The Lesser of Two Evils Part 1 of 2

The town stood looking on in silence as the Wicked Witch stalked around her prey with hungry blue eyes. She glared at Charming who stood defensively in front of Snow who had her hands on her swollen stomach, clearly terrified for the life of her unborn child. Belle stood beside Ruby who was holding the beautiful but weeping librarian whose hands were hiding her face in Ruby's shoulder. Emma stood in front of the group with a sword in her hand and a scowl on her thin pink lips, her blond curls tied back in a messy ponytail. At her side stood a radiant and defiant Regina who glared at her half sister with overflowing hatred in her whiskey colored tear filled eyes, which had spilled over leaving wet trails down her cheeks as the queen held back a sob and a cry of anguish.

Behind Zelena stood a shamed Rumpelstiltskin who instead of looking up at his beloved Belle his amber eyes focused on the cold road under them. He felt the horrified stares of the town's residents burning into him as he stood over the cooling body of the man once known as Robin Hood. He could not bear to look anyone in the eye in shame of what he had done. Zelena had forced him against his will to rip the heart out of the outlaw and crush it into ash to set an example. The sounds of Belle begging him to stop it and to fight against it still rang in his ears, along with the heart breaking sound of Regina crying out Robin's name as the man's life turned to ash before his eyes and the eyes of everyone in the town including the broken queen who loved him.

To Rumpelstiltskin's right stood Hook, another pawn of Zelena's who stood in silence and stared at the body of Robin Hood. Like Rumpelstiltskin, Hook was under the control of the Wicked Witch but not because of a dagger, no he was under her control because of his broken heart and mind. Because like the Wicked Witch had wanted, Hook had kissed Emma in order to save the life of her son Henry. He had taken away all of Emma's power and all that made her special like Zelena had told him would happen. But what Zelena had left out was the fact that the kiss would also rob him of everything that made Emma special to him, it would twist his mind into hate. A hate that would burn with the fact that he could ever even attempt to love someone other than his lost love Milah.

Zelena's bone chilling chuckle rang through the night as she stopped stalking and stood in front of the group in the center of the square. Her twisted smile was the only one to be seen for miles and she reveled in the fact that she had just about ripped everything good away from these people and most of all Regina. "Oh dear Regina… you didn't care for that outlaw, did you?" Zelena asked with mocking concern. "I guess you lose more men that way. I mean there was the outlaw, the huntsman… and oh yes the stable boy." She said with a chuckle.

Regina made a threatening step forward but was suddenly stopped by Emma's hand grabbing her arm. "No Regina! It isn't worth it." Emma said looking at the woman with understanding but stern eyes.

Regina shook off Emma's grip but made no move to threaten the Witch further. "For him it would have been worth it." Regina said softly and only Emma heard the whisper. The blonde glanced over at the body of the outlaw silently envying the fact that he had won the love of the beautiful mayor.

"Listen to the savior dear, I still have my speech to make." Zelena said with giddy tone to her voice and she waved Rumpelstiltskin's dagger in front of her. Her smile widened as she saw several people flinch at the motion and she took a prideful step forward. "Now, I know there are some people in this pathetic town who still have hope that you can all beat me and have a happily ever after. But I can assure you that that is not the case, I have the Dark One under my control, your savior is no more than a mortal weakling like the rest of you now, and your queen has no chance in a battle against me now that she herself is broken." Zelena paused and let it sink in before continuing with her victory speech. "But fear not, I am willing to spare you all." She said with a smile. "Because like the rest of you all I desire is my own happy ending."

"At what price?" Charming said loudly as he managed to still maintain a regal appearance in his already obvious defeat.

Zelena turned to the prince and sauntered over with a wolfish grin. "Oh my price is not much, just something that will guarantee my happily ever after." She stated as she stood looking Charming in the eye. "Your baby will do, my plans will work just fine with it." She said and smiled even wider as she saw the look of horror and anger on the faces of Charming and Snow White.

"Never!" Charming growled and stood in front of Snow blocking her from Zelena completely.

"You can't have my baby!" Snow gasped loudly as her hormones kicked in making her emotional and she broke down into tears at the thought of losing her unborn child.

Zelena looked at Charming and peered behind him to gaze at Snow. "Either I get your baby or everyone in this town gets slaughtered by the Dark One." She said through a toothy smile. "Unless…"

Snow perked up and looked at Zelena with wide watery green eyes, "Unless what?" She asked franticly.

"Unless my dear sister would like to take the child's place, unless she will willingly come alone and meet me in the woods beside my farmhouse and take the child's place as my key to my happily ever after." Zelena said and turned away from Charming and Snow, her cold blue gaze falling on Regina who stood in shock at the choice she was forced to make.

"No!" A voice rang out as soon as Zelena stopped talking.

"Emma!" Snow gasped looking at her daughter with wide hurt eyes as she heard the blonde choose Regina over her unborn brother or sister.

Regina turned in surprise and faced Emma. "Emma?" She said looking utterly confused. And even Zelena looked surprised by the savior's choice.

Emma gulped looking a bit nervous at all the eyes on her. But she quickly gained a hold on her words and said loudly, "No! Regina can't just go and give herself up to Zelena! She is still our best chance!" She said quickly. But deep inside she knew that her reasons were so much more than that, she couldn't lose Regina.

Zelena walked over to Emma and sneered, "Well it isn't your choice Savior, this time you don't get to save the day. The choice comes down to the innocent verses the evil." She said with a hint of laughter. "A child or an Evil Queen. And the only one who can make this choice is Regina herself." Zelena added. She turned to Regina and lifted her chin in a haughty way. "I give you till dawn, meet me alone in the woods by my farmhouse, or I come for the child." And with that she turned away and Zelena, Hook and Rumpelstiltskin all disappeared in a swirling storm of green smoke.

All eyes immediately turned to Regina; she stood with her mouth opened a bit in surprise and disbelief. After all this time and all these years it had finally come down to this, a point in time where she can truly destroy Snow and Charming's happily ever after and have her victory over them. The choice is hers; she could easily choose self-preservation and let the loss of their child tear Snow's life apart.

"Regina please." Snow begged looking at the mayor with wide desperate green eyes. She held her belly with both hands as if she were afraid someone were going to show up out of nowhere and steal her baby right out of her.

Leroy and the other dwarves were already assembling around Regina as if they were going to attack her and bring her to the witch themselves. "Leroy no, this decision has to be Regina's." Charming said looking at the dwarves.

"And what? You think that after all this time she is going to chose to save Snow's happiness over her own?" Leroy said stubbornly.

Regina's gaze hadn't left Snow's, "That's exactly what I'm going to do dwarf." She said in a hollow but firm voice. Suddenly most of the on lookers gasped and Leroy's mouth dropped open in surprise. Regina's brown eyes stared into Snow's green gaze and she said, "Because there is still hope for your happy ending Snow, something I am not lucky enough to have."

Snow looked at Regina with her green eyes filled with sorrow and gratitude, "Regina…" The short haired brunette was at a loss of words. Mustering up the only words she was able to she said, "Thank you."

Regina nodded and gave them and small half hearted smile, then she turned to leave knowing it would be best to just get it all over with sooner rather than later. "Regina." Charming called after her and she turned to look at him.

"If I'm going to do this then it would be best to not interrupt me or I might change my mind." She said coolly but paused as he walked over to her.

Charming looked at her with sincerity in his blue eyes and said, "We will never forget this Regina, I promise. No matter what the past you are a part of our family and we will never forget what you've done for us."

Regina nodded and forced back tears that threatened to spill from her beautiful brown eyes. "Thank you David." She said with a soft sob in her voice that could barley be heard. "I wish you all the best of luck in the times to come."

David looked at her and nodded before suddenly both he and Snow were hugging the evil queen. Snow was in tears and David looked almost as emotional. But soon Regina had to back away from their embrace and looked at them before turning to see a grief stricken Emma standing off to the side looking at her with pain filled hazel eyes. The blonde looked at Regina with such longing and regret that it made Regina's heart hesitate in her choice for an instant. But the instant passed quickly and she reminded herself that there was no other way. She nodded to Emma but said nothing before turning and walking towards her car.

Emma saw the woman walking away and knew she couldn't let her go her last few hours alone; she would never want Regina to be alone ever again. Without a second thought the blonde went racing off after the mayor, catching up to the woman as she neared her black car. "Regina wait please." Emma said.

The mayor turned and looked at Emma and couldn't help but give a light laugh. "You Charming's are just awful with goodbye's aren't you." She said.

Emma nodded and smiled slightly at the sound of Regina's light laugh, "Yeah, yeah we are." She said and looked at the ground then back up at the brunette. "Let me drive you, please." She said. "You shouldn't be alone."

Regina looked truly surprised by the statement and looked at the blonde. "Emma, you heard the Witch. I have to come alone." She said and Emma felt her heart leap forward as the mayor addressed her by her actual name.

"But you shouldn't go the whole way alone. Let me drive you to the edge of the forest, please?" Emma said looking slightly desperate.

With a sigh Regina nodded and said, "Thank you Emma, I would appreciate the company."

Emma nodded and smiled but it was a sad smile, she hated the fact that she had to drive the woman she cared so deeply for to her death. Her and Regina turned and began to walk across the street to the old yellow bug parked at the curb. In silence the two women got in and buckled their seat belts before driving off towards the edge of the forest by Zelena's farmhouse.

This is part one of a two part story. I hope you all like it so far but fare warning it is not going to have the happiest of endings because I'm just not that nice to characters. Please review, I love getting comments and hearing people's thoughts! 3