Chapter Text
People can arrive at their destinations in many ways, as can love. This was merely one way the story could have played out...
The hat lit up in Regina’s hands, spinning wildly, whilst purple light spiralled downwards like water in a drain. From somewhere across the room David Nolan’s ridiculously irritating voice boomed with something urgent, but amongst all the madness his words were lost. Before she knew it, the wraith was upon them, and Regina could already feel the harrowing pull of her soul leaving her body... But then, quite suddenly, the sensation stopped. Someone had jumped on her, blocking her from the wraith’s pull. Emma.
Toppling into the portal, the wraith extended a terrifying arm, and coiled it around Emma’s leg.
“Emma!” Regina screamed, flinging herself in the direction of the blonde. Suddenly everything seemed to move in slow motion. Emma’s legs extended beneath her as she was dragged towards the portal, kicking and screaming fiercely. Just as Regina thought that she wouldn’t make it in time, she managed to throw herself on top of Emma with so much force that they both skidded away from the portal. Breathing heavily, Regina squeezed her eyelids together, still pinning Emma to the ground. What seemed like forever passed before the portal sealed up, (leaving behind a, quite gruesome, disattached wraith arm).
The room breathed a sigh of relief. Well, everyone apart from Regina, who was still pinning Emma down protectively. Emma coughed awkwardly, and Regina opened her eyes quickly, realising her face was mere inches away.
“You can get off me now, Your Majesty…” Emma frowned.
Regina jumped away from her as though she was on fire, patting down her clothes in an attempt to regain her dignity.
“What? No thank you ?” Regina growled. “Next time I won’t even bother saving your life.”
“ Thank you ,” Emma groaned sarcastically, pushing herself from the floor much less gracefully. “Honestly, why did you bother?” She glanced at the wraith arm, pulled a face and then looked back at Regina. “Since you hate me so much.”
“You’re right, I do,” Regina lied. “Considering you’ve stolen my son, broken my curse and pretty much ruined every aspect of my life.” Regina stuck her nose in the air and Emma sighed grouchily.
Snow glanced at Charming and they shared a look that only the two of them would ever understand.
“You know what – great. To me those all sound like achievements.” Emma turned away and began to strut out of the room, stopping only to call over her shoulder, “You’re welcome, by the way. Next time a wraith tries to suck out your soul, you’re on your own.” She was gone before Regina could respond.
The truth was, Regina didn’t hate Emma. She just hated what she represented. I mean, how was it fair that just one woman could strut into her life and so quickly disassemble absolutely everything? Quite honestly, she wanted to hate Emma, but she just couldn’t… there was something about her.
Regina’s mind flickered with the memory of how Emma’s body had felt under her own. How, when she had opened her eyes, Emma’s face had been so close . All she would’ve needed to do was lean in….
No. Stop. Why was she even going there? This was Emma . She refused to allow herself to think about this.
Regina couldn’t stop thinking about it. In fact, it had been a week since the portal incident, and Regina had been avoiding Emma ever since. God, it was bad enough without seeing that damned woman – she couldn’t imagine the embarrassment of running into her… especially when she knew that Emma hated her guts.
There was a rap at the door (well, mirror) and Regina’s eyes flew towards it faster than a troll snatching for his gold. Quite truthfully, locked away in her vault, Regina had been hiding from everyone, not just Emma. The whole town was out-for-blood, so avoiding the red-leather blonde was just a bonus.
“Hey , Queenie !” a voice shouted, followed by another rap on the mirror. Regina cursed, glancing cautiously through the one-way window at Emma Swan. Her stomach lurched, and she wasn’t sure if it was out of fear for her life, or something else… “Regina, I know you’re in there. I just want to talk.” After a moment’s pause, Emma sighed and shook her head. “Be grateful it’s not Grumpy… he looked pretty threatening with that pickaxe of his,” Emma grimaced.
Regina winced, the image of her fate in Grumpy’s hands just a tad too much for her.
There was another moment of silence, and then Emma sighed again, and turned to walk away. Regina closed her eyes gently, gritting her teeth, and then pushed the door open languidly. She painted her face with a vacant expression, but inside her stomach was churning; with no magic and no allies she felt incredibly vulnerable.
Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise and Regina even thought she saw a flicker of excitement cross her face – but if it was there at all it didn’t linger.
“You actually let me in,” she said, dazed.
“Well, your description of Pickaxe The Gnome was uncharacteristically imaginative and... thoroughly disturbing.”
“I think he’s a… dwarf?” Emma shook her head, most likely wondering why she was defending something she still didn’t quite believe herself. A week ago she had discovered that her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming, and Regina could only imagine what a rollercoaster of emotions it had been since then.
“I’m surprised you’re still here, Miss Swan,” Regina said icily. “Usually your response to this kind of thing is to… well, run.”
Emma smiled cooly.
“Don’t act like you know me. I’m not some fairytale character that you can prod and poke and manipulate. I’m a real person. With real problems, like my son.”
“He is not your son.”
“I think Henry would beg to differ.”
Regina looked at the ground, her heart sinking. It was true, she knew. Henry wanted Emma to be his mother, which meant she had failed him.
“You’re right,” Regina gulped, and Emma’s face muddled into a confusing expression that Regina didn’t have the will or energy to try and understand.
“Wait, you’re not going to disagree with me. I thought you did that about everything… even just for the sake of it.”
“Henry adores you… Me on the other hand … Well, maybe he hasn’t loved me for a long time.” Regina made a special effort to avoid Emma’s gaze, adding sardonically, “I’m not exactly the most lovable person in the world.”
“Wait - hang on. I never said that Henry doesn’t love you. He just…”
“I never asked for your opinion Miss Swan, nor do I care for it.” Regina glowered, accidentally catching Emma’s eyes. In the second-too-long eyelock, Regina noticed a hazel fleck in her irises, that burnt gold when it caught the light. Regina swore it hadn’t been there before Gold had brought magic to Storybrooke… Blinking, Regina tried desperately to ignore the little voice inside her head insisting that there was a reason she noticed these things about Emma.
“Fine,” Emma huffed, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. “This was a mistake.”
“ Wait .” Regina groaned. “I’m sorry, I’m just, I… How is he?”
“Henry? He’s OK… Although he’s getting nightmares that are apparently actually real…? Gold says they’re because of the curse that you put him under. So I thought…”
“Wait what? No … Don’t trust anything Gold says.”
“Yeah, I figured that out the hard way. Don’t forget, I fought–”
“–Fought a dragon, yes, I remember.” Regina released a frustrated growl and then her face went solemn. “I wish I could help… but that sleeping curse wasn’t even mine.”
“But surely you know what this is… like, didn’t you do a bit of research before or something?”
“This isn’t Masterchef ! I usually don’t care too much about what happens to my victims after I put them under a curse.”
“But this isn’t just some victim.”
“ Yes , I realise that Miss Swan." Her face softened. "Oh, Henry.” Regina's eyes watered slightly, and she turned away from Emma, embarrassed.
“You really love him, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question. Emma let out a melancholic sigh.
“Of course I love him,” Regina said, not unkindly. “He’s my…” She sighed frustratedly. “I raised him.”
Emma looked up at her, wearing a bewildered frown. Perhaps that was just her general expression, being as she was having a conversation with the Evil Queen… But Regina felt like there was something else there – understanding.
Emma shook her head and then looked up at Regina with a confusing smile. Why did she find everything about Emma confusing?
“He’s been talking about you a lot. He misses you.”
“He does?” Regina's face lit up with a wide, infectious smile. “Can I…? Can I see him?”
Emma frowned and Regina was sure she was about to hear bad news. But then something in Emma’s eyes shifted – those golden flecks danced in the dim amber light and twinkled. Emma nodded wordlessly.
Suddenly, Regina had the overwhelming and unanticipated inclination to bear-hug Emma Swan, but she maintained her posture without so much as a flinch.
“We’re going for dinner at Granny’s now… if you come I’ll make sure you don’t get pickaxed?”