7: Do You Believe in Fate?

That night Regina stared pensively into the fire. The heat of the flames licked her cheeks, and lively shadows danced on the walls. She was in her pajamas, and sleep had left hours ago. She glanced at the clock on her wall, the second hand ticking away dispassionately. It had just passed one thirty. Her legs were tucked under her on the couch, and she had a glass of spiked apple cider in her hand as she tugged absentmindedly at a dry piece of skin on her lip.

She kept thinking about what Miss Alexander had said to her.

"Do you, Miss Mills? Believe in fate."

Over and over again it kept replaying in her head. Did she? Well, she liked to think that she could choose her own destiny. Because if losing Daniel and her father and her son and her dignity was what the universe had in store for her then it was just proof that her whole life had been one big plot to screw her over. What the hell had she done to deserve being so royally fucked? If she was to believe in destiny, then nothing. All she was, in the grand scheme of things, was the antithesis to Snow's shining glory. She balanced out the universal forces or whatever other bullshit it was at the expense of her own life.

She didn't want to believe in fate was maybe more like it. She wanted to believe that she could change, that her life could change for the better. "I create fate." Was what Rumple said to her in his shop. She believed that. Though by means of slimy deals and magic, he did create what he wanted. She liked to believe that she had the same power over her own life. Even if only just so she could sleep at night.

Why had no one ever asked her if she believed in fate before? It seemed like such a large part of the culture of the Enchanted Forest. The Charmings: they most certainly believed in fate. But that's because everything that's ever happened to them has been so sickly sweet. When your life isn't exactly handed to you on a silver platter, things don't seem so "meant to be" anymore.

Which, she reasoned, is why Miss Alexander didn't believe in fate. Of course, she reasoned that neither did Emma, but Jennifer was the one she was more interested in. Everything about Jennifer was intriguing. Probably just because she was a new face in town. But, no, that wasn't quite right. She took a sip of cider, the alcohol burning her throat. Jennifer was burned into the back of her eyes. It was a strange feeling. It unnerved her. She unnerved her. The flush in her cheeks, the freckles she wore with confidence, the intrinsic sparkle in her crystal blue eyes. She was a curious woman. She had a certain knack for people that Regina just didn't.

Miss Alexander was an attractive woman, there was no doubt about that. It was more of an objective statement than a subjective one, to be honest. She brushed her hair behind her ear, her fingers trailing down her neck. The heat of the flames had her hot and uncomfortable. She sighed, shaking her head and taking another sip of cider.

She hated that this other Swan could occupy so many of her thoughts. She was a temporary fixture in Storybrooke, a means to an end, not an object to be studied, a woman to be bothered with. Maybe she was so concerned with Jennifer because Henry had taken such a shining to her. He was, after all, determined for her to be his aunt. Another addition to the family, that's what he wanted. She picked at the skin on her lip pensively, her brow furrowed.

Henry was sleeping peacefully at the Charmings'. Regina was sitting up, nearly two in the morning, with a glass of hard cider and a fire to fuel her tangled thoughts.

How was this going to end? What was going to happen when Miss Alexander saw this town for what it really was? She nearly dropped her cider. Rumple.

. . .

The next morning she made her way to Gold's shop. She barely got any sleep with all those thoughts running through her head. And she barely had the self control to wait until Belle had left so she could get him alone. The bell jingled above her as she strode through the shop, her heels clicking annoying loud on the wood floors. Gold, with a barely concealed scowl, walked out from the back. "I don't know if you noticed, but the sign on the door said closed." She didn't listen.

"What'll happen to Miss Alexander after you use her to fix the protection spell? She'll have been exposed to magic." She placed her hands on the glass counter to try and look powerful. He took a breath, standing up straighter than before.

"Well, I'm sure you could find a way to deal with her. If not then the Charmings'll certainly persuade her that it's all perfectly explainable." The imp suggested, not at all worried. She frowned.

"You think I couldn't deal with her myself?" Regina shot back, highly defensive.

"You don't seem to eager to, Your Majesty." He clipped, acid in his words as he eyed her. "I doubt you care that she's the savior's sister. You might care that Henry cares but that's not my point. You, Regina, are going soft." Gold hissed, taunting her, teasing her, antagonizing her. He wanted her to kill Jennifer. Regina gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to let Rumple control her anymore. Besides, she had her reputation to worry about now. But before she could stop the idiotic alternative from spilling from her mouth it was already there.

"We'll tell her then." Even though saying the idea out loud sounded even stupider than in her head she couldn't take it back so she might as well hold her ground. And that's what she did.

"Tell her about magic?" Gold asked. He smirked at her. "Good luck keeping her quiet, dearie." She glared at him.

"I'll do it delicately. Have the savior pitch in. It'll work." She told him darkly. Gold just sighed and shook his head.

"It's your funeral."

And as she walked to the Charmings' apartment that evening she supposed it was. She kept telling herself that this was her best option, but the closer she got to the Charmings' apartment the less confident she was. She hated asking for help, hated it. It made her weak. But did she really have a choice? Jennifer needed to hear this from Emma, of that much she knew. She was the only one Miss Alexander would truly believe.

She thought about Jennifer for a moment. There was no way in hell or heaven they were going to convince her that the magic she was going to see was as easily dismissable as the Charmings would no doubt make it out to be. They couldn't convince her that it was an illusion. Jennifer was too smart for that. This was their only option; she was sure of it. Yes. Right. Good.

She knocked on the door.

It swung open, and she came face to face with a smiling Emma. But her face fell when she saw who was at the door. It was clear she wasn't expecting Regina. Hell, Regina wasn't expecting Regina. "Uh, Regina, what are you doing here?" The blonde asked curiously, glancing over Regina's shoulder.

"We need to talk."

"Can it wait until tomorrow? I'm expecting Jenny over for dinner." Regina raised her brow at that. According to Jennifer, just two days ago they were still sorting out "thirteen years of shit." Now they were having dinner as a family. Good for them? She supposed.

"It actually concerns her."

"Look, I know you want her out of town but like I told everybody else: she's not a threat." Emma supplied, leaning up against the doorframe with her arms folded over her chest. She was standing her ground~protective, it seemed, over her family. That made Regina angry. She wasn't going to hurt them. She'd already tried to kill Mary Margaret once, and she wasn't going to do it again. Snow was suffering enough on her own. All Regina had to do was sit back and watch. She must not have told the rest of the Uncharmings that her heart was turning black.

"I'm trying to keep her here actually." Emma frowned at that.

"Okay." She drawled hesitantly, her interest clearly piqued.

"Ever since Miss Alexander arrived in Storybrooke the protection spell around the town has been degrading. I trust you can imagine what could happen to the town if it breaks." She supplied, keeping her voice down, and Emma nodded as she hung onto Regina's words. "Gold wants to use her to try and reverse the damage."

"Okay, well then do it." Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"She'll have been exposed to magic, Miss Swan." She sighed. "We need to tell her. And you need to convince her not to go blabbing it to the world." Emma's frown deepened.

"You really trust her to keep Storybrooke a secret?" Emma inquired. Regina's gaze remained ever so neutral.

"All I know is that this is our only option. So don't screw it up." Emma pressed her lips together, her brow furrowed, and nodded. "Talk to the Charmings tonight, and we'll figure out how to handle this tomorrow. We need to come up with a plan and quickly. The protection spell needs to be repaired before anyone else can wander in." She told Emma who nodded. But before Regina could walk away Emma stopped her.

"Why are you telling us this? I mean, you hate Mary Margaret." Regina sighed. She clenched her jaw.

"I need Henry to know that I'm not evil." She looked Emma in the eye when she said that. And, god, she hoped the blonde believed her because it was true. Emma almost smiled.

"Thanks for letting me know, Regina."

. . .

On her way out of the apartment building she ran into none other than Jennifer Alexander herself.

"Miss Mills!" Jennifer exclaimed in surprise. "We just keep running into each other, don't we?" She asked with a chuckle, showing off the dimples that immediately caught Regina's gaze. She swallowed.

"Uh, yes, I suppose we do." She agreed with a tight smile. "Have a good evening, Miss Alexander."

"Yeah, you too." Jennifer muttered as they parted ways. After Jennifer passed her on the sidewalk she took a deep, calming breath and looked around. The streets were completely deserted. She'd lived in solitude for twenty-eight years so she didn't quite need any more of it. However, the last few days had proven chaotic enough for her to enjoy the silence. She sighed heavily and looked up at the stars. She hadn't done that in far too long. If she tried, she could probably still name every single constellation in that sky. The whole world, for one small moment, seemed to stand still when she looked up at those stars.

The content feeling in the pit of her stomach was fleeting though because in the distance she saw something in the sky akin to the northern lights. Colors danced and the sky shimmered with all the grace and fragility of an ocean wave. It was beautiful but also worrisome. The lights seemed to be spreading and with each inch of sky that was covered Regina became more and more concerned. She drove to Gold's shop as fast as she could.

She didn't care that it was late because Gold was probably up watching the lights too. So, her fear coming out as determination, she entered the shop and made her way to the back where she found him hunched over a large spell book. "I see you've noticed the light show." He muttered, concentrating on whatever he was doing.

"I've heard of this." She stated. He turned and raised a brow at her. "I've seen it." She insisted, leaning forward.

"Have you now?" He asked, his nose back in the book.

"When my mother used to practice spells in that book and one of them failed those lights would appear." She told him, and Gold finally looked up.

"It happens because the magic is disintegrating~being recycled back into nature. I was at the town line earlier. It seems that the old magic that held the protection spell together is gone." He informed her solemnly, and Regina raised her brow.

"So, Miss Alexander did cause all of this."

"I don't know how, but yes, it does seem that way." Gold commended, and Regina pursed her lips thoughtfully. He stared at her in confusion. "You must be joking." He scoffed, and she frowned.

"What?"

"You're more interesting why this is happening than how to fix it." He told her. She shifted uncomfortably and blinked rapidly. He just eyed her expectantly, and then finally she glared at him.

"Miss Alexander doesn't have magic. We've had people from this realm in Storybrooke before. That boy. His father. Why did she cause the spell to weaken? Why now?" Regina questioned, defending her own curiosity. Gold eyed her.

"Why are you so interested in this woman?"

"I'm not." She defended irrationally. "I'm interested in what she's done to cause this." Gold didn't say anything, but she could sense that he was doubtful. Embarrassed, she swallowed, shaking her head dismissively. "But that doesn't matter right now. What have you found out?"

When Gold explained to her how a good portion of the text in the spell book had just disappeared since the last time he opened it, Regina looked at him in disbelief. He said he believed that the outside world had been fighting its way into Storybrooke since day one and that Jennifer was simply the crack it needed to break through. This non-magical world was destroying the magic in Storybrooke. It had started with a weakening of magic when Jennifer first arrived. Now it was the book, and he didn't know what was next. And even more frightening than that, he didn't know how to stop it. Gold closed the book, and looked up at Regina.

"We need Cora."