Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

**Set just following the defeat of the Wicked Witch. I have taken liberties with the storyline during and after A Curious Thing. Before she was defeated, Zelena was able to enact another curse upon Storybrooke. It is now coming for the town. Also, absolutely no Outlaw Queen has happened in the present. Their relationship is as it was in the Enchanted Forest.**

**Disclaimer: I obviously own nothing OUAT, I simply had an idea using their characters I wanted to share. This story is unbetaed, all mistakes are my own.**

Regina emerged from the woods near the magic well. The well that was now sending another curse for the town. It was a slow, creeping magic, meant to elongate the terror it would bring. But it also gave her time, and time meant that maybe, just maybe, she could stop it.

This venture had been yet another test, to see how fast the curse was making it's way toward town and to get a better sense of the magic it was made of. She had finally had a breakthrough.

When Regina made it to the road, she saw the blonde sheriff leaning against the side of the cruiser, waiting with little patience. She had not allowed the Savior to accompany her this time. She needed quiet, she had told her, to study and concentrate on the curse. And she hadn't wanted to be worrying at whether or not the sheriff would get too close to the creeping, red cloud. At the sound of her footsteps in the leaves, green eyes shot up to meet her.

"What did you find?"

The former queen huffed at the impatience of her companion. "It's good to see you again as well, Ms. Swan. But if you must know now, and I assume withholding information from you much longer would result in a brain aneurism, I think I might have found a way to combat the curse."

Emma pushed off the car, "Really? You think you can stop it?"

Regina made her way up the small hill and onto the road, standing in front of the blonde. "Honestly, I don't know. This curse is strong, almost stronger than the original one I used to bring us here. While misguided and certainly crazy, I'll admit that Zelena was powerful. My match at least, if not more. Her curse is no different."

The strong shoulders of the savior drooped at those words. "Then what are we doing to do Regina? We can't just sit around and wait to see what happens with this one. We have to try something!"

The brunette sighed at the words. "There won't be any waiting this time. I was able to unravel the nature of the curse while studying it today. It has only one purpose; no ulterior motives, no tricks, no deceptions. It's a Death Curse, Emma. With no chance for happiness, that Witch wanted us all to share the same fate: death."

Emma stood in front of her, eyes wide and jaw dropped. She asked again quietly, placing all her hope in the answer to the question, "What are we going to do, Regina?"

"We fight. Like every time before. Put your eyes back in you head, Savior, and pull it together. If you are too scared, I'll fight it myself." The younger woman straighten at the words, words not meant to hurt but to bring back her anger and fight. "Zelena was arrogant with this. She wanted us to suffer, to be terrified as the curse came for us, slowly killing those caught unaware. She wanted us to sit, knowing nothing could help and wait to die. But in doing so she gave us extra time to fight it."

"You think there's a chance?"

Regina started pacing as she thought out loud. "I'll have to study my books, all books of magic to find a way to stop it. But if there is a way, I will find it. I didn't get my son back just to lose him again."

Emma nodded in agreement. There was more at stake than ever this time. They couldn't fail. "What can I do?"

"Try to keep everyone calm, for starters. No one needs to know what I have discovered today, not until I have more information."

The blonde nodded again, "Okay, yeah. No one but us. What else?"

Regina make a sour face. "Gold. I'm going to need access to his personal library for my search. I need your help getting past him without disclosing everything I know. Can you help with that?"

The savior stood straight, determination in her eyes matching the brown ones across from her. "Yes. Whatever you need."

"Good. Let's get back to town. We have a lot of work and not much time."

The two women drove back to town in relative silence, each concentrating on the days ahead. It was going to be a long and hard task to stop the curse and save their loved ones and the rest of the people. As they entered the town, Regina broke the quiet.

"Take me home. I need prepare before I deal with Gold."

Emma looked at her from the corner of her eye, "And what, chauffeur you to his shop later this evening, too?"

Regina wanted to snap back at the snark of the woman but held her tongue. She needed her for this and her usual demeanor wouldn't help the situation. "If you would. I need your help with him anyway. Going into town now to retrieve my car and then return home only wastes time that we don't have. So, please, take me home."

The blonde didn't respond verbally, but took the correct streets all the way to Mifflin. When she pulled up in front of the mansion she turned to face the mayor. "When should I be back and what do I need to prepare for?"

There was a pause for thought before she answered. "I need a couple of hours to look through my books, see what I can find out with what we know. If I can discover more information from what I have it will give me a better idea of what to press Gold for. Can you be back at 6:30pm? Go home, have dinner with Henry, make it seem like everything is fine, but be prepared to play tough once we get to Gold's shop. This curse will kill him, too, but that doesn't mean that he will help willingly."

Emma scoffed, "Of course he won't. He doesn't care about this town or the people. He'd charge a fee to breathe in his shop if he could, the stingy bastard. I don't know what we could use against him this..." she broke off and sat up. "I'll be back at 6:30. Be ready."

Regina took the statement as a dismissal and got out of the sheriff's car. "I'll be ready, Emma."

There was no reply before the car drove off. The former queen was confused by the blonde's attitude. It wasn't like Emma to be so short or dismissive. It was odd to her and made no sense. As she made her way into the house she continued her train of thoughts even though she had more important things to be concerned with. She slipped out of her pumps and uncharacteristically left them by the door to her study. Walking past the small sofa she reached for the bookshelf, dragging her fingers lightly across the spines as she went. About halfway down the length of the shelf she stopped suddenly. She realized what it was Emma was doing.

The White Knight had put on her armor.

It was a heavy thing to for Emma to deal with, the possible loss of her family when she had just found them. This hardness she was showing was just a mask, one put on to hide her fear and distance herself from what she was scared to lose.

Regina understood perfectly. She had done the same thing after Daniel was killed. And for all outward appearances, it had worked, but inside she had hurt more than ever and continued to hurt until Henry. He was the one that started healing her heart. The thought that Emma was now so distressed as to do the same thing made her chest tight and it was an unfamiliar feeling for her. She would make a point to be more gentle with the woman until they figured out how to stop the curse.

With this new found information she was able to concentrate her attention back to the take at hand. She still a couple of hours to research until Ms. Swan returned and she needed to find answers. Selecting a book to start with she sat down at her desk. It was time to get back to work.


	2. Chapter 2

**I had a really great response to this story. I have to admit, I was a little surprised. Hope everyone is enjoying this so far. I would love to hear what you think.**

**Here's a quick update to keep you going!**

**Chapter 2:**

Across town, Emma walked into her apartment to get Henry for dinner. She was stressed beyond belief with the information Regina had given her about the curse. It seemed like nothing in this town was ever going to be easy. She hoped that she could keep her emotions at bay long enough to have dinner with her son. After that she would be okay; shaking Rumple down for information would be a good release of the pent up feelings she was having.

Turning the corner into the living room, she saw Henry in front of the TV playing video games. It was calming to see him acting so normal.

"Hey, kid," she greeted.

He threw a quick glance over his shoulder without pausing his game. "Hi, Ma."

Emma threw her bag and keys on the table and flopped down on the couch beside the boy. "Did you at least finish your homework first? You know your mom will be pissed at us if you don't do it."

Still entranced in his game, Henry took a few moments to reply. "No, no, no! Come on... Gotcha!" He paused the game. "Yeah, Ma, I did it. I'd hate for you to have to face Mom if she found out I didn't do it," he grinned.

She smiled back at him, "Good kid. Come on, let's go grab a burger, then you can hang out with Ruby and Granny for a bit or go see your grandparents. I have to take care of some stuff for work tonight and I might be late."

The boy smiled again, "Cool!"

They both got up off the couch, gathered their things, and walked out the door to head to the diner.

As they headed down the street, Emma thought to herself, "I can do this. With Henry here, I can play the part."

At exactly 6:30pm, Emma knocked on the front door to the mayor's mansion. When after a minute no one answered, she tried the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. She gently pushed it open checking for signs that anything was wrong as she quietly made her way down the entryway.

When she entered the main portion of the house, she saw a light coming from the study and the shoes Regina had been wearing earlier by the door. She made her way over to the door and slowly pushed it further open.

Once it pushed open wide enough, Emma saw the mayor leaned over her desk with a fierce scowl and look of concentration on her face, at least ten books piled across the usually pristine surface.

"Regina?" Emma called softly. The older woman started at the unseen disturbance and gasped.

"Ms. Swan! Oh, I'm glad it's only you."

"Yeah," the blonde scuffed her feet in the doorway, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I knocked at the front door and when no one answered I tried it. It was unlocked. Anyway, yeah, sorry."

Regina, now a little more composed, stood. "That's quite alright, dear. I must have lost track of the time while going through my books and I certainly didn't hear you come in."

The brunette shuffled a few of the books on the desk and marked the pages of another. "Are you ready for our endeavor with Rumpelstiltskin?"

Emma leaned against the doorframe, watching the other woman as she rummaged about. "As much as I can be, I guess. I think I have something to use against him, or at least it might persuade him to help some."

A perfectly shaped eyebrow raised in question as the mayor stopped and turned to face the blonde, "Oh?"

"Belle..."

The mayor stood straight and examined the woman in her door. "That's clever. But I admit, I am a little surprised you would go that far."

Emma wouldn't meet her gaze again, but spoke quietly. "I will do what's necessary. I just found my family, I won't lose them if there is any way to stop the curse."

Regina took the few steps needed to cross the room. When she was standing in front of the younger woman she gently said, "I understand, Emma. I really do."

A soft squeeze to a leather-clad arm brought both women to look at one another. The savior was struck by how small the former queen looked standing there. Stripped down emotionally, and without her usual heels, she found that Regina was a good bit shorter than her. It wasn't expected. The woman usually exuded such confidence and power; "It must just make her seem taller."

And then Regina was past her, pulling on her heels again, her normal, confident face back in place. She gestured for the blonde to follow and before Emma had a chance to make sense of it, they were outside and in the cruiser heading for Gold's shop.


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope everyone is still liking the story. The pace is going to pick up a little over the next couple chapters.**

**thanks to my reviewers. One of you asked some good questions that will all be answered, some in this chapter. There is some language in this one, so you know. **

**Chapter 3**

Outside the shop, the two women stopped to organize their thoughts and make a plan for getting what they needed from the cantankerous man. Emma knew what she had to do in case playing hard became necessary, but she was unaware of what Regina planned on doing.

When she voiced her question, Regina answered, "I read up on this type of curse. It's quite rare and very difficult to cast. I'm actually surprised Zelena was able to do it. It requires ingredients that are almost impossible to find and a great sacrifice to be made. I don't know what it was, but I can imagine the nature of it. She must have brought some of the necessary items with her from OZ."

Still new to the understanding of magic, Emma tried her best to follow the conversation as Regina continued to explain her findings and what she thought she could do to stop it. "So you think she enacted this as a contingency? So in the event she failed, she would screw up our lives anyway?"

"Yes, I think that is exactly what she did. She was so intent on revenge and consumed by jealousy that total failure was not an option for her. I believe that she created a trigger or set the curse as a timed entity, so that in the event of her capture or death it would activate. Only she could have," Regina realized Emma was struggling to follow, "for lack of better terms, flipped the switch to turn it off."

Emma took a few minutes to soak in the information and grasp it. Regina waited patiently for the savior, so new to magic, to use her brain and the knowledge she had been taught to come up with what the veteran had not yet revealed.

Her lips pursed in concentration, then suddenly her eyes widened in realization. Regina met her with a steady gaze, encouraging her to speak. "You can't stop it," Emma whispered. "She made it too powerful and you can't stop it?"

While proud of Emma for figuring it out, the former Evil Queen almost winced as the hard truth was spoken aloud. But she kept her brown eyes on the green of the other woman, trying to keep her hopes up. "No, I can't stop it."

She watched as the young woman closed her eyes against her words. The sight pained her. She felt the need to reassure her. "I can't completely stop it, but I think maybe I can change the nature of it. Repurpose it, if you will. That's where I need Rumple's help. I'm not entirely sure how I need to go about it."

The blonde lifted her head, gaining some hope back at the words. "Then let's get him."

The bell above the door chimed, alerting the store's owner to visitors as the two determined women entered. Almost instantly the soft thud of a cane against wood sounded as the man made his way to the front.

"We're closed, dearies," He said in his nasally voice. "It's not polite to enter uninvited."

Regina rolled her eyes at her former teacher before putting on her scowl. "We aren't here to be polite. I have questions and you are going to answer them."

He chuckled lightly as Belle entered the room. "Oh ho, so presumptuous of you, my girl. And what could you possibly want from me?"

She glared at him as he called her "my girl". "Zelena enacted a curse before her defeat. A Death Curse. It is making its way out of the well and developing at the towns borders, slowly flowing toward town. There is no escape."

With finality, the brunette crossed her arms and waited for a reply. Belle gasped at the news, but Gold, for his part, remained stoned-faced. Then he grinned.

"And what make's you think I'll help? Perhaps I already knew of the curse and have a way out. I don't really feel like sharing." A full-blown smile formed after his statement.

Emma, who had remained silent up until this point and hidden in the shadows of the shop, slipped up beside Belle. She whispered a quiet, "I'm sorry," to the woman before grabbing her.

When she spoke, it was with authority, "You will help. If you love her, you will help us."

At the voice, Gold turned and saw Belle held captive, a dagger at her neck. "What do you think you are doing, Swan!"

The normally caring woman, looked back at him with cold eyes. "I am doing what I must. You are full of shit, Gold. You may have known about the curse but you don't have an escape. You will help us, or she will die."

Regina was startled at the hardness of the young woman. She had an idea of what Emma intended to do, but didn't believe she would actually go so far. Part of her was impressed, part of her was concerned.

Gold showed the semblance of a smile once again. "You are the savior, Ms. Swan. You wouldn't risk falling from pedestal this town and your son have put you on. You won't do a thing."

The savior, actions called out, answered the challenge. She pressed the dagger harder against the delicate skin at Belle's neck. The look in Rumple's eyes as a drop of blood fell told her what she needed to know. "If the curse hits us, I will have no town and no son. You will work with Regina and come up with a solution. If you don't, I will take Belle deep into the forest, where you won't find her in time. I will leave her there, bound, too close to the creeping curse of death to be rescued. She will be the first to be taken by the curse. And when she is gone, and your heart broken, I'll come back for you, Gold. You won't want to deal with me if it get's that far."

Her grip on Belle was tight, and painful to the other woman, even without the sharp sting of the dagger. Gold could see his love in pain. But more than that, he could see the magic shining in the sheriff's eyes, as could Regina. He knew she was telling the absolute truth. And with her White magic of True Love, he didn't know if he could stop her.

She spoke again, voice low and hard, "I'm waiting for an answer. I won't wait much longer."

He reached out toward Belle. "No, please stop. I'll help, just don't hurt her anymore."

Emma loosened her grip slightly and pulled the dagger back an inch to show she was listening. "Wise decision, Gold. Regina," she said, turning her attention to the other woman for the first time, "Tell him what you want. And if for any reason he becomes difficult, my threat will acted upon."

Regina nodded her acknowledgement and turned back to the uncomfortable man across from her. "Shall we?" she gestured toward the table in the back corner of the shop. The two of them made there way to it. The brunette threw a glance back to the blonde and was greeted only by a stare. She faced forward again, knowing that now was not the time to address that issue.

About half an hour later, with Regina and Rumple deep into a pile of books, voices rising occasionally in debate, Emma sat next to Belle. She pulled out a clean cloth from a drawer behind her, wet it with a bottle of water she had take from behind the counter and gestured to the woman next to her. "Here," she got her attention and passed her the cloth, "You'll want to clean the cut. It isn't too bad, but still..."

Belle took it and whispered a quiet thanks before laying it gently against her neck. Emma could tell she was still scared. She let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Belle," She said in a low voice. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to violence, but we didn't have a choice. We couldn't let everyone die simply because Rumple refused to help. But I am sorry to have hurt you."

The quiet woman glanced her way. "I get it. I'm with Rumple; it makes me a target. I should be used to it by now, I suppose. I'm the end justified by the means."

"That's not exactly how I meant it."

Belle turned to face her, "Isn't it though? What's one life sacrificed when it saves hundreds? You were willing to do it, Emma. Had Rumple not agreed you would have killed me, would you have not?"

Emma hung her head. "Yes, I would have," she said quietly. "I couldn't risk the lives of everyone. I had to try to save them any way possible. I had to save Henry."

"It's sounds so noble when you phrase it that way," Belle replied, a sneer heard in her voice.

Her head snapped up at this. "I won't be made the bad guy here! We came in and offered your boyfriend the chance to help. He refused and forced my hand. I'm sorry I hurt you, and I apologized for it, but I don't regret the choices I made. If you want someone to blame here, blame Gold! This is all his fault anyway!"

At the outburst, the two in the other room turned to see what had happened. Regina stood when she saw Emma towering over Belle. The blonde then turned to address them. "Unless you have found a way to stop the curse, I suggest you keep reading. We don't have time to sit about and stare!"

Regina turned to Gold, "Keep going with the path we're on. I need a moment."

She stalked over to Emma, grabbed her arm and led her outside. The night had grown cooler and her breath was just visible as she spoke.

"What the hell is your problem, Ms. Swan?!"

Emma crossed her arms as she mumbled, "Nothing."

The mayor scoffed. "Nothing my ass. Since when are you and Belle on yelling terms?"

"Since now! Since I'm the one to blame for trying to save the town once again! It's not my fault she's with Gold. It's her choice and like he's so fond of saying, 'Everything comes at a price.' Well she puts herself in danger being with him. That's her price!"

Regina crossed her arms, but her face softened a little. "I see. I would say you have a point there, dear. My question to you, though, is why you are so upset and defensive about it? You've never been particularly bothered by what these people think of you before. You've always done what you think is right."

Emma, who had been pacing, stopped and opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She couldn't seem to form an answer to the question she had been asked. Regina could see her floundering.

"What is it, Emma? What has you so upset?"

She paced for another minute before turning back to Regina. When she did, the older woman saw her eyes glistening. "I almost killed her. A woman innocent except for the company she keeps, a friend. You saw me, Regina. I would have done it. I could feel my magic build as Gold smarted off and refused to help and somewhere in there, it took over. I could feel it taking my emotions and amplifying them and I couldn't do anything to stop it. My anger was strongest and the magic just kept fueling it. And if he had refused again, I would have killed Belle and come back for him."

She stopped and took a deep, shuttering breath. "It scared the shit out of me, Regina. And I don't know what to do."

Regina's face softened again at the young woman's pained words and she took a step toward her. "That's what magic does, Emma. It feeds off your emotions, unless you learn to control it. I can help you learn how to control it and use it. We tried before but I don't think you really understood what was at stake. Now, I believe you do." Emma nodded. "We don't have time for me to teach you right now, but I think I can help you to suppress it for the time being. Will you allow me to help you?"

Emma nodded again and took a step toward her. "Yes. Please, anything to help me."

A soft smile graced the former queen's face as she held out her hand. "Give me your hands." Emma did. "Now close your eyes and slow your breathing. Once you do that, I want you to concentrate on your magic. Can you feel it?"

"Yes. It feels like it's everywhere, looking for a place to get out. It feels like it's testing me for weakness."

"It probably is. It needs an outlet. That's where I can help you. I want you to picture a box in your mind. Now, you are going to place your magic in it. Picture all of the magic that's running about inside you flowing into that box and settling inside it."

She could feel Emma tense with concentration. "I don't know if I can. It feels like there's too much."

Regina squeezed her hands in reassurance. "I know, but that's why I'm here. I'm going to help you channel it. Just keep focusing, you can do it."

They stood, hands joined, for several minutes trying to get Emma's magic under control. Soon, Emma's grip lessened some.

"Can you feel it settling," the brunette asked.

"Yeah," Emma replied. "I think it's almost all there."

Regina smiled, though no one could see. "Good. When you feel in control again, close the lid and open your eyes."

In a few seconds, green eyes pierced brown. They seemed lighter than before, as did the woman they belonged to.

"Do you feel better?"

Emma's shoulders visibly relaxed even though she looked drained from the experience. "Yeah, I do. Thank you, Regina. I couldn't have done that without your help."

The mayor squeezed her hands before letting them go. "You did well. I promise that as soon as we figure out this curse I will help you with your magic. Do you think you will be alright tonight?"

"I'll be fine."

Regina looked her over. "I know you are tired. It's a tough thing to experience, but if you can just keep up appearances, I would be grateful." She smirked, "I believe you have scared the living hell out of Rumple with your threats earlier. As long as he thinks you are influenced by your magic, I think he will be quite amicable."

This got a smile from the blonde. "I think I can manage to look tough for a while longer."

"Good, then let's go back inside and figure this out."

They walked into the store to get back to the books.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So sorry for the delay everyone. I have worked a ton over the past week and a half which took up a lot of time. It was also my birthday last week, so I was spending time with my family and friends. But this chapter is quite long, so maybe it will make up for it :)**

**I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. And I certainly love hearing from you guys!**

**Chapter 4:**

For the rest of the night, the foursome scoured all the books of magic that Rumplestiltskin kept in his shop. By the time the sun started rising and light came in through the windows tempers were hot and all were tired and frustrated. Emma managed to keep herself cold and slightly distanced from the group, all the while sending threatening glances to Rumple and Belle as she flipped through a few of the books. Regina flew through book after book searching for something that could help them defeat the curse. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were deep purple bags under them from the hours upon hours of reading and deciphering old, obscure texts. She had grown less and less patient with Rumple and his unhelpful comments as the night progressed and was just a few more remarks away from frying his head with a fireball.

Belle sat about as far away from Emma as she could and refrained from making eye contact as she looked through the books and made suggestions to Gold. She was still afraid that Emma might snap again and actually take her into the forest. She made sure to pointedly address her questions to the other two at the table.

"But Regina, I don't see why you can't banish the curse. You have the point of origin."

Regina rubbed her forehead in frustration. Yes, the girl had spent a lot of time around magic, but as a person who didn't possess it, she couldn't grasp what she had been trying to tell her for the past fifteen minutes. "I told you, the point of origin doesn't matter at this point. The curse is already here. Getting rid of the well won't get rid of the curse already within the boundary of the town. It might slow it down, as it would no longer have a steady supply of magic to push it toward the town, but it won't stop it. Removing the source won't just suck the curse back up like pulling the stopper to a drain. Magic isn't that simple."

"But.."

"No! There is no 'But' to this. What you are suggesting isn't possible! Get it through your head so I can stop explaining it to you!" She sighed deeply, "Even if it were, I'm quite sure Zelena would have thought about that and prepared a defense for it. And I can't beat her magic in a power struggle. After the power I expended defeating her, my magic is still recovering. I wouldn't be strong enough for that."

Though she hated admitting her weakness to the others, there really wasn't much use in hiding it. It wouldn't solve the problem.

Emma, who had been quiet for over an hour, deep in a book and her thoughts, spoke up. "We need to outsmart her."

Glad to finally have someone understand her point, Regina took a steading breath and nodded, "Exactly. It is the only thing I believe that could defeat her. She was acting out of passion. I highly doubt she would have gotten extremely detailed with her precautions."

The brow of the savior pulled down in concentration as she flipped a page of her book. She looked hard at the page, then at Regina before again going to the book.

The former queen was curious about the blonde's thought's but went back to her own book, glad to have Belle quiet again. This quiet only lasted a few minutes before Emma's voice broke the silence again.

"What if you repurposed it? You mentioned that you thought that might work. I think this might be how," she gestured the book in her hands toward Regina. The other woman quickly pushed her chair back and made her way to the savior.

"This passage talks about changing the nature of the curse. You couldn't make a Death Curse harmless, but what if you could change it into something that wouldn't kill us all?"

Regina poured over the words on the page, soaking in the words on the page as well as Emma's in her ear. "It could work," she whispered.

The other two heads popped up and stared their direction. "It would still take something from us as it came through, as a sacrifice of sorts, but it might keep us all alive."

"What kind of sacrifice would it take," asked the other brunette in the room.

The older woman barely looked away from the book as she answered, what in her mind, was a stupid question. "There is no way to know exactly what it would take. Something important, obviously, and something somewhat related to the original purpose of the curse."

"But this is supposed to stop it from killing us. The original purpose is death. What's related to that?"

At the question from his girlfriend, Rumple finally spoke up. "It could take several things, Belle. It could take years from our lives, possibly some of our health, or even create illness in us, all of which would bring us closer to death without actually killing us."

She took a moment to think it through while the others looked at the book containing the possible anti-curse. As the others started discussing the could-be solution in terms that were over her head, she sat back out of the way. It didn't look like they needed her help at the moment.

Another two hours later, they had come up with a plausible solution to stopping the curse. The details still needed to be hammered out but Regina thought, for the first time since discovering the curse, that there was now hope for surviving. With that hope in sight, the foursome went their separate ways. Without bothering to ask what Gold and Belle planned to do, Regina drug an exhausted Emma down the street to Granny's for coffee and food.

At the bell that chimed as the two women entered establishment, the few faces already inside looked up to see who else would be joining them so early in the morning. The haggard and worn women didn't bother to acknowledge the looks as they took a booth in the back. Within seconds a chipper Ruby approached.

"Good morning, guys!" Then she noticed their appearance. "Wow, long night?"

"Very," Emma answered before lowering her head to the tabletop.

Regina brought the attention of her company back to its purpose. "Two coffees if you please, Miss Lucas. We'll will have selected our food choice when you return."

Ruby left to retrieve the coffee and the older brunette turned to the blonde mass of curls visible on the table.

She tried to coax the head back up. "Ms. Swan, if you would please sit back up like an adult so we can look at the menu."

Emma groaned and mumbled something unintelligible but didn't move.

"Words, Ms. Swan," Regina deadpanned.

The blonde head finally lifted, her exhaustion clearly evident and prominent than it had been minutes ago. It was really catching up to her now that she had a chance to let it settle in. "I'm not even hungry. I just want to go home and sleep for the next week."

This got a chuckle from the former evil queen. "While I don't doubt your ability to actually accomplish that feat, you really do need to eat something. I promise it will help."

"Why do you look so normal while I feel like I've been run over by a truck? We were both up all night."

"It because of the magic." She leaned forward and placed her chin on clasped hands as she observed the woman across from her. Emma truly did look awful. "The little encounter you had with it last night has taken more out of you than a simple sleepless night. It is not only physically draining because of the effort put forth to contain it, but it is emotionally draining as well. Your magic latched on to your anger last night and fed on it viciously. I know that feeling well," she trailed off.

"Will it always feel this way when I use magic?" Emma asked. Her eyes begged for the answer to be no.

At least with this, Regina was able to reassure her. "No, Emma, it won't. The better control you have over it, the more routine it begins to feel. It's like building up stamina and endurance when first beginning running. With practice, you can push yourself further and go on longer. And as I mentioned before, should we survive this week, I will help you learn."

Ruby approached with their coffee during the last of the conversation. She sat the mugs down and placed a hand on her hip. "And wouldn't you both be surviving the week?"

Both women groaned.

"We will address it later today, with the whole town. But for now everything is taken care of and Ms. Swan and I could both do with a warm breakfast. And please, Miss. Lucas, keep this to yourself. We don't want people panicking over something they know nothing about."

The edgy waitress looked at them both hard for several seconds but finally judged the mayors words to be true. "Fine, I'll do as you ask. But if we don't hear from you by tonight, I'll come looking for answers."

She got a nodded head in reply. "Great. So what can I get you to eat?"

They finished their breakfast in relative silence, both too tired to put extra effort into speaking. When they had finished eating, Regina had to all but carry Emma out of the diner. Slowly, they made their back to the police cruiser that was parked down the street. The blonde sheriff swayed on her feet as she dug for her keys in her jacket pocket. When she finally found them, an olive hand was placed in front of her.

"Keys, Ms. Swan. I don't think you should be driving."

Emma hesitated for only a second before handing them over. She knew better than to put them both in danger out of her stubbornness.

The drive to the mansion went by rather quickly. Emma fought sleep the entire way as Regina watched her from the corner of her eye. When they reached the white house, the mayor shut off the engine and looked to the savior.

"This isn't an offer I would usually make, but in this case I believe it's for the best. You can barely keep your eyes open and I don't feel like it would be responsible of me to let you drive back home. I would like for you to come in and rest for a few hours. I have several guest rooms from which you can choose. And then, once we have gotten some sleep, we can get right back into studying the books from last night and fill in the rest of our plan. Will you please accept my offer?"

Emma could see the sincerity shining in carmel eyes. "Thank you, Regina. That would be great."

The two exhausted women got out of the car and made their way up the walk to the front door. Regina searched her purse for her keys and as she pulled them out saw the blonde sway on her feet again. She reached out a hand to steady her.

"Easy there. Just a few more minutes, Emma, then you can lay down."

The mayor unlocked the door as quickly as possible and led her guest inside. They forwent her usual routine of removing shoes and jackets at the door and went straight for the stairs. Regina had to help Emma up them and then down the hall to the first guest room.

Once in the room, she helped the green-eyed savior remove her boots and jacket and had her lay on the bed. "Sleep, Emma. I'll wake you in a few hours."

A soft, grumbling "Thank you" was heard as Regina exited the room. She turned back to shut off the light and saw that the blonde was already sound asleep. She pulled the door to quietly and made her way to her own room with the same goal in mind.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am deeply sorry for the delayed/lack of updates on this story. It's been a busy few weeks and I started a new job which takes up a lot of time. I know this update is short, but I hope to have at least one more finished and updated this week. I have definitely not lost interest in this story and plan to continue with it. Please be patient with me as I work on it. Any and all encouragement helps and is much appreciated!**

**Enjoy the new chapter.**

**Chapter 5:**

Regina slept heavily for several hours before waking. Light streaming in the room from the slit between the drapes bounced off the mirror and left a warm sensation on her cheek. She pushed herself into a sitting position and stretched tight muscles. A soft moan escaped her lips as the pulling fibers snapped back into place. Judging by the way the light was shining into her room and the brightness of it, Regina guessed it was near mid-day.

As nice as it was in bed, the mayor knew there were more important things to do. Sighing as she pushed back the warm covers, Regina begrudgingly arose from her bed. She gathered her discarded blouse and pants from the chair where she had left them and, being the ever tidy woman she was, put them in their proper places. Deciding to forgo her usual business attire for something more comfortable, the former queen went for the small drawer in the back of her closet that held within her running and yoga clothes. Choosing a pair of black yoga pants and a jogging tank, she changed and prepared to go downstairs and continue her work on the curse.

Before making her way down to her office, Regina decided to check in on her sleeping guest. She opened the door quietly and stuck her head in. The blonde was still sleeping, dead to the world, in the same position she had been in when Regina left her. Knowing the strain that magic had put on her the night before, the brunette decided to let her sleep a while longer. The extra rest would do her well. She pulled the door to once again and made her way downstairs.

There was work to be done while the blonde slept. Regina wanted to stay as far ahead of the curse as she could. And with the promise to Miss Lucas now hovering over them as well, she wanted to be as prepared as possible by this evening.

WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW

Emma woke to the smell of something delicious. Even half asleep it had her mouth watering. She groaned as she sat up, the blood pounding in her head like a hangover. She rubbed at her temples hoping to relieve the pain. It didn't help much.

Despite her headache, she decided to find Regina. As she walked past the the wooden chest at the end of the bed, she saw a tank top, neatly folded. She figured Regina must have left it there for her. Her current shirt had been through over a days wear and her sleeping in it. It was a wrinkled mess and probably didn't smell the best, especially after being in Gold's shop. That place always had an awkward smell to her. She removed her worn shirt and put on the borrowed tank. Being Regina's it fit, though it was a little smaller than her own. Once dressed, she headed downstairs.

She found Regina in the kitchen, in her element, fixing something that smelled even better than it did before. It was a sight Emma never thought she'd see: hard-ass, uptight Mayor Mills in yoga pants and a tank, softly humming to herself.

The former evil queen looked years younger in that moment and more peaceful than Emma had ever seen her. For an unknown reason, it made her smile to herself. It was nice to see Regina like this. But unwilling to intrude upon her privacy any longer, she cleared her throat and watched the dark head snap up.

WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW WWW

Regina looked up, startled at the noise, and saw the savior standing in the entrance of the kitchen. It was a sight to see, the sheriff standing barefoot in her kitchen, wearing her skinny jeans and Regina's top. It tugged at the mayor, seeing her standing there smiling at her. She felt a slight blush in her cheeks and ducked her head to gain composure. The voice of the savior brought her gaze up again.

"Whatever you're cooking smells amazing. It literally woke me from my coma," she said with a laugh.

Regina laughed with her. "You were out of it when I checked in on you."

"Thanks for the shirt, by the way. And for letting me stay here."

The mayor, still working on her food, replied, "No need to thank me. I couldn't have you driving around and endangering the people of Storybrooke."

Emma scoffed at her. "How long was I asleep?"

"I woke up about two hours ago and went back to work on the curse. You were still heavily asleep then, so I let you sleep. I got hungry and came in here about half an hour ago. I thought that we could both do with a good meal to keep our energy up."

"You could have woken me, you know. You shouldn't have to work on this all by yourself," Emma said thoughtfully.

Regina looked up again, "You needed the rest. Even now you look like you could use more sleep. How are you feeling?"

The savior sat heavily at one of the bar seats. "Like I got hit over the head with a baseball bat. But there are more important things going on right now than me getting a full night's rest. I can sleep when the curse is gone, or I'll be dead. Either way, I can hold on until then."

A scowl settled on the mayors face. "If you are trying to be funny, it's not working. You shouldn't joke about this. It isn't funny."

Emma moved over to the other woman after seeing her face fall. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I joke when I'm uncomfortable, and I'm bad at it. I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"I just can't stand the thought that after all we've been through over the past few years that it could all be for nothing."

"But it's not been for nothing, Regina. No matter what happens, breaking your first curse was the best thing to happen."

Regina looked away. "How could you say that?"

Emma turned her face back gently. "Just listen, would you. Henry loves you more now than ever before. And because of that love, you have started changing into the person you always wanted to be. The townspeople respect you now and are getting past everything that's happened. You even found friendship in Tink... and me."

There was a moment of silence before she continued. "Seems like, to me, those things are worth experiencing, even if it's just for a little while. Don't you?"

Regina gave the smallest of smiles. "It's hard to say no when you phrase it like that."

"That's just my Swan charm," she said with smirk. The statement of course brought another scowl from the other woman, though this one was fake.

"Now, are you going to feed me or what, woman? We don't have all day."

Regina pushed herself away from the blonde. "You are absolutely insufferable, Ms. Swan!" But despite her protest she went back to her food preparation as the savior smiled on.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** _Here's the next installment. It might not be super long, but I'm trying to get a little bit done over the next few days before work consumes my life again and I get super busy. I assume you guys wont mind the quick update ;)_

_As always, thank you guys so much for your support of this story through your follows, favs, and reviews. I truly appreciate it._

_On a separate note, I had an anon review the story with several questions about why Henry isn't in the story and why Regina and Emma can't just combine their powers to stop the curse, like they did the trigger. In the case that others have the same questions, I'll answer them here._

_A: Henry actually is in the story, in chapter 2, I believe. He hasn't had a large part yet, but will be making an appearance in this chapter and will appear more in the future. Everything in due time. Only about 2 days have passed in this story so far, so keep that in mind. As for magically stopping the curse, it doesn't seem plausible to me. In the history of OUAT, no curse has actually been stopped. Not Regina's, not Pan's, not even Zelena's time portal. They have, however, been able to alter them. That's what I'm going for with this story. The trigger was something different entirely and not something that was gone over in much depth. Also, Zelena has just been defeated. Regina used a lot of magic in that defeat and even then, Zelena was almost her match. In a weakened state, a power match would be useless. They are going for a brains over brawn approach._

_Anyway, hope that clears anything up. If anyone has other questions, feel free to message or review them and I will do my best to answer._

**Chapter 6:**_  
_

Their playful banter ended with lunch. It had been a nice break from the stress both of them felt, but it did not change the circumstances. The curse was still coming, the town was waiting for information and they still needed to hammer out a solid plan for not dying in the next week. With those looming over their heads, the queen and the savior settled into the well equipped office of the mayoral manor to solve what they could.

They spent another hour going through the book Emma had found at Gold's, dissecting each word for total meaning. They had to be thorough in this. One wrong misinterpretation could mean death for everyone. There were still several things to consider and of course, gathering all necessary things needed to enact the change in purpose. It was going to be tedious and draining if they were able to accomplish it, but there was no other solution in either of their minds.

Finally, Emma informed the mayor that she would call her parents and several others around town to pass the word about the meeting they would hold later that evening at town hall. She stepped out into the hallway with her phone and left Regina with her books. About half an hour later, she returned.

Regina looked up at the sound of the door creaking as it opened and watched as Emma sank into the couch and leaned her head back with a sigh. "That bad?"

"Well, you know how my mother can be. Endless questions and rambling about what to do. I finally had to tell her I was getting another call and just hung up."

The brunette laughed. "How I wish I could have seen her face!"

Emma made a face at her.

"Why didn't you just call your father?"

"You would think that would do it, right? I actually did call David. But in his shock at the brief explanation I gave him, he handed the phone to Snow, so... yeah."

Regina could sympathize with her over Snow's overreactions, having been on the receiving end of them many times when she was younger. "'Yeah' indeed. Who else did you contact?"

The blonde sat up slightly. "I called Belle, Tink, Hook, Leroy, and Archie. Told them all the same basics: town's in danger, required town meeting tonight with information, pass on the word to everyone; the usual."

"With those people knowing, we needn't worry about word getting around," the mayor said as she put the heavy book down. "By the time we get there this evening, rumors of every sort will be floating about the town."

Emma chuckled softly, "That's for sure. We'll hear everything from ogres to Jafar, I bet you."

"I'd happily take on the sorcerer Jafar instead of this," was the reply.

A groan emanated from the blonde. "Seriously, he's real, too? Are there any Disney characters that aren't real?"

"I can't say that I am familiar with all of the movies, dear, though it would seem that your Mr. Disney was complete in his collection so far, if not accurate in the portrayal of the true stories," Regina told her seriously.

All that earned was another groan, before the savior stood and returned to her seat at the desk, mumbling something about "living in a freaking fairytale." She looked at the clock on the wall, noting the time.

"We still have a few hours before the meeting. Why don't you take a break for a bit, maybe call Henry? He will probably be concerned about what's going on if he was anywhere near Snow when I called. I'll stay and work on notes for tonight." Regina started to object but was stopped. "Don't argue, Regina. We are doing okay with what we have. Relax for a few minutes and talk to our son."

Regina stood from her seat and reached for her phone. "I won't be too long," she said as she reached the door.

The only reply she got was, "Tell the kid I said hey," before Emma picked up her pen and started scribbling.

### ### ###

Several hours later, the two women stood at the front of the packed town hall. The people were on edge and talking amongst themselves in hushed tones, all speculating what was happening this time. On the front row sat Snow, Charming and Henry, with Gold and Belle a few seats down. Their son smiled up at them, even though he looked nervous as well. Regina took a moment to speak softly in his ear before returning to her position next to Emma. Her had words put more serene look on his face.

At 6:00pm on the dot, the former evil queen cleared her throat, demanding silence in the room and stepped behind the podium with Emma at her side. A pen could have dropped and echoed in the quiet.

With her most sincere, however regal face she began. "Citizens of Storybrook, we have called you here this evening to discuss yet another evil bearing down on our town. It seems, that in her death and despite her defeat, Zelena was able enact a curse. It is powerful, it is dangerous, and it is coming for us. Ms. Swan and I believe we have a way to stop it's original purpose. But, if we fail the price for us all, is death."

The room nearly burst with noise as the town reacted to the news.


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Family, Romance