Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.

When she entered her office early in the morning, the last person Regina expected to see was her daughter. But there Evie was, blue-tinted curls a tangled mess, makeup streaked beyond repair.

"Evie? Darling, what is it?" Concerned, Regina crossed the room, intent on folding her daughter in her arms. Caught up in her worry, she almost missed the sight of the Mills family skeleton keys hanging limply from Evie's fingers. Brought up short, Regina could only stare for several tense minutes before her eyes narrowed. "Where did you get those? Evie Kore Mills, what are you doing with my keys?"

"I wanted to believe it wasn't true," Evie whispered, facing the desk, head bent so she wouldn't have to look at her mother. Rage and pain threatened to overwhelm her, but she refused to let this dissolve into a shouting match. "But it is, isn't it, mother?" When her mother didn't reply, merely stared slack-jawed at her visibly upset daughter, Evie felt her already frayed temper snap. "Isn't it?!"

Roused from her stupor by the accusatory tone in Evie's voice, Regina drew herself to her full height. "Don't you take that tone with me, young lady! Or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Evie demanded, spinning around to face her mother. "Frame me for murder like you did Mary Margaret? Or, how about rip out my heart like you did Harry's?!"

Taken aback by her daughter's words, Regina struggled to regain control of the conversation. "Clearly you've been listening to your brother's stories too much, my dear. I knew that book was a bad influence." She sniffed imperiously, disapproval dripping from every syllable. "And I thought I told you to stay away from that miscreant. Clearly, I'll have to take drastic measures-"

"You won't touch Harry." Evie's eyes narrowed, an old, unfamiliar hatred overtaking her. "You won't hurt him, or me, ever again, mother."

Cold realization washed over Regina. Her eyes went to the skeleton keys, focusing on one in particular. "What did you do with those keys, Evie? Where did you go?"

"To visit grandpa." Features twisted with loathing, Evie threw the keys across the room. They skidded along the title floor, coming to rest at the tip of her mother's heels. "Turns out I shouldn't have bothered - he's not buried in Storybrooke. But something else is."

Hand rising to clutch at her throat, Regina gazed at her eldest with something akin to horror. "Evie-"

"Everything Henry told me was true. Everything." Evie's lips were curled into a snarl. "You really are the Evil Queen. You made my poor brother think he was crazy, you made me think he was crazy. You tried to kill my sister."

Stricken by each accusation Evie hurled her way, Regina stirred at the last one. "Half-sister." She corrected with a sneer, blanching once she realized what she'd let slip. "Evie-"

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say, mother. If I could prove it, I'd tell Emma that you framed Mary Margaret for Kathryn's disappearance." Refusing to listen to any of her mother's excuses, Evie held up a hand. "But, if you come anywhere near Harry, I'll take Emma Swan to the mausoleum and show her what you really are."

"What did you do with it?" Regina managed to croak out, horrified by how quickly everything had fallen apart. "What did you do with his heart?"

Evie gave her mother a cold smile. "I hide it somewhere you'll never find it. And once the Curse is broken, I'm putting it back where it belongs."

To say Mr. Gold was put out over being woken up at three in the morning was an understatement. In all the years she'd known him, Evie had never seen such a dark look on the man's face, but she didn't let that stop her.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Mills? Mr. Jones?"

Evie shoved the heart box into his startled grasp. "I need a favor, Mr. Gold. You need to hide that from my mother at all costs until the Curse breaks."

All traces of sleep vanished from the older man's features. "That's gonna cost you, dearie."

"I'll pay it. Just keep it safe."

Steeling her spine, Evie strode for the exit. When she passed her mother, she allowed the cold, heartless mask she wore fall in the face of her mother's obvious heartache.

"I don't want to lose you again, Evie." Regina whispered, cautiously cupping her daughter's cheek.

Evie leaned into the touch before her warm hazel eyes hardened. "You should have thought of that before you tried to kill the people I love."

Heart heavy, Evie stormed from the office, intent on finding Harry and hiding away in her studio for the foreseeable future. Unable to react, Regina could only stare at her daughter's back. Hot tears rose in her eyes, and she was unsuccessful in choking back the sudden, wrenching sob that welled in her throat. Arms locking around her chest, Regina fell to her knees, staring blankly at her office floor.

Not even the knowledge that, before the day was out, Mary Margaret Blanchard would be leaving Storybrooke, was able to heal the cracks along her aching heart.

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