Continued...
"Good, Albert, good! I'm pleased you accept my challenge. Now, as a sign of good faith, how about letting a few of the hostages go? Perhaps the most injured? It'll make no difference to you either way, and it'll show your troops what a marvellous, considerate leader you are?"
Spencer had heard enough of his sarcasm over the tannoy, as he moved closer to the other side of the door.
"No one's leaving this room, Locksley! And no one's injured! Now get to it! Are you coming inside or not? Let's see this wonderful 'bravery' we all heard so much about?"
On the other side, Robin silently fumed, knowing Spencer had blatantly lied, confirming he had no intention of letting anyone out alive. However, the plan with Merlin was agreed, so he had to maintain calm and stick to the script. Wind him up, keep him talking, and hit him when he was least expecting it.
Robin looked back at his attack squad. To John, who nodded, holding Rumple's explosive invention safely in his huge hands, ready to go. To David Nolan, who'd now joined them (he gave them no option). The prince stood braced, ready to charge, with a sword in one hand and his old sheriff's pistol in the other. To Alan and Will, his best knife throwers. And finally to Philip, the young mayor. All willing to fight, and die if necessary, to stop the evil swine. Robin prayed to god it wouldn't come to that, but the risks were high, and they all knew it.
Okay, here goes.
Sighing loudly into the reception microphone, he said, in an exasperated tone:
"Very well then Albert, have it your own way! But a good leader should always consider the safety and well being of those under his command first. You know, when I first-"
At that very moment, several things happened all at once. Firstly, Emma noticed Spencer shoulder his rifle, facing the door and aiming at its centre.
She had to stop him! So as loud as she could, she screamed.
"ROBIN, DON'T COME IN! HE'S GOING TO SHOOT!"
Robin heard her the moment the battering ram hit the door. Outside the clinic, using magic, Merlin had earlier constructed a heavy gun carriage with wheels, a full-size oak trunk cut and sharpened to a point, On either side a heavy wood and metal shield to block whatever came back at the six grown men it took to get it rolling. Philip's guards had heaved it along the ramp, building up speed as it now hurtled into the building, across the reception area, and straight into the closed auditorium doors.
A mere second before impact, Spencer turned back at the alert given by Emma. Without hesitating, he swung the rifle in her direction, firing a single shot to silence her.
She screamed as the bullet ploughed through her shoulder, forcing her up off her knees, spinning her like a top. The pain was agonizing, and she felt the burn down her entire side as she coiled up in pain, expecting another. As he prepared to fire another round, the door behind him shattered.
As the huge battering ram ploughed into it, it's hinges broke immediately, the heavy wood blowing inside. Spencer, having been distracted by Emma, turned to see a gaping hole, a large heavy wooden ram now filling it. Ruby, now lying down, saw a huge man step onto the top of the ram, throwing something round onto the floor, close to Spencer. Remembering Merlin's instructions, she whispered loudly at Regina and Emma
"Eyes closed! Now!"
~oOo~
Even with her eyes tightly shut, Ruby couldn't believe the sheer intensity of the white light! It was blinding, and her ultra-sensitive eyesight was overwhelmed by it. Now she understood Merlin's instruction, realising that if she had opened her eyes, she'd likely now be blind!
However, that was as nothing compared to the enormous wall of deep bass sound that followed it. Deafening wasn't the word to describe it! The ear-splitting boom temporarily paralysed everyone in the room.
Everyone except John and the invading men, wearing Rumple's carefully fashioned ear plugs.
Deafened and blinded, Spencer opened his eyes to see only a blur. Merely outlines, shapes of several men who'd entered the auditorium. To his left, Mason seemed to have been instantly flattened by the large man who had thrown something. Next to him, as his eyes slowly cleared, he saw Corporal Johnson looking down at the knife now embedded in his shoulder, thrown by a young scruffy man. Probably one of Hood's thieves, who was now wrestling his gun from him. Johnson screamed, but couldn't hear it, deafened by whatever tortuous device had made that noise. As he scanned to his right, Smith and Pargitter had also been overwhelmed. Philip Briar now stood over a bloody faced Smith, while Pargitter seemed to be on his knees surrendering, his rifle on the floor in front of him. He still heard nothing, merely seeing the act play out.
His eyes flashed back up to a figure looming over the top of the battering ram. Within moments he recognised the furious face of David Nolan coming straight over the top, heading straight for him. Reaching him, David seized hold of his rifle with one hand, before delivering him a swift punch to the face with the other, then bringing his short sword to the man's throat.
"You'll pay for this, you bastard!" He growled.
But Spencer's hearing was still impaired, so he only heard a low muffle as he dropped his rifle in surrender. David was so very close to plunging the blade into the man's throat.
Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Emma.
His girl, his beautiful daughter, was twisting, writhing on the floor in agony. Obviously also deafened by the thunderflash, she coiled and turned in pain. And that's when David saw her face, beaten beyond recognition! The sheer shock at the sight made him gasp in horror, momentarily distracting him completely.
Spencer seized his opportunity! In a heartbeat, he picked up his rifle, slamming it hard into Charming's head. The shock made him reel back in pain, allowing him time to deliver another, harder blow. As he went down, Spencer didn't waste the chance. Collecting his dagger from the lining of his boot, he turned the blade, ready to stab Charming through the heart before he could recover. However, before the knife rammed home, a swish passed his face as an arrow embedded itself deep into the former king's shoulder. Then looked up in surprise to find its owner coming straight toward him.
Robin Hood.
The former outlaw moved quick, seizing the knife, before using his forehead to deliver a vicious blow to the former king's nose. Robin wasn't going to make the mistake of leaving this man to respond!
"Trying to knife someone behind their back when they're unconscious? Nice touch that, Spencer! Something I'd expect from a vile shit like you! Now, I challenge you. Pick up that fucking sword, and fight me, you weasel!" Robin Hood was no longer shouting, just growling, teeth bared, focused. Waiting. No distractions.
Spencer, knowing there was no way out of this, recovered quickly. Seeing Robin only with a short knife in his hand, he pulled his own, longer sword from the scabbard, facing him, ready. One full slice should do it!
What he hadn't anticipated was the sheer speed of his opponent. As Spencer pulled his sword arm back, ready to slash, Robin dashed within inches of him, wrapping his left wrist around the sword hand to hold it back. Then, with surgical precision, he drove his own blade hard, not into the man's shielded chest, but under his chin, piercing and forcing itself through flesh, up into the mouth and nasal cavity, behind the eyes and straight into the brain, instantly killing the former King George, tyrant and mayor!
Spencer's eyes briefly showed shock, before glazing over, the rest of his body buckling to the floor, as cascades of blood and other fluids now flowed from the open wound.
~oOo~
Everyone who could stand, stood rigid, most having seen the brutal and swift dispatch. The end of the life of a cruel king.
Robin exhaled. He'd always prided himself on his ability to talk his way around most adversaries, rather than having to kill. Sadly, sometimes it was necessary. It wasn't his first kill, but he hoped to god it would be his last!
The noise around him returned his mind to the present. He surveyed the room. His men were now dragging Spencer's last troops from the room. Will had already jumped up onto the stage, to a bundle of clothes on the wood floor. No, not clothes. Bodies! His heart raced as he stepped up, realizing who they belonged too.
"MY GOD! REGINA? EMMA?" Robin yelled, stepping first to the battered brunette, who lay on her side, sobbing. She could barely speak due to the severe disfiguration of her jaw. "RRRBBNN!" She muffled. Will was already slicing through the ropes binding her, followed by the ones on her ankles. Tears poured down her cheeks as she immediately launched herself next to the stilled body of her wife. "HLLPP HRR?" She pleaded, barely coherent.
Robin so wanted to hold his former true love, seeing her so distraught and in pain. He looked at Emma, her lifeless body now slumped in what appeared to be a pool of her own blood. His heart broke at the suffering the couple had just endured. Then a large hand appeared on his shoulder. Tuck's.
"Robin, get her outside, quickly! Emma needs magic right now, not medicine, whether it's you, Merlin, Gold, anyone? Just get her outside, before we lose her! I'll help Regina here, as she's injured, but isn't dying! Go Robin, go!"
He didn't answer, just bent down to carefully scoop the lifeless Saviour into his arms. As he moved quickly towards the rubble of the former door, he noticed John had already picked up the larger, heavier Prince Charming, whose body also lay unconscious. The pair raced through reception, outside to the front of the building, where groups of people gathered to tend to the injured lying all around. Feeling his own magic return the moment he left the building, he focused it on something he'd seen in storage hanger. Within seconds a large trestle. on wheels, appearing in front of them, which he laid Emma's body on, trying to be gentle, before leaning closer to her ear.
"Emma, you're safe, and Regina's safe! Stay with me please? Come on now, look at me?"
A nurse now appeared at his side. "Robin, let me get in, I need to stop the bleeding!"
~oOo~
Back in the almost empty auditorium, Tuck dealt with Regina. Seeing her broken features, he ignored the tired, incomprehensible protests, lifting her into his arms gently before running, not outside, but up the flight of stairs to the operating theatres above.
Will Scarlett had similarly collected Caroline Locksley, and followed Tuck. Alan-a-Dale tended to Ruby, the only still conscious one of the four battered women able to stand. "Blimey, Rubes, that's one belter of a black eye you got there! You'll need a bit of make up, if you don't want to ruin those weddin' photos!"
~oOo~
As Tuck entered the emergency treatment area of the building, his eyes were drawn to the corridor full of injured people, with mostly minor injuries. Laying Regina gently onto a new hospital trolley, he called out.
"Anyone!? Help needed here please?" Two nurses appeared from a side door.
"Where's Victor Whale?"
'In theatre, operating," said the elder. "What do you have?"
"A very poorly queen, badly beaten, face bust open. Help me, please?"
The nurse ran some basic checks over her as she lay silently, no longer resisting and far too injured to argue. "I'll get a doctor."
Two minute later, a young woman appeared by Regina's elbow.
"I'm sorry you've been in the wars, Mrs. Swan-Mills," said Dr Anna Sage to the now barely conscious woman. "Let's take a look at you, shall we?" Merlin's youngest daughter ran a cautious hand around the massively swollen jaw and face. "She'll need her jaw reset first. Jane, could you prep her for theatre please?"
"Can't you just use magic?" said Tuck, fearful for the woman he'd grown to regard as a younger sister. "Please?"
"It doesn't work like that. First, we can't do it in here, the magic block's the same as downstairs. Second, magic can only fix bruises and tissue damage, but the bones and everything underneath need to be reset first. That needs surgery. We'll x-ray, and I'll ask Victor to operate as soon as he comes out of theatre with dad. Then we can take her outside, and dad or someone else can heal the superficial layers. What about Regina's wife? Doesn't she have white magic too? Or Robin?"
He didn't want to mention Emma's deteriorating condition in front of Regina. "Emma's been badly hurt too. Robin's already taken her outside."
~oOo~
Outside on the lawn, even more urgent attention was being given to Emma.
As Robin looked over her as she lay on the stretcher, Rumple appeared at his left. "Ok, Mr. Locksley," the Dark One floated his hand over the blonde woman's body, as though he were scanning her. "She would appears to have something, possibly a bullet, lodged under her collarbone. She's bleeding heavily, and doesn't have much time. You need to first collect the bullet and stop the bleeding!"
"Me? How? I don't know anything like that! I can't possibly - why can't you do it?"
"I have no medical knowledge, whereas you have, Locksley! It's all in the Sorcerer's knowledge transfer. If I do it, I'm more likely to kill her. Try to remember The Sorcerer's lessons? It's all sitting in there!" He rasped, pointing to Robin's head.
Robin hesitated, closing his eyes to focus, drawing down the condensed memories of magical healing he'd received from Merlin. Pull out the foreign body by thought, imaging you're a magnet for it. Imagine the sides sealing as it comes. Draw it slowly. Seal the wound with heat behind it. He stood in silent concentration as various instructions finally came.
Quickly ripping back the top of Emma's blouse, a large gaping wound revealed itself amid all the blood. He covered it with his open palm, imagining the bullet and summoning it to him, ordering it to appear, along with any other invaders in her chest and shoulder. Moments later, he heard a loud growl as the Saviour winced, and was then astonished to feel a buckled bullet and smaller shards now appearing in his other, cupped palm. Emma cried out loud, clearly now in agony.
"She's bleeding out badly, Robin!" He flinched, knowing whatever he did now would determine whether Emma lived or died. He plunged his finger into the wound, imagining the sealing of the broken vessels, a pulse of golden light emanated from him into the almost unconscious woman. The bleeding appeared to stop, but she was weak. Far too weak. Ignoring everyone around him, Robin begged her. "Come on now Emma, wake up! Stay with me. Henry and Regina need you. So do our children; our children, Emma! Don't do this to them!" Placing his now blood-soaked palm gently on her forehead, he pushed his magic into her mind as Merlin's lessons had taught him.
Emma groaned again, heavily swollen eyes barely opening. "What…Rob…Robin?" The voice was barely audible.
"Yes Emma, it's me. We'll get you through this, I promise!"
"Never did make that second date, did we?" She whispered, between groans.
"Plenty of time for that, old girl." He had to keep her awake. "Where do you think we should go next?"
Despite her obvious agony, he detected the faintest hint of a grin on her badly bruised features. Robin hadn't yet had the time to fix her face. "Bora Bora sounds good, but there's no chance of that.," her voice grew even more faint. "Robin?"
"Yes, love?"
"Sorry how I treated you. Sorry for being a bitch. I'm sorry I-"
"Stop talking like that, Emma! Don't apologise, and don't talk like you're leaving us, okay? You're not, so just hang on!"
"I would've liked another date, but just…just take care of her, okay? Don't leave her again. She needs you. Henry does too. Just-" she stopped.
"No! Stay with us! Stay!" This astonishing, heroic woman was about to die, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Emma, don't you dare!"
A final flicker of the eyes, then she croaked: "Tell them I love them. Love them all. You too Robin, I just-" and with those final words, Emma Swan-Mills, The Saviour, slipped away, her jaw dropping as her head slumped to one side, her eyes still open, but glazed.
"NO!" He yelled, angry tears now flowing, as he kept trying to force his magic into her head.
"She lost too much blood, Robin!" Ruby sobbed between heavy gulps, as tears fell through her swollen black eyes. She brought two fingers up to gently close Emma's eyelids. "She's gone, Robin."
The former outlaw breathed heavily, realisation finally hitting him.
Emma's dead. How on earth do I tell Regina? Henry, Honour? This'll kill them!
His heart sank even further as he leant over the now lifeless corpse to whisper, inaudibly to everyone but the wolf. "I love you too Emma, after finally getting to know you. I'm so, so sorry. But I swear to you I'll take care of them till the day I die." He pressed his lips gently on the bloody forehead. "Now rest in peace, my lovely." He gulped heavily, a large tear dropping on to her now stilled cheek.
~oOo~
Moments earlier, Henry Mills had arrived from the far side of the building, to witness his blonde mother lying on the trestle table, with Robin and Ruby standing over her. He only recognised her from the clothes she lay in, and gasped in shock when he saw the large pool of blood she was lying in. Her blood? But it was her eyes that shook him the most! The same warm green eyes that had first looked down on him in surprise in that New York apartment long ago, when he'd told her she was his mother. The same eyes that were now glazed, frozen, staring up at nothing. And when Ruby's fingers gently closed them, he froze as his very worst fears were confirmed.
As Robin leant down and kissed her head after whispering something, Henry lurched forward, barging someone out of the way.
"M...mum?" His voice wobbled. "Is she...?" He couldn't say the words.
Robin looked up from the body, pain and distress etched into his face as the saw her son standing there. "Henry? I'm so sorry. We were too late..." His voice also trembled with emotion. "I wasn't quick enough! This is all my fault! I-"
Moments later, it happened. Noticed by everyone surrounding them. A warm, powerful wave of heat, and golden-octarine light, pulsed from the Saviour's eyes and mouth, fanning out all around and knocking several onlookers back.
Magic!
It was followed by a loud inhale below, making Henry and Ruby turn to see Emma's eyes, now open, as she tried to draw breath, amid collective gasps from all around!
"MA?" Henry yelled at her, his voice finally returning as he pushed through to her, taking her blood-dried hand to hold and kiss. And that's when he noticed, up close, the horrendous bruising all over her face. But she was alive!
Emma, still dazed, turned to the sound of his voice. "Hen? Henry! Are you okay? They got you! You shouldn't have tried-" But she was too exhausted to continue as Henry leant over and palmed her cheek with his large hand, a slow smile returning to his face.
"Hush ma, I'm fine! Grandpa saw to that." He looked across at Gold who'd already moved closer as Robin had stepped back, knowing Emma was now safe, in the care of her son.
Emma looked over at Henry's paternal grandfather. "I guess I owe you!"
"When it comes to my grandson's life? You owe me nothing. Welcome back to life, Emma." The Dark One had a quirky look in his eye, as though he had just discovered something important. But she wasn't going to ask. Not now.
"Welcome back? I don't understand." Her voice was still parched.
"You died, ma. You died!" Henry clarified, Ruby nodding in agreement.
Rumple moved closer, now making Emma feel slightly uncomfortable. "Locksley carried out some impromptu important surgery on you. He removed a bullet, and brought you back. Now, if you'll allow me to do some tidying up? Lie still…" He ordered, opening his palms to float them over her face. Too tired to argue, Emma winced repeatedly as she felt magic enter her, under her skin, flinching as she felt cartilage in her nose start to twist.
"Ow, ow, OW!" she yelped, but stayed still as her face was being repaired. With a little flourish, even the dark, dried blood started to disappear, leaving her face as though she'd never been attacked.
Ruby smiled down at her, wiping a stray tear away. "Now you look as lovely as ever!" She cheered, albeit with her own painfully swollen black eye now being noticed.
Rumple turned to face the wolf. "Miss Lucas, you need some attention too, I believe. If you'll allow me?"
She hesitated, but seeing Henry look on encouragingly, she nodded. A moment later, Rumple raised his hand over her face, a small purple haze of magic pulling the bruising from her eyes, and after some discomfort, allowing her to properly open them. "There. A better look for a blushing bride, don't you think?" He turned once again to face Emma. "As you probably know, you may be healed, but the aches and pains will continue for a while yet? I suggest a good night's sleep is in order, though it may also be a good idea to see one of the doctors first."
"Um…thanks, Mr. Gold," Ruby felt her cheek bones with her fingers, relieved at not having to face her bride with a battered face.
"Looking good, Rubes!" Emma attempted to sit up but, feeling decidedly dizzy, lay right back down again. "Wait, what? Henry, what do you mean…I died?"
"It's true Emma," Ruby confirmed it. "You were shot in the clinic, and you lost a lot of blood there. Robin's absolutely covered in it! He carried you out here. We lost you just now."
Emma looked confused. "Then why am I still here? Henry, did you have something to do with this?" She'd felt the octarine wave herself, remembering that feeling from all those years ago, when a certain ten-year-old lay dead in the hospital. When she didn't believe in magic.
"No thanks to me this time, ma." Henry looked at his mother, himself unsure what to say.
His mother looked at him, wide-eyed. Then who? How? Regina's not here, so how...? It was seeing the wry smirk on Ruby's face, she realised the wolf knew something. Then she remembered who'd been standing over her. Who she'd been whispering to. Who...who she…oh. OH! Oh shit. She needed to talk to him.
"Rubes, where's Robin?" she tried to sit up yet yet again, wincing with pain.
"Ma, don't!" Henry gently, but firmly, pressed her back down. "Stay down, you're not ready! Rest a bit, and I'll go get him. He went back inside, to see how mum's doing in theatre."
"The operating theatre? Hell, Henry, why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you were busy dying, that's why! Robin needed to get you outside here quick, before it was too late! I just came back from there. Tuck carried mum up, and Merlin and his daughter are with her now. She's not as bad as you were, and she's in good hands."
"I need to see her. Now. Henry, please?"
"Look, don't do anything stupid like trying to stand okay? You lost a lot of blood just now, and you're still really weak. So lie still! We'll take it slowly, but we'll get you inside."
~oOo~
Inside the clinic, in the small post-operative room, Regina Swan-Mills slowly started to recover from the anaesthetic.
"Ugh," she groaned, an intense pain in her jaw. She'd woken with white bandages wrapped around her head, and her arm in a sling. And her shoulders were killing her! "Emma! Is she safe?" She managed to call out through the swelling.
"And hello again to you, Regina!" Said Annabelle Sage, soothingly. "Please don't try talking yet. You've just come out of surgery where your broken jaw was reset, and that's why you're in pain. I'll be giving you some painkillers very shortly, after Doctor Whale has seen you again. After that, I'm taking you outside, and either me or my father will use magic to get rid of the bruises and swelling."
"Emma?" She repeated, though the sound was heavily muffled as her jaw was unable to move. "Where is she?"
"I'll go check. They took her straight outside, as she was critical. Though I heard from a nurse Robin saved her life. Apparently, it was very close! They brought her back in, and she desperately needs blood. Your son's with her now."
Regina shoulders collapsed, as relief flooded through her. She's alive! Henry's safe!
"I need to be with them. Please?"
"Of course. I'll get someone to take you down. Now again, until dad's patched you up, please try not to talk? It'll only make it hurt more. Now, I'll get your pain relief."
~oOo~
Emma lay, eyes closed, in sheer exhaustion, on a hospital gurney with an IV in her arm. After Henry pushed her into the hospital in a wheelchair, one nurse had briefly examined her before colleagues lifted her onto another gurney, inserting the IV in her arm. Merlin had also just appeared from a nearby operating theatre and walked across to her side.
"Emma. I gather you gave us quite the fright outside? I'm pleased to see you're recovering. Mr. Locksley did quite the job, considering it was his first time using healing magic. A bullet and shrapnel? That's not easy to pull out. Now, would you mind if I gave you a quick check over? Victor's still in theatre, but I can do it myself."
"Go ahead, I don't want Whale anywhere near me!"
Merlin frowned down at her, as he proceeded to check her pulse, under her eyelids and the now healed wound in her shoulder. "I'm sorry you still feel that way about Doctor Whale, Emma! The short time I've got to know him I find him to be a fine surgeon. He's thought of very highly here in the forest. Such a shame he's not regarded so well in Storybrooke? By the very people who've hurt him the most."
Emma was surprised by that, having always thought little of the man. Even Ruby, Dorothy and Anna Sage had had a go at her for being dismissive about the annoying medic. She felt slightly guilty, knowing her opinion was probably the result of Regina's, and her father's, contempt for the man. Mind you, his was probably the result of knowing Whale once had a one-night stand with Snow, even if it was when they were cursed. But before she could think of a suitable reply, the door burst open, a trolley entering with a nurse on either end.
"GINA?"
She tried to sit up. "No, Emma, stay down! You're wired up to a drip, and weaker than you think." Merlin tried easing her back down. "We'll bring her over to you, so lie back!"
The blonde looked anxiously at her wife. Bandages were now wrapped around her head, but they still didn't hide the swelling. "How are you feeling? Come here?" she waved.
Regina, in pain herself, was just relieved to see her awake. Her beautiful face seemed to be completely restored. "Em-ma," she murmured through the bandage. "He shot you! They broke your nose!"
Her wife could just about understand what she was saying, and smiled back. "Yeah, about that. They took me outside and Robin and Gold sorted me. I'm good now."
"She is 'good', Regina, and one very lucky lady!" Merlin added. "She'd already lost a lot of blood, so Robin had to use magic, as there wasn't enough time to get her in here. He removed the bullet, and Mr. Gold repaired the external tissue damage. Now she just needs to undergo a blood transfusion."
The brunette couldn't believe her eyes. Emma had been close to death? But seeing her now restored made her weep in relief, a large tear rolling down her cheek. As the nurses placed the two hospital gurneys side-by-side, Emma reached to hold her wife's hand.
"I'll leave you two for a couple of minutes," Merlin smiled as a nurse came to talk to him about another patient. "Victor's made an excellent job of restoring your TMJ, so-" as he tried to explain, he saw the confused looks. "TMJ? It's the temporomandibular joint; the joint connecting your jawbone to your skull. It's been repaired and reset, so we can later use magic outside to deal with the external bruising and any other tissue damage. One of us will take you outside shortly. After that, you need to rest."
As Emma couldn't move for the IV in her arm, Regina clambered slowly from her own gurney to join her, lying side-by-side on the same one, Emma's free arm curling to pull her in as they shared a pillow. "Don't talk, it'll hurt too much. Just lie with me till they take you outside?"
The brunette nodded, closing her eyes and trying to rest her head on her shoulder, instantly jerking back when a sharp jolt of pain from her swollen jaw kicked in.
The door burst open again, this time Henry coming back in, with a grin when he saw his two mothers lying huddled together, sharing the same bed. "Mums, you're both awake? Great. Mum, I heard you went into theatre? Ma, how're you feeling now?"
Even after the last two years, including one year of marriage, there was a hint of embarrassment Emma still felt every time Henry saw her in bed with Regina. Illogical, but it was still there. So as usual, she changed the subject. "I'm fine," she breathed, trying to keep her eyes open. "Just stupidly tired, like you said I would be. What's going on out there? Who's injured?"
"Well, Mayor Phil's got Spencer's thugs under arrest. What's left of them, anyway. They've taken them back to Storybrooke. And the bodies."
"What?" That got Emma's attention. "Bodies? What bodies? Who's dead?"
Henry was surprised they didn't already know. "About five or six so far, I think. All Spencer's thugs. Including Spencer himself, of course."
"Spencer's dead? Who? How?"
"Well, from what Will told me, Robin killed him. It was quick, but a bit grizzly, apparently. Then Alan-a-Dale slotted that weirdo Baker, though I'm not sure who the rest were."
"Robin killed Albert Spencer?" Emma found it hard to believe the archer would end another life. Though seeing him change when Nottingham had threatened Roland, perhaps there was another side to him altogether.
"Yeah. I was surprised, but not as surprised as I was with what Robin did to you earlier, ma. Bringing you back to life like that? Merlin was right – his magic's really strong!"
Regina wanted to know everything but seeing her wife looking, oddly, embarrassed. Plus the fact talking with her bound jaw was so painful, she decided to save it for later.
Fortunately for Emma, Merlin walked back in, followed by an exhausted Victor Whale. The two men first went over to Regina's side.
"Okay Victor, what do you think? Is Regina recovered enough from surgery for me to do my bit?"
The former mayor had always been blunt and sarcastic to Storybrooke's only real doctor, rarely giving him any respect or acknowledgement, which always resulted in Whale showing her an equal contempt, so he was always happy to pass anything to do with her over to any nurse available, rather than put up with the petty vitriol.
"I think so. She seems more alert now, so the anaesthetic's wearing off. You can take her out. I hope you feel better after Regina, but remember to rest up for a day or two? Blows to the head, like you suffered, should never be taken lightly! Give your body time to recover, and to help your jaw heal, stick to very soft foods, preferably through a straw, for the first few days. Chewing will be painful. Frankly, I'd rather you either come stay back here for a few hours so we can monitor you, or have somebody with you at home to keep an eye on you."
Regina nodded, desperate to get out of the place. "What about Emma?" she mumbled with difficulty, taking her wife's hand. "Can she leave too?"
Whale hesitated before answering "I'm sorry, but not yet, unfortunately. Emma lost a serious amount of blood from the wounds, and her pulse was dangerously weak just thirty minutes ago, and still is! Emma, I'll be honest with you, I'm till not sure how you survived! Ruby told me your heart had stopped, and with all that blood loss, it's a miracle Robin brought you back." Regina could have sworn she saw the Sorcerer smirk. "If we can get the IV working through you for another five hours, at least, then we'll check your blood pressure. If all good, you'll be free to go but if not, it'll be too dangerous!"
"I have to agree with Doctor Whale," Merlin backed him. "Rest up Emma, and we'll get you out of here as soon as we can. Meanwhile, Regina, let's get you outside, so we can sort out those injuries?"
~oOo~
Outside the front of the clinic, on the new lawn, the crowd that had gathered to help were starting to disperse. The bodies of the dead had been transferred to the morgue by Gold, Philip Briar had disbanded the militia controlling the perimeter, the Merry Men were ferrying in the last of the wounded, and things were slowly starting to get back to normal.
Regina had been transferred from her hospital bed, to a wheelchair. As Emma was now soundly asleep, and likely to remain so for some time, she was too tired to argue as Henry pushed her outside, Merlin walking beside them.
All three of them felt the strong pulse of magic return, the moment they left the building.
"Okay Henry, let's stop here shall we? Regina, just look up to face me, and keep your head still please? This shouldn't take more than a minute or two."
After carefully removing the bandages from her head, Merlin brought both hands close to her skin, without touching any of the damaged tissue. A familiar octarine light emanated from his hands, which then surrounded her entire head and face. She grimaced in pain as she felt sutures starting to melt away, and the swollen flesh slowly being replaced with fresh, pink skin.
Henry watched, fascinated, as his mother's elegant features gradually returned before his eyes.
"Wow Merlin, you have so got to teach me how to do that!"
"All in good time, Henry!" He chuckled. "Let your family continue teaching you the basics, first."
Touching her face cautiously, Regina summoned a mirror to her hand, taking a closer look at the newly restored flesh. "Thank you, Merlin," she sniffled. "I was beginning to think I'd be spending the rest of my life looking like the Elephant Man!"
Storybrooke – An hour later
"How the hell could you just go over there without telling me?"
Dorothy screamed at her fiancée. "You could've been killed! Did you even think to tell me? What on earth possessed you to do something so damn stupid? Without backup?!"
Ruby have never seen her so angry. "I'm sorry Kansas! I got Regina's text, tried to stop Emma, but I thought they were in trouble!"
"They're always in trouble in this bloody town! David rang straight after you left, and told me her email was a trap, and that everybody here should stay back! But not you? You had to be a fucking hero! I could have lost you, dammit! They had Gold! And Merlin! And even Robin to fix it! They've got magic - you haven't!" She continued to bellow at her, desperate to stop her anger turning to tears. "Don't…don't you EVER do that to me again!"
There was no point in trying to defend herself. Dorothy was right; she'd gone in there without thinking. The wolf pulled her close, despite her resisting through sheer annoyance, to hug her tightly. Gradually, her lover's stiff body softened, rage turning into soft sobbing, tears falling on the other woman's shoulders. "I could have lost you!" She finally whispered, choking back tears, which made Ruby feel truly awful.
"I'm so sorry. You're right, I shouldn't have gone, and I won't do that again without telling you. It was selfish of me, and I'm sorry. Anyway, I only got a couple of black eyes and bruises, and Gold repaired my face in the end."
"Who else got hurt?"
"Regina was beaten up badly. She was going in to theatre with a broken jaw when I left. David got knocked out. I'm not sure what happened to him. As for Emma, she got it worse than anyone on our side. Technically she died outside the clinic! Bled to death. Robin was there. He said goodbye, then he kissed her, and she suddenly came back to life. If I didn't know better…"
"True love's kiss? Like us?" Dorothy gasped. "But surely Robin and Emma aren't…are they?"
"No idea. But I know what I saw. That funny warm wave and gold colour mist when I kissed you? Yeah, that was there. But I'd never imagined those two together like that! Emma and Regina, yes. Regina and Robin, definitely; but Robin and Emma? Well, who knows."
"Well why not the three of them? Robin, Emma and Regina? It happened to Mulan, so who's to say?"
"Two poly families in a tiny town like Storybrooke? That'd be something! Maybe I should have a word with Tink before she goes? She knows about all this true love stuff, after all."
"Whatever happens, Rubes, don't go talking to Snow about this! It's only a theory. You think you saw true love magic. If you're wrong, it could really cause a few problems."
After Merlin used his magic to remove her bruising, Regina, her stomach now growling, decided to take her son into the adjacent pub, desperately hoping they were still doing food, before going back to check on Emma. She couldn't remember when she'd last eaten.
The pair were surprised to find that, despite all the commotion the little community had just witnessed, there were still people eating inside. Sitting at a table near the bar, Regina ordered herself a tomato soup (following Whale's recommendation to not tax her jaw), frowning at her son when he ignored her repeated health advice by ordering a burger and fries for himself.
"Now then young man, tell me what happened when you ignored Robin's specific instructions, and tried to take matters into your own hands?"
Henry swallowed, looking guilty as hell. "Look, I know they asked me to stay put, but I couldn't! Not when I knew you and ma were in there. I'm not going to apologise for trying to save you!"
Regina groaned. He sounds so very much like David these days. "I understand Henry, you're clearly very brave, but you should've listened to them! You put yourself in great danger."
"Like you and ma haven't? How often did you ever both stop to think about what it'd mean to me if something happened to you two? Have you no idea how many evenings I had to spend at grandma and grandpa's while you risked everything?"
She realised she was getting nowhere. He always an answer for everything these days! She changed tack. "Well, never mind. I want to know what happened to your mother? Everything."
"I never saw her till after Robin carried her outside. She was so weak mum, everyone thought she might die anyway, because she lost so much blood! Then I got to her outside, she'd already stopped breathing, with her eyes open. It was horrible! Ruby closed them with her fingers a,nd Robin told me she'd gone. Even grandpa Gold seemed to agree. Robin had been whispering something close to her just before; then he said something else I couldn't hear, kissed the top of her head and after that we felt some sort of warm wave come out of her, with a really odd bright light. A sort of yellowy-gold colour. A second later ma just kinda burst back to life? That's some powerful magic Robin's got now! Bringing someone back to life - that's just awesome!"
Kissed the top of her head? Golden wave? "And you never heard what Robin said to her?"
"No. Ruby was closest, and she's got wolf hearing, so she must have heard. Or you could just ask Robin himself?"
"And where's he gone?"
"He poofed straight over to the school. He wanted to make sure Spencer didn't have any more thugs hiding near there. Apparently Mulan beat seven bells of crap out of three of the guys nearby, and was waiting there, just in case. And to check on Rolly & Honny for Robin as they could be targets. He asked me to tell you before he left. Sorry, I forgot about that? There's been a few things going on."
She smiled, just relieved he was okay, and the thought that Robin's first concern would be for his children. Their children.
"He said he'd text you once he got them. Someone bought him a phone at the weekend, and I loaded in all of our numbers. Do you want his?" Henry slid his phone out from his back pocket.
"Please..." As she delved inside the bag that had been returned to her, she remembered Spencer taking her phone in the auditorium. "Damn it! Spencer stole my phone, so he could send that text to everybody. I need to find it. Could you message Robin and ask him to hold on to the children, till Emma and I get back?"
"Sure, I'll send you his number anyway. I think Will and the guys were cleaning up after they took Spencer's body out. They took everything with them, so they may have your phone too."
~oOo~
She enjoyed the hour over lunch, mainly because she'd spent so little time with Henry and had missed him. She'd suffered badly when he initially went to Harvard, so much so that she'd would often find herself waking in the middle of the night, unable to sleep and wandering into his room to smell his bedding and clothes, missing the boy who had turned her life around.
And now, replete from an enjoyable, (albeit painful due to her jaw), lunch together, Regina and Henry, leaving her wheelchair behind, walked slowly up to the bar, to find Will Scarlett, his back to them, entertaining a small crowd of young adults and children, regaling them with the story of what had happened that morning.
A young woman nursing a coffee nearby, waved to Henry, signalling him to join her. "S'cuse me mum, I'll just go talk to Bridget. Back in a few minutes."
Regina rolled her eyes as he trotted away. As a grown man, Henry did seem to be popular with the young ladies these days. But as she stood by the bar, she listened to Will's tale:
"So there we were, face to face with that murderous Spencer, the former King George! He had a sword in one hand, gun in his left!" Robin's friend became almost theatrical, as the youngsters gasped, hanging on to his every word. "Prince Charming had slugged 'im one in the face, but, seeing his little girl, the Saviour, all curled up like that, writhing in agony from being shot and beaten, he got distracted, as any good dad would!"
The description of Emma in pain on the floor sent a chill through Regina. Nonetheless, she started to pay more attention:
"And that distraction gave that bas...Spencer...just enough time, for the swine to crack him on the back of his head with his rifle! Charming went down."
Regina winced. It was typical of David to risk himself without a thought. Just like his daughter!
"George pulled out a hidden knife from the side of his boot, and he was just about to stab Charming in the back when, whoosh! Robin fired an arrow straight into the bastard's wrist!"
"Steady with your language there, Will? Children present, remember?" warned an elegant lady who Regina hadn't noticed till now. Caroline, Robin's cousin, her face now restored and unblemished, just like her own. Regina smiled back, a look immediately reciprocated.
"Apologies, Miss Locksley. Heat of the moment, and all that stuff?" He looked at the children, all desperate for him to continue. "She's right, sorry kids."
"Shush! I wanna hear the story!" Said one rather annoyed teenager to Carrie. "Look miss, if you don't like it, just leave us to listen, okay? Will, carry on!"
So he did.
"So where was I? Oh yeah. Robin was fumin'! He had a go at Spencer, for trying to stab an unconscious man in the back. Then he said something like "I challenge you! Pick up your…flipping…sword and fight me, you...weasel!" Will looked across, winking at Carrie, who smiled back, nodding as he avoided the words Robin really used!
"Now I've seen Rob angry before, but it was nothin' compared to this! So Spencer raised his imperial sword, and swung it, tryin' to take his head off! But Rob ducked, and it flew over him, missing 'im by an inch! Then he grabbed his arm, went in close, then drove his knife up! Not in, up! Not into his chest, but straight up! Up through his chin, up through his throat, into his mouth and his brain!"
Various sound of "Eurgh", and "yuck!" were heard from the youths. 'What did it sound like, Will?" said one. "What did his eyes do?" said another, "Did they come out?". "Did he scream?"
God, thought Regina, boys can be so horrible sometimes!
"A bit 'squelchy' if I'm honest!" Will grinned. "Just a look of surprise from the old git! Anyway, he died on the spot! It was quick. Better than he deserved!"
Regina knew that despite the rather crude retelling, the basics were true. Robin had killed King George. Her former soulmate had ended the life of one of the most cruel tyrants. In her heart she knew he probably regretted it later. He was a kinder, more gentle soul than her.
"After that, Rob picked up and carried the Saviour out, cos she was bleedin' and really beaten up! I even heard she died, but Rob used that new magic of his to bring her back to life!"
"How?" said the eldest lad in the group, disbelieving. "I heard you can't bring someone back from the dead? Well, no one who's normal!"
"So how come Robin's back himself then, if not from the dead? Magic, lad, magic!"
Caroline, seeing a changed look on Regina's face, decided it was best to bring the little gathering to a close. "Well, I'm sure we've all heard enough for today, don't you? Will and the men need to go now, as there are quite a few more tasks to perform, after what happened. Isn't that right Will?"
Will knew that look, turning then to find Regina also looking at him. "Erm, yeah, tasks, right. I'd best get off. Well anyway, I'll see you around kids?" And with that he stepped away, leaving a disappointed crowd, several casting irritated looks at Caroline.
~oOo~
Caroline stepped over as the children dispersed. "Merlin patched me up. You too, by the look of things? You look so much better. How are you feeling?" Robin's cousin collected her hands in her own. She didn't know why but over the last week since they'd first met, they'd connected, Regina feeling an instant warmth. A camaraderie, with this woman. The Locksley factor?
"Better thank you, Carrie. Exhausted, but better. You're looking radiant yourself. Quite the battering, wasn't it?"
"Completely. Don't want to ever experience that again. And Emma? I heard she took it the worst of all, and it was a close thing. How is she?"
"Asleep. She's lost a lot of blood and I'm going back to her in a minute. I just came back here, to see if my phone was handed in."
"Well, let's see. John?" Carrie yelled across to the bar. "Any phones handed in?"
"Yup. There's two here. Gina, how you doing?" Yelled the bear of a man, putting a towel down and walking around to them. "Lovely to see you up and about! Glad Merlin's fixed yer. Now, give us a hug?" With that, he collected her in his arms. Regina John Little. After losing Robin he was one of those who helped her maintain her sanity. Just. Not just because he was her true love's closest friend, but because he took care of her, along with Emma, in those long dark days, almost becoming a big brother to them both.
"Better now we're all out and alive. But wait - your arm? It's injured! Why hasn't anyone fixed it yet?"
"Oh, don't go worrying yerself, it's fine! There's a few injured way worse than me back there. They'll get me sorted when they're ready."
Regina wasn't having any of it. "Don't be silly, you big lump! Here, let me?"
She stepped back to look at the bandaged arm. Taking it in her hands, she magically removed the bandage, revealing a deep slice in the muscle of his forearm. Without asking permission, she floated her hand over the damaged tissue, a purple haze engulfing the wound, searing it shut and removing the bruising, leaving nothing but a small scar.
"Thanks. I admit, it was stinging a bit!" He pulled her back in, placing a small kiss on her forehead. She'd would never admit it but at times like this she really appreciated his almost fatherly protective way with her. As they pulled back from each other, John going back about his busines, she blushed slightly as Caroline wrapped an arm around her own.
"He's so lovely, isn't he? A gentle giant. I do so hope he can get back with Queen Elsa one day."
"You don't mean Queen Elsa of Arendelle, surely?"
"Yes, the very same. I gather she was once as smitten with him, as he was with her, but John thought he wasn't good enough. After all, imagine that? Love between an outlaw and a queen?"
Regina couldn't tell whether she was being teased, or not. "After all the support he's given me these last few years, I for one would think any woman, queen or no queen, would consider herself blessed to have someone like him. He's a very special human being."
"Couldn't agree more," Caroline smiled. "Very special indeed. Now then, I best not distract you. I need to get back to the clinic. Victor's been working solid in the operating theatre all day, so I need to drag him out of there somehow. You go take care of your lady, and I'll perhaps see you a little later?"
"I'd like that. And Carrie? Come over to lunch sometime? Have some proper time with your niece and nephew?"
"I'd like that. Look after yourself, Regina, and that lovely family of yours. I've already fallen in love with Roland and Honour, and your Henry over there is a fine, strapping young man. He does you proud." She pulled her into an embrace, pressing a cheek to hers. "See you later."
As Caroline left, Regina looked to her son, still engrossed in a conversation with the young woman from earlier. She sighed as she saw the woman pick something, possibly a stray cotton, off from Henry's sweater, before stroking his arm tenderly. And she couldn't help but feel envious for the attention he was now sharing with women of his own age, rather than his mothers.
~oOo~