Hell is for (Gay) Lovers
The darkness swirling around Regina was terrifying. Not physically, of course. It just looked like a weird CGI tornado. Emma half expected to see sharks swirling around with it. No, it was scary because it meant Regina's life was about to take a nose-dive again.
She had worked so hard, so long, lost and sacrificed so much. There was no way that Emma was going to let some dark sharknado-wanna-be ruin her life and turn her back into a Disney movie gone wrong.
She didn't stop to think. She acted. She did what she had been dreaming about since the first time she'd walked up to 108 Mifflin. She used the dark one's stupid dagger to cut through the twisting magic.
"Emma!"
She could see Regina now, terror and tears plain on her face.
"What are you doing! You can't!"
Emma didn't stop to talk, to argue, to shake sense into the woman. She just acted. She reached out, grabbed Regina's gorgeous face, and kissed her. Emma had always sort of doubted the True Loves Kiss thing. It seemed hoaky and fake at the best of times and nauseatingly over the top at the worst.
Regina's soft lips against her own made her an instant believer. It was magic. She could feel Regina's cheekbones under her fingertips and her silky hair blowing over the back of her hand. Regina's arms wound their way around her shoulders. Her lips parted and Emma felt a tentative tongue swipe across her bottom lip.
There was no Storybrooke, no magical darknado, nothing but her and Regina and their kiss.
Eventually (seconds? minutes? hours?) gasps and screams made Emma pull away in annoyance.
The swirling magic was gone. It was just the two of them, surrounded by half of Storybrooke. Everyone, including her parents, Hook, Hood, and Henry, was staring at them. Them and the big honking True Loves Kiss that they'd just shared.
Emma turned and tried to keep Regina tucked behind her. Like she could shield her from view and embarrassment.
"Regina!"
Snow screamed and Emma grit her teeth. She would not let her psychotic princess mother yell at Regina over their kiss.
"Emma!"
David was running towards her. Seriously? Were they that homophobic or anti-Regina that they would argue with a right-out-of-the-story-book-kiss?
"Emma."
Regina said her name in an almost whisper. It sounded different, subdued, terrified.
Emma turned and for a second, thought she was wrong. Their kiss hadn't worked. They weren't in love. The Dark One had Regina. Emma had failed.
There was swirling smoke around Regina again. Different this time, thinner and pungent, like brimstone and death.
Then the ground shook. Asphalt melted and shifted around. Emma stumbled and tried to keep her footing.
"Emma!" Regina reached out to grab her hand. "Emma!"
The asphalt road was climbing up Regina's body, like reverse quicksand. It was covering her, holding her, pulling her down, swallowing her whole.
Emma grabbed Regina's hands and tried to pull her free. David and Snow were not far behind. Forget curses and kisses, something was very wrong.
"Emma." Regina's voice was desperate, her eyes full of tears again. Tears and love. Regina lurched forward, fighting against the black sludge that was now up to her chest. "I love you." She pressed another kiss to Emma's lips.
There was a flash of lightning, brighter than the sun, and a crash of thunder, louder than dynamite. Then Regina was gone. Everything was silent. All that remained was a lava-red sigil and a circle cut into the road where Regina had stood.
"I" Emma couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't function. "Regina."
Laughter, high and cold feminine laughter cut through the night. It came from all around and echoed wildly. The sigil, a weird mark on the ground, glowed brighter, and the ground shook again.
David and Snow grabbed onto her and pulled her away. They were trying to protect her, but Emma just wanted to scream. If that thing, portal, or whatever, opened back up, then she needed to go through it. She would take that portal straight to Hell if that meant she could save Regina.
A figure rose and at first, Emma thought it was Regina. That she was okay. That everything was okay.
It wasn't Regina. The thing (woman?) that stood there was a stranger. She had long dark hair and a striking face. She had a wide and somewhat deranged smile. Emma didn't know who she was but was pretty sure she was bad news.
"Who are you?" David demanded.
"How did you get here?" Snow followed up.
Emma didn't give a damn about any of that.
"What did you do with Regina?"
The woman cocked her head to the side. Her smile got a little wilder. "Regina? That flesh and blood prison is gone. My cursed existence is finally over." She looked around. "The Blue Fairy thought no one could truly love the girl who became the Evil Queen."
Wings, glittering dark fairy wings, sprouted from her back.
"So she struck a deal with the Goddess of Death herself. You see if the Destroyer of Worlds could be redeemed, then I should have my chance at redemption too. An even trade. A black heart for a black fairy."
There was a lot to unpack. This was the heaviest villain monologue Emma had ever heard. One thing stuck with her, though.
"Death. The Goddess of Death?"
The woman, this Black Fairy, nodded. "Yes. Ruler of the Underworld, Mistress of the Damned. Mother of Demons. Etcetera etcetera."
No. Oh no. No. No. No.
"So Regina. She's. You sent her to-"
The Black Fairy laughed again like she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Yes. The Evil Queen is in Hell and I am here to take back what is rightfully mine."
Snow, who seemed to handle this whole evil fairy and hell thing in stride, squared her shoulders and raised her chin. "And what do you think is yours?"
The fairy took off, her arms spread wide. "Everything." Then she was gone too.
Fairies. Hell. Another curse. Regina.
Emma wanted to scream but couldn't find her voice. She wanted to cry, but couldn't close her eyes. She wanted to destroy everything but knew that wasn't the answer.
What Emma knew, the only thing she was sure of, was that she would find Regina. No matter what it took.
Hell couldn't have her True Love.