Chapter 2: Payback Is a Witch
Henry Mills's death had a profound reaction on the town of Storybrooke. However, it wouldn't initially be noticed.
Initial reactions from townspeople were that it was a very sad event. Henry was only a child after all. But after a couple of oh that's so sad and a fruit basket or flowers sent to the home of the Charmings (not Regina because they were too scared of her), they moved on with their lives.
It was when one such fruit basket was delivered to Snow White and Prince Charming's apartment that they found out that their grandson died. No one had called them to tell them that Henry was even in the hospital.
And of course, this caused a profound reaction with Snow White.
"Dead…" She told Happy who was holding an Edible Arrangement that was almost as big as him.
"Yeah," An oblivious Happy said. "It's all over town, Snow. I'm really sorry for your loss."
How could Henry be dead?
Snow shook her head absentmindedly as she grabbed the fruit basket. She didn't even make a comment about how Happy didn't get the right fruit basket—there were no chocolate strawberries and lots of apples (didn't he know her family had an aversion of apples).
Happy took this as his sign to goo. "Uh, if you need anything…well, I'll try to help."
Snow nodded her head as she closed the door.
"Who was that?" David asked as he came into the foyer.
Snow didn't say anything. At that moment it was like she had completely forgotten how to speak. Which was ridiculous because of course she knew how to open her mouth and talk. But words…she just couldn't manage to tell David why Happy showed up.
Their grandson was dead.
She didn't know why or how, but she couldn't help but feel like it was her fault.
"Snow?"
She finally managed to speak. "Sorry, David, I…I…I can't believe it."
She sat down on her kitchen table. Henry had only sat here yesterday, when he told them he was gay.
At this point she wished she would've taken the news better than she did. Maybe, if they would've treated it more like a cruse? Because that's what it was like after all. Such a thing wasn't natural. It had to be caused by magic.
At least it would be in their land, at least that's what Snow told herself.
"Can't believe what?" David asked putting his hand on her shoulder.
God, his hand felt so strong. Even after all these years…but somehow it wasn't comforting to her now.
"Honey?" David.
"He's dead." Snow finally managed to get out.
"Who's dead?" David asked.
"Henry." Snow said. "That was Happy. He came to give us his condolences. It can't be true, can it, David?"
David looked at her, "I don't think Happy would lie."
Snow shook her head. "But surely Emma…"
She stopped herself remembering how mad Emma was at them last night. Of course, she wouldn't have told them.
"This is all our fault, isn't it?"
More like all her thought, since David was like a little lost puppy. Maybe not a puppy. Pongo didn't follow Archie near as much as David followed her.
She was waiting for him to console her or something, but that didn't happen. Instead, she felt David grip on her shoulder tighten as suddenly Snow found herself not being able to move.
Something was very wrong.
"David?" She squeaked out.
David chuckled. "You still think I'm your Prince Charming."
Snow's heart faced she didn't even have to see David's features shift to the Evil Queen. "Regina?"
David or should she say now Regina started clapping. "Well, done, Snow. Let's just say your little true love didn't put two and two together as fast."
"What did you do to him?" Snow asked.
She felt dread creep up inside of her as she looked at Regina. She hadn't seen her face look like this since the Enchanted Forest.
So full of fury.
So full of anger.
Yet, she was in a power suit instead of an over the top gown of doom like she wore in the Enchanted Forest.
It didn't lessen the effect.
She still looked still scary as heck with the way her eyes looked at her. Starring at her hoping that somehow a mere look would kill her.
Snow knew that Regina was probably upset about Henry's death, but she didn't seem to get how this affected her. Sure, she might've kicked him out yesterday, but that didn't cause his death.
Or at least she hoped it didn't.
She didn't see how it would though. Regardless of what she said a minute ago.
Regina stabbed one of her long nails in the back of Snow's neck at that moment. Snow winced but managed to spit out. "I'm waiting for an answer."
"You're waiting for an answer." Regina growled. Snow finally found herself gasping for air. "You're still ordering me around. After what you did."
"For the last time," Snow said. "It's not my fault that Daniel died."
That probably wasn't the best thing to say in hindsight. But to be honest, Snow had gotten so tired of having to walk on eggshells for Regina all the stinking time and she just had to say something. Besides, she really had thought Regina was getting over the whole Daniel thing now that his corpse was getting moldy.
Yeah, she couldn't help but make a jab about Zombie Daniel. She had heard all about that incident from David. Seriously, keeping a body under a preservation spell for all those years can you say gross?
She shouldn't really be judging though. God knows, she'd probably do the same thing if something happened to David. She could only hope that Regina didn't do anything to her beloved.
"He better be okay." Snow spat out.
"Or what?" Regina said. "What will you do to me that you haven't already? You've already caused me to lose the two most important people in my life."
Snow blinked at her. "I…I didn't cause Henry's death. I didn't even know that he died until Happy came over here."
"Oh, cut the crap, Snow." Regina said as her hand slid towards Snow's chest.
Snow winced as she saw Regina had pulled out her heart. She had heard about heart magic, but she had never really witnessed it.
Regina smirked as she held Snow's heart as if it was an apple. Snow blanched as she saw something dark shoot up and down her heart.
"Not so pure after all," Regina said more to herself than to Snow. "Glad to see that the heart doesn't lie."
"Regina…" Snow warned but she couldn't really warn Regina of anything. Not when her stepmother literally held her life force in her hands.
Regina smirked as she squeezed Snow's heart for a long time. Snow thought she was going to die, but then the pressure stopped as Regina stared at the ebony haired princess. "You really think I'm going to kill you?"
"You…you…pulled out my heart."
"Poor, poor, naïve, Snow White." Regina said as she juggled Snow's heart from hand to hand. Who knew Regina knew how to juggle, it wasn't really something one of royal blood learned to do. "You know a few years ago, I would have. But I have learned that there are far worse ways to punish than death. Besides, if you were dead I'd still have to deal with your corpse in the near vicinity of me, and I don't want to even think of you six feet under me."
"But my heart—"
"Oh, yes, your heart." Regina said flipping the organ into her other hand. "I don't want to deal with it either which is why…I'm sending it to another realm."
She seemed so passé in the attitude she had, it almost scared Snow.
She tried to defy her stepmother, "That's impossible."
Regina shrugged. "I found a way."
Snow inwardly grimaced. She knew that Regina technically could send her heart to another realm, if she had access to the beans that she and David had been helping Tiny grow. But she had no idea they exist, or at least Snow was pretty sure she had no idea.
"Regina, please. Be rational." Snow said hoping that Regina would give up on her threats.
"Rational!" Regina almost screamed. "Do you think it's fucking rational to kick out a ten year old just because he's gay."
"You know our land doesn't allow for such an abomination. Surely, some dark magic must have effected Henry. It's entirely possible since he was raised by a dark sorceress."
Her heart was being squeezed. She gasped.
"Shut. Up." Regina snapped, eying Snow who now had turned deathly pale. Not attractive pale as she was known to be. "He was my son. Your grandson. You should've accepted him no matter what. And if you're going to use those lame rules our old realm had, well, do you honestly think I'm going to allow you to ever go back there?"
Snow couldn't speak. Regina didn't let her. Instead, all she could do is blink. Constantly blink. Her mind was going everywhere. She thought about everyone she loved.
David.
Emma.
And even Henry.
She sighed thinking of the boy. She did feel guilt; she'd be the first to admit it. But it wasn't her fault. Not like Regina made it seem to be, or at least that's what she told herself. But she couldn't vocalize it. Instead, all she could do was stare at Regin.
She didn't know what it was about Regina that scared her the most. Maybe it was because her anger seemed much more calculated than it usually did.
While her stepmother had been brutal in the past, usually her rage was almost comical in its impulsiveness.
Well, not that comical to Snow White. She had suffered from Regina's vengefulness. But it was predictable enough. This time though, there was something different about Regina, there was just something cold and calculating about the whole thing that made Snow White even more scared than usual.
Even more scared than the great apple incident.
But no apples were in sight.
Rather, Regina held something small in her hand. Something that practically made Snow's eyes pop out.
A bean.
One of the beans she and Charming had been growing and had thought had been secretly hidden from the villains in town.
Turns out Regina had found them.
"Quite the nice crop there." She said. "I got a nice harvest of beans for myself. Too bad the rest is gone now. But I have just enough to do what I want to do. She smiled as she poured herself a glass of water.
At least it looked like she was pouring a glass of water, until she plopped a bean into the water and a vortex occurred.
Snow had seen a vortex like this before. Just earlier this year when she and Emma were sent back to the Enchanted Forest.
Was that what Regina was going to do to her?
Send her to a place where she where none of her family was?
Regina smirked at her. "Oh, I'm not that cruel, Snow. I'm going to give you the choice. "
She said this as he plopped what appeared to be Snow's heart into the vortex. Despite being bigger than the glass of water, the heart easily was sucked into the water into…Snow didn't know where.
Regina laughed.
"It's still exists, you're still alive. But seems you have the choice. Follow your heart, or be heartless here. I bet you wouldn't like it if someone…well, less than ethical decided to squeeze your heart or take it."
Snow looked at the vortex she wanted to say something, but couldn't.
Regina smirked. "Oh, excuse me. Now you can move."
"I….I…" Snow said trying to decide what to do. Either choice wasn't good. She didn't know how she'd feel about leaving her family.
But her heart?
Without it?
What would she become? She already couldn't' feel things the way she could feel before. How would she be a month or a year or now. She most definitely wouldn't be herself. And if someone grabbed a hold of it…God knows what they would do to her. She couldn't have her family go through that pain if someone made her do things that she wasn't suppose to do.
The choice she would end up making she'd later regret. She'd wonder if she had her heart, if she'd make a different choice. She probably would've. Because what she did was incredibly selfish.
She followed her heart.
At that point, even though she loved Emma and David. She just couldn't think about her own heart on being lost. She had to find it.
However, when she fell through the vortex she found herself in a place that wasn't home.
No, the gleaming emerald speckled buildings in the distance looked nothing like the Enchanted Forest. Neither did the yellow brick that laid on the ground.
Where was she?
"You look lost," A voice said behind her.
Snow jumped as she turned around to see a red headed woman staring at her intensely. There was something oddly familiar about her. Something that Snow couldn't quite pinpoint.
"Are you okay?" The woman asked.
"Where am I?" Snow asked.
"You're in Oz of course." The woman said smiling at Snow.