The Way

Chapter Eleven

Snow White had always been a reactive person, but the words that fell from Regina's lips that day caused a bomb to go off in somewhere in her mind.

Emma'a heart...Cora...Cora with Emma's heart...

"My mother...she has your daughter's heart."

And with those seven words, the rightful queen of the enchanted forest panicked.

"Your mother?!" she cried, shaking her head and pulling Regina roughly to her feet, where she wobbled unsteadily for a moment. "How could she—?! The last time she tried—It didn'twork the last time! How do you know she has—Why should I believe you?!"

The pixie-haired woman began to pace back and forth, the distance between each turn gradually shortening until she was virtually spinning in circles. Cora had Emma's heart. Cora...Emma could already be dead... It wasn't until Regina Mills snapped her hands down on Snow's upper arms and gave her a rough shake that the pure one finally came back to reality.

"Listen to me Snow White!" Regina ordered, her voice low and stern as her manicured nails dug into her counterpart's pale skin, "I know we've had our differences, but I think there's one thing we can agree on here."

"And what is that?" the shorter woman snapped, her brows pinched and her eyes narrowed.

"If Cora wanted Miss Swan dead, she would have already killed her."

"We have no way to know that she isn't dead!"

Regina scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Have you not figured out yet that there is some sort of magical interference to this situation?" the brunette exclaimed to the schoolteacher, seeming incredulous.

"I have...but I'm not sure what you're saying..." Snow returned, wary.

Regina sighed, shaking her head and closing her eyes as the pain in her chest fell to a dull, constant ache.

"Your daughter and I have been...connected...somehow, and it seems my mother is aware of it. I suspect—suspect—that I would know full-well if any true harm had come to Miss Swan." She gestured to her chest now, and Snow finally nodded in understanding.

"You think that Emma's capture is causing your own issues?"

Regina sighed and shook her head.

"No, Snow, these were occurring before Cora even had a chance to reach her."

"And just when were you planning on informing me of this little detail Regina?! If I had known earlier, maybe we could have stopped this before—"

"Oh don't be stupid!" the fallen queen barked, cutting her off. "Do you really think that you having knowledge of my connection with your daughter would have put a stop to any of this? Idon't even understand what's going on here. What makes you so sure you could have helped?"

Here Snow paused for a beat, studying Regina as if the woman was the dumbest person on the Earth.

"Well, for starters, I actually care about Emma. I have more incentive to help her."

Regina, seeming resigned, shook her head and covered her face with her palms. A groan of what Snow deemed annoyance issued from deep in her throat. When her initial reaction had come to a close, the dark eyes settled on Snow's with an intensity the younger woman had never seen before.

"Once a Charming..." Regina said finally, her voice calmer than her features implied it should be.

Snow White only tilted her head in confusion. When Regina noticed, she rolled her eyes and huffed.