Regina's Redemption

Emma circled the mansion for the fifth time that evening.

Her yellow bug was rattling along the paved streets of Storybrooke, Maine. Searching.

The sheriff had looked everywhere. The mansion and its surroundings. Then she had barged into the mayoral office while a very annoyed secretary followed behind her; threatening to complain about her to the very person she was looking for. She had only found an empty chair and meaningless stacks of papers and folders on a clean, cold, marble desk.

Where did you go, Regina?

Emma had foolishly asked around town. Obviously the townspeople knew nothing. Why would the Evil Queen tell them about her whereabouts anyway? The woman hated everyone. Everyone hated that woman.

The sheriff always wondered if the mayor ever got lonely. Especially after the curse broke and Henry left to live with Emma and the Charmings.

It was Henry who had brought the letter to her at the station.

My dear Henry,

You wanted me to prove my love for you. You wanted to know if I have truly changed.

Well, this is me trying.

I was never evil, Henry. But I doubt you'll believe me, especially with all the stories you've been told. I never got a chance to tell you my side of everything. Now, I'm afraid it's too late. Anyway, it's not as though you're just waiting to hear my story. Some of it I don't understand myself. I have made many mistakes, but loving you as my own child, was not one of them.

I don't want to lose you Henry, but it seems like I already have.

However, I'm not giving up just yet. There's one last thing I'm going to try.

I'll give up everything for you Henry. Everything. It's seems like such a small price to pay to have a new beginning with my son once again. I must do this. I will prove to you I can change. Be a new person. Someone you can love and accept into your life. I'll make it easy for you.

No matter what anyone ever tells you, Henry. Please remember, I do love you.

- Mom

"Emma, you have to find her!" Henry ran into her arms and held on to her, sobbing into her shirt, "I'm scared."

"Don't worry, kid," Emma had hugged her visibly shaken eleven year old, "I'll make sure she's alright."

That was hours ago. She still hadn't found her.

Where are you, Regina? Where did you go?

Now, sitting in her car, Emma picked up the letter again and skimmed the lines for the hundredth time. Trying to find clues. Her car was parked under a streetlamp outside the mansion. The old radio was forecasting heavy rainfall that was approaching their little town.

A thunder grumbled somewhere within the cloud covered sky. Emma turned on her pocket torch to read Regina's letter again.

An hour later…

As soon as the engines stopped Emma stormed out of her car and into the rain. It poured down on her shoulders and soaked her blue work shirt. Her boots splashed onto muddy puddles as she sprinted towards the edge of the town.

She had finally figured out what Regina was going to do.

There.

She finally saw her lying on the side of the muddy road. Unconscious.

Emma dropped to her knees next to the woman and gathered her up in her arms.

…

Dr. Whale stepped out of the ward with a huge frown on his face.

"We can't be sure about how much of her memory was affected until she wakes up." He told Emma, "she's sleeping right now, I'll be able to tell you more in the morning."

With that he walked towards his office, leaving a very quiet Emma standing outside Regina's room.

She stood outside the glass door and watched the former mayor.

Regina's eyes were closed. The mascara had washed off in the rain. Her lips were plain and unpainted. Her short, dark brown hair was pressed against the soft white pillows. A monitor beeped beside her bed, announcing her vital signs.

She really did it. She really stepped over the border.

If what Emma knew about the protection line was true, then Regina had deliberately stripped herself off magic and all past memories.

Just to prove herself. Just for her son's love. For...her...

Emma touched the cold glass.

The sheriff and mayor had their share of bad memories. The constant bickering, pushing and shoving each other- it had become a part of her daily life. Then they had evolved into something better. Sweeter.

She pushed the door open and walked into the spotless room. She pulled a stool and sat down beside Regina.

Emma very carefully took the woman's hand in hers and held on to it. The monitor beeped in the silence of the hospital ward.

…

"Do you know who you are?"

"Regina Mills. The mayor of Storybrooke."

"Name of your parents?"

"Henry and Cora Mills."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Dr. Whale"

The doctor nodded and passed her a few photographs, "please try to identify as many faces as you can, Regina."

"Sure. That's Granny, the innkeeper. She also runs a nice diner in town. Mmm…the dark haired beauty is Ruby, she's quite a popular waitress at Granny's Diner. Mary Margaret, the school teacher...I never bothered to find out much about her. There's David Nolan, my friend Katherine's husband and Mr. Gold, the pawnbroker-"

"Does…the Enchanted Forest mean anything to you?" the doctor asked her, eyeing her closely.

Regina shrugged, picking up two other pictures. These she didn't recognize.

"Who are they?" she asked. Dr. Whale didn't answer her, but simply noted something on his clipboard.

Suddenly a voice called out from the doorway, "Is everything alright in here?"

The glass doors slid apart to reveal a tall blonde woman. The sound of her leather boots grew near. Green eyes focused on the mayor half sitting on her hospital bed.

One of the faces she couldn't recognize from Whale's stack of photos belonged to this woman.

"How are you doing Regina?" the young woman asked.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Mom?! Mom you're okay!"

Regina looked behind the blonde as a young boy barged into her room as well. He ran up to her bed and threw his arms around her.

"Oh I was so worried," he said, hugging her tightly.

"Dr. Whale?" Regina turned towards the doctor helplessly, "I don't understand…who are these people? And what are they doing in my town?"

The boy raised his head from her shoulder. His teary eyes were wide, "Mom? Y-you don't remember me? It's me! Henry!"

"My dear," Regina looked at him apologetically, "I'm not your mother, I'm-

"No…" Henry stepped back from her, shaking his head furiously, "No…no no no no…this can't happen…no no!"

"Henry," Dr. Whale reached for the little boy, "why don't you come into my office? Let Regina rest a bit, she's been through a lot-

"You never told me what exactly happened to me, Whale." Regina pointed out, crossing her arms.

"The sherriff will explain" he said, rushing the sniffling Henry out of the room.

"Oh Graham's here?"

"Er…" the blonde spoke up, "Graham's not the sheriff anymore…he…he's gone…I'm the new sheriff."

"What?! But I don't recall hiring you! I've never seen you before."

"The…erm…accident…probably affected your memory," the blonde shot back, "I was his deputy then the town elected me as their new sheriff."

"I see."

She couldn't remember any of it. This woman. The little boy. They were all complete strangers to her.

But Whale recognized them, so clearly they're not new in town…

"Remind me what your name is again." she smiled at the woman, "forgive me but I can't seem to recall it."

"Emma," The blonde turned to leave, "Emma Swan. You should rest…madame mayor. I'll come back later."

The sheriff walked out of her room.

…

Their bodies were dancing together in the darkness of the mayor's bedroom. Sweaty limbs tangled up in each other. Hips thrusting forward. Moans disappeared into the night air. Panting lips explored the body of their lovers. Sucking and kissing. Tongues tasted salty wetness and fingers glistened with their desires. Dark and fair. Good and Evil. Their heart entwined under the sheets, racing with each other.

Regina's head rested on Emma's. Emma's arms held Regina.

"How long can we keep doing this?"

"We can stop anytime you want, Sheriff."

"I don't want to stop. I'm worried about the Charmings finding out."

"There's hardly anything to worry about, dear. Those two idiots-

"Don't talk about them like that, Regina, they're my parents."

"And me? Who am I to you, Emma?"

The silence dragged on.

"Every time…every time you do this to me… what is stopping you, Emma? Why do you hesitate to give yourself to-

"Give myself? Am I a possession, Regina?"

"You know I do not mean that. I simply meant-"

"They talk about you, you know. The townspeople. About everything you did back in the Enchanted Forest. Terrible. Terrible things.

"Do you believe them?"

More silence.

"Answer me."

"I don't want to but-

"But you do. You think I'm some kind of monster. I'm a cold blooded killer. A heartless evil queen. Is that what think of me?"

"Look I-

"Did you ever wonder that maybe I had reasons? Maybe I was desperate? Or I didn't have a choice? Or maybe this was who I was brought up to be? Maybe sadness and despair are all I've ever known so that is what I inflict upon everyone? Emma, did ever even wonder what my story could be? Did you?

A tear drop fell over Emma's heart. Regina lifted her head off her chest and looked away.

"Henry hates me" Regina finally speaks after a long pause.

"No he doesn't. He's a little boy with a lot of conflicting emotions. He doesn't want to admit it but he misses you. Every night I go to tuck him in, I can see it in his eyes. He tells me to run my hand through his hair like you used to do. He-

But he still won't come back to me?

He is a child Regina. He knows there's good and there's bad. The gray region where you and I exist, he can't make sense of it. He sees me as the white knight. You the evil queen.

"He's my son!"

"And he came from me," Emma spoke calmly and reached for Regina's hand. It felt cold in hers, "we're both his mothers."

"Then bring him here, Emma!" Regina returned to her arms once again, hiding her distraught face on her shoulder, "You and I can raise him together. Be a family."

"It's not that simple, Regina." Emma rubbed her naked back. Her fingers traced down Regina's spine.

"It is that simple."

"No. There's a lot to think about."

"Do you love me?"

"…my parents, the town…all the mess you had created in fairytale land…Henry…"

"Do you love me, Emma?"

Perhaps her silence had given Regina her answer. They lay down on the wrinkled pillows and stared into the darkness together. Unmoving. Unspeaking.

As she was drifting off, Emma thought she heard a soft intake of breath and a broken whisper.

"…not you too…not you…"

Laying on her bed, in the Charming's house, Emma kept thinking back to that last night she had spent in the mayor's mansion.

"Do you love me?"

A part of her wanted to say yes and pull the woman back in her arms. Tell her how she was the only one, who made her feel like she finally belonged somewhere. Like she was finally home.

Emma could've told her that her apple cider was indeed the best she had ever tasted. That she was an excellent cook. That Emma was at awe by that woman's capability of raising a ten year old while running an entire town. She could've told her that having a family with a woman who loved her with her whole heart was all she had ever wished for.

But she couldn't.

The evil queen killed so many. Stole people's happiness. Destroyed lives. Blinded by revenge. Heartless. Cruel. Incapable of love.

Everyone had something horrible to say about the queen.

What if there was some truth in all she had been told?

"Regina is evil," her mother would declare anytime the woman came up in their conversations. Emma couldn't simply ignore that. She had finally found her parents and she wasn't willing to lose them just yet.

Snow White would never allow her daughter to be with the Evil Queen who had dedicated her life to destroying her happiness.

Do I really love her?

A knock on her bedroom door returned her to her surroundings. Her son stood there, hugging his blue blanket.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" he mumbled, staring at his feet.

"Sure, kid," Emma beckoned him to come over. Henry curled up beside her on the bed. She tucked him inside his blue blanket.

"She's never going to remember me, is she?" he asked, looking up at her with teary blue eyes.

Emma didn't know what to tell him. Everything was still sinking in.

"I wish she didn't step on the border. It's all my fault…everything…" he sniffled loudly.

"No," Emma hugged Henry tightly as he sobbed in her arms, "it's not your fault Henry. She did this for you. To show you she could give it all up for you. She's not evil, son, she never was."

"Then why do they all say she is?!" Henry cried out, "Everyone says she's evil! Granma! Granpa! Gold! Granny! Leroy! Everyone! She did bad things and-

"She never hurt you, Henry. She took care of you. She loved you. Whoever she used to be, she gave it all up for you, kid. She gave up her magic for you. She gave up her memories so you can start over with her."

"How do I do that?" Henry asked. Emma kissed his forehead and lay him down on his pillow.

"We'll figure it out," she whispered and caressed his brown strands.

Henry closed his eyes and slowly drifted into a world of dreams. The hand tracing through his hair became his other mothers who used to tuck him in everynight and whispered in his ears before turning out the bedside lamp.

"I love you, Henry…"

…

"Is there anyway we can reverse this? A spell? Potion? Anything?"

"Nothing can reverse the effect of that protection spell, Emma."

Furious, she punched the shop counter and stormed out. Gold shrugged and went back to dusting his precious items.

Emma walked towards Granny's Diner around the corner. Cold wind swept her curls and sent the tangled strands flying everywhere. She zipped up her red leather jacket and stuffed her hands inside the pockets.

Her fingers brushed something. A Polaroid photograph

"When Storybrooke was still very new to me, I used to go around taking pictures all the time. I got the camera from Gold, it is apparently a collector's edition."

"It's amazing! C'mon let's take pictures"

"Wha- like this?! I have nothing on!"

"Um…well grab the bed sheet or something I wanna try it out!"

"No Emma…no! Hey!"

Regina had giggled when Emma wrapped the silk cover over her lover's body and pecked her nose.

"Okay? Now smile!"

Regina had simply rolled her eyes.

They had spent the day taking pictures around the house. After the school bus dropped Henry off, Emma had set the camera on the mantle of Regina's living room and fixed the timer. The flash was blinding.

Emma retrieved the picture from her pocket.

Henry was laughing. Emma was pulling both of his ears. Regina was hugging him with one arm and the other was laced around Emma's.

We were always a family…

Emma wiped a tear off the corner of her eye and sighed.

The diner was empty save for a few waiting around for late breakfast. Emma pulled up a stool in front of the counter and waited for Ruby to bring her usual order of coffee and sandwich. She looked around. Familiar faces smiled and nodded at her.

Then she saw her.

Regina was sitting at a booth in the farthest corner. Her cup was empty. A newspaper was folded on the table top. She had a red blazer on and black skin tight skirt. Her legs were crossed under the table.

Emma decided to grab her order and walk over.

"Madame mayor," she greeted her, "good to see you out of the hospital."

"Thank you, sheriff," Regina nodded politely.

"Would you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all."

Emma edged onto the opposite chair and faced the woman.

…

People were staring. Whispering.

The saviour and the evil queen were sitting together in front of all eyes, having a friendly conversation.

They didn't understand. Fairytales didn't work this way.

Good and evil could never be together, could they?

But Emma and Regina were.

Regina's hand accidentally brushed Emma's on the table and she blushed apple red. Emma smiled into her coffee mug, eyes twinkling with new longing.

Hours later when Henry wandered into the diner looking for Emma, he found both of his moms lost in conversation. Regina was laughing. Emma was talking rather animatedly.

The little boy sat in a booth, hidden from their eyes. He ordered a hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and cinnamon as he watched the two of them. They looked as though nothing had changed at all.

But everything had.

Henry smiled as he watched the two women he loved the most in this entire world.

…

Regina stood inches away from the borderline.

One more step and her powers will be stripped away.

One step and she will no longer be the evil queen.

One step and all memories of broken heart and blinding rage will disappear.

One step and she'll prove to her son she truly has changed.

One step and Emma Swan will surely fall in love with her. Truly. Madly. Deeply.

Unconditionally.

She smiled as she took that step and a flash blinded her vision. Her tears dried on her cheek.

Days disappeared from her mind. Moments erased into pale whiteness.

As though a camera was snapping photographs in reverse.

…

*Note: Just a little something that suddenly crossed my mind. Let me know what y'all think!