Chapter Text
“The Evil Queen went to the place where she could get a fresh start.”
After writing this, Henry turned to look at his mother, the not-so-evil Queen, and watched in amazement as a glowing aura engulfed her body and burst into light of many colors until there was nothing left in this realm, just the surreal memory of her brief but deeply marking presence.
“Where do you think she went?” asked her son.
“There’s no way to know for sure but… I have my ideas.”
Regina smiled fondly as she imagined the path her heart—the Evil Queen’s heart—had taken her. There were two roads she hadn’t dared explore in the past because any happiness that came near her grasp had always been taken away before she could have a taste. But this time was different. This time she knew love was strength and she was strong enough to beat fate and make her own destiny. Moreover she deserved it; Regina finally felt it in her heart, felt worthy.
Mother and son had dinner at Granny’s before heading home. Mary Margaret would be telling Emma the news of Regina’s resolution, let her know villains could get happy endings when love transformed their hearts from the inside out. It was good news for her daughter and her fiancé, a former villain too. They could be happy as well. They didn’t have to wait for the other shoe to drop, live their lives in fear of the utmost end. Not anymore. She was excited to tell them, especially Killian who needed the hope most.
Mary Margaret went to the docks to let her one-day son-in-law hear the great news: villains could get happy endings. She asked him to share them with Emma.
If only she had known their current situation. Known they’d just had a break up because he’d rather lie and get rid of the ghosts of his past than face the truth with Emma and beat their forsaken fate together.
Together… Killian remembered their argument.
If the Evil Queen could get her way, so could he. He was just as redeemed as her in his eyes and everyone else’s, wasn’t he? He’d done too much to win Emma’s heart and he wanted his happy ending, he wasn’t about to let it go just because he murdered a grandfather in the past. Besides, Emma didn’t mind it was her own grandfather; she was just mad he hadn’t told her. They could work it out even if her father might not. Emma would always forgive him. She was finally and completely devoted to him. He’d finally broken her walls; broken a wild horse into submission.
He made his choice to go back to her, but as he was going into the Jolly Roger to let his faithful servant Smee know he’d changed his mind about leaving Storybrooke behind so he could find himself, Gideon stopped him on his track.
“Seems the wind is in your favor,” came a voice from the quarterdeck.
“Gideon.” Hook was unpleasantly surprised.
“Do you hear that?” Gideon pointed above and around them at the sails. “It’s the sound of your wish being granted. You’re going home, Captain.”
“What the bloody hell are you talking about, son of a… crocodile!” Hook yelled angrily.
“See, I need the power of the Savior and for that I need you gone.”
“You won’t take Emma from me! I’m not going anywhere without her!”
“Yes you are. And before you go: think a happy thought.”
Gideon used his magic and sent Hook and his crew far into the sea and away forever through a whirlpool portal.
He sent him home, to the place where he’d found his true identity: Neverland.
He was Captain Hook, a pirate whose truest love was the Jolly Roger. Killian was the fake identity he had been forcing himself to present during the last months to Emma and her parents, but it was no longer him, it hadn’t been for nearly three hundred years. He’d only used his alter ego to obtain this prized possession: Emma the Savior. Neverland would remind him who he really was; a ruthless pirate who would stop at nothing until he got what he wanted, even if it took pretending to be a hero.
Gideon could see through the façade, could see how his influence darkened Emma’s heart and it tainted the Savior power through her, and for his purpose he needed the purest form of said magic he could attain.
“You will taint it no more,” Gideon vanished in a swirl of red smoke.
The next day, Emma went to visit her parents to share her own news with them, the news of her break up and of Hook’s murder of David’s father.
It had happened long ago but the wound was still fresh in her father’s heart after the Evil Queen had steered the wheel on the event to cause another crash in their lives and hurt them. But what had hurt was the truth behind the lie, behind the secrets Hook kept from them to keep up his heroic character and false redemption. It was all a lie to gain and maintain the favor of their little princess whose walls around her heart he'd been breaking down rather than given time to heal and allowed to open a door to make way for someone worthy of her love. Henry had opened a door into her life; Hook had demolished his way into her head.
David was dumbfounded, angry and ashamed of having trusted Hook and even opened his heart to him despite the red flags and gut feeling that had lingered deep down since Neverland. He felt betrayed too as he’d let Hook play him like a puppet. He could only imagine what Emma was going through this moment: his same heartache, only a tenfold.
Snow was deeply sorry too because ever since they met, in a way, she’d pushed Emma toward men only to get hurt. First Graham, then Neal and now Hook. It was so big her need to see Emma emulate her ideal of happiness she didn’t really care who her daughter shared her life with, so as long as she was married to a man and hopefully had another child to make up for not raising Henry— like she chose to have to make up for giving her up. Now she was starting to see the errors of her ways. You couldn’t force love. True Love could only be found on your own search and journey together, grow strong roots before wanting to pick the fruit from the tree; the taste would be bitter, if there was any bearings to be harvested.
True Love took time, patience, and beating their demons together. Literally.
Snow saw it more clearly then. She’d seen it before they had memory of the curse and she’d seen it in Ruby and Dorothy more recently.
It had always been on her face but she’d chosen to usher the strange thought away and pushed her daughter in a different direction than what came naturally to her: going after Regina. Emma was always looking after Regina, after her happy ending, even when it meant giving up her own— what she thought it was: Hook. Emma’s happy ending was seeing Regina happy, just as Regina showed all through their journey in hell Emma’s happiness was her true motive to come and stay with them, even when she’d just recovered what looked like her happy ending: Robin. The two of them only truly cared to see the other woman happy regardless of whom it was with, regardless of paying the price to make it happen.
Snow knew. But how was she to push her daughter again? Forcing things would always backfire because it wasn’t letting life take its natural course. On the contrary, if she were to meddle again she could ruin something genuine. As strange as the idea felt, it was stranger not to see what was clear as day.
All she could do for her daughter was embrace her. Show her—let her feel she was there for her. Mom and Dad would never abandon her again, she could let her sadness pour out, but it didn’t. Emma was holding back, as always. She still didn't allow herself to feel deeply; it scared her. She might open a can of worms she wasn’t ready to handle.
Oh, Emma. Snow sighed.
“I love you babygirl. Whatever you need, whatever you want you can count on us. We’re never leaving your side,” her mother spoke into her hair.
“Emma, my sweet princess...” David’s voice was breaking. “I’m sorry for not having been able to protect you from heartache. If only I could go back—”
“Stop. Dad. It isn’t your fault. There’s nothing you could’ve done to prevent it,” Emma gave him a sympathetic look. “I’m an adult. I can handle this. This isn’t something you want your parents interfering with— relationships.”
“We know…” Snow responded sadly.
David cried as he kissed Emma’s forehead, trying to convey all his feelings in that fatherly gesture.
“Mom, have you seen Henry? I haven’t seen him since he left with you and Regina to solve the split thing. Speaking of which, how did that go? Is Regina whole again, is she well?”
Emma wiped the tears from her face and focused on her mother whose face twisted in a weird way.
“Oh my God, what happened? Is Regina hurt? What happened, where is she?!”
Emma was entering her panic mode and getting up from the table and already moving her hand slightly as if to poof away at whatever answer she heard.
“Easy, Emma. Regina is well,” Snow gently took her magical hand.
“So she’s back in one piece?” Her daughter asked.
“Not quite… but close enough.”
“What do you mean? Mom, Dad, explain?”
“Basically the Evil Queen used the shears to make herself a complete separate individual from Regina but Regina realized her evil half was hurting because Regina hated her—hated herself, and when she realized the root of her self loath she also realized she’d come a long way. She could forgive herself and has learned to love who she’s become thanks to us, to her family, and shared this love with the Evil Queen to help her make peace together. And after that the Evil Queen lifted the curse on me and Charming.”
“Whoa, that’s deep. But also messed up…” Emma’s brow furrowed. “Wait. You’re telling me we permanently have two Reginas in town?” Emma twitched her head lightly and she reminded her mother of a puppy.
There was a tiny glint of amusement in green eyes as well as confusion, but all in all she looked happier than she’d come home. “How will Regina Mayor with her twin-clone?” Emma almost chuckled at the idea.
“She will mayor on her own. In fact, Henry was able to write a happy ending for his other mother, the twin-clone, like you say. Just not… here.” Snow answered.
“Huh?” Emma didn’t look as cheered up anymore.
“Just wait until he shows you,” her mother told her. This would be interesting.
“I will ask him later. I look like sh—awful right now and don’t want him to see me like this,” Emma corrected the word at her parent’s grimace.
“You could stay a while, maybe the week? Your room is still vacant, sweetheart,” Snow offered with a warm smile.
“That’s a great idea! I will go pick up your stuff from that scary house of yours and bring it over,” David went to get the keys of his truck.
“Wait. What? Hold on, I haven’t even said yes,” Emma was the dumbfounded one now. “Scary house, huh?” She raised an eyebrow at her father.
“Oops?” Her father apologized, kind of.
“It’s okay, dad. I don’t really want to go back to that scary house alone either.”
Her parents smiled at each other and David made it through the door to go pick up some of Emma’s belongings, which weren’t really many if you ignored the furniture.
Emma decided and asked her parents to hold the news of her sad story for a little while until she felt comfortable enough to share them. They had dinner and she went to sleep early. She first wanted to see how was Regina doing without her evil half and do some sheriffing in peace, seeing as how Gideon had not made an appearance in the last days. He seemed to be granting them a time of grace for some odd reason. Maybe he was reconsidering his position now that he’d had a taste at Emma’s superior power when he couldn't kill her.
Emma was acting funny during the short moments Regina saw her while working. She could read there was something wrong in her but she wanted to respect Emma's wall and let her share her troubles whenever she was ready. She wasn't sure how much she knew of the Evil Queen's new story because Emma had made no comments about it at all. It did make Regina a little nervous too but it was nothing to be ashamed of.
Emma had learned from her mother that Robin was gone for good too and it gave her some peace of mind to know this. Why? She didn’t know, but it felt good to know him gone once and for all. But she also wondered if it was him the Evil Queen had followed behind in this new story that appeared to Henry and which her mother kept changing the topic to avoid confirming her suspicions. Mary Margaret kept waving it away saying it was Henry’s story to share but she would be seeing him until the weekend because she was still upset and didn't want to burden him, besides he really needed to catch up with school. And Emma didn't feel right asking Regina directly, so she just focused in work and would look at Regina without saying anything for long moments and then turn on her heel and leave, leaving her wondering what the hell was going on inside that blonde's head.
Emma picked Henry up from school on Friday evening, like she always did when it was her turn to have him for the next week. She couldn’t continue hiding she was back with her parents and had broken up with Hook and he had left town as soon as there was no lock to the outside world. She would be telling him after dinner.
They were upstairs in Emma’s old/new bedroom when Henry finally pulled out a newer, yet old storybook they were used to seeing from the Author’s library, which had materialized a new page the day after the Evil Queen was given a fresh start.
“The Evil Queen went to the place where she could get a fresh start,” Emma read from the page Henry wrote.
“And this is the page that manifested the day after! I swear I had nothing to do with that, but I may have done a bit here and there because her story was missing something, or rather: someone,” Henry excitedly said to Emma “so I had to use my skills to give her the missing piece,” he said proudly as he handed her over the book that continued writing itself.
In the picture there was the Evil Queen sharing True Love’s Kiss with Maleficent. Not Robin and not Daniel: Maleficent.
Emma was in shock. Her expression was very hard to decipher.