I took a day off but today is a brand new day, so, here's your new chapter! :)
Please enjoy!
-FantasyWriterFoSho
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Summary of the Previous Chapter: Belle tried to stop Gold but he's relentless. After whisking an eavesdropping Mary Margaret and David into the room, he attacked, but was held back by Regina.
Meanwhile, something happened to Emma after she and Killian shared a moment...
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Chapter Twenty-Two: Distortion
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Breaking their kiss and pulling back a bit in surprise, Emma gasped loudly, drawing in a huge gulp of air before looking down at her stomach.
She didn't feel like she was withering away anymore...
She was no longer sleepy or lethargic.
She felt...normal…
Moving both of her hands down to touch where her wound should be, she was shocked to find that there was nothing there, except for used bandages.
No gaping laceration.
No pain of any sort.
Looking back up at Killian, who shared her reactions before they quickly morphed into a joyous expression, she released an even breath, which was something she was unable to do for a long time.
"True Love's Kiss..." Killian remarked in astonishment, beyond happy to see a noticeable liveliness returning to her eyes. "But...Regina said..." he trailed off, his voice breaking.
"True Love's Kiss," Emma repeated breathlessly, not knowing what else to say or to think. She was just so thankful to still be alive. Lovingly looking over his face, which she thought she'd never see again, she took a moment to soak him in before lifting and wrapping her arms around his neck. Tugging him in closer, she crushed her lips to his in a searing kiss, groaning when she felt him shudder then tightened his hold on her.
Pulling away again, Killian began lowering her down in order for her to stand up by herself, which she did somewhat clumsily. Using him for support, Emma took a deep breath and tried to steady her knees when she lifted her shirt up to remove the bandages from her stomach. Curiously noticing that any trace of her spilt blood was gone, she tossed the wrappings away before redirecting her attention over to a struggling Regina, who was reigning in her shield for an offensive attack.
Gathering her magic and Gold's into her palms, she dragged them in before releasing it back into his direction with a forceful push, but it didn't go too far. Holding then swiping it away, he sent the stream careening into one of the furthest walls, which nearly cracked under the potency.
Gold was just about to gather a powerful ball in the middle of his hands when he suddenly stopped, his eyes widening.
Trying to pull his focus, Emma had taken a sidestep away from Killian in order to distract him long enough for Regina to get a good attack in, but the latter still hadn't noticed her miraculous situation. She was too busy waiting for Gold's next move, but when she saw his hesitation and where he was staring, Regina quickly cast a look over her shoulder and instantly dropped her mouth in shock.
Now under everybody's eyes, Emma calmly raised her hands to somehow placate the situation, Killian's presence close behind her.
Growling, Gold glanced down at the dagger he was still holding. It was no longer glowing but as if spurred by his attention, it sprung to life and began to shake in his grasp. Trembling uncontrollably, the jagged tip then lit up and spewed a white stream into Emma's direction.
"No!" he shouted, watching what little magic it had collected flow back, then disappear, into its owner's chest, officially and effectively breaking the potion with said relinquishing action. Snapping his gaze back to Emma, who had accepted the transaction with wide eyes, he nearly boiled with rage at the idea of his plans being ruined.
Tricky concoction indeed, he thought with a sneer. I should've never used that stupid potion!
Summoning a huge crinkling ball of energy into one of his hands, he was going to unleash a powerful assault on Regina, Emma and Killian—no longer focusing on his goal but on pure revenge—when he suddenly felt something nipping at his right forearm.
"Ice?" he said when he glanced down at his freezing limb.
Quickly realizing what was happening, he turned his attention over to the door and immediately spied the advancing forms of Elsa and the Snow Queen, who were about to continue in their ambush—owing it all to his previous lack of concentration.
Entering the room first, the Snow Queen proceeded to cover his body in an icy contraption with several agile finger movements but, in his anger, her magic wasn't enough to solely pin him down. Quickly sweeping in after her, Elsa raised one of her hands and assisted with a powerful burst of sparkling energy, which spiraled around the Dark One until he was completely wrapped from head-to-toe.
Inches before Gold was thoroughly frozen, the Snow Queen used her other hand to call the dagger to her, which obeyed with a slight spin. With an unreadable expression on her face, she stared at the older man's now crystallized form before looking about the room and taking a step back.
Gasps rung out from the freed Mary Margaret, David and Belle, who each stumbled forward when Gold's control fell. After catching their breaths, Emma's parents first looked up then quickly darted over to their daughter, who was already on her way to them, and promptly pulled in her for a tight hug. Cupping her face with her hands, Mary Margaret gazed into Emma's watery eyes.
"I'm so sorry for what I did and said!" she began, a sob lodged in her throat. "I-I didn't mean it. I love you so much, honey. You know that, right? You know that I love you?"
Emma nodded, tears rolling from her eyes. "I do. I do know that. I'm so sorry for running away." She then looked at her dad. "And I'm sorry for what I did."
"You have nothing to apologize for," David stated, leaning into her side and brushing some of her hair off of her face.
After wiping her cheeks, Mary Margaret pulled her in for another hug, a happy smile on her face. She was too overjoyed to question her sudden recovery or to further debate what happened. She was just glad to have her daughter back. Kissing her temple, Mary Margaret then turned around to curiously look at Elsa. "I'm glad that you showed up when you did but are Henry and Neal alright?"
"They are," Elsa answered with a sheepish smile. "Henry agreed to stay up a little bit later than usual. I'm sorry that I left them alone but I...I had an idea." Indicating the urn in her hands, which, until that moment, had gone unnoticed. "We were originally going to trap the Dark One in this, but so far...our combined magic appears to be holding him..."
"Speaking of 'we' and 'our'," Regina cut in, stepping towards the small group but her eyes directed elsewhere. "What the hell is the Snow Queen doing here?"
As soon as her name was mentioned, everybody—except Elsa—warily turned to face her, their bodies now alert.
"I freed her," Elsa replied before diving into what had happened at the station. Nobody interrupted her and the Snow Queen remained silent throughout the entire account, one of her fingers calmly stroking a side of the dagger. "Before we went to search the farmhouse for the urn," she finished, turning to face her newly revealed aunt, a small smile on her lips. "She gave me my memories back. Her actual name is Ingrid..."
"I'm sorry," Regina interjected, her eyes narrowing. "But based on personal experience, character growth doesn't just happen overnight and especially not in a few hours. She's obviously pulling the wool over your eyes."
Elsa shook her head. "I don't think that she—"
A cracking sound then filled the room.
"It's the crocodile," Killian announced, his gaze fixed on the now shaking statue of Gold. "He's emerging from his confinement..."
Elsa moved closer to him and raised a hand.
Releasing a small flurry of mist, she tried to recoat him in her magic, but her influence did little against the growing crevices. Taking an intimidated step back, she then sent a pleading look over to the Snow Queen, who seemed to be unaffected by what was happening around them.
Whipping her attention to what was in her hand, Regina felt an alarm go off in her head. "Give me the dagger," she demanded, taking a step towards the Snow Queen.
"No," she answered, holding Regina's gaze. Then, raising her free hand, she pointed it into Gold's direction, tearing down his containment with that one subtle movement. "I have a better suggestion."
"What are you doing?!" Elsa asked, jumping away while shooting her only available hand back up.
Instinctively splitting into smaller groups, when the Snow Queen began to walk forward, Regina, Killian and Emma found themselves on one side while Mary Margaret, David and Belle were on the other; each one unsure about what was going to happen.
Slightly chilled, Gold wobbled to his side before turning to glare at the approaching ice witch, his disposition confrontational.
"You are now under my control, Dark One," she commanded, holding up the dagger so he could see it. "My will overrules yours; therefore, you will surrender." She watched with little to no expression when his posture eased; his shoulders slumping and hands unclenching.
She then looked over to her right at Elsa. "You were very wise to bring those enchanted cuffs with you. I need you to put those on him." She then directed her next words back to Gold: "Present your hands."
Pulling them out of her pocket, Elsa nodded then carefully moved over to an irritated, but controlled, Gold and slipped them around his wrists, one-at-a-time. Taking a step back, she adjusted the urn in her hand before looking at her aunt. "We did it," she said, her tone pleased.
"Yes, we did," the Snow Queen replied, breaking her solemn facade with a half smile. "Now," she then said, her tone firm when she shifted her eyes back onto Gold. "Point the urn into his direction and open it..."
Hesitating, Elsa's face fell. "The urn?" She then shook her head in confusion. "No, we were only going to use it on him if we absolutely had to. It was meant to be a threat, not a means to an end. With you holding his dagger and him wearing the cuffs, there's no need for it..."
The Snow Queen didn't look at Elsa but her voice turned flat. "It's what he deserves."
Realizing that she may have actually been tricked, Elsa twisted the urn away and quickly raised her hand back up, but this time, it was directed at the Snow Queen. "You lied to me," she stated harshly, her eyes steely as it honed in on her stoic aunt.
"I did no such thing."
"Explain this then!" Elsa yelled, her hand shaking under her emotions.
"Son of a bitch," Regina muttered at the brewing tension. Glaring at the Snow Queen's back, she raised her arms up then looked past Killian to see Emma, who also had her hands lifted. She too had a bad feeling that they were entering into a new and dangerous situation.
"Prepare yourself," Regina whispered to her. "This could get very ugly."
Emma nodded her head and took a protective step in front of Killian, not wanting him to be in harm's way.
As the two women were getting into formation, Belle had snuck a few steps forward, trying to get closer to the hand that was holding the dagger, but the Snow Queen heard her coming and gave her a hard look over her shoulder, prompting Belle to stop and fall back into Mary Margaret's and David's awaiting arms.
Gut clenching, Emma swallowed hard. Hands still raised, she then began moving away from her group. Killian tried to reach out and pull her back but she easily shook him away. Eyes focused on the Snow Queen, she hoped her movements would draw her attention, like it had with Belle's...and when it did, she nearly sighed in relief.
"You don't have to do this," she began, her voice low. Since she had her memories back, she planned on reasoning with her, to try and convince her that she wasn't as bad as she claimed to be, but she knew that it wasn't going to be easy. The glint in the other woman's eyes told her as much. She was too determined to do what she wanted to do. "Deep down," she continued. "You have a good heart and do you want to know how I know that? Because I remember it."
The Snow Queen's face instantly softened.
"You were one of my favorite foster mothers," Emma revealed, the memory of them laughing and having fun together making her eyes water again. "I learned many things from you and for that, I thank you."
The Snow Queen looked down for a moment before meeting her gaze again. "I want you to know," she began, her voice cracking. "That I'm sorry for all that I've done to you. For the past, for the mirror, for your injury," she paused, glancing down at Emma's stomach. She thought about asking her how she had been healed but figured that the entire event had been exaggerated for her benefit; that she wasn't truly dying. "For everything..."
She then glanced over at a scrutinizing Elsa, who was moving to stand closer to Emma. "I should also apologize to you again," she began, smoothly kicking away her skirts to properly face them. Hand tight on the dagger and minding all of her surroundings, she carried on, her tone noticeably shifting. "For what happened in the past and...for what's going to happen now..."
With a smooth hand motion, she magically pushed everybody back then quickly summoned the urn to her, snatching it easily from Elsa's faltering grip when she hit the wall. Having it hover in front of her, she first made the dagger disappear before grabbing, then prying, the top off of the new item in her possession.
Turning, she aimed it at a wide eyed Gold and silently watched as the urn engulfed his form inside, his body bending unnaturally before he vanished altogether. Readjusting her form, the Snow Queen's face remained neural when she then pointed it at the unconscious Elsa, who easily glided back into her previous imprisonment.
Watching the others begin to stir, she magically influenced the urn to hover beside her before retrieving the mirror shard she had collected from her ruined home.
"I should've fried you the moment you walked through these doors," Regina rasped as she crawled away from the wall and onto her knees, the wind knocked clean out of her lungs.
"I would've suspected nothing less from the person who burned down my home," the Snow Queen replied as she began to crush the shard with her bare hands.
Regina smirked. "I'm glad you got my message..."
"Indeed," the Snow Queen replied, her lips curling. Lifting her hands, with her palms facing up, she blew it into Regina's direction before sweeping the spell around, carefully hitting the now scrambling figures of Belle, Mary Margaret and David.
Regardless of whatever position they were in before, all those affected slumped forward and covered their eyes, the stinging weight of the enchantment seeping deep into their bodies.
During the sweep, Killian had instinctually pushed both himself and Emma out of the way, not willing to let anything else happen to her, but when they landed hard against the floor, it was Emma who recovered quickly.
Covering him with her body, she strained her neck back to look up at the Snow Queen, trying to gauge what her next move would be, but she wouldn't have anticipated the other woman snatching both her and Killian in a whirlwind of smoke; the tiniest bit of her mirror's magic still in her hand.
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