"I asked, what's going on?"

Instead of replying, Emma rushed past her to a small closet.

"Emma?" Her confusion over what was going on mounted when she heard Emma typing in something, before she retrieved her holster and gun from what she assumed had been a safe inside the closet.

"Ma? Did something happen to grandpa?"

She had almost forgotten about Henry and the wide-eyed look on his face told Regina that he had likely overheard Emma talking on the phone.

"I..I don't know," Emma muttered as she fumbled with the holster for a few seconds before throwing it away accompanied by cursing and placed the gun into the back of the waistband of her jeans instead. "Mary Margaret went into labor but there were complications so they had to perform a cesarean. David mentioned both the baby and Mary Margaret were okay but suddenly there was screaming in the background. He was yelling something before the line went dead."

Emma had walked into the hallway and Regina followed after her, trying to process everything that Emma had been telling her.

"You think they are in danger?"

"I know they are in danger, Regina."

"I want to come with you," Henry exclaimed.

"Henry, no, it's too dangerous. We don't know what's out there." Emma shook her head as she turned around. She had grabbed the keys to her car from a small counter and Regina could see the wheels spinning in Emma's head as to what to do with Henry.

"Emma wait," she said when Emma grabbed her jacket and scrambled to put it on. "I can just teleport us there, it would be far quicker than driving."

Something about the whole situation had alarm bells going off in her head and spurred her decision to accompany Emma to the hospital.

"Oh, you can… Thank you," Emma mumbled. She tossed the car keys away again and fished her phone from one of the pockets of her jeans. "Call Ruby, tell her what happened and tell her to come here and keep watch over you," she ordered to Henry as she threw him the phone.

Henry looked like he wanted to argue for a second before he just nodded without further objections.

"We'll be back as soon as we can kid," Emma said softly, before she turned towards Regina, the expression on her face hardening. "Ready when you are."

Despite the fact that she had just gotten the okay to cast the spell whenever she wanted to, something made her hesitate for just a moment and she locked eyes with Emma. Something made her seek out Emma, made her search for something in her eyes and Regina wondered if they had been in a similar situation before.

Taking one last glance at Henry, she took a deep breath and called up the spell. But she felt something interfering with it before they could make it to their destination. A harsh shock of energy jolted through her body and she crashed to her knees on the pavement in the hospital's parking lot. Gasping for breath she felt one of Emma's hands settle on her shoulder.

"Regina! Are you okay? What happened?"

"I..I don't know," she managed to grit out between clenched teeth. "This wasn't supposed to happen. The spell should've taken us inside the hospital." She stood up with shaky legs, thankful for Emma's support and reached out with her magic to determine what had caused the interference.

"Magic, right?"

She nodded by way of answer, her expression turning grim as she noticed the complete lack of activity around the hospital. "Some kind of barrier. We should be able to pass through on foot, I believe it's only meant to stop someone from teleporting inside." Dusting herself off she peered at the main entrance.

"What does that mean?" Emma asked as she pulled the gun from her waistband. "If it's magical then..you think the Wicked Witch is in there?"

She glanced over at Emma as they slowly made their way to the set of stairs that lead to the hospital's entrance. "And Rumplestiltskin possibly." Her mind was working on trying to figure out why they would be there. And why the spell wasn't tuned so it would completely stop anybody from entering the hospital. The only explanation she could think of that it was cast in a hurry for some reason.

She followed after Emma as she took the first few steps up the stairs. She held the gun in front of her rigidly, eyes darting around for any signs of danger and Regina had to hold her tongue to refrain from commenting on Emma's reliance on the useless piece of metal, instead of the magic she possessed.

"This isn't a coincidence is it?" Emma whispered as she stole a quick glance into the hospital's entry hall before flattening herself to the wall again. "It has to have something to do with my mother's pregnancy, with the baby."

"I agree. There has to be a reason she's finally came out of hiding," Regina murmured. Though she decided to withhold some of her suspicions as to what the Wicked Witch would need a baby for. Or this baby in particular.

Conjuring up a small fireball she nodded at Emma. They both entered the hospital at the same time and Regina was once more struck by how quiet it was inside. Emma's mention of hearing screaming when she was on the phone with David flashed through her mind and she warily glanced at the empty hallway

"Emma," she murmured as she flicked her eyes over at the reception desk. A computer screen was casting a eerie blue glow across the cubicle and a large cup of coffee sat next to a stack of files. All signs pointed to whoever had been manning the reception desk abandoning it in a hurry.

She moved towards a corner of the room, keeping an eye on the hallways on both sides of the reception desk as Emma walked up to it, raised her gun and then lowered it and Regina could feel her heart skip a beat when Emma turned towards her.

"There's someone lying on the ground on the other side," Emma whispered.

"Are they still alive?"

"I don't know, it's hard to see."

She followed Emma's line of sight to the door that was next to the closed off reception cubicles and nodded in confirmation. She was reminded of finding the unconscious fairies at the convent and wondered if the same had transpired here. Which would mean they were one step behind. Again. And the thought made her grit her teeth.

The moment Emma opened the door she immediately took notice of a woman lying on her stomach on the floor and facing them. As if she had been knocked out while trying to run away.

"She's alive," Emma said as she felt for a pulse and Regina shared her relief, swallowing around the slight lump in her throat.

They made their way to the cubicle and Regina didn't need Emma's confirmation to know that the woman lying next to her office chair was still breathing. "Whatever happened here, they at least didn't deem it necessary to kill whomever got in the way."

Emma closed her eyes and Regina knew she was gathering her bearings, trying to calm her likely fraying nerves. There was still the matter of finding her parents and the baby after all.

"My father said my mother and the baby were stable, so I'm assuming my mom at least would be in one of the recovery rooms."

"It should be around the corner and down the hallway," Regina said as she followed after Emma again. "Just be prepared for anything," she whispered when they rounded the corner. She noticed the sign pointing towards the recovery rooms and the fireball in her hand blazed up into its full roaring glory.

Two nurses with bloodstained uniforms were laying on the floor near the double doors leading to the surgery wing and Emma gave her an alarmed look. An overturned gurney and dozens of papers littered the ground close to where the nurses were lying. Emma looked down for a moment before she pushed one of the doors open inch by inch, gun extended in front of her as she glanced down the corridor. Regina followed her movements, the fireball in her hand casting small shadows along the walls. A set of recovery rooms was along the next corner and Regina was just about to point this out to Emma when she spied movement from the corners of her eyes.

"Emma," she whispered in an urgent tone.

"I saw it too."

She let Emma lead the way, knowing that she was far less likely to fire the gun if whatever was in the room didn't pose a threat. Whereas she herself didn't have any qualms throwing the fireball if the person so much as made a wrong sound.

The lights in the room were out, though the window was open and the dark curtains in front of it were dancing along with the wind, other than that and some beeping coming from down the hallway, it was quiet.

She followed Emma's slow steps into the room, carefully keeping her back to the wall, when a timid voice ringing out made her jump up a little in surprise. "D-don't hurt me, please."

The fireball in her hand provided enough light to illuminate the back of the room where the woman was sitting huddled on the ground. She was dressed in doctor's garbs, flecks of blood staining the otherwise pristine white clothes. A stethoscope was hanging around her neck and her face was obscured by locks of long brown hair that had escaped from the loosely tied bun. She was shaking like a leaf and Regina noticed how the terrified woman's eyes didn't stray away from the fireball in her hands. Stealing a quick glance over at Emma she snuffed the fireball and crouched down in front of the doctor.

"Are you hurt?"

The woman shook her head and Regina's eyes fell on the name badge clipped to a pocket on the uniform.

"Doctor Taylor? Can you tell us what happened?"

"I-I don't know," the woman mumbled. Her eyes still held a great amount of fear, although Regina noticed most of the shaking had stopped. "I was taking a short nap and all of a sudden there was screaming and yelling and I could hear things crashing to the ground. I didn't know what to do, so I hid in a utility closet."

"So you didn't see anything?" Emma asked and lowered the gun but Regina saw her still keeping an eye on the door.

"I didn't," Doctor Taylor answered. She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears and drew in some deep breaths. "I heard some people talking after it went quiet. One of them was a woman at least, but I couldn't understand what they were saying."

"Do you have any idea how long ago this was?" Regina inquired as she stood up.

"Maybe ten minutes at most?"

Emma nodded, "so they might still be here." She brought the gun back out, rolling her shoulders as she walked back to the doorway.

"You should be safe here," Regina said, fixing her gaze on the woman for a moment. "We don't think they intended to harm anyone. Your colleagues should be waking up in a few hours."

"I think I'll stay here for the time being," the Doctor murmured, "just in case. The screaming is still echoing around in my head."

"Okay, whatever happens just stay put," Emma ordered. "We're just going to check if the hospital is clear."

"I will, thank you," the Doctor mumbled.

Regina conjured up another fireball and extended the other hand just in case a barrier was necessary. She followed after Emma as she slowly made her way past a few closed doors, before they came to the corridor that held the recovery rooms.

The first room was empty and Regina could see the worry eating away at Emma as she quickened her pace. Relief washed over her when she opened the second door and lowered the gun instantly as she rushed towards the hospital bed. Regina glanced across the corridor but didn't see anything out of the ordinary and extinguished the fireball, closing the door behind her as she entered the room.

"Mom?"

A ghostly pale Mary Margaret was laying in the hospital bed, various wires were taped to her chest and arms and an IV drip was running to one of her hands. The steady beeping of a heart monitor was the only sound in the room other than Emma's ragged breaths.

Only when Regina walked up to where Emma was standing, she noticed the empty baby bassinet as well as a figure lying on their side next to it.

"Whale," she murmured as she crouched down and felt for a pulse, nodding at Emma's questioning look. "He's alive, though it looks like he took a beating." A few cuts and scrapes marred his face and she concluded he had likely been thrown into something.

"The baby," Emma murmured, her eyes filling up with unshed tears. "They took the baby."

She was about to argue that the baby might still be at the maternity ward but then she noticed the blankets and the woolen cap laying inside the bassinet and her throat constricted.

"They could still be here right?" Emma rubbed her eyes, her expression hardening. She looked towards Mary Margaret and Regina noticed her obvious reluctance at having to leave her mother all by herself.

"Emma.." Even with her conflicting feelings about Emma, she still didn't want to give her any unrealistic hope. If it had truly just been the baby that the Wicked Witch was after, she was likely long gone by now.

Emma's lips pursed into a thin line and she stormed out of the room without another word.

"Emma!" she yelled, not caring about who might overhear them and hurried after her all the while cursing under her breath.

She got to an intersecting corridor when she noticed Emma slowing down and walking towards a small waiting room. Various people were lying unconscious on the floor or sprawled across the seats.

Before she could ask Emma what the hell she thought she was doing, she saw what had drawn Emma's attention. Remains of a phone were strewn around on the floor in front of the seats and she realized it had likely been David's.

"My father was here," Emma murmured and Regina wondered if there was possible that David had managed to get the baby to safety somehow.

"Did the phonecall give you any idea where he could've gone?" She asked as her eyes darted around the waiting room and then further into the corridor that led to another wing.

"No. Just screaming. I doubt he could've gone far, considering what happened to the rest of the people here."

"But your father isn't the kind of person to hide from a threat. Even when it would be the wise thing to do so." She didn't dislike the man, but it seemed all too obvious that his hero-complex would likely get him killed one day.

"He would've tried to go back to my mother and the baby," Emma surmised as she looked into the direction they had came from. A frown creased her forehead as she scanned the hallway. One of the doors was open and from the way Emma was raising her gun back up, Regina realized she had drawn the same conclusion.

As they got closer Regina picked up on small hollow sounds, as if someone was tapping against a metallic object. She exchanged a quick look with Emma and they both took an opposite side as they entered the room.

Almost immediately she noticed David sitting against the foot end of the bed. He was rocking back and forward while mumbling nonsensical things A blank expression was etched across his face and an overturned metal tray was lying next him. The ring on one of his fingers was rapping against it in a continuous beat and Regina realized that's where the metallic noise was coming from.

"David?" Emma dropped the gun and enveloped his face between both of his hands.

He flinched the instant Emma touched him. "Don't hurt me," he cried out. His voice was small and fearful, taking on an almost childlike quality. "Stay away from me."

"Dad.." Emma murmured softly. She lowered her hands to her sides and her eyes darted all over David, as if she was looking for something that would explain his current state of mind. "Regina, do you have any idea what's wrong with him?"

"No. Though I assume he's under the influence of some kind of enchantment."

"But he's not unconscious like the others."

David looked at both of them with huge round eyes, his bottom lip trembling as he crawled away to a corner of the room. Regina couldn't recall ever having seen someone in this state before and she tried to understand what had happened to him and why.

Letting some magic flow through her, she tried to sense if there was some kind of spell on him and if there was a way to break it. But what she found surprised her. "It's not what was done to him, it's what was taken from him."

"What..what does that even mean?" Emma asked as she picked up the gun from the floor and slowly walked up to David. The closer she got however, the more he curled up to a ball and Emma stopped, a heartbreaking expression on her face as she turned to face Regina.

"I don't know. He's missing something. Everyone has a magical aura and usually spells interfere with it, but it's like a part of his aura is missing. Whatever it was, it caused him to revert to.."

"Someone who fears everything?" Emma surmised. "David?" She tried again, but the only response to her question was her father attempting to making himself even smaller. "How do we help him?" Emma asked, her voice strained as she stared at the gun in her hand.

"I don't know. If something was removed, it has to be contained in something. It would stand to reason that the Wicked Witch likely possesses this container. If we could trace it down I might be able to undo his current state easily."

Emma sighed, looking infinitely more tired all of a sudden. "This Witch is always one step ahead of us Regina and I'm tired of it. I don't know about you but I'd say it's time to take the fight to her." She shook her head and walked up to the door that led out of the room.

And Regina felt it before she saw it. Before she was able to warn Emma about the imminent danger, a flash of magic threw Emma against the wall on the other side of the room and the gun she had been holding clattered to the ground. Emma's eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and surprise and her feet kicked futilely as she clutched at the invisible grip holding her immobilized against the wall.

"Why yes, dears, do take the fight to me," a voice rang out from somewhere in the hallway and Regina felt shivers run down her spine.

She quickly conjured up a fireball and threw it into the hallway, while dispelling the magic used on Emma with her other hand.

"Hmm, still a hothead I see, little sister."

Without missing a beat, Regina conjured up another fireball while using her other hand to place a protective barrier in the middle of the hallway. A hooded figured, dressed in a dark brown robe was standing at the opposite side of the hallway. She had one of her hands extended outwards and Regina could feel powerful magic attempting to pierce her barrier. From the corner of her eyes she could see Emma drawing herself upright against the wall.

"I don't know who you are but I suggest.."

"No," the woman interrupted. She sounded amused to Regina's great irritation. "I suppose you really don't have a clue who I am." The woman's hand extended outwards again and Regina dispelled her fireball and focused all of her magic on keeping the barrier intact.

"I would guess it's that pesky little memory issue of yours, sis."

"You have a sister?" Emma asked between coughs while clutching her throat with one of her hands.

"Half sister to be precise."

The woman chuckled and to Regina's relief stopped her attempts at breaking through the barrier. She pushed the hood back over her head and Regina's jaw dropped. Piercing blue eyes studied her intently and Regina recognized the woman as Snow's midwife. With the glaring difference of having most of her face and visible skin covered by bright green spots now.

"Zelena?" Emma was shaking her head, the expression on her face one of utter disbelief. "You were my mother's.." And then her eyes grew huge and Regina felt some of the puzzle pieces click into place for herself as well. "You took the baby, didn't you?! Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

"Oh it would seem the savior isn't doing much saving lately now is she?" Zelena smirked as she cocked her head. "But I'll admit it was fun watching you walk around the town, hangdog expression on your face as you moped about the fate of your relationship. And my little sister over here would barely give you the time of the day."

Regina scoffed, "truly now, as if I wouldn't know I had a sister."

"But that's the beauty of it, isn't it?" Zelena's voice was like nails on chalkboard and Regina itched to throw a few fireballs to wipe the smug expression from her face. "We've met before and you don't remember. But I do, and I also remember a promise I made to you. That I would take everything from you," Zelena hissed, "including your happily ever after."

"What did you do with the baby?" Emma had stepped closer to the barrier, a fire burning in her eyes that Regina couldn't remember ever having seen before. "And my father?"

"So many questions," Zelena said, making a clicking noise with her tongue as she checked the watch on her wrist. "So little time. But I'll admit this makes it easier. I hadn't quite expected my dear little sister to make her appearance here as well."

Both of Zelena's hands extended outwards in a quick motion and a blast of magic crumbled Regina's barrier away.

"Regina?" Emma sounded frantic as she flattened herself against the wall.

"I need your help," she managed to gasp out as she blocked another blast of magic. She fired few small fireballs into Zelena's direction but the witch had no issues dispelling them before they got near her and Regina's heartbeat accelerated.

Regina conjured up a new barrier and Emma dived across the floor to crouch behind it as it buckled under a renewed assault. "What do you want me to do?"

"Use your magic, don't think, just use it."

She saw the flicker of hesitation passing across Emma's face before determination replaced it. A yellow ball of energy sprung up from the palm of Emma's hand and Regina grinned. When Emma threw it, despite the clumsy gesture, Regina noticed how much difficulty Zelena had in blocking it. The witch cursed as some of the magic even seemed to impact on her and a murderous expression formed on her face as she fired off more blasts of energy.

"It's y-your magic," Regina managed to stutter out. Her palms were sweaty and her entire body was on fire from the strain she was putting on it. "Remember the pendant."

"As much fun as I'm having, I do think it's time to wrap this up," Zelena said. Her breathing was laboured and the words were said through gritted teeth and Regina couldn't suppress a smirk.

But then with a flick of wrist a dagger appeared in Zelena's outstretched hand and Regina swallowed. She didn't have the time or energy to teleport them both out and Regina wondered if that had been the plan all along.

"Rumplestiltskin," Zelena's voice boomed around the hallway and Regina caught the worried glance Emma cast her way.

Dark purple mist obscured their vision for a moment and then Rumplestiltskin appeared in the middle of it. "You rang, dearie?"

Regina's heart hammered away in her chest as she watched Rumple and Zelena warily. There wasn't enough time for any complex spells and her mind scrambled to come up with a scenario that would get them out of the hospital unscathed. She used up what little magical reserves she had to conjured up one last barrier, despite knowing it would only buy them mere seconds at most.

"I trust you had enough time, hmm?" Zelena said sweetly. "I have a new task for you, please do be a dear and take out the savior for me. My sister and I have an appointment and all, and this bothersome white magic is interfering with my plans."

Regina's head snapped towards Emma and she saw her turning to sprint towards one of the doors. But after the first step, something immobilized Emma mid stride and her eyes grew huge in surprise.

"What the hell is you want with us?" Regina hissed out. "I don't even know you and even if it was.." The barrier broke and she doubled over when a blast of magic impacted her chest and knocked all the air from her lungs.

Her back crunched against the wall and she gasped, taking quick wheezing breaths as she instinctively blocked another blast of magic Zelena threw her way. But a new barrage slammed into her outstretched arms and toppled her over, causing her head to impact the ground with enough force for black spots to appear in her vision.

"Since you asked so nicely" Zelena murmured and Regina groaned and attempted to sit up right. "I need a heart actually, and yours will do just fine for what I have in mind."

Magic forced Regina's body upwards and immobilized her against the wall. She attempted to free her wrists but everything felt too heavy and her movements sluggish, as if someone had poured sand into her limbs. Sharp hot pain suddenly lanced through her chest, wrenching her eyes open and she gasped as she noticed Zelena standing in front of her, one of her arms disappearing into her chest.

"Regina!" She heard Emma's voice calling out, punctuated by sharp outcries of pain.

"I will make it so you were never born. I will have what is rightfully mine by birth," Zelena spat out.

She managed to tap into enough magic to stop Zelena from closing her fingers completely around her heart, but Regina knew she was just delaying the inevitable. Cold tendrils of magic seeped into her chest, making her shiver as Zelena increased the pressure. Regina could feel her hold on her magic slipping and she was unable to keep her head from falling to a side as strength escaped her.

She could see Emma lying on her back further down the hallway. Her eyes were bulging as Rumple's magic was choking her and something in Regina twisted. It coiled deeply into her chest until it burst outwards. Zelena shrieked and the invasive magic pulling on Regina's heart was gone. She fell to the floor as her legs couldn't support her and she noticed Zelena was laying in a similar position several feet away from her, an astonished expression on her face as she looked at her hands. The hands that didn't hold Rumple's dagger anymore.

Regina's eyes darted to the side and she reached out far quicker than she thought she would've been capable of and grabbed the fallen dagger.

"That's not possible," Zelena yelled out, her head shaking as she continued to make gestures with her hands. "How the hell did you do that?!"

It dawned on Regina that Zelena was unable to use her magic due to the the lingering effects of what had just happened.

"Emma!" She yelled.

To her surprise Emma had already risen up, though she leaned against the wall as one of her legs was unable to bear any weight and blood was running from her split lip. Without a word she extended her hand and Regina grinned despite the pain when she saw the pendant vanishing from Zelena's neck.

Before she was able to say anything, a flash of blinding white light made her shield her eyes with her hand.

Something shattered and then for a moment everything was silent..

Until Emma screamed out in agony.

x
_

TBC. Sorry not sorry for the new cliffhanger. Obviously a lot of what happened in this chapter was my take on what happened on the show, so there are a ton of similarities there. But I always liked the idea of Regina standing more of a chance against Zelena. I found the show's take on that a bit unrealistic (If you can say such a thing about a fairytale show) Thanks to everyone for reading, leaving reviews and generally sticking with the story.