Long Lost | Once Upon a Time (REWRITING)

Chapter Thirty-Seven: There's No Place Like Home: Part 1

Grace stood in the small dining room of the apartment, her hands pressing into the table as she stared blankly out in front of her. Slowly, anyone involved with taking down Zelena at the barn had retreated back to the hospital. There, her mother along with a few other Storybrooke citizens had remained. The first place Grace and her family went to had been the room Snow was in--the same room she had once delivered the girl's baby brother in. Ever since Zelena's attack at the hospital, her mother had been left wondering the most important question of all: was her baby safe? Fortunately, she didn't have to wonder for very long, as they had defeated Zelena and recovered the baby in swift timing.

Though the thought was relieving--the thought that her family was once again reunited and happy, for the most part--none of that eased the chaos within Grace's mind, the emotions she had been feeling, even without her heart. The girl had hardly said a word to anyone since the fight back at the barn. Seeing her heart in Regina's palm seemed to trigger something within her, though she just wasn't sure what. Just witnessing that amount of darkness... and her family saw all of it. Grace still couldn't believe it took Regina controlling her to stop her from killing Zelena. At this point, she wasn't sure if her actions were of her own free will or if they were influenced by that growing darkness. She was sure she'd never know the answer to that mind-boggling question, even if she asked every dark being in all the realms. Hell, her own family was nervous about it, them all constantly asking her if she was okay. Grace didn't even know the answer to that.

While the rest of the family had surrounded themselves around the newborn baby boy, Regina had focused her attention on Grace. Surprisingly, the woman had come back to the apartment with them all, no doubt to return Grace's heart to the girl once more. Seeing the thousand-yard stare on her face, Regina felt the need to walk over and stand to her left. Her face held that of concern, though Grace only noticed it after she spoke, "I believe this belongs to you." The teen's attention was quickly torn from the table in front of her before she turned to face the brunette woman. Looking down, she noticed the familiar darkened heart writhing within her hands. The sight could've been entrancing if it hadn't been her own.

"Unfortunately." Grace responded shortly before turning away from the object.

She could feel Regina's eyes on her, though the girl didn't dare give her the pleasure of turning back. The woman noticed this, a frown quickly forming on her already concerned features. "Are you going to be okay?" She suddenly asked as she stepped closer towards the table Grace appeared so dependent on. "Do you want to talk?"

Grace sighed at her offer. "Look, if I wanted to talk, believe me, I wouldn't be going to you. Just put my heart back, then you can leave." Her cold response was only met with that of a stoic look from the woman before her. Regina could see right through Grace, though that didn't stop her from shooting the girl one last concerned gaze before doing as requested.

She barely gave her any warning before shoving her heart back into her chest, a sharp groan leaving the girl's mouth as she did. This drew the attention of her family, though Grace kept her eyes glued to the table's flat surface. The moment her heart re-entered her body, a mental block had been lifted--a block that prevented Grace from feeling all the emotions she would've felt, had she possessed her heart all this time. Without warning, a flood of emotions was released within her mind, though she forced herself to appear unfazed. She didn't want her family or even Regina to be worried. However, the woman did just that simply by gazing at the smallest sign of a tear trickling down the girl's pale cheeks. Regina was, of course, the only one that saw it, as she had been the one standing so close to Grace's slumped form. It was as if she was expecting all these emotions to take over the girl--all the grief she felt over her past with Zelena--all because she lacked her heart.