Thanks for the reviews and follows, wow! Okay, I'll warn you right now that I'm no good at writing adventure - so the details for this might suck a little, but it was crucial to get them in a setting alone and the Zelena ordeal was the best option. We all know that Regina doesn't let her guard down easily, so I had to take her out of her element and shake her up a little. So for now ignore the poor adventure writing and focus on the Evil Charming tension and the angst to follow - for this sets up an important decision on Regina's part when they return. Please review to let me know if I've totally lost your interest or not. (:
Regina made her way into Zelena's home on the outskirts of Storybrooke, ignoring the group following her. Luckily it had now dwindled to David, Robin and Emma, who had noticed the commotion from her cruiser on her way to pick up her father for patrolling. Between the two Charming officers, they'd managed to disperse the mob of townspeople for the most part by ensuring them that this would be taken care of. The town seemed to accept it for now since Robin had calmed, and the four of them made their way a few blocks to the Wicked Witch's part of the neighborhood.
She took in her surroundings, looking for any clue as to if Zelena's disappearance was her own doing or an outside force's. Robin interrupted her thoughts when he pushed past her like she wasn't there, her heart sinking a little when he picked up a baby toy from the middle of the kitchen and stared at it in despair. Despite the resentment she still held towards him, her heart hurt for the man she once considered hers. Memories of her own similar experience when Henry was in Neverland came to mind and she shuddered at the helpless feeling.
"There's no sign of anyone breaking in," Emma frowned after she and David had made a quick perimeter around to check the windows and doors. Regina gave the officers a nod before turning her attention to the home, resting her hands on her hips as she allowed herself to think. She couldn't shake the feeling that her sister was behind all of it, but she had to find real evidence before she could say anything. If she told the others what her intuition indicated without any proper clues she'd probably just look guilty herself.
"I just don't believe Zelana would take her away. She'd changed, we were getting along," Robin reasoned out loud, staring down at the soft teddy bear in his hand, "You saw her Regina, she was behaving."
David watched as the brunette stayed silent, making her way through the home towards the backdoor as if she was being drawn by a sixth sense. Emma continued wandering the rooms looking for clues and Robin helplessly staring at his daughter's toy, trying to make sense of it all.
"What is it, Regina?" David asked quietly after making his way around the opposite side of the staircase, following her out the backdoor. She ignored him as well, going down the steps into the seemingly empty backyard. He noted the tension in her shoulders, the precise steps she was taking as if she was making her way through a landmine. He leaned against the porch post at the top of the steps, crossing his arms to watch her as she stopped after a few moments. Her hands came up and in a quick motion a translucent green barrier appeared over the yard before disintegrating at the touch of Regina's magic. David blinked a couple of times after what seemed to be a mirage had dissipated, making visible to them the beanstalks that stood there in reality.
"What the hell?" Robin muttered after he and Emma had made their way to the back porch.
"Magic beans," David let out a breath, giving a wary glance at his daughter as they both awaited whatever Regina was about to say as she turned. She had an unreadable expression on her face, her lips pressed together in hesitation.
"Regina what's going on? How do we get her back?" Robin came down the steps, bombarding her with questions that David could tell irritated the Mayor in the midst of her thought process.
Raising a hand to silent him, she let out a breath before beginning, "I don't know where she found them, but Zelena apparently got her hands on magic bean seeds. It was her protection spell hiding them from the view of anyone else while they grew...She obviously used them to take Madeline back to Oz, Robin."
"She said she wouldn't! Why would she have stayed around so long if she'd had these intentions all along?" Robin ran his hands through his hair in distress, but Regina remained still. Despite their current situation, it took a lot of control for her not to reach out and comfort him.
"To throw us off. She behaved long enough for us to let our guards down and assume she'd changed. Long enough for her to grow a few magic beans and open a portal back to her home. You know she always wanted to go back," Regina looked at him firmly, encouraging him to see it clearly through his anguish, "She even tried to when she was pregnant."
Robin seemed to mull over the information before stepping up to the beanstalk, ripping leaves from in it in a crazed search. Regina looked at David and Emma and her grim expression made a sense of foreboding come over David. He knew without a doubt that she was about to do something that put herself in danger to help Robin find Madeline.
"I found one!" Robin rose again after digging through the soil and finding a discarded pod, opening it up to find a couple beans, "How do you make it work?" He stumbled back over to his ex, looking at her with desperate, pleading eyes.
"Give them to me," She snatched the beans quickly from his shaking hands, looking down at them as she took a deep breath, "I'll go."
"I'm going with you," Robin replied adamantly.
"No, you're not," She eyed him firmly, seeing the outrage grow in his expression before realizing she'd have to elaborate, "You have Roland to think about. If something happened to you in Oz, he'd be an orphan. You're emotional Robin and that leads to hotheaded decisions, I can't do what I need to if I have to worry about you being a loose cannon."
"I can go with you," Emma came down the steps to stand beside Regina whose face remained stoic. She could tell the brunette didn't like that idea any better, "Regina-" She pushed but the Mayor cut her off.
"You're the only one with magic strong enough to protect Storybrooke while I'm gone. If we're wrong about Zelena being in Oz, she may show up here again," Regina reasoned, shifting her gaze over them, "We don't know what my sister has up her sleeve and we have to keep all of our bases covered here."
"You can't go alone," She heard David's voice behind her and stiffened a little. Great, now Charming was worried about her too.
"Have you all forgotten who I am?" She snapped, giving the three of them the best glare she could muster, "I am the Evil Queen. I've destroyed entire realms in the time it takes you a buffoons to bat an eye. I am one of the most powerful sorcerers of magic that ever existed," David watched the Queen lift her chin up in confident defiance, "And I do not need an ex-con or a couple of dumb blonde heroes to protect me. Besides, the Wicked Bitch is my sister and that makes her my problem."
David eyed Emma in silence and she nodded back once in permission, both of them ignoring Regina's barbs. They were just an attempt to anger and distract them from her intent, as well as deflect any emotion she felt for them wanting to protect her. The father and daughter both knew he was the most logical choice to accompany Regina and they couldn't let her go alone. Robin stood aside distracted with his own contemplation, too torn between staying with Roland to ensure his safety or journeying to find his daughter and possibly being a hindrance.
Regina made her decision before they could step in, throwing the bean into the air and sparking the magic as a green vortex appeared. She glanced at David and then Emma for a moment, an unspoken understanding exchanged between them that should anything happen to take care of their son. She stepped forward, feeling the wind from the portal beckoning her as she turned her head to level with Robin, "I will get your daughter back." With that, Regina summoned as much bravery as she could before throwing herself into the portal, not feeling the hand link to her upper arm as she and her new traveling companion disappeared into blackness.
"What in the hell?" Regina grumbled as the dizzy darkness of the portal wore off and she came to realize her new surroundings. She'd expected to feel grass or dirt or some odd terrain custom to the Land of Oz under her. Whatever it was felt softer than ground but still firm and she lifted her head, opening her eyes almost hesitantly to find out what was beneath her.
A flannel shirt covering a broad chest and shoulders came into focus and she felt anger bubble in her as she lifted her head further. Her gaze traveled up to find a couple days worth of blonde stubble belonging to a chiseled chin, a pair of pouty lips, a straight nose and infuriating blue eyes looking up at her in a daze. She was spitting angry but even then couldn't help noticing that his hair was still perfectly tousled after jumping into a portal to come to her rescue. Typical fucking Charming.
"What are you doing here?" She hissed with a slap to his chest, snapping him out of his portal induced fog as she sat up and glowered down at him. She seethed, her anger making her unaware of the suggestive position she had put them in until she caught him glancing down at her hips sitting on his own. The darkening of his blue eyes when he glanced back up at her made her all too aware that she was indeed straddling him rather intimately.
Regina shot up from his lap as quickly as he retracted his hand from where it was mindlessly resting on her thigh. He rubbed his head as he sat up, the pressure on his lap instantly missed. "I couldn't let you come here alone, Regina." He muttered, bracing himself for the temper tantrum she was undoubtedly about to throw.
She nearly hopped with anger, pacing around him in small circles, clenching and un-clenching her fists, "You idiot! I mean I always knew you were clueless but this just takes it to a whole new level! What about your son and Emma?" She threw her hands up in emphasis, "You're just a Prince, Charming. How do you think you're going to protect me against magical creatures or my wicked sister better than I can myself?!"
He rolled his eyes, not being able to fight the stir of excitement at the way she was snarling her lip at him, "I can't, but I can be here to help. Two heads are better than one, Your Majesty." He mocked her sarcastic mention of his Enchanted Forest name with her own as he picked himself up from the ground, "You're welcome for breaking your fall, by the way."
She was vibrating with fury now, staring him down with a look so malevolent and reminiscent of the Evil Queen that he shifted uncomfortably. That'll teach him to push me. "Allow me to show my gratitude by ignoring my desire to break your neck." She gritted through her teeth, knocking his shoulder with her own as roughly as she could manage when she pushed past him. She didn't catch the hint of a smirk that twisted on his features at the fact her small frame could barely make him budge, despite her best effort to knock him off balance.
"Looks like we're in the Unknown Land," David said, deciding to follow her as she stalked through the field like she knew where she was going. He watched her stop abruptly, turning around in realization that she didn't know where she was before mustering a condescending expression.
"Of course we are," She shrugged with false confidence like it was common knowledge, arching an eyebrow, "How did you know that? You've never been to Oz."
"Like you have?" He rolled his eyes, brushing dirt from the forearms of his flannel shirt, "I'm Deputy and when a Wicked Witch comes to town, you do your background research," He shrugged in explanation before shoving his hands into his pockets, "Now, just where were you headed?"
"To the bitch's castle!" Regina spat, crossing her arms, "Now will you stop slowing me down with irrelevant accounts of your heroic google searches in Storybrooke?"
"Gladly, but if we continue on this path you'll be headed towards the Deadly Desert," He replied matter-of-factly, a smug smile spreading over his features as he suppressed a laugh at the shade of crimson Regina turned. He couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or anger, but it served her right for being so arrogant.
"Fine, Indiana Jones. Since you're obviously the master adventurer here, which way to my sister?" She clipped, voice dripping in sarcasm to avoid acknowledging the fact that his research on Oz and Zelena were indeed beneficial.
"West," David shrugged before raising an eyebrow, "Well, our West, in Oz it's the East." He explained the reversal, watching her taking off walking in the other direction. "Aren't you just going to poof us there?" She usually did so without asking permission from anyone, most not knowing they were going anywhere until the purple smoke dissipated.
She refused to turn around and look at him, still trying to get over the initial shock and anger that he'd followed her in the first place. She already felt responsible for ruining his life and denying Neal one parent, she didn't need to be the reason for his death, as well. "My magic hasn't acclimated yet." She offered up after a few moments and instead of stopping she held out a hand in the air to create a fireball as she walked ahead, showing him how the fire sparked but faltered in her palm. "Sometimes when you travel realms, your magic has to acclimate to the native forces of the land. So, no, I'm not going to poof us there."
David had to admit he was interested to see how Regina would function without the use of her magic. He imagined it'd be a little bit like seeing a wild cat in a cage, all of that bound up energy and rage with nowhere to channel it. "Well at least we landed in Winkie Country, her castle isn't far."
"Hm." Regina muttered, continuing her path ahead of him as they ventured into the woods and out of the open field.
"There's the river, if we continue following it west-er, east I guess it would be, we'll be headed in the right direction. We just have to take a right before we approach the Tinman's castle and it'll lead us straight to Zelena's. Should be there in a couple days time."
"Hm." He heard again and rolled his eyes at her mumble as she continued winding through trees and over rocks, following the river's path just a few feet from it.
"So, you have a plan once we get there?" He asked before seeing her small figure tense and turn quickly, slamming into his chest despite his abrupt stop in order not to run into her. The surprise on her face proved she didn't know he was following her so closely and the fury proved her embarrassment at her recurring blunders. He knew she was definitely out of her element and hated that it was showing.
"Will you stop talking for one goddamn second, Charming? I can't even hear myself think," She squinted up at him angrily before whirling on her heels to continue her march, "And give me some space would you! We have a whole forest here there's no reason to be up my ass."
Her mention of it made him glance down in appreciation for the round curves, spectacularly showcased in the high-waisted pants she wore. It was going to be a long couple of days, but at least he had a good view. A view he'd admire from a distance, he mused as he put some space between them to appease her.