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Chapter 9 Only Time Will Tell

The next few days had passed by quickly and Regina spent that time appointing her assistant Katie as temporary mayor and preparing her. Things had been quite hectic lately now that the whole town already knew about her cancer and by the end of the week Regina was exhausted. She was waiting in the diner for Henry and she could feel the stares.

She can feel their eyes burning right through her as they got a good look at her new appearance.

She could hear them whispering behind her back.

Some pitied her and while she didn't want their pity she also knew some people believed she deserved it. No one deserved this.

"Mom, are you ok?"

She didn't even hear him approaching her nor see him come in. Her hands were tightly wrapped around her mug of tea, her gaze fixed on the dark liquid. The scowl that had graced her pretty features faded as she looked up at her son. She gave him a small smile, the kind that she only seemed to save for him.

"Yes, honey I'm fine," she said as he sat across from her in the booth. Her hands were shaking again and her nerves felt tensed and painful and when Henry's gaze fell on her hands she moved them to her lap.

"You're in pain right now. We don't have to do this today."

"I'm fine Henry," she said, her eyes pleading with him not to make a big deal out of this. She wasn't going to let the painful side effects of chemo stop her from having lunch with Henry before his first session with Archie. He seemed to understand because he sighed in defeat and Henry suddenly just seemed older than his 16 years of age.

"Did you at least take your meds?" he asked, his stern expression so much like her own.

"Yes, Henry; you don't have to worry about me ok. It's my job to worry about you," she told him softly, placing her trembling hand over his and he immediately covered it with his other hand as if that alone can make it stop.

"I just can't help it," he mumbled, his eyes glancing at the scarf around her head. Seeing that she had lost her hair was a shock to him as well as their family. The image just made the fact that Regina was sick, all more real for them. She looked so different and even though she didn't look like the once Evil Queen and hard ass mayor to the town, to him she just didn't look like mom anymore.

"It's only temporary. Once I go into remission and stop the chemo, it'll grow back."

His once bright and full of life hazel eyes met hers and she could see the sadness and devastation festering where there had once been hope.

"We don't even know that," he whispered and it hurt to see that the believer in her son has faded.

Another thing the cancer has taken.

She had waited in the hall and when Henry finally emerged he was distant… angry even and she could only give Archie a questioning glance. He only smiled sadly at her. It wasn't his place to tell her what had been talked about and she knew that. So with a heavy heart and worry written all over her face Regina followed her teenage son out into the snow.

He wouldn't talk to her the whole way home. They had walked to the apartment complex Snow and Emma lived in for it hurt too much to drive at this point. The days after her chemo treatments always left her weak and sick and the pain always left her to shaky for simple tasks such as driving. She hated that right when she started to feel better and the side effects of chemo weren't so intense, she was due for another treatment not long after.

Her last chemo treatment was only two days ago. The pain was intense not to mention the overwhelming nausea. She hardly touched her food in the diner despite Henry's protest to eat just a little bit more.

Now though as they walked through the freshly fallen snow she would have given anything to hear his concerned words. Anything if he would just say something to her.

Not a word was spoken.

Snow sensed something was wrong the moment Regina walked into the apartment. Henry had gone to his, leaving her with a kiss on the cheek and nothing more. Her body was tensed and her hands trembled. Her face was pale from the intensity of her painful nerves. She was barely even through the door when Snow gently pulled her in.

"Honey, sit down," she said softly, closing the door and leading Regina to the couch. "What are you doing here? You just had your chemo treatment a couple of days ago."

"I walked Henry home from Archie's. He's angry at me Snow. He didn't… he didn't say word." She was trembling from the pain and the emotions, making it hard to get the words out and she tiredly slumped against her stepdaughter. Snow could only hold her.

"What happened?" she asked, her hand rubbing comforting circles on her back in order to soothe her.

"I don't know exactly. We didn't fight or anything. We had lunch before his appointment and everything was fine and then he came out of Archie's office and wouldn't say a word to me."

"Regina," Snow whispered, the reason for Henry's behavior suddenly dawning on her. He wasn't angry at his adoptive mother.

He was scared.

He was depressed.

And he was angry at the world for doing this to the one person who didn't deserve this. Because no matter how much evil Regina had done in the past, no woman should ever have to experience the sickness raging through her body.

"It's obvious to all of us that Henry isn't accepting the fact that you're sick. Maybe Archie tried to get him to talk about it. Maybe that is why he is so angry right now. He just needs time."

Regina gave her a sad smile despite the pain she was fighting. She shook her head in defeat because "time"… Well "time" wasn't exactly on her side because Henry's earlier words were right. They didn't know if she would make it to remission.

"Only time will tell and time is something that I don't have."

"You need to fight for time," Snow told her sternly, willing her to listen because yes they were running out of time but time was all they had at this point. Regina didn't respond but she took those words to heart. They were quiet for a while with Snow holding her as she trembled and did her best to breathe through the worsening pain.

"That's it, just breathe through it," Snow whispered and Regina looked up at her in confusion.

"Snow, dear why do you keep whispering?"

"I don't want to wake Avery up. I just got him down for a nap and it took hours for him to fall asleep," she explained and in that moment Regina had just noticed the messy state of the apartment and the exhaustion in the younger woman's eyes. Avery was a handful and very rambunctious two year old.

"Snow, go to bed. Get some sleep before he wakes up."

"And leave you here by yourself when you're in pain?" Snow asked in disbelief. She stood and moved Regina so that she was lying down.

"You're not my mother Snow. You don't need to take care of me," Regina said, her voice low with exhaustion but also affection for this sweet sweet girl. She snuggled deeper into the couch as Snow draped a blanket over her hurting body.

"I'm not but if Cora won't take care of you like a mother should, then I will," Snow said and Regina could hear the bitterness upon mentioning Cora's name. Snow herself wasn't thrilled with Cora's disappearing act. She sat on the floor by Regina's head, leaning against the couch as she took her stepmothers hand. "Go to sleep."

"Avery doesn't listen to you but you're a great mother Snow. He's lucky to have you," she whispered drowsily as sleep started to claim her.

No one saw it coming. They all knew Ivy could wield magic if she chose to but they didn't know it would happen so soon. Jason was called in for an emergency surgery on a cat that had fallen out of a tree. Poor thing had been up there for days until it couldn't stand the cold anymore and when it tried to climb down the icy branches it had fallen onto the hard pavement, its leg receiving the worse of the damage. Regina had been with Henry, and not wanting to interrupt their time together, he asked Emma to watch Ivy.

On his lunch break David joined them at the park and as father and daughter sat on the bench watching the young girl play with the other kids they couldn't help but think about the affect this cancer was having on Regina's kids. Ivy seemed fine most of the time but there were moments were she would think about how sick and different her mother was and she would shut herself in her own little world, not listening to anyone around her. Henry was a different story. They could see the depression as well as his avoidance to talk about it. They all tried talking to him and they could only hope talking with Archie would help.

"They won't be the same," Emma said and David turned to look at his daughter. Her eyes were fixed on a laughing Ivy as she ran around with the other kids on the jungle gym. "No matter what happens… If Regina dies or survives this, they won't be the same David."

"No but Emma, they're strong and they have a family that loves them. We'll help them through it."

"Why is it so easy for you and mom to be so optimistic sometimes? After everything that life has thrown at you and me and Regina, it's just… How is any of this fair? How is Regina getting breast cancer fair? Henry still needs her and Ivy, she's… She's so young." Her eyes landed on the little four year old with eyes shining bright and a smile like mommy's; her dark wavy hair framing her natural tan face.

"We just have to have faith, it got us this far. It brought Regina back to Snow and faith will bring her back to us."

"I hope you're right," she sighed because this was reality. This wasn't magic or evil sorcerers going after them. They weren't saving the world or fighting magical battles. Cancer was cancer. It was a disease from the real world. There was no cure let alone a magical one. This was a battle that Regina had to fight without magic.

"Ivy!"

David's voice shook her from her thoughts and it was then that she had noticed it. The ball that had been about to hit Ivy in the face was now floating above her. Her small hands were raised in the air, holding the ball in place to keep it from hitting her.

"Is she?"

"Magic…" David stated as they both got up and rushed over to the child. David picked her up, shielding her from the stares of shocked children and their parents.

They could see the weary stares and frightened faces and they knew they were aimed at Ivy. This was the daughter of the once Evil Queen so why wouldn't they trust the powers coming from her 4 year old.

"Let's get her out of here," Emma said, putting her hand protectively on Ivy's back. If anyone were to try something she wouldn't hesitate to stop them even if she had to use her own magic to protect Regina's daughter.

They rushed back to the car and David set her down. He knelt to her level while Emma kept an eye on their surroundings in case any of those parents decided to come after them.

"David, what's happening?" Ivy asked, her voice shaking as she looked at him in confusion.

"I'm not sure," he answered, taking her hands in his. "Can I ask you something? Was that the first time you used magic?" She seemed almost afraid to answer and David could see it. "It's ok, you could tell us. Was that the first time you used magic?"

She hesitated at first before looking up at Emma who nodded at her in encouragement. She looked back at David, meeting his eyes with her frightened dark ones.

"Y… Yes," she whispered, her words stuttering and David picked her up and hugged her.

"It's ok, you did nothing wrong," he said.

"Then why was everyone looking at me like that?" she asked, her voice shaking and her lower lip trembling as she looked back at the distant playground.

"Oh kid," Emma said, noticing the signs of the oncoming tears. "They just don't understand."

"Like they don't understand mommy?" she whispered and to Emma those words felt like a punch in the stomach. Ivy had witnessed far too many occasions of the townspeople shunning Regina. She didn't know much about her mother's dark past. "But you have magic too Emma and everyone loves you."

"It's much more complicated Ivy."

"How?" she asked, her face scrunching up in confusion.

"I know you don't understand right now but soon you will. Right now we have to go ok."

"Can we go see mommy?" she asked as David put her in the car.

"Of course kid."

Regina was asleep on the couch when Emma and David came home with Ivy. By the grave faces of her husband and daughter, Snow immediately sensed that something was wrong. Ivy ran to her mother and Snow stopped her before she could shake Regina from her light slumber.

Regina was still in pain and she didn't want Ivy to jostle her awake.

"Careful honey, let her sleep."

"But I have to show mama my magic."

"You're magic?" she asked, her brow scrunching in confusion as her eyes went from Ivy to David and Emma. "She has magic?"

"She used it at the park," Emma explained, her voice hushed as to not wake Regina or her baby brother. Snow looked down at her stepmother and then at Ivy who was sitting at the edge of the couch by her mother's head. Her small fingers caressing her mother's cheek. She wasn't sure if now was the best time to tell her.

"Let's talk outside," she said, motioning towards the front door.

"You don't want to tell her, do you?" Emma asked the moment they were out in the hall with the door closed.

"No I do, I mean it's her right to know but I think maybe we should wait just a couple days until the chemo effects lesson up. She's in a lot of pain right now."

"And you really think Ivy isn't going to use her magic until then?" Emma asked.

"She can't control it yet," David said, trying to reason with his wife. "What's going to happen if Ivy is levitating her toys once they get home? Ivy isn't going to lie to Regina, she's going to tell her she's used magic before."

"I know, I just… I just want to protect her from any more stress especially after the fight with Cora," Snow said, her shoulders slumping in defeat and David pulled her into a comforting embrace.

"I know but we can't keep this from her no matter how good your intentions are," he said, placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Also Regina finding out isn't what we should be worrying about," Emma said. "Those parents at the park weren't so impressed, if anything they looked scared and we all know what fear leads to."

"Maybe we should hold a town meeting just to reassure everyone that Ivy's magic isn't a threat," David said.

"I'll get the word out," Emma said determinedly and not only was she planning on making sure Ivy wasn't viewed as a threat, she would make sure everyone knew what would happened if they hurt that little girl. Not only would they receive the wrath of an angry mother who was once an Evil Queen, Emma herself would go after anyone who would dare try to hurt Ivy.

Agonizing pain radiated through her entire being the moment Regina was pulled from her sleep. Her nerves felt like they were on fire and she could feel her body trembling. It wasn't until she felt soft fingers caressing her cheek did the pain start to lesson enough to open her eyes. She smiled as her baby girl came into focus.

"Hi sweet girl," she whispered, her aching limbs too weak to sit up and even though she put on a brave face for Ivy the pain was still there.

"Watch me mama," Ivy whispered and Regina just watched her in confusion, not having a clue what Ivy was talking about. Ivy focused on the flowers sitting on the coffee table and with a wave of her hand they were floating above them.

Ivy has magic…

Ivy has magic and not just any magic.

She has light magic.

She could sense it and as she watched the flowers swirl faster and faster until they weaved themselves into a garland, she couldn't help but smile in astonishment. The garland slowly lowered until it went around her neck and settle on her chest. She reached up, touching the soft petals of the different assortment of flowers. For so long she had worried about Ivy wielding magic but now as she felt the light magic wash over her, she knew she had nothing to worry about. She would teach her just like she taught Emma and Ivy would learn to treat magic like the gift that it is. She wouldn't abuse it like Regina had so long ago. This time, it would be different because this beautiful girl infront of her was blessed and loved in more ways then one.

"You look pretty mama. Like a beautiful princess."

"No baby," Regina said softly, sitting up just to place a soft kiss on Ivy's cheek. "Like a Queen."

Neither of them had noticed the door opening or the fact that Emma, David, and Snow had witnessed Ivy's little magic trick. They didn't have the heart to interrupt such a beautiful moment. Snow's worries had all but disappeared.

"I guess we didn't have to worry about Regina finding out," Emma whispered.

"No," Snow replied with tear stricken eyes. "We didn't."