A/N: Sorry it's been so long! This school term has been crazy and I've also been back and forth from my home town and dealing with other things so there hasn't been a lot of time to write. I hope you like the new chapter and I hope you all enjoy the new episode this weekend! Please don't forget to review after reading xx
There were angry shouts coming from outside of the house but the queen wasn't listening to them.
Regina was coughing violently, after having rushed to the bathroom feeling the need to be sick. However as she gripped the counter tightly where she stood leaning over the sink, nothing came up. She felt extremely lightheaded and her heart was beating much too quickly in her chest, but she knew she had to overcome these things.
She could hear them pounding on the front door and knew it was only a matter of time before they broke in. Emma had said she was coming, but Regina didn't know how long that would take. All she was certain of was that the last thing she wanted right now was to appear weak.
In all honesty, she knew she wouldn't be able to fight them for very long. But if she hid behind the savior, or even just the walls of her home, they would know how vulnerable she really was. They would know she was afraid. That would only weaken her position and that was just something she couldn't allow.
Her knuckles were turning white as she gripped the counter even harder. Her eyes raised to look at her reflection in the mirror and she found herself feeling angry at the woman staring back at her. She looked anxious, tired, and worn out. The exact opposite of the image she had spent her whole life trying to maintain. Regina was glad she had decided to wear makeup that morning because even with it on, she could see how pale she had become.
Despite how frail she felt she knew she had to go downstairs. She had to trust that she would be able to hold them off until help arrived. In the mean time, she would go out on her own terms, she would prove to them that she didn't fear them. She would prove that she was still strong.
The shouts from outside were becoming angrier and Regina knew she was running out of time. If she didn't move soon she had no doubt that they would come in for her.
Breathing heavily as she continued to stare at her reflection, she was finally able to force herself to move.
She glided through the second floor hallway and down the spiral staircase almost as if she were in a trance. But as the voices became louder and as she was met with the sight of the door shaking as someone pounded on it from outside, that feeling quickly dissipated and was replaced with an almost numbed fear.
She lingered behind the door for a few more moments, gathering up the strength she needed. Finally her trembling hand gripped the doorknob and opened the door a little more forcefully than was needed.
She was a little taken aback by the first face she laid eyes on, but she didn't let that surprise show.
"Can I help you?" She asked in a falsely sweet voice. Meanwhile she was concentrating all of her energy into appearing like she didn't feel as if she were about to faint.
"That smirk, isn't going to last forever Regina." Whale replied resentfully. "You took everything from us and now–"
"What?" She interrupted in forced amusement. "Now you're going to kill me?"
"Eventually. But first you need to suffer."
"Listening to you has been enough suffering for all of us." She angrily forced him backwards as she stepped out onto the porch.
The push had been weaker than she'd hoped and unfortunately that was something that hadn't escaped Whale. She could see the glint in his eyes as he quickly recovered his balance.
He came at her and she raised her hands in warning. "Don't come any closer."
The threat was ignored and so she pushed her hands forwards, summoning from within the spell that was required.
Her breath caught in her throat when nothing happened. A feeling of dread quickly washed over her. She had expected using magic would be a challenge, but she had been counting on it to at least do something.
Apparently the panic was obvious in her eyes because an evilly pleasurable grin broke out across Whale's face as shouts erupted from the crowd.
"Looks like you're powerless here." Whale taunted.
Before she was able to react, he had grabbed her and shoved her hard against the wall of her house.
"This makes quite a change from when you were my patient doesn't it?" Whale said in a dangerously quiet tone.
She stared hatefully back at him, almost as if she were daring him.
"When you were brought in to see me that day, so fragile and helpless... if I had known then you truly were, I would have killed you in a heartbeat. Put you out of your misery so to speak."
Regina suppressed a shudder as he ran a sickeningly gentle hand through her hair. Her breathing was coming heavily but she maintained an air of strength. She glanced quickly at the rest of the crowd. The majority of them still looked angry, although some did seem to be second-guessing their decision of following Whale. However these people didn't look like they would be of any use to her.
"But now that you've had some time to recover," Doctor Whale continued, "there's no need for me to be so kind is there? No. This time I'm going to make you suffer. Just like you've done to thousands of people before. Just like you did to me."
His face was much too close to hers, she could feel his breath on her skin but she didn't let it intimidate her, she would not give him the satisfaction.
"So what are you going to do to me?" She responded dangerously, never breaking eye-contact.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise your majesty. But I promise, you'll be begging me to kill you long before I'm through with you."
She felt faint. She could feel herself shivering and she knew her eyes were glistening with a few unshed tears of pain but she didn't let these things deter her.
She wouldn't go down without a fight.
When Emma, her family and their friends finally made it to Regina's street, Emma was repulsed by the amount of people who had shown up looking to kill the queen.
As she ran towards the house, her eyes frantically searched the crowd for Regina. When she finally found the brunette Emma felt a surge of guilt.
Doctor Whale had her by the throat. Emma could see her struggling to breathe while uselessly trying to pull his hands from around her neck.
"Mom!" Henry shouted from behind Emma.
"Let her go! Let her go!" Emma shouted, beyond angry at what she was witnessing. Doctor Whale was one of the few people who knew the extent of what Regina had gone through within the last month. Not to mention that he was a doctor. He was supposed to help people, not do this. Especially not to someone who he knew could barely defend herself.
Snow stayed with Henry a safe distance away, while Emma and David pulled Doctor Whale off of Regina. As soon as they did, the brunette began coughing and gasping for air.
"Regina are you okay?" Emma asked in alarm.
David dragged Doctor Whale further away and Regina had turned towards the wall, placing her hands against it for support as she continued coughing.
"I'm so sorry we didn't here sooner." Emma said frantically, eyes full of concern as they washed over Regina. A few tears were running down Regina's face, and her skin was fading from the crimson color it had turned whilst she had been deprived of oxygen. There appeared to be what would become a bruise on one of her cheeks, and there were fading red patches on her neck where Whale's crushing hands had been only moments earlier.
Regina staggered as she turned around again. Emma instinctively reached out to help her but Regina waved her off.
There was shouting coming from around them but Emma wasn't really paying attention. First she needed to make sure that Regina was alright, she still hadn't said anything and she certainly did not look okay.
"Regina?"
"Emma you need to get Henry out of here." Regina said, rubbing at her throat. Her voice was raw as she shot an apprehensive look at the crowd. "Who knows what these people might do."
"No, I am not leaving you here."
Regina gave her a desperate look. "Please Emma, if anything happened to him because of me–"
"It won't."
Emma looked to the bloodthirsty mob. Regina had said they were different in her land but Emma hadn't imagined anything quite like this. She had thought she had known these people. The people she knew wouldn't hurt anyone, especially not a woman who was as broken and vulnerable as Regina was right now.
Regina took an involuntary step back as Granny and Ruby barely managed to block one angry civilian who had broken free from the mob. Emma placed her hand on Regina's arm and stepped in front of her without making it too obvious that she was doing it to protect her. Emma assumed this had been the reason why Regina had pushed her away the first time. Even now, the queen didn't want to look weak. As Emma searched the crowd to make sure no one else was coming at them, she was beginning to pick up on what some of the townspeople were shouting.
"Snow and the prince should have let you die your majesty!"
"You thought you could take the coward's way out?" A man shouted from near the front of the crowd. "When we're through with you you'll really wish you'd succeeded."
"It's time for her to get what she deserves!"
"You'll have to go through all of us first!" Emma shouted angrily back at him. "We're not letting you get anywhere near her!"
"You don't know what she's really like! She's evil, and she has to be stopped!"
"Mom!"
"Henry!" Mary Margaret shouted as the ten year old broke free from her grasp.
"Kill her!" People continued to shout.
"Mom!" Henry shouted again, throwing himself into her arms.
"Henry you shouldn't be here." She whispered shakily, but returning the embrace all the same.
"We can't let them hurt you."
She closed her eyes for a few moments as she wrapped her arms more protectively around him.
"I appreciate your concern Henry, but please, stay with Mary Margaret. It's too dangerous for you to be here with me."
"No, Mom–"
"Please Henry." She insisted, looking up as Mary Margaret approached them.
The younger woman nodded at Regina, silently asking if she was okay. There were hints of resentment in Mary Margaret's eyes, but it seemed that she had decided now was not the time to scorn her stepmother.
After first gaining affirmation from Regina, she tried to gently pull Henry to safety again as more angry threats were shouted.
"Why are you protecting her?! Don't you remember what she did to us?!"
"She has to pay!"
"Please!" Came Henry's fearful but strong voice as he stepped in front of Regina and addressed the crowd. "She's my mom!"
"We're doing you a favor!" A woman from the crowd shouted. "You deserve better than her!"
"There's a reason you moved to Boston! She probably tricked you into coming back!"
"No!" Henry shouted, his voice a little stronger as Regina wrapped her arms around him protectively from behind. "I came back because I love my mom. She's different now, she's not the Evil Queen anymore! Don't do this to her."
Doctor Whale wrenched his arm from David's grasp. "She has to pay for what she did to us! For what she's always done to us!" He shouted.
"Don't make the same mistake she made with the curse." Henry begged. "Revenge won't make everything alright again. Killing her won't make you feel better, please don't hurt her!"
"You're wrong. She hasn't changed one bit. The only time we'll ever be safe in this town is when she's dead!"
Shouts of agreement reverberated throughout the crowd as they pressed in closer.
"Regina we need to get you both out of here now." Emma urged.
"I'm not afraid of them." Regina insisted, although her voice was a little hoarse and Emma could detect the hints of dread in her eyes.
"Doesn't matter, it's not safe here. Think of Henry."
"Mom let's go." Henry urged as the crowd became even more unruly.
"STOP!" A loud authoritative voice stunned the crowd into silence.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the person the voice belonged to, most people already recognising whose it was. Snow was still on the porch beside them and she held her arms up high to gain the attention of the crowd.
As Mary Margaret attempted to talk the mob down, Regina painfully took a sharp intake of breath.
"Emma."
"What?"
The blonde's eyes followed the direction of the brunette's, and Emma realized that she was gripping Regina's arm tightly. It was as if she were afraid the mob would drag Regina away when she wasn't looking.
She quickly let go. "Sorry."
Regina gave a small nod in response, a curious look in her eyes.
"Seriously, we need to get out of here." Emma insisted again. "I know how these things go and it's only going to get worse. Everyone needs some time to cool down."
"Mom please." Henry stepped away from Regina and tried to get her to follow him.
In the midst of the unruly group of uninvited company, there was one person who had remained quite calm the whole time. He didn't look angry, nor did he look scared as a few of the others did. He merely looked determined. No one seemed to notice this man due to the commotion that was coming from the rest of the people gathered on the mayor's front lawn.
The man smoothly pushed his way towards the front of the crowd.
No one noticed what he was holding, no one but one ten year old boy.
"No!" Henry shouted.
Before anyone had realized what was happening, he had thrown himself into Regina's arms. His back was to the crowd as a shot that sounded like thunder reverberated throughout the surrounding area.
"HENRY!"
Regina wasn't sure if it had been she or Emma who had screamed his name. The latter probably made more sense. She suddenly felt like everything was happening in slow motion. She caught him as he fell against her, staggering a little under his weight. She had just managed to get a more secure hold on him before she let herself collapse as gently as she could to the floor. Once there, she adjusted her hold on him so that she was cradling him in her arms.
"Henry?!" Emma kneeled in front of Regina. "Henry! Oh my god. Oh my god..."
The crowd erupted, shocked by what they had just witnessed. They had wanted Regina to pay but they had never intended for an innocent boy to get hurt.
"No," Regina whispered as she looked down at her motionless son. "No." She sobbed, louder this time. "Emma is he–?"
Emma took her son's face between her hands. "Henry? Henry can you hear me? Henry wake up!"
She looked around frantically. "Here, give that to me." Emma pointed to something Regina didn't see and seconds later a scarf was pushed into her hands. Emma held it against Henry's back to stop the blood.
Regina could hear the voices around her but they were sounding more and more distant.
"We need to get him into the house" Emma was saying.
"Here Regina give him to me, I'll take him inside."
The queen slowly looked up to see David, no, Charming beside her. Asking her to let go of her son.
Her arms tightened around the ten year old as she looked back down at him, his eyes were closed and he still wasn't moving. In all that was going on around her she couldn't tell whether or not he was breathing.
"Regina we might still be able to help him," Emma pressed her. "But we need to get him inside fast."
"Emma's right Regina, it's not safe out here." Snow said over her shoulder. She, Ruby, Granny, Archie and the Dwarves were forming a sort of barricade in between the royal family and the crowd.
"I'll be careful with him I promise." David's faraway voice insisted as he lifted the boy into his arms, no longer waiting for permission.
"No," Regina's voice trembled. She felt her heart stop as her son was taken from her arms. He couldn't be... but what if he was? It was never supposed to end this way.
Minutes passed, or perhaps only seconds. She could feel someone's hand on her back, and someone else's was gently squeezing her arm. Or perhaps both hands belonged to the same person.
"I don't know if she can hear you Emma." Someone's muffled voice said.
"I think she's in shock."
"Regina, you have to get up." Emma's distant voice urged. "We need to get you inside before someone else gets hurt."
The brunette felt dizzy as she slowly looked around to meet Emma's eyes. The blonde was kneeling beside her, a desperate look in her tear-filled eyes. She kept glancing towards the front door of the house.
Emma clutched her arm. "Come on Regina they can't hold off the crowd forever."
Regina couldn't move; her gaze slowly dropped away from Emma's, and suddenly the ground was getting much closer.
"Help me with her!" Emma shouted.
Regina felt two pairs of hands lifting her to her feet. The sudden motion seemed to snap her back to reality and everything was suddenly louder, brighter and clearer.
"Henry," she whispered weakly.
"He's inside." Emma answered as she and Snow supported her.
Once she was sure Regina was steady, Snow let go of her to quickly talk to Granny and the dwarves before she went inside after David.
Regina looked around at the crowd as Emma hooked an arm around her waist. She hadn't seen who had pulled the trigger, but her eyes landed on Dr. Whale and saw that two people were holding him back.
Emma was trying to shield Regina from the crowd, she didn't know if Albert Spencer had been taken down yet and was afraid he would try again. She hoped someone would get that gun away from him, and fast.
Regina let herself practically be pushed into the foyer of her house. Her breathing was coming heavily and there were tears blurring her vision as she searched for Henry.
"Where's my son?" Regina asked in a frantic whisper.
"I think David took him into the living room." Emma said. She looked behind her to see if anyone else was following them inside. The others seemed to be staying out front to keep the crowds at bay, so she shut the door behind her.
Regina pulled away from Emma but didn't move towards the living room. She wrapped her arms around her own waist in hesitation as she stared in the direction of the room. The blonde felt a surge of guilt as she saw the tears streaming down Regina's face.
Emma knew this was her own fault. She had broken the curse early and now as a result she may have just cost Henry his life.