Love me Apocalyptic

Chapter Two: What Lies Beyond the Wall

Last night I heard the screaming, loud voices behind the wall

-Behind the Wall, Tracey Chapman-

A/N: Thank you for the reviews :)

Regina arrived by the border of the town in a cloud of purple smoke. She had teleported here as quickly as she could upon receiving a distressed phone call from Emma. The blonde had been on her lunch break, checking the borders of the town to make sure they were up and running when she had spotted something that had sent her into an agitated state.

"Emma!" Regina cried out, picking her way across the brush that lined the forest floor. She grimaced when her heel got stuck in the soft floor and she wretched it free. Heels were not the best for this, but she hadn't hesitated to come here and that left her in her business clothing and not ready for an impromptu hike in the woods.

Emma glanced back at Regina, her shoulders stiff, hands fisted by her thighs. Hook was by her side, looking less tense, and now it was Regina's hands that were curling up into fists. What was he doing here? With Emma in the middle of the woods of all places. Suspicions and unsavory scenarios all involving Hook and Emma rekindling their romance fill her head and make her mouth taste bitter.

"Where are they?" Regina asked instead, stopping by Emma, Hook on the blonde's other side. She wouldn't think such things now, she had other things to focus on.

"There." Emma pointed straight ahead to three huddled figures. They were hiding behind some trees. They looked young, in their early twenties, and scared, bruises and blood dotting their body. The male of the group held a crowbar in a death grip in his hand while the two women cowered next to him, sobbing softly.

Regina recalled Emma's frantic call before, the breathless blonde trying to explain away what had happened. "Regina-Regina! I was out on a walk and it was by the border of the town, cause you know, I was feeling unsettled by it all and thought I should just walk around there and check-"

"Ms. Swan, calm down. Slow down. I cannot understand a word you're saying." The mayor's tone was calm and collected yet she felt worried. Had something happened?

Emma took a gasp of air, slowing herself down. "Uh, sorry. It's just, can you come here and check this out?"

"Check what out?"

"There's someone at the magical barrier."

That had been all Regina needed to hear. She had arrived a second later. Now, she approached the wall of invisible magic and pressed her hand against it. It hummed under her touch and she closed her eyes briefly in order to get a concise reading. "The wall is fine. Nothing should be able to get through it."

"I'm not worried about the wall, Regina!" Emma said with some exasperation, coming alive from her frozen state. "I'm worried about the people! They look to be in danger. We need to get them to safety."

"You want us to bring them in?" If Regina was any less cultured she would have wrinkled up her nose. All she did was turn on her heel to stare at Emma in mild distaste.

"Yes. Is that a hard concept to grasp?"

"It is. Are you not thinking correctly? What if they're infected? Then what. You'd be endangering the safety of the whole town over a handful of strangers that look like they're on the last leg of their existence anyhow."

"Really?" Emma planted her hands on her hips, glaring at Regina. It would have been intimidating if Emma had been anyone else. Even David's squint was more menacing and he was a complete sappy dolt. Emma just looked like a puppy. "Are you going to be that...that heartless? What if they're not infected? And what if we could be the difference between them surviving and dying?"

"That is a big if, Emma. You have to stop thinking with your heart and more with your head." Regina tried to keep her tone soft because she knew Emma's hero complex and how deeply it affected her. But this was a dire situation. Compassion didn't exist in such tense pandemic situations. Survival of one's self was the utmost concern. For Regina, she cared more about Henry's safety than her own. She would never do anything to endanger him. Emma clearly wasn't thinking of the danger it could bring their son if they let these possibly infected strangers in.

Emma clenched her jaw and angrily looked off to the trees on her left, their moral standoff still in full swing.

Hook cleared his throat. "Not to make things worse, but you may want to look at that." He jerked his chin to the scene occurring past the wall. Regina turned on her heel. She could make out the shape of two of them. Two infected. They were walking with an animilistic prowl towards the three humans. There was no doubt about what was going to happen. The humans saw them and then in panic darted away from their hiding spot, running deeper into the woods and away from the wall. Spotting their prey running, the vampires picked up the pace and tore after them, so fast it was terrifying.

Regina knew the sheriff would want to do something about this. And she couldn't have that.

"Em-" but Regina was cut off when the blonde roughly pushed past her and to her horror, walked right through the barrier like it was nothing.

Regina's eyes opened wide and so did her mouth. "Emma! Emma what are you doing?" Did the blonde have no consideration for her own safety?!

But the blonde couldn't hear her. No one on the other side of the magical barrier could.

She just kept striding towards the quivering trio, loaded gun in hand.

"You stupid-" Regina wrung her hands, grinding her teeth.

"You can keep standing there and bemoaning and cursing her name, your majesty, but I'm going to go help her," Hook spoke up, ever trying to be the noble man he wasn't, and drawing his sword from where it was hidden by his side, he passed the barrier too.

Of all the irresponsible things to do! Emma could get infected over her stupid morals. And then what? Henry would be without his birth mother and would never forgive Regina for letting that happen. Gritting her teeth, she summoned up a cross bow, the barrier rippling around her as she passed through and stalked off after Emma and Hook.

"Hey, over here! Over here!" Emma cried, waving her gun and hand around to get the humans to come to her. They saw her and changed paths to run to her, hope fueling their tired and desperate motions. "We're here to help you!"

Yes, yell loudly to attract the vampires to us more, Regina griped internally but hefted her crossbow up higher. The vampires were gaining too much traction on the humans, closing the distance between them quickly; they were too nimble and the humans stumbled and were hindered by the dense underbrush. Even with the vampires avoiding patches of sunlight scattered because of the trees, they were fast and smooth, all limber motion. They made even Regina's grace in heels look clumsy and uncoordinated.

She leveled her weapon, squinted, and fired it. The arrow went flying between the gap of the running trio and right into the blonde male vampire's shoulder. He didn't even seem to register it and Regina felt worry coalesce in her stomach. If only she had her magic outside the town walls, she would have just set both of them on fire with a simple flick of her fingers.

Taking that cue, Emma began to shoot at the vampires. Still, that did nothing to them, did not even slow down their progress, and Emma was out six bullets later, cursing at her revolver. "I don't suppose you could magic me some more bullets?" Emma asked as Regina reloaded her crossbow. As much as she hated to admit it, Snow would be much better at this. She was deadly with the bow and arrow and would have managed a strike directly to the monster's hearts. The weapon felt clunky in her hands.

"And I don't suppose you've recalled I do not have magic here," Regina said, aiming again; this time the blonde vampire was prepared and actually ducked it. The audacity of it!

"Hook?" Emma turned hopefully to the pirate who relieved himself of a pistol he had hidden somewhere within the confines of his dark coat. "That's all I've got love. Something tells me, it won't work. But do not worry Emma. We will get out of this alive."

Regina wanted to gag in revulsion. Trust the pirate to speak sappy sentiments even in life or death situations. She instead focused on loading up her weapon again.

The three people were gradually getting closer. Once they were close enough, Regina would authorize them through the barrier, she supposed, on Emma's instance. Regina would have to quarantine them first for symptoms before letting them roam free.

But the vampires were even closer and then the shortest girl of the group fell down, tripping on some root.

"No!" burst out of Emma's mouth as the blonde rushed forwards, slapping ferns and branches aside, but she was too far ahead to do anything.

The boy and other girl registered their fallen comrade. "Go, go to them," he pushed the young red head in Emma's direction as he turned on his heel to go save the blonde on the floor.

"But Jack-"

"Go Elisa!" He didn't stay put to argue and divided the red head stalled, eyes open in horror.

His reflexes weren't enough. The two vampires were already on the girl and she was screaming and crying and trying to throw them off but blood was spraying out of her like a hose as they fed on her neck.

"Get off of her!" Jack cried out, swinging down with his crowbar on the back of the taller vampires head. The vampire merely looked up and then tackled him down in a blur of motion. And now it was Jack's turn to be on the floor, screaming for his life.

The other girl's cries had already stopped, her hand flopping down uselessly in her own puddle of blood as the vampire on her continued to feed. Elisa's cries took over as her hands came up to her face.

"Shit! Fuck!" Emma cursed, firing her gun at the vampire on Jack. It did nothing.

Regina's legs churned frantically as she ran after Emma, her feet slipping out of her heels to gain more traction, Hook joining her. She couldn't believe the idiot was just charging ahead like that. "Emma, come back here!"

"Emma!" Hook hollered, fear also lacing his words.

Everything felt like it was going too fast and too slow at the same time.

Both vampires rose from their meals, done with their recent victims. Jack and the other girl's eyes stared up at the sky, never to see it again. But the vampires eyes were focused on Emma who had now run to Elisa and wrapped a protective arm around her as she pushed the frozen girl away, foolishly turning her back on the infected.

"Go, run. Go to my friends," she urged. She didn't see how close the vampires were, teeth and mouths smeared in blood- she wouldn't turn around in time.

Panic flared to life in Regina and her fingers twitched pulling the trigger on her weapon. An arrow made it's home in the blonde vampire's eye and he let out a choked cry of surprise, taking a moment in his attack to pause to pull it out, eyeball and all attached to it. His comrade was the one who finally got a hand on Emma, gripping her shoulder hard.

His lips opened up in a sneer and Regina was sure that he would bit down on Emma but he didn't. "Await your turn to be a meal, blondie. The kids were first." And then he threw Emma right into a tree. Regina didn't know whether to be relieved or upset. She chose the former. At least Emma wasn't dead. Yet.

Emma hit it hard with a resounding crack and she felt pain explode all along her back and her skull, white filling her vision as she fell onto the ground, trying frantically to regain her breathing. She scrambled up to her feet, trying to find the gun she had displaced. She had no idea these vampires moved so fast. Or were so strong.

Shit. Shit shit shit. She should have listened to Regina. Should have been better prepared and now her brashness could get them all hurt.

There was another shrill scream and Emma knew it was the last remaining girl's cries.

A rough hand grasped her and pulled her up. Through the white haze, Emma could make out it was Regina. "Why didn't you go to Elisa? Why?" Righteous anger filled her. "We could have saved her. I was fine-"

"We can't save them. We can't- we didn't save anyone, Emma." Regina's voice was tired and full of regret. "This is why, this is why I told you no. All we can do is try to save ourselves now."

Emma swallowed heavily and rose to her feet unsteadily. She had been stupid. She had dragged her friends along on a suicide mission.

"Emma, Regina, hurry!" Hook called out as he valiantly swung his sword around- the vampires had already finished their meal and were looking for more. The two vampires were playing games with him, taking their time to prowl forwards.

"Look at him. Thinks he can do something with that little sword of his," jeered the tall vampire.

"Hook!" Emma gritted out, worry consuming her for her friend. Without thinking too much about it, she grabbed the crossbow out of Regina's hands and fired one right into the cross of the taller vampire's back. He stumbled forward in shock, and Hook, who had been waving his sword around to ward both of them off, took this chance to slice the vampire's head clean off. It flew and landed somewhere in a pile of leaves.

The second vampire took this chance to lunge at Hook who slipped onto his back in his hurry to escape. Hook held his blooded sword out as if ward the blonde off, but it wasn't needed. He had landed in one of the few huge patches of sunlight and the vampire could only snarl at him.

"Sunlight. Hook, get him into the sunlight!" Regina called out as sudden realization struck her. Her panicked mind grew less clouded as bits and pieces of ways to dismantle a vampire crowded into her head. The information made her feel more at ease, more in control of this situation.

"Why would I-" he looked at her like she was crazy.

"Do it!" Emma was reloading the cross bow. She had no idea why Regina would suggest this but she was supporting her anyways.

The blonde vampire snarled at them now, catching the arrow midair right before it hit him in the chest. "I'll kill you before you get to do that!" he snarled out and snapped the arrow in half. Hook scrambled up to his feet and the vampire whirled in again to face him only to get a faceful of sword. It stuck right out through the back of his skull and Hook tugged on it, pulling the vampire into the sun.

The effect was instantaneous. Smoke curled up from his skin and his hands began to claw in pain as he fell to his knees, the smoke quickly turning into flames that set him ablaze.

"Shit!" Hook wretched his sword free and jumped away, watching the flames consume the blonde vampire. His screams stopped shortly and Hook looked up at wonder at Regina and Emma who were now coming closer to him. "Are they supposed to do that?"

"Yes. Sunlight is one of their weaknesses. I do not know why, but it is a good thing it is." Regina looked at the charred corpse, wondering why a vampire would be out hunting during the day. They were creatures of nightly habit. They must have been very starved if they were looking for blood right now.

Something latched onto her ankle suddenly and she jumped up in fright, tripping over her own feet in her rush to get free. She landed on the grass, Emma and Hook's weapons both trained on the new adversary. But it turned out to be only the second vampire. Still very much alive.

It's body wiggled on the ground, hands groping, before it rose in one swift movement.

"The only way to kill them is with a stake! Or fire!" Regina shouted out from where she lay on the forest floor as she watched the vampire stumble over to where its decapitated head was. Hook looked a little green at seeing something he had just cut the head off moving again.

Emma nodded her head in understanding, putting her crossbow aside for something else. She grabbed a sturdy looking branch off of the floor. "Hook!" she extended it towards to him. It took him a second to recognize what she wanted to do with it before he swung his sword down at an angle, leaving a sharp tip. With a howl, Emma charged forwards and plunged the weapon through the back of the vampire, right where it's heart was.

If it's head had been attached to it's body, it would have hissed in pain. As it was, it fell down to its knees and Emma held onto the makeshift stake, twisting it in deeper. The body began to disintegrate rapidly until nothing but ash lay in a pile where the body had once been.

Panting heavily, Emma tossed the stick aside and wiped her sticky hands on her pants.

She exchanged an unsure look with Regina who said simply, "let us go home."

Emma nodded her head, trying hard not to look back at the bodies of those they had failed to protect.

Despair clung to her and she tried to hide it as she offered up a hand to pick Regina back up. Hook did not sheathe his sword, keeping a wary eye on the forest around them for more enemies. They walked in silence until they passed the town line, their failure weighing heavily on their minds. Once back safely in Storybrooke, Regina did not wait a moment more to speak what was on her mind.

"Of all the stupid things to do!" Regina whirled on Emma. "You could have been killed by those vampires. Could have left Henry without a mother! You really do not think, do you?"

Emma looked guilty at the mention of Henry but she was stubborn. Failure stung at her, made her upset. She was the savior and yet she hadn't managed to save anyone of those kids. The anger in her veins flared out and she directed it at Regina like she always did. "I couldn't just stand by and let it happen. I know you would."

"And so what if I would have? My priority is this town."

"So, no one else matters?" In Emma's eyes was a challenge. Regina knew that Emma wanted her to say yes other people mattered but Regina wasn't going to say that even if refusing to say it would cause Emma to lose faith in her. She was going to be upfront. She needed to be. This wasn't some game they were playing. This was life and she was going to survive it because she was a survivor, and the sooner Emma came to terms on the hopeless magnitude of the situation the better.

"No. They do not."

"I thought you were better than that," Emma bared her teeth, striding closer to Regina. The brunette was tired of the blonde playing that card-the redemption card- every time she didn't get something she wanted from her.

"Do not play that card with me, Ms. Swan," Regina wagged her finger too close to the blonde's face, enough to irritate her more. "Becoming a better person does not mean I make stupid decisions because it would be the morally right thing to do, or what would be expected of me. Being redeemed means me making it up to the people, the people in this town, and you, that I have wronged. My penance does not extend to the town's line. And the threat out there is very real, Ms. Swan," Regina lowered her hand, instead drawing closer to stare into Emma's hardened green eyes. "It's not some story, not something magic can heal. The danger out there is very poignant and I do not need your brash actions to ruin everything that I have done for this town."

"Or done to it," Emma spits out maliciously and Regina fumes harder.

"Must you be so stubborn? I already promised you we would help the outside world once things calmed down. Is that not good enough for you?"

"I'm thinking now that may have been a false promise," Emma says coolly, like Regina is just another lying politician that Emma should know better than to trust, and thumbs tucked into the loops on her denim pants, she strides away. "Come on, Killian," she orders and the pirate shoots Regina a smug look before he follows Emma.

Frustrated by Emma's stubbornness, Regina jerks out her arm and her stray magic catches a trees and splits it in half.

It's a day later and Emma's sitting at Granny's staring glumly at her sandwich. Hook sits in front of her, sipping his mug of coffee which he spiked with a healthy dose of rum.

"You alright?" Ruby asks as she comes up, tapping her pen on her order pad thoughtlessly. "You haven't touched your grilled cheese."

Emma eyes the sandwich, feels disgusted by it, and shakes her head. "I'm not hungry." She can't be, when all she can hear is the screams of the dying kids, and the blood that is just everywhere. Some savior she turned out to be. She couldn't save them. And she had almost lead her friends to their deaths as well.

Ruby shoots Hook a look and he shrugs. "She'll be fine. She just needs some time."

"What happened?"

Hook shakes his head. "Confidential. Sorry love." Regina had sworn them to secrecy. She didn't want people knowing what had happened outside the wall. Ruby looks on at Emma's pensive and drawn face and says, "I'll bring her some hot chocolate. On the house." Then she walks away.

Hook symptomatically slides his mug over to Emma. "Here. I think you need something a bit stronger."

Emma takes the offer and swallows down half of the spiked coffee before setting the mug down and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She's grateful that Hook isn't prying into her feelings, into explaining; he's simply giving her silent support, letting her know with his presence that he is here to comfort her if need arise.

"You know," he starts softly, after they have sat silently for a good five minutes, "I saw many similar things like that when I traveled for those two months after we had broken up. I even tried to save a few young lads and lasses myself, aye." Emma looks up at him and he drains the rest of his coffee. "But it never worked out. Me and my crew were no match for those vampires and we had to retreat so I could keep my crew safe. I know how you feel Emma. You wanted to save them as badly as I wanted to save those unfortunate that I had encountered on my trip. But life those not always work out that way. We'll just have to be better prepared next time." He shook his head sadly.

"You're willing to help me?" Emma is touched by his offer, yet worried by it. She does not want to put him in harm's way. The break up might have been bad, but only because it was Emma's fault- she was the one who ended things, the one who couldn't give him the love he wanted. He had only treated her the best way he knew how to and could. So she was happy to see he still treated her normally, that he carried no ill will towards her despite her warranting it. And now, he was even putting his neck on the line for her heroics.

"I may have failed in my earlier journeys, but we almost saved them yesterday, Emma. Which is closer than anything I could have ever done and it's because you were there. We actually killed the vampires. Next time, when we are more prepared, we will kill the vampires and save innocent lives." His eyes blaze with determination and with the upcoming luster of seeking vengeance on inhuman creatures. He might be good now, but he still loves a battle, still loves rushing into chaos he has manufactured, still loves playing the brooding bad boy though he is a marshmallow at heart.

Emma let a small smile grace her lips at Killian's words. But it hadn't been because of her that they had killed the vampires. It had been Regina and her knowledge of how to kill them that had saved them. Just as she was about to point this out, there was the telltale click clack of heels and Regina strode in. The sun had just begun to set and the dying light through the windows illuminated her hair and highlighted the facial expression of worry she wore.

"Making plans behind my back?" Her tone was only slightly accusatory and when Emma nor Killian said anything, she heaved out a sigh and slid into the seat by Emma who backed up to the far side. Regina pretended like that didn't hurt at all. "Look," she started, not sure how to say this. She knew what she had to say but she could never tell how Emma would take things. "I know you feel bad about failing those kids. I do too."

"No, you don't." Emma's response was sharp and brisk and it pricked at Regina's skin. Tempted to bite through and injure Regina's feelings deeply. Good thing the queen's skin was diamond tough and kept most offenses out.

Hook began to fidget in front of them, squinting his eyes at the bright light cutting in through his side of the booth. Why did the queen always have to ruin his alone time with Emma? And she was only aggravating Emma's depression even more! He was highly tempted to kick her out, and he would, if she kept acting pompously like this.

"Emma, I do." Regina countered with a heavy sigh. "They were young and they didn't deserve to die."

"But they did. And all because I failed them." Now Emma's anger at Regina was turning to self deprecation.

"Emma, no." Regina turned in her seat to grasp Emma's hands in hers, voice gentle, honest. "You didn't fail them. We all did. We all were unable to do anything to save them. So do not blame this on yourself."

Hmmm, so maybe Killian didn't have to kick Regina out just yet. But damn, was this light annoying him! It kept getting in his eyes and it was making him hot under his coat. He scooted to the end of his booth but could not escape the broad ray of light that annoyed him. Trust Regina to come and just in that moment for the sunlight to annoy Killian. Coincidence? Or magic spell low key enough to fall under Emma's radar but high key enough to frustrate him?

I won't be giving in this easily, he vowed silently, intent on beating her at her own spell as he gave Regina a hard look. He wouldn't let her get under his skin so easily this round.

Emma looked on at her hands in Regina's grasp and pulled them away, too aware of how soft the mayor's hands were in her grasp. "And why do you care so much? I thought you didn't care about who or what that lays beyond the wall."

Regina sighed. Why was the blonde this difficult all the time? "Emma, I do care. I just have to pick and choose carefully what to care about. And I care about my town, about you, and Henry, because I know that if I tried to care about every single soul out there that is being ravaged by the infection, I would lose my mind and my strength and will to go on."

Emma's lips down-turned. "Oh boo hoo," she muttered. "You'll get stressed thinking about it all, while the people out there are living in a fucking apocalypse! Don't you think they might lose their mind over it? That their will to live is getting weaker and weaker each day?"

Regina grit her teeth. Why couldn't Emma just understand? Why did every conversation on this topic have to turn into an argument? Losing her patience she hissed, "you saw what happened when we tried to save those people, Emma. We failed and we almost got ourselves killed along the way. And we come from world's were we know how to fight. We're not unskilled, and still it wasn't enough."

Hook was playing with his collar now, flipping it up and down and trying to figure out the best position that would block the most light out. He was so into it, into beating Regina's little spell, he wasn't even paying attention to Regina's and Emma's heated voices. But Regina was getting annoyed by his constant fidgeting. It was making her own temper flare up more.

"Would you stop that!" she snapped at him and he jumped a little in his seat at her shout.

"The light is bothering me," he mumbled out like a little child that had gotten scolded, heart racing in shock at being so vocally called out upon.

"Maybe if you did not spend so much time hunkering down in that poor excuse of a ship all day long, you'd be able to stand the sun." She knew she was taking out her anger on the wrong person but she didn't care because it was only Hook.

He frowned at her but stopped his movements; he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of making him uncomfortable. Still, the urge to squirm was strong.

Ruby had finally made the coco, but seeing the type of conversation going on at Emma's table right now, she decided to slowly back up through the kitchen doors and come back later.

Emma clenched her jaw, her focus on Regina's words and not on Hook's childish behavior. "I know that. I know and I blame myself for letting the kids down and for letting you and Hook down. But I can't just do nothing." Emma sagged into her hands, raking fingers through messy curls. "If I do nothing...thousands of people are dying each day and I could do something to help them. I could use my magic and heal them. But if I do something, I can't do it alone, and I don't want to bring others into harm unnecessarily."

She let out a long shaky exhale. "Sometimes I really hate my own morals."

Regina sighed at Emma's confession, feeling her own anger disperse. "Emma, I already promised you I would help you once the humans found the root cause of this infection. Because then we will know what to target with our magic. Until then, we cannot even go out into the outside world to help because our magic does not work there." Regina paused, directed Emma's chin upwards with a delicate finger so she could confirm this with the blonde. "Okay?" she prompted and Emma didn't meet her gaze as she mulled something over.

"Okay," Emma said after a long pause, briefly meeting Regina's chocolate orbs before swiveling hers back down to her lap.

"Just focus on keeping this town safe; on keeping the residents from panicking. And I'll handle the rest. As soon as something comes up in the news, I will let you know and we will work on helping others." Regina squeezed Emma's upper arm. "So try not to be so down on yourself."

"Okay," Emma simply said again and Regina gave a lingering look, hoping that Emma would truly be fine, before she strode away to go pick up Henry from David.

A/N: This chapter was more of a setting up the background one, but the following ones are going to more action based.

Updates should be every other Monday.