A/N Hey, so here I am with another chapter, I was just having a really bad day yesterday and I let that review get to me more than I probably should have. But the good news is that thanks to all of you guys I probably now have more confidence than before XD
I will definitely not stop writing, so don't worry I will finish this story if it is the last thing I do haha
Anyway hope you guys enjoy :)
Chapter thirty-three
Emma, Regina and Snow collectively let out a sigh of relief as the random ship they had 'commandeered' from the local harbour, touched down upon the waters of Storybrooke.
The group began to disembark, followed by the entirety of the camp that had ultimately decided that a home infested with ogres was not a very good home, but the three royals were met with a pacing Charming with Ruby standing close by.
He looked up and for a moment broke into a huge smile as he saw his wife and daughter, running forward he pulled them both into a fierce hug.
"I missed you so much," he said into his wife's hair. And then he pulled back and ran a finger across Emma's cheek, and he said shakily, "Cora said that you were dead."
Emma smiled slightly as she leaned into her father's hand, "it takes a lot more than a dagger to stop me."
David let out a small laugh and pulled her in for another hug, Emma smiled brightly, before she furrowed her brow, "where is Henry?"
David pulled back with a pained expression on his face, and shook his head, words seemed to fail him.
Regina stepped forward angrily and addressed the prince. "where is my son?"
David didn't seem to take the anger very well as his face began to turn red, "he is not-"
"David!" Emma and Snow shouted at the same time.
Regina simply pushed past what he had begun to say; after all she had already been through this once, "where is Henry?"
"I don't know," he finally admitted.
Regina clenched her fists and said, "and why haven't you been looking for him?"
Emma looked around, for the first time noticing that they had an audience.
"Maybe we should do this somewhere more private," she whispered.
The rest of the group seemed to have the same realisation, and Charming replied, "you know we don't have any extra room for these people."
Regina put her head in her hands, unable to believe that she had put her town in the hands of this idiot once again, and at the same time her mind was working over time thinking about Henry. She was pretty sure that she knew who had him and was determined to get him back as soon as possible.
"Miss Lucas, can you take these people to Town Hall, there are in fact spare residences that they can be assigned to by my assistant."
Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but much her husband's shock Snow held up her hand and said, "please just do it Rubes."
The werewolf just nodded and led the way. Once the refugees were down the jetty, Regina turned back to the prince, "where is my son?"
"I told you, I don't know," he defended.
Emma held up both hands to placate the pair and said, "just tell us what happened."
David looked at his daughter with a small smile, and explained, "Cora kidnapped him, I have been looking for him non-stop, but to be honest I don't really know my way around," he finished with narrowed eyes towards Regina.
Regina rolled her eyes, and ground her teeth. "let me guess, the wolf couldn't sniff him out."
"What did you expect me to do?!" David shouted.
"Protect your grandson," she returned.
"I tried, but not a lot can stop your sadistic mother!" David retorted,
Emma sighed and put her head in her hands and snapped. "shut up!" she shouted.
Silence fell over the group and they all turned towards the female blonde.
"Arguing is not going to help us find our son," she said to Regina, and then turning on her father she said, "stop trying to justify losing him and help us find him."
They each nodded regrettably once they had realised that Emma's words made sense, and Snow piped up, "what would Cora want with Henry?"
"All she has ever wanted was to make me more powerful," Regina pondered, and then her eyes widened, "and she believes that love is weakness."
Emma paled, "she wouldn't."
"She stabbed you," Regina reminded her.
"But he's just a kid."
"Daniel was only seventeen," Regina sighed, small tears pricking at the corner of her eyes at the thought of what her mother could do to Henry.
Emma swallowed hard, she had expected Cora to be causing some kind of crisis, but this didn't even cross her mind.
"Do you have a plan?" she asked.
"Locator spell?" Regina suggested.
Snow nodded vigorously, and Charming looked at her incredulously, "it's effective," she whispered.
"It's magic," he whispered back.
"That's not always a bad thing."
David just shook his head seeming to have lost his ability to talk through his shock.
"Is Gold back yet?" Regina sighed.
"Not yet," David replied.
Regina just blew out a breath and pulled out her phone, the recipient answered after a few calls, "Regina?" the sheriff asked.
"I need you to get me a locator spell from the pawn shop."
Graham just raised his eyebrow, "why?"
"To find Henry...please Graham."
"Okay I'm on it," he said after a moment.
Regina began to walk away, and Emma called, "where are you going?"
"To get something of Henry's, are you and the idiots coming?"
Despite the situation, Emma let out a small laugh and followed her girlfriend, closely followed by her exasperated parents.
"Whatever you're planning, you won't win," Henry said defiantly.
"Do you ever stop talking?" Cora sighed; as she snapped shut another book.
"My mom and Emma will find me."
"Emma is dead," she said dismissively.
Henry swallowed hard and shook his head, he refused to believe it, there was no way that the blonde woman he had treated so badly could be gone; especially not since he never got to reconcile with her.
"No, you're lying," he cried.
"I can assure you, it would take a miracle to save her."
"Like true love?" he smiled triumphantly.
Cora's jaw tightened, she refused to believe that Regina's true love could be that woman, she would not allow her daughter to settle for anything less than ultimate power, even if she believed that she found her 'happy ending'.
"True love is a child's idea of magic."
Henry was about to retort, but he was interrupted by another voice, "then it's very effective."
Cora looked up angrily to see Emma smiling cockily at her with Regina standing next to her, "hello Cora," Emma smirked.
Cora clenched her fists and said, "how?"
"You really should learn to listen to Henry, he's always right," Emma replied which earned her a small chuckle from the tied up boy.
After a moment, Cora seemed to recompose herself, and sighed, "regardless, you won't be able to stop my plan."
"Which is?" Regina asked.
Cora smirked at her daughter, and Henry's eyes widened as he heard a hint of fear in her voice, he was always so sure that there was nothing that his mother was afraid of.
"It's simple, I don't hurt my dear grandson and you drink this," she replied as she held up a phial of green liquid.
"And why should I trust you?" Regina laughed bitterly.
"Because I have drawn up a contract all you have to do is sign it and I won't be able to hurt a soul in this horrid town."
"You stabbed Emma," Regina replied indignantly.
"It was a simple over reaction. My dear girl, I haven't seen you in decades and then I found out that you have made all the wrong life choices. I'm simply trying to get my daughter back on track," she said evenly.
"By kidnapping her son!" Emma laughed with narrowed eyes.
Regina looked at Henry, she saw no way of getting him safely out, and she knew that even if she did, her mother could be very relentless when she wanted to.
Grabbing the piece of paper that Cora was holding out she began to read it.
"You cannot seriously be considering this," Emma whispered.
"We have no choice," she replied as she got to the last line, and sighed, "you have to let Emma and Henry leave unharmed from this vault."
Cora just nodded and handed her daughter a pen, but Emma grabbed her arm.
"There has to be another way."
Regina just smiled at the optimistic saviour, and leaned up to place a soft kiss on her lips, in a barely audible whisper she said, "whatever happens, I'm sure you'll save me like you always do."
Emma sighed as Regina moved away from her, and downed the offered potion, Cora's grimace at the scene morphed into a maniacal grin.
Waving her hands the ropes on Henry's wrists and legs disappeared and he jumped out of the chair towards Regina, "Mom!" he smiled.
Regina furrowed her brow, clear confusion upon her face as the potion coursed through her body.
Henry stopped short of hugging her, and said again fearfully, "mom?"
Regina shook her head, and blinked a few times before she seemed to regain control of her senses.
"Miss Swan, I believe your son wants you."
Emma and Henry shared a look of shock, and Emma rounded on Cora, "what was that?"
"I simply took the memories that were interfering with her happy ending," she whispered mockingly, before she waved her hand and poofed the pair of them to safety as she had promised.
A/N Reviews would be much appreciated :)