Chapter 16

The Witch Of Oz And The Queen Of Storybrooke

Mary-Margaret and David came and sat down at Emma and Neal's booth after seeing the kids go off with Killian. "How's Tally doing"? asked Mary-Margaret.

Emma said "fine, she doesn't remember being kidnapped".

Neal said "but she does know something happened thanks to Henry. Both of them are wondering why it is she doesn't remember".

Emma said "if Tally remembered she would have too many questions, and if we told her the truth she would tell Henry and while they think Storybrooke is uninteresting there's less chance of them running into dangerous situations".

Neal said "Hook offered to take them out for day".

Emma asked "did you get yourself a new midwife".

David said "after the perfect midwife turned out to be the villain we're facing we've decided to do without a one. At least not before our memories are restored".

Neal said "before we forget Belle's looking up spells and matching up ingredients Zelena's been gathering to find which spell she might be trying to cast".

"Perhaps I can help with that" everyone in the diner spun round and saw Zelena in the doorway holding a dagger. Everyone near the door stepped away. "When you combine something from the mind, the heart and the body you can resurrect the owner of the best mind of all time".

At the sight of the dagger nobody had to guess who she was talking about. "You kidnapped my daughter to resurrect my papa" Neal asked slightly confused.

"Out of the three candidates, that little dreamer could have caused trouble for me, but uncaged birds also sing". She cast a dirty look a Belle who looked scared partly for what Zelena did to her and partly to what she could be doing to Rumple. As Zelena had been speaking she'd walked up to Mary-Margaret and David. Instinctively they placed a hand over Mary-Margaret abdomen. "Don't worry, I'm not here for your baby, not today".

Regina asked "then why are you here"?

Zelena said "well now that my cover's blown I can finally pay a visit to my little sister".

Neal asked "isn't she supposed to be under a house".

"No, she's right here" replied Zelena gesturing to Regina.

Regina looked behind her but realising she meant her said "sorry, but I'm an only child".

"Cora lied to you" Zelena declared. "I'm your sister, half, if you want to get technical".

"Why should I believe anything you say"?

"You shouldn't, it's a lot to swallow, Spend today digging into our past, you need to know the truth and you must believe it. Then meet me on Main Street at Sundown"

"Then what"?

"I'll destroy you".

"This isn't the Wild West".

"No, this is the Wicked West"

Neal pointed out "actually we're in the north-easten area" a dirty look from Zelena made him sit down and add "but it doesn't really matter".

Zelena said "and when I destroy Regina I want everyone to be there to watch the Evil Queen lose". With a superior smirk "see you at sundown sis" and with that Zelena disappeared.

Granny poured Regina a drink as David asked "and you're sure Cora never mentioned her".

Regina replied "I think I'd remember if my mother had told me she had a love child with a scarecrow".

Neal mentioned "actually in the origin story of the wicked witch her father was the wizard of Oz which is why she was so powerful, but because her mother was married to the Governor of Munchkin land she grew up thinking he was her father",

"Topic at hand Neal" said Emma. "The Wicked Witch wants her supposed sister dead, do you have any idea why Regina"?

"I never even met her before today" Regina replied

Emma said "didn't mean you didn't do something to piss her off".

Tinkerbelle mentioned "you did manage to step on a lot of toes back in our land".

Regina replied "but none of them were green".

Granny suggested "then there's the missing year, maybe you did something to her then".

Regina said "stick to the lasagne lady. You're all beginning to sound like you're all on her side".

She got up Emma asked "where are you going"?

Regina said "if I want to know if she's telling the truth I have to do as she said and dig into our past, and then find out exactly what she thinks I did to her".

Mary-Margaret and Emma had helped Regina search through her mother's things. Regina had found a letter confirming Zelena was her sister and walked off. David was trying to secure Main Street when Emma and Mary-Margaret got there. Emma said "Zelena said no interference, she might order Gold to level half the block if we try anything before she has a crack at her sister".

Tinkerbelle said "so they really are sisters".

"Regina found a letter in her vault from Gold to Cora confirming it" replied Mary-Margaret.

Neal asked "my father knew".

Emma answered "apparently".

David asked "where's Regina now"?

Mary-Margaret said "she disappeared, something in the letter upset her".

Tinkerbelle asked "should we try to find her"?

Emma said "Regina was clear she doesn't want help with this one".

David asked "so we leave Regina to her sister"?

Emma answered "no, she's going to get help whether she wants it or not".

Belle said "but you said we can't interfere".

Emma said "because Zelena has Gold on her side so we need to remove him from the equation. It's the only way Regina has a fighting chance. We need to get his dagger".

Mary-Margaret replied "but you saw Zelena she has it practically glued to her hand".

"What if we could get through to Rumple without it"? asked Belle.

Emma asked "how would we do that"?

"True love, I know I can get through to him" said Belle.

Neal said "she might be onto something, I'll go too, if we both go down there we have a higher chance of it working".

They went back to the storm cellar, after first checking Zelena wasn't in her farmhouse. There had been a spinning wheel and straw in there, now it was clear who it was meant for. Belle remembered how Gold told her once that spinning helped him do his best thinking and how he liked to watch the wheel. Belle and Neal went down and saw him in a cage spinning with his back to them. "Rumple".

"Papa".

Gold spun round and saw them "Belle, Bae".

Belle said "we came to free you".

"No" Gold said. "You have no idea what that witch will make me do to you if she catches you here".

"True Love is more powerful than she is we're not going anywhere" Neal declared.

As she opened the cage door Belle said "I'm not scared of her, you could never hurt me".

"That's futile" cried Gold. "While she has my dagger I cannot leave and I'm powerless to refuse any command she gives me".

Belle said "We're not leaving without you" she held out her hand.

Gold replied "it's not worth the risk".

Belle requested "just try".

He took her hand, Neal smiled and said "that's it, you can do it Papa".

As soon as Gold was at the door to the cage he whispered "run"

Belle asked "what".

Louder he said "run".

With a cackle Zelena appeared out of the shadows "oh don't mind me. I'm enjoying the show, it's just ever so sweet. Both girlfriend and son working together to save the Dark One".

They ran out of the storm cellar as Zelena gave an order. As they got out Gold said "Zelena sends a message. She will face Regina without interference, the next time you try to stop her I will kill you".

Everyone was gathered on Main Street awaiting Regina and Zelena except Neal. Emma suggested he joined Hook and the kids to keep them safe and away from all of it. When he found them Hook was teaching them how to tie knots, Henry was tying the knot from instructions in a book while Hook demonstrated step by step to Tally. "And finally you pull" Hook said pulling his own rope

Tally pulled hers "I did it".

"Well done Sugar Plum" Neal said walking up to them.

Tally ran up to him with her rope to show him "look what I did daddy".

Neal said "yes, it's very good".

Henry held up his rope that had a series of knots in it "I think I've tied every knot in this book".

Neal said "wow, when I was your age I could only tie one sort of knot".

Henry smiled then asked "are you and mom done"?

Neal said "no, she's got something...serious to take care of, but I wanted to see what you two were up to".

Hook was looking up to the sky "well I was about to teach them how to use a sextant".

Tally asked "what's a secent"?

Hook muttered "she said thefirst time too".

Neal said "sailors use it to navigate".

Henry got up from where he was sitting asking "like a GPS"

Not knowing what a GPS was Hook said "aye" before Neal could say no, "it measures our position by using the stars".

Henry replied "I'm not so sure that's what a GPS does".

Neal said "he taught me how use one"?

Henry asked "were you both in the Navy".

Hook said "no, your father was only a boy when I taught him".

Henry said "but, aren't you the same age"?

Neal answered "no, but he spent most of his life on the sea so he learnt how to use one at a young age".

Tally asked "why did you teach him".

Hook answered "when I taught him to use a sextant I also taught him to sail. I did it because he just lost his father when he wasn't too much older than Henry, I thought the sea could help ease his sorrow".

Neal looked up at the stars and said "for a short while it did. Even years after that I never forgot everything I learnt from my time on that ship".

Hook liked knowing he had left such an impact on his life. He gave Neal the sextant "then why don't you teach them"?

An hour or two later Neal drove them back to the Bed and Breakfast. Henry didn't need any to be asked twice to go to bed and Tally had already fallen asleep on the ride home. Emma was sat in the living area with a despondent expression. Neal sat opposite her and said "I'm going to guess the Witch Fight didn't go well".

Emma answered "well Regina's still alive if that's what you're wondering"?

"Did you find out why she hates Regina so much".

"Oh yeah, get this, the unforgivable thing Regina did to make Zelena hate her was be born".

"You have to be kidding, she hates Regina just for being born. Everyone else who has hated her has had valid reason to, would Zelena have hated her even if Regina was an angel"?

"Maybe, but Regina slapped her for it and made her lip bleed"?

"If Regina's not dead does that mean she beat Zelena"?

"Zelena sort of left halfway through their battle. Regina told us after Zelena threw her into the clock tower, through the clock she tried to rip her heart out. Turns out Regina was smart enough not to bring it with her. Zelena told her she doesn't want to kill her, she wants to destroy her".

"What's the difference"?

"I don't know, but I'm guessing what Zelena has in mind is a fate worse than death, what that might be I don't have a clue. To bring back Gold she used his gold, something from Belle and something from Tally. But it didn't explain why she took the hilt of David's sword and she wanted to take Regina's heart, Regina thinks she's gathering ingredients for another spell, wish I knew what she wants next".

Neal said "isn't it obvious, think about the story she's from, Regina said the hilt of David sword became a symbol of his courage, she tried to take Regina's heart, the third thing she needs is a brain".