Title: Vengeance, Sacrifice, and Forgiveness
Author: AoN
Word Count: 4,500
Genre: Drama, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Feedback: Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.
Summary: With the Evil Queen's curse weakening and Regina struggling to keep Storybrooke under control, hidden secrets and lies from long ago are beginning to surface – and they want their happily ever after.
Author's Note: ***ATTENTION*** This chapter contains a scene, which has spoilers, from episode 12, "Skin Deep" after the second break. If you have not seen the episode and wish to remain spoiler free, I would put off reading this chapter until after you watch the episode – otherwise, enjoy and please review!
Chapter Eight
Even the lowest of the low hanging shiny red fruit was just a tad bit out of reach for little Lily who was standing on her tip toes. The young girl was ready to jump in order to grab the apple when the branch twitched and lowered itself down to her grasp. With a smile, Lily grabbed and plucked the apple before turning around to find the Queen standing at the entrance of the courtyard, an arm extended towards her prized childhood tree. Her smile matched that of the little princess.
"You started without me?" the Queen pretended to pout as she walked over.
"Look!" Lily said proudly, holding out the apple for the Queen to examine. "No bruises, it's the right size and it's really red. I spotted more, but I thought I could reach this one. I wanted to surprise you," she admitted.
Kneeling down, Regina's smile only grew as she pulled Lily closer and took the young girl's prized picked fruit. "I am," she replied honestly after double checking the apple. "And we're definitely going to use this one in our pie."
"Or maybe we can eat it now?" Lily offered.
Regina watched the girl, tilting her head to the side. "That's right – one of the servants told me that you were really picky at breakfast this morning."
"I was not!" Lily whined, stomping her foot on the ground.
"Hey now," Regina warned, pointing her index finger at the child. "Princesses, Lillian, do not whine. You didn't eat much of dinner last night either. Are you not telling Mommy when you're not feeling well?"
"I'm okay now," Lily reassured.
When the Queen frowned, Lily immediately bowed her head. With her free hand, Regina lifted Lily's chin, forcing the girl to look up. She did not need to say anything in order to express her disappointment. Lily's bottom lip quivered slightly. "You're always sad when I don't feel good," she mumbled.
"That's because it's my job," Regina pointed out, placing a small kiss on the girl's forehead. "You're my world, darling, and I have to protect you, take care of you, and make sure that you're happy because when you're happy, I'm happy," she said, keeping her eyes locked with Lily's the entire time. "The next time you don't feel okay, you tell me, alright?"
Lily did not say anything, she just nodded. Regina could still see that she was pouting. Lily was just trying not to upset her. Smile returning, Regina held out the apple which Lily took. She then picked up the girl, bringing her into her arms, and walked over to the bench under the apple tree where she sat down, placing Lily on her lap. Lily leaned into her mother's embrace, resting her head against her chest. She brought the apple to her lips and took a smile bite. Hearing the faint crisp noise made Regina's smile grow slightly.
"Are you going to share with me?" Regina asked, now rocking back and forth slowly.
Eyebrows raised, Lily quickly looked up, concerned. "But if I don't eat it all, I won't grow up to be big and strong!"
Regina laughed softly and nodded, deciding not to mention breakfast and dinner would also accomplish the same thing. "Fair point – the kingdom does need a big, strong, and beautiful princess," she agreed. "So! Which apples are we picking today?"
Lily looked up and pointed. Regina followed her line of sight. "The one's at the top," Lily stated after another bite.
"Very fearless," Regina grinned. "Alright then, those are the one's we'll get," she promised.
xxxx
Leaving that pie untouched in that apartment had been no easy matter, but it was a task Lucy managed to accomplish – not without reminiscing a little bit. The familiar warm scent of the baked good brought back the incredibly faint memories of apple picking and sneaking into the kitchen. There was no need to sneak off, but it always made the event seem more secretive. It had always been the two of them, no one else-
And that was when Lucy decided she had to leave the apartment.
She made mental notes as she walked. The apartment was next to a store called Standard Clocks, which was next to a clothing store called Modern Fashions, which was next to the bakery that was across the street from… Granny's diner. Lucy, hands tucked away in her jacket pockets, sighed heavily. If the owner was there, she would be crucified on the spot – the same thing would probably happen if Ruby was there considering the fact Lucy had apparently disappeared for a few days.
And if that were to happen, then Ruby had clearly recovered from the backyard stint.
Lucy crossed the street and made her way into the fairly empty diner. It was still fairly early, long before the lunch rush, but her entrance still earned a few slide glances from the patrons. She even merited a second glance from none other than Mary Margaret sitting a couple tables away from the door. Instantly casting her own eyes down, Lucy made a beeline for the booth in the back. Even though the light in her eyes was absent and her hair much shorter, Lucy could still see her. She could still see Snow White and she could only handle one situation at a time.
Her back to the rest of the diner, Lucy picked up the copy of the Mirror that had been left at the booth. Flipping to a random page, she quickly buried herself in the newspaper, attempting to be intrigued by the ad for the local garage – free tire rotation? Absolutely fascinating! If only she knew how to drive, or even own a far for that matter.
Although she had done her best to appear antisocial (everything short of leaving the diner), it did nto stop Mary Margaret from getting up and relocating herself to the booth. Lucy did not look up when the woman sat down across from her. She was focusing hard on the ad. She could not look up. She would not look up. The last time they had met, the woman had called her Lily. And it hurt.
The pain in her chest now did not compare to the ache she felt when Mary Margaret called her by her real name. Lucy wanted to tell her that it was not her fault, she fell by herself, but she could not. She could not mention any of it, it was too dangerous, but that rationale did not stop the urge.
"I won't take my truck anywhere else. They do good work there," Mary Margaret spoke up.
"So it seems," Lucy mumbled in return, still not looking up.
Mary Margaret's shoulders fell slightly at being snubbed. After all, she had offered this woman a place to stay out of the goodness of her heart. She had trusted her – both she and Emma. Mary Margaret was not giving up. "Surprised you're here," she said. "I heard you had another run in with Ruby and Granny."
"Misunderstanding," Lucy replied. "I saw Ruby pass out. I wasn't going to leave her there on the ground. I have a conscious – and this is the only diner in town."
Even though there was some bite to her words, Mar Margaret was a little pleased the response was more than a couple words long. "Well, I'm glad – she's doing much better. She just went in the back for a second."
This time, Lucy only nodded. She was not giving Mary Margaret much to work with. "You're not much of a talker, are you?"
"Nope."
"Does that have to do with living in the forest?"
"You actually believe that?"
"Not entirely."
Silence.
Mary Margaret shifted slightly; Lucy, on the other hand, did not move an inch, her eyes did not stray from the paper. Every part of her demeanor was telling Mary Margaret to leave, but she stayed where she sat. "Did I do something to you?" she finally asked.
"No," Lucy simply answered.
Mary Margaret nodded, not that it mattered. Lucy would not look up at her anyway. "Well then," she murmured, sliding out from the booth. "I hope you have a good day, Lucy."
"Yeah," Lucy mumbled, staring intently at the paper still. From the corner of her eye, she watched the woman shuffle away. The ringing bell at the door told her that Mary Margaret probably left the diner as well. Once the tension in her shoulders released, a coffee cup was slammed against her table top, causing Lucy to jump in her seat.
She did not have to look up to figure out it was Ruby standing over her, staring her down with a stern stare. "You're more charming as a dog," Ruby stated, filling the cup with coffee from the pot she was holding. "More punctual too."
"I'm a wolf," Lucy corrected, voice low. "You remember?"
"Wolves are noble creatures with honor. That," Ruby gestured to Mary Margaret's now empty seat. "Was not honorable and, yes, I do. I never would have pinned you to be that rube – to her of all people. She's Sn-"
"Not here," Lucy interrupted. "Listen, I came by to make sure you're alright – and I know you want answers. So do I," she pointed out, keeping her eye on Ruby. "The sooner, the better."
"My shift ends at two," Ruby replied. "You've made me wait three days – a few hours should be nothing to you," she stated, walking away before Lucy could even reply.
If she could have planned her blackout, she would have done so accordingly so it would have no coincided with Ruby's memory returning. Considering Lucy had no control over it, Ruby would simply have to deal with it, as immature as that sounded – it gave Lucy a little bit of gratification. The immaturity did not last long; Lucy quickly grew serious once again, replaying the events from earlier in the morning.
Everything had gone too smoothly. Regina did not exactly press the matter – not enough questions, not enough emotion. Regina did not believe her, but she did not call Lucy out on it either. Then there was the fact that Lucy had been unconscious for three days and could not remember how she lost consciousness or the hours before it happen. Not to mention, it was Regina who found her. Out of everyone in Storybrooke, it had been Regina.
Pieces of the puzzle were not fitting together. What was she not remembering? Why did Regina give her that apartment? And that pie – was Regina trying to lure her under a blanket of false security? She did not like this situation one bit – too many factors were out of her control.
In an attempt to distract her wandering mind, Lucy actually read the paper – every single page, every single article, every single word. The vast majority was fluffy, but it managed to kill the time she had been ordered to wait. When two o'clock rolled around, Ruby came back over.
"There's an employee room in the back," Ruby said.
"An employee room?" Lucy repeated, concerned.
"Granny will murder you with her knitting needles if you show up at the bed and breakfast," Ruby explained. "Hardly anyone goes into the back and the washing machine is always running anyway. Follow me," she instructed.
Regardless whether or not she was a fan of the idea, Lucy slid her way out of the booth and stood up. Before following after Ruby, she gazed over her shoulder just as the door to the diner swung open. The rugged man stepped inside and caught Lucy's stare. He did not look familiar, a stranger. Her eyes narrowed slightly and he quickly turned his attention elsewhere. Although the action did not take long, it was enough for Ruby to double back and pull Lucy along.
"So, for starters," Ruby began, dragging the other woman to the old, worn table in the far back of the employee room which doubled as a storage area. "You can finally answer all the questions I asked you during our time together in the Enchanted Forest."
"You're very calm about all this," Lucy noted.
"There's no reason to panic," Ruby replied. "Panic leads to irrationality and we can't have that, Lucy – is that your actual name?"
"No more than Ruby is your own," Lucy retorted. "You were fond of calling me Little One."
"So what were you called before you were a wolf?" Ruby asked.
"How do you know I was not always a wolf?" Lucy shot back.
"You didn't act like one," Ruby pointed out simply. "You were very strange for a wolf – tell me I'm wrong."
For a moment, Lucy stared at Ruby in silence. She had a point. Every other wolf knew better than to be around humans, knew how to defend themselves from each other. She had always been a scared, trapped little girl. "Lillian," Lucy finally answered. "I'd always prefer Lily. Lillian sounded too formal, especially Princess Lillian."
"Princess Lillian died," Ruby pointed out, a bit taken back. "There were wakes in her honor throughout the whole kingdom and everything. I was young myself when it happened, but I remember that even other lands offered their condolences to the royal family."
Lucy sighed heavily and began to explain everything, leaving no stone un-turned. The drowning, the transformation, the huntsman. Then, after the huntsman disappeared, being attacked by the other wolves and finally meeting Red in the Enchanted Forest. "Then, well, I fought to protect myself," she said with a small shrug of the shoulders. "You never really came back after Snow's wedding."
It had been a lot of information to take in. "We… we were… preparing for the Evil Queen's curse," Ruby explained lamely. She was shaking her head in disbelief, staring at Lucy as if she were now a different person entirely which caused Lucy to shift uncomfortably in her seat.
"What?" Lucy asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Ruby's answer had been too quick for her liking.
"What about preparing for the Queen's curse?" Lucy pressed on. Ruby did not say a word. "Red, tell me – you owe me that much, I've risked my life for you."
More silence followed, but Ruby finally did speak up. "The Evil Queen, she threatened to take everyone's happiness from them, no more happy endings," Ruby said softly. "Snow later said it was because she took away the Evil Queen's happiness."
She did not need to say anymore. Lucy immediately felt sick to her stomach. She rose to her feet and began pacing around the room, feeling Ruby's eyes watching her the entire time Lucy could still hear the Queen crystal clear in her head. 'You're my world. I'm only happy if you're happy.' And then the sobbing, the sobbing of the Queen holding the lifeless body of a little girl.
"This is not your fault," Ruby tried to reassure.
"It's entirely my fault," Lucy snapped back. "All the animals were abuzz about the curse, but no one knew the reasoning behind it. We just knew it was coming."
Ruby continued to watch Lucy pace the length of the room. "There's a reason as to why you and I remember that realm. The curse is finally breaking – the savior is here."
"Savior?" Lucy repeated, walking back over to the table. She took her seat once again, but her leg was now bouncing up and down. She was unable to keep still anymore. "What do you mean?"
"The one who is destined to break the curse," Ruby rephrased. "The last few weeks, the plan was to fashion a vessel to transport Snow to safety-"
"Snow's the savior?" Lucy interrupted.
Ruby shook her head. "No," she responded. "Her child."
Luckily, Lucy had been sitting down. She blinked, blank emotion, feeling as if she just had the wind knocked out of her. "I… uh… what?"
"Snow was pregnant," Ruby said. "The original plan was to transport Snow, but considering Mary Margaret is here with no memory, she had the baby before she could be transported to safety."
"A-And this child is here?" Lucy asked.
"Hardly a child," Ruby commented. "The child was prophesized to come on her twenty eighth birthday. It's Emma – the sheriff."
"Oh God," Lucy mumbled, leaning forward. She buried her face into her hands. "I elbowed my niece in the face."
xxxx
The joy on Henry's face when he was told they were going to the sheriff's office pained Regina a little bit. It seemed that the only time he was excited now of days was whenever that damn woman was involved. For now, she ignored it. She had to distract the sheriff and this was a sure way of doing so.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the sheriff drop her lunch on her desk as she quickly stood up. "Sheriff Swan," Regina stated, placing her hands on her son's shoulders. "I'm letting you have thirty minutes with Henry. Take him out. Buy him an ice cream."
Emma could not help but look at Regina quizzically. However, the mayor's attention was already focused on the man behind the bars: Mr. Gold.
"You want me to leave you alone with a prisoner?"
"Twenty nine and a half," Regina stated firmly, not bothering to turn to face the blonde woman. She listened to Henry and the sheriff exchange greetings and to Mr. Gold asking for a cone of his own.
"Just this once," Emma replied, turning back to grab her jacket before ushering Henry out of her office. "Come on, let's go."
"Wow…"Mr. Gold spoke up once the two were out of ear shot. "You really wanted that little chat, didn't you?"
"Apparently," Regina smirked. "This is the only way I could do it."
"Please," Mr. Gold said shortly, gesturing. "Sit."
For a moment, Regina lingered at the spot where she stood, fighting off the urge to display her disproval. Begrudgingly, she walked over to the chair just outside the cell holding Mr. Gold in and she sat down as she was told.
"Now," Mr. Gold began slowly. "When two people both want something the other has, a deal can always be struck – do you have what I want?"
Regina leaned forward slightly, smirking. "Yes."
A short silence past them. Rage was building within Mr. Gold, but he willed himself to keep his temper in check. "So," he said, keeping his voice from shaking. "You did put him up to it then."
"I merely suggested that strong men take what they need," Regina said matter-o-factly.
"Oh yeah, and you told him just what to take, didn't you?" Mr. Gold accused, eyes narrowing.
"We used to know each other so well, Mr. Gold," Regina said, pretending to be hurt. "Has it really come down to this?"
"It seems it has, yeah," Mr. Gold glared. "But you know what I want. What is it you want?"
"I want you to answer one question," Regina stated, holding up her index finger. "And answer it simply. What's your name?"
Without missing a beat, he replied, "It's Mr. Gold."
"You're real name," Regina clarified.
"Every moment I've spent on this earth, that's been my name," Mr. Gold reassured.
"But what about moments spent elsewhere?" Regina pushed on.
Mr. Gold's eyes narrowed slightly as he examined her for a moment. "What are you asking me?" he questioned in return.
"I think you know," Regina answered. "If you want me to return what's yours, tell me your name."
Smirking slightly, Mr. Gold leaned forward, keeping his eyes locked with the mayor's. "Rumpelstliskin," he said after a pause, giving the answer the woman had been seeking. "Now give me what I want!" he demanded.
"Such hostility…"
"Oh yeah," Mr. Gold hissed.
After slipping one of the straps of her purse from her shoulder, Regina fished out a simple teacup. The thing was even chipped. "Over this?" she replied, waving it around. Mr. Gold reached out between the bars of the cell, but Regina pulled the cup of his reach – an action that did not please the man at all.
"We had a deal!" Mr. Gold snared. "I told you what you wanted to hear-"
"So that I may ask you my real question," Regina interrupted. "You told me there was no bringing her back, that you would not-"
"Magic cannot bring back the dead," Mr. Gold said, getting to the point.
"And what if it did?"
"Does the new woman in town have your Majesty a bit spooked?" Mr. Gold bantered.
"Her heart is beating."
"Hearts normally do, dear," Mr. Gold pointed out.
"What have you done? Who is she?" Regina demanded.
Mr. Gold suppressed a laugh. "You think I'm behind this woman showing up? Oh had I known it would have gotten under your skin like this, I would have considered it," he admitted. "I don't know who she is – now, give me my cup. Please."
The corner of Regina's lips twitched as she frowned, not wanting to give up the cup for an unsatisfactory answer. However, when Mr. Gold held out his hand, Regina returned what was rightfully his. He carefully pulled the cup between the bars and sat back down on the bed in the cell. "Thank you, your Majesty," he grumbled, examining the cup for any form of damage that was not the chip. "And if this woman is who you believe her to be, she won't be around long."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you not remember the conversation we had all those years ago?" Mr. Gold questioned, shaking his head, keeping his eyes on the teacup. "She'll suffer the same end she met… elsewhere, and you won't be able to save her this time either. So… now that we've been honest with each other, let's remember how things use to be, shall we? Don't let these bars fool you, dear. I'm the one with the power around here. I'm going to get out of here in no time and nothing between us will change."
Regina stood up and grabbed the bars as she leaned in close to the cell. "We shall see."
xxxx
Upon entering the diner, Emma took note of the time, just a little after 3:15. She would have to get Henry back by 3:45. She did not want to test Regina's limits, not when Emma was already skating on very thin ice.
Henry immediately made a beeline for the booth in the back, away from the other patrons and Emma quickly followed after him. The kid was beaming, excited. Emma was equally as happy to see him as well.
"We have so much to talk about!" Henry said, slipping off his backpack and climbing into the booth. Emma sat across from him as he dug through the backpack. He pulled out a notebook and began flipping through the pages. "I've got a lead on Operation Cobra," he grinned.
"A sundae, please," Emma ordered as a waitress walked by. She then turned her full attention to the young boy. "Are you sure you want to talk about it here? What about the Evil Queen?" she asked. She was half serious – a part of her was willing to believe everything that had been going on, but another was still clinging on to rationality.
Coming to the page he was searching for, Henry looked back up at Emma. "We're safe, but our time is limited," he replied.
"Okay, then – lay it on me," Emma said as she rested her arms on the table and leaned forward, closer to him.
Henry pushed the notebook to Emma, to the page where he had drawn a cartoon wolf. "I was wrong about Lucy. She's not Rapunzel or Sleeping Beauty," he explained. "She's the wolf from the huntsman's story."
Emma felt her mouth go dry and she bit back her growing frown. "How can you be so sure?" she asked.
"She told me," Henry replied simply.
The answer caused Emma to look up at him. "She told you?" Emma repeated, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
"She came to the playground and we talked-"
"Does your mother know?"
He shook his head. "We were alone-"
"Alone? Henry, that's dangerous! She's dangerous!" Emma remarked.
"But she's not!" Henry shot back. "She's on our side! She helped Snow White and Red Riding Hood fight the Big Bad Wolf," he pointed out. "She has her memories, she can help us with the curse!"
"We don't really know her or her motives," Emma replied. "She could easily be working for the Queen."
Henry shook his head. "No, she's not – the Evil Queen did nothing to protect the wolves," he explained. "She wouldn't want to help the person who helped hunt down her family. She wants to help. She's not evil!"
"How can you be so sure, Henry?" Emma asked.
"Because she trusted me with her secret," Henry said, lowering his voice. "She transformed into a wolf in front of me."
It took a moment for his words to register. Emma sat back, sighing heavily. In that pause, the waitress returned with their sundae, but neither one made the effort to touch the sweet desert right away. His confession did not change her opinion on the matter, Emma still did not trust the woman. "That's not enough reason to trust her, Henry," she finally replied. "Because… she did the same thing in front of me."
Henry's eyes lit up. "Then she trusts you too!"
Emma forced herself not to snort. What Henry did not know was the revelation was out of self-defense, nothing to do with trust. She could still feel that elbow colliding with her mouth. "I really don't think that's the case, kid," she commented, picking up a spoon. Henry did the same.
"Have you used your super power on her?" Henry asked, taking a spoonful of the ice cream. "has she ever lied?"
"Henry-"
"She hasn't, hasn't she?" Henry said with a mouthful of ice cream. "We have to question her."
"Question her?" Emma repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Henry nodded eagerly. "You can tell when people lie. All we have to do is ask her if she's on our side. If she lies, you'll know," he explained. "We just have to make sure the Evil Queen doesn't find out.
To be continued…