I know it's a long time since I was active but I have kind of a writer block. I hope you like the chapter.
The next day they heard about Graham's death and Regina broke down. Emma held her when Whale had informed her about it and brought her home later. Regina stayed in the bedroom that day. Henry being Henry accused Regina of murdering him. Of crushing his heart to dust because Leopold was innocent and Regina just wanted to ruin another life.
Melanie's condition got worse and Emma had no idea how to comfort an 8 year-old girl who lost her best friend and apparently her mother with it. Melanie also started to stay away from Henry and went to Archie on her own. After Regina had heard of the last part she had decided to go with her. They bonded really quickly again and were always with each other.
Now, two months after Graham's death, everything was a bit better. But it would soon change. Cora finally had made her master plan. She had been thinking a long time how she could break up Emma and Regina and finally she knew how. She made a deal with Jefferson and got a poisoned apple which she baked into an apple turnover. A specialty of Regina. Emma hadn't had to eat the turnover. Henry or Melanie were just as fine as her in Cora's opinion. She placed the turnover on the kitchen island of Emma's apartment when they all were gone to work or school.
She walked to her office and called Regina. "Regina, my dear… Could you come into my office… I think we need to talk.",Cora said with her sweetest motherly voice she could bring up. "Uhm.. okay…",Regina answered and hung up. She quickly came to her mother's office and knocked. She was afraid but didn't showed it when she entered. "You wanted to speak with me, Mother…",Regina said and Cora smiled. She walked over to Regina and hugged her softly. Regina stiffened and gasped when she felt a sharp pain in her head.
She held her head until the pain suddenly faded away. Cora smiled evilly. "Hello, my dear.",Cora said and Regina gasped. She remembered. She remembered everything what had happened in the Enchanted Forest and here. Regina looked up to Cora. Fear written all over her face. "Don't imprison me again.",she whimpered and Cora laughed. "Oh no, my dear. You will suffer far more. Why don't you check up on your sweet family. Enjoy the last few hours you have them.",Cora said and Regina's eyes widened. She scrambled on her feet and ran as fast as she could home.
It was too late. Melanie had taken a bite of the poisoned turnover and was now under the sleeping curse. Emma and Henry tried to catch her when she fell but they didn't succeeded. Regina was directly by Melanie's side and cradled her in her arms. "Meli… no… Meli…",Regina sobbed and rocked her little girl in her arms. "You did this!",Emma hissed and Regina shook her head. "No…" "Why, Mom? Why! You had everything! Why did you do it?",Henry asked her but Regina shook her head.
"I didn't do it." Emma shoved her a note in the face where was written that she should enjoy her meal and that it was made by Regina. It was even in Regina's handwriting. "It wasn't me! I was at school and my mother ordered me to her. I would never hurt anyone.",Regina sobbed. Suddenly something flew out of her coat pocket and rolled in front of Henry's feet. He picked it up. "Poison.",he said and Regina's head snapped up. She was confused, hurt and scared. "It was my mother.",Regina sobbed and suddenly felt a hand grabbing her and throwing her a few steps away from Melanie on the ground. Emma directly straddled her and punched Regina. "Stop!",Regina cried and turned her head away. "I trusted you! But Henry is right! I just wished that he isn't.",Emma said and stood up. She picked up Melanie and carried her to the hospital.
Regina ran to Gold's shop. He had to help her. But she was horrified when she saw her mother there. "I'll kill you for this!",Regina snapped and shoved her mother who gripped her throat and threw her on the ground. She gasped and got up again. "You will pay for this! You hurt me and my family a last time." "Well, I want to see that but you're welcome to try.",Cora said and walked away. Gold just told her something about Maleficent under the library and a sword waiting there before he dismissed her.
She ran to the library and tried to unlock it when suddenly someone grabbed her and threw her against the wall. She saw Emma's face in front of her. Emma pressed her arm on Regina's throat. "You are the evil Queen. I saw everything.",Emma hissed. "I'm not… my… mother…Library… Melanie… rescue.",Regina answered and Emma let her go. She took some deep breaths before she opened the door and ran in the library. Emma followed her and saw how Regina opened a hidden elevator.
"What are we doing here?",Emma asked and looked angry and hurt at Regina. "Gold told me that the antidote is down there. That there is something which will save Meli…",Regina said and tried to step into the elevator but was stopped by Emma. "I will go.",Emma said and Regina looked at her. "You may think of me as Evil Queen but I'm not! My mother imprisoned me my whole life and ran around as me after she didn't saw me fitting as Queen anymore. That was the time the Evil Queen was born! She is the evil one! I thought that I could trust you! I thought that you would have faith in me like I have faith in you!",Regina cried.
Emma looked at her saddened. "You knew about your mother…",Emma said. "No… she took my memories like she took from everyone else…",Regina said and looked down. "She gave me my memories back some hours ago so I would loose everything. She knows that the curse will break and she just wants the best for herself… she will put the blame on me and live a happily ever after although she doesn't deserve it! She took everything from me and I'm always the one who gets hurt…" Emma stared at her.
"One of us has to go down.",Emma said and Regina nodded. "I'm going…" Regina tried to stop her but Emma already was in the elevator and pushed the button. Emma had retrieved the egg and after the elevator stuck she threw it up to Gold who caught it. She climbed up but what she saw terrified her. Regina laid on the ground and a little blood puddle was next to her head. "Regina?",she asked scared and saw how Regina slowly stirred. She opened her eyes and looked around. "Gold… this bastard.",she murmured and stood up.
The hospital called and both looked at each other shocked. They had found out that Mary Margret was a suitable donor and had made the surgery but nothing had changed and Melanie's condition had gotten worse. Both hurried to get to the hospital where their daughter took her last breaths. When they opened the door to the room the machines were turned off and Regina started sobbing. Emma was heartbroken and sat down next to Melanie. "I…I'm sorry, Meli… I'm so sorry…",she sobbed. "I…I found out who your biological mother is… well… Hi…" Regina gasped and looked at her surprised."I'm sorry that I gave you up although I could have kept you… But I just couldn't… and I'm sorry." She kissed Melanie's forehead.
Melanie woke up with a gasp and smiled at her. They watched how the towns people threatened Regina who ran out of the hospital. But she didn't knew where to go. No one would want her. She was devastated and just ran in the woods. Hoping that she would find a cabin where she could hide.
The worst pain was that Emma hadn't believed her. That she even had punched her a few times. Regina just ran. She found the cabin but saw a car in front of it and directly ran somewhere else. She didn't knew how long she ran but when the darkness engulfed her she stopped running and searched for something to sleep under. It had started to snow and Regina was freezing. She found a log and hid under it before she cried herself to sleep.
In the meantime the two kids were embraced in the family. Melanie watched Henry being totally happy with Emma and Snow but didn't bother to think about their Mom. Their mom who had no place to hide or to go because every one was hating her. "I hope you are happy, Henry. Mom is probably dead by now.",she said angrily and stood up. She put on some things before she ran out of the room. Whale quickly got her and brought her back to them.
"It's the right punishment for her.",Snow said. "No it isn't. I love Mom even although no one of you do. But I won't let it happen that idiots kill my mother. I won't leave her like you did, Henry. She raised us but okay, be an asshole. A little brat! You know what? I believed in the curse but I didn't wanted it to be real because I knew this would happen. I HATE YOU!",she screamed and Henry started crying. Snow hugged him and Emma looked down defeated.
"She hurt everyone!",he argued. "She told me something…",Emma started and everyone looked at her. "She said that her mother had imprisoned her and walked around as her…." "That's impossible. I never heard of something like that.",Snow said and Melanie snorted. It reminded them all of whom had raised her. "Well. Magic isn't possible in this world either and still here we are. So why is this suddenly?",Melanie asked and crossed her arms in from of her chest. Snow looked down defeated. "Grandmother really is evil. Mom… she can't be. No matter what happens. She is a good-hearted woman who had to endure so much…",Melanie said. "We have to find her. Look what's going on out there! She has nowhere to go!"
"But what if she is the Evil Queen…",Snow mumbled. "Did she ever treated Emma bad? Did she ever seemed like she wanted Emma dead?",Melanie asked her and Snow shook her head. "Did Cora ever wanted Emma gone or dead? Did she ever harmed Emma?" Snow nodded. "We have to find her… it's already pathetic that I'm the grown up in this room." She got up and walked out. The others followed her. Emma caught up with her. "You have to apologize to your brother…",Emma said and Melanie shook her head.
"He needed to hear the truth. He can't live in a world like there is just black and white… the world is gray…",Melanie snapped and looked around. "I know where she might could be." "We have to wait until tomorrow, Meli… we won't find her yet and it's to dangerous for us.",Emma said and Melanie started crying. "But what if she dies? Or what if she is already dead?",Melanie asked. "Do you feel it?",Emma asked and kneeled down to her.
Melanie shook her head. "Well, than she is still alive. She is a fighter, Meli. We both know that." "You believe her?",Melanie asked her and Emma looked down. "I want to.",Emma answered. "Do you know how difficult it is to wake up and suddenly you almost lose everything and learn the whole truth of where you are from?" "Yes, I know! I know exactly how you feel! I know it since I learned I would die!",Melanie answered. Henry came to them. "M-Meli… could we… could we talk?",he asked her scared.
Emma got up and walked away. The siblings stood next to each other and stared into the snow. "I'm sorry…",he said and she crossed her arms. "I hope so.",she answered and he sighed. "I…I just wanted that everyone has his happy ending." "But what is with the happy ending of the woman who raised us? Who protected us from everyone! Who loved us? You never thought about Mom. It was always Snow and David… Be happy with them but as soon as I find Mom I will go back to her.",Melanie snapped. "What can I do to make it up?",Henry asked her and Melanie broke slightly.
"Help me save Mom from a fate she doesn't deserve.",Melanie said with tears on her cheeks. He hugged her. "I love you.",he said and she hugged him back. "I love you too.",she answered and they held each other close. "We will find Mom and we will save her.",he promised her. After that they walked to the apartment where David waited for them.
Cora visited the family in the night as Regina. But before she had entered the building she was still herself. Melanie saw that and took a picture with her phone before she walked into the living room and waited. The door banged open and the whole family was by her side directly. "Mom?",Henry asked Cora scared. "That isn't Mom. That is Cora.",Melanie hissed and Cora looked at her angrily. "You are so naive, Meli. You just tried to see the good in me. I will destroy everything Snow loves and then I will kill Snow. And killing you, Snow? It will be my pleasure.",Cora hissed directed to Snow who paled. But before she could enact anything Melanie had jumped between them and shoved her back.
Cora growled but poofed away. They all looked confused and shocked. "She really was it…",Henry said and Melanie shook her head. "No. That was Cora. Didn't you smell it? Mom is smelling like apples… and something from the nature… I don't know how to describe it… Grandmother… she smells like pure evil…",Melanie said and they thought about it. "I reread it. She can shape shift. It was in the last pages Henry had ripped out and burnt but he never read the last sentence. "The Queen's mother shifted back to her normal form. She smiled evilly about the pain she had brought over her daughter.",Melanie said and they gasped. "Mom isn't the Evil Queen. Her mother is just too much of a coward to use her own body… and now mom is all alone out there. Probably dead or worse and it was all your fault!",she screamed.
TBC…?