A/N: I know, it's been a while and I'm super sorry! I'd lost inspiration for this story for a bit (plus I did camp nano) but I think I've found it again! Hopefully, I'll be updating semi-regularly though school is about to start again so I won't make any promises. As always, the OUAT characters don't belong to me.
"You always were so weak." Anger laced the very syllables of her words and she pressed her nails sharply into his back. "You're just like the others, throwing yourself at little Snow White's feet. And for what? What will she do for you? She cares little for your life. She let you come here, after all."
"It was my idea, Regina." Graham kept his voice conversational, almost pleasant, and she noticed the soft coo in his words meant to keep Emma calm as she stared up at him with her wide, infant eyes.
"Of course it was."
"And Snow White clearly cares more for my life than you."
Regina seethed. In her foolishness and complacency, she'd given the traitor back his heart after they'd spent the night together the first time. She wouldn't make the mistake this time. She couldn't afford to let traitors live, especially not those who betrayed her twice.
"Put the baby down." She ordered.
Graham glanced around for a safe place to put Emma—mausoleums weren't exactly baby proof and besides the cold stone floor, tombs were the only other place to put her. Sighing, he lowered her carefully to the ground, making sure to press hard on the walkie-talkie button with his body. He sent a silent prayer that the Charmings would get the alert and that he could stall Regina long enough for him to arrive.
"Wait," he said quickly as Regina's hands began to glow. Vaguely he noted the new method of death she intended for him—death by fire ball instead of a crushed heart; the latter would have been too symbolic.
Regina glared at him impatiently, the bright ball of energy in her palms seeming to glow brighter the longer he stared at her. Graham swallowed a bit nervously.
"Don't I get any last words?"
Regina lifted her hand and arched her arm backward, prepared to throw when Emma let out a loud wail. With Regina's concentration broken, the fire ball fizzled out, dying embers falling to the ground at her feet. Fresh anger washed over her and she turned her attention to the baby. Emma lay on her back, red-faced and squirming, arms and legs flying in every direction.
"Shut up." Regina growled.
It would be so easy to kill her and get it over with. Kill her, the product of true love, and whatever hope and happiness her parents had would shrivel up and die inside of them. Their deaths would be far more painful and much slower, but the death of their love would be the greatest achievement. She very much doubted even their love could survive after losing the only child.
But there were many things she would do and lines that she would cross, and killing a baby wasn't one of them, no matter how deeply she despised its parents. Memories that seemed like a lifetime ago began to stir in her mind—memories of talks of a future and of a family. She remembered how blissful she'd been when making such plans, coming up with baby names and picturing an infant with her hair and Daniel's eyes. But her mother had crushed all chances of that along with Daniel's heart and she had long since resigned herself to it.
While the Evil Queen was lost in thoughts of her youth, Graham used the time to his advantage, pressing the button again and moving toward Regina. She looked almost disappointed as she turned to face him, palms already glowing again. Graham almost swore she mouthed I'm Sorry before a fireball came soaring straight toward him. There was a moment of overwhelming agony and the hair rising smell of fire and then there was nothing.
Sighing, Regina picked up the still screaming infant and began to head for the door.
Snow skidded to a halt in front of the mausoleum, and the sight of her helpless baby in Regina's arms made Snow's knees go weak.
"Please, Regina. Don't hurt her."
"Oh, I have no intentions of that, not if you listen to my terms."
She nodded slowly. She had come on her own to the meeting with Regina. Charming had been checking on Vicki and she had known that things would end up in a showdown between her and Regina. She would do anything that she could do to get Emma back unhurt, anything that she had to, and as much as she loved Charming she didn't want him trying to stop her.
Regina's voice was filled with unbridled anger. "No magic apple this time. I want to see the life fade from your eyes so I can know that I've finally won."
Snow blinked back her tears as she looked at her daughter. Emma's cries had lessened the moment she caught sight of her mother, but she was beginning to whine, squirming in Regina's grasp as she reached for her mom.
"What about Emma? I won't do anything until I know she's safe, that she's with Charming."
A wicked grin spread across the Evil Queen's face. "You'll just have to take my word for it."