Emma and Mary Margaret had gotten there early to talk with Ruby and Granny, who understood the gravity of the situation and agreed to keep the main room of the diner clear of guests. Emma had made Henry reassure her over and over the night before that he would be able to get Regina there, until he'd finally told them to leave so that he could get some sleep.
And to be honest, Emma had needed the sleep too. She was exhausted from crying and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. As a bonus, when she woke up, she didn't look like absolute garbage anymore, and was able to throw on some makeup and a nice shirt. With Regina, it never hurt to look good.
She didn't realize how nervous she was until Mary Margaret reached out and put a gentle hand on her arm. "Emma, sweetie, you're shaking the table."
Emma paused, becoming conscious of her right leg's persistent jiggling and the way her fists were clenching and unclenching almost as if they had a mind of their own. "Right. Sorry."
"No need to apologize," her mother said with a sympathetic smile. Emma was infinitely grateful for her presence, even though she'd only be able to support her until it was time for her to go in to speak with Regina.
"I wish you could come with me," she said. Everything would be a lot easier if all Mary Margaret had to do was sit down and start talking about their shared past. Unfortunately, every time Regina looked at her, it was with venom in her eyes. It was obvious Regina was still thinking of her as the enemy, and there was no telling what she might do to her when she realized she not only had magic but her most hated nemesis helpless in front of her.
"I know," Mary Margaret said, squeezing her arm. "But I really think it's best that it comes from you. For a lot of reasons."
Emma nodded. They'd both been afraid Regina was going to do something stupid – something evil – now that she didn't have the past four years of struggling to be better, and David had wanted to just throw her in a cell and be done with it. Of course, Mary Margaret and Emma had shut that idea down immediately. They didn't have a way to control her, and besides, it would be highly counterproductive. There was no way Regina would trust them after that…and the chances of her trusting them were already pretty slim.
Add that to the growing list of things currently pissing Emma the fuck off. She couldn't stop thinking about how selfish it had been for Regina to do this. She hadn't thought of anybody but herself – didn't she realize how much she might forget? If people were in danger because of her, didn't she realize she'd lose everything she'd fought so hard to gain?
And didn't she realize how she'd never forgive herself if she hurt them?
Her watch beeped, and Emma looked at it like it signaled the march to her own execution. They were sitting at a table in the back room of the diner, so Regina probably wouldn't see them when she came in, but they'd decided it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Are you ready?" Mary Margaret asked, standing. The back exit had been unlocked for them. Emma was going to be coming around to the front, and Mary Margaret was going to wait around the side of the diner, ready to intervene if there was any sort of…to be honest, Emma wasn't sure what Mary Margaret thought she was going to do in the event Regina decided to use her magic. But she liked the idea of her mother being just a few feet away. It made her feel a lot less alone.
"Not really," she murmured, standing up. "Mom, I'm not sure I can do this."
"Of course you can," her mother replied, taking her hand and squeezing it. "Who better to handle this than you, Emma? She loves you, even if she doesn't know it, and besides…you're the Savior." Emma must have visibly flinched at the term, because Mary Margaret added, "You are! There is nobody better to break this curse."
"Yeah, well, I don't think it's getting broken today," Emma said with a frown.
Mary Margaret's smile dipped a little. "I know. But soon. We just have to believe."
Emma shook her head. "No. She does."
As they walked outside, the plan ping-ponged inside Emma's head. Say hello. Sit down. Introduce herself. Make small talk. Gradually broach the topic of the curse, see how she reacts, then just go from there. It should be easy. She'd known Regina for long enough to know what she'd best respond to, and with any luck she'd be able to easily slip into their old repertoire.
"Wait!" And suddenly Emma found herself pressed against the side of the building, or rather felt it. Her head smacked the brick so hard her vision blurred.
"Ow! What the hell, Mom?" she demanded, eyes watering as she rubbed the back of her head. She knew it hadn't been hard enough to do any real damage, but if it ruined her hair, Regina would be that much less likely to listen to her.
She couldn't believe she was actually worrying about her hair.
"I'm so sorry!" Mary Margaret whispered, eyes wide. "Are you okay? I just, I saw her car, and I didn't want her to see us coming from the back when—"
Emma held up a hand to stop her. "No, it's okay, I'm fine. You're right. Did she go in?"
Mary Margaret peeked around the corner. "The car is parked." She looked her daughter over one last time before enveloping her in a hug. "Good luck, Emma."
The walk from the back of the building to the front might just have been the longest minute of Emma's life. Her anxiety was rising, no thanks to the bump forming on the back of her head, and the growling of her stomach wasn't helping matters either.
As she rounded the corner, she caught sight of Henry through the front window. He'd positioned himself so that he'd be the one to see her first, which she was grateful for. And he looked almost as anxious as she did. She felt bad for him, trapped in a house with someone who by all rights simply shouldn't exist anymore. Here she was, panicking over having to face Regina for one conversation, when Henry had to actually live with her.
"It's rather empty in here today, isn't it?" she heard Regina comment in her politely tolerant voice as Emma pushed open the door to the diner. The fact that she loved Henry wasn't in doubt. But the way she'd shown it before the curse had broken – and during most of the year after – left a lot to be desired.
Emma made eye contact with Henry and gave him a quick wave. He looked extremely relieved to see her, then gave her a pointed look. She tilted her head in response before realizing she'd been standing in the same spot for a good thirty seconds.
"What's going on?" Regina asked him, sounding more annoyed than confused. "Why are you making those faces at me?"
Emma took a deep breath before speaking. "Regina."
Regina turned her head quickly, brief surprise fading back into her neutral expression with a speed that could only come with decades of practice. "Ah. You again. I see you can speak after all."
Emma ignored the snark, something she'd become highly adept at over the past few years, and walked over to the table. "We need to talk."
Henry slid over so she could sit down, and Regina raised her eyebrows. "Well then. I don't recall inviting you to our private family breakfast, Miss...?"
"Swan," Emma said. "Emma Swan."
She'd been secretly hoping that would ring a bell somewhere in Regina's subconscious, but Regina didn't react to the name at all. "Well, Emma Swan, what is it that you want?"
"Just to talk," Emma said lightly. She was trying to sound nonchalant, but in actuality, her heart was pounding so loud she'd be shocked if neither of them could hear it. "And actually, Henry invited me."
"Did he," Regina said, raising her eyebrows at her son. "He failed to mention it."
"Oh, did I forget?" Henry asked, trying and failing to look earnest. "I guess I did. Sorry, Mom."
Regina narrowed her eyes as she cross-examined them for far longer than was comfortable. Emma refused to drop her eyes, instead meeting Regina's gaze head-on.
"Just who exactly are you, Miss Swan?" Regina asked. "I've never seen you in this town before, and as mayor, I know everyone."
Henry and Emma exchanged a glance that must not have gone unnoticed, because Regina added irritably, "I can see you, you know." It was the tone of voice she used when Henry got a low grade at school, or when Emma spilled some ice cream on the floor and forgot to clean it up. Emma knew it meant she'd better start talking.
"I'm…" Emma started. She paused, trying to recall the script. But Regina's gaze was so sharp and intimidating that she found she couldn't remember a word. Under normal circumstances, this wasn't a look that could scare her, but these weren't normal circumstances. "I'm…Emma."
Regina snorted, looking so goddamn condescending that Emma felt the sudden urge to slap her. "Yes. You've already told me that."
As it often did for Emma, anger quickly replaced fear. "Right. I just thought I should repeat it, since you don't remember it from the last couple thousand times we've met." And she knew she shouldn't just be jumping straight into this, but all the fury from the last 24 hours had come rushing through her until she just couldn't contain it anymore.
Regina raised her eyebrows, irritatingly calm and poised as always. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Emma said, ignoring Henry's persistent kicking from under the table. "I said, we've met before."
"I don't think so," Regina replied. She looked almost amused, which just made Emma even angrier. "As I said, I know everybody in this town."
"Well, I'm not from this town," Emma snapped. She knew she had Regina's attention now, and she returned her gaze with a furious glare. "I'm from somewhere else. Just like you. Just like everybody else here."
"What are you talking about?" Regina asked. But she didn't look amused anymore, and there was an edge to her voice that hadn't been there before. "I assure you, Miss Swan, I was born in this town, as were the majority of our citizens. We have the birth certificates to prove it."
"I know that's not true, Regina." Emma leaned across the table, locking eyes with her. Neither one of them blinked. "Want to guess how?"
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of ruining your fun, dear," Regina said dryly. "Trust me, I'm simply dying to hear your explanation."
Emma waited a second before speaking, letting the tension build. "Because I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."
She leaned back into her seat as Regina let out a surprised laugh. Emma could tell she'd gotten to her, though, because it was strained, and her eyes darkened. "So this is about the fairy tales."
"They're not fairy tales and we all know it," Emma said, still refusing to drop her gaze. "Regina, the curse is broken. It was broken a long time ago. By me."
"By you," Regina repeated sardonically. "You managed to break a curse that doesn't exist? Congratulations."
"Give it up, Regina," Emma said, exasperated. "Who do you think you're fooling? Henry and I are the only ones here, and we both know the truth. Everyone in this town knows the truth!"
"Oh really?" Regina snapped, looking around. "Where has our waitress gone? Why don't we ask her what she thinks about all this?"
"You mean Red Riding Hood?" Henry asked innocently, earning himself an irritated look of disbelief from one mother and a warning glance from the other.
"These are fairy tales, Miss Swan," Regina said. Emma knew her well enough to know that she was fighting to keep panic from her voice. "I don't know how my son managed to convince you otherwise, but you are in dire need of a reality check."
No matter how furious Emma was, the sound of her lover in distress always made the anger drain right out of her. Her eyes softened, and she gave Regina a sympathetic smile that was met only with a sharp glare.
"Look, Regina," Emma started, reaching for her hand on instinct. Regina made a noise of disgust and yanked it away, making Emma feel way more rejected than it should have. She hovered her own hand uncertainly above the table before pulling it back. "I can prove it. I can tell you about your family history. That's something there's no way I could know without this being true. Your mother Cora, your father Henry – "
"—Are easily things Henry could have told you about," Regina snapped. "And clearly did."
"I'm not talking about Christmas dinners and happy memories!" Emma's voice began to rise again. "I'm talking about your evil bitch of a mother killing your fiancé. Killing Daniel. I'm talking about you ripping out your own father's heart to cast this curse!"
Regina didn't quite manage to separate the shock from the fury. "How dare you—"
"And I'm talking about the reason you cast this curse," Emma pushed on. "Snow White. Still your family, right? Little ten-year-old who spilled a secret accidentally that you held a grudge against for your entire adult life?"
"You're delusional," Regina snarled, her face twisting with contempt. "These are all things Henry has told me before. They're stories from his book. Stories, Miss Swan. They aren't real!"
Henry, looking terrified, pressed himself against the corner of the booth like he was trying to disappear. Emma looked at him and bit down on her tongue. For his sake, she needed to try to calm things down. "Regina, look at me. Really look."
"Oh, I'm looking," Regina said. Emma had been on her bad side countless times and still never seen this particular expression of rage. "Trust me, I'm looking."
"And what do you see?" Emma pleaded. "You know me, Regina. We've been...friends...for years. Henry didn't tell me these things about your family. And I didn't read about them in his book. You told me...because we're family too."
"What I see is a woman who is so desperate for companionship that she's willing to believe anything," Regina said coldly. "I assure you, we are not family. If we were friends or even casual acquaintances, I would know who you are. Aside from yesterday, this is the first time we've had the displeasure of meeting, and I promise you it will be the last."
"It's not the first time we've met!" Emma said, her frustration starting to show again. "Look. There was a memory potion, and—"
"A memory potion," Regina scoffed. "That does seem to conveniently fit your narrative."
Emma shook her head in disgust. There wasn't much point in elaborating, because Regina had clearly already made up her mind: they were crazy and no amount of words was going to change her opinion. She didn't know what else she could do, but she did know that she couldn't give up.
"You don't believe us," she said, stating the obvious for lack of anything better. It wasn't a question, and Regina didn't answer it. "What can we do to convince you?"
Regina leaned forward, bracing her hands on the table as she stood up. "There's nothing you can do to convince me, Miss Swan. You've managed to fall victim to my son's delusions, and you should seek psychiatric help. I know a good therapist if you'd like a referral."
"Come on, Regina," Emma said a little more desperately than she intended. She knew she was losing her, but then suddenly an idea hit her. "What about – what about the magic in the air? I know you can feel it. It wasn't there before the curse broke and you know it."
"The only thing I know," Regina said sharply, "is that you are furthering the delusions of a child who is obviously in need of help. The last thing he needs is some woman trying to fill the loneliness in her own pathetic life. You should be ashamed of yourself."
"But Mom – " Henry started.
"No!" Regina snapped. "Henry, enough of this. We're going. Now!" And Emma couldn't believe she actually shoved the table aside to get him out. Henry looked like he wasn't sure what to do, and didn't resist when Regina grabbed him by the arm.
Emma couldn't let Regina just walk away now, not after all this. They'd gone far enough that there would be no chance of Regina letting either her near Henry anytime soon. Plus, if she left she'd be heading for work, where she'd be interacting with people all day long, and Emma wasn't sure Mary Margaret would be able to confront her in time. That was Plan B, and it was not ideal, but Plan C – where she learned the truth from a random townsperson – was even worse. No, she couldn't let her leave.
"What are you doing?" Regina demanded as Emma leapt up to block her exit. "Get out of my way."
"How about this, then," Emma said. "If you won't listen to facts, then maybe you'll listen to feelings."
She saw Henry's eyebrows raise at that, and realized it had sounded more sexual than she'd meant it to. And it was sexual, sometimes. But more than that, it was their connection. They felt it every time they touched, and it had to be enough to convince Regina of the truth.
"What are you talking about?" Regina snapped. Emma could tell she was struggling not to use physical force. "Miss Swan, this conversation is over. Get out of my way!"
"I'm talking about magic," Emma said, biting her lip with determination. And she grabbed Regina's hand before she could stop her and let the emotions flow through her – let the emotions flow through them. She felt the magic begin to swirl and heard Regina let out a startled gasp. Blindly, she reached out her other hand to grope for Regina's. When she found it, Regina didn't pull away.
Regina felt both different and entirely the same. Emma could sense her body, could feel each individual limb like they were her own, but it was more than that. They could feel each other's essence. And that's what was different; it was unmistakably Regina but it was frayed and broken and desperate in a way Emma couldn't quite understand. Had Regina really managed to undo years' worth of healing? Healing that had nothing to do with the Savior or the curse?
Or was it something else? Emma pushed a little deeper, probing until she could feel Regina struggling to keep her out. And even though Regina no longer had the practice Emma did and wouldn't truly have been able to block her, she dropped back regardless. She didn't want to ruin this shaky newfound bond they were forming, and if the strong sense of wonderment she was feeling from Regina was any indication, neither did she.
She could feel Regina testing the connection, clumsily stumbling through the bond in what would almost have been an endearing manner if it hadn't been so uncomfortable. Emma tried to guide her, only to be shoved back in a very plain I-can-do-this-myself manner. And Emma wasn't sure what exactly she was trying to do, so she just held the connection and she watched and she thought about the damage in Regina's soul and she wondered if it was because she wasn't there anymore or if that was selfish and stupid.
But she didn't want Regina to know that. Actually, she didn't want Regina to know anything about their relationship at all. Emma knew that she would find out sooner or later, and that she might even have a strong suspicion just from this, but she couldn't help the desire to have Regina realize she loved her all on her own. Besides, she'd actually already talked it over with Mary Margaret and Henry, and they'd decided to keep it a secret as long as possible. Everyone had agreed that Regina would be far less likely to let herself love Emma if she thought she was supposed to.
Regina was pressing at these surface thoughts, clearly frustrated with the ease at which Emma blocked her, and not going for the redirections she was being offered. Emma was honestly surprised she'd allowed the connection to continue for this long. It was more vulnerability than Regina had given her even when they'd first begun dating and doing – well, this – all those months ago. She wondered if it was because on some level, Regina remembered her. And if that was true, Emma definitely wanted to know about it.
So she concentrated on emotions. It was difficult to separate her own from Regina's, but she managed to push aside her own nervousness and apprehension. In addition to the awe, she could feel shock and fear and confusion from Regina, but there was something else there too. Something almost like…hope? And Emma couldn't tell what it was fueled by, so she pushed, and then—
—she felt the connection break as the hands on hers slipped away, and she felt a deep sense of loss. It was almost like a weird sort of withdrawal, somehow. Maybe a side effect from not having connected with her in far longer than she was used to…or maybe from not knowing when she'd be able to again. She wondered if Regina could feel it too.
Her head was still reeling, and she shook it to clear it. Henry was staring at them in shock. This wasn't something they'd shown him before: they considered it intimate; something private that only they shared. Unfortunately, Emma's quick glance into the other room of the diner told her that half of Storybrooke was going to know about it by noon, and she ardently wished it hadn't been necessary.
"What – what the hell was that?" Regina stuttered, clearly trying to regain her composure as she pulled her hand away, pressing it tightly to her chest almost as if to protect it. "What did you just do?"
"Don't you know?" Emma asked quietly. She stared at Regina, who avoided her eyes like they hadn't just been connected on a level deeper than either of them would ever be able to connect with anybody else.
Regina shook her head. "It's not possible. That's – what just happened is not possible."
"Really?" Emma said. She reached for Regina's hand again, but Regina took two quick steps back like she was afraid Emma's touch would burn her.
"That isn't what I meant," Regina said. "I mean it's not possible for that to happen. Magic or no magic…that has never happened with anybody else. Who are you?"
"I already told you," Emma said, purposefully dodging the question. "I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."
Regina shook her head again, now looking at Emma with trepidation. "No. Who are you to me?"
"She's a friend," Henry cut in before Emma could think of some sort of excuse to explain why they were able to connect like that. "She's a really, really good friend, Mom. And your magic is compatible because she's the Savior and because it was your curse. She was light and you were dark and when light combines with dark, that's what happens."
And Emma wasn't sure she was going to accept that explanation, but Regina glanced to the side and was visibly taken aback by the number of people watching them from the doorway to the other room. She looked back to her family with an expression Emma seldom saw on her – anxiety. Fear.
"Do you believe us?" Emma asked. It was gentle, and she knew the answer, but she needed to hear it out loud.
"Yes," Regina said quietly. "I believe you."
And damn it, she just looked so much like a kicked puppy dog that Emma couldn't resist the urge to lean forward and kiss her.
So she did.
[A/N: This was a really fun chapter to write. Thanks so much to everyone who's been following/faveing/reviewing! :)]