A/N: Finally getting this one back up, the sequel is still in the planning stage. This is based on the AU that the breaking of the curse has transported everybody back to the FTL.

With thanks to MeganBellaRoseBlack for originally betaing this first chapter.

Velvet Paws, Moonlight Claws

Regina Mills had never expected that banishment would be any fun. In fact, she had all but prepared herself for the loneliness her life would sink into after the return to the fairytale world. She guessed not even the fairest in the land could forgive her for her little evil curse. But Regina had also never expected that she would find a way around her solitary lifestyle.

The Charmings had seen to it that she could never pass into their Kingdom without her body being violently rejected - and Regina had no doubt that it would be a very violent rejection - but what they hadn't counted on was her finding loopholes in their wards. If it was her body that could not pass over the magical thresholds which protected their land, she wondered if the same could be said for her spirit.

She had never been one for astral projection or outer-body-experiences, and she wanted more than to merely go around creaking floorboards and haunting the villagers (however tempting that sounded), and so a body would be required.

In all her years studying magic, Regina had come to appreciate the help of a familiar. She had always felt an affinity with animals and was pleased to find that, upon her return to her home land, that that gift had not left her. Tsuki, as the little black cat went by, had come to her cottage in the woods by chance. The little creature was young, hungry, and looking for shelter. Regina guessed the cat had wandered far from home, become lost in the woods, and happened by her shabby cottage by chance. For who else would be walking through the darkest, most feared area of woodland outside of the Charming's Kingdom?

Tsuki drank her warm milk and ate what little meat she had left - she wasn't much of a hunter, but magic always helped - and had curled up in front of her small fire for the night. Regina had been unable to rid herself of the animal ever since, though she found the company was not at all unwelcome. But now, of course, she had an idea of just how the little animal could repay her.

It was not an easy spell, and by no means was it without its boundaries, but Regina knew she had to try. She had spent only a short few months living in abandonment and already was it becoming unbearable; she almost missed the insufferable townspeople she had trapped in Maine, Earth, for at least then she had been able to speak to people, even if it was only to make them aware of how dispensable their lives were.

As it turned out, the ceremony for the transferral of her spirit into the little cat's only had to be performed once, on a waxing moon, and thereafter every other full moon could she enter the animal's body with a much less complicated spell. In the end, it all depended on Tsuki's tolerance of her soul, but she had been good to the cat and vowed that if the little animal didn't let her in, she would surely kick it out.

When the time of the waxing moon came, Regina had cast her circle and unleashed her spell into the night. Tsuki was surprisingly agreeable throughout the entire event, sitting patiently and grooming herself while Regina chanted and danced. The barely visible, purple aura that surrounded the cat for an hour after the enacting of the spell let Regina know that it had been successful, and she had fed the cat the very last of what little meat she had left for being so forthcoming.

That night, she had slept like a log, with Tsuki by her feet, snoring softly. The first stage of the spell was complete; all she had to do now was wait for the waxing moon to grow into its full-faced counterpart. The process of transferring her spirit into the cat's body would happen with little obstacles, if done correctly, and would last for all of twelve hours before her spirit seeped out again. It would be up to her, alone, to then find her body and reunite her spirit with her physical form.

If it took her a few hours, at good speed, to get to the outskirts of the Charming's Kingdom, that would leave her with around six hours, five just to be safe - she didn't want her spirit roaming freely in the woods while her empty body waited, susceptible, back at the cottage - to explore their land and mix amongst their people. That was, if she was correct in her finding of the loophole in their wards.

She would have to wait until she was inside the cat's body before testing out the wards, and only then would she know whether or not she would be able to pass. If she was rejected, the impact would most likely take Tsuki's life, and seriously injure her spirit, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. The creature's life was a price she was willing to pay - the gods knew she had paid higher in her lifetime. All she had to do now… was wait.

Time would tell if her little spell casting had been successful.

# # # #

Emma Swan felt her head swarm with incredulity as she watched the crowds gather, cheering and waving excitedly, before the balcony of the Palace. "This is your Kingdom," Snow grinned beside her, squeezing her hand.

She understood that it was hard on Emma, being transported to an entirely new world, but the fairytale land was in her veins. She hoped it would not take long for her daughter to fully settle in here.

Beside her, David was waving, and Snow heartily joined in. Emma could not remember the name of the celebration that was taking shape - she hadn't paid much attention when Snow was talking her through it, and she really could not care less about the event - but she felt just about as out of place as she ever had.

These were not her people, this was not her home.

Henry, waving and grinning, turned to look at her excitedly. She was almost bitter that he had settled in so well, even when she had more of a right, by blood, to fit in here better than he did. But at least he wasn't miserable, too. It wouldn't do for them both to be deliriously dissatisfied with this new world.

She managed a weak smile back at him and, in his excitement, Henry barely registered her discomfort before turning back around to look down on the people of the Charmings' Kingdom.

The day progressed in a similar fashion, with Emma uncomfortable in her corset and either not curtseying properly or curtseying without a need. She felt that whatever she was doing was either wrong or severely inappropriate.

Apparently, Snow and David, for she really was not going to get used to calling them 'mom and dad', had invited a large group - and by large, think room-sized - of royals to enjoy a celebratory meal. Again, for what, Emma was not sure, but the food had been good, if not unfamiliar, and the entertainment afterwards, she supposed, was tolerable. Instead of a live rock band or a DJ - of course everyone looked at her as though she'd gone mad at the suggestion, even despite their stay in Storybrooke - there was a small group of court jesters situated around the room, with music playing from an apparently prestigious orchestra. It was all very… upper class, none of which made Emma feel any more comfortable in her new home.

When she managed to fall out of conversation with those around her - was she to remember allof their names? - and with a quick glance around for Henry, who seemed to be happily playing with a number of small children of all ages, Emma slipped away from the party and made for the gardens.

It was cold, quiet, and she was not surprised - but very pleased - to find that no one was out there bar a few guards. She doubted she'd ever learn to think of the guards as ornaments, however, no matter how well those around her did to ignore them, but their presence did not intrude upon her quiet time. They would only approach her, she knew, if she was in danger, and what was there to fear in her own family's gardens?

Walking around a few hedges in the hope of distancing herself from view - the last thing she wanted was an overly friendly prince calling her back inside - Emma was pleased to find a small bench carved from a large tree, and took a seat upon it.

At any other time in her life, she might have gazed at the living bench with awe and fascination, but she had already ridden decedents of Pegasus - very badly, and with much apprehension - and been almost eaten, twice, by a number of dragons. The bench-tree seemed meagre in comparison.

Sagging in her posture, and thinking bitterly how if only her mother or father could see her now, Emma let out a sigh and dropped her head in her hands, elbows resting over her knees. The corset made the position uncomfortable, but she didn't feel like she had the energy to move. She just wanted to brush her hair out of the ridiculous updo it was in, pull on some jeans and her knee-length boots, and drive her little yellow Bug - she almost sobbed right then and there, wondering what had happened to it - as far away as she could. Perhaps she'd take Henry, but he seemed so happy here…

Her thoughts were disturbed by a sudden movement in her peripheral. Turning abruptly, Emma straightened in her seat and looked for any ominous shadows that were going to leap forth from the ground itself and suck her under, but nothing came. Just as the goosebumps over her arms began to settle down, a high pitched, almost whiny meowing caught her attention.

The cat was tiny, with short, black fur and large, orange eyes that held her suspiciously in place. Frowning, Emma watched as the cat, frozen in posture, regarded her. When the little beast refused to move, she sighed and hissed out, "Shoo, cat," but the creature apparently ignored her request.

She had yet to see any animal other than birds in the Palace's gardens, the same birds that woke her up, singing merrily, every morning at dawn. She couldn't help the tiny whisper in the back of her mind that hoped the cat was here to finally relieve her of her unwanted alarm clocks.

Gaining confidence, the little black cat leapt up to sit beside her on the bench, bringing them to equal levels. Emma thought the stray looked just as out of place as she did and, with a sigh, sunk back against the bench, allowing the creature to stay with her. What harm could a little company do, especially company that couldn't nag her into sitting up and forcing on a polite smile?

Plus, she supposed, it was kinda cute…

# # # #

"Blacky! I wasn't expecting you so early…" Emma grinned, seeing the little cat where she always seemed to find it; on the tree bench in the empty gardens.

The place had come to serve as a refuge from the Palace life, and although Snow and David had picked up on her frequent visits out there, at night and alone, they never objected. It was pushing midnight and Emma knew she should try and sleep, but she seldom found herself in the right frame of mind to fall asleep most nights and, with the tranquillity of the gardens, she figured this was the best place she could come to feel any closer to peace.

The cat almost bristled at the name - she was never the creative type - and, if Emma didn't know any better, she'd think the animal understood her words. Anything was possible, she supposed, and after breaking an Evil Queen's curse and freeing storybook characters back to their fairytale world (being transported along for the ride), Emma had to admit that nothing would come as a shock to her after that.

"Don't give me that look, I could have settled with Fluffy or Buttercup," she threatened, falling onto the bench beside the cat and allowing it to paw its way over her lap, as it had taken to doing lately.

It wasn't often that she saw the little cat, but it appeared to grow more confident with each visit to the Palace gardens, and Emma could hardly complain. There might still be birds singing outside her window at the crack of dawn, but the cat proved to be surprisingly good company.

With a sigh, and after the little black cat was finished head-butting her hands in an attempt to prolong her scratching behind its ears, Emma folded her arms around its silky body and allowed it to lie slightly over her chest, wide, orange eyes watching her, always watching her.

With a frown, Emma wondered aloud, "So, you were in Storybrooke too, huh? I wonder who you were. Don't tell me…" She closed her eyes in thought, and a smirk overtook her features as she finally settled on a title, opening her eyes to peer down at the inquisitive looking cat. "You were the daughter of some retired, old man; young, dumb but stinking, filthy rich."

The cat let out an almost-meow at her words and Emma laughed, but her grin soon dipped into a frown as she wondered, as she often did, whether the animal had actually understood her words.

"I'm kidding," she told the creature seriously, all too aware of what damage a cat's claws could do. "You were probably just a cat. Or a bird… you don't seem to be doing me any favours by hunting them down."

The cat, bored with her musings, let out a yawn and finally closed its eyes, lying down fully and stretching out over her stomach.

Emma wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep, but she had been woken hours later by her maid and told to come indoors. Blacky was nowhere in sight, and her body was aching from the position she had been sleeping in over the bench. It wasn't the most comfortable of places to sit in for a long amount of time, never mind lounge. She was not reluctant to leave the garden and retire to the bed that was too comfortable to be of any comfort.

Under her maid's disapproving stare, she went to sleep without complaint.

# # # #

Regina sighed and stretched as she came back into her body, limp limbs tingling with being inhabited once again. Little Tsuki purred beside her on the rug before the fire, licking her paw as if she had not just been taken over by the dark haired witch's spirit. Regina, however, could not keep the smile from her lips.

She had first decided to pay the Palace a visit regardless of her better judgement, hoping to catch a glimpse of Henry. She had, and he seemed happy, and that made up for him being awake well past his usual bedtime. The sight of her son playing with the children of the royals did not upset her as she thought it might, but rather she found herself undeniably relieved that he had settled into the fairytale world with ease. His happiness at the hands of the Charmings was one thing, but she didn't think she could handle seeing him so miserable again.

She had been surprised to find none other than Emma Swan lurking around the gardens, however, and was even further surprised still when Emma continued to linger around the gardens each full moon - or every other night as well, for all she knew - as if she was waiting for her arrival. Or rather, the little cat she now referred to as 'Blacky's arrival.

Regina rolled her eyes at the name and sat up from her place on the floor, standing and brushing down her dress. Of course Emma couldn't come up with something a little… more. What had surprised her the most, however - and her time in the fairytale land was proving to be very surprising - was her own willingness to curl up with the former Sheriff of Storybrooke and even allow her to pet her. In fact, she almost enjoyed the time she spent with Emma.

What with the spell's need to be cast during a full moon, it was difficult for Regina to transfer herself into Tsuki's body and make it to the Palace in time to spend any significant amount of time watching Henry, but she had seen glimpses. She was yet to approach her son, but when the time was right, she would make her presence known.

She was unsure as to what Henry might think of her, after all he had been the one to see right through her in Storybrooke, and she worried he might do the same should she present herself to him just yet. And that's where Emma's unexpected alliance came in handy.

Regina hoped, at best, that if Emma was so taken with the little black cat she transferred her spirit into, she might help in the winning around of Henry's adoration, should he suspect anything offabout her animal form. If not, her cover would be blown and she would face the consequences, but she knew they would be absolutely worth it if it meant coming within reaching distance of her little boy once again.