Chapter 12
I sat in one of the booths at Granny's with Terrence, never taking my eye's off Regina. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to tell her that I was her daughter but that's not really the easiest thing in the world to do. Terrence took my hands from across the table making me look at him.
"Are you alright Ess?" Terrence asked, noticing how nervous I was.
"No, I need something to drink I'll be right back." I said sliding out of the booth. I walked to the counter as Robin walked up to Regina and I tried to listen in.
"Can I offer you a drink?" He asked holding three glasses. Tink took one quickly and I wondered what was going on with them.
"I hope I didn't offend you yesterday." Robin said apologetically.
"Robin this is Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell this is Robin." Tink set down her drink and shook Robin's hand.
"I've wanted to meet you for a long time." She said with a smile.
"No you didn't offend me, I just found a clue, that didn't lead anywhere." Tink and Regina both looked at each other. "I don't daytime drink." Regina said Robin nodded.
"Some evening then." He said before turning to head back to his marey men.
"Ruby, can I have a coffee?" I asked Ruby smiled.
"Of course." She said turning to grab a mug.
"What was all that about? Didn't you learn anything from the last time you screwed this up? If you had just been open when you first met him maybe your life wouldn't have turned out so..." Tink hesitated
"Turned out so what? How did my life turn out?" Regina asked
"Why am I even bothering?" Tink said before walking away. Ruby handed me my coffee and I stole a quick glance at Regina.
While I was standing at the counter the door swung open, I turned my head as Zelena walked in and I caught her eye she looked me over and smiled to herself.
"Did I miss the celebration? You finally have your beloved Neal back and everything is good. Are we sharing stories? I should have come prepared." She said with a slight tisk. "I am the reason or Rumple is the reason Neal's even still alive." Robin stepped towards her but she held up the dagger.
"Anyone comes any closer and they have to deal with the Dark One." She hissed I watched her from across the room as she passed by Terrence and moved closer to the Charmings.
"Don't come any closer." Charming said as he and Emma moved in front of Mary Margaret.
"Relax I'm not here for your baby, not today anyway." She said turning.
"Then why are you here?" Regina asked almost next to me. Zelena came closer smiling.
"Now that my covers blown I can now pay a visit to my little sister and my niece." She said looking at me.
"Who the hell are you talking about?" Regina asked, I avoided her gaze.
"Why you of course, Regina." She said I watched as Regina looked at her in shock and disbelief.
"What?" Emma asked shocked as well.
"I'm an only child and my daughter died." Regina said looking at me, this time I was in shock.
"Cora lied to you Regina, I'm your sister, half, if you want to get technical and this is your daughter." Zelena said looking at me in disgust.
"Why should I believe you?" Regina hissed.
"Oh you shouldn't, that's why I've brought you a gift."
"I don't want your gift."
"But you shall have it. On this very, very overwhelming day my gift to you is a chance to Dig into our past and find out the truth about us. Then meet me on Main street at say, sundown."
"And then what?" Regina asked.
"And then I'll destroy you." Zelena said inches from Regina.
"This isn't the wild west." Regina said harshly.
"No dear, it's the wicked west." Zelena said getting closer to Regina before turning on her heels and holding up the dagger. "And I want everyone to be there to see the evil queen lose." Zelena said happily.
"I don't lose" Regina said confidently.
"Neither do I" Zelena laughed taking a step towards Regina. "See you tonight sis" She said turning to walk out.
Regina looked at me and for a moment we locked eyes and I could see all the pain and longing, I wasn't sure who for. She pushed past me and hurried outside. Terrence walked over to me not saying anything.
"I don't want to talk right now. I need to find Regina" Snow walked over to us looking at me.
"You're really her daughter?" Snow asked.
"That's what I was told." I said hesitantly.
"She'll probably be at her house or at her vault. I'd try her house first." Snow said with a polite smile.
"Thank you"
"Regina might seem like she isn't one for being sentimental but she might surprise you." I nodded squeezing Terrence's hand before I walked out of the diner.
I got to the house and knocked on the front door after a moment I heard something satter and pushed open the door walking inside, it was lovely in there Regina came out of the living room a ball of fire in her hand.
"I wouldn't do that?" I said making a snow ball she looked at me then put it out. "Thanks" I said with a sigh of relief.
"There has to be some kind of mistake, you can't be my daughter." Regina said coming down the steps.
"Because she died? Are you sure?" I asked my heart pounding.
"I… My mother…" She stammered pausing for a moment, she looked at me and I looked back never breaking eye contact. "No I'm not"
"I'm 23 if that helps." I said swallowing hard.
"I don't know if you're my daughter or not but you look like Daniel." Regina said I looked away for a moment closing my eyes tightly. "I know I already asked you the other night but what's your name?"
"Elsa, but everyone calls me Essie." I said looking back at her.
"Truth, that's what Elsa means." She said, I nodded.
"Regina means queen, fitting for you" She only laughed softly.
"How am I supposed to trust you, how can I know that you're really my daughter?" Regina asked I sighed.
"My father was from Oz he was the leader there, he told me that when I was a baby I came in the middle of the night during a storm. Before I had to leave he told me that you were my mother. I don't really even know how he knew." I said furrowing my brow. "I'm sorry this must make me sound like a desperate soul."
"No, I believe you. After I gave birth I was out of it and my mother took the baby, you, and when she came back she told me you had died. I'm not surprised she lied."
"I'm sorry, I know this is a lot and you just found out Zelena's your sister. And she's sadly my aunt." I said cringing.
"It's not your fault." She said with a pause. The door opened again and I moved out of the way as Mary Margaret and David walked in. Mary Margaret looked at me then at Regina.
"She's really your daughter?" She asked looking at me again.
"Yes" Regina said I looked at her, it was strange to have her acknowledge it.
"Is there anything we can do Regina?" Mary Margaret asked Regina looked at them then at me.
"Could you and Elsa help me in my vault? I need to find out why my mother hid this all from me." Mary Margaret and I nodded.
"Anything I can do?" David asked.
"Make sure everyone is in the town square tonight I don't need anyone dying at this witches hand." She said I looked down thinking of all the people I had lost because of her.
"I worry she's not just here for me." I said looking at Regina.
"No she wants me not you." Regina said I looked at her. "We should go before we run out of time." She said quickly breaking eye contact with me.
Her vault was more like a dungeon and I thought back to when I had been held in the Enchanted Forest. My hands shackled in metal that stopped my magic. Looking back I wonder how someone could have known that I was magical. I cringed at the thought of the metal.
"What are we looking for?" I asked looking around at all of the stuff.
"I'm not sure yet. My mother was one for secrets but I don't know if she would have even left me an answer."
"Can't you ask her?" I asked regretting it instantly. Regina and Mary Margaret both looked at each other.
"She died, so no." Regina said turning back to the chest she was looking through.
"I'm sorry" I said opening a box.
We had been searching for a little while when I found it, it wasn't what I was looking for but it was something. It was a baby rattle with intricate designs and bells.
"Was this your?" I asked holding it up. Regina looked at me then smiled softly.
"No, it was supposed to be yours." She said looking at me.
"I like it" I said with a smile putting it back into the box.
"Regina is she telling the truth? Zelena I mean." Mary Margaret asked I turned looking at them.
"Well, I haven't found anything yet." Regina said.
"Are you sure Cora didn't booby trap her stuff I mean I don't think a sleep curse would be good for the baby." Mary Margaret said as Regina pulled something from the chest.
"David, Belle and Tink are locking down mainstreet in case this fight actually happens." Emma said walking into the vault.
"Regina did you find something?" Mary Margaret asked I watched Regina.
"Uh, a letter." She said reading it over.
"What does it say?" Emma asked.
"Zelena IS my sister" She said folding up the paper glancing at me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Nothing, just don't worry about it." Regina said putting the letter in her coat. "It's my fight, I got it handled." She said closing the chest, she turned and walked out not looking at me.
"What the hell was in that letter?" Emma asked looking at Snow and I.
We walked up the stairs and out of the vault, glancing at the grave I wondered who Henry Mills was.
"It was her father." Mary Margaret said when she saw I had stopped.
"What happened to him?" I asked.
"Do you want to know?" She asked I nodded. "In order for the curse she cast to work she had to crush the heart of the thing she loved most, for Regina it was Henry."
"That's her son's name isn't it?" I asked.
"Yeah, when she adopted Henry she named him after her father." Emma said I looked at her.
"What about Storybrooke Regina? Is she this cold and as Evil as the stories say?" I asked.
"No, and she wasn't always like this. Losing you and Daniele destroyed her, marrying my father didn't help." Mary Margaret said with a sigh. "Regina try's for Henry and all she want's is to be good, she just doesn't see how good she is."
"Zelena's dangerous, I need to stop her before she does to Storybrooke what she did to OZ."
"What did she do to OZ?" Emma asked.
"She destroyed it."