Beane Odette - Reawakened - A Once Upon A Time Tale

— It won’t kill you, — said Regina. — No, what it will do is far worse. Your body will be your tomb, and you’ll be in there with nothing but the dreams formed of your own regrets. — The Queen smiled at the apple.

— You’re going to force me to eat it.

— No, of course not, — said Regina. — That would be barbaric. And it wouldn’t work anyway. The choice is yours. It must be taken willingly.

— And why would I eat it?

— Because if you refuse the apple, then your Prince Charming will be killed.

She had known it was coming, but hearing the Queen say it made her imagine his death, and along with that came a glimmer of the feeling. Agony. Years — decades — of agony. It would not be worth it to live like that anyway. She was trapped.

— As I said, the choice is yours, — said the Queen.

— I take it and he lives? — Snow said. — That’s the deal?

— That is the deal.

Snow nodded, took a breath.

— Then congratulations, — she said. — You’ve won.

Snow took a step forward and took the apple, and without another moment’s hesitation, she bit into it.

She chewed slowly, looking at the Queen, waiting for the pain to come. And when it did, it came all at once, rushing over her chest. She dropped the apple; she felt her eyes go wide and her legs quiver. Regina smiled through it all.

The last thing Snow saw were blades of grass; the last she heard was a quiet laugh from the Queen.

Emma stopped on the middle of Mifflin, gathered herself, and approached Regina’s home. Before she pressed the doorbell, a thought struck her: It’s not just Regina’s home. It’s Henry’s.

Regina answered the door wearing an apron and holding a spatula. She looked genuinely surprised to see Emma.

— We need to talk, — Emma said.

— Yes, — said Regina. — I imagine we do. Come right in. — Emma remembered the first time she’d been here, which was the night she arrived in town. Everything looked the same, and yet virtually everything had changed. From the kitchen, the smell of something — pie or some other pastry — filled the whole first floor with a warm, inviting scent. She didn’t trust the feeling it evoked.

— Look, — Emma said to Regina, who was waiting patiently. — This isn’t easy. But I think this — whatever it is between us — needs to end.

— At last, something we can agree on, — Regina said dryly.

— I want to make a deal. About Henry.

— What kind of deal? — Regina said cautiously.

— I’m leaving town, — said Emma.

— What? — Now Regina looked absolutely befuddled. Emma enjoyed catching the woman off guard, although this time it was bittersweet.

— This? What we’re doing? It’s a problem. — Emma pointed from Regina to herself. — I’m going to go. But there are conditions. I still get to see Henry. Visit, spend time. Whatever. And you promise not to hurt anyone again. Not David, not Mary Margaret. No one.

— I never hurt anyone, — said Regina.

— Then it’s an easy promise to make, — said Emma.

Regina looked dubious. She crossed her arms.

— Do you expect me to believe you’re really giving up? — she said.

— I’m not giving up, — Emma responded. — I’m doing what I’ve always done. I’m doing what’s best for Henry. The only way for us to stop fighting is… for us to stop fighting.

— You’re right, — Regina said. — It has to end.

— So then let’s make it easy, — Emma said. — I go back to Boston. You get Henry.

— And you still get to see him. You’re still in his life.

— Let’s be honest. We both know the world where I’m not in his life no longer exists, — Emma said. — There’s nothing anyone can do about that.

She took a deep breath, then nodded.

— Fine, — Regina said. — You’re right. Would you mind following me for a moment?

Regina led Emma into the kitchen, where the temperature was a little higher. The place, Emma had to admit, was a real home. A clean, safe home. The lights were bright, and when Regina went to the oven, Emma watched as she pulled out a crisp, steaming apple turnover. There is no chance in hell, Emma thought, I could cook something like that.

— So what exactly are you proposing, then? — Regina said.

— I don’t know. Just that we’ll figure it out in good faith as we go.

Regina nodded.

— However, — she said. — He is my son.

— Yeah, — Emma said. — All I want is your word you’ll take good care of him. And no one — not him, not this town — will get hurt.

Regina nodded.

— You have my word.

Emma stared at her; she could always tell when someone was lying. She looked at Regina for a long time, trying to see if she was being honest.

— What? — Regina finally said.

— Just seeing if you’re telling the truth, — said Emma.

— And am I? — Regina asked.

Emma nodded.

— We have a deal.

Seeing Regina smile was a strange experience. Had Emma seen it before?

— Ms. Swan? — Regina said. She held out the turnover, now inside a box of Tupperware. — Maybe a little something for the road?

Emma shrugged.

— Why not? — she said, taking it.

— If we’re going to be in each other’s lives, we need to be cordial, don’t we?

Emma nodded.

— I do hope you like apples.

It took Henry fifteen minutes to arrive at Emma’s apartment after she’d called him on the walkie-talkie. She waited at the kitchen table, a cold cube of dread in the pit of her stomach, imagining how she was going to tell him that her time in Storybrooke was over.

When she opened the door, he took one look at her face and said, — Is everything okay? You sounded strange over the walkie.

He came inside, and Emma remembered the way he’d so brazenly entered her apartment in Boston. The same laser-guided initiative. She loved that about him.

— Henry, yesterday… when I tried to take you away… — She crossed her arms. Do not cry, she thought. — You were right. I can’t take you away from Storybrooke. But I can’t stay here, either.

Henry looked back at her, trying to figure out what she meant.

— I don’t get it, — he said finally.

— I have to go, Henry, — she said.

There. It was out. The hardest part was over. An arrow through the heart did not do the feeling justice. Something in her was dying.

— Go? — he said finally. — You’re going to leave Storybrooke?

— Yes, — she said. — I talked to Regina. I made a deal with her. I’m still going to be able to see you. I just won’t be here… every day.

— NO! — he cried. — NO! You can’t trust her!

His tears were coming again, which pulled at her own.

— I have to, Henry. This is what’s best for you.

— You’re just scared, — he said. — This happens to all heroes right before the big battle. It’s just the low moment before you fight back.

She shook her head.

— This isn’t a story. This is reality. And things have to change. You can’t skip school anymore. You can’t run away. There are consequences. You can’t — You can’t keep believing in this curse.

He looked back at her, eyes wide, shaking his head.

— You really don’t believe, do you?

— This is how it’s going to be. I made a deal. I used my super power. She was telling the truth. She’s going to take care of you.

— Maybe she will, but she wants you dead, — Henry said.

This surprised Emma.

— Henry, come on, — she said.

— She wants you dead, because you’re the only one who can stop her.

— Stop her from what? — Emma said, raising her voice. — What is it that’s she’s really doing? Other than fighting for you? — She took a step toward him, meaning to hug him. — This whole thing has gotten out of hand.