Regina was always the first one to point out when someone had a terrible idea. She was the Queen, after all, and Queens knew best. It's just how the job went. There hadn't been a day in her life that she bit her tongue, not since Daniel had been unfairly yanked from her. It was a combination of two things: the realization that our existence on earth was too short to be anything but honest, and because she'd spent so long believing that she was always right, she didn't remember what it was like to be wrong. But then, she met the one person who changed it all; a woman who saw right through her bullshit: Emma Swan— which is why when the blonde Savior suggested they spend their time cooped up in a tiny enclosure, Regina's first instinct was to run.
The tension in the yellow Bug couldn't have been cut with a meat clever if Arnold Schwarzenegger had been the handler. Emma and Regina had been sitting there, waiting for what felt like an eternity. The draft from the former sheriff's- or current, Regina wasn't sure- sent chills down the mayor's spine. She shivered in her seat, but Emma acted as if she hadn't noticed; as if she hadn't found it just slightly adorable.
"Is he happy?" Regina wondered, succumbing to the deafening silence. The chirping crickets didn't count as sound, only as unnecessary noise. She clutched the coffee cup to her chest; the heat transmitted through the rest of her stiff body. Regina had never been in the revered, safety-hazard of a vehicle. She hadn't expected it to be so comfortable. Under any other circumstances, she would have been less rigid… possibly.
"Who? Henry?" Emma cocked an eyebrow, still keeping watch of the mayor's office. They'd left the lamp off, sure that if someone were to turn it on, he or she would be the one who cursed them all.
For once, Regina didn't have a snappy quip or sarcastic comeback. When it came to her son, her defenses were no match for her maternal instincts. "He has a… normal life?"
Emma broke away from her staring contest with the architecture and nodded to the woman beside her. "Yeah, he's good."
"That's not what I asked," Regina huffed. Her grip around her beverage tightened until she dented the paper and the substance sloshed around inside.
"Henry's happy," Emma responded carefully. Her red, leather jacket crinkled as she turned to look at her boss; she'd missed the familiarity of the coat, the empowerment she felt when wearing it.
The Queen's forehead wrinkled as she furrowed her brow. The lid on the container suddenly became rather intriguing, the way it dipped on one side and the small hole where the liquid is supposed to exit. She was fully aware of the green eyes that bore into her soul, and she was finding it difficult to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. "And he truly doesn't remember me? The town? His life here?"
Emma resisted the impulse to reach for Regina's hand, to comfort her somehow. Whoever she had been in the past, this was now. Regina wasn't the Evil Queen to her, she was just a mother in agony. "He remembers everything that you gave him. We both did until…"
"Until that wretched pirate intervened," Regina said bitterly. "The nerve of that man. You know, I could rip his heart out so fast-"
"Ok, let's not talk about crushing hearts," Emma suggested hastily.
"My dear, who said anything about crushing it?" the mayor smirked. The last time she'd shared such an expression with Emma was a few days ago- or, a year ago- when they were saying goodbye. Through everything, she was sure that no curse was powerful enough to wipe that day from her conscious. Regina observed the way Emma's golden curls hugged her shoulders and fell over her face, meticulously hiding her dimples. At one point in their relationship- if it could be called that- Regina absolutely detested Emma's jacket. Now, however, it was somewhat of a relief to see the brave woman in such recognizable attire. "What about you, Miss Swan? Are you happy?"
"Miss Swan, huh?" Emma snorted after nearly choking on her coffee. "It's been a while since anyone's called me that… especially you. To answer your question, I was happy, yeah."
"Not anymore?"
Emma craned her neck and stole another glance at the room, still no sign of any perpetrators. "I was living a life that wasn't mine," she sighed. "I had these memories of good times and I couldn't have asked for more. The problem was, they weren't real… not to me, at least."
"They were to me," Regina muttered under her breath.
Emma snapped her head up instantly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what you think it means." Regina brushed her dark hair behind her ear, further heightening her vulnerability. It was synonymous to opening the doors of her castle; allowing others to see her and her humanity. Her vibrant, cherry-colored lipstick was all Emma could focus on as her once-enemy spoke. "You may not have taken Henry for his first shots, but I did. I stuck the two dollars under his pillow when he lost his first tooth. I carried him in my arms through the hospital when he cut his leg and had to get six stitches."
"You gave me your life," Emma understood. Her jaw dropped to the gas pedal as the realization hit her. Regina had sacrificed more than anyone knew, and for that, Emma's respect for the woman only intensified. The powerful witch must have edited Henry's images to include Emma instead of the mother who raised him.
"Saying goodbye… it was the hardest decision I've ever had to make," Regina confided.
"You did what any parent would do; you gave him his best chance." The irony was all but lost on Emma. A few moments of awkward quiet interrupted their civility and sent the stubborn adults spiraling into their own worlds. "I bet Henry would get a kick out of this," Emma mused, an elbow on the windowsill.
"To what would you be referring to?" Regina implored. Her heart did somersaults at the mention of her son's name, just like it always did. It was more intense now that she knew he was in town.
Emma smiled coyly at her adversary and gestured to the space between them. "This," she repeated. "The two of us, in the same car, talking to each other without throwing punches or fireballs. He'd probably be relieved."
"Yes, I suppose he would, wouldn't he?" Regina bit back the tears that wanted so desperately to fall, as she was not going to show Emma that much of her defenselessness. "Miss Sw- Emma, can I ask you… Why did you come back? Why did you drink the potion? You could have gone on the rest of your life, and Henry's, without having to be the Savior again, but you chose not to."
Still no hint of trespassers in the building, Emma relaxed a bit and leaned back in her seat. "Because Henry would've done the same thing. He wouldn't have given any of it a second thought; he's a believer. I could hear his voice calling it Operation Storybrooke, or something like that." Regina let soft laughter escape, which amused Emma greatly. "I drank the potion because, if Hook was right, I could never forgive myself for not doing something. I couldn't let you guys have all the fun."
"I see," Regina breathed, her pulse equivalent to the speed of light. "Well, your parents are safe, if that's what you were worried about. Something must have happened in the last year, that much I'm sure of. I don't exactly have the need to destroy Snow as often as I used to."
"Hm, that's a part of it. I'm glad to see they're ok— I mean, they're more than ok, but anyway."
"Henry's father— Neal… If he's anything like Gold, he's all right as well." Regina tried to sound as sympathetic as possible, and whether or not Emma believed her was yet to be known. In an effort to prove her authenticity, Regina stopped fidgeting with the cup and glanced over at the Savior; she no longer avoided making eye-contact.
"Oh, I don't doubt that. I mean, he survived Neverland twice, right? But, that's not exactly what brought me here." That was as explicit as Emma could get without turning red in the face. She kept waiting for Regina to stop playing dumb, to get over her own pride, but so far, nothing. "Close, I'll give you that."
"For heaven's sake, Emma," Regina said the name with a different type of passion than she used to, "just say it. We don't have all night; we're on a- what did you call it- stakeout, aren't we?" Her flippancy didn't distract Emma, as much as she'd hoped.
"My god, you really don't know?" the blonde scoffed. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she shifted her coffee from one hand to the other and moved her whole body so that she was square with the other passenger. "I came back for you, Regina." The words slipped of Emma's tongue with overwhelming ease, much more than she'd expected, but less gracefully as she'd hoped. Her voice echoed in her mind on repeat, as if she wasn't aware of what she'd just said. She blushed as she locked eyes with Henry's other mother; she hadn't blushed in years.
Flustered, Regina turned away and stammered horribly. "I- I'm not… I'm not sure I understand— what?"
Emma inspected Regina's body language and analyzed the way she talked, though she didn't need her superpower to detect the lie. "You heard me; I didn't just come back for my parents or Neal. I came back for you—"
"Yes, yes, I got that," Regina waved a hand warily. "I meant, I don't understand why. After everything you've been through- after everything I put you through… why would you ever want to do anything for me?" Now she'd done it. Regina tried to hide the tear that had broken free of its restraints and slid down her cheek, but Emma caught it- literally. The brush of her finger against Regina's skin gave the brunette goosebumps under her thick layers. When Emma leaned in, Regina pulled away faster than a bullet, far enough until she felt the window against her back. She struggled to regain composure, and eventually, her throat reopened. "This is not an option, Emma. Go back to your pirate or your thief- I could care less which one. They both have the maturity of 16 year-old boys."
"Ok, I know you well enough to sense when you're lying. The least you could do is return the favor; you know me, Regina," Emma whispered gently. "Look," she started, having observed a rare moment of the Queen's weakness, "I don't know a lot anymore. What used to make sense, doesn't anymore. And what used to be confusing makes sense now. I mean one morning I'm alone, the next, I have a son. And then another morning I have a son, and the next, I'm the Savior again. You may not remember the last year of your life, but I remember mine; I knew someone was missing, and it wasn't Neal or Hook. Walsh was nice guy and all, but you know, freaky shape-shifters aren't really my thing— don't ask." Lowering her voice, Emma formed her next statement purposefully. "It was you, Regina; you were the person missing."
"Do you honestly believe this is an appropriate time for your melodrama?" Regina snapped forcefully. Her husky, intimidating tone had returned, but it was only temporary. For, without any sort of warning, Emma closed the gap and pressed her lips against Regina's; the Queen instantly melted into the Savior's hold, eyes shut, unable to fight off the affections of Emma Swan. At some point, Regina felt tender knuckles under her chin, pulling her closer to Emma. In the midst of their intimate moment, something happened… something unexpected. Regina's eyes shot open and 12 month's worth of memories came flooding back to her like a slideshow on fast forward: arriving in the Enchanted Forest, meeting the infamous Robin Hood, Robin Hood's son, the sleeping curse, and… and the woman who had doomed them all.
After another lifetime passed, Regina finally broke away from physical contact. "What's wrong?" Emma frowned, disappointed that the kiss had ended.
"I remember," Regina murmured absentmindedly. She touched her lips with an numb finger, utterly astounded. "The curse— it's broken."
"What? Seriously? Are you sure? How?" Emma rattled rapidly, though she already had her suspicions.
When Regina peered over at Emma again, who was squinting in deep thought. It was as if a curtain had pulled back and she was seeing the sheriff in a new light; rather, one that had been dimmed for quite some time. Everything that they'd been through together- the wraith, the angry mob of townspeople, battling over Henry time and time again, that night outside of Granny's, the diamond, their magic, even Neverland- it all made sense; the pieces fit together perfectly and completed the puzzle. Everything had been put into perspective in a matter of seconds. So quietly that Emma had to strain to hear her, Regina revealed the only explanation for her recollections being returned, "The way curses are always broken: True Love's Kiss."
A/N - Hello, dearies! I hope you liked that little story. I was thinking of it as a one-shot, but if you all want to see more, I'm open to it. Since "The Queen's Savior" was about their return to the EF and then coming back to Storybrooke, I wouldn't want to bore you with another AU. It's up to all you, lovely folks. Anyway, "The Price of Magic" is coming to a close with a short fic following closely after. If you have any requests, feel free to PM me! Oh, and please let me know what you think of this one. Feedback really helps, so reviews are much appreciated!