Summary: Emma's death left a painful void in Regina's chest. She could not understand how the death of the Savior caused such a deep level of sorrow, or why, as each day passed since her death, it felt like she was slowly dying. But one thing she knew for certain, she needed to find a way to bring her back.
And she would do anything necessary to Save Emma.
A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to my new fic! This is my final submission to SwanQueen Supernova last year, so once again this is a completed fic! No fear of being abandoned. I will continue to post as I have been, Tuesday morning/afternoon. As always, there is some notes before we dive right in.
First, there is a Major Character Death. But it is only temporary, I promise. The entire premiss of the story is to bring them back! And it has a happy ending, I promise!
Second, the amazing artist, Redge created the most amazing piece of art for this story. Please check it out on AO3 when you get a chance. You will not be disappointed.
and as always, I do not own Once Upon a Time, the characters or any details associated with it. The world is theirs, but story is mine!
And now, without further ado, I present to you, "Save Emma"
Part One: Storybrooke, Maine
Chapter 1
Emma laid on the ground, her father's sword laying next to her where she dropped it, all signs of Gideon gone. The group ran over to her, Henry being the first to reach her lifeless body.
"I love you." He cried, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead, the same way she kissed him four years ago to wake him from the sleeping curse. But this time there was no curse broken. No rainbow flash of magic spread from them. Emma didn't wake up like Henry had. Snow pushed her way through the group and pulled her daughter's body into her arms, a small pool of blood beginning to collect on the ground beneath her. Snow sobbed uncontrollably when she felt Charming pull them both into his arms, cradling his wife as Snow held their daughter's dead body against her chest.
Regina knelt down behind her son, wrapping her arms around him tightly, as she gazed over at the body of the Savior. The woman with whom she shared her son. Emma. The woman who came barging into town four years ago, and completely changed her life forever. Henry instantly turned around in Regina's arms, and cried into her shoulder, his body shaking with grief, as he sat just a few feet away from his biological mother's body. She didn't know when, but at some point, Regina began to cry as well, her tears falling into Henry's hair.
What felt like an eternity later, Charming pulled away from Snow, forcing her to release Emma from her vice grip, picking up his daughter's body into his arms, holding her close to his chest. As he stood, Emma's blood began to drip to the ground, staining his boots.
"Where are you taking her?" Henry asked, choking back sobs.
"I….I…I don't know." Charming said, as he held his daughter's body.
"Not the hospital!" Snow yelled, moving to cradle her daughter's head in her hands, kissing her forehead. "I can't leave her in the morgue all alone. I just can't." Snow cried.
"David, bring her to my vault. She'll be safe there until we can make arrangements for her final resting." Regina said, holding Henry tight.
"Are you sure?" Charming asked, shifting Emma's weight in his arms.
"I'm positive." Regina added. "I'll sit with her tonight, so she's not alone." Regina said.
"Regina. I can't ask you to do that." Snow said, momentarily composing herself.
"You're not asking, I'm offering." Regina said, turning towards Henry. "Henry, you should be with your grandparents tonight. The three of you need to mourn together." Regina said, nodding towards Snow and Charming.
"Thank you, Regina." Charming said, as Regina began to lead the way towards her vault.
They walked silently for what felt like forever, until they reached the front door of Regina's vault. Regina swiftly slid her father's stone coffin to the side, revealing the entrance to Regina's underground vault. Leading the way through the maze of rooms, past the wall of beating hearts and the many rooms filled with magical tomes and potion ingredients, Regina stopped when she entered a small empty room in the back corner.
"Lay her down there." Regina said, pointing to the small bed covered in satin sheets she conjured upon entering the room. Without a word, Charming walked slowly into the room, placing Emma's body on the soft mattress, making sure to rest her head on the satin pillow. Snow immediately sat on the bed next to her daughter, holding her now cold hand, crying. Henry clung to Regina while Charming paced the small room, none of them knowing what to do next.
"Why don't the three of you go get some rest." Regina suggested, pulling a crying Henry from her shoulder. "I'll stay here tonight with her, as promised. She won't be alone." Regina added, acknowledging the fear in Snow's eyes.
"Are you sure, Mom?" Henry asked.
"Of course. You need to be with your grandparents tonight. I don't mind staying here with Emma." Regina answered, wiping the tears from Henry's face. "Give your mother a kiss before you go." Regina added, acting as if Emma were simply sleeping, not dead.
"Thank you, Mom." Henry said, as he pulled away from Regina to bend down and kiss Emma sweetly on the cheek, frowning at the cool temperature of her skin. Charming followed Henry, kissing Emma gently on the forehead, running his hands through his daughter's hair, before leading Henry out of the room, stopping to squeeze Regina's arm lightly as a silent thank you.
"I'll give you a minute." Regina said as she rested her hand on Snow's shoulder, who stayed seated next to Emma, before leaving the room to watch Charming wrap his arm around Henry's shoulder as they walked out of the vault.
Regina could hear Snow's sobbing, but she kept her distance, listening as Snow said goodbye to her daughter.
"Thank you, Regina." Snow said, as she exited the room, pulling Regina into a tight hug.
"I'll keep her safe." Regina said, as Snow sobbed into her shoulder. "It's the least I can do for her." Regina added, as Snow pulled away from her former step-mother, looking at her with red eyes. Snow simply nodded, as she backed away from Regina, taking one last look at Emma, before following her husband and grandson out into the cool Maine night air.
Regina waited a few moments until she heard the front door of her vault close before she walked back into the room, alone for the first time with the body of the fallen Savior.
"Well, Miss Swan, you've certainly found yourself in quite the predicament now, haven't you?" Regina said, sitting on the edge of the bed. With a wave of her hand, a thin silver bubble washed over Emma's body briefly, before fading into the air, preserving Emma's body just as she was.
Regina moved to pull the beanie off Emma's head, tossing it into the corner. "I never liked this ridiculous hat." She said to Emma, as she folded Emma's hands, placing them over her abdomen, fixing Emma's clothes to cover the wound on her stomach where Gideon's sword had killed her. "Henry will be alright. I promise. I'll always protect him. Rest in peace, Emma, knowing your son… our son will always be safe and happy. When he graduates high school, when he goes to college, when he gets married, I promise, you will always be there with us, in our hearts, and in our minds." Regina said, as her eyes began to fill with tears. "Rest in peace, Emma. I will miss you, my friend…" Regina said, pushing a stay hair away from Emma's face, falling into silence with Emma.
"I'm so sorry, Emma." Regina said, after looking at Emma's face for a few moments. "This is all my fault." She said, tears beginning to fall from her eyes, as she grabbed Emma's cold hand into her own. "Your entire life. Every hardship. Every struggle. Was all because of me." Regina cried, breaking down for the first time since Emma died. "Can you ever forgive me?" She asked, half expecting Emma to wake up and answer her. But no response came, only silence. "I'm so sorry, Emma…" Regina repeated, as she shifted so she was laying next to Emma on the bed, her head nestled next to Emma's on the pillow, Emma's hand still clutched within her own. Regina's cries echoed off the walls in the empty room, as Emma's body began to shake with Regina's cries, as she repeated "I'm so sorry, Emma…" over and over again until she cried herself into a still and dreamless sleep, nestled against the cold body of the Savior.
Regina's eyes shot open when she heard the telltale sound of the vault door being opened, followed by the unmistakable footsteps of Henry making his way down the stairs. At some point in the middle of the night, she had pulled Emma into her arms, holding her impossibly tight, waking up with her face buried in Emma's long blonde hair. The faintest smell of her shampoo was still lingering in her senses as she rushed to detangle herself from Emma, having just enough time to straighten out her own clothes and return Emma back to her original resting position, before Henry appeared in the doorway, conjuring up a chair in the corner to make it appear she hadn't spent the night with Emma in her arms.
"Mom?" Henry asked, as he turned the corner and walked into the room, finding Regina hovering near the doorway. His eyes immediately fell upon Emma's body, laying seemingly unmoved, as they left her the night before, sans her beanie.
"Good morning." She said, as Henry fell into her arms. "Did you get any sleep last night?" She asked, attempting to smooth out his unruly hair.
"Not really. Maybe a few hours. Grandma was crying most of the night and Grandpa had to take care of Neal, who kept waking up when Grandma's cries got really loud." Henry explained, flinching slightly when his eyes accidentally fell on Emma's body. "They're going to start making the arrangements for Mom's funeral this afternoon. Grandpa is going to make an announcement in a few hours to let everyone know what happened. Grandma asked if you would be there with us today, especially when we make the announcement that she's dead." Henry said.
"Of course. Whatever everyone needs." Regina answered, holding her son. "Do you need anything?" She asked.
"I am really hungry." He said. "Can we go home and have breakfast? I don't think I can stand to sit at Granny's and try to pretend that everything is ok until Grandpa makes the announcement." Henry asked.
"Of course. In fact, I'll do one better. How about we go over to your grandparent's house and I cook breakfast for everyone." Regina offered.
"I think…I think they would like that. I don't think either one of them are in any condition to make breakfast." Henry agreed, pulling away from Regina and walking towards the door, Regina following close behind. As she crossed the threshold, she waved her hand, casting a protection spell over the room that Emma laid, leaving the Savior alone for the first time since her passing.
Regina and Henry walked in silence through the streets of the town arriving at the loft without being spotted by any townsfolk. They entered the loft quietly to find an extremely distraught Snow standing in the kitchen with a loaf of bread on the counter, as she stared deeply at the toaster, as if uncertain what to do next.
"I'll do this." Regina said, walking over to Snow, directing her to sit on the couch next to Charming and Henry. Snow just looked up at Regina, clearly still in shock, and nodded, as she walked slowly to join her Husband and grandson on the couch. Regina quickly went to work making breakfast, scrambled eggs and pancakes and bacon. All of Emma's favorite breakfast foods, as she had learned over the past four years.
They ate breakfast in silence, the sound of Neal quietly sleeping being the only thing that could be heard. Charming looked at his watch and let out a heavy sigh. "It's almost time." He said, breaking the silence.
"Time for what?" Regina asked.
"Time to announce that our daughter is dead." Snow snapped, anger and resentment filled her voice.
"I spread the word that there will be a town meeting at eleven, to announce Emma's passing." Charming said, a little calmer than his Wife. "I…I…I don't know if I can do it. I don't know how I'm going to make it through it." Charming said, breaking down at the table.
"Let me do it." Regina said, reaching for Snow and Charming's hands. "You go and begin to make the arrangements for the funeral, I'll take care of the town meeting."
"You should do it!" Snow said, anger still in her voice. "You're the Mayor. It's your responsibility to make these announcements."
"Yes. This is true." Regina said. "But job titles aside, Emma is… was …my friend. I owe it to her to do this." Regina answered, seeing the anger disappear slightly from Snow's eyes.
"Thank you, Regina." Charming whispered, as tears fell from his eyes.
"It's the least I can do." Regina said. "Go, I'll clean up and hold the meeting. It'll only make it harder to make the arrangements the longer you wait. We'll meet back here when we are all finished." Regina said, standing to clear the table, as Snow and Charming began to prepare Neal for their trip to the funeral home, to make arrangements to bury his older sister.
"Mom?" Henry asked, helping Regina clear the table. "Can I go with Grandma and Grandpa and Neal to the funeral place? I don't think I can handle everyone in the town feeling sorry for me all at once."
"Of course. I think they'll need a little help making the arrangements. It'll be good for you to help." Regina said, "I'll meet you back here after." She repeated. Henry hugged her tightly, before rushing to join his grandparents, as they walked out of the door.
Regina sat in her office, attempting to compose herself before making the announcement that Emma was gone. Grief swept through her body at the thought of never seeing Emma again, as she let out a deep sob, tears falling swiftly from her eyes. With less than five minutes to spare before eleven, Regina pushed her emotions back, steeling herself, she walked slowly out of her office, making her way over towards the meeting hall, where half the town would be waiting for the mysterious announcement.
The room was buzzing when Regina walked through the doors in the back of the room, slowly making her way over to the front, all eyes falling on her.
"Ladies and Gentleman, may I have your attention please. I will make this brief." Regina said, as she stood in front of the room. The noise died down as everyone's attention fell onto her. "Last night, the town suffered an immense tragedy." She said, as she took a deep breath. "Last night, during the prophesied 'Final Battle', Sheriff Emma Swan was…" She paused, a strong wave of emotion flooded through her. Steeling herself once more, Regina continued. "Sheriff Emma Swan sacrificed herself to protect us all. She ultimately perished by way of Gideon's sword." She said, as a surge of voices rang through the hall. "It is believed that because the prophecy has been fulfilled, the elusive Gideon will no longer pose a threat." Regina said, trying to control her emotions.
"Will there be a service?" Archie asked, over the loud voices that filled the room.
"Snow, David and Henry are making the arrangements for Emma's funeral as we speak. We will post the details on the board outside the town hall when we know more information. Thank you all for coming." Regina said quickly, unable to hold her tears back for much longer. She quickly turned to leave the room when a strong, gentle hand caught her arm.
"How's Henry?" Granny asked, as Regina turned to see who was trying to get her attention.
"He's doing as well as can be expected." Regina answered.
"Please extend my condolences to him, as well as Snow and David. I will keep them in my thoughts during these difficult times." Granny said with a half smile.
"Thank you. I'll tell them." Regina smiled, quickly walking away from the older woman and out the door.
As soon as the doors closed behind her, she immediately threw her arms in the air, engulfing her in a purple cloud. She transported herself instantly into her vault, outside the door where Emma's body still lay. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the room and directly over to Emma, breaking down as soon as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"They'll probably be around soon to collect you." Regina said, after pulling herself together. "This will probably be the last time I see you. So I better tell you this while I still can." Regina said, grabbing Emma's hand once again. "Thank you, Emma. You gave me the ultimate gift. You gave me Henry. You gave me my world, Emma. I can never thank you enough for that." She said, pausing to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I regret never having said this to you while you were still alive. I hope that wherever you are, you can hear me." She said, brushing her knuckles gently across Emma's cool cheeks. "I will miss you very much, Emma. Rest in peace." She says, leaning over to kiss Emma lightly on the cheek. Pausing, as she gazed down on Emma's calm face, she leaned over again and kissed her lightly on the lips. She closed her eyes as another wave of sorrow washed over her, causing her to weep uncontrollably once more. The sound of her cell phone ringing in her pocket pulled her out of her thoughts, looking down at the caller ID that flashed on the screen.
"Hello Henry." She answered, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Hi Mom." Henry said quietly on the other line. "Can you meet us at the vault? The funeral place is going to go over shortly to pick up Mom's bod-…to…to pick up Mom." Henry said, forcing back tears.
"Of course. I'll be right there." Regina lied, unwilling to tell her son she was already there.
"Thanks." Henry said, swiftly hanging up the phone.
"Goodbye, Miss Swan." Regina cried, as she kissed Emma once more on her cold lips, resting her forehead on Emma's, her tears falling into Emma's hair.
"Goodbye, Emma."
A/N: I scoured the internet and wracked my brain for days trying to figure out the timeline of seasons 1-6. They really don't give us much to go on, except the age of Henry. Therefore, in my story, it's been four years since Henry found Emma in Boston until the Final Battle.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!