Ch5

Sorry it took so long.

Regina got back to work cleaning the shop and reading the spell books until it was dark out. She thought maybe Rumple had forgotten about her, but just when she was about to leave the door bell chimed and the sound of footsteps and cane sounded through out the cleaner shop.

"Come" He said when they made eye contact.

Regina stepped out of the car once they had reached the town line. She felt sick to her stomach, something bad was about to happen. Once standing next to the car she looked up at the night sky as Rumple worked prepared to open the trunk. The air was crisp and the forest seemed too quiet. The sky felt vast as the stars appeared behind still clouds like thousand's of tiny torches somewhere far away. She looked over just in time to see Rumple look at her and signal he was ready. She walked over to his side and he popped open the trunk. Suddenly, there were several loud bangs that sounded like small cannons. Something tore into Regina's side before she could react and take cover. Her hand flew to her side to cover her wound as she hit the harsh stone road. After a moment her ears stopped ringing and she calmed her breathing from a heavy pant into harsh ragged breaths. She looked around until her gaze settled on Rumple. He was tending to his own wound. His was a direct hit to his stomach. He looked worse than Regina felt, and she could barely keep her eyes focused. Soon he turned to her and limped over. He leaned down and pulled the arm that was holding her up, the other one still protecting her wound, sending her crashing to the ground. She winced loudly but she had faith that maybe he would take away some of her pain. A hew of light brought her vision back into focus but she frowned when she comprehended what was happening. He was taking. Taking magic from her to heal himself. Regina was hurt, she was bleeding badly, she needed whatever little magic she had.

The queen yanked her hand away with all the strength she could muster. She found whatever power lay deep within her and she stood.

"Sit back down." He snarled.

She raised an eyebrow and glared. Regina went to speak when a blaring noise sounded and red and blue swirling lights filled the trees.

"Run"

Regina looked at Rumple curiously.

"Run" He repeated then he disappeared into black smoke along with the tied up man.

Regina saw the lights approaching so she did as she was told. Holding a hand to her bloody side she ran off into the forest.

David and Emma pull up to the scene.

"That's Gold's car" Emma pointed out as they both got out of the cruiser and looked for signs of the pawn shop owner.

"Look for bullet casings" David called over. Emma rolled her eyes once she was turned back around. "Duh" She thought to herself.

Emma was on high alert ever since they got the call of guns shots by out near the town line. Her stomach sank and the first thought she had was Regina. In her gut she knew that something wasn't right. Something happened. To be honest she had been feeling uneasy all night. That's why she had Ruby take Henry for the night.

She looked around then found only one casing outside the trunk on the ground. Emma went to open the trunk but found it locked.

She continued to look around on the pavement.

"Emma over here" David called from the other side of the car.

"Blood" Emma whispered as her own blood ran ice cold.

"It's a hand print" David pointed out.

Emma held up her hand to compare. A tiny bit smaller, but still around the same size. The bloody print was smeared down to the bottom of the frame.

Emma stood up and looked off into the woods. "Regina!" She called out loudly. She ran to the edge of the road and screamed into the treeline. "Regina!" Emma felt a lump forming in her throat. "Regina" She whimpered looking around the dark forest willing her eyes to see.

"Emma" David pulled her by her arm until she was looking at him.

"You think Regina is involved in this?"

"I know it" She said pulling away as she started to pace.

"Go to Gold's shop" She said pointing at her father. "See what he has to say and look around his office for signs of Regina." David nodded. "Drop me off at the mansion" She said as they both climbed into the car.

Regina was dizzy and cold. She looked down and her pale pink dress was half covered in sticky warm blood. She fell against a large tree and clung to it, it's strength was the only thing keeping them both standing. She wanted to go back to the mansion, but she didn't know if the lights and the wound meant she was in trouble now. Would the town try and kill the evil queen. Regina wanted what everyone wants when they're scared and hurt. She wanted comfort and to be cared for. Regina often found that when comfort is nowhere to be found, she could think back to a time when someone took care of her, and relive that feeling. Regina thought back to when she had a really high fever after miscarrying three or four seasons ago. She had been really scared and weak. But there was someone by her side constantly, weather she liked it or not. No matter how much she wants to deny it, she appreciated Snow's constant presence.

Soon she was enveloped in her own purple smoke and landed on a carpeted floor indoors. She looked up and around suddenly very scared. She was injured and vulnerable. Had Rumple brought her here? Wait it had been her magic.

"Regina?"

The young queen looked up and saw a women, a brunette, she was older than Regina. Regina struggled to her feet. The women's eye's widened when she saw Regina's bloody dress arms and hands.

"Regina you're hurt!" She gasped, a hand covering her mouth.

"Snow?" Regina stepped closer her eyes filling with recognition. "You're" She ran her cleaner hand along snow's cheek with a very fond smile. "You're beautiful"

Snow took in Regina's appearance and frowned. She looked over Regina's dress and lifted heavy brown curls off of Regina's shoulder and let them fall behind the young queen's back.

"You're young"

"Regina!" Snow called out as the teen's eyes fell back and she slid to the floor. "Regina you need to heal yourself" Snow said pulling the girl's head into her lap.

"I need to rest first" Regina whimpered. "Rumple took all of my magic to fix him." She said trying to stay conscious but she failed.

"Regina!. Regina!" Snow cried trying to shake the girl awake.

She stood up and ran to her phone and dialed for medical assistance, then she called David.

"Snow" The teenage queen called over to the older women. Snow hung up the phone and walked over to her stepmother. Snow took the bloody hand that the pale girl held out to her. Snow fell to her knees and pulled the girl into her lap.

Regina smiled up at Snow and then closed her eyes. "Deep in the forest way back in the cold, there lives a young girl who's soul is real old." She sang softly. Snow had tears running down her cheeks as she recognized the song her and Regina made up during a particularly boring and long carriage ride to the summer kingdom. That was when Regina was pregnant and pretty big. She was suffering from pretty bad cramps during the journey and Snow had started the song as an attempt to distract her young stepmother from the pain. At first Regina had wanted to snap at the girl, but she found the song to be helpful.

Snow smiled big and continued when Regina's voice grew shaky.

"Her name is Snow, wouldn't you know" She laughed a bit at Regina's smile. It had been a silly song. "There's a tree where she lives, it gives and it gives."

Regina squeezed Snow's hand as she winced in pain. Rumple was calling her, but the normally excruciating pain paired in comparison to the bloody wound at her side.

"Snow" She cried.

"I'm here Regina." Snow said tears running down her face. She felt so much confusion in this moment. This was not the Regina she had learned to be weary of. The women who had tried to kill her and her husband. This was her mother. The young woman who had raised her. "I'm here mother"

Regina opened her eyes and looked up at the older snow and smiled. Regina usually corrected snow. "Stepmother, dear" but ever so often when Regina was caught up in the moment, she would let Snow call her mother.

"I'm sorry Snow" She said. "for whatever i did. I'm sorry" She said seriously.

Snow frowned in confusion.

A cloud of black smoke appeared and a sweaty Gold was in Snow's living room.

"What are you doing here?" Snow called over to him and pulled Regina closer.

He didn't say anything just walked over to the two women.

"Did you do this to her?!" Snow bellowed as she glared at the man. "Don't come any closer!"

He stopped then waived his hand and both him and Regina were gone.

When David and Emma ran into the apartment, they found Snow pacing the apartment tears running down her face.

"What happened? Are you okay?" David asked rushing to Snow and hugging her tight.

"Where's Regina?" Emma asked looking around and looking down at the blood stain on the floor.

"Gold took her" Snow managed as she pulled away from David. "We have to go get her"

Mary Margret started for the door.

David walked over and took the frantic women by the hand attempting to pull her back from the door. "You stay here"

"No i'm going to get her. She's..." She struggled for the words.

"Young" Emma finished for her.

Snow's eyes snapped to her daughter. "You knew she was like this?"

Emma nodded sheepishly.

Snow looked a little hurt then shook her head and turned back to the door roughly pulling her hand free from her true loves.

"I'm going to get her." She announced as she started out the door the other two rushing to follow.

Regina woke in the shop. She looked around and found Rumple behind his work bench mixing liquids in various vials.

"Don't move" He said sternly without looking at her.

She looked down and saw that she as no longer in her dress, but her undergarments. She would be embarrassed if Rumple had not have seen her in much more compromising situations. She looked at the wound. It seemed to be stitched together with his signature gold twine.

"It's enchanted to heal you then be absorbed into the wound once it heals."

She laid back down.

"Snow will be coming for you."

"Yes, and they can have you, i can't waist my time nursing you back to health."

"Of course not, it's only your fault i'm injured to begin with." She snapped.

"You must be delirious."

She glared at him "I'm not. Your plan was idiotic." Regina knew she was pushing his buttons. It was dangerous to talk this way to him when he is already so angry.

"My plan was sound!" He bellowed as he threw down the vials leaving them to smash on the wood flooring. She stalked forward and grabbed the angry teen by the face pulling her close to his own.

"You will do well to remember who the master is, and who the student is."

"Let her go!"

He still glared down at the young queen and leaned in and whispered into her ear. "Remember to keep your mouth shut." He roughly pushed her face away and turned to Snow and the others.

"Take her" He turned and stalked back into the office. Not caring about the two guns and arrow pointed at him.

David moved to follow him, but Snow grabbed his arm.

"No. Get her."

He looked back at the door to the back of the shop where Gold had disappeared. He reluctantly turned to Regina and his eyes widened.

He moved to scoop her into his arms but she shrunk away with scared eyes.

"It's okay." Emma reassured.

David held up his hands "I won't hurt you."

Regina looked to Snow with pleading eyes.

"Where is her dress?" Snow asked looking around.

"Here" Emma said picking up the stained dress that laid in a pile on the floor not far from the injured girl.

Snow grabbed it and walked over and Gently helped her stepmother into the dress.

"There" Snow smiled down to the girl. Regina looked down at it and felt sick but she held it together and allowed David to scoop her up and carry her out to the police cruiser. He laid her down in the backseat and both him and Emma were surprised when Snow climbed into the back and laid the Teen's head on her lap.

"We should take her to see a Dr."

Regina frowned and thought back to when she had heard that word before.

"Frankenstein" She whispered.

"What?" Snow asked as she smoothed some brown curls out of Regina's face.

"I don't need to see anyone." She said a little louder. "Rumple's started the healing, i just need rest."

Emma shook her head "I don't trust Gold"

"He wouldn't allow me to die." Regina pointed out. "I just want to sleep." She said in a weary voice. "Take me home."

"No. I think..." Emma began only to be cut off by Mary Margret.

"We're taking her home."

Both David and Emma looked to the older brunette in the back seat.

"Fine we'll take her back to the apartment."

Snow noticed Regina's frown and shook her head.

"No we'll take her back to the mansion." Snow announced.

Regina's face relaxed.

When they arrived at the Mansion. David opened up the door and moved to pick Regina up, but she held out a hand stopping him.

Rumple's gold was working quickly.

"I can walk"

"Let him help" Emma pleaded.

"I can walk" Regina repeated, not too stern, but it was evident that she was going to walk.

She carefully climbed out and stood on wobbling legs and accepted Emma's hand to steady herself and they walked into the Mayor's mansion. Both Emma and Snow treating Regina like she was made of glass. David was as confused as ever.