Long Lost | Once Upon a Time (REWRITING)

Chapter Thirty-Five: Kansas

Storybrooke
Present

It was a little past noon when Regina walked into Emma's hotel room where her family had been awaiting her return. They had taken this spot up as some sort of headquarters, a place they could discuss their plan of action without the fear of disclosure. Ever since that night in town square, where both Grace and Regina's hearts had been taken, nothing's been the same. Grace tried to appear as the same characteristically volatile girl she always has been, but she just couldn't help but remain numb to this whole thing. She could tell her family knew it was really bothering her, though they were also sure not to openly console Grace and instead resorted to other small and hardly noticeable acts of comfort, such as gently rubbing the side of her arm from time to time and only openly scolding Grace when it was truly something horrific said. Though other than that, everyone tried to remain calm around the girl, along with the rest of the town. However, the only emotion Grace felt was rage. Her family knew that she was hellbent on stopping Zelena, now more than ever now that she has one of her spell's most important ingredients: her heart. They all knew that words weren't going to be enough this time. No, they have to stop Zelena. They have to get their hearts back before she gained whatever else it is she needed. And sure enough, that is exactly what Grace planned to do, no matter the price.

As the sound of the door closing met with their ears, Grace finally looked up to see the former queen standing beside the door with a beaming smile, a smile she soon found deflating the moment her eyes connected with Snow's astonished ones. "Regina," she called out, shock still taking over her form, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you look smitten."

Regina gave her a hardened look as she quickly collected herself after her meeting with, no doubt, Robin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Häagen-Dasz is smitten with your stomach." She said whilst nodding towards her father. Grace had to actually close her eyes to rid any unwanted thoughts of her parents together before Regina finally changed the topic onto a more important one. "Can we get started?"

Emma gazed up at her tiredly. "We were waiting for Hook."

A humorous scoff left Regina's lips as she found herself sitting on the chair across from Snow. "I don't have time to wait for the hand-less wonder. We have to figure out how to destroy my sister."

"For once, I agree with Regina." David stepped in with. Grace only scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion as she turned in his direction. "Stopping her plan is the priority."

It only took Grace a second to realize what this was really about. "You just don't want him flirting with Emma." She let out.

David's forehead creased at her accusation. "Well, I have a right to not like the guy. After all, he's a pirate."

"Enough." Emma said sternly, as to stop their father before he were to have an aneurysm. David only sighed as he relented back to the topic at hand. Emma, too, sighed before letting out, "There's just something about this plan that doesn't fit: Regina."

Said woman seemed to think the exact opposite. "I'm the point of it. So she can take my life for herself."

"And destroy me in the process." Grace added passively, earning consoling looks from her family.

Emma shook her head with a frown. "But why bring you back to Storybrooke? Why bring any of us?"

Regina sighed. "Well, no one's ever succeeded at traveling through time. Perhaps something from this world makes it possible. But what's almost as troubling is that she was able to cast the curse, to bring us all here in the first place."

Emma appeared confused by Regina's questioning. "Why is that?"

"To do it, you have to give up the thing you love most. From what I gather, Zelena doesn't love much."