Author's Note: Hey guys! I've had this idea since 3x16 aired, and I've been working on it since then. It was intended to be a one-shot, but it got very long very fast, so I decided to split it up into four parts, with this first part being the introduction. Hope you enjoy!

Many thanks to my dear friend, ouatevilregal8,who is betaing this fic for me!

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own the show, characters, settings, situations, or dialogue that I have not composed. Those are the property of ABC and are being used in this story solely for entertainment purposes.

*Note: There are mentions of abuse and violence in this fic. If you find those things triggering, this may not be the fic for you.*


It was sundown. The setting sun's dying rays gave the streets of Storybrooke an eerie and ominous glow as its residents gathered around, awaiting the showdown between the Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch. Zelena herself stood in the middle of the crowd, which gave her a wide berth, impatiently waiting for the arrival of her dear, dear little sister.

Time was almost up. Zelena's eyes narrowed. So she was a coward. She didn't even have the courage to face her own family. Rumpelstiltskin had made the right call after all, saying she was more powerful. Her grip around the dagger tightened. He once controlled her, and now she controlled him. What a delicious inversion, she thought, smirking deviously.

As time was up, she heard a clicking of heels coming down the street. Regina strode in like she owned the place- which, if Zelena thought about it, she did- calm and collected. She made some crack about black being her color, and it could have been Zelena's nerves at play, but she swore there was a glint uncannily like Rumple's in her eyes as she said it. She may have been the more powerful one, but he chose her. He chose Regina. Like everyone else in her life, he threw her aside for pretty little Queen Regina. It made her blood boil.

But she couldn't let her anger get the best of her. Her father's voice echoed in her head: put on your best face. Zelena had learned long ago that offense was the best defense, so she hit Regina where it hurt: right in her privileged familial position as the only child, the chosen child. Regina wouldn't think she was so special now that she had an older sister, would she?

Even her best ammunition seemed to roll right off Regina's back. Did anything faze the woman? It certainly didn't appear so. And her nerve; asking what it was she had done to Zelena. As if she didn't know. As if she didn't know how lucky she had been to have a mother who wanted her, to know who her father was, to be loved and accepted by everyone, to be groomed up to be queen and trained in the magical arts by a willing tutor instead of one who had to be coaxed into it. Regina didn't know how good she had it.

Suddenly, Zelena found herself voicing these thoughts out loud. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked sardonically. "You were born" she hissed in a low whisper. The resultant slap against Zelena's cheek sounded throughout the street and caused the corner of her lip to bleed. She touched her blood, looking at it distastefully.

"I've been waiting all day to do that" Regina said, sounding extremely satisfied with herself. That was Zelena's breaking point. Damn putting on her good face; that would just add insult to injury.

"Do you even know what you had?" She cried out. "Do you even know how privileged you were? How much you had that should have been mine? I was Cora's firstborn. I should have been queen. But no. Cora put me in a basket and left me in the woods. Abandoned, like trash." Zelena paused to catch her breath, having uttered everything in one breath. The crowd stepped back, not wanting to further anger her.

"You were the chosen child" she continued, circling Regina slowly and scrutinizing her. "Cora wanted you. She picked you to be queen. She loved you. She took care of you. She kept you. I was the one she threw aside like I wasn't even hers."

Regina listened to her speech, her eyes stormy and her facial expression inscrutable. Zelena kept going, pleased that she finally had someone's attention. "Then when you were older, Rumple chose you to train. He took you on willingly; taught you everything he knew. Do you know how much I had to plead and beg for him to even consider taking me on alongside you? He always said I was more powerful, you know. That's right. And yet, who did he choose to cast his curse? Oh, that's right. You. Not me. It was never me. You see, Regina, what you did to me was very simple. You stole the life that could have, should have, been mine. And that is why you must pay" Regina was stunned silent. Zelena cocked her head, pleased with her speech and Regina's reaction.

After a minute, she recovered. "Are you jealous of me?" She asked, amusement laced in her words. She chuckled coldly. "You're jealous of my life?"

Zelena refused to dignify that with a response, merely tilting her head.

Regina shook her head, clearly still amused by the situation. "Let me make you a deal. For tonight, we call a truce. We both go home, no one gets hurt. Tomorrow at ten, you meet me in my office and we settle this, once and for all."

It was Zelena's turn to laugh. "Now why should I listen to anything my little sister suggests?"

Regina just looked at her, something Zelena couldn't comprehend playing in her eyes. "Because your little sister" Zelena noticed the sarcastic emphasis placed on her title "has something you don't have and desperately want. Answers. And your little sister knows that you'd do anything for answers, even if that meant putting up with her."

Zelena was effectively silenced. She frowned, pondering her options.

Regina got closer to her. "My office, ten o'clock. Don't be late" she whispered in her ear, before leaving the street with her family. Soon, Zelena was left all alone; deciding finally to retreat to her farmhouse with Rumple.

She spent the night tossing and turning. Should she have listened to Regina? Should she go see what it was the woman had to offer her? What if it was all a trap to kill her and leave Regina the sole child of Cora once more, and by going, Zelena would just be playing into it?

Eventually, her curiosity got the best of her and she decided to take Regina up on her offer, but to go armed. With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

When morning came, Zelena prepared herself, steeling her nerves, and then headed to Town Hall to face Regina. She patted her leg to ensure that the dagger she had stowed under her skirt was still there, and then she opened the door to Regina's office. The brunette was waiting for her at her desk, hands clasped expectantly on it, looking up at her with a look Zelena couldn't quite decipher.

"I'm so glad my big sister decided to join me this morning" Regina remarked cynically, standing and crossing the room to meet Zelena. Zelena's eyes hardened, anger bubbling beneath her skin.

"Ooh, someone's testy this morning" Regina commented, looking Zelena up and down. "Did you have trouble sleeping last night? Wondering what on earth your little sister could have in store for you?"

Zelena didn't say a word. Her hand brushed by her thigh where the dagger was. Regina noticed the motion and held up her hands with a quirked eyebrow.

"There's no need to resort to violence, dear" she said, opening her hand to reveal a small blue vial filled with a glowing liquid.

"What on earth is that?" Zelena spat out. "Are you trying to poison me? It won't work, you know. I could whip up an antidote in my cabin."

"Not that the idea hasn't crossed my mind, but no" Regina frowned. "It's a modified memory potion. Usually memory potions are used to regain memories a person has lost. But since you seem to be under the impression that my life has been very comfortable and privileged, I thought I'd do you a favor and show you what it was actually like. By modifying it, I have concocted one which will allow you to experience my memories."

"And how would you do that?" Zelena asked, trying to process this information.

Regina plucked a hair off her jacket. "I added one of my hairs to it and allowed it to incubate overnight. I'm fairly confident it should work" she stated, noting Zelena's apprehensive expression. "But even if it doesn't no harm will come to you."

"You're going to give me a potion you don't even know will work? I don't know why I was ever afraid of you. Clearly I'm the superior witch." Zelena said haughtily.

Regina rolled her eyes. "A good witch never overestimates her ability. I read everything I could about memory potions. This should work. If it doesn't, nothing will happen, as you already possess all of your memories. If it does, you will be able to experience my life as I did and see exactly what you envied." She uncorked the vial and handed it over to Zelena. "Bottoms up, sis."


A/N 2: So, what did you all think? Excited for more? Next chapter should be up this weekend, if everything goes well. Don't forget to review!