A/N: ***Trigger Warning: Violence***
This chapter includes more violence between Wolves.
Chapter 17
The spring sun was warm as the early morning rays warmed the sleeping family, curled peacefully under their blankets, Regina's scar riddled back exposed to the morning sun. Hope's third Wolf's Time was officially over, and she was already able to run without tripping. Emma rolled over in Regina's arms without opening her eyes, her forehead resting against Regina's as she wrapped her arms around her, Emma's right arm peeking out from under the blanket to hold Regina tight. Regina's body swayed slightly, as a slender foot nudged her just above Emma's hand.
"Miss Lucas, what have I told you about waking me up in this fashion?" Regina asked, her eyes still closed, as she tightened her hold on Emma.
"Not me this time." Ruby grumbled off to the side.
"Uhh….Mom?" Henry asked, concern in his voice, as the mysterious foot made contact with Regina's back once more.
"Regina…" Emma whispers. A wide smile forms on Regina's face, the sound of Emma's voice causes Regina's eyes to slowly open. "There's someone here…" Emma whispered again, pulling the blanket over Regina's exposed back.
Regina's features shifted drastically at Emma's words, rolling over quickly, her eyes squinting at the bright sun as she gazed up at the woman standing next to her.
"Mother?" She asked suddenly, her voice low. "What are you doing here?" She asked, anger beginning to raise in her voice.
"Now, is that any way to address your mother?" Cora asked, as she gazed disapprovingly down at her daughter.
"It is when you abandon me the night before my father's funeral without even so much as a goodbye, and then not so much as a word from you for twenty years." Regina said, anger overpowering her voice, as she shifted to sit, making sure to keep Emma behind her and out of Cora's disapproving looks.
"I see we are still holding a grudge. It seems twenty years wasn't enough time." Cora said with a harsh laugh.
"Regina? You good?" Ruby asked, sitting up quickly, getting ready to jump in if needed.
"Yes, Ruby. Thank you. I can handle her." Regina said, not taking her eyes off her mother as she addressed Ruby. "Go and start your day. We'll be over when we can. Please inform Granny what's going on."
"Good to see you too, Miss Lucas. You're looking well." Cora said, sarcastically. "Please extend my greetings to your grandmother. I hope she is well." Cora added.
"Text me when you're on your way." Ruby said glaring at Cora as she jumped up, walking backwards towards the house, not turning her back on the strange woman until she was inside the kitchen.
"Mother, what are you doing here?" Regina asked again, reaching for Emma's hand under the blanket, holding it so tight their fingers went numb. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's waist, holding her tight, letting her know she's there, giving her the support she needs.
"Can't a mother visit her only daughter without being interrogated?" Cora asked, still standing, the height difference making her feel superior.
"Twenty years of silence leads one to question your sudden appearance." Regina growls. "What do you want?"
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your family?" Cora asked, an evil grin on her face.
"You wouldn't need an introduction if you had been here." Regina growls, her heart racing from anger.
"Regina…" Emma whispered, tightening her grip around Regina, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on Regina's neck, before resting her chin on Regina's shoulder. Regina subconsciously leaned into Emma, as she took a deep breath.
"Everyone…this is my mother, Cora Mills." Regina said, taking another deep breath to calm her nerves. "Mother, this is my Wife, Emma." She said, leaning into Emma, her arms still tightly wrapped around Regina's waist. Regina waited for Cora's response, which didn't come. "And these are our children, Henry and Hope Swan-Mills." Regina said, emphasizing their hyphenated last name.
"Henry…after…" Cora asked, her hard exterior softening slightly.
"Yes. He's named after Daddy." Regina answered.
"Yes, well. That's a very strong name." Cora said, shifting to focus on the kids for the first time. "I'm assuming the youngest…"
"Hope." Regina corrected.
"…Hope. I'm assuming she is your heir?" Cora asked, sizing up the ten year old.
"No. She's an Omega like Emma. Henry is my heir." Regina corrected, her body stiffening.
"You chose to have more children?" Cora asked, her face showing confusion. "Why would you choose to have another child when you didn't have to?"
"That's enough, mother. Our little reunion is over. We have to get going before work and school, and we have a standing breakfast engagement with Ruby and Granny." Regina said, shifting to stand up, making sure she and Emma were completely covered. "Let's get going, everyone. Mother, you can see yourself out."
"Nonsense. I will be joining you for breakfast. I want to hear all about my grandchildren." Cora said, following them into the house that she had once lived in. "Do hurry down. I can't wait to catch up!" Cora said, settling into the couch in the living room as the others made their way upstairs.
"When you guys are ready, don't go downstairs. Come into our room until we are all ready to go. I don't want you alone with her." Regina whispered, once they were out of earshot from Cora. Henry and Hope both nodded, disappearing into their rooms to get ready, taking turns in the shower.
Emma followed Regina into their room, dropping their blanket the moment the door was closed, kissing Regina sweetly. Emma could tell that Regina's walls were up again, preventing even her from getting in. They quickly made their way into the shower, sharing the warm water as they always do during Wolf's Time.
"Hey!" Emma said, stopping Regina from going through her normal routine. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, of course." Regina said, reaching for her bottle of shampoo.
"You can't lie to me. I always know when you're lying." Emma said softly. "Talk to me."
"It's just…" Regina started to say, her walls slowly crumbling as Emma wrapped her arms around her, holding her close. "…my mother…she…" Regina started to say, unable to get the words out.
"She hurt you when she left, didn't she?" Emma asked. Regina just nodded, her tears mixing with the falling water.
"She wasn't always the warmest person to begin with. And she knew how close I was to my father. She left when I needed my mother the most." Regina explained. "I struggled so much after my father died. I felt broken. I felt like I had lost the only person who ever loved me. I needed my mother and she wasn't there. She left in the middle of the night, the night before my father's funeral, without a word. This is the first time I've spoken to her in twenty years." Regina said, her body collapsing into Emma's arms.
"And she missed so much of your life." Emma said, feeling Regina nod against her chest.
"She should have been there when we got married. When Henry and Hope were born. She should have been there with us during Henry and Hope's first shifts. She should have been sitting by my bedside when I was attacked. She wasn't even here when I took over as Alpha. She should have been there." Regina cried.
"Granny was there for you, wasn't she? She became your surrogate mother?" Emma asked.
"The moment she realized that my mother had left when I needed her the most, she stepped up and took her place. She was there for me when my mother wasn't." Regina answered.
"The way I see it, Cora Mills had her chance to be a part of our lives, and she chose not to be. Granny Lucas is our children's grandmother, not the woman sitting downstairs. And as far as I'm concerned, she's the only one that matters." Emma said, causing Regina to look up, eyes slightly red from crying. "And soon she's going to be gone again and we can go back to life as usual. We just have to stay strong until then."
"You're right." Regina said, wrapping her arms around Emma. "She had her chance. Granny is their grandmother, not her."
"Exactly!" Emma said, kissing Regina softly, feeling her wife finally relax in her arms. "We better get going. Hope will probably be busting into our room any minute." Emma laughed, handing Regina her shampoo.
A little while later, Regina was putting the finishing touches on her makeup as Henry and Hope sat on the bed with Emma, none of them talking about the stranger sitting downstairs.
"REGINA! DEAR! WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG?" Cora yelled up the stairs, startling Emma with the harsh tone in her voice. Emma climbed off the bed and quickly walked downstairs, meeting her impatient mother-in-law at the bottom of the stairs.
"Mrs. Mills. We are just about ready to go. Perhaps you should head out a little before us, and secure us a table since we are a larger party than usual." Emma said, trying to placate the woman.
"Yes, I suppose that is a good idea." Cora said, moving towards the front door. "Do light a fire under my daughter to make her hurry up. I do not tolerate tardiness." Cora added, before leaving the house, closing the door louder than necessary.
Regina could finally breathe knowing Emma had sent her mother away, giving the family a little time alone to process. Regina could tell Hope had so many questions, but was holding back, out of respect for Regina. She made a mental note to answer the girl's questions later, as she texted Ruby to warn her that Cora was on her way.
By the time they arrived at Granny's, Cora had already claimed a large table in the corner by the window, and was already talking to someone, her expressions grossly overdramatic.
"The usuals?" Ruby asked when they walked through the door, causing the four to nod quickly, their stomachs growling. "Your mother has already placed her order. I didn't think it was possible, but I think she's more impatient than she was twenty years ago." Ruby laughed, causing Regina to laugh as well, the sound being music to Emma's ears. They all quickly took their seats, Regina and Emma on the left, Henry and Hope on the right, Cora at the head, as Ruby delivered coffee and hot chocolate, promising their breakfast would be ready very soon.
They sat in a very uncomfortable silence for a few moments, as they slowly sipped their beverages, when Ruby arrived with their breakfast. Regina didn't blame her for not staying to have breakfast with them as she normally does.
"So, Emily…" Cora started to say, eating a small piece of her egg white omelette.
"It's Emma." Emma corrected.
"Yes, of course. Emma." Cora corrected. Regina knew Cora called Emma the wrong name out of spite. "Tell me, what do you do for a living?"
"I'm the Sheriff of Storybrooke." Emma explained, reaching to adjust her badge that was clipped to her belt.
"A bit of a dangerous profession, don't you think?" Cora asked, clearly judging Emma's profession.
"Things are pretty calm around here. It's safer than my previous profession." Emma explained, determined not to let this woman bring her down.
"Oh, and what was your previous profession?" Cora asked.
"I was a Bail-Bonds Person. Had quite a few run ins with marks. Got roughed up a few times." Emma explained, causing Regina to reach for her hand under the table, as they remembered the last time a mark beat the crap out of her, right before she left the job. "I decided to switch professions shortly before Regina and I got married. I wanted something safer that didn't require me to travel so much. We knew we wanted children and that job was too dangerous." Emma said, already anticipating Cora's next question.
"Well, I can not argue with that." Cora said, turning her attention to Regina, ready to fire insults at her daughter. "Regina, I could not help but notice, when you exposed yourself to me in your sleep, that you have acquired quite a few disgusting scars on your previously perfect skin. And your face, you really should cover that deep monstrosity on your lip. It's not becoming of a lady. I can't imagine life as a small town Mayor is that dangerous to produce those." Cora said with disdain to Regina's appearance.
"You know as well as I do, I didn't acquire those at work." Regina said, her voice as sarcastic as her mother's.
"She was attacked." Henry spoke up for the first time, sensing that his mother was being shamed.
"What?" Cora asked, her voice suddenly shocked, looking over at Regina.
"Five years ago I was attacked in the forest during Wolf's Time." Regina said, waiting to see if her mother would even care enough to hear the rest of the story. When Cora didn't say a word, Regina continued. "Henry was with us. We suspect it was a deliberate attack on our family."
"Do you know who it was?" Cora asked, her voice changing drastically.
"Robert Gold. He left the Pack after daddy died. He didn't approve of a female Alpha." Regina explained.
"And what became of him? I hope he was punished accordingly." Cora answered.
"Mom killed him when he tried to attack me." Henry said, smiling a little as he remembered how fierce his mother was, before she almost died.
"Mommy almost died though." Hope said sadly, causing Cora to turn her attention to her granddaughter. "Mama gave her some of her blood to save her because Mommy lost most of hers." Hope explained.
"Is that so?" Cora asked, looking at Emma. "I guess I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving my daughter's life." Cora said, her voice softer than any of them have ever heard.
"She's my Wife. I can't live without her." Emma said, looking over at Regina. "I would give her my heart to make sure she's alright." Emma added, causing Henry to roll his eyes at their sappiness.
"That's why they have the same eyes!" Hope exclaimed. "I don't know why, because no one will explain what happened. But I know it's because they love each other so much they have matching eyes and matching marks on their chest." Hope said.
"Well, I thought that was an old wives tale." Cora chuckled, her tone shifting back to the harshness it once had, before she found out about Regina's attack. "Well, it appears to be later than we thought. You should probably be going. Surely even the Mayor and Sheriff are not exempt from standard business hours."
"Yeah, we should get going." Emma said, jumping up along with Regina, rushing the kids out as well. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Mills." Emma said, as she raced towards the door, followed by Regina.
"Oh Regina, before you leave, what time is dinner tonight?" Cora asked, nonchalantly.
"I beg your pardon?" Regina asked, confusion falling across her face.
"Dinner. Tonight. What time should I arrive?" Cora asked, inviting herself to dinner.
"Seven." Regina said, before following her family out the diner, waving goodbye to Ruby as they left. Cora sat at the table for a few minutes, sipping the rest of her coffee, as she watched her daughter and her family pile into their cars, driving in opposite directions. She waved goodbye to Ruby politely when she exited the restaurant, pulling her phone out of her purse as soon as the door closed behind her. She keyed up a number and pressed send, holding the phone to her ear as she waited for the other person to pick up.
"It's me." She said. "Of course, everything is going according to plan. I was right. Her weakness will be her family. Fortunately for us she never listened to me when I tried to instill into her that love is weakness." Cora said, smiling at her conquest. "I'll be in touch later to provide more details." She said, hanging up the phone, walking towards her car with an evil smile on her face.
Cora weaseled her way into their home every night that week, insisting on having dinner and drinks with Regina and her family. Each night she forced the family to sit down at the dining room table, even after they explained that Regina laid on the table after her attack, while Doctor French tended to her wounds. Cora simply told them they needed to face their fears and suck it up.
Each night when she left Regina's home, she called her partner, expressing any new information she may have learned over the course of dinner that they could use to exploit Regina's supposed weakness, the love she has for her family.
By the second week, she no longer knocked on the door when she arrived uninvited.
"Oh Regina, really! Have some decency!" Cora exclaimed, when she interrupted a rather intimate moment with Emma in the kitchen, their arms wrapped around each other as Emma had her pinned against the counter, their lips locked in a rather deep and passionate kiss.
"Well, Mother, if you had knocked instead of barging into our home, you would not have seen us kissing." Regina said, smoothing out her clothes as she rolled her eyes at her mother.
By the third week, Cora insisted she begin staying with them, instead of the hotel room she had rented just outside of town, which meant she was around for breakfast every morning as well as dinner every night.
Late one evening, Cora felt rather chatty as she walked into Regina and Emma's room completely unannounced without so much as a knock. She gasped when she found them in a very private position. Emma was sitting on Regina's lap, her legs wrapped around Regina tightly, as Regina fingered her slowly, their bodies moving together, Emma's climax building slowly. Regina whispered beautiful words to Emma, as she kissed her neck, Emma's moans filling her ears with the most amazing sound.
"JESUS CHRIST REGINA! LOCK THE DOOR!" Cora screamed, shielding her eyes from the sight on the bed. Emma gasped, and reached to wrap the sheet around their bodies as Regina momentarily stopped her thrusting, leaving her fingers buried deep within Emma.
"Mother, would you kindly leave our room immediately." Regina said, her voice strangely calm, as she held onto Emma tighter.
"Put your clothes on. You have guests." Cora scolded.
"Mother. I am not going to ask you again. Leave our room immediately so I may return to making Love to my Wife." Regina said, finally turning to look at her mother, her eyes wide, yet calm. "And be sure to lock the door on the way out." She said, as she turned her attention back to her wife, kissing her passionately, continuing to thrust her fingers into her. Cora stormed out of the room in a huff, slamming the door behind her.
"I'm asking her to leave in the morning." Regina whispered, as she placed soft kisses on Emma's neck, Emma's post climax body twitching in her arms. "She's overstayed her welcome."
"I think that's a good idea." Emma said, her chest pressing into Regina, as she tried to catch her breath.
On the other side of the house, Cora was seething in the guest room after being so rudely ejected from Regina's bedroom, her phone pressed hard against her face, waiting for the person on the other side to answer.
"It's me." She said, her voice angry.
"What's the news?" The man on the other line asked.
"Everything is a go. I'm leaving tomorrow. I've done all I can. Now we just wait." Cora said, her voice as low as she could.
"I'll make the necessary calls in the morning." The voice said.
"Excellent. I'll be in touch again tomorrow." She said, hanging the phone up, before turning the lights off to go to bed.
Cora was officially moved out of the house by the time they all got home the following afternoon, leaving almost no trace she had been there in the first place. Regina sighed a breath of relief when she pulled into her driveway to the absence of her mother's car.
Life quickly went back to normal, as the next Wolf's Time approached. By the time the first night arrived, Cora Mills was nothing more than a distant memory, as the family prepared for the first night. Ruby chased Hope around the backyard, their blankets trailing behind them like capes as they watched the sun slowly set behind the trees. About ten minutes before sunset was complete, Hope stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the entrance of the forest at the edge of the backyard.
"Mommy? Mama?" She said, her voice shaky, as her eyes remained glued to the two figures emerging from the forest, one she recognized as the grandmother who had left a week prior. The second was a tall scruffy man, who she had never seen before.
"Mother?" Regina asked, her voice shocked when she realized who was walking towards her. "What are you doing here? Who is this?" Regina asked, firing off the first two questions to come to her mind.
"This is Killian Jones." She answered, stopping a few yards away from the family.
"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, love." Killian said, his voice raspy, his accent difficult to decipher.
"As for what we are doing here? Well, the answer to that question is simple…" Cora said, an evil grin falling across her mouth.
"We're here to kill you, your entire family, as well as your dumb Beta, and take over as Pack leader." Killian said, finishing Cora's sentence. As he said that, three more men emerged from the forest, making their way towards the group.
"Henry, Hope. Get inside right now! Lock the door! Henry, call David quickly before it's too late. Tell him we need him and Archie to get here as soon as possible." Regina said, her voice harsh, with the slightest touch of fear. "Emma, go with them."
"Not a chance! I'm not going anywhere." Emma said, grasping for Regina's hand under the blanket. Ruby inched closer, ready to lend a hand at any moment.
"That's right, pups. Run along. We'll get to you soon enough." Killian laughed, as Henry and Hope ran into the kitchen, the sound of the door locking heard behind them. Emma gasped as the three new men approached the group.
"Neal?" Emma said, her voice laced with sadness and betrayal when she realized the man she was once intimate with standing across from her, ready to attack. "Neal, are you seriously doing this?"
"That bitch killed my Papa." Neal said, narrowing his eyes at Regina. Emma suddenly realized that the year she had spent with Neal meant nothing.
"And your 'Papa' tried to kill her." Emma spat, anger raising in her blood. "She only killed him after he tried to attack our son."
"He's still dead. And I'm here to avenge his honor." Neal said.
"August Booth. You and I were friends when we were younger. Why?" Regina asked, turning her attention towards August who stood next to Neal.
"Key word is 'were', Regina. And to be honest, most of us were only decent to you because you were the Alpha's daughter. Most of us thought you were a raging bitch, even when we were kids. I hold no allegiance towards you." August explained.
"Will Scarlet? Why have you decided to attack your Alpha? If I recall, you were welcomed into our Pack a few months ago. Surely you don't have an issue with your Alpha." Regina asked.
"We needed a Mole in the operation." Will explained, slurring her words slightly. "That, and they offered me money. Money is a powerful motivator."
"Don't do this, Mother. I am your daughter." Regina pleaded, as the sun dipped low in the sky. The transformations would begin shortly.
"I never wanted you. I only had you out of obligation to your father, to our Pack. If I could have, I would have left you after you were born, but I had to keep up appearances for the sake of the Pack." Cora spat, her voice harsh and full of anger. Emma's eyes filled with tears as she felt her Wife's body tremble against her, hidden from their opponents gaze under their blanket. Their skin tingled as the sun disappeared behind the horizon.
"Prepare to die, bitch." Killian growled, as smoke engulfed their bodies.
Regina threw the blanket off their bodies a split second before their shift, knowing they would be at a disadvantage if they needed to detangle themselves from their cover. That proved to be a smart move, as the moment the smoke cleared, four out of the five Wolves in front of them attacked immediately, targeting Regina. Cora stood off to the side as she watched three Wolves sink their teeth into her daughter's back, each drawing blood with their first attack. Killian's attack was more deliberate, going directly for Regina's neck, clamping down tightly, attempting to snap her neck and end the battle before it even started.
Emma hurled herself against Killian's body, causing him to stagger slightly, not before taking a chunk of skin and fur from Regina's neck in the process. Ruby took a second to crawl out from under her blanket, launching herself at the closest Wolf the second she was free, sinking her teeth into Neal's leg, causing him to release Regina's back and attempt to shake Ruby free.
"REGINA! ARE YOU OK?" Emma yelled in her mind, her heart pounding as she waited for her Wife's response.
"I'm ok." Regina thought. "Be careful!" She thought, as Killian lunged at her again, this time she dodged at the last second, avoiding his attack.
A second before Killian lunged at Regina a third time, Emma saw a flash of movement off to the side, and threw herself into Cora seconds before she attacked her own daughter, sending the older woman tumbling through the air. Emma ran over to her, standing in Cora's way of Regina, while Regina lunged at Killian, attacking her opponent for the first time, catching him in the shoulder, causing very shallow puncture wounds in his flesh. Cora attempted to attack again, causing Emma to snap at her, blocking her from harming her daughter. At that moment, two move Wolves came running out of the forest, just in time to pull August and Will off Regina, as they attacked her again, connecting with her back once again. The fight was finally evenly matched, giving Regina's army a fighting chance at survival. Each Wolf fought the other, biting and scratching in the attempt to best the other. All but Emma. She never attacked Cora. She didn't want to kill her Wife's mother if she didn't have to. Instead, she continued to block her path to Regina.
Regina fought Killian with everything she had, each making contact with the other, blood and skin and fur flying as they attempted to rip each other to shreds. She didn't just have the Pack to defend, she needed to protect her family, even if it meant giving her life.
Inside the house, two very scared pups paced and cried, as they listened to the battle just beyond the back door, knowing their mothers were fighting for their lives. After an eternity, Henry began leaping in the air, in a failed attempt to stand on the counter for a better look out of the kitchen window, never quite reaching high enough to clear the structure. Hope attempted to calm her brother down long enough to motion with her head her plan to move the kitchen chair in place. Together, they pushed one of the chairs over to the counter, giving them the extra height they needed to jump onto the counter and finally see the battle outside. They whined instantly when they saw the Wolves fighting, searching desperately for the Black, White and Red Wolves. They cried out when they saw Killian connecting with Regina's neck again, once again taking a small chunk of skin and fur with it, Regina's blood spraying against Emma's tail, staining her fur red, as Emma continued to block Cora's advances.
The sound of the battle grew with each passing moment, as the fighting continued well into the night, neither side backing down until their opponent was dead.
Across town, Dorothy was settling into bed for the night, missing Ruby's body pressed against her as she had quickly grown accustomed to. She turned off the light and pulled up the picture of her with the Red Wolf, gazing deep into the Wolf's blue eyes.
"Good night, Wolfie." She whispered, plugging her phone into the charger. She was just beginning to drift off to sleep when her cell phone rang. Dorothy groaned as she looked at the caller ID, indicating it was the night dispatcher calling from the station. "This is Deputy Gale." She answered, attempting to sound official at this late hour.
"Deputy Gale, this is Nova at the station. I've been getting quite a few calls saying it sounds like a pack of wolves fighting. It's quite loud. I thought you would want to check it out before we called animal control." Nova explained. Dorothy's eyes shot open at the word 'Wolves'.
"Yes. Yes of course, I'll take a look. Where's the complaint coming from?" Dorothy asked, her mind silently pleading it was outside town.
"They all say it's coming from Mayor Swan-Mills' house. It sounds like the Wolves are in her backyard." Nova explained. Dorothy's heart sank.
"When…when did the fighting start?" She asked, jumping out of bed.
"Umm…" Nova said, shuffling her papers on her desk. "Yes, the first report said it started just after sundown and has been going on ever since. We all know there are Wolves that live in the Storybrooke forest, but they've never left the woods. Maybe they finally became brave enough to step foot in town." Nova said, not realizing the truth behind those Wolves.
"Yeah maybe." Dorothy said, already pulling on her jeans. "I'll check it out. I'll call you back if I think we need to call animal control." Dorothy said, knowing full well she would not be making that call.
"Ok. Be careful. Let me know if you need anything." Nova said.
"Will do." Dorothy said, hanging up the phone as she pulled on her boots, rushing out of her bedroom towards the door.
In no time at all, Dorothy was pulling into the driveway of 108 Mifflin Street, parking behind Ruby's vintage red car. Before she opened the door, she could hear the fighting in the backyard. She rushed over to the fence, attempting to get a better look, but falling short of the high fence. She tried the gate, not surprised to find it locked from the other side. She raced to the front door, trying the knob, once again finding it locked tight.
"Of course they lock the doors." She said out loud, as she took a step back, trying to find a solution to the problem. She had to get into the house to see what was going on. More importantly, she needed to make sure Ruby was alright.
She paced the front yard for a few minutes, deciding breaking a window was her only option, hoping Regina and Emma would forgive her once the fight was over. "If they survive this fight." She thought to herself, shaking the thought from her mind, as she searched for a rock to break the window. She rushed over to a large rock she spotted near Ruby's front right tire, when she suddenly remembered that Ruby kept a spare set of keys to the Mayor and Sheriff's home, in case one of the kids locked themselves out of the house. She held her breath as she tried the driver's side handle, relieved to find that Ruby had once again forgotten to lock her car as she usually did, too excited for Wolf's Time to remember. Digging though the glove compartment, she quickly located the spare set of keys, slamming the door closed as she ran to the front door, easily unlocking it and entering the house.
What she didn't expect was the two growling Wolves that stood just beyond the front door, their teeth showing.
"Henry…Hope…" she said, her voice low and quiet, trying not to scare the already terrified pups. "Guys, it's me. It's Dorothy." She said again.
They didn't move from their spot as they glared at the intruder.
"Shhh…guys…it's me…" She said, throwing her hands in front of her to show them she wasn't armed. She slowly knelt on the ground, down to their level, to once again show the pups that she wasn't a threat. "It's me…it's Dorothy…I came to see what's going on and try to help. I'm here to help." She said, hoping to get through to them.
Their growls slowly quieted, their teeth disappearing as they calmed down, fear no longer clouding their judgement. They both rushed over to the woman kneeling on the ground, licking her face and nuzzling into her neck, their small bodies shaking as Dorothy wrapped her arms around them.
"You're safe now, I promise. I'll keep you guys safe." Dorothy whispered, as the young kids nuzzled into her deeper. "Something bad is happening isn't it?" She asked after a few minutes.
Henry nodded.
"Your moms?" She asked.
Henry nodded again, fear washing over his eyes.
"Auntie Ruby?"
Henry nodded again, this time Dorothy's eyes filled with tears.
"I need to go see. You don't have to look, but you should stay close to me, just in case." Dorothy said, standing to make her way through the dark house and into the kitchen, the sound of the fight growing louder as she crossed the threshold.
What she saw terrified her even more. Regina was pinned under an unknown Wolf, as he clawed and bit her vulnerable stomach, her body twisting to try to escape from his attacks. Henry and Hope jumped back onto the counter just in time to see another strange Wolf attack Regina, her teeth sinking into Regina's front leg. Emma attacked the Wolf, pulling her off Regina, before sinking her teeth into the new Wolf's neck, causing blood to spray out of Wolf's neck.
Emma tackled Cora, finally having enough of her advances, her anger from her mother-in-law boiling over as she finally made contact with Cora's throat, clamping down hard, pulling with all her might, as she ripped Cora's throat open. Cora's body went limp as her eyes slowly closed, marking the first death of the battle. Dorothy tried to shield Henry and Hope's eyes from the carnage, but didn't make it in time, as they watched their mother kill another Wolf.
Emma immediately ran over to Regina, throwing her body into Killian, knocking him off her. Killian righted himself quickly, turning his attacks to Emma this time, connecting with the back of her neck, ripping open her skin. Blood dripped down her neck and back, staining her white fun red, as he returned to a very injured Regina.
Dorothy searched the crowd frantically for the Red Wolf, finally spotting her in the corner, her teeth ripping apart another Wolf, a dark honey brown color. She was relieved when she saw the Brown Wolf go limp and fall to the ground, leaving Ruby victorious. Neal Cassedy was the second Wolf to die that night. Ruby took a deep breath before turning to witness Killian clawing once again at Regina, who still lay on the ground. She rushed over to help, dodging at the last minute, nearly becoming acquainted with Killian's claws.
Killian turned his attention suddenly to the White Wolf, whose fur was more red than white at this point, knowing exactly how to defeat the Alpha. He had to kill her Wife, as she watched. He lunged at Emma, knocking her to the ground with a hard thud, immediately targeting her throat. Emma clawed his face before he could bite her, stunning him slightly. He growled louder, as he pinned Emma to the ground, his mouth wide as he once again went for her throat.
"I LOVE YOU!" Emma screamed, knowing this was the end. He had pinned her down with no way of escaping.
A flash of red came from just beyond her line of sight, as Killian was thrown off her body. Killian connected with Ruby shoulder, ripping the flesh open. While he was momentarily distracted with his attack towards Ruby, Emma took the opportunity to stand up. Killian attempted to lunge at Emma once more, but a large Black Wolf stopped him dead in his tracks, tackling him to the ground.
Before he knew what had happened, Regina's teeth were clamped around his throat, her neck pulling up as she used all her might to rip the flesh from Killian's neck. Spitting out the flesh and fur, she dipped down once again, pulling more skin and fur, blood spraying in the process. In one last movement, Killian connected with the side of Regina's neck, puncturing the flesh and ripping open her neck, before Regina tore the last of his throat.
Killian's body went limp as he became the third casualty of the battle.
At the sight of their dead comrades, August and Will stopped fighting and instantly turned to run into the forest, trying to get as far away from the rest as they could. David and Archie took off after them, chasing the two deep into the forest.
Regina collapsed where she stood, no longer able to stand, a pool of blood already forming underneath her.
"Regina!" Emma screamed, rushing to her side, gently nuzzling Regina's bloody face. "Regina! Hold on!"
"Emma…" Regina whispered, her voice filled with pain.
"Hold on!" Emma pleaded. "You survived an attack before, you can do it again!" Emma said.
"I don't think I can this time…" Regina said, as the pain intensified.
"Regina, just hold on a little longer. The sun is going to come up soon. We'll get help as soon as we can." Emma said, looking up at the pitch black sky.
"We both know that's not true." Regina said. Even the voice in her head was in pain.
"Just hold on! Please!" Emma pleaded, as she rested her head against Regina's, giving her strength to her Wife. "Just hold on!"
Inside the house, Dorothy watched intently, trying to block the scene from the children, as she watched Regina collapse onto the grass, blood everywhere. She waited a few moments to make sure no more Wolves were going to spring out of nowhere before she moved away from the window.
"I need to go see if they are ok." She said to the two scared pups. "I need to go help them. But you need to stay here. You can't go out there."
Henry and Hope just looked up at Dorothy, their bodies shaking with fear.
"I promise I won't go too far away. If anything happens I'll come right back. I promised I would keep you safe." Dorothy said, placing her hand on their heads for comfort. "I'll be right outside. I promise you will be safe." She said, taking a slow step back.
She unlocked the back door, taking a slow tentative step outside where three injured and scared Wolves were. She walked directly towards the Red Wolf, who instantly started growling at her sudden presence.
"Ruby…it's me. It's Dorothy." She whispered, taking a slow step towards the growling Wolf.
Ruby didn't budge, as Dorothy took another step towards her, Ruby's teeth showing.
"Wolfie…" Dorothy pleaded, kneeling down a few feet away from her growling girlfriend. "Wolfie…it's me…It's Kansas…" Dorothy said, reaching a shaking hand out towards Ruby.
At those words, Ruby snapped out of her mood, her face instantly softening, as she closed to space between them, nuzzling into Dorothy hard, her body shaking.
"Are you hurt?" Dorothy asked, looking deep into Ruby's blue eyes.
Ruby nodded her head. Dorothy's breath caught in her throat.
"Are you badly hurt?" She asked, afraid of the answer.
Ruby shook her head no. Dorothy released a shaky breath.
"I think Regina is hurt. I need to go check on her." Dorothy said.
Ruby nodded her head, averting her eyes over to her Best Friend a few yards away.
"I need you to come with me though. I don't think Emma will let me near her without your approval." Dorothy said, her eyes shifting towards Emma and Regina a few yards away.
Ruby nodded her head before standing slowly. Ruby limped towards Regina and Emma, with Dorothy trailing behind her slowly. As soon as Dorothy approached, Emma shot up, growling at the stranger, protecting her Wife.
"Emma…" Dorothy whispered, trying to gain the White Wolf's trust. Ruby stood in front of Dorothy, barking slightly to warn Emma. That did nothing to calm the blood stained Wolf.
"Emma…" Regina whispered, causing Emma to turn her attention back to her wife. "It's ok. It's Dorothy. We can trust her…" She said, causing Emma to instantly back down and allow Dorothy near them.
"Emma…" She whispered, reaching out for Emma.
Emma simply nodded, sitting down close to Regina.
"Emma, can you still hear Regina?" Dorothy asked.
Emma nodded.
"Are you badly hurt?" She asked, already knowing the Wolf was hurt.
Emma shook her head.
"Is Regina badly hurt?" She asked.
Emma nodded her head slowly, sadness washing through her eyes.
"Is…is she dying?" Dorothy asked, reaching to rest her hand on the fallen Black Wolf.
"Tell her…tell her…yes…" Regina said.
Emma took a deep breath, as she slowly nodded her head.
"We have to get her help! We have to help her!" Dorothy said, turning her gaze from Emma to Ruby. "What do I do? Who do I call? I don't know what to do!" Dorothy said, suddenly panicking.
Ruby nuzzled close to Dorothy, trying to calm her down.
"What do I do?" She asked, her voice slightly calmer.
Emma rushed towards her, nudging her hand with her nose. Dorothy allowed the Wolf access to her hand, as she placed her wet nose in her palm, moving around in a pattern. Dorothy looked up in confusion, as Emma continued to draw the same pattern on her hand.
"What? What are you doing?" She asked, her eyes filled with confusion when a lightbulb went off in her mind. "Are you trying to spell something out?" She asked suddenly.
Emma stopped and nodded her head quickly, before moving her nose back to Dorothy's palm.
"B?" She asked, focusing closely on her hand.
Emma nodded before changing the pattern to indicate the second letter.
"E?" Dorothy asked, once again gaining a quick nod from Emma, before changing the pattern to the third letter. "L?" Emma nodded, before drawing a second 'L' on Dorothy's hand. "Bell…Bell…BELLE! Belle French? Do you want me to call Doctor French?" Dorothy asked, suddenly realizing what Emma was trying to say.
Emma and Ruby nodded quickly together.
"Ok! I'm going to call her right now. Hang on Regina! Help is coming!" She said, as she ran into the house to find Regina's phone to call Doctor French.
"Emma…" Regina whispered, the voice in her head weak. "Emma come here…"
"I'm here. Just hang in there. Help is on the way." Emma thought, nuzzling Regina's face. "Just hold on a little longer."
"I'm not going to make it…" Regina said, admitting what they both knew to be true. Regina was dying.
"No, you're not. You're going to make it. You've survived this before. Just hold on…" Emma pleaded.
"I…I can't…" Regina said, her breathing labored. "Lay with me, Emma. Please…" Regina said, reaching out for Emma.
"Regina…I'm not ready to lose you…" Emma cried, as she sat close to Regina, gently licking her face.
"You're not going to lose me…" Regina said, pausing to wait for the sudden pain to subside a little. "You jump, I jump, remember…"
That's when Emma realized Regina was right. She wouldn't lose Regina. Because she was going to die along with her. Her breath caught in her throat as she suddenly felt it. She had begun manifesting Regina's injuries. Emma collapsed next to Regina, her eyes filled with fear as she inched closer to Regina.
"It's true. I can't live without you Regina." Emma said, as she reached her front leg to hold Regina. "What about the kids?" Emma asked, turning slightly towards the house, seeing the faces of their pups in the kitchen window.
"Ruby knows what to do. She'll take over as head of the Pack until Henry is ready. She and Granny will raise them." Regina said, as she struggled to breathe.
"Ok." Emma whispered, trying to shift closer to Regina.
"I'm so sorry, Emma." Regina said. Even the voice in her head was crying. "This is all my fault." She cried.
"This isn't your fault. It's your mother's fault. She betrayed you. If anyone is to blame, it's her." Emma said. "I killed her. I tried not to. I tried to keep her away from you. But she bit you, and then I lost it."
"She deserved it." Regina thought, as her chest heaved into a strong cough, blood slowly dripping from her mouth. "Emma…" She struggled to say, her breathing becoming very ragged.
"Shhh….don't say anything." Emma said, licking Regina's face gently. "You have made me the happiest person on the planet, do you know that?" Regina nodded. "And I know you feel the same. I can feel it every time you look at me. I feel it every time we touch. Every bad thing that's ever happened to me was worth it, because it gave me sixteen of the most amazing years with you. If I have to die, I want it to be with you, wrapped in each other's arms…" Emma said, her own breathing becoming as labored as Regina's.
Ruby cried as she watched Emma struggle to wrap her legs around Regina, their noses touching, their lungs struggling to take a breath.
"I love you…" they whispered together, as their hearts beat for the last time.
Regina and Emma Swan-Mills died staring into each other's eyes.
A/N: Oh man, that was rough. That was as rough to write as it is to read.
What do you think so far? Are you mad at me?
All I can say is, keep reading. Trust me. Keep reading.