Chapter 24
Regina had stayed with me as Emma and the Charmings ran off to collect Henry. Tanith was propped up in the bed I'd woken up on, after I insisted that I would be fine. And physically speaking, I was. Despite the torture of the past few days, the Blue Fairy's magic (in combination with mine flooding back in) had worked wonders.
My mental state was another matter, one that I was happy to ignore for the moment. Any grief I felt was being reserved for after revenge had been exacted, and, despite the fact that I knew Skulduggery had some idea of what I was planning on doing, nothing would be getting in my way.
Visions of ripping Greg and Tamara apart atom by atom were unfortunately interrupted when Skulduggery crouched down in front of me where I was perched on David and Mary-Margaret's couch. He observed me, the fake eyes of his façade rolling over my face in a way that I would have found weird, were it anyone but Skulduggery.
"I'm not going to refer to you as 'Your Highness'." He finally uttered, grinning when I shot him a confused look.
"I wasn't expecting you too."
"Well you never know with royals. Wasn't sure if the power had gone to your head, Princess Valkyrie." I groaned, dropping my head into my hands, and ignoring the mildly amused look that Fletcher was sending towards us from the kitchen. He'd insisted that a cup of tea would help me feel better, and I hadn't had the heart to discourage him.
"Shut up."
"Oh dear, have I done something to offend?" he quirked a brow at me, his voice taking on a faux fearful tone. "Please Princess, I beg your forgiveness, a mere peasant like me simply doesn't know the proper etiquette." I glared at my skeletal friend for a moment before releasing an overly dramatic sigh.
"Will you stop if I promise not to send you to the executioner's block?"
"Can't kill what's already dead." I pouted at that.
"Damn, there go my winter plans." Skulduggery chuckled, opening his mouth to respond, when the front door opened, and Emma, her parents, and my nephew all came pouring in, Henry going straight for Regina, who had been tending to an overly pale Tanith.
"Oh! Henry."
"Mom!" the boy in question cried out, launching himself into her arms. I stood, only to be knocked off balance into Skulduggery by the ground shaking. A plate shattered to the floor as my partner held me in place next to him, his faux face looking concerned.
"Does that happen often?" he asked sarcastically, glancing around at the stunned faces around us. Emma shook her head, looking towards Regina.
"Regina, was that…"
"Yes." My mother said quietly, Henry peeling off of her to glance at the three strangers in his grandparents apartment. "The diamond was activated."
"So we're all gonna die." Henry exclaimed, temporarily distracted. Skulduggery's hand moved to my arm, pulling me tight into his boney side. Regina shook her head, her sad eyes darting to me.
"You were born here, so you'll live." Henry looked around the room, stunned.
"But…I'll be alone." Tears began to well in my eyes at that, and I turned away, unable to watch my nephew suffer with the knowledge that he was about to lose more of his family.
"I'm so sorry, Henry."
"It's not gonna happen. I'm not gonna let it." Emma said with determination. "You did this, now make it stop." Regina was shaking her head before Emma could finish speaking.
"I can't. There's no way."
"Well, figure it out. It's your fault." The blonde woman finally yelled, and I broke out of Skulduggery's hold to get up in Emma's face.
"Hey!" I hissed out. "This is not the fucking time to play the blame game blondie, especially when it was your parents," I pointed at David and Mary-Margaret, who looked mildly guilty, "who drove her to dig the damn thing up in the first place!"
"Stop!" Henry yelled, pushing in between us. "I already lost my dad. I don't wanna lose anyone else." Emma stepped back, looking somewhat chagrined, and I met Skulduggery's eyes over her shoulder. He looked…almost sad, like he had seen something in that moment…something that changed the way the rest of his time here was going to go. Henry's voice snapped me back to the issue at hand. "We have to work together."
"From the mouths of babes. I'd say the lad has a point." Hook's voice echoed across the room, and I turned my eyes on him just in time to see David clock him across the face.
"That's for the last time we met." David spat out. Hook touched his face, looking up only to be hit again by my fist.
"Bloody hell!"
"Go fuck yourself, you Johnny Depp wanna be." I hissed, turning and walking back over to Regina. I could hear David unholster his gun, and I glanced back, watching him hold it on the pirate.
"And tell us why you're here, before I use something else other than my fist." Hook chuckled darkly at David's threat, his eyes flashing to mine.
"What, like your mini Evil Queen over there? Nah," Hook barreled on before David could ask what exactly he meant. "I think threatening to kill me is a bit redundant when we're all about to die anyway."
"No thanks to you." Emma cut in. "Regina just told us you were working with Tamara and Greg to get your revenge."
"Well, that was before they told me I had to die to get it."
"We don't have time for this. We have a real problem." Emma said.
"Which is why I'm here, because staring death in the face has made me realize if there's one thing I want more than my revenge, it's my life." Hook replied, eyes darting over the group. I could feel Tanith come to glare at the man over my shoulder, leaning on me when I silently offered her my support. "So should we start this thing now and then resume bickering?" Regina stepped forwards.
"There is no stopping it." She said, a thoughtful look coming across her face for a moment. "And the best thing I can do is slow it down, but that will only delay the inevitable."
"It'll give us the time we need." David uttered, turning towards Mary-Margaret when she asked:
"The time for what?"
"Steal back the beans." David responded, glancing around us. "Use them to get everyone back into the Enchanted Forest before Storybrooke is gone." Three sets of eyes turned towards me at that, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Fletcher put his hand up, only to be completely ignored by everyone else in the room. Despite the dire straits, a small grin grew in the corner of my mouth, though it was quickly wiped away as the conversation continued on around me.
"How?" Emma asked. "We don't know where Greg and Tamara are."
"Well, I do." The goddamn pirate piped up. "I can help." I scoffed, Emma apparently on the same wavelength as me.
"Help yourself. You'll take them and leave us behind. Why should we trust you?"
"No," David said quietly. "we won't have to. I'll go with him. If he tries anything, I'll shoot him in the face." I grinned at that, exchanging a look with Skulduggery.
Guess that heroes are prone to fits of violence as well.
Hook's eyebrow quirked up. "Quite hostile, aren't we?"
"Just being clear."
"I'll take Regina to slow down the diamond, give you guys time." Emma cut in, glancing between the two. "Mary-Margaret, take Henry. Gather everyone. Make sure they're ready to go as soon as we have those beans."
"I'm coming with you and mom." I finally spoke up, stepping forwards, my eyes darting to Skulduggery. "And David, you should take Skulduggery with you, as back up." Skulduggery's head shot up, his eyes connecting with mine. I turned away, looking between Fletcher and Tanith. "Fletcher will get Tanith home, she's too injured to help us right now." Tanith shot a light hearted glare at me, her face still entirely too pale for me to be comfortable with.
"Just because it's true doesn't mean you have to say it." She quipped, taking the arm Fletcher offered as he came towards her. Emma frowned.
"How is he going to do that exactly?" I grinned at her question, gesturing to the blond man in question.
"Fletcher here just happens to be a teleporter." Fletcher flushed as several pairs of eyes shot to him, before straightening and coughing into his hand, trying to look less flustered. He wrapped his arm around Tanith, giving Skulduggery and I a nod, and disappearing to the utter amazement of the others in the room.
Regina, being the first to recover, pulled Henry off to the side to talk, and I made my way over to Skulduggery to do the same.
"Before you bitch me out for volunteering you for pirate/prince duty, just remember that you could have sent China to get me instead." Skulduggery didn't respond to my quip, taking a moment to stare down at me thoughtfully, before pulling me into a tight hug.
"If you decide to go with them to the Magical Jungle, I'll understand, but I will also send Ghastly after you to explain why you didn't say goodbye." I chuckled quietly at his whispered threat, hugging him back just as tightly. He pulled back after a moment, searching my face. "If-" He cleared his nonexistent throat. "If things seem to be going the way of the Accelerator… promise me you'll be selfish. Please." My throat closed up slightly as I nodded, lying but unwilling to admit it. Skulduggery nodded back, releasing me.
I think he knew, even then, that if I had to sacrifice myself for my mother, I would, in a heartbeat. Something occurred to me as I stepped away, and I turned towards the departing Charmings.
"Did you see my father?" I asked, struggling to meet David's suddenly reluctant eyes. Mary-Margaret stepped forwards after a long moment.
"He wouldn't come." Unexpected devastation lanced through me at her words, and I struggled to reign in the pain, reasoning that I had only really met this man a few weeks ago. What did he owe me? Mary-Margaret winced at the look on my face. "I'm sorry Valkyrie." I shook my head, smiling tightly, and opened my mouth to say something, anything, but failed to find the words. Finally, I just shrugged, pushing past the couple and Hook, who watched me with strangely intense eyes as I left the warmth of the Charming home.
