A/N- I'm sorry, dear readers, I know this is a lot all at once. I've been sitting on this sequel for quite some time. However, after tonight's episode and the cliff-hanging new addition to the fairytale cast, I felt compelled to post my story. Perhaps it's pride or ego...oh, hell; who am I kidding? That's exactly what this is. At any rate, I hope you are not put off by my sudden updates and that, after reading this chapter, understand my urgency in posting this piece :)

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"As the meeting adjourned, Emma turned to the brunette who was watching the woman in the black sweatshirt closely. "What was that all about?" the blonde asked quietly. "Alice is much more than plain."

Regina ignored her as Snow and David may their way through the crowd. "Would you mind taking Henry tonight?"

"Of course not." Snow said, glancing at her husband who was just as surprised. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Emma and I simply have something to investigate."

"You do?"

"We do?" Emma asked in bewilderment.

The brunette fought not to roll her eyes. "Yes, Miss Swan, we do." She watched as the hooded woman stepped around the corner, glanced her way, and then disappeared down what Regina knew to be a deserted corridor.

"Henry has all he needs at your house, I believe, dear?" Turning back to the Charmings as she asked.

"Yeah, a toothbrush and everything." David said. "We'll take good care of him."

"I don't doubt it." Regina remarked.

After they had said their goodbyes and goodnights to their son, the brunette led Emma down the hallway which she had seen the figure disappear several minutes before. "Regina? Where are we going?" Emma asked as she was escorted.

"You did not recognize the woman in the hood?

"What woman?"

"For a former bailbonds-person, you are incredibly unperceptive." The brunette tisked and stopped dead in

the dark hallway. "Alice?" She said quietly. "Where are you?"

Movement at the end of the corridor caught their attention as their friend stepped out of the shadows with a grin. "You knew it was me."

"Almost instantly." Regina confirmed.

"I thought I was disguised better than that." She strode toward them and tossed back the hood to reveal her long, golden hair. "What gave it away?"

"Your brash display of swagger." The brunette retorted wryly.

"It's hard to hide that bravado of yours." Emma stepped forward and hugged her.

"What can I say?" Alice shrugged as she pulled away from Regina's hug. "Chicks dig my confidence."

"Why so incognito?" Emma asked as they walked down the hallway toward the exit.

"I wanted to know what I was walking into. I'm all about a big entrance on occasion, but not when I know very little about the region."

"I understand that." Emma conceded. "We can introduce you to everyone tomorrow or the next day, whenever you're ready for it."

"You don't have to be responsible for me; I can find my own way around."

"We just want this to be as stress-free as possible for you. You are on vacation after all." Regina clarified.

"I appreciate it, but honestly, just being out of the limelight of Oz will be relaxing." They looked out of the dark windows as the last of the meeting-goers parted ways. "Where will I be staying?"

"Tonight? At my house." Regina said. "But after that, you're more than welcome to get a room at the local hotel. I don't want you to feel that you have to check in with us; perhaps you will feel that you have more freedom if you have your own place for the duration of your stay."

"Perhaps." Alice scratched her chin thoughtfully and then turned to the woman. "So, are you going to take me home or what?"

XX

Regina poured them all a stiff drink. Handing Emma her usual neat whiskey, the brunette then turned to the new blonde draped casually across the cushy leather chair in the room. "Alice, dear. What is your poison?"

"Gin and tonic?"

"Done."

When Regina had turned to pour the cocktail, Emma leaned forward with a smile. "I'm so glad you're here. Storybrook can be as entertaining or as relaxing as you want so it's really up to you how you want to spend your vacation."

"I have a few ideas." The blonde winked at her companion and Emma felt her cheeks warm slightly.

Regina watched this interaction with curiosity. Deciding to change the subject and save her lover her embarrassment, she asked. "How is Venus?"

"I brought her with me, but thought it would be a bit much for her to see everyone just yet. It's more difficult for animals to travel. They become quite disoriented and confused. It took me several hours to calm her down after we made the leap."

"But she's better now?"

"Yes, much. I built her a small shelter and left her grain and hay. She'll be just fine for a few days until I can bring her into to town." The blonde took a large swallow of her drink. "Where's Henry? I was hoping I could meet him."

"Henry is staying with his grandparents tonight." Emma explained. "He's a nosy little bastard-"

"Miss Swan!" Regina interjected scoldingly. "He is our son!"

"And he's a nosy little bastard, Regina." Emma shrugged. "I love him and he's smart, witty, and kind-natured in general, but we thought it best that he not be allowed to bombard you with personal questions the first night."

"Ah, yes, well I appreciate your consideration." Alice smiled and sipped her drink once more.

"So what's happening in Oz?" Regina sat beside Emma on the loveseat as she asked. The blonde's palm

immediately went to the brunette's thigh unconsciously.

But the gesture was not lost on Alice though she gave no sign of noticing. She merely shrugged. "Well, once Francis was out of the way, thanks to you gals, her army and regime all but knocked on our door and surrendered. We set up an election and campaigning ensued."

"Did that turn nasty?" Regina asked. "I know emthis/em world's political machine is rather corrupt and often the leadership gains power through coercion, broken promises, and dirty money."

"Well, we can't all be Evil Queens with magic powers, now can we?" Emma remarked sardonically.

Alice grinned. "There was some mudslinging, but not as bad as some I've seen. I even caught some of it, but as I don't give two shits what people think of me, it didn't bother me a bit." She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. "So what do the Charmings think of your relationship? And the rest of the town for that matter?"

The couple looked at each other briefly, but it was Emma who spoke first. "Snow and David sort of pretend to be cool with it. I think they don't get it but they can't really find a reason to complain either. I mean, Henry's the best he's ever been, people in town have stopped trying to murder each other for the most part, and we are all just sort of moving forward with our lives."

"The Evil Queen got her happy ending after all." Alice winked at Regina arched a brow.

Emma smirked broadly and the brunette wrinkled her nose. "Miss Swan, if you do not wipe that smirk off your face, I will be happy to do it for you."

"Come on, I'm your happy ending. It's ok to admit it."

"I'll give you a happy ending…" the brunette mumbled.

"I'd like to see that." Alice winked at the pair of them and they stopped their glaring at each other to turn in surprise to her. "Now, may I use your restroom?"

"Down the hall on the left." Regina said automatically. The blonde stood and left; bounding softly on the balls of her feet as she always did.

Emma scratched her head slightly and turned to see Regina staring at the doorway through which the blonde had just exited. "Is it just me or is the sexual tension in here thicker than David's skull?"

"It would seem so." The brunette said thoughtfully with a glint in her eye.

"What are you thinking? I know that look."

"What look?" the woman asked in mock innocence.

"That look that says, I'm cooking up some shit."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The brunette smoothed non-existent creases out of her slacks.

"Liar. What are you planning, Regina?"

"I was just considering that she has an ego."

"Pot-kettle."

"Yes, but I earned mine."

"And she hasn't?"

"She hasn't proven it to me."

"She defeated the Jabberwocky, navigated Wonderland successfully, fought an evil queen, and helped restore a greatly damaged kingdom. I think she's proven her abilities."

"I will conceded that she has proven certain abilities." The brunette said and took a sip of her cider. "But there are others about which I am curious."

Emma began to see where this was going. "For example?"

"I want to know how she can presume to tease us as she does."

Emma stayed quiet this time. Was the woman suggesting what she thought she was suggesting? She knew that Regina could not abide a tease of any fashion and that she would rather die than not meet a challenge head on. "What are you planning?"

Regina turned back to her with dark eyes shining mischievously. "Retaliation."

XXX

The following afternoon, Emma and Regina left Alice snoozing at the manor with a note and instructions to call them when she was up and ready for gallivanting about town. They had arranged for Snow and David to drop Henry at the diner so that they could pick him up and introduce them to their portal hopping friend.
As they entered Granny's, the diner got quiet, but immediately the buzzing of conversation abounded once more as the women spotted their son and made their way over to him. Ruby sauntered over with her customary wolfish grin. She, like many in the town, found it highly amusing that the two women, so bent on competing with one another, were now playing happy family with their shared son. Only, the werewolf also found it amusing to goad them.

"How is the Mills-Swan family today?"

Henry smiled brightly, Emma glared at the wolf, but Regina smiled in a sickeningly sweet manner.

"Fantastic." She relied. "I'll have a chocolate milkshake, Miss Swan will take a strawberry one, and Henry will have the large, whopping bowl of the ice-cream diabetes that you serve here."

The wolf smirked and sashayed off and returned a few moments later with their order. She passed them all out and Henry dug in; tearing his desert apart with feral abandon. Regina watched him for a moment and then turned her sights to the blonde who was tackling her own ice-cream with the same amount of aggressiveness. Scoffing slightly to herself, she wrapped her lips around the straw and started to take the first taste of her shake when someone burst through the diner door.

"The new witch is here! She's got a horse!" He bellowed the last bit as if this were the most impressive part.

Someone should at least tell Grumpy how to properly deliver information. Regina sighed and stood. Across the table from her, Emma did the same.

"So much for subtlety."

Emma shrugged. "I guess Alice likes theatrics like you." She led the brunette out the door, which was difficult due to everyone else funneling out. "Out of the way! I'm the Sheriff for Christsakes!" She shouted at them. "Move it!"

Finally, out on the street, the pair could see what was commanding everyone's attention. Emma stopped in her tracks and stared up at the cold woman on the white horse. The beast nearly gleamed in the sunlight. But if the horse was bright, it was nothing in comparison to the woman astride it. Her skin shown alabaster, almost sparkling in the sun, and her hair glittered silver. Cold blue eyes surveyed the people standing there looking upon her in awe.

Emma gulped slightly but pushed her way through the crowd. She could feel Regina on her heels and was comforted by this. "Um, hello." She said and the woman turned her cobalt eyes on her. "I'm Emma Swan, the Sheriff. Can we…help you?" she finished lamely. This was not what she had been expecting.

"I am Elsa."