The Mayor's office was bathed in dim light, with only the glow of a desk lamp illuminating Regina's meticulous workspace. She sat at her desk, skimming through an ancient tome while nursing a cup of tea. Her mind buzzed with a thousand conflicting thoughts—her pregnancy, Henry's safety, and the dark forces brewing in Storybrooke.

A sudden knock at the door broke her focus. Regina stiffened, her instincts on high alert. The hour was late, and she wasn't expecting anyone. With a flick of her wrist, she unlocked the door from her seat.

Hook stepped in, his leather coat damp from the drizzle outside. His expression was one of feigned calm, but Regina could see the tension simmering just below the surface.

"Hook," Regina greeted coldly, her eyes narrowing. "I wasn't expecting you. What do you want?"

"Information," Hook replied smoothly, though his tone carried an edge. "And maybe to offer a bit of help, if you're willing to listen."

Regina leaned back in her chair, skepticism evident on her face. "Help from you? The last time I trusted you, you were working with Morwenna. And we both know how that turned out."

Hook smirked, though there was a flicker of genuine sorrow in his eyes. "Morwenna's gone. Learned that the hard way. But before she bit the dust, Greg and that other outsider made me an offer—to help them take magic from this town."

Regina's eyes darkened, her voice sharp. "And why haven't you?"

Hook took a step closer, his voice dropping. "Because magic is the only thing keeping this town alive—and, more importantly, the only thing keeping me alive. Whatever their plan is, I'm not keen on being collateral damage. Besides, you and I both know loyalty runs deep where mutual interests align."

Regina studied him for a moment, weighing her options. She knew better than to trust him outright, but his knowledge could prove useful.

"Fine," she said finally. "But if you double-cross me, Hook, I'll make sure you regret it."

Regina led Hook to the library late that night. The streets of Storybrooke were deserted, and the air was thick with tension. The two descended the elevator in silence, the soft hum of machinery the only sound.

As the doors slid open at the bottom, Hook raised an eyebrow at the sight of the underground lair. Dust and decay clung to every surface, and the faint glow of magical runes etched into the walls cast eerie shadows.

"This is where the curse began," Regina explained curtly, stepping out. "And where it can end. The curse has a fail-safe trigger—a black diamond, imbued with magic that can destroy this town in its entirety. I need it if I'm going to get Henry and leave."

Hook frowned. "Destroying the town seems a bit… counterproductive, don't you think?"

Regina shot him a glare. "It's not your concern. Your job is to help me retrieve the diamond. That's all."

As they walked deeper into the lair, Regina's gaze fell on the arm brace Hook was wearing. Her expression hardened.

"That's Cora's," she said icily, stopping in her tracks. "Give it to me. Now."

Hook hesitated for a moment before unfastening the brace and handing it over. "Keeps the wrist steady," he quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Regina ignored him, examining the brace briefly before slipping it into her satchel.

They continued until they reached a cavernous chamber. In the center stood an elaborate pedestal, and atop it rested a black diamond that seemed to pulse faintly with dark energy. But before Regina could step forward, she stopped, her senses tingling.

"This will require a distraction," she said suddenly, turning to Hook.

"What kind of distraction—" Hook began, but Regina shoved him hard, sending him tumbling into a dark abyss below.

Hook landed with a grunt, his body aching from the fall. He barely had time to regain his bearings before a wraith-like figure emerged from the shadows. Maleficent, reduced to a spectral form by past battles, hissed at him, her glowing eyes filled with fury.

"Bloody hell," Hook muttered, drawing his hook defensively. "Regina, you scheming—"

Above, Regina ignored the sounds of Hook's struggle, stepping forward to claim the black diamond. She carefully lifted it from its pedestal, cradling it in her hands. A sense of relief washed over her as she turned back toward the elevator.

But as the doors opened, her relief turned to shock. Hook stood there, seemingly unscathed, a smirk on his face.

"How—" Regina began, but Hook cut her off.

"Did you really think I'd come down here without a backup plan?" he sneered.

Before Regina could react, Greg emerged from the shadows, accompanied by two other men. Hook snatched the diamond from Regina's hands, and Greg smiled coldly.

"Thanks for doing the hard part," Greg said. "Now, let's make sure you can't interfere."

With a flick of his wrist, Hook latched a leather cuff onto Regina's wrist. She felt a sudden, jarring disconnect from her magic.

"What have you done?" she demanded, struggling against the cuff.

"Insurance," Hook replied casually. "You won't be casting any spells tonight."

Regina fought against the men as they dragged her out of the lair, her cries echoing through the cavern. They brought her to a secluded clearing in the forest, where Greg stood waiting with a sinister device.

"You're going to tell me everything," Greg said, his voice cold. "About my father, about this town, and about your magic."

Regina glared at him, defiance burning in her eyes. "I'll tell you nothing."

Greg smirked. "We'll see about that."

As they secured her to the stone table, Regina's thoughts raced. She wasn't afraid—yet. But as she looked at the strange, buzzing equipment around her, a seed of doubt began to take root.

Regina gritted her teeth as another surge of electricity coursed through her body. Her wrists and ankles were bound tightly to the cold stone table in the forest clearing. The makeshift "interrogation chamber" reeked of desperation—a crude assembly of cables, wires, and old medical equipment hooked up to a gas-powered generator.

Greg stood over her, his face contorted with cold rage. "You're going to tell me everything, Regina. Everything about my father and this town. Where is he? What did you do to him?"

The question echoed, but Regina's resolve held firm. She glared at him through the pain, her voice hoarse but defiant. "I told you, he left Storybrooke. You're too blinded by your hatred to see the truth."

Beside him, one of his accomplices—Albert Spencer, once King George of the Enchanted Forest—watched with calculating eyes. He held a clipboard, casually noting Regina's responses as though this was some clinical procedure.

"She's lying," Spencer said coolly, without even looking up. "She always lies. Magic is in her blood, her lies are woven into it."

Greg clenched his fist, his anger boiling over. He adjusted the voltage dial, causing Regina to scream as the electricity ripped through her again. This time, the pain wasn't just physical—it dragged her mind into a storm of fragmented memories.

Images flashed before her eyes: Kurt Flynn smiling as he played with his son, Owen, near the edge of Storybrooke's forest. Her own longing for connection had turned into possessiveness. She remembered the moment Kurt begged her to let him go.

"I only wanted a family," she whispered through the haze of pain, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean for it to end that way."

Greg leaned closer, his fury unabated. "Where is he, Regina? Where's my father?"

"I let him go," she rasped. "But he never made it out. The curse—it… consumed him."

Her words hit Greg like a physical blow. He stumbled back, grappling with the revelation. "You're lying. You killed him."

Regina shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "No. I told him to run, but the curse… it traps everything. He tried to leave, and the magic didn't let him."

Spencer, ever the manipulator, seized the opportunity to harden Greg's resolve. "She's spinning stories to save herself. You saw what magic has done—it destroys everything it touches. It took your father, it's taken this town, and now it's poisoning the world."

Greg's jaw tightened. "Then we end it."

Later that night, deep in the shadows of the forest, Spencer and Greg solidified their deadly alliance. Around them, the equipment hummed ominously, their cruel plan coming together.

"We'll use the fail-safe," Spencer declared, his voice dripping with venom. "Wipe Storybrooke off the map. Magic dies here, once and for all."

Greg hesitated for a moment, his thoughts flickering back to the father he had lost. "What about the people? Henry?"

Spencer sneered. "Collateral damage. They've all been tainted by magic. And Henry—he's better off free from her lies."

Greg's gaze hardened. "And what about Hook? Will he follow through?"

Spencer smirked. "Hook wants revenge on Gold more than anything. Promising him that magic will be wiped out ensures he stays on our side."

Meanwhile, in the heart of Storybrooke, Spencer's machinations were already underway. Using the chaos of Regina's disappearance to his advantage, he began spreading rumors to undermine David and Mary Margaret.

In Granny's Diner, townsfolk gathered as Spencer wove his lies with masterful precision. "How can we trust the Charmings to protect us when their own family is fractured? Look at what happened with Emmett—barely more than a child, and already they've lost control of him. How long before their so-called leadership costs us all?"

"Spencer's got a point," one man murmured. "First the Queen, now this new Swan kid. It's one problem after another."

"They're weak," Spencer continued, his voice rising. "And weakness has no place in a town as dangerous as this."

David and Mary Margaret, overhearing the whispers, realized they were losing the trust of the people. "He's trying to turn them against us," Mary Margaret whispered, her expression grim.

"We need to get ahead of this," David said firmly. "We can't let him destroy everything we've built."

Back in the forest clearing, Regina's strength was waning. The electric shocks and emotional torment had taken their toll, but her sharp mind remained intact. As Greg prepared to increase the voltage again, she spoke quickly.

"Greg," she gasped, "don't do this. You're becoming the very thing you hate."

Greg hesitated for a split second, but Spencer intervened, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't listen to her. She's manipulating you."

"She's telling the truth about my father," Greg muttered, doubt creeping into his voice.

"Even if she is," Spencer said, his voice cold and steady, "what matters is what we do now. Destroying magic is the only way to fix this mess."

Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the tension. Hook emerged from the trees, his expression unreadable.

"Hook," Greg greeted him, "is everything ready?"

Hook nodded, but his gaze lingered on Regina. There was something in her eyes—pain, defiance, and perhaps even a flicker of humanity—that gave him pause. For a brief moment, he questioned the path he was on.

But Spencer's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "It's time."

Regina closed her eyes, bracing herself for what was to come. Her thoughts drifted to Henry, to Emmett, and to the life she had fought so hard to rebuild. If she survived this, she vowed, she would find a way to stop them—even if it meant making the ultimate sacrifice