A/N: Here's the second chapter. The text in italics is a flashback like in the first chapter. The chapter is from Regina's point of view and the flasback is from third person's point of view but there was no other way to write it. I hope you'll like it. Reviews are very appreciated.
Regina's PoV
Emma stormed into the station a few hours after my conversation with Mary Margaret.
"What have you done to my mother?" She shouted at me.
"What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion. Have I killed Mary Margaret without remembering it? That would be such a shame! "As much as I wanted, I haven't done anything to her."
"You're lying." Emma said but I could see she had calmed a little.
"Why don't you use that gift of yours, Miss Swan? You'll see I'm telling the truth."
"I… I am not sure it works properly on you," she said timidly. That was odd. Unless Mary Margaret's theory was right and Emma was in love with me. That would explain her behavior.
"And why is that so, Miss Swan?" I purred in my most seductive voice only to see her reaction. She fidgeted nervously which wasn't typical for her. I have challenged her so many times and given her so many of my Evil Queen stares and she had never backed off. But now at this simple question she acted as an unsure teenager. I was beginning to think that she really had feelings for me.
"If you hadn't done anything to her, then why did she look like that?" The sheriff changed the subject.
"What do you mean?"
The door of Mary Margaret apartment opened just to reveal its very strange looking owner. The princess hair was disheveled, her clothes looked like they had been set on fire and she had scratches all over her face and hands.
"What happened to you?" David asked with concern. He had been worried sick for his wife who had disappeared hours ago.
"I was at the Sheriff station…" she started but David immediately cut her off.
"What were you doing there?"
"I went to see Regina. I wanted to tell her to leave Emma alone. That didn't go well as you can see," she explained.
"Did Regina do this to you?" The anger was easily recognizable in David's voice.
"Yes. I barely managed to escape."
At that moment the front door opened again and Emma entered.
"Hey, guys, what's goin…" the words died in her throat when she landed her sight on her mother. "What the hell happened to you?"
"The Evil Queen happened," David answered. "The woman you are so desperately trying to get out of jail."
"Did Regina do that?" Emma asked with disbelief, ignoring her father's words.
"Yes." Mary Margaret nodded to emphasize her words.
"This makes no sense. Why would she attack you?"
"Emma, what are you saying? That your mother is lying?" David's voice raised a little.
"No," Emma said even though she wasn't convinced that Mary Margaret was telling the truth. "I am just wondering why would Regina do that?"
"That woman is the Evil Queen. She doesn't need reason. She hates my guts," her mother intervened.
"Will you stop calling her that?" The blonde yelled at both her parents. "She's not like that anymore."
"Are you taking her side?" The accusation in David's tone was obvious.
"I am not taking any sides. I am just stating a fact. She's changed. She saved our lives," Emma turned to Mary Margaret.
"Emma, she killed Archie a few days ago," she replied.
"She says that she didn't."
"And you believe her?"
"Henry does. And if he does, so do I."
"She's guilty, Emma. You saw her doing it just like we did," David said.
"Yes, and in my world this would have been enough." They both looked at her confused. "This is a world of magic. Just because I saw something doesn't mean that it really happened," she explained.
"So you choose Regina over the whole town?" Mary Margaret asked. She sounded somehow hurt.
"No. I choose justice. What if it wasn't Regina? Ever since you remembered who you are you keep saying that we should do the right thing no matter how hard it is. That's what I am doing. I am trying to find out the truth. It won't be right to keep Regina in jail if she is innocent."
"Emma, she's the…" Mary Margaret stopped when her daughter glared at her sternly. "She has killed hundreds of people. She is not innocent."
"That's her past. She is not that person anymore," the Savior tried to reason with her parents though it seemed hopeless. She couldn't understand why they were acting like that. Especially her mother. She had tried to help Regina so many times in the past according to Henry's book. She had even saved the queen's life.
"She attacked your mother," David snapped at her.
"Fine!" She snapped back. "I will talk to her." She slammed the door as she exited the apartment. She was angry and confused. She could sense that her mother was lying about the attack. However, her father wasn't. How was that possible?
"I haven't attacked your mother though I wish I had," I said after Emma told me the story. "Which means that she lied to your father. That's why you felt that he was telling the truth. He thought that I had actually assaulted her."
"Why would my mother lie, Regina?"
"To keep you and Henry away from me. She is pissed because you believe me and you are trying to help me."
"I know she isn't happy about it but pretending that you had attacked her… That's just not her style," the sheriff objected.
"Since when do you know her so well?" I bit my tongue in the second the words came out of my mouth but it was too late. I had already said them.
"Right. Because someone's curse took my family away from me," Emma countered calmly as if that were an argument we were having on a daily basis.
"You're not hurt or angry?" I asked with surprise.
"If it weren't for your curse, we wouldn't have Henry right now and he is more important than everything else."
I nodded in agreement but I still felt like I needed to apologize. "I am sorry," I whispered and the words sounded so wrong. How are you supposed to apologize for something unforgivable? "I really am," I repeated because I wanted her to believe me even when I didn't believe myself.
"I know," Emma's reply came as a whisper too. "You've changed. I just wish the others would see it."
"Me too."
"What am I going to do with my parents? They might try to ground me to keep me away from you," the sheriff joked although we both knew that they could actually attempt to do that. Her joke reminded me of my conversation with her mother.
"There is something I should probably tell you," I started hesitantly.
"Okay," Emma slid her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "Shoot."
"When Mary Margaret was here she said that you still believed me after all the efforts she had made to keep you away from me."
"What efforts?"
"She didn't say but I think…" I trailed off. What was I doing? I couldn't tell her about my suspicions. I would lose her support.
"What, Regina? Spit it out!" The sheriff was starting to lose patience.
"I think she has something to do with Archie's death."
Emma just stood there and looked at me. I had expected her to walk out of the station and never talk to me again but that didn't happen.
"That's not possible," she finally spoke. "Archie was her friend." I got the part with the disbelief though.
"I know but…"
"My mother is not a murderer," Emma interrupted me.
"I am not saying that she did it but maybe she worked with Gold."
"My mother is not the one who is scheming," the sheriff objected again.
"Yes, that's me," I said and the pain in my voice surprised us both.
"That's not what I meant."
"Really?" I asked harshly. My walls were coming up again.
"Okay, maybe I would say that but try to understand me. This whole situation is so complicated. Ever since I came to Storybrooke my life became extremely complicated. Henry's stories turned out to be true and I found out that my parents were actually Snow White and Prince Charming and my son's adoptive mother was a queen." I was surprised that she didn't say 'the Evil Queen'. "Then I fell through a portal straight in the Enchanted Forest, and now this mess with Archie's murder. I feel like I can't trust anyone. Especially now since my own mother lied to me. I thought that my life would change when I was finally with my family but it is just as it was before. Everyone is constantly lying to me," Emma said in despair.
"If you knew she was lying, why did you come here yelling at me?" I asked because I didn't know what else to say.
"Because I was angry. I was angry with my parents because they lied to me, then with myself because I didn't believe them, then with you because I thought you had attacked Mary Margaret and then again with myself because I had believed you. By the time I came here the anger was boiling in me."
"But now you believe me?" I didn't even try to hide the hope in my voice.
"Yes. For some strange and unknown reason I do. My gift tells me that you're not lying about attacking my mother but believing that she has something to do with Archie's death…" She trailed off.
"I know how it sounds but if you had seen her, you would think like me," I insisted, risking to lose the sheriff's support.
"This is insane, Regina," she finally said what I was expecting to hear in the very beginning.
"I know what I saw," her words angered me nonetheless. "She wasn't herself. There was something… dark in her."
"Why would she do that? Give me a reason, Regina!"
"Her daughter's inappropriate feelings seem like enough reason to me," I snapped before I could stop myself.
"What?" Emma was dumbfounded.
I sighed. I should've kept my mouth shut but that's not something you can expect from a queen. At least not from me for that matter.
"Your mother thinks you are in love with me."
I have never seen the Savior that shocked. I thought she would need some time to recover but she almost immediately blurted out, "Is it that obvious?"
"What?" I hadn't expected such a blunt confession.
"What what?" Emma asked, trying to get out of the situation.
"You just admitted that you're in love with me, Miss Swan."
"Great! Now we're back to 'Miss Swan'," the blonde rolled her eyes. "Look, I know you're angry…"
"I'm not angry, Emma," I cut her off. "Actually, I am flattered."
"But? There is a 'but' here, isn't there?"
"Yes, there is," I nodded. "And it's not what you think. Ever since you're in Storybrooke we've been fighting for Henry and I've seen you only as an enemy. A threat to my family." I tried to explain, hoping that I wouldn't make it worse.
"Even now?" I had the feeling that she would start making puppy dog eyes every second now.
"To some extent, yes, even now," I said and immediately regretted it as I saw how hurt she looked.
"Why?" The pain in her voice made something in me break. I did it again. I hurt her again. After all, that was what I was good at – hurting people.
"Because you're too damn perfect," I was getting frustrated.
"I am far from perfect," Emma whispered when she finally recovered from the shock my words had thrown her in.
"Well, maybe. But you are a lot closer to it than me. The town loves you and so does Henry. Me, on the other hand… not so much."
"He loves you, Regina."
"But he ran away in search for you. I wasn't good enough for him." A tear fell down my cheek.
Emma didn't say anything this time. She just stretched out her arm and wiped the tear tenderly. I backed away, surprised from the contact.
"Sorry," the Savior said sheepishly and withdrew.
"No problem," I replied and gave her a small reassuring smile. I made her feel like an idiot more than enough times for today. We just stood in awkward silence for a few moments. "How did you even fall in love with me?" I asked suddenly.
"It wasn't that hard. Have you looked at yourself? You're gorgeous." I couldn't help but smile at the compliment.
"I went all Evil Queen on you. People usually find that frightening, not gorgeous," I said seriously.
"Yes, I've seen your dark side many times but I have also seen how much you can love someone. Everything you did, Regina, you did it for Henry."
"We both know that's not true. I did a lot of the things only to prevent the curse from breaking." I smiled bitterly. It was strange to admit that. Especially to the Savior.
"You were afraid that you would lose Henry, if the curse broke."
"Emma, I didn't think you were so naïve. I am the Evil Queen for heaven's sake!" I snapped.
"Don't ever say this again," she commanded, locking her eyes with mine.
"It's the truth. I've done terrible things."
"I know I can't justify everything you've done but I will keep pointing out the good things."
"Why do you do that? Why do you believe in me?" I asked.
"Honestly, I don't know, Regina. All I know is that I love you and nothing can change that." Emma was absolutely serious and it scared me to death. Images of Daniel dying in my embrace appeared in my mind. Tears started streaming down my face. "Regina, I'm sorry. I… what did I say now?" She panicked.
"You said that you love me unconditionally."
"Okay, now I'm lost. Why is that so bad?" She was perplexed.
"Everyone who loved me died because of me." I felt so helpless. "I am like a curse for the people who love me," I cried. "Henry can't lose you. I… I can't lose you."
"You won't lose me," Emma took my hand in hers through the bars. "I am not going anywhere."
"You can't know that," I objected. She sighed.
"What am I going to do with you?" Emma asked as she let go of my hand and headed to her desk. She took the key for my cell.
"What are you doing?" I inquired when she unlocked the door.
"We are going to pay my mother a visit. I want to talk to her," she said and headed to the exit of the station. I just stood at my cell and stared at her. "Are you coming?" she asked when she understood I wasn't following her.
"I know what you're doing," I spoke and she frowned. "You are trying to distract me from my pessimistic thoughts."
"There are much better ways to distract you and none of them involves talking." Her eyes darkened significantly as she approached me.
"Are you flirting with me, Miss Swan?" I got out of my cell and stopped mere inches away from her.
"I guess I am doing it wrong if you don't know the answer," Emma pouted.
I rolled my eyes. "Can't you play your games after we find out who framed me?"
"Gosh, Regina, you're such a killjoy!" she complained.
"Well, excuse me if I am worried that whoever framed me is still out there probably planning something even worse."
"Okay." Emma raised her hands in defense. "Let's go to my mother's apartment then."
I nodded and purple smoke engulfed us.
