Regina sat on the edge of Snow's bed, her coat pooled around and beneath her where she'd discarded it. She leaned back on one arm, the other allowing her hand to move back and forth in slow, certain patterns over the base of her bulging belly, watching as Snow pulled each dresser drawer open, rifling through the piles of clothes.
The bin which they had hoped would be present in this version of the apartment was, sadly, filled with shoes. That fact was only taken as a partial loss, as Regina was able to find a pair of brown leather boots — with no lifted heel.
"Here!" Snow announced happily, lifting a pair of tan leggings, the interior thighs inlaid with a thicker leather. She turned, triumphantly, holding them up towards Regina, tugging at the waist to make a point.
"What the hell…" Regina asked dryly, her eyes moving over the fabric, certain she'd never seen Snow wearing anything like them before.
"Riding pants!" Snow replied with a smile, tossing them in Regina's direction, but Regina let them land on the bed, not moving to catch them.
"Riding what," Regina asked with a grunt, struggling to pull herself to standing, grabbing hold of the bed post. On her feet, she was already kicking off her boots, then shaking her leg to loosen her own trousers from her body, one at a time. Snow's riding pants were already halfway up to her knees when she finished her thought — "Charming?"
She winced at that, having disgusted herself thoroughly at the thought, but the effort in getting into these pants had been too great, and she would not turn back now.
Snow only laughed and rolled her eyes at Regina's remark, watching in delight as Regina pulled the pants up over her frame, seeing that they fit quite well. "Perfect."
"Would I be pressing my luck in asking for a top," Regina asked, smoothing her hands over the tops of her thighs, around to her backside, peeking over to the corner to look at herself in the mirror.
"That, we can certainly find," Snow promised with a smile, and dove back into the drawers, searching for a top that would suit the heavily pregnant Queen.
"Significantly better," Regina admitted as she and Snow made their way down the center of town. Her feet felt more sure in the brown leather flats, and she no longer felt the constant threat of suffocation in too-tight clothes.
Donning the tan riding pants, and now one of Snow's blouses, Regina resembled the young girl she had once been, before Cora had put an end to her need for playful adventure. The white top was flowy, but gathered beneath the breast, two loose and tasseled strings hanging from the scooped neckline. The sleeves had been too billowy, and too long, so Regina rolled them to her elbows.
She'd removed some of her darker eye makeup to compensate, and had felt compelled to pull her long hair over the side of her shoulder in a loose tie. The result was a decidedly youthful version of herself — and Snow couldn't help but see the woman who had saved her from a runaway horse all the more clearly.
There was a muffled sound, a strained whine, which distracted them from their current path to Granny's.
"Did you hear that?" Regina asked, turning to follow the sound. "It sounded like a horse.."
"Here?" Snow pressed, her brow furrowing.
Rounding the corner, they found a beautiful mare lying on her side, writhing in an effort to stand.
Regina breathed out heavily in sympathy and moved towards the creature.
"What's wrong with it," Snow asked sadly.
"It's hurt. It can't stand…" Regina lamented, reminded of her own precious steed, whom she loved dearly in her younger days.
Feeling a sudden rush of something familiar pass through her, Regina took a breath in, letting the sensation fill her up. Magic.
Lifting her hand, she let the wave pulse through her, leaving through her palm — and the horse whinnied, and stood. It moved slowly towards the dark haired woman, and the two made eye contact, holding each other's gaze. Regina smiled, glad to have been able to help — and glad at the realization that her power had finally retuned to her.
"Regina, your magic… You did it," Snow remarked. And Regina was too happy to make any comment about her stating the obvious.
"I did," she whispered, looking down at her hands in delight. And taking a breath, standing back from Snow, Regina held out her palm, letting it fill with a roaring ball of flame.
"Regina, what are you doing," Snow asked more confused than nervous.
"Just checking," she grinned. "I'm back."
They'd gotten the message from one of the kinder trapped souls — Emma and Gold had succeeded in rescuing Hook from the bowels of the Underworld. They were to meet at Emma's house to initiate the heart-switch — and then they could all go home.
Robin, perhaps more than anyone else, was thrilled with this news, and could not stop the smile from filling his face as he walked proudly at Regina's side — having whispered a few choice compliments on her new look.
One by one, they marched up the steps and into the familiar foyer of Emma's netherworld home.
"Killian!" Snow cried out happily, relieved to see the pirate, despite the obvious signs of trauma he had suffered.
"Nice job, mom," Henry chirped.
"Oh, look at you," Snow hummed, her face softening from elation to concern.
"I'll be alright," Hook promised with a nod and a sturdy smile.
"How'd you do it," David asked curiously, already dreaming of the moment they would be able to leave this place.
"Gold got us in. He got us help," Emma confessed. And truly, none of it would have happened without him. "He proofed us back here. He even had a boat to get us all back home. …But it's gone now," she added, the last words trailing off sadly.
"What happened," Snow pressed.
"Hades attacked," Hook answered. "We lost the boat. And we lost a friend," he lamented, referring to Milah. He and Emma hadn't been there when it happened, but as far as Gold's account told them, Hades had deliberately pushed her into the River of Lost Souls.
Turning over his shoulder, Hook locked his eyes with Rumplestilskin and, having a moment to process what he'd learned during their journey back, growled angrily. "I hear you took away my sacrifice. Everything I did to save my family all went to give you back your power. I should kill you."
"Acknowledged." Gold replied dryly.
"Okay," Regina breathed out after a long uncomfortable pause settled over the group. "We don't have a way to get out, but we didn't have one before anyway. My magic's working now. So let's do this heart split. That way, when we find an exit, we can actually get through it — quickly."
"Heart split?" Hook asked, turning his gaze back to Emma.
"It's a good plan," she promised. "It'll work. Trust me."
Emma stepped away from Hook and towards Regina, letting out a sigh and clearing her throat and she shook her arms, preparing herself for the tightness in her chest that came with having her heart pulled from it.
Regina nodded, and splayed her fingers once, stretching her digits before pulling them back and thrusting them toward Emma's chest. But the moment her hand made contact, she was pushed back by a burning hot light. Regina yelped and stepped back, shaking her hand in the air to wave off the heat.
"What was that?" Robin asked nervously, stepping behind Regina and placing his hand on her hip, protectively.
"Interesting," was Gold's only remark.
"What the hell…" Regina asked, her hand still trembling from the impact.
"What is this…" Emma whispered, trying not to lose hope — because it seemed that her entire plan was unraveling before her. "Why didn't it work…"
Together in the graveyard once more, they stood solemnly staring at three tombstones that had not been on the map Cruella had given them. These had appeared seemingly from nowhere. But Hook, at least, knew better.
"Hades told me to pick three names," he explained. "And chisel them onto the headstones. He said whoever I picked would remain in the Underworld — to pay the debt he feels we owe, for allowing three souls to move on from this place. I refused."
"Well it looks like he did the picking himself," Regina replied dryly, staring at her own name, written in stone.
Regina Mills. Snow White. Emma Swan.
None of them wanted to think of anything but the greater good — the mission at hand. None of them wanted to think of anything but finding a way around this, of getting everyone home safely. But each of them knew that time was not on their side. And with Regina's name on the headstone, each of them was desperately trying to keep the thoughts at bay — thoughts of Regina having to deliver here, to birth a child who would never take its first breath.
"What does this mean," Emma asked — and Regina was too full of sorrow to even be slightly angry with her stupid question.
"It means we're stuck here, and now we can't use your heart to save Hook," Regina replied solemnly.
"Well," Gold sighed, his tone decidedly different than everyone else's. "I got the pirate out in a day, after — what — six weeks of your trying? But you lots managed to find a whole new way to fail. I'll be in the shop."
Cruella's car was speeding wildly down the back roads of the Underworld, the forest a blur on either side.
"Will you please slow down," Henry begged from the passenger's seat.
"Darling, you wouldn't be here if you didn't like a little danger," Cruella pointed out. "I mean look at you — sneaking away from your family to bring me back to life," she hummed, pleased with how this was all turning out.
"Such a naughty boy."
"I just want to find the pen and get this over with," he explained. Because finding the pen and freeing Cruella meant she would have to help them. Because finding the pen at all meant there was a chance he could write this story differently — that he could at the very least send Regina home safely.
"Stop! I saw something!" Henry shouted suddenly, pointing into the woods, a glimmer of some otherworldly light guiding him to what he was seeking.
Both got out of the car, traipsing through the woods on their quest, Henry leading the way.
"Well, there's no pen here. Just dirt — and things that smell like dirt," Cruella complained, stumbling over every single twig in her absurdly high heels.
"I swear, I saw it."
"Well then move those little legs of yours and keep looking. GO!" she shooed, stopping her steps and leaving Henry to continue on.
Henry pressed on further — and was rewarded minutes later when he saw the Apprentice, shushing him and turning over his shoulder nervously.
"Quiet — we have little time," he warned.
"I don't understand — what are you doing here?" Henry asked. "You were a devoted apprentice to the Sorcerer your entire life. What unfinished business could you possibly have?"
"You, my boy. I'm here to prevent you from making a terrible mistake. You must not resurrect Cruella."
"So the pen can bring someone back," Henry pressed, pointing out the lie the Apprentice had told him before he died. "You told me it couldn't.
"That was a necessary half-truth," the old man confessed. "Up there, yes. Down here, the rules are a little more…flexible. I saw no reason to tempt you. The dilemma you are currently facing is why."
"I'm not getting the pen for Cruella," Henry insisted angrily. "I'm getting it for me. I just watched my mom become the Dark One. I watched Hook die. And I couldn't do anything."
"You are the Author. As such, you should use the Quill only to record the stories, not create them," the Apprentice reminded him.
"I don't care about the stupid stories anymore," Henry answered angrily. "I'm sick of sitting on the sidelines. I want to be a hero. I want to help my mom, even if it means helping Cruella."
"In the Sorcerer's mansion, lie all his great works of light magic, the Quill included," the Apprentice admitted. "It is protected by a powerful spell, but the Sheriff took the key from me. Acquire that key, and the Quill is yours," he promised.
"Wait, you're helping me?" Henry asked in confusion, the conversation having taken a sudden turn.
"The choice is yours. The only way I can move on — is if you make the right one. I trust you."
And the old man vanished from the forest before Henry's eyes.
"Will you stop staring at the door," Regina asked with groggy annoyance.
She and Emma had been waiting at Granny's for hours, having sent Snow and Charming to find the key to the Sorcerer's mansion. While they were all grateful that Henry had come to them and explained his plan to help, there was an unease that this — along with everything else they'd tried to do to get home — would end with more obstacles, and less answers.
The sudden return of Killian's deceased brother, Liam, was just another obstacle. And for Regina, a point of suspicion.
"When your parents walk through it, I promise, I'll let you know," she promised, letting out a sigh and turning the mug of hot tea in her hands.
"Maybe this was a bad idea. I should've gone with them."
"Would you relax," Regina sighed. "People are starting to stare at us. Remember what Liam said — we need to act casual."
"They're not staring at us, they're staring at you," Emma chided, her aggravation with the current circumstance translating as annoyance at Regina. "A pregnant woman in hell sticks out like a sore thumb."
But her words cut a little too deeply, and even Emma was wincing at her mistake.
"What do you think of Liam, anyway," Emma asked, sliding onto the stool beside Regina. "You don't think he's a little self-righteous, do you?"
"Ohh…he doesn't like you, does he?" Regina asked, her eyes lighting up then, thrilled to hear fresh gossip, to have a new person to despise — even if it was only on behalf of someone else.
"He doesn't think I'm good enough for Hook," Emma replied.
Regina laughed at that and rolled her eyes. "To be honest, you're too good for Hook."
"He's different with Liam. He thinks he walks on water."
"What's going on?" Regina asked, her tone changing, seeing that this was more than getting under Emma's skin — this wasn't sitting right. And Regina had learned that Emma's instinct was just as good as her own.
"Liam thinks I should let Hook move on."
"Who cares what Liam thinks? What does Hook think?"
"He agrees."
Regina was taken back at that, her brow furrowing as she looked into the blonde's eyes. But then there was a sudden realization behind her eyes, and she let out a breath and shook her head.
"Well, that's because he hasn't forgiven himself," she explained, turning back to look at the mug between her hands.
"How do you know that?" Emma asked, her eyes carefully taking in the older woman.
"Though I hate to admit it," Regina sighed, lifting her eyes to meet Emma's. "We're much alike. And forgiving yourself is the hardest thing to do. You want to help Hook? Help him with that."
And before she could say any more, Henry walked in, beaming proudly. "Mom. Mom," he said twice, addressing them both. "Grandma found the key."
Entering the mansion had been an easy task — and finding the story book containing Hades' tale had been easier, still. But upon opening the book and quickly reading over the words describing Hades' rise and subsequent fall into anger and revenge, they found that the final pages — the pages that would give them some insight into Hades' twisted motives — were ripped out.
Regina was the only one who wasn't terribly surprised. She had done the same to Henry's book to keep her identity a secret from him. Because what mother wants their son to realize that she is an Evil Queen, responsible for countless deaths, but also the separation of a family — his family.
When Emma had pressed Liam, asking if he had seen any evidence that it had been tampered with — because he was the one who found it, after all (a fact which only furthered Regina's suspicions) — he had answered with a definite and decidedly firm "no". Pushing Emma and Regina further in their dislike of Killian's brother, Liam had then insisted that they may have fallen out, and that he would search the house from top to bottom in an effort to find what they were looking for.
"I see what you mean about self-righteous," she had whispered to Emma, the two watching him go, off on his heroic quest.
But when Emma pressed Hook, explaining that she felt he was hiding something, the rift between the two only grew wider — Hook angry with Emma for even suggesting that there may be more to his motives than met the eye.
But despite the upset in their search, it was not all in vain. Henry had secretly found the Quill and ink. And that was a start.
"Liam ripped out every page that had anything to do with Hades."
The discovery came when Emma caught him tossing the torn pages down into a well deep in the forest of the Underworld. The pages were lost to them — another set back in their plan — but their only consolation was in the fact that they were able to help Liam, and his ship's crew, move on after he confessed to what he had done, and remedied all the existing bad blood between brothers.
"On behalf of my brother, I'm sorry," Hook said sadly, watching the faces of Emma and Snow droop in defeat.
"Maybe there's something else in here that can help us," Emma suggested, trying to remain hopeful. "Our Storybrooke had all kinds of secrets in it."
"Well, Henry's kind of the expert on Storybooks.." David suggested. "Where is he?"
"He's upstairs, going full emo teenager," Emma answered dryly.
"And doesn't want to talk to anyone right now," Regina sighed, plopping herself down into her favored arm chair, wincing when she made impact.
"Well…maybe he just..doesn't want to talk to his mothers," David suggested, his eyes lifting to the loft.
Climbing the stairs, David offered a smile, despite the look of utter dejection on Henry's face.
"Hey there. What's my favorite grandson up to?" David asked a little too cheerfully.
"Nothing. Just thinking."
"Mind if I think with you?
And he crossed the small lofted room and sat on the bed beside Henry.
"So…what are we thinking about?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Henry replied.
"Okay. Let's talk about me," David offered. "I had a…pretty bad day today. I learned that my twin brother resented me his whole life."
"I thought he grew up a prince."
"Guess he wanted something else. What I had — a loving mother."
Henry's eyes went sad, but he steeled himself with a sigh.
"Please don't make this a lesson," he begged.
"Too late," David offered, hiding a smile.
"See…some people would give anything to have a family like yours, Henry. Because, whatever's going on with you, you know you always have someone you can talk to. Or if you just want to stay up here and be a teenager, that's…okay, too."
And David stood up to go. But something was flashing in Henry's mind, then. And he looked up.
"Wait. I need to show you something," he explained.
"The Author's pen?" Regina asked in awe, pushing herself up to her feet when Henry had come downstairs to reveal what he'd found at the mansion.
"I thought you'd destroyed it," she added, stepping in to examine it closer where it hung by magic in the air.
"I did," Henry promised. "But that just sent it here.. The Apprentice told me where it was. I thought if I used its power, I could be a hero."
"Henry, what made you think you needed to do this?" Regina asked sadly, reaching forward to touch his arm lovingly.
"At first, it was Cruella. She wanted me to use it to bring her back to life…"
"Why would you help her?" Emma interrupted questioningly.
"Because I wanted to help you," he explained. "She said you have all this guilt about killing her, and that's when I realized — I have all this power, and I ignore it."
The only other time he'd stopped ignoring it was when he'd convinced Emma to help him give Regina the child she'd always wanted — that she deserved more than Zelena. He'd hoped that that would change, that he'd be able to continue doing more with the power he had been given.
"I just live in everyone's shadow," he lamented. "I want to be the hero instead of the one the heroes rescue."
"I understand that," Emma promised, showing some empathy. "But that's not the way to do it."
"I know and that's why I'm telling you now," he insisted, the whining in his voice a reminder of his age — because it was easy to forget with how much he'd seen and been a part of.
"I finally understand what the Apprentice meant," he decided, a smile returning to his face. "I'm going to write the stories as they are, and I'll start with Hades. I'm gonna use the pen the correct way — to recreate his story."
"Hades went through a lot of trouble to keep us from learning his story," Snow added, a knowing smile on her lips.
"Which means we're on to something," Regina sighed, shifting her weight from one hip to the other.
"Question is — what is Hades trying to hide from us," Robin asked, taking note of the constant shifting of Regina's body, the impending birth of his child ever present in his mind.
Down in the lowest pit of hell, Hades stood smiling over a misting mound of rock and magic, pushing his hand down into the fog. He lifted his hand back out, holding the several pages of his Storybook, which he had insisted Liam destroy.
Shuffling through the text and drawn images depicting his life's tale, Hades grinned and sighed when he came to the image of himself with his first and truest love.
"Zelena…" he sighed softly, bringing the image closer. "Our secret remains safe," he hummed, a promise made to his beloved.