Author's Note: I am sorry I am using so long to update on this, but it takes a little while to find where I should split the chapters.


Chapter 4.

In time, Nora's soft sobs grew quiet as she calmed herself. Regina's dress was partly drenched by the girl's tears, but she didn't bat an eye. She continued to hold her until Nora broke away, whispering, "The party. Mom. We have to go back."

"I will talk with her," Regina assured was sure she somehow could manage to calm Elsa.

"No, this is a really big deal," she whispered, looking at the older woman. Her mother and Anna had worked so hard with this, to make everything perfect for tonight.

"We can walk back now," Regina told her.

The young girl nodded. As she was walking next to her, she asked, "You are Queen in another kingdom?"

"Yes, right across the sea," she answered with a smile. She added, "We travelled here by horse this time though, you can do that."

"Cool. Maybe I could visit you there sometime, if that is okay?"Nora wondered, looking at her with curious eyes.

"Of course, you can come any time you want, I would like to get to know you," answered Regina with a nod.

"I would like to get to know you as well," Nora replied as they reached the courtyard.

Just as Regina was about to respond, Elsa came flying out the main door to the castle. She had seen them coming and she was not too happy. She glared at Regina then her young daughter demanding, "Where have you been?!"

"I was in the stables, I needed some air and time to think," Nora answered, taking a would not end well she felt.

"And it never occurred to you to do that after your presentation? Nora, I asked you to do one thing, one thing only," she snapped. Her blue eyes flickering.

"It did, but everything happened so fast and I didn't know what to do. Go in and act as if everything were fine?" she snapped back at her mother.

"Well, I have managed to hold off your presentation, but now you have to come, we will talk about this later," Elsa told Nora with a heavy sigh.

"Alright, can I just check my hair and outfit in the mirror?" she asked, now polite and calm.

"Of course." Elsa nodded and the young girl hurried to find the nearest mirror. Elsa stood back and looked at Regina, asking tentatively, "Are you...coming?"

"In a moment, I wouldn't miss this for the world," Regina answered with a small smile.

Elsa's heart fluttered again. What was it about that woman that made her all tingly inside? Even after all those years. She smiled as she turned to walk into the ballroom.

Regina stood back for a moment watching before going inside to find Emma and Henry.


It was later the same night, after most of the guests had gone home, that Elsa went to find Regina. Regina had sent Henry to bed and she and Emma were about to do the same in one of the many guest quarters in the castle.

Elsa grabbed her arm, asking, "Are you going to apologize for taking Nora away from her party?"

"I will apologize for taking Nora away from the party, nothing more nothing less," quipped Regina in her usual tone.

"You have not changed have you?" Elsa asked. Clearly the other woman was never going to admit she was wrong, even if she was.

"In what way?" Regina asked for clarification.

"You are still stubborn and pigheaded," Elsa answered with frustration.

"So are you, what is your point here?" Regina's voice came out harsher than she meant it to.

"My point – Did you even feel anything when you got the invitation?" Elsa asked. It was the only one Elsa had personally delivered.

"What was I supposed to feel?" Regina asked in a rather bored tone. It wasn't as if she'd known just by looking at it that she had a teenage daughter she hadn't known about.

"You know, you're a stubborn ass, you never care about anyone's feelings than your own," Elsa spat at her.

"Me...me? Don't you dare, you were the one that broke my heart sixteen years ago! Have you any idea what it took of me to open myself to you and love you the way you did? Then for no reason at all you broke it off, telling me you didn't love me the way you thought you did. I felt fooled, unloved, scorned. Thanks to you I never dared to love again." Her voice was shivering.

"Why didn't you come back and fight harder if that was how you felt?" Elsa asked, exasperated.

"Because you shot me down and I couldn't bear to look at you," Regina whispered, turning away. Fight harder? How do you even fight someone's claim to no longer be interested? Call them a liar? Yes, that would go over real well.

"You felt something with that invite or you wouldn't even have come here!" Elsa's voice was rising now, as was ice that was growing on the walls thanks to her power and heightened emotions.

"Yes I did, for the first time in forever I felt something, seeing you deliver it. I knew it had to be important for you to do so," Regina raising her voice also.

"You saw me?" asked Elsa shocked. She hadn't known that.

"Of course, my balcony is right above the main entrance of the castle," Regina answered, rolling her eyes.

"Oh my... I forgot about that, I thought you weren't there," Elsa admitted, biting her lip.

"Well I was, and you are not that hard to recognize. You with your white hair wearing that white dress with red apple patterns." Regina looked at her.

Elsa swallowed, she had not been aware that Regina seen her, let alone notice what she had been wearing. Now she was lost on words. If she had known, why hadn't she come downstairs to talk to her? Clearly she had made an impression or she wouldn't have cared to remember what she had been wearing. She had accepted in good time that she would come along with company. That had made Elsa's heart drop at the time. Then again, who was she to expect her to stay single after all those years? She didn't realize it, but it had started to snow in the room.

"Oh stop it," Regina snapped making her aware and so she did with a heavy sigh.

Elsa looked into those brown depths with confusion asking, "Do you feel anything for me right now?"


Thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated :o)