The buzzing of her alarm was no match for the pounding of her head. Regina flung out an arm to silence the clock. Damn Emma's tacos and cheap Mexican beer. She burrowed further under the blankets, willing herself to go back to sleep until Saturday. Or maybe until next year, that would be fine too.
Without fail, the clock buzzed again nine minutes later. Regina heaved a sigh and shoved the covers away. Like it or not, she had to be in her office in an hour and a half. Shower, she thought, and coffee. And maybe some of the Alka Seltzer she kept in the back of the medicine cabinet for emergencies.
She'd had every intention of making a quick appearance at the loft, cuddling baby Neal, and ducking out quietly within the hour, but Henry had been so glad to see her that she had stayed. Long after the boys had fallen asleep, she had sat up with Emma and Snow and David, rehashing the events of the day. She hadn't expected to want to stay and talk about it, but Snow had been gentle, and Emma had been indignant on her behalf, and David had been his usual somewhat clueless self. Regina had been surprised at how comforting their reactions had been, and at how freeing it was to have an audience that seemed to be firmly on her side for a change. So she'd stayed, and she'd downed four (Five? Six?) beers in short order, and by the time she'd magicked herself home and thrown herself into bed, she had been feeling pretty good.
That feeling was long gone now, and in its place was an unpleasant Mexican food and beer hangover. Definitely Alka Seltzer, she thought, pressing her hand to her temples. She pushed herself into an upright position with a groan. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw loose bits of paper on the nightstand. She vaguely remembered scribbling notes to herself before collapsing into bed last night. Find the author, one said. The second, Neutralize Gold. The third, Happy Ending.
God, she thought, even her drunk self couldn't stop trying to solve everyone's problems. She shuffled the notes in her hand so that Find the author was on top. First, shower. Then find the author and set things right. She got herself on her feet and sat back down on the bed with a thump. Definitely Alka Seltzer first.
Her headache had abated by the time she pulled into her reserved parking spot at City Hall, and her stomach no longer threatened to eject the bagel she'd choked down on her way to the loft to pick up her car. Until, of course, Emma showed up twenty minutes later with an egg sandwich from Granny's. The greasy smell was enough to send her stomach churning, and by the look on Emma's face, was clearly also enough to turn her complexion green. "I guess I don't need to ask how you're feeling," Emma said, tossing the egg sandwich into the trash.
"At least when I tried to kill you, it was quick," Regina muttered.
"Well, buck up, Madam Mayor. We have things to do. Gotta go raid a log cabin and do some author-napping."
"About that," Regina sighed. "Somehow I don't think Gold is just going to let us waltz in there and make off with his only hope for salvation. He's probably got a blood lock on the cabin."
"See, every time you mention blood lock, it's always bad."
Regina smiled. "Well, look on the bright side. What I'm going to teach you today is far more impressive than a blood lock." Emma cocked an eyebrow. "I know you love that car of yours, but how do you feel about learning how to really travel in style?"
Emma took to teleportation almost instantly; she was innately fearless and her mind tended to run in several directions at once, so coaching her to focus that took Regina less than half an hour. Of course, she had landed for the first time in the middle of Granny's walk-in freezer rather than in the dining room of the restaurant, but these things happened. The first time Regina had tried to teleport herself, she'd wound up knee-deep in a horse trough. Emma was delighted with her newfound skill, and Regina found it necessary to remind her that it was exceptionally rude to poof in unannounced to the mayor's office, or the mayor's house, or the mayor's vault, or anywhere the mayor happened to be. Emma replied that she'd much rather sneak up on Killian in the shower, and the bagel that had been digesting so nicely once again threatened to make a reappearance.
"Seriously, how great would this have been when Henry was little? You could have just poofed yourself into his room to see if he was really doing homework instead of reading comic books."
"Yes, that's exactly what I needed. My son already didn't trust me, so why not go ahead and ruin our entire relationship for the sake of third-grade math?"
Emma's face fell. "I didn't mean-"
"I know you didn't. I'm just…not in a good mood."
Emma waved her hand, and a bottle of root beer appeared. Regina couldn't help but smile. "You definitely have been practicing." She took the soda. "But you forgot the bottle opener again."
Regina had sent Emma to pick up Henry from school and waited for them to meet her at the edge of the woods outside of town. She didn't love the idea of involving Henry in this part of the plan, but blood magic required blood, and Henry was the only remaining relative who could undo Gold's lock. She had called Snow and David to fill them in, and Snow reported that Gold was in his shop, arguing with Belle. She asked Snow to stick around and let her know if Gold went on the move.
"I will," Snow had replied. "Regina…be careful, ok?"
"I'm always careful." Regina ended the call and shoved the Blackberry into her coat pocket. Time to get this show on the road. She turned to look back toward town, expecting to see Emma and Henry coming down Main Street. She most definitely did not expect to find herself on the ground, knocked flat by the sudden appearance of her son and his mother.
"Mom!" Henry shouted, reaching down to help her up. She stood and brushed off her coat, glaring at Emma.
"I had to see if I could move both of us, didn't I?" Emma smirked. "All right, kid, looks like we're good to go. You ready to take on the bad guys?" Henry's face lit up. "Awesome!" he replied. He and Emma shot down the path toward Gold's cabin, leaving Regina to follow along, wondering how she'd wound up with two children instead of one.
The three of them stood at the clearing, surveying the isolated cabin. "I never thought my grandpa would have a place…so simple." Henry said.
"Well, not everyone can have a batcave," Regina replied. "Or a fortress of solitude," Emma added.
Henry smiled at his mothers. "You two have been paying attention."
"Just wait until you start talking about girls, kid. You'll regret that you have two moms who pay attention then."
Regina edged closer to the porch. "You know the plan? Henry and I release the blood lock, and then you two get out of here and go back to the loft."
"Don't worry, Mom. We've got this." Henry grasped her hand, and Regina nodded. The two of them turned to face the cabin, and Regina repeated the incantation she'd invoked with Emma just a few days before. The door shimmered, and the enchantment disappeared.
"And we're out," Emma said, grasping Henry's other arm. "See you on the other side, Regina." With a puff of silvery smoke, they were gone, leaving Regina standing alone to face what was in the cabin.
Maybe not so alone. Regina suddenly became aware that there was someone standing behind her. She whirled around, fireball at the ready, expecting to find Gold.
Definitely not expecting to find Robin holding his crossbow. "We have to stop meeting like this," he said with a smile.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped.
"Your stepdaughter called me. Told me you were coming out here to liberate the author. I thought you might appreciate having someone have your back."
"I can take care of myself," Regina huffed.
"I know you can," he replied. "But you don't have to. I'm here to make sure you're all right." His eyes locked on hers, a steady gaze that told her that arguing would be a waste of time. And since time was already short, she decided not to press the point.
"Just don't get in my way," she said. He stepped aside and swept his arm to the cabin. As she stalked past him, she heard his soft Wouldn't dream of it, and her heart beat a little faster. She would die rather than admit it, but it was a good feeling having an extra set of eyes. Having someone watching her back for a change.
Robin remained on the porch as she entered the cabin. The author was sitting in the same chair in front of the fire that had held August just more than a week before. His head snapped up as she entered, and he studied her calmly.
"Regina," he said. "I was hoping I'd see you again."