VII: But the Beat is so Strong, I Got to Take it On
A/N: Again, apologies for failure to update, my dears. Life is taking an incredibly busy turn for me at the moment. I hope that it will ease up soon, probably after Hallowe'en when all the costume commissions are finally finished. I certainly haven't forgotten this story, and I'm just as eager to get the next chapters up as you are to read it. I hope you enjoy this one.
Thanks, as always, to my fanatastic beta killer-elephants.
Warning: Violence and trauma. May induce tears.
~M
...
Back inside the gate, Emma had to take a moment for her vision to adjust. The bright burst of sunlight from the two witches had left her seeing spots, and coupled with the fact that she'd been fighting in the semi-dark, the dilation of her pupils was shot to hell. Fortunately it didn't take as long as she worried it might for them to re-adjust to the floodlights of the now-working wall. And once she could finally see without her vision swimming, she was relieved to note that the inside of the town held far less resemblance to a war zone than she'd feared. An ambulance was already driving away, presumably carrying those hurt the worst. She hoped it was nothing more serious than that. The injuries to humans and werewolves that remained appeared relatively minor, and even those were being seen to by hospital attendants, vampire and human alike. She cast an eye over the other guards, noting the amount of ammo on each of them. Most appeared still fairly well stocked. Emma couldn't help but be a bit impressed. Even in a crisis, Storybrooke seemed to operate like a well-oiled machine. She wondered if the mayor had drilled everyone in town with contingency plans, and then realized that she must have.
Regina herself seemed more recovered, she noticed. The Queen was evidently completely unfazed by the fact that her normally impeccable appearance was spattered with blood and bits of exploded organs. She was already in full-out commander mode, quickly finding the vampire she'd left in charge of interior defense and rushing over to him in a whoosh, demanding something about causalities. Was it Emma's imagination, or was she actually moving slower than usual? She couldn't be sure.
Hanging back to take advantage of the free second, the Hunter went over her own remaining munitions. The two guns she'd tossed aside remained outside the walls, somewhere in the darkness. She wasn't about to head outside to retrieve them, at least not until sunup. That left her two boot knives, the two guns still holstered at her back, and the pistol still in her hand. With the enchanted magazine. She found herself staring at the weapon, an odd, thick kind of feeling building in her throat. She couldn't quite fathom why Regina had done it. Unless it had been a last-minute sort of thing, right before they'd left the mansion... but that didn't quite make sense. There had been so little time, and spells like that, Emma was pretty sure, took a while to prepare. Or at least look up. So had Regina done it weeks ago, just in case of emergency? Or... Emma shook her head. Now wasn't the time to worry about this. She swallowed down the weird thing in her throat, thrust the feelings building in her chest away to worry about later. She still had work to do. Replacing the gun in her empty hip holster for now, she headed towards Regina.
The Queen was -for lack of a better term- directing traffic. Vampires whooshed to her and back with updates from those who had been stationed around the perimeter of the wall, guarding against additional entry points. They would report, she'd nod and bark orders at them, and then they'd whoosh off again. The large, grey werewolf who Emma had shot the vampires away from stood before the Queen, receiving instruction. Emma gathered that must be Granny. An enormous black wolf paced anxiously nearby, growling every time another vamp interrupted Regina and Granny. Obviously not content with waiting around here much. One guess to who that could be. Emma shot Ruby an acknowledging smile.
The mayor was clearly just as upset by the constant stream of interruptions as the younger werewolf. As yet another vamp whooshed up to her, she finally just raised a hand, freezing him in his tracks so she could finish talking. To Granny, she ordered: "Patrol the city. Work in stages or by grid if you have to. I don't care how long it takes, but hunt them down." With a canine equivalent of a nod, the wolf turned on her paws and then howled, loudly, before taking off. Ruby darted by in a black blur, close behind her grandmother. The other wolves that made up the main pack were not far behind, howling into the night as they ran. Granny gave a series of barks and the pack split apart into three groups, one led by Ruby, one by Graham, and the third by Granny herself. They were quickly out of sight. Regina ran a blood-covered hand through her hair, and sighed.
Emma took that as her cue, sweeping a bit of her own blood-matted hair out of her eyes before walking up behind the mayor. "How many got through?"
Whirling on her as if to scream about another interruption, Regina seemed to stop when she saw who it was. She gave another small sigh. She looked tired. That couldn't be a good sign. "No more than ten, they think."
Nodding, Emma offered a smile. "Less than I thought."
"Ten more than I want," Regina growled in response. As if finally remembering the vampire she'd frozen, Regina waved her hand in his direction, raising an eyebrow when he blinked, apparently stunned. "Well?" she glared at him.
He seemed hesitant, as if knowing what he had to tell her would not be well received. "...It's the school, your majesty. ...A few rogues got in. At least three, possibly more."
"What?!"
Emma could not be sure which of them had screamed. Probably both of them, if she was honest with herself.
For a tiny moment, Regina stood stock still. Then she locked eyes with Emma, pupils once again going black. "Henry."
Then she seemed to snap out of it, shaking her head and glaring at the vampire messenger. "Get there, now!" She shouted, and then whipped her head around. "Sidney!" He appeared in a rush the next second. "Get a group of five and meet us at the school, now!" He nodded, and Regina turned her gaze back to Emma. "Miss Swan, with me."
Henry was in danger. Never before in her life had Emma been so eager to get within arm's reach of the mayor. Not even caring how many other people were around to see her in Regina's arms, she pulled out her pistol again, feeling the weight in her hand like an old friend. "Let's go." Grabbing her, Regina paused for a tiny, tiny second, as if catching her breath, and then she ran.
Emma was quite sure she would never get used to the world whooshing by. It bothered her less this time, she noticed, and was relieved. Possibly her body had acclimated to the sensation a bit. Or else Regina actually was moving slower. Determined not to get sick this time, she kept her teeth clenched and gasped at Regina: "Who do you have protecting the school?"
The Queen's voice was a low growl in her ear, slightly panicked-sounding. "The employees, of course! Nolan's in charge, they'll have blocked off the entrances and exits and have the children in the gym. Additionally, a group from City Hall will be in there, and three of the other vampire teachers, as the last line of defense. The rest of the teachers and staff will be patrolling the halls."
Clearly Regina took the protection of the school rather seriously, enough so that even her own office was left understaffed to protect the kids. Good. She clung a little more tightly to the other woman, more for reassurance than any other reason. She'd never been a religious person, but hoped to whatever higher power would listen that nothing had happened, that they would arrive in time and get the damn rogues or whatever.
They arrived at the school, Regina barely even slowing down to wave a hand and magic the doors open. She made sure to lock them behind her to prevent any of the rogues from escaping, and sped through the halls until she reached the gym. She lurched to a sudden and very disorienting halt, Emma actually tumbling from her arms.
She didn't even have to question why Regina had dropped her. One look up, and Emma's heart lurched into her throat. The gym doors were open.
"Henry!" Again, she couldn't be sure who'd said his name, but both women glanced at one another and then ran into the room. Regina was faster, of course, but Emma couldn't even be bothered to watch her speed by. Her eyes were riveted to the interior of the large space.
It looked like the war zone that the gate had not. Blood spattered once-white walls, crumpled forms of three people littering the floors, though two were stirring. There were no rogues to be seen, but three puddles of red goo definitely indicated they'd been there. The children were all huddled in a corner of the room, crying and shivering together. Henry among them, she was incredibly relieved to see. She'd have run over and pulled him into her arms, but Regina beat her to it, kneeling down and wrapping herself around him protectively.
"Mom!" he gulped, tear-streaked cheeks rippling as he choked out the word. He tangled his hands in her shirt, not caring how bloody she was, just needing his mommy. A pang of jealousy shot through the Hunter, but she shoved it aside, forcing a small smile and coming up to run her hand over the kid's arm.
"Emma," he whimpered out at seeing her, and grabbed at her. Regina seemed to swallow, taking a long, deep sigh before reluctantly letting her son go and turning to the Hunter. Henry immediately jumped into Emma's arms, barely giving her a chance to completely holster her gun. She held him tightly to her, letting out a sigh of her own. He was safe.
"Miss Swan," Regina said quietly, drawing her attention. She looked, and was struck by the look of jealousy filling the Queen's eyes. It was quickly gone, shaken away when Regina cleared her throat. "Stay with him." It was a simple order, and, again, not one that Emma minded in the slightest. She gave a terse nod, and Regina departed, heading over to where a brown-haired man was laying on the floor. And next to him... Mary Margaret, looking tired but no worse for wear at least physically, was hovering nearby. "Regina!" she gasped, voice sounding haggard and relieved. "Thank goodness! David, he-!"
"Miss Blanchard." Emma heard Regina cut her off quite clearly, the acoustics in the room about the same as any other gym- very echoey. "Your report, please."
Still holding and lightly caressing her trembling son, Emma watched as the young brunette took a fortifying breath- odd, since she didn't need to breathe, and blinked back the tears that were in her eyes. She nodded. Protocol first, apparently. "Five of them got into the school. Three made it in here. I managed to get one of them at the door. The other two slipped past me and went for the kids. We swarmed them and staked them, but not before David..." she sobbed a bit, unable to continue, and looked down at the figure on the ground. Emma finally noticed that it was David Nolan, the principal. Mary Margaret's claimed human.
Regina knelt down, placing her hand on David's chest and closing her eyes. "He's alive," she murmured. Faintly, she began to glow.
"Henry," she nudged her son, who looked up at her face curiously. More color was in his cheeks now, she was glad to see. "What's your mom doing?"
Henry blinked, then looked over her shoulder at his mother. "Healing," he offered. "She doesn't do it much."
The entire room echoed with the sound of David taking in a huge, gasping breath. His eyes opened wide, and he sat up suddenly. Regina stopped glowing abruptly, faltering a bit and falling to one side before catching herself.
"David!" Mary Margaret gasped, throwing her arms around his neck. Blinking in surprise, he held her in return for a long moment. "God, Regina, thank you!"
But Emma wasn't really looking at them. Her eyes were on Regina. Slowly, very slowly, Regina got to her feet. Worried for her, Emma shifted her son more fully in her arms, and rose to head towards her.
"Mom? Henry asked, looking a bit concerned himself. "Are you okay?"
Regina hesitated, turning toward them with a small, weary smile. Her eyes were only on Henry. "I'm fine, dear," she said gently. She looked like she very much wanted to be the one holding him, but made no move to take him from Emma's arms. That by itself gave the blonde Hunter more reason for concern. She must be very exhausted indeed to not trust herself to hold her son.
Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, the mayor glanced down at the principal and his vampire. "You said five made it into the building," she directed at Mary Margaret. "Where did the other two go?"
As if on cue, Sidney and the group of vampires he'd brought with him came running into the room. "Your majesty," he said, looking needfully at Regina.
She stepped away from Emma, heading toward her vampire lackey slowly, but without faltering. He whispered something in her ear that Emma couldn't quite catch, but it made Regina rear back, appalled. "Show me!" she demanded. They headed out the door. And this time, there was no mistaking the fact that Regina was definitely moving slower.
With a growing sense of dread, Emma set her son down on the floor. "Henry, I need you to stay here with Mary Margaret and the other kids for a minute, okay? I'll be right back, I promise. See if you can help calm them down while I'm gone."
"Okay," Henry nodded, either because he was actually feeling much better, or because he was as concerned about Regina as Emma was. Not that she was worried about cared for the Queen or anything, of course. But she was Henry's mother, after all.
She smiled at him, smoothing his hair away from his face, and then ran after Regina and the others.
They weren't far, only one hallway up from the gym. Two red splatters covered one of the walls. At least that answered where the missing rogues had ended up. But Emma's attention was glued to Sidney and the others, huddled around a figure who lay crumpled on the floor. Regina sat next to her, a hand covering her mouth as she but back sobs. Beside her, sobbing, was Frederick.
"Oh, god, no!" Emma breathed, already knowing what she was going to see when the other vampires moved aside enough for her to make out the body crumpled on the floor. The blonde head was turned to an impossible angle.
Emma sunk to her knees. "Kathryn."
Frederick barely looked up, but he sobbed again at even Emma's whisper of her name. Finally, he turned his broken gaze upon Regina. "Turn her," he pleaded.
Even through her own upset, that caught Emma's attention. Frederick was a vampire just as well as Regina. So he should be fully capable of Turning Kathryn himself, right?
The Queen stared at him for several seconds, as if shocked he would even ask. "Frederick..." she barely breathed. "It's too late."
"Please! Please, you have to try!"
She looked away, running a hand slowly along Kathryn's hair. Then she nodded, turning to lean over the crumpled form of her aide. "This probably isn't going to work," she told him. He said nothing, merely assisted in getting his human's twisted, mangled neck into position beneath Regina.
Emma felt Sidney's eyes on her and she risked a look away from Regina. Clearing his throat, the vampire addressed his Queen. "...Should she be watching this, your majesty?"
Regina only glared at him, as if furious he even dared to interrupt her. A soft click resounded through the halls as Regina's fangs extended. And then, oddly, a second click. Two sets of fangs now protruded from Regina's lips, one directly behind the other. Oddly, the back set were longer than the first. With a tired little bob of her head, the Queen bent forward, and sunk both sets into Kathryn's neck.
Emma stared, horrified but unable to look away. She'd never seen anyone Turned before. A dark shudder ran its way up and down her spine at her own memory of being bitten. But Regina didn't look blood-crazed, or even halfway evil. She only looked sad. And incredibly weary. It concerned her, actually, how tired the Queen looked. But Emma only watched, helplessly captivated, for what felt like hours. Regina's head bobbed back and forth a bit, as if she was not only taking blood physically out but also putting something else back in. Kathryn remained unmoving. Disappointed but not unsurprised, Emma lowered her head and allowed her own tears to fall. She had known, somehow, that it would fail. She knew what death looked like when she saw it.
Finally, after long, silent minutes of bated breath and waiting, Sidney shook his head and stepped forward. Lightly, gently, he placed a hand on Frederick's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "But she's gone." He turned to his Queen, very slowly beginning to pull Kathryn away from her mouth. Regina was looking pale. Paler than normal, even for a vampire. She didn't even protest.
"No!" Frederick sobbed, trying to stop his hand. "No, just a little more time, please! It has to work."
Without even being conscious of moving, Emma was at his side. "Frederick." He turned tear-filled eyes on her, as if noting her presence for the first time. "She's gone," she told him. He snarled, lunging at her, but only sunk into her arms and cried.
With a wet and extremely sickening pop, Regina separated from the dead woman's neck. Dark eyes rolled backwards in her head, and the vampire Queen collapsed to the floor.
"Regina!" Somehow, despite being surrounded by vampires and even currently being clung to another, Emma was the one who got to her first, cradling the Queen in her arms and lightly tapping her cheeks. Around her, the other vampires (save for Frederick) all cried out. Apparently, this did not normally happen, even after a failed Turning.
Sidney, in particular, looked stricken, shaking Regina's shoulders. "My Queen? My Queen!"
Regina moaned pitifully. Emma was reminded of the very first time she'd seen Henry and the resulting agonizing car trip to Storybrooke to get him to his mother. And how Regina had known exactly what to do. Her eyes widened.
"Sidney!" Emma screamed, getting the vampire's attention. "She needs blood, now!"
The vampire blinked at her. "...But aren't you her human? Can't you just-"
Emma just glared at him. Had she even allowed Regina to drink from her... hell, even if Regina allowed herself to drink from Emma, it was obvious enough that the brunette was in no state for that now. So Emma screamed at Sidney, her eyes furious. "Does she look like she has any ability to bite me right now?! Go. To the hospital. And get her blood. Now!"
...
The next few moments were some of the most agonizing of the entire day. And Emma had a lot of agony to choose from. She was trying to stay focused on Regina, and not the broken form of Kathryn nearby. Or Frederick, still holding the blonde and keening. The other vampires had tried to convince him to get up, or at least to move the body, but he refused, simply remaining and rocking her in his arms.
It was heartbreaking.
Easier, much easier, to try to concentrate on her own Claimer. Regina was fading in an out of semi-consciousness, eyes fluttering open every minute or two. She looked at Emma with wide, uncertain eyes, and then fell back again. She tried to bury her face in Emma's neck, once, but the Hunter kept her away. Regina's fangs were still extended, after all. After the mayor had slid back into limpness, Emma found herself brushing stray hairs out of her face as she did with Henry, and tried desperately not to rock her in her arms the way Frederick was doing.
It felt like forever before Sidney got back, but eventually he did, with two full pints of blood in his arms. Even weak and half-senseless, Regina seemed to know. Her eyes snapped open, nostrils flaring, and she lunged, grabbing at the vinyl packages with weak fingers, but grasping them nonetheless.
The plastic was torn open with her teeth, and the scent of blood fully permeated the air. She downed it right there in Emma's lap, a trickling stream falling down her chin as she drained the bag dry. Most people would have retched at the sight, but Emma had seen vampires feed far more times than most people. Too many times, really, and so she looked away. After everything she'd seen and done today, she thought she might well be entitled, but knew that however much Regina didn't care about the blood and... whatever else was on her right now, she'd probably draw the line at vomit. She heard more than saw Regina give much the same treatment to the second bag, and felt when Sidney began helping his Queen to her feet.
Regina was coming back to herself slowly, but surely. She blinked twice and wiped her chin. Emma nearly laughed at that, or would have, had the situation been any different. The Queen could be completely covered with rogue goo and be fine, but a little blood from her mouth warranted attention.
She stood up on shaky legs, eyes dark and unforgiving. "Sidney," said the Queen slowly, turning to him with a snarl, "That wasn't blood from my stock. What the hell did you just give me?"
The vampire looked stricken, mouth opening once or twice. "Um... well, it was from mine, your majesty. I didn't know how to access yours and the need appeared quite dire so I-"
She raised her hand, cutting him off. Apparently she got the point. Even after drinking, she looked, to Emma, incredibly weary. But in body language and voice, Regina was all queenly again, taking in the vampires amassed around her with an eerie sort of grace. "The sun will rise soon," she said smoothly. "Get to ground. I will contact Granny and coordinate the final sweep of the town, and Principal Nolan will have his staff stay with the children until their parents physically report in to collect them."
Nodding so deeply that they nearly bowed, the other vampires swiftly departed.
As soon as they left, Regina seemed to wilt a bit. Emma was on her feet in an instant, standing behind her. But Regina stayed standing. With pity and hurt in her gaze, the Queen finally looked down at Frederick, still holding onto his human. "I'm sorry, Frederick," she told him. And Emma believed her. "The town will mourn your loss very deeply. Kathryn ...was a very good friend to all of us." There was a question in there somewhere, Emma was sure. But what it was, she had no idea.
Frederick seemed to know. He actually managed to raise his head, staring at the Queen with eyes more dead than even normal, for a vampire. "..I'll stay with her a while longer," he said quietly, "then I'm going outside."
Regina closed her eyes, as if holding back tears. She swallowed. "...That is your decision to make," she agreed softly. "I understand."
With another long, slow look at Kathryn, Regina finally just sighed and turned away. "Miss Swan." It was a command as well as an request, and Emma understood perfectly. She easily caught up to the stride of the mayor, who was walking now, not whooshing. Together, they made their way back down the hallway, to the gym and to their son.
"This is why I don't Claim humans," she said quietly enough that Emma could just barely hear her. "You die far too easily." Something in the Queen's voice hinted that she knew this from a far more personal experience.
...
They collected Henry without fuss, Regina pausing to stop to talk to David and the still present but departing Mary Margaret. When that was finished, they finally headed home.
Emma never realized just how long of a walk it was until she was racing the sun back to their house. it didn't even bother her, this time, to think of it as being her own as well. They didn't quite make it in time, but Regina didn't seem concerned about the amount of sun exposure to either herself or Henry. Either it was minimal enough, or she was too tired to do more than emit a wincing hiss and the first rays touched her skin.
It was only after Henry was completely safe and in his bed that Regina allowed her facade drop completely. She didn't even make it to her room, falling to the floor in the entryway and burying her face in her hands, choking, strangled sobs clawing out of her lips.
Uncomfortable and unsure, as she had really been for most of the evening after the direct fighting had stopped, Emma cleared her throat awkwardly. She felt an almost overwhelming urge to put her arms around the Queen, but resisted. "Regina...?" she whispered softly instead.
Dark eyes very slowly looked up at her, tears running down the mayor's cheeks and mixing with dried blood. "...Frederick has just died, Miss Swan," she said quietly.
"You... felt it?" she gasped. And realized why a second later, her mouth falling into a perfect 'o' shape. "Oh god... You Turned him."
At that, Regina actually laughed, a hiccuping, aching sound from deep in her chest. "There are very few vampires in Storybrooke that are not at least indirectly my progeny."
Emma didn't quite know how to process that. And the person she'd normally ask about it.. was dead. She closed her eyes. God, Kathryn was dead. "...Why?" Emma breathed out, and sank to her knees beside the other woman. "Why the hell did they come here?"
The Queen just shook her head, too overcome or weary to voice an answer, if she had one.
They sat in silence for a long time, Emma musing, trying to focus on anything other than what they'd lost. She was a Hunter, fueled by her own need for revenge and her own hate for those who ruthlessly took things from her. Like her son, her chance for a life with him. And her friends. She didn't tend to focus on what, because she knew if she did she'd get nothing done, and they would only continue to take from her. If she wanted to make it stop, she needed to focus on why. "I think..." she began, her voice gaining in strength. "The attack was meant to look chaotic and random, but it wasn't. It was too... organized to be just hungry vamps deciding to work together. It's almost like..." she trailed off, looking pointedly at Regina. They were hard again, brimming with anger. "No one found a Queen, did they?"
"No."
"So getting into town wasn't the goal, then," said Emma. "So what the hell did they want?"
Regina shook her head, rubbing her brow in frustration or exhaustion. Or quite likely both. "...I have no idea."