Disclaimer: I don't own once upon a time or any of its characters.
Author Notes: Hello again, my faithful readers. We finally see the initial reaction to the curse breaking. This chapter is a bit of a filler but I do hope you enjoy it anyway. So, onto the chapter we go!
Regan and Emma broke their kiss with a gasp, still wrapped around each other. Their hearts were racing, the implication of what just happened hitting them both at the same time. The blonde looked up at her boyfriend, wide eyed.
"Did we just…?"
"Yeah"
"So, we are…?"
"True loves? It seems so"
They were staring at each other in a new light. Sure, they already knew that they love each other, but magic confirmed true love? That's like the ultimate proof of a couple's devotion to each other.
The moment was broken as the mayor's phone rang. It was Michael, Nick and Ava's father.
"Mayor Mills…um, your Majesty?" asked a hesitant voice.
"Yes, Michael. I take it that you have your memories back?" Regan asked.
"Yes, I was just about to go to bed when I was hit by a wave of magic, I believe. I was wondering what you wanted me to do about Henry. He and my kids are asleep, but I can drive him to your house if you want" he offered genuinely.
Michael had been one of the subjects that was in favor of him, back in the enchanted forest. Under the White family's reign, he was barely able to take care of his household and his two children. When King Regan took over, the tax cuts he implemented and his trade agreements with other kingdoms helped him improve their way of life.
"If you don't mind, I would prefer him to stay with you for the time being. With the curse now broken, who knows what kind of trouble we will run into. It would ease our minds to know he's safe" He said, knowing he and Emma would be very busy dealing with the fallout.
"Of course, your Majesty, it is no problem for me. Good luck with everything" he wished.
"Thank you. If there's any trouble, call me immediately" He instructed. Michael agreed and said goodbye before hanging up.
Regan looked down at his hand and closed his eyes, trying to access his magic but unable to do so. He could feel it, but it was locked "I can't use my magic. We need to see Rumple, no doubt he felt the curse breaking. Hopefully, he'll have a solution" he suggested, not really liking the idea but aware that it was their only choice, he needed his magic to protect his family.
They left the house and drove to Gold's shop, luckily It was late enough for most people to be in bed, especially because it was a weekday. Regan pounded on the door to the shop until it opened, though rather than annoyed, Robert Gold seemed amused "My, what do we have here? The Mayor and the Deputy, visiting little old me" he mocked, smirking.
"Cut the crap, Rumple. We both know the curse has been broken. Why can't I use my magic?" He snapped without preamble. Rumple just chuckled "Temper temper, your Majesty. Come in, make yourself at home" He snarked, walking behind the counter.
Regan and Emma looked around, seeing the various knickknacks and objects he had laying around, no doubt he got them by swindling people with his deals "Now, allow me to explain. While the town was created by magic, there is no actual magic here. Imagine, if you will, the magic of the curse as a bubble, Storybrooke exists within that bubble, but there's nothing else inside, thus making it impossible to kickstart our magic. So, the solution is…" he trailed off with a flourish.
Surprisingly, Emma answered before Regan could "To fill it with magic separately. By that logic, puncturing the bubble would allow it to fill from the outside, but since this is technically a world without magic, we will have to do it from within" she concluded.
"Correct" Rumple clapped sarcastically, though he was slightly impressed at her quick grasp of the concept "Now, I have a way to do that, but you must retrieve something for me first. A little something, I brought from home and voila! everyone wins!" he exclaimed with another flourish.
"What do we need to do?" Regan asked.
Rumpled tsked "Sorry, your Majesty. The Savior must be the one to do so" he clarified, gesturing to Emma "But don't worry, all the she needs to do, is to slay a dragon" He said, smirking.
Regan's eyes widened "Maleficent" he breathed, now knowing why he didn't find her sooner "You kept her captive all these years, you twisted imp!" he growled, feeling bad for his old friend.
"Now now, surely your boy's safety is more important that an old acquaintance, isn't it?" Rumple soothed, enjoying the anguish on the mayor's face. Regan knew he was right, if it came down to it, Emma and Henry were his priority, but he didn't have to like it. So, he just glared and didn't say anything else.
Enjoying his victory, Rumple picked up a long, rectangular case and opened it, revealing a sword "Now this is your father's sword, Miss Swan. This will pierce the dragon's skin without trouble" He informed her.
Emma picked it up, feeling its weight on her hand. It was a bit heavy but not so much that she couldn't lift it "Let's get this over with. Where's the dragon?" she asked, all business. Regan's anger was palpable, and she wanted to leave before he snapped again.
"Under the library" He revealed, giving them instructions on how to access the hidden elevator. They left the shop without another word and walked in silence until they got there. Regan used his master keys to open the door and following Rumple's directions, they found the hidden panel that revealed an old-fashioned elevator.
"I'm sorry, Regan. I wish there was another way" She said, kissing him lovingly. He wished the same, but they couldn't afford to wait. Come morning, people would wake up with their memories and his old enemies would be seeking revenge. He was just one man against many, and who knows what they would do to keep him apart from Emma and Henry if given the chance.
He broke the kiss and swallowed "Be careful, my love" he cautioned. She nodded and blew him a kiss, getting in the elevator. He operated the lever, never breaking eye contact with her until she disappeared to the unknown.
Emma walked through the spacious cavern, holding the sword tightly as she looked around. Her heart was racing with fear, but she soldiered on, reminding herself what was at stake.
It was very dark, and visibility was limited. So, it was not surprise that her foot caught on a rock and she stumbled, twisting her ankle and dropping the sword to brace her fall. The loud clang reverberated loudly, waking the sleeping dragon just ahead. It woke up instantly, a loud roar making the ground tremble with its intensity.
She cursed and picked up the sword, jumping out of the way as a spiky tail hit the spot she was just standing at. She looked up and gulped, backing away slowly as the mighty beast slowly came into view. It was massive, huge yellow eyes zeroing on her. How was she supposed to kill this thing?!
Figuring that offense was the best defense, she ran at full speed, barely dodging the swings of the dragon's tail. She was just lifting the sword to throw it at the dragon when it swung its head and sent her flying, landing several feet away with a painful grunt, pretty sure she cracked a couple of ribs. She didn't have time to get back on her feet, when a massive paw came down on her and trapped her against the ground, making it difficult to breath. To make things worse, the beast seemed to be opening its powerful jaw, no doubt about to devour her whole.
She closed her eyes, fearing it was her end. She thought of Henry, her beautiful baby boy and how she would leave him again, so soon after reuniting. Then she thought of Regan, her true love. How devastated he would be, how unfair to him to lose another loved one. Her only comfort was that, if it came to it, he wouldn't hesitate to take Henry and leave Storybrooke to protect him.
"I love you, Regan" She whispered, keeping her eyes closed as to not witness her demise. The dragon stopped hallway down, hearing her words with its enhanced sense of hearing. A curious rumble was heard, and Emma cautiously opened her eyes.
The dragon was looking at her, scrutinizing her, it seemed. It lowered its head and sniffed her, smelling the familiar and comforting scent of her old friend. The dragon retrieved its paw and Emma coughed, trying to inhale enough air into her newly liberated lungs.
After catching her breath, she looked up "Maleficent?" she tried, hesitantly. The dragon huffed and nodded, sitting down curiously. Emma was in disbelief, sitting up as well. She couldn't believe her luck.
"My name is Emma Swan and I'm Regan's girlf…er...true love" She introduced herself, relaxing when the dragon merely cocked its-…her head at her, intrigued "I assume you know about the curse, since…well, here you are. It was broken just about an hour ago. Mr. Gold…um, Rumple, sent me here to retrieve something so he could bring back magic" she explained, not leaving anything out lest her luck run out and the dragon decided to eat her.
Maleficent growled menacingly, though Emma could tell it was not aimed at her. She seemed to sigh in resignation and without warning, pierced her own belly with her sharp claws, a bloodcurdling howl echoing through the cave. She kept at it, her painful cries tugging at Emma's heartstrings until finally, she was able to retrieve a bloody, golden egg.
Emma quickly went to pick it up, using her outer shirt to clean it up. She looked at it for a moment, then looked back at Maleficent with worry and gratitude "Thank you so much. Hang in there, ok? I'll be back with Regan soon and we will get you out of here" she promised with a smile, getting a shaky nod in return before she ran back to the elevator.
She shouted at Regan to pull her back up and felt the elevator start to rise, her adrenaline fading and leave her exhausted and in pain. When Regan saw her, he quickly pulled her into his arms "What happened, baby? Where does it hurt?" he asked frantically, checking her injuries.
Emma stilled his hands and held them in her own, explaining what had happened. He just turned pale when he heard how close he came to lose her. His eyes were hopeful but worried when she told him Maleficent's state.
"Let's take this to Gold quickly, but don't tell him Maleficent is still alive. Once magic is back, I'll be able to heal you and Maleficent will be able to turn back to her human form and heal herself" He said with renewed enthusiasm, taking Emma into his arms and carrying her as they left the library.
When they arrived back at the pawnshop, Emma told Regan to put her down, though he still kept an arm around her to hold most of her weight. Gold was waiting for them and he caught the egg as Emma threw it at him, giving him her best glare "There's your stupid egg, now bring back magic so I can be healed" she demanded.
"I must say I'm impressed, Miss Swan. I didn't think you'd succeed, at least not without losing a limb or two" he admitted, not really caring about her wellbeing but taking note that she was not someone to underestimate "Now, let's go. We need to go to the old well" he revealed.
Regan gently put Emma in the passenger seat of his Mercedes while Gold got in the back, driving them to the edge of the forest. They continued on foot, Emma making a valiant effort to keep up but before long she was too sore to continue, her ankle protesting as she kept putting weight on it and her ribs burning. Regan ended up carrying Emma again and not caring what Gold thought about it.
Finally, they arrived. Gold opened the egg, retrieving a shining, purple potion from it and limping towards the well. Regan eyed it, lifting an eyebrow "Is that…?" he trailed off.
Gold smirked and nodded "True love in a bottle, saved for a rainy day," He boasted and poured the potion inside the well "Now, let the magic begin!".
The ground trembled as Rumple cackled, a thick cloud of purple smoke rising from within the well and enveloping them all, advancing towards the town, invading every building and house in town, leaving no spot uncovered.
As Emma wrapped herself around Regan, he could feel his magic singing as it thrummed through his veins, reacting to the ambient magic that now filled Storybrooke, brought directly from their old land via the well. A gateway had been opened, connecting the town with the Enchanted Forest.
Magic was back.
When the cloud dissipated a couple of minutes later, Rumple was there, his eyes closed as his ancient magic once again called to him. He looked at his former student "Now we are even, your Majesty. As always, it's a pleasure doing business with you" he bowed dramatically and disappeared with a poof of black smoke.
Regan and Emma stood there for a moment, processing everything that had happened so far. The mayor looked at his true love and kissed her softly "Let's go home, babe" he murmured. In another poof of smoke, similar to Rumple's but purple in color, they disappeared.
They arrived at home just seconds later. Emma was a bit dizzy "Ugh, that was not very pleasant" she groaned.
Regan took her to their room and chuckled "You get used to it" he shrugged. He put her on the bed and sat down next to her, letting his hand hover over her ribcage "Now, this will hurt, baby. Try not to move too much" He instructed, letting his magic flow and do its work. His healing abilities were limited, but broken bones and other minor injuries were no problem. He winced as he heard a couple of cracks when her ribs snapped back together. It was a wonder she hadn't passed out from the pain.
"Son of a bitch!" Emma exclaimed, doing her best to keep still, though her body still jolted a few times "That fucking hurts!" she cursed, a few tears leaking from her green eyes. He hated to see her cry, but it would be worse if they waited, so as soon as he was done with her ribs, her reached for her ankle. Thankfully, it was only sprained, so it was easier, and less painful, to heal.
When he was done, she was still sore, since not even magical healing is painless, but she could breathe better, and she was no longer limping. When Regan asked her if she was up to a shower, she nodded tiredly. She just wanted to sleep but she was covered in sweat and filth.
They washed quickly, not in the mood to linger or fool around after the night they had. Regan got out first, telling Emma he would get her painkillers to aid her soreness. By the time Emma got into bed, Regan was still absent. She got under the covers and settled down, waiting for her missing boyfriend. About ten minutes later, he came back holding a couple of pills and a glass of water.
"What took you so long?" She asked sleepily, swallowing the pills and washing them down with the water.
"I was putting a barrier around the house. No one can get in but us and our son, unless we invite them. I'm not taking any chances with these peasants," he answered, knowing not everyone would be as understanding as Michael, most likely Snow White and her followers.
He got into bed with her and spooned her, wrapping his arm around her middle carefully, nuzzling the back of her neck.
"I love you, princess" he murmured, dropping a kiss on her neck.
"I love you too, my King".
The next morning
Mary Margaret opened her eyes and blinked, the last remains of sleep dissipating. Her eyes widened as she sat up, looking around with new eyes. Her memories from her old life, memories that had been missing for the last 28 years were back and she was hit with a rush of emotion as she remembered everything that brought her here. Her childhood, her teenage years, meeting Regan Mills, her bandit days, marrying Charming, battling the Evil King, the curse, Emma.
Emma.
"Emma!" she exclaimed, she remembered the baby she had to send away and the beautiful woman she had grown into.
She quickly left the bed and ran out of her room, freezing when she came face to face with her roommate and boyfriend, David.
"Charming" she breathed with a teary smile.
"Snow" David said, equally breathless. She ran towards him and he caught her, twirling her as they kissed each other happily, getting reacquainted with each other's lips. Mary Margaret and David had kissed several times in the past two months, but now they were kissing as the people they truly were.
Snow White and Prince Charming.
When they finally pulled away, they were smiling at each other stupidly. Then Snow remember why she had left her room in the first place and her smile fell.
"Charming, our daughter found us. Emma is our daughter and she is dating the Evil King. She doesn't know who he really is, we have to save her!" she exclaimed frantically. She could only imagine what he would do to her now that the curse was broken, and he figured out she was the savior. God, he probably already knew and was torturing her!
"We need to go, now!" David growled, angry at the Evil King for taking advantage of his daughter. He would teach him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.
If they only knew she was being tortured, but not in the way they thought.
On the streets of Storybrooke, people were in similar situations, having tearful reunions with their loved ones, even if they had still been together under the curse.
Snow and David looked around, though it was obvious to them that most people hadn't been separated like they had been. It seemed that particular treat was reserved just for a selected few.
"Snow!"
Said woman turned around and found herself engulfed in a familiar embrace, happily hugging back "Red!" she exclaimed happily. Granny wasn't far behind, smiling faintly. Snow pulled away from her best friend and hugged the older woman as well "Granny!".
More and more people approached. Snow was happy to see her dwarf friends all present. Archie also made his way over and the Blue Fairy had run all the way from the convent to seek her charge "Snow, it's good to see you," she said, finding herself engulfed in a hug by the smaller woman.
"Blue, you're here. You're all here" she said with a beam, looking around at her friend and allies "I wish we could rejoice in our reunion, my friends, but I'm afraid time is of essence. Along with us, no doubt the Evil King is also back. As you know, he was dating Deputy Swan, who is really my daughter Emma" she explained in a solemn tone.
"We don't know how the curse was broken but no doubt that evil bastard will figure out who Emma is, if he hasn't already. We must retrieve Emma and protect her," David added, puffing out his chest.
"What about young Henry?" Blue asked.
Snow and David froze as they remembered the small boy, their daughter's son with the evil king.
They had a grandson!
"Oh god, I had forgotten about Henry. What are we going to do? Regan will never let us take him," she frowned. She had mixed feelings about the whole thing. She was over the moon about her daughter and her grandson, but she was uneasy knowing that he shared genes with her nemesis as well. She ignored the voice in her head telling her she was also jealous of her daughter, for being with the man she always thought of as hers, even when they were at odds.
That was when Granny intervened "We won't take that boy away from his father, even if he is the evil king," she protested, giving them all a stern look.
Snow was shocked "Granny, he's our grandson, our daughter's child!"
"Yes, but he is also Regan's child and whatever else can be said about him, he is a good father. The boy worships him. What do you think will happen if you separate him for the parent he has known all his life? He will hate you" Granny reasoned.
"They will be separated anyway; the evil king must answer for his misdeeds. At best, he will be imprisoned, assuming he can avoid being executed" Charming declared.
He got several nods and shouts of agreement, with the exception of the Lucas', Archie and surprisingly, Snow. He didn't notice though.
"Let's just focus on Emma for the time being and we can decide what to do about Henry later. Let's go!" she commanded and they all marched to the mayoral mansion.
Granny and Ruby shared a look, hoping that Regan didn't roast them all.
When they arrived, they were prevented from going further by an invisible barrier. Both cars were parked on the driveway though, so at least they knew they were home.
"The Evil King has his powers back, it seems" Blue mused worriedly.
"Can you break his barrier?" Snow asked hopefully.
"No, we don't have any pixie dust and even if we had, it would take a lot of time and power to undo it" Blue sighed.
"Ok, then we will do it the old-fashioned way" Charming huffed and brought his fists against the barrier with all his might.
"Come out, your evil bastard, face us like a man!" he screamed. The dwarves followed his lead and hit the barrier, screaming insults and taunts.
Suddenly, they stumbled as the barrier faded. They look ahead and there, appearing in his signature purple fog, was their nemesis.
The Evil King in all his glory.
Regan smirked.
"Here am I now, no need to shout like idiots. But what can I expect from a shepherd turned Prince and a bunch of uncouth dwarves" he sneered, eyeing them with disgust "And just for the record, Charming, I am a man. If you don't believe me, ask your daughter, she has definite proof of it" he taunted with a wink.
David clenched his fists at the insinuation "Where's Emma?! I demand you return her to us" he commanded.
Regan scoffed "First of all, don't presume to give me orders, peasant. There's only one king here and is not you. Second, your daughter is here on her own free will, she is free to leave whenever she wants. Though given what happened last night, I don't think she will" he shrugged.
"Why? What happened last night?" Snow asked with apprehension.
"Why, we broke the curse of course. You want to know how?" He asked, though he didn't care for their opinion "With true love's kiss" he revealed gleefully.
They all froze, staring at him wide eyed "You're lying!" Snow accused in a shrill voice.
"Am I?" he purred "Emma, am I lying?" he asked, extending his hand. Emma emerged from the house and took his hand, looking at her newly awaked parents.
"No, he's not lying. He is my true love," she confirmed, smiling at him lovingly.
"He can't be your true love, Emma. You don't know who he is, what he's done! He cannot love!" David denied, pleading for his daughter to see reason.
"On the contrary, David, I'm the one who knows him best. I know who he used to be and what he did. But I also know who he is now, and he has been making amends for his mistakes" She defended him.
"Like what?" Blue asked in disbelief.
"He helped reunite Snow and David, for one" She said, and they all looked at her shocked "He arranged for Mary Margaret read to David during his coma and when he woke up, we pushed them together. Did you think our involvement in your life was a coincidence?" Emma asked her father.
"He also gave back the hearts he had taken, I saw him do it myself. He reunited a father with his daughter, and he's been trying to find a solution for the town line so we can be connected with the outside world and walk into the 21st century without exposing us completely" She added, feeling her hand being squeezed with gratitude.
"He knew who I was before I did and rather than do something to me, he worked hard to redeem himself to be worthy of me, because he loved me and our son that much. I don't deny his dark past, but I can't let you deny his present. He's not the evil king, not anymore" She finished, giving him a proud smile.
"But he still took advantage of you. If what you say is true and he knew about you beforehand, then he got involved with you under false pretenses" Snow pointed out.
"No, I didn't. I didn't know Emma was the Savior until she was already in Storybrooke, shortly before we started dating on Valentine's day" He admitted.
"And Henry? Were you two together at one point before Emma came to Storybrooke?" David asked angrily.
Regan and Emma shared a glance, silently coming to an agreement. They had discussed beforehand how they were going to explain Henry's origins. At first, the Mayor had suggested they lied and make up a story, it wasn't anyone's business anyway. But Emma told him that lying would only make it seem as if they were ashamed. Everything that happened brought them to where they were today, and they shouldn't have to cover it up when they didn't do anything wrong. Regan saw the logic in her words and agreed.
"No, Regan and I didn't officially meet until I came to town. Before Henry was born, I was in a relationship with another man, someone I thought was the one. We planned to have children, but he couldn't, so we used a sperm donor. The procedure worked and I became pregnant, but the bastard fled and set me up to go to prison. I didn't want my baby to end up in foster care, so I had the clinic contact the birth father to ask if he could take him in. He accepted and we agreed that I would come find Henry when the time was right, and I did. I didn't count on falling in love with said father but…well, things worked out for the best" she finished, squeezing Regan's hand.
Everyone else was looking at them in shocked disbelief "Are you telling me that of all the men in the world, you ended up giving birth to his child by coincidence?" Ruby asked Emma, gesturing to Regan.
The blonde shrugged "I don't know if it was coincidence or not, but yes, of all the profiles that were shown to me of potential donors, I choose his".
Snow and David couldn't believe their ears, their daughter having the evil king's child and falling for him, loving him despite his past, and ending up breaking the curse with their true love? It was too much.
"It doesn't matter! You still have to answer for what you did! You don't get to have a happy ending after all the pain you caused!" Snow White screamed, equal parts angry and jealous. How could her daughter achieve what Snow couldn't without even trying?
"Actually, I don't have to answer to anything. I was and still am the rightful King, a title I earned by marrying the Queen and taking over when she passed away. I didn't take the throne by force and my people thrived under my reign" He clarified, challenging Snow.
"You persecuted Snow! You almost had her killed and you did curse her with that apple. You have executed the people that helped her and cursed us here!" David protested.
"Actually, a rogue knight tried to kill her, not me. Then, she was officially accused of conspiracy and treason by the council, a charge she could have refuted if she hadn't run away. Her helpers were co-conspirators and enablers of a fugitive. As the King, my authority was absolute. I was within my right to execute anyone who didn't obey my directives.
As for the curse, you're right, I did curse you here. But is that really bad? I mean, are you mad because I gave you education, indoor plumbing and technology? I didn't torture anyone, if anything I improved our way of life. But I understand you anger, I truly do. However, if you insist on punishing me for casting the curse, then you need to punish Rumplestiltskin too because he made it in the first place" He pointed out smugly.
They all paled. They could barely hold their own against the Evil King, they wouldn't last a minute against the Dark One.
Emma felt bad that for her parents. They had lost a lot of time with her because of Regan's curse. But in the end, it was their choice to send her way, regardless of their intentions. And besides, as she and Regan had concluded, they got Henry out of the deal and he was worth everything. Nothing could change what happened, so the best thing to do was to move on.
"Look guys, the way I see it, we all have to live here now. I'm not saying that what Regan did was right, King or not. But even if you could charge him with something, this is not the Enchanted Forest. There will be no executions, or monarchies or people doing whatever they want because of a title that no longer matters. This is a democracy and you will all follow the laws of this world or I won't hesitate to throw your ass in jail" She told them, looking at each of them sternly, including Regan.
Snow thought of something and look directly a Regan "Let's hold elections then. If he's as reformed as you say and you really want to follow the laws of this world, then as citizens we are entitled to our right to choose our leaders. I will run for Mayor too and we will let the people decide" she smirked.
Regan narrowed his eyes at her, not bothering to hold back his disdain for her. It stung somewhat "Very well, we will hold elections and we will both campaign for Mayor. If you win, I will walk away without issue" he conceded with a nod.
Everyone else seemed to reluctantly agree. They couldn't go against Snow, who had decided to fight on her terms, or against Emma, since she was part of Law Enforcement. Even if they could do something, there's no winning against the combined force of the King and the Savior. So, they dispersed, a bit lost now that the fight had been taken out of their hands.
Emma sighed and turn to Regan, smacking his arm "Why do you cause so much trouble?" she asked in fond exasperation. The mayor just grinned and shrugged, pulling her into a kiss, which she returned tenfold.
Snow was watching them, seething. Why couldn't he never look at her the way he looked at Emma, why couldn't he be content to be her husband and have a life with her? She was punished because he lost Danielle and in the end, she wasn't even his true love.
David wrapped his arm around his wife, mistaking her angry jealousy for plain anger at their daughter's relationship. He was feeling the same as he watched the man that ruined their life kiss their daughter without a care in the world and he was powerless to stop it.
Finally, Regan had won. It took several decades and a lifetime of pain, but he finally did it and it was all because the woman in his arms.
His queen and true love.
His savior.
To be continued.
This are getting interesting! What were Emma and Regan doing before the charmings arrived? *wink wink*
Next, we will see some more reactions, Maleficent's recovery and the rivalry between Regan and Snow as they campaign for mayor. Plus, more smut!
As always, thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review!