Oh My Sweet Doves! Thank you for all of your reviews, even the ones telling me goodbye. Unfortunately, it was the fastest way to break Regina, and Cora would have realized that by watching her daughter's interactions with our favorite wolf. Have faith!
Enjoy Lovelies!
Goodbye Maya Angelou, and thank you for your wonderful voice and inspiration.
Songs: Still by Daughter, Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus
This quote has been floating around a lot today, but it is entirely appropriate for this chapter.
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou
Regina awoke abruptly when a harsh force snapped her head to the side. Her jaw exploded with pain, and her eyes flew open in fear and confusion. David slipped shackles around her wrists. She flung her hands out, but no magic crackled at her fingertips.
"What the hell are you doing?" She spat, not quite able to control the quiver of fear in her voice. She summoned her magic again, but it failed her twice.
"Stop trying. Blue enchanted them with what little Fairy Magic was left. You're powerless," he spat is a harsh, ragged voice. His eyes were red, cheeks puffy like he'd been crying.
"David, what are you doing?" Emma's groggy voice floated over Regina's head.
"I'm taking The Evil Queen into custody to away her execution," he explained coldly to his daughter.
"What? No, Regina hasn't done anything to anyone since the curse broke. She's changed, David," Emma pleaded with her father, hoping he'd pardon Regina if for no other reason than she wished it.
"She did last night. Ruby…" he faltered, tears springing to his eyes. "Someone tore out Ruby's heart and crushed it after the party last night," his voice rose an octave in his grief. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Ruby's dead?" Regina confirmed, denial crushing her thoughts. "No, no that's not…" her words stopped as her head snapped back under the force of David's angry fist.
"You don't get to say her name!" He screamed at the semi-conscious woman. His emotions pulled him in a thousand different directions.
"David, how do you know it was Regina?" Emma asked, her voice forced through grief of her own. "Rumpelstiltskin can take hearts," she offered weakly.
"He was drunk off his ass at the Rabbit Hole all night. I already checked every other possibility. For you," he added, acknowledging his daughter's feelings for the shackled woman.
"Wasn't me," Regina slurred, fighting through her dizziness and pain. She wished she'd offered something more eloquent in her defense, but it was the best she had given the circumstance.
"Can you confirm that, Emma? That she was here all night?" Emma shook her head sadly. Her eyes widened with the realization. Her heart hurt with every breath. Was Regina actually capable of murdering someone so close to her?
"I went for a walk," Regina's small voice fought through the fog of David's abuse. "I would never hurt her," Regina whined as tears spilled onto her cheeks.
"I loved her, David! She's my… was," her words froze in her throat. Ruby was gone? "My best friend," she finished pathetically. Grief clenched her heart. How could she do this without Ruby? Had anyone told Belle? Oh god, Henry. Who was looking after Henry? Granny… Regina's mind flitted to those she cared for most.
"Emma, it wasn't me," Regina pleaded with the sheriff as David pulled her from the cot, but Emma's face pressed into the pillow away from her. "Emma," she sobbed.
"Emma!" Regina called to her as David dragged her from the room, literally kicking and screaming. "Emma, it wasn't me! Emma!"
She quieted when her voice became too raw to call to the savior anymore. Leroy and the rest of the dwarves met him at the hospital doors. They grabbed her roughly and dragged her through town. She let them. She'd lost Emma. Ruby was gone. Belle and Granny would never look at her again. She wanted to die. She accepted the peace it would bring.
People stood on the street, some confused, others yelling their support. A crowd awaited her in the middle of town. A wooden post had been erected, and she was swiftly tied to it. Dr. Zambrano stood off to the side, and Regina saw a glimmer of hope.
"Eva! Eva, I didn't do it! Touch me, read me, tell them. Tell them I didn't do it!" The young doctor approached her slowly, confusion in her eyes.
Snow and David exchanged a look, wondering what Regina squawked about now. She was desperate, and that gave them momentary pause. They allowed the woman her last request as a mercy.
"I'm sorry, Madame Mayor, have we met?" The doctor squinted, trying to remember. She'd crossed the line, Regina realized. She'd given her the blessing last night, and she'd taken it at face value. She was lost.
"I'm sorry, but I was just walking back to the hospital. I'm not even sure what I was doing out in the forest this morning," she admitted softly, and then hands were pulling her away from the condemned woman.
"Henry," Regina whispered, and Snow leaned in close to her ear.
"You will never see my grandson again," she seethed, clearly not willing to stop the execution through her grief.
Regina went numb. Belle stared at her from beneath Rumpel's arm. Her true love had been taken from her, so she ran straight back to something familiar. The short librarian approached her slowly, her eyes were clear and dry. She was numb, like Regina. She felt nothing but hatred and anger. The former mayor accepted the slap on her cheek and the next and the next.
Snow finally pulled her back with arms around her hands. Belle thrashed to be free, to alleviate the grief in her soul, but Snow held her firmly. Rumpel stepped forward and accepted the distraught woman into his arms. She smiled at Regina over Belle's head and ran a gentle hand on Belle's frizzy brown hair. He knew something. She sensed it. He taunted her with his superficial affection for Belle, and Regina prayed that he maintained the pretense of being partly reformed. She shivered to think of what Belle will endure if he punished her for her perceived transgression and betrayal. She and Ruby wouldn't be there to protect her, she realized sadly.
"Regina Mills, I sentence you to death for treason and the murder of a member of the queen's high court," Snow said stately, calling upon her princess training for the tone and demeanor. She'd named herself queen. She allowed that title to sink into Regina's heart and then nodded to her husband.
Charming drew his sword. Regina closed her eyes, ready for it to be over. She hadn't wanted to die, but she'd rather not live in a world without Ruby and without Emma and Henry's love. She heard the whoosh of air as he brought the sword towards her still bruised throat and then nothing.
The air grew colder, the roar of the crowd faded. Regina opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by the cold marble of her vault. Her shackles lay on the floor at her feet, and she rubbed her sore wrists, confused.
"Hello My Darling Daughter," a raspy voice called from behind her. Regina's blood ran cold.
"Mother," her voice hardened. "You killed her," she snarled as she whipped about and pressed Cora into the wall. The elder witch fought it, but Regina's rage powered her magic, and right now she possessed more than the day she cast the curse.
"Temper, Dear Girl," Cora chided in amusement, not afraid of the grieving woman.
"You killed her! And I'm going to take you to them to be executed!" Regina seethed.
"You may do that, but they will never look at you with kind eyes again. They'll never love you, but I do," Cora's soft voice slithered around Regina, and she faltered.
"Don't manipulate me, Mother," Regina reinforced her anger as best she could. She'd only wanted her mother's love. She might have it if she reached out and accepted. If she turned her in, Regina would have lived but probably as her mother said. Alone and unloved.
"I'm not, Darling. The fact is the wolf is dead, and even if they let you live, they will always look at you as though you had a hand in it. They will still abandon you," Cora let her words sink into her daughter's heart, and then went for the kill. "I'll never leave you," she whispered in the sincerest voice she managed to muster. Regina's magic weakened, and she pushed against it, breaking free with some effort.
"Mother," Regina's voice was thick with emotions, acceptance of her situation.
Cora was right. They'd never love her now. Could she accept the woman who had taken Ruby from this world? Cora touched her cheek softly, and Regina broke. She'd lost everything, but her mother loved her. She'd said it. At least she didn't have to be alone. She fell into Cora's waiting arms, sobs wracking her chest. She hated her mother and was disgusted on every level at her weakness, for needing Cora's comfort. She hated herself.
"See how weak love makes you, Darling," Cora whispered in her ear. She was right. If she'd never loved Ruby, she'd never have felt this anguish.
The next three days passed in monotony. Regina stayed in the secret chamber of her vault. She said nothing, ate nothing. Her mother mocked her, goaded her into action. The words rolled into Regina, and she nestled them against her chest, letting them take her further into the darkness she'd fought for so long. Cora even healed her physical wounds, presuming the removal of physical pain would lessen her daughter's discomfort.
"Now, doesn't that feel better?" Cora cooed and brushed her hand over her daughter's hair.
"It hurts, Mother," Regina whined as Cora's touch sparked the pain anew.
It didn't work. Nothing worked.
The image of Emma's face turned from her and Belle's empty eyes flashed constantly in her mind, and when she felt particularly weak, the last conversation she'd had with Ruby floated into her consciousness. She cried at those times, her anguish consuming her.
"Would you like to see Emma, Darling?" Cora asked, extending a mirror like always when Regina broke down and sobbed. Regina shook her head as she usually had.
Finally, Cora tired of attempting to soothe her daughter's grief. She'd broken her perhaps beyond repair this time, taken too many loved ones at once. She grabbed Regina's compliant hands and pulled her to her feet.
"Hook has called me with our signal. Go to the docks and collect my things from his ship," Cora ordered, hoping the task might help Regina begin her recovery.
"Yes, Mother," she replied mechanically. If she refused Cora's request, her mother might have deemed her beyond useful and abandoned her. She pushed down her disgust as she willingly obeyed the woman who had killed Ruby.
"You needn't board the filthy vessel. He can bring them to you," Cora ordered.
"Yes, Mother," she said again and then disappeared after much effort to gather her magic.
Hook, however, must wait. She appeared at the top of the crypt, needing a moment to adjust to the fresh air and bright sun again. In the distance, a large crowd gathered. Regina's heart clenched. It couldn't be, could it? She inched closer, considered using a cloaking spell to hide her presence, decided against it. Of course her mother chose today, Regina thought bitterly. She wanted to remind her of her weakness, strengthen her resolve to rip this town apart and take what she wished.
Belle and Henry clung to each other in the front row with Gold standing behind Belle protectively. Everyone sobbed. Ruby's funeral. Granny stood stoically at the foot of her granddaughter's grave. Regina bit her fist to keep from crying out in renewed torment. She'd loved the young woman deeply. She'd been her best friend, her confidante. She'd have given herself freely if only she traded fates with the young wolf. Her mind warred with her heart, knowing she should have turned Cora in to the idiots.
And then she saw her. Emma sat in a wheel chair, revealed by Snow and David when they shifted towards the grave. David turned the handle, lowering Ruby into the ground. Regina studied Emma's face. It was empty. She may have been there physically, but the sheriff had checked out mentally again. Like her, perhaps her mother had decided some fresh air might have helped. Emma stiffened and glanced up, like she'd sensed Regina.
They locked eyes for a moment. Tears filled four eyes, but Emma alerted no one to her presence. She simply stared at the woman who would have been her lover. Regina searched desperately for it but saw no hate in those eyes. Emma still believed in her, perhaps even believed she had nothing to do with Ruby's death. She disappeared in a silent puff of smoke.
"She needs her things," Regina demanded without pretense as soon as the pirate's leather-clad back appeared in front of her.
"Hello Your Majesty," Hook muttered and turned slowly. "Didn't expect you," he raked his eyes over her rumpled clothing, arms spread wide as if expecting a hug.
"She needs her things. Retrieve them now," Regina demanded.
"Not even a hello for an old enemy?" Hook jabbed at her buttons and received nothing for his efforts. Cora certainly knew how to deliver dirty punches. A twinge of sympathy grabbed at his heart for the broken woman before who only three days ago had stood strong and proud with love and respect. Cora had taken it in one night.
"Follow me," he waved his hook and turned toward his invisible ship. He disappeared for a moment, and then after a few curses and a bang reappeared with a burly man.
"I think this is what she refers to," Hook said smugly, clapping the man on the shoulder amiably. "This here is Anton," the pirate introduced.
"Where am I?" The heavy man asked with a soft voice. Regina rolled her eyes. What has her mother planned for Storybrooke?
Three sets of eyes turned towards the invisible ship when a series of thumps and muffled shouts filtered through the cloaking spell. Hook's eyes widened, flicking quickly to Regina before he pushed Anton towards her.
"Let me know how he works out for you," Hook shot over his shoulder and then disappeared again. Regina waited, and the racket ceased in a few minutes.
They hid something from her, and when she unleashed whatever her mother intended with the use of this man, she determined to find out what it was. She touched the man's brown robe and flashed into the crypt.
Cora clapped excitedly, clearly delighted with her daughter's success. "Wonderful, Regina!" The woman cooed. "Now, let's get to work, shall we?"
"Anton, do you remember the prince who killed your family and stole your compass?" Cora asked, a dangerous sneer in her voice. The man's face immediately tightened, hands clenching into fists.
"Excellent," Cora whispered and then produced a blue mushroom from the pocket of her dress. "How would you like to exact your revenge? He's in this land, right outside in fact if they haven't stopped sniveling about that vile creature. You may be just in time to catch," Cora informed the man as she pressed the mushroom into his hands.
"Mother?" Regina questioned. Henry and everyone she still loved were also just outside.
"Oh don't worry, Regina. We'll go watch from a rooftop somewhere. If your boy is endangered in any way, I will protect him," Cora flapped her hand trivially.
"Take Hook. I have no heart for destruction today, Mother," Regina bit and retreated to the chaise lounge she'd occupied for the past three days.
Cora ignored Regina's dramatics and spoke quietly with Anton as she escorted him from the crypt. Regina counted to 300 in her head before she ever moved. Certain that her mother had disappeared and that she'd protect Henry if anything should happen, she appeared at the docks. Cora was heartless, of that she was certain, but she knew that hurting anyone else Regina cared for would send her daughter into a spiral from which she'd never recover.
She saw neither Hook nor Cora when she arrived, so she quietly approached the invisible ship. It creaked and groaned. She nearly fell into the water twice while searching for the ramp. The cooling air bit at her cheeks, and she suspected there would be a storm in just a few hours. Night descended quickly, and she fumbled in frustration for the dock. Finally, her hands landed on something solid, and she boarded the Jolly Roger with shaking hands. That mushroom wouldn't last forever, and Cora's anger would burn if she learned of her daughter's betrayal.
Regina needed to know, however, if her mother had brought anything that might harm her son or Emma. They may not have wanted her anymore, but she loved them dearly, her weaknesses. If her mother perceived any betrayal, they'd both be endangered, so she moved quickly. A swift sweep of the desk yielded nothing magical or dangerous, only normal tools of a pirate ship. It wasn't filthy like her mother had said. In terms of pirate ships, this one definitely received much care and love from her captain. It was spotless, clean of dirt and cobwebs, top form.
The lower decks were a bit more confusing, full of dead ends with no real pattern to its lay out. Regina expected nothing less. Pirates were paranoid by nature, so they instinctively designed their ships to offer the maximum amount of security and safety if ever attacked. Still Regina saw nothing of concern, nothing that would have been trying to break free. They hadn't imagined the sounds, not with Hook's worried and scared expression. The ship was clean, in more than one way.
Regina stamped her foot and crossed her arms in frustration. What had Hook hidden from her? The rattle of chains accompanied the muffled bangs this time. They filtered up from the floor boards and Regina wrinkled her nose. She waved her hand at the floor, testing each board for a weakness that indicated a trap door. Nothing.
She moved through the rest of the lower deck, testing the floor with her magic. Finally, on the opposite side of the ship, a hidden door gave way and flung open. She looked inside and then lowered herself into the bottom hold of the ship. It was barer down here. It was meant for prisoners and treasure, Regina deduced from the chains on the wall and the putrid scent of death and human waste.
Regina gagged and covered her mouth and nose with her blazer sleeve. The further she traipsed towards the other end of the ship, however, the lesser the smell became. Eventually, she breathed normally with only a hint of sourness filling her nostrils. Her sense of smell acclimated quickly and soon became immune to the scent.
She came to what had to be the final door and waved her hand. Tumblers and cogs clicked and banged as she unlocked the door with magic. The rattling picked up again behind the door. She'd found it. She took a deep breath, steadied herself. Magic at the ready she pushed the door open quickly.
Her heart stopped. A thin female body hung from the wall. Her ripped bra the only thing separating her from complete humility. Infected cuts and bruises had trashed the pale skin. The woman's eyes were swollen shut, face puffed from multiple blows over a period of days. Blood dripped from her wrists and mouth and covered her arms and chest. It took Regina a moment, and her stomach roiled as bile crept up her throat as she slowly recognized the battered woman.
"Ruby."
