Chapter 9
Emma took off running through the castle. She needed to find Regina and she needed to tell her the news. Belle had found Coraline. She was with her and she was coming back with Belle to see what they could do about Ruby. Emma felt like a giant weight had been lifted from her. Coraline was coming home. It may not be under the circumstances that they wanted, but she was still coming.
Emma would chalk that up as a win, and it was a win that they desperately needed. She didn't even think about the fact that Will had been in the room with her. She just ran. Her thoughts were only about her family and helping Ruby. She didn't think beyond that and she hadn't been thinking beyond that since Belle left.
She burst into the room where Regina was holding vigil over Ruby's body. Regina turned up from the bed. Emma could smell the magics flowing around the room.
"'Gina!" Emma exclaimed.
"Emma...calm down," Regina commanded, letting the slip of her name go. "I appreciate that you are excited about something and I am sure that it is important, but there is no reason to yell. We are the only ones in this room. Now, what would you like to tell me?"
Emma hung her head, properly chastised, but she perked up as soon as she heard Regina tell her to give her the news. Her smile lit up her eyes and Regina could only wonder what it meant. She turned a little more fully to face Emma, but she never let Ruby's hand go.
"Belle just called, well, used the mirror. Anyway, she let us know that she found Coraline and she will be coming back to see what she can do for Ruby. But, Belle also wanted to-"
"She's coming back?" Regina questioned cutting Emma off.
It was at that moment that Will came in the room. She was excited as well, but she was a lot calmer and more collected than Emma had been. She smiled softly at Regina and then moved to the side, always on guard, always waiting. Regina returned her soft smile, but then focused back on Emma.
"I'm sorry, Emma. You were saying? Please continue," Regina told her.
"Belle got her to agree to come back. I don't know if she's staying, but she's coming. They hope to be here soon," Emma replied.
"Why do I feel like there is more that you aren't telling me?" Regina asked.
"Because there is," Will added.
Regina cocked her eyebrow at Emma, who gave her a smile in response. She shrugged. Regina and Will both smiled at the gesture, knowing why Emma didn't lead with the other news.
"So what else do you have to tell me?" Regina questioned.
"It seems that Coraline is coming back with four friends," Will stated before Emma could.
"Four friends?"
"Yeah," Emma answered.
"Do they know about magic?" Regina asked.
Will and Emma both shrugged. Regina let go of Ruby's hand and stood up. Even with her short stature, Regina was still imposing. This was no different. It wasn't just Regina, mother of Coraline that stood before them in that moment. She was the Queen, and she wasn't exactly completely thrilled with the notion of non-magical beings coming to the Enchanted Forest for a visit.
"Why?" Regina asked as coolly as she could.
"It seems that they help Coraline stay grounded," Emma said.
"And, what do you think?" Regina asked Will.
"I won't know what to think until they are here, Regina. You know that. However the one that made an appearance during the conversation seems to be...well...interesting to say the least," Will stated.
"Interesting how?" Regina inquired.
"She reminds me of a crass version of you, my Queen," Will replied smiling.
"Really?" Regina questioned, cocking her eyebrow and giving her a knowing smirk.
"A very young and brash version of you, yes, Regina," Will stated.
Regina gave her a knowing look, but nodded in response. She turned back to Emma, who had been watching the exchange and waiting for Regina to get upset. When she saw that Emma was waiting on a reaction, she decided to say something else.
"Do we know exactly when they are coming?"
"No, but Belle did seem to think that it would be in the next few days. If Belle has her way, I am sure that it will be within the next day or so. But, we all know that time works differently there. It might already be tomorrow for them," Will added.
"How are they getting back?" Regina inquired.
"It seems that Coraline has taken up gardening," Emma started.
"Gardening?"
"To help her relax, Regina," Will added.
"But gardening what? What is she growing? And, why is that important to her coming back here?" Regina questioned, but they could also see that there were more questions that she wanted to ask, but was waiting on responses for those first.
"She has a crop of beans," Emma stated.
"Beans?" Regina asked as if she didn't believe what Emma had just said to her.
"Yes, magic beans. It seems that she has been growing them for some time. I don't know how long, but they are growing on the outskirts of town in Storybrooke. Belle said that they had to go collect some beans and they would be here as fast as they could. I am sure that there will be more planning into their travel, but yes, magic beans will be how they get here," Emma told her.
"She has a crop of beans? She plans for everything, doesn't she? Somehow she knew that she would come back to Storybrooke over the years. She is too smart for her own good," Regina stated.
"She is our daughter," Emma quipped.
"That she is and she will need to know how much we love her. I don't want her to question that again. I don't want her running. I know that she is afraid of upsetting things because of Remy, but damn it, she is still our daughter. I don't care that we changed the time line. I am not letting her go without her knowing that. Send word to whoever we need to. I want the borders closed once she's here. I know that once word is out that my other 'Vulcannonian' has returned audiences will be wanted. I don't care. We won't have time to deal with any of that. I only want to be worried about Ruby and Coraline. Is that understood?" Regina asked them.
"You want to close the borders?" Will questioned.
"Regina, that's not a good idea. We can't close the borders just because Coraline is coming home. It isn't going to keep her here. We need to talk to her. So, we limit who we let in the kingdom, but we can't cut it off. There are merchants and traders that need the borders open to live. We can't do that. We don't want to alienate the people just because of our daughter. I know that I wouldn't want that. You wouldn't want that. Let's just wait until she gets here and we'll talk to her," Emma stated.
"Do you think that talking will work? I don't. She ran. She's a runner like you," Regina said and it was obvious that everything was getting to her in that moment.
It had finally all caught up with her. She'd lost her daughter to the Darkness. Her sister was lying beside her and she was helpless to heal her or even figure out what was wrong. One of her best friends had gone back to the Land without Magic in order to bring her daughter home in hopes that she could help her aunt get better. Regina hadn't gone. She'd sent Belle in her place because she was afraid. And, a frightened Regina was a dangerous Regina. She knew that about herself. She knew that she would lash out, but now, she'd finally cracked a little.
"That may be, but she is also half you. She thinks things through better than I do. She doesn't always go in completely head first. We need to give her time once she's back. We can't push her. We just need to talk to her," Emma told her.
"I know that," Regina replied with a slight anger at Emma's tone.
"Then calm down. I'll talk to her about staying. You need to worry about Ruby, but you also need to give Coraline the leeway that she needs in order to help her. And, you need to be able to support her no matter what she says or does. She needs to know that she can come to us with anything. If we can't do that, then we have no business wanting her to come back to stay," Emma explained.
"Regina, you are going to have to let go of everything that you know and just love your daughter. You can't be hung up on trying to make her stay. That is a decision that only she can make. We can only give her our love and hope that she wants to have a relationship with us. She has been on her own for so long and fought for everything that she has. She isn't going to take to it too well if you try to dominate her. We have to treat her with kid gloves. You need to pretend that she is a teenager and just be there for her. She is going to mess up, and it is going to be monumental, but we can't let her think that she is alone anymore. She has to know that we care and that we will be here for her," Will said.
Regina looked at them. She studied her wife and her friend. She looked at her knight and oldest companion. She saw the worry in their eyes. It was more than she wanted to deal with. They were on edge and she knew that they had to have a reason. There was something that they weren't telling her and she knew that in had to do with Coraline. It was more than her four friends coming with her. It was deeper, darker.
"What is it that you aren't telling me?" Regina asked Will point blank, knowing that Will wouldn't refuse to answer the question or circle around it like Emma might.
"She took out her heart, Regina. She didn't want to feel anything anymore after she jumped through the portal. So, she took it out and hid it in your manor in Storybrooke," Will answered.
Regina gasped. She was on her feet and pacing quickly. She knew what that could mean for Coraline and she was afraid for her daughter. But, then she remembered the look in Will's eyes. She was hopeful. She knew that whatever Belle had told them gave them hope about Coraline's visit.
"How long?" Regina questioned after swallowing hard.
"We don't know."
"Is she bringing it back with her?"
"I believe Belle has already packed it in case she didn't."
"Do you think that she'll put it back in once she gets here?" Regina asked, trying to be hopeful.
"I don't know."
Regina just shook her head. She knew that Will wasn't lying. They would have to wait and see what Coraline did once she was with them. She looked up at Will. They had a silent discussion.
"I will do what I can for her, Regina. You know that. I will always fight for her and for you. I've never stopped. But, we have to remember that this is her life now. She has to make the choice," Will told her.
"I know," Regina replied simply.
Emma went to her. She gathered Regina into a full body embrace and buried her nose in her wife's hair. She hoped that the gesture would calm her, but she wasn't sure that it was working.
"Go to bed, Regina. I'll stay with Ruby. You need to sleep."
"They will be here today, won't they?" Regina asked, hoping against her own mind's doubts.
"I don't know but probably. Belle wants to come back, but she's being smart about it. She is letting Coraline lead things. She knows how risky bringing Coraline back is. She's doing what she can for us and for Ruby. She hasn't lost sight of that, Regina. Coraline is coming home, but we need to respect her and let her do this her way. We cannot pressure her. We can't push," Will replied.
"I understand," Regina told her.
She broke away from Emma and walked over to Will. Their eyes met, fierce blue and dominate brown. Emma just watched them. She knew that their relationship was normal but she never faulted them for it. They grew up together under Leopold's rule. Their bond was strong and one that Emma would never think about trying to break. She could only hope that it would help them with Coraline.
"I'll see you in the morning," Regina told her as she turned around and reached for Emma's hand.
Emma took her hand and they headed out of the rooms where Ruby was being cared for. As Emma passed Will, she clasped her on the shoulder and nodded her head. They were friends, coworkers, queen and knight, and mentor and student, but through it all, they were still close.
"I'll let you know if there is any change...in either situation," Will told Emma.
"I'll probably be awake. Let me know if anything changes or if Belle calls. I'll have them bring the mirror in here. I don't care what time," Emma said and they left.
True to her word, once they were outside the room, Emma found the closet page and had them move the mirror down to Ruby's rooms for Will to have nearer to her. She knew that Regina would have it moved back later, but for now, it was where it needed to be.
She held Regina's hand as they walked thru the castle. They stopped at the old East Wing. It had been pretty much closed off since Coraline left. The only ones that went down there regularly were Blue and Tink. Occasionally, Tink found Remy down there and she was always in Coraline's personal room.
Emma sighed as they neared. It was like a ghost town in there. Time had stopped and the world stood still there. No one bothered anything. The maids and servants that cleaned always made it ready for her to come back. It was like an unspoken rule and no one dared ask about it.
Regina pulled Emma down the corridor to Coraline's suite. Even as a knight she was afford more luxuries than others that stayed at the castle, but Regina had given her the wing because she was also their daughter and an adult. Regina had spoiled her in the few days that she'd lived with them, more so than she had with Will, who had her own section in the Royal wing.
"What, Love?" Emma asked her when they came to a complete stop before her door.
"We need to add to it."
"Add to it?" Emma questioned, giving her a quizzical look and not understanding what Regina meant fully by adding to it.
"Yes, add to her rooms," Regina informed her.
"Add to it, how?" Emma inquired.
Regina gave her a look. Emma held her hands up in surrender as Regina entered the suite. She swept through the rooms surveying everything. Emma just moved near the main room's fire place and stood. She was admiring the family portrait that Belle had commissioned that hung over the mantle. It was their favorite portrait because it had Coraline added in with them, but alter she'd left. They moved it into her rooms. For some around the castle, it was like Coraline had died and the royal family couldn't cope. The rooms in that wing had become a shrine to the missing knight and princess, but no one questioned the legitimacy of her claim to the throne or being Regina and Emma's daughter.
"She is bringing friends, so she'll need more room. Your mother, father, and brother are already taking up the South Wing. We've got Ruby in the North Wing with Henry and some of the knights. I figured that she would like the wing to herself. Don't you?"
"I think it would be a good idea. It will let her know that we are giving her the space she requires while reminding her that we care. But, what do you want to do to her rooms?"
"I think we should add a few more rooms."
"Tonight?" Emma questioned because of the seemingly rush that Regina was putting on it.
"We can use magic to create them, or do you have a different idea?"
"Well, Regina, I think that she has more than enough room in the suite to house four people. There are three bed rooms in here, with her study and this living room. Why don't we make the rooms a little more hospitable? We don't really need to add to the castle," Emma told her.
"But, she'll need the room," Regina countered.
"Are you sure? We don't need to be wasting our magic on this, Love and you know it. You feel like we should do this because she is coming back. If she wants to change it, she will. We both know that she can handle that. I know' that you are conflicted right now. Your sister is sick and we don't know how or why. And, our daughter is coming home. Let's handle each situation as it comes and not over analyze them. We needed to just roll with it. It will take care of itself and we won't be completely stressed out over it."
"You're right," Regina stated reluctantly, but she knew that Emma was thinking a little more clearly about everything that they were going through right now.
Emma went to her and kissed her. She tried to pull her out of the room, but knew that Regina wasn't going to leave anytime soon. She looked into her eyes and saw the pain, the pain of everything was finally weighing down on her, and Regina looked like she might break. It killed Emma to see her that way, but she knew that there was nothing that she could do to help her. She needed to see Coraline and she needed for Ruby to get better. There was nothing else that could help her right now.
"I'll make a fire," Emma said releasing her and going back across the room.
"Do you think that they'll want more modern accommodations or?"
"I think that we should wait until she gets her and let her decide," Emma reiterated.
"I just want to spruce it up some."
"Then do that, but don't go making any big changes. Let Coraline do that. I can tell you that you might want to create some clothes for her friends. I am sure that they are going to want to fit in. But, we don't know what they look like, so...you're guess is as good as mine in that department," Emma told her.
Regina just looked at her. She knew that she was overreacting but she couldn't stop herself. She hung her head. She knew that Coraline would be able to make any changes that would be needed. She knew that Coraline would make her friends clothes to fit in. She wasn't needed. It hurt, but it was her reality. She knew what Snow felt just after Emma broke the curse. She wasn't needed no matter how much her daughter loved her.
"She still needs us, Regina. Don't think like that. She just needs to know that we care. We can't smother her. We can't force her to stay. We have to give her the option. And, we have to think about the fact that she has made a life with these people. There are her friends and we have to treat them as such. We will welcome them and we will do whatever Coraline needs of us."
"I know that, Emma," Regina told her.
"Then, let's go to bed."
Regina looked over at her. She could see the worry and the love in Emma's eyes. She knew that Emma was just as worried as she was about the coming days. There was nothing that they could do and that was just not acceptable to Regina. She needed to do something as much as Emma did. Coraline was like the situation with Red though. And, for once, Regina didn't know how to approach it.
Raising Henry and now little Remy had taught her so much about parenting and being a parent. She sure couldn't thank her mother in that department. Emma had always been by her side and together they gave Remy the unconditional love that she needed. Sure they spoiled the girl, but then again so did the entire family, all the way down to Henry and Neal. Remy couldn't help but be loved. That is why Coraline was so frightening. They loved her. They all did, but Coraline had grown up in a different world. She stumbled into love the same way that Emma did. And, while that was endearing and adorable, it also made it hard for her to accept the love that Regina and Emma offered her without reservation.
"She'll see reason this time, won't she?" Regina asked her.
"I don't know. We both know now that she has been traveling to other worlds if she has the beans. Maybe she's been looking for something to end the Darkness inside her. We don't know, Regina. We just don't know what she's been through."
"She'll tell us, right?"
"I hope so, Love. I do. I hate to see both of you like this. We'll talk to her. It is all we can do. And, maybe, just maybe her love for Wilhelmina will help her find her way back to us…even if she doesn't stay. Hopefully she will see how much we love and she'll stay in contact this time."
"That is putting a lot on Will, Dear," Regina told her.
"I think that the crazy Vulcannonian can handle it."
Regina smiled. She reached her hand out for Emma, who took it. They looked around the room and then back at each other.
"She'll be okay, right?"
"I am sure she will, Regina. But, she'll be upset if you don't get some sleep. As scared as she is, she still loves us. We need to be there for her and we need our sleep now. Will or Belle will let us know if there is any change in Ruby or if they show up. Come on to bed, now," Emma told her as she pulled her towards the heavy oak door at the front of the suite.
Regina just nodded and walked with her wife willingly. She knew that Emma was right. They would have to wait until Coraline came back to them. It had been almost three years. What was another night now that they knew she was safe and coming home? She could sleep with that thought in her mind. Tomorrow, she might be able to see her daughter again. It would have to be enough until Coraline decided that it wasn't. Regina squeezed their hand as they walked back through the corridors of the castle to their wing, to their suites and to their bed.
What they didn't see on their way was a very wide awake Remy in the hallway just outside the East Wing. She knew that something was up inside the castle besides the fact that her Aunt Red was sick or cursed or something that her mothers couldn't heal. She heard the quiet conversation between her mothers as she slinked her way down the corridor to a heavy oak door. She opened it and slipped inside.
She'd been in there before. Belle knew that it was her hiding spot when she didn't want to be found. Red had sniffed her out several times. They both always found her sitting on the one the couches, before a roaring fire, and staring up at the family portrait that had her older twin in it. She couldn't understand why she was always drawn to Coraline, but she felt safer in those rooms than she did in her own.
She knew that she should go back to bed, but she couldn't make herself leave. The fire was still going in the fireplace. Emma had left it to die out. She looked back up at the portrait.
"Why do you always stay away so long, Coraline? And, why don't Mom and Ma know that you've been back? Why doesn't anyone? What happened that made you go away?"
She never got an answer. She knew she wouldn't and for a child of barely eight, she could have sworn that magic would allow her to talk to her sister. But the magics that she tried never worked. She wasn't as gifted as her mothers. She was struggling with her magic and she didn't know why. She couldn't figure out what it was. She was the child of True Love. She was made of magic, or at least that is what everyone told her.
She got up and walked over to the lone mirror in the room. She took in her long ombre hair. She couldn't believe that just a few years ago that her naturally bright blond locks had started turning dark underneath, so now her rich dark brown hair flowed into a beautiful honey blond. She truly was made from her two mothers. Her dark eyes stared at themselves. The green flakes were becoming more vibrant with every spell to the point that her eyes were almost hazel. She wondered what it all meant. Was she destined for something more than they were telling her? She didn't know. She shook her small head and turned to leave the room.
She hoped that the rumors she'd overheard were true. She wanted to see her Aunt Belle, but she wanted to see Coraline more. She hoped that she was really coming back, even if it wasn't to stay. She needed to talk to her sister. She could explain things in ways that her mothers and the rest of the family couldn't. It was like they were almost the same person, just separated by time and magic. Coraline was the only one who could assuage her fears of the fearsome Blackness and its diabolical Queen. She didn't know why the dreams were getting stronger. She just hoped that Coraline could make them go away again.
She had just closed the door when she heard it. The loud sound of magic and crashing. There was some cursing, words that she shouldn't know, but that Henry said under his breath when Mom and Ma weren't around. There were voices, voices she didn't know and then she heard two voices that she'd recognize anywhere as she hid behind a tapestry in the corridor. Belle and Coraline were back.
A few minutes later, Belle left the room in a huff. She looked like she was on a mission. Remy walked back across the hallway to the door. She heard Coraline talking to some other people. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she waited until the voices died down before she went back into the room.
Once back inside, she made her way to the main bedroom of the suite. She saw Coraline. She was unpacking a small duffle and hanging up her sword and bow. She must have heard her come in because she turned around, facing Remy. That was when Remy saw it. She'd changed. She wasn't as hard. She seemed happy and calm. The Darkness that surrounded her wasn't as strong and Remy didn't know what it meant but she hoped that it meant that she'd stay.
"Couldn't sleep?" Coraline asked her.
She shook her head.
"Get it bed, then. I'll be back in a few minutes. I got to make sure the rest are taken care of, okay? Don't worry, Remy. I'm going to make sure that everything is okay," Coraline told her.
Remy just nodded as she scurried across the room and into the giant bed. True to her word, Coraline came back in the room a few moments later. She striped down out of her strange clothing and grabbed something out of her closets. Once she was redressed, she got into the bed and gathered Remy up. She curled into her twin sister's body and fell asleep in seconds.