And with that cliffhanger we're heading back to Storybrooke ;)
Present Time
Storybrooke, Maine
Regina had almost finished dressing for work when the doorbell rang. She took one last look at herself in one of her many mirrors; a blue, tight fitted dress with three-quarter sleeves and cutting off at her knees, black, see-through tights, high heels and a pair of dark ruby earrings. Of course her lips were also painted in her signature red colour.
As she moved to open the door she prepared for whoever might be outside. She would not be surprised if it was one of the Charmings, most likely Emma, and for some reason she would not be surprised if it was Arianne either. Another member of Arianne's group of friends would surprise her more. Something that would worry her was if the one standing on her doorstep was Robin Hood, because that would certainly mean that something had happened back at his camp in the forest, and her final option would be Zelena, which would be both unwelcome and annoying.
Instead she opened the door and found a basket standing on the porch. As she pulled back the cloth covering its contents she found apples; green apples, at that. It made her purse her lips and glare around the garden before she picked it up.
"A gift", came a voice from behind her. Yes, it was the annoying and unwelcome option, and that Witch had obviously taken the freedom of inviting herself into her house. Regina turned around and found her, Zelena, leaning against the dining room table. She raised a glass of red wine in her direction and Regina glared, before stepping back inside and closing the door.
"From sister to sister", Zelena continued while Regina put the basket down on a side table.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, marching into the dining room. Zelena took a sip from her wine glass, then put it back down on the table and rose.
"I saw your tree", she said and started to walk around the oval table, "and I thought you could use something better. Red apples are so sickly sweet, don't you think? People tend to like something... a little sharper."
"And green apples are just bitter", Regina bit back, then glared at the porcelain statue that Zelena had picked up. "That's not yours."
Zelena scoffed.
"Story of my life."
"Why are you here?" Regina demanded to know as Zelena made her way back round the table, her fingers tracing the dark wooden surface.
"Oh, sisterly concern, sisterly advice, you know", she responded, walking past Regina out into the hall and turning towards the living room. "Wanted to make sure you were alright after our little showdown."
Regina fought back an annoyed snort.
"I'm fine", she said as she followed, "are you?"
"Getting there", Zelena responded, before placing herself on one of the white couches in front of the fireplace. "Wow, this is nice. So luxurious."
Regina leaned against the doorway, arms crossed over her chest as she glared at her. Zelena simply smiled and stroked the white cushions.
"You really don't appreciate what you have, do you?"
"Right", Regina said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "because I have everything and you have nothing."
Zelena's smile faltered somewhat, replaced by an angry glare. It made Regina laugh silently.
"If you want your superpower to be envy", she said, "go ahead."
"Envy's just another word for ambition", Zelena remarked.
"Well, that's just not true."
"See, I strive for things", Zelena continued, ignoring her comment. "I work. You..."
She scoffed and her smile returned.
"You cast a curse that was just a fancy form of running away. With every advantage you still turn your back on every opportunity to happiness."
Regina smiled and shook her head, even though, deep inside, those words stung. She had a habit of running away from possible happiness, truly, but there was no way she was going to let Zelena know that.
"You, Regina", the red-haired Witch said and rose, "you just don't take risks, you don't live your life. It's such a waste."
She walked over to the fireplace and picked up a wooden statuette of a hunting dog from its mantel. Regina fought the urge to rip it from her hands.
"I can see why our mother was so disappointed in you", Zelena continued before putting the statuette back in its place. Once again her words stung, but Regina's Evil Queen face had had years of training and did not falter so easily. Instead of showing what she felt she scoffed.
"Disappointed in me?" she said. "She gave you away."
Where Regina was able to keep her emotions in check, Zelena's bubbled to the surface at once. The amused smile and mocking gaze vanished, replaced by hatred in its purest form.
"You have no idea what really happened", the Witch hissed. "That's exactly what's going to hurt you."
Regina's smile widened and she let out a small chuckle, shaking her head.
"You didn't come here to give me sisterly advice", she said, letting her smile fade. It was a trick she had used many times against unsuspecting victims of her power. Of course it was not quite as effective on Zelena.
"Why are you really here?" Regina asked again. Zelena's lips curved up in a new smile.
"So perceptive", she said. "I'm here, Regina, because I wanted to make sure you weren't someplace else, so I could take what I need."
Whatever triumph Regina had felt vanished in a flash. If her heart had still been in her chest it would have been beating rapidly and maybe it still did, wherever it was hidden.
"Or rather, the Dark One could", Zelena continued, her smile widening. "Do you feel it, sis? He's taking your heart."
When the Witch let out a triumphant cackle Regina's hand closed around a dagger, placed out on a table in cases like these, and threw it at her head with a growl. It stuck to the fireplace's mantel as the Witch disappeared in her signature green smoke. In the same moment the door burst open and Regina spun around, standing face to face with Arianne and two of her friends. All three had their wands raised.
"What happened?" Arianne asked. "Where's the Witch?"
"She disappeared", Regina responded, her throat constricting. "I'm sorry, I... I have to go. My heart, she's..."
Arianne's eyes widened somewhat before she pulled out a cellphone from her pocket, pressing a few buttons rapidly and then holding the object to her ear.
"Alert everyone", she said to whoever was responding on the other end. "The Witch has found it."
It had been an easy decision to make during their morning meeting; the Witch had two of the ingredients she needed for her curse and with Mary Margaret protected, as long as she was at her apartment, she was most likely searching for Regina's heart. They had no idea where this object was hidden and had no intention of asking the Mayor, as that might lead to people thinking the wrong thing about their course of action, so instead they had divided themselves into patrol groups. Each group had a phone to communicate with and back at Granny's were Sandra and AJ, also holding a phone and acting as a command central. If something happened the others needed to know at once.
Jade and Tessa had been sent to join Robin Hood's Merry Men in their forest camp, an easy decision to make as Robin would not find it odd if they turned up. Tessa loved to play with his son, Roland, and Jade was beyond excited about the life and adventures of the group of outlaws. In fact both girls had almost forgotten why they were originally there when the text arrived. Jade's eyes widened as she read it; She's found it.
The next moment everyone in camp got up, weapons at the ready, as a dark plume of smoke appeared at the edge of the clearing. When it disappeared it showed their new visitor; Mr Gold. Robin raised his crossbow.
"Stop right there", he ordered. Gold slowly turned to look at them, his eyes sad and pleading where the rest of him was cold, completely under the Witch's control. Jade took out her wand and her eyes flickered in the direction of where Tessa and Roland had gone off to, praying that the two would stay away. The small boy definitely did not need to see this.
"You know this arrow never misses its mark", Robin remarked.
"If I could stand down, I would", Gold said, his voice sounding forced as he was saying things the Witch did not want him to say.
"Heed me", he then said, his voice now stronger and controlled by his Mistress. "Give me the heart."
"No", Robin responded. Gold closed his eyes in desperation, just as Roland and Tessa came back to the clearing. Tessa stopped and tried to pull the boy back, causing him to drop his load of firewood. Gold turned his head towards them, his right hand slowly rising.
"And who's this?"
"Roland!" Robin yelled, his eyes leaving the man. "Go back! Get him away from..."
Tessa's body went rigid and her arm released the boy, her face contorting in pain.
"Come here, little boy", Gold said.
"Don't!" Robin begged. "Please!"
Gold looked at him momentarily.
"I don't want to", he said, his voice once again sounding forced. "I really don't."
He then turned towards Roland and flicked his fingers.
"Come closer, little boy."
Roland's legs brought him forward, even though he was fighting to stay back as his father had ordered.
"Daddy!" he called.
"And stop!" Gold ordered, flicking his fingers again. Roland pulled to a sudden halt and the ground gave way beneath his little body, causing him to sink down to his thighs. Roots bound his feet in place.
"Daddy, help!" he called.
"I didn't want to do this either", Robin said and pulled the trigger of his crossbow. An arrow soared forward. It stopped midair, a foot or two before Gold's face. Robin lowered his weapon in shock while Gold held his hand in front of the floating arrow.
"It never misses its target", the Dark One said, then flicked his fingers, causing the arrow to turn and point in the direction of Roland and the petrified Tessa, "and I've just changed the target."
Jade's eyes flickered in the direction of her friend and the small boy. The target was most likely the boy, but she could not be sure. Tessa's constricted face showed that she was still fighting Gold's spell, trying to move forward.
"If I drop my finger..." Gold begun. As one everyone among the Merry Men, and Jade, raised their weapons to attack. The next moment they were petrified, unable to move anything but their eyes. Robin had not been affected.
"Don't!" the leader of the outlaws called. Gold's eyes flickered in his direction.
"I don't want to", he said, "but I will."
"Daddy!" Roland called again. It was enough to bring Robin to a decision.
"Wait!" he begged. Gold closed his eyes in what Jade hoped was relief; relief that he did not have to kill an innocent boy while being controlled by someone else. Robin placed his crossbow on the ground and moved towards an old, thick tree not too far to his left, constantly keeping his eye on the man in the torn suit. He then knelt down and dug among the ferns growing at the tree's roots. From this hideout he pulled out a black satchel. With this in hand he then slowly approached Gold and pulled out the satchel's contents; a heart, black but with red, glowing specks shining out from its centre. Jade could hear it thumping wildly from where she stood. Gold nodded at the sight, obvious relief now passing over his face, and Robin put the heart back in the satchel before handing him the object.
"Thank you", Gold whispered, "and I am sorry. Truly."
The next moment the charm keeping everyone in place broke while the arrow soared towards Roland. Everyone turned in shock, only to see the weapon stopping an inch in front of the boy's face before falling to the ground. Tessa was standing with her wand raised, breathing hard as she kept the arrow from hitting the boy. Robin rushed up to his son and freed him from his imprisonment, Jade following closely behind.
"It's okay", the outlaw said, holding his son to him as the boy wept in relief. "It's okay, boy, you're safe."
"It's still enchanted", Tessa said through gritted teeth. "If I release it, it will hit its intended target."
"Good thing I can put an end to that", Jade remarked and raised her wand while Robin moved away, holding his son tightly in his arms. "Reducto!"
The arrow exploded and was reduced to a fine pile of ash, dripping to the ground between them. Just then Regina appeared in a purple cloud, followed by Arianne, Clarissa and Rowan. The Mayor stared at the scene in front of her until Robin met her gaze. At this point he handed the boy to Tessa, who immediately took him with her back to the other Merry Men.
"What happened?" Regina asked as Robin approached her.
"I'm sorry", Robin answered, lowering his gaze. "It's gone."
Regina's face paled even more and she swallowed, hard, as she looked down onto the ground.
"Was anyone hurt?" she asked, her voice betraying how scared she was of the answer. Robin's eyes flickered in the direction of his son, who was by now playing with Tessa as if nothing had happened.
"Luckily, no", Jade answered for him. Regina nodded, letting out a relieved breath.
"Regina, I must apologize", Robin said, moving closer to her. "You trusted me and I let you down."
"No, you didn't", Regina assured him. "Nothing's worth the loss of a child."
She raised her gaze to meet his and even from where she stood Jade could see fear shining in the Mayor's eyes.
"But now, we have a problem", she said. "I'm alive."
Robin frowned in surprise and Jade felt herself doing the same. She also saw Arianne, Clarissa and Rowan pulling similar faces.
"I don't follow", Robin admitted.
"She has my heart", Regina explained. "Gold's taken it for her and since she hasn't crushed it and killed me, that means she needs it for something far worse."
"Worse than murder?" Clarissa asked. "What is she planning?"
"It doesn't matter", Regina responded, gritting her teeth, "because I'm going to stop her."
More chapters coming later today, alright?