Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT

Author's Notes: May Fic Challenge on tumblr. Since there are 31 days this month, I figured I'd make a separate story for these drabbles and fics. I will attempt to mark things as AU when they appear.

Since it's kinda silly/boring to use the prompts as titles, I'm going to honor KBvS' German heritage by translating the prompts to German. Let me know if google lies to me.

Neu

It was remarkable how everything felt so different now, how the colors around seemed brighter, the sounds keener, and the smells endearing. Even the worst of stimuli was intriguing and refreshing. It was as though she had been born again. Which...all things considered she was born again, but she would never admit such a thing as juvenile and beneath her. The first time she had flown—cave being the exception since that was a reformation of her bodies—it had felt as freeing and incredible as her youthful adventures soaring through the air and avoiding going home to her parents. She chuckled at the memory, rouge lips parting slightly as her blue eyes darted up to the recent occupant of the diner thanks to the bell chiming.

She had already re-experienced the intoxicating smell of her little queen and how magnetic her personality had become but she found herself having difficulty pulling her gaze from the lithe form. It was only when the brunette approached her table, side eyeing the blonde before smiling at the other booth's occupant.

"How are you doing today, Lily?"

With a mouthful of food and wide eyes, the young woman bobbed her head minutely before she swallowed and took a gulp of coca cola. "Well enough, I guess, Regina," Lily responding shrugging her shoulders as she cut off another piece of steak.

Satisfied with the answer, Regina slid into Maleficent's side of the booth careful not to make contact with the taller woman. She had ordered a coffee before coming to join them at the table and it was placed before her shortly after she sat down. Maleficent looked guiltily into her mug of tea. Ever since she had informed Regina that Lily was her child, the mayor had given her the cold shoulder and only bared her presence when it involved their daughter.

Frankly, the old dragon couldn't blame her former lover. She kept this secret from the woman both before the curse was cast and the damn Charmings stole Lily and after she was resurrected. For a time. It hadn't taken her long to admit that Lily was Regina's. It was obvious to everyone how incredibly similar the two brunettes at her table were.

"Do you have any plans for the day, dear?" Regina asked calmly, blatantly ignoring the blonde companion, who dared to glance at her then.

"We were going to have another flying lesson, but if you wished to spend time with her...?" Maleficent trailed off lightly, allowing both brunettes to make the decision. She would concede. She owed it to Regina.

Lily's eyes swept between her mothers, narrowed only slightly in contemplation. "Uh...I gotta go pee," she said stiffly, standing up to meander toward the bathrooms though that was the least of her concerns. This divide between her parents was coming to a culmination of her own frustrations and she just wished they would get over it and move on with life. The one instance in which she agreed with her mother 'we can be angry about the past or we can be happy in the future'. Sure, Mal had hid her parentage from Regina, but they both now got the same amount of time with her, so what did it matter? After out of their sight, she rolled her eyes and hoped that being forced to wait for her return they would talk.

"Would you stop doing that," Regina hissed at Mal through clenched teeth as she took a sip of coffee.

"I'm attempting to mend my wrongs," was the response.

"Well, it's frustrating and makes me feel guilty as though I'm taking away from your time with our daughter."

"You're more than welcome to join us whenever we meet up if it's equality you're seeking."

"Maleficent, stop it!" Regina turned to fully face Mal, ire embedded in her body as she glared.

"Why?"

"Because..." she faltered. "...because it makes it harder to hate you," her voice dropped an octave, surprised at ever admitting she held anything less than affected adoration for the dragon lady. Never thought she could feel sour towards her. Even now, it felt wrong, an out of body experience.

Maleficent stays silent, head nodding in understanding. She knew her little queen was unimpressed with her choices no matter how many times she explained her reasoning, tried to get Regina to understand that the woman Regina had become was not good enough for a child, that their love had never been enough to change her heart so why would a child's? At this point it was a tired old argument and the dragon had grown bleary-eyed trying to word it differently each time, so she dropped it and let it be.

"I...I don't know what to say, how to express myself. Mal...I'm upset you didn't tell me sooner, but...I'm glad to know now. I couldn't have asked for a better person to have a child with and to be with her now is stunning in all aspects, but I'm mad at you. Why didn't you let me bear your pain and anger with you?" Regina spoke quickly, as though the words, emotions would lose their meaning if she took her time speaking.

The blonde breathed out slowly, taking her time to formulate a response. "I'm not sure. I remembering fearing for your life and for our child's but mostly yours. I feared we couldn't save you. I already failed in protecting you from the darkness. I had little faith our child would be any more successful. I am truly sorry though, my little queen," Maleficent replied, watching the woman.

Regina finally sought out cerulean eyes, refusing to let the shine in her eyes escape onto her olive cheeks. Something in the way Maleficent had spoken, the words she chose had struck a cord with her and she felt her heart pulsing hard in her chest. "It's not your fault. No one could have saved me. You made my life better though. You became the light in the dark. I can't imagine how things would have turned out if you hadn't been there in even the smallest of capacities had things never advanced between us," she felt her emotions welling as a single tear leaked from her chocolate eyes.

She reached up to brush it aside only to feel her hand clasped lightly and a thumb wiping the tear away delicately. She blinked before catching Mal's gaze once more, smiling ruefully as she squeezed the warmer hand in hers as they rested on the table. Regina felt her body's tension releasing as they looked at one another, the grip on her hand steady and comforting. She also felt the urge to kiss her dragon, but didn't want to make that move. The longer they sat there though, the more she understood that Maleficent would continue to respect her boundaries until Regina broke them down. Just as she always had. Ardent pursuer, yes, but forceful and unwelcoming was not in Maleficent's nature. A delightful change to all other relationships the young woman had experienced.

The brunette breathed out one long stream of air as she felt a lightness in her form again, finally letting go of her desperately sought anger toward the one woman who could never be mad at her. She forgave her for locking her in dragon form for thirty years, for crying out loud! Only Maleficent.

Regina smiled at Mal before leaning in and melding their lips together in a firm, passionate kiss, forgiving the woman physically, promising a future to her. Pouring every single emotion she had ever had for the blonde into that kiss without caring if the other diner goers bared witness. She needed to prove her returned admiration for the dragon woman. When they parted, Maleficent sighed sharply.

"I felt it too," Regina admitted curiously.

"Everything has felt so new since my resurrection," Maleficent informed her, eyes smooth pools of water.

"Everything?"

The blonde smirked then winked at her little queen.