Chapter Text
♫♫♫
Almost two months had passed since Regina’s house arrest, and… she was adjusting. She cooked and played piano most days, eating and sleeping in between. She even walked out to her backyard a few times. Regina kept her cell phone close at hand just in case, but she didn’t spend every waking moment waiting for a call anymore. She had grown accustomed to cooking for one instead of three.
Though her heart never stopped aching, Regina was learning to live without her family.
She had to credit a lot of her recovery to Ruby. On day seven of Regina’s house arrest, the peppy werewolf had pounded on her door for several minutes, demanding that Regina open the door. Regina complied, mostly because she didn’t want Ruby to break her door (it had survived a lot over the years, but she wasn’t taking any chances). Ruby saw that Regina’s house was in complete darkness, and she immediately went about opening the curtains and helping Regina put groceries in the refrigerator. Her kindness was unexpected, but Regina decided to reciprocate it, offering the younger woman some lunch. Really, she needed to talk to someone. She hadn’t had any human interaction since her fight with Emma and was itching to learn about how the town was doing in her absence. What better source than the town gossip?
The next week, Ruby brought Regina’s usual order from Granny’s—a $5 lobster meal—along with the usual groceries. They built up a friendly rapport over time. Ruby gave Regina a hot meal and good company, and Regina gave Ruby a few hours of reprieve from work and her grandmother.
Internally, Regina would wish that she was spending her lunches with Emma. But she could find comfort with the redhead.
Today was a day like any other. Ruby and Regina were eating lunch after storing away the meats and vegetables, when Ruby brought up the subject of her reappointment as mayor.
“Some people really want you to get back into office,” Ruby said, in between bites of her burger. “I know David was hounded at the station to drop your house arrest because of it.”
“You’re telling me that there are people in Storybrooke who don’t want my head on a pike?” Regina asked, sneaking a fry off of Ruby’s plate.
“Not so much anymore. At first everyone was angry and confused. But now that everyone has reunited with their families and return to the Enchanted Forest seems impossible, most people have settled down. Only those who are completely loyal to Snow and David still hold a grudge against you. And to be honest, the town isn’t doing so well without you.”
“It’s not?”
“Snow and David are doing their best to lead, but they don’t really know how to run a town,” Ruby said. “There’s a lot of bureaucratic stuff that their cursed memories can’t really account for. Snow’s still working with the school, and David’s more so a deputy sheriff kind of guy. The mayor’s office is practically empty.”
“And what do they think about it?”
“They basically agree, but they don’t want to admit it,” Ruby said. “They’re still looking for a way back to the Enchanted Forest. I tried telling Snow that you weren’t planning to terrorize anyone anymore, but she didn’t want to hear it.”
“You put in a good word for me?” Regina asked, failing to hide the surprise in her voice. It was true that thoughts of vengeance had mostly left her mind, but she didn’t know that Ruby had picked up on that.
“Well, yeah. I think I would know if I was eating lunch next to a woman who was plotting murder,” Ruby joked. “Especially since you’re never subtle.”
“Why did you agree to be my delivery contact, anyways?” Regina asked.
“You want the short or long answer?”
“Both.”
“Short answer, you’re hot as fuck.” Regina’s mouth hung agape as Ruby spoke. “What? It’s true. Everyone knows you rock those pantsuits, and your dresses from the Enchanted Forest left nothing to the imagination. I know at least five people who would lay down their life for a chance with you, and four of them are women.”
Regina wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or mortified. “Miss Lucas, I’m not—"
“Relax Mayor Hotpants, I’m just stating a fact. Like I would go after Emma’s true love,” Ruby said.
“Emma,” Regina muttered to herself. She always asked Ruby about Emma and Henry. Were they okay? Were they eating well, sleeping well? Were they happy? Ruby always assured her that they were fine, and Regina had to wonder if they were moving on with their lives.
“She still cares about you, you know,” Ruby said. “Just between you and me, she was the one who asked me to deliver the groceries to you.”
Regina didn’t even try to hide the surprise in her voice this time. “She did? Why?”
“Uh, besides the fact that literally no one was volunteering, Emma wanted someone to keep you company. She was against the house arrest too, at least the complete isolation part of it. Said that the loneliness would drive you mad.”
“She thought right,” Regina said quietly, “and Emma didn’t want to drop off the groceries herself because…?”
“That’s more due to her parent’s influence rather than anything personal,” Ruby reassured her. “I love Snow, but she is way too protective over her adult daughter. The first week the curse broke, she wouldn’t shut up about how you ‘defiled her daughter.’ You think she’d agree to letting Emma be alone with you?”
“I didn’t realize Emma needed her permission to do things,” Regina said stiffly.
Ruby sighed and put her burger down. “Look, I know it’s been hard, not having Emma and Henry here—”
“Two months, Ruby. I haven’t heard their voices for two months. All I have are the pictures you gave me to know that they’re still alive,” Regina said, her voice rising with every word. “They’re out there, living their happy endings, and they haven’t come over once. They never even pick up the phone when I call. They don’t want anything to do with me.”
Fuck. Regina could feel herself getting emotional. Her fingers began to twitch on impulse, and had they not been greasy from food, Regina would have rushed over to the piano. Playing was the only thing that could help her get through her emotional flare-ups.
“They care, Regina. I know Emma’s still crazy over you,” Ruby insisted, raising up her hand when Regina tried to protest. “No, listen to me. The first time I came over, and you weren’t answering the door, Emma flipped when I told her that I left the groceries at the doorstep. She held a stakeout that night at the entrance to your property, refusing to leave until she saw you open the door and pull the bags inside.”
“Emma was there that night?” Regina said. It had been too dark for her to see.
“Why do you think I was pounding on your door the next week? Emma said that I had to make sure that you were alive and well. Watch over you, and all that,” Ruby said. “It wasn’t just the food though. The first week of house arrest, a lot of people were vandalizing your house, throwing eggs and spray painting it, among other things. I don’t think you noticed since you kept all the curtains closed, but Emma chased them all away.”
“Emma did that for me?”
“She’s been looking out for you. She just doesn’t know how she should feel,” Ruby said. Under her breath, she added, “She doesn’t know if she should love you or hate your guts.”
Regina didn’t know what to think. Emma (possibly) still had feelings for her, despite it all? And if that was how she felt, then Henry must be in a similar boat—the two were peas in a pod when it came to dealing with their emotions. Was there still hope for her? “You won’t get in trouble for telling me about this?”
Ruby shook her head. “What’s Emma going to do about it? She was the one who wanted me to talk with you. Not that I don’t enjoy our talks, mind you.”
“Speaking of talks, it seems that this one will have to come to an end,” Regina said, pointing at the clock. “If you don’t get back soon, I imagine Granny will force you to work weekends.”
“Crap, you’re right!” Ruby shoved the rest of the food into her mouth and rushed to the sink to wash her hands. “I was already late last week. Granny said that if it happened again, she’d force me to wear longer skirts.”
“Oh, that would be a shame,” Regina said flatly, rising from her own seat. She threw away the remains of their meals and walked with Ruby to the front door. “Be careful not to trip on your run home. Oh, and pass a message along to Emma for me.”
“Sure thing. What do you want me to tell her?” Ruby said, struggling to put on her shoes.
“Tell her that I… I… I…”
“Regina?”
“I…” Regina’s voice was strained. Her head began to pound. Her throat felt as though it was on fire. The words were practically palatable, just begging to be spoken. Yet they never came out. They never did.
Ruby was understanding. “I’ll tell her that you’d like to see her,” she said, smiling sympathetically before running off.
Regina locked the door shut and sunk to the floor, cursing her ineptitude once more.
♫♫♫
The next day, the doorbell rang, which surprised Regina. After all, Ruby wasn’t due to visit for another week. A bit wary of an intruder, Regina took the cleaver from the kitchen. She didn’t want to dull the blade unnecessarily, but she could never be too careful.
Regina gasped when she swung open the door. “Emma,” she whispered breathlessly.
Fates, if Emma wasn’t a sight for sore eyes with her signature princess curls, skinny jeans so tight that Regina could see her defined muscles underneath, and classic red leather jacket that Regina could never truly hate no matter how much she said she did.
“Can we talk?” Emma said nervously.
Realizing that she was drooling, Regina snapped her mouth shut. “Would you like to come in? I can pour us some tea—”
“Here is fine,” Emma said quickly.
Ah. So this wasn’t a courtesy call. Regina did her best to mask her disappointment, nodding and closing the door behind her. “I assume you’d like to get straight to the point,” she said.
“Right,” Emma said. “The schools are doing a massive charity this Saturday. Since time has started moving in Storybrooke, the teachers have been trying to get new materials. Starting with textbooks that weren’t published from the 80s. I’m pretty sure the middle school science textbook uses the r-word.”
“I see. And what sort of charity are they planning?” Regina asked, though she was really wondering ‘why are you telling me about this what are you planning?’
“A music show. More so a talent showcase, but it’s basically a music show since that’s what most of it’s going to be. People volunteered to perform, and everyone else will buy tickets. A lot of the Disney princesses are doing songs, like Mary Margaret—er, Snow.”
“I don’t suppose you came to invite me to watch my sworn archenemy embarrass herself in front of a live audience,” Regina said, noting how Emma didn’t say ‘mom.’
“No, well, you can, but that’s not why I’m here,” Emma said. Regina frowned at Emma’s words. She sounded so stilted and awkward and hesitant, like she had to choose her words carefully when she was speaking. It was a far cry from the relaxed tone Regina had grown accustomed to, back when they were together.
(Regina supposed that they technically were still together since there was no official breakup. Also, was it even possible to break up with your true love?)
“Just tell me what you want to say,” Regina said, wincing slightly when it came out much harsher than she had intended. She was aiming for reassuring and ended up with annoyed. As if her relationship with Emma couldn’t be any more strained.
“I… well the school has this beautiful white piano in the music room, but no one really knows how to play. I mean the music teachers are more into brass and wind instruments. So I may have… signed you up to perform?”
“You what?!” Regina screeched.
“It was Henry’s idea!” Emma blurted out. “No one’s playing piano, and you’re like the best player we know! And I figured you would be happy to get out of the house. Henry will be there,” she added.
“You’re… letting me see Henry?” Regina asked.
“If you show up, yeah,” Emma said. “I mean, basically the whole town will be stuffed into the high school theater, but I’ll make sure you get to spend time with him before you go home.”
“So, I’ll be sent back here. Alone,” Regina said.
“Regina, I know it’s not ideal, but this could really help your public opinion within the town. They’re starting to warm up to you, and with a little more patience, they might release you from your house arrest.”
“Emma, I have been patient. Extraordinarily so,” Regina said, her voice laced with poison and pain. “I let you throw me in jail. I let you cuff me and put me in house arrest. I’ve spent two months patiently waiting for you or Henry to come around, to pay a visit, to answer my calls. I haven’t broken house arrest once, nor have I threatened anyone’s life. Do you know how much restraint that has taken? To not act on my impulses to get revenge, to take what is rightfully mine?!” She inhaled sharply. “But I restrained myself, because I know that neither you nor Henry would love me if I used force. I’m trying, Emma.”
“I know,” Emma muttered. “Things are just… complicated right now.”
“Are you speaking for yourself right now?”
“You tell me,” Emma challenged. “Two months ago, I’m enjoying dinner with my girlfriend and our son. Then I find out that magic is real, curses are real, Henry was right about everything, and you were the Evil Queen who killed Graham and only wanted to go out with me to get back at my mom, because apparently I have a mom and dad now, and they expect me to be their daughter as if I know how to do that. I think ‘complicated’ is an understatement.”
Regina’s heart fluttered at the use of past tense when using her old moniker, though it ached to see Emma in pain. All the more so since she was responsible for most of it. “I—I didn’t go out with you just to get back at Snow,” she confessed.
Emma shook her head. “You have no idea how much I want to believe that.”
“It’s true! I really—” Regina tried to speak. Emma was right there, she knew what she needed to say, why wasn’t her voice working?
Emma held up her hand to stop her. “It’s fine. Don’t force yourself to say something you don’t mean. Just, are you planning on attending the charity?”
Regina sighed. Another failed attempt. If only she could speak with her fingers…
Oh. Wait a minute.
“Will you be at the charity as well?” Regina asked.
Emma had an expression of disbelief on her face. “Well, yeah? I’m not going to perform, but I wasn’t going to let Henry go unattended. And I’d have to be there in case of any emergencies. For all I know, Leroy could get drunk and start a fight with Mother Superior because she doesn’t like his relationship with Nova. Which, by the way, weird relationship.”
Regina nodded. “I’ll be there. Send me the details. Or have your personal messenger dog send them, whatever suits you.”
Emma perked up slightly, relieved. “Great! I’ll see you then. Remember, this Saturday!”
“I’ll be ready.”
♫♫♫
Ruby had come by the mansion later that afternoon with the information. One song, or a compilation of songs. Nothing longer than ten minutes. Nothing inappropriate. Her performance was scheduled for 9PM (the show started at 7PM), right after Snow. She was a very late addition to the roster.
One song was more than enough. Regina knew exactly what she was going to play. She had actually been practicing a love piece in secret since her relationship with Emma became official. In hindsight, she should have realized that she had fallen in love with Emma much sooner, but then again, if Regina had the emotional intelligence to recognize her feelings, she wouldn’t need to play a song to convey them.
The next few days were a blur of practice. From morning to night, she practiced and practiced, only stopping to eat, sleep, and use the restroom. Her fingers ached from overuse, but she pushed on, sinking her hands in an ice bath for relief. She had one chance to play for Emma. Her performance had to be perfect.
Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye. Regina straightened her hair and put on a white sleeveless dress. It was the most presentable outfit she had worn in two months, another reminder of how much things had changed since the curse broke. But she had a reputation to uphold, and if this was the last time she was allowed to be in public, Regina was going to dress her best for the occasion.
David showed up at her doorstep at 6PM to escort her.
“Do we really need handcuffs for this?” Regina asked.
“Just hold your hands out.”
“Fine. But be gentle. Last thing I need is you bruising my wrists,” Regina said.
“Can’t make any promises,” David said, snapping the cold metal around soft skin. “Come on, let’s go.”
They drove to the high school in silence, David occasionally shooting dirty looks at her. Regina ignored him, concentrating on the notes that she had to play. ‘C ~ C ~ D ~ C, C ~ C ~ D ~ C, C ~ C ~D ~ C, C ~ B ~ C ~ D…”
“We’re here,” David announced, turning off the car engine.
“This is the back of the school building,” Regina said.
“You want me to bring you through the front, where all the people are?” David remarked. “We’re going through the back. I’ll leave you in the music room where the piano is. We’ll have it moved before the performance.”
“No one else is using it?” Regina inquired.
“All the singers are playing karaoke versions of their songs on the speakers. You’re the only piano musician anyways. Not that I see why you’d want to play such a heavy instrument,” David grumbled.
David and Regina stepped out of the car and walked through the back gate. They slipped through the empty hallways before arriving at the music room, where David finally uncuffed Regina.
“Just so you know, I’m against this,” he told her.
“I couldn’t tell,” Regina drawled.
“I’ll be keeping my eye on you during the performance,” David continued, “If I see any funny business from you, I’ll drag you back to your house right away.”
“I wouldn’t dream of trying anything ‘funny,’” Regina said sincerely. “Thank you for the escort, but seeing as how we’re both unhappy to be in each other’s company, why don’t you rejoin your wife in the backstage? Make sure she doesn’t have a mental breakdown?”
David didn’t look happy, but he finally left Regina be. She let out a sigh of relief and turned to the piano.
It was a nice piano. Baby grand, like what she was used to, but with a white coat instead of black or brown. Stylistic, and tonally appropriate. There were wheels on the legs being held by stoppers, perfect for moving around. Regina opened the lid and ran her fingers over the keys, relishing the cool smoothness of the plastic coating. Regina was relieved to see that all the keys were properly tuned. Even though it seemed as though no one was using it, this piano had been cared for well. It’ll be much happier when it’s out in a crowd, singing its beautiful tunes.
(This is what two months of near complete isolation does to someone. Regina is now assigning human characteristics to a piano she just met. This is a cry for help. Someone give her a hug.)
Regina ran through the song a few times to pass the time and warm up, to get familiar with the new piano. Still, she had plenty of time before she would be called to perform. With time came worry. Would Emma be in the crowd when she performed? Would she be in the front or back seats? Or would she be somewhere in the middle? What if Emma didn’t like the song because it was too long, or because it wasn’t a song with lyrics, or because Regina messed up a bar? What if she was called away on an errand, and she missed Regina’s performance in its entirety? What if she didn’t understand Regina’s message?
No, no, no. Regina slammed her hands against the keys, making a loud smashing sound. She couldn’t start having doubts. Doubts would mess with her mind and affect her performance. She had to convey her feelings for Emma. Yes, that’s right. She had to think about all the parts of Emma that made her happy. Regina thought about Emma’s smile, her laugh, her eyes, her nose, her lips, her little dimples, her toned muscles, her abs, her stretchmarks…
“Madam Hotpants?”
The sudden voice jolted Regina out of her Emma daydreams. Standing in the doorway was a sheepish Ruby.
“It’s 8. I figured that I’d move the piano now, so you could see a few performances,” she explained.
“Yes, that would be nice,” Regina said. She stood up and allowed Ruby to push the piano out the double doors. The werewolf was much stronger than her human form suggested.
Ruby pushed the piano to the backstage of the theater, where all the other instruments were lined up. “I’ll go get your seat from the music room. In the meanwhile, enjoy the performances,” she said.
And so, Regina quietly watched the music show carry out from backstage. There were a few other performers with her, but they thankfully kept their distance. Nothing was incredibly spectacular, but Regina had to admit that the performances weren’t completely terrible. Even Snow could carry a tune, living up to her cartoon iteration.
And then it was her turn. Ruby pushed the piano onto the stage and hooked everything up, telling the audience that they had one more special performance for them. The audience cheered.
Regina stepped onto the stage, gripping her sheet music tightly. The cheers quickly turned into a silent murmur. Regina tuned out their voices. They didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she got her message through to Emma.
“Greetings, citizens of Storybrooke,” Regina spoke into the microphone. “I was invited by the sheriff to play a song for this event. As such, I thought it fitting to play a song in her honor.”
Regina left the microphone on the stand and sat down at the piano. She placed her hands on the keys. Inhale… exhale. She was ready.
Her fingers pressed down.
Regina loved this song. For starters, it wasn’t a very demanding piece—her fingers didn’t even need to stretch to hit all the notes. It had an beautiful simplicity to it, yet somehow carried a world of depth and emotion that amazed her every time she played it. There was always a new emotion hidden underneath the surface, just waiting to be expressed for the first time.
Ah. The tempo increased. But Regina could handle it. She’d practiced for it, after all. But the interesting thing about this piece was that although her right hand sped up, her left hand only played whole notes (with a few exceptions), meaning that it was moving slowly in comparison. That was another nice thing about this song—it took its time to reach the peak. There was no rush to push the listener into the action; they could sink into it with every passing bar The melody was repetitious, but by building on itself over and over, it felt as though there was always more to come. With her left hand rolling over the keys, Regina could add those little subtleties to make the sound complete.
And now the chords were being developed, and her left hand sped up to match. Again, the sound is still simple, yet full. Regina wondered what emotions this section of the song was meant to evoke. Personally, she felt a sense of safety, something akin to how she felt around Emma. As though she was being carried on a ride to an unknown destination, but Regina knew that she was in good hands. As long as Emma was there, she would be fine. The trust that she had, Regina hoped that Emma could hear it.
Around the 2 minute 30 second mark, the song slowed down, allowing Regina the opportunity to look at the crowd while she played. Many faces were staring at her. Regina kept looking, hoping to see Emma somewhere in the crowd. She had nearly given up when she saw telltale blonde curls in one of the middle rows. Emma and Henry were sitting together, watching her pour her heart out in this piece. Were they enjoying the music? Were they swept up in the emotion? Did they hear her message?
Crap. The song was picking up again. No time to look at the crowd. She had to focus on the song. Relax, let the music carry her away. This might very well be the last time she saw Emma, so she was going to make this moment count.
Against her own volition, Regina felt her body beginning to tremble. Perhaps it was a mistake to look at Emma too soon when she still had half of the song to finish. Looking at Emma brought out her strongest emotions, which in this case were her heartbreak and desperation. Heartbreak for losing Emma. Desperation to get her back.
Regina wondered if Emma could hear those feelings, if not see them on her body.
She focused her attention on her fingers, not bothering to look at the sheet music anymore. Not that Regina needed it to begin with—her fingers had committed the song to memory after her thirty-first successful playthrough. Even if her mind shattered and she became a sobbing, blubbering mess, her hands would ensure her message was heard in its entirety. Still, her hands were part of her body, meaning that any internal tremors would also affect her performance. Regina noticed her key presses becoming sharper, more forceful even. She didn’t want that. She wanted Emma and Henry to hear the joys of her love, not the burdens of her pain.
But then Regina decided that maybe it was alright that she was playing like this. After all, her love for them had caused her all kinds of pain. Maybe it was good that they could hear just how hurt she was by them leaving, because she loved them so much. She continued to play, pain and all.
The sobs came out in full force, Regina no longer caring that the entire town was watching her break down. They already hated her, so surely it wouldn’t matter if they saw her like this. And the song was winding down.
As Regina played the last few bars, she willed herself to look back at Emma. Her tears clouded her vision, making it difficult to make out Emma’s expression, but Regina knew that Emma was still looking at her, and that was enough to keep her going.
Finally, after six minutes of nonstop playing, Regina slowly lifted her right hand up and away from the keys. Her left hand continued to push against the keys, letting the final notes echo throughout the theater before it too, moved away from the piano. Her breathing was ragged and uneven, her body was trembling, her face was wet with tears, and her pounding heart overwhelmed her senses, but she had done it. She finally expressed her feelings.
Regina looked back out at the crowd. Everyone she saw was silent and slack jawed. Then, the weight of what she had done came crashing down on her. She let herself be vulnerable in front of the entire town. Everyone saw her having a breakdown.
It was too much.
Regina jumped out of her seat and fled the theater.
♫♫♫
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Regina cried as she ran through the hallways, hoping to put as much distance between the townspeople and herself. She knew she was running away from Henry and that she was probably breaking the rules of her house arrest, but she also was too far gone to care. What was there left to salvage? She had tried to express her feelings and ended up humiliating herself. Emma and Henry must think that she’s pathetic. They didn’t want to be with her before, and tonight all but guaranteed that they never will.
Regina had run without thinking, following the path to the back gate of the school building. If she left through there, no one would see her, and she’d be able to go back to her house without tarnishing her image any further. Her plans were thwarted, however, when Regina came face to face with a giant chain lock. The stupid deputy must have locked it up after leaving her.
Frustrated, Regina ran back through the halls towards the music room. The charity show was ending, meaning that people were heading home. She could hide in there until everyone left and she could sneak out on her own. Even if the unCharmings caught her and dragged her back to her house in handcuffs, no one else would see her shame.
Good. The music room was empty. And there was space under that desk. She could crawl in there and—
“Regina!”
Before Regina registered Emma’s voice, she felt the woman’s muscular body slamming into her, wrapping her arms around her, and burying her head in her neck. “I’m so sorry,” Regina heard Emma murmur.
“E-Emma, what—”
“I’m so sorry,” Emma repeated, a bit more confidently. Her grip tightened, unwilling to let Regina slip away.
As much as Regina adored the feeling of Emma touching her again, Regina needed a bit of space. Pushing Emma off of her gently, she asked, “For what?”
“Everything,” Emma said, “but mostly for not believing you. You had told me before that you had trouble expressing your feelings verbally. I knew that, but I was so hung up over the words you didn’t say that I didn’t listen to you,” Emma gestured to the space between them. “Everything you were trying to tell me.”
“I wouldn’t have trusted myself either,” Regina admitted. “I know myself better than most, and nothing you said was wrong. I wanted to get back at Snow. I killed Graham just to get him out of the way. I never told you the truth. You had every right to hate me.”
Emma shook her head. “I handled it all wrong. You’re my girlfriend. I should have talked to you from the beginning, and instead I pushed you away and cut off contact. And with Henry too—fuck, I fucked this all up, didn’t I?”
“You hurt me, yes,” Regina said. She was taking deep breaths, trying to remain composed. Though she didn’t think that had any more tears to shed, her body tended to surprise her, especially when Emma was involved. “Luckily for you, I’m a very stubborn woman. After picking up the broken pieces of myself, I waited for an opportunity to prove that I had changed. To you, and Henry,” she smiled sadly, her mind thinking back to when the three of them would have dinner together. “When you said you’d be attending the show, I realized that this was it. My best chance at getting you back.”
“I never stopped loving you,” Emma confessed. “After the curse broke, I didn’t want to believe it was real. That you were this mass murderer Evil Queen from Henry’s storybook, despite what everyone was telling me. And even if it was true, you weren’t that person anymore, because there was no way an Evil Queen could love the way you do. But when we found the hearts in the vault and put two and two together about Graham, I just—I started having doubts about everything. And it became easier to think of you as this evil mastermind instead of Regina. I couldn’t believe that you actually had feelings for me.”
“Emma, I—”
“I know,” Emma said. “Listen, Regina. I’m one step away from tone deaf, and I only ever listen to songs with lyrics because I’ve always felt that music wasn’t complete without words to sing along to. But tonight? I heard you.”
I heard you.
Regina stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Emma’s eyes were looking at her with so much warmth and love and how the hell did Regina survive two months without that smile?
The next moment seemed to move in slow motion. Regina leaned in, cupping Emma’s cheeks, kissing her softly. Emma parted her lips to reciprocate, grabbing onto locks of Regina’s hair. Their bodies swayed back and forth, each of them supporting the other’s weight. Their eyes were closed, the two of them relishing in the sensations of each other.
“You know, it’s kind of silly that I didn’t believe you loved me when we literally broke a curse with a kiss,” Emma commented as they broke apart for air.
“You came around. Now stop talking.”
“Don’t need to tell me twice.” Emma kissed Regina again, a little more forcefully this time.
Just as Regina was about to deepen the kiss, a voice rang out from the doorway. “Moms?”
Emma and Regina jumped apart. Regina’s breath hitched when she saw her son staring at them, his mouth hanging wide open. His hair was a little messy, but he looked so handsome and Regina hadn’t seen him in two months and he was there and Regina wanted to cry.
“H-Henry!” Emma exclaimed. “Um, listen kid, we were just—”
Henry cut her off. “Are you and Mom together again? Are we going home?” he asked.
“Home?” Regina said aloud, not sure if she heard him correctly. She stepped forward slowly, afraid that he would disappear if she moved too fast.
“Go on kid,” Emma reassured him. “Tell your mom what you told me.”
Henry bit his lip nervously and nodded. “Mom… I want things to go back to how they were before the curse broke, when we were all living together. As a family.”
“Really?” Regina could barely believe what she was hearing.
“I’m sorry Mom, I really do love you.” Henry began to cry, and Regina rushed to his side. She wrapped him in a hug, rubbing her hands along his back.
“I love you too,” she whispered in his ear. A part of her cursed herself at the ease in which she could say those words to her son, yet the thought of saying them to Emma was a seemingly impossible task. But those feelings were quashed by the sheer joy of being with her family again.
Emma watched them from the sidelines, a goofy grin on her face. “We’re going home, Henry,” Emma said.
And Regina believed it.
♫♫♫
It took a week for Emma and Henry to move back to the mansion. Most of the delay came from the unCharmings’ concerns that Regina would end up corrupting the family somehow. Emma reminded them that Regina’s house arrest didn’t prevent other people from staying with her and that she wasn’t going to turn evil or whatever. Regina was still confined to her property (Emma reassured her that she was working to get that lifted), but she wouldn’t be alone anymore. Emma and Henry were coming home.
The move itself was relatively easy since neither of them had many things to pack. Henry and Emma were thrilled to have their old rooms again. Regina began to cook for three people again. It took a while for everyone to settle in, but they were becoming a family again.
One day, when Henry was out at a sleepover, Emma had come home from work to find Regina sitting in the living room. “Playing again?” Emma asked, sitting down beside her.
“Only every day,” Regina said, smiling at her girlfriend. “Any requests?”
Emma grinned. “How about our song?”
Regina nodded. Emma was still a lyrics girl at heart, and Regina respected it. But after Regina’s performance at the charity event, Emma became extremely attached to the song Regina performed, calling it “their song.”
Which, regarding those three words, Regina still had trouble saying them. Occasionally she would mumble a quiet “love you,” loud enough for Emma to hear. That alone took considerable effort, but Regina kept trying. Emma deserved to hear the words fall from her lips as naturally as they did from Emma’s.
But they had time. For now, Regina played piano.