Grumpy couldn't drive the car fast enough to satisfy the urgency of the situation. Another person had come into town, and he knew damn well that one was already too much. He floured it into the driveway of the apartments where Emma, Snow, and David lived, going at a speed so ridiculously fast that when he hit the brakes, he whip-lashed his head and neck.
The consistent pounding on the door summoned David to open it, and when he saw the look of anxiety on Grumpy's face, he knew he was in for it. Snow came around the corner, fearing the worst already, and stood next to her husband, taking his arm in her own.
"What? What happened?" He asked him haphazardly, his heart already beginning to pound in his chest.
"We've got another problem. Someone else drove into town earlier. It was a girl, a younger girl, which means she's completely capable of gossiping and texting." Grumpy nearly hollered this in reply.
Snow, evidently baffled, crossed her arms over her chest now, and, in realizing the seriousness of the new visitor, became troubled. Trying to be the mediator, she tried to make the problem sound lighter, "Regina and her mother are the only ones left it town, and without Rumpelstiltskin around to make things worse, nothing really horrible should happen." She said, glancing back and forth from Grumpy's face and David's to look for their reactions and waited for their thoughts.
"Even still, this could be bad if she plans on staying." David added, his face creased in concern.
"She does." Grumpy said, "She stopped at Granny's. She talked for about five minutes before leaving and heading to Regina's. Something went down in the back yard; I couldn't get close enough to see, but someone really ticked Regina off." He put emphasis on the fact that she had been obviously enraged.
Snow's heart skipped a beat as Grumpy's last words. She knew better than anyone what it meant to tick Regina off; it usually ended in a life-long grudge, especially if someone she loved was taken from her. "This could be bad. We need to find out who that girl is."
David nodded. "You're right; we'll go in the morning and see what's going on. It's a little late now." He said in agreement, "Grumpy, keep your ax to yourself till tomorrow."
Grumpy smirked, "Yeah. I'll try." He replied sarcastically and turned to leave.
David shut the door behind him and turned to Snow. He could tell she was fearful and finding himself upset from his wife's melancholy, he took her into his arms a moment to console her. They went to sleep an hour later after discussing the situation in the kitchen.
When Chastity awoke, she found herself wrapped tightly within a few thick blankets and, still in her fit of rage from trying to protect her mother from her grandmother, sat up in a flourish and made a move as if to push someone away from her. Regina was still sitting just across the room with her face buried in her hands, still trying to recollect herself from the night before . . . in vain. When she heard Chastity wake up, she reacted immediately by rushing to her side to console her. She took her daughter into her arms, embracing her tightly to calm her down.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Chastity asked from behind her mother's protective shoulder.
"It's fine . . . I'm fine. Don't worry." Regina answered and cradled Chastity closer, not wanting to let go of her ever again.
Regina had sacrificed much to stay with her daughter, putting both their lives on the line, regardless. Though she hoped to keep the dire situation from her, Regina felt Chastity trying to pry for the answer, and when she found it, being that, as she had expected, Cora was ruthless and would be coming back, Chastity buried her face deeper into her mother's shoulder. With every passing moment that Chastity spent with her mother, the more she knew about her. There was little she could find out about her by forcing her way into her head, however, being that Regina was as strong, if not stronger than Chastity was, and she wanted to keep her out for the time being. There were still some things Regina wished to keep from Chastity, knowing it would be too much for her to know now.
"Why can't you just talk to me?" Chastity inquired softly, pulling her head back but staying in Regina's arms, finding herself unable to pull away.
Frowning, Regina pushed a piece of Chastity's wavy dark hair away from her eyes, hating that she had to hide things from her daughter. "I'm afraid you'll leave me if you know too much…" She admitted through an oncoming flow of tears. She couldn't stand sounding fragile as she did now.
"Oh my gosh!" Chastity said in astonishment, appalled that she thought she would ever dare leave her side. She pulled her left leg up in front of her and rested her hands in her lap. Regina stayed as close to her as possible. "Listen," Chastity began, taking Regina's hands in her own, "I know that you've made mistakes, but it's what you took and learned from those mistakes that make you who you are. You're a very passionate woman, and sometimes that passion is directed in a negative way, but when you direct toward me, it becomes something beautiful." She hesitated, examining Regina very intimately now. "And, if I've paid close enough attention, you also direct it towards someone else?" She asked lightly, not wanting to question her too much.
Regina gave a weak smile at the inquisition. "You have a brother . . . Henry. He's the reason I'm like this, but it isn't his fault. I blame someone else." She responded, looking down at their entwined hands, her face going hard.
"Who?" Chastity prodded her.
Regina looked up then; the pleasant smile Chastity wanted to see had completely vanished, leaving behind a grim line across her mouth that remained unmoving until she was able to say the name that she found to be so revolting. "Emma Swan…" She replied coldly.
The story was explained briefly with previous events leading up to Henry's departure. Chastity listened carefully, only ever interrupting when Regina got a little too upset. Her father wasn't brought up; it seemed Regina didn't want to talk about it, so Chastity didn't ask. The explanation of the fairytales being real, however, aroused a never ending string of questions from her. The concept was believable, being that Chastity knew about magic, but she couldn't bring herself to fully buy it.
"I'd have to see that…" Chastity said, looking down at her hands like Regina had done. "I bet it's beautiful." She added, returning her gaze to Regina's again, smiling hopefully now.
"I wish I could show it to you." She replied helplessly, squeezing her hand tighter and emitting a soft smile as well.
"You will one day." Chastity reassured her.
It was just past lunch when they finished talking. Completely starved, Chastity didn't hesitate to ask Regina what she wanted to make them for lunch. Regina, already entirely at home and comfortable with her daughter, acted as though it were an everyday question, and asked her what she wanted.
"Well, what are you in the mood to cook?" Chastity answered her with another question.
Regina put her hands on her hips and she scanned over the cupboards. "Well, I wish I would have known you were coming; I would have made you a meal fit for a Princess." Regina replied, flashing her daughter a wily smile over her shoulder. Pondering her options a moment, she turned around, her hands still on her hips, and looked at Chastity, clearly stumped. "I haven't a clue what to make you." She admitted.
"Then how about we eat out? It will give me a chance to meet everyone." Chastity suggested, examining her mother's glorious kitchen while she talked.
Regina looked saddened and she took the seat next to Chastity, stealing her gaze, hoping she would listen to her. "I don't think that's a good idea. People here don't particularly like me." She said with a tone that suggested she hated them too.
"No, it's a perfect idea. It'll give me the opportunity to help, and you the chance to redeem yourself. I know you don't really want them to like you; you want them to like you so that you can get Henry back. Don't get me wrong, I want him back too, but you need to realize the position you're in right now. I know that you're strong enough to win their favor over; your heart still has purity left in it. I can feel it." Chastity countered gently, holding her mother's gaze to ensure her again that she was no threat.
"What do you mean by that?" Regina questioned defensively. "Are you actually siding with them!?" She pushed more harshly.
"No! Mom, listen to me," Chastity said as Regina stood up. "You've been broken down intentionally, and it left your heart in pieces. I can tell that when you get hurt, you become irrational and should be left alone, but during all those times that you were upset, you were shunned and pushed aside – you kept getting hammered with more stress, so people only ever saw the dark side of you. They've never seen the woman that you were last night and this morning." Chastity explained this quickly, being sure that Regina heard everything she said.
Past memories flooded Regina's head then, and she soon realized that her daughter was right; they never gave her a chance and she never got a break.
Chastity felt this and pushed the thought further. "Exactly, and now is your chance for recovery. Plus, you have me now, and I'm not going anywhere." She said, reassuring her again, hoping she got her point across.
A tear rolled down Regina's cheek and she pulled Chastity in for a tight hug, holding her so close she thought she'd never let go. Her daughter had become so precious to her, and no one was going to take her from her now; not even her own mother.
"Do you know why I named you Chastity?" Regina asked her suddenly, twirling her fingers through her daughter's hair lovingly.
Chastity shook her head.
"It's because you were my miracle. I sent you away because I didn't want my mother to corrupt you, and I wanted you to have a life outside of that one. You were meant to be pure . . . unattained from her reach," She explained softly, biting her lip, "And full of integrity . . . and you are. You're everything I wanted you to be and more." After saying this, Regina couldn't hold her tears back then. She cried into her daughter's shoulder, ever so thankful that they had been reunited.
At the worst possible time that Regina could have a visitor, someone knocked on the door. Startled, she pulled her head from her daughter's shoulder and looked to the front door, half infuriated, half distressed. She didn't want to deal with this now. She wanted to stay here in the kitchen with her Chastity in her arms forever. Looking back at her, Regina saw that Chastity was making it evident that she was ready to handle whoever stood behind that door.
Regina stood up, and Chastity went to follow, but Regina raised her hand in disagreement, "No, stay here. I'm not going to have anyone else taken from me, especially you." She said, regaining her strength somehow as she made her way to the door.
Throwing the door open, she held herself up in a way that would freeze anyone's blood solid in their veins. David stood on the porch with Grumpy behind him. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your acquaintance?" She asked him smoothly, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at Grumpy, who was tightly gripping his ax. "You won't be needing that." She said to him.
He shrugged, keeping the hard facial expression on his face regardless.
"Someone came to your house last night – I need to know who." David pressed briefly, not wanting to be near Regina any longer than necessary.
"That is none of your concern." She replied rather harshly, and turned to close the door in his face.
David grabbed the door before she shut it and pried it back open. "It is if the person proposes a threat to my family and this town." He demanded, keeping Regina's eyes locked on his as if to get her to listen and obey.
"That's my business, not yours!" Regina retorted, raising her voice and returning the equally intimidating glare.
"Mom stop!" Chastity hollered, unable to stay put any longer now, and she rushed to her mother's side.
Regina softened at her daughter's words, taking a step back from David, but keeping her eyes on his before Chastity took her hand. Regina squeezed it to reassure and steady herself and she glanced at her daughter and then back at David, desperately trying to control herself. She dared him with her eyes to lay a hand on her daughter so she could rip his throat and heart out.
"Mom?" David echoed her, looking horrified. "You're her daughter?" He asked Chastity, gesturing back and forth to the both of them with his right hand.
"Yes. Chastity Mills, pleased to make your acquaintance - really." She said shrewdly, though she was sincere nonetheless, "I promise I am of no threat to any of you; more than anything I'm here to help. Who you should be worrying about is Cora."
"Your grandmother?" David asked, still making the connections. He was frazzled. When Chastity nodded, he could hardly get his words out. "She's Daniel's, isn't she?" He asked Regina, his eyes much more tranquil and sympathetic now.
Regina herself couldn't speak now, she only nodded. She didn't want Chastity to find out about her father this way; in fact, she realized she didn't want her to know about him at all. It was too much. To Regina though, Chastity seemed to make no reaction, she simply kept her eyes fixed on David, hardly wavering. She seemed to be assessing the entire situation in every second that passed. Regina wondered if she was using her ability, considering the steadiness of her eyes and posture. Perhaps she was always like that; on top of things and so far above others that there was no knocking her down.
She was definitely her daughter.
David understood now. "I see. We have a deranged woman running around most likely planning on killing us all now. Great." He mused, tearing down his defenses between them completely with his sarcasm that showed his trust, and, knowing that they were not the problem at hand anymore, stopped being threating.
"I hear an alliance forming." Chastity remarked, raising an eyebrow in enthrallment. "This should be interesting." She added with a sly smile.
Grumpy chuckled, clearly pleased with Chastity's attitude, "I like her!" He admitted and complimented to her.
Seemingly impressed with herself, Chastity grinned and winked at him, returning her attention to her mother soon afterwards. Regina was uneasy, Chastity could feel it, but neither David nor Grumpy gave the impression that they saw the look on her face. She held herself up stunningly in the most daunting way possible. Chastity made the note to herself to start trying to hold herself up like her mother.
"If we do this, you must promise me that you will not kill my mother; you'll bring her to me unharmed." Regina cautioned.
David nodded and stuck out his hand for Regina to take it. She hesitated, looking him dead in the eye before grasping his hand. Her delicate hand in his seemed so strange and unequal, and after they shook, Regina returned it to her side with a cunning smile. With her other hand, she tightly gripped the side of Chastity's waist. It was then that Regina realized she was still in her flannel and shorts. Finding the dignity to refrain from blushing, she took a step back inside, tightening her grip on her daughter.
"We'll have to devise the plan later; I'm afraid Chastity and I have just woken up and we haven't eaten. How bout we meet at Granny's at twelve?" Regina recommended, flashing an evidently fake smile.
"Sounds good." David said, noticing that Regina had taken into account her state of clothing and made no hesitation to turn and head for the car.
Shutting the door, Regina stared at it a moment before turning to look at Chastity. Her daughter's face made her burst into laughter. Chastity held a devious grin, as she had just now noticed her mother's attire as well, and joined her in her mirth. It was the first moment they both felt they really had bonded, and as Regina led Chastity back into the kitchen with her arm securely wrapped around her waist, she knew that her happy ending lie in Chastity.
Lunch, or as it seemed, breakfast, consisted of ham, eggs, and toast. Even though the meal was thrown together, Chastity still found it to be a feast truly fit for a Princess and Queen. As they ate, humorous stories were swapped, and Regina was able to get a taste of what it felt like to be a kid again. Chastity was well on her way to becoming an adult, but that didn't stop her from having childish fun. She left sarcastic notes in people's windshield wipers that didn't know how to park, jump-scared her friends every time they turned a dark corner, and had the ability to make a baby laugh the minute she stepped into the room with one. Chastity was hardly able to finish her food, for every time Regina said something that reminded her of a past memory, it was quickly retold before it was forgotten. Regina didn't mind the interruptions; she wanted to hear every bit of her daughter's past, hoping that knowing it would make up for not being there to see it.
When they finished, Chastity helped with the dishes before heading out to her car to retrieve some of her things. Regina, unknown to Chastity, watched her from the window, still so far overly protective that she didn't dare let her out of her sight. Chastity pulled two bags from the backseat, slinging one over her shoulder and holding the other like a purse. She looked up from her luggage suddenly, facing toward the street, and Regina was apprehensive to see who had caught her daughter's attention so abruptly. Ruby trotted up to Chastity happily, bearing the look of curiosity and friendliness. She proposed no threat whatsoever, but Regina was on high end nonetheless. She haphazardly made her way to the door as they talked.
"Chastity? That's a nice name." Ruby was saying as Regina came strutting across the lawn toward her and her daughter.
"Chastity." Regina repeated, her tone of voice suggesting she had little to no tolerance with anyone in the town speaking to her daughter, and approached them with stone cold eyes.
Looking bewildered at her mother's reaction to her socializing with Ruby, Chastity raised an eyebrow and said thoughtfully, "Mom? It's okay. Ruby was just introducing herself."
"Mom?" Ruby echoed, her eyes widening in surprise. "Regina, you have a daughter?" She asked, more puzzled that Chastity had been.
"I do, and she's not to be around you people." Regina remarked hotly and grabbed her daughter by the arm.
"Whoa, wait a second. I'm allowed to have friends, am I not?" Chastity questioned, standing her ground when Regina tugged on her arm.
"Of course you are, dear, just not friends like her." Regina said, "Come on, sweetie." She pulled again, but Chastity continued to resist.
"No." She stated, "Mom, this isn't what I meant by redeeming yourself."
"I don't care; inside. Now." Regina demanded this time, tugging on Chastity hard enough to show her authority.
"Mom!" Chastity wined as she stumbled forward, the cut Regina had just inflicted on her heart growing deeper with every passing second.
"Now!" Regina backfired severely, pointing toward the house and making no move to back down.
Tears filled Chastity's eyes and she ripped her arm from her mother's grip. She took one last look at Ruby, and then at Regina before turning and heading into the house.
"And as for you," Regina began, looking at Ruby now with dark eyes, "Keep your paws off my lawn."
Ruby shook her head in disappointment. "She's your second chance, Regina. And I think you just might have blew it." She remarked, she herself starting to shed tears from the scene she had just witnessed. She left then, leaving Regina stunned in the middle of her own lawn.
"She has a daughter?" Snow repeated what her husband had just told her at the kitchen counter, gripping her tea cup tighter as she pondered the situation, "That can't be. When could she have possibly had her?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We'll be meeting with them at Granny's diner soon; you should start getting yourself ready." David said shortly, running a hand through his hair nervously and turning to pick up his sword. He hooked the sheath around his waist.
Snow's eyes narrowed in concern and she set her tea cup down on the counter, moving to get dressed into something other than her bed clothes, and David grabbed her arm. She looked up at him, seeing that his eyes were filled with anxiety to, and waited for him to say something.
"Whatever happens at the diner, I don't want you to be too quick for forgiveness. There's still a lot we have to figure out." He said, holding his weary eyes on hers as he spoke. "We have to be careful."
"It's okay, David." She spoke slowly, her face softening when his eyes hovered over her lips. She leaned forward and kissed him, placing her hand on his cheek. When she pulled back, she smiled sweetly. "We'll get through this, I promise." She said gently, her voice filled with hope.
As she continued to the bedroom to get dressed, David sat down at the counter, fiddling with the hilt of his sword nervously.
"Chastity?" Regina inquired softly from behind the bedroom door of her room. Chastity had locked herself inside, having no intentions of coming out anytime soon, and had unintentionally put Regina into a fit of despair. Regina, terribly wanting to be forgiven, wasn't about to leave until she was.
"I-I…" Chastity started to reply, but something stopped her. A moment passed before she spoke again, "I can't do this right now, Regina…" Her voice shook, and there was a muffled sound that suggested she had buried her face into a pillow.
Regina's breath was stolen from her. She took a step back, her hand on her chest. Chastity had never called Regina by her first name; she had only ever used 'Mom'. Her heart skipped a beat, and it was then that the Evil Queen's emotions took her over completely. She pressed her hand against the door and it swung open, slamming against the wall, loosening the hinges, and splitting the wood through the middle in the process. Chastity jumped slightly, but she kept her face in the pillow. Her body was shaking brutally.
"Chastity, listen to me!" Regina raised her voice and approached her daughter, grabbing her arm and pulling her upward.
Chastity let out a startled whimper and looked up at her mother with terrified and cloudy eyes. Her body was tense, and yet she seemed to be limp in Regina's grip. "Please! Please don't be like them!" She cried helplessly, hot tears streaming down her face, smearing her makeup. "Please…" She repeated and began to cough uncontrollably.
"What are you talking about?" Regina demanded, her voice no less harsh then when she had first entered.
Chastity was crying hysterically now, and Regina let go of her, letting her fall back onto the bed. She curled up into a ball, scared for her life. "They beat me. Every night." Chastity said, her words barely audible, "I don't want you to be like them. Please…" She sobbed, hugging herself as she trembled even more.
Taking a deep breath, Regina took a step away from her bed and her daughter. A tear rolled down her right cheek. "Chastity, I…" She began, her strength draining from her body when she realized what she had just done. She must have been so intimidating to her daughter then, so horrible that she surfaced an old memory out of Chastity from her past at the foster home; a memory that had been wished to be forgotten. "I'm sorry…" She choked, her bottom lip quivering. "I'm so sorry."
Chastity pulled her face from out of the pillow, looking up at Regina with innocent and harmless eyes. Regina lurched forward, pulling Chastity into her arms tightly, one hand across her back, the other behind her head. Chastity was stiff in her arms, her trust for Regina wavering. She was horrified that her mother would turn out like all the other people that had done her wrong for so many years. She had been alone in that orphanage, keeping a huge secret from the kids, and wondering how she possessed such a secret to begin with. And yet here she was, in the arms of the person who gave her such a secret to keep, and yet she almost felt like she wanted to leave it. It was then that she decided she hated magic.
"You're going to do it again." Chastity said, still not hugging her mother back.
Regina pulled away, holding her daughter's elbows in her hands as gently as she could, and asked desolately, "What?"
To Chastity, she had never seen Regina's face so upset when she asked this. Her lips had formed a terribly sad frown, and she was on the verge of breaking. "You're going to hurt me like this again. You're going to break your promises." Chastity paused, closing her eyes in distress, "You're going to stop trying for me."
"Chastity, I am so sorry. I'm trying my best, really. I hate disappointing you." She said, her lips still shaking. "I will never give up on this for you." She added, her grip tightening the slightest bit around Chastity's arms.
Her heart strained in her chest. She needed her to forgive her.
Chastity's lips parted as though she was going to say something, but she remained silent. She lifted her right arm and pushed her mother's hand off of her left arm gently. The look in her eyes brought more tears to Regina's. She released Chastity completely then, watching as she slipped off the other side of the bed and headed for the window. She stopped a moment, her hands resting upon the rim of the window, and turned back to face her mother.
"Prove yourself…" She said simply, "I'll be back." She lifted the window open and slipped outside. She shut it behind her and disappeared from Regina's sight. The sun poured out of the window as Chastity departed, and it shown down over Regina, giving a sparkle to her eyes. Perhaps Ruby was right. She was losing her only daughter and happy ending.