A Forgotten Angel

by ATinyRainbowUnicorn

Summary:

The Evil Queen has been freed from the confines of her more docile self and she has unfinished business with the Saviour to take care of.

Notes:

I started this story in May 2019 and I only finished it in February this year. I love this story with all my heart and I hope that you all love it too. I was listening to some great music while writing this fic and you will notice the lyrics for them in here, I think it just speaks a lot for them.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

"There she is, my precious little angel."
"I was NEVER an angel!"
"Oh, but my sweet, you are! You, are MY angel. Mine and MINE ALONE."

& & &

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Emma is startled from her deathlike sleep by a loud banging on her door. Sitting up in her bed, she turns to check the time on her phone, 'You can't be serious!', she thinks to herself. She rises from her bed when the knocking continues, making her way downstairs and marching towards the door; she yanks it open, "What the hell? Regina?!"

Regina pushes past the blonde into the house, "Where the hell have you been? Why aren't you answering your phone?"

Emma swings the door closed behind her and rubs at her eyes, "I told you I was going to get some rest and meet you later, remember?"

"That was two days ago!" Regina yells at the blonde in anger; they were supposed to meet at Regina's vault to discuss a plan to deal with the Evil Queen. Emma Swan, however, was a no show. The brunette was pissed for the first few hours, then she became worried out of her mind thinking something had happened to the blonde, then she became sad at the possibility that Emma could be gone. She then circled back to anger when she couldn't find the woman anywhere. She didn't want to be angry but it was less stressful than thinking the worst.

"Two days? Regina, it's just after lunch. How could I have slept for two days?" Emma looked at the brunette, struggling to believe what she was hearing. "Okay, I need coffee and a seat while you explain to me what the hell has got your panties in a twist." Emma pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyes were burning; "Why the hell am I still wearing my contacts?" she mumbled to herself but the brunette caught her words. Emma walked to the sink and summoned her glasses, she removed her contacts and put on her glasses, blinking a few times to focus her vision. When she sat down at the counter, Regina had made her a cup of coffee; she gulped it, the hot liquid waking her up. "And why am I so hungry?" she looked at the brunette again, somewhat confused.

"Well, no one in town has seen you the last two days either. I'd wager you haven't eaten at all the last two days. So, I ask again, where have you been?" the brunette asks slowly, punctuating every word to emphasize the seriousness.

"Here, obviously!" Emma rubs at her temples frustrated, struggling to make sense of everything, realising that her memory IS a bit foggy.

"Emma, if you were here, then I would have found you the first million times I came to check HERE!" the brunette barely controls herself from barking at the blonde, her voice becoming louder with each uttered word.

"Wait a minute. I did go to see you at the vault. I was at the cemetery. I remember going there." Emma frowns, none of this makes sense to her, how did she get back home?

"Well I...never saw you! What's the last thing you remember?" Regina enquired. There was a possibility that her evil half may have gotten to Emma but what would the motive be for keeping Emma asleep for two days? She watched Emma furrow her brow and shake her head trying to recollect where she had last been.

"I came home, I went to sleep for a few hours, I woke up and I went over to the cemetery. I got there and..." Emma drew a blank, blinking rapidly.

"And...what?" the brunette was now beyond frustrated, it was starting to boil over. Whatever was going on, it could not be good. Emma's lack of memory was a cause for concern.

"I spoke to you?" Emma questioned shaking her head, trying harder to remember, "It hurts when I try to think about it." She groaned at the pain crawling over her brain, rubbing harder at her temples.

"I told you, Emma, I never saw you," Regina insists. They lock eyes and an identical look of realisation washes over both of them. "The Evil Queen," both women say at the same time.

"Why would she do this though?" Emma questions, more to herself than the brunette. Regina is pacing now, hands in her hair, "I don't know but I'm going to find out."

& & &

TWO DAYS AGO...

Emma felt better now that she had had some sleep. Over lunch, she and Regina had agreed to meet at the vault, where they could discuss possibilities of how to deal with the Evil Queen. Emma pulled her bug into a parking space at the cemetery and swiftly got out to make her way towards her destination. She walked the same manner she always did, just in case, not to draw any attention to herself. It was asking a lot since she was the saviour and all. She attracted more attention than Beyonce in her opinion... and much to her frustration. Lost in her reverie, she didn't notice a body standing and waiting for her a few yards away, when her eye catches the intruder she halts in her stride. The Evil Queen. Smiling at her, wide and smug, like she knows something.

"What do you want?" Emma is blunt, it's one of the things about herself she's thankful for. She might be a horrible liar but being blunt helped her come off confident when she needed to be.

"Hello there, Angel." The Evil Queen steps forward, she doesn't miss the way Emma's eyes quickly scan her; her smile broadens even further. Like a Cheshire cat about to drink fresh milk; how she relishes the way those eyes look at her.

"What. Do you. Want?" Emma grits out, it takes a lot of control not to attack her, she knows it will hurt Regina.

"I want. My angel," the Queen states in the same tone. "And I'm not going to stop, until I get her." taking another step forward, her shoulders relaxed but her head held high; she's not scared of the savior. Even if there was a way for Emma to hurt her, she knew for a fact that she never would. She was way too protective of Regina anyway.

Emma snorts, lifting a brow and gesturing around her, "Well, you're in the wrong place, your majesty."

"Oh, I'm EXACTLY, in the right place." she winks at the blonde and grins suggestively.

"Excuse me? I hate to break it to you but I'm nobody's angel. Never was, never will be." Emma retaliates, humoured by the Queen's hidden insinuation.

"It seems someone has forgotten who she is." the Queen tuts and circles Emma, dangerously close to her. She knows she's playing with fire but it's worth the burn in the end, it always is with Emma. Emma was like a wild kitten, handling a wild kitten took a certain finesse and experience, an experience she had an abundance of.

"I know who I am. Thank you very much!" Emma deadpans, annoyed now. She needs to figure out the Queen's angle but she's just as hard to read as Regina, if not more sometimes. She knows Regina now though and she is nothing like the Evil Queen, which makes it hard for the blonde to understand her actions and reasons even more, she doesn't have the same motivations anymore. She's unpredictable, which makes her dangerous.

The Queen comes to stand directly in front of the blonde, looking her dead in the eye with her smug expression. "Not to worry, nothing a little trip down memory lane can't fix," she smirks at Emma. Before the blonde can respond, she lifts her hand to Emma's cheek, the shock freezing Emma in place and brushes the pad of her thumb swiftly over both of Emma's lips; from top to bottom down the middle, magic sinking into the flesh of the blonde's lips, promptly knocking her unconscious. Her body falling limp against the Queen, who holds her closer around the waist, stroking her face, "Sweet dreams, Angel." She smiles to herself and transports them away.

& & &

Emma's dream...

Regina sits on her chaise lounge, waiting as her guards bring in her newly captured prisoner. She's a pretty young blonde who claims to be a princess but she knows every royal in this realm by name and face. Princess Leia, is not who she says she is. The fact she's dripping in magic, even under the glamour, just makes Regina want to know who she is, even more. Whether she's aware of how much she stands out or not is of no concern to her but she is interested in knowing why she wants to hide from anyone. She's also a little bit intrigued by this stranger, she had used her name like an old friend, like someone who was intimately familiar with her. She was fascinated by the young blonde's sense of familiarity with her, who was she really and why was her aura pulling her in like a magnet?

Regina was the picture of poise and elegance when the blonde was placed on her knees before her, she took in a deep breath, smelling the blonde's essence in the air. She'd never smelled anything like it before, it was heady in an intoxicating way. She schooled her features and dismissed all her guards, demanding to be alone and that she not be disturbed. When they were alone, she uncrossed her legs and leaned forward on her knees, interlocking her fingers between herself and the blonde. "Who are you?" her voice low and husky, she caught the shiver it caused across the blonde's skin. 'Hm, interesting.'

"I told you, I'm -"

She grabs the blonde's face over her mouth and pulls her closer, their noses almost touching. "It's unbecoming for a lady to lie. Let's try this again. How about...I tell you, who I think you are? Hm?" she stated. Loosening her grip and slowly dragging a finger down the side of the blonde's face, stopping under her chin and lifting it higher. "I know every royal in this realm, by name and face. Even those I haven't personally met. YOU are NOT a princess or...maybe you are, who knows? You seem like the rebellious type to me. A trait, mind you, that I'm not very fond or forgiving of. Here's the kicker though, the part that really teases my murder buttons. Why would you possibly need The Dark One to glamour you, when you are filled to the brim with magic of your own? VERY powerful magic I might add... Why hide? Why not protect yourself? And most importantly, why not kill me? Hm? That look in your eye, that is a dangerous look. A look that may very well get you killed. So, I can either break down those walls by force and with a LOT of pain or you can tell me what I want to know?"

Regina sits up straight and lets her words sink in, she can see the wheels turning in the blonde's head, she would hate for the blonde not to cooperate. It's been a while since she had something pleasing to look at, it's been even longer since she had someone who had such a beautiful aura to play with. She watched the young woman, amused by the way the blonde closed her eyes and nibbled thoughtfully on her lip, the way she hangs her head and gives an almost defeated exhale. Pushing her magic through Rumple's glamour, a white glow surrounds her, washing away the disguise completely; she rises from her knees and the shackles around her wrists come free. Her red dress is replaced by the attire she arrived in, her signature jeans and red leather jacket, her blonde locks falling freely over her shoulders.

Regina smirks brightly as the young blonde fully reveals herself, she takes in her appearance, it's an unfamiliar style for this realm but she appreciates the way it flatters the blonde. She leans back on her arms, dissecting the young woman before her. Her eyes are a bright green like the ocean, this is a million times better than what she was expecting. She tastes the blonde's magic on her tongue as it lingers in the air, it's a lot stronger than she thought. It's coming off her in waves even though it has stopped flowing. She stays silent, her eyes roaming up and down the blonde's form, her posture confirms her rebellious personality; her magic is pulsing beneath her skin to lace with the blonde's and her blood is rushing through her veins at the blonde's defiance. She's not afraid to look in Regina's eyes. She has fire in her and Regina will be damned if she doesn't get a chance to play with that fire.

The blonde puts her hands on her hips and straightens her stance, lifting her chin at the Queen's close scrutiny, she straightens her shoulders and flips her hair out of her face. Regina slowly, visibly licks her lips at the action and smirks, "There she is. Now, was that so hard?" The brunette stands to her feet, she looks at the young woman dead in the eye, there's only a breath of space between them. "Your name?" the queen asks, her voice composed but powerful, leaving no room to be defied; while it might have sounded like a question it was most definitely a demand.

"Emma." She spoke confidently, there was no point in being shy now and there was no point in lying. If the Queen knew what she looked like she might as well be honest about her name, she would just have to figure out a way to fix this fuck up later.

The Queen took a step closer to the young woman, repeating her name, tasting it in her mouth, it suited her perfectly.

& & &

The Evil Queen was sat in a chair in the corner, she watched the blonde sleep, her body twitching with the dreams she was having. This was the only way she could draw the memories from the depths of Emma's subconscious. The spell needed to be undone the same way it was done. The blonde looked peaceful, she always did when she slept, those were the moments she enjoyed just watching her be. She turned to look out of her window, smiling fondly at a memory that had crossed her mind. It was her favourate memory of the blonde.

& & &

The Queen's memory...

Emma has been tight lipped the last two weeks around the brunette, careful of what she told her about herself. She told her the truth...sort of, leaving out any information that could possibly affect the timeline but she wanted to avoid being caught in a lie also, she didn't want to know what being punished by the Queen felt like. She was open about how she had ended up there, she didn't use anyone's fairytale names, lest she get executed for being associated with Snow White. She had told the Queen of her need to get home being VERY important. The Queen, surprisingly, had agreed to explore possible solutions for her to return to her home.

Regina had hosted Emma and treated her like a wanted guest, though her mind was screaming at her not to trust this woman, her heart was encouraging her to believe in the look of trust in Emma's eyes. The blonde treated her differently than she'd ever been treated, it was unnerving and at the same time it was wonderful. Emma, never showed fear around her, she also spoke her mind openly, she didn't hold back about what she was thinking or feeling. She'd never encountered anyone who was this...fond of her. Was the blonde really fond of her? If so, why? Emma was always sincere, she could tell that the young woman had no hidden agenda towards her. How was it that she knew exactly how to behave around her, how to talk to her? What fascinated the Queen most was that she was always trying to make her smile or laugh, especially when she was in a foul mood; everyone else tended to avoid her when she was in a bad mood but Emma always sought her out. Why wasn't Emma scared of her?

Emma had been staying in a room not far from hers... maybe it wasn't a bad idea to entertain herself with the blonde. It was a perfect day to go riding. She walked to the room Emma was staying in; the door was open, she stepped inside and her eyes fell on the blonde's back. Sunlight poured in through the large window, Emma was basked in the glow of the golden rays, her hair shining more than usual, she looked like she was deep in thought and at the same time she seemed almost, at peace. Her silhouette called out to the Queen, she wanted to remember this vision for the rest of her life, if she never had anything else that was good in her life. She caught herself smiling at the way a breeze blew through Emma's hair, moving it out of her face; though it was kept in a braid, loose strands still escaped here and there. As unruly as her heart, unwilling to be kept in a cage and bound.

"All you're missing is a pair of wings and you'll be the perfect image of an angel." Regina spoke up, walking towards the window with slow steps, her riding boots silent against the stone of the floor.

"I am many things, your majesty. An angel, is most certainly, not one of them. Also, that's an interesting sentiment coming from you." Emma tilts her head towards the brunette, flashing her a playful grin, "What's with the outfit?" Emma gestures towards the Queens riding clothes.

"I'm going riding. Any chance you'd like to accompany me?" she asked, feigning nonchalance so as not to display her want for the blonde to join her.

"Sure. I've never ridden before though." the blonde looks at the Queen with open concern.

"Well, there's a first time for everything, Angel." the Queen gave a smug grin holding out a hand towards the blonde, she didn't need to hold her hand but she wanted to touch her; when she took it they were transported to the stables. Regina had taken the liberty of changing Emma into riding clothes with magic, she was impressed with the image before her, black riding pants paired with a red leather jacket. Regina let go of Emma's hand and walked towards a stall with a pitch black stallion in it, she put her hand on its nose and pet it soothingly, whispering in its ear.

Emma marvelled at the image of Regina this way, she was a million miles from the mayor that she was used to, but underneath it all, she saw the Regina that she had always seen since the day she first met her all those years ago.

"You shouldn't call people something that they're not." Emma commented.

Regina took a breath, she was about to do something that was way out of character for the Evil Queen, she turned and stepped towards Emma, she kept her voice soft so the blonde could not miss the sincerity. "You might feel that way because you can't see what I see but the angel in you, is as strong the demon, Em-ma. You have this dark cloud around you all the time. I can see it trying to suffocate you, trying to get to your heart but there's a glow about you also. A shine that comes from inside you, it constantly staves off that dark cloud. That shine, it affects the people around you. You might not feel like an angel but that is exactly what you are. Whether you like it, or not." Regina tilted her head towards the blonde and went back to her stallion, she opened the stall and led the horse out.

Emma stood there, Regina's words had struck her deeply, the Queen had let down her walls for a moment to help Emma see her own worth. Emma absorbed the words and let it sink into her bones, the Queen was starting to make it very hard for her to want to leave. She smiled at how surreal it all felt to her. She shook herself and took off after the brunette, mentally preparing herself for her first ever riding lesson.

& & &

The Queen was pulled from her memory when Emma huffed in her sleep, she turned to see that the blonde was looking rather uncomfortable, she softly chuckled and stood from her chair. The sun was already in the last minutes of setting, she waves a hand over the blonde, changing her into comfortable sleep clothes and she relaxed instantly. The brunette swept a hand carefully through her hair, "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back." she whispered softly to the sleeping blonde, exiting the room and closing the door behind her. She made her way to a mirror and watched the images before her.

She always started with Henry, she was as much his mother as Regina and Emma. She was there during every moment when he was being raised, she loved him as fiercely as her counterpart did. When Regina had started to change, she was locked out and locked away, unable to be a part of her son's life anymore, she never got to see him or be near him. She had no memories of him since Regina became 'good'. When she and Regina were separated, she was ecstatic at the idea of just being able to see him again. He was playing with his phone, he was a true teenager these days, albeit a very controlled and well behaved teenager. The Queen kissed her fingertips and pressed it against his face in the reflection of the mirror.

She avoided checking on the Charmings, her anger towards them would distract her from what she truly wanted. She let the image of Regina play across the mirror, she was glad she decided against taking Emma back to her house, she needed to keep Emma hidden until her spell had worked its way through the blonde's body. Regina seemed angry, she was walking through the rooms in Emma's house calling out her name but coming up empty; she was almost frantic about finding the blonde, even threatening to strangle her when she found her.

"You still feel the same but you don't remember it. This is going to be interesting and a lot of fun." the Queen spoke to herself, letting the image of Regina fade and the mirror showing her own reflection once more. She went back into the room and swiftly returned to her previous post to watch over the blonde a bit more, she would get some rest herself eventually, but she had missed just watching her sleep like this.

She spent another hour just watching the blonde sleep and dream before she eventually also grew tired and took the space next to Emma, she kept space between them but lay close enough to still feel her warmth. The blonde was always radiating with warmth, it affected her deeply and she had missed its presence the most. She stayed on her side just staring at the blonde, listening to her breathe, before sleep finally took her over.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Summary:

Things take a beautiful and angsty turn in the past for our ladies.

The Queen's dream...

The last two months have been a whirlwind, she battled with herself every day to keep her distance from Emma but she made it hard. The blonde had found a way to crawl under her skin and seep into her bones. She found herself caring for the woman more than she had planned to, to say that she even planned it at all was a cause for concern. She spent most of her day with her and found herself missing the woman when they weren't around one another.

Today had been long and tedious, court was absolutely exhausting and she hadn't seen Emma all that often as she'd liked. All she wanted was a hot, relaxing bath and to sink into the covers of her bed. The moon had already taken its position in the night sky, there was not a single cloud to cover up the beauty of the stars, she was deep in thoughts of the blonde when she walked into her bathing chambers. It was steamy and warm, it made her start to relax and it got her excited to finally unwind. There was a large in-floor bath in the centre of the room that was cloaked by the steam, she was really going to enjoy this. She looked across the room out of the large window at the starry night sky and the bright moon. There were only a few candles scattered about the area, it was mostly lit by just the moon, she loved the ambiance of it. She found small amounts of peace and joy in moments like these.

She sat on a small bench and took to unlacing her boots and setting them next to a table where she liked her towels to be kept, she then undid the laces of her corset and discarded it on the table; she stood and let her mind wander while she undid the tie in her pants and draped it over the bench. She undid her intricate hair braid and let her hair hang freely, she shook out the long dark locks and padded to a small cabinet, she frowned when she noticed the hairband she used when she bathed, to keep her hair dry, was not there. She opted to just let her hair continue hanging, she removed her underclothes as she walked over to the bath, tossing it on the bench as she walked by and as she approached the edge of the bath, her face brightened instantly.

She found the location of her missing hairband, holding up an unruly bun of blonde hair. The blonde had her back faced to her, her arms were crossed over the rim of the bath, she was intently staring out of the window at the night sky and did not notice she was being watched. Everything below her shoulder blades was immersed in the water. She could only imagine what beauty the water concealed from her. She silently stepped into the bath, the warm water making all her muscles relax, she sunk in, the loose strands of her hair over her chest and back becoming wet. Regina, sat back against the rim and stretched her arms out over it, she smirked at the image before her, "So that's where my hair-tie went." Her raspy voice startled the young woman, causing her to spin around and stand abruptly, the water now only covering her from the waist down, leaving her chest completely exposed and flushed.

The Queen watched as water dribbled down pale flesh, she was overcome with the urge to run her tongue along those paths of water; she wanted to reach out and run her fingers over the curves before her. Brown orbs locked with wide green, Emma promptly spun around again, her breathing pattern almost erratic as she tried to think of what to do, her back now facing the brunette, "I'm sorry, I'll uhm, I'll just get out of your hair and give you some privacy." She scurried over her words, clearly thrown for a loop by the Queen sitting in the bath completely naked and wet.

"No need. I'm quite comfortable with you staying," she said, not raising her voice but it had taken on an amused tone. Emma peered back over her shoulder to see the brunette dip her head into the water completely, coming back up and wiping her hands over her head, pushing any hair out of her face. She was free and uncovered by any make-up, she was most beautiful like this, covered by nothing but the light of the moon above and the glow of the candles highlighting all her features.

"O-Okay then. If you're fine with it." Emma was fumbling, her heart racing. Not sure what to do with herself so she sunk back down into the water up to her shoulders, her body uncharacteristically rigid.

The bath really was big, it was like an indoor pool almost, the brunette swam forward, coming up next to Emma, her hair dragging behind her. She had seen many sides to the blonde in the last two months of her being here; she had seen Emma happy, sad, frustrated, grumpy, tired and even angry but flustered was definitely new. Her flustered state, fascinated her entirely. She moved to the rim of the bath and copied Emma's previous position, "This light flatters you, Angel." she commented softly, trying to sooth the blonde. When she heard the blonde sputter it made her giggle, "Relax, Em-ma. I'm just making an observation."

"Yeah, of course." it sounded way too high pitched to her own ears, she hoped the brunette didn't take note of it. The blonde moved now, her body finally starting to relax. She positioned herself in her last spot, her back against the wall of the bath, facing in the opposite direction as the Queen. She stole glances every few seconds at the Queen's profile, noticing how calm and relaxed she was, she looked absolutely breathtaking.

"I would never peg you as the shy type," the brunette stated suddenly.

"Erm.." Emma was completely lost for words.

"No need to respond. Your eyes say a lot when you don't speak. I find people who can express what they feel, without having to use many words, quite fascinating. It tells me a lot about them and I have learned rather a lot about you, Angel." Regina, turned to look Emma straight in her eyes, she knew the blonde kept looking at her; when she caught her, she held her gaze.

"Like what?"

Regina pushed a few feet away from the wall, moving backwards, she moved her arms back and forth by her sides under the water. She moved closer again, stopping when there was an arm's length between them, she didn't want to scare the blonde off. "Your heart is battered and bruised. I can tell by the way you smile or stare off into the distance sometimes. You're guarded and closed off. You do everything in your power to protect yourself from getting hurt but you still open yourself up to the possibility of it not happening. That, makes you the strongest person I've ever encountered." The brunette's eyes roamed over Emma's face, it's not the first time she's done this so she doesn't hide it as she takes in the blonde's features. Reaffirming her memory of them.

"What I am, is broken." Emma stated matter-of-factly. Her voice was small, Regina had never heard her sound like this before. Like a child, that just wanted to be loved.

The Queen moved closer again, placing both her hands on Emma's cheeks, wiping softly over them, Emma didn't notice the tears that had escaped. She found it so easy to be vulnerable around the Queen, she didn't invalidate her feelings or laugh at her, she made her accept them and embrace them. "We all are. Some just hide it better than others. You are one of the few who can actually be strong through it, you never let it crush you. I respect that. It's what draws people to you."...'it's what draws me closer to you', she neglected to say, hoping the blonde could read it in her eyes.

"They always leave though," she smiled weakly. The blonde's lip quivered, her eyes glossy with more tears that threatened to fall.

The brunette brushed the pad of her thumb over Emma's lips, from top to bottom down the middle, she could feel Emma's breath slip through, "I'm still here, Angel."

She closed the distance between them and planted a soft, chaste kiss against pink lips, pale arms wrapping around her. It felt right, perfect, their lips moulded together like they were meant to kiss one another for the rest of their lives.

& & &

Emma's dream...

Emma found Regina in her study, pouring over a thick book. She looked deep in concentration, she didn't want to distract her or bother her, she just wanted to be near her. She missed her. They'd gotten intensely close over the last month; ever since the night Regina had kissed her in the bath, there was no way to disguise her feelings. It was now completely impossible for her to distinguish between her Regina and the Queen. She'd even taken to thinking of her as JUST Regina. She walked over to a table in the corner and poured herself a drink, they've kissed many times since that night and shared lingering touches, falling asleep in one another's arms often, but it never went any further, which amazed her. She was always secretly in love with Regina but she needed to find a way to reign it in, she would have to leave and she already found that she had no interest in that at all.

She was hungry to stay and let herself drown in everything that was the brunette beauty, she preferred spending her day just watching her be herself, not being weighed down by what everyone else thought of her. She had no desire to impress or live up to anyone's expectations of her. Those who worked in the castle dare not make any mention of how she had changed because of the blonde's influence, they were all rather content with the situation and were glad their Queen was happier than usual. Emma sat on a lounger with a faraway look in her eyes, she was in really big trouble.

Her glass held firmly in one hand, she leaned forward on her knees and rubbed a hand over her face, sighing unconsciously. When she opened her eyes, Regina was stood in front of her, she sat up and smiled at her, the brunette smiled back at her, "What's on your mind, Angel?" she looked at Emma with open adoration and it melted the blonde and broke her at the same time, she held Regina's gaze, the brunette instantly noticing her inner turmoil, sat on her lap sideways and held her face in her hands, caressing her cheeks to sooth her, "Hey, what's wrong?", her concern evident.

"What're you working on?" the response wasn't emmediate and it didn't hold any of Emma's usual confidence, she sounded almost sad.

It wasn't the response the brunette was hoping for but she could tell Emma needed a moment to collect her thoughts, she let out a breath and pointed over her shoulder, "I've found a few spells that are similar to the one that brought you here, but don't require such drastic measures." she bit her lip trying to gauge Emma's feelings, she'd been a bit down the last few days.

The blonde raised her eyebrows, "Oh. I didn't think you would still be looking into that."

"Do you want me to stop looking?" the brunette asked, tilting her head.

"No! I mean, if you want to keep looking, that's okay." Emma shook her head, her free hand instinctively stroking up and down Regina's back, she really didn't know what to do anymore, she knew that she couldn't stay but she also knew that she really didn't want to leave. Regina Mills was going to be massively pissed at her for this stupidity and she would definitely murder Emma if she found out about anything that happened between her and the Queen, she would also know how she felt about her, even if she never said it, every version of Regina had a way of seeing right through her.

The Queen sighed deeply, she stood from Emma's lap, she needed a bit of distance to do this, "Emma, do you know why it is, I haven't let anything between us, go beyond what it has? Because eventually, you'll have to leave here, and when you're gone, a part of me is going to leave with you."

"You want me to leave?!" Emma stood, her eyes hurt and afraid.

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE! I don't ever want to let go! I don't know how to let go." her voice was hard and pained, a tear escaped, she wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes tightly, wanting to pull the blonde closer and hold her for the rest of her life, but she knew she couldn't. "I told you Emma, your eyes speak a million words without you having to say anything. You look at me, in a way that screams volumes. Ever since I met you at that stupid ball, the look in your eyes, that is the look of something I am afraid of losing again. I've asked myself every day since you've been here with me, how is it, that someone I've never met before, can look at me, like they've known me their whole life? How could you possibly look at me with THAT look in your eyes and feel the way you do, unless you already felt that way before I met you? You know me, inside out, I can tell by the way you behave. You KNOW me where you come from. It is the only logical answer." the brunette was openly sobbing now, her voice breaking and her body shaking, "Knowing this, knowing that you feel this way, and knowing that somewhere, somehow I have you, it makes the thought of letting go a little less painful. I don't want you to leave but you and I both know that you don't have a choice because if there's anything I know about myself, it's that I won't ever stop wanting you right by my side. Whether it's this version of me or any other that you know. I've felt horrendous pain in my life but all of it pales in comparison to just the thought of not having you."

Emma's heart was on the brink of breaking just so she could use the pieces to fix Regina's. She knew Regina's pain, she wasn't afraid of talking about it but she never expressed, not the way she did in this moment. The mood in the room was somber, Emma wanted nothing more than to erase the pain, the brunette was feeling, she stepped closer to her, unfolding her arms and pulling her into a tight hug. She cradled Regina behind her neck as she sobbed into her shoulder, it broke her heart, Emma kissed her against her temple, trying with all her might to pour all her emotions into that one kiss, "Listen to me..", she whispered into the brunette's ear, "Someday, one day, I promise you, it will all be okay. One day, you're going to have me and everything you ever wanted and you won't ever be able to get rid of me, you won't ever have to lose me. I will stop at nothing to make sure that you get your happy ending. You were right Regina, I am an angel, I'm YOUR angel. Yours and yours alone. Now and always."

Regina lifted her head and kissed Emma passionately, pouring all her emotions into it. She needed to show Emma how she felt about her, and she was going to show her how deeply. Without a second thought, she transported them both to her chambers, their kiss deepening. Emma was unable to control herself or her actions any longer, she allowed Regina to lead her towards the bed, Emma brushed her tongue over the brunette's lips and gained instant access, Regina always tasted like heaven on Earth, she was going to die on the inside when she had to leave...

& & &

When the Queen opened her eyes, she woke to the feeling of Emma curled into her, like she would on many nights, not that the blonde remembered, but she did. She smiled at the sight of Emma clinging to her as if she was finally right where she belonged. It was always difficult to remove herself from this hold, most of the time she just continued to let Emma hold onto her until she woke, however she knew the blonde wouldn't be waking up for another full day, so she carefully and quietly extracted herself from Emma. The day was spent watching Emma dream and sleep, she made a point of checking on Henry and her counterpart as usual, making sure that no one was on her trail yet.

She watched Regina turn into a mess searching for the blonde, she almost felt sorry for her, she knew exactly how she was feeling right now, no one could relate to that emptiness, more than her. She thought about going to see her but thought better of it, she didn't want to fight with herself and let any of her plans get derailed because she felt the need to taunt herself.

She walked over to the bed and sat by Emma's side, she ran a hand through her hair, it still felt amazing, "It's time for me to take you back, but I promise you, we will see one another soon." she transported them to the blonde's bedroom. She made sure the blonde was comfortable and kissed her temple, squeezing her eyes tightly, willing the tears not to fall before she disappeared leaving the blonde to dream for a few more hours.

& & &

Emma's dream...

Emma was completely lost in brown eyes. This was the woman she always saw inside the mayor, this was the woman she had been in love with for years. This is the woman that had her heart and soul.

After long hours of love making, she was tired but she wanted to look at the brunette for just a little while longer. Regina lay in Emma's arms, leaning over her on her elbow, head cradled in her hand, her dark hair all falling to one side. She traced lazy patterns over the blonde's collarbone, her flesh flush against Emma, she was so warm, she loved the feeling of Emma's skin, she was going to miss it. This was going to be hard, but it had to be done, she spent the night memorising every single thing she could about the young woman under her.

She memorised the way she breathed, the way she looked at her, the way she shivered when she was touched. She memorised every sound she made when she kissed her, the way she moaned when she bit her or scraped her nails across her skin. She memorised everything that made the blonde whimper, the way she quivered because of her, the way she screamed her name with reverence.

"You've always been the most beautiful woman, I'd ever laid my eyes on." Emma's eyes roamed over Regina's features, taking it all in, as though she was seeing her for the first time, all over again.

"You're the beautiful one here, Angel." she smiled, raising an eyebrow for the blonde to challenge her.

"Agree to disagree." Emma nodded making the brunette giggle, her laugh was intoxicating, the sound made her as high as when she kissed her.

The brunette traced Emma's jaw with her fingers, following the lines with her eyes, finally meeting Emma's green, "Angel," she traced her thumb over the blonde's lips, from top to bottom down the middle, she always did it, it was her thing, "Yeah?"

"I love you." she kissed Emma promptly, not giving her any chance to respond, Emma kissed her back, holding her closer, it was now or never; Regina squeezed her eyes shut, savouring the feel of Emma against her, the spell flowing through her mind, the magic seeping into Emma. A loud, broken sob, escaped her lungs when Emma fell into unconsciousness, she cried uncontrollably, her body shaking against Emma's now limp form. The spell worked it's way through the blonde, erasing all memories of their time together, locking them away where only she could find them, in the deep, dark recesses of her subconscious, amongst the dreams she would never remember but always have. It was time to let her go.

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Summary:

Regina is frustrated, the Queen is the Queen and Emma is just along for the ride between these two beauties.

PRESENT DAY...

Regina watched Emma like a hawk, she stayed close to her at all times. Under any other circumstances it would annoy Emma to be shadowed like this but it was Regina, so she didn't mind at all. They tried to come up with ideas of why Emma's memory was blocked and how they could unblock it but they were all but disappointed. Regina was on the verge of going to threaten the Evil Queen herself; Emma, however, was positive that she could figure this out.

Secretly, Emma was more concerned about what the Evil Queen was free to do to Regina while she had her out of the way. Emma sat in a chair next to Regina's workstation, they were working from her office. Regina was trying to find a way to unblock Emma's memory, she'd been at it for hours now and she was beyond irritated. In a rage, she swept everything onto the floor and growled loudly, Emma was quick to her feet, stepping up behind the brunette and pulled the brunette firmly against her, "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay."

"IT'S NOT OKAY!"

"Yes, it is. I've got you, take a deep breath. That's it." she spoke firmly but calmly into the brunette's ear, she felt her take a breath and calm down with unprecedented speed, she could feel her relax, "Now, we're going to get out of here for a bit and take a break. That beautiful brain of yours needs some rest."

Regina didn't argue, she just nodded her head and felt the blonde's grip around her start to lessen, she frowned when it felt oddly familiar, like it was the most normal thing for the blonde to do, like she had been held by Emma in this exact way before, she felt an inner urge to complain for the loss of warmth and scolded herself internally. Perhaps her brain did need some rest.

They made their way to Granny's and picked up two coffee's to go, they took a walk down to 'their' bench at the docks. For some reason this was just their spot, like Emma had her spot with Henry at his castle. They sat side by side, enjoying the slight breeze and the warm sun. Emma had her sunglasses on, her head leaning back, "This is nice. We should do this more often." Emma lifted her head and launched her empty coffee cup into the trash can from where she sat, dropping her head back again when it went in.

"I agree." Regina nodded in affirmation.

"Hallelujah, she agrees with me!" Emma put both her fists up into the air in a victorious gesture, slapping them back down on her thighs when the brunette laughed a throaty laugh, "Now, there's a sound I've missed." she gave her own laugh and turned to look at the woman next to her who just sighed deeply at her antics, Emma removed her glasses, sensing a serious conversation coming that required direct eye contact.

"There's not much to laugh about these days. Especially with my demon half running around, kidnapping people for days." Regina was clearly still irritated.

Emma placed a hand over Regina's, "We're going to figure this out okay. If anyone knows YOU, it's you. I've got you, remember?"

The brunette smiled gently at Emma, she was so optimistic, when there was honestly not much to be optimistic about, she didn't understand her evil half anymore, she wasn't the same evil she remembered within herself, something about her felt different, really different. Regina squeezed her hand back when a shadow was suddenly cast over them, they both looked up and stood instantly at the sight of the Queen herself, both were ready to attack and protect the other. The Queen froze them both in place, giving them her best evil smile.

"You!" Regina growled at her evil half.

"The feeling is mutual." the Queen stated back at Regina with an irritated air. She turned all her attention on Emma then, her smile returning, bright, genuine and soft, "It's good to see you again, Angel."

Emma simply scowled at the Queen, she prayed to whatever God existed, that neither noticed how flushed her skin was. It's been a few days since the kidnapping incident and she's had some really weird dreams about spending time with the Queen, dreams that she didn't understand. "What did you do to me?"

"I undid an enchantment that was placed on you." she states almost sadly, remembering the moment the spell was cast. Emma always had a way of making her be honest, she just felt the need to be so, for her.

"By who? Why would YOU do anything for someone other than yourself?" Regina barked, she gave new meaning to being angry at one's self. The fact the Queen even responded was a bit of a surprise to her.

"If you must know, by me. It can only be undone the way it was cast in the first place." the Queen looked at Regina, chuffed with herself, moving to stand closer to Emma, "Tell me, how have you been sleeping lately? You should be remembering your dreams by now." the Queen tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Emma grit her teeth, she could do nothing to avoid the touch.

"What the hell is going on?" Regina asked towards Emma, the magic itching under her skin to roast the Queen, "I don't know." Emma grit out.

"You do, you just don't remember." the Queen moved behind Emma and leaned her face close to Emma's ear, smirking at Regina through her eyelashes, she knew Regina's blood was definitely boiling now.

"Get away from her, bitch!" Regina struggled against the hold she was in.

"Ooh, touchy aren't we? Emma here doesn't mind. Isn't that right?" the Queen placed her hands on Emma's hips and Emma squeezed her eyes shut, she wanted the ground to swallow her whole, the Queen was making her body react strangely, "After all, Emma knows I'd never do anything without her consent." the Queen ran a hand down Emma's bare arm, making her shiver. Regina was red with anger, Emma was not in control of herself and she hated it, the Queen licked her lips slowly staring Regina dead in the eye.

"What is she talking about?" Regina really wanted to strangle her evil half, if only she could get free, how dare she touch Emma, how dare she insinuate the things she did.

"I don't remember!" the Queen pressed her front flush with Emma's back as she said the words, almost making her stutter, what the hell was going on with her?

"You don't know or you don't remember? PICK ONE!" Regina yelled at Emma.

"BOTH!", the Queen chuckled at Emma's response, she knew how the blonde could be when she was frustrated, like a kitten backed in a corner, she just wanted to claw at anyone around her, the Queen found it cute, she would always grovel for forgiveness afterwards which was entertainingly adorable to see.

"Now, now, Regina. You're upsetting Emma. She can't sleep when she's upset with you, and I rather need her to get her sleep." the Queen quipped at Regina, she held up a finger in a chastising manner.

"Why? What did you do to her?" Regina's voice was dangerous now.

The Queen inhaled deeply, visibly showing her enjoyment of Emma's scent, "Wouldn't you love to know? That is between my angel and I."

Regina furrowed her brow, "What?!"

The Queen came back around to face Emma, she smiled at her with glossy eyes, completely ignoring a scowling Regina, "Your memories have been locked away in your dreams, I enchanted them so you wouldn't remember when you woke up, they could only be unblocked by me, and now that they are, they'll start to surface. Once you remember everything, I'll have my angel back, and I promise you, I will leave everyone alone, even Regina here. I'm sorry but you'll understand why I had to do it once the spell is completely worked out of your system."

The Queen looked deep into the green of Emma's eyes, hoping to see that look she always saw, but it wasn't yet there, she lifted a hand to Emma's face brushing her thumb over Emma's lips like she always did, it wasn't a good idea to try and kiss her yet, she really wanted to but that would push her Angel away before she even got her back, "I'll see you soon, Angel." she dropped her hand and started walking off, the moment she transported herself away, the spell on Emma and Regina was lifted.

"What the hell was that all about?" Regina asked furiously once the Queen was gone.

"I should be asking you that question! Aren't you supposed to have the same memories as her?!" the blonde was overwhelmed, this was supposed to be a relaxing break for her and Regina but it just went horribly wrong. She just wanted to have a normal moment with her for once, without any magic hoohah.

"Well I obviously don't know, Em-ma! She was quite adamant that YOU knew something!" the brunette pointed a finger in the direction the Queen had disappeared. Emma sat down on the bench and put her face in her hands, when she looked up, Regina had a hurt look on her face, she wanted to make it go away so badly, "Look, I don't know what the hell is going on and I really don't know what she wants from me, or what she thinks I know, but what I do know, is that if you and I stick together like always, we'll get through this. Which means we can't let her turn us against one another, okay?" the blonde got up and put a hand on Regina's arm, touching the brunette always seemed to calm her down, which is why Emma did it so often. Regina nodded silently at Emma, Emma copied her nod and they both started making their way back to where they came from.

& & &

The Queen's memory...

She screamed out her agony, till her voice was gone and her eyes could no longer cry. She stayed there, just holding onto the warm body still in her arms. She knew Emma would be angry with her for doing this but she also knew that she needed to be the stronger one, Emma never would have left if she had a say in it, especially after they had both given in to their desire. She could see it growing every day within her, so it was up to her to send Emma back to where she 'belonged'.

The brunette needed to start moving, she only had an hour before the blonde would wake up again, so she pushed her emotions away, she stuffed them deep down in the blackest part of her heart, she needed to make herself cold to get through this. She got dressed and dug out the clothes Emma wore when she met her, she used magic to dress her. She waited a few moments, till just before she knew the blonde would be waking up, she located the magic bean that she had hidden away. She altered it for Emma's specific needs, she'd been working on it for a while but kept it hidden from the blonde.

She looked at the peacefully sleeping body on her bed, her face stoic, a single tear threatened to betray her, but there was no one to see her heart breaking, so she allowed it to fall. She leaned down and kissed Emma, the warmth branding her soul, her lips quivering with too much emotion, she was going to miss the abundance of warmth, the most. She stood quickly before she lost her nerve, throwing the bean down on the floor, when it opened, she turned and scooped the blonde in her arms, she walked through the portal and placed her on the floor in a strange looking barn. She kissed her fingertips and pressed it against her pink lips, stood and walked back through the portal before it closed again, not daring to look back.

& & &

The Queen's room in Storybrooke...

Sitting in the same chair by the window again, the Queen stared across the room at the bed, she hadn't been able to go near it since she returned Emma to her own home, everything smelled like her. The blankets, sheets, pillows, everything, even the air still had her scent, it just lingered, refusing to leave. It held her captive in its grasp, invading her senses from every direction. She knew how stubborn Emma could be when she had time, so she needed to give her a few days to let her deal with her dreams and her feelings, she couldn't push her too hard, but it was hard to stay away when she was this close.

She waited a lifetime to get to this moment, she could surely wait a few days, she had to believe she had the strength this time.

%%%

The Queen's memory...

A month has gone by since she took her through that portal, back to where she 'belonged'. She hasn't really interacted with anyone since then, she hasn't tried and doesn't want to try. She thought she could get lost in chasing after Snow for a while, but she just felt too weak to even leave the room that Emma once used as her own. She hasn't said much, everyone around the castle can feel her pain, they don't know why their Queen is in pain, she had made them all forget. They bring her food that she never eats, anyone that tries to gauge her, receives a glare. Her bath is prepared as always and she sits in it and cries till there's no tears left.

Everyone keeps their distance, she doesn't want to be around anyone, the only person she wants, is Emma, but Emma, is gone. She promised herself she would be strong, but she was failing, horribly, she was beyond heartbroken, losing Daniel hadn't hurt nearly this much. Everytime she closed her eyes, she could see green orbs, blonde unruly curls and an atrocious red leather jacket. She could see a smile that made her heart melt, she could hear a laugh that made her feel like she could laugh. She could feel strong arms around her, she could feel warm flesh burning against her skin, she could feel lips that fit more than perfectly with her own, she could feel fingers that interlaced with her own.

She could smell cinnamon and the ocean, she could smell the salt of skin that had been ravished, she could feel curves in the palms of her hands, she could hear whimpers and moans, she could hear screams and pleas, they rung loudly in her ears and they resonated louder in her heart. She could feel it all, and she couldn't take it, she couldn't stand the pain of it. She was dead on the inside.

The Queen could barely move from her spot under Emma's covers, her hair wild and unkempt, she felt no need to 'fix it', she wore no makeup, she wore nothing but the shirt she had given the blonde to wear. She sniffed, she was unable to stop crying, she had done nothing but cry and rage. She had outbursts in the solitude of 'Emma's space', she screamed for hours on end, with no hope of reprieve, she sobbed, her body shaking and weak, till she fell asleep. Her dreams flooded with nothing but yet another love she had lost, but this one, this one was not just any love. This was a love that surpassed all other love's. A part of her soul was gone, the ache was excruciating. Beyond intolerable.

The sun shone through a  sliver in the drapes, she could no longer bare its brightness, it reminded her too much of how it flattered Emma; she stared up at the ceiling in the semi-dark, there was only one way she would make it out of this alive. She needed to be numb, she needed to forget while she was awake. It was easy enough to create a potion that had the same effect as the enchantment she cast on the blonde. It only took a day to make; she walked through the blonde's room, her fingers running over everything she had touched. She made sure everything was in its rightful place, almost as if she would be coming back and it needed to be ready for her return. She sealed the room and cast a spell to glamour the room, hiding its existence from anyone and everyone, even herself.

She got into her own bed that night, drank the potion and closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep faster. When she woke, she would be back to her old self again.

& & &

To be honest Emma wasn't ready to go home and be alone just yet, she was also a bit worried about leaving Regina alone even though Henry was there; they were doing their best to keep him out of whatever was going on right now.

"Do you know why you can't remember whatever it is she knows, perhaps?" Emma asked the question, filling the silence of Regina's home office. It was long after dinner and Henry had already gone to bed, they avoided mentioning anything that had happened with the Evil Queen.

Regina rubbed at her forehead, her feet tucked under her on the couch, a glass of cider in her hand, she sighed deeply, "While she and I MIGHT be the same person, we're actually two VERY different people. When I was, her, when I was evil, I wasn't me at all. It's almost like I compartmentalised myself in my head, it was the only way I could deal with things. I literally, shut certain parts of myself away so it couldn't influence the person I needed to be for any specific reason. It's how I protected myself."

Emma processed her words, mulling it over in her mind, taking a sip from her own drink, "That sounds like an extremely harrowing thing."

"Look at you using big words. I'm impressed. And yes, it is. What's bothering me is, why come after you? Why not demand my memories of Henry?"

"I'm not following." Emma frowned, her position a mirror of Regina's.

"Well, while I was raising Henry, for all those years, she was a part of me, I was still her, that part of me learned to love him. Loving him the way I do, is what caused me to start changing in the first place. I became a completely different person, I locked her away, which means there's quite a few years worth of memories she doesn't have with Henry, AT ALL. As though, she was never there in the first place."

"Maybe...maybe we could find a way to help you remember then? I mean, the two of you are basically going through the same thing right? In terms of not having certain memories because of how you protect yourself from certain situations. If we could somehow, I don't know, find a moment where you were, both HER and YOURSELF at the same time, maybe then we could find out what we're missing?"

"You do remember that I pulled her out of me because I didn't want to be her in any way anymore right? But I do admit, it's not a bad idea, it could work."

Emma placed a hand on Regina's and smiled supportively, "I've got you, all of you, all the way."

"You're right. We've got this." the brunette returned the smile. They might just be onto something, if they could retrieve at least one memory from her mess of a mind, it would give them an advantage over the Evil Queen. All they needed now, was to find a moment in time when the brunette had been both Regina and the Evil Queen equally, which was also where the problem came in, Regina was only ever, one or the other, finding such a moment would be tough. Talk about going on a journey to find yourself.

& & &

From somewhere hidden in town, the Queen watched their interaction through a mirror, it pained her to see how easily Emma could accept this version of Regina, the way she had once accepted her, she touched her, though reservedly, but without hesitation. She smiled sadly, a part of her did have Emma, but that part didn't even remember, that part didn't deserve something that they didn't even know they had. Perhaps there was a way to get Regina on her side, or even, a way to get Emma back for the both of them, she just needed to prove that she meant neither of them any harm. She knew Emma would believe her, thanks to her built in lie detector, which meant she had to work on making her other half see she was not the bad guy. She would give Regina exactly what she's looking for, but, she would make Regina come to her and she knew just the thing. As the image faded from the mirror, the Queen moved into action, she summoned a dress she knew would spark a conversation.

& & &

The Queen's memory...

Emma wasn't just pretty, she was beautiful. Strikingly beautiful, if that was the reason for hiding herself she could understand it, she would be easily recognised by anyone who had seen her even just once. The Queen circled Emma like a shark, sizing up its prey, taking a strand of blonde hair in her fingers, it was soft and almost begged her to tug at it, as curious as she was to uncover how the blonde would react, she was more interested in information at the moment, "So tell me, Em-ma, why are you here?"

The Queen raised a brow, waiting patiently for a lie, but the blonde turned to look in her eyes and answered her, "You need to be a little bit more specific with that question, Regina."

"There you go again, using my name. I've killed people for less. Or, perhaps the rebel in you is actually looking to be punished? Now that, would surprise me. You are far too bold to bend to someone else's command, it's refreshing, annoying, but refreshing. Or maybe, you're willing to bend over for ME? Is that it?" the Queen tilted her head, studying the blonde's features, watching her reactions closely, the blonde never flinched or showed any fear, she wasn't offended by the implications within her questions.

Emma shrugged, an action that intrigued the brunette even more, "I don't bend over, but if you're willing to ask nicely, I'll make an exception. If it gets me home, that's all I want."

"And WHERE is home? I presume not in this realm?" the Queen moved away from Emma towards her vanity, it was a risk to face her back to the blonde but she was curious to see what she would do, she sat down and looked at the blonde in the mirror, "I do detest repeating myself, Em-ma." the Queen lifted her hands and started removing the pins holding her hair in place, her eyes never leaving the blonde's. She watched her put her hands in her pockets and exhale deeply, "There are things I CAN tell you and there are things I can't. What I CAN tell you, is that I come from the land without magic, a witch from another realm cast a dangerous spell that sent me here by accident. I was told not to go near it, I obviously didn't listen. It's of the utmost importance that I get back, the people there need me." she finished, looking deep into the brunette's eyes, her hair now hanging at its full length, it was strange for Emma to see Regina this way, open and willing almost.

She also needed to remember that this was not HER Regina, this was the Evil Queen, they looked somewhat the same and had the same name but, they were not the same. Even knowing all this, Emma could silently agree though, that this woman looked absolutely breathtaking either way.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"Really?" Emma was completely shocked, she was not expecting the Queen to believe her or help her, much less even listen at all.

The Queen stood and moved towards a floor standing mirror, sweeping all her hair over one shoulder, she watched the blonde lick her lips and blink a few times, making her smirk, "Would you mind?" she asked Emma, raising a brow in question, showing the laces in the back of her dress. Emma blinked a few more times before she moved towards the Queen, she was playing with her, obviously trying to figure her out, she didn't want to be stuck here getting tortured for being stubborn so she might as well let the brunette win for now. She carefully undid the knot in the bottom and took to loosening them, moving upwards, stopping right at her shoulder blades, she'd never seen this much of Regina's skin before and she really wanted to touch it, but that was just asking to be executed, so she stepped away. She walked towards the fireplace and stared into the roaring flames, now was not the time to let her feelings for Regina cloud her judgement, she already does that on a daily basis back home, which is where she needed to get back to, which means she needs to stay completely focused, well, she needs to try at least.

The Queen watched the blonde over her shoulder, she was clearly a woman that preferred actions over words, she always liked people who were like that. It was easier to trust someone who didn't feel the need to lie, not that she wanted to trust the blonde, she just needed to make sure she was trustworthy. There was a difference, at least in her opinion. She kept her eyes on the blonde's back, letting her dress drop to the ground, leaving her in nothing but her corset, underwear and heels. She loved these heels, they were made specially for her.

Lifting her leg and firmly placing it on a bench, the sound resonated through the room, causing Emma to look around at her, and what Emma saw, rendered her speechless. The queen bent forward and started unlacing her shoes, "Magic, always comes with a price. You seem smart enough to understand that fact. Even for someone with magic as, pure, as yours. People hide for one reason, because they don't want to be found." she lowers her leg, kicking her shoe aside and moving on to the other, "But you, are not hiding, you were disguised, pair that with the fact you're from another realm, you don't want to be recognised, which is an odd thing to want when you're from 'another realm'. If you don't want people to recognise you, that can only mean, you, are not from this time." now barefoot, she padded towards her vanity again and sat down, promptly removing her jewelry and makeup.

"Time, is fragile. Your actions could have grave consequences. The fact you understand this enough to glamour yourself, tells me a lot." the Queen finishes, now completely clean of all things that make her appear as the Queen, now, she just looks like Regina, and that scares Emma. If Regina senses something off about her in anyway, then the future that she comes from is already in jeopardy.

& & &

Regina sits in her bed, unable to sleep with all the thoughts in her head running rampant. She had told Emma about what bothered her in terms of the Evil Queen's alleged agenda, but she neglected to tell her about the feelings she was having. The Queen and herself were still connected in that way, she had no idea what was causing her to feel the way she did and it unnerved her, she didn't have the memories the Queen did, which made things harder. For the first time in her life, she didn't understand herself, she didn't know who she was.

Things between the blonde mother of her son and herself have also escalated since the Queen has been around, she's always felt a sense of connection to the woman, but recently the blonde has been able to have a much greater effect on her. When she thought about her, in any way, it almost made her feel...happy. Ever since that first jolt of magic that had passed between them, every touch has been a silently spoken statement, a pathway for an underlying trust to flow between them. These days, that touch has been different, the feeling, though normal because of its constant occurrence, was now familiar. The type of familiar that suggested a deeper reasoning and a much deeper feeling behind them.

She sighed deeply, her head against the headboard, "What have I gotten myself into?"

"That is the question, isn't it?" a regal voice carried from the other side of Regina's bedroom, "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk." the Queen said, her hands held up in surrender, Regina snuffed out the ball of fire in her hand, her face neutral, "What do you want, hm?"

"My Angel." the Queen states with a straight face.

"If you're going to bother me, the least you can do is make sense." Regina snarks at the Queen.

"Come now, you might not be completely evil anymore but you're still smart, or did I take that as well? I believe I was quite obvious." she remarks, chuckling as she slowly strode across the room, Regina's eyes never leaving her.

"You love her." it sounded painful for Regina to say, like realising she was losing a war. The most important war of all, the war for Emma's heart. A heart she had only just realised she desperately wanted.

"Ah, so you CAN admit how you feel. The first step to recovery, is admitting you have a problem." she raises a finger at Regina, "And this is how you solve that problem." a dress bag materialised in her hand, she hung it on Regina's closet door, "Consider this, my way of proving myself. I mean Emma no harm, and  I have no interest in hurting you either. The anniversary of you casting the curse, is in a few days, which also happens to be Emma's birthday. According to the annoying rumour mill in this town, a ball is being held in celebration, I believe this, will help you get what you're looking for."

The Queen was starting to grate on Regina's nerves, but her behaviour was more perplexing than anything else, "Why should I believe anything you say?"

"You have what I want, I have what you want but, you and I both know that Emma, is not some THING that can be given or taken." the Queen sits on the chair in front of Regina's vanity, crossing her legs. "You separated us because you didn't want to be evil anymore, but as I'm sure you've figured out by now, I'm not who you remember me as. Emma, made that possible. I can't give you what you want, but this can."

"And how does me, getting what I want, help you?" Regina lifted her chin.

"My only interest is for her to remember. I've unlocked her memories, but only you can make them surface, she trusts you, because she knows you, who knows, you might just start to remember a few things yourself."

"That sounds like a losing situation for you." Regina raised an eyebrow, maybe she should just punch her.

"You need me, as much as I need you. And we need Emma more than we need one another, she's the only one who can fix us. The bag will only open for her." the Queen finished, waving her hand and transporting herself away, leaving Regina to think about everything she had said.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Regina whispered to herself, biting her lip, staring at the bag the Queen had hung on her wardrobe. She hadn't caught any signs of a lie, the Queen was cunning sure, but she was honest, she was in no way trusting her, but there was something there that piqued her interest. She would play along for now, till she got what she wanted.

Notes:

I've completed the story as some of you might know. I'll post three today and two chapters until it's all done. I appreciate all the love people!

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Notes:

I do realise that I didn't post the way I said I would but the family was hit with death and it's been rough. I've finally started my vaccination process and life is just crazy as am sure is the same for everyone else. I won't stop being grateful for everyone who is sticking with me and my work.

The Queen sat in front of the vanity in her room, she watched Emma through her mirror; she wished she could reach out and touch her, though she could do so with magic it was not wise. Emma tossed and turned in her bed trying to get comfortable, she was really exhausted. The Queen watched her for a few more minutes before she abandoned all reason; transporting herself to Emma's bedroom in her underwear. She got on the bed and wrapped her arms around Emma gently and pulled her closer. Remembering the first time she ever held the blonde like this; the sleeping blonde calming down and burying herself in the warmth that suddenly surrounded her.

& & &

The Queen's memory...

Emma was relatively comfortable, though she was still stunned by the Queen's hospitality, she was quite grateful at how the Queen had gone out of her way to accommodate her. As comfortable as she was though, sleep eluded her the past few days. She paced up and down by the bed in the room she was staying; the room was large and surprisingly warm. The bed was bigger and more welcoming than any bed she'd ever slept on before. For all the comforts that surrounded her, she missed her home. She missed her family, her annoyingly clingy parents, her son and Regina just as much. Emma kept pacing, she'd been trying to think about ways to fix this but all solutions escaped her and it frustrated her to a point of not being able to sleep.

"Do people not sleep in the land without magic?" Emma jumped at the voice suddenly filling the silence. Holding a hand over her rapidly beating heart, Emma tried to calm her breathing, "Must you always do that?" Emma whispered under her breath, receiving a perfectly raised eyebrow in challenge.

"I didn't mean to startle you," the Queen chuckled as she strode closer.

"It's alright. I don't know why I'm so jumpy. It's not like you're going to smother me in my sleep. Unless you are?.." Emma looked at the Queen with a playful smirk on her face, noticing the woman's relaxed attire. She wondered silently if this is what her Regina looked like before bed as well.

"Killing someone in their sleep, fortunately for you, is not my style. I won't deny my curiosity, what's got you walking a trench into my floor?" She sat down on the foot of the bed with the ever present poise of a queen, watching as the blonde started pacing again. The Queen tilted her head trying to see Emma's face, the blonde's frustration was thick in the air.

Emma stopped, standing with a hand on her hip, she rubbed at her forehead. Exhaling loudly, "I can't sleep and it's frustrating me. This is honestly the most comfortable I've ever been in my entire life and I can't fall asleep." Emma gestured around the room, laughing dejectedly. She sat down on the foot of the bed closing her eyes, leaving enough space between herself and the Queen but she could clearly feel the weight shift on the bed. Her eyes snapped open when arms wrapped around her waist from behind and pulled her to the centre of the bed; the Queen pulled her into her front. Her body was stiff and rigid at first, not knowing what was happening, she quickly relaxed when the brunette Queen spooned her comfortingly.

Emma was expecting to hear the Queen speak, give an explanation or a threat to keep her mouth shut about this but all she recieved was warm breath at the back of her neck. The arms around her tightened their grip and she relaxed even more, sighing at how extremely calm she suddenly felt, she closed her eyes and didn't wait long for sleep to take her.

The Queen lay silently holding the the blonde in her arms, listening to her breathing calm and feeling her body relax significantly, she pressed her face up against the back of her neck and nuzzled her. This was an absolutely colossal mistake but this was rather nice. Emma was invitingly warm, she snuggled into her and ignored all the annoying voices in her head. Emma seemed to trust her, if she wanted to figure out why, she needed to be more hands on with her. Though admittedly this is more hands on than she told herself she would get but it might just help.

When the Queen felt her eyes start to droop, she opened them widely and moved to remove herself from the sleeping blonde. Emma was apparently an active sleeper, she had turned many times before curling up into her side; their legs were intertwined, making the process of escape rather difficult. Once she had safely extracted herself from Emma's hold, she made sure the blonde was covered and warm, her brow furrowing at what she was doing. The Queen crept from Emma's room silently and made towards her own chambers, closing the door and leaning against it. She exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "I'm the Queen, what the hell am I being nervous for?" she asked aloud. "You're an idiot, that's why," she responded to her own question, rolling her eyes.

She ignored all the thoughts in her head and got into bed, allowing sleep to claim her before the blonde could.

& & &

The Queen stayed awake, knowing that if she fell asleep, Emma would most definitely catch her; Emma kept turning in her sleep but not as concerningly as she did before she arrived. The Queen knew what type of sleeper Emma was and once she found that sweet spot, curled into the Queen's side with her face in her neck, she stayed that way until she woke up. Emma had a tendency to mumble in her sleep every once in a while, she always found it cute. Emma was safe and secure in her arms, she radiated heat as if she was the embodiment of fire, the fire that she knew was dangerous to play with but so desperately wanted to touch. Her breath, froze in her lungs when the blonde buried her face deeper into her neck, warm lips brushing against her skin. The Queen squeezed her eyes shut tightly and exhaled slowly, trying not to make a sound at the debilitating feeling.

Turning her head towards the window, the Queen knew that morning was fast approaching and she needed to be gone before Emma woke up. Turning back towards the blonde, she gently kissed her forehead and transported herself out of the firm grip she had been held in. Standing next to the bed, she filled the space she had vacated with the pillow she had been laying on. "I'll see you soon, Angel," the Queen whispered softly as she disappeared once more.

& & &

Regina had barely slept a wink, the sleep she did get was horrible; this had become an annoying trend with her recently. She tossed and turned for most of the night, unable to get her rest; something felt completely wrong, like she was missing something that she usually had with her. She stared up at the ceiling as light started to filter into the room, the previous night's conversation with her other half running through her mind; Regina leaned up on her elbows and looked at the bag hanging on her wardrobe. It seems she was going to have to take a leap of faith.

She could only imagine what was in the dress bag and she honestly hoped it wasn't a damn princess dress; the last thing she wanted to picture Emma in, was frills. "There's no time like the present." Regina sighed as she got out of bed, deeply pondering for a moment as she thought about the words she'd just used. "Or is there?"

Regina went through her morning as usual, though there was a constant deep frown on her face; even Henry had looked at her funny when he heard her talking to herself. She and Emma would only be meeting up at lunch time today; Snow had some last minute planning she wanted to do with Emma for the upcoming party in a couple of days, she'd practically demanded that Regina give Emma a few hours off from their "investigation or whatever", for "mother-daughter time". Regina could only roll her eyes at Snow at the time.

Regina went into her office and poured herself a drink, it was one of those days when the mansion was just way too quiet; she stood in front of the fireplace and stared into the dead hearth, her face suddenly changing from frustration to resolve. She went into her office and rummaged around in her desk drawer for her fountain pen and a special notepad, she sat down in her chair and started writing a note:

"You and I have come quite a ways, Miss Swan.
I can only hope that our paths stay crossed for years to come.
Provided you don't give me any more reasons to murder you...
Happy Birthday, Preciosa.
-R"

Regina snorted to herself as she read over the note, only she and Emma could see the humour in things like this. That was the type of relationship they had, both understanding the other with excruciating depth. She blinked rapidly as though she were trying to remember something but the thought was gone as fast as it came. Regina neatly folded the note and got an envelope from her drawer to put the note in, she sealed it and wrote Emma's name on the front. She sighed and got up to retrieve the dress bag from her room, she would give it to Emma as a birthday gift; she would also wait till the blonde opened it, so she could in fact, see what was inside.

Regina made her way over to Emma's house at a leisurely pace, driving like she had all the time in the world, she also figured Snow would be trying to drag out her time with Emma as much as possible. She couldn't blame her, spending time in Emma's presence, for whatever reason, was addictive. Emma still had her moments of utter idiocy sometimes but Regina knew that she was smart in her own way, there were many things that she was more knowledgeable in, than she herself was. Needless to say, Emma's oddities, made her Regina's favourite brand of annoyingly and undeniably adorable.

When Regina got to Emma's house she made her way up to the door and knocked, she knocked twice more when she accepted that Emma was indeed still out with Snow. She got her keys out from her purse and located the key Emma had given her for emergencies. She let herself in and looked around first, just to make extra sure the blonde hadn't fallen asleep somewhere. Regina found herself walking through Emma's bedroom door as though it was the most normal thing in the world, like this was just as much her bedroom, "Now I'm definitely going insane." Regina had been talking to herself a lot lately.

Not having her evil half inside of her all the time to talk to, made it weird though because she didn't get a response back like usual anymore, just silence. She neatly laid the bag down on the bed and put the envelope on top of it, she turned to leave when a picture on Emma's nightstand caught her eye; she walked towards it, lifting it up she smiled at the memory. She remembered the day this was taken, very well. She caught herself tracing the lines of Emma's smile staring at her and quickly put the frame down again. She internally smirked at the fact, she and Emma, had the exact same picture printed and framed on their nightstands.

She left the room and closed the door behind herself, pulling out her phone and shooting the blonde a quick text to tell her she would wait for her at the vault; looks like she wouldn't be seeing what was in the bag after all, at least not until the actual party. When Regina got to the front door, she was amazed at how she hadn't looked up from her phone once while texting with the blonde and she managed not to bump into or knock anything over. Was she really that familiar with Emma to intimately know her way around the blonde's space without having to look? Regina stored that thought away for later as she finally left and headed for the vault.

& & &

Emma's dream from last night...

Every day since Emma's been here, all she could think about was how much she missed her family. Whenever she was alone, she pulled out her phone just to scroll through the pictures; she always stopped for longer on the picture she had with Regina. Taken on the brunette's birthday last year. They'd had a big dinner at the mansion to celebrate, even though Regina really didn't want a celebration at all, everyone who actually liked Regina had turned up. A few people had even given her gifts, with more sentimental value than actual value, but she appreciated them all.

Emma remembered how Regina's time had been usurped through the entire dinner, never once giving her a moment to talk to the brunette. Once everyone had left though and Emma forced Regina to sit on her hands while she watched Emma clean up, exactly the way Regina liked it to be cleaned; they ended up in front of the fire, both with a really nice glass of red wine. It was the same night that Regina told Emma she was her best friend and that their friendship was the best gift she could ever ask for. Emma smiled at her like an idiot and told her she was her best friend too. A flash had gone off and they turned to see Henry taking a picture of them, Henry had burst into laughter at their shocked faces, they soon joined in on the laughter, it was infectious.

Henry had sent them both the picture the next day. Emma didn't know what Regina did when she received it, but she printed it out and framed it, placing it on her nightstand next to a picture of Henry and herself. Emma always teared up when she looked at this picture, not because it made her sad but because it made her happy. She always wanted Regina to be as happy as she was in this picture. When Emma heard the stocatto of heels approaching she locked her screen and quickly wiped her eyes, she stood and pocketed the device when the Queen came to stand in front of her.

"Something wrong?" the Queen questioned, noticing Emma's red-rimmed eyes.

"Homesick." Emma was still apprehensive about the Queen and how she would react. She knew that she was still trying to get more information out of her.

"Can't say I know the feeling. Hopefully, we'll have you back where you belong soon. What is that?" Regina directed their conversation towards the device she'd seen the blonde put away. It was peculiar and she'd seen the blonde with it on a number of occasions now but this was the first occurance where the blonde actually had a physical reaction to it. Perhaps it was something connected to her home, something that made her sad or perhaps it was connected to the reason she was so desperate to get home soon. Either way, so far, she presumed it was not something to like if it made this beautiful creature cry. She much preferred it when Emma smiled.

"Uhm..." Emma scratched at the skin behind her neck and cleared her throat to stall, not knowing how to answer the brunette.

"You're not sure whether it's safe to tell me?" Regina was amused by this, the blonde trusted her and yet at the same time, didn't.

"No, uhm, it's not that I don't trust you or anything. I just don't know whether or not, me telling you, would have an adverse effect. I can tell you what it is, I'm not sure if it's a good idea though."

"Mechanics and engineering is not a foreign concept here, if that's what worries you?" Regina stepped aside and sat on the seat Emma had vacated.

Emma released a breath and took out her phone once more, leaving it off, she handed it to the Queen to look at, "It's called a cellphone. It's used to communicate and do a bunch of other things as well. It can call people and let's other people call you. It can also send messages and receive messages. It can store images or photographs rather...pictures of things and people. Newer, more advanced models can even play music and videos. Best thing though  is definitely the internet."

Emma looked at the Queen who had her face scrunched up , "How could such a small thing possibly do so much? Internet? Should I even ask what that is?"

Emma could only laugh at how adorable the Queen was in this moment, "The internet is way too complicated for even me to explain. Easiest way to describe what it does though, it can help you do research. The internet is a place where you can find absolutely anything you could think of, some people use it for very bad and extremely wrong reasons. People who have no sense of morality use it to sell and buy things that are against the law, like drugs and weapons. Some sick fucks even sell people and body parts. On the whole, the internet is the world's largest library. Where I'm from, this is the closest thing to magic. Technology is what people from my realm, rely on to make their everyday lives easier and more efficient." Emma laughed for a moment as she remembered a rather dark period of time in humanity's history in relation to magic, "Funny thing is though, during the dark ages, magic was considered a sin. Anyone suspected of witchcraft was hung or burnt at the stake when it wasn't actually magic, it was just people using their brains."

The Queen had a minute smile on her face as she listened to Emma explain this odd device to her and all it's capabilities. She was fascinated by the way she tried to make her understand both the good and the bad. "That's rather intriguing. So, if I'm understanding this correctly, this...cellphone can act as a messenger, a band of musicians, a marketplace, a library and a vault for valuable possessions. I'm gathering it's all possible through a network of electrical currents or waves?"

"Yeah, exactly like that." Emma looked at the Queen now with an impressed expression.

The Queen gave a hearty laugh at Emma's adorable face, "Magic, at its core, is ultimately science. It's physics and chemistry, Emma. Matter Displacement for example, is how I can transport myself from one place to another. How you travelled from your realm to mine, is a displacement in the space time continuum. People, like you and myself, who were born with magic, are actually just people who were born with the ability to use more of their brain's functions than others. While others can be taught how to do it, it won't come as easily or naturally because their brains aren't designed that way. We can naturally access the part of ourselves that can interact with the world around us. Regular people can't fully comprehend the science so they call it magic, people hate what they don't understand which is why we get ridiculed and burnt at the stake, for having bigger brains than them."

Emma was completely entranced by the way the brunette had broken down magic to her, she briefly wondered why Regina never explained it to her this way, "Magic is emotion though, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. People are driven by their emotions. Emotions that are caused by the chemicals in our brains which lead to actions and reactions through the electrical impulses inside of us. What we feel drives us, what we feel pushes us to exceed limits we didn't know we imprisoned ourselves with." the brunette was completely captured by the look of realisation and understanding on Emma's face. She could almost see the gears turning in her head as she processed the information, like she was finally understanding a part of herself for the first time.

"I've never thought about it like that before. All I've ever focused on was keeping my emotions in check, making sure I never used it out of anger or pain. Whenever I'm in trouble though, it's the only way it'll ever come to the surface. I'm horrible at controlling my emotions."

Regina handed the device in her hand back to Emma, looking at her with a new sense of understanding, "Emotions are not meant to be controlled. They're meant to be felt. A person without feelings, is not a person at all."

& & &

Emma could almost celebrate the fact that her "bonding time" with Snow was finally over, there was only so much more smothering she could take. She didn't even want to imagine what her life would've been like if she had to suffer through that much smothering from the day she was born. Emma quickly shot Regina a text to tell her that she was on her way before getting into her bug and driving off.

She stopped by a new Chinese restaurant that had opened recently and got something for both her and Regina. They had previously planned to get lunch here and eat at her place while they worked but Snow had derailed their plans with plans of her own. She was really sick and tired of all the party planning already, she didn't even want such a big thing. She would've been quite happy with a simple family get together, with junk food and good music. Everyone just having a good time but no, Snow White wanted to throw her daughter a damn ball the size of Texas to make up for all the balls her "princess" had missed out on. Ha, all the balls she had missed out on. She could only imagine how many balls her mother would've thrown in her endeavour to find her daughter's "twu wuv". Damn, That was hella Dark One but hella accurate.

Emma shook her head thinking about her mother as she got back into the bug and continued towards Regina. She actually had a silly smile plastered on her face thinking on the brunette now. As much as the regular occurrence of villains in town annoyed her, she actually really enjoyed the time she got to spend around Regina, just the two of them.

Emma drove along with the window rolled down, letting the wind blow through her hair, she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she sang along to Eurythmics on the radio. Emma pulled into a parking, sitting for a moment before unlocking the doors. She looked around to make absolutely sure no one, especially the Evil Queen, was standing and waiting to kidnap her again. When everything looked okay to her, she got out and headed for the vault with an extreme amount of vigilance.

Emma found Regina pouring over a book very intently, she always looked so calm when she was focused. She hated disturbing her when she was like this. Regina was naturally hungry for knowledge, Emma always thought of her as being in her element when she was doing something that required brain power; Emma was also just a sucker for a pretty girl who knew a lot of shit, which is why she pulled out her phone and secretly took a picture of her. A curious Regina, was a sexy Regina.

"Hey, I thought we were eating at my place. Why the location change?"

Regina looked up, only noticing then that Emma was standing next to her with food and an ever growing smile, "We were but I figured I might go over some things while you were still being tortured by your mother. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You look really cute with your glasses on." Emma smirked at the way Regina glared at her.

"Feed me before I strangle you." Regina took off her glasses and held out a hand so Emma could give her a box.

Emma held up her hands in surrender, laughing at the brunette's attempt at a threat, "My, you are hungry. I got here just in time." Emma gave Regina her food, "I wasn't sure what you would like so, I got like four different dishes here." Emma unpacked the food, now turned peace offering. Regina internally preened at how thoughtful Emma could be sometimes, which was all the time.

Emma reached for a fork and started digging into her food, her eye caught Regina eating with the chopsticks though and she didn't realise exactly how long she was sitting there staring, "If you don't stop staring at me, I'm going to put my chopsticks in your eyes." Regina spoke without looking up, making Emma jump.

"I'm not staring, I'm admiring. You're pretty good with those things."

"I'm really good with my hands," Regina gave Emma a smug glance.

"I'll bet," was all the response Emma gave as the two continued with the rest of their meal.

& & &

Emma was completely exhausted by the time she got home. All she wanted was a nice hot shower and to crawl into bed. When she walked through her bedroom door, she immediately noticed the items on her bed; there was absolutely no mistaking Regina's handwriting. She opened the note and felt herself almost melting at Regina's sentiment within, "Leave it to Regina Mills to be both sweet and deadly at the same time. A woman after my heart." Emma laughed at her own statement.

Emma put the note away in her bedside drawer, she hung the bag up on her closet door so she could open it up and see what was inside. Upon pulling the zip down, an amazing dress was revealed, Emma's eyes bulged at how perfect it was; Regina really did know her very well, it was even her colour. Emma zipped the bag up and started to prepare herself for a shower, since she bought more than enough food during lunch, she and Regina didn't really need to go out or make dinner so she was glad she already ate.

After a quick shower, Emma got into bed and looked at the bag hanging on the other side of her room; she picked up her phone and called the brunette, she only waited for two rings before the line was picked up.

"Emma, hey."

"Hey. Thank you."

"For?"

"My birthday gift. It's perfect. I absolutely love it!"

"I'm glad to hear that. Are you going to wear it?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course I'm going to wear it. This will totally ruin everything that Snow has pictured in her mind for her "precious princess"." Emma loved hearing the sound of Regina's laugh on the other end.

"Then I am definitely glad with the choice I made. It just screamed Emma Swan to me, there was no way I could resist."

"I really do love it. Thank you, Regina."

"Your welcome. Have a good night, Emma."

"You too. Sweet dreams." Emma laughed and ended the call after the brunette had repeated the same words to her. Emma put her phone down and settled into bed, letting sleep claim her for the night.

& & &

The Queen sat watching the scene play out across her mirror, she grinned, truly impressed with the way her counterpart had handled the situation. Everything was going according to plan, everything was falling perfectly into place now.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

The Queen's memory...

The Queen was having a ferociously horrible day, everything was annoying her today. When she thought her mood couldn't get any worse, something else would come up. She was in her study, nursing a terrible headache with no relief in sight.

A blonde head of hair popped in through the door just as she was flinging something across the room, "Are you busy?" Emma questioned, way too enthusiastically for her mood right now.

"Yes," she gritted out. She didn't want to be standoffish but she really just wanted this day to end.

"Good. Come on." The Queen was beyond baffled by Emma's hype.

"I told you, I'm busy," she tried to protest as Emma came up to her and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the study.

"Not anymore. We need to hurry or we'll miss it." Emma dragged the Queen along by her hand as she navigated the halls of the vast castle. Since the Queen had allowed her free reign, she knew her way around very well.

"Miss what?" the brunette stopped protesting and just let the blonde lead her up a flight of stairs.

"You'll see." Emma smiled at the Queen over her shoulder, not bothered by the Queen's mood in the slightest. They came to stop at a closed door which Emma held open for her as she strut through. Emma closed the door behind them and lead the Queen further inside, till they were standing in front of a large open window.

"What are we doing here?" the brunette looked at Emma with curiosity though. Everyone else had steered clear of her all day when they caught wind of her sour mood but this woman was almost desperate to be in her presence.

"Look." Emma pointed out the window, "Amazing, isn't it?" Regina was captivated with the way the sky changed colours. Emma had dragged her all the way up here so they could watch the sunset and Emma was right, it was amazing. As beautiful as the sight was, the Queen was more taken with how breathtaking Emma looked in that moment; her face was the picture of excitement.

"I don't see sunsets like this where I'm from."

"Why not?" the Queen tilted her head, intrigued by this enigma before her.

"Well, apart from the fact there's not as much green around, my life is always crazy. I never get a chance to just enjoy the world around me, to appreciate the beauty in the little things."

The Queen squinted her eyes now, "Are you trying to cheer me up?"

"Depends, is it working?" Emma peeped at the brunette, the last bit of sunlight filtering in through the window.

"Maybe..." the Queen dragged the word out, almost nonchalant but her small smile couldn't be hidden.

"Then yes. I am trying to cheer you up. You've been stressed out all day and it doesn't look like that headache is getting any better. I thought a moment to just breathe and be, would do you good." Emma smiled brightly at her, not shy of sharing her thoughts.

"Thank you," the Queen returned her smile. "Though, I'm curious. How did you -"

"Know your head was hurting? You've been wearing your headache face all day. It's different from your "I'm about to commit murder"-face and VERY different from your "I'm surrounded by idiots"-face." Emma explained Regina's different faces using her hands, which made the brunette laugh. Cheering her up had worked splendidly.

"You pay an awful lot of attention to my face, Angel," the Queen commented, lifting a sculpted brow.

"No more than you do to mine, Regina." Emma gave a raised brow of her own.

"I suppose you raise a valid point. Thank you, for trying to cheer me up. I don't know whether to call you brave or crazy. You could possibly be both but the effort is greatly appreciated." The brunette smiled widely at the blonde and turned her gaze back to the setting sun, it's been a very long time since she herself stopped to appreciate something like this. She was grateful Emma made her do it.

"You deserve more moments like these. When you can live and not just exist." Emma looked out at the view, completely content with being where she was and who she was with.

& & &

Regina was sleeping soundly in bed when she suddenly woke with a start, bolting upright she jumped out of bed with a determination like none before. It was the middle of the night and the entire town was fast asleep, Regina would be too if she hadn't needed to confirm something very important. She retrieved her coat from her closet and put it over her pyjamas, she quickly put on some socks and her sneakers and headed downstairs, making sure she checked in on Henry as she passed by.

The brunette had a deep frown in her forehead as she drove towards her vault. A white envelope laying on the passenger seat beside her; when she came to a stop at the cemetery, she unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed the envelope. She got out of the car and went straight inside.

She rummaged around in a few boxes, looking for something specific but coming up empty, "Where the hell is it?" she asked herself. Regina stopped for a moment to think, she abruptly spun and dug out a small box that was high on one of the shelves; it wasn't as big as the others and had less inside of it but everything within was all of great importance to her for some reason. She looked at all the items curiously, not having a single clue why she felt they were important and yet, she couldn't shake the feeling.

Right at the bottom, she found an envelope, yellow from age. Her name was neatly written on it. She opened it to find a handwritten note within.

"My gift to you, is a moment.
Whenever you need a moment,
Doesn't matter what for,
To breathe, to laugh, to cry,
To fall apart without the fear of judgement.
You can always find it with me.
Happy Birthday, Beautiful.
-A"

Regina put the note down on the table and started opening the envelope she'd brought with her, she laid them both out next to one another. She'd read both of these notes so many times before and she never got tired of reading those words.

"We both know how eloquent I am
So, I'll cut to the chase
You're the most amazing person, Regina
And I want all the best things in life for you
I'll spend the rest of mine
Making sure that you get it
Or I'll die trying.
Happy Birthday, Beautiful
-E"

Regina gasped, she had the two side by side, noticing now how similar they were. There was no doubt they'd been written by the exact same person, "What the hell is going on?" Regina's words went unanswered in the empty vault. She quickly pocketed both notes and decided to take the box as well, heading home once more. She would need to show Emma as soon as possible. She thought she would get closure, now that she remembered what she had forgotten she was thinking about this morning but now she just had more questions.

& & &

Regina was pouring herself another cup of coffee when Emma came through the kitchen door; just like Regina had a key to Emma's place, Emma also had a key to the mansion. "Want one?" the blonde looking like she needed it.

"Please. I swear my mother gets more exhausting the more time I spend with her. I just want my stupid birthday to be over already. The woman needs a hobby." Emma groaned, sitting down on a barstool with a huff, she looked completely ragged.

"I concur." Emma noticed the brunette's deflated demeanor instantly and piped up, needing to fix whatever was bothering the brunette. Making Regina smile had always been a secret priority of hers.

"Hey, what's going on?" Emma asked her.

Regina sipped on her coffee, a deep frown on her face, she bit her lip as she tried to organise her thoughts, "There's something I need to show you."

"Okay."

The two made their way to Regina's office. Regina closed the door as soon as Emma was inside; Emma sat down and placed her coffee cup on a coaster on the table.

Regina retrieved the box she'd brought home with her and handed it to the blonde; Emma opened the box and furrowed her brow as she looked at the items inside, she looked up at the brunette as she sat down on the opposite side of the table.

"It's a box, full of...stuff." Emma stated, very confused about what was happening.

"Don't worry, I had the same look on my face when I saw it. Thing is, I've had this box the entire time I've been in Storybrooke. It's always just...been there. For some reason, the contents of this box is important to me, I don't know why but it is. Every time I think about getting rid of it, it hurts. Almost as if I would be getting rid of a part of myself. For so many years it bothered me that I couldn't remember why these things were so important to me and it still bothers me that I can't remember. I haven't thought about these things in a very long time though, until now." Regina looked at Emma as though she was lost.

"You think it might have something to do with her majesty, the kidnapper of saviours?" Emma couldn't really help trying to joke, at this point in their relationship as friends, Regina knew that it was a nervous tick and so she never scolded the blonde on it anymore.

"I think it has something to do with you. I don't think these things are mine, Emma." Regina blinked, watching the blonde try to process that information.

"But how is that even possible? I've never seen these things before. I don't even know what this is. Wait, are you saying they're mine? Seriously, what is this?" Emma held up one of the items from the box.

"I think it would be better if I don't tell you. This, is what I actually wanted to show you. It was in there as well." Regina handed over the note that was yellow from age. Emma took it with care, reading Regina's name on it; she opened it and read the contents.

"Wow, this is really... I don't even know what to say. Whoever wrote this clearly cared about you. Am I correct in assuming you don't have a clue who "A" is?" Emma put the note on the table next to the box and picked up her cup.

"Truthfully, before today, I had absolutely no idea but now...I think I might." Regina was a bit fidgety, she didn't want to scare Emma but she didn't want to keep anything away from her either.

"Well, who is it?" Emma looked down at the note that was being pushed towards her. Emma instantly recognised it when she opened it, "I gave you this for your birthday. Wait..." Emma placed the note down on the table next to the other, putting them side by side, "Regina, what the hell is going on?"

"Your guess is as good as mine but there's no doubt in my mind that you wrote that."

"I mean, how is any of this even possible?" Emma rubbed at her forehead, the more information they got, the more questions arose.

"I don't know. The only logical answer is that we knew one another and that's just not possible. I would've recognised you the day you showed up in Storybrooke. How would you even have met me back then. If that is the case, why would my memory of it be erased and by who? None of this makes any sense!" Regina stood and started to pace, getting frustrated with all the turns that kept showing up on the road in their investigation. It was early in the day and she already had a headache, she rubbed at her temples trying to will the pain away.

"Come here." Emma waved Regina over and the brunette didn't hesitate, she sat down next to Emma and allowed the blonde to manoeuvre her body till she was laying on her back with her head in the blonde's lap, "All of this is pretty fucked up right now but we're gonna figure it out. We always do. No matter what happens, I'm with you every step of the way. Sure we have more questions than answers right now but at least we have something. We're not just stuck at one point." Emma had her fingers in Regina's hair and was gently massaging her head.

Regina had her eyes closed as she listened to Emma, the blonde always knew exactly how to get rid of a headache. She spoke softly so as not to make her headache worse; she always loved how Emma's voice calmed her in a sense. Emma was her own personal cure for whatever she was going through at any point in time.

"Also, a side note... From that note, you've gotta admit, I'm pretty smooth..." Emma laughed as Regina lightly swatted at the thigh Emma had under her head.

"Shut up." Regina opened one eye to glare straight up at the blonde who was just grinning down at her, "You're lucky my head hurts too much to murder you."

"Consider me extremely grateful." The two laughed as Emma kept massaging the brunette's head.

It didn't take long for Regina to fall asleep which amused Emma greatly, she smirked at the peacefully sleeping beauty. She carefully turned her body so she was sitting comfortably, with the brunette's head still on her lap; she froze in her motion to pick up the box when Regina turned on her side and curled up, falling deeper into sleep as she snuggled into Emma. "Deadly and yet so damn adorable. You know what they say about small packages, Swan." Emma quietly commented, snorting at herself. She decided to sit and inspect the contents of the box more carefully.

& & &

Emma's dream from last night...

Emma woke up to the sound of hustling and bustling outside of her door, the sun was barely out. She was pretty sure that even the birds were still asleep. She yawned as she sat up in bed, resigned to the fact she wouldn't be falling asleep again, she got up and prepared herself for the day. She would ask Regina if there was anything she could help out with, perhaps she might find out what all the ruckus was about as well.

Everyone that Emma passed in the halls, all smiled and bid her good morning; from what Emma could tell in the time she's been here, everyone that worked in the castle actually liked being there. Regina took really good care of everyone and she always heard everyone called on by their names; how could people possibly call her evil when she was actually really kind. Emma mulled over this thought as she navigated the halls, making her way towards the library, thinking she might find the Queen there. When she came up empty, her next stop was the Queen's private study.

She was glad the thought came to mind when she found her in the study, she looked tired and frustrated though, "It's a bit early for that pretty face to be frowning don't you think?"

"It's a bit early for a lot of things and yet, here we are... My pretty face frowning and your pretty face, well...pretty." Regina smirked looking up at the blonde who was watching her intently.

"It wears off after a while, trust me. The blonde hair and green eyes fools everyone, once people see the true level of fucked up under the veil, the novelty wears off pretty fast." Emma bit her lips together, not wanting to get too emotionally deep this early in the morning.

"You strike me as more of a force of nature rather than a simple novelty. Like a tiger cub, deadly but adorable. And your eyes are kaleidoscope not green." Regina smirked at the blonde as she scrunched up her face.

"Really?"

"Yes, they change colour under different light." Regina leaned on her arms on the table as she gave the blonde her full attention, looking deeper into her eyes, they really were breathtaking.

"I'm impressed that you would notice that." Emma really was impressed, she had no idea the Queen was paying that closely attention to her.

"It's hard not to notice. It's quite spectacular to see." the Queen's voice had dropped an octave, not noticing that she had leaned slightly forward to look deeper into Emma's eyes. She inhaled deeply and moved back a bit, "Why are you up so early anyway?"

Emma sharply inhaled, the moment between them broken, "I heard the hustle, thought I'd come see what was going on. Come find out if there was anything you needed my help with maybe. Doing research or whatever else you had in mind. Perhaps I could help with whatever has everyone running around this early."

"I've put our research on hold for a bit. There are more pressing matters at the moment. We're preparing provisions for an influx of people at a temporary camp site for a while," the Queen informed the blonde who perked up.

"Why, what's going on?"

The Queen considered Emma for a moment, biting her lip, she lifted her finger, "There's something I'd like to show you."

"Okay." Emma got up and followed the brunette to the other side of the room. There was a comfortably sized round table standing in front of them.

"Absolutely no one is allowed to touch this, except me." Regina laughed when Emma visibly put her hands in her pockets to prevent herself from touching, "No one's especially allowed to touch it while my hands are on it."

"It must be very important." Emma stated, looking towards the brunette.

"It is. Without this, my kingdom would've perished long ago. Come stand over here." the Queen gently placed her hands on Emma's hips and guided her exactly where she needed to stand. She stood slightly behind her right shoulder, "Tell me what you see?"

"It looks like a map." Emma looked back at Regina for confirmation, the brunette nodded at her.

"It is. Give me your hand." Regina held out her right hand as she waited for the blonde's. She turned Emma's hand so that it was faced down, "Lightly put your fingertips down." she instructed as she placed the blonde's hand in the correct position. She slid her fingers into the spaces between Emma's, she placed her left hand on Emma's back as she spoke, "What do you see now?"

Regina watched as Emma's eyes soaked up everything it saw, "It all just came to life. This is amazing." Emma was beyond impressed with what she saw. The land had risen out of the paper in beautiful bright colours and textures.

"This is my kingdom in its entirety as well the neighbouring communities just outside the borders. This is how I keep an eye on everything, it's the secret to how I take care of all of it. See that community over there on the far left, to the north. A storm, that could cause flash floods is headed its way in a few days. My people are getting things ready here for the people who are being evacuated, I sent a party out just before dawn to start evacuations. Those people will stay here on the mainland for a while till the flood completely passes. That happens to be a farming community which means their farmlands will be completely destroyed by the storm, once it's over and the people head back home, my people will help them to get everything back in working order again. Which means cleaning up the destruction and replanting crops. They'll be sent back with supplies to hold them over until their able to harvest again. Because of this map, I can make sure that everyone is safe from harm and no one starves and dies; without it, I would only get a messenger telling me the news a few weeks after it happened and it would take just as much time to send them aid. By that time, everyone will have perished."

Emma could not tear her eyes away from what she was seeing in front of her, she was completely oblivious to the way the Queen was staring at her. When Emma finally looked at the brunette she had a curious frown on her face, "If this is a secret, why show me?"

"Something tells me I can trust you. Also, the wonder in your eyes fascinates me." Emma blushed at the way the brunette smiled at her, enjoying the way their fingers were tangled on the table. She couldn't help noticing how warm and soft the Queen's hand was atop her own. "Very few things in life fascinate me, your eyes just so happen to be one of those things."

They just stood there for a while, both entranced by the other, not wanting the moment to end.

& & &

Regina was roused from her sleep by a hand sweeping her hair out of her face, she opened her eyes to see a dopey smile pointed her way, "Hey there, beautiful."

"How long was I out?" Regina asked, yawning. Emma found her absolutely adorable when she stretched out like a cat.

"Not long. I woke you so you could have something to eat. I made an early dinner. Henry texted, he had supper over at my parents' place, he's also staying at a friends afterwards." Emma informed as she watched the brunette sweep a hand over her face and through her hair, "How's your head?"

"Much better, thank you. I was up before 3 this morning, I really needed this."

"I noticed, yes. I made linguine and garlic shrimp." Emma helped Regina to her feet, she didn't need it but she wanted to be connected to her. Lately, all she wanted to be, was connected to this woman, in any way possible.

& & &

Emma and Regina had reluctantly ended their night after dark, both knew they would need their rest if they were going to get through the next 24 hours. Emma had only gotten as far as removing her jacket, shoes and jeans before crashing face first on her bed; not even bothering with getting under the covers. Tomorrow was her birthday and it was going to be a really long day.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Notes:

How's everyone enjoying the development so far? Anyone else think everyone is so damn cute? Also, all the lyrics that I have in this fic is music that I kept in a playlist while writing. I can't remember if I mentioned that before but I love these songs.

"Emma..."

"Five more minutes." Emma mumbled into her pillow, not ready to wake up yet, she also didn't want the fingers in her hair to go away just yet.

"Angel..."

Emma's eyes snapped open. She practically jumped to the other side of the bed, "What are you doing here?"

The Queen was perfectly perched on Emma's bed, she looked different than usual, she looked casual almost, well casual for her at least, "I wanted to spend some time with you."

"So what, you were gonna kidnap me again?"

"The thought had crossed my mind." The Queen smirked at Emma's state of defense, "But...it would just be bad form to kidnap you, again, when I could ask.. and I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

"What do you want?" Emma got up from the bed and went in search of some pants, pulling on a pair of sweatpants.

"There's something I'd like to show you." The Queen tilted her head to the side, letting Emma look into her eyes. It was still relatively dark outside.

"Look, I really don't want to deal with this today." Emma ran a hand through her curls, they were always so wild when she woke up.

"Humour me, please." the Queen stood now and came to stand a few feet in front of her.

"Why?" Emma was so confused by everything, the Queen actually said "please". Her resolve was slowly starting to peel away and the Queen could see it.

"I don't want to ruin your party by showing up uninvited. I just want to spend some time with you. We do have to hurry though or we'll miss it." She smiled at Emma, she knew the blonde could tell she was being honest.

"Miss what?"

"You'll see. I will bring you right back here afterwards," she held out her hand to the blonde. Emma considered the Queen for a moment, she had nothing to lose by going with her and she was curious. She did say that she would bring her back.

"Okay." The moment Emma put her hand in the Queen's, they disappeared.

Emma took a deep breath when they reappeared. They were outside and it was freezing; the Queen saw Emma rub at her naked arms and removed one of her layers, wrapping it around the blonde. "Thanks," she whispered softly. Emma felt like she was in very deep water without a liferaft.

"What are we doing here?" Emma asked as she looked out across the entire town. They were on a hill somewhere that overlooked the entire town.

The Queen took Emma's hand and turned her in the opposite direction, "Look."

Emma finally took her eyes off the Queen, not caring that they were still holding hands. Emma gasped softly, the sight of the rising sun taking her breath away. The Queen smiled at the amazement she saw on Emma's face, turning her gaze towards the rising sun as well; her grip on Emma's hand never wavering. Emma also glanced at the Queen every few seconds, she was mesmerised by the look of peace on her face, she looked as though she was completely comfortable.

The two of them stood just watching the sun rise, enjoying the moment for what it was; when the sun was halfway up, Emma fully turned her head to look at the Queen. The brunette had a visible smile on her face, "There's not that much green, but it's still beautiful."

"It is. Why bring me here? There's gotta be more to it than just showing me a sunrise." Emma questioned, there were other questions she wanted to ask but she highly doubted the Queen would be willing to answer them.

"You deserve more moments like these, Emma. Moments when you can just breathe and be. This is my gift to you, a moment when you're not just existing. You once gave me a moment, just like this and it's a moment I treasure greatly." The brunette moved behind Emma now.

"What? I don-"

The blonde momentarily tensed at the feeling of the Queen firmly pressed up against her back, she inhaled a stuttered breath when the Queen pressed a gentle kiss against the crook of her neck, "Happy birthday, Angel."

Emma was completely lost for words as she kept her eyes on the now fully risen sun, when she blinked they were engulfed by a purple cloud of magic; when it dissipated, she was back in her room again and the Queen was gone. She swallowed hard, her skin burning from the Queen's lips.

"Don't go," she whispered into the solitude of her bedroom. Once again alone and feeling more lost than she'd ever felt before.

& & &

Emma threatened Mary-Margaret to leave her alone so she could spend a few hours alone with Henry. Everyone would be able to get a piece of her at the party later so she just wanted some one-on-one time with her son. Regina knew this so she was happy to keep Snow busy and away from Emma for a while, she deserved at least that much on her birthday.

Even though Regina already had a complete outfit for tonight, Snow didn't know that; it was easy enough to convince Snow to help her with finding something to wear. She was however annoyed with herself that she didn't come up with a different idea since the woman would not stop ranting about how Regina should've done this sooner.

Though the party was to be a ball, Regina had managed to talk Snow into making it more modern for Emma's sake. Emma was not a frilly princess and it would just ruin her day if she had to be something she wasn't. Regina also knew that Emma liked doing her hair herself which meant that she was stuck with Snow getting their hair done, they'd also gone to do their nails which was nice at least. Zelena eventually showed up when Regina was just about ready to murder the blonde's mother; Zelena had elaborate plans for them to get facials which was sure to shut Snow up for a while.

When the three finally parted ways, Regina felt absolutely amazing but it would be days before she got the sound of Snow's voice out of her head; Emma definitely owed her big time for this and she was definitely going to cash in at a later date. The two had kept their communication to a minimum throughout the day, only conversing over text every time Emma sent her a picture of what she and Henry were up to. Regina had sent Emma a few pictures herself of the torture she was being subjected to for her sake.

Henry had come home not long after lunch with Emma, tonight's party was a really big deal and while he wouldn't be staying the whole night he still wanted to have some fun at least. He managed to prep Emma with some details about what Snow was planning for the night so she wouldn't be caught too off guard. There was the obvious things of course like the cake and singing, there would also be dancing obviously and for some reason there would be a "pairing dance". Whatever that was. Henry had no idea what that could possibly mean so he didn't know what to tell Emma about it.

Every significant royal that arrived would also be announced to the entire room, this was one detail of the traditional ball setting which Snow was not willing to let go of. Emma had taken notes like she was preparing for war, it amused Henry how much she wanted to be prepared for this. Emma just mostly wanted to be sure about the things she wanted to indulge in for her mother's sake and which things she would flat out refuse and walk away from. She'd be willing to be announced, since it was her birthday and everyone else was being announced, even Regina and Henry. She was also willing to do the whole cake thing, she wouldn't resist when she had to dance with her father and she was not going to pass up dancing with Henry. The whole "pairing dance" was a big no, as long as she had no idea what it was and what her mother's true intentions with it were, she was not subjecting herself to it.

It's HER birthday, her wants should count for something. The whole ordeal was starting at 7. There would be the announcements of everyone's arrival first, for which Snow had a specific order, so everyone needed to be there on time; once the welcoming announcements were done, there was going to be a really nice dinner with toasts and well-wishes. Thanks to Regina, after not that much begging from Emma, Snow made sure that everyone clearly understood that NO gifts were to be brought; it was just going to be a nice party where everyone could have fun together. After a 7 course meal, there would be music and dancing so everyone could get a chance to give Emma their birthday greetings. After all the greetings and such, Emma would have to dance with her father and she would get to dance with Henry. Emma was still working on a plan to disappear after that, so far all she could think of was using magic.

& & &

Regina was standing in front of her mirror making sure everything looked okay with her appearance, she was really impressed with the ensemble she put together; she knew everyone was expecting her to show up dressed like the queen she was but tonight was not about her, it was about Emma and she was determined to make sure she didn't attract any attention. She also just didn't want to be looked at like she was the Evil Queen when the woman herself was running loose around town. Though she had to admit to herself, she would be putting a lot of men to shame tonight because she looked damn good.

Regina had put together a combination of a black dress pants that were tightly tailored to her, a red and black corset that laced up in the front which did her cleavage some real justice, a black chiffon shirt with the sleeves up to her elbows and a simple pair of stilettos. She made sure to button her shirt all the way up to her neck, her makeup was spectacularly flawless as usual and she finished the look off by curling her hair and pinning it up on one side.

Regina turned towards the door when she heard a low whistle, "You know, I think your plan might have the opposite intended effect you were hoping for but...I think you look really good, Mom."

"Thank you, dear. You know me, it's hard to do anything minimal. I did try though." the two shared a laugh. "You are looking very handsome. Need help with your tie?"

"Yeah, I can't figure it out. It's supposed to be an Eldredge knot." Henry lifted his chin as his mother stepped closer to help with his tie. Henry was a lot like his mother when it came to his appearance, he was extremely particular about how he liked things. Sure he wasn't as outgoing but he liked being well put together. He managed a simple black suit with a really nice silver tie, he ditched his jacket though. The undercoat looked really nice that he had on and didn't want to hide it away.

"How are things, with you and Emma?" Henry asked cautiously, taking note of the focused look on his mother's face.

"What do you mean?" Regina looked at her son now, genuinely confused.

"She was really weird all day, like she was somewhere else. She hides it pretty well from everyone else but I know her, something's bothering her so I was just wondering if you two were okay."

"Emma and I are okay. She's just got a lot on her mind. We're dealing with a lot with the Queen on the loose and there's so many unanswered questions that lead to more questions with no answers. We're both trying not to focus on that today though, it's her birthday." Regina finished her son's tie, she smiled as she positioned it and smoothed over his shoulders, "Absolutely dapper."

Henry smiled at his mother's compliment, "What can I say, I take after you," this made Regina laugh light-heartedly.

Regina planted a kiss on his forehead, "Make sure you only take after the good parts." The two laughed at Regina's final statement. Tonight was going to be fun, they needed a night just to forget about everything that's happening right now.

& & &

Emma didn't want to get into the bug with her dress and she definitely didn't want drive in the carriage that Snow sent around; she closed her eyes and cleared her mind just like Regina had told her, she took a few deep breaths and tried to control her emotions.

"Emotions are not meant to be controlled. They're meant to be felt. A person without feelings, is not a person at all."

Emma's eyes snapped open at the voice in her head, she furrowed her brow, looking around just to make sure that she was alone. "Get it together Swan. Now is not the time." Emma tried to settle herself but she couldn't help thinking about the voice in her head.

Emma closed her eyes once more and let her emotions start to flood her system, her magic instantly obeying her and taking her exactly where she wanted to be. Emma smiled at herself, her magic has never been that perfectly responsive before; Emma was worried by the feeling that she'd heard those words somewhere before, almost like deja vu.

Emma steeled her nerves and shook herself, tonight was not the night to be thinking about any of these things, she was just going to try and enjoy her birthday with her friends and family. She walked up to the door of the venue, she was here at the time Snow had instructed; there were two men dressed really nicely at the door, "Hey guys. Everyone else here already?"

"Everyone is here, Princess. They're all waiting for you to be announced." one of the men informed her.
"Thanks but uhm, maybe quit it with the princess thing?" Emma gave them both a pleading look.

"I'm afraid we can't. We've been given strict instructions to announce you properly," the other man informed her.

"Well, might as well get it over with." Emma groaned and exhaled, nodding at them both to continue.

"Don't worry, you'll be okay. Happy birthday, Emma." one of them said to her, giving her a reassuring smile and a wink. This made her feel a bit better.

One of the men held out his elbow for Emma to hold onto while the other opened the doors, they walked through and the entire room on the other side went completely silent. The room was brightly lit and Emma could see the faces of everyone around town that she knew and didn't know, when her eyes fell on Regina, her breath was completely stolen. She smiled brightly at the brunette who looked at her with a look she couldn't place but her smile was breathtaking. Emma almost didn't hear the announcement of her arrival by the man who opened the door, "Presenting, her royal highness. The crown princess, Emma Swan."

Applause sounded around the room and Emma became really shy in that moment, she wasn't used to this kind of attention and she was already praying for it to be over; she hoped she wasn't as bright red as her dress. Snow had wanted her to wear white but she had fought long and hard to get it through to her mother that it wasn't a wedding, it was her birthday; she happened to love the dress she was wearing and she needed to thank Regina for it again.

Regina could not take her eyes off of Emma, she looked absolutely beautiful; she wore a plain blood-red satin dress that made her stand out, it wasn't outlandish or anything that she knew Emma hated. Regina also couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen this image of Emma before, she pushed the feeling down and stored it away for later, tonight was not going to be wasted on worries. The one worry that she didn't have the strength to push down though was how extremely warm she felt at the sight of Emma, every feeling she had towards the blonde had just multiplied by a million and she couldn't stop it if she tried. This was part of the Queen's plan, she was the one who had provided the dress for Emma, she was the one who knew exactly what would be perfect; the same way she would've known this would be perfect for her.

The dress was stirring up things in her, just like the Queen said it would.

& & &

Dinner was a pleasant thing, Henry had escorted Emma to her seat which Regina had pulled out for her, making the two of them exchange glances. Henry sat between Emma and Regina, it was their unconscious way of showing a united front, that the three of them were standing together at all times. There were a lot of toasts by a lot of people, mostly family members and close friends; they all had a great memory with her, to share with everyone and a few even had some funny stories.

Throughout the 7 courses of dinner, Emma and Regina had exchanged many lingering glances and smiles while someone was giving some or other speech. At some point during dessert, Henry had disappeared, apparently he'd convinced Snow into giving him full control over the music for tonight's party. Unlike Sow, he actually knew what his mother's taste in music was like and what she would approve of, he made sure it wasn't too crazy and yet still managed to keep it to Emma's standards.

When Henry's seat became vacant, Regina filled it so no one else would come and sit in it, the only person they ever allowed to come between them was Henry and it was a mutual standing agreement between the two. They were barely able to get into a conversation before everyone started moving into the next room, from this point on everyone would be getting drunk and dancing; everyone would also be looking for a chance to get a piece of Emma.

As much as Emma appreciated everyone showing up just for her, she really wasn't enjoying this part of the night that much. Everyone wanted to hug and kiss her which was pushing her beyond her regular limits. Thankfully, the announcement came that Emma would be dancing with her father now; she was actually a bit nervous about this part since everyone would be watching her and she really was not a big fan of all the attention. She would have to thank Henry for helping her practice this dance with him, she knew how to dance but it wasn't anything like the fairytales dancing so she wanted to make sure she didn't make a fool of herself.

Thanks to Henry taking care of the music, the dancing part of this party wasn't too lame. Henry had compiled quite a list of music and had given strict instructions to the DJ that absolutely no requests would be taken and absolutely no other music was to be added. He also paid the DJ an extra hundred bucks to play a set of specific songs during the pairing dance which he knew for a fact both of his mother's would be ditching.

When Emma and David were halfway through their dance, everyone else joined in on the fun. Everyone got out on the dance floor and fell into step with the same dance. Emma was actually amazed at how coordinated it all was, then again, they were all fairytale characters; everyone dancing in unison was kind of part of the whole cliche. When the song ended, Henry took the opportunity to cut in and get his dance with his mother; during the first dance, Henry had danced with Regina to make sure no one weird danced with her during the first dance.

When Henry took over from David, Regina quietly slipped away without anyone noticing her; Snow now danced with David and Henry took this chance to covertly remind Emma that the next dance was the one she didn't want to be a part of. Emma had danced with Henry for two songs, while the first one was formal, somewhere during the second, they threw out all decorum and went crazy. No one made any comment as the birthday girl and her son had a crazy fun time, dancing and laughing together to a song they often listened to while driving in the bug.

Though there was still a few rounds of drinking and dancing left to go, Emma came up with a simple excuse to take a break so she could make an escape; Emma also suspected that Regina had disappeared a while ago for the same reason.

& & &

Regina inhaled the fresh air deeply, she admired the way the lawn outback was lit up. She was standing where no one could see her or find her, it was the perfect hiding place but she wasn't the only one trying to hide as she soon found out.

"It's comforting to know I'm not the only one who ran away." Regina turned at Emma's voice and smiled upon seeing her. She laughed as Emma nearly tripped on the grass in her heels, she held out a hand for Emma to latch onto till she was on a patch of solid concrete under a tree. There was a string of lights twisted around all the branches, making the scene almost romantic if anyone were to see it. The sound of music could still be heard very clearly from where they were.

"I take it you're hiding for the same reason I am? I mean, what the hell is a pairing dance even? Haven't we all been dancing in pairs the whole time?" Emma asked.

Regina laughed heartily at the way the blonde pulled her face, "Ever heard of a cotillion?" Emma nodded, "A pairing dance is the Enchanted Forest version. You made the right choice in skipping out on it."

"Seriously, on my birthday? That woman needs a damn hobby. I swear, your whole "death to Snow White" is really starting to look more and more appealing."

All Regina could do was laugh, she was so entranced by this adorable creature before her, "You're adorable but I think you'd feel guilty for making David a widow."

"I don't know, I mean we could send him with her." Emma winked suggestively at the brunette only making her laugh harder.

"You winked with both eyes just so you know." Regina flicked her hair over her shoulder as she tried to control her laughter.

"Well...shit." Emma joined in on the laughter now, becoming momentarily silent making Regina look at her confused.

"What?"

"Thank you." Emma cleared her throat, becoming serious for a moment.

"For what?" Regina had a slight grin on her face, getting lost in the colour of Emma's eyes. She always loved the way they changed colours under different light.

"Everything. You and Henry, made all of this possible. I know Snow did all the footwork but if it wasn't for you and the kid.. I would've spent my entire birthday being subjected to pretending to be something I'm not so, thank you."

Regina put her hands in her pockets and kicked at the ground almost as though she was shy, she even blushed, "It's the least we could do. You've done a lot for us. Especially bringing us back together because of you, Henry and I have a real relationship and I can't thank you enough for that."

"You don't ever have to thank me for that. You're his Mom and you did an amazing job with him. I couldn't have asked for him to end up with anyone better, that's a fact." Emma gave a playful nudge to Regina's shoulder with her fist, "You're definitely the world's number 1 Mom."

"I did have the best example of the kind of mother not to be." both Emma and Regina erupted into laughter.

"Can't argue with you there." Emma suddenly lifted her finger up with a huge dopey smile.

"Girl you know I want your love
Your love was handmade for somebody like me
Come on now, follow my lead
I may be crazy, don't mind me..."

"What now?" Regina asked her, feigning annoyance but had a grin on her face. Unable to be anything but in a good mood around this woman.

"I love this song." Emma held out a hand to the brunette which received a raised brow, "Dance with me."

Regina held up her finger in the negative at Emma's request, she knew if the blonde kept begging long enough she would cave and it was already starting to happen, "No."

"Aw, c'mon. It's my birthday." Emma gave her best pouty face.

"You know, your birthday will eventually end and you won't be able to use that line on me anymore." The brunette was doing her very best not to smile but it was hard, her face baring a dark smirk.

"I do know, which is exactly why I'm using it to my full advantage while I can." Emma switched her pout to a bright smile, knowing that the brunette didn't easily fall for puppy eyes.

She almost jumped up and down when Regina took her hand, "One dance. One." the brunette insisted as she put her arm around Emma's waist and pulled her closer.

"I'm in love with the shape of you
We push and pull like a magnet do
Although my heart is falling too
I'm in love with your body
Last night you were in my room
And now my bedsheets smell like you
Every day discovering something brand new
I'm in love with your body"

They slowly started to sway, the song was a bit fast paced for the way they were moving but they were fine with the rhythm they fell into, "So, where did you learn to dance anyway?"

"Truthfully, I actually only learned how to dance like this in Camelot, the same day as you. I pulled David aside so he could teach me too." Emma blushed at her confession which made Regina laugh. Emma could never get enough of that precious laugh, all she wanted was to hear it more.

"So we're on equal footing then." Regina feeling more confident now, knowing that she wasn't alone in that experience.

"Not actually..." Emma sported a smug look, tilting her head side to side.

"How so?" Regina questioned with a furrowed brow.

"Well, I grew up over here remember. I know a few things that are not exactly "ball dancing" appropriate." Emma smirked now, knowing she'd piqued the brunette's interest.

"Like what?"

"I could show you but you have to trust me to take the lead..." Emma doesn't know whether Regina noticed that the song changed or if she wasn't bothered they were still dancing beyond the "only one dance" agreement.

"I do trust you, which is the part that scares me." They laughed together, both of them knowing that they were going to continue dancing for a while, "But I highly doubt you'll be leading anything in that dress dear, which you look very beautiful in by the way. It honestly exceeded my initial expectations."

"Why, thank you. Yeah, people can say what they like but Regina Mills has got style." Emma gave her best impression of someone posh.

"That, I most definitely do." Regina agreed seriously when Emma suddenly snapped her fingers. She looked down between them to see that Emma now had the bottom part of her dress replaced by a skinny-fitted pants, Regina looked up to see a shit eating grin on Emma's face. "I won't deny that was impressive."

"Thanks. My magic has been behaving today. Doing exactly what I want it to do without any mishaps. Must be birthday luck."

"I don't think birthday luck is a thing dear..." Regina squinted her eyes at Emma.

"I got you to dance with me, didn't I? Birthday luck is definitely a real thing."

Before Regina could respond, Emma quickly spun her out and pulled her back in tightly till she was flush against her; Regina smirked at the blonde's smug face, if Emma wanted to play this game then she would most definitely make her work for it.

"You know just what to say
Things that scare me
I should just walk away
But I can't move my feet
The more that I know you
The more I want to
Something inside me's changed
I was so much younger yesterday..."

Emma was amazed at how fluidly Regina's body moved and responded to the way she manuevred her, almost like Regina knew exactly what Emma wanted her body to do, "You know, you are actually doing a lot better than I anticipated. For someone who can't dance..."

When Emma pulled Regina back in again, Regina lifted a leg up to Emma's side which she instinctively grabbed onto, "I come from Latin descent, Emma. I was born with natural rhythm, that doesn't mean I was born knowing the steps of the waltz..." Regina commented softly, her voice low in Emma's ear.

Emma shivered at the sound of Regina's voice, she licked her lips and spun Regina till her back was flush against her front, Emma took a chance and pressed her nose up against the space behind Regina's ear, "It's a good thing you trust me." Emma held Regina firmly by her waist moving them together, not missing a single beat.

"I didn't know that I was starving
Till I tasted you
Don't need no butterflies
When you give me the whole damn zoo
By the way, right away
You do things to my body
I didn't know that I was starving
Till I tasted you..."

After a succession of steps and movements, Emma has no idea how they pulled off without faltering or falling over, they've never made with one another before or in their lives for that matter, they came face to face once more. Regina had her arm around Emma's neck, her hand making itself at home in the blonde's hair; Emma had both her hands very intimately around Regina's waist, both of them were completely out of breath. Their faces mere inches apart, sharing the fresh air that suddenly didn't seem enough anymore.

"Happy Birthday, Emma." Both of them were unable to let go just yet so they stayed where they were, continuing to just sway as another song started.

& & &

Henry smiled at the scene he witnessed from behind the shadows, he quietly turned around and headed back inside, he wiped the smile off his face as he walked through the door to see his grandmother, "Are they out there? Did you find them?"

"No, they're not out there. We should probably just wait till they turn up. You know neither of them are very big on dancing." Henry tried his best to dissuade Snow from his mothers' track.

"You're right, suppose I was expecting a bit much from them wasn't I?"

Snow and Henry laughed as they made their way back to the party.

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Summary:

The past is sweet and the present is a mystery yet to be resolved...

Notes:

Many writers make many promises... Yes, I am a writer but no, I don't make promises. Life is as it pleases to be and we are just along for the ride. Between life/responsibilities, trying to work on my original projects and that bullshit that people call a personal life... well, things have been really complicated. Good news though, I am fully vaccinated and I'm so damn happy. I feel good about it.

How are all of you?? I'd love to hear from my readers.

Emma's dream...

Emma has been on cloud nine the past few days, while she shouldn't have been feeling that way, she just couldn't help it. The night Regina had kissed her in the bath, has sent her down a steep hill to falling for this woman. Emma had expected they would fall into one another hard and fast but they both managed to keep their control around one another. Sharing long glances, way too intimate touches for public and really pleasant kisses when they were alone.

Emma was getting ready for bed when the sweetest sounds reached her ears, she stopped what she was doing completely just so she could listen; the tempo and rhythm was really impressive, she just had to investigate. With a smile on her face, she let her ears lead her towards the source, "Suppose I shouldn't be too surprised." Emma privately laughed with herself when she came to stand before Regina's door. She thought about knocking but knew the brunette wouldn't hear it so she opened the door and immediately became enveloped by the clear sound of music.

Emma walked through the threshold and closed the door behind her, walking deeper into the room towards the sound, she came upon Regina completely ensconced in what she was doing. Emma's smile was impossible to hold back as she watched the brunette play away at her instrument, she had no idea Regina could even play an instrument.

"I didn't know you could play." Regina looked up at Emma's voice, instantly smiling at the way she was leaning against a table nearby. Like she belonged.

"It's somewhat of a hobby." Regina responded, putting the instrument aside.

"Well you're damn good at it. Seriously." Emma nodded her approval.

"Thank you. I don't get to play as often as I'd like but when I do, I tend to get a bit lost." Regina approached the table Emma leaned against and poured them both a drink, "Do you play?"

"No, well I mean yes but that's a bit too proper for me. I'm more of a guitar person. I like getting my rock on way too much." Regina raised a questioning eyebrow at Emma, who realised the brunette had no idea what she was talking about.

"It's a string instrument as well but it doesn't need a bow to be played. Uhm, maybe I can show you." Emma piped up, sitting down on a chair, her face the picture of concentration.

"What are you doing?" Regina had an amused look on her face, watching Emma concentrate was adorable.

"I'm trying to make sure I picture it correctly so I don't mess up. AHA!" Emma suddenly cheered out when a guitar appeared in her hands without any mishaps, Regina laughed at this.

"It doesn't look all that different from my instrument. We actually have something similar here, it makes a rather annoying noise if you ask me."

"It's similar in a lot of ways but it's a bit more...hm, what's the word? I'll just let you hear it. Hopefully, I'm not too rusty." Emma laughed at herself and positioned her left hand on the fingerboard, her right arm coming over so her right hand could pluck at the strings.

The moment Emma started playing, the brunette was captured by the deep tones the strings played, "It sounds really beautiful. Did you write that?"

Emma laughed, looking up from the strings, her hands not faltering in their movements as she kept playing, "No, this happens to be a song that I really really love. It can be crazy fun to play on an electric guitar but I prefer acoustic when I just want to feel."

Emma suddenly pushed her magic to the surface and let it flow into the instrument, she let go with her hands and air punched when it continued to play by itself, "I wasn't sure that would work."

"You're getting a lot better at calling your magic." Regina smirked, impressed with the blonde.

"Someone told me that I needed to stop being scared of what I feel." Emma approached the brunette and wrapped her arms around her.

"They sound very smart. Though, I do have to ask... What are we doing?" Regina questioned curiously, her arms instinctively coming up to hold Emma over her shoulders.

"We, are dancing." Emma stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I... don't dance." Regina was apprehensive about the whole idea, she had no idea how to dance and she didn't want Emma to think that she didn't want to dance with her.

Emma pulled the woman in her arms closer, whispering into her ear, "Trust me."

Emma swayed them for a moment, she started leading them around so Regina could get into the steps, she suspected the Queen might not know how to dance, much like her but she wasn't planning on ballroom dancing with her. Without warning, Emma suddenly spun Regina in her arms, leading her around by her hips, her feet following without needing to be commanded to.

Emma got so lost in the feel of Regina moving perfectly with her to the music that she all but forgot everything else in the world. The brown of Regina's eyes capturing her and trapping her there; the brunette's smile was something she wouldn't trade for anything in the world and her laugh was definitely her new favourite sound. Emma couldn't resist singing out loud, these were  the kinds of things she wished, for so many years, she could do with the brunette, having the chance now was beyond amazing.

"That was unforgettable
I wanna do it again
You're crazy like an animal
And I don't want it to end
Tell me all your dreams and darkest fantasies
Let's talk about sex baby
Let's talk about you and me
Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things
That may be
Let's talk about sex baby
Let's talk about you and me
Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things
That may be
Let's talk about sex..."

Regina could only laugh at hearing the words Emma sang, they were strange but she enjoyed the sound of the blonde's voice. As soon as the tempo of the guitar picked up, their rhythm picked up, when it slowed down, they slowed down; eventually the song had ended and Emma could see a tinge of sadness in Regina's eyes, she smirked when the strings kept playing but a different tune. The way Regina smiled at her, made every cell in her body sing; neither knows how long they were dancing but as long as the music played, they stayed in one another's arms.

& & &

Emma woke up with a smile on her face, she had no idea what happened at the party after her dance with Regina, in fact she doesn't remember doing anything but dancing with Regina. She thought her birthday would be horrible but it had turned out a lot better than she anticipated, thanks to the brunette and their son. Emma sat up and stretched, though they had danced till pretty late, she wasn't feeling tired at all. She felt refreshed and ready to face the whole world. There was absolutely nothing that could ruin her mood.

She had a skip in her step as she made her way down to the kitchen for breakfast. Henry would still be completely passed out in his room; they'd only left the party around 1. She wondered if Regina was still sleeping or if she would've woken at her usual time. Thinking about the brunette now made her smile, they really had a good time last night.

Emma was smiling with herself, completely oblivious to the fact she was being watched. She hummed one of the songs that had played the previous evening as she poured herself a cup of coffee, when she turned around she nearly jumped out of her bones at the sight of Henry sitting and grinning at her.

"My God, Henry! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Emma held a hand over her heart, trying to get the rhythm back under control.

Henry laughed at his mother, taking delight in the way she could sound just like his brunette mother sometimes, "Sorry, Ma. I didn't mean to startle you. You seemed like you were really deep in your own world there."

"Yeah, well, I thought you would still be passed out for a few more hours." Emma got them both a bowl and their favourite cereal.

"Actually, I woke up a while ago." He shook his head at his blonde mother.

Emma sported an impressed look, "Hey, look at you being all grown up. Getting up early like a responsible person."

"It's after 1. Mom came by twice already to check if you weren't up yet. Told me to tell you that you are lucky she took pity on you and left you to sleep." Emma's eyes bulged at everything he told her.

"Shit! I'm so late!" Henry could only laugh as Emma bolted from the kitchen. She turned around at the stairs though and came back, "Was she really mad?"

"She pretended to be. I think she was more amused than anything else but I would still play it cool." Henry shook his head in humour at his mother's worried face.

"Okay. I got this. Oh and...have fun fishing with David." Emma squared her shoulders at her pep talk and made to get ready so she could meet up with Regina.

& & &

Emma knocked thrice, as per agreed upon protocol, before digging out her keys to the front door of the mansion. The sound of the gate opening behind her, caught her attention; Emma turned around to see Regina walking up the path with take-out bags.

"She lives." Regina walked up the stairs, smirking at Emma's clear guilt of being late.

"I hope you're not too mad at me?" Emma put her key into the door and opened it for Regina to step through before going in herself. Regina always admired that underlying abundance of chivalry Emma showed towards her; even when they hated one another. Emma always treated the brunette like a lady.

Regina shook her head in humour at the blonde, "I'm not. You deserved to sleep in after last night. We got home pretty late. I, just don't know how to make myself sleep beyond my usual wake-up time." Regina unpacked the lunch she'd gotten and served Emma.

"You got me lunch?" Emma furrowed her brow in question, if Regina knew she was sleeping, why would she get her lunch.
"Henry texted that you ran off without eating your breakfast. Not to mention, you're always getting me lunch. As if your the more responsible eater between the two of us." Regina laughed now at the way Emma let her head fall onto the counter; this woman was so damn thoughtful, Emma thought to herself.

"Did you get enough rest at least?" Emma asked now, reaching for her sandwich as the brunette sat down next to her to eat her own lunch.

Regina nodded, chewing a bit more on the food in her mouth before she answered, "I did. I actually had a really nice soak in the tub this morning. Who knew so many muscles could hurt from dancing?"

"Yeah, dancing...really dancing, can do that. It's totally worth it though. Kind of like sex." Regina raised an eyebrow at the thoughtful face Emma pulled while she finished chewing, "I'm just glad we got to have some fun. I, for one, had a really great time."

"As did I but I wouldn't compare dancing to sex though..." Regina reached for a paper towel to wipe her hands before reaching for a bottle of water.

"Why not? The two are more or less the same, save for the fact you wear clothes during one and not during the other." Emma shrugged, believing that her logic was solid but it wasn't her logic that Regina was contesting.

"I didn't say that I think they're different, Emma. I said I wouldn't COMPARE them. Dancing and sex is not "more or less the same", they're exactly the same. Both require an unadulterated amount of passion and not to mention trust that the other person won't drop you or hurt you. You can dance with or without your clothes on, the same goes for sex. All depends on the type of wood you feed the fire. I do agree that both are definitely worth the pain but the two are not meant to be compared."

Emma sat with her mouth hanging open, letting Regina's reasoning process, finally closing her mouth and nodding, "You make a very good point. Now, I'll also never be able to dance with anyone else ever again. At least not if I can't do it in the most innocent way possible, you and your damn brain."

"I will take that as a compliment. You can't tell me you haven't thought about it in that sense before?" Regina started gathering up the dirty dishes and Emma instinctively got the dry cloth to help with the clean up. The two stood side by side in front of the sink as they set to work.

"I've never danced with anyone that made me think about sex and I've never had sex with anyone that felt like dancing. For two people to actually have an unconscious synchronised rhythm, in everything they do, is something I've never had the opportunity to experience. Which is why it never occured to me that the two could be seen as the same." Emma took every clean dish that Regina handed her without looking once.

Neither one noticing that they were looking right into the other's eyes as they conversed. This was a topic they always joked about but never really went in-depth on, so neither Emma nor Regina noticed how unconsciously synchronised they were. When Regina moved, Emma moved; both knowing exactly where the other was going and what they were doing without having to say anything. Everything from the way they breathed to the way they processed ideas and thoughts were always on track with the other.

To anyone else, their bond would just be brushed off as them being best friends and even they would agree to that point but there were certain aspects to their relationship that they actively chose to avoid labelling. These were the aspects, they both knew were not the kind of things "just best friends" had. There was a certain rhythm that Emma and Regina both functioned on, it was a rhythm that was just theirs, something that no one could interfere in or try to duplicate.

"But you do understand the value in both, that much is clear." Regina pointed out handing Emma the last object.

"Are you kidding me? Any relationship, without either is just a crime. It can make the world disappear when you feel like it's falling apart. Just having that reassurance that someone's got your back the way you've got theirs." Emma put away the last of the dishes and wiped down the counter while Regina cleaned out the sink of water and rinsed off the soap rim.

"Knowing that someone understands more than just your needs and wants but the reasoning behind it. You're a part of one another on a level that you can't explain but you know you can't go without the other." Regina threw the take-out bags into the trash and Emma got a small tub of ice cream out of the freezer with two spoons.

"Exactly. You and I for example, I don't think I'd still be a fully functioning person if I didn't have you to keep me from losing myself and I know you keep me around because of my great humour on a shitty day." Regina shook her head at Emma's ability to always sell herself short on the actual value she had in her life.

They were both leaning onto the counter, digging into the tub of ice cream between them, "No. I keep you around because I remember what my life was like before you were in it so I know that without you I wouldn't really have a life worth much."

"You'd have Henry." Emma stuck her spoon into the ice cream and left it there.

"Whom I wouldn't have back or at all for that matter, if not for you." Regina now also stuck her spoon next to Emma's, her face now completely serious. She wanted to make dead sure that Emma did not take her words for less than their intended purpose, "So, hear me clearly when I say that I don't want to hear you EVER devalue the worth of your existence and the importance of yourself to me again, do I make myself clear?" Regina grabbed the spoons out of the ice cream and closed the tub. She got up and put the tub back in the freezer, slamming the door shut.

Emma actually knew how important she was to the brunette because Regina was just as important to her, she stood from her seat and followed Regina behind the counter, "Regina, look at me." Emma stood waiting but the brunette refused to turn around, Emma really hadn't meant to upset her. She knew Regina was trying to control herself from flipping out, "Regina." Emma waited a few more beats.

Regina exhaled, hanging her head, she didn't have the strength to ever think about losing the blonde; Regina was forced to reveal her tears when Emma suddenly took hold of her waist and spun her around, pining her securely against the fridge. "I understand completely okay. I'm sorry that I upset you and I don't blame you because I would react the same way if you ever thought any less of yourself and what you meant to me. Hell, I'd probably go off the deep end just to prove how important you are to me. I'm sorry." Emma pulled Regina closer now and hugged her.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma and buried her face in the blonde's neck, hugging her back in earnest, "I'm sorry too. I kinda rained on our parade there for a minute."

"Not at all. I told you before, I always want you to be yourself with me. Sure, the conversation went a little south but we're okay." Emma revelled in the scent that was Regina.

Regina, let Emma's warmth blanket and comfort her, "We're okay." she confirmed one more time, nodding her agreement. Emma was always so deliciously warm, God, she really fucking loves this woman! Wait, what?!

& & &

To say that she should've seen this coming was such a huge understatement. She did call the Queen out on it after all but to have admitted it to herself was just...crazy. Thankfully, Emma hadn't picked up on her state of panic today; she kept replaying her time with Emma, over and over. The biggest question she had now was, did Emma feel the same?

When exhaustion finally took hold, Regina was swept off to a dream that her wildest imagination could never conjure.

& & &

Regina's dream...

She yelped at the sudden banging on her bedroom door, realising then that she had been staring at the contents of her wardrobe for far too long. The knocking was persistent. She growled and ripped it open, ready to threaten her intruder in a way that would scare their future great-grandchildren, "Emma?! Where the hell is the war?"

The blonde skipped through the threshold, looking at her with a perplexed face, "Uhm..."

"You're banging on my door as though all of Misthaven is marching upon the front gates!" The brunette stared Emma down, eagerly waiting for an explanation.

"Oh! Sorry about that. There's no war. I'm just a little over excited." Emma's excitement was way too adorable not to be affected by it. She knew the Queen would indulge her.

"Well, out with it then. If it's not war that excites you, what does?"

Emma raised a brow and smirked, "That, my beautiful queen, is a conversation for another day. Right now however, I have something for you. A birthday gift, if you will."

"You got me a birthday gift?" unconsciously obeying when the blonde gestured for her to come closer.

She watched as Emma hung a long bag on a hook by her wardrobe; her curiosity getting the better of her, she opened the bag. The contents taking her breath away, "Angel, this is..."

"I found myself absolutely clueless on what to give a woman who has almost everything and this is what I came up with. Well, this is just part of it really. Here, this is for you as well but don't open it until tomorrow when it's actually your birthday." Emma held out her hand, waiting or the brunette to take her gift.

"Thank you, Emma. You really didn't have to do this though. I would've been quite content with your presence tomorrow," she placed the envelope on her dresser where she could read it before she got dressed the following day.

Emma snorted, "There was no way I wasn't going to give you anything for your birthday. You only turn 21 once and where I'm from that's a hell of a milestone. People get drunk off their asses and party so hard they can't even remember their own names."

"I'm not looking to drink myself into oblivion, thank you very much. You sound like you're speaking from experience though. Hold on, that would mean you've already turned 21. You honestly look really good for your age then." Regina couldn't help playing with the blonde now that she knew the blonde was in fact older than her and not younger.

"I'm going to take that as nothing but a compliment," Emma crossed her arms and raised her chin, making Regina laugh.

"Don't worry, it was. Should I expect that you'll dress to match me then?" Regina moved around the room, the blonde's eyes following her as she continued with her routine before bed.

The blonde found a seat on the brunette's bed, reclining against the headboard, "Is that your way of asking me to be your date?"

"Date?" she looked at the blonde with a curious look, not really familiar with the statement.

"Yeah, you know, like your escort." Emma watched Regina brush and braid her hair.

"Hm, I suppose I am. A queen deserves to have eye candy on her birthday. You'll do perfectly." Regina bit her lip as she gave the blonde a once over laying on her bed.

Emma chuckled, jumping up and approaching the brunette. She leaned over her shoulder and gave her a peck on the cheek, "I'd be honoured. Sweet dreams, beautiful."

Regina was still smiling long after the blonde had left her chambers. She fell asleep with a smile on her face and a foreign feeling in her chest. Something she's never experienced before, not even with...

& & &

Regina shot up out of her deep sleep, breathing heavily. She pulled her knees up as she tried to calm herself, sweeping her hands through her hair, "What the fuck is going on?"

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Summary:

It's time for Regina to pool her resources or at least herself if she's going to get any answers. It's time for some collaboration. Emma shares some evidence.

The Queen enjoyed the peace and quiet. There was a calm that could always be found in the stables. She left the stable hand alone, as long as he left her alone and that is exactly how they carried on whenever she came around. She would groom and feed a horse she'd taken a liking to since her arrival, then head out on a ride for a few hours. It helped to distract her from the longing she constantly felt. She was rather fond of the mare named Bolt; how she'd gotten that name, she learnt the hard way.

One of the great things about the peace and quiet out here, was also what made it really easy to notice anyone approaching. It stood out amongst the general white noise.

"I was wondering how much longer it would take you to find me," the Queen continued in her motions to keep Bolt calm, petting soothingly along the mare's snout. Whether she was actually comforting the mare or trying to comfort herself wasn't really of consequence, it was welcome.

"To be fair, I wasn't really looking for you. You are me, after all. I've always known where to find you. Alas, I haven't really had a reason to look for you either." Regina casually leaned against the entryway to the occupied stall. She silently appraised the Queen's riding outfit, the scene before her making her nostalgic.

"Hm, of course. Took you quite a while to gain a reason to seek me out still." The Queen looked at her short-haired counterpart for the first time then, not quite believing her.

"Well, I'm here now." Regina deeply sighed and extended her arms sideways to exaggerate her point.

"Saddle up," the Queen was nonchalant as she grabbed the gear she needed, saddling up her horse.

Regina gave the Queen a frustrated look, "Not a good idea."

The Queen chuckled, "Oh, come on Regina. Have some fun. Surely you must still know how to do that?" she gave her mayoral self a taunting grin.

Regina huffed, "I know how to have fun, thank you very much. I'm not dressed appropriately and this is not a social call in any case. I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, there's no law that says we can't talk and ride at the same time. I, know better than anyone, how much you love to talk while you ride." The Queen's grin was implicit then.

Regina rolled her eyes as she followed the Queen out of the stables and into the daylight, she sighed, "Look, I had...a dream last night. I want to know what it all means. What the hell is going on? What's happening? Why now?"

The Queen stopped then, "Those are a lot of questions. You, should also know better than to ask me of ALL people vague questions." The Queen continued walking, knowing that she was annoying her more docile self. 

Regina marched after the Queen and roughly pulled her back, "For once in your life, can you think of someone other than yourself?!"

The Queen reacted and grabbed Regina by the neck, "Thinking of someone, other than myself, is the reason we are in this mess!"

"What's that supposed to mean? Just tell me what I need to know, all of this would go a lot faster if I knew what the hell I needed to do."

"I DON'T KNOW!" The Queen's outburst agitated Bolt, and she quickly calmed and turned to comfort the mare, "Sorry beautiful."

Regina watched the Queen, this woman was confusing and infuriating but she needed answers.

Without turning back to face Regina, the Queen indulged the mayor, "Look, I don't know how to help you because I don't remember either."

Regina's brow furrowed then, "What do mean? How did you know that you enchanted Emma? How did you even enchant her in the first place? When did all of this happen?"

The Queen turned then, the pain on her face was evident, "I don't remember everything okay. I'm just as lost as you are. When you separated yourself from me, I felt...unbalanced. I keep having these flashes of things I don't remember ever doing. I thought it was just because you were no longer a part of me, I thought things would stabilise but nothing's changed."

"What did you see?"

"I met Emma. That's, that's when she wore that dress. I don't remember much else about it. About a lot of the time I spent with her, until I lost her. I remember saying goodbye and how I broke. I was able to put on the mask of The Evil Queen and push myself and pretend after I lost Daniel but losing her... It still feels like I'm falling apart. I don't know why or how that could've happened. The worst part is, I remember sending her away." The Queen sniffed, roughly wiping away her fallen tears, "You're looking for a moment in time when you and I were one and the same but I can't tell you that. Emma, is the only one who knows that because she is the only person that's ever seen us as just Regina; the good, the bad, the ugly. All of it. She's the only one who can make any of this right and to do that, she needs to remember."

The Queen turned away, not having the strength left to continue this conversation.

"Wait!" Regina inhaled deeply, "We all want the same thing, I don't see any reason why we can't come together. Emma and I are meeting at the vault, you can join us. Midday." Regina saw the Queen nod, she turned and walked away. Now, she just needed to tell Emma about all of this.

& & &

Emma looked herself over in front of the mirror, she looked exhausted; she'd had another night of confusing dreams. Hopefully all of this would come to an end soon, she was tired of all the constant craziness in her life. She gathered up her hair and tied it together behind her head in a simple ponytail, she checked her right ear to see how it was healing.

Emma froze then, there was no swelling of any kind, in fact... the earing that was supposed to be there, wasn't there at all. "How the hell didn't I notice that? Wait a minute..."

Just then her phone signaled an incoming text, 'The Queen is joining us at the vault. Don't worry, it's all good.'

Instead of responding, Emma just transported herself straight to the vault, the box of items Regina had given her, held firmly in hand.

& & &

Regina was reorganizing some things in her vault when the Queen arrived, "You came."

"Beats sitting around all alone waiting for you two to figure this out," the Queen responded noncommittally.

Emma suddenly appeared then in a cloud of magic, startling them both. "Well, there's something I never thought I'd see. A flawless entrance." Regina and the Queen exchanged a confused glance then when Emma didn't react to the quip.

Emma was determined in her actions, she walked over to a nearby table and started unpacking it. "Something wrong, Angel?"

Having found what she was looking for, Emma turned to the Queen, holding up a small strange looking object for her to see, "What is this?" The blonde could see that the Queen was truly perplexed, her sculpted brows scrunched in confusion.

Regina came closer then, instantly recognising the object, she took the shiny piece of jewellery from the blonde, "This is the earing I picked out for you. What does this have to do with anything?"

The Queen's eyes bulged, "That's an earing?!"

Emma walked to the otherside of the room, her hands on her hips. She exhaled, trying to make logical sense of what this could mean.

"Yes, it's an earing," Regina allowed the Queen to have a closer look. "I have one just like it, different stones though. Not one of my brightest moments but it was fun." Regina moved her hair and showed the Queen her right ear then, where a four-pointed industrial piercing with emeralds sat.

"And you remember when we got it, right?" Emma spoke from the other side of the room without turning around.

"As drunk as we both were, I still remember it clearly. We were in New York, you had one of your brilliant alcohol induced ideas to go get a tattoo. We got in a cab and found a tattoo parlour nearby. You were trying to convince me to get one as well, I refused obviously. Then you tried talking me into a piercing, told me you would get one too if I did it. We decided on this. I picked yours and you picked mine. I still don't see the relevance of this."

Emma turned then, "Do you remember how long ago that was?"

"I just told you. The last trip we took to New York," Regina squinted, trying to follow Emma's train of thought.

"Yes, I remember that as well but what I don't remember, is ever taking it out. I only noticed it today." Emma approached and took the earing, "This was in the box. I think I've figured out when and possibly how I might have met you before or rather how YOU met me."

"Well, care to enlighten the rest of us..?" The Queen was just as eager for answers.

Regina cut in then, glaring at Emma, "You went near Zelena's time spell when I explicitly told you not to, didn't you?"

Emma rubbed the back of her neck, "All I remember is going to check on it and waking up in an empty barn. Nothing was out of the ordinary, so I never brought it up." Emma had the decency to look sheepish.

"That would've been helpful information at the time!" Regina threw her hands up in disbelief.

"I didn't think waking up in a barn was relevant news okay. This should still be healing but from the looks of it, it's perfectly fine which means I spent a significant amount of time there. IF I did."

Regina had both her hands in her hair, trying desperately not to mutilate Emma for her ill timed reluctance. The Queen merely stood to the side watching them go back and forth.

"I have been losing my mind for months! Months! Trying to figure out how and why the book changed! This town faces the apocalypse every Tuesday, Emma! When you wake up all alone in a barn... YOU TELL ME!" Regina retrieved the story book then from one of the shelves.

"I really hate this book," The Queen spoke under her breath, shocked when it garnered a response from both Emma and her other half.

"Join the club." The Queen raised a brow at their synchronised response, which somehow they failed to notice.

Regina opened the book on the table and turned to the page she was looking for, it showed an illustration of a grand party. All the partygoers were dancing and the Queen could be seen in the crowd dancing with someone as well. She turned the book towards Emma and the Queen then, "This, never used to be part of the book and it shouldn't be part of the book."

"Why not?" Emma questioned, paying special attention to the illustration but it was hard to make out the other figure with the Queen.

"Because it never happened, at least it shouldn't have happened," the Queen pulled the book closer. "This is proof that the past has been changed. It's proof that you were in the past."

"I mean, how can you be sure? We all know this book isn't exactly accurate or honest most of the time." Emma sat down, it was a lot to take in.

"I don't dance. Everyone knows that."

Emma was confused by the Queen's statement, as if that explained everything. She looked to Regina for clarification while the Queen read over the page.

"This whole page and illustration is about my 21st birthday. I never spent my birthday's with anyone, except for my father. Also, I don't dance. David taught me in Camelot, remember? Yet, here I am, dancing...on my 21st birthday. With someone that's only referred to as Angel." Regina looked at the Queen with her last statement, her irritation clear but the Queen wasn't paying any attention.

Emma exhaled exaggeratedly, "Okay, so we have definitive proof that I fell through a portal, that admittedly I shouldn't have been anywhere near, travelled to the past and fucked up your history." Emma counted off what she knew on her fingers, "What day is it today?"

"Thursday."

"So, I have 5 days to fix it. Great. How do I fix it? You know what, better question, what the hell am I even supposed to be fixing?" Emma looked at the two brunettes before her.

"As I've told you before, the answer is in your memories - " the Queen was getting annoyed with having to repeat herself, no matter how adorable she found Emma in this moment. "A little bit of patience won't do you any harm, Angel."

"Stop calling me that!" Emma stood and started to pace, "There has to be something in there that can help me because I'm still not remembering anything!"

Regina watched as the Queen abandoned the book and stopped Emma in her tracks, she held the blonde by her jaw and put their foreheads together. She breathed slowly and ran her finger across the blonde's lips. Regina hated admitting it to herself but she could see how much sense all of this made. Emma calmed down without really trying and the Queen looked more peaceful than Regina could ever remember being in her life. She could only imagine what had happened between them in the past, she clenched her fists at the thought alone; she hated not remembering. Why was the Evil Queen, not evil?

"Why can't you remember though?" Emma asked softly.
Regina slammed the book closed then, making the blonde and the Queen both jump, "Good question." Regina marched away into one of the other rooms, the last thing she needed was this jealousy right now. The Queen stepped away from Emma, realising the woman's mood was her fault. On any other day she would enjoy it but they had a purpose to fulfil today.

"Maybe that could be in here as well? It's not a very high chance but it's a possibility right?" she walked over and opened the book again, found the page and started reading...

& & &

From the book...

The Queen sipped slowly on her cup of tea, it was still hot and she wasn't too keen on burning herself. The Queen's Angel had taken to entertaining herself with the soldiers down on the training grounds for some reason, so she decided having tea with her father was in order. Though, her mind was on her Angel more than anything else.

"I can't remember the last time I saw you smile, as much as you have, since she's arrived." The Queen's father could not hold back giving his daughter his own opinion, "You know she's the answer, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Daddy." The Queen looked out of the large window.

Henry gave his daughter a disbelieving look then, "You know very well I'm talking about Emma. You're truly happy, Regina. Don't throw this chance away."

The Queen huffed, "I don't have a say in the matter."

"Yes, you do. She makes you happy. I see something in your eyes I've never seen before. I also see the way she looks at you. I'm old, not blind." Henry thought he would get through to his daughter with the way she listened, he knew there was nothing she wanted more than to be happy.

"SHE CAN'T STAY!" Regina abruptly stood, her chair falling on its back. Her voice broke and she faltered, "If I don't let her go, she'll die and I'll lose her anyway."

Henry stood and moved towards his daughter, "I don't understand."

The Queen shook her head, trying to fight the tears but she wasn't strong enough to fight the truth in this moment. "She's Snow's daughter."

"But Snow doesn't have a daughter, dear. That's not possible."

"Not yet and keeping Emma here will jeopardise that. I have to send her back, I have to let history run its course, no matter how much I love her."

& & &

Regina and the Queen were both startled by a loud bang and came running; Emma stood leaning against the wall, both hands holding her up and the book lying on the floor on the other side of the room.

"Emma? What is it?" Regina approached carefully.

"How much of the new pages have you read?" Emma grit her teeth together, she was finding it hard to keep it together.

"Only what I showed you. There wasn't anything beyond that." the brunette was curious about Emma's current state. The Queen picked up the book and brought it over once more.

Emma pushed away from the wall, Regina followed and stood next to the Queen. Even though they looked superficially different, to Emma, they were perfectly identical in so many ways. "So you haven't seen this?"

Regina and the Queen shared a look, "Angel, it's blank." The Queen was concerned now that Emma could see something and they couldn't.

Emma looked between the two of them, as hurt as she was in this moment, knowing that she was the cause of a pain they couldn't even remember or see for that matter... made her feel even worse. "This is the moment," she whispered dejectedly.

Regina looked at the page again and shook her head, "There's nothing here." She even turned a few pages just to prove her point. This could pose a problem.

Emma snatched the book away, shaking her head, tears threatening to fall, "I'm sorry." The blonde took off and didn't look back. The moment she was outside the door, she transported herself away where she knew they wouldn't think to look for her.

"What the hell just happened?" Regina questioned, staring bewildered at the space where Emma stood only a moment ago.

The Queen sighed deeply, "I don't know. She found the answer, that's what matters. I know she'll come around when she's ready." The Queen transported herself away as well then, leaving Regina all alone.

"Just another day in Storybrooke then," Regina transported herself home, exhausted and ready to just be done with the day.

& & &

It was a Tuesday ironically, Regina felt she'd given Emma enough time on her own with things but it was time to talk. She let herself into the blonde's house, knowing she wouldn't answer if she knocked. Regina found her in the living room, the book lying on the coffee table. Emma was holding the framed picture of the two of them, "I remember."

Regina heard Emma's whispered statement but didn't respond, she sat down next to her and took the picture from her, placing it down on the table on top of the book. She made herself comfortable on the couch, turning her body to face Emma, with her feet tucked under her.

"Do you remember anything yet?" Emma's voice remained soft, Regina could see that she had been crying a lot though.

"No." Regina's tone was soft and gentle.

Emma let her head fall against the back of the couch, "I really don't know whether to tell you if that that's a good thing or a bad thing. Remembering, knowing, it's all surreal. It's like this huge wave of relief washed over me and then I really think about it you know. I think about what it all really means and I think about why this is happening and I think about why you don't remember. That's when it hurts. This gut wrenching, soul sucking hurt. I know the right thing to do, is helping you remember but I don't want you to remember how much it hurts because I only remember things to a point. I don't know what happened to you after you brought me back here but if it's anything like this... I couldn't bare subjecting you to it."

Regina took one of Emma's hands and interlocked their fingers, she tugged on it until the blonde finally looked at her, "If we both remember, we can get through this, together. I'm not letting you carry this alone. What was the moment Emma?"

"You knew."

"Knew what?" Regina allowed herself to be swallowed by the look in Emma's eyes, she always loved the way they changed colours under different light.

Emma sniffed, she couldn't hide her tears from this woman, not when it hurt so much. "You knew who I was."

Regina was clearly shocked by this, "Is that why I sent you back?"

Emma shook her head, "Yes and no. You sent me back because you didn't wanna lose this." Emma pulled out her phone and showed the brunette a picture their family had taken at the diner; the two of them with Henry and the Charmings. "You didn't want me to leave and I didn't want to leave either, we argued about it the last time I saw you but you never once told me that you knew who I was. You were so adamant that I needed to come back though. You told your father you didn't have a choice, no matter how much you loved me."

Regina was crying now too, she couldn't comprehend what Emma was telling her, "Don't you mean the Evil Queen?"

"No, I don't. From the moment you caught me at that ball, you were just Regina, my Regina. I fought myself every minute I spent around you, trying to remind myself that it wasn't you, that you weren't the same person but all I ever encountered was Regina. I was there for over a year and not once, did I see the woman that everyone hated so much. You were thoughtful, kind and you made an effort to actually take care of the people around you and you truly cared about the people you were responsible for. When I got there, I was already in love with you and you saw it.

To me, you and the Queen, are one in the same, always have been. I can't just love the good parts of you and not the bad because they made you who you are today.That moment, when you were selfless, when you made the choice to sacrifice the person you loved, that's when you were neither solely her or solely you. You were just Regina."

Regina sat silently, the entire world around her suddenly faded away and all that she could feel was empty. She cleared her throat, "So, how do I get my memory back? How do I reverse whatever spell I'm under?"

"It's not a spell. After you sent me back, you were broken, for months. You erased my existence from anyone and everyone who knew me and then you cursed yourself. We all know the rules of curses." Emma was honestly drained from all the crying she'd done these past few days and she was amazed she still had tears left.

Regina stood roughly then, upset for reasons she didn't fully understand, "And what? You don't think it'll work, do you?"

"It will but only if you two are one person again. She's carrying half the weight of this curse."

Regina shook her head, not believing that this is what it came down to. She really was never getting rid of her past. Now, it was her turn to disappear.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Notes:

We deserve some RegalBeliever fluff, so here's a lot of it. Anyone who's familiar with my writing, knows that I'm not the biggest Henry fan (kid's a brat, sue me). He is a funny little shit though...

Emma sighed loudly, she was afraid this might happen. She picked up the picture frame again and slouched back into the couch, "I know you've been watching me."

The Queen appeared in her signature purple cloud of magic, leaning against the entryway of Emma's living room; she looked adorably casual. Emma was prepared to admit that but internally of course. She wore simple black sweatpants that hugged her snuggly, a loose-fitting t-shirt and her hair was down but kept neat in a simple braid. The Queen wore no make-up and was barefoot for some reason. She was perfect in Emma's eyes.

The Queen crossed her arms over her stomach. Regina had the same nervous tick, even separated; at the core Emma still just saw 'Regina'. "She'll come around."

The blonde snorted harshly, rubbing a hand across her face. She exhaled deeply again, hoping to release some of the tension, "Shouldn't I be telling you that?"

The Queen looked down at the ground and around, shuffling her weight from one foot to the other as she shrugged, "She's dealing with a lot right now. She needs time to process."

"And you don't?" Emma wasn't sarcastic, she was just tired and frustrated. She wants things to go back to normal or as normal as things could be. She wants things with Regina to be okay again.

The Queen walked over and sat in the space her other half had just vacated, "Truthfully, I don't. This is going to sound ridiculous but I don't have as much baggage as she does and considering that we're essentially one person... That says a lot."

Emma shook her head, "Well, considering what I know. Trust me when I say that you're wrong."

The Queen sighed, "Look, I don't know how to explain this to you. I've already had the time I needed to process all my feelings and organise my thoughts and decide what I want. That's how we ended up here but she hasn't had that time. Before she can even start coming to terms with everything involving you, she needs to over analyse and overthink everything revolving around me. Right now, I am more confusing to her than everything else she's dealing with because she doesn't remember me being this way. She's forgotten that 'The Evil Queen', isn't actually real. She's forgotten how that personna was built in her mind. She needs to come to terms with the fact that she and I need to be in one body again but until she figures out how the hell I'm not the queen she thinks she remembers, she can't move forward."

Emma listened intently, a lot of what the Queen said made sense but she couldn't help the befuddlement, "What do you mean 'The Evil Queen' isn't real?" Her hands slapping back down on her thighs after exaggerating the air quotes.

"She's just a mask," the Queen shrugged, stretching her legs out across the blonde's lap without any hesitation. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't enjoy hurting people. I just don't see the point. Hurting people for fun was something my mother did, especially to me. I never wanted to be like my mother. I was a teenager, basically a child, when my whole world was ripped apart, when the ground beneath my feet was violently pulled out from under me. I invented the Queen so that I could get through the day, even before Snow gave me the moniker. Someone who is unaffected but on the inside, I'm still just that child who had to grow up too fast. Much like you in many ways. You remember now and you've seen who I am on the inside. 

After I lost you though, that's when I really broke. It had nothing to do with Snow. Hell, I've walked passed her every single day here in Storybrooke, I could've murdered her in a million different ways and no one would've been the wiser. I felt an excruciating emptiness when I lost you and I didn't know why, that's when I became harsh and cold. Something inside me just died and that's the cruel witch Regina remembers. The one who hurt people for no reason at all. The young girl who was too vulnerable to say no when Rumple came along with his curse and a promise of a happy ending. Now, that I have you back, in a sense. That emptiness is gone. I feel calmer, more whole. I feel like the woman who was hopeful about life and the future."

The Queen was quiet for a while, she stood from the couch then and looked down at her Angel, "All of this, is extremely confusing to her right now. So she needs time and when she's ready, she'll come around." The Queen smiled gently as she ran her thumb across Emma's lips as she always did before disappearing in her magical cloud.

Emma was left alone with her own thoughts. If what The Queen had just explained to her was all true, then Regina didn't need time. She needed HER.

& & &

Unable to arrange her thoughts in a way that made sense, Regina simply sat against her headboard and stared into space. Knees pulled into her chest, not really thinking about anything at that point, she was startled by the knock on her bedroom door. When the most precious person in her world poked his head through the door, her smile was automatic.

"I know it's not your time of the month, so I'm assuming this 'ghost'-mom I'm looking at has something to do with your idiot half? Just to be clear, I mean Emma." Henry left the door ajar and joined his mother on the bed, the two of them sitting side by side.

Regina reclined and let her head fall to her son's shoulder, her chuckle was mirthless but she simply adored that Henry was trying to cheer her up, "Something like that."

Henry wrapped an arm around his mother, he could tell she needed the comfort right now. "Oh boy. Tell Dr. Little Prince everything."

Regina lifted her head, looking into the dead serious eyes of her son, "Dr. Little Prince?"

"Well, I've got too much hair to be Dr. Phil. It made you smile though so it works for me." Henry happily returned the soft smile that was growing on his mother's face.

Regina laid her head back down, "Can't argue with that logic." She exhaled deeply, not really knowing where to start but she wanted to keep it as simple and to the point as possible. "I'm cursed. And I don't mean that in a depressing metaphorical way."

Henry scrunched his face in confusion, pulling back so he could regard his mother, "Someone cursed you?! When? Why? Most importantly, who?!"

"I did," Regina deadpanned.

"That bastar- wait, what? You cursed yourself?" Henry's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline.

Regina tilted her head from side to side, "Yes. If you wanna get technical about it, The Queen cursed herself and I, a long time ago. It's all... complicated and Emma is the only one who can break it but she can only do that IF The Queen and I are back together again."

"Wow." Henry watched his mother lay down flat on her back and just stare up at the ceiling.

"Yes. Apparently, Emma traveled back in time and spent more than a year with The Queen. She gave Emma her memories back from that time and now she wants your Ma to break our curse." Regina swept both hands over her face, glancing at her son to gauge his reaction.

Henry scrunched his forehead and squinted at his mother, "Okay. I think I understand what's happening here."

The brunette snorted, "Really? That would make one of us." She was trying to be sassy but she was exhausted and it just came out tired.

"Well yeah... It's kinda obvious. You're just too YOU, to see it. Or, maybe you do see and you've just been sitting here overthinking too long. You've probably convinced yourself that this is all part of The Queen's plan to torture you, instead of just accepting and admitting that you and your bestfriend have been in love forever. You've thought yourself into this depro-emo state, convincing yourself that there's no way Emma could love you in a way that's strong enough to break this curse because that would mean she loves your 'Evil"-half just as much as she loves you. And, you're struggling to understand how that could even be possible because you believe that no one could love The Queen in you. Right?" Henry's face was gentle, watching the way his mother's emotions played out across her face as she listened and processed.

Regina stayed silent, Henry's words rolling around in her head. Truth was, he had summed the whole situation up perfectly in her opinion. She gratefully clasped the hand that slipped into hers, her son was growing up so fast.

"As the Truest Believer, I'm obligated to tell you something wise and hopeful and very Believery - Don't interrupt, 'Believery' is a real word in this moment - BUT as your son, someone who loves you and knows that you're just going to overthink that as well. Ask yourself, 'What matters more? What I think or what I feel?" Henry didn't wait for his mother to respond, he simply kissed her on the cheek and left the room.

It was a very good question, so good in fact that she didn't even need to think about the answer. She just needed Emma.

& & &

Henry sat by the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of cereal that he probably shouldn't but he figured he deserved it. His spoon was halfway to his lips when Emma filled the doorway to the kitchen, "Hey Ma. Mom's upstairs, you can go up."

Emma stepped closer and ruffled his hair, earning herself an internally-expected groan, "Hey kid. How do you know I'm not here to see you?"

Henry put his spoon in the bowl and gently pushed it forward, clutching his elbows and resting his forearms on the counter. He had an almost sarcastic-thoughtful look on his face which Emma didn't see as she had become occupied with stealing a few bites from his forbidden cereal. "Wanna hear a secret?"

Emma froze then and regarded her son thoughtfully, "That depends. Will it ruin your mother's life in any way?"

"That depends entirely on how you react to it," he raised his eyebrows in smug challenge.

Emma shrugged, "Fair enough. Let's hear it."

Henry took a deliberately slow breath, "I know exactly what's been going on, since day 1."

The statement made Emma scrunch up her face, "What kind of secret is that and what's that even supposed to mean?"

Henry took his bowl back, "It means I know exactly why you're here because I'm the reason you're here." He simply smiled and disappeared before his blonde mother could think to question him more. He was feeling very pleased with himself and by his calculations, it wouldn't be much longer now.

Emma watched her growing son walk away with the most perplexed look on her face; she shook her head, thinking on how truly odd he could be a lot of the time. She exhaled then and reminded herself why she was there. Regina needed her right now.

& & &

Regina had her phone in hand, ready to call her best friend when her bedroom door opened. She silently melted at the pair of Emerald-like eyes she saw, "Emma, I was just about to call you." She waved her phone before putting it back down, "How do you always know exactly when I need you?"

Emma lightly chuckled, closing the door behind her and made her way to the bed. She toe'd her running shoes off and crawled onto the bed, "It's in the job description of being a best friend." Emma delighted in the laugh her small joke garnered. "On another note, our son is a seriously smug little smart shit."

Regina watched as the blonde made herself comfortable, "First, don't call our son a little shit. Second, why are you calling our son a little shit?" She didn't even stop to think about the way she automatically leaned into the blonde's side and let herself be pulled closer.

"He just told me the most cryptic riddle-like secret I've ever been told. Says he knows exactly what's going on since day one because he's the reason I'm here. The hell does that even mean?" Emma shook her head again.

Regina chuckled, seems her son was on a mission today, "Ah, sounds like Dr. Little Prince got to you too."

"Dr. Little Prince?"

"Hm, said he had too much hair to call himself Dr. Phil." Regina stretched her legs out and crossed them at the ankle.

Emma looked at Regina then, "What do mean he got to me too? Was he telling you cryptic secrets as well?"

"No," Regina shook her head. "He did however tell me to ask myself a really good question. While I'm inclined to agree that our son is indeed a smug little smart shit I'd greatly appreciate if you refrained from the profanity."

Emma groaned jokingly, "Argh, you Mills' and your perfect speech."

"Henry made up the word 'Believery' earlier, if that make you feel any better?" Regina turned her head up to smile at the blonde.

"Yes, yes it does." Emma returned the smile, it did make her feel remotely better that her son was vocabulary inventive like she was. "Are you gonna tell me more about this really good question you're supposed to ask yourself?"

"What matters more? What I think or what I feel?"

"Hey... How come your believery is easier to understand than my believery?!" Emma interrupted, she really didn't like riddles. It's why she hated interacting with Mr. Gold so much.

Regina sighed softly, she couldn't even bring herself to be annoyed with the blonde. These little personality traits, only privee to her, was what made this woman so endearing most of the time, "Focus Emma."

"Right. Sorry. Please, continue." Emma gestured with her hand; she wasn't looking but she could practically feel Regina rolling her eyes at her antics.

Regina took a deep breath to steady her thoughts, "I've never actually thought about this actively before because whenever I try to think about my feelings... I don't feel anything stable. I've convinced myself that my feelings don't matter because they've never made any sense. Now though, now that I'm actually thinking about it? I've always felt scattered. I either feel all my emotions all at once or none at all, except when I'm around you. Then I can distinctively feel a specific emotion. Which, if I think about, doesn't make much sense either. I also think that everything that's happening right now, isn't an accident at all."

Emma nodded knowingly as she listened, "You know what needs to happen."

Regina sat up and turned her whole body to face the blonde, crossing her legs, "I can't make the most of what really matters if I don't even remember what matters most. I need my other half back and I think Henry might know way more than any of us ever thought."

Emma took hold of her bestfriend's hands, "Alright. We need to talk to our son. After we get some sleep though, I'm so exhausted." The two laughed together as they settled down comfortably and waited for sleep.

& & &

Henry grinned to himself as he slowly paged through the portfolio in his lap for the trillionth time. "Nearly there." He spoke softly to himself as he looked at the last image before him. He closed the portfolio and put it away in his secret hiding spot, turned out his light and went to sleep for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

& & &

It still surprised Regina sometimes, to find her son's room empty when she went to wake him. The boy shouldn't be nearly this disciplined in getting himself up and ready for school at this age; his behaviour did make her proud though, she really did raise a very good boy. Regina smiled all the way down the stairs and into the kitchen, "When are you going to start over-sleeping like a regular teenager?"

"Meh. I like to keep you on your toes." He shrugged and laughed with his mother, "I'm assuming Ma stayed over?"

Regina nodded before taking a sip from the coffee Henry handed her, "Peacefully snoring her life away upstairs. Why don't you go wake her up and the three of us can have breakfast together."

Henry was glad to comply, he stopped at the doorway though and quickly asked, "Is she decent?"

Regina's eyes momentarily bulged but she managed to reign it in quickly. She knows her son is a teenager but she doesn't want to make assumptions about his train of thought. On the other hand, her son knew how his mother's felt about one another and admitted as much; did he really think they would... "Why wouldn't she be decent?"

"Because she always sleeps in her underwear. I'm getting too old to see my mothers half naked anymore."

Regina couldn't help smirking at the raised eyebrow her growing boy gave her, "She's never been indecent and she never will be."

Henry nodded slowly in a sarcastic matter, "Yeah... Never..." Henry cackled as he ducked away from the dish towel that came flying at him.

"Mxm, just go wake her."

After a peaceful breakfast with easy conversation and Henry agreeing that he would definitely tell them everything they wanted to know. They made plans to have dinner as a family and set off on their separate ways for the day.

& & &

The Queen had been truly pleased yesterday when Henry had sought her out on his own. He'd asked that they meet today, after dinner time at the vault; she should have asked to meet somewhere else but she didn't want to risk changing his mind. There was also the fact he didn't mind being alone with her, so he must not be scared of her. The realisation was surprising at first but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She was still his mother after all, no matter what.

& & &

Henry couldn't believe how easy it was to get both his mothers to agree to going to the vault to get their answers. He really was slick but he couldn't get too cocky. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes, not this close to the finish line. He couldn't stop himself from getting nervous though as the three of them descended into the depths of the vault.

"Mom?!"

Emma and Regina both spun around to look at their son questioningly. There was no reason for him to yell like that when they were both right there. Everything became clear though when The Queen came into view. The three women froze for a moment regarding one another before they all turned slowly to their son.

Henry simply ignored their suspicious glares and moved to stand on the other side of the room so that he was facing all three of them head-on, "I'm sorry I lured you all out here under false pretenses. Apology out of the way, we can get started on the ritual."

Emma stepped forward then with her hands up, "Woah, slow your boat there. What ritual? You are not doing any rituals."

Henry knew he had to be patient if he was going to get out of this without getting grounded, "To make Mom whole again and I'm not doing the ritual. You are." He pointedly looked at his blonde mother.

The Queen was clearly shocked by these turn of events, she didn't think that this would be happening so quickly, "We're getting back together?" She directed her question towards her other half.

Regina kept her eyes solely on her son, her brow arched sharply, "Start talking young man. What do you know about Queenie and I getting together again?"

"That was really gay and it's probably going to get much gayer," Emma shrugged when all eyes were on her. "What? It was."

Henry could only facepalm, leave it to his blonde mother to make gay comments at the wrong time. "To answer Mom's question.. Emma needs to swap your hearts. Once your hearts are in the other's body, you'll merge back into one." He managed to draw their attention back to him.

The Queen eyes him questioningly, "How exactly do you know this?"

Henry shrugged, "I've always known. Since day 1."

"Again with the 'Since day 1'. Kid, just tell us everything you know and how you know it."

Henry was unaffected by the glare his blonde mother gave him, "After the ritual. I promise."

Everything was silent for a beat as Emma and Henry simply looked at one another. The Queen exhaled, "Well, you all know my feelings on the situation. Let's do it."

Regina shrugged in a 'might-as-well' manner, "Let's do it."

Henry clapped his hands together once, "Now that we all agree -"

"Hello? I didn't agree yet -"

"Angel!!!" Regina groaned loudly, frustrated at the snail's pace of progression. She tilted her eyes to the ceiling, looking down when the silence persisted to see Emma beaming brightly at her and Henry and her other half grinning knowingly, "What?"

"You called me 'Angel'." Regina blushed deeply at Emma's words and chose to simply glare at her.

Henry cleared his throat, "Okay. As I was saying... Ma, all you have to do is remove their hearts and swap it around. The rest will take care of itself. So, whenever you're ready." He gestured between the three women before him.

Emma turned fully to face the woman she loved more than anything in the world, "Here we go."

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Summary:

SwanQueen is a kind of love that cannot be described as True Love or simple Soul Mates. It is unconditional in an incomprehensible way. SwanQueen is a type of love that transcends time, space and countless lifetimes.

Notes:

You're all going to hate me for the direction I went with the end of this story but I feel like it fits. SwanQueen is eternal and I wanted to share that belief. Thank you to everyone that stuck it through till the end. It's short but it's sickeningly sweet.

The Future...

Henry Mills sat comfortably on the couch. His daughter, Lucy on his lap and his wife, Ella leaned into his side. The fire was freshly stoked and the Christmas tree, he and Lucy had decorated together, shined brightly in the corner. Snow fell silently outside. Henry looked around the living room at his family; his mothers cuddled together on the loveseat on the opposite side of the fireplace. His twin siblings, Jamie and Whittley, were sprawled out on the floor; all of them trying to recover from the big Christmas dinner they had.

"Tell us a story, Daddy." Lucy asked excitedly, she was a curious little girl and loved hearing all about her family's adventures.

Henry hummed thoughtfully, "Okay. What kind of story?"

"Something you haven't told me yet," Lucy looked at her father with big bright eyes. He would never tire of seeing the wonder in them.

Henry nodded, "I think I have the perfect one. Let me get the book." He got up and left the living room, returning a short moment later with a beautifully bound book that looked a lot similar to his old fairytale book.

"Is that your old fairytale book?"

Henry shook his head, smiling widely at his brunette mother's curiosity, "No. I just bound this one to look similar. This story is a lot better though. Trust me on that." He sat down and allowed Lucy to crawl in his lap once more.

"Your Mom and I could probably tell you a million stories better than that storybook Hen." Emma joked and the room was filled with light-hearted laughter.

Henry waited as Lucy read the name on the cover out loud. "The Way It Was Always Meant To Be. What's it about, Daddy?" Lucy asked as she ran her fingers across the raised letters.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Henry opened the book to the first page. He had everyone's attention as he started reading. Henry was a talented storyteller and no matter how many times he told the same story, they would always listen with rapt attention.

"Once upon a time there was a little boy, who thought he knew it all. He'd read a book of lies and thought he knew the truth.

Until he learned about a curse that was never written in any book. The little boy learned the truth, of the way it was always meant to be. A curse that tells a story about a Lonely Queen, who's heart was more resilient than any had ever been.

The Lonely Queen met an Angel, who's heart was brighter than the sun in the sky. The Queen loved her Angel dearly and her Angel loved her dearly too but the Angel couldn't stay, so the Queen let her go. Their lives went back to the way it was before.

The little boy was sad, he'd believed all the lies. Down the hall, his mother slept; her dreams always made her cry. So the little boy came up with a plan to bring back the Lonely Queen's sunshine.

The little boy went on a quest to a land he'd never been before. The Lonely Queen and her forgotten Angel were together once more. For years they fought as enemies and even as friends. The little boy was happy, his mothers were together again.

The Angel was remembered and the Queen was no longer lonely. The little boy knew and believed in his heart this was always how it was meant to be.

The little boy grew up and wrote a book about the greatest love story there had ever been. A story called Operation: Swan Queen..."

Henry beamed at the light snores coming from his shoulder, Lucy was out for the count. The same went for his brother and sister on the floor; at 15 years old, he was still able to put them to sleep with a story.

While Ella put Lucy to bed, Henry got an extra blanket for his siblings on the floor; Henry had bought Emma's old house since she lived at the mansion. There was really no point in waking the twins to go home when they literally lived a street apart.

Emma helped Regina get her coat on by the door, both of them still misty-eyed from the amazing story their son had told.

"Before you go.. Merry Christmas." Henry handed the book over to his mother, "I promised you all those years ago that I would tell you everything but you two got a bit preoccupied with remembering, that you actually forgot. I didn't though. When I became the author, I knew I had to write your story. It took me a lot longer than I thought, what with how crazy our lives have always been but it's finally done and I want you to have it. This is the unedited version. The real truth about Operation: Swan Queen."

Regina couldn't control her tears from falling anymore, "Damn you for being your Ma's son." They chuckled together in the foyer as Henry hugged his mother close.

"You did good, Kid. You did really good." Emma smiled at her eldest son. Just when she thought she couldn't be any prouder of him, he surprised her.

& & &

In Another Lifetime...

Morgan Taylor, was as normal as any woman could be, at least by Storybrooke standards. She was known around town as Mama Morgan, the lady who ran 'Saviour's'. Most thought of Saviour's as an orphanage but it was more of a safe house for gifted children. It had started out as a foster home in the beginning; Morgan had taken in any magically gifted child whose parents were unwilling to deal with them.

After 20 years of running Saviour's, many children had come and gone through Morgan's doors but none quite like Ria. The girl had been left on the home's doorstep when she was just a squirming bundle, 16 years ago; Morgan had instantly loved the girl and adopted her as her own. At first she couldn't understand why the baby had been left there as everyone knew what kind of place this was and there was an orphanage in town but she couldn't bear to send the girl away.

Unlike the rest of the children at Saviour's, Ria was as regular as could be; she showed no magical aptitude whatsoever. That was of course until two months ago, when Ethan Sheppard arrived at the home.

On the outside, Ethan was a regular teenage boy with regular anger issues. In his defense, his anger was warranted. His magic surfaced a year ago and while he didn't have any control issues with it at all, his parents were scared of him and this in turn always put him on edge. So, they sent him to Saviour's; to say he was pissed off that his parents didn't trust him simply didn't express his feelings enough.

From the first moment Ria and Ethan had met, they hated one another with a passion. It was an understatement to say that his attitude just rubbed her the wrong way. They actively ignored one another's existence which was rather silly since they lived in the same house and had all the same classes at school. All the amazing things, in all the galaxies, are always created the same way though. With two opposing forces coming together.

Morgan was rightfully surprised to come home from the store one afternoon, to see the two of them getting along...sort of. The energy they gave off as she watched them intrigued her; they were completely unaware of Morgan's presence.

Ethan hissed loudly, "Ouch, Ria!" He twitched and tried to recoil from the alcohol soaked cotton ball that Ria kept dabbing at his face.

Ria stopped for a moment to glare at him, "Serves you right for being an idiot!"

"I'm still waiting on a 'Thank you', by the way," Ethan clenched his jaw as he tried to remain still once more. Ria was petite but she packed a punch, even when she was being gentle. He was keeping an ice pack against the left side of his head; his right arm was bruised and slightly singed.

Ria gave him an incredulous look, "For what?! You were stupid and reckless! I'm also taking care of your dumbass right now. I'm not thanking you for that."

"If I hadn't done what I did, everyone in that hallway would've ended up in the ICU or dead. Since it seems you would've preferred that instead of me absorbing your magic, I apologise then." Ethan's sarcasm wasn't lost on Ria and he could see the guilt in her eyes.

Ria hadn't meant to hurt Ethan, she hadn't meant to hurt anyone and maybe she wasn't reacting appropriately to the whole situation right now but she was still processing. Ethan's unfulfilled expectations were the least of her worries. Ria sighed but remained silent, a million different thoughts and feelings running through her all at once.

Ethan could practically see the wheels turning in Ria's head, perhaps being his usual brutish self wasn't going to work this time. "You're concentrating too hard," his words were softer and gentle. "When you concentrate too hard on controlling what you're feeling, it makes it worse. Just breathe and let your emotions flow through you. Don't let it build up." He listened as Ria took a few calming breaths.

Another beat passed. Morgan continued watching them curiously, the small exchange having given her enough information about how and why exactly she was seeing what she was seeing.

"Thank you," it was the most sincere Ria had ever been with the boy. "And... I'm sorry. I'm grateful for what you did, really I am but it was still stupid. I know we don't really get along but that doesn't make you an easy choice of sacrifice. You could've died just as easily today and that would've been on me. Accident or not." Ria avoided eye contact as she cleaned up all the bloodied bandages and putting the first aid kit away.

"I understand, if the roles were reversed... I'd probably react the same way. On another note, I knew exactly what I was doing. I have a lot more control with my magic than my parents want to believe. I'm actually really good at channelling energy. Was I shocked for a moment by the amount of energy you were giving off? Definitely. That's the only reason you were able to throw me across the hall the way you did. I know you're scared of all this right now but I also know that you are strong, really strong and I also know that you're a fighter."

Ria smiled gratefully at Ethan's words, perhaps the idiot wasn't so bad after all.

Morgan's eyes went back and forth between the two teenagers, there was a definite fire between them, "Look out Storybrooke, round 7 of SwanQueen has just begun." She shook her head and cleared her throat, finally making her presence known. With an eyebrow raised in question, she moved closer slowly hoping one of them would start explaining soon but they simply stared at her with wide eyes.

Ria blinked several times, unable to say anything. Nope, Ethan was an idiot for letting them get in this situation and he was never going to change her mind.