Rating: K+
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and I make no profit from them.
"Oh my God Emma, I've been worried sick," Snow shrieks as she opens the door and throws herself at the blonde. Emma tries her best to not flinch, but there's no hiding how her body goes rigid as she's wrapped up in a hug.
"Where have you been, I've tried calling you a million times," the dark haired woman continues as her eyes sweep over her daughter, making sure she's not hurt.
"Sorry, I kinda left all my stuff at Regina's," the sheriff replies with a sheepish shrug, groaning internally at the way the other woman's eyes narrow at the name.
"What did she make you do?"
"Jesus, why do you always assume she's scheming or manipulating? She didn't make me do anything, I went to her okay?" The child in her is delighted at the chastised look that passes over Snow's features at being scolded by her own daughter, but the other woman's expression is soon replaced by confusion.
"Why would you go to her?" she spits out.
The answer to that will no doubt start a hefty argument, something the blonde is not up for in her current state.
"Look, can we please talk about this later? I need to sleep."
"Sleep, why? It's midday, are you okay?" the dark haired woman's hand moves to brush against Emma's forehead, but the sheriff bats it away instinctively. A flash of regret hits her at the hurt look on Snow's face.
"Please, later okay?" she pleads with the other woman.
Snow seems to contemplate her daughter for a moment before giving a curt nod.
Emma sighs in relief when she finally moves inside the apartment, but turns confused to the dark haired woman when she finds it empty. She had half expected Henry to come running at her.
"Charming took him outside to keep entertained so he wouldn't worry about you," Snow explains before the blonde can ask, not quite hiding her disapproval.
Had her head not been killing her, Emma would have risen to the bait.
"Thanks," she mutters instead as she drags her feet up the stairs and falls onto her bed face first. She smiles softly at the scent of Henry and falls asleep faster then she can remember doing for a long while.
Regina Mills internally cringes at the bell ringing when she walks inside the shop signaling her presence. The smile on Rumpelstiltskin's face when he sees her makes her wish for a second that Belle could be present with them. Not that that girl has any business knowing what the former Queen is there for, but she does have a way of taming the man's wickedness somewhat and it would be nice to not have to deal with Rumpelstiltskin's unpleasantness for once. She has enough grief in her life right now without adding him too.
"Your Majesty," he says as he curtseys, knowing how much she detests the old title and mocking gesture. He's impressed at how well she hides her disdain; clearly she had expected it.
Instead of a verbal reply she walks until she's standing up close to him, trying to appear intimidating and secure as she towers slightly above the man supporting himself on his stick. Had the brunette still been her former unstable Evil Queen she would have perhaps succeeded a little, but Rumpel knows she hasn't been for a long time and so he finds it amusing instead.
"What brings you by on this most glorious day?" he asks calmly, satisfied when the former mayor narrows her eyes disapprovingly at the subtle dig that Snow and 'the Savior' have returned.
"We need to discuss protective measures," she states curtly, knowing he'll understand she's talking about her mother.
"I'm not sure it's going to do much difference now. There's no way to know when or how she'll make it here."
"There has to be something we can do," Regina asks, not quite able to hide her desperation.
"I might be able to find a way to let us know about any foreign presences but I can't be sure until tomorrow at the earliest."
His statement doesn't seem to soothe the former Queen much. She had obviously hoped for something that could prevent Cora from appearing in Storybrooke.
"Until tomorrow then?" he asks when she doesn't say anything else, gesturing to the door.
"There is one more thing," she replies smoothly, ignoring the man's hint for her to leave.
"What's that dearie?" He finds himself slightly curious as to what the brunette could want that's not related to the threat of Cora returning.
Regina seems reluctant to ask, obviously not wishing to tell him too much and trying to decide how to best keep him in the dark.
"Do you have anything that can…extract magic?"
His expression changes to one of interest.
"Having problems after absorbing all the fairy dust?" he questions as his eyes sweep over her to look for any visible effects or changes.
"Of course not," she brushes him off, trying to sound nonchalant. "But you know I'm trying to stay off the magic for Henry."
He feels slightly disappointed that she won't indulge him. When Regina consumed all that energy, he had half feared she would end up dead – and he is still silently impressed she isn't – but it seems obvious to him that she would suffer some kind of after effect.
And he didn't find out so much about magic by not poking and probing; trying things none other dared and sticking his nose further than he probably should have.
Yes, he'll most definitely have to keep an extra careful eye on the former Queen for a while to see if he can figure out the ramifications of devouring so much magic meant to kill.
"Well, it just so happens that I might know the person who can help you," he replies gleefully, knowing how furious his suggestion will make her.
"Person?" she asks confused. She had hoped he would have an artifact or something similar she could transfer the foreign magic residing in her into.
"Indeed! Just yesterday you helped a certain someone return to this realm and this problem you're having would seem like the perfect situation for a Savior to, well, save, don't you think?"
He almost laughs out loud at the look of shock and disdain she dons at his words.
"I don't see how Miss Swan can help me," she grits out, betraying her outer calm and apparent indifference.
"That, I'm afraid, is for you and Miss Swan to figure out."
For a moment Rumpelstiltskin sees a flash of the Evil Queen as darkness passes over her features and her right hand twitches, as if she's itching to use magic to force him into submission or torture him; possibly even kill him so she can be rid of his nuisance.
But then it's gone and she spins around quickly, slamming the door so hard the glass rattles precariously.
When Emma awakes for the second time that day, she stretches delightedly in bed. Her headache is thankfully gone and she feels a lot more rested.
Her eyes open and she has to suppress the scream almost tearing from her lips as she scrambles into a sitting position. Her son is staring at her with a smile.
"Christ Henry, don't do that, it's creepy," she exclaims as her hand moves to her rapidly thumping heart and the boy's smile falters a little.
"Sorry, Snow wanted me to let you know dinner is ready soon, but you looked so peaceful," he replies innocently, forcing a wry smile from his second mom.
"That's sweet kid, just don't do it again. Please?"
"Ok," he replies with a grin, turning to leave.
"Hey Henry, can I talk to you a moment?" she calls, halting his retreat. She's not sure why she does, but there's a tiny, annoying voice in the back of her mind trying to tell her something.
"Sure, what's up?" he asks as he bounds down opposite her on the bed.
"Can we talk about your mom?"
His face turns to one of childish defiance.
"You're my mom!"
"Regina is your mom, she's the one who raised you," she responds sharply, taken aback by his apparent animosity towards the former mayor. From what she gathered the day before, the brunette has been trying to turn over a new leaf, promising Henry to not use magic and letting him stay with David.
"She's the Evil Queen and even if she wasn't you're my real mom," he states as if it should explain everything.
Emma has to fight the urge to yell at him, trying to remember that he's just a kid; a hard-headed, naive and ignorant one, but still a child.
"Look, I don't care who she is or what she's done, she's still your mom and you treat her with respect am I clear?"
He looks shocked at the way she speaks to him – maybe because she actually sounds like the brunette – but she can't be 'the cool mom' if he won't listen to the one responsible for raising him.
He nods uncertainly at her and she tries to give him a reassuring smile.
"You said your mom saved us, can you tell me how?" For a moment it looks like the boy is going to protest against her pointed use of the word 'mom', but he seems to think better of it.
"Well she and Mr. Gold used some kind of magic to make sure no one could get back because they were afraid Cora would come here, but I told her you would make it so she removed all the magic," he blurted in one quick breath, obviously proud that he had managed to help.
"Remove the magic? How?"
"She just stuck out her hands and all this green light seemed to get sucked into them."
"Right," Emma answered thoughtfully. It couldn't be that easy could it? Unwillingly her mind flashed back to the brunette trying to scramble off the ground. How had the woman wound up down on the ground in the first place?
"What about after?"
"What do you mean?" Henry asks confused.
"After she removed all the magic what happened? How did she end up on the ground?" she expands, trying to remember every detail from the chaos of their return.
"I don't know, I guess she got blasted sideways. I wasn't really looking at her, I was looking for you," he says with a shrug and she can't blame his neglect of the former Queen. After all, she hadn't been any better. She had left the brunette behind just as much as everyone else in her delight at being back.
Perfect, that's twice I've been an ungrateful ass to her in the short time I've been back.
She gives him a goofy smile as she rises from the bed and races him downstairs.
Dinner is a subdued affair as both women in the apartment prepare for the conversation they know they need to have.
When they're done eating, Charming none too conspicuously tells Henry he needs his help fixing something, leaving mother and daughter to stare at each other awkwardly.
"Are you going to tell me why you went to Regina last night?" Snow says, breaking the silence.
"Not really," Emma shrugs, causing the dark haired woman to sigh at how reserved and vague she's being.
"I don't mean to sound nagging-"
"So don't!"
"But you have to be careful Emma, Regina is-"
"I know okay, I've butted heads with her for over half a year and people are standing in line telling me all the bad things she's done," the blonde says irritably. She's getting tired of hearing the same tune over and over again.
"Then why do you keep running after her?"
"I'm not," the sheriff says a little louder than she intended. "I just need to get away from all you biased people so I can think."
She doesn't like the shocked and hurt look that comes over the other woman, but she can't pretend everything is perfect either, that's never been her way.
It has been easy enough to ignore her conflicted emotions and turmoiled thoughts when they've been away, because there they had to constantly fight and run to survive and try to find a way back. But now that the promise of imminent death is gone for a moment so she can actually think, she can't help but feel overwhelmed.
"But why can't you talk to me? I'm your mother," Snow says sadly and the blonde has to remind herself of her own confused feelings to be able to continue.
"Exactly, and that's why you can't be impartial any more. Suddenly I don't have my friend and roommate, but a whole different person who treats me like a child when I do something she doesn't approve of and everyone I thought I knew is someone else and magic is freaking real. It's just too much to take in all at once."
Snow looks crestfallen at what she's hearing.
"I don't know what I can do," she says softly, looking pleadingly at her daughter.
"I just need some time and space," Emma explains after a moment, willing her mother to understand.
"And how will you manage that?" the dark haired woman questions genuinely.
"Well," the blonde starts, scratching awkwardly at her arm. "For starters I think I need to find somewhere else to live."
"Oh Emma that's really not necessary, I-" Snow starts, but at the look she receives from the sheriff she promptly shuts her mouth.
"I know David – Charming - and Henry have been staying here, and I think I'm assuming correctly when I say you want him to stay with you right?"
Snow looks like she's about to deny it, but then thinks better of it and nods her affirmation instead.
"And since Henry is so mind-set on Regina being evil right now, he's gonna have to stay in my room for the time being." She gives a pointed glare as Snow's mouth open – no doubt to agree with Henry – making it clear she's not interested in hearing it.
"So it's gonna be pretty crowded here," she finishes, the lack of argument indicative that the other woman seems to get the point, even if she doesn't like it.
"Where will you go?" the dark haired woman finally asks dejectedly.
The urge to say she might ask Regina to let her crash for a while is tempting, but it would be too spiteful against her mother and then she'd never be allowed to leave this apartment.
"I'll probably rent at Granny's until I can find something more suitable and permanent."
It's clear that Snow thinks it unnecessary, but she manages to hold her tongue.
"Right," Emma says awkwardly. "I'll just go out for a few errands then, sort out some stuff."
The dark haired woman nods mutely, clearly deep in thought over everything the blonde has told her.
"Be back later," the sheriff calls over her back as she practically runs from the room.