A Queen Without Power (Once Upon a Time; Regina/Emma)
TITLE: A Queen Without Power
CHAPTER 27: A Queen Most Powerful
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: Series through 2x09 - Queen of Hearts
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: Dimly, at the back of her mind she hoped that by keeping her eyes closed long enough, she could wake from the nightmare she’d obviously fallen into. Then she could go downstairs and find Regina sipping her coffee at the table, looking up at her through her lashes while Henry played with his cereal.
*****
Emma’s sniffle bounced off the walls of the caverns, breaking the silence that had settled in for what felt like hours. For so long she knelt slumped against the coffin, eyes closed as she mourned the lost love she never really knew. Dimly, at the back of her mind she hoped that by keeping her eyes closed long enough, she could wake from the nightmare she’d obviously fallen into. Then she could go downstairs and find Regina sipping her coffee at the table, looking up at her through her lashes while Henry played with his cereal.
Henry. What would she tell Henry? That while she’d been looking for some magic dagger, his adoptive mother was killed by a crazy man and a heart-ripping sorceress? Or maybe, “Hey, you had ten good years with her. Pretty good run if you ask me.” It wasn’t good enough. The best excuse she could possibly conjure, whatever that may be, would never be good enough.
Sighing, Emma shifted, shutting her eyes tighter as she let the back of her head hit the block of ice, not flinching as the cold bit into her. “I love you,” she whispered again, wishing Regina could hear her.
A small tinkle, like glass, was her only answer, followed by a barely-discernible tap against her boot. She opened her eyes and looked down, finding a shard of ice next to her on the ground, quickly melting against the heat from the surrounding lava. The sight was enough to shock Emma into turning around and, when she spotted the thin cracks in Regina’s icy tomb, she stumbled to her feet.
“What the hell?” she breathed, eyes wide as saucers.
Leaning over, she peered in through the thick ice, looking for any sign of movement just as Regina’s eyes burst open and focused immediately on her.
“Regina!”
The tears sprung forth once again, streaming in rivulets down each cheek, though these were tears of relief. She watched Regina’s mouth open and bubbles emerge. Her fist pounded on the ice that held her captive and Emma leapt into action.
“Hang on!” she shouted. “I’m gonna get you out!”
Without waiting for a response from Regina -- she wasn’t sure she could hear her, after all -- Emma clasped her hands together as a brace and slammed herself elbow-first into the ice. The ice didn’t budge. She stared in shock at the complete absence of a dent, a nick, a scratch, anything from the impact of her elbow.
“What the hell....” she repeated, this one a low whisper.
She tried again, this time with the toe of her boot. Cursing loudly, she stumbled back and grabbed her throbbing foot. The ice had done damage to it rather than the other way around. Then, she began to just pound madly on the icy surface, frantic to make any sort of an impact. She watched as Regina struggled as well, bubbles cascading from her nostrils and her lips as her fists pounded from beneath. All to no avail.
Emma slumped, exhausted, against the coffin and stared forlornly down at Regina as she tried to catch her breath. “I’m sorry.”
Regina pounded a few more times, and Emma thought she had mouthed her name, but she couldn’t be sure.
“I know! I know. It’s not budging, but I’m going to figure it out. Okay?” She nodded, raising her brows. “I won’t let you die.” More quietly, she finished, “I love you.”
A loud crack startled her and she jumped, finding a deeper split making its way across the coffin. She remembered the last time she’d said those words and the small piece of ice that had hit her boot. And she whipped her head up with realization, staring through the ice and water into Regina’s brown eyes.
“That’s it,” she murmured. “I love you.”
A large corner chunk of the tomb cracked off and hit the ground, melting almost instantly. Emma watched it briefly before turning her eyes back to her counterpart, letting the emotion push away any lingering doubt and instead take her over. “You aggravate the hell out of me, and the last thing I wanted was to feel this way.”
She let the feeling fill her until she thought it would come bursting out of her eyes. “But you’re in my veins and in my heart and I don’t care how it happened, you’re in there and you won’t come out. And I don’t want to get you out. You’re there in every inch of me, every last annoying bit of you and I want you there, always.”
From beneath the ice and the water, Regina burst into a wide, heart-stopping smile, as if knowing what was coming, and Emma chuckled through her tears as she finished, “I can’t help it. I love you, Regina.”
With one last long series of cracks, the tomb shattered in a brilliant icy burst, and Emma shielded herself as icicles of varying sizes grazed past her. They floated past her slowly, fanning out until every piece orbited around them in swirling loops and tendrils - icy star matter, encircling them.
Regina pulled herself up, surfacing with a bursting gasp of air. Her hands clutched desperately at the remnants of the tomb at her sides, as if fearing she’d slip under again, and Emma raced to her side. She let her hands fall to her hair -- the thick, dark hair she’d always envied and now adored -- and then to her skin. She nearly startled with surprise at how cold Regina was. The water lapped around her waist and her legs were still submerged, but every bit of her above the water was inexplicably dry, including her clothing.
Regina’s chest heaved as she took in loud gulps of air, and Emma continued stroking her hair and face soothingly -- though whether it was to soothe Regina or herself, she wasn’t sure. Finally, she seemed to catch her breath, and Emma found herself awarded with a smile so bright she idly wondered if it was a plot to steal all of her breath.
Regina cupped her face, ice-cold fingers sliding along her cheek. “I love you too,” she exhaled.
Emma breathed out a smile of her own, a teary chuckle escaping before she wrapped her arms around Regina’s back and held her tightly, closing her eyes. She felt Regina’s arms tighten around her neck and shoulders, and for the longest moment they simply breathed together, hearts in tandem.
Gently, she pulled Regina from the remains of the tomb, helping her slide carefully over the ice and then bracing her as she found her footing, each of them clasping each other’s arms.
Emma’s eyes followed the movement of her counterpart’s lips, pursing and blowing a puff of air at the thin slices of hair obscuring her right eye. “Where’s your mother?” she asked, heart still thundering with adrenaline as she tucked the pesky piece of hair behind Regina’s ear. “And Rumplestiltskin and the others?”
“I don’t know,” Regina breathed, legs unsteady as she took a first few steps, and Emma gripped her hand tightly. “Everything went dark when they sealed me in the ice.” Her head lifted slowly and their eyes met. “The next thing I heard was your voice.”
Emma swallowed, smiling just slightly at the feeling of warmth that hit her at that comment, before drawing herself back to their present situation. “Well if they know that I just busted you out, they can’t be that far behind us. Let’s go.”
“No. Wait.” Regina stopped her with a swift tug, nearly crushing her hand with desperation, eyes alight with fear and trepidation. “You have to be careful around me.”
Emma furrowed her brows. “What are you talking about?”
“My heart, Emma. Rumplestiltskin has my heart.”
“Yeah I know,” she huffed, raising her eyebrows ruefully. “I watched him yank it from your chest.” Off of Regina’s questioning glance, she replied, “The mirror.”
“Well then you must know that when you take a heart, you control its owner.” She shook her head. “It’s not safe for you to listen to anything I say. As soon as they discover that I’m awake and that you’ve come to rescue me, there’s no telling what they’ll do to me.” Quieter, she added, “Or what they’ll have me do to you.”
Emma allowed herself a moment to cup Regina’s face, to slide her thumb over the softness of her cheek. She thought of everything she’d seen Regina do - the wicked, backhanded plays in their initial power struggle. She thought of the things she’d read in Henry’s book, of what she had done to other people -- the body count she had attacked her with in their argument. And then she thought of every moment she’d spent with Regina since the curse broke. And she told her, “I’m not worried.”
“Why not?”
“Because I trust you. And...” Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the vial she’d toted with her and held it up. “Because we’ve got this.”
Regina stared at it in wonder, plucking it from her fingers. “Is that...”
“True love,” Emma nodded.
Looking up at her, Regina asked, “You made a new potion? From your parents’ hair?”
She shook her head. “Henry made that.” Holding Regina’s gaze, she finished, “From our hair.”
“It can’t be...”
She smirked. “I’m as annoyed about it as you are.”
Regina turned the vial over in her hand, watching it glow. Slowly, she shook her head, her countenance almost remorseful. “I can’t use this.”
“What? Why not?”
“They drained me.” She met her eyes, sorrow filling the deep brown irides. “I’m powerless, I can’t use magic.”
Emma dipped her head. “God, they really put you through the wringer, didn’t they?”
“They have a lot to be upset about. And,” she shrugged, throwing another glimpse down at the vial of True Love, “I never expected to live through this anyway. The curse was my last chance at happiness. I didn’t know Henry was going to come along.” Holding her gaze, she added, “I didn’t know I was going to fall in love with you.”
Emma sighed, reaching for her hand. She squeezed it briefly, then turned it over in her own. She allowed herself a moment to caress Regina’s palm, tracing the lines as carefully as if she were trying to read her future. Then, she closed her eyes, painlessly slicing the skin of Regina’s hand. Regina startled at the sight but didn’t move, trusting her implicitly. Emma wordlessly gashed her own hand and held it up.
“One last time,” she said. “If they’re coming for us... if we’re both going down in this fight... you deserve a chance to fight back.”
Regina nodded, pressing her palm to Emma’s and lacing their fingers tight, just as she had the first time. Their eyes met. Emma felt a surge of heat and her head snapped back, images assailing her -- some of which she’d seen before.
There was the melting sword, and she and Regina shielding one another. Arrows flying and screams piercing the air and then Regina leaning down, a gentle smile on her lips as she kissed a small hairless head, murmuring, “I love you.” There was laughter and happiness, and hugs from Henry, followed by she and Regina clasping hands, smiling at one another.
Emma gasped as she came out of it, finding that she and Regina had been blasted apart one more time. They clamored for one another, grabbing each other’s arms and holding on tight. Regina stared into her eyes, her own wide. “You saw...”
Emma shook her head. “No time for that,” she told her, pulling her along, “we gotta find your heart.”
“They buried it.” Regina tugged on her hand again, halting her. Off Emma’s shocked look, she looked around the caverns. “He embedded it deep in the rock somewhere down here. I have no idea how to even begin to locate it, even with magic.”
Emma huffed, stuffing her hands through her curls agitatedly and looking down at the ground. As her eyes traveled, they settled on the vial of fuchsia, still dangling between Regina’s fingertips. She paused, cocking her head and murmuring thoughtfully, “I think I do...”
Regina followed her gaze, holding up the vial. “I’ve never used this before. Never possessed it. What do I--”
“Drink it,” Emma told her instinctively. “That kind of magic is only created when two hearts find each other, right?”
“Yes.”
“So let’s get your heart to find us.”
A soft pop and Regina had the cap off, holding the vial to her mouth. Looking to Emma, she quirked a brow, a bit of that ‘evil queen’ sly smirk hitting her lips. “And if we need this later?”
Emma smirked right back at her. “It’s you and me, Regina. We’ll figure it out.”
Regina gave a small smile, reaching for Emma’s hand. Squeezing it in her own, Emma watched as she upended the vial, gulping the fuchsia concoction down straight. She coughed and spluttered briefly, a hand fluttering to her chest as if she’d just had a particularly strong gulp of liquor.
“It’s strong,” she sputtered around the cough.
Emma raised her brows, commenting, “Most powerful magic there is, Regina. Didn’t think it was gonna taste like bubblegum, did you?”
Regina shot her a glare, though it remained for only a split-second before the ground began to shake beneath them and a more startled expression commandeered her features.
They reached for one another again, hearing a high-pitched cackle from somewhere deep in the caverns.
“Watch out!”
Before she could react, Regina shoved her down onto the ground, shielding her body with her own as something went whizzing past their heads. Her eyes followed the trajectory to find a piece of jagged rock slamming into the smooth stone wall on the other side of the cavern.
“What the hell was that?” she breathed as they helped one another to their feet.
Regina looked over her shoulder, toward where the rock originated, and gave a tug on her companion’s hand. “Emma...”
She turned, following Regina’s gaze, her eyes widening slightly as a small ornate box emerged from the hole in the rock, floating toward them. They watched, hands linked loosely... the pads of their fingers still exchanging energy. When it reached them, the box slowly opened with a soft creak of its hinges, revealing a red glow inside.
Emma stared at it in shock. “Is that...”
Regina nodded, finishing the thought. “My heart.”
This time, a low growl bounced off the cavern walls, and the two of them whipped their heads in every direction, looking for the source. “We gotta get out of here,” Emma murmured, grabbing the box from mid-air and slamming it shut, hugging it to her body as she and Regina took off. “Come on!”
The ground shook beneath them again, almost angrily, and they ducked into a small, dark alcove near the elevator shaft. “In here, quick,” Emma whispered, pushing Regina in before she climbed in behind her.
She could barely see even inches in front of her face, and she blindly reached her hand out for Regina. “What do we do?” she whispered.
“You need to put my heart back where it belongs,” Regina murmured, “and you need to do it quickly.”
“What?” She glanced in Regina’s direction though she couldn’t see her, still holding the box to her chest. “Are you insane? I have no idea how to do that! You took a few hearts in your heyday, why can’t you do it?”
“You can’t replace your own heart. Besides... of all the hearts I’ve taken, never have I given one back.”
Emma cursed under her breath. “Regina...”
“Emma, we don’t have much time. Please.”
Sighing, Emma opened the box, the red glow of Regina’s heart filling the alcove. She looked up and met Regina’s eyes, taken in by the soft smile she saw on her face.
“That heart belongs to you anyway, my dear,” Regina told her, her tone low and silky. “It should be you.”
Letting out her breath, Emma nodded quickly -- nervously -- and reached a shaking hand inside the velvet-lined box. “I have no idea what I’m doing...”
“It’s okay,” Regina soothed her, grasping the hand that held her heart and directing it to her chest. “I trust you.” Ducking her head to capture her gaze, she added, “I love you.”
Emma’s own heart seized up in her throat. Swallowing hard, she whispered shakily, “I love you too,” and then screwed her courage and her eyes shut, as she plunged her hand inside Regina’s chest.
Regina gasped, body tensing, and Emma released her grip on the heart as she opened her eyes, pulling her hand back with a white burst. Almost immediately, she pressed her hand to Regina’s chest, feeling for any sort of open wound or scar. What she found instead was soft, unmarred skin. And when her hand pressed more tightly against that skin, she felt the strong, steady beating beneath.
They breathed out their relief in unison and Emma dipped her head. Regina’s hand skirted along her jawline and she lifted it once more, sighing happily when she was met with warm lips. The kiss was brief, however, as the ground beneath them began to rumble once more, and a great beastly shriek split the stale air.
They broke apart, twin expressions of alarm firmly in place. “They’re coming,” Emma murmured.
“I can’t tell from where, though,” Regina whispered, the two of them still clinging together in the tiny alcove.
“Come out come out wherever you are, dearies....” Rumplestiltskin’s echo bounced off every wall.
Emma met Regina’s eyes. “What do we do?”
She watched, slightly in awe, as Regina slowly became the embodiment of the queen she once was. Her spine straightened gradually, almost vertebrae by vertebrae. Her chin lifted, and the spark of panic in her brown eyes turned to one of determination. She answered Emma, “Exactly what they want us to do: step out and fight.”
And in that low, determined statement, Emma found her courage, her bearings. Here was Regina, a queen defeated and left powerless in so many ways -- curse thwarted by love, plans for domination overthrown by a power-hungry imp, bruised and beaten and tortured, left for dead within an icy tomb -- and yet her willpower, her determination to overcome and to be strong for her son, never wavered.
So Emma straightened up accordingly and closed her eyes a moment, envisioning her father’s sword. She had the dagger of course, but that had one use and one use only -- bringing an end to Rumplestiltskin. And before that moment arrived, she and Regina would have to fight for their lives -- fight for a life together, with their son. She would fight like hell for that.
In moments, the blade of Prince James was in her hands and Regina was looking to her with an impressed, raised-brow expression.
She hefted the sword in her hand, nodding to Regina. “I’ll go first.”
Glancing surreptitiously around the corner, Emma stepped out of the alcove. The ground was still rumbling in places and that high-pitched wail of a beast -- Maleficent, most likely -- continued to echo, but she forged ahead, sword held in front of her. She listened as Regina stepped out behind her, sidling close. Their eyes and heads darted in different directions, each of them following a different sound.
Flames suddenly fanned out from atop one of the high stone walls -- a veritable cliff in the underground catacombs. And there was Maleficent in her more intimidating form, large scaly tail flapping, its spines breaking stone off the cliffs and sending them tumbling into the lava that filled the mines.
“Alright, Rumple!” Emma called, raising the sword. “You’ve got us where you want us, now quit hiding behind Regina’s mom and step out and fight.”
“What was that, dearie?” With a poof, he appeared, and Emma startled briefly.
The golden scales, that she’d spotted on his hands and wrists in the pawn shop, now covered him completely. His eyes, that were previously dark and calculatingly cold, now glittered in a bright golden color. His hair fell in rigid waves and he looked, well... downright reptilian.
“Was that a thinly-veiled jab at my masculinity? Perhaps a way to goad me out of hiding so we could duel?” His voice was high and jovial, no trace of humor in the giggle that escaped. “How droll! Well, Princess Emma... ask and you shall receive.” He dipped into a low bow, and Emma wished more than anything to impale him with that dagger then and there.
“But first things first!” He held up a finger as he snapped upward, practically dancing backward. “I must applaud you in your success, extracting our dear monarch! Cora is quite displeased, it’s marvelous.”
“Where is she?” Emma seethed.
Another giggle, and then, “What? Anxious to meet mummy-in-law? Get her blessing before you two ride off into the sunset?” Off their glares, he grinned. “Oh please. I believe we all saw that little twist coming a mile away.”
Spinning away with a flourish, he took a few steps as he continued his taunting. “It makes quite the story, you know. A powerful queen scorned, cursing her mortal enemy to a life without her true love. A princess, borne of that true love and carried to term by the mortal enemy, growing to be a valiant and brave white knight. Extraordinary circumstances draw the two protagonists together and for a time they, too, are mortal enemies -- the queen and the white knight.”
Emma and Regina remained shoulder-to-shoulder, their narrowed eyes continuing to follow Rumplestiltskin as he spun back to face them swiftly, pointing at them.
“But then! A crisis. Flames licking the walls, a spot of danger afoot and the white knight saves the queen.” He bounced jauntily. “Pulls her from the ash and the flames and something shifts in that queen. The rivalry gets a little more tenuous. The queen realizes she doesn’t mind having the knight around... just in case.”
Emma and Regina side-eyed one another before turning their gaze back to the imp as he circled them slowly, happily weaving his tale. “Another crisis and it’s this time that the knight and the queen must band together as one for a common goal. Perhaps they realize that they’re not so different from one another. Perhaps they even feel a glimmer of gratitude that the other is there. They begin to care for one another, and soon the queen realizes she needs the knight. So they battle and fall together and grow to love one another, each of them dreaming of a happy ending.”
With a little grin, he leaned toward them and added, “That, my dearies, is where I come in. You see it’s all the standard fairytale fodder, until this moment in time. When I write your ending for you. And this tale, my dears, is of the unconventional sort. For there is no happy ending... no true love.”
She and Regina exchanged one more glance; she saw the plan written in her eyes and the curl of her lips. Sable locks flew as Regina turned to Rumplestiltskin, raised one perfectly-groomed brow and said lowly, “I wouldn’t be too sure of that.”
Then everything went dark. A deep violet fog blocked out everything -- the light from the lava, the occasional glimmer of a diamond embedded deep in the mines. It obscured everything, as both of them took off in opposite directions, gliding fast without touching the ground and leaving a trail of smoke in their wake.
The dragon screeched shrilly as Rumplestiltskin roared his fury, rumbling the ground as Emma landed lightly on top of the cavern walls. Her first instinct was to search out Regina, but this time she knew she had to push the instinct away. Regina could, and would, hold her own in this fight.
She flicked her wrist, letting go of the hilt of the sword ever so briefly and sending it spinning before grasping it once again, feeling the weight and balance of it in her hand. Sharply, she looked up as flames parted the violet smoke, and a gigantic reptilian head seemed to grin at her.
“You and me again, huh Maleficent? Didn’t work out too well for you the last time.”
The dragon breathed fire that skirted just above her head, and Emma ducked, brandishing the sword. Before either of them could make a further advance, Emma was airborne, crying out her surprise as she fell from the wall and slid, several yards, across the ground.
“Emma!” she heard Regina calling after her.
Pushing herself up on her elbows, she grappled for the sword as Regina’s mother strode toward her slowly, her long gown swishing with every step.
She stopped right at Emma’s toes, giving her a slow-curling smile as she said, “Sorry I’m late.”
“Oh, I’d say you’re right on time, dear Cora,” Rumplestiltskin greeted her. “Been busy, have we?”
“Mm.” Cora nodded, eyes still trained on Emma as she answered. “The realms are very nearly pushed together. The curse is practically complete.”
“Curse...” Emma pushed herself up further, hearing Regina rush up behind her to help. Her bones ached from the fall and her skin was stinging from the swift slide across the rock.
Regina braced her, the two of them facing Cora and Rumple warily. “You’re enacting a new curse, Mother.” It wasn’t as much a question as it was a statement.
“Was there any doubt that I would?” she smiled. “You failed so miserably at the last one, I felt it was my motherly duty to show you how to cast one properly.” She smiled at Rumplestiltskin. “No saviors. No loopholes.” Then, to Regina and Emma, she sneered derisively. “No ‘true love’s kiss.’”
With a sigh, Cora turned, skirt sweeping the dust on the ground as she moved. “No, with this curse there will be no happiness of any sort. Every heart in Storybrooke, every heart in the magical realms, will be in constant turmoil. They’ll be in our hands,” she looked to Rumple.
Regina and Emma glimpsed at him quickly, both spotting the murderous expression to cross his features behind Cora’s back. Emma recalled their conversation in the pawn shop and wondered just why on Earth he would ever consent to sharing power.
Cora continued on, not noticing. “Every heart will be under our command.”
“So we’ll be your puppets,” Emma surmised, eyes still flitting to Rumplestiltskin every so often while he stared Cora down unnoticed.
“Exactly, dear.” Cora smiled, tilting her head. “Lost souls, in need of direction.”
“You’ve forgotten the best part,” Rumple uttered beside her.
“Ah, yes. The memories.”
“We won’t remember who we are,” Regina guessed.
“More than misplacing a fairytale identity, my dear,” her mother told her. “You won’t remember a thing. Not a thing. Not a name, an age, an inkling as to who you were, are or might someday be.” She glanced to Emma. “All of you, one collective blank slate, wiped clean again at the start of every passing day. Empty rooms, for us to fill with our every whim.” She held up a finger to make a point. “More than puppets, you see. More like...” She feigned thought, wrist twirling in the air as if searching for the right word, before that vacant smile was turned on Emma once again, “An army.”
“First things first, Cora!” a voice rang out.
She and Rumple turned, and Emma and Regina leaned to the side to see Snow White atop the underground cliffs holding a bow and arrow, aimed right at them. Behind her was James, wielding a new sword, Ruby and Granny, Mother Superior, and a host of other faces Emma had seen around Storybrooke but couldn’t place in the fairytale realm.
The new queen cocked an almost smug smile as she fixed her aim on Cora and said, “You’ve gotta get through my army first,” before she let the arrow fly.
“Move!” Regina shoved her and they rolled out of the way, just in time to look up and see Cora grab the arrow from mid-air, turning it to smoke.
“Oh, Snow,” she sighed, sounding almost disappointed. “Sweet Snow.” She tilted her head once more. “I’m afraid you’ll have to do better than that.” And with that, she extended both hands and splayed her fingers, blasting off the chunk of rock where they all stood.
Their screams rang out and Emma yelled for her mother in terror, watching as Regina leapt to her feet and sprang into action. She countered her mother’s blast with one of her own -- though this created a violet bubble around the citizens of Storybrooke. She strained visibly, chest heaving with adrenaline, as the bubble slowly lifted them back up where they had been, and mended the break in the rock.
Then they were left with a mere moment... in which Snow stared at Regina in shock and Regina stared breathlessly right back, some sort of understanding exchanged... before Regina was knocked to the ground by a violent burst from Cora.
“You miserable fool of a child!” she hissed, towering over her.
And that was when everything descended into chaos.
A series of shouts and yells exploded from the tops of the cliffs as everyone rose to fight. Emma lunged at Cora and tackled her to the ground, pulling out the weapons she knew how to use best: her fists.
Regina scrambled out of the way and went after Rumplestiltskin. As she reached him, he smiled, giving a flutter of a wave before disappearing into thin air, leaving her scrambling to see where he had gone.
James and some of the other men took on Maleficent as she roared and spewed fire, while Snow and Granny sent arrows raining down toward Cora.
Emma was cast to the side, deemed an afterthought, and each of the arrows were effortlessly blocked -- some turning to ash and smoke, others raining down as flower petals, while others still were sent right back at the archers.
“Duck!” Emma screamed up toward them and they obeyed, dipping behind some of the taller rocks.
She turned toward Maleficent, watching her father brandishing his sword while some of the other men -- she recognized one of them as Leroy -- pelted the dragon with rocks.
Spinning again, her eyes searched out Regina amid all the chaos and blue met brown. Everything slowed, for just a moment, and Emma found her center. But it was ripped away from her far too quickly when someone came up behind Regina, grabbed her with a hand around her throat, just under her chin and hissed, “You didn’t forget about me, did you?”
Jefferson.
Without thought, Emma dove for him, her hand extended and engulfing Regina with a puff of white smoke, sliding her out of the way. The back of Jefferson’s head hit the ground with a hard smack and she was on top of him, pummeling him with her fists.
“Do you think you even stand a chance against the two of us?” she shouted, raining her fury down upon him.
“She’s powerless, she’s got nothing.”
“Wrong. She’s got me,” and one more punch landed him unconscious.
“Emma...”
Regina beckoned her gaze and she turned, the two of them reaching for one another and hanging on for support as their attention simultaneously drifted to Cora. Now there was a wolf bearing down on her with Snow and Granny following after -- it had to be Ruby.
But with one flick of the wrist, Cora sent the wolf flying into a nearby alcove. She dealt with Jefferson with her other hand, vanishing him into thin air -- possibly banishing him once more to Wonderland. Another flick of the wrist conjured a wrought iron gate that trapped Ruby in the alcove, before her attention went back to Snow and Granny.
“Mother!” Regina shouted, she and Emma still bracing one another.
Cora spun, silently, and met her daughter’s eyes expectantly.
Gently untangling their clasped hands, Regina stepped in front of Emma and said, “You and I aren’t quite finished. Before you start with them, you’d best deal with me.”
Emma watched as a slow, calculating smile bit its way across the elder Mills’ mouth. “You’re right, darling,” she cooed, her tone icier than the block within which she’d entombed her daughter. “I need hearts to cast the curse, so let’s begin again with yours.”
Emma’s eyes widened, and she met her mother’s alarmed gaze, the two of them rooted to the spot as Cora advanced on Regina.
“Did you and your princess really think that you could just put your heart back and I wouldn’t go after it again?”
Behind Cora’s back, Emma slowly edged closer. When Snow White made a short move toward her in her periphery, Emma stopped her with a calm hand that told her she had a plan.
Regina and Cora remained locked on one another, Cora circling her daughter predatorily. “After all these years emulating me and following in my footsteps, it turns out you’re just like your father. A simple fool.” Lowering her gaze, she stared her daughter down through her lashes. “Now for the last time, Regina... what did I tell you about love?”
When she saw Cora lunge, Emma moved without thinking, her magic taking her there quicker than a blink. Regina was swept out of the way by a blue surge of magic and Emma took her place, eyes widening and her lips choking on a gasp as she felt Cora’s hand plunge inside her chest.
“NO! EMMA!” Regina screamed, starting toward her.
Snow, without taking her eyes off her daughter, wrapped her arms around Regina’s shoulders, restraining her instinctively, trusting in Emma’s unspoken plan.
“Emma!” James yelled in anguish from up above, tossing his sword straight into the dragon and ending that fight.
Maleficent’s high-pitched roars of pain pierced every set of ears, but the sound was ultimately ignored as Cora and Emma became the centerpiece of the battle. James, Leroy and the others ran down to join them, everyone standing with bated breath, each as uncertain as the next as to whether or not they should intervene. None even dared to flinch when ash rained down on them, Maleficent’s defeated dragon form drifting all around.
Cora chuckled, and Emma felt her wiggle her fingers inside her chest, each digit closing around the fragile organ.
“Oh, you stupid, stupid girl,” Cora shook her head, pity dripping from her tone as she gave her heart a light squeeze.
Emma’s breath hitched, her chest spasming briefly with the motion.
She heard Regina begin to cry behind her while Snow kept her braced, her name sliding from her lips. “Emma...”
“Will you and my daughter never learn? Love is weakness.” And she tugged.
Emma jerked, preparing for the sight of her heart glowing in the older woman’s hand. But it didn’t come. Cora’s satisfied, maniacal grin soon turned to a frown of confusion. She tugged again. The heart didn’t budge.
And Emma lifted her head with realization. “No,” she breathed, adrenaline still somewhere in the stratosphere. “Love isn’t weakness. It’s strength.”
Then, as if from nowhere, a pure white pulse shuddered out of Emma -- out of her heart, her body, her very being. It shuddered out so quickly and so powerfully that Cora was thrown off, quite literally. The pure pulse of light blew her back so far and so quick, she was barely able to stop herself from falling head-first into the lava that filled the chasm beneath them.
The entirety of their crew stood in limbo, a war waging in each of them -- whether or not to extend a kindness and help the woman so hellbent on their destruction before she plummeted to her death.
Emma stared at the two bony hands clutching the ground for dear life, as footsteps hurried toward her. She felt a warm body collide behind her, gripping each of her arms gently, but she couldn’t react as she stood frozen in shock.
“What the hell just happened?” she breathed, her mind’s eye replaying the white pulse.
Releasing her gentle grip on her arms and stepping up beside her, peering into the lava-filled chasm, Regina told her, “She couldn’t take your heart.”
Before Emma could even wrap her mind around the more prevalent question - the why - a puff of smoke appeared between them and the others, Rumplestiltskin materializing once again.
His eyes scanned them all before he spun on the heel of his boot, footsteps echoing as he slowly sauntered up to the edge of the rock, peering down at Cora who still struggled to hold on. Crouching on his haunches, he addressed her. “Well well well. Looks like we’ve gotten ourselves into a bit of a quandary, haven’t we?”
“Rumple...” Cora strained. “It’s the girl - the savior. Her heart, I couldn’t--”
“I know,” he cut her off, each of the two syllables seeping out amidst a slow, knowing grin.
Emma met Regina’s eyes, clasping her hand tightly, directing her back toward the others while keeping a watchful eye on Rumplestiltskin.
Emma glanced at the interaction taking place, glanced at Rumplestiltskin’s hand as it moved to grasp Cora’s, to help her. Then she looked to her father. “The dagger,” she stated plainly.
James nodded. “I grabbed it off the bike before we came down here.” He handed her the leather satchel.
Regina’s eyes widened. “Is that...”
“Yes.”
She clamped a hand over Emma’s wrist, her coffee-brown eyes still round with panic. “If he knows it’s here--”
“He won’t,” Emma promised. “We’ll hide it.”
Mother Superior, who until that point had helped them fight without protest, now stepped forward and spoke up. “I would advise against the use of that dagger, Princess Emma. Anyone who possesses it, and uses it to kill the Dark One, becomes themselves the Dark One.”
“I can handle it,” she breathed. “If I can survive a heart-ripping, I can probably survive a little dark magic.” Leaning on tiptoe, she stowed the satchel away behind some of the stones, looking to Regina, who nodded her assent.
The fairy-turned-nun did not look pleased, standing there with lips pursed tightly, but she voiced no further protests. Instead, she said quietly, “I will gather the fairies. We must work on pushing the realms apart before Rumplestiltskin tries anything else.” And with that, she vanished.
James gave a nod to Leroy and some of the others, who nodded their understanding of his unspoken command and made their way out, stealthily avoiding attracting the maniacal imp’s attention.
“What about Cora?” Snow asked, and all eyes turned to the interaction taking place at the edge of the lava pit.
Emma kept her eyes on Rumplestiltskin’s back, murmuring, “I don’t think we’ll need to worry about her much longer.”
Rumplestiltskin leaned down with a grin, hand still gripping Cora’s.
“You knew...” Cora hissed, angered. “How--”
“She’s a product of true love, of course!” A high-pitched, delighted giggle escaped. “Did you really think it would be that easy?”
“We need her heart! What about our plan?”
“Not so fast, dearie. That was your plan.” He lifted her by the wrist so they were eye to eye. “I have one of my own, and sadly, it doesn’t involve you.”
The last word was a tortuous whisper, barely heard above the din of the bubbling lava. And with that last little syllable, Rumplestiltskin released Cora’s wrist and let her fall, her screams filling the mines.
Emma’s heart lurched, her hand reaching for Regina’s as she heard her gasp. Cora may have been a complete sociopath that ruined Regina’s life and made her into a monster, but she knew that there was a deep-seeded love still in Regina, somewhere. She was her mother.
Rumplestiltskin hopped up, jauntily wiping his hands as if he had just finished doing the dishes. “Now, dearies! Where were we?” Feigning thought, he pressed a jagged black fingernail to his lips, then held it up in faux realization. “Ah yes! Run.”
It was then that the mines seemed to roar to life. The ground rumbled beneath them, throwing several of them off-kilter. The wolf howled before its form spun and shifted back into Ruby. She gripped the wrought-iron bars, yelling to Snow and James. “What do we do?”
Rumplestiltskin giggled, blasting large chunks of rock off the cliffs and sending them tumbling down. Lava splashed up around each one, some of it landing dangerously close to where they stood huddled together.
Regina held up a hand, purple smoke erasing the gate that held Ruby captive, her eyes on she and Granny. “You’ll do precisely what he told you to do. You’ll run.”
With a nod, the two of them took off, leaving just Snow, James, Emma and Regina behind to fight Rumplestiltskin.
“Now why did you have to send them away? The more the merrier!”
“It’s four against one, Rumple,” Regina told him, taking the helm of their haphazard crew. “Surrender and we’ll be merciful.”
He giggled once more, conjuring a chair from nowhere and sitting down at the edge of the seat. His hands templed together, fingertips drumming against one another. “Is that the beginning of a deal that I hear?”
Emma cocked her head. “I thought you were ‘fresh out’ of new deals.”
“Make your case and perhaps I will make an exception.”
Snow White stepped forward, a queenly confidence in her step as she approached where he sat. “You surrender to us... abide by your inevitable sentencing and imprisonment... and we will let you live. That’s the deal.”
“Ah. And I’ve grown bored,” he sighed, leaping to his feet and making the chair disappear with a snap of his fingers. “Threats against my life hold no ground I’m afraid, your Majesties. For there’s only one way to rid yourselves of me.”
Emma folded her arms, a smug smile playing about her lips as she told him teasingly, “Oh, we know.”
He paused, looking to each of them. The implication in Emma’s tone had been clear, and it had the desired affect on him. “Where is it,” he said lowly. Not a question, a demand.
“Are you ready to make a deal?” James asked of him.
“Where... is it,” he tried again.
Emma shrugged, continuing to toy with him. “I dunno, it’s probably somewhere down here...”
He shook visibly, seeming to explode in his anger as he roared, “WHERE IS IT!” The sheer fury pouring from him knocked a few more chunks of rock off the cliff and into the lava. “IT BELONGS TO ME. TELL ME WHERE IT IS.”
Snow White shook her head, holding her ground. “Surrender and we’ll lead you right to it.”
“NO. DEAL.” And he sent her flying.
“Snow!” James yelled.
She landed hard against the rock high above the lava, the stone capturing her wrists in an unbreakable grip. “Charming!”
He was next, landing stomach-first against the cliff directly beside his wife, both arms and legs trapped by the stone. He struggled to break free, to no avail.
She and Regina sent blast after blast -- blue and purple alternating -- as they tried to break her parents free. The rock didn’t move, didn’t so much as crack.
“You let them go,” Emma growled, spinning on her heel and advancing on Rumplestiltskin. “If you ever wanna see that stupid dagger again, you’ll let them go.”
“Or what, dearie? You’ll stomp your feet? Toss some silly blue lightning at me? No.” On the ‘no,’ he knocked her to the ground and pulsed his fingers, sliding her abruptly to the edge of the lava pit.
“EMMA!” Regina screamed.
Emma scrambled to stop herself, her hair dangling over the edge. She fought against Rumplestiltskin’s magical grip, exerting nearly all her energy only to push herself onto her elbows.
“You think you can toy with me? Tease me and try to sucker a white flag out of me?”
That menacing grin of decaying teeth neared. Emma found herself inches away from his gleaming gold eyes, chest heaving with adrenaline and fear.
“Now I will ask you one last time, dearie. And this answer is for the whole pot -- mummy, daddy, your true love.” He leaned close, voice low. “Where... is... my... dagg--”
And the last syllable emerged as a strangled groan. Emma watched his eyes go wide for a split second before his forehead creased in pain. She felt his invisible grip on her disappear entirely and she scooted away, eyes wide as saucers, as blackened blood trickled from his mouth.
She had clamored to her feet just in time to see him tipping forward, to see him land on his face, the dagger he so intensely sought now protruding from his back.
And over him stood her savior -- Regina -- her mouth set in a frown of indifference as she answered him nonchalantly, “Here it is.”
The stone holding her parents hostage began to crumble. They floated gently to the ground as if supported by invisible parachutes, and ran to Emma’s side, the four of them standing over Rumplestiltskin.
He made a few wet gurgling sounds at the back of his throat and then went still. Regina leaned down to him and Emma watched her closely. “Is he...”
Her nod answered the question before her lips did.
“Yes,” she confirmed.
Emma glanced to her parents, the two of them clinging to one another and reaching out to their daughter in unison -- Snow’s hand touching the curve of her hair while James clasped her shoulder. They turned to see Regina slowly grasping the hilt of the dagger, yanking it free of Rumplestiltskin’s back.
Emma’s eyes widened as she studied the dagger.
Upon the blade, beneath the dark stains of blood, she watched the name change shape. And in seconds, it was no longer Rumplestiltskin’s name claiming the dagger. Instead, it was emblazoned with the name ‘Mills.’
“Regina...” Her voice sounded a low warning, her hand reaching out.
“Yes.” Regina gripped her hand.
Snow White stated what was on all of their minds. “You’re the new Dark One.”
Regina nodded slowly in response holding the blade up and tilting her head, examining the name. Her voice sounded far off... distant... as she murmured, “Yes, I suppose I am.”
Tension clung to every molecule in the air. Emma had never even considered the idea of Regina being the one to wield the dagger. Dark magic was her escape, her vice. And now all of the dark magic that existed had been laid like carefully-wrapped gifts at her feet.
Her stomach clenched with worry as she watched Regina touch the blade and turn it over in her hand.
She looked up to them sharply, taking in each of their expressions.
And to the silent question each of them was too afraid to ask, she shrugged and mused, “Why would I want all of that darkness when I have the most powerful magic there is?”
Then her eyes settled on Emma. She smiled. And Emma released her breath, reaching for her once again and hugging her tight. They broke apart quickly, the dagger still in Regina’s hand, and they looked down at it simultaneously. Emma watched her true love’s eyes venture toward the lava and she knew what she had in mind. So she nodded, smiled her agreement... and Regina pitched the dagger into the lava.
Bursts of smoke flew up from the slowly-melting dagger, ash swirling around them. She and Regina shielded one another as all four sets of eyes watched the lava swallowing the Dark One’s source of power. As it melted, they heard a long breath escape from Rumplestiltskin’s body, that breath echoing around them as he too turned to ash, dissipating into the air.
And once the sword had been fully consumed, the lava disappeared. The mines were restored. And the elevator that led Emma to her true love dinged to life, its doors sliding open.
So she turned to Regina. As did Snow and James. With a slow smile, she asked of her, “So what now?”
And Regina drew in a slow breath, letting it out as she allowed herself to smile back. Their eyes met and she told Emma, “Now, I think I’d like to go home.”
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}
CHAPTER 27: A Queen Most Powerful
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: Series through 2x09 - Queen of Hearts
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: Dimly, at the back of her mind she hoped that by keeping her eyes closed long enough, she could wake from the nightmare she’d obviously fallen into. Then she could go downstairs and find Regina sipping her coffee at the table, looking up at her through her lashes while Henry played with his cereal.
*****
Emma’s sniffle bounced off the walls of the caverns, breaking the silence that had settled in for what felt like hours. For so long she knelt slumped against the coffin, eyes closed as she mourned the lost love she never really knew. Dimly, at the back of her mind she hoped that by keeping her eyes closed long enough, she could wake from the nightmare she’d obviously fallen into. Then she could go downstairs and find Regina sipping her coffee at the table, looking up at her through her lashes while Henry played with his cereal.
Henry. What would she tell Henry? That while she’d been looking for some magic dagger, his adoptive mother was killed by a crazy man and a heart-ripping sorceress? Or maybe, “Hey, you had ten good years with her. Pretty good run if you ask me.” It wasn’t good enough. The best excuse she could possibly conjure, whatever that may be, would never be good enough.
Sighing, Emma shifted, shutting her eyes tighter as she let the back of her head hit the block of ice, not flinching as the cold bit into her. “I love you,” she whispered again, wishing Regina could hear her.
A small tinkle, like glass, was her only answer, followed by a barely-discernible tap against her boot. She opened her eyes and looked down, finding a shard of ice next to her on the ground, quickly melting against the heat from the surrounding lava. The sight was enough to shock Emma into turning around and, when she spotted the thin cracks in Regina’s icy tomb, she stumbled to her feet.
“What the hell?” she breathed, eyes wide as saucers.
Leaning over, she peered in through the thick ice, looking for any sign of movement just as Regina’s eyes burst open and focused immediately on her.
“Regina!”
The tears sprung forth once again, streaming in rivulets down each cheek, though these were tears of relief. She watched Regina’s mouth open and bubbles emerge. Her fist pounded on the ice that held her captive and Emma leapt into action.
“Hang on!” she shouted. “I’m gonna get you out!”
Without waiting for a response from Regina -- she wasn’t sure she could hear her, after all -- Emma clasped her hands together as a brace and slammed herself elbow-first into the ice. The ice didn’t budge. She stared in shock at the complete absence of a dent, a nick, a scratch, anything from the impact of her elbow.
“What the hell....” she repeated, this one a low whisper.
She tried again, this time with the toe of her boot. Cursing loudly, she stumbled back and grabbed her throbbing foot. The ice had done damage to it rather than the other way around. Then, she began to just pound madly on the icy surface, frantic to make any sort of an impact. She watched as Regina struggled as well, bubbles cascading from her nostrils and her lips as her fists pounded from beneath. All to no avail.
Emma slumped, exhausted, against the coffin and stared forlornly down at Regina as she tried to catch her breath. “I’m sorry.”
Regina pounded a few more times, and Emma thought she had mouthed her name, but she couldn’t be sure.
“I know! I know. It’s not budging, but I’m going to figure it out. Okay?” She nodded, raising her brows. “I won’t let you die.” More quietly, she finished, “I love you.”
A loud crack startled her and she jumped, finding a deeper split making its way across the coffin. She remembered the last time she’d said those words and the small piece of ice that had hit her boot. And she whipped her head up with realization, staring through the ice and water into Regina’s brown eyes.
“That’s it,” she murmured. “I love you.”
A large corner chunk of the tomb cracked off and hit the ground, melting almost instantly. Emma watched it briefly before turning her eyes back to her counterpart, letting the emotion push away any lingering doubt and instead take her over. “You aggravate the hell out of me, and the last thing I wanted was to feel this way.”
She let the feeling fill her until she thought it would come bursting out of her eyes. “But you’re in my veins and in my heart and I don’t care how it happened, you’re in there and you won’t come out. And I don’t want to get you out. You’re there in every inch of me, every last annoying bit of you and I want you there, always.”
From beneath the ice and the water, Regina burst into a wide, heart-stopping smile, as if knowing what was coming, and Emma chuckled through her tears as she finished, “I can’t help it. I love you, Regina.”
With one last long series of cracks, the tomb shattered in a brilliant icy burst, and Emma shielded herself as icicles of varying sizes grazed past her. They floated past her slowly, fanning out until every piece orbited around them in swirling loops and tendrils - icy star matter, encircling them.
Regina pulled herself up, surfacing with a bursting gasp of air. Her hands clutched desperately at the remnants of the tomb at her sides, as if fearing she’d slip under again, and Emma raced to her side. She let her hands fall to her hair -- the thick, dark hair she’d always envied and now adored -- and then to her skin. She nearly startled with surprise at how cold Regina was. The water lapped around her waist and her legs were still submerged, but every bit of her above the water was inexplicably dry, including her clothing.
Regina’s chest heaved as she took in loud gulps of air, and Emma continued stroking her hair and face soothingly -- though whether it was to soothe Regina or herself, she wasn’t sure. Finally, she seemed to catch her breath, and Emma found herself awarded with a smile so bright she idly wondered if it was a plot to steal all of her breath.
Regina cupped her face, ice-cold fingers sliding along her cheek. “I love you too,” she exhaled.
Emma breathed out a smile of her own, a teary chuckle escaping before she wrapped her arms around Regina’s back and held her tightly, closing her eyes. She felt Regina’s arms tighten around her neck and shoulders, and for the longest moment they simply breathed together, hearts in tandem.
Gently, she pulled Regina from the remains of the tomb, helping her slide carefully over the ice and then bracing her as she found her footing, each of them clasping each other’s arms.
Emma’s eyes followed the movement of her counterpart’s lips, pursing and blowing a puff of air at the thin slices of hair obscuring her right eye. “Where’s your mother?” she asked, heart still thundering with adrenaline as she tucked the pesky piece of hair behind Regina’s ear. “And Rumplestiltskin and the others?”
“I don’t know,” Regina breathed, legs unsteady as she took a first few steps, and Emma gripped her hand tightly. “Everything went dark when they sealed me in the ice.” Her head lifted slowly and their eyes met. “The next thing I heard was your voice.”
Emma swallowed, smiling just slightly at the feeling of warmth that hit her at that comment, before drawing herself back to their present situation. “Well if they know that I just busted you out, they can’t be that far behind us. Let’s go.”
“No. Wait.” Regina stopped her with a swift tug, nearly crushing her hand with desperation, eyes alight with fear and trepidation. “You have to be careful around me.”
Emma furrowed her brows. “What are you talking about?”
“My heart, Emma. Rumplestiltskin has my heart.”
“Yeah I know,” she huffed, raising her eyebrows ruefully. “I watched him yank it from your chest.” Off of Regina’s questioning glance, she replied, “The mirror.”
“Well then you must know that when you take a heart, you control its owner.” She shook her head. “It’s not safe for you to listen to anything I say. As soon as they discover that I’m awake and that you’ve come to rescue me, there’s no telling what they’ll do to me.” Quieter, she added, “Or what they’ll have me do to you.”
Emma allowed herself a moment to cup Regina’s face, to slide her thumb over the softness of her cheek. She thought of everything she’d seen Regina do - the wicked, backhanded plays in their initial power struggle. She thought of the things she’d read in Henry’s book, of what she had done to other people -- the body count she had attacked her with in their argument. And then she thought of every moment she’d spent with Regina since the curse broke. And she told her, “I’m not worried.”
“Why not?”
“Because I trust you. And...” Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the vial she’d toted with her and held it up. “Because we’ve got this.”
Regina stared at it in wonder, plucking it from her fingers. “Is that...”
“True love,” Emma nodded.
Looking up at her, Regina asked, “You made a new potion? From your parents’ hair?”
She shook her head. “Henry made that.” Holding Regina’s gaze, she finished, “From our hair.”
“It can’t be...”
She smirked. “I’m as annoyed about it as you are.”
Regina turned the vial over in her hand, watching it glow. Slowly, she shook her head, her countenance almost remorseful. “I can’t use this.”
“What? Why not?”
“They drained me.” She met her eyes, sorrow filling the deep brown irides. “I’m powerless, I can’t use magic.”
Emma dipped her head. “God, they really put you through the wringer, didn’t they?”
“They have a lot to be upset about. And,” she shrugged, throwing another glimpse down at the vial of True Love, “I never expected to live through this anyway. The curse was my last chance at happiness. I didn’t know Henry was going to come along.” Holding her gaze, she added, “I didn’t know I was going to fall in love with you.”
Emma sighed, reaching for her hand. She squeezed it briefly, then turned it over in her own. She allowed herself a moment to caress Regina’s palm, tracing the lines as carefully as if she were trying to read her future. Then, she closed her eyes, painlessly slicing the skin of Regina’s hand. Regina startled at the sight but didn’t move, trusting her implicitly. Emma wordlessly gashed her own hand and held it up.
“One last time,” she said. “If they’re coming for us... if we’re both going down in this fight... you deserve a chance to fight back.”
Regina nodded, pressing her palm to Emma’s and lacing their fingers tight, just as she had the first time. Their eyes met. Emma felt a surge of heat and her head snapped back, images assailing her -- some of which she’d seen before.
There was the melting sword, and she and Regina shielding one another. Arrows flying and screams piercing the air and then Regina leaning down, a gentle smile on her lips as she kissed a small hairless head, murmuring, “I love you.” There was laughter and happiness, and hugs from Henry, followed by she and Regina clasping hands, smiling at one another.
Emma gasped as she came out of it, finding that she and Regina had been blasted apart one more time. They clamored for one another, grabbing each other’s arms and holding on tight. Regina stared into her eyes, her own wide. “You saw...”
Emma shook her head. “No time for that,” she told her, pulling her along, “we gotta find your heart.”
“They buried it.” Regina tugged on her hand again, halting her. Off Emma’s shocked look, she looked around the caverns. “He embedded it deep in the rock somewhere down here. I have no idea how to even begin to locate it, even with magic.”
Emma huffed, stuffing her hands through her curls agitatedly and looking down at the ground. As her eyes traveled, they settled on the vial of fuchsia, still dangling between Regina’s fingertips. She paused, cocking her head and murmuring thoughtfully, “I think I do...”
Regina followed her gaze, holding up the vial. “I’ve never used this before. Never possessed it. What do I--”
“Drink it,” Emma told her instinctively. “That kind of magic is only created when two hearts find each other, right?”
“Yes.”
“So let’s get your heart to find us.”
A soft pop and Regina had the cap off, holding the vial to her mouth. Looking to Emma, she quirked a brow, a bit of that ‘evil queen’ sly smirk hitting her lips. “And if we need this later?”
Emma smirked right back at her. “It’s you and me, Regina. We’ll figure it out.”
Regina gave a small smile, reaching for Emma’s hand. Squeezing it in her own, Emma watched as she upended the vial, gulping the fuchsia concoction down straight. She coughed and spluttered briefly, a hand fluttering to her chest as if she’d just had a particularly strong gulp of liquor.
“It’s strong,” she sputtered around the cough.
Emma raised her brows, commenting, “Most powerful magic there is, Regina. Didn’t think it was gonna taste like bubblegum, did you?”
Regina shot her a glare, though it remained for only a split-second before the ground began to shake beneath them and a more startled expression commandeered her features.
They reached for one another again, hearing a high-pitched cackle from somewhere deep in the caverns.
“Watch out!”
Before she could react, Regina shoved her down onto the ground, shielding her body with her own as something went whizzing past their heads. Her eyes followed the trajectory to find a piece of jagged rock slamming into the smooth stone wall on the other side of the cavern.
“What the hell was that?” she breathed as they helped one another to their feet.
Regina looked over her shoulder, toward where the rock originated, and gave a tug on her companion’s hand. “Emma...”
She turned, following Regina’s gaze, her eyes widening slightly as a small ornate box emerged from the hole in the rock, floating toward them. They watched, hands linked loosely... the pads of their fingers still exchanging energy. When it reached them, the box slowly opened with a soft creak of its hinges, revealing a red glow inside.
Emma stared at it in shock. “Is that...”
Regina nodded, finishing the thought. “My heart.”
This time, a low growl bounced off the cavern walls, and the two of them whipped their heads in every direction, looking for the source. “We gotta get out of here,” Emma murmured, grabbing the box from mid-air and slamming it shut, hugging it to her body as she and Regina took off. “Come on!”
The ground shook beneath them again, almost angrily, and they ducked into a small, dark alcove near the elevator shaft. “In here, quick,” Emma whispered, pushing Regina in before she climbed in behind her.
She could barely see even inches in front of her face, and she blindly reached her hand out for Regina. “What do we do?” she whispered.
“You need to put my heart back where it belongs,” Regina murmured, “and you need to do it quickly.”
“What?” She glanced in Regina’s direction though she couldn’t see her, still holding the box to her chest. “Are you insane? I have no idea how to do that! You took a few hearts in your heyday, why can’t you do it?”
“You can’t replace your own heart. Besides... of all the hearts I’ve taken, never have I given one back.”
Emma cursed under her breath. “Regina...”
“Emma, we don’t have much time. Please.”
Sighing, Emma opened the box, the red glow of Regina’s heart filling the alcove. She looked up and met Regina’s eyes, taken in by the soft smile she saw on her face.
“That heart belongs to you anyway, my dear,” Regina told her, her tone low and silky. “It should be you.”
Letting out her breath, Emma nodded quickly -- nervously -- and reached a shaking hand inside the velvet-lined box. “I have no idea what I’m doing...”
“It’s okay,” Regina soothed her, grasping the hand that held her heart and directing it to her chest. “I trust you.” Ducking her head to capture her gaze, she added, “I love you.”
Emma’s own heart seized up in her throat. Swallowing hard, she whispered shakily, “I love you too,” and then screwed her courage and her eyes shut, as she plunged her hand inside Regina’s chest.
Regina gasped, body tensing, and Emma released her grip on the heart as she opened her eyes, pulling her hand back with a white burst. Almost immediately, she pressed her hand to Regina’s chest, feeling for any sort of open wound or scar. What she found instead was soft, unmarred skin. And when her hand pressed more tightly against that skin, she felt the strong, steady beating beneath.
They breathed out their relief in unison and Emma dipped her head. Regina’s hand skirted along her jawline and she lifted it once more, sighing happily when she was met with warm lips. The kiss was brief, however, as the ground beneath them began to rumble once more, and a great beastly shriek split the stale air.
They broke apart, twin expressions of alarm firmly in place. “They’re coming,” Emma murmured.
“I can’t tell from where, though,” Regina whispered, the two of them still clinging together in the tiny alcove.
“Come out come out wherever you are, dearies....” Rumplestiltskin’s echo bounced off every wall.
Emma met Regina’s eyes. “What do we do?”
She watched, slightly in awe, as Regina slowly became the embodiment of the queen she once was. Her spine straightened gradually, almost vertebrae by vertebrae. Her chin lifted, and the spark of panic in her brown eyes turned to one of determination. She answered Emma, “Exactly what they want us to do: step out and fight.”
And in that low, determined statement, Emma found her courage, her bearings. Here was Regina, a queen defeated and left powerless in so many ways -- curse thwarted by love, plans for domination overthrown by a power-hungry imp, bruised and beaten and tortured, left for dead within an icy tomb -- and yet her willpower, her determination to overcome and to be strong for her son, never wavered.
So Emma straightened up accordingly and closed her eyes a moment, envisioning her father’s sword. She had the dagger of course, but that had one use and one use only -- bringing an end to Rumplestiltskin. And before that moment arrived, she and Regina would have to fight for their lives -- fight for a life together, with their son. She would fight like hell for that.
In moments, the blade of Prince James was in her hands and Regina was looking to her with an impressed, raised-brow expression.
She hefted the sword in her hand, nodding to Regina. “I’ll go first.”
Glancing surreptitiously around the corner, Emma stepped out of the alcove. The ground was still rumbling in places and that high-pitched wail of a beast -- Maleficent, most likely -- continued to echo, but she forged ahead, sword held in front of her. She listened as Regina stepped out behind her, sidling close. Their eyes and heads darted in different directions, each of them following a different sound.
Flames suddenly fanned out from atop one of the high stone walls -- a veritable cliff in the underground catacombs. And there was Maleficent in her more intimidating form, large scaly tail flapping, its spines breaking stone off the cliffs and sending them tumbling into the lava that filled the mines.
“Alright, Rumple!” Emma called, raising the sword. “You’ve got us where you want us, now quit hiding behind Regina’s mom and step out and fight.”
“What was that, dearie?” With a poof, he appeared, and Emma startled briefly.
The golden scales, that she’d spotted on his hands and wrists in the pawn shop, now covered him completely. His eyes, that were previously dark and calculatingly cold, now glittered in a bright golden color. His hair fell in rigid waves and he looked, well... downright reptilian.
“Was that a thinly-veiled jab at my masculinity? Perhaps a way to goad me out of hiding so we could duel?” His voice was high and jovial, no trace of humor in the giggle that escaped. “How droll! Well, Princess Emma... ask and you shall receive.” He dipped into a low bow, and Emma wished more than anything to impale him with that dagger then and there.
“But first things first!” He held up a finger as he snapped upward, practically dancing backward. “I must applaud you in your success, extracting our dear monarch! Cora is quite displeased, it’s marvelous.”
“Where is she?” Emma seethed.
Another giggle, and then, “What? Anxious to meet mummy-in-law? Get her blessing before you two ride off into the sunset?” Off their glares, he grinned. “Oh please. I believe we all saw that little twist coming a mile away.”
Spinning away with a flourish, he took a few steps as he continued his taunting. “It makes quite the story, you know. A powerful queen scorned, cursing her mortal enemy to a life without her true love. A princess, borne of that true love and carried to term by the mortal enemy, growing to be a valiant and brave white knight. Extraordinary circumstances draw the two protagonists together and for a time they, too, are mortal enemies -- the queen and the white knight.”
Emma and Regina remained shoulder-to-shoulder, their narrowed eyes continuing to follow Rumplestiltskin as he spun back to face them swiftly, pointing at them.
“But then! A crisis. Flames licking the walls, a spot of danger afoot and the white knight saves the queen.” He bounced jauntily. “Pulls her from the ash and the flames and something shifts in that queen. The rivalry gets a little more tenuous. The queen realizes she doesn’t mind having the knight around... just in case.”
Emma and Regina side-eyed one another before turning their gaze back to the imp as he circled them slowly, happily weaving his tale. “Another crisis and it’s this time that the knight and the queen must band together as one for a common goal. Perhaps they realize that they’re not so different from one another. Perhaps they even feel a glimmer of gratitude that the other is there. They begin to care for one another, and soon the queen realizes she needs the knight. So they battle and fall together and grow to love one another, each of them dreaming of a happy ending.”
With a little grin, he leaned toward them and added, “That, my dearies, is where I come in. You see it’s all the standard fairytale fodder, until this moment in time. When I write your ending for you. And this tale, my dears, is of the unconventional sort. For there is no happy ending... no true love.”
She and Regina exchanged one more glance; she saw the plan written in her eyes and the curl of her lips. Sable locks flew as Regina turned to Rumplestiltskin, raised one perfectly-groomed brow and said lowly, “I wouldn’t be too sure of that.”
Then everything went dark. A deep violet fog blocked out everything -- the light from the lava, the occasional glimmer of a diamond embedded deep in the mines. It obscured everything, as both of them took off in opposite directions, gliding fast without touching the ground and leaving a trail of smoke in their wake.
The dragon screeched shrilly as Rumplestiltskin roared his fury, rumbling the ground as Emma landed lightly on top of the cavern walls. Her first instinct was to search out Regina, but this time she knew she had to push the instinct away. Regina could, and would, hold her own in this fight.
She flicked her wrist, letting go of the hilt of the sword ever so briefly and sending it spinning before grasping it once again, feeling the weight and balance of it in her hand. Sharply, she looked up as flames parted the violet smoke, and a gigantic reptilian head seemed to grin at her.
“You and me again, huh Maleficent? Didn’t work out too well for you the last time.”
The dragon breathed fire that skirted just above her head, and Emma ducked, brandishing the sword. Before either of them could make a further advance, Emma was airborne, crying out her surprise as she fell from the wall and slid, several yards, across the ground.
“Emma!” she heard Regina calling after her.
Pushing herself up on her elbows, she grappled for the sword as Regina’s mother strode toward her slowly, her long gown swishing with every step.
She stopped right at Emma’s toes, giving her a slow-curling smile as she said, “Sorry I’m late.”
“Oh, I’d say you’re right on time, dear Cora,” Rumplestiltskin greeted her. “Been busy, have we?”
“Mm.” Cora nodded, eyes still trained on Emma as she answered. “The realms are very nearly pushed together. The curse is practically complete.”
“Curse...” Emma pushed herself up further, hearing Regina rush up behind her to help. Her bones ached from the fall and her skin was stinging from the swift slide across the rock.
Regina braced her, the two of them facing Cora and Rumple warily. “You’re enacting a new curse, Mother.” It wasn’t as much a question as it was a statement.
“Was there any doubt that I would?” she smiled. “You failed so miserably at the last one, I felt it was my motherly duty to show you how to cast one properly.” She smiled at Rumplestiltskin. “No saviors. No loopholes.” Then, to Regina and Emma, she sneered derisively. “No ‘true love’s kiss.’”
With a sigh, Cora turned, skirt sweeping the dust on the ground as she moved. “No, with this curse there will be no happiness of any sort. Every heart in Storybrooke, every heart in the magical realms, will be in constant turmoil. They’ll be in our hands,” she looked to Rumple.
Regina and Emma glimpsed at him quickly, both spotting the murderous expression to cross his features behind Cora’s back. Emma recalled their conversation in the pawn shop and wondered just why on Earth he would ever consent to sharing power.
Cora continued on, not noticing. “Every heart will be under our command.”
“So we’ll be your puppets,” Emma surmised, eyes still flitting to Rumplestiltskin every so often while he stared Cora down unnoticed.
“Exactly, dear.” Cora smiled, tilting her head. “Lost souls, in need of direction.”
“You’ve forgotten the best part,” Rumple uttered beside her.
“Ah, yes. The memories.”
“We won’t remember who we are,” Regina guessed.
“More than misplacing a fairytale identity, my dear,” her mother told her. “You won’t remember a thing. Not a thing. Not a name, an age, an inkling as to who you were, are or might someday be.” She glanced to Emma. “All of you, one collective blank slate, wiped clean again at the start of every passing day. Empty rooms, for us to fill with our every whim.” She held up a finger to make a point. “More than puppets, you see. More like...” She feigned thought, wrist twirling in the air as if searching for the right word, before that vacant smile was turned on Emma once again, “An army.”
“First things first, Cora!” a voice rang out.
She and Rumple turned, and Emma and Regina leaned to the side to see Snow White atop the underground cliffs holding a bow and arrow, aimed right at them. Behind her was James, wielding a new sword, Ruby and Granny, Mother Superior, and a host of other faces Emma had seen around Storybrooke but couldn’t place in the fairytale realm.
The new queen cocked an almost smug smile as she fixed her aim on Cora and said, “You’ve gotta get through my army first,” before she let the arrow fly.
“Move!” Regina shoved her and they rolled out of the way, just in time to look up and see Cora grab the arrow from mid-air, turning it to smoke.
“Oh, Snow,” she sighed, sounding almost disappointed. “Sweet Snow.” She tilted her head once more. “I’m afraid you’ll have to do better than that.” And with that, she extended both hands and splayed her fingers, blasting off the chunk of rock where they all stood.
Their screams rang out and Emma yelled for her mother in terror, watching as Regina leapt to her feet and sprang into action. She countered her mother’s blast with one of her own -- though this created a violet bubble around the citizens of Storybrooke. She strained visibly, chest heaving with adrenaline, as the bubble slowly lifted them back up where they had been, and mended the break in the rock.
Then they were left with a mere moment... in which Snow stared at Regina in shock and Regina stared breathlessly right back, some sort of understanding exchanged... before Regina was knocked to the ground by a violent burst from Cora.
“You miserable fool of a child!” she hissed, towering over her.
And that was when everything descended into chaos.
A series of shouts and yells exploded from the tops of the cliffs as everyone rose to fight. Emma lunged at Cora and tackled her to the ground, pulling out the weapons she knew how to use best: her fists.
Regina scrambled out of the way and went after Rumplestiltskin. As she reached him, he smiled, giving a flutter of a wave before disappearing into thin air, leaving her scrambling to see where he had gone.
James and some of the other men took on Maleficent as she roared and spewed fire, while Snow and Granny sent arrows raining down toward Cora.
Emma was cast to the side, deemed an afterthought, and each of the arrows were effortlessly blocked -- some turning to ash and smoke, others raining down as flower petals, while others still were sent right back at the archers.
“Duck!” Emma screamed up toward them and they obeyed, dipping behind some of the taller rocks.
She turned toward Maleficent, watching her father brandishing his sword while some of the other men -- she recognized one of them as Leroy -- pelted the dragon with rocks.
Spinning again, her eyes searched out Regina amid all the chaos and blue met brown. Everything slowed, for just a moment, and Emma found her center. But it was ripped away from her far too quickly when someone came up behind Regina, grabbed her with a hand around her throat, just under her chin and hissed, “You didn’t forget about me, did you?”
Jefferson.
Without thought, Emma dove for him, her hand extended and engulfing Regina with a puff of white smoke, sliding her out of the way. The back of Jefferson’s head hit the ground with a hard smack and she was on top of him, pummeling him with her fists.
“Do you think you even stand a chance against the two of us?” she shouted, raining her fury down upon him.
“She’s powerless, she’s got nothing.”
“Wrong. She’s got me,” and one more punch landed him unconscious.
“Emma...”
Regina beckoned her gaze and she turned, the two of them reaching for one another and hanging on for support as their attention simultaneously drifted to Cora. Now there was a wolf bearing down on her with Snow and Granny following after -- it had to be Ruby.
But with one flick of the wrist, Cora sent the wolf flying into a nearby alcove. She dealt with Jefferson with her other hand, vanishing him into thin air -- possibly banishing him once more to Wonderland. Another flick of the wrist conjured a wrought iron gate that trapped Ruby in the alcove, before her attention went back to Snow and Granny.
“Mother!” Regina shouted, she and Emma still bracing one another.
Cora spun, silently, and met her daughter’s eyes expectantly.
Gently untangling their clasped hands, Regina stepped in front of Emma and said, “You and I aren’t quite finished. Before you start with them, you’d best deal with me.”
Emma watched as a slow, calculating smile bit its way across the elder Mills’ mouth. “You’re right, darling,” she cooed, her tone icier than the block within which she’d entombed her daughter. “I need hearts to cast the curse, so let’s begin again with yours.”
Emma’s eyes widened, and she met her mother’s alarmed gaze, the two of them rooted to the spot as Cora advanced on Regina.
“Did you and your princess really think that you could just put your heart back and I wouldn’t go after it again?”
Behind Cora’s back, Emma slowly edged closer. When Snow White made a short move toward her in her periphery, Emma stopped her with a calm hand that told her she had a plan.
Regina and Cora remained locked on one another, Cora circling her daughter predatorily. “After all these years emulating me and following in my footsteps, it turns out you’re just like your father. A simple fool.” Lowering her gaze, she stared her daughter down through her lashes. “Now for the last time, Regina... what did I tell you about love?”
When she saw Cora lunge, Emma moved without thinking, her magic taking her there quicker than a blink. Regina was swept out of the way by a blue surge of magic and Emma took her place, eyes widening and her lips choking on a gasp as she felt Cora’s hand plunge inside her chest.
“NO! EMMA!” Regina screamed, starting toward her.
Snow, without taking her eyes off her daughter, wrapped her arms around Regina’s shoulders, restraining her instinctively, trusting in Emma’s unspoken plan.
“Emma!” James yelled in anguish from up above, tossing his sword straight into the dragon and ending that fight.
Maleficent’s high-pitched roars of pain pierced every set of ears, but the sound was ultimately ignored as Cora and Emma became the centerpiece of the battle. James, Leroy and the others ran down to join them, everyone standing with bated breath, each as uncertain as the next as to whether or not they should intervene. None even dared to flinch when ash rained down on them, Maleficent’s defeated dragon form drifting all around.
Cora chuckled, and Emma felt her wiggle her fingers inside her chest, each digit closing around the fragile organ.
“Oh, you stupid, stupid girl,” Cora shook her head, pity dripping from her tone as she gave her heart a light squeeze.
Emma’s breath hitched, her chest spasming briefly with the motion.
She heard Regina begin to cry behind her while Snow kept her braced, her name sliding from her lips. “Emma...”
“Will you and my daughter never learn? Love is weakness.” And she tugged.
Emma jerked, preparing for the sight of her heart glowing in the older woman’s hand. But it didn’t come. Cora’s satisfied, maniacal grin soon turned to a frown of confusion. She tugged again. The heart didn’t budge.
And Emma lifted her head with realization. “No,” she breathed, adrenaline still somewhere in the stratosphere. “Love isn’t weakness. It’s strength.”
Then, as if from nowhere, a pure white pulse shuddered out of Emma -- out of her heart, her body, her very being. It shuddered out so quickly and so powerfully that Cora was thrown off, quite literally. The pure pulse of light blew her back so far and so quick, she was barely able to stop herself from falling head-first into the lava that filled the chasm beneath them.
The entirety of their crew stood in limbo, a war waging in each of them -- whether or not to extend a kindness and help the woman so hellbent on their destruction before she plummeted to her death.
Emma stared at the two bony hands clutching the ground for dear life, as footsteps hurried toward her. She felt a warm body collide behind her, gripping each of her arms gently, but she couldn’t react as she stood frozen in shock.
“What the hell just happened?” she breathed, her mind’s eye replaying the white pulse.
Releasing her gentle grip on her arms and stepping up beside her, peering into the lava-filled chasm, Regina told her, “She couldn’t take your heart.”
Before Emma could even wrap her mind around the more prevalent question - the why - a puff of smoke appeared between them and the others, Rumplestiltskin materializing once again.
His eyes scanned them all before he spun on the heel of his boot, footsteps echoing as he slowly sauntered up to the edge of the rock, peering down at Cora who still struggled to hold on. Crouching on his haunches, he addressed her. “Well well well. Looks like we’ve gotten ourselves into a bit of a quandary, haven’t we?”
“Rumple...” Cora strained. “It’s the girl - the savior. Her heart, I couldn’t--”
“I know,” he cut her off, each of the two syllables seeping out amidst a slow, knowing grin.
Emma met Regina’s eyes, clasping her hand tightly, directing her back toward the others while keeping a watchful eye on Rumplestiltskin.
Emma glanced at the interaction taking place, glanced at Rumplestiltskin’s hand as it moved to grasp Cora’s, to help her. Then she looked to her father. “The dagger,” she stated plainly.
James nodded. “I grabbed it off the bike before we came down here.” He handed her the leather satchel.
Regina’s eyes widened. “Is that...”
“Yes.”
She clamped a hand over Emma’s wrist, her coffee-brown eyes still round with panic. “If he knows it’s here--”
“He won’t,” Emma promised. “We’ll hide it.”
Mother Superior, who until that point had helped them fight without protest, now stepped forward and spoke up. “I would advise against the use of that dagger, Princess Emma. Anyone who possesses it, and uses it to kill the Dark One, becomes themselves the Dark One.”
“I can handle it,” she breathed. “If I can survive a heart-ripping, I can probably survive a little dark magic.” Leaning on tiptoe, she stowed the satchel away behind some of the stones, looking to Regina, who nodded her assent.
The fairy-turned-nun did not look pleased, standing there with lips pursed tightly, but she voiced no further protests. Instead, she said quietly, “I will gather the fairies. We must work on pushing the realms apart before Rumplestiltskin tries anything else.” And with that, she vanished.
James gave a nod to Leroy and some of the others, who nodded their understanding of his unspoken command and made their way out, stealthily avoiding attracting the maniacal imp’s attention.
“What about Cora?” Snow asked, and all eyes turned to the interaction taking place at the edge of the lava pit.
Emma kept her eyes on Rumplestiltskin’s back, murmuring, “I don’t think we’ll need to worry about her much longer.”
Rumplestiltskin leaned down with a grin, hand still gripping Cora’s.
“You knew...” Cora hissed, angered. “How--”
“She’s a product of true love, of course!” A high-pitched, delighted giggle escaped. “Did you really think it would be that easy?”
“We need her heart! What about our plan?”
“Not so fast, dearie. That was your plan.” He lifted her by the wrist so they were eye to eye. “I have one of my own, and sadly, it doesn’t involve you.”
The last word was a tortuous whisper, barely heard above the din of the bubbling lava. And with that last little syllable, Rumplestiltskin released Cora’s wrist and let her fall, her screams filling the mines.
Emma’s heart lurched, her hand reaching for Regina’s as she heard her gasp. Cora may have been a complete sociopath that ruined Regina’s life and made her into a monster, but she knew that there was a deep-seeded love still in Regina, somewhere. She was her mother.
Rumplestiltskin hopped up, jauntily wiping his hands as if he had just finished doing the dishes. “Now, dearies! Where were we?” Feigning thought, he pressed a jagged black fingernail to his lips, then held it up in faux realization. “Ah yes! Run.”
It was then that the mines seemed to roar to life. The ground rumbled beneath them, throwing several of them off-kilter. The wolf howled before its form spun and shifted back into Ruby. She gripped the wrought-iron bars, yelling to Snow and James. “What do we do?”
Rumplestiltskin giggled, blasting large chunks of rock off the cliffs and sending them tumbling down. Lava splashed up around each one, some of it landing dangerously close to where they stood huddled together.
Regina held up a hand, purple smoke erasing the gate that held Ruby captive, her eyes on she and Granny. “You’ll do precisely what he told you to do. You’ll run.”
With a nod, the two of them took off, leaving just Snow, James, Emma and Regina behind to fight Rumplestiltskin.
“Now why did you have to send them away? The more the merrier!”
“It’s four against one, Rumple,” Regina told him, taking the helm of their haphazard crew. “Surrender and we’ll be merciful.”
He giggled once more, conjuring a chair from nowhere and sitting down at the edge of the seat. His hands templed together, fingertips drumming against one another. “Is that the beginning of a deal that I hear?”
Emma cocked her head. “I thought you were ‘fresh out’ of new deals.”
“Make your case and perhaps I will make an exception.”
Snow White stepped forward, a queenly confidence in her step as she approached where he sat. “You surrender to us... abide by your inevitable sentencing and imprisonment... and we will let you live. That’s the deal.”
“Ah. And I’ve grown bored,” he sighed, leaping to his feet and making the chair disappear with a snap of his fingers. “Threats against my life hold no ground I’m afraid, your Majesties. For there’s only one way to rid yourselves of me.”
Emma folded her arms, a smug smile playing about her lips as she told him teasingly, “Oh, we know.”
He paused, looking to each of them. The implication in Emma’s tone had been clear, and it had the desired affect on him. “Where is it,” he said lowly. Not a question, a demand.
“Are you ready to make a deal?” James asked of him.
“Where... is it,” he tried again.
Emma shrugged, continuing to toy with him. “I dunno, it’s probably somewhere down here...”
He shook visibly, seeming to explode in his anger as he roared, “WHERE IS IT!” The sheer fury pouring from him knocked a few more chunks of rock off the cliff and into the lava. “IT BELONGS TO ME. TELL ME WHERE IT IS.”
Snow White shook her head, holding her ground. “Surrender and we’ll lead you right to it.”
“NO. DEAL.” And he sent her flying.
“Snow!” James yelled.
She landed hard against the rock high above the lava, the stone capturing her wrists in an unbreakable grip. “Charming!”
He was next, landing stomach-first against the cliff directly beside his wife, both arms and legs trapped by the stone. He struggled to break free, to no avail.
She and Regina sent blast after blast -- blue and purple alternating -- as they tried to break her parents free. The rock didn’t move, didn’t so much as crack.
“You let them go,” Emma growled, spinning on her heel and advancing on Rumplestiltskin. “If you ever wanna see that stupid dagger again, you’ll let them go.”
“Or what, dearie? You’ll stomp your feet? Toss some silly blue lightning at me? No.” On the ‘no,’ he knocked her to the ground and pulsed his fingers, sliding her abruptly to the edge of the lava pit.
“EMMA!” Regina screamed.
Emma scrambled to stop herself, her hair dangling over the edge. She fought against Rumplestiltskin’s magical grip, exerting nearly all her energy only to push herself onto her elbows.
“You think you can toy with me? Tease me and try to sucker a white flag out of me?”
That menacing grin of decaying teeth neared. Emma found herself inches away from his gleaming gold eyes, chest heaving with adrenaline and fear.
“Now I will ask you one last time, dearie. And this answer is for the whole pot -- mummy, daddy, your true love.” He leaned close, voice low. “Where... is... my... dagg--”
And the last syllable emerged as a strangled groan. Emma watched his eyes go wide for a split second before his forehead creased in pain. She felt his invisible grip on her disappear entirely and she scooted away, eyes wide as saucers, as blackened blood trickled from his mouth.
She had clamored to her feet just in time to see him tipping forward, to see him land on his face, the dagger he so intensely sought now protruding from his back.
And over him stood her savior -- Regina -- her mouth set in a frown of indifference as she answered him nonchalantly, “Here it is.”
The stone holding her parents hostage began to crumble. They floated gently to the ground as if supported by invisible parachutes, and ran to Emma’s side, the four of them standing over Rumplestiltskin.
He made a few wet gurgling sounds at the back of his throat and then went still. Regina leaned down to him and Emma watched her closely. “Is he...”
Her nod answered the question before her lips did.
“Yes,” she confirmed.
Emma glanced to her parents, the two of them clinging to one another and reaching out to their daughter in unison -- Snow’s hand touching the curve of her hair while James clasped her shoulder. They turned to see Regina slowly grasping the hilt of the dagger, yanking it free of Rumplestiltskin’s back.
Emma’s eyes widened as she studied the dagger.
Upon the blade, beneath the dark stains of blood, she watched the name change shape. And in seconds, it was no longer Rumplestiltskin’s name claiming the dagger. Instead, it was emblazoned with the name ‘Mills.’
“Regina...” Her voice sounded a low warning, her hand reaching out.
“Yes.” Regina gripped her hand.
Snow White stated what was on all of their minds. “You’re the new Dark One.”
Regina nodded slowly in response holding the blade up and tilting her head, examining the name. Her voice sounded far off... distant... as she murmured, “Yes, I suppose I am.”
Tension clung to every molecule in the air. Emma had never even considered the idea of Regina being the one to wield the dagger. Dark magic was her escape, her vice. And now all of the dark magic that existed had been laid like carefully-wrapped gifts at her feet.
Her stomach clenched with worry as she watched Regina touch the blade and turn it over in her hand.
She looked up to them sharply, taking in each of their expressions.
And to the silent question each of them was too afraid to ask, she shrugged and mused, “Why would I want all of that darkness when I have the most powerful magic there is?”
Then her eyes settled on Emma. She smiled. And Emma released her breath, reaching for her once again and hugging her tight. They broke apart quickly, the dagger still in Regina’s hand, and they looked down at it simultaneously. Emma watched her true love’s eyes venture toward the lava and she knew what she had in mind. So she nodded, smiled her agreement... and Regina pitched the dagger into the lava.
Bursts of smoke flew up from the slowly-melting dagger, ash swirling around them. She and Regina shielded one another as all four sets of eyes watched the lava swallowing the Dark One’s source of power. As it melted, they heard a long breath escape from Rumplestiltskin’s body, that breath echoing around them as he too turned to ash, dissipating into the air.
And once the sword had been fully consumed, the lava disappeared. The mines were restored. And the elevator that led Emma to her true love dinged to life, its doors sliding open.
So she turned to Regina. As did Snow and James. With a slow smile, she asked of her, “So what now?”
And Regina drew in a slow breath, letting it out as she allowed herself to smile back. Their eyes met and she told Emma, “Now, I think I’d like to go home.”
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}