Chapter 4
Storybrooke, Maine
Present
"Mommy…" Henry cried with all his might, reaching out for Regina. Regina froze suddenly, stopping right before she could disappear. The sound of Henry's voice calling her "Mommy" pulled her away from the Darkness that had previously consumed her, and she turned around to face her baby boy.
"Henry…" she whispered, her eyes turning back to their usual shade of brown, as she slowly approached her crying son.
"Mom? Is it you?" He asked, looking at Regina.
"It's me." She said, tears welling in her eyes, pulling Henry into a strong hug. "I don't know how much time I have before the Darkness takes over again." She whispered as she hugged her son, who was now taller than her without heels.
"Mom. We need to do something. We need to save her. Both of you. What can I do? Please tell me what I need to do to save you both." Henry cried.
"I know what I need to do." Regina said.
"Let me help you! You don't have to do it alone." Henry said, begging Regina to let him help.
"Me too." Zelena said, standing up on unsteady legs, slowly making her way to Regina and Henry. "I'm here to help."
"I have to do this alone." Regina said. "You two need to go to this address." Regina said, conjuring a slip of paper in her hand. "In the basement, you'll find Snow and Charming, locked in a cell. There's a key on the wall by the door. The front door should be open, but if it isn't, break a window. Do whatever you need to get inside. The door to the basement is on the far wall. But it's locked with blood magic, so only the two of you can open it." Regina explained, waiting for Henry to process the information. "Go get them. They'll probably need medical attention. Once they are freed though, come back here. If everything goes according to plan, Emma is going to need all of you." Regina said.
"Ok." Henry said, as Regina turned to Zelena.
"Take care of my son, Zelena. That's all I ask of you. Just make sure he's safe." Regina said, tears falling from her eyes.
"I promise." Zelena said, reading between the lines of what Regina was saying.
"I Love You, Henry. Never forget that." Regina said again, kissing Henry softly on the forehead.
"I Love You too, Mom." Henry said.
"Now go. Get Snow and Charming. I don't know where Emma is, so wait a few minutes before going into the house. I'm going to summon her as soon as you leave." Regina explained, pushing Henry to Zelena.
"Good luck." Zelena said, as they disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.
Turning quickly, Regina reached under her jacket for Emma's dagger, which she always kept hidden behind her, touching it lightly as she whispered. "Emma…" knowing the Dark One would hear it regardless of the volume, and come when called.
A moment later, a cloud of black smoke appeared before her.
The Enchanted Forest
Six weeks ago
"Welcome back, Your Majesty." Emma smiled, as the smoke cleared. They could both feel the Darkness coursing between them, as Regina stretched her neck, welcoming back the familiar dark magic.
"Thank you, My Dear Swan. It certainly feels good to be back." She smiled, her newly black eyes matching Emma's.
"What shall we do first? We could go on a killing spree." Emma suggested, a fire in her eye.
"All in due time, My Dear Swan. Let's have a little fun first." Regina smiled. "Before I left, I instructed the group to return to Granny's to regroup and figure out the next move." Regina explained.
"Oh yes. We could make sure they never make it to the diner. Cause them to get lost in the forest. Walk around in a constant circle." Emma suggested, a small smile forming on her face.
"Yes, that does sound amusing, but requires a lot of effort on our part." Regina said. "What I had in mind would assure they would be out of our way for as long as we want, until we are ready to return to Storybrooke."
"Oh, do tell!" Emma said, a look of anticipation rushing across her face.
"We take a page out of my curse playbook and create a time loop. Every time they open the door to the diner, the loop resets, causing them to start over, making the constant journey across the forest." Regina suggested, a wide smile reaching across Emma's face.
"Yes. I like the way you think, Your Majesty!" Emma grinned.
"We have a few hours before we have to start the loop." Regina smiled, "What do you say? Shall we go kill someone while we wait?" Regina asked. Without another word, they disappeared in a cloud of black and purple smoke, wide smiles across their faces.
"Regina will be alright, Henry." Robin said, as the group made their way to Granny's, not far from where the displaced diner stood. "Both of your mothers are incredibly strong. They'll be alright." Robin added, as the building came into view for the first time.
"Yeah, I know. Doesn't make me worry about them any less though." Henry said, as the front of the building became clear. "Who's that?" Henry asked, as the figures of two women he had never seen before appeared in front of the building. There was something familiar about the women, yet Henry couldn't quite place it. Before anyone could identify the women, they snapped their fingers, causing the group to disappear suddenly, reappearing right outside Camelot where their journey began earlier in the day.
"Well, that was easy." Emma said, looking over at Regina. "What do we do now?" She asked.
"Anything we want." Regina answered, an evil spark in her eyes.
The duo ran free for weeks, torturing the group in various ways. Sometimes they would make it rain for days upon days, causing the travelers to continue their loop soaking wet. Sometimes they would make it an endless night, never letting them see the sun for days. Sometimes setting them on the wrong path, leaving them lost in the forest for days upon days, only to start over once they reached the diner. When they grew tired of watching the group struggle, they would leave and decimate an entire village. Killing everyone in it and burning the structures to the ground before returning back days later to continue to torture the group in their never ending loop. Moral dropped drastically each time they found themselves starting back at the beginning, stress and anxiety growing with each passing day.
"I think my mom is dead." Henry said one night while sitting around the campfire just outside Camelot, the third time they found themselves there that day.
"Oh Henry, you can't think like that." Snow said, shifting closer to her grandson.
"She should have found us by now." Henry said, tears welling in his eyes.
"We don't know that. Maybe she's waiting for us inside the diner, but we can't get to her." Snow said, trying to comfort him.
"No. She would have found a way to get us out of this loop by now." Henry said, staring down at his feet. "I think she's dead. And I think Emma killed her." He added, tears falling down his cheeks.
"Henry…" Charming said, putting his arm around Henry.
"I'm never going to see my moms again." Henry cried, for the first time since finding out Emma sacrificed herself to save Regina from becoming the Dark One.
"We'll see them again. We're going to get out of this loop. And when we do, we're going to save them." Snow said, giving Henry a hope speech.
"I don't think so." Henry cried, standing up and walking away from the group, settling under a tree just outside earshot, pulling his knees to his chest, sobbing.
Regina and Emma watched from a distance, their hard exteriors softening at the sight of their son weeping over the loss of them. Without saying a word, they nodded to each other, silently agreeing to end the loop first thing in the morning.
The sun was warm and bright as the group arrived at the diner for the first time that day, but this time something was different. This time the door to the diner was open. Walking slowly and tentatively towards it, carefully making their way inside to find the restaurant occupied.
"Did you enjoy our little game?" Regina said, as they filed into the restaurant. She was seated in the middle of the room, looking down at her painted nails, not bothering to look at the shocked group.
"Moms?" Henry asked, taking in the sight of Regina and Emma.
"Of course, Henry." Emma said, standing behind Regina, her hands behind her back. "Why don't you come give us a hug."
"No, Henry. Don't." Snow said, holding Henry back by his shoulder. "They aren't your mothers anymore."
"Now why would you say a thing like that?" Regina asked, finally looking up at the group, boredom falling across her darker eyes.
"They aren't Emma and Regina anymore. They're the Dark One…" Charming said, interrupted by Snow.
"…and The Evil Queen." Snow added, finishing Charming's sentence.
"Guilty!" Regina said, laughing under her breath.
"What happened to you?" Henry asked, tears once again welling in his eyes.
"What? You don't like our new look?" Regina asked, laughing under her breath.
"Enough of this!" Zelena said from the back, stepping forwards, green fireball in her hand.
"We say when enough is enough." Emma said, her voice dark and deep, as she waved her hand, extinguishing Zelena's fireball.
"Emma. Let us help you." Charming said, pleading with his daughter.
"There has to be something we can do." Snow added.
"There's nothing anyone can do. This is who we are now." Emma said, her eyes dark.
"I'm growing bored, My Dear Swan." Regina said, turning to face Emma, still standing behind her. "Make them go away."
"Gladly, Your Majesty." Emma said, a dark smile reaching across her face, as she waved her hand, causing everyone to fall to the floor.
"Much better." Regina smiled, looking back at Emma. "I've grown bored of this land. I think it's time we returned to Storybrooke. What do you think, My Dear Swan?" Regina asked, touching Emma's arm lightly.
"Anything you wish, Your Majesty." Emma said, walking slowly towards Snow and Charming, asleep on the floor. "I do have one request." Emma said, turning back to Regina.
"Of course. Anything." Regina smiled, walking towards Emma.
"When we get back, these two pay for what they did to us." Emma said, pointing to Snow and Charming.
"Gladly!" Regina smiled, a spark of excitement in her eyes.
A moment later, a portal formed around the diner, transporting it back to Storybrooke.
Storybrooke, Maine
Present
"You called, Your Majesty?" Emma said, as she appeared in front of Regina. "Regina? What's the matter? Is Henry ok?" She asked, suddenly seeing the distraught expression on Regina's face, rushing to her side immediately.
"Henry is fine." Regina assured Emma, placing her hand gently on her chest.
"What's the matter?" Emma repeated, looking deep into Regina's eyes.
"There's something I need to do." Regina said, plunging her hand deep into Emma's chest, pulling out her dark heart a moment later.
"REGINA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Emma screamed at the absence of her heart.
"Something I should have done weeks ago." Regina said, reaching into her own chest, pulling out her own heart.
"Regina?" Emma asked, as she watched Regina touch their dark hearts together. When nothing happened, Regina shook her hands slightly, before touching their hearts together once more.
"It's not working!" She screamed, squeezing the hearts slightly, causing a slight wave of pain in their chest. "Why isn't it WORKING!" She screamed, her eyes growing slightly darker already.
"Regina, what are you doing?" Emma asked, her chest tightening again, as Regina continued to squeeze her heart slightly.
"I'm trying to save you!" Regina shouted, looking over at the pained expression on Emma's face, releasing the slight hold on their hearts, causing the pain to instantly cease.
"By stealing my heart?" Emma asked, her eyes shifting from black to green, as she watched Regina.
"By absorbing your Darkness." Regina said, her eyes shifting from black to brown, as she locked eyes with Emma. "That was the purpose of becoming HER again. I needed an already darkened heart to absorb your Darkness. But it didn't work." Regina sighed, returning Emma's heart to her chest, gazing deeply at her own dark heart, noticing the only faint flicker of light deep within it, dimming with each passing beat.
"Regina…" Emma said, reaching for Regina's arm.
"It didn't work, because it's too late for me." Regina said, tears in her eyes as she realized the truth. "My heart is already too dark. I can't fill what is already full." Regina said, a tear falling from her eye.
"And then what? What was supposed to happen after you absorb all the Darkness?" Emma asked, fear in her eyes.
"That would be the end of me." Regina said, another tear falling from her eye. "There would be no coming back from that much Darkness. Regina Mills would be gone forever." She said, once again looking down at her black heart. "I thought I had made enough progress to redeem myself and rid myself of my own Darkness. But I failed. I failed you." Regina said, returning her heart to her own chest.
"Regina." Emma said, her eyes returning to their natural green color, tears welling inside them. "Why would you sacrifice yourself for me? Why would you give up everything you've worked so hard to achieve, for me?" She asked, her eyes locking with Regina's bright brown eyes.
"Isn't it obvious?" Regina said, tears now falling freely down her cheeks. "Because I'm in Love with you, you idiot!" Regina said, as she grabbed Emma by the collar of her jacket, pulling her in for a kiss, before the Darkness took over again, and she lost the courage to do so.
Regina expected the kiss to be quick and one sided, ending before it even started. Her eyes shot open the moment their lips met, as Emma quickly kissed her back, wrapping her arms around her, holding her close. Emma's lips were soft, her body warm, her strong arms holding her tighter and tighter with each passing moment, as if afraid of letting Regina go. They were so focused on each other, they missed the unmistakable flash of rainbow magic that shot out from their chests.
It wasn't until a white cloud of smoke surrounded Emma, that they discovered what was happening. Regina slowly opened her eyes as she felt Emma's lips leave her own, shock falling on both their faces.
"Emma?" She whispered, looking at Emma intensely. Emma stood before her, not as the Dark One, but as she was the night she sacrificed herself to save Regina's life. Her previously white hair had returned to its blonde color, cascading down her back as usual, her black leather clothes transformed back to Emma's usual skinny jeans and red leather jacket. Her green eyes were brighter than Regina had ever seen them before.
"It's gone! The Darkness! It's gone." She said, reaching into her chest to pull out her heart, that was now red and bright.
"But how?" Regina asked, confused, as Emma quickly returned her heart to her chest for the second time in a few minutes.
"True Love's Kiss." Emma whispered, smiling wide at Regina, still very much confused.
"But that would mean that you…" Regina started to say, as Emma grabbed her hands.
"Regina, I've been in Love with you from the moment I met you. The moment you ran out your front door to hug Henry, after he found me in Boston, and you offered me a glass of apple cider." Emma smiled, squeezing Regina's hand tightly. "Why do you think I sacrificed myself to save you from the Darkness in the first place?"
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Regina asked, another tear falling from her eyes.
"Because you hated me. My sheer existence irritated you. Until Neverland. But then we were separated for a year, and when you came back, you were with Robin." Emma explained, taking a step towards Regina.
"Emma…" Regina whispered.
"Shh." Emma said, holding Regina close, kissing her deeply and passionately again, pulling away a few moments later. "Wait! Why didn't it work for you? You're still…"
"The Evil Queen?" Regina asked, Emma just nodding in response. "True Love's Kiss won't work on me." Regina said, as she watched the tears fall from Emma's eyes. "Because my Darkness isn't a curse like yours. Mine was a choice I chose to make a long time ago." She said, wiping the tears from Emma's face.
"Regina?" Emma asked, concern in her voice as she saw Regina's face change drastically all of a sudden. "Regina, what's the matter?"
"I can't fight it off anymore." Regina explained, her hand clutching her chest. "The Darkness is consuming me, snuffing out the last hints of humanity I had left." She said, raising her eyes to meet Emma's. "I only have a few moments left before I become HER completely." She said, fear in her eyes.
"Just hold one a little longer!" Emma cried. "We'll figure out a way to save you, just hold on." She pleaded, grabbing Regina's hands.
"I can't. I can't risk it. I can't risk everyone's safety around her. There will be no mercy once I become completely evil. There's no telling what I'll be capable of." Regina said, pulling away from Emma. "Goodbye, Emma." Regina said, a constant stream of tears running down her face.
"Regina! Please! Don't go! Stay!" Emma cried, her tears dripping onto her shirt. "Don't go!"
"I Love You, Emma Swan." Regina said, holding Emma's face lightly, kissing her deeply, before disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.
A/N: Let me know what you guys think so far. :D
