Aaaand... action!
Chapter Five: Escape
A buzzing by her ear woke Emma and she reached awkwardly with her free arm to turn it off. Her legs lay at an awkward angle and one half of her body felt uncomfortably warm. Pulling back the covers from her half of the bed brought a brief waft of cool air but didn't help her to feel any reprieve from the heat. Tucked up tight against her side, her son slept undisturbed.
Do all kids get this hot when they sleep? she wondered as she tried to pry his hands from her pyjamas.
What with Henry's distress over Regina's continued absence and her own impatience to get started on hers and Ragnar's plan, Emma found sleep nearly impossible to achieve. When she did manage to drift off for twenty/thirty minutes at a time, her dreams were plagued with visions of her girlfriend in various nightmarish situations. She would wake up in a sweat, panting hard from fear and helplessness, but be unable to go anywhere for fear of waking the boy.
It took a surprisingly long time before she was able to extract herself from vice-like fingers and make her way downstairs. She checked her watch as she put it on and calculated that she had twenty minutes before she needed to leave. Hunger felt like the least of her concerns, but she knew that there might be a long day ahead so forced down the meal she'd prepared the night before and double checked everything she needed. She found Ruby asleep but easy enough to wake and then returned to her own room.
Emma approached the bed with the sprawled-out child and began diligently pulling the covers back over his exposed limbs. She didn't want him to wake up too soon; the longer he slept, the less time he had to spend worrying. After studying his features for a moment and marvelling again at how he'd come back into her life, she kissed the top of his head, whispered goodbye, and left the apartment.
Emma cursed again as her black cargo-pants snagged on another branch and she was forced to stop to untangle it. Entering Leo White's property through its wildest part was the best option, or so she'd thought. Although the walls were high with privacy wire firmly attached to the top, there were less eyes on the treeline. It did make the distance over which she had to cross ridiculously long though and several times, she had to bite back the urge to take her anger out on the innocent plant life surrounding her.
Eventually, she made it to signs of civilisation and found a new challenge. The property had surveillance everywhere, including the tennis courts and various gardens. While Emma might have blended in with the dark at night, in the new light of day, she imagined she stood out like a sore thumb. Her only recourse then was to move as if she belonged there; after all, that was why she'd chosen to dress like White's guards.
Only when she reached the side of the actual house did she return to her former sneakiness. Through the insanely neat rows of rare plants and past topiaries in the shapes of mermaids and nymphs, she looked out from under a stone arch and up at the side of a huge 'house'. In the distance, she could hear the ruckus her partner was creating and even as she worked up the nerve to head around back, two guards flew past to join their friends at the front.
Taking a deep breath, Emma glanced up at the windows and frowned. At first, she couldn't figure out what she was looking at and then she realised that they were reflections – of the sky, the trees, the stupidly square hedges – every window had mirrored glass, which meant that there was no way for her to peek in and see where Regina and Nieve… Mary Margret… might be.
Mary Margret Blanchard. Emma still couldn't believe that her former foster mom was the daughter of the rich bastard who was forcing her girlfriend into marriage. What a crazy mess! When she'd heard her name called out across the busy offices of the FBI, she'd momentarily panicked, thinking that she was in trouble for something. And then she'd seen David, and she'd known she was in trouble…
"Emma?" David Blanchard – older, confused and worried looking – stood haltingly from his chair and walked zombie-like towards the bounty hunter.
Emma's eyes widened and looked him up and down. "David?" She suddenly felt fifteen-years-old again and braced herself for a telling off, but then there were tears in his eyes and he walked forward to wrap her into a bear-hug.
The back of White's property looked just as austere as the rest of it, but she didn't let it deter her and walked straight through the back door, her footsteps light but sure as she tried for a combination of stealthy and confident, like she was totally supposed to be there. The sound of voices drew her to a doorway and she peeked around the corner to find a scullery and a handful of servants bustling about.
From close by but out of sight, another voice rose, low and dangerous. "Make sure you don't overload them as you did yesterday. You don't want my daughter bursting out of her wedding dress on her special day, do you?" the voice asked silkily.
"No ma'am," the maid replied, her voice sounding unsteady with fear.
"Make sure you lock the doors when you're done. I need to sort out what's happening up front. These men are useless."
"Yes, ma'am."
Emma bit her tongue to stop from saying something that would ultimately give away her position. She looked around and spotted an alcove into a small room with buckets, mops and the sorts of things she imagined servants needing for their daily grind. Just in time, she stepped inside as the sound of Cora Mills' heels clacked along the stone-laid corridor and disappeared from earshot. Moments later, the maid appeared with a tray of food in her hands. Emma watched as she mounted a flight of stairs and followed.
The stairs were narrow, no doubt for servants to use and not the owners and guests of the huge building. She managed to keep her footfalls soft and in time with the other woman's – up one storey and then another, until they arrived in a corridor lined in wide gaps between doors. Emma watched as the maid set the tray on the floor and then fished out a key from her apron. The young woman put her ear against the door for a moment before repeating the action with the room next door. Making a decision, she offered the key up to a lock with a shaking hand. With a quick movement, she slid the tray through the open door with her foot and then pulled the door to and began to lock it again. Emma felt her anger beginning to boil again as she watched the scene and caught the quiet sobbing coming from the terrified maid.
Making a quick decision, Emma rushed the woman and reached her just in time to stifle a scream. Wide eyes stared at her as she took the key, opened the door and pulled them both into the room. She locked it behind them, frowned at the emptiness of the room and then focussed her gaze back on the maid.
"I'm not going to hurt you," she murmured into the still air. "I'm going to let you go now. Ok?" The woman nodded and Emma slowly released her and took a step back. "The two women who were brought here. Where are they?"
The young woman swallowed and pointed to a wall on the far side of the room. Emma's eyes followed the gesture and she frowned. "I don't…" And then she heard them; voices coming from the next room. She gestured the maid to walk in front of her and they approached a panel of wall, which she could clearly see now was slightly ajar. She kicked it open with her foot and gently pushed the maid forward until they both stood facing the captives.
Regina took one look at the figure dressed in black and ran to her to throw her arms around the blonde's neck. She breathed with relief and then leant back slightly so she could pull her girlfriend into a desperate kiss, but as her senses came back to her, fear gripped her again. She slapped the bounty hunter's arm. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed. "You could've been killed sneaking in here. You still could!"
Behind Regina, Mary Margret stood, her mouth hanging open. She was staring at their rescuer as if she'd seen a ghost, but it was only as Regina stepped back a little more that she finally decided that she wasn't seeing things. "Emma?"
"Hey, Mary Margret," the blonde replied shyly. After seeing David again, she wasn't so worried about the woman's reaction, but she was still surprised by the fierceness of the hug which hit her. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered what she'd learned about this woman and the baby girl she'd lost. The knowledge brought a whole new level of guilt to her for running away. She wasn't going to think about other possible connections between them.
Regina frowned at the hug but knew that now was not the time for explanations. Not about how the pair knew each other anyway. "Emma, what are you doing here? Is the FBI with you? Don't tell me you came alone."
At the letters, FBI, Emma noticed the maid's eyes widen again. "No," she answered.
"To which bit?" Regina pushed as she crossed her arms.
"Both? Ragnar is out front creating a distraction. We'll have to go back out the way I came in." She turned to Mary Margret then. "The FBI are useless without more evidence to pin on the whole… cult here. Is there any way we can get into your father's study? I need something besides what you two can tell me."
The pixy-haired brunette nodded slowly. "I think I can get you there."
"Good," Emma replied. "We don't have time to waste." Her gaze fell on the maid and she thought for a moment. "Would you prefer to come with us, or do you want me to lock you in here so it looks like you had no choice?"
Dark brown eyes flicked fearfully back and forth, thinking. "She'll kill me if you leave me here." She looked at Regina and flinched, as if seeing the likeness to her mistress was enough to drill fear into her. "She'll be so angry."
Regina put a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "I wouldn't put it past her. Come on then."
After locking the rooms behind them, they sneaked down to the floor below and along a back passage to the far side of the house. The maid, Anna, and Mary Margret led the way, leaving Emma and Regina to argue in hushed tones behind them.
"You should've told me," Emma hissed from behind her girlfriend, her residual fear reappearing from finding Regina gone with no explanation. "What the hell were you thinking!?"
"You've never lived with my mother. I didn't think there was another way," the brunette replied, equally emotional about the choice she'd made in the heat of the moment. "I was trying to protect my son. He's supposed to be with you, Emma." She swallowed hard and croaked, "You're his mother now."
Emma sighed. Angry as she was, she knew the feeling came from fear, as had Regina's rash actions. "You're his mother, Regina. I love the kid and you know I'd do my best if anything happened to you, but this whole changing custody thing is temporary, y'know? When we get out of this, we'll make sure you get him back." She slipped a hand into the brunette's and squeezed. There wasn't enough time for Regina to tell Emma how much that thought touched her, but her doe-eyed look said it all.
They exited the passageway into another richly decorated corridor and shuffled in a non-stealthy way to a room halfway along. It was locked and a shake of the head from Anna confirmed that she had no key. Emma shrugged, pulled a small pouch from her pocket and knelt down to get to work on the lock. When the door swung open, she ushered the three women inside, closed it behind them and then found herself face-to-face with a very motherly look of reproach.
"Young lady," Mary Margret began scornfully. "We will be having words later."
Emma couldn't help it – the laughter bubbled up from deep inside and even both hands clasped over her mouth couldn't stop it from coming out. She ducked the swatting hand and then immediately remembered the seriousness of the situation. "Alright, let's make this quick."
The very loud ticking of the clock on the wall added an unnecessary urgency to the search and while Anna fidgeted nervously by the window, choosing to keep lookout rather than riffling through her employer's private files, the other three dug into drawers and cabinets. Emma's search was slowed considerably by the weighty words Leo White insisted on using to label his files, but her sixth sense was sharp and when she touched the second-to-last manilla folder and attempted to read the cover, the hairs on the back of her neck rose.
She pulled it out and sidled over to her girlfriend. "Hey, help me with this one?" she whispered.
Regina scanned the cover and then flicked through it excitedly. "Yes, Emma, this will do nicely. Now, let's go."
They'd made an effort not to make a mess, so it was easy to leave the room as if they'd never been there. It felt like a miracle that they met no one on the way back down the narrow stairs and managed to make their way into the walled garden without anyone stopping them. Emma led the way, her feet picking up the pace until they were all-out running. She was very aware of the security cameras still watching their every move and before long, they heard shouts behind them.
"Go!" Emma whisper-shouted and chanced a look at the house. A distant sound of heavy boots kicking up gravel reached her ears and she deliberated for a second what to do. Remembering the struggle through the dense brush, she knew she needed to buy time for the others.
"Emma!" Regina hissed and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing? Let's go!"
The blonde reached beneath her vest and tugged out her phone and the papers they'd taken from the folder and pushed them against her girlfriend's chest. "Take them. No… Don't argue with me. Call Ragnar – he's out front. Take them and make sure the FBI gets them, it's the only way we can stop this shit show." She kissed Regina and then pushed her firmly in the direction of freedom. "I left a rope ladder secured on the wall, just tug the cord and it'll come down. Throw a coat or something over the wire." She didn't wait for an answer. Didn't linger to absorb the wonder that was the woman she loved.
Regina hesitated but knew better than to waste the precious few minutes given to her. She ran, caught up with the other two, calmed Mary Margret's frantic search for Emma and pushed them towards their escape. Anna was over the wall, Mary Margret scrambling down after her and Regina stepping over the wire when they heard the shot. Regina froze and then snapped her head in the direction of the terrifying noise. She couldn't see or hear anything, but the twisting of her gut told her to fear the worst. Instinct wanted her to jump right back into the property and go find her girlfriend, but logic reared its head and reminded her of her job. She was Emma's best chance only if she could follow through.
When her feet touched the ground, she found Emma's phone and hit speed dial for the blonde's business partner. After one ring, the line connected.
"Swannie? Did you find your queen? We're getting' a lot of heat up front and runnin' out of time."
Queen? Regina thought for a split second and then filed it for later. "It's Regina," she told him and then felt her voice catch in her throat as she tried to force out her next thought. "They got her. They got Emma."
There was a pause on the other end and then, "Where you at, Sugar?"
Regina looked around and panicked for a moment when she didn't know how to answer. Then she saw the rope ladder and realised that there must have been a plan before the rescue attempt. "Where Emma got in."
"I got you. I'm comin' for you now. Don't move." His voice was calm, soothing, like he did this kind of thing every day.
"We need to go back for Emma," she said in a rush as her overloaded emotions caught up with her. She could hear the sound of an engine revving up and began searching the street for where it might appear.
"Don't worry about Swan. Girl's got more lives than a cat." Ragnar replied, hoping to keep the woman from doing something hasty, but the next words out of her mouth pushed his foot harder on the gas…
"I heard a gunshot."
Ragnar's truck rounded the corner and bore down on the three women. Regina spotted her girlfriend's partner with one hand on the wheel and the other with a phone in it and wanted to yell down the line at him for being so stupid, but the words wouldn't come. All she could think about was the sound of gunfire and her worry about whether Emma was lying somewhere on Leo White's property, bleeding to death because she came to rescue her.
The truck pulled up to the curb and Ragnar jumped out to pull Regina into a hug. "Bein' involved in a shootout? She'll love tellin' that story," he told her.
"Don't…" Regina whispered back; her voice wet with tears. She pulled back before long and revealed the papers which were tucked into the waistband of her trousers. "She said to get these straight to the FBI."
"Well done, Swan." He took the papers and encouraged them to get in the truck. "Let's go. The sooner, we get these to the right people, the sooner we can have the right people back for Emma."
It felt wrong to be driving away without her girlfriend, but Regina had little choice. She fussed over the young maid, who was now openly crying as the shock of the day's events hit her, and tried in croaked bursts to assure Mary Margret that Emma was tougher than anything their parents could throw at her.
If only she could convince herself of the same.
Was it copper or iron in blood? Some sort of metal, she knew that much. People took iron supplements for anaemia, but people also said that blood tasted like copper. Weird, Emma thought. But whatever it was, the tang of it sat heavy on her tongue.
"I know you think you're being brave, dear," Cora Mills' voice cut through the air on soft tones. "I know you think you've saved Regina from some terrible fate, but all you've done is to seal it for her."
"Yeah? My bad." The back-handed slap came out of nowhere and Emma's head snapped to the side, blood propelling into an arc onto the rough, stone-tiled floor. Of course, they wouldn't do this in one of their fancy rooms with expensive furniture.
"Do you think this is a game? That I will be somehow amused by your insolence?" Mrs Mills wrapped her fingers around the blonde's jaw and forced their eyes to meet. "Since before she was born, Regina has had a destiny. She has attempted to squander it at every turn. I have arranged a secure and prosperous future for her and how does she thank me? By whoring herself out to the likes of you."
The temptation to spit a mouthful of blood at the psycho-witch was so strong that Emma's tongue began to roll back in preparation, but as she drew breath for maximum projection, she felt the ache in her side scream in protest and gritted her teeth until the pain dulled again. "You're insane," she managed to choke out eventually.
Cora squeezed her captive's face until her nails bit into soft flesh and then pushed it away. She looked the blonde up and down as a satisfied smirk grew on her features. "And you, Miss Swan, are dying. With this much blood loss, your body will start going into shock soon." She bent down to hover beside Emma's ear and whispered, "He won't give up on her. We have friends in high places and once your collaborators at the FBI get tired of chasing a paper-trail, we will find my daughter again. Only this time, you won't be around to stop it."
Eek!