A Queen Without Power (Once Upon a Time; Regina/Emma)
TITLE: A Queen Without Power
CHAPTER 22: Jumpers
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: Series through 2.02 "We Are Both"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Regina led her forward and Emma took a look at their vivid, dreamlike surroundings. Blades of grass, thick as tree trunks, loomed high over their heads. Flowers turned to greet them, some of them bowing in their presence, others snickering and making snide comments to each other.
*****
“Wonderland?” Snow White stepped forward, forehead wrinkled in curiosity. “It exists?”
Regina glanced at her, arching a brow. “You’re familiar with it?”
“Well... not me, Snow, b-but... as Mary Margaret, I read that story aloud to my class.”
She nodded, then answered her. “Yes. It exists. It’s in a separate realm, but it’s no less real.”
Emma nodded toward the hat. “And that’s how we’re supposed to get there?”
“Yes.” She set the hat on the tile and gave it a hard spin.
Together, the four of them stood over the spinning hat, watching it start to topple on its axis like a top, until it tipped on its side and rolled a few inches. Emma glanced at Regina. “Is that it?”
Regina looked wholly confused, murmuring, “No,” as she bent to give it another try.
Again, the hat spun lazily but produced nothing, eventually stopping in place. Regina picked it up and turned it over in her hand, inspecting every angle. “What the hell’s wrong with this thing?”
“Does it need a potion of some sort?” James asked.
“No. Jefferson always just... spun it. And it worked.” She shook her head, cradling the brim in her hands and looking down into the hat, as if the answer was somewhere within the silken lining. “It should work perfectly now that magic has returned.”
Emma’s stomach fell, the idea hitting her that it may take them awhile to get to Henry. “What if it only works when he spins it?”
Defeatedly, Regina sighed and closed her eyes, shoulders slumping. “If that’s the case, then we’ll never see our son again. Because you can rest assured that Jefferson won’t show his face in Storybrooke anytime soon.”
**
The four of them returned to the mayoral estate with the hat in tow, the brim dangling limply from Regina’s fingertips as they went inside. Upon stepping into the foyer, Emma watched her parents’ eyes settle on the table and flower vase, still lying splintered in the center of it all. “What happened in here?”
“It’s nothing,” Emma told them, waving dismissively. As she did, the splintered table and broken glass vanished. She frowned down at her hand briefly before looking up at them.
Her mother looked as though she had further questions, but instead kept her mouth closed as she just regarded Emma in confusion. Emma turned to her counterpart. “Maybe we need to talk through this.”
Regina sighed again and closed her eyes, though this time it was in exasperation. “What we need,” she snipped, raising her eyes to Emma’s, “is to hurry up and get our son back.”
James stepped forward. “Well Regina, let’s say you can get the hat to work. Are you and Emma just going to wander blindly through this other realm looking for Henry?”
Regina shot him a look, expression softening when Emma grasped her arm, turning her toward her. “He has a point, Regina. We need a plan. If this is really Rumplestiltskin taking the first ‘shot’ in this war, we can’t just go in swinging.” Shrugging, she threw her hands up. “We don’t even know where the hell Henry will be!”
“I do,” she replied quietly, staring down at the hat.
Emma furrowed her brows. “You do?”
“Yes.” Looking up with determination fixing her brow, Regina strode quickly to the small oval mirror on the wall and pressed a hand to it. She dipped her head and closed her eyes, concentrating, and within seconds, the surface of the mirror began to ripple. The image twisted and shifted, and soon it was no longer Regina’s reflection looking back at them -- it was Henry.
He was being dragged by Jefferson through a winding trail of sky-high, perfectly-groomed hedges. Every color surrounding them was almost ridiculously vivid, and guards were scattered every which way, eying Henry and Jefferson warily.
Emma lurched forward unconsciously, her hand reaching toward the mirror. “Henry!”
Regina grasped the outstretched hand and drew it down by her side. “He can’t hear you.”
“Where is he?” Snow White asked, she and James stepping up behind Emma and Regina.
Emma watched as her son struggled against Jefferson, who was binding his wrists with golden rope.
“You’ll never get away with this! My moms are going to find me and then you’re gonna be in trouble.”
Jefferson feigned shock, then laughed. “You think so? Sometimes parents disappoint their kids.”
Regina clenched her teeth. “I’ll kill him.”
“My mom will kill you!” Henry shouted after Jefferson as he ambled away slowly. “You think her leaving you in Wonderland was bad? Just wait and see what she does to you now!”
But Jefferson continued walking away, a smirk on his face. “I’m shakin’ in my boots, kid.”
Then Regina waved her hand and the images were gone. Emma practically jumped, feeling as though she’d been jolted back to reality after being inside of a dream. It took her mind a moment to focus. “Now what?”
“Now we do whatever the hell we can to get that hat working,” Regina told them, carrying the hat with purpose to the center of the foyer.
She set it on the tile, hands still cupping the brim, as she closed her eyes and seemed to center herself. Then, she gave the hat a spin. When it yielded nothing more than a few lazy revolutions, Emma knew her counterpart was close to losing it. So she knelt down beside her and clasped her arm supportively, trying to instill in her the calm that she couldn’t quite get herself to feel.
As she clasped her arm, Regina let out a breath and closed her eyes, dipping her head ever so slightly. It was then that the hat seemed to revive. It began spinning faster and faster, violet swirls of wind rising from it. Regina glanced at her hand, then up at Emma, as the two of them seemed to remember all at once the powerful, magical connection that had bound them so tightly to each other in the first place.
The wind picked up and they stumbled back, watching the purple swirls reach the ceiling. Below them, the hat began to transform into a giant chasm.
“You did it!” Snow White exclaimed, glancing in shock between the two of them.
Emma breathed harshly, looking down into the dark abyss that awaited them before she lifted her eyes to Regina and yelled over the wind, “You ready?”
Regina began to nod, then stopped herself. “Wait.” She glanced over her shoulder. “James, a word please.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “Now? We have to go before this thing closes on us!”
Regina shook her head, already pulling the new king aside as she told her, “It won’t go anywhere until we jump in.”
Emma glanced helplessly at her mother, who was already watching James and Regina off in the corner. Regina spoke quickly, her expression set in determination though Emma couldn’t make out through the swirling violet wind what was being said. She watched her father nod solemnly, and then he and Regina shook hands, some sort of agreement having been struck.
Her mother met her eyes in alarm, and Emma shook her head, not knowing what was going on. Then, Regina was by her side again, telling her, “It’s time for us to jump.”
“What about us?” Snow exclaimed suddenly, gripping her husband’s arm.
Regina looked up at her, telling her through the wind, “You’re the Queen now, Snow. A war has been started. It’s time to take charge of your kingdom.”
Snow White blinked her large, round eyes, momentarily terrified, before she schooled her features and nodded.
Then, Emma jumped as Regina grasped both of her hands, gripping them tightly. “Ready?”
She froze, stomach somersaulting as she considered what battles awaited them at the end of the portal. “No,” she murmured.
“Me neither,” Regina told her, and then all at once their arms were wrapped tightly around one another and they were plummeting downward at a frightening clip. Emma closed her eyes, breath too gone to scream, and Regina pulled her in tighter as they fell, cupping the back of her head in an almost protective gesture.
They landed, hard, crying out as they fell over one another. Regina let out a pained yelp as her head slammed against the polished, dark tile under them, Emma braced over her.
“You okay?” she breathed, brushing the dark hair from Regina’s eyes and face.
She nodded, still holding onto her tightly. “I think so.”
They struggled to their feet, hands bracing one another for leverage. Once they were upright, Emma took a good look at their surroundings.
They had landed in some sort of great, round hall. Tile clicked beneath the heels of her boots as she walked around, looking at the myriad doors that surrounded them on every side. Each one was a different color and shape, some with images carved into the wood, some with brilliant gems for doorknobs.
“This way.” Regina’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she turned to find her standing in front of a large mirror.
“That’s the entrance?” She stepped up beside her, looking through the mirror, which appeared to be not as much a mirror as a window into Wonderland.
Regina nodded, telling her, “Through the looking glass.”
“Okay,” she exhaled, preparing herself. “Let’s go.”
“Wait.” Regina’s hand closed around her wrist, and she looked up to meet her brown eyes.
She searched them, back and forth, noting the hesitation in Regina’s expression. “What?”
“You need to know that this is not going to be an easy rescue. I’ve... used this place as a sort of punishment for certain people; I sent them here so that I could be rid of them, and they were forced to create lives for themselves in this ridiculous place. One of them in particular rose to power, and became queen. If you think Rumplestiltskin is difficult to deal with, you will be in for a world of shock when you meet her.”
Emma shook her head. “Who is she?”
Regina blinked, and wasted no time as she told her without pretense, “My mother.”
“So you sent your mother to Wonderland, and she became the Queen of Hearts.”
“Yes. And you need to be prepared to deal with her.”
“How?”
Regina drew in a breath. “I have no idea. Her power scares me. She’s capable of anything.” Glancing down, she took Emma’s hand, watching her thumb rub her knuckles. “When we go in there, I need you to follow my lead. I need you to trust me enough to do as I say, no matter what happens.” Raising her eyes again, she held her gaze. “Do you trust me?”
Emma nodded without hesitation, keeping the contact as she replied, “Yes.”
Regina paused at that, the look on her face telling Emma she clearly expected a rebuttal of some sort, or at least some faint reluctance. “You do?”
So Emma nodded once more, squeezing Regina’s hand to assure her. “Yes.”
Regina blinked a few times in succession. Her lips twitched into a touched smile before the corners of her mouth downturned sadly. Emma couldn’t figure out if she was happy with her answer or upset by it.
But before she could so much as ask, Regina’s lips were on hers, kissing her almost desperately. Emma returned the kisses with some of her own, enjoying the feel of Regina’s hands tangled in her curls before they broke apart, foreheads meeting. They breathed together for a long moment, eyes closed, before Emma asked quietly, “...Ready?”
Regina swallowed and nodded, leaning back and taking her hand again. “Ready.”
Emma looked to her counterpart for a cue as to how to enter Wonderland. So Regina led her slowly toward the looking glass, stepping through it as the glass rippled around her. Without letting go of her hand, Emma followed, closing her eyes as she stepped into the glass. She felt as though she were submerging in a pool briefly, a cool rush sweeping over her, before she stepped through to the other side.
Glancing back at the looking glass, Emma saw that it retained its appearance. Though now, it only reflected their image, no longer providing a window to the room they’d just come from.
Regina led her forward and Emma took a look at their vivid, dreamlike surroundings. Blades of grass, thick as tree trunks, loomed high over their heads. Flowers turned to greet them, some of them bowing in their presence, others snickering and making snide comments to each other.
She nearly jumped as something moved in her periphery, and she turned to see a large mushroom at least ten feet tall, upon which a gigantic caterpillar was turning to face them. He wore a red fez and puffed on a hookah, enquiring as he blew smoke rings at them, “Who... are... you?”
Regina waved the smoke away and gave the caterpillar a dirty look while Emma watched the smoke ring surround her head like a halo, dissipating directly under her nose and inciting a brief coughing fit.
“God, I hate Wonderland,” Regina muttered, and pulled her further along the path.
They followed the path down a hill, into a valley where a labyrinth of hedges awaited them. “Henry’s in there?” Emma asked, as they stood outside the entrance, signaled by the large heart at the top of the foliage arch.
Regina nodded. “He’s at the center.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “So we have to solve this thing before we even get to him?”
“Of course not.” Keeping the fingers of her right hand laced with Emma’s, she extended her left and sent a purple pulse shuddering out, carving a hole in each hedge that led right to the center.
Emma looked over at her cautiously. “Won’t... the queen be mad?”
Regina just shrugged, telling her, “Everybody’s a little mad here,” before leading the way through the labyrinth.
**
The makeshift archways created by Regina’s blast ended a dozen yards shy of the center of the labyrinth, so as not to alert Henry’s captors of their presence. Regina signaled her to be quiet with a finger against her lips, and Emma nodded her understanding, allowing her counterpart to navigate the rest of the way through the maze. She heard Henry yelling at someone and she gasped, frozen in her tracks. She wanted to run toward the source of his voice, but Regina’s hand clamping down on her wrist stopped her.
They had to take their time, though each second that ticked by killed her a little more. Their son needed them, and here they were undergoing a sneak attack.
She heard a high-pitched, male giggle, followed by a string of threats made by Henry.
“You really think your mommies stand a chance against me, dearie?” Rumplestiltskin taunted him.
Emma clenched her teeth, seething softly, “I’ll murder him.”
“Please do,” Regina whispered. “But first, let’s get Henry to safety.”
“Right.”
They were just around the corner from the center now. The voices of Henry and Rumplestiltskin were so close, Emma thought she could reach her hand out and touch one of them.
She heard Rumplestiltskin’s tone change. “Well, well, well...”
And then suddenly, she and Regina were engulfed by one of the hedges, thick vines wrapping around them and dragging them through to the other side, lifting them high in the air before dumping them, entangled, on the ground.
“Mom!” Henry exclaimed, struggling against the golden ropes that bound him to a chair beside the throne.
Emma and Regina scrambled to their feet, turning to find Rumplestiltskin lounging on the large throne beside Henry, seated sideways with his back leaning on one arm and his legs draped over the other. He grinned at them. “What do we have here? A rescue?”
“Let him go,” Emma growled at him.
Rumplestiltskin ignored her, and instead turned glinting eyes to Regina. “So we meet again, Your Majesty.” He tilted his head, grinning. “But then again, I suppose I shouldn’t call you that anymore, hmm? What’s this I hear about you giving your power away to the little monster that killed your beloved?”
“My mother is the monster that killed Daniel. Not Snow.”
“Ooooh!” He clapped his hands in delight. “Had a change of heart, have we? That’s quite a different tune than the one you’ve been singing lo these many years.”
“Cut the theatrics, Rumple,” she told him, “I’m here to make a deal.”
“Well that’s admirable of you, dearie, but I still hold to what I said not long ago -- you no longer have anything I want.”
“You and I both know that’s not true. She made a deal with you before I was born, didn’t she? My mother.”
Emma watched the interplay, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Regina as she eyed her cautiously.
Rumplestiltskin tilted his head, shifting position to sit upright, elbows braced on each arm of the throne and hands templed together in front of him. “Go on...”
“You’ve been behind everything, ever since I was born. You’re where she got all her power, you’re the one that convinced me to trap her here. You helped her become queen and gave her the idea to hold my father hostage. But she never fulfilled her end of the bargain, did she? Not yet.”
Emma furrowed her brows in confusion. “Regina...”
“Does this soliloquy have an end, dearie? I’m afraid I’m growing rather bored.”
“Fine, then I’ll cut to the chase.” Gently, she pushed Emma slightly behind her, taking a few steps toward the throne. “You let Henry go, and in exchange I’ll make sure that you get what my mother promised you.”
“Which is what?” Emma asked, already dreading the answer.
Regina met eyes with Rumplestiltskin, spine straightened with confidence as she replied, “Me.”
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}
CHAPTER 22: Jumpers
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: Series through 2.02 "We Are Both"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Regina led her forward and Emma took a look at their vivid, dreamlike surroundings. Blades of grass, thick as tree trunks, loomed high over their heads. Flowers turned to greet them, some of them bowing in their presence, others snickering and making snide comments to each other.
*****
“Wonderland?” Snow White stepped forward, forehead wrinkled in curiosity. “It exists?”
Regina glanced at her, arching a brow. “You’re familiar with it?”
“Well... not me, Snow, b-but... as Mary Margaret, I read that story aloud to my class.”
She nodded, then answered her. “Yes. It exists. It’s in a separate realm, but it’s no less real.”
Emma nodded toward the hat. “And that’s how we’re supposed to get there?”
“Yes.” She set the hat on the tile and gave it a hard spin.
Together, the four of them stood over the spinning hat, watching it start to topple on its axis like a top, until it tipped on its side and rolled a few inches. Emma glanced at Regina. “Is that it?”
Regina looked wholly confused, murmuring, “No,” as she bent to give it another try.
Again, the hat spun lazily but produced nothing, eventually stopping in place. Regina picked it up and turned it over in her hand, inspecting every angle. “What the hell’s wrong with this thing?”
“Does it need a potion of some sort?” James asked.
“No. Jefferson always just... spun it. And it worked.” She shook her head, cradling the brim in her hands and looking down into the hat, as if the answer was somewhere within the silken lining. “It should work perfectly now that magic has returned.”
Emma’s stomach fell, the idea hitting her that it may take them awhile to get to Henry. “What if it only works when he spins it?”
Defeatedly, Regina sighed and closed her eyes, shoulders slumping. “If that’s the case, then we’ll never see our son again. Because you can rest assured that Jefferson won’t show his face in Storybrooke anytime soon.”
**
The four of them returned to the mayoral estate with the hat in tow, the brim dangling limply from Regina’s fingertips as they went inside. Upon stepping into the foyer, Emma watched her parents’ eyes settle on the table and flower vase, still lying splintered in the center of it all. “What happened in here?”
“It’s nothing,” Emma told them, waving dismissively. As she did, the splintered table and broken glass vanished. She frowned down at her hand briefly before looking up at them.
Her mother looked as though she had further questions, but instead kept her mouth closed as she just regarded Emma in confusion. Emma turned to her counterpart. “Maybe we need to talk through this.”
Regina sighed again and closed her eyes, though this time it was in exasperation. “What we need,” she snipped, raising her eyes to Emma’s, “is to hurry up and get our son back.”
James stepped forward. “Well Regina, let’s say you can get the hat to work. Are you and Emma just going to wander blindly through this other realm looking for Henry?”
Regina shot him a look, expression softening when Emma grasped her arm, turning her toward her. “He has a point, Regina. We need a plan. If this is really Rumplestiltskin taking the first ‘shot’ in this war, we can’t just go in swinging.” Shrugging, she threw her hands up. “We don’t even know where the hell Henry will be!”
“I do,” she replied quietly, staring down at the hat.
Emma furrowed her brows. “You do?”
“Yes.” Looking up with determination fixing her brow, Regina strode quickly to the small oval mirror on the wall and pressed a hand to it. She dipped her head and closed her eyes, concentrating, and within seconds, the surface of the mirror began to ripple. The image twisted and shifted, and soon it was no longer Regina’s reflection looking back at them -- it was Henry.
He was being dragged by Jefferson through a winding trail of sky-high, perfectly-groomed hedges. Every color surrounding them was almost ridiculously vivid, and guards were scattered every which way, eying Henry and Jefferson warily.
Emma lurched forward unconsciously, her hand reaching toward the mirror. “Henry!”
Regina grasped the outstretched hand and drew it down by her side. “He can’t hear you.”
“Where is he?” Snow White asked, she and James stepping up behind Emma and Regina.
Emma watched as her son struggled against Jefferson, who was binding his wrists with golden rope.
“You’ll never get away with this! My moms are going to find me and then you’re gonna be in trouble.”
Jefferson feigned shock, then laughed. “You think so? Sometimes parents disappoint their kids.”
Regina clenched her teeth. “I’ll kill him.”
“My mom will kill you!” Henry shouted after Jefferson as he ambled away slowly. “You think her leaving you in Wonderland was bad? Just wait and see what she does to you now!”
But Jefferson continued walking away, a smirk on his face. “I’m shakin’ in my boots, kid.”
Then Regina waved her hand and the images were gone. Emma practically jumped, feeling as though she’d been jolted back to reality after being inside of a dream. It took her mind a moment to focus. “Now what?”
“Now we do whatever the hell we can to get that hat working,” Regina told them, carrying the hat with purpose to the center of the foyer.
She set it on the tile, hands still cupping the brim, as she closed her eyes and seemed to center herself. Then, she gave the hat a spin. When it yielded nothing more than a few lazy revolutions, Emma knew her counterpart was close to losing it. So she knelt down beside her and clasped her arm supportively, trying to instill in her the calm that she couldn’t quite get herself to feel.
As she clasped her arm, Regina let out a breath and closed her eyes, dipping her head ever so slightly. It was then that the hat seemed to revive. It began spinning faster and faster, violet swirls of wind rising from it. Regina glanced at her hand, then up at Emma, as the two of them seemed to remember all at once the powerful, magical connection that had bound them so tightly to each other in the first place.
The wind picked up and they stumbled back, watching the purple swirls reach the ceiling. Below them, the hat began to transform into a giant chasm.
“You did it!” Snow White exclaimed, glancing in shock between the two of them.
Emma breathed harshly, looking down into the dark abyss that awaited them before she lifted her eyes to Regina and yelled over the wind, “You ready?”
Regina began to nod, then stopped herself. “Wait.” She glanced over her shoulder. “James, a word please.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “Now? We have to go before this thing closes on us!”
Regina shook her head, already pulling the new king aside as she told her, “It won’t go anywhere until we jump in.”
Emma glanced helplessly at her mother, who was already watching James and Regina off in the corner. Regina spoke quickly, her expression set in determination though Emma couldn’t make out through the swirling violet wind what was being said. She watched her father nod solemnly, and then he and Regina shook hands, some sort of agreement having been struck.
Her mother met her eyes in alarm, and Emma shook her head, not knowing what was going on. Then, Regina was by her side again, telling her, “It’s time for us to jump.”
“What about us?” Snow exclaimed suddenly, gripping her husband’s arm.
Regina looked up at her, telling her through the wind, “You’re the Queen now, Snow. A war has been started. It’s time to take charge of your kingdom.”
Snow White blinked her large, round eyes, momentarily terrified, before she schooled her features and nodded.
Then, Emma jumped as Regina grasped both of her hands, gripping them tightly. “Ready?”
She froze, stomach somersaulting as she considered what battles awaited them at the end of the portal. “No,” she murmured.
“Me neither,” Regina told her, and then all at once their arms were wrapped tightly around one another and they were plummeting downward at a frightening clip. Emma closed her eyes, breath too gone to scream, and Regina pulled her in tighter as they fell, cupping the back of her head in an almost protective gesture.
They landed, hard, crying out as they fell over one another. Regina let out a pained yelp as her head slammed against the polished, dark tile under them, Emma braced over her.
“You okay?” she breathed, brushing the dark hair from Regina’s eyes and face.
She nodded, still holding onto her tightly. “I think so.”
They struggled to their feet, hands bracing one another for leverage. Once they were upright, Emma took a good look at their surroundings.
They had landed in some sort of great, round hall. Tile clicked beneath the heels of her boots as she walked around, looking at the myriad doors that surrounded them on every side. Each one was a different color and shape, some with images carved into the wood, some with brilliant gems for doorknobs.
“This way.” Regina’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she turned to find her standing in front of a large mirror.
“That’s the entrance?” She stepped up beside her, looking through the mirror, which appeared to be not as much a mirror as a window into Wonderland.
Regina nodded, telling her, “Through the looking glass.”
“Okay,” she exhaled, preparing herself. “Let’s go.”
“Wait.” Regina’s hand closed around her wrist, and she looked up to meet her brown eyes.
She searched them, back and forth, noting the hesitation in Regina’s expression. “What?”
“You need to know that this is not going to be an easy rescue. I’ve... used this place as a sort of punishment for certain people; I sent them here so that I could be rid of them, and they were forced to create lives for themselves in this ridiculous place. One of them in particular rose to power, and became queen. If you think Rumplestiltskin is difficult to deal with, you will be in for a world of shock when you meet her.”
Emma shook her head. “Who is she?”
Regina blinked, and wasted no time as she told her without pretense, “My mother.”
“So you sent your mother to Wonderland, and she became the Queen of Hearts.”
“Yes. And you need to be prepared to deal with her.”
“How?”
Regina drew in a breath. “I have no idea. Her power scares me. She’s capable of anything.” Glancing down, she took Emma’s hand, watching her thumb rub her knuckles. “When we go in there, I need you to follow my lead. I need you to trust me enough to do as I say, no matter what happens.” Raising her eyes again, she held her gaze. “Do you trust me?”
Emma nodded without hesitation, keeping the contact as she replied, “Yes.”
Regina paused at that, the look on her face telling Emma she clearly expected a rebuttal of some sort, or at least some faint reluctance. “You do?”
So Emma nodded once more, squeezing Regina’s hand to assure her. “Yes.”
Regina blinked a few times in succession. Her lips twitched into a touched smile before the corners of her mouth downturned sadly. Emma couldn’t figure out if she was happy with her answer or upset by it.
But before she could so much as ask, Regina’s lips were on hers, kissing her almost desperately. Emma returned the kisses with some of her own, enjoying the feel of Regina’s hands tangled in her curls before they broke apart, foreheads meeting. They breathed together for a long moment, eyes closed, before Emma asked quietly, “...Ready?”
Regina swallowed and nodded, leaning back and taking her hand again. “Ready.”
Emma looked to her counterpart for a cue as to how to enter Wonderland. So Regina led her slowly toward the looking glass, stepping through it as the glass rippled around her. Without letting go of her hand, Emma followed, closing her eyes as she stepped into the glass. She felt as though she were submerging in a pool briefly, a cool rush sweeping over her, before she stepped through to the other side.
Glancing back at the looking glass, Emma saw that it retained its appearance. Though now, it only reflected their image, no longer providing a window to the room they’d just come from.
Regina led her forward and Emma took a look at their vivid, dreamlike surroundings. Blades of grass, thick as tree trunks, loomed high over their heads. Flowers turned to greet them, some of them bowing in their presence, others snickering and making snide comments to each other.
She nearly jumped as something moved in her periphery, and she turned to see a large mushroom at least ten feet tall, upon which a gigantic caterpillar was turning to face them. He wore a red fez and puffed on a hookah, enquiring as he blew smoke rings at them, “Who... are... you?”
Regina waved the smoke away and gave the caterpillar a dirty look while Emma watched the smoke ring surround her head like a halo, dissipating directly under her nose and inciting a brief coughing fit.
“God, I hate Wonderland,” Regina muttered, and pulled her further along the path.
They followed the path down a hill, into a valley where a labyrinth of hedges awaited them. “Henry’s in there?” Emma asked, as they stood outside the entrance, signaled by the large heart at the top of the foliage arch.
Regina nodded. “He’s at the center.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “So we have to solve this thing before we even get to him?”
“Of course not.” Keeping the fingers of her right hand laced with Emma’s, she extended her left and sent a purple pulse shuddering out, carving a hole in each hedge that led right to the center.
Emma looked over at her cautiously. “Won’t... the queen be mad?”
Regina just shrugged, telling her, “Everybody’s a little mad here,” before leading the way through the labyrinth.
**
The makeshift archways created by Regina’s blast ended a dozen yards shy of the center of the labyrinth, so as not to alert Henry’s captors of their presence. Regina signaled her to be quiet with a finger against her lips, and Emma nodded her understanding, allowing her counterpart to navigate the rest of the way through the maze. She heard Henry yelling at someone and she gasped, frozen in her tracks. She wanted to run toward the source of his voice, but Regina’s hand clamping down on her wrist stopped her.
They had to take their time, though each second that ticked by killed her a little more. Their son needed them, and here they were undergoing a sneak attack.
She heard a high-pitched, male giggle, followed by a string of threats made by Henry.
“You really think your mommies stand a chance against me, dearie?” Rumplestiltskin taunted him.
Emma clenched her teeth, seething softly, “I’ll murder him.”
“Please do,” Regina whispered. “But first, let’s get Henry to safety.”
“Right.”
They were just around the corner from the center now. The voices of Henry and Rumplestiltskin were so close, Emma thought she could reach her hand out and touch one of them.
She heard Rumplestiltskin’s tone change. “Well, well, well...”
And then suddenly, she and Regina were engulfed by one of the hedges, thick vines wrapping around them and dragging them through to the other side, lifting them high in the air before dumping them, entangled, on the ground.
“Mom!” Henry exclaimed, struggling against the golden ropes that bound him to a chair beside the throne.
Emma and Regina scrambled to their feet, turning to find Rumplestiltskin lounging on the large throne beside Henry, seated sideways with his back leaning on one arm and his legs draped over the other. He grinned at them. “What do we have here? A rescue?”
“Let him go,” Emma growled at him.
Rumplestiltskin ignored her, and instead turned glinting eyes to Regina. “So we meet again, Your Majesty.” He tilted his head, grinning. “But then again, I suppose I shouldn’t call you that anymore, hmm? What’s this I hear about you giving your power away to the little monster that killed your beloved?”
“My mother is the monster that killed Daniel. Not Snow.”
“Ooooh!” He clapped his hands in delight. “Had a change of heart, have we? That’s quite a different tune than the one you’ve been singing lo these many years.”
“Cut the theatrics, Rumple,” she told him, “I’m here to make a deal.”
“Well that’s admirable of you, dearie, but I still hold to what I said not long ago -- you no longer have anything I want.”
“You and I both know that’s not true. She made a deal with you before I was born, didn’t she? My mother.”
Emma watched the interplay, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Regina as she eyed her cautiously.
Rumplestiltskin tilted his head, shifting position to sit upright, elbows braced on each arm of the throne and hands templed together in front of him. “Go on...”
“You’ve been behind everything, ever since I was born. You’re where she got all her power, you’re the one that convinced me to trap her here. You helped her become queen and gave her the idea to hold my father hostage. But she never fulfilled her end of the bargain, did she? Not yet.”
Emma furrowed her brows in confusion. “Regina...”
“Does this soliloquy have an end, dearie? I’m afraid I’m growing rather bored.”
“Fine, then I’ll cut to the chase.” Gently, she pushed Emma slightly behind her, taking a few steps toward the throne. “You let Henry go, and in exchange I’ll make sure that you get what my mother promised you.”
“Which is what?” Emma asked, already dreading the answer.
Regina met eyes with Rumplestiltskin, spine straightened with confidence as she replied, “Me.”
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}