A/N:Comments are very welcome! I would like to know what you think!
Big thanks to Sultry Sweet for being my Beta!!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.
SUMMARY: It's been a while since the curse broke. Yet someone's still holding a grudge for what Regina did to all of them 30 years ago. How will her Savior react?
Emma's POV
"Ma?" Emma turned around to see Henry walking into the kitchen, "Have you seen mom?"
"She hasn't gotten back from work yet." Emma answered wrapping her left arm around her son while she poured hot water into the mug. "Why are you asking?"
"Dunno... It's getting late and I'm just worried, I guess..."
Emma didn't respond right away. She let go of him and turned around to rest her back against the counter. The blonde could see the flicker of worry in his eyes. She then looked at the wall to see the hour. It was after 8 pm.
Indeed, it was late, but she knew Regina and how she would never leave the office until everything was done.
"I'm sure she's okay." Emma said with a sure tone of voice. "No need to worry, she'll be home soon."
"Okay..." Henry gave Emma a small smile and Emma leaned in to kiss him on the top of his head.
"Hungry?" The blonde asked him after a second. "Want me to make something?"
"No, thanks. Not hungry. I think I'll just go to bed."
Emma wondered if it would ever stop surprising her to hear that her son wanted to go to bed early, yet she said nothing and nodded her head with a smile. He wrapped his hands around her in a hug. After she hugged him tightly, he left the kitchen and ran upstairs.
After taking the mug of hot tea, Emma walked to the living room. She found the free spot on the full-of-papers table. She had a lot of work, too.
Once Emma and Regina got together, they wanted to spend as much time together with Henry as possible. Yet when it came to work and they wanted to spend afternoons at home in each others presence... it never worked. There was no way to focus when they felt the other's prying eyes so they made a deal. If there were no meetings, Regina could work at home and keep an eye on Henry. If she couldn't, then Emma would take care of him at home.
Emma took a sip of her drink and was about to go to work when she saw she had a new text. She smiled when she saw that it was her girlfriend who had sent it.
"May I ask you for a ride? Don't ask why."
Emma frowned at the message because of two things. Regina always rode to work, but maybe she was out of gas? The second thing...Regina would tell her just that if it was the case.
"Sure, I'll be there to get you shortly. Where R U?"
"Outside Granny's."
"I'm on my way."
Emma left everything and after taking her jacket and car keys, she walked outside in the pouring rain. She jumped into her cruiser with fully wet hair.
Regina's POV
The brunette woman wrapped her hands abound her body, desperate to keep warm, but in the freezing cold rain it was almost impossible. Maybe if she had a jacket or a sweater and not only her white shirt. A chill ran down her spine as more drops fell on her hair, face, and shivering body.
She stood there, near Granny's, looking down at the small amount of sand that littered the ground due to foot traffic from the shore and docks. She already wanted to see Emma, find herself in her arms. Safe. After what had happened, she was quite afraid to stand still there. In the dark. All alone.
A sigh of relief left her throat as she saw Emma's cruiser on the horizon. She walked on the edge of the road and saw Emma through the window, leaning over the center console to open the door before Regina could do it. She quickly entered the car and then rested her head against the back of the seat. Her eyes immediately closed.
"God…" She heard Emma's voice. "Regina, why have you been standing like that in rain!?" The blonde asked with a raised voice, full of worry. "What happened?"
Regina only shook her head, not looking at the sheriff.
"Nothing…" She whispered after a second, her voice tremulous from cold, "I just want to go home."
Silence. Emma stayed quiet and Regina could feel those green orbs burn holes in her skin like she was trying to get through to her and read her thoughts. Regina knew what was about to happen, what Emma was about to say. She had never escaped from it before.
"You know there's no point in lying to me, Regina…" The older woman opened her eyes but didn't turn her head to look at the blonde. Regina realized that, for a moment, she forgot to breathe. "Tell me what's wrong. I know you would never walk in the rain. You are too obsessed about not getting sick. Besides…where's your car?"
The mayor ran her fingers through her dark, wet hair and swallowed before she could answer, "I went to Granny's on foot before it started to rain. I left it in the parking lot."
"I see." Regina felt a hot hand on her cold one. The touch was sudden and at first burning, but she didn't pull her hand away from the blonde's. "Now tell me."
Regina sighed. She was in no mood to talk about what happened at Granny's not so long ago and she had her reasons. One, she wanted to just take a hot bath or shower and go to sleep in her girlfriends arms. Two, if she told Emma she had no idea how the blonde would react. And three, that wasn't a big deal for her. It happened, end of story. Besides, it was nothing compared to the thing that happened to her before, but she knew that Emma wouldn't let it go and she would find out as soon as they got home.
"Okay." Regina surrendered, "But please. Drive." Away from here, away from that bastard, Regina inwardly finished.
Without another word, Emma listened to Regina and soon they were headed toward their house. Regina could feel a few looks from Emma. The younger woman was waiting for Regina to talk and the former queen knew that.
"Please, can you promise," the brunette finally started finally with a weak voice. The kind that Emma heard maybe once or twice. Regina Mills couldn't let herself be weak. She would walk with her head raised and her voice strong no matter what so no one could see that something was wrong. But Emma wasn't just anyone and Regina found it extremely hard to hide her emotions from the blonde woman. "Promise that you won't get mad?" Regina didn't have to look at Emma to know that she was frowning.
"O-kay…" Emma's voice was unsure. "Now, spill."
"Well…" Regina trapped her tongue between her teeth for a few seconds, "I kind of got myself into a fight. Not exactly, but…" She shook her head.
"What kind of fight? Who started it?"
Another sigh from Regina. "Sidney," she finally said.
"Here you go, Madame Mayor." Regina looked up from the newspaper to meet the tall waitress' eyes, a polite smile on her lips. "Your coffee, black."
"Thank you, Miss Lucas."
Regina wrapped her fingers around the really hot mug. She didn't mind. It was what she needed, to warm up, though the day was rather warm. Well, it apparently wasn't all that warm. Someone entered Granny's Diner and a cold air filled the café. Regina saw that it had just started to rain.
Regina raised the mug to her lips and blew before she took her first sip. She didn't look at the paper. She just drank her coffee and looked in front of her, thinking about getting soon home. Her eyes fell on Red as the waitress walked around with a cloth to clean the empty tables.
"I don't understand how that girl can be so nice to you."
Regina frowned as she heard a familiar voice behind her. She didn't turn around right away. She put the coffee on the counter and raised her perfectly shaped, brown eyebrows then turned in her chair to meet Sidney's eyes. He looked furious, a fire in his eyes..
"It's been a long time… Genie…" she spat the last word. Regina was in no mood to talk with that man. He was her little pet, yes, but before the curse broke. She hadn't seen him since Emma broke it. "Is there anything important enough to interrupt me from drinking my coffee?"
"Yes, I believe it is important." Regina frowned again as she saw a weird smile on his lips. It was almost wicked. "I've been waiting for too long, Regina…"
"For what?" The former queen hissed between her teeth. She had no more patience and he'd barely said more than a few words.
"To punish you for everything you've ever done."
Regina was speechless. That wasn't something she expected to hear from Sidney of all people, the one who trapped himself in the mirror because he fell in love with her.
"First, the consequences of my wish…" He continued, "I've been trapped in the mirror because of my stupidity. Then, you cast the curse. Believe me, for a second I was not the one who supported the idea. You made my life even more miserable and everyone else's, too. I tried to not interfere in any of what happened after the Savior broke the curse, but I knew how much this town pined for your blood…"
The brunette's eyes were focused on Sidney and only Sidney, but she could feel the eyes of everyone in the diner on her. At first, she didn't notice that Sidney's voice was the only thing she could hear.
"But I know I will never find peace…" The genie said almost softly. "You are going to pay for everything you've ever done, My Queen."
Regina refrained from telling all of that to Emma. Even in front of the blonde, Regina didn't want to look vulnerable. She had barely started to talk and now she wished she never had…
Emma frowned at her, looked at the road for a couple of seconds and then directed her attention back to her again.
"And then, well…" Regina bit her bottom lip. "He hit me… in the face…" No more to tell, Regina thought.
Then it happened really fast for Regina. She felt a really strong hit to her right cheek. Her head fell to one side, eyes closed from the pain Sidney's hand hadcaused. It didn't take more than a few second before the oxygen was choked from her lungs. The very same hands were wrapped around her throat. Sidney wasn't about to waste any time. His grip was hard and Regina felt her head become heavy. She fought to keep her eyes open and eventually failed.
She could hear shouts but couldn't distinguish the words. She mayor was about to fly away, but then the hands disappeared and she took a deep and painful breath. Her lungs burned, her throat ached like hell, and her cheek burned.
"Get the fuck outta here!" She heard Ruby's shout.
"I'm gonna call the sheriff," Granny said.
"No…" Regina forced out the words just as Ruby found herself by her side. "Don't call her. I'll do it…" Regina pushed herself up using her hands and stood up with a gasp of pain.
She needed to get out of there, away from everyone's stares. She was assaulted in public, that was enough. She wasn't about to let them know how she ached or show them any weakness.
"Do you need help?" Ruby asked with clear concern in her voice. Regina felt her hand on her arm.
"No, I'm fine." Regina answered in a deep voice. It was painful to talk, but she didn't want them all to know that. "Emma will come for me." The brunette looked at Red and gave her a tight smile, "Thank you, Miss Lucas. For your help."
"It was the right thing to do," the waitress answered softly. "Are you sure you are alright?"
"Perfectly fine." Regina turned around and opened the door to walk outside not even caring that it was raining like a bitch.
Emma's POV
"He did what?!" Emma shouted. The car pulled over to the turnout and stopped violently. The blonde undid her seatbelt and reached to take Regina's face in her hands. The brunette hissed softly in pain. A gasp escaped the Savior's lips when she saw a big, purple bruise on Regina's cheek from the middle of it to under her eye.
Now she knew why Regina hadn't once looked at her. To hide the damage. Her thumb gently touched the aching spot. Emma was frozen as she inspected all of Regina's face while the other woman kept her eyes closed tightly. Then, her own green eyes fell lower just to see another purple, oblong spots all around Regina's neck. That wasn't something Regina mentioned…
"I'm. Going. To. Fucking. Kill. Him." Emma snapped. "I'm gonna fucking kill him!"
Not caring for a seatbelt, she pulled the car from the turnout and punched on the gas with all her strength. She was only once in her life as furious as she was right now and that was when she had thrown Regina against a medicine rack in a supply closet at the hospital.
"Emma!" She heard Regina shout followed by a strong grip on her shoulder. "Emma, please, stop!"
But Emma was not about to listen. She barely heard Regina's words. The anger burned every inch of her body. She wanted that mad man in her hands. She wanted to slap him, just like he did to Regina. She wanted to close her grasp around his throat as he had done it to her loved one.
"Emma…" Regina begged with a helpless tone of voice. "Emma, please, you're scaring me…"
The something hit Emma inside. What she was doing? She felt like an animal. She wanted to get him and literally rip his throat out. She wasn't a monster. She just couldn't do those things. That would be selfish. Maybe she would feel better, at first, but it would hurt Henry and Regina. What if she couldn't handle herself after it? There were a bunch of other things to do to the guy. Right things. Murder wasn't one of them.
Emma stopped on the side of the road once again today. Her hands tightly held the steering wheel, her knuckles all white, and her heart beat wildly in her chest. She heard Regina take a breath of relief. Emma kept quiet as the thoughts ran around her head.
She wouldn't do it, but only for Regina. If Regina was scared, what kind of monster had awakened inside of her?
"I'm so sorry, Regina. I didn't mean to scare you." Emma whispered quietly. Her eyes seemed to be dead looking at the empty road.
"It's… It's okay…" Regina said, though she knew that it wasn't. "Hey…" Regina placed her hand on Emma's and squeezed it. "Listen, I wouldn't want you to do anything that you would regret later… Actually, that might have destroyed you. I know what I'm talking about, you know exactly, because I was there once and everyone saw what I became."
"You're not evil, Regina."
"I was once, but this isn't the time to talk about that now." Regina watched Emma for a couple of seconds and licked her bottom lip.
"How could you?" Emma asked with an even lower tone of voice.
"What?" Regina asked confused, frowning a little.
"How could you let him go? Just like that." Emma finally turned her head to meet Regina's dark, still filled with worry, eyes. "You should have called me right away. I would've take him and–"
"Emma, I know how you would've reacted. You're emotionally involved with me and you wouldn't think clearly, just like you weren't able to a few seconds ago."
"But we would have him," Emma kept pushing stubbornly.
"We would," Regina agreed nodding her head. "The question is how."
Emma sighed and closed her eyes. She let go of the wheel and took Regina's hand in hers. Her thumb gently caressed the back of Regina's hand. And then she heard it. The three words that awoke a fury yet again.
"I deserved it."
Green wide orbs meet brown ones. Emma watched Regina with incredulity in her eyes. "How the hell you can say that!"
Regina's POV
"How can I not?" Regina almost snapped, shaking her head. "I might have changed, but even though that part is the past, we can't change it and I've done horrible things! I'm not surprised that they still can't forgive me. They have every right not to.
"I deserved that. Hell! I deserve much more! I will never be able to pay them back for the misery I put them through, for the death I brought upon them..."
"Stop, Regina, just st-"
"No!" Regina almost screamed. "I will not stop, Emma! I'm telling the truth! I don't deserve their goodness, I don't deserve a second chance, I don't deserve being accepted by you parents, I don't deserve Henry's love nor yours! And yet I have it. How?"
"Because you do deserve it. Am I the only one who sees that, Regina?" Emma's eyes changed again, no longer fiery as they previous were. "How can you be blind? It's your life! I know what it's like to have a shitty life, you know? I had that, but never as miserable as yours. I can't even imagine what you went through and I understand that it put you in the darkest of places. Yet, everyone else seems to forget about that and you just let them!"
Regina lowered her head and kept quiet. She was torn. She couldn't see the explanation for her actions caused by her past. There were a lot of people who for sure might have had an even worse life and not turned into evil people. Regina chose that path.
"I think that you just need to cut the shit, Regina." Emma's voice was firm and harsh. She wasn't about to have a mercy on Regina. If she could call this mercy. She was about to make Regina open her eyes and see that she was wrong about herself. "You said it yourself. The past is the past. We can't chance it. So leave it! Here's your present and future, with me and Henry! You've done a lot of things for all of these people, even if they don't see it that way. With this curse? You gave them a better life. I've been in the Enchanted Forest, maybe not the one you lived in, but…here, there are no wars. They have heat in their houses, they don't have to kill or steal to have food, and they can sleep calmly and have a family, have good jobs, feel safe in their town… How can't they see it?"
"It's not only about that–"
"It is." Emma cut her off. "They should just chill and understand that you did them no harm."
"It's not only about the curse, Emma! Have you read Henry's book about the Genie's story? Has Henry ever told you what I did for him? I fooled him into thinking that I fell in love with him just he would kill the king for me and I let everyone know that he was responsible for Leopold's death. He could have left, said goodbye to his precious life and escaped. But no. He chose to trap himself in the mirror and so I used him in whatever way I liked.
"And what about the way I used him here? How I sent him to jail to save my own ass when I was setting up your mother? If I were him I would want to kill the person who did that, too."
"You don't know what you're talking about…"
"And how's that?"
"I'm not saying that what you've done was right, but I still think that you've been through enough in your life. You just wanted to find happiness."
Regina knew that Emma was right. Yet she couldn't feel right. Yes, she wanted to be happy, for once, but she was searching for it at the expense of the others and their happiness. That was just evil.
"I'll go find him tomorrow and put him behind bars." Emma decided as she broke the silence and started the car. "You are a stubborn little thing, Regina. If you want to think about yourself as evil…? Fine, but what makes you think that he's the good one? He wanted to kill you. How does that make him any better than an evil queen, huh? Who would be the one to punish him? Me? Just liked I wanted to?" Emma shook her head. After ten minutes, she stopped in front of the mansion.
"Thank you…" Regina whispered quietly as they walked on the porch. "For everything."
"You don't have to thank me, Regina. Actually, I should be thanking you. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what I would have done to him. I hate myself for all the thoughts I had." Emma closed her eyes and shook her head as the imagines in her head returned.
Regina reached out to take Emma's face in her hands and then leaned in to kiss her fondly on the lips. She felt Emma wrap her arms around her waist as she returned the kiss. Regina pressed her forehead against Emma's, her eyes still closed and a small smile on her face.
"You are indeed my Savior…" Regina whispered and Emma chuckled.
"I may be a Savior, but sometimes I need to be saved, too…"