Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or Once Upon A Time.
Warnings: I'm doing this from Regina's POV and her feelings toward Emma and Henry in the beginning so there will be Emma-bashing though it is grounded and has reason to it. I love Emma and know her reasons for her decisions. I also love shipping Emma-Regina so don't think I hate her. Also I have been forever since I watch the first season so some scenes might be a little wrong in that it didn't happen that way.
Summary: When Regina first laid eyes on Emma she was not scared./one-shot
Scared
When Regina first laid eyes on Emma she was not scared. The idea of being scared of someone was funny really, she the queen scared, she would laugh if she didn't have more important things to do.
No, Regina wasn't scared of Emma or intimidated by her. She hated her. No, loathed her.
She loathed her because she didn't understand her. She didn't understand how this woman did not have to try. She didn't try to like the townspeople, but they liked her. She didn't try to want Graham, but he wanted her. She didn't try to love Henry, but he loved her.
She wasn't scared. She's angry, yes, she's angry. How could this pathetic woman get all this love, when she tried so hard? She is nothing of what she says she is, mother, these people are blind to what a mother really is; Regina is almost hundred percent sure Emma is. You can't be what you never had, darling. Who was she to think she was a bad mother? Did she rock a hysteric baby into a sweet slumber? Did she chase away nightmares with an I will always be there for you? Did she watch this beautiful baby grow into a healthy child?
No, she ruined that chance and now she thinks she can show up and rip the only happiness in a long time from her. Of course not, she will not let that happen, not in however many years she's in this odd land.
She's not scared, she's determined. She's determined to get this harlot out of her town, out of her life, away from Henry. Her Henry, not Emma's not Mary Margaret's Henry, but her Henry to raise and nurture. They both poison his mind with hope when they're the most hopeless people the gods have ever created, refusing to accept what they are and what they can't have.
So she will destroy her, leave her out of the bubble she created out of diamonds called her life to spite her and show her who is more powerful, who is the mother.
Then Emma looks into her eyes, fresh with strength like a soldier walking into his first battle, tall and able, and Regina watches this.
She's not scared, but only curious. The blond woman's rashness and boldness was something different, something not even her mother showed her. Regina watches her anger with precision noting the clenching and unclenching of teeth and muscles, hair and breasts bouncing with every step, eyes, her eyes, bright with flames that would put hers to shame. She secretly liked it, the fire and the passion. An enemy who would stand face to face to her, not daring to blink first knowing it might be their last.
She starts to see Emma in a new light, seeing her as fire. Fire that needs to be contained in place or else it would spread. She realized she needs to stay in town for her to destroy her. It almost delights Regina of all the ways she can end her, especially with obviousness with her abilities.
An apple turnover.
The thought made her giggle, again no time for that. Every stretch and roll of the dough increases her state of euphoria, then a stretch and roll turns to a rough knead and pound and she starts to think of Emma's sick body. Laughter bubbles in her throat and her loins tightened at the fantasy of poor Emma being broken. The town would probably mourn her, Henry would be sad but she would take care that. When Emma is done people would forget her and resume their meaningless lives. She would show Henry how much of a great mother she is and how much she loves him.
Everything would be normal again. Everyone will fear her again and Henry would love her again.
Her. Not Emma.
She was not scared. She was amazed.
It was almost too easy giving the turnover to her. It depressed her really, to think she thought of her as equally as an enemy. Now all she has to do is sit and wait for her inevitable end.
Then the phone rang.
Henry. Henry. Henry.
That single noun was the only thing that went through her head as she enters the hospital. She moved quickly not caring about any person, nobody else mattered to her. The second she entered the room she felt her body being roughly shoved into a nearby closet. She finds herself looking into the eyes she wanted closed forever. Emma told her about Henry, the turnover, and the book, but she wasn't listening only watching her. The anger she loved returned full forced, the fire burning her. She would laugh, there's never time for that.
She's not scared. Honestly she feels nothing, numbness is horrible. She just stares hollow and bare at the blond who probably wants her dead. She does feel like dying.
Moving out of the closet she finally notices the people in the room, all mournful, looking at Henry. This wasn't the scene she wanted, not Henry, not him. She is finally able to see him and almost chokes at how peaceful he looks, like when he was baby after many lullabies and coos. Then she sees Emma moving toward the bed muttering about true love's kiss and almost scoffs at her. True love's kiss, her. But as Emma leans down and kisses his forehead, Regina doubts herself, and as Henry opens his eyes and smiles up at Emma, Regina dies inside.
Regina may not have been scared of Emma when she first laid eyes on her, but now as Henry hugs her with tears in his eyes she can now say Emma does in fact terrifies her.
Because she didn't try to be the savior, but she saved everyone even Henry. From her.