This chapter is going to be very hard to get through, but it's also a turning point where we start to see Regina really starting to question Leopold and physically start to fight back.
I know this story is dark and the subject is very hard to read, but its a story that I'm telling though my own experiences. No, I have not been abused to this extent, but have experienced abuse from my own parents. This is just an expression of processing demons especially in the parts where Cora is involved, and I am aware for some readers it's the same, or it can be too hard to read as it brings up past traumas. If this story is too triggering for anyone in anyway, please don't read. I know domestic violence is a very serious issue that is still going on today and my intention is to not bring any kind of disrespect to it. It's just me as a writer, processing my demons through art.
Trigger Warning- abuse/rape
Chapter 22 Bright Like A Candle's Flame
Time was moving fast, time that Emma didn't have. She wasn't getting anything on the recorder. She was losing patience, and at this point she was getting close to just calling it quits and pulling Regina and Henry out and driving them out of Storybrooke. To hell with the evidence. Regina absolutely refused that plan after Emma had brought it up to her one afternoon during their usual lunches together. She made it clear that if she were to attempt running from Leopold, this time he wouldn't be able to find her. She wanted Leopold to be arrested for his crimes. She didn't want to risk him finding her ever again. She didn't want him taking full custody of Henry. The only way to insure her freedom was to make sure he paid for his own crimes. It had been several weeks since Emma had planted the bug in his office. She was sitting at the dining room table in the loft with the recorder set up and a third cup of coffee for the day, listening to some boring phone conversation Leopold was having. It was late in the afternoon, and she was sure he would be heading home soon. Another day of wasted time with useless information.
She banged her head on the table and groaned in frustration. She felt stuck in an endless cycle of listening to this bastard with no evidence to show for. The worst part was that today was Friday and she had to wait till Monday for another chance of listening in on him. That meant another whole weekend of Regina in Leopold's presence.
"Careful!" Mary Margaret reprimanded from where she was standing in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner.
"I can't take another day of this…" she groaned as Leopold hung up the phone. She could hear the sound of a pen scratching on paper and assumed he was doing paperwork now. Assuming he might be done for the afternoon, she was about to turn the recorder off until she heard a knock on the door. She perked up immediately when she heard him reply to whoever was on the other side to come in.
"Where's the boy?" he asked, Emma's jaw dropped in shock when she realized it was Regina. Ever since she told her about the bug under his desk, for some reason Regina avoided his office more than she usually did. Emma had a feeling it was because she didn't want her to hear something if Leopold were to hurt her.
"He's spending the night with the Zimmerman twins. Their father will drop him off tomorrow evening," she replied, the sound of her heels clacking on the floor as she seemed to be walking across his office. It wasn't lost on Emma or Mary Margaret that Regina has been making sure to get Henry out of the house every weekend.
"Take a seat," he ordered, and Emma rolled her eyes at his demanding tone. "Didn't he just have a sleepover last weekend?"
"Yes…" Regina answered. "They have a new game that they are excited for. He finished his homework so I allowed him to go."
"Fine," he grumbled over the sound of rustling papers. "Here, finish these so we can get out of here and get some dinner."
Annoyance flared up within her for how rudely Leopold spoke to Regina. It was hard to believe he had a previous marriage with someone who actually loved him. She couldn't imagine a version of him that wasn't so rude and aggressive towards his wife. They were both quiet for a moment, the sound of pen writing on paper told her they were both trying to finish his work. She felt a bit uncomfortable listening in when Regina was present and was just about to turn the recorder off when Leopold suddenly started speaking again.
"Besides from running your mouth off the other night, I trust you and Henry kept to yourselves while I was gone? Sydney was a bit preoccupied to fully keep tabs on you."
Emma felt sick to her stomach at the reminder of an inebriated Leopold calling Regina in the middle of the night to check in on her. He had been so cruel with his words and of course Regina had snapped back at him. She had made sure that Sydney was fully immersed in his old case to even notice Regina leaving town. There was no way he could have found out, could he?
Regina must have nodded because Leopold let out a hum of approval. To Emma's relief it seemed as if he was just checking in. They worked in silence once more and just as Emma was calming her racing heart Leopold was speaking again.
"It's for your own good," he continued the conversation, scolding her as if she were a teenager rebelling against their parents' rules. "After all your escape attempts, I lost all trust in you. After everything I've done for you, kept you out of prison, and you're still not even grateful for the roof I put over your head, and the way you repay me is running away."
"You son of a bitch," Emma growled under her breath.
"What do you want me to say!" Regina suddenly snapped and Emma held her breath in shock. She looked over at Mary Margaret who was frowning. She set the dishes down and approached the table. There was a sickening silence on the other side of the recorder, and Emma was afraid of what might be happening that they couldn't see.
"Control yourself," his low tone serving as a warning.
"Since we're on the subject, I have a question for you?" Regina replied and Emma was reminded of the cold version of the professor she had first met upon her arrival to Storybrooke. Her tone was icy and detached from any kind of emotion. "On the night of the crash, I know I was sober, and for years you convinced me that I wasn't and that I was incapable of remembering the truth. Have you been lying to me?"
Emma's mouth dropped open and Mary Margaret gasped in shock. What the hell was Regina doing! She told her not to goad him! Her anger was getting the best of her and she was acting rash in her attempt to get Leopold to slip out any kind of evidence.
"Dammit Regina!" Emma slammed her hand down on the table just as they heard the sound of Leopold's chair being pushed back.
"Where is this coming from!" he yelled.
"I remember…" Regina's voice had lost its fire and now Emma could hear the fear in her shaking words. She heard shuffling as if Leopold had gotten up and came around the desk to face her. She wasn't sure what was happening but she had a feeling Leopold was inches away from truly losing her temper with her. "I remember that I was sober. Why do my records say that I wasn't?" Her voice was shaking and it sounded a bit strained and breathless, and Emma came to the sickening conclusion that he might have a hand around her throat or maybe he was gripping her face.
"Why are you asking me this? What are you insinuating? That I altered your records?" he asked, his words dangerous, daring her to admit to the accusation.
"Even if you admit it, it wouldn't change anything. You already have me," she gasped as if she was struggling to breathe and Emma knew without a doubt that he was squeezing her throat.
There was a moment of silence, a moment where Emma's panic over Regina's safety started to become overwhelming. She grabbed her phone in her hand, about to call the office to distract him when Leopold finally spoke.
"You know I always get what I want," he sneered and if that wasn't alluding to a confession Emma wasn't sure what was.
"I knew it… You sick son of…"
A loud smack followed by the sound of Regina falling from her seat resonated throughout the loft. Regina cried out in fear and all they could hear was scuffling as if Leopold was attempting to grab her
"Shit!" Emma cursed, realizing he was beating her for speaking up.
"Emma, call his office right now!" Mary Margaret exclaimed with panic. With shaking hands, Emma hit the city hall contact and brought her phone to her ear to hear his assistant answering the line.
"You've reached the Mayor's office at City hall, may I take a message?"
"No! It's Sheriff Swan, can you put me through? It's an emergency!"
"He's not taking any calls right now."
"Do it now!" she yelled which flustered the poor woman so much she automatically transferred the call. The scuffling that they were hearing immediately stopped as the office phone rang loudly in the background. The office became silent except for the phone ringing and Regina's heavy breathing. She hoped she had stopped him in time before the beating could get any worse. She couldn't stop her silent tears from streaming down her cheeks as the mayor finally answered.
"Mayor Blanchard speaking," he replied, sounding flustered at the sudden interruption.
"Mayor Blanchard, its deputy Swan. I would like to ask for an extension on the sheriff's budget report." The report was already done, she just needed to make up an excuse on why she was calling.
"It's due Monday," he chided. "No exceptions. Also, Deputy Swan, it is after hours. This couldn't wait until tomorrow?"
"I didn't want to get penalized."
"You will if you don't have it in by Monday. This isn't some high school assignment."
"I understand."
He rudely hung up without another word, and Emma scoffed at the audacity. She looked at Mary Margaret as she placed the phone down carefully. Her own hands were trembling.
"Do you think he'll stop?" she asked. Her roommate shook her head, indicating she had no idea.
"Get up!" Leopold was suddenly yelling at his wife. They could hear Regina getting to her feet, her breaths labored. She let out a fearful whimper followed by more shuffling.
"Don't you dare question me again," he threatened.
Nothing else was said and as Emma heard their footsteps leaving the office she turned the recorder off. She wiped her cheeks, getting rid of the tears and stood. She needed some air. She wanted to stare at her phone until a text appeared on her screen from Regina. She wanted to see her, and make sure she was ok after what she had just heard.
"Emma? Are you ok?" Mary Margaret asked, watching her with concern as she slipped her boots on that were by the door as well her jacket.
"I just need some air," she admitted and left the loft without even looking back. She rushed up to the roof, more tears streaming down her cheeks and a sob escaping her lips. She sat down on the bench and buried her face in her hands in an attempt to get a hold of herself. Regina's fearful cry right after Leopold had hit her echoed in her head, making her feel sick and angry and useless. How could she pull her out when her husband was in control of the town.
She wasn't sure how long she sat there, staring out into the town with tears stricken cheeks and feeling so hopeless. She couldn't stop thinking of Regina being hurt by that man. She kept checking her phone, checking for updates, anything that let her know Regina was ok.
It must have been about an hour that she had sat there frozen with shock of what she had just heard when her phone finally buzzed in her hand. She swiped it open immediately to see a text message from Regina. She sighed in relief.
The evidence is a bit vague but perhaps it'll be enough.
What were you thinking! She couldn't help but snap when she was so sick with worry over what she had just heard. Regina knew Leopold would hurt her and she goaded him anyway.
You needed evidence and now you got it. I want to start planning my final escape.
Are you ok? She prayed he had stopped in the office, that her phone call was enough to distract him from beating her further.
Regina didn't answer and Emma didn't dare text her back in case he was near.
He was angry even when they had gotten home and for once Regina wished Henry was with her because then maybe he would have left her alone for the sake of him not seeing what he was doing to her. She followed Leopold into the mansion, trembling out of fear. She knew goading him would only get her in trouble but it was a risk that she was willing to take even if Emma didn't understand it. He practically pushed her inside the moment he opened the front door. He shut the door and violently pushed her up against the wall hard enough for the back of her head to make an impact. She groaned out from the pain, a sudden nausea washing over her. She shut her eyes for a moment trying to regain control over herself so she didn't end up getting sick on both of them. A rough calloused hand was suddenly grabbing her face and forcing her to open her eyes.
Dark hateful eyes bore right into her, making her shrink as far back against the wall as she possibly can. Terror washed over her like a bucket of cold water. She froze in his grip too afraid to move or even say anything.
"Why were you questioning me?" he asked, his voice cool but threatening just beneath the surface. "Did someone put you up to it?"
She shook her head fearfully, unable to find her voice. He gave her a cold stare, almost as if he were searching for the lies within her.
"I was just having dreams from that night and it put me on edge," she lied, hoping it would back him off. "No one put me up to anything."
He narrowed his eyes and to her relief, he finally backed away.
"Go, start dinner while I take care of some business," he growled, finally leaving her alone and disappearing into his office. He slammed the door shut and she didn't doubt that he was pouring himself a drink right now.
She headed into the kitchen and after preparing the ingredients to make roasted chicken and potatoes, she pulled her phone from her blazer pocket and sent a text to Emma. She knew that she had heard him slapping her hard enough to knock her off her seat. He had been grabbing at her, taking the front of her blouse in his fist and pulling her up just as the office phone rang loudly throughout the room. She had called him to stop him. Emma was probably sick with worry right now. It's been nearly an hour since the scuffle.
Of course Emma had been upset, but they got what they needed and now it was time to plan her escape for the final time. This time he wouldn't be able to bring her back to this prison he called home.
She abruptly ended their conversation when Emma had asked if she were ok. She couldn't allow herself to answer that because then she wouldn't be able to control her emotions once they seeped through the cracks. Her face stung from where he hit her and her back throbbed from the way he slammed her up against the wall. She needed to push the pain and fear back so that she could just get through the night. He was in a bad mood and he was drinking, a deadly combination.
She deleted all the messages and then slipped her phone back into her pocket just as the oven timer went off. She set the table and then went to notify him dinner was ready. She knocked on the door, hearing him speaking to someone on the phone. He ended his call and then granted her permission to come in. She opened the door to see him sitting at his desk with a drink in hand. She tried not to let her eyes linger on it in case he caught her staring.
"Dinner is ready," she informed him which prompted a nod from him. She didn't wait for a further response and headed back to the dining room to take a seat. He joined her not too long after and she tried not to bristle at the fact that he brought his drink with him.
They ate in a tense silence for a while until he placed his fork down and regarded her with a look of contempt.
"Since you have been here alone and unsupervised since I was gone, I want you to hand over your phone and laptop after dinner. Understood?"
She nodded, unable to look at him as she pushed her food around her plate. He wasn't going to find anything. She made sure to thoroughly delete anything that he wouldn't approve of.
"Look at me," he demanded and she had no choice but to meet his cruel gaze. She dropped her fork and buried her sudden trembling hands in her lap. "You have no right questioning me on what happened that night. Do you understand? You were drunk and nearly killed my daughter. That is what happened and I won't tolerate you going against my word."
She nodded, too afraid to go against his word now that alcohol was involved. Now she was afraid of provoking him, because the worst of the beatings always happened when he was drunk.
True to his word, he forced her to hand over all of her devices after dinner and went through her texts, emails and history. Of course he didn't find anything. He must really think of her as a fool to leave behind any evidence of talking to someone he didn't approve of.
As the evening wore on, he kept drinking and eventually shut himself in his office as usual. She took this opportunity to try and come up with a plan of escape. Emma had the evidence of not only him alluding to the possibility of having a hand in altering legal documents but proof of him hurting her. She figured Thursday after school would be perfect. Leopold would think Henry was in therapy and then dinner at the diner with her. Instead, she would be halfway down to Boston, to Emma's apartment and Katherine would be serving him with a lawsuit and divorce papers. It was perfect. She quickly created a group text explaining the plan to Emma, Ruby, Mary Margaret and Katherine and then deleted it the moment Leopold staggered drunkenly into the bedroom. She immediately put her phone down on the nightstand before he could see it in her hand and question her. She sunk back into her pillows, pulling the blanket up and looking at him in fear, expecting him to say or do something to hurt her. He was always at his worst when he was drunk.
She averted her eyes as he shamelessly undressed before her, clumsily stepping out of his pants and tossing them towards the closet. The shirt and tie went next, leaving him in his boxers and undershirt. He zeroed in on her with a sickening lecherous smirk.
"I'm exhausted. Not tonight while you're drinking!" she cried as a last ditch effort as he approached her with one thought in mind.
"There's a difference?… When I'm… ssober?" he slurred. "...'sides, you don't have a choice." He was going to take what was his and there was no stopping him. There never was, which was why she was already shuddering with tears as he got onto the bed, and tore the blanket from her body. He crawled over her, pinning her down and forcing her to lay back with him on top of her. She let out a sob as he started kissing her, his breath reeking of sour whiskey. She wanted to vomit and started gagging from disgust. She could feel his hand going up her nightgown… one of the nightgowns he forced her to wear… his meaty hand groping and squeezing her breast painfully. She hissed into their kiss when he pinched her nipple rather viciously. A knee was suddenly forced in between her legs and she could feel him grinding against her thigh.
Please no! Please stop! She couldn't do this anymore! She couldn't just lie beneath him anymore while he violated her.
She started resisting his kisses, pushing against his chest and desperately trying to push his heavy body off of her. That caused him to brutally pull his knee back and then kick her hard right between her legs. Pain radiated through her, causing her to cry out. She barely even had a second to register what had happened before his fist hit her right in her eye.
"Stay still!" he snapped. "Or I'll hit your other eye!"
She fell silent at the threat, looking up into dark cold eyes, obsidian with the cruelty flashing inside those orbs. She always fell silent under him. Her fire snuffed out like a candle's flame under a harsh gust of wind. She fell into a sort of shocked daze as he reached between her legs and started stroking her. It wasn't until he was forcing himself inside her, gripping her thighs tightly and thrusting painfully did her flame finally resurrect and shine brighter than it had before.
"Get the hell off of me you drunk imbecile!"
She pushed him hard, forcing him to come out of her and then brought her knee up hard just like he had done to her. Harder than he had, and putting all the strength she had into it. He howled in pain, falling off of her and to the side, cradling his member and cursing her name in rage. His face was a deep purple, and she could see tears of agony in his eyes.
It only took her a moment to move. It only took a moment for Leopold to push past the pain to get up and go after her. Just as she reached the ensuite bathroom where she was aiming to lock herself in, he grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled her back hard. She cried out from the pain of him pulling her hair and then slamming her against the wall so fast and so hard she was stunned as she crumpled to the floor. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't form a single coherent thought, white noise filling her mind as a blurred figure loomed over her. Leopold was cupping his balls in agony, breathing heavily as he struggled to stand straight.
As afraid as she felt and as dazed as she was from being slammed against a wall, she was smug for hitting him where it hurts. For making sure no matter the outcome tonight, he wouldn't be raping her in her bed.
"Fucking bitch," he cursed, kicking her hard in the ribs. "You don't ever touch me!" He kicked her again making her scream as she felt her bones cracking from the impact. She curled in on herself as the abuse kept coming, his kicks harder than the last until the pain was so excruciating she could feel herself starting to lose consciousness.
It hurt to breathe. It hurt even more when he was suddenly grabbing her and pulling her out of the room where he dumped her listless body on the bathroom floor. She gathered that he was so furious with her that she wouldn't be sleeping in their bed tonight. She curled in on herself again, protecting her injured stomach and ribs. It hurt so bad, each breath felt like a knife was piercing through her.
"You wanted to lock yourself in the bathroom?" he asked, kicking her to get her to respond. Her head lolled to his direction, her eyes barely being able to stay open. She couldn't even see straight as she tried to focus her gaze on him. "Then you could sleep in here."
And as if to make a final point, he kicked her again, harder than before. She cried out, pain searing through her so hot that she felt herself finally giving into the relief that only darkness could offer.
When she finally woke up she found herself still lying in the cold dark bathroom. Leopold could be heard snoring in the room. She was in agony and too afraid to move. She couldn't sleep from the pain and all she could do was silently cry into the early hours of the morning.
When she could no longer stand lying on the floor in pain, she struggled to get up but nearly cried out. She forced herself to stay silent, letting out a silent scream instead and holding on to her pulsing ribs and abdomen. She was in agony, unable to fight the silent tears from streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't breathe, it was so painful that all she could do was lie in a ball and gasp for air until she was able to control the pain and attempt to get up again. She could hear Leopold loudly snoring in the bedroom, and she knew he would be out for most of the morning. She needed to get out of here. She didn't care that she was in so much pain she wasn't even sure could walk. She needed to be out of this house before he woke up.
She slowly raised herself on her hands and knees, whimpering and trying so hard to be silent. She didn't want to wake him. She didn't want to face him after last night. She took a deep breath and got up on her feet, closing her eyes and bracing herself. It hurt so much she couldn't stop the shuddering silent sobs from wracking her body.
She managed to steady herself, and got dressed as silently and as quickly as she could. She didn't even bother with hiding her bruised eye. It would take too long and there was no use in hiding it now.
Just as she was leaving she sent Emma a single text.
Meet me at the docks.
