A/N: Wow, you guys. Thank you so much for your reviews, messages, follows, and favorites. As I said before, this is my very first attempt at a fanfiction story of any kind, and as a person who very rarely lets her work be seen by ANYONE, I was pretty nervous. You all have been fantastic, though, and I really appreciate it. This story is shaping up into something that I didn't even think it would be when I first started, and I'm excited you seem to be enjoying it. We're going to see relationships really begin to shape out in the coming chapters, and I'm really looking forward to it. Thank you again, and enjoy!
The tingling of the bell over the pawn shop's door set Regina's teeth on edge, and she clenched her fists to keep herself from ripping the damn thing down. Her head was practically throbbing from the stress of the day, as well as the physical toll the spell she'd unintentionally cast upon herself had taken on her. It was neither easy nor pleasant to split one's self into three fragments, and she'd felt sick ever since it had happened.
God, how could she have allowed this to happen? Out of all the foolish things she'd done in her life, this one took the cake. She knew how dangerous magic could be firsthand, and yet she had been so reckless as to slip up so monumentally. You're losing your touch, Madame Mayor.
"You alright?" Emma's soft voice from beside of her made Regina blink, and she looked over to the blonde as they made their way to the front desk of the cluttered shop.
Something that she hoped resembled a smile crossed her lips. "Yes, dear. I'm fine. Just thinking, that's all."
Emma offered back a supportive, determined smile. "We're going to figure this out, Regina."
"I know we will," she said back with a nod. "I just want to get this over with already."
"Well, hopefully, Gold will be able to help out," Emma sighed, placing her palms on the desk and leaning over it to peer around in the backroom for the owner. "Hey, Gold! You in here?"
"Must you always yell, dearie?"
Both women jumped when the Dark One appeared around the corner, leaning on his cane and limping towards them behind the counter.
"For a guy with a cane, you move awfully quietly," the Sheriff noted, and Gold gave her an unappreciative sneer.
"To what do I owe this royal visit?" He asked, eyes flickering between the two women.
"We need your help," Regina said, and he raised his eyebrows at her.
"And why, pray tell, would I help you?" He questioned. "Because of you, Belle spent twenty-eight years locked away in solitude."
"That was ages ago," the mayor said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "And I apologized for it already."
"An apology doesn't give her those years back," he growled.
"If you don't want to help her," Emma inserted, and they both looked at her, "then do it for me."
He pinched his brow incredulously at her. "Not to be rude, Miss Swan, but I'm not terribly fond of you, either."
"After everything you've done," the Savior pointed her finger at him, "you owe me this much."
He snorted. "I owe you nothing, dearie."
"I reunited you with your son," Emma reminded him, and he frowned at the mention of Baelfire. Rumpelstiltskin had become quite adept at concealing his emotions over the years as the Dark One, but it was more than evident that the loss of his son still haunted him daily. "Besides, in the grand scheme of things, you owe me and Regina and everyone else here. This whole curse was your doing from the start. You manipulated Regina into casting it, and you created me to break it. So, yes, Gold, you do owe me-big time-and I'm here to collect."
The older man eyed her harshly for a moment. "What is it you need from me, Miss Swan?"
"Regina had a little... accident," Emma chose her words carefully, and Gold rolled his eyes at the mayor. "She split herself, and now there are two more of her on the loose. One of which is the Evil Queen."
"Well done, dearie," he spat sarcastically, and Regina tightened her eyes at him, mouth twitching in anger. What she wouldn't give for a chance to smash his other foot. "I taught you better than to make such amateur mistakes."
"Just tell us how to fix it," she growled at him.
"Is there, like, a reverse spell or something for it?" Emma asked. "Maybe a reset button?"
"Magic is not a game, Miss Swan," Gold said to her in a voice that dripped with condescension. "There are no reset buttons or erasers. Regina did far more than split her physical body-she separated her very soul. The two women are apart of her being, and they are vital to her existence."
Regina frowned at him. "What are you saying, Gold? In plain English, please."
He scowled at her. "Your soul separated because you are conflicted with your own self. Who you have become cannot reconcile with who you once were, and that's what caused the fracture. To join the pieces again, you must acknowledge that the Evil Queen and the Regina who was before are still as much apart of you as the woman you are now."
"I am not what I used to be," Regina shook her head with a scowl. "I've changed." She'd fought harder than she ever had in her life to change, and she'd be damned if she let Gold belittle that, even if it was the only way to get rid of her stupid clones.
Gold gave her an acidic smile. "Nobody changes that much, dearie."
"So, that's it?" Emma asked, and they both looked at her with matching frowns. "Regina faces her demons, and the problem's solved? That's all we have to do?"
The pawnbroker smirked at her, brushing his long hair back from his face. "You say that as if it is simply done. You've dealt with your own internal chaos before, Miss Swan. Was there anything harder than facing your past sins and accepting them?" She swallowed hard, throat tightening. "I thought as much. Now, I've told you all that I can. Please, do me a favor, and get out of my shop."
"Gladly." Regina's heels squeaked on the recently-polished floors as she headed for the door.
Emma lingered a moment, looking at the Dark One with narrowed eyes. "You'd better be telling the truth, Gold."
He smiled at her with a shrug. "What could I possibly gain from lying to you? Besides, don't you possess an affinity for discerning the truth from the false? Your, ah, superpower, I believe you call it."
"Just because you're telling some truth, it doesn't mean that you're telling all of it," she reasoned. "All magic comes at a price, right?"
His smiled remained just as oily as before. "Indeed it does, dearie. And Regina's price is the pain and chaos of her physical separation."
Emma sucked at her teeth. "Yeah, I suppose it is. Let me warn you, though, Gold: if there is another price, a worse one, that you're keeping from us, if she is put in any danger because of this, I will come back here and make you regret it."
He raised his eyebrows. "Will you, now? Isn't the Savior meant to be a beacon of hope and light? Death threats are a bit dark for your taste, dearie."
She grinned darkly. "I never said I'd kill you. No, that'd be much too simple. If Regina is hurt in all of this because of something you didn't tell me, I won't kill you. I'll just make you wish to God that I had." The look on his somber face told her that he understood her loud and clear, and she backed away from the counter with a thin smile. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Gold."
"Good day, Miss Swan."
She exited the shop and found Regina waiting for her on the street.
"What was that about?" She questioned with an arched brow.
"Just some friendly chit-chat," Emma shrugged nonchalantly. "So, we got our answer. Let's go deal with your issues, Madame Mayor. I was thinking maybe an intervention, you know? Get the whole town in on it. Maybe Archie will be free to mediate."
"This is a joke to you," Regina frowned, crossing her arms.
"Joke?" The blonde repeated with feigned ignorance. "I don't know what you mean, Regina. I am one hundred percent serious."
"This isn't funny, Miss Swan!" Regina snapped back, and Emma frowned at her sharp tone. "I am under an immense amount of pressure and stress, and you think it's just all a chance to have a laugh at my expense!"
The Sheriff frowned. "Regina, I... You know that isn't the case. It's just that everything is so dark and heavy right now, I thought I could cheer you up." She looked at the mayor with sincere eyes. "I would never make your pain into a joke."
"I know," Regina sighed, pinching her brow. "I-I'm sorry I reacted so harshly. It isn't fair for me to take out my frustrations on you."
Emma eyed her for a moment, observing how the vein in her forehead seemed to pulse. "Is... Is it too terrible?"
The brunette looked at her with a sigh. "It feels like a nasty hangover that won't go away. My head is aching, and my stomach feels like it's twisted into knots. I'm irritable and cramping and pissed off."
"Sounds like a severe case of PMS," Emma noted with a cringe.
"I suppose that might be an adequate analogy. Except this won't go away."
"I'm sorry."
Regina knit her brow at the words. "Why are you sorry? I did this to myself."
"I know," Emma shrugged, "but I'm still sorry you feel badly." Her eyes peeked up at the woman in front of her under hooded lashes. "Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe I could pick you up some medicine?"
"I highly doubt that Midol would relieve this," Regina said. "I think, if I had a good enough distraction, perhaps it would ease a bit."
Emma's face brightened into a wide grin. "Well, I can manage that."
"Beg pardon?"
"Don't even worry about it," the blonde assured her, stepping closer. Regina tried to keep her expression held in a scorn, but with the younger woman so close to her and looking at her with eyes that pratically sparkled, she had trouble focusing. "I've got it under control. I'll arrange for Henry to spend the night with my parents' tonight. You go home, and try to get some rest. I'll drop by your place at seven."
"Miss Swan, what are you planning?"
Emma turned and walked away from Regina with her smile still in place. "You'll find out later tonight!"