Poison & Wine
Chapter 42
Emma checked her phone as she stood with her parents on Main Street. Henry was safely at Nick's house across town, and her father told every parent in Storybrooke to keep their kids as far away from the fight as possible.
Zelena hadn't shown up yet, but neither had Regina and the sheriff was starting to get worried. She saw Neal get out of his father's car and waved him over. "Did you give it to her?" She questioned the man.
He nodded, but he looked a tad pale. "Yeah. She'll be here." Blonde eyebrows furrowed at him. "What?" He asked.
"You're acting… weird." She noted. "Jumpy."
Neal huffed. "A witch fight is about take place in the middle of town." He reminded her.
Emma laughed softly. "Point taken." They stood there, waiting. The sheriff had told Killian and Tink to tape off Main Street to most citizens. The ones currently in the square were the ones who ignored the better judgment of their officers.
Green moved through the crowd and touched the savior's arm. "No sign of Regina." She said. Her voice was slightly panicked. "If she doesn't show up the witch could take her anger out on all of us."
"She'll be here." Emma said with conviction.
David wasn't so sure. It wasn't that he didn't trust Regina. For all they knew the mayor could be tied up somewhere already by the wicked witch. "Let's hope so." He muttered. "To be on the safe side, we have to send everyone home." The deputy raised his arms and spoke loudly to the crowd. "All right, listen up! We need you to get back to your homes. This is for your own safety!"
"No one is going anywhere." Zelena said, the dark ones dagger in hand and a smirk on her face. She looked around the group of people and looked the savior dead in the eye when she said, "This show needs an audience."
Emma glared at the redheaded woman and clenched her jaw. "Fuck you." She spat.
An evil laugh escaped the witch. "You're a rather testy one aren't you?" She questioned with devious glee.
The sheriff snickered. "I'll show you testy."
Zelena chuckled her disbelief. "Don't anger me, savior. Ripping your heart out would be the highlight of my day, especially when my little sister seems so… fond of you."
Emma cocked an eyebrow. "I'd like to see you try and take my heart."
"Emma don't." Mary Margaret pleaded with her.
The redhead looked between the two women and huffed her amused disbelief. "I must say this little family dynamic you have is down right adorable. The irony of your daughter falling in love with your evil stepmother." She laughed. "It's humorous. Is it not?"
"You know what will be humorous?" Emma asked the witch. "When I'm staring at your pathetic jealous piece of shit face while you're behind bars."
"That confidence will fade quickly, savior." Zelena turned on her heel, looking around. "Where is she?" She asked. "Don't tell me she's a coward."
"She'll be here." The sheriff told her firmly.
"Well she's not here now. Is she?" She questioned the younger woman rhetorically. "If my sister isn't here in five minutes, I'm starting with you, savior."
The blonde shrugged. "Why not start with me now?" Emma asked. "You've lost your leverage, Zelena. I'm not afraid of you."
"Not yet." She smirked wickedly. "But you will be in four and half minutes."
David pulled his daughter aside and caught her gaze. ""Sweetheart, you need to call Regina. Now." He didn't like the look in the redhead's face.
Emma didn't take her eyes off the powerful witch. "She'll be here, dad." 'A queen must be fashionably late,' she repeated her girlfriend's previous words in her head.
Two lines. Two lines meant positive. Positive meant pregnant. Pregnant meant… Regina took a deep- was supposed to be calming- breath but it wasn't helpful. She started to unravel. Thinking that there was a one and a million chance she was carrying a life inside her was different than actually knowing it.
As she bore a hole into the plastic stick with her coffee eyes, she realized that she really didn't think that it was a possibility. She figured she was being paranoid. The test was supposed to ease her mind, yet there it was making her take deep deliberate breaths to prevent an oncoming panic attack.
How could she have thought taking this test would help her tonight with fighting her powerful half-sister? Her heart wasn't inside her chest, but that didn't matter. She was feeling and she was feeling hard.
"A baby." She whispered quietly into the silence. "I'm pregnant… with a baby." She thought of her girlfriend. "With Emma's baby."
Regina was just in a complete state of shock. She had become overwhelmed with the scatter of emotions she felt. There was confliction, anger, and a small bit of happiness she felt stupid for even acknowledging.
She scoffed at herself and ran a nervous hand through her dark hair. "I just-" The former queen was at a loss. "This was a bad idea." She spoke out loud to herself before she dug her cellphone out of her slacks. It was near sundown. She'd have to be on Main Street before then.
A hand unconsciously moved over her flat stomach in a protective manner. She couldn't find one word to describe what she felt about knowing there was something- someone forming inside of her, but if she had to it would be preposterous.
Ever since she took that potion all those years ago, she grieved over the fact that she'd never carry a child. She had grown to believe within her heart of hearts that she would never be a mother.
Then she adopted Henry, soothed his every cry, changed his every diaper, and suffered through every tantrum he put her through when he was younger. She became a mother. She may not have given birth to him, but she loved him with every part of her dark heart. He made it lighter and filled that void inside of her that was there since the casting of the curse.
Henry gave her the ability to love again, and she did. She loved him, she loved herself, she even loved her two ridiculously big wolf hybrid dogs, and probably the biggest showcase of her ability to love was the fact that she loved one Emma Swan. Her thoughts went back to the savior. That reckless, hardheaded blonde woman made her happy.
They were nearing their one-year mark. It would be a huge milestone for the couple, both women never having such a serious relationship. Moving in together had proved to be a tough battle of wills, but they adjusted and Regina could honestly say that she didn't want to go back to a time when the sheriff wasn't living the mansion.
Henry and them had formed a loving family unit that was beyond anything Regina ever thought she could have. And according to the two pink lines on the white stick in front of her, that unit was expanding.
If fighting Zelena could endanger or possibly end the life of her unborn child, would the mayor be able to come back from that? Now that she knew she was pregnant, losing the baby would tear her apart.
How would she tell Emma about the pregnancy? How would the blonde react? Of course they vaguely discussed having children in the future, but discussing it being a possibility and having a countdown clock were two different things. They weren't even married! They hadn't even discussed marriage in anything but an ambiguous manner.
On top of the horrible timing and the lack of matrimony between the couple, her girlfriend had never raised a baby before. Sure Emma was proving to be a quick learner with Henry, but babies were helpless and they needed constant attention. Regina didn't doubt her lover's ability in any means, however she was concerned about the learning curve.
The adjustment from parenting a twelve year old to caring for a newborn would be challenging for both of them, but especially for the younger woman because she'd never done it before.
Regina shook her head. All her concerns were far away. She had time before any of that happened was relevant. She needed to tell Emma before she started letting her worries get the best of her. Actually, what she really needed to do was get down to the town square and fight her sister or the future she was troubling about wouldn't exist.
The woman took a deep breath swept her brown hair out of her face. She looked at herself in the mirror and pulled herself together. She couldn't afford to be distracted or concerned about anything. She'd have to fight Zelena with everything she had and then hopefully she could get close enough to put the cuff on the witch and finish her evil plans once in for all.
"Times up." Zelena declared, glaring directly at the savior. She took a quick look around the crowd and asked her, "Who do I want to kill first?"
Emma stepped away from her parents and looked at the redheaded woman. "You're not killing anyone." She said with confidence.
The witch chuckled darkly. "And who's going to stop me?"
"Me. You want a fight? Fight me." The blonde offered up. Gold said that she could defeat Zelena- that light magic was her downfall.
"Sorry dear, I don't dance with amateurs." The older woman snarled at her, lip curled up in fury.
The sheriff chuckled a laugh. "No. You just choose fights you know you can win." She was stalling. Emma wasn't able to channel her magic at will unless Regina helped her. But she just needed the bluff to last long enough for the mayor to get there.
Zelena quickly lifted her hand and flung the blonde back with her magic. The power of the push nearly knocked the wind of the savior. "Anyone else want to give it a go?" She asked the crowd as David helped his daughter stand to her feet.
Emma was about to antagonize the redhead again, but she was cut off by the sound of her girlfriend.
"I do." Regina's voice was stern and unwavering, as was her stature as she walked to the wicked witch. She observed her half-sister and smirked. "Didn't anyone tell you? Black is my color."
Zelena reflected the brunette's arrogant smirk. "Oh, but it looks so much better on me."
"Hah." Emma scoffed from the audience. "Like you could ever be half as hot as her."
The witch curled her lip in irritation and pointed to the blonde as she spoke to her sister. "Of all the awful choices you've made in your life, Regina, picking this misbehaved little orphan as a partner has to be the worst. Although, I suppose the orphan part of her is your fault." She said maliciously.
Regina laughed without humor. "And who's responsible for your being an orphan?" She asked and then feigned a surprised gasp. "Oh that's right. Our mother."
"Oh." Zelena ignored the insult as something else in that sentence caught her attention. "Finally accepted me into the family?"
"I've accepted that we shared a mother, yes." The mayor corrected. "But I still have one question. What the hell did I ever do to you?"
The older witch glared at the brunette. "Isn't it obvious?" She asked with vex. "You were born."
Revulsion filled Regina as she watched the redhead step into her personal space. She swiftly lifted her hand and backhanded the woman hard across the face. Red lips smirked in a self-satisfied matter. "I've been waiting to do that all day." She glanced at the dagger the taller woman was wielding in her grasp. She let out a cruel hollow laugh. "Rumplestiltskin can't help you now."
Hatred shined in the blue eyes of the wicked witch. "He should have chosen me to begin with!" She hissed.
"The dark one?" The former Evil Queen questioned with a raise of an eyebrow. "That's what this is about?" She asked. By the look Zelena was shooting at her, Regina guessed that she was right. She purposely flashed spiteful grin. "You're jealous of me?"
Emma had one hand on her gun behind her back as she carefully watched the exchange between the two women. A thought dawned on her as she watched Regina pull a traffic light off the wire and down to her sister. The redhead quickly directed at the crowd and they swiftly moved out of the way. The savior could stop this. One bullet the witch's brain and they'd be free of her. Magic could heal a lot of things, but a shot in the head couldn't be undone.
"You still don't realize what you had." Zelena spat at the mayor. "You never did. You got everything I ever wanted and you didn't even deserve it!" She was enraged. "I'm going to take it all from you!" Regina was shoved back by magic, flying through the air until she landed stomach first on Tom Clarke's car.
Neal's eyes widened as he watched, his concern for Emma's possible baby growing. He looked at the worried expression on his ex-girlfriend's face. He could tell she was worried about her true love and she wasn't even aware of the impending pregnancy.
Regina grunted as she pulled herself off of the dinted vehicle and wiped herself off. She immediately thought of her unborn child and felt anger boil inside of her. She was fuming as she walked back towards the witch, forming a fireball in her hand. She went to throw it at Zelena's face when the fire ceased and a green glow overtook her hand.
She was caught off guard as she looked at the magic and the redhead took the opportunity to grip the brunette's neck.
"You can't beat me little sis." The wicked witch informed her. "You weren't Rumplestiltskins's only student." She sneered and lifted the younger sibling off the ground. "Everything he taught you, he taught me. And I was the better student." She moved the mayor through the air flung her through the clock tower.
"Regina!" Emma screamed before heading for that building as Zelena disappeared in a puff of green smoke.
Glass was shattered underneath Regina as she got her bearing together. She was on her stomach yet again, but she couldn't dwell as green smoke appeared in front of her and in a blink of an eye, the witch was standing in front of her with a superior smile on her face. "Well what are you waiting for?" The brunette asked, her throat slightly raspy from the woman's previous magic grip. "Kill me."
"I never said I wanted to kill you." Zelena revealed, proving the former queen's theory correct. She wanted her heart. "I said I wanted to destroy you." She bent down to get closer to her sister's face. "And to do that, I need your heart." Regina prepared herself for the intrusion and cringed in pain when the redhead's fist harshly drove into her chest, searching. After a few seconds of useless searching, Zelena pulled her empty hand out. "Where is it?" She demanded and gripped the pea coat the mayor was wearing.
Regina dug her hand into her coat pocket as she got flung closer to the blue-eyed witch. "Our mother taught me one thing." She began gently before her eyes and tone turned cold. "Never bring your heart to a witch fight. Something you'd know if she hadn't abandoned you." She growled, pulling the cuff out of her pocket and slamming it on the witch's wrist before shoving her away.
Zelena squawked and went to pull the leather cuff off. "What is this?" She asked when it wasn't coming off.
The elevator door binged and Emma, her parents, and Neal stepped through the opening doors. "Are you okay?" The sheriff asked, frantically running up the iron stairs towards her girlfriend.
Regina felt relieved at the sound of her lover's voice. "Did you ever doubt me?"
"You haven't won, Regina!" Zelena hissed and went to fling the savior back, but nothing happened. She looked down at her hands, panicked. "What did you do to me?"
The former queen smirked. "It's called winning, dear." She declared.
David grabbed the redhead as hid daughter bent down to observe the mayor and help her up. "You haven't won, Regina!" She wailed. "I will get your heart! I will get everything you've ever had!"
Regina stood up on her feet and clenched her teeth. "Not today." She assured her before leaning into the blonde's embrace.
Charming held the witch against the wall with a little help from Neal as he searched behind him for his handcuffs.
Zelena saw the gun holstered on the deputy's chest. She glared at her sister as she embraced with her lover. She had to destroy the mayor's happiness one way or another. With a quick bend of her knee, she got the royal jewels and grabbed Charming's gun with her free hand.
She took the weapon and aimed it at David as he was getting up, shooting him square in the chest before turning to her sister's true love and firing again. She raised the gun at her sister and was about to take her third shot when Neal tackled her to the ground.
Mary Margaret yelled and rushed to her husband's aid. "David!" She exclaimed, looking between him and her bleeding daughter.
It all happened so fast. Regina heard one gunshot and before she could even process what was happening Zelena pulled the trigger again. When the queen looked over at her girlfriend, blood was pouring out of her neck where the bullet went in. She heard David's low groans from where he lied on the floor.
"I'll take your happiness one way or another." Zelena chuckled wickedly to her sister as Neal was holding her down roughly. "Now you'll get to watch your precious savior die right before your eyes."
Regina didn't even acknowledge that evil woman. Neal was literally sitting on top of Zelena to keep her down. He didn't take his eyes off of the woman when he asked the room, "How bad is it?"
Snow was putting pressure on her husband chest. Her tears were falling freely. The man had already gone unconscious when she reached him. "David passed out. Emma's bleeding from her neck."
Tears started falling Regina when she made eye contact with Emma. "It's okay." She told her softly, putting her hand on the bleeding wound. The blood quickly covered her hand. It was pouring out at a rapid pace.
Emma nodded slightly, trying not to move her neck. Searing pain was rushing through her. She looked into brown eyes as she literally felt the blood gushing from her body.
"No. Be still, honey." The former queen instructed when her lover tried to open her mouth to speak. The bullet wound was on the left side of her neck. Regina was just hoping it didn't hit an artery.
"I love you." Emma gritted out in a barely there whisper, tears starting to fall at the pain throughout her body.
Regina was crying as green eyes looked at her in agony. "I love you too." She reminded her.
"I need handcuffs." Neal said, looking at Regina.
Emma went to move for them, but her girlfriend shook her head. "No. Don't move. Be still, baby." The brunette said and conjured up a pair of handcuffs within the man's reach.
Neal bent Zelena's hands behind her back and clasped the metal cuffs tightly. "Arresting me won't bring your true love back to you, little sister." She mocked.
Mary Margaret's hands were soaked in the thick blood of her true love. She choked back a sob. "We need to get them to the hospital." She observed, not giving Regina time to goat her sister.
"I can get them there the fastest." The mayor declared. "Give me David's hand."
Snow was quick to do so, stretching the man's arm until he connected with the mayor's. "I'll meet you there."
"Bring her with you." Regina demanded in a growl before her and the two gunshot victims disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.
The schoolteacher wiped her hands on her coat as Neal stood up with the witch. "If my daughter or husband dies, I'll let her kill you." She promised the woman.
Neal and Killian both had a hold on Zelena as they walked through the emergency room. Mary Margaret was right behind them with Belle.
Snow was wrecked. She was crying hysterically and no matter how comforting the auburn brunette was the schoolteacher couldn't calm herself down. She knew it wasn't good for the baby to stress, and that ironically made her freak out more.
"Why's Regina want her here?" Killian asked his former shipmate.
Zelena smirked. "Maybe she wants to get me a check-up."
Neal gripped her arm tighter. "Shut-up. I hope she kills you." He muttered truthfully.
The group reached the waiting room and saw a blood covered Regina pacing the room. Anguished brown eyes looked up and when she saw the witch, she shot daggers at her. She didn't speak a word, just glared.
Mary Margaret looked at her former enemy. "Are they okay?"
"What's wrong, sis?" Zelena asked casually when she didn't respond to Snow White. "Trouble in paradise?"
"How's are they, love?" Killian asked the mayor.
"Are they dead?" The redhead questioned with glee in her eyes. "Did the savior bleed out right before your eyes?"
Regina's emotions went from hatred to stone cold. She ignored everyone and took a step closer to her sister. Gone was Regina Mills. No, the woman staring at Zelena was the Evil Queen. "They're both in emergency surgery." She revealed to the room. Her tone was collected and even.
"Oh God." Mary Margaret took a seat and sobbed quietly. She couldn't lose her family.
Zelena tsked. "It's a tragedy." She spoke with fake concern.
"Let her go." The mayor demanded.
Neal and Killian looked at each other before they shoved the redhead forward towards Regina. "She's all yours." The former lost boy said.
The Evil Queen had enough of Zelena. She struck her hand quickly into the witch's chest and pulled out the dark beating heart. "I'm tired of hearing you speak." She seethed, clutching the heart tighter in her fist. "I'm tired of seeing you breathe."
"Regina, don't do this." Belle warned her.
Despite being at an extreme disadvantage, Zelena knew the honorable people in the town wouldn't allow Regina to go around crushing hearts. "Listen to the maid, Regina. You wouldn't want them to think you out of line."
Regina put her other hand over the heart and split it in two pieces. The redhead gasped in pain at the action. "I feel bad for you, Zelena. Your whole life… no one ever loved you. Not our mother, not your peasant father, not even yourself." She said coldly. "And when I kill you in a minute, you'll have lived your whole life without having been loved."
Zelena glared at her. "And you'll have to live the rest of your life without your true love."
The brunette shrugged casually. "Perhaps." She said as calm as possible. She wouldn't allow the wicked woman to see her vulnerable. "But you see, even if your cowardly gunshot does kill her, at least I have a piece of her in our son. And carrying another a part of her right now." She confessed.
Everyone in the room short- aside from Neal- froze in surprise. "What?" Hook asked, eyebrows furrowed.
Snow's mind was reeling. "You're pregnant?"
"No…" Zelena shook her head, angry. "I saw your life Regina! You can't bare children."
"True love, sis." Regina summed up. "It's the most powerful magic of all." She squeezed the parted heart in two fists and smirked at her. "I just wanted you to hear that before I killed you."
"Regina, no." Belle spoke up again. "Don't kill her. You're better then that."
The former queen shook her head. "I'm not." She disagreed.
"Emma wouldn't want you to do this." The librarian informed her.
"Emma would do this if the situation was reversed." Regina told the room.
Belle was losing hope she could stop the killing. "This isn't who you are anymore, Regina."
"It's not." The mayor agreed, not breaking gaze from her stunned half-sister. "But today it is." She said darkly before crushing the woman's heart to dust in her fists and watched the limp body collapse to the floor.
Everyone in the room looked at the dead body. "Ding dong." Killian said. "The wicked witch is dead."
And so ends the Wicked Witch era! It was fun to write but I'm super excited to get back to domestic Swan Queen... you know... if Emma lives. I decided not to kill off Neal in this story. I went back & forth for a while, but I eventually decided to keep him alive. He won't be a wrench between our ladies anymore, so no need to worry.
Next chapter will have one or two Charming's recovering from their injuries, some divide on how Regina handled her sister & some fluff... if you know... Emma lives. ;)
I will be going on vacation Saturday through Wednesday this week. I plan to post one or two chapters over that time period, but I can't make any promises. Once I'm back home though, updates will be the same as they always have been. I'll be posting again on Friday before I leave for vacation, just for you guys! Until next time dears!