I don't own OUAT.
Emma wasn't aware that Regina could ever drive like a suicidal maniac that has never actually learned the traffic rules. Or that she was actually capable of destroying-or damaging- town property (a bin, someone's bike and- do dwarves count as town property?) , with her bitching about town budget and the importance of town signage (no seriously, the only reason Emma did not die of boredom during that particular meeting is because annoying Regina with her 'unprofessional attitude' is actually fun)
But apparently she is, or Emma would not be pressed into a car seat with her thoughts being something like I am not even going to be able to say goodbye to Henry or my parents who will forever think I am missing because Regina is THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS and is going to freaking kill us BOTH. As Regina hisses at her – are you insane, you are driving like that and now you are not even looking at the road?!- to stop 'making those noises, miss Swan, it sounds atrocious ' she only honks louder.
They swerve left and the anxious , half- angry (why must I like a woman whose emotions always turn into anger) look leaves Regina's face. She gently strokes Emma with her free hand, which is part bliss and part 'DON'T TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THE WHEEL'. As Regina glances at her and chuckles , Emma suddenly realizes something very bad.
Regina knows. Regina knows it was Emma who was staring at her and Emma who jumped on her chest and Emma whose traitorous feathers keeps fluffing up whenever Regina touches her. Regina's hand is warm and soft and her feathers are , in fact, doing the fluffing thing again and-
She suddenly feels like that time a foster parent locked her in their very tiny cellar and every time she breathed she inhaled so much dust that she would bend over and cough her lungs out.
Somehow, Regina knows. Perhaps Emma's feet are actually moving like they obey to her need to run or it is just because Regina is empathic or perhaps it is because of this thing where they get each other better than anyone around them. But Regina knows.
Her hand retracts, but remains next to Emma. " Honestly, Swan, it is a miracle to me how you managed this. I have told you before not to attempt complicated spellcasting without me" and it should be harsh, but even if the words are a little, Regina's voice is mostly gentle ( with a slight undertone of anger; Emma knows Regina tends to show worry in the form of anger)
Her feathers are just settling, her muscles not as tense as before anymore as Regina's words actually register. Wait, are you serious? Do you really not get that-
Emma thinks it is just Regina's driving, which is just slightly less life-threatening ( but definitely injury-threatening) than before when the car lurches and starts to spin. The seatbelt cuts into her feathers as she automatically tries to get to Regina. She feels her energy leak away as her magic reacts a second later- quick, yes, but not quick enough.
Regina's head slams into the wheel, which might actually save her because the glass shatters a second later. Emma twists her body in angles it shouldn't be able to as she sees the blood on Regina's cheek ( and how still she is, how quiet ).
She has almost freed herself when the seatbelt suddenly starts moving – only in fucking Storybrooke- and rises like one of those snakes that react to some person playing a flute. She lunges herself across it, lands on Regina's lap and screeches.
She tries to summon her magic, but all it does is make her more and more tired with her muscles feeling like they only should after she has won a marathon or possibly Olympian gold. Her sight actually blurs for a second, so she only sees something black move from right-left-right-left.
She shakes herself , flaps her wings and makes as much noise as possible . Her vision is slowly returning, but she still thinks it is messing with her for half a beat. Then she realizes that she is still in Storybrooke so it is completely possible and logical that a seatbelt is turning green and suddenly hissing.
She makes herself as big as possible- hopefully enough to shield Regina's unconscious form- as the forked tongue and soon after, the entire snake head appears. She screams at it, for once glad that swan sounds so awful.
It hesitates for a moment- she almost thinks this will work- then suddenly lunges for her. She flaps her wings crazily, uses the moment it hangs back a little to torpedo her beak towards it. It tries to twist around her head, but she opens her beak and throws it away from her.
It returns, mouth wide open and venom dripping from its fangs. She steels herself for the end – shit kid, I am sorry- when there is purple smoke and there is merely a seatbelt on the seat next to Regina's still form. She nearly faints, her magic throwing up a wobbly force shield before she has even thought about it.
There is a chuckle- so similar yet so different- and then the world around her is purple and cinnamon and sharp nails stroking her feathers. She weakly fights as she realizes she is in the queen's arms, feathers puffed up in reply to the dark black fingers scratching them.
"Hello again, pet" the queen smiles slowly.
Emma struggles again, but her strength is fading. Already, she can see black spots at the edges of her vision. Her head is feeling like it has been slammed against the ground multiple times (which has actually happened, she better not have a concussion again)and she can taste iron. She knows using magic is making her so weak and in pain, but not using it means leaving Regina vulnerable to the person who hates her the most right now.
" You truly are the saviour. Not that pale imitation of me taking a nap over there would be able to work against my spell this much"
The queen merely laughs as Emma makes the most furious sound ever. The last time she felt like this, she was pointing a gun at Lily. "Aren't you a fierce one " she purrs,
Actually pressing Emma closer to her and normally she might react drastically different to being pressed against the queen's chest , but now all she cares is about is protecting Regina. She wishes she still had teeth.
She tries to scream "REGINA, GET YOURSELF OUT OF HERE" as soon as she hears the weak groan. The queen lifts her, purring " Now it is time for fun", then holds her so tightly pressed against her chest that breathing becomes a little difficult.
She hardly has the strength left to lift her head , but she starts struggling as much as she still can when she hears Regina's hissed " you".
" Me. Did you honestly think it was going to be as simple as crushing my heart?".
Emma doesn't know how- it is not like she can see anything or feel the heat or anything- but she somehow knows Regina now has a fireball in her hand. She hears the door of the car slam shut and Regina's heels on the pavement.
" Are you going to prepare roasted Swan for me? " The queen mocks.
" You have three seconds to release her before those leather boots will be melted to your flesh".
" You have hurt her quite terribly already, do you honestly want me to drop her? ".
" One".
" You know, my viper almost ripped her apart as she attempted to protect you oh-so-valiantly".
" Two".
"I have to admit, making Snow's precious little princess love you is not a completely imbecilic plan. Perhaps I will even keep her, as soon as I find where you kept her heart. Or did you use a love spell? That would be something- even Rumple finds those too immoral".
Emma nearly throws up when the worlds blackens for a moment, unconsciously presses closer to the queen. She doesn't know where they have teleported to – she both hopes and fears, far away from Regina – but she does know that there was something wrong with that fireball . She tries to struggle again as she realizes it must be because Regina is hurt.
" I have given up on the nefarious plotting. Now release her or- "
"You will attempt to throw another fireball and get a nosebleed? Terrifying. Or perhaps- " Emma can feel the queen moving, so she pinches her in warning. Try to hurt the mother of my son and I will break your arm. " you will heal yourself, which will take long enough that I get the perfect opportunity to repay you".
Emma tries to lift her head and turn it to see why Regina inhaled sharply. She only manages to lift it the barest minimum and then rests it on the queen's chest again . She has to fight to keep conscious as a soft hand strokes her head.
" You want to rip my heart out".
The laughter of the queen is barely audible over the furious sounds Emma is making , the very idea of someone doing that to Regina enough to make a surge of adrenaline pump through her body. She unexpectedly pinches the skin that is visible above the dark line of a corset, leading to the grip on her lessening. She tries to jump out of the arms, but as she feels a hand stroke the entire length of her back, her head starts to feel heavier and her eyes close despite her best intentions and-
" I am not sure yet" it is so difficult not to sleep, but she needs to hear this. " You care for her".
" I never knew that the heart was somehow connected to the brain".
" You can call me brainless all you want, but crushing my heart, does not change the fact that I am a part of you. You cannot hide anything from me".
" You are no longer a part of me. And you know nothing".
" Don't I? So it is not true then –" the gentle motion as the queen walks, as well as the fact that her grip isn't tight anymore (she is held more like a baby now, which is- should she be insulted?) makes it even more difficult to not fall asleep. Somehow, she manages. Probably that stubbornness that Regina always pretends to be annoyed about. " that you are denying your affection for this woman, solely to keep me from ripping her heart out".
Regina's laugh does not sound like that. Emma is only barely conscious and every waking second is a fight against her body and the magic that conspire to make her sleep. Only the thought that the queen will hurt her family is strong enough to make her fight. " Even if you manage a halfway decent lie, your heart will not ever lie. It is beating so strongly- ".
" If you want my heart, just take it. You are doing a remarkable job boring me to death, but crushing my heart will be easier".
" It will not be painful or long enough. You deserve far worse for what you did to me".
" I will find a way to destroy you if you even- "
The next words make Emma feel like she in a dream at the same time that she temporarily feels more awake than should be possible. " You forget , Regina. Remember when you gave the thief your heart? Remember why you did not dare give it to the only person with magic strong enough to actually guard it?".
" I can see right through you. I have manipulated people exactly that way before, did you honestly think I would fall for it? I loved Robin".
" Naturally, he was your soulmate. And I am sure he would have been adequate, would have been able to connect to you just enough, make you smile just enough, satisfy your libido just enough..".
She pauses a moment, the silence before the storm. " Emma Swan, on the other hand? " . Emma doesn't know what she is feeling, she just knows that she need to hear more.
" She would have almost been too much, connects more and easier to you than anyone else, makes you smile even if you tell yourself you should be exasperated and if she were to kiss you… - "
Emma feels fingers stroke her feathers almost tenderly. " I am certain that it would be a lot more than adequate. Really, you being such a coward and not taking what should be ours is almost enough reason to hurt you".
" She isn't property" Emma is surprised by the amount of venom she can hear in Regina's voice.
The queen laughs. " I should not be surprised- considering you are surrounded by idiots- but it is still difficult to believe no one ever noticed your .. affection for their precious saviour".
" Enough talking". Emma feels that awful sensation of teleporting again, then magic tugging at her. It is less hostile, feels less like a group of more-or-less benevolent bees flying around her, so she knows it is her Regina. Well, not hers but-
" You are not taking her from me. In fact, I am going to take her for me. I think I deserve to have a plaything if I am going to be stuck around petulant dwarves and the like that think they have a right to command a queen – even if it is the meekest, most pathetic part of her".
" You just claimed to love her as- to love her". Emma nearly chokes, when had she said that?
" It only makes sense, does it not?".
"But if you feel- if you love her- "
" You remember what mother was like without a heart. And maybe the Charming-approved version of us is still a meek guard dog but I am The Queen" .
" What do you want". Emma nearly gives herself away when she nearly twists out of the loose grip. Regina is planning something, something bad. She is going to do the thing again, where she is all 'thanks for trying miss Swan' and Emma cannot-
" Snow's heart, perhaps? ".
" No".
" Weak, honestly- "
Emma doesn't know what happened. One moment, she is secure in the queen's arms , that sleepiness returning bit by bit. The next she is falling down and only barely caught by magic. She hears two nearly identical voice, explosions, sounds she can't easily identify (but Christ, it might be a car being thrown) and then a choking sound.
She manages to open her eyes just enough to see a scene from her nightmares.
Regina is on her knees, additional bruises on her face. The queen is standing, fine apart from an ugly cut on her throat. They are both watching the arm in Regina's chest.
The queen pulls back and Emma tries and tries and tries to move towards the red-black heart glowing faintly. Her limbs won't obey, no matter how many times or how loud she screams at them to move. She is nothing more than an audience, forced to watch as Regina tries to push herself up.
" You know you forgot one thing when you put that spell on this- " the queen taps the heart with one slightly bloody finger. " it won't do much good against yourself".
Regina desperately lunges( she is hurt enough that it is more stumbling than lunching) for the heart, brown eyes tearing up, but only manage to throw herself on the gravel as the Queen disappears in a swirling purple cloud.
Emma thought Regina had never looked as defeated and pained as she had in New York- Henry missing and a dead soulmate- but now she knows how wrong she is. As Regina lays there, hardly managing to use her scraped hands to push herself up and with an expression that makes Emma fight even harder to get to her , she knows.
This is what a defeated Regina Mills looks like.
The spell they are talking about is the one from 3.18 – when Regina made sure Zelena could not use her heart to control her.