Ch 11: The greatest gift

"I'm going after him." Regina said to Snow and Emma, once they met at Granny's for breakfast. They all tried to be there for each other, because they were all worried, but Snow and Emma also wanted to keep an eye on Regina as they promised to Robin.

"We've discussed this." Snow said firmly.

"I don't care. I've waited long enough."

"Regina." Emma grabbed her friend's hand. "We're all worried, but..."

"Please." Regina spoke through clenched teeth. "I appreciate everything you both have done for me, but don't tell me we're in the same situation. All of them went there because of me. To save me. And for weeks we haven't had any contact. If something happens to them, it will be my fault."

"Okay, first of all, they didn't go just to save you. They went to save all of us." Snow was speaking fast so Regina doesn't interrupt her. "Second of all, nothing happened and nothing will happen. You know what me and David have been through. You've seen it. Mostly... you've caused it." Regina rolled her eyes. "When you poisoned me with an apple, David felt something was wrong. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Regina asked, even though it was an obvious question.

"True love. We always found each other, because we knew there was still something to be found. Right now I'm certain David is alive and that's all I need. And don't you tell me you don't feel the same when it comes to Robin, because I know you do."

Regina said nothing, she just kept looking at them with a frown. Then she looked down and sighed.

"There's something else..."

She was cut off by a loud rumble coming from the outside.

"What the...?!"

Everything started shaking, the customers grabbed their tables to hold onto something. Suddenly the earth crashed and so did a part of the floor.

"Everybody out!" Granny screamed and everyone finally realised it's best to evacuate. All four women and the rest of the customers ran from the falling ceiling. Just ouside the diner there was a huge gap in the road and part of it was completly destroyed. One thing looked familiar though.

"Look." Regina pointed at the blue flame coming from under the ground.

"The Underworld?" Snow asked and Regina nodded.

"Looks like mommy dearest isn't tired of it yet."

"I'm not sure it's your mother, Regina."

"Well, whoever it is, they're not getting through."

Regina started walking towards the gap, taking off her glove.

"What are you doing?!"

"I've closed it before, I can do it again."

She didn't wait for permission. Just as she did before, with a wave of her hand she closed the gate between The Underworld and Storybrooke. None of this made sense, though. Why was this happening? Why again? Why now? As soon as she asked herself the last question, her eyes opened widely. She turned back to Emma and Snow just in time to see Grumpy running up to them.

"What was that?!"

"We don't know, Grumpy, but it's all under control." Snow tried to calm him.

"Under control?! Tell that to Sneezy!"

"Sneezy?" Regina was confused on what the hell he has to do with any of this.

"His entire shop is destroyed! And have you even seen the school?"

"Wait... do you mean this happened somewhere else?"

"School? Is Henry okay?" Emma asked and immediately looked at Regina.

"Go." Regina nodded. They didn't need words to communicate when it was about their son.

Emma teleportated herself out and Regina looked at Snow.

"I need to talk to my sister."

"What? Why?"

"Something tells me she's behind it."

"But she's locked up. She has no magic."

"I'll explain everything, but I need to talk to her. Now."

As they were driving to the Town Hall, the earthquake intensified. The gaps were appearing all over the town and it looked like an apocalypse. The buildings were literally collapsing into the ground.

"There's no way to contain it if it's happening everywhere." Regina had tears in her eyes. Her town was dying.

"Whatever it is, it's not your fault." Snow tried to comfort her as they drove past another destroyed building. Regina wasn't so sure about that.

They arrived at the Town Hall and, to their much surprise, it was untouched. Snow stopped Regina before she went in.

"No magic here, remember?"

"Maybe this is why it's not affected by this earthquake."

"What I was trying to say... remember you can't defend yourself in there. So don't come too close to Zelena."

"Can you stop mothering me?"

"Actually, no. I promised to your husband I would take care of you. So stop being so damn stubborn and just listen to me."

They went in. The former queen instantly felt like all the magic leaves her body. The sounds of apocalypse outside also stopped.

"That's interesting." Snow said, looking around. She missed the moment Regina left her side. "Hey, wait!"

Regina was furious. She walked into the room where they kept Zelena. She was smiling. Even though she rushed ahead, she decided to listen to Snow and stopped in a safe distance from her sister.

"Regina!" Zelena stood up. "What a nice surprise!"

Snow caught up with Regina and stopped by her side.

"What the hell is this?" Regina asked, looking ahead.

"What makes you think I had something to do with it, sis?" Zelena spread out her hands, as much as she could in the chains she was locked with.

"You know why."

Zelena smiled even wider.

"Regina, what is this about?" Snow asked.

Regina ignored her and kept talking to her sister.

"What is your connection to the Underworld? First our mother, now this. Someone's working for you."

Zelena narrowed her eyes.

"For someone with a mommy brain, you are quite perceptive."

"You have nowhere to go." Regina was speaking slowly. "You have no way of escaping. But I know that you somehow you orchestrated the annihilation of my town. How someone who no one cares about could do such a thing?"

"Someone cares!" Zelena screamed and the wicked in her came up to the surface, which is something Regina aimed for.

"Let me quess. Certain someone who lives in the Underworld."

"He doesn't just live there, sis." The witch said with pride. "He rules it!"

"Hades?" Snow only knew this name thanks to her cursed memories, but from the expression on Zelena's face, she knew she was right. "I don't get it." Snow moved her eyes from Zelena to Regina, and then back to Zelena. "So he's not trying to break through to save you. He just wants to destroy our town?"

"He doesn't. I want to destroy it!" Zelena screamed again.

"And he... just does what you want." Regina opened her eyes widely when she realised what this was about. "Oh my god! He's in love with you?!" The former queen couldn't even hide the disgust.

"Well, let's say... I have a natural charm."

"I don't even want to know." Regina stopped her with a scrunched face.

"I think you do." Zelena smiled vilely. "My dear, you should ask yourself one question. How is he doing it?"

Regina's face softened with realization. She took a step back and touched her belly.

"No..."

"Yes, sis. It's finally getting to you, isn't it?"

"No, no, no..."

"That's right. Do you really think I wouldn't have a plan? I knew it could take a while, but I'm patient. Before I left the Underworld, I did some magic and told Hades to just wait for a signal. He's now connected to a powerful source of magic and you cannot comprehend what he might do to all of you. And once everyone in this town is dead, including Emma, I will finally break free and I will take your baby. And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"No..."

"Regina!" Snow had to shake Regina to finally force her to look at her. "What is going on? I understand none of this."

"Let's go to my office." Regina tried to gather her thoughts, which were spinning like crazy. As they were walking up the stairs, Snow's phone rang, so the woman answered and put it on speaker.

"Emma?"

"Mom! Where are you?"

"In the Town Hall, why?"

Regina and Snow walked inside the office and closed the door.

"That's what I thought, but I needed to be sure. Have you seen what happened?" Emma kept speaking through the phone.

"What?"

"The earthquakes stopped. Just like that. And then I tried to find you with a locator spell, but I couldn't, so I figured you guys must be in a place without magic."

"That we are." Regina was pacing around the office. "Is Henry okay?"

"He is. He's with me. But..."

"But what?"

"It's bad, Regina. Many people got injured, their homes were destroyed. We're transporting some of them to the hospital right now. Thank god it stopped, because I don't know what would happen if it didn't. Anyway, I gotta go!"

Emma hung up and they both went silent.

"Regina..."

"I know."

"My point exactly. You know and I don't. So please explain to me what is this all about."

Regina was pacing faster, rubbing her back with her hand. She closed her eyes and blew air slowly.

"What is going on?" Snow asked again, this time very distinctly.

Regina looked at her with pain. She couldn't hide it any longer.

"There's a reason I was so eager to find Robin this morning. And it's not because I'm afraid he's dead. I'm furious, because he promised me he'd be back before I know it. I believed him. I believed I wouldn't have to do this alone."

Snow was looking at her stepmother, who was pacing around the room, for a couple of seconds. Then she opened her mouth in shock.

"Oh my god, Regina, you're in labor." It was a statement, not a question. When Snow realised it, there was no doubt it was true. Regina was clearly wincing in pain. "When did it start?"

"I… I woke up around midnight. I thought nothing of it... I wasn't sure..."

"Midnight?!" Snow yelled and threw her hands in the air. "And for all this time you said nothing to anyone?!"

"I'm good at handling pain, okay?" Regina snapped irritated. "That's not what's most important here right now."

"I dare to disagree."

"Zelena. This is what we should worry about."

"Why is that?" Snow frowned and then Regina winced again. "Sit down. Now." She commanded her. When Regina placed herself on an office couch, in a semi comfortable position, she began explaining.

"Let's start with how my mother got here in the first place. We all thought something tries to break through to get my daughter's powers, but it was Zelena all this time. Like a puppetmaster, she wrapped Hades around her finger and sent our mother to try and lure me in. It didn't work, so came up with another plan."

"She spoke about a signal..."

"Yes." Regina closed her eyes and blew air again. "I don't know how, but she managed to exploit the linking spell we're bonded with, so she can know when I get into labor. She also linked herself to Hades and now he knows, too. That's his signal. And my daughter is his source of magic."

"Maybe this is what the prophecy was about all along." Snow looked at her with eyes wide open. "But wait, it all stopped. The minute we walked in here."

"That's because of Emma's spell." Regina explained. "She sucked the magic out for my wedding. When we decided to keep Zelena in here, she expanded the spell to the whole building, just to be sure."

"Which gives us time. We'll find a solution."

"Ugh." Regina bend forward in pain, grabbing her belly.

"We need to get you to the hospital."

"Haven't you been listening?" The former queen looked up. "I cannot leave. When I do this whole earthquake thing starts again. No one else will suffer because of me! As long as I'm here, no one can access my daughter's magic."

"So what do you suggest, huh?"

"As you said, we hope. We believe Robin and the rest will come back with the Shears of Destiny, so we can cut all of the connections. Between me and Zelena, but especially between Hades and my baby."

"Okay." Snow nodded, not really convinced. "We can... we can keep you in here until it happens."

"No magic, no problem." Regina smiled palely.

"Only one." Snow looked down at Regina's belly.

"Oh, I..." Regina frowned, as if she tried to brush this "problem" off. "I still have a lot of time. It's been going on for hours, I can do a little more."

"When it comes to labors, things don't usually look as you wish them to be." Snow rose her eyeborws. She tried to remain calm, but if her stepmother prefered to be in denial for a little longer, then she was gonna go with it.

"We need to find a way to contact Robin." Regina said firmly and straitened herself up to pretend she's not in as much pain. "I was thinking mermaids? Or a shadow? Like in Neverland."

Snow smiled to her, but was already picking up her phone from the table. If Robin, Hook or David had any way to contact them, they would've done this by now.

xxx

Emma arrived with Henry to the Town Hall and as soon as she stepped inside the mayor's office, she opened her mouth in shock.

"Mom!" Henry yelled when saw Regina. She was lurched forward, leaning on the desk and breathing heavily. Her son ran up to her. Snow used this moment to walk closer to Emma, so Regina can't hear them.

"I got your message, mom." Emma said to her mom and couldn't help but look back at Regina. "Is she...?"

"Oh, yeah."

"How bad is it?"

"I counted. Contractions are relatively distant, but we both know it will change. What's worse is that she cannot leave this place."

"What? Why?"

Snow explained to her daughter everything Regina said to her. By the time she was done, Emma had a very worried expression.

"Mom, you haven't seen this. I've been to the hospital, it's overflowing with people injured during the earthquake. Whale is doing surgery after surgery, he would have a tough job to deliver this baby even if Regina was in there, there's no way he could leave all of his patients now to come here."

"And she can't leave because it will destroy the entire town..." Snow looked at Regina from the distance.

"So what do we do?"

By the desk, Henry was rubbing his mother's back.

"What can I do to help?" He asked.

"You are helping, Henry. I'm just so relieved to see you're safe. I'm... I'm so sorry it all happened. Are... are your friends...?"

"Mom, no. I won't let you put the blame on yourself."

Regina let out a tight groan and then breathed out as the pain passed.

"Is it bad?" Henry asked, instatly realising how stupid the question was. His mother was clearly in pain, but there wasn't much he knew about labors. When Snow was pregnant, he avoided spending time with her, because it was awkward, but she was a stranger to him back then. This time the situation was very different. Regina knew him well enough to know he doesn't want to take part in any of it, he's just too kind to even imply leaving her side.

"Henry, can you do something for me?"

"Yes, anything."

"You know Gold's shop more than anyone... and I despretly need to find a way to contact Robin and the rest of our family."

"You want me to go there and look?"

Regina nodded.

"As long as I'm in here the earthquake won't happen again, so you should be safe."

"Okay, I'll do what I can." He said and started to leave, but Regina grabbed him.

"Henry." She whimpered. "If something happens..."

"Mom..."

"No, I mean it. If something... anything... happens. Remember than I love you. And... please kiss Roland from me."

Henry wasn't so sure he can leave her side now. Eventually, he nodded.

"I love you too, mom."

xxx

One hour have passed and Regina couldn't restrain herself from groaning. Her water broke and pacing around or standing was not an option anymore. Emma closed the curtains and Snow decided to light a fire in the fireplace. Regina was then seated on a pile of blankets on the floor, leaning against the couch and facing the fire. Keeping a brave face became harder with every passing minute.

"Regina..."

"I don't want to hear it, Snow."

Snow rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air.

"Too bad." Emma said, annoyed. "But you're going to have to." She walked to crouch beside Regina and look her in the eyes. "You can't control this. This baby is coming whether you like this or not."

Regina's face was covered in sweat.

"No." She said. "I'm not having this baby until Robin is by my side."

"Okay, enough." Snow got irritated and walked to Regina as well. "I know you're scared and I get that. We gave you as much time as we could, but let's face it, they're not coming. But your baby is. And she needs you."

Regina was staring at her blankly and a single tear escaped her eye. Then she nodded.

"I know. You're right. I'm sorry."

Snow took a deep breath of relief.

"So..." Regina pulled herself up a little. "Should we call Whale or what?"

Snow glanced briefly at her daugher. Emma shook her head.

"What?" Regina frowned, noticing the exchange.

"Regina... he's been doing surgeries all day. He probably still is."

"Oh... okay." Regina nodded. "I didn't realise there were so many casualties. And... god, it's all my fault."

"My point is..." Snow added and Regina looked back at her. "He can't come here. And you cannot leave without causing even worse situation."

Regina blinked twice and frowned.

"Then... what do we do?"

Snow sighed.

"We're gonna do it."

"Do what?" Emma asked, looking at her mother.

"We'll deliver the baby."

"What?!" Both Regina and Emma yelled at the same time.

Regina rose her eyebrows and, despite all the pain, she let out a chuckle.

"You must be joking."

"Someone has to."

"Yes, but..." Regina looked back to make sure Emma is not laughing, to make sure this is not indeed a joke. "You aren't doctors, no offence."

"Of course we're not. But we both have been through this." Snow shrugged. She sounded like she wanted to convince herself more than anyone else. "And throughout history thousands of women gave birth surrounded only by other women."

"No, wait, hold on." Regina pulled herself even higher and rose her hand to stop her. "I was supposed to give birth in a hospital. As much as I hate having Whale as the only doctor in this town, this was the only thing I ever even considered. What's the use of casting a Dark Curse if I can't even use the benefits of the modern medicine?! Besides, I won't be having Snow White down my..." Regina winced again, this time it wasn't because of the pain. "No! This is insane!"

But she changed her mind. And she changed it quickly. After a while the pain was starting to become unbearable and soon enough she couldn't care less for who and why gets this baby out, she just wanted her out.

"We should at least call Whale." Emma said and they both agreed.

"I'm sorry I can't be there, Regina." He said to them over the phone. "I'm in the middle of..."

"I know. It's okay." Regina said through the tears. "Those people... it's all my fault. What kind of person would I be if I told you to leave them and help me?"

They didn't talk for long. He gave them some overall instructions of what to do and Snow decided to pretend she had everything under control. As much as she was terrified, she couldn't show even a hint of fear in front of Regina.

"I guess I need to check your progress now."

Regina sunk into the couch.

"Okay." Emma stood up quickly. "Have fun with that, I'm gonna go to find more blankets... or something."

The savior left the office. They, in fact, needed some supplies, like medicine in case of an emergency, but Regina knew she mostly did it to give her privacy.

Regina changed into a loose dress and barely made her way back to the pile of blankets, cradling her large belly in her hands. Snow put on some gloves, knelt down in front of Regina and slid her dress up so she could get a look. For all this time she was trying her best to act like she knows what she's doing.

"I can't believe this is happening." Regina whimpered, leaning her head on the couch and with eyes pointed at the ceiling. She didn't want the sight of Snow White between her legs to be engraved into her memory.

"We'll laugh at this some day." Snow snorted, sharing the feeling of the ridiculousness of it all.

"Bet they won't put that in storybooks."

"You know I've watched all the videos Zelena sent me back when I was pregnant with Neal."

"I guess I should walk back downstairs to thank her then." Regina said gritting her teeth.

"I just mean it's not so bad you ended up with me. Try having a dwarf deliver your baby."

Regina rose one eyebrow up.

"Point taken."

Deep down Regina was very grateful for how calm Snow was. Even her presence itself was comforting. As much as it felt like the universe is making fun of her, she couldn't imagine trusting anyone else in such a vulnerable moment.

Another contraction came and Regina groaned again. She felt blanket back on her legs, which had to mean Snow was done. Regina lifted her head to look at the younger woman.

"So how does it look?"

"About seven centimeters."

"So... we still have time."

"Regina." Snow breathed out sympathetically. "Robin isn't coming. You need to stop focusing or anything other than this baby."

Regina knew Snow was right. And she hated it.

Soon Emma came back and from now on the roles were evenly devided. Emma focused on managing the communication between this room and the rest of Storybrooke, while actively trying to find a way to contact Robin, David and Hook. Snow was regurally checking on Regina. And Regina... well, was trying not to scream every time she felt a piercing pain.

With every phone ring she lost all the hope that she had left. In fact, with every call, more bad news was coming to her ears. Eventually, Snow announced it's time to push. She was so focused on her job, she didn't even notice Regina started crying, but she did lift her head after not recieving an answer.

"Hey. Are you okay?" It probably wasn't the best question, given her stepmother was on a verge of pushing out a human out of her, but Regina knew what she meant. The former queen shook her head frantically.

"I can't do this."

"Don't start. Don't you even dare…"

"Look at what I did."

"None of this is your fault."

"It is. Maybe not today, but I've brought this upon my daughter. How can I bring someone to the world and sentence them to this legacy?"

"Regina, it's not the time to..."

"The prophecy, Snow. All this power... How will I protect her? How can I...?" Regina was tossing her head left and right, overwhelmed with emotions, drained from the pain. Her hair was sticking to her neck, makeup smudged all over her face. Snow knew cooing her won't do any good. Not like this. She decided to try a different approach.

"Get over yourself!" She said firmly. Emma, who was snoozing in a chair behind the desk, stood up alarmed. It also managed to break through Regina's dispear. "Yes, you were evil. Once upon a time. And you know what happened because of that? I had to give birth to Emma, while the Dark Curse was demolishing my entire kingdom. And I did it, which means so can you. No matter what's coming, no matter what you're afraid of, you put it all away and put your child first."

Emma smiled to her mother, who glanced at her, then back at Regina.

"Regina, you're a strong woman. Stronger than anyone I've met. You resisted the darkness, you've protected your enemies, you were even willing to die for us! So don't you dare telling me you can't do something, because when it comes to the people you love, you know no limits."

Regina face froze, even though the tears were still falling, her eyes locked on a woman she once hated with her whole heart. Snow, seeing her speach gave an expected result, smiled encouragingly.

"So what do you say, should we push this baby out?"

A few seconds have past of Regina staring at Snow without blinking and then she finally closed her eyes and nodded. She started taking huffing breaths, bracing herself.

"When the next contraction starts, give me a small push."

They didn't have to wait for long. Regina leaned forward, gritting her teeth, with eyes closed shut. For a few seconds she pushed and at the end of it she fell back on the couch behind her.

"Good!" Snow said, hoping it was true. "Next time do it a little harder. And I will count."

And so she did. For a seval next contractions they were both trying their best to stay calm and focused, but in time Regina started crying again.

"Emma?" Snow looked up to find her daugher. "Can you hold her hand?"

Emma didn't hesitate. She walked around the couch and knelt next to Regina. She took her hand and smiled to her.

"Madam mayor."

Regina let out a breathy laugh, her eyes brimming with tears.

With the next contraction Regina lowered her head again, pushing against the pressure. Emma winced and looked imploringly at her mother. She was pretty sure one or two bones in her hand just broke.

"You're doing amazing, Regina."

Former queen didn't care about anything at this point. She might have been powerful and feared in the past. She might have cringed at the thought of Snow White delivering her baby, with the assistance of her daughter, the Savior, funnily enough. But at this moment, as she growled, cried and pushed, trying to bring her firstborn into the world, she felt an enourmous wave of grattitude. She wasn't alone.

"I can see her head!" Snow was starting to lose her calm stance at the expense of excitement.

Regina let the air out of her lungs and her head fell back again.

"Okay, rest for a moment."

"Is everything alright?" Regina was panting. "Is it supposed to take this long?"

"Yes, don't worry." Snow smiled to her.

"But she's coming too early… What if…"

Just when Snow thought Regina wouldn't find another reason to panic, she did just that. Once again she needed to remain firm to keep Regina clear headed.

"Regina, look at me. Nothing is going to happen. Now push."

Regina wined and reached blindly for Emma's hand for support. She was at a loss of breath, the waves of pain coming too close together.

"You can do this, Regina, just breathe."

She started pushing again, bearing down hard.

"She's right there, you're doing great."

In that final moment Regina's cries could probably be heard at the Main Street. She claimed to be good at handling pain, and she really thought she wouldn't scream like this, that she wouldn't show weakness, but it was hard and she was exhausted.

"Just a little more, come on."

Regina was shaking, but in spite of everything, she leaned forward and pushed with eyes closed and clenched teeth. Then she cried out loudly and shortly, as the baby's head popped out.

"The head is out. She's almost here." Snow was smiling to Regina, holding the little girls head gently in her hands. "Just one more time."

Regina nodded, her sight blurred with pain. She pushed and the baby slipped from her, right into Snow's hands. Her head fell back, her chest was rising and falling with desprete breaths. She didn't have the strength to look at her baby. Maybe she didn't even want to. She didn't hear her crying yet. Her limbs became weak and stomach twisted with fear. She was feeling Snow's and Emma's movements around her, but the world became distant. She didn't see what they were doing, she didn't hear their voices. Her world almost fell apart.

And then the little one let out a short wail. She snapped back into her body and then the baby cried and it didn't stop. Regina's eyes closed and lips formed into a wide smile. She started crying uncontrolably. Someone patted her on the shoulder, so she forced the muscles in her neck to lift her head. Snow placed the baby gently in her arms and Regina recieved the bundle with shaking arms. The little girl was crying, clenching the little fists, as if she was ready to fight the entire world.

Regina laughed at her thought. Now it seemed so ridiculous to her she ever thought she wouldn't be able to protect her. She would burn the entire world for her.

Regina looked up and saw Snow's face. The younger woman was bawling. She was happy for her.

"Thank you." Regina whispered, her throat sore from screaming.

Two words didn't make it justice, but they had to be enough for now. Regina was beyond grateful for what Snow did for her and couldn't even comprehend what did she ever do to deserve such kindness.

Sobbing, Regina placed a gentle kiss on her daughter's head and closed her eyes.

"Thank you." She repeated.

The baby calmed down, feeling her mother's touch. All three of them watched the infant for a couple of minutes as she fell asleep.

"We should cut the cord." Snow said suddenly, stepping back into her role and ripping Regina out of her bubble of joy. Just because the baby was here, didn't mean this whole thing was over.

"Oh, okay." Regina nodded.

"Emma?" Snow looked at her daugher.

"Right, scissors." The blonde reached somewhere behind her and the metal beamed in the light of the fire. She passed the scissors to Snow, who was already holding the cord gently. She put it between the blades and pushed them together. A drop of blood leaked from the cut. As soon as the drop of blood hit the floor, the entire building suddenly shook. The items started falling from different surfaces.

"What the hell?" Emma asked, looking around.

Regina embraced her daughter's tiny head with her hand and pressed her face to hers.

The shaking didn't stop. Emma ran to uncover the windows and the room was filled with orange glow. The sun was low on the horizon, but it wasn't what changed the colors of the town.

"Mom." Emma said quietly. Snow got up and run to her daughter. As she stood by the window, she gasped loudly and put a hand to her mouth. The town was in flames. Not the blue ones, the normal, regular flames. People were running around, calling for help.

"I don't understand." Snow almost broke into tears. "This shouldn't be possible."

"I guess it's time."

Both Emma and Snow turned around to where the voice was coming from. It was Regina, arched from pain, in a blood stained dress, standing in front of them on trembling legs. The baby was still peacefully sleeping in her arms.

"Time for what?" Snow asked, concerned.

"To end this."

"Regina, I don't understand." Emma put out a hand. "You should lay down."

Regina ignored her and walked around both of them to get closer to the window. She looked through it with inscrutable look on her face. Then she sighed and looked down at her daughter.

"She's independent now. Disconnected from me."

"Don't be ridiculous, the baby isn't causing this mess." Emma said, looking at her back.

Regina turned around slowly.

"No, of course not. It took me a long time to understand, but I know now that evil isn't born. But her power is at its peak right now and Hades is still using it. The only problem is that outside my body her magic is stronger than anyone's. Even yours, Emma."

Snow understood immediately. Emma looked at her mother, still worrying of what it meant.

"Hades can break through now. Emma's spell can't stop him."

Emma opened her mouth.

"No. No, I refuse to believe that. There must be a way to stop this, there always is!"

"You're right, Emma. There is." Regina was so calm, it sent shivers down their spines.

"Regina... no."

Snow felt deep down inside what was about to happen. Emma didn't quite understand yet. Regina smiled to Snow with tears in her eyes. Then she looked down again at her happy ending sleeping in her arms.

"She's..." The former queen choked on her words. "She's the gratest gift I could ever ask for. After everything I did, I still don't know how I deserved her. But I do know one thing… I need to protect her any way I can."

"What are you saying, Regina?" Emma frowned.

"I have to kill Zelena. And I have to do this now."

"But you can't. You'll die, too." The blonde was breathing havily. "We don't have the the Shears of Destiny yet."

"It's meant to be, Emma. From the moment I linked meself to Zelena by a spell, I knew I was giving my life for this baby. I might have thought... for a moment... that there was a chance for me to survive this. But deep down I guess we all knew it would end this way sooner or later."

"No! That's not going to happen. We always find a way."

"It's because you're heroes." Regina smiled softly and looked Emma in the eyes. "And I'm a villain. I made my peace with it. This is my fate."

"Re-regina... please..."

"We don't have much time." She stopped her. "Snow?" She turned to face Snow. The woman was crying, tears streming down her face. She shook he head. "Please." Regina grabbed Snow's arm. "For so many years I was so awful to you and you still did something so incredible for me today. The least I can do is to save your family and this town. Please let me do this."

Snow wasn't able to respond.

"Emma?" Regina turned to Emma again. The blonde was also in state of shock, but she was at least able to look at her. "I... I'm sorry for everything."

"Regina..."

"No, I really am. I want you to remember it. Also..." Regina's voice cracked. "Please explain this to Henry. Take care of him and love him for me."

"What about her?" They both heard a quiet voice coming from where Snow was weeping. Regina looked at her and noticed she's looking directly at the bundle in her arms.

"I need to leave her." Regina smiled and started crying at the same time. Despite the tears, she straightened her back, knowing exactly what to say. "To give her her best chance."

"Oh my god..." Emma covered her face and looked away to hide the tears.

Regina lifted her sleeping daughter and placed one last kiss on her forehead. Then she opened her eyes and looked up at Snow.

"Will you take her?"

Snow opened her eyes widely. Regina passed her daughter to Snow. She touched her daughter again and smiled calmly.

"She will have so many people who love her."

"She will." Snow assured her. "She's our family."

Regina wiped her face and briefly thought about Robin. She wondered where he was. She was angry with him he didn't make it in time for the birth of their daughter, but by now all those emotions were long gone. She just hoped he's okay. She hoped he'd forgive her. But thinking about him for too long was too painful. Maybe him not being there was for the best. Would she really be able to say her goodbyes and walk away from life if he was standing there in front of her, like a promise of a dream life she was never meant to have?

"Wait." Snow said suddenly and looked at her with twinkling eyes. "What's her name?"

Regina looked at her for a longer while and then smiled.

"Her name is Mary."

Snow opened her mouth and frowned. She let out a sound that was mixture of squeal and a short laugh.

"Why?"

"It was Robin mother's name." Regina explained. "We've discussed different options for months and we liked this one the most, but I wasn't sure I wanted my dauther's name to be so tightly connected to the cursed name of the person I was once trying to kill."

Snow, despite everything, laughed through the tears.

"Now I look at this differently." Regina added. "This is a name of someone selfless and brave. A hero. A friend. And I couldn't be more honored."

Snow grabbed Regina's hand and they looked each other in the eyes. Then something burts nearby again.

"We really are running out of time. Emma?"

"Yes?" The savior looked at Regina, putting on a brave face.

"You can take the spell down, bring back the magic. And then teleport you three out of here."

"But Zelena..."

"I still have my daughter's blood in me, she doesn't stand a chance. When you leave I'll redirect Hades' magic to this building and I'll destory us both. What's important is that the town will be spared. It won't fix the demage already done, but everything will stop."

Emma said nothing for a while and then slowly nodded.

Regina took one last look at her infant daughter. She closed her eyes and didn't open them again. Just as she did when Robin left through the portal all those weeks ago, she turned aroud with eyes closed and started walking. After a few seconds she felt the magic coming back to her body. The pain that was left from the labor softened. And then the sound of teleportation.

She walked barefoot through the corridors, ready to meet her end. She could've ripped out her heart right there and crush it, but somehow this didn't feel right. She needed to face Zelena one last time.

She walked into the main hall and the witch was already waiting for her. Standing there, chains off.

"Sis." The witch growled. "Have you come here to die?"

"Actually, yes." Regina said.

And then she released the magic. It was so powrful it surprised her. Zelena only managed to open her eyes widely in shock and them she conjured a protecton spell around herself. As promised, Regina redirected all the flames from the town. Now all of the destruction was rushing in Town Hall's direction. She felt the flames swifting on the ground. Then they broke through all the doors and windows, rushing inside and forming around them. Every brick in the building started to crack under the pressure. Regina was doing circular motions to spin the rubble. There was no way out by now. Only the bubble she made with her magic was stopping the whole building from collapsing on them.

She was slowly weakening, but she had to wait until all the hell magic is sucked from town. Then all she needed to do is target it into herself and die. It's okay, she thought. It's how it's supposed to be.

Her eyes were blurred, but she felt a strange sting inside her heart and turned her head right to face a window. Was she going crazy?

On the horizon, there was a figure. A tiny little dot, but bigger with every second. The dot was moving frantically. It was... it was a person. A running person.

It took a solid minute for Regina to focus and through all the spinning rubble and dust she finally realised who she's looking at.

"Robin..."

He was running like crazy. Did he have the Shears of Destiny?

But then she quickly realised something. There was no stopping what's coming anymore. The building will collapse and it will collapse on them. It didn't matter whether Robin had it or not. All Regina knew is that he will try to get inside to save her and if he does, he'll just die with them. She couldn't let him die.

She spun the room faster, loosing her balance. She felt the death coming. Her eyes were closing. She was tired.

And then the strangest thing happened.

Right between her and Zelena, a light, glowing line appeared out of nowhere. It looked like someone cut through air with a blade and left a white, glowing scar.

The crack in space widened and a light burst from it, so bright it made Regina cover her eyes with one hand. When she lowered her hand, she saw a person. A young woman. Maybe a girl? She couldn't see much, but she noticed long black hair and a purple jacket. And then something flashed before her eyes. It reflected light of the sun a lot better than scissors reflected fire.

The girl said nothing. She put out the glowy item in front of her and a line of light appaeared. But this time it was a line coming from Regina's chest and ending in Zelena's. A connecton. The linking spell. Regina forced her eyes to open to focus on what the girl was holding. It was made of gold... It looked like...

No. This didn't make any sence. Robin was still running towards her outside. Was this girl helping him?

With a quick movement, the girl used the Shears of Destiny to cut the connection between Regina and Zelena and then looked at Zelena who fell down on the ground. Then she looked at Regina.

"Oh no." The girl whispered, as Regina began collapsing as well.

The girl covered the distance between them with 5 steps and threw herself at Regina. In the same moment the building started falling apart, not held be a spell any longer. Regina felt a sharp push and the weight of the girl's body made her fall backwards like a wooden stick. Her last thought was "I'm ready".

But to her much surprise, she was still conscious. First there was this bright light again. Her eyes were closed, but it was so bright, it was visible through her eyelids. Then her body hit the ground, but still, she was alive. She expected to be either punctured or crushed under the weight of the building.

The fall hurt, but not nearly as much as she expected. She felt air on her cheeks. She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't.

"I did it." She heard the girl whisper above her and then she began yelling. "I actually did it! DAD, I DID IT! She's here! Holy sh-"

She felt someone running up to her and crouch.

"Oh my god, Regina..."

The last bit of her consciousness shivered. She might have been halfway dead, but she'd recognize this voice everywhere. It was Robin's voice.

Was she saved? Robin... he was okay. They got her out of this building in time and...

No, a litte voice in her head said to her. Something's not right.

And then Robin spoke again.

"We have to get her help. She's barely breathing. Come on, Mary!"

Regina knew this name from somewhere.

But she was so weak...

She finally gave into the darkness and passed out.