Chapter 8
The boy was fast, almost too quick for Belle to keep up wearing her heels. She tried to process what he just told her; that he knew her name because she was in the book he was holding. She glanced down and saw "Once Upon A Time" etched in gold letters on the cover; it was clear this was a children's storybook. Could this possibly have anything to do with Jefferson's fascination with everyone here being fairytale characters? She wondered. However, she didn't have time to think about it. They rounded the corner and then came to a halt. Belle stood frozen in place, gaping at the scene before them.
There Jefferson stood, gun pointed directly at Regina's head as she coward against the stone wall. Next to her was Mr. Gold, who was practically being chocked by Mac's huge arm that wrapped around his throat. Across Regina's other side was Alice who had Emma in a chokehold as well, in addition to a gun pointed at her temple. Mary Margaret and Dr. Hopper were pinned against a wall by the other guards. Then Belle noticed how distraught Mary Margaret was as she stared at the floor. Partly hidden from view behind one of the guards was the other man, the handsome one, who lay clenching his arm on the floor. He was shot and it appeared that Jefferson was responsible.
"Leave them alone!" The boy yelled as he began to run towards Jefferson but Belle quickly pulled him back.
"Henry!" Emma and Regina screamed at the same time.
"What are you doing here!" Regina cried. She looked so vulnerable it was as if she was a completely different person.
"I figured something really important out and I needed to find you!" He said, speaking to Emma. "You have to let them go please!" He begged Jefferson, who continued to point the gun at Regina. His eyes were impassive; Belle knew this was not the Jefferson she had gotten to know over the last couple weeks. This was the vengeful Jefferson, the one who would do anything to kill the mayor. He didn't even look at the boy as he begged.
"Go home Henry! Right now!" Emma pleaded with him. Alice gripped her tighter. She wasn't nearly as strong as Emma but the gun definitely gave her the advantage.
Henry stood there, adamant on staying there to help. Belle wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't supposed to be involved in this part of the plan, and it was for the best. They knew she would let her emotions get in the way if she had to witness this and they were absolutely right. She saw the fear for the boys safety in both Emma as well as Regina's eyes. They clearly were both very close to him; one of them must be his mother, she thought.
"Take him outside. He won't want to see this." Jefferson told her, never taking his eyes off Regina.
"No don't!" Henry yelled. "You don't want to do this trust me. I know you think it will take you back to your world but it won't. It doesn't work like that!" Henry told him. For the first time Jefferson removed his gaze from Regina and stared perplexingly at the boy.
"What…you…you know?" Then he looked down, as if remembering something. Turning to Emma he said, "The book…this is Henry...you're son."
Henry nodded and then lifted up his book. Belle noticed that the guards, Alice, and Mr. Gold all flinched when they saw it. Jefferson stared at it, tempted to take a closer look, but not enough to give Regina a chance to get away.
"Bring it over here." Jefferson demanded of Henry. The boy moved quickly towards him, running his fingers through and finding one particular page to show Jefferson. He held it up to him, smiling slightly. Jefferson gazed at the page he was holding up, water filling up in his eyes.
He then recovered himself and moved his attention back to Regina, appearing even angrier then before.
"You know why I have to do this. I have to go home." He said to her.
"But you heard Henry. Killing her won't bring you back…" Emma started.
"Shut up!" He yelled at her.
"Do it Jefferson. Do it now." Alice demanded.
He turned to Regina, slowly moving closer to her. She sincerely looked petrified.
"You know you deserve this. You know what you did to me." He said to her.
She pleaded with him through her eyes, which were no longer hostile but almost repentant.
"Listen to my son, you don't want to do this." It was a plea but at the same time there was a slight threat in her tone.
"You took me away from my Grace." He was inches from her face now, gazing directly into her eyes. He was prolonging the kill, as if waiting for an apology that he would likely never get.
"Don't you have anything to say?" He asked her, shaking. She didn't say a word.
Belle couldn't watch so instead she looked at the others, all engrossed by what was happening between the two of them, except for one person. Mr. Gold was looking at Belle instead, with that same peculiar expression. He squinted his eyes slightly, tilting his head a bit to the right but never letting his eyes leave her face, which was still hidden by the mask. She wasn't sure how to react.
"Just do it!" Mac yelled, yanking Mr. Gold back with him as he screamed in frustration. The funny thing was Mr. Gold seemed completely unfazed by anything that was happening. He was simply annoyed that it was wasting his time, if that.
Jefferson continued to gaze at Regina and Belle could tell he wasn't going to go through with it; he couldn't.
Before they could find out however, they were greeted by an unexpected guest.
"August!" Emma screamed in relief.
A scruffy man dressed in leather and tight jeans walked towards Jefferson, a gun pointed at him.
"I don't want to do this. Put the gun down," August said, as he slowly got closer. Jefferson's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Looking around it didn't seem like anyone had prepared for this to happen.
August click his gun latch, ready to shoot Jefferson who kept his gun pointed at Regina.
"This won't bring you back Jefferson. I promise you, there are dire consequences in killing her like this." He said.
"Don't listen to him Jefferson! Shoot her!" Alice begged.
He wasn't backing down. Aiming his gun directly at Jefferson, his pointer finger was just about to pull back and shoot.
Without thinking or even considering how terrible the consequences to her actions might be, Belle acted on impulse, using the combat skills she was taught during training she knocked August backwards, catching his gun midair and aiming it directly towards him.
Clearly no one was expecting this, especially August he stood stunned against the wall, holding his bleeding nose.
"Don't do this. You're making a huge mistake." August began to say but Belle clicked back the latch and that shut him up. She wasn't sure if she would actually be capable of shooting someone but after what she just did to him, who knew?
"Look who came through for us. Why don't you let the princess over here handle killing Regina Jefferson and you babysit the boy. She clearly has the guts to get the job done," Mac retorted looking at Belle.
She stared wide-eyed at Jefferson, slightly shaking her head as if to tell him that she didn't want to, that she couldn't. However, he had acknowledged that his weakness was doing them no good and consigned the task over to Belle. He smiled slightly and nodded, trading guns with her and moving her towards Regina. She held it up just as Jefferson did, but her hand began to shake. Clearly Regina didn't see her as much of a threat because she began to smile at her cruelly, the way she had when she used to peek into the hatch in her cell.
This angered Belle. She didn't want to be the weak one; she didn't want Regina to get away with what she had done to her, what she had apparently done to Jefferson and the rest of them.
"Why?" Belle whispered to her. Regina flinched slightly as she said this, but she didn't answer.
Belle's finger hooked onto the latch and pulled but Regina still continued to smile.
"You're not going to shoot me." She said to her as if it wasn't up for debate, just a clear statement of fact.
"For Christ's sake shoot her or I will! This has gone on far too long!" Nick yelled; Mac and the rest of the guards chimed in.
But Belle still couldn't do it. She was angry but killing Regina wouldn't give her the answers she needed. She pointed the gun down.
"Enough of this!" Nick flung Mary Margaret into Jefferson's arms and grabbed a hold of Henry. Cries of shock and fear filled the room.
"No! Leave him out of this!" Emma screamed.
Regina's brash smile faded immediately and she became the concerned parent again. She made a move forward but instinctively Belle lifted the gun up to stop her. Of course she didn't want Nick to harm the boy, but she didn't want to let Regina get away either.
Henry struggled underneath Nick's hold. He had him in a chokehold, pushing out his free hand towards Belle.
"Give me the gun." He growled. Belle stared at him in utter shock. Was he really going to threaten the boy? She shook her head.
"Nick what are you doing? Let the boy go." Jefferson said as he lightly held Mary Margaret against the wall.
"Don't you get it? The only thing the Queen cares about is this boy! There's no point in threatening her, we all know she will find a way to come back. She's powerful! We need to take something from her. Show her the meaning of pain and suffering like she has inflicted on all of us!" Nick yelled at everyone, his eyes crazed.
Emma, Mary Margaret, the man who was shot, and Dr. Hopper all looked very confused at what he was talking about.
"What has she done…what is driving all this anger?" Dr. Hopper braved to ask. No one answered.
"Give. Me. The. Gun." He threatened Belle. Yet, she still wouldn't give it up.
"Alice, you know I'm right. This is the only way." But even Alice didn't look okay with hurting the boy.
"Nick just relax. This…this isn't part of the plan…" She said to him.
"Part of the plan? Alice none of this is part of the plan! The plan is ruined! We came here to hurt the Queen. What better way then to kill the one thing she cares most about. "
He turned to Jefferson, "You of all people should want to do this. To take away her child like she has done to you. Don't be the same coward as you were in Wonderland. Hand me the gun." But Jefferson stood his ground. He kept the gun facing towards August, who was still clenching onto his nose, and used the other arm to prevent Mary Margaret from making any sudden movements.
"No. Nick just let him go. He's not involved." Jefferson said to him, now slowly moving the gun away from August and at Nick. Everyone stared in shock at the turn of events; no one had expected this.
Nick refused to let go, tightening his grip on Henry. Before anyone could blink, however, Jefferson fired a shot, hitting Nick directly in the head and setting Henry free. The boy stood there in shock of nearly being in the path of a bullet. Emma and Mary Margaret let out a huge gasp and Regina had jumped forward with Belle's pointed gun being the only thing stopping her from running to him.
"Get that gun out of my face." Regina ordered her but Jefferson then moved his own gun towards the mayor.
"Back up. He was right about one thing, you do deserve to suffer. I'm done playing games." Jefferson brushed Belle aside, aiming the gun back at Regina. They were back where they started, with one dead now. Belle look to her right and saw Alice and Mac whispering one another. He wanted Alice to give him her gun. But she obviously couldn't because then Emma would easily get away.
Belle then turned to watch Jefferson. She wasn't sure if she wanted Regina dead anymore, not yet at least. She had the answers, Jefferson didn't.
Jefferson began to speak quietly to the Queen once more and Belle couldn't make out what he was saying.
"He's not going to do it!" She heard Mac raise his voice loudly but she continued to watch Jefferson.
"He's going to chicken out again, just give me your gun!" She couldn't tell whether Mac was right or not.
"Belle!" Mac yelled, directing her attention back to him. "Pass me your gun. He's clearly not capable of doing this." Mac spat but Jefferson wasn't paying any attention to him.
Just then Mr. Gold mumbled something under his breath, it sounded like her name. His eyes got wide, still looking at Belle, once more searching for something in her eyes.
Mac took no notice of this and continued to get worked up, "Will someone just give me a god damn gun? All of you are WEAK. You care too much! You're a pathetic bunch! Sad excuses for…" Before he could finish the gun that Jefferson was holding fired a shot…directly hitting Mac in the head.
"Off with his head." Jefferson whispered to himself and turned back to the Queen, who staggered backwards, completely against the wall now.
Mr. Gold wasn't free for long though, Belle immediately lifted her gun and pointed it at him. But this didn't seem to faze him; he kept looking at her, his dark eyes distressed about something. Belle wasn't sure exactly why he looked at her that way but she did know that he was capable of manipulation very easily, this could be all a trick. She couldn't risk letting him go.
Slowly he stepped towards her, "What…what is your name?" He asked quietly, his voice shaking.
"Belle." She told him, still pointing the gun at his chest. He flinched back, eyes becoming softer, as if he were about to start crying. Once more he stepped a little closer.
"Stay back! Don't move any closer!" Belle yelled at him. She turned to see if Jefferson was paying any attention, but he was still having a side conversation with Regina.
Facing Gold again, she noticed her arm start to lift towards her face, hesitantly. She wasn't sure what to do. His gaze never leaving hers, he touched her mask softly, then without warning lifted it quickly off her face. She would have stopped him if she had known what he was doing.
Seeing her face completely for the first time, Gold jumped back, pushing himself against the wall. His eyes were a mixture of sadness, relief, and bafflement. He lifted his hand to his mouth in a gesture of shock and closed his eyes briefly. Belle stood there, gun lowered, in utter confusion. What was wrong with him?
Those surrounding them including Emma and Mary Margaret were no longer watching Jefferson and Regina but had moved their attention to Gold, having an emotional breakdown against the wall.
Belle then noticed a small gasp coming from her left and saw Regina staring wide-eyed at the scene. She looked frightened but angry at the same time.
Mr. Gold finally began to pull himself together as he walked forward towards Belle. He then looked to the floor and then quickly moved his gaze over to Regina, scowling intensely in her direction. Belle had never seen him this angry; she'd never seen anyone this angry, not even Jefferson.
Regina stared wide-eyed back at him, trying to form words.
"Gold. I can…"
"You." Mr. Gold seethed at her, slowly approaching. He moved a bewildered looking Jefferson to the side and stepped directly in front of the mayor, who coward against the wall.
"I had my reasons." She whispered to him.
Suddenly he broke out in a deranged laugh, but it didn't last nearly as long as Jefferson's did. He leaned in towards her, his whole body quivering in rage.
"You had her this whole time? She was alive this whole time?" He asked her, pointing a shaking finger in her face.
Regina didn't speak.
"Twenty-eight years." He said, almost to himself.
She said something under her breath but he didn't hear her.
Gold laughed once more, "Jumped off a tower…" Shaking his head in disbelief, he looked as if he was about to kill her right then and there. But instead he settled on bashing her in the head with the bottom of his cane.
Everyone jumped in shock as Regina fell to the ground.