She climbs up each board against the tree; tears streaming out of her eyes and heart shattering into a million of pieces. This place is her safe haven, the place she, new her sister, and her new father created.
Should she even call the little devil her sister? That girl has been nothing but mean. She plays cool around their parents but says hurtful things when they're alone. Who is she kidding, they've always argued and made up, because that's what siblings do right? However, Emma Swan did not feel like a sister. Even if she's never had a sister Regina knows that this isn't what a sister should make her feel like. What does she feel?.
"Regina? Are you up there?" A voice calls out to her. The brunette quickly sniffles and wipes away her tears. She peers out of the treehouse window to find her new father looking up to her with a very concerned look on his face. It's heart warming. None of her mother's boyfriends ever acted like they cared. Not even once.
Without invitation, Leo climbed into the treehouse to find Regina balled up in a corner next to the computer desk that he also managed to build.
"What's gotten the queen so down?" He asks kindly. Regina peered up at him for a quick moment and brung her knees to her chest due to feeling too exposed to the man.
"Emma...hates me." She hiccuped and rubbed at her nose. Leo couldn't help but pull his step daughter in close, removing the thick locks from her face.
"Emma doesn't hate you Reg...she's just not good with opening up. Things like that."
"But does she have to be..so...infuriating?" Leo was thoroughly surprised that the 9 year old used such a big word perfectly but let Regina vent out her feelings nonetheless. "She keeps picking at me because she thinks I'm trying to steal you away from her and she wants to run me out."
"That is a problem..." Leo sighs. He couldn't help how heavy his heart felt. If Regina and Emma couldn't get along then it would definitely be hard for he and Cora to stay together long term. He wanted that. He loved her and loved Regina just as much as he loved Emma. "I'll tell you what, I'll talk to Emma and then maybe you two could sit down and handle the problems huh? I'll be right there okay."
Regina reluctantly nodded her head and let Leo guide her to a family intervention. One that they all had at least once a month now.
~Regina's POV~
I cling to mom's arm, happily skating beside her as we watch dad and Emma skate ahead. Dad brung his video camera of course. Since Emma's such a great ice skater, she's just showing off to the camera, letting her small body glide gracefully across the slippery floor.
"Aren't they adorable?" Mom chuckles. I nod my head in agreement and let out a soothed hum once my face comes into contact with mom's shoulder.
Staring at Emma and fantasizing has reminded me of a topic that I have been reluctant to bring up. I know that it probably doesn't matter now, but I still want to know for the future. I want to know for my mentality's sake.
"Hey mom?" I question nervously. Mom taps my hand and looks over to me.
"Yes my dear? What is it?"
"If I were...If I were to have unprotected sex, would I make a baby?" I simply blurt just for the hell of it. My mom's entire body tenses. She clears her throat and tries to mentally wrap my question around her mind.
"Why would you be having unprotected sex Regina?. I've raised you better than that." She frowns at me. I take a quick glance at Emma in the distance to find her looking at me curiously.
"I know I know, but just in case like the condom breaks because we both know that I'm abnormally–"
"Regina." My mom sighs and closes her eyes tight. I never thought it would be so hard or uncomfortable for her to talk about this. It kind of makes me insecure about myself.
"This is not the place to talk about such matters love but the answer is no. You can not make babies." I let out a sigh of relief and look back at Emma once again, not knowing if I should feel happy or just I don't know. Maybe I did see us making a family in the near future if we even make it that far.
"You are still a woman Reg. Woman and woman cannot make babies without scientific help. For your better understanding, your penis is just a deformity of you clitoris." Wait what?!
"Huh? So you're telling that there's—"
"Yes dear, there is a vagina hidden behind all of that. Your lips are also deformed making it seem as if you have testicles and—"
"Okay mom! Okay I get it, you were right we shouldn't be talking about this." I gag. I've never felt so sick about myself in my life, like ever!
I've been stuck with this bewildered look all day, even when we went out to lunch, and when we all sat down as a family to watch Christmas movies together. Sadly, I've been avoiding Emma the entire day. I just feel so alienated for some reason.
Dad and Mom ended up leaving to go and buy more groceries while Em and I set up the Christmas tree. I've been stuck in thought about my deformity and if I should change it or not. Then how would Emma feel about it? She probably won't love me anymore. But that's not what love is about is it?
"So...are we going to address the elephant in the room or..." she trails awkwardly while hooking another ornament to a branch.
"Not now Emma, I'm not in the mood." I mumble lowly. Suddenly I find the last golden garland interesting and make my way over to the staircase with it. Even if people aren't coming over because, duh we're on vacation, dad and mom still wants the cabin to look like Christmas.
"When will you be in the mood? Because I'm sick of receiving the cold shoulder here." She growls. And there she goes, always finding a way to piss me off.
"Everything isn't about you Emma! I'll talk when I'm fucking ready!" I snap from the top of the stairs.
"Seriously?! You don't have to be a bitch about everything that shoves up your ass the wrong way." I glare at her, and she glares at me.
"Oh really? Says the girl who thought the cutest boy at school wanted to dig in her pants." I scoff. Immediately I regret saying that. That was really low.
"Wow...are you seriously degrading my past social status?" She scoffs. "You know what? I'm done."
Is she serious right now? I'd expect her to be half as mad than she is now. She just called me a bitch for crying out loud! If it were me, it'd be the end of the world and she'd run straight to mom so I can get grounded for a week.
"You aren't done with anything, we live together." I laugh as she comes up the stairs to pass me.
"Yea, because you are my sister Regina. And that's all you'll ever be. Nothing more." She growls coldly.
I never thought that a fourteen year old could spit so such harsh words. Oh wait, it's Emma. She always knew how to hit me where it hurts. She always throws things ten times harder.
"Don't touch me and don't even talk to me." She concludes. I roll my eyes and shrug my shoulders, trying so hard to hold back the pain she caused deep inside once again.
"Whatever." I mumble. Emma storms off to our room and slams the door shut, just as dad and mom walk in. They are definitely going to sense the tension and wonder why I'll be sleeping on the couch for the rest of the night.
Yesterday, Emma and I managed to play off our growing hate for one another, but it was short lived. Mom and Dad noticed the tension just as suspected. Emma has been locking herself in the room unless she's truly needed so, Dad called a family meeting and told me to go and get her.
My heart feels heavy with each step I take towards the bedroom that we once shared. Now, it's just Emma's room. We keep our distance that's for sure.
I take a deep breath in and knock on the door, opening it right after without invitation. Emma glares at me and then looks back down at her laptop loving whatever is on the screen more than she loves me.
"What?" She spits lowly. I sigh heavily hating this stupid fighting.
"Dad wants you downstairs. Family meeting." I mumble before turning tail and going right back down. Soon, I can hear Emma right behind me.
Mom and dad are already sitting in the living room waiting for us, so I sit down on the sofa closest to where dad is sitting with mom. Emma sits on the sofa across from me and hugs her knees to her chest.
"Regina.." mom starts immediately. "Why are you sleeping on the couch?"
"Because...there's no tv in our room."
I lie. Well it's true that there isn't a tv, but that's obviously not why I'm not sleeping down here. Mom doesn't need to know that; however, she always reads me like a book. I love her for it, but in this case it will be highly annoying.
"That's a lie." Dad utters and sulks in his seat a bit. "What happened between you two, you were just fine."
I can feel Emma's eyes burning my skin as I thoughtlessly gaze off to the carpet under the coffee table. There's no point in looking at her if it's only going to make my chest burn with anxiety. Mom clears her throat, signaling how impatient she's getting. So, Emma shifts in her seat and says,
"Something was wrong with Regina yesterday, I asked her what was wrong and she just snapped at me." Emma reveals. It's the honest truth. I sigh and look at my parents who are now waiting for my side.
"I felt uncomfortable after what you told me." I say to mom. Her face then drops to a sorrowful look and then dad questions mom.
"What did you tell her love?"
"Well she asked me for more details about her situation, so I explained it to her." Mom informs in defense. Dad nods his head in understanding and gives me a warm smile.
"You have no reason to feel this way Regina. You are beautiful inside and out. We'll always love you for you." I smile at dad, letting his kind words eliminate the pain that Emma brung to my heart.
"All I did was tell Emma that I wasn't in the mood and things went left. She called me a bitch again." I glare her way.
"Emma, why are you always saying crappy things to her? What is your deal?" Dad questions in anger. Emma stares at dad slacked jawed and it soon turns into the scariest glare ever.
"You know, I love it how you're always on her side dad! That's very reassuring." She snaps. That was the start to a huge argument.
"Can you blame me? From the moment she arrived you've done nothing but bully her!"
"Dad, I did not bully her!" Emma mocks with an eye roll.
"Seriously Leo, she can't help but get upset if Regina snaps at her. It's not always one sided and Emma's fault." I can't believe this. Is she serious right now? My dad stares at mom with disbelief on his face. All the while, my anger is brewing and it wants to pour out into her and only her.
"Mom that is hardly the point." I scoff.
"Oh sure Regina. The point is that Emma got frustrated after you probably belittled her. She was just trying to be nice."
"Probably? Are you seriously going to argue with me right now?!" I snap. Mom sits up to the edge of her seat and glares at me as if that motherly look would scare me in this moment. It hardly bothers me with the way I'm pissed right now.
"Are you threatening me Regina?" She growls. I shrug my shoulders and stand up. There's no point in this and I'm done with the conversation.
"You two can be your perfect little family. Have fun baking and doing all of that bull shit by yourselves." I spit at both of them.
"Regina!" Dad and mom snap together. I ignore them and storm right over to the coat rack. I seriously need to run. It's better than just sitting here and getting angrier by looking at their faces. I'm honestly on the verge of brutally beating one of them.
"Dad, I think your daughter is out of control." Emma quips.
"Emma! Just stop already!" Dad snaps coldly, causing Emma to abruptly stand up. She glares at me once again feeling so jealous that her daddy prefers a queen over a precious little princess.
"What?" I challenge. Emma lifts an eyebrow and hops over the couch. Dad quickly get's up just as I drop my coat. He doesn't make it in time. Emma runs over, grabs me by the neck, just as my fist connects to her cheek. Together we fall to the ground with her over top of me. Emma gets one good punch in before Dad pulls her off of me.
This is what mom meant by 'ruining the relaxing vacation'. Yea we argued alot, but as we've gotten older, we literally fight to the death. So many vases and pictures in the house were broken during the process. Sometimes I get so mad that I throw things at Emma, or she ends up pushing me into the coffee table. Mom and Dad has been through ten coffee tables in three years because of us.
But since we've been intimate for the past month and a half, I thought that would all end. Obviously I was wrong and Emma really isn't anything more than a bratty little step sister.
Just thinking about it makes me angrier. As soon as I get up, I see all red and Emma is even redder. My body moves without the control of my brain and launches at her again, but Mom manages to stop me. (I always forget how strong this woman truly is). She grabs my body and pulls me back and away from Emma who is being death held by dad.
"This is not the way!" Mom yells at us both before dragging me into the kitchen. Leaving two maturing teenagers in the same room together is obviously not the best answer. Mood swings are a bitch and so are hormones.
Mom glares at me before storming to the freezer and grabbing an icepack. I suddenly taste the blood in my mouth and feel the tingle on my lip as the adrenaline drains from my body. I'm much calmer now as mom hands over the solid object. It makes my lip go numb as I press it to the bruise but it's a bearable pain for now.
"Why Regina? Why?" My mom whines in defeat. I shrug and mumble,
"She was threatening me with her eyes."Mom sighs and pinches the bridge to her nose to calm herself like she always does. I don't get what she's getting mad at me for!
"But you said 'what', the common teenage fighting words."
"I'm glad you've done your research mom." I sass. Mom glares at me once again and huffs with force. Whoopty doo. "Why do you insist on making me the bad guy?! Seriously it's getting old! Stop kissing her ass because you're afraid that she will hate you. Who the hell cares?!"
"I CARE!" She screams at me. "I want us all to have mutual respect for one another because this is complicated. I'm not her mother, I know I'll never really be her mother in her eyes but it wouldn't hurt to try! That's better than trying to murder her for nothing!"
"Whatever mama, I'm just done." I shrug and leave. I can hear Emma and Dad arguing as well in the distance. That's hardly my problem and I don't care.
Quickly I proceed to my room and pack up all of my things because I know we're going home tomorrow morning. Emma and I are probably in so much trouble that mom and dad won't celebrate Christmas this year like they did a few years ago. They'd 'cancel' it.