Chapter 19

Narrators Point of View

"You are a pretty little thing…" The red head cooed with no warmth, running her pointer finger slowly down the jawline of the restrained teenager who lay on a cement block the length of a small cot, enchanted shackles holding her still "such a waste."

Cora sighed heavily stepping back from the young woman, her hollow chest only beating with heinous creativity of how to most enjoy the end to which she would soon bring to the little wretches life. Sure, she could just kill her instantly but what was the fun in that? Like a cat who knows it's size and claws are more than capable of the sudden death of the tiny mouse but instead chooses to play with it a bit before it consumes it as it's dinner – Cora wanted to have a bit of fun with the shivering child who had all but ruined every plan she had ever made to rule vicariously through Regina.

"Cat and Mouse." She mumbled, eyes widening as if a revelation had hit her non-existent soul.

"What?" Arena asked confused before gasping as the table, along with her shackles disappeared allowing her to fall to the floor with a hard thud " are you letting me go?" She asked innoncently, hopeful.

The loud cackle that fell from red lips answered the question for her.

"Oh my dear, certainly not!" She exclaimed, slapping the top of her thighs with both hands as a large, toothy smile overtook her face "I'm just having a bit of fun with you before I …well you're a smart girl…you know."

Arena paled instantly as she watched woman start to stalk her, slowly approaching where she stood. The blonde teen began to back up, every sense heightened.

"As I was saying earlier before you so very rudely interrupted me…" Cora grinned giving a slight shimmy to her shoulder as sparks began to slowly ignite around her "we are going to play a game of cat and mouse…"

Arena's heart beat quickened as she stepped back one more, eyes scanning the room for something – anything to defend herself.

"Now do be a good sport…" Cora command tilting her head from side to side, eyes shifting shape, teeth beginning to lengthen "I'll give you a head starrrrrt."

She purred out the 'r's before her human form peeled away to reveal an orange and black striped tiger, claws extended and teeth bore looking hungrily at the blue eyed girl who gasped at the sight of it.

"What the hell..." Arena marveled before a loud roar erupted form the creature's mouth and it came bounding in her direction.

She leapt out of the path of the predator just in time to miss the open mouth full of glimmering teeth. Turning quickly she grabbed a chair and threw it at the over grown cat causing it to duck out of the way, before looking back at her with pitch black eyes that danced with amusement – enjoying her fear, feeding off of it. The feline easily moved over the fallen chair, it's massive paw swiping swiftly through the air, connecting with Arena's mid-section eliciting a scream from her lips, her shirt tearing and skin splitting and spilling with blood at the blow.

It was at this moment the teenager knew that if she had the slightest chance of surviving she had to let go of her fear and take hold of the same thing the woman encased in fear and teeth had – creativity. She had to play the game. A mouse always looks for a way to do to the cat exactly what it's trying to do to it. Trap it.

Blue eyes ran over the room, Cora had used her magic to quickly decorate the space of the upstairs of the clock tower in old world fashion – including it being lit by torches on the walls. Arena's mind lit up like the flames around her, remembering an old movie she had watched with Regina once about a tiger very much like the one pacing around her currently.

A smirk pulled at the teen's pink lips as she locked eyes with the Tiger, back up quickly towards the wall knowing it would follow in step.

"Here kitty kitty…" Arena mocked, and even in feline form Cora's hot temper flashed across the facial feature, the teasing eliciting and violent hiss as she bounded towards her.

In the moment it took her to arrive in front of Arena, the teen had spun around and grabbed a torch, jumping just to the side of the big cat grabbing the torch from the wall as she turned then swiftly turning it a bit to the side to dump the oil out of the base onto the cats tail and fur before fully connecting the flame to the thick hairs covering it's body, immediately lighting it aflame.

A loud roar transformed into a human scream as Cora unwound from her Tiger form back into an irate evil enchantress, her hair singed and limbs scarred with burns.

"You foolish girl!" She cried angrily before a flame appeared in her palm "you think you're the only one who can play with fire?!"

Arena's eyes widened in terror as Cora's lifted her hand, it was obvious she intended to torch the young woman.

"I wanted your heart in a box." The older woman quipped "but I suppose I'll settle for your ashes on my mantle!"

"Please no!" The girl screamed, covering her face with her arms, wincing at the pain of her bloodied mid-section as she crouched down.

"Alas manners aren't enough to get you out of this. " The red headed chuckled, the flame growing in size and heat "goodbye stable rat."

"Mother stop!" A desperate cry rang out through the closed door, a spell holding it tightly shut, the sound of the voice momentarily pausing the scene.

"I didn't realize we were expecting company." Cora mumbled with a sigh, rolling her eyes " I'm in no mood Regina!"

"If you touch one hair on her head I swear I'll…"

"You'll what? " Cora asked incuriously through the door, her annoyance not noticing the spell was being weakened from the other side "save her like you did Daniel?"

Cora let out a cold chuckle at the silence she received in response.

"Now dear I don't want to kill two people today so go back to your mansion and drink some whiskey and forget about this little mouse." She glared at the trembling child in front of her "she's mine.

"I don't want to fight you mother, just let her go!" Regina commanded causing Cora's anger to flare.

"That's enough, this ends now." She stomped her foot, turning to the direction of the door that shook as the spell was at the edge of breaking, no doubt from Regina's power, her hand lifting with the fire – it was clear what her intentions were.

In that moment desperate emotion filled Arena's entire being, like a match dropping into a canister of gasoline hidden away for such a dire situation as this, each nerve began to buzz. Her skin instantly swept with hot and cold chills, her chest full of a fire she'd never felt that seemed to rise to her eyes that turned to a bright white that was almost simultaneously mirrored by a glowing white flame that formed with in her palm causing her to gasp as it leapt sloppily from her palm to knock the orange flame from the older woman's hand causing her to leap back in bewilderment.

"You…have magic." She gasped in horror, but before another word could leave her lips the door was blown down with a force so strong it knocked her off of her feet, her head connecting hard against the wall leaving her unconscious.

Regina ran into the room, brown eyes searching franticly before landing on the crumpled, bleeding little girl on the floor.

"Oh my love..." She fell to her knees scooping her up into her arms, cradling her against her chest "I'm so sorry." She whispered hoarsely.

"What's he doing here?!" Arena's voice went high with fear, eyes looking over the former Queen's should to land on a defeated looking Rumpelstiltskin.

"I couldn't break the spell on the door myself, my magic still isn't strong enough here." Regina explained gently "I needed his help."

"You didn't make a deal did you?" Arena asked filled with alarm.

"No dearie she did not, well at least not with me." He answered leaning against his cane " it seems my Belle teamed up with the Queen to back me into a corner…if I didn't help you I would lose her forever…and when it comes to staying in Cora's good graces or Belle's…I think the choice is obvious."

Cora groaned a bit unconsciously, causing concern to cross the brunettes face.

"We need to go before she wakes up." Regina pulled Arena closer to her before looking at Rumpelstiltskin "try to erase our trail please."

He nodded in understanding.

"Hold tight to me." She tenderly instructed the teen who quickly obliged, reaching deep Regina used the last bit of her magic to conjure a cloud that wrapped around them. As it dissipated they arrived inside a beautiful but unfamiliar home.

"If I took you to my house she would find us immediately." Regina explained seeing the confusion on Arena's face.

Arena nodded, wincing at the pain in her abdomen as she attempted to sit up a bit, instead she let herself fully lean against the former queen's chest in a broken, heap.

"Arena…" Regina said the name like an apology as she gently lifted the edge of the girl's tattered shirt to reveal the deep wounds from the tiger's claws "that monster…" She all but growled "I should've known. And Rumple…how I could have believed him…"

She shook her head in disbelief of the situation – of the two villains of her life yet again causing the things she cared for most to be in pain, to almost be lost.

"Because I'm….not good…" Regina began, her words laced with shame " I can't fully heal you but I can mend you enough to ease your pain and keep infection from filling the wounds till we can get the blue fairy here tomorrow okay?"

"Okay." Arena's voice was small in agreement, breaking Regina's heart "Regina…thank you."

"For what?" The Mayor asked in shock, she had handed the girl over into the care of the most reprehensible evil and she was thanking her? It didn't make sense.

"You saved me." The teenager whispered softly, lifting her head enough to meet the dark orbs gazing down at her "thank you."

"Of course I did sweet girl…" Regina's eyes began to pool with tears that the girl still found it hard to believe she was of worth – it reminded her so much of herself, perhaps that was what made it so deeply painful " Arena these past few months with you have been the absolute joy of my life, to think I could of lost you…" Her voice broke " is more than I could bear."

A soft, weak smile pulled at the teens bruised, pink lips.

"Regina?"

"Yes my darling?" The brunette answered barely above a whisper, trying to contain her ever mounting emotions.

"I love you."

They had never said it to each other, though they both felt it. Perhaps it was because they knew this was temporary, that she would have to leave and it would be to hard. Whatever the reason, now it was said and Regina's heart was bursting.

"And I love you my angel." She breathed as a tear rolled down her cheek before pressing a soft kiss to the girls forehead.

And just like that everything changed. A breath of magic ran through the room, Regina felt instantly dizzy as a series of memories flooded through her head at warp speed then her eyes went wide, a gasp falling from her lips.

" Arena…"