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“We need to talk.”
No one likes to hear that phrase. Whether you’re at work or home, it’s never usually followed by good news.
Emma took a deep breath as she reached up to knock on the mansion door. Regina had texted her those frightening words this morning followed by only a time and place. The door opened, and she was greeted with the sight of Mayor Mills looking as flawless as ever...
“Emma.” The blonde followed the brunette inside. Emma noted Regina hadn’t maintained eye contact for long. They ended up in the study. The first thing Emma saw as she entered the room were two glasses set out next to a decanter of Regina’s cider. This wasn’t good.
Regina handed Emma a glass and took a seat on the couch. The blonde took a generous swig of the cider and joined the older woman on the couch.
“So...what’s up?” Emma cringed at herself. Why was she so bad at this stuff?
Regina took a small sip from her glass and bit her lower lip. “I’m not sure how to say this...so I’ll just come right out with it… Henry has asked to move back into the mansion.” Emma looked at Regina in confusion. “He doesn’t want to stay with you and Hook anymore Emma, not even for a weekend…”
“I don’t understand? Why?” Emma felt like she had been punched in the gut.
“I… I’m afraid it might be, partially, my fault…” Regina stood and walked over to the cider and topped off her still nearly full glass. The older woman was obviously nervous, but that wasn’t making Emma feel any better.
“I don’t understand?” She and Hook had been fighting a lot recently, maybe that was why? That wouldn’t be Regina’s fault though? Sitting her drink down on the table Emma rose and stood in front of Regina.
“As you know, Henry has been working on writing his story... to help get his author powers perfected.” Emma nodded. She’d been helping him fill in some of the gaps he was missing. “Well, he’s been working on Neverland...or rather, the time right before he was kidnapped by Greg and Tamara… He told me how you had given him a dreamcatcher? So that he could see your memories from that time.”
“Yeah… I made sure there wasn’t anything he shouldn’t see. Did I forget something?” Emma replayed the memories in her mind…
“No. I did. I forgot something. It was thoughtless of me, and I’m so very sorry.” Emma was stunned. What could Regina possibly have shown Henry that made him want nothing to do with her?
“What did he see?” Her memories of that time were fuzzy at best...she and Regina weren’t getting along that well of course, but she couldn’t come up with anything that would make Henry hate her.
“I told him he could have almost all my memories from the time, but not the ones when I was being tortured. I didn’t want him to have to see that…” Regina took a larger gulp of her cider. “I forgot one major detail of that day though…” Regina looked up at Emma with tears in her eyes.
“What was it?”
“Who it was that took me to be tortured that day.”
Emma was even more confused. “I thought Greg just kidnapped you?” Emma thought hard about it. She was surprised to find she didn’t remember finding out exactly how Greg had managed to take Regina in the first place. “Who did?”
“Hook.”
“What?” That was the last name Emma thought that Regina would say.
“It was Hook that turned me over to Greg. I don’t know why I didn’t think about that before I shared the memories with Henry. I was so careless.” Emma just stood there in stunned silence. Whatever Henry saw made him want nothing to do with Hook, and she supposed her as well. She needed to know.
“Show me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Show me what Henry saw, I need to know for myself.” Emma took a step closer to Regina. “Please.”
Regina just silently nodded and left the room. Emma went to her forgotten drink and gulped it down. Her mind was racing. Regina returned to the room with the dreamcatcher in her hand. Emma made another decision at that moment.
“I want the uncensored version.”
“Emma, no…”
“I need to know what you went through because of him, Regina.”
“That’s not what this is about, Emma. This is about Henry. I’m sure if we all just sit down and talk about it…”
“Please, show me. ALL of it.” Emma needed to know.
Regina sighed and waved her hand over the dreamcatcher adding in the missing time. “I’ll be in the kitchen…” Emma watched the older woman leave the room.
Emma could only stare down at the dreamcatcher in her hand... This felt like one of those life-changing moments you only read about in novels. With one last big deep breath, she waved her hand over the dreamcatcher to activate it.
The memories came flooding to life before her…
She found Regina in the kitchen. The brunette was eating ice cream right out of the carton with a spoon. Emma thought it was probably the most adorable thing she’d ever seen the Mayor do.
“Can I have a spoon?” Regina jumped at the sound of Emma’s voice. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay. Here…” Regina opened up a drawer beside her and pulled out a spoon. “It’s rocky road.”
“My favorite.” Emma took the offered spoon and dug in.
They sat in silence for a while and just ate the ice cream. Regina let Emma finish the last couple of bites off and took the spoons to the sink. Emma walked over and threw the carton away in the trashcan.
They met back at the counter. Emma wasn’t sure what to say.
“Emma, I…”
“No. Don’t apologize again, Regina. It wasn’t your fault Henry reacted the way he did when he saw those memories. He reacted how any young man would if he saw his mother treated the way you were. Especially when it’s by someone that has become such a big part of his life.”
“I’ll talk to him…” Emma reached out and took Regina’s hands into her own.
“I’ll talk with him with you, but it won’t be about forgiving Hook for what he did to you.”
“Emma…” Emma squeezed Regina’s hands and shook her head.
“I’m done with him, Regina. If only I had known…”
“We’ve all done horrible things, Emma. Especially me.” Regina pulled her hands back and clutched them together over her stomach.
“This is different.”
“How?”
“He did this to you, right under my nose! I had no idea, Regina! I would have never let him into our life if I had known! Why didn’t anyone tell me?!” Emma slammed her hand down on the counter in frustration.
“To be honest, I always thought you knew…” Emma’s head snapped up at Regina’s words.
“You thought I would willingly go into a relationship with someone who turned you over to be tortured?! Really?” Regina didn’t say anything, she only lowered her head and looked down at the floor.
“Oh my god… You did.” Emma felt ill.
“It was a long time ago, Emma. We shouldn’t dwell on it now, it’s over and done.”
“You didn’t deserve that, Regina.” Emma knew Regina well enough to know she probably thought she did deserve it.
“Didn’t I? I killed that man’s father. I created the monster that ended up torturing me. Hook just delivered me to my deserved destiny.”
“No. No one deserved what you went through. It was awful! The things he said when he was standing over you… I can’t forgive that. I won’t forgive that.”
“Emma…” The blonde cut Regina off with a glare.
“Regina, you once told me I was too good for Hook. At the time I honestly didn’t understand what you meant, but now I do. I’ve let him walk all over me and all while he was making me look like a fool in front of everyone I love.” Emma watched a tear roll down Regina’s cheek, and she found herself wanting to reach out and wipe it away. “This has opened my eyes to some things that have always bothered me about him… I had blinders on because...honestly? I didn’t think I deserved better.”
Regina’s eyes grew wide at that. “You can’t be serious, Emma. You deserve so much more than Hook, so much more…”
Emma stepped closer to Regina. “I agree. I’ve been an idiot.”
A sad half smile appeared on Regina’s face. “I agree.”
“There’s that sassy Mayor snark I love.” Emma reached her hand out and placed it on the brunette’s cheek. “I’m about to do something I need your permission for, Regina. Do I have it?” Emma licked her lips as she looked into Regina's gorgeous brown eyes.
“Yes Emma, please…” Regina leaned into Emma’s touch, and the blonde closed the distance between them. The kiss was short, soft, and sweet. They broke apart and smiled shyly at each other.
“I’m going to need a place to stay.” Emma couldn’t stop smiling.
“You can stay here...” Emma’s eyes grew large. “In the guest room!” Regina slapped the Savior on the arm. “I’m not sure what this…” The Mayor gestured back and forth between them. “...is just yet, but I do want to explore it more. Very slowly... If that’s okay?” Regina suddenly looked shy.
“It sounds perfect.” Emma moved forward and wrapped Regina up in a tight hug.
That was how Henry found them when he entered the kitchen.
“Is everything okay?” He looked very concerned to see his two mothers hugging.
“Hey, Kid. Come here.” She waved him over and pulled him into the hug.
“What’s going on?” Henry was still confused but didn’t pull away from the family moment.
“We need to talk.”