Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 63 - What The Documents Really meant

The queen sat at her dressing table, in her chamber. She stared into the mirror as she saw the doors open behind her. She saw the Genie walk inside, a box in his hands.
"It's you!" she said in relief as he stepped inside.
She got to her feet and walked quickly towards him.
The double doors shut closed and they put their arms around each other. The queen put her hands on the Genie's face and gazed into his dark eyes.
"My love for you grows stronger with every beat of my heart." she said. "But the King has read my diary, found my mirror. Soon, he will discover the truth about us. There is no escape."
"There is always an escape." said the Genie. "Your father said what's in this box would give you your freedom." he indicated to the wooden box on the table. He then held up the skull key.
She took the key. "Yes, I believe it will."
She put the key inside the key hole and slowly turned it. She then hesitated. She lifted the lid of the box. She moved her hands away as she revealed what was inside. There two green snakes inside. With sharp teeth in their mouths that they opened and hissed, rowling their tongues.
"The Agrabahn viper." said the Queen. "A snake so deadly it can kill anything."
"With a single bite." said the Genie. "This serpent is from my homeland. I know all too well of its poison. But why would you have it brought here?" he looked at her.
The Queen hesitated. "There is no happiness left for me on this life..... One small bite.......and I shall be free from this prison forever." she looked back at him and held his hands. "I'm sorry we couldn't be together, my love. Perhaps in another life we will find each other again.
The Genie shook his head and the Queen reached towards the box, very slowly. Her hand was nearly inside the box, but the Genre caught her hand.
"There is another way......... What if the King didn't live?"
The Queen looked up at him quickly. "You would do that for me?"
"For you I would do anything."
She put her arms around him. "I don't know what I'd do without you." she cryed.
"You will never have to find out." he then reached forward and closed the lid of the box.

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Henry sat in Granny's Diner scribbling down notes and sketching pictures of the evil queen, Prince Charming, Snow white and other characters from his fairytale book.
"What are you working on?" asked a voice from behind him.
The mysterious biker man stood next to him lookimg down at his work.
"No time to talk." Henry answered. "I got to write it all down before I forget."
"Yeah I hate it when great ideas slip away from me."
"They're not my ideas. They're stories from a book that I lost."
He sat down next to him. "Must be a hell of a book. What's it about?"
"Stuff."
"Sounds exciting."
Herny looked up at him. "You seem awfully interested in me and my book."
"Well, I'm just being neighbourly."
"What are you doing in Storybrooke?"
"I'm a writer."
"You can write anywhere. What are you really doing here?"
He leaned closer and whispered in his ear. "Stuff." he then stood up and began to walk to the door. "Good luck with the stories." he added.
Henry went back to his writing.

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Emma and Sidney sat in Sidney's office, leaving through the files and documents they had printed in Regina's office.
"Blueprints, bank statements......." sais Sidney.
"What is she building out there?" said Emma. "A mansion?" she looked at the strange sketches of a building.
"Well, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Because these escrow statements have her name all over it." he said reading a document with 2536 Yale Road (20acres). "You were right. Personal use. She's done. We got her."
Emma's smile faded away as something came to mind. She leaned back in her chair.
"What's wrong? Didn't you hear me?" he said when he saw Emma's face.
"We stooped to her level. That's exactly what I promised Henry I wouldn't do."
"Emma, we got her!"
"It's fruits of her poisonous tree. Illegally obtained evidence. It'll get thrown out in court in a heartbeat."
"No, we don't need her to go to jail."
"Then what are we doing here?" she sat up straight.
"What you wished for. Get everyone to see who she is. What she did to Henry she does to everyone. She destroys what people love........ Oh, let me show you something." he pushed his chair back and pulled from a draw beneath the desk a white, cardboard box. He flipped off the lid of the box. Inside was filled with photographs.
Emma leaned forward and leaver through the photos. She pulled out a pile of them. The first one was of Emma and Henry sitting in the playhouse by the sea, the first time she had come to Storybrooke.
"She made me follow you." said Sidney as Emma looked through the photos. "She made me tell her everything."
Another photo was of them walking fun Archie's office in the evening.
"She new about your secret place weeks ago."
The next one was of then walking from Granny's Diner.
"She just waited to destroy it till it would hurt you and Henry the most." Sidney went on. He sighed. "It's all my fault."
She looked at another one of them in their secret place.
"If you sent don't do this, I have to."
Emma looked up from the photos. "Okay." she threw down the photographs, rage in her eyes again.

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Regina sat at the front of the City Council Meeting, beating a gavel off the desk.
"This session of Storybrooke City Council will come to order." said Regina to the people in the hall. "We will begin by reading the minutes from our last meeting."
"Excuse me, Madam Mayor." said Sidney getting to his feet in the crowd. "I have something I'd like to bring to the Council's attention." he held up a folder, that contained the documents.
"This is not an open forum, Sidney." said Regina. "And no one on this Council is interested in hearing the boozy complaints of a disgraced reporter. Now, sit down."
"He's not the only one who has something to say." Emma stood up and stepped out of thecrowd and into the aisle next to Sidney. She took the folder from him.
Regina sighed impatiently. "Miss. Swan, this meeting is to discuss issues facing Storybrooke."
"Like the Mayor stealing thousands of dollars from the city to build herself a second home?"
The crowds gasped and murmured after hearing Emma's words.
Regina smashed the gavel off the desk again.
Mr. Gold sat in the midstof the crowd watching and listening to the discussion carefully.
"Miss. Swan, you will sit down immediately or so help me."
"What? You'll punish me?" she stepped closer to her. "You'll bully me like everyone else in this town? No..... . Not today." she stared at Regina then turned to the crowd. She held up a sketch of the building. "In my hand I am holding documents proving thatbthis woman, your Mayor, stole funds from the city to build herself a lavish home in the woods."
The crowds murmured and whispered again. Regina sat in her chair in front of the crowds, a guilty look on her face. She then quickly changed her expression back to her stern, cold face.
"And this, disgraced reporter, you wanna know why he was really fired? Because he stood up to her. Because he questioned her. We all know what happens to people who question the Mayor." she turned back to Regina. "You claim that you act in the best interest of all of us. But that isn't truth, is it? The truth is, you are a thug that doesn't care about anyone or anything but youself. That is who you really are, and it's time for the people of Storybrooke to know that."
Everyone in the room looked up at the Regina.
She put on a brief smile. "You are right, Miss. Swan. I am building a house." she got to her feet and took a remote from her pocket. "A playhouse." she clicked the remote and on the overhead projector appeared an image of a playground. It had a slide and a tunnel and some climbing areas and it had the look of a castle. Beneath it was written Proposed New Storybrooke Playground.
The grounds murmured again, this time in amazement.
Emma looked up at the projector, knowing that she had lost, that Regina had won again.
"The accusations are true. I did take city funds. I wanted to build a playground so my son Henry, and all the children of Storybrooke, could have a special place to play..... Safely." she added.
Emma glared at Regina.
"As for the sketch in your hands........" she said to Emma.
Emma looked down at the floor, a slight smile on her faces she laughed on the inside of how she should have seen this coming. "..........it was inspired by a drawing I found......in one of my son's books........ So there you have it, Miss. Swan. You've exposed me for who I really am....... I hope you're satisfied." she said staring at Emma.
Regina walked back to her desk and Emma turned to the crowd as people smiled and whispered. Mr. Gold shook his head. Sidney looked down at the floor too.