"I cannot imagine that they have already finished editing our episode with the kids.", Lana grinned, making herself comfortable on the sofa.
"Well, it's already March. They had to since the episode is airing in like two weeks I guess. But yeah… those two weeks of filming were over so quickly.", her boyfriend answered, placing down his tea on the coffee table, before turning on the TV. They got early access to all the episodes that were finished and since Leo and Flynn desperately wanted to see it, Lana and Sean decided to have a look at it first, if it's okay to show them the whole 40 minutes or not, having a look at if it was age-appropriate for them.
"Yeah, that's true. They were really easy to work with honestly. I mean… I guess it was that easy because we had the chance to practice much more than with other children on set.", Lana said, grabbing a blanket.
"Definitely.", Sean said, trying to concentrate on how to get the download file started on the TV. He made it eventually, sitting down next to Lana and pulling her into his arms. "Let's see the final product.", Sean chuckled and pressed play, watching the ABC intro before the theme of the episode was released through a softly written text line on the screen.
"What would have happened, If Robin Hood discovered that his brought back wife was actually Zelena"
*****
-Regina's mansion-
"Regina? Hello? Regina??", Snow said, trying to get her attention in the middle of Regina's nap.
"What?", Regina asked, finally looking at her stepdaughter with an annoying look. "What could be so important to wake me??", Regina hissed, not even bothering to open both eyes.
Two months had already passed since Robin had to cross the town line to save his wife, taking the little sunshine Roland with him. It was hard to believe that time had moved so quickly since Regina was pretty sure that she hadn't done anything productive at all, even though she had dealt with the three Queens of the darkness. At least they were worth her energy since they were the only ones that had managed to keep her thoughts from going back again and again to her beloved soulmate. Only her old friend Maleficent was left in town, but she couldn't think less about her problems right now.
"I made you lunch.", Mary Margaret said, placing down a plate of different vegetables and a steak for her to eat. "And I will not accept a 'no' this time. Your fridge is empty. What are you even cooking every day?", She asked.
"My concerns, not yours. Now please leave me alone! Being stuck at home is torture enough but with you, as my 'caretaker' I am pretty sure prison is more enjoyable.", Regina mumbled, turning herself towards the back of the sofa, growling about her headache.
"You just collapsed in your office, Regina! No way I am leaving you. You are all alone here.", Snow said, concerned.
"Wow… thanks… that sentence made me feel better. And I didn't collapse. I told you I fell over my own foot. Look…", she said, sitting up in one go-to face her. "I. Am. Fine. Don't need you to babysit me.", she said.
Regina wasn't really in the mood of arguing. Her head hurt and her stomach turned like she was on a never-ending roller-coaster. Dark bags were shining through the layer of her usual makeup, showing how tired and exhausted she was from just being alive with the knowledge of not having Robin by her side and the uncertainty of his well-being.
"You're not fine. Stop lying. You haven't been for weeks… and I don't mean just psychological.", Snow said.
"Good lord, are you spying on me??", Regina burst out, trying to think about when she actually had the chance to do so but then her eyes went big in realization. "You ALL work together, right? Henry, Emma…even Guyliner??", She squeaked "So what? Are you having a tee party at night to talk about who got the best news about me? You're ridiculous!". Regina's sarcasm was clearly audible by now, making Snow sigh before she sat down next to her friend.
"Since… everything is turning back to normal after those three women tried to threaten us, you seem even worse than before. You're burying yourself in work. That isn't healthy, Regina. I mean look at you.", she said.
"How dare you! Are you referring to my silhouette?", she asked, eyes wide open. Of course, she had recognized over the last couple of days that especially her tight dresses and trousers weren't fitting pretty well anymore but that was certainly something you shouldn't tell a Queen that was heartbroken.
"No… I… I meant your whole appearance. You look tired, sad… just… broken. But since you're mentioning your body… well… there is surely nothing you wanna talk about?", Mary Margaret asked, pulling up her eyebrows, whilst looking down at Regina's stomach part, which stood out a little in the tight dress she wore.
"You can tell me… you know. You don't have to go through that alone.", Snow added, grabbing her hand, which caused Regina to roll her eyes in annoyance.
"What kind of hope speech is that? I thought you were here to give me one of your super-famous 'everything is going to turn out right' peep talks.", she said sarcastically. "Now stop staring or I will make you stop!"
"Impulsive, aren't we today?", Snow said, taking a deep breath. "I really hoped you would talk to me like a proper adult and the Queen you are but instead you're giving me 'teenage-evil-Queen'. Fine. All I wanna do is make sure that you are alright. You and…", she stopped talking and layed one hand of hers on Regina's stomach, an act that nobody dared to do.
"What the–", the hysterical woman started, grabbing Snow's hand between two fingers like it was something disgusting to touch before letting it go, far away from her body. "Are you trying to say that I look pregnant?… How charming. I really think it's time for you to go.", Regina clearly had enough of her, so she stood up to walk Snow to the door.
"Stop that!", the former bandit said, wiggling out of her stepmother's arms. "We CARE about you, Regina and we want to help you but that isn't possible if you're pushing us away. I was pregnant twice… don't you think that I wouldn't know and see the signs. You are overreacting, nauseous, you ate a lot of crap you usually don't eat and for God's sake, you already started to show! I–"
"ENOUGH!!", Regina yelled, making her stop. Snow's suggestions made her head go wild and were driving her crazy in no time. "I am barren!!", she shouted in rage, when tears were forming in her eyes. Tears she desperately tried to hold in but she hadn't any control of her emotions anymore.
"What?", her stepdaughter asked in confusion. Her voice wasn't more than a whisper when she realized how much pain her words must have caused.
"I can't have children.", Regina repeated again, before correcting her appearance. She wiped away the tears, stood upright again and blinked away her blurry sight. Within seconds she looked like nothing had happened after just breaking down in front of Snow. Something she had learned to do well enough over time.
"You wanted to leave.", she said, turning to her stepdaughter to face her with a cold look of hers.
"But… honestly… Regina… What about all the symptoms?", Mary Margaret tried again, not wrapping her mind around why she was wrong.
"Please. Just go.", Regina said quietly, hiding her shaking hand behind her body.
"I still think you should see a doctor…if it's not that… something else must have caused you problems over the last weeks and I will come back. Every day until we find out what's wrong with you.", Snow said.
*****
-Robin's flat in New York-
"Roland let's go.", Robin said, picking up his 5-year-old to get moving faster.
"Why do we have to leave again, Daddy?", the little boy asked, pulling the monkey he got from Regina once closer to his body.
"Because your mummy is not your mummy. I don't know who that woman is, but she is not Marian. Don't be afraid, okay? We're going to go back to Regina, yeah?", he said, climbing into the next bus that was driving out of NYC, in the direction they had to go. "In hope she will want to see us.", he added with a mumble.
*****
-Snow & David's apartment-
"So she is not pregnant?", Emma asked, confused.
"Pshhht.", Snow said, putting her finger over her daughter's mouth. "Please don't tell anyone. I am pretty sure Regina would make barbecue out of me if she finds out that I told you.", she added. "But no. She said she cannot have children."
"I don't believe that and I am fed up with her ignoring us. I know we aren't the best of friends but…Henry needs her and we gave her the soft treatment with you. Now it's my turn.", she said, walking out of the apartment right to Regina's Mansion, where she knocked a couple of times loudly and rang the bell at the same time.
"Regina?", She yelled. "Open up!", Emma said annoyed, now trying to look through the windows. Lights were on in the living room but she couldn't see Regina anywhere. Without a specific reason, Emma felt uneasy about that situation, knocking again before trying to turn the doorknob. To her surprise it opened right away, making her swallow since Regina's door was normally locked, even if she was at home. Emma took out her gun, holding it down in front of her body, before entering the huge entrance hall.
"Madame Mayor?", She raised her voice once more, going straight to the living room, where she had seen the lights that were still on. But nothing. Without looking further, Emma walked through all the other rooms in the house, which took her some time since it wasn't the smallest after all.
When she reached the last room, she lowered her gun, breathing out before securing it back on her belt. Nothing. Even the last room was empty and Regina was nowhere to be found. Normally she wouldn't make such a big deal out of some lights that were still on, but we were talking about Regina. Maybe she could have forgotten to turn it off, yes, but she would have never left her house unlocked.
"Dad?", Emma said over her walkie-talkie. "Can you come up to Regina's Mansion… something is wrong and I cannot find her.", Emma said, waiting for a positive response before going back downstairs. She decided to start looking for any clues of where their Mayor could be in the living room since she must have been there.
Emma couldn't shake off the feeling that their friend left not voluntarily, especially not when she found an all too familiar plastic stick laying on the floor between the sofa and coffee table. Emma picked it up with a frown, turning it in her hands before two clearly visible red lines got her attention. "So she really is pregnant.", she thought out loud with a small smile on her lips. She wasn't sure if Regina was actually happy about it but she could imagine it since children were definitely her only soft spot.
Suddenly the test in her hand started to change. Out of surprise Emma threw it on the sofa in front of her, but still left her eyes on it. The plastic stick just shifted from its normal appearance and started to shine in a golden color. "What kind of magic was that?", She said to herself, picking it up again.
"What magic?", David asked, bursting into the room, which made Emma jump.
"You scared me!", she complained, looking between David and her Mom, who came along with Hook and Henry.
"What's that, love?", the one-handed wonder asked, looking with a frown at the golden object in Emma's hand.
"It's… it's a pregnancy test… positive…", she added, looking at Snow.
"Wait.", Hook said, holding out one hand to stop Emma in her sentence. "You're pregnant?!?", he finally asked with wide-opened eyes.
"What? Noo!! Not me!", Emma shot back. "But I guess Regina is… and I don't like the fact that she is nowhere to be found…"
*****
-Basement of Zelena's Farmhouse-
Slowly Regina opened her eyes, trying to adjust her vision to the darkness that surrounded her. She growled because of a sudden pain in her lower back which must have been caused by her unlikely sleeping position on this cold, hard floor.
"Finally. I thought I would need to get your thief down here to wake you. How was your sleep, your majesty?", a well-known voice said, looking at her from the outside of the cage she was in.
When Regina managed to remember what had happened, she pushed her arms out in the direction of the man she once called teacher, thinking of whatever dark magic that would hurt him the most. But instead of the usual purple smoke, nothing, literally nothing happened.
"Sorry, dearie. The cage consumes your magic. You're without power.", Gold explained before turning back to all kinds of ingredients and a bubbling fluid above an open flame.
Regina frowned, trying to catch a glimpse of his work.
"What am I here for, you imp? I figured we were not having a nice chat over a cup of tea. So what do you want?", She hissed, staring at him like her eyes could start a fire on his body.
"Technically… you're not here because I want to harm you.", he said, not even turning in her direction. "The problem is the thing inside you.", Gold continued slowly, making Regina lose her sassiness for a minute.
"You know… I meant what I said at the Townline before Robin left. I really hoped that you could find happiness… I said it because I knew you would. I saw it…in a vision. The problem is… I didn't see WHAT would release it. But now I know… and that baby will be part of it. But it will also be part of my fate. Part of my future. And he is in my way.", he finished, turning to Regina, who didn't think of showing him her insecurity right now.
"He?", was the only thing she could press out.
"Yeah… well… congrats it's a boy but that doesn't matter anymore because he will never see the lights of this world."
*****
-Mainstreet leading to Storybrooke-
"Daddy I don't wanna walk anymore. Why is there no Bus here?", Roland asked, getting tired after a long day and driving all the way up to the nearest Bus stop to Storybrooke.
"I know. We're almost there…I remember the trees. That's why it's always important to know your surroundings. In case you have to find back.", Robin said, placing his son on top of his shoulders.
"Hopefully Regina will find a way to let us back in.", he said with a sigh, not knowing if they truly would have a chance to live together after everything that had happened.
*****
-Mr. Golds shop-
"She is not here!", Belle said in rage, trying to throw her friends out of the little shop, which she was currently running. "Why would I keep it a secret if I had any idea where Regina is?", She asked.
"Gold and you… I know you're not together anymore but… who knows.", Emma said, holding up the golden pregnancy test. "It changed color when I picked it up and I am certain that it was some kind of hint Regina wanted to give us. She must have sensed that something wasn't right.", Emma said.
"She is not here…", David said, interrupting their conversation, when coming through the doorframe of the back of the shop.
That's when Emma turned specifically to Belle, looking her into the eyes with a pleading look. "Do you have any idea where Gold may have brought her?", She asked. "I know you aren't friends and she caused you pain and locked you up for years but… I cannot look into Henry's eyes and tell him that I haven't found her. We all know that Gold isn't up to good."
*****
-Basement of Zelena's Farmhouse-
"What is that?", Regina asked coldly, watching Gold spread some of the blue shimmering fluid in a cup of water and on a meal he had magically prepared, so it wouldn't go bad, before pushing it into her cage.
"Remember the sleeping curse you created for Snow and Charming?", he asked, looking down at the plate.
"Of course I do…wasn't my work though. It was from Maleficent.", she said, rolling her eyes. "But why do I have the feeling that this meal is not going to put me to sleep.", she said, taking a step closer to look into his face more desperately.
"It's not. You're right. But it does have the same mechanism, unfortunately. You have to eat it voluntarily, otherwise it wouldn't work…and… if you do so… your baby will fall asleep. Forever."
"So why would I eat it?", Regina hissed aggressively.
"Oh, you won't have a choice. It's either the baby or both of you because you will not make it long without food and water. I don't need you anymore, Regina. I already lost everything and everyone. I don't care if this town goes down when you die. And I know… it feels like death is the best option for you anyway but I will tell you a secret. Your beloved thief is right on the Townline to Storybrooke and I will go and greet him. What do you think would he prefer? Poisoned apple? To have a last reminder of you?", he smirkt.
"He wouldn't be that dumb and eat it.", Regina said coldly.
"You know it was just a metaphor. There are easier ways to kill an Outlaw.", he chuckled. "Eat up and the cage will open and in the meantime I am going to welcome your Robin Hood.", he said, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.