AN: Hello! So this idea popped into my head the other day, and I just had to write it. This is a Maiden Queen story. Emma will definitely be a part of it, but this isn't a SQ or a Maiden Swan Queen story. I will ship SQ to the end of time, but I also really liked the idea of Emma being a good friend to Regina, and helping her figure out all her feelings about Marian.
This is set after season 4a, with a few minor changes to how Robin left the town. Namely that he took off, and Marian and Roland didn't go with him. He is only mentioned a little bit, this fic is definitely not OQ, and if you're a fan of OQ or Robin you will be disappointed. Also the town line is open. People in town can cross over and come back, and can make contact with people still in Storybrooke.
I'd love to know what you think!
Also, thank you very much to the marvelous swanqueensweaters on tumblr for the title! (If you want, you can come check out my tumblr too: imaginethat57)
Prologue
Regina pads softly into her bedroom, entering from the en suite as she finishes preparing for bed. The quiet of the large house seems to tug at her ears and leaves a bit of a weight on her chest. Nights when her son, Henry, isn't there make their home feel like a vacuously empty space. After the many years Regina spent in aching solitude, the lack of her son's presence is like a punch to the gut and a hole in her heart. Tonight he's with his other mother, and the mayor has the manor to herself. Even though she still worries, Regina knows he's safe with Emma. As much as she hates to admit it, after all the years and all that has passed between her and Henry's birth mother she has grown to trust the woman.
When Emma Swan had first shown up on her front lawn returning the ten year old runaway to his home in Storybrooke, Regina would have done absolutely anything to extricate the blonde nuisance from her life, and especially from Henry's. She did try absolutely everything. When the infuriating woman made it clear she wasn't going anywhere, Regina had only tried harder. In response, Henry's birth mother found a place to live in town and a job as town sheriff. In her attempts to send Emma Swan packing, the line between Madame Mayor and Evil Queen began to blur. Regina became even more determined to hold on to Henry and her secret.
Emma had given him up, tossed him aside, and she had no claim to the boy or the title of his mother. Regina had adopted him. She had done everything for Henry; changed every diaper, soothed every fever and booboo, gone to every school pageant, fed him, clothed him, sang him to sleep, the list went on endlessly. She gave him everything and loved him fiercely, even if he couldn't see it.
Looking back now, Regina knows she made mistakes too. She held onto Henry much too tightly, and her paranoia of losing him had initially meant she was strict and reluctant to let the boy far from her side. When Henry received the storybook from Snow White, Mary Margaret under the curse, that led him down the path of fairytales and Evil Queens and curses, it translated into resorting to mind games to prevent him from proving the truth and leaving her. She should have realized that would only cause him to pull away, but she never thought her son would be the one to discover the curse and the skeletons in the Evil Queen's closet.
Truthfully Henry had been convinced of her Evil Queen status long before that ridiculous woman had stumbled awkwardly into their life. In fact, it was what had led him to seek her out, running away to Boston to find her.
That day had been nothing but blind terror for Regina, frantically searching for her son and imagining the worst possible things that could have befallen him. When she saw him standing on the walkway to the manor she didn't even register the presence of another at first. She saw only her baby boy before her, safe and in one piece, and she instantly wrapped her arms around him. It wasn't until Henry wriggled out of her embrace shouting "I found my real mom!" that she noticed the tall blonde woman in a tacky red leather jacket and absurdly tight denim skinny jeans shuffling nervously off to the side.
Regina didn't think any pain she could experience would cut deeper than to hear Henry call this woman his real mother. She was proven wrong every time the boy so willingly gave Emma the affection he staunchly refused Regina. The possibility of the secret truth of the curse that Henry had learned being exposed had frightened the Evil Queen. But the thought of her cherished son being taken from her, and by his own wishes, was what had truly driven Regina to the intense panic and aggression that marked Emma's first year in town.
Both mothers' desperate fear of being separated from their son had been the driving antagonistic force in the extreme hostility of their initial relationship. It took a cursed apple turnover and Henry in a hospital bed, helpless and so chillingly still while hooked up to countless machines and wires, to make the two women see that that same fear of losing the boy would be what would enable them to work together and keep him safe, and right there with them.
Since then Henry has ended up in far too many similar situations, being taken from his family in one manner or another. The horror of rescues long passed, and that of potential future threats to their child still keeps both Regina and Emma up nights, dread pooling in their souls at the thought of any harm coming to him. What they never anticipated, though, was that it would turn the two women into a team; a force to be reckoned with, and a combined power to be feared. Despite all of this, Regina would gladly put herself under a sleeping curse before she conceded that not only had Emma and herself developed an understanding that lent itself to an effective co-parenting system, but that that had also become the closest thing to a real friendship Regina had really ever had.
Pulling back the covers, Regina smirks to herself as she recalls the events that had marked the beginning of the evolution of this newest facet of their relationship.
Robin Hood, supposed soulmate of the Evil Queen, had disappeared, and Regina had found herself staring into an untouched cup of tea at Granny's Diner wondering if her happy ending would ever be more than wisps of potential that were blown her way only to ripped from her mercilessly. As she sat silently brooding, filled to the brim with bitter resentment for seemingly the whole world, of course it would be Emma that had approached her.
"You don't need a hope speech, Regina. You need a drinking buddy. Shots?"
Regina had wanted to spit angry words at the blonde; had been doing so for weeks anyways. She had made it pointedly clear with whom she laid blame for her current predicament, and if she gained a certain cathartic gratification from taking her anger out on the woman who had been a consistent thorn in her side then no one would really be surprised. Regina might not be the Evil Queen anymore, but no one had ever accused her of being rational or kind in times of heartbreak.
Besides, it felt much better to blame the sheriff for everything than admit that maybe it was inevitable anyways. If that imbecilic magical novice hadn't fallen into the damn time portal and brought that woman back with her, Robin would still be mine. I would still have a chance. He's gone now, he's gone and I'm alone. Again.
A familiar tinge of rage and despair tingled in Regina's heart and bubbled up into her chest, but she was too tired. Exhausted from a life time of fighting tooth and nail, and she just didn't have it in her this time to hate Emma. She knew deep down that the hapless blonde hadn't intended for any of this to happen, and that Emma was never the source of the problems that plagued her and Robin's relationship. Emma may have accidentally brought the man's wife back with her from the past, to save her from Regina's own wrath no less, but saving people was what the woman did. She even bore it in her title, the 'Savior' as determined by the dark curse that had brought them all to this land, and the weight of it instilled in her a desperate need to rescue everyone. Regina mused it was likely part of her nature as well. The Savior has the DNA of Snow White and Prince Charming, renowned do-gooders, after all.
Whatever or whoever Emma is aside, Regina had always known that Robin wasn't the right fit for her. He was supposed to be her pixie dust guaranteed ticket to a happy ending, but being with him felt like trying to force two pieces of a jigsaw that didn't go together. None of it mattered now anyways. He and the other Merry Men had crossed over the town line earlier that day, leaving behind not only Regina, but his wife and son as well.
The day before Robin had announced that he couldn't go on feeling torn between the two women, once again citing a desire to uphold his honor, but this time he wanted to be with Regina. He chose her, and she chose not to focus on his ever vacillating definition of honor. That, or the acrid taste in her mouth that she couldn't quite place.
When Marian had approached her in Granny's earlier that day, she went on about how she could see Robin's love for Regina, and how she didn't want to stand in the way of it. Regina had ignored the other woman's forced smile and the obvious way the words tripped off her tongue like acid. She had felt elated as the darker skinned brunette bowed out and ensured Regina's victory. The surge of that victory had lasted into that afternoon, and it had continued up until her conversation with Robin.
They were sitting side by side on a bench in the park, faces turned to look each other in the eye. But when he opened his mouth, Regina realized that she had been blinded by the triumph, and now she was looking at her prize before her in the form of a bandit turned homeless forest man in this world. Bile had started rising in her throat as she began to understand that maybe this wasn't what she wanted, that he wasn't what she wanted.
She was supposed to be happy with him; this was her last chance and she was finally being chosen, but that was the problem. She had never truly felt like she had a choice in any of this, it was fate and everyone including the unseen forces of the universe seemed to be screaming at her to do this. It had even come down to Robin's decision between herself and Marian. His choice, fate's choice, pixie dust's choice, but never Regina's; and she just couldn't stomach that anymore. Robin had begun to blur in front of her, and sound faded out around her as the deep seated terror of being controlled began to froth into rabid terror that churned inside her.
Regina stood abruptly, cutting off whatever Robin had been saying. With wide, frantic eyes, she ran one hand through her chocolate colored hair as the other subconsciously moved to clutch at her stomach. What seemed to be the permanent confusion etched onto Robin's features had only deepened as he looked at her silently. She tried in vain to explain what she was feeling, but had no words to describe it. While she fruitlessly attempted to make him understand, Robin couldn't grasp why she wasn't thrilled to have been graced with his presence. It degenerated into a shouting match between the two, and Robin had stalked off.
A short while later the forest dwelling outlaw approached Marian. The Merry Men had decided that now that the barrier of ice walls had come down from Storybrooke's borders, they wanted to explore what this world had to offer. Robin, being their leader, had wanted to join them. They'd spent the entirety of their adult lives thieving unsuspecting wealthy persons in the Enchanted Forest, but that kind of life style was unfeasible in the small town of Storybrooke. Robin was also relishing the opportunity to escape Regina, grasping at straws trying to piece his life back together. So the famed bandit went to the woman he had once called his love, and asked her to come along as well. They could bring their son, Roland, and start all over again. Marian had proceeded to spend the next solid twenty minutes vehemently refusing his offer and letting him know exactly what she thought of his honor.
Once that had passed, the ensuing fight over who Roland was going to stay with had dragged on for close to an hour. The solution was only determined when Robin conceded that he had no idea how stable his life would be for the foreseeable future once he ventured past Storybrooke limits, nor a single clue how to provide for the boy if not through robbery. The following day, he and the others passed over the town line. Regina had gone to say goodbye, even though she wasn't quite sure why. The best she could figure was that she had hoped to achieve some sense of closure, but in truth the whole situation just felt like a mess she was glad to no longer be dealing with.
The immediate sense of relief that washed over Regina at his absence had been telling. Marian, however, had been beside herself, and Regina couldn't fault her for it. In what was an alarmingly short period of time for the unfortunate wife of Robin Hood; she had been captured by the Evil Queen and narrowly escaped death at the then bloodthirsty royal's hands, had been brought through time and space to an entirely new world decades into the future, had found her husband to be romantically involved with the very same Evil Queen who had nearly succeeding in murdering her back in the old world, been frozen solid for weeks on end, only to wake once more to find her husband had been unable to save her with true love's kiss as he no longer loved her. And finally, after all of this, the man had left; abandoned her and Roland. Truthfully the poor woman had only been conscious or present for less than a week of the events that transpired over thirty years, and when she finally reached the other side of it she was left reeling, baffled at how much had drastically changed.
Six feet away from where Regina stood before the bright orange line that denoted the edge of the town, Marian scooped up the small boy clinging to her legs as he cried forcefully and repeatedly asked his mother, "Where's Papa? Why did he leave? Where's Papa going? Mama, when is Papa coming back?"
Witnessing this caused guilt to gnaw deep inside Regina. The liberation she felt at Robin's departure seemed horribly inappropriate as she watched the five year old boy bury his face in his mother's dark hair and cry harder, still calling out for his Papa, and the woman holding onto him as though she had nothing left in the world but the dear child in her arms. Regina had wanted to reach out to them, but swiftly dismissed the idea. The pair wanted nothing of the Evil Queen who had torn their family and their lives apart, so the olive skinned brunette simply made her exit as quietly as she could to give them their privacy.
Once her sense of reprieve shaded with remorse had faded to the background somewhat, Regina had realized that she was once again completely alone. Robin was supposed to be it for her, and now he was gone. She couldn't force herself to be with him, but the thought that she was never meant to find anyone else was what had sent her to Granny's that night. She wasn't sure how long her staring match with the tea cup had lasted before her son's fair skinned mother was plopping herself gracelessly on the stool next to her holding up a tequila shot for each of them.
She and Emma hadn't even had the opportunity to down one shot before Henry came barreling into the scene bursting with excitement. The preteen boy had discovered something pertaining to their search to find the author of his storybook, the one that told the tales of all their lives in the Enchanted Forest. The goal was to ask this author to write Regina a happier ending, Operation Mongoose as Henry and his brunette mother had dubbed it.
Regina allows herself a small genuine smile when she thinks of Emma jumping into Operation Mongoose with complete conviction.
"I made you a promise I intend to keep, Regina. Everyone deserves their happy ending."
A month has passed since and Storybrooke has found itself in a tentative peace for the moment. Snow White had assumed the position of mayor for a short while on their return to Storybrooke after the whole Peter Pan fiasco, but promptly found she had no appetite for the kind of leadership this world required of her. Regina was set to resume her place in town hall soon.
She hadn't heard from Robin since the day he left, though she's heard through the rumor mill that he has had some contact with Marian and Roland. The pair had taken over the Merry Men's camp in the forest. Regina saw them wandering around the town from time to time, but Marian seemed to be a bit of a loner. Regina speculated that with everything that had happened to the woman she was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the people, the world around her, what her life had become in the blink of an eye, and now she was trying to hold onto the only sense of familiarity she had; the forest.
Emma, however, had finally moved from her parent's loft and found an apartment of her own. Regina had thoroughly inspected it before agreeing that it would be a suitable environment for Henry to live in part time. To Regina's infinite shock the blonde woman had also stuck true to her word regarding Operation Mongoose, dedicating a good deal of time and energy into the operation. Over the past month Emma had not only helped in the search for the author, but been a source of support and friendship for Regina that the brunette had not seen coming.
Regina settles her head on the pillow, finally shutting her eyes after a very long day, but the small grin on her face persists. No one is there to see it, and she would never admit to it, but the corners of her lips tug up slightly as she begins to drift off. For once she feels like she might actually be okay. Maybe she won't find anyone to be with, and she'd be lying if she said that didn't hurt- she did lie about it frequently. But she has her son; he's all she really needs. And now she might even have a friend. It's not the same thing as a lover, but it's no less important. Her last thought before sleep claims her, is that it certainly does help soothe some of the all too familiar sting of loneliness as well.
The sound of her cell phone ringing cuts through the thick silence and rouses Regina from her dreamless sleep. She rolls over to check the time, and when she sees the electric light of the digital clock face illuminating 2:36 AM a jolt of alarm shoots through her. Instantly her mind begins concocting all manners of horrible scenarios where Henry is hurt or missing or in danger and she frantically scrabbles for her phone.
In her panic she doesn't check the name flashing on the screen, and doesn't bother with greetings as soon as she connects to the line on the other side of the call.
"Henry? What's wrong, is Henry okay? Is he hurt?"
There's a beat of silence on the other end and Regina's heart feels like it's going to violently jackhammer its way out of her ribcage.
"Y-your majesty?" A woman's voice finally filters through the phone's speaker. It sounds familiar but Regina can't place it, her mind is too busy spinning in circles with worry for her baby.
"Do I sound like a queen right now?" She all but shouts into the receiver, "What's wrong with my son?!"
The voice on the line grows louder in response, and the obvious fear and anxiety in it sets Regina even more on edge.
"It's not your son, it's mine! I'm sorry, I don't know how to contact anyone else in this town, I didn't know what else to do. Please, your majesty, you don't know me or care about me, but you cared for Robin's son, Roland, yes? Please, something's wrong!"
When she speaks, Regina understands now that it is Marian on the other end of this call. Somewhere in the back of her mind she questions how the woman was able to contact her, but it barely pings at her conscious thought for the time being. At the same time as intense relief for Henry's sake seeps through, deep dread at the thought of Robin's young son in peril begins to prick at her nerves. It's true, she had grown close to the young child in her brief time with the outlaw. He was absolutely precious and impossible not to adore. Her love for the boy had far outweighed any affection she felt for his father, had Regina spent more time with him she's sure she would have grown to think of Roland as another son. The thought of something happening to him leaves a feeling like rocks in her stomach.
"Where are you?"
"In our camp, where Robin and his men stayed in this forest before, it's by the-"
Before Marian can even finish her sentence static cuts through the line, and a deep purple smoke begins swirling a few feet away from where she sits.
