AUTHOR'S NOTE: Cross posting this fic from tumblr. It was done via a prompt given anonymously. Hope you're enjoy it! :)
PROMPT: A prophecy that "When the White Knight finds true love, the Evil Queen shall fall" leads Regina to think that making Emma fall in love with her would prevent the prophecy from coming true, unaware that she's speeding things along.
There it was, golden brown and slightly tattered, staring straight at her. Regina ran her fingers lightly over the cover and sighed. She probably shouldn't have left it anywhere in the mansion, she probably shouldn't have even taken it out. But Henry was begging for a story and Regina was longing for a connection. In a delusional moment, she thought maybe if she opened up more, like naming the boy after her father, she would feel the family she once had when King Henry's beating heart still rested within his chest.
Henry had never left the book alone, especially not with her. Ever since he got his hands on the book and found Emma, things changed. Once again, opening her heart to someone else proved to be a mistake. Perhaps it's destiny that she will never win.
In the moment of presented opportunity, Regina quickly shut the door to her office and moved the book to her table. What was it that Henry refused to reveal? She flipped through the pages, all familiar except for the last. The inscription wasn't there before, that she remembered. She traced the words as she read it. A frown creased her forehead, then, lips curled into a sneer. The White Knight, the one who will save everyone from the curse, has to be Sheriff Swan. That nauseating hope that everyone clung to might help her after all. If a true love's kiss can break any spell, it can break any prophecy. Regina shut the book and rested her elbows on the table, dark eyes stormed over, a plan already brewing in her mind.
—-
The unmistakable rhythm of heels clicking on concrete brought about a loud sigh from Emma's lips. "What do you want, Regina?" she asked flatly as the clicking stopped. Emma had braced herself for a ridiculous demand, but what she did not expect was the cup of coffee and a brown paper bag that dropped on her desk. Surprised, she looked up, her gaping mouth and furrowed eyebrows met with the most charming smile.
"Thought I'd bring you breakfast," Regina pipped. Emma took a cautious whiff of the coffee, then a peak into the brown bag. "Apple cinnamon bun," the mayor said without prompt.
"What do you want, Regina?" Emma asked again, in the same flat tone as her gaze returned to the pile of papers in front of her. Then, something gray cloth came into her vision. Startled, she jolted slightly. It took a moment for the sheriff to register that she was glaring straight at the mayor's hip. She wet her lips and followed the curved line up to the brown eyes. She wasn't sure if the twinkle that reflected off was one of mischief, or a sign of evil brewing in the other woman's mind. The mayor leaned forward, a signature move that neither understood nor respected the concept of personal space. "A peace offering," she said, inching the coffee and bun towards Emma.
The lack of distance between them pulled a spark of tension, yet brought a sense of uneasy comfort. Suddenly realizing that her mouth was still gaping, Emma shut it and adverted her gaze. Inevitably, adverting her gaze from the mayor's face led straight to the clear view of her shirt's opening. Emma began to gather that this visit came with strings attached.
"No strings attached," Regina reassured, as though reading her mind. "I just thought," she paused, sliding off the table. "The sheriff and the mayor should be able to work together with no animosity. We should start over, clean slate."
"Regina, how do you expect me to—"
"Emma," the mayor interjected, catching the gaze of the sheriff. A moment of silence passed before Regina let her eyes soften. "Please?"
Before she could pull out her last card, Emma nodded and reached for the coffee. "I'll try."
As though on cue, Henry ran in, stopping to lean closer to Regina than usual and eyed the brown bag on the sheriff's table. "I told mom to get you the apple cinnamon one—it's my favorite."
Emma made a face and Henry giggled. He looked up just in time to see a smile on the mayor's face. "I have somewhere to be," Regina announced, then leaned down to kiss Henry's forehead. "You have nothing to do," she waved accusingly at Emma's pile of paper. "I'll be back to pick him up before dinner."
As soon as the door swung shut, Emma poked Henry's arm playfully. "What's wrong with her? Did somebody do something to her?" But Henry just shrugged. "I think she's just in a good mood today. Maybe she'll even invite you to dinner." His plan has already been set in motion—nothing like the push self-preservation would give. Perhaps all that is needed to banish the Evil Queen is simply to banish the evil in the Queen.