We are neither A&E nor ABC; we do not own OUAT. We just play in a certain town in Maine and its fairytale land counterpart…
Chapter Two
Regina felt tension tightening the muscles at the back of her neck and shoulders. Again, she wondered how many times she had to pay for her mistakes and choices; how unfair was it to have to align herself with the Charmings - yet again - while having Henry oblivious to her identity and Emma being… Emma.
But my sweet prince isn't even here. The damned pirate is keeping him occupied. How cozy are they that Emma trusts them spending time together like this?
That thought alone made Regina extremely cranky. She sighed and rolled her shoulders, trying not to think about how well they must have bonded in Neverland, and perhaps in New York City when Hook had come to find her.
Ugh. Just stop.
To Mary Margaret she snarked, "I can't believe you trusted Zelena to be your midwife without any references. Just welcome the enemy right into your home? Really?"
"Hey! Since when does anyone around here check references?" Emma snapped back, before adding another comment when she remembered one incident where references had been thoroughly checked. "Unless you're a new deputy in town, I'm pretty sure most here go on the honor system."
Regina rolled her eyes, remembering how Graham had hired Emma just to spite her! But pointing that out would be completely unproductive and would bring up issues that she would rather leave buried.
"Besides… she had seemed nice and was so helpful," Mary Margaret protested meekly.
Regina shot her an incredulous look; the woman almost sounded like her cursed self rather than Snow White. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Whatever. We need to take the fight to her because this reacting defensively isn't helping us," she said. "That means we need to find her and really figure out what she wants with us."
"Agreed," David said with a nod. Arms folded across his chest, he suggested, "Why not go back to where she taunted me in the forest and start a search from there? It's our last known location for her or her magic."
Mary Margaret nodded. "I can help track her! That's what I'm good at."
"Mary Margaret, we've been over this. You're nine months pregnant! It's just not safe for you to be trekking through the forest!" David insisted.
Regina lifted a brow at the domestic spat and looked to Emma. "Perhaps we should go and hunt for Zelena while they argue over her proper role in this mess?"
"You want to go traipsing through the woods with me?" She looked down at the killer heels Regina was wearing. "You're gonna kill yourself."
"Then I'll borrow some of your combat boots," Regina said with a snide glance at the blonde's footwear. Then, she sighed and waved a hand. She offered a terse, "Sorry."
"We have to band together!" Mary Margaret insisted. "If Zelena tears us apart, she'll achieve whatever it is she's planning for sure!"
Regina sighed again. "At least on that, we can agree. Can we take action then, or is there more we wish to talk about?"
"Regina's right. The more we wait around and do nothing, Zelena has more time to prepare for whatever it is she's planning," David said firmly. "But that still doesn't change the fact you're pregnant, Snow. It's not safe." He gave her a sharp look because he knew that determined one glaring back at him. The one where Snow would argue him to death until she finally agreed with him, and then somehow manage to sneak out into the woods to look for Zelena regardless of his disapproval.
"You really need to listen to David. Forget the physical demands of being as pregnant as you are, believe me I know,but Zelena wants something from the baby. You can't be this stubborn right now. You have someone else's life you're looking after. And that's not fair to them," she said passionately, watching as her mother slowly began to back down and that fiery spirit diminish. The savior wasn't going to have Mary Margaret put her needs before another child of hers if she could do something about it. If her mother wanted a do-over, she needed to do it right, and not be so selfish in wanting to do what she thought was best without thinking of the unintended consequences.
Mary Margaret went quiet, contemplative, as Emma went back to Regina's suggestion. "Look, you two should stay here. Just in case Zelena comes back for any reason - as unlikely as that is. But better to be safe. Regina and I can go out looking for her. Despite the snarkfest, it's really not a bad idea. And we'll keep in contact too."
She sighed, remembering that Henry would be back here soon with Hook. "Plus, we need you guys here when Henry gets back. Let him know where I went off to. But what do we tell him? I'm sure a girl scouting expedition into Storybrooke's woods with its Mayor won't fly."
Hating that there was - conveniently - not enough potion to bring back Henry's memories and hating that they were forced to lie to him about the true nature of what was transpiring, Regina's expression turned stormy and the ache in her shoulders intensified.
"You're supposedly here for your ability to find people, so that is honest enough as to what we are doing," she pointed out. "Henry won't like it, but it is the truth."
"Yeah," she agreed somberly. Like Regina, Emma hated lying to Henry but this was the closest angle they could use for the truth. "Let him know I'm still helping the Mayor track down someone. I'll fill in the rest when we get back."
"Let's get on with this then," Regina said. "We'll be in touch."
After a short, strained debate about who's vehicle they would take out to the woods - Regina's Benz or Emma's Bug - the compromise was to take a squad car. Emma was rightfully behind the wheel with a closed-off and uncomfortable-looking Regina in the passenger seat.
I should try and speak with her. We never have time to talk, and now that we're "friends," we should… right? Regina thought.
"Henry said you had quite the apartment in New York. Nice view and all…" she said, glancing at Emma out the corner of her eye.
Regina was standoffish towards her in an oddly polite sort of way. She was closed off because Henry didn't remember her, had to work with Emma's parents, and was ignorant of what happened in the last year. She was unable to be in control, and the blonde knew that Regina was seething far more underneath then she let on. That was why Emma left the Mayor alone as they drove, knowing that any attempt at smalltalk would probably be misconstrued as pity. And she really didn't want to fight with the brunette. It was different coming to the defense of Mary Margaret when Regina was borderline hostile, but there was just too much going on in Emma's head to be trying as hard with her as she usually did.
And bringing up how I want to go back to New York with Henry is soooo not happening right now, Emma thought.
She hid her surprise well enough when Regina brought up New York all on her own, almost like they were thinking about the same thing - just quite differing implications of the city that Henry and Emma called home in the last year. Mainly it was the fact it was Regina who spoke first that had caught her off guard, not necessarily the city itself.
But is it all that crazy for her to ask about her son and the life he had?… No. Not at all.
"He told you that on your ice cream adventure?" she prodded, wondering if the mayor would open up more about what the two of them talked about.
Looking straight out the front window of the patrol car, Regina nodded. "Yes. Under the pretense of having known you in the past - without any detail about that, mind you - I asked Henry what life was like in the Big Apple. Nice, by the way, that that was where you settled. Pun intended?" She smirked to herself. "He talked about his school, his friends. Your life there, in general."
Walsh, she thought to herself, but did not say.
Emma paused at Regina's attempt at humor, smiling lightly. "Maybe the memories you gave us were biased to the nickname?" she teased back.
Boston was out for some reason and I think that had to do with Regina adopting Henry there. Or maybe how close it was to Storybrooke? She honestly didn't know the answer. "Nice he gave you some more info than what we talked about before. You know? When we were on stakeout." Eyes flickered towards Regina sympathetically. "It's good you two actually talked about stuff there."
Even with his memories still gone about you. It's still something, she thought, keeping that to herself. They were so alike with their heads full of unspoken thoughts that would be too painful to broach in open conversation.
Regina made a soft noise at the back of her throat, dissatisfied with Emma's reply. Not that they'd ever really been friends, but their relationship had surely changed since the damned failsafe diamond. Or at least, so Regina had felt. And as a result, she'd hoped for more of an honest talk about the year Emma and Henry had spent away from Storybrooke. Away from her.
"Yes. He was unfailingly polite and… charming." Regina simply couldn't pass that one up. She sighed. "Henry offered a glimpse into the good year you'd had together, while it was just part of his life's narrative for him. He did say that you had been quite happy…"
"He did, did he?" she said, being non-committal as she turned the patrol car down the main road which would bring them closer to where David had been attacked. "It's not a false statement. I was. You gave us the necessary tools for a good life, Regina. But … it didn't matter. Fantasyland still found me and ruined everything."
The brunette scowled. "I'm sorry you feel that remembering us is so terrible and detrimental."
Regina closed herself off then, arms folded over her chest in a clearly defensive and aggravated posture. Truly, she didn't know what else she expected out of Emma given how profound the good memories had been that she'd blessed them with, what only felt like days ago to her. Emma had grown up without magic, had grown up in the "real" world, and so… why wouldn't New York feel right, despite the fact that she had come back when she regained her memories?
"Wait... what?" Emma's tone conveyed her confusion, head snapping back against the seat in shock. "I didn't mean that! I'm not upset that I remember everything. I'm upset that …" she stopped there, shaking her head in clear aggravation that Regina was immediately taking things so personal. It made her struggle, not wanting to open up about what really bothered her about New York.
"It's fine, Miss Swan. Except for where Henry's concerned, it is really none of my business," Regina replied coldly. "Let's just focus on what we're out here to do."
What were you thinking? She might know you've changed - or are trying to - and she might understand you wanted to give them a good life, but villains do not get happy endings, Regina. Emma isn't interested, nor will she ever be. Get a hold of yourself.
"But it does concern Henry," she countered, pushing through the grating tone of her formalized name spoken and Regina amping up the bitchiness.. "He honestly didn't tell you about Walsh?"
"Of course he did," she snapped irritably, before thinking she should've moderated her tone. But now, Regina was on a roll and couldn't seem to hide the jealousy in her voice much less everything on her mind. "That you were quite close. He'd proposed. Henry worded it, however, that if you'd accepted his proposal, you wouldn't be here now on this peculiar job."
Thankfully no one else was on the road when the savior slammed on the brakes, flipped on her hazards, and put the car in park. Regina yelped.
Emma whipped her head around and all but snarled at the former evil queen. "I didn't accept his proposal because I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do. Which was a good thing considering the bastard turned into a flying monkey. So my apologies, your Majesty, for not being clear on what particular parts of fantasyland were pissing me off!"
From a tactical point of view, what Regina realized was that Zelena's reach had extended far beyond Storybrooke. If this Walsh had been a flying monkey, it meant Zelena had deliberately inserted him into Emma and Henry's life. Whether it was to keep her distracted and away from Storybrooke or for some other diabolical purpose, understanding that her influence was that far-reaching kept the mayor silent. Regina had sent them away so they could survive Pan's curse, and had unwittingly put Emma and Henry into harm's reach while she'd been… well, she still didn't know where she'd been in the last year!
"I apologize for intruding," she said crisply, not giving away any indication of how deeply she felt about this. "As I said, it was none of my business. But… I am sorry for what you had to find out, Emma. That is... unpleasant."
The hard lines of anger softened in hearing Regina actually speak her name, and she looked away. "Thanks," she said soberly and shifted the car back into drive. "I should've known it was too good to be true. Even before I got my memories back. Probably why I hesitated at the proposal to begin with. I knew … something was off. Just, why not sooner?" she said this absently as she resumed taking them towards their destination, her thoughts now given substance as they were spoken aloud for the first time.
Regina assumed that Emma was musing to herself, and didn't know how to respond anyway. It wasn't as if she could dare to hope that - somehow - Emma felt anything for her beyond loathing, pity, or strained patience. It wasn't as if some part of Emma's heart and soul could remember her, not when Storybrooke had ceased to exist for that year. Or had it? Regina flat-out had no clue. But, she felt badly for her that Emma expected relationships to fail. She knew all too well how that felt.
"I think this is the spot," Regina said of the stretch of forest. "We should start our search here."
Emma slowed the car and looked around to gauge the area before nodding. "Yeah. I think you're right."
All thoughts of Walsh and New York were squashed away for now since they had arrived - Emma grateful for something tangible to be doing instead of focusing on her immediate past. Things had become pretty heated between her and Regina, but they knew their triggers so well that it was easy to rile the other one up with little provocation. She was also quite relieved that, in her anger, she hadn't spilled her feelings on going back to New York - memories of monkey boyfriends aside.
Pulling the patroller to the side of the road, she shut it down and checked her gun out of habit. Regina was the veteran magic user here and when compared to Emma's talents? The savior might as well be considered a hack magician. She would probably have more success at pulling a rabbit out of a hat then lighting another candle on command. Which was sad really. She was already hearing Regina's voice inside her head, lecturing her all about that wasted potential inside of her...
She stepped out of the vehicle and walked down the side of the road, looking for any signs of David's initial presence here and where she had drove up in her Bug. It hadn't rained, so his tracks shouldn't be too disturbed to pick up.
"Here we go," she announced, pointing at the ground. Emma raised her hand slowly to where her father's footsteps trailed off further into the forest. She glanced back at Regina then, lowering her hand with a smirk as her eyes drifted right back to their previous point of contention - the brunette's high heels. "Seriously. You're going with those," she said, glancing back briefly towards the woods, "to go in there? You're really sure about that?"
Regina lifted an eyebrow and shook her head slightly. "Focus on his footprints, not mine."
Hands slipped into the pockets of her coat, she followed just behind Emma as they pursued David's trail to the point where he had clearly battled his magical nemesis. Boot prints were everywhere and the underbrush was trampled. As far as Regina could tell, however, they were David's prints alone.
"It's too bad she didn't drop something out here," she remarked, thinking of how a locator spell would make this so much more convenient. "We're nearly on the town's border. There isn't much out this way…"
Regina did a slow pirouette, hoping for a magical tug in any particular direction. She wasn't feeling anything, though, and that was incredibly frustrating. The mayor paced away from the scene of David's fight, moving deeper into the forest as she searched for magical and non-magical clues.
Emma shrugged slightly, crouched by the outlining signs of her father's struggle. "That would be too convenient for us," she said in agreement, "and that never happens."
She straightened up, knowing that everything was a struggle. That wasn't all inclusive to Storybrooke crises. Emma's interpersonal relationships with its citizens were filed under that description too. Perfect example was of her relationship with Regina – who had now walked off in some random direction. She threw up her hands and sighed.
"Really? Course she wanders off without telling me why."
Maybe something jogged the mayor's memory about the surrounding areas when she was muttering out loud? She bit back yelling out a "Be careful" that was on her tongue, not wanting to draw attention to them, or having Regina's feathers ruffled for a genuine remark towards her safety. So she searched the area instead. Maybe Zelena left a clue after all, but Emma came up empty-handed in short time, frustrating her immensely. So she decided to hunt down Regina after all, because she didn't want them separated for too long without knowing the witch's endgame ... ...
"I don't remember that being out there…" Regina said to herself.
Regina had wandered a good distance away from Emma and found herself at the edge of a clearing, where a small, old farmhouse stood. Her brow furrowed, certain that such a remote residence had not originally existed in Storybrooke. Does that mean there are buildings that have come with the new curse, that weren't here before? She turned back to seek out Emma, thinking that this could be the break they were looking for.
"Hey!" Emma was visibly relieved at seeing Regina, knowing she was safe. Yet despite the immediate comfort, Emma had to temper her anger at the mayor for wandering off without a word. Baiting for another fight wasn't useful at all, even if it was out of concern. They were back on track since the spat in the patrol car - working together. And Emma really liked it when they were in synch. "You find anything?"
"Maybe. That farm was not here with the original curse. I think that bears investigation, don't you?"
It wouldn't be too much further of a walk as far as she'd already wandered through the woods. Regina pursed her lips and watched the property a moment longer, taking note that there was no sign of activity and - from this distance - no lights on inside the farmhouse. She glanced at Emma, awaiting the sheriff's decision, quietly admiring her profile.
The savior agreed with that statement and pulled out her gun, releasing the safety. "Sounds like a plan to me."
Emma, truthfully, was still learning everything there was to know about Storybrooke. Her time as sheriff only had given her the real world basics of the town, forgoing caverns under the library, magical triggers in tunnels, and barriers keeping the folks inside the border. There was always some new magical issue to understand - so if Regina said that this place didn't exist before, she believed her.
She immediately took point, leading the way onto the property, eyes and ears vigilant for any signs of movement or peculiar sounds. Approaching the house itself, she slowly walked up the stairs, looking back and forth down the porch. It felt completely off around the property, but nothing came to mind as to what the source of her unease was.
"Magical senses tingling yet?" she asked quietly, reaching for the screen door.
"Maybe. I watched the film the other night. Looking for clues." Regina lifted her brows at Emma's expression. "What? Henry unraveled everything about my curse from a book. Why not go to the movie for hers? Anyway, Dorothy was running for the storm cellar-"
Regina pointed across the lawn to the protruding doorway.
"-so perhaps we should too?"
Not waiting for Emma's response, the mayor trusted her instincts and started in that direction, expecting her to catch up. Her back to Emma then, Regina allowed herself to smile; she was enjoying working with her and spending time with her. They hadn't had this opportunity since Neverland. It was nice. Away from the Charming's and Hook, Regina saw they truly did work well together.
"Seriously?" she let go of the door, hearing it thud against the frame - and if there was anyone home, their talking would have given them away already, not the door closing. The place appeared to be uninhabited anyway - no aromas of cooking, a fire burning, or lights on. Just a chicken behaving obnoxiously around the corner, clucking at the intruders on her home.
"Ah, shoo!" She waved off the hen with her gun, "before I make you into Kentucky Fried chicken!"
She shambled down the stairs and followed after Regina, refocusing, keeping the mayor covered as they closed the distance towards the cellar.
"Unlocked. That's curious, I'd say…"
With a flick of her wrist, she pulled the cellar door back and ducked out of the way in case someone or something shot out. For all they knew, it could be where she kept spare flying monkeys! But, nothing happened.
"Savior's first?" Regina asked with a wink as she looked from Emma to the inky blackness down the steep stairs.
Her eyes narrowed, lips drawn in a thin smirk. "Sure thing, your Majesty." This time those words were not spoken in spite but playfulness. And the hell was that wink for? Not really a thought that could be continued at present.
She moved past Regina and onto the first step, weapon at the ready. "Just cue up a fireball for just in case."
Regina smiled in amusement at her title being thrown back at her, then nodded and had her magic at the ready.
Slowly she worked her way down, eyes adjusting to her surroundings. Even with the light offering some illumination, it didn't reveal the entire story here. Emma felt that this area of the farm really smelled like one - fresh hay was tickling her nose and she had to fight back a sneeze. She caught the shine of metal and was happy to find the light cord. Tugging it on, she grimaced, the brightness overpowering her briefly. It was her immediate surprise that opened them fully, because she wasn't sure what she was seeing was real.
"Is that…?" she asked, looking at the opened cage dubiously and what lay within it - a spinning wheel moving of its own accord.
Navigating the narrow stairs into the cellar had been more difficult in her heels than she would've guessed, but Regina didn't make a sound. She was not going to give Emma an "I told you so" moment! But that was why it took her a moment longer to see what Emma was referring to. She came to stand behind her and took in the sight of the caged spinning wheel and the straw that had very clearly been turned to gold.
Regina smiled darkly. He's alive. He may have been trapped by her, but clearly, Gold is not here now. He's alive after all!
"Yes. It seems Gold survived yet again..."