Hey guys and girls just want to say thank you to all the reviewers, you people make my day when I get a review I light up but also I want to thank everyone who favorited and are following this story - I want to thank you all for just reading it. So big thanks. Here's Chapter 3 and I promise I will eventually get around to editing.
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Emma had what one would say 'the pedal pressed to the medal' - gunning down the street, having sped dramatically past the 'Leaving Storybrooke' sign an hour and a half ago at most she felt like she was one of the stunt drivers in 'The Fast and The Furious'. Just an hour and a half more to go Emma. Emma pressed her foot even harder down on the little bug raising the sped even more. I bet I could get there in less than half that time. Emma challenged her inner voice. Good thinking Emma, what about whilst your thinking about speeding through stop signs and gunning down the road like a maniac you also think about what your gonna say to Regina once you find her.
Emma's grip on the steering wheel loosened her knuckles beginning to gain there color back from the pale white they were. She hadn't actually thought that far. She had just sped out of the apartment jumped in her car and sped off to the nearest town where Emma hoped Regina would stop for the night before leaving completely. Hopefully she could catch her before she left altogether or otherwise she wouldn't know what to do. She knew if somebody truely wanted to disappear they could and Regina was somebody that when she set her mind to things they never happened half way or were only somewhat completed - she went all out with whatever she did. Hell she cursed an entire land.
"I'll just tell her she needs to come back for Henry because he really misses her. It's not a lie. It's the truth." Emma nodded to her own plan but her inner voice had other ideas. Like that's going to work. Like she's really going to believe Henry loves her after everything. "I could use guilt and tell her she doesn't really love him if she doesn't come back." Emma argued back. Oh even more brilliant have a pissed of Regina whose magic is back and who is currently more than likely in a fragile state coming after our hide. Best idea yet Emma. Emma grimaced at that, yeah so it wasn't the best plan she had ever had. It didn't matter she had forty five more minutes - no thirty more minutes to think about that. Pressing down on the accelerator she promised it would be only thirty minutes.
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Emma pulled into the small town, pulling up beside the only lodge located in the area. Jumping out of the car she slammed the door shut behind her and took in the cars in the parking lot. Three SUV's, no mercedes and one Hummer. No sign of Regina. She sprinted towards the lodging doors taking the steps two at a time as the dark gradually seeped into the sky. Reaching for the door she yanked it open roughly and came face to face with the very person she was after. God if only everything in life was this easy.
"Miss Swan?" Regina's surprise was evident in her tone and across her features.
"Regina." She nodded swallowing.
Stepping out of the lodge building into the chilly night air she wrapped the long black coat she had on around her tighter and looked the blond woman up and down in curiosity. "What are you doing here Miss Swan?"
"I could ask you the same thing Regina."
"I sent a letter that explained everything." Regina countered starting for the lodging parking lot.
"Actually it hardly explained everything. What's really going on? You..y..you brought a Hummer?" Emma questioned watching as the woman unlocked, "When did that happen? And what the hell happened to your car?"
Regina smirked, "Magic Miss Swan." Regina said getting up and into the large vehicle grabbing the inside handle of the door preparing to shut it in Emma's face but a hand gripping the door forestalled that plan. "Miss Swan if you don't mind removing your hand from my door."
It wasn't a question, statement or even a request it had come out as an order. One Emma wasn't going to follow without some actual solid answers and Regina driving back to Storybrooke with her. "You can't be serious about this. About leaving."
"It seems I am Mis-"
"Cut the crap!" Emma yelled. Lowering her voice to hide their conversation from curious on lookers she argued defiantly refusing to believe Regina was just packing up to leave for no reason. "Look around you Regina, your sitting in a bloody Hummer - a nice Hummer but a Hummer nontheless. This isn't you."
"With all due respect Miss Swan you don't know me." Note to self: Pick up an extra bottle of tequila. No, no, no more alcohol. But god this woman could make anyone an alcoholic.
"No I don't but I do know Henry misses you and he made me promise I'd bring you back."
Regina sighed clearing the small amount of hope that perhaps it were true and Henry really did care for her. Deep down she didn't believe it and in someway she didn't blame him after everything she had done to so many people who would want a mother who was pure evil. She knew what it was like to have a mother who was pure evil. There was no such thing as redemption there was only attempts which is exactly what she was going to do. To attempt to redeem herself and if there was a god out there then perhaps he would take pity on her when it's her time to go. After all didn't someone quote 'There is two sides to every story' god knows she definitely had two sides too hers. "If that were true and I'm not saying it is I'm not going back anyway. He deserves something that makes him happy, people who can teach him to grow up right. Not the Evil Queen."
Emma frowned at that. Sure she hadn't spoken or seen Regina since the womans mother had been defeated but before that she had seen the difference in Regina and how much she had changed. Screw this I'm going with guilt. Emma told herself opening her mouth to speak. "If you love Henry you would never have left Storybrooke." The death glare had her inner voice packing up suitcase and running away like Speedy Gonsales with nothing but a 'That's all folks' and a streak left in her inner voice's wake.
Calming herself down Regina spoke tersely, "If that's what you wish to believe Miss Swan than you may do so as I hate to sound like a broken record I will repeat this once and only once. I love Henry more than anything."
Emma sighed. Mentally checking her body parts to make sure Regina hadn't magicked anything important away. Once satisfied she continued. "Then come back to Storybrooke prove it to Henry. Prove that you love him."
"For ten years I proved to him I loved him Miss Swan, then your - Mother," she spat the word out "Gave him that Fairytale book and all of a sudden I was no longer his mother but an Evil witch instead. Ten years I gave him but one book has him believing I wasn't good enough to be his mother."
"But he wasn't wrong, you were the Evil Queen and I strain the word was your not anymore Regina." Emma said truthfully.
"You are who you are Miss Swan you can't change that. I can't change that. No one can. The only thing one can do is try and try and try again hoping - no praying that they get it right one day. That one day, one good deed will make up for the countless bad ones but it doesn't." Regina turned away from Emma and stared out into the blackening environment, the air around them getting colder with each passing second.
The darkness seemed to encompass them both. Something familiar you notice Miss Mills? Her own inner voice quieried. It's me. Something that nobody seems to acknowledge till it's on there doorstep blocking out the sun - blocking out the light that's inside. It's something you can't stop from coming around. You can't change it not matter what you do. "Miss Swan I'm not coming back to Storybrooke. Not now at least."
"What do you mean by 'not now at least'?"
Regina reached into the coat pocket pulling out a medium sized journal in which she had spent the time since arriving at the small town copying the list into. She held it out for Emma turning to face the blond with a expectant look as if believing the journal held all the answers - hopefully for her they did.
Hesistantly Emma took the journal, removed her hand from the car door and slowly open the tanned brown leather journal to the first page. A picture of Regina hugging Henry tightly, it looked to be the boys first day of school. The caption underneath took her attention away from the photo, it read; 'For when you start to fall. Remember why your doing this all.'
Emma looked back up at Regina who had turned away once again to stare out into the dark and not for the first time since she had found out about her power had she wished that she had gotten the ability to read minds instead. Looking back down at the journal she flipped the page and read. She only needed to read one page to understand what the journal was about. "Your doing a Bucket List?"
"As you can see Miss Swan I am." Regina nodded.
Emma blinked a few times. My internal lie detector is definitely broken and my internal mechanic has left town to go live in Mexico. "Your kidding? Right?" There was no way this woman would want to complete a Bucket List.
"I assure you I'm not Miss Swan," Regina spoke harshly as she took the journal back from Emma's shocked grasp and quickly shut the door and applied the lock.
Snapping out of her shock she tapped on the glass window. "Regina open up this is crazy. Are you even listening to yourself? Are you actually believing yourself?"
"Goodbye Miss Swan," Regina said pushing the key into the ignition.
The moment Emma realized tapping on the window wouldn't work she looked around for anyway to stop the woman from leaving. One thing and one thing only had to work - hopefully it would but then again their history told her what she was about to do wasn't exactly the most sane thing she had ever done. Even guilt-baiting the Evil Queen paled in comparison but hell she survived that, what's the worse that could happen?
Sprinting around to the back of the Hummer she laid down stretching herself out behind the wheels. The car backed up an inch and Emma flinched. She wouldn't really run me over would she? A mere few millimeters away from her arm, the car pulled to a jolting stop and Emma prayed to whatever God existed that the woman wasn't all Evil. She heard the car door slam shut and the clicking heels. She took a glance from were she was laying to see those heels attached to long smooth legs that ran on forever - well until she came face to face with a pissed looking Regina.
"Miss Swan get out from behind my car now!"
Emma shook her head and prayed that her plan would not be her undoing, "Not until you promise to come back to Storybrooke."
"You should know by now my promises mean nothing."
Emma shook her head. "That's not true."
"Miss Swan I will give you three seconds to get out from behind my car before I reverse over you."
Emma eyed the woman cautiously. She wouldn't really reverse over her would she? Did she want to test that theory to it's possible short lived end? "I'm not budging till you promise me you will come back to Storybrooke."
"Three."
"Just come back Regina. Please for Henry?"
"Two."
Sighing she shook her head defiantly whilst praying to that same God that she lives to see another day.
"One."
"Still not moving," she sung childishly.
Regina conceded, "Very well Miss Swan."
The click-clack of heels retreated as did the figure of Regina Mills. The opening and closing of a car door was heard and then the ignition roared again. Emma squeezed her eyes shut praying for quick and painless death.
Regina sat in the car glancing out the side mirrors were she could just see the tip of a blond head. The womans persistant you have to give her that - and courageous. "Shut up," Regina chided her inner voice. With a sigh she shut off the engine once again and clambered out of the vehicle for the second time in a mere matter of minutes. Making her way over to Emma she conceded to Emma's demands once again. "Very well Miss Swan I promise to return to Storybrooke..."
"Yes!" Emma cheered jumping to her feet with a large beaming smile on her face.
"Once I've completed my Bucket List." The face fell immediately and Regina reveled in it.
"What? No deal!" Emma shook her head. "No way your coming home now."
"Miss Swan I am a grown woman you have no control over me." Regina stood in her Mayoral pose in defiance against the Savior.
"I promised Henry I'd bring you back."
"Well then as I see it you have two options."
Emma rolled her eyes, "And what are those exactly?"
Regina smirked, "Option one; you can go back home to Storybrooke without me and break your promise to Henry-"
Emma shook her head and cut Regina off with finality in her voice. "Not gonna happen."
Regina held up her hand smirk still in place "or you could come with me and help me complete the list and you return to Storybrooke with me and keep your promise to Henry." She had her. Finally after so long she finally had her. She'd go back to Storybrooke and Henry would finally be disappointed in his birth mother and Emma would feel exactly how Regina has felt ever since Snow White gave him that damned book. She smirked reveling in her victory.
"Very well Regina you win."
Regina's smirk widened. "Then this is goodbye."
"Goodbye?"
"Yes goodbye Miss Swan."
"But I'm coming with you."
Regina's smirk fell away and her demeanour changed. "No way. I will not have you along for the trip."
"Well as somebody I know once told me 'You have one of two option' - number one being; you can accept me coming along on this bucket list or number two I lay down behind your car until you get fed up that you actually decide to run me over."
"That's a difficult choice to make Miss Swan. The option to run you over is very, very tempting I will not lie I have dreamed off running you over and many, many more of your demises. However because of your importance to Henry I will concede and allow you on the journey." How long could Emma possibly last? Half of the stuff on the list would have her running home - not driving. Running.
"Very well. Let me make the neccessary arrangements." Emma pulled out her phone and punched in her mother's number. It was coming on eight o'clock they had been standing outside for a good hour and a half nearly. She heard the click of the phone call being accepted on the other side. "Ma-Sn-Mom?"
"Emma? Where are you? When are you coming home?"
Emma risked a glance in Regina's direction to find the woman staring exasperatedly back at her. With a small smile she answered, "I'm at the small town a few hours away from Storybrooke and I-" she hesitated unsure how to explain to her mother, "I'm not sure when I'll be back so I need you to do something for me."
"Has this got something to do with Regina? You should just let that woman leave. Henry will get over it eventually."
"Perhaps but a promise is a promise."
"Wait. You actually found her?" Snow sounded surprised.
Emma nodded even though she knew her mother couldn't see her. "She's currently standing in front of me."
"Then why won't you be home soon?"
"Regina has somethings she has to take care off first and I'm-" she hesitated once again. Cautiously she finished, "-I'm assisting her."
"What sort of things? You know that womans pure evil right? How could you trust her?"
Because deep down Emma knew that no one person was purely good, nobody was perfect just like nobody was truly evil. Regina just had to find her way out of the large abyss that she had found herself stuck in - like a large fishnet in which Regina was tangled in and had to find a way to unravel all the rope. "I made a promise to Henry to bring her back."
"Tell her Henry misses her."
Emma sighed, "I did and even tried the guilt card. It didn't work."
"Emma-"
"Mom I'm doing this but I need you too look after Henry because I'm not sure how long this will take and also I need Dav-Dad to drive out here and pick up my bug."
"Emma please don't do this."
"Can you or can you not look after Henry?" Emma listened to her mother sigh over the phone before the response came defeated.
"Very well Emma, what do you want me to tell him?"
"Tell him I'll call him as soon as I can and that his mother's love him very much." Emma said looking into the eyes of the former Mayor. She was pretty sure she could see them glistening with unshed tears. She quickly said her goodbyes and hung up.
Straightening out her posture. Regina inhaled deeply covering the emotions she was sure was showing. She wasn't weak. She wouldn't cringe. "Are you now ready Miss Swan?" She watched Emma nod before giving a brisk one back in return. "Very well let's get going."
With that Regina climbed into the still rumbling Hummer and shut the door behind waiting for the red jacketed blond to climb into the passenger seat next to her. The H1 series Hummer was large allowing a large amount of distance and space between the two with a mounted laptop swing from the dashboard and the stereo and airconditioning controls in between the two front seats, autmatic lock was located there also along with the in car phone option.
Emma reached over to turn the vehicles radio on only to have her hand slapped away. "Ouch!" she rubbed the victim hand.
"Don't touch Miss Swan."
Emma sighed and slouched further into the passenger seat.
"Seat belt Miss Swan. I'd rather not be pulled over."
Emma grumpily and roughly pulled the seat belt on. Folded her arms across her chest and pouted.
Regina smirked triumphantly. I'll give it a week. Regina's smirk widened and she countered her inner voice. I give it less.
Emma looked over to Regina who pushed the gears into reverse and back the vehicle out gently away from the building. She watched as the woman once again shifted the gears gracefully into drive and pulled away from the lodging, her yellow bug and her old life - their old life - for god knows how long. She pulled onto the main interstate and into change.
Okay I know I promised Chapter 4 would come automatically after Chapter 3 but this chapter turned out to be a lot longer then I assumed it would be. But fear not I am already working on Chapter 4 and it should be ready in the next two or three days.
Hope you guys enjoyed it.
