As Regina and the Queens of Darkness made their way into the heart of Storybrooke, Regina felt increasingly nauseous.
"Do lighten up, Regina darling," Cruella said. "Only the good get nervous."
"What are we doing, exactly?" Regina asked, keeping her voice as flat and uninterested as possible.
"We're going to have some fun," Maleficent drawled. The Dragon Queen exchanged a look with Cruella and giggled, while Ursula smiled a wicked grin and kept her foot surely on the gas pedal. Regina's sick feeling only increased.
If they won't tell me what we're going to do, then it must be bad, she thought. They became more alert and less talkative as the four of them pulled onto Main Street in downtown Storybrooke.
"Keep your eyes peeled for her," Ursula said, slowing right down to a crawl as they passed by busy stores and restaurants.
"For who? Another one of your evil tea party friends?" Regina asked, sarcasm dripping from her mouth.
Cruella gave her a look from ice-cold blue eyes and no one answered her. As they neared the end of the street, Regina's stomach relaxed a little. Maybe their person wasn't there.
And then what?
As she struggled to hide her relief, Maleficent straightened in her seat and pointed straight to the front door of Granny's Diner.
"There she is," she said. Regina peered over Maleficent's fedora and her heart sunk as she saw the only people she wished were somewhere else entirely.
Emma, walking Henry out of the restaurant with her arm wrapped around his shoulder. The blonde haired woman was smiling, her defenses down and her posture relaxed, enjoying spending some of the limited free-time she had with her son.
"What are you—?" She broke off as she saw the pistol Ursula pulled out of her coat pocket. "You've got to be kidding me! You're going to shoot the Savior? In the middle of town in broad daylight? You're asking for Snow White and Charming to kill you on the spot!"
"Oh, it's not going to be us, dear," Maleficent said, taking the pistol from Ursula's outstretched hand. She twirled it once and held it out to Regina. "You are."
Shock made Regina's mouth dry. She swallowed and forced herself to take the gun.
"Good!" Cruella purred.
"It's a silver bullet," Ursula explained. "It's been enchanted so that no magic can heal what it has done. Upon impact, the bullet will shatter into many little pieces, which will make extracting it very painful for Miss Swan, and very difficult for any normal doctor to remove all the pieces."
"Shoot her right in the heart, Gina," Maleficent goaded. "Or better yet, the lung. Make her suffer, make it last a long time."
Ursula pushed a button and the window beside Regina rolled down. The black haired woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had done her fair share of killing, and at times she wanted nothing more than for Emma Swan to be finished of for good. But that was in her early days. Now she only wanted for her son to be happy. And plus, Emma had grown on her to become a sort-of friend. She steeled her resolve and was ready to shoot, when Ursula sighed.
"Oh for Christ's sake, Regina! You're too slow!" She poofed the gun out of Regina's hands back into her own and rolled down her window. Regina couldn't take this anymore and poofed herself out of the car to the end of the street. And she ran as fast as her killer black heels would let her, headed straight for Emma.
She was about to call the blonde's name, when Ursula honked the car horn.
"Hey Swan!" The dark skinned woman called out, "Say goodbye!"
Emma looked confused, until her eyes landed on the gun. She pushed Henry behind her and reached for her own gun when a shot rang out.
Regina watched, her heart in her throat, as Emma's body caved, forming a "C" with her torso bent and her arms forward. Regina thought time seemed to stop. She watched her friend fall, with strands of blonde hair catching the light in the most achingly beautiful way possible. The car sped away and time resumed. Regina forced herself to move closer.
She could hear Henry screaming for Emma to reply, but with the scarlet stain on her tawny leather jacket blossoming from the middle of her chest, Regina knew there was little chance of Emma responding. She closed her eyes and softly called out, "Henry?"
Her boy looked up at her and ran over, sobbing softly and his whole body trembling. Regina held him close and looked at Emma. Her face was pale, and relaxing by the second. The stain kept growing, but by some miracle, Regina could still see the rise and fall of her chest.
The woman detached herself from Henry and knelt beside Emma, putting two fingers on her throat and feeling a faint, weak heartbeat. With slight relief, she turned back to Henry.
"Henry run into the library as fast as you can and find Hook. Tell him what has happened and then go get Belle from Mr. Gold's store. Maybe she can help."
Henry nodded and sniffled before sprinting down the street and rounding a corner.
Regina felt Emma's pockets and found her cellphone. She knew what she had to do. She dialed Mary Margret's number. She answered on the first ring.
"Hello? Emma? Is that you? What happened? We heard the shot and—"
"It's Regina, actually," Regina said. She took a deep breath.
"Regina? Where's Emma? What happened?"
"Snow... Emma's been shot."
There was a pause that felt like an eternity. And then a hardly whispered, "What?"
"Emma's been shot. Now you can't freak out because we are running out of time. I need you and David to call Dr. Whale and tell him to get everyone down here immediately. Can you do that?"
"I... I..."
"Good. Emma's life depends on you." Regina hung up and faced the blonde once more. To her amaze and surprise, Emma coughed.
"Emma?" Regina said softly, leaning over the Savior. "Can you hear me?"
"... Gina," Emma whispered faintly. Blood trickled from her mouth.
"Don't try to speak," Regina whispered. Weakly Emma held up a hand. Regina wrapped her own around it and sat beside Emma, not caring if her blue dress got dirty or not. She refused to look at the scarlet blood that covered all of Emma's front now. "Just don't speak. I'm here. Henry is coming."
Emma's green eyes flickered open, looking straight at Regina's dark brown ones. The blonde smiled and leaned against Regina's knee, closing her eyes again.
"... Pretty," she whispered. Regina laughed softly and gently pulled Emma into her lap.
"You're pretty too, Miss Swan."
Emma looked up at Regina again, her eyes sad.
"Don't look at me like that," Regina said again, a little tear falling from her eye. Emma smiled softly and reached up to wipe a tear off of Regina's cheek. The color was fading from her lips, and she was struggling to stay awake. "Emma, don't go to sleep. Think of Henry, and your mom and dad and Hook."
"And you."
Regina laughed again. "I'm not that good to think about."
Emma shook her head and winced. "Smart... Pretty... Full of... Love." Emma was gasping now. Softly, but it was getting harder for her to breathe.
"Emma, please don't talk." Regina's eyebrows gathered in a sad way, one Emma only saw once when she and Henry left Storybrooke, and that look was for their son. Now it was for her. Sirens were heard down the street as David and Mary Margaret led a procession of cars in the sheriff's car. Following them was an ambulance, followed by Belle's car carrying the sweet librarian girl, Hook, and Henry.
On the outside, Hook seemed slightly stoic, giving himself away with the sad curve of his eyebrow, while on the inside, a storm was raging in the pirate. He pictured himself in a storm off of the shores of Neverland, cursing the waves and wailing his agony out in the privacy of where no one could see him. He lamented in his breaking heart, thinking about how the only girls he loved were being taken from him. And by the same crocodile even. He gripped his hook so tight that the knuckles on his good hand were white and bloodless.
Out in the street, Emma was fading even faster. Regina didn't know what to do or say. She sat silently over Emma, ready to protect her if need be. Finally, the procession arrived. Belle ran over, followed by David, Mary Margaret, Hook and Henry, while the paramedics unloaded a stretcher.
Mary Margaret was leaning heavily on David, and both of them looked like they were having their hearts ripped out.
"She's fading fast," Regina called out. "Belle, is there anyway I can save her?"
Belle shook her head. "Not if the bullet was enchanted. It's all up to Dr. Whale now."
"Oh yes, leave it up to that alcoholic to save her."
Mary Margaret flinched and then said sadly, "He is our only hope, Regina."
Regina looked back down at Emma, who opened her eyes and gave a small nod.
"Well then hurry up with that stretcher!" The black haired woman snapped. Two paramedics rushed over, did a quick basic check on Emma, and lifted her off of Regina's lap onto the stretcher. Emma let out a cry of pain as she was loaded on with her arms crossed over her chest, but as they gave her more oxygen, she met eyes with everyone she cared about and gave them a small smile. It would be okay now.
I'm sorry I haven't wrote in along time but yea I hoped you liked it and I'll try to write more soon love y'all 😘❤️