Warnings: Slight mentions of domestic violence
Summary: During a dinnerparty, Regina makes a comment that haunts Snow as she's lying in bed at night.
"He certainly was a doting father"
The words echoed in Snow White's head. Emma and Regina had left two hours ago and yet she still wasn't able to forget.
It had been a lovely evening really. When Emma and Regina had gotten engaged two months prior they had all decided to really try. Try to let the past stay in the past. To be civil to one another. To be somewhat of a normal family. And that evening they had. They had laughed, dined and went over some of the wedding plans.
"I really never knew there was so much to it!", Emma exclaimed, "The location, the flowers, bridesmaids, dinner, rehearsal dinner". Emma put her closed fists on opposite sides of her head and opened them dramatically, indicating that all this made her head explode. Regina rolled her eyes "Yes, I'm so lucky I have you to organize all this, dear," she said, not attempting to hide the sarcasm. Emma smirked "Well, I've never done the marriage thing before, why meddle when I know you'll handle things beautifully." "Good save", Regina leaned into the kiss Emma was offering her, "but you do realize I've never organized a wedding before either." "Well, at least you were married before, that makes you more of an expert than me." Regina grimaced slighty, playful attitude suddenly gone, before remarking: "I would hardly call that a marriage, Emma."
And that, Snow darkly recalls now, that was the moment where she should have just kept her mouth shut. She should've let that already awkward moment pass, but she couldn't. She couldn't let her father's memory be tainted like that. And so she spoke up.
"My father was a good man." Snow heard her own voice become slightly louder and more shrill than normal. "He was a fair and honest king", James said, not wanting Snow to feel alone. "He was kind and loving", Snow continued, her voice softer now, but still pressing.
Regina smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes. A smile that showed she didn't want to argue. "He certainly was a doting father", she said, emphasizing the last word somewhat. "And a doting husband," Snow added.
Regina just looked at Snow. She could see it then. In her former stepmother's eyes Snow could see the hurt, the anger and the loneliness. Regina's brows were furrowed, silently asking Snow "Really? You really never noticed?"
Emma spoke up then. Breaking the tension by asking her father something about a hammer. Snow couldn't even remember what it was. All she remembered was that look. And those words.
Lying in bed she went back to her childhood. She remembered how her father would let her sit on his knee as he told her a story. How he would let her pretend to read the big books he kept in his study while he was working. How he sometimes let her eat two pieces of cake during tea time. She remembered him always introducing her as 'my beautiful daughter Snow White', while simple referring to Regina as 'his wife, the queen'.
She shivers under her blanket as she suddenly sees it, really sees it. How Regina walked kind of stiff the morning after her and her father's wedding night. How he would sometimes raise his voice to her stepmother and how Regina would slightly flinch. That time Regina didn't leave her chambers for three whole days and how sad she'd looked afterwards. How she'd never seen Regina smile at her father the way she smiled at Daniel.
And then, Snow cried. She sobbed for her former stepmother. Her former enemy. The woman she had accidentally denied her true love.
James rolled over, without any questions and simply held her tight.
"I love you," she whispered softly, "I'm so glad you found me."