The Book
It was early morning when Emma returned home. She opened the door quietly and tiptoed in only to see that everyone was already awake. That or they hadn't gone to sleep to begin with. Charming was still sitting beside his wife on the bed. Snow had finally released herself and was settling for staring down at the teacup in her hand. Neal sat on the couch with a sleeping Henry in his lap and he gave an awkward wave.
"Where did you go?" Charming half-whispered from the bed as Emma shrugged off her jacket.
Emma looked to Henry, and Neal seemed to get the hint for he gently rose from the couch and picked Henry up, carrying the boy upstairs to Emma's bed. "I went to see Regina," she said simply as she headed into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee.
Snow shot up so quickly that the tea spilled over onto her quilt. "I…h-how is she?" she asked with a quivering voice.
Emma's eyebrows rose as she turned on the coffee maker. "How do you think? She's devastated."
Snow clenched her eyes shut and shook her head as if to wake herself up from a nightmare and Charming placed a hand on her back, rubbing it consolingly. "What does she plan to do?" he asked.
"I don't know…mourn?" Emma answered as she poured herself a cup and inhaled deeply. A small smile graced her face until she looked over at Charming's unamused expression.
"Emma, this is serious. We have to know what Regina's up to. My wife's life hangs in the balance."
"Who is Regina?" Neal asked as he descended the stairs, looking to Emma. "I mean, who was she in the other land?"
"She was the evil queen. She's the one who cast the curse that brought us all here," Charming answered bitterly, his hand unconsciously moving to his holstered gun.
"She's also Henry's adoptive mother," Emma finished, getting mild satisfaction as the color drained from Neal's face and he whistled softly.
"That's gonna be a hell of a custody battle," he said, rubbing at his stubble, smirking when Emma chuckled just a bit.
"Emma, what are we going to do?" Charming asked again.
Everyone's eyes fell on her, including Snow's, and Emma took a slow drink of her coffee—which turned out to be terrible- before murmuring into it. "I don't see why we have to do anything."
"Because she's going to—
"I don't think so. I don't think she's going to do anything," Emma said, exasperated. She set the coffee cup on the table and made her way into the living room, sitting on the couch and closing her tired eyes. "You should have seen her. She was…totally broken. Like she had nothing to live for." Emma's hands began to tingle as she remembered seeing the queen on the ground, the tears on her face and the look in her eyes. She remembered her returning the hug, however briefly. And when that hand fell, Emma left, not wanting to overstay her welcome. Regina didn't even watch her go.
"If she's got nothing to live for then there's no limit to what she'll do," Snow whispered, rubbing at her chest as if to see if her heart was still there.
"No, she's still got Henry. She'll be going after him even harder now," Charming countered, his eyes darting back and forth as he thought of all of the possible scenarios in which Regina could ruin their lives again.
Emma groaned from the couch and placed a pillow over her face, muttering a muffled, "It's cool, ignore every single word I say."
Neal looked over at her and gently tipped the pillow from her face. She glared at him and he shrugged as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Look, I only know her from what I saw at the shop. And she looked like she was willing to go through all of us to get what she wanted. Now, maybe she has changed and we've got nothing to worry about. But maybe she hasn't. I mean, after mourning comes anger and I don't want my son," he jutted his thumb towards the stairs, "to pay for us not being prepared."
Emma's stomach turned inwardly as she thought of Henry as Neal's son. Technically, he wasn't wrong to say it, but it still ate at her in a way she wasn't sure she liked. Heaving a sigh, she rose from the couch and reached for her coffee again. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"
0-0-0-0-0
When Regina first heard the sound of her door opening and saw those blonde curls in her peripheral, her first instinct was to fling Emma Swan out of the room via magic. But immediately after, she realized that it wasn't actually what she wanted to do. The thought was tempting at first, yes, to be able to inflict the same amount of pain she felt on someone else. But as her fatigued body protested any movement, she stumbled upon the notion that she didn't want to hurt anyone at all. Not right now, anyway. Right now, she simply wanted to curl up into a ball and close her eyes forever.
It was an immature notion, a fool one filled with naivety that her mother would surely laugh at. Maybe that was why she wanted it. Maybe giving her mother something to patronize or correct would bring her back from death like magic and science could not. Or maybe, instead of trying to bring her mother back, she should go and be with her instead.
The thought of death never really scared Regina Mills. It may have in the past, when she was young and full of love and life. But when everything has been stolen from you, what reason is there to get back up? And maybe that was why she allowed Emma Swan to enter her study. Maybe that was why she answered her questions and even cried in front of her.
At the time it had been comforting. Even the bizarre hug was a source of comfort. It had been so long since she was touched with any sort of sincerity that her body ached on the contact. For a brief moment, wrapped in the arms of someone without an agenda, Regina thought that everything was going to be alright.
That was another fool notion.
For the emotion had passed. She was still aching over her mother, yes, but the tears and overall antics were over and done. Now, as she sat in the kitchen with a cold cup of coffee watching the light dance along her kitchen, she was stuck wondering what to do. For the briefest of moments, her eyes flashed to the knives in the holder on the counter. No, she couldn't, wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of ending her life in such a manner. Regina took a sip of her coffee to shake the thoughts from her mind when she heard a soft knock at her door.
She turned and glanced at the door from her perch on the barstool, wondering if she'd misheard. But another soft knock came and she gracefully lifted herself from her seat and made her way over to the door. Her chest tightened with every step at the notion of who could be behind it. She had far more enemies than friends and the odds never tended to run in her favor. Deciding to skip the peephole and brace her death in a more dignified manner, Regina grabbed the latch and pulled.
Emma Swan, clad in the same clothes she was wearing mere hours ago stood in front of her, hands shoved begrudgingly in her jacket pockets. Relief flooded through Regina's system and she tilted her head at the blonde.
"I hope you're not planning to make a habit of these visits, Miss Swan," she taunted, looking past Emma to see if there was perhaps an ambush waiting behind her bushes.
Emma gave a short laugh in agreement before sighing. "Yeah, I need to talk to you, if that's okay."
"About what?"
"Can I…uh," Emma looked around and shrugged, knowing that she would be blushing if her cheeks weren't already pink from the cold. "It's cold."
Regina rolled her eyes but stepped aside, allowing Emma into her home yet again. Emma raced in and quickly stepped to the side, removing her boots before Regina had time to comment that she couldn't possibly be staying long enough for that to be necessary. When she was done she looked to Regina and gave a weak smile. As much as Regina wanted to roll her eyes again, her manners wouldn't allow it, so she merely put on her best condescending look and gestured towards the kitchen. "Would you care for some coffee?"
"Oh, god, please," Emma practically begged as she followed the brunette into the kitchen.
They were silent as Regina prepared a fresh pot and Emma settled herself on the counter. Regina kept her eyes focused on her task, her mind running through all of the possibilities as to why Emma would have come back. It couldn't have been to kill her. She would have brought her posse with her for that. Maybe she was just attempting to play the part of a concerned friend and checking on her again. Regina wasn't quite sure what to think of that notion.
Emma watched the queen silently, playing with her fingers and occasionally popping a knuckle or two. Regina was quick and precise in everything she did, not spilling a single coffee bean or drop of water. And even then she still wiped the counter when the coffee began to brew. Emma wondered if that was a sort of OCD and couldn't help but envy the cleanliness a little. It wasn't until a fresh cup of coffee was placed in front of her that she looked up to meet Regina's eyes.
She knew that the walls were back up, but she couldn't resist searching just a little for something real. But Regina's eyes were as black as the drink in her hand and she chose to stare into that instead as the queen cleared her throat.
"My hospitality and patience has its limits, Miss Swan. Please state your reasons for coming into my home yet again."
Emma nodded, and took a drink, then two more. It could have been her fatigue talking, but that was the best cup of coffee she'd ever tasted. Nevertheless, she placed it on the counter and cleared her throat. "As I'm sure you can understand, Snow and Charming are…a little concerned about whatever's going to happen next."
"What is going to happen next?" Regina asked with her old mayoral smile back in place.
"They want me to arrest you."
Regina snorted at that and took another drink of her coffee. Surprisingly, Emma nodded her agreement and took a drink as well. "I'm pretty sure this is the best coffee in the world."
"Must be my secret ingredient," Regina answered with a raised eyebrow, her smile growing wider as Emma shot her an unimpressed look.
"Back to why I'm here," the blonde grumbled apathetically as if this was the last place she wanted to be. "I don't want to arrest you and it would be pointless for me to try, so maybe we can come up with a compromise."
"Such as?"
Emma licked her lips and took a deep breath. "Henry's told me before that you have a book of magic."
Regina's eyes darkened at that, her fingers curling around her mug. "And?"
"And I figured if you were willing to hand it over that might be good enough for them to not be so gung-ho on bringing you in."
"How do I know this isn't some scheme to get me defenseless before you try to 'bring me in?'" Regina growled bringing her face close to Emma's. "And how do you know I want to give the book up?"
Emma rose to the challenge, bringing her face in as well. She could smell the coffee and the barest hints of day old perfume lingering on Regina and gave a soft smile. "I know you don't want to fight anymore. I saw it last night. You're just as sick of all this shit as I am. Give me the book and everyone's happy."
"You mean you and your parents are happy," Regina spat as she lifted herself from the counter. "All they've ever done is take from me and yet I'm the one that has to give up my book? That wouldn't make me happy, Miss Swan."
"Think of the benefits though."
"What benefits?"
"Henry would—
Regina's hands slammed down onto the counter, causing Emma to nearly jump out of her chair. "Don't you dare use my son as a bargaining chip. Snow already used my mother against me. Is nothing beneath you Charmings?"
Emma held up her hands in surrender. She could punch holes through Regina's argument and a big proud part of her wanted to. But another part of her remembered last night and that part yearned to reason with Regina more than her pride wanted to fight.
"I'm being completely serious, Regina. Henry hates magic. You're using it. The kid's so black and white that giving up the book could be a huge eye opener for him. I want you to see your son again. But you have to help me out."
Emma watched as the skin around Regina's eyes softened just a bit. Her eyes remained emotionless but the blonde could see that she was trying to make herself believe what Emma was saying was the truth. And it was. After a few more moments of contemplation, Regina opened her mouth, only to be silenced by another knock on the door. Both women turned to the sound and Regina's eyes flashed to Emma, who shook her head.
"I swear I'm the only one that came."
Instead of responding, Regina merely rounded the counter and headed for the door, only to be stopped by a gentle tug on her arm. "May I?" Emma asked, "I have fewer enemies than you."
Regina pulled her arm back with a furrowed brow but did nothing more and Emma took the initiative to step past her and open the door. Neal stood on the other side and his face broke out into a relieved smile as he met Emma's widened eyes.
"Neal, what the hell are you doing here?" Emma implored through gritted teeth.
"I just came to make sure you were—
Neal stopped as Emma felt the door being tugged from her hand and opened wider. Regina appeared behind Emma and she looked Neal up and down before turning her glare on him. "You were at the shop yesterday," she said almost to herself as Neal's eyes darted between the two women. "Who are you and why are you here?"
Neal attempted a smile and took a step back. "My name's Neal, I'm uh…I was…" he looked to Emma for help but she appeared to still be surprised by his appearance.
"Well?" Regina asked impatiently, her fingernails tapping angrily against her door.
"I'm…well, I'm Henry's father," he sputtered finally, smiling at the fact that he was able to get a sentence out.
Emma's eyes widened and she turned to look at the queen. Regina's jaw tightened and her eyes darkened before they slowly roamed over to Emma. "So, the happy family is back together," she cooed evilly. "I guess there's no need for me anymore, is there?"
With that Regina took off down the hallway. Emma was quick to follow her as they made their way to Regina's study.
"Regina, I can expl—
"No need to explain, Miss Swan. I wouldn't believe you at this point anyway." Regina shouted, her vision blurring with rage. "And you baited my son in front of me…" she turned and began rummaging through her drawers. "You were never going to let me see him. And what would be the point of it anyway? Henry's got his mother and his father. He has no desire for me anymore."
Finding what she was looking for, Regina turned to a cupboard in the room and began unlocking it. Emma took the opportunity to run over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's not what I—
Regina turned and placed something to Emma's chest, pushing her back with it. Emma stumbled backwards a few steps and Regina collapsed over the desk, her arms shaking as they held her and she tried to steady her breath. If Emma wasn't so focused on the queen, she wouldn't have heard it. It was scattered by the breathing and muffled by clenched teeth, but there was no mistaking those words.
"I trusted you."
Emma's heart plummeted to her stomach and she gripped the object in her hands for support before Regina's head shot up and looked to the door. Neal had followed them both inside and stopped in mid-step as she looked at him.
"Get…out…" Regina said slowly.
Neal opened his mouth to say something but before he could Emma had turned and pushed him out the door. Regina didn't follow them and only when she heard the sound of her front door closing did she allow herself to sink to the floor again, scratching at her chest and wishing she had the courage to go deeper.
Emma shoved Neal out of the house and closed the door behind them, still looking at him with disbelief. He looked like he'd just had a near death experience and it was quite possible that he had. "Wow, she is one scare woman," he said with a relieved chuckle as he looked to Emma and then the object in her arms. "What did she give you?"
Emma had forgotten that she was holding onto something until she saw Neal nod towards her chest. She blinked a few times and looked down, revealing a leather bound book adorned in gold and purple script. Emma placed her hand on the cover and her hand surged with the new but undeniable feeling of magic.
"Well?" Neal asked, craning his head to try and read the foreign script. "Do you know what it is?"
Emma looked at Neal, then back at the house before she brushed past him and headed to her car, the book clutched tightly to her chest.
0-0-0-0-0
When Emma and Neal returned this time, Henry was awake and Rumpel had joined them. He was sitting on the couch with his cane between his legs when they entered, and he stood to greet Neal with a handshake, which he awkwardly returned. Rumpel smiled but it faded when his eyes fell upon the object in Emma's hands.
Slowly, he lifted his cane and pointed it at Emma's chest. "Is that what I think it is?"
Emma licked her lips and turned the book in her hands, showing everyone the cover. Henry's eyes widened and he let out a high pitched gasp. "Her book of spells! You stole it from her?"
"No, kid, she gave it to me," Emma returned watching as he shared the same look of confusion as the both of her parents.
"Why?" Henry asked, his face scrunching up as he asked.
Rumpel nodded along with Henry's question though he never took his eyes off the book. "I never would have bet she'd part willingly with it."
"Yeah, well, she did. Though thanks to Neal," she shot him a dirty look, "I have no idea why she did it."
Neal looked affronted and Emma dropped the book nonchalantly on the coffee table. "I told you I was going to go to Regina's by myself and what did you do?"
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he implored, outstretching his hands towards her.
"Why? What reason do you have to fear her? You've been here for literally less than 24 hours."
"Emma, stop!" Henry shouted, grabbing the pockets of her jacket and shaking them. "He was just trying to protect you."
"Saying you're going to do something and then not doing it is a lie, Henry," Emma bit more sharply than she intended.
Henry paused for a moment and slowly looked back at his father who chose to scratch his neck rather than look his son in the eye. "Look," Emma said, exhaling, "the point is that even though Regina is deservedly furious at us now, she did still give us the book. I'd say that's more than enough reason to let her be for a while."
"Regina giving up her spell book is a step in the right direction, but let's not forget that she still has magic and the capabilities with which to use it without the book," Rumpel declared, flipping delicately through the pages. "She may have ulterior motives for giving it to you."
"Like what?" Emma asked.
Rumpel shrugged. "Who can say? Regina is a clever one."
"Yeah, and so are you," the blonde replied tersely, picking up the book from his grasp and bringing it back to her chest.
Gold merely smiled before making his way to the door and pulling it open. "Just be careful, Miss Swan," he said before he closed the door behind him. "I've a feeling things are about to get a lot more interesting in Storybrooke from here on out."
With that, he closed the door and Emma held the book tightly to her chest as they listened to Rumpel's cane trek slowly down the hallway and out of the building.
