A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story. I hope you continue to do so xx

Chapter Two: Tear Us Apart

*Present Time*

The broken down former queen pulled herself together and tried to clean up her makeup. She felt numb as she gazed emptily towards the kitchen.

Regina made a cup of tea before retreating to her office to distract herself with mayoral paperwork. As much as she tried to focus, nothing held her attention.

The familiar ringing of a Facetime call on her iPhone sounded throughout the office. With her reading glasses perched on her nose, she recognized Henry's picture as soon as she glanced down.

"Hi, Mom," his now deep voice rang out.

"Hi, honey," Regina waved at her son through the screen.

Henry squinted at his mom. "Are you okay? Have you been crying?"

Regina inspected her appearance in the little box in the upper corner. Her face was still red and her eyes were puffy.

"Oh, it's nothing, sweetie. How are you? I school going well?"

"Yeah, Mom. It's good. You know that if you're upset you can talk to me about it."

"I know, baby. How are your grades?"

"The same as when you asked two days ago. Is Ma there?"

"Umm, no. She's with your grandmother. Let's not about life on this end right now. I'm not in the mood. Tell me about you, please."

Henry rolled his eyes at his closed off mother. "Mom, you're never in the mood. Just don't shut Ma out, okay?"

He paused before continuing, "But school is good. I think I'm going to join the intramural lacrosse team. That way it's something fun and active to do but not too organized and strict as some of the other sports here."

"That sounds wonderful! Maybe we could drive down some weekends to watch you play."

"That sounds great."

Henry gave Regina a smile so similar to Emma's that it made her heart race. They both give it to her when they know something's bothering her and she won't tell them the whole truth. They know not to push her, so give her that smile instead and it usually gets her to talk. Regina took that as her cue to hang up.

"Well, dear, I have a mountain of paperwork piling up that I should get back to. Thank you so much for calling. Keep up the great work."

"Alright, Mom. I love you. And tell Ma I love her too."

When he disappeared from her phone she felt guilty. Even though he was her son, she still felt bad for not telling him that her and Emma were hardly speaking.

*Earlier that day*

The mayor's phone buzzed with another text message and she was so annoyed that she almost threw it across the room.

Another text from her wife.

Emma had been trying to give Regina space but she still kept texting her: asking to know how she was, if she needed anything, if Regina would see her. Finally, the brunette was at her wit's end and she caved.

Regina: Fine. Be here in twenty minutes. But don't expect much.

She finally agreed to see Emma for two reasons. One, she couldn't take the begging anymore and figured this would end it. Two, because she truly missed her lover. Not the Emma she's been sharing a home with for the past few months but the Emma before everything fell apart.

Before the blonde arrived, she made it a point to check her appearance in the foyer mirror. The familiar feel of butterflies made their way into her stomach; a palce they haven't graced in a year.

"Pull it together, Mills," she said to herself.

A couple of minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door before a wave of blonde curls entered the mansion. She gave Regina a shy smile when she saw her perched on the living room sofa.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Hi, Regina. And sure."

They both walked to the kitchen and the brunette poured them each a glass of water.

"You don't need to treat me like a stranger, this is my house too."

Regina snapped, "But that's exactly what you are. A stranger,". She opened her mouth again when she saw the blonde's face, about to apologize but quickly changing her mind. "I told you not to expect much."

Emma looked down at her shuffling feet and tried to keep her cool.

"How have you been?"

"I've been better. How about you?"
"Yeah, same."

They stood in the kitchen surrounded by the most uncomfortable silence either of them had ever felt. They could hear their hearts beating they were so nervous and uncomfortable.

Finally, Regina broke the silence. "Do you need to pick up any more of your clothes to take back with you to Mary Margaret's?"

The blonde threw her head back in frustration. "Jesus, Regina! I came here to talk to you, not have you throw me out even more."

"And what exactly was it you were hoping to talk about? Maybe what exactly was going through your head when you decided to fuck somebody else?!"

The tension was now gone: it was full on anger in that room. They put their glasses down on the counter and began to raise their voices at each other.

"I know what I did was wrong and unforgivable but you can't push this all on me."

"How can I not?! I didn't ask you to violate every single one of our promises to each other."

"No, but you still broke yours too."

"I beg your pardon," Regina was in disbelief.

"You shut me out when we needed each other the most and you acted like I had no feelings or investment in what happened a year ago."

"Don't you dare bring this up," Regina took a step back as Emma took one closer.

"We have to. This is what started everything. I think about her every day."

The brunette was shaking her head, "Please don't say her name,".

"Sophie. I think about our beautiful daughter, Sophie, every damn day. God, you can't even say her name."

"No! You aren't the one who lost her!"

Emma was so frustrated with her wife being so blinded by her own pain.

"Regina, just because you were pregnant with her and miscarried doesn't mean I didn't lose her too. I lost her and you."

"I'm not the one who left my family for some cheap lay," Regina's words were laced with venom.

"I'm not trying to excuse what I did but, Regina, you pushed me away. You shut me out completely and disregard my feelings. I know that you carried her, but it doesn't make her any less mine. Just like how Henry isn't any less yours."

"No but you abandoned him too before, just like you're doing now," Regina's words were so hurtful that it almost erased all the growing she had done as a person and a partner over the years.

Emma shook her head and backed away as tears poured down her face.

"I expected more from you, Regina. Maybe not seven years ago but definitely now. I guess I was wrong."

"I guess you were." Regina was fighting back the tears, desperate for Emma not to see them.

The blonde stormed off and slammed the door without a glance behind her.

The mayor knew what she did was wrong but she just couldn't help herself. All of her emotions pushed her to the edge and the poisonous words slipped out without even a thought. her wife was right: she had fought so hard not to be this person for years. Why was it so easy to slip right back?

Finally, she sunk down to the floor and broke down.