Enjoy!
Enchanted Forest:
"She's not in her room, my dear." Henry informed his daughter, walking into her sitting chambers.
Regina looked up, the annoyance visible on her face. She had had enough of her daughter running amuck. She was clearly contemplating something – "Why do you have that look?" Henry questioned, worry in his voice.
A wicked smile spread across Regina's lips, as she stood up from her lounge chair. "If my teenage daughter wants to continue to play games, then I'm just going to have to step up my game." Regina stated, as a locket appeared in her hand.
"What are you going to do with that?" Henry questioned, the concern now evident on his face.
"It's for my darling, daughter." Sarcasm laced Regina's voice, as Cora's magic book appeared in her hands.
"Regina…" Henry tried to caution his daughter.
"Hush, Daddy. I know what I'm doing." Regina countered back.
Regina ripped through the pages of the book until she found what she wanted. A smile spread across her face as she placed the locket on her vanity, held the book in both hands, and blew on the pages, towards the locket. The necklace shined a bright purple color and quickly returned to normal.
Regina picked it up and examined the locket, the evil smile returning to her lips. "Perfect," she whispered to herself as she walked out of the room.
Henry stood in the same spot; a worried look still on his face, as he shook his head at his daughter walking away down the corridor. He knew that whatever she had planned was not going to be in the best interest of his granddaughter.
"Ouch!" Elizabeth hissed through clenched teeth. She'd accidently smashed her knee on a table, trying to walk across her room, in the dark.
"You should really try using a light." Came her mother's voice from somewhere in the bedroom. Elizabeth froze, as fire suddenly appeared in her fireplace and all the candles within her room were alit. Her eyes finally landed on her mother. Regina was sitting on Elizabeth's bed, with an unreadable look on her face.
"Mother," the girl stated simply.
"What, no Mumsie or Mommy-dear? No trying to butter me up?" Regina question, in an amused, but humorless voice.
"What do you want?" The girl snapped, clearly not interested in what her mother had to say.
"Watch your tone, Elizabeth. I'm you mother." Regina snapped back, getting up off the bed.
Elizabeth let out a laugh through her nose, her gray eyes holding her mother's brown. She was shorter than Regina by a few inches, but she wasn't scared. "Just because you call yourself my mother, doesn't mean you are. Blood means nothing." Elizabeth argued, ready for whatever Regina threw at her.
Shock was evident in Regina's eyes, but it was quickly replaced with anger. "Excuse me!" Regina hissed at the girl.
Anger was burning through Elizabeth's veins and she was ready to fight the woman in front of her. "Just because you gave birth to me, doesn't make you my mom. I don't want a monster for a mother." Elizabeth snarled at Regina, as Regina's eye narrowed at her daughter.
"I saw the innocent people you murdered," Elizabeth continued. She saw her mother stiffen slightly, surprise on her face.
"I told you not to leave the grounds." Regina defended back. "How did you get out?" She questioned the girl.
Elizabeth let out an exasperated sigh, "Really, that's where you're taking this?..." Regina held her ground, her arms crossed, waiting for her daughter to continue.
"Fine! Once I realized you'd used magic to hold me in here, I used my own to get me out. You should know by now that I can, and will, always find away to get out. You can't stop me, mother; especially now that I know the truth. You're a monster!" The girl repeated, turning away from her mother and walking over to her armoire.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Regina demanded, as she saw her daughter start to fill a ruckus sack.
"Leaving. Leaving, and never coming back." Elizabeth said, continuing to walk around her room, grabbing positions.
Suddenly, she couldn't move her body. Elizabeth quickly realized her mother was using magic on her, as Regina turned the girl to face her. "And just where are you going? You have nowhere to run." Regina, responded, trying to make the girl feel hopeless.
"I'm going to find Snow." Elizabeth stated, a smile forming on her face, as she saw her mother's eyes suddenly blaze with anger and a snarl forming on her lips. "I'm going to find my sister," girl said, he voice full of confidence.
Regina had had enough. "The hell you are!" She snarled at the girl.
"Oh, and you're going to stop me?" Elizabeth pushed back. "You have no power over me, mother. You can put up as many barriers as you want, I will always find a way around them." The girl growled, trying to break her mother's magical hold on her.
"We'll see about that." Regina said as a locket appeared in her hand.
"What are you doing?" Elizabeth tried to demand, but fear had crept into her voice.
"Binding your magic and giving you a change of attitude," Regina said, an evil smile spreading across her face, as fear and shock appeared on Elizabeth's own face.
"So, this is what it's come too? Using magic on your own child?" Elizabeth questioned, in a softer, sadden voice.
Regina had taken a step towards her daughter, but paused at these words, eyeing her daughter.
Elizabeth took her mother's hesitancy as an opportunity to keep talking. "Take my powers, that's not going to stop me." The girl snarled, the fear quickly wiped from her voice.
"I'll never willingly be your child, just remember that. My hate for you is your own doing, but if you stop, stop being evil, maybe that could change?" Elizabeth said, clearly a last ditch effort to stop her mother from carrying out her plan.
Regina had her own doubts in her head, but she shook them out as she faced her daughter. Regina waved her hand and the locket appeared around Elizabeth's neck. "It's for your own good, my love." She whispered to herself, as Elizabeth's eyes glazed over.
Regina released the girl from the magical bind she had her in. She watched her daughter stumble, and quickly walked over to grab Elizabeth's arm, to help brace her.
Elizabeth looked around, a confused expression on her face. "Mother?" She questioned as she continued to try to hold herself up, "Mother, what happened?"
"My dear, you don't remember?" Regina asked; fake worry plastered in her voice.
Elizabeth thought for a moment. "No," she finally whispered.
"I heard you get out bed, and I came to check on you. Let's get you back to bed; you must be coming down with something," Regina said, guiding the girl to her bed and using magic to change her out of her dress, and into a nightgown. Elizabeth was too dazed to even notice and swayed slightly, as Regina prepped the bed.
"I think you're right, my head feels funny," Elizabeth said, crawling under the blankets Regina had pulled back for her.
"Rest, my love; I'm sure you'll feel better by morning." Regina cooed, placing a kiss to her daughter's forehead and using magic to put out all the candles and fireplace. Her mother's words were like magic. Elizabeth felt her eyes slide shut and she drifted off into a deep slumber.
"What did you do?"
Regina jumped slightly, surprised by her father's voice, as she'd just proofed back to her own room.
"Daddy, don't startle me!" Regina snapped; as she walked over to her vanity and plopped down on her chair, stress evident on her face.
"Regina, what did you do to Elizabeth?" Her father sternly questioned, again.
"She's fine; you can go see for yourself!" She said, exasperated. Henry's sad eyes just looked at his daughter, but he didn't move.
"Fine." Regina said, rolling her eyes and turning to look at her mirror, "I took away her magic."
"And?" Henry pressed; knowing there had to be more. Elizabeth had barley started magic lessons with Regina, so he knew it would take more than binding her powers to stop his stubborn granddaughter. She'd been finding her way around Regina without magic for years.
"I gave her a new mindset." Regina replied with a detached voice and a shrug. Refusing to look at her father, for if she did, she knew there'd be disappointment and fear in his eyes.
"Regina…" He whispered, clearly afraid of what that meant.
"Daddy, calm down. I wouldn't hurt my own child. I simply helped her become the daughter she should be," Regina stated, emotion still void from her voice.
"I don't understand," relied Henry, hoping Regina didn't mean what he thought she did.
"I simply used a little magic to change her behavior. Her refusal to listen is out of hand, and I'm done with the rebellious teenager thing. Besides, I have a feeling Elizabeth and I will be getting along just fine from now on." Regina said, a victorious smile spreading across her face.
"Forcing her to obey you will just make her despise you more in the long run, you know that." Henry replied, disappointed with his own daughter's behavior.
"It's not forcing her to behave, more like making her want to please me and listen to me. I'm her mother; my opinion of her should matter most." Regina stated simply, while missing the horrified look that spread across her father's face.
Henry couldn't suppress the horror that he felt. "She's turning into Cora… Her thirst for power and revenge are just as bad as her mother's." Henry realized, his heart breaking even more for his daughter. He walked away, needing to be away from Regina for the time being.
Regina was too busy staring at herself in the mirror, to notice her father leave. She, herself, was busy trying to block out the voices in her head. The voices that were trying to tell her the same thing, that she was just as horrible of a mother, as her own. Regina loved Elizabeth, but she couldn't have her daughter ruining her revenge on Snow, let alone joining Snow's side.
"No, long term, Elizabeth would realize it was for her own good." Regina tried to reassure herself.
Storybrooke:
The next morning, I decided to get to school early. The sooner I started my history paper, the longer I'd have to work on it, but I needed a few things from the school library in order to do that. I'd gotten half a block away from home, when suddenly the town clock started to chime. My eyes snapped to it, surprised, as a small gasp escaped my mouth.
"The clock is working!" The obvious ran through my mind.
I was still staring at the clock when Henry was suddenly beside me, sounding slightly out of breath.
"What are you running from?" I questioned, my eyes finally tearing away from the clock to look at my brother.
"Nothing, I just wanted to walk with you," Henry replied back in an innocent voice. I eyed him suspiciously, but decided to let it go.
My mind had wondered back to the town clock, as we started our walk to school. I was still busy trying to recall if the clock had ever worked since I was born, when Henry's voice cut through my thoughts.
"You weren't always like this," he randomly stated. I shook my head and tried to process what he'd just said.
"Like what?" I asked, puzzled.
"So… obedient," he said, making me sound like a dog.
"Huh?" I asked, even more confused and a little irritated.
"I overheard you and mom talking last night… You know, about your test." He replied, a sheepish expression on his face.
"You eavesdropped on me?" I demanded, as I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and grabbed Henry's arm, making him stop next to me.
"Ooooorrrr, I happened to overhear you on my way to the bathroom," he replied with a shrug, as he continued to walk.
"Henry!" I scolded after him, clearly annoyed.
"Maddie, you're missing the point." Henry called back, unfazed by my annoyance.
"Fine." I huffed, hurrying to catch up with him. "What were you saying… Wait, Henry, this isn't the way to school!" I blurted when I realized we were walking towards Granny's. I had been too wrapped up in my thoughts, and didn't pay attention to where we'd walked.
"I didn't eat breakfast." Henry replied with another shrug, as he pushed on the door, entering in.
I let out a sigh, and followed him. "You know we're supposed to be on our way to school. Since you eavesdropped, you know that I told mom I'd follow the rules." I explained to him, as we sat down.
"That's what I'm talking about. Your need to do whatever mom says or expects -that's not really you, it's the curse." Henry stated simply.
I felt my face contort in frustration. Not this again. "Really, that's… You know what, whatever. I'm going to school." I snapped at him, about to get out of the booth.
"Where'd you get your locket?"
Henry's question caught me off guard, as my hand automatically went to the necklace around my neck. I grabbed the locket between my thumb and index finger, and held it against my chest.
"I… I've had it forever." I explained, confused as to why he was now bringing this up.
"No, tell me where you got it." Henry pushed back. His tone surprised me, but my brain did try to think back to when I'd gotten the locket.
"Henry… I… I don't know. Mom must have given it to me when I was really little." I finally responded back, failing to remember when, or how, I'd gotten the locket.
"Don't you find it odd that you can't remember, Maddie? You wear it every day." Henry emphasized.
I really was trying to remember how I'd gotten the locket, or at least a comeback to retort at Henry. But my mind was blank. Out of the blue, I saw a blonde coming into Granny's.
My eye's turned to follow Emma, as she walked to the counter. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" I snapped at Henry. "You didn't want to walk with me, you just wanted to see Emma."
"I want you to meet her," Henry said in a small voice, again, taking me by surprise.
I quickly tried to gain my composure and to calm myself. I could see that this was a real desire on his part, and I didn't want to mess this up. However, I was not in the right frame of mind to officially meet his birth mom.
"How about some other time, bud." I said in a gentle voice, trying to let him down easy. "I really need to get to the school library to check out a few books for my history paper," I explained, as I pushed myself up from the booth.
Henry looked sad, but gave me an understanding nod. As I walking out the door, I heard Ruby come over and Henry ordered a hot chocolate with cinnamon, for Emma.
I rolled my eyes, but turned heading to school, my hand still absentmindedly holding my locket. The back of my mind still pondering the clock, and now my own necklace.
"So much for getting back to normal," I thought with a sigh, as I realized my headache was coming back.