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Chapter Text

Snow White and Emma Swan picked their way among the head stones looking to see if they could find Graham. "Are all these really Regina's?" Emma asked quietly.

"Oh no. They're all from my father's kingdom. The Enchanted Forest was a dangerous place."

"I remember." Emma said quietly.

"Though... no small number of these were the Evil Queen's victims."

"It's hard to imagine Regina that way. Even when I saw her ..."

Snow smiled a little sadly, "It was hard for me to imagine even when I was living it. But Emma you should have seen her when she was young..."

Emma turned around when she realized that her mother had stopped talking mid sentence and saw that she'd stopped in front of a grave. It was a simple stone, little different than those around it, reading Leopold Blanchard. "Is that...?"

"Your grandfather," she shook her head, "I don't understand. It's upright. We've been in town for days. If he's here shouldn't he have found us?"

Emma put a hand on her shoulder, "If he's here he has unfinished business. Maybe it's too hard for him to face."

"We have to help him. To help him move on."

"Of course," Emma said quietly. "Trust me I'll find him."

The next morning Emma announced that she and her mother were going to look for the dead king she noticed that Regina was unusually quiet. "We can help," Henry said. "I'm sure mom can find him with a locater spell."

Seeing the haunted look in Regina's eyes Emma was confused, but remembering her friend's remark about forgiving yourself she smiled reassuringly. "I think perhaps ..."

"I doubt Snow's father would care to see the woman who murdered him, Henry." Regina finished for her. Bluntly.

"But the book said ..."

Regina smiled, "I think I'll avoid the semantics." She looked over at Snow. "Go help your father. If there is anything I can do to help you, you know you have it."

Snow nodded solemnly. "Thank you."

Henry decided to go with them still, and Regina had given him a locator spell to use. They found themselves walking all over town seemingly at random. "Is he avoiding us?" Snow said quietly.

"I don't think so the pattern's too random. We were down that street a few minutes ago." Emma pointed across a yard.

"There..." Henry pointed. Down the street was a garbage truck moving slowly along while an older man with a beard picked up trash cans and emptied them into the back.

"Daddy?" Snow said confused.

King Leopold turned his head and laid eyes on his only daughter for the first time since she was twenty years old, "Snow..."

She ran ahead of Emma and Henry into his arms. He picked her up and spun her around. Something made Emma want to put an arm around Henry.

"Daddy, this is your granddaughter Emma, and your great grandson Henry."

Leopold took off his work gloves and walked towards them grimy and dirty but with the dignity of a king. "Hello ..." He reached out to start to touch Emma's face but stopped.

"Hello," Henry said, but he was more hesitant and watched the man suspiciously.

"What are you doing here, Daddy? Is mother..."

He shook his head, "No Eva moved on. I'm... here for the reason everyone is here."

Snow nodded, "Unfinished business. Well don't worry. I'm here now and we can help you."

He smiled sadly. "That's a lovely thought, my beautiful daughter. But you don't have that power."

"What?"

"My unfinished business isn't with you and I rather doubt there is much forgiveness in the heart of the person I wronged."

Emma raised an eyebrow.

Snow tilted her head, "Regina? But ... don't you know she killed you?"

Leopold shrugged, "Everyone around here died somehow, Snow. But you can do worse things to someone than killing them."

Chapter Text

Leopold agreed to meet them back at the loft once his work was done and as the garbage truck rolled away Snow watched stunned.

"That's not how I pictured a king." Emma ventured

"It's ... not how I pictured my father." Snow said quietly. "He was ... neglectful of Regina. But I'm not sure what he ever did that would be keeping him here."

"I think that might be between him and her," Emma said glancing at Henry.

When they went back to the loft they found a note from Regina that she'd gone off on a recognizance trip with David and they didn't have much time to talk to her when she got back before there was a knock on the door. Everyone except Snow and Emma lay hands on a weapon. Well everyone except them and Regina who closed one fist tightly, Emma suspected to keep from instinctively lighting a fireball. "Who is that?"

"My father said he'd come by after work."

"The King? Is coming here?" Regina asked trying to cover her alarm.

"He said that his unfinished business was with you." Emma supplied.

"Well I did have him assassinated." Regina said flatly.

"I don't think that's it." Emma said as Snow went to the door. Leopold gave her a tight hug in the doorway, he was still dressed for work, with heavy boots and a beaten up jacket with high visibility stripes on it.

Everyone in the room was watching him except Henry who was watching his mother. After a moment Snow took hold of his hand and brought him over to David, "Daddy this is my husband... we also have a son but he's back home." The king shook David's hand but Regina remained stock still where she was.

Emma moved next to her and asked under her breath, "Are you okay?"

"No." She answered back simply.

But Snow, more oblivious than normal turned to them, and Leopold looked right at her, "You look well Regina."

"You do too. For a dead man."

Snow raised an eyebrow, but he buried his hands in his pockets. "It's hard to look worse once you're dead unless you annoy Hades. I'm not a big enough piece on the chess board for that."

"Finally figured out that the king wasn't the powerful piece on the board."

Snow frowned but Leopold chuckled, "Your mother's daughter."

"You finally noticed."

"I knew all along." He sighed, "I owe you ... apologies beyond my ability to deliver them. I... loved your mother deeply and she broke my heart. I ... punished you because I hated what she'd done to me. I thought you were just like her and she wanted power and for people to respect her so I made sure that you had none and that no one ... well that no one thought you were important."

Snow was staring at her father now and Emma was raising an eyebrow.

"What happened, happened a long time ago." Regina managed.

"You were my wife and I should have loved and honored you. I earned every bit of hate you had and may still have for me."

"You need her forgiveness to move on," Henry said aloud what every adult in the room knew.

Leopold nodded.

"Why didn't you come here when we first arrived in town if you've known that?" Emma asked.

He smiled a little, "I was an arrogant man in life, Emma, and I lived in a narrow world. This long down here, I've had a lot of time to understand my faults as a man, as a father, and as a husband. I would very much like to move on. To be with my first wife again. But I don't have the right to ask that of Regina. Whatever she may have done to others... this I did to her."

"She killed you." Snow said, confused and hurt.

He chuckled and shrugged, "When you are dead things become relative, my daughter."

"We'll help you." Snow announced, and looked over at Regina with a hopeful look Emma had seen the two women share before. The one she knew Regina couldn't resist.

"Of course we will." Regina said but there was an emptiness in her voice.

But Snow smiled and touched her father's face. "See, I told you we could save you."

But there was something haunting the back of Leopold's eyes. Something also haunting the back of Regina's. Still she raised her hand and the group transported to the fire caverns in a puff of purple smoke, Leopold standing on the bridge.

But the light did not form. He stood there and Snow grew confused.

"I don't understand, I thought you said you needed her forgiveness."

Leopold smiled and touched Snow's face, "I'm glad to know that she is again the woman who would do anything for you."

"... But she can't forgive him for you." Henry said. "That's not how the magic works."

Snow turned and looked at Henry surprised. Regina had been silent. "You... You took him from me. You killed all those people. And you ... can't find it in you to forgive him?! You're holding a grudge?!"

Regina opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"So many people have forgiven you. You forgave me... "

"Snow it's ... I'd love to forgive him."

Leopold approached them both, but she shook her head, and stormed off leaving the four of them staring at each other.

Chapter Text

Regina was sitting on the front steps of the building the loft was in, lighting and putting out a fireball, staring into the flames when the door opened and David sat down next to her. "I don't think anyone has done it yet, but thank you."

"For what?" Regina asked surprised.

"For trying. To forgive him for Snow."

"It didn't work."

David shrugged, "No. But it says something about your character that you wanted to."

Regina stiffened, "I'm not sure it says good things."

"I think it does." He tilted his head, "I remember this feeling of panic and helplessness when George was forcing me into marrying Abigail. Like I wanted to run, to turn into a bird and fly away. And how much I hated him." He raised an eyebrow.

"I tried to tell Daddy... Mother... but no one would listen to me. I mean I know now that one doesn't turn down a king's marriage offer. But Mother could have stopped it. She was a powerful witch."

"Except it's exactly what your mother wanted."

"It's what my mother arranged." Regina said bitterly. "I've never told Snow but when my mother was in Storybrooke I found out that she'd arranged for Snow's horse to go wild... The one good thing I did in my life and it wasn't even mine."

"You've done more than one good thing in your life Regina. And it doesn't matter what your mother did, you were the one who made the decision to risk your life to save a stranger. Nothing changes that."

"Maybe." Regina said quietly.

"You were young weren't you? I don't think I ever asked how much older than Snow you are."

"Eight years."

He nodded, and spoke carefully, "And he was your husband...?"

Regina gazed off into space, almost like she was looking back in time. "My wedding night... was a blur. I'd finally gotten rid of mother but there was a castle full of people and this grand ceremony and dancing. Snow danced with me until she grew tired and they put her to bed. And then the court put ... me to bed."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Consummating a royal marriage is a state occasion. Dozens of people escorted me to the bed chamber. Ladies undressed me and ..."

"You didn't have an audience did you?" David asked horrified.

"No. Not for the act itself. I... cried. At the time I thought I was hearing things because I thought he said my mother's name as it was happening."

"As you were being raped."

Regina shook her head, "He was my husband. In our world it was his right."

"Just because it was his right doesn't mean it wasn't wrong. Or he'd not be here."

"The next day the Chamberlain and the council of nobles came to inspect the bed sheets. I was a virgin and they... were a bloody mess. But the king was still virile and that's what they cared about. That maybe there would be another royal child. Toasts were made to the future prince or princess. I just wanted to be invisible." Regina sighed. "Invisible turned out to be exactly what I was. And that was just so much worse."

"And Snow?"

"How could a child understand that? At the time I knew that... but hated her anyway. Because if it weren't for her..." She shook her head. "And now I know better. In my heart as well as my head. And he's here asking my forgiveness. And all I keep thinking about is ... is him saying my mother's name as he ..."

She was crying now and David put an arm around her shoulder and leaned her head into him. "Regina... I know people have told you forever that you have to learn to forgive. But I'm going to tell you something right now. You don't have to. No one can require that of you. That has to come from your own heart and you are not a bad person if you can't."

Regina said nothing but let David hold her for a very long time.

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

Emma climbed the stairs in the bizarro version of the loft to find her mother sitting on the bed repairing the fetching on an arrow. "Is that what they call a royal fit?"

Snow looked up, "What?"

Emma folded her arms. "What you threw back there. It was quite the temper tantrum."

Snow tilted her head, "Regina killed him and she gets to keep him here to suffer. That's hardly fair."

Emma looked around, "Fairness doesn't seem to have anything to do with how this place is set up, mom. And how he died doesn't seem to be what is keeping your father here."

"What is keeping him here is Regina's constitutional inability to forgive."

"You of all people know that's not true." Emma sat down on the edge of the bed. "How old was she when they were married?"

Snow didn't answer but kept working on the feather end of the arrow.

"He seems to think he did wrong by her. And I've seen the look the two of you've shared the rare times that period of your lives came up."

Snow sighed, "She was lonely. Terribly lonely. Daniel had died..."

"How old was she, mom. Even accounting for the fact that she didn't age during the curse he's so much older than her."

"Eighteen. She was eighteen."

"And she spent forty years blaming you for telling a secret that put her in that place. If it took her that long to forgive someone who was a child do you really think she could in a moment forgive a man she was married to against her will? She tried..."

Snow put the arrow down. "I know she tried. She tried for me. I'm..."

Emma smiled, "Not really mad at her are you?"

"I was in that house hold. I knew she was unhappy. I could have spoken to father. If I had maybe she wouldn't have ... and he wouldn't have died."

Emma shook her head, "You were a child."

Snow smiled, "I know you didn't have the easiest childhood Emma. But children grow up fast back home."

"Perhaps." Emma said quietly. "You know it's more than that she was unhappy. That's holding him here. Right?"

Snow nodded imperceptively.

"You just want to fix it. For both of them."

"I always have. And I've never been able to."

Emma rubbed her mother's shoulder, "Perhaps this is your unfinished business too. But maybe a little less yelling at Regina would be helpful."

"Is that your way of telling me to stop being a brat?"

"You're my mother. I'm not sure I'm allowed to say that."

"Regina would." Snow smiled.

"It takes a special friend to make you see that kind of thing."

Snow took Emma's hand and squeezed it. "I used to have a friend like that. I love my daughter but sometimes I miss that friend."

Emma wrapped her arms around Snow and they hugged.

Chapter Text

It was early in the morning and Regina slipped out of the loft walking down the streets of Underbrooke which reminded her so strongly of the windswept and dreary streets of Storybrooke during the years of the curse. Something that none of the others in the group really registered even those who had lived in the town. And something she had no desire to dwell on too closely.

She entered the diner and ignored the eyes on her as she saw a balding grey haired man sitting in a booth a bowl of unappealing looking oatmeal in front of him.

She almost asked him if he minded if she saw, but a bit of anger and fire in her gut wouldn't let her and she slipped into the booth opposite him without asking.

"Regina..."

"A king is easy to spot in a crowd. Even a pathetic one like you."

He chuckled, "Somehow I can't figure out how I missed how much you hated me."

"You don't want me to answer that."

"Perhaps I do."

"I long ago stopped having to care what you wanted, Leopold."

"You are still my wife."

"The reason you aren't swimming in the waters on the way to hell is my fondness for your daughter." Regina warned. "Don't test me."

Leopold sobered. "Snow doesn't understand. She doesn't have the experience..."

"Snow isn't a stupid woman but I have no interest in hurting her more." Regina folded her arms vaguely aware that she was protecting herself from the man across the table.

"The Evil Queen is judging me?"

"So you know..."

"You are far more famous here than I am. There are many kings in the underworld but there is only one Evil Queen."

"That's not who I am anymore." Regina said defensively.

"Is it?"

She shook her head, "I don't know why I came here. You haven't changed. You are still the self righteous jackass you were." Regina stood up and leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Of all the people I've sent here Leopold, there is one I do not for a moment regret, you."

Regina put her gloves back on and walked out of the diner only to come face to face with Hades.

"That's my girl, Regina."

She sighed and raised an eyebrow, "Don't you have some creepy romantic gesture to make for my sister?"

"She'll come to me when she realizes I love her." He waved a hand dismissively, "But how could I pass up a chance to rekindle an old flame of a different sort and offer my favorite monarch a deal."

"I'm not interested," Regina said starting to walk away only to find herself face to face with him.

"I'm not Rumplestiltskin, my dear Regina. My deals are much much more interesting."

"I'm still not interested in deals, interesting or boring."

"What if I offered you a chance to send the man who tormented you to somewhere even more unpleasant than this domain." Hades smiled, "Without your family finding out you shoved Snow's daddy into the fire."

Regina clenched her jaw.

"Ah, so you are still a bit that person." He clapped his hands together.

"The grave stone..."

"Oh you really think that is something that can't be fixed? A tippy happy stone made to order... all you have to do is what you really want to do anyway." He whispered in her ear, "Make him suffer."

Hades disappeared in blue flame and Regina inhaled and looked over her shoulder to see her husband leaving the diner himself to go on his rounds collecting the refuse of the little town from hell.

Chapter Text

Regina returned to the underloft after her encounter with Hades to see that the latest plans to ferment a revolution among the dead were going along a pace and instead she took a cup of tea and sat in the corner. Henry caught her eye and moved over to sit next to her, speaking quietly, "I was writing this morning when I got up ..."

He passed the paper over to her and it was a picture of her and Hades talking. Regina looked at him in surprise, "Henry I'd never take his deal."

Henry was surprised, "Of course not. But I thought maybe you might want to have someone to talk to. This trip is getting in everyone's head. I mean this is the Underworld and none of us were really prepared to face all of this. I think maybe you were expecting something else."

His gentle voice made her smile, knowing that he was trying not to remind her of her past, but be mindful of it at the same time. "I was prepared for the people I wronged Henry. To face what I did as the Evil Queen. A lot of people around here have a lot of very legitimate reasons to hate me."

He tilted his head, "Maybe. But hate hurts the person holding onto it. Maybe more than the person it's directed at." He looked over at his grandmother who was in deep conversation with his other mother and Hook about their latest plans and trying not to look over at Regina.

"True," Regina smiled, "You're a wise young man, you know that?"

"I had a good teacher. Perhaps... lessons have to be learned in reverse too. Maybe it's okay to feel hurt and that's not the same thing as hate."

She chuckled, "Oh, I hate the King."

He raised an eyebrow, "Do you?"

Regina was surprised at the question from her son. Of course she hated him. Except she thought back to seeing him in the diner eating alone and wondered if that was true.

"I... hate him a little," she admitted. "Maybe more the situation. Snow and I were finding something that I really have missed for a very long time and the King... it's like a living... or not living... embodiment of everything Snow should hate me for."

He shook his head, "Grandma doesn't hate you. She loves you, and she loves her father, and she's frustrated because she doesn't know how to help you both. When you are frustrated you say things that hurt people sometimes."

"Learn that from me too?"

Henry shrugged, "I've learned it for me. And you a little. And mom too... it's a family trait."

Regina sighed and picked up the pages again, turning one over and looking at the sad man eating alone in the illustration.

"Before everything... I really respected him. I ... the night that Snow found Daniel and I... I wanted to get away so that the King could have a chance at finding love too. That Snow could have a mother."

Henry put a hand on his mother's, "Maybe the answer is finding a bit of that woman still inside you. Finding the part of you that just wanted everyone to be happy. I know you can do it, Mom."

Regina chuckled, "I certainly wouldn't want to let you down by not trying." She looked over at the others, "Think you can cover for me for the afternoon?"

Henry smiled, "Sure."

Regina slipped out the door again and Emma put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "Some things you have to let other people fix, Mom."

It didn't take long for Regina to find the garbage route that Leopold worked as he walked slowly behind the truck throwing trash bags in and dumping cans. "I remember you used to talk about wanting to work with your hands. I thought it was idle fantasy."

He looked over, seeing his wife walking on the sidewalk, her hands deep in her pockets.

"It was. But the Lord of the Underworld likes to punish with the fantasies we never really wanted in the first place." Regina nodded, looking around, "I've been wondering what mine will be when I'm here for real. Or if I'll skip the layover and go straight to fire and brimstone."

"Look who else has found self awareness in the last forty years."

"There is only so many sins I can make up for and my butchers bill is quite high." Regina shrugged.

"I'd wondered... sometimes... when the new arrivals would show up..." Leopold said awkwardly as he banged a can against the side of the truck.

"If you were responsible?" Regina laughed and looked up at the red sky, "Please no. Don't flatter yourself. The Evil Queen is my burden to bare not yours."

Leopold tilted his head. "Do you think that somehow it would be worse if you allowed others to accept part of your burden?"

"Do you think claiming a part in making the Evil Queen will get you a boat to the land of light and elevator music?"

Leopold shrugged, "Maybe."

Regina found herself smiling, "Me too. Sometimes."

Leopold burst out laughing, "I was such a blind man."

"Insight never was one of your stronger qualities," Regina agreed.

"I know you won't forgive me, Regina. I've spent a long time hearing about your legendary ability to hold a grudge."

"I forgave Snow. And she forgave me." Regina said quietly.

And something in her heart felt a bit at peace. "And you know... I don't really hate you either. It's not you I'm holding onto."

"It's the Evil Queen?" He said as he stopped picking up the trash.

"Forgiving yourself is always the hardest part."

Leopold nodded, "I know."

"You should come over for dinner tonight. Snow would like that." Regina tilted her head, "And Henry should get to know his ... let's not try to define that part of the family tree."

"I don't want to impose."

"You won't be."

Because Regina had just realized what none of them had figured out.

She'd already forgiven this man.

It wasn't her that was holding him back. It was his own guilt over her.

Chapter Text

Dinner had been awkward at first. Snow and Regina cooked, something which fascinated Leopold given that neither women could even begin to do that kind of work when he was alive. Regina made the first joke. There were no apples in the Underworld but Snow managed to respond with a quip about being sure that Regina could find some if she really wanted to.

Leopold asked David about his family, and explaining how he came to be King George's heir caused a political discussion between the former royals so complicated that Emma borrowed some of Hook's rum.

It was half way through the dinner, Henry by her side, that she realized that this was her family and Leopold was the interloper.

"Snow, do you have a picture of Neal?" The question came out of the blue and she nodded, going over to her jacket. Regina nodded to Leopold.

His face lit up as he looked at the picture. "This is my grandson?"

Regina half grinned and looked over at Emma, "Don't feel left out. Men always fantasize about continuing their lines." Leopold glanced over and a ghost of a smile passed over his face at seeing his granddaughter and his onetime wife sharing a joke. Even at his own expense.

The entire meal was so terribly normal that one could forget murder and magic and all the hate that people at that table had every right to have but for that moment at least was forgotten.

Leopold's shoulders relaxed and seeing his daughter happy and his wife accepted was all he had wanted for so long.

And it was Regina who glanced at Henry. "I think perhaps... it's time we try the caverns again."

Regina flew her hand up and the family was transported in a cloud of purple smoke. Everyone but Regina and Emma a bit surprised. The bridge was forming and the light appeared. Snow took her father's hands and walked him onto the bridge and they exchanged private words between them before she hugged him tightly. When she finally let go but was still holding one hand she smiled over at Regina and held her hand out to her.

Regina reluctantly stepped forward, not wanting to impose on Snow's finale moments with her father, but when she did Snow took hold of her hand as well.

Leopold smiled, "I was so very wrong Snow. You didn't need a mother. You'd found a sister."

Snow glanced over at Regina with a warm smile, and Regina even managed to return it slightly embarrassed, "Snow has grown into someone worth admiring."

Snow grinned, "That's high praise from Regina."

Leopold nodded, "I can see. Please take care of each other."

Regina nodded, "Snow and her family are my family. I will never allow anything to happen to them."

Leopold nodded, "That's more than I can ask."

He slipped his hand from Snow's and began crossing the bridge. On the other side a figure appeared waiting for him and Regina heard Snow's breath intake quickly and as she realized where she'd seen the woman before.

Queen Eva's portrait hung in her home for years mucking her for her own failures until they were taken from the wall and banished to some disused corner of the castle. The woman had a sad smile that Regina thought she understood, and caught Regina's eyes giving her a nod. Regina squeezed Snow's hand and nodded back.

And in a moment she was gone and so was Leopold.

And Snow began crying and Regina held her for a long time rubbing her back and telling her that it was alright to cry.

Fin.