Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait, you were probably expecting a quicker update but there were technical difficulties on both my end and FF's end. Thank you to those of you who reviewed on the last chapter, you guys keep me motivated xx
Everyone except for Ruby, who had headed back to the diner for her car, was currently gathered in the living room. David had set Regina down on the couch and she had almost immediately laid down again. Right now she was on her side and slightly elevated as she rested on a pillow leaning against the arm of the couch. She could hear everyone's low voices speaking around her, but it just became white noise. She could feel herself almost drifting off to sleep when she felt the presence of someone in front of her. Her brow furrowed.
"Regina?" The hesitant voice asked as she felt their hand on her arm.
Regina opened her eyes a crack, and then forced them open when she saw that it was Kathryn who was kneeling on the floor in front of her.
The blonde smiled in relief. "Sorry, I wasn't sure if you had fallen asleep or not."
Regina sighed through a tired, but kind smile. "It's okay."
"I don't even want to think about how you must be feeling right now," Kathryn's eyes saddened. "Are you in a lot of pain?"
Regina didn't respond but her expression answered for her.
Kathryn looked a little angry as she shook her head. "I just... I still can't get over it, how anyone could do this. I mean, these were people we know." She said in exasperation. Her eyes softened. "But... for what it's worth, you're looking a lot better than when we found you. That's a good sign right?" She looked hopeful. "It means you'll pull through this."
Regina just gave another tired smile in return, not wanting to make a promise she could not keep. "Thank you for being here Kathryn. It really does mean a lot." She said in a sleepy, hushed voice.
Kathryn's eyes lit up in response. "Honestly, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now Regina. I... I'm really going to miss you. Do you think you might come back once you're feeling better?"
Regina didn't know how to respond. She had absolutely no idea what the future held, she had no idea if coming back would even be an option for her. "I suppose it depends on how everything goes," Regina replied guardedly. "I would certainly like to, yes."
"I don't want this to be the last time I ever see you." Kathryn said, there was an emotional catch in her voice.
"Neither do I." Regina responded gently. She reached for Kathryn's hand which was resting on the edge of the couch. "This was your idea wasn't it? Our escape plan, so to speak. I know you are sharing the credit with Ruby but... it was you wasn't it?"
Kathryn's color rose a little. "Yes," she smiled. "I brought it up to Ruby, I wondered if maybe I was being a little too hopeful or ridiculous when I thought of it... but she liked it too. I know you hate it…"
"I don't hate it," Regina closed her eyes and shook her head once. "I'm just worried about all of you. And because of that, any attempt to leave would worry me."
Kathryn breathed a relieved sigh as she looked away. "We just want you to make it through this." She said.
"Thank you." Regina smiled. "And Kathryn... I am sorry that we can't take you with us. I know you still want to go to Boston for a new start with Frederick... but I just don't know how to lift the memory spell on the town line."
"It's okay. I'm sure we'll make it there someday." Kathryn said positively.
Regina felt a painful tug in her heart as she held Kathryn's forgiving gaze. Where had Kathryn come from? Regina wondered. Kathryn had been hurt by Regina just as the rest of the people in this town had been, and yet, rather than being out there waiting for her on the streets with the rest of them, Kathryn was here. Of course Ruby was helping, and several others were too, but they were doing it as a favor to Snow and Charming, they were doing it for Henry and they were doing it because they had a shred of humanity and didn't believe someone in her current state should be denied help. But Kathryn's only reason for being here was because Regina was her friend. Regina had never had many friends, but now she had the strongest relationship she could have ever imagined possible with Emma. She had always believed she wasn't good at making friends, but had convinced herself that she wasn't bothered by it. But now, she couldn't imagine her life without someone to turn to, without someone to share things with. Kathryn had been there for her throughout this whole ordeal, she had visited her in the hospital, cried for her, forgiven her... Regina felt bad, she had honestly grown to like Kathryn very much, and yet she felt that she had ignored her lately. She felt like their relationship was lacking, that it had so much more potential but that she had allowed herself to miss the chance. Should she pull through this, even if in the end Regina found herself happy to stay in Boston living her life out with Emma and Henry, Regina wanted to come back; she wanted to make it up to Kathryn. If The Evil Queen deserved to have friends and a family, Kathryn certainly did too.
"I'm sure you will too." Regina said softly. "If I do pull through this, I promise I will find a way to lift the barrier so that you, and so that anyone else who may want to, will be able to come and go as they please. I meant what I said before, I don't want anyone to be trapped here any longer."
Kathryn gave her a teary, grateful smile.
Emma touched a hand to Kathryn's shoulder just then. "Hey, Ruby just texted, she's ready." She told them both.
Kathryn turned back to Regina. "I guess this is goodbye then." She breathed through her words dejectedly.
Regina nodded, feeling her nerves beginning to kick back in. She began to sit up and Kathryn helped her the rest of the way, and then sat down beside her on the couch. "Good luck Regina, I really do hope everything goes well for you at the hospital."
Regina reached for her hand again, squeezing it gently in appreciation. "Keep in touch okay?" She murmured.
Kathryn's eyes began to water again as she smiled. "Of course."
She leaned forward and Regina returned her hug, closing her eyes. "I'll miss you too." Regina whispered. "Goodbye Kathryn."
Henry and Emma were following behind David as he carried Regina once again. When they reached the door to the garage, Emma slipped past to open it for them. Kathryn had already left so that they would not all be departing at the same time and risk causing suspicion, and Mary Margaret was waiting inside so she could monitor the front of the house as they got ready. Once they were all set, she would put on one of Regina's coats and a few warm accessories, and get into the bug that was sitting alongside David's truck in the garage.
As David carried her he could feel Regina shaking. Her own weight pressing down against his arms was likely hurting quite a bit, but the alternative was forcing her to walk and she needed to save her strength.
Once they got to the truck, David placed her as gently as he could onto the seat. Her head was bowed towards him, and she kept her arms around his shoulders for a few extra moments, not feeling completely steady. Once she was sitting back against the seat and she herself had already let go of him, then David finally withdrew his arms as well.
"Are you okay there?"
Regina gave a tiny nod. She wrapped her arms around herself. Even with her coat and gloves on it was quite a bit chillier in the garage than it had been in the house. David went around and got into the truck on the driver's side, closing the door behind him.
"Okay Regina," Emma breathed through her words as she stepped forward. "Do you have enough room to lie down?" She waited patiently as Regina found a comfortable spot and laid her head down against the seat. "Good. Just stay there, no one should be able to see you from outside. Henry, kid I'm sorry but you're going to have to sit on the floor. No one can see you either."
"It's okay." Henry said.
"I'll drive carefully." David said, knowing both Regina and Henry would not be wearing seatbelts.
"Thank you." Emma mumbled. Her expression turned sad; she breathed a heavy sigh as her gaze found Regina's again. "Keep her safe," she said softly to David while still looking at Regina. "Keep them both safe." She drew Henry into a one-armed hug, kissing the top of his head.
"I will, I promise." David said, placing a comforting hand on Regina's shoulder.
Regina gave a small smile, dropping her gaze before turning her head to look up at Emma again.
"But are you sure this is a good idea?" Regina asked in a quiet voice. "Maybe we should stay together, it would be much faster."
"It's just a precaution, if they see me on Main Street it will distract them because they'll see Mary Margaret and think you're with me. What I'm hoping will happen is that if we linger, people will clear away from the borders to come after you in town."
"But what about Snow? And Ruby and Kathryn? And–" She breathed a soft sigh. "This is so risky Emma... There is so much that could go wrong."
"They'll be fine, I promise. We'll have a lot of allies around us. There's no way you could have convinced any of us not to help. They know it could be dangerous but they also don't want to see you trapped here any longer. We all know what those people could do to you if they catch you trying to leave town. We may only have one shot at this, so we have to make sure to draw them as far away from you as possible."
Regina shook her head."But if something happens to any of you because of this–"
"It won't."
"Have faith Regina, fate is on our side." David assured her.
"But you can't possibly know that." Regina whispered as her eyes found his.
"He can Mom, because heroes always win." Henry said.
Regina gave him a soft smile as she blinked back a few tears. She dropped her gaze tiredly to the floor. "I just wish there was another way."
Emma lifted one foot onto the floor of the truck's interior, leaning her arms forward onto her knee so she was a little closer to Regina's level. "I mean... we could just drive out in the bug..." Emma contemplated, "you me and Henry... it's possible that we could make it, but it's also possible that we could be stopped. That's even riskier than this. This way they will see Mary Margaret, hopefully think she's you, and everyone will be distracted trying to get to her. In the meantime David can get you and Henry safely to the town line. Don't worry, I'm going to be right behind you. I just want them to see me first. When they finally do realize Mary Margaret is not you, I'm going to tell them they missed their chance. I'm going to tell them you've already left Storybrooke."
"And if they don't believe you?"
Emma smiled understandingly as she placed a hand on Regina's knee. "We're getting you out Regina. Don't worry about it. One step at a time okay?" Of course Emma had a backup plan, but Regina wouldn't like it, and so there was no use worrying her with it unless it became necessary.
Regina nodded, looking over at Henry.
"Okay kid," Emma said, looking up at him too. "Seat's all yours." Standing up, she gestured to the vacant spot on the floor.
Henry nodded, and she pulled him into a hug.
"Be good kid. Do everything David and Regina tell to you okay?"
"Okay."
"Don't be afraid." She said, squeezing him a little too close to her. "I love you."
She looked to Regina again as she released Henry. The brunette was in the process of sitting up again.
"Regina I–" Emma began but then stopped herself.
Regina looked at her quizzically.
"I... I guess..." Emma fumbled. "I'll see you on the other side." She settled on, cringing internally at her lack of tact. There was so much more that she wanted to say, but she couldn't put any of it into actual words. She knew she should say something just in case –god forbid– anything bad did happen before Emma joined them, but she couldn't. She felt like if she did she would be jinxing their chances.
"Don't do anything stupid, Swan." Regina warned softly. "If you are in any danger at all, just get out of there. Get Snow to safety too of course, but don't even think about getting involved in any unnecessary acts of heroism. This town could survive without you, but we couldn't." She nodded to Henry.
"I won't." Emma's voice caught in her throat. "Regina..." She took a deep breath, it was too difficult. She swallowed, looking instead to David. "Don't you dare let anything happen to her." She said, her voice starting to shake emotionally.
David's expression was understanding. "They'll be safe with me." He reassured her once again.
Emma nodded, she couldn't look at Regina again. She couldn't hug her as she did with Henry either. She feared that if she did, she would never let go. Although Emma would never admit it, Regina had been right. There was too much that could go wrong. "You'd better get in Henry, I'll go get Mary Margaret and then we can finally get out of here."
She turned away from the truck, leaning a hand against her own car as she tried to get her emotions under control. She could hear David's voice, it sounded like Henry had gotten in already and Emma knew she should help him close the door so he didn't accidentally catch his fingers or Regina's foot. She quickly turned around again, and saw that Regina was about to lie back down.
Just like that, she was flooded with an overwhelming emotion.
"Regina wait." Emma said before she could stop herself. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
The brunette stopped and sat upright again, looking at her expectantly.
"What is it?" Regina asked softly, her brow furrowed slightly.
"I–" Emma sighed. Without managing to say anything, she rushed forward, nearly clambering into the truck to wrap her arms completely around Regina. She held her close, not knowing how she was going to be able to leave her again knowing that David was about to take her out into town. Emma heard what seemed to be a cry of relief from Regina as the other woman's arms wrapped surprisingly tight around her in response.
"Emma..." Regina practically sobbed.
"You'll be okay." Emma said into Regina's hair, the warmth of Regina's body calming her down. "You'll be okay... I'll see you at the town line alright?"
"Emma I'm scared." Regina whispered.
"I know... But everything will be fine."
Regina nodded, closing her eyes as she breathed Emma in. "Please be careful."
"I will."
Emma pulled back a little to look into her eyes. "Ruby has already checked out the spot where we're going to cross. No one is there even now. I think we have a really good chance Regina."
"I really hope so..."
"We do," Emma insisted, drawing a trembling Regina into her arms again. "You're going to be okay." She repeated, closing her eyes. "Everything is going to be fine."
"Emma..."
"I'll see you really soon okay?" Emma whispered.
Regina nodded, beginning to pull away from the blonde.
"Goodbye Regina."
David was driving the truck in the outskirts of town. He had avoided the main streets but still remained cautious, knowing that the townspeople were sure to be wary of the fact that there was more than one way out of Storybrooke. He was currently driving along a country road lined with trees. He had yet to encounter anyone in the wooded area, but he had passed a few cars back in town. They however, had heard of the commotion regarding Emma and Regina's attempted escape and paid little attention to David's truck, especially since he appeared to be the only occupant.
David glanced towards the floor of the truck to where Henry was seated. The ten-year-old had his knees pulled up to his chest and had one arm wrapped around them tightly. His other hand was clutching the seat in front of him to keep himself steady. Henry looked back up at David, he had a slightly anxious look in his eyes but David had to give him credit for how calm he had been throughout this whole ordeal.
After giving Henry a kindly wink, David scanned the road again before checking on the woman lying on the seat beside him. She was curled up, and occupying the rest of the bench seat. Her head was resting beside him and he couldn't quite see her face. David had to assume that Regina was awake since he had only just helped her into the truck a few minutes earlier, but she had remained quite silent. His assumption was proven correct however, when her hand reached for Henry's.
"Hang in there," David said to them, "we're almost at the town line."
Regina stirred slightly, but kept her hand clasped in Henry's. She turned a little to glance up at David for a moment but the angle proved too uncomfortable, and so she settled back into her previous position. He could hear her say something but couldn't make it out over the truck's loud engine.
"Sorry Regina I didn't quite catch that?"
"She asked if there is anyone following us." Henry conveyed.
David glanced in the rear-view mirror again. "So far so good. I can see Ruby a ways back, but thankfully no one else."
"Do you think Emma is okay?" Henry asked.
"Emma can take care of herself, she'll be fine." David replied, despite the worry he could feel in his heart for the rest of his family.
"What about Grandma and Mrs. Nolan?"
David was sure they had been stopped by now, but he hoped his wife was right about the townspeople. "Once they realize Snow isn't your mom, the town won't hurt her."
"But what if everyone is mad at them for helping my mom?"
"People will be upset I'm sure, but don't worry, I have faith that they'll be okay. Besides, if anyone can tame the crowds it's your grandmother."
Regina made a quiet noise of distress as she wrapped her arms around her waist. She couldn't help but worry about the other three women, if anything happened to them she would never be able to forgive herself. She closed her eyes tightly, she just wanted this drive to be over, the constant bumping of the truck was agony. Unfortunately she was acutely aware of the fact that even once this trip was over, there was still another four hours to get through until they reached the hospital.
"Mom are you alright?"
Regina gave a quick nod, keeping her teeth clenched inside her closed mouth.
"I'm sorry, the road here is pretty rough." David said. "But don't worry we're nearly there."
Regina knew that should have been good news, but it only filled her with more anxiety.
Not long after, Regina could feel the truck beginning to slow. Soon it came to a complete stop altogether and she could feel her heart beginning to race. This was it, they had made it to the town line.
"Are we here?" Henry asked.
"Yes." David responded. "Now all we have to do is wait for Emma. She'll let us know when she's on her way.
As if on cue, the walkie-talkie sitting beside David crackled and Emma's voice came through. "David? David, are you there?"
"I'm here. How did everything go on Main Street? Are you on your way?"
"No, I'm not..." Emma said, her voice a little frantic. "And I'm afraid I have some bad news. Some townspeople are headed your way. I've told them that they were too late, I told them that our distraction was successful and that Regina's already gone... but I think they're still coming to watch the rest of borders to make sure I wasn't lying. They might not find which exit you're at but I think you should get Regina over the town line now, just in case."
David met Regina's gaze, "who do they think Regina left with?"
"A friend of mine from out of town. I don't know if they bought the lie or not but I do know that some of them are heading in your direction right now. You have to get Regina out of there."
David was still looking at the woman lying beside him. "Emma I don't know if she's going to be able to cross by herself."
"She won't be by herself. She'll have Henry with her."
"That's not what I mean." David replied with a sigh. "I mean I don't know if she will be able to walk by herself."
"Henry can help her. They don't need to go far, they just need to walk a little bit down the road and then take cover in the trees."
"I don't know Emma." He replied, meeting his grandson's gaze. "Will Henry be strong enough to hold her up?"
"I can do it," Henry cut in. "I've done it before."
David's expression changed. "When?"
"The day after the curse broke. When Mom passed out in the bathroom. I helped her back to bed." He reminded them.
"But Henry that was only a couple of meters."
"I can do it," Henry repeated strongly.
"I agree with David," Regina said quietly. "I don't want Henry to get hurt trying to support my weight for too long."
"What did she say?" Emma asked.
"Regina doesn't want Henry to do it." David relayed into the walkie.
"The kid is stronger than he looks, trust me. I wouldn't ask this of him if I didn't think he could handle it." Emma contended.
"We're so close already, I want to do this." Henry insisted. "I can get Mom over the town line, I swear."
David held his gaze for a few moments, seeing the determination and desperation in the young boy's eyes. They both knew this could be the last chance to save his mother, and David could understand how important this was to him. David would have done anything to have been able to save his own mother's life.
"Okay..." David nodded. " Okay, Henry will help Regina over." He agreed, despite the nervous clench he could feel in the pit of his stomach at the prospect.
There was a brief, slightly tense pause.
"David can you..." Emma's voice came through the walkie. "Can you tell Regina... Wait can she hear me?"
David looked at Regina, who had a crushed look in her exhausted eyes. "Yeah, go ahead she's listening."
There was another pause, and Regina and David held each other's gaze as they waited.
"Regina... I know I promised I would be there for you when you crossed, but right now it's safer if you go without me. I'll get there as quickly as I can but you and Henry need to get outside of the town's boundaries where I know you'll be safe."
"Emma I don't want to go without you."
"I know... but right now it is our best, maybe only option. I don't want to take the chance of someone else getting there before I do. I'm going to try to get there as quickly as I can but something's happened... I need to stay here and look after Mary Margaret first."
"What? What happened to her?" David asked quickly, a panicked look in his eyes.
"Is she hurt?" Regina asked. Feeling a little nauseous, she reached for David for help sitting up.
"Yeah she is..." Emma replied. "But don't worry she's going to be okay, Kathryn's gone to get help but I want to stay with Mary Margaret until she comes back."
"I knew pretending to be me was a bad idea." Regina whispered.
"Don't worry about her, she's going to be okay I promise."
"Can I talk to her?" David asked.
"Yeah of course, she's going to call you on her cell."
David glanced down at his phone which was already buzzing with Mary Margaret's caller ID flashing across the screen. David quickly handed the walkie to Regina so that she could continue speaking with Emma.
"Emma what happened?" She asked in a hushed voice.
Emma closed her eyes. Thinking of her one stupid oversight. She felt horribly about it now... Because of it she had nearly gotten her own mother killed. The new plan had come about so fast that all thoughts of the getting the Blue Fairy's wand to Gold had slipped her mind. It was when she and Mary Margaret had arrived back at Regina's house that Emma had remembered.
...
"Crap!" Emma said to herself, momentarily leaning forward against the steering wheel.
"What is it?" Snow asked in alarm.
"I nearly forgot about my end of the deal."
"Deal?"
"You know, with Gold... in exchange for giving me the potion."
Snow had a warning look in her eyes. "Emma what did you promise him?" She asked, scolding herself internally for not asking this question sooner.
"Well... I maybe sort of said that he could have the Blue Fairy's wand." Emma replied sheepishly.
"WHAT?!" Snow exclaimed. "Emma! This is Gold we're talking about. You want to give him even more power?!"
"I know... but the potion was important at the time." Emma defended.
Snow's eyes softened. "You were desperate more like." She replied understandingly.
Emma tilted her head to the side, not really having an argument for that.
"So what does this mean for right now?" Snow asked.
"I should get the wand to him now, before I leave town. He threatened to kill us all if I didn't give it to him." She said grimly.
"Just leave it with me, I'll handle it." Snow slumped back against her seat, she couldn't believe the words that had just came out of her own mouth, but she could not allow her daughter to break a deal with The Dark One.
"No, it should be me. I don't want him to catch me on a technicality or something... you know, I didn't give it to him personally so our deal is null and void..."
Snow nodded. "Fair point. Do we have time though?"
"We're going to have to make time." Emma replied. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. Just hold tight okay? I'm going to run in and grab the wand."
"Don't forget Regina's purse." Snow reminded her.
Emma just gave her a look, closing the car door behind her.
...
Emma sighed heavily as she remembered. Once they had returned to Main Street, she had left Mary Margaret in the car, just for less than a minute as she ran into the shop and practically threw the wand at Gold in her rush. But even with how quick she had been, by the time she had gotten back to the car it had been surrounded.
"Emma?" Regina's voice interrupted her thoughts again.
Emma sighed. "Well, the ruse worked," she answered Regina's question. "People thought Mary Margaret was you. Regina... they both knew the dangers when they offered to do this for you, but what's most important is that they're both going to be okay."
"Both? Someone else was hurt too?" Regina's eyes wandered as she thought about who else was on Main Street. "Kathryn?" She asked, feeling faint.
"Yeah, she got a little banged up trying to protect Mary Margaret. It was amazing though, I still don't know how she got in there so fast. Anyway, when the mob realized they had the wrong person... well everyone was pissed, as I'm sure you can imagine, but they didn't try to hurt Mary Margaret or Kathryn any further for trying to help you. You don't have to worry about them."
Regina swallowed nervously, blinking back a few tears. "What did they do to her? To Mary Margaret?"
She heard Emma sigh heavily into the walkie-talkie.
"Well, I managed to push past some people and get back to the car, but I just couldn't get around to the other side fast enough. I tried to stop them from taking her but I couldn't. They surrounded the passenger's side of the car and dragged Mary Margaret out. I think her arm is broken, and her neck and back are hurting... but she's going to be fine. Obviously she's shaken up but she's going to be okay. They let her go when they realized she wasn't you. It just all happened so fast..."
"Mom?" A quiet whisper asked. Regina's eyes raised to see that Henry was seated beside her now and his cheeks were damp with fresh tears.
Regina motioned for Henry to come closer and he burrowed into her embrace. He was shaking. She could feel a tear streaming down her own face as she held her son protectively in her arms.
"And Kathryn?"
"She's a little sore but she's fine. She mainly just feels really guilty, even though it wasn't her fault at all." Emma said sadly. "Regina... you know this easily could have been you. Only you probably wouldn't have been so lucky. There were so many of them... they were holding me back, they were fighting with Kathryn and Granny and the dwarves... These people are still determined to hurt you, you need to leave right now. I know that–" Emma's voice cut off for a few seconds.
"Emma?"
The walkie crackled again. "Hold on I'll be right back."
The communication device went dead for a minute and Regina took the opportunity to check on Henry. He was clinging to her a little too tightly but she didn't ask him to loosen his grasp. Silently she brushed her fingers through his hair, trying to give them both a little bit of comfort.
A few moments later David hung up his phone, he had gone extremely pale.
"Is she going to be okay?" Regina asked in quiet worry.
"She'll be fine. She says it sounds worse than it is." David responded, although he didn't sound as if he quite believed that.
"I'm so sorry David, this is all my fault."
"No Regina, of course it's not."
"If she hadn't been trying to help me–"
David placed a hand on her arm to stop her. "Regina, this is not your fault. Mary Margaret knew the risks when she offered to do this for you. Ruby was originally going to stand in as you but Mary Margaret volunteered in her place. There is no way she ever could have just stood by and did nothing to protect you from these people. They are the ones who need to be sorry, not you."
Regina tearfully reached for his arm, squeezing it gently. "Thank you David." She whispered.
"Hey, sorry." Emma's voice finally returned. Regina picked up the walkie again. "Kathryn and Frederick are back. I'll be on my way as soon as I can. Just hold tight."
"Emma wouldn't it be safer for Henry and I to stay with David until you got here?"
"He can protect you I know..." Emma said in a damaged voice, "but if you and Henry find a place to hide, the townspeople will think you've already gone. We might be able to avoid another messy confrontation, no one else has to get hurt."
"I've taken on whole teams of armed knights before Emma. Regina and Henry will be safe with me." David assured her, knowing by the look on Regina's face that the idea of leaving the town without Emma was making her sick with dread.
"I know, but things are different in this world, back in the Enchanted Forest none of you had guns, I know you can protect them but there's a risk of the townspeople taking it out on you too. If they think she's already gone they might be less aggressive."
"Emma–" Regina begged.
"I'll be there as soon as I can." She repeated. "Please Regina, I know you're afraid, and I know you want to stay with David, but please take Henry and leave town. Find somewhere no one will be able to see you and I'll come pick you both up... hopefully within the next half hour. They won't be able to hurt you if you're hidden outside Storybrooke's town limits."
"Emma I don't think I can do this." Regina whispered tearfully.
"Yes you can, you're going to be fine Regina I promise. But the townspeople are furious right now and they are already on their way towards you. If they find David protecting you they could kill him just to get to you. They didn't hurt Mary Margaret any further but if she was in their way they likely could have. When they believed Mary Margaret was you... they weren't stopping at anything to keep me and Kathryn back. I really think if it had been you out here they might have killed you. Maybe not on purpose but... Regina it was brutal. "
Regina blinked back a few tears as she looked at David. She knew Emma was right, and it wasn't fair to ask him to risk his life even further than he already was.
"And Regina... Henry's there with you too..." Emma's pained voice trailed off. Regina knew that Emma wouldn't say anything in case Henry could hear, but Regina knew what Emma was silently telling her. If the crowd did find her, they both knew that Henry too would try to stand in the way of anyone hurting her. "Please Regina, I've been saying this the whole time, crossing the town line is safe for you, I promise."
"Okay," Regina whispered.
There was a relieved sigh from Emma's end of the walkie. "Thank you."
Regina wiped a few tears away, she knew her reaction was making it worse for Henry but she couldn't make herself stop. "But what if you're wrong Emma? What if something happens to me when I cross?"
"I'm not wrong. You've never had a problem crossing before. The curse is broken now so if anything it should be safer than ever. You can do this Regina."
Regina fell silent, but her finger remained pressed over the intercom button and Emma could hear her shaky, fearful breaths as she tried to quell her emotions.
"Hey," Emma said softly, "Don't worry Regina. I'll see you soon okay?"
"You better mean that." Regina's voice quivered in an almost laugh.
"I promise, we are getting you away from this damn town. Is Henry listening?"
Regina sniffled, she nodded in response but then a few moments later remembered that Emma couldn't see her. "Yes. He's right beside me."
"Hey, kid?"
"Yeah?"
"Take care of your mom okay?"
"I will." Henry said in a small voice as he looked up at his mother.
"Thanks Henry, I'll see you in a bit. I'm going to put this down now so I can help Mary Margaret, but don't be afraid okay? I..." Emma trailed off, not being able to finish her sentence right away. "I love you. You both be strong for each other."
"I love you too," Henry said, his voice quivering as he tried to keep from crying.
"Be careful Emma." Regina pleaded.
"Yeah, you too."
The walkie went silent and Regina knew Emma was finished. She put it on the seat beside her so she could wrap both of her arms around her son now.
David was frowning, and nodding his head slightly. He glanced towards the road in front of them. "If it's true that there is a group heading in this direction, we'd better move fast. We don't know where they will check first. Are you ready to go?"
Regina's gaze drifted uncertainly to the spray-painted line that lay on the road a few meters ahead of the truck.
She gave a shaky, cheerless laugh. "Honestly? I don't think I'll ever be ready."
David's expression was sympathetic and understanding. He took off his seatbelt and opened the driver's side door before offering his hand to her. After a hesitant glance at it, Regina's gaze rose to meet his again. There was a slightly desperate look in her eyes as she looked up at him, it was as if she were hoping he would find a way to either come with her, or find a way to keep her safely within the town's boundaries until Emma arrived. After a quick glance to check on Henry, Regina swallowed a little nervously before her smaller, trembling hand entwined with David's supportive one.