Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“His therapy has been going so well, Graham! How could he just run away like this?”

“Kids are irrational, Regina, they make poor decisions just because they don’t know better. Now, is there anywhere else you could think he might’ve gone?”

The Mayor and Sheriff were seated in the den off the foyer, where the latter had been trying unsuccessfully to calm down the former for the last 14 hours. Regina had gotten a call only 45 minutes after dropping Henry off at school that he was nowhere in the building, and immediately she had started panicking. She’d called Graham in a tearful frenzy, demanding he start canvassing the entire town and shutting down every road until he was found. When he arrived at her office and found her crying behind her desk, he assured her that he’d turn Storybrooke upside down until he was found, but that closing the roads wouldn’t do much good if he was on foot. Miraculously, he didn’t get a paperweight thrown at his head, rather a small nod and demand to start looking. She was too scared to bite back against his sarcasm, her worry for her son the only thing on her mind. After collecting herself, Regina started calling every business in town, asking if they’d seen him and was met with a resounding no from everyone. She’d even contacted Archie, asking if Henry had shown any signs of runaway behavior before. Archie denied such behavior, insisting that he was at a very stable point in their sessions. 

After reaching a dead end with Granny, Regina took a moment to try and think about what could’ve possibly pushed Henry away. Sure, things had been tense after he found out he was adopted (damn her for implementing advanced biology for fifth graders to boost the curriculum), but she’d been working her hardest to make sure he adjusted properly. She’d started him in therapy with Dr. Hopper, spent more time at home and even started catching up on his favorite comics to try and keep their connection strong. But it seemed the harder she tried, the more he slipped away. Just a few days before she’d gotten him a new lunchbox, an early Halloween treat…it hit her then that it was October 22nd. The anniversary of the curse, but how many years had it been? Nearly three decades had passed since it was cast, but aside from the boy and his father all those years ago nothing out of line had happened in the sleepy town. For an instant she wondered if Gold had anything to do with Henry’s disappearance, if somehow Henry had figured out the curse and went searching for the mythical Savior to break everything she’d built these last few years. It would be fitting, she supposed, for her revenge to be ruined and the catalyst to be her father’s namesake. But she pushed that fear aside, and went on with calling the town. 

The whole day was spent like that, reaching out to everyone she could think of and crying between phone calls. Graham had returned after a couple hours with no sight of Henry, and managed to convince her to head back to Mifflin Street to try and find anything in his room. Of course there was nothing, and as the sun went down Regina’s worry only grew. They’d been in the den for a few hours now, generally shouting at each other through their strife. The only thing that calmed her mind was the rain stopping just before sundown, but with how cold Maine could get at night she worried he could freeze. 

Until she heard a car door shut outside. A woman’s voice carried after, and Regina stared at Graham while struggling to decipher what she could be saying. It certainly didn’t sound like any of the women in town, but at the sound a familiar boyish mumble Regina started for the door, nearly slipping on the stairs as she ripped it open. And there, safe on her walkway, was her son, with the woman she’d heard moments ago standing next to him. He looked the same as he had that morning when Regina had taken him to school, aside from the gleam of agitation on his face, but Regina didn’t care, just shouted his name from the doorway and ran to embrace him. 

“Oh, Henry, are you okay? Where have you been?” She asked as she pulled back, resting her hands on his shoulders as she looked him over. Feeling unfamiliar eyes on her, Regina glanced up at the stranger next to Henry. “What happened?” Her voice was gentle, twinged with confusion and when Henry ripped himself away from her hold, Regina flinched, straightening her spine. She had a feeling that whatever Henry said would be like crushing her heart, but she hadn’t expected to feel the cruelty he spit at her in five short words. 

“I found my real mom! ”

Ice shot through her veins, paralyzing her as Henry pushed past and ran into the mansion. His angry footsteps trailed behind her, though it was as if she’d suddenly been submerged underwater, the sounds muffled. For a moment she just stared at the ground, unable to move or think as Henry’s words echoed through her head. In a daze, she turned to the woman, facing her properly for the first time that night. She was met with large green eyes blinking back at her in bewilderment

“You’re Henry’s birth mother?” Regina could feel her throat tighten as she spoke, forced the tears threatening to spill over to stay welled in her eyes. She stared at the woman incredulously, still struggling to comprehend the situation at hand. The stranger, clearly as uncomfortable as she looked, mustered up a shrug and crooked smile. 

“Hi.” Her voice was light, overcompensating in its eagerness and Regina just stared, taking her in like a stray cat inspecting a mouse before dinner. One of the first things she’d taken notice of was her garishly red leather jacket, a sharp contrast to the bouncy golden curls lying over her shoulders. Graham said something behind her, catching the blonde’s attention while she turned her head just enough for the sharpness of her jawline to catch the light from the porch. Green eyes skirted past Regina’s intense gaze while the man made his way inside, and before they made eye contact again Regina had transformed herself from worried mother to Madame Mayor, ready to put on her best face if it meant getting this woman out of her town. She felt her thumb rubbing against her knuckles from the hand at her side, her heartbeat pounding in her ears when she finally replied. 

“How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you’ve ever tasted?” Regina said, voice lowered from the troubled tone she carried earlier. Her head tipped to the side, waiting with bated breath for an answer. She saw the woman’s shoulders lower with an exhale, and when she replied in a grittier, more exasperated manner than her response earlier Regina knew that she’d cracked the facade, but also had a feeling that getting this stranger out of Storybrooke may prove more difficult than she anticipated. 

“Got anything stronger?”

So Regina guided the woman inside, motioning to the wide open door behind her and trailing behind when they entered. Her newfound guest looked terribly out of place in the monochrome of her home, all colors and soft edges fighting against bright, sharp corners. It was strange, having someone new in her home, and the tension from outside followed them to buzz between them in an awkward silence. It was then that Regina thought she should probably introduce herself to this woman, find out as much about her as she could before she left. “I suppose a proper introduction is in order,” she reached a perfectly manicured hand out, fingers flexing slightly as she continued, “I’m Regina Mills.”

The woman brought her hand up, gripped Regina’s with a startling strength and shook firmly. “Emma Swan.” Emma Swan. The name stung in the back of her mind, filling her with a déjà-vu like sense of dread despite this being its debut. She was startled by the softness of Emma’s hand as it held her own, and quickly pulled it away, using it to smooth down her dress. 

“Let me just go grab some glasses,” Regina said, turning swiftly on her heel and marching to the kitchen before Emma could reply. She heard a surprised gasp from behind her, the beginning of a sentence almost said and a few steps forward that stopped once the blonde must’ve realized Regina wasn’t stopping. Once she got to the kitchen, Regina took a moment to collect herself, start processing and compartmentalizing the information that had been thrown at her. That woman, Emma Swan , was Henry’s birth mother. So long as she was in town, she was a threat. She decided to entertain her with a drink and small talk for a little while before sending the woman back to wherever she lived, never to hear from her again. It was a closed adoption for a reason , she told herself as she reached into the cabinet, grabbing two rocks glasses; as she closed the door, she wiped at her eyes to clear the fallen mascara and fluffed her hair in the reflection of the cabinet. 

Regina re-entered the foyer with both glasses in one hand, and as she made her way to the bar cart for the cider Emma spoke up. “How’d he find me?” Without turning her focus from the drinks, Regina replied, scooping ice into the glasses as she spoke. 

“No idea,” she admitted. “When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. The records were sealed.” She paused for a breath as she continued, uncapping her latest batch of cider and pouring herself a rather generous glass. “I was told the birth mother didn’t want any contact.” The tense air between them grew even heavier as Regina continued to pour. She realized halfway through pouring Emma’s glass that she hadn't grabbed a matching pair and chastised herself for the lack of thought. 

“You were told right.” Emma replied simply, the nonchalance in her voice infuriating Regina. This was the woman who gave Henry away, who looked into her son’s eyes and decided he wasn’t enough. How could she not want this child she was so lucky to carry and Regina so lucky to raise?

“And the father?” Regina questioned. 

“There was one.” God, did this woman only speak in monosyllables?  

Regina capped the bottle and set it down gently as she spoke. “Do I need to be worried about him?”

When Emma answered, her tone had shifted just slightly down, as if holding back her true thoughts on the father. “Nope. He doesn’t even know.” Regina made sure to tuck that into the expanding ‘Emma Swan’ file in her memory - she hoped it wouldn’t expand much further. 

As she picked up the glasses and turned to face Emma, Regina let herself feel for a second as if she was Queen again, prowling around an enemy like a predator circling prey, using her unfailing combination of charm, intimidation, and sex appeal to weaken them until she could sink her claws in and crush their heart. The last of her trifecta may have been lacking, the grey dress she’d worn that morning not the most tempting attire in her wardrobe, but she’d felt Emma’s eyes trained on her every movement and curve as they’d entered the mansion regardless. The same was still true, the blonde’s eyes scanning her form as she sauntered over and outstretched the glass. She made sure to drop her voice when she questioned the woman again, almost purring out the words. “Do I need to be worried about you, Miss Swan?” 

Emma’s back was pressed against the doorframe, green eyes widening for a moment, and Regina suppressed a grin at the slip of the woman’s mask. She never took her eyes off of Emma’s, face still as the other woman readjusted quickly and countered, “Absolutely not.” Regina could sense a hint of defiance bubbling under the response, the quirk of her brow the only indication she’d even acknowledged Emma. 

Graham came downstairs just as the blonde brought the glass to her lips, ensuring that aside from exhaustion, Henry was perfectly fine. Regina thanked him, giving the sheriff a curt nod before he saw himself out. As the front door shut, Regina turned on her heel and started heading to her study. “I’m sorry he dragged you out of your life, I really don’t know what’s gotten into him” she said over her shoulder, where she heard the woman’s fumbling footsteps trailing behind her. 

“Kid’s having a rough time, it happens.” She was so calm about the situation, and Regina was baffled. This was never something she had planned for, the closed adoption was supposed to be a guarantee that birth parents would never be involved. It was the only thing that had gotten her through the last few months of Henry’s outbursts, that the family assigned to him by blood had no chance of coming back into his life and messing up her family. The thought of Henry looking for them on his own hadn’t even crossed her mind. 

She stepped aside as they entered the study, Emma making her way to the settee as Regina shut the door, just in case Henry was listening at the top of the stairs. “You have to understand, ever since I became Mayor balancing things has been…tricky.” She spoke as she meandered to the fireplace, holding her drink but not even sipping at it. “You have a job I assume?” 

Emma took another drink, nodding slightly and turning to glance at Regina. “Uh, yeah, I keep busy,” she said as she set her drink on the coffee table. Regina, despite loathing the vagueness of the reply, hummed as she made her way to the chair opposite of the stranger. 

“Imagine having another one on top of it – that’s being a single mom.” She set her still full glass on the table as she sat down, cranking up the mayoral charms as much as she could with a bright smile directed at the woman before her. “So, I push for order. Am I strict? I suppose, but I do it for his own good.” Emma was staring at her, seemingly taking in her own analysis of the situation, so Regina continued, her love of Henry seeping into her tone. “I want Henry to excel in life. I don’t think that makes me evil, do you?” The blonde blinked at her, shrugging while she reached for her glass with a coy smile. 

“I’m sure he’s just saying that because of the fairy tale thing.”

Regina’s blood ran cold. 

She knew that the stories told to children here were gross mistellings of the lives her and the citizens of Storybrooke once lived, skewing the details and leaving out the misfortunes of the villains . But nothing in town indicated its residents were living false lives, so even if Emma did seem convinced something about the town was off, which she clearly did not, there was nothing to prove it. But what could Henry know of it? The only place that would remotely give anything away was her vault, but ever since she’d started taking Henry to visit his namesake (Every Wednesday since he was 2. He hadn’t gone with her in 7 months.) she’d been sure to push the coffin closed before letting him near it - hell, she hadn’t been down there herself in decades. All of these thoughts crashed around her brain in the milliseconds after the last sounds left Emma’s mouth, and she felt the strain on the rest of the body as she kept her face cool. 

“What fairy tale thing?” She asked as casually as she could, impressed by the stability of her voice. 

“Oh you know, his book,” Emma explained, and Regina wondered how this woman could have found out something about her son that she didn’t know within hours of meeting him. “How he thinks everyone’s a cartoon character from it.” The mayor blinked in surprise, the knowledge that Henry is aware of the curse not yet accepted. Emma, unaware of the bomb she’d just dropped, continued. “Like, his shrink is Jiminy Cricket?”

“I-I’m sorry, I really have no idea what you’re talking about.” Regina’s voice was quieter than she’d intended it to be, too vulnerable for this stranger to hear, but she couldn’t stop her surprise from overtaking her. At least Emma seemed to pick up on Regina’s mood shift, looking intently at Regina for a moment before shaking her head as if banishing a thought and giving a smile instead. 

“You know what? It’s none of my business. He’s your kid, and I really should be going.” The words barely processed in Regina’s mind, and with an absent nod she stood, muttering whatever the appropriate response was while heading to the door. She hardly even looked at Emma as she passed, turning her gaze down when the blonde’s inquisitive eyes met hers. They retraced their path to the front door, and as Regina opened it silently the woman stopped in front of her, holding out her hand. 

“It was, um, it was nice to meet you, Regina,” she said awkwardly, and for the sake of not being a total bitch, she met Emma’s hand and shook firmly. A jolt ran through her at the contact, like touching a door handle in the dead of winter. Reflex made her squeeze just a bit harder than she meant for a second, and she quickly pulled her hand away, letting it fall to her side as she cleared her throat. It hadn’t felt like that before.

“Likewise, Miss Swan. Have a safe drive back to…” Regina trailed off, realized through her daze that she’d hardly gathered any information on the woman before her. 

“Boston,” Emma finished with a nod, shoving her hands awkwardly into the pockets of her jacket. The apartment Regina had bought in New York, only a few hours drive from Boston, passed through her mind briefly, and she wondered for a moment if that could be the source of the blonde’s seeming familiarity; perhaps she’d passed her on a street corner while touring for the right place, heard someone call her name before. It was easier for her to explain it away that way, watching as filthy boots and tight jeans trotted down her driveway back to the eyesore parked in front of the mansion. Regina couldn’t quite place it, though, how the woman fit into her memory, and tried her best to push the thoughts aside as the Bug pulled down Mifflin Street and into the night. 

Henry was asleep when Regina went to check on him, his back to the door while he nestled into the covers. She sighed, resting her head against the doorframe for a moment while she savored Henry’s safe return. The steady rise and fall of his chest told her that he wouldn’t be sneaking off anywhere tonight, and the peace of mind that gave her allowed her to slip downstairs, down the rest of her near full glass of cider, and grab the cigarettes she kept in the top drawer of her desk. She swiped the glass that… woman , had left almost completely untouched as she padded through the silent home to her backyard, kicking her heels off before reclining into the swinging bench at the front of the grass. As she cupped her hand around the warmth of her lighter and dragged the smoke deep into her lungs ( an awful habit, one she picked up a few short years after casting the curse but one she just couldn’t seem to kick - maybe the fire against her palm just felt too much like home ) she felt the exhaustion of the day catch up with her. Her son had gone missing, crossed state lines and returned with his birth mother , the one person who could destroy her relationship with him for good. 

Tears stung at the corners of her eyes, her brain running through the last thirty minutes over and over. The cigarette burned idly between her fingers as she brought her hand to rest against her forehead, the other bringing up the glass and taking a long sip. Regina hissed as the alcohol slipped easily down her throat, surprised for a moment to taste a slight hint of spearmint. As she narrowed her eyes to inspect the glass, she noticed an almost clear, lip shaped ring just underneath the stain her lipstick had left on the rim of the glass. 

Regina threw the glass into the yard, watched as the amber liquid flew under the moonlight and settled into the rain still sitting on the grass. Her face was wet with tears while she suffocated herself with smoke in an effort to choke back the sobs wracking her body. She had curled her knees against herself, let the wind rock her slowly as she cried, a disconcerting solace but the only one she could afford. Once the cigarette burned to its end, she let it fall to the stone of the patio, haphazardly grabbing her heels and stumbling back inside, letting herself succumb to much needed sleep.

(She dreamt of her father that night. They were sitting in the garden from their family’s estate, and a young Henry ran through the flowers under a bright blue sky. She asked her father for the time; he replied 8:23. At the edge of the yard, a woman with blonde hair, her face obscured, stood solemnly with a sword in her hand.)

Henry was gone again in the morning. 

She’d gone to wake him for school after readying herself for the day and found his bed empty, and the rest of the house proved no different. She sped to the sheriff’s station in record time, calling the school on her way and felt a sick sense of déjà-vu wash over her when the principal ensured he hadn’t set foot in the building. Marco and Leroy bowed their heads as she stormed angrily past them and into the station, knowing better than to interrupt the woman clearly on a mission. She came in shouting to Graham that Henry was missing again; the last thing she expected to see was Emma Swan in the holding cell.

Regina was immediately accusatory, and asked the blonde if she knew anything about Henry’s disappearance. It was denied, of course, seeing as she’d crashed her godawful bug into the town sign and it was currently being worked on by Billy (when Graham had gotten the call about the accident he’d made sure to tell Billy to expedite the repairs; if she could be out of town before Regina found out, the better). She was blunt, too blunt for Regina’s liking, but one of the skills acquired from her mysterious job is ‘finding people,’ so she had Graham put Emma in the cruiser and follow her back to the mansion. The trio made their way to Henry’s bedroom, and Emma wasted no time in heading to the laptop on the desk and opening his email. Regina stood behind while absentmindedly picking at her nail polish, and when Emma announced that Henry was smart enough to clear his inbox but she was smart too and she gets paid for delivery Regina filed each new statement away. Emma had managed to recover a receipt for a website, the one he’d used to find Emma and she shouldn’t be as surprised as she was when the generous bill had been paid by Mary Margaret Blanchard. 

Graham offered to speak with the schoolteacher, but Regina’s anger sent him to search his regular hideouts so she could interrogate the idiot. She’d honestly forgotten about Emma until she was opening the door to the Benz and saw her standing awkwardly in the driveway, hands stuffed into the pockets of her disgusting red leather jacket. “Your car is in the shop,” she said plainly, resting her arm on the open door. 

“Yeah,” Emma said with a shrug. “I can go help the Sheriff ‘pound the pavement,’ if you want.”

Regina scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, you’ve seen nothing of this town past Main Street and the inside of a holding cell. Just…get in,” she offered, seeing no other solution to the current issue. Letting Emma wander the streets of Storybrooke blind would be of no help to anyone, and she had promised to help find Henry, so why not let her tag along?

Emma’s brows raised at the request, but Regina paid it no mind as she sat in the driver’s seat and slammed the door. The blonde rushed and sat herself in the passenger seat as Regina started the Benz, pulling out of the driveway and rushing towards the school. It was rather silent in the car, Regina’s knuckles gripped white on the steering wheel. 

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Emma broke the silence, and Regina just gritted her teeth. “I used to run away when I was a kid, maybe it’s genetic or something.”

“Miss Swan, I do not appreciate the pathetic excuse for a joke. My son is missing, and the only reason you are still here is to help me find him.” Regina was stern, eyes never leaving the road. She could practically feel Emma deflate next to her, and after muttering a small apology she heard a shuffle as the woman turned towards the window. Good, she thought, she has no right to joke when my son is missing . 

The rest of the drive was made in pure silence and record time, Regina parking haphazardly by the front doors and storming towards them before Emma had even left the car. No one questioned her as she stalked the halls, and much like the night before she could hear Emma lagging behind her. The recess bell rang just as she entered Mary Margaret’s room, and she stumbled as the rush of schoolchildren pushed past her to the playground. 

Mary Margaret, the imbecile she was, was oblivious to Henry’s escapades, realizing only when asked that the boy had stolen her credit card to find the woman who gave birth to him. She didn’t like the way the teacher looked past her to the stranger, curious eyes staring at her as if they’d met before. She hated when the mysterious book was mentioned once again, fumed when Mary Margaret spoke of Henry like she knew him better than Regina. Staying here would be a waste of her time, and considering Henry managed to make it over multiple state lines yesterday she didn’t want to spend anymore time dawdling. She moved toward the door, pushing into Emma and knocking down a stack of books in her fury. 

Graham called her just as she stepped out of the school, letting her know that Henry hadn’t been spotted but the trailcams he’d set up at the town line hadn’t picked anything up, so he was most likely still in town. She decided to go home, calm her nerves and call the same people she had the day before to see if they knew anything. When she finally settled at the desk in her study, she let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping as her head fell into her hands. The fear, anxiety, and exhaustion had started to catch up to her, and tears stung in the corners of her eyes. What did she do wrong? She thought she’d handled the aftermath of Henry discovering his adoption well, signing him up for his sessions with Dr. Hopper and vowing to leave her paperwork at the office so she and Henry could spend more time together. She’d even gotten him that lunchbox he’d been eyeing at the pharmacy, hoping a sign of good faith on her part would let him see that she was trying . But now there was the book and this woman and both posed a threat to the life she’d crafted for herself. If Henry truly suspected the town could be cursed, what would stop him from finding the Savior and sending everything she’d worked for down the drain?

Before she could ponder the thought for too long, Sidney called, letting her know that Henry had been spotted with the blonde on Main Street heading towards the mansion. Regina thanked the man and hung up the phone, collecting herself quickly and heading towards the door just as Emma and Henry made their way up once again. Henry ran past her without saying a word, and Regina thanked the visitor with an exasperated sigh. Emma was as cool as ever, but when Regina mentioned Henry’s affinity for her the boldness that was only hinted at the night before came out in full force. The mayor listened as the woman droned on about how the only wish she had on her birthday yesterday was that she wouldn’t be alone, and that stupid file folder expanded once again, but the light that shone in her green eyes while speaking about Henry set a fire in Regina. This woman had no right to come into her town and her life and try to take her son - she’d given up that right 10 years ago when she agreed to a closed adoption. Henry was Regina’s son, and if Emma thought she had a chance staying in town and getting close to him she was sorely mistaken. Regina told her as much, crossed the empty space between and got in her face, promised to the intruder that she’d destroy her, if it was the last thing she did . A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her of the last time she’d made such a declaration, at Snow White’s sham of a wedding to the shepherd prince. The determination in Emma’s eyes wasn’t unlike the look David had given her before he’d thrown his sword at her chest. 

Regina gave the blonde a swift goodbye, but just as she was about to shut the door Emma asked a question that, unlike David’s sword, hit her straight in the chest. “Do you love him?” It took all of her self control to not tear her throat out right then, because how dare she question if Regina loves her own son? Henry was the only good thing to come out of her life, the one chance she was given at happiness. Without him, Regina wouldn't have a reason to wake up every morning, a reason to smile; she’d be stuck, rotting in the same day Storybrooke had been stuck in for the last 28 years with nothing to show for it. Henry was everything . 

“Of course I love him,” she replied, not even attempting to hide the disdain on her face. Emma just stared at her, eyes narrowed and in that moment, Regina wondered what could have possibly possessed her to ask such a question. But she refused to entertain the woman any further, and slammed the door, leaving her in the cool autumn air. 

Henry refused to speak to her when she came to his room, only pointing to his backpack when she asked for the mysterious book. The rest of the night was spent pouring over every word, every drawing, every loose piece of binding and the wear on the edges of the pages. If she were anyone else, Regina would’ve passed the book along as any other collection of fairy tales. She wasn’t, of course, as a crude rendition of her appeared about halfway through the book, and her throat tightened when she saw tear stains littered on the page. The book was practically a biography of everyone in town, herself included, and did little to hide the fact - no wonder Henry had gotten suspicious so easily. 

When she finally reached the ‘Snow White’ story she decided to pour herself a drink. Much like she would’ve expected, it skewed the story in the princess’s favor, making her out to be the heartless villain for petulant reasons. No mention of her mother, of Daniel, of Snow’s treachery towards her. Not a word on the King and the abuse she endured with him, the manipulations and sleight of hand from Rumplestiltskin. It wasn’t her story in any way, but she couldn’t tell that to Henry (anyone, for that matter) without revealing the true nature of their lives. Maybe with enough therapy and that…woman, out of his life, Henry would move past this fixation, and things would go back to the way they were. 

Regina read until the sun crept over the horizon, scanning every line for hidden meanings and finding none. Her eyes were sore by the time she reached the back of the book, and she blinked in surprise to find the last several pages torn from the binding. She went to Henry and demanded the pages, but he denied knowing where they were. It upset Regina more that he was obviously lying to her than not giving her the pages, but she realized she was lying to him too, so who was she to talk? He didn’t even see her as his mother anymore, but thankfully the only threat to that had left town. 

Only, when she’d started heading towards Granny’s for her second cup of coffee that morning after walking Henry to school, she heard bells chime from the center of town. It reminded her of the church bells back home, their boom rattling her to her very core. A quick glance at her watch told her it was 8:15. She walked faster. 

When she finally made it to the town square Regina saw that the hands on the clocktower, broken since its creation, had moved. Where 8:15 had once proudly been displayed, 8:23 now stood. Her watch confirmed the time, and Dr. Hopper even stopped to remark on the sudden change. When she turned to reply, she saw that yellow abomination of a car parked outside of Granny’s, and after offering a halfhearted reply to the cricket, quickly formulated a plan. 

( Go back home. Get the old picnic basket out from the back of the closet. Go to Town Hall and pick enough apples to fill said basket. Present apple basket to Emma Swan with some thinly veiled threats, fun facts about apples she’d memorized back in the 90s, and the smile she gave Graham when he did that thing with his tongue. That last bit always worked with the weird guys on the Town Council, anyways. )

Granny gave up the room number easily, and Regina waltzed up to the door, holding the basket to her chest with one hand as she knocked with the other. It came to rest on the wicker just as the door opened, that begrudgingly familiar blonde hair peeking out through the crack. Emma’s eyes were wide, clearly confused as to who would be knocking on her door, but once she met Regina’s gaze the door opened completely. 

And she wasn’t wearing any pants. 

Regina noticed it as the door opened, the reveal of surprisingly toned legs and hips wrapped in hot pink lace coming as a shock to the brunette. She had on a tank top at least, the material thin enough that Regina could see the entirety of her black bra, but a top nonetheless. Who the hell opens the door to a stranger without pants? But she refused to falter, so she quickly moved her eyes back to Emma’s and skipped the greetings. 

She gave Emma a quick lesson on Honeycrisp trees, the woman listening with a curious but closed off expression. Regina just smiled (that smile) and offered her fruit from the basket with the expectation that they would serve her well on her drive to Boston. Emma, in what was clearly a pattern of behavior, revealed that she’d be staying in town for a while. Regina protested of course, told the woman her departure would be best for Henry’s sake. The blonde gave her an infuriating smirk and said that with two threats in less than 12 hours was more than enough reason to stay. The mayor denied such allegations because since when are apples a threat , but Emma knew better and so did Regina. Emma promised it was only to make sure Henry was okay, but why wouldn’t he be? What did this woman know about her son that she didn’t?

“It’s time for you to go,” Regina said sternly, her frustration with the woman only growing. 

“Or what?” Emma replied, her chin tilting up in defiance. And oh , Regina missed a challenge. 

So she stepped closer, getting as close as the basket between them would allow. Her eyes narrowed in her anger, her voice dropping slightly because it was always more intimidating to be calm than to start shouting, something she’d learned from her mother. “Don’t underestimate me, Miss Swan,” she hissed, words dripping with venom. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.” Her blood was pounding in her ears, breathing sharply through her nose as she stared Emma down. The smirk she’d had earlier returned, as if she looked more amused by Regina’s frustration than anything. The brunette gritted her teeth, shoving the apple basket towards the blonde furiously and nearly knocking the mug in Emma’s hand to the floor. Her eyes flicked down, and she caught a glimpse of Emma’s stomach where her tank top rode up against the basket now held haphazardly in one arm. Her tongue quickly darted out to wet her lips, and before Emma could say anything she turned and walked out of the building. 

Her hands didn’t stop shaking until 11:00. 

God, she’d forgotten what a thrill it was, having someone defy her. It had been so long since anyone had given her real trouble, or even stood up to her for that matter. And this woman, a complete stranger and threat to her entire life, had to be the one to fight her. Emma Swan had no clue who she was dealing with. Regina made sure to call Archie when she’d gotten to her office, let him know that he may have a visitor to his establishment and if she were to request any of Henry’s files to hand them over willingly; of course, if Sheriff Graham were to then pop by and ask what had happened, he should tell him that Miss Swan broke in and stole the files. He agreed with very little question, as Regina knew he would, because he’d never done anything different. Sidney came to her later on, a copy of The Daily Mirror with Emma’s mugshot on the cover. He hadn’t found out much about her in the day since her arrival, a disappointment to Regina, but he scampered away with a promise to keep looking. The rest of her morning passed rather quickly after that, a quick cigarette after lunch settled the last of her nerves and she nearly dismissed the persistent humming from just outside her window until she realized there was no scheduled yard work for that day. The sight on the lawn nearly gave her an aneurysm. 

Emma Swan had taken a chainsaw to her apple tree. 

She ran outside in record time, and as she approached the massacre Emma revved the chainsaw as if in victory, while a large branch of Regina’s apple tree lay dead on the ground next to her. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides, and she could practically feel the steam billowing from her ears. 

“What the hell are you doing?” The brunette screamed, not caring about personal space as she stepped close to Emma. The blonde smiled, tossing the chainsaw on the ground. 

“Picking apples,” she replied plainly, that stupid smile enraging Regina even more. 

“You’re out of your mind,” Regina growled. 

“No you are if you think a shoddy frame job’s enough to scare me off,” Emma stated, her voice firm. She took a step closer, and Regina could smell the sawdust sticking to her skin. So, she does have a brain, she thought to herself, this being the first time Emma had displayed any true sort of intelligence since coming to town. “You’re going to have to do better than that. You come after me one more time, I’m coming back for the rest of this tree because sister,” she leaned ever closer, the women now breathing the same air as Emma continued, “you have no idea what I am capable of.” The echo of Regina’s prior threat left her motionless as Emma strolled past her, casually calling out “your move” over her shoulder as she strolled back towards Granny’s. 

This was going to be more interesting than she thought. 

||

It wasn’t difficult to map out the next steps of her plan to get Emma Swan out of her town: call Granny and inform her of an old town ordinance she’d never paid mind to before, have Graham boot her car, and call her to the office to “make amends.” Timing it around Henry’s arrival was easy, and Emma saying he was crazy as soon as he walked in was the cherry on top of the whole fucked up sundae. Emma had stormed out not long after her son did, telling her she had no soul and Regina just stared at her because her soul was the whole reason she was doing any of this. Graham had taken the boot off of her car only minutes after they’d gotten off the phone, so once Emma saw that Regina had no doubt she’d head straight for whatever hole she stayed at in Boston. 

Only, Emma didn’t leave. 

Gold told her as much that very night, his demeanor taunting in a way Regina hadn’t seen from him in decades. He’d stalked into the garden behind the Town Hall where she was still cleaning the remnants of her enemy’s massacre and badgered her about their latest visitor, but his elusiveness to her questions triggered something inside Regina. She thought for a second about the missing pages at the end of Henry’s book, Snow’s child vanishing from Misthaven only moments before the curse was cast, the time that had passed since, the clocktower that was never supposed to work starting the day Emma Swan decided to stay in town. It all had to mean something , and though Regina’s gut told her that this woman was her ruin, her brain tried its best to force the notion aside in favor of questioning the former imp. 

“Who is this woman, his mother, this… Emma Swan?” Regina asked. Gold smirked at her, and for a brief moment Regina was reminded of  their first meeting in her chambers on the eve of her wedding. It felt like a lifetime ago – it felt like she was still there. 

“I would say you think you know exactly who she is. I really must be going.” Regina’s heart dropped. Gold was making his way back towards the road, but Regina ran in front of him before he could get too far. Was he awake? Has he always been? Is that why he chose Henry? Questions ran through her mind a million miles a minute, and she demanded he tell her what he knew of the woman. Gold stared at her, his eyes twinkling with mischief when he spoke. “I’m not going to answer you, dear. So I suggest you excuse me,” he stepped forward, leaning towards the immobile Mayor to end his dramatic pause. “Please.”

Regina was dumbstruck, mouth agape as her limbs moved without her asking them to, making room for the man to walk past. Well there was no way he wasn’t awake , a voice in the back of her mind said. 

She cried herself to sleep that night. 

||

Things kept happening. Changing, really, was the better word for it. And Regina didn’t care for it at all. 

John Doe woke up, something she truly hadn’t expected. He’d been almost dead when the curse was cast, and the only reason he’d managed to survive was this realm’s far advanced medical techniques. But he’d been completely dormant for 28 years, and Regina knew that Mary Margaret had taken to visiting him most days (truly pathetic, and her fault, unfortunately). Emma had joined the schoolteacher in her search despite Regina’s protests, stealing Henry away with her, but she decided to take up the first step of the plan she’d created in case the false prince ever decided to wake: call his first betrothed. 

Kathryn arrived at the hospital not long after her long lost husband was brought back in, and Regina couldn’t help but gloat at the absolutely downtrodden look on Mary Margaret’s face. She’d always known where to find the woman in case of a situation like this, and Emma’s suggestion of looking at the security tapes led to the discovery of David calling out for his wife; a plausible enough clue to the identity of the mystery woman. Just as she’d taken Henry and started towards the car, a voice she’d grown quite tired of hearing called out to her. Sending her son to the car, Regina turned to face Emma, ready for whatever barrage of insults and threats the blonde would throw. 

Emma was immediately accusatory, and Regina had to admit she was startled by how quickly the woman had figured out her plan. Sure, there were some details missing, but the idea was being spit directly back at her. She recovered though, teasing at the accusations Henry had been making against her because even if Emma’s allegations had any merit, no one in Storybrooke would question Regina. She felt herself staring as she explained Kathryn’s discovery to Emma, at the way she grimaced as if fighting her own wills while Regina spoke. The frustration was palpable, but when Regina offered forgiveness for the blonde’s behavior, Emma’s eyes sharpened. It came as an unexpected moment of vulnerability, the briefest hint of the kindness she showed for Henry’s sake because not having someone, that’s the worst curse imaginable and she knew better than anyone how true that was. 

The next morning Henry slipped out of the house early, claiming he had a project he wanted to work on at school, but Regina had Sidney tailing Emma the minute she realized the woman was staying in town, and within minutes of Henry leaving she received a text from the mirror of her son’s true whereabouts. During her morning cigarette she received another message that Emma was at the diner, along with some more information he’d found on her, Regina decided it would be the perfect time for some coffee. 

“How was your walk with Henry?” She asked, startling the clearly oblivious blonde, who clearly hadn’t heard the bell ring upon her arrival. Regina smiled as she sat down across from her, and when her skirt exposed some of her thighs as her legs crossed she caught Emma’s eyes flashing towards the exposed skin. She played it off as though she didn’t mind at all, when truly she was torn to pieces about Henry’s coldness to her now that Emma had come to town, and when Regina brought up Emma’s transient tendencies the blonde’s face grew dim, turning back towards her morning paper (what did you enjoy so much about Tallahassee?). The woman had a dangerous pattern, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots or try to form any meaningful connections. At that moment she didn’t give a damn about her potential to break the curse; she worried about her potential to break her son. Regina reminded her of that fact, leaning in close at keeping her face pleasant as poison fell from her lips like honey – she thought for a moment that to any passersby, the two might look to be in intimate conversation. It was quickly pushed aside, and Regina slid from her seat and out of Granny’s as quickly as she’d entered. 

Emma stayed on Regina’s mind well into the evening, the smugness she so often carried around and the unjust fierceness she felt for Henry. In a way, Regina understood; it was impossible not to love him, his ability to endear himself upon seemingly everyone now a detriment rather than an asset. She thought of the confirmation Gold had given her about the woman’s true identity: the Savior . The only person capable of destroying what she’d dedicated her life to had not only arrived in her town, but she just had to be her son’s birth mother. Emma Swan was infuriating, a pest invading her orchard that needed to be dealt with. But Emma was also the one thing Regina hadn’t been granted since Henry’s infancy - a challenge. She was the first person Regina had encountered in nearly 30 years that wasn’t afraid of her, that was willing to fight back and if Regina were honest with herself, a part of her found it exciting. Which is exactly why Regina finished a bottle of merlot before 11:00 and messaged Graham to book their usual room at Granny’s for tomorrow. She needed to get the Savior off her mind, and what better way to do that than a good old fashioned fuck?

It seemed though that even Graham couldn’t rid her brain of the invader, the time spent in the rented room passing rather blandly. No matter how hard she tried to focus on his touch, she could only wonder what Emma was doing - if Henry had snuck away to see her, if there were any plans to vandalize more of her town. But Henry was reading in his room when she’d returned, Sidney hadn’t messaged her with new information on the woman’s whereabouts, and aside from a stray shoe on the stairs, nothing seemed out of place. Regina found herself settling down easier that night. 

Naturally, one of the old mining tunnels collapsed the next evening. Which, given who was sleeping down there, was not good. 

Regina rushed to the site after receiving a call from the fire department. It was a rather large sinkhole, the damage to the surrounding area undeniable. The entrance to the long abandoned mine was crumbling open, and from the scene before her it almost looked as if something had exploded from within the darkness. She barely stopped her car before rushing out, urging the gathering of townspeople to step back. When she went to find her Sheriff, she found he’d gained a parasite with blonde hair and a repugnant red leather jacket. Regina ordered the woman to leave, only for Emma to inform her that she was now part of all official town business; Graham had made her his deputy. 

Oh she could kill him. 

Her brows raised in surprise when Graham confirmed the treason, but she quickly collected herself, ordering them to cordon off the area while she spoke to the impressive group before her. She promised to rehabilitate the area, make it an asset to the town, only to have Henry jump from the crowd and accuse her of hiding something. Regina couldn’t figure out how he’d even gotten there until she spotted the cricket standing in the back of the crowd. As she pushed Henry back towards Archie, her eye caught something glinting in the dirt next to her. When she leaned down to pick it up, she felt her bones chill at the shard of glass that stared back at her. Glass from the coffin she’d set Snow White to rest in all those years ago; the coffin that currently held the only other possible destruction of Storybrooke. Henry, her clever boy, noticed her pocket it, and it was then that Regina decided all notion of the curse needed to be removed from his mind. A few threats to Archie seemed to do the trick, and after ensuring that Graham and the new Deputy Swan (she forced back a gag just using the title) could handle the situation for now, Regina took Henry home. 

The mine hadn’t changed at all by morning, and after a brief conversation with the Sheriff and Deputy, Regina pulled Emma aside, allowing her 30 minutes with Henry after school. When he didn’t arrive at 5:00 like usual, she decided to make a call to the blonde, assuming she’d kept Henry longer than planned. Emma told her that she’d dropped him at the Town Hall an hour ago, but he’s not here and Emma doesn’t know where he could be, but Archie’s voice carried through the speakers telling them to go to the mine immediately, and Regina could feel her fragile heart start to crack.

Regina drove so fast she thought she may pop a tire if she were to hit even a single bump on the road. Her hands shook the whole time, the image of Henry alone in that mine terrifying her. He had no idea the true dangers that lay down there, and if Maleficent had woken up…well, she didn’t want to think about that right now. Especially not when she was pulling on to the road leading towards the mine and felt another shockwave roll through the ground. 

Emma was already there when Regina arrived, as had about a dozen volunteers to help get Henry out. Archie had apparently run in after him before the entrance collapsed, but she couldn’t care less about him. Her son was down there, probably scared out of his mind and at risk of being crushed should another earthquake hit. Emma had instructed a few people to start moving rubble from the opening while Regina stood back and spoke with the fire chief about the safest options for extracting the stranded pair. She stumbled when yet another tremor rumbled the ground beneath her, and ran towards Emma, screaming at her that she was making it worse. 

“I am trying to save him!” Emma barked back, her eyes dark as she turned to face the Mayor. “You know why he went down there in the first place, don’t you? Because you made him feel like he had something to prove.”

“And why does he think he has anything to prove?” Regina shouted, her emotions overwhelming her. She leaned in closer, her face the picture of cruelty as she practically spat “Who’s encouraging him?” Because Emma had no right to storm into her life and act like she knew better. This woman had no idea the sacrifices Regina had made to get to this point, to get to Henry, and she was not about to let her play fast and loose with her son’s life. 

“Do not put this on me,” Emma said, her tone dour. 

“Oh please, lecture me until his oxygen runs out!” Regina couldn’t stop her voice from breaking, and before Emma could see the tears falling from her eyes she turned, taking a few steps away from the blonde. She could hardly process the fact that her son was trapped underground, and that woman was doing nothing to actually help. She brought a hand to the bridge of her nose, squeezed tight enough that she was certain to leave a red mark but she needed to collect herself. The town couldn’t see her like this, let alone her rival. 

She heard the shuffle of stones behind her before Emma spoke. “We have to stop this, arguing won’t accomplish anything.” The woman sounded almost defeated, as if working with Regina were her last resort, too. Regina turned to face her, arms wrapped around her chest defensively. She inhaled sharply, making brief eye contact with the blonde before shifting her gaze towards the collapsed mine entrance. 

“No, it won’t,” Regina admitted bleakly, despising the fact that they were on the same side but doing her best to put that aside for Henry’s sake. She could feel green eyes probing her, and when she brought her focus back to Emma she was taken aback by the resolve in her face. 

“What do you want me to do?” Emma asked. Regina couldn’t help but appreciate that Emma was letting her take the lead on this, and when she finally accepted that she needed help, Emma just nodded, seemingly ready for whatever Regina was going to ask of her. Maybe it was the hysteria of their circumstances, but Regina could have sworn she saw Emma’s eyes flick towards her lips. 

If Emma noticed her own wandering eyes she didn’t say anything, instead pressing on and asking Regina what she had in mind. The only thing the Mayor could think of was some way to break through the ground, and when Marco suggested explosives, well…there weren’t exactly a lot of options. So the volunteers helped to rig dynamite taken from the fire trucks and within a few minutes the gathering had moved behind the makeshift barricade of cars and police tape to prepare. Regina could hear Pongo barking from inside one of the trucks, and as annoying as the sound was, she could understand his cries. After Emma gave the all clear and moved to kneel just in front of Regina, the Mayor gave the order to blow it, leaning down as the button was pressed. 

The blast nearly knocked her off of her feet, the resounding boom ringing loudly in her ears. Regina felt Emma start to tip backwards, her knees hitting the woman’s spine and without thinking she brought a steadying hand to rest on her shoulder. As the smoke billowed outwards, Emma scrambled off the ground and rushed through towards the opening. Regina stood as still as stone, waiting with bated breath for the blonde to come barreling out with Henry in tow. But when Emma reemerged she was alone, and the remaining shreds of hope she had for Henry’s safe return were slowly fading. 

“What was that? What the hell was that?” Regina yelled, running back towards the firemen that had set up the explosives and slamming her hand on the bed of the truck. “You said you could do this!”

“Madame Mayor!” Emma said as she came behind her, trying to get her attention by resting a gentle hand on her arm. 

Regina shrugged her off harshly, whipping to face the Deputy in a fury. “They could have killed my son!” She shouted, and she had to bring both hands to rest on the truck bed as a wave of nausea hit her. 

“I know, but this isn’t helping,” Emma pleaded, but Regina could hardly hear over the blood rushing in her ears and Pongo’s continued barking. The only image in her mind was Henry, scared and alone and so many other possibilities that terrified her. A shaking hand ran through her hair as Marco and Graham brainstormed next to her, but when the howling silenced Regina’s eyes scanned for Pongo, who was running towards a patch of dirt with Emma not far behind. And gods, when all of this was said and done she was going to give this dog enough treats for a year. 

There was an air shaft, big enough for someone to fit through. Regina watched as the townspeople worked to lift the grate off, still trembling as her anxiety continued to rise while Emma stood next to her, helping direct the effort. Just before Ruby revved the engine to lift the grate, Regina felt a hand grip her own and looked down to see Emma’s hand holding her own in a vice ( Emma had a tattoo, she noticed. A simple flower on the inside of her wrist. A distant part of her wondered what it meant) . “We’ll get him out, Regina,” the Deputy whispered, loud enough only for Regina to hear. The Mayor noticed tears welling in the woman’s eyes, and found herself squeezing her hand, unable to stop the tear that fell on to her own cheek. 

As quickly as Emma had taken Regina’s hand she dropped it, and Regina felt an unnerving disappointment at the lost contact. But the grate had been lifted, whatever had passed between the women had long gone, and the group was now figuring out the next course of action. Marco was standing across from her, fastening something on the hook as he explained someone needed to be lowered directly down, with any other way down raising the risk of the line collapsing. Graham chimed in, letting her know he had a harness ready. 

“Lower me down,” Regina said, almost absentmindedly with a tilt of her head towards the Sheriff. 

“Oh, no way, I’m going,” Emma interjected, stepping in front of the Mayor with a casual gruffness that made Regina want to slap her. 

“He’s my son,” She responded indignantly, arms crossed and defenses up once again. Emma stared at her, almost grimacing for a moment before replying. 

“He’s my son, too.” Regina’s brows raised in surprise, and she felt her body tense as she looked at the blonde. She wanted to scream at her, kick and bite and punch until the only thing left of Emma Swan was blood and bones. No matter how many times Regina had tried to force her away, she’d persisted like a cockroach, defying everything Regina knew about her past. She was a stranger, the fucking Savior , but…she was also part of the reason she even had Henry. Her thoughts were interrupted as the woman on her mind spoke again. “You’ve been sitting behind a desk for ten years. I can do this.” And the most frustrating thing was, Regina didn’t doubt her. It frightened her how ready she was to trust that her mortal enemy would bring her son back to her safely. 

She studied Emma’s face for a moment, knew her eyes were lingering too long on her lips, and as if on autopilot, felt herself stepping within inches of the blonde. Emma gasped just slightly at their new proximity, and for the first time in the few weeks they’d known each other Regina saw genuine surprise cross her face. She caught Emma’s gaze falling to her lips again, her brows creasing as they breathed the same heavy air. “Just bring him to me,” Regina muttered, for the second time that day feeling as though she and Emma were the only two people in the world, if only for a moment. And with a small smile, Emma stepped away, Graham leading her off to prepare for her descent. 

It had been tense while Emma was lowered, and more than once Regina caught herself pressing her nails into her palms, the only way she could manage to hide her constant shaking from those around her. But after a few minutes of silence the line tugged, and soon Emma was being lifted through the hole in the ground, Henry clinging to her and Archie climbing up with the help of some extra rope. Regina let out a breath, her hands clasped in front of her as a smile grew wide on her face. The moment Henry’s feet were on the ground Regina had wrapped herself around him, holding him as if he might disappear should she let him go. She quickly ushered him towards the EMTs waiting nearby, the cheers and congratulations of the townspeople echoing behind her. 

An unexpected hand rested on her lower back for a moment as Regina held Henry’s face, and the Mayor turned to see Emma leaning down next to her, reaching towards her son with a smile. Regina pushed her aside before Emma could reach him, sending her off to control the crowd and not caring to look as she stomped away. A medic informed her that they were going to do a quick exam on Henry, and Regina decided to take the free moment to thank Dr. Hopper for going in and protecting Henry. She hadn’t expected him to come back with as much ferocity as he did, even threatening to side with Deputy Swan if a custody battle were to take place. She fumed, but knowing that his words held some merit she held her tongue, and though she had planned to take Henry home after the day’s excitement Granny had come with a full catering setup, and he begged Regina to stay and celebrate. She relented, because Regina could never say no to her little prince. Henry, of course, gravitated towards Emma for most of the night, but it gave Regina a chance to drop the shard from Snow’s coffin back to the depths of the mines unnoticed, so she didn’t mind. 

Regina took Henry home later that night, once most of the townsfolk had made their way back to their own homes. As upset as she was that he even thought doing something so dangerous was a good idea, she couldn’t bring herself to scold him -  her relief outweighed her irritation, and a small part of her was proud that he inherited her determination. He’d fallen asleep mere minutes after lying down, and Regina took the free moment to head to her study and pour herself a drink. The first glass had been finished quickly, her empty stomach and shot nerves leading her to feel tipsy before she’d even poured a second serving. She’d taken off the heels she’d been wearing that day, her feet aching and her knees stiff as she settled down into her chair and contemplating smoking several cigarettes before bed, but before she could sip her fresh glass there was a knock at her door. Regina stood with a huff, carrying the glass with her as she made her way to the front door ready to castrate whoever showed up at her house unannounced. 

She shouldn’t have been so surprised to be greeted with blonde curls. 

“Miss Swan, Henry is already asleep, you can see him in a few days,” Regina said flatly, already moving to close the door but Emma brought her hand up before it could shut. 

“You didn’t even thank me.” Emma replied pointedly, ignoring Regina’s statement. The brunette huffed, clearly annoyed, but let Emma push the door back open. She rolled her eyes and bent forward just slightly in a mocking bow, gesturing with her free hand as she spoke. 

“Oh, Deputy Swan, my most sincere thanks and gratitude for doing the decent human thing and rescuing a little boy trapped underground, however can I repay you? Oh you truly are my hero, my savior ,” Regina taunted, practically spitting out the last few words as Emma just stared at her, not even trying to hide her contempt. 

“Cut the shit, Regina,” Emma sneered, stepping into the doorway and into the Mayor’s space. Regina straightened her spine, but without her heels she was a few inches shorter than the blonde, and she knew she didn’t look nearly as intimidating as she was trying to be. She decided to take a long drink of cider as Emma continued. “You actually listened to me out there today. We were able to agree and that is what got Henry out of that mine safe. Can’t we just,” Regina watched as Emma took a breath, running a hand through her hair before exhaling, “I don’t know, figure out some kind of co-parenting thing? People do that, they do visitations and-”

“Miss Swan,” Regina interjected, inching just a hair closer and narrowing her eyes up at the blonde. “I’m not a fan of repeating myself, but given the good deed you did today, I’m feeling generous. So I will tell you again; you are not a part of Henry’s life. You gave up that chance when you gave him away. I am his mother, and you?” she laughed bitterly, reveling in the anger peeking through patches of red on Emma’s cheeks and chest, “You’re nothing more than a phase. A fascination that will pass, just like it did with soccer, and painting, and playing the guitar. Because you don’t know how to have a family, and you never have.” 

Regina was breathless by the time she finished her tirade, and her chest heaved as she stared at Emma. Her green eyes shone with resentment, and Regina internally praised herself for not losing her verbal sparring skills over the years. She waited for Emma to say something, to shout or push back, but nothing came. Regina felt herself swaying slightly, the alcohol flooding her empty system starting to really hit her, and she could see Emma’s gaze shift from anger to something close to pity.

“Why do you do this to yourself?” Emma asked quietly, leaning closer to Regina and it was in that moment that the latter realized just how close they really were - they were almost nose to nose, and Emma could definitely smell the cider from her parted lips but she couldn’t bring herself to care (she tried not to notice the shine of chapstick on Emma’s lips that Regina knew tasted like spearmint) . Her brow quirked up in confusion at the proximity. “The minute you have the chance to be vulnerable and show actual human emotions you close off. You can feel other things besides anger, Regina.”

The brunette chuckled mirthlessly, staring at Emma with open loathing and barely contained fascination. “You clearly don’t know me, then,” she replied, voice so low that had the women not been so close the sound may have gone unnoticed. Emma, the idiot, smiled at her, a small upturn of her lips with a meaning that Regina couldn’t decipher. 

“You’re not as hard to read as you think, you know,” the blonde breathed, moving remarkably closer before she continued, “Just give me a little time, I’ll know you better than you know yourself.” And before Regina could press the issue any further Emma turned on her heel and strolled down the driveway. Regina stood dumbstruck in the doorway, watching the deputy pass through her front gate and down Mifflin Street with the swagger of a woman who lost a battle with a plan to win the war until she was out of sight and the late fall breeze made its way through the open door, sending a chill down her spine. 

What the fuck was that . 

||

Manipulating Mary Margaret and David was simple enough, Regina supposed; much like riding a bike she still remembered exactly what buttons to push even after decades of lying dormant. Kathryn was the perfect pawn, and using her to ensure that the old flames wouldn’t reunite was the perfect cover. The only one to maintain any suspicion about the lost wife was the town’s latest deputy, but Regina hadn’t heard anything from her since the night after Henry’s rescue. 

Neither woman had mentioned Emma’s showing up to the mansion, and Regina hadn’t received any calls or messages from the woman asking to see Henry, so she supposed things had settled into relative normalcy over the last few days. But the minute she’d shown up for David’s welcome home party Henry ran to find her, and when he did Emma gave her a look as if to ask is this okay, and Regina replied with an almost imperceptible nod. It wasn’t speaking, it certainly wasn’t friendly, but it was enough to keep Henry pleased, and that’s all Regina worried about. 

In fact, Regina didn’t speak to Emma once that night, just kept her within her line of sight to make sure she didn’t run off with Henry. She knew Emma could tell, had caught her staring back at her on more than one occasion over Henry’s head. It had been quick glances at first, turning away the minute green eyes met brown only to be staring again a few moments later, but as the night progressed and she watched Emma put back a few more beers, her looks became more open, more daring. She looked at Regina with a challenge, goading her to come and do something if she were truly so annoyed by her mere presence. The brunette bristled every time she noticed, but she couldn’t make herself look away. Everyone else at the party, save Kathryn and Graham, really, avoided her like the plague, showering Henry with affection but neglecting to even look in her direction. Everyone but Emma, who seemed to be paying equal attention to her and her son. She had no idea what any of it meant, but it continued until Emma made her way out of the house. Regina made sure to let Graham know she expected him at her door in no less than 45 minutes as she left. 

When he showed up the next night unannounced and jumped her bones with a passion she’d never gotten from him before, Regina got suspicious. When he left her bedroom in the middle of the night rambling about the wolf she’d long ago seen trailing after him on the castle grounds, she texted Sidney to see if Graham and Emma had been together. She woke up in the morning with the full rundown, including their kiss outside of Granny’s, and her blood boiled as jealousy rushed through her veins. What was Emma trying to accomplish, staying in town and rescuing Henry and looking at her all the time and kissing Graham when she knew they were together? Threats to the blonde failed for seemingly the millionth time, as only hours after confronting Emma at the station she was met with the pitiful excuse for law enforcement at her vault, while going to visit her father. And Graham, well, he looked awful -  he looked like his heart had been ripped out of his chest.

No amount of pleading could get Graham to stay with her, and Regina decided to blame the only person who had given her trouble in 28 years, accosting Emma for destroying her life. Emma, in her apparently infinite levels of brashness, decided to egg her on, prodding at her weak spots. “Maybe, Madame Mayor,” she hissed, circling around Graham and glaring at Regina, “you need to take a good hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why that is. Why is everyone running away from you ?” 

It felt good to punch her. 

Regina’s hand stung after the fact, and she shook it as Emma toppled into Graham. The woman was up in an instant, responding with a punch so strong it left Regina seeing stars. Disoriented, she could barely struggle as Emma dragged her to the wall of the vault, slamming her in the stone hard enough that Regina felt the wind get knocked out of her. Emma’s fist raised once again, but as Regina put her arms up in weak defense Graham managed to drag his deputy away. She tasted copper on her tongue, and realized that Emma had managed to split her lip. She could hear the woman struggling against Graham’s hold, practically growling at her while the man attempted to calm her down. Regina just watched as they left, and when she opened the door to her vault she knew what was coming next.

Killing Graham wasn’t pleasant, but it was necessary. 

His funeral was a quick affair, most of the town gathering while Regina gave a speech about his bravery and love for Storybrooke, and how much he would be missed. Emma sat towards the back of the crowd, and Regina had to force down her smile when she saw tearstains on the blonde’s face. The weeks that passed were somber, spent waiting for Emma’s next attempt at rebellion while crafting her perfect counterstrike. 

It came when Regina fired Emma two weeks after Graham’s passing, electing Sidney for the position of Sheriff and reveling in the satisfaction of beating her adversary. Was she thrown by Emma’s sudden knowledge of the town charter and demand for a public election? Sure, but it was nothing she hadn’t seen before, and Sidney still had an article about Emma’s unsavory history waiting to be published, so she wasn’t worried. It only worried her once the reporter informed her that Mr. Gold had been the one to help her research the charter, because what motive could he possibly have for ensuring Emma’s position as Sheriff? (and when was the last time he ever cared about the political climate of this town anyways? )

Emma confronted her in her office the night the exposé was put on the front page of The Daily Mirror, stormed in while Regina was gathering her bag to head home and tried lecturing her about how this was hurting Henry. Regina brushed it off, traversing the halls and passing through the stairwell she’d scheduled for renovations weeks ago as Emma followed behind her. At least informing Emma about the debate seemed to throw a wrench in the blonde’s confidence. As she reached for the door handle, Regina noticed that it was rather hot around her, strange for the late November evening. 

The fire only registered in Regina’s brain after she and Emma had been thrown back in a blast of flames, a shout of surprise and pain leaving them both as their backs hit the stairs. She winced as she tried to stand, and a quick look at the ladder currently pressing an intense heat into her leg caused panic to rise quickly in her chest. Smoke was filling her lungs, and Regina coughed as she sat up to try and free her leg. Emma, thankfully, had recovered quickly, and was scrambling down the stairs next to her to move the metal. Regina cried out again when Emma stood and tried lifting her, the grip on her shoulders too firm and the pain from her ankle now radiating up her leg. She was stuck, and in her hysteria she latched on to Emma’s hand. “I can’t move,” she explained, looking up at the blonde and not caring about the fear in her eyes. “You have to get me out. Help me.”

Emma was as still as a statue, her eyes shifting between Regina and the fire raging before them. The gravity of their situation settled in for Regina then, understanding that Emma had the perfect opportunity to get Henry all to herself; a freak fire was the perfect excuse, and no one would question Emma’s story if Regina wasn’t there to contest it. Hell, her death would be the end of the curse, so unless Emma decided to live up to her lineage, Regina was fucked. 

The brunette’s blood ran cold when Emma finally let go of her hand and started heading down the stairs. Regina seized Emma’s forearm like a vice, and with a sick sense of recognition muttered, “You’re going to leave me, aren’t you?” The blonde stared at her for a moment, her gaze focused but otherwise unreadable, and with a twist of her arm she ran straight through the fire, leaving Regina on the steps. She didn’t actually think Emma would leave her, but maybe this was how the Savior was always supposed to defeat the Evil Queen. She crawled desperately up the stairs, her ankle screaming at her with every jostle, but she refused to die without putting up a fight. 

At the last step before the landing Regina saw a heavy fog start to roll into the room, and she wondered for a second if it was a cloud of smoke coming to suffocate her. But after waving some of the mist from her face, she caught a glimpse of a bright red jacket, and the next thing she knew Emma was pulling her forwards, practically throwing the Mayor into her side. Regina let out a startled cry, but her hand made purchase on Emma’s shoulder as Emma’s wrapped tightly around her waist, and together they made their way through the ruins of the lobby. As they hobbled through the flames, Regina could hear Emma muttering under her wheezing breath. It’s okay, we’ll be okay, we’re almost there, just a little further ; small encouragements that she probably didn’t even realize she was saying out loud. Regina tried her best to focus on those, on Emma’s determined face only inches from her own (not Emma’s thumb rubbing comforting circles on her hip, not that she was practically carrying her out of the building) as they finally pressed through the door and tumbled into the fresh  air. 

They coughed through ash coated lungs, and Regina startled when she heard a click and her vision was blurred from the flash of a camera. She felt Emma drop the canister on the stone under them and shouted when the blonde nearly collapsed on her, her foot hitting the ground and her ankle throbbing. “Set me down gently!” She shouted, Emma’s hands moving down to hold her hips as they disentangled themselves, and once they were separated Emma rested her hands on her knees, coughing before yelling at the brunette. 

“Seriously? You’re complaining about how I saved your life?” Sirens roared up to the building, and as Regina’s nerves settled and more people arrived she began to replace her mayoral mask, not willing to let the town see her any weaker than she was. 

“The firemen are here, it’s not like we were really in any danger,” Regina explained, doing her best to hide any of the genuine fear she’d felt only a minute before. 

Emma coughed next to her. “Fine,” she croaked out, stumbling backwards before starting towards the fire truck parked a few yards away. “Next time I’ll just…I’ll just, oh you know what,” Regina turned to see Emma stomping towards her, “next time, I’ll do the same thing. And the time after that because that is what decent humans do.” Regina stared in shock as Emma continued to shout. “That’s what good people do.” And then she was gone, the medics guiding her away to inspect her injuries. Regina followed suit, and though she spoke with several people in the minutes that followed, Emma’s words echoed in her mind. It was the closest they’d ever come to talking about that night on Regina’s porch. 

Emma’s victory at the debate wasn’t surprising after that, and it was essentially guaranteed once she’d publicly outed Gold as the firestarter. Henry was overjoyed when the vote was called, and ran out to find Emma and share the “good news” before she could stop him. It was a struggle for her to hand over the badge that night, but it didn’t bother her too much - she knew exactly what was coming next.

||

Okay, maybe not exactly , because she was not planning for another stranger to come to Storybrooke anytime soon (Emma didn’t seem to trust him either, which brought her a strange sort of comfort). But her plan for Mary Margaret and David was going great, which was what Regina really tried to focus on. 

Exposing their affair had been easy enough, with Sidney still snooping in their business at her request she had enough photos to back up every claim. Kathryn had been distressed, quickly taking matters into her own hands while Regina sat back and watched. Within a week Mary Margaret went from endearing schoolteacher to adulterous whore, a pariah among the likes of Leroy. Spray painting her car was the icing on the cake, and a nice artistic touch, if Regina said so. It was perfect, and for once, there was absolutely nothing Emma Swan could do to prevent it. 

Her encounters with the Sheriff had been few and far between in the last few weeks, discussions remaining on either the topic of Henry or town business in a purely professional capacity. After confronting Gold about his true identity (easy with a bribe to Moe French, she knew that stupid teacup would shake him), anytime she thought of her son’s birth mother her stomach turned. There was no longer room for doubt; Emma Swan was the Savior, the only person capable of breaking the Dark Curse and destroying the Evil Queen. She couldn’t hardly look at the woman, knowing that their story ended in one of their inevitable deaths. It rattled her, thinking of the devastation either alternative provided: if she died, the curse would be broken and Henry would be ripped from her. If Emma died, the curse would remain intact, but Henry would never forgive her. She’d sent Sidney to gain her trust instead, continuing to use him as her own private eye. 

When Kathryn apologized for her behavior when Regina revealed the affair and told her she was leaving for Boston, even encouraging David to continue seeing Mary Margaret, Regina panicked. No one had ever tried leaving town before, and she did not want this to be the time they started. Henry was still so caught up in trying to prove the curse was real that any change would set him off. If it were a change that Regina could control, though…that could work. 

A quick deal with Gold promising a tragedy to befall Kathryn was struck, the charges against him were dropped, and Regina’s new plan was put into motion. It was simple enough to doctor the phone records so doubt would be shed on David, and it gave her enough time to sneak into Mary Margaret’s loft (abominable decor, how on earth does Emma live with this woman), steal a jewelry box she’d gifted the girl for her 16th birthday, and plant an old hunting knife in a vent near her bed. That night she buried one of the hearts from her vault in the box, and waited for the pieces to fall into place. The hospital, thanks to a little meddling from Gold, was able to confirm the heart found belonged to Kathryn, and from there, well, it was clear that Mary Margaret was responsible.

Emma was clearly frustrated at having to arrest her roommate, but Regina’s plan was foolproof - whenever Emma thought she was close to proving Regina’s involvement, the Mayor was there with a smile and a perfectly reasonable explanation of her innocence. She’d even insisted on sitting in for Mary Margaret’s questioning under the guise of preventing bias, but if she were honest it was more to bask in the fact that she was winning, for the first time in nearly 40 years she had her enemy trapped and there was nothing to change it. Regina even slipped one of her skeleton keys into the woman’s cell after the imp had mentioned it, and it worked just as they’d hoped; Mary Margaret fled the same night, a fact confirmed with a quick phone call from Gold. 

Regina hadn’t been expecting to see Mary Margaret waiting peacefully in her cell the next morning when she came for the arraignment. She was furious, only amplified once Gold informed her that it had been Emma who brought the woman back. It was nothing a message to Albert Spencer wouldn’t fix - Regina knew that the girl couldn’t handle the pressure, the fight that once pushed her long since tamped down. And she was right, Mary Margaret snapped during their interview and in that moment, Regina realized that her victory was guaranteed. 

Sidney warned her late into the night that Emma had found something that might lead to her, rambled about some chipped metal found where the jewelry box was, but Regina was prepared, quickly swapping out the broken shovel in her garage for an identical one in her shed. Emma had shown up on her doorstep the next morning with a smug smile on her face and a search warrant in her hands, and Regina smiled herself when the Sheriff stormed her garage to find the supposedly broken shovel in perfect condition. Emma was clearly shocked, and a part of Regina suspected that perhaps the blonde had snuck in the day before to search for herself. No matter, though. There was nothing left to try and prove Mary Margaret’s innocence, and a call from the police station the next town over confirming the schoolteacher’s pickup and transfer was the last nail in the coffin. 

Regina took a moment to step away from her desk when she saw the Hancock County police cruiser pull up to the Sheriff’s station through her window. Mary Margaret was actually leaving. Snow White had finally been defeated. Absentmindedly, she fished the ring of straw Daniel had proposed to her with from her pocket, the one she’d begged Rumple to turn to gold one night early on in their lessons so that it would never break, gripped it so tight she could feel the imprint on her palm as silent tears streamed down her cheeks. “We got her Daniel,” she whispered, a vicious smile on her lips. “ We got her. ” 

But then Kathryn collapsed outside of Granny’s, and things very quickly went from great to ghastly. 

Regina stormed Gold’s shop after watching the cruiser containing Mary Margaret return, eviscerating the man for breaking their deal. The imp and his words, though, had technically followed the terms of their agreement; Regina never signed for Kathryn’s death, only a tragedy. She left the shop even more frustrated than when she’d entered, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the story she’d crafted so perfectly fell apart and the evidence led back to her. When she made her way back to the mansion, Henry still at school for another few hours, she went to her desk to grab the cigarettes from her top drawer (she was running low, gods when did she start smoking so many cigarettes? she’d just bought a new pack last month, they’ve always lasted two months at least) and made her way to the porch to scheme. As the deep breaths and smoke eased her stilted nerves, she thought about what the next step was. Confession was off the table, Henry would never forgive her if he knew the lengths she had gone to protect him.

Unless, of course, someone else confessed. And poor, dumb Sidney, he was always so willing to go along with whatever Regina said that when she’d brought him to her office and told him he’d be doing just that, all it took was a lingering hand on his shoulder to seal the deal. He’d already proven himself loyal to her by gaining Emma’s trust, and she knew that loyalty would be what got her out of this with clean hands. 

Regina decided to unveil the good news herself, and brought Sidney with her to the sheriff’s station, sending him to another room while she waited for Emma to arrive. She wasn’t sure how long it would be until the sheriff returned, so the Mayor decided to peruse Emma’s office in the meantime. It was largely unchanged from when Graham held the position, still flooded with paperwork and manilla folders, but there were a few new additions: a framed photo of Emma and Mary Margaret, a stained “I love Tallahassee” mug, and one of Henry’s old school photos, one of the wallet sized ones she’d made sure to order extras of, were all sitting on the desk. She could see a takeout box from Granny’s in the trash can, and several crumpled up sticky notes and loose pieces of paper. It was filthy compared to her office, and it positively screamed Emma Swan. 

After a while Regina heard the front door open, and quickly perched herself on one of the desks in the center of the room. She crossed one leg over the other, knowing that her dress would ride up just enough to undoubtedly catch the blonde’s attention. She was perfectly settled by the time Emma plodded in, tilting her head up slightly when their eyes met. Regina watched her eyes narrow, saw her jaw twitch for a moment before the woman continued into the room, far more hesitant than she had been before. When she called Sidney in she watched as Emma’s face transformed from confusion to unbridled anger. The sheriff called bullshit immediately, and though Regina tried to play into the story Sidney was vastly unrehearsed, and after Emma demanded a word in the hall she tsked at him, a sign of disapproval that left the man shaking. 

Regina strutted down the hallway with a disinterested smile to meet Emma, who was waiting with her hands in her pockets. “Well that’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard,” she said plainly, exasperation heavy in her voice. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s not true,” Regina replied, her lips forming a condescending pout as she finished. Emma continued, expressing pity for Sidney before she once again accused Regina of being behind the whole thing. It was the most serious the brunette had seen her since the mines, the usual teasing undertones missing from her words. Regina tried to interrupt once Emma brought up Henry, but it was immediately shot down. 

“Uh-uh, I’m talking ,” Emma hissed, and Regina held her gaze as she promised an eye for an eye, Mary Margaret for Henry. The look in her eyes was wild, unhinged passion and barely contained tears threatening to spill over. Regina remained unimpressed, but internally she was already plotting the next move because there was still a chance to keep her name out of it, as long as David stayed away from Mary Margaret and Sidney went down for Kathryn’s abduction. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Madame Mayor, I need to ask Sidney some questions,” Emma said in the most collected tone she’d had the entire interaction and shoved past Regina, knocking their shoulders as she went back towards the office. 

Regina spent much of that night in her study, rotating between drinking the scotch she’d had hidden behind a few books (she ran through her cider supply ages ago, and it was too early in the spring for her tree to even begin blossoming) and trying to scheme ways to break Emma and the Charmings. She’d spent a lot of nights like that lately, staying up thinking about all the ways she would have killed her enemies back in the Enchanted Forest. Mostly she thought of stringing Emma up in the town square and torturing her until she begged for death, only to leave her hanging for days. If her mind wandered long enough, and if she’d had enough to drink, she could picture it: Emma’s toned arms stretched above her, the muscles of her back tensed under her white tank top, her face contorted in pain. That thought alone brought more pleasure to her than it probably should have, but she was always drunk by the time she got there, so she didn’t really care. 

That night was one of those nights, where Regina imagined that instead of standing passively earlier that day she’d shoved Emma into the nearest wall, held her by the throat and purred threats in her ear. Henry had long since gone to bed, and Regina sat at her desk still wearing her heels with her fou-no, fifth glass of scotch in hand and an old Frank Sinatra record croning in the corner. A glance at the clock told her it was just after one a.m., and just as she thought it would be the perfect time for some crackers and a cigarette her phone buzzed. Regina sighed, slamming her glass down and swiping her phone off of the desk to see who could have possibly messaged her. Through blurry eyes, she made out Emma’s name, and in her addled state struggled to read the text. 

Comr ouutsied, it seemed to read, though it was entirely possible that Regina had mixed up the letters thanks to her alcohol consumption. Confused, she looked around, and wondered briefly if perhaps Emma had messaged the wrong person, only for another message to come through. Reginaaaa . She threw her phone back on the table as if it had caught fire, and considered ignoring the texts entirely. It was late anyways, and entirely plausible that she would be asleep. But her phone went off a third time, and when she leaned over it saw the latest message read I can sww the lighrs on in ur syudy .  

Knowing the jig was up, and with the scotch having lowered her inhibitions, Regina decided to take the bait, stumbling out of her study on unsteady feet while doing her best to be quiet so as not to disturb Henry. She whipped open the front door expecting the blonde to be waiting on the porch for her again to be greeted with empty air. She made a small noise of confusion, leaning her head out the door and slowly scanning the yard, but stars danced in her vision if she looked around too fast, so she gave up that effort quickly. Through the chirping of the crickets though, she could hear someone whispering, and occasionally going psspss, as if trying to summon a cat. One of the whispers finally registered as her own name, and Regina went to follow the sound, coming from just beyond her front gate. 

“I knew you’d come out!” Emma whispered excitedly once Regina approached, her hands coming to rest on the top of the fence separating them. She was in different clothes than she had been earlier, the emerald green top swapped for a tight black v-neck and skinny jeans for grey sweatpants. She looked as though she’d rolled right out of bed before coming here, and Regina couldn’t hold back her laughter. 

“What on earth are you wearing?” Regina asked, wrapping her arms around herself as the night air chilled her skin, though her cheeks were already flushed from the scotch. She hadn’t meant to say it, but her wits weren’t exactly about her. She noticed a bit of a glaze in Emma’s eyes, and when a gust of wind brought over the smell of beer she realized Emma had been drinking, too. Judging from the bright smile she gave the brunette, the total opposite of her demeanor before, she was probably as drunk as Regina was. 

“I’m sorry I don’t sleep in a three piece pantsuit, Madame Mayor,” she teased, leaning forwards and resting her chin on the metal. “Why are you still in your work clothes anyways? It’s the middle of the night,” the end of the sentence came with a hiccup, followed by a small burst of giggles. 

Regina rolled her eyes, taking a wobbly step closer to the blonde. “I wasn’t going to bed, Sheriff Swan,” she replied, her head shaking  playfully.

Mischief glittered in Emma’s eyes. “Oh? Then what were you up doing, exactly? Forming another plot to kill me?”

“Precisely.” 

They stared at each other for a moment in dead silence, faces bare from any emotion. Regina broke first, breaking into a fit of laughter that Emma quickly joined. They were being loud, and this interaction probably shouldn’t even have happened to begin with, but they were both there, they were both drunk, and their feud seemed to reach an alcohol induced halt. 

“Shh, shhh, we’ll wake Henry,” Regina chuckled lowly, having moved close enough to rest her elbows just beside Emma’s hand on the fence. She brought a finger to her lips, shushing them both again while Emma knocked their shoulders together with a laugh. 

“Okay, okay, jeez, I didn’t realize we were in a library,” Emma joked, glancing sideways at Regina. Regina couldn’t stop her eyes from trailing the edge of Emma’s jawline, the line of her collarbone, and her fantasies from earlier abruptly resurfaced in the forefront of her mind. Her tongue peeked out to wet her parted lips, and she realized then that she’d probably been staring at Emma for far too long, if Emma’s piercing gaze meant anything. 

Regina cleared her throat and quickly turned to look at the street behind Emma, avoiding the blonde’s eyes as her cheeks warmed. “What are you doing here?” She asked quietly, the words slurred slightly. She heard Emma take a deep breath next to her, felt her shoulders heave as she exhaled. 

“Honestly? I have no idea,” Emma answered, sounding rather somber despite the glaze over her striking green eyes and redness flushing her cheeks. “I was at the loft, and I wanted to go for a walk, and now I’m here.” She shrugged, as though that was the perfect explanation for arriving drunk to Regina’s home at nearly 1:30 in the morning. 

“Why’d you text me?” was Regina’s next question, still refusing to look in her direction. Emma was silent longer than she was before answering her before, as if considering the question more. Regina glanced back halfheartedly at the house, checking to see if Henry had woken from their antics, but his light was off, so she didn’t worry the issue any further. 

“Mary Margaret was already asleep when I left, didn’t wanna wake her up and I don’t really have any other friends here.”

“We’re not friends, Emma.”

“I know.”

Regina looked at her then, and when Emma looked over she swayed slightly, her nose brushing against the blonde’s. Her face was obscured under waves of golden curls, and they were so close that Regina’s inebriated mind had a hard time making out her features now. Emma’s eyes were so vulnerable, her usually hardened gaze softened as she studied the brunette with an intense fascination. She felt herself lean even closer to Emma, and the alcohol whispered to her that the wind had pushed her closer, while the wind told her the alcohol encouraged her movement. She couldn't make sense of them, and as she considered the way Emma was breathing - steadily, as if she hadn't taken a drunken walk for half a mile to her house - she felt her eyes flick down to the blonde's mouth.

“What are you doing here?” Regina breathed, her lips a hair away from caressing Emma’s with each repeated word. 

Emma pulled back slightly, just enough to move one of her hands up to cradle Regina’s cheek. Brown eyes went wide at the contact, but she did nothing to move the hand away. “I wanted to see you,” she muttered with a crooked smile, as if it were the most simple thing in the world. 

Regina felt herself freeze, her breathing shaky and fast as her hands came to grip the cold metal separating her from Emma. The world around her was spinning, but she wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the blonde’s eyes focused on her lips like a starving man at a banquet, ready to devour. A voice in the back of her mind screamed at her to run like hell, to get away from Emma Swan as fast as possible and kill her the first chance she got. And she wanted to listen, she really did, but Emma was still looking at her through heavy lidded eyes, and she could still taste the scotch on her own tongue, wondered absentmindedly if scotch and beer mix well, and she forgot for a moment that this was the Savior standing before her. 

Right. The Savior . 

Slowly, Regina pulled away, and she felt her throat tighten when Emma’s hand dropped abruptly from her cheek. “I…it’s late,” Regina started to explain, tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ear. “I should… I hav- I should go sleep.” Emma stared at her, and Regina saw her lip quiver for just a moment before her face readjusted to an unreadable mask (she wondered if that’s what it looked like when she did it). 

The sheriff pushed off the fence with a bitter chuckle, shaking her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, you’re right,” she said softly, looking down at a patch of dirt near her shoe. Regina went to speak, but Emma cut her off. “Sorry for coming here, forget it even happened.” With that she was off, walking back towards the loft with her hands shoved in her pockets. Regina watched her go, shivering on her front lawn as the last few minutes replayed in her head. As Emma turned the corner and disappeared from view, the brunette brought a hand to her lips, and her fingers traced them as the rest of her body buzzed. 

She made sure to take two aspirin before lying down, because she was definitely going to be hungover tomorrow.