Chapter 26

Regina opened one eye and then the other, looking around slowly. The cloud passed thru them and vanished once it hit the far side of the harbor. She relaxed as she saw nothing out of place. "Ah… did something happen?"

Lorelei shrugged, "I don't think so."

Regina was about to go find Gold when she felt… something familiar. She held her hand up and watched sparks jump from one finger to the other. "Oh… I see now."

Lorelei watched as Regina made a small fireball and then let it go. She smiled and raised her own hand to do the same, but instead of a silver ball, she got one hell of a shock around her neck. She yelped and started trying to tear the necklace off. "Son of a bitch! This thing bit me!"

Regina got her to quit pulling at the chain and carefully examined it again. She had looked it over a hundred times, but now she could look at it with her magic. She sighed as she let go of it, "well, there's our answer to that chain. It blocks your magic."

Lorelei growled loudly, "so Roundaboutdiddleshit kidnapped me and locked this thing on me to block me when he brought magic back!"

Emma giggled but resumed her serious face quickly when Regina glared at her, "okay, so magic. Does everyone have it?"

Regina shook her head, "no, of course not. There's me, the fairies, Rumple. That's about it… well, Lorelei does too, but it seems she's been caged."

"I need the sword!" Lorelei said suddenly.

Regina frowned, "Red's sword? Do you think it's even here?"

"Of course it is… dearie."

Everyone jumped as Gold appeared in his cloud of smoke. "Damn it Gold! Why did you bring magic here? What is wrong with you? Why can't you just live your life and die a lonely old imp?" Regina yelled at him.

He only smiled, "I need it for reasons that are none of your business. Back on topic, majesty. I have Red's sword." He used his magic to knock Lorelei back a few feet when she charged him. "It's nice to have the upper hand with you. Anyway, as I was saying…"

Rolling her eyes, Regina interrupted him, "yes, yes. You have the sword, we want the sword to free her, you're willing to make a deal. It's the same tired speech as usual. Get to the part where you ask for something ridiculous and eventually we are forced to do it."

Sighing dramatically, Gold waited before continuing, "I want your pets blood. Not much, just a few drops. I tried to collect it myself while I had her knocked out, but I didn't find anything that could still hurt her. I thought the very sword in question would do it, but not without magic. Funny story, now that magic is back, it won't work because the siren has no magic, so neither does the sword. But, if I hadn't blocked her magic in the first place, she'd tear me up." He held his hands out, palms up, "you see my dilemma?"

Snow and David had rushed off while he talked to warn the town. Regina sighed, "Lorelei? What do you say?"

The siren had picked herself up and was glaring at the dark one. "So, I give you my blood, you give me the sword, I take off this chain and then I melt your ass to the cement?"

Gold laughed lightly, "almost. You give me blood, I throw a note back over the town line telling you where the sword is."

Regina frowned, "you want to leave town? There's no magic out there. What the hell is the point in bringing magic in if you're leaving?"

"None of your damn business." Gold sneered at her.

"If you ever come back, I'm gonna fry you." Lorelei said in a casual tone.

"Fair enough, but consider letting me speak before you do. You never know what answers I have to questions you've never asked." He vanished in his smoke, leaving the three women alone to think.

Emma shifted her feet nervously, "so… now what?"

Lorelei smiled at her brightly, "why, my dear Emma, you get to live one of your dreams!"

Emma looked very skeptical, "oh yeah? Which one?"

"You get to shoot me!"

Regina interrupted as Emma started to pull her gun out, "no! Hell no! Are you that stupid?"

Lorelei rolled her eyes, "Regina, it's fine. She'll just give me a wee bullet scratch. I've never been shot before."

Emma shrugged and started to take aim, but Regina magicked the gun away from her, "hey! You can't do that!"

Regina smiled as she held the gun flat in her hand, "yes I can, I have magic now, I can do whatever I please. You are not shooting my girlfriend."

Lorelei groaned in frustration, "Regina, come on. Would it make you feel better if you did it? I'll be bullet proof after this, it's win win."

Regina stared at her like she had three heads, "you're completely mental. No one is shooting you."

They argued for a few more minutes but eventually, Regina gave Emma the gun back and she took aim at the sirens leg, "hold still…"

Lorelei squealed and jumped away, "not the leg you ass! I enjoy walking!"

Lowering the gun Emma asked, "fine, you pick a place."

Lorelei seemed to think for a bit, looking herself over thoroughly, finally, she chose her upper arm. She pointed to it and flexed a bit, breathing heavily, "okay… do it!"

Emma pointed her gun carefully and after a few seconds, let out a big breath and lowered her gun, "I can't."

Lorelei let her own held breath out, "damn it Emma!"

Regina was laughing at them, "you guys are ridiculous."

Emma put her gun away and ran a hand thru her hair, "there has to be something else. What about nails? You ever been scratched so hard you bled?"

Lorelei smirked at then grinned wickedly at Regina, "that ship has sailed, long ago."

Regina blushed deeply and cleared her throat, "yes it has. Also, before you ask, there has already been incidents with leather straps and handcuffs that accidentally drew blood… and biting is out also."

Emma blushed this time, "okay. Way too much info… thanks."

Lorelei smiled happily as she pulled Regina in close to kiss her blushing face, "happiest accidents I ever had."

Emma giggled and shook her head, "I think you guys need to tone that shit down though."

Regina pulled away and gave Emma a mischievous look, "jealous?"

Emma had a comeback ready when her phone rang. She answered it and immediately took on a serious look, "oh ok… slow down! She fucking what?! Can she do that?! Oh my god, okay! I'll be right there… yeah I'll bring them."

Regina waited until she hung up then asked, "what was all that?"

Emma threw her hands up, gesturing for them to hurry and follow her as she headed to the diner, "apparently Ruby is a fucking werewolf?! Like, I had heard, but I didn't really think about it!"

Lorelei swore, "shit! Magic is back, and I'm betting Red can't control her shift. She hasn't had to for 28 years!"

Regina picked up their pace, "I bet she can't either. Let's hope Granny has an answer to this one."

They rushed into the diner to find a disaster, Emma looked around and Granny rushed Regina and Lorelei, "she can't control herself! She tore thru here like a rabid animal and then out the window she went. You have to help her until I can find her mothers cloak."

Regina frowned at the woman, "what exactly would you like us to do? I was never good at training dogs."

Lorelei shrugged, "the first time she shifted, when we were kids, she couldn't control it either."

Emma nodded, "hey, you helped her then, you can help her now?!"

Lorelei shook her head, watching Regina's emotions play out, "it wasn't me that helped her."

Regina glanced up at Lorelei and held her hands up, "no, I can't. She was my best friend when I helped her then. Now… well I haven't seen her since we found you. I took you from her and I highly doubt her wolf side is going to be very appreciative of it."

Granny had enough, she pushed all three women out the door and pointed up the street, "she went that way, follow the howls and screams. Help her, keep her still, don't let her hurt anyone, she'd never forgive herself. I think I know where the damn cloak is, go!"

The three darted off up the street in search of a crazed massive wolf. They eventually followed the mess to the door of the bar. Glancing at each other, they quietly crept thru the door that had been clawed open.

Once inside, they snuck around the bar and chanced a peek over it. They had enough time to see Belle sitting with a wolfs head in her lap before the wolf leapt up and they were forced to separate and back away. Without hesitation, the wolf squared with Lorelei.

The siren was jerking on the chain around her neck furiously, she knew she didn't stand a chance against Red's wolf with it on. When it didn't work and the wolf was getting closer, she held her hands out and smiled weakly, "hey… Red. How about you don't tear me up today, huh?"

The wolf snarled and snapped at her outstretched hands. Belle had come out from behind the counter and approached slowly, "Red? I know you're in there. You don't want to hurt anyone, I know you don't. You sat so nice with me until they came along. How about we let them leave and sit quietly some more?"

The wolf growled deeply and lunged at Lorelei. The pair hit the ground as Regina yelled and Emma held her back. After a few seconds, the wolf had the siren pinned to the ground. Drool from the massive jaws oozed down onto Lorelei's face and she squirmed, trying to get away from it.

As the wolf opened it's jaws to kill her, Granny came out of nowhere to cover the pair in a bright red cloak. The shapes under the cloak shifted and shrunk and finally lay still. Emma released Regina and she rushed over and pulled back the hood of the cloak to reveal Red staring down at Lorelei who was wide eyed staring back at the woman currently straddling her hips.

Regina cleared her throat, trying not to be angry at the positioning. "Red, how you feeling?"

Red shook herself back to reality and very quickly picked herself off the other woman, wrapping the cloak tightly around herself. She couldn't stop the tears as she tried to get away from everyone, "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to…"

She tried to bolt out the door but Belle grabbed her and wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly, "don't you dare run off."

Lorelei let Regina help her stand up again as they watched the other two women holding each other and crying. "You could use the apartment upstairs, to clean up, I mean." Lorelei suggested.

She handed them the keys as they passed. Regina looked at Lorelei and frowned at her, she was digging at her hand. "What's wrong?"

Digging deeper, her finger came back bloody. She shouted triumphantly, "Ha! Never have I ever been stuck with a stick!" She quickly got a rag from the bar and soaked up the tiny bits of blood. She then stuck her wounded finger in her mouth.

Emma slapped her roughly on the arm, "a fucking splinter? You didn't think of a splinter? You suggested I shoot you, but all you needed was a fucking splinter?!"

Granny huffed in annoyance and left the bar muttering as she went, "thanks Granny! You really saved the day! No no, Lorelei getting a splinter is far more impressive than you saving the town from your werewolf grand daughter…"

Regina winced as the door slammed then removed Lorelei's finger from her mouth and looked at it. "Well, it is a lot less messy than a gunshot wound. Let's get this rag to Gold so he'll skip town, shall we?"

…

When they entered the pawn shop, Gold hastily shoved something under the counter. Regina smirked as she knew exactly what it was. He cleared his throat and smiled, "did you get it?"

Lorelei handed him the rag with the blood and he smelled it, "lovely. Now, meet me at the town line in an hour and you'll have your sword."

Emma and Lorelei walked out but Regina asked for just a minute alone with him. She cocked a brow at him, "see anything you like in that magic mirror?"

He at least had the grace to blush slightly before shrugging, "I had my chance with Belle, and I blew it. I was just making sure the wolf pup wasn't hurting her."

Regina laughed and winked at him, "I'm quite sure. For the record, Belle was out of danger the entire time. Red's wolf seems attracted to her. Out of curiosity, how well do I need to clean that apartment before staying there again…?"

With a wicked smirk, he pulled the mirror out enough to see it himself and licked his lips, then gave a small shake of his head before putting it back, "I would recommend all the linens and… a good scrub in the shower as well if I'm any good at guessing the future…"

Regina blushed and made her way out of the shop, "don't be late, you have an hour."

Gold stared at the mirror and called back, "I only need ten minutes to be ready to leave, the rest of the hour is for reminiscing…"

Regina rejoined the women outside and was still smiling, "Lorelei, remind me to clean the bar apartment later this week… and also, remind me to enchant every mirror in our house and the bar…"

Lorelei raised her brows in question but Regina waved them off, heading towards the diner for coffee before meeting Rumple at the town line.

…

Gold was true to his word, he left the town wrapped in some raggedly fabric and once thru it, he got out of his car and wrapped a piece of paper around a rock, throwing it back over. He then simply drove away.

Regina caught the rock and read the paper, then she rolled her eyes and used her magic to take them to the elementary school. There, in the trophy case, was a plane if well made looking sword. It had black runes scribbled on it and a black leather wrapped handle.

Emma opened the cabinet and removed it, looking it over a few times before handing it to Lorelei. The siren stared at it, squinting and grunting. "it's broke."

Regina sighed and took it from her, holding it up to examine. "I don't imagine it'll do any good without it's magic."

Emma frowned, "if it's magic is her magic, and she has no magic, how do you give it magic?"

"Easy, we give it back to the original owner." Regina shrugged and headed out of the school.

Lorelei caught up to her, "woah, hey. Ah, you know, me and Red, we're not on the best terms at the moment…"

Emma caught up finally, "you're giving that to Red? But, isn't that the sword that can hurt Lorelei? The one Red tried to kill her with?"

Regina nodded, still headed for the bar. "Yes, which is exactly why we have to give it to her. It's her sword, with magic back, it'll activate for her. That's why Lorelei made it for her, after all, to protect herself with. If we hand it to her, it will activate, and then she can either cut the chain off, or cut Lorelei's head off."

Emma threw her hands up, "oh! Well shit, why didn't you just say so?! Good thing Red hasn't had some seriously unstable emotions lately! Surely she'll choose to snip that chain and give Lorelei all her powers back to protect Regina with."

Lorelei swallowed hard and stopped Regina, "hey, babe… maybe I can just live with no magic? I mean, I've been fine for 28 years…"

Smiling at her siren, Regina looked around before speaking, "what if trouble shows up? I have made a lot of enemies, you know. Now that magic is here in Storybrooke, anyone can come here like they would the other realms. Do you want to take that chance? I think Red has moved on enough for her to do this, I think she is over you."

Lorelei huffed a laugh and puffed up a bit, "Regina, one does not simply get over me. You can't really think she no longer wants me?"

Regina poked her in the chest and deflated her, "she's over you, darling. She's moved on to shorter, smarter women nowadays."

Eyebrows high, Lorelei resumed her walking, "Belle? Really? Oh, how good for Belle! She has been crushing on Ruby as hard as Mary Margaret crushed on you Gina."

Regina let out a sort of squeak as Lorelei dashed off towards the bar, Emma laughing beside her as they ran.

…