Summary: When Emma spies Regina in the forest during her morning jog, she seizes the opportunity to apologise for bringing Marian back. Angry that yet another chance at happiness has been ripped away from her and also unable to unleash her frustration, Regina has pulled away from everyone. Emma is not taking Regina's silence well.
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership over the characters in this fan fiction for they belong to Once Upon A Time's creators, writers and ABC. I give credit to the writers of the show for the main plot and sequence of events this story follows.
This story is my first attempt at writing fiction and I would greatly appreciate your thoughts. Also, feel free to comment on any spelling/ grammatical errors you spot.
With closed eyes, Regina deeply inhaled the earthly concoction of cedar trees and cool, crisp autumn air. The secluded section of the forest overlooking Storybrooke had come to serve as her personal solace. An escape from the long, penetrating stares of town residents who only saw her for her past grievances. Relief from a son whose eyes still held a glimmer of mistrust. Here she was free from both faint and fresh memories of love's plucked before they had a chance to come to fruition. Most importantly, she found peace from overwhelming regret.
It could be argued that others (namely one glittery, dagger possessing sorcerer and a controlling, emotionally abusive mother) had played a significant role in the sequence of events that lead to the casting of the curse and indirectly to her current situation. Emma had brought Marian back. Robin's Marian.
Regina and Robin's shared experience of loss and the comfort they took in each other was part of their mutual attraction. It was glaringly apparent that Robin was once whole-heartedly devoted to his late wife. He recounted memories of Marian with a wavering voice and a distant, glazed expression. Regina could so easily relate to his pain. If not for this understanding, Regina would have fought for him. Robin's eye's beheld a renewed lightness in the presence of Marian. When Robin asked to dissolve their relationship she acquiesced, knowing that she could never be the cause of such delirious happiness.
In these moments of clarity, beneath the cool shade of ancient towering trees, Regina surrendered to her reality. Villains don't deserve happily ever afters. It was truly foolish to think otherwise. Regina recognized that it was her own childish hatred and misguided sense of revenge that resulted in her constant state of disarray. It was only a matter of time before her karma caught up with her.
A loud snap of a twig jolted Regina from her dream-like trance. In the corner of her eye she spied the unmistakable blonde mane of Emma Swan. As consequence of not having spoken to anyone in the past few days, Regina's voice sounded gravelly and foreign to her as the words came out, "Going somewhere, Miss Swan?"
During her morning runs Emma had come to know the forest covered mountains near the town like the back of her hand. Her routes through dense forest and past small streams had even stamped out trails of bare earth amongst the foliage littered forest floor. Unleashing her energy on the green terrain was where she had first come to terms with being thrust into a life with the family she thought had abandoned her.
Not having seen anyone in the forest for the past few days, she was surprised to spot a lone figure in the blur of her peripheral vision. Slowing to a quiet walk, Emma immediately recognised the trademark black heels, coat and styled brown locks. Since the Marian incident one week ago, Regina had rarely been sighted around town. When Regina had stormed out of Granny's that eventful evening, Emma expected rage to follow. In fact, she much preferred rage over this torture.
Regina had completely ceased face-to-face contact with Emma, only communicating through Henry when absolutely necessary. Emma had utilised every form of communication in order to re-establish contact – phone, text, email, messages through other people and even a letter of apology by post. If silence could be heard, Regina's was resounding. In the sunlit hours, it echoed in the back of Emma's mind and when darkness inevitably followed, it became deafening.
As she inched closer, a torrent of thoughts raced through her mind. She contemplated different phrases, the correct tone to express the depth of her sincerity. When the length of Regina's form came into focus, her gaze lingered on smooth, prominent calves accentuated by sinfully high heels. She pondered how the woman had trekked through thick forest in heels before recalling her unique transportation style - the periwinkle poof.
Upon seeing her face, Emma's resolve to apologise weakened considerably. The stark contrast between Emma's recollections of the Mayor's passionately animated face, and the serene expression it currently held was unnerving. The only movement observable was the slight rise and fall of her chest accompanying each breath. Hesitant to disturb what looked like a deep meditation, Emma started to back away. When the twig snapped, Emma knew she had been caught even before Regina's low, powerful voice acknowledged her presence.
