Chapter 6

Sorry for leaving it on a cliffhanger but what can I say? I'm evil! ;)

"EMMA!" Regina screamed as the doors on Emma's wardrobe shut. "What have you done?" she ran over to the wardrobe and flung the doors open, shouting over her shoulder. Seeing nothing but ball gowns, she spun to face Cora."Where is she?" Regina demanded.

"Somewhere horrible. A place where there are no happy endings." Cora replied, as naturally as if she hadn't just banished Regina's best friend into oblivion.

"I'm going to get her back. You'll see!" Regina tried to convince herself as much as her mother. "I can't even look at you right now." She added, trying to storm from the room but Cora grabbed her arm, halting her.

"Where do you think you're going?" The glint in Cora's eye sent a shiver down Regina's spine but she straightened and yanked her arm free.

"I have to find Snow, she and David need to know what's happened. They need to know what you have done." Running as fast as she could, Regina fled the room and ran back toward the ballroom.

Regina took a minute to compose herself, taking several deep breaths before she walked into the ballroom. Searching through the crowd for Snow and David she spotted Snow in the far corner talking to Henry. She quickly crossed the floor and tapped Snow's shoulder.

"Snow, I uh… I need to talk to you… and to David… its important." Regina stuttered, rubbing her hands nervously.

"Sure, is everything okay Regina? Where's Emma." Snow reached out, trying to still Regina's hands.

"Well that's what I need to talk to you about, but I don't want to have to repeat myself because I think it'll be too much." Regina's voice cracked and Snow's face fell.

"Okay sweetie, um Henry can you go and find my husband please. We're going to go somewhere quieter." Snow took Regina by the hand and lead her out of the ballroom and toward the library.

"Regina what is it dear? You can tell me." Snow asked, worried now she sat them down on the chaise in front of the fire.

"Snow? Regina? Where is Emma?" David burst through the doors, swiftly followed by Henry, both looking equally as confused as Snow.

Regina took a deep breath, "I don't know" she whispered a single tear escaping the corner of her eye.

"What do you mean you don't know? Our home isn't that grand, you can't have lost her." Snow said, looking back and forth between Regina and David.

"We were dancing in her old nursery, we just wanted some time to ourselves. We'd barely seen each other since last week let alone tonight. So she took me to her old nursery and we were just dancing, she was singing, she had such a beautiful voice-"

"Had? What do you mean had? Regina now please, you're scaring me." The tremor in Snow's voice was audible.

Regina took a deep breath and cast her eyes down to her lap, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

"My mother appeared. She just stood and watched us until I saw her, I froze and Emma felt me still. She looked around, saw her and was as calm as could be. She told me she loved me, she told me that I could share the kingdom with her. But my mother wouldn't hear of it, she said she was doing us both a favour." Regina's voice was breaking but she had to carry on, she didn't want to have to relive this more times than she had to. "The next thing I knew the doors of her wardrobe were open. I thought it was the end of the world, there was nothing in there except a vortex, a dark vortex the colour of nightshade. Emma was dragged inside and the doors shut behind her. I don't know where she's gone." Regina finished retelling what had happened and promptly burst into tears, the kind that use up all your words and leave you breathless. Her lips were silent but her shoulders shook violently, tears cascading down her cheeks.

David collapsed on the floor, his face as pale as his wife's name, staring at nothing as he absorbed all that he had heard.

"She can't be gone." Snow whispered, more to herself than to the others. She stood and drifted out of the room, Regina following close behind and wiping her tears as she motioned for her father to stay with David.

Snow walked the familiar route to Emma's nursery, Regina not far behind. She pushed open the door and headed straight for the wardrobe. Flinging open the doors she hoped Emma would be sat there, ready to jump out and say 'haha fooled you'. It had to be a trick, a silly little joke as penance for the ball. But the wardrobe was empty.. Emma was not inside.

Now Snow let the tears fall. Now she collapsed, screaming for her daughter, pleading with the gods to bring her back. Regina knelt down and tried to comfort her, her own tears stinging her eyes as she willed them not to fall. She had to be strong for Snow, for David, it's what Emma would want. About 5 minutes after Snow had started crying David crossed the threshold, no doubt to see for himself that the wardrobe was empty. "We'll get her back Snow. We'll find her. Just like I found you." David knelt down next to his wife, speaking words of encouragement but with a shaky voice. "I promise you Snow, I will not rest until we see her again."

"David, we don't even know where she is. She may not even be in this realm anymore. How are we supposed to find her?" Snow looked up at her husband, tears still damp on her cheeks.

"We'll find a way. We always find a way."

"How?" Snow pleaded

"I might know of someone who can help us." Regina whispered, not fully comprehending her idea before voicing it.

Snow and David's eyes shot up, the hope within them almost large enough to fill the missing void their daughter's disappearance had left.

"A dark wizard, a man who can do anything. Mother spoke of him once." Regina's voice trailed off at the mention of her mother.

"Regina you can't trust him." Henry's voice came from behind them.

"I have no choice daddy. I have to see her again."

"Regina, please. If you know of anything that might help us." David's voice matched the pleading in his eyes as he cradled his wife.

Regina looked over her shoulder at her father before taking a deep breath. "There is a man named Rumpelstiltskin. It is said he is the most powerful sorcerer in this, or in any, realm. If there is anyone who knows where Emma is or how to find her, it'll be him."

"Do you really think he'll be able to help us?" Snow asked, her voice hoarse, cheeks stained with her tears.

"He is our only chance."

"Then we must find him. There is not a moment to lose." David said authoritatively. "First though, I think we need to sort out the hundreds of guests we have downstairs."

Snow nodded weakly, moving to stand up. "No Snow you cant, David and I shall handle this. Daddy can you please fetch some sweet tea and biscuits and then let Snow rest. Today has been… well… I think you should rest." Regina said this last part with her hand on Snow's shoulder.

"Are you sure Regina? You don't have to do this." Henry asked, David nodding.

"Yes. I need to do this. I feel responsible, Emma is only gone because she was my friend, because she… because she loved me. I have to help get her back, if only to tell her that I love her too."

Snow looked up again at Regina's declaration of love. She stood up quickly and pulled Regina into a tight embrace. The first comfort Regina had had since she held Emma in her arms less than an hour ago.

"Come along, lets show these guests out." Regina spoke confidently from behind Snow's arms, gently extracting herself and allowing Henry to take Snow's arm and lead her out of the door.

"Honoured guests, if I may have your attention please." David announced from atop the stage once the music had stopped. "I'm afraid I have to call this ball to a stop." There was a mix of groans, confusion and mumbles of annoyance from the crowd. "My daughter… my daughter-" David's voice started to crack and Regina stepped up.

"The Princess has unfortunately fallen ill, a headache has taken her suddenly and she has requested that the festivities end to help her sleep. I am sorry to interrupt your evening but as soon as she is feeling better, there will be a ball to celebrate. Goodnight." Regina turned her back on the crowd and looked over at David who was struggling to keep his composure.

"Regina, I-"

"Think nothing of it David, the kingdom don't need to know the specifics of what happened. Especially when we don't even know the specifics." Regina felt her voice tremble, taking another deep breath she continued "Emma is gone, that's all we know, but she won't be gone for long. I swear I will find her, if it is the last thing I do."

"I'll have a room set up each, for you and your father." David could see Regina was about to protest but he continued "I insist. I wouldn't want you to see Cora again tonight. We can deal with her tomorrow."

"Thank you David."

David showed Henry and Regina to one of the guest quarters and wished them a good night. Henry insisted that Regina take the bed and he slept on the chaise but Regina couldn't sleep. Henry fell asleep fairly quickly but Regina couldn't bring herself to close her eyes, knowing she would only be reliving the worst moment of her life.

Regina sighed and climbed out of the bed. She decided to take a stroll through the castle, maybe that way she could stay awake and avoid seeing Emma dragged into that wardrobe again.

Without concentrating on the direction she was going, Regina followed her feet and was surprised when she found herself at Emma's door. Regina didn't know why but she opened the door. Slowly, she circled the room, running her fingers through the gowns in her open wardrobe, gazing at the products on the top of her dresser and taking a seat at the window, staring out over the tree tops of the royal gardens. Suddenly and without warning she broke down. Tears streaming down her face, she brought her knees up to her chest and buried her face, shoulders shaking. "Oh Emma where are you? I don't know if I can do this. I don't think I can be strong enough for your parents and for me. I promise you, wherever you are I will find you." Regina spoke into her knees, lifting her head slightly wishing she could hear Emma telling her she could do it. Wishing that somehow Emma knew Regina would find her.

Regina leaned back against the window frame and felt something poke her in the small of her back. She reached behind and pulled out Emma's diary.

Regina stopped for a moment. She didn't want to violate Emma's privacy but in the end her curiosity won over and she opened the small ornate book. She flicked through the days until she found a passage about the day they met. Regina welled up as she read what Emma had said.

'I met someone today. Her name is Regina. She was riding in the clearing whilst I was brushing up my sword skills and I think, well I hope, we'll be good friends.'

Regina found herself reading through all the passages from days where they met, by the time she got to their picnic at the lake she could barely read anymore, her eyes were brimming with tears.

She found the next empty page and picked up a pen from Emma's desk.

'Emma, I hope you won't mind me using your diary but I feel closer to you like this. I don't know where you are right now, but I hope you're safe. I'm going to find you. I promise you, with all of my heart I will. I never got to say that I love you too. No matter how long it takes, you will hear it.'

Regina clutched the diary to her chest and pressed a kiss to its cover before putting it on the cushion and climbing down from the window seat. A chill breeze blew in and Regina shivered. In her need to walk she had completely forgotten any sort of outerwear or shoes and now she was freezing. The long walk back to the guest chambers seemed cold and arduous and as Regina scanned Emma's room for a robe, her eyes landed on the large bed in one corner. The plump pillows and thick quilt seemed to beckon Regina over. She pulled back the top cover and slipped in, shivering again as the cold sheets engulfed her. Soon, her own warmth heated the covers around her and Regina felt her eyes droop. Curling around a stuffed bunny that had been hidden amongst the pillows, Regina breathed in the scent of cinnamon and dry hay that was so undeniably Emma and finally found solace in sleep.

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