I do NOT own the characters or OUAT.
Whew. Happy 2020! Yes, I know, I know. I needed to regroup and focus on a few personal things but I'm here blessing you all with a chapter of TLR so don't hate me, please. Thank you all so much for your kind words and messages. I have not been ignoring you. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and I'm replying to ALL of them. Please, continue to message me with your ideas and questions!
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Chapter 4
Regina took deep breaths as she bent over with her hands on her knees, "I think you're trying to kill me!"
Tink chuckled before sipping from her water bottle, "You never could keep up with me in high school," she shrugged. When Regina invited her for a Saturday morning run, Tink knew Regina would complain but she didn't mind her best friend's dramatic antics. She wouldn't be Regina without them.
"You played softball, I danced. That says a lot," Regina said before standing up straight and looking around the park. She squinted when she noticed Cruella's car parked on the corner, "Hold up, I'll be right back," she said before walking towards the car.
Tink raised a brow before following her best friend, "Uh, excuse me! Why are you feeding into this?"
Regina ignored Tink before knocking on Cruella's passenger window. When the window was rolled down the brunette leaned down to make eye contact with Cruella, "Can you leave?"
"Why? This is a public parking space, I can park here if I want," she smirked.
"I'm sorry that you don't have good comprehension skills but mine work immensely well and I know when someone is watching me. Tell Maleficent to leave me alone, I'm not her property to watch. Leave or I'll just get restraining orders on all of you," Regina smirked, "And between me and you Cruella, your Parole Officer wouldn't be very happy with you if you received one of those now, would she? Didn't think so. Stay away from me," she said before walking off with Tink following.
"Hey!"
Regina sighed and turned around, "What?"
"If you show up with Swan, Mal will kill her. She's fed up," Cruella warned.
"So am I," Regina said before walking away.
Tink waited until they were back by their favorite bench, she sat down and looked at Regina, "Do you think it's smart to hang out with Emma Swan?"
"What kind of question is that? She's a person," she replied as she sat next to Tink.
"A dangerous person Regina. Mal won't stop until she has you in her grasp, Emma won't back down, you're in the middle of it and it's dangerous. I don't want to lose you," Tink swallowed.
Regina looked at her best friend before pulling her close, "Maleficent is driving me crazy, I don't feel free. Emma...makes me feel safe and free. That's the easiest way to explain it. I refuse to be anyone's property or prisoner."
"I get it, I do but I'm still scared," she replied.
Regina leaned her head on Tink's shoulder, "I'm scared too Tink, especially of what's going to happen after this race."
•••
"Don't do that sweetie, I don't want you to hurt yourself," Ivy told Henry as she watched him play at the park.
"I can," he mumbled as he climbed to the top of a slide, "Hey look, there's Regina!"
Ivy looked around, "Who?"
Henry slid down the slide and ran over to Regina. Ivy panicked and followed him. When she saw Regina bend down, smile, and hug him, she tilted her head. Who was this woman?
Regina gently rubbed his ear as they spoke quietly, Henry leaned into her telling her about school until he realized that Ivy was standing there, "Oh, you have to meet Ivy. Come on," he stood and pulled Regina to his mother, "This is Regina."
"Hi, nice to meet you," Regina smiled.
"Hello, I'm Ivy, Henry's mother and you are?"
Regina's eyebrows furrowed, "H-His mother?"
"Henry go play bud, be safe. I'll be over in a minute," Ivy told him, he waved at Regina as he ran away. The raven haired woman smirked, "So let me guess you're the girlfriend?"
"Not exactly. How are you his mother?"
"Oh so you don't know. Yikes, you must not mean much to her," she chuckled.
"I asked you a question, you can answer or not," she replied stepping closer.
"Emma was born with a male reproductive system. She and I made Henry, I'm his mother," she smirked stepping closer, nose to nose with Regina, "With that being said I must call Emma and tell her that I don't appreciate her having her little flings around my son," Ivy stated.
"A fling? Ha, yeah no. Not I. Emma and I are friends, for now and she can bring her son around whomever she wants. Don't be jealous, you had your turn with Emma and all you chose to do was open your legs. You got a blessing out of it but not Emma's heart. Don't worry, dear," Regina smirked before she leaned into Ivy and whispered, "I'll take it from here."
•••
"Well I certainly wasn't expecting you here, in my shop," Gold stated as he placed his hands on top of the glass case.
"I wanted to speak with you about a bet," Maleficent stated, "I think it'll be worth your interest."
"I'm listening," he nodded.
"My crew and I went to pick up some race cars imported from Japan. I'm going to crush Swan. Guaranteed," Maleficent stated.
"So I should bet money on you is what you're saying," he replied.
"What I'm saying is that I know you bet on big races and this is a big race. I'm guaranteeing you a win to get in your good graces," she said.
"Why is it important that you get in my good graces?"
"Because I want her blood on my hands and I know you want the same thing," she nodded.
"You're trying to start a war against Emma Swan without being fully aware of how much of a threat she is and you want me to waste my money on you. It's not likely," he raised his brows.
"Excuse me? Are you insinuating that I'm going to lose?"
"I'm not insinuating anything. Emma Swan is David Swan's daughter, NASCAR legend. Racing runs through her veins, you and your fancy Japanese cars don't have that. There's a reason why she never races," he chuckled, "No one is willing to waste their money trying to beat her. She's never lost. Her father's twin brother James ruled street racing before Hades. You're going to need more than a foreign car."
"Well she's losing tonight, do we have a deal or not?"
"It's a no for me. I handle my money delicately, not recklessly. You may want her dead but I want her to bow down to me. I can't beat her in a race so I have to take a different route. I'll beat her my way and you can try to beat her, your way but as of right now dearie, you better focus not embarrassing yourself. Maybe you'll get Regina back," he smiled before walking to her, "Good day Maleficent. You can see your way out."
•••
"I miss you too kid," Emma smiled as she FaceTimed her son. She missed him so much and she couldn't wait to see him.
Merlin heard someone knocking on the garage door, he furrowed his brows before walking over and opening the door, "Regina? Hi, come in."
"Hi," she said softly, "Is Emma here?"
"Yeah, I'm here," Emma said as she walked over, "Hi. Can't say we were expecting you here. Give me a hug."
Regina couldn't help but blush before hugging Emma. She inhaled her scent, "I brought you late lunch."
"Oh is that so? Well thank you very much," she kissed her cheek, "That's very sweet of you."
She pulled away and glanced at Merlin, "Can we speak, alone?"
"Sure. No problem," he said before walking into their game room.
Regina walked over to a row of cars looking over them, Emma followed, "What's up?"
"I know you're using me to get in Mal's head, I don't like it," she said facing Emma.
"I know you're using me as security, I don't like it," she smirked, "Two can play that game."
Regina sighed, "I'm sorry about that it's just—"
Emma placed her finger under Regina's chin, "You don't have to worry about her anymore. I got you."
How did she always know exactly what to say? She made Regina feel special. The 21 year old stepped closer to the blonde, "Everyone wants me to stay away from you."
"I don't care, do you?"
"Not really but you're dangerous Emma. Also, you haven't even told me about Ivy or the other part of you," she scoffed.
"I was going to...how do you know about Ivy? A-And so what if I'm dangerous, I won't let anything happen to you."
"That's easier said than done. This lifestyle isn't meant for me," she stated.
"You haven't even tried it," Emma scoffed.
"I don't want to, I like living safely," she replied.
"Safe is boring. I need someone who's going to accept me along with my lifestyle Regina."
"Well that's not me, I did it with Maleficent and I refuse to do it again," she stated.
Emma sighed, "Then why are you here?"
Regina scoffed and grabbed her purse, "Have a good race tonight Emma. Happy Birthday," she said before walking out of their garage.
The blonde ran her fingers through her hair and sighed as she watched her walk away.
•••
"Okay," Ariel flipped her hair, "What do you think about this one?"
"I love that outfit," Belle stated.
Ariel tilted her head, "How about you Regina?"
The brunette didn't reply, she was looking out the window thinking as she ate her ice cream. Belle gave Tink a look causing the blonde to walk over to her best friend. She sat next to her and patted her thigh, "Hey, talk to me."
"About?"
"Whatever's got you so quiet and isolated," she replied.
"Just thinking about the future. I want to drop out and open my own boutique, I'm sure of it. I want to travel more, have more fun. I want to live and I feel like I'm stuck," Regina said for the first time out loud. By the end of her statement, all of her friends were attentive and standing around her.
"Dropping out is…"
"Yeah, it's not…"
"Listen, it's not what we'd prefer but if you know for a fact that you're unhappy with being in school, do what you gotta do. There's no point in you continuing to waste your money if you can invest it somewhere else and be happy," Tink said.
"I agree," Ariel nodded, "We're going to live, Regina. Isn't that the point of our being in our twenties? To travel, fall in fall over and over and have fun?"
"Yeah, I thought so too until I realized that I wasn't doing either of those. Maleficent had me missing out on a lot. I was so focused on making her happy that I ignored my own happiness," Regina stated.
"So what you're saying is that Emma makes you happy?"
Tink quickly smacked Ariel's arm, "Shut up," she chuckled.
"Emma is...no longer a thing. We had a discussion today and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to see me again," she said looking back out of the window.
"Oh please, we are going to that race so get dressed. Emma wants you, we can all see it. You're holding back because you're afraid of what everyone will think," Ariel scoffed, "Fuck everyone, be happy."
"Emma is dangerous," Tink replied.
"So what? Emma proved that she wouldn't let any of us get hurt. Y'all can keep sulking, I'm going to see Maleficent get her ass kicked," she said before walking out.
"Wait Ariel. I'm coming," Regina said with a smirk.
•••
Lower Wacker was packed with people, everyone was having a good time, music was blasting, people were laughing, the vibe was set. Hades watched his people with a stale face, Gold placed his hand on his shoulder, "Wishing the attention was on you?"
"Of course not, do you know how much money we've made tonight already? I'm just a bit nervous because Maleficent called me trying to get information on Emma Swan. She wants her dead, she can't ruin our plans…"
"Our plan is secured, old friend. We will have Emma's head, then all of their love will flow to us," he reassured him.
"No one comes here and not race. Then she has the nerve to intimidate other racers. I'm over it, let's get this night over with," he scoffed before going to get a drink.
Gold turned his attention to the blonde and her friends, they were chilling by their cars, eating and dancing with girls. He then turned his attention to Mal and her friends, they were watching Emma, glaring. He chuckled and walked over to her, "Your eyes will melt out of their sockets if you stare any harder…"
Mal scoffed, "It's almost time to race, you sure you don't want to bet on me?"
"Nope, I'm just fine. I just came to warn you, don't do anything stupid. Hades will kill you," he smiled before walking away.
Mal started to reply until her mouth went dry, "Oh my," she mumbled as she watched Regina and her friends get out of their uber.
Regina wore a purple silk blouse unbuttoned quite a bit, a black bralette underneath, very short black shorts and black thigh highs. She chuckled at something Ariel said as they linked arms, "I think we pre-gamed too much."
"No you're just tipsy," Ariel chuckled, "Don't make me babysit, please."
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Regina nodded, "Ugh look Emma's dancing with some...hoe."
"Jealous?"
"Nope," she shrugged.
"Good because we're going to say hi," Ariel smiled before dragging Regina over.
"What? No. She's mad at me," she pouted.
"No she's not, she likes you like a lot but you didn't hear that from me or Graham," she replied as they walked over, "Hello all."
Emma was leaning against the hood of her car as a girl continued grinding on her lap, Graham smiled and put his drink down before hugging and kissing Ariel, "Don't worry, I wasn't dancing with anyone. You look hot, so do you Regina. Aye Emma, doesn't Regina look hot?"
Ariel smirked at her boyfriend's antics, "You aren't slick," she stated causing him to wink.
Emma looked up and saw Regina before pushing the girl off of her, "Hell yeah she does. Come here," she said coolly.
Regina blushed and walked over to her, standing between her legs, "Mm so you're not mad?"
"Nah, I don't get mad, I get even," Emma smirked.
"How will you get even with me?"
"I don't know, I'll get a girlfriend or something," she shrugged.
Regina gripped her face and kissed her, "Good luck on your race. Let me know when you get that girlfriend," she said before pulling out of a stunned Emma's grasp and walking away with her friends to get a drink.
Emma watched her walk away and licked her lips, "She's…"
"Everything," Graham nodded.
"Everything," Emma agreed.
Jefferson groaned, "Excuse me, can we focus on the racing now?"
"Yo J, why don't you just ch—"
Maleficent punched Emma hard in her jaw interrupting her reply, "You wanted a reaction out of me right?"
Emma stumbled back into Merlin holding her jaw, "What the fuck?"
Graham, Jefferson and even Ruby pulled out their guns on Maleficent. Graham proceeded to take his safety off, "Are you dumb? I will kill you."
Maleficent snapped her fingers causing her friends to pull out their guns, "Do I look dumb?"
"Yes," Emma said before punching Mal twice, "She kissed me."
Mal stumbled back before glaring at Emma, "I don't care. You kiss my girl, you die."
"Woah woah woah," Hades chuckled as he walked over with his hands up, "Surely we can all get along. Plus, Swan, you know the rules. No fighting."
"Fuck your rules Hades, she's not walking away from this," Emma fumed.
"Then there's no race," he shrugged, causing the crowd to groan.
"Surely you wouldn't want to miss out on money," Mal stated, "I can kill you and Regina after I take your money. Your teams a bunch of rookies anyway. You need to fire them."
"That's the difference between me and you, Mal. They don't work for me. This is my family. I don't have to snap my fingers to get their protection, they do it because they actually want to protect me," she chuckled, "Fine. No fighting, let's race," Emma said, causing the crowd to cheer. She wiped the blood off of her lip while looking at Mal, "This ends tonight."
"Indeed, Swan," Mal said before getting in her car.
"Jeff, Ruby, you're not racing. Stay here and protect Regina. You stay with her and if there's any sign of bullshit, you leave with her. Got it?"
"But Emma I wanna race," Jefferson frowned.
"Hey," she grabbed him by his shirt, "Does it look like I care about what you want right now? Protect Regina. That's it, that's all. If you're unable to do it, I'll get someone that can."
"I can do it," he nodded.
"Sounds good," she said before getting in her car.
"Don't trip on her," Merlin patted Jefferson's shoulder, "Her life was just threatened and she's pissed," he said before getting in his car.
Graham walked over to Merida and gave her their racing money, "Guard this with your life," he teased.
"Guard it or die," Ursula said as she gave her their racing money as well.
Merida rolled her eyes at Ursula, "I know how to do my job."
"Ooh burn," Graham winked at Ursula before getting in his car.
Jefferson and Ruby stood by Regina and her friends. They were very upset that they couldn't race. Ruby envied Regina so much, she had all of Emma's attention. She simply sighed as she focused back on the race.
Gold walked over to Mal's car and leaned down to talk to her through the window, "If you ever do that again, I'll kill you myself. You've now made her angrier, the angrier person always wins the fight, dearie."
"If you wanted me dead I'd be dead already. Plus, the smarter person always wins," she shrugged.
"We don't fight with our brains, even if we did...my money still wouldn't be on you," he said before walking off.
Maleficent gripped the wheel tighter, she was just as angry as Emma little did Gold know. She felt like she was losing everything and she refused to lose everything, especially to Emma Swan.
When Merida saw that all of the racers were lined up, she stood in front of them holding up a flag, "Are you sure you're ready for this?"
The crowd roared, Regina watched from the hood of Jefferson's car with her friends, cheering and clapping. She looked at Tink, "I'm nervous for her."
"Don't be, she's going to do great. I liked the kiss by the way, nice touch," she smirked.
Regina chuckled, "I wanted to drive her crazy. I didn't think Mal would do that though."
"She hates Emma," Ariel chimed in, "What did you expect?"
"Uh I honestly didn't think she was watching," she shrugged, "Hell I didn't even know if she was here yet."
"Fair enough," Ariel shrugged, "Let's go!"
Regina chuckled before cheering more. Merida dropped the flag and the race had begun. Emma zoomed off speeding past everyone, she smiled when she saw Graham at her side, he gave her the signal and they swerved switching places. Merlin noticed and slowed down letting Mal and her friends pass him before he pressed a button and used his NOS to fly past everyone. Maleficent smirked before using her NOS which triggered her friends to the same leaving Graham and Emma in the dust.
This was the plan, so Emma stayed calm as her and Graham cruised while Merlin took the lead. She used her Bluetooth to contact Graham and Merlin, "Checking in...Merlin, you good?"
"Yes, I'm ready for phase two," he replied as he sped down the Chicago streets, "Let's gooo!"
"Woo! Yeah baby, it's showtime," Graham said banging on his steering wheel.
"Commence phase two," Emma chuckled with a shrug.
Merlin slowed down and let Mal and her friends pass him. He was now in between Graham and Emma's cars, Mal noticed. She knew they had planned something but she didn't know exactly what. She nearly crashed when all three of them used their second NOS tank and zoomed past her and her crew. She quickly grabbed her phone, "What the fuck?"
Ursula replied, "Two NOS boost? Is that even legal?"
"Enough of this bullshit," Cruella said before pulling out her gun and shooting at Emma's car.
Emma smirked as the bullets bounced off of her bulletproof car, "Alright boys, let's play."
"Finally," Merlin smirked before using his gadgets to lock the brakes on Ursula's car.
Emma began swerving to dodge bullets, "Jefferson, you there?"
He held his earpiece to his ear, "Yeah."
"Prepare for phase three," she said, "Please."
"Got you," he replied before hanging up and looking at Regina, "Let's go."
"Go where?"
"Ladies, get in the car. Come on, hurry up. Trust me," he stated.
"We don't even know you," Belle argued as they began to move.
"You better not kill us," Ariel glared before getting in his car.
"Go retrieve Henry," he said turning to Ruby, "Move quickly," he nodded before getting in his car, "Alright, you ladies buckled up?"
Regina scoffed, "Yes, what the hell is going on?"
"We're going for a ride," he smiled before pulling off. When he saw Merida, he stopped, "Toss it," he stated.
"Tell Emma she owes me," Merida stated before tossing him the duffle bag with all of the race money in it, "Be safe."
"Always," he winked before zooming off.
•••
Ivy was watching a movie with Henry when her mother walked in, "Oh hey. Care to join us?"
An excited Henry beamed, "We're watching the Avengers!"
Victoria gave a small smile, "I would love to but I actually was wondering if you'd like to come with me, Henry. I'm going to check out your mother's race, wouldn't that be fun?"
Ivy's eyebrows furrowed, "Um, what's going on? She specifically told me that she didn't want him near that race."
"Yeah, mom told me to stay with Ivy so I'd be safe," he shrugged.
"But wouldn't it be fun if you saw her?"
"Yeah...she's the best driver," he stood before nodding, "Come on."
"Henry, no. Your mother wouldn't want you there—"
"But it's her birthday," he whined.
There was a knock on the door, Victoria opened it, "Who are you?"
Henry smiles brightly before running over to the door, "Ruby!"
She smiled, "Hey kid," she picked him up, "I've been sent to pick you up."
Ivy stood up, "Okay, what's going on? What does everyone want with my son?"
"Emma sent me," Ruby shrugged, "Hand over his belongings."
"Actually darling, why don't you hand over the boy," Victoria stated as two men walked into the room, one of them grabbed Ivy.
"Mother! Don't do this!"
Ruby stepped back with Henry in her arms, "Henry...do you remember what your mother told you to do if there was ever trouble?"
"Yes," he said holding her tightly as the man stepped towards them, "I'm scared…"
"I know but you have to do what she told you. Are you ready?"
"Mmhm," he nodded slowly.
"Go Henry," Ruby quickly placed him on his feet causing the young boy to run off into the dark. She looked at Victoria with a smirk, "You'll never find him now," she shrugged before shooting the man and getting in her car.
Victoria nearly growled before turning to the man who was holding Ivy, "Find him!"
He let go of Ivy and quickly exited out of the door.
•••
"Boys?"
Neal and Merlin both answered, "Yes."
Emma smirked, "Ready to end this?"
"Let's do it," Neal smirked, "Woo!"
"I'll grab the money," Merlin said.
"I'll take out Cruella," Neal nodded.
"And I'll win this race," Emma said before speeding off ahead of her friends, they all split up in opposite directions. The blonde took a deep breath as Maleficent pulled up on the side of her car.
Mal screamed over the whipping winds, "Give it up Swan!"
"Not in my nature!"
Mal frowned before stomping on her gas and taking off pass Emma. Gold and Hades watched as the racers approached the finish line. Hades chuckled, "Looks like you should've bet on Mal…"
"Doesn't matter. I have the boy...Swan will do whatever I say now...whatever we say," he nodded.
"You want power badly Rob, it's so obvious. If you think of overpowering me, you're going to get your feelings hurt," Hades replied.
Robert swallowed, "I wouldn't dream of it."
Emma took a deep breath, the finish line was only meters away, she had this race in the bag. She pressed a yellow button signaling her last NOS tank, it only used half of the fuel, she felt like she was flying as she zoomed past Mal and the finish line. The crowd roared with joy, Emma had just won.
Maleficent quickly stomped on her breaks before getting out of the car with her gun, "Face me, cheater!"
Emma got out of her car, "Last time I checked there were no rules!"
The crowd rushed over and held Emma up chanting her name. Gold looked at Hades, "One day, you'll see that I'm always right. She will always win if we leave it up to Maleficent."
"Fine. Where's the boy?"
"I'll find out," he nodded before pulling out his phone.
Maleficent walked over to them, "Hades, I need your help."
He smirked, "Ah, I knew this day would come. Please join us, my child, we're having Swan for dinner."
"What do I do?"
"You kill her son," he smirked.
Gold hung up, "Neal!"
The dark haired man rushed over, "Yes?"
"They lost the boy, go find him and bring him to me—"
"Alive," Hades interjected.
Neal sighed, "What do I get out of this?"
Hades gripped him by his jacket and lifted him off of his feet, "Your life."
"Let me go, I'll do it," Neal squeaked.
"Excellent," Hades smiled before turning back to the crowd, "Um...where'd she go?"
They all looked and Emma was no longer being held up in the air getting praise from the crowd. Everyone was back to drinking and dancing, where'd she go?
•••
Emma walked into their warehouse, "What do you mean he's gone?!"
"I lost him, I'm sorry. They were going to kill him, so I told him to run. I told him remember what you taught him," Ruby started walking over to Emma.
The blonde backhanded her, dropping her to the ground, "He is five years old, how dare you? HOW DARE YOU?! HE IS MY BABY!"
"I was trying to protect him," Ruby cried from the ground.
"You protect him by taking a bullet for him not by being a coward!"
"Emma. Enough," Merlin said as he walked in with Graham, "We have the money and the victory."
"But no Henry, she set him free," she snarled, "We leave this city in two hours, how on earth will I get him back? What if he forgot what I told him? What if they find him before we do?"
"We will find him, Emma," Graham stated, "Henry is one of us, it is our only mission now," he said before leaving out.
"We'll bring him back. Why don't you have a drink and let Ruby take your mind off of things, it's your birthday," Merlin said.
"No. Hell no, I'm going to find my son—"
"There's a price on your head, Swan. Hades won't hesitate to kill you now. We've broken all of his rules, I won't lose you. Trust me, we'll bring him back. Please, stay here. Hidden," Merlin said before leaving.
Emma sighed before letting out a growl of frustration before going to the back room and laying on the couch. Ruby came in shortly after with a drink, "Here," she straddled Emma, "Let's take your mind off of it."
"No. You're making a fool of yourself, get off of me," Emma said before snatching the drink and downing it, "I don't want you."
Ruby swallowed before getting standing up, "All of this power has changed you, I don't even know who you are anymore," she said before leaving out wiping her eyes.
Emma sighed and laid there staring at the ceiling. She sat up and called Ivy but she didn't answer. She called Graham, "Anything yet?"
"We found his Lightning McQueen toy car at the park, he was here but now he's not. Where should we look next?"
"Check the area. He's smart, remember that, please. Oh fuck it, I'm going to find him, myself," she scoffed.
"Emma, no. We got this," he said before hanging up.
•••
Neal walked the city, looking for the small boy. It was nearly an impossible task until he remembered something, this was Emma's son. He didn't know the blonde very well but he did know that she knew how to survive. So would her son. He whipped his car around and headed in the opposite direction, after a while he arrived at the small diner by the park. When he entered, he walked over to the owner, "Auntie Elm?"
"Yes, who's asking?"
"My name is Neal Cassidy, I'm looking for my nephew, he's run away," he said softly.
"Oh yeah? Well I haven't seen him—"
"Ma'am, I understand that you might not fully understand the situation and possibly want to protect him but I assure you, you can trust me—"
A door opened, Henry ran out from the back and through the front door, running as fast as he could back to the park. Neal quickly followed him, "Henry?!"
It was dark, quiet and cold. Neal couldn't see Henry but Henry could see Neal. He hid in the slide just as his mother told him. He cried and held himself to stay warm, "Mommy's coming," he whispered to himself, he knew she'd come for him. He just knew it.
"Henry," Neal looked around stepping closer, "If you can hear me, please know that I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to take you to your mom. I promise."
"Go away!"
Neal whipped his head quickly, "Where the hell is he?"
Henry tried to stay silent, he cried and buried his head in his arms. Merlin and Graham approached Neal. Graham spoke first, "Should we kill you now or later?"
"We know they sent you for him," Merlin said raising his gun.
"Listen," Neal held up his hands, "I want to be on Emma's good side, I was going to bring the boy to her."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, I'm serious. I told you, you can trust me," he pleaded.
"Fine. You'll live...for now. We'll have Emma decide what to do with you," Graham stated.
"Henry, come on," Merlin said before texting Emma, "Let's go home, it's your mom's birthday."
Henry rushed out of the slide and ran to his god father hugging him tight, "Did I do good?"
Merlin hugged him just as tight, "You did great!"
"You couldn't find me," He snickered.
"I was scared," Merlin said wiping Henry's eyes.
"You get scared?"
"Only of losing you and your mom," he admitted, "Graham can take care of himself," he chuckled.
"Yeah," Henry giggled before looking at Graham, when he saw Neal next to him, he gripped Merlin tighter, "I want mommy."
"Alright, you got it. Let's go," Merlin smiled.
•••
Emma was pacing the floor of her living room when Jefferson walked in with Regina and her friends. The blonde looked at them, "What are you doing here?"
"They forced them to tell them the plan," Jefferson sighed.
"You let a bunch of girls pressure you? Listen, I don't know what he told you but you can't come with us. We don't even know where we're going—"
"I'm coming," Regina said as she walked over to Emma, "So the plan was to win the race, take the money, and leave Chicago...without saying goodbye?"
"People want me dead, I need a better life for my son. You shouldn't be caught up in th–"
Regina cut her off by kissing her, "Can we talk?"
"Gina, I'm waiting on Henry and I need to get moving. I appreciate you but–"
"Mama!"
Emma smiled and squatted with her arms out as Henry ran to her, she hugged him tight, "Oh kid, I missed you. I was so worried."
"I'm okay mama," he pulled away and smiled at Regina, "Hey Regina, I have new toys."
"Is that so? I can't wait to see them," she smiled.
"Regina, we're heading home, okay?"
"You too, Ariel?"
"Yeah," she sighed, "Apparently, I have to pack," she smirked at Graham.
Emma gave Merlin a look before looking at Graham, "You can't be serious."
"I really like her, I can't leave her," he shrugged.
"You've known her for like five minutes," she argued.
"Emma," Regina smacked her chest lightly, "They're actually pretty good for each other."
Emma rolled her eyes, "Fine, she can come," she looked at Regina, "What about school?"
"I can go to school anywhere if I decide to," Regina stated, "Maleficent will kill me Emma…"
"I'll keep you safe, go pack," she said, "Looks like you're coming with us."
•••
They had been on the road for 6 hours now, Emma glanced at Henry and Regina. They both were sleeping peacefully so the blonde had time to think. Here she was driving into darkness with a woman that she didn't fully trust and her son in the backseat. Her closest friends were hundreds of miles away because that was the plan, to split up. This was her new life now, her, Henry and Regina.
Emma nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt her phone vibrate in her lap, she answered quickly, "Merlin…"
"Emma, are you good?"
"I'm good," she glanced over her shoulder at Henry, "Your godson is knocked out."
"Good. He's had a long day. I um went to see my mother," he cleared his throat.
"Oh? How is she? Are you alright?"
Merlin sighed, "I'm alright, she isn't. She's sick and I hated to leave but I had to. I'm headed south…"
"So am I...going home," she replied.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean," he chuckled, "I'm going home too but I'm not sold on the idea yet."
"It's best for Henry. Mer, do you think we'll be safe in the same place?"
"To be honest Emma, I don't care. You and Henry are my family and I don't want to be away from you guys. Graham is headed to New York and uh I have Neal with me," he cleared his throat.
Emma scoffed, "Merlin, are you serious?"
"Emma, relax, we can trust him. I trust him, that should be enough for you," he nodded although she couldn't see him.
"Fine, Fine. I'll see you soon?"
"Yeah, see you soon," he smiled before hanging up.
The blonde let out sigh and continued to drive, following the signs that would lead her back home. A place she promised to never return.
DALLAS, TEXAS
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