Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time does not belong to me! All characters and references to the show belong to ABC and Channel 5.
Once Upon a Time: School's Out! The Third One-Chapter 20
The next day at lunch, Snow White watched James talk to his football team. They were in the cafeteria, and she was sat at the table opposite theirs, ignoring her plate of pickles and whipped cream (her pregnancy was giving her some weird cravings) as James broke some...disturbing news to his team mates, who were gathered together around two long tables.
The previous night, the Royal's football captain had found out who they would be facing in the final (which was in three weeks time) and it turned out to be a team that had a rather...fearsome reputation. Rumour had it that in their previous game the opposing team's goalie had disappeared five minutes before the game. He'd turned up in hospital three weeks later.
In shock, Snow White had asked the name of this fearsome team, and when James had told her, he sounded like he'd been promised to Death itself:
"The Wraiths"
"Oh, GOD NO!"
Snow White jumped in her seat when Philip Night shrieked like a banshee. Clearly, his captain had just told them who they would be facing, and the entire team looked absolutely terrified!
"Nolan! Have you lost your freaking mind?!" yelled Frederick Knight, gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white.
James released a small groan "Guys, listen-"
"I've heard things about that team" said Arthur Pendragon, an empty look in his eyes and his voice hushed "They'll suck out our souls and turn us into empty shell's!"
"Oh, come on, that's just a rumour!" James snorted. Someone opened their mouth to say something else, but James was in no mood to hear it. He slammed his fist down on the table in a gesture of authority, and from her position at the other table, even Snow White jumped and stared. But it worked, and the team was silent.
"Alright team, this is the deal!" he said, his voice now deep with dominance that claimed the attention of every team mate "A few weeks ago, I'll admit it we got our asses kicked by a bunch of half-brained morons who wouldn't know soap if it came up to them and slapped them in the face!" he said, and his team murmured in solemn agreement "But I do not want that to happen again! I will not let that happen again! Yeah, the Wraith's might have a screwed-up reputation, but despite everything we've heard, we've still got a excellent team, and a team like us does not freak out and run away in fear! We go out there, and we. Kick. Ass!"
Not a word was said after James Nolan's speech, and Snow White continued to watch anxiously, waiting to see what the boys would do. Their expressions were unreadable. Oh God, they weren't going to laugh at him, were they?
James seemed to be wondering the same thing, but he kept the appearance of confidence up, his slightly shaking fist being the only indication of the nerves he felt. The silence seemed to stretch in forever. But then-
"HELL YEAH!" Thomas jumped out of his seat and thumped James on his back with so much enthusiasm that he nearly fell face first into Peter's pepperoni pizza.
"Um...thank's Thomas..."
Snow White grinned in amusement and glowed with pride as, slowly but surely, the rest of the Royals team started to murmur and call out in approval. James may not have won back the complete approval of his team, but he was on his way.
"Hey, what's going on over there?"
Snow White looked up as two brunette girls came up to the table, laden with trays of today's special: Fruit pie and lasagne. She started to answer Ruby's question as she sat down, but became distracted by Belle. She collapsed into her seat in the most world-weary fashion she had ever seen, went to lean her head on her hand, missed, and nearly got a face-full of apple and blackberry pie.
"Oh, damn..." she cursed blearily, and when she lifted her head up Snow White saw two huge bags under her eyes.
"Belle, are you feeling alright?"
Ruby smirked "Snow. You would not believe the night our little Frenchie has had!"
"I told you never to call me that!" Belle snapped without force, she then groaned softly and rubbed her eyes, wincing when she accidentally brushed across her bandage "Ugh, I'm to tired for this..."
"O.k, does someone wanna tell me what happened?" Snow White asked, looking at Ruby expectantly, and the taller brunette stopped smirking at her exhausted friend long enough to answer her, grinning wickedly as she did so.
"Well, according to our tired young friend here" she said with amusement "Someone spilled the beans about yesterday...to Rumplestiltskin"
Snow White gasped, now openly staring at Belle "Oh my-please tell me it was you!"
"Gnuuuh..." was Belle's response, her forehead now on the table.
"Nope" Snow White turned back to Ruby, who was shaking her head slowly "Someone else. Anyway, apparently when he found out, he spent the entire night yelling at her about it!"
"No!" Belle snapped, leaning her head sideways on one of her arms to glare sleepily at her gossipy companion "I spent the entire night trying to convince him not to come down here and kick Regina's arse, thank-you very much!"
"But he still yelled at you, didn't he?"
"...Maybe a little..." Belle mumbled, her blue eyes starting to close "But I kind of deserved it...I did worry him...and...stubluhluh..."
She didn't get out much more than that before her eyes closed completely and all the tension left her face. Snow White sighed in compassion, whereas Ruby sniggered and gently poked her forehead. She didn't stir.
"You think we should wake her?" she asked, and Snow White shook her head.
"Nah, let her sleep, the bell will wake her up when it's time for class. But that doesn't mean you can have her pie!" she added sternly, and Ruby scowled when she let go of Belle's plate.
All through lunch Belle didn't wake, and over her head Ruby and Snow White continued their conversation. At some point, the conversation turned to yesterdays events, and that was when Snow White told Ruby her theory, and she responded to it in her usual, respectful way.
"Snow, have you and your baby swapped brains or something? You sound freaking insane!"
"Why?!" Snow White exclaimed, swallowing down a bite of cream-covered pickle. Ruby grimaced.
"First of all: Ew. Second of all: Because you're defending Regina Mills! Regina freaking Mills! The girl who put you in a coma? Remember?!"
"I'm not defending her!" protested Snow White, stabbing another piece of pickle "I'm just saying there might be more going on than we think! Someone might be setting her up, and we all know what happens to Regina when she feels out of control!"
"So what?!" said Ruby uncaringly "It doesn't effect us!"
Wordlessly, Snow White jabbed her fork at a slumbering Belle's bandaged nose. the red-head looked at her, then she sighed, and turned back to Snow White.
"O.k, you may have a point" she admitted, taking a bite of her favourite four-cheese lasagne and swallowing before carrying on "But still, even if you are right, how are you going to prove it, Snow? And more importantly, how are you going to get Regina to listen to you?"
Snow White opened her mouth, but she could find no response. Because that was the big question, wasn't it? Even if she was able to prove that someone was setting up the ex-Student Body President, how was she, Snow White Blanchard, who had once been at the top of Regina's three-mile long hit list, going to get her to listen?
Taking a sip of her bottled water, she shrugged at her friend "I don't know, Ruby. But I have to try something"
Ruby rolled her eyes, swigging back her own bottle of water just as the bell rang it's shrill song through the cafeteria. From beside her, Belle's head shot up off of her arms "MOMMY, I WANT A COOKIE!"
Ruby's hand covered her mouth as she, and several people surrounding her, creased into laughter. Snow White stared at Belle oddly.
"Um...what?"
She just shook her head, muttering "In don't even know!" before she let her head fall back onto the table.
OUAT
From the back of the cafeteria, Daniel Hay jumped at Belle French's sudden weird yell. When he saw the girl sitting there, blearily rising her head back off the table, he felt a dark feeling stirring within him, and shook his head as he picked up his lunch tray. Stupid girl, if she had never written that damn article Regina would never have reacted so extremely, and she would never have been sent to the Dean, and they would never have...
He inwardly sighed, quickly walking past the table of her and her friends so that they wouldn't see him. He supposed he couldn't blame her for everything. 'Maybe that's for the best' Jesus, what the hell was he thinking?
And now, she wasn't talking to him. For all he knew he had been dumped. First period Politics had been hell itself, with Regina sitting next to him and refusing to talk to him. He had tried to explain while they were sat there, that he didn't mean what he'd said the way it had come out, and that he defiantly didn't think that she was the she-knew-what word! But Ms Nova had kept shushing him, and Regina herself had never responded. When the bell rang for the end of class, she had practically sprinted out of the room to get away from him.
Walking out of the cafeteria he heard someone call out his name, and turned around to see...wait a minute...was that a person or a planet?
Oh no, wait, it was just Snow White Blanchard. Man, she was getting big...
"Yeah?" he said as she approached. She panted a little bit as she hurried over to him, and Daniel wondered what she wanted. The two had never actually spoken before. They didn't exactly run in the same circles...
"I, uh" she started upon reaching him "I was wondering if I could ask you something. About Regina?"
Oh, for Gods sake...he had been getting this kind of crap all day. As the boyfriend of 'Relapse Mills' people had been coming up to him and asking him all sorts of questions about her, digging for dirt that he refused to provide. 'Is it true she's turned totally savage, Daniel?' 'Is she going to be dropping out of College, Daniel?' 'Hey Daniel, when's old Relapse gonna be shipped back to the Nut-House?'
He assumed Snow White had been told by Belle what had happened, and he was in no mood to endure anymore stupid prejudice about his girlfriend. If that's what she still was...
"Look-Snow White, is it?" he asked, and when she nodded he continued somewhat aggressively "I've had to listen to crap about Regina all day, and I'm sick of people asking me if she's some sort of psycho. So if you're trying to get me to dish some dirt on her then you're wasting your time!" with no desire to linger with the startled teen he turned to the stretching corridor and started to stride away, but to his annoyance Snow White called him back.
"Hey! Wait!" he ignored her, continuing to walk.
"Daniel, wait!" he didn't take any notice, though he did roll his eyes at her insistence.
"Come on! You're gonna make a pregnant girl run? Seriously?!"
"Oh, for the love of Pete..." he turned back around, an eyebrow raised questioningly "What?"
"I already told you" she said, walking back up to him and looking determined "To talk"
Daniel groaned "Look, I don't have time for this-"
"Hey, I'm trying to help you!" she said, now sounding just as irritated as him and grabbing him before he could walk away. Daniel eyed her doubtfully. Her of all people? Why would she?
He waited for her to speak, and Snow White looked around the hallway before speaking, lowering her voice as if she didn't want to be overheard "I...I think you were right before. Regina's being set up, and I think they used my friend to do it"
Daniel frowned, and turned around to face her fully "O.k, what're you talking about?"
"Look, I don't have time to explain" she said, obviously indicating the classes they had to attend "But bottom line: the article everyone read? It wasn't written by my friend, and I think someone set it all up to make it look like you're girlfriend was crazy!"
"...O.k, I'm listening"
Snow White sighed with relief "Oh, thank God...O.k" she said, now much more serious "I just need to know if you know anyone who might want to ruin her life"
"Are you serious?" he struggled not to laugh in her face, because even he had to admit, as wonderful as he thought Regina was, not everyone shared the same opinion. She was despised as much as she was feared, and was probably on every hit list going.
Snow White groaned, rolling her eyes "I mean like on a nuclear level! Someone who might resort to, gee, I don't know, framing a Mirror column writer to make her look insane?!"
He thought it was ridiculous, but what other option was he being given? If this girl was out to help Regina then who was he to stop her? And so, he tried to think of anyone who might want to ruin Regina's life. Well, there was Maleficent, Rumplestiltskin, George Spencer, Gene Glass, Hansel and Gretel Tillman, the Dwarfs, Jiminy Hopper, Belle French...the list went on and on!
But no, right now, there was no-one he could think of, and he hated himself for it.
"I'm sorry" he shrugged at Snow White apologetically, and she looked heart-breakingly downcast. Running her fingers through her hair, she shook her head in frustration.
"No, it's O.k...I'm sorry I bothered you"
He contemplated walking away without a word, but thought again. If she was trying to find something to help Regina (though God knew why) then odds were she could actually find something to prove her innocent, and of she did actually find something...
"Uh, listen" he said, and Snow White paused in running her hand through her hair to look at him "If...if you find anything, will you come and tell me?"
Perhaps she heard the slight desperation in his voice, because her gaze turned soft, kind. She lowered her hand from her hair and nodded at him slowly "I promise. And hey, if you think of anything, you come and find me, O.k?"
"I will. Thank-you" he nodded his thanks, and turned back towards the corridor. Mr Tillman would probably kill him for being late, but he didn't really care about that. His mind was a little preoccupied at the moment...
OUAT
Things weren't going so great for Regina, either. All day, she had been the victim of stares, whispers and pointed fingers as she walked down the hall, watching people's lips curve up into smirks and feel their eyes burn into her back "There goes Relapse Mills" they would say, and she had to repeatedly fight down the urge to scream and rage and tear pathetic bastards apart, because of course she couldn't, she was already on thin ice with that idiotic Dean...
But that didn't mean she couldn't vent out her frustration in other ways.
Ahead of her, she saw the fierce Chinese girl known as Mulan Fa. She wasn't watching where she was going, too busy shoving a large textbook in her red and gold back-pack. Regina smirked. They were just about to cross paths. She stuck out a foot, and-
"Ahh!"
Regina chuckled lowly when the Fa girl tumbled to the floor, her hands and knee's slamming on the hard ground and her books flying every which way across the floor. With a satisfied smirk on her painted lips, she watched as the girl gathered up her things, her face burning as the people surrounding them tittered.
"You stupid, foolish girl!" Fa spat, turning around and glaring up at Regina, who raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. She liked the look on her face, the anger and humiliation stamped there, distracting her from her own.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me, Mills!" said the fallen girl, lifting herself to her feet with her brown eyes burning holes in Regina's face "What the hell was that for?!"
Regina made a wounded noise, as if she had no idea what she was talking about (which, of course she did) and then leaned forward, so that her face was inches away from the the other girls "It's hardly my fault if you trip over your own feet, Fa. Maybe you should learn to watch where you're going?"
Mulan snorted in disgust, not even bothering to come up with a response except to glare at her one last time before walking-or rather, limping-away.
Regina kept up the smirk for the crowd, turning around to make her way down the opposite end of the hall. But when she did, she saw something that made the smile freeze on her face.
Daniel.
Oh, dear God...
She just stood there, just as frozen to the spot as he was. No doubt he had seen what she'd just done, and now he had the most awful look on his face...like he was so disappointed in her...
What do you care? Said a voice she thought had long since faded away, a voice she used to listen to in the days before she met Daniel, and thought love was for self-deluding idiots. Oddly enough, it sounded like her mothers voice. If he truly cared for you, he wouldn't have dared question you, would he? Forget him, Regina.
Standing there in silence, both of them, was almost painful for her. It was almost as bad as first period, when they'd had to sit next to one another for a full hour. An hour of him trying to talk to her, to apologise. It had taken all her strength not to start crying.
"Uh...hey"
Oh God, his voice. Just hearing it made her want to forget everything and fall back into his safe, protective arms. But she was Regina Mills, and she didn't forget. Not even for him.
Daniel sighed tensely, and started to speak again, his hands out in front of him in a motion that begged her to listen to him "Listen, we need to talk-"
"We've talked, Daniel!" she overrode him, not wanting to listen to him 'explain' how he hadn't meant what he'd said, or how it hadn't been how it sounded. She'd heard it all before. "And you were perfectly clear, trust me!"
"Regina, please-"
"No" her eyes turned to rock so fast he was stunned into silence "I'm done talking to you, Daniel. Good day" she then shoved past him and down the halls, ignoring him when he called after her, running when he came after her.
Only when she was back in the seclusion of her bedroom did she allow the tears to flow.
OUAT
Wiping her still bleary eyes as she staggered to her Geography lecture, winced as she, yet again, hit her bandage with the base of her palm. Seriously, that thing could not heal fast enough!
Leaning back against the wall, she stared down the hall dreamily whilst ignoring the stares she was getting from her classmates. She knew what they were thinking, of course. Rumplestiltskin was going to kill Regina Mills. Just as much as she knew, sadly, that they were probably right. Unless she was able to talk him out of it.
Then, Belle blinked again, her eyes narrowing as Mulan came down the hall. Or rather, limped down the hall!
"Mulan?" she said with concern as the angry Chinese girl fell against the wall next to her, slamming her back against it and glaring at the wall opposite "What happened to you?!"
"Regina Goddamn Mills" Mulan growled, stretching out her left ankle with a small wince "That wench tripped me on my way here!"
"What?!" Belle exclaimed "Why would she do that?!"
Mulan snorted, looking at her condescendingly "It's Relapse Mills, Belle. Why does she do anything?"
"Hey, don't call her that!" said the Australian, almost aggressively. She'd gotten into enough trouble with that stupid article and she didn't need that nick-name catching on!
Bringing her leg back against the wall with the other one, Mulan rolled her eyes "Well, if you didn't want anyone using that name, then why did you write that story?"
"I DIDN'T WRITE IT!"
Mulan jumped back, giving Belle an odd look at her sudden screech. She wasn't the only one, but Belle couldn't find it within herself to care. The more times she was accused of writing that story, the more she saw red. Some people had actually had the audacity to say that she'd brought her broken nose on herself because of it! Ridiculous!
After apparently deciding that she was approachable after her screech, Mulan spoke again "Well, if you ever find out who did write it, I sincerely hope they get their comeuppance"
Belle sighed resignedly. Knowing Mulan, she probably already had some idea of what that comeuppance should be, and while she didn't always agree with her friends violent ways, she was still a loyal companion.
Then, Mulan frowned, looking at something behind her shoulder "Someone's staring at you"
"Huh?" Belle frowned, and Mulan nodded at something behind her.
"Over there, by the window. He's wearing a top hat"
Oh, fantastic, with a sinking feeling deep in her stomach, Belle followed Mulan's gaze to the window she spoke of, and nearly groaned out loud.
Yep, it was the Mad Hatter. Jefferson. He was watching her from the side of the window, his unnaturally stiff expression becoming even stiffer when he saw her face, his skin turning a little bit paler.
What? Was he not enjoying the view? If Belle had known he was so opposed to bandages before, she would've gotten Regina to break her nose weeks ago!
"Isn't that the guy who held your lap-top hostage to get a date out of you?" Mulan asked, and Belle nodded. From behind her, she felt her fierce friend bristle "Want me to go teach him a lesson?"
Belle chuckled a little "No" she shook her head, watching Jefferson until he finally noticed she'd caught him and lurked of to...wherever he was supposed to be. She turned back to Mulan, who did not seem impressed with her answer. She shrugged, scratching the base of her bandage "Come on, Mulan. It's not like he's done anything that bad to me!"
OUAT
The days streamed by and it was soon Saturday afternoon, and at 6pm Snow White's weekly birthing class had just ended. In today's class they had been performing stretches that would be good for the body during pregnancy, and everything had gone pretty much normally. The women had sneaked patronizing glances at the young mother when they thought she wasn't looking, and Giselle was her usual, annoyingly attentive self, making absolutely sure Snow White knew what she was doing-because Heaven forbid she "Feel silly for not knowing what to do!"
And of course, Snow White had gritted her teeth and borne it, not even making her hurry to escape too obvious by gathering up her things without speed. This week had been...stressful, for her. She had spoken to practically everyone in the College in trying to find out who wrote that article, but they either didn't have a clue or weren't telling. She'd even gone to Gene Glass, who told her that he didn't have any idea, which meant that the mystery writer was either very, very clever, or he was a ghost!
"Snow?"
Pulling her purse over her shoulder she turned to face James, who was looking at her concernedly "You O.k? You were kind of in a world of your own there..."
Snow White smiled gently "I'm sorry, James, I'm just-"
But suddenly, before she could finish, one of the mother's to be-a woman with long blonde hair and ice-blue eyes Snow White knew as Jadis-suddenly collapsed to the ground, her hands grabbing her stomach and her face pinched in pain as she released an unearthly scream:
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
The class fell into silence, staring in horror and fear as Jadis' husband-Edmund-fell to her side and grasped her shoulders as she screamed again "ITS COMING! SHE'S COMING! OH MY GOD, IT HURTS!"
"SOMEONE! QUICKLY! CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Edmund screeched, and a flustered Giselle quickly pulled her pink cell phone. Within ten minutes, a white truck with wailing sirens had arrived at he community centre where the classes took place.
"C-class is cancelled for today, everyone!" she squeaked as a screaming Jadis was wheeled out on a gurney. Her blue eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and she was tugging on her long red hair so hard it looked like it would come loose. Her face was as white as a sheet.
Has she never done this before? Snow White wondered as James propelled her out of the room. She would've stayed to comfort her (because she looked like she really needed it) but several swollen bellies had beaten her too it.
Is that what it's going to be like? She wondered anxiously. She could still hear Jadis' screams over the wails of the ambulance as she was taken away. She sounded like she was in a lot of pain...
She was so distracted by the ambulance that she nearly jumped a foot in the air when she felt James' hand on her shoulder, and she was certain her face was whiter than normal when she turned it to his, if the worried expression on it was anything to go by.
"Hey, are you O.k?" he said gently, and he didn't look convinced by Snow White's nod "Did that bother you?" he asked, and they both knew he was talking about the very recent beginnings of labour they'd witnessed.
"I..." she exhaled heavily, letting her head bob in admittance "I didn't think it would be that bad, I thought..." she trailed off, unsure of what to say next. Sure, she had known there would be pain, but she...the way she had screamed...for the first time since she had become pregnant, Snow White was scared.
No, not just scared. Terrified.
And for once, it had nothing to do with Regina Mills.
OUAT
Regina ran in through the College gates just in time. The 8pm curfew was almost upon her and she'd avoided missing it, meeting the caretakers annoyed expression with a cheery wink.
For all that day, she had not been in the College, taking her car and driving to a faraway Mall that the college students didn't usually hang out at. That morning when she'd woken up, she'd been determined to get out of the College for the day, to show that she would not be beaten down or become a College hermit just because her boyfriend didn't believe in her, her so-called friends stopped talking to her, and she was back to being the resident nutcase.
And there was the fact that she wanted to keep out of the Deans way. Following her step down from Student Body President, she hadn't exactly been treating her fellow students with what one might call "Respect" in fact, just yesterday she'd reduced poor Jiminy Hopper to tears after she'd torn his brand new, mint condition psychology book in half, with some callous remarks about his mannerisms and lack of social life.
Besides, her resolve had only strengthened when she'd seen what was on her bedroom door that morning.
Scrawled on her bedroom door, over the first half of her name, was a word in black marker, much like Maleficent had done a few semesters ago, but with one small difference. They hadn't touched on the last part of her name, simply blurring out her first name and replacing it with something much more...dark, so that now, instead of her door reading 'Regina Mills' it now read:
Relapse Mills.
She'd nearly broken the door with the strength she'd slammed it shut, grabbing her car keys and getting the hell out of there. She was not looking forward to returning to her graffitied sign. If she ever found out who did it she'd tear their heart out and keep it in an ornate box while it was still beating!
In another, more human part of her mind, she wondered how everything had gone so...wrong, in the space of two months. Two months ago, she'd been happy, respected and in love. Now, she was miserable, mocked at every turn, and as for love...
Her eyes pricked, but she didn't let herself cry. Who knew who could be watching? She was willing to bet that pathetic bitch Belle would just love to get another 'Exclusive' on her: Relapse Mills-Wallowing in Misery! As if she wasn't torn up enough already-
Ring ring! Ring ring!
And now someone was calling her. So, they'd finally started up the prank calls again, she knew it was only a matter of time, she just didn't expect it to be this soon...
However, she was surprised when she pulled out her black touch-screen cell and looked at the caller I.D. She paused on the campus pavement, hesitating only a nanosecond before she accepted the call "...Mother?"
"Hello, my darling" said Cora, sounding more motherly than Regina had heard her in nineteen years "Is everything alright, my love?"
"Um...yes, why wouldn't it be?" it was a split second decision to lie to her mother (it wasn't like she hadn't done it before) as she still remembered what happened to her the last time her reputation took a hit like this. She had even started to have the old nightmares about it...
"Regina, I know you're lying to me" said Cora lazily, and the girls hand tightened on her phone "I...I know what was written about you, darling" Regina froze, her throat constricting so that it almost hurt and her palms becoming moist. She waited for the scathing, soul-shattering words she knew were coming. And sure enough:
"It must be so terrible for you!"
Wait a second. What? This wasn't right! Regina frowned, her grip loosening slightly on her phone and her throat constricting less. Her mother was supposed to be furious with her now, telling her that she'd, as usual, brought shame on the whole family and disappointed her beyond belief. Was this some new form of sarcasm she hadn't heard about?
"Regina?" her mother's voice filtered through to her "Are you still there?"
"Y-yes, yes I'm still here, Mother" she stuttered, and resumed walking towards her dorm, street-lights lighting her way "How...how do you know-?"
"Your headmaster called me" she explained, and Regina inwardly cursed "He told me what's been going on, and what happened with the French girl...and those awful allegations-"
"They're not true!" Regina exploded, suddenly desperate to make her mother to know that "Mother, I swear to you, they're all lies. I promise I never had any of that stuff!"
"I know" said Cora smoothly "That's what I told him"
She stopped dead, now outside the Mills campus house but not going inside. Had she finally lost it all over again?
"Mother...what?"
When Cora spoke to her, she could hear the smile in her voice "I told that idiotic man that you were hardly stupid enough to lay a hand on that Blanchard girl again. I know my own daughter, and I know how I raised you"
Regina swallowed "So...you're saying you-
"I believe in you, my dear" Cora finished fondly, and Regina felt like she was going to pass out from the huge, warm swell of relief and surprise she felt at those words. She felt tears tickle her eyes again.
"Mother...thank-you!"
"You are most welcome" said the older woman, sweetness and motherly acceptance practically dripping off her tongue "And don't you worry, my love, Mommy's going to make it all better..."
OUAT
It was quite late when Rumplestiltskin pulled up in the Fairytale College driveway. He knew the gates had long since been locked, but fortunately for him he'd stolen the key in his first year and had a copy made. It had come in useful when people from other Colleges-or anywhere else-had started requesting his services, and he always did enjoy the seclusion of meeting potential buyers in the dark...
But he wasn't thinking of his dealings right now. Oh no, he was far to happy for that, and right now he couldn't wait to get back inside the college and back to Belle. She was probably asleep now, but she wouldn't freak out too badly if he popped up in her room as if from nowhere, right?
Speaking of Belle, Rumplestiltskin thought of how explicity lucky Regina was that he was in such a good mood. If he was anything other joyous right now, he would give that venomous little bitch a nice visit...much like the one she had given Belle...
Going to the back of his car, Rumplestiltskin opened the boot and pulled out his bags, eagerly slamming it back down in his haste before opening one and looking for his phone. He'd promised Baelfire he'd call him once he got back, and he didn't think his mother would mind the late hour. Hell, the mood she'd been in by the time he left he didn't think she'd mind if WW3 broke out!
Not that he blamed her of course. Sometimes, it was a good thing when good triumphed over evil, sending it walking out of a courtroom with it's tail between it's well tailored legs...
With a wide grin on his face, Rumplestiltskin turned around and walked onto the pavement, already dialling his mother's home number. But before he could call it, a low, melodic voice caught his attention.
"Well, someone's clearly had a good day"
Rumplestiltskin did not like to be sneaked up on. Being the type of person who planned everything out so that he knew exactly what would happen and exactly how it would happen, the one thing he did not like, was surprises.
He looked up, pocketing his phone and roving his eyes around the lit pathway "Who's there? Show yourself!"
He heard a low chuckle come out from the darkness, and then the clop, clop of stilettoed heel's as they made their way into the light, carrying with them an elegant woman who had clearly once been very beautiful. A woman dressed in a black pant-suit that flattered her aged frame. A woman with pale skin and wavy brown hair that was clearly very well kept. A woman who had her daughter's brown eyes, and vindictive, red-lipped grin.
Rumplestiltskin knew who she was instantly. Cora Mills. Regina's mother.
"Good evening, Mr Gold" she said, her voice oozing a sweetness that her eyes did not match. Her grin spreading until it became a painfully cold smile, she started to walk towards him in short, smooth steps "I believe that you and I, have a lot to discuss"
Sorry for the late update (again. Ugh, I'm bad at this...) but my writer's block hit me again and I could barely get out one sentence! Well, it looks like Regina's having the time of her life(!) and, as you can see, I decided to bring Rumple back. As always, I would love to hear what you thought, so please R+R. I've only got a few more chapters left to go on this (might be 2 or 3) so I'll try and make them good :)