you say sorry just for show

[madehervows]

Who: Regina Mills & Henry Mills / Mr. Gold
Where: Shelter Research Station
When: Second day of the event
Rating: PG
Summary: The first thing a mother does is find her child | SO ABOUT THAT TIME I KIND OF BETRAYED YOU
The Story:

» HENRY MILLS

[It's like Wonderland looks at what's happening within its borders and goes "how can I make this worse?" Who looks at everything going on in Wonderland, and not even counting Zelena's insanity because there's always something dire happening outside the confines of Regina's bubble and goes "Yes, this more snow and less food?" By now, she's been here over a year and the place's ability to ruin everything even more is always shocking.

But that's not important, not now.

The only important thing now is finding Henry. Thoughts of what Zelena could possibly make her do go ignored because in a place like this, her priority is the same as it's been for a very long time: her son. The first day of the event had been an entirely unsuccessful search, and she wishes she had the means to make a locater spell but thanks to someone, all her supplies are gone for the moment. So, she's forced to resort to hunting him down.]

Henry? Henry!

[Stalking through the halls of the research station is not how she wanted to spend her day, but Henry is the priority.]

» MR. GOLD

[The only way things could be more awful is if Zelena showed up to gloat some more. But Wonderland can also be kind and not just cruel, so thankfully she doesn't appear. Not that Regina intends to rely on Wonderland's kindness, mind. Instead, she leaves the room Henry left her in after the paranoia got to him after enough time passes. Oh, it had been building in the back of her mind too, but the thing about having Zelena for a sister and Rumplestiltskin for a mentor / ally / enemy / whatever he is at any given moment is that someone is always plotting to get you. That simple fact makes it easier to ignore, at least until Henry made his accusations.

It doesn't matter what influences, magical or otherwise, are at play, it doesn't change how much of an effect words can have. So Regina holes herself up in one of the more distant rooms, after checking the general layout of the place and a brief walk outside. She doesn't bother putting up a protection spell, the only person who might seek her out could force her to take it down anyway. Instead, she pulls together some broken chairs and makes herself a fire to ride out the event.

She could've done without the intruder.]

Occupied. Leave, Gold.

Comments

[madehervows]

[She can't say she didn't expect this, but doesn't mean she wants to go through with it. Talks of a serious nature, especially those concerning an act of betrayal on either side, never go well with these two. Regina doesn't have the upper hand of knowing exactly what happens to him in Storybrooke to use against him now.

Now, she only has paranoia. Good for when you want to make a deal with the Dark One, but never any other time.

The sour look on her face probably says it all, but she doesn't remove herself from the room. That's about as good as you're going to get, buddy.]

I hope you're not expecting an apology.

[Because you're not getting one until she does, tbh.]

[undealt]

Oh, I think we're far past ever apologizing to one another for anything. [She's not apologizing. He's not apologizing. They're not going to go around in circles begging for something that neither of them are willing to give. It's just unseemly.]

Did you really think that would work?

[Yes, perhaps it was a good idea in theory, but for all that Regina's ripped the hearts out of many and whispered into them a hundred times over (and even currently has her own heart in the hands of her sister), she can't even fathom what it's like to be tethered to that bloody dagger. He may have overreacted, but, well... Personal issues and the like. For him it's ten times worse than having your heart stolen.

Then again, he's always been overly dramatic at times.]

[madehervows]

[At least they have that settled.]

Does it matter?

[Wicked always wins, as it were. It was a foolish attempt, but she had to try something. It could have been carried out better, but few of her plans ever truly work out. The Dark Curse had been the last true victory of her own design, hadn't it? Even then, she was playing the part Rumplestiltskin assigned to her.

Maybe she should stick to magical brute force and torture.]

[undealt]

No, I imagine either way, we'd still be where we are, currently.

[He supposes that there's some small bit of something in the fact that he isn't caged and bound to Zelena's whims all on his own this time. Somehow everything always comes down to Regina and himself, and isn't that a horrible, demented little bit of poetry?]

But we both know she won't succeed at her plan. It's where that leaves us in the end that troubles me.

[madehervows]

Whether she still has the dagger and my heart or not, you mean.

[The thought has crossed her mind more than once lately. But for once, in the rarest of the rare, Regina has decided to trust Miss Swan with this. She'll murder anybody who finds out and scatter their ashes to the wind until not even Wonderland can resurrect them but she is.

She has to.]

I'm sure you'll get lucky and someone will show up with a third dagger.

[undealt]

Belle has one. [He grits his teeth in a most unpleasant expression, considering he never says Belle's name in such a way, unless he's livid at someone for doing something to her. In this case, it's half what could happen and half the agonizing paranoia and betrayal running unchecked through his head right now.]

She's understandably quite wary about giving it up.

[madehervows]

[The shock of that revelation temporarily overrides the slowly increasing paranoia, and it shows on her face. It passes, and instead she just has one question.]

Is it real?

[undealt]

As far as I understand, yes. [He knows a fake from a real one, but Belle hasn't even so much as shown it to him and he's been hesitant to ask.] She's from before... all that madness you spoke of in the tea room.

["that madness" as if it was Belle, in a sort of delirium that got him thrown out of Storybrooke and not his own actions.]

[madehervows]

[Regina almost snorts because oh wow, wow Gold. She sees what you're doing there and it's not even a little subtle. The knife could be stuck back in, twisted even, but she doesn't.

At least not until she has a literal knife, maybe.]

I hope you haven't sealed her fate by telling me. [Because you know that's still an issue. Then again, Zelena could force him to tell her himself, so.] With any luck, it'll be what we need to end this.

[undealt]

If Zelena harms Belle, it will be the last thing she ever regrets doing. [He sneers viciously. He can't harm her in his present condition, but he will find a way to destroy her. She will take nothing else from him.

He glances away, still bristling.]

With any luck. As if luck has brought us this far.

[madehervows]

[Regina ignores that threat because, really? There are so many problems with that and she could force either one of them to kill Belle instead. But she gets it. She really does.]

Who needs luck when an Author is dictating your fate? [For a while she'd thought they were free of it here but are they really?] We can only hope Wonderland keeps interrupting Zelena's efforts long enough for everybody else to figure something out.

[They're doomed basically.]

[undealt]

Not here. [Gold has to be absolutely certain of that and he won't let Regina kick him off that high ground. It's miserable luck is all- that and Wonderland is an equally cruel master.

To be fair, it doesn't seem like Wonderland allows anyone to have happy endings.] I sent Jefferson to see what he can do.

[Even Regina has to admit that Jefferson gets results, recently at her expense apparently, if one can call the original curse on Storybrooke recent.]

[madehervows]

[She all but snorts, because do you really think they could escape the cosmic forces preventing them from finding happiness, even here?] I'm not entirely certain us being here in Wonderland isn't part of the Author's scheme.

[Given everything that's happened, anyway.]

Oh good, our fate rests in the hands of the hatter. What's next? Tripping her and hoping she drops the dagger?

[... Actually that's probably not a bad idea. Neither is the Jefferson thing, really. But she doesn't want to admit that because fuck you Jefferson.]

[undealt]

[he is not dignifying that with a response, because YOU'RE WRONG, REGINA. and that's all there is to it.]

Well. Apparently, he's quite effective at liberating people from your family.

[hahahaha. don't sound so smug about it, gold.]

[madehervows]

[OH YOU LITTLE SHIT. She just. Sneers at that because screw you.]

And your family has already suffered enough at Zelena's hands, are you sure you want to antagonise her further?

[undealt]

[He grits his teeth and his breath slips out as a snake-like hiss of annoyance, because she cut deeper than he did, and that's what he gets for sticking his hands in the rose bush.]

Better than rolling over. I will not remain in this woman's thrall longer than I have to.

[madehervows]

[He's lucky to keep his hands with the way things have been lately. Instead of continuing the usual trading of the barbs, she lets out a sigh.]

And when you have the dagger back, what then?

[Because if you think you're killing Zelena this time, you have another thing coming.]

[undealt]

I haven't had time to think about that part yet. [Being in Zelena's thrall doesn't really give him any good legroom for Machiavellian plots. He's had more freedom this time, but it's only the simplest of plans he feels comfortable setting into motion.

He still has a coupon from the vendors, however. He knows damn well what he should do with that...]

[madehervows]

Really. [She doesn't believe you. At all. Like have you met you. The day the Dark One doesn't have ten plans in motion at any given time is the day Zelena wins and history is rewritten.] I would have thought you had nothing but time to think.

[You know given all the SPINNING.]

[undealt]

The problem, dearie, is Zelena isn't going to succeed. Time stops here, and if I know anything about realms where time stops, it's that there is no past or future to change.

[In other words, he's half-assing it and hoping Wonderland does the heavy lifting.]

[madehervows]

[Okay but there's just one thing.]

Even if she can't change history, it's still a portal. I doubt Wonderland is going to take kindly to someone attempting to tear a hole in it.

[And it's Wonderland, it's going to affect more than just Zelena.]

[undealt]

We've weathered Wonderland's curses before. Perhaps we'll learn something new about the heart of this realm.

[My name is Rumplestiltskin and I believe in an advantage to everything.]

[madehervows]

What better way to learn than by potentially ripping it out.

[HA. HA. HA.

But if anything is going to happen it's probably going to be something bad.]

[undealt]

It's always lovely to see such an optimistic view on things.

[He said, knowing he is in paranoia city and that whatever optimism he has right now comes about, because he knows damn well that if this goes to shit, it might almost be better than what they have now. Survival instincts are one thing, but this constant nagging feeling that it all will come to dust, anyway, is even worse.]