Title: Ghost From My Past
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Pairings: Swan Queen
Rating: T
Spoilers: No.
Summary: Pulling her gun from its case, Emma ran up the walk way, only slowing when she reached the doorframe. The yelling from inside was louder and she could make out Regina's voice among the two screaming people.
Author's Note: A few people asked me to continue, so I thought, why not? Prompt from Tumblr: I loved the fic with Regina's mom in Storybrooke. Can you continue it? Puh-lease.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

/

It had taken hours since Regina's Mother had stormed into the Mills Manor, but Henry was finally asleep. He refused to part from the dark haired woman and if he was, even briefly, he went into a small panic attack about where she was and if Cora had come to back to get her.

Regina was more than willing to appease her son's sudden need for her. Emma could tell Regina panicked when she was away from Henry, though the reaction was less dramatic than the ten year old's.

After dinner, the three settled on the couch, flipping the TV on and leaving it on a cartoon for Henry. Regina had quietly told her that she could leave, but Emma insisted that she stay, incase Cora showed up again. Regina nodded and hadn't argued that she could protect herself like the blonde thought she would.

A rerun of SpongeBob flicked off, thrusting the room into darkness as Emma stood, stretching her muscles and letting out a few satisfying bone cracks. She saw Regina move to get up and Henry tighten his grip on her arm. "Want me to carry him up?" The Sheriff asked quietly.

"No. Thank you Miss Swan." With deceptive strength, Regina heaved the child into her arms. She readjusted him, nudging him to move his arms around her neck, and moved to go up the stairs, Emma right behind her. The blonde rushed ahead of the two brunettes to push the boy's bedroom door open. Regina nodded to her in thanks and placed him carefully on is bed.

Noticing that Regina was struggling to extract herself from Henry, Emma went about taking his shoes off and unmaking the blanket. By the time she did this, Regina was replacing herself with a beat-up stuffed elephant that Emma didn't know was in the room. Henry clung to it.

"Sweet dreams, precious." Regina whispered after pressing a kiss to her son's forehead. She stepped back and made to leave the room, letting her son's other Mother to wish him a good night as she waited in the hallway. "Thank you." She said suddenly, when Emma walked out. She reached past her and shut the door halfway. "For staying after she left."

"No problem." Emma shrugged.

"Would you like some cider?" Regina offered. Emma recognized this to be a peace offering, unlike the first time. She was unsure if she should stay, it already felt like she was overstepping her boundaries. She looked into Regina's eyes for a moment and saw the fear.

Fear of Cora, fear of her coming back, fear of someone finding out, fear of Henry being scarred by this, fear of being alone, Emma didn't know, but the fear was enough for her to nod her head.

"You know, I think I would." The smile that spread across dark red lips told her that she picked the right choice.

/

"Was she always like that?"

Regina rolled the tumbler in between her palms and stared into the small fire she set in the fireplace. "Yes." She answered. Her fingers absentmindedly rose to touch her neck. Wincing from the fresh bruises, she dropped her hand.

"I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say. She was. No one deserved to have the crap beat out of them, especially by a parent, someone who was suppose to protect you.

Regina chuckled bitterly. "It's not your fault."

"Why did she…show up now?"

"She must have finally found me." Regina said, her brown orbs flashing to a place that Emma could not see. The blonde felt awkward. She wasn't that close to the Mayor and the closest they have come was (almost) meaningless sex when one of the two needed a release they couldn't achieve by themselves. They weren't suppose to have conversations where feelings besides anger and hatred were expressed. But Emma wouldn't leave her after what happened that day.

"I wasn't aware that you were hiding." She finally said, keeping her eyes trained on Regina.

"From her? Always."

"When was the last time you saw her? She seemed to know about Henry from what I heard when I walked in."

"Yes, it would seem she did." The Mayor took in a deep breath. "The day before my eighteenth birthday, Miss Swan."

"Emma." The Sheriff corrected. "Your eighteenth birthday? That's a long time."

"We were determined to stay under the radar. I picked Storybrooke because it's small and no matter what I did here, it would never leave here, no matter how hard she looked."

"Even being Mayor?"

"Even being Mayor. Though it seems she found me and now…" You're not safe Emma completed the sentence in her head. If that's what the woman was capable of at her age now, she could only imagine that horrors of Regina's youth.

"Who's we?" Regina's head snapped over to Emma's. "You said we earlier, 'we were determined to stay under the radar'. Who is we?"

"Miss Swan-"

"Emma."

"-while I appreciate you staying to comfort Henry" Emma snorted "he is asleep now. Your presence is no longer needed." Her walls were coming back up, the ones she built to keep her Mother out and the ones that managed to keep everyone else, but the other half of the 'we' that she spoke of, out.

"You needed me too."

"I did not-"

"Then why offer me a drink? To be pleasant?" Emma asked with raised eyebrows. "We both know if you wanted me gone, I would have been out the minute your Mother left this house."

"I don't need-"

"You do." Emma, despite her better judgment, scooted closer to the darker woman. Emma was pleased when Regina didn't make a move to get away. "You've been running away from this woman for almost half your life. Keeping it all inside? It's going to hurt someone. It could hurt Henry."

"I would never harm him." Regina snapped.

"I never said you would, but your Mother is back." The blonde told her, placing a hand subconsciously on her knee. "Your Mother knows where you live and knows who Henry is. This is a small town, Regina. A small town where she could easily find out where he goes to school and where he hangs out."

Regina's dark eyes widen in terror. "No." She whispered.

"I'm not trying to scare you, honest, but do you feel that fear?" She picked up Regina's free hand and put it to Regina's own chest. "Do you feel your heart racing because you're afraid of her? The only way to overcome fear is to face it."

"I can't face her." Regina admitted in a breath below a whisper.

"Maybe not now, but you could, one day. First you have to face the memories."

The Mayor stood abruptly. She placed her glass on the mantle and walked away. Regina yanked a green, leather bound book from her shelf and dropped it to the ground. Emma jumped at the loud sound. Regina reached for a book that was hidden behind the green one with a tender care Emma saw Ashley give Alexandria when she first held her.

"My sister." Regina whispered, starring at the cover to the book in her hands. The blonde stood and made her way over to her, tumbler dropped next to Regina's. "She was the we."

"How old was she when you two left?"

Regina closed her eyes and let the image of her sister wash over her. "Almost eighteen. We are…twins." Emma watched the brunette gently open the pages to the book. Pictures were scattered across pages. Regina pointed to a picture of two teenage girls that had the caption Me and Betty.

"Identical?" She didn't expect to see another person that looked like the Mayor, let alone someone who was the mirror image, right down to the scar on their upper lips. "Do you still talk to her?"

"Yes. It's rare because we didn't want Mother to find us, but it's useless now. I'm going to have to call her to inform her that she's back."

"What was she like? Back then?" Regina turned from her and put the album where it belonged.

"I'd rather we didn't talk about it."

"Regina…"

"Maybe someday, but tonight, Emma." A new sort of tiredness crossed Regina's features. Something that came from years of hiding and running and not seeing her twin and being attacked in her home from a very literal demon from her past. Emma wouldn't push her, not tonight anyway. She held out her hand and when the weary brunette took it, Emma led her to Regina's bedroom.

The End, I think?