Chapter 13
Three weeks later...
Gold looked at the vial in his hand. He smiled deviously. Regina had taken Belle from him and now when she was achieving her happy ending he was going to take it too. In the vial were the collected hairs of Charming and Snow. He would use it to activate the magic in Storybrooke and with that the curse would break. He hadn't told anyone that this was also a way to break it. He didn't really cared. Not for her. He would destroy her wedding, force her to tell him what she did to Belle and then hand her over to the probably angry mob to kill her. He smiled again and grabbed his car keys. It was time to destroy someone's happy end. He got into his car and drove to the well into the forest. He sat in his car and looked at the clock. He just had to wait 3 more hours. He wanted it to be perfect.
Regina stood in her peach colored wedding dress in front of her mirror and studied herself nervously. She stroked over her dress to even out the wrinkles she was imagining. Someone knocked and Regina turned around. Graham was standing in the doorframe and studied her lovingly. "You don't know how beautiful you look right now." He said and Regina smiled shyly. "The groom never should see his bride before the wedding." Regina said and he shrugged. "We aren't a conventional couple." He answered and walked towards her. He kissed her softly and she melted against him. "I just... don't want any bad luck." She answered shyly and rested her forehead against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on top of hers. "I love you." He said and she smiled brightly. "I love you too, Graham. More than you can imagine and I wish that this will never end..." She answered and he smiled. "Me neither." He told her and kissed her lips again.
Suddenly he was yanked back by someone and they heard laughter. "You can't see the bride before her wedding." Ruby said and pulled Graham out of the room. Emma shook her head amused and locked the door behind them. She studied Regina and smiled. "Beautiful." She said and Regina blushed. She sat down on her bed and bit her lip. "I'm scared, Emma." Regina said and Emma sat down next to her. "Of what?" Emma asked and Regina looked saddened. "That something comes and takes away my happy ending..." Regina confessed and blinked away her tears. Emma looked at her softly and took her hand. "Maybe for once I'm going to be the savior like Henry claims me to be. I will protect this. I promise. As long as I am alive you will have your happy ending." Emma said and Regina looked at her. "Don't promise things you can't keep. There is always something screwing my happy ending up..." Regina said and sighed. "But I shouldn't think about this now... I have a wedding to attend to." Regina said and wiped her tears away quickly.
Regina and Emma applied the make-up and talked quietly. Another knock was heard and Regina chuckled. "Henry?" Regina asked and heard a hum. Emma unlocked the door and Henry stepped in. Dressed up nicely in a suit. He studied his mother lovingly. "You are totally beautiful." He said and Regina blushed. "Thank you, Henry." Regina answered and he hugged her. They smiled at each other and Regina sighed. "You nervous, Mom?" Henry asked and Regina nodded. He chuckled and hugged her again. "He is waiting for you." Henry told her and Regina stood up slowly. Emma wrapped an arm around her and Henry took her hand. Together they made their way to Regina's car and drove over to the ceremony location. Her heart beat fast in her chest and she fidget with her hands. It was totally unusual for her but she somehow was forced to do it.
They got out of the car and Regina took a deep breath. She was about to get married with the love of her life. She froze slightly when she realized what she had called Graham. But somehow... it didn't made her nervous. It made her happy. Music started and all the guests stood up. Ruby waited for Emma who grinned at her and linked their arms. Together they walked towards Graham who was waiting already. When they arrived at their spots Regina and Henry walked towards Graham. Henry squeezed her hand and Regina smiled. After the priest had talked a lot they were asked if they wanted to take the other to their partner. Regina took a shaky breath when the priest asked her first and she repeated his words while she looked into Graham's eyes. Then the priest turned to Graham.
"Graham Humbert, do you take Regina Mills for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live? So answer with I do." The priest said and Graham opened his mouth when suddenly a loud thunder was heard and the earth shook underneath them. Regina looked to the side and saw purple smoke coming towards them and she paled. "No..." She breathed out and looked to Henry who looked over to the smoke and then to her. He looked kind of betrayed but then he smiled slightly. Regina looked to Graham who held his head. Like everyone else except for Emma and Henry. Regina started panicking and studied Graham who slowly lowered his hand. He studied Regina.
He pulled his hand out of her grasp and Regina bit her lip. "Graham..." Regina whispered. She stepped closer to him and he studied her. But it wasn't lovingly. It was conflicted with a heavy touch to angry. "I'm not her anymore." She said quietly and he raised an eyebrow. "You took my heart." He hissed. "Who can say that I ever really felt what I did when it was under your control?" He asked and Regina opened her mouth speechless. "I gave it back to you! You know it because you can feel it!" She answered and placed her hand on his chest. He pushed her back and slapped her. Regina gasped and looked at him betrayed. "Don't touch me, witch." He hissed and Regina gritted her teeth. "You will never take my heart again and make me your slave. Never..." He gritted his teeth too. It pained him to say it but he knew the old Regina. She was excellent in acting.
"I love you... even if you don't..." Regina said before she turned away and ran the way she had come. Tears were running down her cheeks. The guests studied her and then Graham. Emma and Henry stood shocked on their places. Emma felt sick. Regina was right. Something would come and destroy her happy ending and she was right that Emma couldn't help her. She had made an empty promise to the woman who was probably the most loyal person on the whole world if you had her on your side. She studied Graham and felt angry and disgusted with him. He abandoned her even though Regina had willingly married him just because of what she did back then? She probably had her reasons because no matter how good people tried to lie to her she always knew if they were lying or acting and Regina never did. She was always honest to her and to Graham.
Regina just ran. She ran past her car and into the forest. She needed to get away from everything. Sobs racked through her body and tears blurred her view. She stumbled through undergrowth and felt her dress ripping but she didn't cared. After what Graham had said she knew that there wouldn't be a wedding anymore. Never. She wouldn't survive this. She couldn't. She didn't find the power to live in herself. She had arrived at the clearing Graham and Regina had their first date and she stared at the place where his car had stood. She slowly walked towards it and kneeled down. She just cried and hugged herself.
Emma walked to Graham who looked down and watched how the priest patted his shoulder softly. "Lucky guy. If the curse would have been broken a second later you two would have been wedded." He said before he left. Emma gritted her teeth angrily and pushed Graham. "You are an idiot!" She shouted at him and he turned to her. "Why?" He hissed and Emma laughed maniacally. "Because you just hit the love of your life! Your true love! She belonged to you, Graham! She was giving her heart to you and you toss it away... she isn't the woman you met her back then. She is a mother now. She was your fiancée... she was your soon-to-be wife... do you know what she told me? That she was scared of losing you. Because every time she had the best time of her life... something destroyed it. I promised her to protect it but somehow you managed to get into the way... I thought you would have my back." Emma said and shook her head.
"I don't even believe that you ever loved her as much as she loved you... she would have never let you down as quick as you did." Emma said and wanted to walk away. "Why do you believe that she changed?" Graham asked and Emma stopped again. "How can you? After what she did to you." "Because despite what you think she only was acting... she truly meant it." Emma said. "Because I believe her to be able to change into a better person. Because an Evil Queen couldn't raise a baby to such a cute little kid. But a warm-hearted loving woman like Regina can... and you wasted your chance for her heart. At least people who truly love her have the chance to go for it now because you were a fool." Emma started walking and felt a tiny hand in her own. Henry stopped her shortly and turned to her. "I agree with Emma... an Evil Queen would never let you close to her. Mom did... and I thought you could be my father... look at the video from the kitchen I made... you can see what you lost then." Henry said and then the two continued walking.
Graham stared at them saddened and then looked down. He made his way to his car and got in. He just sat there and stared at the windscreen of his car. His gaze was drawn to a picture though. A picture of him and Regina after the test eating for the wedding. Regina wasn't looking at the camera but at him and he only noticed then that she was staring at him with love in her eyes. With love and happiness. He was looking at the camera with the same look and he closed his eyes. She had controlled his heart. He couldn't even remember that she replaced his heart. He pulled out his phone and watched the video Henry had made and a tear escaped him. Regina looked so secure and happy in his arms. Her eyes always shined with love and adoration whenever she looked up to him. She wore a huge smile. Graham closed his phone and threw it into the footwell of the passenger seat. "Fuck!" He shouted and hit his steering wheel. He did fuck up. He started driving. Emma was right. Whoever Regina had been in her past she wasn't her anymore.
TBC...?