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Chapter Text

Snow spent a good part of the afternoon and most of the evening celebrating with her friends and family. It wasn't an organized thing, that would come tomorrow, but they had pushed together tables in the middle of Granny's and they'd celebrated the end of Regina's curse as much as having Snow and Emma back. She had held hands with her husband, and gossiped with Red, Emma told stories about eating chimera and kept asking why they didn't invent guns in the Enchanted Forest.

And they told stories of their heroic adventures, not all of them new, but that always seemed to go quiet again as Henry would try and tell them about how his mom had saved them today. Each time he called Regina that Snow flinched. Ruby tried to point out to him once that she'd been trying to kill Emma and Snow, but he'd have none of that. Mr. Gold had been trying to kill them, his mom had saved them.

The adults let the matter drop, but the third time he brought it up Snow reached for his hand. "I know what it is to love Regina, Henry. It hurts. Loving Regina always hurts in the end more than hating her. But this isn't the time or the place and you can't save her soul."

But Henry shook his head defiantly and announced to Emma that he wanted to go back to the loft.

He didn't say home and Snow flinched.

That woman. That woman always got her hooks into you. She'd done it to her. She'd done it to that foolish genie that she convinced to kill for her. And now she'd done it to her grandchild. And a dark mood settled over Snow's eyes even if she was still laughing at the dwarf's jokes.

She knew most of the punch lines already. There were only so many jokes about mining that could be told before they started to repeat. David squeezed her hand and she smiled back. "With Henry and Emma at the loft I'm not sure we can celebrate the way I'd like now..."

She smiled at him.

"We could get a room at Granny's ... make it a special night." He suggested.

"It's already special because I'm with you. We can wait until they're out tomorrow." She kissed his nose. "Besides, I have something I have to do tonight."

"What?" David asked confused.

"Regina."

Her husband sighed. "Snow... can't you get your mind off her finally?"

"She either tried to kill me today, or tried to save my life, and I'm not sure which is more disturbing."

He shook his head. "As hard as it may be for you to believe, I've been around her for the last few weeks, I honestly doubt it had anything to do with you."

He nodded to Emma and Henry as they were putting on their coats to leave.

"Well than I still need to thank her for saving our lives. Because I wont be in her debt."

David gave a long suffering sigh, and nodded. "I'll go with you."

"No." Snow said too quickly. "If she really is reachable finally... it should just be us."

"Snow she has her magic back... she's trying not to use it but it's not safe."

"Even without magic, Regina's never safe. I can take care of myself David."

She smiled and kissed him again. "Go home and get some rest. I wont you alert tomorrow and that sleeping curse doesn't actually count as rest."

And David knew when to stop arguing with his wife. Especially over the subject of Regina.

The mansion wasn't somewhere Mary Margaret had ever been. The white house on Mifflin Street was mostly empty now, but there was a light on in a few of the corner rooms that she could see from the street. Walking up the front path she could see that Regina was moving around in what was likely the kitchen. It was dinner time. Except part of her had trouble imagining Regina cooking. She supposed she had to have learned sometime in the last twenty-eight years. She missed servants. Not that she didn't know how to cook herself, but servants were nice.

She watched Regina through the windows for she had no idea how long until she moved to a room without an easy view. With a heavy sigh she mounted the steps and rang the bell.

And there was no answer. She rang it again and waited patiently. And no answer. Regina wasn't answering the door. Did she know it was her? Had she seen her watching her through the window?

Embarrassment mixed with the anger at being ignored. She poked around the bushes until she found a fake plastic rock and was rewarded with a key to the front door. Sliding it into the lock she heard a satisfying click and pushed the door opening, pocketing the key.

"Regina?"

She called out. Better than to be greeted by a fireball. Though that was still possible.

Predictably Regina's voice was annoyed, "Get out."

Mary Margaret glanced around the house. Neat. Tidy. Elegant. Nothing like her own space, and nothing like the mess that she knew Regina's mind was. She followed the voice to a small sitting room with book shelves and a fire going. Regina was standing by a decanter with a glass in her hand.

"You didn't answer the door."

"Most people would take that as a hint. How did you get in here?"

"You forget I was a bandit."

"No, actually I didn't, now get out Snow."

Regina marched past her and back towards the kitchen.

"It's Mary Margaret here. You should know, you gave me that name."

Regina laughed. "You aren't here because of Mary Margaret, or what I did to her. You are here because of what I did to you, Snow."

The kitchen was bright and clean. There were dog eared cook books on a shelf and a large bowl of apples next to a pie on the island. A small plate of food, half eaten but mostly picked at was on the counter next to a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol.

"Don't you have magic, why do you need those."

The shift of subject made Regina blink. "It's best not to use magic when there are other means. Besides, I used a lot of magic today. Absorbing a mine full of pixie dust will take a lot out of you."

"Ruby said you were trying to kill us."

It hadn't been what she meant to say. She meant to say Henry said you saved us.

"Because a mangy waitress knows so much about magic." Regina said with some annoyance. She took the pills with the amber liquid she'd gotten from the other room. A part of Snow tisked, but she wasn't Regina's keeper. Still she had to admit Regina looked a tired. There was a suit jacket folded neatly over the back of one of the kitchen chairs, and she was still in the clothing she'd seen her in the woods. slacks and a bright blue silk blouse.

It was a good color on her. She didn't wear enough color.

Being tired did little for her legendary lack of patience. "What do you want, Snow?"

"I told you."

"You don't think I know when you are lying?"

"You stole everything from me."

"Not for the first time." Regina pointed out. "And now your family has stolen everything from me. Welcome to the world of being an absolute ruler, Snow. You get to take from your enemies."

"I'm not some sort of tyrant."

"Really? I seem to remember I ended up helpless in a jail cell left alone at Gold's mercy. And are we forgetting you and your husband taking my son? I'm sure you'll remember him in the morning when the bathroom in your little loft is always in use.

"He's Emma's son."

"No, actually, Emma gave him up. I raised him. He's my son." Regina set her glass down with enough force that Snow thought it might break. Regina moved towards her, stalking like a predator. A wounded predator she reminded herself.

And the anger welled up in her as well. How dare she. How dare she love him like that. Before Regina could reach her Snow moved quickly and pushed her body against the wall behind her. The air went out of Regina's lungs with a satisfying thud and there was fire in her eyes. But none in her hands. Perhaps she had used too much magic today.

With the skills of a person used to fighting with her hands Snow captured Regina's wrists and held them in an iron grip. "You ignored me for years... and then tried to kill me."

"Would you have preferred I tried to kill you when you were growing up in the palace?" Regina asked with a smirk. The old Regina that Snow remembered finally.

"You are a bitch, Regina." And she should have left. She should have given up this fool's errand like so many others with this woman.

"No more than you are, Snow. I'm just the only one who sees it."

Heat raised in her cheeks and anger in her belly. And what happened next is what she'd been wanting to do since she was seventeen years old. Her lips crashed into Regina's, forcing her way past and kissing her in the most possessive way possible.

When it finally broke, and they could both breath again Regina demanded, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Shut up, Regina." She was reasonably sure that even with how tired she was if Regina wanted to stop this she would. Snow pushed her knee between Regina's legs and against her crotch. "For once you are going to be the one who is a good girl. For once you are going to listen to me."

Snow had let go of her wrists and began unbuttoning her blouse. Regina was already breathing a bit faster, but Snow expected more protest. Some sort of reminder of who she was. But none came. Because this was who she was. And Regina had always known it.

She moved her hands over Regina's soft skin and up to the lace of her bra. With a vicious little smile she gave the nipple a pinch through the fabric. "Yes you are."

And the power rushed to her head as much as the sexual energy flowed. She loved David. She liked being in his strong gentle arms. But this was as much her as that was. This angry, fiery passion belonged here, not with him. "Now be a good girl, and help me take off your clothes."

Regina slipped out of her shirt as Snow began to unbutton her pants.

"Don't fool yourself Snow."

"That I've got you doing what I want?"

"That you are the one in control here."

"Oh, I know I am so far from control ..." She leaned in and actually bit the top of Regina's breast. "But neither are you."

"Don't count on it Snow."

"Really? We're going to play those kinds of games?" She pushed her hand down Regina's underwear and felt the wetness forming there. "I would think at best we're both gone a bit mad don't you think?" She ran two fingers along her clit and Regina rewarded her with a gasp.

"We were always mad." Regina replied.

Snow smiled and pushed the two fingers up into her without much ceremony or preparation. She hadn't needed it. Curling them a little. "Yes we were, my Queen. And tomorrow we'll both be sane again. And we'll pretend this didn't happen."

Snow smiled. "Except it did."

Chapter Text

David had gone off with the Dwarfs to the bean fields. Something about night time fertilizing that was going to keep him up till dawn. Snow knew she was supposed to be happy that her husband and her best friends were bonding, but part of her wasn't. The dwarfs were her friends. Not hers and David's.

"It sometimes feels like I don't have anything that's just mine anymore, Ruby." The diner was closed, but Ruby and Snow had stayed behind to gossip over tea. She'd declined alcohol, mostly because she'd had a few too many unwanted thoughts already that week and the last thing she wanted to happen was what happened the last time she had those thoughts.

She'd ended up straddling Regina in her living room looking down at her with her coming against her fingers. She had tried several times in the days that followed, when she thought Regina had killed Archie, to convince herself that the night had been a dream. A fantasy. Not the first sexual fantasy she'd ever had about Regina either. But she also knew it was not.

She had fucked Regina. And not in some quiet way. She wanted to blame her. In fact she had as she was cleaning herself up and leaving the mansion that evening. But Regina's knowing smirk and raised eyebrow said all that was needed to be said to that. Snow had gone to her. Snow had been the aggressor. Unless she'd been enchanted somehow, the sex was on her. And it wouldn't ever happen again.

Especially not after last week.

And she was quite a bit scared of the fact that, when she admitted it to herself, that was what she was most sad about.

Of course that wasn't something she was about to talk to Ruby about. No one would understand the driving obsession she really had for Regina. She'd covered it up with hate and judgment for years. But at least some of that judgment was aimed at herself. For feeling that way about someone so irredeemably evil.

And now she knew why she couldn't get Regina off her mind. And she knew exactly what to blame for that. These thoughts... they came from the murky darkness of her own soul. She had brought them on herself. They were part of her own self destruction. Regina had warned... no warned was the wrong word... Regina had reveled in the fact that Snow would destroy herself.

And Regina would be her destruction.

She had to make sure it would never happen again. She was resolving to go over to Regina's house again in the morning and try to have a rational conversation that didn't involve death threats or sex when she saw the light on in the mayor's office at city hall. And a new swelling of anger came up inside her.

She growled. Regina. Of course she'd ignore them. She wasn't the mayor anymore. She had no right to be there.

Snow didn't knock. Rather she marched straight in and slammed the door behind her. "What the hell do you think you are doing, Regina?"

Regina was wearing a suit-how was it that she was always dressed impeccably even sitting alone in the office late at night-sitting at the desk filling out paperwork.

"I'm doing town business. Go along home little hero. The grown up is trying to get things done."

"You are so far from a grown up it's not funny. A spoiled angry child. And you aren't the mayor anymore."

"So I was told, but then I got a call from the road maintenance department. It seems no one has bothered to sign off on their budget. Or pay them. In two months. You do realize we live in Maine and ploughs don't maintain themselves by magic. Even in a magic town."

"They should have called David and I..."

"Apparently they did. You two have been preoccupied, which I suppose I can understand, murder does take its toll. I understand." Her mocking tone just made Snow more on edge. "But I've put too much work into this town for it all to go down the drain because you and the shepherd don't know you have to order spare parts for snow removal equipment. And I'd rather not be hold up in my house next blizzard because you can't get the roads clear.

"This is really about snow ploughs?" Snow asked incredulously. Like the idea of the Evil Queen signing off on requisitions just seemed wrong to her.

"Welcome to the glories of public service." Regina raised an eyebrow. "Now you've gotten your daily dose of accosting me, you can leave now.

"What happened last time can't happen again." Snow blurted out what she was thinking since she saw Regina behind the desk.

Regina finally put her pen down and looked up. "Taking your heart? Why should it. Watching you destroy yourself is so much more fun."

"I can stop it. The darkness."

"Of course you can." She answered mockingly. "I bet you that all your hero worshipping friends told you that you could too. And then you all had a group hug facilitated by the bug."

"No, Archie was not involved. And David has faith in my ability to fight the darkness."

Regina smiled, getting up from her chair and walking over towards a sideboard with liquor. Snow saw that she poured two glasses of scotch, and didn't speak until she walked over and handed one to her. "How Charming. And do you think David knows much about the darkness?"

Snow sighed defeated by the truth. At least what she'd been thinking since she told David about the dark spot. "I think he has faith in me. You've always been able to see my darkness, known it was there longer than anyone. But it's not that I meant. I meant what happened between us. It can't happen again."

Regina actually laughed and took a sip from her own glass. "A bit presumptuous, don't you think Snow. You accused me of murder, gave me an ultimatum, abused my limited trust in you and murdered my mother. And you really think meaningless sex is going to happen again?"

"It wasn't meaningless." Snow managed, but she didn't know where that came from. "And I had to kill her. She was going to kill us all."

And Snow took a long drink from her own glass. The whiskey burned all the way down her throat. Regina hadn't cut it with anything.

Regina tilted her head. "It wasn't about the killing, Snow. It was about the murder. You know the difference."

"Yes, you murdered my father. He was never anything but a good husband to you."

Her former stepmother's eyes darkened. "Don't presume you know anything about my private affairs, Snow."

There was something in Regina's tone that sounded more sad and defeated than dangerous like she'd expected. Snow tilted her head and watched the other woman and some bit of knowledge... some bit that was Mary Margaret more than Snow White, snapped into place. Her eyes grew wide but she said nothing.

But she didn't need to say anything because Regina smelled weakness. She finished off her drink and set it down on her desk before approaching Snow. And Snow instinctively backed away. After several steps she felt the back of the long conference table against her legs. Regina put both her hands on the table either side of Snow essentially pinning her there.

"You came here for something. Do you have any idea what?"

"I came here to talk to you."

"Is that what you call it in your mind." Regina started slowly unbuttoning Snow's blouse. "Because you know I know you. Better than anyone else. Better than your prince."

She slipped her blouse off and in a minute her bra was undone as well. Both tossed carelessly to the side. Regina smiled and kissed down her neck and the top of her breasts. "I know the you you don't let others see."

Regina shoved a hand down Snow's pants, and a wicked smile crossed her face. "I know the you that is excited just to be in the room with me."

She pressed a finger against her clit, and smiled. "Now tell me Snow White, you don't want to have sex with me? Ever again?"

Snow's eyes stayed locked on Regina, but she couldn't answer. Wouldn't answer.

"That's not the way this is going to work Snow. You won't be able to play the victim with me. Answer."

"I want you more than anything right now," she answered breathlessly and truthfully.

Regina's smile was wide, and disturbing. "Good. Because I'm going to make sure you remember it."

She pushed her back with a strong hand to the chest and Snow felt her arms pulled up and magical ropes came from nowhere, tying her down to the table on her back.

"Much better." Regina said with a smile, now carefully removing her jacket and rolling up her shirt sleeves. "I would rather like to take my time and not play speed racer like you did the other night, My Princess."

The title was used with derision. Mocking sarcasm. With little effort Regina pulled off her jeans and panties, casually tossing them to the side with the rest of Snow's clothes before stepping back to admire her work. Regina walked over to her desk and picked up her glass again, finishing her drink and walking around the bound form of Snow White as if deciding exactly what to do."

"Regina..."

"Your Majesty." Regina said in a stern voice before approaching her again. She placed two fingers against her but didn't push them in yet. Instead she leaned down and bit one of her breasts. Snow let out a sharp yep, and Regina stood back up to admire her handy work.

"What are you doing?"

"Marking you."

"But David..."

"Well than I suppose David won't be seeing you naked again until my marks have faded."

Snow swallowed and realized exactly what it meant. Regina was making sure she couldn't get relief from her husband. She couldn't fuck him until she forgot her. Regina continued to bite and suck, leaving a number of unmistakable bruises, but all easily hidden by bra and shirt. Finally she smiled down at her and ran her fingers through her short hair. "Perfect. Now... to make sure you remember it for other reasons."

The Queen pushed her two fingers into her, curling the tips just a bit before pressing down on her clit with her thumb and beginning to rub. It wasn't taking much before Snow was breathing ragged. But not quite hard enough to climax fast. "More ..." She practically ordered.

"I told you what you'd have to say, Snow. You have to acknowledge who I am."

Snow closed her mouth, determined that she could hold out and Regina would give her what she needed. But that didn't last long, because she really needed it, and she needed it from her. "Please your majesty... please I'll be good."

Regina smiled as she moved her fingers harder and faster and Snow came against her. "No my dear, you'll be you."

Chapter Text

Regina sat on a bench watching Henry on a playground hundreds of feet away. This was the deal. Emma hadn't been quite as threatening as she had been, but she'd made it just as clear. Regina didn't have any rights to Henry and she could only see him when she said. And for now... she said no. She should have argued. Pointed out that she was his mother. That this wasn't the Enchanted Forest where the royal family had the right to take away everything from their enemies.

Except even she wasn't that big of a hypocrite. And it wouldn't matter anyway. No one in this town saw her as a human being, much less Henry's mother. And no amount of trying to be good for him would solve that.

"You know it's probably not good for him to have you lurking about watching from a distance. You scare away other children." The voice came from behind her, but she didn't need to turn to see.

"I'm not in the mood Snow."

"You are never in the mood."

"Oh, for you lately, the mood strikes me. But not on a park bench with my son in view."

There was a sigh, and Snow moved around to sit down next to her. "I thought we could talk like sane women if there wasn't a chance of it ending up... like the last time."

"Or the time before that?" Regina asked with an evil little smile. "Besides, I doubt either of us really qualifies as sane. From an objective point of view. I'll take mutual insanity if it means you admitting that you are having an affair with me."

"Regina..."

"Oh, are we going to pretend this is all my doing?" She laughed a bit bitterly. "Blaming me again, Snow? You know that's beneath you."

"You tied me to a table with magic."

"And you barged into my home and fucked me against a wall." Regina pointed out, now more than a little amused. "Whatever this is, you started it." Snow was quiet for a long time and Regina looked over at her, reading her old enemy's face. "And you have no real intention of stopping it. You need it too much. Need me too much."

"You get in my head."

"We've both been living in each other's head for a long time. I might be a mad woman, Snow, but at least I'm a self aware one. What is your excuse?"

"You are trying to destroy me."

Regina laughed at that.

"What's funny?"

"I told you, I'm going to let you do that to yourself. It just so happens you've chosen an interesting way to do it." She tilted her head. "Apparently your Prince doesn't satisfy you."

"Don't you talk about David."

Regina smiled wider, "Snow, when will you learn? You are mine. You were mine long before you were his. You have always been mine." She leaned in and whispered in her ear. "And now that I know what you really want I'm never going to let go."

Snow shivered at that. "What about Henry?"

"This thing we do? It doesn't have anything to do with Henry. If you try to use him to put me in my place, I swear to you I will tell Emma. Your daughter already hates me. It can't make that any worse."

"Regina..." Snow sighed, "You should try to be better. You were trying."

"And then my mother came along and proved just how pointless that was."

"Doing good isn't pointless. Being good isn't pointless."

"It is for me."

She got up from her seat and adjusted her trench coat before leaning over and whispering in Snow's ear. "Once the darkness comes for you there is no turning back."

As Regina walked away she knew Snow's eyes were following her. And she laughed.

Snow had been pacing the loft most of the night. She and David had had an argument. Well, not really an argument. They rarely fought like that. But he was making plans for the future. For returning home. Except she's seen the look on Emma's face and she was certain Emma didn't want to go. And frankly a large part of her didn't either. Unlike David she'd seen the ruins of the Enchanted Forest.

But for David the only place he could really be Prince Charming, the dashing hero, was in that place. For some reason David Nolan, the coward, haunted him here no matter how hard he tried to bury him.

So they'd discussed Emma. But Snow kept thinking about Regina. About the conversation they'd had on the docks that morning. And about the one she'd had with David that evening. She couldn't picture Regina in a cage. A caged bird.

No. Regina was no bird. Like a beast or some predator on display, it's claws ripped out. And equally she couldn't leave her behind. Regina was as much herself as she was. She'd been a part of Snow since she was a girl. Since she'd had been growing into a woman watching the beautiful queen, with her dark eyes and fire. Her father used to talk about how beautiful her mother had been. Soft and perfect. Good and pure. There had been nothing pure about Regina. And while Snow had managed to look pure and good she felt the fire inside. She felt those things that she knew she wasn't supposed to. She wanted to be someone she wasn't supposed to. Or rather she wanted to be with someone she wasn't supposed to.

But she'd somehow managed not to act on those feelings. Feelings that despite years on the run and the sure knowledge that Regina wanted her dead... part of her still wanted the Queen. And she wouldn't simply let her go. And she wouldn't cage the beautiful beast. Even if it would lead to her own death. Or destruction.

Destruction seemed more likely given what had been happening.

She told David she was going for a walk. Of course she knew where she was going.

The key to Regina's house that she'd never replaced in the fake rock was heavy in her pocket. But much to her disappointment she saw when she got to Mifflin Street that Regina's Benz wasn't in the driveway.

It should be a sign. A chance to turn back.

Hers. The possessive anger in her eyes when she'd said it should have scared Snow. But what it had really done is make her heart flutter. It was the first time Regina had ever acknowledged what Snow had wanted for so long. And even if it was ugly and destructive and evil, she wasn't about to let that go.

She slipped the key into the lock and entered the house. She quietly hung he coat in the closet and set her purse on the side table. So normal. Not like she was breaking into someone's house and making herself at home. Except she was and Snow was nervous as she sat down on the couch and waited for the mistress of the house.

Regina came home almost an hour later, pausing in the hall when she presumably saw Mary Margaret's purse.

"I thought so." Snow could hear the smile in her voice. She didn't rush to come in, instead she heard Regina putting up her own coat. "Feeling guilty I take it?"

"For once I'm not guilty about the sex." Snow replied honestly.

"That's not what you have to feel guilty about."

Part of Snow's heart sank. Did she know? How could she?

Regina walked over to where she was sitting and pulled her upright, kissing her hard on the mouth. As their tongues intermingled even Snow had to admit that she wanted this desperately. She was starting to breath harder and as the kiss broke she scraped Regina's lips with her teeth trying to pull it back.

"I know what you want, Snow. And this time you are going to have to ask for it."

"What?"

"I want you to ask me to do to you what you want. I want you to admit that you want this as much as I do. That I am not, in fact, forcing you to do something you do not want. That this thing we do, this ugly, thing with all its wrongness is as much you. Even more you. Than it is me. If you want me to let you into my bed you have to admit that you want to be there."

"Regina..."

Regina's fingers trailed down her sweeter and pushed their way back up underneath, trailing along one of her breasts and circling the nipple, making it hard even through the fabric of her bra.

"You were saying?" Regina smiled almost sweetly.

"My Queen."

"Better." Regina smiled.

Part of Snow wanted to wipe that smile off Regina's face. To touch her. To fuck her like she'd never been fucked before. But a bigger part of her needed Regina tonight. Needed to know she'd never leave her. "Please take me to your bed."

She smiled, and leaned in very close but didn't kiss again. "And why would I want to do that? What could you possibly have to offer me?"

"Me."

Regina laughed. "I want you to remember this night the next time you get self righteous and come storming into my office expecting for me to bow to your goodness."

"There is nothing good about me." Snow breathed

"I know."

How they'd gotten upstairs while Regina methodically stripped Snow of her clothes she had no idea. But when Regina practically threw Snow onto the bed she was naked, and Regina proceeded with all the deliberation she had not taken with her, to take her own clothes off.

"Mustn't rumple the suit?" Snow asked, though she wasn't objecting to the show.

"Appearances are important." Once undressed she crawled onto the bed and smiled. "I see my marks haven't faded. Does he know why you wont have sex with him?"

"It's not that hard to avoid sex when you have three adults and Henry living in my loft."

The mention of Henry gave Regina a slight pause and Snow immediately regretted it.

"He's a pretty man. Charming. But so very dense. How do you put up with him talking."

"He's not stupid Regina."

"I didn't say that." She leaned down and kissed her hard again. Robbing her of breath, and Snow could feel one of Regina's knees pressing up against her crotch. Regina tilted her head looking down at her. "I need you too, Snow. This insanity... it's ours not just yours."

It was a strange admission in the middle of sexual domination. But for some reason it warmed Snow's heart. Regina needed her. And all he worries about David or Emma finding out about this, about everyone finding out about this, faded. Because Regina needed her.

Regina moved her hand down to press against Snow's clit, pinching just a bit to remind her that this was not gentle or nice or loving before she began to rub. And as she rubbed Regina looked down at her with eyes both full of fire and full of ice. "Snow you will never be free of me. No matter where you go or who you try and tell yourself you are."

As she rubbed, two fingers slipped into Snow's wetness. "Please, Your Majesty. I need you. I need you to punish me."

"Oh my dear... I'm never going to stop doing that."

And the smile on Regina's face as Snow got off against her hand sent a shiver down her spine.

She knew. Somehow, Regina knew.

Chapter Text

The damage to the Jolly Roger from the storm slowed them down. Hook said that it would be a few hours before landfall and it was best that they get some rest. At the very least it meant they wouldn't be at each other's throats. Which was bound to happen again. At least Snow and Regina. Though worse things may come out with the five of them together on this adventure. Snow was never sure if she could control herself around Regina anymore. The fist fight had only emphasized that.

Every time it happened, the madness, the sex, Snow would go into it telling herself that it would be the last time. That she would end it. That she wouldn't let Regina poison the most important thing in her life, her marriage. And every time she ended up against a wall, or on a table, or at least last time in her bed, and the love making wasn't romantic or gentle. Because there was nothing romantic or gentle about Snow and Regina. It was fiery and angry and dirty. And the angriest one of them wasn't, as much as Snow wanted it to be otherwise, wasn't Regina.

She washed her face in the basin of water when she heard the door to the cabin close.

"I promise, I wont do it again David. She just gets under my skin..."

Except when she turned around it wasn't her husband standing there, but Regina. Her hands deep in the pockets of her trench coat, looking at her with those big intense brown eyes.

"Regina..."

"Careful, Snow, I'm perfectly willing to punch you again." The Queen replied dryly, but didn't move towards her.

"David knows where I am."

Regina chuckled. "In case I want to kill you? Or are we supposed to be having passionate illicit sex?"

"He could come in at any time."

"The captain is keeping your prince occupied for me."

"You told Hook?" Snow asked alarmed.

"Of course not, he assumed I was going to torture you." Regina waved a hand dismissively.

"And he gave you privacy. That bodes well for this adventure."

"It's not an adventure Snow. It's a rescue. We're here to rescue Henry. It's not going to be some grand romantic story that will be written about in books." Regina approached her and for the first time Snow could see the weight the last twenty four hours had taken on her step-mother, enemy, lover. Whatever it was that they were. Her shoulders were slumped a bit. She was standing erect, as she always did, but there was a weight to her footfalls that wasn't normal. And the burn marks from the torture...

When she reached up to touch them absently, Regina's hand move quickly and grabbed her by the wrist.

"We wont be doing this Snow. This thing we do. I don't have the energy to waste on you right now."

"I was just..."

"That's what I came here to tell you. I wont have it. Not while Henry is in danger. Whatever goes on in your head. Whatever drives you to me. I wont have it distract me from what I need to do to save Henry. I need you to get it through that thick skull of yours that I wont be catering to your desire for ... whatever it is that happens between us."

Snow's brow ferruled, and she shook her head.

"Don't tell me you are having trouble comprehending basic English now Snow, I could tell you in Elvish but I'm reasonably sure you don't speak it."

"You are ending it?"

"I'm stopping it."

"But you can't end it." Snow said numbly.

Regina raised an eyebrow and smiled one of her entirely unreassuringly smiles. "I can't? And here I thought that's what I just did."

Regina couldn't be the one to end it. This twisted fucked up thing they did. It was Snow's to end. She was the hero. She was the one who was supposed to come to her senses and excise the poison from her life. This wasn't going to happen this way.

Snow grabbed her by the lapels of her trench coat and pulled her into a kiss. Long and passionate, and not one Regina seemed to object to until Snow found herself flying backwards and crashing into the wall of the cabin with a hard thud. Regina's arms out.

Magic. She'd pushed her away with magic.

"I told you I'm stopping it Snow. You don't get to force me to do anything. Not this. Not a cage. I'm not some trapped animal." There was cold fury in Regina's voice as she walked towards where Snow was pinned to the wall. "You always were a selfish, self righteous little bitch. I don't have time for you right now. Not for your games. Not for your pretending you are a victim. We're going to be absolutely clear. If you touch me again without my express permission I'll burn off your hand. Are we clear, Princess?"

"Yes..."

"Yes?"

"Yes, Regina."

"Whatever ideas you get on that island, keep them to yourself. I don't want to hear them. Nothing is going to get between me and my son. Not Peter Pan. Not Hook's desires. And certainly not yours."

And with that, the Queen turned and left and Snow sat in stunned silence.

Regina shook her head as she left the cabin. She needed to keep a clear head. She couldn't think about the torture or the pain or the fact that she just wanted to sleep for a thousand years. She needed to focus on Henry. And cutting off Snow had been the first step in triaging her wounds. Snow was and old wound, bitter and festering and always demanding her attentions. She needed not to be thinking about her on this trip. Much less wondering if the stupid girl and her lack of self control was going to expose them while they trekked through the island with no cover and no privacy.

She had no doubts that she could deal with the shepherd. He was quick to anger, and not unskilled with a sword, but he'd be dead before he wasted the energy charging at her with the letter opener of his. But the problem would be explaining it afterwards. Hello Regina, why did you kill Prince Charming? Oh because he was jealous when he found me fucking his wife.

She rather doubted that anyone in town, especially Henry when they found him, would be that understanding. And for some gods unknown reason she actually found herself caring what other people thought. When the hell did that happen?

She got to the rail of the boat and took a deep inhale of the sea air.

"I'd tell you that you should rest, but I can't either." The voice of Emma Swan was the last thing she wanted, but she said nothing as the blond came up beside her and leaned against the rail. "But it's worth remembering I didn't just get tortured. But I do know how much energy you had to have poured into that diamond. You were doing it a lot longer than I was and the Blue Fairy said..."

"Never believe a thing a fairy says to you, Miss. Swan. All those stories in Henry's book about how they help the good and the innocent and the weak are all propaganda."

"Like an evil queen who doesn't seem quite so evil anymore?"

"I was ruling a kingdom, Miss. Swan. It's actually a lot more complicated than your parents ever took into account."

"So what's your problem with fairies?"

They were having a conversation about everything but what was on both their minds. They both knew it Regina was sure. But she wasn't about to force reality on Emma, even if she'd just had to do it with Snow. "The first time I wished upon a star I was seven. My mother had broken my arm. The last time I was eighteen and desperate not to marry a man three times my age while I was still mourning the love of my life. I doubt I'll ever know why I wasn't worthy of their help. Maybe I was already a villain in the book the night before my wedding... but I just can't accept that I was when I was younger than Henry. Evil isn't born, it's made."

Emma was silent, but something about her strong reassuring presence made Regina think she was agreeing with her. It was a long time until she spoke. "A couple years ago I would have told you I didn't believe in good and evil. That life wasn't that simple."

"I'm not the one to ask, Miss. Swan. I've apparently only just come to the realization that I'm the bad guy in the story."

"Emma. If we're going to save our son, you can call me Emma. And you aren't the bad guy of this story. Whatever is in that fucking book. In this story you just tried to sacrifice yourself for thousands of people. I may not be as into heroes as Henry is, but I'm damn sure I have never done anything that heroic. If I get to wear the label so do you."

"Don't wear a label Emma. You'll end up living up to it." She paused. "Or down."

"I take it you didn't come up with the name the Evil Queen?"

Regina smiled and turned to look at her, "I have a sense of the dramatic, trust me, but no. I have no idea who came up with that. Probably some supporter of Snow or her father. Peasants do that. Come up with their own versions of what happens in the castles. It helped them explain the ups and downs of their lives."

"Peasants? Did you really just refer to people as peasants?" Emma asked amused.

"That's what they were Emma. Your parents and I, we don't come from some Monty Python skit. Besides, who do you think the people who work in the Storybrooke grocery store were? Heroes I condemned to life stocking tampons?"

"That would have been a pretty good revenge on your enemies. I would have done that."

Regina chuckled. "Maybe you aren't an insufferable Charming after all."

"And maybe you aren't all evil if you can make a Monty Python reference."

"Maybe I'm not."

Chapter Text

It wasn't a drunken party. Even Regina would acknowledge that. For one thing there wasn't enough rum among the five of them to get anyone drunk. But still there was just about nothing in the celebrations after the pirate and David's return that Regina wanted to sit through. Not Snow's insufferable clinging to her husband. Not the expectant look on Hook's face towards Emma for his reward for allegedly saving David's life. Something Regina was certain didn't happen the way the two men claimed. Emma wasn't even her friend, much less her daughter, and she'd have turned Hook into a toad for the presumption alone.

Besides, she needed some time to herself.

They'd seen Henry, if only for a few minutes, and her heart was able to beat again. For the first time since she'd seen him be dragged through the portal she felt like maybe they'd get him back. The last thing she needed was her own dark mood ruining that little bit of hope.

So she'd made her excuses and told the others that they needed more fresh water. She'd insisted before anyone drank the water on the island that they let her at least filter it and remove any traces of the place's magic. There was something wild, untamed, neither good nor bad, but unpredictable about the magic of this place. And she didn't want them surprised because of something they'd stupidly eaten or drank.

She hated surprises. She found them threatening. She was sitting by a stream, filtering the water through cheese cloth from the Jolly Roger and letting the magic drift from her fingers through the drip before entering the container.

"I don't think you knew it, but when I was a teenager I would sneak into your study and watch you do magic. Cora too when I was much younger."

"That was probably a good way to get dead." Regina responded casually without looking up. She couldn't very well tell Snow to leave her alone. They were all on this family camping trip from hell together. It vaguely reminded her of one of the King's interminable tours of the kingdom where he learned little but lots of people saw him wear his crown.

"I knew the castle better than either of you."

She didn't approach to closely, but stayed standing, her arms crossed. "I know I can't tell you to leave me alone. You've got your claws into me and my darkness, but do you really have to drag Emma down too?"

It was phrased like a question, but the accusation was clear. "I'm not doing anything to Emma."

"Regina, I've known you nearly all of my life. I've seen you seduce people. All those quiet conversations, the intense stares, standing much closer to each other than someone does in normal conversation... talking about making magic together..."

"We have Henry. If either of us wants to have him again we have to stop fighting." She sighed and put aside the water bottle she was working on. "And in case you didn't remember it there was this giant magic sucking diamond and lightening coming out of both our hands. Your daughter and I combined our magic to save everyone? Not everything is sexual, Snow."

Regina tilted her head to the side. "Except that's it isn't it?" It was the first real laugh Regina'd managed in days. Weeks maybe. "I'd say jealousy doesn't suit you Snow, but it very much does. Perhaps I should investigate that avenue. Like mother like daughter."

Snow balled her firsts, "If you lay a finger on her I will kill you."

"Snow, it never ceases to amaze me your capacity for blaming me for your own actions."

"You did this to me. Made me think these perverted things about you."

Regina looked at her with sad eyes. "I wish I had, Snow. Then maybe I could grant you some peace." She gave her a little smile. "I'm sure if we get out of all of this we can both fall back into our comfortable anger at each other. But I just can't manage it now. I know I'm the villain of the story. There is nothing I can do to change that now. But I have to save him. Everything else has to wait. Even hurting you."

The last came out strange even to Regina's ears, and seemed to hit Snow like a ton of bricks. The princess moved to sit on a rock not far from Regina but said nothing, so the queen picked up the water containers and resumed her work.

"The magic... what's it like. I'm afraid for Emma, and I don't even know what I'm talking about."

It almost felt like the first real question Snow had asked her in years. Decades? Before the curse at least. Maybe since the hilltop. Haven't we both suffered enough? "I'm not sure I could describe it. It's like trying to describe color to a blind person. The magic is... all around us. It's like swimming in an ocean, where you can feel the currents and the shifts of energy."

"I knew a mermaid once who told me something like that about the ocean."

"Yes, well, she wasn't that bright, but the ocean was elemental to her."

Snow rolled her eyes. "And for Emma? Can she just... I don't know pretend she doesn't have it?"

Regina laughed. "I tried. I tried for so very long. If you lock it away, it's like denying a part of yourself, it will just express itself later in completely unhealthy ways."

Snow smiled. "Like spending ten years pretending you weren't a simmering pot of anger?"

"I wouldn't recommend that either." Regina said dryly.

"I don't want to feel angry all the time. I'm not supposed to. I'm ..."

"Snow White, the pure and happy noble hero."

"Fuck Regina, even I think that's too saccharine."

"Snow White knows how to curse." Regina said with a little smile.

"And you are still a bitch."

"Careful Snow, I can still wash your mouth out." Regina sighed and shook her head. "I can't tell you how to stop being angry. I've run on anger for so long I don't think there is anything of me left besides anger."

Snow tilted her head as if debating something in her mind. Or perhaps just staring at her like she used to do in court. Regina was sure when she was a young queen the princess used to watch her closely and try to mimic everything she did. Snow even became a half decent rider to impress her, Regina was certain, given how little love Snow actually had for horses.

"You shouldn't have taken the boy's heart Regina."

"I'll return it if we run into him again."

"Not what I mean."

"One big happy family, that's why I'm here."

"You said."

"It's true."

"It shouldn't be. You shouldn't have to take the darkness on for us."

"It's what I can do."

"You can do so much more."

"Oh, have we changed tactics now? From pleading to accusing to appealing to my non-existent better nature."

"I've always believed in your better nature."

"Don't lie, Snow, it doesn't suit you."

"You are right. I lost faith that I'd ever see my friend again. But maybe I was wrong."

Regina finished what she was doing with the water bottles and shook her head as she was standing up. "I'm not going to be one of your pity projects Snow."

"Good, because I don't pity you." Snow stood up at the same time, and took Regina's hand. Regina looked down at it trying to decide if she was going to light the princess on fire. She had threatened that last time. "You shouldn't have taken the boy's heart because we shouldn't ask you to do things we wouldn't do."

"You didn't ask."

"I didn't ask a lot of things I should have. Like I should have asked permission for this the first time, my queen." She leaned in and kissed Regina on the lips, this time softly and without the hunger and possession she had in the past. Regina broke the kiss, but not immediately and Snow tried to suck on her bottom lip a little longer.

"You are married, Snow. And I have a son..."

"And we'll find Henry. I was... I was mad at you because I wanted to be the one in control. I didn't expect you to end it."

"I didn't end it, I stopped it." She looked around, "Does this really look like the place to continue an illicit affair?"

"No I suppose not."

"Especially not with a smug teenager trying to get in our heads and expose our secrets."

"Especially true."

Regina reached up and ran her fingers through Snow's short cropped hair with gentleness she hadn't even known she was capable of anymore. Especially not with Snow. "You have a prince to go back to."

"And I have a queen in my arms."

"You'll have to let me go eventually."

"I haven't let you go since I was 10."

"And you are so much the better for it." Regina observed dryly.

"I am. I wouldn't trade my life for anything in the world."

"Even a happy ending?"

"You are part of my happy ending, Regina. I'm sure of that."

"And if you aren't part of mine?"

"I'll just have to find some way to change your mind on that subject."

And they were kissing again, this time without the self conscious gentleness of the first.

But finally they disentangled themselves and Snow helped Regina carry some of the bottles of clear, and magically clean, water back to the camp. Emma looked like she was trying to look at anyone but Hook, and David and Hook kept exchanging glances with each other that made Regina wondering if Snow was not the only one having an illicit affair in the Charming household.

She'd have to talk to Snow about magical protection given whatever Hook might be carrying around.

"You two look surprisingly content." Emma said, eyeing them, "And alive."

"We weren't attacked while we got water." Regina dismissed.

"I mean you didn't kill each other."

"Come now, Emma. We are adults."

"Sometimes."

Regina rolled her eyes and Snow spoke up for the first time, "Emma, I think perhaps it would be best if you let Regina teach you how to control some of your magic."

"You do?" Both Regina and Emma looked at Snow as if she'd just announced her plan to abdicate the throne and become a professional rapper.

"You have it in you, you should learn how to use it." Snow nodded, as if the idea had just occurred to her. "And Regina may be a pain in the ass some time, but I remember her as a very good teacher."

"Of magic," Charming asked clearly alarmed that his wife hadn't talked to him about this first. "Not of magic, but she taught me a lot of things. Including how to ride a horse a lot better than you."

She teased her husband with a smirk, but gave a side long glance at Regina. "I trust her with this. And so should you."

Chapter Text

The Winter Palace was always dark and brooding. Snow never noticed it when she was a child, but looking back on it her mother had always hated the place. Her father thought the summer palace too homely, and he liked the view of the mountains and the lake better. There wasn't much of either of her parents there anymore she thought as she walked through the halls quickly. Regina. It was like the castle had been built for Regina despite its architect being one of Snow's distant ancestors.

She could hear Charming's footsteps behind her, but she was moving faster. She knew this castle better than anyone. Everyone else was milling around the great hall waiting for them to find the Queen. That's what they told everyone, because disclosing the note seemed to Snow a violation and David had agreed. She turned a hall into what she remembered as the Queen's chambers to see torches lit and Robin Hood standing nervously outside. Did Regina never move into the grand king's chambers after her father's death?

"Is she awake...?"

Snow demanded, less in her normal polite questioning voice but instead in the commanding voice of a princess she rarely used.

"She's fine m'lady. Or as fine as I think she likely ever is." He didn't mention the sleeping curse, "We encountered the Wicked Witch and the Queen insists on working on some sort of new protection spell for the castle."

"And you left her alone?"

"She rather insisted."

"I'm sure she did..." Snow growled and David actually tried to grab her arm to hold her back, "Don't push it Snow."

"The hell I'm not going to push it." She had Regina's note crumpled up in her hand as she pushed through the doors. The men, wisely, stayed in the hall. "What the hell did you think you were doing?"

Regina was in the great feathered dress that made her look like a vulture, "Not now Snow... I need to finish this."

"You need to explain this."

She was about to slam the note down on the table but looking at the complicated apparatus that Regina was working with Snow thought better.

"If you don't want my bastard sister to kill us all in our sleep, you'll let me do this now and yell at me later."

Snow blinked. "Sister?"

"So she says."

"But isn't the Wicked Witch green?"

"Very. Completely unflattering shade too, I don't know how she manages lipstick."

"Regina."

"Do I look like I have all the answers, Snow. Just let me deal with keeping her out."

Snow sighed, "Alright, but this... this isn't over." She waved the note again.

Regina looked up from where she was leaning over and caught Snow looking at her, not in the eyes, and smiled. Probably for the first time in days. "I'm sure it's not. Now go and make sure your friends don't decide spread straw on the flour and use our castle as a stable."

Snow shook her head, but was just relieved that Regina was alive. The thank you note had terrified her in ways she couldn't even explain to David, but he seemed at least willing to tolerate and not ask too deeply about.

Snow set about organizing the castle, directing people to various wings where she knew there were living quarters, and asking Granny if she wouldn't mind managing keeping people fed. She didn't have the heart to call them servants. But she supposed she would soon. This was after all home again, and they all had roles to play.

Grumpy and Happy were starting to take the Queen's banners down from the posts in the court yard, "No, stop." They were in mid-motion where they were. In fact just about everyone in the court yard stopped what they were doing and Snow realized she might have been a bit loud. "Those are Regina's Pennants."

"Yes, sister..." Grumpy said as if that was obvious.

"This is her castle. We're not replacing her."

Grumpy raised an eyebrow. "They stay." Snow said firmly and looked around at the people around her, most of them her closest friends. "Regina is family now. We're ruling together. The three of us. And I expect everyone to treat her with the respect of the Queen."

There was a bit of grumbling. "And if I hear anyone utter the word evil before that title, they will have more than a wicked witch to answer to. Am I clear?"

She was using what she thought of as her stern teacher voice, but it seemed to get the message across, both to the Storybrooke folk and to Robin Hood's men who had attached themselves to the party.

Regina spent hours in the room before going out to the court yard and casting a new protection spell. It was almost morning when she came down to relight the fire of the protection spell. A ball forming in her hand she placed her hand into the caldron and the light burst forth forming a new bubble around the castle. She smiled and looked pleased with her work without noticing there was anyone else there beyond a few merry men who had decided to take up guard until the spell was up.

"Now we can talk about this."

Snow's voice was firm as she came out of the shadows, and the merry men seemed to know when to disappear. Royals fighting was never something to be near, especially when one of them was a famous bandit and the other an evil queen.

"There isn't anything to talk about."

"Of course there is. You were going to kill yourself."

"No... I was ... going to curse myself." Both Snow's eyebrows came up and she grabbed hold of Regina's hand and guided her down the path towards where her apple tree had apparently reappeared where it belonged.

"A sleeping curse, so, what, Henry could wake you up? Or so that you could see him?"

Regina didn't answer. "You don't want to spend your eternity in fire, Regina."

"I'm the villain of the story, Snow. I'll end badly either way. And if I could see him..."

"He'd be horrified." Snow answered. She pulled her close and whispered in her ear. "Don't think you are escaping me that easily either. I have no intention of letting you go."

What had been a reassuring tone when it was possible others would over hear, turned into something else once Snow knew they were too far from the nearest ear. After all she knew this castle well and it's grounds. And where secrets could be told. There was a reason this was the queen's garden.

She released Regina from the hug. "You were doing such a good job of being a good girl, Regina." Snow felt the fire in her eyes, but instead of the anger that had possessed her back in Storybrooke there was possession now. The Queen was hers.

She pushed her into the shadows and pulled a hand up to hers to kiss.

"I can taste the magic on them."

"Careful, that could be residue of potion," Regina warned amused.

"You are going to be the Queen, and we're going to rule together."

"What about Charming."

"Charming makes a lovely chiseled jaw but he'll do what we want if we present a united front."

"And you don't think he'll figure it out?"

"This is a big castle, Regina. You hid the most amazing things from my father in these walls."

"I'm not your possession Snow."

"Of course not, we're each others. As we've always been." She smiled, "Though I will have to remember how to get past all of this armor again." Snow's hands slipped behind her divided skirts and rested on Regina's leather clad ass.

"That's assuming you ever knew how to find a way past my armor."

"I was a bandit, remember?"

She pulled at a draw string and loosened just enough to slip her hand down the front of the riding pants.

"Time and place?" Regina asked amused.

"Bandit's take what they want when they want it, my queen. That's why they're called bandits." Snow pressed two fingers against her. "Now, you aren't going to try anything like that again are you?" She actually gave Regina's clit a small pinch and was rewarded with Regina's entire body jumping a bit.

"Snow..."

"No Regina. You are not going to scare me like that again."

She pushed Regina so that the queen was leaning against a low stone wall and Snow could get a better angle as she moved her fingers past her clit and curled them up. Regina let a long grown.

"I'll take that as a yes for now." Snow gave her best attempt at an evil smile and began rubbing against her clit with her thumb, moving her fingers in and out just a little. It didn't take much after all. Size only mattered to men who didn't know how to use it. Snow smiled as Regina got off against her hand, "You are such a good Queen."

Regina smiled just a little sarcastically, but it was a weak effort and she leaned in to kiss her, it might have been hard and possessive had she had more energy. "I'm so tired."

"You've been through a lot this week." Snow remarked as she removed her hand and straightened Regina up.

"And I have to face those people tomorrow." She nodded up to the castle. "I'm not sure I could put up with dwarf whistling."

"They don't do quite as much of that as you might think. And besides, we all saw you save us all from Pan's Curse."

"I undid what I brought down on us Snow. That was not a heroic act."

Snow smiled, and felt like she was channeling Henry. "It was. You sacrificed for us all, and that makes you a hero. A twisted, bent and warped hero, but you've always been that to me."

"You are insane."

"You did call me a mad woman."

"I called myself mad, and asked what your excuse was."

"My excuse is that I'm in love with you Regina."

Regina froze, and released herself from Snow's grip. "You don't mean that. And neither of us has had enough sleep in the last few days."

Snow could see the walls go up higher than ever and she immediately regretted saying it. "Regina..."

"What are the sleeping arrangements?"

"What? You and Charming have taken over my castle."

"Our castle, Regina. We're not kicking you out of wherever you want to be."

"Then I will keep my old chambers." The Queen pronounced.

"Why did you never move into my father's?"

"I didn't like the view." Regina said sharply, and Snow realized she'd said yet another thing wrong tonight.

"I expect you at lunch tomorrow Regina. Not breakfast. You need the sleep."

"So do you."

"You aren't super human Regina. There is only so long you can stand before you fall."

"I have no intention of falling into your arms, Snow."

Snow smiled. "Perhaps no, but if you fall flat on your face in the great hall I will not be able to stop people from laughing."

Regina growled, but that just made Snow smile.

"You haven't won."

"Of course not." Snow smiled some more. The Queen started to walk back up the path out of the gardens, and Snow chased after a moment. "Regina..."

The queen turned imperiously. "What?"

"You don't have to say it back."

Regina watched her for a long moment before seeming satisfied and turned again to find her bed. And sleep for a week Snow guessed.

She made her way to the rooms she and David had picked out, also not her father's old rooms. He watched his wife as she started to undress.

"Regina?"

"Henry. She's thinking about Henry. Give her time and I think she'll find a way to be fine."

"Yes, but it's exactly what that way is that worries me."

Snow shook her head, "You have nothing to worry about on that account."

She smiled and crawled under the heavy blankets with him and slept for the first time in her own home.

Chapter Text

They weren't living under siege. Yes there was the constant threat of the Wicked Witch, but Snow and David had lived under the constant threat of an evil sorceress before without letting her control their lives. Even if she now was sleeping down the hallway from them. And Snow couldn't stop thinking about her.

Perhaps she did dominate their lives. But the Wicked Witch was different. She wasn't in love with the Wicked Witch after all.

The kingdom fell back into a routine quicker than Snow expected. Many of the commoners were eager to get their lives going. Farmers had crops to plant. Merchants had businesses to reestablish. But the truth, Snow was starting to realize, was that almost no one was happy to be back. It was home, but it was not anymore. None of them had quite appreciated Storybrooke as much until it and its technology and medicine and indoor plumbing and central heating was gone.

Gone for good.

There were even some grumbling against David. After all the Prince had wanted to return, and of all the people he seemed to be dropping back into his role with energy and joy. Snow wondered if, for the first time in Regina's life, the people sympathized with the Queen. Her sadness was unquestioned, and so many people had seen what she'd done at the town line...

No one forgot the Evil Queen, but people were starting to see Regina, and privately Snow took joy in that. Even if she'd never dream of making Regina pay this price for the public redemption.

Snow was up early today, David had gone on a scouting mission and would be away for days surveying the kingdom. She'd grabbed a light breakfast, and started to plan her day when she casually asked where the Queen was.

"The stables. She said she was going riding, Your Highness."

Snow frowned a bit, and made her own way after changing and picking up her bow. Regina was still there when Snow approached. She was wearing the black and red riding outfit she'd once favored so. It showed off the curves of her body so well and the corset...

... Snow was going to have to remember that she hated corsets if she kept staring at the queen's chest. "The last time I saw you wearing that I nearly killed you."

Regina looked over at her standing in the stable door and even smiled. "Could that begin any number of conversations between us?"

"Rumplestiltskin gave me Robin Hood's bow. It never misses. I lay in wait for you along a roadside."

Regina laughed. "Well that explains the thief's reputation as an archer. He cheated. Did Rumple tell you that the fact that the bow never missed would mean it would hit me." She was amused and Snow looked confused. "Catching arrows is an old sorcerer's trick. It has a wonderful psychological effect."

Snow approached her slowly, and kissed her. It might have been chased to anyone who observed it. Perfectly healthy. Except her hand slipping behind Regina to squeeze her ass ruined that effect. Regina laughed. "I see you are excited today. Careful princess. Times and places. Besides I'm riding today."

"I see. You do know there is a witch who wants you dead."

"I do, but I'm not going to let my sister keep me locked away like some sort of prisoner in my own castle."

"Ours."

"Yes, my dear. Our castle." Regina seemed to be in a much better mood. Perhaps it was the horses. Some of Snow's happiest memories of Regina were around horses. The big chestnut mount Regina had been saddling leaned it's head into her and nuzzled her. And she laughed, "Yes I know we're going, Aligeramiento."

"I'm coming with you."

"You're not. I'd like to ride faster than a canter."

"You know I became a much better rider than I was when I was 10."

"You did. But you still not as good as I am." The Queen answered pridefully.

"True but how long has it been since you were on a horse."

Regina paused, and sighed. "I don't need a babysitter, Snow. Or a body guard."

"Than just take my company Regina. It's possible we can even be friends... have conversations... that don't necessarily end up with one or the other of us with our fingers inside the other."

"You are becoming bold, Snow. It's dangerous." Regina warned.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"You are married and castle's are not private spaces. I should stop this if for no other reason than to protect you from yourself."

"And why would you want to protect me Regina?"

The one sided admission of Snow's love for Regina hung between them. You don't have to say it, Snow had told her. It had been a lie of course. Snow desperately needed to hear those words. Even if they were in the form of other actions.

"Get your horse saddled Snow, I'm not waiting for you."

Regina climbed her own mount and road out of the stable looking imperious as ever.

Regina had not been lying when she said she wanted to ride fast. She picked a very difficult trail, one Snow's own riding instructors had never allowed her to take, and road it at quite the gallop. Snow could barely keep up and she wondered if Regina was trying to prove a point to her.

There were things Regina would always do better than Snow.

Or perhaps she just needed the ride, because when Snow did catch up to her on an overlook with a striking view of the castle and the lake Regina looked truly happy for the first time since Storybrooke. She looked, for a moment, 20 years old again.

And free.

The Queen dismounted, reaching into her pack for a bundle of cloth that Snow recognized was a light meal packed for traveling. Some bread, cheese... and of course because it was Regina... she offered her an apple.

"There are ironies that I think are too much even for me," Snow declined with a wry smile.

"Suit yourself."

Regina tied her horse's reigns to a tree and spread a blanket.

"You've been here before," Snow said as she did the same.

"It was the place I went when I wanted to kill everyone... and was still fighting those urges."

"Like today."

"Today might have similarities."

Snow sat down beside Regina and they watched the valley in silence for a time.

"I wont have you destroy yourself because I seduced you." Regina said finally.

"I think that was actually me... in the kitchen back on Mifflin Street."

Regina shook her head. Something about her refused to allow herself to believe this had been Snow's idea. Snow wondered back to the early days of the affair when Regina had been determined to make sure Snow remembered precisely that.

"Charming would react badly."

"David would be heartbroken," Snow agreed. "And that's why we're not going to tell him."

"Because you would never leave your husband for me. Because you are not an idiot."

"I'm not? Regina... was that actually a compliment?"

"Shut up."

Snow reached over and put her hand on Regina's and they sat in silence again. Whatever thoughts were in going through the Queen's mind she wasn't interested in sharing. At least until Regina turned and looked at her with her head cocked to the side.

"You want to be with me... and stay with Charming."

Snow looked vaguely guilty. "I know it's selfish."

"Incredibly." Regina said with a chuckle.

"I... would lose everything if people knew. You know that."

Something dark passed Regina's eyes. "And what if I don't like sharing."

Snow remembered, just at that moment, exactly how possessive Regina could be. And jealous apparently. The queen smiled at her and pushed her to the ground. Regina straddled her and pushed her down onto the blanket. "You do know that I don't even have to touch you to make sure your mine."

She snapped her fingers and a bit of flame sparked between them.

She leaned down and whispered in Snow's ear. "I could, if the mood struck me, drive you to distraction while sitting across the room from you. Perhaps in one of those council sessions when David is trying to prove he's a prince and not a shepherd?"

"Regina..."

Snow always knew that she could turn on a dime. Go from thoughtful and gentle to ... something else in a moment. The woman she was looking up at now was neither of those things. "It would be fun. Watching you try to pretend that there is not a magical dildo pleasuring you. Trying not to shift at my every whim."

She smiled and stroked her cheek.

Snow felt herself go a bit white. Fear of her lover was never that far from the surface it seemed. "Regina..."

"You are not in control of this arrangement, Snow." Regina leaned down and kissed her, hard, with passion but also with possession. When Snow attempted to return it her own efforts were overwhelmed.

"Yes my Queen."

"We're not telling David because I say we're not telling him." Regina growled. "And you will learn some self discipline. Watching Snow White keep a secret... that will be good for me. If not for your soul. But you could use a little more darkness dear."

Regina stroked the back of her finger along her cheek and Snow inhaled.

"Each time you sleep with him. Each time he touches you. You'll remember me. And for once in your life you'll learn to keep something to yourself."

Regina's fingers had found their way past Snow's divided riding skirts, and past other layers. She was stroking her clit absently. Petting her intimately and Snow couldn't concentrate for a moment.

"Struck dumb?"

"No... yes.. I'm sorry. I understand Regina."

Regina patted her cheek with her free hand and smiled.

Chapter Text

The candles were burned low and they were supposed to be working. Regina's study was full of books and maps, several laid out across a long wooden table, as she was teaching Snow about tax yields and infrastructure in the kingdom. They'd absorbed what had once been George's and Regina didn't know those figures from memory and needed references, but for her own she had a remarkable gift for detail.

Snow was reminded what a beautiful mind the Queen had, and wondered not for the first time what would have happened had her father recognized that. Certainly not this.

She was currently pinned against a book shelf, her corset unlaced and Regina's mouth sucking on one of her breasts, alternately flicking the nipple with her tongue and kneading it with her lips. She raced along the other with her free hand making the nipple hard.

Snow's had lost all ability to concentrate long ago and she didn't want to stop her because she knew what would come next would be... less pleasant. David would be back from patrol already, but the doors were locked and they wouldn't be interrupted. But it was time to tell her.

She would tell him tomorrow morning and there would be no hiding it. She'd have to know first. Snow didn't want to think about what her reaction would be if she learned it around the council table.

The Queen did not share. Which of course made this arrangement difficult, but until now Snow had been sure to placate Regina's need for control. And her own need for the Queen that sometimes overrode her own good sense. Like this entire affair had.

But now was the time to put away childish things. But a kiss before she told her had turned into this and she needed this. She needed her one last time before the end.

Because it would be the end. It had to be.

Regina was lifting her towards the table and Snow decided she couldn't risk it. They were bruising each other quite a bit lately, an advantage of the clothing of this realm that it was easier to cover. But not now.

"Regina, we can't."

"Of course we can my dear."

"No... I ... I need you to stop."

Regina put her down, looking slightly confused but not forcing the issue. They both may have been mad, but they were never that kind of mad.

Regina stroked her cheek gently. "What's wrong Snow?"

"I ..."

"Is it that idiot husband of yours? You know I could ..."

"I'm pregnant."

Regina looked stunned, but actually smiled, "I thought you were glowing. It's good to know that David is living up to his primary duty."

Giving Snow an heir. Another one.

"We've been trying." Snow agreed. "I ... I think it's time I think of my marriage Regina."

Snow could see the darkness pass over her lover's eyes. She remembered her own feelings back on the Jolly Roger when Regina had been the one to end it. She'd always pictured it would end this way though. With her choosing the good of her family.

"What happened to we'll rule together?"

"We will. Just... not like this."

"You said you needed me..."

"I... want you. But I need him."

"Do you love him?"

Snow looked away, "Don't make me answer that, Regina."

"Do you lie about that kind of thing?"

It was a question with an obvious implication. She had told her that she loved her.

"David can give me a family."

"You are mine."

"I'm his too."

"I do not share, princess."

"I know. That's why... this has to be the last time."

She saw the rejection play across Regina's face and wished she could take it all back.

"Get out."

"Regina."

A mirror shattered twenty feet from them but Regina didn't seem to notice.

"Go on and crawl back into his bed."

"Regina."

"I will see you in council tomorrow."

Regina did flick a hand and they were both respectably dressed again. As if the encounter hadn't happened at all. As if none of the encounters happened before.

She told David about the baby the next day. He was excited, at least he said, but he'd seen him take to drinking. Regina had retreated to her most prickly self, directing more than a few barbs sharply in Snow's direction. Though never about the pregnancy specifically. Everyone else assumed it was the pain that the Queen was always in. The pain she had come back to the Enchanted Forest carrying like a shield.

Except Snow knew otherwise and each time she saw that pain she felt responsible for it.

And then angry at that response. Because she would have been angry about it. Regina Mills had no use for pity. Either in herself or for her.

It was weeks until David left the castle again. After the business with the foreign princess Snow had never gotten a straight answer about. But it was time for a patrol, or rather he was going stir crazy, and the Wicked Witch's monkeys needed hunting. Even if they were cursed they were a danger to travelers.

Snow moved through the castle quietly in her night gown and soft indoor boots. The winter castle was not as cold as the summer palace would have been, but it was still stone and open spaces. She slipped down passages that no one except her... and probably Regina she added to herself... knew. It was how she would slip Regina's rooms to watch her do magic when she was a child.

A way around the guards and the locks on her doors when she was a child.

Things she now tried not to think about.

It was cold and there were several thick blankets on Regina's bed, she pulled one to the side and slipped in next to her, sure the Queen was asleep.

"You have a bed, Snow."

"It's empty."

"It would be given you aren't in it."

"I need you."

"You told me otherwise."

"I... was wrong."

The Queen turned over and her long dark hair feel at her shoulders in a way that reminded Snow of a much younger woman.

"You lied."

"I... I wanted it to be true. Does that count?"

"No. Get out."

"Please Regina... You still look at me the way you did before."

"With hate in my eyes?"

"Like I'm a woman."

"What are you talking about?"

"He won't touch me."

Snow saw the anger in her eyes, and loved her for it. She loved the hate and fire and passion in her eyes that was never in David's. David adored her, loved her even, but the power of what Regina felt...

"You can't be serious."

"He treats me like a glass bird. Not a woman anymore. He... did this the first time too."

She blushed at revealing the secrets of her marriage bed to her lover. Ex lover. Maybe.

Regina gave a bitter but amused laugh. "And you thought history would not repeat itself?"

"I just want to feel."

Under the blankets Snow could feel a soft hand move to her belly. "He's a fool if he does not see a woman."

"He's many things. That might be one of them."

"You lied to me."

"I wanted it to be true."

"You told me you loved me."

"I do."

"You need him more than you need me. That's not love."

"I need you more than air." Snow replied breathlessly as Regina moved in to kiss her on the mouth. The Queen's hands were not as they had been before. She was gentle. Soft. But still possessive. The warmth of her skin against Regina's made her shiver. Or that was the cold night. But she wanted to think it was the other woman.

"We are beyond endings, Snow, you and I. I do not share well."

"I've noticed."

"You do not get to leave me."

"You left me first."

"I didn't say that the reverse was true, Princess. I am the Queen."

Snow was about to object but she felt Regina's hand trail down her inner thigh. "He's really not been touching you."

"Not since the morning after we last ..."

Regina shook her head again. "And you want me to touch you so you can go back to your prince."

"I want you to touch me and be my Queen."

"You ended that."

"I was wrong."

"Your punishment will have to wait 9 months Snow, but know there will be punishment for this. I have a long memory."

Snow smiled. "And you hold grudges."

"I do."

Regina wasn't smiling, and that sent a shiver down Snow's spine. She had forgotten how jealous and possessive Regina could be. But she'd never been the queen's object quite like this before so perhaps she never knew.

Regina disappeared under the blankets and Snow wondered what she was doing until she felt her legs being spread and something wet against her thighs. She inhaled, realizing what was happening and a hand slipped under the covers to feel Regina's head between her legs.

She leaned back enjoying the touch when she felt Regina's lips on her clit and felt the pressure of her sucking and flicking with her tongue.

Her hand buried itself in Regina's hair and she felt human again. More human than she felt anywhere but with Regina.

But most of all Regina made her feel like a woman again.

Chapter Text

The castle was huge, and no one knew it better than Snow and Regina. They knew when they were safe from potential prying eyes. Like this afternoon. Dappled sun was streaming through the window and Snow had Regina pinned against a wall, kissing the queen in a way that would be impossible to explain as platonic.

"Enthusiastic today, are we?"

"I've been wanting to do that since you started flirting with Robin Hood." Snow looked at her a bit possessively. "You are doing it to make me jealous."

"I am not flirting with that man." She said indignantly. "Besides, you insist on having your prince, why should I not have a man to fiddle with."

"Fiddling with him is what you want?" Snow smiled. "I see."

Her hand moved past Regina's divided skirt to squeeze her ass. Regina smiled. "You are possessive Snow." Not that she objected. In the past year the affair that had started as a way of corrupting the princess back in Storybrooke had entangled both of them.

"Once I had my Queen, why should I ever let go?"

"Because you have a Prince? Well, a shepherd making a passable impression of a prince."

Snow smiled, "Was that a compliment Regina?"

"You know I want you to leave him."

"And you know I won't leave my husband for a woman who can't even say 'I love you' despite the fact that I know she does."

"You over estimate your place in my life, Snow."

Snow didn't seem insulted. Instead she leaned down and buried her face in the queen's ample cleavage. She took hold of her hands and started walking her towards the bed. Had it been any other time in their relationship this would have been physical. Maybe even violent. Snow was surprisingly strong after all. But heavily pregnant she couldn't, and Regina wouldn't force her to.

The queen stepped backwards as Snow stepped forwards, and Snow pushed her over into the bed and pulled down at the leather pants exposed as the queen's skirts parted.

"What are you doing Snow?"

"Testing what my place might be." There was a slight glint in Snow's eyes. One that was neither innocent nor nice. "Be a good girl Regina, you know what you have to say."

Snow's fingers stroked gently along her clit, not enough to get her off, but enough to build her up.

"I have never been a good girl, Snow."

"No, but with you Regina, everything is relative. You are an ass... but you are my ass." She punctuated it by pushing two fingers into her. "Now... you know what you need to say."

Regina was stubbornly silent. Snow pushed a third finger in, starting to move her hand, rotating and curing her fingers inside her. Regina inhaled sharply, but looked up into Snow's eyes.

"You know I've been tortured to get information out of me."

"I know. I was there remember?"

"What makes you..." The sentence was lost as Snow found just the right spot.

"I've said it a dozen times over the last year Regina."

"What happened to I don't have to say it back?"

"I lied."

"Like you always do, Snow." There might have been bitterness there, but there wasn't.

"Please Regina, I need to hear you say it." She leaned down and kissed her on the forehead before continuing the slow fucking.

"And I need you to leave your husband, but that's never going to happen."

There was bitterness in Regina's voice. She'd always play second fiddle to David in Snow's heart. But Snow didn't stop or seem offended.

"I need it Regina."

The queen inhaled, and closed her eyes, enjoying the feelings building in her body. Finally she opened her eyes and looked deeply into Snows. "I love you."

Snow's smile was so radiant it lit up the room. She leaned down and kissed again. "And I love you too, my Queen."

"I hate you, Snow."

"There is a fine line between love and hate."

"Are you so sure you want to be flirting with that line?"

She leaned down and kissed her. "I live on that line and so do you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three of them came back to the castle solemnly after the visit to Glinda. What must be done was clear. But Regina understood it better than either Snow or David, and neither seemed willing to listen to her when she told them they were out of their minds.

The Dark Curse. The Dark Curse was the only answer, but it was also the thing that had destroyed her soul. How could they imagine that they could simply cast it and survive. Well, David knew he wasn't, but... there was the other question. The one she didn't want to speak aloud.

David and Snow had disappeared off to their chambers to be together in the hours before they could actually cast the curse. Regina began working on the foundations of the giant potion in the court yard. She wondered if Snow had thought about the irony. This was the place her father had been laid out. This was the place where the kings of her line had been mourned for hundreds of years.

This is the place where Snow would murder her love.

"I somehow didn't expect it to require so much... work."

"Because casting the most difficult and costly spell in the history of magic should be easy. Rumplestiltskin invested so much time in my training when he could simply have made me a monster and ignored making me powerful sorceress." Regina answered testily.

"You are mad."

"You and your husband are casually throwing away something ..." She shook her head, "You really have no idea what you are doing."

"It's what he wants."

"He's an idiot."

"You've said that before." Snow moved up on the opposite side of the giant boiling brass caldron. "Regina, talk to me."

"The thing you love the most."

"Yes."

"You realize if this works what that means?"

"That David will be dead."

"David will die in the attempt, if it works or not, what I'm standing here hoping is that my lover loves her husband more than me. Because I want it to work. To get back to Henry. Do you realize what kind of horrible person that makes me?"

"It makes you complicated, Regina."

"That I'm hoping you love him more than me so that you can kill him and destroy yourself?" She shook her head. "You know what killing the love of my life did to me."

"You didn't have anyone to help you pick up the pieces. I'll have you."

"If this works."

"And part of you, maybe smaller than the part that wants to see Henry again, is hoping it doesn't." Snow put her hand on Regina's arm. "Because that means I will love you more than him."

"I hate him. I want you to myself."

Snow smiled. "You don't share well." Snow looked off into the distance across the valley. "After tonight you won't have to."

Regina shook her head.

"What?"

"You don't understand. I'd do everything in my power, move haven and heart, not to have you have to do this. I don't want you with David. I want you. But in no world do I want you responsible for his death."

She turned and touched Snow's cheek. "I like my hopeful, happy hero. She will die tonight."

Snow nodded solemnly. "Just as mine died the moment your mother crushed Daniel's heart."

"I would do anything to save you from that."

"David's decision is his."

"Murdering him will destroy you." Regina shook her head. "And I can't seem to get that through your head. This curse is evil and terrible, and it destroyed me. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

"Or the woman you love?" Snow asked, perhaps teasing a bit.

"Aren't you always both of those things to me."

"Is it ready?" David called from the entrance to the court yard. Regina beckoned him to come up to the cauldron and they all looked at the boiling mass together.

"It's ready."

Chapter Text

Regina's awakened to feel the soft silk of her sheets, and her eyes flew open to see the dimpled ceiling of her bedroom in the house on Mifflin Street. She sat bolt upright in a panic. Unlike the last time she didn't feel an overwhelming sense of having finally won, but instead a sense of confusion and dread. She wasn't supposed to be here. Here wasn't even supposed to exist.

She scrambled out of bed to run to Henry's room, one he hadn't slept in since... well that had been Pan. Since the first curse broke. His bedroom was empty, neat and clean. Untouched as if the boy who's books and toys rested on the shelves hadn't been there in forever.

He hadn't.

Had she made some sort of mistake in undoing the curse... she couldn't have. The price was steep but the magic not complex. She didn't want to pay the price but she'd never have sabotaged it... She told herself she'd dress and go out into the world to find out what happened, but she was still in her pajamas and robe when the doorbell rang.

Of course it would be a mob. She wasn't going to answer a mob in her pajamas. She started heading upstairs to change when she heard the lock in the door click. Whoever it was had a key... Henry?

But it was not. She saw the back of one of Snow's hideous mohair coats, "Regina?"

"I'm getting dressed, Miss. Blanchard, I'll be down in a minute."

She was prepared for the accusation. For the recriminations. It was Snow after all. She slipped into a pair of slacks and a white blouse, and ran a brush through her hair before she came back down. "I don't know what..." She stopped speaking when she saw Snow standing in the front hall, a hand on her swollen belly. "Well, I know what's happened to you. Been busy dear?"

"Please no jokes Regina," Snow said testily.

"Who said that was a joke. You weren't pregnant yesterday."

"I don't think yesterday was yesterday." Snow put her hands in her pockets, "Regina... did you ...?"

"If this is a new curse I couldn't have cast it."

"Regina..."

"Snow, I couldn't have cast it. I wouldn't cast it. To cast the curse you have to sacrifice the thing you love most... which for me... is Henry."

Snow looked at her for a moment before nodding. "It is Henry."

"Please don't tell me you were wondering if it might be you." Regina said with a snear.

"A girl can dream."

"That would be a very strange dream for you to be having. Where is your husband?"

"He's out checking the town with the dwarfs. Regina... can we sit and have this conversation."

"How far along are you?"

"Well given I have no memory of being pregnant..." Snow responded with a raised eyebrow, and Regina had to admit it was a stupid question.

"Tea?" Regina asked quietly.

"Please."

Regina was relieved. The accusations didn't last long, which rather surprised her. She was quiet while she filled the kettle and readied the pot.

"Regina... it happened right?"

"I've been trying to figure that out. I know I broke the curse. We should have ended up back in the Enchanted Forest. Your... rather sudden state either suggests that you took a sudden interest in sumo wrestling or at least seven or eight months has passed." Regina approached where she was sitting. "May I?"

"Since when have you asked about touching me?"

"I see we're forgetting who started that." Regina raised an eyebrow but did lay a gentle hand on her stomach. There was a warm glow. "Healthy and well along. I'd say eight."

Snow nodded.

"I had ... hoped you'd done it. That the answer would be easy."

"You believe me," Regina actually found herself surprised.

"My track record for knowing when you are lying isn't great, and I don't have Emma's gift, but yes."

"Emma doesn't actually have Emma's gift, you know that?"

"I do." Snow said quietly. "I wish I know where she and Henry were."

"Me too..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Regina seems just as confused as the rest of us, I'm not sure she was involved in this."

Snow was turning that over in her head all night while laying in bed next to David. She'd cuddled up to him and he'd put a hand around her, but she knew that was all he'd do. This happened the last time, with Emma, as soon as she was with child he suddenly treated her like a fragile flower that would wilt under any pressure. He'd even forbidden her to ride horseback long before Doc told her she needed. It had been one of their rare fights when they were newly married.
She knew there would be more now, given how... sudden things had occurred.

"...I'm not sure she was involved in this..." She kept turning that statement over in her head. She was sure of it, even with Emma's doubts. The thing you loved most...

Of course that was Henry, and even in her own most self deluded moments Snow could see that. And even if it were her, she was still here, so that must mean Regina was innocent. She kept thinking of the panicked look on her face that morning, and the shock at her condition. Admittedly not the only expression of shock at her condition that day.

Henry's going to break her heart.

She thought about slipping out of the covers and trying to call and warn her, but David turned in bed and lay a strong protective arm over her and that ended that idea. Explaining to her husband that she wanted to call her lover their once mortal enemy to warn her that her son was in town and didn't remember her would be ... quite a conversation.

The next morning though, when she saw the look on Regina's face in the middle of Granny's she wished she'd made the call. She started to get up but she didn't move very fast these days... still not used to that... and Emma was up faster guiding Regina into the back hallway.

Snow had been stuck babysitting Henry the rest of the day as Emma and Regina rushed around apparently playing Nancy Drew. Why didn't anyone invite her to play Nancy Drew. She'd be good at it. Well... maybe not right now she wouldn't.
For some reason she wanted to make a pie that evening. She knew she'd been thinking too much about Regina when she came home from the store with a bag of apples and David had given her a quizzical look. She was working on the pie crust when Emma had come in trailed by a slightly sheepish looking Regina.

David at least kept his hand from going for the sword, but perhaps only because Henry was there and they were still trying to keep it all from him. Except it soon became clear that there was no ill intent in the visit.

"This is Regina Mills, she's the mayor of this town..."

The conversation... the handshake.... it broke Snow's heart and she couldn't figure out how Regina was managing to keep her own emotions in check. She was still thinking about it when Emma and Henry had left to go back to the B&B, and Regina had returned home after the revelation about who they were dealing with.

"I want to go check on Regina."

"Snow, there is a witch out there..."

"We've dealt with evil sorceresses before. It never stopped us from living our lives. Besides, there is no reason to think the Wicked Witch has any interest in me. I'll take my car so that I can't be picked off by a flying monkey."

"You know that's not reassuring." David remarked.

"Her son doesn't know who she is..."

"It's Regina," he reminded her.

"It's Regina and she loves that boy more than anything in the world."

"Just... be careful."

"I'll stay over there until sun up again, just to be safe." Snow smiled at him, and felt a little guilty about his reassured smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She let herself into the house without knocking, and quietly hung her coat up in the closet before slipping up stairs. "Regina, are you awake."

There wasn't an answer but there were quiet sobs coming from her bedroom and Snow entered, knowing that Regina would know it was her. She slipped into the bed with her quietly without asking permission and put an arm around her. "It's alright Regina. He's alive. We'll make him remember."

"What... what if it's better if he never remembers me."

The depth of self hatred that the queen could achieve, Snow reminded herself, were epic. "No one is best without knowing their mother. I promise. We'll fix this Regina. And for now... it's alright to just cry, my Queen."

Chapter Text

Snow had watched in horror as Regina's body went flying through the clock tower and it felt like her entire life was flashing before her eyes. She couldn't die. She couldn't die like this surely. At the hands of some evil sorceress. She was always strong. She was Regina.

And she needed her.

She hated that she couldn't get to her fast enough. For one thing Emma actually physically held her back. She kept forgetting she was pregnant, or at least how pregnant she was, but really it didn't matter if she was pregnant with twin half ogres she would have tried to get to her. Her frightened animalistic shout of Regina's name echoed in the silence of the streets as a sizable crowd remained quiet while the Queen was tossed around like a rag doll.

But desperation only got Snow so far, or really it only got her so fast, and David and Emma climbed the steps faster than she did.

"Regina?"

"I'm fine..." Her voice was quiet and pained and Snow was afraid to see her condition.

"You won..."

"Don't be so surprised. It turns out she wanted my heart. Thankfully I wasn't stupid enough to bring it with me..."

Of course Regina was alive, Snow thought quietly as David helped her down the stairs. Regina wouldn't die. Not like that. But as she walked behind the group she saw the difference in the Queen's gate. In her swagger. She was hurting more than she let on. Snow put a hand on David's arm, "She's got at least a couple of broken ribs... I think I should take her home and be with her tonight."

David looked torn and for the first time looking back into them Snow wondered if he knew. He certainly knew that she loved Regina. That much was impossible to hide. But could he possibly know? Not that she thought he was stupid, but somehow Snow thought she could carry on an affair with Regina indefinitely without even considering if David would find out.

But the look now was tired and a bit raw, and a bit disappointed. It said without saying, 'I know how you look at her when you think no one else is looking.'

But then he nodded, and all those worries about her marriage and her entire life collapsing under the weight of her obsession went away, "You are right. She shouldn't be alone tonight. She's never going to let us take her to the hospital."

"She's Regina. She'd think of it as weakness."

"She thinks of everything as weakness." David countered.

"For her it is."

She touched his arm and gave him a kiss, but even as she walked away she wondered for the first time if it was the beginning of the end of something. And if she should stop to mourn that, or even stop to stop it ending. But her eyes weren't on David but they were on Regina whose hands were grasping the roof of her Benz like she was dreading the very idea of folding herself into the driver's seat.

And she choose Regina.

At least for this night.

"Don't even think about it. You aren't driving home like that."

"Well, I'm not driving home at all so that isn't an issue princess." Regina said with a sneer. Her old sneer. One that both hurt and Snow found reassuring. If Regina could hate her, just a little bit, she could love her too. Though without her heart...

"Where is your heart?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Regina..."

"Go home Snow."

"You shouldn't be alone tonight."

"Go home to your Prince." She turned to look at her, leaning against the car. "I'm really not in shape to baby you today Princess."

Snow glanced around. "Then let me baby you, my Queen. Don't try to do this alone."

Regina gave her a glare, and Snow tried to remember she didn't have hear heart in her. She wondered if she should even try to be around Regina without it. If it would just hurt too much. "Meet me back at the house if you must. But I'm not your baby."

Snow nodded. "You are not. You are my Queen."

Regina grunted a bit in disgust and shook her head as she got in the car and sped away leaving Snow standing in the street. She should have gone back to the loft. She should have written the night off. Regina with her heart could hurt her. Regina without it... might be more than she could take.

But she didn't go to her home, she went to the mansion. She drew a hot bath for Regina, found her first aid kit. She knew Regina would have one. She had a teenage son even if he wasn't staying with her at the moment and set out the materials to clean the cuts and bruises she knew had to be all over the older woman's body.

She went through a glass clock face.

The night had really shocked Snow to her core. It was the first time she'd really thought she would lose Regina. No. That was a lie. There had been the tunnels... and the near execution. It was the first time she thought she would lose Regina since she'd felt like she really had her. She tried not to think about the fact that she had this thought at nearly the same time as she first thought about the possibility of losing David. And it wasn't David who she was waiting for now.

She heard the door open and the sound of car keys being placed on a table.

"Did you get your heart?"

"It's safe." She said with a sigh.

"It's safe... where?"

"Someone is keeping it safe." Part of Snow was jealous and angry that Regina would trust her heart with someone. With someone else she quickly added. And Regina clearly saw what she was thinking, "Oh, my beautiful self centered princess. The Wicked Witch already wants your baby. Should we really make it easy for her by having you carry around my heart in one of your hideously ugly purses?"

"My purses aren't ugly."

"You were really helped by the fact that other people picked out your clothes for you when you were in the palace." Regina said with a sigh.

"I'm going to trust that you are meaner because you don't have your heart in your chest." Snow said with an inhale of breath. "I drew a bath for you, now go up and clean yourself off. I know you've got a lot more pain than you are letting on."

Regina looked like she wanted to retort back. But she also looked like she desperately wanted to sink into a warm bath. So she took that option. She was in there for a long time. Snow wanted to go in and clean her wounds herself, but the thought of sitting on the floor in her condition, or rather the thought of trying to get back up, dissuaded her.

Regina appeared again, wearing a bathrobe and leaning in the doorway, her hair still damp.

"You are still here."

"I am."

"You don't think I'm going to say mean things to you?"

"You say them with your heart in." Snow shrugged. "Part of loving you is loving all of you."

"What about your Prince?"

"What about, David?"

"You don't think he's going to wonder as you stay overnight at my house more and more?"

Snow inhaled. She didn't want to think about this, so of course Regina was going to force her to think about it. "I ... think... I'm here now and this is where I want to be."

"Now."

"Now." She agreed. "Can't I just pretend for one night I'm not throwing away a perfect marriage for the woman who tried to destroy my life?"

"If it was perfect you wouldn't be with me. And it seems to me that you are doing quite the job of destroying your life." Regina paused and closed her eyes. "And perhaps I don't want to be responsible for it."

"Regina... you aren't responsible for what I want." She got up from the table and kissed her passionately on the lips. "And what I want is you. I've always wanted you, my Queen."

And after a moment Regina kissed her back. Because even without her heart she wanted Snow.

And Snow had enough heart for both of them.

Chapter Text

"You are still awake."

Snow practically jumped in her hospital bed at the sound. Regina was standing in the doorway, a small stuffed lion in her hand. She was still in the red dress and black overcoat that they'd started this long and very strange day.

"I can't sleep. Do you blame me? I keep watching him." Snow nodded towards the baby laying sleeping in the rolling bassinet to the side of the room.

"Not really." Regina's voice was soften and quiet, she gestured vaguely with the stuffed animal and put it beside others on a sideboard.

"A lion. Cute. Like the crest."

"Mostly I thought the lion was cute, and didn't give a damn about the crest." Regina sat down in a chair near the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Helpless." Snow answered quietly. "Regina... she just walked in and took him out of my arms."

Regina just nodded. She couldn't say anything reassuring to her about that. "When... when Henry was young I would have these dreams. I didn't know what they meant because I had no idea who Henry's birthmother was... but I had these dreams that you and David would suddenly remember who you were and you would take him from my arms. I didn't have magic to protect us and you... it wasn't that you were angry but you had this pitying look. Like why should I even have thought I could take care of a child."

Snow just listened for once, it was so rare that Regina shared her fears, and she couldn't reassure her because the truth was that's exactly what would have happened had they gotten their memories back and she not had her magic. It was what happened even though she did.

"David told me how you saved our child."

"I was doing what I had to do."

"For us all. But you still saved my child."

"I owed you."

"No... Regina. You don't. You don't owe anyone risking your life." Snow said quietly, scared now that she'd seen Regina do this over and over in the fight against the Wicked Witch.

"You forget I was saving my life too."

"No you weren't." Snow said with a shake of the head. But she let the matter of Regina's recklessness drop for now. "You have your heart back. I can feel it."

"Yes." Regina said with a sigh.

"You don't sound so pleased about that."

Regina offered a small smile. "I have everything I have a right to have. My son..."

"Me." Snow offered.

"You know there are things that happened in the last year we have to face. And you have a marriage and a family to think about." Regina said firmly.

"I'm in love with you."

Regina chuckled. "Are we forgetting so soon after remembering? We could fool ourselves for a year now, but we both know the truth with absolute certainty. The thing you love most in the world is your Prince Charming."

Snow was quiet. "That could change."

"It won't. And it shouldn't. And... what we were doing is unhealthy."

"I left you and couldn't stay away."

"And I told you there would be a price for that. After you gave birth. But I'm not interested in making you pay prices anymore Snow. I think it's best if we stop this thing we're doing. If we... stop feeding this obsession in each other."

"And you'll what? Go back to being alone?"

Regina shook her head. "You really are self obsessed, my little Princess. There are other people who might find me an interesting partner. Your daughter for one. We've been dancing around each other for a long time. And ..."

"Robin Hood." Snow said bitterly. She knew she should probably be more jealous that Regina would throw Emma in her face. But it was all true. And for some reason she found the outlaw even more threatening.

"He smells like forest."

Snow chuckled. "You've had a thing for bandits before."

Regina shook her head. "We really can't." She paused. "I won't. I won't be the other woman in your marriage."

Snow nodded, but in her heart ... her half a heart... a hole was forming. Or perhaps a crack. No... a gaping emptiness. "Regina... I need you."

Regina gave a little smile.

"No Snow. You've never needed the kind of destruction I bring to your life."

"I want you." She said quietly.

"I know. That's why..." Regina said quietly as she stood up. "That's why one of us has to do what's best for you. You and your family."

"Regina please don't..."

Regina leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and moved a bit of hair from her face.

"I can't ..."

"You can, Snow. You are a strong woman. Don't let anything hold you back."

"I won't let you leave me."

There was a flash of the old anger in Regina's eyes. "That's not up to you Princess. I'm not your toy. Or your possession."

"No... your my Queen."

Regina gave a sand smile. "No Snow... I'm Regina. And I would rather be proud of who I am now than dwell in something I never had the right to."

She paused at the door.

Snow was crying.

Regina looked down for a moment and then back at her. "I'm sorry I did this to you Snow. I had no right."

She slipped from the doorway...

... and Snow kept crying. "But... I love you."

Chapter Text

Regina was tending to the apple tree outside her office. The first blossoms were starting to show and fruit would be not long behind that. The sent filled her memory of another place, another time, something like peace in the orchard of her childhood home away from the servants and the tutors and her mother.

Peace was something she needed now.

She'd laid a headstone in the cemetery that morning. Not in the family crypt but next to it. It seemed right. Their mother destroyed them both. As much as Zelena thought she wanted that, it wasn't in Regina's heart to lay them together. Forgiveness could only go so far. Especially when second chances were so casually thrown away.

"I thought I'd find you here." A voice came from behind her.

Regina sighed, "And so you thought you would interrupt."

"I always was a thoughtless girl." Snow said quietly as she moved into the garden and sat on the bench, pushing the sleeping baby in his stroller next to her.

"And yet you are still here." Regina said bitterly.

"You aren't answering my phone calls."

"Most people would take that as a hint."

"Archie told me that you buried Zelena today. You should have told us, we'd have come."

"That bug never knows when to stay quiet. Perhaps I couldn't stomach the hypocracy of an entire funeral full of heroes mourning the woman who tried to destroy us." Regina shook her head.

"We'd have been there for you, not for her. You are mourning."

"The only thing I knew of her was her repeated attempts to knock me unconscious." Regina said dismissively.

"I seem to remember they were mostly successes not attempts."

Regina gave her a long steely glare.

"Regina, remember, I do know you. Maybe... maybe I haven't known you as well as I should have, but you aren't mourning Zelena. You are morning the idea of Zelena."

Regina turned to look at her for the first time. "I really don't need to be psychoanalyzed by a spoiled little princess."

"Probably not." Snow admitted. "I also think you are in mourning for something else."

Regina laughed bitterly. "Of course you would think that. Of course you would turn my sister's suicide into being about you. Oh Snow, you never ever change."

"Perhaps it's time I should. Maybe learn from the woman who has taught me change is possible?"

"I'm not playing games with you anymore."

"I know." Snow said quietly. "I guess... I didn't want to hurt you. Or David. And choosing seemed like ..."

"You don't have to make a choice now, Snow." Regina sighed. "You don't have to choose because I chose me."

Snow looked down, a bit ashamed. "I love you."

"You love him most."

"I... Regina I don't think it's that simple."

"It is, Snow. The curse wouldn't have worked if you didn't love David the most in the world."

"And your splitting my heart wouldn't have worked if you didn't love me."

"Not relevant to this conversation."

"It is to me."

"Not everything is about you, Snow." Regina cursed under her breath as she pruned a branch too vigorously.

"Will you please let me talk to you about this Regina?"

"It never ends well when we talk, Snow." Regina said exasperated. "We've both tried to end it before. Why can't you just let it be?"

"Because the fact that we've both tried to end it before and failed should tell us something."

Regina shook her head. "Snow, you don't want to throw away your life for a relationship with me."

"Maybe I do. Maybe that's my right." Snow looked at her defiantly. "Maybe it took facing the world without David to realize that what I loved was the idea of my marriage... not the reality of it."

"Well this didn't just become an awkward conversation." Regina said looking around to see if anyone was near.

Snow smiled. "It was awkward the minute we started sleeping together."

"Awkward isn't how I'd describe it." Regina shook her head.

"Fantastic?" Snow asked in an innocent tone.

"You aren't that good."

"I am." The Princess gave a vicious little smile.

Regina rolled her eyes. "And if we kept it up people would say I corrupted you."

"Probably. But I kissed you first."

Regina balled her fists and opened them again. "I can't do this Snow. You have a husband who adores you and a family that admires you and a five day old son."

"And a woman I hurt because I'm not as brave as I should be. And I don't know how to ask her to take me back."

"I'm not going to be your mistress again."

"You were never that." Snow said quietly. "You were my Queen and we ruled together."

"And your husband stood by your side and you looked at him adoringly." Regina countered.

"And you glowered from my other side."

"I wasn't glowering."

"You glower very well, Regina." Snow sighed and looked around. "What do I have to do to convince you I'm in love with you."

"You don't have to convince me of that. I know. I just know that you'll never love me as much as you love him. And ..." Regina closed her eyes. "I just want to be chosen for once."

Snow closed her eyes. Accepting the unstated condemnation. "What was going to be your price?"

"What price?" Regina asked, momentarily confused.

"You said there would be a price when I couldn't stay away from you after I was pregnant."

"It wasn't the coming back to me that was the problem, Snow. It was the leaving. And we both knew this couldn't work that way. I don't share."

"No... you don't." Snow agreed. "But you also say you don't play well with others and I think we've proven that to be false."

"Why do I feel like this is a breakup conversation from hell?"

"There is no fireballs or attempted murder. Which is a step up for us." Snow pointed out.

"Go away."

Snow stood. "I will... I ... I've just been thinking about it for days. What was the price?"

Regina looked over at her, and there was a tear forming in the corner of her eye that she willed not to fall. "You had to tell him. You had to tell him you'd choose me." There was a bitter little laugh. "But that was never going to happen. It was just... a nice thought on a cold night back in that god forsaken castle."

"And what if I did choose you?"

"You shouldn't Snow."

"I shouldn't." She agreed.

"Please go." Regina whispered, nearly begging.

Snow just nodded, "I'm sorry."

"You always are. It never changes anything."

Chapter Text

Regina had had no room to breath after her sister's death. The morning of her funeral she'd had a wonderfully uncomplicated breakfast with Robin and his son out in the woods. The merry men had teased her about eating rough and sitting on a log but she'd managed to surprise them by being fine with that. She knew the thief was attracted to her, had known for a long time, but not pursued the idea because she was rather to distracted with Snow.

It was a nice thought. A gentleman who didn't treat her like a monster, with a child she could play with and a clear path out of the darkness that dominated her even as she was dealing with the fact that her magic was changing in ways she had never expected and still wasn't sure she understood.

Theoretically neither the True Love's Kiss with Henry nor the light magic could have even been possible with a heart in the shape of hers, much less not even in her chest.

But even that possibility was cut short when Emma managed to bring back his dead wife, and everyone realized the awkward truth that she'd taken her from that family in the first place. Robin hadn't had to ask her to back away, she'd done it on her own, and she really didn't want to understand the look of pain that she saw every time she caught his eyes from across a crowd while his wife clung to his arm.

And there was some sort of clingy ice queen that Emma has also somehow brought back, but really that wasn't any of Regina's concern. The Arendelle royals had always been a bit crazy and an uncontrolled sorceress new best friend was just the kind of special Regina thought Emma deserved. There were advantages to being the ex-villain with the cruel streak and the atrocious reputation. Obnoxious little blonds didn't try to cling to you like your new best friend. Though if she was fair, and she liked to think she was, she'd probably attribute Queen Elsa's behavior to being in a jar in Rumple's closet for three decades. She didn't put it past the Imp to keep a magical young woman around in case he needed a spare after she'd found out about Zelena.

But the truth was what saved her from becoming a recluse after she resigned from the mayor's office was Henry. Her little prince had finally come home and she was quite happy to just be his mom for the first time in a very long time. Let the Charmings fight the monsters. They got the credit for it anyway.

Snow was, thankfully, too tired to push her very obvious desires to continue their relationship. The vindictive part of her, the part still mad at the rejection 9 months before in the Enchanted Forest, would be happy to let Snow drown in the paperwork of the new office, but Regina was too attached to the town to let that actually happen. So she went in once a week to help advise Snow and ended up doing most of the paperwork for her in that time.

And she tried to ignore the admiring looks Snow gave her while she worked.

The bird painting went up to annoy her, she was sure. The second to piss her off. "Passive aggressive decorating is rather childish, Snow."

"It's not exactly that. I accepted the first painting from a towns person and the second came as a gift ..."

"And you don't know how to say no. Try the hallway by the bathroom. That was my dedicated spot for truly atrocious art done by school children too cute to say no."

"The Great and Terrible Evil Queen couldn't say no to school children?" Snow asked amused.

"It's a lot harder to scare them if they don't know you could kill them and their family if they become annoying." Regina grumbled.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Snow said with all the sincerity of a store bought greeting card and the shit eating grin of a total liar.

"You are a terrible liar."

"Actually, I'm a pretty good one given that we lived in the same castle together for a year and no one knew."

"Snow..." Regina warned.

"Regina, you have to have a sense of humor about it."

"No, really, I don't. For one thing I can't blame the idea that you've broken into the liquor cabinet I left in this office because your breast feeding."

"I haven't. There is a lot of liquor in there though. I didn't know you could run the town drunk."

Regina shook her head, "Asleep and blindfolded, but never drunk."

"You know some day I'm going to be more insistent."

"Someday, but not today, because you are too tired to button your shirt in the right holes, Madam Mayor," Regina said with satisfaction ad Snow noticed her misaligned blouse.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to see how long you wouldn't notice." But still Regina got up from the table where she was working on the roads budget and came over to fix Snow's buttons for her, slowly unbuttoning and rebuttoning her blouse.

"You could just take it off, you know."

"I could. But I'm not going to." She leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Have fun with your husband. I'm sure he's just as capable of satisfying you as he always is."

Regina's satisfaction at Snow's frown was enough to know that David was about as energetic for the act as Snow was given the baby.

"The loft is rather crowded these days."

"I imagine the Ice Vagrant on the coach rather kills the mood rather as much as the baby. Though I'm starting to question any queen that would sleep on that couch."

"She's attached to Emma, and besides, not all soulless royals complain about hardship."

"She's attached to Emma like a leech alright, and one doesn't need to be soulless to know that there are better beds at Granny's."

"We could try it sometime."

"Even if we were still doing that sort of thing, which I remind you we are not, the hotel run by your closest friend and some of your family's staunchest allies is not where I'd choose to go." Regina fixed the collar of Snow's shirt.

"We're not done, Regina." Snow said defiantly.

"Oh, but my dear, I am for today." She smiled and kissed her forehead. "I think you might invest in a vibrator. You look deliciously frustrated right now."

Chapter Text

"I've been sleeping with Snow for more than year."

Sometimes she wondered if Archie assumed she said things just for shock value. To see if he'd drop his pen. He'd dropped his pen more than once during their therapy sessions. And more than once he'd forgotten to fly and dropped out of the air during a few back in the Enchanted Forest.

But usually that was about the standard things she talked about. Anger, magic, murder, her mother, the King...

"Excuse me, could you..."

"I've been having an affair with Snow since... well since before Neverland. It's over."

"I see."

Regina smiled a little, "We could go back to discussing my homicidal tendencies."

"No, no if this is what you want to talk about," the cricket turned psychiatrist said.

"It's not exactly what I want to talk about, but it's what I need to talk about."

Archie sat back and tried to act like the grenade hadn't gone off in the room. "What started it?"

"What starts anything between Snow and I?"

"Obsession," he commented, "Yours or hers?"

"Thank you for not assuming it was mine. Hers to start with but that's likely a technicality." Regina played with the corner of her scarf and the back of her mind she heard her mother's voice telling her not to fidget and she smoothed it out and lay her hands in her lap.

"And who... ended it?"

"I did," she chuckled, "I thought... I wanted it too much. Wanted it to be something she'd never allow it to be. I had ... silly thoughts that she might love me."

"Before this session I would have told you she did, like a sister," Archie responded honestly, clearly resisting asking for details that weren't relevant to the therapy.

"Oh, there is nothing sisterly about what we're doing, what we were doing. At first it was a way to destroy her. To make her feel dirty and dark and small. Like I could destroy her at any moment."

"At first?"

"And then... Neverland happened. And I was fighting for Henry and I stopped it because ... she's got this effect on me, Archie. It's all anger and rage and softness and weakness. Like every negative emotion I shouldn't be feeling." He looks like he wants to comment on that list, but doesn't.

"Why did you end it? I'm assuming that you ended it."

Regina looked puzzled, "How did you guess?"

"You are in a healthier place then you have been in any time we've been talking, and Snow is..."

"Pissed at me."

"I'm not sure that's the way I'd describe it."

"True. She is too tired to be pissed. I'd say the entire town should chip in and get the Charmings a babysitter and perhaps tell Miss. Iceland that her sister had been spotted playing on the railroad tracks but I'm not sure David scratches that particular need in her."

"Regina..." He raised an eyebrow and though there wasn't judgment in his voice she knew what he meant.

"I broke it off because she was starting to treat me like her property. I ... told her it was because I didn't want to be the other woman in her relationship with David." She shrugged, "I ... Archie I'm not sure if I did this for a good reason or a bad reason and I'm ... not sure why I care so much."

"Do you care about her?"

"Yes."

"Do you love her...?"

Regina paused, "It's Snow. Snow and I have a ..."

"...Complicated relationship. I know. I think the entire Enchanted Forest knows."

She nodded, and he went on, "But you ended it."

"I told her I had no interest in being her mistress. That she had to make a choice. But I knew... I mean she cast the Dark Curse with his heart. That kind of magic doesn't lie. I could fool myself that she loved me up until that point but ... "

"I understand. It's rare that you have that kind of physical proof of being the second in someone's affections. Can I asked, before the three of you cast that curse, did you think she loved you more? You knew they'd shared True Love's Kiss. That wouldn't have slipped your mind."

"When it started it didn't matter. Destroying ... or letting Snow... destroy her True Love marriage through an affair with me was part of the appeal."

"But that changed." He observed.

"The missing year happened, and the three of us fought side by side, and well, maybe I don't hate Charming."

"Well that's a step up."

"And she... I was starting to feel like I'd lost control of the relationship."

"You said it made you feel weak." Archie knew that was a loaded term with her.

"As long as she was married and I was her mistress she was in control. She could leave me at any time and say it was for the good of her marriage. For her children. And... she'd be right."

"So you ended it. So you could be in control?"

"Is that a horrible reason?"

"To end what sounds like a self destructive affair with a married woman that you literally ripped apart a realm over? Twice if you count the second curse?"

"Being self destructive has never stopped me before."

"You've never been a paragon of good decision making but you've been making better ones lately," Archie supplied.

"I'm trying," She said quietly, "I'm just not sure this is one of them."

He inhaled, "It sounds to me like you had to end it. For good or for bad reasons. Given your history any relationship where you feel that out of balance..."

"Ends in murder," she said with a sigh.

"Isn't good for you," he smiled at her, "If you ended it for you or you ended it for her, you clearly did it with thought and reason rather than passion and anger. The rest sounds like it's up to, Snow."

"I'm worried about her."

"What do you mean?"

"I ... think I broke her heart Archie. And I have experience of heart break. It can make someone do..." she shrugged.

"You won't let her do those things. And neither will her family."

"Perhaps..." She said quietly. "But there is more darkness in Snow White then anyone has ever appreciated."

He sighed, "Regina, do you think you might be projecting a bit?"

She shook her head, "You've never seen her heart. And now she only has half of one."

Chapter Text

The Queen kissed the Princess in the library. Well, it was quite a bit more than kissing. They'd gone almost two months without doing this thing... this obsessive and destructive thing that they did. But Regina was at her wits' end trying to find some clue to the Author of their stories and so had taken the thief's quite ridiculous suggestion and was searching the public library. She skipped the Steven King books on tape, though the bookworm's organizational system meant it was like looking for a needle in a hay stack. Well it was already like looking for a needle in a hay stack. It was like looking for a needle in warehouse full of hey. Blindfolded. Because it wasn't like she really knew what she was looking for. She slams the book she was looking through shut and sticks it back on the shelf before pulling down another and seeing a face peeking through.

"You know it's ten in the evening, Regina?"

"I own a watch, and a Blackberry, Mary Margaret," Regina observed dryly. "Henry is with Emma this evening."

"The library is closing soon."

"The bookworm gave me a key. I told her I'd be a while." Regina said with some annoyance. "Not that I needed a key."

"Please tell me you didn't tell Belle that. You already make her nervous."

"You lock someone in a tower and than an asylum for three decades and you'll always make them nervous even if they think they've forgiven you." Regina said with a shrug.

Snow moved around the shelves so they were in the same row. "I'm sure Belle has forgiven you if she says she has."

Regina gave her a look, "This town is at acceptance of me, but forgiveness will never happen."

"I've forgiven you. Well, for most things." Snow ventured as she lay a hand in the small of Regina's back.

"Most things? Still mad over Daddy?" Regina said with a bit of coldness to hopefully drive Snow away again.

It had at least the desired effect of a flash of anger in her eyes, and Regina smiled. "Baiting me won't make me run away."

"Really Princess? What will make you run away? Because you will. You'll always run back to him and tell him he found you," Regina slammed the book closed and turned and faced Snow. "Why aren't you home with the baby."

"I told Charming I wanted to have a girls night out with Ruby."

"He's not going to check?"

Snow shrugged, "It took me so long to leave Neal with anyone I think he's just happy to see me want to get out of the house."

"He'd certainly not be happy to find out you aren't out playing fetch."

"It's not wolfstime."

"Alright, he'd certainly not be happy to find out you aren't out playing beer pong," Regina said testily.

Snow laughed, "Beer pong? Really that's the reference you want to make Regina."

"I've seen you and Miss. Lucas in the White Rabbit."

Snow raised an eyebrow, "The Queen visits the White Rabbit?"

"It's good to touch base with the rabble from time to time," Regina offered with a smile.

"You are in a mood tonight Regina."

"Which most people would take as a reason to leave me alone."

"I'm not most people."

Regina grunted and raised an eyebrow.

Snow said with a mischievous smile, "You know, my Queen, that I like the darkness." Her hand lingered on the buttons of Regina's blouse and she leaned in to suck on her ear.

"You shouldn't tempt a monster, Snow."

"Or what?"

"Or she'll bite," with a casual flick of her hand Snow went flying against the wall at the end of the aisle of books. "You have been poking and prodding so much lately Snow. So desperate for me to show you any sort of attention."

Another flick of her wrist and ropes appeared yanking her hands high above her head and Snow swallowed a little obviously wondering if she'd pushed a little too far.

"You want me this badly do you? You want me so badly you want Her?"

"Regina..." Snow said quietly.

"You have been begging and reasoning and making those cute eyes at me for so long but I wouldn't give you want you wanted. So you decided to come here tonight because you wanted me so badly you'd bait the Evil Queen."

"You aren't her anymore Regina," Snow said with confidence.

"True," Regina said with a proud little smile. "I'm not her anymore. Not out there in that town. But tonight? With you? I'll always be the Evil Queen to you won't I? So why not have some fun."

She grabbed Snow's jaw roughly and smiled. "You treated me like your property... like yours to have and to throw away when it was inconvenient."

Regina unbuttoned Snow's corduroy pants and dropped them around her angles. She ran two fingers along her clit with an evil little smile and she pinched. Hard enough for Snow to yelp. "But see dear the truth is raw here. You belong to me. You've been mine always. Because I know you. I know you your darkest desires. I know you better than your prince will ever know you."

Regina pushed two fingers in roughly, not even bothering to be gentle. In fact she wanted the dull ache. She wanted Snow to feel her tonight. To feel the wrath of daring to choose him over her. "I know what you need. Deep..." she pushed her fingers up to the knuckle but also found the spot she was looking for and was rewarded with a little gasp. "... deep down."

She let her fingers work, watching Snow's body move with hers. She pulled at the ropes holding her hands above her head so that she could push her body against Regina's hand more. Regina smiled more and there was an evil look in her eyes. "Or perhaps I should stop, Princess. And be the kind of woman you keep telling me you want me to be. Kind. Reformed. Contrite..."

She slowed her hand knowing that Snow was nearing a climax. She knew she should stop and leave her wanting but in that moment she couldn't. She wanted her to feel it was Regina that gave her that feeling. "After all... David is who you love the most. We're here in this world as proof."

Done with the act she waved her hand again and Snow dropped to the ground the ropes gone.

Snow gasped, "I love you the most."

"Magic doesn't lie," Regina said disgusted.

"Regina... I love David... but I'm in love with you. I don't know why the curse worked when I crushed his heart." She looked at her almost apologetically. "Except maybe it working would crush the resilient heart of the woman I loved most."

She looked into Regina's eyes as if begging her to believe this new, highly unlikely theory. And a part of Regina desperately wanted to believe it. To believe that the Dark Curse wasn't the finality of something she'd started to need so much.

"He's your True Love," Regina said numbly.

Snow looked at her with a sad smile. "Once upon a time. But we're in an entirely new land and a there is no storybook that has our future written yet. And in my story Snow White falls in love with the Evil Queen as she always should have."

"And your prince? The one you share a child and a heart with?"

"I'll find a way to break his heart," Snow said quietly.

Regina shook her head, "I wish I believed you Snow."

The Queen walked away, leaving her lover sprawled on the floor of the library wondering if she had the strength to do what she'd just promised.

Chapter Text

Emma went to find the Ice Bitch. Not that it would matter. At this point they would likely have all the time in the world to be together in the morning when the rest of the town was dead. The Charmings and Regina walked numbly out of the diner, knowing that with all their history (and all their secrets), what would come for the three of them.

"Regina... not to be insensitive but if we're facing a curse that brings out our worst selves ... you have a plan?" David looked over at her.

She just nodded. "I've... I've had once since we learned about the curse. Don't worry. I'll be locked away from everyone and everything. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore."

She glanced at Snow who caught her eye before looking over at her husband and squeezing his hand. "You go ahead. I'm going to say goodbye to Regina."

David nodded, kissing her forehead and shaking Regina's hand. "I know Emma will save us. We'll all get through this."

The two women watched as David walked towards the Sheriff's station for a long time before either of them spoke.

"I'll kill you. You know that." Regina said flatly.

"Not if I don't kill you first." Snow laughed, but there was no humor in it.

Regina chuckled, also without much real mirth before turning to her. "Whatever I do... whatever I say under this curse. I need you to know that I love you. I've ... been in love with you for a long time." She brushed a bit of Snow's hair behind her ear. "You self absorbed, infuriatingly optimistic happy hero."

Snow smiled. "And beneath all that anger and cynicism so are you Regina."

They were standing on the street and both knew that kissing wasn't an option, but Regina leaned in and touched her forehead to Snow's, "I need you to promise me that you will defend yourself if I try to hurt you."

"If I understand the way this curse works I don't think that will be an issue, Regina. Besides. You said you have a plan." Snow touched Regina's chin.

"I have a plan. Which should work in theory," Regina chuckled, "But let's remember how determined I can be to hurt you."

Snow just nodded. Regina had ripped apart an entire realm to do it before.

"You should consider not being anywhere near David tonight too," Regina suggested.

"Why..."

"Because you'll tell him. And you'll be cruel about it." Regina said quietly.

Snow swallowed, "Regina..."

"And you don't want to be cruel about it. That won't be what you want," she repeated.

Snow squeezed her hand, and Regina gave a furtive look around to make sure no one was watching before she gave her a little kiss. Not as deeply as she'd wish, and something that could be mistaken for familiar, but it was what she could do.

"Go on ..."

Snow nodded and walked away without looking back, mostly because she didn't trust herself. Regina stood in front of Granny's watching Snow walk away for a long moment before going to make sure Henry was safe and to lock herself away so that she wouldn't hurt anyone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The curse came with the night as they knew it would. The sniping among the Charmings began with the petty...

"He's a baby not a burrito!" and reached to deeper problems quickly.

"I see a fraud. A shepherd so intent to prove he's a prince, he has no idea how real royals behave."

"Better a commoner than a spoiled little girl who never got over the fact that her step mommy didn't love her."

Princess Anna of Arendelle, a lovely woman way outside of her depths tried desperately to make them remember their romance. "You're Snow White, and he's Prince Charming, and those things sound terrible but surely you can remember the things that weren't. The things that made you who you are?"

"You mean like when she convinced me that kidnapping a baby would be a good plan? From a dragon?"

Anna blinked and did a double take, "That went somewhere weird fast..."

"How was I supposed to know there was a baby in that egg."

The visiting princess blinked again, "Wait... what?!"

"Keep up Swiss Miss or butt out."

"Can anyone joint this conversation, or is it just for self righteous pretenders."

The new voice belonged to an older man. He was standing in the doorway dressed in a suit and tie, a long trench coat and with a broad sword in his hand.

"Isn't it daddy dearest," Snow said mockingly. "I do believe he wants you dead, Charming."

"I wouldn't mind killing both of you really. Leopold always was a prick you know."

Anna picked up the weapon Emma had shown her how to use if she had to defend the baby, but three minutes of firearms instruction didn't really make her look convincing as she pointed the thing at the intruder.

"Oh this is going to be good." Snow said with her arms folded.

Two shots went off, one grazing George's arm but both embedding themselves in the wall behind him while Anna jumped and nearly dropped the gun.

"Well at least she didn't leave the safety on," David mumbled but Kristoff was too busy screaming what had to be curses but they all seem to involve sexual acts with reindeer.

"Damn son, those sound like you have way to much familiarity with the subject," David said from behind him, "Are the winters that cold in Arendele?"

"Shut up sheep boy."

"They were GOATS!"

"He's very particular about his goats." A new voice came from behind George. Regina, dressed in a jewel encrusted corset and coat with leather pants.

"Just what we needed to make this even better. The drag queen," Charming folded his arms.

George turned around, "You are not ruining my revenge you crazy..."

With a casual flick of her hand George went flying hitting a wall hard, slumping to the floor knocked out and his sword clattered across the floor.

"Oh thank you, Your Majesty..." Anna said with a sigh of relief, putting the thing that went boom down on a tall cabinet before she hurt herself or someone else with it.

"You don't even know this woman, why are you calling her 'Your Majesty', or do you just assume all women who you are attracted to have that title..."

Anna looked confused and completely missed the implication. "A woman who walks into the room dressed like that with that baring has to be a queen," she looked around the room, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"That explains a lot," David said from the jail cell.

Kristoff gestured with his hand, "I know doesn't it. I don't know why I couldn't see it. She kept putting off the wedding..."

"Would you all just shut up?!" The Evil Queen said exasperated. "I don't know who you are but go back to where you came from. I have murders I've been waiting a very long time to enjoy." With a wave of purple smoke Kristoff and Anna disappeared to god knows where, because Regina certainly didn't care. She smiled, "Now I can take my time in killing the two idiots who started all this."

"Hey, I wasn't the one that told Cora about your secret boyfriend."

"Are you selling me out?" Snow asked offended.

"Shut up! You both deserve to die. Not just for what you did, but for being in the damned way."

The lock on Mary Margaret's cell door opened.

"Gonna use your magic Regina, like a coward?"

"I don't need magic to destroy you."

Another flick of her hand and swords appeared. Regina smiled at her lover/adversary and licked the blade of hers.

"Oh that's just not right," David commented from his cell.

"Shut up," both women said in unison.

The blades clashed and David watched on with a smile before both women started laughing and put the swords down.

"Should we tell him?"

"I think seeing is a believing," Snow said.

"It's not like you've had the nerve to tell him for the last year."

The kiss that followed was deeply passionate and undeniably sexual. David's jaw dropped open and Regina glanced over. "Think he's smart enough to catch on now?"

"Maybe a bit more proof is required," Snow smiled as she rested her hands on Regina's ass in the tight leather pants. "After all who would think Snow White would fall in love with the Evil Queen."

"Wait, you are supposed to hate each other!" David yelled from the cell.

"Oh we do, Sheep Boy" Regina said with a smile. "But hate is an excellent foundation for sex. And oh Charming, have we had a lot of it."

"Goats. He herded goats. He's very particular."

Regina looked him up and down. "I could see the attraction."

David though wasn't paying attention to Regina. His eyes were fixed on Snow. "I should have known you were a slut."

"I can't believe I had a child with you," Snow said derisively.

"Maybe I didn't. For all I know it could be Whale's. Or a demon child by the bitch queen over there."

Snow slipped from Regina's arms and slowly approached David's cell.

"Nothing to say for yourself Regina?" David spat out.

"No, I'm just going to enjoy the show." Regina folded her arms and leaned against a desk, looking totally incongruous the way she was dressed.

Snow rather slowly picked up George's fallen sword.

"I wouldn't lick it if I were you, it's George so he's probably poisoned the blade," Regina said with indifference.

"So all it would take is a scratch," Snow grinned and took the great sword and shoved it through the bars at where David was standing. He jumped out of the way, barely missing the blade.

"You crazy disloyal bitch," he cursed as she tried to stab him again.

"You are in a box, Charming, you can't avoid it forever. But watching you try has it's amusement value."

She shoved the blade through the bars again and just before she was about to slash charming the sword disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

The snow was falling outside and the three of them stopped and looked at each other.

The curse was over. They had survived and Regina had poofed the sword away just in the nick of time.

It might have even been funny... if their lives had not been shattered.

The three of them looked at each other in awkward silence.

Chapter Text

The three of them didn't speak as they walked out into the street, though Snow sought out Regina's hand to squeeze despite the dark look David gave the two of them. Talking would have to happen eventually, but there was an unspoken agreement that they needed to know that their children were alive first. Especially after the visit to Regina's office had revealed an open door and no Henry.

"Plan to keep him in work as well as your plan to lock yourself away, Regina?" David asked with a bit of bitterness in his voice.

"Charming."

"I'm really not feeling very Charming, Mary Margaret."

Regina didn't answer either to the jab or to the bickering. "We've got to find Henry."

"We'll find him Regina," Snow assured her.

The three of them knew the fight would come as they walked numbly together, but it almost felt if they avoided talking about it they could pretend it didn't happen. The things that were said could be unsaid. Emma found them first, running to hug her father. Henry not long after to hug both his moms. A quick head count revealed all seven dwarfs and a couple of viking royals, though one of them was suddenly alarmed. "We should probably get Kristoff before the tide comes in."

"You aren't worried about the reindeer and the things he said about your sister?" David asked awkwardly.

Elsa raised an eyebrow, "What about me, and reindeer?"

"Not you and reindeer. You and me, and him and reindeer."

"Well that clears that up," Elsa said still clearly confused.

No one but Regina appeared noticed that the Prince and the Princess weren't doing their traditional nauseating victory kiss in public.

"I'll go rescue Kristoff," Emma, looking between her parents, "Unless there is something wrong here."

"NO!" Regina and the Charmings all said at once.

"Now that was certainly convincing," Emma said, but the ice queen and her sister were dragging her away before she could ask too many questions.

Henry had noticed the tension as well by now. "Something happened didn't it?"

They all considered lying, but Regina was beyond lying to her son at least, "We said some things during the curse to each other and I think your grandparents need to talk privately. Why don't we go home and let them sort it out?"

He nodded, accepting the explanation as essentially true, and Regina looked back at the two of them, "Snow give me a call later."

Mary Margaret nodded but that only seemed to put a bit of fire into David's eyes.

Once they'd made it through the celebrating crowd and back to the loft Snow tried to concentrate on dealing with the baby. He needed feeding and changing and Arendelle princesses really didn't understand how huggies worked well. David immediately went to the closet where he kept his sword.

"What are you doing, David?"

"I'm going to go over to that witch's house and make her tell me the truth."

"David..."

"She put you under a spell. You wouldn't have ..." David shook his head, "You kissed her."

Mary Margaret shifted a bit, "I've done a lot more than kiss her."

"How long?" David growled.

"Since ... well I guess it really started after Cora's death."

"WHAT?!" David's voice rang out and Neal started crying, he grabbed is sword from the closet and started to buckle the belt around his waist.

"David, put that back she'll kill you."

"Not in front of Henry she won't," David said with surety.

Mary Margaret shook her head, "Don't make her defend herself in front of her son. Our grandson."

"Ours now? You've been fucking your stepmother for almost two years and you want to talk about our anything? Were you doing this back in the Enchanted Forest? Either time?"

Mary Margaret shifted uncertainly.

"When you were a teenager?"

"No!" She shook her head, "David it's never been like that. She's never been like that to me."

"She didn't force you? The evil sorceress who hunted you down that you have apparently disregarded your entire marriage vows for?"

"David can you calm down please?"

He folded his arms and she sighed.

"She's broken it off a number of times. I've... I won't... can't let her go."

"Well, what's loyalty if not to your evil mistress."

"She's not evil. Well not anymore."

"I beg to differ."

Snow shook her head, "Please don't ... David I did this. This was me."

He shook his head, "It's always her when it comes to you. She can always make you do what she wants..." He looked like he was about to say something ugly but thought better of it at least.

"What are we going to do now?"

"Now that your little affair across realms has been uncovered?"

"Just the three of us know..."

He blinked, "You want to pretend I don't know?"

Snow put Neal down and fidgeted with her hands. "She could make you forget..."

"Oh hell no..." David said angrily, "I might have had my wife stolen from my own bed by that woman but I won't be complicit in making this easier on you."

"It's not easy, David. It's never been easy."

"Why don't we make it easy my way. You stop ... whatever it is you are doing with Regina."

Snow was quiet for a very long time. "She ... she stopped it months ago David. She didn't want to be my mistress anymore."

"Well maybe the Evil Queen's moral compass isn't completely broken."

"Don't call her that," Snow said calmly.

"You are really going to defend her?"

"Yes."

"Why?" David demanded.

"Because I love her."

David just stared at her shaking his head before grabbing the keys to his truck and storming out of the loft leaving her alone with the baby.

Chapter Text

It was well past midnight when Regina found him, sitting on a bench on the docks looking out at the ocean. His sword was leaning against the bench beside him. Without a word Regina sat down beside him and waited for him to speak.

"Snow sent you?"

"She called to warn me that you had left with your sword. When you didn't show up at my house to fight me I grew concerned." Regina said nonchalantly.

He laughed without any humor in it, "I can feel your concern Regina."

"Whatever you think I have a lot of respect for you. We ruled a kingdom together."

"While you were sleeping with my wife," he observed.

Regina nodded, "True."

He just shook his head. "I knew you two were obsessed with each other but I never imagined... I want to think you put her under some sort of spell but I know better. I know her." He looked out at the ocean. "When she cast the Dark Curse, and crushed my heart, I was the person she loved most in the world. When did that change?"

Regina laughed bitterly. "I'm not sure it did. She's never chosen me over you. It's always been me as well as you. I suppose some might say that we should work out some sort of arrangement... but ... I don't share particularly well."

He laughed and gave his rival an actual smile. "You? Jealous and possessive? Never."

Regina shrugged.

"Do you love her?" He asked, at once sure what the answer would be.

"I love her. And I hate her. And I hate myself for loving her. It's complicated. At the moment I'd say I'm pretty angry with her, but not for reasons you would find justified."

"That she told?"

Regina shook her head, "No, we both told, it was the curse. No... actually because she wouldn't tell you. She ... I asked her to leave you and she chose you over me."

He laughed, "So I'm mad at her for choosing you over me... and your..."

"... mad at her for choosing you over me."

He smiled at Regina, "Well, am I a bad person for finding some pleasure in the fact that both of us are mad at her?"

"Perhaps but you are asking the wrong person because I've been mad at her for ... well mad at her over this for a while," she quietly amended.

The two sat and watched the ocean for a longer time. "She showed me the world you know? King George took me off my farm... but she showed me a bigger world." He nodded to the ocean. "Before I met Snow I'd never been more than a half days ride from my farm. Even with George and Abigail. I remember seeing the ocean for the first time and ..." he should his head, "I thought it would be hot because it looked like it was boiling. And she took my hand and walked up to the edge of it with me and we let the water wash over our feet."

Regina sat and listened without interrupting. "When I was a child, before my father's family lost the kingdom, we lived in a castle on the sea. I used to think... I once wished on a blue star if maybe I could be a mermaid. I didn't know anything about them, but they were free and the idea that I could just swim away from everything and live in peace. That was appealing to a six year old."

David smiled, "I never imagined you as a child."

"I was one once." Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't the fairies come?" He asked quietly, deciding that the shift in conversation was better than talking about their mutual heartbreak.

"I don't know." She said quietly. "I never knew why they didn't come. I... I kept asking. After my mother broke my arm. The one time my mother locked me in her heart vault because I tried to give a man back his heart. I was nine and I didn't understand." As she looked out at the ocean she became a bit lost in the past. "The last time I asked a fairy for anything was two days before my wedding to the King."

"To Snow's father."

"Yes..." she agreed hesitantly. "I don't know if I was just never a good enough child, or if the darkness that ... if they could see the darkness on my heart before I did."

He looked over at her. "I thought we were friends. Or maybe ... that we understood each other."

She glanced over at him. "I ... I couldn't make you a friend in my head David. I needed her too badly not to see you as a rival."

He smiled. "You are at least honest. And... if I were in your position I'd have seen you as a rival to."

She reached over and squeezed his hand and they both looked out at the ocean for longer.

"What do we tell everyone?" He finally asked.

"Are you leaving her?"

He hesitated. "I should. This was a big betrayal." He glanced over at her. "Snow says that you broke it off."

"The night Neal was born. Though... it had been rocky back in the Enchanted Forest."

"So if I ... if she.. .if one of us leaves the loft she's not just going to take my son and move into the mansion?"

"Would you stay if I said no?" Regina asked curiously.

"Probably not."

"I think Snow is going to have to figure out how to sleep in an empty bed again for a bit." Regina tilted her head, "I don't want to be your enemy David. Can we ... just skip the blaming each other phase?"

"Technically I think I'm the only one with the justification to blame you for breaking up my marriage."

"True, but rationally assigning blame has never been my strong suit."

He chuckled, and she smiled. And she offered her hand to him.

"Whatever happens."

"We fought a wicked witch together Regina. I think we can do this without killing each other."

"Oh there would be no killing each other David. But you can think that if you want."

Chapter Text

Snow had submitted her resignation as the town's mayor the day after David had moved out of the loft, taking Neal with him. A brief discussion between the remaining royals in the town boiled down to the fact that no one knew how to run the town better than Regina and those who thought they might were mostly to scared of her to challenge David when he nominated Regina to fill the office.

Everyone in town knew something had happened to the Prince and the Princess during the shattered sight curse, and that the Queen was privy to the details, but none of the three of them were volunteering information about the sudden and rather dramatic collapse in Storybrooke's most perfect marriage.

And while everyone wanted details there were only a few people with the power to compel those details from the royals. Emma dropped the Kale salad on Regina's desk, set a bottle of fancy sparkling water next to it and pulled up a chair to the desk with her own much less healthy lunch from Granny's.

"You found someplace else to get takeout and you still ended up with grilled cheese?" Regina said with surprise. There were still some boxes to unpack but she'd settled back into the office mostly as if she'd never left. Emma glanced at a burnt out picture frame...

"Just because you don't like grilled cheese doesn't mean I can't eat it. I see my father isn't the only one angry at Mary Margaret."

"That wasn't anger at your mother, that was my being offended at the very existence of that painting."

"Why my mother chose to put a personal stamp on the office..." Emma pointed out.

Regina shrugged, "She choose it because she knew it would annoy me and cheer me up when I eventually destroyed it. That's the kind of relationship your mother and I have."

Emma nodded with a raised eyebrow. "Have you talked to her since..."

"Since the curse? No. I understand she's reliving her bandit days in the forest shooting arrows and befriending Marry Men." Regina tried to sound disinterested.

"Regina..." Emma said carefully.

Regina said nothing but raised an eyebrow.

"Something happened between her and my father." Emma began.

"I think the entire town could figure that out when he moved into Kathryn and Jim's spare room.

"You were there. You went to them after I let you out." Regina gave her a dark look, and Emma at least had the good sense to look ashamed. "I know... I ... shouldn't have done it that way. I was just ... I just had tunnel vision and didn't think about what you would do..."

"That me at my worst is something I knew well and that I'd locked myself away to stop the Evil Queen from destroying everything I loved."

"You came away well enough."

"Your parents marriage ..."

"So it does have something to do with you."

"Emma, it has everything to do with me and I still have no intention of telling you. David and I have agreed that this is your mother's secret to tell. Not mine and not his."

Emma sighed, "Regina, how bad is it. Can they patch things up? I mean they share a heart..."

"I don't know." Regina said quietly, trying not to let on that she rather hoped they didn't. And felt guilty about that selfish desire. "Your mother has always been a deeply selfish woman and she has to decide if she wants to save her marriage or not."

"Why wouldn't she want to save her marriage," Emma asked confused.

Regina just smiled. "No reason. Of course she'll want to save her marriage."

The conversation passed on to other subjects after Emma realized she wasn't going to get any details from Regina but the mayor wondered how long it would take for the real story to leak, and for the entire town to know that she'd destroyed Snow White's marriage.

And if Emma or Henry would forgive her for that.

That evening Regina had made herself some fish and put on a little slow jazz to relax. It was Emma's night with Henry and the house was too quiet now without him there. Having him back had made the place alive again and even though he would be back the next day she never wanted to feel as alone as she had in the big house again. There was a storm raging and for some reason the sound of the rain and the music made her dance around her kitchen in her stocking feet enjoying letting her mind drift to other places and times.

Places where she was almost happy.

The door bell rang and she shut off the stereo and schooled her expression. No one came to her door without warning except for mobs or individual victims wanting justice. Even if she'd gotten to a place where she could say her regrets she didn't need the musical accompaniment.

But it wasn't one of her victims, or it was her biggest victim, who was standing on the porch. Snow White, soaked to the bone and having clearly been walking around in the weather faced her when she opened the door.

"Are you still talking to me?"

Regina raised an eyebrow and shook her head, "Mary Margaret get in here before you catch your death." It was after all December in Maine and the rain would turn to snow soon and the entire town would be blanketed with the stuff.

She guided Snow in, taking her jacket and seeing that she was actually shivering. "Your hair is wet... go upstairs and take a shower. Henry's with Emma tonight you can borrow some clothing from me."

"I don't want to inconvenience you..."

"How long have you been walking around in the rain?"

"Since school finished..." Hours ago.

Regina pointed upstairs. "Shower, now, there are towels in the bathroom and I'll lay out some clothes on the bed for you. After that you are going to come down and eat dinner because I'm sure you haven't managed that either."

Snow smiled. The kind of angry care giving reminded her of home, a very long time ago. But she at least knew enough not to argue with Regina when she had that tone of voice. It was twenty minutes later when she came down wearing a blouse and slacks, her hair damp now but no longer with ice crystals.

"Is there a reason you are trying to kill yourself in a Norester?"

"Would you care?" Snow sat down and Regina set a plate with salmon and mixed vegetables and a glass of wine down in front of her. "Okay, unfair question."

"Thank you for figuring that out before I had to give you a dirty look." Regina sat down opposite her.

"You are pretty mad at me."

"I've been pretty mad at you since half way through the time back in the Enchanted Forest." Regina observed. "In fact I think I've been mad at you more than I haven't in our lives."

"David won't talk to me."

"That's his right." Regina said.

"I thought you wanted me to tell him."

"I did. And I wanted him to be crushed and I wanted you to tell me you needed me, but I long ago learned that wanting things from you was a way to get my heart broken. So I just expect you to be a selfish little princesses and it's really better for ..."

"Your heart. And David's." Snow poked at her food. "It's too late to fix any of this, isn't it?"

"If by fix you mean make it so that no one is hurt? No." There was a gentleness that crept into her voice. "But there is a certain charm that you so want that for both of us."

"David said you spoke," Snow ventured quietly.

Regina poured herself a glass of wine. "We decided that he wouldn't try and fight me for your honor and I wouldn't kill him in self defense."

Snow chuckled, "I'm pretty sure that's not how he saw it."

"Yes, well, men have fragile egos and there was no reason for me to take that from him as well as his wife."

Snow tilted her head, "Did you take me from him?"

"It was rather my intent when we started this. Or have you forgotten?"

"I believe I started it... over there." She nodded to the living room.

Regina just shook her head, knowing that for every advance Snow had made she had been a step ahead of her. "It doesn't change the fact that you are mine."

Snow raised an eyebrow at the possessive.

"It was a mistake letting you dither around about choosing me or him. I was never going to be satisfied if I didn't win." The Queen looked at her on again off again lover with all the intensity and passion of their early relationship, but also with the confidence of knowing that she would get her way this time. "You are clearly incapable of making these decisions for yourself. No matter what you tell David, or the rest of this town full of fools you know in your heart of hearts that you are and have always been mine."

"There is the jealousy I've been missing in you Regina."

Regina shrugged, "I told you I didn't share well. That's why I wanted you to tell him in the first place. Because I knew David's ego couldn't stand the idea that I was giving his wife something he couldn't give her."

Snow frowned, "Regina, this ... isn't how you've been lately."

Regina put her wine glass down. "It doesn't fit with the reforming, well behaved toothless monster?"

Snow wanted to say something but didn't.

"Never forget Snow, no matter what I am to anyone else I am still the Queen and still the monster that stalks your nightmares."

Regina moved around the kitchen island and Snow watched her without moving. Regina touched her chin. "You wanted to choose him because he was a hero and pretty and together you were perfect. But you aren't perfect. You and I know that. You are petty and jealous and full of needs that he could never fill."

Regina's harsh words cut through all the dancing they'd done around each other since they'd returned to Storybrooke. "When you shut your eyes at night it wasn't him you missed or longed for. It wasn't his touch."

Regina squeezed her jaw and Snow nodded.

"You are such a predictable little princess. You've been wandering out in the rain trying to justify asking for what you really want when you think you should want to reconcile with that idiot husband of yours."

"Why are you talking like this Regina?"

"Because apparently it's the only way you'll listen. So tell me Princess, what do you want?"

"I ..."

Regina forced her to look at the Queen in the eyes.

"I want to be with you."

And for the first time in a while Regina grinned.

She'd won.

Chapter Text

Snow woke up in Regina's bed alone, the sound of the shower running in the adjacent master bath. She stretched and saw snow falling outside and slid from the comfort of the bed looking around at the warm and comfortable bedroom, almost the exact opposite of the warmth of Regina's rooms in the Dark Castle where she'd last woken up in the Queen's bed. She was wearing some borrowed pajama top of Regina's and regretted the lack of bottoms with how cold it was when she finally left the bed.

Regina was washing her hair, Snow could see through the translucent shower curtain.

"I should get back home, Emma will be worried."

"There is two feet of snow on the ground outside and more to come. You aren't going anywhere." Regina answered without stopping what she was doing. "You texted your daughter last night and told her you were staying in my guest room."

"I did?"

"Well, your phone did."

Snow shook her head with a chuckle and unbuttoned her pajama top setting it to the side and slipping into the shower with Regina, unable to stop herself from inhaling at the slight of her lover's lean body wet with soap cascading down her nearly perfect from. She began to message the shampoo into Regina's scalp and the Queen's hands fell away. They were both used to being bathed by others and there was a casualness to it.

"You know given who you are and who I am I should be a little disturbed that you can just pretend to be me that way."

"You slept in my bed last night and what you are worrying about is that I pretended to be you in a text to your daughter." Regina chuckled, "I know you find your illicit affair with me exhilarating but perhaps it is time to move past the idea that I might kill you after a night of love making?"

Chastened Snow looked down, and Regina turned around, touching her chin to tilt her head up.

"I'm still mad at you."

"Have I destroyed this with you too?" Just as she had with David? "I can't... I can't be without you."

Regina tilted her head and gave a small smile, but all Snow could look at was the deep scar on her lip that she'd never managed to get up the courage to ask about. Knowing what she knew now it couldn't be a happy story. Regina had no happy stories of her childhood.

"You cast the Dark Curse with his heart. Or are we still forgetting that?"

Snow looked down. Regina said nothing at first but reached for some shampoo and began to gently message it into Snow's short cropped hair. "I long ago accepted that I would love you more than you would ever love me."

"I thought that was my line," Snow said quietly.

Regina chuckled softly, "Perhaps once. But you see Snow, someone once told me that I feel things deeply. Hate and love."

Snow smiled, "With your whole soul."

"And that sometimes means I have to accept that some of the people who love me will never love me as much as I love them." She smiled and looked into Snow's eyes and something in that look hurt like an arrow or a knife.

"No."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"No. You shouldn't accept it. And it's not true. I do love you."

"But not enough to leave him."

"David left me." Snow said quietly.

"Which would be my point dear." She kissed Snow gently on the lips, whistfully, before she stepped out of the shower and left Snow to finish her own. She stayed in the bathroom drying off while Snow stood under the showerhead letting the warm water cascade down her.

It was minutes before she could speak again.

"I couldn't leave him because if I did... if I left David I'd have to admit that I wasn't who I said I was."

Regina laughed, "I could have told you that. Your little hero persona was unsustainable."

"Says the woman throwing white magic around, giving true love's kiss to her son and still putting up walls to the world to tell everyone to keep back, stay away, Regina Mills is a dangerous bad woman."

Regina grunted, "Fear is an effective tool."

"It's not who you are." Snow said as she finished washing herself and turned off the water.

"Just as you are not the happy hero full of hope? Careful the commission will come looking for their quarters."

"Regina," Snow said with less of a warning so much as resignation.

"You keep making this about me. I'm not the one whose marriage has fallen apart," she said as she offered her a towel.

Snow sighed and buried her face in the towel.

"When do you think he'll tell everyone why?"

"He won't."

"You sound sure."

"That comes from being sure," Regina said as she slipped into her robe. "David and I decided that we weren't going to take that particular burden from you. You are going to have to explain to your friends and family what happened. He and I are not going to fight each other for your attention and the collapse of your marriage will not be his fault or mine. Perhaps you should have told him when I asked you to months ago. Then I might have played my role and taken the blame."

"But ... you said ... you said I was yours."

Regina smiled gently and touched her chin again before kissing her in a not at all gentle way. "You are. And this is the price for not having given into that months ago Princess. This time... you get to be the villain."

Regina gave her a sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Come downstairs when you are finished and I'll make you breakfast, dear."

Chapter Text

David and Regina were getting along well enough that no one in town had put together the pieces for why the Charming's marriage had collapsed so dramatically. The only one who had seen the divorce papers was Kathryn, with its little check box listing adultery, and if anyone could be counted on to keep a secret it was her. Snow didn't move into the mansion, though she went over a few times when Henry was staying with Emma. Still sneaking even when she could be open.

Except that being open meant priming the pump on the town gossip mill.

So she left the mansion by the back door and pushed her way through a hedge before slipping over to the next street that would lead her to Granny's and the coffee she'd forgone in Regina's kitchen. When she opened the door to Granny's the bell rung and she tried not to jump because she forgot she wasn't sneaking anymore. She waved awkwardly and found a table.

Granny and Ruby exchanged a look before the younger woman came over set a cinnamon bun down in front of her and a cup of coffee before sitting down herself. Snow gave a little smile, but was met with a long stare.

"Do I rip her limb from limb?"

"Excuse me?" Snow asked confused.

"Regina. Her sent has been on you ... the question is... if she's touched you without your consent I'll kill her for you. She'll be stringy but I'll take the hit."

"Ruby!" Snow said shocked before looking around to see if anyone noticed.

"Oh they're all trying to listen without looking like they are listening. That's why Granny's making an extraordinary effort to clink glasses and clatter plates.

Snow sighed and looked down. "They're not going to stop wondering."

"You are Snow White and Prince Charming of course they're not going to stop wondering," Ruby said with a sincere but sad little smile.

Snow sighed and stood up, a little bit of Mary Margaret overtaking her for a moment as she fidgeted with her hand, "I'd like to announce that what happened to my marriage was that I fell in love with someone else. David didn't do anything wrong and I'd really appreciate it if people didn't look for anyone to blame for that less than fairy tale ending except for me."

There was silence in the diner for about thirty seconds as those who wanted to know processed it and those that didn't tried to figure out why this particular piece of information was interrupting their breakfast's, before the awkward silence was broken by awkward clapping.

At the corner of counter were sitting the town's latest residents, Cruella di Vil and Ursula, one with a raised eyebrow and the other a giddy expression on her face. They were still waiting for their drinks which Granny was slow to give. And likely now even slower.

"This is better than the Real House Wives of Wall Street. I was almost on that show..." Cruella smiled. "Who are you fucking dear..."

Snow gave the pair of villains a horrified look before she felt a hand on her arm and Ruby was pulling her back into the booth. Snow was grateful but her friend leaned in closer, "Regina!?" She whispered, "You left David for the woman who spent a decade tormenting you?"

"Not exactly," Snow said as she shifted uncomfortably, picking at a piece of the cinnamon roll.

"What exactly?"

"I ... didn't leave for her. He left me when he found out I was sleeping with her."

Ruby tilted her head, "This is where I ask again if I should rip her limp from limp, there is a full moon soon..."

Snow shook her head, "No she didn't do anything wrong Red."

The werewolf raised an eyebrow

"Nothing I didn't want... didn't need from her."

"Oh honey..." her friend sighed and reached over to touch Snow's hand. The bell rang again and Ruby looked up. "Speak of the devil."

Regina was standing there with Henry, Snow remembered something about plans for them to spend the day together working on Operation Mongoose, "Regina! We could use a heart rip over here. Granny needs a little encouragement in taking our order."

"Yes, a very effective tactic. Didn't you once rip out the heart of every villager in the north woods? Or was it the south?"

The way Regina shifted in place before turning to Henry made Snow want to jump up and protect her, but Regina wouldn't want that, "I don't suppose I can take that offer to rip someone apart..."

"I've certainly been debating that one all morning," Ruby said with a low growl. "I'd say Ursula was handsy but I could see both of her hands and I don't want to know what the other options were."

Henry left after an exchange with the Queen and she walked over to the pair, "Let me be clear, ladies. If you bring up my former sins around my son again, you'll find yourselves across that town line faster than you can say 'costume jewelry.'"

"These are blood diamonds, I'll have you know," Cruella responded indignantly

"Is she for real," Ruby whispered to Snow.

"Unfortunately both very real and very dangerous," Snow said as she watched the exchange.

"Come on, let's take our business elsewhere," after the two left Granny picked up the phone, presumably to call the only other place in town that served booze at 9am on a Saturday to warn them who was coming.

Snow slipped out of the booth, leaving her friend to watch her go over to Regina, "What's the plan?"

"Plan?" Regina asked confused, but Snow nodded to the door. "Those two might be tactless morons, but... they couldn't magic their way out of a paper bag. I wouldn't worry. And they're here to seek redemption."

Snow looked at her with disbelief, "You don't actually believe that? If I didn't think it was a distinct possibility, I wouldn't have let them in town in the first place."

"Regina, they're not like you."

The Queen gave her a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, "No, I was much worse. Now finish your gossip, your flea bitten friend looks like she's about to jump out of her skin, and I have a date with a very important young man."

Snow watched her leave before sitting back down at the table.

"Well that was eventful."

Snow shook her head, "I have a bad feeling about those two."

"Says the woman apparently sleeping with the Evil Queen."

"Can we drop the 'e' word please."

"Now I know you are spending too much time with her," Ruby said with a shake of the head, "Just be careful. That tiger might have changed her stripes but she still has teeth."

"With Cruella and Ursula in town," Snow said with a grim look, "It's her teeth I'm counting on."

Chapter Text

It was supposed to just be a breakfast meeting. Except the food was untouched on Regina's desk and Snow was leaning against the conference table in the mayor's office her skirt hiked up and her blouse unbuttoned past her breasts, "Why do we never do this like normal people?" She asked as Regina was leaning in her hands on either side of the younger woman and she was sucking and nipping at the top of her breasts.

"Maybe because we've never been other people, Princess." Regina looked up at Snow with the intensity in her eyes that sometimes frightened her. "And now that you've signed the papers I don't have to pretend to be guilty about what I do with you. You always knew that you were more mine than his."

A knot developed in the pit of Snow's stomach, and she nodded, guilt, love, longing and no small amount of fear from years of running from the woman she was now intimately connected to sending a rush of conflicting emotions through her body.

Regina noticed the shiver and smiled, moving a hand down to catch her already hiked up skirt, "Did you think that this was going to become some quiet little courtship now? Did you assume that I'd become like him, Princess?"

"No... I've never been under that particular illusion, Regina."

The Queen smiled and her hand moved along Snow's inner thigh. "You are already wet."

"You knew I would be..."

Regina leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You don't want me to be like him, do you Princess?" Two fingers found her clit and stroked it teasingly.

Snow's breathing increased, "No..."

Regina kept at the slow stroking. "You are mine now, Snow. You always have been but now..." The grin on Regina's face widened. "Now I don't have to think about what he'll see on your body."

There were already hickies on her breasts, but Snow knew she didn't mean that.

"And what's more I can finally give you what you really need," the two fingers slipped into her without ceremony or gentleness, her palm flat against her as she hooked them. "And what I really need."

She kissed her on the lips, "I'd do anything for you, Regina."

"Not quite anything, I know you too well Snow, but luckily for us in this our needs align." Regina pumped her fingers a bit, flexing them and making Snow feel her inside her.

"I..." Snow stopped speaking. Their relationship had become something else and they hadn't had this in a very long time. And she needed this. She needed her possessive and controlling lover even if she frightened her. Because she frightened her.

And Regina seemed to know that too, because her smile grew wider. "You have to say it dear or I'll just be the villain again."

"You were never a villain to me."

"You are a terrible liar, Snow. Now..." with her free hand Regina stroked her cheek. "What do you need, dear?"

"I... need you to fuck me the way you used to when you hated me."

Regina smiled, "And how was that dear? After all I've always hated you a little."

"Not always..."

Regina just smiled, and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You have to be more specific Snow." Because part of Regina always needed to make Snow feel small and part of Snow needed the fire she saw in Regina's eyes today.

"I need ... I deserve to be punished my Queen," she looked down and away from her lover's face, "You are the only one who knows me... who knows my heart."

Regina laughed, "My little dark hearted princess..." But the last line was emphasized as she pushed her fingers in deeper and twisted and then there was a sharp momentary pain and Snow's eyes went wide.

"Ahhh what was that?"

Regina smiled. "Just a little magic dear." A short, harmless, but quite painful electric spark between the two fingers inside her. "You didn't think that asking to be punished would just mean a hard fuck did you?"

When Regina started using course language during sex it was always a sign...

"I want to hear you, Princess."

Snow looked around the office in panic. "It's morning there are people..."

"You really think that I don't have wards on my office? The only time anyone has been able to hear what was going on in this room was when I let your daughter bug it during the curse." Regina leaned in, "Now be a good little dear and scream for me."

Regina was pumping her fingers now, with descent speed but now there was another jolt that sent not only pleasure but pain, and Snow's entire body shivered. The first scream was incoherent. The second was Regina's name.

But for all the theatre Snow trusted Regina not to actually hurt her. They needed this sometimes. Both of them. The orgasm came and it was the most powerful one she'd had in months. Since the year in the Enchanted Forest at least. When it was done Regina leaned in and whispered in her ear, "That's my princess. Now clean yourself up. I do have a town to run."

The sex was over. It often ended suddenly enough for Snow to sometimes wonder if it happened at all. Except the state of her clothing and her body said that it did. Regina cleaned off her hand magically and gave Snow the time to make herself look presentable.

"Can I come over tonight?"

"Only if you want to tell Henry you are in a relationship with me."

That was one of her rules. Nothing about this relationship could happen in the house with Henry there unless Snow was willing to say, and while Snow had told people that she had fallen in love with someone else, no one seemed to have reached this conclusion. Well except Red and Granny but they had the help of a wolf's sense of smell and were keeping their mouths shut for now.

"Regina... I'll tell them when I'm ready."

"Sure you will." Regina said without looking up from the paperwork she was already doing.

Snow wanted to say something to that but knew anything she said would just make it worse, and instead left quietly, passing Emma on the way out of town hall.

It always took Regina a bit of time to decompress after one of those encounters with Snow before she could remember how to act like a normal person, but this town rarely gave her that time.

"Meeting with my mom?" Emma asked as she came in without knocking or asking if Regina was busy, and the mayor thanked whatever gods she didn't actually believe in that she always locked the door when Snow was there.

"Yes, a discussion of her return to the mis-education of the town's children."

Emma nodded, expecting the usual jab at Mary Margaret, "Do you happen to know what she and my dad might be up to? They've been talking again, always hushed tones and stop when I come in."

"Well they are a couple divorcing..." Regina said carefully, trying to feign indifference.

"I ... don't think it's about that. At least I don't think they're getting back together."

"The ups and downs of your parents marriage are only marginally interesting to me, Emma." Regina looked up.

"It's not just that. My super power has been going crazy..." Emma took a long look at Regina, and the mayor knew she knew she was lying too.

"Emma, just because you can ... sometimes... tell when people are lying doesn't mean you actually are entitled to the truth."

"You know what happened," Emma said quietly.

"I do." Regina said with a sigh. "I happened."

Chapter Text

"Regina, where is my mom?" Emma asked a bit frantic, "Is she with you?"

Regina glanced around the diner, "I may ... be involved with your mother but I am not her keeper."

She had told Emma the other day, mostly because she wasn't sure when Snow would be up to admitting that she had committed adultery with the Evil Queen, but Emma deserved to know even if the rest of the rabble could be left to wonder.

"I don't mean that. Her and my dad went hiking this morning and I haven't been able to reach them. And Cruella and Ursula are missing too... and something... something bad is going on Regina I can feel it."

Regina's first instinct was to brush it off, but she looked up into Emma's eyes and the panic she saw there made her nod. "Come on, we'll use a locator spell and find them."

Emma pulled a coat of Mary Margaret's out of her bug and Regina showed her how to perform the locator spell herself. The two women were soon chasing after the dancing blue jacket until it led them to the library.

"Belle... are my parents here?"

"They went down to the mines a couple of hours ago... something about a new vain of fairy dust..."

Belle pointed vaguely to the elevator and Regina hurried over to summon it.

"I didn't think there was any fairy dust in that part of the mines," Emma said in confusion as she followed her.

"There isn't. All that's down there are Maleficent's ashes."

"Well... she's dead..."

"She's mostly dead," Regina said as they got in the elevator.

"Isn't that an either or thing?" Emma asked with a surprised look.

Regina raised an eyebrow, "You know at some point you are going to have to stop being surprised by these things."

"Nope. Not going to do it." Emma folded her arms.

When they reached the mineshafts the sound of voices made both women break out in a run.

"It's good to be back..." The voice stopped Regina cold and she grabbed Emma's arm to hold her back.

"Whatever it is you think we did, you don't know the whole story."

"I know enough," the low throaty voice said just loud enough for Emma and Regina to hear.

"You wanna hurt someone? Well, hurt me. Leave David alone," Snow plead.

"Fucking Charmings can't resist throwing yourself at dangerous witches can you..." Regina muttered.

"Not the time for the comeback I'd like to make to that Regina," Emma said tensely.

"Hurt you? No. That would be far too easy," as Maleficent said that Regina rolled her eyes. "Always so melodramatic."

"I think that might be a fairy tale villains trait, Your Majesty." Emma shook her head.

The back and forth meant they missed what was said next...

"I only care about one thing... your pain, and that it be as long and terrible and unyielding as my own. The pain you caused."

"Okay... maybe you have a point." Emma granted, "what do we do?"

"We wait?" Regina said quietly.

"Why?"

"Because Maleficent's isn't going to do whatever she wants to do down here. Unyielding pain is a long term goal."

"Like taking away everyone's happiness."

"Not now Emma, I've got to think..."

As they were talking though the three villain's poofed away, or rather Maleficent poofed the other two with her and left the Charmings alone in the cavern. Emma was about to rush towards them but Regina held her back, and even pulled her into the shadows of the rocks they were hiding behind to let her parents pass.

"We have to tell Emma..."

"I know. I just... thought we'd put all of this behind us."

Snow squeezed David's hand, "Don't worry, we're in this together, the two of us."

They went to the elevator and got in. Once it was moving Regina poofed them both back to her office.

"What the hell was that about?" Emma asked alarmed.

"I don't know," Regina mumbled, "But you can be sure I'm going to find out."

"How dangerous is Maleficent?"

Regina raised an eyebrow, "How dangerous is my ex lover who I imprisoned as a dragon for twenty-eight years and has just pledged vengeance on my current lover?"

"Okay... " Emma said quietly. "That dragon thing... can she do that all the time."

"Emma dear, she is the dragon."

Chapter Text

Regina waited for the call she knew would come. Snow always called her when she was in trouble and this situation was obviously no different. It was cold and raining and Snow was pacing along the road side, her car parked with its lights off. Regina parked her Benz and opened the umbrella, not having any desire to be soaked to the bone.

"You look like a drowned rat, Snow."

"That might be a better thing to be right now. Ursula and Cruella revived Maleficient." She paced about more, getting progressively nervous. Regina made no effort to offer her shelter from the rain.

"I think we all knew fish sticks and pound puppy weren't here for the sea air."

"You don't understand Regina, David and I... David and I..." Snow was twisting her hands in front of her.

Regina raised an eyebrow, "You do didn't make enemies of Maleficent did you? If you think I hold grudges..."

Snow stopped and gave her a look, "Well we were dealing with my insane former stepmother who was threatening the entire kingdom."

"And what did Maleficent have to do with anything. She was trying to stop me, she would have helped you." Regina observed. "I even threatened to kill her annoyingly adorable miniature unicorn before I discovered you and David being hilariously incompetent with Medusa."

Snow tilted her head, "Regina sometimes I wonder whose side you are on."

"At the time I was trying to take away your happiness? I should have thought that was obvious."

Snow shrugged, "Point."

She stopped pacing, "I know things have been weird with us... since..."

"Since you chose David but still kept coming to my bed. I rather think that's more like self destruction rather than weirdness."

"Regina... I'm in trouble. Serious trouble." Snow stopped pacing and turned to her. "I... once you asked me to keep a secret and I couldn't. But I need you to keep one for me."

Regina tilted her head, but the look of terror in Snow's eyes broke her resistance and she stepped forward and took Snow into her arms. Because Regina couldn't give up Snow anymore than Snow could give up Regina.

The entire sorted story came out in what seemed like one long unbroken sentence and Regina listened without comment for once, though a thousand thoughts entered her mind about villains and false heroes. Mostly because she was a mother and she remembered not so long ago Snow and David taking away her son under the guise of self righteousness.

"Come back to the house, I'll dry you off and give you something to drink while I think about what to do about Maleficent." She brushed a small bit of Snow's hair under her soaked hat and actually gave her a smile.

Meeting back at the house she sent Snow up to take a hot shower and get out of her damp clothes. She came down wearing some borrowed slacks and one of Regina's button down blouses. Regina handed her a steaming cup of apple cider.

"Really?"

"Just drink it, Princess." She sighed and rolled her eyes, "If I was going to poison you I've had a lot more opportunities and I suspect your family might suggest I already have."

Snow laughed, "With what, your evil sex pheromones?"

"I rather think I'm good in bed without needing pheromones." Regina said huffily.

Snow took a long sip of the warm cider and as it went down she realized it was quite alcoholic. She might have eased up on it but it wasn't that kind of night and she finished the cup quickly.

"Regina? Are you mad at me?"

Regina gave a small little smile, "No, disappointed perhaps. I liked the idea of you as the happy hero."

"I think our more recent history undermined that."

"I liked corrupting the happy hero." Regina shrugged, "Feeling better?"

"The alcohol helped," Snow agreed.

Regina pressed her lips together and got up walking around the living room for a moment. "You know you should tell Emma."

"We can't!" Snow said surprised, "She'll lose faith in us."

Regina shook her head and touched Snow's face again, "Haven't you learned my little one, that blind faith in heroes is what got you an Evil Queen in the first place."

Snow smiled and kissed her, "And it got me you back as well."

Regina knew of course that that wasn't exactly an accurate description of how this thing had started. Hate and anger and sexuality and a desire to destroy each other and have each other while they did it had nothing to do with faith.

"Can I stay the night?"

Henry was at Emma's, but Regina knew she should say no. She knew she should sort out for herself what this new information meant to how she saw Snow (and David, and Emma). But there was Snow in her arms, and for the first time she felt completely hers. And so she lead her up stairs to her bedroom.

Perhaps they should have slept. Or cuddled. Or something calming and reassuring. But they were them. And they weren't those kinds of people, at least not with each other.

Snow's pants were off quickly and she nearly tripped getting out of them. Regina pushed her onto her bed and she knelt between her legs, grabbing hold of both Snow's wrists. "I'll fix your mistakes for you Snow. Like I always do." She leaned down to kiss her. "Just remember this time that you don't get to be the suffering hero anymore."

Regina leaned down and kissed her possessively, provoking a yelp as she pinched her clit. Regina smiled and began stroking her more gently. "Just be glad I'm learning how to be a forgiving woman."

Regina hooked two fingers so they slipped in. Snow was wet enough for that, and she cupped her sex with her hand, using her palm to provide steady pressure.

"Forgiving or ... possessive."

Regina laughed, "A bit of both. I can't have Maleficent giving you unyielding misery when I'm still not done doing it myself."

But misery was certainly not the look on Snow's face as the climax came. Her eyes closed, breathing hard, as she repeated Regina's name.

Chapter Text

Snow woke up and Regina was already out of bed, the light in the master bath was on and the steam wafting out and the smell of expensive soap told her that Regina had already showered. She was just sitting up when Regina came out dressed in the tightest leather skirt she had ever seen and a black blouse as she was putting on earrings.

"I didn't hear the hair dryer…" Snow said a bit sleepily.

"I used magic."

"I wish you wouldn't sometimes. You know use magic for ordinary stuff."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "Jealous that you can't."

Snow shook her head, "No more that your magic comes from anger and I'd really prefer you not light your head on fire trying to dry your hair."

Regina raised an eyebrow and put on a short leather jacket and pulled her hair out from under the collar. "You have a great deal of faith in my talents."

Snow took an appreciative glance over Regina, "I have a great deal of love for your many talents. Though isn't that a little… evil… for a school board meeting?"

"Nothing is too evil for a school board meeting, Miss. Blanchard."

Snow threw a pillow at the Mayor, but finally crawled out of bed. Her borrowed silk pajama's clashing with the black and leather ensemble Regina had selected for the day. "No really."

"I'm going to see some old friends."

Snow was suddenly worried, "Regina ."

"You wanted my help and I gave you my word." She turned to look at her, folding her arms so as to discourage early morning affection. "And you are going to talk over with your ex husband how you are going to explain what you did."

"If your plan succeeds we …"

"…are still going to tell your daughter," Regina said coldly.

"Is this another punishment?"

Regina shook her head sadly, "No Snow. It's me. It's me trying to get us both back on something like stable ground even if we're both standing in the gutter."

Snow nodded, "You are right of course. I just we've already failed Emma as parents and our marriage…"

"Emma is a tough woman and you aren't responsible for her childhood I am." Regina said firmly. Snow wanted to argue but Regina cut her off, "But you are going to show her that good people make mistakes and try to make up for them."

"Says the woman about to risk her life for me."

"Don't start Snow."

"Have fun playing hero, Regina."

Regina sighed and as she left she shook her head, knowing that what she would be playing now was hardly hero.

The day of mayhem and drinking that followed with the Queens of Darkness, a name Regina reminded them made them sound like a punk rock cover band, ended with Ursula and Cruella in the back of her ridiculous car, leaving Regina and Maleficent to ignore the rocking suspension. Maleficent warmed her hands in front of the burning police car. "Glad you still approve of my fire." Regina said with a smile.

"There are several kinds of fire, Regina. The fire in your hands certainly isn't pathetic. But isn't still in your heart?"

"We went through this back in town."

"Yes and Ursula and Cruella have seen you lay waste to entire realms so they're easy to fool. I've known you since you were a trapped and desperate girl."

"And you were a washed up sorceress," Regina countered.

Maleficent raised an eyebrow. The two just watched the fire burn, their affinity for the flames something that bonded them. "The fire is there but it's not the same anymore, you aren't driven for that revenge."

"You told me I should give up on it," Regina said without looking at the taller woman.

"Mostly so you wouldn't do something stupid. Which you did." They both mumbled Rumplestiltskin's name at once.

"Brier Rose's daughter is in town," Regina offered, knowing that Emma was getting Aurora and her family to safety as they spoke.

"She's not my concern anymore. Your little sleeping princess is."

"She didn't sleep for very long." Regina said absently.

"Not everyone can be me, little one." Maleficent teased but turned to face her, "Regina I've heard that Snow and her Prince Charming have fallen out. Did you finally find some subtly to ruining her happiness?"

Regina glanced over, "The end of that fairy tale is my doing."

Maleficent looked into Regina's eyes for a long moment and smiled, "I knew you still had it in you." The dragon knew the truth when she heard it. It was just a different shade of the truth than she understood. She leaned in and Regina found herself kissing Maleficent. Memories of other nights in front of other fires stopping her from withdrawing as she knew she should.

Instead Regina leaned her head against Maleficent's chest and allowed herself to be lost in the moment of tender care as the old dragon woman stroked her hair and watched the fire.

Loving Maleficent was so easy compared to loving Snow.