Chapter 2

Regina had barely made it out of the station door before she used her magic to teleport to her vault. It seemed that most of the time when she needed to think or be alone she would come here. The brunette wasn't sure why except that it was where all the 'old' her was stored or at least the memories of the 'old' her.

She felt like the world was crashing down around her. The Mayor thought that Emma had only been jealous of Henry's and Robin's relationship. To her shock, the Sheriff was jealous of the whole situation.

The Queen sat down on a trunk in the corner and leaned her head against the cold stone wall closing her eyes. Why had Emma done that? Her head was spinning. What was she supposed to do with that? She had fought so hard to get Robin back, with Emma's help, she might add, and now she wanted to make a move.

"Regina?" Emma's voice called from the stairs.

The Mayor raised her head and sighed, "In here Miss Swan."

The Sheriff slowly appeared from around the corner, "Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Anger rose in the brunette, "You think? What the hell was that, Miss Swan?"

Emma took a few steps closer. From the way she swayed, the Queen was aware of how much alcohol the younger woman had actually ingested. "I don't know why I did that, I mean I do, sort of."

Regina stood up and let out an annoyed sighed, "Just spit it out Sheriff, I'm tired of listening to your riddles."

The blonde swallowed and slipped her hands into her back pockets, "I like you, Regina."

The Mayor raised an eyebrow, "You like several people, Miss Swan, I don't see you running around kissing them."

Emma blushed and looked down, "Yeah I know, but that's not what I mean."

"Damn it, Swan, just say whatever it is you have to say." Regina snapped.

The blonde looked up to find brown eyes glaring at her, "I have feelings for you."

Even though Regina's subconscious knew what the other woman was trying to say. The rest of her was surprised. The shock was quick to wear off as it was replaced by anger and confusion, "Why are you doing this? I thought you wanted me to find my happy ending?"

Emma's eyes shot up to meet the brown ones that stare back at her, "I did, I do." She lowered her head, "I'm sorry."

The Queen crossed her arms, "Quit saying you're sorry. It isn't helping, and if you wanted me to be happy you wouldn't be doing this. I have been trying to be a friend to you Miss Swan, but clearly, that isn't enough."

Emma closed her eyes and then slowly opened them, "Regina, I"

"Just leave Swan. I can't deal with this right now." Regina's words were cold and stung.

Emma turned to walk away, but then stopped a few feet from the stairs, "Can't we just pretend it didn't happen. The night was going so well and-"

Regina interrupted, "And you screwed it up, like always." The Queen could see the pained look on the blonde's face, but she wasn't thinking clearly herself.

Emma swayed slightly as she leaned up against a shelf that was built into the stone. Regina turned her back to the blonde and the sheriff picked up a weird vase from the shelf. "Look, I'm sorry for upsetting you, that wasn't my intention."

The brunette whipped around to face her. "Why does this feel like De Ja Vu, I remember having a similar conversation with you not too terribly long ago. Like when you brought Marion back." The Queen noticed the vase in the other woman's hand and walked over to take it from her. "How many times do I have to tell you not to touch things in here?" As she reached to grab it, Emma pulled back causing the vase to escape her grasp and fall to the floor shattering.

Emma was about to apologize to the now very furious Queen when the vault started to shake violently. The blonde reached out, grabbing hold of the Mayor's arm for stability.

Regina's eyes were wide, "What have you done?"

"Me? You were the one trying to snatch things." Emma argued.

The violent shaking caused both women to fall to the ground. Smoke and dust enveloped them making it hard to even see one another. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped. The smoke began to slowly fade.

Regina could feel the grass beneath her hands instead of the cold stone. She squinted as she looked through the fading smoke. The mayor could hear trickling water and birds.

Emma and the Mayor stood up, brushing the dust from their clothes. The blonde looked around, "No big deal, we just ended up in the woods." She gave a lopsided grin.

Regina didn't respond. She walked towards the trickling water and noticed a small stream. There was something nostalgic about this area, but not from Storybrooke. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her magic was coursing full force through her veins and at that moment she knew exactly where they were. The queen turned and glared at the still intoxicated blonde, "You idiot! We are in the Enchanted Forest."

Emma's eyebrows shot up, "You can get us back, right?"

"Yes, because that has worked out so easily before." She rolled her eyes.

It was night here the same as it was in the other world. Luckily the moon was full, lighting the forest floor. Of all the places to be stuck, she was stuck here with the clumsy Savior. Great.

SQSQSQSQSQ

Emma knelt by the stream splashing the cold water on her face. Her head was pounding, and she felt nauseous. That apple cider of Regina's was no joke.

The Queen had informed her last night that they would be sleeping here. It was cold, but the mayor had cast a warmth spell over them so they didn't freeze to death during the night.

The unfortunate thing about the Queen's cider was that it hadn't taken her memory. She was fully aware of everything she said and did. She was finding it impossible to look Regina in the eyes. She refused to speak unless the older woman spoke to her first. She was embarrassed that she wasn't able to control her actions while under the influence. 'Note to self, no more drinking while anywhere near the Mayor.'

Regina walked up to the stream, several feet from where the blonde was kneeling and did the same. Emma tried not to pay attention, but she couldn't help herself. Deep down the Sheriff knew she harbored a different feeling for the Queen. Yet the confession of her feelings to Regina had come as a shock, even to herself. She found herself wishing she could have a redo on last night. The kiss had been great for Emma. She had wondered a few times before what those lips might feel like. Every time the thought crept into her mind, she would shake it off. She had been living in denial.

"What are you staring at?" Regina snapped.

Emma had been so deep in thought she didn't realize she was still gawking at the other woman, "Nothing. I'm so..."

"Miss Swan, do not finish that sentence, I'm warning you." The Queen glared.

Emma let her eyes fall to the ground and closed her mouth. Why had she kissed her? She could blame the alcohol for giving her the courage, but she couldn't deny wanting to do it.

She wiped her face off on the bottom of her shirt, "So what do we do now?"

Regina stood and glanced around, "I guess we should first try and make it to my castle. We can try and come up with a plan once we get there."

Emma stood and nodded, "After you." She gestured with her hand towards Regina.

The Mayor clenched her jaw and then rolled her eyes. "I have to cast a compass spell to get us out of this forest first, and then we can head towards our destination."

Emma hated that all the work they had done to build a friendship had crumbled into ashes overnight. She mentally cursed herself for being so stupid and careless. She needed to learn that if she can't say or do things while sober, then maybe they shouldn't be said or done at all.

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

The spell led them through the forest for over two hours before they finally emerged onto a gravel road. They had made it this far without any further incident. All the queen could do now was hope there wouldn't be any more incidents to come.

"How long will it take to get to your castle, because I'm starving and my feet hurt?" Emma whined.

Regina refused to look at the other woman. She had done nothing but complain since they had left the stream. She looked down the road in one direction and then in the other.

"Hey, why haven't you just poofed us there yet?" Emma asked.

Still not looking at the Sheriff she said, "First of all, I do not poof and second it is a little more complicated than that."

That wasn't the full truth, but there was no way she could let the other woman get that close to her again. In order to 'poof' them, as Emma had said, she would need to basically hug the sheriff, and that was not happening. She had quite enough closeness last night, and she couldn't go through that again.

The Mayor pointed in one direction down the road, "We go this way." She began walking.

Emma's footsteps crunched through the gravel. This just reminded the Queen of how vulnerable they were being here. The Sheriff may have been here before, but that only meant she survived that time. Who knows what might happen this time. This isn't exactly the land everyone is running to vacation in.

She could feel the younger woman's eyes boring into her back. Regina was not going to say anything that might strike up some unwanted conversation. She didn't even know where to begin, and she was angry with the blonde. It was her fault they were here.

"Halt there!" A man's voice shouted from further up the road.

Regina could see the man as they rounded a curve. He dressed in black leather pants and a black and gray tunic. A black helmet that was sparsely decorated with long black feathers covered his head.

"Who is that?" Emma asked.

Regina knew exactly who the man was. Well, at least who he worked for, "He is one of my guards."

A woman screamed as they came closer. There was a Vardo parked just off to the side of the road. One guard was directing an old man down from the driver's seat. The closer they got they could see two other guards had pulled a younger woman from the back of the Vardo. One of the other guards held the woman while the other was attempting to kiss her.

Emma started to rush passed the Mayor in an attempt to stop the situation, but Regina held her back with her arm, "No, don't."

"You can't let them do this, those people haven't done anything." Emma protested.

Regina closed her eyes for a second. What her guards were doing is something she would have told them to do in the past, but now, Emma was right. There was no way they could stand by and watch this happen. The Mayor had come too far to even be considered the same person.

"Hey, you!" She shouted at the first guard, "What is the meaning of this?"

The man clearly didn't recognize the woman in front of him. He laughed taking a step towards her, "What concern is it of yours, wench?"

Regina raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I am going to give you one more chance to answer my question before I show you great pain."

The man sneered at her, but his smile remained, "Did you hear that boys? This wench has just threatened one of her majesty's royal guards."

The one guard pulled his head back from trying to kiss the other woman and laughed, "Oh yeah? Well, there is only one punishment for a crime such as that."

"Death." The third guard said as he struggled to hold onto the younger woman.

The first guard pulled his sword from his sheath. "That doesn't mean we can't have some fun with you two harlots before we kill you."

Regina's lips curled up, but her eyes flashed fury. With a smooth motion of her hand, she was holding the first guard in the air by his throat. He grunted as he levitated several feet above the ground. The second guard had pulled his sword and charged towards her. With a flick of her wrist, the man was lifted and flung into a nearby tree. He was knocked instantly unconscious.

She walked closer to the man that floated in the air. She waved her left hand, changing her clothes into one of the Evil Queen's signature dresses. "Her Majesty asked you a question."

His eyes grew large as he realized his mistake. She released her grip on him and he landed on the ground with a loud thud.

"Your Majesty, we did not recognize you," He choked out as he bent forward in a show of respect.

Regina remembered the pantsuit she had been wearing. She guessed she did look a little underdressed to be recognized as the Evil Queen.

The third guard was dumbfounded, yet he still restrained the young woman. She had stopped struggling as her eyes were filled with just as much surprise as the two guards. The old man was now kneeling off to her right.

"Now, I repeat." She pointed to the first guard, "What is the meaning of this?"

"We were under orders to stop anyone heading for the castle, your majesty," he said staring down at the Mayor's feet.

"You," she said to the third guard who was still holding the girl, "Release her."

He quickly withdrew his hand and the young woman ran toward the old man, "Papa, are you all right?"

Emma came to stand beside the Queen, not letting her eyes fall from the two guards. The second guard was starting to come to from where he lay at the base of the tree.

The younger woman looked up at Regina. Her thick wavy black locks flowed down her shoulders. Anger now replaced the fear she once had in her green eyes, "Haven't we all suffered enough?" The girl stood looking at the Queen straight in the eye. "You already took my mother, what else could you possibly want from us?"

Regina looked up at the girl in confusion. She knows that she was Evil when she ruled these lands, but that was a long time ago. She hadn't been there since the year she sent Henry and Emma away to New York.

The Queen looked at the first soldier, "Who gave you these orders?"

"You did." He answered.

"Look at me." She growled. Looking into the eyes of the Queen was forbidden, yet disobeying was worse. He looked up at her and she continued, "Did you hear the order from my mouth?"

The first guard looked back at the other two. "Well no, we get our order from our commanding officer and he gets them from you."

"I never gave such orders. I haven't been here for over a year. Who is your commanding officer?" She asked.

The guard swallowed, "General Shaw."

Regina clenched her jaw, flexing the muscles there. That dirty rat. He had kissed her ass for years and on a couple of occasions asked for her hand in order for him to rule by her side. Now in her absence, he thought it was a good idea to rule while she was away.

The young dark haired woman looked up at her, "You haven't been here in over a year?"

Regina looked down at the woman, "No, so it was not my orders that were given to harass you or your family. I do intend to get to the bottom of this." She looked at the first guard, "You and your men are going to escort me and my fellow companions to the castle."

The man only nodded. He and the other two guards mounted their horses and waited for further instructions.

The old man was now climbing back up into his seat. "Please release my wife your majesty and I will take you wherever you want to go."

Had Regina still been the Evil Queen she would have laughed in the man's face. She would have told him that she gave the orders and she would never release a prisoner. She wasn't that woman anymore.

She took a deep breath, "I promise you, sir, if your wife is being held at my castle, she will be released. Rather you agree to give my friend and I a lift or not."

He looked over at his daughter and then back to the Queen, "All right."

"Papa, you can't trust her." The younger brunette said.

Emma stepped forward, "She's not the same person she once was. You can trust her."

The old man stared at the blonde for a moment. Climbing back up into the driver's seat of the Vardo, he said, "Well, let's get going, shall we? You two ladies can ride in the back with Esmeralda."

As the two women followed the pretty dark-haired woman to the back of the wagon, she turned to the queen. "After you, your majesty." Her tone was snarky and by the way, she was watching Regina, it was obvious she didn't trust the older brunette.

The Mayor heard a chuckle from behind her and whipped her head around just in time to see Emma try and hide a smile. She huffed and climbed into the wagon.