(Enchanted Forest, twenty-eight years ago)

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

Whirling to face her mother, Katarina hastily shoved both hands behind her back; the flame that had kindled against her palm dying out almost as quickly as it had come. The anger in the Queen's eyes was scathing; its effect forcing the girl to take a hesitant step back, only to find herself jumping as her back bumped against the boy she had been trying so valiantly to deter. Surprisingly enough, instead of bolting at the sight of her mother, the boy opted instead for shifting to stand before her; his advantage in height forcing Katarina to stare directly at the space between his shoulder blades in muted surprise while he spoke.

"She isn't doing anything—"

"Oh really? Well luckily, I wasn't asking her the question" The Queen sneered; stooping down to have a better chance of looking at the boy that had placed himself between her, and her daughter, and lifting a brow in silent question before going on "And you would be wise if you addressed me properly."

"Yes, Your Majesty" The boy replied; his posture never wavering even in light of how the Queen held no qualms over stooping still closer, and cocking her head to the side in open curiosity over his stubbornness. Where before, she had been accustomed to people withdrawing from her, regardless of age, this particular boy seemed completely unabashed by the barely laced venom in her words; his wide blue eyes meeting her own dark brown ones with unrestrained curiosity as she spoke.

"Now—answer my question" She repeated; noting how Katarina had started to peek around the boy's shoulders, her own eyes wide in her otherwise pale face. For all intents and purposes, it appeared as though she were more frightened of the current confrontation than its true object; the way she seemed almost instinctively to shrink back in light of the brief glance her mother spared her belying her apprehension even in spite of her attempt to hide it. In truth, the constant struggle to maintain her power, while simultaneously hiding the majority of that reality from the little girl she had taken for her own was trying; now, more so than ever. Already, the girl had spent far too much time with the prisoner that she, personally, felt would be better off removed from their world entirely—and, loathe to risk losing the girl through any act of her own, Regina did what she could to soften her appearance; her stance relaxing just a bit as she took a breath and spoke again.

"What do you think you're doing with my daughter?"

Before the little boy could reply, however, a rustling sounded from behind him, followed by the thumping of hurried footsteps; the appearance of an older man quite out of breath from running startling both Kat, and her erstwhile companion as his own lower baritone broke the sudden silence shock had caused to arise between them.

"Pinnochio! My boy, there you are!" He exclaimed; removing the slight brown cap that adorned graying hair, and holding it lightly between weathered hands as he simultaneously addressed the Queen "Your Majesty—my boy, he wasn't causing you trouble?"

"That depends on his answer" The Queen replied; once again redirecting her attention to the boy she had been so intent upon so that she might repeat her question again "What—were you doing with my daughter?"

"Talking, Your Majesty, that's all. I promise!"

"Why don't I believe you—"

"It's true, Mama" Katarina chimed in; shouldering past the boy—Pinnochio—and sparing a glance up towards him just in time to catch his faint smile before she went on "It's true; please don't hurt him."

"What makes you think I'm going to hurt him, dear?" Regina inquired; reaching for Katarina's hand, and smiling as gently as she could manage when she became aware that her daughter did not intend to recoil, but instead took the proffered hand with her own, smaller one and stepped closer to her mother's side before replying in a hesitant tone.

"You look angry. You hurt people when you're angry."

Brows furrowing at the eerie perceptiveness in the young girl's claim, the Queen squeezed gently at the tiny hand that was encased in her own; her eyes meeting Katarina's for a moment, and taking in the slight hesitation in their gaze while she spoke as a hopeful means of encouragement.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone, Katarina" She promised; pulling the girl closer towards her, and releasing her hand so that she might instead slip an arm about her slender shoulders "I only want to protect you."

"Why?"

"Because" Regina began; pulling the girl towards her still more securely, and placing the other hand upon her shoulder before glancing back at the boy and his father as they made to walk away.

"I love you, Katarina. And I will never let anything, or anyone take you from me; no matter the cost."

...

(Storybrooke, present day)

"I'm fine, Mom, I promise" Kat groused; ducking away from Regina's attempt at propping yet another pillow behind her back on the sofa, and frowning as the act caused a dull throb to take root in her muscles. Prior to discharge from the hospital, Dr. Whale had given her a temporary prescription for painkillers, as well as something to help her sleep; the former having done a great deal of good in easing the majority of the pain from her accident, even in spite of her initial skepticism over their use. And although she had flatly refused use of the sleeping pills in addition, Kat found that sleep was, in fact, the greatest priority on her mind in that moment; the near constant fussing that her mother was making over her arrangements on the sofa standing in the way of that goal in spades.

"And what kind of mother would I be if I took you at your word?" Regina replied; holding the pillow out rather insistently, and allowing the beginnings of a smile to toy with the corner of her mouth as she watched her daughter resign herself to the assistance that had been rendered "I want to take care of you, Kat. I always have."

"I—I know. But I really am fine—just tired."

"Then I will let you rest. But before I do, I have to ask you something; and I want you to be honest with me, Katarina."

"Okay—" Kat assented; hesitation apparent in her tone as she shifted slightly against the pillows at her back, and tugged the blanket that normally rested, neatly folded, on the back of the sofa up to rest more securely around her torso "What do you want to know?"

"Before you crashed the car—did you see anything?"

"What do you mean?"

"I believe you know very well what I mean" Regina pressed; unable to entirely keep the bite from her tone as she noted that Kat had lifted a brow in mock innocence, and folded both arms across her chest, over the blanket "Was there anything in the vicinity that might have caused the accident?"

"No. Not that I can recall" Katarina replied; brow furrowing a bit as she tried to recall back to the moments just prior to when everything had faded to black "Why?"

"There were no obstructions? Nothing that blocked the road?"

"No. It—it was just as if the car stopped of its own accord. Which is of course, ridiculous" Kat amended; lifting a hand to tug through slightly tousled brown hair, and frowning a bit as she took care to glance at her mother's reception of her answer "Honestly, Mom, I don't really know what caused it."

"Interesting" Regina mused; watching Katarina's expression carefully for a moment, and deciding that she was, in fact, being honest about what had happened just before the accident that had landed her in the hospital "Well regardless of the cause, I'm glad you're alright."

"But—you have business to attend to; and I'm on my own for a bit."

A sigh of resignation escaped Regina as she took in the curious lack of emotion behind Katarina's response; even in spite of the truth that rang in her words. More often than not, her own dalliances had pulled her away from both of her children; though even with how she hated time spent apart from them, she could not entirely find it within herself to regret them—

Or at least, she couldn't when those dalliances involved the Sherriff…

With such a thought in mind, Regina squared her shoulders and turned towards the mirror situated on the wall to apply a rather brilliant red lipstick; and yet she still did not miss the way her daughter appeared to be rather actively avoiding paying too much attention to anything that she did as though her life depended on it. As it had so many times before, Katarina's obvious uncertainty around her proved nothing short of frustrating; the hasty way in which she turned from the mirror once again after having applied her lipstick, and directing her gaze to her daughter once again before she spoke.

"I could stay with you, if you'd prefer."

"No. No, Mom, that won't be necessary" Katarina replied; doing what little she could to temper the rejection that was so apparent in her words with a softer tone, and finally meeting her mother's gaze with her own before going on "I'm planning on doing more sleeping than anything else, anyway, so I doubt I'd be very good company."

"You're sure?"

"I am."

Nodding once, and resisting the urge to frown, Regina turned from her daughter after a brief moment spent in uncertainty over whether or not to press the matter; a flash of irritation washing over her as she was forced, once again, to confront the reality that was presented before her. Already, her hold on both Katarina and Henry had been tenuous, to say the least; particularly as they had both grown older, and become more confident in their own opinions. Katarina, in particular, had been rather determined to go her own way at times; without heed or care to Regina's wishes in the matter at all—and although she would have liked nothing more than to remain with her daughter, she chose instead to move towards the doorway leading from the living room into the foyer beyond; seeking the light jacket she had chosen for the day's outing and the black pumps that coordinated so well with her pants suit before she spoke.

"Henry should be back from school at four; and I've left money on the counter for the two of you to order a pizza—"

"Thanks, Mom. Really" Kat called from the living room; leaning back against the pillow behind her back, and closing her eyes as she exhaled slowly in an attempt at relaxation "I promise, between Henry and I, we'll make it work. We'll be fine."

"You'll make sure he does his homework?"

"Of course."

Satisfied that order would be maintained in her absence after such a reassurance, Regina resolved to continue towards the door, rather than succumbing to the nagging sense of guilt that nearly overcame her at the thought of leaving both of her children in search of her own pursuits. The two of them were perhaps the only thing she truly cared for; everything else surrounding the life that the Dark Curse had given her paling by comparison to the reality of being a mother. In spite of the sometimes difficult relationship that she held with both of her children, however, some small part of her remained poignantly aware of how her current dealings with the Sherriff threatened to tear it all apart—particularly upon consideration of the impact such a revelation might have upon her eldest. And although the intent of the Curse had been to secure her own happiness, no matter the cost, Regina knew well that she would do anything to maintain the hold over Katarina's trust and affection.

Already, the presence of Henry's birth mother, along with Katarina's own kinship with a man that had more devilry to his name than he had any right to were a threat; and she would be damned if she lost either one of the things that had given her life meaning after so much time spent in emptiness.

Sometime later, the sound of a slamming door jolted Kat out of her momentary nap, and forced her to straighten from her position reclining upon the sofa; a belated wince spreading across her features as footsteps thudding down the hall reached her ears, and gave way to Henry bounding into the room with a smile that could have powered an entire city's electrical grid.

"Kat! You're home!"

"Yeah, I am, kiddo—" Kat replied; quirking a brow at how Henry almost immediately dropped his backpack on the floor beside her, and plopped down in the empty space beside her "How was school?"

"It was okay. Miss Blanchard had us finish the rest of our bird houses; and we ended up with an extra math assignment after she got called out of the classroom."

"Mary Margaret got called out of the classroom?"

"Yeah" Henry confirmed; squirming slightly to grant himself a more comfortable position on the sofa, and reaching down for the strap of his backpack so that he could tug it up to place upon his lap "I guess Mom decided to swing by the school before picking you up from the hospital."

"So she must have found out about the credit card" Kat mused; sighing, and massaging her temple for a moment while both eyes slipped closed in mute resignation "Crap."

"I talked to her after class. She said she wasn't mad—"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't still feel bad that Mom called her out on it."

"Maybe—maybe she'll change her mind" Henry suggested; his tone, and the obvious reluctance behind it giving Kat the impression that the 'she' he referred to was their mother, and not the schoolteacher they had both inadvertently dragged into the line of fire with them "Maybe, once she gets used to Emma, it'll get better."

"You really think that'll happen?" Kat questioned; skepticism heavy in the question, even as Henry rummaged in his backpack, and withdrew the book that had started this entire endeavor in the first place "Because, from where I'm standing, to our Mom—Emma's a threat."

"That's why I want you to meet her."

"I—what?"

"I want you to meet her" Henry repeated; shifting once again so that he faced Kat more directly, and handing the book to her, while she in turn took it rather hesitantly "I want you to meet my mom; but before you do, I think you need to do something for me first."

"And what might that be?" Kat inquired; laughing a bit as the fingers of one hand idly roamed over the cover of the book, and her attention was distracted for a moment by the lettering sprawled upon it, while Henry took the opportunity of her silence to press his advantage.

"I want you to read this. If you're gonna help me get Emma to believe, you need to, too."

Hello there, dears! And welcome, once again, to another new chapter! I have to say, this one turned out as a bit more of a filler, and shorter than I had originally planned; but I hope that it didn't end up too boring as a result. I wanted to create a means for Kat to familiarize herself with the book as well, before introducing her to Emma and starting the main part of the action in the first season. So I hope that what I've done makes sense; and that even though it isn't a very heart-hammering chapter, it is still at least somewhat enjoyable!

As always, huge thanks go out to all of my readers, followers, favorites, and reviewers! I can't believe how much support this story has received since its inception; and I am beyond grateful that everyone has been so kind throughout! Special thanks, of course, goes out to my dear guest, SeraphineWhist, and ZabuzasGirl for taking the time to review! I truly do appreciate the support; and I cannot wait to hear what everyone thinks of this chapter! Don't hesitate to keep those thoughts coming, if you wish!

Until next time?

MJR