Chapter 28: Sisters
Boston, Massachusetts
Regina frowned as she entered the prison. It really wasn't that bad. Not as bad as her dungeons. The world without magic's undesirables had it good.
She still wasn't happy she had to result to doing this though. But circumstances had caused her to have to leave Storybrooke at the last moment where she couldn't rely on any of her other contingency plans—the ashes of the true love baby or the various hearts she had collected. Those circumstances involving an angry Rumpelstiltskin who apparently had found out that she had locked up his ladylove in the asylum.
She didn't know how he did it. She had made sure the asylum had been her own little secret, but Higgins had called her to tell her that Emma Potter was trying to break out, but not she had no idea that Rumple had found the place until she had decided to look in on the feeds and saw her ex-mentor confronting one of the guards with his lady love in tow.
This had been enough for Regina to know she needed to get out of town and fast. Rumple was going to kill her, she knew it. And retreat was necessary, especially since her resources had been all but depleted.
Time was moving again. She knew this because stupid Cinderella had given birth of all things earlier that week. Mary Margret had asked her if she could be the kid's foster mom earlier that day when she took her to breakfast for a job well done. Regina had been planning on using more heart magic to try to reinforce it, but it wouldn't be enough. She was going to have to tap other resources which was one of the reasons she was here.
It was ironic; the prison was the same place that Emma Potter had been sent too. She never really thought about it, until she decided that the resource that that she needed was here. She only hoped her theory that there her resource would actually be worth while.
She was just glad that mother left her blood globe. While she knew Zelena was in this world, she had no idea where she ended up. Prison was sort of fitting.
Regina couldn't have planned her fate better, but of course she didn't plan it out.
"Well, well, well." The prisoner finally said when she saw Regina. "Look what the cat dragged in. So, your little curse did work."
"It's nice to see you too, sis." Regina said as she eyed Zelena.
Zelena looked a lot different. Her skin, for one, wasn't green. She also was not wearing the black gown and pointy hat that she favored in the Enchanted Forest. Instead, she was clad in an orange jumpsuit. Unlike Regina, she hadn't been protected by the curse and had aged. There were more than grey than red in her curly hair, she had wrinkles, crow's feet around her eyes, and her figure had filled out and begun to sag in places. Yet, still there was something defiant about her.
Or maybe it was what came out of her mouth next that made her defiant, "I'd like to say the same to you, Regina, but you look like a fright."
Regina glared at her. " Me a fright? Excuse me, it's not my boobs that are sagging. You really should think what you say, especially since I have a proposition for you."
"Oh, a proposition. Let me guess, your curse didn't go as planned. Surprise, surprise."
Regina glared at her. "I haven't spent the past twenty some odd years in prison."
Zelena glared at her, "The bastards deserved it."
"I really don't care if they deserved it or not." Regina said, "The point is you're locked up in here. Unless, of course, you're willing to help me out."
"Help you out, now why would I do that? Considering you're the reason I'm in this mess to begin with."
"Excuse me," Regina said, "You wouldn't have been in this mess if you wouldn't have tried to interfere with my curse."
"You were just annoyed that you had competition," Zelena said as she flipped a strand of her grey hair back. "Really, Regina, was it that hard to share the pie? It wasn't like you were contending with Mother or Rumple."
"It wasn't like that, and you know that. You wanted the curse for yourself. You were willing to kill me, to work with Snow White. So, that you could take over the world with that deranged monkey army of yours. I had to protect myself. And you know it."
"Okay, I won't lie. I did want to kill you." Zelena said. "And you were perfectly in your rights to throw me in that portal."
Regina gave her a look.
"What, I had almost thirty years to think about it?" Zelena said, "Is it that hard to believe I've changed."
"Yes."
Zelena smiled, "Well, at least you got Mother's brains. I was afraid you got that dope Prince Henry's."
"You should've realized when I threw you in that portal I wasn't an idiot." Regina snapped ignoring the dig about her father.
"That was pure luck," Zelena said. "You seem to have a lot of it."
Regina turned red. She usually did have good luck, at least until recently.
"Do you know how the past thirty years have been for me?" Zelena asked.
"It's only been twenty-eight years." Regina said as she looked at Zelena, "And from what the wardens have told me, you have lead a pretty lonely existence for several of those years because you abused a fellow inmate. I believe it's because of her that you're still in here."
Zelena's eyes narrowed, she was obviously upset about her predicament. Regina had read the details in her sister's file. There had been allegations in the past that she had abused fellow inmates. There were all sorts of stories of ghastly things happening to them. The guards for the most part had turned the other cheek, despite the allegations. Until one such inmate's lawyer, had somehow had Zelena charged with aggravated assault. The records revealing what inmate had filed such charges though, had been out of Regina's grasp.
"That monkey will get what's coming to her." Zelena said.
Regina raised an eyebrow. "It's so good to know that you still have a thirst for revenge all those years behind bars."
"She is mine." Zelena said, "She is mine like the others, and she doesn't get to win."
"I would agree with that, the her not winning bit. I think the two of us can help each other, sis."
Zelena looked at her and started laughing. Actually, cackling would've been a better term for what she was doing.
"What?" Regina said.
She would think that Zelena would've been more than willing to get her revenge. She was offering her a golden opportunity here.
"If you think I'm going to work with you, you're crazier than I am." Zelena said.
"Oh, I'm not crazy." Regina said, "I was just offering you an opportunity."
"How?" Zelena said, "Or should I say why? Why do you want or need my help? You proved thirty years ago that you could best me."
Regina smiled as she thought back to her besting Zelena.
Zelena had come out of nowhere. Right when everything was turning Regina's way. At first Regina had blown her off, until the witch offered to work with Snow and Charming.
"You are not going to ruin my happy ending." Regina snapped at her newly found sister.
"Happy ending? Really, Regina, cursing an entire population and whipping their memory is a happy ending for you?"
It was or as close as a happy ending as she was going to get without Daniel.
"I am succeeding in getting my revenge against Snow White." Regina snapped. "And no one, not even Mother's little bastard is going to stop me."
Smack.
Zelena slapped her. Rage fueled Regina who promptly slapped her half-sister back as she reached to grab Zelena's heart she was going to turn it in dust. No one was going to ruin her curse.
No one!
Only when she tried to grab Zelena's heart, she found it was protected.
Zelena laughed, "I'm a little bit smarter than that, Regina. Surely, you'd realize I'd protect my own heart. That was one of the things dear sweet Rumple first taught me.
Regina frowned when she heard her sister call Rumple "dear" and "sweet". Really, those words did not describe Rumple.
Then again, Zelena seemed to have a particular fancy towards the imp when she introduced herself to Regina.
"You can't blame me for trying," Regina said looking at Zelena.
"No," Zelena said. "I guess you can't. You should work with me though, Regina. I really don't want to help the Charmings."
"Oh, you do. You made it perfectly clear you wanted me to live miserably ever after. Just because mother didn't throw me out like I was trash."
Zelena glared at her. "That's not—You don't deserve this. This should be mine."
"What should be yours? A kingdom that's only mine because the king's brat child is unfit to rule? A king, might I add, I didn't want to marry."
"Because you wanted to be with your Stable Boy." Zelena said, "God, Regina, you are so selfish. If I had just a speck of what you had—"
"You'd what?" Regina said.
"I'd be better than you." She said, "I told Rumple that I was a more apt student than you, and that I should be the one to cast his curse. He would've been alive today if he listened to me."
"Oh my God," Regina said. "Is this because of Rumple? Are you upset that I killed him? Were you like in love with him or something?"
Zelena glared at her. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't love. But really to take such an asset away from this world, Regina. It is a crime against dark magic."
Rumple was hardly an asset. If she had actually killed him it would've been the best decision she made. But now that the hit was botched, and he found out what she did to Belle, Regina was running for her life. Even if the imp didn't have magic, at this point, she wouldn't be surprised if he put a bullet in her head or hired someone to kill her. And he'd totally get away with it because he was Rumple.
She sighed heavily, "You always did like a challenge, Zelena. And I'm sure that after almost thirty years in a jail cell you want out of here."
The witch glared at her, "You're not telling me what's going on Regina, don't think you can fool me again."
Regina remembered how she got rid of Zelena the first time. It had taken some actual planning. Something she wasn't a huge fan of, but she wanted her curse to work and she knew that she needed to neutralize Zelena before it was time to ruin Snow's happy ending.
True to her word, Zelena had began to help the Charmings. She had cast wards upon their castle to keep Regina out. Had her magic held, had Regina not found a way to undermined her, the curse would've done nothing. But thanks to a very stupid and gullible Glenda she was able to find out what her sister's weak spot was and grab an illusive magical bean in the process.
"Remember this?" Regina said dangling a green pendant in front of Zelena's face.
Zelena glared at her behind the glass. "Of course, I remember that. That's my pendant. The pendant you stole."
It had been ridiculously easy to set up a fake potion, to lure Zelena into thinking she was incapacitating the curse Regina was brewing. Too bad for Zelena the potion she really had brewed was a one way portal to the world without magic infused with a good dose of squid ink that would allow Regina to take that pendant of hers.
She still remembered how Zelena had screamed at her when she realized what she done. How angry she became when Regina had pulled off that stupid pendant.
Really, even Regina wasn't idiotic enough to put her power into a piece of jewelry. Let alone not protect the chain that held the pendant.
"I want my pendant back, Regina." Zelena hissed.
"You know I tried to make this thing work for me," Regina said. "But it didn't."
"That's because it only works for me." Zelena said. "Give that to me."
The woman was clawing at the glass, like she actually thought she could break out.
Regina laughed. "You're not going to get out of there like that, all I have to do is call the guards and they'll lock you back up in solitaire. I heard it took you years to get out of there last time. Seems you can't be trusted around the other inmates. Although, now you're older than mother you're probably harmless. You're probably prey."
Zelena glared at her, "I'm not that old. And once I have my pendant, it won't matter. Now, give me back my magic, you bitch."
Regina laughed. She loved the feeling of being powerful. There had been so many days in the past few months, she had felt powerless. But now, seeing her sister behind bars in such a state she felt like she did hold the leverage that she wanted.
"I want to know how to transfer the power over to me," Regina said. "And then, then, I might be kind enough to allow you your freedom. Surely, you would want to spend your last few years in some place not like this."
"You can't transfer my magic over." Zelena said. "That's not just possible."
"You transferred it in a pendant, surely you can transfer it over to me." Regina snapped back.
She had told herself that it made sense, that she just needed Zelena's blood or something to make it happen. When Glenda told her about the pendant she had just told her that Zelena's power was trapped into the necklace to make it more powerful. When Regina had first obtained it she thought that maybe by wearing it herself she could obtain her sister's power. Only she could never tap into the source of the necklace.
Zelena rolled her eyes, "I'm afraid it's not that easy. God, did you pay attention to Rumple during magical theory?"
"I need magic," Regina said.
"And so do I," Zelena said. "You don't know how I long for the day to wave these wrinkles and grey hairs away. But alas, I'm stuck in jail with no powers."
"Like I told you I can get you out of here." Regina said.
"I doubt it," Zelena said. "You're obviously powerless which is why you're begging for me to give you my power. And I've had enough lawyers here to tell me that even though I have served my sentence for killing that homeless man, because of what I did to that stupid Emma Swan I'm stuck in here until I croak. Her swanky lawyer made sure of it."
Wait? Emma Swan.
Regina smiled. She might have something to get Zelena to help her after all.
"What?" Zelena said.
"Emma Swan," Regina said. "She's the person who has you doing twenty more years?"
Zelena nodded. "That bitch. If I had my magic that monkey would know her place. She's one of mine. She belongs to me."
Regina raised an eyebrow.
"She is one of my pets. A stupid monkey bested me."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Regina said. "But I do think you'll be more interested in helping me now."
"I really doubt it, Regina. If you're going to offer my freedom again. Don't. I already know you don't have any power here."
"Oh, don't knock me. Zelena. It's clear you want vengeance against Emma Swan."
"The monkey will learn her place." Zelena said now on an almost separate tangent.
"Yes, yes, that's something we both agree to Emma Swan needs to learn her place." Regina snapped.
It finally clicked with her ballistic sister. "Wait, wait, you know little Emma?"
"Obviously," Regina said. "She's partly the reason why I'm here. I want Emma Swan dead, and you can help me accomplish that goal."
"She needs to be punished not killed," Zelena said. "Destroyed maybe."
"I want her out of my life." Regina said. "And that's why I need your help."
Zelena looked at her, "I want my magic."
"I'm sure you do, but you're not getting the pendant unless I give it to you. And you're not going to get your revenge against Emma, because you're in jail. So, I'm afraid you're stuck making a difficult choice, sis."
Zelena looked at her, "I want a blood oath."
Regina raised her eyebrow.
"You heard me, Regina." Zelena said. "If I'm going to tell you how to do the transfer, you're going to make a blood oath to me you won't kill Emma."
"What?" Regina asked because killing Emma was what she had planned to do. She wanted that bitch dead, no one uprooted her life and caused her curse to be unraveling by the second.
"She's more useful alive than dead," Zelena said with a smile.
Regina glared at her, "I want her dead."
"I'm sure you do, but you'll have to trust me. You can maim her, banish her, but don't kill her. At least not yet, she still might have her uses."
Regina glared at her, "I want her out of my life. Out of my son's life. I want my revenge."
"Oh, you'll get your revenge. I just don't want you killing her yet, Regina. Is it too much to trust your sister?"
Zelena then smiled at her, halfway resembling the witch she knew long ago.
"I know you well enough to know, not to trust you. But I am willing not to kill her for now."
"That's all I ask," Zelena said. "And now I'll tell you how to unlock my pendant. Be forewarned, it's going to take you awhile."
Awhile ended up being three moon cycles. About three months of living in a shabby little apartment that she had ended up having to rent. Three months in the real world which she spent hiding out of fear that Rumple was going to appear out of nowhere and kill her.
The potion instructions that Zelena had given her were intricate and caused Regina to have to do the things she hated doing—be patient and follow directions.
She had never been great at that, she guessed the only good thing about the overly complex potion was that anyone could do it. You didn't have to have that much magical power, and based on what Regina had at the time that was a good thing.
The world without magic was quite different outside of Storybrooke, no one idolized her or was scared of her. She was simply just another person living in the city.
She hated it.
But at the same time, being out in the real world allowed her much planning time about how she was going to handle things once she got in town, and she was able to talk to Zelena.
While she and her sister weren't exactly bosom bodies, it was nice to have someone to confide to. And Zelena acted like she understood Regina's outrage about Henry.
"I knew she had just had a child," Zelena said when Regina had mentioned Henry. "She was in here for murder, you know. The guards used to keep me informed about these things. They used to give me the fresh blood that they thought might be useful. I asked her to tell me about the baby, but she never said anything. Not even when I pointed out her scar. It was quite big back then, they apparently had to cut the boy out of her."
Regina raised an eyebrow.
"I like to get to know my pets. Intimately. " Zelena said. "I always knew that one was special, but I didn't know she was the mother of my nephew."
"She's not his mother," Regina hissed.
"Of course not," Zelena said. "Just like Cora isn't my mother."
Regina glared at her.
"I know what you mean, Regina." The older sister said. "And it's a shame she was able to take away your child from you like that. Not after you worked so hard for your happy ending."
"That you tried to ruin."
Zelena shrugged. "Well, you have to give me credit for having moxy. I should've thought through my plans though."
"What plan? To make me suffer."
The grey-headed witch sighed heavily. "It sounds so stupid in hindsight. I can't believe I wasted my formative years on trying to best someone like you."
Regina raised an eyebrow, "Or work with Snow White and Charming."
"I was going to turn on them, you know." Zelena said, "I mean, I was only helping them because I can't stand you. I didn't realize you would best me. I always thought you were the stupid one. But it turns out I was the stupid one; I've spent almost thirty years of my life in jail, Regina. I'm an old woman now."
Regina supposed she should feel sympathy or something, but she didn't. Yes, Zelena was helping her out now. But she still saw glimpses of her sister she had knew all those years in the old crone. The conciliatory nature that Zelena was showing, it would disappear if Zelena ever got the upper hand.
"How did you do it?"
"What best you? There was some left over squid ink in Rumple's cell."
"How'd you know about the pendant?"
Regina laughed, "Glenda talks."
The meetings had gotten easier with each passing time, there still was a bit of animosity here and there. Zelena would often grumble about how terrible her life was. And they both talked about their thirst for revenge.
"It wasn't so bad here at first," Zelena said. "I actually enjoyed it here. There were some interesting monkeys."
Regina raised an eyebrow.
"The staff really was quite accommodating, Regina. Even without magic they were pretty easy to push around here. Until her."
"You mean, Emma."
"Yes, Emma." Zelena said a look over her face. "I didn't think I was going to have any problem with her either. I mean, she was just a kid. Usually girls like that idolize me. After they go through the usual initiation, of course."
She laughed then. Twenty-eight years hadn't changed her laugh. She still cackled like she did back when Regina first met her.
"I have under estimate the woman too," Regina said. "She's destroyed my life. Taken away my child."
Zelena nodded in sympathy. Somehow bonding over their hatred of Emma Swan made them closer.
Today was the day, the potion was completed and she'd have control over Zelena's magic. Real power. Zelena had been a strong witch back in the day. Maybe even stronger than her. Regina remembered how strong those wards had been over the castle, the pendant's power was not to be slighted that's what Glenda had told her.
As Regina took a sip of the potion she couldn't help but squeal in glee as she felt Zelena's powers become her own.
Magic. Real magic. She had it in this world again. And no one, not anyone was going to take it away from her. She was ready to go back to Storybrooke now, ready to get her son back once and for all. But now, she had one more place to go too, she had to tell Zelena goodbye.
This time she poofed into Zelena's cell. She really didn't know why Zelena was complaining. Sure, it was small sad space, but it could've been worse just ask Lacey Gold.
Rather than being shocked that Regina had poofed to where she was, Zelena smiled. "So, it worked then."
"You proved yourself trustworthy." Regina said. "Or at least you wanted me to be able to poof into your cell."
Zelena laughed. Up closer she looked even older, Regina thought, and was about to go into an inward monologue about how time had not been generous to Zelena when her sister suddenly rushed at her.
This shouldn't be possible, Regina thought as she effectively started fighting back. Zelena was an old crone. She was had to be over sixty. She was clawing at Zelena's face when she heard her say something about the necklace not coming off when Regina realized she could use magic.
What was with her?
Why had she become so stupid?
A waive of her hand and Zelena was pinned against the wall of her cell. Regina shook her head at her as she reached into the woman's chest. Unlike Regina, who had done a protection spell over her chest that had been tied to her curse, Zelena hadn't been so lucky. All of the spells she had cast over herself in the Enchanted Forest were gone. She was completely vulnerable for Regina's attack, which was why she was holding her sister's black heart in her hand.
Feeling particularly malicious, Regina squeezed the bitch's heart. "And to think, I thought we were making an actual sisterly connection."
The older woman turned an ughastly shade of white, Regina rolled her eyes, "You know, sis, you're older than you used to be. One or two more squeezes would probably do you in for good."
"You kill me, you kill my magic." Zelena managed to say. "And you need that, Regina."
Regina glared at her. "So, I do. But you know what, are mother. You know, the woman who didn't love you, taught me that you can live without a heart."
Zelena stared at her.
"Oh yes, Zelena. I'm taking this as my leverage. You're not going to mess with me again, sis."
"I want my magic, Regina." Zelena screamed. "You promised! You made a blood oath!"
"To not kill Emma Swan in this world," Regina said. "I never said, I'd give you your magic back."
Or kill Emma Swan in another world.
She then poofed out of the jail leaving Zelena alone in her cell, cursing that she had even made a deal with her sister.