Disclaimer: OUaT is not mine.
Summary: Emma just went to the past and she brought Marian back with her. Regina was livid. They fought, and Emma found Elsa outside the diner.
A/N: Hey guys, I'm actually trying to rewrite this so it flows better, this is my first story after all. Enjoy.
"Regina, please wait," Emma shouted. She tried to catch Regina who abruptly left the diner after seeing the reunion of Hood's family. And sure, Emma is a bit to blame, because she was the one who caused the reunion to happen in the first place. She has just brought back a stray from the past, Marian (she just learnt her name a few minutes ago when Robin called her) and it cost Regina her happy ending. So yeah, she just ruined Regina's chance at love, and she ruined their thin thread of trust as well. Shit.
The brunette, hearing her name, stopped but didn't turn back. She stood still, rigid, trying to contain all the anger boiling inside her.
"Regina, please…" Emma pleaded softly.
If the wind didn't blow on her direction, Regina would not hear it. She inhaled a deep breath, finding the last straw of her patience, and stood still.
Emma took a few steps forward to come near Regina. "Please Regina, can we just talk about this? I… I am sorry. It's never my intention to make you pay. How could I make it up to you? Please…" She herself was sad. How could saving someone resulted in breaking another's heart.
Regina turned around so very slowly to face the blonde. "I would never want you to make it up to me, as you delicately put, Miss Swan. Just… just stay away from me! Never talks to me again except when it is about Henry. I would love it if you never bother me, ever again," she shook her head slowly. "Please drop Henry off my home this weekend," with that she turned around again to walk away.
She just wants to go home. Home, she scoffed. The big mansion with no one waiting for her. Just a big, empty house down the street with perfect decor. It's empty, much like her heart right now. She thought she has just found a second chance, in a guy who knows exactly who she is, and still choose to put an effort in their relationship. But if she understood it correctly, if Emma didn't change the past, Regina would've killed Robin's wife. Peasants, she scolded again internally.
So with her empty heart, she walked away, putting the distance between her and everyone, and feeling her heart broke into million pieces. She tried so very hard to hold her tears. Hurt. It is always what happened when she tried to open her heart. Just the feel of hurt, everywhere. At first, Regina didn't want to remember about the tattoo, the one which pixie dust showed and guided her to. But here he is, Robin, in Storybrooke. Flirting and helping her defeating her sister. Then there was those sentence that Zelena drawled out: "You never see what's in front of you." Regina doesn't want to regret not doing something that could lead to her happy ending, when she knew what the pixie dust told her. And what did she know, she was regretting it by now. Five days after she took a step so that she didn't regret not taking action. Ah… How life is never in her corner.
Her heart clenched, and she felt all the jabbing pain inside her. Not only because she lost her chance to love, but also because the shattered trust between her and Emma. And walk away she did.
The mansion was still dark. She forgot to turn on the lamp inside the house. As she reached the door, she jingled some of the keys and found the right one to put on the front door. Her thoughts were still jumbled. Robin; a peasant who turns out to be his wife; Emma's apology, Emma's eyes, which she cannot deciphered; everything. Henry. She misses Henry oh so much. She opened the front door and stepped inside. To the empty house. Just like her heart. Empty.
Behind those close door, she let the tears fall down.
As Regina walked away, Emma was left stunned outside the diner. She realised she was gaping and then she shut her mouth with a click. She was just accepting the fact that Regina walked out on her without any fight whatsoever, when she heard a soft footstep approaching her.
"Regina?" Emma called out, hoping the brunette walked back just so that she could lashed out on her.
But to her surprise, in her sight, stand a small lithe girl wearing a beautiful blue dress and sparkly blonde hair. The girl is very beautiful with her deep brown sparkling eyes, contrasting her blonde hair and pale complexion. She was still a kid, fifteen, sixteen maybe.
The girl looked up at Emma and Emma could see something flickered behind those beautiful brown eyes, recognition maybe?
"Hello?" She greeted Emma very shyly.
"Mmm, hi?" Emma greeted back, a little bit confused. "You're not from around here, are you? I have never seen you before," Emma stated.
The girl fidgeted with her fingers in front of her middle and looked down for a bit. She was nervous and it was pretty clear. Then she gazed up to stare at Emma, again. There it was, the mysterious flicker behind her eyes. Emma shook it off, shelved it into her too active imagination.
"Yes, yes. I am not from around here," the young girl smiled softly, but the shyness was still there and Emma wondered why the girl is so shy, but her stance and outfit is one of confidence. "I am Elsa," she said offering her hand to Emma.
Emma took it and shook it, and said, "Emma."
The girl suddenly smiled very brightly, and the brown eyes lighted up. The eyes, suddenly Emma recognised, are very familiar to her. Even though she couldn't tell why it was familiar.
"So have you had dinner yet?" Emma asked with a small smile. "And maybe a change of clothes? It is cold here and you have no outerwear." Emma tilted her head and gestured the girl to follow her into the diner.
"I'm okay. But maybe a change of clothes is preferable. I feel overdressed," Elsa made a small smile and followed Emma's footsteps.
The door to the diner made a chiming noise when both of them stepped inside. Emma walked to her parents and Henry, with Elsa following closely behind her.
"Henry, Mum, Dad, I found Elsa outside," Emma shrugged, introducing her family to the mysterious young girl.
When Elsa saw the trio in the booth, she smiled so brightly and hugged Henry, and then Snow, and afterwards she clung to David. Henry, Snow and David lifted their eyebrows in a surprised gasp when Elsa hugged them, but they hugged Elsa back nonetheless.
"Where's Neal?" suddenly Elsa asked. The four of them lifted their eyebrows even higher in an identical manner when they looked to Elsa, who still clung her hands in David's arm and was looking rather cheery for a lost girl.
Snow cleared her throat and wondered why she didn't feel threatened by Elsa's intimate gesture for David. "He's with Ruby, Ruby offered to babysit for a bit," Snow smiled to Elsa.
"Can I play with him?" Elsa asked, and the four of them is even more surprised.
Snow looked at Emma, who shrugged, and then she said, "of course. They're upstairs."
Elsa grinned her toothy grin and left the Charmings in for a very confusing conversation. Once her footsteps faded away, Emma studied everyone's look. Henry was amused, MARY MARGARET was confused, David was… David. He was aghast from the friendly gesture Elsa displayed earlier.
"Who is she again?" David asked Emma.
"I don't really know. Her name is Elsa, that much I know." Emma answered.
"How come she knows Neal?" Henry asked innocently. Snow and David looked at each other. Unspoken words in their eyes.
"I don't know Henry, but the funny thing is I don't mind her at all." Snow said and David nodded in agreement.
They all sat in silence. They felt the familiarity, the feeling of familial connection with the girl but for the life of them, they didn't even remember or know for sure who Elsa is.
"She said she's not from around here," Emma supplied.
"I would said so, her dress is a dead giveaway," David smiled.
"Speaking of which I need to find a change of clothes for the girl."
"I don't mind her staying at the loft for tonight," Snow stated.
"Yeah, but with the baby and me and Henry…" Emma left the sentence hanging.
"I'll be at my mum's place," Henry shrugged. "We need to figure out who she is, right? Tonight I'll sleep in my old bedroom and Elsa will be with Grams and Gramps, and my baby uncle, and you, Ma."
"You… you sure kid? You don't mind?" Emma asked.
"I don't mind. I have a feeling she's family anyway." Henry shrugged again. "Can you drop me off my mum?"
"Sure, sure."
"That is settled then." Snow smiled brightly.
Emma grimaced. She got enough in her plates as it is, and now another stranger came to town and although her head was telling her to be careful, her family body language was far too comfortable and it put her on edge. But hey, if they said so, she would try to grant their wishes.
After a long needed bath, Regina dressed herself in a silky pajamas and revelled in the soft texture of the clothing. Her eyes were still a bit swollen from her tears and her heart still felt like it was crushed into million tiny pieces. But she's still here. She's still alive, and she still has Henry. Although what's the point in her life now, she does not know. Her last chance in happiness was tore apart, her revenge for Daniel had been served and not a single soul in Storybrooke left who she hadn't touched. Everyone in this goddamned town is her creation, so to speak. She wants them suffered, but in the end, she will be the one drowning in misery. Everyone else get their happy endings. Snow White even got a new Prince Neal to keep her occupied, with her family alongside her. Regina? Nah, she got nothing. No Henry, no soulmate, no happy ending. Having the light magic in her touch didn't change anything at all other than the fact that her half-sister is now dead. There's no next for Regina. Just a plain old road of misery ahead of her.
Suddenly the doorbell rang. She snapped her head. Who in this godforsaken hour would dare coming into her house? She descended the stair slowly, tying her night robe and shuffled her hair. Opening the door, much to her disgust is the blonde saviour. She lifted an eyebrow and on her way to slam the door right to Emma's face when a small figure hug her.
"Mum, I've missed you." Henry said while he was still hugging her.
"Regina, sorry to bother you in this hour," Emma started slowly and softly as if she was someone in a very fragile state (which she is, actually). "But, is it okay for you if Henry stayed here for a while?" Emma winced on the inside, praying that Regina would not lashed out on her now, in front of Henry.
"Of course Miss Swan," Regina managed to say while Henry is on her side, still hugging her waist. "I've missed you too, sweetheart," Regina turned sideways and smiled at Henry, who was beaming with happiness.
"I… It's just, my parents and I, we need to get something sorted out and we don't have a lot of space in the loft, and there's baby Neal, and there's this girl who came out of nowhere and we just need to figure out how…"
"No need to explain, Miss Swan. I'm very happy that Henry's here. You may go now." Regina stated coldly.
Emma felt her heart broke a little from the cold and harsh voice but didn't show it. She nodded and turn to Henry. "Be good kid, call me if you need anything." Ruffling his hair, she then kissed Henry's cheek and bid both of them goodnight.