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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
SYMPATHY FOR THE DE VIL
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"WELL, THIS IS CERTAINLY HOMEY." Teresa perked up at the sound of a voice and marched out of the cabins kitchen with her glass of water and into the living room. There, she found Gold and a man who she's never seen before, latter of the two looking around the cabin to take it all in.

"Antlers are a nice touch. Makes me feel like Hemingway. Or maybe Thoreau. Name's Isaac, by the way."

"Do you always talk this much, Isaac?" Teresa questioned as she leaned against the door frame. Gold hummed in agreement.

Isaac turned to look at her and a smile pulled onto his lips when he seen it was Teresa Holmes that had spoken to him. "Only when I'm nervous." Isaac then turned to Gold. "And you still have my quill."

"Yeah. Well, for now, let's call it...my quill," Gold said as he pulled out a black quill from his inner jacket pocket.

"You know, it's worthless without its ink," Isaac told him, causing Teresa's eyes to widen.

"Hold up, this is the author?"

Gold have the archer a nod, a silent answer to her shocked question. "Oh, I'm aware, and I plan to obtain some very soon."

"Yeah. And just how are you gonna do that?"

"Simple. Now you're here, I'm gonna turn the saviour dark."

Teresa crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at the Dark One. Like hell he's going to turn Emma dark!

"What will that accomplish?" Isaac questioned.

"Once her heart has been blackened, everything I need shall fall into place. You'll see soon enough, when my associates return."

Isaac crossed the room, passing Gold. He came to a stop at the coat rack, where he then stroked Cruella's fur coat. Teresa arched a brow, wondering what the hell he was doing. "Your associates seem to have a taste for fur. And perfume. Can't wait to meet them."

"Surely you must know them from your stories."

"Know of them, sure, but an author rarely gets — "

Gold cut him off, "Be quiet. Don't say another word. Something's just come up. You stay here till I return."

"Until you return?" Isaac stared at him with wide eyes. "But who's gonna..." Gold then disappeared in a cloud of smoke, causing Isaac to let out a sigh. "Protect me?"

Teresa smirked. "I'm offended; you're the author and you think I'm not great protection."

Isaac turned to look at her. "I meant no offense. Like I was going to say, I may be the author but I have rarely met any of the people I write about. You, I have not."

Isaac smiled and extended his hand toward her. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the infamous archer."

"Likewise." After briefly shaking his hand, Teresa threw herself down into the nearest chair.

"Might wanna get comfortable, they leave me here quite a lot and are gone for quite some time."

Isaac's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Leave you here?"

"They have my heart, I'm sort of trapped here. Believe me, if I had my heart I'd be far away from this group of psychopaths."

Isaac smiled. "With Henry, I assume?"

Teresa's eyes widened at his assumption. "What? No, of course not."

"Because of what you both are."

Teresa's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she leaned forward in her chair, curiosity swimming in her eyes. "What are we?"

➳

Regina waited behind a tree trunk as Belle dipped her head down, calling for Gold. "Rumplestiltskin. Rumplestiltskin. Rumple..."

"Hello, Belle."

Regina's eyes moved from Belle and over to Gold, as he now stood behind her.

Belle turned away from the well and offered him a small smile. "Hello."

"This is a curious place to meet."

"Do you, uh, do you remember what you told me here the night of our vows? How I chased all the darkness out of you?"

"Belle, look, I'm sorry for everything." Regina rolled her eyes.

Belle shook her head, a stern look in her blue eyes. "No. No apologies today. For once in my life, I just want the truth. Why are you here, Rumple? Are you..are you trying to win me back?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that." Gold then did something expected to Regina. He removed his heart, revealing its pitch-blackiness to his wife.

"Rumple?"

"It seems that centuries of dark deeds do take their toll. And all that's left of it...is this." From where Regina stood, she could see the tiniest little red spot left on his dark heart. The tiny little red spot that was all because of Belle. Regina knew if it hadn't been for Belle there would be no red left in his heart. "And pretty soon, that will be gone, too."

"Well...will you die?" Belle asked in concern.

Gold nodded. "In a manner of speaking, yes. I will lose any ability to love. And that goodness that you once saw inside of me...well, that'll be gone forever. There's only one man who can reverse this process, and that's the Author. That's why I'm here in Storybrooke. I don't expect you to understand, of course."

"But I...I-I do understand."

A hopeful gleam shined bright in Gold's eyes. "You do?"

"Sometimes I worry...I worry I threw out the chipped teacup too soon."

Gold grinned and stepped forward, embracing Belle in his loving embrace while planting a soft kiss onto her lips.

Regina felt a pang of sadness pierce of her heart as she thought of Alice and Robin. She pushed her sadness away as Belle pulled back from the kiss. She took this as her queue and began whispering to Belle's heart.

"You know what the problem is, though?" Regina whispered to her heart.

Belle echoed her words, "You know what the problem is, though?"

"Will is just such a better kisser than you are."

"Will is just a better kisser than you are."

Gold looked heartbroken, completely satisfying Regina. "W-What?"

"You're pathetic."

"You're pathetic."

"Watching you come groveling back to me, it's like a dog begging for scraps."

"Watching you come groveling back to me, it's like a dog begging for scraps."

"Why are you saying that? This isn't like you, Belle."

Regina stepped out from behind the tree with a smirk. "But it is so like me."

Gold turned around to face her and his eyes immediately went to the heart in her hand. "Regina."

Reina gave him a smirk before turning to Belle. "Now forget all this and run along home." With an emotionless face, Belle turned and walked away.

"You have no idea just how much I'm gonna make you suffer for this."

"Oh, you're not gonna do a thing, unless you wanna see what happens when I take this heart and squeeze."

"Come on. We both know you don't have it in you."

"Don't I?" Regina waited a moment, before giving her heart a gentle squeeze. Regina wasn't going to kill Belle, she was just making sure she had his full attention.

Gold's eyes widened as soon as Regina's fingers tightened around his loves heart. "All right, all right! I believe you."

Regina smirked. "Good. First things first, hand over Teresa's heart or Belle loses hers."

Gold gave her a long look before reaching into his coat. He pulled our Teresa's heart and reluctantly handed over the archers heart. Regina took it without hesitation.

"Good. Now secondly, I'm headed to New York. And if you breathe one word of this to Zelena, you won't be the only one who loses a heart."

➳

When his school bus pulled up infront of his mother's house, Henry stepped off and began walking up to the large white house until he spotted someone — rather like someone — in the corner of the eyes.

Henry smiled at the black spotted dog. "Hey, Pongo. What are you doing here? You shouldn't be out here by yourself."

Henry went to go towards him, but Pongo suddenly bolted. His eyes widened as he watch Archie's dog run off. "Pongo! Pongo! Pongo!"

Henry chased him all the way to an alleyway, where Pongo came to a stop near a dumpster. "Pongo!" Henry exclaimed, slightly out of breath. "Okay. Come here, boy."

Pongo snarled, something not at all like him, causing Henry to move away from him with widening eyes. "Whoa. What's wrong? Calm down."

Suddenly, a car pulled up behind him and Cruella De Vil herself stepped out from the car. "Don't blame the dog, darling. He's simply following orders, and I told him to fetch."

Henry gulped. "What do you want?"

"I want you to be a good boy and get in the car."

➳

"What are we?" Teresa asked for the what felt like the one hundredth time; Isaac wasn't giving her an answer as to what her and Henry supposedly were. And she was getting very aggravated with him. All she wanted was a damn answer.

Before she could ask again, she suddenly felt a pull on her body. She stood from the chair, and with an emotionless face she held up her hands and disappeared in a cloud of white flurries.

Teresa's feet landed in the driveway of Regina's house. She glanced around for a moment before coming face-to-face with Regina herself, who smiled at her. It was then that Teresa noticed the flowing red heart in her palm.

Teresa grinned. "Is that...?"

Regina nodded, "You're welcome."

"How the hell did you get my heart back?"

"Long story short: Belle helped me out and together we manipulated the Dark One."

Before Teresa could say anything else, Regina stepped forward and thrust Teresa's heart back into her body. Teresa released a small cry of pain and hunched over slightly while clutching at her chest.

"Sorry," Regina apologized. "Figured it would hurt less if I just ripped it off like a bandaid."

"No, I agree." Teresa rubbed at her chest, a dull pain still present. "Thank you."

"No problem."

Suddenly, Emma arrived. "You sure going to — " Emma came to a halt and her eyes widened. "Teresa?"

"Hey," Teresa greeted, a smile on her face.

"How'd you escape? I thought Gold had your heart?"

"Regina stole it back, with the help of Belle," Teresa replied.

Emma nodded. "Well, it's good to see you. I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks."

"So, New York," Emma said, turning to face Regina, who sighed. "You sure this is a good idea? You don't know what Zelena has planned. What if you're walking into a trap?"

"Robin's in trouble. I have no choice," Regina said.

Teresa's eyes widened. "What's wrong with Robin? Is Roland okay?" She's always had a soft spot for that kid. Ever since she first met Robin when she was ten, she would occasionally visit, and she had grown to like Roland. He always seemed to brighten her mood. 

"Long story," Regina sighed.

"You don't have to go alone," Emma told her.

"Don't worry about me. You have your hands full with the Author. I can handle one wicked sister."

"Things are different in New York. Without your magic, y...listen. If you won't take me with you, I want you to take this." Emma handed over a gun she brought with her from the station? "I hope you don't have to use it, but...I want you to stay safe."

Regina accepted the weapon and opened her bag to place it inside. "Thank you. So you're not...angry with me for keeping your parents' secret?"

Emma let out a sigh as she crossed hed arms over her chest. "It's between me and them. You were just trying to help."

Regina and Emma's both chimed. Regina pulled hers from her pocket and her eyebrows furrowed as she seen it was a video message from her son. "It's Henry. Video message?"

"Must be a thing now. I got one, too."

"Mom, Mom, Cruella has me."

Teresa's eyes widened as she heard Henry's voice come from their phones. She bolted over to Regina and looked down at her cell phone screen to see Henry. And sure enough, he was with Cruella.

"If you ever wanna see me again, you have to do what she says."

"Hello, darlings!" Cruella said. "As you can see, I have your dreadful son. If you prefer him to remain in tact, you'll do exactly as I say...kill the Author. Then, ah, bring me his broken little body, or...your boy will meet a very unhappy ending."

➳

As soon as Henry's video message ended, Teresa, Regina and Emma had went to Snow and David's apartment. Snow had been ecstatic to find Teresa had secretly beeb saved by Regina, and thanked the former Evil Queen with a tight hug.

"I recognize that trailhead marker," David said as he stared down at Emma's phone. "Cruella is holding Henry a couple of miles South of the toll bridge."

"So what now?" Hook asked.

"Time to get our hands dirty and do whatever it takes to get him back."

"You're not actually considering Cruella's demand to kill the Author?"

Regina stared at David as if he had two heads. "Of course not. Even if we could find him, it wouldn't be half the fun of killing Cruella. Let's see how she likes being made into outerwear."

"Regina!"

"What? It's Emma's heart we're trying to protect, not mine."

"If we go in guns blazing, we risk hurting Henry. We have to find another way."

"I've headed many rescue missions," Hook voiced. "It would be helpful to know the terrain more."

"And where the Author is. If he's enemies with Cruella, maybe he knows the best way to defeat her."

"Oh, we may be able to help with that!" Snow announced.

David nodded, "We went back to the convent and found a flask that we gave him. He dropped it when he escaped. A locator spell might work on it."

"Sounds like a perfect job for you two. I'll take Regina, Teresa and Hook, and we'll scope out the area where Cruella's holed up with Henry."

"Emma!" Teresa's eyes widened at the sudden volume on Snow's voice. "I know you're still angry, but avoiding us is not going to help."

"I'm not avoiding you," Emma said. "With Henry's life on the line, I need to be around people I trust, and right now, that's not you."

Teresa's eyebrows shot up at her words, and she wondered just what the hell went down between them. She gave Snow a sad smile before jumping to follow Emma, Regina and Hook as they left the apartment.

➳

A light rain drizzled down on them as they wondered through the woods in search of Henry, the rain chasing their hair to dampen and get slightly frizzy.

"You're acting like a petulant child," Regina said to Emma. "Your parents did a bad thing. They apologized. Now get over it."

Teresa snorted. "So she should take advice from the woman who held a grudge for half her life because a 10-year-old spilled a secret?"

"Exactly, thank you Teresa," Emma muttered.

"Swan, if you won't listen to Regina, perhaps you'll listen to me," Hook said as he sped his walk to be beside her. "You were able to forgive both of us all because you found it in your heart to see past it."

"The difference is that you never held yourself as some paragon of virtue. Neither of you did. You were honest about who you were. My parents weren't. They said they were heroes."

Hook grabbed a her arm, pulling the stubborn saviour to a stop. "Even heroes make mistakes, love."

Emma's gaze fell to the ground.

"You know, not long ago, your mother gave me some advice," Regina piped up. "She said I needed to believe I could still earn forgiveness, that I had a chance at grace. I didn't realize it then, but...she was talking about herself. Emma, she's been trying to make up for what she did for a long time."

"If you two understand them so well, you forgive them. I...can't. More important things to worry about right now, like saving Henry."

➳

Henry watched as Cruella leaned against her car with his cell phone in her hands; she was playing one of the games he had on his phone.

"Blasted birds," she grumbled. "I'll show you what angry looks like."

Knowing that she was fully occupied, Henry tore his gaze away from her and looked around. His heart pounded in relief upon seeing glass shards nearby.

He glanced over at Cruella once more to ensure she was occupied before reaching over and gripping a piece of glass. He brought the glass against his school tie which Cruella had used to bound his wrists together.

He then got up and bolted.

➳

"Help me! Please! Help me! Help!"

Teresa froze in her step, her eyes widening as she heard Henry's screams bounce off of the trees.

"It's Henry. Quick, it's coming from over there."

"No, it's this way," he said.

"Has Cannon fire damaged your hearing?" Regina snapped. "It clearly came from over there."

Teresa eyebrows furrowed. "No, I'm pretty sure it's coming from that way."

"No! No! Help me, please!"

"Split up. Go!"

Teresa didn't hestaiate and bolted to the left, where she heard his screams coming from. She dodged branches and jumped over fallen logs as she ran to find him. Her heart was pounding in worry.

"Somebody!"

"Henry!" Teresa shouted, her heart clenching in fear.

"Help me! Please! Help me!"

Emma was suddenly at her side, and the two quickened their pace as his voice grew closer.

"Somebody! Help me! Help me!"

"Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? You shouldn't have run."

Teresa and Emma burst through the branches, coming to a cliff, where they found Henry and Cruella, the later if the two with a pistol in her hand.

"Henry"

"Mom! Teresa!"

"Let him go!"

"I'm afraid not," Cruella sneered. She grabbed Henry's coat and held him before her, shoving the gun to his chest. "Come any closer, and he dies."

Teresa's heart clenched in fear as she stared at Henry with wide eyes. She glanced down at his hands, where she could see his hands trembling in fear.

"One small dead Author. That's all I asked," Cruelle sneered. "Simple revenge, and you failed utterly."

"Put the gun down, Cruella," Emma practially growled. Her eyes were glossy with tears as she stared at her son.

"Mom." His voice was trembling slightly. Teresa could tell he was trying hard to keep himself calm.

"It's gonna be okay, Henry," Emma reassured her son.

"I'll do it, saviour. Believe me, I will." Emma lifted her hands, which then began to glow a soft white colour. "Put your hands down, saviour. We both know you're bluffing."

"That's my son."

"And you're a hero, and heroes don't kill." With an angry glare, Emma thrust her hands forward, and her burst of magic sent Cruella over the cliff and Henry to the ground.

Teresa's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Emma, who had the darkest gleam in her eye that she's only ever seen before on Regina, as the Evil Queen, and Rumplestiltskin. She never expected to see such a look in Emma's eyes, yet here it was, clear as day in her bright blue orbs.

Teresa knew right then and there that Gold was succeeding. He was slowly, but surely, turning the saviour dark.

A/N: Yay! Teresa has her heart back!! 😄😄

What do YOU think Isaac was talking about when he said, "Because of what you both are" to Teresa, regarding her and Henry?