"Don't forget the chocolate!" said Henry from the living room, sounding like any normal 13 year old boy on a Saturday movie night.
"We'll see," she called back with a fond smile, grabbing her purse and car keys from the side table. Ever since she'd broken the curse and defeated Zelena, he had been eager to move back into the mansion. It had made her heart soar and for weeks afterwards she had forgotten that she was his mother and that she had to set boundaries, instead of indulging his every wish out of guilt for all the lies. They'd since fallen into an easy routine, but perhaps she could treat him tonight…
"Hey, mom, what movie do you want to watch?" he asked, as her key turned in the lock.
"You choose, sweetheart. Although may I suggest against those superhero movies you seem so fond of."
"Oh come on, you were totally into The Avengers. You barely took your eyes off the screen!"
"You're imagining things, dear!"
"Whatever you say, mom, whatever you say."
"Sounds like someone doesn't want chocolate after all," she threatened, playfully.
"Bye mom," he said, and Regina could perfectly picture the eye roll he used so often "Love you."
"Love you too," she responded, shivering slightly at the burst of cold air. She couldn't really recall a time when it was so cold in the middle of September, and pulled her cardigan tighter around her to shield her from the bitter wind.
The lights of her car flashed as she unlocked it, but before she could get inside, she heard the unmistakable sound of the safety on a gun being clicked off. Her first instinct was to blast the person into oblivion but then she felt the cool metal rest against the nape of her neck. She forced herself not to move, repressing the shudder at the deadly touch. There was no way she was about to risk magic in such a compromising position.
"Don't. Move."
Regina is more shocked at the familiar voice than the fact that there's a gun pressed against her neck. Then her senses come back to her, the rage flooding through her.
"Miss Swan? What the hell do you think you're doing?" growled Regina, spinning on her heel to push the gun away. She moaned when the blonde's hand fisted in her hair and pulled her head back roughly. The gun was pressed firmly against her jaw bone, digging in painfully.
"I told you not to move," snarled Emma, her lips parting in a feral look "Are you incapable of following the most basic of instructions, Madame Mayor?" The sentence was punctuated by a sharp tug on her hair and more pressure being applied to the gun at her skin. It was then that Regina realised the danger she was in.
"You're hurting me," she said simply, hoping her words would knock some sense into the woman who looked about two seconds away from blowing her head off.
A callous laugh followed her words and she almost shivered at the ice in Emma's voice. Only it wasn't Emma at all. The Emma she knew wouldn't currently be threatening her with a loaded gun and laughing about it. Regina didn't know who this person wearing Emma's face was, and yet it was her. If she was being controlled, she would be able to sense the magic. This was Emma. An Emma who wanted her dead apparently.
"Henry's inside, Emma. You'll frighten him."
"Always a hypocrite, Madame Mayor. He sought me out because he was terrified of you. He was terrified of what you did to every fucking person in this town and what you would do in the future. And then you lied to him, Regina, and you made him think he was crazy. What sort of person does that? So don't you stand there and use him against me, because in case you've forgotten, you almost killed him!"
Regina was speechless, her insides twisting uncomfortably because everything the woman said was true. But she'd be damned if she let Emma see that. Even though for the past year she had been on her best behaviour, it was so easy to slip back into the role of villain – emotionless and cruel and oozing superiority.
"You're right, Miss Swan. So this is your way to punish me for the past. I guess Henry will just accept it when he hears the gun shot and runs out to see you standing over my mangled body, won't he?"
"Oh, we're back to the Miss Swan crap are we? I thought we'd made progress, Regina."
"Says the woman with a gun to my head."
The two women lapsed into silence, Emma breathing heavily and Regina always conscious of the gun that could end her life if she made a wrong move. This Emma was completely unhinged. She briefly wondered if the sheriff was drunk, but she was far too controlled for that.
"Are we going to stand here all night, dear? At least let me fetch a coat," quipped Regina, forcing herself to act calm "Or do you intend for me to freeze to death? I suppose they can't blame you for that."
"You think this is all a game, don't you?" snapped Emma, wrenching her head back further and exposing her neck, the skin almost translucent in the moonlight "You think you're untouchable."
Despite her best efforts, Regina couldn't stop her breathing becoming more ragged as the blonde traced some strange pattern on her neck with the gun. It tickled, almost making the brunette giggle. This was insane. Perhaps she had fallen asleep during the movie, and this was a horrifyingly vivid dream.
"I don't think you know how much pleasure it would give me to pull this trigger and –"
"Then do it."
Emma looked at her like she was the insane one and that, combined with the whole surreal situation allowed a bubble of laughter to escape from her throat. For the first time, the blonde looked unnerved by her challenge.
"What are you waiting for, dear? I'm sure mommy dearest will forgive you, and daddy too. In fact, everyone will. Except the one person that matters, that is."
"Shut up." The gun was twisted into the skin under her chin, forcing her head up.
"He loves me, Miss Swan. He'll hate you if you take me from him."
"Are you so sure of that? Perhaps it's all an enchantment, a lie… a delusion you created to make you feel wanted for once in your pathetic fucking life. You weren't opposed to taking his free will before, were you?"
That made something inside her snap, the rational side of her mind drowned in anger at the blonde's snide comment that hit far too close to home. She heard Emma cackle again and lost it completely. One hand pushed the gun away from her throat, while the other one hurtled towards Emma's jaw. She felt the impact in her own clenched fist. It had been a hard punch, but the sheriff seemed undeterred.
"You just don't listen do you, Regina," said Emma, her eyes darkening.
Before she could even comprehend what was going on, Emma's hand connected loudly with her cheek, leaving it stinging. Her head snapped to the side with the force of the blow and the next thing she saw was the ground rushing towards her face. Then she felt the painful kick aimed to the back of her knees that had made her legs give out. Emma's hand closed around the material of her blouse and stopped her from slamming her face into the gravel. She sat there on her burning knees, dazed as if she'd been in a very violent car crash. Like a fucking train had rammed into her car and sent the vehicle spinning and then into a wall.
When the whiplash dissipated, Regina raised her watery eyes to look at her attacker. Betrayal washed over her and for the first time, she actually felt truly scared of what this Emma could and would do to her. Hesitantly (since when was she hesitant about anything?) she raised a hand to her split lip.
"Emma…" she trailed off, ashamed of the slight hitch in her voice. She never let her vulnerability show, no matter what. The gun was nowhere in sight and still she was frozen in place. When did she get so weak?
"Was that honestly the best you could do?" mocked Emma, looking disappointed.
"What did I do to make you hate me?" asked Regina, some of her ferocity coming back as she felt the gravel dig painfully into her knees. Nobody treated her this way. Not even Emma Swan.
"You ruined my life," spat the blonde.
"Like mine was all sunshine and rainbows, Emma Swan. Why don't you stop with the self-pitying lost puppy act and actually interact with the family you always wanted so badly?"
Regina felt the rage radiating off her in waves as the saviour made an animalistic sound that bore every resemblance to a growl. She shrunk back slightly despite herself.
"Emma," she said, softly "Stop it."
Just as Emma lunged for her, she finally remembered to use her magic and reappeared inside her home where Emma's shriek of frustration and promise of revenge could be heard over the loud volume of the television.
A confused Henry turned to look at her and his eyes widened as he took in her appearance. The first question barely made its way past his lips before the front door crashed open and Regina rushed for him, taking his hand and using her magic to transport them both to the first safe place she could think of. Snow and David's apartment.