17

                                    

                                          
I arrive at the door hearing mumbles beyond the peeling paint and I sigh to myself. I've managed to walk my anger off at this point but it's only morphed into worry for the others. Zelena may be a lot of things but I know that she wouldn't seriously harm me; it would be easy to convince her otherwise even if she wanted to. However, she has no feelings for the others and those she does feel for... it's only bad things. 
I unlock the door and enter, the room falling silent as everyone turns to me. The silence only causes my mind to increase in volume and I feel disoriented. Regina comes over and takes me in her arms which grounds me as I embrace her tightly. I open my eyes after a while to see everyone even more confused than before. "The woman you spoke of before? Her name is Zelena, better known as the wicked witch of the west" I choose to keep it simple so they can soak it in for the first time. 
Snow looks conflicted whilst David seems to take a while processing it. Emma just looks flat out confused, "I didn't even know she was actually real" she voices. Again, this is fairytale land, have we learned nothing? "Well... maybe we could just talk to her? A lot of people have come here seeking refuge before and I think we should give her a chance" I stare at Snow completely in shock. I know she's all about 'hope' but this is a vast difference from when we didn't know who this woman was. 
I would think knowing her identity should make her even more cautious but it appears that she really thinks this is the 'happy ending'  fairytale after all. David agrees with her, of course, but even he looks apprehensive which I'm grateful for; maybe he can talk some sense into his lovely wife. "I still think we shouldn't make a move until we know what's really happening" oh poor, naive, Regina — if she knew it all she'd never say that. 
Waiting to make a move is exactly the kind of thing Zelena yearns for. She loves the element of surprise and even more so allowing her opponents to believe- "we have the upper hand either way since we know she's here" I could really scream right now. Being knowledgeable certainly has its downfalls. I now really understand that saying: ignorance is bliss. How I wish I could forget everything I've learned. 
Apparently I've blocked out the whole conversation because everyone begins to disperse. Emma leaves with David while Snow heads to the kitchen, Regina going upstairs to kiss Henry good night I assume. I stand there not knowing what to do until she comes back down the stairs and it dawns on me instantly. For some reason any time I see her, always so composed, I feel so at peace and I can actually think clearly. 
I walk with her out the door and onto the street. "Regina..." she turns to me as she wraps her coat around herself, "yes?" she answers with a raise of her eyebrows. I take a deep breath and prepare myself so my voice doesn't tremble. "If somehow she gets me... don't try to save me" her face quickly shifts into a look of confusion and worry as she steps closer. "What? What are you talking about? Of course I would-" "don't. We... have no clue what she's capable of" I interject. 
It's not a lie because at this point she could've developed much more over the years and I truly don't know the extent of her power. If she's even attempting to complete this spell herself then she must've progressed immensely from when I knew her. "Which is exactly why I wouldn't leave you alone with her!" she reasons and I sigh as take her hand in both of mine. "Listen to me, Gina. I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt... so if or when it comes down to it — you live. You got that?" I squeeze her hand to stress my point but she's not budging. 
"Thea I- I can't promise you that" she shakes her head, glancing away from time to time, and I see her cheeks start to get red as her eyes glisten. It's so bittersweet seeing her like this, showing how deeply she truly cares but in such a desperate time. "Please, Regina. I need you to stay alive — Henry needs you alive" I remind her, knowing that boy is her pride and joy. "Well I need you to stay alive" she counters, "you'll be perfectly fine without me" I assure her but she quickly jumps to disagree. 
Her hand seems to get warmer as she squeezes mine tightly, "no. I won't. You know what happened with — I can't go through another loss, Althea. I won't" she states firmly with a frown on her face. "Life is all about what you gain from the losses, darling. Rain to rainbows, manure to flowers... death to life" I mumble, "fuck your metaphors right now" she says angrily and I chuckle softly which only makes her frown deepen. 
"I'm going to do my best so that won't happen and I'm sure you will too. Can we just agree that in the event that we fail, you'll put your family — Henry, first?" I propose and she's silent for a while, it feels like days that we stand there. "You are my family..." she whispers painfully and I smile sadly, wiping a stray tear on her cheek. "Then I'll try my best to stay safe too" I reply and she closes her eyes for a moment as my thumb gently grazes her cheekbone. 
"Why can't you just let us handle this?" she asks desperately and I struggle to answer but eventually settle with what's easiest. "Because I know her, Regina. When she finds out we're close — that I care about you... she isn't going to let that go" her face switched to confusion over again and I want nothing more than to spill it all to her. I could see that look in Zelena's eyes when we were in Granny's earlier, she knew something was different with me aside from our time apart. 
I believe she tried her best to make me forget Regina and distance me from my old life. She could think I happened to get swept up in the curse, after all, I doubt she's known my location all these years; I would've come across her much sooner if that was the case. I tried my best to dodge her gaze at the diner but eventually she will come to realize her sister and I have been reacquainted and I'm not looking forward to that day. 
"If you know her then how- well... I suppose it has been a while, hasn't it?" I just nod in response, "How do you know her?" she asks curiously and I hold my breath for a moment. "It will all be clear soon enough" I say, "You know I'm about tired of you speaking in fucking riddles" she sighs exasperatedly. "We just don't have time right now but I'll tell you, ok?" I assure her and she has no choice but to let it go. 
I squeeze her hand one more time and turn away reluctantly. "Where are you going?" she asks a bit harshly but I understand she's just worried. "To the one person we know that knows how to best catch a witch" I smirk and she shakes her head with a small smile. As I make the short walk, I think about how well I'm fitting in here. I've never felt more at home, which sounds odd when you think about it but the enchanted forest never felt like a home to me. In the way that, after you block out all the traumatic memories, your childhood home doesn't feel like much of a home either. 
The bell dings as I enter Gold's shop and I shiver in anticipation. I know that he'll have some sort of advice, even if I have to pry it out of him. I hear things clattering to the ground in the back and I quirk an eyebrow. I'd never expect such a calculated man to be so erratic. As I look around, being surrounded by all these... 'collectibles' of his, I just feel a dark energy walking around me; embracing me so tightly that I could suffocate and yet I only shiver from the chilly atmosphere. 
When he finally emerges from the back, he appears disheveled and rather disconnected if I may say. He doesn't really acknowledge my presence as he searches for something frantically. There's only one thing he would search for so diligently and we all know what it is. "You gave it to Belle, remember?" Is the old man really losing his head so soon? He's looks up at me as if he hadn't even noticed I was in the room and stares at me daringly, sending an unpleasant tingle up my spine. 
So many questions in those eyes, I assume he mostly wonders how I even know that. "Well, you're wrong. I didn't give her the real one, I'm not an idiot" she scoffs while continuing to search. He pauses, looking at me again and I don't have to be able to read minds to know his thoughts. He's wondering why he disclosed that information to me but he brushes it off just as quick — it is what it is I guess. 
I hear him curse under his breath and I assume he's looked in all his usual places. I begin to worry even more and I feel like this is worth telling someone but they did say not to worry until we're sure. I feel pretty sure about this honestly but I'm trying not to overreact and let my emotions cloud my judgement. Being around so many old familiar faces is really making my head spin and I'm not sure I'm being smart about this. 
I realize he's going to be of no help in this state so I just take my leave and go for a walk. I'm not exactly ready to head back to the apartment yet and be around people. I decide I'm just going to have to figure this out myself. Anytime I tell people about my intuition, it's sort of brushed off or not taken seriously and I really can't handle that frustration right now. I make up my mind on a vaguely outlined plan before arriving at the charming's and heading to bed.