Chapter Text
A Different Life
He had never been in a place like this before. It was so "clean", with that smell of antiseptic that almost made him dizzy, but that was the least important factor at that moment. He was about to do "magic" again, or at least what this earth considered as such. 24 years have passed since the curse was cast and although the time was quickly approaching when the savior would return to break it, the life she led did not give him enough confidence. While he had been given the gift of predicting the future, this was like a great puzzle, where any tile could simply not fit and it would all have been in vain. He hadn't gone to so much trouble to simply not achieve his goal, that is why he had to have a backup plan. No matter how long it took him, that curse was going to be broken, whoever completed the task was the least important.
“Are you sure you want to do this sir?” asked the man with the white coat, who was remarkably excited by what was happening at that moment, even fearful, perhaps terrified “We are playing a dangerous game, we are playing God.”
"God has nothing to do with this," he replied, "This is my shelter for a stormy day," was the only thing the man said while he made a face. Forgetting for a moment that all magic came with a price, even the one he was witnessing at the time.
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It was late at night and Regina couldn't stop tossing and turning in her bed. Unfortunately for her, Emma had been forced to leave town a couple of days ago after she was called to serve on the jury in a trial taking place in Boston. And for that reason, Regina was not sleeping well, since she had already grown accustomed to having Emma by her side every night. After only a couple of months together, sleeping without her had become an impossible task.
After the curse was broken two years ago and all the problems that followed, the people had finally reached a point of balance and peace, whereas a general rule had been put into place that required respect and tolerance of each other, regardless of who they had been before in the Enchanted Forest. Everyone was welcomed, because although it hurt many to admit it, the life to which the then "Evil Queen" had cursed them, was for many more a blessing than anything else. The comforts and customs of this new world could not be compared in the least with those of the Enchanted Forest; here everyone had rights, a voice, a vote and a more dignified life.
The relationship between Regina and Snow was cordial. They learned quickly that they would need to support each other and get along "well", if they wanted to be part of Emma's life, because they were aware that a life where the blonde was not part of it was no longer an option. They both loved Emma and were not willing to lose her. Getting to that point had not been an easy thing but they had finally achieved it.
Regina kept tossing and turning, thinking about how much she missed Emma. Since she couldn't even speak to her on the phone, it was forbidden for the jurors to have any outside contact while the trial was taking place. So, the only hope she had was that the trial would end soon.
Her thoughts of Emma stopped when she heard a knock on the door. She glanced at the time on the alarm clock on her nightstand and saw that it was after two in the morning. And a knock on the door, late in the morning in her little fairy-tale town, was not the most common occurrence, which had her slightly concerned.
She quickly got out of bed, reached for her robe, bundled herself up and headed for the door intrigued by who might be knocking on it in the middle of the night. Whoever it was, would have to have a very good explanation, even if she hadn't been woken up, being disturbed in the quiet of the night was not something she liked.
She hurried down the stairs, turned on the lights, and headed for the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see no one, but when she looked down she was even more surprised to find a little girl, whose face was barely visible due to all the clothes that covered her, and who alternated her gaze between her and the paper in her hand.
"You are not Emma Swan," the girl said with conviction.
“No,” Regina replied. “ You shouldn't be on the street at this time of night.”She looked from side to side searching for the companion of the little girl - and finding her very much alone. “Come in,” she said with her typical authoritarian tone, leading her to the living room and making her sit on the sofa." Who are you and why are you here?” she asked, it would be silly to call the authorities because Emma was not in the city, neither was David and the assistant on duty, in Regina's eyes, was a perfect idiot. She was then capable of dealing with a little girl, even though she had an air of superiority and overconfidence.
"I'm Claire and I'm looking for Emma Swan," she answered without hesitation.
"And why are you looking for Emma Swan, Claire?" Regina asked, intrigued by the presence of the little girl, between exasperated and impressed by the girl's attitude.
"Because she's my mom," Claire replied calmly as she took off the hat and scarf she was wearing.
At that moment, the color left Regina's face, that girl was a carbon copy of Emma; wavy blonde hair, green eyes, extremely fair skin. Without a doubt, that girl looked like Emma's biological daughter. Regina tried to keep her composure, what Claire had just said had caused a great impact on her. Right now hundreds of thoughts were hitting her mind, so she had to calm down if she wanted to try to discover what was behind all this.
"How can you be sure of that?" asked Regina, trying to obtain information. Claire seemed not to be intimidated by her presence in the slightest.
"Look, I have a photo," Claire replied, approaching Regina to show it to her. "She’s the same one in those photos," Claire pointed out, indicating some of the picture frames that were on the side table. "Can I talk to her?"she asked innocently, "It’s important,"she added.
Regina could not believe her eyes, unquestionably the woman in the photograph was Emma, several years younger, but there was no doubt that it was her.
“Em…Emma is not here,” Regina managed to say even though she was still shocked. She could not believe that Emma had not told her about something as important as having a daughter somewhere in the state, or in the country.
“Oh!” Claire said, appearing a bit disappointed. “Ok, I'll be back later,” Claire said, standing up and going to the door, putting her hat and scarf back on.
“Wait!” Regina said, approaching the girl quickly and stopping her by her arm. “Where do you think you're going?”
“Outside. I'll wait for Emma outside,” she answered calmly.
“That's crazy,” Regina said exasperated. “I still don't know how you managed to get here alone, in the middle of the night no less, but you're wrong if you think I’m going to let you go just like that. Come with me,” she said, taking the girl by the hand and leading her to the second floor to one of the guest rooms. “It is late, so rest,” she said while she took out some blankets from the closet. “Tomorrow we will speak calmly and try to clarify this situation.” that was the least she could do, right now she didn't have her thoughts in order to make decisions. She left the room for a moment and returned moments later with one of Emma’s shirts in her hand “Please use this to sleep,” she said, handing the garment to the girl. “Do you need any help?”
“None, thank you ma'am…” Claire said.
“Regina, my name is Regina Mills,” she replied “We will talk in the morning.” That was the last thing she said before leaving the room and turning off the lights.
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Regina went back to her room, still not knowing what to think. She looked at the clock again and it had been almost an hour since she got up from her bed. Without thinking, she grabbed her cell phone and called Emma, even though she knew she was not going to answer, because the cell phone was off, but she had to vent somehow.
“How the hell did you think hiding something of such magnitude from me, Emma Swan? You're lucky you're not here right now, very lucky,” she scolded and hung up. Without much waiting she made another call.
“Regina?” Snow asked sleepily. “Is everything okay? Why are you calling at this hour? Did something happen to Emma, Henry, or David?”
“Do you have any idea why your daughter didn't feel the need to tell me that she had another child?” she asked without even trying to answer the questions from Snow, who was evidently disturbed by the call she had just received “A girl to be exact.”
“Regina, what are you talking about?” Snow asked, now very awake. “How does Emma have a daughter?”
“I have a young girl, who is a carbon copy of Emma, sleeping in my guest room, that's what I'm talking about Snow!” Regina finished in a higher tone than she usually used.
“I really don't know what you're talking about, but I'll be there first thing in the morning,” said Snow.
“Thanks Snow,” Regina said before ending the call. And if she had been tossing and turning in bed trying to sleep before, now she was definitely not going to be able to sleep with a thousand different scenarios going through her head.
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Just as she had promised, Snow arrived at the house at 6 in the morning. Regina opened the door immediately; she had been ready for a long time, waiting for Snow to arrive.
“Now can you please explain to me what you were talking about when you called me at dawn?” Snow asked. “Where do you get the idea that Emma has a daughter?” she asked again.
“Follow me,” was the only thing Regina said as she made her way to the second floor with Snow behind her, until she finally stopped in front of the door of one of the rooms, opening it carefully. “Take a look for yourself,” she said in a low tone showing Snow the girl sleeping in bed. “She showed up at two in the morning asking for Emma Swan. She said that Emma was her mother and had this picture with her,” Regina said, showing Snow the picture that Claire had of Emma. “Why didn't Emma tell me about her?” Regina asked. “I would have understood and accepted it.”
“Regina…” Snow spoke. “I assure you, I'm as surprised as you are right now. Emma never said a word about it,” Snow explained as they left the room and went to the kitchen. “This doesn't make sense Regina, why would Emma hide something like this?” Snow said after seeing the look Regina gave her. “Have you tried to communicate with Emma?” - Snow asked.
“I left her a message at dawn, her cell phone is off though,” Regina replied.“I'm glad Henry is out of town camping with David for a few days, when he finds out about this he won't be pleased,” she continued talking. “I don't want to think about how he will react.”
“How can we be sure that this girl really is Emma's daughter?” Snow asked. “It could be a practical joke or a mistake.”
“When you see her, you will have no doubt; the resemblance is incredible,” Regina replied. “Congratulations Snow, it seems that you have a granddaughter,” she said in a somewhat ironic tone, because it really hurt her that Emma had not trusted her, after all that they had been through together.
“Regina,” Snow began to speak, but before she could continue, they were interrupted by a sweet voice.
“Mrs. Regina,” said the girl, entering the kitchen with her messy hair, rubbing her eyes. “I don't want to sleep anymore,” the girl spoke.
“Oh, my God!” It was the only thing Snow could say when she saw the girl who was standing in front of her eyes.
“I told you,” Regina replied. “Claire…” she began to speak again. “This is Snow, she is going to prepare some breakfast while I show you the bathroom so you can shower and get ready,” she said. “Can you do it alone?” she asked to which the girl nodded. “And after you have breakfast we can talk, what do you think?”
“And then, may I wait for Emma?” asked the girl. “What time is she going to get home?”
“We don't know that darling,” Snow spoke. “In the meantime, we would love to talk to you and hear about you while we wait for Emma,” she said, smiling.
“Okay,” was the only thing she answered, taking Regina's hand, hoping that she would guide her.
About 20 minutes after Snow made breakfast, she was setting the table when she saw Regina enter followed by Claire.
“You have to be kidding me,” Snow said when she saw the girl's outfit; jeans, a white T-shirt, boots and black frame glasses that looked quite battered. “Don't tell me she also has a red jacket?” Snow asked.
They ate breakfast in silence and once they had finished and cleared the table, they headed to the living room to begin the chat.
Claire sat in the same place as she had in the early morning and Regina and Snow sat opposite her.
“Claire,” Snow began. “We are going to ask you some questions and we would like you to answer them truthfully, okay?” she asked, to which Claire nodded.
“What's your name and how old are you?” Regina began.
“My name isClaire Swan, and I just turned 7,” she replied.
“What are your parents' names and where do you live, darling?” Snow asked when she saw Regina's puzzled face after hearing the girl's answer.
“Umm, Emma Swan is my mom’s name, I don't have a dad and I live in…” she stopped for a moment to think. “...in an orphanage in Boston,” she answered.
“How did you get here alone?” asked Regina now, because she did not quite understand how such a small girl had made it to her door alone.
“By bus and then walking,” Claire told them. “It was a long walk.”
“What is the name of the orphanage where you live? They must be worried because you are not there.” Snow asked her.
“No, they are not, and if I tell you, they will take me back to them and I will not be able to wait for Emma,” she said firmly crossing her arms, making them understand that she would not tell them anything about it.
“Okay,” said Snow. “When was the last time she saw Emma?” Snow asked.
“Never,” was the girl's reply.
“And when did you talk to her for the last time?” Regina asked now.
“Never,” was the answer again.
“It seems that Miss Swan likes to leave children stranded,” was Regina's comment. “If you have never seen her, or spoken to her, how do you know that she is your mother and how did you get the photo of her?” she asked trying to hide her anger.I took it from the director's file,” Claire confessed
“And how did you know where to find her?” Snow asked.
My friend in the library helped me,” she said “Do I have to answer any more questions?” Claire asked both women, because she was clearly already tired.
“Just one more,” said Regina. “Why did you come looking for Emma?”
“I don't want to be in the orphanage anymore, I want to ask her if I can live with her,” was the answer. “Do you think she’ll let me stay with her?” Claire asked, hopefully. “I always behave well, I have good grades and I don’t have to eat that much. And help around the house,” she told them, trying to sell her best qualities to earn a stay in that house.
Both women were silent; they were quite disappointed in Emma. How, after what she herself had been through, could she have left a girl to have the same luck as her, to grow up alone, without a family to love and support her. This was all very strange, there must be a good explanation to why she had abandoned her own daughter like that, but they would have to wait for her to come back and give it to them.
Without realizing it, suddenly it was after 10 in the morning and neither Snow or Regina had any clue what to do as the three of them were sitting in the middle of an uncomfortable silence.
“Mrs. Regina?” Claire spoke. “Can I go to the bathroom?” she asked.
“Of course, it is right there,” Regina responded, pointing the way.
Snow and Regina were silent, and just as they were about to start talking, they heard the door open.
“Regina, honey, I'm home!” Emma's voice sounded excited to be home, and it was followed by the sound of her suitcase hitting the floor. “That damn trial is finally over,” she said as she went to the living room. “Hello, Mom, she said, surprised to find Snow in the house at such an early hour. “Hello Regina, I missed you,” she said, approaching her to give her a kiss. But instead, she found Regina's palm right on her cheek “What the hell?” was the only thing Emma said while she caressed her face.
“That's the least you deserve, Emma Swan,” Regina replied, glaring at her.
“It’s not my fault that the trial took so long, Regina,” she said in a higher tone. “Damn that hurt!”
“How could you be so irresponsible? How could you not tell me anything?” Regina asked, hurt to the point of tears, trying to control herself so as not to be weak.
“Honey,” Snow began. “You could have trusted us, and we would have found a way to fix things.”
“Okay, okay, what the hell are they talking about and why did I get smacked?” she asked them.
“Hello,” Claire said, smiling when she saw Emma.
“And who is she?” Emma asked. “Don't tell me you got a mini-scale version of me because you missed me,” Emma said looking at Regina, smiling.
“You are incredible Miss Swan,” Regina responded even more furious. “At least since you are in front of her, you could have the decency to recognize your own daughter. But of course, how could you recognize her if you have never visited or spoken with her, you simply left her at an orphanage, without looking back, not once.
“Wow!” Emma said. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“She is talking about your daughter, Claire,” Snow said. “Emma Swan, Claire Swan,” she said making the introductions.
“Hi, Emma,” Claire said, smiling. “Wait, I have something for you,” she said before running off in search of her backpack.
“How could you abandon her, your own daughter, in an orphanage for 7 years?” Regina asked.
“Okay, calm down. Is that why you slapped me?” Emma asked. “I can assure you that the only child I have given birth to is Henry.”
“Emma, she is identical to you,” Snow said, trying to make Emma understand her point of view.
“I don't know what game they are playing, but if I had had another pregnancy, and delivery, I would not have forgotten it. And how the hell did you come to that conclusion?” she asked, exasperated.
“She appeared at about two in the morning, knocking on the door completely alone and asking for you,” Regina spoke. “When I asked her why she was looking for her, she said you were her mother,” Regina told her.
“And you believed her, just like that? Without further explanation? You of all people?” Emma asked, because she knew perfectly well how difficult it was for Regina to trust people.
“What did you want me to think? She had your name, it looks like a carbon copy of you, and she had a photograph of you with her. And most importantly, she was able to cross the magic barrier, which means that, in her blood, she has a link to this place.”
Before Emma could ask anything else Claire had returned with something in her hand, standing right in front of where Emma was sitting.
“Claire, right?” Emma asked, to which the girl answered affirmatively with her head. “I don't know who told you this, but I'm not your mother. You are a beautiful girl but seriously, I am not your mother,” she said smiling, trying to handle the situation with the little girl in the best way possible.
“Yes you are, look,” Claire told Emma, handing her a folded paper along with the photograph.
Emma immediately unfolded the paper and began to read, not believing what she was reading.
“Oh my God, damn it! You really are my daughter,” said Emma standing up. “I need a drink,” she declared, going to the mini bar.
“Emma, what are you talking about?” Regina asked, intrigued by Emma's reaction and much more with her words. Emma handed her the paper she had just read, which looked like it had come from a medical chart. But the most important thing on that sheet was the words "Egg donor: Emma Swan" “Oh my!” was the only thing Regina could articulate.
To be continued.