9. We Have History Together


The Sorcerer's mansion doesn't look so hot, grand or richy-rich anymore from Emma's current point of view. The front gate is missing in action, so is the roof and generally pretty much the rest of what was the house. Emma tilts her head to the side because the only things left standing is the stone chimneys and if you look at them a certain way they could pass for a modern version of Stonehenge. And with the smokey residue hanging around in the air it really sells the shit out that image. But to sum it up all the current scenery screams in Emma's eyes is: so this is what a pancaked mansion that makes a broke ass Humpty-Dumpty look put together looks like.

"What do you think happened, Emma?" Mary-Margaret said in her usual high-pitched zippidity-doo-da inflection. If perky were a disease it would be safe to say that this woman is a terminal case. "Do you think it was the Evil Queen and Zelena?"

But even cloaked in her usual eternal optimism Snow White a.k.a Mary-Margaret is in mood. First comes the discovery that the Evil Queen is alive and in Storybrooke and now Zelena too. Then the surprise of finding out that Zelena took her daughter back from Granny and her hiding place. Now it's seeing the results of the emergency call about 'something like what must be an earthquake' happening near the Sorcerer's mansion. David and Mary-Margaret were seriously hard-up in investigate even though everything that's crazy in this town is always magic related and neither one of them have any magic to speak of. Not even some sleight of hand tricks.

Emma thinks that what's really messing with her parents so much is that the Queen really doesn't give a shit about doing anything to them and then there's Hook thing now. Explaining that love spell shit to her parents, after the fact wasn't fun, but at least they believed her. To Emma's relief it wasn't a hard sell when she highlighted a few things that apparently were hazy to David and Mary-Margaret. The only funny part for Emma was restraining her father from going after Hook. The sword came out and everything and then David was charging across the loft towards the front door like a man on a mission.

"No way Q or Zelena did this." Emma squints her eyes against the bright afternoon sun. "You heard Granny recount the story of what happened the other night the same as I did. And I told you not to call Regina's other half that."

"Right, you said she goes by 'Q'?" Mary-Margaret considers rolling her eyes and dutifully ignores the fact that her daughter just reprimanded her. "So do you think it was Hyde then?"

"Does a cheese doodle, Mom?"

Mary-Margaret grins and reaches out for David's hand. Emma makes a face because everywhere she goes it's a family affair. Plus, her parents are worse than conjoined twins. Sure they were separated for twenty-eight years, but damn if they haven't made up for in and then some in the last five years. Emma has two insanely younger siblings now that proves how close her parents continue to get. Which is gross, horror-horror and cue the brain bleach asap?

"What was the point of doing this?" David said as he takes his wife's hand in his. "Was this a show of power? Hyde covering his tracks because he found something here? I don't get it?"

And of course during Emma's big explanation to her parents she left out the part of Q's involvement in the breaking of the Killian love spell flim-flam shitshow. Another omitted section but implied portion is how Emma has chosen to ignore the consent issue that's up in the air about Hook. Maybe when Jekyll and his counterpart Hyde are dealt with Emma will finally address it or maybe she'll just keep ignoring it until she cracks. Archie is her only option for therapy after all and falling in a bottle isn't an alternative under consideration either.

Emma rolls her eyes and groans, "I...may have forgotten to tell you that Q was staying here at one point and she's not in league with Hyde."

"Emma!"

"What? It's not like I have to tell you everything I'm doing!" Emma frowns because Regina's words just fell out of her mouth. "And I've had this conversation with you two before. Q isn't the Evil Queen any more than Regina is as hard as that is to believe. Q doesn't even dress the part."

"Emma!" David chastises this time and it's clear that Emma inherited her penchant for ridiculous facial expressions from her father. "Just how much have you been keeping from us lately?"

Emma is willing to admit that it would take more than a minute but less than ten to come clean. But there is also the fact that there is only so much blunt force truth her parents can process. Instead, Emma turns and walks away from the first ruins of Storybrooke even though the Sorcerer's mansion is in no way the first thing that has been bashed around in this quack town. Emma stops in front of her Bug and then sits down on the hood. The metal is cool under her ass through her jeans and it gives her a slight chill that she wards off by crossing her arms over her chest.

"Answer us." Mary-Margaret and David said at practically the same time while coming to stand in front of Emma. "What are you hiding from us now?"

"Hiding? That's good one." Emma meets her parents intense and judging looks head on. "But if you must know I've spoken with Q several times. So has Henry. Regina is dying because of the magical split you championed, Mom. And let's see...I'm going to need some kind of therapy to work through the years I've wasted on Hook. Years of my life that I will never get back. Better? I mean that's the Cliff's Notes version but you get the picture now, right?"

David is stunned and maybe Mary-Margaret is too a little. But Mary-Margaret remembers the angry young woman she met during the curse. This woman who is now her daughter has just reminded her of that same young woman only she's older.

"Emma, we can work through this together as a family."

"Seriously?" Emma tightens her arms across her chest and the sleeves of her leather jacket rubs loudly against the action. "You guys want to hear about...ha, how many times I slept with Hook sort of kinda of against my will. Or how because of that spell I went to Hell for him and you tagged along because you were under the spell too? You know, I gotta hand it to the pirate he sure knew how to take out an insurance policy."

Emma doesn't need a reminder that Regina and Henry went of their own free will. But both Regina and Henry went along with the Hook thing for different reasons and none of them were good. And the whole 'I just want you to be happy' spiel sounds like such a cop-out no matter who's handing it out with a smile.

"Emma, I'm sorry we wasted a perfectly good chance on Hook." Mary-Margaret said before releasing David's hand to move closer to her daughter. "But you can move on from this. You broke the spell. You saved your father and me from having to suffer under the spell any longer too."

The Savior's anger is immediate but it's also a delayed reaction a long time in the making but completely justified in potency. The pleading look in Mary-Margaret's green eyes is even pissing Emma off more. David's blue eyes just seem sad and another form of angry. Truthfully, the shepherd wants to find the pirate and teach him a lesson and then a little something extra he will feel guilty about at first but it will wear off. For once David's feelings are all in the gray on the matter of the clear violation of his only daughter.

Emma uncrosses her arms and points at her parents, "You knew what a pig he was but you both were just as blind as me. And from this moment on I don't want to hear anything about how good always wins or anymore of that true love conquers all shit from either one of you ever again. I'm done with it."

"You don't mean that." Mary-Margaret's mouth gapes open at the quiet threat. "You can't think like that."

"Oh, you bet I do."

David takes a deep breath and reaches out to his daughter. He wants to hug her even though it won't save her so he settles for gently resting his hands on Emma's tense shoulders. To her credit Emma doesn't budge but she also doesn't push her father away.

"Emma, Hook will pay for what he's done to you one way or another." David's voice is calming despite the cocktail of emotions he's drowning in. "I can personally see to it. Or we can let Fate deal with the pirate."

Emma scoffs, "I can fight my own battles."

David flinches because he knew what happened to Emma's hand before she finished explaining to them about Hook's love spell. It isn't enough though that his daughter socked the pirate a good one. It's not nearly enough.

"A family that squabbles together...hmm, remind how the rest of it goes?" Hyde said with a faint smirk and all three members of clan Charming turn towards the empowered reflection of a meek man's evil will. "Or have I got it all wrong?"

Emma narrows her eyes and moves past her parents, "Out for a stroll are you? Got a magical cramp from spending too much of it in one place?"

Hyde grins, "I see that you were admiring my handiwork. I did so enjoy dismantling the grandiose house brick by brick. That is after I gutted it for what I wanted."

"And what's that? You can tell us." David steps up alongside Emma and then Mary-Margaret follows suit. "Oh come on, you bad guys are supposed to love monologuing."

Emma nearly smiles because Regina and David have become just as good friends as Regina is with Mary-Margaret. To the surprise of no one Regina has brought out her father's sassy side.

"Not this one." Hyde sniffs and then carefully adjusts his cufflinks. "But I will say that I'm done with my research, or rather the discovery portion of my experiment now. And I realized I had a slight oversight to correct." Hyde's lips twitch up into a brief smirk. "It occurred to me that it was past time to put some fear into the Savior of Storybrooke."

Emma's got her magic turned up to eleven and it's raring to go, "You can try, Hyde. But given what I've had to put up with lately let me tell you you're going to have to really work for it."

Hyde tilts his head to the side until the bones in his neck cracks loudly. Snow White and her Prince are no threat to him. The Savior on the other hand has magic and Hyde recently learned that Emma Swan also spent time as the Dark One which only enhanced his interest.

"I do love a challenge, Savior."

"So do I."

Hyde grins again and with barely time to blink Emma suddenly feels his actual hand close around her throat. The bastard is really that fast and strong. And before David or Mary-Margaret can lift a finger they're both thrown in opposite directions from Emma. David lands hard on a bank across the road and the air in his lungs leaves his body in a rush. Mary-Margaret goes through the large bushes that line the front of what's left of the Sorcerer's mansion. Lying on the brown-green frost bitten grass David gasps as his lungs burn as his first breath comes out in pain. He curses himself for not bringing his sword. Mary-Margaret on the other hand got an even hardier helping of what the 'hard-knock life' feels like.

Emma loses her focus as Hyde lifts her up off the ground as though she weighs nothing. Emma closes her eyes and tries to find her magic again. This asshole isn't all bluster like the others that have come before him. Emma's been choked before both magically and for real but this time the for real is seriously sucking more than the time the Snow Queen tried to magically choke her out. Emma breathes through her nose then reaches up and tries to pull on Hyde's arm. The man's arm feels far beyond solid through the sleeve of his coat but that doesn't scare Emma.

"You're not quite as impressive as I was lead to believe." Hyde said effortlessly while hoisting Emma up higher off the ground with one hand. "But having said that I'm not completely disappointed. I only need you compliant."

Emma grits her teeth and if she had enough air she would tell this prick to eat her ass. But Emma is kind of seeing spots and everything is getting real blurry even though she has her contacts in. What good is all the white magic in the world if it's not there when you really need it? When Emma was the Dark One magic dripped from her fingers at any given time.

"So what's next, Scarface? Or are you just planning on clubbing her over the head and then dragging her back to your cave?"

Emma knows that voice by heart and she would smile if she could; she might be for all she knows now. Air Supply isn't just an eighties band to Emma anymore.

"The Evil Queen as I live and breathe." Hyde said as he lowers what he hopes is an unconscious Savior to the ground. Emma's body does tumble down to pavement and her golden blonde hair sprawls out around her head. "As a fellow exile I would've expected to see more of you. We could do so much together. Be more than our counter parts could ever imagine."

The Queen raises a single eyebrow and walks closer to the Victorian themed moron, "I have three things to say to you. First off don't call me the Evil Queen ever again or I'll rip your lungs out and hand them to you."

Hyde chuckles and moves away from Emma's body and steps in front of the Queen. He doesn't impress easily but the woman clad all in black in front of him demands it. A woman of her caliber doesn't come along very often, if at all.

"Second, you and I are nothing alike." The Queen stops and stands right in Hyde's personal space and then smirks. "And third, the Savior is mine."

A quirking smile tugs up one corner of Hyde's lips, "Is that a threat or a promise, Your Majesty?"

"Take it however you want to."

David groans and grips his ribs which are no doubt bruised. His breathing is coming easier now so he rolls over and gets to his knees. Just over the edge of the bank David sees Hyde talking to a woman who could be Regina but most certainly doesn't look like the Evil Queen he knows from their land aside from the long hair. David crawls up the bank and staggers to his feet. His gun is lying on the road a few feet from Emma's body which from his vantage point he can see his daughter slowly moving.

"I was so hoping you would be my partner in crime as it were." Hyde said with a hint of frustration. "Good help is hard to find you know."

"Well, you thought wrong." The Queen studies the blood spot in Hyde's right eye and the slight pulsing tremor in it. "Do it Emma."

Hyde's confusion is unforeseen even while it multiplies as he finds himself flat on his back on the pavement. His legs being swept out from under him didn't hurt nor did the fall but the element of surprise was enough to put him in a brief daze. While trying to get his bearings the next thing Hyde feels is a powerful blast of magic that lifts him and then sends him airborne. Hyde can't help but grin as he crashes face first into a piece of the mansion's solid foundation that he didn't rip up out of the ground.

David can hardly trust his eyes right now. The sight of the woman his daughter calls 'Q' stepping in to possibly save Emma and then the both of them using magic to send Hyde up and crashing into the remains of the Sorcerer's mansion is the last thing he was expecting. With Hyde temporarily dealt with and since Emma appears to be okay David looks around for Mary-Margaret and it's then that he catches movement in the shrubs along where the front of the mansion used to be.

"Mary-Margaret!"

"David!"

The Queen frowns and glares at Emma, "Please tell me that 'I found you' crap isn't what's coming next."

"I seriously hope not." Emma said with a slight chuckle while gently rubbing her neck. "I'm not in the mood for hearts and flowers and the other stuff that will scar me for life if they start sucking face in the bushes."

"Why Emma Swan, who would've thought you'd start speaking my language." The Queen said with a grin as she moves in closer. Emma rolls her eyes while rubbing her neck which garners the Queen's attention and for a moment she hesitates before tenderly gripping Emma's chin between her thumb and index finger. "Now let me see what that brute did to you."

The Queen's fingers are firm, warm and yet soft on Emma's face. Emma fights the urge to lean into the touch more but she can't make herself shy away from watching those chocolate brown eyes inventory her face. Emma shivers with a wave of Q's free hand magic as washes over her and Emma feels her neck heal.

"That's better." The Queen smiles shyly, lets go of Emma's chin and takes a small step back. "Next time I recommend considering my sister's code of magic ethics; shoot first, ask questions later, but only if you think they're worth the answers. And I'm suggesting that only because you both have impulsive tendencies."

Emma smirks and if her parents weren't here she would grab Q and kiss her. She may do it anyway if the woman keeps being so damn adorable. It's rather nice to like somebody again of your own free will.

"Speaking of Zelena should we be building a bunker to shield us from the fallout from the next stop on the Green Ambition Tour?" Emma said before looking over her shoulder to see where her parents are. And sure enough they're by the bushes practically making out. Emma rolls her eyes again and turns back to see someone way better to look at. "Or in all seriousness just tell me the truth straight up about your sister and I'll believe it without question."

The Queen licks her lower lip and reaches out to place her hand on Emma's chest; right over her heart once again. Emma doesn't move or even look down and the Queen thinks that she's never seen eyes so green and yet blue as well before.

"Zelena has her daughter now and that's all that matters. I won't tell you that Zelena doesn't have some pent-up aggression towards Regina, we have that in common, and we're both working through it."

"Emma!" The sound of Mary-Margaret's voice drawing near causes Emma to jump a bit. The Queen reluctantly moves her hand off of Emma's chest. "Are you alright?"

The Savior exhales deeply because these next few minutes could be all kinds of headache inducing. Her parents haven't met Q and Emma kind of didn't want that to ever happen. Because let's face it Snow White and Prince Charming aren't exactly forward-thinking people. I mean they actually wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest and essentially live in the past.

"Well-well, it hasn't been long enough Snow." The Queen said with a sneer and the sound of her voice makes Emma shiver for a different reason. "But before you get your blue birds in a twist I'm not here for anything even remotely related to our vengeful past. I'm over it as the kids say."

"Then why are you here...Q." David said as he and Mary-Margaret warily move towards her and Emma. The Queen doesn't miss the gun David's holding in his hand. His saving grace at the moment is that the gun is pointed at the ground and not at her. "Not that I don't realize you helped our daughter just now. I saw what you both did together."

Mary-Margaret absently runs her hand over her hair again because she can feel that she still has a few pieces of greenery in her hair but she doesn't care too much about it this second. The woman standing next to her daughter doesn't look a thing like the person that came out of Regina that night on the roof. This woman is a Queen though no mistake about that but there's something else, something that's very different about her. She's not quite a stranger to Mary-Margaret but she's still not so familiar to her either.

"I came here," The Queen pauses and tucks some of her long dark hair behind her ear. "I'm here because...I felt Emma was in danger. I could feel her magic asking for my assistance."

Normally, Emma would be embarrassed as hell but not this time. Maybe it's the insanity of her life since she came to Storybrooke or maybe it's just the effect that Q has on her. Emma's not about to blurt out to her parents that she's already made-out with the woman. However, Emma also can't find it in herself to shy away from what her body language is probably broadcasting like a damn loudspeaker.

"Oh, well that's...David."

Mary-Margaret turns to her husband who looks like he rolled down a mountain. Mary-Margaret wasn't prepared for this. Poor David is in pain every time he takes a breath that's not super shallow. The man is actually one deep breath away from passing out.

"Emma, let's go." David said while tucking his gun back in his shoulder holster which knocks against his ribs and he sucks in a sharp breath. "There's nothing more to do here and Hyde will be back."

The Queen steels her spine because while it's true she wants nothing to do with the two idiots. But the obvious dismissal is colder than she thought possible given she willingly made herself vulnerable just a few minutes ago. There's more gratitude for you.

"I know Hyde's not down for the count." Emma said with a forced smile to her parents. "And I'll be right behind you in a little while. I want to talk to Q first."

"Alright." Mary-Margaret eyes the woman dressed in black and the only splash of color about her is the blood red satin lining of her blazer and the red slash of lipstick staining her lips. "We'll see you later. I'm going to take your father to the hospital."

The Queen watches the two idiots slowly walk towards that ugly brown rust bucket of a truck. Mary-Margaret slides into the driver's seat and David slumps down on the passenger side.

"So...thank you." Emma feels like smiling which is way better than how angry she was feeling before Hyde showed his face. "I would say I had it handled but my magic just wasn't doing anything useful. At least I thought it wasn't. Hey, did you seriously feel my magic or did you just spoon feed my parents that to make them uncomfortable?"

The Queen grins because a rambling Emma Swan is rather entertaining. And at this point what harm is it to admit, to herself anyway, that she likes Emma. The Queen doesn't believe in forever but she does have today. Time and magic are dedicating themselves to moving her along in just the same fashion as Regina, and who knows what the final destination for the both of them will look like.

"I told you I don't lie. But more importantly Hyde wasn't trying to kill you. Not yet anyway."

"I know." Emma said and takes a step into what can only be considered as Q's personal space. "I was only pretending to pass out so he would let go before I really did. You coming along when you did was perfect timing."

The Queen smiles and the full bright red heart beating in her chest quickens, "Emma, what I told your parents is the truth but I was also looking for you."

"I know that too. I can tell but, and I'm sensing a but...so what's wrong?"

The Queen has all of Regina's memories and she remembers that day in the Mayor's office when Emma told Regina that she could always tell when she was lying. Superpower or not. The Queen recalls the feelings and the smile that broke out on Regina's face. But there was no time for romance that day; there was a failed potion to make, and then a failed attempt to get Zelena to reveal herself.

"Nothing's wrong unless you consider that an hour ago or more like two now Zelena and I received an unexpected visitor at her farmhouse."

"Okay, who? Wait, is that where you're living now?"

"Henry."

"What!" The Queen nearly laughs at how wide Emma's eyes get. "He's supposed to be at school dammit!"

The Queen smirks, "He seemed very upset and I was pleasantly surprised that he managed to guess where I would be yet again."

"Hold up, you left him with Zelena?"

"Yes, because to my knowledge she is his Aunt whether they both like it or not." The Queen said with a mild sneer as she places her hands on her hips. "He was rather fascinated with questioning her when I left and I imagine that's what he's still doing."

"Oh God, Regina's going to go DEFCON Two when she finds out." Emma's forehead wrinkles as she makes a face. "Shit! What the hell's gotten into that kid now?"

Not only did Henry come knocking on Zelena's door but he also apologized again to Q and there were tears involved. And regardless of what the Queen has said about Henry's status, to not being her son, she has started to feel responsible for him. She has and a lighter heart now; a freer one to go with the whole package, and being conflicted is in no way a new thing.

"Henry told me that he overheard you and Regina arguing the other night. And it's apparent that he knows everything now. What happened between you and Regina in Neverland. Regina being heartless due to her...stupidity. And of course the eventual outcome of the price of Regina cutting herself in half. Then he begged me to help her, help Regina, his mother again."

The Queen feels empathy for the first time for Regina since the separation. It would be so easy to write it off on the heart that's been growing her chest but she's not going to do that.

"Yeah, about that...the heart." Emma reaches out and places her hand on Q's chest, right over said organ, which Emma feels beating against the palm of her hand. "I know you didn't snatch Regina's heart but care to enlighten me on why she doesn't have one?"

"The heart I have is mine. Regina crushed the original and turnabout is fair play as you know and magic shares the same sentiment." The Queen looks down Emma's hand on her chest and reflects on the realization of what had happened and then what the heart looked like when she took it out to see it for the first time. "It has no black spots...yet. And while I have no intention of darkening it I also have no intention of trying to be perfect like some kind of deranged buffoon."

Emma laughs and how can she not at the sarcastic deflection spoken by a master at dishing it out who also has an extremely sexy voice. It's strange to Emma to be back at this point with a woman who is Regina but not. Emma told Regina it was just a kiss and maybe that's all it was and that's okay. Emma meant what she told her parents about being done with true love and its trappings. Hook had her juiced up so much that who knows what it will take in the future to not get super fucking pissed every time she thinks back on her life choices. How more than a few of her so called choices weren't even her own. But honestly Emma is off rum now for the rest of her life and maybe even men too.

"Okay, let's do this then."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Take me with you to Zelena's." Emma said as she presses her body fully against Q's. "I can poof too but I haven't been inside Zelena's house. Regina told me to never try to poof someplace I've not seen."

"Poofed? Really, Emma?"

"You know what I mean...transport or whatever you want to call it. Now hurry up, Zelena might need saving from our kid."

The Queen chuckles and doesn't comment on Emma's slip of 'our kid'. She remembers all those old arguments between Emma and Regina over that very matter. As the Queen and Emma are enveloped in her purple cloud of magic the Queen lays her hand on top of Emma's hand that's resting over her heart. The warmth radiating between is calming, peaceful and the Queen doesn't bother with worrying if her emotions are on full display.

The Queen feels a tingle of Emma's magic reacting to her own and needless to say the feeling is pleasant which adds to what she's already sharing with Emma. But then she also feels how troubled Emma is and that damn pirate is to blame but the Queen knows it's not her fight. It's Emma's. The purple smoke lightens thanks to Emma's magical contribution and then both women disappear as the swirling smoke evaporates into the air.

Hyde wipes off his face with a handkerchief and then snaps his nose back in place without a flinch. Watching the Savior and the Queen interact was as enlightening as it was a spectacle. Hyde takes a deep breath and then resets his jaw; the bone pops, crackles right next to his ear. After working his jaw a few times Hyde smiles and tucks his handkerchief back in his front pocket and stalks through the rubble; all that's left of the Sorcerer's mansion, as the clouds rolling in overhead throw shade and dim down the late afternoon sun.


Soundtrack: "Metal Health-(bang your head)" by Quiet Riot & "In The Flesh" by Blondie

Parting Words: Thank you to the people who have supported this story from the get go. I've never been a widely read scribbler no matter which fandom or the story I offered up. I've never seen myself as some 'hidden gem'. In fact I take it as a high compliment to know that I made someone laugh or even piss them off because ultimately everything I've written has but one purpose...to provoke some form of a emotional response.