Regina's Queen - OUAT Fanfic

CHAPTER FOUR

Inside, Regina, released from the bind, slumped back in her seat. She gasped for breath, clutching at her hammering heart.

  "Mom!" Henry exclaimed, gripping her shoulder tightly in fright. "Are you okay? Who was that?"

She tipped her head back against the chair and tried to take a few deep breaths with her eyes closed, before focusing her attention once more on Henry.

  "I'm fine," she said weakly, still gasping as though her lungs were being crushed. "But... I have no idea who that was."

  "Regina!" Emma swept back into Granny's and rushed to her side. "She's gone! Are you alright?"

  "I'm fine," Regina repeated more forcefully, striving to convince herself as much as anyone else.

She sat upright with an effort.

  "Just caught me off guard, that's all," she said grimly. Secretly, she wondered how on earth that could even have happened - again.

Her breath began to flow more evenly, and she felt the first tinge of true ire at seeing the embodiment of the threat standing nonchalantly on the pavement. She was aggravated at being taken repeatedly by surprise in such a short space of time – something that was alien to her usually well-prepared and vigilant nature. 

The woman's insolence in showing her face so brazenly whilst toying with Regina's emotions brought a sudden surge of the darkness inside her. Henry, his hand still on Regina's shoulder, gave her a gentle, apprehensive squeeze, as though sensing the awakening storm beneath her deceptively calm exterior.

With an effort, she caught his gaze with her own, and her love for him abruptly reared up inside her. The darkness paused. Using her affection for Henry as a weapon, she fought against the curling malice, grasping desperately at control. She focused all of her attention on her son, striving for his sake to crush the dogged awakening of her dark side. 

Henry believed in her, believed that her heart held the capacity for good. It was for his sake that she had cowed the darkness of the Evil Queen in the first place. She'd come so far; she'd tried so hard to move away from her malevolent nature. She couldn't relapse now. She willed the light in her to be stronger as she stared into his innocent eyes. She reminded herself that Emma should deal with the stranger; it was her duty as the Sheriff. 

Besides, Regina's days of raining unrepentant punishment upon those who irked her were over.

But, the newly reawakened malevolence refused to coil back into its cage. Despite her best efforts, her son's face blurred before her. Her vision turned inward, despite Henry saying her name aloud. She didn't even hear his voice, and her face settled into a vengeful mask. She held up her hand and clawed it slowly into a fist, feeling her magic brooding there. A picture of the Red Queen burned fiercely in her head, driving away all else. 

The stranger stood out in sharp relief in her mind - all gleaming red dress and mocking grey eyes. The ridiculous cause of Regina's sleepless night and crippling bouts of fear. As she pictured her, mortal and breathing, Regina felt the snap of Fear's collar as it fell away from her, and the synonymous flood of dark rage as it did so. 

Nothing more than a foolish witch, with the audacity to challenge the Evil Queen.

  "Well," she said to no one in particular. "We'll just see about that, dear." 

Abandoning all hope of goodness, she gave in to her true nature. She opened her fist slowly, her fingers humming with power. A cold, dark fury stole into her features. Henry sat back apprehensively, his hand falling uncertainly away from its grip on her shoulder. Regina didn't notice.

  "Uh-oh," Emma said under her breath.

Without another word, the Evil Queen surged to her feet. Her eyes were hard, her mouth set in a grim line, and she swept around the table towards the door as if she'd forgotten everyone else was there.

  "Regina, wait! Where are you going?" Emma called after her, half-rising to follow, but not quite sure she was brave enough.

  "To my Vault," she threw back over her shoulder. "No one threatens me and gets away with it!"

The look she flashed Emma was violent enough to make her sink back into her seat. 

Regina abruptly exited the building, and the door slammed decisively shut behind her. Her deadly stiletto heels clicked ominously against the tarmac as she marched away, and she fairly crackled with fury. Passing cars screeched to a halt to avoid her, and unfortunate pedestrians were quick to leap out of her way as she stormed down the street. She hardly noticed; her entire being was caught up with her singular mission.

As she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, Emma exchanged a helpless glance with her parents.

"Wow," Henry whispered haltingly into the silence. His face was pallid. "Mom's gone straight back to the dark side."

"You think?" Emma responded. "C'mon, kid, we'd better go find Gold. He knows something, I'm sure of it."