Rockabye

Chapter Twelve

"Open wide, dearie."

Regina snaps her mouth shut, vacuum sealing her lips tightly from whatever vile liquid Rumpelstiltskin contains. He takes a step forward persuading Regina's back to press into the hard wooden chair behind her. Emma leaps to her feet and holds her hands up to block this strange man from whatever he has in mind for Regina.

"Stop!" Emma rigorously commands as she throws herself in front of Regina. "Don't you dare touch her!"

She sets her face, eyebrows pinched together, her lips slowly turning white from being pressed so firmly together and a snarl twitching her nose. Yet all of this means nothing to the powerful Rumpelstiltskin. The man smirks in return and glances at the former prince and princess.

"Would you like to reprimand your daughter or would you like my magic to contain her?" Rumple sneers through clenched teeth at the young couple.

"Emma, please," Snow White begins in the sweetest tone. "We need Regina to break the protection spell over this town. We cannot leave and she's the only one that can fix it."

"Why can't you fix it?" Emma coldly spits as she locks eyes with her boyfriend's father. "You claim to be oh so powerful," she mocks while Rumpelstiltskin just smiles in return. "You said yourself, you are way more powerful than she is."

"I cannot undo whatever spell she enacted around this town during the dark curse because she cast the curse. It's her blood magic." The older man is slowly growing impatient and Emma is well aware she's running out of time and options.

Green orbs that so easily express anguish, dart around the room. She's looking for anything to keep these strangers from harming Regina. They claim this sparkling blue liquid is a memory potion, to awaken the Evil Queen that supposedly resides somewhere in the back of Regina's mind, but how can Emma trust them? She knows nothing of these people and who they truly are. For all she knows, this drink is poison and will slowly kill her one true love.

"No, I can't allow that blue thing anywhere near Regina," Emma firmly states with confidence. She squares her shoulders and keeps her hands out, ready to attack anyone that dare crosses her path.

"Emma step aside," David calmly says, but his eyes read that this is not a request. One way or another Emma will be moving out of the way.

"No," Emma shakes her head vigorously as her eyes bounce back and forth between her alleged parents and Rumpelstiltskin. "I will not stand by and allow you to hurt her."

"Alright Miss Swan, then I have no other choice," the older man's upper lip twitches as a glint of excitement sparkles in his eyes.

"Wait!" Snow worriedly calls out again. "I don't want any magic used on Emma."

"Then I suggest you make her move," Rumpelstiltskin growls so deeply, his voice alone strikes fear in everyone's bodies.

David jumps into action and gently reaches out for his daughter, but Emma is quick to smack his hand away. She doesn't know this man and she will be damned if she starts obeying people now. However, David has spent a good portion of his life sword fighting against the most diligent guards. He easily clasps onto Emma's hand and spins her around. He crosses her arms over her chest and locks them into place.

Emma screams at the top of her lungs and flails against his embrace, but he hangs on with all his might. His thick arms are wrapped around her body, holding her flush against his, as though she is strapped in a straitjacket.

"Please! Please don't hurt her," Emma wails as though she was just stabbed through the heart with the dullest knife, drawing out as much pain as humanly possible. She kicks, screams, jerks her body viciously but to no avail. Her cheeks are beet red as they glisten from all her tears flooding her flesh. "Please!"