Author's Note: So this was my story for the recent Swan Queen Big Bang. I know some of you don't use AO3 so I've decided to upload it here as well. However, there is a wonderful massive collection of nice long stories and artworks over there that I encourage you all to go read. For readers of my other stories, updates are coming! This semester is from hell, I'm pretty sure. I keep looking at all I have to do and it never ends. In the meantime, I would love to know what you think about this, and I'll do my best to get on that other stuff for you.
Thank you to Kjtgp1 for being my beta and to anursingdegreeinfeelings for the beautiful accompanying artwork that is on AO3 =] And thank you to the lovelies who run the SQBB.
Approximately 28 years ago, in a land far, far away…
"It's too late, we can't move her," Doc screamed, knowing that the Queen was about to give birth at any moment.
Charming was determined, though, and she could immediately see it in his eyes. The gongs were ringing out cries for the oncoming curse, and a dark layer of smoke could be seen crawling toward the castle as it sucked everything and everyone away. If Snow didn't get into that wardrobe before the baby came, she would never be able to protect her daughter from Regina, and the hope that every single one of her people had left—the people who had sacrificed many of their own for her own personal blood feud only to have their lives about to be taken from them for simply existing under her rule—would be shattered.
"I'll carry her, it's the only way," Charming yelled in a desperate attempt to be heard above the chaos.
"You don't even know what's awaiting her on the other side. This child is coming right now. What if there's no one there to help her," Doc argued. While he was on their side, it was in his nature to care more about their well-being than anything else. His worry was one that she too shared, though she had not voiced it to her husband.
"Someone will find her. Emma's fate is sewn into the prophecy, so it must be that she survives. We have to believe in destiny; it's our only hope," her husband explained.
He looked down at her on the bed, exuding so much love that her chest hurt just a bit less. She was tired. So, so tired from everything—Regina, ruling a country, the long hours she had so far spent in a seemingly endless labor to have her daughter. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and just give up on everything, but Charming was looking at her like that and it was enough to force her to keep her eyes open just a bit longer.
"He's right," Snow finally spoke up, tears choking her words. "We don't know what will happen if we go through, but it can't be worse than what Regina has planned. Leave if you must, I won't blame you, but I need to go while I can still protect Emma. She's just a baby; she won't be able to survive on her own in there."
Just as she finished, another painful contraction hit, and the red hot searing pain tore through her body once more. Snow was sure she would black out this time, just let the tiredness override her senses and make it all go away, but when she blinked she was in Charming's arms and they had somehow relocated to the nursery. The wardrobe was right there, just waiting for her to hop in, and the time was running out so quickly she barely had time for the heart thumping loudly in her chest to make itself known.
Snow looked to her husband and wiped a falling tear from his cheek. "Don't be sad. We will find each other again, and when we do, it will be as though no time has passed."
"How can you be so sure all the time?"
Snow thought on this, wondering if she truly felt sure of anything in that moment, when sleep kept clawing at her mind and the pain of leaving her love behind was almost too much to bear. There was a light feeling in her stomach, though, that said everything would be all right, and she may have been foolish but it felt safe to believe in that moment that it truly would be.
"Because good always wins, and this time, destiny is on our side. We will find each other again."
A loud bang sounded through the room, and though pain kept her gaze from moving away from a last look at her husband, Snow knew it was Regina's guards. She could hear the clatter of their swords, ready to interrupt their final moment. She was so overcome with fear—for their baby, for their love, for their people, and now for Charming's safety. If the curse didn't get him first, the guards would.
"I love you," Charming murmured before pressing their lips together. All of the emotions from the day hit her at once, and they were forced to break apart just enough for an ugly sob to tear its way out and ruin their final touch.
Snow was crying so hard, all she felt were his arms and the heavy smoke beginning to fill the room around her. There was a sudden smell of blood and cedar and the sound of clinking metal that filled her senses right before the darkness took over, and Snow could only hope her husband heard her whispered "I love you" that was cut off as another contraction began.
28 years later, in a world far, far too small…
"God, you're such a priss sometimes. Come on, my mom isn't going to care how designer your dress is, trust me. She'll probably just be relieved I'm bringing home someone who likes to wear clothing this time," Emma joked. The playful slap that followed on her arm was admittedly deserved, but it didn't stop a puppy frown from forming across her lips.
"Excuse me if I want to make a good first impression," Regina snipped back. She tried to sound annoyed, but Emma could pick up the teasing tone her girlfriend sometimes used from a mile away.
"Aha, so you admit it. You want to impress my mom." She poked Regina in the side with a smirk, making the other woman jump and glare at her.
"I simply want to show her that you are capable of being with someone who isn't a complete hooligan. Maybe with your prior dating experience, she might be more receptive of us being together."
"Is this because of the gay thing?" Emma rolled her eyes.
"I don't know what you mean," Regina sniffed, but it was clear she knew exactly what Emma was referring to.
"I told you, just because I've never brought home a woman before, doesn't mean it's going to be a big deal. I know you never had the best relationship with your mom, but mine was literally my only family for the 28 years before Henry showed up at my apartment and brought me to you. She knows about you and the kid, she's excited to meet you both, and she's more than okay with the fact that I'm seeing a woman," Emma explained calmly for the umpteenth time.
Regina huffed and turned to fidget with her dress away from Emma's gaze. "Don't say that."
Emma crinkled her brow in confusion. "Don't say that it's going to be okay that you're a woman?"
"Yes!" Regina sighed and stomped her foot. It was petulant, and on anyone else it probably would have just looked ridiculous, but somehow Regina made the motion look completely adorable. How she could pull of childish and still be so beautiful, Emma didn't know.
"Can I ask why not?" she tried carefully.
"Because if she doesn't like me, you'll know it's because of whom I am as a person. I'd rather have some petty excuse to fall back on," Regina bit out through a clenched jaw. It was clear that her nerves were getting the better of her, a strange sight to behold for anyone who hadn't spent a decent amount of time in her presence.
When Emma had first arrived to Storybrooke, she only intended to drop her kid off to his legal mother and go. He had shown up at her home in Boston and thrown an unexpected curveball into her mundane city life. Upon arriving, she'd found that mother to be impeccably gorgeous and a headstrong mayor to boot. She was hard when it came to the people around her, always walked around with a massive barricade that closed her up tight. Emma had slowly found her way through that, though, with the help of their son, and they eventually became the family she had only dreamed of in that sleepy town. She saw pieces of the woman that had previously been off-limit to her as an onlooker, including the fact that the mayor of steel could experience nerves.
Emma didn't know much about Regina's family—much like the majority of her own, they were all either dead or way out of contact—but the little she had gathered over their few months together basically added up to one conversation. Regina's father had been a quiet man who was sadly deceased, though she loved him enough to name their son after him. On one particular day she had gotten very sad and teared up whenever Henry's name was spoken, which Emma assumed was the anniversary of his death. Regina's mother, on the other hand, had been a cold and cruel woman who never learned how to love her daughter properly, and before dying, had left her with a suitcase full of problems and rejection issues that seemed to come out at the worst possible times.
Like now, as they were preparing to go meet Emma's mother for the first time. That was definitely not a good time for Regina to freak out, but Emma would do her best and settle her nerves.
Emma sighed and walked around Regina so that she could look her in the eyes. Her hands reached out to stop the ones fidgeting with the fabric of an expensive dress, and she held onto the palms once they reluctantly let go.
"My mother likes people who make me happy. You and Henry make me exceedingly happy. Ergo, she will love you both and you have nothing to worry about, I promise." Emma grinned cheekily afterward, willing Regina to just agree with her so they could finish getting ready.
"Ergo?" Regina raised a challenging eyebrow.
"Oh, shut up. I can use big words sometimes if I choose to."
"I'm well aware that you can, I've just never seen you take interest in doing so."
"I thought it might entice you to agree with me," Emma purred, stepping closer to her girlfriend and giving an exaggerated wink.
"Is that so?" Regina asked, holding her ground despite Emma's growing closeness. They were practically sandwiched together in the middle of their bedroom—well, Regina's bedroom, but Emma liked to consider it her own seeing as she had exactly one box of belongings remaining in her own actual apartment.
"I also know some dirty words, if that's more your style," Emma said with a smirk. Her arms reached up to wrap around Regina's neck, allowing her to pull herself flush against the older woman and bring their lips closer.
"It seems more like you're trying to entice me with sex than with words, dear," Regina whispered. Her breath puffed against Emma's lips with each word, yet they still held eye contact in the rapidly heating space.
"Can't one just lead to the other?"
Emma brought her smirk the remainder of the distance and pressed her lips against Regina's, enjoying the sensation of soft flesh and lipstick that she would surely need to remember to wash off before they left. The kiss was simple and comforting, something they had done a hundred times, but it was exactly what she knew her girlfriend needed.
When Emma finally pulled back with one quick final peck, a smile replaced the brunette's nervous frown.
"There will be more of that after we get through dinner," Emma promised, winking once more in exaggeration.
Regina rolled her eyes and stepped away, turning back to the mirror to fix her makeup while Emma moved to do the same.
"There won't be any need if your mother decides she doesn't like me," Regina quipped, not looking away from her lips.
Despite the teasing tone, Emma could tell Regina was still convinced that she wouldn't be received well; that her mother would look at Regina the same way every other citizen of Storybrooke seemed to—as a cold monster best left untouched. It angered Emma that so many people had made her feel unwanted, even turning her own son against her for a short while, and she would be damned if she let Regina feel that way with her family.
"Hey, look at me," Emma said, touching Regina's shoulder to get the older woman to face her. "No matter what my Mom thinks, I'm not going anywhere. I love you and our family, and if for some crazy reason she had a problem with that, it would never be enough to change my mind," she added firmly.
"Promise?"
"Promise," she said with a smile. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the odds are in your favor. My Mom likes everyone. In fact, I'm pretty sure the only person she's ever openly disliked to me is her old step-mother. You're much too young and beautiful to evoke any memories of whatever happened there, which I still don't know the full story of, so I think we'll be fine."
There was a strange glint to Regina's eyes for a moment, but it was gone before Emma could question its meaning. Regina smiled instead, clearly intent on not dwelling on whatever it had been. Emma considered questioning her on it, but they were running behind and probably going to be late if they didn't leave soon, so she silently agreed to let it go for the time being.
"If you're sure, then I suppose it is acceptable for us to leave. Do you have your purse?"
"Yep, I have everything I need. We should make sure Henry uses the bathroom before we leave. Boston is still a few hours' drive and I'm pretty sure I saw that kid down a whole bottle of water about half an hour ago."
"Very well, let's go then." Regina took one final glance in the mirror with pursed lips before nodding and turning toward the bedroom door to go get their son.
And just like that, all trace of vulnerability was gone, locked up somewhere for Emma to pry out later in the privacy of their bedroom—a task she would happily complete again and again if it let her see more of the beautiful woman walking out the door ahead of her.
With a grin to herself, Emma knew all would go well with her mother. After all, how could anyone not fall in love with Regina immediately? The thought was absurd.
"So, what should I call her?"
Emma was shaken out of her daze by the voice from the backseat just in time to realize they were quickly approaching the exit she would need to take for Boston. With a quick check in her mirror, Emma shifted lanes and got off, knowing they had about 15 minutes remaining in their journey.
"What was that?" Emma asked, once she reached a street where she could find her way from easily enough. She knew Henry had asked her a question but had missed it between trying to get off the highway and watching Regina play with her dress out of the corner of her eye.
"Mary Margaret. What am I supposed to call her? Because technically she's my grandma, but I've never had one before, and I've never met her, so I don't know if she would be okay with that or not," Henry rambled.
Emma laughed to herself. She knew the kid was excited, but there were definitely the same nerves she'd seen in Regina slowly festering in him. He wasn't used to having people to impress, having lived in a town where everyone knew him from being an infant on. Emma was the first real experience Henry had in that department, and it was definitely a weird meeting, to say the least. With Regina's lack of family, it was clear the kid had no idea what to expect from this encounter.
"You can call her whatever you want, kid. She's already just about leaping out of her skin with excitement to finally meet you, too, so I'm pretty sure you'll get plenty of leeway there. Did you have anything in mind?" Emma asked with a chuckle.
Henry was quiet for a moment—probably thinking, complete with that totally Regina expression he always got when he did—and finally responded with, "I think I'd like to call her Grandma. It would be cool to have one."
At Regina's sudden stiffening, Henry seemed to realize what he said and quickly amended his statement.
"Not that I need one, or anything. You guys are my family, and I'm fine with it being just us. I just think it would be fun to have a relative that's allowed to spoil me without thinking of all that parenting junk."
"Henry! She will do no such thing." Regina huffed and folded her arms across her chest defiantly. Emma could practically hear the over my dead body that never made it past her lips. She resisted rolling her eyes, very well aware of just how many gifts Regina had personally gotten for Henry the first Christmas they spent together and wondering if it was even physically possible to spoil a child more than that.
"She probably will," Emma said with a shrug, trying to ignore the teasing glare her girlfriend shot her. "What? Do you know how long she has wanted a grandkid, Regina? I got yelled at for about an hour straight when she found out about Henry bringing me to Storybrooke."
"Was she displeased that you didn't stop by for a visit first?" Regina remarked sarcastically. "Why not take the little kidnapping expedition even further?"
"While I'm sure she would have loved that, no. It was simply because I neglected to tell her he existed," Emma mumbled.
"Grandma didn't know you were pregnant?" Henry asked.
Emma blanched immediately, not having meant for him to know anything about that. Her stupid fat mouth got in the way too often around the kid. As far as Henry was concerned, her mother's role in her life at that point had been conveniently left out of the story of how she gave birth in prison and gave him away to a family that would give him his best chance. All of that was true, but there was more to the tale. Emma knew her mother would have given a left arm for the chance to raise another child, and she would have readily taken him into her care until Emma was released and on her feet again, but it would have been a mistake to let her know about him.
She grimaced as images of their relationship ten years before flashed through her mind. All had been fine until Emma turned 18. On her birthday, she received a strange book of fairy tales. Always the romantic, she hadn't thought much of it, until her mother began pressuring her to read it and asking so many questions. Not to mention, it was a strange twist on most of the familiar tales, and the stories made Emma feel a deep pit of discomfort in her stomach.
All hell broke loose when, a week later, her mother began insisting to her that the stories were true. It hurt her to watch the only family she had go so low, and Emma had begged her to get help. But still, the stories persisted until one night Emma finally left home, unable to stand another one of the woman's deranged fits about fairy tales. It was becoming too painful, destroying the image of the perfect mother she had always known, and Emma bailed. That night, she hopped on a train to Florida with the older man she'd been seeing in tow, only to be set up and arrested for his crimes right before learning she was pregnant with nowhere safe to send her son. That was where the part she told Henry started in.
After being released, Emma returned home, afraid of what she would find. Mary Margaret had been there, in their old apartment, back to the woman she was before the fairy tales, and it was like an unspoken rule that they simply never mentioned it. The relationship was probably far from healthy, but the memory of how defeated she had felt still remained stinging in her mind, so Emma was willing to let it fester in silence.
A hand on Emma's shoulder startled her back out from her thoughts, and this time it was Regina watching her with worry. She had never told her girlfriend the entire story either, and she could see the confusion was written across her face in the same way it was likely on Henry's in the back.
Emma swallowed thickly before replying, "No, kid, she didn't know. Things between us were complicated then, and I saw no reason to make her sad for not getting to know you after the fact." It was a cowardly explanation at best, but the only one Henry would be getting at the time being. He was much too young to have to deal with scary issues like his mothers one day losing their minds. Regina, on the other hand, was giving her that 'we'll talk later' look and she nodded halfheartedly in response.
With one more turn that felt more like muscle memory than anything, Emma pulled up to the curb outside her childhood Boston apartment.
Now things were good between them, they talked on the phone every night, and her mother was truly happy for Emma for finding such a wonderful family. Though she never asked, Emma assumed her mother had taken the wakeup call for what it was and sought help. She never would have brought Henry to the environment if she wasn't completely confident that he would be safe.
She took a deep breath and asked, "Ready?"
Emma was excited to finally show the family she'd found to her mother. The plan was to stay overnight and leave after dinner the next day. It was only a three hour drive, but her mother had insisted she needed time to show them around Boston the moment she found out Henry and Regina had never been.
"Yeah!" Henry cheered, already smashing his hand onto the button for his seatbelt, as if the extra force would somehow release him sooner. He still made it out of the car before either of his mothers, energy practically vibrating off him in waves, and Emma had to wonder how he had managed to sit still for the car ride at all.
"She's going to love you both," Emma told Regina one more time, seeing that the woman was reluctant to pull her door handle open.
Instead of a response, Emma just got a nod while her girlfriend composed herself and carefully stepped out onto the pavement. She followed suit and approached a slab on the wall next to the door that was covered in a list of numbers and little round white buttons. She pressed the corresponding one and waited for it to buzz.
"Emma?" a static-filled voice asked through the buzzer, signaling that her mother was indeed waiting in heavy anticipation for them to arrive. She sounded even more cheery than usual, which was hard to imagine, seeing as she was the type of person to sing with the birds in the morning.
"Hey, Mom. It's us. Let us up," Emma said with a laugh. She heard the buzzer go off not even two seconds later and reached for the door before the lock decided to activate once more. "After you," Emma said with a flourish as she held the door open for her girlfriend and their son.
Both went through, looking around the city apartment complex with excitement. It was nothing in comparison to Regina's mansion inside, but she knew the woman had never spent much time outside of Storybrooke, so it was humorous to watch her somewhat intrigued, somewhat disgusted expression as she took everything in.
"Well this is certainly… quaint," Regina said with a sniff while grimacing down at a cockroach trap.
"Hey, this is just the hallway. My Mom keeps the loft way nicer than this, I promise. This is just the standard city stairwell; try not to form your opinion too fast," Emma explained. She could see Regina was reluctant to believe her, but she was nice enough to nod and follow up the stairs after Henry, who was far too excited to wait another minute.
"What's the number, Emma?" he asked, already out of breath from running up and down the stairs with no specific destination in mind.
"She's on the third floor, apartment 302."
"Found it! Can I knock?"
"Wait for us!" Emma called back.
"Hurry," Henry whined, clearly antsy and excited to get inside.
"Some of us are old and can't just run up the stairs anymore," Emma whined.
"Speak for yourself," Regina replied with a haughty sniff.
"You do realize you're older than me," Emma deadpanned.
"I hardly think 34 is considered old."
"It's older than 28."
Emma really should have known to keep her mouth shut. At that, Regina paused in the middle of the steps and turned to look at her with an eyebrow raised.
"Are you sure you really want to continue this discussion any further?" It was almost eerie how cold her voice became when she spoke, and it sent shivers down Emma's spine in the best of ways.
"I'm not sure. On the one hand, I could stop now and feel assured that you'll still have sex with me tonight. And I like sex, so that seems like a good option. On the other hand, though, that thing you're doing with your voice is really hot, and I'm kind of tempted to keep it going for a bit longer."
"So the real question is, would you rather have sex in a small apartment one room over from your hovering mother or be turned on while introducing her to your family for the first time. Choose wisely, dear," Regina said with a knowing smirk.
Emma grimaced, too grossed out by the image to realize Regina was laughing at her until they were only inches apart.
"That was mean," Emma whined childishly.
"I suppose it was," Regina said with feigned disinterest.
"You should make it up to me."
"And how do you propose I do that?"
"A kiss would make it better, I think."
"You think or you know?"
"I know." Emma nodded and flashed a cheeky grin, knowing Regina wouldn't be able to resist. She was right, as a moment later her girlfriend pulled her closer and pressed their lips together.
"I love you," Emma whispered when they pulled apart.
"I love you too, Dear." Regina smiled softly, and she seemed reluctant to move from their moment until Henry's voice interrupted.
"Mom, Emma, hurry up! The dinosaurs evolved faster than this."
"Just remember, he gets his mouth from you," Emma said with a chuckle as she sadly moved away and began to continue their assent up the stairs.
A minute later—or an entire prehistoric time period if you asked Henry—the two women made it to the top of the stairs and followed along down the hall to where Henry was waiting outside one of the apartment doors.
"All right, kid. Give it a knock."
As soon as the words were out, Henry sprang at the door and gave it a good solid pounding as his excitement got the better of his manners. Regina bit her lip to stop from protesting the action, but Emma was sure he would be properly scolded for it later.
Just as Emma caught the rest of the way up, Regina standing behind her, the door swung open to reveal an elated Mary Margaret Blanchard.
"Hi, Grandma!" Henry beamed, drawing her attention down to him first.
"You must be Henry. I'm so excited to finally meet you." Mary Margaret was practically buzzing with adoration over him already, much to Emma's relief.
Henry stuck his hand out, just as Regina had taught him was the polite thing to do, but of course her mother went in for the hug instead. Henry didn't seem to mind; the kid stuck his arms out and hugged her right back.
"Is it okay if I call you Grandma?" he asked, suddenly self conscious of the decision that had been made up in his excitement.
"Of course, I would be honored. Come on, let's get in from the hall way so I can meet you all properly."
Henry followed Mary Margaret into the apartment, leaving Emma and Regina to trail behind. A quick glance back at her girlfriend revealed a look she was unfamiliar with, but Regina seemed to shake her head after a moment and turn to follow after.
"Everything okay?" Emma asked quietly before turning the corner to go inside.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just a moment of… déjà vu, if you will," Regina explained.
"Oh, okay. Come on, time to meet Mom!" Emma smiled and grabbed her girlfriend's hand, turned them both around the corner and into the apartment.
"Mom, I'd like you to meet-"
"Regina!"
Gone was the meek and kind woman who had raised Emma once upon at time, and in her place stood a person with fire in her eyes and a practically predatory glare as she stared back and forth between Emma and Regina.
"Uhm, yeah. This is Regina," Emma tried to continue awkwardly, unsure what had prompted her mother to angrily shout her girlfriends name, but positive that she was afraid to find out.
"Get the hell away from my daughter," Mary Margaret practically seethed. She stomped her way closer, but Emma was quick to reach out and grab her by the arms before she could take another angry step closer.
"Mom, calm down. What the hell are you doing?" Her mother did not cease in her persistence, but Emma's arms were strong, and she was able to hold the older woman off.
Emma's gaze landed on Henry, who was staring wide-eyed at the shuffle currently taking place in front of him. "Henry, my old room is just up those stairs. I want you to take your iPad and go wait there until I tell you to come out," Emma ordered as calmly as possible.
"But, Emma!" She could see he was hesitant to leave the scene, wanting to know everything the adults would get to know, but she had no idea what was going on and if it would be at all appropriate for his ears.
"Now!"
With a heavy sigh, he obeyed, and slowly trudged his way up the stairs. Once she heard the door click shut, Emma returned her attention to the woman who was still struggling in her arms.
"Mom, will you please calm down!" Emma growled, forcing her back so she could look her in the eyes and plead for the reaction to dissipate.
"Don't you see, Emma? It's her! She's tricking you, this is all some messed up game to take you away from me, too," Mary Margaret cried, practically hysterical in Emma's arms.
"Who is?" Emma asked, trying to calm her tone as much as possible in the hopes that it would have a soothing effect on her mother.
"Regina. It's her, Emma. The Evil Queen. You and Henry need to get as far away from her as possible."
Emma felt a knife rip through her gut at the words, pained to hear the fairy tale talk suddenly back and feeling desperate for the mother she knew and loved. Carefully, Emma guided her mother to the couch and forced her to sit down.
"I thought we were done with this, Mom," Emma began, exhaustion heavy on her voice. "The fairy tales aren't real. You were better for so long… I thought-" Emma broke off as the burning behind her eyes became too much, and a hot tear trickled down her cheek full of memories she had hoped to forever bury.
"You just weren't ready before. I thought that if I pretended to go back to the way things were, you would come home, and it could wait until the right time. I never should have tried to start preparing you when you were so young."
"Preparing me for what? The day I would have to have my mother committed?" Emma cried.
"For your destiny!" Mary Margaret argued.
"Which is what?"
"Like I told you before, Emma. You're the Savior. I know you think it sounds crazy, but it's true. We aren't from here, and you have to break Regina's curse. It's the only way we'll get your father back—we'll get our whole lives back." Mary Margaret was nearly hysterical now, desperate for Emma to grasp on to any of her words. Emma had to turn away at the site of tears welling up in her mother's eyes.
Emma closed her eyes and let her own tears fall, hating that things had to be this way, that her mother wasn't better after all this time. It was supposed to be a fun weekend of letting the most important people in her life get to know each other, and now it was a disarray before introductions were even finished.
"There's no curse, Mom. Please don't do this again." Emma knew there was no use in begging—it never worked in the past. Still, she tried, willing her mother to pretend all was fine and dandy again for her own selfish desire. The passion never died behind her eyes, though, and she knew a lost battle when she saw one.
With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, Emma stood from the couch and turned back toward the door where Regina was still standing. She knew she had a lot of explaining and apologizing to do, as well as a massive situation to figure out, and Regina was usually good in these moments.
Emma never expected to see Regina standing by the table, frozen in her place, with her jaw and fists all clenched tightly.
"Regina? Are you okay?" Emma asked, slowly moving closer and holding out a hand like one would approach a frightened cat. She couldn't recall ever seeing her girlfriend in such a state before, nor could Emma figure out why her mother acting so strangely would cause such a reaction.
"Tell her the truth, Regina! Emma may not believe me, but I know it's you," Snow yelled from the couch, angry tears trailing down her cheeks. Her fist pounded into a cushion in frustration.
"I don't know what you mean," Regina replied coldly, eyes never straying from the spot on the wall she seemed far too interested in. Something pinged in the back of her mind, but Emma didn't care to figure out what it was in that moment, when Regina looked so stunned.
Emma closed the distance and touched her arm, startling Regina slightly enough to gain her attention.
"Hey, I'm so sorry about this. I didn't think it would be an issue when she's seemed fine for so long now, but I should have realized my Mom needs help. I didn't mean to put you and Henry through this. I should have warned you it could happen. It just sucks, you know? I hate that it's like this. I hate that I found my family and something in her mind is keeping her this way, with the whole fairy tale thing. Let me just make a few phone calls for her and we can leave," Emma explained, feeling horrible that Regina's first impression had gone so poorly. Both women meant the world to her, and to see any chance of a relationship dissolve before her eyes so quickly was nearly devastating.
"It's okay, Emma," Regina said evenly. Emma was relieved that she seemed better, since she was sure that she would be on the verge of her own breakdown and need the extra support quite soon.
"Would you feel more comfortable waiting upstairs with Henry?" Emma choked on her words, much to her own dismay, as the hot tears began to fill her eyes. She was confused and overwhelmed with no clue where to even start, and the woman who loved her back with such passion was still standing in front of her despite whatever it was that was clearly still bothering her about the situation. It was becoming too much, and with a shaky break, the tears began to fall.
"Shit, sorry," Emma cursed, trying to wipe them away with a few rough swipes to her sensitive flesh. Regina's hand reached out and stilled the motion, locking her eyes with Emma's when the blonde finally looked up in silent question.
"Get your hand off my daughter, Regina!" Snow yelled, having at some point left the couch and moved to just behind Emma.
Emma stared back and forth between them, looking completely crushed and at a loss for what to do.
Regina thought on this for a minute, looking back and forth between Emma and her mother. Emma was crying so openly, it was like nothing she had ever experienced, and the vulnerability of the moment hit her like a shot to the gut. Snow was behind, fire burning protectively in her eyes. There was a time where maybe she wouldn't have cared, and she certainly wouldn't have understood, but raising Henry and becoming a mother had changed how she viewed people and just what they would do for love.
Twenty eight years was a long time. It had brought her many amazing things, including Henry and Emma, and she couldn't be happier for the life she gained. It never occurred to her in her time knowing them that her family could possibly be connected to her past in such a way, but it was clear now in the little subtleties, in the matching chins that they inherited, just how obvious it should have been from the start.
Regina was in a moment where she could go many ways. She could still get out of this, just play along as though she knew nothing, and Emma would believe her without a second thought. She could keep her family and new life and it would be wonderful.
But that look in Emma's eyes continued to haunt her, and the thought of not stopping it when she could was making it difficult to breathe. Nobody had ever shown her love like Emma. She had come into her life in the worst of ways, but it was so entirely like her that the thought of it now just made Regina laugh. She was everything to her, everything she never knew she could have or would even want to have, and losing that would be devastating.
Seeing that look of defeat over her mother, the blonde's only known family, was also devastating to Regina's heart. She wondered at what point she had come far enough to care if Snow's family was happy, but soon realized that was all Emma's doing.
She could continue her revenge and lie, or she could tell the truth and suffer the consequences. At the end of the day, both would be hurting Emma in some way, and she only wished a third option existed that could make it all go away.
There was no third option though, only lies or the truth, and Regina was quickly slipping past her moment to choose with every second she allowed her silence to remain.
Finally, the determination set in on her face, and she knew what had to be done. It was like jumping off a bridge, easily the most frightening moment of her life, but Regina's faith remained in one place that she had no other choice than to place her trust in too.
"I'm not going to hurt her, Snow," she spoke carefully, never taking her eyes off Emma.
It took a moment for her words to register on Emma's face, and she held her breath for every second she was forced to wait, as if breathing might set the blonde off balance just enough to make it all come crashing down around her. Confusion came next, coupled with a scrunched up forehead while Emma appeared to be wondering if she had heard Regina correctly.
"What did you call her?" she asked, still confused, like maybe Regina was speaking another language. In that moment, she desperately wished she was, but unfortunately she couldn't stomach holding back the truth any longer; she couldn't when the consequences of doing so would only hurt Emma, would let her go on thinking her mother was living in some deluded state far away from her.
"I called her by her name, Emma. Snow White," she replied, just as calmly.
For once, Snow remained silent in the background, and she almost laughed out loud at the crushing weight of the moment.
The confusion on Emma's face turned to hurt before her eyes, dashed in with splinters of betrayal and anger. There was emotion, though, which was a million times better than the cold shut down Regina knew she would be capable of if this was the other way around.
Emotion meant that not all was lost. That she would have a lot to get through, but she still might stand a chance in the end.
"This isn't funny, Regina! What the hell? She's sick, you can't just play along and mock her," Emma spat angrily, stepping away from both women, who were now looking at her with an array of emotions.
"No, I wish that I could say that's the case, but it's not. She's telling the truth."
"What does that even mean?" Emma yelled, raising her hands to her hair in exasperation.
"It means that you're the savior, and I'm the evil queen who cursed everyone to this world, and you're supposed to hate me and break my curse," she replied sadly. "Right? She's the baby, isn't she, Snow?" Her voice raised in question as she forced herself to tear her gaze away and onto her former step daughter, who was still watching her curiously.
Setting out with the curse, Regina wanted nothing more than her happy ending, but at some point after meeting Emma, Regina realized she cared more about her happiness than her own. The realization was terrifying but felt strangely right. Protecting her family was Regina's true destiny.
"Yes," Snow answered softly, looking more confused than anything. "I took Emma and we escaped right before the curse took everyone. Don't tell me you didn't know it was her," she deadpanned, anger taking over once more.
"I wasn't aware until just now!"
"And I'm supposed to just believe you?" Snow yelled back.
"Do you think I would have come here if I had? I did all of this to get away from you and your insipid family, to get my own happy ending that you couldn't take away, and instead I fell in love with your offspring and grandson," she cried.
"Will someone please tell me what's really going on?" Emma asked, desperate beside them and looking back and forth between the two women for some shred of reality she could grasp.
"Emma!" "Emma."
Both women made to grab for her at the same time, but the blonde stepped back and out of their reach.
"I didn't know it was you, or I would have told you the truth. I thought you were from this world, that the truth wouldn't matter because it was history and we could be happy together without it. But of course, Snow's your mother."
"Stop calling her that!" Emma cried, pulling at her hair.
"It's my name, Emma," Snow added looking on in concern.
"Even if all this is real, it doesn't even make sense. Where are all the people she supposedly cursed? Why now?" It was clear the denial was still strong, but there was a crack forming, and Regina knew she had to go for it if she wanted this to work.
"Storybrooke."
"Even Charming? Is he alive?" Snow asked, interest in Regina suddenly piqued once more.
She looked hesitant to answer, as Emma's gaze zoned in on her, almost desperate for some sort of relief. She knew it was because slowly, but surely, Emma was starting to have a hard time knowing what to believe, and surely the possibility of her father being alive was enough to interest her.
"Emma's met him, I just didn't realize it at the time. He's in the town with everyone else, oblivious to who he really is, but okay other than that," Regina explained, looking up at the ceiling.
"Who is he?" Emma asked shakily.
"David Nolan."
As soon as the words were out, Emma's hands began fumbling for the too-small pocket in her jeans. She pulled out her phone, but it didn't make any sense to Regina until she turned around the screen to show a picture she had taken of herself with the man.
Snow's eyes fell on the phone and she made to grab it, which Emma allowed, as the love in Snow's eyes was too deep to just ignore. It was like a dam broke and she sobbed loudly, raising a hand that just barely covered her mouth while tears continued to fall, her eyes never leaving the picture.
In that moment, Regina could see something shift in Emma. She couldn't blame her, knowing herself just how obvious it was. It isn't part of human nature to react in such a way over a picture of a perfect stranger. Not even a picture of a lifelong friend, really. No, Snow had the look of true love all over her face, and while it would have at one point sickened Regina to the core, she couldn't deny that she would react the same way to Emma if put in that situation.
Love had changed her so quietly, she barely noticed until it was blown up right in front of her face, and suddenly everything made sense.
Snow was the first to speak, minutes after the timer on Emma's phone blackened the screen once more and she kept staring for a while as if willing him to magically appear before her.
"He's okay," she whispered, more to herself than the others, but it was still crystal clear.
"My dad is the same age as me?" Emma asked, looking around to the walls as if they might hold some sort of answer.
"In the physical sense, yes," Regina answered, swallowing thickly.
Emma turned to her, a new sensation of not quite anger burning across her face, and she took a step closer with arms crossed across her chest. "You did this," Emma stated, not asking but clarifying.
"Yes, I did." Regina wanted to look away, anywhere but the hurt look on her lover's face, but she couldn't allow herself to be such a coward.
Emma looked like she wanted to say more, and was about to, when Snow's hand on her arm halted her in her spot. She turned, mouth still open and ready to go, and looked at her mother in question.
"It's almost dinner time. I think you should go pick up something, since no one seems in the mood to cook. Grab a $20 out of my purse and get some pizza," Snow ordered, unnervingly calm.
"You want me to leave?!"
Regina could not hide her own surprise at the request, nor could she deny the fear in her stomach at what Snow could possibly want her alone for.
On some level, she knew she deserved it.
On another, she wished her love was enough to mean she didn't.
"Take Henry with you," Regina found herself saying in place of the protests that desperately wanted to make their way out.
"You two just told me that my girlfriend tried to kill my mother and cursed a bunch of people, and you want to be left alone? Are you two out of your minds?" Emma cried in exasperation.
"While I don't quite know your mother's motivations, you could use a moment to process this, and you shouldn't be alone. Henry will keep you company." And she was afraid that he would witness too many scarring things should he stay back, though Regina chose not to worry Emma more by voicing that particular thought.
"And I'm supposed to believe you won't try and hurt her?" Emma asked.
The words were a further stabbing, though Regina couldn't stop reminding herself that she deserved them. She was the Evil Queen, forever dubbed in infamy that she would only do harm, even when trying to do good. Even now it shouldn't be any different or come to a surprise to her that those she held dearest would even succumb to suspicions against her.
Regina frowned sadly but nodded to herself in acknowledgement. "I would hope that after all this time, you would trust that I am not that person any longer. I don't wish to harm her. Besides, she's the one who asked you to leave," Regina explained in a level tone.
"Well clearly I never knew you as much as you led me to believe. God, how can I even trust you anymore, Regina?" Emma snapped, her emotions taking hold of her words with a full force.
She had a million answers, but none of them seemed suitable in the moment. Truthfully, she didn't even know if she trusted herself.
"She's telling the truth," Snow replied slowly, watching them both with curious eyes.
"What?" both voiced echoed, equally shocked by Snow's statement.
"Regina could have denied this entire thing and you would have been none the wiser. She could have kept everything, but for some reason, she didn't."
At this explanation, both mother and daughter looked to Regina with twin expressions of curiosity.
"You're right, I could have," she said, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.
"Then why didn't you?"
Regina cleared her throat and fought the urge to let her hands nervously return to the edge of her dress. Being vulnerable suddenly didn't feel as easy with Emma as it had before, possibly because everything was different now, even though they were the same people they had been the night before. Regina had been just as much a mystery to Emma as Emma had apparently been to her, though neither knew it was the case at the time.
"I know how much your family means to you. Before, I just thought it was unfortunate that you had grown up with so little, but you were lucky because at least you had a mother who loved you. I could envy that silently, but there was nothing I could do about it. But now I know that's not the case, and I don't think I could be able to bear the thought of keeping you away from people who will love you," Regina explained. "Even if that means that I lose who I love in the process. I didn't set my curse with the intention of causing you to lose that, but that's the consequence of my actions, and I don't think I could live with myself if I went on hiding that from you."
Both continued to look at her, Emma appearing more torn by the second, and Snow looking at her with a very peculiar… was that a smile?
"You must be Emma's girlfriend, Regina. It's nice to meet you," Snow said, suddenly smiling widely and walking forward with her hand stretched out.
Regina looked at it like it might be poisoned, trying to figure out the other woman's game. Emma didn't seem much better off, now turning her head rapidly between them as though she'd missed the joke.
Snow, for once in her life, seemed to realize that she needed to explain herself. "This isn't the Regina I knew."
"Wait, I'm confused. I thought she was the Evil Queen. Two seconds ago she was the Evil Queen!" Emma whined, holding her head like a headache might be coming on. Regina instinctively reached for her, but caught herself at the last minute with the realization that it might not be as well received as she would like.
"And before that, she was the girl you told me about every night on the phone, who loved you and the son you share very deeply. Do you think one conversation has suddenly changed that, just because some secrets have come out?" Snow asked, sounding way too logical for any of them at the moment, but it was a welcome advancement.
"Well, no but…" Emma still looked too confused, which made Regina's heart chip apart just a little more. She knew it couldn't be helped, that her emotions were probably everywhere, but it still hurt.
"And the Regina I knew would have never stood here and said those things, Emma. I don't know what has happened in the past 28 years, but she's different. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you shouldn't be so fast to write her off. I was excited to meet my daughter's girlfriend when I woke up this morning, and none of the facts you have told me are any different now than they were then."
Emma looked down at her feet and began to shuffle in place anxiously. Regina looked at Snow in wonder.
Finally, she managed to hold up her hand, the only response she could make her body latch onto, and shook Snow's still outstretched hand.
"It's nice to meet you, too. Emma's told me a great deal about you. Henry has been looking forward to meeting you for weeks."
Snow shook her hand back and met her eyes. Now that things were somewhat peaceable, Regina took the chance to look her former step-daughter over. There were lines around her eyes and a few grey hairs, but mostly, there was a new sense of understanding on her face. For all she had changed over the years, so had Snow, and this was their moment of acknowledging that change and choosing to move from it, which should have been enough of an indication of how much they had grown to begin with.
"I think I'll take Henry and go get that pizza myself, on second thought. You two should talk," Snow said with a knowing smile.
"Cool! Hey, Grandma, on the way there, can you tell me what castles are like?" Henry asked, seemingly coming out from nowhere.
Despite the situation, Regina managed to find it within herself to turn her parenting goggles back on just in time.
"Young man, have you been listening this whole time? What have I told you about spying!" she scolded, looking sternly up the stairs to where he was sitting and watching them like a live theatre put out for his own entertainment.
"You guys were shouting, I had to make sure everyone was okay. And besides, I'm pretty sure that rule doesn't apply to finding out you come from a family of fairy tale characters. Which is really cool by the way. So, can you?" he asked excitedly, looking back to Snow.
"Sure, now let's go so your moms can talk. Maybe you can even fill me in on what my husband has been up to?" Snow asked, already getting her coat and waiting for Henry to make his way to the front door.
A trailing chatter of, "Well, David works at the local pet shelter…" was heard as they disappeared out into the hallway without another word.
Now left alone with each other, Regina and Emma didn't know where to go. It was like they were both suddenly strangers, though looking at each other, it didn't feel that way. Regina could still vividly feel the sensation of Emma's lips on her neck and the way she would quiver while she came around her fingers. She could recall with perfect clarity how Emma once tried to sooth her fever, or how once she had gotten a splinter and cried like a child while Regina removed it, only to later describe it as "the log that impaled me." None of those things were any less important than they had been before, and strangely, finding out that the other woman in the memories was the daughter of her greatest enemy didn't feel like as big of a deal as she figured it should.
"You know, being a queen wasn't all that bad. You should have seen my outfits. I think you would have been fond of the leather," Regina quipped, hoping to lighten the stifling air.
"Ah, she jokes. Anything else I should know about you?" Emma replied bitterly. She moved to the couch and sat down at one end, angling her gaze in silent question for Regina to take her seat at the other. She obliged.
"I've always joked, Emma. Well, with you at least."
"Why didn't you just lie?"
Regina was taken aback by the question. "I told you. I didn't want to do that to you because I love you."
"The Evil Queen can love?"
Regina grimaced, stung by the words, which Emma seemed to at least notice.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I know… at least, I think… I feel like everything between us still matters. I still love you the same as I did this morning. But I also feel like I'm not supposed to anymore. I don't even know who I am now," Emma rambled, her jumbled thoughts coming out in a garbled mess.
"You're still the same Emma that you were; just, now you have a new part of you that you get to explore. That doesn't change anything about you or us, unless you want it to."
Emma seemed to think on this for a moment, or at least she went silent. Slowly, the blonde began to scoot closer to her on the couch, pausing in the middle. Regina took that as her signal that it was her decision whether or not she wanted to meet her halfway.
She did a very un-Regina like thing in that moment and allowed herself to scoot across a cushion in her dress. The fear of wrinkles was far from her mind.
"It's kind of cliché, isn't it? The Savior unknowingly falling in love with the Evil Queen," Emma said with a snort, breaking the silence.
It wasn't the funniest thing she'd ever said, by far, but somehow both women found themselves latching onto the statement and erupting into a fit of full-bodied laughter that had them leaning on each other in the middle.
"You'd be surprised just how full of those our world can be. It's practically fate that it should happen to us, I suppose," Regina added once she calmed down from her laughter enough to properly compose herself again.
"God, our world! That just sounds so insane. What do we even do now? Do we just pick up and head back there?"
"I'm not sure there's a proper protocol in place. Destiny may have said you'd break my curse, but it never left an instruction sheet as to how. I suppose there are a few things we could try back home, of course, but it may not be that simple."
"We can't just pretend we don't know and go on with our lives the way they were?" Emma asked, looking at her with longing and fear.
"We could, if that's what you truly desire. However, I believe your mother has waited a long time for her true love back, and I no longer feel such need to keep them apart as I once would have. And I don't think you are the type of person to leave so many in need of help."
"The people of Storybrooke seem happy enough," Emma tried to reason.
"Perhaps. But it's all false in their minds. Many of them have love they don't even remember feeling."
"They'll hurt you, won't they?" Emma asked, snaking a hand over to grab one of Regina's for stability.
"It's likely, yes. I can't imagine they will be pleased once you return their memories."
"I won't let them," Emma stated, more confidence behind her words than she had held in the past hour.
"You may not have a choice in the matter, Dear."
"Sure I will. If I have to save them all, the least they can do is leave my girlfriend alone," Emma said, puffing out her chest in joke show of her power. Regina rolled her eyes, happy at least some things had yet to change.
"You really don't care? You know who I am and you still love me?" she questioned, needing to hear the words her heart desperately hoped were as true as she was feeling they were.
"I don't know that I don't care, but my Mom was right. Nothing about the way I feel for you is any different now. Sure, we'll have a lot to talk about. Like, a fuck ton of stuff I guess. But I'm not just walking away from my family like you were nothing. We'll work through it, just like any other problem in life."
Regina laughed dryly, disbelief in her ears. "Yes, because this is such a common issue for couples."
"It's not like we've ever been conventional. We did start with the kid before even meeting, after all. Why not throw some curses and fairy tale characters into it? Just promise me one thing?"
"What's that?"
"If I wake up tomorrow and none of this really happened, don't stop loving me because I've lost my mind."
"Never," Regina said, putting the full force of her emotions behind the word while she turned in her seat to face Emma.
"I love you, Regina."
"I love you, too," she whispered, placing a tentative kiss on Emma's lips. "Even if you are the daughter of my enemy."
Emma smiled, kissing her soundly once more before pulling back and adding, "Even if you are the Evil Queen."