Regina had just put the finishing touches on an apple pie and put it the oven when the sound of her doorbell echoed through the house. Sighing, she wiped her hands on a dish-towel and made her way to the front door, brushing some stray flour off of her dress as she went. As she reached out to the door she suddenly knew who was behind it and tarted to speak before she had even opened the door enough for the caller to be visible.

'Snow...,' Regina growled, although in her defence she really had tried to address her ex-step-daughter in a more pleasant tone of voice. Obviously, she thought, she was just incapable of being nice to this woman. Not that it bothered her in the slightest.

'Regina!' Snow exclaimed, as soon as the door was open all the way. 'How did you know it was me?'

Regina looked at the round-faced brunette, and noticing the massive smile on her face, started to wonder how the woman didn't constantly have sore cheeks.

'Lucky guess,' she eventually replied. 'What can I do for you?'

' Well,' Snow said, 'I was wondering if you and Henry would like to join us for dinner tonight? I'm making vegetarian lasagne.'

'Why?' Regina shot back, wary of the invitation.

'I heard you like lasagne.'

'No, I mean why are you inviting me to dinner?'

'Oh,' Snow said, faltering for a second as she though of a reason, but grinning again as she continued. 'We have town issues to discuss, since you are now mayor again, and I was mayor, I thought I should fill you in on what you missed.'

'I do believe that would be better discussed in a meeting, Miss Blanchard, not on my time off. Please call my office in the morning and we will arrange something.' Regina forced a tight smile and started to close the door, relieved she had managed to avoid a Charming family dinner, but was stopped by a clog-clad foot jamming the door open.

'Henry asked me to ask you, Regina. He's worried about you,' Snow said through the gap.

Regina swore under her breath and opened the door again.

'Worried? Why would he be worried about me?'

'He thinks your lonely.'

Regina closed her mouth before she could quip back, stunned by her son's ability to see right though her. Still, she thought, I don't need pitied by these of all people.

'I assure you, I am not...lonely,' she replied, spitting out the last word with distaste.

'Still, maybe it will put Henry's mind at rest. Is 6 okay for you'.

Regina didn't reply, and was amazed when the other woman managed to take the silence as a yes.

'All right!' Snow continued. 'I expect you to be knocking on our door at 6 sharp. You don't need to bring anything.'

With a final smile, Snow turned and walked down the path to the pavement, turning to wave at a confounded Regina before she walked out of sight.

Auto pilot guided the mayor to close the door and walk through her hallway back to the kitchen, check on her pie and after checking the clock, heading upstairs to shower, as was often her reaction after being in close proximity to the Charmings.

Six o'clock rolled around all to soon for Regina's liking, and somehow she found herself standing in a dank stairwell next to her son, clutching a bottle of wine and a basket with her recently-cooled apple pie within. Henry looked up at his mother and smiled before reaching forward and knocking on the door. Regina rolled her eyes at the situation she had managed to find herself in, and tried to remind herself that she had grown to tolerate these people. The door opened and she straightened her back, lifted her chin in the air, and plastered her best mayor smile on her face as Snow and Charming came into view, both of them grinning like idiots and ushering them into the apartment. Once inside, Regina offered up the wine and the pie to Snow.

'Oh Regina, you really didn't have to,' Snow said, pleased with the gifts. 'Thank you very much.'

'It was no trouble,' Regina lied, remembering the half an hour she had spent going through her wine collection trying to find the perfect one to bring.

'She's lying,' Henry interjected. 'She spent half an hour with every bottle of wine she owned trying to find the right one.'

At this revelation Snow giggled, much to Regina's distaste.

'In France, it's actually terribly rude to bring wine to a dinner party. They think it suggests that the guest doesn't trust the host's choice'

A silence fell across the room, during which David cleared his throat and excused himself to the kitchen, earning a glare from Snow White. Just as Regina was beginning to enjoy the uncomfortable air surrounding them, Emma crashed in through the front door, out of breath and hair everywhere.

'Sorry...I'm...Late,' she panted, flopping down in a chair to try and regain her breath. Henry ran over to her to give her a hug, and she quietly asked Henry what the hell his mum was wearing.

'I heard that,' Regina drawled from across the room where Snow was pouring everyone a drink.

Henry giggled and replied 'Well she wanted to go full on Evil Queen, but I managed to talk her into wearing jeans and a t-shirt''

'I didn't think she even owned jeans, especially not jeans so tight' Emma replied, looking the other woman up and down, then blushing when Regina caught her looking and raised an eyebrow.

'You should see her collection of leather,' Henry replied innocently, too young to understand why Emma had gone even redder.

'Henry!' Regina scolded, walking over towards them.

'Don't worry kid,' Emma said to a confused looking Henry. 'I'm sure if your mom had wanted me to see he leather, I would have seen it by now.

'Maybe I've just yet to find the time, Miss Swan,' Regina added, smirking at the blondes inability to reply.

Evil Queen:1 – Saviour:0 . That's what she gets for being so annoyingly sexy, Regina thought.

She was now sitting in an overstuffed armchair, struggling to get comfy and trying not to spill her wine, and she listened as Henry starter to regale his birth mother with tales about his recent activities. The blonde, proving herself to be as much of a child as Regina often commented she was, was getting caught up in Henry's stories and the two of them flew off to their own little world. Regina took this opportunity to openly stare at the blonde who only ever seemed to cause problems for her. Although, she started to think, maybe I'm being to hard on her. She did seem to be trying, and even I cannot deny that she is inexplicably charming. In her own way. And how the hell does she stay so fit? As far as I can tell, all she does is eat carbs and sit behind a desk all day. I wonder what her stomach feels like...

But Regina was startled out of her increasingly-dangerous train of thought by a loud call of 'Dinner!' from across the room, and she stood up to lead the way to the table.

So everyone was seated, food was served, drinks poured, grace said (to Emma's insistence, and everyone else's confusion. Why would one thank some unknown entity for the food,Regina questioned, instead of the person who had provided it?),and dinner wasn't eaten. Once everyone was finished and the plates were cleared, David filled everyone's glasses once more and stood up to propose a toast.

'To Family!' He said, raising his glass in the air and smiling broadly.

'To family,' everyone else chorused around the table as they too rose their glasses.

Just as Regina was taking her toasting sip, Emma leant close to her ear and whispered, 'And here's to you in leather,' at which the usually regal brunette choked on her wine and splutter helplessly in reply. Emma smirked as she passed Regina her glass of water.

Evil Queen:1 – Saviour:1. I will not be out-flirted by a common sheriff Regina thought as she gulped the water.

But Regina did not get her chance to plan her retaliation until after the apple pie was had, coffee was drank and Henry had fallen asleep on the Charming's bed. The four adults were still sitting around the table as before, albeit less sober than before, and were amicably chatting away. Mary Margaret was spraffing about baby Neil and her trouble finding someone to look after him for the night, David was occasionally interjecting with husbandly cliches, Emma was laughing at the apparent 'jokes' that were being told, and Regina was nodding complacently while plotting her next move.

I could lean over her to reach for the wine...but that would only work if the wine didn't happen to be on my end of the table. Damn. Put my hand on her knee? To forward. If she yelled out and asked me what she I'm doing it would literally start a war. I could...yea, that will work.

Regina started to enact her plan almost immediately. The minute an appropriate gap appeared in the conversation, she stood up and declared that it was late and that she should return home.

'Thank you for the lovely dinner, Mary Margaret', she said, walking over to the door to get her coat. Her plan required Emma to see her the next day, so she decided to let Henry stay the night with the in the loft.

'So shall I bring him round to yours tomorrow morning to get his school stuff?' Emma asked, when she was told to just let Henry sleep with her.

'That would be perfect, Miss Swan,' Regina replied, and she smiled quickly before giving the sleeping kid a kiss on the forehead, thanking the Charmings once more, and leaving to get home quickly. She had a lot of wardrobe rummaging to do, and it was already late.