'Absolutely not.'

There are very few things that Emma could do to procure such a reaction from Regina, especially after the-event-which-shall-not-be-named, but this... this was definitely one of them.

'But Regina, your house is the only home which can hold more than a few people, it has to be there.' Emma knew it wasn't going to be an easy battle, she attempted to bribe Henry to come along, just so that Regina would be more easily persuaded, but she wasn't exactly forgiven for the said event and well, any discomfort she faced brought a small sliver of satisfaction to him (he was, after all, his mother's child).

'Granny's is a perfectly acceptable establishment which can most assuredly hold a family of that size.'

'It's full. All the other merry men and the people too close to the Snow Queen's fortress all needed to be moved somewhere. I thought the reason we created this safety zone was so that people would actually be safe. And it's not like we can just separate them.'

'Gold can house them, they and Belle seem to already be on friendly terms. He wouldn't do anything to threaten her happiness.'

'He could.' Emma had to concede grudgingly, it was no secret that the bond formed between the beauty and that family lasted the test of time and distance.

'Well then, it isn't up for discussion. He-they will stay at Gold's and I will house anybody else.'

'You're gonna regret saying that.' It was mumbled, not clear and definitely something Emma did not want Regina hearing just yet. She was taking it one battle at a time.

'Speak clearly Miss Swan.' It wasn't necessary to see Regina to know she was rolling her eyes at the sheer idiocy of that moment. 'Honestly, were you not taught how to speak English?' The next sentence that came out of Emma's mouth was, in hindsight, not the best thing to say in the situation, but it came out nonetheless.

'But he specifically asked for you.'

And in that instant, Regina stopped breathing.

After all the months that passed, her memories of the times, the kisses, his warm embrace, his ability to stop her heart in just a single glance - it all came flooding back once more. She was able to keep up the facade of indifference purely because they both had been avoiding each other, and then the threat that emerged distracted her from confronting him. But the knowledge that he, Marian and Roland may need to stay in her house for an indefinite period because the forest and its surrounding area were no longer deemed safe left her conflicted. While he may be closer to her and while he may be happy, it would break her heart every moment of every day if she had to see him and his wife receive their happy ending together.

'Ro- Robin asked for me?' She internally cringed at the hopeful tone that escaped her, but she couldn't find it in herself to hate the hope that blossomed within her at the thought of him wanting to be with her, near her, in any capacity.

And if Emma's heart could possibly break even more for the woman in front of her, it would.

'No...' and damn it, if she couldn't stop her voice from cracking 'I meant Roland. He refuses to stay anywhere other than with you.'

'Oh, of course. What was I thinking?' The pain was evident in her voice, her face, her posture. The crushing defeat of unrequited love hitting her again, and she just exuded soul-wrenching agony. Because it was agony, and she was feeling it even in the deep most recess of her soul.

'Please Regina, that boy loves you so much and it hurts him every time you reject his affection.' And then there was the guilt. Because Regina knew that she had been doing that, pushing Roland away because of how much he reminded her of the father. Of the mother. Of the family that wasn't meant to be, the family with her being an integral part. She saw the change in the young boy, he no longer lit up when she saw her as he first did, he just stared, confused and a little heartbroken. 'For no other reason, do it because that boy loves you and you should never separate him from what he loves.'

'Okay, I'll house them.' The mixture of emotions in Regina's voice with that simple statement was too much and too complex for Emma to even attempt comprehending. Not that she wanted to attempt to, she still had another battle to go.

'And there is also Jefferson and his daughter.'

She was already wincing and Regina had yet to respond.

'What?! Miss Swan, I'm not sure what delusions you seem to be under, but I can most assuredly guarantee you that there is no way, in any realm, I would accept that Hatter into my home. His has his own home, one almost equal in size to mine, why would he possibly need to come live with me?'

'It is too close to the forest,' Emma shrugged. 'It fell just outside the safe zone and they needed to be moved.'

'Well you best find another place as accommodation for that man and his daughter. Because my home is certainly not available to them and there is not a single reason that could convince me otherwise.' Regina seemed smug, but Emma had her trump card and played it well.

'Henry.'

Damn it.

'What of Henry?' She tried to remain stoic, but the confusion and slight apprehension of the answer did seep through.

'Well, he specifically asked that they be put in your home.'

'And why would that be?'

'Maybe he simply wants his mother's approval of a new potential girlfriend.' Emma couldn't resist the smirk that threatened to erupt, proud that, for the first time, she knew something Regina didn't about her son. The look of absolute horror that spread across Regina's face didn't hurt either.

'Miss Swan he is thirteen not twenty three, he would not be thinking of such nonsense.' But even as she said it, she knew the opposite was true and the look on Emma's face indicated that she knew it too. 'Couldn't I take the daughter and leave her father behind?' Emma's facial expression remained unwavering. This battle was won the moment she mentioned Henry's name. 'Okay, fine. The Hatter and his daughter can move in too.' The sign of frustration and the rubbing of her temple did not go missed by the Saviour, who failed to realise -or if she did, decided to blatantly ignore - the fact that Regina was at the end of her tether, and decided to bumble through the rest of the conversation.

'Well, I'm glad that's sorted.' Emma rubbed her palms on the from of her jeans. 'They'll be arriving tomorrow, good luck.' Regina nodded, waiting for her to continue. 'You can poof yourself out of here now. I'll see you on Saturday at Mary Margret's house for the weekly meeting, they should have settled in by then.' She moved to leave the room when Regina's voice stopped her in her tracks.

'Wait. I'll be picking up Henry next week so that he'll be able to stay with me for a while.'

'Oh,' her face gave away her confliction, before settling on pained. 'I don't think that's such a good idea.' Whether she knew it or not, Emma had issued a challenge. A challenge that Regina would not back down from if the expression on her face gave any indication.

'Fortnightly it is then.' Regina's eyebrow was raised, daring Emma to contradict her once more. And that she did.

'I meant at all. With all this chaos occurring, he'll need some stability in his life. I don't think it's best for him to move houses constantly.' And that is when all hell broke loose.

'Then he can stay with me. I want to make it clear Miss Swan, I gave you memories, not legal rights. If you dare think about taking away yet another true love from me, you will have to deal with the consequences. And while I may not be the Evil Queen anymore, I am most certainly someone to be afraid of.' Her eyes flashed in anger at the mere thought of being separated from her son once more, and no matter what Emma had faced in the past, nothing was more terrifying than Regina at that very moment. 'It would do you a world of good to remember that. Every single moment you spent with him is time I graciously allowed you to have, so I will ask you again, when will I pick up my son?'

'Next week, we'll rotate.' Regina merely sighed in reply, her shoulders sagging as the weight of the situation settled down on her.

'Well then, it seems I have some house guests to prepare for, and I am nothing if not a wonderful host.'

And in an instant she was gone, the remnants of purple smoke being left in her wake.

Don't even ask. I am so pissed at everything right now even though it's been two weeks and all I wanted is Robin to be jealous constantly of Regina, so boom, this was written. I don't even know if this will be MadQueen or OutlawQueen endgame I am just so angry. But it's 2 AM here and if I wait for tomorrow I'll probably lose all courage that I have and so umm, yeah.

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time. I am, however, willing to accept some portion of ownership if ever offered.