A Thief and a Queen

The Mausoleum

"There's probably a lot they could still tell us about, though." Regina glanced over at another tombstone—1868. "This one experienced the Civil War. Wow."

"Stop geeking out over there, Regina," Emma called out from a nearby hill. "We're almost at the part of the cemetery they say the ghost inhabits. The one where they put the prisoners and those executed for crimes."

Killian motioned for them to follow. "Come on, you two."

Regina glanced back at the tombstones, deciding that she would come back another time—during the day—to study the history in this place. She took Robin's hand. "I guess we shouldn't keep them waiting."

He gave her hand a squeeze as they headed down the broken stone path leading down to the derelict section of the graveyard. Tombstones there were knocked over, some were crumbling and most were so faded, whoever was buried beneath them were lost to time. Bare, gnarled trees grew among the stones, all radiating out from one weeping willow whose branches waved in the cold wind that now blowing through the area. They brushed against the imposing mausoleum at the very end of the cemetery, marble gargoyles perched at the edge as they smiled wickedly at them.

Cold seeped into Regina's bones and she felt like she would never be warm again. She struggled to breathe as she inched closer to Robin. He wrapped his arm around her. "It's okay," he whispered.

She tried to believe him...until all their flashlights all died at once. With the moon shrouded by clouds, it became difficult to see and everything turned into blobs in the darkness.

Killian frowned, shaking his. "Bloody useless torch."

"Guys, they say when a ghost tries to manifest, it pulls energy from electrical items, draining batteries. Maybe a ghost wants to show itself to us," Emma said, her voice full of excitement as she looked around.

"Do we want to meet a ghost from down here?" Robin asked, frowning. "What if it tries to kill us?"

Killian rolled his eyes. "Ghosts can't kill you. They're dead and have no bodies."

"They can't kill you because they aren't real," Regina insisted, though her body was trembling and she had the distinct feeling they were being watched. She continued, though. "Our flashlights died because you got cheap batteries."

"We all can't have rich parents who can buy the good kind," he snapped back at her.

Robin stepped between them, giving Killian a push. "Leave her alone, mate, or you we'll be having a conversation."

"Come on," Emma said, pointing to the mausoleum. "The ghost is supposedly in there. We have to go in to see him."

Looking at the mausoleum, Regina felt pure dread. Despite the chill still wracking her body, she broke out into a sweat and her gut told her to not go into the mausoleum. Her feet felt rooted to the ground as her heart beat wildly in her chest, keeping her in place. Shadows moved all around her, pushing her away from the imposing building.

"Regina? Are you coming?" Robin asked. She tried to answer him but no sound came out of her mouth. Tears pricked her eyes and he gathered her in his arms, holding her close.

"Well? Is she in or is she out?" Killian called out.

Robin looked over his shoulder. "We're both out. I'm taking her home."

"Let her go back to the car and wait for us," he argued. "There's no reason why you should miss out on this."

"I'm not leaving her, not for some stupid ghost story. You two have your fun, we're leaving," Robin said, wrapping his arm around Regina. "Call me in the morning, yeah?"

Emma smirk. "Oh, yes. We'll tell you about everything you missed."

"Come on, Regina." Robin pulled her forward and her feet finally worked again once she was moving away from the mausoleum. She looked back, watching Emma and Killian disappear into the darkness of the building. An eerie red light glowed from the eyes of the gargoyles overhead and she gasped, looking away.

It had to be her mind playing a trick on her.

She and Robin made it back to the main part of the cemetery and a feeling of peace washed over her. Regina felt safe and the pressure was lifted from her chest, allowing her to breathe normally again. Warmth from Robin finally crept into her limbs as she curled closer to him. "Thank you. I know you were looking forward to that..."

"Yeah, but it got a little too creepy," he said, the two walking back toward the gate. "It was like something didn't want me to go in there."

"I felt the same way," she admitted. "I think it was our preservation instinct."

He chuckled, kissing her head. "My little scientist."

They left the cemetery and returned to Robin's car. As she reached for the door handle, she noticed the sky by the back of the cemetery glowed red, as if something was on fire. She pointed it to Robin. "What do you think that is?"

"What?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.

Regina blinked and the sky returned to normal. She frowned. "Never mind. My eyes must be playing tricks on me."

They climbed into the car and Robin started it as Regina turned on the radio, eager for some music. A loud shriek came from the speakers and they winced. She reached out to turn it off, a chill going through when she thought she heard what sounded like a laugh. With a flick of the switch, she plunged the car into silence again. "Let's just get out of here," she said.

"Agreed," Robin replied, flooring the car and pealing down the road.

Emma and Killian never called to say they got home safely as they never returned home after that night. The police investigated, talking to Robin and Regina about the last time they saw the couple. Both spoke about seeing the couple go into the mausoleum before they left the cemetery. When the police went to the cemetery, they found Killian's beat up truck but no sign of the two teenagers.

Despite several of their friends—Robin and Regina included—testifying that neither Emma nor Killian mentioned running away, the police concluded that's what had happened. After all, both were in the foster care system and had ended up in their current group home after previously running away. While the police weren't too sure why Killian and Emma didn't take the car, they figured the two were long gone.

No one in their social circles believed that though. Even if they had run away, all of them believed that either Emma or Killian would've reached out to let them know. They would've wanted them to know they were safe and probably would've wanted the items they had left behind, which just reinforced the idea they hadn't run away. Regina held Emma's beloved baby blanket—the only thing she had from her parents—and knew her friend would never leave without it. She took it home with her, cherishing it forever.

Robin and Regina never spoke about the other things they experienced that night—the strange feeling that told them they needed to leave, the cold, the flashlights turning off, the glowing red eyes, the red sky or the strange sounds that came from the radio. After graduating from high school, they moved far away from Storybrooke and married after college. They started their own family and went on with their lives.

Still, Regina looked for Emma and Killian whenever they went some place new, wondering if their friends had created a new life for themselves. However, deep in her heart, she knew she would never see them again. Something supernatural had happened in that cemetery that night and had taken her friends.

Forever.