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Chapter Text

Mary Margaret Mills woke as the stream of sunshine came through the windows and hit her face. The sound of birds, the few that hadn't yet flown south in the fast approaching New England winter made her smile instinctively and she reached her hand out to touch her wife only to grab a handful of high thread count sheets. Turning she saw what she knew the moment before, that Regina wasn't there, she frowned a bit and made her way out of bed, grabbing her robe and making her way down the stairs to the sound of her restless partner in the kitchen.

There was bacon on the griddle, pancake batter ready to drop when people wanted it and coffee already made. Mary Margaret came up behind her and kissed her on the ear. "It's Saturday, Henry isn't even up yet. Why aren't you in bed?"

"Not all of us have our own personal natural alarm clock," Regina said with a little smile. "I'm making his favorite, cinnamon chocolate chip pancakes."

"You mean my favorite," Mary Margaret chuckled as she pulled down a mug from the cabinet.

"Side benefit."

Pouring herself some coffee she sat at the island watching Regina work, "You know he's still mad."

"I know. I asked how long he was going to keep it up the other day and he told me a bagillion years. I think perhaps I should start questioning those in charge of my son's education if he thinks that's a real number."

Mary Margaret made a pondering face, "Sounds legit to me."

"His science and math teacher must be an idiot," Regina said over her shoulder with a smile.

"Or his mother is pedantic."

"That too..." Regina said with a laugh, but it didn't reach her eyes. There was always something about Regina that was profoundly sad, like she couldn't quite hold onto happiness even when it was within her grip.

"You should have waited for me to have the adoption conversation with him." Mary Margaret said quietly.

"Yes, well, it wasn't like he was going to be put off. And I... do what I always do." Regina said with a shrug.

"Sometimes I wonder how you manage to be a politician." Mary Margaret teased.

"Fear is an extremely effective tool."

"Have you considered perhaps tin plated dictator suits you better than small town politician?"

Regina smiled as she headed out of the kitchen. "If only I had an army. I'm going to go wake the little prince. Maybe he's talking to me today."

Mary Margaret stole a piece of bacon and was pondering a second when she heard the scream from upstairs...

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

Henry had gone for more than a day and Graham, Mary Margaret and Regina had searched every square inch of town it seemed. The woods were next and Regina dreaded the idea of that. Storybrooke was an isolated town and there were wild animals in the woods, and it was cold at night in late fall...

Henry was smart but did he know how cold it would get at night? She wanted to go back out again but Mary Margaret and Graham had told her she had to at least eat. Which mostly involved her pushing food around on her plate until she noticed an unfamiliar car pulling up out front just as Mary Margaret's cell phone rang.

"It's Archie, he says that Henry's..."

"... home..."

Regina got up from her chair and started running to the front door. She grabbed Henry in a hug but he quickly disentangled himself and ran past her into the house. She stood slowly and looked at the blond woman she hadn't even noticed when all she could see was Henry. The echo of what Henry had said finally hitting her.

"You're Henry's birthmother?"

"Hi..." The blond gave a small smile and Mary Margaret came up beside Regina, "Are you alright, Regina. You look like you've seen a ghost."

Regina turned to her wife and nearly lost her balance as a flood of memories came back to her. A hillside. Daniel. Mother. Years of loneliness. A wedding. Snow White.

Ten years before she had taken a potion to ease her worries about the coming Savior, and instead of just her worries she'd forgotten everything but Storybrooke. A single mother, a career woman, with a town to run and a son to raise she'd found herself drawn to a mousy school teacher who had a back bone of steel hidden deep under mountain of uncertainty. They had dated for years before finally deciding to marry and raise Regina's son together. Somehow, fate in its warped sense of humor had decided that in that ten years she would fall in love with and marry the woman she hated the most in the world.

"I'm ... I'm fine Mary Margaret. Ah... would you like to come in for a drink?" Regina managed to ask Emma Swan. "I make the best apple cider in all of Maine."

"I think I'd prefer something a bit stronger."

Regina just nodded and Mary Margaret slipped a hand into the small of her back for support. She needed a drink very badly herself.

Chapter Text

Mary Margaret watched from across the street as the blond woman grabbed a parking ticket off her windshield, cursed, and then discovered the boot on her car, and cursed some more.

"You should be careful, there are delicate ears about." She smiled and walked up to, giving the car a look. "You are two inches over the line."

"Is this some warped idea of gloating, Mrs. Mills?" Emma Swan asked in frustration.

"I think you have me mistaken for my wife. Who you have pissed off and god have mercy on your soul because Regina holds a grudge." She chuckled. "Can I buy you coffee?"

"Is it going to be poisoned?"

Mary Margaret gave her a brief cooler look. "Miss. Swan, we're not the bad guys here. If you want to have coffee maybe we can come to an understanding and I'll see about calling Regina and telling her to pull her head out of her ass about booting your car."

Emma shrugged and followed, "You talk about your wife like that often?"

"Regina needs to be stood up to occasionally. It keeps her grounded." Mary Margaret said, cheerily now that the tension had passed.

"You don't really seem like the type for each other... you know... you are nice and she's ..."

"Regina's driven and protective of her family and you are a threat to our family. Please don't mistake my being nice for me welcoming your intrusion into our lives." She held the door open for her. "Ruby, can I have a hot chocolate, and whatever Miss. Swan wants?"

"Coffee..." Emma nodded as she sat down.

"So why are you still here?"

"Well that was to the point."

"It seemed like a good idea to get to the point. At least before Regina's on the warpath." Mary Margaret said with a shrug.

"You seem to be taking this all better." Emma observed.

Mary Margaret shrugged. "I've a better position in Henry's fantasy world than his mother. He thinks I'm the damsel in distress."

"I thought you were his mother."

"Stepmother," Mary Margaret corrected. "Regina adopted Henry before she and I even started dating. Really you could say Henry brought us together. She didn't like asking for help and worked so hard to make everything perfect for him."

"And now he thinks she's..."

"Some sort of Evil Queen. So yes, if you could give her a break and understand that barging into our lives really is rude and unwelcome it would be nice."

Emma looked a bit guilty.

"And understandable," Mary Margaret added, "But don't expect Regina not to want you gone. I'll talk to her about the parking tickets but when she's in petty bureaucrat mode God help you."

"So if his mom is the Evil Queen, you are..."

"It's silly," Mary Margaret dismissed.

"I've had an entire afternoon full of silly."

Mary Margaret shook her head. "Snow White."

"Doesn't that make you your own stepmother?" Emma said curiously.

"Why do you think we're sending him to Dr. Hopper?"

Emma just looked away a bit.

"She told me you asked her if she loved him."

"I have this ... I told Henry it was a super power... that I can tell if people are lying." Emma started.

Mary Margaret held up a hand, "I should tell you asking my wife if she loved her son was a really horrible thing to do to someone. Especially the day after we'd been scared out of our minds that he'd run away and we couldn't find him for 36 hours."

"I think she just... gets under my skin. How did she get herself elected mayor. She doesn't quite seem a people person."

"She's been mayor of this town forever, and there is a bit of ... well ... fear of her. But she's really good at her job. And she loves Henry with her entire heart. And if you are sticking around I am willing to work with you. But you have to know that wasn't okay."

Emma nodded, "Alright Mrs. Mills."

The school teacher smiled brightly, "Mary Margaret."

"You can call me Emma."

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

Regina stood in her office window watching Mary Margaret... Snow... say goodbye to Emma Swan. Her daughter. Dark thoughts crossed her mind and she couldn't decide who she wanted to explode at more. Snow for being in her bed, her daughter for being here and being so... annoying... her herself for being so stupid as to have put herself in a position where any of this was even possible.

Or Rumple. Because being mad at Rumple was always an option except the bastard wouldn't know why she was mad and that was no fun.

She watched Mary Margaret walk across the street and up the path to the city hall, knowing she'd be in the office soon. She was carrying a cup of coffee and she knew it contained 1 sugar and two creams. Just like she liked it.

"Parking tickets, Regina? Really?" She asked as she closed the office door behind her and set the coffee on the desk.

"What's the fun in being mayor if I can't terrorize outsiders and drive them back out of town?" Regina turned and was surprised at the smile that crept across her face. Mary Margret wrapped her hands around her waist and smiled. "I had a productive talk with Emma. And you are going to call parking enforcement and have them release her car."

"Am I now?" Regina asked with a small smile.

"You are. Because I know this is tempting but it's not the way to make her go away. Especially not while Henry is clinging to this fantasy world."

"Have you looked at the book?"

"I have. If you are the Evil Queen you are rocking some amazing cleavage."

Regina laughed, "I thought you were supposed to be the innocent."

"Hey, I read the book. I'm a bandit not an innocent who wanders into strange men's homes and cleans."

Regina chuckled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "And Miss. Swan."

"I think she'll stay a week or two and go back to Boston. If you back off."

"Do you think I'm constitutionally capable of backing off?"

"You can try, just for me." Mary Margaret leaned in and kissed her, "And for Henry."

Regina sighed and looked into her eyes, "I can try. For you and for Henry."

Chapter Text

Mary Margaret was sitting at the kitchen table grading homework, while Regina finished cooking dinner. Roasted pork and apple chutney. "Dare I ask where Henry is? Down at Granny's eating cheese on lard with a side of grease?"

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes, "I do believe they serve vegetables there, Regina."

"Yes, every other Tuesday if Ms. Lucas feels like it." She raised an eyebrow.

"He's upstairs. Trying to hide the book from you."

Regina seemed genuinely perplexed. "The book weighs about twice as much as him. Does he really think he can hide it?"

"He's afraid you'll take it from him."

Regina shook her head, "I should... but what would that do. He'd just see it as evidence of my evil." She went back to cooking, picking up one of her big German chef's knives to chop. "So what's next in Operation Cobra?"

"Is that the name of the operation?"

"Yes. Though I'm not sure if I'm the cobra or if Miss. Swan is."

"I think..." Mary Margaret said carefully, "That you are probably the evil serpent. I'm supposed to read to a hospital patient from the book.

Regina dropped the potato she was peeling in the sink and it clattered around.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, fine. His idea?"

"Actually Emma's, she thinks that maybe we can ease him out of the fantasy world. Show him I'm not really Snow White and you aren't really the Evil Queen. And if we are that's a really modern take on that fairy tale."

"The world is more complicated than fairy tales." Regina said unconvincingly.

"Emma is trying to help."

"She's Emma now?" Regina said offering Mary Margaret a taste of what was on her spoon.

"Hmm good. A little salt." She smiled and as Regina moved away she let a hand linger on her ass. "She's not so bad. If you could, perhaps, get out slash and burn mother bear mode."

"I think you are mixing metaphors. Which again, is a little disturbing in a science teacher."

"I teach fifth graders, it really doesn't matter if they don't know bears don't light fires."

"I weep for the future of Storybrooke." Regina said quietly moving a pot off the heat.

Mary Margaret smiled at her but reached out her fingers to brush along her wife's hand. "I'll be alright. He'll get over this and things will be back to normal."

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

David Nolan was awake. He was awake and her wife had found him in the woods. Because that was the kind of screwed up relationship Regina Mills had with fate. But at least Snow... Mary Margaret... wasn't looking at him doe eyed and longing. Familiar and confused was painful enough.

And she didn't even understand why it was that painful. Because she should hate her. With all her memories back, with thirty years of hating her why did she care so much.

"Hey! Madam Mayor!" The sound of Emma Swan's voice carried on from behind her and she knew this should be fun but really all she wanted to do was go home and close her eyes and have the life she had a month ago back. Before Henry had found the adoption papers. Before that damn book.

Before Emma Swan.

"His wife shows up after all this time, now?"

Regina managed a smile, "Did you think I had her locked in the basement the entire time? Under a spell?"

"The timing is just..."

"It's all thanks to you, you know. You gave us the idea to look at the video tape..."

Regina smiled, watching the frustration grow on Emma Swan's face. Served her right for refusing to leave. For coming back into Henry's life. For ruining everything. Everything had been so perfect. So... so close to happy.

"You know what Henry thinks..."

"I know that my son is confiding in you and going to you behind my back despite the fact that I explicitly don't want him near you. And yes, I know what his fantasy life says. But I would like you kindly to keep yourself out of my marriage. Isn't it bad enough you are trying to take my son from me and now you have to question my wife?"

Emma was frustratingly calm. "Defensive much?"

Regina wanted to light her on fire, but without any magic that would probably require too many matches and Emma Swan didn't seem to stand still that long anyway. "When are you heading back to Boston?"

Emma smiled at her. "It's not going to be that simple, Madam Mayor."

Emma brushed past her, deliberately hitting her with her shoulder, and Regina turned her head to watch Prince James and Princess Abigail awkwardly greet each other as husband and wife.

"I'm not letting go so easily Charming." She muttered.

Chapter Text

Regina was running through the woods, glancing behind her at every few minutes. She'd broken a heel and she was limping but she thought she might have lost them. She stopped to catch her breath, glancing back yet again, and as she turned back to keep moving there was an arrow head two inches from her nose. Mary Margaret, her eyes full of cold fury in her eyes.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find you."

"Mary Margaret..."

"Say. My. Name." She said with the deliberation of a woman barely holding her anger in. Anger Regina recognized well. She shook her head, and her wife kicked her wounded leg out from under her forcing her to her knees. She stood over her with the arrow practically to her forehead, "You twisted little witch, you won't hurt anyone else..."

Regina shot upright in bed, breathing hard and sweating. Mary Margaret's hand on her arm.

"It's alright Regina... he's home. He's safe."

Mary Margaret had woken up to her wife having some sort of horrible nightmare and had assumed, not without reason, that the subject had been their son Henry. The mine accident was only a few days past and neither of them had slept well since. Regina turned to look at her, as if her wife of five years were a ghost, "I... yes. Henry's safe."

The mask was back in place and she would not let Snow White know that she feared her. Even if that meant brushing aside the help of the one person whose comfort she wanted desperately. She moved to get out of bed quickly, "Regina it's 4AM..." Mary Margaret called after her.

"I have some budget reports I brought home down in my study. I'm going to get some work done..."

"Regina... come back to bed," Mary Margaret pleaded with her wife, confused as to why their marriage was suddenly full of unspoken tension.

"I can't sleep," she said quietly. She had slept soundly for ten years, or as close to soundly as she ever had. And now the time for peace in Regina Mills life was gone as well. A peace only permitted by blissful ignorance.

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

Mary Margaret lay out her cards to show David, "I think I'm being played."

"Of course you are," she said as she took the pile of M&Ms from the middle of the table. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with a card shark?"

"You do look very dangerous, Mrs. Mills." He laughed and sat back in the hospital chair. The two of them had an instant connection. Like they'd known each other their entire lives. Yet Mary Margaret couldn't help but feel he represented something... sad to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

"It's Regina..." Mary Margaret sighed. "Ever since Emma came to town she's been jumpy, angry, sad... I don't know. All of those things. It's like when I look into her eyes she's not the same woman I married."

"I know what you mean. When I look at Kathryn she's ... a stranger to me. And then I feel guilty because she looks so hurt. And I don't want to hurt her, you know, because I married her and I must have loved her." He shook his head.

"Regina's always been a difficult woman. Sharp. I like to think I round some of her rough edges. Make her smile. And she makes me laugh." Mary Margaret looked a little embarrassed. "Maybe not at things I should be laughing at. She can be kind of mean. But ..." She tilted her head to the side. "She makes me brave. Like she makes me say the things I'm afraid other people will judge me for. And she never does."

David frowned, and Mary Margaret shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be dumping my marital problems on the amnesiatic hospital patient I'm trying to help."

David shook his head and reached over to touch her hand. "No. You can tell me anything Mary Margaret."

And for some reason she felt like she could.

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

Regina sat in her car watching Henry walk down the street with Emma Swan, animatedly discussing what she was sure was the latest plan to help break the curse. Driving her out of town hadn't worked, true to her family's nature Miss. Swan had dug in. Burrowed in where she didn't belong. And now she was a sheriff's deputy and was putting down roots. Even Mary Margaret was starting to form something like a friendship with their son's birthmother.

Of course there were reasons for that. Reasons that made Regina feel lost and powerless.

You can't fight fate. Or rather you can fight it but if anyone knew what happened when you tried it was Regina Mills.

Sheriff Graham came walking down the street in the other direction. His eyes lit up when he saw her and his hand slipped into Emma's easily and the Mayor could see what was brewing between them. The danger that was coming. A curse breaker and a cursed man ... it was all happening so fast. She had to stop it.

If she didn't stop it she'd lose everything. She reached for the keys in the ignition and started her car, driving towards the cemetery... and her vault.

Chapter Text

They got home from the funeral, tired and emotionally drained. It had seemed like most of the town had come to see Graham laid to rest, but Mary Margaret hadn't been able to take her eyes off her family. She didn't understand why but it felt like her entire world was slipping away from her and all she wanted was for it to all go back to the way it should be.

Henry pushed past Regina and ran up the stairs to his room, his mother's eyes lingering after him. Mary Margaret put a hand on her arm, "Don't worry, I'll go up and talk to him."

It felt so strange. Before a few months ago Mary Margaret had sometimes felt like a stranger looking in on the relationship between Henry and Regina. Envying it even. Longing for something she didn't have. Henry was her child but not. He was more Regina's. And now... now he was more Regina's than either could recognize because he was lashing out and hurting people the way she did when she was hurt and angry.

Mary Margaret knocked on the door to his room, he was sitting on his bed playing with a video game instead of reading the book like he was more often than not these days. "Hey, can I come in?"

"Sure... I guess."

She sat on the edge of his bed. "I know it can be hard. Losing someone you love."

"Do you?" He looked up. "Do you even remember losing your parents?"

Mary Margaret looked surprised, "Henry, that's a rude thing to ask. I was... very young." She shrugged.

"You don't remember it because of the curse. He told me he tried talking to you about it."

Mary Margaret smiled a little for him, "Henry, Graham was very sick near the end. He had a fever."

"He was remembering," Henry shook his head. "He was remembering and she couldn't have that. He was good and she killed him because of it."

"Henry!" Mary Margaret snapped a bit disturbed by the outright murder accusation. "We told you, there was an autopsy. Graham had a heart condition."

Henry shook his head and leaned over the bed to pull out the big book. Regina was right, it did weigh a lot and he seemed so small with it. He flipped through the pages until he found a picture. The Evil Queen standing in front of her vault. "She had his heart."

Mary Margaret sighed, "Henry... does this woman really look like your Mom?" She pulled a picture frame off a shelf. Henry in Regina's arms. She took it last winter for their Christmas cards.

"Evil doesn't always look evil." Henry muttered.

"And who told you that?" She asked gently.

"She would know."

Mary Margaret sighed again.

"She's going to hurt Emma," he finally said. "And it'll be my fault because I brought her here. To break the curse. So that Prince Charming could rescue you."

Mary Margaret shook her head. "I don't want to be rescued, Henry. I love your mother a great deal." She stroked a hand along Regina's picture in her lap.

"But she doesn't love you. She can't. You're Snow White and she's the Evil Queen." He flipped the pages again to show a wedding picture. "And he's your true love."

She chuckled and tried to give him a reassuring smile. "He seems very handsome and all... but true love sounds kind of boring don't you think? Shouldn't relationships be hard? Something you have to work at instead of fall into? Your mom isn't a perfect person, but she works really hard to provide for this family and it's ... what you keep saying it's hurting her a lot."

Henry stopped for a moment and frowned.

"Do you want to hurt her?" Mary Margaret asked quietly.

"She's a villain." He answered. "You aren't supposed to care about villains."

Mary Margaret shook her head, "The world doesn't work like that. Your mom is a person. And she's hurting. A lot. And it's not really fair to just keep hurting her don't you think?"

"Why won't she let you go? She doesn't love you. She doesn't love me. She can't love. But fighting her... trying to fight the curse. It's hurting good people too. I shouldn't have messed with it."

"Henry, could you do me a favor...?" Mary Margaret said with a bit more authority than she normally used with Henry. "Don't ever try and tell me that Regina doesn't love me. Or you. I don't know how to get you to stop what you are doing but ... that was going too far."

She reached over and took the book from him, closing it. "She's right. This book is changing you."

"Give it back..."

"I'll give it back to you when you remember how to treat your family. And that includes me and your mother."

Mary Margaret stood up, taking the book with her.

"But Prince Charming is waiting for you," He said as she was walking out.

Mary Margaret turned at the door, "Henry, I don't need Prince Charming. I found my princess instead."

Chapter Text

Mary Margaret Mills had a wonderful marriage. A good family. A beautiful wife who cooked and provided for the family. A step son who was smart and independent and creative... and really it was difficult to understand what exactly had sent that all onto the rocks. Henry wasn't speaking to either of his mothers since she had taken away the book. Normally Regina was the disciplinarian but after a couple of months of this rebellion even Mary Margaret had reached her limits.

You don't treat people you love that way.

Certainly not because of a book told you too. She'd given it to him so he could find hope, not so that he could take Regina's hope away. But Henry's withdraw from Regina had sent her into a tailspin of depression and every effort Mary Margaret made to reach out to her seemed to make things just a bit worse.

She'd left early that morning to go hiking before the storm, kissing Regina on the cheek and giving her a reassuring squeeze of the hand. She'd even managed to get a tiny smile from her wife.

Finding the bird had been lucky, surely it would have died trapped on the ground like that with the storm coming. But hearing the vet say that the bird would be alone forever if it didn't find it's family just pulled at Mary Margaret's heart. She needed to get it back to where it belonged. Families should be together.

The fact that David wanted to take her up to the ridge gave her mixed feelings though. She wasn't blind. She knew he had feelings for her. Inappropriate feelings that had driven her to stop volunteering at the hospital. They had warned her when she started that sometimes patients get attached. And the truth was she could feel something too.

But that something felt like a betrayal, especially at a moment when her own family was in such trouble. So when he showed up on the ridge to pull her up from where she'd fallen she was grateful for the rescue but a less than thrilled at his appearance. "Are you following me?"

"I was worried about you... and given I found you dangling from a cliff... a simple thank you would have sufficed..."

He did have a point. "Thank you. Now, are you following me?" Still it seemed the time to start channeling Regina. No one messed with Regina. Well. Except Emma Swan.

"Sort of. I was ... you know there is a storm coming and you were going to be up here."

"There is a storm now here now..."

The conversation was lost in the wind and the rain and they found their way to a cabin. "Whose place is this..."

"You are friends with the sheriff, I'm sure she won't arrest us."

"I'm also married to the mayor."

David looked away.

"Please don't make me have to keep reminding you that I'm married. That you are married."

David nodded. "I know. I just ... don't you feel the connection?"

"I feel the connection that Regina will punch you in the face if she finds out." Mary Margaret sighed. "You are a confused man. I understand. And I do feel ... very close to you. But that's why I quit the working at the hospital. My family is important to me."

"Your son thinks we're meant to be together."

"Henry also thinks his mother is a Disney villain who hates me because i'm prettier than she is. Have you seen my wife? She has many faults but false vanity isn't one of them." Mary Margaret paced the cabin. "It's not that I don't feel something for you David. That's the entire problem."

She was worried he'd push it, but despite the fact that they were alone in a cabin in the woods she wasn't worried he'd do anything rash.

"You are right of course. I'm... sorry."

Mary Margaret smiled and reached over to touch his hand. "I understand it must be hard for you. Waking up from your coma and not remembering things. It's hard for Kathryn too I'm sure. And I would love to help you, but I can't if you are going to continue to have feelings for me."

If we're going to continue to have feelings for each other, she silently added to herself.

He nodded. "Friends?"

"We can be friends. I'd like that," She smiled up at him.

When the storm passed, and they'd released the birds, they both headed back into town. What neither of them saw, as they walked along the street laughing and chatting was Regina watching from her parked car... a mix of rage, jealousy and sadness battling for dominance.

Chapter Text

The night after the storm Regina was rougher in bed with Mary Margaret than she'd ever been at any point in their marriage. Not so much that her partner objected, but certainly the change was something she noticed. It was probably for the best that Regina had no magic in this land, because she shuttered to think what she might have done to her in that mindset. Seeing her with David Nolan that day had brought everything Regina was fearing to the surface and made her see not the funny, gentle strength of Mary Margaret, the school teacher she had fallen in love with, but the defiant arrogance of Snow White. And it was Snow who she saw that night. And it was Snow who she wanted to hurt that night... though she managed to stop herself from that impulse.

And after the sex, there came the night of staring up at the ceiling and watching Mary Margaret sleep gently next to her. When the light streamed in the next morning Regina hadn't gotten any sleep, but she was gently stroking Mary Margaret's hair and hoping she hadn't gone too far.

"Hey," Mary Margaret said sleepily as she turned over.

"Hey," Regina managed with a little smile.

"You look beautiful," she said as she lay there looking up at Regina.

"You ... you're not mad at me?" Regina asked surprised.

Mary Margaret shook her head, "If I was mad I would have stopped it. You know that. I just... it was nice to have you touch me. Lately it feels like you've been withdrawing. Like ... like I've done something wrong and I don't know what."

Regina stroked her lover's short cropped hair, "No... no it's not you. I'm just. I've been so angry lately. I don't know how to stop being angry."

"You've always had anger problems Regina, and you've been under a lot of stress lately. I think what you need is a good Noreaster or something to make you focus on town businesses. Oh, or you could help me with Miner's Day."

Regina laughed, "Nice try. There is no way you are roping me into that again."

"What you were great last year!" Mary Margaret said with a grin.

"I looked ridiculous last year. It was beneath the dignity of a ... mayor."

Mary Margaret just smiled and for a moment... for a blissful moment... Regina was lost again in that hazy memory of a time when she really was just a grumpy small town mayor and this woman really was the love of her life...

... and oh how she wished she could have that back.

"Besides, I highly doubt Henry wants to spend the day carving pumpkins with me."

Mary Margaret sighed. "I'll get better Regina. It will."

Regina shook her head. "You and your hope speeches."

Mary Margaret leaned up and kissed her before getting up. "Someone has to cheer you up."

Regina knew she should let it drop. Knew she should keep quiet. "I saw you with David Nolan the other day. Walking down the street." More concern slipped into her voice than she intended.

"He's confused. He needs a friend." Mary Margaret said as she went into the bathroom. "I am just not sure it should be me. He has a crush and I think I might be making it worse."

Regina coughed, "Well, I can certainly understand being attracted to you. You are warm and funny and kind..."

Mary Margaret stuck her head out of the bathroom. "Laying it on a bit thick to cover your snarky impulse?"

Regina looked surprised for a moment, and a little embarrassed, then nodded, "Maybe."

"I told him I was married. And he was married. And if he wanted a friend I would be there but that any other feelings he had he should get over them. But I think... maybe... it would be good to include Kathryn in things for a bit. Maybe invite them both over for dinner. You can make your lasagna ..."

"You just want me to make lasagna."

"Well there is that." Mary Margaret admitted.

"Get in the shower... you'll be late for school."

"I'm the teacher. It doesn't start without me."

Regina rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I know, you weep for the future of the town's children." Mary Margaret laughed and slipped into the shower.

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

"Madam Mayor?"

Regina sighed deeply and stopped walking, but didn't turn around at the sound of Emma Swan's voice. "Yes Sheriff?"

"Henry said you took his book from him? He's really upset. And what's this about tearing down his castle?"

Regina turned to look at her, thanking the world for once that this was a land without magic because she was sure there would be a fireball in her hand if there was. "My wife took the book away from him. He can have it back when she decides he can. And yes, I ordered the demolition of your little Sanctum Sanctorum on the beach because it was a safety hazard. But don't worry, I'm sure you can find a new hideout to plot my downfall."

"Really, comic book references?" Emma asked surprised. "Doesn't seem like your style."

Regina shook her head, "You don't know anything about me, or my family, and if you did maybe you would stop this childish obsession with me and Henry's fantasy world."

"You know I don't believe you are the Evil Queen."

"I do. And the fact that you continue to humor him in order to reclaim a relationship you have no right to annoys me no end. But I have a forgiving wife and a son I'd like to forgive me before he reaches high school. So I've decided to tolerate you. But you should remember, Miss. Swan, that my toleration is my choice. He's my son and I get to say yes or no to you seeing him, and if you don't get an attitude adjustment soon I'll be saying no. Even if I have to get a restraining order to make the point. Now why don't you go along now and play heroic resistance fighter I have a town to run."

Regina turned without letting Emma respond and walked away.

Chapter Text

The Nolan's marriage disintegrated quickly despite Mary Margaret's attempts to play matchmaker between David and his wife. She tried to just be friends with him but it was hard to deny a pull to him that she didn't even understand. It didn't feel like love. She was in love with Regina. This felt more like... longing... need... something more primal.

Something she wanted nothing to do with and something he seemed determined to exercise.

Kathryn walked in on them as he was about to kiss Mary Margaret. Not that she would have let him but it was impossible to interpret his motion as anything other than what it was. Kathryn ran off crying... and Mary Margaret walked off angry.

And Regina saw an opportunity.

The next morning when David went to go to work the side of his truck was covered in red spray paint "Homewrecker".

And Kathryn Nolan was missing.

Regina tried her best to let Emma Swan incompetently stumble towards the obvious conclusion that when a wife goes missing the number one suspect is the husband. She even made sure Sydney got the phone records placed in Sheriff's hand, even though Mary Margaret kept telling Regina that Sydney made her nervous.

Of course he makes you nervous dear, he murdered your father, was not what Regina was about to tell her. Mary Margaret was working the fair, an insane need to help the fairy bitches... the nuns... keep their convent. So Henry was walking with Regina when Emma approached David Nolan. The police cruiser rather than the bug a strong indication that this wasn't for a pleasant conversation. Regina squeezed Henry's shoulder, but instead he looked up at her with a confused and hurt expression in his eyes.

Mary Margaret refused to believe he was responsible for the murder... even after the heart and the finger prints and the knife showed up. Regina wondered if there was anything she could do to get her to see the truth. Well... not the truth. Anything she could do to get her to see the bigger picture. But in the end Mary Margaret didn't need to accept it. Charming just needed to go away. And maybe his brat of a daughter would follow after.

And then her family could heal again and everything would go back to normal.

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

Regina had checked on Henry before she'd gone to bed, but Mary Margaret had grading to finish and once he was in bed she settled behind Regina's desk in her study to finish it when she saw the two people creeping in the bushes.

She was about to call the sheriff when she saw the blond curls and sighed, picking up a flash light.

August and Emma were creeping into the garage looking for evidence when the light turned. "You should be glad we don't keep guns in the house because of Henry." Mary Margaret stood with her arms folded watching the two of them. "What the hell are you doing?"

Emma looked a little guilty and Mary Margaret realized that perhaps this was a bad idea given that she might not have a gun but the sheriff did.

"I'd call the cops but who would I call? Do you have any idea how you've been terrorizing my wife because she has no one to turn to and now you are ..." Mary Margaret wanted to curse but she didn't actually know what word to use at that moment. "How did you get into our house. No, I don't want to know. Just get the hell out."

"Mary Margaret... hear me out?" Emma approached. "I know this looks bad."

"Looks bad." Mary Margaret gave her best disappointed teacher face.

"Okay, it wasn't the brightest idea I ever had. But I think... Regina is framing David."

"You think my wife murdered one of her very few friends...? You think she's capable of that?"

"I ... think your wife is capable of a lot of things," Emma said quietly. "David told me that you have feelings for him. Can you really tell me Regina wouldn't do something out of jealousy."

"David and I would have figured something out. And I told Regina about those feelings."

"Doesn't change what she's thinking."

"That she's got an obsessed birth mother who is trying to destroy her life and who has managed to get elected Sheriff so that I'm having to try and convince you to get out of my house when you've broken in instead of calling the police like I should? If my wife is desperate you are the reason." Mary Margaret sighed, "I understand. I really do. You have regrets. And Regina isn't making things better. But this is the worst possible thing you could be doing. And if you leave right now we'll never have to talk about this again."

"Can I at least look at your shovels?"

"No." She pointed to the door. "And I'll be talking to Henry about this since I presume he told you where to find the spare key."

Emma left and Mary Margaret waited until she heard the clatter of the bug's engine before heading back to in the house. Except something was eating at the back of her brain.

The shovels.

She went back into the garage and found their square headed shovel with a broken tip and frowned.

The next day Emma returned with a warrant. Like she should have had in the first place. Regina told her that she'd deal with the sheriff, and Mary Margaret was reading over the warrant with a sinking feeling. The metal tip of a shovel. She looked up from the doorway of the garage to so see Regina and Emma standing in front of a brand new, totally intact shovel.

That they hadn't owned the day before.

And Mary Margaret's heart sank.

Chapter Text

Emma was sitting in Granny's eating breakfast when Mary Margaret found her. She paused at the door, inhaling and trying to decide if she really wanted to do this. The answer of course was that she didn't. But she would do it anyway.

"May I have a seat, Miss. Swan? Emma," She corrected herself.

"As long as this isn't another Mills family lecture about how I'm acting inappropriately. I already went at it this morning with the Mayor." Emma rolled her eyes.

"I thought we were on good terms."

"Yes, well, your wife is a sociopath. In case you haven't noticed."

Mary Margaret didn't say anything as Ruby set a mug of coffee down in front of her. "Rumor around town is that Sydney confessed."

"He did. He said exactly the things that Regina mouthed at him from behind my back. It was very convincing." Emma said with disgust.

"Emma, Sydney has been obsessed with Regina for a very long time."

"And she used that obsession."

Mary Margaret nodded, "Sydney has been the subject of some of the worst fights in our marriage. I don't think she realizes how dangerous he is."

"Well, given that he's locked up now your marriage is safe. At least until I can get to a family court judge."

Mary Margaret looked alarmed. "What are you talking about."

"I'm not standing by and letting her win."

"Emma..." Mary Margaret shook her head. "Please think rationally. That's not a fight you can win."

"She tried to frame a man for murder because she was jealous of his attentions towards you. That doesn't scare you or are you blind to it?"

Mary Margaret was quiet for a long time.

"You ... you know I'm right."

Mary Margaret just nodded without saying anything.

"How can you ..."

"She's my wife Emma. And she wasn't like this before you came to town. Sure she had rough edges but we were happy. We were a family. And suddenly... Henry's acting out and putting himself in danger and Regina is all distant and cold ... and I... have I missed it all or did I just not want to see it?"

Emma reached over and touched her hand. "We can all get fooled by the people we love."

"Emma... if you try and take Henry from her she'll destroy you." Mary Margaret pled. "And it will just hurt Henry."

"So I should just let her win? Even though you know what she did?" Emma asked outraged.

"Knowing and proving are different things." Mary Margaret said quietly.

"And you love her." Emma said with a shake of her head.

"I do."

"Why?" Emma asked exasperated.

"I think that might be in the territory of asking Regina if she loved Henry. Who asks that about their spouse? I just do."

"It's her warm sparkling personality, I take it?"

Mary Margaret shook her head. "Emma... Regina is warm. She's just ... private. She's got this wonderful sense of humor and you should have seen her with Henry before you arrived in town. It was like... being on the outside and watching two people who shared one soul." She looked down, "Look I'm not defending everything she's done but she's been trying to protect our family. And maybe... I could have done a better job of reassuring her that she didn't need to protect it like this."

The truth was she felt helpless. Everything seemed broken and she didn't even know how to begin to fix things.

"She wouldn't ever hurt Henry?"

"Oh god no." Mary Margaret shook her head. "Others yes. But not Henry. And I don't think me either."

Emma was quiet, herself lost in thought. "This is a fucked up situation." She finally muttered.

Mary Margaret nodded. "I just want my family back."

Emma looked down a bit guiltily.

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

Mary Margaret wasn't sure what had happened when she got the phone call from the hospital she'd come running but Regina and Emma had already gone. The hospital staff said something about them thinking they knew how to help Henry. She wanted to call and see if she could help but Henry looked so lost in alone that she couldn't make herself leave his side. From the bag she'd been carrying she pulled the book she'd taken from him and something made her flip to the story of Snow White and Prince Charming.

"I ... know it's not the prince you think but ... Henry... you are my little prince and I need you to come back to us..."

She hoped, as she read the story to him, that he could hear her. And that whatever Regina and Emma were up to would work. But half way through Henry took a turn for the worse and the hospital staff dragged her away from the bed.

She fumbled with her phone to try and call Regina but the phone was busy or she wasn't answering. By the time the two women came bursting into the hospital ward Mary Margaret had been crying for ten minutes. Regina was devastated and found her way to Mary Margaret's arms and all she could hear was her muttering that it was her fault.

She finally let go as Emma approached the bed to lean down to kiss him one last time.

The wave of light that came away from them was powerful, like an earthquake and everyone was knocked back, stumbling under the weight of all their memories returning to them.

"I think you did it..." Henry said in the distance, but Regina was closer, muttering no and shaking her head.

And Snow White stared at her tormentor for the first time in twenty eight years with hurt and incomprehension in her eyes. And Regina, for the first time in either of their lives, couldn't even look at her.

She registered the Blue Fairy's threat. She heard Regina try to reassure Henry that she did love him. And before Regina ran from the room she stopped in front of Snow as if she wanted to say something but looked away again and ran.

Chapter Text

Once Snow had assured herself that Henry was going to be okay, and she'd hugged Emma for probably longer than her very much not a baby and very confused daughter was comfortable. And then she found a quiet corner of the hallway to sit down against the wall and hold her head.

And try not to think as all the memories came flooding back.

Except all she could do was think. Think about Regina killing her father. Think about Regina handing her the apple. Think about Regina at her wedding... think about her wedding too Regina. She'd done it. She'd destroyed everything. Taken everything. Regina always found a way. But she also couldn't get the smell of Regina's hair that morning out of her mind. The soft curves of her body as they'd laid in bed together. The sound of her voice as she begged Henry to believe she loved him. The way she looked at her heart broken before she ran for her life.

"Snow!" David came running down the hall and she looked up with a smile.

"Charming."

He picked her up and swung her around in a dramatic kiss before she could stop him. And before she could process why she wanted to stop him.

"Have you found Emma?"

"I'm here..." The voice came from behind him and he turned away from Snow to embrace his daughter, holding her nearly 30 year old body as if she was the infant he had placed in the wardrobe.

The dwarfs arrived en mass next.

And the entire reunion was cut short as they heard Dr. Whale on the hospital PA system calling everyone to go punish the Evil Queen. Henry looked in panic at his stepmother and Snow looked to David and Emma.

"We have to stop them," Snow said.

Henry nodded, "You have to help my mom..."

David glanced at Emma. "They could be walking into a slaughter if she's got her magic back..."

Snow followed numbly after her ... husband and daughter not even sure what she wanted to do except make sure Regina was safe. And people were safe from Regina. By the time they arrived at the mansion the crowd was already trampling the garden and banging on the door. But Regina wasn't answering. Somewhere David had come up with a sword and Emma had her gun drawn. They got the crowd to let them search the house.

Snow walked behind Emma and David, who were going from room to room quickly establishing that Regina wasn't there. But Snow knew that. Knew the stillness of her house. She picked up a framed picture on a sideboard. Regina with her and Henry taken for a Christmas card the year before. Everyone smiling. Regina's arms wrapped around the two of them. Protective. Happy.

But the smile didn't reach Regina's eyes.

The smile never reached Regina's eyes and Mary Margaret finally understood why.

It wasn't real.

Emma and David were discussing where to look for her. Her car was still in the driveway next to Mary Margaret's SUV. She couldn't have left town. But something else had caught her eye. She put down the picture and walked over to the answering machine. The light was blinking and she knew. She knew it was from Regina.

And she had a visceral reaction that she didn't want anyone else to hear that message with her. She slipped the tape from the answering machine.

"I'll stay here in case she comes back while you two look."

David shook her head, "It's not safe. If she comes back you and Henry..."

Emma agreed. "At least go to the Sheriff's station. She'll be less likely to show up there. David and I can find her."

Except David already looked confused. Snow was the best tracker he knew, and the fact that she didn't want to go out and look... But she could trust that he'd not say anything about it. She finally agreed and the three of them left the house to tell the crowd to go home. The Queen wasn't there but they would find her. They'd be safe.

Except no one could really be safe with the Evil Queen on the loose.

The cassette tape was heavy in her pocket. She wanted to listen to it but didn't. Would it be a final taunt. The deep throaty laugh telling her how foolish she'd been. Mocking her with the most painful truths she had learned from their marriage bed.

When she'd finally found a tape deck in the Sheriff's office she hesitated to hit play and nearly jumped when Regina's voice came from the speaker. It was soft, quiet, sad...

"Emma's down in the caves fighting to retrieve a potion to save Henry, and I'm waiting up here thinking about how the entire world is about to end and I've been trying to fight that for months and here I am pushing it along. Because it's Henry and ... Henry's all that matters right now except I wanted to explain things to you. I know you have no reason to believe me, Mary Margaret. None at all. I think if you had told me that I'd fall in love with you and marry you I'd have asked you what curse I was under for that to happen."

There was a soft, throaty laugh, and Snow sat down at one of the desks unable to stand longer. "It turns out I was under my own curse. Not the entire time we've been here. Only since Henry. I think you remember what I was like when I first adopted him. I was consumed with panic. Worry. Terrified really that I'd be a horrible mother and he would never love me. I found out that he was the Savior's son, but it was too late. I already loved him. And so I took a potion. It was supposed to make me forget my worries. But ... magic here is ... strange. Unpredictable. I didn't just forget my worries... I forgot the cause for my worries. Suddenly I was... just a small town mayor with a new son and ironically the only new mother who was sleeping more at night after I had a baby in the house than before. And there was this beautiful loving teacher who started sitting with me at Granny's to make sure I could actually eat while she held my son. And we started going on walks together and the next thing I knew I was in love and I couldn't think of anyone else in the world I wanted to share my life with."

Something made Mary Margaret simultaneously sad and angry listening to her voice. To her lies. Games. This was just another game of hers. Regina had lived a lie for years with her father and she had done it with her too.

"Those years were real to me. I miss them very much and would do anything in the world just to have them again. But... magic comes with a price. And mine was Emma Swan. When she arrived in town I remembered. And Henry was... well... I suppose it doesn't matter now. Everything I did was to try and get our family back. But now that's all gone. But I just wanted you to know. Wanted you to hear from me that no matter what you are thinking I love you very much. You are my light and everything that is warm about me and nothing about our family was ever a game to me."

The message ended and Mary Margaret sat in the dark Sheriff's office lost in thought, unsure what to believe and mad at herself for even considering the idea that Regina Mills had ever loved her.

Chapter Text

No one saw the Queen for a week.

The entire town felt like it was on edge waiting for her to reappear. Waiting for her to take her revenge. Snow and Henry temporarily moved out of the mansion. Or maybe it was more than temporary. There was a lot of reordering of living arrangements as families found each other and David let Kathryn have their home and moved into Emma's loft. They both expected her and Henry to follow but instead she'd decided to rent rooms at Granny's. She said because it felt safer to have Henry around more people. In case Regina came for him.

Because she would, Snow knew, eventually come for her son.

There was a knock on the door to the room one morning and she opened the door to find David standing there, a cup of coffee and a bag in her hand. "Blueberry muffin, I wasn't sure how you took your coffee."

There was no coffee in the Enchanted Forest. Yet another reason she privately never wanted to go back. That and corsets. "Five sugars and cream." She muttered as she stepped out of the way.

"I get the feeling you've been avoiding me."

"Things have been hectic."

"I haven't had any time alone with my wife in 28 years." He put a hand on her waist.

Which she took off, "It's complicated, David."

He looked like he'd been slapped. "You can't possibly be thinking about Regina..."

"I was married to her longer than I was married to you. Longer than I knew you."

"Snow... we're talking about the Evil Queen. And with all due respect... I was married to you first. And I'm not really prepared to share with Regina."

He went to touch her again and she backed away, shaking her head. "I ... you have to give me time David. She's still missing. The town is in chaos. My stepson... grandson... is frightened. I'm not asking you to share. I'm asking you to let me figure out who I am. Because i'm not just the woman you married I'm the woman she married too..."

David shook his head stunned. "It's the Queen..."

"Time. You have to give me time," she opened the door and "... and space."

When she closed the door she leaned her forehead against it.

"Is everything alight, Mary Margaret?" Henry came in front the other room.

"Yeah, I just have to find your mom."

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

It was two in the morning when Regina slipped her key into the lock of the mayor's office. No one had been in there except to confirm that she was not, in fact, sleeping on the couch. She took off her gloves and coat and folded it over a chair when she heard the slight cough from behind her in the corner.

"You should really change the alarm code if you are trying to avoid me."

Regina jumped a little and turned around, "Mary Margaret."

Snow stood from the chair. "Or you could actually do a better job of avoiding everyone by not actually coming into do work. Not sending memos to the Sheriff's department was a wise move, but all I had to do was call a few friends down in town maintenance to find out you authorized pothole repairs by email at 3 AM."

"The town does have to go on."

"Because the curse breaking didn't send us home." Snow said, her hands in the pocket of her coat.

"That land doesn't exist anymore." Regina said stiffly.

"Way to go Regina, destroyed an entire land in order to make me unhappy. A bit obsessed were you?"

"I don't want to fight with you, Mary Margaret," Regina said as she walked to her desk, opening her lap top.

"That's a first. In our lives." She said angrily. "So what was the game? Destroy everything I love and then when your curse broke know it'd happen again?"

"I left you a voice mail message..." Regina said quietly.

"I listened to it. I don't believe you. Why should I?" Snow got more angry.

Regina didn't react with anger back, but a pained sigh, "Because it's the truth, Mary Margaret."

Snow tilted her head, "Is it easier for you to pretend I'm someone else if you call me that?"

"What?" Regina asked.

"You know what."

Regina sat down behind the desk and looked across at her angry wife.

"Say ... my... name, Regina." Mary Margaret leaned forward across the desk, shutting the lap top and staring down at her greatest enemy.

"It doesn't matter it was the past."

"Regina so help me... if you are going to try and tell me you still love me the least you can do is say my name."

Regina sat down, a bit of anger in her eyes. "Do you think this is easy for me?"

"You aren't the victim here."

"I told you I didn't know."

"And yet you still won't say it." She shook her head. "David is right. I'm being crazy."

She turned to walk away, but before she read the door Regina was standing again. "Snow... I didn't know. If I'd known I'd never have... I'd never have allowed myself to love you."

Snow turned to look at her, and her resolve nearly faltered as she saw the look of pain in Regina's eyes. "And you know that if I knew I'd have never gone anywhere near you."

And all Regina could do was nod in acknowledgement and that was when Snow really broke.

"You should go home. I don't know where you've been staying."

"Away... so you and Henry wouldn't be hurt."

"By the mobs? They're too scared of you now that they know magic has returned."

"By me." She said quietly. "It's better if I stayed away."

Snow looked away, over at a piece of Henry's art that was hanging in a frame in the corner.

"He's not better if you stay away."

"And you..."

"You haven't been good for me since I was 10. But ... that doesn't mean I want you to disappear."

Chapter Text

"Hello Henry," Regina said from behind Henry as he waved the wooden practice sword his grandfather had given him about.

"What... what are you doing here?" He said quietly, and she tried not to wince.

"I wanted to see you... to see how you are doing." She picked up the second wooden sword and looked at it in hands. "Getting a chance to be a hero I see."

He nodded, unsure what to say.

"You should get David to teach you. He was the best swordsman in all the lands. They say he was taught by a princess from a far away country when he was still a shepherd."

"Why are you here, Mom. You ran away."

She nodded. "I did. And it was wrong. I should have stayed to try and explain myself to you, but I was afraid."

"You were afraid?" Henry asked disbelieving and that made Regina want to smile. At the idea that adults couldn't be afraid. Or perhaps that she couldn't.

"I still am." She might not have admitted that to anyone else, but this was Henry.

"Are you going to hurt my family?"

She tried not to wince.

"Mary Margaret was crying this morning."

Regina looked down.

"And Grandpa is angry at something. And Emma is lost. And you ... your ... are you really the Evil Queen?"

Regina turned the wooden sword over in her hands, pressed her lips together and tried to decide how best to answer. "That was a name that was given to me in the Enchanted Forest, by my enemies, though I did embrace it. But it was a long time ago."

He tilted his head. "Do you have magic here?"

She nodded and for a moment she thought she saw excitement in his eyes before he frowned again.

"Did you have it before... "

"Here? No. It came back to me when Mr. Gold brought the magic." Regina said with some confusion.

"So you didn't put Snow White under a spell to hurt her?"

Regina sighed in and leaned down so that she was eye to eye with him. "I did many bad things to Snow White. But I didn't make Mary Margaret fall in love with me with magic. I ... took a potion so that I could be a better mom for you. And it had a side effect."

"You forgot you were the Evil Queen... like everyone else forgot who they were."

She nodded.

"Do you ever wish you still forgot?"

"Every day," she answered honestly.

"Are you going to take me away?" He looked nervously round.

And there was the ugly question. Because she had come here to take him away. To take him back to the mansion and fight anyone who tried to take him from her. "I'd like to take you home." She answered honestly.

He backed away, and she wanted to reach out to him.

"But I'm not going to. I ... Henry... I don't know how to love very well. But I do love you. And I love Mary Margaret. And I trust her to do what is right with you until you... or she... decides that you can come home."

"Really?" He asked surprised.

She gave him a sad smile. "I know... I remember that holding on too tightly doesn't make someone love you. Would you do something for me though?"

He looked suspicious, "What?"

"Would you be your stepmother's knight protector? I ... she could use one." He nodded and she turned sword back in her hand so she was holding the wooden blade and presented the hilt to him. "Thank you my little prince."

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

It was Monday morning and the town was just starting to get back to something like normal. Snow was sitting in Granny's drinking her tea and trying to decide if a year's worth of lesson plans for 5th grade science were really appropriate now. It was probably okay. Volcano were still cool even if there weren't any back home. Dinosaurs might be another question if they ended up with any questions about dragons...

She didn't even look up when the bell on the door rang to announce someone entering the cafe, but she did when there was silence.

Standing there with all the grace and poise and dignity of a queen, and not at all like a deer in headlights as everyone stared at her. And a few people looked like they wanted to hide under tables. She locked eyes with Mary Margaret and nodded in greeting before going to the counter and ordering a cup of coffee with skim milk, her usual, to go.

She waited quietly, as if the entire room wasn't still around her, and once she paid for her coffee she gave Granny as smile and a nod to the room and left without word.

And that was the first that the people of Storybrooke saw of the Evil Queen since the curse broke.

Red came over quickly, placing a reassuring hand on Snow's shoulder, likely assuming she was afraid. "What was that about?"

"If I were to guess," Snow said after a moment, "I'd say she wanted coffee before work."

"She's just going to go back to work as if nothing changed?"

"Would you prefer she sit around plotting our doom?"

"It's Regina. I'm not sure she couldn't do that and work at the same time. In fact I'm pretty sure she could."

Snow nodded, thinking about her enemy. And her wife. And her friend. And her hero. And all the things Regina had ever been to her.

"Probably. But for now I think I'll just take she needs coffee before a budget meeting."

Chapter Text

The first sign that Regina was not going to roll over and play dead was when David and a few of the towns people, really David and five of the seven dwarfs came to the mayor's office and tried to tell her that her services were no longer needed. No one who was in the room gave the same version of events, and the quotes from the Mayor ranged from full on evil speeches of evil, to rather calm statements about how this was not the Enchanted Forest and she wasn't going to roll over for a Charming coup d'etat.

By the next morning half the town were telling stories about the Queen and the Prince. And half the town was gossiping about it the next day and Snow tried to pretend she didn't hear the whispers. The questions. Why had the Princess not gone back to the Prince already. Why was the Queen still walking free. Why hadn't they all returned back to where they were supposed to. And quieter whispers from those who had more comfortable lives expressing quiet thanks for ending up the Queen's collateral damage.

Snow tried to pretend she didn't listen to rumors. But her mother... her actual mother... had taught her not to ignore them. Palace gossip often carried with it interesting information. In this case, it was that Regina had been seen going in and out of Dr. Hopper's office. Sometimes late at night, sometimes early in the morning. There were of course people who wondered if she was up to some evil deed, but much like the coffee in the morning there were innocent explanations.

Like the fact that Regina needed someone to talk to. Just as she needed someone to talk to.

"Mary Margaret..." he said surprised as he opened the door, "Or would you prefer Your Highness."

She smiled a bit and looked down at herself. "I think Princess would be pretentious given i'm wearing galoshes. How about we stick with Mary Margaret, Archie."

He smiled, "Of course, please come in."

She stepped inside and smoothed her sweater for a moment. "Regina's been coming to see you."

He looked like he wanted to talk, but stopped himself. "I can't talk about a patient's sessions..."

"But she is coming to see you." She paused. "To talk."

"She has, as I'm sure you know, a lot of pain. And she's trying to stop using magic ..."

"For Henry," Snow nodded. "He told me. Though rumor is that she threatened David and a few others yesterday."

"Threatened yes. Actually did anything... no. And not just for Henry." Archie added carefully.

"You can't be suggesting she's trying to win me back. That was all a game."

He shook his head, "Regina is a complicated woman, but you have memories of your relationship with her. Do you really think that was a game to her?"

Snow folded her arms. "She played that game with my father, why should I think she didn't do the same to me."

"Did she though? Play it with your father. I ... You would be the only one with the personal experience to know. But I get the impression that Regina wasn't particularly good at faking being a happy queen." He hesitated, "I know when we saw her ... before your father's death we called her the Lonely Queen."

Snow sat down, "Regina was in a lot of pain back then. My father didn't know how to make her happy."

"Well the question is... was she the same way these past few years?"

"I ... thought she was happy."

Archie tilted his head. "Were you?"

"Yes." She answered immediately.

"It seem like if it was some sort of game to hurt you... it rather backfired."

Snow smiled a little and shook her head, "The problem, Archie, is that Regina's plans to hurt me so often did hurt her more."

"There is probably a good reason for that you know." He observed.

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

"Hey there." Snow said from the door to the Sheriff's office, she was holding up a bag from Granny's. "Red said you hadn't ordered dinner yet and I thought you might be up for a pastrami sandwich."

Emma smiled from behind the desk, "Are there pickles?"

"Two of them." She said with a smile and sat the bag down.

"Who am I to argue." Emma took the bag.

"I feel like I have been so wrapped up in the drama of my multiple marriages that I haven't been checking on how you are doing."

Emma gave her a smile, "Well, you are living the plot of a very weird telenovela, and your two spouses are circling each other preparing for a fight to the death over your honor..."

"Do you think it's gotten that bad," Snow asked concerned.

"Have you seen David lately? And you do know Regina right?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You have a point," and her shoulders sank.

"You still don't know what to do?"

"I know what my heart wants. But ..."

"But what? I mean I'm not really used to this ... fairy tale thing... but isn't that what you are supposed to follow."

"Well, what if what your heart wants is really dumb."

Emma put down her pickle, "Something tells me that we're not talking about a storybook reunion of Prince Charming and Snow White."

"Part of me wants that. I mean... your father and I ... we didn't really get to have much of a marriage. We were fighting a war and then we were ruling a kingdom but not for long before the Queen's curse. And I do love him. I mean we shared True Love's Kiss. That's supposed to mean something."

"And Regina is a bad idea."

"Regina is a terrible idea."

Emma laughed a little.

"What?"

"I guess I know where I get it."

"Get what?"

"Falling for all the wrong people."

Chapter Text

Emma had taken Henry to the movies that night, Tangled, which given the kind of weird few weeks Emma had had probably wouldn't have been her choice. But Henry got to choose and now she was going to have to explain that cast iron pans hurt a lot when you hit people in the head with them.

"I suppose Rapunzel lives down the street...?" Emma said as she sat down having put Henry to sleep. Mary Margaret set two glasses down on the table and found a bottle of scotch that Red had given her.

"I don't think so. And she certainly wouldn't look like she does in that movie. I met her parents once... my father wanted me to marry her brother."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Did you know her brother?"

"Danced with him once," Mary Margaret said as she poured the alcohol. "He was cute. Died in some sort of swimming accident not long after."

"That doesn't sound like the movie at all."

"Well, it's not like Disney consulted us on our biography Emma. I don't freak out when I wander into the woods and having seen his wanted posters next to mine I can assure you that Robin Hood is not a fox. Well... a fox ... but not that kind of fox."

Emma drank without comment. Mary Margaret refilled her glass.

"This is all a bit much."

"Well... yes. Though I can't imagine what you are going through." Emma commented. "Henry seems alright now that no one is looking to lynch Regina. I promised him that I'd protect her."

"That was good of you," Mary Margaret nodded. "They really were close before. I know you haven't gotten to see that. But I wouldn't worry too much. Regina has her magic and she's always been able to protect herself."

"I just... I'm not sure how interested she is in fighting, Mary Margaret..." Emma said delicately.

Mary Margaret tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"Well... I may not know her like you do, but I have been fighting with Regina for a while now and this doesn't feel like her fighting. She's going to work and that's a kind of defiance but it feels more like she doesn't know what to do with herself besides go to work. And she's provoking David but..."

Mary Margaret frowned, "But what, Emma?"

"When I was in prison some people would get really depressed. Especially mothers who had had their children taken from them. They'd get ... numb. And sometimes they pick fights with people but don't actually invest in fighting back. It's a way..." Emma stopped speaking. "They call it suicide by cop. It's a way of making someone else end their lives. That's what she reminds me of right now."

Mary Margaret shook her head, "But Regina's never been the type to just give up fighting."

"What about fighting without caring if she lived or died?"

Mary Margaret frowned and was about to shake her head, but thought about all those times during the war when she saw Regina at the end of an arrow. "Your father and I captured her once, with the fairies help. We could bind her magic for a short time and David wanted to execute her. She was a threat to the kingdom... and well.. she was. But I couldn't stop thinking about the woman I knew..." She looked at Emma, "Regina saved my life when we met. But this... this was long after that woman was gone. At least I thought. And when she was asked for her last words at the execution post she gave a ranting speech about how she regretted not causing more suffering." Mary Margaret chuckled, "How she regretted not killing me."

"You are laughing at that...?"

"I suppose you had to be me to find it funny. It was sad... it was a lot of things. It was Regina being incapable of showing weakness. But when they put on her blindfold Emma... she started to cry. And I think... she just wanted the pain to stop. And maybe I was selfish for stopping the execution. I know a lot of people in the kingdom thought I was foolish. But I couldn't let her go."

Emma nodded.

"And now I can't figure out if I'm holding onto that woman who saved my life so long ago, or this fiction that we shared these years together here as a family... or if it's just that ranting mad woman that's still trying to hurt me. And I'm hurting David because I ..."

Emma finished the sentence, "Because you want Regina to be who you want her to be."

Mary Margaret nodded.

"Because I want to choose Regina. But ... I can't trust myself to do that. Because she's played me for a fool far too many times Emma. And now... I have even less of a reason to believe her than ever before."

Emma tilted her head. "It seems to me that whatever you decided about Regina, you really need to end it with David. Because whatever it was back where you are from... you're obviously not the same person who fell in love with him."

Mary Margaret shook her head, "What kind of woman leaves Prince Charming for the woman who tormented her most of her life?"

Emma shrugged, "A human one."

Chapter Text

Regina was walking along main street with her hands in her coat pockets looking up at the stars and thinking about wishing on one. Except wishing on stars had never gone well for her, and that kind of thing didn't work here anyway where fairies were nuns and wishes weren't something they granted.

She wondered if Henry would ever get a wish granted. She hoped so.

She had stopped walking without realizing it in her stargazing, and only heard the footsteps of someone else when they were nearly on top of her.

"Hello Regina."

She turned to look surprised. "Mary Margaret."

"I was just at the house but you weren't there."

"Getting your and Henry's things?" Regina tried to ask casually.

"No... I wanted to drop this off," Mary Margaret handed her a bright red envelope. A mother's day card. Regina couldn't help but herself but open it. Inside, below the generic wishes was Henry's messy scribble saying he missed her.

"It was nice of you... to get him to write this."

Mary Margaret shook her head, "Actually he bought it on his own. Apparently with Emma when she was buying me a card."

Regina just nodded, running her fingers again over Henry's writing.

"Regina... why aren't you fighting?"

"What?"

"For your family. Why aren't you fighting? It doesn't seem like you."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Regina said stiffening a bit.

"Now that phrase is very you," Mary Margaret chuckled. "But you aren't even sniping back at me when ... even when I said those things to you."

"You had good reason to say those things."

"But they still hurt you and you said nothing."

"Maybe I deserved it," Regina said quietly.

"Maybe you did." She nodded, "But I don't want you to roll over and just take it."

Regina laughed, it was deep and throaty and Mary Margaret didn't appear to know if she should wince or smile. "That's what happened in the first days here. You wouldn't fight back and I was so annoyed."

Mary Margaret did smile at that, "Now that sounds like you."

Regina pressed her lips together. "You and Henry... you need time and space away from me. So you can get accustom to having your prince back and so that he can decide if he really wants ... if he really wants me in his life."

Mary Margaret looked away, "Henry's young. He ... he knew from the book but he didn't know. You are a complicated woman to love, Regina, but he does love you."

Regina smiled at that, and the warmth even reached her heart.

"And what if I didn't want to get used to having a prince again." Mary Margaret turned to face her directly. "What if I was in love with someone else."

Regina closed her eyes, not trusting her own ears.

"What if I told you..." Mary Margaret took her hand in hers, "That I want you to fight. I want you to fight for me."

Regina opened her eyes and found herself looking at Mary Margaret's shy little smile and mischievous eyes. Everything she'd fallen for and none of the hatred she'd felt for Snow White, "I'm not good for you Snow. David is."

"Since when have I ever done anything that was actually good for me?" She leaned in and they were in a kiss, gentle at first, tentative, but Regina's hands cupped Mary Margaret's cheeks and one of her hands found its way to Regina's hair and they kissed for what seemed like eternity under the street light in front of the ice cream shop.

Regina pulled back staring at her in wonder before pulling her back into the kiss, more aggressive this time. Possessive. Her wife. Her family. Something to fight for.

Two blocks away, having just finished his shift at the animal shelter, David Nolan stood by his truck stunned by what he was seeing.

And angry at what that witch must have done to his wife.

Chapter Text

Regina was having perhaps the first good day she'd had in weeks. Since the curse broke at least. Mary Margaret had invited her to breakfast at Granny's with Henry and they'd eaten pancakes and talked about school and at no point in the conversation did magic or the Enchanted Forest come up. She'd even reached out and touched Mary Margaret's hand and not had her wife pull it away.

"Mom, can I stay over tonight? I got the new Captain America movie..."

Regina laughed, "And you want to watch it on a bigger TV than the one in the B&B? Well, I think that's up to your stepmother." A glance over at Mary Margaret's eyes told her it would. "I'll make caramel pop corn and we can watch Cap destroy Red Skull together."

Mary Margaret asked quietly, "Is there room for one more on the couch."

"I suppose so. As long as you don't get all scared at the explosions," Regina teased.

"One of the many benefits of remembering who I am is that I do remember being a badass," Mary Margaret smiled.

"I suppose you were sort of a badass. An annoying difficult to find persistent..."

"Oh this is going to be good..." Mary Margaret folded her arms.

"Skilled warrior," Regina finished.

"Good save," Mary Margaret smiled. "And now it's time for Henry and I to get off to school. Thank you for coming to eat with us."

"Thank you for having me," her hand reached for Henry to give him a hug but he ran off towards where the bus would pick him up without pausing.

"He'll come around Regina," Mary Margaret said quietly.

"I know," Regina answered. Though the truth was she didn't. Mary Margaret gave her shoulder a squeeze and left for work herself. Regina decided to stay in the booth and finish her coffee. Regain her composure before facing the annoyed and scared people in city hall.

Ruby came over to clear the plates, and give her another long distasteful stare.

"Could I have more coffee please?"

"Of course, Madam Mayor." The waitress disappeared and came back with the pot of coffee, filled her mug and glanced over at her grandmother before sitting down.

Regina raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing with Snow?"

"Excuse me? That's a rather personal question, the answer to which is none of your business." Regina said rather coldly.

"She's my best friend and you tricked her into marrying you after destroying her life and cursing us all here. So really... what happens between you and Snow is hardly private. You destroyed our entire world because of her."

Regina had to admit the mangy werewolf wasn't wrong in that. "I didn't trick her. I didn't know who she was, or who I was, when we fell in love. Fate plays interesting games, Miss. Lucas. I've learned over the course of my life to rather assume that it is laughing at me. Which is better than other things I could assume it was doing with me."

"Are you trying to tell me that this wasn't part of your super complicated evil plan?"

"I'm not sure I'd have called it super complicated..." Regina muttered.

Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"No it was not part of a plan. And as for what I am doing with her... I'm trying to see if my marriage can be salvaged. Not that that's really any of your business."

"She's already married. I know. I was there. And so were you. Late." Ruby growled.

"Her prince is welcome to try and compete for her hand but I rather think I have qualities in my own favor."

"Like being a complete sociopath who ruined her life?"

"Like loving her." She said evenly, keeping her own temper in check. "I know what kind of monster I am, Miss. Lucas. I'd have thought you would understand that the monster and the woman are not always the same thing."

Ruby did not look convinced. "If you hurt her ... she won't be the one on the run in the woods this time."

Regina smiled widely. "A threat? Oh, no let me provide the comeback. A promise?"

"Something like that."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Miss. Lucas," Regina got up from her place leaving a couple bills on the table to pay for the meal. She leaned over and smiled, "I do know how to put down mad dogs."

She turned and left the diner, and once outside she smiled widely.

She'd forgotten how much she loved fighting.

Chapter Text

Regina had skipped the baked apples given it was the first time both Henry and Snow were going to be over the house since the incident with the turnover. Eventually there would probably be family jokes about it, but for now, she didn't want to even hear the jokes. Nearly killing Henry had been the worst thing that happened in her life save perhaps Daniel, and that was only because Daniel had died and Henry had lived. But there was caramel pop corn and hot chocolate with cinnamon, something it turns out both of them still loved. And Regina found herself admiring Peggy Carter's problem solving skills as they watched Captain America fight super villain Nazis.

"Red Skull's strategy here is far too risky. He's got all these minions he could use better."

"Says the woman who went riding after me on her own..."

"Yes, well, I was obsessed, he's supposed to be dispassionate."

"You were both crazy." Snow pointed out as she leaned against Regina and Regina tentatively put an arm around her.

"Point," she admitted with a chuckle.

Mary Margaret and she had agreed ahead of time that they wouldn't stay the night. That that this was one step at a time. But it still felt better than sitting alone at the kitchen island with a bit of fish and bottle of wine which was mostly how her evenings had gone lately. There were awkwardnesses of course. Only half of the jokes that referenced their past went down well with both of them. But they were both trying to joke, which seemed right.

They were in the middle of the finale battle on the airplane when there was a loud banging on the door and Regina recognized immediately that it was not a fist but something metal. "Stay inside," she told Mary Margaret, "And make sure he stays inside."

There had already been one lynch mob at her door since the curse broke. She didn't put it past the panicky lemmings of this town to show up again. She smoothed out her blouse and flexed her hand before opening the door.

"Mr. Nolan," she said it quietly enough that she hoped Mary Margaret and Henry didn't hear as she stepped outside.

"Where is my wife?" He demanded with a low grawl.

Regina folded her arms.

"You've cursed her, you witch."

"I have in fact cursed her a few times, Charming. But not recently. And if we're going to do this I'd prefer Your Majesty." Regina stared him directly in the eyes.

"Where is she?!" he screamed and the sword blade waved a bit from the rage coursing through his body. Behind him Regina could see Emma running through her gate and up her from walkway.

"Mr. Nolan, are you drunk?" Regina asked carefully, but she couldn't keep the mocking dismissive tone out of her voice and she was herself rather glad that she'd only had half a glass of wine tonight.

Emma tried to grab his arm but he shook her away, "She seduced my wife and destroyed my family!"

Regina was surprisingly calm, her hand twitched for a moment but no fire came yet. "I love Snow. I've probably loved her my entire life, David. I just... didn't show it very well. But you have my word that I didn't do this deliberately. Fate brought us together under the curse. And who are we to question fate?"

Regina's calmness seemed to be worse than whatever mocking he might have expected because he charged her with his sword drawn and she pushed forward in the air with her hands as if pushing against a door. He went flying backwards his sword clattering beside him.

"He's drunk, don't hurt him."

"It's not my intention. Snow would never forgive me." Regina said quietly.

"I can fight whatever you conjure," David grawled.

"I highly doubt it, Charming."

Regina casually flicked her hand up and David was in the air and there were vines from the trees on either side of the yard holding him in the air. She'd thought she had controlled her temper but there was a fireball in her hand and she was focused on him until there was a soft hand on her arm.

"It's enough Regina." Snow's voice was calm, "Emma, could you go inside and sit with Henry. He's waiting for the credits to finish for the last scene but I don't want him to come out and see this."

Emma gave her mother an 'are you sure' glance but did as she was asked. Snow walked between Regina and David, "Please put him down."

Regina grunted, clearly not happy about it but he dropped like a sack of potatoes hard to the ground.

"You could have done that gently."

"I could," Regina confirmed.

Snow shook her head and squatted down so she was at eye level.

"David... what are you doing?"

"She ... she bewitched you Snow. Can you see it?"

"Magic can't make someone love you David, because true love is the most powerful magic of all. A beautiful young woman taught me that long ago. And then she went... far away into the darkness... and I'm not sure if she's really come back but she's not the one trying to force anything right now. She's waiting for me to walk away like I'm sure she thinks I will. But you see the problem David... is I love her." She smiled a little sadly and touched his face. "And the heart wants what the heart wants."

"She... Snow this is the Queen?! The Evil Queen."

Regina winced, unable to really believe that she could be chosen once Snow remembered everything.

"She is. And if she wanted you dead you'd be dead. But you aren't because she knows I don't want that. Which I think should probably tell you all you need to know for now." She walked over and picked up his sword. "Come on. I'll drive you home."

She looked towards Regina. "Could you send Henry back with Emma?"

Regina just nodded, stunned probably even more than Charming as she watched them walk out the front gate. Unable to really process the fact.

She had been chosen.

Chapter Text

Regina had been sitting in the arm chair watching David Nolan sleep for nearly 40 minutes. He didn't drool at least. When she'd always imagined him with Snow back in the enchanted forest for some reason she'd always pictured him drooling when he slept. He was handsome. She'd never denied that. Snow had excellent taste in men as far as that was concerned. And at least he didn't snore. When he turned over and started to wake she smiled, "Morning Charming."

He jumped awake at the sound of her voice and reached for what she presumed was his sword. But Mary Margaret had put it away and not left a giant sharp thing next to the sleeping drunk. "What the hell are you doing in my house?"

"What the hell were you doing banging on my front door last night while my son was there?" She countered. "I made coffee. Go drink some. You'll want to be awake for this chat."

"Get out of my house."

"No. You've felt it was your right to push your way into people's homes like a brute for years. Today we're experimenting in reversing the situation." She crossed her legs. "What happened last night will never repeat itself. You will not ever bring violence into my home while my family is there."

"It's my family," he got up from the bed and tried to look powerful by standing tall and straight. Snow definitely had good taste.

"Yes, that's the funny thing about family. They can be related to more than one person at once." Regina smiled and stood up, walking across the room towards him. "My wife is fond of you. That has gotten you a lot of leeway from me. But my patience is not infinite shepherd. And if you threaten me again you'll find out exactly what happens when it runs out."

She could see his anger growing and part of her was glad. Part of her wanted the beast to come out of him. Wanted to show him who he really was. "You've bewitched, Snow. She would never be with you otherwise."

"Really?" Regina laughed. "Are you really about to argue that Snow White has not been obsessed with me? Because I've known her a lot longer than you have. We've been obsessed with each other for a longer than you've been wearing fine clothes and not smelled like manure."

He rolled his eyes. "Not all of us can be murdering despots."

"Oh, but you can try." She smiled. "You are not incompetent at playing a prince, Charming, but actually being one is a very different thing. You know even Snow knows that."

"Get out."

"Not until we're clear with each other that my family is off limits." She took a step even closer. "Mary Margaret gets to decide things for herself. I don't get to force her choice and you don't get to force her choice."

"Says the woman who stolen my grandson so she could do god knows what with him and tricked my wife into her bed."

"Henry is my son." She said with a low and dangerous voice. "Emma gave him up and you are treading on dangerous ground, Charming. I would be careful."

"I'd rather do anything but what you'd do you evil little witch." He looked down at her. "Whatever you have done to Snow she'll figure out. And whatever you are doing with Henry didn't stop Emma from breaking your curse."

Her hand pushed through his chest with lightening speed and she was gratified to watch as his face contorted in pain as she grabbed hold of his heart. But she didn't yank it out just yet. She wanted to so make sure he had time to feel every bit of the agony, and to see her smile. "So convinced of your righteousness are we? So convinced that you are the good one that you storm around town with a sword and pout because life for once isn't working out in your favor? Because jealousy and rage are definitely marks of a pure heart. Shall we see?"

She pulled her hand out of his chest, fingers still wrapped tightly around his heart. He grabbed his to his chest like they always do, expecting the hole that isn't there and she slowly walked away from him examining the heart until she found exactly what she was looking for. Most people had some. And this was actually quite a bit more than she expected.

"What were you doing with those goats down on that farm, David, because that's quite a large dark spot."

She showed it to him even as she was sure to squeeze just a little.

"What have you done?"

"I haven't done anything. You can't darken someone else's heart. They have to do it." She pointed at him as he shook his head. "No one is perfect, Mr. Nolan. No one can pretend they are when faced with the proof." She held his heart up to his face.

"Are ... you going to kill me?"

"I should have when I had the chance." She said with a shake of the head, but shoved the heart back into him with no gentleness. "But I think for the moment I'll just be satisfied with making my point. Keep your pointy sticks to yourself and let Mary Margaret follow her heart. If it's back to you it's back to you. If it's not, find love again."

"The Evil Queen is going to lecture me on love?"

"Believe it or not, I do know a few things about the subject," She paused and her voice softened a little. "And what loosing it can do to someone. Do yourself a favor, David. Try to find something besides anger to hold onto."

Regina picked up her coat and headed out the door. Her point made. And as she was driving away she did not see Emma and Mary Margaret walking up to the apartment building with grocery bags in their hands.

Chapter Text

Regina had gone to watch Henry play soccer that afternoon. She sat some distance away from the Charming family group, which did include David but with Emma sitting between him and Snow. Very few people were willing to approach the former Queen. Too many remembered the terror that her mere presence could illicit to want to risk it. And even fewer wanted to be between the royals now as the Queen and the Prince seemed to be in open competition for the heart of the Princess.

"This seat taken?"

Regina looked up to see Kathryn Nolan standing beside her with a cup of coffee in her hand.

"It's a free country," Regina replied, unsure how this encounter could go anything but bad. After all Regina had betrayed a friendship.

"So," Kathryn said nonchalantly, "You had me kidnapped in order to frame my not actual husband for murder so that he couldn't break up your family with his actual wife?"

"When you put it that way it does sound bad," Regina acknowledged.

Kathryn smiled, "When you said you'd never had many friends you really meant it didn't you Regina?"

She turned surprised. "You aren't mad?"

"Oh, I'm not thrilled about being abducted and used. But... I grew up in my father's court with tales of the Great and Terrible Evil Queen. I think I'll take it as a win that I'm not dead and that I found Jim." She nodded down to the field. "Your son's soccer couch is my husband."

"Are you sure you want to be that forgiving? I thought I had killed you." Regina said carefully.

Kathryn tilted her head, "You are a funny woman, Regina. You could have not told me that."

Regina shrugged. "I've had 28 years of hiding who I am."

"Or a lifetime?" She nodded over to Snow. "How is she taking it?"

"She's giving me a chance I probably don't deserve, but I'm not about to say no to."

"You know people aren't going to react well to that. David's well liked."

Regina rolled her eyes. "How in the world did your father not notice he wasn't a real prince?"

Kathryn shrugged, "Father was a smart man who didn't see a lot of things that were right in front of him."

Regina shrugged but agreed. "And women being married weren't exactly part of our culture back home. I take it everyone assumes I have her bewitched?"

"No one knows what to believe. You and Snow... were always difficult to understand. In some ways I don't think a lot of people are shocked."

"Are you?" Regina asked quietly.

Kathryn watched the game. "I watched my True Love be turned to gold saving my father's life, but suspecting that my father had set it up that way so that he could expand his power. He spared me no time to grieve while he arranged for young men to compete to see who was worthy of my hand and his games cost a dozen men their lives before David succeeded. He did it because he loved me I'm sure he'd say. But that doesn't mean I can't imagine what kind of ... monster I might have turned into had I not been able to escape it. The heart wants what the heart wants. I've already imagined myself as you. I think I'll refrain from joining the queue of people casting judgment. Besides I'm going to have fun when Spenser decides to open his mouth."

Regina twitched her mouth into a smile, "I see, have I offended his sensibilities?"

"I don't know if he has decided yet to be offended or to celebrate you humiliating David. He's conflicted."

Regina chuckled, "I'm conflicted too." She glanced over at Snow.

"Part of you still hates her."

"And I'm deeply ashamed of it."

"That's probably a good sign that the pain will fade."

"Perhaps."

If I win.

After the game was over Regina went down to the field to congratulate Henry on a particularly good tackle, and took a little pleasure seeing David shift nervously when she looked at him. Snow glanced between the two and part of Regina worried.

That was the look her wife got when she wanted to figure something out.

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

Regina was working late, mostly because she didn't want to go back to an empty house yet. There was a takeout kale salad on the desk, untouched, and a bottle of scotch (open) next to the tumbler with ice beside it. She promised herself she'd finish the school budget before drinking much more or she might mandate something silly or vindictive while drunk.

There was a knock on the door and she looked up to see Mary Margaret entering. She smiled, "Hey beautiful."

"Regina." Mary Margaret said coldly.

"Oh, the pouty self righteous face. It's going to be one of those conversations." Regina put her fountain pen down.

"I'm not pouty. I'm annoyed." She folded her arms. "Regina, I will believe whatever you say. Did you rip David's heart out?"

"I put it back," She said with a shrug and got up from her desk. "Would you like a drink?"

"No I would not like a drink. I would like an explanation? You ... why... I told him I loved you."

"And he came to my house threatening me with Henry there and I couldn't permit him to think that was acceptable behavior."

"Ripping out hearts is not acceptable behavior, Regina! You told me you were trying to be better."

"You also told me to fight for you. This is me, Mary Margaret. This is how I fight."

Snow shook her head.

Regina raised an eyebrow, "Ah the notorious Snow White. I was wondering when she'd show up."

"Apparently when my wife decided to lose her mind!"

Regina shook her head this time. "You choose me but did you really choose me?" Her hand moved in a graceful way to produce a fireball. "Because this is me." And she snuffed it out. Then, with deliberation she reached into her own chest.

Snow winced, "Regina what are you doing?"

"Showing you who I am," she pulled her heart from her chest and held it out to Mary Margaret. "This is me. This is who I am, Snow. I'm a woman who chooses anger and the darkness sometimes."

Snow had never seen an enchanted heart, but she knew enough to know they weren't supposed to look like that, with veins of darkness and pulsing light as if it was battling to show through. She reached out and took the heart, terrified just to hold it.

"Is it... is it always this dark?"

Regina shrugged. "Once you darken your heart, it only gets worse. I would know."

Snow shook her head. "No."

Regina laughed, "No?"

"No. It doesn't only get worse." Snow said clearly and handed her back her heart. "I don't need to see your heart Regina, to know you've gotten better. And to know... that the darkness ..."

She stopped talking.

"If I took your heart from your chest, Snow, would I find a spot like I saw on David's? That's what you are really worried about isn't it? That I'd know that?"

"How... how did you guess?"

Regina replaced her heart and breathed in. "You were inseparable. I couldn't imagine that there had been something dark enough to cause a spot on his heart that you wouldn't have done together." She walked towards her wife.

"You aren't going to ask?"

"Nope."

"You don't want to know?"

"I don't need to know if you don't want to tell me. Do you need to know every bad thing I ever did?"

"I know most of them," Snow answered.

"And yet you are here," Regina said with a smile and a little shake of the head. "That's what I don't understand."

Snow breathed in a bit. "Perhaps... " She closed her eyes, "Perhaps I like the idea of a little darkness because it makes me think I'm not such a terrible person."

Regina laughed, and Snow looked horrified.

"I don't mean it the way that sounded. I mean. I like the darkness. It makes me feel like. Like I don't have to pretend I'm all good."

Regina smiled and tilted her head, "It's the pretending that eats you up, Mary Margaret." She touched her hair and leaned her forehead against hers.

"But... maybe you could try not to rip my friends hearts out anymore?" She said hopefully.

"I'll think about it."

Chapter Text

Henry seemed to be happy that morning. Emma had joined them for breakfast and the four of them had managed awkward conversation about soccer games and the weather and just about anything that wasn't fairy tales or how Emma was now her nemesis' daughter in law as well as her son's other mother. The conflicts of the past year though, were still raw and Mary Margaret had had to kick her wife under the table once or twice to stop a sharp barb from escalating into a full scale snark filled exchange of insults.

After breakfast Emma took Henry off to school and Snow gave Regina a kiss goodbye for the day. She still hadn't moved back home, and Regina had started to ask when she might, now more sure of her own position. But despite some reconciliation, Mary Margaret was not yet ready and Henry was certainly not. So she had to be satisfied with breakfast each morning with them at Granny's. David came in not long after Emma left, giving Regina's table a wide birth and not meeting her eyes.

The Queen smiled, glad to see that her little corrective had broken the shepherd's arrogance.

And perhaps it was that smile that drew Ruby's attention behind the counter. For when Regina came out of the bathroom in the hallway between the B&B and the diner the waitress stood waiting, her arms folded.

"Snow told me what you did to David."

"Well, lovely, the guard dog wants to scare me," Regina said with an eye roll. "This is none of your business."

"Oh but I'm making it my business because Snow is in love and she doesn't always make the wisest of choices when she's in love. Like meeting her insane and homicidal stepmother for a parlay in order to save her true love?"

Regina folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Mary Margaret is following her heart. David and I have come to an understanding that she will get to make her choices."

"After you pulled out his heart."

"And put it back."

This time it was Ruby's turn to roll her eyes. "Regina, Snow loves you for whatever reason. I have no question in my mind of that. But loving a monster is a dangerous thing. I know that too. I know what being a monster is like."

"Is this where you act like you understand me on a deep level because once a month you have a deep desire to eat your own poo and sniff people's asses?"

Ruby shook her head, "For whatever reason Snow loves you. And because Snow loves so deeply she can't see the faults in those she loves. Which was bad enough sometimes when it was David, but with you? You are a monster and you'll just keep being a monster because you'll say all the right things to her when she challenges you to make her melt back into your arms."

Regina laughed and shook her head.

Ruby stepped towards her again, a fierceness in her eyes. "I know what you will always be. A killer. Fine. So am I. But someone like Snow will be destroyed by loving someone like you. Because you'll just keep hurting people and she'll just keep forgiving you and a little bit of her will die every time."

Regina actually snarled, and her hand few up and Ruby was pushed against the wall, grabbing her hands to her neck as the air was being choked out of her, "I know who I am. And I won't have a mangy dog pushing her nose into my marriage..."

"Regina!" Snow's voice cut through her rage and she turned to see her, dropping Ruby immediately.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was suppose to meet Ruby to go shopping after breakfast..."

Regina glanced over at the waitress who was smiling and Regina realized that she'd walked right into a trap. "This isn't what it looks like, Mary Margaret."

"You aren't trying to terrorize my friends?"

"She was provoking me..."

"Like David was? This entire town hates you, if you can't hold your temper so you aren't trying to kill someone after every perceived insult..." Mary Margaret reached out to Ruby and quietly asked if she was okay. "Regina, you can stay away from me, Henry, and my friends if you think you can just resume being the Evil Queen and terrorizing the town. I'm not going to stand by your side while you do that."

Regina stood numbly in the hallway as her wife helped her best friend walk away.

Chapter Text

Snow sat on a bench looking out at the pond, a bag of bird seed next to her which she tossed unenthusiastically at a group gathered a few feet away.

"You must be poor company right now if the birds aren't even gathering at your feet," David said as he approached.

"I asked them to keep their distance," she answered with a rough voice, unable to hide that she had been crying.

"May I sit? I heard what happened with Red and Regina." He gestured to the other end of the bench. "I wanted to see if you were alright."

"I... I'm not alright," was all she could manage.

He reached over and squeezed her shoulder, "I can't pretend I think you made the right choice by wanting to stay with Regina... but it's really not my call. Or anyone else's. But the two of you are going to have to accept that it's going to be harder now that people remember who she is, and who you are."

"And that we both remember." She nodded. "David, the look of fury in her eyes..."

"Is Regina," David responded. "If you love her you are going to have to help her deal with that rage. Because you are right. She can't go around attacking people just because they insult her. You two are going to be insulted until people come to accept it. And that may be a very long time."

"You are being awfully understanding about this." Snow said confused.

"Maybe," he tilted his head, "I realized that I wanted to keep my best friend even if I didn't get to keep my wife."

She smiled at that, "I'd like that."

He gave her a smile, "You realize Ruby almost certainly set Regina up."

She nodded. "Ruby hasn't been happy with me since I wouldn't move back in with you. But... David... I I'm not sure I'm strong enough to be by Regina's side. She needs someone to be strong for her. To help her understand she doesn't need to be the Evil Queen anymore. I don't think she wants to be. I'm not sure she ever wanted to be that woman. But when I tried to talk to her about what ... what she did with you... I just remembered why I was in love with her more."

David shrugged, "That was not an encounter I enjoyed, or want to repeat, or want her repeating with anyone else, but I ... think she was trying to be reasonable."

"By ripping out your heart?"

"It didn't start that way. I just said something dumb because I was so angry at her."

"She didn't know when we fell in love."

"Of course she didn't," David laughed. "Regina has been many things to you but making herself vulnerable wasn't her style. I realized it immediately I was just... not very good at loosing. After all, true love is supposed to last forever."

Snow smiled a little, "Maybe true love does last forever. Just not marriages." She reached over and squeezed his hand, "It seems to me you are doing something right now that qualifies as much as a curse breaking kiss."

David smiled, "I'd like to think so."

"David... I don't know what to do about Regina."

"Show her that she doesn't have to afraid of losing everything."

"That's what you think is happening?" Snow asked confused.

"It's how I felt when I was picking up my sword."

"But ... I don't understand... I told her I choose her."

"Do you think she believed it?" Snow sat stunned and David smiled, "I think that is your answer."

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

There was a quiet knock on the door to the mayor's office. It was late, though she'd abandoned work hours ago and was sitting on one of the couch facing a fireplace, a tumbler of scotch in her hand contemplating if she'd destroyed yet another thing she loved. She didn't answer, but heard the door open quietly.

"I'm not in the mood for a fight."

"Well that's good," Mary Margaret said behind her.

"Or a lecture."

"Good thing I'm not here to give one of those either," she said as she trailed a hand long Regina's back as she rounded the sofa to sit down next to her.

"What did the dog tell you?"

"Ruby confessed that she provoked you," Snow put an emphasis on her friends name. "And I came to apologize."

Regina shook her head, "You haven't done anything that you need to apologize for."

"Yes... yes I have." She took hold of Regina's hand. "I've been letting you fight for our family alone. I should have been helping you so you didn't feel like you had to fight."

"Mary Margaret, you'd be better off with David." She finally confessed what she'd known since Emma walked through their gates with Henry.

"Why would that be the case, when I am in love with you?" She smiled and touched Regina's face. "I'm in love with all of you. The woman I got to know at Granny's with a young son she desperately wanted to be a good mother to, and the woman who saved me on a horse when I was a child."

"And the woman who spent so much time trying to kill you?"

"I never stopped loving her. I just ... didn't expect to love her the way I do now. But I'm not about to stop loving her." She touched her face. "Regina you don't have to fight alone. This is going to be harder than the first time, but you know what? I'm a scrappy fighter, and you..." She looked deep into Regina's dark eyes as they began to tear up, "You need someone to fight for you as much as I needed you to fight for me."

The kiss that came was not a surprise, as their lips met and all of the weight of the world seem to fall away, and the queen melted as she broke the kiss to lay her head against her wife's chest and cry. Snow White said nothing else but just let her cry, gently stroking her hair.

Chapter Text

The blow up with Henry had happened at another morning breakfast. He'd been obstinate for most of the meal, not wanting to look at Regina or even acknowledge her presence. Mary Margaret had explained to him the night before that she had decided to reconcile with Regina, and that no, the fairy tale ending wouldn't be for her and David.

Mary Margaret had tried to talk to him more but he'd run off to bed in a huff, and Emma had called about an hour later to tell her that he'd crawled out the window and made his way to her apartment. He'd only agreed to come along to breakfast the next morning if Emma sat at the counter. And now he was glaring at Regina after pretending she wasn't there didn't work.

The release of pressure came when Regina tried to ask about a science project.

"Your still the Evil Queen! You keep hurting people and how ..." He shook his head, "You're Snow White!? How can you just let her?"

He ran out of the dinner and Regina glanced over at Emma and in a rare moment of agreement they both went after him.

He was standing by one of the trees the school children kept birdhouses in. "Henry... please talk to me. I don't understand what's going on."

Regina put her hands up and Emma stayed back, enough to let Henry see her but not to interfere. "I heard what you did to grandpa!" He shook his, "I heard Mary Margaret and him talking about it. You ripped out his heart!? You told me you were going to do better."

Regina glanced back at Emma, and then back at him. "I ... did something wrong and I hurt David because I was angry. I... shouldn't have done that."

"You keep saying you shouldn't do them and then you do."

Regina pressed her lips together and tilted her head, "I'm not very good at this Henry. Fighting without hurting people. But I want to fight for our family. And sometimes I'm going to make mistakes. I was hoping that once you moved back home we could work on it together."

Henry backed up and shook his head. "No one is going to want to be near me. No one will come over. You lied to me and you get everything?"

Regina's hand was left hanging in the air where she had been reaching for him.

"I... I'm sorry Henry. I've made a lot of mistakes because I love you and your stepmother... and I'm not very good t that."

"At what?" Henry asked

"At loving people. I've ... I've wanted it for so long but I'm not very good at it. I don't know how to love very well and I'll need a lot of help in doing it right. But I do remember what it was like to fear my mother and I don't want you to ever fear me." She glanced over at Emma, "I think maybe it would be best if you stayed with the Sheriff for a while. Until you can trust me again."

"Really?" She reached out and touched his hand for a fleeting moment.

"Yes, really. And when you come home you can come home because you want to be there. Not because I forced you."

She glanced over at Emma, who gave her what she was sure the other woman thought was a reassuring smile.

Henry nodded, but when she reached for him he shook his head. "No hugs for now."

She nodded, keeping a strong face. "You should get your bag for school. You'll miss the bus."

Once he was gone she stood up, her jaw clenched and a tear rolling down her cheek. She walked over to Emma, "I'll email you a list of the house rules. You obviously are going to do what you want, but please consider them at least." She finally looked at her, "And do remember he is my son and if your experiment in trying to be a responsible adult gets him hurt I will hunt you down and rip out your heart."

"That's almost sweet Regina," Emma said with a smile.

Chapter Text

"You aren't celebrating." David said as he approached Regina who had found a quiet corner of the small fairground that the newly minted Harvest Festival was being held. It was a curse breaking party for the town, but no one wanted to antagonize the Queen that much. Of course, not actually calling it a victory celebration meant they couldn't avoid inviting the mayor.

She almost declined claiming she had to deal with an infestation of rock trolls across town. Sure they just looked like a field of rocks, but it was better safe than sorry. But Snow had asked, so she'd come, and Henry had even played some carnival games with her and she could almost pretend it was normal.

And not a party celebrating her defeat. "I rather think that dancing at my own wake."

"You aren't dead and dancing at your wake sounds like a really good revenge. And isn't that your thing?" David said as he sat down.

She turned to face him with a raised eyebrow. "That was almost a decent comeback."

"Well that was almost a decent compliment, Your Majesty."

His use of the title was dripping with sarcasm, which she decided to ignore in favor of finding just the right moment to make a joke about sheep later. "I heard you told Snow you wanted to be her friend."

"I do."

"That's very big of you."

"Oh, not that big, Regina. I know you'll screw up sooner rather than later and someone has to be there to catch her when drop her."

"Charming," Regina drawled.

"So what is your game. I know, you say you didn't know when you married her. I mean what is your game now?"

"I'm not playing one."

"Sure you are, you are a power crazed tyrant with anger problems and a town full of people who loath you."

Regina looked away from him towards the rest of the festival.

"Never much wanted power," she said quietly with a shrug and David raised an eyebrow. "And the only people whose opinion I care about are my son and my wife. The rest of you can go to hell as long as you pay taxes and obey the traffic laws."

"People make the work of governing so much harder."

"They do. It explains why the fairies kept the dwarfs in line." He raised an eyebrow and she returned with one of her own. "Yeah, ask your friends about their lives. Might enlighten you."

"So an enlightened murderous despot."

"I had a lot of free time."

"She deserves better than you," Charming said finally.

"A subject on which we agree," Regina said with a shrug. "And maybe you are right. Maybe she'll come to her senses. Maybe she'll figure out that I'm not the woman she married. But for now... it's really not my job to tell her she shouldn't be around me."

"It's the job of her friends."

"And you and Miss. Lucas have done a wonderful job of driving her to my arms." Regina smiled. "Thanks for that."

"I don't understand how you managed to turn that to your advantage," he admitted. "You didn't come to my place to take my heart."

"I didn't. You pissed me off and I had a moment of ... poor judgment."

"Raging stupidity?"

"A queen is never stupid. She exercises poor judgment to which her subjects appropriately accept fault."

"I'm rather glad to have missed that part of royal schooling."

"You make a better pretend prince for not learning at your fake daddies knee."

"Are all royals jackasses?"

"You were married to Snow. But as someone who was married to a king, I can think of very few people I despise more than monachs."

He frowned. "If you abuse her..."

"You'll what? Come after me? I think we demonstrated how effective that threat is."

"It won't stop me from trying Regina."

Regina smiled. "Who knows, Charming, if I hurt her I might let you cut off my head. I make no excuses for the fact that I'm a terrible person, David. I am. And I don't know if I can really be better. My heart is very dark. But I do love her and I do love Henry and I'm prepared to try to be better for the both of them. Would you rather I not try?"

David sighed, "I believe you want to be good for them. I just doubt your capacity to change."

She chuckled. "That's two of us. I once told Emma that people don't change, they just fool themselves into thinking they can."

"You are more thoughtful than I expected from..."

"A monster?"

He nodded.

"Perhaps that's what your ex-wife sees in me." She stood up, smoothing her skirt. "And perhaps why she has chosen the thoughtful monster over the unthinking hero. But let's settle something between us, David. If I do fail her and she needs to be caught... you better catch her."

Because her safety and happiness matter more than mine. Regina left him where he was seated and found Mary Margaret in the crowd, leaning in and whispering in her ear. "Are we done for the evening."

"Not until you dance with me." She nodded to the dance floor that had been set up."

"No."

"Yes."

"I'm going to dance with my beautiful wife in front of the entire town," she pulled her by the arm onto the dance floor. "And you are going to show them all what a fabulous dancer you actually are."

She shook her head. Regina was in fact a great dancer. Dance was one of the things Mother made sure she knew how to do properly. A skill she'd tried to use to please the King back when she was still trying to please the old bastard. And apparently a skill Snow was not prepared to let her forget.

"Not to this music."

Regina pointed to the speaker playing a fast bit from this world, and flicked a finger and suddenly it was playing a proper dance piece. A few of the other dancers looked over in surprise but many of them transitioned to dancing to the new music. Regina bowed like a lady and Snow returned the bow and she took her hand and started to move with the twirls and spins of the music.

"It works much better with twirly skirts," Snow said with a laugh.

"Careful, a wave of my hand and you can have the skirts and the corset." Regina mock threatened.

"No thank you, I prefer living in the Land without Corsets."

Regina grinned, but also noticed that the crowd on the dance floor had thinned as the townsfolk watched their princess dancing with the evil queen. "People are watching."

"I wanted them to watch us." Snow said with a bit of a grin before she stopped dancing and pulled Regina into a passionate kiss, full of possession and sexuality as their tongues touched and Snow held the back of Regina's head.

Regina could hear the crowd gasp, and she didn't care.

When the kiss broke Snow smiled at her radiantly, "I love you Regina."

"I know." She answered with a small smile that finally reached her eyes.

Chapter Text

They couldn't have been more public at the festival, and Regina had been correct, quite a number of people Snow had considered her friends felt the need to inform her of just what a fool she was making of herself. And yes, some of it was not just because Regina was the Evil Queen, but because she was leaving a handsome man for a woman. The town didn't suddenly go from a bastion of tolerance under the curse to someplace being in a same sex marriage was considered horrible, but there were many things about their world did seep through. Like that princesses should be married to princes not queens.

No one was stupid enough to make such comments to Regina and Snow supposed that was going to be the nature of things to come. She'd have to be protective of Regina and Regina of her. But either way it was a good way of seeing which people were really her friends.

And on the day she was moving back home, all seven dwarfs, and ruby, showed up to help her carry things.

"I didn't tell anyone..."

"It's a small town sister," Grumpy said, "And do you really think you needed to announce this?"

She shrugged and laughed. It was true. Rumors about her marriage... marriages... did one have to get a divorce for an enchanted forest marriage? Was her marriage to Regina still valid? That was a question for another day she guessed... rumors of her marriage were likely to be town gossip for a while.

Red put her hand on her arm after they'd finished clearing everything out of her room at the B&B. "Maybe I was wrong for pushing. I just... know a thing or two about monsters. And I wanted to protect you."

Snow smiled, "Monsters never frightened me."

Ruby shook her head, "Your virtues and your faults can be the same thing, my friend. If you ever find yourself needing to talk about your monster... "

"I know who to come to," Snow put a hand on her arm. "Come on, we should get going before the dwarfs find themselves alone with Regina."

Alone didn't happen that night. Because somehow there was a party. A really weird and sometimes awkward party where Regina did her best to play host and everyone did their best not to be freaked out when she offered them baked goods or booze. But a few hours in, and after some of the more casual friends who had shown up had left, Mary Margaret looked around her living room, full of people laughing and smiled up at Regina, who was leaning against the back of the chair Mary Margaret was sitting in. She reached up to touch her hand.

"We've never had a party before."

"Well... we were basically repeating the same day over and over in a curse, that limits venues for socializing," Regina said with a smile.

"It's nice to have the house filled with laughter."

Regina smiled. "It's nice to have someone who brings the laughter."

Regina leaned down and kissed her, "Thank you for coming home."

"Always."