" he asks.
No sooner than he mentions it, the bodies start to shake. Alia and Emmett look at one another, then Ruby, and then at Emmerson.
"Grab the one I didn't kill," Alia tells Emmett. "Ruby, let's get Swan down and get the fuck out of here."
Ruby nods in agreement, and they both run over to Emmerson. Alia can feel the heat pouring off Emmerson's skin and tries to fight through the pain, but he's literally too hot. He's starting to turn red, and Alia looks at Ruby.
"I can't…."
Ruby shifts back into her human form and breaks the chains herself. She throws Emmerson over her shoulder and nods at Alia. The two run back to where Emmett waits, and the three sprint through the hole they created. Feeling eyes on the back of her head, Alia turns mid-run. She meets the eyes of the guard she attacked first. There isn't a mark on any of them. Alia frowns.
When they reach the rest of the group, Alia tells them they have little time to waste, but Regina and Isabella are still too out of it to perform magic.
"What about the guard?" Emmett asks.
"Can you hold him and Isabella?" Rosalie asks.
"Of course."
Rosalie picks up Regina, Emmett adjusts his hold on the guard before he grabs Isabella, and Alia grabs Hook.
"You ready to run that far?" she asks Ruby.
"For Swan, I'll run however long I need to," she says.
"Good." Alia puts Hook on her back and adds, "Let's go."
The seven vanish. Moments later, the four guards run through the woods and scowl in annoyance. Blue energy pulses around them momentarily before they return to the factory.
Belle meets them at the house with Vincent and Jax. The group, minus the guard, crowd around the living room. Regina and Isabella are moving around again, but it's clear something's still wrong. Rosalie's acting strange too.
"What happened?" Jax asks.
"Those guards," Alia says. "I think- well, I think someone reanimated them. Is that a thing?"
"Reanimated?" Belle repeats. "As in…"
"Yes. Emmett and I tasted their blood. It was sour, like spoiled."
"And when we finished killing them, they came back to life," Ruby sighs. "That's why we came back as fast as we did."
"Someone brought dead guards back to life?" Vincent asks, sharing a look with both Regina and Jax.
"It would seem that way."
"Your Majesty-
"I know," Regina sighs tiredly. "I know."
"Can you explain for the rest of the class?" Hook asks.
"Blue," Regina spits, "can do what she desires as long as someone wishes for it. So. If someone wished for her to be able to bring the dead to life again. If someone wished for her to remove any type of spell I had over Emmerson, and she could."
"Wait, someone is making these wishes?" Emmett exclaims. "Who the fuck would wish that?"
"I have some ideas," Regina mutters darkly.
"Is that why she asked you that in your office?" Rosalie says.
"Yes, but I genuinely did not put a spell on him. Our connection didn't even come from me."
"Who then?" Jax asks.
"Me," Isabella whispers. "A months or so ago, when I first reconnected with Regina, I was with Charlie. We both wanted to see whether it was Regina's magic or something else that I was feeling. But when I touched it, somehow, that next morning, I woke up with my tattoo. As did Rosalie."
"The same for Emmerson and me," Regina says. "We kept it a secret because we still didn't understand it. And now we may never-
Regina stops and bows her head.
"Know if any of it was real," Rosalie finishes softly.
"What we have is real," Isabella argues.
"I wasn't talking about us," she says, glancing at Regina.
"But- oh." Isabella wraps Regina in a hug and adds, "Mom, you can't think like that. Emmerson loves you."
"What if it was all an accident?" Regina cries. "What if I was wrong, and it was just because of a stupid spell?"
No one knows what to say to that. Vincent and Jax turn away from Regina, and Alia realizes it's because she's crying. Ruby and Belle look away as well, as does Hook. Even Emmett ducks his head, but he turns to the side. Alia follows his sight and sees Emmerson leaning on the wall.
"It wasn't the spell that made me love you," he says.
Everyone watches Emmerson stumbles to Regina. He falls at her feet and grabs her hands.
"Gina," he murmurs. "I'm not in love with you because of a spell."
Regina's head snaps up, and Isabella scratches the back of her neck. She stands and subtly motions for the group to clear the room.
When the others are gone, Emmerson struggles to put his words in order. He overheard most of the conversation on the stairs, and his hatred for Blue grew when he heard Regina's breakdown. Lifting his hand, Emmerson wipes away the tears and cups her face.
"You're so beautiful," he whispers.
Regina scoffs and looks off to the side. Emmerson sighs and pulls himself off the ground. He tugs Regina to the couch and puts her in his lap.
"Let's acknowledge the obvious," he starts. "I think you're insanely hot."
"Seriously?"
"Let me finish," he chuckles. "And while you are insanely hot, you're also very beautiful. You take my breath away every time I see you. Your smile lights up any room, and it fills me with butterflies. Your laugh makes me laugh. But that's all superficial. For me, the reason why I love you, why I fell in love with you, is because of this."
Emmerson puts his hand over her heart and smiles.
"This is why no matter what spell Blue will cast, no matter what obnoxious thing your child does, and no matter how many times you may try and push me away, I will always love you. You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. I'm- look, I'm not good with words. It all gets jumbled up in my head sometimes, but I know for sure that you're my future. I can't imagine a life without you in it. I find you exceptional and funny and kind and badass. Like really, really badass. You're warm and sweet when you need to be and tough and stern too. You're-
Regina clamps a hand over his mouth and chuckles.
"Darling, you are rambling," she teases.
Emmerson smiles, and Regina drops her hand. She leans down and puts their foreheads together.
"I am in love with you too, Swan. I have been for a long time. I have yet to tell you this, but I love you for who you are. You must never question that. You, Emmerson, are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me too. Well, second to my child, but you knew that already. I cannot imagine my life without you in it either. I," she pauses and lowers her voice, "I need you just as much as I want you. And I want you to live as proudly and as openly as you want to. Nothing you say or do, or wear will change how I feel about you. To be quite honest, I love watching you grow into yourself because I know the person you are becoming is the person you were always meant to be."
Emmerson lunges forward and captures Regina's lips in a bruising, passionate kiss. Their lips move together as one, neither one willing to come up for air, but Emmerson feels something warm on his skin. He breaks away and frowns.
"The hell?"
Emmerson tugs up his shirt and gasps. Regina jerks and hunches forward, grimacing. Both share a look, and then Regina lifts her own shirt. Purple and white lines move in unison, etching familiar images onto their skin. Regina smiles with tears in her eyes.
"Oh," she exhales.
"Guess True Love really does break any curse," Emmerson mutters.
"If you so much as utter that ridiculous phrase-
"Never," Emmerson whispers. "But I would like for you to know that in this lifetime and the next, I will always be with you."
Regina chuckles and kisses Emmerson on the nose. She leans back and studies the tattoos. She frowns.
"Em, has that always been there?" she asks, pointing at Emmerson's.
"Has what…." Emmerson groans and looks at the ink. "Aw man, I'm never going to live this down."
"No, and I am afraid neither am I."
Emmerson leans forward, then bursts out laughing.