Emma is scared when she walks up to Regina's office, wondering how the woman will react to the badge and gun she has strapped to her side. She expects Regina to either demand she turn the badge in or just outright laugh at her for thinking she can act as the sheriff again.
She actually has to put her hands inside her pockets when she's told she can enter to keep them from shaking, as she doesn't know what she's walking into.
It's with some surprise that she opens the door to the mayor's office and finds both the room and Regina looking like before the curse broke and she lost her position.
"You wanted to see me?" Emma says gruffly, barely stopping herself from adding 'Madame Mayor,' since she's not sure that's how Regina wishes to be addressed.
"Yes, please take a seat Miss Swan," the brunette replies, her eyes moving over the other woman, not missing the badge and gun, and smirking in amusement.
"I see you've found your toys. Planning to run around pretending to be sheriff again?"
"Since you seem so intent on appearances, I figured why not," Emma bites back, annoyed at the familiar mockery from the other woman and forgetting for a moment that she needs to be more careful now.
"Mmm, just remember that you report to me," the mayor replies with an amused smile as she cocks her head slightly.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Emma asks, ignoring the other woman's patronizing, just like she used to before the curse broke.
"My son of course. But since you're obviously intent on keeping up the pretense of sheriff I think I should get you up to speed on a few things first."
"Our son," the blonde replies tersely, but the other woman just waves her hand flippantly.
"Mostly people will go about their lives as before the curse was broken. If there are any disturbances though, I want to know about it."
"What kind of disturbances?" Emma asks with a frown, already having a pretty good idea.
"Oh you know, anything that could be a threat to my family," the mayor replies innocently, her smile all teeth and the sheriff knows it really means 'anyone that tries to conspire against me.'
"Yeah, I don't think I'll let you know if anything like that happens since you seem awfully inclined to kill or imprison anyone these days," the blonde replies snidely before she can think it through, watching as the other woman's eyes flash dangerously.
"Then I feel I should remind you that I'm only letting you walk around freely because you're Henry's birth mother and if you don't wish to be thrown down in the prisons with your idiot parents, you'll do as I say."
The threat is clear, her voice low, her eyes dark. And on the inside Emma shudders.
"What did you want to talk about with Henry?" she asks, knowing the brunette doesn't need her to verbally reply to the warning.
"Obviously, he has to go back to school and since you insist on him being with you, I expect you to make sure he's there on time."
"How do I know you won't just take him away?" Emma asks skeptically, her brow rising in challenge.
"I realize a lot has changed when you were away, but I still love my son more than anything and I want him to be happy. I would never hurt him," Regina replies harshly, sending the other woman a look that dares her to contradict the statement.
And the blonde can't deny that it's the truth. Regina may be or may have been a lot of things, but a bad mother has never been one of them. That makes her next question all the more important though.
"Then why did you let this happen?"
It comes out more as a plea than as a demand, her voice laced with desperation. And for a moment the Evil Queen's face loses its mask and is filled with sadness instead. And when she speaks, her tone is soft.
"I know you and all the people here wants to blame me, but this is not just my doing. This is just as much you and Snow and my mother and however many other peoples' fault."
"What?" Emma asks confused, but she can already see the mask slipping back. And when the brunette speaks again, it's with a voice filled with coldness and disdain.
"I wish to see my son soon. He's been away for quite a while. I want to make sure he's okay."
The sheriff has to fight the urge to gape stupidly at the abrupt change in the other woman. There's just no way she can manage to keep up with the other woman. She tries to wrap her mind around what can have happened to create the chaotic person sitting in front of her, but she comes up blank.
"I'd offer to come to dinner, but I assume Cora is staying at your house and I'm not letting her anywhere near Henry," Emma replies, proud that she managed to actually sound coherent.
"Fine, I'll come to you then," Regina tells her with a smirk, her eyes gleaming with amusement at the shock the blonde is unable to hide at the words. "Tomorrow night? At 7?"
"Uh, yeah sure," the blonde replies confused.
"Excellent! Well, good day then Miss Swan."
As the door closes behind her, Emma can only think one thing. What the fuck just happened?
"I'm not sure you should be letting Emma have any sort of authority in this town. It might give people the wrong idea, not to mention hope," Cora tells her daughter with dismay, spitting out the last word as if it leaves a bad taste in her mouth.
"Why, do you feel threatened mother?" the Evil Queen asks with a smirk, watching the other woman huff in offence.
"Please, she's nothing but a rude girl who needs a good whipping so she learns to mind her mouth and do as she's told."
Regina's smirk is gone faster than Jefferson can jump through worlds at the words as she remembers just how that feels and the sudden urge to make sure that doesn't happen to Henry's birth mom nearly overwhelms her. She tries to cast aside her confusion at the unusual burst of protectiveness that comes over her.
"Even so, as long as she doesn't oppose me and follow the rules I've set, you're going to leave her alone," she sneers at her mother, her voice low and filled with warning.
Cora seems to recognize the danger because she simply nods her assent. She's been keeping a close watch on her daughter before she enacted the curse that sent everyone to this world, and she knows she has to be more careful around her daughter now. She's not the scared, powerless girl she once was. She can't use magic to keep her in check anymore.
"By the way, I won't be home for dinner tomorrow night," the Evil Queen mentions casually, letting her hands ghost down over her dark green dress to remove any imaginary creases in the fabric. She hasn't gotten entirely used to wearing these dresses again yet. The only reason she's using them at all is because it enhances the image people have of her as the Evil Queen. Secretly, she rather prefers the clothes she would wear as mayor. But appearances are everything to her mother.
"Why not?" Cora asks, her brows furrowing in suspicion, her lips pursing in annoyance.
"I'm having dinner with my son."
"And Emma?"
"Her too," Regina replies with an exasperated sigh and eye roll. "Apparently, she's part of the package."
"I really don't understand why you-"
"Mother," the Evil Queen growls angrily. "We've been over this. And I don't care what you think of it, it's my decision to make. I want Henry to want to be with me. And if that means having to endure the crudeness and clumsiness of one Miss Swan then that's what I'll do."
Cora huffs in irritation. She doesn't think she'll ever understand her daughter.
"After all, she never fails to keep things interesting," Regina mutters, almost as an afterthought, as she smirks to herself.
"Hello Henry," Regina says when she walks inside, handing the container of lasagna to the sheriff. He eyes her with scrutiny and skepticism.
"You look different," he states finally and Emma can see the surprise the brunette tries to hide at his words. Clearly, she thought she could fool their son by showing up in clothes she typically wore as his mom and mayor, not as the Evil Queen. But he notices that her whole posture has changed. And her voice. It's deeper, lower, more dangerous. It's a voice used to intimidate and control others, devoid of care and love and not something her son is used to hearing.
In a way, Emma is glad Henry notices the obvious difference, even though she doesn't like that he seems apprehensive and maybe even a little bit frightened of the other woman. Because it will make it easier for her to use him to try and make Regina see reason.
"How was your trip with Emma and Mr. Gold?" the brunette asks with calm and interest the other woman knows isn't genuine.
"It was fun," he answers hesitantly, like he's afraid of how she'll react to his words.
"I hope Miss Swan made sure you were safe?" Emma recognizes the silent threat in the question and she scowls at the same time as Henry rolls his eyes slightly.
"Of course she did."
"I'm glad. I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you."
He looks thoughtful, as if contemplating whether he dares to ask what he wants, and Emma has to fight back a groan when he decides to take the chance.
"Why are you doing this?" Apparently, he's inherited her inability at subtlety and the ability to blurt whatever is on his mind.
"Doing what?" Regina asks with what the blonde recognizes as fake sweetness, her eyes glancing briefly at the other woman to ascertain if she's told her son something she shouldn't have, but the sheriff just shrugs.
"Hurting people!"
"Oh honey, people aren't really hurting. They just needed someone to bring back order so they can go back to living their lives and remember their places."
"But…then why did you imprison people and let Cora kill the Blue Fairy?" he questions with all the innocence of an eleven year old who can't wrap his mind against such horrible deeds.
"My mother is a very dangerous woman Henry, and she's very hard to contain. I can't save everyone, but I'm trying to make the best of it for the ones I can."
"But you could stop her," he argues.
"It's not that easy honey, she's very powerful." Emma fights the urge to snort at the understatement of that. The woman is completely crazy, with near unlimited resources – or so Emma's always felt – and she's fucking terrifying. Even though Cora was incapable of ripping out her heart, she has no doubts the woman could find a hundred other ways to kill or torture her.
"So work with Emma." The blonde is pretty sure she doesn't imagine the slight wrinkling of a nose at their son's words. Even before everything went to hell, Regina has had a hard time working together with the other woman, always finding it much easier to argue with her.
"Things aren't that simple Henry."
"They could be," he tells her stubbornly.
"Life isn't always what we want it to be. I want to do right by you Henry, but some things just can't be changed no matter how much we want to. Some things in life just have to be how they are even if we don't like it."
He looks like he wants to keep going, but Emma fears what could happen if he keeps pushing the other woman because even if he can't or won't see or hear it, there's no mistaking the desperation and irritation that's steadily growing within the brunette as he keeps arguing his easy view of life.
"Dinner?!" she exclaims loudly, wincing as mother and son turn to stare at her with dismay. "I'm starving, we should eat," she finishes lamely, hoping Henry's presence will keep Regina from turning her to ash where she stands.
"Of course. I brought your favorite," the mayor replies tersely after a moment, giving her son an encouraging smile towards the container.