A/N - I know I'm taking a lot of liberties with this story. Thanks for bearing with me!
Zelena and Giselle moved in the first thing next morning, and not a moment too soon, the redhead found. Even a witch as powerful as she couldn't break the tension in the Swan-Mills house. It hit her light a heatwave the moment she stepped foot through the door, a surge of magic like she'd never felt before, at least, not from Emma and Regina— magic created of conflict, of pain.
Although Regina did not remember Zelena, she found that she felt oddly comfortable around the woman. Aside from the accent and difference in hair color, they had quite a lot in common; reformed villains, casting curses upon towns in search of their happy ending, complicated relationships with Cora. From everything Regina had read about Zelena in the books, she'd expected that spending time with her would only result in yet another battle in the middle of town.
In all actuality, while Regina felt remarkably at ease with Zelena, she wondered if it wasn't just because spending time with Emma was the last thing she wanted to do. After the previous day, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle another speech; it was in moments like those that Regina was reminded just how much Emma was like her parents.
And so, during a day without the Savior, Regina fell into the role of caretaker; it was a nice change from being the one looked after. As Zelena carried the last few boxes of her and Giselle's belongings, Regina sat on the couch with her niece. Her own maternal instinct was one of the few constants that she seemed able to rely on.
"Just how long are you planning to stay?" Regina asked when Zelena brought in, what felt like, the 100th container.
"Minimum, a fortnight," Zelena replied matter-of-factly. "All depends on how long you and Emma can go without destroying each other." Regina rolled her eyes, but said nothing, quietly grateful that there would be a buffer other than Henry.
When Giselle pointed to Regina's stomach and squeaked, "Baby," Regina couldn't help but crack a small smile. Though it was impossible for her to forget her current… condition, Regina didn't particularly find joy in thinking about it. The child inside of her was hers, that much was indisputable. But it was also Emma's— another link between the Queen and the Savior.
After dropping off the last suitcase, Zelena sat in a chair across from Regina. "I believe that's the last of it," she exhaled. "Giselle and I have officially moved in." Patting her lap, Zelena scooped up Giselle and held her close. "Hello, darling. Are you excited to stay with your auntie Regina?" Giselle nodded excitedly. Checking her watch, Zelena pat her daughter on the back. "Why don't you go wake up Henry, hm? I'm sure he'd be delighted to see you," she said with a wicked grin.
As Giselle scurried up the stairs, quickly but carefully, Zelena took the empty space on the couch, right beside Regina.
"She looks like you," Regina murmured after a few moments.
Zelena's smile softened from scheming to pride. "Can't believe how fast she's growing."
Humming along in agreement, Regina sighed. "Tell me about it. Henry's so…" she trailed off, anger washing over her at the thought of losing memories of her son.
"Henry has grown into quite the young man, and he has you to thank for it," Zelena said. "He truly does have the Heart of the Truest Believer."
Regina pressed her lips in a firm line. "Well, I suppose someone should. Though I don't know how that helps anyone now."
Zelena examined her sister as she deliberated over her next words. "You came to see me the other day, before… well, before all of this."
"Did I now?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Mhm," Zelena nodded. "You did me the courtesy of warning me about Cora. In fact, you thought I was another possible target."
"Well, you are her daughter."
Zelena offered a sad smile. "You said the same thing then."
"I see. And what was your response then?"
"That blood doesn't make a family," Zelena replied evenly.
They sat there together for a bit, the two women and Regina allowed the weight of Zelena's comments to settle. They listened to Giselle's giggles, to Henry's heavy footsteps as he carried her down the stairs on his back, out into the backyard.
"Is it true what Cora said?" Regina wondered aloud. "About the Underworld? About… moving on?" She wasn't sure how much had been Cora and how much had been Gothel. Though, she supposed, she could corroborate with the many books.
Zelena shifted in her seat slightly. "I suppose that depends on who you ask," she said. "She apologized to both of us. And we forgave her."
Tilting her head to the side, Regina remarked, "You don't sound very forgiving."
Zelena just shrugged. "I accepted what she did. But I don't think I'll ever truly be at peace with it."
"I don't understand. What's the difference?"
Sitting down beside Regina, Zelena sighed. "I suppose there isn't one," she realized. "I do believe she was genuine about one thing, though: she never wanted to hurt either of us."
As she attempted to find solace in Zelena's words, Regina couldn't help but be distracted by the layout of her home. The furniture was just as she remembered it. Though it was now arranged slightly differently, more open than before. It was as if it were all set up for group conversations, parties, family get-togethers.
The pictures she'd noticed on the walls weren't the only additions; there were frames on the mantle as well, more joyous occasions she felt no connection to. And then her eyes fell upon a photo she hadn't seen before, one of her and Emma together, without Henry. Emma stood behind her with her arms wrapped around Regina's waist, their home blurred in the background. Emma was smiling at Regina, looking at her as if she were the most beautiful person in the world. And Regina had her eyes closed with one hand cupping Emma's cheek. It was such a tender, intimate moment. Regina almost felt as if she were intruding on someone else's memory.
"Regina," Zelena began slowly, putting a hand over her sister's. "I understand that you don't know me. I can't imagine what you must be going through. I just… well, I hope that if you ever need anything, you know you can come to me. You can trust me."
With a grateful nod, Regina offered a quiet, "Thank you." She believed Zelena. Truly. It almost frightened her how easily she did so. Something inside of Regina knew that Zelena was on her side.
"Now," the redhead began in a chipper tone, "I don't suppose that son of yours would accept a bit of a bribe in exchange for carrying a few boxes upstairs, would he?"
"That depends," Regina said with a smirk, "would that bribe be food?"
Calling out to her daughter and nephew, Zelena waited patiently until Henry appeared with Giselle still on his back. After offering a generous amount of chocolate chip cookies, which Regina decided to allow, Henry and Giselle each grabbed an item and carried determinedly. Zelena watched on with a smile as her daughter carried her own small backpack and followed Henry dutifully.
Picking up the lightest box she could find, Zelena reprimanded Regina when she attempted to lift something, and ordered the brunette to lead the way. Regina grumbled something about using magic to finish it all, to which Zelena politely, "Even I've learned magic always has a price."
Other than the rom Emma was using, there were two other quarters; one next to Regina and Emma's room (now only Regina's). The other was next to Henry. Both doors were closed. And as far as Regina was concerned, both rooms were empty.
The last thing Regina had expected to find was a disassembled crib, paint swatches, a changing table. It made sense, of course. The room closest to hers would be the nursery. And Henry had mentioned something about Emma wanting to get started on it. A part of her had just assumed that meant they were starting from ground zero.
"Mom?" Henry called out tentatively. "That's, uh, for—"
"Right," Regina said quickly. "Of course. That means Zelena's room is—"
"Over here," the teenager gestured to the door behind him. Regina didn't waste a single second in closing the door to the nursery, an uneasy feeling creeping into her bones. "Are you OK?" She heard Henry asked gently.
Regina offered a stiff nod. "I'm fine. Come on, let's help Zelena unpack."
When Emma left the house that morning, the sun had just barely risen over the horizon. Shades of pink and orange blended in the sky to create.
Emma had left the house well before Zelena showed up. The sun had just barely risen when she got to the station, determined to find out anything and everything. After casting a silencing charm around the cell, however rational it may have been, Emma waited for David to arrived before enlisting the help of Belle, Mulan, and Red.
While Belle collected all of the books she could find on Mother Gothel, Emma sent Mulan and Red on a manhunt through Storybrooke. They started with the obvious places: the cottage beyond the woods, the house Emma stayed in when she was the Dark One, the cellar Zelena had kept Gold in all those years ago.
But, when those obvious places came up empty, they went a different route. Emma sent Mulan and Red through the underground channels, including the one beneath the mayor's mansion. She didn't care of Regina chewed her out for it; she'd deal with that if and when it happened. Meanwhile, Emma charged David with watching Cora while she paid a visit to a certain storeowner. Much to Emma's disappointment, Rapunzel wasn't in Storybrooke. The next best option was one she'd much prefer to avoid.
When she opened the door to the shop, Emma got the feeling that Gold had been waiting for her. Standing behind the counter, the man was tinkering with a small gadget, though she suspected he was just passing the time.
"What can I do for you, dearie?" Gold asked offhandedly, an impersonal greeting for someone he knew so personally.
Emma drew closer to the counter, one step at a time. "Mother Gothel. You knew each other. How?"
Setting town a small screwdriver, Gold pushed aside the magnifying glass he'd been using and looked up at Emma with a blank expression. "I'm afraid I don't know any more than you do, Ms. Swan," he replied in an even tone.
"Bullshit," Emma spat. "You know more than any of us do. You know why she's here— what she wants." She and Gold held each other's gaze for a moment, and much like the day before, they found themselves in a contest. Emma wasn't sure why Gold bothered at this point; they both knew she could kick his ass, Dark One and all. "We know she's Rapunzel's mom. But that's it. That's all we've got."
"I'm sorry," Gold said, shaking his head slightly. "I truly wish I could help you. Now, as you can see, I'm very busy here. If you don't mind." Turning back to the bizarre trinket before him, Gold squinted through the thick glass and poked at it with that tip of the screwdriver.
"Asshole," Emma muttered before spinning on her heels and slamming the door behind him.
Gold waited until he could no longer sense her magic before disappearing behind the curtain, into the back room. From the many items on the shelf of his personal collection, Gold plucked a book with a blue spine. It had accumulation considerably less dust than his other possessions, though that was because he'd used it most recently, just over four months before.
Flipping through the pages, Gold came to a halt on chapter three. He ran a finger across the lines, skimmed through the sections until he located exactly what he was looking for— something he'd wondered about, but had hoped wouldn't be true.
Closing the book, Rumplestiltskin reemerged from the back room, dug out his phone, and dialed the familiar number. The dial tone rang three times before someone answered.
"It's me," Gold greeted gruffly. "I found something."
Henry hadn't been to the castle in ages. Over the years, he'd had less and less time to visit, to be a kid. He hadn't exactly anticipated his grandfather asking to meet him at such a peculiar place, one that only Henry felt a connection to.
He'd told Zelena and Regina that he was going to Gold at his shop. If either of them suspected him of lying, they didn't show it. Promising to be back within the hour, Henry hastily sprinted out of the house and retraced the steps he'd taken so many times before as a child.
Gray clouds began to form as a storm started to brew. Henry ran as fast he could without arousing suspicion from other residents. He pushed through the sharp pain in his side and the heavy panting just long enough to make it to the castle. To no one's surprise, Gold was waiting for him when he arrived.
Bent over at the waist, his hands on his knees, Henry struggled to catch his breath. Gold waited patiently for his grandson to gather his composure. When Henry finally managed to stand up straight, Gold dug a hand into his coat pocket and held out the blue book.
"What's this?"
Gold opened to the chapter he'd bookmarked and pointed to the title. "This, my boy, is what Mother Gothel is after. The reason she's meddled in your mothers'… affairs."
With a sharp frown, Henry looked down at the heading and hungrily snatched the book from his grandfather. "'True Love's Magic?'" Henry read aloud, unable to mask his own confusion.
But Gold simply nodded before flipping the pages. "More specifically, what it creates."
The moment Henry read the words, he his heart dropped to his stomach. A lump formed in the back of his throat as he understood just how much danger his family was in. Shaking his head in disbelief, Henry peered up at Gold with desperate eyes. "She wants the baby."
A/N - What's that? Mother Gothel is after Emma and Regina's child? Why? And why did Gold come to Henry instead of an adult? Guess you'll have to stick around to find out...