Once Upon a Time Healing the Broken

**Author's Note: Hello lovelies! I have been wanting to write this and have spent the past two and a half days working on it. This is the product, the length kinda got away from me and I'm almost wanting to leave it as a one shot but I you'd like me to continue it please just shoot me a review saying you want me to continue it and I'll think about it. I really would like to continue it but I want to know what you guys think! So without further ado, here is the fic!  
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"_I'd consider creating a new destiny."_

Those words felt like they haunted her. Even with Regina's threat at the tail end of their conversation, those words stuck with her the most. There she sat, in her cell, blanket covering her, offering her the only protection any world has ever offered her. Her mother wrapped a blanket around her as a babe and left her for death, blankets were only the kindness she'd ever felt. It might not be a person, but it's offered her more moments of peace and rest than anyone has ever given her. At the memory of the pain her mother left her with, Zelena quickly shrugged away the blanket, making her feel exposed. Her necklace was gone, it was her only source of power. It was the one thing she could cling to. She slept with that thing on, she bathed with it on. It never left her neck until her _little sister_, the familial thought making her skin crawl in and of itself, stole it from her. The same woman who offered her a second chance and then left. Like everyone else. She shot her a glimmer of hope but showed no effort to carry it out. Zelena would never admit it but with how her life had gone, she needed someone to lean on, even just for a little while. The whole turning away from revenge to lean on hope was not something she did every day and quite frankly didn't know how to go about. She had done terrible awful things to people and she didn't know if anyone was willing to help her acquire more redeemable qualities.

Zelena laid down on her bed and it creaked under her. She sighed, she should get some sleep, she thought. It was the least she could do for herself. If she was powerless, she shouldn't be sleep deprived as well. Zelena closed her eyes and finally let herself go to sleep.

"_You were never what I wanted…." A voice resembling she for some reason knew was Cora's echoed._

"_I will take your heart and crush it…" Now one resembling Regina's echoed._

"_You killed my son and now you'll pay!" The accented voice of Rumpelstiltskin was now the prominent noise._

_Zelena looked around, panicked, there was no one there but at the same time they were there all at once. She couldn't breathe, knives were prickling her skin from angles, blood covered her hands and then a slow thumping reached her ears. Suddenly, all the voices quieted and the thumping volume amplified. She turned slowly to see a faint glow on the endless black floor below her. Her heart. She picked it up, it was black with flecks of green, green from envy, her thirst for revenge etching in black all over her heart. She looked down at her chest, where her heart should be and saw nothing but a gaping hole stained in blood. She opened her mouth to let out a scream but nothing came. She kept trying to scream again and again, pushing her heart back in only for the nightmare to restart. She finally heard herself scream when…_

Zelena shot up in the cell bed, panting heavily. It wasn't the first time she'd had a nightmare but it had been the first time in a very long time that she's had more than dreamless sleep. Her hair was drenched in sweat and she quickly moved her left hand to see if her heart was still there. The thump she felt under her fingers was confirmation that all she had seen was just a terrible nightmare. She swung her legs over the bed and looked out of the cell and into the sheriff's station. It was empty. Even the sheriff didn't feel like coming to do their job just so they wouldn't have to see her. Zelena sighed, enough with the self loathing, she needed to find a way out. She looked around the cell, there must be something she could do to escape this cramped excuse for a modern day dungeon. It was made of completely smooth, round metal and a lock on the outside. It was certainly structured the same as the ones back in her land just modified materials. Zelena stood and suddenly felt weary, all the use of magic from yesterday and all the emotional stress left Zelena completely out of breath. She steadied herself against the wall then made her way over to the bars of the cell. She wrapped her slender fingers around the bars and looked out. She froze when she heard footsteps and slowly let off the bars.

The footsteps belong to her sister, Regina. Zelena found the courage to speak, "back so soon, sis?" Zelena asked with a curt tone.

"I wanted to see how a night in the cell was treating you, it seems poorly." Regina looked her sister over judgmentally. She took in her mussed hair, sweat beads on her forehead and crazy eyed look.

"Well when you're locked up and powerless certains things will happen." Zelena replied. She swallowed hard and Regina's words echoed in her head again. "_I'd consider creating a new destiny."_ Zelena closed her eyes and opened them, focusing on Regina. "I…" She sucked in a deep breath.

Regina held up a hand before Zelena could say anything else. "Don't… Zelena… I didn't get a chance to tell you yesterday, it is nice to have family in town." She turned around to walk out.

"Regina." Zelena said. "That can't be the only thing you came to tell me."

The brunette turned back around and licked her lips. "You're right… I wanted to know if had thought about what I said yesterday."

Zelena stiffened. "I have."

"Yes and?" Regina kept her voice very neutral and professional.

"And it seems that wicked never wins." Zelena replied, her voice thick.

"You have to hit rock bottom first. Then where all you can go is up." She was going to speak again but a knock on the wall of the sheriff's office broke both sisters' focuses.

Robin looked between sisters sheepishly and spoke, "My lady…" He looked at Regina, "Roland is quite anxious to get to breakfast." He placed his hand over his mouth and then stood quietly.

Regina sighed, "I'll be there in just a minute." She smiled briefly at him and then turned back to her sister. "Goodbye Zelena." She turned and walked out.

When Regina left, Zelena slumped back onto the bed in her cell and looked down at her hands. She knew her sister was right but at the same time, how was she to move on from this anger? Her sister as this very moment was walking down the streets of Storybrooke happy. Sickenly sweet happy. In all the times Zelena had spied on her sister she never once saw her act that satisfied and happy. Sure she had seen plenty moments of success. Killing her husband, banishing Snow White from the castle but this was different. This was something Zelena had only experienced once. And in comparison to Regina, it had only been a flicker of light. She had quickly become the great evil to be defeated in Oz. What Zelena always wondered was what would happened if Dorothy hadn't come into Oz at all? Would she have remained on the counsel of witches with Glinda and the others? Or would jealousy and envy still taken over her?

Then there was the matter of Rumpelstiltskin. He had been her puppet for a year. An entire glorious year. She had made him do her bidding, kept him from his love but for what? She was now at rock bottom and he was reunited with his precious bookworm. The thought sickened her and saddened her at the same time. It left her with a sense of something resembling longing. She never had really longed for something before. Not in the proper healthy way. She was so ridden with envy even her skin turned green. Rumple had told her once that emotions like that took on a more literal effect with witches that had great power. Or now in Zelena's case, that once had great power.

xxxx

Regina felt a squeeze to her hand and looked up. She laughed when she saw Roland with syrup all over his face after devouring his special ordered apple pancakes that Regina had said she could out bake Granny on but nevertheless ordered the Widow's pancakes to appease the little boy across from her. The squeeze to her hand however came from the syrup covered boy's forest smelling father. "Yes Robin?" She asked.

"You seem somewhere else? Are you alright?" He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand and looked at her with concern.

"It's Zelena. I know especially given that just a day ago she was trying to kill us and take Snow and Charming's baby. But I also have seen that look. One of absolute desperation to finally enact the revenge that's been bubbling inside for years but also now the one she had today and yesterday. One of a broken woman. Even if she won't admit it. You only knew me for that year in the Enchanted Forest and then here in Storybrooke. When the first curse was broken and for many months after that, I was cold and bitter and still full of so much anger. Much like Zelena." Regina looked down at her and Robn's joined hands and sighed. She and her sister had so much in common despite living their lives apart. It saddened her because when she saw Zelena now it was like she was watching herself from the outside looking in and should Zelenan even want to consider redemption, Regina knew it would be a long and hard road. But, if Regina could do it, she knew Zelena could as well.

Robin thought long before replying, "Maybe we should all give each other some breathing room. Let Zelena think about what she's done, let things go back to normal around here, let the Charmings enjoy their new child and even let us get a little closer." He winked at her.

Regina blushed, "Yes well I'll think about it. It was so hard for me to get to where I am now so maybe if Zelena has someone in her corner she might not have as tough of a road as I did."

"Only time will tell." Robin replied and lifted her hand to his lips.

xxxx

Time had passed apparently, a lot of time, Zelena didn't know, she heard the ticking of a clock but never looked up to see the time. She heard the chime of the newly repaired clocktower ring out with each passing hour. She counted seven times it chimed. Seven hours she supposed but she wasn't sure. She just laid there on the bed, covered in the itchy blanket she's basically buried herself under since arriving. Every time she closed her eyes, Regina's words replayed in her mind. She slowly sat up, this was madness, the Wicked Witch of the West wasn't one to be beaten down and haunted by words of a sister she barely knew, and a sister she aimed to kill up until now.

She could break out, find her amulet and resume wreaking havoc on the people of Storybrooke, especially her dear little sister. But did she still want that? Zelena hated that she was even having these thoughts. Ones of doubt that just giving in, being wicked no more was better than finishing out on her revenge on Regina. But then Regina's words about her once being just like Zelena and how not doing the things she thought would bring her happiness actually _did_ bring her happiness.

It gave Regina a child, Zelena never even thought about children. Sure when she was small, she pictured a knight in shining armour riding up on a white horse, whisk her away, and have happily ever after, which implied children. Oh what would Zelena even be like as a mother? Probably very cold, possessive, and controlling. The thought angered her, angered her so much that all of the bitter emotions she's felt in the past day bubbled up and she slammed her fists into the brick, she could almost hear her bones breaking. Finally her mind caught up with the pain and she quickly retracted her fist and let out a wild shriek. She held her now bloodied hand in her uninjured one and sunk against the wall, crying quietly.

xxxx

Emma Swan knew that since things had finally calmed down, she should probably get back to her job as sheriff of this not so quiet small town. She walked into the station fully ready for bitter commentary from Zelena about Emma sitting by the phone eating a bearclaw. That's when she heard the whimpering, was Pongo loose and made his way into the station? She slowly walked towards the source of the noise and stopped in her tracks when she saw it was Zelena who was making the noise. Emma cleared her throat and Zelena suddenly stopped and looked at Emma wide eyed.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked warily. She wasn't sure what the powerless with would do but Emma had both magic and a gun so she figured the odds were in her favor.

Zelena looked down at her battered hand and sucked in a breath. "I am fine, if you call a broken hand fine."

"Do you want me to get Dr. Whale down here? I'm sure he can give you some painkillers and a cast for your arm."

"A what? I don't wish to submerge my arm in something that creates stone." Zelena replied, was this woman on something?

Emma shook her head and sighed, "Well I hate to break it to you, Zelena, but that's the only option to heal your arm."

Zelena looked at her indignantly, "I'd heal myself with magic but that's right, you took my amulet."

Emma knew she probably could heal the redhead but she didn't want to accidentally make all the bones in her arm disappear. She's seen Harry Potter enough times to know mending bones was a matter for someone with more well trained magic than herself. "I'll be right back..."

Emma left the room and called Regina, "hey, Regina ugh we have a situation."

Regina had just dropped Roland off to play with some of the kids in the park while the Merry Men kept an eye on him so Robin and her could have lunch in her office when her phone rang. "Hello? What do you mean a situation?" Regina immediately felt annoyed.

"Zelena, she kind of I think broke her hand and is refusing the medicine of this world. I'd heal her but I'm afraid I'll royally screw it up."

Regina sighed and pressed her index finger and thumb against the bridge of her nose. "Alright I'll be here soon." Regina said and hung up. She looked at Robin who was standing there patiently while his girlfriend was on the phone. "Zelena broke her hand, I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule our lunch date I'm sorry."

Robin frowned, "alright do you just want to maybe push it up an hour or so or make it another day?"

Regina contemplated her options, "I like option A." She smiled. She leaned in and kissed him gently, "I'll see you in a few hours." She said and magicked herself to the sheriff's station.

xxxx

Regina walked into the station and found Emma worriedly looking at Zelena. "How's the patient?"

"She hasn't said a word since I last spoke to her."

Regina sighed, "go away I can handle her."

Emma looked at her confused, "I have the keys how are you going to get into the cell?"

"Did you really just ask me that? Magic, Emma, magic." She poofed herself into the cell and stood in front of her sister. Her eyes immediately softened at the sight of her sister cradling her hand and tear marks streaking her face.

"Oh gosh she brought in the villain playing here." Zelena rolled her eyes.

Regina rolled hers as well, "you refused medical attention so I'm here to use magic to heal your wounds."

"I'm fine."

"If you don't let me heal you you might have just crippled your hand forever." Regina replied. Her sister was so damn stubborn. Then again so was she, it must run in the family.

Zelena looked at her sister bitterly, "Then let it be crippled, what would I ever use it for?"

"Just let me heal it. Then you'll have two hands to strangle me with." Regina said dryly.

Zelena sighed frustratingly and held out her injured hand. Regina took it and a soft purple light enveloped Zelena's hand.

The redhead looked at her half sister and sighed before speaking, "I've thought more… about what you said. Have you really come as far as you say?"

"Farther. I was so consumed by hatred that just the sheer thought of Snow White frowning brought me happiness, but now, other things bring me happiness." Regina thought of Henry, Robin, and Roland and smiled.

Zelena swallowed hard, "That man… the one who took your heart back from me. Robin you once said his name was. He brings you happiness? And your son?"

"And his son." She smiled then quickly became serious again, "but the bottom line is, I found other things, healthy things to make me happy and while earning the trust of people who you've curse isn't exactly easy, I've done it and now I don't, at least most of the time, get death threats when I go into Granny's." She looked pointedly at her sister and Zelena shifted uncomfortably.

"How did you do it? Why was it worth it?" Zelena couldn't believe her sister was right. Possibly right. She couldn't let herself believe Regina was happier this way.

"It was so incredibly hard, I had my son but he came in and out. I never had someone in my corner to say 'Regina you can do this.' So I had to learn how to be good the hard way. If you've taken to what I've said to heart, I'd be willing to be there for you." She cupped Zelena's now healed hand between hers and smiled, "If you'll let me."

"Can I come back from all I've done?" Zelena looked away.

Regina nodded reassuringly, "I believe you can."


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Family, Hurt-Comfort