A Second Chance

Chapter 11

Previously...

"Do you really think Emma will be with you if you kill everyone?" Regina said.

"She won't be with me... she'll be with you...or at least that's what she'll think. And she'll feel so bad for me when I tell her the sad story about how I tried so hard, but I just couldn't save them. It's all my fault." she said, over dramatising the last part for effect. Then she laughed...and everything went dark...

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As The Evil Queen was explaining her plan, Regina had been able to wiggle her hand free just enough to zap her with a small magic bolt. The Evil Queen went limp on top of Regina and rolled off to the side, unconscious. Regina pushed her away and stood, dusting herself off. She picked up David's sword and quickly ran into the cave.

Once Regina got to the entrance she slowed her pace and carefully padded through just in case there were any additional traps that had been set for her. As she neared the end she could see a light shining from the depths of the cavern. She knew that must be where Emma was. She quickly made her way towards it. When she got to the archway she finally spotted it. The glass coffin. Her heart stopped for a moment as she laid eyes on Emma. Still as can be, save for the slight rise and fall of her chest, diminished by the sleeping curse. She smiled inwardly at first and then the fear kicked in. She put one hand over her heart and one on the wall of the cave to brace herself. This was it... there she was, golden curls framing her face and adorned in an all too familiar red leather jacket. Suddenly, faced with the reality that she would now know for sure one way or the other if Emma loved her back was almost too much for her. What if she didn't? What if she couldn't wake her? Her heart surely couldn't take it...but strangely enough... she wasn't sure if she could take it if she did either. All those years of denial were too strongly engrained into her to just turn it off. It was just like that tavern in the enchanted forest all over again. Why did she always do this to herself? She was sure she was doomed to be miserable forever due to nothing but her own mental anguish. But she knew she couldn't wait any longer or the spell would start collapsing. She took a deep breath and just as she was about to step forward she felt a sharp pain in her lower back and she dropped to her knees. She looked down just in time to see the tip of a blade retreat back into her. She'd been stabbed. Her arm went back to the wall to try and stop herself from falling as the Evil Queen circled around to the front so she could be seen.

"You should have killed me." she said as she bent down to speak into Regina's ear. She stood and backed up. Regina could see the burn mark from where she zapped her showing through the spot burnt into her clothing. The same place she'd just been stabbed through. Poetic justice. "So pathetic. You really thought you could win. You thought you could be a hero. You're problem is you still think like a villain, but no longer have the darkness to pull it off."

"Fine. You win. You defeated me, but please...just let Emma go. It's me you hate, not her, so please get her out of here." Regina struggled over every word. The Evil Queen laughed.

"No. You've done too much damage to my plan. If I save Emma. She'll never stop until she gets revenge on me for killing you. Now I have to let her die to save myself. You should have just done as you were told. You only have yourself to blame." she explained.

"Was I ever really this self-righteous?" Regina asked sarcastically. Before she could answer the cave started to rumble. It was too late. The Evil Queen stepped over to Emma and put a hand on her face.

"I'm sorry it had to end like this Emma. We could have been great together, but you threw it all away." she said while stroking her cheek. Regina saw red. How dare she. Regina knew she couldn't allow this to happen. But what could she do? She couldn't even stand. Snow had called her the hero of this story, but how could that be when she'd already failed. Those two idiots had trusted her with Emma's life and she'd failed... idiots...maybe that was the problem after all, she needed to think like a hero and heroes do idiotic things to win. She needed to take a risk. What else did she have to lose?

"Take your hands off of her." Regina growled.

"Or what?" The Evil Queen shot back.

"Or this..." Regina said as she tried to balance herself enough to raise her hand from the wall as bits of rock started to fall down around her.

"What are you doing?" The Evil Queen asked, worried.

"Something stupid." She replied simply.

"No!" The Evil Queen cried out just as she realized what she was about to do. Regina waved her hand and attempted to poof herself and Emma out of the cave.

The explosion followed almost immediately, shaking the ground around the cave all the way back to the castle where the battle raged on. The rumbling stopped Snow, David and Henry in their tracks. They stopped fighting and looked up to see the puff of Smoke off in the distance. They were frozen for a moment, not quite registering what had just happened.

"Did that come from the cave?" Henry asked, breaking the silence.

"No...It can't be" Snow said. "If it did that means..." she trailed off.

"It means Regina failed and they're..." David began to answer but couldn't bring himself to finish.

"No." Henry said. Snow went to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, a tear fell from her eye. "Moms." he whispered in quiet pain as Snow wrapped her arms around him and David joined at Snow's side.....

To be continued.....

(I know... that's a cruel place to leave it...)