"Regina! I mean Mom!" Henry opened the door to his house and ran inside, Emma trailing behind. Henry had began calling Regina by her first name after the curse had been broken, but since she insisted he call her mom, he tried as best as he could. To please both her and Emma, who always wanted him on his best behavior. She constantly told him to appreciate Regina for raising him right.
"I'm in the kitchen!" Regina called. Henry raced into the kitchen, praying pizza was for dinner. Emma followed behind, strolling into the kitchen to see Regina slicing meat while something cooked in the oven and something else fried on the stove. Emma couldn't help but notice the sweat beads forming on Regina's forehead and neck as she worked. The moisture seemed to glisten.
"What's this all about?" Emma asked, gesturing to the feast Regina was preparing.
"Oh, well, you know, I thought maybe you could stay for dinner." Regina avoided eye contact and continued to work as the timer went off and she removed garlic bread from the oven. "I figure we're both going to be a part of Henry's life whether I like it or not, and I might as well get to know you a little bit better." Emma studied Regina's slender back as she placed the slices of bread on a plate, still avoiding Emma's gaze.
"Uh, yeah, sure." Emma was tentative to stay, after all, the last time Regina claimed to make peace she had served her an apple turnover that was supposed to knock her out until she had true love's kiss, and it's not like anyone in this town would ever be her true love. "Hey, kid, why don't you go wash your hands for dinner?" Emma called to Henry, who was sampling dinner.
"Okay," Henry answered as he left the kitchen and made his way to the bathroom.
Now that Henry was out of the room, Emma felt she could say what she was really thinking. "What are you doing?" She asked, walking to Regina.
"What do you mean, what am I doing? Have you ever seen someone make dinner before, Miss Swan?" She responded, for the first time meeting Emma's skeptical glare.
"I mean, what is your motive? Why am I here? I don't believe you want to make nice for a minute." Emma stepped forward so she was face to face with Regina, who quickly turned to busy herself. "Hey!" Emma grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at her. "What's going on? Why won't you look at me?" She demanded.
"Nothing! I am trying to make dinner for my son and his birth mother!" Regina shook Emma's arm and didn't look away from Emma's eyes this time. The two women stood inches a part for seconds, no one wanting to be the first to speak. It seemed neither would back down until Regina spoke, "It's not easy for me to make nice with you, okay? You are the reason everyone in this town hates me. If it wasn't for you, the curse would still be in effect. So I'm sorry if sometimes it pains me to look at you. Because right about now all I see when I look at you is my failure." Regina spoke, her eyes dropping to the floor and losing intensity when she realized how much of her soul she had just opened to Emma in that moment.
Emma studied Regina, the pain on her face. Was this really happening? Was she feeling sorry for Regina? No, she couldn't be. This woman was pure evil, she would not let herself be manipulated. But what if Regina was being honest? What if there was light behind this cold, dark mask she wore day to day?
Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone buzzing. "I, uh, I have to get this." She gestured to her pocket and Regina nodded, stepping back.
It was Ashley, apparently Mr. Gold had dwarves making his meals for him again. Since magic was back, everyone feared the power Mr. Gold had and refused to cross him, which resulted in no one standing up to him as well. Emma wouldn't tolerate him bullying the town, so she had stopped by his house several times over the last week to correct his selfish ways. She knows she shouldn't be upset, because Belle was doing more than she was, helping Mr. Gold to be a better man. But every now and then, things seemed to slip past her.
While Emma was on the phone, Henry came back into the kitchen and had heard the majority of the call. "Does this mean you can't stay for dinner?" He asked, looking disheartened.
Emma turned to Regina, "I'm so sorry, I know you worked really hard on this, but, well, duty calls."
"Don't worry about it, I'll walk you out." She walked out of the kitchen and Emma hugged Henry before following.
Regina opened the front door for Emma and escorted her out. She started closing the door when she stopped, "Emma?" Emma turned around to face Regina with a soft expression, "How about tomorrow night?"
Emma couldn't help but smile, "Sounds great," She said as she turned and continued walking down the path. She was feeling warm, and for some reason she couldn't explain, was looking forward to tomorrow night.